Psalm 5:7 But as for me, I will come into your house in the multitude of your mercy: and in your fear will I worship toward your holy temple. Two qualifications of a right worshipper of Jehovah are here set before us. 1. "I will come into Thy house in the multitude of Thy mercy." He seems to trace all the multitudinous streams of the Divine goodness to one great fountain, and then as he looks at that fountain overflowing on every side, and pouring out its waters in those numberless streams, he calls it a multitudinous fountain; he says, "The multitude of Thy mercy." He will go to God's house - (1) With a thankful remembrance of the Lord's great mercies past. (2) With a lively sense of God's great mercy now. And (3) With great expectations from His mercy. 2. "In Thy fear will I worship." Fear, as we generally experience it, is a humiliating and painful feeling. We suffer under it, and are ashamed of it. And because of this, we cannot disconnect the ideas of pain and humiliation from it. But fear is not necessarily a painful thing. Real godliness is called a "holy fear of God." Perfect love does indeed cast out fear; but what fear? Only the fear that hath torment; servile fear. The fear David means here, is that feeling which naturally arises in the human mind from the contemplation of any object immensely superior to ourselves. It is made up of admiration, awe, and reverence. The phrase "worship toward His holy temple," is taken from a custom among the Jews of always turning towards the temple or tabernacle when they prayed. 3. See these two things conjoined. They may be conjoined; and it is good for us to have these two things conjoined. The union qualifies us for the service and worship of God in His house. And these feelings must correspond with God's character. Let us all, then, seek to cultivate these holy feelings. (C. Bradley.) Parallel Verses KJV: But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple. |
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