Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness.
Behold, longing after God's precepts is joined with a plea for God to renew and give life in His righteousness, a longing for His precepts and a prayer for life in His righteous way. It belongs to a psalm that exalts God's law, which is the rule of life, while His Word sets out the principles of righteousness and distinguishes right from wrong and truth from error. It points out the sacredness of God's law, which is to be presented with solemn earnestness as a witness that the wickedness of the world has reached the point where the Lord will certainly interfere and will no longer acquit the wicked. David's longing after God's precepts is most earnest, fervent, agonizing wrestling prayer and is the model of the prayer that is needed.
That longing means sincere, earnest, affectionate longing after God from the heart in true communion with God, not prayers of form and lip-service only or feeble, heartless lip-service. It is a prayer of consecration of heart and mind that God's servants should continually offer. In its context it shows devotion to His fear, delight in the path of His commandments, and dependence on Him to incline the heart to His testimonies, to turn the eyes from vanity and covetousness, to open the eyes to wondrous things in His law, to give understanding, and to establish His word and remove reproach. Young men and women should study it to encourage desire to heed the way of the Lord.
Behold, longing after God's precepts is joined with a plea for God to renew and give life in His righteousness, a longing for His precepts and a prayer for life in His righteous way. It belongs to a psalm that exalts God's law, which is the rule of life, while His Word sets out the principles of righteousness and distinguishes right from wrong and truth from error. It points out the sacredness of God's law, which is to be presented with solemn earnestness as a witness that the wickedness of the world has reached the point where the Lord will certainly interfere and will no longer acquit the wicked. David's longing after God's precepts is most earnest, fervent, agonizing wrestling prayer and is the model of the prayer that is needed.
That longing means sincere, earnest, affectionate longing after God from the heart in true communion with God, not prayers of form and lip-service only or feeble, heartless lip-service. It is a prayer of consecration of heart and mind that God's servants should continually offer. In its context it shows devotion to His fear, delight in the path of His commandments, and dependence on Him to incline the heart to His testimonies, to turn the eyes from vanity and covetousness, to open the eyes to wondrous things in His law, to give understanding, and to establish His word and remove reproach. Young men and women should study it to encourage desire to heed the way of the Lord.