Psalm 119:36

36 Turn my heart to Your decrees and not to material gain.

Psalm 119:36 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 119:36

Incline my heart unto thy testimonies
To read the word of God, to hear it opened and explained, to observe and keep the things contained in it; to which there is a disinclination in men naturally: but the Lord, who fashions the hearts of men, and has them in his hands, can bend and incline them by his efficacious grace to regard these his testimonies; which, as Aben Ezra observes, are more precious than all substance, and so are opposed to what follows:

and not to covetousness;
not to mammon or money, as the Targum; the love of it, which is the root of all evil, and very pernicious and harmful; in hearing the word it chokes it, and makes it unfruitful, ( 1 Timothy 6:9 1 Timothy 6:10 ) ( Matthew 13:22 ) . Not that God inclines the heart to evil, as he does to good; but he may suffer the heart to be inclined, and may leave a man to the natural inclinations of his heart, and to the temptations of Satan, and the snares of the world, which may have great influence upon him; and this is what is here deprecated; see ( Psalms 141:4 ) ( Matthew 6:13 ) .

Psalm 119:36 In-Context

34 Help me understand Your instruction, and I will obey it and follow it with all my heart.

35 Help me stay on the path of Your commands, for I take pleasure in it.

36 Turn my heart to Your decrees and not to material gain.

37 Turn my eyes from looking at what is worthless; give me life in Your ways.

38 Confirm what You said to Your servant, for it produces reverence for You.