Psalms 8:2

Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast Thou ordained strength.

The strength of feeble instrumentalities

The sudden drop from the glories of the heavens to the babble and prattle of infancy and childhood is most impressive, and gives extraordinary force to the paradox that the latter’s witness is more powerful to silence gainsayers than that of the former. This conviction is expressed in a noble metaphor, which is blurred by the rendering “strength.” The word here rather means “a strength,” in the old use of the term--that is, a stronghold or fortress; and the image, somewhat more daring than cold western taste finds permissible, is that out of such frail material as children’s speech, God builds a tower of strength, which, like some border castle, will bridle and still the restless enemy. There seems no sufficient reason for taking “children and sucklings” in any but its natural meaning, however the reference to lowly believers may accord with the spirit of the Psalm. The children’s voices are taken as a type of feeble instruments, which are yet strong enough to silence the enemy. Childhood, “with no language but a cry,” is, if rightly regarded in its source, its budding possibilities, its dependence, its growth, a more potent witness to a more wondrous name than are all the stars. In like manner, man is man’s clearest revelation of God. The more lowly he is, the more lofty his testimony. What are all His servants’ words but the babbling of children who “do not know half the deep things they speak”? God’s strongest fortress is built of weakest stones If the two parts of the Psalm are to be kept together, the theme of the compendious first portion must be the same as that of the second, namely, the glory of God as revealed by nature and man, but most chiefly by the latter, notwithstanding and even by his comparative feebleness. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)

God glorified by children’s mouths

This Psalm sings of the grandeur of God as seen in creation. Our subject is His power displayed in human weakness.

I. There is a conflict. Our text speaks of enemies. We know who they are--the seed of the serpent. We know how it began, and it goes on, on the enemy’s part, in the same fashion. God uses weapons, mainly, of a moral and spiritual sort. He has used, and He can and will, when needful, use others.

II. In this conflict the weapons are very singular. “Out of the mouth of babes,” etc. Bring hither that sweet babe. See that little mouth--it challenges a kiss: and note with joy that God may use that little mouth as His conquering weapon against the devil. I have seen many an ancient cannon upon which were moulded in bronze the words, “The last argument of kings.” Yes, but the gracious arguments of the King of kings are sent home by a human mouth, and that of a little child. How Satan must be angered that his craft is not met by craft. Already the testimony of feeble men has been used as the great power of God. How are these weapons used? These strangely soft, yet sharp, feeble, yet mighty weapons--how are they used?

1. They smite by prayer. Children pray and they are heard.

2. By praise, which louvers the pride of His adversaries, while they cry “Hosannah!” and sing the praise of Jesus’ name.

3. And by testimony. We never know what one child’s mouth can do. Christ is the Word, but these mouths supply the voices by which it is sounded forth. The Hebrew reads, “hast Thou founded strength,” as if the very foundation of the Church’s strength lay in the mouths that God moves to speak.

III. The warriors in this warfare are very special. “Babes and sucklings” (Matthew 11:25; 1 Corinthians 1:1). Such are those who proclaim Christ in the world. Our Lord would get little honour from our race if all children’s voices were hushed, and all childlike spirits with them. Scribes and Pharisees never cry “Hosannah!” they are so busy binding on their phylacteries, washing their hands, and devouring widows’ houses. The first to cry “Hosannah!” are the children, and the next are those who are like them. Some say, “To shout and sing is children’s work”; so it is, and it is ours because we are children too. Now, note

IV. That the qualification of these warriors lies in their weak side. If it lay on the strong side, we should react, “Out of the mouth of men of middle age, in the prime of life; of wise old men, who have had long experience, God ordaineth strength.” But no, it is “Out of the mouths of babes,” etc. Thus the Lord puts the adversary to a perpetual reproach. He puts a child against His giant foe, and overcomes him. Our power to serve God lies on our weak side. He uses not our greatness, but our littleness. You know what the learned men say is the weak part of some of us--they put it something like this: “We regret the preacher’s total inability to keep abreast of the times; his incapacity for modern thought; and his want of affection for the higher culture.” That is our weakness. Yes, and our strength, and therefore we glory in it. “I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” If all God’s servants will come to this, they will do far more good than by the so-called “culture,” which is nothing but the science of growing more weeds than usual I have desired to be a little child again, and wished that I had never heard of the existence of a quibbler. We hear now-a-days much of “great thinkers”; we prefer to be great believers. When the Church gets back to her simple faith in Jesus, she shall be qualified for victory. She shall vanquish the world. When she has thrown aside the wooden sword of carnal reason and has taken up the true Jerusalem blade of faith in God. Then because of all this, let me plead--

