1. O God, why hast thou cast us off forever? To cast us off at all is hard, but when thou dost for so
long a time desert thy people it is an evil beyond all endurance—the very chief
of woes and abyss of misery. It is our wisdom when under chastisement to
inquire, “Show me wherefore thou contendest with me,” and if the affliction
be a protracted one, we should the more eagerly inquire the meaning of it. Sin
is usually at the bottom of all the hidings of the Lord’s face; let us ask the
Lord to reveal the special form of it to us, that we may repent of it, overcome
it, and henceforth forsake it. When a church is in a forsaken condition it must
not sit still in apathy, but turn to the hand which smites it, and humbly
inquire the reason why. At the same time, the inquiry of the text is a faulty
one, for it implies two mistakes. There are two questions, which only admit of
negative replies. “Hath God cast away his people?” (Romans 11:1); and the
other, “Will the Lord cast off
forever?” (Psalm 77:7). God is never weary of his people so as to abhor them,
and even when his anger is turned against them, it is but for a small moment,
and with a view to their eternal good. Grief in its distraction asks strange
questions and surmises impossible terrors. It is a wonder of grace that the
Lord has not long ago put us away as people lay aside cast-off garments, but he
hates putting away, and will still be patient with his chosen. Why doth
thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture? They are the objects of
thy care; they are poor, silly, and defenseless things: pity them, forgive
them, and come to their rescue. It is to those who are truly the Lord’s sheep a
most painful thing to be the objects of his displeasure. To vex the Holy Spirit
is no mean sin, and yet how frequently are we guilty of it; hence it is no
marvel that we are often under a cloud.
2. Remember thy congregation, which thou hast purchased of
old. What a mighty plea is redemption.
From before the world’s foundation the chosen were regarded as redeemed by the
Lamb slain: shall ancient love die out, and the eternal purpose be frustrated?
Can election fail and eternal love cease to flow? Impossible. The woes of
Calvary, and the covenant of which they are the seal, are the security of the
saints.
The rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed. The Lord’s portion is his people—will he lose his
inheritance? His church is his kingdom, over which he stretches the rod of
sovereignty; will he allow his possessions to be torn from him? God’s property
in us is a fact full of comfort: his value of us, his dominion over us, his
connection with us are all so many lights to cheer our darkness. No man will
willingly lose his inheritance, and no prince will relinquish his dominions;
therefore we believe that the King of kings will hold his own, and maintain his
rights against all comers. This mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt. The
Lord’s having made Zion the especial center of his worship, and the place of
his manifestation, is yet another plea for the preservation of Jerusalem. Has
the Spirit of God dwelt in our hearts, and will he leave them to become a haunt
for the devil? Has he sanctified us by his indwelling, and will he, after all,
vacate the throne? God forbid.
The psalm was evidently written with a view to the temple
upon Zion, and not to the tabernacle which was there in David’s time, and was a
mere tent; but the destructions here bewailed were exercised upon the carved
work of a substantial structure. Those who had seen the glory of God in
Solomon’s peerless temple might well mourn in bitterness when the Lord allowed
his enemies to make an utter ruin of that matchless edifice.
3. Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations. The ruin made had already long been an eyesore, and there
seemed no hope of restoration. Only Jehovah’s presence could cure the evil. Even
all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary. The holiest places
bore evidence of their malicious wickedness; would the Lord forever permit
this? Would he not hasten to overthrow the foe who defied him to his face, and
profaned the throne of his glory? Faith finds pleas in the worst circumstances;
she uses even the fallen stones of her desolate palaces, and assails with them
the gates of heaven, casting them forth with the great engine of prayer.
4. Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations. Where thy people sang like angels, these barbarians roar
like beasts. When thy saints come together for worship, these cruel men attack
them with all the fury of lions. They have no respect for the most solemn
gatherings, but intrude themselves and their blasphemies into our most hallowed
meetings. How often in times of persecution or prevalent heresy has the church
learned the meaning of such language. May the Lord spare us such misery. When
hypocrites abound in the church, and pollute her worship, the case is parallel
to that before us; Lord, save us from so severe a trial. They set up their
ensigns for signs. Idolatrous emblems used in war were set up over God’s
altar, as an insulting token of victory, and of contempt for the vanquished and
their God. Superstition, unbelief, and carnal wisdom have endeavored to usurp
the place of Christ crucified, to the grief of the church of God. The enemies
without do us small damage, but those within the church cause her serious harm;
by supplanting the truth and placing error in its stead, they deceive the
people, and lead multitudes to destruction.
5. Once men
were renowned for felling the cedars and preparing them for building the
temple, but now the axe finds other work, and men are as proud of destroying
the temple as their fathers were of erecting it.
6. The
invaders were as industrious to destroy as the ancient builders had been to
construct. In these days glorious truths are caviled over and smashed by the
blows of modern criticism. Truths which have upheld the afflicted and cheered
the dying are smitten by pretentious Goths, who would be accounted learned, but
know not the first principles of the truth. With sharp ridicule, and heavy
blows of sophistry, they break the faith of some, and would, if it were
possible, destroy the confidence of the elect themselves.
7. They have cast fire into thy sanctuary. To this day the enmity of the human heart is quite as great
as ever; and, if providence did not restrain, the saints would still be as fuel
for the flames. They have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of thy
name to the ground. When the Lord left Mount Zion, and the Roman garrison
gained entrance, the military fury led the soldiers to burn out and root up the
memorial of the famous House of the Lord. Could the powers of darkness have
their way, a similar fate would befall the church of Christ. Defilement to the
church is destruction; her foes would defile her till nothing of her purity,
and consequently of her real self, remained. Yet, even if they could wreak
their will upon the cause of Christ, they are not able to destroy it.
8. They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together. It was no idle wish; their cruelty was sincere,
deep-seated, a matter of their inmost heart. Not a remnant of the people of God
would have been left if oppressors could have had their way. The church of God
has gone through baptisms of blood and fire, but it is all the brighter for
them. They have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land. Here is
no allusion to places called synagogues, but to assemblies; and as no
assemblies for worship were held but in one place, the ruin of the temple was
the destruction of all the holy gatherings, and so in effect all the
meeting-places were destroyed. One object of persecutors has always been to put
an end to all conventicles, as they have called them. Keep them from meeting
and you will scatter them, so have the foemen said; but, glory be to God,
saints are independent of walls, and have met on the hillside, by the moss, or
in the catacombs, or in a boat at sea. Yet has the attempt been almost
successful, and the hunt so hot that the faithful have wandered in solitude,
and their solemn congregations have been, under such circumstances, few and far
between. What sighs and cries have in such times gone up to the ears of the
Lord God of Sabaoth. How happy are we that we can meet for worship in any place
we choose, and none dare molest us.
9. We see not our signs.
No Urim and Thummim blazed on the High Priest’s bosom, and no Shekinah shone
from between the cherubim. The smoke of sacrifice and cloud of incense no more
arose from the holy hill; solemn feasts were suspended, and even circumcision,
the covenant sign, was forbidden by the tyrant. We, too, as believers, know
what it is to lose our evidences and grope in darkness; and too often do our
churches also miss the tokens of the Redeemer’s presence, and their lamps
remain untrimmed. There is no more any prophet. Prophecy was suspended.
It is ill with the people of God when the voice of the preacher of the Gospel
fails, and a famine of the Word of Life falls on the people. God-sent ministers
are as needful to the saints as their daily bread. Neither is there any
among us that knoweth how long. When no one can see an end, the misery has
a hopeless appearance, and is overwhelming. Blessed be God, he has not left his
church in these days to be so deplorably destitute of cheering words; let us
pray that he never may. Contempt of the Word is very common, and may well
provoke the Lord to withdraw it from us; may his long-suffering endure the
strain, and his mercy afford us still the Word of Life.
