Hello, John and Doves,Barry, if I understood your letter, wherein you said,"...study is not the way but rather meditating...,"then may I say you have paraphrased Joshua 1:7-9?7“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”That passage, in turn, reminds me of the following:
"May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer."
I believe you would agree, Barry, that we must commit scripture to our hearts and minds, for it is written,
"Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth."
And it is written,
"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path."
Going back to Joshua, we see God renewing His promise to Israel, thusly:
"I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses."
Therein, we see a remez (Hebrew for "parable" or "allegory") referring to ourselves, spiritually speaking.
Clearly, then, if we do not actively explore the scriptures, the territory to which we legitimately hold claim will diminish--there is no steady state in this fallen world.
~Blessings,Mike