The Christian Walking in the Blessedness of the Gospel
C. Bradley, M.A. Psalm 89:15-18 Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of your countenance.… I. THE JOYFUL SOUND IS THE GOSPEL. 1. It comes from a world of joy, the happiest world in the universe. 2. It calls to a world of joy. II. THE KNOWLEDGE OF THIS JOYFUL SOUND. It is not so easy as we suppose to get the light of Divine truth into a sinner's darkened mind. It may shine down upon him from heaven so clear and bright that we may think it must penetrate his understanding at least; but let God leave him alone, it will be found perhaps in the great majority of cases that it has scarcely entered even that; that the man's understanding has been almost as completely closed against God's truth as the man's heart. III. THE BLESSEDNESS OF THOSE WHO POSSESS THIS KNOWLEDGE. 1. An habitual enjoyment of the Divine favour. "They shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance;" that is, as long as their knowledge of the Gospel is clear and their faith in it undisturbed, they shall go on their way with a consciousness within them that He is at peace with them, full of love to them. 2. A rejoicing in the Divine perfections. "In Thy name," etc. If we have learnt the Gospel aright, we have learnt that there is something in God which can meet our case under all circumstances; that let the day change as it will, there is always a refuge for us in Him. He is like a port ever near the soul when the storm comes; and such a port, that let the soul be in it, all the storms that can blow will do the soul no harm. It will be as safe and may be as happy as though all around it were a calm. 3. A conscious elevation in the Lord's righteousness. They are invested, as it were, with it. And this exalts the soul; exalts it in fact — lifts it up above the law's curses and penalties; gives it in Christ a right and title to the law's promises; places it on a level in Christ with those of God's creatures who have never sinned. And it exalts the soul within, in its own apprehensions and feelings. With a righteousness upon me wrought out by God's holy, everlasting Son, where are my fears, my shame, and my native vileness? And feeling thus, the believer's soul becomes morally exalted, exalted in character. With his Saviour's righteousness upon him, he longs increasingly to be righteous within, like that Saviour. He feels impelled to rise, to live above sin and self and the world, above the ordinary level of his fellow-men; and so through grace in some measure he does rise and does live. (C. Bradley, M.A.) Parallel Verses KJV: Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance. WEB: Blessed are the people who learn to acclaim you. They walk in the light of your presence, Yahweh.