Hints to Preachers

Verse 1 (first clause).—Repetition in prayer. I. Its dangers. May degenerate into “vain repetitions.” Carried to excess painfully suggests the idea, God is unwilling. II. Its uses. Eases the soul like tears. Manifests intense emotion. Enables those of less mental activity to join in a general supplication.—R. A. Griffin.

Verse 1.—Here are—I. Calamities. 1. War. 2. Pestilence. 3. Privations. 4. Sin, greatest of all. 5. Death. 6. Curse of a broken law. II. Here is a refuge from these calamities. 1. In God. 2. Specially in the mercy of God. III. There is flying to that refuge. 1. By faith; “My soul trusteth in thee;” “Under the shadow,” etc. 2. By prayer; “Be,” etc. IV. Here is continuance both in faith and prayer; “until,” etc.—G. R.

Verses 1, 4, 6, 7.—Note the varying condition of the same heart, at the same time. “My soul trusteth in thee.” “My soul is among lions.” “My soul is bowed down.” “My heart is fixed.”

Verse 2.—Prayer to the performing God. He performs all his promises, all my salvation, all my preservation, all needed between here and heaven. Here he reveals his omnipotence, his grace, his faithfulness, his immutability; and we are bound to show our faith, patience, joy, and gratitude.

Verse 2.—Strange reasons. I. The Psalmist, in the depths of distress, cries to God, because he is most high in glory. Surely this thought might well paralyse him with the fear of divine inaccessibility, but the soul quickened with suffering, sees through and beyond the metaphor, rejoices in the truth, “Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly.” II. He cries to God for help, because God is performing all things for him. Why urge him then? Prayer is the music to which “the mighty man of war” goes forth to battle.—R. A. G.

Verse 3.—The saint’s comfort in adversity. I. All contingencies are provided for: “He shall (or will) send.” II. The highest resources are available: “from heaven.” III. The worst foes will be overcome in the end: “him that would swallow me up.” IV. By the holiest means: “mercy and truth.”—R. A. G.

Verse 3.—The celestial messengers. What they are. The certainty of their being sent. Their effectual operation. The grateful receiver.

Verse 3 (last clause).—The harmony of the divine attributes in salvation. Mercy founded on truth, truth vindicating mercy. Mercy without injustice, justice honoured in mercy.

Verse 4.—“My soul is among lions.” How came I there? If for God’s sake, then I may remember—1. So was my Lord in the wilderness. 2. The lions are chained. 3. Their howling is all they can do. 4. I shall come out of their den alive, unhurt, honoured. 5. The Lion of Judah is with me. 6. I shall soon be among the angels.

Verse 5.—I. The end which God has in view, both in heaven and earth, in a sinful and in sinless worlds—his own glory. II. Our duty to acquiesce in that end: “Be thou,” etc.—not self, not men, not angels—“Be thou exalted,” etc. In this we would acquiesce—1. Actively, by seeking that end. 2. Passively, by submission to his will.—G. R.

Verse 6 (first clause).—I. Who are they? 1. Those who lead us into sin. 2. Who argue from worldly philosophy. 3. Who proclaim priestly and sacramental superstition. 4. Who decoy us from the church of God. 5. Who teach Antinomian doctrine. II. How shall we escape them? 1. Keep out of their way. 2. Keep to God’s way. 3. Trust daily in the Lord.

Verse 6.—“My soul is bowed down.” I. The prostration. 1. Caused by enemies, weakness, fear, pain. 2. Deep, agonising, self-revealing. 3. Common to the Head and the members. II. The consolation. 1. Bowed down, but not condemned. 2. Hoping in the promise. 3. Trusting in God. 4. Expecting a blessing from the trial.

Verse 7 (first clause).—It is implied that the “heart” is the main thing required in all acts of devotion; nothing is done to purpose in religion further than it is done with the heart. The heart must be “fixed;” fixed for the duty, fitted and put in frame for it; fixed in the duty by a close application; attending on the Lord without distraction.—Matthew Henry.

Verse 7.—I. What is fixed? the heart, not the mind merely, but the will, the conscience, the affections, which draw the mind after them: “My heart is fixed”—found an anchorage, a resting-place, not therefore at the mercy of every gale, etc. II. The objects upon which it is fixed. 1. Upon God. 2. Upon his word. 3. Upon his salvation. 4. Upon heaven. III. The fixedness of the heart upon these objects, denotes—1. Singleness of aim. 2. Uniformity of action. 3. Perseverance to the end.—G. R.

Verses 7, 8, 9.—1. He that will be thankful must treasure up in his heart and memory the courtesy that is done him; so had David done, and therefore he mentions his heart; and to make it more emphatical, he names it again, “My heart.” 2. After he remembers it, he must be affected with it, and resolve upon it; so doth David: “My heart is ready,” or else, “My heart is fixed;” confirmed I am in it to be thankful, and I cannot be altered. 3. ’Tis not enough that a man carry about with him a thankful heart; he must anunciare, tell it abroad, and make it known publicly what God hath done for him; yea, and do it joyfully too: “I will,” saith David, “sing and give praise.” 4. He must use all means he can to make it known—“tongue,” “psaltery,” and “harp,” all are little enough. Whence, by an apostrophe, David turns to these. “Awake, my glory:” i.e. Tongue, awake; lute and harp, awake; I myself will awake. 5. He must not do it in a sleepy manner, but with intention and earnestness of spirit: “Awake, awake, I will awake.” 6. He must take the first opportunity to do it, and not hang off and delay it: “I will awake early.” 7. He must do it in such a place, and such an assembly as may most redound to God’s honour: “I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations.”—William Nicholson.

Verse 8.—“I myself will wake early.” I will sleep lightly, for I am in an enemy’s country; I will ask God to arouse me; I will set the alarum of watchfulness; I will hear the cock of providential warning; the light of the Sun shall arouse me; the activities of the church, the trumpet of my foes, and the bell of duty shall combine to awaken me.

Verse 9.—Who? “I.” What? “Will praise.” Whom? “Thee, O Lord.” Where? “Among the people.” Why?

Verse 9.—Public profession. I. A necessity. II. A privilege. III. A duty.—R. A. G.

Verse 10.—The mercy of God reaches to the heavens—I. As a throne. God is exalted in our eyes by his mercy. II. As a ladder. By mercy we ascend from earth to heaven. III. As a rainbow. Present and past mercies argue exemption for the saints from the wrath of heaven. IV. As a mountain. Its base is on the earth though its summit is lost in clouds. The influence of the cross towers to the heaven of heavens. Who can tell the glory of the summit of this mountain, whose base is refulgent with glory!—R. A. G.

Verse 10.—The amazing greatness of mercy. It is not said merely that it is high as heaven, but great unto the heavens. It is high as the heavens, over-topping the greatest sin, and highest thought of man. II. It is wide as the far-reaching sky, compassing men of all ages, countries, classes, etc. III. It is deep. Everything of God is proportionate; this, therefore, is deep in abiding foundation, and infinite wisdom.

HUNT, BARNARD & CO., LTD., Printers, London and Aylesbury.

● Transcriber’s Notes: ○ Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores (italics), and text that was in bold face is enclosed by equals signs (bold). ○ Footnotes have been moved to follow the psalms in which they are referenced.