Monthly Archives February 2015

Vs. 34 — Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart.

Charles Spurgeon:

He not only needs teaching, but the power to learn: he requires not only to understand, but to obtain an understanding. How low has sin brought us; for we even lack the faculty to understand spiritual things, and are quite unable to know them till we are endowed with spiritual discernment. Will God in very deed give us understanding? This is a miracle of grace. It will, however, never be wrought upon us till we know our need of it; and we shall not even discover that need till God gives us a measure of understanding to perceive it. We are in a state of complicated ruin, from which nothing but manifold grace can deliver us. Those who feel their folly are by the example of the Psalmist encouraged to pray for understanding: let each man by faith cry, “Give me understanding.” Others have had it, why may it not come to me? It was a gift to them; will not the Lord also freely bestow it upon me?

Prayer:

My God, my Father, give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart. I do not ask this for myself alone, but for my wife, my children, and all of the saints. An understanding that enlightens and changes us from within. A change on an individual level and also a change to the Church as a whole regarding Your Word. Then we will observe that we might live, and in living we will abide in Your word with our whole heart. Give us understanding of who we are and who we are not. Let us grasp whom we are In Christ, as well as whom we are when we let our pride and self-righteous take the lead. Forgive us for such arrogance and idolatry. Give us understanding, O’ Lord, lest we stray off like sheep and be devoured. We seek Thee to know Thee. Amen.

Vs. 33 — Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, And I shall keep it to the end.

Charles H. Spurgeon:

Child-like, blessed words, from the lips of an old, experienced believer, and he a king, and a man inspired of God … The Psalmist will have the Lord for his teacher; for he feels that his heart will not learn of any less effectual instructor …   The very desire to learn this way is in itself an assurance that we shall be taught therein, for he who made us long to learn will be sure to gratify the desire.

Those who are taught of God never forget their lessons. When divine grace sets a man in the true way he will be true to it. Mere human wit and will have no such enduring influence: there is an end to all perfection of the flesh, but there is no end to heavenly grace except its own end, which is the perfecting of holiness in the fear of the Lord. Perseverance to the end is most certainly to be predicted of those whose beginning is in God, and with God, and by God; but those who commence without the Lord’s teaching soon forget what they learn, and start aside from the way upon which they professed to have entered. No one may boast that he will hold on his way in his own strength, for that must depend upon the continual teaching of the Lord: we shall fall like Peter, if we presume on our own firmness as he did. If God keeps us we shall keep his way; and it is a great comfort to know that it is the way with God to keep the feet of his saints. Yet we are to watch as if our keeping of the way depended wholly on ourselves; for, according to this verse, our perseverance rests not on any force or compulsion, but on the teaching of the Lord, and assuredly teaching, whoever be the teacher, requires learning on the part of the taught one: no one can teach a man who refuses to learn. Earnestly, then, let us drink in divine instruction, that so we may hold fast our integrity, and to life’s latest hour follow on in the path of uprightness! If we receive the living and incorruptible seed of the word of God we must live: apart from this we have no life eternal, but only a name to live. (Spurgeon, C. H. (2009). The treasury of David: Psalms 111-119 (Vol. 5, p. 208). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)

Prayer:

Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, And I shall keep it to the end. Yes, if the Spirit of God teaches me, I will learn, and I will understand, and I will be zealous in them. I set my heart to know Your statutes and to keep them diligently. Amen

Vs. 32 — I will run the course of Your commandments, For You shall enlarge my heart.

John Calvin:

The meaning of the prophet is, that when God shall inspire him with love for his law, he will be vigorous and ready, nay, even steady, so as not to faint in the middle of his course. His words contain an implied admission of the supineness and inability of men to make any advancement in well-doing until God enlarge their hearts. No sooner does God expand their hearts, than they are fitted not only for walking, but also for running in the way of his commandments. (Calvin, J., & Anderson, J. (2010). Commentary on the Book of Psalms (Vol. 4, p. 423). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)

Prayer:

O’ Lord, enlarge my heart that I may learn and understand Your commandments and truth. Enlarge my heart that I may know the love of Christ. Enlarge my heart to love others as Christ loves. Enlarge my heart for the lost and perishing. Enlarge my heart to see and discern truth and righteousness from error and deception. Enlarge my heart to be full of thanksgiving and gratitude to You and towards others. Thus I will run the course of Your commandments. Amen!