Continuing on in Psalm 25 we learn more about the pleasure of communion with God. This Psalm can be easily applied to our own lives for we often beset with sin and have troubles to take to the throne of grace. A Plea for Deliverance and Forgiveness.
Psalm 25 – A Psalm of David
Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses. He himself shall dwell in prosperity, And his descendants shall inherit the earth. The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant. My eyes are ever toward the Lord, For He shall pluck my feet out of the net. Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me, For I am desolate and afflicted.
The troubles of my heart have enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses! Look on my affliction and my pain, And forgive all my sins. Consider my enemies, for they are many; And they hate me with cruel hatred. Keep my soul, and deliver me; Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for You. Redeem Israel, O God, Out of all their troubles!
If we desire to be taught
Henry says – We may be assured of an answer to our prayers based on God’s promises. When we see ourselves as sinners, and we desire to be taught, then He will teach us. He will teach us the way of reconciliation to Himself, the way to a well-grounded peace and the way to eternal life. By His gospel He will make His way known to all, and, by His Spirit He opens the understanding. The devil leads men blindfold to hell, but God enlightens men’s eyes. He sets things before them in a true light, and so leads them to heaven.
The meek, He will guide, the meek He will teach, those who are humble and low in their own eyes. They are distrustful of themselves, and resolved to follow divine guidance. Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears. These He will guide in judgment, by the rule of the written Word. He will guide them in practical ways so that they may keep their conscience void of offence. They will be taught with wisdom, tenderness, and compassion, and as they are able to bear. He will teach them His way.
It all comes to one
All good people make God’s way their way, and desire to be taught it. Those who do so shall be taught and led in that way. Him who fears the Lord, He will teach either in the way that God shall choose or that the good man shall choose. It comes all to one, for he who fears the Lord chooses the things that please Him. If we choose the right way, He who directed our choice will direct our steps, and will lead us in it. If we choose wisely, God will give us grace to walk wisely.
God will make them at ease (Ps. 25:13): His soul shall dwell at ease, shall lodge in goodness. Those who devote themselves to the fear of God, and give themselves to be taught by God, will be at ease. The soul that is sanctified by the grace of God, and comforted by the peace of God, dwells at ease. Even when the body is sick and lies in pain, yet the soul may dwell at ease in God, may return to Him and rest in Him. Many things occur to make us uneasy, but there is enough in the covenant of grace to counterbalance them all and to make us at ease.
God has a blessing in store
He will give to them and theirs as much of this world as is good for them: His seed shall inherit the earth. Next to our care concerning our souls is our care concerning our seed, and God has a blessing in store for the generation of the upright. Those who fear God shall inherit the earth. They shall have the comfort of it, and their children shall fare the better for their prayers when they are gone. God will admit them into the secret of communion with Himself (Ps. 25:14): The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him. They understand His word; for if any man does His will, he shall know whether what is preached be of God, John 7:17. Those who receive the truth in the love of it, and experience the power of it, best understand the mystery of it.
Those who fear the Lord shall know what God is doing with them. Shall I hide from Abraham the things that I do? Gen. 18:17. He calls them friends, as He called Abraham. They know by experience the blessings of the covenant and the pleasure of that fellowship which gracious souls have with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. This is the honour all His saints may have.
He relied entirely upon God
David, encouraged by the promises he had been meditating upon, renews his prayers to God. He concludes the Psalm as he began, with professions of dependence upon God and of his desire towards Him. He lays before God the calamitous condition he was in. His feet were in the net, held fast and entangled, so that he could not extricate himself out of his difficulties, Ps. 25:15. He was desolate and afflicted, Ps. 25:16. It is common for those who are afflicted to be desolate. Their friends desert them and they often sit alone and keep silence, Lam. 3:28. David calls himself desolate and solitary because he did not depend on his servants and soldiers, but relied entirely upon God. Being in many distresses, the troubles of his heart were enlarged (Ps. 25:17). He grew more and more melancholy and troubled in mind.
The sense of sin afflicted David more than anything else and made his outward troubles worse. He was in affliction and pain, Ps. 25:18. His enemies who persecuted him were many and malicious and very barbarous. It was with a cruel hatred that they hated him, Ps. 25:19. Such were Christ’s enemies and the persecutors of His church.
To live a life of communion
David expresses the dependence he had upon God in these distresses (Ps. 25:15): My eyes are ever towards the Lord. Idolaters are for gods they can see with their fleshly eyes, and they had their eyes ever towards their idols, Isa. 17:7, 8. But it is with an eye of faith that we must have towards God, who is a Spirit, Zech. 9:1. Our meditation of Him must be sweet, and we must always set Him before us. We must acknowldge Him in all our ways and do all to His glory.
We are to live a life of communion with God, not only in acts of devotion, but in the whole course of our conversation. David had the comfort of this in his affliction. Because his eyes were ever towards the Lord, he did not doubt that He would pluck his feet from out of the net and deliver him. Those who have their eye ever towards God shall not have their feet long in the net. He repeats his profession of dependence upon God (Ps. 25:20) – Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You. — I wait on You, Ps. 25:21. It is good to hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.
