often in a horrible pit and miry clay. There is a certain spider which
forms a pit in sand, and lies concealed at the bottom, in order to seize
upon other insects that fall into it. Thus David’s enemies tried to
bring him into a pit. II. The _height_ of his goodness. He brought me
out, and set my feet upon a rock. That rock is Christ. Those feet are
faith and hope. III. The _breadth_ of his goodness established my
_goings_, restored me to my former place in his love, showing me still
to have been his during my low estate. He was the same to me, though I
felt not the same to him. My goings refer both to the past and the
future. IV. The _strength_ of his goodness _established_ my goings,
making me stand firmer after every fall.—_George Rogers._
_Verses 2, 3._—The sinner’s position by nature, and his rescue by grace.
_Verses 2, 3._—By one and the same act the Lord works our salvation, our
enemies’ confusion, and the church’s edification.—_J. P. Lange’s
Commentary._
_Verse 3._—The new song, the singer, the teacher.
_Verse 4 (last clause)._—I. Find out who turn aside to lies—Atheists,
Papists, self-righteous, lovers of sin. II. Show their folly in turning
aside from God and truth, and in turning to fallacies which lead to
death. III. Show how to be preserved from the like folly, by choosing
truth, truthful persons, and above all the service of God.
_Verse 5._—I. _There are works of God in his people and for his people._
There are his works of creation, of providence, and of redemption, and
also his works of grace, wrought in them by his Spirit, and around them
by his providence, as well as for them by his Son. II. _These are
wonderful works_; wonderful in their variety, their tenderness, their
adaptation to their need, their co-operation with outward means and
their power. III. _They are the result of the divine thoughts respecting
us._ They come not by chance, not by men, but by the hand of God, and
that hand is moved by his will, and that will by his thought respecting
us. Every mercy, even the least, represents some kind thought in the
mind of God respecting us. God thinks of each one of his people, and
every moment. IV. They are innumerable. “_They cannot be reckoned up._”
Could we see all the mercies of God to us and his wonderful works
wrought for us individually, they would be countless as the sands, and
all these countless mercies represent countless thoughts in the mind and
heart of God to each one of his people.—_George Rogers._
_Verse 5._—The multitude of God’s thoughts, and deeds of grace,
beginning in eternity, continuing for ever; and dealing with this life,
heaven, hell, sin, angels, devils, and indeed all things.
_Verse 6._—Here David goes beyond himself, and speaks the language of
David’s Son. This was naturally suggested by God’s wonderful works, and
innumerable thoughts of love to man. I. _The sacrifices that were not
required._ These were the sacrifices and burnt-offerings under the law.
1. When required? From Adam to the coming of Christ. 2. When not
required? 3. Why required before? As types of the one method of
redemption. 4. Why not now required? Because the great Antetype had
come. II. _The sacrifice that was required._ This was the sacrifice
offered on Calvary. 1. It was required by God by his justice, his
wisdom, his faithfulness, his love, his honour, his glory. 2. It was
required by man to give him salvation and confidence in that salvation.
3. It was required for the honour of the moral government of God
throughout the universe. III. _The person by whom this sacrifice was
offered._ “_Mine ears hast thou opened._” This is the language of
Christ, prospectively denoting—1. Knowledge of the sacrifice required.
2. Consecration of himself as a servant for that end.—_George Rogers._
_Verse 6.—“Mine ears hast thou opened.”_ Readiness to hear, fixity of
purpose, perfection of obedience, entireness of consecration.
_Verses 6-8._—The Lord gives an ear to hear his word, a mouth to confess
it, a heart to love it, and power to keep it.
_Verse 7._—I. The time of Christ’s coming. “_Then said I._” When types
were exhausted, when prophecies looked for their fulfilment, when
worldly wisdom had done its utmost, when the world was almost entirely
united under one empire, when the time appointed by the Father had come.
II. The design of his coming. “_In the volume_” was written—1. The
constitution of his person. 2. His teaching. 3. The manner of his life.
