COMMENTARY
ON
THE
BOOK OF PSALMS
BY JOHN
CALVIN
TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL LATIN,
AND COLLATED
WITH THE AUTHOR'S FRENCH
VERSION,
BY THE REV. JAMES
ANDERSON
VOLUME
THIRD
The following psalm contains a prayer for a blessing
upon the Church, that besides being preserved in a state of safety in Judea, it
might be enlarged to a new and unprecedented extent. It touches shortly upon the
kingdom of God, which was to be erected in the world upon the coming of
Christ. fc1
To the chief
musician on Neginoth. A psalm or song.
Psalm
67:1-7
1. God be merciful unto us,
and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us.
Selah. fc2
2. That they may know thy way upon the
earth, thy salvation among all nations. 3. Let the people praise thee, O
God! let all the people praise thee. 4. Let the nations be glad, and
shout for joy; for he shall judge the people righteously, and thou shalt govern
the nations upon earth. Selah. 5. Let the people praise thee, O God: let
all the people praise thee. 6. The earth has given its increase; and God,
even our own God!, will bless us. 7. God shall bless
us,
fc3 and all ends of the earth shall fear
him.
1.
God be merciful unto us, and
bless us. The psalm contains a
prediction of Christ's kingdom, under which the whole world was to be adopted
into a privileged relationship with God; but the Psalmist begins by praying for
the Divine blessing, particularly upon the Jews. They were the first-born,
(<020422>Exodus
4:22,) and the blessing was to terminate upon them first, and then go out
to all the surrounding nations. I have used the imperative mood throughout the
psalm, as other translators have done, although the future tense, which is that
employed in the Hebrew, would suit sufficiently well, and the passage might be
understood as encouraging the minds of the Lord's people to trust in the
continuance and increase of the Divine favor. The words, however, are generally
construed in the form of a prayer, and I merely threw out this as a suggestion.
Speaking, as the Psalmist does, of those who belonged to the Church of God, and
not of those who were without, it is noticeable that yet he traces all the
blessings they received to God's free favor; and from this we may learn, that so
long as we are here, we owe our happiness, our success, and prosperity, entirely
to the same cause. This being the case, how shall any think to anticipate his
goodness by merits of their own?
The light of God's
countenance may refer either to the
sense of his love shed abroad in our hearts, or to the actual manifestation of
it without, as, on the other hand, his face may be said to be clouded, when he
strikes terrors into our conscience on account of our sins, or withdraws the
outward marks of his favor.
2.
That they may know thy way
upon the earth. Here we have a clear
prophecy of that extension of the grace of God by which the Gentiles were united
into one body with the posterity of Abraham. The Psalmist prays for some
conspicuous proof of favor to be shown his chosen people, which might attract
the Gentiles to seek participation in the same blessed
hope.
fc4 By the way of God is meant his
covenant, which is the source or spring of salvation, and by which he discovered
himself in the character of a Father to his ancient people, and afterwards more
clearly under the Gospel, when the Spirit of adoption was shed abroad in greater
abundance.
fc5 Accordingly, we find Christ himself
saying,
“This is life
eternal, that they might know thee the only true
God,”
(<431703>John
17:3)
3.
Let the people praise thee, O
God! Having spoken of all nations
participating in the saving knowledge of God, he next tells us that they would
proclaim his goodness, and exhorts them to the exercise of gratitude. The
repetition used clearly shows of itself that he alludes to an event of a new and
unprecedented kind. Had the allusion been to some such manifestation of his
favor as he ordinarily made to the Jews, we would not have looked for the same
vehemency of expression. First he says,
Let the people praise
thee; then he adds,
Let all the people praise
thee. Afterwards he repeats the
exclamation once more. But he appropriately makes mention, between, of
rejoicing, and the occasion there was for it, since it is impossible that
we can praise God aright, unless our minds be tranquil and cheerful —
unless, as persons reconciled to God, we are animated with the hope of
salvation, and “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,”
reign in our hearts,
(<500407>Philippians
4:7.) The cause assigned for joy plainly in itself points to the event of the
calling of the Gentiles. The reference is not to that government of God which is
general in its nature, but to that special and spiritual jurisdiction which he
exercises over the Church, in which he cannot properly be said to govern any but
such as he has gathered under his sway by the doctrine of his law. The word
righteousness
is inserted in commendation of his government. Language almost identical is
used by Isaiah and Micah when they speak of the times in which the word of
salvation would be diffused throughout all the earth,
(<231104>Isaiah
11:4;
<330403>Micah
4:3.)
6.
The earth has given its
increase. Mention having been made of
the principal act of the Divine favor, notice is next taken of the temporal
blessings which he confers upon his children, that they may have everything
necessary to complete their happiness. And here it is to be remembered, that
every benefit which God bestowed upon his ancient people was, as it were, a
light held out before the eyes of the world, to attract the attention of the
nations to him. From this the Psalmist argues, that should God liberally supply
the wants of his people, the consequence would be, to increase the fear of his
name, since all ends of the earth would, by what they saw of his fatherly regard
to his own, submit themselves with greater cheerfulness to his
government.
PSALM
68
In this psalm it was David's design to celebrate the
victories which, through the blessing of God, he had gained over his
enemies;
fc6 but, in the opening verses, he commends
the power and goodness of God generally, as seen in the government of the world
at large. From this he passes to the consideration of what God had done in
redeeming his chosen people, and of the continued proofs of fatherly care which
he had manifested to the posterity of Abraham. He then proceeds to the subject
which he had more particularly in view, prosecuting it at length, and in terms
of the most exalted description; praising the signal display of Divine power
which he, and the whole nation with him, had experienced. Now that he had been
made king, he infers that the Church was brought to a settled condition, and
that God, who seemed to have departed, would now at length erect his throne, as
it were, in the midst of it, and reign. In this it would evidently appear, that
he designed, typically, to represent the glory of God afterwards to be
manifested in Christ.
To the chief
musician. A psalm or song of David.
Psalm
68:1-6
1. God shall arise: his
enemies shall be scattered; and they who hate him shall flee before him.
2. As smoke is driven away, thou shalt drive them away; as wax melteth
before the fire, the wicked shall perish from the presence of God. 3. But
the righteous shall be glad; they shall rejoice before God, and leap for
exultation. 4. Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: exalt him that
rideth upon the clouds in Jah
fc7 his name, [or, in his name Jah,] and
rejoice before him. 5. A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the
widows, is God in the habitation of his holiness. 6. God who setteth the
solitary in families, who bringeth, out those who are bound with
chains;
fc8 but the rebellious shall dwell in a dry
land.
1.
God shall arise: his enemies
shall be scattered. In this verse the
Psalmist intimates, as it were by way of preface, the subject which he proposed
to treat in the psalm, and which related to the truth that God, however long he
may seem to connive at the audacity and cruelty of the enemies of his Church,
will eventually arise to avenge it, and will prove himself able to protect it by
the mere forth-putting of his hand. I agree with other interpreters in thinking
that the sentiment is borrowed from Moses,
(<041035>Numbers
10:35)
fc9 There can be little doubt that in
dictating the form of prayer there referred to, he had an eye to the instruction
and comfort of all succeeding ages, and would teach the Lord's people
confidently to rely for safety upon the ark of the covenant, which was the
visible symbol of the Divine presence. We may notice this difference, however,
that Moses addressed the words to God as a prayer, while David rather expresses
his satisfaction and delight in what he saw daily fulfilling before his own
eyes. Some indeed read, Let God arise; but they appear to misapprehend
the scope of the Psalmist. He means to say that observation attested the truth
which Moses had declared of God's needing only to rise up that all his enemies
might be scattered before his irresistible power. Yet I see no objections to the
other reading, provided the idea now mentioned be retained, and the words be
considered as intimating that God needs no array of preparation in overthrowing
his enemies, and can dissipate them with a breath. We are left to infer, that
when his enemies at any time obtain an ascendancy, it is owing to an exercise of
Divine forbearance, and that rage as they may, it is only with his permission;
the time being not yet come for his rising. There is much comfort to be derived
from the circumstance, that those who persecute the Church are here spoken of as
God's enemies. When he undertakes our defense, he looks upon the injuries
done to us as dishonors cast upon his Divine Majesty. The Psalmist adds a
striking figure to illustrate how easily God can overthrow the machinations of
our enemies, comparing them to smoke which vanishes when blown upon by the
wind, or wax which melts
before the
fire.
fc10 We consider it utterly incredible
that such a formidable array of opposition should be made to disappear in a
moment. But the Spirit takes this method of chiding the fearfulness of our
carnal minds, and teaching us that there is no such strength in our enemies as
we suppose, — that we allow the smoke of them to blind our eyes, and the
solid mass of resistance which they present to deceive us into a forgetfulness
of the truth, that the mountains themselves flow down at the presence of the
Lord.
fc11
3.
But the righteous shall be
glad. It is here intimated by David,
that when God shows himself formidable to the wicked, this is with the design of
securing the deliverance of his Church. He would seem indirectly to contrast the
joy of which he now speaks with the depression and grief felt by well affected
men under the reign of Saul — suggesting, that God succeeds a season of
temporary trouble with returns of comfort, to prevent his people from being
overwhelmed by despondency. He leaves us also to infer, that one reason of that
joy which they experience is derived from knowing that God is propitious to
them, and interests himself in their safety. The Hebrew words,
ynpm,
mipne, and
ynpl,
liphne, admit of the same meaning; but I think that the Psalmist intended
to note a distinction. The wicked flee from the presence of God, as what
inspires them with terror; the righteous again rejoice in it, because nothing
delights them more than to think that God is near them. When commenting upon the
passage,
<191826>Psalm
18:26, we saw why the Divine presence terrifies some and comforts others; for
“with the pure he will show himself pure, and with the froward he
will show himself froward.” One expression is heaped by the Psalmist upon
another, to show how great the joy of the Lord's people is, and how entirely it
possesses and occupies their
affections.
4.
Sing unto God, sing praises
to his name: exalt him
fc12
that
rideth, etc. He now proceeds to call
upon the Lord's people to praise God. And he begins by pointing out the grounds
in general, as I have already hinted, which they have for this exercise, because
he comprehends the whole world under his power and government, adding, that he
condescends to take the poorest and the most wretched of our family under his
protection. His infinite power is commended, when it is said that he
rides upon the
clouds, or the
heavens,
fc13 for this proves that he sits superior
over all things. The Holy Spirit may signify by the expression, that we should
exclude from our minds every thing gross and earthly in the conceptions we form
of him; but he would, doubtless, impress us chiefly with an idea of his great
power, to produce in us a due reverence, and make us feel how far short all our
praises must come of his glory. We would attempt in vain to comprehend heaven
and earth; but his glory is greater than both. As to the expression which
follows, in Jah, his name, there has been some difference of opinion. The
Hebrew preposition
b,
beth, may here, as sometimes it is, be a mere expletive, and we may read,
Jah is his
name.
fc14 Others read,
in Jah is his
name;
fc15 and I have no objection to this,
though I prefer the translation which I have adopted. It is of less consequence
how we construe the words, as the meaning of the Psalmist is obvious. The whole
world was at that time filled with the vain idols of superstition, and he would
assert the claim of God, and set them aside when he brought forward the God of
Israel. But it is not enough that the Lord's people should bow before him with
suppliant spirits. Even the wicked, while they fear and tremble before him, are
forced to yield him reverence. David would have them draw near to him with
cheerfulness and alacrity; and, accordingly, proceeds to insist upon his
transcendent goodness shown in condescending to the orphans and
widows. The incomprehensible glory of God does not induce him to remove
himself to a distance from us, or prevent him from stooping to us in our lowest
depths of wretchedness. There can be no doubt that orphans and widows are named
to indicate in general all such as the world are disposed to overlook as
unworthy of their regard. Generally we distribute our attentions where we expect
some return. We give the preference to rank and splendor, and despise or neglect
the poor. When it is said, God is
in the habitation of his holiness, this
may refer either to heaven or to the temple, for either sense will suit the
connection. God does not dwell in heaven to indulge his own ease, but heaven is,
as it were, his throne, from which he judges the world. On the other hand, the
fact of his having chosen to take up his residence with men, and inviting them
familiarly to himself there, is one well fitted to encourage the poor, who are
cheered to think that he is not far off from them. In the next verse, other
instances of the Divine goodness are mentioned — that he gives the
bereaved and solitary a numerous offspring, and releases the bonds of the
captive. In the last clause of the verse, he denounces the judgment of God
against those who impiously despise him, and this that he might show the Lord's
people the folly of envying their lot as well as strike terror into their minds.
The sense of the words is, That we ought to comfort ourselves under the worst
afflictions, by reflecting that we are in God's hand, who can mitigate all our
griefs and remove all our burdens. The wicked, on the other hand, may
congratulate themselves for a time upon their prosperity, but eventually it will
fare ill with them. By dwelling in a dry land, is meant being banished,
as it were, to a wilderness, and deprived of the benefits of that fatherly
kindness which they had so criminally
abused.
Psalm
68:7-10
7. O God! when thou wentest
forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah:
8. The earth was moved, the heavens also dropped at the presence of this
God: Sinai at the presence of God, the God of
Israel. fc16
9. Thou, O God! shalt make a
liberal
fc17 rain to fall upon thine inheritance, and
thou refreshest it when it is weary. 10. Thy
congregation
fc18 shall dwell therein; thou, O God! wilt
prepare in thy goodness for the
poor.
7.
O God! when thou wentest
forth before thy people, etc. The
Psalmist now proceeds to show that the Divine goodness is principally displayed
in the Church, which God has selected as the great theater where his fatherly
care may be manifested. What follows is evidently added with the view of leading
the posterity of Abraham, as the Lord's chosen people, to apply the observations
which had been just made to themselves. The deliverance from Egypt having been
the chief and lasting pledge of the Divine favor, which practically ratified
their adoption under the patriarch, he briefly adverts to that event. He would
intimate that in that remarkable exodus, proof had been given to all succeeding
ages of the love which God entertained for his Church. Why were so many miracles
wrought? why were heaven and earth put into commotion? why were the mountains
made to tremble? but that all might recognize the power of God as allied with
the deliverance of his people. He represents God as having been their leader in
conducting them forth. And this not merely in reference to their passage of the
Red Sea, but their journeys so long as they wandered in the wilderness. When he
speaks of the earth being
moved, he would not seem to allude
entirely to what occurred upon the promulgation of the law, but to the fact
that, throughout all their progress, the course of nature was repeatedly
altered, as if the very elements had trembled at the presence of the Lord. It
was upon Mount Sinai, however, that God issued the chief displays of his awful
power; it was there that thunders were heard in heaven, and the air was filled
with lightnings; and, accordingly, it is mentioned here by name as having
presented the most glorious spectacle of the Divine majesty which was ever
beheld. Some read, This
Sinai,
etc., connecting the pronoun
hz,
zeh, with the mountain here named; but it is much more emphatical to join
it with the preceding clause, and to read,
the heavens dropped at the
presence of This God; David meaning to
commend the excellency of the God of Israel. The expression is one frequently
used by the prophets to denote that the God worshipped by the posterity of
Abraham was the true God, and the religion delivered in his law no delusion, as
in
<232509>Isaiah
25:9, “This, this is our God, and he will save us.” To establish the
Lord's people in their faith, David leads them, as it were, into the very
presence of God; indicates that they were left to no such vague uncertainties as
the heathen; and indirectly censures the folly of the world in forsaking the
knowledge of the true God, and fashioning imaginary deities of its own, of wood
and stone, of gold and
silver.
9.
Thou, O God! shalt make a liberal rain to
fall
fc19
upon thine
inheritance. Mention is made here of the
continued course of favor which had been extended to the people from the time
when they first entered the promised land. It is called
the inheritance of
God, as having been assigned over to his
own children. Others understand by the inheritance spoken of in the verse,
the Church, but this is not correct, for it is afterwards stated as being
the place where the Church dwelt. The title is appropriately given to the land
of Canaan, which God made over to them by right of inheritance. David takes
notice of the fact, that, from the first settlement of the seed of Abraham in
it, God had never ceased to make the kindest fatherly provision for them,
sending his rain in due season to prepare their food. The words translated a
liberal
rain, read literally in the Hebrew a
rain of freenesses, and I agree with interpreters in thinking that he
alludes to the blessing as having come in the exercise of free
favor,
fc20 and to God, as having of his own
unprompted goodness provided for all the wants of his people. Some read a
desirable rain; others, a rain flowing without violence, or
gentle; but neither of these renderings seems eligible. Others read a
copious or plentiful rain; but I have already stated what appears to
me to be the preferable sense. It was a proof, then, of his Divine liberality,
that God watered the land seasonably with showers. There is clearly a reference
to the site of Judea, which owed its fertility to dews and the rains of heaven.
In allusion to the same circumstance, he speaks of its being refreshed when
weary. The reason is assigned — because it had been given to his
chosen people to dwell in. On no other account was it blessed, than as being the
habitation of God's Church and people. The more to impress upon the minds of the
Jews their obligations to Divine goodness, he represents them as pensioners
depending upon God for their daily food. He fed them upon the finest of the
wheat, giving them wine, and honey, and oil in abundance — still he
proportioned the communication of his kindness so as to keep them always
dependent in expectation upon himself. Some, instead of reading,
Thou wilt prepare with thy
goodness, etc., render it, Thou wilt
prepare with rich food; but, without absolutely objecting to this
translation, I rather think that he adverts to the circumstance of God's being
led to provide for his people entirely by his own good
pleasure.
Psalm
68:11-14
11.
The
fc21 Lord shall give the word to the women
who announce the great army. fc22
12. Kings of armies shall flee —
shall flee; and she that tarries at home shall divide the spoil. 13.
Though you should lie among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove
covered with silver, and which behind is of the paleness of
gold. fc23
14. When the Almighty scattered kings
in it, thou shalt make it white
fc24 in
Salmon.
11.
The Lord shall give the
word, etc. David now adverts to the
victories by which God had signally displayed his power in behalf of his people.
He had himself been the instrument of restoring peace to the country, by putting
down its foes, and he had extended the boundaries of the kingdom; but he
ascribes the praise of all that had been done in stratagems and counsels of war
to God. In representing God as issuing orders for the song of triumph, he
intimates, figuratively, that it is he who determines the successful issue of
battles. Notice is taken of the
women who announce the
army, for it was the custom anciently
for women to sing the song of triumph, as Miriam, the sister of Moses, with her
companions, sounded the praises of God upon the timbrel, and the women
celebrated David's victory upon the harp, when he slew Goliath, and routed the
Philistines,
(<021520>Exodus
15:20;
<071203>Judges
12:34;
<091806>1
Samuel 18:6.) In making this reference to a song of praise, the Psalmist, as I
have already said, intended to impress the truth upon the people, that the
victories gained were entirely owing to God; though, at the same time, he
tacitly reminds them of its being their duty to proclaim his benefits with due
gratitude.
From the verse which succeeds, we are
taught that the mightiest preparations which the enemies of the Church may make
for its destruction shall be overthrown. We may consider the words as spoken in
the person of the Psalmist himself, or as forming the song of the women
mentioned above. It was a circumstance illustrative of the Divine favor, that
the most formidable kings, before whom the Jews could never have stood in their
own strength, had been put to flight. That princes, who could easily have
overrun the world with their forces, should have not only departed without
obtaining their purpose, but been forced to fly to a distance, could be
accounted for on no other supposition than God's having stood forward signally
as their defender. In the Hebrew the verb is repeated,
they shall flee, they shall
flee, signifying that the attacks of the
enemy had been repelled by Divine assistance once and again. The greatness of
the spoil taken is intimated by the circumstance stated, that a share of it
would come even to the women who remained at home. While the soldiers would
return from battle clothed with the spoils, such would be the quantity of booty
taken, that the females, who took no part in war, would partake of
it.
13.
Though ye should lie among the
pots.
fc25 Having spoken of God as fighting the
battles of his people, he adds, by way of qualification, that they may lie for a
time under darkness, though eventually God will appear for their deliverance;
There can be little doubt that he hints at the state of wretchedness and
distress to which the nation had been reduced under the government of Saul, for
the interposition was the more remarkable, considering the misery from which it
had emerged. The words, however, convey a further instruction than this. They
teach us the general truth, that believers are, by the hidden and mysterious
power of God, preserved unhurt in the midst of their afflictions, or suddenly
recovered so as to exhibit no marks of them. The language admits of being
interpreted to mean either that they shine even when lying under filth and
darkness, or that, when freed from their troubles, they shake off any defilement
which they may have contracted. Let either sense be adopted, and it remains true
that the believer is never consumed or overwhelmed by his afflictions, but comes
out safe. An elegant figure is drawn from the dove, which, though it lie amongst
the pots, retains the beauty which naturally belongs to it, and contracts no
defilement on its wings. From this we learn that the Church does not always
present a fair or peaceable aspect, but rather emerges occasionally from the
darkness that envelops it, and recovers its beauty as perfectly as if it had
never been subjected to calamity.
14.
When the Almighty scattered kings
in it. We might read extended, or
divided kings, etc., and then the allusion would be to his leading them
in triumph. But the other reading is preferable, and corresponds better with
what was said above of their being put to flight. There is more difficulty in
the second part of the verse, some reading,
it was white in
Salmon; that is, the Church of God
presented a fair and beautiful appearance. Or the verb may be viewed as in the
second person — Thou, O
God! Didst make it fair and white as mount
Salmon
fc26 with
snows. The reader may adopt either
construction, for the meaning is the same. It is evident that David insists
still upon the figure of the whiteness of silver, which he had previously
introduced. The country had, as it were, been blackened or sullied by the
hostile confusions into which it was thrown, and he says that it had now
recovered its fair appearance, and resembled Salmon, which is well known to have
been ordinarily covered with snows.
fc27 Others think that Salmon is not the name
of a place, but an appellative, meaning a dark
shade.
fc28 I would retain the commonly
received reading. At the same time, I think that there may have been an allusion
to the etymology. It comes from the word
µlx,
tselem, signifying a shade, and mount Salmon had been so called on
account of its blackness.
fc29 This makes the comparison more striking;
for it intimates, that as the snows whitened this black mountain, so the country
had resumed its former beauty, and put on an aspect of joy, when God dispelled
the darkness which had lain upon it during the oppression of
enemies.
fc30
Psalm
68:15-17
15. The hill of God, the
hill of Bashan, a high hill,
fc31 the hill of Bashan. 16. Why leap
ye, ye high hills? the hill which God desireth to dwell in; yea, Jehovah will
dwell in it for ever. 17. The chariots of God are twenty thousand
thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy
place.
15.
The hill of God, the hill of
Bashan. Here he adverts to the spring
and source of all the kindness which God had shown, this being the circumstance
that he had chosen mount Zion as the place of his palace and temple, whence all
blessings should go out to the nation. A Divine declaration to that effect had
been made to David, and this pre-eminence and dignity conferred upon mount Zion
is very properly adduced as a proof of his being king, lawfully and by Divine
appointment; for there was an inseparable connection between God's dwelling upon
that mountain, and David's sitting upon the throne to govern the people. The
words of the verse admit of two senses. We may suppose that the mountain of God
is compared to mount Bashan as being like it, or we may understand that it is
opposed to it. The first is the sense adopted almost by all interpreters, that
while Bashan was famed for its fertility, Zion excelled it. It is of little
importance which we prefer; but perhaps the distinction would be brought out as
well were we to construe the words
the hill of
God by themselves, and consider that
Bashan with its boasted height is afterwards ordered to yield precedence, as if
David would say, that there was but one mountain which God had consecrated to
himself by an irrevocable decree, and that though Bashan was renowned for height
and fertility, it must rank with other mountains, which might in vain exalt
themselves to an equality with Zion, honored as the chosen residence of God. If
we read the verse differently, and consider it as applying to mount Zion
throughout, then the Psalmist extols it as high and illustrious, and this
because there emanated from it the Divine favor, which distinguished the Jews
from every other nation.
16.
Why leap
ye,
fc32
ye high
hills? In this verse there is no
obscurity or ambiguity. David having said that there was only one mountain in
all the world which God had chosen, calls upon the highest hills to yield it the
pre-eminency. As he repeats in the plural number what had been said immediately
before of Bashan, this leads me to think that he intended first to oppose that
mountain, and then all other high mountains generally, to
Zion.
fc33 Mountains are here to be understood
figuratively, and the great truth conveyed is, that the kingdom of Christ, which
God had begun to shadow forth in the person of David, far excels all that is
reckoned glorious by the world. The reproof which the Psalmist administers, in
order to humble the proud boasting of the world, is justified by that contempt
which we know that carnal and ungodly persons entertain of Christ's kingdom,
devoted as they are to their own pleasures or wealth, and unable to appreciate
spiritual blessings. The lesson will be felt to be the more useful and
necessary, if we consider that this vain pride of man rises to an additional
height, when the slightest occasion is afforded for its exercise. When we see
those indulging it who have no grounds to do so, we need not wonder at the
arrogance of such as are possessed of wealth and influence. But the Lord's
people may afford to leave them to their self-complacency, resting satisfied
with the privilege of knowing that God has chosen to take up his habitation in
the midst of them. They have no reason to repine at their lot so long as they
have union with God, the only and the sufficient source of their
happiness.
17.The
chariots of God are twenty thousand thousands of
angels.
fc34 For the most part, we are apt to
undervalue the Divine presence, and therefore David presents us with a
description fitted to exalt our thoughts of it. Owing to our unbelieving hearts,
the least danger which occurs in the world weighs more with us than the power of
God. We tremble under the slightest trials; for we forget or cherish low views
of his omnipotence. To preserve us from this error, David directs us to the
countless myriads of angels which are at his command, — a circumstance,
the consideration of which may well enable us to defy the evils which beset us.
Twenty
thousand are spoken of; but it is a
number designed to intimate to us that the armies of the living God, which he
commissions for our help, are innumerable; and surely this should comfort us
under the deadliest afflictions of this life. In adding that
the Lord is among
them, the Psalmist is still to be
considered as designing to give us an exalted view of what is included in God's
presence; for the words suggest that he can no more divest himself of his
existence than not have this power whereby angels are subordinated to his will.
Another idea suggested is, that one God is better than a universe of angels. The
great distance to which we are apt to conceive God as removed from us is one
circumstance which tries our faith, and in order to obviate this, the Psalmist
reminds us of
Sinai,
where there was a display of his majesty. The inference was conclusive that
he still abode in the sanctuary. For why did God appear upon that
occasion in such a glorious manner? Evidently to show that his covenant formed a
sacred bond of union between him and the posterity of Abraham. Hence the words
of Moses —
“Say not in
thine heart, Who shall go up into heaven? or who shall descend into the deep? or
who shall go over the sea? For the word is nigh unto thee,” etc.
(<053012>Deuteronomy
30:12.)
Sinai accordingly is mentioned by David,
to teach us that if we would fortify our minds with a firm faith in the Divine
presence, we must derive it from the Law and the
Prophets.
