Then all mankind will fear and proclaim the work of God; so they will ponder what He has done. Sermons
I. DRIVING THE GODLY MAN TO PRAYER. We see many evils we cannot remedy. They move our pity, they stir our indignation. Perhaps we argue and remonstrate; perhaps in a moment of generous impulse we may try our hand at redress. But how little can we do! and our best efforts not only fail, but may even bring ourselves and others into greater trouble (Exodus 2:11-14). In our grief and despair we turn to God; his ear is ever open to the cry of the poor; his arm is ever ready to bring help to the oppressed. Into his great, fatherly heart we can pour all our woes; and under his sheltering wings we may ever find sweet security. II. DEPLORED AS A SORE EVIL UNDER THE SUN. There are differences. Inhumanity breaks forth more furiously at times. Some men see and suffer vastly more than others. It has been said of poets that "they learn in suffering what they teach in song," and this was the experience of the psalmist. Inhumanity is characterized by secrecy. Men who do evil hate the light. By combinations. Sin is weakness. Hand had to join with hand so as to give power. Cooperation for good is praiseworthy; but men banded together for evil are branded with infamy. Inveterate malice. There is no relenting, no mercy. The heart grows hardened in selfishness. Utter godlessness. (Ver. 5.) The more men indulge in sin, the blinder they become; the more persistently they break the second great commandment, the more indifferent they grow to the first. The thought of God troubles them, and they put it away. If it returns, they still reject it. By and by it will cease to come. Their hearts are set in them to do iniquity. How distressing it is for the man who fears God to behold all this! He thinks how different it might have been; he grieves over the waste and, worse still, the awful misapplication of human power; he confesses with shame and sorrow of heart the sins that have brought such terrible woes into the world; and mourns the guilt of which he must bear his share. III. DOOMED TO THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT OF GOD. Even here, where we know but in part, we cannot but see that it is ill with the wicked. In spite of their vauntings, they are not at peace. Though they call their lips their own, they are in reality held in by bit and bridle; though they boast of their successes, their rejoicing is vain and futile; retribution will in the end surely come upon them. So it was with Pharaoh and Sennacherib and Herod; so it was with Ahab, who thought to escape by disguising himself; but a certain man drew his bow at a venture, and smote him between the joints of his harness, and he died. God's arrows never miss their mark. Learn three great lessons. 1. That to do right is always best. 2. That we can only overcome evil with good. 3. That vengeance belongeth to God alone. - W.F.
And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of His doing. I. AN ACT OF GOD. His enemies were strong and powerful, but God was omnipotent, and in Him was his help and trust; they designed his utter ruin, but God turned their mischief upon their own heads.1. The suddenness of their destruction. 2. The manner of the discovery, and prevention of his danger. II. ITS EFFECT UPON MEN IN GENERAL. 1. Fear, which naturally arises in men's minds upon the apprehensions of God's irresistible power and greatness; for whom has an arm like God? or who can thunder with a voice like Him? yea, who can hear His voice and not tremble? or see His hand stretched out and not be afraid? "All men shall fear," but fear alone will not profit us; for the devils tremble before the power they hate, and wicked men may dread God's vengeance, where they are unwilling to see His hand; and therefore here follows another effect, which such signal actions have upon men. 2. "They shall declare the work of God." And this is an effect as general and large as the other, though upon different accounts; for even they who are unwilling to own it shall be forced to acknowledge it, and they for whose sake it is done shall rejoice to publish it. 3. "They shall wisely consider of His doing." That is, they shall better understand the method of God's proceedings, and the reasons of His dealings in the world; for these things make it plain that God takes care of the affairs of His people, and that the enemies of His Church shall not be able to prevail against her. III. A DUTY RESULTING FROM ALL THESE CONSIDERATIONS, AND CHIEFLY INCUMBENT ON GOOD MEN. 1. "The righteous shall be glad in the Lord." A duty no less easy than pleasant, and that which we all seem to covet most; that which we eagerly pursue as the best of this world's satisfaction, joy and rejoicing. 