Psa 119:4 | KingComments | STEP | The book of Psalms is the heart of the Bible. Psalm 119 is the heart of the fifth book of Psalms. We hear in this psalm the heartbeat of the faithful remnant of Israel. This psalm points to the Word and prophetically it points to the time when the remnant will return to the LORD and to His Word. The hallmark of the psalm is that through the Spirit’s ministry the law is written in the heart of the remnant ( ; cf. ; ). This is by virtue of the blood of the new covenant ( ). The law is mentioned in almost every verse, using names other than ‘law’ as well. Only in there is no reference to the law. Synonyms are also used for the term ‘law’. The Jews speak of eight different synonyms for ‘law’, which shows the richness of the law and of the Word of God as a whole. This allows the psalmist to elaborate on the versatility of the Word, and it helps us to see and appreciate more of the multicolored nature of the Word of God. Five of these eight synonyms are already used in the description of God’s Word in Psalm 19 ( ). The eight words used by the psalmist are: 1. Law ( Torah , 25 times) = teaching, instruction – the law as the teaching of the will of the LORD, Yahweh: “He who keeps the law (teaching) is a discerning son” ( ). Furthermore, the law also means: - ‘the whole of the Old Testament’, - ‘the five books of Moses’ - ‘the requirements of the old covenant necessary to receive life’ (see, for example, the letter to the Romans and the letter to the Galatians). 2. Word ( Dabar , 24 times) = orderly exposition in a speech – the form or means by which Yahweh communicates His will. It is every word that goes out through the mouth of God. 3. Promise ( Imrah , 19 times) = proverb, saying, statement – expression of the will of Yahweh in what He says. 4. Commandment ( Mitzvah , 22 times) – precept that demands obedience; imposed duty or responsibility. It emphasizes God’s right to determine the basis of our relationship with Him 5. Statute, institution ( Chukkim , 21 times) = engraving, chiseling – the permanent testimony of the will of Yahweh, as if engraved in stone and therefore indelible. It represents the binding and continuing power of God’s law. 6. Precepts ( Piqqudim , 21 times) = to commission – meticulous regulations that closely examine our lives and accurately define or describe them. 7. Judgment ( Mishpat , 22 times) = law, court, administer justice – the will of Yahweh as Judge in legal matters. They are also the rules God has given to govern relationships between people. 8. Testimony ( Edut , 23 times) – testifies to the relationship (covenant) with Yahweh and the responsibility attached to it; the word is derived from repeat, testify or say something emphatically; the law is also called ‘the testimony’ ( ). These are practical principles that govern the behavior. The Word of God gives ‘testimony’ of righteousness and against our sinfulness. The number ‘eight’ also ties in well with the whole of Psalm 119, in which each letter of the Hebrew alphabet appears eight times at the beginning of a verse. The number ‘eight’ in Hebrew is shmoneh , which is derived from shaman meaning to make fat, abundant. Seven in enough, eight is ‘more than enough’. Seven is a complete whole, eight is a new beginning. ‘Eight’ in this psalm points to the new covenant, through which the law is written in the hearts of the born-again believing remnant ( ). This psalm is an acrostic, that is, each verse begins with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, as is the case with Psalms 9, 10, 34, 37, 111, 112, 145. The difference is that these psalms show a singular acrostic – and are not always complete either, for a letter is sometimes missing – while in Psalm 119 we have an eightfold acrostic. Psalm 119 has twenty-two stanzas of eight verses each. Each verse begins with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of the eight verses of the stanza begins with the letter of the verse. For example, each verse of the first stanza begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the letter aleph ; each verse of the second stanza begins with the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the letter beth ; and so on. An acrostic functions as a mnemonic device; it is a tool for remembering a text. Psalm 119 has both an acrostic and a rhythm for remembering the text, in the head and in the heart (cf. ). Each letter of the Hebrew alephbeth – to us: alphabet – is a pictogram with a meaning. Each letter also has a name with a backstory. [Those interested we refer to, for example, Gesenius, Lexicon of Hebrew.] Both aspects are woven into the message of the Word of God. The message and the letters as bearers of the message are closely intertwined. The word alephbeth is a composite of the first and second letters of the Hebrew alphabet – aleph and beth – which represent the word ‘father’. This underscores the importance of the concept of ‘father’ in the Bible. The Lord Jesus is called “the Alpha and the Omega” ( ), the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In Hebrew, these are the aleph and the tav . It speaks of the Lord Jesus as the Word, the speaking from God to men ( ). This psalm is the longest of all the psalms and of all the chapters in the Bible. It is a song of praise about the Word of God. A portion of God’s Word that uses all the letters of human language to present us a topic, determines us by the value of the topic of that portion. Here it is about the Word of God which has an immeasurable value. By using all the letters of the alphabet, it is presented to us in a complete way. This does not mean that we know the inexhaustible value of the Word of God if we have understood the psalm correctly. Using a variant of what Spurgeon once said, after years of studying the Word, we want to put it this way: A long life is just enough to stand on the beach with our feet in the water of the endless ocean of the Word, which, as we go further and further into the water, becomes more and more endless. This psalm is about the Word of God as the only means of getting to know God Himself better. The psalmist values the Word because it comes from Him. With the exception of he speaks in all verses to the “LORD”, the God of the covenant with His people. He speaks to Him of “Your precepts”, “Your ordinances”, “Your statutes”, and so on. The psalmist is not glorifying the Book, but the God Who reveals Himself in and through this Book and with Whom he has a personal relationship. The psalm shows the richness of God’s Word. It is impossible to describe its richness in a single sentence or a few phrases. Even the alphabet is not long enough. The psalmist goes through the alphabet eight times without repeating a single thing. Each time we see a new aspect of the richness of God’s Word. As mentioned, the number eight indicates a new beginning. The Word of God works a new beginning. Being busy with God’s Word is an activity that gives true happiness, true blessing. The first word of the psalm is “blessed” ( ). It truly blesses one in the sense that it gives one a peaceful heart and a joyful spirit. We hear something similar from the mouth of the Lord Jesus in the ‘beatitudes’ in the Sermon on the Mount ( ). The true servant of God will not be satisfied with a cursory reading of God’s Word. His desire is that it governs his whole life. A division of the psalm, which describes the Word of God as written in the heart ( ), is the following: 1. 1st-7th stanza – the letters aleph-zayin : focused on yourself; 2. 8th-14th stanza – the letters heth-nun : focused on your fellow man; 3. 15th-21st stanza – the letters samekh-shin : focused on God; 4. 22nd stanza – the letter tav : summary. The aleph is the first letter. We can say that this letter speaks of God as the origin of all things. This letter was originally depicted as (the head of) a bull or an ox, the largest sacrificial animal for the burnt offering ( ). The burnt offering speaks of Christ’s offering to glorify God as the basis of God’s speaking to man. A bull also speaks of strength, power and of service. This too applies to Christ, Who “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” ( ). His life of service and His death are immediately revealed by this first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which also represents the numerical value one. In this aleph stanza about the Word of God, it becomes clear that the center of the Word is the Person of God Himself ( ). The Word is about Him. The Word is about Him Who revealed Himself in Jesus: “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” ( ). A division of this stanza is: the teaching: third person plural. the Teacher: second person singular. the student, the remnant: first person singular. This division makes it clear that the general truth of must be applied personally in . , and in fact the entire stanza of eight verses is an introduction to the whole of Psalm 119. The psalm begins by saying “blessed”. The book of Psalms begins with a “blessed” to the righteous and his way ( ). The ‘way’ means not only that a believer has found the way, but that, like Enoch, he walks and lives in that way. In Psalm 1, that way is characterized by three negative things in which the righteous does not walk. Here in Psalm 119, we find a positive “blessed” for the upright in their way. Their way is characterized by walking in the law of the LORD. This is emphasized in with another positive “blessed”. ‘Blessed’ is not a wish or a command, but a fact. It is the naming of a fact, a spiritual law, passed on to us as teaching. Its first condition is ‘blameless, literally ‘perfect’. The walk