Psalm 119:37 “Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
and give me life in your ways.”
Psalm 119 is known to be the longest book of the Bible. J. Vernon Mcgee, the long time radio teacher once described this chapter as the center point of his teaching as he worked through the Word of God on a five year plan.
As I dwell on the thirty-seventh verse I ask myself…what are the things that are worthless?
The Hebrew term for the word worthless is the word Shav. It means emptiness or vanity. So as I dwell on the context and meaning of the word and then hold it up to all that is empty or vain, I gain insight as to what is worth considering.
God’s Name
One of the most classic scriptures that characterizes vanity is found in God’s Moral law. The third commandment makes it very clear as to whom vanity is shown.
Exodus 20:7. “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.”
Since vanity is a description of the word Shav, then taking God’s name and treating it worthless constitutes blasphemy against His name. When people use the name of Jesus as a swear word, they treat His name as worthless. When people act hatefully toward one another in the name of Christ, they make living by His name as something that is meaningless.
Proverbs 18:10. “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.”
I’ve always wondered what a christian is thinking when they repeat the phrase “Oh my God”, on a whim. Is it an exclamation of God’s glory or is it a careless use of a title that will be revered throughout eternity? Why does the world use Jesus’ name as an arbitrary exclamation of disgust or misfortune? Why not use Buddha or Muhammed’s names? Could it be that Jesus has been so embedded in our cultures that the world must find another way to offend Him?
Truth or Lies?
When considering all that is worthless, we must delve into what could have been valuable.
Exodus 23:1 “You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness.”
The ninth commandment is a description of a liar. When a person lies they show a genuine lack of love toward others. Deceit treats others with disdain and the guilty party has an agenda only to please themself. The false report is another demonstration of Shav. When a person forsakes truth for a lie, they demonstrate how their ideal is elevated above God’s ideal. They don’t believe that God’s plan is the best plan and so they choose to fabricate one for themself.
Job 35:12-13 “There they cry out, but he does not answer,
because of the pride of evil men. Surely God does not hear an empty cry, nor does the Almighty regard it.”
Prayer is a creation of God. He designed prayer as a means for mankind to not only present their requests before Him but as a means of fellowship and worship. Prayer reduces the pride of man to a point of surrender, recognizing God’s authority and justice is an attribute found in the hearts of the humble. When the world cries out in despair, they do so from a position of trouble. Sin leads to trouble and by following their own path, the world discovers the wisdom of man only leads to destruction. The Shav of the world is the emptiness of their appeal, they don’t look to the Lord as their Savior but only to God who might alleviate their suffering. The world doesn’t demonstrate repentance, it shows forth regret.
The Idolatrous
Hell will be a continual demonstration of an empty appeal against the wrath of God.
Psalm 26:4 “I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites.”
Falsehood is another form of Shav, it has its roots in idolatry. When people worship false gods, they worship an idea that proves itself worthless. The god’s of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Mormonism, and Jehovah’s witnesses take the perfect representation of God and change it into a twisted image that fits their founders self-righteous goals. The shift isn’t always dramatic but is often a subtle slide into apostasy that leaves their followers grasping at demonically inspired images of falsity.
Truth is perfection. Jesus embodied Truth. Jesus was the revelation of the Word which is Truth. Any deviation from who Jesus is, is a corruption of Truth.
Psalm 139 :19-20 “Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!
O men of blood, depart from me!
They speak against you with malicious intent;
your enemies take your name in vain.”
The perfection of God’s character was demonstrated in His moral law. With each representation of Shav, we witness an offense against God’s name, against His Holiness, against His justice and against His people.
The call to follow the Lord is a call to walk in His goodness. For those who have been filled with the Spirit, they are given the privilege to be called children of God. When they walk in His Spirit, they walk in His goodness and their works are deemed good.
The only true value of life is found in Christ alone. The reward of faithfulness, obedience, justice, mercy, forgiveness, and grace…these all have great value in God’s Kingdom.
Seek that which brings value to life, learn to abstain from all that is worthless and you will lay up riches in Heaven for an eternity.
U.T. 