They loathed all food and drew near to the gates of death.Their soul abhors all kinds of food. They draw near to the gates of death.Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.Their soul abhorreth all manner of food; And they draw near unto the gates of death.
6 sermons cite this verse
This may be the most important psalm that you never think about. There are other more famous psalms, Psalm 23, Psalm 51, that great cry of repentance from David when he's confronted, Psalm 1, blessed is the man, Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, extolling the words of God. This psalm, you recognize some familiar phrases, but likely is not one of those psalms that you've studied in depth or have heard many, many sermons preached, and yet it is in this very psalm a microcosm of the entire human experience. Gregory of Nyssa, an early church father, said about this psalm, it contains a complete consummation and recapitulation of human salvation. And that's not an exaggeration. This psalm is the story of Israel's deliverance. It is the story of our salvation, and it is the story of what Christ has done for sinners. I want to start, I hope you have your Bibles open. I want you to notice before we go deeper, I want you to notice the overall structure sometimes we think about poetry as being that kind of art form that just wells up within the poets and we have a romantic kind of ideal that true art must be something that breaks all the rules and just kind of explodes out of the artist and yet i think most artists especially art that lasts would tell you that it's often quite the opposite, that the most amazing pieces of music follow certain rules. …
… That's what they get. He cuts through the bars of iron. Okay? Now look at the third group. Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities. Now these people are sick. It's a little interesting. It's very interesting, actually. because these people, it says they're sick, they loathe all food, verse 18. And that means that they really are dying. They are wasting away physically. But it's as a result of foolishness, verse 17. These are more like people who've ruined their lives, ruined their bodies through overwork or addiction or something. And look what heals them. What they need is a healer. But what they're actually getting, in a sense, is a counselor. Because what heals them, look carefully, he sent forth his word. They get some kind of word, they get some kind of advice that heals them. They get some kind of loving, healing counselor. So the first group needs a father, the second group needs a king, the third group needs a loving, a nurse, a counselor, a person at the side. …
"Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities are afflicted. Their soul abhors all manner of meat, and they draw near unto the gates of death. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble and He saves them out of their distresses. He sent His Word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing" Psalm 107:17-22. WHEN a person is very ill, one of the greatest kindnesses that you can show to him is to tell him how you felt under a similar affliction, to what physician you resorted, what remedies he prescribed, through what processes you passed, what were the symptoms connected with your recovery and how long you have been able to rejoice over the cure which has been worked in you. This kind of practical, experimental talk will be far more valuable to him than any doctor's opinions that you may read to him out of a book of medicine. Tell the sufferer what your experience has been and you will generally find that he will attach more importance to that than to any theory which you may propound to him, however well you may support that theory by argument! …
"Fools because of their transgression and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. Their soul abhors all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates ofdeath. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and He saves them out of their distresses. He sent His Word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Oh that men would praise the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing." Psalm 107:17-22. [Another Sermon by Mr. Spurgeon on verses 17-20 is #1824, Volume 31—THE HISTORY OF SUNDRY FOOLS.] IT is a very profitable thing to visit a hospital. The sight of others' sickness tends to make us grateful for our own health. And it is a great thing to be kept in a thankful frame of mind, for ingratitude is a spiritual disease, injurious to every power of the soul. A hospital inspection will also teach us compassion and that is of great service. Anything that softens the heart is valuable. Above all things, in these days we should strive against the petrifying influences which surround us. It is not easy for a man who has constantly enjoyed good health and prosperity, to sympathize with the poor and the suffering. Even our Great High Priest, who is full of compassion, learned it by carrying our sorrows in His own Person. To see the sufferings of the afflicted, in many cases, would be enough to move a stone. And if we visit a hospital and come back with a more tender heart, we shall have found it a sanatorium to ourselves. …
