89 For ever, O Jehovah, Thy word is settled in heaven. 90 Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: Thou hast established the earth, and it abideth. 91 They abide this day according to thine ordinances; For all things are thy servants.
92 Unless thy law had been my delight, I should then have perished in mine affliction.
93 I will never forget thy precepts; For with them thou hast quickened me.
94 I am thine, save me; For I have sought thy precepts.
95 The wicked have waited for me, to destroy me; [But] I will consider thy testimonies.
96 I have seen an end of all perfection; [But] thy commandment is exceeding broad.
97 Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.
98 Thy commandments make me wiser than mine enemies; For they are ever with me. 99 I have more understanding than all my teachers; For thy testimonies are my meditation. 100 I understand more than the aged, Because I have kept thy precepts.
101 I have refrained my feet from every evil way, That I might observe thy word.
102 I have not turned aside from thine ordinances; For thou hast taught me.
103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! [Yea, sweeter] than honey to my mouth! 104 Through thy precepts I get understanding: Therefore I hate every false way.
105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And light unto my path.
106 I have sworn, and have confirmed it, That I will observe thy righteous ordinances.
107 I am afflicted very much: Quicken me, O Jehovah, according unto thy word.
108 Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill-offerings of my mouth, O Jehovah, And teach me thine ordinances.
109 My soul is continually in my hand; Yet do I not forget thy law. 110 The wicked have laid a snare for me; Yet have I not gone astray from thy precepts.
111 Thy testimonies have I taken as a heritage for ever; For they are the rejoicing of my heart. 112 I have inclined my heart to perform thy statutes For ever, even unto the end.
113 I hate them that are of a double mind; But thy law do I love.
114 Thou art my hiding-place and my shield: I hope in thy word.
115 Depart from me, ye evil-doers, That I may keep the commandments of my God.
116 Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live; And let me not be ashamed of my hope. 117 Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe, And shall have respect unto thy statutes continually.
118 Thou hast set at nought all them that err from thy statutes; For their deceit is falsehood. 119 Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross: Therefore I love thy testimonies. 120 My flesh trembleth for fear of thee; And I am afraid of thy judgments.
121 I have done justice and righteousness: Leave me not to mine oppressors. 122 Be surety for thy servant for good: Let not the proud oppress me.
123 Mine eyes fail for thy salvation, And for thy righteous word.
124 Deal with thy servant according unto thy lovingkindness, And teach me thy statutes. 125 I am thy servant; Give me understanding, That I may know thy testimonies.
126 It is time for Jehovah to work; [For] they have made void thy law.
127 Therefore I love thy commandments Above gold, yea, above fine gold. 128 Therefore I esteem all [thy] precepts concerning all [things] to be right; [And] I hate every false way.
129 Thy testimonies are wonderful; Therefore doth my soul keep them.
130 The opening of thy words giveth light; It giveth understanding unto the simple.
131 I opened wide my mouth, and panted; For I longed for thy commandments.
132 Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me, As thou usest to do unto those that love thy name.
133 Establish my footsteps in thy word; And let not any iniquity have dominion over me.
134 Redeem me from the oppression of man: So will I observe thy precepts.
135 Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; And teach me thy statutes.
136 Streams of water run down mine eyes, Because they observe not thy law.
137 Righteous art thou, O Jehovah, And upright are thy judgments. 138 Thou hast commanded thy testimonies in righteousness And very faithfulness.
139 My zeal hath consumed me, Because mine adversaries have forgotten thy words.
140 Thy word is very pure; Therefore thy servant loveth it.
141 I am small and despised; [Yet] do I not forget thy precepts.
142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And thy law is truth.
143 Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me; [Yet] thy commandments are my delight. 144 Thy testimonies are righteous for ever: Give me understanding, and I shall live.
145 I have called with my whole heart; Answer me, O Jehovah: I will keep thy statutes. 146 I have called unto thee; Save me, And I shall observe thy testimonies.
147 I anticipated the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy words. 148 Mine eyes anticipated the night-watches, That I might meditate on thy word.
149 Hear my voice according unto thy lovingkindness: Quicken me, O Jehovah, according to thine ordinances.
150 They draw nigh that follow after wickedness; They are far from thy law. 151 Thou art nigh, O Jehovah; And all thy commandments are truth.
