This psalm has no special title, nor is any author's name mentioned. It is the longest psalm, and this is a sufficiently distinctive name for it. In size, it equals twenty-two psalms of the average length of the Songs of Degrees.

The style among modern writers is, as much as possible, to reject David's authorship of every one of the psalms. As the critics of this school of thought are usually unsound in doctrine and unspiritual in tone, we move in the opposite direction, due to a natural suspicion of everything that comes…

The one theme of this psalm is the Word of the Lord. The psalmist sets his subject in many lights and treats it in a variety of ways, but he seldom fails to mention the Word of the Lord in each verse by one of the many names by which he knows it.

Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed. The psalmist is so enraptured with the law of the Lord that he considers being conformed to it to be his highest ideal of blessedness.

Blessed are those who keep his testimonies and who seek him with their whole heart. Blessed are those that keep his testimonies. What! A second blessing? Yes, those whose outward life is supported by an inward zeal for God's glory are doubly blessed.

They also do no iniquity. They walk in His ways. They also do no iniquity. Blessed indeed would those people be about whom this could be unreservedly said with no explanation needed. We will have reached the state of pure blessedness when we cease from sin altogether.

You have commanded us to keep your precepts diligently. When we follow God, this is simply doing our duty, since God commands us to keep His commandments.

O that my ways were ordered to keep your statutes! Divine commands should guide us in the subject of our prayers. We cannot in our own strength keep God's statutes as He wants them kept, and yet we long to do so.

Then I shall not be ashamed, when I have insight unto all your commandments. Then I shall not be ashamed. David had known shame, and here he rejoices in the prospect of being freed from it. Sin brings shame, and when sin is gone, the reason for being ashamed is gone, too.

I will praise you with uprightness of heart when I shall have learned your righteous judgments. I will praise you. It is never a long or a difficult journey from prayer to praise. You can be certain that he who prays for holiness will one day praise God for happiness.

I will keep your statutes; O do not utterly forsake me. I will keep your statutes. A calm resolve. When praise calms down into solid resolution, it is well with the soul. Zeal that spends itself in singing and leaves no practical residue of holy living is worth little.

How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. How can a young man cleanse his way? How will he become and remain practically holy? He is just a young man, full of hot passions and lacking in knowledge and experience.

With my whole heart I have sought you; O let me not err from your commandments. With my whole heart have I sought you. His heart had gone after God Himself. He not only desired to obey His laws, but he also desired to commune with Him.

Your word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against you. When a godly man requests a favor from God, he should carefully use every means for obtaining it.

Blessed are you, O LORD: teach me your statutes. Blessed are you, O LORD. These words of adoration arise out of an intense admiration of the divine character, which the writer is humbly aiming to imitate. He blesses God for all that He has revealed to him and worked in him.

With my lips I have declared all the judgments of your mouth. The one who is being taught in verse 12 is here in verse 13 a teacher himself. What we learn in secret we are to proclaim on the housetops. This is what the psalmist has done. As much as he had learned, he declared.

I have rejoiced in the way of your testimonies as above all riches. Delight in the Word of God is a sure proof that it has taken effect on the heart, and so is cleansing the life. The psalmist not only says that he does rejoice, but also that he has rejoiced.

I will meditate in your precepts and consider your ways. I will meditate in your precepts. He who has an inward delight in anything will not stop thinking about it for very long.

I will delight myself in your statutes; I will not forget your words. I will delight myself in your statutes. Delight follows meditation in this verse, from which it is the true flower and outgrowth.

Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word. Deal bountifully with your servant. He takes pleasure in acknowledging his duty to God, and he considers it the joy of his heart to be in the service of his God.

Open my eyes, that I shall behold the wondrous things from your law. Open my eyes. This is a part of the bountiful dealing for which he asked. No bounty is greater than that which benefits our person, our soul, our mind, and such an important organ as the eye.

I am a stranger in the earth; hide not your commandments from me. I am a stranger in the earth. This is meant as a plea. By divine command, people are compelled to be kind to strangers, and what God commands for others, He will demonstrate in Himself.

My soul is broken from desiring your judgments at all times. True godliness lies very much in desires. Just as we are not currently what we will be, so also we are not what we want to be.

You rebuke the proud--the cursed, Who stray from Your commandments. You rebuke the proud. This is one of God's judgments. He is sure to deal out a terrible portion to those who are arrogant.

