Writing with a Reason

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.

Vs. 18 — Open my eyes, that I may see Wondrous things from Your law.

William Cowper:

“Open thou mine eyes.” If it be asked, seeing David was a regenerate man, and so illumined already, how is it that he prays for the opening of his eyes? The answer is easy: that our regeneration is wrought by degrees. The beginnings of light in his mind made him long for more; for no man can account of sense, but he who hath it. The light which he had caused him to see his own darkness; and therefore, feeling his wants, he sought to have them supplied by the Lord.

Paulus Palanterius:

Who is able to know the secret and hidden things of the Scriptures unless Christ opens his eyes? Certainly, no one; for “No man knoweth the Son but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.” Wherefore, as suppliants, we draw near to him, saying, “Open thou mine eyes,” etc. The words of God cannot be kept except they be known; neither can they be known unless the eyes shall be opened,—hence it is written, “That I may live and keep thy word;” and then, “Open thou mine eyes.”

Prayer:

Open my eyes, Lord, but not mine alone. Open the eyes of the Church that we may see wondrous things from Your law. We want to see more treasures within Your word. Most of all, we want to see You in Your word. Let our eyes see You that we may know You and walk with You.

Vs. 17 — Deal bountifully with Your servant, That I may live and keep Your word.

The burden of this stanza deals with the sufficiency of God and His Word in times of difficulty. Out of obviously difficult circumstances, the young man of Psalm 119 cries out for enablement to meet severe pressures through the Word of God and dependence upon the God of the Word. (Kantenwein, L. L. (2003). Diagrammatical analysis (p. 87). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.)

Prayer:

O’ Lord I thank You for always dealing bountifully with me and all of Your servants. You are gracious with us in the small and big areas of our lives, even in the crisis. Deal bountiful with my brethren who are persecuted for Your name’s sake; bountiful in joy, peace, strength, and healing. I do not ask for bountiful things, but a fullness and completeness in faith and love in their hearts.

Vs. 16 — I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.

Thomas Manton:

Delight preventeth forgetfulness; the mind will run upon that which the heart is delighted in; and the heart is where the treasure is, Mat. 6:21. … What a man delighteth in he will be talking of; so should you at home and abroad: (Manton, T. (1872). The Complete Works of Thomas Manton (Vol. 6, p. 148). London: James Nisbet & Co.)

John Piper:

So the Bible is the Word of God, and the Word of God is no trifle. It is the source of life and faith and hope and freedom and guidance and wisdom and comfort and assurance and victory over our greatest enemy. Is it any wonder, then, that those who knew best said, “The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart” (Psalm 19:8)? “I will delight in thy statutes, I will not forget thy word” (Psalm 119:16). “Oh, how I love thy law, it is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97). “Thy testimonies are my heritage for ever, yea, they are the joy of my heart” (Psalm 119:111). “Thy words were found, and I ate them, and thy words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I am called by thy name” (Jeremiah 15:16). But are we to pursue this joy like Christian Hedonists? Are we to throw the kindling of God’s Word on the fire of joy? Are we to pursue our holy pleasure by meditating on the Word of Christ? Indeed, we are. For the Lord himself has said, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you and your joy may be full” (John 15:11). (Piper, J. (2007). Sermons from John Piper (1980–1989). Minneapolis, MN: Desiring God.)

Prayer:

O’ God, You are my God, and I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word. Father, You have given me a joy in Your word. I cannot explain why or how, but the evidence is plain. I know that this love for Your word is not a manufactured love. It is not an earned love for Your word. I thank You for making Your word spring in heart. I also ask for help to remember what You teach me. May Your statutes by rooted into my heart so that they cannot leave.

Vs. 15 — I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways.

William Gurnall:

Shall God leave but one book to his church’s care and study, and shall it not be read? Shall we be told there is so rich a treasure laid up in this mine, and we continue so beggarly in our knowledge, rather than take a little pains by digging in it to come by it? The canker and rust of our gold and silver, which is got with harder labor than is required here, will rise up in judgment against many, and say, “You could drudge and trudge for us that are now turned to rust and dust, but could walk over the field of the word, where an incorruptible treasure lay, and would lose it rather than your sloth!” (Ritzema, E., & Vince, E. (Eds.). (2013). 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Puritans. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.)

Prayer:

O’ Lord, I will meditate on Your precepts, and I will contemplate Your ways. I will because I want to, more so because I need to. Your precepts–those responsibilities that You have put before us, I will take seriously. Give me understanding in them, and also in all of Your ways. Holy Spirit, feed my wife and children the desire to meditate on Your precepts and ways. Let their minds understand and be fed, that they may continue to walk with You and see Your grace at work.