Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.
Psalm 91:14-16
THE GLORIOUS PRIVILEGES OF THE GODLY
Psalm 91:14-16
THE GLORIOUS PRIVILEGES OF THE GODLY
Some features in the character of the godly. Love to God. “Because he hath set his love upon me.” The good man loves God with the love of gratitude—loves Him because of what He has done and is still doing for him. “We love Him because He first loved us.” When we reflect upon the evils from which He delivers us, and the blessings He bestows upon us, and the glory which awaits us in the future, our heart glows with gratitude and affection to Him. The good man loves God with the love of esteem also. Jesus gives related promises in his comfort to the disciples:
Joh 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
He loves Him because of what He is in Himself. The love which springs from gratitude is first in order of time in the spiritual history of most men; but the love which springs from esteem is first in order of excellence. To love Him because of the divine beauty of His character and life, is a far higher thing than to love Him because of the benefits which we have received from Him, or which He has promised to bestow upon us.
Joh 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
He loves Him because of what He is in Himself. The love which springs from gratitude is first in order of time in the spiritual history of most men; but the love which springs from esteem is first in order of excellence. To love Him because of the divine beauty of His character and life, is a far higher thing than to love Him because of the benefits which we have received from Him, or which He has promised to bestow upon us.
“My God, I love Thee, not because
I hope for heaven thereby;
Nor because they who love Thee not
Are lost eternally.
“Not with the hope of gaining aught,
Nor seeking a reward,
But, as Thyself hast loved me,
O ever-loving Lord.
“So would I love Thee, blessed Lord,
And in Thy praise will sing,
Because Thou art my loving God,
And my redeeming King.”
—Xavier
I hope for heaven thereby;
Nor because they who love Thee not
Are lost eternally.
“Not with the hope of gaining aught,
Nor seeking a reward,
But, as Thyself hast loved me,
O ever-loving Lord.
“So would I love Thee, blessed Lord,
And in Thy praise will sing,
Because Thou art my loving God,
And my redeeming King.”
—Xavier
The expression, “Set His love upon me,” indicates fixedness of affection. God requires from us an intense single-hearted love. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind.” Our supreme love must be fixed upon God. There is encouragement for us in this verse. “It is not because of perfect love that God will deliver. It is to the will to love and serve—it is to the setting the heart that the promise is made—to the full purpose of heart, that is set to cleave unto the Lord.” Do we love God supremely?
Knowledge of God. “He hath known my name.” Knowledge of God and love to God are closely connected. We must have some knowledge of God before we can love Him. A true knowledge of God leads to trust in Him. “They that know Thy name will put their trust in Thee.” To know God’s name is to know Himself. Proficiency in this knowledge is attainable only to the man who loves God. As we must have some knowledge of God before we can love Him, so we must love Him before we can know much of Him. “Every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” We can know the heart of God only as we love Him. Where the keen intellect fails to discover any trace of God, He is clearly and preciously manifest to the pure and loving heart.
Prayer to God. “He shall call upon Me.” The godly soul cannot live without prayer. In times of need he calls upon God for grace to help him. In the enjoyment of blessing He calls upon God in grateful praise. At all times he acknowledges his dependence upon God. And there are seasons when prayer grows into holy and blessed communion, in which there are no petitions, but an intense and blessed realisation of the presence of God, and adoration of Him, which humbles and purifies and strengthens the spirit.
The promises to the godly:
1. Deliverance from danger. The assurance is twice given, “I will deliver him.” The good man has enemies to contend with, but God will deliver him out of their hands, and give him the victory over them. The good man is exposed to dangers, but God delivers him safely out of them all.
2. Exaltation and consequent safety. “I will set him on high.” I will place him out of the reach of danger. God raises those who trust Him above the stormy sea of this life, places them on an immovable rock, where the threatening and thundering waves cannot reach them. “He shall dwell on high; his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks.” God thus exalts His people above the perils of life, because they know His name and confide in Him.
3. Answers to prayer. “I will answer him.” The answer to prayer is not necessarily the granting of our requests. “It may be a refusal, an explanation, a promise, a conditional grant.” Excellently says Matthew Henry, “I will answer by promises (Psa_85:8), answer by providences, bringing in seasonable relief, and answer by graces, strengthening them with strength in their souls; thus He answered Paul with grace sufficient.” True prayer is always answered by God, and answered in infinite wisdom and love.
