Sermons on Psalm 119:36

Psalm 119:36 Interpretation:

Engaging Deeply with God's Word: A Faithful Journey (Desiring God) offers a vivid and unique interpretation of Psalm 119:36 by likening the heart’s inclination to a metronome swinging between the world and God. The preacher describes the heart as naturally drifting toward “selfish gain” and needing divine intervention to be “inclined” toward God’s statutes. The analogy of the metronome is particularly notable, as it captures the dynamic, ongoing struggle of the believer’s affections. The sermon also emphasizes the original Hebrew verb for “incline” (natah), suggesting an active, forceful turning or bending of the heart, not a passive drift. This shapes the understanding of the verse as a desperate, ongoing plea for God to intervene in the believer’s internal orientation, especially when natural desire for God’s word is lacking.

Six Habits for Lifelong Learning and Spiritual Growth (Desiring God) provides a distinct interpretive angle by focusing on the relationship between the will and understanding. The sermon highlights John 7:17 and then directly applies Psalm 119:36 as a prayer for God to “incline” the heart, arguing that right willing (a heart inclined toward God’s statutes) often precedes right knowing. The preacher encourages listeners to be “amazed” that God has set up spiritual knowledge to depend on the heart’s orientation, and thus, Psalm 119:36 becomes a foundational prayer for cultivating a teachable, obedient heart that is open to divine truth. This is a nuanced, theological reading that goes beyond mere desire for the word, emphasizing the epistemological implications of the heart’s inclination.

Embracing God's Word and Advocating for Justice (Desiring God) interprets Psalm 119:36 in a practical, affective way, focusing on the verb “incline” as a request for God to “push” the heart toward His testimonies. The preacher uses the physical image of God taking the heart and “pushing” it, making the prayer a vivid, almost tactile request for supernatural intervention in the believer’s affections. This interpretation is notable for its emphasis on the helplessness of the human will and the necessity of divine action, especially when the heart is cold or distracted.

Overcoming Hindrances to Engaging with God's Word (Desiring God) offers a vivid and unique analogy for Psalm 119:36, picturing the heart as a metronome that can lean either toward loving God's word or away from it, toward selfish gain. The sermon interprets the psalmist's prayer as a request for God to exert divine influence on the will, actively pushing or tilting the heart toward delighting in God's statutes. This is not merely a passive hope but a plea for God to intervene in the very inclinations of the heart, recognizing that the will is ultimately governed by God. The preacher also draws attention to the original Hebrew verb for "incline," emphasizing its sense of bending, tilting, or pushing, which shapes the understanding of the verse as a dynamic, ongoing need for God's intervention rather than a one-time event. The analogy of the heart's inclination as a physical tilting or leaning is a fresh metaphor that distinguishes this interpretation from more generic readings.

Sustaining Easter Joy: Truth, Prayer, and Nourishment (Desiring God) interprets Psalm 119:36 as a call to aggressive, non-fatalistic prayer for God to change the heart's inclinations. The sermon frames the verse as a direct answer to spiritual numbness, urging believers not to resign themselves to a cold or distracted heart but to actively seek God's intervention to "incline" (bend, turn) the heart toward His word and away from selfish gain. The preacher highlights the active verbs—incline, illuminate, sweeten—as evidence that the psalmist expects God to do real, transformative work in the heart, and that believers should not settle for less. This interpretation is notable for its emphasis on the ongoing, daily need for God to reorient the heart, and for its insistence that spiritual desire is not self-generated but must be sought from God in prayer.

Psalm 119:36 Theological Themes:

Engaging Deeply with God's Word: A Faithful Journey (Desiring God) introduces the theme of spiritual desire as a gift rather than a natural human trait. The preacher insists that the inclination toward God’s word is not self-generated but must be prayed for and received as a miracle. This challenges the common assumption that spiritual disciplines are primarily a matter of willpower, reframing them as dependent on God’s gracious intervention. The sermon also explores the paradox of joy and fear in the Christian life, suggesting that trembling before God’s wrath is mysteriously part of the joy found in His word—a theme not commonly emphasized in treatments of Psalm 119:36.

Six Habits for Lifelong Learning and Spiritual Growth (Desiring God) adds a new facet by connecting Psalm 119:36 to the epistemology of faith: the heart’s willingness to obey God’s statutes is a prerequisite for true spiritual knowledge. The preacher draws out the implication that spiritual understanding is not merely intellectual but is deeply tied to the moral and volitional orientation of the heart. This theme is further developed by urging believers to pray for a heart that desires obedience, thus making Psalm 119:36 a central text for the formation of Christian character and discernment.

Embracing God's Word and Advocating for Justice (Desiring God) uniquely highlights the affective and volitional helplessness of the believer, making Psalm 119:36 a model for honest confession of spiritual apathy. The sermon underscores that even the desire to read and love God’s word must be sought from God, and that the prayer itself is evidence of the psalmist’s (and the believer’s) ongoing struggle with spiritual coldness and distraction.

Overcoming Hindrances to Engaging with God's Word (Desiring God) introduces the distinct theological theme that the human will is not autonomous but is subject to God's daily, moment-by-moment inclining. The sermon argues that spiritual desire for God's word is not a static trait or a matter of personal discipline alone, but a supernatural work that must be repeatedly requested from God. This challenges the common assumption that spiritual motivation is simply a matter of self-effort, and instead frames it as a continual dependence on divine grace to overcome the persistent pull toward selfish gain.

