In Psalm 119, the Psalmist writes about how we can be blessed by wholeheartedly seeking the Lord, keeping His Word and walking in His way (vv 1-8) and about how the youth can make their lives clean and pure by carefully keeping their hearts and lives according to God’s Word, wholeheartedly seeking the Lord and hiding His Word in their hearts (vv 8-16). In the following paragraphs, the Psalmist presents his personal and fervent prayer to the Lord for His wonderful truth:
Humbly Pray for God’s Goodness with a Submissive Heart: “Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word” (v 17). Deal bountifully (gamal) means to do good to someone, reward, wean an infant. Servant (ebed) means a servant, a bond slave, a worshipper or a minister of God. The Psalmist humbly prays to the Lord to do good to him as His own bondservant so that he may live and keep God’s Word. Do you and I truly submit ourselves to the Lord as His own bondservants and acknowledge that without God’s goodness and mercy we cannot live nor keep His Word? Truly, God who “hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6) as long as we are really submissive to Him as the clay in the Divine Potter’s hands. Many cannot enjoy God’s good work in their hearts and lives because they are still the owner and the boss of their lives. They still say, see, listen to, watch, read or do whatever they like regardless of the Lord and His Word, and they are still enslaved to their sinful self, youthful lusts and worldliness! I would rather be a bond slave of our good God than be a bond slave of the wicked One or human sinful nature. What about you?
Humbly Pray for God’s Illumination to See His Wonderful Truth: “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me” (v 18-19). The Psalmist does not proudly think that he can see God’s truth better than many others. He personally prays to God to open his own spiritual eyes, “Open thou my eyes” with his personal purpose, “that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” The Psalmist acknowledges that while he is God’s bond slave, he is a stranger in the earth who really needs God’s instructions and guidance, “hide not thy commandments from me.” Do you and I truly and personally pray to God for His illumination to see His wonderful truth and for His instructions and guidance to walk after Him as a stranger in the way from earth to heaven? Paul prayed for the believers in Philippi, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints” (Eph 1:17-18). The Psalmist does not just pray to God and then he does nothing. His part is to really long for God’s Word, “My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times” (v 20), to keep God’s Word, “for I have kept thy testimonies” (v 22), to meditate on God’s Word, “thy servant did meditate in thy statutes” (v 23), and to delight in God’s Word and to turn to God’s Word for advice, “Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors” (24). Those who cannot see God’s precious and wonderful truths from His Word cannot truly thirst for God’s Word, delight in God’s Word, read and meditate on God’s Word and keep God’s Word! On the contrary, they read God’s Word with their low view, doubt, question or criticism. Then how can they be blessed? What about you and me?
No comments:
Post a Comment