of the upright is not a learned, superficial behavior, but a walk with a whole heart. Teaching is not a subject, like theology, for example, but literally “a way” to walk, a path of life. It is a walk in the law of the LORD ( ). Such a walk is possible for the believing remnant through the new covenant, whereby the law is written in their hearts ( ; ). There is only one way through the world for the God-fearing Jew and that is the way of the law. It is not wealth and possessions that lead to happiness, but going the way of obedience to the law. Those who go that way with a sincere heart are in the right relationship with God. The result is blessing ( ). Then another “blessed” is added. That is for “those who observe His testimonies” ( ). God’s law here is called “His testimonies” because the law contains the testimonies of Who He is and what He wants. This connects the remnant directly to Himself. His testimonies are observed by those “who seek Him with all [their] heart”. ‘Observe’ is literally ‘keep’. It implies first ‘accepting’ and then ‘obeying’. This speaks of a living relationship with Him, which is evident from the fact that the whole heart seeks Him (cf. ; ). When the things just mentioned are present, “they also do no unrighteousness” ( ). To commit unrighteousness means to continue to commit wickedness, falsehood. This is completely foreign to Who God is (cf. ) and therefore also to those who are born of God (cf. ). In the heart that goes out to Him are the highways ( ). Such a person will “walk in His ways”, that is, in the ways of God. Then the psalmist – and in him the remnant – turns to the LORD and says emphatically to Him: “You have ordained Your precepts, that we should keep [them] diligently” ( ). Keeping God’s precepts is not optional; it is not a matter of politeness, but of obedience. It is also more than formal obedience. It is about its quality: it is obedience of a dedicated heart which can only be there if there is a renewed heart. Obedience here is the result of teaching about the law as the basis of a truly happy life. The remnant learns the will of the LORD and is eager to live by it. The law is written in their heart. Therefore, it is a joy to their heart to be obedient to what the LORD asks. In we have received spiritual teaching. In the next four verses we read about the wisdom of applying this teaching to the practice of life. The psalmist expects, to put it with the apostle Paul, that the LORD will not only work the will, but also work the work in his life (cf. ). As it comes down to practice now, we get a glimpse into the heart and state of mind of the psalmist. He senses that he falls short. A sigh, which is a prayer, comes over his lips: “Oh that my ways may be established to keep Your statutes!” ( ). He sees that his ways are not established when it comes to observing the statutes of the LORD. It is not just about inwardly acknowledging what God has commanded, but that in the practice of life it is also acted upon. We recognize here the sigh: “I do believe; help my unbelief” ( ). He knows that he shall not be ashamed as long as he “looks upon all Your commandments” ( ). If he constantly keeps his eye on “all Your commandments”, that is, the whole will of God (cf. ), he will be preserved from wrong expectations or wrong actions and thus from shame (cf. ). To look upon all the commandments without exception means to look upon the LORD. Through the Word our eye is turned to Him. The psalmist resolves that he will give thanks to the LORD “with uprightness of heart” when he has learned all His “righteous judgments” ( ). He is ready to learn God’s judgments, which he calls righteous. He also realizes that those judgments make his heart upright, that is without twists and turns. He can and will give thanks to God in a way that is pleasing to Him, not with mere lip language, but from a heart that is upright. The psalmist now learns a new lesson. He learns that the judgment of the LORD is righteous. He learns to see himself in the light of God. That alone enables him to praise the LORD with an upright heart, a heart cleansed by self-judgment. We can apply this to ourselves. One day we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Then we will learn His righteous judgment on all our life. As a result, we will be able to give thanks to Him and worship Him in eternity with a perfectly upright heart. When the remnant is taught by God, they resolve to keep God’s statutes ( ). In dealing with Him and with His Word, they have come to love the LORD (cf. ). At the same time, there is the prayer to God not to “forsake” him “utterly” – this expression means: in no way (cf. ). This is not a prayer that the New Testament believer prays, just as he does not pray that God will not take His Holy Spirit away from him, as David did pray ( ).

