I will meditate on the glorious majesty of your honor, on your wondrous works.
Men will speak of the might of your awesome acts. I will declare your greatness.
They will utter the memory of your great goodness, and will sing of your righteousness.
Parallel Translations
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I will meditate on the glorious majesty of your honor, on your wondrous works.
Men will speak of the might of your awesome acts. I will declare your greatness.
They will utter the memory of your great goodness, and will sing of your righteousness.
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I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.
And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.
They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.
Show all 3 translations
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The glorious splendour of Thy majesty, and Thy wondrous works, will I rehearse.
And men shall speak of the might of Thy tremendous acts; and I will tell of Thy greatness.
They shall utter the fame of Thy great goodness, and shall sing of Thy righteousness.
Cross-references (46)
- Isaiah 12:4 (v5) In that day you will say, “Give thanks to Yahweh! Call on his name. Declare his doings among the peoples. Proclaim that his name is exalted!
- Isaiah 63:7 (v7) I will tell of the loving kindnesses of Yahweh and the praises of Yahweh, according to all that Yahweh has given to us, and the great…
- Habakkuk 2:14 (v6) For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of Yahweh’s glory, as the waters cover the sea.
- Psalms 107:31-32 (v6) Let them praise Yahweh for his loving kindness, for his wonderful deeds for the children of men! Let them exalt him also in the assembly of…
- Daniel 3:28-29 (v6) Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel, and delivered his servants…
Show all 46 cross-references
- Psalms 36:10 (v7) Oh continue your loving kindness to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart.
- Psalms 119:27 (v5) Let me understand the teaching of your precepts! Then I will meditate on your wondrous works.
- Psalms 22:27 (v6) All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to Yahweh. All the relatives of the nations shall worship before you.
- Psalms 22:31 (v6) They shall come and shall declare his righteousness to a people that shall be born, for he has done it.
- Psalms 51:14 (v7) Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation. My tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
- Psalms 71:15-16 (v7) My mouth will tell about your righteousness, and of your salvation all day, though I don’t know its full measure. I will come with the…
- Psalms 113:3 (v6) From the rising of the sun to its going down, Yahweh’s name is to be praised.
- Psalms 126:2-3 (v6) Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, “Yahweh has done great things for…
- 2 Corinthians 9:11-12 (v7) you being enriched in everything to all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us. For this service of giving that you…
- Psalms 66:3 (v6) Tell God, “How awesome are your deeds! Through the greatness of your power, your enemies submit themselves to you.
- Psalms 71:19 (v7) Your righteousness also, God, reaches to the heavens; you have done great things. God, who is like you?
- Psalms 72:1-3 (v7) God, give the king your justice; your righteousness to the royal son. He will judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with…
- Psalms 72:18 (v5) Praise be to Yahweh God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.
- Psalms 92:1-2 (v6) It is a good thing to give thanks to Yahweh, to sing praises to your name, Most High, to proclaim your loving kindness in the morning, and…
- Isaiah 45:24-25 (v7) They will say of me, ‘There is righteousness and strength only in Yahweh.’ ” Even to him will men come. All those who raged against him…
- Jeremiah 50:28 (v6) Listen to those who flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of Yahweh our God, the vengeance of his…
- Revelation 19:1-3 (v7) After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation, power, and glory…
- Joshua 9:9-10 (v6) They said to him, “Your servants have come from a very far country because of the name of Yahweh your God; for we have heard of his fame,…
- Psalms 22:22-23 (v6) I will declare your name to my brothers. Among the assembly, I will praise you. You who fear Yahweh, praise him! All you descendants of…
- Psalms 36:5-8 (v7) Your loving kindness, Yahweh, is in the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God.…
- Psalms 40:9-10 (v5) I have proclaimed glad news of righteousness in the great assembly. Behold, I will not seal my lips, Yahweh, you know. I have not hidden…
- Psalms 71:24 (v5) My tongue will also talk about your righteousness all day long, for they are disappointed, and they are confounded, who want to harm me.