10. O God, how long shall the adversary reproach?. Though we know not how long, yet thou dost. When God is
reproached, there is hope for us, for it may be he will hearken and avenge his
dishonored name. Wickedness has great license allowed it, and justice lingers
on the road; God has his reasons for delay, and his seasons for action, and in
the end it will be seen that he is not slack concerning his promise. Shall
the enemy blaspheme thy name forever? He will do so forever unless thou
dost give him his final due. Wilt thou never defend thyself, and stop
slanderous tongues? Yes, it will all be ended, but not by-and-by. There is a
time for the sinner to rage, and a time in which patience bears with him; yet
it is but a time.
11. Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand?. We who are so chill, and distant, and listless in prayer
are the erring ones. The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and he who learns
the art will surely prevail with God by its means. It is fit that we should
inquire why the work of grace goes on so slowly, and the enemy has so much
power over us: the inquiry may suggest practical reflections of unbounded
value. Pluck it out of thy bosom. A bold simile, but dying men must
venture for their lives. When God seems to fold his arms we must not fold ours,
but rather renew our intreaties that he would again put his hand to the work.
Oh for more agony in prayer among professing Christians! Then should we see
miracles of grace. We have here a model of pleading, a very rapture of prayer.
It is humble, but very bold, eager, fervent, and effectual. The heart of God is
always moved by such intreaties. When we bring forth our strong reasons, then
will he bring forth his choice mercies.
12–23. Having
spread the sad case before the Lord, the pleader now urges another series of
arguments for divine help. He reasons from the Lord’s former wonders of grace,
and his deeds of power, imploring a repetition of the same divine works.
12. For God is my King of old. If the Lord be indeed the sole monarch of our hearts, he
will in his love put forth his strength on our behalf; if from eternity he has
claimed us as his own, he will preserve us from the insulting foe. Working
salvation in the midst of the earth. From the most remote period of
Israel’s history the Lord had worked out for her many salvations, especially at
the Red Sea. Now, every believer may plead at this day the ancient deeds of the
Lord, the work of Calvary, the overthrow of sin, death, and hell. He who
wrought out our salvation of old will not, cannot desert us now. Each past
miracle of grace assures us that he who has begun to deliver will continue to
redeem us from all evil.
13. Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength. Infinite power split the Red Sea in two. Thou brakest
the heads of the dragons in the waters. Monsters long accustomed to the
deep found themselves left high and dry. There, too, that old dragon Pharaoh
was utterly broken, and Egypt herself had the head of her power and pomp
broken. Our faith as to the present is revived by glad memories of the past.
14. Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces. The mighty dragon of Egypt was utterly slain, and his proud
heads broken in pieces. Our Lord Jesus is the true Hercules; dragons with a
hundred heads are crushed beneath his foot: the infernal hydra he utterly
vanquishes. And gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the
wilderness. Not only did the wild beasts feed upon the carcasses of the
Egyptians, but the dwellers along the shores stripped the bodies and enriched
themselves with the spoil. Israel, too, grew rich with the relics of her
drowned adversaries. How often do great afflictions work our lasting good. Let
us not give way to fear; hydra-headed evils will be slain, and monstrous
difficulties will be overcome, and all things will work our lasting good.
15. Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood. Jordan was divided by Jehovah’s power; the Lord is able to
repeat his miracles; what he did with a sea, he can do with a river; lesser
difficulties will be removed as well as greater ones. Perhaps the fountain
refers to the smitten rock, which from its cleft poured forth a perpetual stream;
so the Lord opens to us springs of water in the wilderness. Thou driedst up
mighty rivers. Rivers which were permanent, and not like the transient
torrents of the land, were dried up for awhile.
16. The day is thine, the night also is thine. Thou art not restricted by times and seasons. Our
prosperity comes from thee, and our adversity is ordained by thee. Thou rulest
in the darkness, and one glance of thine eye kindles it into day. Thou hast
prepared the light and the sun. Both light and the light-bearer are of
thee. Our help, and the instrument of it, are both in thy hand. There is no
limit to thy power; be pleased to display it and make thy people glad.
