PSALM 119, 97-120 COMMETARY EDITED BY GLE PEASE מMem 97 Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. BARES, "O how love I thy law! - This commences a new division of the Psalm, indicated by the Hebrew letter Mem ( מm, “m”). The expression here, “O how love I thy law,” implies intense love - as if a man were astonished at the fervour of his own emotion. His love was so ardent that it was amazing and wonderful to himself - perhaps wonderful that he, a sinner, should love the law of God at all; wonderful that he should ever have been brought so to love a law which condemned himself. Any man who reflects on what his feelings are by nature in regard to religion, will be filled with wonder that he loves it at all; all who are truly religious ought to be so filled with love to it, that it will be difficult for them to find words to express the intensity of their affection. It is my meditation all the day - See the notes at Psa_1:2 . CLARKE,"O how love I thy law - This is one of the strongest marks of a gracious and pious heart, cast in the mould of obedience. Such love the precepts of Christ: in his commandments they delight; and this delight is shown by their making them frequent subjects of their meditation. GILL, "MEM.--The Thirteenth Part. MEM. O how love I thy law!.... The whole word of God, the preceptive part of it; the commands of the moral law, which are holy, just, and good, and to be loved: but they are not loved by carnal men, whose minds are enmity to them, and therefore are not and cannot be subject to them, but despise and reject them; but to a good man, on whose heart they are written, they are delightful, and loved to admiration: though this is wholly owing to the grace of God; and marvellous it is that men so sadly depraved by sin should love the holy law of God; yet so it is, and David could appeal to God for the truth of it. So
1. PSALM 119, 97-120 COMME TARY EDITED BY GLE PEASE Mem 97 Oh,
how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. BAR ES, "O how
love I thy law! - This commences a new division of the Psalm,
indicated by the Hebrew letter Mem ( m, m). The expression here, O
how love I thy law, implies intense love - as if a man were
astonished at the fervour of his own emotion. His love was so
ardent that it was amazing and wonderful to himself - perhaps
wonderful that he, a sinner, should love the law of God at all;
wonderful that he should ever have been brought so to love a law
which condemned himself. Any man who reflects on what his feelings
are by nature in regard to religion, will be filled with wonder
that he loves it at all; all who are truly religious ought to be so
filled with love to it, that it will be difficult for them to find
words to express the intensity of their affection. It is my
meditation all the day - See the notes at Psa_1:2. CLARKE,"O how
love I thy law - This is one of the strongest marks of a gracious
and pious heart, cast in the mould of obedience. Such love the
precepts of Christ: in his commandments they delight; and this
delight is shown by their making them frequent subjects of their
meditation. GILL, "MEM.--The Thirteenth Part. MEM. O how love I thy
law!.... The whole word of God, the preceptive part of it; the
commands of the moral law, which are holy, just, and good, and to
be loved: but they are not loved by carnal men, whose minds are
enmity to them, and therefore are not and cannot be subject to
them, but despise and reject them; but to a good man, on whose
heart they are written, they are delightful, and loved to
admiration: though this is wholly owing to the grace of God; and
marvellous it is that men so sadly depraved by sin should love the
holy law of God; yet so it is, and David could appeal to God for
the truth of it. So
2. the ordinances of the Gospel, the commands of Jesus Christ,
are not grievous to saints, but loved, valued, and esteemed by
them; likewise the doctrinal part of the word, the truths of the
Gospel, which may be more especially meant by the "thorah", or
doctrine, here; which those who have had an experience of greatly
love and justly value, because of the intrinsic worth of them,
being comparable to gold, silver, and precious stones; and for the
profit and benefit of them to their souls, they being wholesome
words, soul nourishing doctrines, and so more to them than their
necessary food; and for the pleasure they have in them, these being
sweeter to them than the honey or honeycomb: particularly the
exceeding great and precious promises of the word, which are more
to be rejoiced at than a great spoil; and even the whole Gospel
part of the word, that containing the doctrines of peace, pardon,
righteousness, salvation, and eternal life through Christ; yea, the
whole Scripture, which is both profitable and pleasant to read in,
and hear explained; it is my meditation all the day; not only in
the night, when at leisure, and free from the incumbrance of
business; but in the day, and while engaged in the affairs of life,
yea, all the day long; see Psa_1:2. Or, "it is my discourse" (c);
what he talked of, as well as what he thought on. Good men cannot
forbear speaking of this or the other passage of Scripture, which
has been of use unto them: and this is a proof of affection for the
word; for what men love, persons or things, they often think of,
and frequently talk of; see Deu_6:6. HE RY, "Here is, 1. David's
inexpressible love to the word of God: O how love I thy law! He
protests his affection to the word of God with a holy vehemency; he
found that love to it in his heart which, considering the
corruption of his nature and the temptations of the world, he could
not but wonder at, and at that grace which had wrought it in him.
He not only loved the promises, but loved the law, and delighted in
it after the inner man. 2. An unexceptionable evidence of this.
What we love we love to think of; by this it appeared that David
loved the word of God that it was his meditation. He not only read
the book of the law, but digested what he read in his thoughts, and
was delivered into it as into a mould: it was his meditation not
only in the night, when he was silent and solitary, and had nothing
else to do, but in the day, when he was full of business and
company; nay, and all the day; some good thoughts were interwoven
with his common thoughts, so full was he of the word of God. JAMISO
, "Mem. (Psalm 119:97-104). This characteristic love for Gods law
(compare Psa_1:2) ensures increase. K&D 97-104, "The eightfold
Mem. The poet praises the practical wisdom which the word of God,
on this very account so sweet to him, teaches. God's precious law,
with which he unceasingly occupies himself, makes him superior in
wisdom (Deu_4:6), intelligence, and judgment to his enemies, his
teachers, and the aged (Job_12:20). There were therefore at that
time teachers and elders (), who (like the Hellenizing Sadducees)
were not far from apostasy in their laxness, and hostilely
persecuted the young and strenuous zealot for God's law. The
construction of Psa_119:98 is like Joe_ 1:20; Isa_59:12, and
frequently. refers to the commandments in their unity: he has
3. taken possession of them for ever (cf. Psa_119:111). The
Mishna (Aboth iv. 1) erroneously interprets: from all my teachers
do I acquire understanding. All three in Psa_119:98-100 signify
prae (lxx ). In , Psa_119:101, from the mode of writing we see the
verb Lamed Aleph passing over into the verb Lamed He. is, as in
Pro_ 4:11 (cf. Exo_4:15), a defective mode of writing for . ,
Psa_119:103, is not equivalent to , Job_6:25 (vid., Job, at
Job_6:25; Job_16:2-5), but signifies, in consequence of the dative
of the object , that which easily enters, or that which tastes good
(lxx gluke'a); therefore surely from = , to be smooth: how smooth,
entering easily (Pro_23:31), are Thy words (promises) to my palate
or taste! The collective singular is construed with a plural of the
predicate (cf. Exo_1:10). He has no taste for the God-estranged
present, but all the stronger taste for God's promised future. From
God's laws he acquires the capacity for proving the spirits,
therefore he hates every path of falsehood (= Psa_119:128), i.e.,
all the heterodox tendencies which agree with the spirit of the
age. CALVI , "97.O how have I loved thy law! ot contented with a
simple affirmation, the prophet exclaims, by way of interrogation,
that he was inflamed with incredible love to the law of God; and,
in proof of this, he adds, that he was continually engaged in
meditating upon it. If any person boasts that he loves the Divine
Law, and yet neglects the study of it, and applies his mind to
other things, he betrays the grossest hypocrisy; for the love of
the law, and especially such an ardent love of it as the prophet
here expresses, always produces continual meditation upon it. And,
assuredly, unless Gods law inflame and ravish our hearts with the
love of it, many allurements will quickly steal upon us, and lead
us away to vanity. The prophet, then, here commends such a love of
the law, as, possessing all our senses, effectually excludes all
the deceits and corruptions to which we are otherwise too much
inclined. SPURGEO , "Ver. 97. O how love I thy law! It is a note of
exclamation. He loves so much that he must express his love, and in
making the attempt he perceives that it is inexpressible and
therefore cries, "O how I love!" We not only reverence but love the
law, we obey it out of love, and even when it chides us for
disobedience we love it none the less. The law is God's law, and
therefore it is our love. We love it for its holiness, and pine to
be holy; we love it for its wisdom, and study to be wise; we love
it for its perfection, and long to be perfect. Those who know the
power of the gospel perceive an infinite loveliness in the law as
they see it fulfilled and embodied in Christ Jesus. It is my
meditation all the day. This was both the effect of his love and
the cause of it. He meditated in God's word because he loved it,
and then loved it the more because he meditated in it. He could not
have enough of it, so ardently did he love it: all the day was not
too long for his converse with it. His main prayer, his noonday
thought, his evensong were all out of Holy Writ; yea, in his
worldly business he still kept his mind saturated with the law of
the Lord. It is said of some men that the
4. more you know them the less you admire them; but the reverse
is true of God's word. Familiarity with the word of God breeds
affection, and affection seeks yet greater familiarity. When "thy
law, "and "my meditation" are together all the day, the day grows
holy, devout, and happy, and the heart lives with God. David turned
away from all else; for in the preceding verse he tells us that he
had seen an end of all perfection; but he turned in unto the law
and tarried there the whole day of his life on earth, growing
henceforth wiser and holier even sick of love, as the church saith
(So 2:5 5:8), she was sick of love towards Christ: so seemeth the
prophet to be sick of love towards the word of God. This word "how,
"also imports a comparison, and notes a greater love in David
towards the word than towards riches or any other thing; in which
respect he saith afterward in this very Psalm (Psalms 119:127),
that he loveth the Lord's commandments "above gold, yea, above fine
gold"; yea, as whosoever so loveth not Christ, that in respect of
Christ, and for Christ's sake, he forsaketh father, and mother, and
brethren, and sisters, wife and children, and his own life also
(much more riches and other things not to be compared to life) is
not worthy of him: so he that doth not love the word above all
other things; yea, he that hateth not all other things below here,
ill respect of the word, is not worthy of the word. Christ himself
loved the word of God more than he loved any riches; for did he not
for the performance of the word submit himself to such want, that
the foxes had holes, and the birds had nests, but he had not
whereon to lay his head? and that, although he were the heir of all
things, yet he was ministered unto by certain women? He loved the
word of God moro than he loved his mother, brethren, and
sisters...Yea, Christ loved the word of God more than he loved his
own life; for did he not lay down his life to fulfil the word of
God?...If Christ Jesus himself loved the word more than all other
things, yea, more than his life, which was more than the life of
all angels, was there not great reason why David should love it in
like manner? Had not David as much need of it as Christ?... It is
my meditation. The noun "meditation" seemeth to be more than if he
had said only that he meditated. For he seemeth to mean that though
he did often think upon other matters, yet he made nothing his
"meditation" but that which he here speaketh of, and that this was
his only, or his chief and principal meditation and set study. The
object of David's meditation is not only to be understood of the
bare letter of the word, as if he did always meditate of some text
or other of the word before written; but also of the matters
contained in the word; as of the justice, power, wisdom, mercy and
goodness of God; of the frailty, corruption, and wickedness that is
in man naturally, of the sins that God forbiddeth, and of the
virtues that God commandeth in the word, and other the like. For he
that meditates of these things, though he meditate not of any one
text of the word, yet he may be truly said to meditate of the word.
