The Pulpit Commentary — Psalms — Volume 3 — Section 123

I. HoLY sour,s HATE THEM. (Ver. 113.) They constitute and creato that luke- warmness which is s0 nauseous in the esteem of Christ (Rev. iii. 16). He would prefer that men were cold altogether rather than this (cf. also Elijah, 1 Kings xviii. 21). This double-mindedness, ever seeking to serve God and mammon, compromising and tampering with truth, well may it excite the hate of holy souls. For: 1. It dishonours God. The man makes profession of religion, and men judge by what they see in him, and, instead of God being glorified, he is dishonoured day by day. 2. The Ohurch of God is weakened. Such men spread an awful contagion in a Church; they chill the ardour of fervent souls, they encourage those who are like themselves. 3. The man himself is in fearful peril. Ho is for ever saying, "Peace, peace," when there is no peace. The publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of heaven before him. And who is to arouse and waken him? 4. He enjoys none of the great blessedness which ever accompanies real rel,igion and single-minded service of God. Such as peace of conscience: the Spirit never beareth witness to such that they are saved, and there is often a terrible misgiving, especially at the hour of death. Purity of heart : that cannot be theirs. Calm amid trouble. Power to bless others, etc. For all these and other reasons such double-raindedness cannot but be hateful to all holy souls. II. BUT IT IS A CONDITION VERY PBEV A.LENT, NEVERTHELESS. Men like it: it avoids extremes; they would not be altogether without religion-that would be very sad; but yet they do not want to be considered as enthusiastic or fanatical; it enables them to get on very well with the world, and to maintain a pleasant religious reputation at the same time. No wonder, therefore, that it is common. III. WE ABE SHOWN HERE HOW TO GA.IN DELIVERANCE FROM IT. 1. Let God be our Biding-place and our Shield. When such thoughts assail us, as they often will, Jet us tum to God. It is not enough to drive away the wrong; we must bring in the right. Therefore "with thoughts of God and things Divine" let us occupy our minds, and so will deliverance come. And we should habitually cherish such thoughts, for so they will serve as a shield to ward off thoughts of an opposite nature. 2. Keep away from evil,-doers. (Ver. 115.) For they are ever tempting us to such deceitful serving of God: they will inevitably, if we make companions of them, lower the tone and sap the fidelity of our thoughts. 3. Commit yourselves to the Lord for safety, so that you may not be ashamed. Ask him day by day and hour by hour to uphold you and keep you true (vers. 116, 117). 4. Oall to mind the dreadful end of such double- mindedness. (Vers. 118, 119.) They are trampled down, they are rejected like dross. 5. Cherish a holy fear lest you should incur a like doom. (Ver. 120.) Therefore bare your heart before him, and pray him to help you always and everywhere to hate all such deceitful and double-minded thoughts.-S. O. Vera. 121-128.-An appeal, of the righteous to the righteous God against tf,. '11,nrighteous. The psalmist- L PLEA.DB HIS INNOCENCE AND INTEGRITY. (Ver. 121.) "If I will not oppress others, I may hopefully pray that others may not oppress me" (1 John iii. 20). H was a great thing in those days of old, when might stood for right in well-nigh all men's estimation, when- " They should take who have the power, And they should keep who can" -was considered " the good old rule, the simple plan." At such time for a man to be able to say, "I have done justice and judgment," was indeed a rare and remarkable thing. Ilut if, by the grace of God, this has been true of us, and we know it, there is no wrong in the affirmation of it when pleading before God. II. l:r.tPLIEB GoD'a PROTECTION. (Ver. 122.) "Be Surety;" that i~, "be my Champion, my Defender." He knows the righteous Lord loveth righteousness, and therefore he confidently appeals to him. Nothing so se~ures the putting forth of the Divine power as the consciousness and confession of the littleness of our own. III. DEPRECATES ITS LONG DELAY. (Ver. 123.) "He wept, waited, and watched" for its coming, until from very weariness his eyesight began to give way. It is good to tell the Lord our trouble, to pour it out before him as the psalmist does here. 'I'wuble is like water; it gets less by being poured from one vessel into another. PB, CXI:I, 1-176,] THE BOOK OF PSALMS. 137