- Psalms 89:16 (v7) In your name they rejoice all day. In your righteousness, they are exalted.
- Psalms 104:1-2 (v5) Bless Yahweh, my soul. Yahweh, my God, you are very great. You are clothed with honor and majesty. He covers himself with light as with a…
- Psalms 105:2 (v5) Sing to him, sing praises to him! Tell of all his marvelous works.
- Psalms 107:21-22 (v6) Let them praise Yahweh for his loving kindness, for his wonderful deeds to the children of men! Let them offer the sacrifices of…
- Daniel 4:1-3 (v5) Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all the peoples, nations, and languages, who dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. It has seemed…
- Daniel 4:37 (v5) Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven; for all his works are truth, and his ways justice; and those who walk…
- Daniel 6:25-27 (v6) Then king Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages, who dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. “I make a…
- Matthew 12:34-35 (v7) You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. The good man…
- Philippians 3:7-9 (v7) However, I consider those things that were gain to me as a loss for Christ. Yes most certainly, and I count all things to be a loss for the…
- 1 Peter 2:9-10 (v7) But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of…
- Revelation 15:3-4 (v7) They sang the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God, the…
- Deuteronomy 32:3 (v6) For I will proclaim Yahweh’s name. Ascribe greatness to our God!
- Joshua 2:9-11 (v6) She said to the men, “I know that Yahweh has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants…
- Ezra 1:2 (v6) “Cyrus king of Persia says, ‘Yahweh, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he has commanded me to build him a…
- Psalms 71:17-19 (v5) God, you have taught me from my youth. Until now, I have declared your wondrous works. Yes, even when I am old and gray-haired, God, don’t…
- Psalms 98:2-3 (v6) Yahweh has made known his salvation. He has openly shown his righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his loving…
- Psalms 66:3-4 (v5) Tell God, “How awesome are your deeds! Through the greatness of your power, your enemies submit themselves to you. All the earth will…
- Psalms 96:3 (v5) Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples.
- Jeremiah 23:6 (v7) In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely. This is his name by which he will be called: Yahweh our righteousness.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On v7 7. They shall speak forth, etc. As the verb…
7. They shall speak forth, etc. As the verb נבע, nabang, means properly to gush out, some suppose, that, as applied to speech, it means not simply speaking, but an overflowing utterance, like water rushing from a fountain, and the verb ירננו, yerannenu, in the close of the verse, answers to this, meaning to shout, or sing aloud. To celebrate the memory of the Lord’s goodness, is the same with recalling to memory what we have personally experienced of his goodness. We cannot deny God’s claim to praise in all his excellencies, but we are most sensibly affected by such proofs of his fatherly mercy as we have ourselves experienced. David makes use, therefore, of this alluring consideration to induce us the more readily and cheerfully to engage in the praises of God, or rather, (according to the figurative word already used,) to burst forth in celebration of them.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v6 Of thy terrible judgments against the wicked.
Of thy terrible judgments against the wicked.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv5–7 Psa 145:5 I will speak of the glorious honour…
Psa 145:5 I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.
Ver. 5. I will speak of the glorious honour] Or, I will meditate of the glory of the honour of thy magnificence. I will discourse of those high and honourable conceptions that I have of thee, which yet words (how wide soever) are too weak to utter, such is thy transcendent excellence and surpassing glory.
