They will utter the memory of your great goodness, and will sing of your righteousness.
Parallel Translations
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They will utter the memory of your great goodness, and will sing of your righteousness.
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They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.
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They shall utter the fame of Thy great goodness, and shall sing of Thy righteousness.
Cross-references (16)
Passages linked to Psalms 145:7 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Isaiah 63:7 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 goodness toward the house of Israel, which he has given to them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses.
- Psalms 36:10 Oh continue your loving kindness to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart.
- Psalms 51:14 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 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 mighty acts of the Lord Yahweh. I will make mention of your righteousness, even of yours alone.
- 2 Corinthians 9:11-12 you being enriched in everything to all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us. For this service of giving that you perform not only makes up for lack among the saints, but abounds also through much giving of thanks to God,
- Psalms 71:19 Your righteousness also, God, reaches to the heavens; you have done great things. God, who is like you?
- Psalms 72:1-3 God, give the king your justice; your righteousness to the royal son. He will judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice. The mountains shall bring prosperity to the people. The hills bring the fruit of righteousness.
- Isaiah 45:24-25 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 will be disappointed. All the offspring of Israel will be justified in Yahweh, and will rejoice!
- Revelation 19:1-3 After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation, power, and glory belong to our God; for his judgments are true and righteous. For he has judged the great prostitute, who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality, and he has avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.” A second said, “Hallelujah! Her smoke goes up forever and ever.”
- Psalms 36:5-8 Your loving kindness, Yahweh, is in the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God. Your judgments are like a great deep. Yahweh, you preserve man and animal. How precious is your loving kindness, God! The children of men take refuge under the shadow of your wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the abundance of your house. You will make them drink of the river of your pleasures.
- Psalms 89:16 In your name they rejoice all day. In your righteousness, they are exalted.
- Matthew 12:34-35 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 out of his good treasure brings out good things, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings out evil things.
- Philippians 3:7-9 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 excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and count them nothing but refuse, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith,
- 1 Peter 2:9-10 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 him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. In the past, you were not a people, but now are God’s people, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
- Revelation 15:3-4 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 Almighty! Righteous and true are your ways, you King of the nations. Who wouldn’t fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? For you only are holy. For all the nations will come and worship before you. For your righteous acts have been revealed.”
- Jeremiah 23:6 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)
Explain this verse (11 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 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.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Psa 145:7 They shall abundantly utter the memory of…
Psa 145:7 They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.
Ver. 7. They shall abundantly utter] Eructabunt: as a fountain casteth out waters plentifully and constantly, so shall those that are like minded to me abundantly and artificially (even with songs) set forth thy goodness and faithfulness; saying, and singing,
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 The memory of thy great goodness; the memorials of…
The memory of thy great goodness; the memorials of thy kindness to thy people, thy never to be forgotten blessings.
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 They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great…
They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness,.... Not only his essential goodness, or the perfections of his nature; nor his providential goodness only; but his special grace and goodness to his own people in becoming their surety, in assuming their nature, in laying down his life for them, in working out their salvation, in paying their debts, and providing for them food and raiment, and all things pertaining to life and godliness: which goodness is "great", inexpressibly great, and passing knowledge; if we consider the spring of it, his good will and free favour, and not the works and merits of men; the multitude of persons it reaches to, all the elect of God, a number which no man can number, out of every people and nation; and the many benefits bestowed on them through it, all the blessings of goodness he himself is prevented with, even all spiritual blessings that are in him. Now this will be remembered by the saints, and not forgotten; in "the memory" of which they are assisted by the Spirit of God, who brings this goodness to their remembrance; and under the Gospel dispensation an ordinance is appointed to refresh the memory of the saints with it; and with such helps they are enabled at times "abundantly" to "utter" it, or to speak of it in a very free and flowing manner; it comes from them like water from a flowing fountain, as the word (c) signifies; out of the abundance of their hearts, and the great sense they have of his goodness, their mouth speaketh;
and shall sing of thy righteousness; his essential righteousness as God, the same with his divine Father's; his righteousness as Mediator, or his righteous and faithful performance of his office, as such; and his justifying righteousness, which he undertook to work out and bring in: and those that know it, and have an interest in it, have great reason to sing, because it is commensurate to the demands of law and justice; and so large a robe of righteousness as to enwrap and cover all their persons, and justify them from all things; and because it is so beautiful, rich, and glorious, and makes them appear so; and because it is so well-pleasing to God, and so comfortable and beneficial to them; securing them from wrath, and entitling them to eternal life. Aben Ezra adds the word "saying", as if what follows was, the subject matter of the song.
