Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 143:10

"Teach me to do thy will; For thou art my God: Thy Spirit is good; Lead me in the land of uprightness." — Psalms 143:10 (ASV)

Teach me to do thy will ... - To do that which will be agreeable or pleasing to you; which will meet with your approval. That is, teach me in the present emergency to do that which you will approve; which will be wise; which will be best adapted to secure my deliverance and my safety.

Thy spirit is good - The spirit which guides those who trust in you; the spirit with which “you” guide people. That spirit is wise, prudent, judicious, reliable. It will not lead astray. Grant me “that” spirit, and I shall be certain that I am going in the right path.

There is no certain evidence that the psalmist here refers distinctively to the Holy Spirit, considered as the Third Person of the Trinity; but the prayer is one for guidance from on high in the day of darkness and trouble. It is an acknowledgment of dependence on God for direction, and the expression of confidence that under the divine guidance he would not go astray.

Lead me into the land of uprightness - Or rather here, “land of evenness;” level ground; ground where I may walk without the dangers to which I am exposed where I am now, in a place of ambushes, caverns, rocks, where I may be assailed at any moment without the power of seeing my enemy, or of defending myself. See this use of the word in the following places where it is rendered “plain,” meaning a level country, (Deuteronomy 3:10); (Deuteronomy 4:43); (Joshua 13:9), (Joshua 13:16–17), (Joshua 13:21); (1 Kings 20:23), (1 Kings 20:25); (Psalms 27:11); (Jeremiah 21:13); (Jeremiah 48:8), (Jeremiah 48:21); (Zechariah 4:7).

He desired to be led, as it were, into a “level” country where he might be safe. It is not a prayer, as would seem from our translation, to be so guided that he might lead an upright life. Such a prayer is proper, but it is not the prayer offered here.