I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.
Learning God's righteous judgments brings praise to Him from an upright heart that wants to know and do His will. His judgments are righteous and must be learned, for His Word teaches the principles of righteousness that separate right from wrong and truth from error. This praise is the language of every truly obedient and sanctified heart that walks in His law, keeps His testimonies, seeks Him with the whole heart, and respects all His commandments. It is given by a whole person — in features, temper, words, and character — as a decided testimony that the Lord's service is good and not a restriction on liberty. That obedience is the virtue of the covenant of grace, received by laying hold on Christ's merits and receiving power to become sons of God and do His will.
Meaning and Setting
Learning God's righteous judgments brings praise to Him with uprightness of heart. That praise rises from the learning itself, as the heart made upright responds to what it has come to know. The words express a desire to know and do God's will, with praise arising from that understanding.
The verse belongs to a psalm that exalts God's law. It shows the sacredness of His law, that His judgments are righteous and must be learned. Learning His Word teaches the principles of righteousness. That learning distinguishes right from wrong and truth from error.
This learning is God putting His laws in the mind. When His righteous judgments are thus learned, praise with uprightness of heart follows.
Praise of Obedient Hearts
The praise with uprightness of heart upon learning righteous judgments is the language of every truly obedient and sanctified heart. It belongs with walking undefiled in the law of the Lord, keeping His testimonies, seeking Him with the whole heart, doing no iniquity, keeping His precepts diligently, having respect unto all His commandments, and keeping His statutes. It stands opposite pouring out bitterness against the law, which shows another spirit following the leadership of Satan, who brought sin and rebellion and enmity against the law into heaven and into the world.
It is the song of a people who love and keep God's law. The commandment-keeping people can claim this praise as they respect God's commandments and faithfully uphold His law. Their uprightness of heart is joined to learning God's righteous judgments, and they offer this faithful praise even amid contempt for that law.
Knowing God's judgments is joined to sincere, wholehearted worship. To the obedient child of God the commandments are a delight, praised with uprightness of heart when His righteous judgments are learned. The surrounding lines present this praise as part of keeping God's commandments and speaking positively about the goodness of His service. This praise is expressed as positive words on the side of the Lord and a decided testimony by the whole person — in features, in temper, in words, in character — that the service of the Lord is good. It brings no evil report by sadness of countenance or by ill-advised words, as though God's requirements were a restriction on liberty.
This obedience to God's law is the virtue of the covenant of grace, received by laying hold on Christ's merits through receiving Him and receiving power to become the sons of God. It is strength for those united to do God's will, with the certainty that the Lord will lead them as He led David. Those righteous judgments include the Lord's certain interference when the wickedness of the world has reached its full measure. God bears long with men and with cities, giving a period of probation with merciful warnings to save them from wrath, but there is a point beyond which divine patience is exhausted and His judgments are sure to follow, when pleadings for mercy will no longer be heard and the rebellious who continue to reject light will be blotted out.
Instruction for Children and Youth
The verse is instruction to be set before children to lead them to trust God as their best Friend. It is to be read with tender, softened hearts and committed to memory as part of the first sixteen verses of the psalm. It is a precious jewel of truth from the treasure house of the Word. It is given to furnish parents for the religious training of themselves and their children, and to train children after God's order.
Learning God's righteous judgments brings praise to Him with uprightness of heart. It belongs among the words young men and women are to study to encourage a spirit that desires to heed the way of the Lord. It also belongs in the prayer that the Lord's servants should continually offer, revealing the consecration of heart and mind that God asks.
Learning God's righteous judgments brings praise to Him from an upright heart that wants to know and do His will. His judgments are righteous and must be learned, for His Word teaches the principles of righteousness that separate right from wrong and truth from error. This praise is the language of every truly obedient and sanctified heart that walks in His law, keeps His testimonies, seeks Him with the whole heart, and respects all His commandments. It is given by a whole person — in features, temper, words, and character — as a decided testimony that the Lord's service is good and not a restriction on liberty. That obedience is the virtue of the covenant of grace, received by laying hold on Christ's merits and receiving power to become sons of God and do His will.
Meaning and Setting
Learning God's righteous judgments brings praise to Him with uprightness of heart. That praise rises from the learning itself, as the heart made upright responds to what it has come to know. The words express a desire to know and do God's will, with praise arising from that understanding.
The verse belongs to a psalm that exalts God's law. It shows the sacredness of His law, that His judgments are righteous and must be learned. Learning His Word teaches the principles of righteousness. That learning distinguishes right from wrong and truth from error.
This learning is God putting His laws in the mind. When His righteous judgments are thus learned, praise with uprightness of heart follows.
Praise of Obedient Hearts
The praise with uprightness of heart upon learning righteous judgments is the language of every truly obedient and sanctified heart. It belongs with walking undefiled in the law of the Lord, keeping His testimonies, seeking Him with the whole heart, doing no iniquity, keeping His precepts diligently, having respect unto all His commandments, and keeping His statutes. It stands opposite pouring out bitterness against the law, which shows another spirit following the leadership of Satan, who brought sin and rebellion and enmity against the law into heaven and into the world.
It is the song of a people who love and keep God's law. The commandment-keeping people can claim this praise as they respect God's commandments and faithfully uphold His law. Their uprightness of heart is joined to learning God's righteous judgments, and they offer this faithful praise even amid contempt for that law.
Knowing God's judgments is joined to sincere, wholehearted worship. To the obedient child of God the commandments are a delight, praised with uprightness of heart when His righteous judgments are learned. The surrounding lines present this praise as part of keeping God's commandments and speaking positively about the goodness of His service. This praise is expressed as positive words on the side of the Lord and a decided testimony by the whole person — in features, in temper, in words, in character — that the service of the Lord is good. It brings no evil report by sadness of countenance or by ill-advised words, as though God's requirements were a restriction on liberty.
This obedience to God's law is the virtue of the covenant of grace, received by laying hold on Christ's merits through receiving Him and receiving power to become the sons of God. It is strength for those united to do God's will, with the certainty that the Lord will lead them as He led David. Those righteous judgments include the Lord's certain interference when the wickedness of the world has reached its full measure. God bears long with men and with cities, giving a period of probation with merciful warnings to save them from wrath, but there is a point beyond which divine patience is exhausted and His judgments are sure to follow, when pleadings for mercy will no longer be heard and the rebellious who continue to reject light will be blotted out.
Instruction for Children and Youth
The verse is instruction to be set before children to lead them to trust God as their best Friend. It is to be read with tender, softened hearts and committed to memory as part of the first sixteen verses of the psalm. It is a precious jewel of truth from the treasure house of the Word. It is given to furnish parents for the religious training of themselves and their children, and to train children after God's order.
Learning God's righteous judgments brings praise to Him with uprightness of heart. It belongs among the words young men and women are to study to encourage a spirit that desires to heed the way of the Lord. It also belongs in the prayer that the Lord's servants should continually offer, revealing the consecration of heart and mind that God asks.