Taken down by a hearer.
He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock and established my goings. And He put new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God.—Ps. xl. 2, 3.
THERE are different views taken of these words. Some apply them to Christ in His state of humiliation and sufferings. We find in the 69th Psalm similar words applied to Him which words we sang: “I downward in deep mire do sink where standing there is none.” Others, again, apply them to David when he was in some great trouble. They may well be applied to the experience of God’s people in every age.
We notice how David was exercised when this wonderful deliverance took place: “I waited patiently for the Lord.” His “waiting patiently” would imply that he was quite convinced he had no claim upon God’s mercy that He would deliver him and if He would that it must be of free grace. No creature could bring him out of his miserable state so he “waited patiently on the Lord.”
We further read: “He inclined His ear unto me and heard my cry.” The Psalmist might be compared to a sickly man who was so weak that you would have to bring your ear near to his mouth before you could hear him. God who hears the groaning of the prisoners when they have no words, “inclined His ear to hear” David’s cry. As a godly man whom I knew when asked by a minister, whether he preferred himself to Mr. Macfarlane* replied: “I would rather one groan from Mr. Macfarlane than should you be speaking the whole day.” That is true of God. He hears the groanings of the prisoner sooner than all the eloquent speeches of the hypocrite. “A little that a just man hath is more and better far, than is the wealth of many such as lewd and wicked are” (Ps. xxxvii. 16). The passage may be taken as a description of the conversion of a
* The late Rev. D. Macfarlane, Dingwall.
sinner who is convinced of his lost and helpless condition and enabled by faith to accept of Christ. In that day he is “brought up out of the horrible pit,” etc.
In seeking to make some remarks on these words let us notice: I. His former condition—”In a horrible pit and in miry clay.” What could be more horrible than that literally? II. His deliverance—”He brought me up out of the miry clay and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings and put a new song into my mouth, even praise unto our God.” He might well sing of the praises of Him who had delivered him and if He has delivered us we would sing of His praises also. Two things are said of his former condition. (1) “In a horrible pit and (2) in miry clay,” three things are said of his deliverance: (1) His feet set on a rock, (2) his goings established and (3) a new song put into his mouth. “As sin abounded grace did much more abound.” We may at once see the contrast between the former condition of this man and his condition now. His feet are on a solid rock instead of in miry clay, his goings established, and a new song in his mouth.
I. Notice his former condition—”In a horrible pit,” etc.
First. “The horrible pit.” 1. The words used here for “horrible pit” refer no doubt to subterraneous caverns which were used as prisons. We see in the case of Jeremiah that he was cast into such a prison where he would have died were it not for that noble Ethiopian, Ebedmelech. Such is man’s state by nature—”In a horrible pit.” 2. The word “pit” may be taken in two senses. (1). It means a “pit of noise.” Now a state of nature is a pit of noise. Satan’s object is to make as much noise as he possibly can in the ears and minds of sinners and he keeps them in a continual whirlpool so that they will not have time to think of their state for eternity. (a). There is the noise of “the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life.” These things make a terrible noise. Men who work in foundries and such places soon become deaf because
of the noise. That is the case with those in this horrible pit. The lusts of the flesh make so much noise that the poor sinner becomes so deaf that he will not hear one word of God’s truth. He may attend the means of grace; law, and gospel may be preached in his hearing but God’s Word has no effect upon him. Why? Because he is deaf. Now the lusts of the flesh are like the two daughters of the horse-leach crying: “give, give” (Prov. xxx. 15). They can never be satisfied. The more you give them the more they demand. Satan will tell you, and I would speak particularly to the young, that if you give just one diet to lust that this will satisfy it and it will ask no more but you will find that every crumb you give it will whet its appetite and make it get stronger and demand more so that you will become its slave, and you cannot resist it. David knew this from bitter experience, and were it not that the Lord took him out of that horrible pit he would have perished in it.
(b). The world is a “pit of noise” with its cares and worries. Satan will do his utmost to keep the things of the world, day and night before the minds of poor sinners, and the Lord’s people are in danger of this as well as others, so that they will not have time to think of the interests of their souls and eternity.
(c). Take again the excitement, frivolities and vanities that are so prevalent, such as theatres, cinemas, dancing halls, and certain kinds of club-houses, etc. All these things are the inventions of Satan to keep the minds of men from thinking on serious things and to keep them in a whirlpool of excitement. Godless men shrink from being left alone. When alone, conscience and God’s Word, may be more ready to speak to them, so they resort to those places.