‏ Psalms 119:4

Introduction

The book of Psalms is the heart of the Bible. Psalm 119 is the heart of the fifth book of Psalms. We hear in this psalm the heartbeat of the faithful remnant of Israel. This psalm points to the Word and prophetically it points to the time when the remnant will return to the LORD and to His Word.

The hallmark of the psalm is that through the Spirit’s ministry the law is written in the heart of the remnant (2Cor 3:8; cf. Psa 40:8; Eze 36:27). This is by virtue of the blood of the new covenant (Jer 31:31-34). The law is mentioned in almost every verse, using names other than ‘law’ as well. Only in Psa 119:84 ; 121 ; 122 ; 132 there is no reference to the law.

Synonyms are also used for the term ‘law’. The Jews speak of eight different synonyms for ‘law’, which shows the richness of the law and of the Word of God as a whole. This allows the psalmist to elaborate on the versatility of the Word, and it helps us to see and appreciate more of the multicolored nature of the Word of God. Five of these eight synonyms are already used in the description of God’s Word in Psalm 19 (Psa 19:7-10).

The eight words used by the psalmist are:

1. Law (Torah, 25 times) = teaching, instruction – the law as the teaching of the will of the LORD, Yahweh: “He who keeps the law (teaching) is a discerning son” (Pro 28:7a). Furthermore, the law also means:

- ‘the whole of the Old Testament’,

- ‘the five books of Moses’

- ‘the requirements of the old covenant necessary to receive life’ (see, for example, the letter to the Romans and the letter to the Galatians).

2. Word (Dabar, 24 times) = orderly exposition in a speech – the form or means by which Yahweh communicates His will. It is every word that goes out through the mouth of God.

3. Promise (Imrah, 19 times) = proverb, saying, statement – expression of the will of Yahweh in what He says.

4. Commandment (Mitzvah, 22 times) – precept that demands obedience; imposed duty or responsibility. It emphasizes God’s right to determine the basis of our relationship with Him

5. Statute, institution (Chukkim, 21 times) = engraving, chiseling – the permanent testimony of the will of Yahweh, as if engraved in stone and therefore indelible. It represents the binding and continuing power of God’s law.

6. Precepts (Piqqudim, 21 times) = to commission – meticulous regulations that closely examine our lives and accurately define or describe them.

7. Judgment (Mishpat, 22 times) = law, court, administer justice – the will of Yahweh as Judge in legal matters. They are also the rules God has given to govern relationships between people.

8. Testimony (Edut, 23 times) – testifies to the relationship (covenant) with Yahweh and the responsibility attached to it; the word is derived from repeat, testify or say something emphatically; the law is also called ‘the testimony’ (Exo 25:16 ; 21). These are practical principles that govern the behavior. The Word of God gives ‘testimony’ of righteousness and against our sinfulness.

The number ‘eight’ also ties in well with the whole of Psalm 119, in which each letter of the Hebrew alphabet appears eight times at the beginning of a verse. The number ‘eight’ in Hebrew is shmoneh, which is derived from shaman meaning to make fat, abundant. Seven in enough, eight is ‘more than enough’. Seven is a complete whole, eight is a new beginning. ‘Eight’ in this psalm points to the new covenant, through which the law is written in the hearts of the born-again believing remnant (Heb 8:8-10).

This psalm is an acrostic, that is, each verse begins with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, as is the case with Psalms 9, 10, 34, 37, 111, 112, 145. The difference is that these psalms show a singular acrostic – and are not always complete either, for a letter is sometimes missing – while in Psalm 119 we have an eightfold acrostic.

Psalm 119 has twenty-two stanzas of eight verses each. Each verse begins with a consecutive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each of the eight verses of the stanza begins with the letter of the verse. For example, each verse of the first stanza begins with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the letter aleph; each verse of the second stanza begins with the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the letter beth; and so on.

An acrostic functions as a mnemonic device; it is a tool for remembering a text. Psalm 119 has both an acrostic and a rhythm for remembering the text, in the head and in the heart (cf. Psa 119:11).

Each letter of the Hebrew alephbeth – to us: alphabet – is a pictogram with a meaning. Each letter also has a name with a backstory. [Those interested we refer to, for example, Gesenius, Lexicon of Hebrew.] Both aspects are woven into the message of the Word of God. The message and the letters as bearers of the message are closely intertwined. The word alephbeth is a composite of the first and second letters of the Hebrew alphabet – aleph and beth – which represent the word ‘father’. This underscores the importance of the concept of ‘father’ in the Bible.

The Lord Jesus is called “the Alpha and the Omega” (Rev 1:8 ; 11 ; Rev 21:6 ; Rev 22:13), the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In Hebrew, these are the aleph and the tav. It speaks of the Lord Jesus as the Word, the speaking from God to men (Heb 1:1).

