Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 119:73
Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.
73. fashioned ] Or, established. Cp. Job 10:8; Deu 32:6.
give me understanding &c.] Complete Thy work: Thou hast made my bodily frame, perfect my spirit.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
73 80. Yd. God has afflicted him in faithfulness: yet now O that He would comfort him, for the encouragement of the godly and the confusion of the proud.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Thy hands have made me – This commences a new division of the psalm, in which each verse begins with the Hebrew letter Jod ( y) – or i – the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet, called in Mat 5:18, jot; one jot or tittle shall in no wise pass from the law. The words thy hands have made me are expressive of the idea that he had been formed or moulded by God – as the hands are the instruments by which we do anything. See the notes at Job 10:8; compare Psa 100:3.
And fashioned me – Fitted me; shaped me, formed me as I am. He had received alike his existence and the particular form of his existence from God – as a man makes a statue or image. Compare Psa 139:13-16.
Give me understanding … – As I have derived my being from thee, so I am wholly dependent on thee to carry out the purpose for which I have been made. My Maker alone can give me understanding. I have no resources in myself. See Psa 119:34.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 119:73
Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding.
The right attitude of man in relation to God
I. Recognizing God as the author of his existence. Thy hands. I am not the creature of chance or of necessity, the product of the blind forces of nature. I recognize Thy hands, the hands of infinite skill and goodness. He made us.
1. Then, to study our constitutions is to study Him.
2. Then His claims upon our activities are absolute. No one has a right to us but Himself. We are His.
II. Looking to God as the educator of his spirit. Thou hast commandments concerning us–laws that should rule all the powers with which Thou hast endowed us. I am ignorant of them, enlighten me, I beseech Thee. Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? Thou hast given me a capacity for moral knowledge; but that knowledge I have not. I am in the dark. Kindle within me that light that will enable me to go the way Thou wouldst have me go. I have a wonderful nature that I know not how to use. Give me understanding.
III. Imploring God as the perfecter of his being. He knew that God made him for the purpose, and that that purpose could only be realized by correct moral information, a practical obedience to His will. And hence he prays, Give me understanding.
1. This plea is rational. It is from the less to the greater. Thou hast made me for Thyself. I want to be Thine by my own willing and devoted service. Thou madest me without my choice or consent. I entreat Thee to give me that, to make my being a blessing to myself and an honour to Thee.
2. It is a powerful plea. It is the cry of a child in distress to a tender parent. It is more than this–it is the cry of a frail, ignorant, dying creature to the loving and almighty Author of its being. I should not have been, had it not been for Thee. Oh, grant me what I ask, and make my being blessed.
3. It is a loyal plea. What I ask for is, not the gratification of my own selfish wishes, but that; I may learn Thy commandments–learn them–practically learn them. (Homilist.)
The Creator-Guide
Long ago a laconic moralist gave this summary of wisdom, Live as you were meant to live. This sentence recognizes the fact that there is a purpose the discovery of which is mans first anxiety and the accomplishment of which is mans supreme aim. Now, our Bible tells us that we have to do Gods will, to serve God, to glorify God, to do good, to do right, to find and to keep in the truth. I think the significance of these phrases will appear if we consider some workmanship of man in relation to its makers purpose. At South Kensington there is a clock made above 500 years ago under the hammer of a Glastonbury monk. It has measured out the moments of fifteen generations of men That piece of mechanism has done and is still doing its makers will. It has served its makers purpose. It fulfils his praiseworthy intention and so praises him. Every stroke of its pendulum is to the glory of the Glastonbury smith. It keeps (so to say) its makers commandments. What he meant it to do it has done well and truly. Think of this clockwork of the brain, this delicate mechanism of thought and feeling. Year in, year out, the restless wheels of desire and feeling, of thought and passion, play into one another and mark results on the solemn dial of life. Matters may be so mismanaged as to put the machinery into a whirl of wild confusion. It is, on the other hand, possible to secure such inward adjustment, such balance, such regulative control, such true impulse, as to make the soul a splendid harmony and the life a utility which men acknowledge with reverence and benediction. With Gods work, as with mans, the essential thing is to be true to the Makers purpose. There is a