If God turn to us, it matters not who turns from us
David prays for the remission of sin (Ps. 25:18): Forgive all my sins. Those were his heaviest burdens. He had begged (Ps. 25:7) for the pardon of the sins of his youth, and (Ps. 25:11) for the pardon of some particular iniquity that was remarkably great. But he prays, Lord, forgive all, take away all iniquity. “Look upon my affliction and my pain, and do with it as You please.” But as to his sin, he asks for no less than a full pardon: Forgive all my sins. When at anytime we are in trouble we should be more concerned about our sins, to get them forgiven, than about our afflictions, to get them removed.
His mind was troubled from God’s withdrawal from him and the sense he had of His displeasure for his sins. Therefore he prays (Ps. 25:16), Turn to me. And, if God turn to us, it does not matter who turns from us. His condition was troubled, and so he prays, “O bring me out of my distresses. I see no way of deliverance but You can find one or make one.” His enemies were spiteful; and in reference to that he prays, “O keep my soul from falling into their hands, or else deliver me out of their hands.”
Sincerity will be our best security
He pleads God’s mercy: Have mercy upon me. Men of the greatest merits would be undone if they did not have a God of infinite mercies to go to. Though he had declared himself guilty before God, and had confessed his sins, yet his enemies hated him. He prays that he might be preserved. Sincerity will be our best security in the worst of times. Integrity and uprightness will be a man’s preservation more than the wealth and honour of the world. These will preserve us to the heavenly kingdom. We should therefore pray to God to preserve us in our integrity and then be assured that that will preserve us.
In verse 22 David prays Redeem Israel, O God! out of all his troubles. David was now in trouble himself, but he did not think it strange, since trouble is the lot of all God’s people. Why should anyone member fare better than the whole body? David’s troubles increased, and he was very fervent with God to deliver him. Yet he does not forget the distresses of God’s people for, whatever business we have of our own at the throne of grace, we must remember to pray for others. Good men have little comfort in their own safety while the church is in distress and danger.
In heaven God’s people will be redeemed from all trouble
This prayer is a prophecy that God would, at last, give David rest, and so give Israel rest from all their enemies about them. It is a prophecy regarding the sending of the Messiah in due time to redeem Israel from his iniquities (Ps. 130:8) and so redeem them from their troubles. It points them to the happiness of the future state. In heaven, and in heaven only, will God’s people be perfectly redeemed from all troubles.
Adapted from the Matthew Henry Commentary
[Swipe left to right] Deliverance Be calm, be quiet, rest in Me; You are truly Mine. joy in the very beauty of Holiness, In My love Divine. Deliverance is here for you. let your heart not be one that hesitates For thankfulness and joy are The keys that open the gates. Try in all things to be very thankful and glad For I do not give My blessings to quiet resignation But to the one who lives In joyful acceptance and anticipation. By the late Andrew Feakin [passed away 16th March 2019]
Prayer for the Day
Father I come to You. Thank You that I have the assurance of answers to my prayers based on Your promises. Cause me to always see my sin and have the desire to be taught that You will teach me. Teach me the way of reconciliation to You, the way to a well-grounded peace and the way to eternal life. By Your gospel make known Your way to all, and by Your Spirit open up my understanding. Enlighten my eyes and set things before me in a true light.
May I have a meek and humble spirit and be lowly in my own eyes. Cause me to be distrustful of myself and resolved to follow Your divine guidance. Speak, Lord that I might hear You. I know You guide in judgment, by the rule of the written Word. Guide me in practical ways so that I may keep my conscience void of all offence. Teach me with wisdom, tenderness, and compassion, as much as I am able to bear.
Place a deep, reverential fear of You in my heart
Place a deep, reverential fear of You in my heart. Cause me to choose the things that please You. Help me choose the right way. Direct my choices and my steps. Help me choose wisely, and give me the grace to walk wisely. Cause me to devote myself to the fear of You, and give myself to be taught by You and so be at ease. For I know that those who fear You shall inherit the earth and my children shall fare the better for my prayers when I am gone. Admit us into the secret of communion with Yourself.
Help us to understand Your Word and so be kept from all deception. Help me always to have an eye of faith toward You. Let my meditation of You be sweet. Remind me to acknowldge You in all my ways and do all to Your glory.
Teach me to live a life of communion with You, not only in acts of devotion, but in the whole course of my conversation. I will hope and quietly wait for Your salvation. When at anytime I am in trouble help me be more concerned about my sins, to get them forgiven, than about my afflictions, to get them removed. Let me be sincere and full of integrity and uprightness. Preserve me in my integrity.
Whatever business I have of my own at the throne of grace, help me always to remember to pray for others. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen.
Psalm 25 Part 2
Face these days without fear. click here