Psalm
68:18-24
18. Thou hast ascended on
high, thou hast led captivity captive:
fc35 thou hast received gifts among
men;
fc36 even the rebellious, that the Lord
Jehovah
fc37 might dwell amongst his people. 19
Blessed be the Lord daily: this Lord will load us with deliverances. Selah.
20. He that is our God is the God of salvations; and to the Lord
Jehovah
fc38 belong the issues from death. 21.
Surely God shall wound the head of his enemies, the crown of the hair of him who
walketh on in his wickedness. 22. The Lord said, I will bring back from
Bashan; I will bring again from the depths of the sea: 23. That thy foot
may be stained with blood, the tongue of thy dogs even in that of thine enemies.
24. They have seen thy goings, O God! even the goings of my God, my King,
in the sanctuary.
18.
Thou hast ascended on high, thou
hast led captivity captive. There can be
little doubt that these words are intended to magnify the proofs of Divine favor
granted upon the elevation of David to the throne, by contrasting the state of
matters with that under Saul. The
ascending on
high implies the being previously low,
and intimates, that under the melancholy confusions which had prevailed in the
kingdom, there was no longer the same conspicuous display of the Divine glory as
formerly. The government of Saul, which, from the first, had originated in a way
that was condemnable, was doomed to fall under the displeasure of God, while his
favor, on the other hand, was to be restored under David; and the undeniable
appearances of this left no room for doubt that one who began his reign under
such auspices was the object of the Divine choice. David, although he had
acquitted himself with courage in the battles which were fought, ascribes all
the glory of them to God, saying, that it was he who had taken captive the
enemy, and forced them to pay tribute, and reduced the more fierce and
rebellious to subjection. By the term
µyrrws
sorerim, rebellious, contumacious, or revolters, he would evidently seem to
mean a distinct class of persons from the other enemies, whom he mentions as
having been taken captive; and it intimates, that while those who did not
venture to resist, and who surrendered, had been brought under the yoke, the
more proud and unyielding had been forced into submission. The end designed by
this is stated in the words which follow,
that God might dwell in the midst
of his people; and that he might
demonstrate himself to be an all-sufficient protector to those who put their
trust in him.
As the passage which we have now
been considering is applied by Paul in a more spiritual sense to Christ,
(<490408>Ephesians
4:8,) it may be necessary to show how this agrees with the meaning and scope of
the Psalmist. It may be laid down as an incontrovertible truth, that David, in
reigning over God's ancient people, shadowed forth the beginning of Christ's
eternal kingdom. This must appear evident to every one who remembers the promise
made to him of a never-failing succession, and which received its verification
in the person of Christ. As God illustrated his power in David, by exalting him
with the view of delivering his people, so has he magnified his name in his only
begotten Son. But let us consider more particularly how the parallel holds.
Christ, before he was exalted, emptied himself of his glory, having not merely
assumed the form of a servant, but humbled himself to the death of the cross. To
show how exactly the figure was fulfilled, Paul notices, that what David had
foretold was accomplished in the person of Christ, by his being cast down to the
lowest parts of the earth in the reproach and ignominy to which he was
subjected, before he ascended to the right hand of his Father,
(<192207>Psalm
22:7.) That in thinking upon the ascension, we might not confine our views to
the body of Christ, our attention is called to the result and fruit of it, in
his subjecting heaven and earth to his government. Those who were formerly his
inveterate enemies he compelled to submission and made tributary — this
being the effect of the word of the Gospel, to lead men to renounce their pride
and their obstinacy, to bring down every high thought which exalteth itself, and
reduce the senses and the affections of men to obedience unto Christ. As to the
devils and reprobate men who are instigated to rebellion and revolt by obstinate
malice, he holds them bound by a secret control, and prevents them from
executing intended destruction. So far the parallel is complete. Nor when Paul
speaks of Christ having given gifts to men, is there any real
inconsistency with what is here stated, although he has altered the words,
having followed the Greek version in accommodation to the unlearned
reader.
fc39 It was not himself that God enriched
with the spoils of the enemy, but his people; and neither did Christ seek or
need to seek his own advancement, but made his enemies tributary, that he might
adorn his Church with the spoil. From the close union subsisting between the
head and members, to say that God manifest in the flesh received gifts from the
captives, is one and the same thing with saying that he distributed them to his
Church. What is said in the close of the verse is no less applicable to Christ
— that he obtained his victories that as God he might dwell among us.
Although he departed, it was not that he might remove to a distance from us,
but, as Paul says, “that he might fill all things,”
(<490410>Ephesians
4:10.) By his ascension to heaven, the glory of his divinity has been only more
illustriously displayed, and though no longer present with us in the flesh, our
souls receive spiritual nourishment from his body and blood, and we find,
notwithstanding distance of place, that his flesh is meat indeed, and his blood
drink indeed.
19.
Blessed be the
Lord, etc. David would have us to
understand, that in recounting the more particular deliverances which God had
wrought, he did not mean to draw our minds away from the fact, that the Church
is constantly and at all times indebted for its safety to the Divine care and
protection. He adds, Blessed be
God daily. And he intimates, that
deliverances might be expected from him with great abundance of every blessing.
Some read, he will
load, others, he will
carry;
fc40 but it is of little importance
which reading we adopt. He points at the fact, that God extends continued proofs
of his kindness to his people, and is unwearied in renewing the instances of it.
I read this
Lord
in the second part of the verse, for the letter
h,
he, prefixed in the Hebrew, has often the force of a demonstrative
pronoun; and he would point out, as it were with the finger, that God in whom
their confidence ought to be placed. So in the next verse, which may be read,
this our God is the God of
salvation. What is here said coincides
with the scope of what immediately precedes, and is meant to convey the truth
that God protects his Church and people constantly. In saying
this
God, he administers a check to the
tendency in men to have their minds diverted from the one living and true God.
The salvation of God is set before the view of all men without exception, but is
very properly represented here as something peculiar to the elect, that they may
recognize themselves as continually indebted to his preserving care, unlike the
wicked, who pervert that which might have proved life into destruction, through
their unthankfulness. The Hebrew word in the 20th verse is
salvations,
in the plural number, to convince us that when death may threaten us in ever
so many various forms, God can easily devise the necessary means of
preservation, and that we should trust to experience the same mercy again which
has been extended to us once. The latter clause of the verse bears the same
meaning, where it is said, that to the Lord
belong the issues of
death. Some read, the issues unto
death,
fc41 supposing that the reference is to the
ease with which God can avenge and destroy his enemies; but this appears a
constrained interpretation. The more natural meaning obviously is, that God has
very singular ways, unknown to us, of delivering his people from
destruction.
fc42 He points at a peculiarity in the manner
of the Divine deliverances, that God does not generally avert death from his
people altogether, but allows them to fall in some measure under its power, and
afterwards unexpectedly rescues them from it. This is a truth particularly
worthy of our notice, as teaching us to beware of judging by sense in the matter
of Divine deliverances. However deep we may have sunk in trouble, it becomes us
to trust the power of God, who claims it as his peculiar work to open up a way
where man can see none.
21.
Surely God shall
wound, etc. The enemies of the Church
are fierce and formidable, and it is impossible that she can be preserved from
their continued assaults, without a vigorous protection being extended. To
persuade us that she enjoys such a defense, David represents God as armed with
dreadful power for the overthrow of the ungodly. The verse stands connected as
to scope with the preceding, and we might render the Hebrew particle
°a,
ach, by wherefore, or on which account; but it seems better to
consider it as expressing simple affirmation. We are to notice the circumstance,
that God counts all those his enemies who unjustly persecute the righteous, and
thus assures us of his being always ready to interpose for our defense. The
concern he feels in our preservation is forcibly conveyed by the expressions
which follow, that he will wound
the head of his enemies, and the crown of their
hair;
fc43 intimating, that he will inflict
a deadly and incurable wound upon such as harass his Church. This is still more
strikingly brought out in what is added immediately afterwards, when God is
described as wading through
destruction.
22.
The Lord said, I will bring
back from Bashan. That the Israelites
might not be led to take an irreligious and self-glorious view of their
victories; that they might look to God as the author of them; and rest assured
of his protection in time to come, David sends them back to the first periods of
their history, and reminds them how their fathers had been originally brought by
the victorious hand of God out of the lowest depths of trouble. He would have
them argue that if God rescued his people at first from giants, and from the
depths of the Red Sea, it was not to be imagined that he would desert them in
similar dangers, but certain that he would defend them upon every emergency
which might occur. The prophets are in the constant habit, as is well known, of
illustrating the mercy of God by reference to the history of Israel's
redemption, that the Lord's people, by looking back to their great original
deliverance, might find an argument for expecting interpositions of a future
kind. To make the deeper impression, God is introduced speaking himself. In what
he says he may be considered as asserting his Divine prerogative of raising the
dead to life again, for his people's passage through the Red Sea, and victory
over warlike giants, was a species of
resurrection.
fc44 Some read, I will cause the enemy to
fly from Bashan;
fc45 but this cannot be received, and
does not agree with the context, as it follows,
I will bring back from the depths
of the sea. In representing God as
bedewed or stained with blood, David does not ascribe to him anything like
cruelty, but designs to show the Lord's people how dear and precious they are in
his sight, considering the zeal which he manifests in their defense. We know
that David himself was far from being a man of cruel disposition, and that he
rejoiced in the destruction of the wicked from the purest and most upright
motives, as affording a display of the Divine judgments. That is here ascribed
to God which may be asserted equally of his Church or people, for the vengeance
with which the wicked are visited is inflicted by their hands. Some read the
close of the verse, the tongue of
thy dogs in thine enemies, even in him,
i.e., the king and chief of them all. This is not the meaning of the
Psalmist, which simply is, that the tongues of the dogs would be red with
licking blood, such would be the number of dead bodies scattered
round.
24.
They have seen thy goings, O
God! This verse may refer to processions
of a warlike kind, or to such as are made in times of peace by those who give
thanks for victory. It is customary for the people of God, on occasions of the
latter description, to go forth and present peace-offerings in the temple. This
has led some to understand by the
goings of God,
fc46 the crowds of his people when
they proceed to the temple. But I am disposed to think that God himself is here
represented as a king leading and marshalling forth his armies. Accordingly, it
is added, in the
sanctuary, under which expression there
is an apt allusion to the visible symbol of the Divine presence. The great
reason why God undertakes the guardianship of his people, and goes before them
to repel the attacks of the enemy, is his having promised that he will hear
their prayers in the sanctuary. He is therefore described as if he were seen
coming out of his holy habitation, that he might conduct his people to victory.
David calls him his King, to divert the attention of the people from
himself, and lead them to view a name which belonged to a frail mortal man such
as he was, in its higher application to the supreme Head of all. He speaks, it
is true, in the name of the people, but not to the exclusion of
himself.
Psalm
68:25-27
25. The singers went
before, the players on instruments followed after; in the midst were the damsels
playing with timbrels.
fc47 26. Bless ye God in the
congregations, even the Lord, O ye who are of the fountain of Israel! 27.
There is little Benjamin their ruler, the princes of Judah in their assembly,
the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of
Naphtali.
25.
The singers went
before. It is evident that he does not
now speak of an army in battle array, but of a solemn assembly held for offering
up thanksgivings to God for victory. God had openly shown that he was their
leader in war, and to him the song of triumph is with propriety addressed.
Mention is made of distinct choirs employed in his service, and particularly of
such as played upon the timbrel; for, absurd as the practice may appear to us,
it was then customary for the women to play upon that instrument. By the
fountain
fc48 from which they are called upon to bless
God, some understand the heart, as it is known that those praises which
proceed from the lips merely, and are hypocritical, meet with the Divine
reprobation. But I conceive the true meaning to be, that all are summoned to
praise the Lord who could deduce their origin from the patriarch Jacob. Many
might not sustain the character which answered to their high vocation; but, as
the whole race had been chosen of God, the Psalmist very properly invites them
to engage in this devotional exercise. At the same time, I see nothing
objectionable in the opinion, if any persist in preferring it, that the term is
here used to distinguish the true saints of God from those who vainly boasted of
being the posterity of Abraham, while they had degenerated from his spirit.
Those only who walk in the footsteps of his faith are reckoned to be his
children. It has caused some surprise that, in a general description of the
sacred assemblies of the people, precedence should have been given to the tribe
of
Benjamin.
According to certain interpreters, this is owing to the position which it
occupied, as being next to David; and honor is put upon the tribes of
Zebulun
and
Naphtali,
fc49 which, though they lay at a great
distance, were in a particular manner friendly and attached to him. Others think
that the whole nation is represented under the tribes specified, which were at
once the nearest and most distant.
fc50 These
conjectures
fc51 are probable enough, but the point is
one which may be left in uncertainty, as there may have been some other reason,
which it is impossible for us to discover. It has been suggested that Benjamin
is called little on account of the smallness of its numbers, the tribe
having been nearly exterminated for the crime of the men of Gibeah,
(<071920>Judges
19:20;) but David would not probably have adverted to any reproach of this kind
in calling them to take so prominent a part in the praises of
God.
fc52 The inspired writers, in speaking of the
tribes, often allude to the patriarchs from whom they respectively took their
origin; nor is it surprising that the posterity of Benjamin, who was the
youngest of Jacob's children,
fc53 should receive the designation here
given to them; and the truth is, that even antecedently to the heavy stroke
which befell them, they were not numerous. Interpreters, by general consent,
have considered that Benjamin is called
ruler,
as Saul, who was first made king in Israel, belonged to this tribe; but I
cannot bring myself to think it probable that David would have made such an
unseasonable allusion to Saul's memory, whose government is everywhere
represented in Scripture as pregnant with disaster, and which was to be buried
in that of his successor, whose reign is so prominently brought forward in this
psalm. The more likely conjecture is, that this title of dignity is applied in
order to put honor upon a tribe, which some might despise for its smallness, and
to intimate that the Benjamites, though few in numbers, and not possessed of
great influence, formed one head in Israel as well as the
rest.
fc54 Others may be disposed to think that
there must have been some illustrious individual in this and the two tribes
mentioned along with it, or that the whole tribe had signalised itself in a
recent battle. Though honorable mention is made of these tribes, yet the chief
place in the numbers assembled together at this time is assigned to the princes
of Judah. Some think that the copulative is understood, and read,
the princes of Judah and their
congregation. The Hebrew word which we
translate congregation is by others translated
stoning.
fc55 But it seems preferable to
construe the words as implying that this tribe presided over the assembly which
marched under its auspices in war. The power of summoning the people together is
thus asserted as belonging to Judah, and it is represented as honored with the
government and primacy of the
kingdom.
Psalm
68:28-30
28. Thy God hath commanded
thy strength; strengthen, O God! that which thou hast wrought in us. 29.
From thy temple upon Jerusalem kings shall bring presents unto thee. 30.
Destroy the company of spearmen, (literally, of the reed,) the multitude of
bulls with the calves of the people, treading with their feet upon pieces of
silver: scatter thou the people that delight in
war.
28.
Thy God hath commanded thy
strength. Men are always disposed to
arrogate to themselves the glory of what they may have done instead of tracing
their success to God, and David reminds the people once more that they had not
triumphed by their own strength, but by power communicated from above. If they
had acquitted themselves with energy on the field, he would have them consider
that it was God who inspired them with this valor, and would guard them against
the pride which overlooks and disparages the Divine goodness. As a consideration
which might farther tend to promote humility in their minds, he adverts to the
dependence in which they stood of the future continuance of the same favor and
protection; this being the great cause of presumptuous confidence, that we do
not feel our own helplessness, and are not led under a sense of it to resort
humbly to God for the supply of our wants. Another lesson which the passage
teaches us is, that more is required than that God should visit us at first with
his preventing grace; that we stand constantly in need of his assistance
throughout our whole lives. If this be true in the literal warfare, where our
conflict is with flesh and blood, it must be still more so in matters of the
soul. It is impossible that we could stand one moment in the contest with such
enemies as Satan, sin, and the world, did we not receive from God the grace
which secures our perseverance.
What is said of
the temple in the following verse is intended to carry out the same strain of
sentiment which has been already expressed. It gives the reason why God had
exerted his power in behalf of the Israelites rather than others; which was,
that it might be displayed as coming forth from the sanctuary and the ark of the
covenant. Hence the emphasis with which David calls him in a previous part of
the psalm — the God of Israel. It was not in vain that God had erected his
sanctuary, or promised his presence in connection with it; and his power is here
represented as issuing from the temple, to denote that the only security for his
favor was to be found in his gracious covenant and promises. Some read, From
thy temple in Jerusalem — a frigid interpretation, and one
which does not express the meaning of the Psalmist. His prayer is to the effect
that the Divine power might be commanded from the sanctuary upon his chosen
people, here denoted by a common figure of speech by Jerusalem. It may be asked
how he speaks of the temple, when it had not been yet built. The word
temple
or palace may have been used to express the tabernacle. This, at least, I
think more probable than that he should speak of the temple by anticipation, as
some suppose; and there can be no doubt that the ark had already been placed in
Zion. Having already traced all the honor of the recent victories to God, he
next proceeds to vindicate his claim to reap the fruits of them, by asserting
that the kings who had been subdued would acknowledge God to have been their
conqueror, as well as yield themselves tributary to David and his successors,
— a circumstance which should lay the people of God under an additional
obligation to present him with their free-will offerings of
praise.
30.
Destroy the company of
spearmen. Some read rebuke, but I
approve of the distinction which has been noticed by those who are most skilled
in the Hebrew language, that while the verb
r[g,
gear, has this meaning when the letter
b
beth, is interposed, it signifies without it to destroy. The word,
tyj,
chayath, which I have rendered company, has been translated
beast,
fc56 but no such sense can apply to it
here. David evidently prays in this passage that God would deliver his chosen
people by destroying their cruel and bloody enemies. In calling these the
company of the reed or
cane,
fc57 he does not mean to say that they
are weak, but alludes to the kind of armor which they wore, and which were
lances or spears. The reed grows in some countries to a tree, or at least has
all the consistency of wood, and the people are in the habit of making darts
from it. In the East missile weapons are commonly used in war. He compares them
for their fierceness to
bulls,
so I have rendered the word
µyryba,
abbirim; for though it may be translated strong or stout
persons — the congregation of the strong — it
occasionally bears the other meaning; and as David adds,
calves of the
people,
fc58 it would seem evident that he
uses a figure to represent the rage and fury of the enemy, and perhaps their
strength, which the Israelites were wholly unequal to combat except with Divine
assistance. It is not so easy to discover the meaning of the next clause in the
verse, treading upon pieces of
silver. The Hebrew verb
spr,
raphas, signifies to tread, or literally, (for it, is here in the
hithpael conjugations) causing themselves to tread; and some
consider that the allusion is to the arrogance and vain-glorious boasting of the
enemy. Others attach exactly the opposite sense to the words, holding that they
denote submission, and that the enemy would bring pieces of silver in token of
subjection.
fc59 But how could we suppose that David
would pray for the destruction of enemies who were already subdued, and paying
tribute in the character of suppliants? To this it has been said in reply, that
enemies may retain their animosity in all its force within their own breasts,
ready to vent itself in rebellion upon the first opportunity, although when
deprived of arms they cannot display it openly, and that this is especially true
of the enemies of the Church, whose antipathies are virulent, ever breaking
forth afresh so soon as an occasion offers. But I see no necessity for doing
violence to the words of the Psalmist, and would take them in their plain
acceptation, as meaning that the enemy in their pride trampled upon pieces of
silver. The reference may be to attachments of silver upon their sandals, as the
Eastern nations were always proverbial for their
luxury.
fc60 What immediately follows by no means
favors the sense we have formerly adverted to,
scatter the people who delight in
war, where he hints that they sought
groundless occasions for quarrel and tumult, and gratuitously attacked such as
were disposed for peace. When we find David, after all the victories he had
gained, still commending himself and his people to the protection of God, it
should teach us to abandon the hope of ever seeing the Church placed in a state
of perfect tranquillity in this world, exposed, as it is, to a succession of
enemies raised up by the malice of Satan, and designed by God for the trial and
exercise of our patience. In comparing their enemies to the beasts here
mentioned, and taking notice that they delighted in war, it was no doubt his
intention to influence the minds of the people of God to the contrary
dispositions of clemency and mercy, as being that frame of spirit in the
exercise of which they might expect to receive the Divine assistance. The more
violently their enemies raged, and the more lawless their attempts might prove,
they had only the more reason to expect the interposition of God, who humbles
the proud and the mighty ones of this world. Such being the character of God,
let us learn from this prayer of David to resort to him with confidence when the
objects at any time of unmerited persecution, and to believe that he is able to
deliver us at once from all our
enemies.
Psalm
68:31-35
31. Princes shall come out
of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out [or, shall hasten to stretch out] her
hands unto God. 32. Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth: sing praises
to the Lord. Selah. 33. To him that rideth upon the heaven of heavens,
which were of old, [literally the heavens of ancientness;] lo! he shall send
forth in his voice a mighty voice. 34. Give strength unto God over
Israel; his excellency and his strength are in the clouds. 35. O God! thou art
terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel himself shall give strength
and power unto his people. Blessed be
God!
31.
Princes shall come out of
Egypt. He resumes the strain of
thanksgiving, and confirms what he had previously asserted, that kings would
come and pay tribute unto God. The examples which he brings forward are those of
the Egyptians and Ethiopians. This sufficiently proves that the prediction must
be extended to Christ, by whom the Egyptians and Ethiopians were brought under
the sway of God. The word
˜yrt,
tarits, translated, shall
soon stretch out, might have been
rendered, shall cause to run.
fc61 But it seemed necessary to soften
the harshness of the figure. It is doubtful whether the allusion be to the
promptness with which they should yield subjection, or whether he means that
they would stretch out their hands to entreat pardon, this being an attitude
common to suppliants. According to either interpretation, it is their submission
which is intended, and it is enough to know that David asserts that Ethiopia and
Egypt would come under the power of God, and not they only, but the most distant
parts of the world.
In the next verse he goes
farther than before, and calls upon
the kingdoms of the earth to
praise God, language which implies that
those who had once been distinguished by their hostility to him would be ranked
amongst his willing worshippers. There must be the knowledge of God, as I have
remarked elsewhere, before men can celebrate the praises of his name; and we
have a proof of the calling of the Gentiles, in the fact that Moses and the
prophets invite them to offer sacrifices of praise. That it might not seem a
strange and incredible thing to speak of the extension of the worship of God
from one land, within which it had been hitherto confined, to the whole world,
David insists upon God's rightful dominion over all parts of the earth.
He rideth upon the heaven of
heavens; that is, as we have observed at
the beginning of the psalm, he has supreme power over all creatures, and governs
the universe at his will. This truth is one which, even in its general
application, is well fitted to beget a reverential consideration of the majesty
of God; but we must not overlook the more particular reason for which it is here
introduced. Mention having been made of the Gentiles, who lay as yet without the
pale of the Church, he proves them to be embraced in the government of God by
virtue of his sovereignty as Creator, and intimates that there was nothing
wonderful in the fact, that he who sits upon the heavens should comprehend the
whole inhabitants of the earth under his sway. By the
heavens of ancient
times, it is meant to intimate that the
whole human family were under his power from the very beginning. We have a
signal proof of the glorious power of God in the fact, that, notwithstanding the
immensity of the fabric of the heavens, the rapidity of their motion, and the
conflicting revolutions which take place in them, the most perfect subordination
and harmony are preserved; and that this fair and beautiful order has been
uninterruptedly maintained for ages. It is apparent then how the ancientness of
the heavens may commend to us the singular excellency of the handiwork of God.
Having touched upon the work of creation, he particularises thunder, for
this is what he intends by a mighty voice, as in
<192904>Psalm
29:4. There are two constructions which we may put upon the words used, either
that by his voice of command he calls forth the thunders which shake heaven and
earth with the loudness of their sound, or that he sends forth his mighty voice
in the thunder. I have already shown, at some length, in commenting upon the
other passage just quoted, that there is a propriety in God's being represented
as thundering; for the phenomenon is one which, more than any other,
impresses an awe upon the spirits of men. And the words are introduced with the
exclamation
lo!
or behold! the better to arrest our wandering thoughts, or rather to
reprehend our security.
34.
Give strength unto God over
Israel. The expression is in allusion to
the sentence which went before, and in which God was said to send forth a strong
or mighty voice. Not that, properly speaking, we can give anything to Him, but,
disposed as we are to withhold that honor which is his due, David subjoins to
what he had said of his thundering with a mighty voice, an injunction that we
should, on our part, be ready to sound forth his praises. To guard the Gentile
nations against those false ideas upon religion in which they were accustomed to
indulge, he brings them back to the doctrine of the Law, in which God had
specially revealed himself, and intimates that, if they would not lose
themselves in error, they must advance by necessary steps from the creation and
government of the world, to that doctrine in which God had condescended to make
a familiar revelation of himself to men. So much is included when God is spoken
of here as the God of
Israel. But he does not satisfy himself
with enjoining them to celebrate the power of God with praises of the voice. He
exhorts them to the exercise of faith, for in reality we cannot better ascribe
strength unto God, than by reposing in his protection as all-sufficient. Thus,
after having said that his
strength is in the
clouds;
fc62 he adds, that
he is terrible out of his holy
places, by which is meant, that he
exerts a power in his temple which is sufficient to confound his enemies. Some
understand heaven and earth to be the
holy
places intended, but this does not agree
with the context, for it is immediately added, that
the God of
Israel would give strength unto his
people. It is evident, therefore, that the Psalmist speaks of God's protection
of his Church. The plural number is used in speaking of the sanctuary, here as
in other places, because the tabernacle was divided into three parts. He points,
in short, to the ark of the covenant, as that which the believing people of God
should recognize as a symbol of confidence, remembering the promise, “I
will dwell in the midst of you,” and thus resting with security under the
wings of the Divine protection, and confidently calling upon his name. Any right
which Israel might have in distinction from others to trust in the guardianship
of God, rested entirely upon that covenant of free grace by which they had been
chosen to be God's peculiar heritage. Let it be remembered, however, that God
continues to exert in behalf of his Church still these terrible displays of his
power of which the Psalmist speaks.
PSALM
69
There is a close resemblance between this psalm and
the twenty-second. In the opening verses, David complains of the barbarous
cruelty of his enemies, and of the grievous wrongs which they had inflicted upon
him.
fc63 But his mind, he affirms, was not hereby
reduced to such a state of distress as to prevent him from patiently relying on
the protection of God, or to discourage him from continuing in the undeviating
course of a holy and an upright life. He rather testifies that his piety, and
the courage and activity which he had manifested in maintaining the interests of
the divine glory, were the cause of the hostility borne to him by the generality
of men. After having again complained of being not less shamefully than cruelly
oppressed by his enemies, he invokes God to visit them with deserved punishment.
In the close, exulting as if he had obtained his highest wishes, he engages to
yield to God a solemn sacrifice of praise.
