Person who prayed. Some folk do not think we need to pray. But in our verse, it is Jesus Christ Who is praying. If He, the matchless Son of God needed to pray, how much more should we fallible human beings need to pray. Some think prayer is just for the weak or fearful. But Christ prayed, and He was the strongest and boldest of all.

Passion for prayer. “Rising up a great while before day.” Getting up early in the morning showed the passion Christ had for prayer. For many folk, just getting up at the normal time requires much effort. Thus to get up extra early to pray means great effort indeed. But if you are going to have much success in prayer, you will have to put some major effort into praying. Like anything else, little effort will produce little results; but big effort will produce big results.

Priority of prayer. “Rising up a great while before day.” Christ wanted to pray early in the morning. This does not mean you cannot pray at days’ end or at any other time during the day. Rather what is taught here is the priority of prayer. We need to start our days, our projects, our trips, and our work with prayer. If we started more things with prayer, we would not finish so many things with problems.

Place of prayer. “Solitary place.” We can pray in any place, but it is so helpful to be in a private place when you pray. Private prayer does not negate public prayer but it enhances the effectiveness of our praying. In the privacy of your prayer place, you can pray without the distractions of a more public place. Everyone needs a private place to engage in daily prayer. It may be your bedroom or office or other secluded spot. A farmer may chose the haymow in his barn. Value the private place. It will help your prayer life.

FALSE messages by false ministers offer false hope. Our verse speaks of the false prophets in Jeremiah’s day who gave false hope to people through their false messages. The false messages by these false ministers gave false hope by saying the people could have peace without piety, and they could have protection without purity.

Peace without piety. “They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace.” This message is still proclaimed today. It is the message that thinks we can have peace as a nation even though we oppose honoring God in our nation. Many politicians talk about peace and how to have peace in the world, but none of them ever tell us we can have peace only when we honor God. Thus they would give mankind a false hope by their peace proposals. The “peace with honor” plan regarding Vietnam was a sham because it left out God. You cannot have “peace with honor” when you refuse to honor God. True peace will never come until piety is present. If you despise God, you will experience punishment from God, not peace from God.

Protection without purity. “They say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come unto you.” This false message by the false ministers sounds like the eulogies given the ungodly at their funerals. No matter how ungodly some famous people have been, when they die, some minister will get up and preach them into heaven. It is the same as saying that even though you walk after the imagination of your heart (which is walking in an evil way), you will not experience judgment in eternity. Many false ministers have given false hope to people because they preached this false message of protection without purity. The true message about protection says we can only be saved from judgment by being purified through the blood of Christ (1 John 1:7; Hebrews 9:12).

Place of prayer. “From the end of the earth.” We do not have to be in a church or a chapel or other special place to pray to God. The “end of the earth” speaks of those places far from normal help. Yet, in those places we can still seek God for help, for He is omnipresent. We can reach Him in prayer from anywhere on this earth.

Passion in prayer. “I cry unto thee.” This shows the earnestness of the Psalmist in his praying to God. We need to be earnest in praying. If we are not earnest in praying, we cannot expect God to be earnest in answering our prayers. The only way to pray aright is to pray earnestly.

Problem for prayer. “When my heart is overwhelmed.” The Psalmist is experiencing some very deep troubles, for his heart has been overwhelmed. He is ready to give up. His problems have just about defeated him. But God is able to help no matter how great our troubles. God is not limited by big problems but by small prayers. And the prayer here is big in faith. In spite of his dire situation, the Psalmist still clings to God in faith and pleads his case.

Petition in prayer. “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” In Scripture, Christ is sometimes spoken of as a rock. Like a rock, He can provide safety and sight. One way the rock provides safety is to give shade to the weary traveler in the hot wilderness. But the rock has to be “higher than I” to do it. Spiritually Christ provides protection for us from the heat of God’s judgment because He is higher than us. The rock also provides sight. Being on a rock “higher than I” gives better sight than being on ground level. Christ and His Word give us better sight about life and eternity than the world.

