Who is Teaching You?

Do you have a "learner's spirit"?  Have you asked God to teach you?

March 15, 2022

"Blessed art thou, O LORD:  teach me thy statutes."

Psalm 119:12

David writes this section of Psalm 119 (BETH) to help a young man understand how to avoid the temptation to sin that is always close at hand.  These truths are great for any young person, and older folks, for that matter.  The young man may “cleanse his way, by taking heedto God’s Word (v. 9).  Wholeheartedly seeking the LORD prevents him from wandering from God’s commandments (v. 10).  Hiding God’s Word in his heart will prevent him from sinning (v. 11).  He will grow and mature by genuinely praising the LORD and asking Him to teach him His statutes (v. 12).  And this is where we will spend our time together today.

 

“Blessed art thou, O LORD.”
David adores the LORD!  From the sheepfold to the throne, David has loved and revered Jehovah.  Reading through the Psalms, anyone can see David’s reverence for Him.  He has seen the LORD at work in his life in these same areas he is writing about here.  He praised the LORD for His faithfulness working in him.  His heart is so full, and he must praise God or explode!

“These are words of adoration arising out of an intense admiration of the divine character, which the writer is humbly aiming to imitate.  He blesses God for all that He has revealed to him, and wrought in him; he praises Him with warmth of reverent love, and depth of holy wonder” [1] (Spurgeon).

David’s heart is open to His LORD.

“In Psalm 119:12, the poet makes his way through adoration to petition” [2] (KDC).

Now David asks God to –

 

“Teach me thy statutes.”
How else can David learn the things important to God that ought to be essential for himself, unless the LORD teaches him?

“No sooner is the word in the heart than a desire arises to mark and learn it.  When food is eaten, the next thing is to digest it; and when the word is received into the soul, the first prayer is – Lord, teach me its meaning” [3] (Spurgeon).

 

“Teach me!”

David was serious about God teaching him, for, in this Psalm alone (119), he asks at least eleven times for Jehovah to teach him!

He knew that Jehovah needed to teach him about:

His judgments, v. 7, v. 66, v. 108.
His commandments, v. 66, v. 73.
His testimonies, v. 99.
And especially His statutes, v. 12, v. 26, v. 64, v. 68, v. 71, v. 124, v. 135!

 

“Teach me thy statutes!”

But what are “your statutes?”

“Your statutes” – A decree or regulation that is given by God.  The psalmist would not be able to figure out God’s statutes without being taught them” [4] (FSB).

David knew the necessity of knowing what God demanded of him.  How could he please God if he didn’t know what God expected?  His heart cried out to have God’s statutes rule his life.

O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!” (Psalm 119:5).

“Teach me thy statutes – Make me more and more acquainted with a law so pure, so rich, so valuable” [5] (Barnes).

Teach me Your statutes:  This demonstrates the humility of the psalmist.  Though filled with God’s Word and a desire for purity, he sensed his constant need for instruction by God.  He didn’t simply need to read God’s statutes; he pleaded with God to teach him” [6] (EWC).

 

Dear Lord, teach me your Statutes, your Word, and your Way, please Lord!

“Happy men usually rejoice to make others happy, and surely the happy God will willingly impart the holiness which is the fountain of happiness.  Faith prompted this prayer and based it, not upon anything in the praying man, but solely upon the perfection of the God to whom he made supplication.  Lord, thou art blessed, therefore bless me by teaching me” [7] (Spurgeon).

Believers, every time we open the Word of God, we need to ask the Lord to teach us.  How blessed every believer is to have the Author of the Book living inside of them!  But let us go to His school and learn of Him!

“Who would not wish to enter the school of such a Master to learn of him the art of holy living?  To this Instructor, we must submit ourselves if we would practically keep the statutes of righteousness.  The King who ordained the statutes knows best their meaning, and as they are the outcome of his own nature, he can best inspire us with their spirit” [8] (Spurgeon).

 

Quote:  “If we know the Lord’s statutes, we have the most essential education.  Let us each one say, “Teach me thy statutes” [9] (Spurgeon).

 

 

 

[1] TOD – C.H. Spurgeon.  Treasury of David, the electronic version in eSword.  Psalm 119:12.
[2] KDC – Keil & Delitzsch.  Keil & Delitzsch’s Commentary on the Old Testament, the electronic version in eSword.  Psalm 119:12.
[3] TOD, ibid.
[4] FSB, John D. Barry, et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Ps 119:12.
[5] BNB – Albert Barnes.  Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword.  Psalm 119:12.
[6] EWC – David Guzik.  Enduring Word Commentary, the electronic version in eSword.  Psalm 119:12.
[7] TOD, ibid.
[8] TOD, ibid.
[9] TOD, ibid.