As you may be aware from my previous posting of Warfield sermons, it was customary for the professors at Princeton Theological Seminary to preach a Lord’s Day afternoon sermon in the seminary’s chapel. On this occasion, Warfield chose Psalm 78:10 as his text. You can read the sermon in its entirety here. In it he addresses the wrath of God againt his enemies in light of the deliverance won for us by the Prince of Peace.

After discussing the origin of the Psalm (at a time of the destruction of one of Israel’s great foes—the Assyrian king Sennacherib), the Psalmist speaks in wonder at how YHWH’s enemies end up praising him as he makes his wrath and power known. Warfield says of the content of the Psalm . . .

It celebrates a great deliverance wrought by the power of God; a deliverance beyond all expectation, wrought by God alone. The essence of its representation is that Jehovah is a man of war, above all comparison great. When He enters the field, all the machinery of conflict stops. The lightning-like arrows which fly from the bow cease in their courses; the shield and the sword fall helpless to the ground; the stoutest-hearted with their chariots and horses drop into the inactivity of death. For Jehovah is terrible. None can stand before Him when His wrath begins to burn but a little.

In this we see YHWH’s great power in bringing all things—including the wrath of his enemies—to their appointed and providential ends. When Jehovah speaks he reveals his power over all things.

As the Psalmist contemplates the certain destruction that befalls all the foes of Israel, when Jehovah speaks, he rises from the particular to the general. He proclaims the praises of the eternal and universal providence of God, as it is illustrated in the great fact that even the most violent passions of men are under His control, and conduce only to the fulfilment of His ends. "Surely," he cries, "the wrath of man shall praise Thee, and the residue of wrath Thou wilt restrain," or "the residue of wrath wilt Thou gird upon Thee." The fundamental sense is that the ebullitions of the wrath of man, however violent and outbreaking they may be, are, nevertheless, like all else that occurs, under the complete control of God and are employed by Him as instruments for working out His ends. Like all else that comes to pass, then, they illustrate God's glory.

To read the rest follow the link below

Read More