Charles Spurgeon Collection: Spurgeon - C.H. - The Golden Alphabet: 06 Exposition of Psalm 119:41-48

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Charles Spurgeon Collection: Spurgeon - C.H. - The Golden Alphabet: 06 Exposition of Psalm 119:41-48



TOPIC: Spurgeon - C.H. - The Golden Alphabet (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 06 Exposition of Psalm 119:41-48

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Exposition of Psa_119:41-48

by Charles Spurgeon



41. Let thy mercies come also unto me, O Lord, even thy salvation, according

to thy word.

42. So shall I have wherewith to answer hint that reproacheth me: for I

trust in thy word.

43. And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth; for I have

hoped in thy judgments.

44. So shall I keep thy law continually far ever and ever.

45. And I will walk at liberty for I seek thy precepts.

46. I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed.

47. And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved.

48. My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved

and I will meditate in thy statutes.

In these verses holy fear is apparent and prominent. The man of God

trembles lest in any way or degree the Lord should remove his favor from

him. The eight verses are one continued pleading for the abiding of grace in

his soul, and it is supported by such holy arguments as would only suggest

themselves to a spirit: burning with love to God.

41 “Let thy mercies come also unto me, O Lord, even thy salvation,

according to thy word.”

“Let thy mercies come also unto me, O Lord.” He desired mercy as well

as teaching, for he was guilty as well as ignorant. He needed much mercy

and varied mercy, hence the request is in the plural. He needed mercies

from God rather than from man and so he asks for “thy mercies.” The

way of grace appeared to be blocked, and therefore he begs that the

mercies may have their way cleared by God, and may “come” to him. He

who said, “Let there be light,” can also say, “Let there be mercy.” It

may be that under a sense of unworthiness the writer feared lest mercy

should be given to others, and not to himself; he therefore cries, “Let them

come unto me;” “Bless me, even me also, O my Father.” The words are

tantamount to our well-known verse —

“Lord, I hear of showers of blessing

Thou art scattering, full and free;

Showers, the thirsty land refreshing;

Let some droppings fall on me,

Even me.”

Lord, thine enemies come to me to reproach me, let thy mercies come to

me to defend me; trials and troubles abound, and labors and sufferings not

a few approach me; Lord, let thy mercies in great number enter by the

same gate, and at the same hour; for art thou not “the God of my

mercy”?

“Even thy salvation.” This is the sum and crown of all mercies —

deliverance from all evil, both now and for ever. Here is the first mention

of salvation in the psalm, and it is joined with mercy: “By grace are ye

saved.” Salvation is styled “thy salvation,” thus ascribing it wholly to the

Lord: “He that is our God is the God of salvation.” What a mass of

mercies are heaped together in the one salvation of our Lord Jesus! It

includes the mercy which spares us till our conversion, and leads to that

conversion. We have calling mercy, regenerating mercy, converting mercy,

justifying mercy, pardoning mercy. Nor can we exclude from complete

salvation any of those many mercies which conduct the believer safely to

glory. Salvation is an aggregate of mercies, incalculable in number,

priceless in value, incessant in application, eternal in endurance. To the

God of our mercies be glory, world without end.

“According to thy word.” The way of salvation is described in the word;

salvation itself is promised in the word; and its inward manifestation is

wrought by the word; so that in all respects the salvation which is in Christ

Jesus is in accordance with God’s word. David loved the Scriptures, but he

longed experimentally to know the salvation contained in them: he was not

satisfied to read the word, he longed to experience its inner sense. He

valued the field of Scripture for the sake of the treasure which he had

discovered in it. He was not contented with having chapter and verse, he

wanted mercies and salvation.

Note that in the first verse of the section which bears the letter HE (33) the

Psalmist prayed to keep God’s word, and here in VAU he begs the Lord to

keep his word. In the first case he longed to come to the God of mercies,

and here he would have the Lord’s mercies come; to him: there he sought

grace to persevere in faith, and here he seeks the end of his faith, even the

salvation of his soul.

42. “So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me: for I

trust in thy word.”

“So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me.” This is

an unanswerable answer. When God, by granting us salvation, gives to our

prayers an answer of peace, we are ready at once to answer the objections

of the infidel, the quibbles of the skeptical, and the sneers of the

contemptuous. It is most desirable that revilers should be answered, and

hence we may expect the Lord to save his people, in order that a weapon

may be put into their hands with which to rout his adversaries. When those

who reproach us are also reproaching God, we may ask him to help us to

silence them by sure proofs of his mercy and faithfulness.

