Psalms 119

Wesley’s heirs hear affection that studies—love without musing is empty claim.

Shared fire: unless the law ravish the heart, allurements steal us to vanity. Delight and diligence belong together.

Calvin: not content with simple affirmation, he exclaims he was inflamed with incredible love; continual meditation is proof. Whoever boasts love yet neglects study and applies the mind elsewhere betrays grossest hypocrisy. Unless God’s law inflame and ravish hearts, many allurements lead to vanity.

Oh-how love is measured by all-day meditation. Ardor that excludes deceit and corruption is commended.

The commandment, ever present, outsmarts enemies. Arminians hear Scripture as sufficient counsel against plots—wisdom for safety without matching cunning.

Shared trust: keep the commandment near; craft of the wicked need not teach you deceit.

Calvin: more learned than adversaries because a scholar of God’s law—their cunning availed nothing to destroy him. Malice goads the wicked; we fear simplicity imposed on by deceits unless we use their crafts. He found in the law enough to escape their snares.

Commandment ever with us is wisdom against enemies. God’s school outfits the simple without underhand dealings.

Meditation on testimonies may outrun human teachers. The verse presses God as chief tutor—students may surpass masters when God distributes understanding.

Shared humility: progress beyond instructors is thanksgiving, not contempt of teachers who also learned from the word.

Calvin: not denying teachers learned useful things from the word; he thanks God for surpassing in proficiency those from whom he learned first elements. Faithful are instructed by men’s labor, yet God still enlightens; thus the scholar surpasses the master—God uses human service while remaining chief teacher. Commit to his tuition to glory that by his guidance we proceeded farther than man’s instruction could lead.

Testimonies meditated make God the top teacher. Sobriety refuses vain boasting.

Wesley: Because—The practice of religion is the best way to understand it.

This is keeping as the path into understanding—obedience schools insight. Shared maxim: aged experience without precept-keeping is not the highest wisdom.

Calvin: age polishes by experience men otherwise dull; he acquired by the Divine Law more discretion than aged men. Whoever yields docility to God, keeps thoughts in subjection to the word, and meditates on the Law, derives wisdom to escape stratagems and match eminent masters. He does not boast before the world but warns that nothing is better than learning at God’s mouth. Keeping statutes shows meditation was not cold philosophizing but earnest devotion.

Precept-keeping yields understanding beyond years. Docility, not longevity alone, makes wise.

Feet restrained from every evil path in order to keep the word. Those in Wesley’s line hear deliberate war on vice—prevention of wandering as love’s strategy.

Shared vigilance: with corrupted nature and many allurements, holding back the feet is necessary miracle of care.

Calvin: he proclaimed war against every vice to devote himself wholly to God’s service. To keep the Law we must beware from the start lest feet step into crooked by-paths; with corrupted nature, allurements, and fickle minds, going astray is great danger—rare miracle if any hold a right course without turning. Faithful need greatest circumspection.

Restraining feet serves keeping the word. Early watchfulness is part of holiness.

Wesley: Taught me—By thy blessed spirit, illuminating my mind, and working upon my heart.

Listen here for Spirit-illumination and heart-work as the reason for not turning aside—God teaches; the scholar stays. Teaching is true for those who receive the word with docility; the Spirit makes the lesson effectual.

Calvin: constancy since he learned from God the right manner of living. The way is slippery, feet feeble, disposition prone to astray—great exertions needed not to decline. Attend to the manner of teaching: though all who hear the word are taught, scarce one in ten tastes it; scarce one in a hundred profits so as to proceed to the end. A peculiar manner is pointed out—God drawing his chosen to himself. Brought into the way of salvation and preserved by the secret influence of the Holy Spirit.

“you have taught me” is Spirit’s secret drawing and preserving. External preaching alone does not explain perseverance.

God’s words are sweeter than honey. Arminians hear affective delight in Scripture—cheerfulness in following, not only grim duty.

Shared sweetness: without tasted delight, other pleasures win. Love the law’s honey against flesh’s lure.

Calvin: so attracted by the Law’s sweetness as to desire no other delight. One may revere yet not cheerfully follow without tasting this sweetness. God requires no slavish service; he will have us come cheerfully—hence sweetness so often commended. He speaks not of the dead letter only but the whole doctrine whose chief part is the free covenant of salvation; grace of adoption in the Law was sweeter than honey.

Honey-sweet words include promise-grace, not bare threat. Struggle against carnal affections until the word out-sweetens them.

Understanding from precepts breeds hatred of false ways. Arminians hear moral clarity flowing from Scripture—love of truth includes hate of lies.

Shared ethic: precept-taught minds do not stay neutral toward false paths.

Calvin: by statutes he acquired understanding; therefore hated every false way. Withdraw from wanderings to frame life by the word; and already advancing, still need the word’s instruction to hate what remains crooked.

Precept-understanding and hatred of false ways are twins. Light from the statutes trains holy aversion.