Psalms 32:8

Psalms 32:8

Psalms 32:8, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” Notice the words: instruct, teach, and guide. Wisdom comes from God. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given to him.”

Psalms 32:8 says, “I will.” This is God speaking. Where does wisdom come from? It comes from God. What kind of wisdom is being spoken of here? There are two kinds of wisdom; the wisdom of the world, and the wisdom that comes from God. The kind of wisdom being spoken of here is the kind which will instruct, teach, and guide, “thee in the way which thou shalt go.” In other words, the wisdom to be able to accomplish the will of God in this life.

This kind of wisdom only comes from one place, the Bible. Jude 1:25 says, “To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” There is a great deal of practical wisdom that can be learned in life from other people and from personal experience. But to learn the wisdom of how to follow Christ and how to know and accomplish what the will of Christ is for you, is only going to be found through the study of the Word of God.

In this verse the words: “instruct”, “teach”, and “guide” are used. A similar set of 3 words is used in Psalms 25 which says in verses 4-5 “Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.” To learn how to follow Christ you must be willing to have God shew, teach, and lead just as God is willing to instruct, teach, and guide you. This is the reason Psalms 32:9 goes on to say, “Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.” How stubborn the will of man can be. Man can be as stubborn as a mule. This is the reason Christians often fail to learn how to follow Christ in both the big and small decisions of life, they are stubborn and are not willing.

The principle is the same as salvation. Second Peter 3:9, “The LORD is not slack concering his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” God is willing to save lost souls. That is why He sent His only begotten Son Jesus to die on the cross for the sins of the world. Whosever will may come. The problem is that most people are not willing to repent and trust in Jesus. This same principle applies to Christians when it comes to following Christ.

To Follow Christ you must seek His will and not your own. Jesus prayed in Luke 22:42, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” Before you make a decision in life pray to Jesus and ask him what His will is and be sure to be willing to do or not do. Some of the biggest examples of such things in life are who you marry and what you do for work. Don’t marry someone just because it is who you want to marry but marry who God wants you to marry. Don’t take a job because it is what you want to do or because it involves more money but go where God wants you to go and work where God wants you to work. If you do not study the Bible you will not be spiritually minded and will not seek God’s will when it comes to making decisions in your life. Don’t be stubborn like a mule but be willing just like Jesus to do whatever God the Father wants you to do.

Psalms 32:10 says, “Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.” Life has sorrow, disappointment and suffering. And even though every believer has persecution to face and a cross to bear the wicked will face many sorrows that those who go God’s way do not. First of all there is the sorrow of eternal judgment in the lake of fire. If you go God’s way by repenting of your sins and trusting in Jesus then you have mercy which will last throughout all eternity. If you go God’s way when it comes to sexual morality and marriage then you will be spared the sorrows of sexual diseases and emotional heartache that so many in the world suffer. If you go God’s way in dedicating what you do to Him then you will always have satisfaction in knowing that you are accomplishing something important in life. ”Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about”.

Do not be stubborn as a mule. Listen to the instruction of the LORD. “Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about”. There is mercy to be found by faith in the promises of God. But if you go your own way you will find many sorrows.

Psalms 32:11, “Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.” In the previous verse mercy was mentioned for those who trust in the LORD Jesus. The children of God can always have a reason to be glad and to rejoice in their faith in Christ; knowing that the mercy is of God is always given unto them.

Mercy means not getting what we deserve. All men are sinners and deserve the eternal punishment of hell. But because of the righteousness which is without works by grace through faith in Jesus Christ there is always mercy for those whom are saved. James 5:11, “Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.”

Notice in these verses the words joy and righteousness are mentioned together. The philosophy of the world is, “do what makes you happy.” If you really want to be happy and have joy then you will turn to Jesus from your sins and you will obtain the righteousness of Christ. There is joy in having eternal life, eternal joy. And there is joy in doing what is right. James 3:18 says, “And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.”

If there is anything this world needs it is more mercy. All good things come from God. Therefore if there is mercy in the heart of man towards other men, or in a government towards a man, or in circumstances and consequences, that mercy somehow came from God who is all powerful. Without mercy the sufferings of this life would be much greater than they are for men because men so often fail in their weak and sinful flesh. How great is the mercy of God. If you want to have more joy in your life then try to see the mercy of God in your life and especially remember the mercy of God that is found in the forgiveness of sins through the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross. “The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.”

This is the reason there will ultimately be so many sorrows to the wicked. They do not trust in Jesus. They do not let the LORD teach them and guide them. And they turn away from the mercy of Christ. Sometimes it seems the wicked prosper more in this life than the righteous who trust in Jesus do. But remember they are headed to a destiny that is void of the mercy of God. There is mercy in Jesus. The mercy which God has given to his children through Christ should be a testimony to the lost of this world so that they can turn from their wickedness to the mercy of Jesus of Nazareth. Psalms 32:1-2 says, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.”

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