I have longed for thy salvation, O LORD; and thy law is my delight.
This psalm pursues two chief ends: to exhort God's children toward a holy life, and to establish the Law as the rule and form of true worship. The psalmist weaves in promises to animate believers to live justly, and complaints against the wicked who despise the Law, lest the faithful be corrupted by their example. Though he moves from one matter to another, the composition is not a heap of scattered thoughts, but holds together by a living connection.
AI summary
Commenting on Psalm 119:1-176
Here, 1. David prays that divine grace would work for him: Let thy hand help me. He finds his own hands are not sufficient for him, nor can any creature lend him a helping hand to any purpose; therefore he looks up to God in hopes that the hand that had made him would help him; for, if the Lord do not help us, whence can any creature help us?
Commenting on Psalm 119:173-174
The persecuted believer needs understanding as urgently as deliverance; they are one petition, not two. His faith must be fortified while his chains remain. God's word and God's hand work together; by the word He sustains, by His hand He rescues.
AI summary
Commenting on Psalm 119:169-176