First_Baptist

Pastor Lars Larson, PhD                                                                                               FBC Sermon #616
First Baptist Church, Leominster, MA                                                                           June 12, 2011
Words for children: blind, David, praise                                                                         Text: Matthew 21:12-17
Scripture reading: Psalm 8

The Gospel of Matthew (80)
The Children of God Praising God in the Temple

Our current progress through Matthew:

I. Prologue (chs. 1, 2)
II. The Kingdom Comes (chs. 3-7)
III. The Works of the Kingdom (chs. 8-10)
IV. The Nature of the Kingdom (chs. 11-13)
V. The Authority of the Kingdom (chs. 14-18)
          A. Jesus’ Character and Authority (chs. 14-17)
          B. The Fourth Discourse: The Character and Authority of the Church (18:1-35)
VI. Kingdom Blessings and Kingdom Judgments (chs. 19-25)
          A. From Galilee to Jerusalem (chs. 19, 20)
                    1. Family Life within the Kingdom (19:1-15)
                    2. Entering the Kingdom (19:16-20:16)
                    3. Opening the Eyes of the Spiritually and Physically Blind (20:17-34)
          B. The King enters Jerusalem (chs. 21-23)
                    1. Triumphal Entry and Cleansing the Temple (21:1-22)

*****************

Let us continue our examination of Matthew 21 that records the entry of our Lord into Jerusalem and the temple, when He cleansed it of the money changers and healed the people of their physical infirmities.

II. The cleansing of the temple (continued) (21:12-17)

Verses 12 through 17 contain the account of the cleansing of the temple and His ministry in the temple afterward.

A. Jesus drove out them who were dishonoring His Father’s house and abusing His Father’s worshippers. (21:12f)

12And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and He overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

We next see…

B. Our Lord ministering to the people of Jerusalem. (21:14ff)

          14And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. 15But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16and they said to Him, “Do you hear what these are saying?”
          And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read,

Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies
You have prepared praise?”

          17And leaving them, He went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there. (Matt. 21:12-17)

We read that the blind and the lame came to Jesus in the temple. My understanding is that the blind and lame were not allowed into the inner courts of the temple, so our Lord healed these people in the outer court-- the court of the Gentiles. Why were the blind and lame not permitted entrance? There is an interesting passage in 2 Samuel 5 that speaks to this. It describes the initial taking of Jerusalem by King David and his army by conquering the resistant Jebusites, who had built and defended the city. Later king Solomon, David’s son, would build the temple of God in Jerusalem. We read of David taking the city:

3So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel. 4David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. 5At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.
          6And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off”--thinking, “David cannot come in here.” 7Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David.
          8And David said on that day, “Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack ‘the lame and the blind,’ who are hated by David’s soul.” Therefore it is said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.”
          9And David lived in the stronghold and called it the city of David. And David built the city all around from the Millo inward. 10And David became greater and greater, for the LORD, the God of hosts, was with him. (2 Sam. 5:3-10)

          When David was preparing to attack and take Jerusalem, the Jebusite inhabitants shouted down their insults to the Israelites, saying that their efforts to take the city would fail, for even the “blind and the lame” among the Jebusties would be able to defeat David’s army. This reflects the strength and defensive nature of ancient Jerusalem to an invading army. This taunt of the Jebusites angered David. He charged his troops, referring to the Jebusite defenders with the same description they had of the Israelites. We read David’s words, “Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack ‘the lame and the blind,’ who are hated by David’s soul” (2 Sam. 5:8a). Apparently the shaft that fed water to the city was the means by which David’s army was able to enter the city to capture it. David refers to all of the Jebusite defenders as “blind and lame”, unable to prevent Israel’s efforts to take the city. Then the writer of 2 Samuelb provides an aside, “Therefore it is said, ‘The blind and the lame shall not come into the house’” (2 Sam. 5:8b). Essentially he was saying, “This was the origin of the common saying and practice that the blind and lame will not be allowed entrance into the temple of God.”
          The Lord Jesus, the Greater Son of David, when He had come to the temple, would also in effect say, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house”, but not by turning them out, but by healing them, so that they were no longer blind and lame. When the Lord was there, not one blind or lame person remained in His house. This miracle ministry of Jesus links our Lord with the promises of the royal Messiah of the Old Testament, the Son of David has taken Jerusalem.
          We could also turn the prophet Isaiah to read of prophecies of the coming Messiah who would heal the blind and the lame when He brings in His kingdom. We read in Isaiah 35:1ff