4. The design of his death. 5. His resurrection and ascension. 6. The
kingdom he would establish. III. The voluntariness of his coming, “_Lo,
I come._” Though sent by the Father, he came of his own accord. “Christ
Jesus came into the world.” Men do not come into the world, they are
sent into it. “_Lo, I come_,” denotes pre-existence, pre-determination,
pre-operation.—_George Rogers._
_Verse 8.—“To do thy will, O God.”_ I. The will of God is seen in the
fact of salvation. It has its origin in the will of God. II. The will of
God is seen in the plan of salvation. All things have proceeded, are
proceeding, and will proceed according to that plan. III. It is seen in
the provision of salvation, in the appointment of his own Son to become
the mediator, the atoning sacrifice, the law-fulfiller, the head of the
church, that his plan required. IV. It is seen in the accomplishment of
salvation.
_Verse 9._—Referring to our Lord; a great preacher, a great subject, a
great congregation, and his great faithfulness in the work.
_Verse 10 (first clause)._—I. The righteousness _possessed_ by God. II.
The righteousness _prescribed_ by God. III. The righteousness _provided_
by God.—_James Frame._
_Verse 10._—I. The preacher must reveal his whole message. II. He must
not conceal any part. 1. Not of the righteousness of the law or the
gospel. 2. Not of the lovingkindness of grace. 3. Not of any portion of
the truth. 1. To omit is to conceal. 2. To entangle with human
reasonings. 3. To cover with flowers of rhetoric. 4. To give a partial
representation. 5. To put one truth in the place of another. 6. To give
the letter without the spirit.—_G. R._
_Verse 10._—The great sin of concealing what we know of God.
_Verse 11._—Enrichment and preservation sought. The true riches are from
God, gifts of his sovereignty, fruits of his mercy, marked with his
tenderness. The best preservations are divine love and faithfulness.
_Verse 12._—Compare this with verse 5. The number of our sins, and the
number of his thoughts of love.
_Verse 12 (second clause)._—I. The soul arrested—“taken hold.” II. The
soul bewildered—“cannot look up.” III. The soul’s only refuge—prayer,
ver. 13.
_Verse 13._—I. The language of believing prayer—deliver me, help me;
looking for deliverance and help to God only. II. Of earnest prayer—make
haste to help me. III. Of submissive prayer—be pleased, O Lord, if
according to thy good pleasure. IV. Of consistent prayer. Help me, which
implies efforts for his own deliverance, putting his own shoulder to the
wheel.
_Verses 11-13._—As an instance of clerical ingenuity, it may be well to
mention that Canon Wordsworth has a sermon from these verses upon “The
duty of making responses in public prayer.”
_Verse 14._—_Honi soit qui mal y pense_; or, the reward of malignity.
_Verse 16 (last clause)._—An every-day saying. Who can use it? What does
it mean? Why should _they_ say it? Why say it continually?
_Verse 17._—The humble “_But_,” and the believing “_Yet_.” The little
“_I am_,” and the great “_Thou art_.” The fitting prayer.
_Verse 17.—“The Lord thinketh upon me.”_ Admire the condescension, and
then consider that this is—I. A promised blessing. II. A practical
blessing—he thinks upon us to supply, protect, direct, sanctify, etc.
III. A precious blessing—kind thoughts, continual, greatly good. He
thinks of us as his creatures with pity, as his children with love, as
his friends with pleasure. IV. A present blessing—promises, providences,
visitations of grace.
_Verse 17._—I. The less we think of ourselves the more God will think
upon us. II. The less we put trust in ourselves the more we may trust in
God for help and deliverance. III. The less delay in prayer and active
efforts the sooner God will appear for us.
Footnote 17:
Petitioning for or praying for.
Footnote 18:
A marginal note.
PSALM XLI.
TITLE.—To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. _This title has
frequently occurred before and serves to remind us of the value of the
Psalm, seeing that it was committed to no mean songster; and also to
inform us as to the author who has made his own experience the basis of
a prophetic song, in which a far greater than David is set forth. How
wide a range of experience David had! What power it gave him to edify
future ages! And how full a type of our Lord did he become! What was
bitterness to him has proved to be a fountain of unfailing sweetness to
many generations of the faithful._
_Jesus Christ betrayed of Judas Iscariot is evidently the great theme of
this Psalm, but we think not exclusively. He is the antitype of David,
and all his people are in their measure like him; hence words suitable
to the Great Representative are most applicable to those who are in him.