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And of thy wondrous works] Wherein thou art in some sort to be seen, as the beams of the sun are made visible by reflection; and letters, being refracted and broken, in a pair of spectacles, are made legible to a dim eye.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv5, 7 The glorious honour of thy majesty: here are divers…
The glorious honour of thy majesty: here are divers words heaped together, to intimate that no words were sufficient to express it.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv5–7 I will speak of the glorious honour of thy…
I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty,.... Of the majesty of the divine Person of Christ; of the honour due unto him; of the glory of him as of the only begotten of the Father, as he is the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person; of his glory as Mediator, and the honour that belongs to him as such, with which he is now crowned at the right hand of the Majesty on high, angels, authorities, and powers, being subject unto him as the Lord and King of glory;
and of thy wondrous works; in becoming incarnate, in dying for the sins of his people, in rising from the dead the third day, in ascending to heaven and receiving gifts for men; in pouring down the spirit on them, in governing his church throughout all ages of the world, and judging the world at last.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v5 Psa 145:5-7. I will speak of the glorious honour,…
Psa 145:5-7. I will speak of the glorious honour, &c. — Here are divers words heaped together, to intimate that no words are sufficient to express the majesty of God. And of thy wondrous works — “Those works of God which demand to be celebrated by the tongues of men, are here divided into three kinds. First, such as declare his glory, and excite our admiration whenever we behold them. Of this sort are the shining frame of the heavens, and all the bodies which move therein; the earth, with its furniture without, and its contents within; the magnificent and stupendous ocean which flows around; the different tribes of animals inhabiting both the one and the other; and above all, the construction of man, the lord of this lower world. Under the second class of God’s works are ranged all those which the psalmist styles his terrible acts, or the exertions of his power against his enemies; such as the destruction of the old world by water; of Sodom and Gomorrah by fire; of Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea; of the Canaanitish nations by the sword; and the victory gained over sin and death by the resurrection of Christ. In the third rank stand those works which have proceeded from the goodness of God, and his righteousness, in the performance of his promises. And among these we may reckon all the different species of provision which have been made by providence, for the bodies of men in the world, and by grace for their souls in the church. On any of these subjects meditation cannot be long employed, without breaking forth into wonder, gratitude, and praise.” — Horne.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv5–7 I will speak - That is, in my acts…
I will speak - That is, in my acts of praise. I will not be ashamed to be known as his worshipper; I will publicly declare my belief in his existence, his greatness, his goodness.
Of the glorious honor of thy majesty - The glory of the honor of thy majesty. This accumulation of epithets shows that the heart of the psalmist was full of the subject, and that he labored to find language to express his emotions. It is beauty; it is glory; it is majesty: it is all that is great, sublime, wonderful - all combined - all concentrated - in one Being.
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And of thy wondrous works - Margin, “things,” or “words.” The reference is to wondrous deeds or acts considered as the subject of discourse or praise.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv5–7 I will speak--or, "muse" (Psa 77:12; Psa 119:15).
I will speak--or, "muse" (Psa 77:12; Psa 119:15).
thy wondrous works--or, "words of thy wonders," that is, which described them (Psa 105:27, Margin).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv5–7 5. The glorious splendour of thy majesty
5. The glorious splendour of thy majesty
And all thy marvellous works shall be my theme.
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Splendour, glory, majesty, are the attributes of God as King. Cp. Psa_145:12; Psa_21:5; Psa_104:1; Psa_96:6.
For the word rendered shall be my theme, lit. I will busy myself with, discourse concerning, see note on Psa_105:2.
thy wondrous works] The Heb. text reads the matters or details (דִּבְרֵי) of My marvellous works (cp. Psa_65:3; Psa_105:27); but the LXX represents a verb (יְדַבֵּרוּ), so that the verse would run, Of the glorious splendour of thy majesty do men talk, and of all thy marvellous works will I discourse. This reading improves the rhythm, and makes the structure of the verse correspond exactly to that of Psa_145:6. The further alteration of the first person in Psa_145:5 b, 6 b to the third in the LXX they will discourse … they will declare is unnecessary. Worship in P.B.V. = honour. Cf. Luk_14:10.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv5–7 (5) I will speak.—Or, perhaps, sing. The verb is…
(5) I will speak.—Or, perhaps, sing. The verb is often rendered meditate (Psa_77:12; Psa_119:15, &c.):
Thy wondrous works.—Rather, as in Psa_105:27 (see Note; comp. Psa_65:3), the details of thy wonders. In psalms like 105, 106, &c, is the detailed fulfilment of this purpose.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv5–7 I will speak of the glorious honor of thy…
I will speak of the glorious honor of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. (comp. Psa_26:7 Psa_71:17) It was the duty of every faithful Israelite to set forth God"s majesty, and to "declare his works with rejoicing". (Psa_117:2) David proclaims himself ready to perform this duty. Then, he thinks, others will join in.