commandment–a Divine intention to which every one must be true. Thy hands have made me, and fashioned me; give me understanding of Thy will and commandment. Somewhere, at the outset of human story, God did give this knowledge to His creatures. Along the line of the Jewish people that knowledge came in a pure stream–pure compared with its deep pollution as it ran through other histories. Mans necessary life-knowledge has two branches. If for the general understanding of religion it is essential to throw the soul directly upon God, much more is that necessary for particular understanding of our individual perplexities. Take the case of the captain of a ship. Education and experience have given him general knowledge of the capabilities of ships, of the ways of sailors, of navigation, of coast-lines, storms and signals. These are the mariners alphabet, and correspond to the Christians general knowledge of God and life of the Saviour and the soul. But imagine the ships captain on a voyage to a new port, in a new ship, with a fresh sort of cargo and a strange crew. His ship gets into storms, or among icebergs. There are break-downs and accidents to ship and tackling. Besides his general sailor lore the captain obviously requires presence of mind, tact, resource, the gift to see what needs to be done, and what can be done in every new emergency. Such readiness for the event corresponds to the Christians application of religious truth to the perplexities of his personal career. About the generalities of religion we are fairly informed. We know what is right and what is wrong. We understand the perils of temptation and we know the grace of God. We know the ways of the world, and we know the truths of Holy Scripture. All this is our miscellaneous sailing-lore. But every day we make a new voyage and venture, in which sudden accidents may happen. Storm or collision may come. We may find ourselves confronted by new circumstances, and we want the quickly-acting instinct of Christian temper so as to be able to say none of these things move me. Can we meet difficulty with patience? Can we take failure with hopefulness? Can we be meek and yet strong, pleasant and yet good, gentle and yet firm? Can we so pass through things temporal as to fail not of things that are eternal? For all this we need more than general knowledge of Divine truth; we require that the power of Christ shall rest upon us. Give me understanding, that for each act and for each step I may know Thy commandment. Nor is this the end of the matter. There are emergencies and perplexities which form a class by themselves. We come to places when it is hard to know which is right–the way on the right hand or the way on the left hand. Infallibility does not belong even to the man whose soul is nearest to God. Insurance against ever making a wrong decision, or taking a wrong step is not gained by the most Christian sincerity and faith. Through all his campaigns the Duke of Wellington never made a serious mistake. Sometimes good men show similar wisdom in the conduct of lifes stern warfare, but there is no guarantee for this clear and precise practical judgment. Often you must Do the sum to prove it. Do it carefully. Do it honestly. Do it for the most part on your knees. The rest is with God. They cry unto the Lord in their trouble and He delivereth them out of all their distresses. If any man lack wisdom let him ask of God. Keep near to the source of light and direction, not merely in the acts and offices of devotion but in all the sincere aims of daily conduct. (S. Gregory.)
God our Maker
Thomas Carlyle was once present when a conversation was started between some friends on the subject of evolution. Having quietly listened for a time, the Chelsea sage seized the opportunity of a pause to remark, with considerable solemnity and emphasis, Gentlemen, you seem well pleased to trace your descent from a tadpole, and an ape, but I would say with David, Lord, Thou hast made me a little lower than the angels. (J. H. Hitchens, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
LETTER YOD. – Tenth Division
Verse 73. Thy hands have made me] Thou hast formed the mass out of which I was made; and fashioned me – thou hast given me that particular form that distinguishes me from all thy other creatures.
Give me understanding] As thou hast raised me above the beasts that perish in my form and mode of life, teach me that I may live for a higher and nobler end, in loving, serving, and enjoying thee for ever. Show me that I was made for heaven, not for earth.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
JOD
I am thy creature, and therefore obliged to serve and obey thee with all my might; which that I may do aright I beg thy instruction or assistance. Or, thou hast made me once, make me a second time, and renew thy decayed image in me, that I may know and serve thee better; and that as I was made by thee, so I may be guided by thy grace to serve and glorify my Creator.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
73. As God made, so He can bestcontrol, us. So as to Israel, he owed to God his whole internal andexternal existence (De 32:6).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
y, JOD.–The Tenth Part.
