Defining Biblical Meditation

The Need for Meditation of Scripture

Lack of Understanding of Scripture

Lack of Application of Scripture

But people are hearing Scripture in Church.

They’re reading it on their phones.

But they are not internalizing it.

God’s Word is getting lost in a sea of messages that we are bombarded with every day.

We don’t need to read more Scripture. We need to spend more time with the passages of Scripture that we are reading.

Meditation Terms in the Old Testament

Hagah — to moan, growl, utter, speak, or muse

Psalm 1:1–2 “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”

It is used to refer to the plots that wicked men are devising in their minds.

So as the wicked plot day and night, the child of God meditates on God’s Word.

The Psalmist calls meditation on God’s Word a delight.

“He who delights in God’s law is often thinking on it. What a man delights in, his thoughts are running upon. He who delights in money finds his mind taken up with it; therefore the covetous man is said to ‘mind earthly things’ (Phil. 3:19). Thus, if there is a delight in the things of God, the mind will be musing upon them.” — Thomas Watson

Siyach — to talk, speak, complain, declare, ponder, or pray

Psalm 119:97 “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.”

Siyach then means to lovingly rehearse or go over in one’s mind.

Psalm 119:148 “My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise.”

Notice the desire of the heart to wake up so that he has time to meditate and think about God’s Word.

Meditation Terms in the New Testament

Dwelling or Thinking

Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

logizomai — to give careful thought to a matter, think (about), consider, ponder, or let one’s mind dwell on

Considering

Hebrews 11:19 “He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.”

Hebrews 10:24–25 “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

katanoeo — to direct one’s whole mind to an object, also from a higher standpoint to immerse oneself in it and hence to apprehend it in its whole compass.

Pondering

Luke 2:19 “But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.”

sumballomai — to think about seriously, ponder, reflect on, or debate.

Setting One’s Mind or Affections

Colossians 3:2 “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

phroneo — to keep on giving serious consideration to something—to ponder, to let one’s mind dwell on, to keep thinking about, to fix one’s attention on.

Remember

This word is used the most to command us to meditate on the truth of God’s Word.

Revelation 2:5 “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.”

2 Timothy 2:8 “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel,”

mnamoneuo — to recall information from memory

John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

Filling Ourselves with the Word of God

Ephesians 4:20–24 “But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Paul calls for the renewing of our minds or literally the rewriting of our minds.

“Set apart some time for meditation, that the word may be engrafted into thy heart…. If the meat that thou eateth be not digested, it will do thee no good. You see the necessity of labor to retain the Word, to digest it, to make it thine own, that you may be transformed by it: and as a man’s meat is turned to his substance, so the Word of God being digested will nourish you.” — James Ussher

We have to take time to digest God’s Word so that it can actually have an affect on our spirit or mind.

This is why the word to meditate is often likened to a cow chewing the cud. They literally chew and get every last bit of nutrition from what they eat.

We should seek to do the same with God’s Word.

Effecting Our Hearts with the Word of God

Puritans were adamant about applying the Scriptures.

They did not want meditation to be an intellectual endeavor whereby we just get smarter, but not more holy.

“This is not a mere exercise of the mind and memory about good things, but a working them upon the heart, the impressing of these things on the will and affections; it is not merely speculative, but practical.” — Oliver Heywood

“A person who meditates seeks to have his heart stirred up to put some thing in practice.” - Richard Greenham

Take time to meditate on God’s Word.

Read one passage at a time.

Read that passage again looking for something that you can apply to your life.

Pray and write down how you can begin to live out what you have read.

Right the verse or verses that you are seeking to apply on a note card or on your phone and take those words with you throughout the day.