1The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them,
And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose;
2It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice,
Even with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
The excellence of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the LORD,
The excellency of our God.
3Strengthen the weak hands,
And make firm the feeble knees.
4Say to those who are fearful-hearted,
“Be strong, do not fear!
Behold, your God will come with vengeance,
With the recompense of God;
He will come and save you.”
5Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
6Then the lame shall leap like a deer,
And the tongue of the dumb sing.
For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,
And streams in the desert.
7The parched ground shall become a pool,
And the thirsty land springs of water;
In the habitation of jackals, where each lay,
There shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
8A highway shall be there, and a road,
And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.
The unclean shall not pass over it,
But it shall be for others.
Whoever walks the road, although a fool,
Shall not go astray.
9No lion shall be there,
Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it;
It shall not be found there.
But the redeemed shall walk there,
10And the ransomed of the LORD shall return,
And come to Zion with singing,
With everlasting joy on their heads.
They shall obtain joy and gladness,
And sorrow and sighing shall flee away. (Isa 35:1-10)

Here we read a prophecy of the coming Messiah who would restore the sight to the blind, the hearing to the deaf, and He would heal the lame so that they walk again. By Matthew describing Jesus as the One who came into the temple and healed the blind and lame, he combined the Old Testament promise of the Messiah coming as King and the Messiah as the Healer (and Restorer) of His people. As one commentator described, by Matthew recording that Jesus healed the blind and the lame in the temple, “In this way Matthew combines royal messianism (Jesus as son of David) with prophetic messianism (Jesus as miracle worker).”[2]

One would expect that all the people of Jerusalem would welcome Jesus the Christ and all join in celebrating His arrival and presence. But we read this did not happen. Matthew records in verse 15,

But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16and they said to Him, “Do you hear what these are saying?”

The leaders of Israel reacted with indignation to the joyful reception that the people of Jerusalem gave to Jesus. The miracles did not sway them; the rejoicing of “the children” stirred up envy in them. The children all over the temple mount were crying, “Hosanna to the Son of David.” As we said several weeks ago, the word Hosanna means “save now” or “save, pray.” Here we read that the children of Jerusalem were singing the same praise that the people had proclaimed the day before, on Palm Sunday. We read of the praise of the people on the previous day in Matthew 21:9, which reads,

“And the crowds that went before him and that followed Him were shouting, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’” (Matt. 21:9)

The children were mimicking the crowds of the day before. The Jewish “chief priests and scribes were indignant” (21:15). They said to Jesus, “Do you hear what these are saying?” As if to say, “Are you not concerned that they are ascribing glory to you? Why do you not stop them? How can you permit them to continue singing your praises?” Of course He heard the children expressing praise! Our Lord responded to them by drawing their attention to the Scriptures.

And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read,

Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies
You have prepared praise?”

Our Lord quotes Psalm 8:

1Oh LORD, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have set Your glory above the heavens!

2Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

3When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
4What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
5For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

6You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
7All sheep and oxen--
Even the beasts of the field,
8The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas.
9Oh LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth! (Psa 8:1)

          One might wonder why our Lord’s words and those of Psalm 8 are not precisely identical. Our Lord did not quote the Hebrew translation of the Scriptures, but rather the Greek translation, known as the Septuagint (also referred to by the abbreviation LXX).
          In quoting this psalm our Lord was saying that God had moved these children to express their praise. Psalm 8 is addressed to God. Verse 1 speaks to God directly: “O LORD, our Lord.” The “praise” of the infants (“strength” in the Hebrew), is the result of God ordaining the children to this end. “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength.” (verse2).When the chief priests and the scribes opposed the children praising the Lord Jesus, they were opposing God who had ordained them to this end.
          We then read that our Lord walked away from them. Verse 17, “And leaving them, He went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.” He probably returned to stay with His friends with whom He had spent the previous night--the two sisters, Martha and Mary, and their brother, Lazarus.

