Psalm 119:135 NKJV

135 

Make Your face shine upon Your servant,
And teach me Your statutes.

Shine Upon Your Servant

My Notes

Scripture: “Make Your face shine upon Your servant, and teach me Your statutes.” — Psalm 119:135 (NKJV)

David once again asserts his role as God’s servant, emphasizing that he seeks no favor from others but solely from his own Lord and Savior. To perceive the Lord’s presence is to be at peace with God and to recognize that He shares this peace with you.

This verse is a twofold cry: for divine favor and divine instruction. David, in calling himself God’s servant, reveals his posture—humble, devoted, and dependent. He seeks no favor from men, no worldly gain, but only the radiant smile of his Master. To have God’s face shine upon you is to know peace, acceptance, and communion. It is the light that dispels every shadow, the warmth that revives the soul.

This is also a reminder of what the Lord told Moses to instruct Aaron on how to bless the children of Israel in the book of Numbers:

“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’ “So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.” Numbers 6:24-27 NKJV

This shining from the face of the Lord is not passive—it is active grace. It is the manifestation of God’s presence, the assurance of His love, and the restoration of joy.

But David doesn’t stop at comfort—he longs for clarity. “Teach me Your statutes,” he pleads. The more he is in a relationship with God, the more he desires to walk in His ways. Favor without instruction is incomplete. David wants to be comforted and conformed— shaped by truth, guided by wisdom, and equipped for obedience.

God teaches in many ways: through Scripture, through circumstances, through conviction, and through communion. But His most tender teaching comes through the light of His eye—when His Spirit whispers truth into the heart. David craves this kind of instruction, not merely to know the law, but to live it well, as a faithful servant.

This verse reminds us that grace and truth are inseparable. We must seek both the light of His face and the law of His heart. And when we do, we walk not only in peace, but in purpose.

Cross-References

Scripture	NKJV
Numbers 6:24–27	“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’ “So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.”
Psalm 25:4–5	“Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.”
Psalm 43:3	“Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill And to Your tabernacle.”
Psalm 51:12	“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.”
Psalm 119:125	“I am Your servant; Give me understanding, That I may know Your testimonies.”

Time to Reflect

1. What does it mean to me personally to have God’s face shine upon me? When have I felt that light most clearly?

2. Am I seeking God’s favor for comfort alone, or also for transformation and obedience?

3. How do I respond when God teaches me—through Scripture, conviction, or circumstances?

4. What statutes of God do I need to understand more deeply in this season of life?

Prayer

Abba, I am Your servant. I seek no favor from the world—only the light of Your face. Shine upon me with grace, with peace, with love. Let Your presence be my comfort in every dark day. And teach me, Lord—not just to know Your Word, but to live it. Shape me by Your statutes, guide me by Your truth, and instruct me by Your Spirit. Let Your favor lead to faithfulness, and Your light to obedience. I want to walk in Your ways with joy and reverence. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Proverb for Today

Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you. Proverbs 9:9-11 NKJV

Summary of Commentaries:

Psalm 119:135 is a heartfelt plea for divine favor and instruction. David, identifying as God’s servant, asks for the light of God’s face—a symbol of peace, acceptance, and communion. He desires not material blessings but the assurance of God’s presence, especially in dark or difficult times. Alongside this, he seeks to be taught God’s statutes, recognizing that true obedience flows from the Lord’s instruction. The verse echoes the priestly blessing in Numbers 6. David’s longing reveals that the more we experience God’s nearness, the deeper our desire becomes to know and live out His truth.

NOTE: Psalm 119 has 22 sections which each of which is represented by a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Today, we’re looking at verse 135, which is in the 17th section, which is called “Pe פ”. The website https://www.abarim-publications.com/Hebrew_Alphabet_Meaning.html has this to say about the letter “Pe פ”: The word פה (peh) means mouth, but is often synonymous with speech. With a little goodwill, one may recognize a face with a mouth in the shape of this letter. The letter peh is written ף when it occurs at the end of a word, and פ when it occurs at the beginning or halfway through a word.

……..Bill

Commentaries:

Charles Spurgeon

“Make thy face to shine upon thy servant.” Oppressors frown, but do thou smile. They darken my life, but do thou shine upon me, and all will be bright. The Psalmist again declares that he is God’s servant, and he seeks for no favor from others, but only from his own Lord and Master.

