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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadSpurgeon Verse Expositions - Psalms 119:25 - 119:40
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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
By the help of God’s Holy Spirit, this psalm may serve for the purposes of self-examination, for we may ask ourselves as we read, “Do I feel in that way? Are my prayers like those of this good man? Is my experience like his: “We may often ask ourselves, “Am I as watchful, and as careful, and as fond of God’s Word as he was?” Such questions will do us good.
Psa_119:25. My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word.
He does not like to feel the cleaving of his soul to the dust. There are some that feel it, but they seem content to continue in that condition; but no sooner does David feel it than he cries “Quicken thou me.” A sense of sin is of small value, unless it leads us to desire to escape out of it. “Quicken thou me.” I lie as dead as if it were dust to dust. My soul seems cleaving to it, as if it had come to its end, and meant to rest there; but, Lord, give me life. Thy Word promises me life. Thou hast ways laid down in thy Word for giving life. “Quicken thou me, according to thy Word.”
Psa_119:26. I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statues.
I have told thee all about myself. Now tell me about thyself. “Teach me thy statutes.”
Psa_119:27. Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.
It is a bad thing to talk of what we do not understand and he who shall preach what he has never experienced is very likely to do so. Yet beloved, there is no understanding Gods precepts except he shall teach them to us. We are void of understanding. He must enlighten. He must instruct. “Make me to understand the way of thy precepts.” Some are very anxious to understand the doctrines, and some to understand the prophecies. All well and good, but “Make me to understand the way of thy precepts”, give me practical godliness, help me to live to thy praise, “so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.” I will not talk till thou hast taught me. But when thou hast taught me, then my subject shall be thy wondrous works. The wonderous work of making me to understand thee shall be something to speak about, and all the wondrous works of nature, and providence, and grace shall be the subject of my continual conversation.
Psa_119:28. My soul melteth for heaviness:
For the best of men sometimes suffer the sharpest sorrows. Hearts of stone are not likely to be so sensitive as hearts of flesh. “My soul melted for heaviness.”
Psa_119:28. Strengthen thou me according unto thy word.
He wants strength, but he does not want to obtain it in any way, but the way of God’s appointment. “According unto thy Word.” Somewhat like our hymn, which says: —
“
Shall my physician be
I will not be comforted
Till Jesus comforts me.”
Psa_119:29. Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously.
Let me not lie. Let me not be tempted to lie. Let me not be pestered with the falsehoods of others. Remove the way of lying far from me, and oh! by thy grace, give me to know the law. That is a remarkable combination of words. “Grant me thy law graciously.” Has law anything to do with grace? Yes, such a law as he speaks of — the law in the heart — the law in the hand of Christ — the law written in the life of the believer — not the law of merit and of salvation by works, but “grant me thy law graciously.”
Psa_119:30. I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me.
As a seaman spreads out the chart before him, that he may follow the right channel, and not miss his track — as a traveler spreads out his map that he may keep to the right way, “I have chosen the way of truth. Thy judgments have I laid before me.”
Psa_119:31. I have stuck unto thy testimonies:
As if I were glued to them — sealed to them. They said I was very old-fashioned. They said I did not keep pace with the times. They said I was not a man of thought. I did not care about that. “I have stuck unto thy testimonies.”
Psa_119:31. O LORD, put me not to shame.
And he never will. If we stick to him, we may be quite sure that we shall came forth out of every difficulty and every opposition triumphantly. “Put me not to shame.” And although he thus spoke, yet you perceive the activity of his soul.
Psa_119:32. I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.
Give my heart freedom. Knock off my fetters. Take away my heaviness Remove from me my ignorance. Give my soul room, and she will run, but it will be in the ways of thy commandments.
Psa_119:33. Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.
Here is the art of finally persevering. Here is the way of continuing to the end, and the same shall be saved. We must begin with a teachable spirit. He that is not willing to learn has not begun right. We aught to disciple all nations, but he that will not learn is not yet discipled. “Teach me.” But the teaching we must have must come from God. “Teach me, O Lord. I am not content to have the Word second-hand. Be thou my schoolmaster. Teach me, O Lord. I shall never learn unless thou teach me. Thou who didst make me, thou who didst give me a new heart, thou must write that law upon my heart, or it will never be written there. Teach me, O Lord. Teach me the way of thy statutes. Teach me practical godliness. So teach it to me that I shall learn it, and put it into practice and if I be taught of thee, then I shall keep it unto the end; not else.”
Psa_119:34. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
A want of understanding is a very great lack. There is little wonder that men turn aside from an outward religion which has never taken possession of their thoughts and minds. If they only subscribe to the creed which they have never studied — if they only carry out a life — the mere shell of a life — the inward principles of which they do not know, they will soon turn aside. “Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law.”
Psa_119:35. Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.
“Not only teach me the way, but make me to go in it. Take hold of me as a mother does of her little child, and teach me how to walk, and help me in the walking.” Make me to go. It is a feeble word — a most expressive prayer. “Make me to go for therein do I delight.” When a man delights in God’s way, he will be sure to be made to go in it.
Psa_119:36. Incline my heart unto thy testimonies,
Bend it that way — incline it.
Psa_119:36. And not to covetousness.
For, naturally, my heart would go after the world, and cleave to its riches and its treasures, and begin to covet, but, Lord, bend it the other way. If you do not love God’s testimonies, the tendency will be to become a lover of the world. “Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.”
Psa_119:37. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity;
Or “make mine eyes to pass from beholding vanity.” I am a runner in the race. Do not let me stop to look at anything, but may my eyes pass by vanity. Let me not be like her in the fable who paused to gather the golden apples in the race, and so lost it and was deceived. If the world’s golden apples are thrown in my way, make my eyes to pass from beholding vanity.
Psa_119:37. And quicken thou me in thy way.
More life towards thee will deaden me to the world. The more I follow after God, the less shall I care to follow after the world.
Psa_119:38. Stablish thy word unto thy servant,
Make it fast, firm, sure.
Psa_119:38. Who is devoted to thy fear.
I am established in thee. Establish the Word to me. Thou has bound me fast to thy altar. Oh! give me the fast blessings and sure mercies of David.
Psa_119:39. Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments are good.
I fear lest I bring a reproach upon thee, and then upon myself. Oh! suffer me not to do so. I am not afraid of the reproach of the world. I count the reproach of Christ greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt. But, oh! let them never have to charge me with sin, and let me not fall into such pecuniary difficulties or other troubles, that men will be able to make a charge against me out of them. Help me to provide things honest in the sight of all men. “Take away my reproach, which I fear, for thy judgments are good.”
Psa_119:40. Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness.