_UNTO THEE, O LORD, DO I LIFT UP MY SOUL._ Psalms 25:1.-Prayer for deliverance from enemies, grounded on God's faithfulness to His trusting people (Psalms 25:1); appeal to God to remember not sins, but His own mercies (Psalms 25:6); the spirit required in those to whom God grants guidance and mercy-... [ Continue Reading ]
_O MY GOD, I TRUST IN THEE: LET ME NOT BE ASHAMED, LET NOT MINE ENEMIES TRIUMPH OVER ME._ I trust in thee - and in none besides; answering to "I lift up my soul unto thee" (Psalms 25:1). LET ME NOT BE ASHAMED - as if I were one deserving to be put to shame as not trusting in thee-a hypocrite and... [ Continue Reading ]
_YEA, LET NONE THAT WAIT ON THEE BE ASHAMED: LET THEM BE ASHAMED WHICH TRANSGRESS WITHOUT CAUSE._ Let none ... be ashamed - a prayer based on a fundamental principle of God a dealings. He has common cause with all that wait, on the Lord; such cannot consistently with God's honour be put to shame. T... [ Continue Reading ]
_SHEW ME THY WAYS, O LORD; TEACH ME THY PATHS._ Show me thy ways - namely, the ways of "salvation" from all dangers and temptations. David has in mind the prayer of Moses (Exodus 33:13). TEACH ME - by thy Spirit. [he (h)]... [ Continue Reading ]
_LEAD ME IN THY TRUTH, AND TEACH ME: FOR THOU ART THE GOD OF MY SALVATION; ON THEE DO I WAIT ALL THE DAY._ Lead me in thy truth - Lead me, so as that I may experience thy faithfulness to thy promises (John 17:17). So the phrased, 'the truth of God,' means in Psalms 30:9; Psalms 71:22. "Lead me," as... [ Continue Reading ]
_REMEMBER, O LORD, THY TENDER MERCIES AND THY LOVINGKINDNESSES; FOR THEY HAVE BEEN EVER OF OLD._ Thy tender mercies - Hebrew, 'thy bowels' (Colossians 3:12). AND THY LOVING-KINDNESSES. God cannot renounce His own essential loving-kindness (especially to His trusting children, such as the Psalmist... [ Continue Reading ]
_REMEMBER NOT THE SINS OF MY YOUTH, NOR MY TRANSGRESSIONS: ACCORDING TO THY MERCY REMEMBER THOU ME FOR THY GOODNESS' SAKE, O LORD._ Remember not the sins of my youth - a necessary consequence of the previous "Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies" (Psalms 25:6); because God 'remembers,' and can neve... [ Continue Reading ]
_GOOD AND UPRIGHT IS THE LORD: THEREFORE WILL HE TEACH SINNERS IN THE WAY._ Good - benignant (cf. "thy goodness," Psalms 25:7). UPRIGHT IS THE LORD. Based on Deuteronomy 32:4. "Upright" implies that God's character accords with the most perfect role of right (unlike the pagan idea of deity); "ther... [ Continue Reading ]
_THE MEEK WILL HE GUIDE IN JUDGMENT: AND THE MEEK WILL HE TEACH HIS WAY._ The meek ... The repetition of "the meek" implies emphatically who alone are the "sinners" (Psalms 25:8) whom God saves-namely, those humbled and saddened on account of their sins. 'He guides them in judgment' or 'righteousne... [ Continue Reading ]
_ALL THE PATHS OF THE LORD ARE MERCY AND TRUTH UNTO SUCH AS KEEP HIS COVENANT AND HIS TESTIMONIES._ The paths of the Lord are mercy and truth. Sins of infirmity, such as still beset penitent "sinners," do not exclude from the continued benefits of the covenant, when we confess and seek forgiveness... [ Continue Reading ]
_FOR THY NAME'S SAKE, O LORD, PARDON MINE INIQUITY; FOR IT IS GREAT._ For thy name's sake (note, Psalms 23:3) - For the sake of thy manifested character. God's attributes, to which David refers, are given in Psalms 25:7, goodness, uprightness, mercy, and truth. FOR IT IS GREAT. The very greatness... [ Continue Reading ]