2. "The righteous shall trust in Him." And good reason indeed to trust in Him, of whose favour and lovingkindness we have had so large experience; well may we rely on that power which is so able to protect us; well may we depend on that providence which so remarkably takes care of us. 3. "All the upright in heart shall glory." They shall glory in His strength, and triumph in His favour. But that is not all; they shall glory in the confusion of the wicked, and rejoice in the continual disappointment of such treacherous designs. (H. Dove, D. D.) II. The WISDOM of thus considering — "They shall wisely consider of His doing." III. CERTAIN MARKS WHEREBY WE MAY AT ANY TIME DISCERN AN ESPECIAL PROVIDENCE, Diligently to mark, and carefully to treasure up in our minds, the special providences of the Almighty, is the way to preserve and nourish our faith and hope in Him; it furnishes the grounds of our thankfulness and praise; it stirs up our finest feelings and very best affections toward Him; holy joy, humble reverence, and hearty love; it supports us under all our sufferings; and affords us comfort in all our sorrows. (Bishop Horne.) All the upright in heart shall glory 1. THE DISPOSITIONS OF THE PERSONS. "All the upright in heart," and then, THE RETRIBUTION upon these persons, "They shall glory," or, they shall be celebrated, they shall be praised. In the first, the qualification of the persons, we shall pass by these steps; first, that God in His punishments and rewardings proposes to Himself persons. God does not begin at a retribution, nor begin at a condemnation, before He have persons, persons fit to be rewarded, persons fit to be condemned. God did not first make a heaven and a hell, and after think of making man, that He might have some persons to put in them; but, first for His glory He made man, and for those, who, by a good use of His grace preserved their state, heaven; and for those who, by their own fault fell, He made hell. And, in the qualifications of these persons, He proposes first a rectitude, a directness, an uprightness; declinations downward, deviations upon the wrong hand, squint-eyed men, left-handed men (in a spiritual sense), He meddles not withal. They must be direct, and upright; and then, "upright in heart"; for, to be good to ill ends (as, in many eases, a man may be), God accepts not, regards not. But, let him be a person thus qualified, "upright," upright because he loves uprightness, "upright in heart"; and then, he is infallibly embraced in that general rule, and proposition, that admits no exception. All the upright in heart shall be partakers of this retribution; and in these branches we shall determine our first part, first, that God proposes to Himself persons; persons thus and thus qualified; He begins at them. Secondly, that God had rather dwell Himself, and propose to us the considerations of good persons, than bad, of His mercies, than His judgments, for He mentions no other here, but persons capable of His retributions; and then, the goodness that God considers, is rectitude, and rectitude in the root, in the heart; and from that root grows that spreading universality, that infallibility. All such are sure of the reward. And then, in our second part, in the reward itself, though it be delivered here in the whole bar, in the ingot, in the wedge, in bullion, in one single word, Gloriabuntur, Laudabuntur, they shall glory, yet it admits this mintage, and coining, and issuing in lesser pieces, that first we consider the thing itself, the metal in which God rewards us, glory, praise; and then, since God's promise is fastened upon that (we shall be praised), as we may lawfully seek the praise of good men, so must we also willingly afford praise to good men, and to good actions. And then, since we find this retribution fixed in the future (we shall be praised, we shall be in glory), there arises this consolation, that though we have it not yet, yet we shall have it; though we be in dishonour, and contempt, and under a cloud, of which we see no end ourselves, yet there is a determined future in God, which shall be made present, we shall overcome this contempt, we shall glory, we shall be celebrated; in which future the consolation is thus much farther exalted, that it is an everlasting future; the glory, and praise, the approbation which we shall receive from good men here, shall flow out and continue to the hosannas in heaven, in the month of saints, and angels, and to the "Well done, good and faithful servant," in the mouth of God Himself.(John Donne, D. D.) It is only where there is much faith and consequent love that there is much joy. If there is but little heat about the bulb of the thermometer, no wonder that the mercury marks but a low degree. If there is but small faith, there will not be much gladness. The road into Giant Despair's castle is through doubt, which doubt comes from an absence — a sinful absence — in our own experience, of the felt presence of God, and the felt force of the verities of the Gospel.