Let us turn to the psalm that
we read, the familiar words, I'm sure, to many of us, the
great psalm, Psalm 107. Principally, of course, a psalm
that speaks to us of God's providences, how manifold the providence of
God is. Here the psalmist speaks of those
who would travel in the first part, verse 4, those who wandered
in the wilderness in a solitary way and found no city to dwell
in. Yet God is there watching over
them and directing all their steps And then he goes on to
speak of other circumstances. He makes mention of those who
might be said to be captives, verse 10, such as sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron.
How God brought down their heart with labor, they fell down and
there was none to help, we're told. He speaks also of those
struck down with sicknesses. In verse 17, fooled because of
their transgression and because of their iniquities, are afflicted
their soul. They bore us all manner of meat,
and they draw near unto the gates of death. All these under the
hand of God and His providential government of the world. He speaks
of seamen, there at verse 23 they that go
down to the sea in ships that do business in great waters they
see the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep wherever
men go they can never escape God and his providential government
and then he speaks at the end of the diverse circumstances
and situations that we find throughout this mortal life here upon the
earth. And our God can turn all sorts
of events around, verse 33, turneth rivers into a wilderness. And the water springs into dry
ground, a fruitful land in the barrenness for the wickedness
of them that dwell therein, he sends drought and famine. that
then also he can turn the wilderness into standing water and dry ground
into water springs and he can make that ground so fruitful
for men when they sow their fields and plant their vineyards all
these things then that the psalmist is speaking of concern his providential
government of the world however With regards to the psalms in
general, the great Protestant reformer John Calvin says that
psalms are an anatomy of the soul and surely this psalm in
particular might be said to be an anatomy of the soul. And this morning I, or rather
I should say this evening, I know we've looked previously at the
psalm in terms of God's providences, but I want this evening to consider
it in terms of that loving-kindness that he's spoken of at the end
of the psalm, the final words of the psalm, verse 43, "...who
so is wise and will observe these things, even they shall understand
the loving-kindness of the Lord. Taking up then that theme of
the loving kindness of the Lord. It is evidently a covenant word
and we are reminded of that in the sense that it is speaking
of the Lord as the God of the covenant. Jehovah, Lord, as we
have it here, in the capital letters taking us back of course
to Exodus 3 and what God says there to Moses concerning himself
he is the great I am that I am and that is the covenant name
he is the unchanging one I am the Lord I change not, therefore
ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. And this word that we have, which
is oftentimes in our authorized version rendered as loving kindness,
is a wonderful word because it's rooted in the idea of the God
of the covenant, his covenant faithfulness. It might be rendered
that way. They shall understand the covenant
faithfulness of the Lord. It also has the idea of the steadfastness
of the love of that God, the sovereignty of His grace. We
might think in terms of sure mercies, the language of Isaiah
55. the sure mercies of David. Well,
here is a word, you see, loving kindness that contains all these
ideas. There's a sense in which the
particular word that is used is one that we can scarcely translate
into our English language. It's so full and so pregnant
in its meaning. So I want us to consider something
of that loving kindness of the Lord. Now, of course, there is
a mystery. There is a mystery in all the
ways of God. We know that His sovereignty
is an absolute sovereignty. Psalm 115 and verse 3, our God
is in the heavens. He hath done whatsoever He pleased. None is able to say His hands.
None can challenge Him and say, what do us that? He does according to His goodwill
and pleasure. His sovereignty is absolute. And yet this God, so great a
God, is altogether beyond our understanding. How can we begin
to comprehend? Remember the language of Job
11, canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out
the Almighty and the Perfection? It is high as heaven, what can
so do? Deeper than hell, what can so know? The measure thereof
is longer than the earth and broader than the seas, the vastness
of all that God is. He fills heaven and earth and
His sovereignty is absolute and His providential government reaches
to every situation and all the detail of our poor mortal lives. What a mystery is this! Yet here
is something to be observed. Here is something that we should
meditate in. Those who observe these things,
it says, they understand the loving kindness of the Lord. And though God rebukes the children
of Israel, there in Isaiah 42, in the second verse, seeing many
things, but thou observest not, he says. Seeing many things,
but thou observest not. And again, similarly in another
psalm, in Psalm 28 and verse 5, Because they regard not the
works of the Lord, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy
them. And not build them up. We are
to take account of God and we are to take account of all the
works of God and all the ways of God. The word that we have here, to
observe, who so is wise and will observe these things. It's a strong verb. Literally
it means to watch. But to watch in such a way that
we're going to take account of what we're observing. We're going to keep it. We're
going to think upon it. We're going to meditate in it.
