A Spurgeon "Blog"

"The Lord shut him in." --Genesis 7:16

Noah was shut in away from all the world by the hand of divine love. The door of electing purpose interposes between us and the world which lieth in the wicked one. We are not of the world even as our Lord Jesus was not of the world. Into the sin, the gaiety, the pursuits of the multitude we cannot enter; we cannot play in the streets of Vanity Fair with the children of darkness, for our heavenly Father has shut us in.

Noah was shut in with his God. "Come thou into the ark," was the Lord's invitation, by which He clearly showed that He Himself intended to dwell in the ark with His servant and his family. Thus all the chosen dwell in God and God in them. Happy people to be enclosed in the same circle which contains God in the Trinity of His persons, Father, Son, and Spirit.

Let us never be inattentive to that gracious call, "Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee, and hide thyself as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpast." Noah was so shut in that no evil could reach him. Floods did but lift him heavenward, and winds did but waft him on his way. Outside of the ark all was ruin, but inside all was rest and peace. Without Christ we perish, but in Christ Jesus there is perfect safety. Noah was so shut in that he could not even desire to come out, and those who are in Christ Jesus are in Him for ever.

They shall go no more out for ever, for eternal faithfulness has shut them in, and infernal malice cannot drag them out. The Prince of the house of David shutteth and no man openeth; and when once in the last days as Master of the house He shall rise up and shut the door, it will be in vain for mere professors to knock, and cry Lord, Lord open unto us, for that same door which shuts in the wise virgins will shut out the foolish for ever. Lord, shut me in by Thy grace.

---from Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon

Day 151 of 2009

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly(wicked), nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law does he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither(fade); and whatsoever he does shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

question

Psalm 137:1-4

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a strange land?

Acts 16:22-25

And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

Question

Why did Israel, captive in Babylon, say "How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a strange land?" and Paul and Silas, captive in prison, "prayed and sang praises"? What's the difference?

It seems to me that Israel was laid low because of their sin. It was their sin that led to their captivity. Their sin had separated them from God, their sin had broken their fellowship with Him.

Paul and Silas were in prison because they were persecuted for proclaiming God and His gospel. Perhaps they remembered the Lord's words that said "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "

We believers are sometimes laid low, like Israel. We are captives, we are captive to our sin. We lose our joy, we lose our fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. Perhaps, we should, at those times, remember the words of the apostle John "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

It is this same John who said; "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not." He then goes on to tell us; "And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous".

How Firm a Foundation

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said-
To you, who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

"Fear not, I am with thee -O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, I will still give thee aid;
I'll strengthen thee, help thee and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My gracious omnipotent hand.

"When thru the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee thy toubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

"When thru fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee-I only design,
thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.

"The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
That soul, tho all hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll never - no, never - no, never forsake!"


Isaiah 43: 1-7

But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

a psalm of resolution and other thoughts

Psalm 101

A Psalm of David

I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing.

I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me?

I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.

I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.

A forward (crooked) heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person.

Whoso privily (secretly) slanders his neighbor, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.

Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walks in a perfect way, he shall serve me.

He that works deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that tells lies shall not tarry in my sight.

I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the LORD.

I groan as I read this psalm.

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 1Peter 4:17

2 Corinthians 10:3-6

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

The 73rd Psalm for the 73rd day of 2009

Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.

But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment. Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish. They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily. They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth. Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them. And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High? Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.

Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency. For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning. If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children.

When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors. As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.

Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins. So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.

Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee. But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.

Jesus Cast A Look at Me

Jesus Cast a Look on Me
by John Berridge

"And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly." Luke 22:61-62

Other supporting scripture: Mat 5:3, 2 Cor. 11:3, John 17:3, 2 Cor. 10:6, Mat. 18:3-4, Mat. 11:28, Col. 1:20

It may be sung to the tune Rock of Ages.

