The Hebrew letter Mem (מ) carries the meaning of water — and water, by its very nature, conceals what lies beneath it. We do not know its depth; we cannot see its borders and the image is deeply fitting: the whole world, with all the evil that moves within it, remains largely unknown to the common person. We sail upon it without fully understanding it. Yet the sailor is not without help.
As the beam of a lighthouse guides a vessel safely through dark and uncharted waters to the shore, so the law of God guides a person through this unknown world, leading him safely to that final shore — the Kingdom of God. And once a person truly grasps this — once it is realised within him — the law ceases to feel like a burden. It becomes something beloved and adorable, something he would not willingly sail without.
Water is the substance that always flows downhill, always seeking the lowest place; so Mem this letter speaks to us of humility. And because water is ever in motion — shifting, rising, falling — it speaks to us equally of balanced emotions, of tempering the watery currents of our own feelings rather than being swept away by them. In all these ways, this portion of the Psalm traces the journey of one person whose instinct draws him toward the law of God — and who, in finding it, finds both his footing and his way home.
Spiritual Challenge
Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.
Your commands are always with me
and make me wiser than my enemies.
Psalm 119:97-98 (NIV)
Law students face an intellectual challenge from the very beginning of their studies to the end of their careers. The study of law goes far beyond memorisation; it requires applying critical thinking and logic to complex societal issues. Many students come to love the realisation that the legal doctrines they study have profound effects on human lives — whether protecting fundamental rights or helping individuals resolve major life conflicts.
Likewise, the law of God is not meant to be merely memorized, but to be applied with progressive thinking to our stagnated spiritual lives. Only when we learn to apply the law for the benefit of perishing souls — protecting the faith initially imparted into our hearts by God Himself — will we truly come to love the law of God. It was in this spirit that the psalmist expressed his deep love for the law of God.
The Psalmist declared that keeping the law of God always with him made him wiser than his enemies. From David’s perspective, those enemies may have included neighbouring countries, and during the earlier stages of his life, King Saul was his chief enemy. In a court of law, lawyers often prove themselves wiser than their counterparts by clinging to the law of the land. The one who prevails is most commonly the one who resists the temptation to manipulate the law, however great the pressure to save a guilty client.
Likewise, holding fast to the law of God makes us wiser than our enemies—those who are in the hands of the devil to distort the truth of the Gospel—and wiser than the devil himself, who seeks to deceive us with lies. If we attempt to justify our sinful nature by manipulating the Word of God, we become the most contemptible people on this earth.
Not Seniority But Sincerity
I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.
I have more understanding than the elders,
for I obey your precepts.
Psalm 119:99-100 (NIV)
While it is true that we should respect our teachers and elders, this does not mean that we should curtail or cap our understanding at or below theirs. A teacher who sacrifices his lifetime shaping a student’s life feels proud when that student reaches the summit. Elders, by contrast, sometimes envy the next generation when they see their success surpassing their own. Spiritual leaders, too, can strive to maintain superiority over their congregation and grow unhappy when a believer attains greater spiritual enlightenment. In light of all this, we should never hesitate to rise above the level of our mentors, teachers, and elders.
It is noteworthy that Job’s three friends — Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite — were condemned by God because they incorrectly assumed that Job’s suffering was a punishment for his sins, thereby misrepresenting God’s character. Remarkably, God expressed no such displeasure toward Job’s fourth friend, Elihu. In Elihu’s discourse, we can see how he gained an understanding that surpassed even that of his elders.
I thought, ‘Age should speak;
advanced years should teach wisdom.’
But it is the spirit in a person,
the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding.
It is not only the old who are wise,
not only the aged who understand what is right.
Job 32:7-9 (NIV)
What Comes First?
I have kept my feet from every evil path
so that I might obey your word.
I have not departed from your laws,
for you yourself have taught me.
How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path.
Psalm 119:101-104 (NIV)
It is a tricky question whether abstaining from evil enables us to obey God, or whether obeying God gives us the understanding and strength to willingly turn away from evil. Here, the Psalmist suggests that it was precisely because he avoided evil that he found himself able to obey God. In another Psalm, the same truth is expressed with greater clarity: Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for He guards the lives of His faithful ones (Psalm 97:10a). To follow His law, we must first love Him — and when we do, abiding in Him becomes natural, leaving no room for entertaining or pursuing evil.
A diabetic patient drinks coffee without sugar, and naturally, the coffee will not be sweet. Yet, when we drink coffee, it is the flavour that matters more than the sweetness. Being free from the need for added sweetness, the diabetic patient is actually able to savor the true flavor of the coffee undiluted. In the same way, the Word of God becomes sweeter to us when we genuinely seek its true savor. For those, however, who do not love God — and therefore have no desire for the real flavor of His Word — that very Word becomes bitter to them. For some people, the Word of God is a sweet-coated bitter medicine.
Understanding things that fall within the reach of human reasoning is straightforward enough for any person. But for things that lie beyond our comprehension, we need the Holy Spirit to grant us understanding to discern evil and the strength to turn away from it. Paul speaks to this very situation in relation to the faith of a believer.
For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
Romans 8:24-25 (NIV)
To hate evil, what is considered evil in our mind is not enough; we must understand what is evil in the sight of God. By perceiving this with the help of the Holy Spirit, we should rid ourselves of it without seeking a tangible reward during our lifetime.
Father God, help us to apply Your law in our daily lives, that the transformation it works in us may be seen by others and draw them to You, to the glory of Your name. Amen.
The Jordan Valley 
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