I will run the way of thy commandments,
When thou shalt enlarge my heart (Psa 119.32).
Grace is God’s favor toward the undeserving through Christ. We need grace to be converted. Christians are those who have “believed through grace” (Acts 18.27).
‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!
Having been converted, believers continue completely dependent on sovereign grace alone for the presence and exercise of each and every virtue, for every holy beat of their regenerated heart and corresponding action of the body. We have a great need to “continue in the grace of God” (Acts 13.43). Therefore we pray grace for ourselves and one another, like Paul, “And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified” (Acts 20.32).
Furthermore, the more grace we receive, the more vigorous will be our piety (inward devotion, fear, reverence, love, trust, etc., toward God Himself) and good works (tangible obedience to His revealed will). In our text, the psalmist is not only expressing a true spiritual dynamic, but also his earnest desire, so that the inspired statement is tantamount to a prayer for more grace.
Saints need grace to excel in obedience to God.
SAINTS AIM TO EXCEL IN OBEDIENCE TO GOD
The “way” or “path” of God’s “commandments” refers to the course or lifestyle of all true believers. It is the “narrow way” prescribed by God’s Word, whether by injunctions, prohibitions, examples, or any other way. Describing our true blessedness, the prophet Isaiah said, “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left” (Isa 30.21). God’s rich gift to true believers is this: whenever we are tempted to veer from holiness, the Spirit will keep checking us, reproving and correcting our course.
This godly way is often contrasted with the heart and conduct of ordinary sinners (Isa 53.6) and hypocrites who continue in their own way (Jer 23.17).
Though all true believers are traveling in the same godly way, there is a great difference among them in their pace. Some halt and stumble, some seem to walk leisurely, and a few run in the way of God’s commandments. This last phrase “reflects the energetic response of the psalmist to God’s Word.” To put it more quaintly, this “marks great alacrity [“brisk and cheerful readiness” (NOAD), “promptness in responding or acting” (MWCT)] in the business of serving God.” This describes an eager, enthusiastic, and fervent faith full of holy zeal to please God. It is the mindset of a devoted servant who gladly jumps to action instantly at the mere nod of his master, and tends to the ministry with all his strength, carrying out the assignment thoroughly because through love and loyalty, he likes nothing better than to please him.
Both Scripture and experience alike illustrate this practical reality. Abraham and Lot, David and Solomon, Mary and Martha—all were obedient believers, but the first of each pair excelled the second. Likewise, the experience of each individual believer fluctuates. Remember how Abraham and David rose and fell spiritually and morally, with all true saints.
But here is a point that needs to be stressed: if our hearts are really renewed by grace, we will never be satisfied with our current attainments. All true believers know the frustration of sensing that we have not been running in the way of God’s commandments; this is our heartfelt burden. If you have no aspirations to excel spiritually, you may reasonably doubt whether you are in a state of grace at all. Grace is not a downhill slope for coasting to heaven, but rather a holy compulsion to run the race that is set before us and win the prize. “Do you think that the Scripture says in vain, ‘The Spirit who dwells within us yearns jealously’? But He gives more grace” (Jas 4.5-6). Once God regenerates a soul, He never leaves it alone, but the Spirit keeps blowing the cooling embers back into flame, prompting and increasing desires for a more robust and consistent holiness. Grace really begun is the guarantee of grace continued and increasing (Phil 1.6). This ought to rekindle great hope in the straggling Christian, based on confidence in the God of all grace (Prov 4.18; 24.16).
GOD GRACIOUSLY LIBERATES SAINTS TO EXCEL
“I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.” The AV translates the Hebrew as an indicative of the future (first line) followed by an explanation for it (second line). What accounts for the difference between unbelievers and believers, among different believers, and even one’s day-to-day variations in relative spiritual enthusiasm? Ultimately, it is the grace of God alone, and that is why He deserves all the praise for any spiritual life and vigor we possess (John 3.27; 1 Cor 4.7).
This is similar to the thought expressed in Psa 110.3, “Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power.” Recall the profound sentiment of Augustine when he prayed to God in these words, “Give what you command, and then command whatever you will.” This famous saying has angered Pelagians and delighted Augustinians ever since.
“Enlarge my heart” is a very literal translation, and it seems a metaphorical way to represent spiritual liberty—here, the divinely-given freedom and ability to excel in obedience to God. Scripture uses narrow confines to represent bondage, and wide, open spaces to signify liberty. One version aptly paraphrases, “I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free” (NIV).
In this concise utterance we have such a wonderful evangelical balance of human responsibility and God’s grace. We must obey God, but not from our own resources.
God’s liberating cup is not a fruitless cup; it is not a cup that gives license to sin. Rather, it yields the rich fruit of gospel obedience. Not out of legality, but out of gratitude, it causes the grateful soul to return to the law to obey its precepts and embrace its principles as a guiding rule for life. . . . Thus, true Christian liberty avoids the ditch of antinomianism on one side, as well as the pitfall of legalism on the other.
Calvin’s commentary on our text is so good we would quote it in full:
The meaning of the prophet is, that when God shall inspire him with love for his law he will be vigorous and ready, nay, even steady, so as not to faint in the middle of his course. His words contain an implied admission of the . . . inability of men to make any advancement in well-doing until God enlarge their hearts. No sooner does God expand their hearts, than they are fitted not only for walking, but also for running in the way of his commandments. He reminds us that the proper observance of the law consists not merely in external works,—that it demands willing obedience, so that the heart must, to some extent, and in some way, enlarge itself. Not that it has the self-determining power of doing this, but when once its hardness and obstinacy are subdued, it moves freely without being any longer contracted by its own narrowness. Finally, this passage tells us, when God has once enlarged our hearts, there will be no lack of power, because, along with proper affection, he will furnish ability, so that our feet will be ready to run.
Brethren, the end of the matter is simply this, that we need God’s grace to obey Him with all our hearts. No amount of carnal exertion will make you one whit more like Christ. Even the best resolutions, while you depend on your own strength, cannot be kept. God insists upon having all the glory to Himself for your real sanctification of heart and life.
Remember that God would not give Gideon victory over the Midianites until his human resources were reduced from 32,000 to a mere 300 men, because otherwise Israel would say, “Mine own hand hath saved me” (Judg 7.2). Likewise God will not rescue a sinner until he comes to the end of self-righteousness and self-sufficiency and casts himself on the mercy of Christ alone. Similarly, in the case of a real Christian, God is withholding the highest spirituality from you so that you will acknowledge that He is its Author, from Him you must have it. Cry out for sanctifying grace. Give Him no rest until He enlarges your heart, enabling you to run in the way of His commandments. And then praise Him for every indication of your progress. Amen.
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