National Observance of Children’s Sabbaths Sermon Starters

31:27 The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of humans and the seed of animals.

31:28 And just as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the LORD.

31:29 In those days they shall no longer say: “The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.”

31:30 But all shall die for their own sins; the teeth of the one who eats sour grapes shall be set on edge.

31:31 The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.

31:32 It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt–a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD.

31:33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

31:34 No longer shall they teach one another or say to each other, “Know the LORD,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD, for I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more.

Earlier this year, many of us were disheartened, perplexed, and shocked to learn that, after 55 years of providing educational programming, our friends Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster, Bert and Ernie, Zoe, Abby Cadabby, and Oscar the Grouch were facing homelessness. Yes, they are characters on the beloved children’s show, “Sesame Street”, a show that aired its first episode in 1969, but they are also more than that. They are part of the formative years of so many children, the place where children learned how to count, where children practiced their ABCs, and where they learned how to play well together. “Sesame Street” is that familiar block that has been the gathering place for adults and children, and it is the community where children find a sense of belonging and can just be a kid.

The decision that the commander-in-chief of our country made, issuing an executive order to pull funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Public Broadcasting System (PBS), and National Public Radio (NPR), coupled with the fact that “Sesame Street” had already changed addresses when it moved to HBO and was in danger of being unhoused, without a place to call home, sparked outrage and criticism across social media platforms, in essays and OpEd pieces in national news outlets, and on cable network platforms. Child advocates, teachers, and parents rallied to express that these adorable hand puppets and Muppets deserved to have a home. That outcry led to Netflix offering a new home for the children’s show, a new community where the “Sesame Street” characters will begin their 56^th season.

Wouldn’t it be something if we had this same energy when children in our sphere of influence are facing eviction, living in squalor conditions, or living in shelters and transitional housing? Wouldn’t it be something if child advocates, teachers, and parents rallied to express that these adorable and impressionable children of every hue, ethnicity, and nationality, all made in the image of God, deserved to have a loving and stable home?

For those of you who watched “Sesame Street” as a child or who watched with the children in your life, which I imagine is any number of you here today, you might remember that part of the opening describes a place where children can thrive, can play freely, and make friends. An enthusiastic off-screen chorus of voices sings this refrain (if you know it, sing it with me): “Sunny day, sweeping the clouds away. On my way to where the air is sweet. Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street? Come and play. Everything’s A-Ok. Friendly neighbors there, that’s where we meet. Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street?” There’s one more thing that happens in the opening and the closing. The brand or logo called “The Sesame Workshop” appears on-screen. This entity is the global impact non-profit behind Sesame Street; their website describes “Sesame Workshop” as: a community built on diversity, equity, and inclusion where creators, educators, partners, and beloved characters come together to help children grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. That sounds a lot like a faith community.

What enlivened me and sparked my interest is that “Sesame Workshop”, the banner under which “Sesame Street” lives, says that for over 50 years, “Sesame Workshop” has been at the intersection of education, media, and research, creating joyful experiences that enrich minds and expands hearts. They then name five core values that are central to the Sesame identity and that guide their work to empower each generation to build a better world. Here they are: (1) create impact as one team; (2) be creative, playful, and bold; (3) see the world through a child’s eyes; (4) foster a culture of belonging; and (5) embrace challenges as opportunities. A non-profit that prioritizes the well-being of children. In simple, yet profound language, “Sesame Workshop’s” tagline is these words: Mission Driven. Child Focused. Helping Children Grow Smarter, Stronger, and Kinder.

That sounds a lot like the work and focus of a faith community—a congregation of God’s people. Can you picture a synagogue, mosque, church, or temple being this kind of place for children?

Today, as we celebrate the National Observance of Children’s Sabbaths®, the work that Children’s Defense Fund does to ensure that all children have can grow up with dignity, hope, and joy, I want to talk for a few minutes about how we move from being in agreement to being in covenant for our children’s sake, of doing what it takes to build that kind of community. Not just a fictional place that children enjoy via television, YouTube, or on their iPads, but a real place where they can flourish, thrive, play, and feel a sense of belonging.