Satan is much afraid when people and especially the young are sitting down like David “to think upon their former ways” (Ps. cxix. 59). I read of a godly father who had a dutiful son. The father was dying and he called his son to his bedside and made him promise that he would spend one hour daily in his private room, reading God’s Word and praying. The son
promised and fulfilled his promise and the result was that he became an eminent Christian.
(2). A state of nature is a “horrible pit,” for in that pit man is dead and there is the awful silence of death which adds to its horror. No cry for help. He is under the wrath of God and what can be more terrible and horrible than that. If you saw one in a horrible pit would you not be brutish if you would not do your utmost to pull him out. But what would that be in comparison with a sinner in a state of nature going to a lost eternity. Now my friends when we think that there are from sixty to seventy millions of our fellow sinners, who never heard of Christ and His gospel going down to the pit of destruction what are we doing to pull them out? Do you say: “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
(3). Take the conscience when awakened. That will be a “horrible pit.” David found himself in that pit but he was taken out of it. When the conscience is awakened by the Spirit through the law and guilt brought home to it, it makes a fearful noise. It begins to accuse the sinner and condemns him. It demands cleansing and satisfaction. The sinner finds himself now in a “horrible pit” condemned by God’s law and his conscience; and what would he not give to get out of it but he cannot. Conscience will be awakened some day either in mercy or in judgment, young people ought to be careful that they do not deaden their conscience so that it will not reprove them. That eminent servant of God the late Rev. Alex. MacColl, used to say: “If you put an ounce on your conscience to-day it will bear a ton tomorrow.” We may put a plaster to our conscience to pacify it but the plaster will be taken off some day either in time or eternity and the sinner will find himself in a “horrible pit.”
(4). In a “horrible pit” there are usually filthy creatures and no doubt David found himself in such a pit. The corruption of their nature, vain, blasphemous thoughts are filthy horrible
creatures which make the hearts and mind a “horrible pit,” to God’s people.
(5). This “pit” in which David found himself was a bottomless pit. You say: “I thought the bottomless pit was hell.” Yes, and the convinced sinner found himself going down to that pit. The pains of hell took hold of him; he was “condemned already.” The difference is that while we are in the room of mercy the mouth of the pit is not closed. We are prisoners of hope—”Turn ye to the stronghold ye prisoners of hope.” The Lord in His love and pity is letting down cords to us as Ebedmelech did to Jeremiah. He lets down the cords of His invitations and says take hold of that by faith, put it about your guilty soul and I will pull you out. This is what David and all believers did and they were taken up out of the “horrible pit.” May we do the same!
Secondly. “Out of the miry clay.” 1. We all know that the nature of the miry clay is that the more you struggle to extricate yourself the deeper you sink. Many a poor person experienced this in the quicksands in the Fords between North and South Uist. Now, the sinner when awakened and finding himself in the “horrible pit” began to struggle to deliver himself but the more he struggled the deeper he sank in it. He thought one day he could climb up the sides of the pit and reach solid ground. That is, that by his own good works he would meet the claims of law and justice, but he found the sides of the pit were so high and perpendicular that he could never reach the top, falling and sinking deeper every effort he made. He found that “God’s law is perfect,” and that “by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight.” So he gives up all his efforts. He sees now if he is to be rescued his deliverance must come from above. All he can do is to “wait patiently” and cry for help. It was then help came. “He brought me up, etc.”
(2). One in a pit of miry clay would naturally get besmirched with the mire. The sinner in his natural state is a filthy
creature, the mire of sin has covered all his faculties and members—”We are altogether as an unclean thing.” The convinced sinner tries to cleanse himself with “nitre and much soap,” to “wash himself with snow water, and make his hands ever so clean; yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch” (Job ix. 30). He makes vows and promises, saying if God will spare him he will do better in future. He makes these only to break them. He is now convinced if saved from the “horrible pit” it must be by grace.
(3). Those who are in the “horrible pit” who have no concern think that they are the only people who are free and have liberty. Free Presbyterians are considered narrow-minded and behind the times and those who adopt the new fangled ideas in worship and practice are considered free and broad-minded. But we wish to be as narrow and as broad as the Word of God allows. Man in his natural state is like a criminal who broke the law and the police are after him. Every policeman he sees he is terrified and tries to hide himself. When arrested and punished and satisfaction given to justice, he is set at liberty and is no longer afraid of the policeman. That is the way with the sinner. He may pretend to be free and have satisfaction in all kinds of frivolity, but there is the worm of a guilty conscience gnawing at the root of all his pleasures. But when he is delivered out of the “horrible pit,” justified freely by grace, he is no longer afraid of the policeman, the law of God—There is now no condemnation for him. “If the Son therefore shall make you free ye are free indeed.”
