_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 ]