“And teach me thy statutes.” This is the favor which he considers to be the shining of the face of God upon him. If the Lord will be exceeding gracious and make him his favorite, he will ask no higher blessing than still to be taught the royal statutes. See how he craves after holiness; this is the choicest of all gems in his esteem. As we say among men that a good education is a great fortune, so to be taught of the Lord is a gift of special grace. The most favored believer needs teaching; even when he walks in the light of God’s countenance, he has still to be taught the divine statutes or he will transgress.

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Enduring Word

Make Your face shine upon Your servant: The fourth request is for an experience of the grace and goodness of God. To know the face of God shining upon you is to be at peace with God and to know He is at peace with you. (David Guzik)

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John Gill

Make thy face to shine upon thy servant,…. That is, lift up the light of thy countenance on me; favor me with thy gracious presence, and communion with thyself; manifest thyself unto me, and shed abroad thy love in my heart; cause the sun of righteousness to arise upon me, and commune with me, from above thy mercy seat; restore to me the joys of thy salvation, and let me have the comforts of thy good Spirit: this prayer is a part of the blessing of the high priest, Numbers 6:25;

and teach me thy statutes; the more communion a man has with God, the more desirous he is of learning and doing his will. This is a frequent petition; see Psalm 119:124.

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Matthew Henry

David here, as often as elsewhere, writes himself God’s servant, a title he gloried in, though he was a king; now here, as became a good servant,

1. He is very ambitious of his Master’s favor, accounting that his happiness and chief good. He asks not for corn and wine, for silver and gold, but, “Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; let me be accepted of thee, and let me know that I am so. Comfort me with the light of thy countenance in every cloudy and dark day. If the world frown upon me, yet do thou smile.”

2. He is very solicitous about his Master’s work, accounting that his business and chief concern. This he would be instructed in, that he might do it, and do it well, so as to be accepted in the doing of it: Teach me thy statutes. Note, we must pray as earnestly for grace as for comfort. If God hides his face from us, it is because we have been careless in keeping his statutes; and therefore, that we may be qualified for the returns of his favor, we must pray for wisdom to do our duty.

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Adam Clarke

Give me a sense of thy approbation. Let me know, by the testimony of thy Spirit in my conscience, that thou art reconciled to me. The godly in all ages derived their happiness from a consciousness of the Divine favor. The witness of God’s spirit in the souls of believers was an essential principle in religion from the foundation of the world.

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Miscellaneous Comments

“Make thy face to shine upon thy servant.” The face of God shines upon us when, in his providence, we are guided and upheld; also when we are made to share in the good things of his providence, and when we are placed in a position wherein we can do much good. Much more does the face of God shine upon us when we are favored with tokens of his gracious favor; for then we grow under the consciousness of a loving God, with rich supplies of his grace and Spirit.

—John Stephen.

“Make thy face to shine upon thy servant.” The believer’s incessant cry is, Let me see “the King’s face.” This is a blessing worth praying for. It is his heart’s desire, his present privilege, and what is infinitely better, his sure, everlasting prospect—”They shall see his face.” Rev 22:4.

—Charles Bridges.

“Make thy face to shine…teach me,” etc. God hath many ways of teaching; he teaches by book, he teaches by his fingers, he teaches by his rod; but his most comfortable and effectual teaching is by the light of his eye: “O send out thy light and thy truth; let them lead me: let them bring me unto thy holy hill:”

—Richard Alleine (1611-1681), in “Heaven Opened“

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Additional Cross-References

Psalm 4:6 (KJV)

⁶  There be many that say, Who will shew us any good?

Lord, Lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.

 

Numbers 6:25 (KJV)

²⁵ The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

 

Psalm 80:3 (KJV)

³  Turn us again, O God,

And cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.

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Pe פ: Steps directed by God’s wonderful word.

129 

Your testimonies are wonderful;
Therefore my soul keeps them.

130 

The entrance of Your words gives light;
It gives understanding to the simple.

131 

I opened my mouth and panted,
For I longed for Your commandments.

132 

Look upon me and be merciful to me,
As Your custom is toward those who love Your name.

133 

Direct my steps by Your word,
And let no iniquity have dominion over me.

134 

Redeem me from the oppression of man,
That I may keep Your precepts.

135 

Make Your face shine upon Your servant,
And teach me Your statutes.

136 

Rivers of water run down from my eyes,
Because men do not keep Your law.

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Posted on 10/9/2025 by Bill Stephens

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