In our lectionary text, Jeremiah 31:27-34, we find the prophet Jeremiah recounting what happens when people sin. Now, this is a word that can make people uncomfortable, but the truth is, the action of the word is what should make us uncomfortable. Sin is a word that is best understood in archery terms, and it means to miss the mark of the target. In other words, when humans do things that are displeasing to God, that interrupt God’s plan of being in caring community with one another, loving our neighbors as ourselves, and honoring God through our actions and deeds, it is sinful. And we miss the mark. Consider then that when our children are food insecure and don’t have enough nutritious food to eat, when they don’t have access to quality education, are living in unsafe neighborhoods, and in some instances, being forced to work as young as 12 years old, that is displeasing to God. And when there are policies, laws, and ordinances that permit this to happen, it is a sin on the part of the ones who allow it because it interrupts God’s plan for children to flourish.

Children right here in the United States being forced to work as young as twelve years old. Let’s talk about that for a minute. Most children don’t get their first job until they are teenagers, around 15 or 16 years old. Usually, it’s an afterschool job or a job that they work on the weekend, with limited hours. According to statistics from the Department of Labor, in 2024, there were 736 reported cases of child labor violations. A whopping 4,030 minors were employed in violation. Of that number, there were 365 children who were working in hazardous conditions at meat processing facilities. The employers who allowed this to happen were assessed more than $15 million for violating the child labor law. It’s one thing to be in agreement that this is wrong, but it is another to be in covenant for our children’s sake that this calls for urgent action to ensure that minor children are not being forced to work. That’s not the only startling statistic. Eleven million children in the United States are living in poverty. One in six children under the age of five have the highest rate of being poor. That’s Pre-K and Kindergarten age. Let that sink in. There are approximately THREE MILLION children under the age of five whose living conditions are such that their family does not make a livable wage, they don’t have food to eat, and they are likely in unstable housing meaning that any day they could be facing eviction, sleeping on the floor, and waking up with uncertainty every day of what their tomorrow will look like.

For many of us, including many of our nation’s leaders, reports and statistics alone are not enough to move us to act on behalf of our children. If seeing is truly believing, then the way to convince ourselves and our leaders that our nation is in the midst of a crisis is to see firsthand what is happening to our children. One way we can do that is participating in the Children’s Defense Fund’s Child Watch Visitation program which provides firsthand experiences and adds life to the seemingly endless stream of statistics and reports. I want us to agree and enter into a covenant that starting today, we will take at least one action toward healthier lives for children in our city. (See this link for ideas about Child Watch: Revised 2022 Child Watch Visitation Program.docx).

When adults do wrong and don’t do right by the most under-served among us, it is the children who suffer the most harm. The Israelites had been sinning and rebelling against God. The text does not record personal stories of what happened to the children, but their fate was tied directly to that of their parents and guardians. The adults’ unjust behavior, inconsideration for God’s law, and refusal to follow God’s holy word, meant that they had missed the mark. As a prophet, Jeremiah had a word for the Israelites. He prophesied, speaking on behalf of God, of what was coming. The best way to say it is that Jeremiah—yes, the same Jeremiah who in his youth, thought that he was too young to speak the word of God and to be appointed a prophet to the nation—has been relaying God’s message for a while now. In our text, here in chapter 31 and verse 31, he gives this prediction: The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Our Sovereign God uses the word covenant and makes a promise or provision to enter into a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Covenant is more than agreement. It is more than a contract. Covenant is a holy, divine ordinance. In other words, when God enters into a covenant with us, it cannot be broken, nor marked void. Even when we don’t hold up to our end of the covenant, God still upholds God’s part. God is faithful. 1 John 1:9 tells us that “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Jeremiah was sharing good news with the Israelites that the day is coming when God’s promise would be fulfilled. Oh, what delightful news for the Israelites and us to hear. What a glorious day for the Israelites and us who have sinned against God, to know that God’s covenant is stronger than their mess-ups, and ours, too. God’s covenant is more powerful than their unjust behavior, and ours, too. And unlike covenants that they had broken, this covenant was binding because God assured them, through the prophet Jeremiah, that for their sake and their children’s sake, this covenant would be established. And that covenant is still binding for us. God also makes an “I will” statement in the b clause of verse 28 to “watch over them as they build and plant.” Imagine for a moment what that looks like for us—for God to watch over us as we build and plant in God’s kingdom/kindom. Are we building and planting in ways that please God, that disrupts injustices, and that creates opportunities for children to thrive and flourish? Or are we building and planting without regard to how it affects children?