Sustaining Easter Joy: Truth, Prayer, and Nourishment (Desiring God) adds a new facet by connecting Psalm 119:36 to the broader theme of spiritual perseverance and the fight against fatalism. The sermon insists that believers are not doomed to spiritual dryness or distraction, but are called to an "aggressive pursuit" of God's help to change the heart's inclinations. This theme is developed as a counter to resignation, teaching that the normal Christian life involves persistent, hope-filled prayer for God to transform the heart's desires, and that such transformation is both possible and expected.

Psalm 119:36 Historical and Contextual Insights:

Overcoming Hindrances to Engaging with God's Word (Desiring God) provides historical context by noting that the psalmist himself faced the same internal obstacles to engaging with Scripture as modern believers do. The sermon emphasizes that the ancient Israelites, including the psalmist, were not spiritual superheroes immune to distraction or selfish desires, but experienced the same divided inclinations and thus modeled prayers for divine intervention. This insight situates Psalm 119:36 within the lived reality of ancient Israelite piety, where daily engagement with God's law was both commanded and recognized as a struggle requiring God's help.

Psalm 119:36 Cross-References in the Bible:

Engaging Deeply with God's Word: A Faithful Journey (Desiring God) groups Psalm 119:36 with several other “IOU” prayers from the Psalms: Psalm 119:18 (“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law”), Psalm 86:11 (“Unite my heart to fear your name”), and Psalm 90:14 (“Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love”). The preacher uses these cross-references to show a pattern of dependence on God for spiritual affections and understanding, arguing that the psalmist repeatedly models prayers for God to do what the believer cannot do for themselves. This cluster of prayers is presented as a practical toolkit for fighting spiritual dryness and cultivating joy in God.

Six Habits for Lifelong Learning and Spiritual Growth (Desiring God) references John 7:17 (“If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority”) to support the idea that the inclination of the heart (as prayed for in Psalm 119:36) is foundational for spiritual discernment. The sermon also references Hebrews 13 (“I will never leave you nor forsake you… keep your life free from love of money”) to illustrate how believing God’s promises frees the heart from selfish gain, directly tying the application of Psalm 119:36 to practical obedience and trust in God’s provision.

Embracing God's Word and Advocating for Justice (Desiring God) explicitly groups Psalm 119:36 with Psalm 119:18, Psalm 86:11, and Psalm 90:14, presenting them as a set of prayers for spiritual renewal and desire. The preacher explains that these prayers are not just for initial conversion but are meant for ongoing use, especially in seasons of spiritual dryness or distraction.

Overcoming Hindrances to Engaging with God's Word (Desiring God) references several biblical passages to expand on Psalm 119:36. Psalm 119:112 is cited as a parallel prayer for God to "incline my heart to perform your statutes forever," reinforcing the idea of ongoing divine action on the heart. 1 Kings is referenced, where Solomon prays that God would "incline our hearts to him," showing that this theme of divine heart-inclining is woven throughout Scripture and is not unique to the psalmist. Psalm 141:4 is also mentioned as a reverse plea—not to let the heart incline toward evil—demonstrating that the direction of the heart's inclination is a central biblical concern. These cross-references collectively support the interpretation that the heart's orientation is a matter for prayer and divine action, not merely human effort.

Sustaining Easter Joy: Truth, Prayer, and Nourishment (Desiring God) connects Psalm 119:36 to Ephesians 1:17 (praying for the eyes of the heart), and 1 Peter 2:2-3 (praying for the taste of the heart), creating a triad of prayers for inclination, illumination, and spiritual taste. This linkage expands the application of Psalm 119:36 beyond mere desire for Scripture to encompass the full range of spiritual perception and enjoyment, suggesting that believers should pray for God to shape every aspect of their spiritual receptivity.

Psalm 119:36 Christian References outside the Bible:

Six Habits for Lifelong Learning and Spiritual Growth (Desiring God) explicitly references Augustine in the context of Psalm 119:36, quoting his famous prayer: “Command what you will and help me give what you command.” The preacher uses Augustine’s words to reinforce the legitimacy and necessity of praying for God to create in us the very desires and inclinations He commands, thus connecting the ancient Christian tradition of “grace-enabled obedience” directly to the application of Psalm 119:36. The sermon also references C.S. Lewis’s “Mere Christianity” (though not directly tied to Psalm 119:36) in discussing the integration of spiritual and physical life, but the Augustine reference is the one explicitly linked to the Psalm.

Psalm 119:36 Illustrations from Secular Sources:

Engaging Deeply with God's Word: A Faithful Journey (Desiring God) uses several vivid secular analogies to illustrate the affective dynamics behind Psalm 119:36. The preacher compares the thrill and fear of encountering God’s word to standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon, climbing mountains, or riding extreme amusement park rides like the 400-foot drop at Valley Fair. These analogies are used to explain why people seek out fear and awe in secular experiences—suggesting that such desires are echoes of the deeper, God-given longing to tremble before divine majesty. The preacher also references the phenomenon of people paying to be scared at horror movies, arguing that this is a misplaced spiritual instinct that Psalm 119:36 seeks to redirect toward God’s statutes.