Psalm 119:37
Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity;
and quicken thou me in thy way.
~ Psalm 119:37
Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity
Vanity has a wide range of meaning. It encompasses from destructive evil to falsehood to empty uselessness. The Psalmist doesn’t want to fix on any of these. We are not to be steeped and expert in evil and malice (1 Corinthians 14:20; Romans 16:19), and the first step from that is to turn away from beholding it.
and quicken thou me in thy way
The turning away on one hand must be a turning toward on the other hand. Quickening is being made alive. The Psalmist pleads for reviving and life energy to pursue the ways of God. Success here requires not only the emptying of vanity but also the filling with good (Philippians 4:8). The vigilant and persistent prayer is to God to turn us from vanity and toward His way.
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 119:25
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 119:17
Deal bountifully with thy servant,
that I may live, and keep thy word.
~ Psalm 119:17
Deal bountifully with thy servant
The written Word of God is the grand theme of Psalm 119, but prayer is also prominent. Much of this Psalm is a prayer. The meditations are requests to God for light and life. The three statements in verse 17 are prayers.
The first petition asks for God to deal bountifully with His servant. In respect to people, to deal bountifully (gamal) means to benefit, requite, or reward. It can mean to treat a person well or ill. It is variously translated: bestow on, deal bountifully, do good, recompense, requite, reward, etc.
The prayer here concerns what God bestows on the petitioner. The obvious meaning is that he asks for mercy and grace from God. The very gifts David sang praises to God for (Psalm 13:5-6). He does not request reward for his merit. He seeks God’s gracious and merciful bestowal.
That I may live, and keep thy word
The second petition seeks grace to live. James taught us to say, “If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that” (James 4:15). Jeremiah knew that “It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23). Every day of life is an incalculable gift of God’s grace.
The life he seeks is a part of the bountiful dealing he seeks. He is not after bare existence. He does not seek the minimum. He appeals for a bountiful life. His request, though, does not terminate on himself. He is not seeking to fill up his own personal reservoir of benefit. He wants bountiful life that he may keep God’s Word. This is the third petition or culmination of the first two. He sees God as the author of life and faith. Life and faith that are worked out in obedience. Apart from God’s mercy and grace, he will neither live nor keep His Word.
Psalm 119:40
Posted by Jeff Short on April 30, 2015 · 1 Comment
Behold, I have longed after thy precepts:
quicken me in thy righteousness.
~ Psalm 119:40
Behold, I have longed after thy precepts
Desire for God’s Word has been expressed in terms of God’s word, judgments, commandments, precepts, way, and testimonies. Taken together these express a longing for the entire Word of God. His desire is for every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.The godly do not find God’s commandments grievous (1 John 5:3), but rather delight in them (Psalm 1:2). While unbelievers may cherry-pick some sweet expression of love from the Bible and think it beautiful, they despise God’s judgment and wrath. Greedy unbelievers will misinterpret the Proverbs and think they teach how to get rich, but they will all the while despise the true wisdom of God. The heart of the godly is truly manifest in the hunger and desire for all of God’s Word.
quicken me in thy righteousness
This is the final plea of this stanza and it is a renewed request for life. He seeks to be enlivened by the Word that he might keep it, walk in it, and do it. His aforementioned longing is not satisfied in hearing only (James 1:22).
The Psalmist frequently prays for life in this Psalm. He is seeking the vital energy to walk in God’s ways. It is an humble admission that we so often lack the power in ourselves to perform what we want and know to be right (Romans 7:18). It is only by continual reliance upon and renewal in the Spirit that we can walk after the Spirit (Romans 8:5, 13).
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