Let us turn once again to the
Word of God and directing you this morning to the Book of Psalms
and our text is found in the 131st Psalm, the Song of Degrees
of David. One of those Psalms then associated
with the ascents, the degrees that they would make as they
go up through Jerusalem for the three great feasts of the Jewish
year. These various Psalms that we
find here, a number of songs of degrees. And I want us to
consider the whole of Psalm 131. Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofted, neither
do I exercise myself in great matters or in things too high
for me. Surely I have behaved and quieted
myself as a child that is weaned of his mother. My soul is even
as a weaned child. Let Israel hope in the Lord from
henceforth and forever." Considering then these Three verses that
constitute this short psalm. It has been well observed that
it is, in fact, one of the shortest of all the psalms to read, but
one of the longest to learn. In other words, there is much
in little with regards to the content of this psalm. What does
it speak of? Does it not speak really of Humility. David says, Lord, my heart is
not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty, neither do I exercise myself
in great matters or in things too high for me. He's speaking of lowliness of
mind, humility of spirit. and of course it's the very antithesis
of what we have when we consider the fall of man the record that
we have there in the third chapter of Genesis where Satan comes
and tempts the woman and she falls into sin on belief he's
there of course but also that on belief bound up with pride
God had told Adam plainly He was not to partake of that tree
of the knowledge of good and evil. The day of the serpents,
Satan's instrument comes to the woman and tells her, oh, it's
a fruit to be desired. Partake of this fruit, he says,
you'll be as gods, you'll be gods when you have this knowledge. Oh, it is pride, accursed pride. That Spirit by God our Lord do
what we will, it haunts us still, it keeps us from the Lord. But here surely David is speaking
of the great need for that humility. That's very much the theme, but
really the subject that I want to take up more particularly
is what he says with regards to the weaned child. Surely,
he says, I have behaved and quieted myself as a child that is weaned
of his mother. My soul is even as a weaned child. There are, as we know, different
stages in spiritual development. First of all, of course, there
is the birth. We're born into this world dead
in trespasses and sins. We have physical life and yet
we're in that sad state. We're the children of Adam and
Eve and their sin has come through the generations. We've imparted
or had imparted to us that sinful nature. We're born dead in trespasses
and in sins. And the Lord Jesus himself says,
Verily, verily, ye must be born again. And all begins with that
new birth. And we read that 66, that final
chapter of Isaiah, and of course he speaks there, doesn't he? Of the birth of the child. Remember
the words we were reading concerning birth? Before she trailed, and
before she travailed, she brought forth, before her pain came,
she was delivered of a man-child, who has heard such a thing, who
has seen such things. Shall the earth be made to bring
forth in one day, or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon
as iron travailed, she brought forth her children. Shall I bring
to the birth, and not cause to bring forth, saith the Lord?
Shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb, saith thy
God? He's speaking not so much of
natural birth, but spiritual birth, the great work that God
will do in the day of Christ. And how immediate is that work,
to be born at once, at one moment dead in trespasses and sins,
and the next moment all the spiritual faculties of a new man of Christ,
that man born again of the Spirit is in Christ, is a new creation. But then we don't only have mentioned
there in that chapter of the birth, but we read of the child
being nourished at his mother's breast, verse 11, that she may
suck and be satisfied with the breast of her consolation. that
she may milk out and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. But then the time of weaning,
the time of weaning, but still there is the tender care of the
mother. Ye shall be born upon her sides
and be dandled upon her knees. There's some progression with
regards to that life of God in the soul of man. There's such
a thing as as growth in grace. But here in this psalm that we're
considering, it's that particular time, the time of weaning, being
taken off the breast, and not having that comfort anymore.
This is what David is speaking of in the psalm. And it's associated
very much then with that idea of of humility and hope really,
ultimately. Let Israel hope in the Lord from
henceforth and forever. But as we turn to consider the
verses more particularly, I want to divide the subject matter
into just two parts this morning. And first of all to say something
of the necessity, the need for the weaning And then in the second
place, to look more carefully at the nature of that weaning
and thinking of it all the time in terms of a spiritual birth,
the experiencing of all the people of God who will know what it
is to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ. We're told with regards to weaning
that in Eastern countries it would often come much later than
is the practice here in the West. The mother would keep the child
to the breast many months, maybe years. Later than would be the
practice in our own land. That was the way in those Eastern
climes. But eventually the weaning would
come. and the child would be denied that comfort of being
put to his mother's breast and the child would begin to fret
and begin to sulk. But of course what we're reading
of here is that time when the child has become reconciled.
