Psalm CIV
39Dost thou wish to see how incapable he is of hurting thee, unless permitted? “These,” he saith, “wait all upon Thee, that Thou mayest give them meat in due season” (ver. 27). And this serpent wisheth to devour, but he devoureth not whom he wisheth.…Thou hast heard what the serpent’s meat is. Thou dost not wish that God give thee to be devoured by the serpent; because not the serpent’s food: i.e. forsake not the Word of God. For where it is said to the serpent, “Dust thou shalt eat,” it is said to the transgressor, “Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return.” Thou dost not wish to be the serpent’s food? be not dust. How, thou repliest, shall I not be dust? If thou hast not a taste for earthly things. Hear the Apostle, that thou mayest not be dust. For the body which thou wearest is earth: but do thou refuse to be earth. What meaneth this? “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” If thou dost not set thy affections on earthly things, thou art not earth: if thou art not earth, thou art not devoured by the serpent, whose appointed food is earth. The Lord giveth the serpent his food when He will, what He will: but He judgeth rightly, he cannot be deceived, He giveth him not gold for earth. “When Thou hast given it them, they gather it.”…
40“When thou openest Thy hand, they shall all be filled with good” (ver. 28). What is it, O Lord, that Thou openest Thy hand? Christ is Thy hand. “To whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?” To whom it is revealed, unto him it is opened: for revelation is opening. “When Thou openest Thy hand, they shall all be filled with good.” When Thou revealest Thy Christ, “they shall all be filled with good.” But they have not good from themselves; this is oftentimes proved unto them. “When Thou hidest Thy face, they are troubled” (ver. 29). Many filled with good have attributed to themselves what they had, and have wished to boast as in their own righteousnesses, and have said to themselves, I am righteous; I am great: and have become self-complacent. Unto these the Apostle speaketh: “What hast thou, that thou didst not receive?” But God, wishing to prove unto man that whatever he hath he hath from Him, so that with good he may gain humility also, sometimes troubleth him; He turneth away His face from him, and he falleth into temptation; and He showeth him that his righteousness, and his walking aright, was only under His government.…
41But wherefore dost Thou do this? wherefore dost Thou hide Thy face, that they may be troubled? “Thou shalt take away their breath, and they shall fail.” Their breath was their pride; they boast, they attribute things to themselves, they justify themselves. Hide, therefore, Thy face, that they may be troubled: take away their breath, and let them fail; let them cry unto Thee, “Hear me, O Lord, and that soon, for my spirit waxeth faint: hide not Thy face from me.” “Thou shalt take away their breath, and they shall fail, and shall be turned to their dust.” The man who repenteth of his sin discovereth himself, that he had not strength of himself; and doth confess unto God, saying, that he is earth and ashes. O proud one, thou art turned to thine own dust, thy breath hath been taken away; no longer dost thou boast thyself, no longer extol thyself, no longer justify thyself; thou seest that thou art made of dust, and when the Lord turneth away His face, thou hast fallen back into thine own dust. Pray, therefore, confess thy dust and thy weakness.
42And see what followeth: “Thou shalt send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be made” (ver. 30). Thou shalt take away their spirit, and send forth Thine own: Thou shalt take away their spirit: they shall have no spirit of their own. Are they then forsaken? “Blessed are the poor in spirit:” but they are not forsaken. They refused to have a spirit of their own: they shall have the Spirit of God. Such were our Lord’s words to the future martyrs: “It is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.” Attribute not your courage to yourselves. If it is yours, He saith, and not Mine, it is obstinacy, not courage. “For we are His workmanship,” saith the Apostle, “created unto good works.” From His Spirit we have received grace, that we may live unto righteousness: for it is He that justifieth the ungodly. “Thou shalt take away their spirit, and they shall fail; Thou shalt send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be made: and Thou shalt renew the face of the earth:” that is, with new men, confessing themselves to have been justified, not righteous of their own power, so that the grace of God is in them. What then? When He hath taken away our spirit, we shall be turned again to our dust, beholding to our edification our weakness, that when we receive His Spirit we may be refreshed. See what followeth: “Be the glory of the Lord for ever” (ver. 31). Not thine, not mine, not his, or his; not for a season, but “for ever.” “The Lord shall rejoice in His works.” Not in thine, as if they were thine: because if thy works are evil, it is through thy iniquity; if good, it is through the grace of God. “The Lord shall rejoice in His works.”
