Hiding God’s Word in the Heart

Hiding God’s Word in the Heart.

“I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Ps. 119:11).

This classic passage about memorizing Scripture reflects how central it was in Jewish culture to memorize Torah. The heart, remember, was considered the innermost part of a person’s whole being, including feelings, thoughts, motivations, reasoning. So the mind was considered an aspect of the heart, and to memorize a passage was to write it on the heart. The Hebrew word for “hidden” in this verse, “sapanti,” means to treasure up, to keep and save something very valuable, to hide treasure in a secret place where no one can take it away. Other translations of this passage would read, “I consider your teachings to be my greatest treasure, and I memorize them and write them on my heart to keep me from sinning against you.” (TPT) Or, “I have banked your promises in the vault of my heart so I won’t sin myself into bankruptcy.” (MSG). Or, “Deep within me I have hidden your Word so that I would never sin against you.” (VOICE). So in the Jewish culture, it was supremely important to have God’s Word firmly lodged in one’s mind where it can’t be taken away and can be brought out of the mind’s treasure house any time one wants it or needs it.

“The mouth of the righteous person utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just. The teaching of his God is in his heart, and his feet do not slip.’ (Ps. 37:31).

The Jews have always been called “a people of the book,” but not just any book. They were a people of the Book of Books, and they honored and treasured Scripture as God’s teachings on how to live a life that would please their God. God’s Word are His instructions on how to live! What a gift! We never would have known! Scripture was the centerpiece of every home and community, so much so that to study Scripture was considered an act of worship. Torah study has always been thought of as “heavenly work,” so each Jewish child was expected to consider memorization to be a holy privilege. Rabbi Heschel said that Hebrew school was considered a sanctuary. It’s no wonder that the familiar term “disciple” actually means “student.” Memorizing Scripture was the main duty of each child in the growing up years. In fact, each boy was asked to memorize the first five books of the Bible (Torah) before he was thirteen, at which time he was expected to start learning a trade.

‘I desire to do your will, O my God; your teaching is within my heart.’ (Ps. 40:8).

How were young children taught to memorize so much material? How did they do that? As it turns out, the Jewish father in the home and rabbi in synagogue were experts at using a wide variety of creative methods of helping their children memorize the Word. The passage would be spoken, often in a rhythmic manner like a chant, and the children would repeat it word-for-word. The passages would be reviewed constantly, repeating what has been learned before. If the passage was a story, they would dramatize it and often ask the students to act it out. If the passage was a song, the students would be taught to sing it, often accompanied by dancing it. If it was a poem, the students would learn to recite it using its natural rhythms. Any writing that was done of a passage was done as an aid to the memorization, and not the main object of the lesson. If the passage suggested visual aids, the teacher would jump at the chance to use them. If the passage is one that could easily be visualized in the imagination of the student, consider it done.

The Shema: “Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh alone! And you shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words which I am commanding you today shall be on your heart; you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and shall be immovable before your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).

All this creative use of active learning in order to remember God’s word is a reflection from biblical instructions in the sh’ma, the primary creed and statement of faith of every faithful Jew. In fact, the sh’ma was the first passage memorized by every Jewish child, to be prayed every morning and every night. The Mosaic Law was very clear: Parents were the child’s first and primary teachers and pastors. And so, for God’s chosen people, faith was largely a home-schooling affair. God’s discipling program wasn’t limited to baby dedications and Passover in Jerusalem. God’s law from Sinai was straightforward as explained in Deuteronomy: Parents were to teach their children the truthful and righteous words of Scripture, and the benchmark events of God in history. They were to constantly, intentionally, practically remind their kids of God’s presence and power. They were to read aloud and instruct God’s Word, beginning officially with the Shema of Dt. 6:4-5: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” This was Lesson One for the Jewish parent, the passage that Jesus later called the “first and greatest commandment.” (Matt. 22:36-40, Mark 12:29, Luke 10:27). Their creed makes each parent responsible to pass on the Faith, the Word of God, to the children in the home. Biblical discipleship of the children involved a heavy dose of Bible memorization, which influenced the culture of each home, turning the home into a domestic church.

“The wise person’s delight is in the instruction of the Lord, and on His teachings he meditates day and night.” (Ps. 1:2).

Jesus, raised in this same Scripture-rich home with Mary and Joseph, learned His lessons well. He didn’t just memorize the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, it appears in the Gospels that he hid the entire Jewish Bible in His heart. An outstanding example of that is at the Temptation after His baptism. (Matt. 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13).  This momentous duel with Satan right at the beginning of His ministry was a defining moment, and He brought out from memory one Scripture passage after another in refuting the devil’s lures. Jesus brought the treasures of Scripture from the storehouse of His mind when He needed them, and those passages He recalled were the foundation for His victory over Satan. May we follow Christ’s example in revealing the purpose of all this memorizing… To start with committing a passage to memory, and then to “know” it in the biblical sense, bringing it from the mind to the heart, from the mental to the practical, from the brainwork to the fleshed-out work. We don’t truly know something until we are able to act on it. Memory is just the start, and we need to continually work those memorized words into our life of faith and obedience.  The memorized words are to be translated into one’s very style of life and decision-making. The mental exercise is intended to become intimately personal.

“Let the Word of God, in all its richness, find a home with you, as you teach and counsel one another in wisdom. Allow His Word to dwell within you as a rich treasure.” (Colossians 3:16).