It's part of his development, part of his growth. And the weaning
is now completed. The child is quieted. That's quite evident. Surely
I have behaved and quieted myself. And Martin says, quieted my soul.
It's a spiritual experience. As a child that is weaned of
his mother, my soul is even as a weaned child, all part and
parcel of that growth and the different stages of that growth
in grace. And of course it's Peter, isn't
it, who at the end of his second epistle speaks of growth in grace. Grow in grace, he says. And in
the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And it's
the same Peter who in the previous first epistle in chapter 2 and
verse 2 speaks of newborn babes desiring the sincere milk of
the Word of God. what an appetite you see, what
a desire to draw consolation out of those breasts of salvation
when we first know the grace of God in our souls and yet we
see another of the apostles, Paul when he's addressing himself
to that highly gifted church at Corinth a proud church in so many ways
because he was so gifted. But how Paul rebukes them and
really says that they're no more than babes, they're not really
growing in grace as they should be in his first epistle to the
Corinthians and the language that we find him using there
in the third chapter He says, And I, brethren, could not speak
unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto
babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and
not with meat, for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither
yet now are ye able, for ye are yet carnal. For whereas there
is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal
and walk as men?" He is simply saying, look, you're just natural
men, carnal men, you're not behaving yourselves like spiritual men. Oh yes, you have known the grace
of God, but you're not developing, you're not those who are making
progress in the Christian way. And he goes on, doesn't he, in
that third chapter to speak of the great problem amongst them.
It was that really of the party spirit, partialities. Some would
say, I am of Paul, others say, I am of Apollos. Others would
then say, I'm of Cephas. How they were dividing amongst
themselves and it was an evidence really that they were still babes. They were not growing, they were
not able to receive the strong meat of the word of God. There is a need, you see, there's
a need for that growth. There must come a time when the
Lord is not, as he were, spoon feeding us. But we're able to
receive the strong meat of God's word by degrees. Now there are
two particular manifestations that have to be dealt with, with
regards to the development of the child of God, we have to
be weaned from this world. We have a nature that is so much
attached to this world. That word carnal that we have
in that portion we just referred to in that third chapter of 1
Corinthians, it literally means natural. We all have experienced a natural
birth. But what is that natural birth
associated with? A world that is a sinful world,
the domain of Satan. We are not to love the world.
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
All that is in the world, the love of the flesh, the lust of
the eyes, the pride of life, These things are not of the Father,
says John, but of the world. We have to be brought off the
ways of the world and the idols of the world. Remember how the
children of Israel, before the captivity came, they were wanting
to be like all the nations round about them. They had their idols. And Israel, really, they were
a people free from all idolatry. God told them they were never
to make any images. Oh, but they wanted to be just
like those nations all about them, and God had to deal with
them severely. And He punishes them by taking them away into
captivity, and their very temple where they were to worship the
Lord God was destroyed and razed to the ground by the Babylonians. And it's interesting that in
a previous one of these Songs of Degrees we have mentioned,
haven't we, of them being restored, as it were, from that experience.
