PSALM 119 HE
Request for a teachable heart verse 33- 34
Teach me – O LORD – the way of YOUR statutes
and I shall keep it to the end
Give me understanding – and I shall keep YOUR law
yea – I shall observe it with my whole heart
Request for direction verse 35
Make me to go in the path of YOUR commandments
for therein do I delight
Request to not desire wrong things verse 36- 37
Incline my heart unto YOUR testimonies
and not to covetousness
turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity
and quicken YOU me in YOUR way
Request to manifest total commitment verse 38- 39
Stablish YOUR word to YOUR servant
who is devoted to YOUR fear
turn away my reproach which I fear
for YOUR judgments are good
Request to be alive to right living verse 40
BEHOLD – I have longed after YOUR precepts
quicken me in YOUR righteousness
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
:33 “Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes, And I shall keep it to the end.” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
(Teach – 3384 יׄורֶה, יָרֵא, יָרָה, יָרָה, יָרָה [yarah, Chr., yaraʾ /yaw·raw/] v. A primitive root; TWOT 910; GK 3452 and 3709 and 3721 and 3722 and 3723; 84 occurrences; AV translates as “teach” 42 times, “shoot” 18 times, “archers” five times, “cast” five times, “teacher” four times, “rain” twice, “laid” once, “direct” once, “inform” once, “instructed” once, “shewed” once, “shooters” once, “through” once, and “watered” once. 1 to throw, shoot, cast, pour. 1A (Qal). 1A1 to throw, cast. 1A2 to cast, lay, set. 1A3 to shoot arrows. 1A4 to throw water, rain. 1B (Niphal) to be shot. 1C (Hiphil). 1C1 to throw, cast. 1C2 to shoot. 1C3 to point out, show. 1C4 to direct, teach, instruct. 1C5 to throw water, rain. James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: The he strophe lends itself naturally to a series of prayers beginning with the causative he and so relating to divine working in human life. Insight, moral guidance, and deliverance from social disharmony are prayer motifs, with particular emphasis on a right sense of moral and material values. In v 33 conduct pleasing to Yahweh is itself conceived as a reward. The psalmist desired for the Lord to teach him in every way that would assist him to be like God.
As the word implies from the usage described above this teaching was to be like an arrow that went straight and true to its intended mark. The instruction was to be that way so that the student’s entire life became conformed to the Lord’s ways! In some respects it is similar to what Paul desired the Romans to do in 12:1-2; “…present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” May we strive to be like the psalmist and be taught by the Lord.
CHALLENGE: Begin to learn what the statutes of the Lord are and then make changes in your life to obey them. (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep YOUR law; yes, I shall observe it with my whole heart. (8104 “observe” [to keep, watch over, guard, to conform one’s actions or practice to, be careful about, retain, be secured, or heed)
DEVOTION: This is a request that we should all ask for once we have made a commitment to the LORD. We should ask the LORD conform our actions and practices to what HE would expect of someone who has made a genuine commitment to HIM.
We need to understand what the Christian life is all about. The only way we can find out is to observe other believers and listen to the teaching of the Word of God from a local pastor who is a genuine follower of Jesus Christ.
Once we set out to know what the LORD expects of us we can begin to obey what HE wants and start to grow in our faith.
We can’t stop there we need to make sure that we observe what the Bible teaches and what genuine believers are practicing. This takes time and prayer. Our life need to change to the point where the teachings of the Word of God are more important than whatever else is happening in our world.
Once we can say like this author that it affects our whole heart we have not reached our goal of growth that we need to have in order to be the witness to others that we can be. HE wants us to witness for HIM
CHALLENGE: Is this your prayer today? Are you willing to give your whole heart to HIM? Only you can answer this question each day!
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: 36 Incline my heart unto YOUR testimonies, and not to covetousness. (5186 “incline” [natah] means stretch out, to turn aside, to make receptive or willing toward an action or attitude or belief, bend, or spread out.)
DEVOTION: Our hearts are not easy to control. We find that we are moving toward what pleases us more than what pleases the LORD. It is hard to always be asking the LORD for direction. It is hard to follow those directions when they are given. The easy way is to go in a direction opposite of what the LORD wants us to do.
Here we find the Psalmist praying as we should be praying for the LORD to take over and cause us to be receptive or willing to act in a manner that is pleasing to HIM. Our attitude needs adjusting daily and that can only be done with the help of the LORD through a prayer like this Psalmist is praying. He wants the LORD to speak to HIM through the Bible he has in the Old Testament. The only Bible they might have had is the first five books of the Bible and some of the historical books.
