_Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul._ HUMAN SUFFERING I. Man’s sufferings are sometimes overwhelmingly great. This shows-- 1. The abnormal state of man. Was man made to suffer thus? No; man suffers because he has transgressed. 2. The blessedness of Christ’s mission. He came... [ Continue Reading ]
_I restored that which I took not away._ CHRIST RESTORING WHAT HE TOOK NOT AWAY I. What it is which was taken away, and from whom. 1. Glory was taken from God. (1) The glory of God shining forth in the holy government of His reasonable creatures, was taken away by sin. (2) That glory which we a... [ Continue Reading ]
_O God, Thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from Thee._ GOD’S KNOWLEDGE OF SIN I. God must have knowledge of man’s sin. Because-- 1. He is infinite in knowledge. 2. He is everywhere present. 3. He is everywhere perceiving. 4. He is ever reading the heart. 5. He knows what is... [ Continue Reading ]
_Let not them that wait on Thee, O Lord, be ashamed for my sake._ ESPRIT DE CORPS This poet is afraid that if he misbehaves himself people will exalt themselves against God, and say with mocking laughter, These are Thy saints! Even whilst he is sinking he would wish to do it with some grace. Extinc... [ Continue Reading ]
_For Thy sake I have borne reproach._ SUFFERING TORTURE FOR CHRIST’S SAKE An echo of the Boxer risings in China was heard in the address of Dr. Whitfield Guinness. In July, 1900, the little party with which he was connected was shut up in Honan, and as the speaker detailed those days of anxiety unt... [ Continue Reading ]
_For the zeal of Thine house hath eaten me up, and the reproaches of them that reproached Thee are fallen upon me._ A SUFFERING SAVIOUR Nearly all the prophecies of Scripture admit of and require a threefold interpretation. 1. They tell of some event or experience in the life Of the writer. 2. T... [ Continue Reading ]
_But as for me, my prayer is unto Thee, O Lord, in an acceptable time._ THE COMPASSIONABLE, COMMENDABLE, AND CENSURABLE I. The compassionable. The representation which the author here gives of his sufferings, appeals strongly to our pity. Those sufferings are-- 1. Great. “Deep waters,” “mine,” “p... [ Continue Reading ]
_Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink._ THE BELIEVER SINKING IN THE MIRE Many rivers, and especially the Nile, have on their banks deep deposits of black mud, and it is most perilous for any who have the misfortune to fall into it. The more they struggle to get out the deeper they sink.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Reproach hath broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none._ MY BROKEN-HEARTED LORD Did it ever occur to you that there is a vivid contrast between Jesus in His death and that of the noble army of martyrs... [ Continue Reading ]
_Add iniquity unto their iniquity: and let them not come into Thy righteousness._ IMPRECATIONS IN THE PSALMS There are tones in the Psalter which seem to jar upon our feelings, which do not naturally or readily adapt themselves to our Christian sentiment. There is an outburst of vindictive joy and... [ Continue Reading ]
_I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving._ MORAL STATES OF MIND WORTHY OF CULTIVATION I. A noble resolution (Psalms 69:30). There are many ways of praising God: in our writings, conversations, actions. II. A sound doctrine (Psalms 69:31). “To obey is bett... [ Continue Reading ]
_For the Lord heareth the poor, and despiseth not His prisoners._ POOR PRISONERS “The Lord heareth the poor,” spiritually poor. Let us notice first what this does not mean, in order to get clearly at what it does mean. I make no hesitation in saying that this consciousness of spiritual poverty is o... [ Continue Reading ]
_Let the heaven and earth praise Him, the seas, and everything that moveth therein._ THE CREATION PRAISING GOD I. On account of what He is in Himself. God is good; intrinsically excellent. His nature is composed of all possible perfections. “God is love,” wisdom, intelligence, goodness, truth, rig... [ Continue Reading ]