TITLE. A Song of Degrees for Solomon. It
was meet that the builder of the holy house should be remembered
by the pilgrims to its sacred shrine. The title probably
indicates that David wrote it for his wise son, in whom he so
greatly rejoiced, and whose name Jedidiah, or "beloved of
the Lord", is introduced into the second verse. The spirit
of his name, "Solomon, or peaceable", breathes through
the whole of this most charming song. If Solomon himself was the
author, it comes fitly from him who reared the house of the
Lord. Observe how in each of these songs the heart is fixed upon
Jehovah only. Read the first verses of these Psalms, from Psalm
120 to the present song, and they run thus: "I cried unto
the Lord", "I will lift up mine eyes to the
hills", "Let us go unto the house of the Lord."
"Unto thee will I lift up mine eyes", "If it had
not been the Lord", "They that trust in the
Lord." "When the Lord turned again the
captivity." The Lord and the Lord alone is thus lauded at
each step of these songs of the ascents. O for a life whose
every halting place shall suggest a new song unto the Lord!
SUBJECT. God's blessing on his people
as their one great necessity and privilege is here spoken of. We
are here taught that builders of houses and cities, systems and
fortunes, empires and churches all labour in vain without the
Lord; but under the divine favour they enjoy perfect rest. Sons,
who are in the Hebrew called "builders", are set forth
as building up families under the same divine blessing, to the
great honour and happiness of their parents. It is THE BUILDER'S
PSALM. "Every house is builded by some man, but he that
built all things is God", and unto God be praise.
EXPOSITION
Verse 1. Except the LORD build the house, they
labour in vain that build it. The word vain is the keynote
here, and we hear it ring out clearly three times. Men desiring
to build know that they must labour, and accordingly they put
forth all their skill and strength; but let them remember that
if Jehovah is not with them their designs will prove failures.
So was it with the Babel builders; they said, "Go to, let
us build us a city and a tower"; and the Lord returned
their words into their own bosoms, saying, "Go to, let us
go down and there confound their language." In vain they
toiled, for the Lord's face was against them. When Solomon
resolved to build a house for the Lord, matters were very
different, for all things united under God to aid him in his
great undertaking: even the heathen were at his beck and call
that he might erect a temple for the Lord his God. In the same
manner God blessed him in the erection of his own palace; for
this verse evidently refers to all sorts of house building.
Without God we are nothing. Great houses have been erected by
ambitious men; but like the baseless fabric of a vision they
have passed away, and scarce a stone remains to tell where once
they stood. The wealthy builder of a Non such Palace, could he
revisit the glimpses of the moon, would be perplexed to find a
relic of his former pride: he laboured in vain, for the place of
his travail knows not a trace of his handiwork. The like may be
said of the builders of castles and abbeys: when the mode of
life indicated by these piles ceased to be endurable by the
Lord, the massive walls of ancient architects crumbled into
ruins, and their toil melted like the froth of vanity. Not only
do we now spend our strength for nought without Jehovah, but all
who have ever laboured apart from him come under the same
sentence. Trowel and hammer, saw and plane are instruments of
vanity unless the Lord be the Master builder.
Except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
Around the wall the sentinels pace with constant step; but yet
the city is betrayed unless the alert Watcher is with them. We
are not safe because of watchmen if Jehovah refuses to watch
over us. Even if the guards are wakeful, and do their duty,
still the place may be surprised if God be not there. "I,
the Lord, do keep it", is better than an army of sleepless
guards. Note that the Psalmist does not bid the builder cease
from labouring, nor suggest that watchmen should neglect their
duty, nor that men should show their trust in God by doing
nothing: nay, he supposes that they will do all that they can
do, and then he forbids their fixing their trust in what they
have done, and assures them that all creature effort will be in
vain unless the Creator puts forth his power, to render second
causes effectual. Holy Scripture endorses the order of
Cromwell—"Trust in God, and keep your powder dry":
only here the sense is varied, and we are told that the dried
powder will not win the victory unless we trust in God. Happy is
the man who hits the golden mean by so working as to believe in
God, and so believing in God as to work without fear. In
Scriptural phrase a dispensation or system is called a house.
Moses was faithful as a servant over all his house; and as long
as the Lord was with that house it stood and prospered; but when
he left it, the builders of it became foolish and their labour
was lost. They sought to maintain the walls of Judaism, but
sought in vain: they watched around every ceremony and
tradition, but their care was idle. Of every church, and every
system of religious thought, this is equally true: unless the
Lord is in it, and is honoured by it, the whole structure must
sooner or later fall in hopeless ruin. Much can be done by man;
he can both labour and watch; but without the Lord he has
accomplished nothing, and his wakefulness has not warded off
evil.
Verse 2. It is vain for you to rise up early, to
sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows. Because the Lord
is mainly to be rested in, all carking care is mere vanity and
vexation of spirit. We are bound to be diligent, for this the
Lord blesses; we ought not to be anxious, for that dishonours
the Lord, and can never secure his favour. Some deny themselves
needful rest; the morning sees them rise before they are rested,
the evening sees them toiling long after the curfew has tolled
the knell of parting day. They threaten to bring themselves into
the sleep of death by neglect of the sleep which refreshes life.
Nor is their sleeplessness the only index of their daily fret;
they stint themselves in their meals, they eat the commonest
food, and the smallest possible quantity of it, and what they do
swallow is washed down with the salt tears of grief, for they
fear that daily bread will fail them. Hard earned is their food,
scantily rationed, and scarcely ever sweetened, but perpetually
smeared with sorrow; and all because they have no faith in God,
and find no joy except in hoarding up the gold which is their
only trust. Not thus, not thus, would the Lord have his children
live. He would have them, as princes of the blood, lead a happy
and restful life. Let them take a fair measure of rest and a due
portion of food, for it is for their health. Of course the true
believer will never be lazy or extravagant; if he should be he
will have to suffer for it; but he will not think it needful or
right to be worried and miserly. Faith brings calm with it, and
banishes the disturbers who both by day and by night murder
peace.