III. Some lessons from our passage

1. Our Lord welcomes all who are needy and helpless to come to Him in their need. The blind and the lame came to Jesus and He healed them all. These who were not welcomed by the religious leaders and were perhaps even marginalized by the other worshippers. Spurgeon said it well:

Jesus, in His Father’s name, welcomed the motley band, and healed them. Some people seem to think that, if the very poor come into places of worship, they are out of place; but this is the vain notion of a wicked pride. The poorest and the most sinful may come to Jesus. We, too, came into the assembly of the saints at one time, spiritually blind and lame; but Jesus opened our eyes, and healed us of our lameness. If He sees anything amiss with us now, we are sure He will not drive us away from His courts, but He will heal us at once. Let all the blind and lame come to him now.[3]

Let us remember also that our Lord was welcoming the blind and the lame to Him and He healed them, but had just scattered the money changers. “The Great Physician is standing there in the midst of overturned tables, scattered coins, and knocked down benches, manifesting His healing power and marvelous compassion to those in need.”[4] He welcomes the lowly and casts away from Him the corrupt and insincere.

2. We are called to offer praise to our God. What the people did on Palm Sunday and what the children were doing in the temple on this day, we, too, are called to render praise to our God. Praise is expressing gratefulness and thanksgiving to God for Who God is, what He has done, is doing, and has promised to do. At the heart of praise is heartfelt thanksgiving. We are always to be praising God.

Let us examine in more detail this matter of the saints’ praise of their God.

(1) Praise is the activity of saints in heaven. We read in Matthew 21 that the children voiced praise to God in the Jerusalem temple. We read in Revelation 21 that we Christians will praising God in the New Jerusalem in which there will be no temple, “for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb” (Rev. 21:22):

1After this I (John) heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, 2for His judgments are true and just; for He has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of His servants.” 3Once more they cried out, “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.” 4And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” 5And from the throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants, you who fear Him, small and great.” 6Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. 7Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready; 8it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”-- for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.” (Rev 19:1-8)

Jonathan Edwards (18th c.) once gave a sermon entitled, “Thanksgiving Sermon.” He described how the saints in heaven will be giving much effort in giving much praise to God.

John the beloved disciple had often visions of heaven, and in almost every instance had a vision of the inhabitants as praising God. So in the fourth chapter )of Revelation) he tells us, that he looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven, and he was called up thither, and that he saw the throne of God and him that sat on the throne; and there he gives us an account how those that were round about the throne were praising God; the four living creatures rest not day nor night, saying, “Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.” And when those living creatures give glory and honour and thanks to him, the four and twenty elders fall down before him and worship him. Again in the fifth chapter, we have an account how they sing praises to Christ (5:8, 9). And so in the seventh chapter (7:9-12). And in the eleventh chapter (11:16f). And in the twelfth chapter (12:10). And in the fifteenth chapter (15:2-4). And in the beginning of the nineteenth chapter we have an account how the hosts of heaven sing hallelujahs to God. By all which it most evidently appears, that their work very much consists in praising God and Christ. We have but a very imperfect knowledge of the future state of blessedness, and of their employment: without doubt they have various employments there. We cannot reasonably question but they are employed in contributing to each other’s delight. They shall dwell together in society. They shall also probably be employed in contemplating on God, His glorious perfections, and glorious works, and so gaining knowledge in these things. And doubtless they will be employed many ways, that we know nothing of: but this we may determine, that much of their employment consists in praising God, and that for the following reasons.

Praise will be the chief desire and occupation of heaven and eternity. We will praise God for Who He is and for what He has done for us through Jesus Christ His Son and our Lord and Savior.

(2) Praise should be the activity of saints (true Christians) here, on earth.

“Praise and thanksgiving is the work of heaven and he (a godly man) begins that work here which he will always be doing in heaven” (Thomas Watson). This is the end to which God made us. Again, Jonathan Edwards wrote:

No employment can be a greater honour to a man, than to praise God. It is the peculiar dignity of the nature of man, and the very thing wherein his nature is exalted above things without reason, and things without life; that he is made capable of actively glorifying his Creator. Other created things do glorify God; the sun, moon, and stars, and the earth and waters, and all the trees of the field, and grass and herbs, and fishes and insects, do glorify God.(cf. Psa. 19:1-6; Job 12:7, 8). But herein is the peculiar dignity of the nature of man, that he is capable of glorifying Him as a cause, by counsel, understandingly and voluntarily, which is a heavenly work.

