The Pulpit Commentary — Psalms — Volume 1 — Section 314

"the poor, the fatherless, and the widow," shown in the Law of Moses,1 marked an immense uplifting in legislation; while the continuation of this same philanthropy, on religious grounds, was made of so much account by the prophets, that if it was neglected, men's external worship was an offence in the sight of God (Isa. i. ] 7; x. 1, 2; iii. 14; lviii. 5-11; Jer. xxii. 3; Amos ii. 6). The Lord Jesus Christ confirmed all this by his precepts, illustrated it by hie life, and actually deems it of so much importance that, lookiog onward to the time when he shall be the Judge of all the nations, he declares that, according as men have attended to his poor or not, will be the stupendous distance between a Cl Come, ye blessed In and a" Depart, ye cursed! ";(Matt.xxv. 31-46). Hence the theme before us now is one that is vitally bound up with the essentials of true religion and of acceptable worship to God, BO that we have the warrant of the entire Scriptures for dealing with this blessing, which is here prononnced on the benevolent, as being not only the words of David, but a continuous utterance of Divioe revelation from beginning to end. Hence it would wonderfully enlarge and strengthen the basis of such an appeal as this verse suggests, to combine with it the two benedictfone in Matt. v. 7 and xxv. 34, "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy;" " Come, ye blessed of my Father!" l. THE REVEALED WILL OF GOD SHOWS US HOW TRULY MAN IS THE OBJECT OF A DlVINE REGARD. No one can study intelligently the book of God and compare it with the pagan estimate of human nature, without being struck with the amazing contrast between heathenism and Christianity, and, indeed, between heathenism and Hebraism. Often, indeed, both Moses and Christ are accu.~ed of indifference to the lot of the slave, because neither of them overthrew slavery with a single thrust; but they did a better and a nobler thing-they dropped those seeds of thought concerning man's dignity, concerning men's relation to God and to each other, that, in sprioging up aod bearing fruit, would cause slavery to fall most utterly, never to rise again. Aod, even now, the kindly thoughts of and for us which pervade the book, given in germ in the Law of Moses, and in ripest form in the Epistles of St. John, ara such that when they take effect in human hearts and lives, they turn selfishness to love; and if such effect were to be universal, we should have a Paradise below I A common l<'atberhoo,l is over all; hence a common brotherhood should bind all in one. "There is no respect of persons with God." 'l'o despise the poor, to tum aside the right of a man before the face of the Most High, the Lord approveth not. And this pure leaven of the kiogdom is gradually diffusiog itself through the race, and will, till the care of God for us all comes to be mirrored in our care for each other. II. WBEN AND WHERE GoD's OARE FOR MAN AS MAN IS UNDEllSTOOD AND COPIRD, THEllE WILL SPRING UP PllACTI0AL BENEVOLENCE j and this will take effect in every form in which such kindness can be shown. The special feature noted here is that ,;f "considering the poor," which would involve a looking out for cases in which we can render aid of any kind whatever; and when such cases are before us, making them the objects of our deop interest and practical concern. Briefly we may set these under four benrls. We should bo ready and ever (1) anxious to be helps everywhere; (2) anxious to help men for Christ's sake; (3) anxiously caring for men as men, either because Christ died for them, or because Christ lives in them; and (4) anxiously seeking out the cas,-s of special sorrow and distress, that we may cheer the suffering and the snd. 3 Ven. Archdeacon Farrar's • E::uly Days of Ohristinnity,' vol. i. oh. i.: Schmidt•~ • Essai sur la Civilisatioo de !'Empire Romaine, et sa Transforml\tion par lri Christiaoisme; • Mr. Bruce's 'Gesta Christi;' nnd Dr. Storr on • 'fhe Historionl Effects of Christianity;' nrticles by the present writer in tbo • Pulpit Commentary: First Epistle of John,' pp. 82, 105,109; an article, "The Outcast Poor," Contemporary Rwie10, December, 1883; and a small volume by Rev. Dr. Paton, M.A., on 'The Inner Mission of the Church,' 1 Cf. Exod. xxiii. 11; Lev. xix. 10; :uiii. 22; xxv. 25; Dent. xv. 7. Seo nrtioles by the preseot writer, 'Pulpit Commentary: Deuteronomy,' pp. 101, 102, 254-260, 356. • ·• We mlll!t not imaginu that the benediction pronounced beloogs to nil who casul\lly givo money to the poor, or leave it io thoir wills, or contribute to societies.... 'l'ho blessing is for those whose habit it is to love their neighbour as themselves, and who, for Christ's el\ke, feed the hungry and clothe the naked. 'l'o iruagino a man to be a saiot who does not consider the poor as ho has ability, is to conceive the fruitless fig tree to ho ncecpt- ablo. Thero will be sharp dcnling wi:h mnny professors on this point iu the ,lay whco the King cometh in his glory" (C. H. Spurgeon, in loc.). 326 THE BOOK -oF PSALMS. [PB, XLI, 1-13.