David was assured that God, being good and upright, instructs sinners concerning the way (Psa. 25:8). David does not say what "the way" is. I believe that this refers to God's instructing sinners concerning the way of confessing their sins and concerning the way of God's forgiveness. Be assured that God, being good and upright, instructs us sinners concerning how to confess and how to receive His forgiveness.
David also said that God guides and teaches the lowly His way in justice and treats those who observe His covenant and testimonies in lovingkindness and truth (vv. 9-10). The word testimonies in the Psalms refers to the law with the Ten Commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances. In addition to the Ten Commandments, the law of Moses has many statutes. Then when the statutes are accompanied by judgments, they become ordinances. Ordinances are statutes with judgments. These are the three categories of the law—the Ten Commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances. In total, the law is God's testimony. In David's expressions we can see that he was in the sphere, the atmosphere, and even the element of the law, because he was born and living in the age of the law.
In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus did not teach people to keep the Old Testament law. According to the teaching of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 5—7, His inner law, the law of the kingdom of the heavens, is much higher and much deeper than the Ten Commandments. The law of the old covenant deals with the act of murder (Matt. 5:21), but the new law of the kingdom deals with anger, the motive of murder (v. 22). Anger produces murder, so in the New Testament, anger is equal to murder.
David goes on to say that God instructs the man who fears Him concerning the way that he should choose (Psa. 25:12). If you are such a person, David says that you will be one whose soul will dwell in prosperity and whose seed will possess the land (v. 13). This concept is according to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. To follow the Lord in the New Testament, we must forsake everything. Did the apostle Paul enjoy any kind of outward prosperity? He did not even have a family. He forsook all and lost everything in his pursuit of Christ.
David also said that God makes known to those who fear Him His intimate counsel and His covenant. Verse 14 says, "The intimate counsel of Jehovah belongs to those who fear Him,/And His covenant will He make known to them." David put the covenant, the law, together with God's intimate counsel. This is a mixed expression.
I would like us to consider whether we have ever experienced God's intimate counsel. Many Christians love the Psalms because it is filled with sweet terms such as intimate counsel. I experienced God's intimate counsel in a very real way when I was imprisoned by the Japanese invading army about fifty years ago in mainland China. The Japanese military police put me into prison twice, the second time for thirty days. I passed through many sufferings during that time, but God preserved me. Furthermore, through a dream God gave me the assurance that my life would be preserved. Even today this dream is still being fulfilled. The Lord also gave me other dreams during this period of imprisonment. All of these dreams were the very intimate counsel of God to me in my time of suffering. In one sense, I was suffering in prison, but the Lord was within me in an intimate way to give me His intimate counsel. I can also testify that I have enjoyed God's intimate counsel throughout the many years of my Christian life.
David speaks of God's intimate counsel, but he mixes this up with the old covenant, the law. The divine concept according to the tree of life and the human concept according to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil are seen in David's mixed expressions.