"For so he giveth his beloved sleep." Through faith
the Lord makes his chosen ones to rest in him in happy freedom
from care. The text may mean that God gives blessings to his
beloved in sleep, even as he gave Solomon the desire of his
heart while he slept. The meaning is much the same: those whom
the Lord loves are delivered from the fret and fume of life, and
take a sweet repose upon the bosom of their Lord. He rests them;
blesses them while resting; blesses them more in resting than
others in their moiling and toiling. God is sure to give the
best thing to his beloved, and we here see that he gives them
sleep—that is a laying aside of care, a forgetfulness of need,
a quiet leaving of matters with God: this kind of sleep is
better than riches and honour. Note how Jesus slept amid the
hurly burly of a storm at sea. He knew that he was in his
Father's hands, and therefore he was so quiet in spirit that the
billows rocked him to sleep: it would be much oftener the same
with us if we were more like HIM. It is to be hoped that those
who built Solomon's temple were allowed to work at it steadily
and joyfully. Surely such a house was not built by unwilling
labourers. One would hope that the workmen were not called upon
to hurry up in the morning nor to protract their labours far
into the night; but we would fain believe that they went on
steadily, resting duly, and eating their bread with joy. So, at
least, should the spiritual temple be erected; though, truth to
tell, the workers upon its walls are all too apt to grow
cumbered with much serving, all too ready to forget their Lord,
and to dream that the building is to be done by themselves
alone. How much happier might we be if we would but trust the
Lord's house to the Lord of the house! What is far more
important, how much better would our building and watching be
done if we would but confide in the Lord who both builds and
keeps his own church!
Verse 3. Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD.
This points to another mode of building up a house, namely, by
leaving descendants to keep our name and family alive upon the
earth. Without this what is a man's purpose in accumulating
wealth! To what purpose does he build a house if he has none in
his household to hold the house after him? What boots it that he
is the possessor of broad acres if he has no heir? Yet in this
matter a main is powerless without the Lord. The great Napoleon,
with all his sinful care on this point, could not create a
dynasty. Hundreds of wealthy persons would give half their
estates if they could hear the cry of a babe born of their own
bodies. Children are a heritage which Jehovah himself must give,
or a man will die childless, and thus his house will be unbuilt.
And the fruit of the womb is his reward, or a reward from God.
He gives children, not as a penalty nor as a burden, but as a
favour. They are a token for good if men know how to receive
them, and educate them. They are "doubtful blessings"
only because we are doubtful persons. Where society is rightly
ordered children are regarded, not as an incumbrance, but as an
inheritance; and they are received, not with regret, but as a
reward. If we are over crowded in England, and so seem to be
embarrassed with too large an increase, we must remember that
the Lord does not order us to remain in this narrow island, but
would have us fill those boundless regions which wait for the
axe and the plough. Yet even here, with all the straits of
limited incomes, our best possessions are our own dear
offspring, for whom we bless God every day.
Verse 4. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man;
so are children of the youth. Children born to men in their
early days, by God's blessing become the comfort of their riper
years. A man of war is glad of weapons which may fly where he
cannot: good sons are their father's arrows speeding to hit the
mark which their sires aim at. What wonders a good man can
accomplish if he has affectionate children to second his
desires, and lend themselves to his designs! To this end we must
have our children in hand while they are yet children, or they
are never likely to be so when they are grown up; and we must
try to point them and straighten them, so as to make arrows of
them in their youth, lest they should prove crooked and
unserviceable in after life. Let the Lord favour us with loyal,
obedient, affectionate offspring, and we shall find in them our
best helpers. We shall see them shot forth into life to our
comfort and delight, if we take care from the very beginning
that they are directed to the right point.
Verse 5. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full
of them. Those who have no children bewail the fact; those
who have few children see them soon gone, and the house is
silent, and their life has lost a charm; those who have many
gracious children are upon the whole the happiest. Of course a
large number of children means a large number of trials; but
when these are met by faith in the Lord it also means a mass of
love, and a multitude of joys. The writer of this comment gives
it as his own observation, that he has seen the most frequent
unhappiness in marriages which are unfruitful; that he has
himself been most grateful for two of the best of sons; but as
they have both grown up, and he has no child at home, he has
without a tinge of murmuring, or even wishing that he were
otherwise circumstanced, felt that it might have been a blessing
to have had a more numerous family: he therefore heartily agrees
with the Psalmist's verdict herein expressed. He has known a
family in which there were some twelve daughters and three sons,
and he never expects to witness upon earth greater domestic
felicity than fell to the lot of their parents, who rejoiced in
all their children, as the children also rejoiced in their
parents and in one another. When sons and daughters are arrows,
it is well to have a quizzer full of them; but if they are only
sticks, knotty and useless, the fewer of them tim better. While
those are blessed whose quiver is full, there is no reason to
doubt that many are blessed who have no quiver at all; for a
quiet life may not need such a warlike weapon. Moreover, a
quiver may be small and yet full; and then the blessing is
obtained. In any case we may be sure that a man's life
consisteth not in the abundance of children that he possesseth.
They shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies
in the gate. They can meet foes both in law and in fight.
Nobody cares to meddle with a man who can gather a clan of brave
sons about him. He speaks to purpose whose own sons make his
words emphatic by the resolve to carry out their father's
wishes. This is the blessing of Abraham, the old covenant
benediction, "Thy seed shall possess the gate of his
enemies"; and it is sure to all the beloved of the Lord in
some sense or other. Doth not the Lord Jesus thus triumph in his
seed? Looked at literally, this favour cometh of the Lord:
without his will there would be no children to build up the
house, and without his grace there would be no good children to
be their parent's strength. If this must be left with the Lord,
let us leave every other thing in the same hands. He will
undertake for us and prosper our trustful endeavours, and we
shall enjoy a tranquil life, and prove ourselves to be our
Lord's beloved by the calm and quiet of our spirit. We need not
doubt that if God gives us children as a reward he will also
send us the food and raiment which he knows they need. He who is
the father of a host of spiritual children is unquestionably
happy. He can answer all opponents by pointing to souls who have
been saved by his means. Converts are emphatically the heritage
of the Lord, and the reward of the preacher's soul travail. By
these, under the power of the Holy Ghost, the city of the church
is both built up and watched, and the Lord has the glory of it.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
TITLE. "A Song of Degrees for Solomon."
This Psalm has Solomon's name prefixed to the title, for the
purpose that the very builder of the Temple may teach us that he
availed nothing to build it without the help of the Lord.—The
Venerable Bede (672-3-735), in Neale and Littledale.
Whole Psalm. Viewed as one of the "Degrees"
in Christian virtue, the ninth, the Psalm is directed against
self reliance.—H. T. Armfield.
