Understanding Psalm 119:12 – A Plea for Guidance

Psalm 119:12 NKJV

Blessed are You, O Lord;

Teach me Your statutes.

My Thoughts

The commentator John Gill said, “Yet there is none teaches like the Lord, Father, Son, and Spirit. ” For me, this is the lesson we need to understand from this verse. There are many ways that we can learn of God’s Word, through anointed messages, daily devotions, reading our bible, and these are all good things, but at the end of the day none of these things, unless the Lord is using them can teach us like the Lord our God, Jesus our Saviour and the Holy Spirit our counselor can.

Here David expresses a heartfelt plea to God, acknowledging His blessedness and asking to be taught His statutes. He emphasizes that, despite learning from various sources, true understanding comes from God alone, reflecting John Gill’s view that no one teaches like the Lord. The psalm shows the connection between praise and a desire for divine guidance in living a holy life. The commentaries below highlight the importance of humility in seeking God’s instruction, reinforcing that true wisdom and purity stem from a personal relationship with Him. The verse emphasizes the need we have for a personal relationship with our Abba Father.

Note: Psalm 119 is an acrostic pattern. There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet; each of the 22 sections is given a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and each line in that section begins with that letter. Today, we’re looking at verse 12, which is in the 2nd section, which is called Beth ב, which also means “a house.” Some have suggested that this section tells us how to make our heart a home for the word of God.

……Bill

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Commentaries:

Charles Spurgeon

“Blessed art thou, O LORD.” These are words of adoration arising out of an intense admiration of the divine character, which the writer is humbly aiming to imitate. He blesses God for all that he has revealed to him, and wrought in him; he praises him with warmth of reverent love, and depth of holy wonder. These are also words of perception uttered from a remembrance of the great Jehovah’s infinite happiness within himself. The Lord is and must be blessed, for he is the perfection of holiness; and this is probably the reason why this is used as a plea in this place. It is as if David had said—I see that in conformity to thyself my way to happiness must lie, for thou art supremely blessed; and if I am made in my measure like to thee in holiness, I shall also partake in thy blessedness.

No sooner is the word in the heart than a desire arises to mark and learn it. When food is eaten, the next thing is to digest it; and when the word is received into the soul, the first prayer is—Lord, teach me its meaning.

“Teach me thy statutes;” for thus only can I learn the way to be blessed. Thou art so blessed that I am sure thou wilt delight in blessing others, and this boon I crave of thee that I may be instructed in thy commands. Happy men usually rejoice to make others happy, and surely the happy God will willingly impart the holiness which is the fountain of happiness. Faith prompted this prayer and based it, not upon anything in the praying man, but solely upon the perfection of the God to whom he made supplication. Lord, thou art blessed; therefore, bless me by teaching me.

We need to be disciples or learners—“teach me,” but what an honor to have God himself for a teacher: how bold is David to beg the blessed God to teach him! Yet the Lord put the desire into his heart when the sacred word was hidden there, and so we may be sure that he was not too bold in expressing it. Who would not wish to enter the school of such a Master to learn of him the art of holy living? To this Instructor we must submit ourselves if we would practically keep the statutes of righteousness. The King who ordained the statutes knows best their meaning, and as they are the outcome of his own nature, he can best inspire us with their spirit. The petition commends itself to all who wish to cleanse their way, since it is most practical, and asks for teaching, not upon recondite lore, but upon statute law. If we know the Lord’s statutes, we have the most essential education.

Let us each one say, “Teach me thy statutes.” This is a sweet prayer for everyday use. It is a step above that of Psa 119:10, “O let me not wander,” as that was a rise beyond that of Psa 119:8, “O forsake me not utterly.” It finds its answer in Psa 119:98-100: “Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies,” etc., but not till it had been repeated even to the third time in the “Teach me“ of Psa 119:33, 66), all of which I beg my reader to peruse. Even after this third pleading, the prayer occurs again in so many words in Psa 119:124, 139, and the same longing comes out near the close of the Psalm in Psa 119:171 —“My lips shall utter praise when thou hast taught me thy statutes.”

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Enduring Word

Blessed are You, O LORD: The psalmist seems to interrupt his thoughts on the connection between God’s word and a pure life with this expression of praise. The greatness of these ideas and the reality of them in his life has made this praise necessary. (Guzik)

Teach me Your statutes: This demonstrates the humility of the psalmist. Though filled with God’s word and a desire for purity, he sensed his constant need for instruction by God. He didn’t simply need to read God’s statutes; he pleaded with God to teach him. (Guzik)

i. This saying is written in the front of some Bibles: “This book will keep you from sin. Sin will keep you from this book.” The psalmist understood this principle and longed for God to be his teacher and to keep him in God’s great book. (Guzik)

