Psalms 119:34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
This verse bears on the same theme as the preceding verse. In both verses the psalmist is calling upon the Lord for instruction. He rightly asks God for understanding since understanding comes from Him.
Proverbs 2:6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
Now just what is understanding?
Understanding - Power or ability to understand (to comprehend; to apprehend the meaning or import of; to grasp the idea of). Signification, meaning, sense.
It is not enough to merely acquire information. Just accumulating a bunch of facts only clogs the brain. For information to benefit us, we need to understand it. We need to be able to make sense of the information we gain, to know what it means and how it fits with everything else. It is a fact that we learn things better when we understand them. This holds true when we come to the Bible, God’s law. In order to profit from the word of God, we need to be able to understand it, to see how it all fits together. Those of us who are Bible students know how rewarding it is to read something in the Bible, perhaps for years, and then one day we finally understand it. When this happens we might say, “I finally got it!” Or when something falls into place in our understanding we say, “It clicked.”
Now the ultimate answer to this prayer for understanding is found in the Lord Jesus Christ as the following verse makes clear:
1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
The revelation of God through His Son is the linchpin that connects everything together so that it makes sense. Only those who know Jesus Christ can really make sense out of the Bible they read and out of the world in which they live. This reminds me of a story I heard. A lady was reading her Bible and another lady upon seeing this told her that she thought the Bible was hard to understand. To this the Bible reader replied, “It helps to know the Author.” How true!
As in the previous verse, the psalmist attaches a resolve to his request. If God will give him understanding, the psalmist resolves: “I will keep thy law.” When God gives us understanding of His law, that understanding brings with it a strong motivation to obey that law. Thomas Manton put it this way:
“It is such instruction as giveth strength, that exciteth the sluggish will, and breaketh the force of corrupt inclinations; it removeth the darkness which corruption and sin have brought upon the mind, and maketh us pliable and ready to obey….”
This same point can be seen in Paul’s prayer for the Colossians.
Colossians 1:9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness….
As result of being filled with spiritual understanding, one can walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing because he understands how to please God. One can be fruitful in every good work when he understands what is a good work actually is. And being filled with spiritual understanding he will realize greater strength to serve the Lord and endure hardship. The more we understand God and His will, the more we will want to pattern our lives according to His will. That is why it is so important to continually pray to God for understanding, and to seek understanding by studying our Bibles and attending to the teaching of God’s word. The more we understand, the more obedient we will want to be and be able to be.
On the other hand, the less we understand of God and His law, the more prone we will be to err. In every sin there is an element of ignorance, something that is not understood. This was the case regarding those who crucified the Son of God.
1 Corinthians 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
Even if a person knows that what he is doing is a sin, he does not fully understand the consequences of what he is doing, else he would not do it.
Now upon being given understanding, the psalmist will not only keep God’s law, he affirms, yea, I will observe it with my whole heart. Taken together with the preceding verse we see that the psalmist resolves to take the instruction the Lord gives him and use it to obey Him consistently and wholeheartedly. He will give his service to God his all, all the time. As we have observed before in studying this psalm, God considers it pretence or feigning if you are not serving Him with your whole heart.
Jeremiah 3:10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD.
The Lord will tolerate no rivals with Him in our hearts. Love for anyone or anything else must never be allowed to compete with our love for God and obedience to His law. No part of your heart must be withheld. Charles Bridges said it well: “That which is now willfully withheld, will gradually draw away the rest in apostasy from him.” To which I reply, “Amen.” It’s wholehearted or nothing. It’s all the way or not at all.
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