To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world: Both low and high, rich and poor, together. My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding. Psa 49:1-3 Treasury of David Charles Haddon Spurgeon “Hear this, all ye people.” All men are concerned in the subject, it is of them, and therefore to them that the Psalmist would speak. It is not a topic which men delight to consider, and therefore he who would instruct them must press them to give ear. Where, as in this case, the theme claims to be wisdom and understanding, attention is very properly demanded; and when the style combines the sententiousness of the proverb with the sweetness of poetry, interest is readily excited. “Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world.” “He that hath ears to hear let him hear.” Men dwelling in all climes are equally concerned in the subject, for the laws of providence are the same in all lands. It is wise for each one to feel I am a man, and therefore everything which concerns mortals has a personal interest to me. We must all appear before the judgment-seat, and therefore we all should give earnest heed to holy admonition which may help us to prepare for that dread event. He who refuses to receive instruction by the ear, will not be able to escape receiving destruction by it when the Judge shall say, “Depart, ye cursed.” “Both low and high, rich and poor, together.” Sons of great men, and children of mean men, men of large estate, and ye who pine in poverty, ye are all bidden to hear the inspired minstrel as he touches his harp to a mournful but instructive lay. The low will be encouraged, the high will be warned, the rich will be sobered, the poor consoled, there will be a useful lesson for each if they are willing to learn it. Our preaching ought to have a voice for all classes, and all should have an ear for it. To suit our word to the rich alone is wicked sycophancy, and to aim only at pleasing the poor is to act the part of a demagogue. Truth may be so spoken as to command the ear of all, and wise men seek to learn that acceptable style. Rich and poor must soon meet together in the grave, they may well be content to meet together now. In the congregation of the dead all differences of rank will be obliterated, they ought not now to be obstructions to united instructions. “My mouth shall speak of wisdom.” Inspired and therefore lifted beyond himself, the prophet is not praising his own attainments, but extolling the divine Spirit which spoke in him. He knew that the Spirit of truth and wisdom spoke through him. He who is not sure that his matter is good has no right to ask a hearing. “And the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.” The same Spirit who made the ancient seers eloquent, also made them thoughtful. The help of the Holy Ghost was never meant to supersede the use of our own mental powers. The Holy Spirit does not make us speak as Balaam's ass, which merely uttered sounds, but never meditated; but he first leads us to consider and reflect, and then he gives us the tongue of fire to speak with power. Meditation of Understanding Both low and high - Those alike of humble and those of exalted rank, for it pertains equally to all. On the meaning of the “terms” employed here, see the notes at Isa_2:9. These truths pertained to the “low;” that is, to those of humble rank, as teaching them not to envy the rich, and not to fear their power; and they pertained to those of exalted rank, as teaching them not to trust in their riches, and not to suppose that they could permanently possess and enjoy them.
Rich and poor together - As equally interested in these truths; that is, What the psalmist was about to say was adapted to impart useful lessons to both classes. Both needed instruction on the subject; and the same class of truths was adapted to furnish that instruction. The class of truths referred to was derived from the powerlessness of wealth in regard to the things of most importance to man, and from the fact that all which a man can gain must soon be left: teaching those of one class that they should not set their heart on wealth, and should not pride themselves on possessing it, and teaching the other class that they should not envy or fear the possessor of riches. (Albert Barnes) The folly of their way. “This their way is their folly.” Their folly is seen in-- 1. Their inability to retain their wealth. All men must die, “and leave their wealth to others.” (1) They cannot continue with it, nor will it serve to procure them a reprieve. (2) They cannot carry it with them, but must leave it behind them. (3) They cannot foresee who will enjoy it when they have left it; they must leave it to others, but to whom they know not, perhaps to a fool (Ecc_2:19), perhaps to an enemy.”—M. Henry. “Riches,” says Gataker, “though they have great eagles’ wings, to fly away from us while we are here in this world, yet have not so much as little sparrows’ wings to fly after us and follow us when we go hence. We brought nothing into this world, neither shall we carry anything hence.” Even before the rich man passes away from this world, his riches may pass away from him. A storm at sea, a spark of fire, a flood, may transform him into a beggar. How foolish, then, to trust and glory in wealth! 2. The limitation of the power of wealth. The wealthiest man has no power (1) to turn aside the stroke of death even from his dearest friend. “None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him.” The wealthiest of men is unable to prolong by an hour the life that is most dear to him. “ ‘Redeeming, he cannot redeem;’ that is, according to Hebrew usage, he cannot possibly do it; it cannot be done.” “What folly is it to trust to that, and boast of that, which will not enable us so much as for one hour to respite the execution of the sentence of death upon a parent, a child, or a friend that is to us as our own soul!” The wealthiest man has no power (2) to turn aside the stroke of death from himself. “Wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person.” “No matter what may be the character of the man of wealth, whether wise or foolish, he must certainly die. His wealth cannot save him from the grave.” It is said that a queen of England, knowing that her death was at hand, cried, “A million of money for a moment of time,” and cried in vain. (3) Wealth has no power to favourably affect the condition of its possessors after death. “Like sheep they are laid in the grave,” (Psa_49:14). When death comes to them, all their possessions