Then I wouldn’t be disappointed, when I consider all of your commandments.
Parallel Translations
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Then I wouldn’t be disappointed, when I consider all of your commandments.
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Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.
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Then should I not be ashamed, when I have regard unto all Thy commandments.
Cross-references (9)
Passages linked to Psalms 119:6 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- 1 John 2:28 Now, little children, remain in him, that when he appears, we may have boldness, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
- Job 22:26 For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty, and will lift up your face to God.
- Psalms 119:80 Let my heart be blameless toward your decrees, that I may not be disappointed.
- John 15:14 You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you.
- Psalms 119:31 I cling to your statutes, Yahweh. Don’t let me be disappointed.
- Psalms 119:128 Therefore I consider all of your precepts to be right. I hate every false way.
- Daniel 12:2-3 Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine as the brightness of the expanse. Those who turn many to righteousness will shine as the stars forever and ever.
- James 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.
- 1 John 3:20-21 because if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have boldness toward God;
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Psa 119:6 Then shall I not be ashamed, when…
Psa 119:6 Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.
Ver. 6. Then shall I not be ashamed] i.e. I shall be highly honoured both by thee and all thy people; able to look thee and them in the face, free from an evil conscience.
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When I have respect unto all thy commandments] Mine obedience being universal both for subjects and objects: this is a sure sign of sincerity, such as entitleth a man to true blessedness, Psa 119:1. A hypocrite is funambulus virtutum, as Tertullian phraseth it; he hath a dispensatory conscience; his obedience is partial, and such as goeth in a narrow track; it extendeth not to the compass of the whole law, and is therefore lost labour.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Then shall I not be ashamed; either of my…
Then shall I not be ashamed; either of my actions, or of my profession of religion, or of my hope and confidence in thy favour. When sinners shall be ashamed both here, Rom 6:21, and hereafter, Dan 12:2, I, having the conscience of mine own integrity, shall lift up my head with courage and boldness, both before men, when they either accuse or persecute me, and before God in the day of judgment, as it is said, 1Jo 4:17.
Respect; a due and true respect, which implies high valuation, hearty affection, diligent study, and common practice.
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Unto all thy commandments; so as not to be partial in my obedience, not to allow myself in the practice of any known sin, or in the neglect of any known duty.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain I will praise thee with uprightness of heart,.... In…
I will praise thee with uprightness of heart,.... In the most sincere manner, in the most affectionate way, with the whole heart; sensible of great favours received, and great obligations laid under; see Psa 9:1;
when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments; or, "the judgments of thy righteousness" (o): of the righteousness of God, declared in his righteous law; which is founded upon, and is according to, the strictest rules of justice and equity; and so are all the precepts of it: and of the righteousness of Christ, revealed in the Gospel; by which God appears to be just, while he is the justifier of him that believes in Jesus. Now the precepts of the one, and the doctrines of the other, are to be learned, and learned of God, in his word and by his Spirit. The psalmist had been learning them, but was desirous of learning more of them, not being a complete proficient in them; and of learning them, not merely in the theory, but in the practice and experience of them; which, when he had attained unto, as he hoped he should, it would be matter of the most sincere praise and thankfulness.
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(o) "judicia justitiae tuae", Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version, Musculus, Gejerus; so Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Michaelis.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Respect - A due respect, which implies hearty affection,…
Respect - A due respect, which implies hearty affection, diligent study, and constant practice. To all - So as not to allow myself in any known sin, or in the neglect of any known duty.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 6. Then shall I not be ashamed] Every…
Verse 6. Then shall I not be ashamed] Every act of transgression in the wicked man tends to harden his heart; and render it callous. If a man who fears God is so unhappy as to fall into sin, his conscience reproaches him, and he is ashamed before God and man. This is a full proof that God's Spirit has not utterly departed from him, and that he may repent, believe and be healed.
