Psalms 119:145. I cried with my whole heart; hear me. O LORD: I will keep thy statutes.
It is sweet to look back upon our prayers, if those prayers were uttered with our whole heart, for it is no small work of divine grace to enable us to throw the whole heart into prayer; and when we get that we may be quite sure that our prayer will succeed. The God who gives us grace to pray with the whole heart will be sure to reply to the prayer. After prayer David uttered a resolution, «I will keep thy statutes.» He was resolved upon this with his whole heart, and though a resolution is not enough, for many make resolves and break them, yet no man is likely to keep God's word who does not resolve to do so. Therefore is it needful, first, to cry in prayer, and then to resolve with the whole heart to walk according to God's will.
Psalms 119:146. I cried unto thee; save me, and I shall keep thy testimonies.
He has got on this string, you see, and he touches it again. First he said, «I cried with my whole heart.» Now again he says, «I cried unto thee.» When you are in trouble, if you can remember that you were much in prayer before you entered into the experience which led into the trouble, you can plead with God that you did not rush into it carelessly and prayerlessly; and you have a good argument to urge with him why he should help you in your time of need.
Psalms 119:147-19. I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy word. Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word.
It was not now and then that David was in a devotional frame of mind. He continued so. He began early, but he continued late. The prayer of the down was followed by the watch of the midnight.
Psalms 119:149. Hear my voice according unto thy lovingkindness: O LORD, quicken me according to thy judgment.
He was accustomed to put these two things together, all through this judgment as much as if he felt that he could appeal both to the tenderness and to the justice of God for help in his time of need; for with a God who has entered into the bonds of the covenant with us, and pledged himself by promise and, by oath, we may plead both his loving-kindness and his judgment.
Psalms 119:150-19. They draw nigh that follow after mischief: they are far from thy law. Thou art near, O LORD: And all thy commandments are truth.
How beautiful this! The enemies are coming near, but thou art nearer They approach me, but I abide with thee, and thou abidest with me, I am safe.
Psalms 119:152. Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever.
Oh! believer, what comfort there is in this for you! If you have known it all your years, it has been a blessed thing to know that God changes not that as he spake, or ever the earth was, so will that word abide when this world shall cease to be.
Psalms 119:153. Consider mine affliction, and deliver me: for I do not forgot thy law.
Lord, thy grace has helped me to remember thee. I pray thee, therefore, remember my affliction. Look at it with thy eyes of wisdom, and deliver me.
Psalms 119:154-19. Plead my cause, and deliver me: quicken me according to thy word. Salvation is far from the wicked: for they seek not thy statutes.
Salvation is near to any man who seeks it, but the ungodly, as they will not have God's Word, so shall they not have God's saving grace They are far from it.
Psalms 119:156. Great are thy tender mercies, O LORD: quicken me according to thy judgments.
Here again, you see, he puts judgment and mercy together the justice and the tenderness of God, and he leans on both. It is a mark of an instructed Christian when he is able to derive comfort, not merely from the love of God, but also from the holiness and the justice of God, seeing that these are on his side, through Jesus Christ's atoning blood.
Psalms 119:157-19. Many are my persecutors and mine enemies; yet do I not decline from thy testimonies. I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they kept not thy word.
O child of God, whenever you look upon the transgressors, your heart should bleed that they should transgress so good a law that they should grieve so gracious a God that they should bring upon themselves so terrible a penalty. «I beheld the transgressors and was grieved.»
Psalms 119:159-19. Consider how I love thy precepts: quicken me, O LORD, according to thy lovingkindness Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.
And here is the very sweetness of the gospel that it is not a thing of today, which will lose its efficiency tomorrow. It endureth for ever. You that have got it have chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from you. All the blessings of the covenant are everlasting blessings. They are «the sure mercies of David»; and he that getteth them getteth an inheritance which he shall not lose.
Psalms 119:161. Princes have persecuted me without a cause; but my heart standeth in awe of thy word.
Not in awe of their word, but in awe of thy word. The fear of God is the best cure for the fear of men. No man who is devout is cowardly. If thou fearest God with all thy heart, thou wilt defy all the devils in hell, and fear none.
Psalms 119:162-19. I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil. I hate and abhor lying; but thy law do I love. Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments. Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.
Whatever happens, they shall suffer no ill from it. «There shall no evil befall such, neither shall any plague come nigh their dwelling,» for they «dwell under the shadow of the Almighty.»
Psalms 119:166. LORD, I have hoped for thy salvation, and done thy commandments.
Now, cannot some of you feeble people say that? You that cannot talk of full assurance, and are half afraid that you are none of the Lord's people at all, yet you can say, «Lord, I have hoped for thy salvation, and done thy commandments;» and, if so, you have done that which proves you to be his.
Psalms 119:167-19. My soul hath kept thy testimonies; and I love them exceedingly. I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies: for all my ways are before thee.
No man will ever take comfort in this, if he is not a renewed man, for to know that all our ways are before God is ground for great distress if we are ungodly if we are walking contrary to his mind; but if we are, indeed, his children, we love to feel that we are always living under his eye that there is nothing about us unknown, to him no secret sorrow which he does not read no invisible burden which he does not see.
This exposition consisted of readings from Psalms 51:1; Psalms 119:145-19.