“For I trust in thy word.” His faith was seen by his being trustful while

under trial, and he pleads it as a reason why he should be helped to beat

back reproaches by a happy experience. Faith is our argument when we

seek mercies and salvation; faith in the Lord who has spoken to us in his

word. “I trust in thy word” is a declaration more worth the making than

any other; for he who can truly make it has received power to become a

child of God, and so to be the heir of unnumbered mercies. God hath more

respect to a man’s trust than to all else that is in him; for the Lord hath

chosen faith to be the hand into which he will place his mercies and his

salvation. If any reproach us for trusting in God, we. reply to them with

arguments the most conclusive when we show that God has kept his

promises, heard our prayers, and supplied our needs. Even the most

skeptical are forced to bow before the logic of facts.

In this second verse of this octave the Psalmist makes a confession of faith,

and a declaration of his belief and experience. Note that he does the same

in the corresponding verses of the sections which follow. See 50, “Thy

word hath quickened me”; 58, “I intreated thy favor ”; 66, “I have

believed thy commandments”; 74, “I have hoped in thy word.” A wise

preacher might find in these a valuable series of experimental discourses.

43. “And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth; for I have

hoped in thy judgments.”

“And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth.” Do not prevent

my pleading for thee by leaving me without deliverance; for how could I

continue to proclaim thy word if I found it fail me? such would seem to be

the run of the meaning. The word of truth cannot be a joy to our mouths

unless we have an experience of it in our lives, and it may be wise for us to

be silent if we cannot support our testimonies by the verdict of our

consciousness. This prayer may also refer to other modes by which we may

be disabled from speaking in the name of the Lord: as, for instance, by our

falling into open sin, by our becoming depressed and despairing, by our

laboring under sickness or mental aberration, by our finding no door of

utterance, or meeting with no willing audience. He who has once preached

the gospel from his heart is filled with horror at the idea of being put out of

the ministry; he will crave to be allowed a little share in the holy testimony,

and will reckon his dumb Sabbaths to be days of banishment and

punishment.

“For I have hoped in thy judgments.” He had expected God to appear

and vindicate his cause, that so he might speak with confidence concerning

his faithfulness. God is the author of our hopes, and we may most fittingly

entreat him to fulfil them. The judgments of his providence are the

outcome of his word; what he says in the Scriptures he actually performs in

his government; we may therefore look for him to show himself strong on

the behalf of his own threatenings and promises, and we shall not look in

vain.

God’s ministers are sometimes silenced through the sins of their people,

and it becomes them to plead against such a judgment; better far that they

should suffer sickness or poverty than that the candle of the gospel should

be put out among them, and that thus they should be left to perish without

remedy. The Lord save us, who are his ministers, from being made the

instruments of inflicting such a penalty. Let us exhibit a cheerful

hopefulness in God, that we may plead it in prayer with him when he

threatens to close our lips.

In the close of this verse there is a declaration of what the Psalmist had

done in reference to the word of the Lord, and in this the thirds of the

octaves are often alike. See 35, “therein do I delight”; 43, “I have hoped

in thy judgments”; 51, “yet have I not declined from thy law”; 59, “I

turned my feet unto thy testimonies”; and verses 67, 83, 99, etc. These

verses would furnish an admirable series of meditations.

44. “So shall I keep thy law continually far ever and ever.” Nothing

more effectually binds a man to the way of the Lord than an experience of

the truth of his word, embodied in the form of mercies and deliverances.

Not only does the Lord’s faithfulness open our mouths against his

adversaries, but it also knits our hearts to his fear, and makes our union

with him more and more intense. Great mercies lead us to feel an

inexpressible gratitude which, failing to utter itself in time, promises to

engross eternity with praises. To a heart on flame with thankfulness, the

“always, unto eternity and perpetuity” of the text will not seem to be

redundant; yea, the hyperbole of Addison in his famous verse will only

appear to be solid sense: —

“Through all eternity to thee

A joyful song I’ll raise;

But oh! eternity’s too short

To utter all thy praise.”

