This is the last book written by Bunyan and was being prepared for publication just prior to his death. We all need the words of this little book when we find ourselves in the pit of sin.
This Psalm is David's penitential psalm. It may be fitly so called. because it is a Psalm by which is manifest the unfeigned sorrow which he had for his horrible sin, in defiling of Bathsbeba, and slaying Uriah her husband; a relation at large of which you have in the 11th and 12th of the second of Samuel.
Many workings of heart, as this psalm showeth, this poor man had, so soon as conviction did fall upon his spirit: one while he cries for mercy, then he confesses his heinous offences. Then he bewails the depravity of his nature; sometimes he cries out to be washed and sanctified, and then again he is afraid that God will cast him away from his presence, and take his Holy Spirit utterly from him: and thus he goes on till he comes to the text, and there he stayeth his mind. Finding in himself that heart and spirit which God did not dislike: "The sacrifices of God." says he. "are a broken spirit;" as it he should say. I thank God I have that. "A broken and a contrite heart," saith he. "O God, thou wilt not despise;" as if he should say. I thank God I have that.
The words consist of two parts: 1. An Assertion. 2. A Demonstration of that Assertion. The Assertion is this, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit." The Demonstration is this. "Because a broken and a contrite heart God will not despise."
In the Assertion, we have two things present themselves to our consideration: 1. That a broken spirit is to God a sacrifice. 2. That it is to God, as that which answereth to or goeth beyond all sacrifices: The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit." The demonstration of this is plain, for that heart God will not despise; "a broken and a contrite heart. O God, thou wilt not despise."
Whence I draw this conclusion, That a spirit rightly broken, a heart truly contrite, is to God an excellent thing; that is, a thing that goeth "beyond all external duties whatever; for that is intended by this saying. "The sacrifices," because it answereth to all sacrifices which we can offer to God: yea. it serveth in the room of all: alt our sacrifices without this are nothing; this alone is all.
There are four things that are very acceptable to God.
The First is, The sacrifice of the body of Christ for our sins; of this you read, Heb. 10; for there you have it preferred to all burnt offerings and sacrifices; it is this that pleaseth God; it is this that sanctifieth and so setteth the people acceptable in the sight of God.
Secondly, unfeigned love to God is counted better than all sacrifices, or external parts of worship: "And to love the lord thy God with all the heart, with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices." Mark 12:33.
Thirdly. To walk holily and humbly and obediently towards and before God, is another: Mic. 6: 6-8. "Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken, than the fat of rams," I Sam. 15:22.
Fourthly. And this in our text is the fourth, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart. O God, thou wilt not despise."
But note by the way, that this broken, and contrite head, is thus excellent only to God: "O God." saith he "thou wilt not despise it:" by which is implied, the world has not this esteem or respect for such a heart, or for one that is of a broken and a contrite spirit: no, no: a man, a woman, that is blessed with a broken heart is so far off from getting by that esteem with the world, that they are but burdens, and trouble houses wherever they are or go; such people carry with them molestation and disquietment; they are in carnal families, as David was to the King of Gath, "troublers of the house." 1 Sam. 21
Their sighs, their tears, their day and night groans. Their cries and prayers and solitary carriages put all the carnal family out of order: hence you have them brow-beaten by some, contemned by others; yea and their company fled from and deserted by others. But mark the text, "A broken and a contrite heart. O God, thou wilt not despise," but rather accept; for not to despise is, with God, to esteem and set a high price upon.
But we will demonstrate by several particulars. That a broken spirit, a spirit rightly broken, a heart truly contrite, is to God an excellent thing.
First, This is evident from the comparison. "Thou desirest not sacrifice, else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt-offerings: the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit," etc. Mark, he rejecteth sacrifices, offerings and sacrifices; that is, all Levitical ceremonies under the law, and all external performances under the gospel; but accepteth a broken heart. It is therefore manifest by this, were there nothing else to be said, that proves, that a heart truly broken, truly contrite, is to God an excellent thing: for, as you see, such a heart is set before all sacrifice, and yet they were the ordinances of God, and things that he commanded. But, lo! a broken spirit is above them all. A contrite heart goes beyond them, yea beyond them, when put all together. Thou wilt not have the one, thou wilt not despise the other. O brethren! a broken and contrite heart is an excellent thing. Have I said, a broken heart, a broken and a contrite heart is esteemed above all sacrifices? I will add.
Secondly, It is of greater esteem with God, than is either heaven or earth, and that is more than to be set before external duties. "Thus saith the Lord. Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build me, or where is the place of my rest? For all these things hath mine hands made. And all these things have been. saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word," Isa. 66:1:2.