All the day. We are not to imagine that the prophet did nothing
else but meditate on the word; but this, first of all; that no day
passed over his head wherein he did not meditate on the word; yea,
that he took every occasion of meditating on the word. He was never
weary of meditating. Though he had many other things wherein to
employ himself, yet he forgot not the meditation of the word. His
mind was not by any other employment alienated from the meditation
of the word, but the more thereby provoked thereunto. As a man that
hath laboured never so much one day in
5. his calling, is not to be wearied thereby, but that he
laboureth afresh the next day, and so day after day: so was it with
the prophet touching this act of meditation. Secondly, when he
saith he meditated on the word continually, or all the day, he
meaneth that he did nothing at any time of the day without
meditation on the word for doing thereof. Therefore we may safely
say that continual meditation of the word is more necessary than
continual praying, as being necessary before the doing of
everything, and in the very doing of everything; yea, even before
the said duty of prayer, and in the very act thereof, this work of
meditation of the word is always necessary; as without which, we
know not either for what to pray, or in what sort and manner to
pray: it is God's word only that can and must teach us both what to
pray for and also how to pray. Thomas Stoughton, in "Two Profitable
Treatises, "1616. Ver. 97. O how love I thy law! Who without love
attempts anything in the law of God, does it coldly, and quickly
gives it up. For the mind cannot give itself earnestly and
perseveringly to things which are not loved. Only he who loves the
law makes it his meditation all the day. Wolfgang Musculus. Ver.
97. O how love I thy law! Were I to enjoy Hezekiah's grant, and to
have fifteen years added to my life, I would be much more frequent
in my applications to the throne of grace. Were I to renew my
studies, I would take my leave of those accomplished trifles the
historians, the orators, the poets of antiquity and devote my
attention to the Scriptures of truth. I would sit with much greater
assiduity at my Divine Master's feet, and desire to know nothing
but "Jesus Christ, and him crucified." This wisdom, whose fruits
are peace in life, consolation in death, and everlasting salvation
after death this I would trace this I would seek this I would
explore through the spacious and delightful fields of the Old and
ew Testament. James Hervey, 1714-1758. Ver. 97. This most precious
jewel is to be preferred above all treasure. If thou be hungry, it
is meat to satisfy thee; if thou be thirsty, it is drink to refresh
thee; if thou be sick, it is a present remedy; if thou be weak, it
is a staff to lean unto; if thine enemy assault thee, it is a sword
to fight withal; if thou be in darkness, it is a lantern to guide
thy feet; if thou be doubtful of the way, it is a bright shining
star to direct thee; if thou be in displeasure with God, it is the
message of reconciliation; if thou study to save thy soul, receive
the word engrafted, for that is able to do it: it is the word of
life. Whose loveth salvation will love this word, love to read it,
love to hear it; and such as will neither read nor hear it, Christ
saith plainly, they are not of God. For the spouse gladly heareth
the voice of the bridegroom; and "my sheep hear my voice, " saith
the Prince of pastors (John 5:27). Edwin Sundys, 1519- 1587. Ver.
97. O how love I thy law! As faith worketh by love unto God, so it
worketh by love unto his word. Love me, love my word: love a king,
love his laws. So it did on David; so it should do on us: "O how
love I thy law!" saith David. "O how love I thy law!" should every
one of us say; not only because it is a good law, but chiefly
because it is God's law. Richard Capel, 1586-1656. Ver. 97. O how
love I thy law! He calls God himself to be judge of his love to the
word; witnessing thereby that it was no counterfeit love, but
complete and sincere love which he bore unto it. The like
protestation was used by S. Peter: "Thou knowest, O Lord, that I
rove thee!" William Cowper.
6. Ver. 97. Thy law. In every one of these eight verses the
Bible is spoken of as the Lord's, as, indeed, all through the
Psalm. Who is the author of Scripture? God. What is the matter of
Scripture? God; it was not fit that any should write of God, but
God himself. What is the end of Scripture? God. Why was the
Scripture written, but that we might everlastingly enjoy the
blessed God As Caesar wrote his own commentaries; so God, when
there was none above him of whom he could write, he wrote of
himself; by histories, laws, prophecies, and promises, and many
other doctrines, hath he set himself forth to be the Creator,
Preserver, Deliverer, and Glorifier of mankind; and all this is
done in a perfect manner. Thomas Manton. Ver. 97. It is my
meditation. Holy Scripture is not a book for the slothful: it is
not a book which can be interpreted without, and apart from, and by
the deniers of, that Holy Spirit by whom it came. Rather is it a
field, upon the surface of which, if sometimes we gather manna
easily and without labour, and given, as it were, freely to our
hands, yet of which also, many portions are to be cultivated with
pains and toil ere they will yield food for the use of man. This
bread of life also is to be eaten in the wholesome sweat of our
brow. Richard Chenevix Trench, 1807-. BE SO , "Verses 97-100 MEM.
Psalms 119:97-100. O how I love thy law! O Lord, thou knowest my
love to it is inexpressible: to then I appeal herein against all
the censures and calumnies of my enemies to the contrary. It is my
meditation all the day Because I desire to know and do thy will,
which it declares in all things. Thou, through thy commandments
Which direct me into, and preserve me in, the way of righteousness;
hast made me wiser than my enemies Who pursue a different course,
and take their own will or fancy, and not thy word, for the rule of
their actions. I have more understanding More true wisdom; than all
my teachers All those priests and Levites, or doctors of the law,
of whom I have formerly learned; for, pursuing other knowledge, and
secular objects, they neglect to make themselves acquainted with
thy law: but thy testimonies are my meditation The matter of my
constant and most diligent study. I understand more than the
ancients Those elders and grave counsellors, who rely more on their
own wisdom and sagacity than on that wisdom which springs from a
meditation on thy truth; because I keep thy precepts By which he
intimates, that to practise religion is the best way to understand
it, and that the corruption of mens hearts and lives is the
greatest hinderance of all true and solid knowledge of it. Thus our
Lord, If any man will do his (Gods) will, he shall known of the
doctrine whether it be of God. COFFMA , "Verse 97 STROPHE 13 THE
PSALMIST LOVES THE LAW WHICH IMPARTS WISDOM A D HATES EVERY EVIL
WAY Mem
7. "Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day. Thy
commandments make me wiser than mine enemies; For they are ever
with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers; For thy
testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged,
Because I have kept thy precepts. I have refrained my feet from
every evil way, That I might observe thy word. I have not turned
aside from thine ordinances; For thou hast taught me. How sweet are
thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth.