4. The presence of God in trouble. “I will be with him in trouble.” The good man is not exempted from trouble, but supported in the midst of trouble. The celebrated William Dawson says, “At other times God will leave them in the hands of angels: ‘He shall give His angels charge over thee to keep thee. But when they are in trouble, I will say to the angels, ‘Stand aside, I will take care of them Myself. I will be with them in trouble.” So He speaks to His people: ‘When thou passes through the waters, I will be with thee. When languishing in sickness, He will make His bed and his pillow; when travelling through the valley of the shadow of death, the Lord will be with him, and enable him to sing, ‘I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me. Thus He is with them as their physician and nurse, in pain and sickness; as their strength in weakness; as their guide in difficulty; their ease in pain; and their life in death.”
5. The conference of distinguished honour. “I will honour him.” God honours His people in this life by delivering them from danger and trial, by sustaining them in suffering and sorrow, and by raising them into the most exalted relationships. “Now are we the sons of God.” In the life that is to come God will honor them by raising them to the highest dignities, the most delightful fellowships, the most glorious service, and to His own immediate presence. “To him that overcometh I will give to sit with Me in My throne, “We know that when He shall appear we shall be like Him".
6. Satisfaction with the duration of their life upon earth. “With long life will I satisfy him.” “The special promise of long life at the close,” says Perowne, “as a temporal blessing, is in accordance with the general character of the Old Testament. Still it is possible that men like the Psalmist, full of faith in God, attached a deeper and more spiritual meaning to promises and hopes like these, than was attached to them by the majority of their countrymen.” Matthew Henry’s exposition seems to us admirable. “ (1) They shall live long enough; they shall be continued in this world till they have done the work they were sent into this world for, and are ready for heaven, and that is long enough. Who would wish to live a day longer than God has some work to do, either by him or upon him?
(2) They shall think it long enough; for God by His grace shall wean them from the world and make them willing to leave it. A man may die young, and yet die full of days, satur dierum—satisfied with living. A wicked worldly man is not satisfied, no, not with long life; he still cries, Give, give. But he that has his treasure and heart in another world has soon enough of this; he would not live always.” The good man’s life upon earth is a completed thing, whether he die young or live to become a centenarian. He knows that his life is ordered by infinite Wisdom, and whenever it ends he is satisfied.
7. Full salvation. “And show him My salvation.” When the good man’s life upon earth is ended, God will admit him to the enjoyment of His complete, glorious, and everlasting salvation in heaven. Here we catch glimpses of His salvation; there we shall see it fully and clearly revealed. Here we know its power and blessedness in part; hereafter we shall know them in their completeness. Here we conquer and have to battle again; there the warfare is all over, and the victory is glorious and endless. Here we partake of His salvation in the kingdom of grace; there in the kingdom of glory.
CONCLUSION. 1. Have we these distinguishing characteristics of the godly? Do we love, know, and pray to God? 2. Do you who have them, value and rejoice in your exalted privileges? 3. And you who do not bear the marks of the godly man, what is your hope? Through Jesus Christ every man may attain to this supreme love to God, this blessed knowledge of Him, and this hallowed communion with Him.
Knowledge of God. “He hath known my name.” Knowledge of God and love to God are closely connected. We must have some knowledge of God before we can love Him. A true knowledge of God leads to trust in Him. “They that know Thy name will put their trust in Thee.” To know God’s name is to know Himself. Proficiency in this knowledge is attainable only to the man who loves God. As we must have some knowledge of God before we can love Him, so we must love Him before we can know much of Him. “Every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” We can know the heart of God only as we love Him. Where the keen intellect fails to discover any trace of God, He is clearly and preciously manifest to the pure and loving heart.
Prayer to God. “He shall call upon Me.” The godly soul cannot live without prayer. In times of need he calls upon God for grace to help him. In the enjoyment of blessing He calls upon God in grateful praise. At all times he acknowledges his dependence upon God. And there are seasons when prayer grows into holy and blessed communion, in which there are no petitions, but an intense and blessed realisation of the presence of God, and adoration of Him, which humbles and purifies and strengthens the spirit.
