restore that which he took not away? For, can I charge God with the
taking away the joy of his salvation from me? O gracious God, I charge
not thee with taking it, but myself with losing it; and such is the
miserable condition of us poor wretches, that if thou shouldst restore
no more to us than what thou takest from us, we should quickly be at a
fault in our estates, and our ruin would be as sudden as inevitable. But
why am I so earnest for restoring? for what good will restoring do me?
and how shall I more keep it being restored, than I kept it before being
enjoyed? and if I so enjoy it, as still to fear to lose it, what joy can
there be in such enjoying? O therefore, not restore it only, but
“_establish me with thy free spirit_;” that as by thy restoring I may
enjoy it entirely, so by thy establishing I may enjoy it securely.—_Sir
Richard Baker._
_Verse 12.—“Uphold me.”_ I am tempted to think that I am now an
established Christian, that I have overcome this or that lust so long
that I have got into the habit of the opposite grace, so that there is
no fear; I may venture very near the temptation, nearer than other men.
This is a lie of Satan. I might as well speak of gunpowder getting by
habit a power of resisting fire, so as not to catch the spark. As long
as powder is wet it resists the spark, but when it becomes dry it is
ready to explode at the first touch. As long as the Spirit dwells in my
heart, he deadens me to sin, so that if lawfully called through
temptation I may reckon upon God carrying me through. But when the
Spirit leaves me, I am like dry gunpowder. Oh, for a sense of
this!—_Robert Murray M’Cheyne._
_Verse 12.—“Uphold me with thy free spirit.”_ A loving mother chooses a
fitting place, and a fitting time, to let her little child fall; it is
learning to walk, it is getting over confident, it may come to a
dangerous place, and if possessed of all this confidence, may fall and
destroy itself. So she permits it to fall at such a place, and in such a
way as that it may be hurt, wholesomely hurt, but not dangerously so. It
has now lost its confidence, and clings all the more fondly and
trustingly to the strong hand that is able to hold up all its goings. So
this David, this little child of the great God, has fallen; it is a sore
fall, all his bones are broken, but it has been a precious and a
profitable lesson to him; he has no confidence any longer in himself,
his trust is not now in an arm of flesh. “Uphold me with thy free
spirit.”—_Thomas Alexander._
_Verse 12 (last clause).—“Let a free spirit sustain me;”_ that is, let
me not be enslaved, as I have been, by my sinful passions.—_Henry
Dimock, M.A., 1791._
_Verse 13.—“Then will I teach transgressors thy ways,”_ etc. We see our
duty craves that when we have received mercy from God for ourselves, we
should make vantage of it for the edification of others. Every talent
received from God should be put to profit, but specially the talent of
mercy; as it is greatest, so the Lord requires greater fruit of it, both
for his own glory and for the edification of our brethren. Seeing we are
vessels of mercy, should not the scent and sweet odour of mercy go from
us to others? This duty Christ craved from Peter: “And thou, when thou
art converted, confirm thy brethren.” And this duty, as David here
promiseth, so we may read how he did perform it: “Come unto me, all ye
that fear God, and I will tell you what he hath done for my soul.” The
property of a Christian is, _fides per delectionem efficax_, faith
worketh by love. What availeth it to pretend faith toward God, where
there is no love toward thy neighbour? and wherein can thy love be
declared more than in this, to draw thy neighbour to the participation
of that same merit whereunto God hath called thee? By the law a man was
bound to bring home his neighbour’s wandering beast if he had met with
it before; how much more, then, to turn again his neighbour himself when
he wanders from the Lord his God? If two men walking on the way should
both fall into one pit, and the one being relieved out of it should go
his way and forget his neighbour, might it not justly be called a
barbarous and inhuman cruelty? We have all fallen into one and the same
mire of iniquity; since the Lord hath put out his merciful hand to draw
us out of this prison of sin, shall we refuse to put out our hand to see
if possibly we may draw up our brethren with us?—_William Cowper
(Bishop)._
_Verse 14 (first clause).—“Deliver me from bloods.”_ The term _bloods_
in Hebrew may denote any capital crime; and in my opinion he is here to
be considered as alluding to the sentence of death, to which he felt
himself to be obnoxious, and from which he requests deliverance.—_John
Calvin._
_Verse 14 (first clause)._—The Chaldee reads, “_Deliver me from the
judgment of murder_.”