This verse is a great comfort for troubled hearts. It promises Divine help to see us through the difficult times of life. Three things are said in our verse about God’s help. They involve shelter, strength, and steadfastness.

Shelter. “God is our refuge.” Refuge here means shelter. God is a place where we can go for protection. One of the old hymns we used to sing was entitled, “Shelter in the Time of Storm.” That is exactly what God is. And the best shelter is the shelter He provides for our soul in Jesus Christ. This is the great shelter from the eternal judgment on sin. We can shelter in Christ and be spared that judgment storm.

Strength. “God is our . . . strength.” We really need Divine strength to live right and to keep going in time of trial. Temptations are many, and they are strong. They compass us about on every side. We wonder sometimes if we will survive. We feel so weak and so unable to overcome these temptations. Also trials threaten to overwhelm us, and we sometimes think we simply cannot keep going. But God will give us the strength we need to meet every temptation and trial in life. The Apostle Paul emphasized this truth when he said, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). Paul faced many difficult situations in his life which would cause lesser men to give up and quit. But he sought strength in the Lord and that enabled him to stand faithful and keep going amidst the most difficult times.

Steadfastness. “A very present help in trouble.” So many things fail us when trouble comes. In the sunshine we do well, but when trouble comes it seems we are suddenly all alone and desolate. When trouble comes, friends and many other things which we thought would help in trouble fail us instead. But God will not fail us in our troubles. Trouble is when His help really shines. The words “a very present help” literally means that God is a very accessible help. He is close by to help. He is only a prayer away. We can obtain His help quickly. And in trouble that is very important.

ONE of Job’s friends is making an accusation of Job here. While this accusation is wrong about Job, it is right about a lot of people. The charge is basically twofold. It accuses one of dishonor for God and disinterest in God.

Dishonor for God. “Thou castest off fear.” This speaks of lack of reverence for God. Job’s friend misinterpreted Job’s speech as lacking fear for God. Job’s friend was wrong about Job, but there are many others who have this fault. They simply do not fear God. They have no reverence for Him. This dishonoring of God is pronounced in our land. It is evident in the great amount of profanity that is heard on every hand. It is evident in the attitudes in our land that want to take God out of every area of our public life—such as from our schools and government. It is an attitude that if not corrected, will bring Divine judgment.
Disinterest in God. “Restraints prayer before God.” The word translated “prayer” has a wide meaning. It can apply to prayer and also to meditation of God’s word (Psalm 119:97). Job was not guilty of this charge but many folk are. They have failed in supplication and meditation.
Failure in supplication. Many folk fail in their prayer life. They fail in their personal prayer time—they have no personal devotions. They fail in their family prayer time—they do not have a family prayer time in which the entire family is gathered together for prayer. They fail in the church prayer time—they do not attend prayer meetings at church.
Failure in meditation. Another area of failure is in the meditation upon the Scriptures. Few are interested in the Word of God. Few read their Bibles; even fewer study their Bibles with earnestness. The Psalmist said He meditated upon the Word “all the day” (Psalm 119:97). Not many do that today. It would cut into their TV watching. But if folk would turn off their TV sets and devote that time to Bible reading, in less than a month’s time we would have a revival which our churches could not contain.

Precept for fellowship. “Draw nigh to God.” Most men do not seem interested in being near God. And our nation does not seem to want God around at all. But our verse gives a command for men to draw near to God. We are to live close to God. This means we are to regularly get into the Scriptures and pray. We are to adjust our lives so we can have fellowship with God.

Promise for fellowship. “And he will draw nigh to you.” This promise is conditioned on our obeying the command to draw nigh to God. If God seems far off, it is not God’s fault. God has not failed in His promise, for the promise is conditioned on our desire to be near God. If you do not want His Company, He will not bust the door down in order to be with you. You must indicate your desire to have God’s company if you want God’s presence in your life. God does not fellowship with those who do not want His fellowship.

