As an English teacher, of course, I love words; and I love to research the meanings behind the words.  When I first looked at the scripture this morning I thought, "oh well, not much to think about today."  I am rebellious in my human nature, and I find it hard to love or rejoice in a statute, or an established law.  In fact, in the past, the easiest way to get me to do something was to make it known that I was not allowed to do it (my empathy to Adam and Eve)--I hope I have grown up a little.

But digging into the Hebrew, I found the word statute better translated as testimony (hats off to the KJV), and it made much more sense to me and my rebellious nature. The testimonies, the witnesses, the records of the wonders of God do indeed act as an admonition, chastisement, and conviction to my nature of rebellion.  They speak to my heart and my spirit, and I am reminded that this is the way of the Lord I love, and I want to do what He desires.

Psalm 119:129-133 says, "Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them.  The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.  I open my mouth and pant, longing for Your commands. Turn to me and have mercy on me, as You always do to those who love Your name. Direct my footsteps according to Your word; let no sin rule over me."  The rules are there for our good, to bring us understanding and to keep us from sin.  We don't have to just blindly follow God's statutes, even though He could have demanded that--He is GOD!  He owes us no explanation, but He graciously gives it anyway.  The Psalmist says they (statutes) give us understanding--the testimonies of God speak explanation and understanding to us, and we can listen and distance ourselves from the sin that can destroy us.  Repeating the concept over and over (and we do learn by repetition), the Psalmist writes, "Your righteousness is everlasting and Your law is true.  Trouble and distress have come upon me, but Your commands are my delight.  Your statutes are forever right; give me understanding that I may live" (vs. 142-144). God has never promised His children an easy life.  He has promised His faithfulness, and we learn that in the testimonies in His word.

David was a man after God's own heart. In my opinion, one of the defining moments of David's life came when, after the defeat of the Amalekites, David and his men returned to camp to find it burned and all their families kidnapped. The men were angry and wanted to take their anger out on David and stone him to death.  David could have run away, or he could have argued with them, but the Bible says, "David found strength in the Lord his God."  The KJV says he "encouraged himself in the Lord."  It was the testimonies of God, the history of God's faithfulness, which brought encouragement and direction to David. He knew he had been anointed the next king of Israel, and that he had a promise and a heritage on the way. How often do we retreat in the face of confrontation without reminding ourselves of what God has promised us and what our heritage is?  In David's predicament, he was literally hours away from becoming king.  Read I Sam. 30 and 31.
How grand that he relied on the testimonies of the God he knew and loved, instead of giving up.

More than David, our heritage in the kingdom of God is awesome. "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.  Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of His glory" (Eph. 1:13-14), "For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that He has set us free from the sins committed under the first covenant" (Heb. 9:15), "In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade" (I Pet. 1:3-4), "To him who is thirsty I will give drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.  He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son" (Rev. 21:6b-7). Our heritage is a past, a present and a future which is eternal and blessed.

"And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritace of the saints in the kingdom of light" (Col. 1:10-12). Amen.