Teach me Thy statutes!

 

Welcome back my fellow Christian damsel!

(Have you told someone about it?)

Today, I am sharing some thoughts from Psalm 119. I am focusing on the phrase “Teach me Thy Statutes”. 

I found thirteen (13) verses in Psalm 119 where David prayed that God would teach him His statutes. 

Let’s look first at what David associated learning God’s statutes with.

Praise and Worship

In Psalm 119 verses 12, 68 and 108, David’s request to be taught by God was preceded by praise.

He wooed God with words like ‘blessed’ and ‘good’, and he offered freewill offerings of his mouth.

All this as he attempted to get God to teach him.

Imagine when children want something so much from a parent that they begin to ‘sweet up’ mommy and daddy - “pleeeaase, pretty please! With cherry on top! Mommy I love you so much! Daddy you’re the best!”

That’s what David was doing to God; that’s how valuable God’s word was to David. 

Who would’ve thought that one benefit of worship would be scriptural enlightenment?! Oh yes, it does happen!

Understanding

In verse 27, David asked for understanding of God’s precepts.

In verse 125, David associates understanding with God’s words.

He acknowledged that he would need understanding to know the testimony of God. 

We too cannot afford to approach God’s word with our own intellect. We need Divine revelation and spiritual understanding to appreciate God’s word.

Let’s pray for understanding of God’s word, just like David did!

God’s mercy and favour

David saw God’s teaching him as an act of mercy and favour.  

In verse 64, David recognised that it was mercy that allowed God to teach him.

Verse 124 echoes this sentiment, and in verse 135, David asked for God’s face to shine on him.

David was saying “God, if you’re going to be merciful to me, if you’re going to give me favour, show me by teaching me Your word”.

How awesome is that?! One way God shows us favour and mercy is by teaching us His statutes!

Now, let us look at the outcomes and results that we get from having God teach us His statutes.

Praise and worship...again

Praise and worship features here again where it is also seen as an outcome of being taught God’s statutes.

In verse 27, David declared that he would talk of God’s wondrous works when he understood God’s precepts.

Verse 171 says it so clearly: my lips shall utter praise when Thou hast taught me Thy statutes.

When I get to know and understand God’s precepts, one result is I talk about what He does; I’ll start to praise Him more!

Could it be that we hold back praises to God because we don’t have the understanding we need? Maybe our conversations don’t include much about God because of this.

Lord, take us there! Teach us Your statutes so we can praise You as we should!

Steadfastness

Steadfastness is another beautiful fruit that springs from being taught God’s word.

Verse 33 shows the connection between truly learning God’s truth, and the resulting obedience and conformity.

Let’s be honest. If we really understood the value in obeying God’s word, would we depart from His way?

Or, from another perspective, if sinners really had understanding of the value of God’s truth, would they refuse to repent? The answer is no.

Verse 102 confirms it - When God Himself was David’s teacher, he had no occasion of backsliding. 

Conclusion

Are you ready to let God teach you His words? Offer up some praise, pray for understanding, and watch as His merciful counsel makes you into a steadfast worshipper!

Activity:

In Psalm 119, the following terms were used to speak of God’s word:

• Statutes
• Precepts
• Commandments

List two other terms in Psalm 119 that speak of God’s word.

Share your answers in the comments!

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