V. For a loving reverence for childhood. It seems to me that in the Lord’s battle there is always a babe in the forefront. The child found in the ark of bulrushes crushes the power of Pharaoh; the boy David, Goliath; and the still loftier story of the battle of the Lamb opens in like manner, “Unto us a Child is born,” etc. Never doubt the possibility of children’s conversions. Never despise them. Do not say, “Oh, they are only a parcel of boys and girls!” What if they are? May they not be a better parcel than some of you? If we could get the simple trustfulness of childhood back again, it would be a great gain. Let us not undervalue the praises or the service of children. That is a sweet vein. “And Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child. In the victory of the Church it is written, A little child shall lead them.” This city of ours is better evangelised by our Sunday schools than by all the rest of us put together. Little Mary and Tommy come back from school, and they find that father is hardly dressed; he has not been to a place of worship, but reading the Sunday paper; he don’t want any of your singing and preaching. But the children begin to sing, and when dinner is over, they talk about What teacher said, and perhaps say something about the sermon. And so the father gets more singing and preaching than he bargained for. When they go to bed, they clasp their little hands and pray for their father, and he is obliged to hear them. Thus he gets praying as well as singing. The children are missionaries. They enter where others cannot. Tommy and Mary can’t be shut out. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

Little children God’s stronghold for troubled men

The common interpretation is, that God uses men who are, for weakness and insufficiency, as babes. Not that He literally uses “babes and sucklings.” This interpretation, so common in the Church, has never found favour in the synagogue. The Rabbis have a surprising love for children. They apply to children and schools all the Scripture verses that speak of flowers and gardens. The Talmud is full of stories which indicate this love for the little ones--e.g. “There was once a great drought, and the most pious men wept and prayed for rain, but none came. At length an insignificant person prayed, and instantly the heavens covered themselves with clouds, and the rain fell, ‘Who are you,’ they cried, ‘whose prayers have alone prevailed?’ And he answered, ‘I am a teacher of little children.’” Again, “When God was about to give His law to His people, He asked them whom they would offer as guarantees that they would keep it holy, and they said, ‘Abraham.’ God said, ‘Abraham has sinned; Isaac, Jacob, Moses himself, they have all sinned; I cannot accept them.’ Then they said, ‘May our children be witnesses and our guarantees?’ And God accepted them, even as it is written. ‘From the mouth of the little babes has He preached His empire.’” The literal rendering is to he preferred. This verse is quoted in the Gospel by Matthew in a way which is quite decisive of the meaning. That we should thus understand them is shown--

1. From the general drift of the Psalm. The little children trust and love and are at peace, though men be so different.

2. From sympathy and agreement in this truth, which we find in other great poets, such as Wordsworth, “Trailing clouds of glory,” etc.

3. From our own experience, children suggest helpful, restful thoughts. If in his origin man is so pure and so divine, must he not be capable of a Divine strength and blessedness? (Samuel Cox, D. D.)

The useful ministry of children

In the Middle Ages lived the great theologian, the great Chancellor of the University of Paris, Jean Gerson, whose whole life was spent in storms of political struggle and religious strife, and when, after his long years of turbulent battle to beard popes and burn heretics, he took refuge in the silence and solitude of a monastic cell, his one joy was to gather the little children round his bed and bid them pray, “Lord, have mercy on Thy poor servant, Jean Gerson”; and even the strong combative soul of Luther melted to tenderness in the presence of little ones; and it was the voice of a little girl singing a hymn on a doorstep at Weimar that dispelled the heartache of Philip Melanchthon; and the agonies of the Scotch martyr Wishart were soothed when, to the taunt that he had a devil, the voice of a little child was heard replying, “You man does not speak like a man that hath a devil”; and George Whitfield was cheered and encouraged when he saw the little boys and girls who had gathered around his pulpit lifting to him in pity their tearful faces when the mobs pelted him with stones and dirt. And thus to these saints, and many more, has the trustfulness and simplicity of little children been, as it was to the heart of David, a strength made perfect in weakness to still their own enemies and the enemies of God. And which of us personally has not felt from the reminiscences of his own childhood, if, indeed, a pang of shame to think that we are in some things farther from heaven than then, yet also an inspiration of hope and strength? (Dean Farrar, D. D.)

A prophecy of the Incarnation

These words are alleged by our blessed Saviour (Matthew 21:16), to prove that Christ must reign till He has subdued all His enemies under His feet. He that reads this whole Psalm would think it were nothing else but a description of man’s excellency, whom God had made next to the angels in dignity, and given him dominion over all things He had made. How is that which is a description of mankind in general, a prophecy of Christ in special! The key of the interpretation of this Psalm is to be sought in the words, “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings,” etc.

1. The meaning of the words as they stand in the Psalm. The whole drift of the Psalm is to praise and glorify God for the dignity wherewith Fie hath invested man. This glory and honour is seen in two particulars.

(1) In that God hath ordained that weak and feeble creature man to subdue and conquer His enemies.

(2) In that He hath made man the lord of all His creatures.

2. The purport of these words was fulfilled in our blessed Saviour’s incarnation. The devil by sin brought mankind into thraldom, and became the prince of this world, himself with his angels being worshipped and served everywhere as gods. To vanquish and exterminate this enemy, and redeem the world from this miserable thraldom, the Son of God took on Him, not the nature of angels, but the nature of weak and despicable man, that grows from a babe and suckling. And the Son of Man enables also other sons of men, His disciples and ministers, to do the like in His name.

3. This victory, as for the event, so for the manner of achieving it, is agreeable to our prophecy. Forasmuch as Christ our General nor fights, nor conquers by force of arms, but by the power of His Word and Spirit, which is “the power of His mouth," according to the text, “Out of the mouth,” etc. (Joseph Mede, B. D.)