_Verse 14.—“O God, thou God of my salvation.”_ “_O God_,” is a good
invocation, for he heareth prayers. Yet to distinguish him from all
false gods he is so particular as to single him from all other: “_Thou
God._” And to magnify him, and to re-enforce his petition, he calleth
him _Deum salutis_, “_the God of salvation_,” which expresseth him able
to deliver him; for it is his nature, and his love, and his glory, to be
a preserver of men. And to bring home this joy and comfort into his own
heart, he addeth, _salutis meæ_, “_of my salvation_.” So it is _oratio
fervens_, and the apostle telleth us that such a prayer prevaileth much
with God. For God may be a Saviour and a deliverer, and yet we may
escape his saving hand, his right hand may skip us. We can have no
comfort in the favours of God, except we can apply them at home; rather
we may “think on God and be troubled.”—_Samuel Page._
_Verse 14.—“And my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.”_
Hierom, Basil, Euthymius, and other ancient doctors observe that natural
corruptions and actual sins are the very rampiers which stop the free
passage of song (verse 15). So David himself doth expound himself:
“_Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God: and my tongue shall sing aloud
of thy righteousness._” His unthankfulness did cry, his adultery cry,
his murder cry unto the Lord for revenge; but alas! himself was mute,
till God in exceeding great mercy did stop the mouths of his clamorous
adversaries, and gave him leave to speak.—_John Boys._
_Verse 14.—“Aloud.”_ This for God, for himself, for the church. 1. _For
God_, that his honour may be proclaimed, therefore they borrowed the
voice of still and loud instruments.... 2. _For himself._ Having
received such a benefit, he cannot contain himself, this new wine of
spiritual joy which filleth his vessel must have a vent. All passions
are loud. Anger chides loud, sorrow cries loud, fear shrieks loud, and
joy sings loud. So he expresseth the vehemency of his affection; for to
whom much is forgiven, they love much. 3. _For others._ Iron whetteth
iron—examples of zeal and devotion affect much, and therefore solemn and
public assemblies do generally tender the best service to God, because
one provoketh another.—_Samuel Page._
_Verse 15.—“O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy
praise.”_ As man is a little world in the great, so the tongue is a
great world in the little. _Nihil habet medium; aut grande malum est,
aut grande bonum._[23] It has no mean; it is either a great evil, or a
great good. If good (as Eunapius said of that famous rhetorician), _a
walking library_, a whole university of edifying knowledge; but if bad
(as St. James doth tell us, ch. iii. 6), “_a world of wickedness_.” No
better dish for God’s public service, when it is well seasoned; again,
none worse, when ill handled. So that if we desire to be doorkeepers in
God’s house, let us entreat God first to be a doorkeeper in our house,
that he would shut the wicket of our mouth against unsavoury speeches,
and open the door of our lips, “_that our mouth may shew forth his
praise_.” This was David’s prayer, and ought to be thy practice, wherein
observe three points especially; who, _the Lord_; what, _open my lips_;
why, _that my mouth shall shew forth thy praise_. For the first—man of
himself cannot untie the strings of his own stammering tongue, but it is
God only which openeth “a door of utterance.” Col. iv. 3. When we have a
good thought, it is (as the school doth speak) _gratia infusa_; when a
good word, _gratia effusa_; when a good work, _gratia diffusa_. Man is a
lock, the Spirit of God has a key, “which openeth, and no man shutteth;”
again, “shutteth, and no man openeth.” Rev. iii. 7. He did open the
heart of Lydia to conceive well, the ears of the prophet to hear well,
the eyes of Elisha’s servant to see well, and here the lips of David to
speak well. Acts xvi.; Isai. 1.; 2 Kings vi. And therefore, whereas in
the former verse he might seem too peremptory, saying, “_My tongue shall
sing aloud of thy righteousness_;” he doth, as it were, correct himself
by this latter edition and second speech: O Lord, I find myself most
unable to sing or say, but “_open thou my lips_,” and touch thou my
tongue, and then I am sure “_my mouth shall shew forth thy
praise_.”—_John Boys._
_Verse 15.—“O Lord, open thou my lips,”_ etc. Again he seems to have the
case of the leper before his mind, with the upper lip covered, and only
crying unclean, unclean; and he prays as a spiritual leper to be
enabled, with freedom and fulness, to publish abroad the praise of his
God.—_W. Wilson._
_Verse 15 (first clause)._—He prays that _his lips may be opened_; in
other words, that God would afford him matter of praise. The meaning
usually attached to the expression is, that God would so direct his
tongue by the Spirit as to fit him for singing his praises. But though
it is true that God must supply us with words, and that if he do not, we
cannot fail to be silent in his praise, David seems rather to intimate
that his mouth must be shut until God called him to the exercise of
thanksgiving by extending pardon.—_John Calvin._
_Verse 16.—“For thou desirest not sacrifice;”_ etc. There may be another