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(c) "eructabunt", Montanus, Piscator; "scaturient", Cocceius.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great…
They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness - Hebrew, The memory of the greatness of thy goodness they will pour forth. The word rendered “abundantly utter” means to bud forth, to gush out, to flow, as a fountain. Pro 18:4; Pro 1:23; Pro 15:2, Pro 15:28. It is applied to words as poured forth in praise. The meaning is, that the heart is full, as a fountain is full of water, and that it naturally overflows, or seeks to discharge itself. The thought of the goodness of God fills the heart, and makes it overflow with gratitude.
And shall sing of thy righteousness - They shall shout for joy at the displays of thy justice; at the manifestations of thy righteous character.
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 memory-- (Psa 6:5), remembrance, or what causes to be…
memory-- (Psa 6:5), remembrance, or what causes to be remembered.
righteousness--as in Psa 143:1, goodness according to covenant engagement.
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 7. They shall abundantly utter] Lit. pour forth as…
7. They shall abundantly utter] Lit. pour forth as a perpetual stream of praise, as in Psa_119:171.
thy great goodness] Cp. Psa_31:19; Isa_63:7.
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shall joyfully sing of thy righteousness] i.e. God’s faithfulness to His revealed character. Cp. Psa_143:1, note; Psa_51:14.
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 (7) Abundantly utter.—Literally, pour forth in a stream, as…
(7) Abundantly utter.—Literally, pour forth in a stream, as in Psa_19:2; Psa_78:2.
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 They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great…
They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness; literally, they shall pour forth as a strong springthe memory of thy great goodness; i.e. the tale of all the mercies that thou hast vouchsafed them. And shall sing of thy righteousness; i.e. shall sing hymns of praise for thy righteous dealings with them.
Vers. 7-9, 14-16, 18-20. The goodness of God.
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As the years increase we are inclined to review the past rather than forecast the future. What shall we dwell upon as we look backward? We should cherish not the recollection of past troubles and difficulties, but "the memory of God"s great goodness" (ver. 7). And we do well to extend the field of observation beyond our own experience, and regard
I THE VAST BREADTH OF HIS BENEFICENCE. All his works praise him," for he is "good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works." On whom doth not his light arise? He makes his sun to shine on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust. "The eyes of all wait upon him," etc. (vers. 15, 16). To his care the insect owes its hour of pleasure, and to his goodness the strong beast of the forest its strength and swiftness, and to his skill and his remembrance the bird of the air its flight and its song. We, too, ascribe our life, our health, our comforts, our domestic joys, our social happiness, our intellectual delights, our spiritual satisfactions, to the bounties of his hand and the kindness of his heart of love. There is no living thing whose powers and whose pleasures do not testify of the goodness of the beneficent Creator. "All his works praise him" (ver. 10).
II HIS PITIFULNESS AND HIS TENDERNESS. (Vers. 8, 14)
1. "The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion." This is another utterance of that invaluable truth contained in Psalm 103, "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him". (see Exo_3:7 Joe_2:18) It is one of the truest comforts in suffering and in sorrow that we are pitied by our Divine Savior; that he feels with us in our grief; is "full of compassion" for us. The presence of pure and strong human sympathy is, in itself, an assurance of the Divine; but we are thankful for this clear and express statement of it.
2. The Lord is gentle toward us. He looks upon those that have fallen into error, into fault, into disgrace, into defeat, and he "upholds them;" he regards those that are "bowed down" in sorrow, in weakness, in discouragement, that can "in no wise lift themselves up," and he "raises them up". (see Luk_13:11) The compassion shown by our Lord during his earthly life, his pity for those who were faint and hungry, and for those who were diseased, and for the children of sorrow, is the best assurance, as it is the perfect manifestation of the compassion of the Father himself; while "the gentleness of Christ" in all his treatment of those that were down and that were despised is, and will ever be, the most exquisite illustration of "the gentleness of God". (Psa_18:35 2Co_10:1)
III HIS PATIENCE AND FORGIVENESS. (Ver. 8) He is "slow to anger, and of great mercy.
