Spurgeon PS1608
EXPOSITION.
The fear of death at one time cast its dark shadow over the soul of the Redeemer, and we read that “he was heard in that he feared.” There appeared unto him an angel, strengthening him; perhaps the heavenly messenger reassured him of his glorious resurrection as his people’s surety, and of the eternal joy into which he should admit the flock redeemed by blood. Then hope shone full upon our Lord’s soul, and, as recorded in these verses, he surveyed the future with holy confidence because he had a continued eye to Jehovah, and enjoyed his perpetual presence. He felt that thus sustained, he could never be driven from his life’s grand design; nor was he, for he stayed not his hand till he could say, “It is finished.” What an infinite mercy was this for us! In this immoveableness, caused by simple faith in the divine help, Jesus is to be viewed as our exemplar; to recognize the presence of the Lord is the duty of every believer; “_I have set the Lord always before me_;” and to trust the Lord as our champion and guard is the privilege of every saint; “_because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved_.” The apostle translates this passage, “I foresaw the Lord always before my face;” #Ac 2:25|; the eye of Jesus’ faith could discern beforehand the continuance of divine support to his suffering Son, in such a degree that he should never be moved from the accomplishment of his purpose of redeeming his people. By the power of God at his right hand he foresaw that he should smite through all who rose up against him, and on that power he placed the firmest reliance. He clearly foresaw that he must die, for he speaks of his flesh resting, and of his soul in the abode of separate spirits; death was full before his face, or he would not have mentioned corruption; but such was his devout reliance upon his God, that he sang over the tomb, and rejoiced in vision of the sepulchre. He knew that the visit of his soul to Sheol, or the invisible world of disembodied spirits, would be a very short one, and that his body in a very brief space would leave the grave, uninjured by its sojourn there; all this made him say, “_my heart is glad_,” and moved his tongue, the _glory_ of his frame, to _rejoice_ in God, the strength of his salvation. Oh for such holy faith in the prospect of trial and of death! It is the work of faith, not merely to create a peace which passeth all understanding, but to fill the heart full of gladness until the tongue, which, as the organ of an intelligent creature, is our glory, bursts forth in notes of harmonious praise. Faith gives us living joy, and bestows dying rest. “_My flesh also shall rest in hope_.”
Our Lord Jesus was not disappointed in his hope. He declared his Father’s faithfulness in the words, “_thou wilt not leave my soul in hell_,” and that faithfulness was proven on the resurrection morning. Among the departed and disembodied Jesus was not left; he had believed in the resurrection, and he received it on the third day, when his body rose in glorious life, according as he had said in joyous confidence, “_neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption_.” Into the outer prison of the grave his body might go, but into the inner prison of corruption he could not enter. He who in soul and body was pre-eminently God’s “Holy One,” was loosed from the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. This is noble encouragement to all the saints; die they must, but rise they shall, and though in their case they shall see corruption, yet they shall rise to everlasting life. Christ’s resurrection is the cause, the earnest, the guarantee, and the emblem of the rising of all his people. Let them, therefore, go to their graves as to their beds, resting their flesh among the clods as they now do upon their couches. “Since Jesus is mine, I’ll not fear undressing, But gladly put off these garments of clay; To die in the Lord is a covenant blessing, Since Jesus to glory through death led the way.” Wretched will that man be who, when the Philistines of
death invade his soul, shall find that, like Saul, he is forsaken of God; but blessed is he who has the Lord at his right hand, for he shall fear no ill, but shall look forward to an eternity of bliss.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS.
Verse 8.–“_I have set the Lord always before me_.” David did not by fits and starts set the Lord before him; but he “_always_” set the Lord before him in his course; he had his eye upon the Lord, and so much the Hebrew word imports: I have equally set the Lord before me; that is the force of the original word, that is, I have set the Lord before me, at one time as well as another, without any irregular affections or passions, etc. In every place, in every condition, in every company, in every employment, and in every enjoyment, I have set the Lord equally before me; and this raised him, and this will raise any Christian, by degrees, to a very great height of holiness.–^Thomas Brooks.
