Jesus Creed

Jesus Creed

The Yearning of Learning

posted by xscot mcknight | 2:10am Friday December 1, 2006

“How I long for your precepts! In your righteousness preserve my life” (Ps 119:40). To long for (taev) is how the psalmist caps this section of the psalm. He yearns for God’s precepts.
This word is also used in Psalm 119:174, and there the psalmist longs for “salvation.”
This psalmist, who is in the posture of learning, pointed toward the Source of learning, focused on the purpose of learning, and knows the turnings of learning, now confesses what drives the whole: he yearns to learn by yearning to know God’s will.
Our question is obvious: What do we really yearn for? If our ultimate yearning is not focused on God, who in that perichoretic dance of love establishes the central meaning of all of life, then our learning will fall to bits.
But, if our yearning is oriented to God, we will “follow” God “to the very end” (v. 33).



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Ted Gossard

posted December 1, 2006 at 4:24 am


Scot, Why don’t you write a book on this Psalm? I guess you’re already doing so here on your blog. Great thoughts. I can get so excited over one of these thoughts that I lose sight of the others. All so good.
But being in the posture of learning. So much more than intellectual, which I can easily fall into. It has to do with how I live- all of me in all of life.
But then I can lose sight of the rest you point to here. Especially the central importance of our ultimate yearing being focused on God.
Thanks! (I needed that, and always do.)



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Cheryl

posted December 1, 2006 at 9:54 am


Thank goodness for the bloglossary!
Really, Scot! Perichoretic? Don’t use fancy, ten-dollar words on a Friday! I’m tired! :)



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Steve Menshenfriend

posted December 2, 2006 at 3:31 pm


Don’t give up on the Psalm 119 post. The comment numbers are low, but the posts are great. I read them everyday.



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