Teach Me Your Ways Lord – Psalm 119:65-72

ט TETH [1]

“You have dealt well with Your servant, O Lord, according to Your Word. Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe Your commandments.” Psalm 119:65-66

If you know the Scriptures and their meaning, then, the Lord has dealt well with you. He has given to you as Peter says in 2 Peter 1:4, “exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature.”

The Lord “dealt well” with David in giving him His Word and its meaning. Thus, David assured the Lord that he believed His commandments.

Jesus “dealt well” with the spiritual needs of His disciples. In Luke 10:23-24, Jesus said to them, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see. I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.” In Matthew 16:17, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”

Jesus “dwelt well” with the physical needs of His disciples. In Luke 22:35, Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?” They replied, “Nothing.” God provided for them as they went. God moved people to invest in their ministries. When people failed them, God filled the gaps miraculously.

David prayed, “Teach me good judgment and knowledge.” The phrase “good judgment” can also be understood as good discernment—the ability to recognize what is true and false, right and wrong, and wise and foolish. Just as the tongue distinguishes different flavors, a spiritually mature believer learns to distinguish truth from error. [2]

In Hebrews 5:14, it is written, “Solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

Knowledge by itself is not enough. Many people possess knowledge but lack good judgment to apply it correctly. Both are necessary to properly obey God’s commandments. [3]

David confessed faith in God’s Word with his mouth. He said, “I have believed Your commandments.” God and His Word are inseparable. So, a confession of faith in His Word is a confession of faith in Him.

In Romans 10:9-10, it is written, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

“Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep Your Word.” Psalm 119:67

During times of peace, comfort, and abundance, David became distant from God. [4] Perhaps, he became self-confident, indulged his sinful nature, prayed shallow prayers, and neglected to meditate on the Scriptures. Through affliction, God graciously restored David to praying fervent prayers, reading the Scriptures, and conforming his ways to God’s ways.

In Revelation 3:19, Jesus told the lukewarm Laodiceans, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.” In Romans 2:4, Paul wrote, “The goodness of God leads you to repentance.” If Jesus did not love us, He would let us wander away, and be happy that He no longer had to deal with us.

In Luke 15:4-7, Jesus spoke of a good shepherd as one who leaves 99 sheep (safely kept), to go after 1 sheep that has went astray. Jesus said, “There is more joy in heaven over 1 sinner who repents than over 99 just persons who need no repentance.”

In Luke 15:11-32, Jesus told the tale of a rebellious son who insisted on departing from his father. The father allowed him to depart, but obviously never stopped loving him. After the rebellious son wasted his life and was completely broke, he returned to his father and asked him to forgive him. The father forgave him, hugged him, kissed him, gave him new clothes and jewelry to wear and he threw a party to celebrate his return.

“You are good and do good. Teach me Your statutes.” Psalm 119:68

God is good, and His works are always good. We cannot fully comprehend how much good God does each day. Therefore, we should express love, gratitude, and praise to Him. [5]

Meditating on God’s goodness led David to pray, “Teach me Your statutes.” David asked God to do the greatest good for his soul, namely, teach him so he could become more like Him. [6]

In Psalms 25:8, David wrote, “Good and upright is the Lord. Therefore will He teach sinners in the way.” Repentant sinners who humbly come to God can be assured that He will teach them, transform them, and lead them in the path of righteousness. [7]

“The proud have forged a lie against me, but I will keep Your precepts with my whole heart. Their heart is as fat as grease, but I delight in Your Law.” Psalm 119:69-70

David describes how he responded to the proud and wicked people who surrounded him. He was not intimidated by their lies or their hatred. They tried to sabotage his reputation by spreading false accusations about him. [8]

David understood that his reputation—and his life—was at risk due to their hatred of him. Yet, he patiently endured their attacks and followed God’s command not to repay evil with evil. He remained committed to obedience, saying in effect, “Let them say whatever they wish. I will continue to keep Your commandments and will not be shaped by their slander.” [9]

