41. Let thy mercies come also unto me, O Lord. He desires mercy as well as teaching, for he was guilty as well as ignorant. He needed much mercy and varied mercy, hence the request is in the plural. He needed mercy from God rather than mercy from man, and so he asks for thy mercies. The way sometimes seemed blocked, and therefore he begs that the mercies may have their way cleared by God, and may come to him. It may be that under a sense of unworthiness the writer feared lest mercy should be given to others and not to himself.
Even thy salvation. This is the sum and crown of all mercies—deliverance from all evil, both now and forever. Here is the first mention of salvation in the psalm, and it is joined with mercy; salvation is styled thy salvation, thus ascribing it wholly to the Lord. What a mass of mercies are heaped together in the one salvation of our Lord Jesus! It includes the mercies which spare us before our conversion, and lead up to it. Then comes calling mercy, regenerating mercy, converting mercy, justifying mercy, pardoning mercy. Nor can we excluded from complete salvation any of those many mercies which are needed to conduct the believer safe to glory. Salvation is an aggregate of mercies incalculable in number, priceless in value, incessant in application, eternal in endurance. To the God of our mercies be glory, world without end.
According to thy word. The way of salvation is described in the Word, salvation itself is promised in the Word, and its inward manifestation is wrought by the Word. David loved the Scriptures, but he was not satisfied to read the Word: he longed to experience its inner sense.
Note that in verse 33 the psalmist prayed to be taught to keep God’s Word, and here he begs the Lord to keep his Word. In the first case he longed to come to the God of mercies, and here he would have the Lord’s mercies come to him; there he sought grace to persevere in faith, and here he seeks the end of his faith, namely the salvation of his soul.
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