Imagine that you were instructed to write down eight statements about the Scriptures, each starting with the letter N. This is the task the writer of Psalm 119 had in this 8-verse section of the psalm (as with each of the 21 other sections, each for one letter of the Hebrew alphabet).
The collection of verses may seem somewhat random, other than that they all speak of God’s word, of God’s law, of God’s teachings. But then, our lives may feel rather disconnected as well sometimes, or perhaps connected but in a tight tangle where we struggle to find meaning. The many varied verses of Psalm 119 show us God’s word relating to our lives in all aspects, no matter the variety, strangeness, or apparent confusion.
Paul draws a clear contrast between flesh and Spirit, showing that they are not only very different but opposed to one another. Some people misunderstand the passage as being about physical and non-physical, but the word Paul uses for “flesh” is not the one he uses for our physical body, but rather whatever is opposed to God.
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