David's Reflection On The Extent Of God's Commandments

Adapted From A Sermon By

Philip Doddridge

I have seen a limit to all perfection, but your commandment is exceedingly broad.

(Psalms 119:96 ESV)

In our last sermon by Philip Doddridge, on Psalm 119:96, "I have seen a limit to all perfection, but your commandment is exceedingly broad," we considered the narrow limits of what seems most excellent and perfect among the good things this world offers below. I hope we all found it a deeply moving picture.

We saw this truth clearly in the life of David, the man who spoke these words. David was without doubt one of the greatest people who ever lived, and from many parts of his story one would think he was also one of the happiest of mankind. We have considered him and his personal joys as well as his relationships, his strength and beauty, his talent and wealth, his position and power. We also viewed him as a husband, a father, a friend, and a king. In all these areas we saw a great deal of emptiness mixed through them. There was not one of them in which he might not have said, I have seen a limit to all perfection. And may not many of us likewise, from our own experience, say that these things are so?

Though we never stood in such a high place as David, yet we have had our enjoyments, and blessed be God for them. But what have many of them turned out to be when we compare them with what we expected? Have we not had our disappointments too, disappointments that often mixed right in with our enjoyments?

In real life, what has not proved empty and full of frustration when our hopes rose high? And what shall we say to these things? Shall we sit down in despair and say there is no such thing as happiness to be found? Then God has made all men in vain. Then existence is a privilege not worth possessing. And then rational creatures, in proportion to how much greater their capacities are than those of the animals, are more miserable than they. Perish the thought!

No. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. We will find that if we are truly disposed to fear God and keep his commandments, a solid and lasting happiness may be found, even though the world is always changing and passing away. If we may on the one hand say with David that we see the limits of all other perfection, we may add with him too, your commandments are exceeding broad. And accordingly, that is the topic this morning.

I. Having already considered the reflection David made on the emptiness of the things in this world, let us now,

II. Consider the strong testimony he gave to true religion and to the word of God as its great support. "I have seen a limit to all perfection, but your commandment is exceedingly broad."

We will first consider the meaning of this statement, and then the evidence for it.

I. We begin by looking into the meaning of this assertion, that God's commandment is exceeding broad.

In general, the meaning is this: The divine revelation, because it leads us to God and because it shapes our minds in practical ways, opens up before us a wide and extended view of happiness. This happiness is incomparably greater than anything the present world can offer.

1. When the text speaks of the command of God, we should understand it to mean divine revelation in general. You can easily see this from the different words used in this Psalm. The law, the statutes, the commandment, the ordinance, the precept, the testimony, and the word of God all mean the same thing. They all point to the sacred Scriptures. Since almost every verse in this Psalm speaks of them, it makes sense for the writer to use this variety of words, especially in this kind of sacred song.

This variety also serves to remind us of the many different things the Scriptures contain. They include moral commands and rules, ceremonial laws and practices, and the authority that confirms them. God declares both sides clearly through the promises and the warnings found in them.

We can be sure of this. If those books of Scripture that David had were as excellent and valuable as he constantly said they were, then they are even more clearly so now. In the years that followed, the Scriptures were enriched not only with David’s own writings and the words of the prophets who came after him, but also with the writings of the apostles of our blessed Redeemer. The gospel was added to the law. It is no longer presented in dark symbols and pictures as it was in those early days. Instead, it now comes to us in its brightest and clearest form. With an open face we see, as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord.

2. We must understand that the Psalmist is speaking here of the commandment of God as something that directs our attention to God and calls us to respond to him in practical ways.

The excellence and benefit of divine revelation clearly consist in this. It teaches us to know God. And it only fulfills its purpose when it leads us to love him and serve him. If we know these things, happy are we if we do them.{John 13:17} But it is very clear that if we neglect the main practical purpose of the revelation, it will make us worse rather than better. Those who have known the way of truth and yet turned away from the holy commandment, those whom God has known in this special sense and given such particular favors, if they continue in their sin, will face punishment seven times greater for their wrongs.

This truth is so obvious that we will not spend much time proving it. Right now it is not as necessary because in this message we are focusing on explaining the clear truths and views that God’s revelation shows us. But here is the point we ought all to feel: since these truths are laid before you today, if we hear them and still refuse to follow them, our guilt and foolishness become even greater. In addition,

3. When David speaks of the commandment of God as exceeding broad, he means that it opens before us a wide and extended view of happiness, a happiness far superior to anything we can find in the present world.

