Psalms 144:11-12 - Homilies By S. Conway

Children who are a sorrow and shame, and those who are our unspeakable joy.

In these verses we have contrasted the children concerning whom we pray, "Rid and deliver us," with those who are such as every godly man desires and craves of God that his own sons and daughters may be. The prayer of our text, it has been repeatedly remarked, is the prayer which may well come from every prince, patriot, and parent. The interests and well-being of each depend upon its being answered. As is the character of our sons and daughters, so will be the happiness of the throne, the nation, the home. But especially is it the godly parents' prayer. Consider—

I. THE STRANGE CHILDREN HERE SPOKEN OF . ( Psalms 144:11 .) From them the psalmist prays, "Rid and deliver us."

1. Who are they?

2. Their characteristics are given . "Their mouth speaketh vanity." No wholesome, helpful speech is heard from their lips, but only that which is worthless or worse, and which comes from and leads to no good. What a miserable amount of such speech there is in one day, heard or read, spoken, written, or printed! and what incalculable mischief it has worked, and must ever work! The strange children, the foreign speech as read in their literature—what an amount of uncleanness and ungodliness is not that responsible for! And "their right hand is a right hand of falsehood." This is another of the characteristics of the "strange children." The meaning seems to be that they are unfaithful to their covenants, false in their dealings; they cannot be trusted or relied upon at all. Further, their conduct is such as, by its influence upon men, leads to the denial of God's existence, authority, and Word, and to the belief of the falsehood that this world is everything, and is alone worthy of our care. They are utterly ungodly both in speech and deed.

3. Bible instances of such strange children . Cain, Esau, Jacob's sons, Absalom, and apparently all David's sons, and many more.

4. The motives that should lead to the prayer in our text concerning them . We would not have such children, for we remember what their end must be; what the sorrow they bring upon those who love them (see David's sorrow about Absalom); what the disastrous influence they exert upon others; what the dishonor they bring upon God. Let all this quicken our prayers, as parents, for our children's real conversion to God, and our endeavors to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

II. THE CHILDREN THAT ARE LIKE THE TRIBES AND THE POLISHED PILLARS OR CORNER - STONES . ( Psalms 144:12 .) These are the sons and daughters that the psalmist longed to behold and to possess; and such may well be our longing likewise. Note the imagery employed . In both, the metaphors here, though they are manifestly unlike, as a stone is unlike a plant, yet they have some common characteristics, and these seem to have been in the psalmist's mind.

1. The grown-up plant. As such, so it is prayed, may our sons be in their youth—that is, whilst yet young. It is the grown-up plant, not the root; because that is out of sight, and the psalmist would have their godly character a visible thing. And not the tender plant, for that would be wanting in strength, and strength of character is another blessing desired. Hence the ideas suggested by the metaphor seem to be these—that, as the grown-up plant, the moral character of their sons may have root . Rootless plants never abide or come to full maturity; therefore there must be the inward principle and spring of life. Then, visibility . All can see the grown-up plant; it attracts attention—is evident to all. So should our son's character be—not only inward, but outward and visible. Beautiful , too, as the grown-up plant, whether tree, or herb, or flower. There should be about the godly character what too often is conspicuous only by its absence—symmetry, attractiveness, loveliness, and spiritual beauty. The matured flower, how beautiful it is! "So," etc. Then, further, there should be strength . The vigor of the plant is when it is grown up. And how essential is it that our children's character should be strengthened with all might by the Spirit in the inner man ( Ephesians 3:16 )! "Be strong ' is a perpetual charge in the apostolic writings, and they ever point us to the one Source of strength. And there is yet one other idea suggested—light of God . The plant is no man-made or man-matured thing; it is of God. And so with that character which we so crave—it must be of God. He must create, he must sustain, he must perfect it. Character that is simply man-made, that relies on self alone, what a sad contrast it offers to that which is depicted here! how much it always and inevitably lacks!

2. The polished pillar or cornerstone. This is the other metaphor. In the courts of the Lord's house we know there were trees. Josephus plainly tells us so, and Psalms 84:1-12 , implies it when it speaks of the home of the birds there. And in the palaces of the great, in the quadrangles around which they were built, there were generally many beautiful plants; and there would be also conspicuous the beautifully worked and decorated stones, placed at the angles of the building, or the polished pillars on which they rested. So, prays the psalm, may our daughters be. Here the same ideas are suggested by this metaphor as by the other. The cornerstone rests on its foundation as the plant springs from its root. St. Paul speaks in Ephesians 3:1-21 . as if he had these verses in his memory, of "being rooted and grounded in love;" rooted like the plant, grounded as is the foundation of a building. So must character be—based on firm foundation. Then the idea of visibility is common both to the matured plant and the polished pillar. Beauty also is even more suggested by this second figure than by the first. St. Paul teaches the same lesson when he speaks of our comprehending "with all saints what is the breath, and length, and depth, and height." It is the fair proportion and the beautiful comeliness and completeness of the Christian character which he desiderates so earnestly. Strength, again, is in this metaphor, as in the other. Both pillar and corner-stone would alike need to be strong. Some have regarded the word as pointing to "the Caryatides, the exquisitely sculptured forms of maidens which adorned the corners of some magnificent hall or chamber of a palace" (Perowne). But, with all their beauty, these pillars supporting the angles, of the building must have strength. But inasmuch as the Prayer-book Version, and other authorities beside, give the meaning of "temple" rather than "palace," and as such rendering is more in harmony with this devout utterance, we accept it, and find in it that suggestion of God in the character here spoken of which is also found in the emblem of the plant ( Psalms 92:13 ). Added on to the idea of strength and beauty which belonged to the temple of God there is that of godliness—consecration and devotion to him, without which no character is perfect and complete.

III. How WHAT IS SO DESIRED MAY BE SECURED .

1. Parents , and all who have charge of children , must pray for it ; and the prayer must be endorsed by appropriate action.

2. Believe in God ' s willingness to bestow this . He would not have inspired such prayer else.

3. Our young people must yield themselves up to God . They must renounce sin, and surrender their all to him, and then continually trust and expect the blessing sought.

IV. THE GREAT EXAMPLE OF THIS BEAUTIFUL CHARACTER . Our Lord Jesus Christ.

V. WHY YOU , OUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS , SHOULD THUS PRAY .

1. For the sake of the Lord , who calls you to this blessed life.

2. And for the sake of those who love you, and long that you may be the Lord's.

3. And of those whom you must influence for good or ill .

4. And for your own sake . Oh, how many have mourned, and are mourning now, that they have not lived this true life! But never one who did so live has done other than be profoundly grateful for God's grace that led him thereto.—S.C.