Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 3.djvu/576

568 94. I am thine; save me; for I have sought thy precepts.

Here, 1. David claims relation to God; "I am thine, devoted to thee, and owned by thee, thine in covenant." He does not say, Thou art mine, (as Dr. Manton observes,) though that follows of course, because that were a higher challenge; but, I am thine, expressing himself in a more humble and dutiful way of resignation; nor does he say, "I am thus, but, I am thine, not pleading his own good property or qualification, but God's propriety in him; "I am thine, not my own, not the world's."

2. He proves his claim; "I have sought thy precepts, I have carefully inquired concerning my duty, and diligently endeavoured to do it." This will be the best evidence that we belong to God; all that are his, though they have not found perfection, are seeking it.

3. He improves his claim; "I am thine; save me, save me from sin, save me from ruin." Those that have, in sincerity, given up themselves to God, to be his, may be sure that he will protect them, and preserve them to his heavenly kingdom, Mal. iii. 18.

95. The wicked have waited for me, to destroy me: but I will consider thy testimonies.

Here, 1. David complains of the malice of his enemies; The wicked (and none but such would be enemies to so good a man) have waited for me, to destroy me; they were very cruel, and aimed at no less than his destruction; they were very crafty, and sought all opportunities to do him a mischief; and they were confident, they expected, (so some read it,) that they should destroy him, they thought themselves sure of their prey.

2. He comforts himself in the word of God, as his protection; "While they are contriving my destruction, I consider thy testimonies, which secure to me my salvation." God's testimonies are then likely to be our support, when we consider them, and dwell in our thoughts upon them.

96. I have seen an end of all perfection: but thy commandment is exceeding broad.

Here we have David's testimony, from his own experience,

1. Of the vanity of the world, and its insufficiency to make us happy; I have seen an end of all perfection. Poor perfection which one sees an end of! Yet such are all those things in this world which pass for perfections. David, in his time, had seen Goliath, the strongest, overcome; Asahel, the swiftest, overtaken; Ahithophel, the wisest, befooled; Absalom, the fairest, deformed; and, in short, he had seen an end of perfection, of all perfection; he saw it by faith, he saw it by observation, he saw an end of the perfection of the creature, both in respect of sufficiency, it was scanty and defective, (there is that to be done for us which the creature cannot do,) and, in respect of continuance, it will not last our time, for it will not last to eternity, as we must. The glory of man is but as the flower of the grass.

2. Of the fulness of the word of God, and its sufficiency for our satisfaction; But thy commandment is broad, exceeding broad. The word of God reaches to all cases, to all times. The divine law lays a restraint upon the whole man, is designed to sanctify us wholly. There is a great deal required and forbidden in every commandment. The divine promise (for that also is commanded) extends itself to all our burthens, wants, and grievances, and has that in it which will make a portion and happiness for us when we have seen an end of all perfection.

13. MEM. 97. O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.

Here is, 1. David's inexpressible love to the word of God; O how love I thy law! He protests his affection to the word of God with a holy vehemency; he found that love to it in his heart, which, considering the corruption of his nature, and the temptation of the world, he could not but wonder at, and at that grace which had wrought it in him. He not only loved the promises, but loved the law, and delighted in it after the inner man.

2. An unexceptionable evidence of this. What we love, we love to think of; by this it appeared that David loved the word of God, it was his meditation. He not only read the book of the law, but digested what he read in his thoughts, and was delivered into it as into a mould: it was his meditation, not only in the night, when he was silent and solitary, and had nothing else to do, but in the day, when he was full of business and company; nay, and all the day some good thoughts were interwoven with his common thoughts; so full was he of the word of God.

98. Thou, through thy commandments, hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. 99. I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation. 100. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.

We have here an account of David's learning, not that of the Egyptians, but of the Israelites indeed.

1. The good method by which he got it. In his youth, he minded business in the country, as a shepherd; from his youth, he minded business in the court and camp; which way, then, could he get any great stock of learning? He tells us here how he came by it; he had it from God as the Author; Thou hast made me wise: all true wisdom is from God. He had it by the word of God, as the means; by his commandments and his testimonies. These are able to make us wise to salvation, and to furnish the man of God for every good work. (1.) These David took for his constant companions; "They are ever with me, ever in my mind, ever in my eye." A good man, wherever he goes, carries his Bible along with him, if not in his hands, yet in his head and in his heart. (2.) These he took for the delightful subject of his thoughts; they were his meditation, not only as matters of speculation for his entertainment, as scholars meditate on their notions, but as matters of concern, for his right management, as men of business think of their business, that they may do it in the best manner. (3.) These he took for the commanding rules of all his actions; I keep thy precepts; I make conscience of doing my duty in every thing. The best way to improve in knowledge is, to abide and abound in all the instances of serious godliness; for, if any man do his will, he shall know of the doctrine of Christ, shall know more and more of it, John vii. 17. The love of the truth prepares for the light of it; the pure in heart shall see God here.

2. The great eminency he attained to in it. By studying and practising God's commandments, and making them his rule, he learnt to behave himself wisely in all his ways, 1 Sam. xviii. 14. (1.) He outwitted his enemies; God, by these means, made him wiser to baffle and defeat their designs against him than they were to lay them. Heavenly wisdom will carry the point, at last, against carnal policy. By keeping the commandments, we secure