Jesus cast a look at me,
Give me sweet simplicity
Make me poor and keep me low
Seeking only Thee to know

All that feeds my busy pride
Cast it evermore aside
Bid my will to Thine submit,
Lay me humbly at thy feet

Make me like a little child,
Of my strength and wisdom spoiled
Seeing only in Thy light,
Walking only in Thy might

Leaning on Thy loving breast,
Where a weary soul can rest
Feeling well the peace of God,
Flowing from His precious blood

In this posture let me live,
And hosannas daily give
In this temper let me die,
And hosannas ever cry!

a Hymn

Light in God's Light

by Berridge

it may be sung to the tune Blessed Assurance


In darkness born, I went astray,
And wandered from the gospel way;
And since the Savior gave me sight,
I cannot see without His light.

So poor, and blind, and lame I am,
My all is bound up in the Lamb;
And blessed am I when I see
My spirit's inmost poverty.

I cannot walk without His might,
I cannot walk without His light;
I can have no access to God,
But through the merits of His blood.

It makes me feel my ruined state,
It lays my soul at mercy's gate;
And Jesus smiles at such a guest;
And cheers him with a heavenly feast.

For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. Psalm 36:9

The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Isaiah 60:19

a few thoughts on Psalm 45

Psalm 45

My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.

Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad. Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.

Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house; So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him. And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; even the rich among the people shall intreat thy favour. The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold. She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee. With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king's palace. Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth.

I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.


A few thoughts about this psalm.

I don't know about you but I occasionally find that as I read a psalm my heart will leap, it will warm to the truth of it and yet the closer I look at the words the more I realize I have only skimmed the surface of the depths of its meaning. The more I look at it, even though I may have some understanding of it, I realize there is way more in it that I do not understand. I do not consider this a bad thing, no, but rather the fact that I do not understand causes me to hunger and thirst for more of Him who is being written about, more of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, more of the Lamb of God, more of the Door, the Great Shepherd of the sheep. This is one of those psalms, the psalmist in Psalm 45 expresses his deep love for the King.

His heart is overflowing, it is gushing forth with love for His king. It is from the heart, from the depths of his soul that he expresses himself. It is not cold, it is not formal, nor lifeless, nor academic stuff he is sharing with us. It is fire, it is zeal, it is hot love for a person that he expresses to the reader. We know now, from Hebrews chapter one (compare Ps 45:6-7 with Heb 1:8-9) that the psalmist is writing about the Christ, the Messiah, he is speaking of Jesus.He is speaking of Him in His kingly glory!

Look at his description; he tells us that He is more beautiful than the children of men, He is full of grace. In contrast to man; there is no sin in Him, no unrighteousness at all, no guilt. There is no hypocrisy, no lies, no half truths. He is light and in Him is no darkness at all. The psalmist shows us that He is the General, ready to go forth into battle; all powerful, all glorious, able to subdue all enemies with the words of His mouth. He strikes down the enemies at their hearts. At the cross our Lord crushed the head of Satan, He overcame the world and flesh and destroyed death.

Who did He do this for? who did He accomplish this for? In verse nine and following I think we see, it is for His people, daughters they are called. The psalmist commands us in verse 10 to

"Hearken O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear!

I believe this is written in the same spirit and with the same emphasis as Matthew 17:5 where God the Father charges us;

"This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, HEAR YE Him!"

Oh daughters, look to your King, oh sinners look to the Savior. All the beauty the daughters need is found in the King. All the righteousness that God requires is found in His dear Son.

The psalmist, in verse 10, also tells the daughters to;

"forget also thine own people, and thy father's house".

In other words, leave this world and forsake it! The apostle John wrote "Love not the world", Paul said; "but God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world."

I love the psalmist description of the king's daughter; check it out in verses 13-14;

"she is all glorious within, her clothing is of wrought gold. She shall be brought unto the King in raiment of needlework....with gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought; they shall enter into the King's palace."

I think I hear the apostle Paul say that: "we (who are in Christ) should be holy and without blame before Him in love". In another place Paul wrote; "And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight".

Another thing I must point out to you is how we arrive; we will not come as robots, not as cold, formal subjects. No, the daughters will be brought to the King, brought into His palace in gladness and joy! We shall come willingly with hearts full of love for Him who first loved us, "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power". By His Spirit and by His grace we shall hear Him, we shall believe Him, we will rejoice in Him, and we will worship Him!

If I may close with this final thought from Peter:

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy."

from Psalm 40

I waited patiently for the LORD; and HE inclined unto me, and heard my cry. HE brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And HE hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.