They have given the corpses of Your servants as food to the birds of the air, the flesh of Your saints to the beasts of the earth. Sermons
I. WHAT IS RIGHT FOR EVERY ONE. The writer is in sore trouble, but he takes his trouble to God. One purpose of all such trouble has already been won - the heart has been brought nearer God. II. WHAT WAS NATURAL AND NOT WRONG FOR ISRAEL, BUT WOULD BE VERY WRONG FOR US. We refer especially to the vengeful utterances which we find in vers. 6, 10, 12, 13. Now, concerning them we note: 1. That there are very many such in the Psalms. The comminatory, and especially the imprecatory psalms, have ever been a stumbling block to Christian readers. But there they are, and we cannot get rid of them. 2. They are very natural. The spirit of resentment and revenge is a definite part of human nature; it may manifest itself in varied forms, more or less barbaric, according to the degree of civilization which has been reached, but it exists in all. 3. And in Israel of old it was not wrong. For it must ever be remembered that to them no revelation of the future life, still less of the future judgment, had been given. Had there been any Scripture plainly teaching this doctrine which Christians know so well from the New Testament, our Lord, in showing to the Sadducees who believed no such doctrine, would not have appealed to a text which, unless he had told us so, we should never have regarded as teaching that doctrine at all. Before our Lord so explained it, it had not been recognized that the oft-repeated words, "I am the God of Abraham, of Isaac," etc., involved the truth of the future life. But there was no more evident text, or it would have been appealed to. Hence, and for many other reasons, we conclude that the truth of the future life and immortality, still less of judgment to come, had not been brought to light when these psalms were written. If this were so, then such as the psalmist could only vindicate the righteousness of God by appealing to his visible acts of judgment and retribution here and now. Were they not seen, who would believe in a righteous God at all? Hence was it that so often, and so prominently, not to say so fiercely, the ancient psalmists and prophets appealed to God as in this psalm. Had they known what we do, there would have been no such appeals made. It was not mere personal revenge or national hate, but jealousy for the honour of God's Name, and therefore we say that, however wrong such sentiments would be for us, in them they were not wrong. 4. But for us they would be wrong, being altogether opposed to the Spirit of Christ. 5. All this does not condemn either national or personal self-defence. III. HOW WE MAY LAWFULLY ADOPT FOR OURSELVES THIS WHOLE PSALM AND ALL SUCH PSALMS. By turning all these prayers for the destruction of enemies against the hosts of spiritual wickedness, "the gates of hell" which do sore assail, and seek to prevail over the people of God. They are the heathen, the defilers, the destroyers, the shedders of blood, the mockers, the oppressors. Not against our fellow men, but against them, we may and should thus pray. The devil and his angels are no mere myth or superstition, but terrible realities, and every faithful soul knows sadly well their cruel tyranny, and seemingly invincible might. - S.C.