The promises to the godly:
1. Deliverance from danger. The assurance is twice given, “I will deliver him.” The good man has enemies to contend with, but God will deliver him out of their hands, and give him the victory over them. The good man is exposed to dangers, but God delivers him safely out of them all.
2. Exaltation and consequent safety. “I will set him on high.” I will place him out of the reach of danger. God raises those who trust Him above the stormy sea of this life, places them on an immovable rock, where the threatening and thundering waves cannot reach them. “He shall dwell on high; his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks.” God thus exalts His people above the perils of life, because they know His name and confide in Him.
3. Answers to prayer. “I will answer him.” The answer to prayer is not necessarily the granting of our requests. “It may be a refusal, an explanation, a promise, a conditional grant.” Excellently says Matthew Henry, “I will answer by promises (Psa_85:8), answer by providences, bringing in seasonable relief, and answer by graces, strengthening them with strength in their souls; thus He answered Paul with grace sufficient.” True prayer is always answered by God, and answered in infinite wisdom and love.
4. The presence of God in trouble. “I will be with him in trouble.” The good man is not exempted from trouble, but supported in the midst of trouble. The celebrated William Dawson says, “At other times God will leave them in the hands of angels: ‘He shall give His angels charge over thee to keep thee. But when they are in trouble, I will say to the angels, ‘Stand aside, I will take care of them Myself. I will be with them in trouble.” So He speaks to His people: ‘When thou passes through the waters, I will be with thee. When languishing in sickness, He will make His bed and his pillow; when travelling through the valley of the shadow of death, the Lord will be with him, and enable him to sing, ‘I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me. Thus He is with them as their physician and nurse, in pain and sickness; as their strength in weakness; as their guide in difficulty; their ease in pain; and their life in death.”
5. The conference of distinguished honour. “I will honour him.” God honours His people in this life by delivering them from danger and trial, by sustaining them in suffering and sorrow, and by raising them into the most exalted relationships. “Now are we the sons of God.” In the life that is to come God will honor them by raising them to the highest dignities, the most delightful fellowships, the most glorious service, and to His own immediate presence. “To him that overcometh I will give to sit with Me in My throne, “We know that when He shall appear we shall be like Him".
6. Satisfaction with the duration of their life upon earth. “With long life will I satisfy him.” “The special promise of long life at the close,” says Perowne, “as a temporal blessing, is in accordance with the general character of the Old Testament. Still it is possible that men like the Psalmist, full of faith in God, attached a deeper and more spiritual meaning to promises and hopes like these, than was attached to them by the majority of their countrymen.” Matthew Henry’s exposition seems to us admirable. “ (1) They shall live long enough; they shall be continued in this world till they have done the work they were sent into this world for, and are ready for heaven, and that is long enough. Who would wish to live a day longer than God has some work to do, either by him or upon him?
(2) They shall think it long enough; for God by His grace shall wean them from the world and make them willing to leave it. A man may die young, and yet die full of days, satur dierum—satisfied with living. A wicked worldly man is not satisfied, no, not with long life; he still cries, Give, give. But he that has his treasure and heart in another world has soon enough of this; he would not live always.” The good man’s life upon earth is a completed thing, whether he die young or live to become a centenarian. He knows that his life is ordered by infinite Wisdom, and whenever it ends he is satisfied.
7. Full salvation. “And show him My salvation.” When the good man’s life upon earth is ended, God will admit him to the enjoyment of His complete, glorious, and everlasting salvation in heaven. Here we catch glimpses of His salvation; there we shall see it fully and clearly revealed. Here we know its power and blessedness in part; hereafter we shall know them in their completeness. Here we conquer and have to battle again; there the warfare is all over, and the victory is glorious and endless. Here we partake of His salvation in the kingdom of grace; there in the kingdom of glory.
CONCLUSION. 1. Have we these distinguishing characteristics of the godly? Do we love, know, and pray to God? 2. Do you who have them, value and rejoice in your exalted privileges? 3. And you who do not bear the marks of the godly man, what is your hope? Through Jesus Christ every man may attain to this supreme love to God, this blessed knowledge of Him, and this hallowed communion with Him.
Treasury of David
Psalms 91:14-16
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Psalms 91:14-16
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Here we have the Lord himself speaking of his own chosen one.
“Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him.” Not because he deserves to be thus kept, but because with all his imperfections he does love his God; therefore not the angels of God only, but the God of angels himself will come to his rescue in all perilous times, and will effectually deliver him. When the heart is enamored of the Lord, all taken up with him, and intensely attached to him, the Lord will recognize the sacred flame, and preserve the man who bears it in his bosom. It is love, - love set upon God, which is the distinguishing mark of those whom the Lord secures from ill. “I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.” The man has known the attributes of God so as to trust in him, and then by experience has arrived at a yet deeper knowledge, this shall be regarded by the Lord as a pledge of his grace, and he will set the owner of it above danger or fear, where he shall dwell in peace and joy. None abide in intimate fellowship with God unless they possess a warm affection towards God, and an intelligent trust in him; these grits of grace are precious in Jehovah's eyes, and wherever he sees them he smiles upon them. How elevated is the standing which the Lord gives to the believer. We ought to covet it right earnestly. If we climb on high it may be dangerous, but if God sets us there it is glorious.
“He shall call upon me, and I will answer him.” He will have need to pray, he will be led to pray aright, and the answer shall surely come. Saints are first called of God, and then they call upon God; such calls as theirs always obtain answers. Not without prayer will the blessing come to the most favored, but by means of prayer they shall receive all good things. “I will be with him in trouble,” or “I am with him in trouble.” Heirs of heaven are conscious of a special divine presence in times of severe trial. God is always near in sympathy and in power to help his tried ones. “I will deliver him, and honor him.” The man honors God, and God honors him. Believers are not delivered or preserved in a way which lowers them, and makes them feel themselves degraded; far from it, the Lord's salvation bestows honor upon those He delivers. God first gives us conquering grace, and then rewards us for it.
“With long life will I satisfy him.” The man described in this Psalm fills out the measure of his days, and whether he dies young or old he is quite satisfied with life, and is content to leave it. He shall rise from life's banquet as a man who has had enough, and would not have more even if he could. “And shew him my salvation.” The full sight of divine grace shall be his closing vision. He shall look from Amana and Lebanon. Not with destruction before him black as night, but with salvation bright as noonday smiling upon him he shall enter into his rest.
“Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him.” Not because he deserves to be thus kept, but because with all his imperfections he does love his God; therefore not the angels of God only, but the God of angels himself will come to his rescue in all perilous times, and will effectually deliver him. When the heart is enamored of the Lord, all taken up with him, and intensely attached to him, the Lord will recognize the sacred flame, and preserve the man who bears it in his bosom. It is love, - love set upon God, which is the distinguishing mark of those whom the Lord secures from ill. “I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.” The man has known the attributes of God so as to trust in him, and then by experience has arrived at a yet deeper knowledge, this shall be regarded by the Lord as a pledge of his grace, and he will set the owner of it above danger or fear, where he shall dwell in peace and joy. None abide in intimate fellowship with God unless they possess a warm affection towards God, and an intelligent trust in him; these grits of grace are precious in Jehovah's eyes, and wherever he sees them he smiles upon them. How elevated is the standing which the Lord gives to the believer. We ought to covet it right earnestly. If we climb on high it may be dangerous, but if God sets us there it is glorious.
“He shall call upon me, and I will answer him.” He will have need to pray, he will be led to pray aright, and the answer shall surely come. Saints are first called of God, and then they call upon God; such calls as theirs always obtain answers. Not without prayer will the blessing come to the most favored, but by means of prayer they shall receive all good things. “I will be with him in trouble,” or “I am with him in trouble.” Heirs of heaven are conscious of a special divine presence in times of severe trial. God is always near in sympathy and in power to help his tried ones. “I will deliver him, and honor him.” The man honors God, and God honors him. Believers are not delivered or preserved in a way which lowers them, and makes them feel themselves degraded; far from it, the Lord's salvation bestows honor upon those He delivers. God first gives us conquering grace, and then rewards us for it.
“With long life will I satisfy him.” The man described in this Psalm fills out the measure of his days, and whether he dies young or old he is quite satisfied with life, and is content to leave it. He shall rise from life's banquet as a man who has had enough, and would not have more even if he could. “And shew him my salvation.” The full sight of divine grace shall be his closing vision. He shall look from Amana and Lebanon. Not with destruction before him black as night, but with salvation bright as noonday smiling upon him he shall enter into his rest.
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