Plaistow[1] 26.5.54  6

Psalm 16

I think most likely that there are some in our meeting this evening who read the “Christian Herald[2]” and who received with it a copy last week a Photo of Billy Graham[3] with his signature verse of Scripture Psalm 16. 11[4]. We did and it caused me to read an old favourite again[5], and as I went over the very precious truths it contains I felt constrained to pass those truths on to you this evening[6]. Now whatever may be our opinion[7] of the early verses of Psalm that can be no diversity regarding the last four for Peter at Pentecost in Acts 2. 25-31 shows us plainly that they are prophetic of our Lord Jesus Christ and personally I am persuaded that the whole Psalm refers to Him, and might very reasonably be one of His prayers upon the mountain[8], in one of those night seasons referred to in verse seven, and, viewed in that light, I think we may see something of the wondrous love of our Blessed Lord, and I do think we should take off the shoes from our feet[9], for surely this is holy ground whereon we stand and listen to the outpouring of His Holy Soul[10] to the Father, in each of these precious verses. Now in verse one we see the man Christ Jesus. Do not ask me to explain how it was possible for Him the Divine of His Father Jehovah, to become man. It passeth knowledge. We believe it and worship at the wondrous condescension. At the very commencement of His public ministry, we see Him on Jordan’s banks, a witness of the crowds being baptized of John confessing their sins, and we read “Then cometh Jesus to be baptized of him[11] and we recall those words of Isaiah 53. He was numbered with the transgressors, and saying, “thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. And He who knew no sin was made sin for us, and when falsely accused before Pilate, opened not His mouth[12].. Voluntarily He had taken the sinners place, and consequently was speechless when accused. There is no sphere in which His condescension is so marked as in the sphere of sin and it’s just consequences. Why has man needed a preserver? There had been no thought of this in Eden before man sinned, but the moment sin answered, and Adam sinned[13], then he felt his need of preservation, and, nothing more was found than the trees of the garden. And on & on man has prayed the prayer, Preserve me, O God[14], and, He who was God voluntarily became man, felt His need, and prayed the prayer, and in Gethsemane was heard in that (sic) He feared. Now we pass to the next two verses[15], which we will take together, and I think we have a most glorious view of His work as a mediator. There is the God-ward and also the man-ward aspect of His work. I realize these verses are not easy to understand[16] but without entering into particulars or details. This seems clear and in those nights seasons, the force of these two aspects must have been very prominent and in Prov 8 30 & 31[17] we have the same twofold aspect of His life & work. In verses four we see his jealousy for His Fathers glory (and we fully grasp this in his prayer to the Father. Here He was among men whose natural inclinations were away from God rather than towards Him, and, O how he must have loathed the sin of the human heart, and He saw them as dead in sin and in verses 5 & 6 we have clearly seen His joy in Jehovah God.. On earth despised & rejected of men a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief[18]. Here He had nowhere to lay His head[19], misjudged suspected, hated of all men, and yet there was ever of the quiet mountain-top[20], where he could bask in the sunshine of His Fathers face and remind Him, that His lot was being maintained in readiness for that moment when having finished the work upon earth He would return to the Father. Do you remember His word to His disciples If ye loved me ye would rejoice because I said I go unto my Father[21]. Here he was amid all that His Holy Soul hated, but there was all that He loved. And this is something which must touch our hearts who love Him. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places. Yea I have a goodly heritage[22]. Do we not see in letters of gold here those words of Hebrews 12[23] Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross. And in verse seven we finding Him in a joyful mood blessing His Father for counsel and guidance, and the word reins in this verse means, nothing more or less the reins with which one drives an horse. Now we have a picture of the perfect servant absolutely given up to the will of another. The horse is just turns to the right or left at the will of the one who holds those reins. And was ever man so completely surrendered as He. Isa 50 brings Him before us in this light. The cross with all its shame is given, and throughout His earthly life was ever before Him but never for one moment did He seek to swerve from it. I have set the Lord always before me. I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and down into the valley of death[24] He goes with gladness for he knew the grave was but a temporary dwelling place. He knew the ultimate triumph that awaited Him Here is resurrection truth which must thrill the heart of all God’s people and prompt us to join with Paul in those words Oh death where is thy sting Oh where is thy victory[25]. And then follows one of those verses which have cheered the hearts of countless millions, but let us not make a mistake about them. Primarily they refer to our Blessed Lord Thou wilt show me the path of life, in thy presence is fullness of joy, and at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Let us not rob Him of His portion, fullness of joy & pleasures for evermore. Who so worthy as He. His cup of sorrow had been full, but now, his time of joy has come, and wherein is the joy. What is He doing at the right hand of God. He is there on our behalf interceding for us. This is the joy set before Him. The joy of ministering to the need of His loved ones, now and forever, see, Luke 12. 37[26].



[1] Presumably Plaistow in East London where Reg, his son was an elder in the Brethern Assembly

[2] “Christian Herald began life over 130 years ago in Glasgow when it was founded by Anglican minister and evangelist Rev. Michael Baxter in July 1874 as a means of reporting the events surrounding the Moody and Sankey missions. The Christian Herald started out as The Signs of Our Times and its peak circulation was 250,000 copies a week around 1900, making it the largest-selling religious periodical in the world” http://www.christiantoday.com/article/christian.herald.to.cease.publishing.in.the.new.year/4798.htm. It ceased publication in 2006.

[3] The Billy Graham London crusade in March 3-May 20 1954 attracted 1.9 million people. Callum Brown comments 'For many attenders these were spectacles in the midst of austerity; for a small number, especially the young, they'd used considerable anxiety. This was a return to an older evangelical discursive state… The widespread penetration of the events into the print and broadcasting media, and the demographic density of participation, could not have happened if the discursive power of the evangelical narrative had been seriously diminished' The Death of Christian Britain p 173-4. Lloyd was very much part of the tradition of evangelical revivalism that was at this time still an established part of British culture.

[4] Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore

[5] He also preaches on it two weeks later

[6] It is interesting to reflect on the subtext of the message being given here. Lloyd's concern always seems to be to bring people back to Jesus, hence the focus on seeing Jesus in the words of Psalm 16. He is not wanting to oppose the Billy Graham mission but he does seem to be issuing a warning about a Christianity which is about what I get out of it rather than giving loving attention to Jesus and I suspect he feels the Billy Graham message is unbalanced in this regard.

[7] Clearly Lloyd is aware of discussions in evangelical sources about whether this Psalm should be read messianically, but unfortunately we have little information about his library and what commentaries he would have been reading. RRA only mentions his liking of the Oxford Helps.

[8] Mark 6: 46 And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray

[9] Exodus 3:5 A reference to Moses before the burning Bush

[10] It is unclear to me where this reference to Holy Soul comes from. It is not biblical

[11] Matthew 3:13

[12] Matthew 27:13

[13] Genesis 3

[14] Psalm 16:1

[15] O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee; But to the Saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent in whom is all my delight.

[16] Presumably he is thinking of " my goodness extendeth not to thee"

[17] Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men

[18] Isaiah 53:3

[19] Matthew 8:20

[20] Matthew 14:23

[21] John 14:28

[22] Psalm 16:6

[23] Hebrews 12:2

[24] Psalm 23:4

[25] 1 Corinthians 15:55

[26] Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.