The 3rd letter of the Hebrew Aleph-Bet
Gimmel
ב
The free choice to run after the teachings of the Torah, by practising acts of lovingkindness
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V17 - Deal bountifully with your servant , that I might live and keep your word.
Give us lots of grace , so that we can be your servants, live to bring You Glory.
"oh Lord, thou must give me great mercy or no mercy , for little mercy will not server my turn " - Spurgeon
V18 - Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderous things out of Your law.
Without the Holy Spirit, God's word is but letters on a page, we need the Holy Spirit to take the scales from our eyes so we can truly see the , power, truth and beauty in God's word. Luke 10:23 "Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see!"
“In order to keep God’s word, must we not pray to understand it? What then is this prayer? Not – give me a plainer Bible – but open my eyes to know my Bible. Not – show me some new revelations beside the law – but make me behold the wonders of the law.” (Bridges)
V19 - I am a sojourner on this earth , hide not your commandments from me.
We strangers in this world and the lusts, vanities and false joy of earthly things. Our hope is not of this life but the life to come , but we need God's commandments to guide our path while we are in this fallen world. john 15:19 - "If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you"
“If you are trying to follow God, the world is going to treat you as an alien, for that is what you will be. You cannot expect to be at home in it, and if you are, well, it is an indication that you really do not belong to Christ or at least are living far from him.” (Boice)
V20 - My soul is consumed with longing for Your rules all the time
As a stranger in this world, my soul (my being, all that I am) is consumed (crushed) with longing for the Lord , I have but experienced a small portion of God's glory , how wonderful it will be in the presence of our heavenly father, with Jesus at His right hand, and I hope ( I live for) to hear "well done my good and faithful servant"
“Longing lingers not within a lifeless corpse. Where the heart is breaking with desire there is life. This may comfort some of you: you have not attained as yet to the holiness you admire, but you long for it: ah, then, you are a living soul, the life of God is in you.” (Spurgeon)
V21 - You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones , who wonder from Your commands
Because of pride we turn from His word and are cursed. In light of a Holy God what does man have to proud about.
When the prophet speaks of those who wonder from your commands, he refers to the unbridled contempt of God. because, in His fatherly kindness, God bears with those who fail through the weakness of the flesh, we must understand these judgements as referring to the reprobate - (Calvin - Abridged by David C. Searle)
Deuteronomy 27:26 “‘Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
V22 - Take away from scorn and contempt, For I have kept your testimonies.
Through our Lord Jesus , our lives are made clean, the Father does not look at Jesus with scorn and contempt, but with love and so also His saints.
“The best way to deal with slander is to pray about it: God will either remove it, or remove the sting from it. Our own attempts at clearing ourselves are usually failures.” (Spurgeon)
V23 - Even though princess sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statues
Even though we are persecuted by the world, we must meditate and live God's word. So as not to hate our enemies but to show them love and pray for them.
Romans 12:20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Daniels 6:4 Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him.
V24 - Your testimonies are my delight, they are my councillors
His way, His testimonies, His Son, His word these are our councillors , these are what brings pure joy and hope in our lives.
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In this section the psalmist saw many things that hindered his reception of the word of God and his fellowship with God, and he prayed to be protected from them.
· He saw the danger of a dead soul and a cold heart; therefore he prayed, “Deal bountifully with Your servant, that I may live and keep Your word.”
· He saw the danger of darkened understanding; therefore he prayed, “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.”
· He saw the danger of living as a stranger in a strange land; therefore he prayed, “Do not hide Your commandments from me.”
· He saw his own weakness and instability; therefore he prayed, “My soul breaks with longing.”
· He saw the danger of pride, evident in those who attacked him; therefore he recognized that the proud are “the cursed, who stray for Your commandments.”
· He saw the reproach and contempt that came upon him, and how those could shake his standing; therefore he prayed, “Remove from me reproach and contempt.”
· He saw rulers plotting against him; therefore he prayed, “Your testimonies are my delight.”
iv. “He rises superior to these sorrowful circumstances by keeping the testimonies, meditating on the statutes, and so finding delight therein.” (Morgan)
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All Glory to God our Father!