152 Of old have I known from thy testimonies, That thou hast founded them for ever.
153 Consider mine affliction, and deliver me; For I do not forget thy law. 154 Plead thou my cause, and redeem me: Quicken me according to thy word.
155 Salvation is far from the wicked; For they seek not thy statutes.
156 Great are thy tender mercies, O Jehovah: Quicken me according to thine ordinances.
157 Many are my persecutors and mine adversaries; [Yet] have I not swerved from thy testimonies.
158 I beheld the treacherous, and was grieved, Because they observe not thy word.
159 Consider how I love thy precepts: Quicken me, O Jehovah, according to thy lovingkindness.
160 The sum of thy word is truth; And every one of thy righteous ordinances [endureth] for ever.
161 Princes have persecuted me without a cause; But my heart standeth in awe of thy words.
162 I rejoice at thy word, As one that findeth great spoil.
163 I hate and abhor falsehood; [But] thy law do I love.
164 Seven times a day do I praise thee, Because of thy righteous ordinances.
165 Great peace have they that love thy law; And they have no occasion of stumbling.
166 I have hoped for thy salvation, O Jehovah, And have done thy commandments.
167 My soul hath observed thy testimonies; And I love them exceedingly. 168 I have observed thy precepts and thy testimonies; For all my ways are before thee.
169 Let my cry come near before thee, O Jehovah: Give me understanding according to thy word. 170 Let my supplication come before thee: Deliver me according to thy word.
171 Let my lips utter praise; For thou teachest me thy statutes.
172 Let my tongue sing of thy word; For all thy commandments are righteousness.
173 Let thy hand be ready to help me; For I have chosen thy precepts. 174 I have longed for thy salvation, O Jehovah; And thy law is my delight.
175 Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee; And let thine ordinances help me.
176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep; Seek thy servant; For I do not forget thy commandments.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Psalm 119:89-176
Commentary on Psalm 119:89-96
(Read Psalm 119:89-96)
The settling of God's word in heaven, is opposed to the changes and revolutions of the earth. And the engagements of God's covenant are established more firmly than the earth itself. All the creatures answer the ends of their creation: shall man, who alone is endued with reason, be the only unprofitable burden of the earth? We may make the Bible a pleasant companion at any time. But the word, without the grace of God, would not quicken us. See the best help for bad memories, namely, good affections; and though the exact words be lost, if the meaning remain, that is well. I am thine, not my own, not the world's; save me from sin, save me from ruin. The Lord will keep the man in peace, whose mind is stayed on him. It is poor perfection which one sees and end of. Such are all things in this world, which pass for perfections. The glory of man is but as the flower of the grass. The psalmist had seen the fulness of the word of God, and its sufficiency. The word of the Lord reaches to all cases, to all times. It will take us from all confidence in man, or in our own wisdom, strength, and righteousness. Thus shall we seek comfort and happiness from Christ alone.
Commentary on Psalm 119:97-104
(Read Psalm 119:97-104)
What we love, we love to think of. All true wisdom is from God. A good man carries his Bible with him, if not in his hands, yet in his head and in his heart. By meditation on God's testimonies we understand more than our teachers, when we understand our own hearts. The written word is a more sure guide to heaven, than all the fathers, the teachers, and ancients of the church. We cannot, with any comfort or boldness, attend God in holy duties, while under guilt, or in any by-way. It was Divine grace in his heart, that enabled the psalmist to receive these instructions. The soul has its tastes as well as the body. Our relish for the word of God will be greatest, when that for the world and the flesh is least. The way of sin is a wrong way; and the more understanding we get by the precepts of God, the more rooted will be our hatred of sin; and the more ready we are in the Scriptures, the better furnished we are with answers to temptation.
