Images de page
PDF
ePub

As to the application of this psalm to David, he first begs of God to preserve him, and declares that he puts his trust in God. Then by way of proof of his trusting in God, he expresses the conviction of his soul, that he has nothing of his own to trust in; he has no goodness fit to offer to God's acceptance; he is aware of this, he is ready at all times to own it. And though he feels that he can do nothing really serviceable to the Lord, he does what good he can to the Lord's people; to the excellent, in whom is his delight. He notes how grievous is the case of those who hasten after any other god, and renounces all participation in their sin. He avows that he, for his part, has the Lord for the portion of his inheritance, and that he wishes for no other. It was a lot which was both profitable and pleasant, and which left him nothing more to be desired. He blesses the Lord for having given him the wisdom to choose it, and to abide by the happy choice. And in the stillness of the night, when he communed with his own heart, he states that he had the testimony of his conscience that his lot was excellent.

Thus far perhaps David's words applied in the first instance to himself. But they apply also, in some measure, to our blessed Saviour; who, inasmuch as He was man as well as God, prayed earnestly, and trusted faithfully, and might well ascribe his perfect goodness to his union with the divine nature, and had such joy in the portion set before Him, that for the sake of it He endured the shame and pain of the cross. And we know that the remainder of the psalm applies most exactly to our Saviour's case. He it was, who being at once God and man, had the Spirit without measure, and could not be in any thing moved from the stedfastness of his purpose, or from the perfectness of his joy. He it was who rejoiced to know assuredly that his body, when dead and buried, would not remain in the grave; that his soul would not be left in the regions of the dead, but that the path of resurrection would be pointed out to Him, and the way of ascension into heaven. But though these words do most strictly and properly apply to Christ, we cannot but think that David, as he prophetically wrote them, knew that he had himself some interest in their meaning. And we cannot but rejoice to know, that Christ was the first fruits of an abundant harvest; and that we like Him, have ground to trust in God, and to rejoice and glory in the hope, that when we die we shall not die eternally, when we lie down to rest in the grave, we shall soon arise from corruption to incorruption. We have been made God's holy ones, sons of his, elect, precious, heirs of immortality, citizens of heaven. The path of life has been pointed out to us, the entrance into heaven has been opened. And it must be our own fault, if, when Christ has gone before to prepare a place for us, we follow not after to share with Him the fulness of joy in God's presence, and at God's right hand "pleasures for evermore."

David prayeth God to defend him from his enemies.
A prayer of David.

1 Hear the right, O LORD, attend unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.

2 Let my sentence come forth from thy presence; let thine eyes behold the things that are equal.

3 Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.

4 Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer.

5 Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not. 6 I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.

7 Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them.

8 Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow

of thy wings,

9 From the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about.

10 They are inclosed in their own fat: with their mouth they speak proudly.

11 They have now compassed us in our steps: they have set their eyes bowing down to the earth;

12 Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.

13 Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword:

14 From men which are thy hand, O LORD, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.

15 As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.

LECTURE 847.

How the wicked are a sword in the hand of God. Happy is that man, who when he prays to God, can conscientiously say, that his prayer "goeth not out of feigned lips!" Happy is he, whose conscience testifies, that upon God's proving him, and trying his heart, no wilful sin would be found harboured there! David could thus confidently appeal to the heart searching God; being most fully purposed that he would not transgress in the words of his lips; and having been also enabled, by means of God's word, to keep himself from the paths of the destroyer, in respect to the works of his hands. If, like David, we can venture to appeal to God from the false judgments of man, and from the false accusations of Satan, let us be aware that we shall still need to pray earnestly to God, as David did, beseeching Him to hold

our goings in his paths, that our footsteps slip not. Men often think that it is scarcely possible, without presumption, to aim at keeping a conscience void of offence both towards God and towards man. But the truth is, that there is no possibility of succeeding in this object, except by the most deep humility, and most entire renouncing of all trust in our own strength, and most heartfelt reliance on our Saviour.

