Psalm 119 is called the Alphabet of Divine Love, the Paradise of Doctrines, the Storehouse of the Holy Spirit, and the School of Truth.
The Theme of Psalm 119
is
The Word of God
145. I cry out with my whole heart; hear me, O Lord! I will keep Your statutes.
146. I cry out to You; save me, and I will keep Your testimonies.
147. I rise before the dawning of the morning, and I cry for help; I hope in
Your Word.
148. My eyes are awake through the night watches, that I may meditate on
Your Word.
149. Hear my voice according to Your loving kindness; O Lord, revive me
according to Your justice.
150. They draw near who follow after wickedness; they are far from Your law.
151. You are near, O Lord, and all Your commandments are truth.
152. Concerning Your testimonies, I have known of old, that You have founded
them forever.
145-152. This section is given to the memories of prayer. The psalmists describes the time and the manner of his devotions and pleads with God for deliverance from trouble. You who have been with God in the closet will find God with you in the furnace If we have cried we will be answered. Delayed answers may drive us to beg, but we need not fear the ultimate result. God's promises are certain. He has founded them forever. This passage shows us: how David prayed (v.145), what he prayed for (v.146), when he prayed (v.147, how long he prayed (v148), what he pleaded (v.149), what happened (v.150), how he was rescued (v. 151), and David's testimony (v.152).
145. I cry out with my whole heart. David's prayer was the sincere, plaintive, painful, natural utterance of a creature in pain. He cried with his whole heart. Heart cries are the essence of prayer. David mentions the unity of his heart in his holy engagement. His whole soul pleaded with God; his entire affections and united desires all went toward the living God. It is well when people can say this of their prayers, but it is feared that many have not cried to God with their whole heart. There may be no beauty of elocution about such prayers, no length of expression, no depth of doctrine, or accuracy of diction, but if the whole heart is in them, they will find their way to the heart of God.
Hear me, O Lord. He asks Jehovah that his cries not die in the air but that God will respect them. True supplicants are not satisfied with just the exercise; they have an end and object in praying, and they look out for it. If God does not hear prayer, we pray in vain. Hear is often used in Scripture to express attention and consideration. In one sense, God hears every sound that is made on earth and every desire of every heart. Yet, David means much more than that. He wants a kind and sympathetic hearing. He asks the Lord to draw near and listen to his complaint with a friendly ear, to pity and help him. This whole-hearted prayer goes to the Lord alone. There is no second hope or help. Hear me, O Lord is the full range of his petition and expectation.
I will keep Your statutes. David could not expect the Lord to hear him, if he did not hear the Lord. It would not be true that he prayed with his whole heart unless it was obvious that he worked with all his energy to be obedient to the divine will. His object, in seeking deliverance, was to be free to fulfill his religion and to carry out the Lord's every ordinance. He wants to be free to freely serve the Lord. A holy resolution goes well with a pressing supplication. David is determined to be holy, so his whole heart goes with that resolve as well as with his prayers. He will keep Gods statues in his memory, in his affections, and in his actions. He will not wilfully neglect or violate any of the divine laws.
145-152. This section is given to the memories of prayer. The psalmists describes the time and the manner of his devotions and pleads with God for deliverance from trouble. You who have been with God in the closet will find God with you in the furnace If we have cried we will be answered. Delayed answers may drive us to beg, but we need not fear the ultimate result. God's promises are certain. He has founded them forever. This passage shows us: how David prayed (v.145), what he prayed for (v.146), when he prayed (v.147, how long he prayed (v148), what he pleaded (v.149), what happened (v.150), how he was rescued (v. 151), and David's testimony (v.152).
145. I cry out with my whole heart. David's prayer was the sincere, plaintive, painful, natural utterance of a creature in pain. He cried with his whole heart. Heart cries are the essence of prayer. David mentions the unity of his heart in his holy engagement. His whole soul pleaded with God; his entire affections and united desires all went toward the living God. It is well when people can say this of their prayers, but it is feared that many have not cried to God with their whole heart. There may be no beauty of elocution about such prayers, no length of expression, no depth of doctrine, or accuracy of diction, but if the whole heart is in them, they will find their way to the heart of God.
