26.n. “Help me understand your instruction”

Psalms 119:33  Teach me, Lord, the meaning of your statutes, and I will always keep them. Help me understand your instruction, and I will obey it and follow it with all my heart. Help me stay on the path of your commands, for I take pleasure in it. Turn my heart to your decrees and not to dishonest profit. Turn my eyes from looking at what is worthless; give me life in your ways. Confirm what you said to your servant, for it produces reverence for you. Turn away the disgrace I dread; indeed, your judgments are good. How I long for your precepts! Give me life through your righteousness.

“The general desire expressed in this division is that for guidance. It is not an appeal for direction in some special case of difficulty, but rather for the clear manifestation of the meaning of the will of God.” (Morgan)

We should have the expectation of following God and His word to the end. “The end of our keeping the law will come only when we cease to breathe; no good man will think of marking a date and saying, ‘It is enough, I may now relax my watch, and live after the manner of men.’” (Spurgeon)

Without understanding, the psalmist could not follow the desire of his transformed heart. We need understanding to persevere in the faith. The psalmist had no doubt that God had given His word to us; his only fear was that he would not understand it (or be distracted from it). Yet he was utterly confident that God had spoken and that it could be understood rightly by the prayerful heart and mind. Despite his delight and desire for God’s word, the psalmist knows he cannot walk in God’s path without God’s empowering.

“He is asking God to turn his heart toward the Bible rather than allowing him to pursue selfish gain. For the first time he is confessing a potentially divided mind.” (Boice) 

The psalmist rightly understood that some things, comparatively speaking, are worthless things. They are of no value for eternity and little value for the present age. He prayed that God would empower and enable him to turn away his eyes and attention from such things. Many lives are wasted because people find themselves unwilling or unable to turn away their eyes from worthless things. The modern world with its media and entertainment technology brings before us an endless river of worthless things to occupy not only our eyes and time, but also our heart and minds.  He did not gouge out his own eyes or pray God to do it; instead he wanted to look another way, a better way. The best way to look away from sin is to look at something else. “The prayer is not so much that the eyes may be shut as ‘turned away;’ for we need to have them open, but directed to right objects.” (Spurgeon) 

“As I desire that I may be dull and dead in affections to worldly vanities; so, Lord, make me lively, and vigorous, and fervent in thy work and service.” (Poole)

Therefore it shall be a witness against you

Psalms 119:57   The LORD is my portion; I promise to keep your words.  I entreat your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise.  When I think on my ways, I turn my feet to your testimonies;  I hasten and do not delay to keep your commandments.  Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me, I do not forget your law. At midnight I rise to praise you, because of your righteous rules.  I am a companion of all who fear you, of those who keep your precepts.   The earth, O LORD, is full of your steadfast love; teach me your statutes!

Psalms 16:5    The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.

Psalms 73:26     My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalms 142:5    I cry to you, O LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”

Lamentations 3:24     “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

“Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God.”

Joshua 24:15     And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Deuteronomy 26:17-18     You have declared today that the LORD is your God, and that you will walk in his ways, and keep his statutes and his commandments and his rules, and will obey his voice.  And the LORD has declared today that you are a people for his treasured possession, as he has promised you, and that you are to keep all his commandments,

You are my portion, O Lord: These are the words of a satisfied soul. The Psalmist is satisfied with the portion received, and that portion is the Lord Himself.”

The Lord Himself is satisfaction to the Psalmist because God has come to him through His word. It isn’t as if the word of God was in one place, and the Psalmist must go another place for experience of and satisfaction found in God. He can say, “You are my portion, O Lord, and I have received that portion as You meet me in Your word and I live it out.”

He is an exceedingly covetous fellow to whom God is not sufficient; and he is an exceeding fool to whom the world is sufficient. For God is an inexhaustible treasury of all riches, sufficing innumerable men; while the world has mere trifles and fascinations to offer, and leads the soul into deep and sorrowful poverty.”

“A close connection with God that receives and enjoys Him as one’s portion also receives strength to keep His words.”

But if we take the Lord as our portion, we must take him as our king. . . . Here is the Christian complete – taking the Lord as his portion, and his word as his rule.” (Bridges)

I have said; I have not only purposed it in my own heart, but have professed and owned it before others, and I do not repent of it.” (Poole)

Do you ever take notice of how active God’s word is in your life, where you actually reflect on it at the end of the day?  It is easier to notice if time is spent in His word with a heart deep desire to humbly serve, honor, praise, glorify, follow and obey Him.  Being filled with His living word will satisfy the darkest soul and give light to their day.

Secretly serving God is not an option.  Publicly professing and owning it before others is a basic foundation for commitment and service to Him. Scripture adds to this where it says words of faith without deeds (action) is dead and are nothing more than a clanging noise.

Active faith has proclamation/profession and action.  I wait for the Lord, I hope in the Lord, I trust in the Lord, I rely on the Lord, I believe in the Lord, I believe in eternity, I believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, I know I have been forgiven, I honor the Lord, I hope in Him alone, I love His word and application in my life, I keep His word, I listen for His whispers of guidance…….. All of these are proclamations and have no meaning if there is no active influence in the actions of the person proclaiming them.