1. The patience of God was illustrated in his forbearance with his rebellious people in "the days of old;" the patience of Jesus Christ was shown in his treatment of his disciples who were so "slow of heart to learn," not only what the prophets had spoken, but what their own Master taught them. (Mat_15:17 Mat_16:9) The patience of our Lord is exemplified in his bearing toward us, whom, notwithstanding all our imperfections, he regards as his friends and fellow-laborers. Now, as before, he is "slow to chide, and swift to bless.
2. He is of "great mercy," pardoning those who have done the worst things, who have gone the furthest or stayed the longest away from him.
IV HIS RESPONSIVENESS. (Vers. 18-20)
1. He is very near in spirit and in sympathy to those who reverently and inquiringly draw near to him, so that those who seek him may feel that he is not afar off, but "very present" with them; nearer to them than they to one another.
2. He hears and answers his people"s prayers; he interposes on their behalf. He gives them their hearts" desires; he saves them from all spiritual evil; he causes them to triumph; he preserves those who love him in their faith and in their love, and therefore in their joy and in their hope. He gives to them the heritage of the holy, here and hereafter.
Love"s full-flowing spring.
This is what is meant by the abundant utterance told of in this verse. It is as the waters bursting out from a full spring irrepressible, perennial, abundant; so when the memory of God"s great goodness possesses the soul, it leads to such outpouring of grateful expression as the psalmist here tells of. Now let us speak
I OF THE SPRING ITSELF. It has two great sources.
1. God"s great goodness. The psalm tells much of God"s providential goodness how "the eyes of all wait upon thee, and," etc. (vers. 15, 16). And what a theme for never-failing praise this is! Who can reckon up the mercies of God given to us here and now, for the supply of our temporal wants, and for the comfort of our lives? Since this life is brief, earthly, inferior, of comparatively little worth; and yet how doth God care for it! He crowneth it with loving-kindness and tender mercy. But his "great" goodness has to do with the eternal life; and when we think of what he has done for that, we can see that his goodness is indeed great. Whether we contemplate the depths of sin and misery from which his grace has brought us up; or whether we tell of the glorious heights of joy, sanctity, and service, to which he is bringing us; or of the pure beauty and grace which prompted him thus to deal with us so utterly undeserving; or of the fearful cost at which he purchased us even the precious blood; or of the present blessed help of his Holy Spirit, which we daily enjoy, and by which we are enabled to serve and glorify him, and to become channels of blessing to others; when we think of all this, or of any part of it, our souls are lost in wonder as we gaze with awe and unspeakable gratitude on his great goodness.
2. The other source of this spring is Gods righteousness. "They shall sing of thy righteousness." To the guilty soul, trembling with fear of God"s condemnation, God"s righteousness is a source of terror rather than joy. But to him who has received God"s salvation aright, it causes his soul to sing for joy. For deep down in the heart of man is the conviction that nothing but righteousness can endure for ever; it is the permanent element in all things that do endure. Without it that which seems most stable, fixed, and sure will ere long perish and disappear. And even the goodness of God his great goodness, unless there were righteousness at the heart of it, could not give the soul rest. It is because Christ is the Lord our Righteousness, as well as the Lord our Redeemer, that therefore we believe he is our Redeemer. In him we see how God can be just, and yet the Justifier of him who believeth in Jesus. And the righteousness of God is our soul"s support amid the manifold and many sorrowful mysteries of life. "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" That is our deep conviction, though we cannot understand all that he does. We are sure that in good time all will be seen to be right, which now often seems to us most wrong. And there is yet another clement of joy in God"s righteousness that it is sure to reproduce itself. "Good and upright is the Lord, therefore will he teach sinners in the way." Then he will teach me, he will satisfy my soul"s hunger after righteousness.
II ITS CHANNELS. They are pointed at in ver. 6.