To the chief
musician upon Shoshannim of David.
We have already spoken elsewhere of the word
Shoshannim. Its proper meaning is uncertain and obscure; but the most
probable conjecture is, that it was the commencement of some song. If, however,
any would prefer considering it as the name of some musical instrument, I have
no objections. But the opinion held by some that this psalm was composed at the
season of spring, when the lilies begin to blossom, is altogether unfounded and
frivolous.
fc64 Before proceeding farther, we would have
you to observe that David wrote this inspired ode not so much in his own name,
as in the name of the whole Church, of whose Head he was an eminent type, as
will be more dearly brought out in the sequel. This is highly worthy of our
notice, that from this consideration we may be led to contemplate with the
greater attention the representation which is here given of the common condition
of all the people of God. Besides, it is highly probable that David did not here
comprehend only one kind of persecution, but all the evils which he had suffered
during the course of many
years.
Psalm
69:1-5
1. Save me, O God! for the
waters have entered in unto my soul. 2. I am sunk in deep mire, where
there is no footing, [or standing place:] I am come into deep waters, and the
flood
fc65 of the water overfloweth me. 3. I
am weary of crying; my throat has become hoarse therewith: my eyes have failed
with [or in] waiting for my God. 4. They who hate me without cause are
more in number than the hairs of my head: my lying adversaries, who eagerly
desire to destroy me, are increased;
fc66 that which I took not by spoil,
then
fc67 I restored it. 5. O God! thou
knowest my foolishness; and my faults are not hidden from
thee.
1.
Save me, O God! for the
waters, etc. Under the figure of
waters, the Psalmist represents his condition as so extremely distressing
that it brought him even to the brink of despair; and yet we know that, so far
from being a soft and an effeminate person, he was one who encountered and
overcame dreadful temptations with extraordinary courage. Whence we may infer
the bitterness of the distress with which he was at that time afflicted. Some
understand the word
soul
as denoting life;
fc68 but this gives a very cold and
unsatisfactory meaning. It rather signifies the heart. A man when he
falls into an abyss of waters, may prevent for some time the water from entering
his body, by stopping his mouth and his nostrils, but at length, from its being
impossible for a human being to live without respiration, suffocation will
compel him to let in the waters, and they will penetrate even to the heart.
David by this metaphor would intimate, not only that the waters had covered and
overwhelmed him, but also that he had been forced to draw them into his
body.
2.
I am sunk in deep mire, where there is no standing
place. Here he compares his afflictions
to a deep sink of mire, where there is still greater danger; for if a man fixes
his feet upon a solid bottom, he may raise himself up, there having been many
instances in which persons, placing their feet on the bottom, have by a sudden
spring emerged and escaped the peril of the waters; but when a man finds himself
once sunk in some slough or muddy river, it is all over with him, he has no
means of saving himself.
fc69 The Psalmist adduces additional
circumstances in illustration of his afflicted condition. He declares that
he was inundated by the flowing
of the waters; an expression indicating
the disorder and confusion which his distresses and persecutions
produced.
3.
I am weary of crying. David, in seeking
and calling upon God, when his affairs were in such a confused and desperate
condition, exhibited an instance of rare and wonderful patience. He complains of
having continued crying until he was exhausted and became hoarse, and all to no
purpose. By the word
weary,
he does not mean that he gave up with prayer, as if he had cast from him all
love to and delight in that exercise upon finding that it proved unavailing as a
means of deliverance. He rather describes his untiring perseverance; and the
same idea is expressed by his
hoarse
throat and
failing
eyes.
fc70 He certainly did not cry out
before men from mere affectation, nor was this hoarseness contracted in the
course of one day. We perceive, then, that although his bodily senses failed
him, the vigor of his faith was by no means extinguished. When we reflect that
David has spoken, as it were, out of the mouth of Christ, and, as it were, out
of the mouth of all true saints who are the members of Christ, we ought not to
think that any strange thing happens to us, if at any time we are so overwhelmed
with death, as to be unable to discern the slightest hope of life. Yea, rather
let us learn betimes, while God spares us, to meditate on this truth, and derive
the aid which it is fitted to impart under calamity, that even in the most
profound depths of adversity faith may hold us up, and, what is more, may
elevate us to God; there being, as Paul testifies,
(<450839>Romans
8:39) no height nor depth which can separate us from the infinite love of Him
who swallows up all depths, yea, even hell
itself.
4.
They who hate me without
cause are more in number than the hairs of my
head. The Psalmist now expresses without
figure what he had said under the metaphors of the mire and of the impetuous
rushing of the waters. Persecuted as he was by so great a multitude of enemies,
he had too good reason to be afraid of death in innumerable ways. Nor is his
language hyperbolical, when he represents his enemies as
more in number than the hairs of
his head, since he was mortally hated
and detested by the whole kingdom, it being the universal belief that he was a
base and wicked traitor to his country. Farther, we know from the sacred history
how numerous and powerful the armies were which Saul sent forth to pursue him.
He expresses the mortal hatred which they bore to him, when he tells us that
they were intently set upon his destruction, being eagerly desirous to have him
cut off by a violent death; and yet he avows that he had done nothing to merit
such unrelenting persecution. The Hebrew word
µnj,
chinnam, which we have rendered,
without
cause, and which some translate, for
nothing, intimates that they were impelled by a strong desire to do him
injury, although he had not done them even the slightest wrong, nor given them
the smallest provocation by ill usage of any kind. For this reason he applies to
his enemies the appellation
rqç,
sheker, that is, liars, because they had no just ground to make
war upon him, although they pretended the contrary. Let us, therefore, after his
example, if at any time we are subjected to persecution, study to have the
support arising from the testimony of a good conscience, and to be able freely
to protest before God, that the hatred which our enemies cherish against us is
altogether causeless. This implies a self-control to which it is very difficult
for a man to inure himself; but the more difficult it is, the more strenuous
ought to be his efforts to attain it. It is mere effeminacy to regard it as an
intolerable evil to be unrighteously afflicted; and the folly of this is very
happily exposed by that noble answer of Socrates to his wife, who, having one
day lamented, in prison, that he was condemned wrongfully, received from him
this reply, “What then — would you rather that I should have
suffered death for my offenses?” Farther, David adds, that he not only had
to suffer the wrongs of violence, but had also to bear much reviling and
contumely, as if he had been convicted of many crimes; a trial which, to an
ingenuous mind, is more bitter and hard to bear than a hundred deaths. Many are
to be found resolutely prepared to encounter death, who are by no means prepared
to exhibit equal fortitude in the endurance of shame. Farther, David was not
only despoiled of his goods by the violence of robbers, but he had been also
mangled in his person, as if he had been a thief and a robber:
That which I took not by spoil,
then I restored
it.
fc71 When his enemies thus plundered
and maltreated him, they doubtless boasted that they were acting as the judges
of a perverse and wicked man; and we know that they were held in honorable
estimation as judges. Let us therefore learn from this example to prepare
ourselves not only to bear patiently all losses and troubles, yea, even death
itself; but also shame and reproach, if at any time we are loaded with unfounded
accusations. Christ himself, the fountain of all righteousness and holiness, was
not exempted from foul calumny, why then should we be dismayed when we meet with
a similar trial? It may well fortify our minds against it when we consider, that
to persevere steadfastly in the practice of righteousness, although such is the
reward which we receive from the world, is the genuine test of our
integrity.
5.
O God! thou knowest my
foolishness. Augustine has labored to
little purpose to show in what way these words are applicable to Christ; and at
length he transfers to his members that which could not properly be said of the
Head.
fc72 David here uses the language of irony;
and by this mode of expressing himself he meant to intimate, that, overwhelmed
with the unrighteous judgments of men, he betakes himself to God, and implores
him to appear as the defender of his cause. This is much more emphatic than if
he had affirmed plainly, and without figure, that his integrity was known to
God. In this way he administers a sharp rebuke to his enemies, and as it were
looks down with a noble contempt upon the calumnious speeches which they uttered
against him; as Jeremiah does when he says,
“O Lord! thou hast
deceived me, and I was
deceived.”
(<192007>Psalm
20:7)
Some ignorant people put a violent construction on
these words of Jeremiah, as if they implied that he was actually deceived;
whereas he is rather to be understood as deriding with bitter sarcasm his
calumniators, who, in speaking evil of him, were chargeable with reproaching and
blaspheming God himself. David in like manner, in the passage before us, as a
means of preserving himself from succumbing under the perverse judgments of men,
appeals to God as the judge of his cause; and possessing as he did the approving
testimony of a good conscience, he regards in a great measure with indifference
the unjust estimate which men might form of his character. It were indeed
desirable that our integrity should also be acknowledged and approved of by men,
and that not so much on our own account as for the edification of our brethren.
But if, after we have done all in our power to make men form a favorable opinion
respecting us, they misconstruct and pervert every good word which we utter, and
every good action which we perform, we ought to maintain such greatness of mind
as boldly to despise the world and all false accusers, resting contented with
the judgment of God and with that alone; for those who are over anxious about
maintaining their good name cannot but often experience fainting of heart. Let
us be always ready to satisfy men; but if they refuse to listen to what we have
to say in self-vindication, let us proceed in our course through evil report as
well as good report, following the example of Paul where he fearlessly appeals
to the judgment of God,
“who will bring to
light the hidden things of
dark,”
(<460405>1
Corinthians 4:5)
Psalm
69:6-9
6. O Jehovah, Lord of Hosts!
let not them that wait for thee be ashamed in me: let not them who seek thee be
put to shame in me, O God of Israel! 7. For on thy account I have
suffered reproach: shame hath covered my face. 8. I have been a stranger
to my brethren, and am become an alien to the children of my
mother. fc73
9. For the zeal of thy house hath
eaten me up; and the reproach of them that reproached thee are fallen upon
me.
6.
O Jehovah, Lord of Hosts! let not them that wait for thee be ashamed in
me. David declares that he is set forth as an
example from which all the people of God may derive matter either of hope or
despair. Although he was held in detestation and execrated by the great body of
the people, there yet remained a few who were ready to bear just and impartial
testimony to his innocence; knowing as they did that he was unrighteously
afflicted by his persecutors, that he constantly reposed on the grace and
goodness of God, and that no temptations could discourage or prevent him from
continuing steadfast in the practice of true godliness. But when they observed
the distresses and calamities to which he was notwithstanding subjected, the
only conclusion to which they were able to arrive was, that all the pains and
labor which he had taken in devoutly serving God were entirely thrown away. As
all the instances in which God extends his succor to his servants are so many
seals, by which he confirms and gives us assurance of his goodness and grace
towards us, the faithful must have been exceedingly discouraged had David been
forsaken in the extremity of his distress. The danger of their being thus
discouraged he now lays before God; not that God has ever need of being put in
mind of any thing, but because he allows us to deal familiarly with him at the
throne of grace. The word wait is properly to be understood of hope, and
the expression to seek God, of prayer. The connecting of the two together
teaches us the profitable lesson, that faith is not all inactive principle,
since it is the means of stirring us up to seek
God.
7.
For on thy account I have
suffered reproach. He now expresses more
distinctly what he had stated ironically in the fifth verse, where he asserts
that his faults were not hidden from God. Nay, he proceeds farther, declaring
not only that the evil treatment which he met with from his enemies was unjust
and altogether unmerited, but also that his cause was really God's cause, since
whatever he had undertaken and engaged in was expressly in obedience to the
command of God. Saul no doubt had other reasons, or at least other pretences,
for persecuting David; but as the hatred which he entertained against him most
unquestionably proceeded from God's having called and anointed him to be king,
David here justly protests that it was not for any wickedness which he had
committed, but because he had obeyed God, that men in general disapproved of and
rashly condemned him. It is a source of great consolation to true believers when
they can protest that they have the warrant and call of God for whatever they
undertake or engage in. If we are hated by the world for making a public
confession of the faith, a thing which we are to expect, it being evident from
observation that the wicked ordinarily are never more fierce than when they
assault the truth of God and the true religion, we have ground to entertain
double confidence.
fc74 We also learn from this passage how
monstrous is the malice of men, who convert into a ground for reproach and
reprehension the zeal for the Divine glory by which true believers are
animated.
fc75 But it is well for us that God not only
wipes away the reproaches with which the wicked load us, but also so ennobles
them, that they surpass all the honors and triumphs of the world. The Psalmist
farther aggravates his complaint by the additional circumstance, that he was
cruelly cast off by his own relations and friends; from which we are taught,
that when by our devotedness to the cause of religion we cannot avoid exciting
the displeasure of our brethren against us, it is our duty simply to follow God,
and not to confer with flesh and
blood.
9.
For the zeal of thy house
hath eaten me
up.
fc76 David's enemies, no doubt,
professed that nothing was farther from their mind than to touch the sacred name
of God; but he reproves their hypocritical pretences, and affirms that he is
fighting in God's quarrel. The manner in which he did this, he shows, was by the
zeal for the Church of God with which his soul was inflamed. He not only assigns
the cause of the evil treatment which he received — his zeal for the house
of God — but also declares that whatever evil treatment he was
undeservedly made the object of, yet, as it were, forgetting himself, he burned
with a holy zeal to maintain the Church, and at the same time the glory of God,
with which it is inseparably connected. To make this the more obvious, let it be
observed, that although all boast in words of allowing to God the glory which
belongs to him; yet when the law, the rule of virtuous and holy living, presents
its claims to them, men only mock him, and not only so, but they furiously rush
against him by the opposition which they make to his Word. They do this as if he
willed to be honored and served merely with the breath of the lip, and had not
rather erected a throne among men, from which to govern them by laws. David,
therefore, here places the Church in the room of God; not that it was his
intention to transfer to the Church what is proper to God, but to show the
vanity of the pretensions which men make of being the people of God, when they
shake themselves loose from the control of God's holy law, of which the Church
is the faithful guardian. Besides, David had to deal with a class of men who,
although a hypocritical and bastard race, professed to be the people of God; for
all who adhered to Saul boasted of having a place in the Church, and stigmatised
David as an apostate or a rotten member. With this unworthy treatment David was
so far from being discouraged, that he willingly sustained all assaults for the
defense of the true Church. He declares that he is unmoved by all the wrongs and
revilings which he personally suffered at the hands of his enemies. Laying aside
all concern about himself, he is disquieted and distressed only for the
oppressed condition of the Church, or rather burns with anguish, and is consumed
with the vehemence of his grief.
The second
clause of the verse is to the same effect, denoting that he has nothing separate
from God. Some explain it in a different sense, understanding it to mean that
the wicked and proud, with the view of making an assault upon David, directed
their fury and violence against God himself, and in this way indirectly pierced
the heart of this holy man with their blasphemies, knowing as they did that
nothing would be more grievous to him to bear than this. But this interpretation
is too forced. Equally forced is that of those who consider David as intimating
that he did not less prostrate himself in humble supplication at the mercy-seat
whenever he heard the name of God torn by reproaches and blasphemy, than if he
himself had been guilty of treason against the Divine Majesty. I therefore
adhere to the opinion which I have already expressed, That David forgot what
concerned himself, and that all the grief which he felt proceeded from the holy
zeal with which he burned when he saw the sacred name of God insulted and
outraged with horrible blasphemies. By this example we are taught, that whereas
we are naturally so tender and delicate as to be unable to bear ignominy and
reproach, we must endeavor to get quit of this unhappy state of mind, and ought
rather to be grieved and agonised with the reproaches which are poured forth
against God. On account of these, it becomes us to feel deep indignation, and
even to give expression to this in strong language; but we ought to bear the
wrongs and reproaches which we personally suffer without complaining. Until we
have learned to set very little value upon our own reputation, we will never be
inflamed with true zeal in contending for the preservation and advancement of
the interests of the Divine glory. Besides, as David speaks in the name of the
whole Church, whatever he says concerning himself behoved to be fulfilled in the
supreme Head. It is, therefore, not surprising to find the Evangelists applying
this passage to Christ,
(<430217>John
2:17.) In like manner, Paul, in
<451503>Romans
15:3, 5, 6, exhorting the faithful to imitate Christ, applies the second member
to them all, and there also teaches us that the doctrine contained in it is very
comprehensive, requiring them to devote themselves wholly to the advancement of
the Divine glory, to endeavor in all their words and actions to preserve it
unimpaired, and to be carefully on their guard that it may not be obscured by
any fault of theirs. Since Christ, in whom there shines forth all the majesty of
Deity, did not hesitate to expose himself to every species of reproach for the
maintenance of his Father's glory, how base and shameful will it be for us to
shrink from a similar lot.
Psalm
69:10-13
10. And I wept, my soul
fasted; and that was laid to me as a reproach. 11. I also made sackcloth
my clothing: and I became a proverb to them. 12. They who sit in the gate
defame me: and I am the song of those who drink intoxicating liquor. 13.
But as for me, my prayer is to thee, O Jehovah! in a time of thy favor, [or
good-will,] O God: answer me in the multitude of thy mercy, in the truth of thy
salvation.
10.
And I wept, my soul
fasted. David here proves, by the signs
or effects, that his efforts to promote the Divine glory proceeded from a pure
and well-regulated zeal, inasmuch as he was not impelled or inflamed by the
impetuosity of the flesh, but rather humbly abased himself before God, choosing
him to be the witness of his sorrow. By this he shows the more evidently the
incorrigible perversity of his enemies. It frequently happens, that those who
set themselves boldly for the vindication of the glory of God, provoke and
exasperate the wicked to a higher pitch by opposing them contentiously and
without moderation. But David's zeal was so tempered that it ought to have
softened even the hardness of steel. By this circumstance he, however, intended
to show that he was oppressed with such violence by the frowardness of his
enemies, that he dared not even open his mouth to speak a single word in defense
of the cause of God, and no other means were left him of defending it but tears
and mourning. He was deprived, as we know, of the liberty of giving utterance to
the sentiments of his heart, or rather his words, as being those of a condemned
person, would have been repelled with cruel reproaches. It was a proof of the
greater constancy when in such circumstances he continued to burn with a zeal as
unabated as ever, and persevered in the voluntary sorrow which he had engaged to
exercise with the view of maintaining the honor and glory of God. He accordingly
declares, that he wept and that his soul fasted, and that he was clothed with
sackcloth; which were the tokens of mourning among the Jews. But his enemies
turned all these things into mockery and
jesting;
fc77 from which it is manifest that they were
carried away with the fury of demons. It is of importance for us to be fortified
with such an example, that in the present day we may not be discouraged when we
meet with the same perversity by which the enemies of the Gospel prove
themselves to be rather devils than men. We must, however, beware of
pouring oil upon the fire which is already burning too fiercely, and should
rather imitate David and Lot, who, although they had not liberty to rebuke the
wicked, were yet deeply grieved in their hearts. And even when the wicked are
constrained to hear us, mildness and humility will be a powerful means, or
rather will be the best seasoning, for tempering holy zeal. Those who conceive
of David as intimating that he resigned himself to suffer punishment in the room
or stead of his enemies, attempt to confirm their opinion from his having
clothed himself in sackcloth. But I take it more simply as meaning, that when he
saw things in such a state of confusion, he voluntarily engaged in this
sorrowful exercise to testify that nothing was more grievous to him than to
witness the sacred name of God exposed to
contumely.
12.
They who sit in the gate
defame me. Had David been molested only
by vulgar buffoons and the refuse of the people, it would have been more easily
endured; for it is not surprising that mean persons, who have no regard to what
is becoming and honorable, degrade themselves by indulging in defamation without
shame. But when the very judges, forgetful of what is demanded by the dignity of
their office, abandon themselves to the same audacious conduct, the iniquity and
baseness of it is greatly aggravated. Accordingly, David expressly complains
that he was made a by-word and a proverb by those in the highest ranks of life.
The opinion of some who, by the expression,
they who sit in the
gate, understand the whole
people,
fc78 is both frigid and inconsistent with the
words of the text; for although men of every rank and condition assembled at the
gates, yet none but the judges and counsellors sat
there.
fc79 This is confirmed by the second clause
of the verse; for by those who
drink strong
drink,
fc80 is doubtless meant the rulers who were
elevated by their wealth and dignity. It was, indeed, very cruel treatment, that
this holy man was not only harassed by the lower classes of the people, but that
the very persons who presided in the cause of justice, and the dignitaries of
the Church, were in this ringleaders to others. As the same thing happens in our
own day, it is not without cause that the Holy Spirit has set this example
before our eyes. In the Papacy we find that the higher a man is exalted in
honor, he is proportionally the more violent and outrageous in his opposition to
the Gospel and its ministers, that he may exhibit himself a more valiant
defender of the Catholic faith. Yea, this is a malady with which almost all
kings and princes are smitten; which arises from their not regarding true
dignity and excellence as consisting in virtue, and from their thinking that
they are entitled to act without restraint as they please. And what is the
estimation in which they hold the faithful servants of Christ? It is a fact
which cannot be denied, that one of the principal things about which they are
concerned is, to scoff at and defame them, not only at their tables, but also on
their thrones, in order, if possible, to shame them into a renunciation of their
faith. In general, also, they sneer at all the people of God, and enjoy
themselves in descanting upon their simplicity, as if they were fools in
wearying and wasting themselves in the service of
God.
13.
But as for me, my prayer is to
thee, O Jehovah! It was a sign of
uncommon virtue in David, that even this hard treatment could not shake his
mind, and sink him into despondency. He informs us of the means by which he
fortified himself against that terrible stumbling-block. When the wicked
directed against him their witty and scoffing remarks, as if engines of war, to
overthrow his faith, the means to which he had recourse for repelling all their
assaults was pouring out his heart in prayer to God. He was constrained to keep
silence before men, and, being thus driven out from the world, he betook himself
to God. In like manner, although the faithful in the present day may be unable
to make any impression upon the wicked, yet they will ultimately triumph,
provided they retire from the world, and go directly to God to present their
prayers before him. The meaning, in short, is, that David, having tried every
means in his power, and finding that his labor was to no purpose, left off
dealing with men, and dealt with God only. What follows,
a time of thy favor, O
God! is explained otherwise by many
interpreters, who read the two clauses of the verse in one sentence,
thus: But as for me, I prayed to
God in a time of his favor;
corresponding to that passage in
<235506>Isaiah
55:6, “Call ye upon him while he is near.” Others resolve it thus:
I prayed that the time of favor might come, and that God would begin to be
merciful to me. But David is rather speaking of the consolation which he
then received by reflecting with himself, that although it was now a time of
trouble with him, and although his prayers seemed to be altogether unavailing,
yet God's favor would have its turn also. Thus the Prophet Habakkuk
says,
“I will stand upon
my watch, and set me upon the tower, and
will
watch to see what he will say
unto me.”
(<350201>Habakkuk
2:1)
In like manner, Isaiah says,
“I will wait upon
the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob;”
(<230817>Isaiah
8:17)
and
<241422>Jeremiah
14:22,) “We will wait upon thee.” The only means by which, in our
affliction, we can obtain the victory, is by our having hope shining in us in
the midst of darkness, and by our having the sustaining influence which arises
from waiting for the favor of God. After David has thus fortified himself for
continued perseverance in the attitude of waiting, he immediately adds,
Answer me in the multitude of thy
goodness; and to goodness he
joins the truth of
salvation,
fc81 intimating that God's mercy is
proved by indubitable effect when he succours his servants who are reduced to
the very depths of despair. What prompted him to present this prayer was, the
full persuasion which he had, that the darkness in which he was now involved
would in due time be dispelled, and that a serene and unclouded season of God's
favor would succeed; a persuasion which arose from his recalling all his
thoughts to God, lest he should faint by reason of the harassing treatment which
he met with from the wicked.
Psalm
69:14-18
14. Deliver me from the
mire, that I may not sink: let me be delivered from my adversaries, and from the
deep waters. 15. Let not the flood of waters overflow me; and let not the
deep swallow me up; and let not the
pit
fc82 close its mouth upon me. 16.
Answer me, O Jehovah! for thy mercy
fc83 is good: in the multitude of thy
compassions
fc84 look upon me. 17. And hide not
thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble: hasten! answer me! 18.
Draw near to my soul, redeem it; deliver me, on account of my
enemies.
14.
Deliver me from the mire, that I
may not sink. The Psalmist repeats the same
similitude which he had used before, but in a different manner. He had
previously said that he was sunk in the mire, and now he prays that he may not
sink in it. In short, he now prays that those things may not now befall him
which he had formerly complained of as having befallen him. But it is very easy
to reconcile this diversity of statement; for in the opening of the psalm he
spake according to his actual feeling and experience; but now, looking to the
issue, although living in the midst of death, he cherishes the hope of
deliverance. This is expressed still more clearly in the last clause of the 15th
verse, where he prays, Let not
the pit close its mouth upon me; which
is as if he had said, Let not the great multitude and weight of my afflictions
overwhelm me, and let not sorrow swallow me
up.
16.
Answer me, O Jehovah! for thy mercy is good.
The appeal which he here makes to the mercy and compassion of God is an
evidence of the distressed condition into which he was brought. There can be no
doubt that he sustained a dreadful conflict, when he had recourse to these as
the only means of his safety. It is a very difficult matter to believe that God
is merciful to us when he is angry with us, and that he is near us when he has
withdrawn himself from us. David, aware of this, brings to his view a subject
which he may oppose to this distrust, and by pleading for the exercise of the
mercy and great compassions of God towards him, shows, that the only
consideration which inspired him with hope was the benignant and merciful
character of God. When he says, a little after,
Look upon
me, it is a prayer that God would make
it manifest in very deed that he had heard him by granting him succor. In the
following verse he utters a similar prayer. And by repeating so often the same
things, he declares both the bitterness of his grief and the ardor of his
desires. When he beseeches God not to hide his face, it is not from any
apprehension which he entertained of being rejected, but because those who are
oppressed with calamities cannot avoid being agitated and distracted with mental
disquietude. But as God, in a peculiar manner, invites his servants to him,
David avows that he is one of their number. In thus speaking, as I have already
shown, and will afterwards have occasion to state at greater length, he does not
boast of services on account of which he could prefer any claim to a divine
reward, but rather depends on the gratuitous election of God; although, at the
same time, he is to be understood as adducing the service which he had
faithfully yielded to God by whom he was called, as an evidence of his
godliness.
18.
Draw near to my soul, redeem it. David
was doubtless fully persuaded by faith that God was near him; but as we are
accustomed to measure the presence or absence of God by the effects, David here
tacitly complains, judging according to the flesh, that he is far from him. By
the expression, Draw
near, he means, that in so far as could
be gathered from his actual condition, God appeared to have no regard to his
welfare. Again, by calling upon God
to draw near to his
life, which he seemed to have forsaken,
he exhibits a striking proof of the strength of his faith. The more cruelly he
is molested by the wicked and proud, the more does he trust that God will appear
to deliver him. As has been elsewhere observed, it is always to be held as an
undoubted truth, that since “God resisteth the proud”
(<590406>James
4:6,) he must at length repress the insolence and pride of those who obstinately
resist him, although he may seem to connive at them for a
time.