Remember how in the book of the Prophet Isaiah, God speaks of
watchmen in Isaiah 62, and there at verse 6, I have set watchmen
upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their
peace day nor night. Ye that make mention of the Lord
keep not silence. these watchmen Jerusalem a walled
city of course and therefore a fortified city and there would
be watchmen on the lookout to see whether there were any who
were maybe approaching the city who appeared to be enemies and
of course there were those occasions in Israel's history when the
city was under siege it was so When Sennacherib came with the
armies of the Assyrians in the days of King Hezekiah, the city
was besieged. Well, there would be watchmen,
watchmen to look out, their eyes open, alerts. Again, think of
the charge that's given to such watchmen in the book of another
prophet, the words that we find in the opening verses of Ezekiel
33. Again, the word of the Lord came
unto me, saying, Son of man, speak to the children of thy
people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land,
if the people of the land take a man of their coast and set
him for their watchman, If, when he seeth the sword come upon
the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people, then whosoever
heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning, if the
sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own
head. He heard the sound of the trumpet,
and took not warning, his blood shall be upon him. But he that
taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman
see the sword come and blow not the trumpet, and the people be
not warned, if the sword come and take any person from among
them, he is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood will
I require at the watchman's hand." How solemn a charge it is. The
watchman then, if he would clear his own soul, he must give the
warning. But if he fails to do that, why
the blood of the city is upon his head. It's a solemn thing
to be a watchman and yet this is how we are to be with regards
to the ways and the works of God. We're to be an observant
people. We're to meditate in his ways.
How are we going to ever understand the will of the Lord if we're
not those who are careful to watch his hand? We have the word
of God, yes, but we also ought to recognize that this God who
is sovereign over all his creatures is always executing his own secret
will and purpose. Even from day to day this is
the Lord who is ruling and reigning, not only over the affairs of
the nations, but over our individual lives. or if we would understand
them and discern what the Lord is doing. We must be those who
are an observant people, looking out, watching, waiting. We have the promise, don't we,
in another Psalm? Psalm 32, God says, I will instruct
thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go. I will guide
thee with mine eye. Be ye not as a horse or as a
mule which hath no understanding, whose mouth must be held in by
bits and bridle. What has God created? He has
made us reasonable beings. We're not brute beasts. And therefore
we are to be those who would be observant of our gods, recognizing
the blessed truth of His sovereignty, the comfort of that sovereignty
really. Nothing ever takes him by surprise. But there's not
only the need to be those who would be observant and ready
to watch, to observe and to meditate in the ways of the Lord, but
we're to remember and we're to pray over these things. We're
to pray over these things. It's interesting, that verse
that I've referred to in Isaiah 62, That sixth verse, there's
a marginal reading. At the end, we have an alternative. Ye that make mention of the Lord,
keep not silence, is in the margin rendered, ye that are the Lord's
remembrances, keep not silence. Now what is it to be a remembrancer?
Is it not to come and to remind God? to speak with God, to plead
His Word, when we read His Word and the things that God is saying
to us in the Scriptures. And the Bible, of course, is
full of precepts, full of promises. We're to pray over these things.
We're to remind God of the things that He has commanded us, that
He would make provision for us that we might be an obedient
people. We're to remind him of his exceeding great and precious
promises. We're to hold him fast to his
own word, the Lord's remembrances. Is that what we do? We're told,
aren't we, concerning Joseph and his dreams. And you remember
how he was a foolish man in many ways. He was the favourite of
his father. But he spoke maybe too openly
with his brethren. And they envied him. when he
comes and tells them of the dreams and interprets the dreams. But
we're told, aren't we, how his father observed the same. There
in Genesis 37 verse 11. His brethren envied him, but
his father observed the same. Oh, are we that people who are
observant. Think in the New Testament of
Mary. that highly favoured woman, blessed
art thou amongst women. She is the blessed virgin, isn't
she? And when the child Jesus is lost really, when they've
gone up to Jerusalem and they've come away with the company and
discovered that he's not there and they have to retrace their
steps and he's there sitting amongst the doctors of the law
And we're told concerning his mother that she kept all these
things in her heart. Or do we keep things in our hearts?