If we looked only at the idea of the breadth of the commandment by itself, the meaning would be more unclear. It could mean how far-reaching its demands are, and that is a serious and useful thing to think about. It reaches not only to our actions and our words, but also to our thoughts. It controls every hidden movement of the soul and places us in the presence and under the eye of the great God who searches hearts. It covers the entire course of our lives. There is not a single moment when we are able to think or act in which we are not under its authority and called to govern ourselves by it.

Would that we would seriously consider this. May we be deeply moved when we see how far short we fall. May we understand that our own goodness is nowhere near enough to meet the demands of a commandment this broad. And may we turn to Christ, whose obedience matches the full width of the law itself. His righteousness is given to all who believe, and by it alone we are declared right before God. In this sense the words contain a great and important truth.

But when we set them beside the earlier statement, they point to a different meaning. In what way could the command of God be called broad when compared with the narrow limits of perfection in the things of this world? Surely it is because the commandment opens before us far wider and more important hopes of happiness. This corresponds to the paraphrase Doddridge gave us in his last sermon:

"I soon see and find the end of what appears to be greatest, fairest, and most promising in the world; but when, Lord, I see what a happiness you are directing me to in your word, I see no limits, no end of that: it promises to me an infinite good, an ocean of happiness, which flows on every side around me; and does, as it were, swallow me up in solid, complete, eternal felicity."

Having dwelt on the meaning of these words, lut us now move on to the second point.

II. Let us consider the clear evidence for this claim. A person who has become convinced that this world and all its pleasures are empty can discover real happiness in true religion and in the word of God when they actually live it out, a happiness which they could never have found anywhere else.

Let us focus specifically on the kind of happiness the scriptures show us and the wonderful future they open up for us. These truths make every claim of perfection in this world and its pleasures look weak and disappointing. Consider how the future the scriptures give us is both very great and completely certain.

1. The future that the word of God shows us is truly grand, delightful, and noble. It gives us a clear view of a close relationship with the great and blessed God, along with all the good things that naturally flow from his friendship and favor, both in this life and in the life to come. If we could only see this clearly, we would be continually amazed and deeply moved by it. And a thousand worlds like this one, placed on the scales against it, would, for us, weigh nothing at all.

i) First, the word of God opens to us the view of a close relationship with the great and ever blessed God.

The great purpose of God speaking to us was to make himself known to us. He wanted us to understand far more than the light of nature alone could show us. He wanted us to know not only that he exists, but what kind of God he is. He wanted us to know more of his infinite perfections and glory.

Why should we know these things? Was it so we would be shocked and terrified? Was it so we would tremble and cry out, Woe are we, for we are undone, for our eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts,{Isaiah 6:5} and who can stand before this holy God? There is good reason for such thoughts in some ways. But God did not intend this when he revealed himself to us. No. He intended to bring us into a close and friendly relationship with him. He intended to bring us into a solemn covenant with himself.

This is truly surprising. It ought to fill us with amazement, but it is a certain truth. In his pity for our weakness, our wandering, and our misery, God has spoken from heaven. He calls us to come to him. He wants to bring us near and join us to himself in close, gracious, and loving bonds. You know his words: "Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David."{Isaiah 55:3} And if you want to know what kind of covenant this is, another scripture tells us clearly: "This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more: and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."{Hebrews 8:10, 12}

This is the covenant. Even though these words came after the time of David, God had already said the same thing long before David was born to his ancestor Abraham: "I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you."{Genesis 17:7}

Is there not something very great in this? Does it not fill the eye of the soul and make the heart feel as if it can hardly carry the weight of such glory? The blessed God notices me. He pays attention to someone as small and unworthy as I am. He speaks of me as if I matter to him. He claims me as his own and says, you have become mine. You are a special treasure to me, even though the whole earth and the heavens belong to me. Is this not a great way to see ourselves, to be owned and valued by God in this manner? To have such a claim made on us? To be counted as part of his treasure, when he is the most high God, the owner of heaven and earth?

This is much. But, blessed be God, it is not all. We are not only possessed by God. We also possess him. We can say not only, I belong to the Lord, but also, God is mine. He has already given me so much. He gives me everything I have and keeps renewing his gifts every moment. Yet he is not satisfied with all this. He also gives me himself. He says, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it."{Psalm 81:10}

These words show that God asks us to respond with gratitude. He willingly accepts the relationship of being our God. He invites us to enlarge our expectations, to form great hopes and desires that match what he has promised. Accordingly, in addition,

ii) The word of God gives us a view of all the natural results of his friendship and favor, both in the present world and in the future world.

