33
Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes,
And I shall keep it to the end.
Teach me O LORD!
My Thoughts
David’s desire was to be taught by God himself, even though he had priests and prophets around him. He knew that no one teaches like God and he desired not just to be taught the words of God’s commandments, but how to apply them to himself so that he would know what he should do for each of the commandments. He wanted to know the way that God would have him walk, by God teaching him and showing him the path he should take.
Psalm 119:33 expresses David’s earnest plea for divine instruction in understanding and following God’s statutes until the end of life. This request highlights a deep desire for spiritual guidance, recognizing that only God can effectively teach the way to uphold His commandments. The commentary emphasizes the importance of divine teaching for maintaining perseverance in faith. The lesson conveys that human wisdom is insufficient without God’s grace, and true commitment to following His path comes from a heart transformed by God. Ultimately, David assures that those taught by God will persist in their devotion throughout their lives.
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 33, which is in the 5th section, which is called “He ה”. According to the hebrews4christians.com website, the letter Hey (“He” in several versions of the Bible) is the 5th letter of the Aleph-Bet, having the numeric value of five. The pictograph for Hey looks like a man with his arms raised. The meaning of the name “Hey” is “look” or “behold”. Hey is considered to be formed from the Hebrew letters Dalet and Yod, which can be a picture of returning to God by means of the transforming power of the Spirit. Another description is opening the door of the heart, and the picture is of the Spirit of God indwelling the believer.
………Bill
Commentaries:
Charles Spurgeon
“Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes.” Child-like, blessed words, from the lips of an old, experienced believer, and he a king, and a man inspired of God. Alas, for those who will never be taught. They dote upon their own wisdom, but their folly is apparent to all who rightly judge. The Psalmist will have the Lord for his teacher; for he feels that his heart will not learn of any less effectual instructor. A sense of great slowness to learn drives us to seek a great teacher. What condescension it is on our great Jehovah’s part that he deigns to teach those who seek him. The lesson which is desired is thoroughly practical; the holy man would not only learn the statutes, but the way of them, the daily use of them, their tenor, spirit, direction, habit, tendency. He would know that path of holiness which is hedged in by divine law, along which the commands of the Lord stand as signposts of direction and milestones of information, guiding and marking our progress. The very desire to learn this way is in itself an assurance that we shall be taught therein, for he who made us long to learn will be sure to gratify the desire.
“And I shall keep it unto the end.” Those who are taught of God never forget their lessons. When divine grace sets a man in the true way, he will be true to it. Mere human wit and will have no such enduring influence: there is an end to all perfection of the flesh, but there is no end to heavenly grace except its own end, which is the perfecting of holiness in the fear of the Lord. Perseverance to the end is most certainly to be predicted of those whose beginning is in God, and with God, and by God; but those who commence without the Lord’s teaching soon forget what they learn, and start aside from the way upon which they professed to have entered. No one may boast that he will bold on his way in his own strength, for that must depend upon the continual teaching of the Lord: we shall fall like Peter, if we presume on our own firmness as he did. If God keeps us, we shall keep his way; and it is a great comfort to know that it is the way with God to keep the feet of his saints. Yet we are to watch as if our keeping of the way depended wholly on ourselves; for, according to this verse, our perseverance rests not on any force or compulsion, but on the teaching of the Lord, and assuredly teaching, whoever be the teacher, requires learning on the part of the taught one: no one can teach a man who refuses to learn. Earnestly, then, let us drink in divine instruction, that so we may hold fast our integrity, and to life’s latest hour follow on in the path of uprightness! If we receive the living and incorruptible seed of the word of God, we must live; apart from this, we have no life eternal, but only a name to live.
The portions of eight show a relationship still. GIMEL, begins with prayer for life, that he may keep the word (Psa 119:17); DALETH cries for more life, according to that word (Psa 119:25); and now HE opens with a prayer for teaching, that he may keep the way of God’s statutes. If a keen eye is turned upon these verses, a closer affinity will be discerned.