Ver. 73. JOD. Thy hands have made me and fashioned me,…. Not the psalmist himself, nor his parents, but the Lord alone: for though parents are fathers of our flesh, they are but instruments in the hand of the Lord; though man is produced by natural generation, yet the formation and fashioning of men are as much owing to the power and wisdom of God, which are his hands, as the formation of Adam was. Job owns this in much the same words as the psalmist does, Job 10:8; see
Ps 139:13. God not only gives conception, and forms the embryo in the womb, but fashions and gives it its comely and proportionate parts. Or, “covered me”; the first word may respect conception, and this the covering of the fetus with the secundine t; see Ps 139:13;
give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments; since he had a proper comely body, and a reasonable soul; though debased by sin, and brought into a state of ignorance, especially as to spiritual things, he desires he might have a spiritual understanding given him; of the word of God in general, the truths and doctrines of it, which are not understood by the natural man; and of the precepts of it in particular, that he might so learn them as to know the sense and meaning of them, their purity and spirituality; and so as to do them from a principle of love, in faith, and to the glory of God: for it is not a bare learning them by heart, or committing them to memory, nor a mere theory of them, but the practice of them in faith and love, which is here meant.
t Vid. Hackmam. Praecid. Sacr. p. 195.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The eightfold Jod . God humbles, but He also exalts again according to His word; for this the poet prays in order that he may be a consolatory example to the God-fearing, to the confusion of his enemies. It is impossible that God should forsake man, who is His creature, and deny to him that which makes him truly happy, viz., the understanding and knowledge of His word. For this spiritual gift the poet prays in Psa 119:73 (cf. on 73 a, Deu 32:6; Job 10:8; Job 31:15); and he wishes in Psa 119:74 that all who fear God may see in him with joy an example of the way in which trust in the word of God is rewarded (cf. Psa 34:3; Psa 35:27; Psa 69:33; Psa 107:42, and other passages). He knows that God’s acts of judgment are pure righteousness, i.e., regulated by God’s holiness, out of which they spring, and by the salvation of men, at which they aim; and he knows that God has humbled him ( accus. adverb. for ), being faithful in His intentions towards him; for it is just in the school of affliction that one first learns rightly to estimate the worth of His word, and comes to feel its power. But trouble, though sweetened by an insight into God’s salutary design, is nevertheless always bitter; hence the well-justified prayer of Psa 119:76, that God’s mercy may notwithstanding be bestowed upon him for his consolation, in accordance with the promise which is become his ( as in Psa 119:49), His servant’s. , Psa 119:78, instead of being construed with the accusative of the right, or of the cause, that is perverted, is construed with the accusative of the person upon whom such perversion of right, such oppression by means of misrepresentation, is inflicted, as in Job 19:6; Lam 3:36. Chajug’ reads as in Psa 119:61. The wish expressed in Psa 119:79 is to be understood according to Psa 73:10; Jer 15:19, cf. Pro 9:4, Pro 9:16. If instead of (which is favoured by Psa 119:63), we read according to the Chethb (cf. Psa 119:125), then what is meant by is a turning towards him for the purpose of learning: may their knowledge be enriched from his experience. For himself, however, in Psa 119:80 he desires unreserved, faultless, unwavering adherence to God’s word, for only thus is he secure against being ignominiously undeceived.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| 10. JOD. | |
73 Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.
Here, 1. David adores God as the God of nature and the author of his being: Thy hands have made me and fashioned me, Job x. 8. Every man is as truly the work of God’s hands as the first man was, Psa 139:15; Psa 139:16. “Thy hands have not only made me, and given me a being, otherwise I should never have been, but fashioned me, and given me this being, this noble and excellent being, endued with these powers and faculties;” and we must own that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. 2. He addresses himself to God as the God of grace, and begs he will be the author of his new and better being. God made us to serve him and enjoy him; but by sin we have made ourselves unable for his service and indisposed for the enjoyment of him; and we must have a new and divine nature, otherwise we had the human nature in vain; therefore David prays, “Lord, since thou hast made me by thy power for thy glory, make me anew by thy grace, that I may answer the ends of my creation and live to some purpose: Give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.” The way in which God recovers and secures his interest in men is by giving them an understanding; for by that door he enters into the soul and gains possession of it.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
The Jod Section
Scripture v. 73-80:
Verses 73, 74 confess that the Lord has made and fashioned the psalmist, has a priority claim on his life; He then asks the Lord for understanding (for help) that he may learn the Lord’s commandments, Job 10:4; Psa 100:3; Psa 139:14.
He pledged to cause (hose who observe his Ids to be glad and fear the Lord; Because he had put his hope in the Lord, found it a rewarding experience before them, Psa 34:2; Psa 52:6; Mal 3:16; See also Deu 22:6; Deu 32:15; Isa 44:2.
Verses 75, 76 further acknowledge that the judgments of the Lord are right and that God had afflicted the psalmist justly, to justify His Divine character, Gen 18:25; Rom 3:4; Psa 25:10; Psa 89:30-33; Heb 12:10; Rev 3:19; 1Co 11:32; 1Pe 4:19; Lev 26:41.