Do we observe these things? Are we those who want to pray
over these things? We want to understand something
of the ways of the Lord. We recognize there's mystery
in all that God does. And we cannot find him out by
all our searchings. But we want to know such a communion
with Him that we're those who are made wise, who so is wise. And we'll observe these things,
even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the Lord. All there is to be the understanding
there, the understanding of the ways of the Lord, the understanding,
the lovingkindness of the Lord. His ways are all loving kindness,
never anything but loving kindness. I know the thoughts that I think
towards you, he says to his people. Thoughts of peace and not of
evil to give you an expected end. Or better is the end of
the thing than the beginning thereof. And sometimes we lose
sight of that. We become impatient with the
Lord. All that mystery you see. He tells us quite plainly that
His thoughts towards His people are thoughts of peace. There
is going to be an expected end, a good end. Again, the 119th
Psalm, that lovely verse which tells us that God is good, they
are good and they do us good. He's a good God. but then his
way is in the sea and his path is in the deep waters and his
footsteps are not known so what are we to do if we are to understand
the loving kindness of the Lord and we need God's wisdom and
the text reminds us of that who so is wise who so is wise and
we fear ourselves to be so unwise Maybe we feel ourselves to be
too kind, and how can we understand the spiritual ways of the Lord?
We're not the Christian men and women that we should be. We feel
it. And we need a better wisdom than we have of our own. We need
a heavenly wisdom. And we're told, aren't we, there
in the opening chapter of the Epistle of James, what a man
is to do who desires wisdom. If any of you lack wisdom, It
says, James, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally
and upbraideth not. How God gives, you see, He gives
so liberally. And He doesn't upbraid us for
our lack of faith in coming to Him and asking Him. The man lacks
wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally,
but he is to ask in faith. nothing wavering, for he that
wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven of the winds and tossed,
and that man is not to think he'll receive anything of the
Lord. And we need that gift of praying faith if we're going
to come and ask God that he would grant us that wisdom, that heavenly
wisdom. Whoso is wise, Where can we obtain
such wisdom as this? Well, James goes on to describe
something of that wisdom, doesn't he, in a later chapter. In chapter
3 and verse 17 he says the wisdom that is from above is first pure
and then peaceable and gentle and easy to be entreated and
full of mercy and without partiality, without hypocrisy. Oh, what wisdom
is this! it always strikes me that he
says concerning that heavenly wisdom that before it is peaceable
it is first of all pure it is first pure then peaceable and
gentle and easy to be entreated and full of mercy and good fruits
and without partiality and without hypocrisy well surely we recognize
immediately where that where that wisdom lies it is the Lord
Jesus Christ. He is wisdom. And He is the wisdom
that we always stand in need of. Paul says, doesn't he, to
the Corinthians, of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is
made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption,
that as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the
Lord. Oh, we want the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the wisdom we must have,
you see, if we're going to understand the ways of the Lord and come
to any true understanding of His dealings and His loving-kindnesses. This word again that we have
in the text to understand, who's so wise? and will observe these
things even they shall understand understanding what is this understanding? well the verb that we have here
is what's called reflexive William Romain remarks the observer
finds his own interest the observer finds his own interest
that's what happens when he understands It's something concerning himself.