David was not envious of their prosperity or attracted by their way of life. He observed that “their heart is as fat as grease.” Like those described in Isaiah 6:10, they were unwilling to recognize their need for God. They were bankrupt of the joy that comes from knowing God. David said to God, “I delight in Your Law.” The happiness found in God is deeper, lasting, and far more valuable than anything earthly wealth can offer. [10]

“It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes.” Psalm 119:71

God turned what David’s enemies meant for evil into something good for him. Affliction taught him truths he might not have learned otherwise. He learned valuable lessons, gained deeper understanding, and became closer to God. [11]

“The Law of Your mouth is better to me than 1,000’s of coins of gold and silver.” Psalm 119:72

The spiritual benefits that David gained from walking with God far outweighed anything he had lost. He valued God’s Word more than gold and silver. And think about this! David had less of the Bible than we do. How much more should we value the Bible now that it is compete! [12]

David’s son, Solomon, observed and chronicled some of the meaningless things people do with their lives. In Ecclesiastes 2:1, they live for laughter and physical pleasure. In Ecclesiastes 2:21, they labor with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, yet leave their wealth to someone who did not work for it. In Ecclesiastes 2:26, sinners work to gather and collect to “give to him who is good before God.” In Ecclesiastes 4:4, they envy their skillful neighbors. In Ecclesiastes 4:8, a lonely person works day and night to make much money, but his eyes are not satisfied with riches. In Ecclesiastes 5:7, they pursue many dreams and words but its meaningless. In Ecclesiastes 5:10, they love silver but are not satisfied with it. In Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, Solomon finished his notes, saying, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all.” Meditating on God’s Word and obeying it is meaningful and satisfying.

David loved God’s Law because it was not merely human instruction—it was “the Law of the Lord’s mouth.” It came from God. It revealed His identity and carried His authority. The more we understand that Scripture comes from God’s heart, the more precious it becomes to us. [13]


[1] From Googles sources and Bible Gateway: “Psalm 119 is an acrostic poem. It contains 176 verses divided into 22 sections, with each section named after one of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Instead of just one line per letter, all eight verses in a given section begin with that specific letter. For example, verses 65–72 start with the ט TETH, and this exact pattern continues sequentially all the way through the final letter, Tau (ת).

ט֭וֹב עָשִׂ֣יתָ עִֽם־עַבְדְּךָ֑ יְ֝הוָ֗ה כִּדְבָרֶֽךָ׃
ט֤וּב טַ֣עַם וָדַ֣עַת לַמְּדֵ֑נִי כִּ֖י בְמִצְוֺתֶ֣יךָ הֶאֱמָֽנְתִּי׃
טֶ֣רֶם אֶ֭עֱנֶה אֲנִ֣י שֹׁגֵ֑ג וְ֝עַתָּ֗ה אִמְרָתְךָ֥ שָׁמָֽרְתִּי׃
טוֹב־אַתָּ֥ה וּמֵטִ֗יב לַמְּדֵ֥נִי חֻקֶּֽיךָ׃
טָפְל֬וּ עָלַ֣י שֶׁ֣קֶר זֵדִ֑ים אֲ֝נִ֗י בְּכָל־לֵ֤ב׀ אֱצֹּ֬ר פִּקּוּדֶֽיךָ׃
טָפַ֣שׁ כַּחֵ֣לֶב לִבָּ֑ם אֲ֝נִ֗י תּוֹרָתְךָ֥ שִֽׁעֲשָֽׁעְתִּי׃
טֽוֹב־לִ֥י כִֽי־עֻנֵּ֑יתִי לְ֝מַ֗עַן אֶלְמַ֥ד חֻקֶּֽיךָ׃
טֽוֹב־לִ֥י תֽוֹרַת־פִּ֑יךָ מֵ֝אַלְפֵ֗י זָהָ֥ב וָכָֽסֶף׃

Historically, each letter name corresponds to a concrete object. Over time, these pictures evolved into the letters used today. For example, ט TETH was the symbol for snake or twist.

[2-13] Material developed, added to and edited from Matthew Henry’s Commentary