Hear me, O Lord. He asks Jehovah that his cries not die in the air but that God will respect them. True supplicants are not satisfied with just the exercise; they have an end and object in praying, and they look out for it. If God does not hear prayer, we pray in vain. Hear is often used in Scripture to express attention and consideration. In one sense, God hears every sound that is made on earth and every desire of every heart. Yet, David means much more than that. He wants a kind and sympathetic hearing. He asks the Lord to draw near and listen to his complaint with a friendly ear, to pity and help him. This whole-hearted prayer goes to the Lord alone. There is no second hope or help. Hear me, O Lord is the full range of his petition and expectation.
I will keep Your statutes. David could not expect the Lord to hear him, if he did not hear the Lord. It would not be true that he prayed with his whole heart unless it was obvious that he worked with all his energy to be obedient to the divine will. His object, in seeking deliverance, was to be free to fulfill his religion and to carry out the Lord's every ordinance. He wants to be free to freely serve the Lord. A holy resolution goes well with a pressing supplication. David is determined to be holy, so his whole heart goes with that resolve as well as with his prayers. He will keep Gods statues in his memory, in his affections, and in his actions. He will not wilfully neglect or violate any of the divine laws.
146. I cry out to You. Again he mentions that his prayer was to God alone. The sentence implies that he prayed fervently and often. One of the great facts of his life was that he cried out to God.
Save me. This was his prayer, short but full. He needed saving, and only the Lord could save him. David cried to the Lord, Save me from the dangers that surround me, from the enemies that pursue me, from the trials that beset me, and from the sins that accuse me. David did not multiply words. People never do when they are in earnest. He did not multiply objects. People seldom do so when they are intent on the one necessary thing. Save me was his one and only prayer. and I will keep Your testimonies. His great object in wanting salvation was to be able to continue to lead a blameless life of obedience to God, and to become a witness for God. It is a great thing when people seek salvation for so high an end. He did not ask to be delivered so that he might sin with impunity. His cry was to be delivered from sin itself. David had vowed to keep the statutes or laws. Here, he resolves to keep the testimonies, or doctrines, and to be sound of head and clean of hand. Salvation brings all these good things in its train. David had no idea of a salvation that would allow him to live in sin or to remain in error. He knew right well that there is no saving a person who lives in disobedience and ignorance.
147. I will rise before the dawning of morning, and cry for help. He was up before the sun and began pleading before the dew left the grass. Whatever is worth doing is worth doing immediately. This is the third time he mentions crying for help. David cried, and cried, and cried again. His supplications had become so frequent, fervent, and intense that he hardly did anything else from morning to night except cry to God. So strong was his desire for salvation that he could not rest in bed. So eagerly did he seek salvation that at the first possible moment he was on his knees.
I hope in Your Word. Hope is a powerful method of strengthening us in prayer. Who would pray if there were no hope that God would hear? Who would not pray when there is a blessed hope of a good answer? David's hope was fixed on the sure anchorage of God's Word because God is true. God has never run back on His promise or altered what He has spoken. Those who are diligent in prayer will never be destitute of hope. As, "the early bird gets the worm," so the early prayer is soon refreshed with hope.
Morning is the gate of the day and should be well guarded with prayer. Those who rush from bed to business and do not worship are as unwise as though they dashed into battle without arms or armor. (Ephesians 6:10-18). The sanctifying influence of devotion operates on each succeeding hour. Morning devotions anchor the soul so that it will not drift from God during the day.
148. My eyes are awake through the night watches. Before the watchman cried the hour, he was crying to God. David did not need to be informed as to how the hours were flying, for every hour his heart was flying toward heaven. He began the day with prayer and continued in prayer throughout the day and into the night watches. The guards changed, but David did not change his holy occupation. At night, he kept his eyes open to drive away sleep and to maintain communion with God. He worshiped from watch to watch, as travelers journey from place to place.
That I may meditate on Your Word. This had become his food and drink. Meditation was the food of hope and the solace of sorrow. The one theme of his thoughts was the blessed Word, which he continually mentions and in which his heart rejoices. He preferred study to slumber; he learned to forgo necessary sleep for necessary devotion. It is instructive to find meditation so constantly connected with fervent prayer; this is the fuel that sustains the flame. And how rare it is thee days!