and honours must be relinquished finally and for ever. Then the superiority of the portion of the upright will be apparent. All the strength and beauty of wealthy worldlings shall be consumed; but “the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” He who, when upon earth, was “clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day,” could not obtain so much as a drop of cold water in hell. How great, then, is the folly of putting our trust in and making our boast of our wealth! And yet, notice how continuous this folly is. “This their way is their folly; yet their posterity approve their sayings.” In this folly there is a sad successiveness. The children tread in the footsteps of their fathers. “They adopt their principles, and act on their maxims; and, attaching the same importance to wealth which they did, seek, as they sought, to perpetuate their names upon the earth.” And now turning our attention from the wealthy worldling to “the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which He hath promised to them that love Him,” two remarks are justified. First: The godly man has no reasonable cause to fear the power of the wealthy worldling. “Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?” It is difficult to get any reasonable meaning out of the last clause as it is rendered in our version. We take it that the word here rendered “heels”— and signifies a persecutor or lier-in-wait; and so we should translate, “When the iniquity of liers-in-wait compass me about.” See Fuerst’s Lexicon. The Psalmist was exposed to danger by reason of the crafty designs of his wealthy enemies; but why should he fear them? With all their wealth, how powerless were they! What could they do to him, they who were weak mortals like himself? They were leaning on a broken reed, and boasting in a shadow. He had no reason to fear them; for his trust was in the Lord Jehovah, in whom is everlasting strength. Second: The portion of the godly man is far superior to that of the wealthy worldling. “The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning.… God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave; for He shall receive me.” The superiority of the portion of the upright consists in this—1. They shall not be held in Sheol. God will rescue them from the power of the grave. They shall arise to a life of blessedness. 2. They shall be received by God. God will receive His people into glory, both soul and body, at the resurrection. So shall they ever be with the Lord. This superiority will soon be made manifest. “In the morning,” i.e. in a little time. The night will speedily pass away, and “in the morning” the vanity of the portion of wealthy worldlings and the excellence of the portion of the godly will be clearly manifested. CONCLUSION.—1. My rich brother, “trust not in uncertain riches;” but use thy wealth wisely, and it shall prove a blessing to thyself and to others. 2. My poor brother, do thou neither envy nor fear the power of wealthy worldlings; but rejoice in thine own inalienable and blessed portion. (Biblical Illustrator) Mat 12:35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Psa 91:1-4 "Thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons" (2Ki_4:4) The Hiding Place of God They were to be alone with God, for they were not dealing with the laws of nature, nor human government, nor the church, nor the priesthood, nor even with the great prophet of God, but they must needs be isolated from all creatures, from all leaning circumstances, from all props of human reason, and swung off, as it were, into the vast blue inter-stellar space, hanging on God alone, in touch with the fountain of miracles. Here is a part in the program of God’s dealings, a secret chamber of isolation in prayer and faith which every soul must enter that is very fruitful. There are times and places where God will form a mysterious wall around us, and cut away all props, and all the ordinary ways of doing things, and shut us up to something Divine, which is utterly new and unexpected, something that old circumstances do not fit into, where we do not know just what will happen, where God is cutting the cloth of our lives on a new pattern, where He makes us look to Himself. Our meditation on Him becomes companionship, our hearts, and spirits are His dwelling place. Most religious people live in a sort of treadmill life, where they can calculate almost everything that will happen, but the souls that God leads out into immediate and special dealings, He shuts in where all they know is that God has hold of them, and is dealing with them, and their expectation is from Him alone. Like this widow, we must be detached from outward things and attached inwardly to the Lord alone in order to see His wonders. -- Soul Food In the sorest trials God often makes the sweetest discoveries of Himself. -- Gems (Streams in the Desert) "God sometimes shuts the door and shuts us in, That He may speak, perchance through grief or pain, And softly, heart to heart, above the din, May tell some precious thought to us again." Anonymous God’s Secret and Shadow The place we are to enter and to abide in the secret of God God’s Word has its secret. There are some who read through these verses, who have a large amount of superficial biblical knowledge, but who know comparatively nothing of its grand, glorious, momentous secrets. There are others who so read them, and their spirits are drawn into the truth of what God holds for them, they grasp the real meaning, the grand spiritual realities that underlie its utterances; they so read it that they catch the very spirit of its Divine Author, so that the views formed and the feelings kindled towards the subject of which it treats, are the same as God’s. Such may be said to enter into the secret of God, or into “the secret place of the Most High.” This form of meditation becomes union, and communion-we are drawn as a magnet, into His Presence. Communion with God has its secret. There are some who say their prayers very regularly and very devoutly. So far as outward decorum and forms of speech are concerned, they are faultless. But communion with God there is none. There are others whose communion with Heaven is a sublime reality. The very presence of the Heavenly Father is consciously enjoyed. There may be dialogue, there may be a great silence, and an enveloping of the Holy Spirit-where conversation comes by Spirit-to spirit. In this place God many times will reveal secrets regarding things on His Mind, that He doesn't share with everyone, this