And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. Exodus 13:21 ESV The newly freed Israelites fled quickly from their former masters, the Egyptians, …
Note: this week I'm reversing my normal schedule for Wednesdays and Fridays, since a brief illness left me unable to finish the recording over chapter 2 of The Mortification of Sin. That post should certainly be ready for Friday, so for today we continue our verse-by-verse meditations through Psalm 119. Confirm to your servant your …
Continue reading Confirm to Your Servant Your Promise | Psalm 119:38
Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;and give me life in your ways. Psalm 119:37 ESV “The eye is not satisfied with seeing…” (Ecclesiastes 1:8). Despite the very best efforts of streaming services like Netflix, the Preacher’s words still remain true. Our eyes now have literally more content to view than can possibly be …
Continue reading Turn My Eyes from Looking at Worthless Things | Psalm 119:37
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7 ESV This verse is the thesis of the entire book of Proverbs and a crucial key to understanding our relationship with God. But why is the statement that fearing God is the beginning of knowledge? It seems natural …
Incline my heart to your testimonies,and not to selfish gain! Psalm 119:36 ESV Recently, my wife and I were reminded by the author of one of our daughter’s books that “you don’t need to teach children to do wrong but you do need to teach them to do right—and to trust in the only one …
Continue reading Incline My Heart to Your Testimonies | Psalm 119:36
Lead me in the path of your commandments,for I delight in it. Psalm 119:35 ESV Who delights in following commandments? Sadly, most of us do not. As our original father and mother did in the garden so we also follow their example by constantly pressing back against the regulations that God imposes upon us, for …
Continue reading Lead Me in the Path of Your Commandments | Psalm 119:35
Like newborn infants, long of the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation 1 Peter 2:2 ESV Although my second child still less than a week old, I am already joyfully learning from her. You see, this verse keeps coming to my mind as I continuously observe her devoting herself …
Give me understanding, that I may keep your lawand observe it with my whole heart. Psalm 119:34 ESV The fifth stanza of Psalm 119, he, continues with this second verse that very clearly parallels the previous one. Where in verse 33 the psalmist prayed to be taught God’s statutes, now he prays to be given …
Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes;and I will keep it to the end. Psalm 119:33 ESV The psalmist begins the fifth stanza, he, with a prayer that is quickly becoming a refrain of this psalm: teach me your statutes. We should notice, of course, that while both verse 12 and verse 26 …
I will run in the way of your commandmentswhen you enlarge my heart! Psalm 119:32 ESV We come now to the concluding verse of stanza daleth, and it is remarkably different from where the stanza began. The psalmist opened with the lament that his soul was clinging to the dust, and he called for the …
B. C. Newton 