Category Prayer

Vs. 23 — Princes also sit and speak against me, But Your servant meditates on Your statutes.

William Cowper:

Verse 23.—“But thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.”—Perceive here the armour by which David fights against his enemy. Arma justi quibus omnes adversariorum repellit impetus, his weapons are the word and prayer. He renders not injury for injury, reproach for reproach. It is dangerous to fight against Satan or his instruments with their own weapons; for so they shall easily overcome us. Let us fight with the armour of God—the exercises of the word and prayer: for a man may peaceably rest in his secret chamber, and in these two see the miserable end of all those who are enemies to God’s children for God’s sake.

Prayer:

Father, though people who sit in high positions speak against me either in private or public, I will be at peace and leave justice to You. For they slander in vain and the their venom will not harm me. Some may consider me to be their servant due to a status of position in this life, but I am Your servant and I answer to You first. I will watch you defend Your own. As Your servant, I will meditate on Your word and especially Your testimonies of how you protect Your people. This strengthens my faith.

Vs. 22 — Remove from me reproach and contempt, For I have kept Your testimonies.

Thomas Manton:

1. It is no strange thing that they which keep God’s testimonies should be slandered and reproached. 2. As it is the usual lot of God’s people to be reproached; so it is very grievous to them, and heavy to bear. 3. It being grievous, we may lawfully seek the removal of it. So doth David, and so may we, with submission to God’s will. 4. In removal of it, it is best to deal with God about it; for God is the great witness of our sincerity, as knowing all things, and so to be appealed to in the case. Again, God is the most powerful asserter of our innocency; he hath the hearts and tongues of men in his own hands, and can either prevent the slanderer from uttering reproach, or the hearer from the entertainment of the reproach. He that hath such power over the consciences of men can clear up our innocency; therefore it is best to deal with God about it; and prayer many times proves a better vindication than an apology.

Prayer:

Father, I do not experience the contempt and hatred from the enemies of the Gospel, those ravenous wolves who with gnashing of teeth hate righteousness and life, as many of my brethren do, even this day. Remove the reproach and contempt from the saints who suffer for Your name’s sake. Deliver those who are imprisoned, beaten, and tortured. Uphold them from faint heartedness, weariness, and despair. Fill them with joy and peace, strengthen them in faith by grace, so that Your great power and great love for Your own might be known. Show their enemies whom it is they are kicking against–the Captain of the Hosts of Heaven, Jesus Christ.

Vs. 21 — You rebuke the proud—the cursed, Who stray from Your commandments.

Thomas Manton:

… of erring from God’s commandments. There is an erring out of frailty, and an erring out of obstinacy.
1. An erring out of frailty; and so David saith, Ps. 119:176, ‘I have gone astray like a lost sheep;’ and again, Ps. 19:12, ‘Who can understand his errors?’ This is not meant here of every failing and slip, every sin of ignorance and incogitancy; no, nor every act of rebellion and perverseness of affection which may be found in the children of God. Though there be pride in all sins against knowledge and light, that kind of sinning is interpretatively a confronting of God, a despising of his commandments; as David is said to do, 2 Sam. 12:9, pro hic et nunc, for the time; the will of the creature is set up against the creator; yet this is not the erring here spoken of.
2. There is an erring out of obstinacy, impenitency, and habitual contempt of the lawgiver. This is spoken of, Ps. 95:10, ‘It is a people that do err in their hearts.’ To err in mind is bad, to err out of ignorance; but it is a people that stubbornly refuse to walk in the ways God hath enjoined them. Some err out of simple nescience, ignorance, or mistake, or else through the cloud with which some present temptation overcasts the mind. These err in their minds, but others err in their hearts, that care not for, or do not desire to hear of, their duty to God. A man that erreth out of ignorance can say, ‘Lord, I know not;’ but those that err in their heart, they say, ‘We desire not the knowledge of thy ways,’ Job 21:14; they do not only fall into sin, but love to continue in it. The apostle speaks of ‘ungodly deeds ungodly committed,’ Jude 15. The matter of sin is not so much to be regarded as the manner, with what heart it is done, ungodly committed, with contempt of God. Now, such contemners of God and his law are here described, as all obstinate and impenitent sinners are. (Manton, T. (1872). The Complete Works of Thomas Manton (Vol. 6, pp. 194–195). London: James Nisbet & Co.)