Remove from me reproach and contempt, for I have kept your testimonies. Remove from me reproach and contempt. These are painful things to tender minds. David could bear them for righteousness' sake, but they were a heavy yoke from which he longed to be free.

Princes also sat and spoke against me, But Your servant meditates on Your statutes.Princes also sat and spoke against me. David was a big game, and the great ones of the earth went hunting after him. Princes saw in him a greatness that they envied, and so they mistreated him.

For your testimonies are my delight and my counselors. God's testimonies were not just topics for meditation; they were also sources of delight and means of guidance. While his enemies took counsel with each other, the holy man took counsel with the testimonies of God.

My soul cleaves unto the dust; quicken me according to your word. My soul cleaves unto the dust. In part, he means he was full of sorrow, for mourners in the east threw dust on their heads and sat in ashes, and the psalmist felt as if these symbols of woe were glued to him, and his very soul was…

I have declared my ways, and you heard me; teach me your statutes. I have declared my ways. Open confession is good for the soul. Nothing brings more ease and more life to someone than a direct acknowledgment of the evil that has caused the sorrow and weariness.

Make me to understand the way of your precepts; so I shall talk of your wondrous works. Make me to understand the way of your precepts. Give me deep insight into the practical meaning of Your Word. Let me get a clear idea of the tone and tenor of Your law.

My soul melts for heaviness; strengthen me according to your word. My soul melts for heaviness. He was dissolving away in tears. The solid strength of his constitution was turning to liquid, as if melted by the extreme heat of his afflictions.

Remove from me the way of lying, and from your law grant me mercy. Remove from me the way of lying. This is the way of sin, error, idolatry, foolishness, self-righteousness, formalism, and hypocrisy. David did not just want to be kept from that way, but he wanted that way to be kept from him.

I have chosen the way of truth; I have laid your judgments before me. I have chosen the way of truth. Since he abhorred the way of lying, David chose the way of truth. A person must choose one or the other, for there cannot be any neutrality in this matter.

I have stuck unto your testimonies; O LORD, put me not to shame. I have stuck unto your testimonies, or, "I have cleaved," because the word is the same as in verse 25. Though he cleaved to the dust of sorrow and death, he still held fast to the divine Word.

I will run the way of your commandments, when you shall enlarge my heart. I will run the way of your commandments. With energy, quickness of action, and zeal, David could perform the will of God, but he needed more life and liberty from the hand of God. When you shall enlarge my heart.

Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes, and I shall keep it unto the end. Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes. These childlike, blessed words are from the lips of an old, experienced believer, who is also a king and a man inspired by God. We can be sad for those who will never be taught.

Give me understanding, and I shall keep your law; yes, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Give me understanding, and I shall keep your law. This is the same prayer expanded, or rather it is a supplement which intensifies it. He not only needs teaching, but he also needs the power to learn.

Make me to go in the path of your commandments, for therein do I delight. For I have the desire, but I am not able to perform that which is good . You have made me to love the way; now make me to walk in it. It is a clear path that others are treading through Your grace.

Incline my heart unto your testimonies, and not to covetousness. Incline my heart unto your testimonies. Doesn't this prayer seem to be unnecessary, since it is evident that the psalmist's heart was set on obedience? We are sure there is never an excess word in Scripture.

Turn away my eyes from beholding vanity, and quicken me to live in your way. Turn away my eyes from beholding vanity. David prayed about his heart, and one would think the eyes would surely have been influenced by the heart, thus eliminating the need to make them the objects of a special prayer,…

Establish your word unto your servant, who is devoted to your fear. Establish your word unto your servant. Make me sure of Your unerring Word. Make it sure to me, and make me sure of it.

Turn away my reproach which I have feared, for your judgments are good. Turn away my reproach which I have feared. He feared righteous reproach, trembling for fear that he might cause the enemy to blaspheme through any glaring inconsistency in his life.

Behold, I have longed after your precepts; quicken me in your righteousness Behold, I have longed after your precepts. The psalmist can at least claim sincerity. He is deeply bowed down by a sense of his weakness and need of grace, but he desires to be conformed to the divine will in all things.

Let your mercies come unto me, O LORD, even your salvation, according to your word. Let your mercies come unto me, O LORD. David desired mercy as well as teaching, for he was guilty as well as ignorant.