Verse 8.–“_I have set the Lord always before me_.” Hebrew, I have _equally set_, or proposed. The apostle translateth it, “I foresaw the Lord always before my face.” #Ac 2:25|. I set the eye of my faith full upon him, and suffer it not to take to other things; I look him in the face, _oculo irretorto_, as the eagle looketh upon the sun; and _oculo adamantino_, with an eye of adamant, which turns only to one point: so here I have equally set the Lord before me, without irregular affections and passions. And this was one of those lessons that his _reins had taught_ him, that the Holy Spirit had dictated unto him.–^John Trapp.
Verse 8.–“_I have set the Lord ALWAYS before me_.” Like as the gnomon doth ever behold the north star, whether it be closed and shut up in a coffer of gold, silver, or wood, never losing its nature; so a faithful Christian man, whether he abound in wealth or be pinched with poverty, whether he be of high or low degree in this world, ought continually to have his faith and hope surely built and grounded upon Christ, and to have his heart and mind fast fixed and settled in him, and to follow him through thick and thin, through fire and water, through wars and peace, through hunger and cold, through friends and foes, through a thousand perils and dangers, through the surges and waves of envy, malice, hatred, evil speeches, railing sentences, contempt of the world, flesh, and devil, and even in death itself, be it never so bitter, cruel, and tyrannical, yet never to lose sight and view of Christ, never to give over faith, hope, and trust in him.–^Robert Cawdray.
Verse 8.–“I have set the Lord always before me_.” By often thinking of God, the heart will be enticed into desires after him. #Isa 26:8|. “The desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee;” and see what follows, verse #9|: “With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early.” Love sets the soul on musing, and from musing to praying. Meditation is prayer in bullion, prayer in the ore–soon melted and run into holy desires. The laden cloud soon drops into rain; the piece charged soon goes off when fire is put to it. A meditating soul is in _proxima potentia_ to prayer.–^William Gurnall.
Verse 8.–“_I have set the Lord always before me_,” etc. He that by faith eyes God continually as his protector in trouble “_shall not be moved_” with any evil that he suffers, and he that eyes God by faith as his pattern in holiness, shall not be moved from doing that which is good. This thought–_the Lord is at our right hand_–keeps us from turning either to the right hand or to the left. It is said of Enoch, that “he walked with God” (#Ge 5:22|), and though the history of his life be very short, yet ’tis said of him a second time (#Ge 5:24|), that “he walked with God.” He walked so much with God that he walked as God: he did not “_walk_” (which kind of walking the apostle reproves, #1Co 3:3|), “_as men_.” He walked so little like the world that his stay was little in the world. “He was not,” saith the text, “for God took him.” He took him from the world to himself, or, as the author to the Hebrews reports it, “he was translated that he should not see death, for he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”–^Joseph Caryl.
Verse 8.–“_Because he is at my right hand_,” etc. Of ourselves we stand not at any time, by his power we may overcome at all times. And when we are sorest assaulted he is ever ready at our right hand to support and stay us that we shall not fall. He hath well begun, and shall happily go forward in his work, who hath in truth begun. For true grace well planted in the heart, how weak, soever, shall hold out for ever. All total decays come from this–that the heart was never truly mollified, nor grace deeply and kindly rooted therein.–^John Ball.
Verse 8.–“_He is at my right hand_.” This phrase of speech is borrowed from those who, when they take upon them the patronage, defence, or tuition of any, will set them on their right hand, as in place of most safeguard. Experience confirmeth this in children, who in any imminent danger shroud and shelter themselves under their father’s arms or hands, as under a sufficient buckler. Such was the estate of the man of God, as here appeareth, who was hemmed and edged in with the power of God, both against present evils, and dangers to come.–^Richard Greenham.
Verse 8.–Even as a column or pillar is sometimes on thy right hand, and sometimes on thy left hand, because thou dost change thy standing, sitting, or walking, for it is unmovable and keepeth one place; so God is sometimes favourable and bountiful unto thee, and sometimes seemeth to be wroth and angry with thee, because thou dost fall from virtue to vice, from obedience and humility to pride and presumption; for in the Lord there is no change, no, not so much as any shadow of change. He is immutable, always one and everlasting. If thou wilt bend thyself to obedience, and to a virtuous and godly life, thou shalt ever have him a strong rock, whereupon thou mayst boldly build a castle and tower of defence. He will be unto thee a mighty pillar, bearing up heaven and earth, whereto thou mayst lean and not be deceived, wherein thou mayst trust and not be disappointed. He will ever be at thy right hand, that thou shalt not fall. He will take thy part, and will mightily defend thee against all enemies of thy body and of thy soul; but if thou wilt shake hands with virtue, and bid it adieu, and farewell, and, forsaking the ways of God, wilt live as thou list, and follow thy own corruption, and make no conscience of aught thou doest, defiling and blemishing thyself with all manner of sin and iniquity, then be sure the Lord will appear unto thee in his fury and indignation. From his justice and judgments none shall ever be able to deliver thee.–^Robert Cawdray.
