Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 119:94
I [am] thine, save me; for I have sought thy precepts.
94. sought ] Or, studied. Cp. Psa 119:45.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
I am thine – All that he had, and was, belonged to God. This is an expression of a fact, and of a purpose: a fact about which he had no doubt; a purpose ever to be the Lords. This is indicative of the real state of feeling in the heart of a pious man. He feels that he is the Lords; he has no other desire than to be his forever.
Save me – Deliver me from my enemies; from sin; from hell. As he belonged to God, he prayed that God would save and preserve his own.
For I have sought thy precepts – I feel assured or confident that this has been the aim and purpose of my life. On this ground I plead that thou wilt keep and preserve me. A man who feels assured that he is a friend of God has a right to appeal to him for protection, and he will not appeal to him in vain.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 119:94
I am Thine, save me; for I have sought Thy precepts.
God the Owner and Saviour of man
I. Owner.
1. All men are His by necessity–
(1) Absolutely.
(2) Indefeasibly.
(3) For ever.
2. All good men are His by consecration. This surrender is mans primary duty, the one act necessary to give moral worth and acceptance to all acts in life.
II. Saviour. Save me–
1. From practically ignoring Thy claims.
2. From acting inconsistently with Thy claims. (Homilist.)
The believers plea
I. The relation to God which is claimed in the text.
1. Its origin.
2. Its dignity and blessedness.
3. The duties involved in it.
(1) Loyalty.
(2) Diligence.
(3) Obedience.
(4) Love.
4. The graces exemplified in pleading it.
(1) Humility.
(2) Faith.
(3) The spirit of adoption.
(4) Complete and implicit dependence.
(5) Love and devotion.
5. The evidence by which this relation is supported:–I have sought Thy precepts.
II. The plea which the psalmist founds upon his relation to God. Save me. It is a brief petition, but it comprehends every blessing. It is the craving after spiritual freedom; the longing to be delivered from the bondage of corruption and the body of death, the panting to be transformed, renewed and sanctified. (C. F. Childe, M. A.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 94. I am thine, save me] He who can say this need fear no evil. In all trials, temptations, dangers, afflictions, persecutions, I am thine. Thy enemies wish to destroy me! Lord, look to thy servant; thy servant looks to thee. O how sovereign is such a word against all the evils of life! I am THINE! therefore save thine OWN!
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
I am thine by creation and redemption, and manifold obligations, as also by my own choice and designation. I have devoted myself to thy service, and committed myself to thy care.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
92-94. Hence the pious areencouraged and inclined to seek a knowledge of it, and persevereamidst the efforts of those planning and waiting to destroythem.
my delightsplural, notmerely delight, but equal to all other delights.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
I [am] thine, save me,…. From all troubles and afflictions; from all enemies, temporal and spiritual; from Satan, and his principalities and powers, from sin, and all the wretched consequences of it; from hell wrath, and damnations: salvation from all which is by Christ. And this is a prayer of faith with respect to him, founded upon his interest and property in him; whose he was by choice, by covenant, by gift, by purchase, and by grace: and this is a plea for salvation; thou hast an interest in me, I am one of thine, therefore let me not be lost or perish;
for I have sought thy precepts; to understand them better, and observe them more constantly; and which sense of interest and relation, and of salvation, will influence unto.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
94 I am thine, save me; for I have sought thy precepts.
Here, 1. David claims relation to God: “I am thine, devoted to thee and owned by thee, thine in covenant.” He does not say, Thou art mine (as Dr. Manton observes), though that follows of course, because that were a higher challenge; but, I am thine, expressing himself in a more humble and dutiful way of resignation; nor does he say, I am thus, but, I am thine, not pleading his own good property or qualification, but God’s propriety in him: “I am thine, not my own, not the world’s.” 2. He proves his claim: “I have sought thy precepts; I have carefully enquired concerning my duty and diligently endeavoured to do it.” This will be the best evidence that we belong to God; all that are his, though they have not found perfection, are seeking it. 3. He improves his claim: “I am thine; save me; save me from sin, save me from ruin.” Those that have in sincerity given up themselves to God to be his may be sure that he will protect them and preserve them to his heavenly kingdom, Mal. iii. 18.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
94. I am thine, save me. In the first place, he takes encouragement to pray from the consideration, that he is one of God’s own stamp and coinage, as we speak. In the second place, he proves that he is God’s from the fact of his keeping his commandments. This ought not, however, to be understood as if he boasted of any merit which he possessed; as, in dealing with men, it is customary to adduce something meritorious which we have done as an argument for obtaining what we desire: — I have always loved and esteemed you, I have always studied to promote your honor and advantage; my service has always been ready at your command. But David rather brings forward the unmerited grace of God, and that alone; for no man, by any efforts of his own, acquires the high honor of being under the protection of God — an honor which proceeds solely from his free adoption. The blessing which God had conferred upon him is therefore here adduced as an argument why he should not forsake the work which he had commenced. When he affirms, that he was earnestly intent upon the Divine commandments, that also depended upon the Divine calling; for he did not begin to apply his mind to God’s commandments before he was called and received into his household. As he desires, in this verse, that the Lord would save him, so, in the next verse, he expresses the need he had of being saved, saying, that the wicked sought for him to destroy him; by which he, at the same time, declares the constancy of his godliness, inasmuch as he then set his mind upon the law of God — a point worthy of special notice. Those who, at other times, would the forward and willing to follow God, know not to what side to turn themselves when they are assailed by the wicked, and, in that case, are very prone to follow unhallowed counsel. It is therefore a great virtue to do God the honor of resting contented with his promises alone, when the wicked conspire for our destruction, and when, to all human appearance, our life is in jeopardy. To consider God’s testimonies is, in this place, equivalent to applying our minds to the word of God, which sustains us against all assaults, effectually allays all fears, and restrains us from following any perverse counsels.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
Psa 119:94 I [am] thine, save me; for I have sought thy precepts.
