to proclaim Your loving devotion in the morning and Your faithfulness at night Sermons
I. FOR THE MORNING. 1. It is to show forth the Lord's loving kindness. What a beautiful word this "loving kindness" is! It has been noticed by all devout readers of these psalms. One says, "It is a duplicate deliciousness; there are within it linked sweetnesses long drawn out. It is a kind of word with which to cast spells which should charm away all fears," Some have derived the word "kindness" from "kinnedness," the feeling which we cherish to those who are near to us in our own families. And God's kindness to his people is because he has made them of his own kin. He bids us call him "Father," and he has given us "power to become sons of God" (John 1:12). And forasmuch as amongst us the fact of being a man's "kin" may not involve, often does not, that he should be to us "kind," therefore God's kindness is spoken of as loving kindness. A woman may show kindness to poor people, but to her own dear child she will show loving kindness - a much warmer and more tender feeling. And this is that which God cherishes and manifests towards us. Nature, providence, and grace all attest this. It is not true that Nature is immoral, harsh, bitterly cruel, "red in tooth and claw," and needing to he supplemented by the gospel of Christ, if the character of its Creater is to be regarded as beneficent (see Drummond's 'Ascent of Man'). There is another and a gentler side belonging to it. And providence, if we will but remember its educational purpose, and the graciousness of its common dealings, will give clear testimony to the loving kindness of the Lord. And so, chief of all, will the grace of God attest this. "Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that," etc. 2. And this is to be our morning theme. (1) For then are we fresh and vigorous, and the firstfruits of the day should be offered. The clews of the Holy Spirit fall then especially. (2) And we need preparation for all the day may bring; it is sure to bring temptation, and it may bring trial and trouble; yea, disaster and death may come. But if our hearts be filled with the sense of the loving kindness of the Lord, we are ready for all that may be in store for us. (3) And we have had fresh proof of it in the fact of spared life and renewed strength (cf. Keble's morning hymn). Now, all this is true of the literal morning. But if we understand by the "morning," the beginning of our life, its earlier days, what more fitting theme could there be for this morning than the loving kindness of the Lord? And so, too, of the morning after the night of sorrow, when God has cleared the clouds away. And without doubt we shall find it good to do this in the blessed resurrection morn. Let us prepare for this by showing forth God's loving kindness now. II. FOR NIGHTFALL. God's faithfulness is to be our theme then. And it is most fitting. For we have experienced more of it. What he promised to give he has given - provision for our wants; protection; guidance; and deliverance from many a snare of the devil. He has been faithful all along. III. THE EXERCISE IS TO BE A SHOWING FORTH. In praise of heart and lip and life rendered unto him; and in open confession, and grateful obedience. - S.C.
To show forth Thy lovingkindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night. The Jews have for a long while used this psalm in their Sabbath worship; and this, not because there is much if any allusion to Sabbatic rest in it, but because it is fitting that on that day above all others our thoughts should be lifted up from all earthly things to God Himself. It is a psalm of praise, and this should be the Christian's continual exercise. And we should avoid all slovenliness and formalism in our praise; and as before prayer it is well to pause and consider what we are going to ask for, so in praise we should not rush upon it helter-skelter, but engage in it with prepared hearts. Thus the psalmist would have us offer praise; not mere praise, but varied praise, praise with distinct subjects at appointed seasons. Note, then —I. MORNING WORSHIP. "To show forth thy lovingkindness in the morning." There cannot be more suitable time for praise than this. Every morning is a sort of resurrection. We are full of vigour then. Let us give the Lord the bud of the day, its virgin beauty, its unsullied purity. The morning is the choice time. And so is it with the morning of our life. Nothing can happen to you who are young so blessed as to be converted now, while you are young. And the bright morning-like periods of our life — these, too, should be seasons for showing forth God's lovingkindness. We have our darker hours, our more sombre seasons, but when the joy days come, let us always consecrate them by praise to the giver of them. Do not, as some do, who, if