Unto all thy commandments.] God requires universal obedience, and all things are possible to him whom Christ strengthens; and all things are possible to him that believes. Allow that any of God's commandments may be transgressed, and we shall soon have the whole decalogue set aside.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Then shall I not be ashamed - On the…
Then shall I not be ashamed - On the word ashamed, see Job 6:20, note; Psa 25:2-3, note. The meaning here is, that he would not have occasion to be ashamed; he would not be disappointed; all his hopes would be realized. He would have full evidence of piety; he would enjoy the comforts which he sought in religion; he would feel assured of ultimately obtaining eternal life.
When I have respect unto all thy commandments - literally, “In my looking at all thy commandments.” That is, in his regarding them; in his feeling that all were equally binding on him; and in his having the consciousness that he had not intentionally neglected, violated, or disregarded any of them. There can be no true piety except where a man intends to keep all the commands of God. If he makes a selection among them, keeping this one or that one, as may be most convenient for him, or as may be most for his interest, or as may be most popular, it is full proof that he knows nothing of the nature of true religion. A child has no proper respect for a parent if he obeys him only as shall suit his whim or his convenience; and no man can be a pious man who does not purpose, in all honesty, to keep All the commandments of God; to submit to his will in everything.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 6. Mishpâṭîm, ‘judgements,’ or ‘ordinances,’ LXX κρίματα (19 times…
6. Mishpâṭîm, ‘judgements,’ or ‘ordinances,’ LXX κρίματα (19 times in plur., 4 times in sing.), has some variety of meaning. The idea in the word is “that of a judicial decision, made authoritatively once, and constituting a rule, a precedent, applicable to other similar cases in the future” (Driver on Deu_4:1); but in several passages of the Psalm it means the judicial acts of Jehovah, executing judgement on the wicked, and revealing or vindicating His law. Common in Deut. (Psa_4:1 &c.).
6. Then points back to Psa_119:5, and is further explained in 6 b: then … namely, when I &c. No real disgrace or disappointment can befall him whose single aim is the observance of God’s law in all its parts.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (6) Have respect unto.—Literally, look upon, or into, as…
(6) Have respect unto.—Literally, look upon, or into, as in a mirror. (Comp. Jas_1:23.) The Divine Law is as a mirror, which shows man his defects; the faithful, in looking in it, have no cause to blush.
Judgments.—Not here in common sense of visitations for sin, but only one of the change of synonyms for law. (See this use in Exo_21:1; Exo_24:3, &c.)
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have…
Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments. In that case I shall not be ashamed, either before God or man. Shame follows transgression: I shall escape shame, if my obedience is perfect.
Vers. 6, 22, 31, 42, 80, 110. God"s Word and shame.
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There are
I THE THREE KINDS OF SHAME.
1. The shame of which we need not be ashamed; of which we may be proud the reproaches of Christ;" being disregarded and even despised because we are loyal to our Lord, and true to the convictions we have learnt of him; the reproach which purity sometimes suffers at the hands of laxity, and integrity from the lips of dishonesty, and devotion from the ribaldry of ungodliness. This is all to our credit, and does us honor. But then there is:
2. Self-reproach, the accusation of our own conscience. There is also:
3. The condemnation of the good; that strong and sometimes stern reprobation with which an instructed society visits the crime, the vice, the cruelty, the selfishness, the wrong-doing which comes before its tribunal, and calls for its verdict.
II OUR TRUE SUPPORT IN HONORABLE SHAME. This is found in what God"s Word tells us of:
1. Our Lord"s esteem add strong approval. (Mat_5:10-12)
2. His own example. He "suffered the contradiction of sinners against himself," and stooped to the lowliest shame, "even to the death of the cross.
3. Our hope. "Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness.
III THE TRUE PRESERVATIVE FROM THE SHAME WE SHOULD FEAR. This also God"s Word affords us, for it supplies:
1. The constant, the eternal principles which save from sin and wrong truth, probity, purity, temperance, faithfulness, etc.
2. The strongest inducements to integrity that fear of God and love of Jesus Christ which will make us shrink sensitively from all that grieves his Spirit, and which will lead us to pursue that path which ends in his large reward.
How to steer clear of shame.