How God, by dealing in the way of judgment, weaned them from
their idols. The 126th Psalm, when the Lord
turned again the captivity of Zion. We were like them that
dream. Then was our mouth filled with
laughter, and our tongue with singing. Then said they among
the heathen, the Lord hath done great things for them, the Lord
hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad. Turn again
our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south. O God,
deliver them from all their idolatry. And when they returned, they
were delivered from idolatry. We read nothing really anymore
of their wanting to be like the idolatrous nations. But how bitter
was that experience. God must wean them. Now, of course
we're not those who make our images and worship our images
of silver and of gold. But we're told that covetousness
is idolatry. That's what the Apostle says
there in Colossians 3.5, covetousness, inordinate desire, setting our
hearts on the things of this world and not setting our affections
primarily on those things that are above. That's idolatry. That's
a form of idolatry. And how painful it is when the
Lord God has to deal with us and wean us from our idolatrous
ways. there in that one hundred and
twenty-sixth arm. They that sow in tears shall
reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth
bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again with rejoicing bringing
his sheaves with him. Oh, there's tears, there's bitterness in the soul. The experience
is not a pleasant experience. being delivered then from all
those worldly ways, weaved from our worldly idols when the Lord
deals with us. But as I said at the beginning,
this psalm really speaks to us of humility, the great need of humility,
that great need of being delivered from all our pride. What is David
professing? Well, the summary, if you have
a Bible that summarizes the content of the chapters, the summary
in my Bible at home runs like this, David professeth his humility. That's the content of the psalm
according to that little summary at the head. David is professing
his humility. Lord, my heart is not haughty,
nor mine eyes lofty, neither do I exercise myself in great
matters or in things too high for me." Oh, he's been weaned
from all the ways of pride. And do we not see something of
the same spirit in what's recorded in that short chapter of Jeremiah
45 in the experience of Baruch who was, as it were, it seems,
a sort of secretary to the Prophet Jeremiah. He was like his sort
of amanuensis. He would write down the things
that the Prophet was saying. And it's a lovely little chapter,
Jeremiah 45, And we have that verse at the end, Seekest thou
great things for thyself, seek them not. For I will bring evil
upon all flesh, says God to Balaam. But thy life will I give unto
thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest. Jeremiah
45 verse 5. And I can think of that, I remember
many years ago, a little aside here, years ago reading in the
sermons of J.C. Philpott and discovering a sermon
on that text and finding that it was a sermon that he actually
preached at Salem Chapel at Landport in Portman back in the 1840s. It was in the early sermons.
He'd actually preached on the text Jeremiah 45.5 at the old Salem Chapel. There
were about, I think there were altogether four sermons that
are in the early sermons of Mr. Philpott. We all preached at
Salem Chapel. But that one, when I read through
that sermon, oh yeah, it spoke to me. It was a good sermon.
Life given for a prayer. A man you see told not to seek
great things for himself. And how does God deliver us from
wanting a name and a place, a reputation? Well, he brings us oftentimes
into trying and testing paths. All that will live godly in Christ
Jesus. If we want to live godly lives,
all that would live godly in Christ Jesus, they'll suffer
persecution. Godliness doesn't come cheap.
Humility doesn't come cheap. The Lord has to deal with us
and teach us. In the world there's tribulation,
testing, the trying of faith. It's all part and parcel of that
growth in grace. And there's not only the pride
of life in the world. The world's full of pride because
the world lies in the wicked one. And Satan, why would he not seek
to become as God himself? And the world lies in wickedness. But not just the pride of life
in the world, there can also be pride in religion, can there
not? David was the king. David was
the man after God's own heart. What a remarkable man David was.
But what does he say here in the psalm? Lord, my heart is
not haughty, nor mine eye is lofty, neither do I exercise
myself in great matters or in things too high or too wonderful
for me. Well, David was a man who was
taught, truly taught, something of his own limitations. We read,
don't we, of the The disciples of the Lord reasoning among themselves
on one occasion, who of them was going to be the greatest.
That's how they reasoned. These are the disciples of the
Lord Jesus Christ. And we're told they wanted to
have some eminent place. The children of Zebedee, James
and John, Their mother goes and asks that one son sit on the
Lord's right hand and the other on his left hand when he comes
into his kingdom. You see they were of like passions
as we are. They were often proud men. Do
you remember how the Lord speaks to them and how he teaches them? A very striking lesson there
in the opening verses of Matthew chapter 18, that passage where
he takes a little child and sets that child in their midst and
draws their attention to that little one. In words there, Matthew 18, the
same time came the disciples unto Jesus saying, Who is the
greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child
answer him, and set him in the midst." Now, there are two nouns
for child here in the Greek. There's a diminutive. In other
words, there's a particular word that literally means little child.