God’s Word teaches us that saints ought to be continually offering praise to God. It is the normal and natural practice of a child of God to bring praise to God.

“Bless the LORD,… You who fear the LORD, bless the LORD!” (Psa. 135:20)

“Let the godly exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their throats…” (Psa. 149:5)

“Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright.” (Psa. 33:1)

(3) Praise is not the activity of unbelievers.

Sinners (i.e. the unsaved) cut God short of His thank offering: ‘Where are the nine?’ (Luke 17:17). Of ten lepers healed there was but one who returned to give praise. Most of the world are sepulchers to bury God’s praise. You will hear some swearing and cursing but few who bless God. Praise is the yearly rent that men owe, but most are behindhand with their rent. God gave King Hezekiah a marvelous deliverance, ‘but Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him’ (2 Chron. 32:25)... Some, instead of being thankful to God, ‘render evil for good’… Many have tears in their eyes and complaints in their mouths, but few have harps in their hand and are blessing and praising the name of God. (Thomas Watson)

The wrath of God is manifest upon those who have known f God but failed to believe and live according to that knowledge. One distinguishing trait of these people is that they are not thankful toward God; they fail or refuse to praise God.

18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. (Rom 1:18-21)

3. Let us be ones who faithfully and continually praise our God.

(1) This is a most excellent manner to live our lives.

It is the work that we will be doing in heaven, let us be about this work in this life in this world. If we sincerely and frequently praise God, we shall be like our fellow saints in heaven.
It is a work that will bring great satisfaction. The saints in heaven are filled with joy and peace, living a contented existence. We may enter into their joy when we spend our time as they spend their time in praising God.

Praise is the most joyful work in the world. And how joyful a society are they that join together, so many thousands and millions of them, with one heart and one soul, to sing a new song before the throne, that fill heaven with their glorious melody! How joyful they are in their work, by their fervency in it, so that their voices resounded as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder. (J. Edwards)

(2) It will enable us to better cope with the spiritual struggles with which we engage in this world as we anticipate the world to come.

Life in this world for the Christian is one much trial and difficulty as we attempt to live righteously in this fallen world as we still have sin indwelling within us.

Here much of the work to which the saints are called, consists in laboring, in fighting, in toilsome travelling in a waste howling wilderness, in mourning and suffering, and in offering up strong crying and tears. But there in heaven, their work continually is to lift up their joyful songs of praise. This world is a valley of tears, a world filled with sighs and groans. One is groaning under some bodily pain, another is mourning and lamenting over a dear departed friend; another is crying out by reason of the arm of the oppressor. But in heaven there is no mixture of such sounds as these; there is nothing to be heard amongst them but the sweet and glorious melody of God’s praises. There is a holy cheerfulness to be seen throughout that blessed society. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying” (Rev. 21:4). They shall never have anything more to do with sighing and crying; but their eternal work henceforward shall be praise. This should make us long for heaven, where they spend their time so joyfully and gloriously. The saints especially have reason to be earnestly breathing after that happy state, where they may in so joyful a manner praise God. (J. Edwards)

(3) We will distinguish ourselves and show ourselves as true Christians if we actively praise God here and now. One of the clearest ways to distinguish true Christians from those who are not, is whether they praise God or they do not thank God through Jesus Christ. Those who were blind but now saw, praised God. Those who could not walk in to the temple straightway, now were leaping in their praise to God. The children praised God. But the chief priests and their scribes would not praise Him and they would also have no one else praise Him. We may distinguish ourselves as the people of God if it is our practice to praise God, for this is our nature as believers and as heirs of heaven. And so, let us then be actively praising God here and now.