It not only give us a view of God’s glory and perfections that persuades us something great and noble awaits us, it also helps us understand this by giving us clear hints about several of these good results, both for this life and for eternity. This could easily fill a whole sermon by itself but we will only consider a few short examples today.

In this present world, the word of God gives us reason to believe that he will guide us in our difficulties. He will supply what we need. He will defend us in the middle of dangers and temptations. He will comfort us when we are sad. And finally, he will support us even in death itself. Do we need specific Bible passages about these good results of his favor? There are so many. "I will counsel you with my eye upon you."{Psalm 32:8} "Will you not from this time cry to Me, 'My Father, You are the guide of my youth."{Jeremiah 4:4 NKJV} "My God shall supply all your need."{Philippians 4:19} "No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly."{Psalm 84:11} "God will not let you be tempted beyond your ability."{1 Corinthians 10:13} "God comforts the downcast."{2 Corinthians 7:6} and "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil."{Psalm 23:4} Many other scriptures like these could we mention on this important topic.

Think about a person who loves God looking at life with all its uncertainty, but seeing it through these promises. How well these declarations fit his situation.

Imagine a young person, with little experience, just starting out in life. He feels the natural concern that thoughtful people have at that stage. What a strong support this becomes for him: I trust that God will guide me through all my uncertainties. He will arrange events in his providence. He will speak to my mind by his Spirit. Or he will send a word through his minister that will be like a voice behind me saying, This is the way, walk in it, when I start to turn aside to the right or to the left.

I have little that I can truly call my own. Even if I had a great deal, those riches could fly away quickly like an eagle in full flight. But the earth belongs to the Lord, and everything in it. He is never short of the best ways to help me, to give me what I need, and to bring me joy. He will feed me with what is right for me. If it is not always as fancy as I might like, it will be better for the health of my soul, exactly what I need.

Temptations will come, and my spiritual enemies will try to trip me up. The world gives them powerful weapons to attack me. But God can and will help me overcome every one of them. His hidden strength works in my weakness. His Holy Spirit will warn me about the traps around me and give me courage to break through them. God will outsmart all the plans of Satan. While Satan tries to destroy me, he will only give me an opportunity that makes my soul stronger and healthier. He will give me fresh reasons for real victory and triumph.

Difficult and sorrowful times may come. I see that I could lose almost anything. I can think of many trials I might face. Each of my earthly enjoyments could bring me pain in the same measure that it brings me pleasure. But, O, let us praise the riches of his grace! I have this joyful confidence that he will stay with me. His gracious presence can bring delight to my soul even in the darkest, most painful, and most disastrous situations. To feel my soul drawn closer to him and to sense his gentle support in the hardest hour will be very sweet. What suffering will not be worth it if it shows me more of my Father’s love?

Even the final struggle of death will not frighten me. Not even all the natural fears of the dark valley of the shadow of death will trouble me, if you are with me and your rod and your staff comfort me, as your word teaches me to humbly expect. The whole outlook changes. I walk through the valley of trouble, and I turn it into a place of blessing. Your presence, Lord, turns darkness into light for me and death into life.

The word of God also gives us a delightful view of the happy results of God’s friendship in the future and unseen world. The greatest fruits of God’s favor are not found in this world. We would have very unworthy thoughts of the blessed God if we imagined they were.

David clearly held such hopes when he compared one thing with another. The law of Moses may not have contained any direct promise of eternal life. Yet David expressed his hope for it in very strong words. He spoke of rivers of pleasure at God’s right hand in that world where the Messiah would ascend. He set this as his own great expectation against the highest success of the sinner: "As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness."{Psalm 17:15}

The New Testament makes this even clearer and places life and immortality in a bright light. Let us pause here and consider the state of a good man’s mind when it is filled with these blessed hopes.

He says, I see an end not only to all the best happiness I could have in my own life, but also to the whole race of men. When I grow old and am laid in the grave, my possessions will go to others. The next generation will enjoy the earthly pleasures I once had and then lose forever. But how long will they enjoy them? Their time will soon end too. This pattern will continue for a few generations, probably not many more, and then the end will come.

Not only will this or that house be torn down, or this or that estate be wasted and lost. The earth itself will be destroyed. All the works of men and all the pleasures of human life will completely perish. The heavens will be set on fire and dissolve. The elements will melt with intense heat. The earth and everything in it will be burned up.

