In addition to describing the psalmist's dependence on the grace of God to repent and embrace God's way, this episode addresses the underlying struggle to repent. We depend on the grace of God to repent because, based on our fleshly sympathies, we really don't believe that God's ways are better. 1 John 5:3 states that God's commands are not burdensome. This is utter nonsense to the flesh since "commandments" restrict "freedom." The voice of the flesh understands freedom as the ability to do whatever pleases the flesh without incurring negative consequences. We consequently need God's grace to enlarge our hearts (32) to consider "commandments" as the path of true freedom. When we come under the commandments we discover true freedom: "I will walk at liberty for I seek your precepts." (45) And, with the grace of God, we see the destructive nature of "libertine" freedom. The flesh promises the world but conceals a harvest from hell. One application of Psalm 119 to NT Christian life is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, Who applies grace to our lives to assist us in repenting. We discover that God's commandments are NOT burdensome and that sin amounts to slavery. "Everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin." (John 8:34)
