For a cup is in the hand of the LORD, full of foaming wine mixed with spices. He pours from His cup, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to the dregs. Sermons
I. THAT OUR LIFE IS GIVEN TO US OF THE LORD. It is a cup, a portion, an assigned lot, intended and ordered for us. "The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" So said our blessed Saviour of the life allotted to him. Life for us all is in the hand of God, and he gives it to each one as he sees fit. This is a very blessed truth. For we know we have no choice over the main elements of our life; when, where, with what endowments, many or few, or of what parentage we shall be born, - all this we have no control over. But it is good to know that not chance, still less ill will, but the Lord, has assigned to each of us the life we have to live, and he, like the master of the feast, deals out to each his cup (cf. Psalm 100," It is he that hath made us," etc.). Therefore we may be sure that he means it to be for our good; for - II. HE PURPOSES THAT IT SHOULD BE BRIGHT AND JOYOUS. This, though apparently so contrary to what life is to many, is, nevertheless, what the metaphor employed here means, it tells of the wine which was meant to "make glad the heart of man;" the wine which was the symbol, not of vile debauchery, as it too often is in this country, but of gladness, mirth, joy. And the wine spoken of is of the choicest sort - sparkling, foaming, bright, not some common sour beverage, such as the "vinegar" which one of the soldiers at the cross gave to our Lord to drink when he cried, "I thirst." But the cup which the Lord gives us, as many of his children know, the life which he assigns us, is one that he would have to be rich and bright and glad. Not rich it may be - it rarely is - with this world's wealth, but rich with those "unsearchable riches," with that "heavenly gift," which is the perpetual gladness of the soul. Do we all of us know this? We ought to. The fault is our own if we do not. Our Lord would have us all live - and we may - bright and blessed and beautiful lives. We thirst for joy, and God gives us, in the gift of life, a cup full of it. But, as in the happiest of homes, the child to be happy must be obedient, so is it with ourselves towards God. III. NEVERTHELESS, THERE IS MUCH OF DANGER IS IT. "It is full of mixture" (cf. Proverbs 9:2). As was the wine mingled with myrrh, intended to stupefy the senses, which was given to our Lord on his way to Calvary. This mixture increased the intoxicating power of the wine, or acted as a narcotic to deaden the senses. And in the cup of life there is much to intoxicate, to excite with pride and passion, and to unduly lift up the foolish heart. See Jeshurun, Nebuchadnezzar, the power of wealth, the pride of life, the effects of power, etc. Oh, how many souls have been ruined thus! And there is much to deaden or dull all holy sensibility. Yes, "full of mixture" is this cup of life. IV. THE WICKED DRINK THE DREGS. They drink so deeply, the world is everything to them, they care for nothing else, and they find that life has its dregs, and they have to drink them. Evil conscience, fear of judgment, disappointment, the future dark, death without hope, - these are some of the dregs. Oh for grace that we may use the world, and not abuse it! - S.C.
For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red. : — In this verse we have a lively description and amplification of the judgments of God upon the world, which are here set forth unto us under a threefold representation of them. First, in their preparation. Secondly, in their execution. Thirdly, in their participation.I. THE PREPARATION. 1. The vessel — a cup. By this we may understand whatsoever it is which is the means, and conveyance, and derivation of any evil unto us. God makes the same providences to be a cup of physic to His children, for the recovering of them from their spiritual infirmities, and a cup of poison to His enemies, for the destroying of them, in the midst of their sins. 2. The liquor.(1) Red wine — a cup of blood prepared for the inhabitants of the world, as an expression of God's vengeance upon them.(2) Full of mixture, i.e. wrath and revenge. 3. The preparer — God Himself. II. THE EXECUTION. God will not be always in the forewarnings of judgment, He will be at last in the dispensations of it. He will not be always tempering it, He will be at last pouring out of it. The Lord is full of patience and longsuffering, and bears much with the sons of men for a long while together; but when His patience and longsuffering is once abused, He then comes on to punishment and execution. And this I say it is, when sin is come to its ripeness and maturity, and is at its full growth. There are three aggravations of sin which do put God upon the execution of judgment, and this pouring forth of wrath. 