Memory in an Age of Search

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee.” That King James translation of Psalm 119:11 overrides any other translation. Scripture memory—KJV—was part of my childhood. I went to summer camp for a week because as a seven year old I memorized more verses than anyone else in my Sunday School class. Camp cost $23/week then. I also chose the context of this verse from Psalm 119 for the text of my senior sermon at Covenant Seminary. Psalm 119:9-16 is a joyful expression of a young man who loves the LORD and his words. I love the last verse of this section—“I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.” (ESV)

I have used modern language translations since 1968, but my childhood memories of Scripture are King James. Shifting from translation to translation gives the opportunity – not always fulfilled – of  rememorizing our own cannon of Bible verses. Today new translations seem to come out as often as new cars. In 1999 I started online devotions, including Bible reading. I found I was in transition from memory to search.

“Information on demand” is the promise of search engines – they remember me and select links they think I will find helpful. Try this: type in a search, and then compare results with someone else on a different computer.  Our search culture includes our mobile devices and phones. More than 50% of adults in the USA use smart phones. It is handy. Questions can be answered with a quick search. As someone who both enjoys and studies cyber culture—why raise questions about our culture shift from memory to search?

Yes, this is a much larger question than one blog posting.

I raise this question because God raises it, especially in the Psalms. Scripture was written in oral cultures. People memorized what they listened to as someone else read. What the KJV translates as “hide,” the ESV translates as “store.” The words are to be in our hearts so we do not forget them. We, with the author, can both delight in them and keep our way pure. Take the time to read Psalm 119 slowly. If you can, listen to it as a complete Psalm. It is both a celebration of God’s word and a description of a love for his words. We hide the words to delight in his words and to have them shape the heart we store them in so they become a light for our daily path and because we do not want to sin against the one we love who loved us first.

A few observations for this blog, not the final word.

First, in the search world of Google, Bing, You Tube and others the value of words and information is lost in the overwhelming number of “results.” Scripture is a gift of finite words in an image age. Scripture is God’s word, given through people in different ages, but God’s word. These words can be translated into the “hearth” language  to be stored in the heart to shape the heart, transform and renew the mind.

Second, without the memory of scripture we cannot delight in God’s word. Another time I will explore the differences between short and long term memory. Today I want to ask you, when was the last time you delighted in God’s word? The Psalmist does not want to forget God’s word. You can only forget what you have made a memory. One of the ways we delight in God’s word is through meditation (yes, another blog). Meditation is lost on a search culture because it is time consuming and not egocentric.

Third, from my childhood memory and that seminary sermon, the daily life application is “that I might not sin against thee.” This verse is not about performance or earning approval and acceptance. This is about delight and desire. Sin is personal—it is against the LORD, the you of this verse. Sin, in part, comes from forgetting God’s words, listening to other words that are not God’s word. Sin is foremost about a holy God who gave us his word so that we would not sin. The default choice should be, “listen to the word you have stored up and make the choice not to forget the word or the one who spoke it.”

Enjoy cyber culture and search as a consumer, missionary or tourist. Remember to create long term storage in your heart so you can delight in God’s word.