Verse 76 petitions the Lord to let His merciful kindness come to be for the psalmist’s comfort, according to Divine promise, Psa 17:7; Psa 71:21; 1Ki 8:56.
Verses 77, 78 exhort the Lord to permit his “tender mercies” to come to the comfort of the psalmist, that he might live (be revived), because he delighted in the law of the Lord, v.17,24; Deu 21:8; Psa 123:3; Deu 32:47.
He too asks that the proud, wicked be brought to shame, because they dealt perversely against the psalmist, without a defensible cause, v. 85; He added that he would keep on meditating in the Lord’s precepts, finding spiritual nourishment there, Psa 25:3; Psa 40:4; Isa 26:11; Gen 24:63.
Verses 79, 80 ask God to permit or cause those who feared the Lord and had known his testimonies to be turned to the psalmist, to join in an holy cause of obedience with him, v.63. Verse 80 concludes “let (or cause) my heart (to) be sound (or perfect, mature) in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed,” v. 6, before you, O God, or before men, Gen 17:1; Deu 5:29. See also 2Ch 15:17; Pro 4:23; Joh 1:47.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
73. Thy hands have made and fashioned me. The avowal of the prophet, that he had been created by the hand of God, greatly contributed to inspire him with the hope of obtaining the favor which he supplicates. As we are the creatures and the workmanship of God, and as he has not only bestowed upon us vital motion, in common with the lower animals, but has, in addition thereto, given us the light of understanding and reasons — this encourages us to pray that he would direct us to the obedience of his law. And yet the prophet does not call upon God, as if He were under any obligations to him; but, knowing that God never forsakes the work which he has begun, he simply asks for new grace, by which God may carry on to perfection what he has commenced. We have need of the assistance of the law, since all that is sound in our understandings is corrupted; so that we cannot perceive what is right, unless we are taught from some other source. But our blindness and stupidity are still more strikingly manifest, from the fact that teaching will avail us nothing, until our souls are renewed by Divine grace. What I have previously said must be borne in mind.. That whenever the prophet prays for understanding being imparted to him, in order to his learning the Divine commandments, he condemns both himself and all mankind as in a state of blindness; for which the only remedy is the illumination of the Holy Spirit.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
JOD.
(73) Fashioned.Literally, fixed, established.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
, Jod.
73-80. I may learn thy commandments The psalmist considers the value of broad and truthful experiences in the word as related to his influence upon others. He implores strength and exemption from affliction for this purpose. He feels that he has something to say that he has learned in his previous troubles; and, if his heart be but kept sound in God’s statutes, he believes that he will see candid men turning and listening with advantage. “My soul is full of sermons; I long to recover so as to utter them.” Many a sick preacher has repeated the groanful prayer.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jod. The Consolation of God’s Providence and Government.
v. 73. Thy hands have made me and fashioned me, v. 74. They that fear Thee will be glad when they see me, v. 75. I know, O Lord, that Thy judgments, v. 76. Let, I pray Thee, Thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, v. 77. Let Thy tender mercies come unto me, v. 78. Let the proud, v. 79. Let those that fear Thee turn unto me, v. 80. Let my heart be sound,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
JOD.
With most peculiar reference to the ever-blessed Jesus must we read the opening of this portion. A body hast thou prepared me, was said by Christ when beholding the redemption work he came to perform. Heb 10:5 , compared with Psa 40:6 . And in another scripture the same truth is expressed, only with a variation of words? My substance was not hid from thee when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Compare Psa 139:15-16 , with Luk 1:35 . And how delightful is the succeeding verse in reference to the Lord’s people; all in whom the Lord hath put his fear, which is the beginning of wisdom, must rejoice in Christ, the mercy promised, to whom all the faithful were looking with earnest expectation. Pro 9:10 ; Luk 2:25Luk 2:25 . The following verses are in sweet harmony with the same doctrine.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 119:73 JOD. Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.
Ver. 73. Thy hands have made me and fashioned me ] Plasmaverunt, which Basil interpreteth of the body curiously wrought by God, Psa 139:15-16 as “made” of the soul; q.d. Thou art my Maker, I would thou shouldest be my Master ( Formaverunt, firmaverunt ). A body hast thou fitted me, Heb 10:5 , a reasonable soul also hast thou given me, capable of salvation; I am an understanding creature still; neither have I lost my passive capacity of thy renewing grace.