And I shall answer him that reproaches me, for I trust in your word. And I shall answer him that reproaches me. This is an unanswerable answer. When God, by granting us salvation, gives an answer of peace to our prayers, we are ready at once to answer the objections of the unbeliever, the quibbles…

And take not the word of truth out of my mouth; for I hope for your judgment. And take not the word of truth out of my mouth. Do not prevent my pleading for You by leaving me without deliverance, for how could I continue to proclaim Your Word if I found that it failed me? The Word of truth cannot…

So shall I keep your law continually forever and ever. Nothing more effectively secures a person to the way of the Lord than an experience of the truth of His Word exemplified in the form of mercies and deliverances.

And I will walk at liberty, for I seek your commandments. Believers find no bondage in holiness. The Spirit of holiness is a free spirit. He sets men free and enables them to resist every effort to bring them under subjection.

I will speak of your testimonies also before kings and will not be ashamed. This is part of his liberty. He is free from fear of the greatest, proudest, and most tyrannical of men.

And I will delight myself in your commandments, which I have loved. Next to liberty and courage comes delight. When we have done our duty, we find great reward in it.

I will lift up My hands unto your commandments, which I have loved, and I will meditate in your statutes. I will lift up My hands unto your commandments, which I have loved. David stretches toward perfection as much as he possibly can, hoping to reach it one day.

Remember the word unto your servant, in which you have caused me to hope. Remember the word unto your servant. David doesn't ask for a new promise, but he asks to have the old Word fulfilled. He is grateful that he has received such a good Word, and he embraces it with all his heart.

This is my comfort in my affliction; for your word has quickened me. David means that God's Word is his comfort, or the fact that God's Word has brought life to him is his comfort. He means that the hope that God had given him was his comfort, for God had quickened him by this.

The proud have had me greatly in derision; yet I have not deviated from your law. Proud people never love gracious people, and since they fear them, they veil their fear under a pretended contempt. In this case, their hatred revealed itself in ridicule, and that ridicule was loud and long.

I remembered your judgments of old, O LORD, and have comforted myself. David had asked the Lord to remember, and here he remembers God and His judgments.

Horror has taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake your law. David was horrified at their action, at the pride which led them to it, and at the punishment which would be sure to befall them for it.

Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage. Like other servants of God, David knew he wasn't at home in this world, but rather was a pilgrim traveling through, seeking a better country. He did not, however, mourn over this fact, but he sang about it.

I have remembered your name, O LORD, in the night, and have kept your law. I have remembered your name, O LORD, in the night. David is saying that while others slept, he woke to think of the Lord: His person, His actions, His covenant, His name.

This I had, because I kept your precepts. He had this comfort, this remembrance of God, this power to sing, this courage to face the enemy, and this hope in the promise, because he had earnestly observed the commands of God and strove to walk in them.

You are my portion, O LORD: I have said that I would keep your words. You are my portion, O Lord. This is a broken expression. Some translators have amended it with insertions, but it might be better to have left it alone to read as an exclamation: My portion, O Lord! The poet is lost in wonder as…

I entreated your presence with my whole heart; be merciful unto me according to your word. I entreated your presence with my whole heart. A fully assured possession of God does not set prayer aside, but rather urges us to practice it.

I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto your testimonies. While studying the Word, David was led to study his own life, and this caused a mighty transformation. He came to the Word and then he came to himself, and this made him rise and go to his Father.

I made haste and did not delay to keep your commandments. David hurried to get back onto the royal road from which he had wandered, and to run on that road in the King's errands. Speed in repentance and speed in obedience are two excellent things. We are too often in haste to sin.

The company of the wicked have robbed me, but I have not forgotten your law. The company of the wicked have robbed me. In the past, the wicked derided David, and now they have defrauded him. Ungodly people grow worse and become more and more daring, so that they go from ridicule to robbery.

At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto you, because of your righteous judgments. David was not afraid of the robbers. He rose up at midnight, not to watch his house, but to praise his God.

I am a companion of all those that fear you, and of those who keep your precepts.I am a companion of all those that fear you. The last verse said, I will, and this verse says, I am. We can hardly hope to be right in the future unless we are right now.

