#DailyDevotion The Holy Spirit Moves, Guides, Teaches & Wills Us To The Father’s Way
Psalm 119 33O LORD, teach me the way You prescribe (choq), and I will keep it to the end. 34Give me understanding, and I will keep what You teach (torah) and do it with all my heart. 35Lead me in the path of Your commandments (mitsvah)—I am delighted with it. 36Make me interested in the truths (edah) You wrote and not in greedy profit. 37Turn my eyes away from watching worthless things. Give me a new life in Your way. 38Do what You promised (imrah) Your servant, that I may respect You. 39Take away the scorn I dread, because Your decrees (misphat) are good. 40I long for Your guiding principles (piqqud); by Your righteousness give me life.
There are a couple of words used for “to teach” in Hebrew. One has the sense of goad like in Deut. 4:10, 14. The other has the sense of pointing out, which is the one used here. Well who likes to be goaded into doing something? Of course, if we allow ourselves to be taught, we wouldn’t need to be goaded.
If we are to keep (read treasure, guard) it to the end and ultimately do it, it is the LORD who must be behind that teaching. The Holy Spirit must give me understanding if I am to keep and do all He teaches me. Of my own power and strength I cannot and will not do it. Paul writes however in Gal. 2, “20I was crucified with Christ, and I don’t live anymore, but Christ lives in me.” In Eph. 2 he writes, “10He has made us what we are, creating us in Christ Jesus to do good works, in which God long ago planned for us to live.” Finally he writes in Phil. 2, “13…it is God Who continues to work in you, both to desire as well as to do what is pleasing to Him.”
Certainly he is speaking of the believer when he writes, “Lead me in the path of Your commandments (mitsvah)—I am delighted with it.” Who else can be delighted in the commandments of God but a believer in Jesus Christ who believes for Christ’s sake, these commandments condemn and curse him no more. We have a way in Christianity. Jesus Christ is the Way, the Path. Through faith in Him we desire and are delighted in doing His will which is revealed in the commandment.
The LORD’s eduth/testimonies/truths, He must make us interested in His written truths rather than the lust of our eyes. He needs to turn our eyes from the things of the world to His way and His word. In His ways are life and truth: Jesus is the Way, the Life and the Truth. It is quite a big order for the LORD to turn us to Him but nothing is impossible with God.
The psalmist asks the LORD to do what He promised. This was some spoken promise probably from a prophet. When the LORD fulfills His promises it brings us to properly fear, i.e. worship Him. He has fulfilled all that was spoken and written in the Law, the Prophets and the Writings concerning Jesus Christ. Therefore, we worship Him.
The decrees of God are good. We are not. We need Him to remove the scorn we dread because we have not kept them. That scorn is rightfully ours. On the cross, Jesus Christ and His righteousness gave us life because He took our scorn upon Himself. He has given us His righteousness in baptism and buried our sin in the tomb from which He was raised. Since He has given us such a great salvation, providing us His light and life, we desire His guiding principles. We want to live according to His will. We pour through the Scriptures looking for His ways so we may walk lives that are pleasing to Him.
Merciful God and Father, continually give us Your Holy Spirit, so we may have hearts that desire and do all You have taught us in Your Word. May You, through the Spirit will and do in us all that is pleasing in Your sight so we may properly worship You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.