develops, as our relationship grows, and deepens. The love of God has its secret. There are some, and we fear professing Christians too, whose feelings towards God are those of polite reserve. They know nothing of living in the love of God. But there are others who get into His very heart. They are children, who cry Abba Father. The purpose of God has its secret. There are some who feel little or no interest in that which lies close to God’s heart, engages His profoundest sympathies, and employs His untiring energies. They have never entered into that purpose, never felt its vital importance, never conceived its glorious design. Never seriously considered whether by their lives and actions they were co-operating with God, or opposing Him. But there are others who have so closely identified themselves with God’s purpose that it is the great center to which every line of thought, of feeling, of intention, and of sympathy converges. In this realm, we come to find, God is not concerned with the dignities of being perfect in our grammar, or our interactions with Him, He's interested in what's really inside our hearts and souls. He searches us, and reveals ourselves to us-as much as we can take at the moment. In this place, many times, our hearts are pierced with grief, and remorse for a sin we've allowed to go unconfessed, a wrong we've done to someone, that we need to repent of, a change we need to make in our own lives, that has hindered us in ways we could not see. Now, God in His mercy has brought us to the place where we can handle the truth of what He shows, us, so we can be forgiven, cleansed, and transformed more perfectly into His image. This process goes on throughout our lives, if we let Him deal with us in this way. The more we allow Him to reveal our hidden sins to ourselves, the closer we get to Him, and the greater He can use us, in the capacity He's called us to. The attitude. “He that dwelleth.” To dwell means a fixed, settled, habitual mode of life. It must be so with our conduct in reference to God’s Word, God’s friendship, God’s love, and God’s purpose. We must dwell in them, live in them. We must ask for no holiday, no leave of absence, there must be no departure. When we set out minds on this path, expect attacks from every quarter. Satan hates those who will not compromise, and will target you, it will be a continuous ongoing spiritual battle. But, in those who remain in the secret place of the Most High, as God promises-will keep us save, under His wings. How attained. How can we reach and take up our abode in this the very heart of God? Christ supplies the answer, “I am the way,”. II. The blessing enjoyed. 1. We have indicated what it is to dwell in the secret place of God’s Word. With minds thus furnished and filled we are under their protection. The world’s thoughts, and ideas, and principles of things may assail us, but they cannot do much with us; we know better; we have received a higher education, our minds are fortified with God’s thoughts, guarded with God’s ideas, protected with God’s principles. 2. We have indicated what it is to dwell in the secret place of God’s communion. In that position we get our whole nature animated with holy impulses, sympathies, tastes, and dispositions. We get our whole nature magnetized with the nature of God. With our whole nature thus infused, fired, animated, and magnetized with the very impulses and inspirations of God’s nature, we are under their protection. We are lifted into a higher sphere of life. 3. We have indicated what it is to dwell in the secret place of God’s love. In that position we get our best, strongest, and supreme affections formed with the love of God. We live under its shadow and protection. By its high and holy and potent influence we are preserved from the love of low, base, temporal, inferior things. 4. We have indicated what it is to dwell in the secret place of God’s purpose. In that position our energies, our sympathies, our interests, our intentions, and our pursuits are all enlisted and engaged in co-operating with God in bringing about the desire of His heart and the great pleasure of His will. In our labors and toils, our efforts and struggles to put away sin and to establish holiness, whether it be in our own hearts, in the lives and conduct of our children, or in the spirit and practice of the world, we are under the protection and shadow of the Most High, because we are identified with God’s purpose. (B. Pierce.) Charles Haddon Spurgeon Treasury of David “He that dwelleth, in the secret place of the most High.” The blessings here promised are not for all believers, but for those who live in close fellowship with God. Every child of God looks towards the inner sanctuary and the mercy-seat, yet all do not dwell in the most holy place; they run to it at times, and enjoy occasional approaches, but they do not habitually reside in the mysterious presence. Those who through rich grace obtain unusual and continuous communion with God, so as to abide in Christ and Christ in them, become possessors of rare and special benefits, which are missed by those who follow afar off, and grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Into the secret place those only come who know the love of God in Christ Jesus, and those only dwell there to whom to live is Christ. To them the veil is rent, the mercy-seat is revealed, the covering cherubs are manifest, and the awful glory of the Most High is apparent: these, like Simeon, have the Holy Ghost upon them, and like Anna they depart not from the temple; they are the courtiers of the Great King, the valiant men who keep watch around the bed of Solomon, the virgin souls who follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. Elect out of the elect, they have “attained unto the first three,” and shall walk with their Lord in white, for they are worthy. Sitting down in the august presence-chamber where shines the mystic light of the Sheckinah, they know what it is to be raised up together, and to be made to sit together with Christ in the heavenlies, and of them it is truly said that their conversation is in heaven. Special grace like theirs brings with it special immunity. Outer court worshippers little know what belongs to the inner sanctuary, or surely they would press on until the place of nearness and divine familiarity became theirs. Those who are the Lord's constant guests shall find that he will never suffer any to be injured within his gates; he has eaten the covenant salt with them, and is pledged for their protection.
“Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” The Omnipotent Lord will shield all those who dwell with him, they shall remain under his care as guests under the protection of their host. In the most holy place the wings of the cherubim were the most conspicuous objects, and they probably suggested to the Psalmist the expression here employed. Those who commune with God are safe with him, no evil can reach them, for the outstretched wings of his power and love cover them from all harm. This protection is constant - they abide under it, and it is all-sufficient, for it is the shadow of the Almighty, whose omnipotence will surely screen them from all attack. No shelter can be imagined at all comparable to the protection of Jehovah's own shadow. The Almighty himself is where his shadow is, and hence those who dwell in his secret place are shielded by himself. What a shade in the day of noxious heat! What a refuge in the hour of deadly storm! Communion with God is safety. The more closely we cling to our Almighty Father the more confident may we be. “I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress.” To take up a general truth and make it our own by personal faith is the highest wisdom. It is but poor comfort to say 'the Lord is a refuge,' but to say he is my refuge, is the essence of consolation. Those who believe should also speak - “I will say,” for such bold avowals honour God and lead others to seek the same confidence. Men are apt enough to proclaim their doubts, and even to boast of them, indeed there is a party nowadays of the most audacious pretenders to culture and thought, who glory in casting suspicion upon everything; hence it becomes the duty of all true believers to speak out and testify with calm courage to their own well-grounded reliance upon their God. Let others say what they will, be it ours to say of the Lord, “he is our refuge.” But what we say we must prove by our actions, we must fly to the Lord for shelter, and not to an arm of flesh. The bird flies away to the thicket, and the fox hastens to its hole, every creature uses its refuge in the hour of danger, and even so in all peril or fear of peril let us flee unto Jehovah, the Eternal Protector of his own. Let us, when we are secure in the Lord, rejoice that our position is unassailable, for he is our fortress as well as our refuge. No moat, portcullis, drawbridge, wall, battlement and donjon, could make us so secure as we are when the attributes of the Lord of Hosts environ us around. Behold this day the Lord is to us instead of walls and bulwarks! Our ramparts defy the leaguered hosts of hell. Foes in flesh, and foes in ghostly guise are alike baulked of their prey when the Lord of Hosts stands between us and their fury, and all other evil forces are turned aside. Walls cannot keep out the pestilence, but the Lord can. As if it were not enough to call the Lord his refuge and fortress, he adds, “My God I in him will I trust.” Now he can say no more; “my God” means all, and more than all, that heart can conceive by way of security. It was most meet that he should say “in him will I trust,” since to deny faith to such a one were willful wickedness and wanton insult. He who dwells in an impenetrable fortress, naturally trusts in it; and shall not he who dwells in God feel himself well at ease, and repose his soul in safety? O that we more fully carried out the Psalmist's resolve! We have trusted in God let us trust him still. He has never failed us, why then should we suspect him? To trust in man is natural to fallen nature, to trust in God should be as natural to regenerated nature. Where there is every reason and warrant for faith, we ought to place our confidence without hesitancy or wavering. Dear reader, pray for grace to say, “In him will I trust.” This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Jos 1:8 There Can be no Sufficient Obedience Without Meditation "We are responsible, not only to do what we know, but to know what there is to be known. The ambassador who refused to open the dispatches of his government would plead ignorance in vain. When Nelson shut his eye against his admiral’s signal, he was none the less guilty of disobedience. Men may neglect to read the Scriptures, and then say, “I knew not that I transgressed,” but the very ignorance which they plead is an aggravated form of guilt. God complains of Ephraim, “I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing.” There can be no satisfactory meditation which does not center in God Himself. (Jos_1:9.) “Have not I commanded thee?” We must look through the written word up to God, whom it is meant to reveal. We must look through all revelation on to Him. The Bible is light on God. The miracles of Christ are not recorded to excite wonder, they are to reveal God. It is possible to make Gethsemane, the Lord’s Supper, and even the Cross so many superstitions. The brazen serpent became a relic at which men stopped, rather than a memory through which they went on to God. Hezekiah did holy work, then, to break it in pieces, and to call it “Nehushtan.” If Christ be not risen again, even Calvary is worthless; “Your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.” Gethsemane, the Supper, the Cross, are only good as they reveal the finished atonement and love of the living Saviour, and through Him the pardon and love of God. Riddling all superstitions of mere Bible-reading and formal religion through and through, the living Son of God looks down from heaven, and says to Saul of Tarsus, “That they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified BY FAITH THAT IS IN ME.” (Act_26:18.) Faith is to be in the living Christ, not in cold duties and dead things. Trench has somewhere said, “Our blessedness is that Christ does not declare to us a system, and say, ‘This is the truth;’ so doing He might have established a school: but He points to a person, even to Himself, and says, ‘I am the Truth;’ and thus He founded, not a school, but a Church, a fellowship which stands in its faith upon a person, not in its tenure of a doctrine, or at least upon this only in a sense which is mediate and secondary.” (Preacher's Homiletical) THE CHARACTER AND SPHERE OF COURAGE The strength which courage draws from the Scriptures "To neglect the Bible is to prepare the way for fear and trembling. (a) There can be no sufficient courage without light, and the Bible is “a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path.” The awe which comes from darkness. (b) There can be no sufficient courage without confidence of being right, and the Bible assures the just man. The hesitation which comes from uncertainty. (c) There can be no sufficient courage without love, and our love is born of knowing the love of God. (d) There can be no sufficient courage without hope, and he who neglects the Bible can have no satisfactory ground of hope. 2. It is not enough to have the Bible, it must be used. (a) The courage that comes from speaking the truth to others: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth.” (b) The courage that comes from meditation in the truth: “Thou shalt meditate therein day and night.” (c.) The courage that comes from doing the truth: “That thou mayest observe to do all that is written therein.”
