_I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength._ THE TALE OF A LIFE In this magnificent hymn the royal poet sketches, in a few grand outlines, the tale of his life--the record of his marvellous deliverances, and of the victories which Jehovah had given him--the record, too, of his own heart, the truth of i... [ Continue Reading ]
_I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised._ THE OBJECT, NATURE, AND EFFECT OF PRAYER Few men have known more of the variegated scenes of human life than David. I. David’s purpose. “I will call upon the Lord.” Here we have what he declares concerning the Lord--that He is “worthy to b... [ Continue Reading ]
_The sorrows of death compassed me._ ESTIMATING OUR SORROWS No attempt is here made to diminish the severity of the crisis. Often when a great agony is overpast, the sufferer himself forgets its intensity and is inclined to think that it might have been cured by less ostentatious menus than had bee... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then the earth shook and trembled._ EARTHQUAKES, THEIR MORAL SUGGESTIONS It is not for us to speculate concerning the physical causes of earthquakes. With the Bible in our hands we are privileged to regard the mightiest and the most destructive forces of nature as the ministers of His will “who i... [ Continue Reading ]
_His pavilions round about Him were. .. thick clouds of the skies._ THE MINISTRY OF THE CLOUD His pavilions are thick clouds! Then the cloud is not a destructive libertine, some stray, haphazard, lawless force, the grim parent of shadow and chill and tempest. “His pavilions are thick clouds.” The c... [ Continue Reading ]
_The Lord also thundered in the heavens._ THE TERRORS OF AN EASTERN THUNDERSTORM There is said to be something peculiarly terrific in an Oriental thunderstorm. Its vivid lightning and intense darkness, succeeding each other with startling rapidity, are appalling. This is indicated in the words, “at... [ Continue Reading ]
_He sent from above, He took me, He drew me out of many waters._ DIVINE INTERPOSITIONS We are not as those who believe in two co-existent forces, each supreme, one of whom shall create disasters, and the other distribute blessings. The prince of evil is, according to our faith, subordinate to the... [ Continue Reading ]
_The Lord reward me according to my righteousness._ OF THE JUSTICE OF DAVID’S BEHAVIOUR I. David’s righteousness. Righteousness consists in rendering to all their due, and the revealed will of God is the standard of it (Deuteronomy 6:25). As we are under infinitely greater obligations to perform ou... [ Continue Reading ]
_I was also upright before Him, and kept myself from mine iniquity._ THE UPRIGHT HEART, AND ITS DARLING SIN Things that David here takes notice of. 1. The greatness of the danger he was in. 2. The glory of his deliverance, regarded as an answer to prayer. 3. The fruit of it. The love of God is... [ Continue Reading ]
_With the merciful Thou wilt show Thyself merciful._ POETIC JUSTICE ACTUAL JUSTICE What we call poetic justice pervades the whole Bible. We feel ill the advancing civilisations that there is a reaching more and more to a realisation of this justice. In Job we have its full exemplification. There th... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thou wilt light my candle._ LIGHTED CANDLES In the East the poorest people burnt a lamp all through the night time, for they dreaded a dark house as a terrible calamity. When they had light they were happy, and in some degree prosperous. David says that God will light his home lamp for him, and wi... [ Continue Reading ]
_By Thee have I run through a troop._ SURMOUNTING IMPOSSIBLE DIFFICULTIES This is a poetical way of representing the fact that impossibilities have often been made possible in our own experience. Looking back upon certain combinations of circumstances, we cannot but feel that we were surrounded by... [ Continue Reading ]
_As for God, His way is perfect._ GOD’S MINISTRIES Many mythologies have told how the gods arm their champions, but the Psalmist reaches a loftier height than these. He ventures to think of God as doing the humble office of bracing on his girdle, but the girdle is itself strength. God, whose own “w... [ Continue Reading ]
_By Thee have I run through a troop._ SURMOUNTING IMPOSSIBLE DIFFICULTIES This is a poetical way of representing the fact that impossibilities have often been made possible in our own experience. Looking back upon certain combinations of circumstances, we cannot but feel that we were surrounded by... [ Continue Reading ]
_He teacheth my hands to war._ DIVINE ENDOWMENT FOR SERVICE God raises up men specially qualified to meet the exigencies of human society--the soldier, the statesman, the lawgiver, the teacher of religion, the ready writer, the eloquent man, and the cunning artificer. He had need of a soldier to ac... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thy gentleness hath made me great._ THE GENTLENESS OF GOD When the coarse mind of sin makes up gods by its own natural light, those gods reveal the coarseness and the sin together. The God of revelation contrives to be a gentle being; hiding His power that He might put confidence and courage in t... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip._ THE DOUBLE BLESSING OF ENLARGEMENT AND SAFETY A smooth pathway leading to spacious possessions and camping grounds had been opened for him. Instead of threading the narrow mountain path, and hiding in the cracks and corners of cave... [ Continue Reading ]
_The Lord liveth; and blessed be my Rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted._ THE ROCK OF SALVATION True religion has nothing in it cloudy, melancholy, depressing. It is in itself full of fire, love, light, warmth. Our sadness arises from our sin and sorrow, but in God there is that to fi... [ Continue Reading ]
_Therefore will I give thanks unto Thee among the heathen._ DAVID’S DELIVERANCE AND THANKSGIVING I. Of David delivered. The wonder is, how so good a man, so gracious a prince, should have enemies and rebels; should fall into such dangers and afflictions; should need so many deliverances. But even... [ Continue Reading ]
_Great deliverance giveth He to the King._ GREAT DELIVERANCES This is Christ’s resurrection Psalm. It is a Psalm of deliverance or salvation--the two words are the same. This deliverance is one of love, power, and righteousness. The whole history of the Bible from beginning to end pertains to what... [ Continue Reading ]