Give me understanding
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 119:73-80 (Yodh)
73Your hands made me and fashioned me;
Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments.
74May those who fear You see me and be glad,
Because I wait for Your word.
75I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are righteous,
And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.
76O may Your lovingkindness comfort me,
According to Your word to Your servant.
77May Your compassion come to me that I may live,
For Your law is my delight.
78May the arrogant be ashamed, for they subvert me with a lie;
But I shall meditate on Your precepts.
79May those who fear You turn to me,
Even those who know Your testimonies.
80May my heart be blameless in Your statutes,
So that I will not be ashamed.
Psa 119:73 This verse asserts God’s creation of the psalmist. This is expressed in several ways.
1. an allusion to Gen 2:7 (formed [body] – BDB 427; formed days – Psa 135:16)
2. Your hands made me – BDB 793 I, cf. Job 10:8; Job 31:15; Psa 139:15
3. work of Your hands – Job 10:3; Job 14:15; Psa 138:8
4. both verbs appear in Deu 32:6 and refer to corporate Israel
Humans are special creatures created in God’s image and likeness (cf. Gen 1:26-27) for fellowship (cf. Gen 3:8). Each is a unique creation (cf. Psa 139:14-16). To recognize this is a biblical worldview! We are not the result of random events or processes. There is purpose in each person’s creation.
Give me understanding This is the only imperatival (Psa 119:73-80) prayer request in this stanza (BDB 106, KB 122, Hiphil imperative), but there are several jussives.
Only God can open the mind of fallen human creatures to learn (BDB 540, KB 531, Qal cohortative) about Himself by understanding His revelation. This learning (like the verb shema of Deu 6:4-9) implies daily lifestyle application of God’s revelation.
Psa 119:74 may This is the sign of a jussive construction (cf. Psa 119:74; Psa 119:76-78; Psa 119:70; Psa 119:80). These also reflect prayer requests.
In this verse there are two.
1. see – BDB 906, KB 1157, Qal imperfect used in a jussive sense
2. be glad – BDB 970, KB 1333, Qal imperfect used in a jussive sense
Notice these realities are based on the psalmist’s
1. patience (lit. await, hope, Psa 119:74 b)
2. knowledge of God’s revelation (Psa 119:75)
3. divine affliction (Psa 119:75; Psalms 67, 71)
The verb wait (BDB 403, KB 407, Piel prefect) denotes patience. Usually this verb denotes hope/patience in God Himself (cf. Job 13:15; Psa 31:24; Psa 33:22; Psa 38:15; Psa 39:7; Psa 42:5; Psa 42:11; Psa 43:5; Psa 69:3; Psa 130:7; Psa 131:3), but in Psalms 119 the theological concept of God’s revelation (see Special Topic: Terms for God’s Revelation ) is substituted for God Himself. They are the same. To know God’s word is to know God. One is informative and the other relational but they must go together!
Psa 119:75 in faithfulness You afflicted me YHWH is true to His word and faithful to His purposes for His faithful followers. There is a larger purpose in creation. See Special Topic: YHWH’s Eternal Redemptive Plan . Even affliction has an ultimate purpose (cf. Lam 3:19-38; Heb 5:8; Heb 12:1-13). The goal of salvation is not just fellowship in some future state/place but intimate fellowship now, which reflects the family characteristics of the followers of YHWH to those who He created, but due to the Fall, do not yet know Him!
It must be remembered that problems in this life have several possible origins/purposes.
1. judgment on sin to restore or initiate a relationship of faith in YHWH (cf. Psa 69:26)
2. the result of the Fall. Evil has entered our world. Bad things happen that are not God’s will (see Special Topic: Tribulation).
3. they cause us to trust God and develop our faith (cf. Rom 5:3-5; Heb 5:8; Heb 12:10-11)
Since I never know which one it is, I choose to focus on #3! My worldview is that nothing just happens to God’s people!
judgments See Special Topic: Judge, Judgment, Justice.
righteous See Special Topic: Righteousness.
Psa 119:76 Your lovingkindness See SPECIAL TOPIC: LOVINGKINDNESS (HESED) .
According to Your word This is a recurrent theme (cf. Psa 119:65). God is true to His revelation.
Psa 119:77 Your law is my delight See note at Psa 119:70.
Psa 119:78 a This reflects Psa 119:69-70. The arrogant will be ashamed (see note at Psa 119:6), but not the faithful psalmist (cf. Psa 119:80).