The law of the Scriptures is the mind of God, and he who keeps ever with the law is always where God stoops to whisper, “I am with thee.” "When God established His commandments in the earth, He bade law, both in the physical and moral worlds, be on the side of goodness. From that day to this, law has never sided with the sinner. But though much of God’s help of His children is through law, this is by no means His only method. He adds His direct blessings, and gives His direct help to the obedient. Nothing is written more emphatically in Scripture than this. The deliverance from Egypt, the miracles of the wilderness, the walls of Jericho falling without any cause in ordinary law; the histories given by Samuel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Daniel, and other prophets, are full of incidents of Jehovah’s direct interposition. The Psalms tell us of the angels that encamp about them that fear the Lord, and both the Old and New Testaments often shew them coming to the guidance, or comfort, or help of the godly. The cross, most emphatically of all, tells of help other than by the automatic method of law, to which modern scientists would tie us. True discipleship not only finds Christ, and cries with Nathanael, “Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God;” it hears Christ reply of the earthly future, “Hereafter thou shalt see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” The eyes of the obedient see an open heaven even while yet on earth, and life everywhere becomes all but sentient with God. “If God” so “be for us, who can be against us?” Thus does our Father guarantee “good success.” In Summary: These inspirations are very good, but, when reading them it's important to realize that nowhere in scripture does it promise you will become a millionaire, or own a Rolls Royce. Over the years, I have never failed to know the guidance, and provision of my needs, God has been faithful to me, and continues to answer my prayers. I do not ask for riches, nor want them, my mindset is described in these verses: Pro 30:8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Pro 30:9 Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain. These verses give this instruction: 1. We can't know God by our own imaginations-He reveals Himself by and through His written word. Whatever manifestation or vision we may have-we have the scriptures to guide us as to whether the vision is by the Holy Ghost-or we are being deceived, knowledge of the word of God brings His discernment. 2. We must put away vanity and lies from our life, in order to correctly walk with Him, and know Him. Lying isn't just a bad habit-it is a sin against God, and He will bring us to account on Judgment day, for every lie that we've told, and not repented of. People do not consider this a serious sin-but, God does. And, repentance of a sin means to confess it, and turn away from it, stop lying, and tell the truth. 3. We must learn as Paul spoke of-learning to be satisfied and content with what God arranges for us, and our quota of responsibilities and His provisions for us. What does this accomplish? 1. It defeats the devils work of trapping us in deceptions of self-righteousness. 2. It defeats the growth of haughtiness and pride. 3. It eliminates the sin of greed, gluttony, and the insatiable appetite that can never be satisfied. Pro 30:14 There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men. Pro 30:15 The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough: Pro 30:16 The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough. Pro 30:17 The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it. Many of the mega ministries try to claim their riches came from God, time will prove out if that's true, when we stand before God. Satan answers prayers, and gives people what they want; he is the god of this world. Wealth is not proof of your obedience to the Lord, or your standing with Him. Consider the amount of manipulations, and underhanded tactics these people go through to stay in their positions. It causes me to want nothing to do with it. Jesus didn't pass the offering plate-when he fed the 5000 fish and bread. He took the few fish and bread given to him by the boy-and prayed over it and told the disciples to pass it on to those seated with Him. I'm not against mega ministers, but I've been watching them for many years, and know very well, that the faith they claim to be using-isn't real. It's contrived. I'm not going to help them take their vacations, get their tummy tucks, or purchase their planes. It was no accident that the school systems in this country took prayer and bible reading out of the classrooms. Satan succeeded in getting God's laws deleted from the school learning programs, because he knew that within a short time, the knowledge of right and wrong would be corrupted, twisted, and confusion would be the result. What do we have now?...kids who have no concept of the damage that lying does to a society, why truth is so important. Now, kids and adults live in delusions, and they make up their own truth. God created man and woman-two genders, even the animals know this simple fact; but now kids are labeling themselves many twisted genders, and mutilating their bodies. This is insanity, it's mental illness, but, many parents and school systems are now promoting it-and legal battles now rage between parents and the kids over this insanity. Satan has won the battle of eliminating the boundaries God gave us in His word, and now we are seeing the chaos it's brought. Meditating on the scriptures, and abiding by them-brings light and understanding in the way of walking in righteousness, and fellowship with God. The more I study it, the more my discernment increases, teaching me right from wrong, and becoming quick to be able to see the difference in my everyday life. Our behavior and our decisions will reflect what we spend our time on, and fill our minds with. Lorna Couillard Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee. Psa 143: 8 THE CRY OF THE HUNGRY SOUL This psalm falls into four stanzas of three verses each. Complaint, Psa_143:1-3. Though the enemy has resorted to unwarrantable violence, David realized that his past had been by no means immaculate. The holiest have least confidence in themselves, Job_9:3; Php_3:7. Bernard of Clairvaux said: “So far from being able to answer for my sins, I cannot answer even for my righteousness.” There is no judgment or condemnation for those who are in Christ, because they were judged in Him. Now God’s justice is on our side, 1Jn_1:9. Depression, Psa_143:4-6. Those capable of the sunny heights are capable of the lowest depths. Memory, meditation, and musing often lead to melancholy. But, in our meditations, reach out after God. To thirst for Him is to have Him. To desire is to possess. Entreaty, Psa_143:7-9. Hear me; cause me to hear; cause me to know; deliver me. Docility, Psa_143:10-12 : We can trust ourselves absolutely to be led by God’s Spirit, because He is good and He brings the soul out of trouble into the land of uprightness, Rom_8:14. (F.B. Meyer) "Cause me to know the way,” 1. Prompted by a sense of our weakness and ignorance. How much we need a guide! We have as much need of daily guidance as of daily bread. We cannot