John Calvin Commentary Psalms 119:94

"I am thine, save me; For I have sought thy precepts." — Psalms 119:94 (ASV)

I am thine, save me. In the first place, he takes encouragement to pray from the consideration that he is one of God’s own stamp and coinage, so to speak. In the second place, he proves that he is God’s from the fact of his keeping His commandments. This should not, however, be understood as if he boasted of any merit he possessed; as, in dealing with men, it is customary to present something meritorious we have done as an argument for obtaining what we desire—'I have always loved and esteemed you; I have always studied to promote your honor and advantage; my service has always been ready at your command.'

But David rather presents the unmerited grace of God, and that alone; for no man, by any efforts of his own, acquires the high honor of being under the protection of God—an honor which proceeds solely from His free adoption. The blessing God had conferred upon him is therefore presented here as an argument why He should not forsake the work He had begun.

When he affirms that he was earnestly intent upon the Divine commandments, this also depended upon the Divine calling, for he did not begin to apply his mind to God’s commandments before he was called and received into His household. As he desires in this verse that the Lord would save him, so, in the next verse, he expresses the need he had of being saved, saying, that the wicked sought for him to destroy him. By this he also declares the constancy of his godliness, since he then set his mind upon the law of God—a point worthy of special notice.

Those who at other times would be eager and willing to follow God often do not know which way to turn when they are assailed by the wicked, and in that case, are very prone to follow unhallowed counsel. It is therefore a great virtue to do God the honor of resting content with His promises alone when the wicked conspire for our destruction and when, to all human appearance, our life is in jeopardy. To consider God’s testimonies is, here, equivalent to applying our minds to the word of God, which sustains us against all assaults, effectually allays all fears, and restrains us from following any perverse counsels.