Psa 119:78 b I shall meditate on Your precepts Faithful followers spend time in God’s word. They study, contemplate, and attempt to apply what it says. Our thoughts become our actions. Meditation on revelation is essential (cf. Psa 1:2; Psa 119:15; Psa 119:23; Psa 119:48; Psa 119:78; Psa 119:97; Psa 119:148). How often do you spend time in God’s word?
Psa 119:79 This verse asserts the truth that seekers after God need to see Him in those who claim to follow Him. Faithful followers should be lights that lead to God.
those who know See Special Topic: Know.
Psa 119:80 blameless See Special Topic: Blameless, Innocent, Guiltless, and Without Reproach.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
fashioned = formed. Compare Job 31:15; also Deu 32:18.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
In this Psalm we have, as it were, notes from Davids pocket book.
Psa 119:73. Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.
This is a very instructive prayer; the psalmist does as good as say, Lord, thou hast made me once- make me over again. Thou hast made my body; mould my spirit, form my character, give me understanding. If God should make us, and then leave us without understanding, what imperfect creations we should be! A man devoid of understanding is only a blood and bone creation; and therefore the psalmist does well to pray, Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding. But what sort of an understanding is desired? That I may learn to discuss and dispute? No: that I may learn thy commandments; for holiness is the best of wisdom, and the surest proof of a right understanding is obedience to Gods commandments.
Psa 119:74. They that fear thee will be glad when they see me; because I have hoped in thy word.
A hopeful godly man is a continual source of joy to other people. When a man can inspire hope in his fellows, and he cannot do that unless he is full of hope himself, he lights a fire of comfort. Bring such a man into a storm, and he helps you to be brave. They that fear thee will be glad when they see me; because I have hoped in thy word.
Psa 119:75. I knew, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.
We are glad to listen to a man who can tell us that, an old man, a tried man, who can say that God has been faithful in afflicting him, a man who, after having borne the brunt of tribulation, can yet bless God for it. Such testimonies as these are full of joy and gladness to the young folk; they can encounter trial with a joyous heart when they hear what their fathers tell of the goodness of God to them in their troubles.
Psa 119:76. Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant.
Lord, he seems to say, I have been a comfort to others; be thou a comfort to me. Thou hast made others glad to see me; make me glad with the recollection of all my experience of thy mercy: Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort. If you have lost your own comfort, dear friends, see where you are to look for it, to the merciful kindness of God. Those are two beautiful words, are they not? Merciful-take that to pieces, and it is mercy-full. Is not God full of mercy? Take the next word to pieces-kindness. That means, kinned-ness-that kind of feeling that we have to our own kin when they are very dear to us. Lord, let thy mercy-full kinned-ness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant.
Psa 119:77. Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live:
I am so broken down, my bones are so full of pain, that if thou dost handle me roughly, I shall die: Let thy tender mercies come unto me. I am like a poor flower whose stalk is almost broken through, ready to droop and die; let thy tender mercies bind me up, that I may live.
Psa 119:77. For thy law is my delight.
God will not let a man die who delights in his law. You are the sort of man who shall live. If you love the law of God, the Word of God, the will of God, the way of God, he will not let you die. There are none too many of your sort in the world, so the Lord will keep you alive so long as you can serve him here.
Psa 119:78. Let the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me without a cause: but I will meditate in thy precepts.
That is a delightful turning of the subject: They dealt perversely with me, without a cause; but David does not say, I will envy the proud, or, I will be spiteful to them, I will fret myself because of them. No; he seems to say, They may do what they will; but I will meditate in thy precepts. When anyone has treated you contemptuously, or dealt perversely with you without a cause, instead of resenting it, get to your Bible, meditate in Gods precepts. It is the noblest and at the same time the most successful way of fighting against contempt, so to despise the despising of men as to rejoice in your thoughts of God and his truth.
Psa 119:79. Let those that fear thee turn unto me, and those that have known thy testimonies.
Lord, make me such a man that they who fear thee may seek my acquaintance. Of thy great mercy grant that, if any of them have turned away from me through hearing slanderous reports about me, they may be inclined now to come back to me, for I love them, and I would not willingly offend them. Let those that fear thee turn unto me.
Psa 119:80. Let my heart be sound in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed.