Psalm
69:19-21
19. Thou knowest my
reproach, and my confusion, and my ignominy: all my adversaries are before thee.
20. Reproach hath broken my heart, and I am afflicted: and I looked for
one to take pity upon me, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found
none. 21. And they put gall into my meat; and in my thirst they gave me
vinegar to
drink.
19.
Thou knowest my reproach, and my confusion.
This is a confirmation of the preceding
sentence. Whence is it that the greater part of men become dispirited when they
see the wicked outrageously rushing upon them, and their wickedness, like a
water-flood, carrying all before it, but because they think that heaven is so
obscured and overcast with clouds as to prevent God from beholding what is done
upon the earth? It becomes us, therefore, in this matter, to call to our
remembrance the doctrine of a Divine Providence, that contemplating it we may be
assured beyond all doubt, that God will appear for our succor in due season; for
he cannot, on the one hand, shut his eyes to our miseries, and it is impossible
for him, on the other, to allow the license which the wicked take in doing evil
to pass with impunity, without denying himself. David, therefore, takes comfort
from the consideration that God is the witness of his grief, fear, sorrows, and
cares; nothing being hidden from the eye of Him who is the judge and governor of
the world. Nor is it a vain repetition when he speaks so frequently of his
reproach and shame. As he was subjected to such dreadful assaults of
temptations as might have made the stoutest heart to tremble, it was
indispensably necessary for his own defense to oppose to them a strong barrier
for resistance. Nothing is more bitter to men of an ingenuous and noble spirit
than reproach; but when this is repeated, or rather when shame and reproach are
heaped upon us, how needful is it then for us to possess more than ordinary
strength, that we may not thereby be overwhelmed? for when succor is delayed,
our patience is very apt to give way, and despair very easily creeps in upon us.
This shame and reproach may very properly be referred both to the outward
appearance and to the actual feelings of the mind. It is well known that he was
everywhere held in open derision; and the mockeries which he experienced could
not but strike into him both shame and sorrow. For the same reason he subjoins
that his enemies are before
God, or known to him; as if he had said,
Lord, thou knowest how, like a poor sheep, I am surrounded by thousands of
wolves.
20.
Reproach hath broken my heart, and I am
afflicted. He expresses more distinctly
not only that he was confounded, or ashamed at the sad aspect which he presented
of having been deserted, but that he was well nigh overwhelmed with sorrow by
lying so long under reproach and shame. Whence it is evident that he did not
overcome this sorrow without a struggle; and that the reason why he so firmly
withstood the waves of temptations was, not because they did not reach his
heart, but because, being sorely smitten, he made resistance with a
corresponding degree of intrepidity. He states, as an additional aggravation of
his distress, that every office of humanity was withheld from him: that there
was nobody who had compassion upon him, or to whom he could disburden his
griefs. Some take the word
dwn,
nud, for to tell or recount; and undoubtedly when we pour out
our complaints to our friends, it affords some alleviation to our distress. Thus
he employs as an argument for obtaining mercy from God, the consideration that
he was deprived of all aid and comfort from his
fellow-men.
21.
And they put gall into my meat.
Here he again repeats that his enemies carry their cruelty towards him to
the utmost extent in their power. He speaks metaphorically when he describes
them as mingling gall or poison with his
meat,
fc85 and vinegar with his drink; even
as it is said in Jeremiah,
“Behold, I will
feed them, even this people, with
wormwood,
and give them water of
gall to drink.”
(<240915>Jeremiah
9:15)
But still the Apostle John justly declares that this
Scripture was fulfilled when the soldiers gave Christ vinegar to drink upon the
cross,
(<431928>John
19:28-30;) for it was requisite that whatever cruelty the reprobate exercise
towards the members of Christ, should by a visible sign be represented in Christ
himself. We have stated on the same principle, in our remarks upon Psalm 22:18,
that when the soldiers parted the garments of Christ among them, that verse was
appropriately quoted, “They parted my garments among them, and upon my
vesture did they cast lots;” although David's object was to express by
figurative language that he was robbed, and that all his goods were violently
taken from him, and made a prey of by his enemies. The natural sense must,
however, be retained; which is, that the holy prophet had no relief afforded
him; and that he was in a condition similar to that of a man who, already too
much afflicted, found, as an additional aggravation of his distress, that his
meat was poisoned, and his drink rendered nauseous by the bitter ingredients
with which it had been
mingled.
Psalm
69:22-29
22.
Let
fc86 their table before them be for a snare;
and their prosperity
fc87 [or things for peace] for a net.
23. Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see; and make their
loins continually to tremble. 24. Pour out thy wrath upon them; and let
thy hot displeasure seize them. 25. Let their habitation be desolate; let
none dwell in their tent;
26. For they have persecuted him whom
thou hast smitten; and they have added to the grief of those whom thou hast
wounded, [literally of thy wounded ones.] 27. Add iniquity to their
iniquity; and let them not enter into thy righteousness. 28. Let them be
blotted out from the book of the living; and let them not be written among the
righteous. 29. As for me, I am poor and sorrowful; thy salutation shall
exalt
me.
22.
Let their table before them be for a snare.
Here we have a series of dire imprecations, with respect to which we must
bear in mind, what we have elsewhere observed, that David did not allow himself
recklessly to pour out his wrath, even as the greater part of men, when they
feel themselves wronged, intemperately give way to their own passion; but, being
under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, he was kept from going beyond the bounds
of duty,
fc89 and simply called upon God to exercise
just judgment against the reprobate. Farther, it was not on his own account that
he pleaded in this manner; but it was a holy zeal for the divine glory which
impelled him to summon the wicked to God's judgment-seat. It was also owing to
this: that he was not carried away by violence of passion, like those who are
actuated by a desire of taking revenge. Since, then, the Spirit of wisdom,
uprightness, and moderation, put these imprecations into the mouth of David, his
example cannot justly be pleaded in self-vindication by those who pour forth
their wrath and spite upon every one that comes in their way, or who are carried
away by a foolish impatience to take revenge; never allowing themselves to
reflect for a moment what good purpose this can serve, nor making any efforts to
keep their passion within due bounds. We need wisdom by which to distinguish
between those who are wholly reprobate and those of whose amendment there is
still some hope; we have also need of uprightness, that none may devote himself
exclusively to his own private interests; and of moderation too, to dispose our
minds to calm endurance. It being evident, then, that David was distinguished by
these three qualities, whoever would follow him aright, must not allow himself
to break forth with reckless and blind impetuosity into the language of
imprecation; he must, moreover, repress the turbulent passions of his mind, and,
instead of confining his thoughts exclusively to his own private interests,
should rather employ his desires and affections in seeking to advance the glory
of God. In short, if we would be true imitators of David, we must first clothe
ourselves with the character of Christ, that he may not administer to us at the
present day the same rebuke which he gave to two of his disciples of
old,
“Ye know not what
manner of spirit ye are
of,”
(<420955>Luke
9:55.)
David had complained that his enemies mingled his
meat with gall; and now he prays that their table may be turned into a snare for
them, and that the things which are for peace may be turned into a net for them.
These expressions are metaphorical, and they imply a desire that whatever things
had been allotted to them in providence for the preservation of life, and for
their welfare and convenience, might be turned by God into the occasion or
instrument of their destruction. From this we gather that as things which
naturally and of themselves are hurtful, become the means of furthering our
welfare when we are in favor with God; so, when his anger is kindled against us,
all those things which have a native tendency to produce our happiness are
cursed, and become so many causes of our destruction. It is an instance of the
Divine justice, which ought deeply to impress our minds with awe, when the Holy
Spirit declares that all the means of preserving life are deadly to the
reprobate,
(<560115>Titus
1:15;) so that the very sun, which carries healing under his wings,
(<390402>Malachi
4:2,) breathes only a deadly exhalation for
them.
23.
Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not
see. The Psalmist here refers chiefly to
two powers of the body, those of the eyes and of the loins; and I
have no hesitation in considering his language as a prayer that God would
deprive his enemies of reason and understanding, and at the same time enfeeble
their strength, that they might be altogether unfitted for exerting themselves
in any way. We know how indispensable it is, in order to the doing of any thing
aright, that counsel go before to give light, and that there should also be
added the power of putting what is purposed into execution. The curse here
expressed impends over the heads of all the enemies of the Church; and,
therefore, we have no reason to be terrified at the malice or fury of the
wicked. God, whenever he pleases, can strike them suddenly with blindness, that
they may see nothing, and by breaking their
loins,
fc90 lay them prostrate in shame and
confusion.
24.
Pour out thy fury upon them. It is not
surprising that David utters a lengthened series of imprecations; for we know
well that the frantic enemies of the Church, into whom it was his object to
inspire terror, are not easily moved. He therefore lifts up his voice against
them in tones of greater vehemence, that they might be led to desist from their
wrongful and insolent conduct. He, however, had principally an eye to true
believers, who, being oppressed with calamities, have no other stay to lean
upon, but such as arises from the voice which they hear proceeding from the
mouth of God, declaring the terrible vengeance which is prepared for their
enemies, if, indeed, they are among the reprobate. As to those of whose
repentance and amendment there was some hope, David would have had them to be
corrected by chastisements; but as to those whose repentance and reformation
were hopeless, he prays that destruction may fall upon their heads, that thus
they might not escape the punishment which was appointed for them, and which
they had
deserved.
25.
Let their habitation be desolate. Here
he proceeds farther than in the preceding verse, praying that God would cause
his wrath to descend to their posterity; and it is no new thing for the sins of
the fathers to be cast into the bosom of the children. As David uttered these
imprecations by the inspiration and influence of the Holy Spirit, so he took
them out of the law itself, in which God threatens that he will
“visit the iniquity
of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them
that hate him,”
(<022005>Exodus
20:5)
In this way he desires that the memorial of them may
be cursed, and that thus God would not spare them even after their
death.
26.
For they have persecuted him whom thou hast
smitten. He brings forward the crime
with which they were chargeable, to make it manifest that they richly deserved
such dreadful punishments. Some explain the verse in this way: “These
enemies, O Lord! not content with the strokes which thou hast inflicted, have
exercised their cruelty upon a wretched man, who had already been wounded by thy
hand.” And as it is the dictate of humanity to succor the afflicted, he
who treads down the oppressed most assuredly betrays the brutal cruelty of his
disposition. Others reject this exposition, whether upon sufficient ground I
know not, observing that David, properly speaking, was not stricken or wounded
by the hand of God, it being of the violent rage of his enemies that he
complains through the whole of the psalm. Accordingly, they have recourse to a
subtle interpretation, and view David as meaning that his enemies wickedly
pretended that they had just cause against him, and boasted of being the
ministers of God, whose office it was to execute punishment upon him as a wicked
person. This is a pretext under which the wicked generally shield themselves,
and by which they are led to think that they may lawfully do what they please
against those who are in misery, without ever being called to account for it.
Thus we find this purpose of the wicked expressed in another
place,
“Come let us
persecute him, for God hath forsaken
him;
for there is none to deliver
him,”
(<197111>Psalm
71:11.)
But I am rather of opinion that the Psalmist applies
the term smitten to the man whom God intended to humble as one of his own
children; so that in the very chastisement or correction, there was engraven a
mark of God's paternal love. And he employs the expression, the wounded of
God, almost in the same sense in which
<232602>Isaiah
26:29 speaks of the dead of God, the prophet thereby denoting those who
continue under the Divine guardianship, even in death itself. This cannot be
extended to all men in general, but is exclusively applicable to true believers,
whose obedience God puts to the test by means of afflictions. If from this the
wicked take occasion to persecute the righteous with greater severity, it is not
to be wondered at if they involve themselves in heavier damnation. Upon seeing
such examples set before them, the manner in which they should have reasoned
with themselves is this,
“If these things
are done in a green tree,
what
shall be done in the dry?”
(<422331>Luke
23:31.)
But from their becoming more and more hardened, it is
evident that the pride and insolence which they manifest against the children of
God proceed from contempt and hatred of true religion. The Hebrew word
wrpsy,
yesapperu, which is usually translated they will recount, I would
interpret differently. It properly signifies to number, and may,
therefore, be properly enough translated to add to or
increase,
fc91 giving here the meaning, That the
persons spoken of, by adding misery to misery, raised grief to its utmost
height.
27.
Add iniquity to their iniquity. As the
Hebrew word
ˆwa,
avon, signifies at times guilt as well as iniquity, some
translate the verse thus, Add thou, that is, thou, O God!
punishment to their
punishment. Others extend it yet
further, regarding it as a prayer that wicked men might punish them for their
wickedness. But it is abundantly evident, from the second clause, that what
David prays for rather is, as is almost universally admitted, that God, taking
his Spirit altogether from the wicked, would give them over to a reprobate mind,
that they might never seek or have any desire to be brought to genuine
repentance and amendment. Some interpret the phrase
to come into
righteousness as meaning to be
absolved or acquitted;
fc92 but it seems to want the spirit
of the language here used, by which David intends to express much more.
Accordingly, the words ought to be expounded thus: Let their wickedness increase
more and more, and let them turn away with abhorrence from all thought of
amendment, to make it manifest that they are utterly alienated from
God.
fc93 As this form of expression is familiar
to the Sacred Writings, and every where to be met with, we ought not to think it
harsh; and to wrest it, as some do, for the sake of avoiding what may have the
appearance of absurdity, is ridiculous. The explanation they give of it is, That
God adds sins to sins by permitting
them;
fc94 and they defend such an exposition by
asserting that this is an idiom of the Hebrew language, an assertion, the
accuracy of which no Hebrew scholar will admit. Nor is it necessary to bring
forward any such quibbles to excuse God; for, when he blinds the reprobate, it
is sufficient for us to know that he has good and just causes for doing so; and
it is in vain for men to murmur and to dispute with him, as if they sinned only
by his impulse. Although the causes why they are blinded sometimes lie hidden in
the secret purpose of Deity, there is not a man who is not reproved by his own
conscience; and it is our duty to adore and admire the high mysteries of God,
which surpass our understanding. It is justly said that “God's judgments
are a great deep,”
(<193606>Psalm
36:6.) It would certainly be highly perverse to involve God in a part of the
guilt of the wicked, whenever he executes his judgments upon them; as, for
example, when he executes the judgment threatened in the passage before us. The
amount is, that the wicked are plunged into a deep gulf of wickedness by the
just vengeance of Heaven, that they may never return to a sound understanding,
and that he who is filthy may become still more
filthy,
fc95
(<662211>Revelation
22:11.) Let it further be observed, that I do not explain the righteousness
of God as denoting the righteousness which he bestows upon his chosen ones
in regenerating them by his Holy Spirit, but the holiness manifested in the life
which is so well-pleasing to
him.
28.
Let them be blotted out from the book of the
living.
fc96 This is the last imprecation, and
it is the most dreadful of the whole; but it nevertheless uniformly follows the
persevered in impenitence and incorrigible obduracy of which the Psalmist has
spoken above. After having taken away from them all hope of repentance, he
denounces against them eternal destruction, which is the obvious meaning of the
prayer, that they might be blotted out of the book of the living; for all those
must inevitably perish who are not found written or enrolled in the book of
life. This is indeed an improper manner of speaking; but it is one well adapted
to our limited capacity, the book of life being nothing else than the eternal
purpose of God, by which he has predestinated his own people to salvation. God,
it is certain, is absolutely immutable; and, further, we know that those who are
adopted to the hope of salvation were written before the foundation of the
world,
(<490104>Ephesians
1:4;) but as God's eternal purpose of election is incomprehensible, it is said,
in accommodation to the imperfection of the human understanding, that those whom
God openly, and by manifest signs, enrols among his people, are written.
On the other hand, those whom God openly rejects and casts out of his Church
are, for the same reason, said to be blotted out. As then David desires
that the vengeance of God may be manifested, he very properly speaks of the
reprobation of his enemies in language accommodated to our understanding; as if
he had said, O God! reckon them not among the number or ranks of thy people, and
let them not be gathered together with thy Church; but rather show by destroying
them that thou hast rejected them; and although they occupy a place for a time
among thy faithful ones, do thou at length cut them off, to make it manifest
that they were aliens, though they were mingled with the members of thy family.
Ezekiel uses language of similar import when he
says,
“And mine hand shall be
upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in
the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the
house of Israel.”
(<261309>Ezekiel
13:9)
That, however, continues true which is
spoken by the Apostle John,
(<600219>1
John 2:19,) that none who have been once really the children of God will ever
finally fall away or be wholly cut
off.
fc97 But as hypocrites presumptuously boast
that they are the chief members of the Church, the Holy Spirit well expresses
their rejection, by the figure of their being blotted out of the book of life.
Moreover, it is to be observed that, in the second clause, all the elect of God
are called the righteous; for, as Paul says in
<520403>1
Thessalonians 4:3, 4, 7,
“This is the will of God,
even our sanctification, that every one of us should know how to possess his
vessel in sanctification and honor: for God hath not called us unto uncleanness,
but unto holiness.”
(<520403>1
Thessalonians 4:3, 4, 7)
And the climax which
the same Apostle uses in the 8th chapter of his Epistle to the Romans, at the
30th verse, is well known:
“Whom he did predestinate,
them he also called; and whom
he
called, them he also justified; and whom he
justified,
them he also
glorified.”
(<450830>Romans
8:30)
29.
As for me, I am poor and
sorrowful.
fc98 From this verse we perceive more
distinctly how David cast away from him the swelling and raging passion of those
who, with ungovernable fury, pour forth imprecation and vengeance. He here,
without doubt, offers himself to God with the sacrifice of a broken and humble
heart, that by this meekness of spirit he may obtain favor with him. He
therefore adds immediately after,
Thy salvation shall exalt
me. Those assuredly who are impelled to
avenge themselves by their own ungovernable spirits are so far from being
humbled, that they exalt themselves to a position to which they are not
entitled. There is here a mutual relation stated between the sorrow with which
he was oppressed, and the help of God by which he hoped to be lifted up. At the
same time, he assures himself that the very thing which others considered as a
ground for despair, would prove to him the cause of his salvation. This sentence
might also be explained adversatively thus: Although I now mourn under the
pressure of affliction, yet shall thy salvation, O Lord! exalt me. But for my
part, I consider it certain that David brings forward his own affliction as a
plea for obtaining mercy at the hand of God. Nor does he say simply that he will
be raised up, but he expressly speaks of being exalted; and in this he
alludes to fortresses which are set upon high places; for this is the proper
signification of the Hebrew word
bgç,
sagab, here employed.
Psalm
69:30-33
30. I will celebrate the
name of God in a song, and I will magnify him in praise.
fc99 31. And this will please Jehovah
more than a young bullock that hath horns and hoofs. 32. The afflicted
have seen it, and those who seek God shall rejoice at it; and your heart shall
live. 33. For Jehovah hath hearkened to the afflicted; and hath not
despised his
prisoners.
30.
I will celebrate the name of God in a song.
The Psalmist now elevated with joy, and sustained by the confident hope of
deliverance, sings the triumphant strains of victory. This psalm, there is every
reason to believe, was composed after he had been delivered from all
apprehension of dangers; but there can be no doubt that the very topics with
which it concludes were the matter of his meditation, when trembling with
anxiety in the midst of his troubles; for he laid hold upon the grace of God by
assured faith, although that grace was then hidden from him, and only the matter
of his hope. God is here said to be magnified by our praises; not because
any addition can be made to his dignity and glory, which are infinite, but
because by our praises his name is exalted among
men.
31.
And this will please Jehovah more than a young
bullock. The more effectually to
strengthen himself for this exercise, David affirms that the thanksgiving which
he is about to tender, will be to God a sacrifice of a sweet and an acceptable
savor. There cannot be a more powerful incitement to thanksgiving than the
certain conviction that this religious service is highly pleasing to God; even
as the only recompense which he requires for all the benefits which he lavishes
upon us is, that we honor and praise his name. This sets in a stronger light the
inexcusableness of those who are so sluggish as, by their silence or
forgetfulness, to suppress the praises of God. David neither omitted nor
despised the outward sacrifices which the law enjoined; but he very justly
preferred the spiritual service, which was the end of all the Levitical
ceremonies. This subject I have treated at greater length on Psalm 50:14. By the
way, the humility of David is worthy of being noticed, who, although he rose so
high as to be a heavenly pattern, yet disdained not to humble himself for the
common benefit of the Church, as if he had belonged to the common class of the
people, that by the figures of the law he might learn the truth which has since
been more clearly manifested in the gospel; namely, that the praises of God, in
so far as they proceed from our mouths, are impure, until they are sanctified by
Christ. But how gross and stupid is the superstition of those who would again
bring into use the outward pomp of ceremonies which were abolished by the one
sacrifice of Christ's death, and think that God is truly pacified when they have
wearied themselves with doing nothing! What does this amount to, but to obscure
or cover, by the intervention of thick veils, this legitimate service of
thanksgiving, which David had no hesitation in greatly preferring to the Mosaic
ceremonies, although these were of divine appointment? By a young bullock,
he means one of the most choice or select and the idea which he intends to
convey is, that there was no sacrifice or victim, however valuable or precious,
that he could offer, in which God would take so great delight as in
thanksgiving.
32.
The afflicted have seen it. He here
shows that the blessed effects of his deliverance will extend to others as well
as to himself, a point which he frequently insists on in the Psalms, as we have
seen in
<192223>Psalm
22:23, 26, and in many other places. And his object in doing this is, partly to
commend the goodness and grace of God to true believers, and partly that by this
as an argument he may prevail with God to succor him. Besides, he does not mean
that God's people would rejoice at this spectacle merely on the ground of
brotherly friendship, but because, in the deliverance of one man, a pledge would
be given to others, affording them also assurance of salvation. For this very
reason he terms them the afflicted. Whoever seek God, (says he,) although
they may be subjected to afflictions, will nevertheless take courage from my
example. The first and the second clauses of the verse must be read together;
for a connected sense would not be preserved were we not to understand the
meaning to be this, That the example of David would afford a ground of rejoicing
to all the faithful servants of God when they should seek a remedy for their
afflictions. He very properly conjoins the desire of seeking God with
affliction; for all men do not so profit under the chastening hand of God as to
seek salvation from him in the exercise of a sincere and ardent faith. In the
concluding part of this verse there is a change of
person: And your heart shall
live. But this apostrophe is so far from
rendering the sense obscure, that, on the contrary, it expresses it the more
forcibly, as if a thing present were described. In addressing those who were so
much under the pressure of affliction as to be laid prostrate like dead men, he
exhibits to their view a kind of image of the resurrection; as if he had said, O
ye who are dead! unto you new vigor shall be restored. It is not meant that
faith perishes in the children of God, and remains entirely dead until it is
quickened into life again by the example of the deliverance of others; but that
the light which was quenched is rekindled, and thus, so to speak, recovers life
anew. The Psalmist immediately after (verse 33) describes the means by which
this will be brought about in the children of God, which is, that believing the
deliverance of David to be a common token or pledge of the grace of God
presented before them, they will confidently come to the conclusion, that God
regards the needy, and does not despise the prisoners. We thus see that he
considers what was done to one man, as a clear indication on the part of God
that he will be ready to succor all who are in adversity.
fc100
Psalm
69:34-36
34. Let the heavens and the
earth praise him; the seas, and whatever creepeth in them. 35. For God
will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah; and they shall dwell there,
and possess it by inheritance. 36. And the seed of his servants shall
inherit it; and they who love his name shall dwell in
it.
34.
Let the heavens and the earth praise him.
From this we may conclude with the greater certainty, that, as I have
touched upon above, David in the whole of this psalm spake in the name of the
whole Church; for he now transfers to the Church what he had spoken in
particular concerning himself. In calling upon the elements, which are destitute
of thought or understanding, to praise God, he speaks hyperbolically, and by
this manner of expression, he would teach us that we are not animated with
sufficient earnestness of heart in celebrating the praises of God, the
infinitude of which overpasses the whole world, unless we rise above our own
understandings. But what above all kindled this ardor in the heart of David was
his concern for the preservation of the Church. Moreover, there is no doubt that
by the Spirit of prophecy he comprehended the whole of that period during which
God would have the kingdom and priesthood continued among the ancient people of
Israel. Yet he begins at the restoration of a new state of things, which by his
means was suddenly brought about upon the death of Saul, when a melancholy
devastation threatened at once the utter destruction of the worship of God, and
the desolation of the whole country. He says, in the first place, that Zion
shall be saved, because God would defend the place where he had chosen to be
called upon, and would not suffer the worship which he himself had appointed to
be abolished. In the next place, from the ark of the covenant and the sanctuary,
he represents the divine blessing as extending to the whole land; for religion
was the foundation upon which the happiness of the people rested. He farther
teaches, that this change to the better would not be of short continuance; but
that the people would be always preserved safe through the constant and enduring
protection of God: And they shall
dwell there, and possess it by inheritance.
He therefore intimates, that the promise which God had so often made in the
law, That they should inherit that land forever, was truly confirmed by the
commencement of his reign. He contrasts tranquil and settled abode with a mere
temporary residence; as if he had said, Now that the sacred throne is erected,
the time is come in which the children of Abraham will enjoy the rest which has
been promised to them, without fear of being removed from
it.
36.
And the seed of his servants shall inherit
it. In this verse he declares that the
blessing now mentioned would extend through a continued succession of ages
— that, the fathers would transmit to their children the possession which
they had received, as from hand to hand, and the children to their children; and
the enduring possession of all good things depends upon Christ, of whom David
was a type. Yet the Psalmist at the same time briefly intimates, that such only
as are the legitimate children of Abraham shall inherit the land:
They who love his name shall
dwell in it. It was needful to take away
all grounds for self-gloriation from hypocrites, who, looking to and depending
solely upon the circumstances connected with the origin of their race, foolishly
boasted that the land belonged to them by right of inheritance, notwithstanding
of their having apostatised from the faith of their ancestors. Although that
land was given to the chosen people to be possessed until the advent of Christ,
we should remember that it was a type of the heavenly inheritance, and that,
therefore, what is here written concerning the protection of the Church, has
received a more true and substantial fulfillment in our own day. There is no
reason to fear that the building of the spiritual temple, in which the celestial
power of God has been manifested, will ever fall into ruins.
PSALM
70
This psalm is merely a part of the fortieth, and the
inscription, To call to remembrance, is perhaps designed to
indicate this; David having taken these five verses out of that other psalm, and
accommodated them for being used on some particular occasion. I shall only here
repeat the words of the text; and would refer the reader for the interpretation
to the proper place.
To the chief
musician of David, to call to remembrance.
Psalm
70:1-5
1. O God! make haste to
deliver me: O Jehovah! hasten to my help. 2. Let those who seek my life be
ashamed and confounded; let those who desire my hurt be turned backward, and put
to confusion 3. Let those who say to me, Aha! aha! perish as a reward of
their shame. 4. Let all those who seek thee rejoice and exult in thee:
let those who love thy salvation say, Let God be magnified for evermore!
