Psalm 119: 9-16

Psalm 119 is called the Alphabet of Divine Love, the Paradise of all Doctrines, the Storehouse of the Holy Spirit, and the School of Truth.

 

The Theme of Psalm 119

   is

The Word   of God

The subject of this section is purifying the life


 9.  How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your 
      Word.   
10. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your
      commandments!   
11. Your Word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.
12. Blessed are You, O Lord!  Teach me Your statutes.
13. With my lips I have declared all the judgments of Your mouth
14. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches.
15. I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways.
16. I will delight myself in Your statues;  I will not forget Your Word.




Commentary from Treasury of David


 9)   How can a young man cleanse his way?  Let him enter that great school of the Holy Spirit, the divine Scriptures.  Let him be committed to the conduct of those blessed oracles, and he will effectively be convinced by his own experience of the incredible virtue, the vast and mighty power, of God's Word.  It will be successful with him, as he daily advances in heavenly wisdom.
(John Gibbon, 1660)


How can a young man cleanse his way?  Let him become a practical disciple of the holy God, who alone can teach how to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil. He is young and unaccustomed to the road, so let him not be ashamed to ask often of the way of Him who is ready and able to instruct.


10) With my whole heart I have sought You.  His whole heart had gone after God.  He not only wanted to obey His laws but also to fellowship with Him. 


His petition is founded in the purpose of his life.  He is seeking the Lord, and he asks the Lord to prevent him from going astray. The more one's heart is set on holiness the more one dreads falling into sin.


The man of God exerts himself but does not trust himself.  His heart is in walking with God.  Yet, he knows that all his strength is not enough to keep him, unless his King is his keeper.


11) I have hidden Your Word in my heart.  His heart would be kept by the Word because he kept the Word in his heart.  What soil is more fruitful than a renewed heart that is seeking the Lord?


That I might not sin against You.  This was the object.  God's Word is the best preventative against offending God, for it tells us His mind and will, and it brings our spirit into conformity with the divine Spirit.  He loves the Word because it is God's Word, and he hates sin, because it is sin against God.


The way the man of God did this is noteworthy:  "With my whole heart I have sought You".  Whatever others might choose, he had already made his choice and placed the Word in his heart.  Others might transgress, but his aim was holiness.


12)  Blessed are You, O Lord!  These are words of adoration, rising from an intense adoration of the divine character, which the writer is humbly aiming to imitate.  He blesses God for all that He has revealed and worked in him.  He praises Him with the warmth of reverent love and the depth of holy wonder.  These are words of perception, being spoken as he realizes that the Lord is and must be blessed, for He is the perfection of holiness. David has come to the understanding that his way to happiness lies in conformity to God.


Lord, teach me Your statutes.  Faith prompted this prayer and based it solely on the perfection of God.  Lord, You are blessed; therefore, bless me by teaching me.  What an honour to have God for a Teacher!  The Lord put the desire in David's heart to be taught, so he boldly requested God to teach him.  Who would not wish to enter the school of such a Master, to learn the art of holy living?  We must submit to this instructor if we want to keep the statutes of righteousness...in practice.


13)  With my lips I have declared all the judgments of Your mouth.  The one taught (David) is now a teacher.  What we learn in secret we are to proclaim from the housetops. This the Psalmist had done; as much as he had know he had spoken.  If we have such a high regard for what comes out of God's mouth that we proclaim it far and wide, we may rest assured that God will respect the prayers that come from our mouths.


An effective method of cleansing a young man's way is to be addicted to preaching the Gospel.  By teaching, we learn; by training the tongue to holy speech, we master the body; by familiarity with divine procedure, we are made to delight in righteousness.  Thus in a three-fold manner, our way is cleansed by our proclaiming the way of the Lord.


14)  I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies.  Delight in the Word of God is sure proof that it has taken effect on the heart and is cleansing the life.  The Psalmist's rejoicing not only rose out of the Word of God but also out of the practical characteristics of it.  The Way was as precious to him as the Truth and the Life.


As much as in all riches.  His intense satisfaction with God's will is compared to all the material riches the world holds.  Yet the way of God's Word had given him more pleasure than even these.  His joy was personal, distinct, remembered, and abundant.


15)  I will meditate on Your precepts.  He who delights in anything will keep it frequently in his mind.  As the miser often returns to look at his treasure, the devout believer, by frequent meditation, turns over the priceless wealth discovered in Scripture.


And contemplate Your ways.  I will contemplate them much, in order to know Your ways. I will think much about them so as to hold Your ways in great reverence and high esteem.  I will see what Your ways are toward me, that I may be filled with reverence, gratitude and love.  Then, I will observe the ways that You have prescribed for me, Your ways, that You would have me follow.  These I will watch carefully in order to become obedient and prove myself to be a true servant of such a Master.


16)  I will delight myself in Your statutes.  This is the choicest and highest of all rejoicing. There is no delighting ourselves with anything down here below but that which God intended for the eternal satisfaction for the soul.  The statute books are intended to be the joy of every loyal subject.  When believers read the sacred pages, their souls burn as they turn to the royal Words of the great King, Words full and firm, immutable and divine.


I will not forget Your Word.  People do not easily forget what they treasure, what they have meditated on.  There was a three-fold internal action of David's soul toward the Word of God.  First, meditation;  second, consideration; third, pleasure.  Every one of these proceeds from another and mutually strengthens the other.  Meditation brings the Word to the mind, and consideration examines it, and this breeds pleasure. (William Cowper, 1566-1619)


I am really enjoying doing this and hope that you will delight in reading and meditating on this Psalm.  If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment. If you would like to share an insight, please do. 

Commentary taken from Treasury of David (Charles Spurgeon).



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