Mark, God saith, he hath made all these things; but he doth not say that he will look to them, that is, take complacency and delight in them; no, there is that wanting in all that be hath made, that should take up and delight his heart: but now, let a broken-hearted sinner come before him, yea, he ranges the world thoughout to find such an one, and having found him, "To this man," saith he, "will I look." I say again, that such a man, to him, is of more value than is either heaven or earth: "They," saith he, wax old, they shall perish and vanish away; but this man, he continues, he, (as is presented to us in another place. Under another character,) "he shall abide for ever." Heb. 1.10-12; 1 John 11.17.
"To this man will I look?' with this man be delighted; for to look doth sometimes signify. "Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse, saith Christ to his humble-hearted: "thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes." (while it is as a conduit to let the rivers out of thy broken heart.) "I am taken," saith he, "with one chain of thy neck" Song 4:9. Here, you see, he looks and is ravished. He looks and is taken; as it saith in another place, "The king is held in the galleries." Song 7: 5 That is, is taken with his beloved, "with the dove's eyes" of his beloved, (1:15,) with the contrite spirit of his people.
But it is not thus reported of him with respect to heaven or earth; them he sets more lightly by; "them unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men," 2 Pet. 3: 7. But the broken in heart are His beloved, his jewels.
Wherefore what I have said as to this, must go for the truth of God. To wit, that a broken-hearted sinner, a sinner with a contrite spirit, is of more esteem with God than is either heaven or earth. He saith, he hath made them; but he doth not say, he will look to them: he saith, they are his throne and footstool; but he doth not say, they have taken or ravished his heart; no, it is those that are of a contrite spirit do this.
But there is yet more in the words. "To this man will I look;" that is, For this man will I care; about this man will I camp; I will put this man under my protection; for so to look to one, doth sometimes signify; and I take the meaning in this place to be such. Prov.27:23; Jer. 39:12; 44:4.
"The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all that are bowed down." And the broken-hearted are of this number; wherefore he careth for, campeth about, and hath set his eyes upon such an one for good. This therefore is a second demonstration to prove that the man that hath his spirit rightly broken, his heart truly contrite, is of great esteem with God.
Thirdly, yet further, God doth not only prefer such an one, as has been said, before heaven and earth, but he loveth, he desireth to have that man for an intimate, for a companion: he must dwell, he must cohabit with him that is of a broken heart, with such as are of a contrite spirit. "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy. I dwell in the high and holy place. with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit," Isa. 57:15.
Behold here both the majesty and condescension of the high and lofty One; his majesty, in that he is high, and the inhabiter of eternity. "I am the high and lofty One," saith he; "I inhabit eternity." Verily, this consideration is enough to make the broken-hearted man creep into a mouse hole to hide himself from such a majesty. But behold his heart, his condescending mind: I am for dwelling also "with him that hath a broken heart, with him that is of a contrite spirit," that is the man that I would converse with, that is the man with whom I will cohabit, that is he, saith God. I will choose for my companion. For to desire to dwell with one, supposeth all these things; and verily, of all the men in the world, none have acquaintance with God, none understand what communion with him, and what his teachings mean, but such as are of a broken and contrite heart: "He is nigh to them that are of a broken spirit," Psa. 34:18. These are intended in the 14th Psalm, where it is said, "The Lord looked down from heaven, to see if any did understand and seek God," that he might find somebody in the world with whom he might converse; for indeed there is none else that either understand, or that can attend to hearken to him. God, as I may say, is forced to break men's hearts, before he can make them willing to cry to him, or be willing that he should have any concerns with them, the rest shut their eyes, stop their ears, withdraw their hearts, or say unto God, "Be gone," Job 21. But now the broken heart can attend it, he has leisure, yea, leisure and will, and understanding and all; and therefore he is a fit man to have to do with God. There is also room in this man's house, in this man's heart, in this man's spirit, for God to dwell, for God to walk, for God to set up a kingdom.
Here therefore is suitableness. "Can two walk together," saith God. "except they be agreed?" Amos 3:3 . The broken-hearted desireth God's company: "When wilt thou come unto me?" saith he. The broken-hearted loveth to hear God speak and talk to him. Here is a suitableness: "Cause me." saith he, "to hear joy and gladness, that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice," Psa. 11.8.
But here lies the glory, in that the high and lofty One, the God that inhabiteth eternity, and that has a high and holy place for his habitation, should choose to dwell with, and to be a companion of the broken in heart, and of them that are of a contrite spirit: yea, and here is also great comfort for such.