The earth, O LORD, is full of your mercy; teach me your statutes. The earth, O LORD, is full of your mercy. David had been exiled, but he had never been driven beyond the range of mercy, for he found the world to be filled with it everywhere.

You have dealt well with your servant, O LORD, according unto your word. This is the summary of David's life, and it is also most assuredly the sum of ours. The psalmist tells the Lord the verdict of his heart; he cannot be silent, but must speak his gratitude in the presence of Jehovah, his God.

Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed your commandments. Teach me good judgment and knowledge. Again, David begs for teaching, like he did in verse 64, and again he uses God's mercy as an argument.

Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept your word. Before I was afflicted I went astray. This is likely in part due to the lack of difficulty. Often our difficulties act like a thorny hedge to keep us in the good pasture, while our prosperity is a gap through which we go astray.

You are good and do good; teach me your statutes. You are good and do good. Even in affliction, God is good and does good. This is the confession of experience. In Himself, God is essential goodness, and in every attribute of His nature, He is good in the fullest sense of the term.

The proud have forged a lie against me, but I will keep your precepts with my whole heart. The proud have forged a lie against me. They first derided him (verse 51), then defrauded him (verse 61), and now they have slandered him.

Their heart is as fat as grease, but I delight in your law. Their heart is as fat as grease. They delight in overindulgence, but I delight in You, Lord. Through carnal indulgence, their hearts have grown unfeeling and coarse, but You have saved me from such a fate through Your correcting hand.

It was good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. It was good for me that I have been afflicted. Even though the humbling came from bad men, it was used for good results. Even though it was bad in that it came from them, it was good for David.

The law of your mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver. The law of your mouth. This is a sweetly expressive name for the Word of God. It comes from God's own mouth with freshness and power to our souls.

Your hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding, and I shall learn your commandments. Your hands have made me and fashioned me. It is profitable for us to remember our creation.

Those that fear you will be glad when they see me, because I have hoped on your word. When a man of God obtains grace for himself, he becomes a blessing to others—especially if that grace has made him a man of sound understanding and holy knowledge.

I know, O LORD, that your judgments are right, and that you in faithfulness have afflicted me. I know, O LORD, that your judgments are right. He who desires to learn more must be thankful for what he already knows, and he must be willing to confess it to the glory of God.

Let, I pray, your merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to your word unto your servant. Having confessed the righteousness of the Lord, David now appeals to God's mercy, and while he does not ask that the rod be removed, he earnestly begs for comfort under it.

Let your tender mercies come unto me, that I may live, for your law is my delight. Let your tender mercies come unto me, that I may live. David was so hard-pressed that if God did not comfort him, he would be at death's door.

Let the proud be ashamed, for they dealt perversely with me without a cause, but I will meditate in your precepts. Let the proud be ashamed. David begged that the judgments of God might no longer fall on himself, but rather upon his cruel adversaries.

Let those who fear you turn unto me, and those that have known your testimonies. Perhaps the tongue of slander had alienated some of the godly, and probably the actual faults of David had grieved many more. He begs God to turn to him, and then to turn His people toward him.

Let my heart be perfect in your statutes, that I not be ashamed. This is even more important than to be held in esteem by godly people. This is the root of the matter. If the heart is firm in obedience to God, all is well, or will be well. If the heart is right, then we are right in all aspects.

My soul faints for your salvation: but I hope in your word. My soul faints for your salvation. David wanted no deliverance except that which came from God.

My eyes fail for your word, saying, When will you comfort me? His eyes gave out from eagerly gazing for the compassionate appearance of the Lord; while his heart, in weariness, cried out for speedy comfort.

For I am become like a wine skin in the smoke; yet I have not forgotten your statutes. For I am become like a wine skin in the smoke. The skins used for containing wine, when emptied, were hung up in the tent, and when the place reeked with smoke the skins grew black and sooty, and in the heat they…

How many are the days of your servant? When will you execute judgment on those that persecute me? How many are the days of your servant? I cannot hope to live long in such a condition. You must come quickly to my rescue or I will die.

The proud have dug pits for me, which are not according to your law. As men who hunt wild beasts are accustomed to make pitfalls and snares, so David's enemies endeavored to entrap him. They painstakingly and cleverly worked to ruin him. The proud have dug pits—not one pit, but many.