Too often we complain that some of the saints of the Old Testament didn’t have as many temptations as we have today but that is not true. We have more of God’s Word than they had and so we have more wisdom from God. We are to learn from the Old Testament and the New Testament. We have the Holy Spirit indwelling us from the time of our commitment to Christ until we die.
Yet we are just as receptive to covetousness as the Old Testament saints. We want what we want when we want it and don’t want anyone to interfere with us getting what we want. That is not a Biblical attitude.
CHALLENGE: Establishing a good Biblical attitude each day needs the help of the LORD through HIS Word and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Is that our present bend?
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 38 Stablish YOUR word to YOUR servant, who is devoted to YOUR fear. (6965 “stablish” [quwm] means to establish the validity of, bring on the scene, to raise up, to set up again a tent fallen down, or to make a covenant.)
DEVOTION: It is hard to understand the Bible at times. Here we have a prayer from the author of this Psalm asking that the LORD would set him up to establish the validity of the Word of God.
This can only done through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of a person who has made a genuine commitment to the LORD. This individual has to depend on the Holy Spirit to provide him/her with the resources to help this person grow in his/her understanding of the Christian life.
The Old Testament saints had more visible working of the Holy Spirit though prophets and priests. They had to go to worship the LORD at the Temple three times a year. They had to provide for the local priests.
While they were in the wilderness they saw more things than any other time period but they still moved away from the LORD instead of getting closer to HIM. It seems that that group of Israelites should have been very close but the time period in Egypt had given them other things to think about like our society today.
God wants to bless HIS people and they need to be devoted to practicing the fear of the LORD through their daily walk with HIM.
CHALLENGE: It is not easy to be devoted to the LORD but with the help of the Holy Spirit and other genuine believers it can happen even today.
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: 40 Behold, I have longed after thy precepts, quicken me in thy righteousness. (2421 “quicken” [chayah] means to live, have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, to revive from discouragement or be restored to life and health.)
DEVOTION: The fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is used in this section of this psalm. The acrostic in this psalm is that each section, signified by a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, starts each verse with that letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
The Word of God teaches that those outside of Christ are dead in trespasses and sins. They have no light. They are living in darkness. They are blinded to the truth of the Word of God. They are dead individuals walking.
Now there is a second group of people who are followers of the LORD Jesus Christ who are said to walk in the Light. They want to meditate on the Word of God. They want to know the God of the Bible better. They want to understand what is going on in this world.
The Psalmist is asking the LORD to teach him. He is asking the LORD to give him understanding. He is asking for direction in life. He craves to be alive. Here the psalmist wants the LORD to sustain his life by learning HIS righteousness.
Too often we see individuals who don’t seem to be alive in Christ. Our life is a gift from God. HE is in control of how long we will live. We can do all we can to keep ourselves healthy but even the healthiest person dies. We need to live my learning more about the righteousness or right living of God.
HE will teach us how to live right in a corrupt world. HE does it through HIS word, the Bible. This word is used sixteen times in this psalm alone. What word? The word that is emphasized and means “to have life.” HE wants HIS servants to act alive and be alive.
Followers of Jesus Christ are not to be dull. They are not to be ho- hum. They are to be full of energy. They are to be excited about life!!!
CHALLENGE: Do these words describe you? Are you hungry for the Word of God? Are you hungry for a close walk with the LORD? Is HE giving you direction? May it be so with us. If it is not, pray as this Psalmist is praying.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Teach me verse 33
Give me verse 34
Make me verse 35
Incline my heart verse 36
Quicken me verse 37, 40
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Pray for instruction verse 33- 40
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Statutes verse 33
Law verse 34
Commandments verse 35
Testimonies verse 36
Word verse 38
Judgments verse 39
Precepts verse 40
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD verse 33
Judgments of God are good verse 39
Righteous verse 40
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Covetousness verse 36
Vanity verse 37
Afraid verse 39
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Want teaching from God verse 33
Keep HIS Word verse 33
Understanding verse 34
Total commitment verse 34
Delighting in the Word of God verse 35
Inclined to the teaching of God verse 36
Turn away our eyes from vanity verse 37
Alive verse 37, 40
Stablish word in life of believer verse 38
Servant verse 38
Fear of the LORD verse 38
Turn away my reproach verse 39
Longed for HIS precepts verse 40
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
It is also the Lord who can provide the spiritual direction and motivation to direct man’s steps (v. 36; cf. Prov 4:11–19) and incline his “heart” (cf. 141:4) to do his will. It is also the Lord who keeps man from evil, by dimming the luster of this world (“Turn my eyes away from worthless things [šāwʾ],” v. 37, i.e., “valueless” [Allen, p. 128]) and by keeping him from greed (“selfish gain,” v. 36; cf. Isa 33:15). (VanGemeren, W. A. (1991). Psalms. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Vol. 5, p. 744). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
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36. Incline my heart unto thy testimonies. Cause my heart to be inclined to them, or to be disposed to keep them. This, too, is a recognition of dependence, and a prayer for guidance.