And what we have here is that diminutive noun But we also have
the adjective little. So literally what it says is
Jesus called a little, little child, a very little child. This
was a child maybe just beginning to walk. He puts this little
child in the midst of them and then says, Verily I say unto
you, except ye be converted and become as little children, ye
shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore
shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest
in the kingdom of heaven." Oh, there's no place to see for the
pride of life if we are those who are the true followers of
the Lord Jesus Christ. We're all, you know, we're all
in danger, aren't we, of this awful snare If it's there in
the fall of our first parents' pride and unbelief, has it not
come down from them through all the generations? It's in our
hearts, by nature. Man is a proud creature. And we see it, of course, in
the behaviour of men. Oh, they think they can do anything. They can deny God. So they think. they will ultimately have to
appear before his tribunal. If not in this life, we all have
to appear at that tribunal, don't we, in some measure. Call before
the Lord of God, whatever things the law saith, it saith to them
who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped and all
the world become guilty before God. We have to be arrested in
this life and call to that judgment seat in our consciences. and
feel what we are as sinners. If not, it will come in the awful
day, the great day of judgment. Oh, to know what it is to be
called before God in the day of grace, and to see what it
means to become as little children when it comes to God and the
things of God. You see, I think the danger is
indicated in the words of the text this morning. Because we
have this repetition in the second verse. David says, Surely I have
behaved myself, I have behaved and quieted myself as a child
that is weaned of his mother. My soul is even as a weaned child. Twice we have that word, weaned
of his mother. even as a weaned child and that's
not vain repetition that's repetition to emphasize the truth and necessity
it's a vital part of growth in grace that we know what it is
to be weaned and to be weaned from our pride
and our arrogance And also, of course, in the sense the second
verse begins with an oath. The word surely is not insignificant
here, there's a great emphasis. And none of this is proud works
on the part of David, you know. I would say this, that a greater
than David is in the psalm. it's the Lord Jesus Christ who
is our David and it is the Lord Jesus Christ himself who can
surely utter the words that we have here in the opening verse
the man Christ Jesus Lord my heart is not haughty nor mine
eyes lofty neither do I exercise myself in great matters or in
things too high for me he was a humble man he was never anything
less than true almighty God But doesn't the apostle say, let
this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who thought
it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation,
and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the
likeness of men, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled
himself, became obedient to death, even the death of the cross.
It's the Lord Jesus. The psalm in that sense is messianic,
and some would say every psalm. Every psalm is Christ-centered. He said, search the scriptures,
they testify of me. Oh here is the Lord Jesus Christ,
what a pattern is Christ. And that's what Paul is saying
of course in that great second chapter of Philippians, full
of the doctrine of Christ, and yet so practical. Christians
are to have that mind, the mind of the Lord Jesus. We're going
to sing presently that lovely hymn of John Berridge, 686. Quaint, quaint John Berridge. Sometimes maybe you think it's
a bit too quaint. But what truths we need from
my lordly self, we need from the miser's palf, we need from
the scorner's weight, we need from the lust of praise. the
words often bear meditating upon, thinking upon the word palt of
course is from the same root as pilfer weaned from the miners
palt miser of course he just wants his money and he'll rejoice
over all that he's got Berry speaks of that man who's
weaned from these things And is it not a mark of the election
of grace? Paul says, writing to those Colossians,
put on therefore as the elect of God, humbleness of mind, meekness. These are marks of grace, humbleness
of mind, meekness of spirit. Surely I have behaved and quieted
myself as a child that is weaned of his mother. My soul is even
as a weaned child. Well we try to say something
with regards for the need of knowing something of that experience
of weaning if we're going to know what it is even to begin
to grow in Christ. Weaning in the natural realm
is an early experience in our lives and it must be there in
our spiritual life and not just at the beginning. We are to be
constantly weaned from these things. The world, the spirit
of the world, the pride of life, says John
there in that second chapter of his first epistle. All that
is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes,
and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the
world. Oh God, wean us from that. Let
us say a little in the second place with regards to the nature
of the weaning. the nature of the weaning, and considering some three things
briefly. First of all, and I've already
intimated something of this, weaning is painful. There's pain. Surely, I mean, we don't record