This psalm is the longest of all the psalms and of all the chapters in the Bible. It is a song of praise about the Word of God. A portion of God’s Word that uses all the letters of human language to present us a topic, determines us by the value of the topic of that portion. Here it is about the Word of God which has an immeasurable value. By using all the letters of the alphabet, it is presented to us in a complete way.

This does not mean that we know the inexhaustible value of the Word of God if we have understood the psalm correctly. Using a variant of what Spurgeon once said, after years of studying the Word, we want to put it this way: A long life is just enough to stand on the beach with our feet in the water of the endless ocean of the Word, which, as we go further and further into the water, becomes more and more endless.

This psalm is about the Word of God as the only means of getting to know God Himself better. The psalmist values the Word because it comes from Him. With the exception of Psa 119:1 ; 2 ; 3 ; 9 he speaks in all verses to the “LORD”, the God of the covenant with His people. He speaks to Him of “Your precepts”, “Your ordinances”, “Your statutes”, and so on. The psalmist is not glorifying the Book, but the God Who reveals Himself in and through this Book and with Whom he has a personal relationship.

The psalm shows the richness of God’s Word. It is impossible to describe its richness in a single sentence or a few phrases. Even the alphabet is not long enough. The psalmist goes through the alphabet eight times without repeating a single thing. Each time we see a new aspect of the richness of God’s Word. As mentioned, the number eight indicates a new beginning. The Word of God works a new beginning.

Being busy with God’s Word is an activity that gives true happiness, true blessing. The first word of the psalm is “blessed” (Psa 119:1). It truly blesses one in the sense that it gives one a peaceful heart and a joyful spirit. We hear something similar from the mouth of the Lord Jesus in the ‘beatitudes’ in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:3-12). The true servant of God will not be satisfied with a cursory reading of God’s Word. His desire is that it governs his whole life.

A division of the psalm, which describes the Word of God as written in the heart (Jer 31:33), is the following:

1. 1st-7th stanza – the letters aleph-zayin: focused on yourself;

2. 8th-14th stanza – the letters heth-nun: focused on your fellow man;

3. 15th-21st stanza – the letters samekh-shin: focused on God;

4. 22nd stanza – the letter tav: summary.

/aleph/ The Beginning

The aleph is the first letter. We can say that this letter speaks of God as the origin of all things. This letter was originally depicted as (the head of) a bull or an ox, the largest sacrificial animal for the burnt offering (Lev 1:1-5). The burnt offering speaks of Christ’s offering to glorify God as the basis of God’s speaking to man.

A bull also speaks of strength, power and of service. This too applies to Christ, Who “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mk 10:45). His life of service and His death are immediately revealed by this first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which also represents the numerical value one.

In this aleph stanza about the Word of God, it becomes clear that the center of the Word is the Person of God Himself (Psa 119:2). The Word is about Him. The Word is about Him Who revealed Himself in Jesus: “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Rev 19:10).

A division of this stanza is:

Psa 119:1-3 the teaching: third person plural.

Psa 119:4 the Teacher: second person singular.

Psa 119:5-8 the student, the remnant: first person singular.

This division makes it clear that the general truth of Psa 119:1-4 must be applied personally in Psa 119:5-8.

Psa 119:1, and in fact the entire stanza of eight verses is an introduction to the whole of Psalm 119. The psalm begins by saying “blessed”. The book of Psalms begins with a “blessed” to the righteous and his way (Psa 1:1). The ‘way’ means not only that a believer has found the way, but that, like Enoch, he walks and lives in that way. In Psalm 1, that way is characterized by three negative things in which the righteous does not walk. Here in Psalm 119, we find a positive “blessed” for the upright in their way. Their way is characterized by walking in the law of the LORD. This is emphasized in Psa 119:2 with another positive “blessed”.

‘Blessed’ is not a wish or a command, but a fact. It is the naming of a fact, a spiritual law, passed on to us as teaching. Its first condition is ‘blameless, literally ‘perfect’. The walk of the upright is not a learned, superficial behavior, but a walk with a whole heart.

Teaching is not a subject, like theology, for example, but literally “a way” to walk, a path of life. It is a walk in the law of the LORD (Psa 119:1b). Such a walk is possible for the believing remnant through the new covenant, whereby the law is written in their hearts (Jer 31:33; Eze 36:26 ; 27).