_WHAT MAN IS HE THAT FEARETH THE LORD? HIM SHALL HE TEACH IN THE WAY THAT HE SHALL CHOOSE._ HIM SHALL HE TEACH. Yahweh, by His Spirit, will teach him effectually the path which he must choose in order to be saved. A choice must be made between the ways of God and the ways of unbelief (Joshua 24:15).... [ Continue Reading ]
_HIS SOUL SHALL DWELL AT EASE; AND HIS SEED SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH._ Shall dwell at ease (_ LUWN_ (H3885)) - literally, 'shall pass the night in good;' i:e., shall abide permanently in good (Job 17:2, English version, cf. margin; Proverbs 19:23). I prefer restricting the term to his passing the ni... [ Continue Reading ]
_THE SECRET OF THE LORD IS WITH THEM THAT FEAR HIM; AND HE WILL SHEW THEM HIS COVENANT._ The secret of the Lord. "The secret;" the Hebrew (sod) is often used of a privy council met for deliberation (Job 29:4): here it means the familiar intimacy of Yahweh (Proverbs 3:32; John 15:15). HIS COVENANT.... [ Continue Reading ]
_MINE EYES ARE EVER TOWARD THE LORD; FOR HE SHALL PLUCK MY FEET OUT OF THE NET._ Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord - resuming the plea in Psalms 25:1 (cf. Psalms 123:1). FEET OUT OF THE NET - laid for me by my enemies (Psalms 9:15). [pe (p)]... [ Continue Reading ]
_TURN THEE UNTO ME, AND HAVE MERCY UPON ME; FOR I AM DESOLATE AND AFFLICTED._ Turn thee unto me ... for I am desolate - literally, 'solitary' (Psalms 68:6). David, though a king; with large armies felt himself as one alone, having no help except in God. [tsade (ts)]... [ Continue Reading ]
_THE TROUBLES OF MY HEART ARE ENLARGED: O BRING THOU ME OUT OF MY DISTRESSES._ The troubles of my heart. "The troubles" - lit, 'straitnesses' (_ TSAAROWT_ (H6869)), standing in emphatic contrast to "enlarged." His many troubles drive him to the only One who can bring him out of them all. As the fir... [ Continue Reading ]
_LOOK UPON MINE AFFLICTION AND MY PAIN; AND FORGIVE ALL MY SINS._ Forgive all my sins (_ NAASA'_ (H5375)) - literally, 'bear all my sins;' take them away by the atoning Victim bearing them on Him (Isaiah 53:4; Isaiah 53:12). Compare the types, Leviticus 10:17; Leviticus 16:22; Numbers 5:31. "Sin" i... [ Continue Reading ]
_CONSIDER MINE ENEMIES; FOR THEY ARE MANY; AND THEY HATE ME WITH CRUEL HATRED._ Consider - the same Hebrew as in Psalms 25:18, "Look upon." Whilst God looks upon His own people with compassion for their "affliction," and with "forgiveness" for their "sins," He "looks upon" their "enemies" with wrat... [ Continue Reading ]
_O KEEP MY SOUL, AND DELIVER ME: LET ME NOT BE ASHAMED; FOR I PUT MY TRUST IN THEE._ O keep my soul - (Psalms 22:20.) Another effectual plea, the preciousness in God's sight of his "soul" which is endangered. I PUT MY TRUST IN THEE - resuming at the close the plea in the beginning (Psalms 25:1).... [ Continue Reading ]
_LET INTEGRITY AND UPRIGHTNESS PRESERVE ME; FOR I WAIT ON THEE._ Integrity - i:e., not that a man's own "integrity" saves him; but it is the evidence of God's grace in him, and pleasing to God, so that we may be sure God will "preserve" such a one. God's part is expressed in Psalms 40:11, "Let THY... [ Continue Reading ]
_REDEEM ISRAEL, O GOD, OUT OF ALL HIS TROUBLES._ Redeem Israel, O God - concluding summary. David's cause was the cause of "Israel," and is the cause of the whole Church. As her representative, he gives an inspired directory as to the spirit and the words to be used by believers when they pray in t... [ Continue Reading ]