II. His deliverance. He brought me up and set my feet upon a rock, etc.
Oh! what a contrast to his former condition. That is the case with God’s people here to-night.
(1). They were in a horrible pit but He took them out of it and put their feet on a rock. The Rock, Christ, the sure foundation. They have their fears and doubts that they were not put on the Rock but they have no doubt whatever about the Rock
itself. At the same time their fears and doubts will never interfere with their safety on the Rock—”The expectation of the poor shall not be lost for aye” (Ps. ix. 18). I read of a God-fearing woman who came to Mr. Spurgeon saying that no saving change ever came over her. Mr. Spurgeon listened and then rose, took a sheet of paper and wrote on it. “Now,” he said, “you will come and sign your name to this paper.” “No,” she said, “until I know what is written on it.” “Well, it is this, that you are vowing that you never found Christ as your Saviour.” “Away,” she said, “with your paper. I would not sign it for the whole world.” That is the case with the Lord’s people, however low they may come they have a ray of hope with which they will not part for worlds. Their feet are put on a Rock. What feet? Man has two feet. God’s people have two feet set on this rock. They have the foot of “faith” and the foot of “hope” and on these two they stand. Faith takes hold of God’s promise and hope waits patiently for the fulfilment of the promise.
(2). “He established my goings.” 1. “My goings.” This shows that this man is not to stand still. He is to go forward. He is to “grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” They are not to be dwarfs. We have heard much about the Forward Movement in the Church of Scotland which might well be called a Backward Movement but with the Lord’s people it is a forward movement. They are to “seek the sincere milk of the Word that they may grow thereby.” It is on the feet which were set on the Rock that they are to walk, Faith and Hope. On these two they go limping on to the end of their journey. They may be very weak at times ready to give in under them but He who took them up out of the pit will keep them to the end of their journey.
- “He established” his goings. We take this to mean their perseverance unto the end. The Ariminian doctrine is that you may be in Christ to-day and out of Him to-morrow. That doctrine is surely of little comfort to the child of God. The
doctrine of perseverance is most comforting to believers. If they were assured that they are in Christ they have no doubt but they will be kept there. The Westminster Divines laid great stress on this doctrine both in the Confession of Faith and in the Catechisms. How are they to be “established.” As they have received Christ Jesus the Lord so they are to walk in Him—”Rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith” (Col. ii. 7). They are to walk in His law—”In thy law’s path make me to go for I delight therein.” They never got to walk in His law as they would wish but “the will is present with them.” Their grief and sorrow is how far short they come, of being conformed to His law.
(3). “He put a new song in my mouth even praise unto our God.” 1. When you hear one singing you conclude he is happy. There is no people in the world who have more reason to be happy than the Lord’s people. We read of the Ethiopian eunuch that “he went on his way rejoicing.” When John Bunyan got rid of his burden he gave three leaps for joy. 2. “This was a new song.” What made it “new?” (a) Because this person was not in the habit of singing it before. He might be heard very often singing vain songs but no word of praising God and spending many a night learning these songs so that he might be able to sing them before his fellows, but this new song was learned in one moment. No sooner was the sinner delivered than he began to sing it. The world can never learn it. They can sing with their mouth but not praise God with their hearts. Neither can the angels sing it because they were never in the horrible pit to be taken out. (b) It is a “new song” because it never gets old. There are some here and they have been singing it for the last forty of fifty years and it is as new to-day as at the first. Other songs will get stale when you hear them often but this song never. They shall sing it throughout eternity and it will never get old. 3. The subject matter of the song is “praise unto our God.” They will praise Him for what He did for them in the past eternity
in loving and electing them; for what He did for them in time, redeeming them by His blood and calling them effectually by His Spirit, in leading and protecting them through their wilderness journey. They shall sing it forever in heaven and never grow weary of it—”Unto Him that loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood.” May we, my dear friends, be among those who learn this song in time and who will sing it with them in heaven. If we do not begin to sing it here we can never learn to sing it in eternity but will be among those who shall be weeping and wailing in hell. May the Lord bless His Word.