17. Thou hast set all the borders of the earth. Everything is ascribed to the divine agency by the use of
the pronoun thou; not a word about natural laws, and original forces,
but the Lord is seen as working all. It will be well when the Creator is seen
at work amid his universe. The argument of our text is that he who bounds the
sea can restrain his foes, and he who guards the borders of the dry land can
protect his chosen. Thou hast made summer and winter. We know that all
our changes come of thee; we have already felt the rigors of thy winter; grant
us now the genial glow of thy summer smile. The God of nature is the God of
grace, and we may argue from the revolving seasons that sorrow is not meant to
rule the year; the flowers of hope will blossom, and fruits of joy will ripen
yet.
18. Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O Lord.
Against thee, the ever glorious Maker of all things, have they spoken. This is
forcible pleading indeed. Jehovah will surely glorify his own name. And that
the foolish people have blasphemed thy name. The meanness of the enemy is
here pleaded. Sinners are fools, and will fools be allowed to insult the Lord
and oppress his people? When error grows too bold its day is near, and its fall
certain. Arrogance foreshadows ripeness of evil, and the next step is
rottenness. Instead of being alarmed when bad men grow worse and more
audacious, we may reasonably take heart, for the hour of their judgment is
evidently near.
19. O deliver not the soul of thy turtle-clove unto the
multitude of the wicked. Thy poor
church is weak and defenseless as a dove, but yet her adversaries cannot touch
her without thy permission; do not give them leave to devour her. Forget not
the congregation of thy poor for ever. They look to thee for everything,
for they are very poor, and they are thy poor, and there is a company of them,
collected by thyself; do not turn thy back on them for long; visit thine
afflicted. In such pleas we also can personally join when at any time we are
sorely tried, and the Lord’s presence is hidden from us.
20. Have respect unto the covenant. Here is the master key—heaven’s gate must open to this. The
Lord has promised to bless the seed of Abraham, and make them a blessing; we
also may plead the covenant made with the Lord Jesus for all believers. For
the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty.
Darkness is the fit hour for beasts of prey, and ignorance the natural
dwelling-place of cruelty. All the world is in a measure dark, and hence
everywhere there are cruel enemies of the Lord’s people; but in some places a
sevenfold night of superstition and unbelief has settled down, and there rage
against the saints reaches to madness. Has not the Lord declared that the whole
earth shall be filled with his glory? How can this be if he always permits
cruelty to riot in dark places? Surely, he must arise, and end the days of
wrong, the era of oppression. This verse is a most telling missionary prayer.
21. Let not the oppressed return ashamed. Though broken and crushed, they come to thee with
confidence; let them not be disappointed, for then they will be ashamed of
their hope. Let the poor and needy praise thy name. By thy speedy answer
to their cries make their hearts glad, and they will render to thee their
gladdest songs. It is not the way of the Lord to allow any of those who trust
in him to be put to shame; for his word is, “He shall call upon me, and I will
deliver him, and he shall glorify me.”
22. Arise, O God, plead thine own cause. Answer the taunts of the profane by arguments which
annihilate both the blasphemy and the blasphemer. Oh that the Lord would come
into the battlefield! Long has the fight been trembling in the balance; one
glance of his eye, one word from his lip, and the banners of victory will be
borne on the breeze. Remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee daily.
It is bravely done when faith can pluck pleas out of the dragon’s mouth, and
out of the blasphemies of fools find arguments with God.
23. Forget not the voice of thine enemies. Great warrior, let the foemen’s taunt provoke thee to the
fray. If the cries of thy children are too feeble to be heard, be pleased to
note the loud voices of thy foes, and silence their profanities forever. The
tumult of those that rise up against thee increaseth continually. The ungodly
clamor against thee and thy people, and because thou repliest not they laugh
thee to scorn. They go from bad to worse; what will it come to? Hast thou no
regard for thine honor?
Excerpt from:
The Treasury of David
By Charles H Spurgeon