All your commandments are faithful; they persecute me wrongfully; help me. All your commandments are faithful. He found no fault with God's law, even though he had fallen into sad trouble through obedience to it. Whatever the command might cost him, it was worth it.

They had almost consumed me upon earth, but I have not forsaken your precepts. They had almost consumed me upon earth. David's enemies had almost destroyed him so as to make him fail completely.

Quicken me after your loving-kindness; so shall I keep the testimony of your mouth. Quicken me after your loving-kindness. This is a most-wise, most-blessed prayer! If we are revived in our own personal piety, we will be out of reach of our assailants.

Forever, O LORD, your word is settled in the heavens. Some people are never happier than when they are unsettling everything and everybody, but God's mind is not the same as theirs.

Your faithfulness is unto all generations: you have established the earth, and it abides. Your faithfulness is unto all generations. This is an additional note of praise. God is not affected by the lapse of time.

They continue this day according to your ordinances: for all are your servants. They continue this day according to your ordinances. Because the Lord has told the universe to continue, it remains, and all its laws continue to operate with precision and power.

Unless your law had been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. The word that has preserved the heavens and the earth also preserves the people of God in their time of trial. We are enamored with that word; it is a mine of delight to us.

I will never forget your precepts; for with them you have quickened me. When we feel the quickening power of a precept, we can never forget it. We may read it, learn it, repeat it, and think we have it, yet it can slip out of our minds; but once it has given us life or renewed our life, there is no…

I am yours, save me; for I have sought your precepts. I am yours, save me. This is a comprehensive prayer with a prevailing argument. Consecration is a good plea for preservation. If we are conscious that we are the Lord's, we can be confident that He will save us.

The wicked have waited for me to destroy me, but I will consider your testimonies. They were like wild beasts crouching along the way, or like robbers ambushing a defenseless traveler; but the psalmist went on his way without considering them, for his mind was focused on something better—namely,…

I have seen an end of all perfection, but your commandment is exceeding broad. I have seen an end of all perfection. David had seen perfection's limit, for it was only good up to a certain extent.

O how I love your law! This is a note of exclamation. He loves so much that he must express his love, and he must express it to God in rapturous devotion.

You through your commandments have made me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. You through your commandments have made me wiser than my enemies. The commandments were David's book, but God was his teacher.

I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies have been my meditation. I have more understanding than all my teachers. What the Lord had taught David has been useful in the camp, and now he finds it equally valuable in the school.

I understand more than the ancients, because I keep your precepts. The men of antiquity and the men of old age were outdone by the holier and more youthful learner.

I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep your word. We cannot treasure the Holy Word unless we cast out all unholiness. If we keep the good Word, we must let go of the evil. David had zealously watched his steps and put a check on his conduct; he had refrained his feet.

I have not departed from your judgments, for you have taught me. Those whom God teaches are well taught. What we learn from the Lord we never forget. God's instruction has a practical effect—we follow His way when He teaches us, and it has a continuing effect—we do not depart from holiness.

How sweet have been your words unto my taste! yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth! How sweet have been your words unto my taste! He had not only heard the words of God, but he had also fed upon them. They influenced his palate as well as his ear.

Through your precepts I have obtained understanding; therefore I have hated every false way. Through your precepts I have obtained understanding. God's direction is our instruction. Obedience to the divine will produces wisdom of mind and action.

Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my way. Your word is a lamp unto my feet. We walk through this world and are often called to go out into its darkness. Let us never venture there without the light-giving Word, so that our feet will not slip.

I have sworn and I will perform it, that I will keep your righteous judgments. Under the influence of the clear light of knowledge, David had firmly made up his mind and had solemnly declared his resolve in the sight of God.

I am afflicted very much; quicken me, O LORD, according to your word. I am afflicted very much. According to the last verse, David had been sworn in as a soldier of the Lord, and in this verse he is called to suffer hardship in that capacity.

Accept, I beseech you, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD, and teach me your judgments. Accept, I beseech you, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD. Those who are living praise the living God, and therefore the one who is made alive spiritually presents his sacrifice.

My soul is continually in my hand; yet I do not forget your law. My soul is continually in my hand. David lived in the midst of danger. He always had to be fighting for existence—hiding in caves or contending in battles.

The wicked have laid a snare for me; yet did not I err from your precepts. The wicked have laid a snare for me. Spiritual life is the scene of constant danger.

