Psalm 119:32
I will run the way of thy commandments,
when thou shalt enlarge my heart.
~ Psalm 119:32
The Psalmist states that when God has enlarged his heart with the Word, then he will run the way of God’s commandments. This means he has liberty to run and purpose of direction. He will not be halting and stumbling, but moving forward decidedly.
This fourth stanza has twice referred to the soul and once to the heart. It is concerned with true heart-work and not mere head-knowledge with outward conformity. Resolve and deliberate action are involved in going the right way. Holiness is not something we land on while floating along, nor is it arrived at unintentionally.
Psalm 119:31
I have stuck unto thy testimonies:
O LORD, put me not to shame.
~ Psalm 119:31
We have seen thus far that the Psalmist’s life has not been smooth and easy. He started this stanza by expressing how his soul cleaved to the dust (Psalm 119:25). He was bowed low with suffering and sorrow. Through all this, he stuck to God’s testimonies.
Our true spiritual condition is often revealed in how we respond to sorrows, how we move when we suffer. Do we move away from God or toward Him in troubling times? We move away from God when we blame and question Him or murmur because of our circumstances. We move toward Him when we humbly submit ourselves and put all our trust in Him (Job 1:20-22).
Those who put their trust in Him will not be put to shame (Psalm 25:2, 20). To be put to shame is to be confounded or disappointed when your hope is exposed as a false hope. Men live their lives trusting in something, whether it’s themselves, the government, the economy, the philosopher, or whether they are trusting God. Those who place their trust anywhere else and do not stick to His Word will have their hope exposed as false and their expectations disappointed (Jeremiah 17:5-8).
Psalm 119:30
I have chosen the way of truth:
thy judgments have I laid before me.
~ Psalm 119:30
Choosing the way of truth is not realized in mental assent only. He laid God’s judgments before him continually. He meditated in them. Spurgeon commented on this verse:
Men do not become holy by a careless wish: there must be study, consideration, deliberation, and earnest enquiry, or the way of truth will be missed. The commands of God must be set before us as the mark to aim at, the model to work by, the road to walk in. If we put God’s judgments into the background we shall soon find ourselves departing from them.
Paul charged the Philippians to think on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, of virtue, and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). These must be the constant meditation of our mind if we are to discern the way of truth and walk therein.
Psalm 119:29
Remove from me the way of lying:
and grant me thy law graciously.
~ Psalm 119:29
He did not seek a void. He wanted lying removed that God’s law might occupy. The request is a very humble one. Graciously here has the thought of bending, or stooping in kindness to an inferior. He acknowledged God superior, yea, even supreme. He bowed low and appealed to God’s goodness and kindness. God delights in this kind of prayer (1 Peter 5:5-7).
Psalm 119:28
My soul melteth for heaviness:
strengthen thou me according unto thy word.
~ Psalm 119:28
The Psalmist knew the pain. He knew the dissipating of strong-bone resilience in the face grievous weight. He also knew the remedy or the help needed. He sought strengthening according to God’s Word. Friend and foe alike may flee and forsake us. Counselors may fail, but the Word of God abides and stands sure (Psalm 119:89). God’s Word is ever our infallible guide and nourisher of our strength.
Psalm 119:27
Make me to understand the way of thy precepts:
so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.
~ Psalm 11:27
Derek, the Hebrew here translated way, literally means a road or path. Figuratively, it refers to a course of life or a life’s journey. He understood God’s law was not high, airy concepts but rather real directions on the ground. He later wrote, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). Solomon counseled:
22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.
23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
– Proverbs 6:22-23
Understanding the way of God’s precepts would lead him to talking of God’s wondrous works. This sort of progression is common in this Psalm. He previously wrote he would hide God’s word in his heart (Psalm 119:11). He prayed that God would not hide His word from him (Psalm 119:19). Here he said he would not hide God’s word from others.
Psalm 119:26
I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me:
teach me thy statutes.
~ Psalm 119:26
If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.
– Psalm 66:18-20
Our prayers to God can be hindered and regarding iniquity is a sure way. Prayers can be hindered in other ways. Peter warned husbands to honor their wives “that your prayers be not hindered” (1 Peter 3:7). The Psalmist here is blessed for he declared his ways to God and God heard him.
The first prayer is a confession and the second is a petition, “Teach me thy statutes.” This prayer is prayed repeatedly throughout this long Psalm. The repetition highlights the inexhaustible treasure of God’s Word and the exhaustible limits of our understanding. There is always more to know, more to learn. This is a foretaste of heavenly glory where God will unfold the riches of His grace “in the ages to come” (Ehpesians 2:7).
This continual prayer is a continual reminder of our weakness and limitations. It is also an humble confession that we don’t know and understand all. The prayer acknowledges God as the source of all true knowledge and humbly bows before Him as student to Teacher.
Psalm 119:25
My soul cleaveth unto the dust:
quicken thou me according to thy word.
~ Psalm 119:25
Though he doesn’t point to the exact source of trouble, he seeks remedy in life through the Word. Quickening is first mentioned in this verse and will be mentioned again eight times. The word here means to live or to make alive, which is the sense here.
The Psalmist repeatedly prays to be quickened and we should not confuse that with being born again. New birth is a quickening, but not what the Psalmist is seeking. He is seeking life and vitality through the Word. He wants the Word made alive to him. He wants better light and motivation from the Word. He wants understanding and that understanding to energize him in life.
Psalm 119:33
Posted by Jeff Short on October 17, 2014 · Leave a Comment
Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes;
The fifth stanza pleads for perseverance and preservation. This involves the spiritual work of guidance and deliverance, but also the increase of knowledge and understanding of God’s Word.and I shall keep it unto the end.
~ Psalm 119:33
Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes
“Teach me” is the lowly cry of the learner. One who feels their need and lack is one who sits at the feet of the Teacher. Learning God’s Word is paramount to persevering in His way and that note is immediately struck.
The knowledge sought is not mere information. He cries to learn “the way.” Again, the word here literally means a road or path. He desires to know the road or path of God’s statutes. God’s Word is not given to merely inform our minds, but to instruct our hearts and lead our feet.
And I shall keep it unto the end
The conjunction, “and,” joins the second statement to the first and shows its condition on it. When taught of the Lord, we keep His way unto the end. Perseverance holds all the way to the end of life.
The Christian life is not such that you can overfill your barns and then take your ease from the way. It is a persevering unto the very end. We must note again that perseverance is built upon being taught of the Lord. When God has begun a good work, He will finish it (Philippians 1:6).
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