Homilist Psalm 118:5-7 I called on the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place.… I. THE DELIVERER (ver. 5). 1. The deliverance seems to have consisted in raising him from a circumscribed to an expansive position. 2. The Almighty is constantly delivering men in this way, lifting them from the narrow to the broad. (1) Secularly. Often by His providence He takes men from the narrowness of poverty out into the broad places of worldly prosperity. (2) Intellectually. He takes men from the narrowness of ignorance and prejudice, and habit, out into the broad places of knowledge and freedom. (3) Spiritually. From the narrowness of guilt and corruption He takes men by the Gospel of His Son, into the broad realms of forgiveness and virtue. II. THE DEFENDER (ver. 6). "The Lord is for me." 1. Because of this we need not fear. If He is for us, who can be against us? "God is our refuge and strength." If He is for us, we have not only the whole universe for us, but even our very enemies shall be made to subserve our interest. 2. Because of this we shall conquer (ver. 7). The word "desire" is not in the Hebrew. The words should be, "and I shall look upon my haters," look with calm defiance, look with expectant triumph. (Homilist.) Parallel Verses KJV: I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place.WEB: Out of my distress, I called on Yah. Yah answered me with freedom. |
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