You have treated Your servant well, according to Your word, O LORD.
Teach me good sense and knowledge, for I have put my trust in Your commandments.
Before I was humbled I went astray, but now I keep Your word.
You are good and beneficent; teach me Your laws.
Though the arrogant have accused me falsely, I observe Your precepts wholeheartedly.
Their minds are thick like fat; as for me, Your teaching is my delight.
It was good for me that I was humbled, so that I might learn Your laws.
I prefer the teaching You proclaimed to thousands of gold and silver pieces.
What an interesting octet of verses! Five of the eight verses begin with the word "good" or "tov" in Hebrew. Do we really understand that God always treats us well, in accordance with His Word? Conceptually I understand this idea because I know the kind of person I am and know very well how I truly deserve to be treated by God. Spiritual spankings do not even begin to describe what I deserve from God on a regular basis; and yet, right here it clearly states in the English and in the Hebrew that God treats us well--far better than we actually deserve--in strict accordance with His own Word! In a likewise fashion, how many of us think we have good sense and knowledge and never even crack the pages of our Bible to look for true wisdom and knowledge? Proverbs states, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Prov 1:7 ESV) The same word is used in Proverbs and this Psalm for knowledge and are directly related. God's Word and the proper respect and fear of Him is the only source of good sense and knowledge.
The Psalmist states twice that it was good for him to be humbled, or forcibly bowed low to the ground. There may be some people who read or study something and it just "clicks" for them. I find, however, that I generally need to be humbled in order for the lesson to really take root. It may be my stubbornness or my rebellious heart but I regularly need to have my face "rubbed in it" and it appears the Psalmist may have been the same way. We often shake our fist at God and puff ourselves up when the humbling comes, but right here it plainly states the positive effect of being humbled far outweighs the act itself for through it our hearts are turned back to following God's laws and learning them even better. The Bible says, "For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned." (Romans 12:3 ESV)
1 John 2:15-17 states, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever." Here is where the concept of the snake comes in. The desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the "boastful pride of life"--here translated the pride in possessions--all constrict us and devour us like a snake if we do not hold them in check. Like a snake lying in wait, the lies of the Adversary and the urges of our own flesh lay low until we threaten to throw them out or they see and opportunity too good to miss--and then they strike! All of these ideas are portrayed in this stanza from the Psalms: "until You humbled me, I went astray" there is the pride of life, "I prefer your teaching to thousands of gold and silver pieces" there is the lust of the eyes, "teach me good sense and [genuine] knowledge", it is not too much a stretch to see the combat of the lust of the flesh here (especially in light of the discussion of wisdom in Proverbs 1-8).
Eating too much, drinking too much, buying and spending too much on material goods and satisfactions, etc, etc, (and I might add burying yourself in "spiritual" pursuits to the exclusion of your family and in such a manner God is left out) all distract you and I and I myself will admit to fighting these urges all too often. And I do not always win either. Once again here we see that God's Word and His active handling of us and our submission to it is the only antidote to the snake's poison on our lives. How many of us feel like we are tied in knots? See above for untangling instructions! Let us be filled with God's Holy Spirit and the meat of His Word and let them both have their desired effect in our lives! Let us open the gates of our hearts, rid ourselves of the garbage of the world and our lusts and let in the King of Glory! And let us pray for one another and confess our sins that we may be healed . . . far be it from me that I should sin by not praying for you!
I really encourage you to listen to this song--it will bless you!
The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), 1 Jn 2:15–17.
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