Bible Heaven/Bible Heaven.iso/spurgeon/ps10.13

Text File | 1993-03-21 | 14KB | 249 lines

                           EXPOSITION.

        In these verses (#13,14,15|) the description of the
wicked is condensed, and the evil of his character traced to its
source, viz., atheistical ideas with regard to the government of
the world. We may at once perceive that this is intended to be
another urgent plea with the Lord to show his power, and reveal
his justice. When the wicked call God's righteousness in
question, we may well beg him to teach them terrible things in
righteousness. In verse #13|, the hope of the infidel and his
heart-wishes are laid bare. He despises the Lord, because he will
not believe that sin will meet with punishment: "_he hath said in
his heart, Thou wilt not require it_." If there were no hell for
other men, there ought to be one for those who question the
justice of it. This vile suggestion receives its answer in verse
#14|. "_Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite,
to requite it with thy hand_." God is all-eye to see, and
all-hand to punish his enemies. From Divine oversight there is no
hiding, and from Divine justice there is no fleeing. Wanton
mischief shall meet with woeful misery, and those who harbour
spite shall inherit sorrow. Verily there is a God which judgeth
in the earth. Nor is this the only instance of the presence of
God in the world; for while he chastises the oppressor, he
befriends the oppressed. "_The poor committeth himself unto
thee_." They give themselves up entirely into the Lord's hands.
Resigning their judgment to his enlightenment, and their wills to
his supremacy, they rest assured that he will order all things
for the best. Nor does he deceive their hope. He preserves them
in times of need, and causes them to rejoice in his goodness.
"_Thou art the helper of the fatherless_." God is the parent of
all orphans. When the earthly father sleeps beneath the sod, a
heavenly Father smiles from above. By some means or other, orphan
children are fed, and well they may when they have such a Father.

              EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS.

        Verse 13.--"_He hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not
require it_."--As when the desperate pirate, ransacking and
rifling a bottom, was told by the master, that though no law
could touch him for the present, he should answer it at the day
of judgment, replied, "If I may stay so long ere I come to it, I
will take thee and thy vessel too." A conceit wherewith too many
land-thieves and oppressors flatter themselves in their hearts,
though they dare not utter it with their lips.--^Thomas Adams.

        Verses 13,14.--What, do you think that God doth not
remember our sins which we do not regard? for while we sin the
score runs on, and the Judge setteth down in that table of
remembrance, and his scroll reacheth up to heaven. Item, for
lending to usury; item, for racking of rents; item, for starching
thy ruffs; item, for curling thy hair; item, for painting thy
face; item, for selling of benefices; item, for starving of
souls; item, for playing at cards; item, for sleeping in the
church; item, for profaning the Sabbath-day, with a number more
hath God to call to account, for every one must answer for
himself. The fornicator, for taking of filthy pleasure; the
careless prelate, for murthering so many thousand souls; the
landlord, for getting money from his poor tenants by racking of
his rents; see the rest, all they shall come like very sheep when
the trumpet shall sound, and the heaven and earth shall come to
judgment against them; when the heavens shall vanish like a
scroll, and the earth shall consume like fire, and all the
creatures standing against them; the rocks shall cleave asunder
and the mountains shake and the foundation of the earth shall
tremble, and they shall say to the mountain, Cover us, fall upon
us, and hide us from the presence of his anger and wrath, whom we
have not cared to offend. But they shall not be covered and hid;
but then shall they go the back way, to the snakes and serpents,
to be tormented of devils for ever.--^Henry Smith.

        Verse 14.--"_Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest
mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hands_," etc. This
should be a terror to the wicked, to think that whatsoever they
do, they do it in the sight of him that shall judge them, and
call them to a strict account for every thought conceived against
his majesty; and therefore, it should make them afraid to sin;
because that when they burn with lust, and toil with hatred, when
they scorn the just and wrong the innocent, they do all this, not
only in _conspectu Dei_, within the compass of God's sight, but
also in _sinu divinitatis_, in the bosom of that Deity, who,
though he suffered them for a time to run on, like "a wild ass
used to the wilderness," yet he will find them out at the last,
and then cut them off and destroy them. And as this is terror
unto the wicked, so it may be a comfort unto the godly to think
that he who should hear their prayers and send them help, is so
near unto them; and it should move them to rely still upon him,
because we are sure of his presence wherever we are.--^G.
Williams, 1636.

