Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
Because the Lord is good and upright He teaches sinners in the way, so that divine guidance flows from His character and meets the need His people have for direction. In its setting with the surrounding verses it is a prayer for mercy concerning past sins grounded in divine goodness, joined with asking to be shown His ways and led in His truth, and with the promise that the meek He will guide in judgment and teach His way and that all His paths are mercy and truth to those who keep His covenant and testimonies. It offers hope to the sinner who turns to Him and to all who seek His mercy, showing that they need not give up hope and that His goodness leads Him to guide those who have strayed rather than leave them without instruction.
This teaching is given through the Lord Jesus Christ as the great Teacher, and sinners are taught by learning from Him as a precious privilege and by forming character according to His example. It makes it the privilege and duty of every Christian to trust in God at all times and under all circumstances, with trust meaning confidence and reliance, by waiting on Him all the day to be shown His ways, taught His paths, and led in His truth. It defines the spirit required in presenting truth, which is to be courteous, pleasant, merciful and true as Christ taught, with a spirit that draws people to truth rather than driving them away. Presenting the rich fruit of the word of God in a harsh, forbidding, fierce and condemnatory manner turns people from it, mars its influence, and does not glorify the Lord, so no one should stand before the people with truth unless himself converted and blessed by it, with a heart filled with converting grace and a converted tongue.
Because the Lord is good and upright He teaches sinners in the way, so that divine guidance flows from His character and meets the need His people have for direction. In its setting with the surrounding verses it is a prayer for mercy concerning past sins grounded in divine goodness, joined with asking to be shown His ways and led in His truth, and with the promise that the meek He will guide in judgment and teach His way and that all His paths are mercy and truth to those who keep His covenant and testimonies. It offers hope to the sinner who turns to Him and to all who seek His mercy, showing that they need not give up hope and that His goodness leads Him to guide those who have strayed rather than leave them without instruction.
This teaching is given through the Lord Jesus Christ as the great Teacher, and sinners are taught by learning from Him as a precious privilege and by forming character according to His example. It makes it the privilege and duty of every Christian to trust in God at all times and under all circumstances, with trust meaning confidence and reliance, by waiting on Him all the day to be shown His ways, taught His paths, and led in His truth. It defines the spirit required in presenting truth, which is to be courteous, pleasant, merciful and true as Christ taught, with a spirit that draws people to truth rather than driving them away. Presenting the rich fruit of the word of God in a harsh, forbidding, fierce and condemnatory manner turns people from it, mars its influence, and does not glorify the Lord, so no one should stand before the people with truth unless himself converted and blessed by it, with a heart filled with converting grace and a converted tongue.