Vers. 5, 6. The one and the many.
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It is interesting to note the alternations in this psalm, as in numerous others, of the one and the many. The psalmist declares what he himself will do, and then he tells also what the people at large will do. So it is here. The psalm opens with a personal declaration, "I will extol," etc.; "Every day will I bless," etc. Then in ver. 4 he speaks of all the generations of men; then (ver. 5) he returns to himself and his own purposes; ver. 6 asserts both the general conduct and his own, and then again speaks of men at large. Then at the end the declaration is made, both as to himself and "all flesh." Now, what do such alternations as these suggest? Surely the relations in which the one and the many may stand to each other in regard to God"s service.
I AS HERE, THERE MAY BE BOTH The psalmist is not left alone, but his joy in God and his praises are sympathized with and shared in by a goodly company of others. How rarely can this be said of any nation? Some there will be who will be on the Lord"s side; but they are very far from being all the people. It will be, as in this psalm, when we reach the heavenly world; there, there will be universal praise. But rarely is it so here. Still, there may be, and there are, oftentimes, approximations to this blessed condition, when not one here and there only, but when the people generally praise the works of the Lord. Let it be our prayer and endeavor to bring about such condition. It is the prayer of Psalm 67. Would that it were that of all the people of God!
II BUT THERE MAY BE NEITHER. Not only are the voices of the many silent as to the praise of God, but not one solitary voice is heard anywhere. So will it be amid the abodes of those who have finally rejected the grace of God, and are therefore lost. And there are, alas I utterly godless communities even now! When Noah was taken from his generation, all the rest could not furnish a solitary servant of God. So at Sodom and Gomorrah. And when the Christian Church had left the doomed Jerusalem, and betaken themselves to Pella, there remained such another godless people. Thank God, amongst mankind at large, he has never left himself without witness in some region or another; but in different localities it may be that there are neither the many nor even the one on the Lord"s side. If any servant of God knows of such a locality, that is where at once he should go and hear his testimony, and extol the Name of his God and King. The dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty; but woe betide that Church or that individual Christian who cares not for it, or seeks not to enlighten that darkness! Let us all remember that we are day by day fitting ourselves either for the abode where all men praise the Lord, or where none do, and each day sees us nearer the one or the other.
III OR THERE MAY BE ONLY THE ONE. There have been scenes where but one solitary voice has been lifted up for God, whilst all the rest have been either indifferent or his declared foes. Elijah thought he was such a one: "I only am left alone." And our blessed Lord foretold that it would be so with him: "Ye shall leave me alone," he said to his disciples. And sometimes it is so with faithful servants of God, as St. Paul before Agrippa and before Nero, when he said, "No man stood by me." And many a faithful missionary has known this awful loneliness; and had not God, for whom they alone witnessed, come and revealed himself to them, they could not have borne it. But this is the encouragement of the faithful yet solitary servant of God, that God will never let him be really alone, because the Lord himself will come and manifest himself to such servants, and thus fill them with his own joy. "My grace is sufficient for you." So spake Christ to the much-tried Paul; and so he speaks still to every one of his lonely witnesses, wherever they may be.
