importunity, while our Father himself listens.
Verse 7. There was no great space between the cry and its answer. The Lord
is not slack concerning his promise, but is swift to rescue his afflicted.
David has in his mind's eye the glorious manifestations of God in Egypt, at
Sinai, and on different occasions to Joshua and the judges; and he considers
that his own case exhibits the same glory of power and goodness, and that,
therefore, he may accommodate the descriptions of former displays of the
divine majesty into his hymn of praise. "Then the earth shook and
trembled." Observe how the most solid and immovable things feel the force
of supplication. Prayer has shaken houses, opened prison doors, and made
stout hearts to quail. Prayer rings the alarm bell, and the Master of the
house arises to the rescue, shaking all things beneath his tread. "The
foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because of his wrath."
He who fixed the world's pillars can make them rock in their sockets, and
can upheave the corner-stones of creation. The huge roots of the towering
mountains are torn up when the Lord bestirs himself in anger to smite the
enemies of his people. How shall puny man be able to face it out with God
when the very mountains quake with fear? Let not the boaster dream that his
present false confidence will support him in the dread day of wrath.
Verse 8. "There went up a smoke out of his nostrils." A violent oriental
method of expressing fierce wrath. Since the breath from the nostrils is
heated by strong emotion, the figure portrays the Almighty Deliverer as
pouring forth smoke in the heat of his wrath and the impetuousness of his
zeal. Nothing makes God so angry as an injury done to his children. He
that toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye. God is not subject to the
passions which govern his creatures, but acting as he does with all the
energy and speed of one who is angry, he is here aptly set forth in poetic
imagery suitable to human understandings. The opening of his lips is
sufficient to destroy his enemies; "and fire out of his mouth devoured."
This fire was no temporary one but steady and lasting; "Coals were kindled
by it." The whole passage is intended to depict God's descent to the help
of his child, attended by earthquake and tempest: at the majesty of his
appearing the earth rocks, the clouds gather like smoke, and the lightning
as flaming fire devours, setting the world on a blaze. What grandeur of
description is here! Bishop Mant very admirably rhymes the verse thus:—
"Smoke from his heated nostrils came,
And from his mouth devouring flame;
Hot burning coals announced his ire,
And flashes of careering fire."
Verse 9. Amid the terror of the storm Jehovah the Avenger descended,
bending beneath his foot the arch of heaven. " "He bowed the heavens also,
and came down." He came in haste, and spurned everything which impeded his
rapidity. The thickest gloom concealed his splendour, "and darkness was
under his feet;" he fought within the dense vapours, as a warrior in clouds
of smoke and dust, and found out the hearts of his enemies with the sharp
falchion of his vengeance. Darkness is no impediment to God; its densest
gloom he makes his tent and secret pavilion. See how prayer moves earth and
heaven, and raises storms to overthrow in a moment the foes of God's Israel.
Things were bad for David before he prayed, but they were much worse for his
foes so soon as the petition had gone up to heaven. A trustful heart, by
enlisting the divine aid, turns the tables on its enemies. If I must have
an enemy let him not be a man of prayer, or he will soon get the better of
me by calling in his God into the quarrel.
Verse 10. There is inimitable grandeur in this verse. Under the Mosaic
system the cherubim are frequently represented as the chariot of God; hence
Milton, in "Paradise Lost," writes of the Great Father,—
"He on the wings of cherubim
Uplifted, in paternal glory rode
Far into chaos."
Without speculating upon the mysterious and much-disputed subject of the
cherubim, it may be enough to remark that angels are doubtless our guards
and ministering friends, and all their powers are enlisted to expedite the
rescue of the afflicted. "He rode upon a cherub, and did fly." Nature
also yields all her agents to be our helpers, and even the powers of the air
are subservient: "yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind." The Lord
comes flying when mercy is his errand, but he lingers long when sinners are
being wooed to repent. The flight here pictured is as majestic as it is
swift; "flying all abroad" is Sternhold's word, and he is not far from
correct. As the eagle soars in easy grandeur with wings outspread, without
violent flapping and exertion, so comes the Lord with majesty of omnipotence
to aid his own.
Verse 11. The storm thickened, and the clouds pouring forth torrents of
rain combined to form the secret chamber of the invisible but wonder-working
God. "Pavilioned in impervious shade" faith saw him, but no other eye could
gaze through the "thick clouds of the skies." Blessed is the darkness
which encurtains my God; if I may not see him, it is sweet to know that he
is working in secret for my eternal good. Even fools can believe that God
is abroad in the sunshine and the calm, but faith is wise, and discerns him
in the terrible darkness and threatening storm.
Verse 12. Suddenly the terrible artillery of heaven was discharged; the
brightness of lightning lit up the clouds as with a glory proceeding from
him who was concealed within the cloudy pavilion; and volleys of hailstones
and coals of fire were hurled forth upon the enemy. The lightnings seemed
to cleave the clouds and kindle them into a blaze, and then hailstones and
flakes of fire with flashes of terrific grandeur terrified the sons of men.
Verse 13. Over all this splendour of tempest pealed the dread thunder.
"The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice."
Fit accompaniment for the flames of vengeance. How will men bear to hear it
at the last when addressed to them in proclamation of their doom, for even
now their hearts are in their mouths if they do but hear it muttering from
afar? In all this terror David found a theme for song, and thus every
believer finds even in the terrors of God a subject for holy praise.