We will show forth Thy praise to all generations. Dr. Parkhurst says he loves to think that every man is sent. into the world with something to tell. "That is what makes of any man a prophet, being filled with a story too big for his own soul to house," a story he cannot, dare not, keep to himself. This truth God has given you to utter makes you a witness. You may be a false witness, and no witness is more than he who says nothing; or you may be a true and faithful witness, testifying to the best you know by your face and hands, your smiles and deeds and words. That is a startling thought of Andrew Murray's: "God does not ask us to hide Christ away in our impure hearts." Christ gives Himself to us constantly, but in order that we may as constantly give Him to others. Truth is like the water pressed upon the foul garments, that cleanses them if it is forced out again, but rots them all the more if it is allowed to remain. So is the religion that we selfishly cherish unexpressed. Indeed, is there a worse form of selfishness than that?(Amos R. Wells.). Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock. Homilist. I. As A SHEPHERD (ver. 1).1. His flock indicated. "Joseph" may stand for all Israel, and Israel as an illustration of the moral condition of men everywhere. (1) (2) (3) 2. His dwelling-place described. Dwelt in symbol on mercy-seat. Now, God is in Christ, reconciling the world. 3. His interposition invoked (ver. 2). (1) (2) II. As A CHARACTER (ver. 4). God's chastisements are — 1. Always deserved. 2. Often very painful. Physical anguish, moral distress, social bereavement, disappointment, persecution. 3. They sometimes stimulate prayer. However great our afflictions, if they but. send us in prayer to God, they are blessings in disguise. III. As A CULTIVATOR (vers. 8-13). 1. The work He does.(1) He prepares the soil. There is only one moral soil in the universe in which dead souls can be quickened and be rightly developed, and that is the Gospel of Christ. Souls are seeds.(2) He deposit the seed. God alone can bring the soul into the soil of Gospel truth and root it there.(3) He trains the plant. "The hills were covered with the shadow of it." The Jewish people became a grand nation under His training. So do human souls become under His spiritual training. 2. The evil He permits. "Why hast thou then broken down her hedges?" etc. He did not do it by His direct agency, only by permission. He could have prevented it. He could have crushed the invaders. But He did not. For wise and beneficent purposes, He permitted it. So it is in the department of spiritual culture. He permits evils. IV. As THE RESTORER (vers. 14-19). 1. He restores by special visitation. "Look down from heaven," etc. Dead souls are restored to life because God visits the world. "He bowed the heavens and came down." He appeared in Christ. 2. He restores from apparently the most hopeless condition (ver. 16). "There is nothing too hard for the Lord." "He is able of these stones to raise up children," etc. "Can these dry bones live?" you say. Yes, they can. 3. He restores by quickening the soul into devotion (ver. 18). (Homilist.) Homilist. I. HERE HE IS PRESENTED IN HIS RELATIVE CHARACTER. He is a "Shepherd." As a Shepherd He has universal knowledge, self-sacrificing love, and almighty power.II. HERE HE IS PRESENTED IN HIS RELATIVE AGENCY. "Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock." He leads us now by the dictates of moral reason, the events of His providence, the revelations of His book, and the influence of His Spirit. (1) (2) (3) III. HERE HE IS PRESENTED IN HIS RELATIVE POSTURE. "Thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth." Man, from his nature, requires a place for his God — some point in space where he may meet Him. Under the old dispensation this want was met by His appearing in the Shekinah over the mercy-seat. In the new it is met in Christ, of which the old manifestation was but the symbol. Christ is the "Mercy Seat " where man meets his God. IV. HERE HE IS PRESENTED IN HIS RELATIVE LIGHT, "Shine forth." We want Him to shine forth upon us through Christ. (Homilist.) 1. When we are seeking the pardon of our offences, — when our hearts are stricken with conviction, — when we understand and feel that it is an evil thing to sin against God. 2. When we are oppressed by spiritual adversaries. 3. When commending particular efforts for the advancement of the Saviour's kingdom to the Divine regard. 4. When we contemplate the general condition and wants of mankind. (J. Parsons.) 1. A God of glory. 2. A God of holiness and justice. 3. A God of mercy, full of love and goodness. 4. A God of condescending intercourse. God might be approached with safety and success as He sat upon the mercy-seat sprinkled with blood (Exodus 29:43-46). II. THE IMPORT OF THE PRAYER IN THE TEXT. "Thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth," smile upon us with Thy heavenly favour; cast away all our transgressions from Thy sight; break in upon our darkened souls with the light of Thy truth, and cause us to see and know the truth with enlightened understandings; chase away with Thy bright beamings the gloom of sin and unbelief; and let Thy peace "which passeth all understanding," and the "joy of the Holy Ghost," dwell within us, to be our portion at all times. Guide us by Thy unerring counsel here, and receive us to Thy eternal glory hereafter. (J. S. Broad, M. A.) (Cynddylan Jones.) How they are to be Admonished who Lament Sins of Deed, and those who Lament Only Sins of Thought. Period ii. The Church from the Permanent Division of the Empire Until the Collapse of the Western Empire and the First Schism Between the East and the West, or Until About A. D. 500 The Formation of the Old Testament Canon A Summary of the Christian Life. Of Self-Denial. Psalms |
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