reason why David here affirms that God would not accept of a sacrifice,
nor be pleased with a burnt-offering. No particular sacrifices were
appointed by the law of Moses to expiate the guilt of murder and
adultery. The person who had perpetrated these crimes was, according to
the divine law, to be punished with death. David therefore may be
understood as declaring, that it was utterly vain for him to think of
resorting to sacrifices and burnt-offerings with a view to the expiation
of his guilt; that his criminality was of such a character, that the
ceremonial law made no provision for his deliverance from the doom which
his deeds of horror deserved; and that the only sacrifices which would
avail were those mentioned in the succeeding verse, “_The sacrifices of
a broken heart._”—_John Calvin._
_Verse 16.—“Else would I give it thee.”_ And good reason it is, that we
who lie daily at the beautiful gate of the temple begging alms of him,
and receiving from his open hand, who openeth his hand, and filleth with
his plenty every living thing, should not think much to return to him
such offerings of our goods as his law requireth.—_Samuel Page._
_Verses 16, 17._—And now I was thinking what were fit _to offer to God_
for all his lovingkindness he has showed me; and I thought upon
_sacrifices_, for they have sometimes been pleasing to him, and he hath
oftentimes smelt a sweet odour from them; but I considered that
sacrifices were but shadows of things to come, and are not now in that
grace they have been; for _old things are past, and new are now come_;
the shadows are gone, the substances are come in place. The bullocks
that are to be sacrificed now are our hearts; it were easier for me to
give him bullocks for sacrifice, than to give him my heart. But why
should I offer him that he cares not for? my heart, I know, he cares
for; and if it be broken, and offered up by penitence and contrition, it
is the only sacrifice that now he delights in. But can we think God to
be so indifferent that he will accept of a broken heart? Is a thing that
is broken good for anything? Can we drink in a broken glass? Or can we
lean upon a broken staff? But though other things may be the worse for
breaking, yet a heart is never at the best till it be broken; for till
it be broken we cannot see what is in it; till it be broken, it cannot
send forth its sweetest odour; and therefore, though God loves a whole
heart in affection, yet he loves a broken heart in sacrifice. And no
marvel, indeed, seeing it is he himself that breaks it; for as nothing
but goat’s blood can break the adamant, so nothing but the blood of our
scape-goat, Jesus Christ, is able to break our adamantine hearts.
Therefore, accept, O God, my broken heart, which I offer thee with a
whole heart; seeing thou canst neither except against it for being
whole, which is broken in sacrifice, nor except against it for being
broken, which is whole in affection.—_Sir Richard Baker._
_Verse 17.—“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a
contrite heart,”_ etc. When speaking of _thankfulness_, we might have
expected him to say, “a _joyful_ heart, or a thankful heart,” but
instead of that he says, “a contrite heart.” For the joy of forgiveness
does not banish sorrow and contrition for sin: this will still continue.
And the deeper the sense of sin, and the truer the sorrow for it, the
more heartfelt also will be the thankfulness for pardon and
reconciliation. The tender, humble, broken heart, is therefore the best
thank-offering.—_J. J. Stewart Perowne._
_Verse 17._—It may be observed that the second word, נִדְכֶּה, which we
render _contrite_, denotes the being bruised and broken to pieces, as a
thing is bruised in a mortar (See Numbers xi. 8), and therefore, in a
moral sense, signifies such a weight of sorrow as must wholly crush the
mind without some powerful and seasonable relief.—_Samuel Chandler._
_Verse 18.—“In thy good pleasure.”_ Whatever we seek must ever be sought
under this restriction, “_Thy good pleasure._” Build thou, but do it in
thine own wise time, in thine own good way. Build thou the walls of
separation that divide the church from the world; let them be _in_ it,
not _of_ it; keep them from its evil. Build thou the walls that bind,
that unite thy people into one city, under one polity, that they all may
be one. Build thou, and raze thou; raze all the inner walls that divide
thy people from thy people; hasten that day when, as there is but one
Shepherd, so shall there be but one sheep-fold.—_Thomas Alexander._
_Verses 18, 19._—Some learned Jewish interpreters, while they assign the
Psalm to the occasion mentioned in the title, conjecture that the 18th
and 19th verses were added by some Jewish bard, in the time of the
Babylonish captivity. This opinion is also held by Venema, Green,
Street, French and Skinner. There does not, however, seem to be any
sufficient ground for referring the poem, either in whole or in part, to
that period. Neither the walls of Jerusalem, nor the buildings of Zion,
as the royal palace and the magnificent structure of the temple, which
we know David had already contemplated for the worship of God (2 Samuel
vii. 1, etc.), were completed during his reign. This was only effected
under the reign of his son Solomon. 1 Kings iii. 1.
