Teaching Sinners in the Way

13 FEBRUARY

Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will He teach sinners in the way. Psalm 25:8

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Psalm 71

Pausing briefly from prayer, David takes time to meditate upon the goodness of God so that he may return with renewed ardor to prayer. 

Likewise the faithful feel their hearts will soon languish in prayer unless they stir themselves up with new incitements. It is difficult to steadfastly and unweariedly persevere in prayer. Indeed, as fuel must frequently be added to preserve a fire, so prayer requires helps so that it will not anguish and at length be extinguished.

Desirous to encourage himself to persevere in prayer, David affirms that God is good and upright. Gathering new strength by meditating on this truth, he will return with more alacrity to prayer.

but let us also observe this consequence; that in being good and upright, God stretches forth His hand to sinners to bring them back in the way.

To attribute to God an uprightness that exercises only toward the worthy and the meritorious is a cold view of His character and of little advantage to sinners, yet the world commonly believes that God is good to no one but believers. How can scarcely one in a hundred apply for the mercy of God, if not because so many limit it to those who are worthy of it? 

On the contrary, David says God gives proof of His uprightness when He shows transgressors the way, which means the same thing as calling them to repentance and teaching them to live uprightly. Indeed, if the goodness of God did not penetrate even to hell, no one would ever partake of His goodness.

John Calvin

FOR MEDITATION: Isn't it wonderful that God teaches sinners the way? If it were not for this, how many of us would be saved and be on the way of holiness? Not one. David uses truths like this to help him pray. Try reflecting on the mercy of God before you pray.

365 Days With Calvin

Selected and Edited by Joel R. Beeke

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John Calvin's words in his commentary on Psalm 25:8 are : "To attribute to God an uprightness which He may exercise only towards the worthy and the meritorious, is a cold view of His character, and of little advantage to sinners, and yet the world commonly apprehends that God is good in no other sense...And, indeed, if the goodness of God did not penetrate even to hell, no man would ever become a partaker of it... " I agree with Calvin here and not with the edited version of Joel R .Beeke: "To attribute to God an uprightness that exercises only toward the worthy and the meritorious is a cold view of His character and of little advantage to sinners, yet the world commonly believes that God is good to no one but BELIEVERS.." That is much different. Moving on, Calvin writes: "Let the Papists then boast as they please of their imaginary preparations, but let us regard this as a sure and certain doctrine, that if God do not prevent men by His grace, they shall all utterly perish. David, therefore, here commends this preventing grace, as it is called, which is manifested either when God in calling us at first renews, by the Spirit of regeneration, our corrupt nature, or when He brings us back again into the right way, after we have gone astray from Him by our sins. For since even those whom God receives for His disciples are here called sinners, it follows that He renews them by His Holy Spirit, that they may become docile and obedient."