Through thy precepts I get understanding: Therefore I hate every
evil way." This strophe is the one that was made the basis of the
hymn, "Oh How Love I thy Law," (See chapter introduction), and from
which we selected a title for this entire Psalms 119. Psalms
119:103, here, and also selected lines form several other psalms
are woven into the text of that hymn. Psalms 119:98-100 may be
summarized in a single line, "Knowledge of God's law has made him
wiser than his enemies, his teachers, and even the old men!" The
reason behind this is that, "God is actually his teacher (Psalms
119:102), with the result of love (Psalms 119:97), desire (Psalms
119:103), and sound moral judgment (Psalms 119:104)."[35] SIMEO ,
"DAVIDS BOASTI G EXPLAI ED A D VI DICATED
8. Psalms 119:97-100. O how love I thy Law! It is my meditation
all the day. Thou, through thy commandments, hast made me wiser
than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. I have more
understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my
meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy
precepts. OTHI G is more hateful than boasting. To boast of our
superiority to others, as the Pharisees did, saying, I thank thee,
O Lord, that I am not as other men, is to betray an entire want of
Christian humility, and an utter ignorance of our own state. But of
all boasting, that which arises from a conceit of our own wisdom is
perhaps the most odious and the most contemptible. Be not wise in
your own conceit [ ote: Proverbs 3:7. Romans 12:16.], is a caution
repeatedly given us in the Holy Scriptures; and an inattention to
it will assuredly expose us to Gods heavy displeasure [ ote: Isaiah
5:21.]. Yet there are occasions whereon we may, in appearance,
transgress this duty, and yet be blameless. St. Paul was on some
occasions necessitated to assert his claim to public authority, and
his right to dictate to the Church of God: and though he apologised
for his conduct in this respect, and called himself a fool for
giving way to it, he yet felt it his duty, on the whole, to
maintain the truth against those who opposed it, and to demand from
others that deference which his Apostolic character authorised him
to expect [ ote: 2 Corinthians 10:7-11; 2 Corinthians 11:16-18; 2
Corinthians 12:11.]. In the passage before us, I must confess,
David had no such call to exalt himself above others. But he wrote
for the benefit of the Church of God in all ages: and therefore,
whilst conveying general truths, he transferred them to himself, in
order that he might speak to better effect [ ote: See 1 Corinthians
4:6.]. His object was to shew, that every one who took the word of
God for his guide would be so elevated by it above the most exalted
of merely human characters, that he might justly arrogate to
himself a wisdom superior to them all; since an unconverted
character, whoever he might be, had no higher wisdom than that
which was human; whilst the man who was taught by the word and
Spirit of God, possessed a wisdom that was truly divine. In this
view, then, I propose to vindicate the language of my text; and to
shew, that David, in obeying the word of God, was wiser than his
enemies, with all their subtlety; and wiser than his teachers,
notwithstanding all their learning; and wiser than the ancients, in
despite of all their experience. Of every one who is obedient to
Gods word this may be said: I. In that he answers more fully the
ends for which the Holy Scripture was given [For what was the
Scripture given, but to be a light to our feet and a lantern to our
paths? This being the case, what shall we say of the man who
neglects to study the Inspired Volume? What should we say of a
mariner, who, in navigating a sea that was full of rocks and
quicksands, should neglect to consult his chart and his compass, or
should proceed in his voyage with the same kind of confidence, in
opposition to their dictates, as lie would if he were following the
course which they prescribed? Let him in other respects be ever so
wise, no one would hesitate to
9. commend the circumspect sailor as wiser than he. Then in
this view, may the divinely-instructed follower of Christ account
himself wiser than others, whether friends or enemies, if, when
they enjoy the advantage of this infallible guide, they refuse to
consult its dictates, or to follow its directions. If no one would
hesitate to pronounce this judgment in a case where only the bodily
life was concerned, much less would any one doubt where the
interest at stake is nothing less than that of the immortal soul ]
II. In that he manifests a more becoming regard to the wonders
revealed in it [Let any one contemplate the wonders of redemption
and say, whether he can be wise who neglects to search into them,
and to improve them for the good of his soul? But the man who
receives the testimony of Christ, and labours to have it confirmed
in his own soul, is wise; and, when comparing himself with those
who despise the Gospel, whatever superiority they may possess in
other respects, may, without any undue arrogance, account himself
wiser than they. The very angels in heaven are desiring to look
into these unsearchable mysteries; and, if we disregard them, what
wisdom can be in us [ ote: Jeremiah 8:9.]?] III. In that he
consults supremely those interests, which the Scriptures declare to
be alone worthy of his attention [What can the whole world offer to
a man, that is worthy to be put in competition with his soul? The
concerns of the soul are declared by our blessed Lord to be the one
thing needful. Let the most learned man upon the face of the earth
neglect these concerns, and the most unlettered man make them the
great objects of his undivided attention; shall we hesitate to say
which of the two is the wiser man? He who is wise for time only, is
a fool: but he who is wise for eternity, is truly wise. The fear of
the Lord is the very beginning of wisdom; and he who possesses it
not, has not ever yet passed the threshold of Wisdoms porch: but a
good understanding have all they who cultivate the fear of the
Lord; and the praise of their conduct shall endure for ever.] Let
me, in conclusion, give you, 1. A word of caution [Take not
occasion, from these words of David, to think lightly of
self-complacency and self-applause. David was no boaster: on the
contrary, no one was ever lower in his own estimation than he: and
you will find humility the most prominent feature of all the
Scripture saints. Less than the least of all saints was the
character which Paul assumed; and, if he gloried at any time, it
was of his infirmities alone, that his Lord and Saviour might be
the more glorified in him [ ote: 2 Corinthians 12:9.]: so likewise
I would recommend to you to take the lowest place, and, instead of
exalting yourselves above others, to prefer others in honour before
yourselves, and to esteem others better than yourselves [ ote:
Romans 12:10. Philippians 2:3.]: for not he that commendeth himself
shall be approved, but he
10. whom the Lord commendeth [ ote: 2 Corinthians 10:18.].] 2.
A word of advice [Love the word of God. Verily, it is deserving of
all your love and you should esteem it more than your necessary
food. ext, meditate upon it all the day. Many read the Scriptures
without profit, because they do not ruminate upon them, and digest
them in their souls. Let some short portion of Gods word be
selected for your meditation every day; and you cannot fail to
profit by it, especially if your meditations be turned into prayer.
Lastly, take it as the only rule of your life. This is essential to
the Christian character. A speculative knowledge, however extensive
and accurate, will avail you nothing: it is the practical and
experimental knowledge alone that can benefit the soul. The very
use of the Scriptures is, to perfect the man of God, and thoroughly
to furnish him unto all good works. This it is which will make you
truly wise, or, rather, that will prove you to be so: for then will
the Scripture have had its perfect work, and you will be wise unto
salvation through faith that is in Christ Jesus.] CO STABLE,
"Verses 97-104 13. The sweetness of God"s Word119:97-104 The
psalmist loved God"s law because it gave him more wisdom than his
enemies, his teachers, and the elderly sages who did not have it (
Psalm 119:97-100). It had enabled him to maintain his personal
purity ( Psalm 119:101-102, cf. Psalm 119:9; Psalm 119:104). God"s
promises were particularly sweet to him ( Psalm 119:103). "While
God"s truth is food for our souls, it is not a "buffet" from which
we select only the things we like." [ ote: Wiersbe, The . . .
Wisdom . . ., p324.] EXPOSITOR'S DICTIO ARY, "Ruskin says: "If
people would but read the text of their Bibles with heartier
purpose of understanding it, instead of superstitiously, they would
see that throughout the parts which they are intended to make most
personally their own (the Psalm) it is always the Law which is
spoken of with chief joy. The Psalm respecting mercy are often
sorrowful, as in thought of what it cost; but those respecting the
law are always full of delight. David cannot contain himself for
joy in thinking of it,he is never weary of its praise: "How love I
thy law! it is my meditation all the day. Thy testimonies are my
delight and my counsellors; sweeter, also, than honey and the
honeycomb."" Modern Painters, vol. v, pt. vii. chap. IV. 22.
Verse97. Henry Martyn says: "I experienced a solemn gladness in
learning this part, "Mem," of the119th Psalm". J. K.
11. BI, "O how love I Thy law! it is my meditation all the day.
Love to the Scriptures I. They are indubitably authenticated and
divinely inspired. 1 The concurrent testimony of Jew and Gentile,
of friend and foe, borne through successive ages to the present
time, ascertains their authenticity and truth. 2. Existing rites
and festivals attest the truth of sacred history. 3. The veracity
and accuracy of the inspired books received additional confirmation
from the undesigned coincidences of expression in the writings of
the sacred penmen, with the relations of facts and occurrences by
others, or those narrated by themselves on other occasions. 4. But
it is not mere accuracy for which we contend, but also for the
Divine inspiration of the Scriptures. They were written under the
direction and influence of the Holy Ghost. II. They are the only
infallible depositories of all true theology and morals. III. They
have been transmitted to us without any material alterations or
corruptions. IV. They have survived the most rigorous attempts of
Paganism and superstition to suppress or destroy them. V. The
scriptures are every way deserving of incessant and delightful
study. 1. They develop the origin and destination of man. 2. They
unveil the dispensations of Divine Providence. 3. They unfold the
astonishing mysteries of redemption. 4. They contain the most
sublime morality. 5. They reveal the solemnities of eternity. (J.
Townley, D. D.) Reasons for Loving the Bible I. Its authorship. It
is the Word of God: its contents were dictated by eternal wisdom;
its laws are the laws of heaven; its teachings are the teachings of
Jehovah. It is an embodiment of the eternal mind God has adopted
every method for instructing man. When teaching us about Himself,
His milder character is painted in a thousand hues, delightfully
blended. Instead of employing a pen, He ordered the sun to
photograph His lovelier attributes upon the landscape; while His
majesty stands out in bold relief in mountains whose snow-capped
heads, towering in haughty grandeur, appear to prop up with their
broad based pillar-like support, the spacious firmament. But His
mind, in reference to man, is conveyed in the language of men, by
inbreathing His thoughts and intentions into the minds of the
sacred penmen, and then, by His Spirits infallible unerringness,
guiding the hand to write them. When James I. wrote a book for the
edification of his son Charles, it was pompously called by that
high-sounding title, Basilikon Dorona royal gift. How much more may
the Bible be called A royal gift, since its Author is the King of
kingscompared with whose kingliness the greatest and brightest of
earthly crowns no more resembles royalty than a crown of thorns
does one sparkling with diamonds! Not only is this Book a royal,
but a parental, gift-the gift of our heavenly Father: a Book
dedicated to, and designed for, the
12. eternal benefit of His children. Yes, it is our Fathers
legacy to us. II. Its contents. The very first sentence of
Scripture dispels a dark cloud of ignorance, which for ages
enveloped the most learned and far-seeing sages of the Grecian
schools. Even to that great emporium of learning, Athens, the
worlds origin was enchambered, locked up in some dark, mysterious
recess, to which she herself could find no key. But in the very
first sentence of the Bible we see the Omnipotent Jehovah emerging
from the still quiet of eternal solitude, speaking His creative
fiat, and a world is born. Not only do we learn our origin, but our
destiny. This was one of the most perplexing enigmas which the
ancients triedbut tried in vainto solve. A dense mist hung heavily
over the boundaries of the spirit world, which no optic glass of
mans device could penetrate. The wisest and best of heathen
philosophers could not follow man beyond the horizon of death. III.
