THE NEARNESS OF THE LORD

A central lesson of these verses is that all men, righteous and unrighteous, live beneath the all-searching scrutiny of God. “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous”, v. 15; “The face of the Lord is against them that do evil”, v. 16. We may conceal our faults from others, even from our nearest and dearest on earth. But God misses nothing. This writer was sitting an external examination some years ago, and was incensed to observe that competing candidates were cheating and were either undetected or unreproved. The divine Invigilator sees everything! “Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance”, Psa. 90. 8.

These things should solemnize us but need not terrify us. “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit”, v. 18. Contrition and brokenness are undervalued qualities today. The sense of personal failure, the keen awareness of unholy thoughts and tendencies, the conscious inadequacy of our devotion to the Lord, should make us all mourn and grieve. Many an embattled Christian knows what this means. Certainly it is good to rejoice in the Lord, but unalloyed happiness is scarcely possible in this groaning creation in which we also groan, Rom. 8. 22, 23. The promise before us is that God draws near to brokenhearted saints, “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit”, Isa. 57. 15.

Before leaving this precious psalm, we should notice verse 19: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all”. Persecuted Christians in some countries are better qualified to speak of afflictions than we are in our home country. Isolated Christians in non-Christian homes or workplaces, however, can face fierce hostility at times. They may be sure that God has not forgotten them and will never desert them: “Fear not … When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee”, Isa. 43. 1, 2.

“Our light affliction … worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory”, 2 Cor. 4. 16, 17.