        Verse 14.--"_The poor committeth himself unto thee_." The
awkwardness of our hearts to suffer comes much from distrust. An
unbelieving soul treads upon the promise as a man upon ice; at
first going upon it he is full of fears and tumultuous thoughts
lest it should crack. Now, daily resignation of thy heart, as it
will give thee an occasion of conversing more with the thoughts
of God's power, faithfulness, and other of his attributes (for
want of familiarity with which, jealousies arise in our hearts
when put to any great plunge), so also it will furnish thee with
many experiences of the reality both of his attributes and
promises; which, though they need not any testimony from sense,
to gain them credit with us, yet so much are we made of sense, so
childish and weak is our faith, that we find our hearts much
helped by those experiences we have had, to rely on him for the
future. Look, therefore, carefully to this; every morning leave
thyself and ways in God's hand, as the phrase is. #Ps 10:14|. And
at night look again how well God hath looked to his trust, and
sleep not till thou hast affected thy heart with his
faithfulness, and laid a stronger charge on thy heart to trust
itself again in God's keeping in the night. And when any breach
is made, and seeming loss befalls thee in any enjoyment, which
thou hast by faith insured of thy God, observe how God fills up
that breach, and makes up that loss to thee; and rest not till
thou hast fully vindicated the good name of God to thy own heart.
Be sure thou lettest no discontent or dissatisfaction lie upon
thy spirit at God's dealings; but chide thy heart for it, as
David did his. #Ps 42:|. And thus doing, with God's blessing,
thou shalt keep thy faith in breath for a longer race, when
called to run it.--W. Gurnall.

        Verse 14.--"_Thou art the helper of the fatherless." God
doth exercise a more special providence over men, as clothed with
miserable circumstances; and therefore among his other titles
this is one, to be a "_helper of the fatherless_." It is the
argument the church used to express her return to God; #Hos
14:3|, "For in thee the fatherless find mercy." Now what greater
comfort is there than this, that there is one presides in the
world who is so wise he cannot be mistaken, so faithful he cannot
deceive, so pitiful he cannot neglect his people, and so powerful
that he can make stones even to be turned into bread if he
please! ... God doth not govern the world only by his will as an
absolute monarch, but by his wisdom and goodness as a tender
father. It is not his greatest pleasure to show his sovereign
power, or his inconceivable wisdom, but his immense goodness, to
which he makes the other attributes subservient.--^Stephen
Charnock.

        Verse 14.--"_Thou hast seen it_," etc. If God did not see
our ways, we might sin and go unpunished; but forasmuch as he
seeth them with purer eyes than to behold iniquity and approve
it, he is engaged both in justice and honour to punish all that
iniquity of our ways which he seeth or beholdeth. David makes
this the very design of God's superintendency over the ways of
men: "_Thou hast seen it: for thou beholdest mischief and spite
to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto
thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless_." Thus the Psalmist
represents the Lord as having taken a view or survey of the ways
of men. "_Thou hast seen_." What hath God seen? Even all that
wickedness and oppression of the poor spoken of in the former
part of the Psalm, as also the blasphemy of the wicked against
himself (verse #13|), "_Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he
hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it_." What saith
the Psalmist concerning God, to this vain, confident man?
"_Thou_," saith he, "_beholdest mischief and spite_;" but to what
purpose? the next words tell us that--"_to requite it with thy
hand_." As thou hast seen what mischief they have done
spitefully, so in due time thou wilt requite it righteously. The
Lord is not a bare spectator, he is both a rewarder and an
avenger. Therefore, from the ground of this truth, that the Lord
seeth all our ways and counteth all our steps, we, as the prophet
exhorts (#Isa 3:10,11|), may "say to the righteous, that it shall
be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings."
We may also say, "Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him:
for the reward of his hands shall be given him." Only idols which
have eyes and see not, have hands and strike not.--^Joseph Caryl.