Commentary on Psalm 119:105-112
(Read Psalm 119:105-112)
The word of God directs us in our work and way, and a dark place indeed the world would be without it. The commandment is a lamp kept burning with the oil of the Spirit, as a light to direct us in the choice of our way, and the steps we take in that way. The keeping of God's commands here meant, was that of a sinner under a dispensation of mercy, of a believer having part in the covenant of grace. The psalmist is often afflicted; but with longing desires to become more holy, offers up daily prayers for quickening grace. We cannot offer any thing to God, that he will accept but what he is pleased to teach us to do. To have our soul or life continually in our hands, implies constant danger of life; yet he did not forget God's promises nor his precepts. Numberless are the snares laid by the wicked; and happy is that servant of God, whom they have not caused to err from his Master's precepts. Heavenly treasures are a heritage for ever; all the saints accept them as such, therefore they can be content with little of this world. We must look for comfort only in the way of duty, and that duty must be done. A good man, by the grace of God, brings his heart to his work, then it is done well.
Commentary on Psalm 119:113-120
(Read Psalm 119:113-120)
Here is a dread of the risings of sin, and the first beginnings of it. The more we love the law of God, the more watchful we shall be, lest vain thoughts draw us from what we love. Would we make progress in keeping God's commands, we must be separate from evil-doers. The believer could not live without the grace of God; but, supported by his hand, his spiritual life shall be maintained. Our holy security is grounded on Divine supports. All departure from God's statutes is error, and will prove fatal. Their cunning is falsehood. There is a day coming which will put the wicked into everlasting fire, the fit place for the dross. See what comes of sin Surely we who fall so low in devout affections, should fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into heavenly rest, any of us should be found to come short of it, Hebrews 4:1.
Commentary on Psalm 119:121-128
(Read Psalm 119:121-128)
Happy is the man, who, acting upon gospel principles, does justice to all around. Christ our Surety, having paid our debt and ransom, secures all the blessings of salvation to every true believer. The psalmist expects the word of God's righteousness, and no other salvation than what is secured by that word, which cannot fall to the ground. We deserve no favour form God; we are most easy when we cast ourselves upon God's mercy, and refer ourselves to it. If any man resolve to do God's will as his servant, he shall be made to know his testimonies. We must do what we can for the support of religion, and, after all, must beg of God to take the work into his own hands. It is hypocrisy to say we love God's commandments more than our worldly interests. The way of sin is a false way, being directly contrary to God's precepts, which are right: those that love and esteem God's law, hate sin, and will not be reconciled to it.
Commentary on Psalm 119:129-136
(Read Psalm 119:129-136)
The wonders of redeeming love will fix the heart in adoration of them. The Scriptures show us what we were, what we are, and what we shall be. They show us the mercy and the justice of the Lord, the joys of heaven, and the pains of hell. Thus they give to the simple, in a few days, understanding of those matters, which philosophers for ages sought in vain. The believer, wearied with the cares of life and his conflicts with sin, pants for the consolations conveyed to him by means of the sacred word. And every one may pray, Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name. We must beg that the Holy Spirit would order our steps. The dominion of sin is to be dreaded and prayed against by every one. The oppression of men is often more than flesh and blood can bear; and He who knoweth our frame, will not refuse to remove it in answer to the prayers of his people. Whatever obscurity may appear as to the faith of the Old Testament believers, their confidence at the throne of grace can only be explained by their having obtained more distinct views of gospel privileges, through the sacrifices and services of their law, than is generally imagined. Go to the same place, plead the name and merits of Jesus, and you will not, you cannot plead in vain. Commonly, where there is a gracious heart, there is a weeping eye. Accept, O Lord, the tears our blessed Redeemer shed in the days of his flesh, for us who should weep for our brethren or ourselves.
Commentary on Psalm 119:137-144
(Read Psalm 119:137-144)
God never did, and never can do wrong to any. The promises are faithfully performed by Him that made them. Zeal against sin should constrain us to do what we can against it, at least to do more in religion ourselves. Our love to the word of God is evidence of our love to God, because it is designed to make us partake his holiness. Men's real excellency always makes them low in their own eyes. When we are small and despised, we have the more need to remember God's precepts, that we may have them to support us. The law of God is the truth, the standard of holiness, the rule of happiness; but the obedience of Christ alone justifies the believer. Sorrows are often the lot of saints in this vale of tears; they are in heaviness through manifold temptations. There are delights in the word of God, which the saints often most sweetly enjoy when in trouble and anguish. This is life eternal, to know God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent, John 17:3. May we live the life of faith and grace here, and be removed to the life of glory hereafter.