As we look at this last part of the text, in verses 33 and 34, Jeremiah prophesies these words as spoken by God: ³³ I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ³⁴ No longer shall they teach one another or say to each other, “Know the LORD,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD, for I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more.

Wouldn’t it be something for all of us if we honored God’s word that God has written in our hearts? What would it look like for those who have sinned against God’s people, thus sinning against God, to know that God will forgive their iniquity and remember their past sin no more? All the dubious deeds that were done. All the injustices. All the ways that they used their power and influence for evil instead of good. For to truly know God is to know that God desires for us to treat all people with kindness. To be fair, just, and equitable in all our deeds, words, and actions. To know that children are depending on adults to look out for them and do what’s right in God’s eyes for their well-being. Doing what’s right is putting an end to poverty. Doing what’s right is correcting laws that discriminate against people based on gender, sexual orientation, nationality, and ethnicity. Truly knowing God is ensuring that all children have access to clean water, safe housing conditions, good experiences at school without being bullied, access to healthcare, and nutritious meals. That’s why the prophet Jeremiah recites these words, directly as he received them from God.

Wouldn’t it be something if we no longer had to say to one another, “know the Lord,” because we all would know, honor, surrender, submit to, and love God. We would live out the Great Commandment as recorded in the Mark’s Gospel where Jesus tells the Sadducees (12:30-31):  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.³¹ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[b] There is no commandment greater than these.”

Live it out. That’s how you move from simply being in agreement to actually committing to it, demonstrating it and being in covenant. When you love your neighbor as yourself, you create a community where children can play, learn, and flourish. A place that looks and feels 10 times greater than the famed “Sesame Street.” When we do this for our children’s sake, we won’t have to say to another: can you tell me how to get, how to get to this street, because we will already be there. 

Note: Consider naming a specific action that your faith community is committed to doing.

The days are surely coming, Lord, when we will take seriously the welfare and wellbeing of our children – your children – the ones you have entrusted to our care.

The days are surely coming, Lord, when we will stop procrastinating, stop making it someone else’s responsibility, and make it our own.

Today is that day, Lord. Today, I commit to take action. Action beyond prayer. Action beyond thoughts. Today, surely I will move from agreeing that something needs to be done, to being in covenant with You, O God, and this faith community, in doing something that is transformative. Surely, I can do that today. Amen.

God, thank You that we are in covenant relationship with You. As we wrestle with the task before us of moving from agreement to making a covenant for our children’s sake, we lift our hearts to You and pray that You will give us the courage to walk the paths of covenant—covenant to advocate for healthcare for our children, covenant to ensure that the children in our city have access to a quality education, covenant to advocate for nutritious meals for children, and that we make a covenant to advocate for all children in this city to live in environments that are safe from toxins and toxic people. As we move from agreement that these things are necessary and pleasing to You, we enter into this covenant and ask that You will give us the courage to see it through. Amen.

If you could talk back to the sacred text, what questions do you have?

In your faith tradition, how do you respond to what it means to be in covenant with God and for God to forgive your sin—that is, the places where you have missed the mark and not loved your neighbor as yourself.

The days that are surely coming when God’s people will remember, hold reverence for and respond to the covenant relationship that we have with the Sovereign God who forgives us when we miss the mark. Where have you missed the mark when it comes to advocating for children to have healthier and safer lives. How might you reimagine the five core values of the “Sesame Workshop” within the context of your faith congregation toward building and planting a better community for children?

What has God written on your heart today?

