Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/4_200.lzh/4_212.TXT

Text File | 1994-09-08 | 7KB | 128 lines

Targum and Syriac versions render it, teach me thy
decrees.
Vet. 13. With my lips have I declared all the judg-
ments of thy mouth.] Not the judgments of his hand,
what he executes on an ungodly world; nor the in-
tricate dispensations of Iris-providence; those judg-
ments of his now unsearchable, though ere'long will
be manifest; these the psalmist could not declare: but
the revelation of the will of God, what his mouth has
uttered, doctrines and precepts of righteousness and
truth; these, though David had them in his heart, he
did not conceal them fi'om men; but out of the abun-
dant experience he had of them in his heart, his lips
spake of them, of their nature and excellency, and
usefulness unto others: and whereas he desired to be
instructed more and more in therp, it was in order to
teach them, and declare them to others; even all of
them, in the most sincere and impartial manner; see
Acts xx. 27.
Vet. 14. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimo-
nies, &c.] The way which the Scriptures, that testify
of God and Christ, direct unto; and the principal way
is Christ himself, the only way o.f life and salvation;
in which believers walk and go on rejoicing; rejoicing
in his person, offices, grace, righteousness, and salva-
tion: the lesser ways the Scriptures point unto are
the ways of duty and paths or' ordinances; in which
truly gracious souls find a great deal of peace, plea-
sure, au,l delight. As much as in all riches; or, as
above all riches t: the joy that believers have in the
ways or' God is superior to that which any natural or
worldly man has in his subst. ante of every sort, or be
it ever so great; yea, they find such riches in the ways
of God, as are vastly preferable to the riches of this
worhl; they lind Christ, the pearl of great price, and
his unsearchable riches, the riches of grace, and the
riches of glory; and even the word of God itself, those
testimonies or' his, are more desirable than thousands
of gold an,l silver, and give a greater pleasure than the
increase of corn and wine..
Ver. 15. I will meditate in thy precepts, &c.] In his
own mind; revolve them in his thoughts; consider
well the nature, excellency, usefulness, and import-
ance of them, and the obligations he lay under to ob-
serve them. The Targum is, "I will speak of thy
"precepts;" in conversation to others, and recom-
mend them to them; so the Arabic version: and have
respect unto thy ways; or look {s} unto them; take heed
unto them, and walk in them, and not wander from
them; make them the rule of walk and conversation;
as travellers look well to their ways, that they do not
mis-, them, and go into wrong ways; they observe the
directiot, s that have been given them, and keep unto
them; and so good men advert to the ways of the
Lord, which the Scriptures point out unto them; see
Jet. vi. 16.
Vet. 16. I will delight myself in thy statutes, &c.] In
looking over them; in meditating on them; in obey-
ing them, and walking according to them; as every
good man does delight in the law of the Lord, after the
inward man, Rom. vii. 22. see ver. 24, 92, 97. I will
not forget thy word: he took all proper methods to fix
it in his memory; he laid it up in his mind; he me-
ditated upon it in his heart, and he talked of it with
his lips, ver. 11, 13, 15.
     \^g\^, Gx~v.r..--The Third Part.
Ver. 17. Deal bountifully with thy servant, &c.]
Which character is mentioned, not by way of plea
or argument for favour, but as expressive of modesty,
sense of duty, and obligation to it. He pleads not his
services by way of merit; but prays that God would
deal bountifully with him, in a way of grace and
mercy: or render good unto him, as the Targum;
bestow it on him as a free gift. The Lord deals
bountifully with men, when he gives himself unto
them as their portion and inheritance; his Son, and
all things along with him; his Spirit, and the graces
of it; and every daily needrid supply of grace. That
I may live, and keep thy word; life natural is the
bounty-of God; he grants life and fayour, he grants
life as a favour, and all the mercies and blessings of
it; and through the gracious dealings of God with his
people, they live spiritually and live comfortably; in
his favour is life; the life of faith is encouraged and
invigorated in them by it; and eternal life is the free
gift and bounty of God through Christ, by whom they
have both a right unto it and meethess for it: and
the desire of good men to live in this world is not to..
indulge themselves in carnal lusts and pleasures; not
to live to themselves, nor to the lusts of the flesh, nor
to the will of men; but to live soberly, righteously,
and godly; to live by faith in Christ, and in hope of
eternal life through him; and whilst they live to keep
the word of God, and not forget it, as Aben Ezra in-
terprets it, to lay it up for their own use, and pre--
serve it for others, and observe its instructions, cau-
tions, and directions.
Ver. 18. Open thou mine eyes, &c.] The eyes of
my heart or understanding, as Kimchi; or, reveal mine
eyes{t}; take off the veil from them: there is a veil of
darkness and ignorance on the hearts of all men, with
respect to divine and spiritual things; their under-
standings are darkened, yea, darkness itself. This veil
must be removed; the scales must drop from their-
eyes; their eyes must be opened and enlightened, ere
they can discern spiritual things contained in the word
of God; and even good men need to have the eyes of
their understandings more and more enlightened into
these things, as the psalmist here petitions, and the
apostle prays for his Ephesians, Ephes. i. 17, 18.,
That I may behold wondrous things out of thy law; the.
law strictly taken, which had great and excellent
things in it; and was wonderful tbr the compendious-
ness of it; for the justice, holiness, and equity of its
precepts; especially for its spirituality, and above
all for Christ, being the end of it; the two last
more particularly could only be discerned by a
spiritual man: or rather the five books of Moses,,
the almost only Scriptures extant in David's time,

{r} \^Nwh lk lek\^ sicut super omnibus divitiis, Pagninus; so Junius &
Tremellius, Michaelis, Ainsworth.
{s} \^hjybaw\^ & aspiciam, Pagninus, Montanus; & intueor, Tigurine
version, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
{t} \^ynye lg\^ revela oculos meos, Pagninus, Montanus, Musculus,
Cocceius, Gejerus, Michaelis; velamen detrahe oculis meis, Tigurine
version.