Such as receive a vile return for long kindness to others, may read this
song with much comfort, for they will see that it is alas! too common
for the best of men to be rewarded for their holy charity with cruelty
and scorn; and when they have been humbled by falling into sin,
advantage has been taken of their low estate, their good deeds have been
forgotten, and the vilest spite has been vented upon them._
DIVISION.—_The Psalmist in verses 1-3, describes the mercies which are
promised to such as consider the poor, and this he uses as a preface to
his own personal plea for succour: from verses 4-9 he states his own
case, proceeds to prayer in verse 10, and closes with thanksgiving,
verses 11-13._
EXPOSITION.
Blessed _is_ he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him
in time of trouble.
2 The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; _and_ he shall be
blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will
of his enemies.
3 The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou
wilt make all his bed in his sickness.
1. “_Blessed is he that considereth the poor._” This is the third Psalm
opening with a benediction, and there is a growth in it beyond the first
two. To search the word of God comes first, pardoned sin is second, and
now the forgiven sinner brings forth fruit unto God available for the
good of others. The word used is as emphatic as in the former cases, and
so is the blessing which follows it. The poor intended, are such as are
poor in substance, weak in bodily strength, despised in repute, and
desponding in spirit. These are mostly avoided and frequently scorned.
The worldly proverb bequeathes the hindmost to one who has no mercy. The
sick and the sorry are poor company, and the world deserts them as the
Amalekite left his dying servant. Such as have been made partakers of
divine grace receive a tenderer nature, and are not hardened against
their own flesh and blood; they undertake the cause of the down trodden,
and turn their minds seriously to the promotion of their welfare. They
do not toss them a penny and go on their way, but enquire into their
sorrows, sift out their cause, study the best ways for their relief, and
practically come to their rescue; such as these have the mark of the
divine favour plainly upon them, and are as surely the sheep of the
Lord’s pasture as if they wore a brand upon their foreheads. They are
not said to have considered the poor years ago, but they still do so.
Stale benevolence, when boasted of, argues present churlishness. First
and foremost, yea, far above all others put together in tender
compassion for the needy is our Lord Jesus, who so remembered our low
estate, that though he was rich, for our sakes he became poor. All his
attributes were charged with the task of our uplifting. He weighed our
case and came in the fulness of wisdom to execute the wonderful work of
mercy by which we are redeemed from our destructions. Wretchedness
excited his pity, misery moved his mercy, and thrice blessed is he both
by his God and his saints for his attentive care and wise action towards
us. He still considereth us; his mercy is always in the present tense,
and so let our praises be.
“_The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble._” The compassionate
lover of the poor thought of others and therefore God will think of him.
God measures to us with our own bushel. Days of trouble come even to the
most generous, and they have made the wisest provision for rainy days
who have lent shelter to others when times were better with them. The
promise is not that the generous saint shall have no trouble, but that
he shall be preserved in it, and in due time brought out of it. How true
was this of our Lord! never trouble deeper nor triumph brighter than
his, and glory be to his name, he secures the ultimate victory of all
his blood-bought ones. Would that they all were more like him in putting
on bowels of compassion to the poor. Much blessedness they miss who
stint their alms. The joy of doing good, the sweet reaction of another’s
happiness, the approving smile of heaven upon the heart, if not upon the
estate; all these the niggardly soul knows nothing of. Selfishness bears
in itself a curse, it is a cancer in the heart; while liberality is
happiness, and maketh fat the bones. In dark days we cannot rest upon
the supposed merit of almsgiving, but still the music of memory brings
with it no mean solace when it tells of widows and orphans whom we have
succoured, and prisoners and sick folk to whom we have ministered.
2. “_The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive._” His noblest life
shall be immortal, and even his mortal life shall be sacredly guarded by
the power of Jehovah. Jesus lived on till his hour came, nor could the
devices of crafty Herod take away his life till the destined hour had
struck; and even then no man took his life from him, but he laid it down
of himself, to take it again. Here is the portion of all those who are
made like their Lord, they bless and they shall be blessed, they
preserve and shall be preserved, they watch over the lives of others and
they themselves shall be precious in the sight of the Lord. The miser
like the hog is of no use till he is dead—then let him die; the
righteous like the ox is of service during life—then let him live. “_And
he shall be blessed upon the earth._” Prosperity shall attend him. His
cruse of oil shall not be dried up because he fed the poor prophet. He
shall cut from his roll of cloth and find it longer at both ends.