I WE ALL SHRINK FROM SHAME. Whether it be:
1. Before our own conscience. An inward blush, though unseen by any fellow-man, is to many, and to all who are capable of it, a source of pain, and to some of very real pain. To be ashamed of one"s self is the reverse of pleasant.
2. Yet more, before our fellow-men. That has often driven men to self-destruction, so intolerable has it been. Or:
3. Before God. (See Psa_40:12) And who has not known, by reason of ingratitude and sin, what this shame is? And there is the last awful shame that
4. Before the Lord at his coming. (1Jn_2:28) May he keep us from that!
II THE SURE WAY OF AVOIDING IT. By having "respect unto all thy commandments.
1. But can any one have respect unto all Gods commandments? Not so as to merit salvation thereby; for by the works of the Law shall," etc. And even if we could for the future, what about the past? People often talk of turning over a new leaf, but what of the old ones? The new leaf will not blot out those old ones. If a man has broken the law of his country in the past, the plea that he will never do the like again will not avail for his pardon.
2. But in reference to Gods commandments it is possible (ver. 3) to "do no iniquity." Christ will keep the soul that daily, hourly, trusts in him. As the pebble that lies in the bed of the stream is ever kept bright and clean by the constantly flowing water that passes over it, so he who will "walk in the light," that is, honestly strive to live in such wise as that his whole conduct will bear God"s light, and who will, so to speak, keep touch with Christ, continually looking to him for grace, he will find that the blood of Christ does, as a fact of experience, cleanse him, keep cleansing him, from all sin. There are thousands that can attest this. And:
3. This is what we should desire. Not out of dread of wrath, but out of love for God (Psalm 63), has come to be our deep longing.
4. Such desire will lead to conduct very different from that of most. For most men do not have respect unto all God"s commandments. They may be public duties, but not private ones. So the commands of the first table, but not those of the second, or it may be vice-versa. Or in great matters, but not in the little ones of daily life. The agreeable duties, but not the disagreeable.
III BUT HE WHO WILL HAVE RESPECT UNTO ALL GOD"S COMMANDMENTS, SHALL NOT ONLY AVOID SHAME, BUT BE FILLED WITH THE LOVE OF GOD. S.C.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Charles H. Spurgeon 1885 · Public Domain Ver. 6. Then shall I not be ashamed. He…
Ver. 6. Then shall I not be ashamed. He had known shame, and here he rejoices in the prospect of being freed from it. Sin brings shame, and when sin is gone, the reason for being ashamed is banished. What a deliverance this is, for to some men death is preferable to shame!
When I have respect unto all thy commandments. When he respects God he shall respect himself and be respected. Whenever we err we prepare ourselves for confusion of face and sinking of heart: if no one else is ashamed of me I shall be ashamed of myself if I do iniquity. Our first parents never knew shame till they made the acquaintance of the old serpent, and it never left them till their gracious God had covered them with sacrificial skins. Disobedience made them naked and ashamed. We, ourselves, will always have cause for shame till every sin is vanquished, and every duty is observed. When we pay a continual and universal respect to the will of the Lord, then we shall be able to look ourselves in the face in the looking glass of the law, and we shall not blush at the sight of men or devils, however eager their malice may be to lay somewhat to our charge.
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Many suffer from excessive diffidence, and this verse suggests a cure. An abiding sense of duty will make us bold, we shall be afraid to be afraid. No shame in the presence of man will hinder us when the fear of God has taken full possession of our minds. When we are on the king's highway by daylight, and are engaged upon royal business, we need ask no man's leave. It would be a dishonour to a king to be ashamed of his livery and his service; no such shame should ever crimson the cheek of a Christian, nor will it if he has due reverence for the Lord his God. There is nothing to be ashamed of in a holy life; a man may be ashamed of his pride, ashamed of his wealth, ashamed of his own children, but he will never be ashamed of having in all things regarded the will of the Lord his God.
It is worthy of remark that David promises himself no immunity from shame till he has carefully paid homage to all the precepts. Mind that word "all, "and leave not one command out of your respect. Partial obedience still leaves us liable to be called to account for those commands which we have neglected. A man may have a thousand virtues, and yet a single failing may cover him with shame.