Ver. 94. I am thine, save me ] Every man will see to his own, unless he be worse than an infidel; and shall not God?
For I have sought thy precepts
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
sought = inquired into, or studied. Compare Psa 105:4.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
I am thine: Psa 86:2, Jos 10:4-6, Isa 41:8-10, Isa 44:2, Isa 44:5, Isa 64:8-10, Zep 3:17, Act 27:23, Act 27:24
for I have: Psa 119:27, Psa 119:40, Psa 119:173
Reciprocal: Psa 86:16 – the son Psa 119:45 – for I seek Psa 119:125 – I am thy Psa 143:12 – for I am thy Isa 64:9 – we are
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
SALVATION
I am Thine, O save me: for I have sought Thy commandments.
Psa 119:94 (Prayer Book Version)
We notice as we read this psalm that there is one thought that occurs in every single verse right through the psalm from beginning to end, and that is the thought of Gods law. The writer has evidently learned one great fact in his life, that we depend upon God for all our good things, and without Him we can do nothing; he has learned that as God is the supporter and stay of the whole creation, so He is the supporter and stay of the individual human life. And then, as he dwells upon this change, there is another thought which comes to his mind, and which seems to press upon him almost as strongly as that first thought, and that is that there is something between man and God which prevents man from following Gods Will, and that something he knows to be the existence of sin. He feels his need of pardon, and so he prays, I am Thine, O save me!
I. The need of a Saviour.This need is a need which we should all of us feel. There have been times, and we know it, when we have wandered far away from God. But God has blessings in store for the sinner, as soon as the sinner becomes penitent and turns from the evil of his ways.
II. The meaning of penitence.Let us try and see what is the real meaning of this word, penitence. The first step necessary in true penitence is that we must learn to know ourselves. The writer of this psalm says, I am Thine, O save me! for I have sought Thy commandments, and that is necessary for us as it was necessary for him. How can we gain this necessary self-knowledge? Christ says, If you would know human nature, know yourself and your own life. There must be times when you cut yourself off from the world, and when you get alone with God. And so, if we would know what real penitence is, it is necessary first of all to know ourselves and our own life, and to call upon the Lord, O save me! And then comes the second step, which is equally necessary. You find it in the second part of that same verse, I have sought Thy commandments. That is what is necessary for true penitence; that is what we mean by real conversion.
III. A change of life.Conversion means turning to God, seeking His commandments, and we must make no mistake about it. It means a change of heart, which must be followed by a change of life. Real penitence, real conversion is not a state of feeling, but a change of life. The result of our conversion, or our turning to God, may show itself in different ways. It sometimes is a sudden result, and it shows itself suddenly in the complete change of a life, so that those who know us can see what has taken place in our lives and see at once we have turned to God. But conversion does not always come to a man in this way. Sometimes it comes slowly and gradually. Sometimes Gods Holy Spirit has to deal with a man very gently, and lead him on slowly, step by step, correcting one fault at a time, gradually changing his life; and it is only after a long time that we see the result of the change in his changed life. Let us see that our penitence is real and truethat our conversion is genuine. And this we can do only by going through those two steps which are mentioned in this psalm. The first step by calling upon GodI am Thine, O save me! and then by seeking His commandments.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
119:94 I [am] {c} thine, save me; for I have sought thy precepts.
(c) He proves by effect that he is God’s child, because he seeks to understand his word.