1. Men have been convinced of Gods righteous judgments. They" speak of the might of thy terrible acts." A solemn fear of God takes possession of them, they tremble with deep alarm, they are pricked to the heart. "When thy judgments are abroad, then the inhabitants of the earth will]earn righteousness." Like the men of Nineveh under Jonah"s awful preaching, and like many a sinful soul since. Deep conviction of sin is wrought by the Holy Spirit, and it is along this channel God"s great goodness flows.
2. The proclamation of God s exceeding grace. "I will declare thy greatness." The psalmist sees and seizes the opportune time; and now, when the conviction of the Holy Spirit has prepared the way, sets forth the grace; for that is the greatness of God. Of the greatness of his justice and his power they already know; now they are told of the greatness of his mercy and of his readiness to forgive. Well is it when the Christian teacher can find hearts thus prepared; for then it is speedily seen that God"s Word does not return to him void.
3. For there follows the reception into the heart of the truth of Gods great goodness. They could not have afterwards abundantly uttered the memory of that great goodness, unless first they had believingly received it. Thus along these channels of conviction, proclamation of the grace of God, and believing reception of it, we come next to
III ITS RESERVOIR. Its storage in the memory. The truth of God"s grace had not merely glanced on the minds of those here spoken of, but it had come to stay. Hence it was treasured up in the reservoir of memory.
Well is it when our minds are thus stored with memories of the grace of God his great goodness to our souls.
IV ITS OUTFLOW.
1. In abundant utterance. Some keep a wretched silence, and say never a word for God; others, it" they do speak, do so in such a half-hearted way that they might almost as well be silent. But those who have known the grace of God in truth, and realize the greatness of the salvation they have experienced, they will "abundantly utter," etc. Not alone their lips, but their lives, their look, their whole spirit and temper, will tell forth the vividness of their memory of God"s great goodness. And:
2. In song. "They shall sing of thy righteousness." The utterance will be a joyful one a glad sound, not a dirge or any other such mournful strain, but a song befitting the glad tidings of great joy which have been made known to them. May we learn this song! 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 Ver. 7. They shall abundantly utter the memory of…
Ver. 7. They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness. They shall pour forth grateful memories even as springs gush with water, plenteously, spontaneously, constantly, joyously. The Lord's redeemed people having been filled with his great goodness, shall retain the happy recollection of it, and shall be moved often and often to utter those recollections. Not content with a scanty mention of such amazing love, they shall go on to an abundant utterance of such abundant favour. It shall be their delight to speak with one another of God's dealings with them, and to compare notes of their experiences. God has done nothing stintedly; all his goodness is great goodness, all worthy to be remembered, all suggestive of holy discourse. Upon this subject there is no scarcity of matter, and when the heart is right there is no need to stop from want of facts to tell. Oh, that there were more of these memories and utterances, for it is not meet that the goodness of the living God should be buried in the cemetery of silence, in the grave of ingratitude.
And shall sing of thy righteousness. They shall say and then sing. And what is the theme which impels them to leave the pulpit for the orchestra? What do they sing of? They sing of that righteousness which is the sinner's terror, which even good men mention with deep solemnity. Righteousness received by gospel light is in reality the secret foundation of the believer's hope. God's covenant of grace is our strong consolation, because he who made it is righteous, and will not run back from it. Since Jesus died as our substitute, righteousness requires and secures the salvation of all the redeemed. This attribute is our best friend, and therefore we sing of it.
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Modern thinkers would fain expunge the idea of righteousness from their notion of God; but converted men would not. It is a sign of growth in cation when we rejoice in the justice, rectitude, and holiness of our God. Even a rebel may rejoice in mercy, which he looks upon as laxity; but a loyal rejoices when he learns that God is so just that not even to save his own would he consent to violate the righteousness of his moral government. Few men will shout for joy at the righteousness of Jehovah, but those who do so his chosen, in whom his soul delighteth.