Its style. Here one finds the most majestic imagery, the sublimest
figures, and the noblest strains of eloquence. Here is found poetry
unparalleled for grandeur, pathos, and fire. No songs, says Milton,
are like the songs of Zion. Here, in touching, melting
passionateness, we are told the most affecting narratives; and here
are pictures true to the very life, pencilled from the old world
scenery. And though the book is comparatively small, what
biographical encyclopaedia ever contained so much useful history?
IV. Its power. V. Its suitability for our needs in all
circumstances. It is the guide of youth and the staff of old age.
No other lamp sheds such a bright, cheering radiance, as this does,
to relieve the gloom in the chamber of sickness. It is a garden of
healing balm for the wounded spirit; and to those who are
tempest-tossed it affords many a peaceful haven to take refuge in.
And then, this is the only book which contains light enough to
guide us through the valley of the shadow of death. Shining
brightest in the dark, it is then more than ever a lamp unto our
feet and a light unto our path. (G. Terry.) The love of the law
Many have expressed their indebtedness to this long psalm for
encouragement, inspiration, direction. It has been a rod and a
staff to comfort them. It might seem at first that such expressions
as abound in this psalm cannot be applied to the law as we
understand the term. This is an ill-advised opinion, and marks some
mental confusion, for in truth law is exceedingly interesting. I do
not know of any men who are more enamoured of their profession than
lawyers. But I mark that two things are connected with the pleasure
which these men have in their calling. There are two terms which
are constantly used. I ask what a young man is doing, and I am told
that he is studying law. I ask the same question a few years later,
and I am told he is practising law. These two things belong in the
delight of the man of the law, and are essential to its permanence.
It is not enough that one should have a collection of law-books,
should occasionally read in them, should admire very many things
which they contain; but he must make a patient study of the law,
and faithfully apply its principles to the interests of men. Grant
me these two things, and I will promise a true delight in the law
of the Lord. The law of the Lord includes all the announcements of
His will. It embraces the Ten Commandments and all the legislation
of Moses. The teachings of the prophets belong in it, and the words
of Christ Himself and of His apostles. The term is now to be used
in a wider sense than when this unknown psalmist pronounced his
eulogium upon the statutes and testimonies of the law. It is the
entire will of God, as this is given for the government of
13. our life. I. Why should we love the law of the Lord? 1.
Because it is the Lords law. It is His nature expressing itself.
God is love, and law is love, guiding the men it loves. It is the
revelation of His heart. Kings make laws: God reveals them. It is
quietly given to us, not amid the thunders and lightnings of Sinai,
but by voices long silent, in the pages of the Bible, in our
conscience and reason. It is given in principles, not in
regulations. It is given in outline, which we are to complete by
such precepts as our life demands. 2. The law of the Lord is right.
It is perfect, as our Father in heaven is perfect. It fosters the
right; it secures honesty in business, integrity in government,
charity in society. It enlarges our joy. The fullest declaration we
have of it begins with the note of pleasure. I am the Lord thy God,
which brought thee out of the land of Egypt. So the Sermon on the
Mount, more strict in its requirements than the Decalogue, opens
with the Beatitudes. Blessed and blessed, and from this beginning,
the Teacher gives His precepts that the kindness of His heart may
be fully enjoyed by those who hear Him. The law gives security
also. It is the rule of the best. It is the guidance of the wisest.
You wish to sail in the ship which has the best captain, and the
one who is furnished with the best charts and compasses. In all our
way through this world, with its confusion and its peril, we should
love the law of the Lord which will guide us safely and in honour.
3. Again, the law of the Lord is the law of heaven. Its principles
belong in all the worlds. The loftiest angel and the humblest man
of all the redeemed observe this taw with delight. The best proof
that men are going to heaven is that they love the law of God
before they reach its gate; that they delight to meditate in the
law, to follow its commands, to live in its control. Unless this is
true of us here, it can be little pleasure to anticipate the life
in a world where the law of the Lord wilt surround us like the
atmosphere, to be breathed in to-day and for ever. 4. Finally, we
should love the law of the Lord because it is the law of Christ. It
pervaded His life. I came not to do Mine own will, but the will of
Him that sent me. I do always those things which please Him. II. If
we approve this which has been said, and agree that we should truly
love the law of the Lord, the question may still come to our minds,
By what means shall I love it? I cannot compel my affection, though
I could readily bring myself to obey the statutes. Yet delight in
the law would not be more difficult than obedience if we would take
the steps which lead to it. 1. If we are to love the law of the
Lord, it is essential that we should know it. It has those
attractive qualities which will commend themselves to any honest
mind. It comes to us as the heart of God, and our heart will
respond to it if we are true. It is not by admiring it afar off, by
passing it upon the street and becoming familiar with its
appearance, by being courteous and showing it favours, but by
knowing it as one knows his friend. You think you knew the law of
the Lord; but have you lived with it, taken it into your counsel,
walked with it? 2. We find the love of the law by taking it from
Christ. It is expressed in His life, it is spoken by His lips. The
melody of a song depends greatly upon the voice of the singer. The
law of the Lord has too often been spoken by human lips which had
little grace upon them. Hear Christ teach the law. Mark the tone of
His voice, the accent, the emphasis. See the radiance of His face.
Mark the grace and truth which are upon
14. Him, and the love of the law will spring readily in your
heart. I wish that I could persuade you to try this. To do the will
of God is a pleasant thing. Let us believe it, and live in the
delight of it. 3. But if love delays to come, let us obey with all
the heart we have, and all which rises at our summons; let us do
the things which God would have us do. This will be right, and the
beginning of right living, and the love will grow with the doing of
His will till meditation will be delightful and obedience will be
the freedom of a great joy. It is a good sign when a man loves the
law of the Lord. One may be judged by what he loves. There is
something magnificent in having a country to love. There is
something magnificent in having a God to love, and in having the
heart to love Him. Happy man, that he can find solace in the
statutes of God! Happy is he in his companions that they can enjoy
the singing of his testimonies! Thus they charm away the weariness
of the march, still their minds for the night, gather hope for the
morning. (A. MeKenzie, D. D.) 98 Your commands are always with me
and make me wiser than my enemies. BAR ES, "Thou, through thy
commandments - By the teaching and power of thy law. Hast made me
wiser than mine enemies - I have a better understanding of thee, of
thy law, of the duties of this life, and in regard to the life to
come, than my enemies have - not because I am naturally better, or
because I have higher endowments by nature, but because thou hast
made me wiser than they are. The rendering of this first clause of
the verse now most approved by interpreters is, Thy commandments
make me more wise than my enemies are, though this requires a
singular verb to be construed with a plural noun (Professor
Alexander). So DeWette renders it. For they are ever with me -
Margin, as in Hebrew, it is ever with me. The reference is to the
law or commandments of God. The meaning is, that that law was never
out of his mind; that he was constantly thinking about it; and that
it unfolded such wisdom to him as to make him superior to all his
foes; to give him a better understanding of life, its design, its
duties, and its obligations, than his enemies had. The best
instructor in true wisdom is the revealed word of God - the
Bible.
15. CLARKE,"Wiser than mine enemies - Some have thought that
this Psalm was composed by Daniel, and that he speaks of himself in
these verses. Being instructed by God, he was found to have more
knowledge than any of the Chaldeans, magicians, soothsayers, etc.,
etc.; and his wisdom soon appeared to the whole nation vastly
superior to theirs. GILL, "Thou through thy commandments hast made
me wiser than mine enemies,.... David had his enemies, as every
good man has: and these are often cunning and crafty ones, at least
in wickedness; many of them are wise and prudent as to natural
things, wiser in worldly things and political matters than the
children of light, and often lay deep schemes and take crafty
counsel against the saints; and yet they, by attending to the word
and commands of God, and being under his direction and counsel,
counterwork the designs of their enemies, and overturn their
schemes and measures, which are brought to confusion; honesty being
in the issue the best policy. However, the people of God are wiser
than they in the best things; in the affair of salvation; in things
relating to a future state, and their happiness there; which wisdom
they attain unto through the Word of God, which is written for
their learning; through the Scriptures, which are able to make men
wise to salvation: these are the means, and no more; for it is God
that is the efficient cause, or makes the means effectual, to make
them wise, and wiser than others; it is owing to his divine
teachings, to his Spirit and grace. The words may be rendered, "it
hath made me wiser in thy commandments than mine enemies" (d); that
is, the law; and so is another reason why it was so greatly loved
by him: or, "thy commandments", that is, everyone of thy
commandments, "have made me wiser", &c. (e). Joseph Kimchi
give, this as the sense, "by mine enemies thou hast made me wise
(f); thou hast learned me thy commandments, so that I see they
cannot remove thy law from my mouth;'' for they are ever with me;
that is, the commandments of God, or his law, and the precepts of
it; they were his privy counsellors, with whom on all occasions he
consulted, and so became wiser than his enemies, and outwitted
them: these were always near him, in his heart and in his mouth; he
was ever thinking and speaking of them, and so did not forget the
instructions they gave him; they were ever before his eyes, as the
rule of his conduct. HE RY 98-100, "We have here an account of
David's learning, not that of the Egyptians, but of the Israelites
indeed. I. The good method by which he got it. In his youth he
minded business in the country as a shepherd; from his youth he
minded business in the court and camp. Which way then could he get
any great stock of learning? He tells us here how he came by it; he
had it from God as the author: Thou hast made me wise. All true
wisdom is from God. He had it by the word of God as the means, by
his commandments and his testimonies. These are able to make us
wise to salvation and to furnish the man of God for every good
work. 1. These David took for his constant companions: They are
ever with me, ever in my mind, ever in my eye. A good man, wherever
he goes, carries his Bible along with him, if not in his hands, yet
in his head and in his heart. 2. These he took for the delightful
subject of his thoughts; they were his meditation, not only as
matters of speculation for his entertainment, as scholars meditate
on their notions, but as matters
16. of concern, for his right management, as men of business
think of their business, that they may do it in the best manner. 3.
