Homilist Psalm 79:1-13 O God, the heathen are come into your inheritance; your holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.… I. Here is a fact revealing the INHUMANITY OF MAN AND THE PERMISSIVE GOVERNMENT OF GOD. 1. What inhumanity is here! (vers. 1-3). (1) It is opposed to our a priori ideas of God, as a Being of infinite love. (2) It is repugnant to that moral sense that is implanted in every man. 2. What Divine permission is hotel Why does the Almighty allow such enormities to occur? (1) Perhaps because of the respect He has for that liberty of action with which He has endowed mankind. (2) Because of the existence of that state of retribution which He has appointed to succeed the present life. II. Here is a PRAYER REVEALING THE MIXTURE OF GOOD AND EVIL IN HUMAN PIETY. 1. Mark the good that is in this prayer (vers. 8, 9, 11). In these sentences there is — (1) A prayer to be delivered from the iniquities of froward men, that is, the bad influence of their sinful lives. (2) A prayer that Heaven would vouchsafe His compassion to us. "Let Thy tender mercies speedily prevent us;" which means, "hasten to meet us with Thy mercy."(3) A prayer for these of our fellow-men who are in distress. "Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee." All these aspirations command our admiration and are worthy of our imitation. 2. Mark the evil that is in this prayer (vers. 6, 10, 12). In all these clauses there is the hot flame of revenge, and this certainly is an evil. (Homilist.) Parallel Verses KJV: {A Psalm of Asaph.} O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps. |
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