His observation will reflect back upon himself and upon himself
for good. And isn't that the way we're
to come to the word of God and particularly to the Psalms? We're
not just to consider the Psalms historically and objectively. Of course we're to consider God's
word in that way because as I've said God has created us as rational
thinking beings, and God reveals himself to us in words. He has given us this blessed
book, and even the Lord Jesus Christ himself,
that one in whom God's revelation of himself is fallen finally. He is the Word of God. He is
the Word of God incarnate. And so we need to come seriously
to God's Word, and to consider it in its context. It's good
to be familiar with it, to have some understanding of the background
of these events, and to see it all in context, and not just
to rip texts out of context, and make of them what we would,
and really just create a pretext, which is not really the Word
of God. There is a necessity there of being objective and
studying God's words. But when we come to the scriptures
surely there is to be something more than an historical and an
objective approach. We must also come to it in a
spiritual fashion and subjectively. Or do we have an interest in
these things that are written here in the Word of God? It's
an experimental book, and certainly that is true of the Psalms. The
psalmist is speaking of his own experiences. Time and again we
see that. And yet we know in those Psalms
that are clearly messianic, it's not just David's experiences,
but the Lord Jesus Christ is there in those Psalms. They are prophetic. And we know
that these things ultimately are written for us. All the Old
Testament belongs to us as well as the New Testament. All these things were told in
1 Corinthians chapter 10 concerning the experiences of the children
of Israel. All these things happened unto
them for ensembles, and they're written for our learning upon
whom the ends of the world are come. They're all types. That's what the word means, ensemble. Tupos, the type. And so when
we read in the Old Testament, there's some lesson for us to
learn. It will reflect back upon ourselves
and the Lord's dealings with us. Whatsoever things were written
are four times says Paul to the Romans were written for our comfort
that we through or for our learning that we through patience and
comfort of the scriptures might have hope all that's written
is for us, it's the word of God, it's the word of God for his
people and it's for his people in every generation and this
psalm As I said, it's so evidently speaking of God's providential
government. Here at the head of the page,
the header says of the content of the psalm, the manifold providences
of the Lord. The manifold providences of the
Lord. But you know, God's providence
often runs side by side with his grace and I think there's
a verse that teaches us that lesson that verse that we find
in the second chapter of the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians
in 1st Corinthians 2 and verse 13 he says which things Also
we speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which
the Holy Ghost teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. He's speaking then of that wisdom
which is taught by the Holy Ghost. And what is it? It's the comparing
spiritual things with spiritual. Now, the word, the verb there
to compare is that word from which the English word synchronize
is derived. That's the derivation of the
English word. The Greek verb is synchrino. Synchrino. And it's evident that
that has come over into our English in the word synchronize, synchronizing
gears, how these things all move together and so it is with God
comparing synchronizing spiritual things with spiritual, God's
providences with God's word, understanding God's dealings
with us by coming to the Word of God and seeking to see how
God's Word relates to all the details of our lives. Again, it has been said, you
see, with regards to this psalm in particular, that it is an
epitome of Christian experience. It's not just a book that's dealing
with God's providential government, it is that. but it's also dealing
with Christian experience. And that's what we really come
to, knowing something of God. And knowing most particularly
this loving kindness, this loving kindness of the Lord. These things surely answers to the loving
kindness of the Lord. Whoso is wise and will observe
these, things, even they shall understand the loving kindness
of the Lord." It's the parallelism that is that strange feature
really, time and again, of the Hebrew poet. The statements,
the clauses relate one to the other. And these things then,
answers to the loving kindness of the Lord. Now what are these
things? When we think in a in a spiritual sense. Well, we read,
don't we, of those who are spoken of as being in a sort of captivity. There at the tenth verse, such as sit in darkness and in
the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron, because
they rebelled against the words of God and contemned the counsel
of the Most High. Therefore He brought down their
heart with labour they fell down and there was none to help then
they cried unto the Lord in their trouble and he saved them out
of their distresses he brought them out of darkness and the
shadow of death and break their bands in sunder it goes on verse
16 he hath broken the gates of brass and cut the bars of iron
in sunder and when God you see is dealing with his people in
their souls when he brings them to that place of the realization
of what they are, sinners. Or when God causes us to see
what our true state is. Of course when we're dead in
trespasses and sins we're blissfully unaware that we're in a state
of alienation. We're far off from God, enemies
in our minds by all our wicked works. all but when God begins
to reveal these things to us and show us our true states and
shuts us in and shuts us up as it were to what we are and we're
brought to realize that there's no hope in ourselves we can do
nothing to save ourselves he shut us up a man says Job and