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Enduring Word
Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes, and I shall keep it to the end. The psalmist here stresses his great desire to keep the way and word of God. If God would teach him, he would persevere and keep the way to the end. (Guzik)
i. “The general desire expressed in this division is that for guidance. It is not an appeal for direction in some special case of difficulty, but rather for the clear manifestation of the meaning of the will of God.” (Morgan)
ii. Only a God-changed heart can pray this. Left to himself, man is unable to keep the way and word of God (much less keep it to the end). Philippians 2:13 tells us that it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Here, the psalmist prays as one who has received the will, and now prays for the doing of it. (Guzik)
iii. We should have the expectation of following God and His word to the end. “The end of our keeping the law will come only when we cease to breathe; no good man will think of marking a date and saying, ‘It is enough, I may now relax my watch, and live after the manner of men.’” (Spurgeon)
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John Gill
HE. Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes,…. Which they point unto, and direct to walk in; not only the statutes and ordinances themselves, the theory of them, but the practice of them. This is taught in the word, and by the ministers of it; but none so effectually teach as the Lord himself, Isaiah 2:3;
and I shall keep it [unto] the end; keep the way unto the end of it: or rather to the end of life, all my days, and never depart out of it, or turn to the right hand or the left; but walk on in it as long as I live: or, “I shall observe it, [even] the end”; the end of the way of thy statutes or commandments. Now the end of the commandment is charity or love, which is the fulfilling of it: though that is perfectly fulfilled by none but by Christ, the end of the law for righteousness, 1 Thessalonians 1:5. The word for “end” signifies a “reward”; so Aben Ezra interprets it, and refers to Psalm 19:11; but Kimchi denies the law is to be kept for the sake of reward; which is right: rather the sense is, I will keep it by way of retribution, or in gratitude for teaching the way. The Targum is,
“and I will keep unto perfection;”
which cannot be done by sinful man.
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Matthew Henry
David prays earnestly that God himself would be his teacher; he had prophets, and wise men, and priests about him, and was himself well instructed in the law of God, yet he begs to be taught of God, as knowing that none teaches like him, Job 36:22.
What he desires to be taught, not the notions or language of God’s statutes, but the way of them-“the way of applying them to myself and governing myself by them; teach me the way of my duty which thy statutes prescribe, and in every doubtful case let me know what thou wouldst have me to do, let me hear the word behind me, saying, This is the way, walk in it“ Isa. 30:21.
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Miscellaneous Quotes
THE WORD SET UP BEFORE THE EYES. Teach me; literally, “point out,” “indicate to me.” יָרָה, as used here, means “to send out the hand,” especially in the sense of pointing out. Hence, “to show,” “to indicate,” “to teach.” The Psalmist here prays for direction in its more superficial form: Many paths were before his eyes, leading down to death: one path was before him, leading unto life. He here asks to be shown which is Jehovah’s way. If the Lord will ever show his eyes which way is the right way, then he will keep it unto the end. Here is light wanted for the eyes. As the Indian pursues his trail with unerring eye and unfaltering step, so, watching for every deviation which might take us astray, we should pursue the way which leadeth unto life. —Tutors of the Pastors’ College
“Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes,” etc. In the sincerity of your hearts go to God for his teaching. God is pleased with the request. “Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing“ (1Ki 3:9-10). Oh, beg it of God, for these three reasons—
1. The way of God’s statutes is worthy to be found by all.
2. It is hard to be found and kept by any.
3. It is so dangerous to miss it, that this should quicken us to be earnest with God.—Thomas Manton.
“Unto the end,” or, by way of return, or reward, or gratitude to thee; God’s mercy in teaching being in all reason to be rewarded or answered by our observing and taking exact care of what he teaches. Or else by analogy with Psa 19:11, where the keeping his commandments brings great reward with it: it may here be rendered עֵקֶב (understanding the preposition ל for the reward, meaning the present joy of it, Psa 119:32, not excluding the future crown.—H. Hammond.
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Cross-References
Psalm 119:112 (KJV)
112 I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes
Alway, even unto the end.
Psalm 19:11 (KJV)
11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned:
And in keeping of them there is great reward.
Revelation 2:26 (KJV)
26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Isaiah 54:13 (KJV)
13 And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord;
And great shall be the peace of thy children.
Philippians 1:6 (KJV)
6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
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Closing Thoughts
“Behold, God is exalted by His power; Who teaches like Him? Job 36:22 NKJV
He ה: Divine Breath and Revelation
33
Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes,
And I shall keep it to the end.
34
Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law;
Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
35
Make me walk in the path of Your commandments,
For I delight in it.
36
Incline my heart to Your testimonies,
And not to covetousness.
37
Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things,
And revive me in Your way.
38
Establish Your word to Your servant,
Who is devoted to fearing You.
39
Turn away my reproach which I dread,
For Your judgments are good.
40
Behold, I long for Your precepts;
Revive me in Your righteousness.
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