These he took for the commanding rules of all his actions: I keep
thy precepts, that is, I make conscience of doing my duty in every
thing. The best way to improve in knowledge is to abide and abound
in all the instances of serious godliness; for, if any man do his
will, he shall know of the doctrine of Christ, shall know more and
more of it, Joh_7:17. The love of the truth prepares for the light
of it; the pure in heart shall see God here. II. The great eminency
he attained to in it. By studying and practising God's
commandments, and making them his rule, he learnt to behave himself
wisely in all his ways, 1Sa_18:14. 2. He outwitted his enemies;
God, by these means, made him wiser to baffle and defeat their
designs against him than they were to lay them. Heavenly wisdom
will carry the point, at last, against carnal policy. By keeping
the commandments we secure God on our side and make him our friend,
and therein are certainly wiser than those that make him their
enemy. By keeping the commandments we preserve in ourselves that
peace and quiet of mind which our enemies would rob us of, and so
are wise for ourselves, wiser than they are for themselves, for
this world as well as for the other. 2. He outstripped his
teachers, and had more understanding than all of them. He means
either those who would have been his teachers, who blamed his
conduct and undertook to prescribe to him (by keeping God's
commandments he managed his matters so that it appeared, in the
event, he had taken the right measures and they had taken the
wrong), or those who should have been his teachers, the priests and
Levites, who sat in Moses's chair, and whose lips ought to have
kept knowledge, but who neglected the study of the law, and minded
their honours and revenues, and the formalities only of their
religion; and so David, who conversed much with the scriptures, by
that means became more intelligent than they. Or he may mean those
who had been his teachers when he was young; he built so well upon
the foundation which they had laid that, with the help of his
Bible, he became able to teach them, to teach them all. He was not
now a babe that needed milk, but had spiritual senses exercised,
Heb_5:14. It is no reflection upon our teachers, but rather an
honour to them, to improve so as really to excel them, and not to
need them. By meditation we preach to ourselves, and so we come to
understand more than our teachers, for we come to understand our
own hearts, which they cannot. 3. He outdid the ancients, either
those of his day (he was young, like Elihu, and they were very old,
but his keeping God's precepts taught more wisdom than the
multitude of their years, Job_32:7, Job_32:8) or those of former
days; he himself quotes the proverb of the ancients (1Sa_24:13),
but the word of God gave him to understand things better than he
could do by tradition and all the learning that was handed down
from preceding ages. In short, the written word is a surer guide to
heaven than all the doctors and fathers, the teachers and ancients,
of the church; and the sacred writings kept, and kept to, will
teach us more wisdom than all their writings. JAMISO 98-100, "of
knowledge, both of the matter of all useful, moral truth, and an
experience of its application. wiser than mine enemies with all
their carnal cunning (Deu_4:6, Deu_4:8). they are ever with me The
Hebrew is, rather singular, it is ever with me; the commandments
forming ONE complete whole, Thy law. CALVI , "98.Thou hast made me
wiser than my adversaries He here declares, that
17. he was more learned than his adversaries, his instructors,
and the aged, because he was a scholar of Gods law. It is in a
different sense that he describes himself as endued with
understanding above his adversaries, from that in which he
describes himself as wiser than his teachers. He surpassed his
enemies, because their cunning and artifices availed them nothing
when they employed these to the utmost to effect his destruction.
The malice of the wicked is always goading them to do mischief; and
as they are often artful and deceitful, we are afraid lest our
simplicity should be imposed upon by their deceits, unless we use
the same crafts and underhand dealings which they practice.
Accordingly, the prophet glories, that he found in Gods law enough
to enable him to escape all their snares. When he claims the credit
of being superior in knowledge to his instructors, he does not mean
to deny that they also had learned from the word of God what was
useful to be known. But he gives God thanks for enabling him to
surpass, in proficiency, those from whom he had learned the first
elements of knowledge. (432) or is it any new thing for the scholar
to excel his master, according as God distributes to each man the
measure of understanding. The faithful, it is true, are instructed
by the pains and labor of men, but it is in such a way, as that God
is still to be regarded as enlightening them. And it is owing to
this that the scholar surpasses the master; for God means to show
as it were, with the finger, that he uses the service of men in
such a way as that he himself continues still the chief teacher.
Let us therefore learn to commit ourselves to his tuition, that we
may glory with David, that by his guidance we have proceeded
farther than mans instruction could lead us. He adds the same thing
respecting the aged, for the more abundant confirmation of his
statement. Age is of great avail in polishing, by long experience
and practice, men who, by nature, are dull and rude. ow the prophet
asserts, that he had acquired, by the Divine Law, more discretion
than belongs to aged men. (433) In short, he means to affirm, that
whoever yields himself with docility to God, keeps his thoughts in
subjection to his word, and exercises himself diligently in
meditating upon the Law, will thence derive wisdom sufficient for
enabling him to consult his own safety in opposition to the
stratagems of his enemies, to exercise circumspection requisite for
escaping their deceits; and, finally, to match with the most
eminent masters through the whole course of his life. David,
however, does not adduce his wisdom, that he may boast of it before
the world; but, by his own example, he warns us, that nothing is
better for us than to learn at Gods mouth, since those only are
perfectly wise who are taught in his school. At the same time,
sobriety is here enjoined upon the faithful, that they may not seek
for wisdom elsewhere than from Gods word, and that ambition or
curiosity may not incite them to vain boasting. In short, all are
here recommended to behave themselves with modesty and humility,
that no man may claim to himself such knowledge as elevates him
above the Divine Law; but that all men, however intelligent, may
willingly yield themselves to the lessons of heavenly wisdom
revealed in the Divine Word. When he says, that he kept Gods
statutes, he teaches us what kind of meditation it is of which we
have spoken, to let us know that he did not coldly philosophies
upon Gods precepts, but devoted himself to them with earnest
affection. SPURGEO , "Ver. 98. Thou through thy commandments hast
made me wiser than
18. mine enemies. The commands were his book, but God was his
teacher. The letter can make us knowing, but only the divine Spirit
can make us wise. Wisdom is knowledge put to practical use. Wisdom
comes to us through obedience: "If any man will do his will he
shall know of the doctrine." We learn not only from promise, and
doctrine, and sacred history, but also from precept and command; in
fact, from the commandments we gather the most practical wisdom and
that which enables us best to cope with our adversaries. A holy
life is the highest wisdom and the surest defence. Our enemies are
renowned for subtlety, from the first father of them, the old
serpent, down to the last cockatrice that has been hatched from the
egg; and it would be vain for us to try to be a match with them in
the craft and mystery of cunning, for the children of this world
are in their generation wiser than the children of light. We must
go to another school and learn of a different instructor, and then
by uprightness we shall baffle fraud, by simple truth we shall
vanquish deep laid scheming, and by open candour we shall defeat
slander. A thoroughly straightforward man, devoid of all policy, is
a terrible puzzle to diplomatists; they suspect him of a subtle
duplicity through which they cannot see, while he, indifferent to
their suspicions, holds on the even tenor of his way, and baffles
all their arts. Yes, "honesty is the best policy." He who is taught
of God has a practical wisdom such as malice cannot supply to the
crafty; while harmless as a dove he also exhibits more than a
serpent's wisdom. For they are ever with me. He was always studying
or obeying the commandments; they were his choice and constant
companions. If we wish to become proficient we must be
indefatigable. If we keep the wise law ever near us we shall become
wise, and when our adversaries assail us we shall be prepared for
them with that ready wit which lies in having the word of God at
our fingers' ends. As a soldier in battle must never lay aside his
shield, so must we never have the word of God out of our minds; it
must be ever with us. EXPLA ATORY OTES A D QUAI T SAYI GS. Ver. 98.
Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies.
ow he praiseth the word for the singular profit and fruit which he
reaped by it; to wit, that he learned wisdom by it. And this he
amplifies, by comparing himself with three sorts of men; his
enemies, his teachers, and the ancients. And this he doth, not of
vain glory (for bragging is far from him who is governed by the
Spirit of grace); but to commend the word of the Lord, and to
allure others to love it, by declaring to them what manifold good
he found in it. Wiser than mine enemies. But how can this be,
seeing that our Saviour saith that the men of this world are wiser
in their own generation than the children of God? The answer is,
our Saviour doth not call worldlings wise men simply; but wiser in
their own generation; that is, wise in things pertaining to this
life. Or as Jeremy calls them, "wise to do evil"; and when they
have so done, wise to conceal and cloak it. All which in very deed
is but folly; and therefore David, who by the light of God's word
saw that it was so, could not be moved to follow their course.