Whole Psalm. The steps or degrees in this Psalm,
though distinctly marked, are not so regular as in some others.
The twice repeated "in vain" of Ps 127:1 may
be regarded as the motto or "degree" for Ps 127:2. The
correspondence between the two clauses in Ps 127:1 is also very
striking. It is as if, on entering on some spiritual
undertaking, or even in referring to the present state of
matters, the Psalmist emphatically disclaimed as vain
every other interposition or help than that of Jehovah. And of
this "in vain" it is well constantly to remind
ourselves, especially in seasons of activity and in times of
peace; for then we are most liable to fall into the snare of
this vanity.
The next "degree" is that of success and prosperity
(Ps 127:3-4), which is ascribed to the same Jehovah whose help
and protection constituted the commencement and continuance, as
now the completion of our well being. Hence also Ps 127:5 goes
not beyond this, but contemplates the highest symbol of full
security, influence, and power, in the figurative language of
the Old Testament, which St. Augustine refers to "spiritual
children, shot forth like arrows into all the world."—Alfred
Edersheim, in "The Golden Diary of Heart Converse with
Jesus in the Book of Psalms," 1877.
Whole Psalm. Solomon, the wisest and richest of kings,
after having proved, both from experience and careful
observation, that there was nothing but vanity in the life and
labours of man, comes to this conclusion, that there is nothing
better for a man in this life than that he should moderate his
cares and labours, enjoy what he has, and fear God and keep his
commandments: to this end he directs all that is debated in the
Book of Ecclesiastes. Very similar are the argument and
intention of the Psalm; the authorship of which is ascribed to
Solomon in the Inscription, and which there is no reason to
doubt. Nor would it be safe, either to call in doubt any
inscription without an urgent reason, or to give any other sense
to the letter l than that of authorship, unless it be
meant that all the inscriptions are uncertain. Again, if the
collectors of the Psalms added titles according to their
own opinion and judgment, there would be no reason why they
should have left so many Psalms without any title. This Psalm,
therefore, is Solomon's, with whose genius and condition
it well agrees, as is clear from Ecclesiastes, with which
it may be compared, and from many proverbs on the same
subject...The design is, to draw men away from excessive labours
and anxious cares; and to excite godliness and faith in Jehovah.
To this the Psalm manifestly tends: for since men, desirous of
the happiness and stability of their houses, are unable to
secure this by their own endeavours, but need the blessing of
God, who gives prosperity with even lighter labours to those
that fear him; it is their duty to put a limit to their labours
and cares, and to seek the favour of God, by conforming their
life and conduct to his will, and confiding in him.—Hermalt
Venema, 1697-1787.
Verse 1. Except the LORD build. It is a fact
that Nb, ben, a son, and tk, bath, a daughter, and
tyb, beith, a house, come from the same root, tnk, banah,
to build; because sons and daughters build up a household,
or constitute a family, as much and as really as stones
and timber constitute a building. Now it is true that unless the
good hand of God be upon us we cannot prosperously build a place
of worship for his name. Unless we have his blessing, a dwelling
house cannot be comfortably erected. And if his blessing be not
on our children, the house (the family) may be built up; but
instead of its being the house of God, it will be the synagogue
of Satan. All marriages that are not under God's blessing will
be a private and public curse.—Adam Clarke.
Verse 1. Except the LORD build the house, etc.
He does not say, Unless the Lord consents and is willing that
the house should be built and the city kept: but, "Unless
the Lord build;unless he keep." Hence, in
order that the building and keeping may be prosperous and
successful, there is necessary, not only the consent of God, but
also his working is required: and that working without which
nothing can be accomplished, that may be attempted by man. He
does not say, Unless the Lord help; but unless the Lord build,
unless he keep; i.e., Unless he do all himself. He does not say,
To little purpose he labours and watches; but to no purpose he
labours, both the builder and the keeper. Therefore, all the
efficacy of labours and cares is dependent on the operation and
providence of God; and all human strength, care, and industry is
in itself vain. It should be noticed, that he does not say,
Because the Lord builds the house he labours in vain who builds
it, and, because the Lord keeps the city the watchman waketh in
vain: but, If the Lord do not build the house, if he do not keep
the city; he labours in vain who builds the house; lie waketh in
vain who keeps the city. He is far from thinking that the care
and human labour, which is employed in the building of houses
and keeping of cities, is to be regarded as useless, because the
Lord builds and keeps; since it is then the more especially
useful and effectual when the Lord himself is the builder and
keeper. The Holy Spirit is not the patron of lazy and inert men;
but he directs the minds of those who labour to the providence
and power of God.—Wolfgang Musculus, 1497-1563.
Verse 1. Except the LORD build the house. On
the lintel of the door in many an old English house, we may
still read the words, Nisi Dominus frustra—the Latin
version of the opening words of the Psalm. Let us also trust in
him, and inscribe these words over the portal of "the house
of our pilgrimage"; and beyond a doubt all will be well
with us, both in this world and in that which is to come.—Samuel
Cox, in "The Pilgrim Psalms," 1874.
Verse 1. Except the LORD build the house, etc.
In the beginning of the contest with Britain, when we were
sensible of danger, we had daily prayers in this room for the
Divine protection. Our prayers, sir, were heard, and they were
graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle
must have observed frequent instances of a superintending
Providence in our favour. To that kind Providence we owe this
happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of
establishing our future national felicity. And have we now
forgotten this powerful Friend? or do we imagine we no longer
need his assistance? I have lived for a long time 81 years;
and the longer I live the more convincing proofs I see of this
truth, that God governs in the affairs of man. And if a sparrow
cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable
that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured,
sir, in the sacred writings, that "Except the Lord build
the house, they labour in vain that build it." I firmly
believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid
we shall proceed in this political building no better than the
builders of Babel: we shall be divided by our little, partial,
local interests; our prospects will be confounded; and we
ourselves shall become a reproach and a byword down to future
ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter, from this
unfortunate instance, despair of establishing government by
human wisdom, and leave it to chance, war, or conquest. I
therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers, imploring
the assistance of Heaven and its blessing on our deliberations,
be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to
business; and that one or more of the clergy of this city be
requested to officiate in that service.—Benjamin Franklin:
Speech in Convention for forming a Constitution for the United
States, 1787.