Preparation for fellowship. “Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” Here are two areas of preparation for us if we are to draw nigh to God and have good fellowship with God. Failure to prepare properly for fellowship with God will greatly hinder our fellowship. We are to prepare both our hands (“cleanse your hands”) and our hearts (“purify your hearts”). Hands speak of actions, hearts of attitudes. Hands speak of conduct, hearts of contemplations. Hands speak of manners, hearts of meditations. Holiness in both thought and deed are necessary for good fellowship with God. If we do not clean the sin out of our lives, we will not have good fellowship with God; for sin drives us from God. As an example, Adam and Eve hid from God when they sinned in the Garden of Eden.

THREE times Scripture says those who believe in the Lord will not be ashamed. The reference in our text is to Isaiah 49:23 (there the word “wait” means to believe). Paul also quotes the Isaiah text a bit earlier in Romans 9:33. There are many emotions in being ashamed. We note two prominent emotions involved in shame which are not present in salvation. They are dishonor and discomfort.

Shame involves dishonor. Shame is dishonor. To be shamed is to be dishonored. But our verse says that salvation (believing in Christ) does not bring dishonor to a person. Now, of course, we are not talking here about worldly honor and dishonor; for many in this world ridicule and scorn salvation. You may indeed be dishonored and shamed in this world because of your faith in Christ. The world habitually discredits our faith in Christ. But that is not important compared to being shamed for eternity by God. Those who reject Christ will be dishonored before the judgment bar of God and will suffer dishonor for all eternity. However, salvation, which comes by believing in Jesus Christ, will never be dishonored before God. The saved will never be dishonored by God. What salvation provides is eternal honor. The song says it well when it says, “That will be glory for me.”

Shame involves discomfort. It is most uncomfortable to be embarrassed or shamed. As a result, folk will often go to great extremes to keep from being shamed and embarrassed before their fellow man because it is so terribly uncomfortable. But our verse says that salvation will not bring bring shame to the believer; and, therefore, it will not bring discomfort to the believer. This, of course, as we noted above, speaks of eternal discomfort, not earthly discomfort. When you receive Christ as your Savior, you escape the terrible discomfort of eternal hellfire. No discomfort is greater than hellfire. And for the unbeliever, this discomfort will continue forever. But “Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed”—shall not be discomforted in eternity.

“The eye of the Lord is on them that fear Him, on them that hope in His mercy.” Fear and hope are generally thought to be in conflict with each other, in the presence and worship of God they are found side by side in perfect and beautiful harmony. And this because in God Himself all apparent contradictions are reconciled. Righteousness and peace, judgment and mercy, holiness and love, infinite power and infinite gentleness, a majesty that is exalted above all heaven, and a condescension that bows very low, meet and kiss each other. There is indeed a fear that hath torment, that is cast out entirely by perfect love. But there is a fear that is found in the very heavens. In the song of Moses and the Lamb they sing, “Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name?” And out of the very throne the voice came, “Praise our God, all ye His servants, and ye that fear Him.” Let us in our waiting ever seek “to fear the glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD.” The deeper we bow before His holiness in holy fear and adoring awe, in deep reverence and humble self-abasement, even as the angels veil their faces before the throne, the more will His holiness rest upon us, and the soul be filled to have God reveal Himself; the deeper we enter into the truth “that no flesh glory in His presence,” will it be given us to see His glory. “The eye of the Lord is on them that fear Him.”

“On them that hope in His mercy.” So far will the true fear of God be from keeping us back from hope, it will stimulate and strengthen it. The lower we bow, the deeper we feel we have nothing to hope in but His mercy. The lower we bow, the nearer God will come, and make our hearts bold to trust Him. Let every exercise of waiting, let our whole habit of Waiting on God, be pervaded by abounding hope—a hope as bright and boundless as God’s mercy. The fatherly kindness of God is such that, in whatever state we come to Him, we may confidently hope in His mercy.