“There was a man, and some did count him mad,
The more he gave away the more he had.”
If temporal gains be not given him, spirituals shall be doubled to him.
His little shall be blessed, bread and water shall be a feast to him.
The liberal are and must be blessed even here; they have a present as
well as future portion. Our Lord’s real blessedness of heart in the joy
that was set before him is a subject worthy of earnest thought,
especially as it is the picture of the blessing which all liberal saints
may look for. “_And thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his
enemies._” He helped the distressed, and now he shall find a champion in
his God. What would not the good man’s enemies do to him if they had him
at their disposal? Better be in a pit with vipers than be at the mercy
of persecutors. This sentence sets before us a sweet negative, and yet
it were not easy to have seen how it could be true of our Lord Jesus,
did we not know that although he was exempted from much of blessing,
being made a curse for us, yet even he was not altogether nor for ever
left of God, but in due time was exalted above all his enemies.
3. “_The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing._” The
everlasting arms shall stay up his soul as friendly hands and downy
pillows stay up the body of the sick. How tender and sympathising is
this image; how near it brings our God to our infirmities and
sicknesses! Whoever heard this of the old heathen Jove, or of the gods
of India or China? This is language peculiar to the God of Israel; he it
is who deigns to become nurse and attendant upon good men. If he smites
with one hand he sustains with the other. Oh, it is blessed fainting
when one falls upon the Lord’s own bosom, and is upborne thereby! Grace
is the best of restoratives; divine love is the noblest stimulant for a
languishing patient; it makes the soul strong as a giant, even when the
aching bones are breaking through the skin. No physician like the Lord,
no tonic like his promise, no wine like his love. “_Thou wilt make all
his bed in his sickness._” What, doth the Lord turn bedmaker to his sick
children? Herein is love indeed. Who would not consider the poor if such
be the promised reward? A bed soon grows hard when the body is weary
with tossing to and fro upon it, but grace gives patience, and God’s
smile gives peace, and the bed is made soft because the man’s heart is
content; the pillows are downy because the head is peaceful. Note that
the Lord will make all his bed, from head to foot. What considerate and
indefatigable kindness! Our dear and ever blessed Lord Jesus, though in
all respects an inheritor of this promise, for our sakes condescended to
forego the blessing, and died on a cross and not upon a bed; yet, even
there, he was after awhile upheld and cheered by the Lord his God, so
that he died in triumph.
We must not imagine that the benediction pronounced in these three
verses belongs to all who casually give money to the poor, or leave it
in their wills, or contribute to societies. Such do well, or act from
mere custom, as the case may be, but they are not here alluded to. The
blessing is for those whose habit it is to love their neighbour as
themselves, and who for Christ’s sake feed the hungry and clothe the
naked. To imagine a man to be a saint who does not consider the poor as
he has ability, is to conceive the fruitless fig tree to be acceptable;
there will be sharp dealing with many professors on this point in the
day when the King cometh in his glory.
4 I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned
against thee.
5 Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name
perish?
6 And if he come to see _me_, he speaketh vanity: his heart
gathereth iniquity to itself; _when_ he goeth abroad, he telleth
_it_.
7 All that hate me whisper together against me; against me do they
devise my hurt.
8 An evil disease, _say they_, cleaveth fast unto him: and _now_
that he lieth he shall rise up no more.
9 Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of
my bread, hath lifted up _his_ heel against me.
Here we have a controversy between the pleader and his God. He had been
a tender friend to the poor, and yet in the hour of his need the
promised assistance was not forthcoming. In our Lord’s case there was a
dark and dreary night in which such arguments were well befitting
himself and his condition.
_4. “I said”_—said it in earnest prayer—“_Lord, be merciful unto me._”
Prove now thy gracious dealings with my soul in adversity, since thou
didst aforetime give me grace to act liberally in my prosperity. No
appeal is made to justice; the petitioner but hints at the promised
reward, but goes straightforward to lay his plea at the feet of mercy.
How low was our Redeemer brought when such petitions could come from his
reverend mouth, when his lips like lilies dropped such sweet smelling
but bitter myrrh! “_Heal my soul._” My time of languishing is come, now
do as thou hast said, and strengthen me, especially in my soul. We ought
to be far more earnest for the soul’s healing than for the body’s ease.
We hear much of the cure of souls, but we often forget to care about it.