get safely through a world of sin and danger without the Presence and Grace of Christ. It is not a matter of indifference to the Christian how he passes through life. Not enough to say, “What shall I eat?”; but, “Lord, lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance upon us.” The soul has wants as well as the body. The Christian has moral interests to secure; he has a race to run—a battle to fight—a prize to gain—a God to glorify—a soul to be lost or saved. He is in a world where the great destroyer has his seat. He knows that the interests of others are linked in with his own: cannot stand or fall alone. Hence he prays, “Cause me to know,” 2. Prompted by knowledge of the character of Christ as a Guide. Wise, powerful, gracious. “The Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.” Having had large experience of the conduct of sinners. III. For the constant acceptance of his devotions as a prayer-hearing God. “In Thee do I trust; … I lift up my soul unto Thee.” This is partly a profession of his daily faith and experience, and partly a plea for the exercise of God’s mercy. “In Thee do I trust:” Thou wilt not disappoint. God is a perfect circle of wonders and miracles; a good perfectly adapted to our moral nature. They who know anything of Him are anxious to know more."—Samuel Thodey Charles Haddon Spurgeon Treasury of David “Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust.” “Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust.” Lord, my sorrow makes me deaf, - cause me to hear, there is but one voice that can cheer me - cause me to hear thy lovingkindness; that music I would fain enjoy at once - cause me to hear it in the morning, at the first dawning hour. A sense of divine love is to the soul both dawn and dew; the end of the night of weeping, the beginning of the morning of joy. Only God can take away from our weary ears the din of our care, and charm them with the sweet notes of his love. Our plea with the Lord is our faith; if we are relying upon him, he cannot disappoint us “in thee do I trust” is a sound and solid argument with God. He who made the ear will cause us to hear, he who is love itself will have the kindness to bring his lovingkindness before our minds. “Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.” The Great First Cause must cause us to hear and to know. Spiritual senses are dependent upon God, and heavenly knowledge comes from him alone. To know the way we ought to take is exceedingly needful, for how can we be exact in obedience to a law with which we are not acquainted? or how can there be an ignorant holiness? If we know not the way, how shall we keep in it? If we know not wherein we should walk, how shall we be likely to follow the right path? The Psalmist lifts up his soul; faith is good at a dead lift, the soul that trusts will rise. We will not allow our hope to sink, but we will strive to get up and rise out of our daily griefs. This is wise. When David was in any difficulty as to his way he lifted his soul towards God himself, and then he knew that he could not go very far wrong. If the soul will not rise of itself we must lift it, lift it up unto God. This is good argument in prayer, surely the God to whom we endeavour to lift up our soul will condescend to show us what he would have us to do. Let us attend to David's example, and when our heart is low, let us heartily endeavour to lift it up, not so much to comfort as to the Lord himself."
Psa 32:8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Pro 8:17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Isa 6:1-5 Removing the Veil Consider what the prophet saw. He sees Jehovah as Ruler, Governor, King; He is upon a throne, high and lifted up. It is the throne of absolute sovereignty: of resistless, questionless supremacy over all. He is in the temple where the throne is the mercy-seat, between the cherubim; over the ark of the covenant, which is the symbol and seal of friendly communion. His train, the skirts of His wondrous garment of light and love, filled the temple. Above, or upon, that train stood the seraphim. These are not, as I take it, angelic or super-angelic spirits, but the Divine Spirit Himself, the Holy Ghost, appearing thus in the aspect and attitude of gracious ministry. With this great sight voice and movement are joined. A voice of adoring awe fills the august temple with the echoing sound. The voice occasions commotion, excitement, shaken door-posts, the smoke of the glorious cloudy fire filling all the house. II. How the prophet felt. It is a thorough prostration. He falls on his face as one dead. He cannot stand that Divine presence—that living, personal, Divine presence—abruptly confronting him in the inmost shrine of the Lord’s sanctuary, and the sanctuary of his own heart. What the Lord really is, thus flashing on his conscience, shows him what he is himself. Undone! unclean! Unclean in the very sphere and line of living in which I ought to be most scrupulously clean! III. How the prophet’s case was met. There, full in his view, is an altar with its sacrifice; present to him then, though future; with a living coal from that living altar, the blessed Spirit touches him at the very point of his deepest self-despair. And the effect is as immediate as the touch. Nothing comes in between. Enough that there are, on the one side, the unclean lips, and on the other the live coal from off the altar. To the one let the other be applied, graciously, effectually, by the sevenfold, myriadfold, agency of the Spirit who is ever before the throne on high. The prophet asks nothing more. He hears the voice, as of Him who said, "Thy sins be forgiven thee." "Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged." IV. The subsequent offer and command. Two things are noticeable here: the grace of God in allowing the prophet, thus exercised, to be a volunteer for service; and the unreservedness of the prophet’s volunteering. It is no half-hearted purpose, conditional on circumstances; but the full, single-eyed heartiness of one loving much, because forgiven much, that breaks out in the frank, unqualified, unconditional self-enlistment and self-enrolment in the Lord’s host,—"Here am I; send me." R. S. Candlish, Sermons, p. 86. Seeing Ourselves-As God Sees Us "These verses teach us the essentials of true worship and of acceptable approach to God. And they seem to indicate these essentials as threefold, involving:-- I. A sense of personal wretchedness. To worship truly, there must be a sense of our own nothingness and need. The sense of wretchedness is first induced by the contemplation of the holiness and majesty of God. It is relieved by the condescension and mercy of the King. He is not only holy. "Mercy and truth meet together; righteousness and peace embrace each other;" and in that embrace the man who is undone is folded, and invited to bring forth his offering. II. A sense of pardon. "Our God is a consuming fire," and our first contemplation of Him thus is one which appals and overcomes us. But a little further prostration before the Holy One shows that the fire is a purging fire, not to consume the man, but only to erase the confessed uncleanness from his lips. With the anointing of the holy fire on the lip, there comes the new life into the