Ver. 7. There is an extensive and an intensive greatness, and both must be found in our praises of God. First, an extensive greatness in regard of their number; we must be frequent and plentiful in the duty: we must "Abundantly utter the memory of God's great goodness." Secondly, there must be an intensive greatness in our praises, in regard of the degree, fervour and heat of them. They must be high, and vehement, fervent, flaming, zealous and affectionate, full of life and rigour; our spirits must be raised, our hearts and tongues enlarged in the performance of this duty. God's glorious name, as it is in Ne 9:5, "is exalted above all blessing and praise", above our most devout and most zealous praises; and therefore surely faint, heartless, and lifeless praises are so far from reaching him, as that they may seem to be meant of another, and a lower object. God then is not praised at all if he be not greatly praised. Weak and dull praises are dispraises; for a person or thing is not honoured or praised, unless there be some proportion between the honour and praise and the worthiness of the person or thing honoured and praised. Henry Jeanes, in "The Works of Heaven upon Earth", 1649.
Ver. 7. Abundantly utter. The word contains the idea of boiling or bubbling up like a fountain. It signifies, a holy fluency about the mercy of God. We have quite enough fluent people about, but they are many of them idlers for whom Satan finds abundant work to do. The Lord deliver us from the noise of fluent women; but it matters not how fluent men and women are if they will be fluent on the topic now before us. Open your mouths; let the praise pour forth; let it come, rivers of it. Stream away! Gush away, all that you possibly can. "They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness." Do not stop the joyful speakers, let them go on for ever. They do not exaggerate, they cannot. You say they are enthusiastic, but they are not half up to the pitch yet; bid them become more excited and speak yet more fervently. Go on, brother, go on; pile it up; say something greater, grander, and more fiery still I You cannot exceed the truth. You have come to a theme where your most fluent powers will fail in utterance. The text calls for a sacred fluency, and I would exhort you liberally to exercise it when you are speaking on the goodness of God. C. H. S.
Ver. 7. Too many witnesses of God's goodness are silent witnesses. Men do not enough speak out the testimonies that they might bear in this matter. The reason that I love the Methodistsgood onesis, that they have a tongue to their piety. They fulfil the command of God, to be fervent in spirit. Henry Ward Beecher.
Ver. 7.
The thought of our past years in me doth breed
Perpetual benedictions.
William Wordsworth, 1770-1805.
Ver. 7. They shall sing of thy righteousness, or justice. To sing of goodness, mercy, forgiveness, is natural; but a song of justice is singular. Here is the beauty of David's praise, that he sees subject of delight as much in the righteousness of God as in his mercy. John Lorinus.
Ver. 7. They shall sing of thy righteousness. The righteousness of God, whereby he justifieth sinners, and sanctifieth the justified, and executeth judgment for his reconciled people, is the sweetest object of the church's joy. David Dickson.
Ver. 7. Thy righteousness (read in connection with next verse). It is an easy thing to conceive the glory of the Creator, manifested in the good of an innocent creature; but the glory of the righteous Judge, manifested in the good of the guilty criminal, is the peculiar, mysterious wisdom of the Cross. It is easy to perceive God's righteousness declared in the punishment of sins; the Cross alone declares "His righteousness for the remission of sins." It magnifies justice in the way of pardoning sin, and mercy in the way of punishing it. John M'Laurin 1693-1754.
Ver. 7. See "Spurgeon's Sermons", No. 1468: "The Philosophy and Propriety of Abundant Praise."
Psalms 145:8*
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 They shall abundantly utter the memory of Thy great…
Psa_145:7
They shall abundantly utter the memory of Thy great goodness.
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The philosophy and propriety of abundant praise
This is called Davids psalm of praise; all through it he is inflamed by strong desire that God may be greatly magnified.
I. The method of securing the abundant utterance of the Divine praise concerning His goodness. Our text gives the mental philosophy of such praise, and shows the plan by which it may be secured.
1. By careful observation. They shall abundantly utter the memory of Thy great goodness. Now, in order to memory there must first be observation. If we want to remember His goodness we must let it strike us, we must notice it, consider it. Too many fail to notice that the goodness they receive is Gods goodness. They put it down to other causes. If we are willing to see it we shall not lack for opportunities. It is everywhere. David notices especially its greatness. And this evident if we consider those who receive it. What have we done to deserve it? And then, the greatness of God the benefactor. What is man that Thou art mindful of him? And then the evil from which it rescues us; and the actual greatness of the benefits bestowed He giveth like a King; nay, He giveth like a God. Observe the goodness of God carefully for your souls good.
