Psalm 119:124 | “Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love, and teach me your statutes.”

The psalmist comes before the Lord as a servant who has ordered his life according to God’s word, even while others have rejected it. Still, he does not ask God to act on the basis of his obedience. He asks the Lord to deal with him according to his steadfast love, which does not waver with human performance. Stephen Yuille observes, “The psalmist doesn’t appeal to his merit, but to God’s mercy. Because of our sin, this is the only appeal we can make to God. It is a confession of our utter sinfulness and weakness.” True faith rests not in what we have done, but in who God has revealed himself to be. Alongside this request for mercy, the psalmist asks to be taught. He knows that ongoing instruction is a gift of grace. Spurgeon captures this beautifully: “We may expect a master to teach his own servant the meaning of his own orders. Yet since our ignorance arises from our own sinful stupidity, it is great mercy on God’s part that he condescends to instruct us in his commands. For our ruler to become our teacher is an act of great grace, for which we cannot be too grateful.” The servant depends entirely on the steadfast love of the Lord and gladly submits to his teaching. We do not outgrow our need for mercy, and we never graduate from being taught by the word of God.