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
Other Subjects in this Topic:
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