2. By diligent memory. Memory collects facts and afterwards recollects them. The matters before us are recorded by memory, but the tablet may be mislaid; the perfection of memory is to preserve the tablet in a well-known piece, from which you can fetch it forth at the moment. How are we to strengthen our memory as to Gods goodness? Be acquainted with the documents in which His goodness is recorded. Observe the memorials, baptism and the Lords Supper. Treasure up your own personal experience. I have heard that the science of mnemonics, or the strengthening of the memory, lies in the following of certain methods. According to some, you link one idea with another: you recollect a date by associating it with something that you can see. Practise this method in the present case. Associate it with the objects around you. Let your bed remind you of Gods mercy in the night watches, and your table of His goodness in supplying your daily needs. All around us there are memoranda of Gods love if we choose to read them. There is the old arm-chair where you wrestled with God in great trouble, and received a gracious answer: you cannot forget it; you do not pray as well anywhere else as there. That thumbed Bible--that particular one I mean, all marked and worn, out of which the promises have gleamed forth like the stars in the heavens. Oh for a clear remembrance of the goodness of God. Classification is another help. Also making notes of things. You know the day in which you lost that money, do you not? The Black Friday or Black Monday up in the City; you have indelible notes of such things in your memory. Have like ones of notable benefits that you have received. Then, besides observation and memory, let there be-3. Utterance. They shall abundantly utter. The word contains the idea of boiling up or bubbling like a fountain. It signifies a holy fluency about the mercies of God. We have quite enough fluent people about, but they are many of them idlers for whom Satan finds abundant work. The Lord deliver us from the noise of fluent women; but it matters not how fluent they are if it be on the topic now before us. Open your mouths; let the praise pour forth. Be so occupied constantly. Abundantly means that. Just as the singers in the temple repeated over and over again, His mercy endureth for ever. Your memory will lose strength unless you utter what you know. Then--
4. Sing. And shall sing of Thy righteousness. Parnassus is outdone by Calvary; the Castilian spring is dried and Jesus wounded side has opened another fount of song. Lift up, then, your music till the golden harps shall find themselves outdone.
II. The motives for such praise.
1. We cannot help it. If these should hold their peace, etc. Oh, said one in his first love, I must speak, or I shall burst.
2. Other voices are clamorous to drown all such praise.
3. It will do you such good. The past, the present, the future will all be lit up with delight if we are wont thus to praise God. We shall find nothing to grumble at or complain about, but everything to rejoice in.
4. And it does such good to other people. While here our various wants we mourn, united groans ascend on high--so says Dr. Watts, and I fear truly; but very few will be attracted by such utterances. Is it good reasoning if men say, These people are so miserable that they must be on the way to heaven? We may hope they are, for they evidently want some better place to live in; but then it may be questioned if such folks would not be wretched anywhere. We have glorious reasons for being happy; let us be so, and soon we shall hear persons asking, What is this? Is this religion? I always thought religious people were mournful people. There is a blessed seductiveness in a holy happy life. And such happy utterance will help much to comfort others. Many are sorrowing from various causes: therefore be happier than ever you were. That venerable man of God, now in heaven, our dear old father Dransfield, when it was a very foggy morning in November, used always to come into the vestry before the sermon and say, It is a dreary morning, dear pastor; we must rejoice in the Lord more than usual. I hope we shall have a very happy service to-day. He would shake hands with me and smile, till he seemed to carry us all into the middle of summer. Lastly, let us thus praise, because it is the way in which God is glorified. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The goodness of God
Have you not known and felt the presence of that Being, whose Infinitude is not only displayed in power and wisdom, but also in Love? Remember the sweet hours of childhood, when the clear, blue sky of day, and the dark blue sky of night opened upon you like the eyes of your preserving angel. Think how a thousand reflections of the Eternal goodness have played around you, from heart to heart, from eye to eye of mankind, as one light shines from sun to sun and from world to world throughout the universe. (Jean Paul Richter.)
Memory of Gods goodness salutary
Augustine tells of one to whom God was so wonderfully kind, and the man was so wonderfully bad, that at last he grew astonished at Gods goodness, and since the Lord continued to load him with benefits, he turned round and cried, Most benignant God, I am ashamed of being Thine enemy any longer. I confess my sin and repent of it.
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.