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ps10.11
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1993-03-21
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EXPOSITION.
As upon the former count, so upon this one; a witness is
forthcoming, who has been listening at the keyhole of the heart.
Speak up, friend, and let us hear your story. "_He hath said in
his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never
see it_." This cruel man comforts himself with the idea that God
is blind, or, at least, forgetful: a fond and foolish fancy,
indeed. Men doubt Omniscience when they persecute the saints. If
we had a sense of God's presence with us, it would be impossible
for us to ill-treat his children. In fact, there can scarcely be
a greater preservation from sin than the constant thought of
"thou, God, seest me."
Thus has the trial proceeded. The case has been fully
stated; and now it is but little wonder that the oppressed
petitioner lifts up the cry for judgment, which we find in the
following verse.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS.
Verse 11.--"_He hath said in his heart, God hath
forgotten_." Is it not a senseless thing to be careless of sins
committed long ago? The old sins forgotten by men, stick fast in
an infinite understanding. Time cannot raze out that which hath
been known from eternity. Why should they be forgotten many years
after they were acted, since they were foreknown in an eternity
before they were committed, or the criminal capable to practise
them? Amalek must pay their arrears of their ancient unkindness
to Israel in the time of Saul, though the generation that
committed them were rotten in their graves. #1Sa 15:2|. Old sins
are written in a book, which lies always before God; and not only
our own sins, but the sins of our fathers to be requited upon
their posterity. "Behold it is written." #Isa 65:6|. What a
vanity is it then to be regardless of the sins of an age that
went before us; because they are in some measure out of our
knowledge, are they therefore blotted out of God's remembrance?
Sins are bound up with him, as men do bonds, till they resolve to
sue for the debt. "The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up." #Hos
13:12|. As his foreknowledge extends to all acts that shall be
done, so his remembrance extends to all acts that have been done.
We may as well say, God foreknows nothing that shall be done to
the end of the world, as that he forgets anything that hath been
done from the beginning of the world.--^Stephen Charnock.
Verse 11.--"_He hath said in his heart, God hath
forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it_." Many say
in their hearts, "God seeth them not," while with their tongues
they confess he is an all-seeing God. The heart hath a tongue in
it as well as the head, and these two tongues seldom speak the
same language. While the head-tongue saith, "We cannot hide
ourselves from the sight of God," the heart-tongue of wicked men
will say, "God will hide himself from us, he will not see." But
if their heart speak not thus, then as the prophet saith (#Isa
29:15|), "They dig deep to hide their counsel from the Lord;"
surely they have a hope to hide their counsels, else they would
not dig deep to hide them. Their digging is nor proper, but
tropical; as men dig deep to hide what they would not have in the
earth, so they by their wits, plots, and devices, do their best
to hide their counsels from God, and they say, "Who seeth, who
knoweth? We, surely, are not seen either by God or man."--^Joseph
Caryl.
Verse 11.--The Scripture everywhere places sin upon this
root. "_God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see
it." He hath turned his back upon the world. This was the ground
of the oppression of the poor by the wicked, which he mentions,
verses #9,10|. There is no sin but receives both its birth and
nourishment from this bitter root. Let the notion of providence
be once thrown out, or the belief of it faint, how will ambition,
covetousness, neglect of God, distrust, impatience, and all other
bitter gourds, grow up in a night! It is from this topic all
iniquity will draw arguments to encourage itself; for nothing so
much discountenances those rising corruptions, and puts them out
of heart, as an actuated belief that God takes care of human
affairs.--^Stephen Charnock.
Verse 11.--"_He hath said in his heart_," etc. "Because
sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore
the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil."
#Ec 8:11|. God forbears punishing, therefore men forbear
repenting. He doth not smite upon their back by correction,
therefore they do not smite upon their thigh by humiliation. #Jer
31:19|. The sinner thinks thus: "God hath spared me all this
while, he hath eked out patience into longsuffering; surely he
will not punish." "_He hath said in his heart, God hath
forgotten_." God sometimes in infinite patience adjourns his
judgments and puts off the sessions a while longer; he is not
willing to punish. #2Pe 3:9|. The bee naturally gives honey, but
stings only when it is angered. The Lord would have men make
their peace with him. #Isa 27:5|. God is not like a hasty
creditor that requires the debt, and will give no time for the
payment; he is not only gracious, but "waits to be gracious."
(#Isa 30:18|); but God by his patience would bribe sinners to
repentance; but alas! how is this patience abused. God's
longsuffering hardens: because God stops the vials of his wrath,
sinners stop the conduit of tears.--^Thomas Watson.
Verse 11.--"_He hath said in his heart, God hath
forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it_." Because
the Lord continues to spare them, therefore they go on to provoke
him. As he adds to their lives, so they add to their lusts. What
is this, but as if a man should break all his bones because there
is a surgeon who is able to set them again? ... Because justice
seems to _wink_, men suppose her _blind_; because she delays
punishment, they imagine she denies to punish them; because she
does not always reprove them for their sins, they suppose she
always approves of their sins. But let such know, that the silent
arrow can destroy as well as the roaring cannon. Though the
patience of God be _lasting_, yet it is not
_everlasting_.--^William Secher.
Verses 11,12,13.--The atheist denies God's ordering of
sublunary matters. "Tush, doth the Lord see, or is there
knowledge in the Most High?" making him a maimed Deity, without
an eye of providence, or an arm of power, and at most restraining
him only to matters above the clouds. But he that dares to
confine the King to heaven, will soon after endeavour to depose
him and fall at last flatly to deny him.--^Thomas Fuller.
HINTS TO PREACHERS.
Verse 11.--Divine omniscience and the astounding
presumption of sinners.