Gebet im Wartezustand
Einleitung
V. 38. Bestätige deinem Knecht dein Wort. Hier wird kurz auf das rechte und einzige Ziel des Betens hingewiesen, welches darin besteht, dass wir die Frucht der Verheißung Gottes empfangen. Daraus folgt, dass es verkehrt ist, seinen Gebetswünschen gedankenlos die Zügel schießen zu lassen. Sehen wir doch, dass der Prophet nichts anderes zu wünschen oder zu bitten sich erlaubt, als was Gott in seiner Herablassung ihm verheißen hat. Nur eine ganz unzeitige Kühnheit will zu Gott ohne die Einladung seines Wortes hindurch brechen. Das hieße, Gott seinem eignen Willen unterwerfen. Bemerkenswert ist der Grund, weshalb Gott seinem Knecht sein Wort bestätigen oder erfüllen soll: der ja deiner Furcht (ergeben ist), wobei allerdings das Zeitwort in der Übersetzung ergänzt werden musste. Der Prophet will sagen, dass er nicht wie unheilige Menschen nur auf irdische Vorteile bedacht ist, noch die Verheißungen Gottes missbraucht, um Vergnügen für sein Fleisch zu gewinnen, sondern dass er sich die Furcht und Verehrung Gottes zum Ziel setzt. Sicherlich dürfen wir am gewissesten auf Erhörung hoffen, wenn wir unsere Gebetswünsche nicht vom Dienst Gottes trennen, sondern eben dies Eine begehren, dass er in uns herrsche.
Aufrichtung v. 38 ist s. v. a. Verwirklichung der göttlichen Zusage; der Relativsatz אֲשֶׁר לְיִרְאָתֶךָ ist nicht nach v. 85 (wo der Ausdruck anders) auf לְעַבְדְּךָ zu bez., sondern mit Kamph. Riehm auf אִמְרָתֶךָ: erfülle deinem Knechte deine Zusage, als welche (quippe quae) darauf, daß man Furcht vor dir gewinne und darin zunehme, abzielt
Encouragement in God’s School
Faced by temptations and the dangers of life, the psalmist is aware that he needs help. Where is help to be found? The only help is from God, and the only reason he can hope for God’s help is that God has promised to help him, as he indicates in verse 38: “Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared.”
What promise is this? There is no reason to think he is singling out any one promise. Rather he is thinking of the entire Word of God, as he has been doing all along. The noun translated “promise” here is actually one of the Hebrew terms for “word” (ʿmra), sometimes translated “a saying” since it comes from the verb “to say.” The King James Version and the Revised Version translate it as “word” throughout. The Jerusalem and New English Bibles use “promise.” The Revised Standard Version has a combination of the two. The reason for the choice of ʿmra here is that the psalmist knows if he is to complete his course of study, he will have to live by God’s Word at all times and in all its parts, not picking and choosing, as it were. This verse is a perfect Old Testament expression of what Jesus said to Satan when he was tempted by him to turn stones into bread. He told him, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4; cf. Deut. 8:3).
In a sense, all God’s Word is promise—a promise of life to those who repent of sin and determine to go in God’s way, and a promise of death and judgment for those who reject the gospel message. The psalmist is clinging to the promise of life because he fears, or stands in awe of, God. If we are to profit from his example, we must do the same. Do you fear God? Do you live by every word from his mouth?
38. who is devoted to thy fear—or better, “which (that is, Thy word) is for Thy fear,” for producing it. “Which is to those who fear Thee.” God’s word of promise belongs peculiarly to such (compare Ge 18:19; 1 Ki 2:4; 8:25) [HENGSTENBERG].
Verse 38
Here is 1. The character of a good man, which is the work of God’s grace in him; he is God’s servant, subject to his law and employed in his work, that is, devoted to his fear, given up to his direction and disposal, and taken up with high thoughts of him and all those acts of devotion which have a tendency to his glory. Those are truly God’s servants who, though they have their infirmities and defects, are sincerely devoted to the fear of God and have all their affections and motions governed by that fear; they are engaged and addicted to religion. 2. The confidence that a good man has towards God, in dependence upon the word of his grace to him. Those that are God’s servants may, in faith and with humble boldness, pray that God would establish his word to them, that is, that he would fulfil his promises to them in due time, and in the mean time give them an assurance that they shall be fulfilled. What God has promised we must pray for; we need not be so aspiring as to ask more; we need not be so modest as to ask less.