Verse 1. Note, how he puts first the building of the
house, and then subjoins the keeping of the city. He advances
from the part to the whole; for the city consists of houses.—Wolfgang
Musculus.
Verse 1. Except the LORD keep the city, etc.
Fires may break out in spite of the watchmen; a tempest may
sweep over it; bands of armed men may assail it; or the
pestilence may suddenly come into it, and spread desolation
through its dwellings.—Albert Barnes (1798-1870), in
"Notes on the Psalms."
Verse 1. One important lesson which Madame Guyon
learned from her temptations and follies was that of her entire
dependence on Divine grace. "I became", she says,
"deeply assured of what the prophet hath said, "Except
the Loud keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."
When I looked to thee, O my Lord? thou wast my faithful keeper;
thou didst continually defend my heart against all kinds of
enemies. But, alas! when left to myself, I was all weakness. How
easily did my enemies prevail over me! Let others ascribe their
victories to their own fidelity: as for myself, I shall never
attribute them to anything else than thy paternal care. I have
too often experienced, to my cost, what I should be without
thee, to presume in the least on any wisdom or efforts of my
own. It is to thee, O God, my Deliverer, that I owe everything!
And it is a source of infinite satisfaction, that I am thus
indebted to thee."—From the Life of Jeanne Bouvier de
la Mothe Guyon, 1648-1717.
Verse 1.
If God build not the house, and lay
The groundwork sure—whoever build,
It cannot stand one stormy day.
If God be not the city's shield,
If he be not their bars and wall,
In vain is watchtower, men, and all.
Though then thou wak'st when others rest,
Though rising thou prevent'st the sun,
Though with lean care thou daily feast,
Thy labour's lost, and thou undone;
But God his child will feed and keep,
And draw the curtains to his sleep.
—Phineas Fletcher, 1584-1650.
Verse 2. It is vain for you to rise up early, to
sit up late, etc. The Psalmist is exhorting to give over
undue and anxious labour to accomplish our designs. The phrases
in the Hebrew are "making early to rise" and
"making late to sit"—not "up", but down.
This means an artificial lengthening of the day. The law of work
is in our nature. The limitations of effort are set forth in
nature. In order that all may be accomplished by the human race
which is necessary to be done for human progress, all men must
work. But no man should work beyond his physical and
intellectual ability, nor beyond the hours which nature allots.
No net result of good to the individual or to the race comes of
any artificial prolonging of the day at either end. Early
rising, eating one's breakfast by candlelight, and prolonged
vigils, the scholar's "midnight oil", are a delusion
and a snare. Work while it is day. When the night comes, rest.
The other animals do this, and, as races, fare as well as this
anxious human race. The bread of sorrows means the bread of
toil, of wearisome effort. Do what you ought to do, and the Lord
will take care of that which you cannot do. Compare Pr 10:22:
"The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no
sorrow with it," which means," The blessing of Jehovah
maketh rich, and toil can add nothing thereto." Compare
also Mt 6:25: "Take no thought be not anxious for
your life," etc. For so he giveth his beloved sleep. The "for"
is not in the original. "So" means "with
just the same result" or "all the same", or
"without more trouble." That is the signification of
the Hebrew word as it occurs. "His beloved" may
work and sleep; and what is needed will be provided just as
certainly as if they laboured unduly, with anxiety. It has been
suggested that the translation should be "in sleep".
While they are sleeping, the Heavenly Father is carrying forward
his work for them. Or, while they wake and work, the Lord gives
to them, and so he does when they rest and sleep.—Charles
F. Deems, in "The Study", 1879.
Verse 2. The Lorries Temple was built without any
looking unto or dependence on man; all human wisdom and
confidence was rejected on the whole; the plan was given by the
Lord God himself; the model of it was in Solomon's possession;
nothing was left to the wit or wisdom of men; there was no
reason to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of
sorrows, whilst engaged in this good work; no, I should conceive
it was a season of grace to such as were employed in the
building; somewhat like what it was with you and me when engaged
in God's holy ordinances. I should conceive the minds of the
workmen at perfect peace, their conversation together much on
the grand subject of the Temple, and its intention as referring
to the glorious Messiah, its grand and glorious antitype. I
should conceive their minds were wholly disencumbered from all
carking cares. They did not rise early without being refreshed
in body and mind; they did not sit up late as though they
wanted; they were not careful how they should provide for their
families; they were, as the beloved of the Lord, perfectly
contented; they enjoyed sweet sleep and refreshment by it, this
was from the Lord; he giveth his beloved ones sleep.—Samuel
Eyles Pierce.
Verse 2. It is vain, etc. Some take this place
in a more particular and restrained sense; as if David would
intimate that all their agitations to oppose the reign of
Solomon, though backed with much care and industry, should be
fruitless; though Absalom and Adonijah were tortured with the
care of their own ambitious designs, yet God would give Jedidiah,
or his beloved, rest; that is, the kingdom should safely be
devolved upon Solomon, who took no such pains to court the
people, and to raise himself up into their esteem as Absalom and
Adonijah did. The meaning is, that though worldly men fare never
so hardly, beat their brains, tire their spirits, rack their
consciences, yet many times all is for nothing; either God doth
not give them an estate, or not the comfort of it. But his
beloved, without any of these racking cares, enjoy contentment;
if they have not the world, they have sleep and rest; with
silence submitting to the will of God, and with quietness
waiting for the blessing of God. Well, then, acknowledge the
providence that you may come under the blessing of it: labour
without God cannot prosper; against God and against his will in
his word, will surely miscarry.—Thomas Manton,
1620-1677.
Verse 2. It is vain for you to rise up early, to
sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his
beloved sleep. No prayer without work, no work without
prayer.
By caring and fretting,
By agony and fear,
There is of God no getting,
But prayer he will hear.
—From J.P. Lange's Commentary on James, 1862.
Verse 2. Eat the bread of sorrows. Living a
life of misery and labours, fretting at their own
disappointments, eaten up with envy at the advancement of
others, afflicted overmuch with losses and wrongs. There is no
end of all their labours. Some have died of it, others been
distracted and put out of their wits; so that you are never like
to see good days as long as you cherish the love of the world,
but will still lie under self tormenting care and trouble of
mind, by which a man grates on his own flesh.—Thomas
Manton.