Ask them to name their favorite character from “Sesame Street.” Give them space to share why this character is their favorite.

https://cepreaching.org/commentary/2016-10-10/jeremiah-3127-34/

https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/03/11/new-us-labor-secretary-congress-should-act-child-labor

https://www.childrensdefense.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2022-Child-Watch-Visitation-Program.pdf

https://www.childrensdefense.org/tools-and-resources/the-state-of-americas-children/soac-child-poverty/

97 Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all day long. 
 
98 Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is always with me. 
 
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your decrees are my meditation. 
 
100 I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts. 
 
101 I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word. 
 
102 I do not turn away from your ordinances, for you have taught me. 
 
103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! 
 
104 Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. 

At the end of the school year, just before the summer release, students in a third-grade class at Roberta T. Smith elementary school in a town called Rex, about 20 miles south of Atlanta, Georgia, were not thinking about the playful days ahead of spending time with their friends. They were not focused on sleeping in late. They did not have their minds fixed on anticipating the many uninterrupted hours of screen-time. None of these things had their attention. It is because they were focused on a mental health session where they could close their eyes, block out distractions, be present in the moment and just breathe. In a time when so many school-aged children are overwhelmed, preoccupied by whatever is happening in their family, and just simply trying to catch their breath amid all the things that are going around them, school administrators are taking their cues from students and providing space for schoolchildren to pause, take time out and just breathe.  
(LONG AUDIBLE BREATH) 
 
Just breathe. Giving our children breathing room. We are living in such complex and uncertain times where parents are being laid off, job positions are being eliminated, funding for food programs and after school care is being cut. And children who rely on Medicaid benefits for their special needs, for congenital heart defects, blood cancers, for wheelchairs because of mobility issues, are feeling the weight of these unprecedented times. Neighborhoods are being divided along political lines, and one of the kids that your kids used to play with has been deported. Meanwhile, students are expelled for wearing their hair in its natural, cultural texture and length, more standardized tests are hitting the classrooms and in it all, our children are consumed. They cannot seem to catch a break and more than anything else, they need breathing room.  
 
To just breathe.  
 
And it is easy for us to forget that these things don’t just affect adults; they also affect children. In case you didn’t know it, children are intuitive and keenly aware when things are chaotic, feeling off, and disruptive. Children process things differently. And it’s not always easy for them to express the tension, fear, shame, confusion or uncertainty that they are feeling. In 2023, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that more than one-third of students were affected by feelings of long-term sadness and hopelessness. The agency suggested schools use mindfulness practices to help students deal with their stress and emotions. In other words, schools were encouraged to make space for children to engage in meditation as a practice to not be bombarded and distracted by things around them. Things that they do not have control over but can quietly have control over them.  
 
Meditation is a word and practice that has been misunderstood, met with mixed emotions, and mistreated. In today’s reading from Psalm 119: 97-104, in verse 97, the psalmist exclaims “O how I love your law. It is my meditation all day long.” Believe it or not, for years the word “meditation” was met with concern and disapproval by some in the Christian faith because it was viewed as outside of Christian beliefs; it was “othered” rather than seen as biblical. Beloved, meditation is holy, it is a spiritual discipline, and it is an ancient practice that involves intentionally and purposefully focusing on, centering on, and drawing one’s attention to a specific passage of Scripture and reflecting on it. In more contemporary or contemplative forms of prayer and meditation, it involves pausing, slowing down, giving yourself breathing room and reciting a passage of Scripture, and incorporating it when saying breath prayers.  
 
Meditation gets tossed around so much that critics fail to see it as a health benefit. Meditation is a proven mechanism for stepping away from the hustle and bustle of a busy day and just slowing down…pausing…and focusing on your breathing. When your breathing feels too shallow or too aspirated, close your eyes, imagine you are having a conversation with God, using these four simple words: God, You are able. Saying those words and matching your rhythm of breathing with each word is meditation. And it’s holy. If a school district recognized that students needs it, then who are we as adults to shy away from meditating, inhaling peace, exhaling frustrations and giving ourselves breathing room.    
 