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John Gill

Blessed [art] thou, O Lord,…. In himself, in his nature, persons, and perfections; the fountain of all happiness to angels and men, in time and to eternity; to whom all blessing, honor, and glory are to be given. The psalmist takes this method of praising and ascribing blessing to God, for what he had received from him; particularly for teaching him what he had learned, Psalm 119:7; in hopes of succeeding in his following request:

teach me thy statutes; the knowledge of the best is imperfect. Good men desire to know more of God, of his mind and will, even of his revealed will; and that they may have grace and strength to act in conformity to it; for it is not the bare theory of things they desire to be taught, but the practice of them; and though ministers, and the ministry of the word, and administration of ordinances, may be and are means of teaching; yet there is none teaches like the Lord, Father, Son, and Spirit. The Targum and Syriac versions render it, “teach me thy decrees.”

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Matthew Henry

Here,

1. David gives glory to God: “Blessed art thou, O Lord! Thou art infinitely happy in the enjoyment of thyself and hast no need of me or my services; yet thou art pleased to reckon thyself honored by them; assist me therefore, and then accept me.” In all our prayers, we should intermix praises.

2. He asks grace from God: “Teach me thy statutes; give me to know and do my duty in every thing. Thou art the fountain of all blessedness; O let me have this drop from that fountain, this blessing from that blessedness: Teach me thy statutes, that I may know how to bless thee, who art a blessed God, and that I may be blessed in thee.”

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Adam Clarke

Blessed art thou —

He must acknowledge the mercy of God, in so far preserving him from all the consequences of his sin.

He should beg of him to become his teacher, that his heart and conscience might be instructed in the spirituality of his statutes.

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The Pulpit Commentaries

Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes. God’s statutes are really known to those only whom God teaches. By nature we have but a faint glimmer of their meaning. God must teach us by his Spirit ere we can apprehend them aright.

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Miscellaneous Quotes

“Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.” This verse contains a prayer, with the reason of the prayer. The prayer is, “Teach me thy statutes;” the reason, moving him to seek this, ariseth of a consideration of that infinite good which is in God. He is a blessed God, the fountain of all felicity, without whom no welfare or happiness can be to the creature. And for this cause, David earnestly desiring to be in fellowship and communion with God, which he knows none can attain unto unless he be taught of God to know God’s way and walk in it; therefore, I say, he prayeth the more earnestly that the Lord would teach him his statutes. Oh, that we also could wisely consider this, that our felicity stands in fellowship with God.

—William Cowper.

In this verse, we have two things,

1. An acknowledgment of God’s blessedness, “Blessed art thou, O LORD;” i.e., being possessed of all fulness, thou hast an infinite complacency in the enjoyment of thyself; and thou art he alone in the enjoyment of whom I can be blessed and happy; and thou art willing and ready to give out of thy fulness, so that thou art the fountain of blessedness to thy creatures.

2. A request or petition, “Teach me thy statutes;” q.d., seeing thou hast all fulness in thyself, and art sufficient to thy own blessedness; surely thou hast enough for me. There is enough to content thyself, therefore enough to satisfy me. This encourages me in my address.

Again,—Teach me that I may know wherein to seek my blessedness and happiness, even in thy blessed self; and that I may know how to come by the enjoyment of thee, so that I may be blessed in thee.

Further,—Thou art blessed originally, the Fountain of all blessing; thy blessedness is an everlasting fountain, a full fountain; always pouring out blessedness: O, let me have this blessing from thee, this drop from the fountain.

—William Wisheart, in “Theologia, or, Discourses of God,” 1716.

He had Nathan, he had priests to instruct him, himself was a prophet; but all their teaching was nothing without God’s blessing, and therefore he prays, “Teach me.”

—William Nicholson.

If it be asked why the Psalmist entreats to be taught, when he has just before been declaring his knowledge, the answer is that he seeks instruction as to the practical working of those principles which he has learnt theoretically.

—Michael Ayguan, (1416) in Neale and Littledale.

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Cross-References

Psalm 119:135 (KJV )

¹³⁵ Make thy face to shine upon thy servant;

And teach me thy statutes.

Psalm 119:171 (KJV )

¹⁷¹ My lips shall utter praise,

When thou hast taught me thy statutes.

Psalm 119:66 (KJV )

⁶⁶ Teach me good judgment and knowledge:

For I have believed thy commandments.

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Closing Thoughts

⁴ Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Psalm 25:4 (KJV )

Beth ב: Purity of life and meditation on God’s word.

How can a young man keep his way pure?

By keeping it according to Your word.

With all my heart I have sought You;

Do not let me wander from Your commandments.

Your word I have treasured in my heart,

That I may not sin against You.

Blessed are You, O Lord;

Teach me Your statutes.

With my lips I have told of

All the ordinances of Your mouth.

I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies,

As much as in all riches.

I will meditate on Your precepts

And regard Your ways.

I shall delight in Your statutes;

I shall not forget Your word.