Verse 2. So he giveth his beloved sleep. hnv
wdykyl Nty Nk. These latter words are variously rendered, and
sufficiently obscurely, because all take this Nk as a particle
of comparison, which does not seem to be in place here: some
even omit it altogether. But Nk also signifies "well",
"rightly": 2Ki 7:9 Nu 27:7. Why should we not
render it here, "He giveth to His beloved to sleep
well": i.e., While those who, mistrusting God,
attribute all things to their own labour, do not sleep well; for
truly they "rise early and sit up late"; he gives to
his beloved this grace, that reposing in his fatherly care and
goodness, they fully enjoy their sleep, as those who know that
such anxious labour is not necessary for them: or, "Truly,
he giveth to his beloved sleep; "as Kn may be the same
as Nka. But hnv may betaken for hnvb, and rendered, "Truly,
he giveth to his beloved in sleep; "viz., that he
should be refreshed by this means.—Louis De Dieu,
1590-1642.
Verse 2. (last clause). The sentence may be
read either, he will give sleep to his beloved, or, he will give
in sleeping; that is, he will give them those things which
unbelievers labour to acquire by their own industry. The
particle Nk, ken, thus, is put to express certainty; for
with the view of producing a more undoubted persuasion of the
truth—that God gives fool to his people without any great care
on their part—which seems incredible and a fiction, Solomon
points to the thing as it were with the finger. He indeed speaks
as if God nourished the slothfulness of his servants by his
gentle treatment; but as we know that men are created with the
design of their being occupied, and as in the subsequent Psalm
we shall find that the servants of God are accounted happy when
they eat the labour of their hands, it is certain that the word sleep
is not to be understood as implying slothfulness, but a placid
labour, to which true believers subject themselves by the
obedience of faith. Whence proceeds this so great ardour in the
unbelieving, that they move not a finger without a tumult or
bustle, in other words, without tormenting themselves with
superfluous cares, but because they attribute nothing to the
providence of God! The faithful, on the other hand, although
they lead a laborious life, yet follow their vocations with
composed and tranquil minds. Thus their hands are not idle, but
their minds repose in the stillness of faith, as if they were
asleep.—John Calvin, 1509-1564.
Verse 2. He giveth his beloved sleep. It is a peculiar
rest, it is a rest peculiar to sons, to saints, to heirs, to
beloved ones. "So he gives his beloved rest",
or as the Hebrew hath it, dearling, or dear beloved, quiet rest,
without care or sorrow. The Hebrew word akv, shena, is
written with a, a quiet dumb letter, which is not usual, to
denote the more quietness and rest. This rest is a crown that
God sets only upon the head of saints; it is a gold chain that
he only puts about his children's necks; it is a jewel that he
only hangs between his beloved's breasts: it is a flower that he
only sticks in his darlings' bosoms. This rest is a tree of life
that is proper and peculiar to the inhabitants of that heavenly
country; it is children's bread, and shall never be given to
dogs.—Thomas Brooks, 1608-1680.
Verse 2. (last clause). As the Lord gave
a precious gift to his beloved, the first Adam, while he slept,
by taking a rib from his side, and by building there from a
woman, Eve, his bride, the Mother of all living; so, while
Christ, the Second Adam, the true Jedidiah, the Well beloved Son
of God, was sleeping in death on the cross, God formed for him,
in his death, and by his death,—even by the life giving
streams flowing from his own precious side,—the Church, the
spiritual Eve, the Mother of all living; and gave her to him as
his bride. Thus he built for him in his sleep the
spiritual Temple of his Church.—Christopher Wordsworth.
Verse 2. Quiet sleep is the gift of God, and it is the
love of God to give quiet sleep.
1. 'Tis God's gift when we have it: quiet sleep does
revive nature as the dew or small rain does refresh the grass.
Now, as the prophet speaks (Jer 14:22), "Are there any of
the gods of the heathen can cause rain, or can the heavens give
showers?" so it may be said: Are there any of the creatures
in earth or heaven that can give sleep? That God which gives
showers of rain must give hours of rest: peaceable repose is
God's peculiar gift.
2. 'Tis God's love when he gives it, "for so
he giveth his beloved sleep"; that is, sleep with
quietness: yea, the Hebrew word, shena, for sleep,
being with aleph, a quiet or resting letter, otherwise
than is usual, it signifies the greater quietness in time of
sleep. And whereas some apply the peace only to Solomon, who was
called Jedidiah, the beloved of the Lord, to whom God gave
sleep; the Septuagint turns the Hebrew word plurally, so God
giveth his beloved ones sleep; to his saints in general God
gives quiet sleep as a token of his love; yea, in the times of
their greatest peril. Thus Peter in prison when he was bound
with chains, beset with soldiers, and to die the next day, yet
see how fast he was found asleep (Ac 12:6-7): "The same
night Peter was sleeping, and behold the angel of the Lord came
upon him, and a light shined in the prison", yet Peter
slept till the angel smote him on the side and raised him up: so
God "gives his beloved sleep", and let his beloved
give him the honour; and the rather because herein God
answers our prayer, herein God fulfils his promise.
Is it not our prayer that God would prevent fear, and
afford refreshing sleep? and is it not God's answer when in
sleep he doth sustain us? "I cried (says David) unto the
Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. I laid
me down and slept, for the Lord sustained me": Ps 3:4-3.
Is it not God's promise to vouchsafe sleep free from
frights? "When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid:
yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet": Pr
3:24. Hence God's servants while they are in the wilderness and
woods of this world, they sleep safely, and devils as wild
beasts can do them no harm. Eze 34:25. Have we through God's
blessing this benefit, let us abundantly give praise and live
praise unto God hereupon. Yea, large praise belongs to the Lord
for quiet sleep from men of all sorts.—Philip Goodwin, in
"The Mystery of Dreams," 1658.
Verse 2. So he giveth his beloved sleep. The
world would give its favourites power, wealth, distinction; God
gives "sleep." Could he give anything better?
To give sleep when the storm is raging; to give sleep when
conscience is arraying a long catalogue of sins; to give sleep
when evil angels are trying to overturn our confidence in
Christ; to give sleep when death is approaching, when judgment
is at hand—oh! what gift could be more suitable? what more
worthy of God? or what more precious to the soul? But we do not
mean to enlarge upon the various senses which might thus be
assigned to the gift. You will see for yourselves that sleep, as
denoting repose and refreshment, may be regarded as symbolising
"the rest which remaineth for the righteous", which is
the gift of God to his chosen. "Surely he giveth his
beloved sleep", may be taken as parallel to what is
promised in Isaiah—"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on thee." Whatever you can understand
by the "peace" in the one case, you may also
understand by the "sleep" in the other. But
throughout the Old and New Testaments, and especially the
latter, sleep, as you know, is often put for death. "He
slept with his fathers" is a common expression in the
Jewish Scriptures. To "sleep in Jesus" is a common way
of speaking of those who die in the faith of the Redeemer.
