Whole Psalm. A Cry of God's Elect, when persecuted for righteousness' sake, to their Deliverer and sure Avenger … How aptly a portion of this Psalm applies to the “Suffering Truth” Himself in the days of His affliction, when, pierced in His spirit by lying words, He endured the contradiction of sinners against Himself, needs not be pointed out.
A. Pridham
Verse 1. “Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer …” It often helps devotion if we are able to use the voice and speak audibly; but even mental prayer has a voice with God that He will hear. We do not read that Moses had spoken with his lips at the Red Sea, and yet, the Lord said to him, “Why criest thou unto me?” Prayers which are unheard on earth may be among the best heard in heaven. It is our duty to note how constantly David turns to prayers; it is his battleaxe and weapon of war: he uses it under pressure, whether of inward sin or outward wrath, foreign invasion or domestic rebellion. We shall act wisely if we make prayer to God our first and best trusted resource in every hour of need.
C. H. Spurgeon
Verse 2. “Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked …” Applied to Satan, we have …
1. The Danger Considered.
(I) The enemy, wicked, mighty, malicious, experienced.
(II) His counsel: he tempts cunningly and with deliberation.
(III) The secrecy of it: he may be exciting other against me, or sowing evil in myself.
2. The Deliverance Implored. “Hide me”.
(I) Keep me from being tempted.
(II) Keep me from evil when tempted.
(III) Bring me out of it all unharmed.
(IV) Meanwhile, let me be in Thy secret place.
3. The Consolation of Faith.
(I) God does preserve praying ones.
(II) Our enemy is His enemy.
(III) He has preserved us already.
(IV) We are His own.
(V) His honour is involved.
Hints to the Village Preacher
Verse 3. “Who whet their tongues like a sword …” To whet, means to sharpen as one would sharpen a razor on a leather strap, or a sword against the edge of a fine stone. Both things would be done by constant, reiterated movement and friction. So there are those who “whet their tongues” after the same fashion.
Verse 4. “That they may shoot in secret …” The wicked are said to shoot their arrows “in secret,” and then, in verse 5, to say “Who shall see them?” Thus Satan lets fly a temptation so secretly, that he is hardly suspected in the thing. Sometimes he uses a wife's tongue to do this errand, while at another he gets behind the back of a husband, or friend, or servant, and is not seen all the time he is doing his work. Who would have thought to have found a devil in Peter, tempting his Master, or suspected that Abraham should be his instrument to betray his beloved wife into the hands of a sin? Yet, so it was. Nay, sometimes he is so secret, that he borrows God's bow (the Bible) to shoot his arrows from, and the poor Christian is abused, thinking that it is God who chides and is angry, when it is the devil that tempts him to think so, and only counterfeits God's voice.
William Gurnall
Verse 7. “But God shall shoot at them with an arrow …” The most mischievous weapons of the wicked are words - “even bitter words.” But, The Word is the chief weapon of the Holy Spirit; and, as with this weapon the great Captain of our Salvation foiled the tempter in the wilderness, so may we vanquish “the workers of iniquity” with the true Jerusalem blade.
J.L.K.
Verse 8. “So they shall make their own tongues to fall upon themselves …” The arrows of idle words, though shot out of sight, and possibly quite forgotten, will hereafter drop down upon the heads of such as drew the bow. “Words are but wind,” is the common saying, but they are such wind as will either blow the soul to its haven of rest, or else sink it into the bottomless gulf of eternal misery.
Edward Rayner
Verse 10. “The righteous shall be glad in the Lord … and all the upright in heart shall glory.” The psalm began in the first person singular, “Hear My voice, O God,” but it ends by comprehending “All the righteous.” He who is most anxious about his own salvation will be found to be the man of the truest and widest love to others; while he who talks most of unselfishness in religion is generally the most selfish … the way to make all the upright rejoice is to be upright ourselves.
C. H. Spurgeon
This Page Title –Gleanings in the Psalms – Psalm 64 The Wicket Gate Magazine "A Continuing Witness". Internet Edition number 105 – placed on line November 2013 Wicket Gate contact address – Mr Cliff Westcombe cw@wicketgate.co.uk If you wish to be notified when each new edition goes on line please send an e-mail to the above address Magazine web address – www.wicketgate.co.uk |