Unity, entireness, and sincerity in worship.
"With my whole heart." The tenor and tone of the psalm suggest the authorship of Zerubbabel or of Nehemiah. Some important success had evidently been just gained; but there was still grave cause for anxiety. Some work of pressing need was seriously impeded. We can easily fit this into the times and experiences of Nehemiah. There was, consequently, the temptation to mingle fears with trust, and offer to God thanksgivings and praises that were imperfect, incomplete, the expression of the "divided heart." And oftentimes in life the godly man is placed in such a position as is represented in this psalm. He has received some sign of the Divine favor which calls for praise and encourages trust; and yet he cannot shut his eyes to the fact that this intervention of God has only lifted the fringe of his difficulties. They hang heavy about him still; and he can hardly keep hack the repining that God does not deal with the big things that trouble him. So his praise is in danger of being half-hearted. The psalmist indicates what the good man should do at such times. He should fully learn what God would teach by the single blessing, and, letting trust blend with thanksgiving, praise God with his whole heart.
I. PRAISE WITH THE WHOLE HEART IS PRAISE WITHOUT RESERVE. How reserve may spoil prayer we are often pointing out. It is illustrated in St. Augustine's prayer, "Lord, convert me, but not yet!" It is not so often seen that reserve may spoil praise. We may praise for something; but feel we cannot praise for everything. We may praise formally, and reserve heart-feeling. We may praise as duty, and yet keep doubts and questionings as to God's perfect wisdom and goodness in our hearts. Our praises are usually left to take their chance. We do not assure ourselves that we have praise-feelings, and worthy ones, before we offer praise or unite in offering it. And yet praise needs culture quite as truly as prayer.
II. PRAISE WITH THE WHOLE HEART IS PRAISE WITHOUT GUILE. Conscious guile absolutely spoils praise; makes it unworthy and even offensive to God. The consciously insincere man is rejected. "Thy heart is not right with God;" and there can he no acceptance of thy worship. But what the godly man has to fear is "unconscious, unrecognized" insincerity; a guile that he does not suspect, and so lets go, lets it do its evil work in spoiling his praise.—R.T.