“Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.” (Psalm 119:33)
This eight-verse section (vv. 33-40) closely parallels a similar passage in Proverbs 2:1-5. Both focus on being taught, gaining understanding, and keeping “the way” of God’s Word.
Certainly worth noting is the manner in which the psalmist asked to “go in the path of thy commandments” (v. 35). In every case, the request is for God’s hand to control the process. There is no indication that the psalmist assumed the capability of finding these truths on his own.
- “Teach me, O LORD” (v. 33).
- “Give me understanding” (v. 34).
- “Make me to go” (v. 35).
- “Incline my heart” (v. 36).
- “Turn away my eyes from beholding vanity” (v. 37).
- “Stablish thy word” (v. 38).
- “Turn away my reproach” (v. 39).
- “Quicken me in thy righteousness” (v. 40).
However, having prayed for God’s intervention and oversight in his life, the psalmist promised to act on the given insight and order his life around “the way” so illumined by God’s instructions. He acknowledged his “delight” and his “longing” in the holy life and character revealed in the Scriptures and, like the Proverbs 2 passage, showed a willingness of the spiritual consciousness of his heart and mind to “understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God” (Proverbs 2:5).
May our prayer always be like this: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24). HMM III
