Oh, how I love your instructions!
I think about them all day long.
Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,
for they are my constant guide.
Yes, I have more insight than my teachers,
for I am always thinking of your laws.
I am even wiser than my elders,
for I have kept your commandments.
I have refused to walk on any evil path,
so that I may remain obedient to your word.
I haven’t turned away from your regulations,
for you have taught me well.
How sweet your words taste to me;
they are sweeter than honey.
Your commandments give me understanding;
no wonder I hate every false way of life.
Psalm 119:97-104 (New Living Translation)
For the Jewish person, Psalm 119 – Mem is all about studying and following Torah – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. For the Christian, it is about studying and following the precepts set out in the entire Bible. We are to meditate on how Jesus fulfilled the promises of the Torah, and how we can apply His teachings to our lives. However, in order to be able to gain a better understanding of the Bible, it is important to understand the Jewish tradition and understanding of the Torah. The mem section of Psalm 119 helps us to see the importance the Torah has in the lives of the practicing Jew. We should apply their reverence and understanding of God to our own study of the Bible in order to reach a deeper understanding of God and how absolutely awesome He is.
The Hebrew letter mem has both an open and closed version. One of the meanings of mem is womb. The closed version of the mem signifies gestation and the open version, that of childbirth. This ties in with the Jewish belief that the Torah can refer to water. The closed mem symbolizes the secrets of the Torah, and the open mem when the secrets are revealed. The analogy then 
is: the secrets of the Torah are like the gestation period of a child and the secrets of the Torah revealed will happen when Messiah has come to earth, and peace encompasses all peoples (Raskin, 2003).
Rabbi Raskin (2003) goes on to say that just as we cannot live without water, the Jew cannot live without Torah – it is essential to his/her culture, religion and identity. We as Christians should be just as zealous towards the Bible as the Jew is towards the Torah. The Bible should be such an essential part of our lives that without it, we are lost. In other words, as the Psalmist who wrote the mem section of Psalm 119 shows us, everything that we do should be in direct relation to what God tells us in the Bible. We need to meditate on God’s Word every day, memorize it, apply it and basically become God’s living water in a dusty world.
When we listen to God and seek His advice in all we do, He fills us up with His living water. Jeremiah spoke to Judah concerning how God’s living water is there for us – we only need to trust Him to fill us up. Jeremiah contrasted those who turn away from the Lord, with those who follow the Lord whole-heartedly like the Psalmist.
This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans,
who rely on human strength
and turn their hearts away from the Lord.
They are like stunted shrubs in the desert,
with no hope for the future.
They will live in the barren wilderness,
in an uninhabited salty land.
“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit. Jeremiah 17:5-8
O Lord, the hope of Israel,
all who turn away from you will be disgraced.
They will be buried in the dust of the earth,
for they have abandoned the Lord, the fountain of living water.
Jeremiah 17:13
Whether a Jew or a Christian, Torah or Bible, without listening to God’s Word, we are like a people wandering in the desert. Only God’s living Word carries us through life’s tumults. As the Psalmist gives God all the credit for helping him through life, by giving him Godly instructions, so we too give God all the glory.
I pray for all Christians to be living water for all Unbelievers living in a dry and weary land.
Resources:
Raskin, A. 2003: Letters of Light. (audio book). Sichos Publishers.
Photo Credit: Karsten, C. Oct. 23, 2011. https://cameronkarsten.blog/2011/10/23/seattle- central-creative-academy-photography-assignment-one-light-product-shot/. Retrieved on July 27, 2021.
Hebrew Letter Mem: https://hebrewalphabetin30days.net/mem.html