The theological student, the minister of the Word, and teachers should begin the day with prayer, chiefly to seek from God to properly understand the Word of God and to be able to teach others. (Soloman Gesner, 1539-1605) Brethren, note this! Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
149. Hear my voice according to Your loving kindness. It is helpful to use our voices in prayer. It is difficult to maintain the intensity of devotion unless we hear ourselves speak. David broke through his silence, rose from his quiet meditations, and began crying with voice as well as heart to the Lord. Note that he does not plead for what he deserves, nor even for a moment does he appeal to be paid for his merit. He takes the way of free grace, according to Your loving kindness. When God hears prayer according to His loving kindness, He overlooks all the imperfections of the prayer. He forgets the sinfulness of the offerer, and in pitying love, He grants the desire even though the suppliant is unworthy. It is according to God's loving kindness to readily answer, to frequently answer, to abundantly answer, and "to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Eph 3:20). Loving kindness is one of the sweetest words in our language . Kindness has much in it that is precious, but loving kindness is doubly cherished. It is the cream of kindness.
O Lord, revive me according to Your justice. This is another of David's wise and ardent prayers. He first cried, "Save me," then, "hear me," and now, Revive me. Often the best way of delivering us from trouble is for God to give us more life, that we may escape death, and for Him to add more strength to life, that we may not be overloaded with its burdens. David asks to be revived according to God's judgment, to be revived in a way that is consistent with infinite wisdom and prudence. God's methods of communicating greater vigor to our spiritual life are exceedingly wise. It would probably be useless to attempt to understand them. Our wisdom is to receive grace, not according to our notion of how it should come, but according to God's heavenly method of granting it. God's prerogative is to kill and make alive (Deuteronomy 32:39), and that sovereign act is best left to His infallible judgment. Has He not already come that we might have life and that more abundantly (John 10:10)? "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence"(Eph. 1:7-8).
150. They draw near who follow after wickedness. He could hear footsteps close behind. They were not following him for his benefit but for his hurt; the sound of heir approach is dreaded. The enemy was not prosecuting a good object but persecuting a good man. As if there were not enough mischief in their hearts already, they hunt for more. He sees them running in a steeplechase over hedge and ditch in order to bring mischief to him. David points them out to God and pleads with the Lord to fix His eyes on them and deal with them to their confusion.
The enemy was on him, he was almost in their grip, and so he cries more earnestly, They are far from Your law. A mischievous life cannot be an obedient life. Before these people could become David's persecutors, they were obliged to get away from the restraints of God's law. they could not hate a saint and love the law. Those who keep God's law do not harm themselves or others. Sin is the greatest mischief in the world. David mentions this to the Lord in prayer, finding some comfort because those who hated him hated God. His enemies found it necessary to get away from God before they could hurt him. When we know that our enemies are both God's enemies and our enemies, and because they are His enemies, we take comfort.
151. You are near, O Lord. Near as the enemy might be, God was nearer. This is one of the choicest comforts of God's persecuted child. The Lord is near to hear our cries and offer comfort. God is near enough to chase our enemies and give us rest and peace.
And all Your commandments are truth. God never commands a lie nor lies in His commands. Virtue is truth in action, and this is what God commands. Sin is falsehood in action, and this is what God forbids. If all God's commands are truth, then the true person will be pleased to keep near to them, and therein he will find the true God near to him. This sentence is the protection of the persecuted from the false hearts that seek mischief. God is near, and God is true; thus, His people are safe. If any time we fall into danger from keeping God's commands, we do not have to fear that we have acted unwisely. On the contrary, we can be quite sure that we are in the right way, for God's precepts are right and true. It is for this reason that the wicked assail us. They hate the truth and hate those who do the truth. There opposition may be our consolation, while God's presence on our side is our glory and our delight.