5. As for me, I am poor and needy: O God! hasten to me: thou art my help
and my deliverer: O Jehovah! make no delay.
PSALM
71 fc101
David, having spoken at the outset of his confidence
in God, partly calls upon him for deliverance, and partly complains of the pride
of his enemies. At length, to confirm his faith, he prepares himself for
yielding a grateful ascription of praise for the benefits which God had
conferred upon him.
Psalm
71:1-4
1. In thee, O Jehovah! do I
put my trust; let me not be put to confusion for ever. 2. Deliver me in
thy righteousness, and rescue me: incline thy ear to me, and save me. 3.
Be thou to me for a rock of strength,
fc102 [or for a strong rock,] into which I
may at all times enter: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my
tower and my fortress. 4. O my God! deliver me from the hand of the
wicked man; from the hand of the perverse and violent
man.
1.
In thee, O Jehovah! do I put my trust.
It has been thought that the occasion of the composition of this psalm was
the conspiracy of Absalom; and the particular reference which David makes to his
old age renders this conjecture not improbable. As when we approach God, it is
faith alone which opens the way for us, David, in order to obtain what he
sought, protests, according to his usual manner, that he does not pour forth at
the throne of grace hypocritical prayers, but betakes himself to God with
sincerity of heart, fully persuaded that his salvation is laid up in the Divine
hand. The man whose mind is in a state of constant fluctuation, and whose hope
is divided by being turned in different directions, in each of which he is
looking for deliverance, or who, under the influence of fear, disputes with
himself, or who obstinately refuses the Divine assistance, or who frets and
gives way to restless impatience, is unworthy of being succoured by God. The
particle
µlw[l,
leolam, in the end of the first verse, which we have translated for
ever, admits of a twofold sense, as I have shown on Psalm 31:1. It either
tacitly implies a contrast between the present calamities of David and the happy
issue which he anticipated; as if he had said, Lord, I lie in the dust at
present as one confounded; but the time will come when thou wilt grant me
deliverance. Or not to be ashamed for ever, means never to be ashamed. As
these verses almost correspond with the beginning of the 31st psalm, I would
refer to that place for those explanatory remarks which I here purposely omit,
not wishing to tax the patience of my readers by unnecessary
repetition.
In these words of the third verse,
Into which I may at all times
enter, which are not to be found in the
other psalm, David briefly prays that he may have so ready and easy access to
God for succor, as to find in him a secure refuge whenever threatened by any
immediate danger. Lord! as if he had said, let me always find ready succor in
thee, and do thou meet me with a smile of benignity and grace, when I betake
myself to thee. The expression which follows,
Thou hast given commandment to
save me, is resolved by some
interpreters into the optative mood; as if David requested that he might be
committed to the guardianship of angels. But it is better to retain the past
tense of the verb, and to understand him as encouraging himself, from his
experience in times past, to hope for a happy issue to his present calamities.
Nor is there any necessity for limiting to the angels the verb, thou hast
given commandment. God, no doubt, employs them in defending his people; but
as he is possessed of innumerable ways of saving them, the expression, I
conceive, is used indefinitely, to teach us that he gives commandment concerning
the salvation of his servants, according as he has purposed, whenever he gives
some manifest token of his favor toward them in his providence; and what he has
determined in his own mind, he executes sometimes by his nod alone, and
sometimes by the instrumentality of men or other creatures. Meanwhile, David
would intimate that such is the all-sufficient power of God intrinsically
considered, that without having recourse to any foreign aid, his commandment
alone is abundantly adequate for effecting our
salvation.
4.
O my God! deliver me from the
hand of the wicked man. Here he uses the
singular number; but he is not to be understood as indicating one man
only.
fc103 It is highly probable that he
comprehends the whole host of the enemies who assaulted him. We have elsewhere
had occasion to observe how greatly it contributes to inspire us with the
confidence of obtaining our requests, when we are so assured of our own
integrity, as to be able freely to complain before God that we are unjustly and
wickedly assaulted by our enemies; for we ought not to doubt that God, who has
promised to become the defender of those who are unjustly oppressed, will, in
that case, undertake our
cause.
Psalm
71:5-8
5. For thou art my
expectation, [or hope,] O Lord Jehovah! My trust from my youth. 6. Upon
thee have I leaned [or have I been sustained] from the
womb:
fc104 thou art he that took me out of my
mother's bowels: my praise is continually of thee. 7. I have been as a
prodigy to the great ones,
fc105 and
yet
fc106 thou art my strong confidence.
8. My mouth shall be filled with thy praise and with thy glory
daily.
5.
For thou art my expectation, O Lord Jehovah!
The Psalmist here repeats what he had said a little before concerning his
trust or confidence. But some, perhaps, may be inclined to refer this sentence
rather to the matter or ground afforded him for hope and confidence than to the
emotions of his heart; supposing him to mean, that by the benefits which God had
conferred upon him, he was furnished with well-grounded hope. And certainly he
does not here simply declare that he hoped in God, but with this he conjoins
experience, and acknowledges that even from his youth he had received tokens of
the Divine favor, from which he might learn, that confidence is to be reposed in
God alone. By adverting to what God had done for
him,
fc107 he expresses the real cause of faith,
(if I may so speak;) and from this we may easily perceive the powerful influence
which the remembrance of God's benefits had in nourishing his
hope.
6.
Upon thee have I been
sustained from the womb. This verse corresponds
with the preceding, except that David proceeds farther. He not only celebrates
the goodness of God which he had experienced from his childhood, but also those
proofs of it which he had received previous to his birth. An almost similar
confession is contained in
<192209>Psalm
22:9, 10, by which is magnified the wonderful power and inestimable goodness of
God in the generation of men, the way and manner of which would be altogether
incredible, were it not a fact with which we are quite familiar. If we are
astonished at that part of the history of the flood, in which Moses declares
(<010813>Genesis
8:13) that Noah and his household lived ten months amidst the offensive nuisance
produced by so many living creatures, when he could not draw the breath of life,
have we not equal reason to marvel that the infant, shut up within its mother's
womb, can live in such a condition as would suffocate the strongest man in half
an hour? But we thus see how little account we make of the miracles which God
works, in consequence of our familiarity with them. The Spirit, therefore,
justly rebukes this ingratitude, by commending to our consideration this
memorable instance of the grace of God, which is exhibited in our birth and
generation. When we are born into the world, although the mother do her office,
and the midwife may be present with her, and many others may lend their help,
yet did not God, putting, so to speak, his hand under us, receive us into his
bosom, what would become of us? and what hope would there be of the continuance
of our life? Yea, rather, were it not for this, our very birth would be an
entrance into a thousand deaths. God, therefore, is with the highest propriety
said to take us out of our
mother's bowels. To this corresponds the
concluding part of the verse, My
praise is continually of thee; by which
the Psalmist means that he had been furnished with matter for praising God
without
intermission.
7.
I have been as a prodigy to the great ones.
He now makes a transition to the language of complaint, declaring that he
was held in almost universal abhorrence by reason of the great calamities with
which he was afflicted. There is an apparent, although only an apparent,
discrepancy between these two statements; first, that he had always been crowned
with the benefits of God; and, secondly, that he was accounted as a prodigy on
account of his great afflictions; but we may draw from thence the very
profitable doctrine, that he was not so overwhelmed by his calamities, heavy
though they were, as to be insensible to the goodness of God which he had
experienced. Although, therefore, he saw that he was an object of detestation,
yet the remembrance of the blessings which God had conferred upon him, could not
be extinguished by the deepest shades of darkness which surrounded him, but
served as a lamp in his heart to direct his faith. By the term
prodigy
fc108 is expressed no ordinary
calamity. Had he not been afflicted in a strange and unusual manner, those to
whom the miserable condition of mankind was not unknown would not have shrunk
from him with such horror, and regarded him as so repulsive a spectacle. It was,
therefore, a higher and more commendable proof of his constancy, that his spirit
was neither broken nor enfeebled with sham but reposed in God with the stronger
confidence, the more he was cast off by the world. The sentence is to be
explained adversatively, implying that, although men abhorred him as a
monster, yet, by leaning upon God, he continued in despite of all this unmoved.
If it should be thought preferable to translate the word
µybr,
rabbim, which I have rendered great ones, by the word many,
the sense will be, That David's afflictions were generally known, and had
acquired great notoriety, as if he had been brought forth upon a stage and
exposed to the view of the whole people. But in my opinion it will be more
suitable to understand the word of great men, or the nobles. There
is no heart so strong and impervious to outward influences as not to be deeply
pierced when those who are considered to excel in wisdom and judgment, and who
are invested with authority, treat a suffering and an afflicted man with such
indignity, that they shrink with horror from him, as if he were a monster. In
the next verse, as if he had obtained the desire of his heart, he expresses it
to be his resolution to yield a grateful acknowledgement to God. To encourage
himself to hope with the greater confidence for a happy issue to his present
troubles, he promises loudly to celebrate the praises of God, and to do this not
only on one occasion, but to persevere in the exercise without
intermission.
Psalm
71:9-13
9. Cast me not off in the
time of my old age: forsake me not in the declining of my strength. 10.
For my enemies have said of me, and those who watch for my life have taken
counsel together, 11. Saying, God hath forsaken him; follow after him,
and ye shall take him: for there is none to deliver him. 12. O God! be
not far from me: my God: hasten to my aid. 13. Let those who are enemies
to my life be confounded
fc109 and fail: let those who seek my hurt be
covered with reproach and
shame.
9.
Cast me not off in the time of my old age.
David having just now declared that God had been the protector of his life
at his birth, and afterwards his foster-father in his childhood, and the
guardian of his welfare during the whole course of his past existence; being now
worn out with age, casts himself anew into the fatherly bosom of God. In
proportion as our strength fails us — and then necessity itself impels us
to seek God — in the same proportion should our hope in the willingness
and readiness of God to succor us become strong. David's prayer, in short,
amounts to this: “Do thou, O Lord, who hast sustained me vigorous and
strong in the flower of my youth, not forsake me now, when I am decayed and
almost withered, but the more I stand in need of thy help, let the decrepitude
and infirmities of age move thee to compassionate me the more.” From this
verse expositors, not without good reason, conclude that the conspiracy of
Absalom is the subject treated of in this psalm. And certainly it was a horrible
and tragical spectacle, which tended to lead, not only the common people, but
also those who excelled in authority, to turn away their eyes from him, as they
would from a detestable monster, when the son, having driven his father from the
kingdom, pursued him even through the very deserts to put him to
death.
10.
For my enemies have said of me, etc. He
pleads, as an argument with God to show him mercy, the additional circumstance,
that the wicked took greater license in cruelly persecuting him, from the belief
which they entertained that he was rejected and abandoned of God. The basest of
men, as we all know, become more bold and audacious, when, in tormenting the
innocent, they imagine that this is a matter in which they have not to deal with
God at all. Not only are they encouraged by the hope of escaping unpunished; but
they also boast that all comes to pass according to their wishes, when no
obstacle presents itself to restrain their wicked desires. What happened to
David at that time is almost the ordinary experience of the children of God;
namely, that the wicked, when once they come to believe that it is by the will
of God that his people are exposed to them for a prey, give themselves
uncontrolled license in doing them mischief. Measuring the favor of God only by
what is the present condition of men, they conceive that all whom he suffers to
be afflicted are despised, forsaken, and cast off by him. Such being their
persuasion, they encourage and stimulate one another to practice every thing
harassing and injurious against them, as persons who have none to undertake and
avenge their cause. But this wanton and
insulting
fc110 procedure on their part ought to
encourage our hearts, since the glory of God requires that the promises which he
has so frequently made of succouring the poor and afflicted should be actually
performed. The ungodly may flatter themselves with the hope of obtaining pardon
from him; but this foolish imagination does not by any means lessen the
criminality of their conduct. On the contrary, they do a double injury to God,
by taking away from him that which especially belongs to
him.
12.
O God! be not far from me. It is
scarcely possible to express how severe and hard a temptation it was to David,
when he knew that the wicked entertained the persuasion that he was rejected of
God. They did not without consideration circulate this report; but after having
seemed wisely to weigh all circumstances, they gave their judgment on the point
as of a thing which was placed beyond all dispute. It was therefore an evidence
of heroic fortitude on the part of
David,
fc111 thus to rise superior to their perverse
judgments, and, in the face of them all, to assure himself that God would be
gracious to him, and to betake himself familiarly to him. Nor is it to be
doubted that, in calling God his God, he makes use of this as a means of
defending himself from this hard and grievous
assault.
While invoking the aid of God, he at
the same time prays (verse 13) that his enemies may be filled with shame until
they be consumed. These words, however, may not improperly be read in the future
tense; for it is frequently the practice of David, after having ended his
prayer, to rise up against his enemies, and, as it were, to triumph over them.
But I have followed that which seems more agreeable to the scope of the passage.
Having had occasion elsewhere to explain this imprecation, it is unnecessary for
me to repeat, in this place, what I have previously
said.
Psalm
71:14-16
14. But I will hope
continually, and will add
fc112 to all thy praise. 15. My mouth
shall recount thy righteousness and thy salvation daily; for I know not the
number thereof. 16. I will go in the strengths of the Lord Jehovah! I
will make mention of thy righteousness
only.
14.
But I will hope continually. David
again, as having obtained the victory, prepares himself for thanksgiving. There
is, however, no doubt, that during the time when the wicked derided his
simplicity, he struggled manfully amidst his distresses, as may be gathered from
the word hope. Although, to outward appearance, there was no prospect of
deliverance from his troubles, and although the wicked ceased not proudly to
pour contempt upon his trust in God, he nevertheless determined to persevere in
the exercise of hope; even as it is a genuine proof of faith, to look
exclusively to the Divine promise, in order to be guided by its light alone
amidst the thickest darkness of afflictions. The strength, then, of the hope of
which David speaks, is to be estimated by the conflicts which he at that time
sustained. In saying, I will add
to all thy praises, he shows the
confidence with which he anticipated a desirable escape from his troubles. It is
as if he had said — Lord, I have been long accustomed to receive benefits
from thee, and this fresh accession to them, I doubt not, will furnish me with
new matter for celebrating thy grace.
15.
My mouth shall recount thy
righteousness. Here he expresses more
clearly what sacrifice of praise he resolved to present to God, promising to
proclaim continually his righteousness and salvation. I have often before had
occasion to observe, that the
righteousness of God does not mean that
property of his nature by which he renders to every man his own, but the
faithfulness which he observes towards his own people, when he cherishes,
defends, and delivers them. Hence the inestimable consolation which arises from
learning that our salvation is so inseparably linked with the righteousness of
God, as to have the same stability with this Divine attribute. The salvation
of God, it is very evident, is taken in this place actively. The Psalmist
connects this salvation with righteousness, as the effect with the cause; for
his confident persuasion of obtaining salvation proceeded solely from reflecting
that God is righteous, and that he cannot deny himself. As he had been saved so
often, and in so many different ways, and so wonderfully, he engages to apply
himself continually to the celebration of the grace of God. The particle
yk,
ki, which we have translated for, is by some rendered adversatively
although, and explained in this way: Although the salvation of God is to
me incomprehensible, and transcends my capacity, yet I will recount it. But the
proper signification of the word is more suitable in this place, there being
nothing which ought to be more effectual in kindling and exciting our hearts to
sing the praises of God, than the innumerable benefits which he has bestowed
upon us. Although our hearts may not be affected from having experienced only
one or two of the Divine benefits; although they may remain cold and unmoved by
a small number of them, yet our ingratitude is inexcusable, if we are not
awakened from our torpor and indifference when an innumerable multitude of them
are lavished upon us. Let us learn then not to taste of the goodness of God
slightly, and, as it were, with loathing, but to apply all our faculties to it
in all its amplitude, that it may ravish us with admiration. It is surprising
that the authors of the Greek version ever thought of translating this clause,
I have not known learning,
fc113 an error unworthy of being
noticed, were it not that some fanatics in former times, to flatter themselves
in their ignorance, boasted that, after the example of David, all learning and
liberal sciences should be despised; even as, in the present day, the
Anabaptists have no other pretext for boasting of being spiritual persons, but
that they are grossly ignorant
fc114 of all
science.
16.
I will go in the strength of the
Lord Jehovah! This may also very properly be
translated, I will go into the strengths; and this interpretation is not
less probable than the other. As fear and sorrow take possession of our minds in
the time of danger, from our not reflecting with that deep and earnest attention
which becomes us upon the power of God; so the only remedy for alleviating our
sorrow in our afflictions is to enter into God's strengths, that they may
surround and defend us on all sides. But the other reading, which is more
generally received, I have thought proper to retain, because it also is very
suitable, although interpreters differ as to its meaning. Some explain it, I
will go forth to battle depending upon the power of God. But this is too
restricted. To go is equivalent to abiding in a steady, settled, and
permanent state. True believers, it must indeed be granted, so far from putting
forth their energies without difficulty, and flying with alacrity in their
heavenly course, rather groan through weariness; but as they surmount with
invincible courage all obstacles and difficulties, not drawing back, or
declining from the right way, or at least not failing through despair, they are
on this account said to go forward until they have arrived at the termination of
their course. In short, David boasts that he will never be disappointed of the
help of God till he reach the mark. And because nothing is more rare or
difficult in the present state of weakness and infirmity than to continue
persevering, he collects all his thoughts in order to rely with entire
confidence exclusively on the righteousness of God. When he says that he will be
mindful of it ONLY, the meaning is, that, forsaking all corrupt
confidences with which almost the whole world is driven about, he will depend
wholly upon the protection of God, not allowing himself to wander after his own
imaginations, or to be drawn hither and thither by surrounding
objects.
Augustine quotes this text more than a
hundred times as an argument to overthrow the merit of works, and plausibly
opposes the righteousness which God gratuitously bestows to the meritorious
righteousness of men. It must, however, be confessed that he wrests the words of
David, and puts a sense upon them foreign to their genuine meaning, which simply
is, that he does not rely upon his own wisdom, nor upon his own skill, nor upon
his own strength, nor upon any riches which he possessed, as a ground for
entertaining the confident hope of salvation, but that the only ground upon
which he rests this hope is, that as God is righteous, it is impossible for God
to forsake him. The righteousness of God, as we have just now observed,
does not here denote that free gift by which he reconciles men to himself, or by
which he regenerates them to newness of life; but his faithfulness in keeping
his promises, by which he means to show that he is righteous, upright, and true
towards his servants. Now, the Psalmist declares that the righteousness of God
alone will be continually before his eyes, and in his memory; for unless we keep
our minds fixed upon this alone, Satan, who is possessed of wonderful means by
which to allure, will succeed in leading us astray after vanity. As soon as
hopes from different quarters begin to insinuate themselves into our minds,
there is nothing of which we are more in danger than of falling away. And
whoever, not content with the grace of God alone, seeks elsewhere for the least
succor, will assuredly fall, and thereby serve as an example to teach others how
vain it is to attempt to mingle the stays of the world with the help of God. If
David, in regard to his mere external condition in life, could remain stable and
secure only by renouncing all other confidences, and casting himself upon the
righteousness of God; what stability, I pray you to consider, are we likely to
have, when the reference is to the spiritual and everlasting life, if we fall
away, let it be never so little, from our dependence upon the grace of God? It
is, therefore, undeniable that the doctrine invented by the Papists, which
divides the work of perseverance in holiness between man's free will and God's
grace,
fc115 precipitates wretched souls into
destruction.
Psalm
71:17-19
17. O God! thou hast taught
me from my youth; and hitherto will I announce thy wondrous works. 18.
And still, O God! when I am old and grey-headed, forsake me not, until I declare
thy strength to the generation, and thy power to all who are to come. 19.
And thy righteousness, O God! Is very high: for thou hast done great things: O
God! who is like thee
?
17.
O God! thou hast taught me from my youth.
The Psalmist again declares the great obligations under which he lay to God
for his goodness, not only with the view of encouraging himself to gratitude,
but also of exciting himself to continue cherishing hope for the time to come:
which will appear from the following verse. Besides, since God teaches us both
by words and deeds, it is certain that the second species of teaching is here
referred to, the idea conveyed being, that David had learned by continual
experience, even from his infancy, that nothing is better than to lean
exclusively upon the true God. That he may never be deprived of this practical
truth, he testifies that he had made great proficiency in it. When he promises
to become a publisher of God's wondrous works, his object in coming under this
engagement is, that by his ingratitude he may not interrupt the course of the
Divine beneficence.
Upon the truth here stated,
he rests the prayer which he presents in the 18th verse, that he may not be
forgotten in his old age. His reasoning is this: Since thou, O God! hast from
the commencement of my existence given me such abundant proofs of thy goodness,
wilt thou not stretch forth thy hand to succor me, when now thou seest me
decaying through the influence of old age? And, indeed, the conclusion is
altogether inevitable, that as God vouchsafed to love us when we were infants,
and embraced us with his favor when we were children, and has continued without
intermission to do us good during the whole course of our life, he cannot but
persevere in acting toward us in the same way even to the end. Accordingly, the
particle
µg,
gam, which we have translated still, here signifies therefore;
it being David's design, from the consideration that the goodness of God can
never be exhausted, and that he is not mutable like men, to draw the inference
that he will be the same towards his people in their old age, that he was
towards them in their childhood. He next supports his prayer by another
argument, which is, that if he should fail or faint in his old age, the grace of
God, by which he had been hitherto sustained, would at the same time soon be
lost sight of. If God were immediately to withdraw his grace from us after we
have but just tasted it slightly, it would speedily vanish from our memory. In
like manner, were he to forsake us at the close of our life, after having
conferred upon us many benefits during the previous part of it, his liberality
by this means would be divested of much of its interest and attraction. David
therefore beseeches God to assist him even to the end, that he may be able to
commend to posterity the unintermitted course of the Divine goodness, and to
bear testimony, even at his very death, that God never disappoints the faithful
who betake themselves to him. By
the
generation and
those who are to
come, he means the children and the
children's children to whom the memorial of the loving-kindness of God cannot be
transmitted unless it be perfect in all respects, and has completed its course.
He mentions strength and power as the effects of God's righteousness. He
is, however, to be understood by the way as eulogising by these titles the
manner of his deliverance, in which he congratulates himself; as if he had said,
that God, in the way in which it was accomplished, afforded a manifestation of
matchless and all-sufficient power.
19.
And thy righteousness, O God! is
very high.
fc116 Some connect this verse with the
preceding, and repeating the verb
I will
declare, as common to both verses,
translate, And I will declare thy
righteousness, O God! But this being a
matter of small importance, I will not dwell upon it. David prosecutes at
greater length the subject of which he had previously spoken. In the first
place, he declares that the righteousness of God is very high;
secondly, that it wrought mightily; and, finally, he exclaims in
admiration, Who is like
thee? It is worthy of notice, that the
righteousness of God, the effects of which are near to us and conspicuous, is
yet placed on high, inasmuch as it cannot be comprehended by our finite
understanding. Whilst we measure it according to our own limited standard, we
are overwhelmed and swallowed up by the smallest temptation. In order,
therefore, to give it free course to save us, it behoves us to take a large and
a comprehensive view — to look above and beneath, far and wide, that we
may form some due conceptions of its amplitude. The same remarks apply to the
second clause, which makes mention of the works of God:
For thou hast
done
great
things. If we attribute to his known
power the praise which is due to it, we will never want ground for entertaining
good hope. Finally, our sense of the goodness of God should extend so far as to
ravish us with admiration; for thus it will come to pass that our minds, which
are often distracted by an unholy disquietude, will repose upon God alone. If
any temptation thrusts itself upon us, we immediately magnify a fly into an
elephant; or rather, we rear very high mountains, which keep the hand of God
from reaching us; and at the same time we basely limit the power of God. The
exclamation of David, then, Who
is like thee? tends to teach us the
lesson, that we should force our way through every impediment by faith, and
regard the power of God, which is well entitled to be so regarded, as superior
to all obstacles. All men, indeed, confess with the mouth, that none is like
God; but there is scarce one out of a hundred who is truly and fully persuaded
that He alone is sufficient to save
us.
Psalm
71:20-24
20. Thou hast made me to
see great and sore troubles, but turning, thou wilt quicken me, and
turning
fc117 thou wilt lift me up from the deep
places of the earth.
fc118 21. Thou wilt multiply my
greatness; and turning, thou wilt comfort me. 22. I will also, O my God:
praise thee, for thy truth, with the psaltery; I will sing to thee with the
harp, O Holy One of Israel! 23. My lips shall rejoice when I sing to
thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed. 24. My tongue also shall
daily declare thy righteousness: for they who seek my hurt are confounded and
brought to
shame.
20.
Thou hast made me to see great and sore
troubles. The verb to see among
the Hebrews, as is well known, is applied to the other senses also. Accordingly,
when David complains that calamities had been shown to him, he means that
he had suffered them. And as he attributes to God the praise of the deliverances
which he had obtained, so he, on the other hand, acknowledges that whatever
adversities he had endured were inflicted on him according to the counsel and
will of God. But we must first consider the object which David has in view,
which is to render by comparison the grace of God the more illustrious, in the
way of recounting how hardly he had been dealt with. Had he always enjoyed a
uniform course of prosperity, he would no doubt have had good reason to rejoice;
but in that case he would not have experienced what it is to be delivered from
destruction by the stupendous power of God. We must be brought down even to the
gates of death before God can be seen to be our deliverer. As we are born
without thought and understanding, our minds, during the earlier part of our
life, are not sufficiently impressed with a sense of the Author of our
existence; but when God comes to our help, as we are lying in a state of
despair, this resurrection is to us a bright mirror from which is seen reflected
his grace. In this way David amplifies the goodness of God, declaring, that
though plunged in a bottomless abyss, he was nevertheless drawn out by the
divine hand, and restored to the light. And he boasts not only of having been
preserved perfectly safe by the grace of God, but of having also been advanced
to higher honor — a change which was, as it were, the crowning of his
restoration, and was as if he had been lifted out of hell, even up to heaven.
What he repeats the third time, with respect to God's turning, goes to
the commendation of Divine Providence; the idea which he intends to be conveyed
being, that no adversity happened to him by chance, as was evident from the fact
that his condition was reversed as soon as the favor of God shone upon
him.
22.
