In Buddhist belief, they have the Wheel of The Law, representing the way to achieve Understanding, or Enlightenment, It is also known as the Eightfold Path to Enlightenment. If an adherent can follow that one hundred percent, they will glean a harvest of understanding that ceases the cycle of rebirth and winds them up in the alleged state of nirvana. They have made it to their "heaven".
With that "wheel", which encompasses: right understanding; right thought; right speech; right action; right livelihood; right effort; right mindfulness and right meditation, they must grab that helm, of their own volition and power, then navigate their current life.
In Psalm 119:97-104, we see how the psalmist navigates. It's from God's precepts (vs 104). He said he
"gained understanding from God's precepts".
This caused him to
"hate every wrong path".
In addition, he mentions God's commands, law, statutes, and word.
Where did the psalmist find these precepts, laws, and etc.? From the books Moses wrote (Genesis-Deuteronomy), which reveal the bulk of God's Law and the history of His dealings with mankind from the beginning of time (creation), through His relationship with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and then with the children of Israel from Egypt to Canaan, to the Psalm-writer's day.
Throughout this acrostic writing (Psalm 119), the psalmist credits God for His help in living in a correct manner; a manner pleasing to God. Due to his knowing and loving God's Laws and ways so well, and of prime importance, obeying them, he was blessed in several crucial ways.
God's Words were "always with him"; "made him wiser than his enemies"; made him to "have more insight than all his teachers"; gave him "more understanding (there's that word "understanding" again) than the elders;" his feet have been kept from "every evil path"; and he "gained understanding" in general; and "hated every wrong path".
He noted that these were not burdensome to him either. He said, that God's words were
"sweeter than honey to his mouth".
He was very grateful to God for teaching all these to him.
Did you catch that?
God taught him!
Through the psalmist's meditations and memorization of God's Words, through his reading and writing them down (every new king was supposed to write out his own copy of God's Laws[Deuteronomy 17:18]), and through his obedience to the words, he allowed himself to be taught by God. These kept him on the right path of pleasing God and of hating every wrong path. He would know it was the wrong path too, as he was very familiar with the right one. God's right path kept him from the "evil path".
These do sound much the same as the Wheel of The Law in Buddhist belief (Buddhism only came to be somewhere around 500 BC). Most beliefs, religions and philosophies, will come up with non-violence and the good and right code of conduct by which to live. However, the difference is that most are self-propelled whereas, with God, it is a relationship, a partnership, if you will, with Him. One can see how much the psalmist loved and appreciated his communion with his Heavenly Father and hung on to His every word. Out of gratitude to God, he gained understanding and his actions were right.
He craved and sought out God whom he realized was his only Help and Solace in his struggles to live according to God's righteous ways, and in persevering in them throughout the times of affliction.
Father God, in You and in You alone, we put our trust. In You and Your Words, alone, do we learn to walk in Your ways. In you alone, can we find understanding. May each of us who belong to You through Jesus Christ, Your Son, crave your words and make them our food and drink for our spirits' nourishment, our souls' enlightenment and our body's navigating into Your right path.
That path may be straight and narrow, Father, yet it is the one to You. May we love, cherish and obey each jot and tittle of Your Word. Teach us Your ways so we may gain understanding of them, and in turn, of You.
We know that this learning may well involve affliction as it did for the psalmist of Psalm 119. May we ever be faithful and true to You and Your "school". May we gain that understanding, come what may. With You right there beside us, carrying us, teaching and comforting us may we wholeheartedly follow after You, even if its faint, yet pursuing, all along Your righteous path. We can only do this with Your intervention.
Thank-You for salvation through Your Son Jesus Christ which sets us on this path in the first place. Thank-You for His Holy Spirit who enables and empowers us with His dynamic power. Father, thank-You for Your love, faithfulness and care. Thank-You for Your Words, Laws, Precepts, Commands, and Statutes; without them we would not know how to please You. Without Your Word we would not know salvation nor be able to look forward to and eternity with You in Heaven in time to come. May we ever say Your Words are "sweet".
~ERC August 2020~
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