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The Scriptorium

Surpassing Wonder

A call to wonder. Psalm 119.129

Psalm 119.129-136 (1)

Pray Psalm 119.129.

Your testimonies are wonderful;
Therefore my soul keeps them.

Sing Psalm 119.129-131.
(
No Other Plea: My Faith Has Found a Resting Place)
Your testimonies, Lord are sweet; I hide them in my soul.
Your words give light unto my feet, and make my thinking whole.
I open wide my mouth to You: Lord, feed me with Your Word!
I vow that all You say I’ll do: I love Your precepts, Lord.

Read Psalm 119.129-136; meditate on verse 129.

Preparation
1.What did the psalmist say about God’s testimonies?

2.That being so, what did he do with them?

Meditation
The Hebrew word פְּלָא֥וֹת (p-lah-OHT) derives from a verb that means to “be surpassing, extraordinary” or even “marvelous” and “beyond knowing” (cf. Ps. 119.18). I’m betting the psalmist had this word in mind from the beginning of Psalm 119 as the right word to begin the פ (pay) stanza of his masterpiece. More than any other of these magnificent stanzas, Psalm 119.129-136 provides a glimpse into a heart that beats for and with the Law of God.

The psalmist is amazed and agog with wonder at the enormity, immensity, depth, height, riches, beauty, and bounty of the Law of God (“testimonies”). It’s good for us to think about the Word of God this way, because no matter how many times we’ve read it, or how deeply we have studied any part of it, there’s always more of Jesus to be discovered in God’s Word than we’ll ever know – exceedingly, abundantly more (Jn. 5.39; Eph. 3.20).

Wonder is a function of the imagination. The appearance of this word here reminds us that we need to take our time with God’s Word, making sure both to read, meditate on and study it daily and to linger over it, allowing our understanding and imagination to expand through the lush bounty of its teaching toward the full banquet of its meaning (Jer. 15.16). The more you wonder at the Word, the more it will fill your soul, and the more you will cherish and keep it.

Cultivate wonder for the Law of God and all His Word. It will never fail to delight and satisfy your soul.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162.
We, not Alice, are the true inhabitants of Wonderland. And instead of a land filled with a Mad Hatter and Queen of Hearts, we live with Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, and God the Father and Creator of the universe and all that dwells within it.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ…
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of His grace…” (Eph. 1.3, 7).
“…that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you,
being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend
with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—
to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge;
that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3.17-19).

Amazing. Astonishing. Awesome. Marvelous. Miraculous. Staggering. Stunning.

“Surpassing Wonder.”

For reflection
1. What are some ways you find the Word of God “wonderful”?

2. Describe your practice of wondering at the greatness of God and His Word.

3. Wondering about things takes time. How can you improve the time you have for considering how wonderful God and His Word are?

The Prophet does not. simply mean, that the doctrine of the law is wonderful, but that it contains high and hidden mysteries. Accordingly he declares, that the sublime and admirable wisdom which he found comprehended in the divine law led him to regard it with reverence. This is to be carefully marked, for the law of God is proudly despised by the great majority of mankind, when they do not duly taste its doctrine, nor acknowledge that God speaks from his throne in heaven, that, the pride of the flesh being abased, he may raise us upward by the apprehension of faith. John Calvin (1509-1564), Commentary on Psalm 119.129

Pray Psalm 119.136.
Be sure to pray for the lost people in your Personal Mission Field, especially those you expect to see today. Ask the Lord to give you an opportunity to share something of His Word and love with them.

Sing Psalm 119.136.

(
No Other Plea: My Faith Has Found a Resting Place)
Lord, see the world in lawlessness, how love has grown so cold.
Look down, O Lord, to save and bless; let grace and peace take hold.
Though many look on You with awe, rejoicing in Your Word,
I weep for those who void Your Law and spurn Your grace, O Lord.

T. M. and Susie Moore

You can listen to a summary of last week’s Scriptorium study by going to our website, www.ailbe.org, and clicking the Scriptorium tab for last Sunday. 

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available by clicking here.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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