1. Hear my cry, O God.
He was in terrible earnest; he shouted, he lifted up his voice on high. He is
not, however, content with the expression of his need: to give his sorrows vent
is not enough for him; he wants actual audience of heaven, and manifest succor
as the result. Pharisees may rest in their prayers; true believers are eager
for an answer to them. Attend unto my prayer. Give it thy consideration,
and such an answer as thy wisdom sees fit. When it comes to crying with us, we
need not doubt but that it will come to attending with God. Our Heavenly Father
is not hardened against the cries of his own children; whatever else fails to
move him, praying breath is never spent in vain!
2. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee. He was banished from the spot which was the center of his
delight, and at the same time his mind was in a depressed and melancholy
condition; both actually and figuratively he was an outcast, yet he does not
therefore restrain prayer, but rather finds therein a reason for the louder and
more importunate cries. To be absent from the place of divine worship was a
sore sorrow to saints in the olden times; they looked upon the tabernacle as
the center of the world, and they counted themselves to be at the end of the
universe when they could no longer resort to the sacred shrine; their heart was
heavy as in a strange land when they were banished from its solemnities. Yet
even they knew right well that no place is unsuitable for prayer. There may be
an end of the earth, but there must not be an end to devotion. No spot is too
dreary, no condition too deplorable; whether it be the world’s end or life’s
end, prayer is equally available. To pray in some circumstances needs resolve,
and the psalmist here expresses it: I will cry. It was a wise
resolution, for had he ceased to pray he would have become the victim of
despair; there is an end to a man when he makes an end to prayer. Observe that
David had never dreamed of seeking any other God; he did not imagine the
dominion of Jehovah to be local: he was at the end of the promised land, but he
knew himself to be still in the territory of the great King; to him only does
he address his petitions. When my heart is overwhelmed. When the huge
waves of trouble wash over me, and I am completely submerged, not only as to my
head, but also my heart. It is hard to pray when the very heart is drowning,
yet gracious men plead best at such times. Tribulation brings us to God, and
brings God to us. It is all over with me, affliction is all over me, yet God is
near, near enough to hear my voice, and I will call him. Mark how our psalmist
tells the Lord, as if he knew he were hearing him, that he intended to call
upon him: our prayer by reason of our distress may be like a call upon a
far-off friend, but our inmost faith has its quiet heart-whispers to the Lord
as to one who is assuredly our very present help.
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. I see thee to be my refuge, sure and strong; but alas, I am
confused and cannot find thee; I am weak, and cannot climb thee. Thou art so
steadfast, guide me; thou art so high, uplift me. There is a mint of meaning in
this brief prayer. Our experience leads us to understand this verse right well,
for the time was with us when we were in such amazement of soul by reason of
sin that although we knew the Lord Jesus to be a sure salvation for sinners,
yet we could not come at him, by reason of our many doubts and forebodings. A
Saviour would have been of no use to us if the Holy Spirit had not gently led
us to him, and enabled us to rest upon him. To this day we often feel that we
not only want a rock, but to be led to it. With this in view we treat very
leniently the half-unbelieving prayers of awakened souls; for in their
bewildered state we cannot expect from them all at once a fully believing cry.
A seeking soul should at once believe in Jesus, but it is legitimate to ask to
be led to Jesus; the Holy Spirit is able to effect such a leading, and he can
do it even though the heart be on the borders of despair.
How infinitely higher than we are is the salvation of God.
This is its glory, and is our delight when we have once climbed into the rock,
and claimed an interest in it; but while we are as yet trembling seekers, the
glory and sublimity of salvation appall us, and we feel that we are too
unworthy ever to be partakers of it; hence we are led to cry for grace upon
grace, and to see how dependent we are for everything, not only for the
Saviour, but for the power to believe on him.
3. For thou hast been a shelter for me. Observe how the psalmist rings the changes on Thou hast
and I will (verses 3–6). Experience is the nurse of faith. From the
past we gather arguments for present confidence. Many a time had the
persecutions of Saul and the perils of battle imperiled David’s life, and only
by miracle had he escaped; yet was he still alive and unhurt; this he
remembers, and he is full of hope. And a strong tower from the enemy. As
in a fort impregnable, David had dwelt, because surrounded by omnipotence.
