The Walled Garden
One of Think Bible’s study tips is to do a word study. Have you given it a try? When it came up for the month, I had already been working on a word study, but mine was a little different. I have been memorizing Psalm 119 for a long time. A friend mentioned that she had done the same thing, but had stopped memorizing the passage because it had become an academic endeavor - instead of an act of worship. The conversation made me consider why I was memorizing it. I determined that my reason for doing so was not academic.
However the introspection started me thinking about what made this passage so special. In Psalm 119, every verse mentions the Word of God. His word, testimonies, commandments, and precepts are all mentioned throughout the passage. It’s the longest chapter in the Bible ,and it is all focused on God’s word to us. I find that thought fascinating and that is one of the things that drew me to memorize this passage. I also came to the conclusion that if I was going to put that much time into the memorization of a passage, I should know what it is actually talking about in depth. So I started my word study journey working through the verses with concordance in hand. This study has really changed my outlook on what I believed the passages were teaching about God himself, not just his words. There is certainly nothing inspired about my thoughts; it is just a short personal commentary on the first set of verses.
My mom and I have recently started watching Escape to the Chateau where an English couple is renovating a French Chateau. One of the features of the Chateau is a walled garden. This garden made me think about what I have been studying in Psalm 199; God’s word is like a protection for the garden of our life and all the things He is growing in it.
I grew up in a home with strong disciplinarian parents and rules for every area of life. My parents taught us that these rules and discipline were for our protection. As I studied Psalms 119, I realized that over the years, I had come to think of these things - the rules and disciplines of home life as well as God’s laws and commandments - as a wall of restriction or confinement that came with stern punishment for straying. However, a deeper study into what the passages were teaching reminded me of Deuteronomy 6 ,where the children of Israel are being instructed that following God’s laws is what brings them blessing.
A walled garden is constructed so that the food and flowers being grown there are protected and can flourish. Here is a little peek at that wall from Psalm 119:1-6. There is a path that leads through life. The verses here tell us that an individual will be happy if she follows the trodden path. This trodden path, the way, makes me curious as to how it became trodden. Is it trodden by that “great cloud of witnesses” mentioned in Hebrews 12? Or maybe by Jesus Himself, who, according to Hebrews 4:15 was tempted in the same ways we are. It could even be the mighty hand of God who clears the path to show us the way.
The author of the passage doesn’t tell us, but sometimes my curiosity gets me sidetracked. Psalms tells us that what makes these individuals complete is that they walk in the direction of the Lord, Jehovah. These individuals are happy because they keep His testimonies and inquire after Him with their whole heart. They do no iniquity and continue in His way. That trodden path is before them, however it is formed, to show them the way.
The Psalm then transitions from the illustration of the path to an illustration of a wall. God has set up His precepts before us so that we are able to keep in store the things that He has charged us with. We can only do this through the strength of His might. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
The author continues with a longing that his ways were prepared and established to keep the limits that God has established for him. That is where the walls come in. God sets limits for us to help us grow and mature under His protection, just as the walls in the garden protect the beauty and resources within.
The next verses really hit home because we can sometimes be embarrassed by these walls that make us different from those around us. Verse six reminds us that we are not to be ashamed or embarrassed because we are paying attention to and following all God’s precepts. In this day and age, it is becoming increasingly difficult to follow that trodden path of God’s way as the world around us seeks to lead us in different directions or convince us that it is the wrong path. Today’s culture strives to break down the walls, God’s precepts, which He has put there for our protection. Satan’s goal is to destroy the beauty of a Christian testimony one garden at a time.
Just as a garden brings joy and profit to those who keep it, God has given us many reminders that following His way and the limits He has set for us brings ultimate joy as well as blessings. Do they restrict and confine us? Yes, but that is not a bad or negative thing. A wall can keep things in, but it also keeps things out. The important principle to remember is that it has a purpose revealed in love for us.
So, the next time you are faced with obeying one of God’s commandments, don’t look at is as something that is a chore or something that restricts you. Remember, it is a wall of God’s protection around your life demonstrating His love for you. Obeying it keeps you on the path of serving Him.