I will also, O my God! praise
thee. He again breaks forth into
thanksgiving; for he was aware that the design of God, in so liberally
succouring his servants, is, that his goodness may be celebrated. In speaking of
employing the psaltery and the harp in this exercise, he alludes
to the generally prevailing custom of that time. To sing the praises of God upon
the harp and psaltery unquestionably formed a part of the training of the law,
and of the service of God under that dispensation of shadows and figures; but
they are not now to be used in public thanksgiving. We are not, indeed,
forbidden to use, in private, musical instruments, but they are banished out of
the churches by the plain command of the Holy Spirit, when Paul, in
<461413>1
Corinthians 14:13, lays it down as an invariable rule, that we must praise God,
and pray to him only in a known tongue. By the word truth, the Psalmist
means that the hope which he reposed in God was rewarded, when God preserved him
in the midst of dangers. The promises of God, and his truth in performing them,
are inseparably joined together. Unless we depend upon the word of God, all the
benefits which he confers upon us will be unsavoury or tasteless to us; nor will
we ever be stirred up either to prayer or thanksgiving, if we are not previously
illuminated by the Divine word. So much the more revolting, then, is the folly
of that diabolical man, Servetus, who teaches that the rule of praying is
perverted, if faith is fixed upon the promises; as if we could have any access
into the presence of God, until he first invited us by his own voice to come to
him.
23.
My lips shall rejoice
fc119 when I sing to
thee. In this verse David expresses more
distinctly his resolution not to give thanks to God hypocritically, nor in a
superficial manner, but to engage with unfeigned earnestness in this religious
exercise. By the figures which he introduces, he briefly teaches us, that to
praise God would be the source of his greatest pleasure; and thus he indirectly
censures the profane mirth of those who, forgetting God, confine their
congratulations to themselves in their prosperity. The scope of the last verse
is to the same effect, implying that no joy would be sweet and desirable to him,
but such as was connected with the praises of God, and that to celebrate his
Redeemer's praises would afford him the greatest satisfaction and delight.
PSALM
72
David in this psalm prays to God, in the name of the
whole Church, for the continual prosperity of the kingdom which was promised
him, and teaches us at the same time, that the true happiness of the godly
consists in their being placed under the government of a king who was raised to
the throne by the appointment of heaven.
¶ Of
Solomon.
fc120
From the inscription of this psalm we cannot
determine who was its author. As it is expressly said at the close to be the
last of David's prayers, it is more probable that it was composed by him than by
Solomon, his successor.
fc121 It may, however, be conjectured that
Solomon reduced the prayer of his father into poetical measure, to make it more
generally known, and to bring it more extensively into use among the people,
— a conjecture which is not improbable. But as the letter
l,
lamed, has many significations in Hebrew, it may be explained as denoting
that this psalm was composed for or in behalf of Solomon. If this is admitted,
it is to be observed, that under the person of one man there is comprehended the
state of the kingdom through successive ages. After having carefully weighed the
whole matter, I am disposed to acquiesce in the conjecture, that the prayers to
which David gave utterance on his death-bed were reduced by his son into the
form of a psalm, with the view of their being kept in everlasting remembrance.
To indicate the great importance of this prayer, and to induce the faithful with
the greater earnestness to unite their prayers with the memorable prayer of this
holy king, it is expressly added, that this is the last which he poured forth.
As Solomon did nothing more than throw into the style of poetry the matter to
which his father gave expression, David is to be considered as the principal
author of this inspired composition. Those who would interpret it simply as a
prophecy of the kingdom of Christ, seem to put a construction upon the words
which does violence to them; and then we must always beware of giving the Jews
occasion of making an outcry, as if it were our purpose, sophistically, to apply
to Christ those things which do not directly refer to him. But as David, who was
anointed king by the commandment of God, knew that the terms upon which he and
his posterity possessed the kingdom were, that the power and dominion should at
length come to Christ; and as he farther knew that the temporal well-being of
the people was, for the time, comprehended in this kingdom, as held by him and
his posterity, and that from it, which was only a type or shadow, there should
at length proceed something far superior — that is, spiritual and
everlasting felicity; knowing, as he did, all this, he justly made the perpetual
duration of this kingdom the object of his most intense solicitude, and prayed
with the deepest earnestness in its behalf, — reiterating his prayer in
his last moments, with the view of distinctly testifying, that of all his cares
this was the greatest. What is here spoken of everlasting dominion cannot be
limited to one man, or to a few, nor even to twenty ages; but there is pointed
out the succession which had its end and its complete accomplishment in
Christ.
Psalm 72:1-6
1. O God! give thy judgments to the
king, and thy righteousness to the king's son. 2. He shall judge thy
people in righteousness, and thy poor ones in judgment. 3. The mountains
shall bring forth peace to the people, and the hills in
righteousness.
fc122 4. He shall judge the poor of
the people; he shall save the children of the afflicted; and shall break in
pieces the calumniator. 5. They shall fear thee with the sun; and
generation of generations shall fear
thee
fc123 in the presence of the moon. 6.
He shall descend as rain upon the mown grass; as the
showers
fc124 which water the
earth.
1.
O God! give thy judgments to the
king.
fc125 While David, to whom the promise
had been made, at his death affectionately recommended to God his son, who was
to succeed him in his kingdom, he doubtless endited to the Church a common form
of prayer, that the faithful, convinced of the impossibility of being prosperous
and happy, except under one head, should show all respect, and yield all
obedience to this legitimate order of things, and also that from this typical
kingdom they might be conducted to Christ. In short, this is a prayer that God
would furnish the king whom he had chosen with the spirit of uprightness and
wisdom. By the terms righteousness and judgment, the Psalmist means a due
and well-regulated administration of government, which he opposes to the
tyrannical and unbridled license of heathen kings, who, despising God, rule
according to the dictates of their own will; and thus the holy king of Israel,
who was anointed to his office by divine appointment, is distinguished from
other earthly kings. From the words we learn by the way, that no government in
the world can be rightly managed but under the conduct of God, and by the
guidance of the Holy Spirit. If kings possessed in themselves resources
sufficiently ample, it would have been to no purpose for David to have sought by
prayer from another, that with which they were of themselves already provided.
But in requesting that the righteousness and judgment of God may be given to
kings, he reminds them that none are fit for occupying that exalted station,
except in so far as they are formed for it by the hand of God. Accordingly, in
the Proverbs of Solomon,
(<200815>Proverbs
8:15,) Wisdom proclaims that kings reign by her. Nor is this to be wondered at,
when we consider that civil government is so excellent an institution, that God
would have us to acknowledge him as its author, and claims to himself the whole
praise of it. But it is proper for us to descend from the general to the
particular; for since it is the peculiar work of God to set up and to maintain a
rightful government in the world, it was much more necessary for him to
communicate the special grace of his Spirit for the maintenance and preservation
of that sacred kingdom which he had chosen in preference to all others. By
the king's son David no doubt means his successors. At the same time, he
has an eye to this promise:
“Of the fruit of
thy body will I set upon thy
throne,”
(<19D211>Psalm
132:11.)
But no such stability as is indicated in that passage
is to be found in the successors of David, till we come to Christ. We know that
after the death of Solomon, the dignity of the kingdom decayed, and from that
time its wealth became impaired, until, by the carrying of the people into
captivity, and the ignominious death inflicted upon their king, the kingdom was
involved in total ruin. And even after their return from Babylon, their
restoration was not such as to inspire them with any great hope, until at length
Christ sprung forth from the withered stock of Jesse. He therefore holds the
first rank among the children of
David.
2.
He shall judge thy people in
righteousness. Some read this in the
form of a wish — O that he may judge, etc. Others retain the
future tense; and thus it is a prophecy. But we will come nearer the correct
interpretation by understanding something intermediate, as implied. All that is
afterwards spoken, concerning the king, flows from the supposition, that the
blessing prayed for in the first verse is conferred upon him — from the
supposition that he is adorned with righteousness and judgment. The prayer,
then, should be explained thus: Govern our king, O God! that he may judge. Or in
this way, When thou shalt have bestowed upon the king thy righteousness, then he
will judge uprightly. To govern a nation well, is an endowment far too excellent
to grow out of the earth; but the spiritual government of Christ, by which all
things are restored to perfect order, ought much more to be considered a gift of
heaven. In the first clause of the verse, David speaks of the whole people in
general. In the second clause, he expressly mentions the poor, who, on
account of their poverty and weakness, have need of the help of others, and for
whose sake kings are armed with the sword to grant them redress when unjustly
oppressed. Hence, also, proceeds peace, of which mention is made in the
third verse. The term peace being employed among the Hebrews to denote
not only rest and tranquillity, but also prosperity, David
teaches us that the people would enjoy prosperity and happiness, when the
affairs of the nation were administered according to the principles of
righteousness. The bringing forth
of peace is a figurative expression
taken from the fertility of the earth.
fc126And when it is said that
the mountains and hills shall
bring forth peace,
fc127the meaning is, that no corner would be
found in the country in which it did not prevail, not even the most unpromising
parts, indicated by the mountains, which are commonly barren, or at least do not
produce so great an abundance of fruits as the valleys. Besides, both the word
peace and the word righteousness are connected with each clause of
the verse, and must be twice repeated,
fc128the idea intended to be conveyed being,
that peace by righteousness
fc129should be diffused through every part of
the world. Some read simply righteousness, instead of In
righteousness, supposing the letter
b,
beth, to be here redundant, which does not, however, appear to be the
case.
fc130
4.
He shall judge the poor of the people.
The poet continues his description of the end and fruit of a righteous
government, and unfolds at greater length what he had briefly touched upon
concerning the afflicted among the people. But it is a truth which ought to be
borne in mind, that kings can keep themselves within the bounds of justice and
equity only by the grace of God; for when they are not governed by the Spirit of
righteousness proceeding from heaven, their government is converted into a
system of tyranny and robbery. As God had promised to extend his care to the
poor and afflicted among his people, David, as an argument to enforce the prayer
which he presents in behalf of the king, shows that the granting of it will tend
to the comfort of the poor. God is indeed no respecter of persons; but it is not
without cause that God takes a more special care of the poor than of others,
since they are most exposed to injuries and violence. Let laws and the
administration of justice be taken away, and the consequence will be, that the
more powerful a man is, he will be the more able to oppress his poor brethren.
David, therefore, particularly mentions that the king will be the defender of
those who can only be safe under the protection of the magistrate, and declares
that he will be their avenger when they are made the victims of injustice and
wrong. The phrase, The children
of the afflicted, is put for the
afflicted, an idiom quite common in Hebrew, and a similar form of expression
is sometimes used by the Greeks, as when they say
uiJouv
ijatrwn, the sons of physicians, for
physicians.
fc131But as the king cannot discharge the
duty of succouring and defending the poor which David imposes upon him, unless
he curb the wicked by authority and the power of the sword, it is very justly
added in the end of the verse, that when righteousness reigns, oppressors
or extortioners will be broken in pieces. It would be foolish to wait
till they should give place of their own accord. They must be repressed by the
sword, that their audacity and wickedness may be prevented from proceeding to
greater lengths. It is therefore requisite for a king to be a man of wisdom, and
resolutely prepared effectually to restrain the violent and injurious, that the
rights of the meek and orderly may be preserved unimpaired. Thus none will be
fit for governing a people but he who has learned to be rigorous when the case
requires. Licentiousness must necessarily prevail under an effeminate and
inactive sovereign, or even under one who is of a disposition too gentle and
forbearing. There is much truth in the old saying, that it is worse to live
under a prince through whose lenity everything is lawful, than under a tyrant
where there is no liberty at
all.
5.
They shall fear thee with the sun. If
this is read as an apostrophe, or change of person, it may be properly and
without violence understood of the king; implying, that the ornaments or
distinctions which chiefly secure to a sovereign reverence from his subjects are
his impartially securing to every man the possession of his own rights, and his
manifesting a spirit of humanity ready at all times to succor the poor and
miserable, as well as a spirit determined rigorously to subdue the audacity of
the wicked. But it will be more appropriate, without changing the person, to
explain it of God himself.
fc132The preservation of mutual equity among
men is an inestimable blessing; but the service of God is well worthy of being
preferred even to this. David, therefore, very properly commends to us the
blessed fruits of a holy and righteous government, by telling us that it will
draw in its train true religion and the fear of God. And Paul, when enjoining us
in
<540202>1
Timothy 2:2, to pray for kings, expressly mentions what we ought to have in view
in our prayers, which is, “that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in
all godliness and honesty.” As there is no small danger, were civil
government overthrown, of religion being destroyed, and the worship of God
annihilated, David beseeches God to have respect to his own name and glory in
preserving the king. By this argument he at once reminds kings of their duty,
and stirs up the people to prayer; for we cannot be better employed than in
directing all our desires and prayers to the advancement of the service and
honor of God. When we come to Christ, this is far more truly applicable to him,
true religion being established in his kingdom and nowhere else. And certainly
David, in describing the worship or service of God as continuing to the end of
the world, intimates by the way that he ascends in thought to that everlasting
kingdom which God had promised:
They shall fear thee with the
sun; and generation of generations shall fear thee in the presence of the
moon.
fc133
6.
He shall descend as the rain
upon the mown grass. This comparison may
seem at first sight to be somewhat harsh; but it elegantly and appositely
expresses the great advantage which is derived by all from the good and
equitable constitution of a kingdom. Meadows, we know, are cut in the beginning
of summer when the heat prevails; and did not the earth imbibe new moisture by
the falling rain, even the very roots of the herbage would wither by reason of
the barren and parched state of the soil. David, therefore, teaches us that as
God defends the earth from the heat of the sun by watering it, so he in like
manner provides for the welfare of his Church, and defends it under the
government of the king. But this prediction has received its highest fulfillment
in Christ, who, by distilling upon the Church his secret grace, renders her
fruitful.
Psalm
72:7-11
7. In his days shall the
righteous flourish; and there shall be abundance of peace, so long as the moon
endureth.
fc134
8. He shall have dominion from sea to sea,
and from the river to the ends of the earth. 9. The inhabitants of the
desert shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. 10. The
kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring a present: the kings of Sheba and
Seba shall bring a gift to him. 11. And all kings shall prostrate
themselves before him; all nations shall serve
him.
7.
In his days shall the righteous flourish.
It is unnecessary for me frequently to repeat what I have once stated, that
all these sentences depend upon the first verse. David, therefore, prayed that
the king might be adorned with righteousness and judgment, that the just might
flourish and the people prosper. This prediction receives its highest
fulfillment in Christ. It was, indeed, the duty of Solomon to maintain the
righteous; but it is the proper office of Christ to make men righteous. He not
only gives to every man his own, but also reforms their hearts through the
agency of his Spirit. By this means he brings righteousness back, as it were,
from exile, which otherwise would be altogether banished from the world. Upon
the return of righteousness there succeeds the blessing of God, by which he
causes all his children to rejoice in the way of making them to perceive that
under their King, Christ, every provision is made for their enjoying all manner
of prosperity and felicity. If any would rather take the word peace in
its proper and more restricted signification, I have no objections to it. And,
certainly, to the consummation of a happy life, nothing is more desirable than
peace; for amidst the turmoils and contentions of war, men derive almost no good
from having an abundance of all things, as it is then wasted and destroyed.
Moreover, when David represents the life of the king as prolonged to the end of
the world, this shows more clearly that he not only comprehends his successors
who occupied an earthly throne, but that he ascends even to Christ, who, by
rising from the dead, obtained for himself celestial life and glory, that he
might govern his Church for
ever.
8.
He shall have dominion from
sea to sea. As the Lord, when he
promised his people the land of Canaan for an inheritance, assigned to it these
four boundaries,
(<011518>Genesis
15:18,) David intimates, that so long as the kingdom shall continue to exist,
the possession of the promised land will be entire, to teach the faithful that
the blessing of God cannot be fully realised, except whilst this kingdom shall
flourish. He therefore declares that he will exercise dominion from the Red Sea,
or from that arm of the Egyptian sea to the sea of Syria, which is called the
Sea of the Philistines,
fc135 and also from the river Euphrates to
the great wilderness. If it is objected that such narrow bounds do not
correspond with the kingdom of Christ, which was to be extended from the rising
of the sun to the going down thereof, we reply, that David obviously
accommodates his language to his own time, the amplitude of the kingdom of
Christ not having been, as yet, fully unfolded. He has therefore begun his
description in phraseology well known, and in familiar use under the law and the
prophets; and even Christ himself commenced his reign within the limits here
marked out before he penetrated to the uttermost boundaries of the earth; as it
is said in
<19B002>Psalm
110:2,
“The Lord shall
send the rod of thy strength out of Zion.”
But, soon after, the Psalmist proceeds to speak of
the enlarged extent of the empire of this king, declaring that the kings beyond
the sea shall also be tributaries to him; and also that the inhabitants of the
desert shall receive his yoke. The word
µyyx,
tsiim,
fc136 which we have translated
inhabitants of the
desert, is, I have no doubt, to be
understood of those who, dwelling towards the south, were at a great distance
from the land of Canaan. The Prophet immediately adds, that the enemies of
the king shall lick the dust in token of their reverence. This, as is well
known, was in ancient times a customary ceremony among the nations of the East;
and Alexander the Great, after he had conquered the East, wished to compel his
subjects to practice it, from which arose great dissatisfaction and contentions,
the Macedonians disdainfully refusing to yield such a slavish and degrading mark
of subjection.
fc137 The meaning then is, that the king
chosen by God in Judea will obtain so complete a victory over all his enemies,
far and wide, that they shall come humbly to pay him
homage.
10.
The kings of Tarshish and of
the isles shall bring presents. The
Psalmist still continues, as in the preceding verse, to speak of the extent of
the kingdom. The Hebrews apply the appellation of Tarshish to the whole
coast, which looks towards Cilicia. By the isles, therefore, is denoted
the whole coast of the Mediterranean Sea, from Cilicia to Greece. As the Jews,
contenting themselves with the commodities of their own country, did not
undertake voyages to distant countries, like other nations; God having expressly
required them to confine themselves within the limits of their own country, that
they might not be corrupted by the manners of strangers; they were accustomed,
in consequence of this, to apply the appellation of isles to those
countries which were on the other side of the sea. I indeed admit that Cyprus,
Crete, and other islands, are comprehended under this name; but I also maintain
that it applies to all the territories which were situated beyond the
Mediterranean Sea. By the words
hjnm,
minchah, a present, and
rkça,
eshcar, a gift, must be understood any tribute or custom, and not
voluntary offerings; for it is vanquished enemies, and the mark or token of
their subjection, which are spoken of. These terms appear to be used
intentionally in this place, in order to mitigate the odium attached to such a
mark of subjugation;
fc138 as if the inspired writer indirectly
reproved subjects, if they defrauded their kings of their revenues. By
abç,
Sheba, some think Arabia is intended, and by
abç,
Seba, Ethiopia. Some, however, by the first word understand all that part of
the Gulf of Arabia which lies towards Africa; and by the second, which is
written with the letter
s,
samech, the country of Sabea,
fc139 the more pleasant and fruitful country.
This opinion is probably the more correct of the two. It is unnecessary here to
remark how foolishly this passage has been wrested in the Church of Rome. They
chant this verse as referring to the philosophers or wise men who came to
worship Christ; as if, indeed, it were in their power of philosophers to make
kings all upon a sudden; and in addition to this, to change the quarters of the
world, to make of the east the south or the
west.
11.
And all kings shall prostrate
themselves before him. This verse
contains a more distinct statement of the truth, That the whole world will be
brought in subjection to the authority of Christ. The kingdom of Judah was
unquestionably never more flourishing than under the reign of Solomon; but even
then there were only a small number of kings who paid tribute to him, and what
they paid was inconsiderable in amount; and, moreover, it was paid upon
condition that they should be allowed to live in the enjoyment of liberty under
their own laws. While David then began with his own son, and the posterity of
his son, he rose by the Spirit of prophecy to the spiritual kingdom of Christ; a
point worthy of our special notice, since it teaches us that we have not been
called to the hope of everlasting salvation by chance, but because our heavenly
Father had already destined to give us to his Son. From this we also learn, that
in the Church and flock of Christ there is a place for kings; whom David does
not here disarm of their sword nor despoil of their crown, in order to admit
them into the Church, but rather declares that they will come with all the
dignity of their station to prostrate themselves at the feet of
Christ.
Psalm
72:12-15
12. For he will deliver the
poor when he crieth to him; and the afflicted person who hath none to succor
him. 13. He will have pity on the poor and indigent; and will save the
souls [or lives] of the poor. 14. He will redeem their souls from fraud
and violence: and their blood will be precious in his sight. 15. And he
shall live; and there shall be given to him of the gold of Sheba; and prayer
shall continually be made for him, and daily shall he be
blessed.
12.
For he will deliver the poor when
he crieth to him. The Psalmist again affirms
that the kingdom which he magnifies so greatly will not be tyrannical or cruel.
The majority of kings, neglecting the well-being of the community, have their
minds wholly engrossed with their own private interests. The consequence is,
that they unmercifully oppress their miserable subjects; and it even happens
that the more formidable any of them is, and the more absorbing his rapacity, he
is accounted so much the more eminent and illustrious. But it is far different
with the king here described. It has been held as a proverb by all mankind,
“That there is nothing in which men approach nearer to God than by their
beneficence;” and it would be very inconsistent did not this virtue shine
forth in those kings whom God has more nearly linked to himself. Accordingly,
David, to render the king beloved who was chosen of God, justly declares, not
only that he will be the guardian of justice and equity, but also that he will
be so humane and merciful, as to be ready to afford succor to the most despised;
qualities too seldom to be found in sovereigns, who, dazzled with their own
splendor, withdraw themselves to a distance from the poor and the afflicted, as
if it were unworthy of, and far beneath, their royal dignity to make them the
objects of their care. David avows that the blood of the common people, which is
usually accounted vile and as a thing of nought, will be very precious in the
estimation of this heavenly king. Constancy and magnanimity are denoted by the
words he will redeem; for it would be far short of the duty of a king
merely to hate fraud and extortion, did he not resolutely come forward to punish
these crimes and set himself to defend those who are
oppressed.
fc140 Under the terms fraud and
violence is comprehended all kind of wrong-doing; for a man in working
mischief is either a lion or a fox. Some rage with open violence, and others
proceed to wrong-doing insidiously and by secret arts. Moreover, we know that
supreme sovereignty, both in heaven and earth, has been given to Christ,
(<402818>Matthew
28:18,) that he may defend his people not only from all temporal dangers, but
especially from all the harassing annoyances of Satan, until having delivered
them at length from all trouble, he gather them into the everlasting rest of his
heavenly
kingdom.
15.
And he shall live. To refer the word
live to the poor, as some do, seems forced. What David affirms is, that
this king shall be rewarded with long life, which is not the least of God's
earthly blessings. The words which follow are to be read indefinitely, that is
to say, without determining any particular
person;
fc141 as if it had been said, The gold of
Arabia shall be given him, and prayers shall everywhere be made for his
prosperity. There is thus again a repetition of what had been previously said
concerning his power; for if Arabia shall pay him tribute, how vast an amount of
riches will be gathered from so many countries nearer home! Christ, it is true,
does not reign to hoard up gold, but David meant to teach by this figure, that
even the nations which were most remote would yield such homage to him, as to
surrender to him themselves and all that they possessed. It is no uncommon thing
for the glory of the spiritual kingdom of Christ to be portrayed under images of
outward splendor. David, in conformity with this usual style of Scripture, has
here foretold that the kingdom of Christ would be distinguished for its wealth;
but this is to be understood as referring to its spiritual character. Whence it
appears how wickedly and wantonly the Papists have perverted this passage, and
made it subserve their purpose of raking to themselves the perishable riches of
the world. Moreover, when he speaks of the common prayers of the people, by
which they will commend the prosperity of the king to the care of God, he
intimates that so well-pleased will they be with being his subjects, that they
will account nothing so desirable as to yield entire submission to his
authority. Many, no doubt, reject his yoke, and hypocrites fret and murmur
secretly in their hearts, and would gladly extinguish all remembrance of Christ,
were it in their power; but the affectionate interest here predicted is what all
true believers are careful to cultivate, not only because to pray for earthly
kings is a duty enjoined upon them in the Word of God, but also because they
ought to feel a special desire and solicitude for the enlargement of the
boundaries of this kingdom, in which both the majesty of God shines forth, and
their own welfare and happiness are included. Accordingly, in
<19B825>Psalm
118:25, we will find a form of prayer dictated for the whole Church, That God
would bless this king; not that Christ stands in need of our prayers, but
because he justly requires from his servants this manifestation or proof of true
piety; and by it they may also exercise themselves in praying for the coming of
the kingdom of God.
Psalm
72:16-20
16. A handful of corn shall
be in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall be shaken
as of Lebanon:
fc142 and they shall go forth from the city
as it were a plant of the earth. 17. His name shall endure for ever: his
name shall be continued in the presence of the sun: and all nations shall bless
themselves in him, and shall call him blessed. 18. Blessed be Jehovah
God! the God of Israel! who alone doeth wonderful things. 19. And blessed
be his glorious name [literally, the name of his glory] for ever; and let all
the earth be filled with his glory. Amen, and Amen. 20. The prayers of
David the son of Jesse are
ended.
16.
A handful of corn shall
be
fc143 in the earth upon the
top of the mountains. The opinion of
those who take a handful
fc144 for a small portion appears to
be well founded. They think that by the two circumstances here referred to, a
rare and uncommon fertility is indicated. Only a very small quantity of wheat,
not even more than a man can hold in the palm of his hand, has been sown, and
that even upon the tops of the mountains, which generally are far from being
fruitful; and yet so very abundant will be the increase, that the ears will wave
and rustle in the winds as the trees on Lebanon. I do not, however, know whether
so refined a comparison between seed-time and harvest is at all intended by
David. His words may be considered more simply as denoting that so great will be
the fertility, so abundant the produce of wheat which the mountain tops shall
yield, that it may be reaped with full hand. By this figure is portrayed the
large abundance of all good things which, through the blessing of God, would be
enjoyed under the reign of Christ. To this is added the increase of children.
Not only would the earth produce an abundance all kinds of fruits, but the
cities and towns also would be fruitful in the production of men:
And they shall go out
fc145
from the city as the grass of the earth.
I have preferred translating the word Lebanon in the genitive case
instead of the nominative; for the metonomy of putting the name of the mountain,
Lebanon, for the trees upon it, which is renounced by others, is somewhat
harsh.
17.
His name shall endure for
ever. The inspired writer again repeats
what he had previously affirmed concerning the perpetual duration of this
kingdom. And he doubtless intended carefully to distinguish it from earthly
kingdoms, which either suddenly vanish away, or at length, oppressed with their
own greatness, fall into ruin, affording by their destruction incontestible
evidence that nothing in this world is stable and of long duration. When he says
that his name shall endure for
ever, it is not to be understood as
merely implying that his fame should survive his death, as worldly men are
ambitious that their name may not be buried with their body. He is rather
speaking of the kingdom when he says that the name of this prince will continue
illustrious and glorious for ever. Some explain the words
çmçAynpl,
liphney-shemesh, which we have rendered,
in the presence of the
sun, as if he meant that the glory with
which God would invest the kings of Judah would surpass the brightness of the
sun; but this is at variance with the context, for he had said above, (verse
5th,) in the same sense, with the sun, and in the presence of the
moon.
After having, therefore, made mention
of the everlasting duration of the name of this king, he subjoins, by way of
explanation, his name shall be
continued in the presence of the sun.