heart, and now the mortal may mingle his praises with the seraphim themselves. III. But worship is not complete without service. To the ascription of the heart and lip there must be added the alacrity and obedience of the life. There was service for the seraphim: to fly with the live coal. And there is service for the seer: to fly with the living message. "Here am I; send me." Here is the alacrity of obedience. There is no curious inquiry about the nature of the service. The man becomes as winged as the seraph." (A. Mursell, Lights and Landmarks, p. 72.) "l am - I am a great sinner, as many other ways, so particularly by my lips. I am an unclean branch of an unclean tree; besides my own uncleanness, I have both by my omissions and commissions involved myself in the guilt of their sins. Have seen - The sight of this glorious and holy God gives me cause to fear that he is come to judgment against me." (John Wesley) "I am become dumb. There is something exceedingly affecting in this complaint. I am a man of unclean lips; I cannot say, Holy, holy, holy! which the seraphs exclaim. They are holy; I am not so: they see God, and live; I have seen him, and must die, because I am unholy. Only the pure in heart shall see God; and they only can live in his presence for ever, Reader, lay this to heart; and instead of boasting of thy excellence, and trusting in thy might, or comforting thyself in thy comparative innocence, thou wilt also be dumb before him, because thou hast been a man of unclean lips, and because thou hast still an unclean heart." (Adam Clarke) The Created-Meditating On the Creator “Because I am a man of unclean lips.” "There is a sense of the sin in society which makes a man not a Pharisee, but a prophet. It is easy to be cynical at the expense of our fellows, and to pour out stinging satires on the shams and weaknesses of society; but that is not the dominant spirit of the highest ministry. In the all-searching light of this vision, Isaiah sees that the world in which he lives is full of such shams; speech is a symbol and expression of life, and speech which should be clean and sweet, as well as truthful and strong, is vile and unclean. But the life of sinful people is the life the prophet shares, the atmosphere he breathes, the sphere in which he lives and moves. He cannot flee to the wilderness and leave it all behind. He must be in this world, but not of it; this he can do because he has learned that sin is an alien power in himself and in society. It is treason to the Divine King; in the name and by the power of the King it can be conquered. Through the influence of this deep revelation he can be a statesman as well as a religious teacher, a social reformer as well as a sacred singer, and through it all a saint. The vision means, then, the possibility of service. If there were no King a man might be content to be a time-server, but to the man who has seen the King the way of highest service is open, and he is “not disobedient to the heavenly vision.” Life, then, finds its real meaning in service to God and man. Behind this man’s call to service there are certain great convictions which are a prophecy of, and a preparation for, the rich personal experience which is fully revealed in our Lord Jesus, and quickened in us by the power of His great sacrifice." (Note: W. G. Jordan, Prophetic Ideas and Ideals, p. 62)
"The central fact is the vision of God as King—“Mine eyes have seen the King.” You say, no man can see God and live. That is quite true; as we here see, this man did not live; in a very deep sense he died. The vision of God kills that it may make alive; the fire of the Divine revelation burns up the dross of pride and passion. The great need of that time is also our own great need, a true vision of the Divine, a lofty thought of God. This alone can meet the hunger of Isaiah’s soul and save the nation from utter failure. The popular religion was crude and impure; many worshipped idols, many ran after a spurious spiritualism, or reduced religion to a sensuous ritualism (Isa_1:11, Isa_2:8, Isa_8:18). That which made a hero of this young man, and gave power to the purest religion of his day, was the force which also nerved our fathers to cast out superstition and fight for liberty; the vision of a God who is supreme, who through His righteousness is really kind, who is revealed in Nature, who rules the nations and who does not disdain the cry of the penitent soul. No argument can do justice to this; it is a vision and a life. The saints and martyrs point to it as the object of their love and the source of their strength. Men of mighty intellect, of childlike heart, of pure spiritual aspiration, have through its inspiration saved the nation from despair and the Church from failure. The men who have borne the burdens and fought the battles which helped forward the world’s highest life, knew the meaning of the words, “Mine eyes have seen the King.” (Note: W. G. Jordan.) Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, Rev 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Rev 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. Rev 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Col 3:1-3 The Higher Aspirations of the Soul Here we are given some wise instruction by Paul on what the true Christian should be centering their thoughts and meditation on. The struggle will come when we learn to desire the things of God, more than what the world has to offer. This is when we will find ourselves in conflict many times, with the world, and all it's temptations and empty entertainments. But the rewards to our souls and spirits become priceless to us, and, we finally decide to close the doors to the cheap counterfeits of this world. Paul learned the value of setting his affections on things of God, and heaven, and encourages us, to do the same. What are the benefits? Here are a few to ponder. “Risen with Christ” (Col_3:1). 1. This relation implies the living union of the soul with Christ.—The apostle had spoken of the soul as dying with Christ, as buried with Him, as quickened with Him; and now he advances another step, and declares that it is also raised with Him. The union between the believer and Christ was so complete that he participates with Christ in all He has done. “Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom_6:4). As the dead body of the man cast into the sepulchre of Elisha revived and stood up the moment it touched the bones of the prophet (2Ki_13:21), so the soul, dead in trespasses and sins, is quickened by believing contact with Christ, and rises into a higher and more glorious life. 2. This relation indicates the nature and tendencies of the soul.—“Risen with Christ: … set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Col_3:1-2). The change involved in union with Christ affects man’s whole nature. It affects not only his practical conduct, but also his intellectual conceptions. He is translated from earth to heaven; and with this translation his point of view is altered, his standard of judgment wholly changed. His aspirations spurn the earthly and transitory, and soar towards the heavenly and eternal. The flies that sport upon the summer stream, while they plunge their bodies in the water, are careful not to wet their wings, so that they may fly again into the sunny air. So, while we are necessarily immersed in “things on the earth,” we should take heed that the wings of our soul are not so clogged as to retard our flight to heaven. II. The sublime objects of the soul’s higher aspirations.