When the heart is right with God, there will be no need to be ashamed. Though you may make some mistakes and blunders, because you are human, yet, if you are sincere, shame shall not overtake you. What a blessing it is to have a sound heart! But when the heart is spiritually unsound, the profession is always in danger. The other day, a friend of ours was taken from us almost in an instant through heart disease; and when Judas sells his Master, or when Demas turns aside to the silver mines of earth, it is the result of heart disease. There are many who go about in the Christian Church with a ruddy face, and apparently with great strength of religion; but on a sudden they prove apostates. Yes, that is the effect of heart disease. Therefore, pray very earnestly with the psalmist, Let my heart be sound in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed.
Psa 119:81. My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word.
What! faint and hoping, too? Yes, a Christian man is a wonder and a contradiction to many, and most of all to himself. He cannot understand himself; he faints, and yet he hopes. Two apparently opposite emotions may be at the same time in the Christian bosom. Every man is two men, if he is a man in Christ Jesus; I sometimes think that there is a triplet of characters in every man of God, so that he has three different experiences at the same time. Certainly he can have two, for here we have them: My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word.
Psa 119:82. Mine eyes fail for thy word, saying, When wilt thou comfort me?
I look for it till my eyes ache; I strain my eyes to see thy word, watching for it till my vision grows dull in waiting: Mine eyes fail for thy word, saying. Oh, then, his eyes could speak! Yes, eyes can say a great many things; and blessed are the eyes that have learned to say this: When wilt thou comfort me? It is a good way of praying, sometimes, to say nothing at all, but to sit still and look up. The eyes can say what lips and tongue cannot, so learn well the language of the eyes, and talk to God with them, even as he talks to you with his eyes. I will guide thee, says he, with mine eye. Be you, therefore, able to speak to God with your eyes, as David was when he wrote, Mine eyes fail for thy word, saying, When wilt thou comfort me?
Psa 119:83. For I am become like a bottle in the smoke;
An old dried-up skin bottle, that is hung in the smoke of the tent over the fire, till it is wrinkled and cracked, and almost good for nothing.
Psa 119:83. Yet do I not forget thy statutes.
Beauty is gone, strength is gone, comeliness is gone; but not my memory of thy word, O Lord. What a mercy it is that, when the worst comes to the worst with us, still the best remains: I am become like a bottle in the smoke; yet do I not forget thy statutes.
Psa 119:84. How many are the days of thy servant? when wilt thou execute judgment on them that persecute me?
Lord, I have but a short life; let me not have a long affliction. Does he mean, Lord, I have lived too long in this miserable state; I wish my days were shortened? We must not murmur at the length of our days, but we may plead that persecution may come to an end. We may even go so far as to say with David, How many are the days of thy servant? When wilt thou execute judgment on them that persecute me?
Psa 119:85. The proud have digged pits for me, which are not after thy law.
It is not often that proud men take to digging; but here, you see, these children of the pit learn to dig pits for Gods people; and they have not given over the practice yet. Pits were dug in olden times to catch wild beasts; but now, often, the wicked dig pits to try to catch good men, seeking if they can to make a fault where there is none, or to lead us into a line of conduct which they shall be able to represent unfavorably: The proud have digged pits for me, which are not after thy law.
Psa 119:86. All thy commandments are faithful: they persecute me wrongfully; help thou me.
What a prayer that is! Store it up for use, dear friend, carry it home with you. That is the kind of prayer to be prayed on the roadside, in a railway carriage, ay, even in an accident: Help thou me. Help thou me, is a wonderful prayer, it seems to turn on a swivel whichever way you wish; you may use it to ask for anything you need in every time of emergency: Help thou me.
Psa 119:87. They had almost consumed me upon earth;
They had almost eaten me up; they had almost burned my life out. Blessed be God, they could not consume me anywhere except upon earth! My immortal part would escape the burning of their coals of juniper. They had almost consumed me, but almost is not altogether. When God delivers his people from the lion and the bear, the jaws of the wild beasts may be almost closed, yet they shall be opened wide enough for us to escape: They had almost consumed me upon earth.
Psa 119:87. But I forsook not thy precepts.
You cleave to the right, and God will not turn away from you, nor will he let you turn away from his precepts.
Psa 119:88. Quicken me after thy lovingkindness;
That is a blessed prayer for us to offer. If any of you feel dull and drowsy, if any of you are heavy and slow in your movements, cry, to the Lord, Quicken me after thy lovingkindness.
Psa 119:88. So shall I keep the testimony of thy month.
Spiritual life is the root of holiness: Quicken me after thy lovingkindness; so shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth. May God bless this reading to our instruction! Amen.
