What does Psalm 139:24 mean?
David asked the Lord to see if any grievous way was in his heart or mind. "Grievous" here means something which causes pain or sorrow. This is the kind of pain that results from being afflicted because of sin. David wanted his conscience to be free of pain, and of any sense of offending God. Sin has natural, negative consequences. Proverbs 13:15 assures us that "the way of the transgressors is hard" (KJV).In this passage, David also asks God to lead him "in the way everlasting." As David uses it here, this might mean the ancient way that godly men of the past followed. This was the way that led ultimately to everlasting life, not as something to be gained by works but entered by grace. The apostle Paul pursued the way God's will had laid out for him, and at the end of his life he anticipated entering everlasting life in heaven. He testified, "The time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing" (2 Timothy 4:6–8).
Like David, we should ask the Lord to lead us in this "way everlasting."
