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John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 116:15

Verse 15 15.Precious in the eyes of Jehovah is the death of his meek ones. He goes on now to the general doctrine of God’s providential care for the godly, in that he renders them assistance in time of need; their lives being precious in his sight. With this shield he desires to defend himself from the terrors of death, which often pressed upon him, by which he imagined he would instantly be swallowed up. When we are in danger and God apparently overlooks us, we then consider ourselves to be... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 116:16

Verse 16 16Come, O Jehovah! because I am thy servant. As, in the former verse, he gloried that in him God had given an example of the paternal regard which he has for the faithful, so here he applies, in an especial manner, to himself the general doctrine, by declaring that his fetters had been broken, in consequence of his being included among the number of God’s servants. He employs the termfetters, as if one, with hands and feet bound, were dragged by the executioner. In assigning, as the... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 116:17

Verse 17 17.I will sacrifice the sacrifices of praise to thee. He once more repeats what he had said about gratitude, and that publicly; for we must manifest our piety, not only by our secret affection before God, but also by an open profession in the sight of men. David, along with the people, observed the rites of the law, knowing that these, at that time, were not unmeaning services; but while he did this, he had a particular reference to the purpose for which they were appointed, and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 116:1-19

Danger and deliverance. It is probable that the danger to which the psalmist was exposed was due to a very serious illness, threatening to end in death. It is certain that this is the most common danger we have to confront now. We look, therefore, at— I. A RECURRING EVIL IN OUR MORTAL LIFE — SICKNESS . With so complicated a structure as the human frame, and so intricate a system as that which has to be kept in working order, if we are to be in perfect health, it is no... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 116:12-19

The psalm closes with a thanksgiving for the deliverance vouchsafed. What return can the psalmist make? First, he will accept the blessing joyfully; next, he will ever continue to call upon God ( Psalms 116:13 ; comp. Psalms 116:4 , Psalms 116:17 ); thirdly, he will pay his vows openly in the temple, in the presence of the whole congregation ( Psalms 116:14 , Psalms 116:18 ); fourthly, he will offer continually the sacrifice of thanksgiving ( Psalms 116:17 ) for the benefits... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 116:15

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints (comp. Psalms 72:14 ). It is not a matter of indifference to God, when and under what circumstances each of his saints dies. Rather, it is a matter of deep concern to him. "In him are the issues of life and death" ( Psalms 68:20 ), and he appoints to each man the day and attendant circumstances of his demise. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 116:15

The Divine estimate of the saint's death. The text is one of the precious words of the Bible—one of the instances in which the Bible sheds bright light over the darker facts of life. Sorrow, temptation, disappointment, sin, and, as here, death, are all irradiated by the light the Bible sheds upon them. Our text calls death "precious." This a strange epithet for death—one we should never have given to it. But it is true, nevertheless, as here used. Therefore note— I. THE MEANING OF... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 116:15

Consolations for the bereaved. Health and sickness, joy and sorrow, life and death, are strangely intermingled in the stories of human lives. They are the threads, the warp and the weft, of which the web of life is woven. Until sin is gone, it is better for us to keep the sorrows and the sicknesses and even the dyings; for these are God's agents for stamping upon sin its true character, and he makes them to be but the anguish of our deliverance from sin's power and dominion. In our times... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 116:16

O Lord, truly I am thy servant ; rather, even so , O Lord , for I am thy servant . Entitled, therefore, to thy care and consideration. I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid (comp. Psalms 86:16 ). "Thine handmaid"—the Church; or, if the writer is Hezekiah, "thy handmaid, Abiyah, the daughter of Zechariah," who "had under standing in the vision of God" ( 2 Chronicles 26:5 ; 2 Chronicles 29:1 ). Thou hast loosed my bonds . The "cords of death" (verse 3) are... read more

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