God’s grace alone can enable us to keep his commandments without break

and without end; eternal love must grant us eternal life, and out of this

eternal life will come everlasting obedience. There is no other way to

ensure our perseverance in holiness but by the word of truth abiding in us,

as David prayed it might abide with him.

The verse begins with “So,” as did verse 42. When God grants his

salvation, we are so favored that we silence our worst enemy and glorify

our best friend. Mercy answereth all things. If God doth but give us

salvation we can conquer hell and commune with heaven, answering

reproaches, and keeping the law, and that to the end, world without end.

We may not overlook another sense which suggests itself here. David

prayed that the word of truth might not be taken out of his mouth, and so

would he keep God’s law: that is to say, by public testimony as well as by

personal life he would fulfil the divine will, and confirm the bonds which

bound him to his Lord for ever. Undoubtedly the grace which enables us to

bear witness with the mouth is a great help to ourselves as well as to

others: we feel that the vows of the Lord are upon us, and that we cannot

run back. Our ministry is useful to ourselves first, or it would not, in the

next place, be useful to others. We must so preach and teach the word of

God, that we thereby fulfil our life-work, and fulfil the law of love,

constantly and consistently. It is a horrible thing when a man’s preaching

only increases his sin because he preaches otherwise than Scripture

teaches.

45. “And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts.” Saints find no

bondage in sanctity. The Spirit of holiness is a free spirit; he sets men at

liberty and enables them to resist every effort to bring them under

subjection. The way of holiness is not a track for slaves, but the King’s

highway for freemen, who are joyfully journeying from the Egypt of

bondage to the Canaan of rest. God’s mercies and his salvation, by

teaching us to love the precepts of the word, set us at a happy rest; and the

more we seek after the perfection of our obedience, the more shall we

enjoy complete emancipation from every form of spiritual slavery. David at

one time of his life was in great bondage through having; followed a

crooked policy. He deceived Achish so persistently that he was driven to

acts of ferocity to conceal it, and he must have felt very unhappy in his

unnatural position as an ally of Philistines, and captain of the body-guard of

their king. He must have feared lest through his falling into the crooked

ways of falsehood the truth would no longer be on his tongue, and he

therefore prayed God in some way to work his deliverance, and set him at

liberty from such slavery. By terrible things in righteousness did the Lord

answer him at Ziklag: the snare was broken, and he escaped.

The verse is united to that which goes before; for it begins with the word

“And,” which acts as a hook to attach it to the preceding verses. It

mentions another of the benefits expected from the coming of mercies from

God. The man of God had mentioned the silencing of his enemies (42),

power to proceed in testimony (43), and perseverance in holiness; now he

dwells upon liberty, which next to life is dearest to all brave men. He says,

“I shall walk,” indicating his daily progress through life; “at liberty,” as

one who is out of prison, unimpeded by adversaries, unencumbered by

burdens, unshackled, allowed a wide range, and roaming without fear.

Such liberty would be dangerous if a man were seeking himself or his own

lusts; but when the one object sought after is the will of God, there can be

no need to restrain the searcher. We need not circumscribe the man who

can say, “I seek thy precepts.” Observe, in the preceding verse he said he

would keep the law; but here he speaks of seeking it. Does he not mean

that he will obey what he knows, and endeavor to know more? Is not this

the way to the highest form of liberty — to be always laboring to know the

mind of God, and to be conformed to it? Those who keep the law are sure

to seek it, and bestir themselves to keep it more and more.

