Psalms 119:27 Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.
If we are to understand God’s word, God must enable us. He must make me to understand. When the verb make is used with an object and infinitive, as it is here, it means to cause a person or thing to do something. In this sentence the object is me, make me, and the infinitive is to understand, make me to understand. So the psalmist is asking God to cause him to understand the way of His precepts.
So how does God cause us to understand His word? First of all, He does not just pour understanding into us. We are commanded to search and study the Scriptures in order to understand them (Proverbs 2:4-5; John 5:39; 2Timothy 2:15). We must be receptive to what God has to say in His word, even if it crosses us. We must submit to and listen to the teachers He sends us. But in order to actually gain understanding from our study, God must energize our thoughts and desires as we apply them. He must restrain the devil and the evil within our flesh that would otherwise obstruct our ability to understand. God must be involved with us as we study and listen. If left to ourselves without His gracious influence, our thoughts will be distracted and confused; and we will not understand His words. But if we are applying ourselves to learn as God teaches us, He will open our understanding. He will make us to understand.
Luke 24:45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
Observe that the psalmist does not just ask to understand God’s precepts. He prays that he may be made to understand the way of God’s precepts. All of God’s precepts cohere together to form a single way, a path of life to follow. If you ever wonder which way to go in life, go in the way of God’s precepts. Make sure that the decision you make, the path you choose, fits within the boundaries of God’s commandments rather than transgressing or stepping over them. Learning God’s precepts is all about learning the way to live. Our foremost desire should be to understand and follow the way of God’s precepts, rather than the way of the world’s fashions, ideals, and goals. I quite agree with the assessment Charles Bridges made of understanding the way of God’s precepts: “The smallest attainment in this knowledge is (as the great day will fully declare) of infinitely greater value than the highest intelligence in the field of earthly science.”
Having asked the Lord to cause him to understand the way of His precepts, the psalmist makes this resolve before God: so shall I talk of all thy wondrous works. He will be taught of the Lord first. Then he will talk to others of the Lord’s wondrous works. They are best qualified to speak to others who have been first taught themselves.
Psalms 71:17 O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.
But before he will talk of all the wonderful works of the Lord, he will first understand how God wants him to live. In other words, he will learn to walk the walk before he talks the talk. It rings hollow with God and with spiritually discerning believers to hear people talk about the wonderful things God has done when they don’t understand the way of His precepts.
Notice also that when he understands the way of God’s precepts, he will talk of God’s wondrous works and not his own. Anyone who boasts of his own wonderful works does not understand the way of God’s precepts. Such persons may be in for a rude awakening in the Day of Judgment.
Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Lastly, God means for His wondrous works to be talked about and that from one generation to the next.
Psalms 145:4 One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.
5 I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.
6 And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.
7 They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.
God’s wondrous works are worthy of universal acclaim. They are a theme that can and ought to be expressed in all languages.
Acts 2:9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,
10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,
11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.
Talking of God’s wondrous works will be one of the activities of God’s redeemed when they stand before Him in glory.
Revelation 15:2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.
3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.
God’s works are indeed wondrous. There is nothing more wonderful to talk about. Sadly, we all too often hear the inventions and achievements of men spoken of as if they were more fascinating than the things God has done. For example, compare how much you talk about the feats of your favourite athletic team as opposed to how much you talk of the wondrous works of God. Which thrills you the most? Which do you think is most wondrous? Check your speech. Its content will reveal the answer to those questions. I close with this beautiful piece of poetry that fits well with today’s meditation:
Bless, O my soul, the living God;
His favours claim the highest praise;
Let not the wonders He hath wrought
Be lost in silence, and forgot.
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