Well; there is a great controversy between the godly and the
wicked: either of them in their judgment accounts the other to be
fools; but it is the light of God's word which must decide it.
William Cowper. Ver. 98. Wiser than mine enemies. They are wiser
than their enemies as to security against their attempts, and that
enmity and opposition that they carry on
19. against them; they are far more safe by walking under the
convert of God's protection than their enemies can possibly be, who
have all manner of worldly advantages. A godly wise man is careful
to keep in with God: he is more prepared and furnished, can have a
higher hope, more expectation of success, than others have; or, if
not, he is well enough provided for, though all things fall out
never so cross to his desires. As to success, who hath made wiser
provision, think you, he that hath made God his friend, or he that
is borne up with worldly props and dependencies? They that are
guided by the Spirit of God, or they that are guided by Satan those
that make it their business to walk with God step by step, or those
that not only forsake him, but provoke him to his face? Those that
break with men, and keep in with God, or those that break with God?
Surely, a child of God hath more security by piety than his enemies
can have by secular policy, whereby they think to overreach and
ruin him. The safety of a child of God lieth in two things: 1. God
is his friend. 2. As long as God hath work for him to do, he will
maintain him, and bear him out in it. Thomas Manton. Ver. 98. They
are ever with me. The meaning of the last clause is not merely "it
is ever with me, but it is for ever to me, "i.e, mine, my
inalienable, indefeasible possession. Joseph Addison Alexander.
Ver. 98. They are ever with me. God gives knowledge to whom he
pleaseth; but those that meditate most, thrive most. This may imply
also that the word should be a ready help. Such as derive their
wisdom from without cannot have their counsellors always with them
to give advice. But, when a man hath gotten the word in his heart,
he finds a ready help: he hath a seasonable word to direct him in
all difficulties, in all straits, and in all temptations, to teach
him what to do against the burden of the present exigence; to teach
him what to do and what to hope for. Thomas Manton. Ver. 98. They
are ever with me. A good man, wherever he goes, carries his Bible
along with him, if not in his hands, yet in his head and in his
heart. Matthew Henry. EXPLA ATORY OTES A D QUAI T SAYI GS. Ver.
98-100. Three sorts of men he mentions, "enemies, " "teachers,
""ancients"; the enemies excel in policy, teachers in doctrine, and
ancients in counsel; and yet by the word was David made wiser than
all these. Malice sharpens the wit of enemies, and teacheth them
the arts of opposition; teachers are furnished with learning
because of their office; and ancients grow wise by experience; yet
David, by the study of the word, excelled all these. Thomas Manton.
COKE, "Psalms 119:98. For they are ever with me For they (i.e. thy
commandments) are ever with me, always before me, to direct and
advise me in right, to exhort and restrain me from wrong. For the
same reason Psalms 119:99, I have more understanding than all my
teachers: All those doctors of the law, of whom I have formerly
learned; all those ancients, Psalms 119:100 those elders and grave
counsellors, who perhaps rely more on their own wisdom and
sagacity, than on that wisdom which springs from a meditation on
thy truth. Such meditation, such an employment of parts, says Mr.
Boyle, often invites God to increase them; as he who had most
talents committed to him, was, for improving them to his Lord's
service, trusted with more.
20. 99 I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate
on your statutes. BAR ES, "I have more understanding than all my
teachers - Referring perhaps to those who had given him instruction
in early life. By constant meditation on the law of God, he had, in
the progress of years, advanced to a point beyond that to which
they had arrived. He had improved upon their suggestions and
instructions, until he had surpassed them in knowledge. His design
in saying this was to set forth the excellency and the fullness of
the law of God, and to show how the study of it was suited to
enlarge the understanding. In early life the wisdom of teachers
seems to be far beyond anything that we can hope to reach; yet a
few years of study and meditation may place us far beyond them.
What those teachers seemed to be to us, however, when we were
young, may serve ever onward as a means of comparison when we wish
to speak of the greatness of human attainments. So the psalmist
says that he had now reached a point which seemed to him in early
life to be wonderful, and to be beyond what he had then hoped ever
to attain. He had now reached that point; he had gone beyond it.
For thy testimonies are my meditation - Compare Psa_1:2; 2Ti_3:15.
All this knowledge he had obtained by meditation on the law of God;
by the study of divine truth. The effect of that constant study was
seen in the knowledge which he now possessed, and which seemed to
surprise even himself as compared with the brightest anticipations
of his early years. CLARKE,"I have more understanding than all my
teachers - As he had entered into the spiritual nature of the law
of God, and saw into the exceeding breadth of the commandment, he
soon became wiser than any of the priests or even prophets who
instructed him. GILL, "I have more understanding than all my
teachers,.... Such as had been or would have been his teachers, who
were bad ones in religious matters; especially such might be the
religious teachers in Saul's time, when David was a young man: as
the priests, whose lips should keep knowledge, and deliver it to
the people, were in the times of Malachi; and as the Scribes and
Pharisees, who, sat in Moses's chair, were in Christ's time; and as
those legal teachers were in the apostles' times, who would be
teachers of the law, not knowing what they said, nor whereof they
affirmed; such as these David exceeded in spiritual understanding.
Or his good teachers are meant; and though in
21. common it is true that "a disciple is not above his
master", Mat_10:24; yet there are sometimes instances in which
scholars exceed their teachers in knowledge and learning; and this
is no reproach to a master to have such scholars: no doubt Apollos
so improved in knowledge as to excel Aquila and Priscilla, of whom
he learned much; as the Apostle Paul excelled Ananias; and so David
excelled his teachers: and which is said by him, not in an
ostentatious way of himself, nor in contempt of his teachers; but
to commend the word of God, the source of his knowledge; and to
magnify the grace of God, to whom he attributes all his wisdom, as
in Psa_119:98. Kimchi interprets it, "of them all I have learned
and received instruction; and from them I have understood the good
way, and they have taught me;'' for thy testimonies are my
meditation; what he learned of his teachers he compared with the
word, the Scriptures, which testify of the mind and will of God; he
searched into them, he meditated upon them, and considered whether
what his instructors taught him were agreeable to them or and by
this means he got more understanding than they had. JAMISO ,
"understanding is practical skill (Psa_2:10; Psa_32:8). SBC, "By
obeying the commands of Scripture we learn that these commands
really come from God; by trying we make proof; by doing we come to
know. Now how comes this to pass? It happens in several ways. I.
Consider that the Bible tells us to be meek, humble,
single-hearted, and teachable. Now it is plain that humility and
teachableness are qualities of mind necessary for arriving at the
truth in any subject, and in religious matters as well as others.
By obeying Scripture then, in practising humility and
teachableness, it is evident we are at least in the way to arrive
at the knowledge of God. On the other hand, impatient, proud, self-
confident, obstinate men are generally wrong in the opinions they
form of persons and things. II. Consider, next, that those who are
trained carefully according to the precepts of Scripture gain an
elevation, a delicacy, refinement, and sanctity of mind which is
most necessary for judging fairly of the truth of Scripture. III.
Those who try to obey God evidently gain a knowledge of themselves
at least, and this is the first and principal step towards knowing
God. The more a man understands his own heart, the more are the
Gospel doctrines recommended to his reason. The Bible then seems to
say, "God is not a hard Master to require belief without affording
grounds for believing. Only follow your own sense of right, and you
will gain from that very obedience to your Maker which natural
conscience enjoins a conviction of the truth and power of that
Redeemer whom a supernatural message has revealed: you will bear
witness to the truth of one doctrine by your own past experience of
yourselves; of another, by seeing that it is suited to your
necessity; of a third, by finding it fulfilled upon your obeying
it." Plain Sermons by Contributors to "Tracts for the Times" vol.
v., p. 239.
22. Consider the facts in which lie the germs of the control
which the Scriptures must exert over the progress of mankind. I.
The Scriptures contain the most ancient forms of truth now known to
men. In any enlarged form of the forces which civilise communities,
a place must be found for the instinctive reverence of the human
mind for antiquity. A thing is presumptively true if it is old, and
an old truth men will revere. II. The sovereignty of the Scriptures
in the progress of mankind is further suggested by the fact that
they contain the only development of Oriental mind which can be an
authority in the civilisation of the future. III. The Bible is
already wrought into all the dominant forces of the civilisation of
the West. Christianity has wrought such revolutions of opinion; it
has thrown into the world so much of original thought; it has
organised so many institutions, customs, unwritten laws of life; it
has leavened society with such a powerful antiseptic to the
putrescent elements of depravity; and it has therefore positively
created so much of the best material of humanity, that now the
noblest type of civilisation cannot be conceived of otherwise than
as a debtor to the Christian Scriptures. IV. The Bible discloses
the only groundwork and process of a perfect civilisation, as a
practicable result. The idea out of which the future civilisation
must grow is here, there, everywhere, in the book of life. That
idea is the moral regeneration of the individual. (1) Christianity
exalts spiritual over material forces. (2) It intensifies
individual being. (3) Its whole process is a process of symmetrical
elevation. (4) It works a power which is diffusive. (5) It is
affluent in the production of certain auxiliary ideas. These, like
itself, are spiritual; and they take on social, and civil, and
political forms. (6) While throwing out these ideas, the Bible does
exhibit a certain Divine consciousness that they must and will, and
a purpose that they shall, become constructive elements in society.
This is exhibited, e.g., in that most luminous fact in Scriptural
history that God educates nations as the representatives of
principles. Starting thus with the idea of the moral regeneration
of the individual, the word of God conducts us, by easy and
inevitable stages, to that truth which becomes its own witness to a
Christian believer that the civilisation of the future and the
triumph of Christianity are identical. A. Phelps, Sermon, preached
Jan. 2nd, 1861. SPURGEO , "Ver. 99. I have more understanding than
all my teachers. That which the Lord had taught him had been useful
in the camp, and now he finds it equally valuable in the schools.
