EMERALD
EDUCATION
PSALM 119:33-40
ה
(Heh)
Psalm
119:33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy
statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.
Susie: The
psalmist desires the Lord Himself to educate him in following His instructions.
Susan: He
desires to understand and be enabled, with precise accuracy, to live out the
principles God sets forth in His word.
Susie: He
promises to make living according to God’s ways his lifelong pursuit.
Psalm
119:34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it
with my whole heart.
Susie: In
order to fully keep God’s law, the psalmist realizes he needs the Lord to give
him fuller understanding of it.
Susan: To
observe the law—to follow the commandments that God set forth in His word—with
his whole heart means with his entire being. He will keep God’s law with the
same intensity that he loves God.
Deuteronomy
6:5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy
soul, and with all thy might.
Susie: When
asked to name the greatest commandment, Jesus replied:
Mark
12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy
soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first
commandment.
Susie: Jesus
linked obedience to the Lord with love for the Lord:
John
14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Psalm
119:35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.
Susan: He
asked the Lord to direct him, to guide him, to lead him in the way of
righteous, holy living. The psalmist knew the Lord is the ultimate life coach,
the one life coach worthy to be followed. As Creator, He knows what is best for
the way He divinely designed us.
Susie: The
psalmist had the wisdom to know that being right with God would bring joy.
Obedience results in peace and contentment.
Psalm
119:36 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.
Susie: The
Lord initiates the relationship with a person. The psalmist submits to having
the Lord direct his desires. God is the one that draws us to desire His way
over our own:
John
6:44 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.
1
John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.
Susan: The
psalmist desires to shape his heart, to mold him as the potter molds the clay.
Isaiah
64:8 But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our
potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
Susan: Take a
moment to listen to a great old hymn sung by Jim Reeves; may it be your
heartfelt prayer.
Susie: By
turning to the Lord’s ways, the psalmist will be turning away from desiring
worldly pleasures. He asked the Lord to keep him from coveting what others
have. In other words, he does not want to be tempted to gain things shadily.
Instead, he wants to be content with what God has provided.
Philippians
4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever
state I am, therewith to be content.
Susan: The
psalmist wants to guard against any appetites filling the space reserved for
God and God alone.
Psalm
119:37 Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken
thou me in thy way.
Susan: The
psalmist implored the Lord to turn his focus to his relationship with God.
Susie: Any
other pursuits—idols, fame, fortune—are worthless, useless, vain.
Susan: The
psalmist asked the Lord to reinfuse His relationship with Him with vitality and
vigor. All other pursuits pale in comparison. His relationship with God has
inestimable value.
Psalm
119:38 Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear.
Psalm
119:38 (AMPC) Establish Your word and confirm Your promise to Your servant,
which is for those who reverently fear and devotedly worship You.
Susan: The
psalmist prayed the Lord would cause his roots to go deep down, holding firm to
God’s covenant promise. He had reverent resolve to pursue God through the
actualization of His word in his life.
Susie: The
promise of blessing was for those who recognized the Lord as the One True God,
had reverent fear of Him, trusted Him, and worshipped Him. The psalmist is
identifying himself as that type of person.
Psalm
119:39 Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments are good.
Susie: Some commentators view this as a plea to not
let him disgrace himself by straying from God’s ways.
Susan: He
does not want to embarrass himself by dishonoring God.
Psalm
119:39 (CJB) Avert the disgrace which I dread, for your rulings are good.
Susie: Other commentators believe he is asking to
be shielded from criticism or scorn from other people because he is living
according to God’s word.
Susan: The psalmist is asking God to insulate him
from ridicule due to his trust in the Lord and obedience to His word.
Psalm
119:39 (TPT) Defend me from the criticism I face for keeping your beautiful
words.
Psalm
119:40 Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken
me in thy righteousness.
Susie: The
psalmist had a hunger for the word of God. It was his deep desire to know God’s
ways and to know God Himself.
Susan: For
the psalmist, the word of God was his most necessary food which strengthened
him in righteousness. He craved a right relationship
first with God and then with others.
Job
23:12 Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have
esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.
Points
to Ponder:
· The
Lord is our teacher
· The
Holy Spirit enables us to understand God’s word
· The
Lord will redirect the person who is yielded to Him
· The
word of God instructs us in righteousness
Reflection
Question:
Can you sing “Have
Thine Own Way” wholeheartedly, meaning it from the core of your being? Ask the
Lord to bring you to that point of being yielded to him, of desiring Him to
have “absolute sway” over your life.
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