Ver. 6. Wilt thou not revive us again? Hope here grows almost confident. She feels sure that the
Lord will return in all his power to save. We are dead or dying, faint and feeble, God alone can
revive us, he has in other times refreshed his people, he is still the same, he will repeat his love.
Will he not? Why should he not? We appeal to him—Wilt thou not? That thy people may rejoice
in thee. Thou lovest to see thy children happy with that best of happiness which centres in
thyself, therefore revive us, for revival will bring us the utmost joy. The words before us teach us
that gratitude has an eye to the giver, even beyond the gift—
Thy people may rejoice in thee. Those who were revived would rejoice not only in the new life
but in the Lord who was the author of it. Joy in the Lord is the ripest fruit of grace, all revivals
and renewals lead up to it. By our possession of it we may estimate our spiritual condition, it is a
sure gauge of inward prosperity. A genuine revival without joy in the Lord is as impossible as
spring without flowers, or daydawn without light. If, either in our own souls or in the hearts of
others, we see declension, it becomes us to be much in the use of this prayer, and if on the other
hand we are enjoying visitations of the Spirit and bedewings of grace, let us abound in
holy joy and make it our constant delight to joy in God. (SPURGEON’S EXPOSITION)
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Ver. 6. Wilt thou not revive us again? The Hebrew is, Wilt thou not return and revive us? We
translate the verb return by the adverb again: Wilt thou not revive us again? Thou hast given us
many revives: when we were as dead men, and like carcases rotting in the grave, thou didst
revive us, wilt thou not revive us once more, and act over those powerfully merciful works and
strong salvations once more, or again? Joseph Caryl.
Ver. 6. That thy people may rejoice in thee. When God changeth the cheer of his people, their
joy should not be in the gift, but in the Giver. David Dickson.
Ver. 6. It is the most natural thing, the most delightful thing, for the people of God to rejoice in
God. God is the fountain of joy, and whom should he fill with it but his people? And whom
should his people breathe it into again but him? This posture God delights to have them in; this
posture they delight to be in; but this cannot be in that estate of death and captivity
wherein God for a long season shutteth them up. "The living, the living shall praise thee, "but
alas, the dead cannot. John Pennington, 1656.
Ver. 6. Truly sin kills. Men are dead in trespasses and sins, dead in law, dead in their affections,
dead in a loss of comfortable communion with God. Probably the greatest practical heresy of
each age is a low idea of our undone condition under the guilt and dominion of sin. While this
prevails we shall be slow to cry for reviving or quickening. What sinners and churches need is
quickening by the Holy Ghost. William S. Plumer.
A DAY OF MINISTRATION OF THE SPIRIT
A day of the ministration of the Spirit would bring many rare and rich blessings along with it;
such as discoveries of the Redeemer's glory, convictions of the evil and vileness of sin, many
crowns of victory and triumph to Christ, great additions to his friends and followers. Then
gospel-light would shine clear, saving knowledge increase, ignorance and error vanish, riches of
free grace would be displayed, and Satan be bound up. Then ministers and ordinances would be
lively, secure sinners would be awakened, dead souls would live, hard hearts would be melted,
strong lusts subdued, and many sons and daughters born to God. Such a day would heal
divisions, cement breaches, make us all of one heart and mind, and bring down heaven to earth.
This would redress our grievances, remove our com-plaints, and unite Christ's scattered flock. It
would make true religion and holy persons to be in esteem, vice to be in disgrace, and iniquity as
ashamed to hide its face. Then sabbaths and communions would be days of heaven. Prayer and
praise, spiritual converse, talking of Christ and redeeming love, would be our chiefest delight.
O then, pray for such a time.
JOHN WILLISON The Balm of Gilead, 1742; Quoted in The Cambuslang Revival by Arthur
Fawcett; 1971.
THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS
An old preacher once told me, many years ago, about a young man that went to see a Puritan
pastor. I do not know which one it was, as there were many. The most well-known perhaps being
John Owen, Richard Sibbes, Stephen Charnock, Thomas Watson, Thomas Goodwin, etc. The
young man said to the Puritan pastor, “Pray for me that I will get in the will of God.” The Puritan
replied “You ARE in the will of God!” Most of us will need a little time to ponder that. Think
about it! (Cw)
Did you know that Whitfield County, Georgia, which was created Dec. 30, 1851, was named for
Evangelist George Whitefield, and as you can see, they left off the”e”. Actually, a few years later
political folks thought removing it was a good idea. Whitefield preached in coastal Georgia,
about 200 miles away from the county seat, Dalton, and present day Whitfield County. He
started Bethesda orphanage near Savannah which remains ‘til this day, though there have been
changes. (Cw)
Published by Charles Woodruff- email: oursong2000@yahoo.com
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