Our teachers are not always to be trusted; in fact, we may not
follow any of them implicitly, for God holds us to account for our
personal judgments. It behooves us then to follow closely the chart
of the Word of God, that we may be able to save the vessel when
even the pilot errs. If our teachers should be in all things sound
and safe, they will be right glad for us to excel them, and they
will ever be ready to own that the teaching of the Lord is better
than any teaching which they can give us. Disciples of Christ who
sit at his feet are often better skilled in divine things than
doctors of divinity. For thy testimonies are my meditation. This is
the best mode of acquiring understanding. We may hear the wisest
teachers and remain fools, but if we meditate upon the sacred word
we must become wise. There is more wisdom in the
23. testimonies of the Lord than in all the teachings of men if
they were all gathered into one vast library. The one book
outweighs all the rest. David does not hesitate to speak the truth
in this place concerning himself, for he is quite innocent of self
consciousness. In speaking of his understanding he means to extol
the law and the Lord, and not himself. There is not a grain of
boasting in these bold expressions, but only a sincere childlike
desire to set forth the excellence of the Lord's word. He who knows
the truths taught in the Bible will be guilty of no egotism if he
believes himself to be possessed of more important truth than all
the agnostic professors buried and unburied. EXPLA ATORY OTES A D
QUAI T SAYI GS. Ver. 99. I have more understanding than all my
teachers. Even where the preacher is godly, partaker of that grace
himself, whereof he is an ambassador to others, it falls out
oftentimes that greater measure of light and grace is communicated
by his ministry to another than is given to himself; as Augustine
first illuminated and converted by Ambrose did far excel, both in
knowledge and spiritual grace, him that taught him. And herein God
wonderfully shows his glory, that, whosoever be the instrument, he
is the dispenser of light and glory, giving more by the instrument
than it hath in itself. And this is so far from being to a godly
teacher a matter of grief, that it is rather a matter of glory.
William Cowper. Ver. 99. I have more understanding than all my
teachers. It is no reflection upon my teachers, but rather an
honour to them, for me to improve so as to excel them, and no
longer to need them. By meditation we preach to ourselves, and so
we come to understand more than our teachers, for we come to
understand our hearts, which they cannot. Matthew Henry. EBC, "One
thought pervades this section, that the Law is the fountain of
sweetest wisdom. The rapture of love with which it opens is
sustained throughout. The psalmist knows that he has not merely
more wisdom of the same sort as his enemies, his teachers, and the
aged have, but wisdom of a better kind. His foes were wise in
craft, and his teachers drew their instructions from earthly
springs, and the elders had learned that bitter, worldly wisdom,
which has been disillusioned of youths unsuspectingness and dreams,
without being thereby led to grasp that which is no illusion. But a
heart which simply keeps to the Law reaches, in its simplicity, a
higher truth than these know, and has instinctive discernment of
good and evil. Worldly wisdom is transient. "Whether there be
knowledge, it shall be done away," but the wisdom that comes with
the commandment is enduring as it (Psalms 119:98). Meditation must
be accompanied with practice, in order to make the true wisdom ones
own. The depths of the testimonies must be sounded by patient
brooding on them, and then the knowledge thus won must be carried
into act. To do what we know is the sure way to know it better, and
to know more (Psalms 119:99-100). And that positive obedience has
to be accompanied by abstinence from evil ways; for in such a world
as this "Thou shalt not" is the necessary preliminary to "Thou
shalt." The psalmist has a better teacher than those whom he has
outgrown, even God Himself, and His instruction has a graciously
constraining power, which keeps its conscious scholars in the right
path (Psalms 119:102). These thoughts draw another exclamation from
the poet, who feels, as he reflects on his blessings, that the law
beloved ceases to be harsh and is delightsome as well as health
giving. It is promise
24. as well as law, for God will help us to be what He commands
us to be. They who love the Lawgiver find sweetness in the law
(Psalms 119:103). And this is the blessed effect of the wisdom
which it gives, that it makes us quick to detect sophistries which
tempt into forbidden paths, and fills us with wholesome
detestation. BI 99-100, "I have more understanding than all my
teachers: for Thy testimonies are my meditation. Inward virtues to
the truth of the Gospel 1. By obeying the commands of Scripture we
learn that these commands really come from God; by trying we make
proof; by doing we come to know. Now, how comes this to pass? It
happens in several ways. (1) The Bible tells us to be meek, humble,
single-hearted, and teachable. Now, these are qualities of mind
necessary for arriving at the truth in any subject, and in
religious matters as well as others. On the other hand, impatient,
proud, self- confident, obstinate men, are generally wrong in the
opinions they form of persons and things. Prejudice and
self-conceit blind the eyes and mislead the judgment, whatever be
the subject inquired into. (2) Those who are trained carefully
according to the precepts of Scripture gain an elevation, a
delicacy, refinement, and sanctity of mind, which is most necessary
for judging fairly of the truth of Scripture. The pure in heart
shall see God; whereas the proud provoke His anger, and the carnal
are His abhorrence. (3) Those who try to obey God will evidently
gain a knowledge of themselves at least; and this is the first and
principal step towards knowing God. 2. The Bible, then, seems to
say, God is not a hard master to require belief, without affording
grounds for believing; only follow your own sense of right, and you
will gain from that very obedience to your Maker, which natural
conscience enjoins, a conviction of the truth and power of that
Redeemer whom a supernatural message has revealed; do but examine
your thoughts and doings; do but attempt what you know to be Gods
will, and you will most assuredly be led on into all the truth: you
will recognize the force, meaning, and awful graciousness of the
Gospel Creed; you will bear witness to the truth of one doctrine,
by your own past experience of yourselves; of another, by seeing
that it is suited to your necessity; of a third, by finding it
fulfilled upon your obeying it. As the prophet says (Mal_3:10). (J.
H. Newman, B. D.) The intellectual power of revelation - I. The
power of religious knowledge. II. The inferiority of mere
intellectual attainments. The meanest student of Scripture is wiser
than the most learned professor of scientific knowledge. He is
wiser 1. Scientifically. Boasted science is all chaff; after all,
it comes back to the Scripture. 2. Morally. No system of ethics is
perfect but the Scripture system. 3. Practically. No other writers
can tell of what is beyond and what is the course to be pursued in
relation thereto.
25. III. The power available, to all. Meditation on Gods
testimonies. Meditation includes 1. Reading. This is the first
step. 2. Digesting. Dwelling on, feeding upon, making them part of
our intellectual selves. 3. Carrying out in action. The real test
of all consists in development and the outward proof of the inward
principle. (Homilist.) The only path to the highest wisdom I.
Meditation on the Divine. It is by meditation alone that men become
philosophers and artists; by it they penetrate the veil of
phenomena, descry and grasp the eternal principles that govern the
universe. By it alone we can get mental nourishment. From the
impressions that are made upon us, the observations we make, and
the thoughts that flash through us from the works we read. It is
the digestive faculty of the soul. As the best food taken into the
stomach is not only useless, but injurious to the system if not
digested, so the richest information rather encumbers than
strengthens the soul if not reflected upon. But the subject of
meditation must be Divine in order to reach the highest wisdom. Thy
testimonies. Meditations upon human history, speculation, or
enterprise, will conduct to a certain kind of wisdom, but not to
the highest wisdomthe wisdom that cometh from on high. II.
Practising the Divine. I keep Thy precepts. it is only as a man
translates his ideas into actions that they become part of himself.
The greatest ideas of God are comparatively worthless unless
embodied in life. In temporal matters the highest philosophy helps
on the world just as its theories are reduced to practice. Genuine
work alone, says Carlyle, what thou workest faithfully, that is
eternal as the Almighty Founder and World Builder Himself.
