hands, enemies may take it from us; if only in our heads, our memories may fail us; but if our hearts be delivered into the mould of it, and the impressions of it remain on our souls, it is safe.
2. The good uses he designed to make of it; that I might not sin against thee. Good men are afraid of sin, and are in care to prevent it; and the most effectual way to prevent it, is, to hide God's word in our hearts, that we may answer every temptation, as our Master did, with, It is written; may oppose God's precepts to the dominion of sin, his promises to its allurements, and his threatenings to its menaces.
12. Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes.
Here, 1. David gives glory to God; "Blessed art thou, O Lord. Thou art infinitely happy in the enjoyment of thyself, and hast no need of me or my services; yet thou art pleased to reckon thyself honoured by them; assist me, therefore, and then accept me." In all our prayers we should intermix praises.
2. He asks grace from God; "Teach me thy statutes; give me to know and do my duty in every thing. Thou art the Fountain of all blessedness; O let me have this drop from that Fountain, this blessing from that Blessedness; Teach me thy statutes, that I may know how to bless thee, who art a blessed God, and that I may be blessed in thee."
13. With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. 14. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. 15. I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. 16. I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.
Here, 1. David looks back with comfort upon the respect he had paid to the word of God. He had the testimony of his conscience for him;
(1.) That he had edified others with what he had been taught out of the word of God; (v. 13.) With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. This he did, not only as a king in making orders, and giving judgment, according to the word of God, nor only as a prophet by his psalms, but in his common discourse. Thus he showed how full he was of the word of God, and what a holy pride[1] he took in his acquaintance with it; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks. Thus he did good with his knowledge; he did not hide God's word from others, but hid it for them; and, out of that good treasure in his heart, brought forth good things, as the householder out of his store, things new and old. They whose hearts are fed with the bread of life, should with their lips feed many. He had prayed, (v. 12.) that God would teach him; and here he pleads, "Lord, I have endeavoured to make a good use of the knowledge thou hast given me, therefore increase it;" for to him that has shall be given.
(2.) That he had entertained himself with it; "Lord, teach me thy statutes; for I desire no greater pleasure than to know and do them, v. 14. I have rejoiced in the way of thy commandments, in a constant even course of obedience to thee; not only in the speculations and histories of thy word, but in the precepts of it, and in that path of serious godliness which they chalk out to me. I have rejoiced in this, as much as in all riches; as much as ever any worldling rejoiced in the increase of his wealth. In the way of God's commandments I can truly say, Soul, take thine ease." In true religion there is all riches, the unsearchable riches of Christ.
2. He looks forward with a holy resolution never to cool in his affection to the word of God; what he does, that he will do, 2 Cor. xi. 12. They that have found pleasure in the ways of God, are likely to proceed and persevere in them.
(1.) He will dwell much upon them in his thoughts; (v. 15.) I will meditate in thy precepts. He not only discoursed of them to others, (many do that only to show their knowledge and authority,) but he communed with his own heart about them, and took pains to digest in his own thoughts what he had declared, or had to declare, to others. Note, God's words ought to be very much the subject of our thoughts.
(2.) He will have them always in his eye; I will have respect unto thy ways, as the traveller has to his road, which he is in care not to miss, and always aims and endeavours to hit. We do not meditate on God's precepts to good purposes, unless we have respect to them as our rule, and our good thoughts produce good works, and good intentions in them.
(3.) He will take a constant pleasure in communion with God, and obedience to him. It is not for a season that he rejoices in this light, but I will still, I will for ever, delight myself in thy statutes; not only think of them, but do them with delight, v. 16. David took more delight in God's statutes than in the pleasures of his court, or the honours of his camp; more than in his sword or in his harp: when the law is written in the heart, duty becomes a delight.
(4.) He will never forget what he has learned of the things of God; "I will not forget thy word; not only I will not quite forget it, but I will be mindful of it, when I have occasion to use it." They that meditate in God's word, and delight in it, are in no great danger of forgetting it.
3. GIMEL.
17. Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word.
We are here taught,
1. That we owe our lives to God's mercy. David prays, Deal bountifully with me, that I may live. It was God's bounty that gave us life, that gave us this life; and the same bounty that gave it continues it, and gives all the supports and comforts of it; if withheld, we die; or, which is equivalent, our lives are embittered, and we become weary of them. If God deals in strict justice with us, we die, we perish, we all perish; if these forfeited lives be preserved and prolonged, it is because God deals bountifully with us, according to his mercy, not according to our deserts. The continuance of the most useful life is owing to God's bounty, and on that we must have a continual dependence.
2. That therefore we ought to spend our lives in God's service. Life is therefore a choice mercy, because it is an opportunity of obeying God in this world, where there are so few that do glorify him; and this David had in his eye; "Not that I may live and grow rich, live and be merry; but that I may live and keep thy word, may observe it myself, and transmit it to those that shall come after, which, the longer I live, the better I shall do."
18. Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
Observe here,
1. That there are wondrous things in God's law, which we are all concerned, and should covet, to behold; not only strange things, which are very surprising and unexpected, but excellent things, which are to be highly esteemed and valued, and
- ↑ The use of the term pride, in a favourable sense, has already been pointed out as an inadvertency.—Ed.
