who said, "Let us possess for ourselves the pastures of God." Sermons
I. WE MAY LEARN THAT NO STRANGE CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUND US. God's people have, over and over again, been in precisely such conditions as we are in now. Our trouble is no surprise to our God. II. WE MAY FREELY CRY FOR DIVINE HELP, AS THOSE HAVE DONE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE US. They cried; they were encouraged to cry. No limit was ever put on the praying of earnest souls. III. WE MAY USE THE EXPERIENCE OF OTHERS AS THE PLEA IN OUR PRAYERS. We can always say, "Thou hast helped;" and so we can make a personal plea, and say, "O Lord, the Helper, help me!" Constantly, in Bible prayers, what God has been to his people, and what he has done for them, is brought to his mind. IV. WE MAY HAVE THE FULLEST CONFIDENCE THAT WHAT GOD HAS BEEN HE STILL WILL BE. Resister of the wicked. Overwhelmer of the proud. Defender of his people. Deliverer of the imperilled saints. - R.T.
Arise, O God, judge the earth: for Thou shalt inherit all nations. Homilist. This cry is —I. One of the DEEPEST CRIES OF UNIVERSAL MAN. This cry, in some form or other, goes up to Heaven in every language udder the sky. "Arise, O God." "There is no hope but in Thee, Thine arm is mighty," etc. II. Implies the WANT OF CONFIDENCE IN ALL CREATURE HELP. Men have tried to put the world right. Moralists, statesmen, philanthropists, saints, have all tried. Every age has been rife with remedial schemes, but all have proved ineffective. "Arise, O God," etc. III. INVOLVES A CONFIDENCE IN THE POSSIBILITY OF SECURING DIVINE INTERPOSITION. What rational spirit would cry to Him if it believed that His assistance was unattainable. Men have an instinctive faith in the power of prayer. Thank God, we have abundant evidence of its efficiency, in the Bible, in the memoirs of the good, and in our own experience. "Call upon Me in the day of trouble," etc. (Homilist.). Keep not Thou silence, O God: hold not Thy peace, and be not still, O God Homilist. I. A LAMENTABLE SOCIAL SCENE (vers. 2-8). The scene is that of men in tumultuous hostility both to God and His people. They appear developing all the leading characteristics of sin.1. Boisterous. They "make a tumult." Sin is agitation. There is no serenity in it, no repose. 2. Haughty.. "Have lifted up the head." They were bold, arrogant, defiant. The evil spirit is described by Milton as "defying the Omnipotent to arms." Sin intoxicates the soul with vanity and daring. 3. Intriguing (ver. 3). Sin works insidiously, and with all the subtilty of the serpent. It is never open, frank, and straightforward; it is artful and scheming. 4. Malignant (ver. 4). It is always in mischief. "The poison of asps," etc. 5. Antitheistic. "They have consulted together," etc. It is all against God. 6. Widespread. "The tabernacles of Edom," etc. II. A REPREHENSIBLE RELIGIOUS PRAYER. In this prayer there is — 1. A savage revenge (ver. 13), etc. 2. Pious abomination. Their destruction is here invoked, what for? In order "that they may seek Thy name, O Lord." On what principle, either in ethics, or conscience, or sound philosophy, can such a prayer be justified? To me, I confess, it appears to be malice, inhumanity, and ungodliness in its worst aspect. (Homilist.) Homilist. These words reveal two tendencies in the human mind in relation to the Creator.I. A NECESSARY tendency. By this, I mean, the tendency to think of our Maker as like unto ourselves. The psalmist here imagines Him to be silent and inactive, two conditions Which belong to ourselves, but which are impossible to Him. Indeed, we cannot think of God in any other way. We invest Him with our own attributes, and thus we humanify Him. Hence, how infinitely more glorious is the God which Christ adored and revealed, to the God which even the best men ever had, even the prophet and the apostles. This fact — 1. Accounts for the conflicting theologies of men. 2. Argues the necessity for following Christ. If we would reach exalted ideas of the Great Father, we must study and imitate His Blessed Son. II. A CULPABLE tendency. The culpable tendency indicated here is twofold. 1. A practical ignorement of God's unremitting communications and activity. "Keep not thou silence, O God." Silent! He is never silent. He speaks in all the sounds of nature, in all the events of history, in all the monitions of reason. 2. A proneness to regard Him as indifferent to us because we are in trouble. The psalmist seemed to think that because he and his countrymen were in great trial, the Almighty was silent and indifferent. How often is this the case with us all! How often we are inclined to think in affliction that our Maker has forsaken us! (Homilist.) People Amalek, Asaph, Hagarites, Hagrites, Ishmaelites, Jabin, Korah, Midianites, Oreb, Psalmist, Sisera, Zalmunna, Zebah, ZeebPlaces JerusalemTopics Comely, Dwelling-places, God's, Habitations, Heritage, Houses, Occupy, Ourselves, Pasturelands, Pastures, Places, Possess, Possession, Resting-placeOutline 1. A complaint to God of the enemies conspiracies9. A prayer against those who oppress the Church Dictionary of Bible Themes Psalm 83:9-18Library Period ii. The Church from the Permanent Division of the Empire Until the Collapse of the Western Empire and the First Schism Between the East and the West, or Until About A. D. 500In the second period of the history of the Church under the Christian Empire, the Church, although existing in two divisions of the Empire and experiencing very different political fortunes, may still be regarded as forming a whole. The theological controversies distracting the Church, although different in the two halves of the Graeco-Roman world, were felt to some extent in both divisions of the Empire and not merely in the one in which they were principally fought out; and in the condemnation … Joseph Cullen Ayer Jr., Ph.D.—A Source Book for Ancient Church History Question Lxxxi of the virtue of Religion Epistle xxxii. To Anastasius, Presbyter . Being Made Archbishop of Armagh, He Suffers Many Troubles. Peace Being Made, from Being Archbishop of Armagh He Becomes Bishop of Down. Epistle cxxi. To Leander, Bishop of Hispalis (Seville). The Third Commandment Question Lxxxiii of Prayer Psalms Links Psalm 83:12 NIVPsalm 83:12 NLT Psalm 83:12 ESV Psalm 83:12 NASB Psalm 83:12 KJV Psalm 83:12 Bible Apps Psalm 83:12 Parallel Psalm 83:12 Biblia Paralela Psalm 83:12 Chinese Bible Psalm 83:12 French Bible Psalm 83:12 German Bible Psalm 83:12 Commentaries Bible Hub |
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