7. Thou art my hiding place. Terse,
short sentences make up this verse, but they contain a world of meaning.
Personal claims upon our God are the joy of spiritual life. To lay our hand
upon the Lord with the clasp of a personal my is delight at its full.
Observe that the same man who in the fourth verse was oppressed by the presence
of God here finds a shelter in him. See what honest confession and full
forgiveness will do! The Gospel of substitution makes him our refuge who
otherwise would have been our judge. Thou shalt preserve me from trouble.
Trouble will do me no real harm when the Lord is with me; rather it will bring
me much benefit, like the file which clears away the rust, but does not destroy
the metal. Observe the three tenses: we have noticed the sorrowful past, the
last sentence was a joyful present, and this is a cheerful future. Thoushalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. What a golden sentence!
The man is encircled in song, surrounded by dancing mercies, all of them
proclaiming the triumphs of grace. The circle completely rings him round; on
all sides he hears music. Before him hope sounds the cymbals, and behind him
gratitude beats the timbrel. The air resounds with joy, and all this for the
very man who, a few weeks ago, was roaring all the day long. How great a
change! What wonders grace has done and still can do! Selah. There was
need of a pause, for love so amazing needs to be pondered, and joy so great
demands quiet contemplation, since language fails to express it.
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