Let it be considered, that we all of us hope to spend an eternity with the saints in heaven, and in the same work of praising God. There is, it may be, not one of us but who hopes to be a saint in heaven, and there continually to sing praises to God and the Lamb; but how disagreeable will it be with such a hope, to live in the neglect of praising God now! We ought now to begin that work which we intend shall be the work of another world; for this life is given us on purpose that therein we might prepare for a future life. The present state is a state of probation and preparation; a state of preparation for the enjoyments and employment of another, future, and eternal state; and no one is ever admitted to those enjoyments and employments, but those who are prepared for them here. If ever we would go to heaven, we must be fitted for heaven in this world; we must here have our souls molded and fashioned for that work and that happiness. They must be formed for praise, and they must begin their work here. The beginnings of future things are in this world. The seed must be sown here; the foundation must be laid in this world. Here is laid the foundation of future misery, and of future happiness. If it be not begun here, it never will be begun. If our hearts be not in some measure tuned to praise in this world, we shall never do anything at the work hereafter. The light must dawn in this world, or the sun will never rise in the next. As we therefore all of us would be, and hope to be, of that blessed company which praise God in heaven, we should now inure ourselves to the work. (J. Edwards)

4. For what specifically are we to praise God?

          We read of the saints in heaven praising God for His rich mercies. How is it that they do so? They see God through His Son clearly. Paul wrote, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” (1 Cor. 13:12). If we desire to praise God rightly here and now, we must labor to see God in the face of Jesus Christ more clearly now.
          They see God’s mercies more clearly than we do now. We do not comprehend fully all that our Lord has done for us. The more we read and hear and learn of what God has done for us in Christ, the better we will become at praising God.
          They praise God more fully and clearly for they are characterized by greater humility than we are. If we think that we deserve praise, we will tend to rob God of the praise due Him. That will not happen in heaven; let it not happen here. Let us have a sense of our unworthiness for the least of His kindnesses that He has shown to us.
          They praise God because of the great love that characterizes their hearts. Paul prayed that the Christians at Ephesus would have the eyes of their understanding opened to His glory.

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Eph. 3:14-21)

5. Let us resolve not to be among those who are perishing, for they know no praise of God.

May unbelievers take heed and hear God’s warning. Here is a warning from Edward’s sermon:

This may put natural persons upon reflecting on their own state, that they have no part nor lot in this matter. You are an alien from the commonwealth of Israel. You are not one of the people of God. You do not belong to their society, that are to spend their eternity after that joyful manner, which you have now heard. You have no right nor portion in heaven. If you hereafter come and offer yourself to be admitted into this blessed society, in your present state; if you come and try to be admitted, you will be thrust out; you will be driven away. If you come and knock, and cry to be admitted to the wedding, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us, all will be to no purpose! You will hear no other word except Depart! You shall be shut out into outer darkness. You shall not be permitted to sing among the children, but shall be driven out, to howl among dogs (Rev. 22:14f). “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have a right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city; for without are dogs,” You are in danger of spending eternity, not in joyfully singing praises, but in a quite contrary manner; in weeping, in wailing, and gnashing of teeth; and blaspheming God because of your pains and because of your plagues. You shall see others coming from the east and the west, and sitting down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of God; taking their places among that blessed, happy society, and joining their voices in their heavenly music. “Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart; but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and howl for vexation of spirit” (Isa. 45:14).

6. May the Christian take comfort and receive strength that one day he/she will join the hosts of heaven in endless praise.

Christian, it should be a cause of great comfort to you that you will spend eternity in heaven with the saints in their praise of God. Then you will be fully aware of all the reasons for praising Him. Then you will know in a measure the unsearchable riches of Christ, the immeasurable mercy and grace that He has abundantly bestowed upon you in Christ.
Then, too, the limitations that are now with us will no longer hold us back from rendering full praise to God. And you will have a whole eternity in which to praise Him. Your heart will be enlarged. The scales from your eyes will be removed. The hardness of your heart will be remedied. The dullness of your mind will be no more. You will no longer be troubled with a dull heart, coldness of spirit, wandering thoughts, corrupted motives. Whereas here you may mumble your praise lest others than God here you, then and there we each will be singing louder than the other, if that were possible, for we will have no inhibitions and no hesitancy to sing praise to our God.

*********************

Foonotes

[1] The identity of the human writer of 2 Samuel is not known.

[2] Robert Gundry, Matthew; A Commentary on His Literary and Theological Art (Eerdmans, 1982), p. 413.

[3] Charles Spurgeon, Spurgeon’s Popular Exposition of Matthew (Zondervan, 1962), p. 179.

[4] William Hendriksen, Matthew, New Testament Commentary (Baker Academic, 1973), p. 771.