While this heaviness is inward, notice in the next place that it is real. Heaviness of spirit is one of the most terribly true of all our griefs. He who is cheerful and light-hearted too often contemns and even ridicules him who is sad of soul. He says that he is "nervous," calls him "fanciful.. .almost out of his mind," "very excitable.. .quite a monomaniac," and so on. The current idea being that there is really no need for alarm and that sorrow for sin is mere fanaticism! If some persons had suffered half an hour of conviction of sin, themselves, they would look with different eyes upon those who feel the spirit of heaviness, for I say it, and know what I am saying, that next to the torment of Hell, itself, there is but one sorrow which is more severe than that of a broken and a contrite spirit that trembles at God's Word, but does not dare to suck comfort out of it! The bitterness of remorse and despair is worse, but yet it is unspeakably heartbreaking to bow at the Mercy Seat, and to fear that no answer will ever come—to lie at the feet of Jesus, but to be afraid to look up to Him for salvation! To be conscious of nothing but abounding sin and raging unbelief and to expect nothing but sudden destruction—this is an earthly Tophet! There are worse wounds than those which torture the flesh, but more cruel pangs arise from the broken bones of the soul than from those of the body. Sharp is that cut which goes to the very heart and yet does not kill, but makes men wish that they could die or cease to be. There is a prison such as no iron bars can make and a fetter such as no smith can forge. Sickness is a trifle compared to it—it is to some men less endurable than the rack or the stake. To be impaled upon your own sins, pilloried by your own conscience, shot at by your own judgment as with barbed arrows—this is anguish and torment! …
But the Word of the Lord is not always the voice of instruction—it is sometimes spoken in peremptory tones, commanding us. The Lord Jesus Christ has given many absolute injunctions to His people. Some there are among us—we grieve to confess it—who are not so fond of His precepts as of His Doctrines. They will hear the preaching that sets forth the precious Doctrines of Grace and the sweet promises of the Covenant with very great delight, as I hope we all do, but at the mention of the precepts and practical obligations, they are offended and afraid that there is more of a legal twang than of a Gospel tone in the sermon! Perhaps such fears have too often been justified. At the same time, Brothers and Sisters, we should always be ready to suffer the word of exhortation and be as content to do for Christ that which He enjoins, as to get from Christ that which He freely bestows! That saying of the mother of Jesus to those who waited at the feast of Cana is good advice for us all. She said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it." Does Christ command separation from the world—separate yourselves and come out! Does Christ command bearing your cross and going outside the camp? Take up your cross cheerfully and follow Him outside the camp! Does Christ command integrity of character and holiness of life—oh, that we might be blameless in the one and exemplary in the other! Does He command love, a kindly affection for the Brothers and Sisters and a practical benevolence towards all mankind—let us diligently cherish both! Does He command us to forgive injuries, to show a peaceable disposition—then let us bear and forbear in advance of all the maxims of society, stimulated by the noble example of our Lord and obedient to the Law of His mouth! Do you call the blessed Jesus your Lord and Master? "Hear you Him." Heed His precepts, as well as listen to His Doctrine! Often, too, by way of direction, does our Lord speak to us. How wisely would our lives be ordered, did we simply and sincerely follow Christ's guidance! We often make glaring mistakes in trivial matters because we fancy ourselves able to direct our own steps in plain, common paths. Many a man has gone straight through an intricate course because he has prayed earnestly—and in answer to prayer he has found out the narrow channel between the quicksands and the rocks— yet on other occasions that same man has committed folly in Israel because he thought it was fair sailing, and he did not want to take the Divine Pilot on board. Let us, in all things, great or small, ask counsel of Christ! And when once we know His will, let us never have a second thought! It is not ours to reason or to question, but it is ours to suffer loss and endure reproach, if necessary, when we have His orders. The Christian's, like the soldier's duty is to obey. Be it to do or to die, it is imperative that he lay his judgment at the feet of his Commander. His judgment is never more sound than when he defers to his Chief, demurs to nothing, and decides at the spur of prescript or prohibition. With His charge for your chart, be ready to hear His direction! …