152. Concerning Your testimonies, I have known of old that You have founded them forever. David knew that they would stand firm through the ages. It is blessed to be taught by God early and to know substantial doctrines from youth. Those who think David was young when he wrote this Psalm will find it difficult to reconcile this verse with that theory. It is much more probable that he was now grey, looking back on what he had known long before. David knew that the doctrines of God's Word were settled before the world began, that they had never been altered and never could be altered. He had begun by building on a rock, by seeing that God's testimonies were founded, grounded, laid as foundations, and settled and established with a view to all the ages that would come, during all the changes that would intervene. Because David knew this, he had great confidence in prayer. It is sweet to sweet to plead permanent promises with an everlasting God. From this, David learned to hope. A person cannot have expectations from a changing friend, but one may well have confidence in a God who cannot change. It was because of this that David delighted to be near the Lord. It is most blessed to keep fellowship with the friend who never varies. Let others choose to follow at the heels of the modern school, looking for fresh light that will put out the old light. We are satisfied with the truth that is as old as the hills and as fixed as the great mountains. Let "cultured intellects" invent a god more gentle and effeminate than the God of Abraham. We are well content to worship Jehovah, who is eternally the same. Things everlastingly established are the joy of established saints. Bubbles please children, but adults prize things that are solid and substantial, things with a foundation and a bottom, which will bear the test of the ages.
Commentary: The Treasury of David -Charles Spurgeon
Save me. This was his prayer, short but full. He needed saving, and only the Lord could save him. David cried to the Lord, Save me from the dangers that surround me, from the enemies that pursue me, from the trials that beset me, and from the sins that accuse me. David did not multiply words. People never do when they are in earnest. He did not multiply objects. People seldom do so when they are intent on the one necessary thing. Save me was his one and only prayer. and I will keep Your testimonies. His great object in wanting salvation was to be able to continue to lead a blameless life of obedience to God, and to become a witness for God. It is a great thing when people seek salvation for so high an end. He did not ask to be delivered so that he might sin with impunity. His cry was to be delivered from sin itself. David had vowed to keep the statutes or laws. Here, he resolves to keep the testimonies, or doctrines, and to be sound of head and clean of hand. Salvation brings all these good things in its train. David had no idea of a salvation that would allow him to live in sin or to remain in error. He knew right well that there is no saving a person who lives in disobedience and ignorance.
147. I will rise before the dawning of morning, and cry for help. He was up before the sun and began pleading before the dew left the grass. Whatever is worth doing is worth doing immediately. This is the third time he mentions crying for help. David cried, and cried, and cried again. His supplications had become so frequent, fervent, and intense that he hardly did anything else from morning to night except cry to God. So strong was his desire for salvation that he could not rest in bed. So eagerly did he seek salvation that at the first possible moment he was on his knees.
I hope in Your Word. Hope is a powerful method of strengthening us in prayer. Who would pray if there were no hope that God would hear? Who would not pray when there is a blessed hope of a good answer? David's hope was fixed on the sure anchorage of God's Word because God is true. God has never run back on His promise or altered what He has spoken. Those who are diligent in prayer will never be destitute of hope. As, "the early bird gets the worm," so the early prayer is soon refreshed with hope.
Morning is the gate of the day and should be well guarded with prayer. Those who rush from bed to business and do not worship are as unwise as though they dashed into battle without arms or armor. (Ephesians 6:10-18). The sanctifying influence of devotion operates on each succeeding hour. Morning devotions anchor the soul so that it will not drift from God during the day.
148. My eyes are awake through the night watches. Before the watchman cried the hour, he was crying to God. David did not need to be informed as to how the hours were flying, for every hour his heart was flying toward heaven. He began the day with prayer and continued in prayer throughout the day and into the night watches. The guards changed, but David did not change his holy occupation. At night, he kept his eyes open to drive away sleep and to maintain communion with God. He worshiped from watch to watch, as travelers journey from place to place.
That I may meditate on Your Word. This had become his food and drink. Meditation was the food of hope and the solace of sorrow. The one theme of his thoughts was the blessed Word, which he continually mentions and in which his heart rejoices. He preferred study to slumber; he learned to forgo necessary sleep for necessary devotion. It is instructive to find meditation so constantly connected with fervent prayer; this is the fuel that sustains the flame. And how rare it is thee days!
