Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 25:4

"Show me thy ways, O Jehovah; Teach me thy paths." — Psalms 25:4 (ASV)

Show me your ways, O Lord - The “ways” of God are His methods of administering the affairs of the world: His dispensations; the rules He has prescribed for Himself in executing His plans; and the great laws by which He governs the universe.

Deuteronomy 32:4 states, “all his ways are judgment; a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.”

The psalmist's prayer is that he may be able to understand the methods of divine government: the principles upon which God bestows happiness and salvation; the rules He has been pleased to prescribe for human conduct; the arrangements by which He confers favors upon humankind; and the scheme by which He saves people.

The clear idea is that he might understand enough of this to regulate his own conduct correctly. He desires not to lean on his own understanding or trust his own guidance, but instead to be always under the guidance and direction of God.

Teach me your paths - These are the paths you take; that is, as before, in administering the affairs of the world. This prayer expresses a desire to be wholly under God's direction.