it. Our memories probably don't stretch back as far as the time
when we were taken from the breast. But how the child feels that, what comfort he finds with his
mother and now he's denied as the mother's love changed why
is the mother refusing him? it's a painful experience to
be weaned and so too with regards to the Lord's dealings I referred
to Baruch there in Jeremiah 45 life given for a pride He says
other things in that short chapter, read it, it's only five verses
long, chapter 45. He says there at verse 3, Thou
didst say, the Lord speaking of his servant Barret, Thou didst
say, Woe is mine now, for the Lord hath added grief to my sorrow,
I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest. Or when the Lord
deals with us, you see, in contrary ways, makes us sorrowful, makes
us to faint and to sigh and to cry out to Him. These experiences
are painful experiences. The Lord has to deal with us
in these ways to bring us to that place of humbleness of
mind. Again, think of the words that
Paul addresses to the believers at Philippi, there at the end
of the opening chapter. They had faith. They were believers. They were in Christ. A church
had been established. The ministry of the Apostle had
been greatly blessed. There were conversions. We read
it there in the 16th chapter of the Acts, his ministry. and
he says when he writes to that church at the end of the opening
chapter of Philippians unto you it is given in the behalf of
Christ to believe on him it is given you in behalf of Christ
to believe on him but not only to believe but also to suffer
for his sake it's that suffering again as the Lord has to deal
with us and go contrary to us and bring us into experiences
that we never choose, the way of faith, the narrow way that
leads to life. And weaning itself, if it's part
of that growth in grace, it's painful. It's painful, but it's
profitable. That's the second thing we have
to observe with regards to the nature of it. There is pain,
but there's also profit in the pain. Like chastening. If you endure chastening, Paul
says, God dealeth with you as with sons. What son is he whom
the Father chasteneth not? If you be without chastening,
then are you bastards, he says. You're illegitimate. If you're
the people of God, you'll know what it is for the Lord to chasten
you. And he goes on, doesn't he now know chastening for the
present seemed to be joyous, but grievous. nevertheless. Oh thank God for nevertheless.
Nevertheless afterward yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness
to them who exercise thereby. Oh are we exercised in these
things. No profit you see without the
exercise. Are we made to stop and to consider
and to examine ourselves. to meditate in his words it's a mark of growth is it not? when we know something
of those blessed exercises it's a mark of growth in the child
of course when that child can forego joys pastimes which one
seems so necessary to so essential really and they might in themselves
be harmless things so we think you know what Paul says there
in chapter 13 of 1st Corinthians when I was a child I spoke as
a child I understood as a child I thought as a child but when
I became a man I put away childish things well we have to grow you see
We've weaned off all these childish things, we've put them away. We're profited then, as we grow
on in the ways of the Lords. And then finally, not only painful,
also profitable, but oh, how peaceable it is. How peaceable
it is. What a word is this one in the
second verse, when he says, quieted. Surely I have behaved and quieted
myself, quieted my soul, as a child at his weaned of his mother,
completely at peace. Maybe we come into situations
in that, or that great trials, but all when when we're at peace
in that changed situation. It's only the grace of God. Our
circumstances change, our lives change. Those that have no changes,
they fear not God. The believer has many changes
in his life, but we have to pray for that spirit of meekness,
to be at peace in our situations. Paul says, I have learned in
whatsoever situation I am there with, to be at peace. Whatever
his circumstances, he's at peace, at peace with God. What does
the Lord say? Be still and know that I am God. And what is this God? Who is
this God that we know? Well, like as a father pitieth
his children, so the Lord pitieth his children. He knows our frame,
He remembers that we are dust He only seeks our best good This
is the God that we deal with What a privilege it is to have
this God as our God in the Lord Jesus Christ and to address Him
as our Father which art in heaven better than any earthly father
maybe we were favoured with good fathers and we love them. But
here is one, you see, a good God. The psalmist says they are
good and they do us good in all that the Lord does with us. Well,
I close with a line from one of John Newton's or a verse from
one of John Newton's hymns. It's not in Gadsby's selection.
You might well know the hymn. free from arts, make me as a
weaned child." Or that that might be your prayer and my prayer
today. The Lord bless His word to us.
Amen. Well, let us now sing our final
praise. At hymn 686, the tune is 494,
Jesus cast a look on me, give me sweet simplicity, make
me poor and keep me low, seeking only thee to know, weaned from
my lordly self, weaned from the miser's pouth, weaned from the
scorner's ways, weaned from the lust of praise. The hymn 686
of tune 494.