“Oh how I love your law. It is my meditation all day long.” Before we get into why the psalmist says this, let’s look at the context of this psalm. It is one of the longest psalms in The Psalter. There are 176 verses. Psalm 119 is written as an acrostic, meaning that each verse or set of verses begins with the beginning letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In the time it was written and for its audience, the Israelites would have understood the structure of the psalm, because like students today who learn the alphabet and language of their culture, the Israelites learned the Hebrew alphabets. Think for a moment about how school children learn the “Alphabet song” where they recite each letter until they can do so by memory. Parents and teachers teach this to the children. The children reflect on it, they give attention to it, and in essence, they focus on it to the point that it is like meditating on the ABCs.  
 
In this psalm, the verses are about honoring God and honoring God’s law, beginning with uttering, meditating and speaking the words. Psalms during biblical times were sung. More than just saying the words, the community sang the words. Singing is a great form of memorization and repetition. It is one of the reasons that when we hear the first few notes of a particular song, we can recall the words or notes to memory because we have spent time reflecting on it. A hymn like “Amazing Grace how sweet the sound” when we think about how God changed our heart and posture about something. A spiritual like “We’ve Come This Far by Faith” a testimony of how we made it over, made it through difficult days when people were separated along racial lines and denied access to basic human rights to the point that the laws, ordinances and policies favored discrimination. A familiar song like “On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand, all other ground is sinking sand,” that has helped us lean on the sure foundation that is our Lord and Savior when the world gave way, when people could not be trusted, when businesses failed us, and poverty of spirit, poverty of finances and poverty of humanity for our neighbors darkened our doorsteps. When nothing around us made sense or showed us any favor, we had to be intentional about focusing on the word of God, praying the Scriptures, meditating on it all day long until the word settled in our bones, giving us the breathing room that we needed.  
 
As we keep reading our sermon text, we see that the psalmist says these words in verses 98-100: Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is always with me. 
 
I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your decrees are my meditation. 
 
I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts. 
If we are going to give our children breathing room, we need wisdom as we face this season of disruption. Our leaders of this nation need wisdom and they need to be held accountable, to act morally and to be reminded that when they act in opposition to the law of the Lord, it affects everyone – including our children.  
 
On this National Observance of Children’s Sabbaths, this passage invites us to make some breathing room for God’s law – that is, God’s commandments that make us wiser than our enemies. The psalmist knows that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, our mind and our strength. Jesus reminds us there is a second like it: to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Do any of your immediate neighbors have children? Do any of the neighbors in your community have children? I suspect the answer is yes. It is a good and wise thing to love our neighbors as we love ourselves and to reverence God, to fear God and to love God. When we do, we love what God loves. God loves justice. The prophet Micah says it in Micah 6:8 that God requires us to act justly and love mercy and to walk humbly with our God. Meditating on God’s word will humble you because to meditate is to digest it, not just glance at it. When you meditate on God’s word, you realize that you have a responsibility for the wellbeing of others and to protect them from injustice. Isaiah says it in Isaiah 1:17 when he says learn to do right, seek justice and defend the oppressed. Some versions say to correct the oppressor. Amos says it in Amos 5:8 to let justice roll down like a river and righteousness like a mighty stream. Beloved, when we advocate for justice, meditate on God’s law and love for justice, we are creating breathing room for our children.  
 
 
As we read this 119^th section of the Book of Psalms, notice the pattern of language that suggests our focus and meditation should be on God’s instructions: There are no less than five words used to describe and name God’s policies. Let’s run these down: verse 97- law (God’s instructions); verse 98- commandment (God’s statutes); verse 99- decree (an opinion or judgement expressed with authority; a doctrine). In verse 100, the psalmist keeps God’s precepts; in verse 101, the psalmist holds back his feet from EVERY evil way. Why? So that he can keep God’s word. You cannot do evil, plan for evil, commit to evil and not realize it is in direct opposition to God’s word. In verse 102, the psalmist declares that he will not turn away from God’s ordinances. Beloved this pattern of language suggests that there are moral laws that we should uphold. Do you see the patterns here? God’s law never fails the poor and the vulnerable. God’s word is sweet to the taste, sweeter than honey and never leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.  
 
