Biblical Meditation
Meditations and the Bible
Nov 17, 2009 Janis Masyk-Jackson
Although some people think of meditation as a form of New Age thought, people have been meditating throughout time. Several references to meditation can be found in the Bible, with the majority of them being found in Psalms.
Meditation in Genesis
An early mention of meditation in the Bible can be found in Genesis. In the story of Isaac and Rebekah, Abraham had sent his servant to find a wife for his son, Isaac, and bring her back.
It had been a long journey and they had traveled on camels. "Isaac went out to meditate in the field toward evening; and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, camels were coming," according to Genesis 24:63.
Bible Meditation Reference in Joshua
Meditation is mentioned again in Joshua. Joshua had been a friend of Moses and accompanied him on the journey to the Promised Land. When Moses died, Joshua took over as leader.
In Joshua 1: 8, God says to Joshua, "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it."
Meditation in Psalms
Many people consider Psalms to be their favorite part of the Bible. Psalms consists of 150 poems, (viewed as songs or prayers,) and was written by many men. Each Psalm has a theme and some meditation enthusiasts like to use a Psalm as their focus of meditation.
Most biblical references to meditation are found in Psalms. The first appears in Psalms 1: 2, where it says, "But his delight in the law of the lord, And in His law he meditates day and night."
Meditation is again found in Psalms 4:4, 19:14, 63:6, 104:34 with its final mention in Psalms 119:97, "O how I love Your Law! It is my meditation all the day."
Meditating in biblical times was a very strong form of prayer which people used to try to get closer to God. It is still used as a form of prayer today with many people enjoying meditating on different scriptures. Some churches even provide guided meditations during church service. Spiritual people also find meditation to be a way to get closer to the Divine.
Although once used only for religious purposes, meditation has branched out and yielded some other beneficial uses such as for relaxation, medical benefits, memory improvement, and ways to develop psychic abilities, to name just a few.
Readers may also enjoy Christian Meditation, along with Religious Psalms Meditation, and What is Jewish Meditation and the Kabbalah?
Source:
The New Inductive Study Bible, compiled by K. Arthur and the staff of Precept Ministries International, (Harvest House Publishers,) 2000.
Biblical Meditation
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