And not to covetousness. To gain; to the love of money. This seems to be referred to here as the principal thing which would turn away the heart from religion, or as that from which the most danger was to be feared. There are undoubtedly many other things which will do this,—for all sin will do it; but this was the chief danger which the psalmist apprehended in his own case, and perhaps he meant to refer to this as the principal danger on this subject which besets the path of man. There are many more persons turned away from the service of God, and kept away from it, by covetousness than there are by any other one sin. When the psalmist prays that God would not “incline” his heart to covetousness, the language is similar to that in the Lord’s prayer—“And lead us not into temptation.” That is, Restrain us from it; let us not be put in circumstances where we shall be in danger of it. We are not to suppose that God exerts any positive influence either to make a man covetous, or to tempt him. See James 1:13, 14. (Barnes, A. (1870–1872). Notes on the Old Testament: Psalms (Vol. 3, pp. 188–189). London: Blackie & Son.)
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36 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.
Unto thy testimonies; to the love and practice of them. Not to covetousness; not to the inordinate love and desire of riches: which particular lust he mentions, partly, because this lust is most spreading and universal, and there is scarce any man who doth not desire riches either for the love of riches, or upon pretence of necessity, or for the service of pride or luxury, or some other lust; partly, because this lust is most opposite to God’s testimonies, and doth most commonly hinder men from receiving God’s word, and from profiting by it; see Matt. 13:22; Luke 16:14; and partly, because this lust is most pernicious, as being the root of all evil, 1 Tim. 6:10, and is most mischievous in princes and governors, such as David was, and therefore in a special manner forbidden to them, Exod. 18:21. (Poole, M. (1853). Annotations upon the Holy Bible (Vol. 2, p. 184). New York: Robert Carter and Brothers.)
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Delighting (vv. 36–37). These verses warn us that our hearts and minds (“eyes”) must be focused on the truth of God and not material wealth and the vanities of the world (vv. 51, 157). Outlook determines outcome. Abraham looked for the heavenly city and ended well; Lot looked at Sodom and ended badly (Gen. 13; Heb. 11:8–16). What the heart loves and desires, the eyes will see (101:2–6; Num. 15:37–41; Jer. 22:17). To have one eye on the world and the other on the Word is to be double-minded, and God does not bless double-minded people (James 1:5–8). (Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be exultant (1st ed., p. 113). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.)
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Ver. 36. Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, &c.] To read the word of God, to hear it opened and explained, to observe and keep the things contained in it; to which there is a disinclination in men naturally: but the Lord, who fashions the hearts of men, and has them in his hands, can bend and incline them by his efficacious grace to regard these his testimonies; which, as Aben Ezra observes, are more precious than all substance, and so are opposed to what follows: and not to covetousness; not to mammon or money, as the Targum; the love of it, which is the root of all evil, and very pernicious and hurtful; in hearing the word it chokes it, and makes it unfruitful, 1 Tim. 6:9, 10; Matt. 13:22. Not that God inclines the heart to evil, as he does to good; but he may suffer the heart to be inclined, and may leave a man to the natural inclinations of his heart, and to the temptations of Satan, and the snares of the world, which may have great influence upon him; and this is what is here deprecated; see Psal. 141:4; Matt. 6:13. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 4, p. 216). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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36. “Incline my heart unto thy testimonies.” Does not this prayer appear to be superfluous, since it is evident that the Psalmist’s heart was set upon obedience? We are sure that there is never a word to spare in Scripture. After asking for active virtue it was meet that the man of God should beg that his heart might be in all that he did. What would his goings be if his heart did not go? It may be that David felt a wandering desire, an inordinate leaning of his soul to worldly gain,—possibly it even intruded into his most devout meditations, and at once he cried out for more grace. The only way to cure a wrong leaning is to have the soul bent in the opposite direction. Holiness of heart is the cure for covetousness. What a blessing it is that we may ask the Lord even for an inclination. Our wills are free, and yet without violating their liberty, grace can incline us in the right direction. This can be done by enlightening the understanding as to the excellence of obedience, by strengthening our habits of virtue, by giving us an experience of the sweetness of piety, and by many other ways. If anyone duty is irksome to us it behoves us to offer this prayer with special reference thereto: we are to love all the Lord’s testimonies, and if we fail in any one point we must pay double attention to it. The leaning of the heart is the way in which the life will lean: hence the force of the petition, “Incline my heart.” Happy shall we be when we feel habitually inclined to all that is good. This is not the way in which a carnal heart ever leans; all its inclinations are in opposition to the divine testimonies.
