Psalm 119:89-96 Commentary

Exposition of Psalm 119:89-96

by Charles Spurgeon

89. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.

90. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the
earth, and it abideth.

91. They continue this day according to thine ordinances: for all are thy
servants.

92. Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in
mine affliction.

93. I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened
me.

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

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

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

89. “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.” The strain is
more joyful, for experience has given the sweet singer a comfortable
knowledge of the word of the Lord, and this makes a glad theme. After
tossing about on a sea of trouble, the Psalmist here leaps to shore and
stands upon a rock. Jehovah’s word is not fickle nor uncertain; it is settled,
determined, fixed, sure, immovable. Man’s teachings change so often that
there is never time for them to be settled; but the Lord’s word is from of
old the same, and will remain unchanged eternally. Some men are never
happier than when they are unsettling everything and everybody; but God’s
mind is not with them. The power and glory of heaven have confirmed
each sentence which the mouth of the Lord has spoken, and so confirmed it
that to all eternity it must stand the same — settled in heaven, where
nothing can reach it. In the former section David’s soul fainted, but here
the good man looks out of self and perceives that the Lord fainteth not,
neither is weary, neither is there any failure in his word.

The verse takes the form of an ascription of praise: the faithfulness and
immutability of God are fit themes for holy song, and when we are tired
with gazing upon the shifting scene of this life, the thought of the
immutable promise fills our mouth with singing. God’s purposes, promises,
and precepts are all settled in his own mind, and none of them shall be
disturbed. Covenant settlements will not be removed, however unsettled
the thoughts of men may become; let us therefore settle it in our minds that
we abide in the faith of our Jehovah as long as we have any being.

90. “Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the
earth, and it abideth.”

“Thy faithfulness is unto all generations” This is an additional glory: God
is not affected by the lapse of ages; he is not only faithful to one man
throughout his lifetime, but to his children’s children after him, yea, and to
all generations so long as they keep his covenant anti remember his
commandments to do them. The promises are ancient things, yet they are
not worn out by centuries of use, for the divine faithfulness endureth for
ever. He who succored his servants thousands of years ago still shows
himself strong on the behalf of all them that trust in him. “Thou hast
established the earth, and it abideth.” Nature is governed by fixed laws;
the globe keeps its course by the divine command, and displays no erratic
movements: the seasons observe their predestined order, the sea obeys the
rule of ebb and flow, and all things else are marshaled in their appointed
order. There is an analogy between the word of God and the works of
God, and specially in this, that they are both of them constant, fixed, and
unchangeable. God’s word which established the world is the same as that
which he has embodied in the Scriptures; by the word of the Lord were the
heavens made, and specially by him who is emphatically THE WORD. When
we see the world keeping its place, and all its laws abiding the same, we
have herein assurance that the Lord will be faithful to his covenant, and
will not allow the faith of his people to be put to shame. If the earth
abideth, the spiritual creation will abide; if God’s word suffices to establish
the world, surely it is enough for the establishment of the individual
believer. There will come a time when the earth shall pass away, but even
then the Word of the Lord will stand: wherefore let us be steadfast,
unmovable.

91. “They continue this day according to thine ordinances: for all are thy
servants.”

“They continue this day according to thine ordinances.” Because the
Lord has bid the universe abide, therefore it stands, and all its laws
continue to operate with precision and power. Because the might of God is
ever present to maintain them, therefore do all things continue. The word
which spoke all things into existence has supported them till now, and still
supports them both in being and in well-being. God’s ordinance is the
reason for the continued existence of creation. What important forces these
ordinances are! How much are all ordinances of God to be had in
reverence!

“For all are thy servants.” Created at first by thy word, they obey that
word, thus answering the purpose of their existence, and working out the
design of their Creator. Both great things and small pay homage to the
Lord. No atom escapes his rule, no world avoids his government. Shall we
wish to be free of the Lord’s sway and become lords unto ourselves? If we
were so, we should be dreadful exceptions to a law which secures the well-being
of the universe. Rather while we read concerning all things else —
they continue and they serve, let us continue to serve, and to serve more
perfectly as our lives are continued. By that word which is settled may we
be settled; by that voice which establishes the earth may we be established;
and by that command which all created things obey may we be made the
servants of the Lord God Almighty.

92. “Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in
mine affliction.” That word which has preserved the heavens and the earth
also preserves the people of God in their time of trial. With that word we
are charmed; it is a mine of delight to us. We take a double and treble
delight in it, and derive a multiplied delight from it, and this stands us in
good stead when all other delights are taken from us. We should have felt
ready to lie down and die of our griefs if the spiritual comforts of God’s
word had not uplifted us; but by their sustaining influence we have been
borne above all the depressions and despairs which naturally grow out of
severe affliction. Some of us can set our seal to this statement. Our
affliction, if it had not been for divine grace, would have crushed us out of
existence, so that we should have perished. In our darkest seasons nothing
has kept us from desperation but the promise of the Lord: yea, at times
nothing has stood between us and self-destruction save faith in the eternal
word of God. When worn with pain until the brain has become dazed and
the reason well-nigh extinguished, a sweet text has whispered to us its
heart-cheering assurance, and our poor struggling mind has reposed upon
the bosom of God. That which was our delight in prosperity has been our
light in adversity; that which in the day kept us from presuming has in the
night kept us from perishing. This verse contains a mournful supposition —
“unless”; describes a horrible condition — “perished in mine
affliction”; and implies a glorious deliverance; for he did not die, but he
lived to proclaim the honors of the word of God.