Commentary on Psalm 119:145-152
(Read Psalm 119:145-152)
Supplications with the whole heart are presented only by those who desire God's salvation, and who love his commandments. Whither should the child go but to his father? Save me from my sins, my corruptions, my temptations, all the hinderances in my way, that I may keep thy testimonies. Christians who enjoy health, should not suffer the early hours of the morning to glide away unimproved. Hope in God's word encourages us to continue in prayer. It is better to take time from sleep, than not to find time for prayer. We have access to God at all hours; and if our first thoughts in the morning are of God, they will help to keep us in his fear all the day long. Make me lively and cheerful. God knows what we need and what is good for us, and will quicken us. If we are employed in God's service, we need not fear those who try to set themselves as far as they can out of the reach of the convictions and commands of his law. When trouble is near, God is near. He is never far to seek. All his commandments are truth. And God's promises will be performed. All that ever trusted in God have found him faithful.
Commentary on Psalm 119:153-160
(Read Psalm 119:153-160)
The closer we cleave to the word of God, both as our rule and as our stay, the more assurance we have of deliverance. Christ is the Advocate of his people, their Redeemer. Those who were quickened by his Spirit and grace, when they were dead in trespasses and sins, often need to have the work of grace revived in them, according to the word of promise. The wicked not only do not God's statutes, but they do not even seek them. They flatter themselves that they are going to heaven; but the longer they persist in sin, the further it is from them. God's mercies are tender; they are a fountain that can never be exhausted. The psalmist begs for God's reviving, quickening grace. A man, steady in the way of his duty, though he may have many enemies, needs to fear none. Those that hate sin truly, hate it as sin, as a transgression of the law of God, and a breaking of his word. Our obedience is only pleasing to God, and pleasant to ourselves, when it comes from a principle of love. All, in every age, who receive God's word in faith and love, find every saying in it faithful.
Commentary on Psalm 119:161-168
(Read Psalm 119:161-168)
Those whose hearts stand in awe of God's word, will rather endure the wrath of man, than break the law of God. By the word of God we are unspeakable gainers. Every man hates to have a lie told him, but we should more hate telling a lie; by the latter we give an affront to God. The more we see the beauty of truth, the more we shall see the hateful deformity of a lie. We are to praise God even for afflictions; through grace we get good from them. Those that love the world have great vexation, for it does not answer what they expect; those that love God's word have great peace, for it outdoes what they expect. Those in whom this holy love reigns, will not perplex themselves with needless scruples, or take offence at their brethren. A good hope of salvation will engage the heart in doing the commandments. And our love to the word of God must subdue our lusts, and root out carnal affections: we must make heart work of it, or we make nothing of it. We must keep the commandments of God by obedience to them, and his promises by reliance on them. God's eye is on us at all times; this should make us very careful to keep his commandments.
Commentary on Psalm 119:169-176
(Read Psalm 119:169-176)
The psalmist desired grace and strength to lift up his prayers, and that the Lord would receive and notice them. He desired to know more of God in Christ; to know more of the doctrines of the word, and the duties of religion. He had a deep sense of unworthiness, and holy fear that his prayer should not come before God; Lord, what I pray for is, what thou hast promised. We have learned nothing to purpose, if we have not learned to praise God. We should always make the word of God the rule of our discourse, so as never to transgress it by sinful speaking, or sinful silence. His own hands are not sufficient, nor can any creature lend him help; therefore he looks up to God, that the hand that had made him may help him. He had made religion his deliberate choice. There is an eternal salvation all the saints long for, and therefore they pray that God would help their way to it. Let thy judgments help me; let all ordinances and all providences, (both are God's judgments,) further me in glorifying God; let them help me for that work. He often looks back with shame and gratitude to his lost estate. He still prays for the tender care of Him who purchased his flock with his own blood, that he may receive from him the gift of eternal life. Seek me, that is, Find me; for God never seeks in vain. Turn me, and I shall be turned. Let this psalm be a touchstone by which to try our hearts, and our lives. Do our hearts, cleansed in Christ's blood, make these prayers, resolutions and confessions our own? Is God's word the standard of our faith, and the law of our practice? Do we use it as pleas with Christ for what we need? Happy those who live in such delightful exercises.