Psalms 119:117

Psa 119:117 Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually.

Ver. 117. Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe] No longer are we safe from sin and punishment than God putteth under his hand; we subsist merely by his manutension; and if he withdraw his grace never so little we are down on all four, as we say.

And I will have respect, &c.] Saints shall persevere, because they are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

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.

Psa_119:117

Held Thou me up, and I shall be safe.

The Christians security

I. The man of god presenting himself before the throne of grace, with a humble acknowledgment of his sense of exposure to difficulty and danger, and his sense of his own helplessness in himself. No man ever went to the Lord and said, Hold Thou me up, and I shall be safe, but the man who felt that he was exposed to danger, and that he was too weak to take care of himself.

II. The conduct of a Christian man under all that feeling of exposure and helplessness. He is not overpowered, he is not overwhelmed; but he goes to the Lord, and he says--Hold Thou me up, and I shall be safe.

III. The Christians confidence of his security when the Lord sustains him. There is no doubt about it, no uncertainty in the matter, I shall be safe. There is not a trial, or difficulty, or temptation for which a covenant supply has not been provided. (W. H. Krause, M. A.)

Prayer for Divine upholding and preservation

I. A lively concern for his spiritual preservation.

II. A solemn apprehension of his continual moral danger.

III. A consciousness of his entire weakness and inability to uphold himself.

IV. A firm confidence in the all-sufficiency of Divine grace.

V. A prayerful frame of mind, or a spirit of supplication. If I believe that I am too weak to support myself, and if I am desirous of my safety, I shall naturally go to the strong for strength. If I behold a number of enemies for which I am no adequate match, I shall never engage with them alone, but rather inform the Captain of my salvation, who will come to my escape, who will go with me, and teach my hands to war, and my fingers to fight, and make me more than a conqueror. (W. Jay.)

My hourly prayer

I. Upholding--Gods holding us up.

1. It implies a danger.

(1) The way is slippery.

(2) We are not sure-footed.

(3) There are cunning foes that seek to trip us up.

(4) Nor is this all, though it is quite enough; for sometimes the difficulty of keeping our balance is not caused by the way itself, but by the height to which God may elevate us.

Anything which leads to self-esteem leads to the utmost jeopardy.

2. How does God keep His people upright?

(1) By angels.

(2) By the ministry of the Word.

(3) By chastisement.

(4) By giving great aspirations, high ideals, noble desires.

(5) By giving His people plenty to do. It is a grand way of keeping us right,--never to let us have an idle ten minutes, nor a spare napkin to wrap a talent in.

II. Two blessed things that come out of this holding up.

1. We shall be safe.

(1) From all real harm.

(2) From descending into grievous sin.

(3) Enjoying great restfulness of heart.

2. Watchfulness attends such sacred safety, and is at once its fruit and its sign. A holy man--a man made holy by Gods grace--has great respect to every command of God. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

Hold Thou me up

There was once a very good clergyman who was extremely fond of this text, and he often repeated it to himself. As he was very clever and wise, he feared lest he should become proud and so offend God. So he obtained a wine-glass without a foot, and round the rim had these words written, Hold Thou me up, and I shall be safe. Then this singular glass was placed on his writing-table, where he could see it continually. Thus it was a kind of picture of himself, to remind him that without God he could do nothing good. The wine-glass, if held in its masters hand, would hold what was placed within it, and so become useful. But if ever it tried to stand on its own account, it would fall over, spill its contents, and perhaps be injured.

I. A little slip may cause a great fall. An express train in the west of England suddenly stopped all at once because a tiny pin had slipped out of its place. Be careful of little temptations and small sins. All the falls recorded in the Holy Scriptures came from trifling acts. Eve only ate a fruit, but she was expelled from the Garden of Eden. Moses only spoke a few angry words, and yet for them he was shut out of Canaan. A blunder committed in a moment may cause a great deal of mischief, as men learned to their sorrow when the great warship Victoria went down. The brave admiral somehow forgot himself and gave a wrong order, but it caused the loss of a great ship, and also of a great many valuable lives. When we have overcome a sin or temptation, or performed a good action; when we are in company with those who are evil or thoughtless, and when we feel impatience or petulance rising up within us, we should utter this prayer, for we are then most assuredly in peril.

II. Then never let us forget that we have a great God to trust in. Mr. Wesley once heard a woman lamenting because she had broken her china crucifix. Now, she sobbed out, now I have no one but the great God to trust in. But what a blessing she had the great God to trust in, said Mr. Wesley. Now, if you will look at your Bible, you will see a little word at the head of this section. Above the 113th verse is the word Samech. That word means a prop or pillar, and teaches us that God is the upholder of His people: He supports and sustains them. I found it sweet and comfortable to lean on God, said Brainerd; and many others have felt the same. (N. Wiseman.)

