“I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee.” – Psalm 22:22
HOW MARVELOUS OUR Lord is not ashamed to call us brethren. That the Alpha and Omega would even deign to be mindful of such lowly creatures as we, is remarkable in its own right. But that he takes a personal interest in us, and desires fellowship with us, and loves us so dearly he bled upon the tree to pay the debt of our sins – such knowledge is too wonderful for me. What a marvelous paradox, the mighty God made brethren with creatures so feeble they cannot but breathe without his permission! The everlasting Father, made brethren with mortals whose life is but a vapor! The Prince of peace, made brethren with men who live for war!
In declaring God’s name, Christ must, of a necessity, declare his power, for our God is a consuming fire, and it is a fearful thing to fall into his hands. There can be no trifling with Jehovah, by whose very word the heavens were made, and by whose very hands the earth was spread forth. Only a fool would dare to defy the God who shall, with flaming fire, take vengeance on them who obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Yet in declaring God’s name, Christ must also declare his love, for God is love. He has loved us, as the prophet Jeremiah declared, with an everlasting love, and it is his everlasting love which makes possible our everlasting life. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us, and sent his only begotten Son to the cross to save us from the damnation we deserve. Yet the great love wherewith he loved us is not reserved for us only. “For God so loved the world”, the precious Scripture reads. Though God is angry with the wicked every day, he has no pleasure in their death, takes no delight in their destruction. That the wicked turn from his way and live, I believe, is, above all else, the one wish nearest and most dear to the heart of God. Therefore, the man – to wit, the Calvinist – who denies our heavenly Father is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, is a man who sullies the character of his Maker with a most vile shade of slander.
Jesus Christ has preached righteousness in the great congregation, has declared God’s faithfulness and salvation. We are commanded to do the same. “But,” you say, “the world is an ungodly place.” My Bible says that in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. Of course, the world before us is cruel and barbarous and vile. It lies in wickedness, it lives on wantonness, and reaps the sordid fruits of its corruption. Yet it is a world that God loves so much he sent the spotless Lamb to Calvary so whosoever will, through faith in his blood, might have life. In declaring the heathen do not deserve redemption, we are apt to forget that we do not deserve it, either. “In the course of true justice none of us should see salvation” – never did Shakespeare write truer lines than these. However inexorable be the repugnancy of the world’s iniquity, however insufferable be the celebration of their wickedness, neither can strike from the Scriptures that sober command: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost. I ask you then, my brother, is your gospel hid? Do you care there abounds in this world throngs unwashed of their crimson stains? Do you mind that souls God loves, souls for whom Christ died, wallow daily in the mire of sin, march headlong into the depths of hellfire? We are the light of the world, and it is ours to see that wherever we go, the light of the Gospel goes, and gives light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.
“in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee.”
Our Savior declares God’s name, so that he might be praised, for great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. Yet he himself praises the Father, and though we yearn for a thousand tongues to sing our great Redeemer’s praise, the solitary tongue of Christ glorifying his Father easily outpaces the whole of earthly choruses and heavenly host. He praises him in the midst of the congregation, and we are to do the same. We must never be ashamed of praising our God, be it in private conversation or before a great audience, be it among dear brethren or combative infidels. Doubtless, you will be thought strange for doing so, since this is a most peculiar activity in the eyes of the world. But mind not their derision and rebuke, Christian. If I pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ, and there is a peace and a joy unlike any other reserved for him whose praise is not of men, but of God.
I would be remiss if I did not note, though, that there are no conditions under which this praise is to be uttered. As our God is a timeless God, “Ye that fear the LORD, praise him” is a timeless command. We are to praise God as heartily in sorrow as we are to praise him in joy, as vehemently in sickness as in health, as faithfully in tribulation as in peace. Neither is praising him license to hypocrisy. If your idea of praise is exhaling a fulsome screed of self-glory, you are to be pitied. To exalt yourself, and, often concurrently, disparage others, is not the praise of a disciple. This is the self-righteous, devilish, worldly praise of Pharisees, of sycophants, of imposters. It is as tawdry as it is despicable, and our Lord views it only with utter disdain.
Many will draw nigh God with their lips; let us draw nigh to him with our hearts. Let us resolve to shew forth the praises of him who hath called us out of darkness, and into his marvelous light.