(Homilist.) 100 I have more understanding than the elders, for I
obey your precepts. BAR ES, "I understand more than the ancients -
Hebrew, The old men. It does not refer, as the word ancients does
with us, to the people of former times, but to aged men. They have
treasured up wisdom. They have had the advantage of experience, of
study, and of observation. They, therefore, like teachers, become a
standard by which we measure our own attainments, as the boy hardly
hopes to gain that amount of
26. knowledge which he observes in people who are venerable in
years, and who are remarkable for their acquirements. Compare
Job_12:12 : With the ancient is wisdom, and in length of days
understanding. Job_32:7 : I said, Days should speak, and multitude
of years should teach wisdom. Compare 1Ki_4:30-31. Yet the psalmist
says that he had reached this point, and had even gone beyond what
he had once thought he could never attain. Because I keep thy
precepts - It is all the result of an honest endeavor to do right;
to observe law; to keep the commands of God. Obedience to the law
of God will do more than any mere human teaching to make a man
truly wise. CLARKE,"I understand more than the ancients - God had
revealed to him more of that hidden wisdom which was in his law
than he had done to any of his predecessors. And this was most
literally true of David, who spoke more fully about Christ than any
who had gone before him; or, indeed, followed after him. His
compositions are, I had almost said, a sublime Gospel. GILL, "I
understand more than the ancients,.... Than those that had lived in
ages before him; having clearer light given him, and larger
discoveries made unto him, concerning the Messiah, his person and
offices particularly, as it was usual for the Lord to do; or than
aged men in his own time: for though wisdom, knowledge, and
understanding, may be reasonably supposed to be with ancient men;
who have had a long experience of things, and have had time and
opportunity of making their observations, and of laying up a stock
of knowledge; and this may be expected from them, and they may be
applied to for it; yet this is not always the case; a younger man,
as David was, may be endued with more knowledge and understanding
than such; so Elihu; see Job_8:8, Job_32:6. Or, "I have got
understanding by the ancients"; so Kimchi; though the other sense
seems preferable; because I keep thy precepts; keep close to the
word; attend to the reading of it, and meditation on it; keep it in
mind and memory, and observe to do the commands of it; and by that
means obtained a good understanding, even a better one than the
ancients; especially than they that were without it, or did not
carefully attend unto it; see Psa_ 111:10. JAMISO , "more than the
ancients Antiquity is no help against stupidity, where it does not
accord with Gods word [Luther] (Job_32:7-9). The Bible is the key
of all knowledge, the history of the world, past, present, and to
come (Psa_111:10). He who does the will of God shall know of the
doctrine (Joh_7:17). SPURGEO , "Ver. 100. I understand more than
the ancients, because I keep thy precepts. The men of old age, and
the men of old time, were outdone by the holier and more youthful
learner. He had been taught to observe in heart and life the
precepts of the Lord, and this was more than the most venerable
sinner had ever learned, more than the philosopher of antiquity had
so much as aspired to know. He had the word with him, and so
outstripped his foes; lie meditated on it, and so
27. outran his friends; he practised it, and so outshone his
elders. The instruction derived from Holy Scripture is useful in
many directions, superior from many points of view, unrivalled
everywhere and in every way. As our soul may make her boast in the
Lord, so may we boast in his word. "There is none like it: give it
me, "said David as to Goliath's sword, and we may say the same as
to the word of the Lord. If men prize antiquity they have it here.
The ancients are had in high repute, but what did they all know
compared with that which we perceive in the divine precepts? "The
old is better" says one: but the oldest of all is the best of all,
and what is that but the word of the Ancient of days EXPLA ATORY
OTES A D QUAI T SAYI GS. Ver. 100. I understand...because l keep.
Would we know the Lord? Let us keep his commandments. "By thy
precepts, "saith David, that is, by the observance of thy precepts,
"I get understanding." "If any man do my will" (saith our blessed
Saviour, John 7:17), "he shall know my doctrine." boulei yeololov
lenesyai? tav entolav fulasse, saith azienzen: Wouldst thou be a
divine? do the commandments; for action is (as it were) the basis
of contemplation. It is St. Gregory's observation concerning the
two disciples who, whilst Christ talked with them, knew him not;
but in performing an act of hospitality towards him, to wit,
breaking bread with him, they knew him, that they were enlightened,
not by hearing him, but by doing divine precepts, Quisquis ergo
vult audita intelligere; festinet ea quae jam audire potuit, opere
implere, Whosoever therefore will understand, let him first make
haste to do what he heareth. athanael Hardy, 1618-1670. Ver. 100. I
understand more than the ancients. The ordinary answer of ignorant
people is, "What! must we be wiser than our forefathers?" And yet
those same people would be richer than their forefathers were. The
maximum quod sic of a Christian is this, he must grow in grace,
till his head reach up to heaven, till grace is perfected in glory.
Christopher Love, 1618-1651. Ver. 100. More than the ancients.
Understanding gotten by the precepts of the word is better than
understanding gotten by long experience. It is better in four
regards. First, It is more exact. Our experience reacheth but to a
few things; but the word of God reacheth to all cases that concern
true happiness. The word is the result of God's wisdom, who is the
Ancient of days; therefore exceeds the wisdom of the ancients, or
experience of any men, or all men. Secondly, as it is more exact,
so a more sure way of learning wisdom, whereas experience is more
uncertain. Many have much experience, yet have not a heart to see
and to gather wisdom from what they feel: De 29:2-4. Thirdly, it is
a safer and cheaper way of learning, to learn by rule, than to come
home by weeping cross, and to learn wisdom by our own smart.
Experience is too expensive a way; and, if we had nothing else to
guide us, into how many thousand miseries should we run! Fourthly,
it is shorter. The way by age and experience is a long way; and so,
for a long time, all a man's younger age must needs be miserable
and foolish. ow, here you may come betimes to be wise by studying
the word of God. It concerns a man, not only to be wise at length,
but to be wise betimes. The foolish virgins were wise too late: but
never were any wise too soon. Condensed from Thomas Manton. Ver.
100. If this way the Word of God were thus perfect in David's time,
what is it by the addition of so many parcels of Scripture since?
If it then gave wisdom to the simple (Psalms 14:7); if it made
David, being brought up but as a shepherd,
28. wiser than his enemies, than his ancients, than his
teachers; as an angel of God in discerning right from wrong (1
Samuel 14:17); able to guide the people by the skilfulness of his
hands (Psalms 78:72); what kind of wisdom is there, which we may
not now gather from thence? What depth of natural philosophy have
we in Genesis and Job! What flowers of rhetoric in the prophets!
What force of logic in Saint Paul's epistles! what art of poetry in
the psalms! What excellent moral precepts, not only for private
life, but for the regulation of families and commonwealth in the
Proverbs and Ecclesiastes! To which may be added in a second rank
as very useful, though apocryphal, the Book of Wisdom and
Ecclesiasticus. What reasonable and just laws have we in Leviticus
and Deuteronomy, which moved the great Ptolemy to hire the
Septuagints to translate them into Greek: what unmatchable
antiquity, variety, and wonderful events, and certainty of story,
in the books of Moses, Joshua, the Judges, Samuel, the Kings, and
Chronicles, together with Ruth and Esther, Ezra and ehemiah, and,
since Christ, in the sacred Gospels and Acts of the Apostles. And,
lastly, what profound mysteries have we in the prophecies of
Ezekiel and Daniel, and the Revelation of Saint John. But in this
it infinitely exceeds the wisdom of all human writings, that it is
alone "able to make a man wise unto salvation" (2 Timothy 3:15).
Upon these considerations, Charles the Fifth of France, surnamed
The Wise, not only caused the Bible to be translated into French,
but was himself very studious in the Holy Scriptures. And
Alphonsus, King of Arragon, is said to have read over the whole
Bible fourteen several times, with Lyra's notes upon it; though he
were otherwise excellently well learned, yet was the law of God his
delight, "more desired of him than gold, yea, than much fine gold,
sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb." George Hakewell,
1579-1649. 101 I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I
might obey your word. BAR ES, "I have refrained my feet from every
evil way - I have walked in the path which thy law marks out. I
have avoided the way of wickedness, and have not yielded to the
seductions of a sinful life. That I might keep thy word - I have
avoided all those allurements which would turn me from obedience,
and which would prevent a right observance of thy commands. This
indicates a purpose and a desire to keep the law of God, and shows
the method which he adopted in order to do this. That method was to
guard against everything which would turn him from obedience; it
was, to make obedience to the law of God the
29. great aim of the life. CLARKE,"I have refrained my feet -
By avoiding all sin, the spirit of wisdom still continues to rest
upon me. GILL, "I have refrained my feet from every evil way,....
Of error or immorality, forbidden and condemned by the word of God;
every way that is evil in itself, or leads to evil, and in which
evil men walk; and though there may be many snares and temptations
to walk in such a way, yet a good man cannot allow himself to walk
therein, as others do; he has not so learned the word of God; he is
under the influence of divine grace, and withholds himself from it;
he abstains from all appearance of evil, and lays a restraint, as
upon his mouth and lips, so upon his feet, or guards his walk and
conversation. This shows, that as David had an affection for the
word of God, and made great proficiency in knowledge by it; so it
had an influence on his life and conversation, and his knowledge
appeared to be not merely speculative, but practical: his end, in
laying such a restraint upon his feet, was not out of vain glory,
and to gain popular applause nor through fear of losing his credit
among men, nor of the wrath of God; but out of love to God, and to
his word, as follows: that I might keep thy word; such was his love
to it, and his regard to the honour of it; considering whose word
it was, and with whose authority it was clothed, and whose glory
was concerned therein; that he was careful to walk according to it,
and in the way that directed to, and shun every other way. HE RY,
"Here is, 1. David's care to avoid the ways of sin: I have
refrained my feet from the evil ways they were ready to step aside
into. I checked myself and drew back as soon as I was aware that I
was entering into temptation. Though it was a broad way, a green
way, a pleasant way, and a way that many walked in, yet, being a
sinful way, it was an evil way, and he refrained his feet from it,
foreseeing the end of that way. And his care was universal; he
shunned every evil way. By the words of thy lips I have kept myself
from the paths of the destroyer, Psa_17:4. 2. His care to be found
in the way of duty; That I might keep thy word, and never
transgress it. His abstaining from sin was, (1.) An evidence that
he did conscientiously aim to keep God's word and had made that his
rule. (2.) It was a means of his keeping God's word in the
exercises of religion; for we cannot with any comfort or boldness
attend on God in holy duties, so as in them to keep his word, while
we are under guilt or in any by-way. JAMISO , "Avoidance of sinful
courses is both the effect and means of increasing in divine
knowledge (compare Psa_19:10). CALVI , "101.I have restrained my
feet from every evil path He intimates that he proclaimed war
against every vice, that he might wholly devote himself to the
service of God. From this we learn the profitable lesson, that in
order to our keeping Gods Law, we must, from the commencement,
beware lest our feet should step aside into crooked by-paths; for
with a nature so corrupted as ours is, amidst so
30. many allurements, and with minds so fickle, we are in the
greatest danger of being led astray; yea, it is a rare miracle if
any man hold on in his life in a right course, without turning
aside in one direction or another. The faithful, therefore,
have