1. Eine bitte im Glauben: Erfülle dein Wort
2. Eine bitte in Demut: Deinem Knecht
3. Eine bitte mit Ziel: Damit ich dich fürchte
Anwednung: Wie bete und Verhalte ich mich im Warten auf Gott?
V. 38. Bestätige deinem Knecht dein Wort. Hier wird kurz auf das rechte und einzige Ziel des Betens hingewiesen, welches darin besteht, dass wir die Frucht der Verheißung Gottes empfangen. Daraus folgt, dass es verkehrt ist, seinen Gebetswünschen gedankenlos die Zügel schießen zu lassen. Sehen wir doch, dass der Prophet nichts anderes zu wünschen oder zu bitten sich erlaubt, als was Gott in seiner Herablassung ihm verheißen hat. Nur eine ganz unzeitige Kühnheit will zu Gott ohne die Einladung seines Wortes hindurch brechen. Das hieße, Gott seinem eignen Willen unterwerfen. Bemerkenswert ist der Grund, weshalb Gott seinem Knecht sein Wort bestätigen oder erfüllen soll: der ja deiner Furcht (ergeben ist), wobei allerdings das Zeitwort in der Übersetzung ergänzt werden musste. Der Prophet will sagen, dass er nicht wie unheilige Menschen nur auf irdische Vorteile bedacht ist, noch die Verheißungen Gottes missbraucht, um Vergnügen für sein Fleisch zu gewinnen, sondern dass er sich die Furcht und Verehrung Gottes zum Ziel setzt. Sicherlich dürfen wir am gewissesten auf Erhörung hoffen, wenn wir unsere Gebetswünsche nicht vom Dienst Gottes trennen, sondern eben dies Eine begehren, dass er in uns herrsche.
Aufrichtung v. 38 ist s. v. a. Verwirklichung der göttlichen Zusage; der Relativsatz אֲשֶׁר לְיִרְאָתֶךָ ist nicht nach v. 85 (wo der Ausdruck anders) auf לְעַבְדְּךָ zu bez., sondern mit Kamph. Riehm auf אִמְרָתֶךָ: erfülle deinem Knechte deine Zusage, als welche (quippe quae) darauf, daß man Furcht vor dir gewinne und darin zunehme, abzielt
Encouragement in God’s School
Faced by temptations and the dangers of life, the psalmist is aware that he needs help. Where is help to be found? The only help is from God, and the only reason he can hope for God’s help is that God has promised to help him, as he indicates in verse 38: “Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared.”
What promise is this? There is no reason to think he is singling out any one promise. Rather he is thinking of the entire Word of God, as he has been doing all along. The noun translated “promise” here is actually one of the Hebrew terms for “word” (ʿmra), sometimes translated “a saying” since it comes from the verb “to say.” The King James Version and the Revised Version translate it as “word” throughout. The Jerusalem and New English Bibles use “promise.” The Revised Standard Version has a combination of the two. The reason for the choice of ʿmra here is that the psalmist knows if he is to complete his course of study, he will have to live by God’s Word at all times and in all its parts, not picking and choosing, as it were. This verse is a perfect Old Testament expression of what Jesus said to Satan when he was tempted by him to turn stones into bread. He told him, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4; cf. Deut. 8:3).
In a sense, all God’s Word is promise—a promise of life to those who repent of sin and determine to go in God’s way, and a promise of death and judgment for those who reject the gospel message. The psalmist is clinging to the promise of life because he fears, or stands in awe of, God. If we are to profit from his example, we must do the same. Do you fear God? Do you live by every word from his mouth?
38. who is devoted to thy fear—or better, “which (that is, Thy word) is for Thy fear,” for producing it. “Which is to those who fear Thee.” God’s word of promise belongs peculiarly to such (compare Ge 18:19; 1 Ki 2:4; 8:25) [HENGSTENBERG].
Verse 38
Here is 1. The character of a good man, which is the work of God’s grace in him; he is God’s servant, subject to his law and employed in his work, that is, devoted to his fear, given up to his direction and disposal, and taken up with high thoughts of him and all those acts of devotion which have a tendency to his glory. Those are truly God’s servants who, though they have their infirmities and defects, are sincerely devoted to the fear of God and have all their affections and motions governed by that fear; they are engaged and addicted to religion. 2. The confidence that a good man has towards God, in dependence upon the word of his grace to him. Those that are God’s servants may, in faith and with humble boldness, pray that God would establish his word to them, that is, that he would fulfil his promises to them in due time, and in the mean time give them an assurance that they shall be fulfilled. What God has promised we must pray for; we need not be so aspiring as to ask more; we need not be so modest as to ask less.