1. Boldness and insolence in sinning (Jeremiah 8:12). 2. Generality in sinning; when it comes to taint and overspread a whole nation. 3. Security and presumption. III. THE PARTICIPATION. 1. The persons mentioned. "The wicked of the earth," that is, such as are more scandalous, and presumptuous, and impenitent, and farthest from reformation; such as those who, for the nature of sin, are more abominable, and for the continuance in it, are more incorrigible; these are they which the Holy Ghost does here point at in a more principal manner. 2. The evil denounced against them.(1) The potion or draught itself, it is the dregs of the cup. This is the potion of wicked men, while 'tis said they shall drink the dregs, there are three things implied in this expression as belonging unto it. (a) (b) (c) (T. Horton, D. D.) II. HOW THE UNGODLY MAN DRINKS. IV. The text says, "He drinks the dregs." Now, the dregs of any liquor are the pernicious parts. It is fairly implied, therefore, that the ungodly man turns both the good and evil of life to his own destruction. III. HOW THE GODLY MAN DRINKS IT. As the ungodly man drinks the dregs, the finer parts of the liquor are, of course, the portion of the godly man. In the first place, he expects to find a degree of bitterness in his cup. He sees the propriety of it, and fully acknowledges the great usefulness of this mixture of good and evil. If the potion were perfectly palatable, he fears he might drink to excess. When it pleases Heaven to bless him; when his designs succeed; and his hopes dilate in some view of happiness before him, "Now is the time" (he suggests to himself) "when I must guard my heart with double care. Now is the time when insolence, and wantonness, and pride, the attendants of a prosperous hour, are most liable to corrupt me. Let prosperity soften my heart, instead of hardening it. Let me be humble, and mild, and condescending, and obliging to all. In the midst of my own enjoyments, let my heart expand. Let me feel the misery of others; and turn my plenty to the relief of their necessity." Again, when it pleases Heaven to mix some bitter ingredients in his cup, still he has the same sense of acting under the will of God. "Now," he cries, "is the time when I am to exercise patience and resignation. Now my religion is put to the test. Shall I receive good at the hand of the Lord, and not receive evil? Gracious God! grant that I may improve my heart under this trial of my faith; and make my sufferings, through Jesus Christ, the means of purifying my affections. Let me for His sake bear a Lifting part of what He bore for me; and let me keep that great pattern of suffering resignation always before my eyes." Thus the godly man drinks of the Lord's cup, and his draught, whether sweet or bitter, is wholesome to him. (W. Gilpin.) People Asaph, Jacob, PsalmistPlaces JerusalemTopics Cup, Drain, Draught, Dregs, Drink, Drop, Foamed, Foameth, Foaming, Foams, Full, Indeed, Mixed, Mixture, Overflowing, Pour, Poureth, Pours, Red, Sinners, Spices, Surely, Thereof, Wicked, Wine, Wring, YeaOutline 1. The prophet praises God2. He promises to judge uprightly 4. He rebukes the proud by consideration of God's providence 9. He praises God, and promises to execute justice. Dictionary of Bible Themes Psalm 75:8 1265 hand of God Library Of Compunction of HeartIf thou wilt make any progress keep thyself in the fear of God, and long not to be too free, but restrain all thy senses under discipline and give not thyself up to senseless mirth. Give thyself to compunction of heart and thou shalt find devotion. Compunction openeth the way for many good things, which dissoluteness is wont quickly to lose. It is wonderful that any man can ever rejoice heartily in this life who considereth and weigheth his banishment, and the manifold dangers which beset his soul. … Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ Advertisement. Derivative Doctrines. Grace and the Means of Grace; the Christian Life; the Last Things. The Power of God Appendix v. Rabbinic Theology and Literature The Mountainous Country of Judea. Of his Cross what Shall I Speak, what Say? this Extremest Kind of Death... St. Malachy's Apostolic Labours, Praises and Miracles. Third Stage of the Roman Trial. Pilate Reluctantly Sentences Him to Crucifixion. Ci. Foretelling his Passion. Rebuking Ambition. The Eternity of God A Few Sighs from Hell; The Providence of God Psalms Links Psalm 75:8 NIVPsalm 75:8 NLT Psalm 75:8 ESV Psalm 75:8 NASB Psalm 75:8 KJV Psalm 75:8 Bible Apps Psalm 75:8 Parallel Psalm 75:8 Biblia Paralela Psalm 75:8 Chinese Bible Psalm 75:8 French Bible Psalm 75:8 German Bible Psalm 75:8 Commentaries Bible Hub |
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