The theological student, the minister of the Word, and teachers should begin the day with prayer, chiefly to seek from God to properly understand the Word of God and to be able to teach others. (Soloman Gesner, 1539-1605) Brethren, note this! Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
149. Hear my voice according to Your loving kindness. It is helpful to use our voices in prayer. It is difficult to maintain the intensity of devotion unless we hear ourselves speak. David broke through his silence, rose from his quiet meditations, and began crying with voice as well as heart to the Lord. Note that he does not plead for what he deserves, nor even for a moment does he appeal to be paid for his merit. He takes the way of free grace, according to Your loving kindness. When God hears prayer according to His loving kindness, He overlooks all the imperfections of the prayer. He forgets the sinfulness of the offerer, and in pitying love, He grants the desire even though the suppliant is unworthy. It is according to God's loving kindness to readily answer, to frequently answer, to abundantly answer, and "to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Eph 3:20). Loving kindness is one of the sweetest words in our language . Kindness has much in it that is precious, but loving kindness is doubly cherished. It is the cream of kindness.
O Lord, revive me according to Your justice. This is another of David's wise and ardent prayers. He first cried, "Save me," then, "hear me," and now, Revive me. Often the best way of delivering us from trouble is for God to give us more life, that we may escape death, and for Him to add more strength to life, that we may not be overloaded with its burdens. David asks to be revived according to God's judgment, to be revived in a way that is consistent with infinite wisdom and prudence. God's methods of communicating greater vigor to our spiritual life are exceedingly wise. It would probably be useless to attempt to understand them. Our wisdom is to receive grace, not according to our notion of how it should come, but according to God's heavenly method of granting it. God's prerogative is to kill and make alive (Deuteronomy 32:39), and that sovereign act is best left to His infallible judgment. Has He not already come that we might have life and that more abundantly (John 10:10)? "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence"(Eph. 1:7-8).
150. They draw near who follow after wickedness. He could hear footsteps close behind. They were not following him for his benefit but for his hurt; the sound of heir approach is dreaded. The enemy was not prosecuting a good object but persecuting a good man. As if there were not enough mischief in their hearts already, they hunt for more. He sees them running in a steeplechase over hedge and ditch in order to bring mischief to him. David points them out to God and pleads with the Lord to fix His eyes on them and deal with them to their confusion.
The enemy was on him, he was almost in their grip, and so he cries more earnestly, They are far from Your law. A mischievous life cannot be an obedient life. Before these people could become David's persecutors, they were obliged to get away from the restraints of God's law. they could not hate a saint and love the law. Those who keep God's law do not harm themselves or others. Sin is the greatest mischief in the world. David mentions this to the Lord in prayer, finding some comfort because those who hated him hated God. His enemies found it necessary to get away from God before they could hurt him. When we know that our enemies are both God's enemies and our enemies, and because they are His enemies, we take comfort.
151. You are near, O Lord. Near as the enemy might be, God was nearer. This is one of the choicest comforts of God's persecuted child. The Lord is near to hear our cries and offer comfort. God is near enough to chase our enemies and give us rest and peace.
And all Your commandments are truth. God never commands a lie nor lies in His commands. Virtue is truth in action, and this is what God commands. Sin is falsehood in action, and this is what God forbids. If all God's commands are truth, then the true person will be pleased to keep near to them, and therein he will find the true God near to him. This sentence is the protection of the persecuted from the false hearts that seek mischief. God is near, and God is true; thus, His people are safe. If any time we fall into danger from keeping God's commands, we do not have to fear that we have acted unwisely. On the contrary, we can be quite sure that we are in the right way, for God's precepts are right and true. It is for this reason that the wicked assail us. They hate the truth and hate those who do the truth. There opposition may be our consolation, while God's presence on our side is our glory and our delight.
152. Concerning Your testimonies, I have known of old that You have founded them forever. David knew that they would stand firm through the ages. It is blessed to be taught by God early and to know substantial doctrines from youth. Those who think David was young when he wrote this Psalm will find it difficult to reconcile this verse with that theory. It is much more probable that he was now grey, looking back on what he had known long before. David knew that the doctrines of God's Word were settled before the world began, that they had never been altered and never could be altered. He had begun by building on a rock, by seeing that God's testimonies were founded, grounded, laid as foundations, and settled and established with a view to all the ages that would come, during all the changes that would intervene. Because David knew this, he had great confidence in prayer. It is sweet to sweet to plead permanent promises with an everlasting God. From this, David learned to hope. A person cannot have expectations from a changing friend, but one may well have confidence in a God who cannot change. It was because of this that David delighted to be near the Lord. It is most blessed to keep fellowship with the friend who never varies. Let others choose to follow at the heels of the modern school, looking for fresh light that will put out the old light. We are satisfied with the truth that is as old as the hills and as fixed as the great mountains. Let "cultured intellects" invent a god more gentle and effeminate than the God of Abraham. We are well content to worship Jehovah, who is eternally the same. Things everlastingly established are the joy of established saints. Bubbles please children, but adults prize things that are solid and substantial, things with a foundation and a bottom, which will bear the test of the ages.