(A. Maclaren, D. D.). Praise waiteth for Thee, O God, in Zion: and unto Thee shall the vow be performed. This is a psalm of thanksgiving for plentiful rain, falling at the critical time in a year of drought and ensuring a plentiful harvest. To an agricultural people this was a memorable mercy.I. THE ATTITUDE OF THE WORSHIPPERS (vers. 1-4). The opening words, "Praise is silent for Thee, O God, in Zion," describe the hush of a multitude just ready to burst forth in song. The air is full of an intention which has not yet expressed itself, but it will utter its thought immediately, because the nation has assembled to perform the vows made during the drought, when dearth was feared. The worshippers acknowledge their dependence on the Hearer of prayer: they are part of frail humanity ("all flesh"), which can never be equal to its own requirements, but must ever be dependent on a higher Power. But there is a still deeper cause for humility, which ought always to be kept in mind when an approach is made to God: "Iniquities," says the psalmist, "prevail against me." What mortal has ever existed who did not require to say so? Iniquities press in from without and they press outwards from within; and man is not able to withstand their force. Yet the psalmist has discovered the secret: "As for our transgressions, Thou shalt purge them away." God can overcome this terrible force, by blotting out the guilt of past sin and breaking the power of present sin. And the next verse supplies a description of the blessedness of those who, thus liberated, have free access to the throne of the Divine grace and full enjoyment of its privileges. II. THE OBJECT OF WORSHIP (vers. 5-8). He is not a God unknown, but in all the centuries of the history of Israel has shown Himself mighty on behalf of His people, by acts of salvation which have struck terror into their enemies. And not only in the events of history has His power from time to time been shown; it is exhibited continually in the great aspects of nature. III. A PICTURE OF PLENTY (vers. 9-13). After weeks of rainless weather, when the hearts of the husbandmen were quaking with fear, the showers, earnestly prayed for, had come at last. In the clouds sweeping over the landscape the happy inhabitants saw the footsteps of the passing Deity dropping fatness as He went. Hill and dale and wilderness had all partaken of the benefit. The flocks were full of life on the mountain sides and the fields and the valleys stood in all the bravery of healthy and abundant crops; till it seemed to the poet as if a great shout of joy were going up from all the revived objects in the landscape to the heaven from which the blessing had come. (J. Stalker, D. D.) Homilist. I. GOD AS HE APPEARS IN HUMAN HISTORY.1. As a prayer-answering God (ver. 2). That this title belongs to Him as He appears in human life is — (1) (2) (3) 2. As a man-needed God. Sooner shall the Mississippi keep away from the ocean or the earth from circling round the sun, than your soul keep away from your Maker. 3. As a sin-removing God (ver. 8). 4. As a world-trusted God (ver. 5). (1) (2) (3) II. God as He appears in human history, WORSHIPPED. 1. The kind of worship. "Praise waiteth for Thee, O God, in Zion." Are we to understand "waiteth," in the sense of silence? Then the essence of worship is silent — it is in the profoundest thoughts, the deepest feelings, the strongest aspirations, which are independent of language or sound. The deepest things of the soul are unutterable. 2. The blessedness of worship (ver. 4). The idea is, fellowship with God, going into His courts, dwelling in His temple.(1) The fellowship is chosen. "Blessed is the man whom Thou choosest." What a distinction is thus put on man! No other creature in the world can hold fellowship with the Infinite.(2) The fellowship is permanent. "Dwell in Thy house." Not a mere visitant for a terminable period. But a resident so long as existence endures.(3) The fellowship is satisfying. "We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Thy house." This is, and nothing else, the satisfaction of the soul. "In Thy presence is fulness of joy." (Homilist.) I. THE HOLY OFFERING OF WORSHIP WHICH WE DESIRE TO PRESENT TO GOD. There is — 1. Praise. It is the chief part of the worship of heaven, and therefore should be much regarded upon earth. It is to be rendered only to God. "For Thee, O God." For Thee only, and for Thee all. Not to virgins, or saints. And our praise is not to be formal, of lips and sound, but of the soul. And let it be continual — "waiteth for Thee." And humble; let it wait as the servants wait in the king's palace. And let it be expectant: on the look-out for more of God's blessings. What abundant reason we have for praise. Mercies temporal and spiritual. 2. The vow. "Unto Thee shall the vow be performed." We are not given to vow-making in these days. But there have been some we have made. At our conversion, at our uniting ourselves to the Church of God; when we entered on our work as Christian ministers; and, perhaps, in times of affliction. Let us keep them. II. THE BLESSED ENCOURAGEMENT. 1. God hears prayer. "O Thou that hearest prayer." 2. And all prayer, if it be true. "Unto Thee shall all flesh come." 3. Let none of us exclude ourselves. ( C. H. Spurgeon.) ( C. H. Spurgeon.) 8334 reverence, and God's nature The Perfect Heart. Psalms |
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