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EXPOSITION.
"_Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation_."
Above all we must take the shield of faith, for nothing else can
quench Satan's fiery darts; this shield is of celestial
workmanship, and is in all cases a direct gift from God himself;
it is the channel, the sign, the guarantee, and the earnest of
perfect salvation. "_Thy right hand hath holden me up_." Secret
support is administered to us by the preserving grace of God, and
at the same time Providence kindly yields us manifest aid. We are
such babes that we cannot stand alone; but when the Lord's right
hand upholds us, we are like brazen pillars which cannot be
moved. "_Thy gentleness hath made me great_." There are several
readings of this sentence. The word is capable of being
translated, "thy _goodness_ hath made me great." David saw much
of benevolence in God's action towards him, and he gratefully
ascribed all his greatness not to his own goodness, but to the
goodness of God. "Thy _providence_" is another reading, which is
indeed nothing more than goodness in action. Goodness is the bud
of which providence is the flower; or goodness is the seed of
which providence is the harvest. Some render it, "thy _help_,"
which is but another word for providence; providence being the
firm ally of the saints, aiding them in the service of their
Lord. Certain learned annotators tell us that the text means,
"thy _humility_ hath made me great." "Thy _condescension_" may,
perhaps, serve as a comprehensive reading, combining the ideas
which we have already mentioned, as well as that of humility. It
is God's making himself little which is the cause of our being
made great. We are so little that if God should manifest his
greatness without condescension, we should be trampled under his
feet; but God, who must stoop to view the skies and bow to see
what angels do, looks to the lowly and contrite, and makes them
great. While these are the translations which have been given to
the adopted text of the original, we find that there are other
readings altogether; as for instance, the Septuagint, which
reads, "thy discipline"--thy fatherly correction--"hath made me
great;" while the Chaldee paraphrase reads, "thy word hath
increased me." Still the idea is the same. David ascribes all his
own greatness to the condescending goodness and graciousness of
his Father in heaven. Let us all feel this sentiment in our own
hearts, and confess that whatever of goodness or greatness God
may have put upon us, we must cast our crowns at his feet, and
cry, "_thy gentleness hath made me great_."
HINTS TO PREACHERS.
Verse 35.--"_The shield of thy salvation_." What it is?
Faith. Whence it comes? "Thou hast given." What it secures?
"Salvation." Who have received it?
Verse 35.--See "Spurgeon's Sermons," No. 683. "Divine
Gentleness Acknowledged."