Heth -- Psalm 119:57-64 -- Advent Blog Day 8

"Heth" or "Het" is the eighth letter of the Hebrew alphabet and makes a "kh" (a hard "h") sound.  The Heth is said to resemble a fence or a stone for making fences and conceptually means "fence" or "boundary".  The text reads:

       The LORD is my portion; I have resolved to keep Your words.
       I have implored You with all my heart; have mercy on me, in accordance with Your promise.
       I have considered my ways, and have turned back to Your decrees.
       I have hurried and not delayed to keep Your commandments.
       Though the bonds of the wicked are coiled round me, I have not neglected Your teaching.
       I arise at midnight to praise You for Your just rules.
       I am a companion to all who fear You, to those who keep Your precepts.
       Your steadfast love, O LORD, fills the earth; teach me Your laws.

     I believe the first line of this stanza has the potential to change everything about the way we view life.  Ask yourself, "what do I believe I will get out of life?"  In my own life, I have discovered that what I believe I will get out of life drives what I do in life--even if it is only on the subconscious level.  You see, if I believe I will get pleasure out of life, I pursue pleasure; if I believe I will obtain knowledge and skill, I pursue information and practice those skills in which I take greatest enjoyment or see the best potential for being really good; if I am worried about making ends meet, I work harder (just for what it is worth, I was at work until 11PM one night this week and almost 10PM another).  If we are thinking about the concept of a "hedge or fence" or "stacking one stone upon another" what do our lives demonstrate we are doing?  What does our daily or weekly routine give as the answer to this question?  The writer of this Psalm, and indeed the writers of all of the Scriptures, unanimously opine that the LORD Himself is our portion, inheritance, and what we get in the end.  As He is the creator of everything--He made it for Himself, by Himself, and to the glory of Himself--each one of us whether or not we belive will receive the LORD as our portion.  Some of us for life eternal with Him, and some for "the second death" eternally apart from Him.  However, this fact should drive us to the pursuit of learning, studying, and keeping His Laws as the Psalmist states.
     Just look at the references in this stanza to how the Psalmist relates to the LORDS commands, laws, and teachings!  One gets the impression that the Psalmist is almost like a pet tied to the stake of the LORDS commands and no matter where he goes he is completely tied to them and his boundaries derive all of their integrity from them.  The Bible also says that one who's life is fixed up on God's commands is like a ship securely anchored against the strongest gale, while the one without the stability of God's commands is like a ship driven headlong into the waves and about to founder.  The old hymn states, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name" and also, "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand!"  The theme of this hymn is tied to our Scripture when we realize that Jesus Christ Himself is the very "Logos" or Word of God.  We can supplant the name "Jesus" for every word in this stanza referenced to the Scriptures and be totally in line with what this stanza is trying to get across.    
     You know, the reality of God and His Law is inescapable and completely governs our lives and indeed everything in this universe.  Why is it I can see this and yet my mind and body so kick against the goads of this truth?  The Apostle Paul had the same question when he said, "Wretched man that I am!  Who will deliver me from this body of death?  Thanks be to Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:24-25a ESV)  I so long for the day in which I can wholeheartedly serve God in the way I know I should, and yet in this life seem so unable to do.
     And so in closing, may you come to realize the full implication on every aspect of your life that the LORD is your portion--in one way or another; may you come to fence in your life with the boundaries of God's Word and build your life one stone after another on the truths contained therein.  May you come to cherish the Scriptures as your sole source of life and engergy and never be out of sight of God's commands and precepts!  And perhaps most importantly, may you be fixed upon the rock that never fails--the Lord Jesus Christ Himself!

Here is a song to accompany this post!

Jewish Publication Society, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1985), Ps 119:57–64.