I don’t know about you, but when I hear the word “meditation” several images come to mind. Ranging it’s lying down on a mat at the end of Yoga class, sitting up cross-legged, eyes closed, burning incense, chanting, etc. When using the words meditate or meditation amongst Christians, the response is usually negative. Often you can tell just from their body language; crossed arms, foot tapping, stiffened backs, and likely the dreaded awkward silence (Hey, at least it’s an attention getter!).
But both the Old and the New Testaments of the Bible tell us to meditate.
Before you run off to zone out on a yoga mat (aka try and take a nap, let’s face it), the Bible is talking about meditating on Scripture.
A young pastor at our church reminded me that Christian mediation is different than other forms of meditation. As Christians, we are called to actively study Scripture, chew on it, understand what God is trying to tell us through His word.
In the New Testament, the Greek word used for meditate is meletaō. In the KJV transition, meletaō is only used once to refer to meditation:
“Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.”
1 Timothy 4:15
Specifically, the KJV renders meletaō as “meditate upon” within this passage.
Other translations (e.g. ESV, RSV, NIV, etc.) don’t use the word meditate in their interpretation of the above verse. For example, in ESV, 1 Timothy 4:15 reads:
“Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.”
Despite the usually negative connotations of the word “old,” the Old Testament is a crucial part of the Bible. You can’t fully understand either Testament without the other.
While the New Testament doesn’t really have a lot of references to mediation, the Old Testament has a lot (using the Hebrew word hagah).
Take the first three verses of Psalm 1 (ESV):
1 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;
2 but his delight is in the instruction of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In MSG, Eugene Peterson captures the translation of hagah very nicely in his rendering of Psalm 1, using the words: “you chew”.
Christians are supposed to meditate, to chew on Scripture in order to understand it and to become more Christ-like. Reflect on Scripture—day and night.
Psalm 1:2-3 (MSG) Eugene Peterson