Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Psalms 119:17 - 119:24

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Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Psalms 119:17 - 119:24


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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:

Gimel. Prayer For Enlightenment Unto A Godly Life. —

v. 17. Deal bountifully with Thy servant,
giving him a rich measure of favor and of spiritual blessings, that I may live and keep Thy Word, observing the Word of God being the one great object of his life. But he realizes that he cannot, by his own reason and sense, penetrate into the beauties of Holy Writ. Therefore he cries out:

v. 18. Open Thou mine eyes,
the eyes of his spirit, of his understanding, that I may behold wondrous things, the inexpressible miracles of God's mercy and kindness, out of Thy Law, for it is only with eyes enlightened by the Spirit of God that a person may under. stand and realize. the meaning of the Bible truths. All our study of the Bible should be begun with, and accompanied by, this prayer for enlightenment. This is all the more necessary since we are strangers and pilgrims in this world, looking forward to the great revelation of God and to our eternal stay with God in our heavenly home.

v. 19. I am a stranger in the earth,
a pilgrim seeking the road which leads to the homeland; hide not Thy commandments from me; for without these heavenly directions of conduct our traveling in this strange world would be like that of a mariner without a compass and with the sky overcast.

v. 20. My soul breaketh for the longing,
is crushed and faint with eager desire, that it hath unto Thy judgments at all times, to meet with God's approval by following the directions of His Word.

v. 21. Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from Thy commandments,
that is, the arrogant, who mocked the believer, have encountered the Lord's warning threat, since His curse will surely strike those who set aside His Word.

v. 22. Remove from me reproach and contempt,
that of the haughty and arrogant scoffers, who delight in heaping scorn upon the Christians for their trust in the Word of God; for I have kept Thy testimonies, observing the revelation of God and His essence for the truth and against sin, and following the guiding principles thus set forth.

v. 23. Princes also did sit and speak against me,
for it is a sad fact that the mighty and influential people of the earth are in the majority in taking sides against God's revelation in the Bible: but Thy servant did meditate in Thy statutes, deliberately ignoring the haughty criticism of the Bible, which will be apt to confuse even the believers if they pay too much attention to it, since every error in spiritual matters is more plausible to natural man than the revealed truth.

v. 24. Thy testimonials also are my delight and my counselors,
the constant study of Scriptures being his favorite occupation, and all its truths are like wise men whose advice fortifies the Bible-student against all opposition on the part of the enemies. This fact should encourage and incite every believer to study his Bible day after day and always to seek counsel from the pages of eternal wisdom.