Sweet is it beyond expression to remember the lovingkindnesses of the Lord in
our former days, for he is unchangeable, and therefore will continue to guard
us from all evil.
4. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever. Let me once get back to thy courts, and nothing shall again
expel me from them: even now in my banishment my heart is there; and ever will
I continue to worship thee in spirit wherever my lot may be cast. Perhaps by
the word tabernacle is here meant the dwelling-place of God; and if so,
the sense is, I will dwell with the Lord, enjoying his sacred hospitality, and
sure protection. Whoever communes with God is always at home. The divine
omnipresence surrounds such a person consciously; his faith sees all around him
the palace of the King, in which he walks with exulting security and
overflowing delight. The best of all is that our residence with God is not for
a limited period of time, but for ages; for time and for eternity: I will
abide in thy tabernacle for ever.
I will trust in the covert of thy wings. How soft the cherishing feathers! O for more trust; such a
covert invites us to the most unbroken repose. Selah. Deep, profound
calm completely fills the bosom, and sorrow has sobbed itself into a peaceful
slumber.
5. For thou, O God, hast heard my vows. Proofs of divine faithfulness are to be had in remembrance,
and to be mentioned to the Lord’s honor. The prayer of verse 1 is certain of
an answer because of the experience of verse 5, since we deal with an
immutable God. Vows may rightly be joined with prayers when they are
lawful, well-considered, and truly for God’s glory. It is great mercy on God’s
part to take any notice of the vows and promises of such faithless and
deceitful creatures as we are. What we promise him is his due already, and yet
he deigns to accept our vows as if we were not so much his servants as his free
suitors who could give or withhold at pleasure. Thou hast given me the
heritage of those that fear thy name. We are made joint-heirs with all the
saints. With this we ought to be delighted. If we suffer, it is the heritage of
the saints; if we are persecuted, are in poverty, or in temptation, all this is
contained in the title-deeds of the heritage of the chosen. We have the same
inheritance as the Firstborn himself; what better is conceivable? Saints are described
as fearing the name of God; they are reverent worshipers; they stand in awe of
the Lord’s authority; they are afraid of offending him; they feel their own
nothingness in the sight of the Infinite One. To be treated by God with the
same favor as he metes out to them is matter for endless thanksgiving. All the
privileges of all the saints are also the privilege of each one.
6. Thou wilt prolong the king’s life, or, better, “days to the days of the King thou wilt add.”
Death threatened, but God preserved his beloved. David, considering his many
perils, enjoyed a long and prosperous reign. And his years as many
generations. He lived to see generation after generation personally; in his
descendants he lived as king through a very long period; his dynasty continued
for many generations; and in Christ Jesus, his descendant, spiritually David
reigns on evermore. Thus he who began at the foot of the rock, half drowned,
and almost dead, is here led to the summit, and sings as a priest abiding in
the tabernacle, a king ruling with God forever, and a prophet foretelling good
things to come. See the uplifting power of faith and prayer.
7. He shall abide before God forever. Though this is true of David in a modified sense, we prefer
to view the Lord Jesus as here intended as the lineal descendant of David, and
the representative of his royal race. Jesus is enthroned before God to
eternity; here is our safety, dignity, and delight. We reign in him. David’s
personal claim to sit enthroned forever is but a foreshadowing of the revealed
privilege of all true believers. O prepare mercy and truth, which may
preserve him. As people cry, “Long live the king,” so we hail our
enthroned Immanuel, and cry, “Let mercy and truth preserve him.” Eternal love
and immutable faithfulness are the bodyguards of Jesus’ throne, and they are
both the providers and the preservers of all those who in him are made kings
and priests unto God. We cannot keep ourselves, and nothing short of divine
mercy and truth can do it; but these both can and will, nor shall the least of
the people of God be suffered to perish.
8. So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever. Because my prayer is answered, my song will be perpetual;
because Jesus forever sits at thy right hand, it will be acceptable; because I
am preserved in him, it will be grateful. David had given vocal utterance to
his prayer by a cry; he will now give expression to his praise by a song. We
ought not to leap in prayer, and limp in praise. The vow to celebrate the
divine name for ever is no exaggeration. That I may daily perform my
vows. To God who adds days to our days we will devote all our days. God
daily performs his promises; let us daily perform our vows.
Excerpt from:
The Treasury of David
By Charles H Spurgeon