Fuente: Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible
Psa 119:73-80
Psa 119:73-80
STROPHE 10
A PRAYER TO THE CREATOR THAT HE MAY VISIT THE PROUD; NOT HIS SERVANTS; WITH SHAME
Yodh
“Thy hands have made me and fashioned me:
Give me understanding that I may learn thy commandments.
They that fear thee shall see me and be glad,
Because I have hoped in thy word.
I know, O Jehovah, that thy judgments are righteous.
And that in faithfulness thou hast afflicted me.
Let, I pray thee, thy lovingkindness be for my comfort.
According to thy word unto thy servant.
Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live;
For thy law is my delight.
Let the proud be put to shame; for they have overthrown me wrongfully:
But I will meditate on thy precepts.
Let those that fear thee turn unto me;
And they shall know thy testimonies.
Let my heart be perfect in thy statutes,
That I be not put to shame.”
“In faithfulness thou hast afflicted me” (Psa 119:75). Miller observed that, “The psalmist recognized that God’s discipline was right. As Baigent put it, “He is mature enough to realize that there is spiritual value in suffering and that it can be God’s school (Psa 119:67; Psa 119:71; Psa 119:75).
“Let those that fear thee turn unto me” (Psa 119:79). “Cognizant of his own rich knowledge of the Law, the psalmist is eager to share it with his co-religionists.
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 119:73. This verse is logical in its reasoning. Since God made and fashioned man, he certainly knows what is best for his manner of life. Consequently, David craved an understanding of the Lord’s commandments.
Psa 119:74. David’s respect for the word caused him also to respect those who feared its Author. He intended to show that respect in such desirable measure when they met the Psalmist that it would make them glad.
Psa 119:75. The main thought in this verse is the justice of the afflictions that had been suffered to come upon David. Since they were beneficial to him, their infliction proved that God was doing the part of a faithful Friend when he suffered them to come. Consideration for all these truths caused him to affirm that the judgments of God are right.
Psa 119:76. When one is tortured with fears of what the enemy might be plotting, he is hungry for the comfort that is genuine. That comfort that would come from the merciful kindness of God would certainly bring the support that could come from no other source. David had reason to expect this relief because it had been promised in the word which did not contain any false promises.
Psa 119:77. This verse is much after the same thought as the preceding one. Tender is not in the original as a separate word. Mercies Is from RACHAM, which is defined by Strong by the simple word “compassion.” The motive for requesting this favor from God was David’s delight in the low of God, the subject of his meditations.
Psa 119:78. A proud man is not one who is ashamed. David means for him to be brought to shame as a punishment for his wicked pride. These enemies had dealt perversely or stubbornly with David without a cause. And again he looked for support and solace by meditating on the precepts of the Lord.
Psa 119:79. For comments on the first part of this verse see those at Psa 119:74. To know the Lord’s testimonies in an available sense means to fear Him.
Psa 119:80. To be sound means to be established in the precepts of God. In that condition the Psalmist felt that he would not be ashamed or confused.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Thy hands: Psa 100:3, Psa 111:10, Psa 138:8, Psa 139:14-16, Job 10:8-11
give me: Psa 119:34, Psa 119:125, Psa 119:144, Psa 119:169, 1Ch 22:12, 2Ch 2:12, Job 32:8, 2Ti 2:7, 1Jo 5:20
that I may: Psa 111:10, Jam 3:18
Reciprocal: 1Ki 3:9 – Give therefore 2Ch 1:10 – Give me Psa 86:11 – Teach Psa 119:7 – when Psa 143:8 – cause me Pro 2:3 – if Pro 14:8 – wisdom Isa 64:8 – all are Dan 9:13 – that we
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
JOD.
Psa 119:73. Thy hands have made me, &c. Desert not then thy own workmanship, that neither has nor hopes for any thing but from thy almighty power. Being thy creature, I know that, as such, I am obliged to serve and obey thee with all my might: which that I may do aright, give me the understanding and aid of which I stand in need.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
119:73 JOD. Thy hands have {a} made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.
(a) Because God does not leave his work that he has begun, he desires a new grace: that is, that he would continue his mercies.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
10. God’s Word as an object of hope 119:73-80
God had fashioned the psalmist, who now called on the Lord to use him to encourage other godly people (Psa 119:73-74). He needed comfort, and asked God to frustrate the arrogant who opposed him (Psa 119:75-78). He prayed that other godly people would encourage him, and that he would continue to walk in God’s ways (Psa 119:79-80).