Verse 9.–“_My heart is glad_.” Men may for a time be hearers of the gospel, men may for order’s sake pray, sing, receive the sacraments; but if it be without joy, will not that hypocrisy in time break out? Will they not begin to be weary? Nay will they not be as ready to hear any other doctrine? Good things cannot long find entertainment in our corruptions, unless the Holy Ghost hath changed us from our old delights to conceive pleasure in these things.–^Richard Greenham.
Verse 9.–“_My heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth_.” His inward joy was not able to contain itself. We testify our pleasure on lower occasions, even at the gratification of our senses; when our ear is filled with harmonious melody, when our eye is fixed upon admirable and beauteous objects, when our smell is recreated with agreeable odours, and our taste also by the delicacy and rareness of provisions; and much more will our soul show its delight, when its faculties, that are of a more exquisite constitution, meet with things that are in all respects agreeable and pleasant to them; and in God they meet with all those: with his light our understanding is refreshed, and so is our will with his goodness and his love.–^Timothy Rogers.
Verse 9.–“_Therefore my heart is glad_,” etc. That is, I am all over in very good plight, as well as heart can wish, or require; I do over-abound exceedingly with joy; “God forgive me mine unthankfulness and unworthiness of so great glory” (as that martyr said): “In all the days of my life I was never so merry as now I am in this dark dungeon,” etc. Wicked men rejoice in appearance, and not in heart (#2Co 5:12|); their joy is but skin deep, their mirth frothy and flashy, such as wetteth the mouth, but warmeth not the heart. But David is _totus totus, quantus quantus exultabundus_; his _heart, glory, flesh_, (answerable, as some think to that of the apostle, #1Th 5:23|; _spirit, soul, and body_) were all overjoyed.–^John Trapp.
Verse 9.–“_My flesh shall rest in hope_.” If a Jew pawned his bed-clothes, God provided mercifully that it should be restored before night: “For,” saith he, “that is his covering: wherein shall he sleep?” #Ex 22:27|. Truly, hope is the saint’s covering, wherein he wraps himself, when he lays his body down to sleep in the grave: “_My flesh_,” saith David, “_shall rest in hope_.” O Christian, bestir thyself to redeem thy hope before this sun of thy temporal life goes down upon thee, or else thou art sure to lie down in sorrow. A sad going to the bed of the grave he hath who hath no hope of a resurrection to life.–^William Gurnall.
Verse 9.–“_My flesh shall rest in hope_.” That hope which is grounded on the word, gives rest to the soul; ’tis an anchor to keep it steady. #Heb 6:13|. Which shows the unmovableness of that which our anchor is fastened to. The promise sustains our faith, and our faith is that which supports us. He that hopes in the Word as David did (#Ps 119:81|), lays a mighty stress upon it; as Samson did when he leaned upon the pillars of the house, so as to pull it down upon the Philistines. A believer throws the whole weight of all his affairs and concernments, temporal, spiritual, and eternal, upon the promises of God, like a man resolved to stand or fall with them. He ventures himself, and all that belongs to him, entirely upon this bottom, which is in effect to say, if they will not bear me up, I am content to sink; I know that there shall be a performance of those things which have been told me from the Lord, and therefore I will incessantly look for it.–^Timothy Cruso.
Verse 10.–“_For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell_,” etc. The title of this golden text may be–_The embalming of the dead saints_: the force whereof is to free the souls from dereliction in the state of death, and to secure the bodies of God’s saints from corruption in the grave. It is the art which I desire to learn, and at this time, teach upon this sad occasion, * even the preparing of this confection against our burials.–George Hughes, 1642. [* A Funeral Sermon]
Verse 10.–Many of the elder Reformers held that our Lord in soul actually descended into hell, according to some of them to suffer there as our surety. and according to others to make a public triumph over death and hell. This idea was almost universally, and, as we believe, most properly repudiated by the Puritans. To prove this fact, it may be well to quote from Corbet’s witty itinerary of, “Foure clerkes of Oxford, doctors two, and two That would be docters.”
