Psalm 119:133 - Lord Guide Me With Thy Word So Sin Does Not Have Dominion Over Me.

Psa. 119:133; Lord Guide Me With Thy Word So Sin Does Not Have
Dominion Over Me.

Psa 119:133 (KJV)  Order my steps in thy word: and let not any
iniquity have dominion over me.

Psa 119:133 (NIV)  Direct my footsteps according to your word;
let no sin rule over me.

Psa 119:133 (NASB)  Establish my footsteps in Thy word, And do
not let any iniquity have dominion over me.

Psa 119:133 (TLB)  Guide me with your laws so that I will not be
overcome by evil.

CONTEXT

It is fitting that the longest chapter in the Bible should be a
hymn of praise magnifying the Word of God. Of its 176 verses, almost
every verse contains a direct reference to the Word of God. Some eight
different terms are employed in referring to God's Word - "law,"
"testimonies," "ways," "precepts," "statutes," "commandments," "judgments"
(ordinances), and "word." [Believer's SB]

The psalmist describes God's Word as law to be obeyed .....
testimony to be shared ..... the way to be followed ..... precept to be kept
..... statute to be observed ..... command that carries responsibility
..... judgment that rules between right and wrong ..... word that God
has authoritatively spoken ..... promise that carries with it reward.
[Daily Walk Bible]

The Word of God. It is law (to be obeyed), testimony (to be
shared), precept (to be practiced), promise (to be claimed), way (to be
followed). [Your Daily Walk SB]

The law is the gracious revelation of what God wants in order
for believers to have fellowship with him. It reveals who he is in
holiness and justice. [New Bible Companion]

Most of the meditation is expressed in the form of prayer in
direct address to God, but the language and total effect of the psalm
show its intention to be instruction of believers as well as
communication with God. [Disciple SB]

TEXT

Prayer that God would establish him in His Word. [Ryrie SB]

The prayer is, that no form of sin, that no wicked passion or
propensity, might be allowed to rule over him. (Barnes' Notes)

Sin allures us with false promises of grandeur. Its real intent
is to control and rule our lives. A person can have only one type
of relationship to sin--slave to master. The alternative is to let
God's Word rule our lives. [Disciple SB]

APPLICATION

The dominion of sin is to be dreaded and prayed against by every
one. [Matthew Henry Commentary]

If in sincerity we pray against it, we may receive that promise
as an answer to the prayer, sin shall not have dominion over you.
(Matthew Henry's Commentary)

In this passage the psalmist is affirming the importance of
understanding God's law.  Many times believers pray for the Lord's direction
in their lives while at the same time neglecting the very biblical
absolutes necessary for guidance. These biblical absolutes begin with the
Ten Commandments. They are truths from God's Word that never change.
The first step in understanding God's will and making right
decisions is knowing God's law and practicing what the Bible teaches.
[Small Group SB]

We need sound doctrine. The Spirit of holiness is also the
Spirit of truth. Truth and righteousness go together....
Why? Why is sound doctrine necessary for sanctification? For
real sanctification to occur in the Christian life at least three
absolute changes are necessary. There must be a change in our
consciousness. There must be a change in our convictions. There must be a
change in our conscience. Consciousness, conviction, and
conscience--these three are all vital to our sanctification..
Consciousness involves knowledge. Before we can willfully do
what God commands and what pleases Him, we must first understand what
it is that God requires. From the law comes a knowledge of sin.
Also from the law comes a knowledge of righteousness.
A person could "accidentally" obey the law without doing so
consciously. But such an action would have no moral value to it.  Suppose a
man enjoys driving his car at fifty miles an hour.  It pleases him
to ride at that rate of speed. He drives his car at fifty miles an
hour in fifty-five-mile-per-hour zones and in fifteen-mile-per-hour
zones. When he drives in the fifty-five-mile-per-hour zone, he is
within the speed limit. He is obeying the law. But when he goes fifty
in a fifteen-mile-per-hour-zone, he is a menace to those around
him.
Suppose our mythical driver systematically refuses to look at
speed limit signs. He averts his gaze from any sign that even appears
to mark a speed limit. He keeps himself purposely unconscious of
speed limits. At times he "happens" to obey the law, but purely by
coincidence. If the man wants to achieve moral virtue as a driver and always
drive within the speed limit, he must first become aware, he must
become conscious of the law.
But consciousness is not enough. We all have seen people who are
quite conscious of the speed limits while they are violating them. We
don't have to look beyond ourselves to discover the culprits. For our
behavior to change we must move beyond consciousness to conviction.
Conviction is a matter of depth and intensity. It is one thing
to be aware that a certain action is right. It is another to have a
conviction about it. It is a lot easier for us to compromise our knowledge
than to act against convictions. A conviction is knowledge that is
settled. It has a firm hold on us. It goes beyond our brains and
penetrates the conscience.
Our conscience acts as a kind of governor upon our behavior. It
is the inner voice that either accuses or excuses us. It monitors
our behavior by way of approval or disapproval. The problem is that
our conscience doesn't always tell us the truth. We are adept at
training it in the direction of self-approval....
For the conscience to function in a godly way it must be
influenced by godly convictions. To gain godly consciences, our
consciousness of what is right and what is wrong must be sharpened. This
involves the mind. It is a matter of doctrine. Pleasing God by R. C.
Sproul [Inspirational SB]

Psalm 119 was not given as an exercise in reading. Rather, it is
in the Bible to give you exercise in walking as you translate its
eternal truths into the daily disciplines of life: your business
decisions, your response to authority, your choice of counselors, your
approach to times of testing and discouragement. [Daily Walk Bible]

CONCLUDING THOUGHT

Let me have no governor but God; let the throne of my heart be
filled by Him, and none other. (Adam Clarke Commentary)