In Psalm 119, the writer shares his love of God's word. He wants to learn it, be guided by it, and meditate on it day and night. He views it as a light, and a comfort and in God's word he places his trust. I have not always resonated with Psalm 119. Instead, I have found reading and studying the scripture...well...hard, difficult, and at times frustrating. I have used it as a sword against those who disagree, and have had the displeasure of having it used as a dagger against me. I have spent hours trying to understand it and at times have found myself shaking my head because it didn't always make sense.
I've found that the root of much of my frustration with scripture was my approached. Our educational system teaches us that information is meant to be mastered. We are given textbooks, told to read them, memorize them, understand them, and then are tested on how well we can regurgitate the information. Therefore, we grow up reading fiction, non-fiction, newspapers, pamphlets, brochures, and other material the same way. Our goal is to understand, manage, and master it.
I've approached the Bible much in the same way. I viewed it as information that I needed to digest and understand. There were facts, figures, principles, and rules to know and dissimilate. I felt that I needed to master this book more than any other because this book is important. I would attend bible studies, buy commentaries, and listen
to various discussions and lectures all so I would be able to answer any question about this book.