To a poor sinner who is buried in despair, it may seem a very unlikely thing that he should ever be delivered from shame. He blushes, and is confounded, and feels that he can never lift up his face again. Let him read these words: "Then shall I not be ashamed." David is not dreaming, nor picturing an impossible case. Be assured, dear friend, that the Holy Spirit can renew in you the image of God, so that you shall yet look up without fear. O for sanctification to direct us in God's way, for then shall we have boldness both towards God and his people, and shall no more crimson with confusion.
Ver. 6. Then shall I not be ashamed. No one likes to be ashamed or to blush:therefore all things which bring shame after them must be avoided: Ezr 9:6 Jer 3:25 Da 9:7, 9. As the workman keeps his eye fixed on his pattern, and the scholar on the copy of his writing master; so the godly man ever and anon turns his eyes to the word of his God. Martin Geier.
Ver. 6. There is a twofold shame; the shame of a guilty conscience; and the shame of a tender conscience. The one is the merit and fruit of sin; the other is an act of grace. This which is here spoken of is to be understood not of a holy self loathing, but a confounding shame. Thomas Manton.
Ver. 6. Then shall I not be ashamed, etc. Then shall I have confidence both towards God and man, and mine own soul, when I can pronounce of myself that my obedience is impartial, and uniform, and universal, no secret sin reserved for my favour, no least commandment knowingly or willingly neglected by me. Henry Hammond.
Ver. 6. Then shall I not be ashamed, etc. You ask, Why is he not ashamed who has respect unto all the commandments of God? I answer, the sense is, as if he had said, The commandments of God are so pure and excellent, that though thou shouldest regard the whole and each one of them most attentively, thou wouldest not find anything that would cause thee to blush. The laws of Lycurgus are praised; but they permitted theft. The statutes of Plato are praised; but they commended the community of wives. "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul:" Ps 19:7. It is a mirror, reflecting the beautiful light of the stars on him who looks into it. Thomas Le Blanc.
Ver. 6. The blessing here spoken of is freedom from shame in looking unto all the commandments. If God hear prayer, and establish the soul in this habit of keeping the commandments, there will be yet this further blessing of being able to look unto every precept without shame. Many men can look at some commandments without shame. Turning to the ten commandments, the honest man feels no shame as he gazes on the eighth, the pure man is free from reproach as he reads the seventh, he who is reverent and hates blasphemy is not rebuked by the thought that he has violated the third, while the filial spirit rather delights in than shuns the fifth. So on with the remainder. Most men perhaps can look at some of the precepts with comparative freedom from reproof. But who can so look unto them all? Yet this, also, the godly heart aspires to. In this verse we find the Psalmist consciously anticipating the truth of a word in the New Testament: "He that offends in one point is guilty of all." Frederick G. Marchant.
Ver. 6. Ashamed.
I can bear scorpion's stings, tread fields of fire,
In frozen gulfs of cold eternal lie;
Be tossed aloft through tracts of endless void,
But cannot live in shame. Joanna Baillie, 1762-1851.
Ver. 6. When I have respect unto all thy commandments. Literally, "In my looking at all thy commandments." That is, in his regarding them; in his feeling that all were equally binding on him; and in having the consciousness that he had not intentionally neglected, violated, or disregarded any of them. There can be no true piety except where a man intends to keep ALL the commands of God. If he makes a selection among them, keeping this one or that one, as may be most convenient for him, or as may be most for his interest, or as may be most popular, it is full proof that he knows nothing of the nature of true religion. A child has no proper respect for a parent if he obeys him only as shall suit his whim or his convenience; and no man can be a pious man who does not purpose, in all honesty, to keep ALL, the commandments of God; to submit to his will in everything. Albert Barnes.
Ver. 6. All thy commandments. There is the same reason for obedience to one command as another, God's authority, who is the Lawgiver (Jas 2:11); and therefore when men choose one duty and overlook others, they do not so much obey the will of God, as gratify their own humours and fancies, pleasing Him only so far as they can please themselves too; and this is not reasonable; we never yield him a "reasonable service, "but when it is universal. Edward Veal (1632-1708), in "The Morning Exercises."
