#854 He, Hey, Hei

He

33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes;

and I will keep it to the end.

34 Give me understanding, that I may keep your law

and observe it with my whole heart.

35 Lead me in the path of your commandments,

for I delight in it.

36 Incline my heart to your testimonies,

and not to selfish gain!

37 Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;

and give me life in your ways.

38 Confirm to your servant your promise,

that you may be feared.

39 Turn away the reproach that I dread,

for your rules are good.

40 Behold, I long for your precepts;

in your righteousness give me life! Psalm 119: 33-40

A Psalm of dependence, continuing with Psalm 119 and the ever pressing theme of the significance of God's Word.

He or Hey - The fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, also representing the number 5. The word means look or behold, and the pictograph is of a man with upraised hands. An interesting note: when added to Abram, he became Abraham and Sarai became Sarah. Some would say this changes him from "exalted father" to "the exalted father", but adding the context of Genesis 17, God also describes them as the father and mother of nations. Men like to say that their word is their bond, but only with God is it truly sealed. The barren becomes the matriarch. 

And God said to him, 4 “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. Genesis 17: 3-6

- A sense of dependence and a consciousness of extreme need pervade this section, which is all made up of prayer and plea. The former eight verses trembled with a sense of sin, quivering with a childlike sense of weakness and folly, which caused the man of God to cry out for the help by which alone his soul could be preserved from falling back into sin. C. H. Spurgeon

Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes - He seems to understand that there is more than just reading material here, he wants a teacher and One of the highest order, God Himself. This is not an entertaining play on words, words for not, but the perfect economy of words from God, and to think that what he is saying is also so inspired, then every reader should be intent upon the Author's intent. 

And I will keep it to the end - If You are my teacher then there can be no misunderstanding. The hunger and thirst comes from You so surely the understanding must also. 

- Mere human wit and will have no such enduring influence: there is an end to all perfection of the flesh, but there is no end to heavenly grace except its own end, which is the perfecting of holiness in the fear of the Lord. Perseverance to the end is most certainly to be predicted of those whose beginning is in God, and with God, and by God; but those who commence without the Lord's teaching soon forget what they learn, and start aside from the way upon which they professed to have entered. C. H. Spurgeon

- The gospel gives us grace to keep the law; the free gift leads us to holy service; there is no way of reaching to holiness but by accepting the gift of God. If God gives, we keep; but we never keep the law in order to obtaining grace. The sure result of regeneration, or the bestowal of understanding, is a devout reverence for the law and a resolute keeping of it in the heart. The Spirit of God makes us to know the Lord and to understand somewhat of his love, wisdom, holiness, and majesty; and the result is that we honour the law and yield our hearts to the obedience of the faith. C. H. Spurgeon

Lead me in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it - God revealed Himself to Abraham, led him away from his home, made a covenant with him. There was never any doubt on God's part, and slowly Abraham came to see a God that truly was the giver and keeper of life, and he became known as the friend of God. The Psalmist can look back on all these things, the patriarchs, the law of Moses, and God's almighty hand, but even in believing that this happened for them, that they came to walk with God, can I be led by Him as well? You have revealed Yourself to me in Your Word, may I now have the confidence to walk in it? I am not so inclined to stay a babe anymore, I love Your Word, and I want to get up and walk.

…13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”… Romans 8: 13-15

Incline my heart to Your testimonies and not to selfish gain - There are eternal matters that far outweigh all the gold and silver, fame and power that can be had in this world. I would rather be of a mind willing to give up everything than to waste so much time accumulating what all the rest of humanity holds so dear. Let my priorities be Yours, O God, let my time belong to what honors You. This is the sad thing to see in our churches now, that God is last, the self first, and men pay little honor to the true God. They sell religion, but it has nothing to with Him, it is shiny, but spiritually bankrupt. 

…12 Their houses will be turned over to others, their fields and wives as well, for I will stretch out My hand against the inhabitants of the land,” declares the LORD. 13“For from the least of them to the greatest, all are greedy for gain. From prophet to priest, all practice deceit. 14 They have dressed the wound of My people with very little care, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace at all.… Jeremiah 6: 12-14

Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things - Not that a woman is ever worthless, but it is vane to look upon the wife of someone else, as David must remember with Bathsheba. What great sacrifice we all make to our covetous nature, it takes our morals, principles, and even our children. I did not want the responsibility that came after the place my eyes rested, oh that I would have looked away. Is staring not often worshiping? What do you have to look at here that is worth an eternity? Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.

That You may be feared - Convince me so thoroughly, that You only shall I fear, and then You only will I obey.

Turn away the reproach that I dread, for Your rules are good - It is a just reproach that I fear, and this would go along so well with, "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." I don't want to be guilty anymore or think it a light thing. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. The law was good, men's hearts were not up to it. 

In Your righteousness give me life - The righteousness that comes by faith. 

…20 Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5: 20-21

…11 After the anguish of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He has poured out His life unto death, and He was numbered among the transgressors. Yet He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53: 11-12