A psalm of David
25
📚To you, O LORD,I lift up my soul.
25:1 In this psalm we see several features of David’s character which made him a man after God’s own heart. These are prayerfulness (vs 1,16-22), trust (v 2), desire to know God’s ways (vs 4,5), hope (vs 5,15,21), confession of sin and dependence on God’s mercy alone (vs 6,7,11,18), desire to give others the truth (vs 8-10,12-14).⚜
2 📚O my God, I trust in you.
Do not let me be ashamed;
do not let my enemies
triumph over me.
3 📚Yes, let no one who waits
on you be ashamed.
Let them be ashamed
who transgress
without cause.
4 📚Show me your ways,
O LORD;
teach me your paths.
25:4 A prayer every human being should make to the Creator of the universe. What a difference it would make in this confused and sinful world! Any such sincere prayer God will certainly hear. He loves to teach men His ways if they are willing to learn them – Ps 32:8; 71:17; 94:10, 12; Isa 2:3; 54:13; Matt 5:2; Mark 6:34; John 6:45; 14:26. We see in this psalm the people God teaches – believers (v 5), sinners (v 8), the humble (v 9), those who fear the Lord (v 12). If we do not want God to teach us, it will be no surprise if we remain in ignorance and darkness about spiritual truth.⚜
5 📚Lead me in your truth,
and teach me;
for you are the God
of my salvation.
On you I wait all the day.
25:5 Especially should believers pray for God’s guidance and teaching – Ps 27:11; 86:11; 119:12, 26, 33, 64, 66, 108; Ex 33:13. What wonderful things a person will learn who has God for his teacher! Everyone who is taught of God will come to the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in Him – everyone. See John 6:45.⚜
6 📚Remember, O LORD,
your tender mercies
and your acts of
loving kindness;
for they are from
ancient times.
7 📚Remember not the sins
of my youth,
or my transgressions.
According to your mercy
remember me for
your goodness’
sake, O LORD.
25:7 Verse 11. Note at 18:23. David knows that it is only because of God’s mercy, love, and goodness that he has hope.⚜
8 📚Good and upright is
the LORD;
therefore he will teach
sinners in the way.
25:8 If God did not condescend to teach sinners not one of us would ever learn the truth. But God is kind to His enemies and wants to make them His friends.⚜
9 📚The meek he will guide
in judgment,
and the meek he will teach
his way.
25:9 See Ps 32:9; Deut 8:3; Matt 11:29; Jam 1:21. Those whom God would teach He first humbles, for the proud can hardly learn spiritual truth.⚜
10 📚All the paths of the LORD
are mercy and truth
to those who keep
his covenant and
his testimonies.
11 📚For your name’s sake, O LORD,
pardon my sin;
for it is great.
25:11 It is to the glory of God’s name to pardon the sins of His people who repent and seek Him. Forgiveness is one of the sweetest words in the language.⚜
12 📚Who is the man
who fears the LORD?
Him he will teach in the way
that he chooses.
13 📚His soul will dwell
in prosperity,
and his offspring will inherit
the earth.
25:13 These were blessings promised under the old covenant. Note at 1:1-3.⚜
14 📚The secret of the LORD is
with those who fear him,
and he will show them
his covenant.
25:14 Spiritual truth can be understood only by those who have right attitudes toward God (Gen 18:17-19; Prov 3:32; Matt 11:25; Luke 14:25-35; 24:45; John 7:17; 1 Cor 2:11-14).⚜
15 📚My eyes are ever
toward the LORD,
for he will pluck my feet out
of the net.
16 📚Turn to me, and have mercy
on me,
for I am desolate 📖
and afflicted.
25:16 Sometimes the believer is alone in his stand for God – 1 Kings 18:22; 1 Kings 19:10, 14-18; 2 Tim 4:16-17.⚜
17 📚The troubles of my heart
have grown large.
Oh, bring me out
of my distresses.
25:17 Troubles of the heart are the most troublesome of all and inward struggles the most grievous of all (Ps 13:2; 73:26; Job 3:20-26; 7:11; 10:1; Prov 14:10; John 14:1).⚜
18 📚Look at my affliction
and my pain,
and forgive all my sins.
25:18 Evidently David thought that his sins might be the source of his present difficulties. On forgiveness see Ps 103:3; 130:4; Luke 24:46-47; Acts 13:38; 1 John 1:9.⚜
19 📚Consider my enemies,
for they are many,
and they hate me
with cruel hatred.
20 📚Oh, keep my soul,
and deliver me!
Let me not be ashamed,
for I put my trust in you.
21 📚Let integrity and uprightness
preserve me,
for I wait on you.
25:21 Here are two perfect guards for our life, when our hope is in God alone.⚜
22 📚Redeem Israel, O God,
out of all his troubles.
25:22 On God as Redeemer see note at Ps 78:35.⚜