Literally it is, his name shall have
children,
fc146 (for the Hebrew verb is derived
from the noun for son,) that is to say, it shall be perpetuated
from father to son;
fc147 and as the sun rises daily to enlighten
the world, so shall the strength of this king be continually renewed, and thus
will continue from age to age for ever. In like manner, we shall afterwards see
that the sun and the moon are called witnesses of the same eternity,
(<198938>Psalm
89:38.) Whence it follows that this cannot be understood of the earthly kingdom,
which flourished only for a short time in the house of David, and not only lost
its vigor in the third successor, but was at length ignominiously extinguished.
It properly applies to the kingdom of Christ; and although that kingdom often
totters upon the earth when assailed with the furious hatred of the whole world,
and battered by the most formidable engines of Satan, it is yet wonderfully
upheld and sustained by God, that it may not altogether fail. The words which
follow, All
nations
shall bless themselves in
him, admit of a twofold meaning. The
Hebrews often use this form of expression when the name of any man is used as an
example or formula of prayer for blessings. For instance, a man blesses himself
in David, who beseeches God to be as favorable and bountiful to him as he proved
himself to be towards David. On the other hand, he is said to curse in Sodom and
Gomorrah who employs the names of these cities by which to pronounce some curse.
If, then, these two expressions,
they shall bless themselves in
him, and they shall call him blessed,
are used in the same sense; the expression, to bless themselves in the
king, will just mean to pray that the same prosperity may be conferred upon
us which was conferred upon this highly favored king, whose happy condition will
excite universal admiration. But if it is considered preferable to distinguish
between these two expressions, (which is not less probable,) to bless one's
self in the king, will denote to seek happiness from him; for the nations
will be convinced that nothing is more desirable than to receive from him laws
and ordinances.
18.
Blessed be Jehovah God! the God
of Israel.
fc148 David, after having prayed for
prosperity to his successors, breaks forth in praising God, because he was
assured by the divine oracle that his prayers would not be in vain. Had he not
with the eyes of faith beheld those things which we have seen above, his
rejoicing would have been less free and lively. When he says that
God alone doeth wonderful
things, this, no doubt, is spoken in
reference to the subject of which he is presently treating, with the view not
only of commending the excellence of the kingdom, but also to admonish himself
and others of the need which there is that God should display his wonderful and
stupendous power for its preservation. And certainly it was not owing to any of
David's successors, a few excepted, that the royal throne did not fall a hundred
times, yea, was not even completely ruined. To go no farther, was not Solomon's
most disgraceful apostasy deserving of utter destruction? And as to the rest of
his successors, with the exception of Josias, Hezekiah, Jehoshaphat, and a few
others, did they not fall from evil to worse, as if each strove to outstrip his
predecessor, and thus so provoked the wrath of God, as it were deliberately,
that it is wonderful that he did not immediately launch the thunderbolts of his
vengeance upon the whole race utterly to destroy them? Moreover, as David, being
endued with the Spirit of prophecy, was not ignorant that Satan would always
continue to be a cruel enemy of the Church's welfare, he doubtless knew that the
grace of God, of which he presently speaks, would have great and arduous
difficulties to overcome in order to continue for ever in his own nation. And
the event afterwards unquestionably showed by how many miracles God accomplished
his promises, whether we consider the return of his people from the captivity of
Babylon, or the astonishing deliverances which followed until Christ as a tender
branch sprung out of a dead tree. David, therefore, with good reason prays that
the glory of the divine name may fill the whole earth, since that kingdom was to
be extended even to the uttermost boundaries of the globe, And that all the
godly, with earnest and ardent affection of heart, may unite with him in the
same prayers, there is added a confirmation in the words,
Amen, and
Amen.
20.
The prayers of David the son of
Jesse are ended. We have before observed
that this was not without cause added by Solomon, (if we may suppose him to have
put the matter of this psalm into the form of poetical compositions) not only
that he might avoid defrauding his father of the praise which was due to him,
but also to stir up the Church the more earnestly to pour forth before God the
same prayers which David had continued to offer even with his last breath. Let
us then remember that it is our bounden duty to pray to God, both with unfeigned
earnestness, and with unwearied perseverance, that he would be pleased to
maintain and defend the Church under the government of his Son. The name of
Jesse, the father of David, seems to be here introduced to bring to
remembrance David's origin, that the grace of God may appear the more
illustrious in having raised from the sheepfold a man of mean birth, as well as
the youngest and the least esteemed among his brethren, and in having advanced
him to so high a degree of honor, as to make him king over the chosen
people.
PSALM
73
David, or whoever may have been the author of this
psalm, contending as it were against the judgment of carnal sense and reason,
begins by extolling the righteousness and goodness of God. He next confesses
that when he saw the wicked abounding in wealth, and living in the indulgence of
every kind of pleasure, yea, even scornfully mocking God, and cruelly harassing
the righteous, and that when he saw, on the other hand, how in proportion to the
care with which any studied to practice uprightness, was the degree in which
they were weighed down by troubles and calamities, and that in general all the
children of God were pining away, and oppressed with cares and sorrows, while
God, as if sitting in heaven idle and unconcerned, did not interfere to remedy
such a disordered state of matters; it gave him so severe a shock, as almost to
dispose him to cast off all concern about religion and all fear of God. In the
third place, he reproves his own folly in proceeding rashly and hastily to
pronounce judgment, merely from a view of the present state of things, and shows
the necessity of exercising patience, that our faith may not fail under these
troubles and disquietudes. At last he concludes that, provided we leave the
providence of God to take its own course, in the way which he has determined in
his secret purpose,
fc149 in the end, matters will assume a very
different aspect, and it will be seen, that, on the one hand, the righteous are
not defrauded of their reward, and that, on the other, the wicked do not escape
the hand of the judge.
A Psalm of
Asaph.
Psalm
73:1-3
1. Yet God is good to Israel,
to those who are right of heart. 2. As for me, my feet were almost gone,
my steps had well nigh slipped. 3. For I envied the foolish, when I saw
the prosperity of the wicked.
As to the
author of this psalm, I am not disposed to contend very strongly, although I
think it probable that the name of Asaph was prefixed to it because the charge
of singing it was committed to him, while the name of David, its author, was
omitted, just as it is usual for us, when things are well known of themselves,
not to be at the trouble of stating them. How much profit we may derive from
meditation upon the doctrine contained in this psalm, it is easy to discover
from the example of the prophet, who, although he had been exercised in no
ordinary degree in true godliness, yet had great difficulty in keeping his
footing, while reeling to and fro on the slippery ground on which he found
himself placed. Nay, he acknowledges that, before he returned to such soundness
of mind as enabled him to form a just judgment of the things which occasioned
his trial, he had fallen into a state of almost brutish stupidity. As to
ourselves, experience shows how slight impressions we have of the providence of
God. We no doubt all agree in admitting that the world is governed by the hand
of God; but were this truth deeply rooted in our hearts, our faith would be
distinguished by far greater steadiness and perseverance in surmounting the
temptations with which we are assailed in adversity. But when the smallest
temptation which we meet with dislodges this doctrine from our minds, it is
manifest that we have not yet been truly and in good earnest convinced of its
truth.
Besides, Satan has numberless artifices
by which he dazzles our eyes and bewilders the mind; and then the confusion of
things which prevails in the world produces so thick a mist, as to render it
difficult for us to see through it, and to come to the conclusion that God
governs and extends his care to things here below. The ungodly for the most part
triumph; and although they deliberately stir up God to anger and provoke his
vengeance, yet from his sparing them, it seems as if they had done nothing amiss
in deriding him, and that they will never be called to account for
it.
fc150 On the other hand, the righteous,
pinched with poverty, oppressed with many troubles, harassed by multiplied
wrongs, and covered with shame and reproach, groan and sigh: and in proportion
to the earnestness with which they exert themselves in endeavoring to do good to
all men, is the liberty which the wicked have the effrontery to take in abusing
their patience. When such is the state of matters, where shall we find the
person who is not sometimes tempted and importuned by the unholy suggestion,
that the affairs of the world roll on at random, and as we say, are governed by
chance?
fc151 This unhallowed imagination has
doubtless obtained complete possession of the minds of the unbelieving, who are
not illuminated by the Spirit of God, and thereby led to elevate their thoughts
to the contemplation of eternal life. Accordingly, we see the reason why Solomon
declares, that since “all things come alike to all, and there is one event
to the righteous and to the wicked,” the hearts of the sons of men are
full of impiety and contempt of God,
(<210902>Ecclesiastes
9:2, 3;) — the reason is, because they do not consider that things
apparently so disordered are under the direction and government of
God.
Some of the heathen philosophers discoursed
upon, and maintained the doctrine of a Divine Providence; but it was evident
from experience that they had notwithstanding no real and thorough persuasion of
its truth; for when things fell out contrary to their expectation, they openly
disavowed what they had previously
professed.
fc152 Of this we have a memorable example in
Brutus. We can hardly conceive of a man surpassing him in courage, and all who
intimately knew him bore testimony to his distinguished wisdom. Being of the
sect of the Stoic philosophers, he spake many excellent things in commendation
of the power and providence of God; and yet when at length vanquished by Antony,
he cried out, that whatever he had believed concerning virtue had no foundation
in truth, but was the mere invention of men, and that all the pains taken to
live honestly and virtuously was only so much lost labor, since fortune rules
over all the affairs of mankind. Thus this personage, who was distinguished for
heroic courage, and an example of wonderful resolution, in renouncing virtue,
and under the name of it cursing God, shamefully fell away. Hence it is
manifest, how the sentiments of the ungodly fluctuate with the fluctuation of
events. And how can it be expected that the heathen, who are not regenerated by
the Spirit of God, should be able to resist such powerful and violent assaults,
when even God's own people have need of the special assistance of his grace to
prevent the same temptation from prevailing in their hearts, and when they are
sometimes shaken by it and ready to fall; even as David here confesses, that his
steps had well nigh slipped? But let us now proceed to the consideration of the
words of the psalm.
1.
Yet God is good to
Israel. The adverb
°a,
fc153 ach, does not here imply a
simple affirmation certainly, as it often does in other places, but is
taken adversatively for yet, notwithstanding, or some similar word. David
opens the psalm abruptly; and from this we learn, what is worthy of particular
notice, that before he broke forth into this language, his mind had been
agitated with many doubts and conflicting suggestions. As a brave and valiant
champion, he had been exercised in very painful struggles and temptations; but,
after long and arduous exertion, he at length succeeded in shaking off all
perverse imaginations, and came to the conclusion that yet God is
gracious to his servants, and the faithful guardian of their welfare. Thus these
words contain a tacit contrast between the unhallowed imaginations suggested to
him by Satan, and the testimony in favor of true religion with which he now
strengthens himself, denouncing, as it were, the judgment of the flesh, in
giving place to misgiving thoughts with respect to the providence of God. We see
then how emphatic is this exclamation of the Psalmist. He does not ascend into
the chair to dispute after the manner of the philosophers, and to deliver his
discourse in a style of studied oratory; but, as if he had escaped from hell, he
proclaims, with a loud voice, and with impassioned feeling, that he had obtained
the victory. To teach us by his own example the difficulty and arduousness of
the conflict, he opens, so to speak, his heart and bowels, and would have us to
understand something more than is expressed by the words which he employs. The
amount of his language is, that although God, to the eye of sense and reason,
may seem to neglect his servants, yet he always embraces them with his favor. He
celebrates the providence of God, especially as it is extended towards genuine
saints; to show them, not only that they are governed by God in common with
other creatures, but that he watches over their welfare with special care, even
as the master of a family carefully provides for and attends to his own
household. God, it is true, governs the whole world; but he is graciously
pleased to take a more close and peculiar inspection of his Church, which he has
undertaken to maintain and defend.
This is the
reason why the prophet speaks expressly of Israel; and why immediately
after he limits this name to
those who are right of
heart; which is a kind of correction of
the first sentence; for many proudly lay claim to the name of Israel, as if they
constituted the chief members of the Church, while they are but Ishmaelites and
Edomites. David, therefore, with the view of blotting out from the catalogue of
the godly all the degenerate children of
Abraham,
fc154 acknowledges none to belong to Israel
but such as purely and uprightly worship God; as if he had said, “When
I declare that God is good to his Israel, I do not mean all those who,
resting contented with a mere external profession, bear the name of Israelites,
to which they have no just title; but I speak of the spiritual children of
Abraham, who consecrate themselves to God with sincere affection of
heart.” Some explain the first clause,
God is good to Israel,
as referring to his chosen people; and the
second clause, to those who are
right of heart, as referring to
strangers, to whom God would be gracious, provided they walked in true
uprightness. But this is a frigid and forced interpretation. It is better to
adhere to that which I have stated. David, in commending the goodness of God
towards the chosen people and the Church, was under the necessity of cutting off
from their number many hypocrites who had apostatised from the service of God,
and were, therefore, unworthy of enjoying his fatherly favor. To his words
corresponds the language of Christ to Nathanael,
(<430147>John
1:47,) “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” As
the fear of God among the Jews was at that time well nigh extinguished, and
there remained among them almost nothing else but the “circumcision made
with hands,” that is to say, outward circumcision, Christ, to discriminate
between the true children of Abraham and hypocrites, lays it down as a
distinguishing characteristic of the former, that they are free from guile. And
assuredly in the service of God, no qualification is more indispensable than
uprightness of
heart.
2.
As for me, etc. Literally, it is, And
I: which ought to be read with emphasis; for David means that those
temptations, which cast an affront upon the honor of God, and overwhelm faith,
not only assail the common class of men, or those who are endued only with some
small measure of the fear of God, but that he himself, who ought to have
profited above all others in the school of God, had experienced his own share of
them. By thus setting himself forth as an example, he designed the more
effectually to arouse and incite us to take great heed to ourselves. He did not,
it is true, actually succumb under the temptation; but, in declaring
that his feet were almost
gone, and that
his steps had well nigh
slipped, he warns us that all are in
danger of falling, unless they are upheld by the powerful hand of
God.
3.
For I envied the
foolish.
fc155 Here he declares the nature of
the temptation with which he was assailed. It consisted in this, that when he
saw the present prosperous state of the wicked, and from it judged them to be
happy, he had envied their condition. We are certainly under a grievous and a
dangerous temptation, when we not only, in our own minds, quarrel with God for
not setting matters in due order, but also when we give ourselves loose reins,
boldly to commit iniquity, because it seems to us that we may commit it, and yet
escape with impunity. The sneering jest of Dionysius the younger, a tyrant of
Sicily, when, after having robbed the temple of Syracuse, he had a prosperous
voyage with the plunder, is well
known.
fc156 “See you not,” says he to
those who were with him, “how the gods favor the sacrilegious?” In
the same way, the prosperity of the wicked is taken as an encouragement to
commit sin; for we are ready to imagine, that, since God grants them so much of
the good things of this life, they are the objects of his approbation and favor.
We see how their prosperous condition wounded David to the heart, leading him
almost to think that there was nothing better for him than to join himself to
their company, and to follow their course of
life.
fc157 By applying to the ungodly the
appellation of foolish, he does not simply mean that the sins which they
commit are committed through ignorance or inadvertence, but he sets their folly
in opposition to the fear of God, which is the principal constituent of true
wisdom.
fc158 The ungodly are, no doubt, crafty; but,
being destitute of the fundamental principle of all right judgment, which
consists in this, that we must regulate and frame our lives according to the
will of God, they are foolish; and this is the effect of their own
blindness.
Psalm
73:4-9
4. For there are no bands to
their death, and their strength is
vigorous.
fc159 5. They are not in the trouble
that is common to man; neither are they scourged [or stricken] with other men.
6. Therefore pride compasseth them as a chain; the raiment of violence
hath covered them. 7. Their eye goeth out for fatness; they have passed
beyond [or exceeded] the thoughts of their heart. 8. They become
insolent, and wickedly talk of
extortion:
fc160 they speak from on high. 9. They
have set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the
earth.
fc161
4.
For there are no bands to
their death. The Psalmist describes the
comforts and advantages of the ungodly, which are as it were so many temptations
to shake the faith of the people of God. He begins with the good health which
they enjoy, telling us, that they are robust and vigorous, and have not to draw
their breath with difficulty through continual sicknesses, as will often be the
case with regard to true believers.
fc162 Some explain
bands to
death, as meaning delays, viewing
the words as implying that the wicked die suddenly, and in a moment, not having
to struggle with the pangs of dissolution. In the book of Job it is reckoned
among the earthly felicities of the ungodly, That, after having enjoyed to the
full their luxurious pleasures, they “in a moment go down to the
grave,”
(<182113>Job
21:13.) And it is related of Julius Caesar, that, the day before he was put to
death, he remarked, that to die suddenly and unexpectedly, seemed to him to be a
happy death. Thus, then, according to the opinion of these expositors, David
complains that the wicked go to death by a smooth and easy path, without much
trouble and anxiety. But I am rather inclined to agree with those who read these
two clauses jointly in this way:
Their strength is
vigorous, and, in respect to them,
there are no bands to
death; because they are not dragged to
death like prisoners.
fc163 As diseases lay prostrate our strength,
they are so many messengers of death, warning us of the frailty and short
duration of our life. They are therefore with propriety compared to bands, with
which God binds us to his yoke, lest our strength and rigour should incite us to
licentiousness and
rebellion.
5.
They are not in the trouble that is common to
man. Here it is declared that the wicked
enjoy a delightful repose, and are as it were by special privilege exempted from
the miseries to which mankind in general are subject. They also are no doubt
involved in afflictions as well as the good, and God often executes his
judgments upon them; but, for the express purpose of trying our faith, he always
places some of them as it were upon an elevated stage, who appear to be
privileged to live in a state of exemption from calamities, as is here
described. Now, when we consider that the life of men is full of labor and
miseries, and that this is the law and condition of living appointed for all, it
is a sore temptation to behold the despisers of God indulging themselves in
their luxurious pleasures and enjoying great ease, as if they were elevated
above the rest of the world into a region of pleasure, where they had a nest for
themselves apart.
fc164
6.
Therefore pride compasseth them as a chain.
This complaint proceeds farther than the preceding; for we are here told
that although God sees the ungodly shamefully and wickedly abusing his kindness
and clemency, he notwithstanding bears with their ingratitude and rebellion. The
Psalmist employs a similitude taken from the dress and attire of the body, to
show that such persons glory in their evil deeds. The verb
qn[,
anak, which we have rendered,
encompasseth them as a
chain, comes from a noun which signifies
a chain. The language, therefore, implies that the ungodly glory in their
audacity and madness, as if they were richly adorned with a chain of
gold:
fc165 and that violence serves them for
raiment, thinking, as they do, that it renders them very stately and honorable.
Some translate the Hebrew word
tyç,
shith, which we have rendered raiment, by buttocks; but this
is a sense which the scope of the passage will by no means admit. David, I have
no doubt, after having commenced at the neck or head — for the Hebrew verb
qn[,
anak which he uses, signifies also sometimes to
crown
fc166 — now meant to comprehend, in one
word, the whole attire of the person. The amount of what is stated is, that the
wicked are so blinded with their prosperity, as to become more and more proud
and insolent
fc167 The Psalmist has very properly put
pride first in order, and then added violence to it as its
companion; for what is the reason why the ungodly seize and plunder whatever
they can get on all sides, and exercise so much cruelty, but because they
account all other men as nothing in comparison of themselves; or rather persuade
themselves that mankind are born only for them? The source, then, and, as it
were, the mother of all violence, is
pride.
7.
Their eye goeth out for
fatness.
fc168 He now adds, that it is not
wonderful to see the ungodly breaking forth with such violence and cruelty,
since, by reason of fatness and pampering, their eyes are ready to start out of
their heads. Some explain the words goeth out as meaning, that their eyes
being covered and hidden with fat, were, so to speak, lost, and could not be
perceived in their sockets. But as fat causes the eyes to project from the head,
I prefer retaining the proper meaning of the words. Let it, however, be
observed, that David is not to be understood as speaking of the bodily
countenance, but as expressing metaphorically the pride with which the ungodly
are inflated on account of the abundance which they possess. They so glut and
intoxicate themselves with their prosperity, that afterwards they are ready to
burst with pride. The last clause of the verse is also explained in two ways.
Some think that by the verb
rb[,
abar, which we have translated
passed
beyond, is denoted unbridled
presumption;
fc169 for the ungodly are not
contented to keep themselves within ordinary bounds, but in their wild and
extravagant projects mount above the clouds. We know, in fact, that they often
deliberate with themselves how they may take possession of the whole world; yea,
they would wish God to create new worlds for them. In short, being altogether
insatiable, they pass beyond heaven and earth in their wild and unbounded
desires. It would certainly not be inappropriate to explain the verb as meaning,
that their foolish thoughts can be regulated by no law, nor kept within any
bounds. But there is another exposition which is also very suitable, namely,
that the prosperity and success which they meet with exceed all the flattering
prospects which they had pictured in their imaginations. We certainly see some
of them who obtain more than ever they had desired, as if, whilst they were
asleep, Fortune laid nets and fished for
them,
fc170 — the device under which king
Demetrius was in old time wittily painted, who had taken so many cities,
although otherwise he was neither skillful nor vigilant, nor of great foresight.
If we are inclined to take this view of the words, this clause will be added by
way of exposition, to teach us what is meant by that fatness, spoken of
before — that it means that God heaps upon the wicked, and fills them
with, an abundance of all good things, beyond what they had ever either desired
or thought
of.
8.
They become insolent, and wickedly talk of
extortion. Some take the verb
wqymy,
yamicu, in an active transitive sense, and explain it as meaning, that
the wicked soften, that is to say, render others pusillanimous, or frighten and
intimidate them.
fc171 But as the idiom of the language admits
also of its being understood in the neuter sense, I have adopted the
interpretation which agreed best with the scope of the passage, namely, that the
wicked, forgetting themselves to be men, and by their unbounded audacity
trampling under foot all shame and honesty, dissemble not their wickedness, but,
on the contrary, loudly boast of their extortion. And, indeed, we see that
wicked men, after having for some time got every thing to prosper according to
their desires, cast off all sham and are at no pains to conceal themselves when
about to commit iniquity, but loudly proclaim their own turpitude.
“What!” they will say, “is it not in my power to deprive you
of all that you possess, and even to cut your throat?” Robbers, it is
true, can do the same thing; but then they hide themselves for fear. These
giants, or rather inhuman monsters, of whom David speaks, on the contrary not
only imagine that they are exempted from subjection to any law, but, unmindful
of their own weakness, foam furiously, as if there were no distinction between
good and evil, between right and wrong. If, however, the other interpretation
should be preferred, That the wicked intimidate the simple and peaceable by
boasting of the great oppressions and outrages which they can perpetrate upon
them, I do not object to it. When the poor and the afflicted find themselves at
the mercy of these wicked men, they cannot but tremble, and, so to speak, melt
and dissolve upon seeing them in possession of so much power. With respect to
the expression, They speak from
on
high,
fc172 implies, that they pour forth
their insolent and abusive speech upon the heads of all others. As proud men,
who disdain to look directly at any body, are said, in the Latin tongue,
despicere, and in the Greek, Katablepein, that is, to look
down;
fc173 so David introduces them as
speaking from on high, because it seems to them that they have nothing in common
with other men, but think themselves a distinct class of beings, and, as it
were, little gods.
fc174
9.
They have set their mouth against the
heavens. Here it is declared that they
utter their contumelious speeches as well against God as against men; for they
imagine that nothing is too arduous for them to attempt, and flatter themselves
that heaven and earth are subject to them. If any should endeavor to alarm them
by setting before them the power of God, they audaciously break through this
barrier; and, with respect to men, they have no idea of any difficulty arising
from such a quarter. Thus, there is no obstacle to repress their proud and
vaunting speeches, but their
tongue walketh through the whole earth.
This form of expression seems to be hyperbolical; but when we consider how
great and unbounded their presumption is, we will admit that the Psalmist
teaches nothing but what experience shows to be matter of
fact.
Psalm
73:10-14
10. On this account his
people will return hither, and waters of a full cup will be wrung out to them.
11. And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the Most
High? 12. Behold! These are the ungodly, and yet they enjoy repose [or
quietness] for ever: they heap up riches. 13. Surely I have purified my
heart in vain, and washed my hands
daily.
fc175 14. And I have been scourged
daily, and my chastisement has been every
morning.
10.
On this account his people will
return hither. Commentators wrest this
sentence into a variety of meanings. In the first place, as the relative his
is used, without an antecedent indicating whose people are spoken of, some
understand it simply of the ungodly, as if it had been said, That the ungodly
always fall back upon this reflection: and they view the word people as
denoting a great troop or band; for as soon as a wicked man raises
his standard, he always succeeds in drawing a multitude of associates after him.
They, therefore, think the meaning to be, that every prosperous ungodly man has
people flocking about him, as it were, in troops; and that, when within his
palace or magnificent mansion, they are content with getting water to drink; so
much does this perverse imagination bewitch them. But there is another sense
much more correct, and which is also approved by the majority of commentators;
namely, that the people of God
fc176 return hither. Some take the word
µlh,
halom, which we have rendered hither, as denoting
afflicted;
fc177 but this is a forced
interpretation.
The meaning is not, however, as
yet, sufficiently evident, and therefore we must inquire into it more
closely.
fc178 Some read the whole verse connectedly,
thus: The people of God return hither, that they may drain full cups of the
water of sorrow. But, in my opinion, this verse depends upon the preceding
statements, and the sense is, That many who had been regarded as belonging to
the people of God were carried away by this temptation, and were even
shipwrecked and swallowed up by it. The prophet does not seem to speak here of
the chosen people of God, but only to point to hypocrites and counterfeit
Israelites who occupy a place in the Church. He declares that such persons are
overwhelmed in destruction, because, being foolishly led away to envy the
wicked, and to desire to follow them,
fc179 they bid adieu to God and to all
religion. Still, however, this might, without any impropriety, be referred to
the chosen seed, many of whom are so violently harassed by this temptation, that
they turn aside into crooked by-paths: not that they devote themselves to
wickedness, but because they do not firmly persevere in the right path. The
sense then will be, that not only the herd of the profane, but even true
believers, who have determined to serve God, are tempted with this
unlawful and perverse envy and
emulation.
fc180 What follows,
Waters of a full cup are wrung
out to them,
fc181 seems to be the reason of the
statement in the preceding clause, implying that they are tormented with
vexation and sorrow, when no advantage appears to be derived from cultivating
true religion. To be saturated
with waters is put metaphorically for to
drink the bitterest distresses, and to be filled with immeasurable
sorrows.
11.