—“Things above” (Col_3:2). 1. Christ is above.—“Where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God” (Col_3:2). This indicates that Christ is exalted to the highest dignity. He is above all angelic powers, whatever their position or rank. The right hand of God also indicates the right hand of power. Thence Christ wields all the authority and power of universal government. “Him hath God exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour.” He reigns on high in order to carry out to a glorious consummation the work He accomplished on the cross. To Him all hearts turn for love and blessedness, as the flowers turn to the sun. The rudiments of the world have no longer any power to satisfy. The soul ascends to heaven, for where the treasure is there will be the heart also; and the flow of time is rapidly hurrying us on to the moment when we shall be “Caught up to share The triumph of our Lord.” 2. The source of the greatest spiritual blessings is above.—When Christ ascended into the heavens He received gifts for men; and from His lofty throne He delights to distribute those gifts to the needy sons of men. Thence we receive pardon, the conscious favour of God, holiness of character, comfort in every time of distress, and hope to light the pathway of the future. Of all the blessings laid up for us above, the highest and the best is that which in itself includes all others—the gift of the Holy Ghost. All we want is there. 3. The heavenly home is above.—There is the abode of peace and purity; there temptation has no power, and suffering and sorrow can never enter; there the Saviour reveals His glories and diffuses the joy of His radiant presence; there all the members of the Father’s family assemble from every part of the globe, never more to separate. The soul, burdened with the cares of life, and troubled with multiplied disappointments, yearns for the rest of the heavenly home. The things on the earth can never satisfy the wants of the soul; they are unsuited to it; they are beneath it; and, liberated from their trammels by the resurrection power of Christ, it seeks its true happiness above the stars. III. The paramount duty of the soul to aspire to the highest good.—Seek, set “your affections on things above” (Col_3:1). A similar expression repeated for the emphasis. You are not only to seek heaven, but also to think heaven. The understanding must be engaged in duly estimating the value of heavenly things, the will in preferring them above all things earthly, the affections in embracing them as the objects to be most evidently desired and loved; in fact, all the powers of the soul must be constantly exercised in the search. The soul, raised from the death of sin, is ever responding to the attractive influence of its risen Lord. “Being thus already risen, every motion of grace is the struggle of the soul for the final consummation—the bird is caged, but the wings are free to flutter within their prison.” The soul is now willing, cheerfully and faithfully, to follow the call of duty, whatever it may entail. (Excerpts from Sermon texts) Some lessons learned in this meditation: The soul is endowed with vast powers and capable of the highest destiny. It is sad to witness thousands whose souls rise no higher than the things on the earth. The soul can realize its highest aspirations only as it is risen with Christ. To break this down into clearer terms: To all hopes of happiness from the present world; and, according to your profession, should feel no more appetite for the things of this life, than he does whose soul is departed into the invisible state. Your life is hid with Christ in God - Christ is your treasure; and where your treasure is, there is your heart. Christ lives in the bosom of the Father; as your heart is in him, ye also sit in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. Christ is the life of your souls; and as he is hidden in the bosom of the Father, so are ye, who live through and in him. (Adam Clarke) The more we come to know Christ, His person, His reality, His company in our daily lives, the more we will desire to be where He is, and desire to seek the things above, where He is seated. The more He becomes a reality in our daily lives, the more the things of this life fades away. Psa 73:25 Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. Psa 73:26 My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. 1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. Ascending With the Holy Spirit These verses in Colossians give a glimpse of what Paul had come to know by experience. A personal, individual relationship of companionship and friendship with Christ, while here in the body. This relationship is learned by those who have strove to inquire diligently for the Presence of God within. When we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who comes in to dwell within us at salvation and by invitation, that personal relationship begins to develop as we open the door of our hearts and souls by prayer, meditation and searching the word of God in our quiet hours with God. Many in history have gone this path, and found it to be a life-long journey of the soul and spirit-longing after the manifest Presence of the Lord, panting after Him, like a starving child. The more we seek Him, and follow after Him, the more He fills us with Himself, and draws us into union with Himself. I've learned He does not promise anything that He doesn't make good. He is faithful to all His promises. But the paradox to this is, those of this world, will never understand this, nor will they want to. You will find yourself more and more, a stranger here, it will become a wasteland to you.
Some who have chosen this path, that I would recommend who have left writings on this subject are Brother Lawrence, John Bunyan, Madam Guyon, Watchman Nee, Joy Dawson, Andrew Murray. These, along with many other's down through the ages, have experienced enough of the reality of the indwelling Spirit, to give an accurate account that God's indwelling within us is worth all the gold this world could offer, and, once you've experienced it, nothing else will satisfy. Deu 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. Lorna Couillard |
Welcome
On this page there will be information regarding Christian mediation, and weekly short meditations. More content will be added as the Lord leads.
And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. Luk 6:12
And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place,
and there prayed. Mark 1:35 Gander Story Poems
https://www.gander poems.org/ Resources
Madame Guyon - A Short and Easy Method of Prayer / Christian Audio Book (1 / 2)
https://youtu.be/eihZWpAk7y4?si=PQ-_J3Y6i8u-N2Ac Union With God By Jeanne Guyon Chapter 1 Of 7 https://youtu.be/d5AfKS2dFLg?si=VtWAeEurkAddTDpL The Practice of the Presence of God - audiobook Brother LAWRENCE (1614 - 1691)- https://youtu.be/rRAs_BK1NR8?si=hGAL4C829aH7DKMn Praying in the Spirit https://www.twosparrowsministry.org/the-prayer-closet Archives |