Such are God’s waiting ones. And now, think of the God on whom we wait. “The eye of the Lord is on them that fear Him, on them that hope in His mercy; to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.” Not to prevent the danger of death and famine—this is often needed to stir the waiting on Him—but to deliver and to keep alive. For the dangers are often very real and dark; the situation, whether in the temporal or spiritual life, may appear to be utterly hopeless. There is always one hope: God’s eye is on them. That eye sees the danger, and sees in tender love His trembling waiting child, and sees the moment when the heart is ripe for the blessing, and sees the way in which it is to come. This living, mighty God, oh, let us fear Him and hope in His mercy. And let us humbly but boldly say, “Our soul waiteth for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. Let Thy mercy be upon us, O Lord, according as we wait for Thee.”

THE history of Israel’s experience in the Promised Land is given in capsule form in this verse. It speaks of the conquering of the land, the corruption in the land, and the chastisement in the land. This history is a warning lesson to all people. But, unfortunately, few heed the warning.

Conquering of the land. “They came in, and possessed it.” The word “possessed” involves conquering in its meaning. It can mean to dispossess someone of something, to seize something, or to occupy by driving out the previous tenants. The Israelites did indeed dispossess the Canaanites of the land. They drove out the Canaanites from the land in order to occupy the land. All of this was done by the Lord’s help. God enabled the Israelites to conquer the land, for God gave them the land (Jeremiah 25:5). So the history of Israel in the land starts out in a glorious way. However, it did not stay that way; as we will see next.

Corruption in the land. “But they obeyed not thy voice, neither walked in thy law.” After the Israelites got into the land, they soon ceased to obey the Lord. How often it is that after a great victory or great achievement of some kind, a person falls into sin. After some great success will come our greatest battle—let us not let down our guard after victory and ruin the blessing of victory. Do not be so taken up in celebration of some success that you forget to maintain your consecration to the Lord of blessing.

Chastisement in the land. “Therefore thou hast caused all this evil to come upon them.” Because Israel disobeyed God after they got into the land, God eventually brought judgment in the land. He chastened the Israelites for their wickedness. Enemy nations invaded the land and brought great destruction and hardship to the land and then carried many away captive. Sin brings judgment upon any land. And history will confirm that fact again and again.

This verse speaks about the supremacy of righteousness and about the safety in righteousness.

Supremacy of righteousness. Our verse indicates that God is very interested in righteousness. He does not inquire here about riches but about righteousness. The fundamental attribute of God is holiness and so it is not surprising that righteousness has a supreme place in God’s interests. But men are seldom interested in righteousness. In fact if you want to impress people and move up in society and politics, you must be unrighteous. You must learn to drink and gamble and dance and do drugs and live immorally. That makes points with the world, but being righteous does not. But with God it is a very different story. With God it is righteousness that is important.

Safety in righteousness: “And I will pardon it.” Our verse indicates that if one righteous man was found in Jerusalem, God would spare the city of destruction. Sounds like the situation with Sodom back in Abraham’s day. God told Abraham that Sodom would be destroyed by God. Abraham pleaded with God to spare the city for the sake of the righteous in it. Abraham requested that if fifty righteous were in the city, would God please spare the city. God agreed that He would spare the city for fifty righteous in it. Abraham kept praying and finally ended at ten righteous. God said He would spare the city for ten righteous. Unfortunately for Sodom, there were not ten righteous in the city and so Sodom was destroyed. All of this points to the fact that the most valuable citizens of a nation are the righteous citizens. The greatest safety a nation can have will be found in righteous citizens. You may be an obscure nobody as far as man is concerned. But if you are righteous, you are more valuable to the well-being of your country than all the unholy politicians put together though famous and powerful they may be.

K. E. Harris