Ver. 6. All thy commandments. A partial obedience will never satisfy a child of God. The exclusion of any commandment from its supreme regard in the heart is the brand of hypocrisy. Even Herod could "do many things, "and yet one evil way cherished, and therefore unforsaken, was sufficient to show the sovereign power of sin undisturbed within. Saul slew all the Amalekites but one; and that single exception in the path of universal obedience marked the unsoundness of his profession, cost him the loss of his throne, and brought him under the awful displeasure of his God. And thus the foot, or the hand, or the right eye, the corrupt unmortified members, bring the whole body to hell. Reserves are the canker of Christian sincerity. Charles Bridges.
Ver. 6. Unto all thy commandments. Allow that any of God's commandments may be transgressed, and we shall soon have the whole decalogue set aside. Adam Clarke, 1760-1832.
Ver. 6. Many will do some good, but are defective in other things, and usually in those which are most necessary. They cull out the easiest and cheapest parts of religion, such as do not contradict their lusts and interests. We can never have sound peace till we regard all. Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy commandments. Shame is fear of a just reproof. This reproof is either from the supreme or the deputy judge. The supreme judge of all our actions is God. This should be our principal care, that we may not be ashamed before him at his coming, nor disapproved in the judgment. But there is a deputy judge which every man has in his own bosom. Our consciences do acquit or condemn us as we are partial or sincere in our duty to God, and much depends on that. 1Jo 3:20-21, "For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God." Well, then, that our hearts may not reprove or reproach us, we should be complete in all the will of God. Alas, otherwise you will never have evidence of your sincerity. Thomas Manton.
Ver. 6. Such is the mercy of God in Christ to his children, that lie accepts their weak endeavours, joined with sincerity and perseverance in his service, as if they were a full obedience... O, who would not serve such a Lord? You hear servants sometimes complain of their masters as so rigid and strict, that they can never please them; no, not when they do their utmost: but this cannot be charged upon God. Be but so faithful as to do thy best, and God is so gracious that he will pardon thy worst. David knew this gospel indulgence when he said, Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments, when my eye is to all thy commandments. The traveller hath his eye on or towards the place he is going to, though he be as yet short of it; there he would be, and he is putting on all he can to reach it: so stands the saint's heart to all the commands of God; he presseth on to come nearer and nearer to full obedience; such a soul shall never be put to shame. William Gurnall, 1617-1679.
Ver. 6. See "Spurgeon's Sermons, "No. 1443: "A Clear Conscience."
Ver. 6. Holy confidence the offspring of universal obedience.
Ver. 6. The armour of proof.
1. Universal obedience will give unabashed confidence
(a) Before the criticising world.
(b) In the court of conscience.
(c) At the throne of grace.
(d) In the day of judgment.
2. But our obedience is far from universal, and leaves us open to
(a) The world's shafts.
(b) The rebukes of conscience.
(c) It paralyses our prayers
(d) It dares not appear for us at the bar of God.
3. Then let us by faith wrap ourselves in the perfect righteousness of Christ. Our answer to the world's cavil. We are not faultless, and for salvation we rest wholly on another. This righteousness is
(a) The salve of our wounded conscience.
(b) Our mighty plea in prayer.
(c) Our triumphant vindication in the judgment day. C. A.D.
Ver. 6. Topic: Self respect depends on respect for one greater than self. W. D.
Psalms 119:7*
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have…
Psa_119:6
Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all Thy commandments.
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A clear conscience
We are not under the law, but under grace, yet are we not lawless, since we have become servants of God. Nay, but we are under another law, which works upon us after another fashion. The child may be quite clear of the police court, but there is a rod at home. There is a fathers smile; there is a fathers frown.