Suppose, then, we take the "sleep" in our
text as denoting death, and confine our discourse to an
illustration of the passage under this one point of view. "Surely
he giveth his beloved sleep." What an aspect will this
confer on death—to regard it as God's gift—a gift which he
vouchsafes to those whom he loves! It is not "he sendeth
his beloved sleep", which might be true whilst God himself
remained at a distance; it is "he giveth his beloved
sleep"; as though God himself brought the sleep, and laid
it on the eyes of the weary Christian warrior. And if God
himself have to do with the dissolution, can we not trust him
that he will loosen gently the silver cord, and use all kindness
and tenderness in "taking down the earthly house of this
tabernacle"? I know not more comforting words than those of
our text, whether for the being uttered in the sickroom of the
righteous, or breathed over their graves. They might almost take
the pain from disease, as they certainly do the dishonour from
death. What is bestowed by God as a "gift on his
beloved" will assuredly occupy his care, his watchfulness,
his solicitude; and I conclude, therefore, that he is present,
in some special and extraordinary sense when the righteous lie
dying; ay, and that he sets his seal, and plants his
guardianship where the righteous lie dead. "O death, where
is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" Let the saint
be but constant in the profession of godliness, and his last
hours shall be those in which Deity himself shall stand almost
visibly at his side, and his last resting place that which he
shall shadow with his wings. Sickness may be protracted and
distressing; "earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust,
"may be plaintively breathed over the unconscious dead; but
nothing in all this lengthened struggle, nothing in all this
apparent defeat, can harm the righteous man—nay, nothing can
be other than for his present good and his eternal glory, seeing
that death with all its accompaniments is but joy—God's gift
to his beloved. Dry your tears, ye that stand around the bed of
the dying believer, the parting moment is almost at hand—a
cold damp is on the forehead—the eye is fixed—the pulse too
feeble to be felt—are you staggered at such a spectacle? Nay!
let faith do its part! The chamber is crowded with glorious
forms; angels are waiting there to take charge of the
disembodied soul; a hand gentler than any human is closing those
eyes; and a voice sweeter than any human is whispering—"Surely
the Lord giveth his beloved sleep."—Henry Melvill
(1798-1871), in a Sermon entitled "Death the Gift of
God."
Verse 2. For so he giveth his beloved sleep.
One night I could not rest, and in the wild wanderings of my
thoughts I met this text, and communed with it: "So he
giveth his beloved sleep." In my reverie, as I was on
the border of the land of dreams, I thought I was in a castle.
Around its massive walls there ran a deep moat. Watchmen paced
the walls both day and night. It was a fine old fortress,
bidding defiance to the foe; but I was not happy in it. I
thought I lay upon a couch; but scarcely had I closed my eyes,
ere a trumpet blew, "To arms! To arms!" and when the
danger was overpast, I lay me down again. "To arms! To
arms!" once more resounded, and again I started up. Never
could I rest. I thought I had my armour on, and moved about
perpetually clad in mail, rushing each hour to the castle top,
aroused by some fresh alarm. At one time a foe was coming from
the west; at another from the east. I thought I had a treasure
somewhere down in some deep part of the castle, and all my care
was to guard it. I dreaded, I feared, I trembled lest it should
be taken from me. I awoke, and I thought I would not live in
such a tower as that for all its grandeur. It was the castle of
discontent, the castle of ambition, in which man never rests. It
is ever, "To arms! To arms!" There is a foe here, or a
foe there. His dear loved treasure must be guarded. Sleep never
crossed the drawbridge of the castle of discontent. Then I
thought I would supplement it by another reverie. I was in a
cottage. It was in what poets call a beautiful and pleasant
place, but I cared not for that. I had no treasure in the world;
save one sparkling jewel on my breast: and I thought I put my
hand on that and went to sleep, nor did I wake till morning
light. That treasure was a quiet conscience and the love of
God—"the peace that passeth all understanding." I
slept, because I slept in the house of content, satisfied with
what I had. Go, ye overreaching misers! Go, ye grasping,
ambitious men! I envy not your life of inquietude. The sleep of
statesmen is often broken; the dream of the miser is always
evil; the sleep of the man who loves gain is never hearty; but
God "giveth", by contentment, "his
beloved sleep."—C.H.S.
Verse 2. He giveth his beloved sleep.
Of all the thoughts of God that are
Borne inward unto souls afar,
Along the Psalmist's music deep,
Now tell me if that any is,
For gift or grace surpassing this—
"He giveth his beloved sleep."
—Elizabeth Barrett Browning, 1809-1861.
Verse 3. Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD.
There is no reason, therefore, why you should be apprehensive
for your families and country; there is no reason why you should
weary yourselves with such great and such restless labour. God
will be with you and your children, since they are his heritage.
-Thomas Le Blanc.
Verse 3. Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD.
That is, to many God gives children in place of temporal good.
To many others he gives houses, lands, and thousands of gold and
silver, and with them the womb that beareth not; and these are
their inheritance. The poor man has from God a number of
children, without lands or money; these are his inheritance; and
God shows himself their father, feeding and supporting them by a
chain of miraculous providences. Where is the poor man
who would give up his six children with the prospect of
having more, for the thousands or millions
of him who is the centre of his own existence, and
has neither root nor branch but his forlorn
solitary self upon the face of the earth? Let the fruitful
family, however poor, lay this to heart: Children are an
heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
And he who gave them will feed them; for it is a fact, and the
maxim formed on it has never failed, "Wherever God sends
mouths, he sends meat." "Murmur not", said an
Arab to his friend, "because thy family is large; know that
it is for their sakes that God feeds thee."—Adam
Clarke.
Verse 3. Children are an heritage of the LORD.
The Hebrew seems to imply that children are an heritage
belonging to the Lord, and not an heritage given by the Lord, as
most English readers appear to take it. The Targum likewise
bears this out.—H. T. Armfield.
