O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places. "Terrible," i.e; in the things that thou accomplishest out of thy holy places," as Sinai, Zion, heaven. (On the "terribleness" of God, see Deuteronomy 7:21; Deuteronomy 10:17; Job 37:22; Psalms 47:2; Psalms 66:3, Psalms 66:5; Jeremiah 20:11; Zephaniah 2:11; Nehemiah 1:5; Nehemiah 4:14; Nehemiah 6:1-19:32; Hebrew Nehemiah 12:29.) The God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people (comp. Psalms 68:28). Blessed be God. A worthy ending to this glorious hymn of praise.
HOMILETICS
Joy in God.
"Let the righteous be glad," etc. The Bible, like human life, has its dark as well as bright side. Rather say, shows human life thus double-sided—half in light of happiness, knowledge, goodness; half in night of weeping. And as the earth in her path round the sun makes her own night, rolling into her own shadow; so the darkness of life results from man's turning away from God, the source of light, life, joy. No depths of sorrow so dark as those the Bible reveals. No heights of joy so bright. Almost the first page records the incoming of sin and death. Almost the last page, the forecast of doom. But before the record of sin, the declaration that man was created in God's image; and that all which God had made was good. After prophecy of judgments, the promise of new heavens and earth—the unclouded glory of the heavenly city. The text, in harmony with large part of Psalter, brings before us the bright side of life—joy in God.
I. GROUNDS OF THIS JOY.
1. Deepest and highest of all reasons for joy in God—his character: righteousness, truth, mercy, or (as same word beautifully translated) loving kindness; eternal opposition to evil, and delight in good. All this is summed up in two words: "holiness," "love." These do not divide God's character; each describes the whole. In regard to his own perfection—pattern and fountain of all goodness—God is holy. In regard to his creatures, God is love. Peculiar inalienable glory of Bible—it lays this moral spiritual basis for religion. Worship, which regards the infinite greatness and glory of the Creator; obedience ("the fear of God"), which regards his authority and power as Lord of all;—these are everywhere inseparably joined with faith (trust), which goodness alone can command or warrant. The more we disinter the relics of ancient religions (inscriptions, sacred books, etc.), the more evident how widely the knowledge of the true God was once diffused; how gradually the darkness swallowed up the light (Romans 1:1). We meet with wonderful and beautiful settings forth of Divine glory. Yet the contrast with religious teaching of Bible only grows more marked. One reason—nowhere else do we find a practical revelation, even the very notion or pretence, of God's character by continuous course of dealings and messages, parallel with human history. Nowhere else any hint, much less lull unfolding, of a Divine message to the whole human race, "God so loved the world;" to every individual, "Be ye reconciled to God."
2. Second ground of joy—our personal relation to God. Now Testament full of this. "Children of God" (Galatians 3:26; 1 John 3:1). Modern heresy of substituting what is called "the universal Fatherhood of God" for message of gospel, substitutes a general for a personal relation. Throws back religion into Genesis. Each Hebrew, under Law of Moses, was brought into personal relation to God:
3. Third reason for joy in God—his unchangeableness. This is what gives value to all past revelations; trustworthiness to promises; security for the future; for eternity.
4. Fourth reason—the assured triumph of right over wrong; good over evil, because God reigns. A severe side to this. Perfect goodness cannot but have its severe side, in world swarming with injustice, cruelty, falsehood, last. Powerful tendency of present day to ignore this; look only on soft side of goodness. But perfect love must include perfect hatred of all that debases and rains human life. Illust.: Father sees child maimed or blinded, through carelessness or cruelty; Christian meekness represses desire of vengeance; but not to feel righteous anger would be monstrous insensibility. And welfare of society may demand exemplary punishment. God's character assures us that he has "no pleasure in the death of a sinner;" but equally, that "the wages of sin is death."
II. INFLUENCE OF THIS JOY IN GOD. Suppose the agnostic right; revelation an illusion; faith a blind conjecture flung out into void of ignorance. Even so, it would remain true that the believer has spring of unselfish motive, inspiration of pure, lofty aim, fount of comfort and joy, the world cannot give or take away. but "we have not followed … fables." If deprived of this wonderful Book of Psalms, of whole story of God's dealings and messages down to nineteen hundred years ago, this would not alter Glory or certainty of fact that "God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself."