48. My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved. He will stretch out towards perfection as far as he can, hoping to reach it one day; when his hands hang down he will cheer himself out of languor by the prospect of glorifying God by obedience; and he will give solemn sign of his hearty assent and consent to all that his God commands. The phrase “lift up my hands” is very full of meaning. Again he declares his love, for a true heart loves to express itself. It was natural that he should reach out towards a law which he delighted in, just as a child holds out its hands to receive a gift which it longs for. When such a lovely object as holiness is set before us, we are bound to rise towards it with our whole nature, and till that is fully accomplished we should at least lift up our hands in prayer towards it. Where holy hands and holy hearts go, the whole man will one day follow.
And I will meditate in thy statutes. He can never have enough of meditation upon the mind of God. The prayer of verse 41 is already fulfilled in the person who is struggling upward and studying deeply. The whole of this verse may be viewed not only as a determination of David’s mind, but as a result which he knew would follow from the Lord’s sending him his mercies and his salvation. When mercy comes down, our hands will be lifted up; happy is the person who stands with hands uplifted both to receive the blessing and to obey the precept; he will not wait upon the Lord in vain.
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