Bruce’s Bible
Open Your Bible
The Treasury of David
The Treasury of David is one of several C.H. Spurgeon books in the public domain. If you propose to study the Psalms, I suggest you download this as a companion for your other references.
Psalm 74
Exposition
Explanatory Notes and Quaint Sayings
Hints to the Village Preacher
TITLE. Maschil of Asaph. An instructive Psalm by Asaph. The history of the suffering church is always edifying; when we see how the faithful trusted and wrestled with their God in times of dire distress, we are thereby taught how to behave ourselves under similar circumstances; we learn moreover, that when fiery trial befalls us, no strange thing happened unto us, we are following the trail of the host of God.
DIVISION. From Ps 74:1-11 the poet pleads the sorrows of the nation, and the despite done to the assemblies of the Lord; then he urges former displays of divine power as a reason for present deliverance (Ps 74:12-23). Whether it is a prophetic Psalm, intended for use in troubles foreseen, or whether it was written by a later Asaph, after the invasion by Sennacherib or during the Maccabean wars, it would be very hard to determine, but we see no difficulty in the first supposition.
Verse 1. O God, why hast thou cast us off forever? To cast us off at all were hard, but when thou dost for so long a time desert they people it is evil beyond all endurance—the very chief of woes and abyss of misery. It is our wisdom when under chastisement to enquire, “Show me wherefore thou contendest with me?” and if the affliction be a protracted one, we should more eagerly enquire the purport of it. Sin is usually at the bottom of all the hiding of the Lord’s face; let us ask the Lord to reveal its special form of it to us, so that we may repent of it, overcome it, and henceforth forsake it. When a church is in a forsaken condition it must not sit still in apathy, but turn to the hand which smiteth it, and humbly enquire the reason why. At the same time, the inquiry of the text is a faulty one, for it implies two mistakes. There are two questions, which only admit to negative replies. “Hath God cast away his people?” (Ro 11:1); and the other, “Will the Lord cast off forever?” (Ps 77:7). God is never weary of his people so as to abhor them, and even when his anger is turned against them, it is but for a small moment, and with a view to their eternal good. Grief in its distraction asks strange questions and surmises impossible terrors. It is a wonder of grace that the Lord has not long ago put us away as men lay aside cast-off garments, but he hateth putting away, and will still be patient with his chosen. Why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture? They are thine, they are the objects of thy care, they are poor, silly, and defenseless things: pity them, forgive them, and come to their rescue. They are but sheep, do not continue to be wroth with them. It is a terrible thing when the anger of God smokes, but it is an infinite mercy that it does not break into a devouring flame. It is meet to pray the Lord to remove every sign of his wrath, for it is to those who are truly the Lord’s sheep a most painful thing to be the objects of his displeasure. To vex the Holy Spirit is no mean sin, and yet how frequently are we guilty of it; hence it is no marvel that we are often under a cloud.
#Outreach: That the world may know
#Prayer Focus: Pray for Our Prodigals
#Praise the Lord
Please follow my blog Guam Christian Blog
Please follow my blog Guam Views Blog
Podcast: https://anchor.fm/bruce-dinsman
Bruce’s Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bruce.dinsman
Featured book: https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Service-4-Bruce-Dinsman-ebook/dp/B07W64BCD1
Twitter: @bad671
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dinsmanbruce/
Younow: https://www.younow.com/BruceDinsman
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/bdinsman/pin
#Parler #ParlerUS @pacislappraisal