46. “I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be

ashamed.” This is part of his liberty; he is free from fear of the greatest,

proudest, and most tyrannical of men. David was called to stand before

kings when he was an exile; and afterwards, when he was himself a

monarch, he knew the tendency of men to sacrifice their religion to pomp

and statecraft; but it was his resolve to do nothing of the kind. He would

sanctify politics, and make cabinets know that the Lord alone is governor

among the nations. As a king he would speak to kings concerning the King

of kings. He says, “I will speak:” prudence might have suggested that his

life and conduct would be enough, and that it would be better not to touch

upon religion in the presence of royal personages who worshipped other

gods, and claimed to be right in so doing. He had already most fittingly

preceded this resolve by the declaration, “I will walk;” but he does not

make his personal conduct, an excuse for sinful silence, for he adds, “I will

speak.” David claimed religious liberty, and took care to use it, for he

spoke out what he believed, even when he was in the highest company. In

what he said he took care to keep to God’s own word, for he says, “I will

speak of thy testimonies.” No theme is like this, and there is no way of

handling that theme like keeping close to the book, and using its thought

and language. The great hindrance to our speaking upon holy topics in all

companies is shame, but the Psalmist will “not be ashamed”; there is

nothing to be ashamed of, and there is no excuse for being ashamed, and

yet many are as quiet as the dead for fear some creature like themselves

should be offended. When God gives grace, cowardice soon vanishes. He

who speaks for God in God’s power, will not be ashamed When beginning

to speak, nor while speaking, nor after speaking; for his theme is one which

is fit for kings, needful to kings, and beneficial to kings. If kings object, we

may well be ashamed of them, but never of our Master who sent us or of

his message, or of his design in sending it.

47. “And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have

loved.” Next to liberty and courage comes delight. When we have done

our duty, we find a great reward in it. If David had not spoken for his

Master before kings, he would have been afraid to think of the law which

he had neglected; but after speaking up for his Lord he felt a sweet serenity

of heart when musing upon the word. Obey the command, and you will

love it; carry the yoke, and it will be easy, and rest will come by it. After

speaking of the law, the Psalmist was not wearied of his theme, but: he

retired to meditate upon it he discoursed, and then he delighted; he

preached, and then repaired to his study to renew his strength by feeding

yet again upon the precious truth. Whether he delighted others or not when

he was speaking, he never failed to delight himself when he was musing on

the word of the Lord. He declares that he loved the Lord’s commands, and

by his avowal he unveils the reason for his delight in them: where our love

is, there is our delight. David did not delight in the courts of kings, for

there he found places of temptation to shame, but in the Scriptures he

found himself at home; his heart was in them, and they yielded him

supreme pleasure. No wonder that he spoke of keeping the law, which he

loved: Jesus says, “If a man love me he will keep my words.” No wonder

that he spoke of walking at liberty and speaking boldly, for true love is ever

free and fearless, Love is the fulfilling of the law; where love to the law of

God reigns in the heart, the life must be full of blessedness. Lord, let thy

mercies come to us, that we may love thy word and way, and find our

whole delight therein.

The verse is in the future, and hence it sets forth, not only what David had

done, but what he would do; he would in time to come delight in his

Lord’s commands. He knew that they would neither alter, nor fail to yield

him joy. He knew also that grace would keep him in the same condition of

heart towards the precepts of the Lord, so that he should throughout his

whole life take a supreme delight in holiness. His heart was so fixed in

love to God’s will that he was sure that grace would always hold him

under its delightful influence.

All the psalm is fragrant with love to the word, but here for the first time,

love is expressly spoken of. It is here coupled with delight, and in verse

165 with “great peace.” All the verses in which love declares itself in so

many words are worthy of note. See verses 47, 97, 113, 119, 127, 140,

159, 163, 165, 167.

48. “My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have

loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes.”

“My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have

loved.” He will stretch out towards perfection as far as he can, hoping to

reach it one day. When his hands hang down he will cheer himself out of

languor by the prospect of glorifying God by obedience; and he will give

solemn sign of his hearty assent and consent to all that his God commands.

The phrase “lift up my hands” is very full of meaning, and doubtless the

sweet singer meant all that we can see in it, and a great deal more. Again

he declares his love; for a true heart loves to express itself; it is a kind of

fire which must send forth its flames. It was natural that he should reach

out towards a law which he delighted in, even as a child holds out its hand

to receive a gift which it longs for. When such a lovely object as holiness is

set before us, we are bound to rise towards it with our whole nature, and

till that is fully accomplished we should at least lift up our hands in prayer

towards it. Where holy hands and holy hearts go, the whole man will one

day follow.

“And I will meditate in thy statutes.” He can never have enough of

meditation. Loving subjects wish to be familiar with their sovereign’s

statutes, lest they should offend through ignorance. Prayer with lifted

hands, and meditation with upward-glancing eyes will in happy union work

out the best inward results. The prayer of verse 41 is already fulfilled in the

man who is thus struggling upward and studying deeply. The whole of this

verse is in the future, and may be viewed not: only as a determination of

David’s mind, but as a result which he knew would follow from the Lord’s

sending him his mercies and his salvation. When mercy comes down, our

hands will be lifted up; when we enjoy the consciousness that God thinks

upon us with special love, we are sure to think of him.