Yet this will not prove that my hopes were empty. No. When I leave my possessions and enjoyments here, I have a humble confidence in God’s goodness. He will receive my spirit, which he has honored with his care and love. I am also convinced that when the end of all things comes, he will remember me for good. His word gives me a living hope that I will be his on the day when he gathers his jewels. On that day which will burn like an oven, when the wicked and all who do evil become like stubble, he will make the sun of righteousness shine on me with its brightest beams. He will claim me as his servant and his child. He will receive me beyond any future change to live forever in the unchanging joy of that glorious world where he rules.

O what scenes of perfection will open before me then! Turn your eyes, O my soul, away from these passing shadows and rest for a while on that future sight. What a prospect it is! How vast and wide it is. How countless are its inhabitants. Far more than the view of Israel in its camps that Balaam saw when he asked, Who can count its dust?

What displays of God’s goodness and love appear in all the different forms of glory and happiness that the saints and angels enjoy! What views of his own perfections and glory I will have when I see him directly in that perfect vision, when I become like him and see him as he is. God will pour out his gentlest glory, shining from the face of Christ. I will spend forever thinking about and worshiping those infinite and unchanging perfections. There will be no end to what I see. There will be no limit to the object and no limit of time to my enjoyment of it. I will gaze upon him forever with fresh and ever-growing delight, fully certain that he will always be my God and my portion.

O the breadth and extent of this happiness, and of the revelation that brings me this good news! O the height, length, breadth, and depth of the love of God in Christ that lifts me to it and goes far beyond my limited understanding. O my immortal soul, you will never finish drinking from this river of life, no matter how many times you drink from it.

Thus the word of God nourishes and lifts up the soul. It cheers the soul and fills it with delight. It sets these views before us and shapes our desires for what is most pure and noble, most lovely and honorable. It does not teach us to gain the world. It does something far better. It teaches us to see the world as empty and to turn away from it. How poor all the pleasures of the senses look when we compare them with this great happiness. But is this only a golden dream? Is there any real substance in it? Can a weak sinful person dare to speak this way about a close relationship with the God of heaven and about all the good results of that relationship, not only in this life but also in eternity? Blessed be God! Yes, he can. For consider,

2. That these hopes are not only very great and noble. They are also completely certain. So David says, "Your decrees are very trustworthy."{Psalm 93:5} We have great confidence because they are God’s own testimonies and his promises. He gave them through holy men of old who spoke as the Holy Spirit moved them. In the past God spoke to his people through the prophets. In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son. This Son proved he was sent from God by the miracles he performed in person, by his resurrection from the dead, by the work of his Spirit on the apostles and on ordinary Christians, and by passing the sacred scriptures to us with clear evidence of their truth and divine authority. This evidence is more than enough to convince any honest person who seeks the truth. God has not left us in this age without proof of his divine power and how his word works in the mind.

This is the record: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. If the word of God is true, then it cannot be false that we are joined to God if we are true and obedient believers. And because of this relationship, the blessings he has promised will surely be given. Can I doubt this? Are there not some people about whom I could say, I am sure I can depend on this man’s word. I am sure he will not fail me. Should I not say this even more about my God?

What could ever tempt God to raise a hope he would not fulfill, or to make a promise he would not keep? Shall the wicked ever have reason to accuse the God of heaven in this way? Let such a wrong thought stay far from our minds. No. As David says, "Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations."{Psalm 119:89-90} It will remain unchanging forever. David is dead. The prophets are dead. The apostles are dead. But the word of God lives and remains forever. The God whose word it is stays the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Therefore all the great hopes that the word opens before me are not imaginary places or the empty dreams of a pleasant fantasy. They are full, solid realities. Here we find perfection, firmness, and true substance. The promises of this world are like some fruits that have a beautiful outer skin but are rotten inside. We are on solid ground so thinking this way about the subject. And now we,

III. Close with a few practical thoughts by way of application.

1. We ought to see that we have great reason to thank God for his word. It opens to us such wide and solid views of true happiness.

Let us praise the grace of God. He has given us his word. He has spoken from heaven. He has sent his messengers from one age to another to tell his creatures — poor sinful creatures — that he had kind plans for them. He was willing to bring them into a close relationship with himself and to do these amazing things for them. And blessed be his name that he has sent this word to us. He has sent it to our land, and we live in the time when it has reached us.

Remember how David felt about this when he said, "He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and rules to Israel. He has not dealt thus with any other nation."{Psalm 147:19-20} Even today, many nations have never received this blessing. Millions of people have never heard about a covenant with God. They have never thought in their whole lives about being reconciled to him and at last enjoying him fully in glory. The empty things of this world are all they have.