Verse 3. Children are an heritage of the LORD,
etc. The Psalmist speaks of what children are unto godly and
holy parents, for unto such only is any blessing given by God as
a reward, and the Psalmist expressly speaks of blessings which
God gives his beloved ones, and this blessing of children he
makes to be the last and greatest. It is also as certain that he
speaks of children as supposed to be holy and godly; for
otherwise they are not a reward, but a curse, and a sorrow to
him that begat them. The Psalm was made, as appears by the title
of it, "of or for Solomon", and
therefore, as it is more than probable, was penned, as that
other Psalm, the 72nd, which bears the same title, by David the
father, of and for Solomon his son, who was, for his father's
sake, "the beloved of God." (2Sa 12:24-25), and upon
whom the sure covenant and mercies of David were entailed,
together with his kingdom. And what is said in this Psalm, in
the verses before, fitly agrees to him, for he it was who was to
build God's house, to keep and preserve Jerusalem the city, and
the kingdom in peace, and to have rest, or as the Psalmist calls
it (Ps 127:3), quiet sleep given him by God from all his enemies
round about him. And for this, compare the prophecy of him (1Ch
22:9-10) with the instructions here given him in the three first
verses of this Psalm, and ye will see how fitly this Psalm
concerns him.—Thomas Goodwin.
Verse 3. Children are an heritage of the LORD.
Hence note, 'tis one of the greatest outward blessings to have a
family full of dutiful children. To have many children is the
next blessing to much grace. To have many children about us is
better than to have much wealth about us. To have store of these
olive plants (as the Psalmist calls them) round about our table
is better than to have store of oil and wine upon our table. We
know the worth of dead, or rather lifeless treasures, but who
knows the worth of living treasures? Every man who hath children
hath not a blessing in them, yet children are a blessing, and
some have many blessings in one child. Children are chiefly a
blessing to the children of God. "Lo, children are an
heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his
reward." But are not houses and lands, gold and silver,
an heritage bestowed by the Lord upon his people? Doubtless they
are, for the earth is his, and the fulness of it, and he gives
it to the children of men. But though all things are of God, yet
all things are not alike of him: children are more of God than
houses and lands.—Joseph Caryl.
Verse 3. Children!—might one say as the word
was uttered—I left mine in my distant home, in poverty, their
wants and numbers increasing, with the means of providing for
their comfort daily narrowing. Even should my life be prolonged,
they will be children of want, but with sickness and warnings of
death upon me, they will soon be helpless and friendless
orphans. Yes I but will God be neglectful of his own heritage?
will he turn a gift into a sorrow? Poor as thou art, repine not
at the number of thy children. Though lions lack thou shalt not,
if thou seekest him; and know that it may be even for their
sakes that he feedeth thee. If even thou wouldst not part with
one of them for thousands of gold and silver, believe that he
who is the fountain of all tenderness regards them with yet
deeper love, and will make them now, in thy hour of trial, a
means of increasing thy dependence on him, and soon thy support
and pride.
Children!—might another say, as the Psalm referred to
them—on their opening promise the breath of the destroyer has
been poured. They are ripening visibly for the grave, and their
very smile and caress cause my wounded heart to bleed anew. Yes,
mourner; but God's heritage! may he not claim his own?
They are in safe keeping when in his, and will soon be restored
to thee in the better land, where death will make them
ministering angels at his throne; nay, they will be the first to
welcome thee to its glories, to love and worship with thee
throughout eternity.
Children! this word to a third, of an even sadder and more
anxious spirit, might seem like the planting of a dagger in his
heart. His children have forsaken their father's God. Their
associates were the vain and vicious; their pleasures were the
pleasures of folly and shame; their lives barren of all promise,
their souls destitute of all purpose, and steeled against all
reproof. True, but the heritage of the Lord still. Hast thou,
sorrowing parent, asked him for wisdom to keep it for him? Have
due thought, prayer, watchful and holy living been expended on
that heritage of God? No culture, no harvest in the soil; no
prayer, no blessing from the soul. "Train up a child in the
way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from
it", is a promise that though sometimes, yet but seldom has
missed fulfilment. Bring them to Jesus, and, unchanged in his
tenderness, he will still lay his hands upon them and bless
them.—Robert Nisbet.
Verse 3. The fruit of the womb is his reward.
John Howard Hinton's daughter said to him as she knelt by his
death bed:—"There is no greater blessing than for
children to have godly parents." "And the next",
said the dying father, with a beam of gratitude, "for
parents to have godly children."—Memoir in Baptist
Handbook, 1875.
Verse 4. As arrows. Well doth David call
children "arrows"; for if they be well bred,
they shoot at their parents' enemies; and if they be evil bred,
they shoot at their parents.—Henry Smith. 1560-1591.
Verse 4. As arrows. Children are compared to "arrows".
Now, we know that sticks are not by nature arrows; they do not
grow so, but they are made so; by nature they are knotty and
rugged, but by art they are made smooth and handsome. So
children by nature are rugged and untoward, but by education are
refined and reformed, made pliable to the divine will and
pleasure.—George Swinnock, 1627-1673.
Verse 4. As arrows. "Our children are what
we make them. They are represented As arrows in the hand of a
mighty man, and arrows go the way we aim them."
Verse 4. As arrows. In a collection of Chinese
Proverbs and Apophthegms, subjoined to Hau Kiou Choaan,
or, The Pleasing History, I find a proverb cited from Du
Halde, which seems full to our purpose. It is
this:—"When a son is born into a family, a bow and arrow
are hung before the gate." To which the following note is
added: "As no such custom appears to be literally observed,
this should seem to be a metaphorical expression, signifying
that a new protector is added to the family", equivalent to
that of the Psalms,—"as arrows", etc.—James
Merrick (1720-1769), in "Annotations on the
Psalms."
Verse 4. Children of the youth are arrows in
the hand, which, with prudence, may be directed aright to
the mark, God's glory, and the service of their generation; but
afterwards, when they are gone abroad in the world, they are
arrows out of the hand; it is too late to bend them then. But
these "arrows in the hand" too often prove
arrows in the heart, a constant grief to their godly parents,
whose grey hairs they bring with sorrow to the grave.—Matthew
Henry.
Verse 4. Children of the youth. Sons of youth, i.e.,
born while their parents are still young. See Ge 37:2 Isa 54:6.