I have taken your testimonies as a heritage forever; for they are the rejoicing of my heart. I have taken your testimonies as a heritage forever. David chose the Lord's testimonies as his lot, his portion, and his estate, and what is more, he took hold of them and made them so by taking them into…

I have inclined my heart to perform your statutes always, even unto the end. David was active and energetic in ruling his own heart. Not only could he say, "I am inclined," but also, I have inclined. He wasn't just half inclined toward righteousness, but was wholeheartedly inclined to it.

I hate vain thoughts; but I love your law. In this paragraph, the psalmist deals with thoughts, things, and people that are the opposite of God's holy thoughts and ways.

You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word. You are my hiding place and my shield. God was David's shelter and shield. He ran to God for refuge from vain thoughts.

Depart from me, you evildoers; for I will keep the commandments of my God. Depart from me, you evildoers. Those who are conscious of their thoughts, are not likely to tolerate evil company. If we flee to God from vain thoughts, much more will we avoid vain men.

Uphold me according unto your word, and I shall live; and let me not be ashamed of my hope. Uphold me according unto your word, and I shall live. It was so necessary that the Lord should hold up His servant that he couldn't even live without it.

Hold me up, and I shall be safe, and I shall delight in your statutes continually. Hold me up—as a nurse holds up a little child. And I shall be safe, and not otherwise, for unless You hold me up, I will fall like an infant that is weak on its legs.

You have trodden down all those who err from your statutes; for their deceit is falsehood. You have trodden down all those who err from your statutes. There is no holding up those who are thrown down and then trodden down, for they choose to go into the wandering ways of sin.

You put away all the wicked of the earth like dross; therefore I have loved your testimonies. You put away all the wicked of the earth like dross. God doesn't mess around with them or handle them with kid gloves.

My flesh trembles for fear of you, and I am afraid of your judgments. My flesh trembles for fear of you. He did not rejoice over the punishment of others, but he trembled on his own account.

I have done judgment and justice: leave me not to my oppressors. I have done judgment and justice. This was a huge thing for an Eastern ruler to say at any time, for these tyrannical rulers mostly cared more for gain than justice.

Be surety for your servant for good; do not let the proud do oppress me. Be surety for your servant for good. This was the cry of Job and of Hezekiah, and it is the cry of every soul who believes in the great Intercessor and Mediator. Answer for me.

My eyes fail for your salvation, and for the word of your righteousness. My eyes fail for your salvation. He wept, waited, and watched for God's saving hand, and these exercises tried the eyes of his faith until they were almost ready to give out.

Deal with your servant according to your mercy, and teach me your statutes. Deal with your servant according to your mercy. Here David recollects himself.

I am your servant; give me understanding, that I may know your testimonies. I am your servant. This is the third time he has repeated this title in this section. He is evidently fond of the name and considers it to be a very effective plea.

It is time for you, O LORD, to work; for they have made void your law. David was a servant, and therefore it was always his time to work; but in being oppressed by the sight of people's ungodly behavior, he feels his Master's hand is needed, and so he appeals to God to work against the workings of…

Therefore I have loved your commandments above gold, yes, above fine gold. Just as it was God's time to work, so it was David's time to love. He was so far from being swayed by the example of evil men as to join them in slighting the Scriptures, he was instead led into a stronger love of those…

Therefore I have esteemed all your precepts concerning all things to be right, and I have hated every false way. Therefore I have esteemed all your precepts concerning all things to be right.

Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore does my soul keep them. Your testimonies are wonderful, full of wonderful revelations, commands, and promises. God's testimonies are wonderful in their nature, being free from all error and conveying overwhelming self-evidence of their truth.

The entrance of your words gives light; it gives understanding unto the simple. The entrance of your words gives light. No sooner do God's words gain admission into the soul than they enlighten it, and what light can be expected from their continued indwelling! Their very entrance floods the mind…

I opened my mouth and panted; for I longed for your commandments. I opened my mouth and panted. An enlarged desire is one of the first fruits of an understanding given to us from the Lord. The psalmist's desire was so full of spirit that he looked into the animal world to find a picture of it.

Look upon me and be merciful unto me, as you used to do unto those that love your name. Look upon me. A godly man cannot go without prayer for very long. During the previous verses, David expressed his love for God's Word, but here he is on his knees again.