43“Who looketh on the earth, and maketh it tremble; who toucheth the hills, and they shall smoke” (ver. 32). O earth, thou wast exulting in thy good, to thyself thou didst ascribe thy fulness and opulence; behold, the Lord looketh on thee, and causeth thee to tremble. May He look on thee, and make thee tremble: for the trembling of humility is better than the confidence of pride.…For it is God, he saith, which worketh in you. For this reason then with trembling, because God worketh in you. Because He gave, because what thou hast cometh not from thee, thou shalt work with fear and trembling, for if thou fearest not Him, He will take away what He gave. Work, therefore, with trembling. Hear another Psalm: “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice unto Him with trembling.” If we must rejoice with trembling, God beholdeth us, there cometh an earthquake; when God looketh upon us, let our hearts tremble; then will God rest there. Hear Him in another passage: “Upon whom shall My Spirit rest? Even on him that is lowly and quiet, and who trembleth at My Word.”
“Who looketh on the earth, and maketh it tremble; who toucheth the hills, and they shall smoke” (ver. 32). The hills were proud, and boastful of themselves, God had not touched them: He toucheth them, and they shall smoke. What meaneth the smoking of the hills? That they pray unto the Lord. Behold great hills, proud hills, vast hills, prayed not to God: they wished themselves to be entreated, and entreated not Him who was above them. For what powerful, arrogant, proud man is there upon the earth, who deigneth humbly to entreat God? I speak of the ungodly, not of the “cedars of Libanus, which the Lord hath planted.” Every ungodly man, unhappy soul, knoweth not how to entreat God, while he wisheth himself to be entreated by men. He is a hill; it is needful that God touch him, that he may smoke: when he hath begun to smoke, he will offer prayers unto God, as it were the sacrifice of his heart. He smoketh unto God, he then beateth his breast: he beginneth to weep, for smoke doth elicit tears.
44“I will sing unto the Lord in my life” (ver. 33). What will sing? Everything that is willing. Let us sing unto the Lord in our life. Our life at present is only hope; our life will be eternity hereafter: the life of mortal life, is the hope of an everlasting life. “I will praise my God while I have my being.” Since I am in Him for ever and ever, while I have my being, I will praise my God. Let us not imagine that, when we have commenced praising God in that state, we shall have any other work: our whole life will be for the praises of God. If we become weary of Him whom we praise, we may also become weary of praising. If He is ever loved, He is ever praised by us.
45“Let my discourse be pleasing to Him: my joy shall be in the Lord” (ver. 34). What is the discourse of man unto God, save the confession of sins? Confess unto God what thou art, and thou hast discoursed with Him. Discourse unto Him, do good works, and discourse. “Wash you, make you clean,” saith Isaiah. What is it to discourse unto God? Unfold thyself to him who knoweth thee, that He may unfold Himself to thee who knowest not Him. Behold, it is thy discourse that pleaseth the Lord; the offering of thy humility, the tribulation of thy heart, the holocaust of thy life, this pleaseth God. But what is pleasing to thyself? “My joy shall be in the Lord.” This is that discoursing which I meant between God and thyself: show thyself to Him who knoweth thee, and He showeth Himself unto thee who knowest not him. Pleasing unto Him is thy confession: sweet unto thee is His grace. He hath spoken Himself unto thee. How? By the Word. What Word? Christ.…
46“Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth” (ver. 35). He seemeth angry! O holy soul, which here doth sing and groan! Would that our soul were with that very soul! Would that it were coupled with it, associated, conjoined with it! It shall behold also His loving-kindness when he is angry. For who but he who is filled with charity, understandeth this? Thou tremblest, because he curseth. And who doth curse? A saint. Without doubt he is listened to. But it is said unto the saints, “Bless, and curse not.” What is then the sense of the words, “Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth”? Let them utterly be consumed; let their spirit be taken away, that He may send forth His own Spirit, and they may be restored. “And the ungodly, so that they be no more.” In what that they be no more, save as wicked men? Let them therefore be justified, that they may no longer be ungodly. The Psalmist saw this, and was filled with joy, and repeateth the first verse of the Psalm: “Bless thou the Lord, O my soul.” Let our soul bless the Lord, brethren, since He hath deigned to give unto us both understanding and the power of language, and unto you attention and earnestness in hearing. Let each, as he can recall to mind what he hath heard, by mutual conversation stir up the food ye have received, ruminate on what ye have heard, let it not descend in you into the bowels of forgetfulness. Let the treasure to be desired rest upon your lips. These matters have been sought out and discovered with great labour, with great labour have they been announced and discoursed of; may our toil be fruitful unto you, and may our soul bless the Lord.