THE LORD’S OFFER OF GUIDANCE

Psa. 32:8

Morning Meditation 2/28/2014

Verse 8 says, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.”

Someone has said as we enter into the truth of this verse “we enter as a student in God’s University.” This is a University from which I want a degree. Amen. The Lord promises three things in this verse, i.e., that He will be our Instructor, that He will be our Teacher, and that He will be our Counselor. First let’s look at Him as,

THE INSTRUCTOR

He says to David, “I will instruct thee . . .” The word “instruct” translates “sakal” and means, “to be prudent, be circumspect, wisely understand, prosper.” The Hebrew verb is what is called the hiphil stem and is causative (causes action). It is imperfect tense and speaks of a process. God is promising David “I will continually cause you to be prudent, be circumspect, and to wisely understand and be prosperous in understanding (my paraphrase).

God instructs so that those instructed by Him are advanced beyond those who are learned in the things of the world including science so-called. Psalm 119:99-100 says, “I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.” Where does this understanding come from? The words “for thy testimonies are my meditation” tell us.

When we meditate on the Word of God, God becomes our Instructor. This is the reason God trained the Jews to make His Word a part of everything they did. Deut. 6:6-9 says, “And these WORDS, which I command thee this day, SHALL BE IN THINE HEART: And thou shalt TEACH them diligently unto thy children, and shalt TALK of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt BIND them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as FRONTLETS BETWEEN THINE EYES. And thou shalt WRITE THEM UPON THE POSTS OF THY HOUSE, AND ON THY GATES.” (Caps mine for emphasis). Who is the teacher in your home? Is it the TV? It is in most homes I am afraid. The above describes a home that spends all their time together involved in learning the Word of God. Can you imagine how much a child who was reared in a home like this would know about what God has to say when he reached adulthood? This was the RULE in Jewish homes. Should Christians do less?

God has promised to be our Instructor. Let’s let Him instruct. Then next, He has promised to be,

THE TEACHER

Our text says, “and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go.” The word “teach” translates “yarah” and means “to throw, cast, to shoot, to point out, to direct.” This verb is the same as above, a hiphil imperfect. God says, “I will throw you in the way that thou shalt go.” I like that. That takes all my resistance out of it. God just picks me up and throws or casts, or shoots me in the right direction! The words “in the way” refers to the course of life. The words “thou shalt go” refer to the right way. This is not God making us go in the right direction. He is making a promise to those who voluntarily trust Him.

This is a definite promise of Divine involvement in the direction of ones life. God does get involved with His people. No one can maintain a proper walk in the ways of God without God’s help. There are times when we need His forceful interference when we are about to go wrong. This has been one of the difficulties over the years for Christians. Our problem is not so much a lack of desire to do right. It is an attempt to do right on our own without His help. Failure then comes. Then another attempt. Failure again. Then quit. The attempt to do right without God’s help is like burning a lamp without oil. It lasts only a short time and burns itself out. But if you put oil in the lamp, it is the oil that burns. It is the energy behind the wick. Then next we see,

THE COUNSELOR

God says, “I will guide thee with mine eye.” We might call Him a Guidance Counselor. The word “guide” translates “ya`ats” and means, “to advise, to consult, to give counsel.” The words “with mine eye” adds a dimension to the counseling. God sees around the next corner. He sees over the next hill. He knows all that is out there that can threaten us. He is saying, “I will guide you with my counsel according to my sight.” I will assure you that we will be ready for anything that confronts us with His wise counsel.

Someone has said, “We are partners with God to do the impossible.”

The Lord’s guidance takes on three dimensions in our text. He teaches, He instructs, and He counsels. As an Instructor He trains us in how to behave wisely in this world as His children. As Teacher He not only communicates His Word but actually engages in keeping us on the right path. As a Counselor He listens and assures us that He knows what is ahead and invites our trust so that we can walk with Him in confidence and not dread what is ahead since He has His eye on future problems and will be there to guide us around them.

May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White