There is only one way through the world for the God-fearing Jew and that is the way of the law. It is not wealth and possessions that lead to happiness, but going the way of obedience to the law. Those who go that way with a sincere heart are in the right relationship with God. The result is blessing (Lk 11:28).

Then another “blessed” is added. That is for “those who observe His testimonies” (Psa 119:2). God’s law here is called “His testimonies” because the law contains the testimonies of Who He is and what He wants. This connects the remnant directly to Himself. His testimonies are observed by those “who seek Him with all [their] heart”. ‘Observe’ is literally ‘keep’. It implies first ‘accepting’ and then ‘obeying’. This speaks of a living relationship with Him, which is evident from the fact that the whole heart seeks Him (cf. Psa 119:10 ; 34 ; 58 ; 69 ; 145; Jer 29:13).

When the things just mentioned are present, “they also do no unrighteousness” (Psa 119:3). To commit unrighteousness means to continue to commit wickedness, falsehood. This is completely foreign to Who God is (cf. Zep 3:5) and therefore also to those who are born of God (cf. 1Jn 3:9). In the heart that goes out to Him are the highways (Psa 84:5). Such a person will “walk in His ways”, that is, in the ways of God.

Then the psalmist – and in him the remnant – turns to the LORD and says emphatically to Him: “You have ordained Your precepts, that we should keep [them] diligently” (Psa 119:4). Keeping God’s precepts is not optional; it is not a matter of politeness, but of obedience. It is also more than formal obedience. It is about its quality: it is obedience of a dedicated heart which can only be there if there is a renewed heart.

Obedience here is the result of teaching about the law as the basis of a truly happy life. The remnant learns the will of the LORD and is eager to live by it. The law is written in their heart. Therefore, it is a joy to their heart to be obedient to what the LORD asks.

In Psa 119:1-4 we have received spiritual teaching. In the next four verses we read about the wisdom of applying this teaching to the practice of life. The psalmist expects, to put it with the apostle Paul, that the LORD will not only work the will, but also work the work in his life (cf. Phil 2:12-13).

As it comes down to practice now, we get a glimpse into the heart and state of mind of the psalmist. He senses that he falls short. A sigh, which is a prayer, comes over his lips: “Oh that my ways may be established to keep Your statutes!” (Psa 119:5). He sees that his ways are not established when it comes to observing the statutes of the LORD. It is not just about inwardly acknowledging what God has commanded, but that in the practice of life it is also acted upon. We recognize here the sigh: “I do believe; help my unbelief” (Mk 9:24b).

He knows that he shall not be ashamed as long as he “looks upon all Your commandments” (Psa 119:6). If he constantly keeps his eye on “all Your commandments”, that is, the whole will of God (cf. Col 4:12), he will be preserved from wrong expectations or wrong actions and thus from shame (cf. 1Pet 2:6). To look upon all the commandments without exception means to look upon the LORD. Through the Word our eye is turned to Him.

The psalmist resolves that he will give thanks to the LORD “with uprightness of heart” when he has learned all His “righteous judgments” (Psa 119:7). He is ready to learn God’s judgments, which he calls righteous. He also realizes that those judgments make his heart upright, that is without twists and turns. He can and will give thanks to God in a way that is pleasing to Him, not with mere lip language, but from a heart that is upright.

The psalmist now learns a new lesson. He learns that the judgment of the LORD is righteous. He learns to see himself in the light of God. That alone enables him to praise the LORD with an upright heart, a heart cleansed by self-judgment.

We can apply this to ourselves. One day we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Then we will learn His righteous judgment on all our life. As a result, we will be able to give thanks to Him and worship Him in eternity with a perfectly upright heart.

When the remnant is taught by God, they resolve to keep God’s statutes (Psa 119:8). In dealing with Him and with His Word, they have come to love the LORD (cf. Jn 14:15). At the same time, there is the prayer to God not to “forsake” him “utterly” – this expression means: in no way (cf. Psa 119:43). This is not a prayer that the New Testament believer prays, just as he does not pray that God will not take His Holy Spirit away from him, as David did pray (Psa 51:11b).