“And not to covetousness.” This is the inclination of nature, and grace must put a negative upon it. This vice is as injurious as it is common; it is as mean as it is miserable. It is idolatry, and so it dethrones God; it is selfishness, and so it is cruel to all in its power; it is sordid greed, and so it would sell the Lord himself for pieces of silver. It is a degrading, grovelling, hardening, deadening sin, which withers everything around it that is lovely and Christlike. He who is covetous is of the race of Judas, and will in all probability turn out to be himself a son of perdition. The crime of covetousness is common, but very few will confess it; for when a man heaps up gold in his heart the dust of it blows into his eyes, and he cannot see his own fault. Our hearts must have some object of desire, and the only way to keep out worldly gain is to put in its place the testimonies of the Lord. If we are inclined or bent one way, we shall be turned from the other; the negative virtue is most surely attained by making sure of the positive grace which inevitably produces it. (Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The treasury of David: Psalms 111-119 (Vol. 5, p. 210). London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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Our mission isn’t to win converts it’s to make disciples. So what is the difference?
1.) Converts are believers who live like the world. Disciples are believers who live like Jesus.
2.) Converts are focused on their values, interests, worries, fears, priorities, and lifestyles. Disciples are focused on Jesus.
3.) Converts go to church. Disciples are the church.
4.) Converts are involved in the mission of Jesus. Disciples are committed to it.
5.) Converts cheer from the sidelines. Disciples are in the game.
6.) Converts hear the word of God. Disciples live it.
7.) Converts follow the rules. Disciples follow Jesus.
8.) Converts are all about believing. Disciples are all about being.
9.) Converts are comfortable. Disciples make sacrifices.
10.) Converts talk. Disciples make more disciples.
A disciple is someone who whole-heartedly follows the life and example of Jesus, who makes His mission their mission, His values their values, and His heart their heart. (We’re Called to Make Disciples, Not Converts by Tyler Edwards in Relevant Magazine.)
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Fearless Leadership
“Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law . . . turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.” (Joshua 1:7)
God expects His appointed leaders to cultivate both inner and outer strength.
God’s leaders must have both physical strength and spiritual courage. These comparative terms are cited together in 18 different passages of the Old Testament—always to emphasize the need for both. “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD” (Psalm 27:14). “Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD” (Psalm 31:24). Although bodily exercise is of little profit (1 Timothy 4:8), our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and should be kept strong for God’s work (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Spiritual courage tends to be weakened when the physical body is weakened.
God’s leaders need both strength and courage to obey God’s call and be successful in the ministry. The apostle Paul was shaken by such physical torment that “we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: . . . but God . . . delivered us from so great a death” (2 Corinthians 1:8-10). Human weariness can rob us of the “well doing” that would otherwise reap success (Galatians 6:9). God is certainly the source of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17)—including our physical strength. “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man” (Ephesians 3:16). (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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DIVINE OFFICES OF CHRIST
Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
Philippians 3:21
Christ is said to hold and to fulfill certain divine offices. First of all, creation: “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). You will find the same thing repeated in Colossians 1:16, and again in Hebrews 1:10. But we are also told that He preserves everything. Hebrews 1:3 refers to His “upholding all things by the word of his power.” And again in Colossians 1:17 you find that “by him all things consist.”
Notice also that He did not hesitate to claim the power to forgive sins. He said to the paralyzed man, “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee” (Mark 2:5). He also claimed power to raise the dead; you find that mentioned several times in John 6:39-44: “And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which see the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
The apostle Paul claims that Christ also has power to transform our bodies: “…who shall change our vile body [or this body of our humiliation], that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself” (Philippians 3:21).
A Thought to Ponder: Christ did not hesitate to claim the power to forgive sins.
(From God the Father, God the Son, pp. 268-269, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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