IV OR THERE MAY BE THE MANY, AND NOT THE ONE. The one may live in a very atmosphere of worship and service, and yet stand aloof from it himself. Have we not known families where every member is an avowed and faithful servant of Christ, and yet some one of their number stands separate and apart from all the rest? How is this? Sometimes such sad facts occur because, half unconsciously, but yet really, the reserved one is trusting to the godliness of the rest, and reckoning that that will serve for him without his becoming as they are. But let such remember that not one of us can by any means redeem his brother, or give to God a ransom for him;" each one of us must personally and individually give himself to God. There is no praising in a crowd. There was but one at the wedding-feast that had not on the wedding-garment; but when the king came in to see his guests, he was at once detected, and cast out into the outer darkness. That is a never-to-be-forgotten fact. And what makes the sin of such the greater is that they were so favorably placed for gaining eternal life. Everything is in favor of an individual soul, if all those around him are pressing into the kingdom of God. He has but to go with the stream not against it, as so many have to. How much increased, therefore, is their responsibility! Be thankful for such hallowed, helpful surroundings, and avail yourselves of them, as you should. S.C.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Charles H. Spurgeon 1885 · Public Domain On vv5–7 Ver. 5. I will speak of the glorious honour…
Ver. 5. I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty. 'Tis fit a king should speak of the majesty of the King of kings. David cannot give over the worship of God into the hands of others, even though all generations should undertake to perpetuate it: he must have his own individual share in it, and so he saith, "I will speak." What a speaker! for he no sooner begins than he heaps up words of honour "the glorious honour of thy majesty", or "the beauty of the honour of thy majesty." His language labours to express his meaning; he multiplies the terms by which he would extol Jehovah, his King. Everything which has to do with the Great King is majestic, honourable, glorious. His least is greater than man's greatest, his lowest is higher than man's highest. There is nothing about the infinite Lord which is unworthy of his royalty; and, on the other hand, nothing is wanting to the splendour of his reign: his majesty is honourable, and his honour is glorious: he is altogether wonderful.
And of thy wondrous works. All the works of God among men are Godlike, but certain of them are specially calculated to create surprise. Many works of power, of justice, of wisdom, are wonderful; and his work of grace is wondrous above all. This specially, and all the rest proportionately, should be spoken of by holy men, by experienced men, and by men who have the ability to speak with power. These things must not be permitted to pass away in silence; if others do not remember them, representative men like David must make a point of conversing upon them in private, and speaking of them in public. Let it be the delight of each one of us according to our position to speak lovingly of our Lord.
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Ver. 5. I will speak of the glorious honour, etc. The word which we here translate "speak", is considered by Hebrew critics to include also the idea of "expatiating", "speaking at large"; not merely "alluding to incidentally", but "entering into particulars"; as though one took delight in speaking upon the matter in hand. Now there is something very satisfactory in entering into particulars; we can often gather light upon a great truth by having had set before us some of the particulars connected with it; we can often understand what is too high for us, in itself and by itself, by some examples which bring it within reach of our dull understandings. We are like men who want to attain a height, who have not wings to fly up to it, but who can reach it by going up a ladder step by step. Particulars are often like the rounds of a ladder, little, it may be, in themselves, but very helpful to us; and to dwell upon particulars is often of use to ourselves; it certainly is to many with whom we converse.
Let us remember, that circumstanced as we are in our present state, we have no faculties for grasping in its simple grandeur the glorious honour of the majesty of God. We know most of God from what we know of his doings amongst the children of men. Hereafter, the Lord's people shall, no doubt, have much revealed to them of the glorious honour of the majesty of God, which they could now neither bear nor understand; meanwhile they have to know him chiefly by what he has said and done; and if only our eyes be open, we shall be at no loss to recognise in these the glorious honour of his majesty. Philip Bennett Power.
Ver. 5. I will speak, etc. I will "muse" is better than "speak", as being the primary and more usual sense of the Hebrew word. It suggests that these glorious qualities of God's character and deeds should be not merely talked about and extolled in song, but be deeply pondered, laid close upon our very heart, so that the legitimate impression may be wrought into our very soul, and may mould our whole spirit and character into God's own moral image. Henry Cowles.
Ver. 5. With what a cumulus of glowing terms does Holy Writ seek to display the excellence of Deity! By these descriptions, those attributes which are feebly imitated or reflected in what we call good among created things are declared to exist in God, infinitely, immutably, ineffably. Martin Geier.
Ver. 5. Thy wonderful works. Heb.: "the words of thy wonderful works." Thus the Psalmist declares that the records left of God's olden doings in the history of Israel are very precious. He has heard them. Moses and Aaron and others spoke them. He delights in them; he will sing them again on his own harp. Hermann Venema.