He laments the secularisation of church appurtenances at Banbury, by the Puritans whom he describes as, “They which tell That Christ hath nere descended into hell, But to the grave.”
^C. H. S. The quotation is from Richard Corbet’s Poems, 1632.
Verse 10.–“_My soul in hell_.” Christ in soul descended into hell, when as our surety he submitted himself to bear those hellish sorrows (or equivalent to them), which we were bound by our sins to suffer for ever. His descension is his projection of himself into the sea of God’s wrath conceived for our sins, and his ingression into most unspeakable straits and torments in his soul, which we should else have suffered for ever in hell. This way of Christ’s descending into hell is expressly uttered in the person of David, as the type of Christ. #Ps 86:13; 116:3; 69:1-3|. Thus the prophet Isaiah saith, “His soul was made an offering.” #Isa 53:10|. And this I take it David means, when he said of Christ, “_Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell_.” #Ps 16; Ac 2|. And thus Christ descended into hell when he was alive, not when he was dead. Thus his soul was in hell when in the garden he did sweat blood, and on the cross when he cried so lamentably, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” #Mt 26:38|.–Nicholas Byfield’s “Exposition of the Creed,” 1676.
Verse 10.–“_In hell_.” Sheol here, as hades in the New Testament, signifies the state of the dead, the separate state of souls after death, the invisible world of souls, where Christ’s soul was, though it did not remain there, but on the third day returned to its body again. It seems best of all to interpret this word of the grave as it is rendered; #Ge 42:38; Isa 38:18|.–^John Gill.
Verse 10.–“_Thine Holy One_.” _Holiness_ preserves the soul from dereliction, in the state of death, and the body of the saint from corruption in the grave. If it be desired by any that doubt of it, to see the clear issue of this from the text, I shall guide them to read this text with a great accent upon that term, “_Thine Holy One_,” that they may take special notice of it, even the quality of that man exempted from these evils. In this the Spirit of God puts an emphasis upon _holiness_, as counter-working and prevailing over death and the grave. It is this and nothing but this, that thus keeps the man, dead and buried, from desertion in death, and corruption in the grave.–^George Hughes.
Verse 10.–The great promise to Christ is, that though he took a corruptible body upon him, yet he should “_not see corruption_,” that is, _partake of corruption_, corruption should have no communion with, much less power over him.–^Joseph Caryl.
Verse 10.–Quoted by the apostle Peter (#Ac 2:27|); on which Hackett (Com. in loc.) observes:–“The sense then may be expressed thus: Thou wilt not give me up as a prey to death; he shall not have power over me, to dissolve the body and cause it to return to dust.”
HINTS TO PREACHERS.
Verse 8.–Set the Lord always before you as–I. Your _protector_. II. Your _leader_. III. Your _example_. IV. Your _observer_.–^William Jay.
Verses 8,9.–A sense of the divine presence our best support. It yields. I. Good confidence concerning things without. “_I shall not be moved_.” II. Good cheer within. “_My heart is glad_.” III. Good music for the living tongue. “_My glory rejoiceth_.” IV. Good hope for the dying body. “_My flesh also_,” etc.
Verse 9 (last clause).–I. The saint’s Sabbath (_rest_). II. His sarcophagus (_in hope_). III. His salvation (for which he _hopes_).
Verses 9,10.–Jesus cheered in prospect of death by the safety of his soul and body; our consolation in him as to the same.
Verse 10.–Jesus dead, the place of his soul and his body. A difficult but interesting topic.
Verses 10,11.–Because he lives we shall live also. The believer, therefore, can also say, “Thou wilt show _me_ the path of life.” This life means the blessedness reserved in heaven for the people of God after the resurrection. It has three characters. The first regards its _source_–it flows from “_his presence_.” The second regards its plenitude–it is “_fulness_” of joy. The third regards its _permanency_– the pleasures are “_for evermore_.”–^William Jay.