93. “I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened
me.” When we have felt the quickening power of a precept we never can
forget it. We may read it, learn it, repeat it, and think we have it, and yet it
may slip out of our minds; but if it has once given us life, or renewed our
life, there is no fear of its falling from our recollection. Experience teaches,
and teaches effectually. How blessed a thing it is to have the precepts
written on the heart with the golden pen of experience, and graven on the
memory with the divine stylus of grace! Forgetfulness is a great evil in holy
things; we see here the man of God fighting against it, and feeling sure of
victory because he knew the life-giving energy of the word in his own
soul. That which quickens the heart is sure to quicken the memory.

It seems singular that he should ascribe quickening to the precepts, and yet
it lies in them and in all the words of the Lord alike. It is to be noted that
when the Lord raised the dead he addressed to them the word of
command. He said, “Lazarus, come forth,” or, “Maid, arise.” We need
not fear to address gospel precepts to dead sinners, since by them the Spirit
gives them life. Remark that the Psalmist does not say that the precepts
quickened him, but that the Lord quickened him by their means: thus he
traces the life from the channel to the source, and places the glory where it
is due. Yet at the same time he prized the instruments of the blessing, and
resolved never to forget them. He had already remembered them when he
likened himself to a bottle in the smoke, and now he feels that whether in
the smoke or in the fire the memory of the Lord’s precepts shall never
depart from him.

94. “I am thine, save me; for I have sought thy precepts.”

“I am thine, save me.” A comprehensive prayer with a prevailing
argument. Consecration is a good plea for preservation. If we are
conscious that we are the Lord’s we may be confident that he will save us.
We are the Lord’s by creation, election, redemption, surrender; and
acceptance; and hence our firm hope and assured belief that he will save us.
A man will surely save his own child: Lord, save me. The need of salvation
is better seen by the Lord’s people than by any others, and hence the prayer
of each one of them is — “save me”; they know that only God can save
them, and hence they cry to him alone; they know that no merit can be
found in themselves, and hence they urge a reason fetched from the grace
of God — “I am thine.”

“For I have sought thy precepts.” Thus had he proved that he was the
Lord’s. He had not attained to all the holiness which he desired, but he had
studiously aimed at being obedient, and hence he begged to be saved even
to the end. A man may be seeking the doctrines and the promises, and yet
be unrenewed in heart; but to seek the precepts is a sure sign of grace; no
one ever heard of a rebel or a hypocrite seeking the precepts. The Lord had
evidently wrought a great work upon the Psalmist, and therefore he
besought him to complete it. Saving is linked with seeking — “save me,
for I have sought”; and when the Lord sets us seeking he will grant us the
saving. He who seeks holiness is already saved: if we have sought the Lord
we may be sure that the Lord has sought us, and that he will certainly save
us.

95. “The wicked have waited for me to destroy me: but I will consider thy
testimonies.” They were like wild beasts crouching by the way, or
highwaymen waylaying a defenseless traveler; but the Psalmist went on his
way without considering them, for he was considering something better,
namely, the witness or testimony which God has given to the sons of men.
He did not allow the malice of the wicked to take him off from his holy
study of the divine word. He was so calm that he could “consider”; so
holy that he loved to consider the Lord’s “testimonies” so victorious over
all their plots that he did not allow them to drive him from his pious
contemplations. If the enemy cannot cause us to withdraw our thoughts
from holy study or our feet from holy walking, or our hearts from holy
aspirations, he has met with poor success in his assault. The wicked are the
natural enemies of holy men and holy thoughts; if they could, they would
not only damage us, but destroy us; and if they cannot do this to-day they
will wait for further opportunities, ever hoping that their evil designs may
be compassed. They have waited hitherto in vain, and they will have to
wait much longer yet; for if we are so unmoved that we do not even give
them a thought, their hope of destroying us must be a very poor one.

Note the double waiting — the patience of the wicked who watch long and
carefully for an opportunity to destroy the godly, and then the patience of
the saint who will not quit his meditations, even to quiet his foes. See how
the serpent seed lie in wait as an adder that biteth at the horse’s heels; but
see how the chosen of the Lord live above their venom, and take no more
notice of them than if they had no existence.

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

“I have seen an end of all perfection.” He had seen its limit, for it went but
a little way; he had seen its evaporation under the trials of life, its detection
under the searching glance of truth, its exposure by the confession of the
penitent. There is no perfection beneath the moon. Perfect men, in the
absolute sense of the word, live only in a perfect world. Some men see no
end to their own perfection, but this is because they are perfectly blind.
The experienced believer has seen an end of all perfection in himself, in his
brethren, in the best man's best works. It would be well if some who profess
to be perfect could even see the beginning of perfection; for we fear they
cannot have begun aright, or they would not talk so exceeding proudly. Is it
not the beginning of perfection to lament your imperfection? There is no
such thing as perfection in anything which is the work of man.

“But thy commandment is exceeding broad.” When the exceeding
breadth of the law is known the notion of perfection in the flesh vanishes:
that law touches every act, word, and thought, and is of such a spiritual
nature that it judges the motives, desires, and emotions of the soul. It
reveals a perfection which convicts us for shortcomings as well as for
transgressions, and does not allow us to make up for deficiencies in one
direction by special carefulness in others. The divine ideal of holiness is far
too broad for us to hope to cover all its wide area, and yet it is no broader
than it ought to be. Who would wish to have an imperfect law? Nay, its
perfection is its glory; but it is the death of all glorying in our own
perfection. There is a breadth about the commandment which has never
been met to the full by a corresponding breadth of holiness in any mere
man while here below; only in Jesus do we see it fully embodied. The law is
in all respects a perfect code; each separate commandment of it is far-reaching
in its hallowed meaning, and the whole ten cover all, and leave no
space wherein to please our passions. We may well adore the infinity of
divine holiness, and then measure ourselves by its standard, and bow before
the Lord in all lowliness, acknowledging how far we fall short of it.