I. The universality of believing obedience. The esteem in which we hold, and the tribute we pay to, all Gods commandments is spoken of. Not picking and choosing--paying attention to this, because it pleases me, and omitting that, because it is not equally pleasurable. What do we mean by having respect to all Gods commandment I reply that, whatever there is that the Lord has spoken in any part of His Word we desire to hold in devout esteem, and to have respect to every utterance of His will. Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all Thy commandments--to the foundation commandments, striving to dig deep; to the high soaring commandments, seeking to rise into the utmost fellowship with God; to those commandments that need stern labour, like the rugged walls upon which much toil must be spent, and upon those which are a delight and a beauty, like the golden aureole windows that require fine taste and delicate skill. Oh that we were enamoured of this perfection, and were seeking after it!
II. The excellency of its result. Then shall I not be ashamed. That means, first, that as sin is removed, shame is removed. Sin and shame came into this world together. Unless sin gets to a high head, which it will not do in the believer, shame is sure always to go with sin. Excessive sin or habitual transgression at last kills shame, so that the hardened culprit knows not how to blush. It is an awful thing when a man is no longer conscious of shame, but a more awful thing still when he comes to glory in his shame; for then his damnation is not far off. But as sin is cast out of the believer, shame is cast out of him in proportion, and it thence comes to pass that courage rises with a consciousness of rectitude. The man that has respect unto Gods commands is no longer ashamed of men. He is not abashed by their scorn, or disconcerted by their ridicule. There is nothing to be ashamed of in keeping Gods commands. Then, again, before men we shall not be ashamed of our profession. I am a Christian. Look me up and down and examine my conduct. I do not boast of it, but I know that I have sought honestly and sincerely to walk before God in righteousness. Or, when an accusation is brought against you falsely, meet it in the same spirit. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Unlimited obedience to the Divine commands
I. The psalmist made little account of the worlds opinion.
II. His profound obedience to God.
III. The concern he was under at failing in some particulars.
IV. His earnest desire to obey all the Divine commands.
V. That peace which would follow upon his keeping all the commandments.
1. A peace that is built upon the most solid foundation--the promises of God.
2. A peace that is most pure and genuine, having no mixture of baseness and alloy.
3. A peace that secures the mind from all the accusations of Satan, who would willingly disturb us; and that prepares us for setting light by the molestations which others may endeavour to give us.
Conclusion--
1. In what light do you view the worlds opinion? Are you not too much biased by it?
2. Inquire into your obedience, and ask if it does not differ from that of the psalmist, who objected not to any of Gods commandments, but had respect unto all.
3. Have you not had respect to every commandment? You cannot surely look back upon the fact with indifference, or unaffectedness, etc.
4. What must be said of those who instead of being grieved that they keep not all the commandments of the Lord, keep none; but wilfully break them all, and glory in doing so, etc. (J. Dorrington.)
The effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance for ever
Consider the advantages that we shall receive, from a regular, uniform obedience to Gods commandments.
I. As it gives us peace of mind. The man that makes this his care is approved by his besom-witness, and satisfied from himself. God has wisely ordered it, that as soon as we have done well, we should be encouraged to continue in well-doing, by the approbation of right reason; and whensoever we sin against Him, we should also offend ourselves, and be condemned by our own impartial sentence.
II. As it encourages us to look cheerfully upon the world. Having no design but to satisfy his conscience, to do justice to his brother, and to please his God, he wishes that his actions were as clear as the light, and his dealings as the noonday: for he wants no pretences, no private reserves. And he takes the easiest, the safest, and the most satisfactory course of life. His way is plain before him, and he needs not trouble himself with any inquiry but this, Whether the action that he is going to commit is consistent with his duty to God. And if the tongue of censure should endeavour to fix its calumnies upon him, and shoot forth its poisonous arrows, even bitter words, they cannot disturb the harmony of his thoughts, or make any impression upon him. He is safe in his integrity, and beats off their furious onsets with a fixed and unmovable resolution.
III. As it gives us a lively hope and confidence in God. Blessed is the man that has thus made God his friend, and by the actions of an unblameable life has presented himself, his soul and body, a reasonable, holy, and lively sacrifice to God. Being entirely devoted to Him, he can resort to Him in every danger and difficulty, and truly ask for His counsel to direct, and His assistance to deliver him. (T. Newlin, M. A.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.