John Gill Commentary Psalms 25

Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

Either "in prayer", as the Chaldee paraphrase adds ^F19; and denotes sincere, affectionate, hearty prayer to God, a drawing nigh to him with a true heart: for unless the heart is lifted up, the lifting up of the eyes or hands in prayer is of no avail; see (Lamentations 3:41).

Or by way of offering to the Lord, as some Jewish writers ^F20 interpret it; David not only presented his body in public worship, but his soul also as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which was his reasonable service.

Or else as a "depositum", which he committed into the hands of God, to be under his care and protection; and then the sense is the same with (Psalms 31:5) ^F21.

The phrase is sometimes used to express earnest and vehement desire after anything; (See Gill on Psalms 24:4); and may here intend the very great desire of the psalmist after communion with God; which is elsewhere by him expressed by panting after him, and by thirsting for him in a dry and thirsty land, (Psalms 42:1) (63:1); the desires of his soul were not to vain things, the vanities and idols of the Gentiles, but to God only, and to the remembrance of his name.

FOOTNOTES:

• F19: So Kimchi & Ben Melech.
• F20: R. Moseh in Aben Ezra in loc.
• F21: Midrash Tillim.

O my God, I trust in thee
He claims his interest in God, and expresses his faith and confidence in him, in the midst of all his troubles; (See Gill on Psalms 7:1);

let me not be ashamed ;
meaning of his trust in God, by being disappointed of the help, deliverance, and salvation from him, which he trusted in him for; and the believer, as he has no reason to be ashamed of God, the object of his trust; so neither of the act of his hope or trust in him; nor shall he; for hope makes not ashamed; see (Psalms 119:116) (Romans 5:5) ;

let not mine enemies triumph over me ;
either his temporal enemies, his subjects that were risen up against him; or his spiritual enemies, Satan, and the men of the world, who rejoice and triumph when the saints are forsaken by God; and they are ready to say, as David's enemies did of him, there is no help or salvation for him in God, (Psalms 3:2) ; and when they fall into their hands, or fall by them.

Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed
David not only prays for himself, but for other saints, as it becomes the people of God to do; for them they waited on the Lord in public worship, attended his house and ordinances, and waited on him for the discoveries of his love, the enjoyment of his voracious presence, and were looking for his salvation, for the Messiah; for those the psalmist prays, that they might not be ashamed of their expectation and hope, by the delay of those things, or the denial them;

let them be ashamed which transgress without cause ;
or "act treacherously without cause" ^F23 ; as David's subjects did, who were risen up in rebellion against him, and acted the perfidious part, contrary to their allegiance, and without any just reason, they not being ruled with rigour, and oppressed; but were guided and governed by him according to the laws of God, in the integrity of his heart, and by the skilfulness of his hands; he being a king that reigned in righteousness, and a prince that decreed judgment:

and such are those who are now risen up against our rightful sovereign King George ^F24 , a parcel of perfidious treacherous wretches; some of them who were in the last rebellion, and obtained his father's pardon; others that have partook yearly of his royal bounty, for the instruction of their children; and all have enjoyed the blessings of his mild and gentle government; and therefore are without cause his enemies:

and for such we should pray, as David did for his enemies, that they might be ashamed; that they may fail in their attempts and designs, and be brought to deserved punishment; see (Psalms 7:4) ;

or "let transgressors be ashamed", and be empty ^F25 ; in a state of emptiness and want; lose their wealth, honour, and credit.

FOOTNOTES:

• F23: (Mydgwbh) "qui perfide agunt", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius, Michaelis; so Amama & Ainsworth.
• F24: This was written December 2, 1745.
• F25: (Mqyr) "in statu vacuitatis ac egestatis", Gussetius, p. 790.

Show me your ways, O Lord
Either those which the Lord himself took and walked in; as those of creation and providence, in which he has displayed his power, wisdom, and goodness; and which are desirable to be known by his people, and require divine instruction and direction; and particularly his ways of grace, mercy, and truth, and the methods he has taken for the salvation of his people, both in eternity and in time;

Or those ways which he orders and directs his people to walk in; namely, the paths of duty, the ways of his worship and ordinances; a greater knowledge of which good men desire to have, as well as more grace to enable them to walk more closely and constantly in them;

teach me your paths ;
a petition the same with the other, in different words.

Lead me in your truth, and teach me
Meaning the word of God, the Scriptures of truth; and the Gospel, which is the word of truth, and truth itself, (John 17:17); and the sense is, either that God would lead him by his Spirit more and more into all truth, as contained in his word; or that he would lead him by it and according to it, that he might form his principles and his conduct more agreeably to it, which is the standard and rule of faith and practice: which leading is by teaching; and reasons urged for granting all the above petitions follow,

for you [are] the God of my salvation ;
who, in infinite wisdom, contrived scheme and method of it in his Son, and by him effected it, and by his Spirit had made application of it to him: and since the Lord had done such great things for him, he hoped the requests he had made would be granted: he adds,

on you do I wait all the day ;
or continually, in public and in private, attending to all the duties of religion, yet not trusting in them, but in the Lord; and therefore he entreated he might not be ashamed of his hope and expectation for deliverance and salvation.