there can be no opening He's a sovereign God and He'll bring
us to the end of self. Isn't that the way whereby the
Lord teaches us what salvation is? No hope in self. Before faith came, we were kept
under the law, shut up, it says. Shut up to the faith that would
afterward be revealed. Last Thursday we were looking
at those words in another psalm, Psalm 142, remember? In the first
part of verse 7, bring my soul out of prison, says David. It's a psalm of David when he
was in the cave. And obviously, it seems it's
Cave of Dunham, most likely, and there he is, he's fleeing
from, he's persecuted to sword and he's in the cave and he's
moved by the Spirit of God to pen the words that we find in
that 142nd Psalm and it's a prayer, it's a prayer of David when he's
in the cave and he asks for release but it's interesting and we remarked
on that He doesn't say bring me out of the cave, bring me
out of this prison. He says bring my soul out of
prison. It's his soul. And the Lord sometimes
does shut us up and we feel we're at the end of ourselves. Lord
thou turn us man to destruction and say us return ye children
of men, those who are in captivity. Then we read also of those here
who are sick. verse 17, fools because of their
transgression and because of their iniquities are afflicted
their soul abhorreth all manner of meat and they draw near unto
the gates of death then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble
and he saveth them out of their distresses he sent his word and
healed them and delivered them from their destruction surely
the sickness here is spiritual sickness that's being spoken
of and he sends his words to heal his people. Or the Lord
himself says, they that are whole have no need of the physician,
but they that are sick. He comes not to call the righteous,
but sinners, to repentance. Those poor, sin-sick sinners
need repentance, and they need restorings, and they need the
Lord to come and to minister to them. Oh, he also is wise
and will observe these things. even they shall understand the
loving kindness of the Lord how the Lord deals with his people
in so many different ways we read also of course don't we
of those who are traveling some travel by land as we see here
in verses 4 through 7 some they travel by sea as we see later
there at verse 23 through 30 And how often they are made to
feel very much alone. What a word is that? Verse 4,
they wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way. They found
no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul
fainted in them. or it's a solitary way. Sometimes
it's like that for the people of God. There seems to be no
one else really who can understand the situation I'm in and what's
happening. The Lord's dealings with me,
they're so personal. Who can understand this path,
this trying path? Think of the language of the
hymn writer here in the hymn 308, companions if we find. Alas,
how soon they are gone, for it is decreed that most must pass
the darkest paths alone." Alone and yet not alone. Alone yet
not alone. Again, remember that psalm we
were considering only on the Thursday evening, and what he
said there in verse 3. when my spirit was overwhelmed
within me, then thou knewest my path." I love that. The when and the then. As he addresses God in his prayer,
what does David say? When my spirit was overwhelmed
within me, then thou knewest my path. No one else knows. No one else understands. All
help fails. But the Lord, the Lord knows.
the Lord knows and those spoken of doing business in the great
waters what does it say verse 26 they mount up to the heaven
they go down again to the depths their soul is melted because
of trouble they will chew and throw and stagger like a drunken
man and are at their wits end All their wits end. Of course
it's an expression that has come over into common use in our English
language, the great beauty of our authorized version. When
a person's at his wits end, he doesn't know what to do. And
yet, the Lord is dealing with this man. The margin says, all
their wisdom is swallowed up. Whoso is wise. Well, all the
wisdom is swallowed up, you see. I've got no wisdom. I can't understand. Well, what do we see time and
again? Four times, four times in the psalm we have those words
or they're not always identical. There are slight variations but
principally the same expression we have in verse 6, verse 13,
verse 19 and verse 28. Then they cried unto the Lord
in their trouble. and He delivered them out of
their distresses. Then they cried unto the Lord
in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses. Then they cried unto the Lord
in their trouble, and He saveth them out of their distresses. And then finally, verse 28, Then
they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and He bringeth them
out of their distresses. Each time there's a slight variation,
but it's the same truth. This is where the Lord brings
His people. They have to cry unto Him in
all their trouble. He saves them, He brings them
out, He delivers them. He does everything for them.
And what is He doing? He's leading them. Or even when
they wander in that wilderness, that solitary way. What does
it say in verse 7? He led them forth by the right
way. All the Lord, you see, His dealings,
what a mystery they are. But this is our comfort, this
God who is sovereign. He always leads us in the right
way. What are we to do then? We are
to pray for that spirit of meekness, or to wait upon Him, to look
to Him, to rest in Him. Whoso is wise and will observe
these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness
of the Lord. Oh God, bring us to understand
something of the wonder of what that lovingkindness really is,
His covenant faithfulness, His steadfast love, His sure mercies,
and the sovereignty of His grace. Oh, the Lord grant that we might
know these things, and not simply because we see them here on the
page of Holy Scripture, but in His ways and His dealings, the
Lord is writing these truths in all of our hearts. Well, the
Lord grant His blessing on His Word. Amen.