Prayer:

O’ God, You rebuke the proud—the cursed, who stray from Your commandments. I pray to You this hour because it pleased You to deliver me from my proud and obstinate heart, removing my heart of stone and giving me a heart of flesh that chases after Christ Jesus. Forgive me for the pride that I still wrestle with each day. It is vile in every sense and opposes the Christ. I want to grow and slay the giant of pride. Its arrogance taunts me at times and deceives me. I want the jewel of humility to reign in my heart. Conform this servant of Christ to Your commandments.

Vs. 20 — My soul breaks with longing for Your judgments at all times.

Comments from John Morison (1829):

How few are there even among the servants of God who know anything of the intense feeling of devotion here expressed! O that our cold and stubborn hearts were warmed and subdued by divine grace, that we might be ready to faint by reason of the longing which he had “at all times” for the judgments of our God. How fitful are our best feelings! If to-day we ascend the mount of communion with God, to-morrow we are in danger of being again entangled with the things of earth. How happy are they whose hearts are “at all times” filled with longings after fellowship with the great and glorious object of their love!

Prayer:

Lord, fill me with a continual overwhelming desire for Your judgments. Make my heart to long after You and Your ways, Your statutes, and Your righteousness. When my mind strays to seek contentment and satisfaction away from You, please stop me and quicken me to the truth. I don’t want to be content with my present state, that is, my current walk with and knowledge of Jesus Christ. I want to know Him in His sufferings, death, and resurrection and I want the desire to pound in my chest and keep my thoughts always aware of You and Your judgments. Pour such a longing upon us, the Church, that we may long for and live everyday, even every hour by the kingdom of Christ. Yes, Your kingdom come; Your will be done, on earth, in our lives, and in our family’s lives, as it is in heaven. Jesus, be exalted as the Lamb of God in my heart and life!

Vs. 19 — I am a stranger in the earth; Do not hide Your commandments from me.

Thomas Manton:

What provision do you make for another world if you are strangers? Many bestow all their labour and travail about earthly things, and neglect their precious and immortal souls. They are at home; all their care is that they may live well here. O Christians! what provision do you make for heaven? A traveller doth not tray such things as he cannot carry with him, as trees, houses, household stuff; but jewels, pearls, and such as are portable. Our wealth doth not follow us into the other world, but our works do. We are travelling to a country whose commodities will not be bought with gold and silver, and therefore are we storing ourselves for heaven, for such things as are current there. Men that make a voyage to the Indies will carry such wares as are acceptable there, else they do nothing. Do you make it your business every day to get clearer evidences for heaven, to treasure up a good foundation, 1 Tim. 6:19; and do you labour every day to grow more meet for heaven, Col. 1:12. That is the great work of a Christian, to get evidences and a meetness for heaven. (Manton, T. (1872). The Complete Works of Thomas Manton (Vol. 6, pp. 178–179). London: James Nisbet & Co.)

Prayer:

O’ God, I am a stranger in the earth; Do not hide Your commandments from me. My heart belongs to another country, one that is lit by the glory of the Son of Righteous. Do not let our hearts, us who are saints by the blood of Jesus Christ, become too fond of this world or this life. But keep our hearts feeling as strangers anxious for the grand reunion. Turn our affections to heaven. Enable us to see, know, and live by Your economy of heaven and not put our trust in the ways of this world. Cause us to walk as strangers on this earth with an eternal perspective knowing the temporal state of this life. We long and await to see You face-to-face.