they are prospering, make a point of not owning to it. We often whine as if our lives were martyrdoms, and every breath a woe, thus slandering the good Lord. There are bright days like the morning, and in them we ought to render praise. And see what is to be the subject of our praise — God's lovingkindness. Was there ever such a word in any language as this word lovingkindness? It is a duplicate deliciousness. There are within it linked sweetnesses long drawn out. It is a kind of word with which to cast spells which should charm away all fears. And this lovingkindness we are to show forth; we are not to keep it to ourselves. I do not mean by talking of it to every one he meets, casting pearls before swine, as it would be to some men, but by the very way in which he speaks, acts, and looks. A Christian ought to be the most cheerful of men. Let the joy of the Lord be our strength. II. EVENING WORSHIP, — "to show forth Thy faithfulness every night." The evening is the Sabbath of the day, and should be the Lord's. And our subject should be God's faithfulness, for we have had more experience of it. Notice that the text says "every night," the dark, drear, cold nights as well as others. Let the old who are nearing the night of life show forth the Lord's faithfulness. And let us all publish it abroad. If there be any one topic on which Christians should speak, it is this, and they should speak of it bravely, continuously, thankfully and positively. Satan makes a dead set upon it in the minds of many tempted ones, and therefore all the more should you bring the strength of your testimony that God doth not forsake His people. ( C. H. Spurgeon.) 1. Is in harmony with the original design of creation (Job 38:7). Sin has brought discord with it into the world; but it is supremely a good thing to add to the world's harmonies, and not to its discords. 2. Is the highest expression of human service.(1) It is good for a man when he learns to give, to feel that he has so much of blessing as that he can afford to give out of the fulness that is in him: good for him to forget himself, and to think of some one whom he feels a yearning desire to bless.(2) It is good "to give thanks." A grand thing when man has that delicacy of feeling that enables him to appreciate a blessing, to recognize its source, its value, and in return acknowledge his own indebtedness.(3) Further, it is good "to give thanks unto the Lord." Anything that brings man into contact with God, everything that reciprocates the relationship between man and God, is ennobling. God gives. In thanks I give something back. 3. Imparts joy to the heart of the Lord Himself. All that we know of the heart of God teaches us that He yearns for this response. II. DETAILS. 1. The morning song. To show forth God's "lovingkindness in the morning" is a grand exercise, when the energies of life are refreshed once more; when the morning dew rests upon mind and heart; when everything is vigorous; and when the day's toils have not taken the spring and vivacity out of your spirit. 2. The evening song. "To show forth... Thy faithfulness every night." The faithfulness represents the strong side, the robust aspect, of Divine goodness. It expresses the fidelity of God; His strong adherence to His promise. This represents the more fatherly aspect of His goodness: the power that sustained you in the struggle of the day. (D. Davies.) People PsalmistPlaces JerusalemTopics Clear, Declare, Faith, Faithfulness, Forth, Kindness, Love, Loving, Lovingkindness, Loving-kindness, Mercy, Morning, Nights, Proclaim, Seasons, Shew, Steadfast, UnchangingOutline 1. The prophet exhorts to praise God4. For his great works 6. For his judgments on the wicked 10. And for his goodness to the godly. Dictionary of Bible Themes Psalm 92:1-3 4954 morning Library December 3. Thy Thoughts are Very Deep (Ps. Xcii. 5). Thy thoughts are very deep (Ps. xcii. 5). When a Roman soldier was told by his guide that if he insisted on taking a certain journey it would probably be fatal he answered, "It is necessary for me to go, it is not necessary for me to live." That was depth. When we are convicted like that we shall come to something. The shallow nature lives in its impulses, its impressions, its intuitions, its instincts, and very largely in its surroundings. The profound character looks beyond all these and moves … Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth God Alone the Salvation of his People The Majesty of God. --Ps. Xcii. Dialogue i. --The Immutable. Sweet is the Work, My God, My King Reprobation. 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 Man's Chief End The Knowledge of God Conspicuous in the Creation, and Continual Government of the World. The Resemblance Between the Old Testament and the New. 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