The prayer, then, in the 18th verse might have a particular reference to
the completion of these buildings, and especially to the rearing of the
temple, in which sacrifices of unprecedented magnitude were to be
offered. David’s fears might easily suggest to him that his crimes might
prevent the building of the temple, which God had promised should be
erected. 2 Samuel vii. 13. “The king forgets not,” observes Bishop
Horne, “to ask mercy for his people as well as for himself; that so
neither his own nor their sins might prevent either the building and
flourishing of the earthly Jerusalem, or what was of infinitely greater
importance, the promised blessing of Messiah, who was to descend from
him, and to rear the walls of the New Jerusalem.”—_James Anderson’s Note
to Calvin_, _in loc._
HINTS TO PREACHERS.
[_The Psalm is upon its surface so full of suggestions for sermons that
I have not attempted to offer any of my own, but have merely inserted a
selection from Mr. G. Rogers and others._]
_Verse 1._—I. The Prayer. 1. For mercy, not justice, Mercy is the
sinner’s attribute—as much a part of the divine nature as justice. The
possibility of sin is implied in its existence. The actual commission of
sin is implied in its display. 2. For pardon, not pity merely, but
forgiveness. II. The plea. 1. For the pardon of great sins on account of
great mercies, and lovingkindness. 2. Many sins on account of multitude
of mercies. 3. Hell-deserving sins on account of tender mercies. We who
have sinned are human, he who pardons is divine.
“Great God, thy _nature_ hath no bound,
_So_ let thy pardoning love be found.”
_Verse 3._—I. Confession. “I acknowledge,” etc. II. Humiliation, not a
mere confession with the lips, but ever before me—in its
guilt—defilement—consequences in this life and hereafter.
_Verses 3, 4, 11, 12, 17._—I. Scripture estimate of sin. 1. Personal
accountability—“_My sin._” 2. Estimated as hateful to God—“_Against
thee_,” etc. 3. Sin estimated as separation from God. II. Spiritual
restoration. First step—Sacrifice of a broken spirit. Last step—Spirit
of liberty. “_Thy free spirit._”—_F. W. Robertson._
_Verse 4._—1. The person—“_I_.” 2. The commission—“_done_.” 3. The
trespass—“_evil_.” 4. The particularity—“_this_.” 5. The daring of
it—“_in thy sight_.”—_Samuel Page._
_Verse 4.—“Against thee.”_ 1. Thee, an _holy_ God—a God of pure eyes,
and that cannot endure to behold iniquity. 2. Thee, a _just_ God—who
will _punish_ sin. 3. Thee, an _Almighty_ God. 4. Thee, a _gracious_
God.—_T. Horton._
_Verse 4._—I. Self-condemnation. 1. For the greatness of sin. Not
against self merely, or fellow men, but God. This includes all guilt,
for all is against him. 2. Its effrontery, “in thy sight.” II. Divine
justification. 1. In the permission of sin. 2. In its punishment. 3. In
its forgiveness. God must be justified when he justifies the ungodly.
_Verse 6._—See T. Goodwin’s Treatise, entitled, “An Unregenerate Man’s
Guiltiness before God, in respect of Sin and Punishment.” Bk. ix. cap.
i. ii. [Nichol’s edition, Vol. X., p. 324 _et seq._]
_Verse 7._—Here is, I. Faith in the fact of an atonement for sin. “I
shall be clean.” II. Faith in the method of its application. “Purge me,”
etc. Sprinkled as the blood of sacrifices. III. Faith in its efficacy.
“I shall be whiter,” etc.
_Verse 10._—I. The change to be effected. 1. A clean heart. 2. A right
spirit. II. The power by which it is accomplished. 1. A creative power,
such as created the world at first. 2. A renewing power, such as
continually renews the face of the earth. III. The acquirement of these
blessings. The prayer, “Create,” etc.