It is immoral for us to craft policies and bills and laws that are counter to God’s laws -that leave a bitter taste in the mouth of God’s people. It is immoral and unconscionable for us to feel good about displacing people, deporting people and disrupting people’s lives by disconnecting them from the resources of health care, SNAP benefits, high-performing schools, lunch meal programs, Medicaid, and other subsidies that elevate people out of poverty and into God’s preferred future. For anyone who sits on the fence and shies away from talking about the impact of political decisions or who feels that the house of God is not the place to talk about anything involving politics, just remember that everything is political. The city ordinances and zoning are decided by people that we elect to office. The new businesses in our city that need certificates of occupancy to open operate are based on policies and ordinances. The taxes assessed on our homes and property are political because it involves a mandate based on a policy that someone created. Imagine how different and fair and just things would look if we meditated on God’s word prior to going to the voting booth? Prior to passing a city ordinance? Prior to passing a federal bill? Imagine what it would look like if we prioritized our children and gave them breathing room? 
 
So our question today is in what ways are we committed to ensuring that our children have breathing room? Breathing room that is free from worry and distractions? Breathing room where they can meditate on kid things and not be overwhelmed by adults’ decisions? Not just on this day, not even just in this season – but in the weeks and months and mid-seasons to come. What policies are we committed to addressing that are antithetical to God’s law and that leave a bitter taste in the mouths of the most vulnerable among us – our children. If we set our intentions, God will see us through. “With faith, we can work for and anticipate God’s coming justice for our children. We can do so because we follow with confidence the One who endured the cross, never shrinking back.”

For our children’s sake, o God, we seek Your wisdom; wisdom to be courageous enough to call out the unjust policy of (name it here) in our state. God, our children need breathing room – to not be consumed by the uncertainties of having access to healthcare, food, and a safe place to live.

For our children’s sake, El Shaddai, help us to meditate on your law, your ordinances, precepts, and decrees. God, convict us right now to stay the course and rally for just policies. Let this faith family and house of worship be a place where we can talk candidly and strategize how to mobilize this community to take action. Let us taste the sweetness of Your words and move to action. Amen.

God, thank You for entrusting Your most vulnerable and precious ones to our care. As we leave here today, we leave with commitment, conviction and courage to begin strategizing how we will address the unjust policy of (name it here). Guide us as we commit to follow your precepts, ordinances and law. Amen.

If you could talk back to the sacred text, what questions do you have?

In your faith tradition, what are some precepts that have grounded you in the ways of God?

How do you imagine the psalmist meditating on God’s word all day long? (i.e. reading Scripture, remembering what he has heard, playing an instrument as he meditates)

What law or precept concerning have you not kept that has impacted the most vulnerable among us?

Ask them to meditate on this question and then share their answer:

What do you imagine God thinks about?

As you consider verse 103, how sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth, ask the children to make a facial expression or “show” what sweet looks like; then ask them to make a facial expression or “show” what bitter looks like and to name something that is bitter.

Remember their expression of something bitter as you consider what unjust (bitter) policy in your state you will address.

More US Schools Are Taking Breaks for Meditation

Strong’s Concordance – Meditate in its Old Testament use (see Strong’s Concordance 1897) is the Hebrew word “hagah” and it also means to moan, utter and speak. It is to think about something in earnest, often with the focus on thinking about future plans and contingencies, possibly speaking to God in low tones. This means that the psalmist earnestly thinks about God’s law, God’s Torah, God’s instruction. More specifically, in biblical times, the instruction of the sages of Israel who were charged with the education of the young was intended to cultivate in the young a fear, respect, or reverence of the LORD so that they might live in accordance with God’s expectations. The instruction given by God to Moses and the Israelites became known as “the law of the LORD.” In biblical times, the law was also for the king. He was not be above the law but instructed to have a copy of the law of the LORD prepared for him at coronation so that he would obey God’s law.