Severed Item God we fall

Samson, whom no earthly power could subdue during the twenty years that he was energized by the Spirit of God under his Nazarite vow, yet as soon as his locks were shorn was weak as another man. David, who, while he walked with God was the man after Gods own heart, yet at length, when out of communion, could be guilty of the most appalling sins. We have no strength of our own to stand against temptation. The longest life, the most devoted service, is no security against a fall. I remember, when a young man, seeing, at a lecture on magnetism, a piece of soft iron brought on the platform and shown to be unable to hold up a needle. A coil of copper wire was then put round it, and connected with an unseen battery. Now it held, first nails, next chisels and other tools, till all the weights of the institution were brought, and it sustained them every one by the magnetic power. At a signal the wire was cut, and they all fell to the ground. It could no longer hold up the smallest thing. Its magnetic power was not in itself, but in its connection with the unseen battery. (Signal.)

I will have respect unto Thy statutes continually.--

Having respect to Gods commands

A holy man--a man made holy by Gods grace--has great respect to every command of God. Before he moves he looks round him to see whether he shall transgress by his proposed movement. You have heard of the child whose mother said, John, you have broken one of the commandments, and he answered, Mother, those commandments are awfully easy to break. With such natures as ours sin is a very easy thing. You break the law before you know it; and unless a man has respect unto all the commandments he will soon be trespassing and getting into mischief. We ought in our daily life to walk as one that has to tread among eggs or delicate china. Heedless and Too-bold soon rush into sin; but the genuine believer feareth always. You are very jealous of how you act, said one to a saint of God. Yes, he replied, I serve a jealous God. You are too precise, said another. That is a crime, said he, that God will never charge any of His children with. A conscience tender as the apple of an eye is what we want. To be alarmed even at the distant approach of sin is the safeguard of a child of God. Those who dally with vice will rue such dalliance when it cannot be undone. If somebody told me that there was a cobra at the far end of my room, I should look round me for the door: I think such venomous creatures are near enough if they remain in their native jungles; I do not desire their interesting society. So should it be with sin. We should flee from it at once, avoiding its first appearance, hating it in thought and word before it hatches into act, abhorring even the garment spotted by the flesh. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

117. (Psa 119:117) Sustain me and I shall be saved, and I will look to thy statutes always. The first verb is nearly synonymous with that at the beginning of Psa 119:116, and the same that occurs above, Psa 20:2; Psa 41:3; Psa 94:18; Psa 104:15. I shall be saved, or let me be saved, or that I may be saved, precisely as in the preceding verse. The strict future sense is here to be preferred, as the verb is not both preceded and followed by a prayer, as in the other case. Look to, have respect to, regard, as the rule of my conduct. The construction of the verb and proposition is the same as in Exo 5:9.

Joseph Addison Alexander, The Psalms Translated and Explained (1850) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He desireth God’s continual assistance, lest he should faint in this race, which he had begun.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 117. Hold thou me up] I shall grow weary and faint in the way, if not strengthened and supported by thee.

And I shall be safe] No soul can be safe, unless upheld by thee.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

117. Cp. Psa_18:35; Psa_20:2; Psa_41:3; Psa_94:18.

and I will have respect unto] R.V. and shall have respect unto. The Ancient Versions appear to have read will take delight in, as in Psa_119:16; Psa_119:47.

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.

AIN.--The Sixteenth Part.

AIN. I have done judgment and justice,.... As king of Israel; which is the character given of him, Sa2 8:15; and in which he was a type of Christ, Jer 23:5; and as a private person; which is everyone's duty, and every good man especially will be desirous of performing it: it is not indeed perfectly done by any, and therefore not to be trusted to; nor was it so done by David; nor did he place his confidence in it; nor did he say this in a boasting way, but in defence of himself and his innocence against those who oppressed him with their calumnies, as appears from the next clause. The Syriac version takes it to be an address to God, and as describing him, "O thou that doest judgment and justice!" to whom the following petition is directed:

leave me not to mine oppressors; David had his oppressors, as all good men have, and power was on their side; but they could do no more, nor further exercise it, than as they were permitted by the Lord; for they had no power but what was given them from above; and he applies to God, and not men, for relief; and deprecates being given up to them, and left in their hands.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Hold thou me up - Keep me from falling in the trials and temptations of life. The Hebrew word means to prop, uphold, support. The Septuagint is, “Aid me.”

And I shall be safe - And I shall be saved; or, that I may be saved. It is an acknowledgment of entire dependence on God for salvation - temporal and eternal.

And I will have respect ... - I will look to thy statutes; I will have them always in my eye. Compare the notes at Psa 119:6.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

And being freed from those distractions and diversions which my pressing dangers occasion, I will wholly devote myself to the study and practice of thy blessed word.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Ver. 117. Hold thou me up: as a nurse holds up a little child. "And I shall be safe, "and not else; for unless thou hold me up I shall be falling about like an infant that is weak upon its knees. We are saved by past grace, but we are not safe unless we receive present grace. The Psalmist had vowed to keep the Lord's commands, but here he pleads with the Lord to keep him: a very sensible course of procedure. Our version roads the word "uphold, "and then "hold up; "and truly we need this blessing in every shape in which it can come, for in all manner of ways our adversaries seek to cast us down. To be safe is a happy condition; there is only one door to it, and that is to be held up by God himself; thank God, that door is open to the least among us.