_Verse 11 (first clause)._—I am not cast away, and would be thankful. I
deserve to be cast away, and ought to be penitential. I am afraid of
being cast away, and must be prayerful. “Cast me not away.” 1. From thy
_protecting_ presence into _danger_. 2. From thy _loving_ presence into
_wrath_. 3. From thy _joyous_ presence into _distress_. 4. From thy
_affluent_ presence into _destitution_. 5. From thy _gracious_ presence
into _despair_. Sin hurries us away from God; grace hastens us into his
embrace: the former severs, and the latter unites, God and the soul.—_W.
Jackson._
_Verse 11._—I. There is often much comfort in much grief. “Cast me not,”
etc. A consciousness of still having the divine presence and a dread of
losing it, prompts the prayer. II. There is often much faith in much
fear. “Take not,” etc. Faith in the spirit works within him while he
fears.
_Verses 12-13._—A threefold desire: 1. To be _happy_—“Restore,” etc. 2.
To be _consistent_—“Uphold,” etc. 3. To be _useful_—“Then will I teach,”
etc.—_W. Jackson._
_Verse 13._—I. It is not our duty to seek the conversion of others until
we are converted ourselves. II. The greater enjoyment we have in the
ways of God, the more faithfully and earnestly we shall make them known
to others. III. The more faithfully and earnestly we make them known to
others the more they will be influenced by them.
_Verse 15._—I. Confession. His lips are sealed on account—1. Of his
fall—and well they might be. 2. Of natural timidity. 3. Of want of zeal.
II. Petition. “Open thou,” etc. Not my understanding merely and heart,
but “lips.” III. Resolution. Then he would speak freely in God’s praise.
_Verse 15._—I. When God does not open our lips we had better keep them
closed. II. When he does open them we ought not to close them. III. When
he opens them it is not to speak in our own praise, and seldom in praise
of others, but always in his own praise. IV. We should use this prayer
whenever we are about to speak in his name. “O Lord, open,” etc.
_Verses 16-17._—I. Men would gladly do something towards their own
salvation if they could. “Thou desirest not,” etc., else would I give
it. II. All that they can do is not of the least avail. All the
ceremonial observances of Jewish or Gentile churches could not procure
pardon for the least transgression of the moral law. III. The only
offering of man which God will not despise is a broken and a contrite
heart. IV. All other requirement for his salvation God himself will
provide.
_Verse 18._—I. For whom is the prayer offered—for the church or Zion? 1.
Next to our own welfare we should seek the welfare of Zion. 2. All
should seek it by prayer. II. For what is the prayer offered? 1. The
kind of good, not worldly or ecclesiastical, but spiritual. 2. The
measure of good. “In thy good pleasure. Thine own love to it, and what
thou hast already done for it.” 3. The continuance of good. “Build,”
etc. Its doctrines, graces, zeal.
_Verse 19._—I. When we are accepted of God our offerings are accepted.
“Then,” etc. II. We should then make the richest offerings in our power,
our time, talents, influence, etc. 1. Holy obedience. 2.
Self-sacrifices, not half offerings, but whole “burnt-offerings;” not
lambs merely, but “bullocks.” 3. Zeal for divine ordinances. “Upon thine
altar.” III. God will take pleasure in such services. “Then shalt thou
be pleased.” 1. Because from his own redeemed. 2. Because given in the
name of the Redeemer. With such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Footnote 23:
Jerome.
PSALM LII.
TITLE.—To the Chief Musician.—_Even short Psalms, if they record but one
instance of the goodness of the Lord, and rebuke but briefly the pride
of man, are worthy of our best minstrelsy. When we see that each Psalm
is dedicated to “the chief musician,” it should make us value our
Psalmody, and forbid us to praise the Lord carelessly._ Maschil. _An
Instructive. Even the malice of a Doeg may furnish instruction to a
David._ A Psalm of David. _He was the prime object of Doeg’s doggish
hatred, and therefore the most fitting person to draw from the incident
the lessons concealed within it._ When Doeg the Edomite came and told
Saul, and saith unto him, David is come to the house of Ahimelech. _By
this deceitful tale-bearing, he procured the death of all the priests at
Nob: though it had been a crime to have succoured David as a rebel, they
were not in their intent and knowledge guilty of the fault. David felt
much the villany of this arch-enemy, and here he denounces him in
vigorous terms; it may be also that he has Saul in his eye._
DIVISION.—_We shall follow the sacred pauses marked by the Selahs of the
poet._
EXPOSITION.
Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of
God _endureth_ continually.
2 Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working
deceitfully.
3 Thou lovest evil more than good; _and_ lying rather than to speak
righteousness. Selah.