        Verse 14.--"_Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest
mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor
committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the
fatherless_." Let the poor know that their God doth take care of
them, to visit their sins with rods who spoil them, seeing they
have forgotten that we are members one of another, and have
invaded the goods of their brethren; God will arm them against
themselves, and beat them with their own staves; either their own
compassing and over-reaching wits shall consume their store, or
their unthrifty posterity shall put wings upon their riches to
make them fly; or God shall not give them the blessing to take
use of their wealth, but they shall leave to such as shall be
merciful to the poor. Therefore let them follow the wise man's
counsel (#Ec 10:20|), "Curse not the rich, no, not in thy
bedchamber;" let no railing and unchristian bitterness wrong a
good cause; let it be comfort enough to them that God is both
their supporter and avenge. Is it not sufficient to lay all the
storms of discontent against their oppressors, that God sees
their affliction, and cometh down to deliver and avenge
them?--^Edward Marbury.

        Verse 14.--"_Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest
mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand," etc., God
considers all your works and ways, and will not you consider the
works, the ways of God? Of this be sure, whether you consider the
ways of God, his word-ways, or work-ways, of this be sure, God
will consider your ways, certainly he will; those ways of yours
which in themselves are not worth the considering or looking
upon, your sinful ways, though they are so vile, so abominable,
that if yourselves did but look upon them and consider them, you
would be utterly ashamed of them; yea, though they are an
abomination to God while he beholds them, yet he will behold and
consider them. The Lord who is of purer eyes than to behold any
the least iniquity, to approve it, will yet behold the greatest
of your iniquities, and your impurest ways to consider them.
"_Thou_," said David, "_beholdest mischief and spite, to requite
it_:" God beholdeth the foulest, dirtiest ways of men, their ways
of oppression and unrighteousness, their ways of intemperance and
lasciviousness, their ways of wrath and maliciousness, at once to
detest, detect, and requite them. If God thus considereth the
ways of men, even those filthy and crooked ways of men, should
not men consider the holy, just and righteous ways of
God?--^Joseph Caryl.

        Verses 14-18.--"_God delights to help the poor_." He
loves to take part with the best, though the weakest side.
Contrary to the course of most, who when a controversy arises use
to stand in a kind of indifferency or neutrality, till they see
which part is strongest, not which is justest. Now if there be
any consideration (besides the cause) that draws or engages God,
it is the weakness of the side. He joins with many, because they
are weak, not with any, because they are strong; therefore he is
called _the helper of the friendless, and with him the fatherless
(the orphans) find mercy_. By fatherless we are not to understand
such only whose parents are dead, but any one that is in
distress; as Christ promeseth his disciples; "_I will not leave
you orphans_," that is, helpless, and (as we translate)
_comfortless_; though ye are as children without a father, yet I
will be a father to you. Men are often like those clouds which
dissolve into the sea; they send presents to the rich, and assist
the strong; but God sends his rain upon the dry land, and lends
his strength to those who are weak. ... The prophet makes this
report to God of himself (#Isa 25:4|): "_Thou hast been a
strength to the poor_, a strength to the needy in his distress, a
refuge from the storm," etc.--^Joseph Caryl.

                       HINTS TO PREACHERS.

        Verse 13 (first clause).--An astounding fact, and a
reasonable enquiry.

        Verse 13.--Future retribution: doubts concerning it. 1.
By whom indulged: "_the wicked_." II. Where fostered: "_in his
heart_." III. For what purpose: _quieting of conscience_, etc.
IV. With what practical tendency: "_contemn God_." He who
disbelieves hell distrusts heaven.

        Verses 13,14.--Divine government in the world. I. Who
doubt it? and why? II. Who believe it? and what does this faith
cause them to do?

        Verse 14 (last clause).--A plea for orphans.