1. Judge me, O God.
Others are unable to understand my motives, and unwilling to give me a just
verdict. My heart is clear as to its intent, and therefore I bring my case
before thee, content that thou wilt impartially weigh my character, and right
my wrongs. If thou wilt judge, thy acceptance of my conduct will be enough for
me; I can laugh at human misrepresentation if my conscience knows that thou art
on my side; thou art the only one I care for; and besides, thou wilt see
practical justice done to thy slandered servant. And plead my cause against
an ungodly nation. One such advocate as the Lord will more than suffice to
answer a nation of brawling accusers. When people are ungodly, no wonder they
are unjust; those who are not true to God himself cannot be expected to deal rightly
with his people. O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man. From
such devils none can deliver us but God. His wisdom can outwit the craft of the
vilest serpent, and his power can overmatch the most raging lion. If we try to
fight them with our own weapons we shall suffer more serious injury from
ourselves than from them. Vengeance belongeth not to us, but to our Lord. Turn
to him in prayer, and ere long you will publish abroad the remembrance of his
salvation.
2. For. Here is
argument, which is the very sinew of prayer. If we reasoned more with the Lord
we should have more victories in supplication. Thou art the God of my
strength. All my strength belongs to thee. I will not, therefore, use it on
my own behalf against my personal foes; I seek help from thee; I leave the task
of combating my foes entirely in thy hands. Note the assurance of David, thou
art, not I hope and trust so, but I know it is so. Why dost thou cast me
off? There are many reasons why the Lord might cast us off, but no reason
will prevail to make him do so. He has not cast off his people, though he for a
while treats them as castoffs. It is well to inquire into dark providences, but
we must inquire of God, not of our own fears. He who is the author of a
mysterious trial can best expound it to us. Why go I mourning because of the
oppression of the enemy? Why do I wander hither and thither like a restless
spirit? Why do I wear the weeds of sorrow on my body, and the lines of grief on
my face? Oppression makes a wise man mad; why, Lord, am I called to endure so
much of it for so long a time? Here again is a useful question, addressed to
the right quarter. The answer will often be because we are saints, and must be
made like our Head, and because such sorrow is chastening to the spirit, and
yields fruit. We are not to cross-question the Lord in peevishness, but we may
ask of him in humility; God help us to observe the distinction so as not to sin
through stress of sorrow.
3. O send out thy light and thy truth. The joy of thy presence and the faithfulness of thy heart;
let both of these be manifest to me. Reveal my true character by thy light, and
reward me according to thy truthful promise. As the sun darts forth his beams,
so does the Lord send forth his favor and his faithfulness towards all his
people, lighting up even our darkest surroundings with delightful splendor. Let
them lead me. Be these my star to guide me to my rest. Let them bring me
unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles. First in thy mercy bring me to
thy earthly courts, and end my weary exile, and then in due time admit me to
thy celestial palace above. We seek not light to sin by, nor truth to be
exalted by it, but that they may become our practical guides to the nearest
communion with God: only such light and truth as are sent us from God will do
this; common light is not strong enough, nor will mere moral or physical truths
assist to the holy hill; but the light of the Holy Spirit, and the truth as it
is in Jesus, these are elevating, sanctifying, perfecting; and hence their
virtue in leading us to the glorious presence of God. It is beautiful to
observe how David’s longing to be away from the oppression of man always leads
him to sigh more intensely for communion with God.
4. Then will I go unto the altar of God. If David might be permitted to return, it would not be his
own house which would be his first resort, but the altar of God. With what
exultation should believers draw near to Christ, who is the antitype of the
altar! Unto God my exceeding joy. It was not the altar as such that the
psalmist cared for, but fellowship with God himself. What are all the rites of
worship unless the Lord be in them? God is not David’s joy alone, but
his exceeding joy; not the fountain of joy, the giver of joy, or the
maintainer of joy, but that joy itself. The margin has “The gladness of my
joy,” that is, the soul, the essence of my joy. To draw near to God, who is
such a joy to us, may well be the object of our hungering and thirsting. Yea,
upon the harp will I praise thee. When God fills us with joy we ought ever
to pour it out at his feet in praise, and all the skill and talent we have
should be laid under contribution to increase the divine revenue of glory. O
God, my God. How he dwells upon the name which he loves so well! To have
God in possession, and to know it by faith, is the heart’s heaven.
5. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? If God be thine, why this dejection? And why art thou
disquieted within me? Wherefore indulge unreasonable sorrows, which benefit
no one, fret yourself, and dishonor your God? Why overburden yourself with
forebodings? Hope in God, or wait for God. There is need of
patience, but there is ground for hope. The Heavenly Father will not stand by
and see his children trampled on forever; light must arise for the people of
God, though for a while they may walk in darkness. Why, then, should we not be
encouraged, and lift up our head with comfortable hope? For I shall yet
praise him. Times of complaint will soon end and seasons of praise begin. Who
is the health of my countenance, and my God. My God will clear the furrows
from my brow and the tear marks from my cheek; therefore will I smile in the
face of the storm. The psalm has a blessed ending, such as we would like to
imitate when death puts an end to our mortal existence.
Excerpt from:
The Treasury of David
By Charles H Spurgeon