And I will have respect unto thy statutes continually. In obedience is safety; in being held up is obedience. No man will outwardly keep the Lord's statutes for long together unless he has an inward respect for them, and this will never be unless the hand of the Lord perpetually upholds the heart in holy love. Perseverance to the end, obedience continually, comes only through the divine power; we start aside as a deceitful bow unless we are kept right by him that first gave us grace. Happy is the man who realizes this verse in his life: upheld through his whole life in a course of unswerving integrity, he becomes a safe and trusted man, and maintains a sacred delicacy of conscience which is unknown to others. He feels a tender respect for the statutes of the Lord, which keeps him clear of inconsistencies and conformities to the world that are so common among others, and hence he is a pillar in the house of the Lord. Alas, we know some professors who are not upright, and therefore they lean to sin till they fall over, and though they are restored they are never safe or reliable, neither have they that sweet purity of soul which is the charm of the more sanctified who have been kept from falling into the mire.

Ver. 117. Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe. Not only the consciousness of my weakness, but the danger of the slippery path before me, reminds me, that the safety of every moment depends upon the upholding power of my faithful God. The ways of temptation are so many and imperceptible the influence of it so appalling the entrance into it so deceitful, so specious, so insensible and my own weakness and unwatchfulness are so unspeakable that I can do nothing but go on my way, praying at every step, "Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe." Charles Ridges.

Ver. 117. Hold thou me up. Three things made David afraid. First, great temptation without; for from every air the wind of temptation blows upon a Christian. Secondly, great corruption within. Thirdly, examples of other worthy men that had fallen before him, and are written for us: not that we should learn to fall, but to fear lest we fall. These three should always hold us humble, according to that warning, "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." William Cowper.

Ver. 117. Up, up above the littleness in which I have lived too long, above the snares which have so often caught me, above the stumbling blocks upon which I have so often fallen, above the world, above myself, higher than I have ever reached yet, above the level of my own mortality: worthy of thee, worthy of the blood, with which I have been bought, nearer to heaven, nearer to thee, "hold thou me up."

God's methods of holding his people up are many. Sometimes it is by the preacher's word, when the word comes fitly spoken to the heart and conscience. May God, in his infinite condescension, enable his servants in this church so to hold you up. Sometimes it is by the ordained means and sacraments which his grace commanded. Sometimes it is by the efficacy of the Holy Scriptures, when some passage in your own room strikes the mind, Just in season; or the stay of some sweet promise comes in sustaining to your spirit. Sometimes by the simple in working of the Holy Ghost in a man's own thoughts, as he will work "Uphold me with thy free Spirit." Sometimes by the ministration of angels, "They shall hold thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone." Sometimes by putting you very low indeed, making you feel that the safe place is the valley. There is no elevation like the elevation of abasement. Sometimes by severe discipline to brace up the heart, and strengthen it, and make it independent of external things. Sometimes by heavy affliction, which is the grasp of his hand, that he may hold you tighter. Sometimes by putting into your heart to think the exact thing that you need, to pray the very prayer which he intends at the moment to grant. Sometimes by appearing to let you go, and forsake you, while at the same time like the Syro Phoenician woman he is giving you the wish to hold on that he may give you the more at the last. James Vaughan, of Brighton, 1877.

Ver. 117. I will have respect unto that statutes continually. I will employ myself, so some; I will delight myself, so others; in thy statutes. If God's right hand uphold us, we must in his strength go on in our duty, both with diligence and With pleasure. Matthew Henry.

Ver. 117.

1. Upholding God's holding us up. It implies a danger, and that danger takes many forms. The believer's life may be described as walking in uprightness; he is a pilgrim. He needs upholding, for

(a) The way is slippery.

(b) Our feet make the danger as well as the way.

(c) Cunning foes seek to trip us up.

(d) Sometimes the difficulty is not caused by the way, but

by the height to which God may elevate us.

(e) The prayer is all the more needful because the most of

people do not keep upright.

2. Two blessed things that come out of this holding up.

(a) We shall be safe for ourselves, as examples, and as

pillars of the church.

(b) We shall be watchful and sensitive: "I will have

respect unto thy statutes continually." Without this no man

is safe. See "Spurgeon's Sermons, "No. 1657: "My Hourly

Prayer."

Ver. 117. Hold thou me up, etc.

1. The good man is up.

2. The good man wishes to keep up.

3. The good man prays to be held up.

4. The good man knows that divine support is abundantly sufficient. W.J.

Ver. 117.

1. Dependence for the future: "Hold, "etc.

2. Resolution for the future: "I will have, "etc. G.R.

Psalms 119:118*

Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe; i.e. from falling away. And I will have respect unto thy commandments continually (comp. ver. 112).

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Support me

"Help me" or "Strengthen me"

those people are deceptive and unreliable

Possible meanings are 1) "those people lie and no one can trust them" or 2) "those people make deceitful plans but they will fail"

translationWords

meditate

statute

reject

astray

deceive

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

and I shall constantly engage in Your statutes Heb. ואשעה, and I shall engage, like (Exod. 5: 9): “and let them not engage (ישעו) in useless things.” Another explanation: [It is] an expression of telling and reciting, as we translate (Deut. 28:37): “and a recitation (ולשועין).”

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.