Ver. 5-6. Ps 145:5 speaks of God's opera mirabilia; Ps 145:6 of his opera terribilia. The former delight his saints; the latter terrify the wicked. John Lorinus.
Ver. 5-7. The Antiphon.
1. To praise God is a personal duty: "I will."
2. Its right performance will excite others to engage in it: "And men shall."
3. The accompaniment of others in praise will react upon ourselves. "And I will"; "And they shall abundantly", etc.
4. Such praise widens and expands a it rolls along. Beginning with God's majesty and works, it extends to his acts, greatness, goodness, and righteousness. C. A. D.
Ver. 5-7.
1. Subjects for praise.
1. Divine majesty.
2. Divine works.
3. Divine judgments.
4. Divine greatness.
5. Divine goodness.
6. Divine righteousness.
2. Of whom is it required.
1. Personal; "I will speak."
2. Universal; "men shall speak." G. R.
Psalms 145:6*
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv6–7 And men shall speak of the might of Thy…
Psa_145:6-7
And men shall speak of the might of Thy terrible acts: and I will declare Thy greatness.
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How the unspeakable is spoken of
Various are the ways in which men speak of the Lord. There is an ascending scale in the four sentences of our text. We hear--
I. The awestruck talk. Men shall . . . terrible acts. There have been times m human history when men have thus spoken. As often the flood, the destruction of Sodom, the judgments on Egypt, on Canaan. So, too, in regard to Nineveh, Babylon. When such acts are abroad turn them into prayer that men may learn Gods lesson from them. Such acts leave deep impress; the boldest blasphemers are silenced then.
II. The bold discourse. And I will declare Thy greatness. After the many have spoken in awe I will deliver my soul with courage. It is the right time for this. I heard it said of a certain preacher by one who was no ill judge, though a simple countryman, I have heard many preachers, but I never heard one that seemed to make God so great as that man does. That was high praise--too little deserved in our day. All divinity is now to be shaped according to man, and from mans point of view. Men are such wonderful beings in this nineteenth century that we are called upon to tone down the Gospel to the spirit of the age--that is, to the fashions and follies of human thought as they vary from day to day. This, by Gods help, we will never do. But after the awestruck people talking of Gods mighty acts, and then the child of God coming in with his personal testimony, we have--
III. The grateful outpouring of thankful spirits. They shall abundantly utter the memory of Thy great goodness. The Hebrew word tells of a bubbling up, as of a full fountain, a springing well. Did you ever tell the story of your life to anybody to the full? Did you ever write it? I am sometimes not a little amused, certainly not surprised, when I get, as I did this week, a letter upon foolscap, twelve sheets, twenty-four pages, all filled up with the story of a man I never saw, who lives far away in the backwoods. Nothing will do but he must tell somebody or other what God has done for him, and he has selected me to hear it. But I like the instinct that makes a man feel, I must tell what the Lord hath done for me.
IV. Listen to the select song. It is of Thy righteousness. David says in Psa_51:1-19. that he will sing aloud of this. Is it not a strange choice? Gods righteousness is a terror to many. But see how Gods righteousness is preceded and succeeded by mention of His goodness. It is righteous mercy and merciful righteousness. What a horror it would be if we had an unrighteous God. But He is righteous in all that He reveals, commands, decrees, does; in all His judgments, but especially in Christ Jesus. To sing of Gods righteousness is in our day one chief mark of real conversion. If we were more sanctified we should be less tempted to cavil at the righteousness of God. Here is a man who takes down his Bible, and he reads, These shall go away into everlasting punishment. Cant bear it, says he. It is because you do not know the mind of God fully, or else, terrible as it is, you would say, It must be right if God determines it. The modern men blot out from Gods Word what they like, or they lay it aside altogether. But when the soul is brought to know God it does not question His Word or His doings any more. Men dream, and then assert their visions as truth. If there be a larger hope, so be it, but let me not preach it as a doctrine. Let us each learn to say, I will sing of Thy righteousness. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v6 declare your abounding goodness
declare your abounding goodness
"tell others how very good you are"
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translationWords
power
might
declare
good
righteous
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.