The allusion is not only to their rigour Ge 49:3, but the value
of their aid to the parent in declining age.—Joseph Addison
Alexander.
Verse 4. Children of the youth. If the right
interpretation is commonly given to this phrase, this Psalm
greatly encourages early marriages. It is a growing evil of
modern times that marriages are so often deferred till it is
highly improbable that in the course of nature the father can
live to mould his offspring to habits of honour and virtue.—William
Swan Plumer (1802-1880), in "Studies in the Book of
Psalms."
Verse 5. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full
of them. Dr. Guthrie used to say, "I am rich in nothing
but children." They were eleven in number.
Verse 5. Quiver full. Many children make many
prayers, and many prayers bring much blessing.—German
Proverb.
Verse 5. The Rev. Moses Browne had twelve children. On
one remarking to him, "Sir, you have just as many children
as Jacob", he replied, "Yes, and I have Jacob's God to
provide for them."—G. S. Bowes.
Verse 5. I remember a great man coming into my house,
at Waltham, and seeing all my children standing in the order of
their age and stature, said, "These are they that make rich
men poor." But he straight received this answer, "Nay,
my lord, these are they that make a poor man rich; for there is
not one of these whom we would part with for all your
wealth." It is easy to observe that none are so gripple and
hard fisted as the childless; whereas those, who, for the
maintenance of large families, are inured to frequent
disbursements, find such experience of Divine providence in the
faithful management of their affairs, as that they lay out with
more cheerfulness what they receive. Wherein their care must be
abated when God takes it off from them to himself; and, if they
be not wanting to themselves, their faith gives them ease in
casting their burden upon him, who hath more power and more
right to it, since our children are more his than our own. He
that feedeth the young ravens, can he fail the best of his
creatures?—Joseph Hall, 1574-1656.
Verse 5. They shall not be ashamed, etc. Able
enough he shall be to defend himself, and keep off all injuries,
being fortified by his children; and if it happen that he hath a
cause depending in the gate, and to be tried before the judges,
he shall have the patronage of his children, and not suffer in
his plea for want of advocates; his sons will stand up in a just
cause for him.—William Nicholson (1671), in
"David's Harp Strung and Tuned."
Verse 5. But they shall speak. "But
destroy" is the marginal version, and is here much more
emphatic than the rendering "speak." For this
sense see 2Ch 22:10. Others refer it to litigation, when they
shall successfully defend the cause of their parents. But as I
do not see how their number or rigour could add weight to their
evidence in a judicial cause, I prefer the sense given.—Benjamin
Boothroyd, 1768-1836.
Verse 5. With the enemies in the gate. Probably
the Psalmist alludes here to the defence of a besieged city; the
gate was very commonly the point of attack, and the taking of it
rendered the conquest of the place easy: compare Ge 22:17
23:60.—Daniel Cresswell (1776-1844), in "The
Psalms...with Critical and Explanatory Notes," 1843.
Verse 5.
This is the pride, the glory of a man,
To train obedient children in his house,
Prompt on his enemies to avenge his wrongs,
And with the father's zeal in honour high
To hold his friends.
—Sophocles' "Antigone." R. Potter's Translation.
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER
Verse 1.
1. The human hand without the hand of God is in vain.
2. The human eye without the eye of God is in vain.
—Or—
1. God is to be acknowledged in all our works.
a) By seeking his direction before them.
b) By depending upon his help in them.
c) By giving him the glory of them.
2. In all our cares.
a) By owning our short sight.
b) By trusting to his foresight.—G. R.
Verse 1. (first part).—Illustrate the
principles:
1. In building up character.
2. In constructing plans of life and of work.
3. In framing schemes of happiness.
4. In rearing a hope of eternal life.
5. In raising and enlarging the church.—J. F.
Verses 1-2.
1. What we may not expect: namely, God to work without our
building, watching, etc.
2. What we may expect: Failure if we are without God.
3. What we should not do: Fret, worry, etc.
4. What we may do: So trust as to rest in peace.
Verse 2. (with Ps 126:2). The labour of the law
contrasted with the laughter of the gospel.
Verse 2. The bread of sorrows.
1. When God sends it, it is good to eat it.
2. When we bake it ourselves, it is vain to eat it.
3. When the devil brings it, it is deadly meat.
Verse 2. (last clause).—Blessings that come
to us in sleep.
1. Renewed health and vigour of body.
2. Mental repose and refreshment.
3. Sweeter thoughts and holier purposes.
4. Providential gifts. The rains fall, the fruits of the
earth grow and ripen, the mill wheel goes round, the ship
pursues her voyage, etc., while we slumber. Often when we are
doing nothing for ourselves God is doing most.—W. H. J.P.
Verse 2. (last clause). See "Spurgeon's
Sermons," No. 12: "The Peculiar Sleep of the
Beloved."
Verse 3. Sermon by Thomas Manton. Works: vol. 18. pp.
84-95. Nichol's Edition.
Verses 3-5. Children. Consider:
1. The effects of receiving them as a heritage from the Lord.
a) Parents will trust in the Lord for their provision and
safety.
b) Will regard them as a sacred trust from the Lord, of whose
care they must render an account.
c) Will train them up in the fear of the Lord.
d) Will often consult God concerning them.
e) Will render them up uncomplainingly when the Lord calls
them to himself by death.
2. The effects of their right training.
a) They become the parents' joy.
b) The permanent record of the parents' wisdom.
c) The support and solace of the parents' old age.
d) The transmitters of their parents' virtues to another
generation; for well trained children become, in their turn,
wise parents.—J. F.
Verse 4. The spiritual uses of children.
1. When they die in infancy, awakening parents.
2. When they go home from Sunday school carrying holy
influences.
3. When they become converted.
4. When they grow up and become useful men and women.
Verses 4-5.
1. The dependence of children upon parents.
a) For safety. They are in their quiver.
b) For direction. They are sent forth by them.
c) For support. They are in the hands of the mighty.
2. The dependence of parents upon children.
a) For defence. Who will hear a parent spoken against?
b) For happiness. "A wise son maketh", etc.
Children elicit some of the noblest and most tender emotions of
human nature. Happy is the Christian minister who with a full
quiver can say, "Here am I, and the children which thou
hast given me."—G. R.
Verse 6. "The Reward of Well doing Sure."
Sermon by Henry Melvill, in "The Pulpit," 1856.