Some of these nations are polite, educated, and wealthy. They live in warm climates that produce rich fruits, spices, and gems. Others are poor and live in rough conditions. They wander almost naked across deserts or through wild forests. But the place where a person is born matters little. In fact, those who live with the greatest abundance often feel the emptiness of life more sharply and regret it with deeper pain.

The real difference between one nation and another is not made by climate, customs, science, freedom, or laws — though these are important blessings. The great difference is made by religion. It is the special privilege of certain nations to whom God has given his word and his gospel. And this is the privilege of our own nation.

Yes, the poor Christian can say with even greater joy that this word is now spread far and wide. Poor as I may be in other ways, I have a Bible that I can call my own. I can read it in private. In it I find the most wonderful company. I can go to public worship week after week and hear the word read and explained. But I also have this Bible so I can refresh my memory of those divine truths that I might otherwise forget. I can test everything I hear by it, drinking straight from the source.

Lord, your commands are my delight and my guides. Through them I gain understanding. They stir me to pursue those perfections I have heard about with greater eagerness and steady purpose. I will thank you for this as long as I live. And though I will leave the Bible behind when I enter the New Jerusalem, I will praise you there forever and ever because I knew what it was to own such a priceless treasure. Your grace has written it, as it were, into my very soul.

2. This should strongly encourage us to spend much time with the word of God.

You know that David was deeply drawn to it. He speaks of this often, especially in this psalm, and right in the next verse: "Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day."

This command of yours is so wide and gives me such clear views of true perfection. When I see how limited earthly comforts are, it takes hold of my heart. I cannot fully describe the pleasure I find in reading it and thinking about it. I could spend the whole day reading it or reflecting on it. It fills my heart with a deep, quiet joy and a strong affection that words cannot express. O how I love it. I hold it close to my heart with real delight.

Can you say the same? I hope we all can. Make the word of God your guide. Make it your close and familiar companion, like that happy man whose delight is in the law of the Lord and who meditates on it day and night. This will strengthen your hearts against the empty things of life. Otherwise those empty things could deceive you, just as they have deceived thousands and tens of thousands, leading them to ruin. The word of God is what nourishes real faith in your hearts. It keeps fresh and strong the impressions that these great truths we have considered have made on your souls. It keeps them alive and active.

No one knows how much the scripture can enlarge and strengthen the mind except the person who has experienced it. The great truths in the book of life do not pass over the mind like shadows across a mirror. They sink deep into it and become part of who you are. I hope that we will all be able, from our own experience, to confirm that this is true.

3. We can also learn from this the wisdom of God in allowing the world to be so empty when he has provided such a strong remedy against its emptiness.

Do not judge anything before the right time. David faced many difficulties and disappointments. Yet he could say, and did say, "It is good for me that I was afflicted;"{Psalm 119:71} Many good men have had reason to say the same thing about their own lives. Yes, no doubt, many of us have found, or will in time find, this to be true.

This world is not the only place where God will show his goodness to his creatures and his love to his children. He has wise and good reasons for the mixture of emptiness, trouble, and disappointment that we find here. Through these things his grace is honored. Through them his people are kept close to him and prepared for the fuller enjoyment of the final happiness he has planned for them.

The good man may say, Lord, I have enough comfort in life because I receive exactly as much as you have intended for me. I would dread any earthly pleasure that would pull my soul away from you and turn my heart away from heaven.

4. Let us learn from all this to turn with special joy to the word of God whenever our support from people and things in this world clearly begins to fail us.

We need it most at those times. When heaviness weighs down the heart of a person and makes it sink, we need a good word—not so much from a human friend, though that is sweet—but from God himself to make us glad. Let us go to the word as David did when he said, "This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life."{Psalm 119:50} It has made me live again when I was ready to sink.

Learn from what we have said not to put any real dependence on anything in this world. Not even on the dearest friends in it, though they are among its best treasures. Suppose this or that friend is taken away. What matters is the word of God.

And It does not matter much who speaks the word of God. The word itself is what your hope and comfort rest upon. The apostle said, All flesh is grass, and so on, but the word of the Lord remains forever. This is the word that is preached in the gospel. Therefore, if you have received it with all your heart, your souls will hold on to it no matter who dies and no matter what else is taken away.

We close with these words of the apostle, which seem especially fitting: "And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified,"{Acts 20:32} even in that world where we will never reach the end of perfection.