Commentary: The Treasury of David -Charles Spurgeon
My thoughts on verse 47...
147. I rise before the dawning of the morning, and I cry for help; I hope in
Your Word.
Morning is the gate of the day and should be well guarded with prayer. Those who rush from bed to business and do not worship are as unwise as though they dashed into battle without arms or armor. (Ephesians 6:10-18). The sanctifying influence of devotion operates on each succeeding hour. Morning devotions anchor the soul so that it will not drift from God during the day.
When we wake up first thing in the morning we do not know what could interrupt our schedule or plans, with either good or bad news. Only our Sovereign God knows everything our day will hold. Our part is to begin our day by preparing our hearts, our minds, and our wills for the day ahead of us. We can surrender our day to God to walk in His will and His way, to not be a stumbling block to anyone who comes across our path, but to be used as a stepping stone to Christ, instead. We can ask to be filled with His joy and His perfect steadfast peace, to be prepared for any situation that may arise, even unexpectedly. Pray that He will meet all our spiritual needs and bring to our minds what we need to say if anyone should ask us the reason for our hope. Asking Him to grace us to be gentle and respectful, and to always do our best in all things, without grumbling or complaining, as doing them to and for Christ. We should pray for wisdom and humility and to be filled with the love of Christ and with Holy Spirit enablement to do all things to the glory of God and for His purpose. Ask Him to let us see everyone with the heart of Jesus. And in our hearts, pray for people during the day to come to a saving faith in Christ.
If we set a solid foundation and set apart Christ as Lord of the day, we will be prepared for anything, and everything.When we wake up first thing in the morning we do not know what could interrupt our schedule or plans, with either good or bad news. Only our Sovereign God knows everything our day will hold. Our part is to begin our day by preparing our hearts, our minds, and our wills for the day ahead of us. We can surrender our day to God to walk in His will and His way, to not be a stumbling block to anyone who comes across our path, but to be used as a stepping stone to Christ, instead. We can ask to be filled with His joy and His perfect steadfast peace, to be prepared for any situation that may arise, even unexpectedly. Pray that He will meet all our spiritual needs and bring to our minds what we need to say if anyone should ask us the reason for our hope. Asking Him to grace us to be gentle and respectful, and to always do our best in all things, without grumbling or complaining, as doing them to and for Christ. We should pray for wisdom and humility and to be filled with the love of Christ and with Holy Spirit enablement to do all things to the glory of God and for His purpose. Ask Him to let us see everyone with the heart of Jesus. And in our hearts, pray for people during the day to come to a saving faith in Christ.
~Annie~
Dear Annie, I like that you commented on verse 147:"I rise before the dawning of the morning, and I cry for help; I hope in Your Word."
ReplyDeleteI find that when I start my day out by praying and reading the Bible, it sets a tone for the whole day. When unexpected things arise, I am more apt to turn to God to resolve them.
On days, I've let the world sneak in and crowd out what I call "My Special Time With God," my days seem to be much more chaotic. I don't have that same sense of peace that I get when I make God my priority.
I have found that my morning prayer time is interrupted less when I set my alarm for an hour before everyone else arises, as 147 suggests. Debbie http://bible-passages.blogspot.com
Hi Debbie,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that spending time in prayer and meditation on God's Word really does set the tone for the day. We never know what unexpected thing can interrupt our normal day. It could be something to do with ourselves or with a loved one. Spending regular time with God at the start of the day and practicing being aware of His presence throughout the day keeps us prepared. Not only does it keep us prepared for the unexpected, it helps us to grow closer to Him and stronger in our faith.
Annie