“_For I have sinned against thee._” Here was the root of sorrow. Sin and
suffering are inevitable companions. Observe that by the Psalmist sin
was felt to be mainly evil because directed against God. This is of the
essence of true repentance. The immaculate Saviour could never have used
such language as this unless there be here a reference to the sin which
he took upon himself by imputation; and for our part we tremble to apply
words so manifestly indicating personal rather than imputed sin.
Applying the petition to David and other sinful believers, how strangely
evangelical is the argument: heal me, not for I am innocent, but “_I
have sinned._” How contrary is this to all self-righteous pleading! How
consonant with grace! How inconsistent with merit! Even the fact that
the confessing penitent had remembered the poor, is but obliquely urged,
but a direct appeal is made to mercy on the ground of great sin. O
trembling reader, here is a divinely revealed precedent for thee, be not
slow to follow it.
5. “_Mine enemies speak evil of me._” It was their nature to do and
speak evil; it was not possible that the child of God could escape them.
The viper fastened on Paul’s hand: the better the man the more likely,
and the more venomous the slander. Evil tongues are busy tongues, and
never deal in truth. Jesus was traduced to the utmost, although no
offence was in him. “_When shall he die, and his name perish?_” They
could not be content till he was away. The world is not wide enough for
evil men to live in while the righteous remain, yea, the bodily presence
of the saints may be gone, but their memory is an offence to their foes.
It was never merry England, say they, since men took to Psalm-singing.
In the Master’s case, they cried, “Away with such a fellow from the
earth, it is not fit that he should live.” If persecutors could have
their way, the church should have but one neck, and that should be on
the block. Thieves would fain blow out all candles. The lights of the
world are not the delights of the world. Poor blind bats, they fly at
the lamp, and try to dash it down; but the Lord liveth, and preserveth
both the saints and their names.
6. “_And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity._” His visits of
sympathy are visitations of mockery. When the fox calls on the sick lamb
his words are soft, but he licks his lips in hope of the carcass. It is
wretched work to have spies haunting one’s bedchamber, calling in
pretence of kindness, but with malice in their hearts. Hypocritical talk
is always fulsome and sickening to honest men, but especially to the
suffering saint. Our divine Lord had much of this from the false hearts
that watched his words. “_His heart gathereth iniquity to itself._” Like
will to like. The bird makes its nest of feathers. Out of the sweetest
flowers chemists can distil poison, and from the purest words and deeds
malice can gather groundwork for calumnious report. It is perfectly
marvellous how spite spins webs out of no materials whatever. It is no
small trial to have base persons around you lying in wait for every word
which they may pervert into evil. The Master whom we serve was
constantly subject to this affliction. “_When he goeth abroad, he
telleth it._” He makes his lies, and then vends them in open market. He
is no sooner out of the house than he outs with his lie, and this
against a sick man whom he called to see as a friend—a sick man to whose
incoherent and random speeches pity should be showed. Ah, black-hearted
wretch! A devil’s cub indeed. How far abroad men will go to publish
their slanders! They would fain placard the sky with their falsehoods. A
little fault is made much of; a slip of the tongue is a libel, a mistake
a crime, and if a word can bear two meanings the worse is always
fathered upon it. Tell it in Gath, publish it in Askelon, that the
daughters of the uncircumcised may triumph. It is base to strike a man
when he is down, yet such is the meanness of mankind towards a Christian
hero should he for awhile chance to be under a cloud.
7. “_All that hate me whisper together against me._” The spy meets his
comrades in conclave and sets them all a whispering. Why could they not
speak out? Were they afraid of the sick warrior? Or were their designs
so treacherous that they must needs be hatched in secresy? Mark the
unanimity of the wicked—“_all._” How heartily the dogs unite to hunt the
stag! Would God we were half as united in holy labour as persecutors in
their malicious projects, and were half as wise as they are crafty, for
their whispering was craft as well as cowardice, the conspiracy must not
be known till all is ready. “_Against me do they devise my hurt._” They
lay their heads together, and scheme and plot. So did Ahithophel and the
rest of Absalom’s counsellors, so also did the chief priests and
Pharisees. Evil men are good at devising; they are given to meditation,
they are deep thinkers, but the mark they aim at is evermore the hurt of
the faithful. Snakes in the grass are never there for a good end.