David states to God that he had called upon Him, and proceeds to call upon Him yet further. He entreats God to shew his marvellous loving kindness, addressing Him as One who is ready to save all who put their trust in Him. He begs of God to preserve him with the care and tenderness with which the eyeball is protected, and to hide him under the shadow of the almighty wings from his deadly enemies who compassed him about. He then mentions the way in which these enemies beset him, describing them as proud and thriving persons, who were tracking him as if they were hunting a wild animal, or like lions seeking for their prey. And beseeching God to disappoint these malicious men, he speaks of them as the sword of the Lord, the instrument of chastisement wielded by his hand, whom He allows in the wisdom of his providence to prosper in this life, reserving their judgment for the life which is to come.

This is a striking view of one use to which wicked men are put by almighty God. They are his sword to destroy each other, and to chastise his faithful servants when they need correction. A sharp sword they certainly prove oftentimes. But, God be praised, it is wielded by One who is a tender Father to his reconciled children, and who will not suffer the malice of wicked men to rob us of our lasting peace. "Deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword." Though we see the hand of God in any oppression or persecution which is brought upon us by evil men, though we know that it is God's hand which wields this piercing sword, still we may pray God to deliver us from it, we may ask Him to spare us in his mercy that which we in our sinfulness have provoked. Only after every such petition let us say, "Not my will, but thine be done." Luke 22. 42. And whether God sees fit to spare us now or not, let us feel most thoroughly persuaded, that the time is short, and our sleep in Jesus nigh at hand, and that when we wake up in the resurrection, with bodies fashioned like unto his glorious body, and with souls conformed to the pattern of his, all our past tribulations will be swallowed up in that eternal joy, and we shall be infinitely satisfied with it.

Thanks be to Thee, O God, for assuring us in thy word, that Thou carest for us, and watchest over us, and wilt redress, in thy due time, all that amongst us which is wrong! Grant, we pray Thee, that we thy servants in the mean while may make it our constant study to do, and say, and think always, that which Thou teachest us is right!

David praiseth God for deliverance from all his foes.

To the chief musician, A psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: And he said,

1 I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.

2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

4 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.

5 The sorrows of hell compassed me about the snares of death prevented me.

:

6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.

7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. 8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.

9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down and darkness was under his feet.

10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

12 At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.

13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.

14 Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.

15 Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.

16 He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.

17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.

18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.

19 He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

20 The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. 21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

22 For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.

23 I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.

24 Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

LECTURE 848.

The graciousness of One so great as God in fighting for man. This psalm occurs in nearly the same words, towards the conclusion of the second book of Samuel. See 2 Sam. 22. At that period of his history, David had been delivered both from the hand of Saul, and from the rebellion of Absalom. He had also then been rescued, by the loving kindness of the Lord, from the power of those most grievous sins, into which he had fallen through the malice of the devil, and through the snares of his own heart. Most suitably therefore does he begin this strain of triumphant praise with saying, "I will love thee, O Lord, my strength." Most seasonably may his words remind us of that duty, which St. John has urged upon our attention, to love God because He has first loved us. See 1 John 4. 19. God has been to us, and is to us, and is willing to be to us for evermore, all that He was to David; a Protector from all evil, a Defender from all enemies; One who hears our prayers when we cry out in our distress, and who delivers us, because however little we deserve it, He vouchsafes to take pleasure in us. And oh! what grace, what mercy, what marvellous condescension, is this in Him to love us, seeing how great He is! How beyond all our power to explain it, is the mystery of the love which He manifests towards us, seeing what irresistible strength He can employ, if He so thinks fit, in the cause of his faithful servants! Thus storms and tempests have been used to be from of old his messengers to fulfil his will. And perhaps in every instance of a sinner rescued from Satan's bondage, there is an exercise of the might of the Most High, which these awful demonstrations of his terrible majesty can but faintly shadow forth to us. Our enemies are too strong for us. But God is also too strong for them. And all the terrors of the most frightful storm, here so vividly pourtrayed, are probably no more than God knows how to work in the world of spirits, as easily as in the world of sense, for the discomfiture of the devil and his angels. Let us remember, that we have no reason to expect God thus to deal with us in mercy, and manifest his terrors to our enemies, except according to our righteousness, according to the righteousness which is ours by faith in Christ. If we sin, and repent not, if we put not our whole trust in the merits of Him who did no sin, we have no part nor lot in this matter. But if we believe in Him who justifies the ungodly, if we both believe, and through faith love to obey, then have we, like David, the great God of heaven on our side, and we may then join with David to sing a song of thankfulness to God for deliverance from all our enemies.

« PrécédentContinuer »