Order my steps in your word; and let not any iniquity have dominion over me. Order my steps in your word. This is one of the Lord's customary mercies to His chosen: He keeps the feet of his saints . This He does for those who love His name.

Ransom me from the oppression of men, so I will keep your precepts. Ransom me from the oppression of men. David had tasted all the bitterness of this great evil. It had forced him into exile from his country and banished him from the sanctuary of the Lord.

Make your face to shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes. Make your face to shine upon your servant. Oppressors frown, but the Lord smiles upon me. They darken my life, but when You shine upon me, all will be bright.

Rivers of waters run down my eyes, because they did not keep your law. David wept in sympathy with God when he saw the holy law despised and broken. He wept in pity for people who drew down the fiery wrath of God upon themselves in this manner.

Righteous are you, O LORD, and upright are your judgments. Righteous are you, O LORD. The psalmist has not often used the name of Jehovah in this vast composition.

Your testimonies that you have commanded are righteous and very faithful. All that God has testified in His Word is right and truthful. His testimonies are righteous and can be relied on for the present. They are faithful and can be trusted in for the future.

My zeal has consumed me, because my enemies have forgotten your words. This was no doubt prompted by his having such a clear sense of the admirable character of God's Word. His zeal was like a fire burning within his soul.

Your word is very pure; therefore your servant loves it. Your word is very pure. It is truth distilled, the embodiment of holiness. In the Word of God there is no mixture of error or sin.

I am small and despised; yet I have not forgotten your precepts. That fault of forgetfulness that he condemned in others (verse 139) could not be charged to himself. His enemies did not think much of him, and they regarded him as a man without power or ability. Therefore, they looked down on him.

Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and your law is the truth. Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness. Having attributed righteousness to God in a previous verse, he now goes on to declare that that righteousness is unchanging and endures from age to age.

Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me; but your commandments were my delights. Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me. This affliction may have arisen from his circumstances, from the cruelty of his enemies, or from his own internal conflicts, but it is certain that he was the subject of…

The righteousness of your testimonies are everlasting; give me understanding, and I shall live. The righteousness of your testimonies are everlasting. First, David said that God's testimonies were righteous, then that they were everlasting, and now that their righteousness is everlasting.

I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O LORD, and I will keep your statutes. I cried with my whole heart. His prayer was a sincere, mournful, painful, and natural expression, like that of a creature in pain.

I cried unto you; save me, and I shall keep your testimonies. I cried unto you. Again he mentions that his prayer was to God alone. The sentence signifies that he prayed fervently and very often and that it had become one of the greatest facts of his life that he cried unto God. Save me.

I arose before the dawning of the morning and cried: I hoped in your word. I arose before the dawning of the morning and cried. David was up before the sun and began pleading to the Lord before the dew began to evaporate. Whatever is worth doing is worth doing promptly.

I stay awake through the night watches, that I might meditate in your word. I stay awake through the night watches. Before the watchman cried the hour, David was crying to God. He did not need to be informed about how the hours were flying by, for every hour his heart was flying toward Heaven.

Hear my voice according to your loving-kindness; O LORD, quicken me according to your judgment. Hear my voice according to your loving-kindness. People find it very helpful to use their voices in prayer. It is difficult to maintain the intensity of devotion for long, unless we hear ourselves speak.

They draw near who follow after evil: they are far from your law. They draw near who follow after evil. He could hear their footsteps close behind him. They are not following him for his benefit, but for his harm; therefore, the sound of their approach is to be dreaded.

You are near, O LORD; and all your commandments are truth. You are near, O LORD. Near as the enemy might be, God was nearer. This is one of the best comforts for the persecuted child of God. The Lord is near to hear our cries and to quickly provide us aid.

Concerning your testimonies, I have known of old that you have founded them forever. David learned long ago that God had founded His testimonies in ancient times and that they would stand firm throughout all ages.

Consider my affliction and deliver me; for I have not forgotten your law. Consider my affliction and deliver me. The writer has a good case, though it is a grievous one, and he is ready, and even anxious, to submit it to divine arbitration.

Plead my cause and deliver me; quicken me according to your word. Plead my cause and deliver me. In the last verse David prayed, Deliver me, and here he specifies one method in which that deliverance might be granted; namely, by the support of his cause.

Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek your statutes. Salvation is far from the wicked. By their perseverance in evil, they have almost put themselves beyond hope. They talk about being saved, but they cannot know anything about it or they wouldn't remain wicked.

Great are your tender mercies, O LORD: quicken me according to your judgments. This verse is very much like verse 149, yet it is no vain repetition. There is such a difference in the main idea that the one verse stands out distinct from the other.

Many are my persecutors and my enemies; yet I do not deviate from your testimonies. Many are my persecutors and my enemies. Those who actually assault me, or who secretly despise me, are many. David sets this against the many tender mercies of God.

I beheld the transgressors and was grieved because they did not keep your words. I beheld the transgressors. I saw the traitors. I understood their character, their objective, their way, and their purpose. I could not help seeing them, for they pushed themselves into my path.

Consider, O LORD, that I love your precepts; quicken me according to your mercy. Consider, or see, that I love your precepts. He asks for consideration a second time.

Your word is true from the beginning: and every one of your righteous judgments endures forever. The sweet singer finishes up this section in the same way as the last, by dwelling upon the sureness of the truth of God.

Princes have persecuted me without a cause, but my heart stands in awe of your words. Princes have persecuted me without a cause. Such people should have known better. They should have had sympathy with one of their own rank. A man expects a fair trial at the hands of his peers.

I rejoice at your word, as one that finds great spoil. His awe did not prevent his joy. His fear of God was not the kind that perfect love casts out, but was of the sort that it nourishes. He trembled at the Word of the Lord, and yet rejoiced at it.

I hate and abhor lying, but I love your law. I hate and abhor lying. This is a double expression for an inexpressible loathing. Falsehood in doctrine, in life, or in speech—falsehood in any form or shape—had become totally detestable to the psalmist.

Seven times a day do I praise you, because of the judgments of your righteousness. He thoroughly worked to praise his perfect God, and therefore he fulfilled the perfect number of songs—that number being seven.

Those who love your law have great peace, and nothing shall cause them to stumble. Those who love your law have great peace. What a charming verse this is! It does not deal with people who perfectly keep the law, for where would such people be found? Rather, it deals with those who love it, whose…

LORD, I have waited for your salvation, and done your commandments. Here we have salvation by grace, and the fruits of it. All David's hope was fixed upon God; he looked to Him alone for salvation, and then he tried most earnestly to fulfill the commands of His law.

My soul has kept your testimonies, and I have loved them exceedingly. My soul has kept your testimonies. Outwardly, my life has kept Your precepts—and my inward life, my soul, has kept Your testimonies.

I have kept your precepts and your testimonies, for all my ways are before you. I have kept your precepts and your testimonies. David had stored up, preserved, and followed both the practical and doctrinal parts of God's Word.

Let my cry come near before you, O LORD; give me understanding according to your word. Let my cry come near before you, O LORD. He is tremblingly afraid for fear that he might not be heard.

Let my supplication come before you; deliver me according to your word. Let my supplication come before you. It is the same appeal with a slight change of words. David humbly calls his cry a supplication, a sort of beggar's petition, and again he asks for an audience and for an answer.

My lips shall overflow with praise, when you have taught me your statutes. David will not always be pleading for himself; he will rise above all selfishness and offer thanks for the benefit received. He promises to praise God when he has gained practical instruction in the life of godliness.

My tongue shall speak of your word; for all your commandments are righteous. My tongue shall speak of your word. When David had finished singing, he began preaching. God's tender mercies are such that they can be either said or sung.

Let your hand help me, for I have chosen your precepts. Let your hand help me. Give me practical help. Don't hand me over to my friends or to Your friends, but put Your own hand to the work. Your hand has both skill and power, readiness and strength. Display all these qualities on my behalf.

I have longed for your salvation, O LORD, and your law is my delight. I have longed for your salvation, O LORD. David speaks like old Jacob on his deathbed. Certainly all saints, both in prayer and in death, appear as one in word, deed, and mind.

Let my soul live, and it shall praise you, and let your judgments help me. Let my soul live. Fill it full of life, preserve it from wandering into the ways of death, allow it to enjoy the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, let it live to the fullness of life, to the greatest possibilities of its newly…

I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant; for I have not forgotten your commandments. This is the finale, the conclusion of the whole matter. I have gone astray like a lost sheep—often, willfully, shamelessly, and even hopelessly—except for Your intervening grace.