"Hailstones and coals of fire" are twice mentioned to show how certainly
they are in the divine hand, and are the weapons of Heaven's vengeance.
Horne remarks that "every thunderstorm should remind us of that exhibition
of power and vengeance, which is hereafter to accompany the general
resurrection;" may it not also assure us of the real power of him who is our
Father and our friend, and tend to assure us of our safety while he fights
our battles for us. The prince of the power of the air is soon dislodged
when the cherubic chariot is driven through his dominions; therefore let not
the legions of hell cause us dismay. He who is with us is greater than all
they that be against us.
Verse 14. The lightnings were darted forth as forked arrows upon the hosts
of the foe, and speedily "scattered them." Boastful sinners prove to be
great cowards when Jehovah enters the lists with them. They despise his
words, and are very tongue-valiant, but when it comes to blows they fly
apace. The glittering flames, and the fierce bolts of fire "discomfited
them." God is never at a loss for weapons. Woe be unto him that
contendeth with his Maker! God's arrows never miss their aim; they are
feathered with lightning, and barbed with everlasting death. Fly, O sinner,
to the rock of refuge before these arrows stick fast in thy soul.
Verse 15. So tremendous was the shock of God's assault in arms that the
order of nature was changed, and the bottoms of rivers and seas were laid
bare. "The channels of waters was seen;" and the deep cavernous bowels of
the earth were upheaved till "the foundations of the world were
discovered." What will not Jehovah's "rebuke" do? If "the blast of the
breath of thy nostrils," O Lord, be so terrible, what must thine arm be?
Vain are the attempts of men to conceal anything from him whose word unbars
the deep, and lifts the doors of earth from their hinges! Vain are all
hopes of resistance, for a whisper of his voice makes the whole earth quail
in abject terror.
Verse 16. Now comes the rescue. The Author is divine, "He sent;" the
work is heavenly, "from above;" the deliverance is marvellous, "He drew
me out of many waters." Here David was like another Moses, drawn from the
water; and thus are all believers like their Lord, whose baptism in many
waters of agony and in his own blood has redeemed us from the wrath to come.
Torrents of evil shall not drown the man whose God sitteth upon the floods
to restrain their fury.
Verse 17. When we have been rescued, we must take care to ascribe all the
glory to God by confessing our own weakness, and remembering the power of
the conquered enemy. God's power derives honour from all the incidents of
the conflict. Our great spiritual adversary is a "strong enemy" indeed,
much too strong for poor, weak creatures like ourselves, but we have been
delivered hitherto and shall be even to the end. Our weakness is a reason
for divine help; mark the force of the "for" in the text.
Verse 18. It was an ill day, a day of calamity, of which evil foes took
cruel advantage, while they used crafty means uterly to ruin him, yet David
could say, "but the Lord is my stay." What a blessed but which cuts the
Gordian knot, and slays the hundred-headed hydra! There is no fear of
deliverance when our stay is in Jehovah.
Verse 19. "He brought me forth also into a large place." After pining
awhile in the prison-house Joseph reached the palace, and from the cave of
Adullam David mounted to the throne. Sweet is pleasure after pain.
Enlargement is the more delightful after a season of pinching poverty and
sorrowful confinement. Besieged souls delight in the broad fields of the
promise when God drives off the enemy and sets open the gates of the
environed city. The Lord does not leave his work half done, for having
routed the foe he leads out the captive into liberty. Large indeed is the
possession and place of the believer in Jesus, there need be no limit to his
peace, for there is no bound to his privilege. "He delivered me, because
he delighted in me." Free grace lies at the foundation. Rest assured, if
we go deep enough, sovereign grace is the truth which lies at the bottom of
every well of mercy. Deep sea fisheries in the ocean of divine bounty
always bring the pearls of electing, discriminating love to light. Why
Jehovah should delight in us is an answerless question, and a mystery which
angels cannot solve; but that he does delight in his beloved is certain, and
is the fruitful root of favours as numerous as they are precious. Believer,
sit down, and inwardly digest the instructive sentence now before us, and
learn to view the uncaused love of God as the cause of all the
lovingkindness of which we are the partakers.
Verse 20. "The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness." Viewing
this psalm as prophetical of the Messiah, these strongly-expressed claims to
righteousness are readily understood, for his garments were as white as
snow; but considered as the language of David they have perplexed many. Yet
the case is clear, and if the words be not strained beyond their original
intention, no difficulty need occur. Albeit that the dispensations of
divine grace are to the fullest degree sovereign and irrespective of human
merit, yet in the dealings of Providence there is often discernible a rule
of justice by which the injured are at length avenged, and the righteous
ultimately delivered. David's early troubles arose from the wicked malice
of envious Saul, who no doubt prosecuted his persecutions under cover of
charges brought against the character of "the man after God's own heart."
These charges David declares to have been utterly false, and asserts that he
possessed a grace-given righteousness which the Lord had graciously rewarded
in defiance of all his calumniators. Before God the man after God's own
heart was a humble sinner, but before his slanderers he could with
unblushing face speak of the "cleanness of his hands" and the
righteousness of his life. He knows little of the sanctifying power of
divine grace who is not at the bar of human equity able to plead innocence.
There is no self-righteousness in an honest man knowing that he is honest,