And they say, How doth God
know? Some commentators maintain that
the Prophet here returns to the ungodly, and relates the scoffings and
blasphemies with which they stimulate and stir up themselves to commit sin; but
of this I cannot approve. David rather explains what he had stated in the
preceding verse, as to the fact that the faithful fall into evil thoughts and
wicked imaginations when the short-lived prosperity of the ungodly dazzles their
eyes. He tells us that they begin then to call in question, Whether there is
knowledge in God. Among worldly men, this madness is too common. Ovid thus
speaks in one of his verses:
“Sollicitor nullos
esse putare deos;”
“I
am tempted to think that there are no gods.”
It was, indeed, a heathen poet who spake in this
manner; but as we know that the poets express the common thoughts of men, and
the language which generally predominates in their
minds,
fc182 it is certain that he spake, as it
were, in the person of the great mass of mankind, when he frankly confessed,
that as soon as any adversity happens, men forget all knowledge of God. They not
only doubt whether there is a God, but they even enter into debate with, and
chide him. What else is the meaning of that complaint which we meet with in the
ancient Latin Poet-
“Nec
Saturnius haec oculis pater adspicit aequis:”
“Nor does the great god, the son of Saturn,
regard these things with impartial eyes,” — but that the woman, of
whom he there speaks, accuses her god Jupiter of unrighteousness, because she
was not dealt with in the way which she desired? It is then too common, among
the unbelieving part of mankind, to deny that God cares for and governs the
world, and to maintain that all is the result of
chance.
fc183 But David here informs us that even
true believers stumble in this respect: not that they break forth into this
blasphemy, but because they are unable, all at once, to keep their minds under
restraint when God seems to cease from executing his office. The expostulation
of Jeremiah is well
known,
“Righteous art
thou, O Lord! when I plead with thee; yet let me talk with thee of thy
judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? Wherefore are all they
happy that deal very treacherously ?”
(<241201>Jeremiah
12:1)
It appears from that passage that even the
godly are tempted to doubt of the Providence of God, but at the same time that
doubts on this subject do not go very deep into their hearts; for Jeremiah at
the outset protests the contrary; and by doing so, puts, as it were, a bridle
upon himself. Yet they do not always so speedily anticipate the snares of Satan,
as to avoid asking, under the influence of a doubting spirit, how it can happen,
if God really regards the world, that he does not remedy the great confusion
which prevails in it? Of those who impiously prate against God by denying his
Providence, there are two sorts. Some openly pour out their blasphemies,
asserting that God, delighting in ease and pleasure, cares about nothing, but
leaves the government of all things to chance. Others, although they keep their
thoughts on this subject to themselves, and are silent before men, yet cease not
secretly to fret against God, and to accuse him of injustice or of indolence, in
conniving at wickedness, neglecting the godly, and allowing all things to be
involved in confusion, and to go to wreck. But the people of God, before these
perverse and detestable thoughts enter deep into their hearts, disburden
themselves into the bosom of God,
fc184 and their only desire is to acquiesce
in his secret judgments, the reason of which is hidden from them. The meaning of
this passage, therefore, is, that not only the wicked, when they see things in
the world so full of disorder, conceive only of a blind government, which they
attribute to fortune or chance; but that even true believers themselves are
shaken, so as to doubt of the Providence of God; and that unless they were
wonderfully preserved by his hand, they would be completely swallowed up in this
abyss.
12.
Behold! these are the
ungodly. The Psalmist here shows, as it
were by a vivid pictorial representation, the character of that envy which had
well nigh overthrown him. Behold! says he, these are wicked men!
and yet they happily enjoy their ease and pleasures undisturbed, and are
exalted to power and influence; and that not merely for a few days, but their
prosperity is of long duration, and has, as it were, an endless course. And is
there anything which seems to our judgment less reasonable than that persons
whose wickedness is accounted infamous and detestable, even in the eyes of men,
should be treated with such liberality and indulgence by God? Some here take the
Hebrew word
µlw[,
olam, for the world, but improperly. It rather denotes in this
passage an age;
fc185 and what David complains of is,
that the prosperity of the wicked is stable and of long duration, and that to
see it last so long wears out the patience of the righteous. Upon seeing the
wicked so tenderly cherished by God, he descends to the consideration of his own
case; and as his conscience bore him testimony that he had walked sincerely and
uprightly, he reasons with himself as to what advantage he had derived from
studiously devoting himself to the practice of righteousness, since he was
afflicted and harassed in a very unusual degree. He tells us that he was
scourged
daily, and that as often as the sun
rose, some affliction or other was prepared for him, so that there was no end to
his calamities. In short the amount of his reasoning is this, “Truly I
have labored in vain to obtain and preserve a pure heart and clean hands, seeing
continued afflictions await me, and, so to speak, are on the watch to meet me at
break of day. Such a condition surely shows that there is no reward for
innocence before God, else he would certainly deal somewhat more compassionately
towards those who serve him.” As the true holiness for which the godly are
distinguished consists of two parts, first, of purity of heart, and, secondly,
of righteousness in the outward conduct, David attributes both to himself. Let
us learn, from his example, to join them together: let us, in the first place,
begin with purity of heart, and then let us give evidence of this before men by
uprightness and integrity in our
conduct.
Psalm
73:15-17
15. If I should say, I will
speak thus, Behold! the generation of thy children: I have
transgressed.
fc186 16. Although I applied my mind
to know this, it was a trouble [or, a painful thing] in my sight; 17.
Until I entered into the sanctuaries of God, and
understood
fc187 their latter
end.
15.
If I should say, I will speak thus.
David, perceiving the sinfulness of the thoughts with which he was tempted,
puts a bridle upon himself, and reproves his inconstancy in allowing his mind to
entertain doubts on such a subject. We can be at no loss in discovering his
meaning; but there is some difficulty or obscurity in the words. The last Hebrew
verb in the verse,
dgb,
bagad, signifies to transgress, and also to deceive. Some,
therefore, translate, I have deceived the generation of thy children, as
if David had said, Were I to speak thus, I should defraud thy children of their
hope. Others read, I have transgressed against the generation of thy
children; that is, Were I to speak thus, I would be guilty of inflicting an
injury upon them. But as the words of the prophet stand in this
order, Behold! the generation of
thy children: I have transgressed; and
as a very good meaning may be elicited from them, I would expound them simply in
this way: Were I to approve of such wicked thoughts and doubts, I would
transgress; for, behold! the righteous are still remaining on the earth, and
thou reservest in every age some people for thyself. Thus it will be unnecessary
to make any supplement to complete the sense, and the verb
ytdgb,
bagadti, I have
transgressed, will read by itself, and
not construed with any other part of the verse. We have elsewhere had occasion
to observe, that the Hebrew noun
rwd,
dor, which we have rendered generation, is properly to be referred
to time. The idea which David intends to convey is now perfectly obvious. Whilst
worldly men give loose reins to their unhallowed speculations, until at length
they become hardened, and, divesting themselves of all fear of God, cast away
along with it the hope of salvation, he restrains himself that he may not rush
into the like destruction. To
speak or to
declare
fc188 here signifies to utter what
had been meditated upon. His meaning, therefore, is, that had he pronounced
judgment on this subject as of a thing certain, he would have been chargeable
with a very heinous transgression. He found himself before involved in doubt,
but now he acknowledges that he had grievously offended; and the reason of this
he places between the words in which he expresses these two states of mind:
which is, because God always sees to it, that there are some of his own people
remaining in the world. He seems to repeat the demonstrative particle,
Behold! for the sake of contrast. He had a little before said, Behold!
these are the ungodly; and here he says,
Behold! the generation of thy
children. It is assuredly nothing less
than a divine miracle that the Church, which is so furiously assaulted by Satan
and innumerable hosts of enemies, continues
safe.
16.
Although I applied my mind to
know this. The first verb
bçj,
chashab, which he employs, properly signifies to reckon or count,
and sometimes to consider or weigh. But the words which follow
in the sentence require the sense which I have given, That he applied his mind
to know the part of Divine Providence referred to. He has already condemned
himself for having transgressed; but still he acknowledges, that until he
entered into the sanctuaries of God, he was not altogether disentangled from the
doubts with which his mind had been perplexed. In short, he intimates that he
had reflected on this subject on all sides, and yet, by all his reasoning upon
it, could not comprehend how God, amidst so great disorders and confusions,
continued to govern the world. Moreover, in speaking thus of himself, he teaches
us, that when men are merely under the guidance of their own understandings, the
inevitable consequence is, that they sink under their trouble, not being able by
their own deliberations and reasonings to arrive at any certain or fixed
conclusions; for there is no doubt that he puts
the sanctuaries of
God in opposition to carnal reason.
Hence it follows, that all the knowledge and wisdom which men have of their own
is vain and unsubstantial; since all true wisdom among men — all that
deserves to be so called — consists in this one
point,
fc189 That they are docile, and implicitly
submit to the teaching of the Word of God. The Psalmist does not speak of
unbelievers who are wilfully blind, who involve themselves in errors, and are
also very glad to find some color or pretext for taking offense, that they may
withdraw to a distance from God. It is of himself that he speaks; and although
he applied his mind to the investigation of divine subjects, not only earnestly,
but with all humility; and although, at the same time, he contemplated,
according to his small measure, the high judgments of God, not only with
attention, but also with reverence, yet he confesses that he failed of success;
for the word trouble
fc190 here implies unprofitable or
lost labor. Whoever, therefore, in applying himself to the examination of God's
judgments, expects to become acquainted with them by his natural understanding,
will be disappointed, and will find that he is engaged in a task at once painful
and profitless; and, therefore, it is indispensably necessary to rise higher,
and to seek illumination from heaven.
By
the sanctuaries of
God some, even among the Hebrews,
understand the celestial mansions in which the spirits of the just and angels
dwell; as if David had said, This was a painful thing in my sight, until I came
to acknowledge in good earnest that men are not created to flourish for a short
time in this world, and to luxuriate in pleasures while in it, but that their
condition here is that of pilgrims, whose aspirations, during their earthly
pilgrimage, should be towards heaven. I readily admit that no man can form a
right judgment of the providence of God; but he who elevates his mind above the
earth; but it is more simple and natural to understand the word sanctuary
as denoting celestial doctrine. As the book of the law was laid up in the
sanctuary, from which the oracles of heaven were to be obtained, that is to say,
the declaration of the will of God,
fc191 and as this was the true way of
acquiring profitable instruction, David very properly puts
entering into the
sanctuaries,
fc192 for
coming to the school of
God, as if his meaning were this, Until
God become my schoolmaster, and until I learn by his word what otherwise my
mind, when I come to consider the government of the world, cannot comprehend, I
stop short all at once, and understand nothing about the subject. When,
therefore, we are here told that men are unfit for contemplating the
arrangements of Divine Providence until they obtain wisdom elsewhere than from
themselves, how can we attain to wisdom but by submissively receiving what God
teaches us both by his Word and by his Holy Spirit? David by the word
sanctuary alludes to the external manner of teaching, which God had
appointed among his ancient people; but along with the Word he comprehends the
secret illumination of the Holy Spirit.
By the
end of the wicked is not meant their exit from the world, or their
departure from the present life, which is seen of all men — for what need
was there to enter into the sanctuaries of God to understand that? — but
the word end is to be regarded as referring to the judgments of God, by
which he makes it manifest that, even when he is commonly thought to be asleep,
he only delays to a convenient time the execution of the punishment which the
wicked deserve. This must be explained at greater length. If we would learn from
God what is the condition of the ungodly, he teaches us, that after having
flourished for some short time, they suddenly decay; and that although they may
happen to enjoy a continued course of prosperity until death, yet all that is
nothing, since their life itself is nothing. As, then, God declares that all the
wicked shall miserably perish, if we behold him executing manifest vengeance
upon them in this life, let us remember that it is the judgment of God. If, on
the contrary, we do not perceive any punishment inflicted on them in this world,
let us beware of thinking that they have escaped, or that they are the objects
of the Divine favor and approbation;
fc193 but let us rather suspend our judgment,
since the end or the last day has not yet arrived. In short, if we would profit
aright, when we address ourselves to the consideration of the works of God, we
must first beseech him to open our eyes, (for these are sheer fools who would of
themselves be clear-sighted, and of a penetrating judgment;) and, secondly, we
must also give all due respect to his word, by assigning to it that authority to
which it is entitled.
Psalm
73:18-20
18. Surely thou hast set
them in slippery places; thou shalt cast them down into destruction. 19.
How have they been destroyed, as it were in a moment! they have perished, they
have been consumed with terrors. 20. As it were a dream after a man is
awakened: O Lord! in awaking,
fc194 thou wilt make their image to be
despised, [or contemptible.]
18.
Surely thou hast set them in
slippery places. David, having now gone
through his conflicts, begins, if we may use the expression, to be a new man;
and he speaks with a quiet and composed mind, being, as it were, elevated on a
watchtower, from which he obtained a clear and distinct view of things which
before were hidden from him. It was the prophet Habakkuk's resolution to take
such a position, and, by his example, he prescribes this to us as a remedy in
the midst of troubles — “I will stand upon my watch,” says he,
“and set me upon the tower,”
(<350201>Habakkuk
2:1.) David, therefore, shows how much advantage is to be derived from
approaching God. I now see, says he, how thou proceedest in thy providence; for,
although the ungodly continue to stand for a brief season, yet they are, as it
were, perched on slippery places,
fc195 that they may fall ere long into
destruction. Both the verbs of this verse are in the past tense; but the first,
to set them in slippery
places, is to be understood of the
present time, as if it had been said, — God for a short period thus lifts
them up on high, that when they fall their fall may be the heavier. This, it is
true, seems to be the lot of the righteous as well as of the wicked; for
everything in this world is slippery, uncertain, and changeable. But as true
believers depend upon heaven, or rather, as the power of God is the foundation
on which they rest, it is not said of them that they are set in slippery places,
notwithstanding the frailty and uncertainty which characterises their condition
in this world. What although they stumble or even fall, the Lord has his hand
under them to sustain and strengthen them when they stumble, and to raise them
up when they are fallen. The uncertainty of the condition of the ungodly, or, as
it is here expressed, their slippery condition, proceeds from this, that they
take pleasure in contemplating their own power and greatness, and admire
themselves on that account, just like a person who would walk at leisure upon
ice;
fc196 and thus by their infatuated
presumption, they prepare themselves for falling down headlong. We are not to
picture to our imaginations a wheel of fortune, which, as it revolves, embroils
all things in confusion; but we must admit the truth to which the prophet here
adverts, and which he tells us is made known to all the godly in the sanctuary,
that there is a secret providence of God which manages all the affairs of the
world. On this subject my readers, if they choose, may peruse the beautiful
verses of Claudian in his first book against
Ruffinus.
19.
How have they been destroyed, as
it were in a moment! The language of wonder in
which the Psalmist breaks forth serves much to confirm the sentiment of the
preceding verse. As the consideration of the prosperity of the ungodly induces a
torpor upon our minds, yea, even renders them stupid; so their destruction,
being sudden and unlooked for, tends the more effectually to awaken us, each
being thus constrained to inquire how such an event came to pass, which all men
thought could never happen. The prophet, therefore, speaks of it in the way of
interrogation, as of a thing incredible. Yet he, at the same time, thus teaches
us that God is daily working in such a manner as that, if we would but open our
eyes, there would be presented to us just matter for exciting our astonishment.
Nay, rather, if by faith we would look from a distance at the judgments of God
daily approaching nearer and nearer, nothing would happen which we would regard
as strange or difficult to be believed; for the surprise which we feel proceeds
from the slowness and carelessness with which we proceed in acquiring the
knowledge of Divine truth.
fc197 When it is said,
They are consumed with
terrors, it may be understood in two
ways. It either means that God thunders upon them in such an unusual manner,
that the very strangeness of it strikes them with dismay; or that God, although
he may not lay his hand upon his enemies, nevertheless throws them into
consternation, and brings them to nothing, solely by the terror of his breath,
at the very time when they are recklessly despising all dangers, as if they were
perfectly safe, and had made a covenant with
death.
fc198 Thus we have before seen David
introducing them as encouraging themselves in their forwardness by this boasting
language, “Who is lord over us?”
(<191204>Psalm
12:4.) I am rather inclined to adopt the first sense; and the reason which leads
me to do so is, that when God perceives that we are so slow in considering his
judgments, he inflicts upon the ungodly judgments of a very severe kind, and
pursues them with unusual tokens of his wrath, as if he would make the earth to
tremble, in order thereby to correct our dullness of
apprehension.
20.
As it were a dream after a
man is awakened. This similitude is
often to be met with in the Sacred Writings. Thus, Isaiah,
(<232907>Isaiah
29:7,) speaking of the enemies of the Church, says, “They shall be as a
dream of a night vision.” To quote other texts of a similar kind would be
tedious and unnecessary labor. In the passage before us the metaphor is very
appropriate. How is it to be accounted for, that the prosperity of the wicked is
regarded with so much wonder, but because our minds have been lulled into a deep
sleep? and, in short, the pictures which we draw in our imaginations of the
happiness of the wicked, and of the desirableness of their condition, are just
like the imaginary kingdoms which we construct in our dreams when we are asleep.
Those who, being illuminated by the Word of God, are awake, may indeed be in
some degree impressed with the splendor with which the wicked are invested; but
they are not so dazzled by it as thereby to have their wonder very much excited;
for they are prevented from feeling in this manner by a light of an opposite
kind far surpassing it in brilliancy and attraction. The prophet, therefore,
commands us to awake, that we may perceive that all which we gaze at in this
world is nothing else than pure vanity; even as he himself, now returning to his
right mind, acknowledges that he had before been only dreaming and raving. The
reason is added, because God will
make their image to be despised, or
render it contemptible. By the word image some understand the soul
of man, because it was formed after the image of God. But in my opinion, this
exposition is unsuitable; for the prophet simply derides the outward pomp or
show
fc199 which dazzles the eyes of men, while
yet it vanishes away in an instant. We have met with a similar form of
expression in
<193906>Psalm
39:6, “Surely every man passeth away in an image,” the import of
which is, Surely every man flows away like water that has no solidity, or rather
like the image reflected in the mirror which has no substance. The word
image, then, in this passage means what we commonly term appearance,
or outward show; and thus the prophet indirectly rebukes the error
into which we fall, when we regard as real and substantial those things which
are merely phantoms created out of nothing by our imaginations. The word
ry[b,
bair, properly signifies in the
city.
fc200 But as this would be a rigid
form of expression, it has been judiciously thought by many that the word is
curtailed of a letter, and that it is the same as
ry[hb,
bahair; an opinion which is also supported from the point kamets
being placed under
b,
beth. According to this view it is to be translated in awakening,
that is, after these dreams which deceive us shall have passed away. And
that takes place not only when God restores to some measure of order matters
which before were involved in confusion, but also when dispelling the darkness
he gladdens our minds with a friendly light. We never, it is true, see things so
well adjusted in the world as we would desire; for God, with the view of keeping
us always in the exercise of hope, delays the perfection of our state to the
final day of judgment. But whenever he stretches forth his hand against the
wicked, he causes us to see as it were some rays of the break of day, that the
darkness, thickening too much, may not lull us asleep, and affect us with
dullness of understanding.
fc201 Some apply this expression, in
awaking, to the last judgment,
fc202 as if David intended to say, In this
world the wicked abound in riches and power, and this confusion, which is as it
were a dark night, will continue until God shall raise the dead. I certainly
admit that this is a profitable doctrine; but it is not taught us in this place,
the scope of the passage not at all agreeing with such an interpretation. If any
prefer reading in the city —
in the city thou wilt make
their image to be despised, — the
meaning will be, that when God is pleased to bring into contempt the transitory
beauty and vain show of the wicked, it will not be a secret or hidden vengeance,
but will be quite manifest and known to all, as if it were done in the public
market place of a city. But the word awaking suits better, as it is put
in opposition to
dreaming.
Psalm
73:21-24
21. For my heart was in a
ferment, and I was pierced in my reins. 22. And I was foolish and
ignorant: I was with thee as a brute beast. 23. Nevertheless I was
continually with thee; thou didst hold my right hand. 24. Thou shalt
guide me with thy counsel; and at length thou shalt take me to [or receive me
into]
glory.
21.
For my heart was in a ferment. The
Psalmist again returns to the confession which he had previously made,
acknowledging that whilst he felt his heart pierced with perverse envy and
emulation, he had complained against God, in a peevish or fretful manner. He
compares his anger to leaven. Some translate, My heart was steeped in
vinegar. But it is more suitable to explain the verb thus, My heart was
soured or swollen, as dough is swollen by leaven. Thus Plautus, when
speaking of a woman inflamed with anger, says that she is all in a
ferment.
fc203 Some read the last clause of the verse,
My reins were
pierced; and they think that
a,
aleph, in the beginning of the word,
ˆnwtça,
eshtonan, the verb for pierced, is put instead of
h,
he;
fc204 but this makes little difference
as to the sense. We know that the word
twylk,
kelayoth, by which the Hebrews denote the reins, comes from the
verb
alk,
kalah, which signifies to desire, to covet earnestly, this word
being put for the reins, because it is said that the desires of man have their
seat in that part of the body. David therefore declares that these perplexing
and troublesome thoughts had been, as it were, thorns which pierced
him.
fc205 We have already stated how he came to
be affected with this pungent and burning vexation of spirit. We will find many
worldly men who, although they deny that the world is governed by the Providence
of God, yet do not greatly disquiet themselves, but only laugh at the freaks of
Fortune. On the other hand, true believers, the more firmly they are persuaded
that God is the judge of the world, are the more afflicted when his procedure
does not correspond to their
wishes.
22.
And I was foolish and
ignorant. David here rebuking himself
sharply, as it became him to do, in the first place declares that he was
foolish; secondly, he charges himself with ignorance; and, thirdly, he affirms
that he resembled the brutes. Had he only acknowledged his ignorance, it might
have been asked, Whence this vice or fault of ignorance proceeded? He therefore
ascribes it to his own folly; and the more emphatically to express his folly, he
compares himself to the lower animals. The amount is, that the perverse envy of
which he has spoken arose from ignorance and error, and that the blame of having
thus erred was to be imputed wholly to himself, inasmuch as he had lost a sound
judgment and understanding, and that not after an ordinary manner, but even the
length of being reduced to a state of brutish stupidity. What we have previously
stated is undoubtedly true, that men never form a right judgment of the works of
God; for when they apply their minds to consider them, all their faculties fail,
being inadequate to the task; yet David justly lays the blame of failure upon
himself, because, having lost the judgment of a man, he had fallen as it were
into the rank of the brute creatures. Whenever we are dissatisfied with the
manner of God's providence in governing the world, let us remember that this is
to be traced to the perversity of our understanding. The Hebrew word
°m[,
immach, which we have translated with thee, is here to be taken by
way of comparison for before thee; as if David had said, — Lord,
although I have seemed in this world to be endued with superior judgment and
reason, yet in respect of thy celestial wisdom, I have been as one of the lower
animals. It is with the highest propriety that he has inserted this particle. To
what is it owing, that men are so deceived by their own folly, as we find them
to be, if it is not to this, that while they look at each other, they all
inwardly flatter themselves? Among the blind, each thinks that he has one eye,
in other words, that he excels the rest; or, at least, he pleases himself with
the reflection, that his fellows are in no respect superior to himself in
wisdom. But when persons come to God, and compare themselves with him, this
prevailing error, in which all are fast asleep, can find no
place.
23.
Nevertheless I was continually with
thee.
fc206 Here the Psalmist declares, in a
different sense, that he was with God. He gives him thanks for having
kept him from utterly falling, when he was in so great danger of being
precipitated into destruction. The greatness of the favor to which he adverts is
the more strikingly manifested from the confession which he made a little
before, that he was bereft of judgment, and, as it were, a brute beast; for he
richly deserved to be cast off by God, when he dared to murmur against
him. Men are said to be with God in two ways; either, first, in respect of
apprehension and thought, when they are persuaded that they live in his
presence, are governed by his hand, and sustained by his power; or, secondly,
when God, unperceived by them, puts upon them a bridle, by which, when they go
astray, he secretly restrains them, and prevents them from totally apostatising
from him. When a man therefore imagines that God exercises no care about him, he
is not with God, as to his own feeling or apprehension; but still that
man, if he is not forsaken, abides with God, inasmuch as God's secret or hidden
grace continues with him. In short, God is always near his chosen ones; for
although they sometimes turn their backs upon him, he nevertheless has always
his fatherly eye turned towards them. When the Psalmist speaks of God as
holding him by the right hand, he means that he was, by the wonderful
power of God, drawn back from that deep gulf into which the reprobate cast
themselves. He then ascribes it wholly to the grace of God that he was enabled
to restrain himself from breaking forth into open blasphemies, and from
hardening himself in error, and that he was also brought to condemn himself of
foolishness; — this he ascribes wholly to the grace of God, who stretched
out his hand to hold him up, and prevent him from a fall which would have
involved him in destruction. From this we see how precious our salvation is in
the sight of God; for when we wander far from him, he yet continues to look upon
us with a watchful eye, and to stretch forth his hand to bring us to himself. We
must indeed beware of perverting this doctrine by making it a pretext for
slothfulness; but experience nevertheless teaches us, that when we are sunk in
drowsiness and insensibility, God exercises a care about us, and that even when
we are fugitives and wanderers from him, he is still near us. The force of the
metaphor contained in the language, which represents God as holding us by the
right hand, is to be particularly noticed; for there is no temptation, let
it be never so slight, which would not easily overthrow us, were we not upheld
and sustained by the power of God. The reason then why we do not succumb, even
in the severest conflicts, is nothing else than because we receive the aid of
the Holy Spirit. He does not indeed always put forth his power in us in an
evident and striking manner, (for he often perfects it in our weakness;) but it
is enough that he succours us, although we may be ignorant and unconscious of
it, that he upholds us when we stumble, and even lifts us up when we have
fallen.
24.
Thou shalt guide me with thy
counsel. As the verbs are put in the
future tense, the natural meaning, in my opinion, is, that the Psalmist assured
himself that the Lord, since by his leading he had now brought him back into the
right way, would continue henceforth to guide him, until at length he received
him into His glorious presence in heaven. We know that it is David's usual way,
when he gives thanks to God, to look forward with confidence to the future.
Accordingly, after having acknowledged his own infirmities, he celebrated the
grace of God, the aid and comfort of which he had experienced; and now he
cherishes the hope that the Divine assistance will continue hereafter to be
extended to him. Guidance by counsel is put first. Although the foolish
and inconsiderate are sometimes very successful in their affairs, (for God
remedies our faults and errors, and turns to a prosperous and happy issue things
which we had entered upon amiss;) yet the way in which God ordinarily and more
abundantly blesses his own people is by giving them wisdom: and we should ask
him especially to govern us by the Spirit of counsel and of judgment. Whoever
dares, in a spirit of confident reliance on his own wisdom, to engage in any
undertaking, will inevitably be involved in confusion and shame for his
presumption, since he arrogates to himself what is peculiar to God alone. If
David needed to have God for his guide, how much more need have we of being
under the Divine guidance? To counsel there is added glory, which,
I think, ought not to be limited to eternal life, as some are inclined to do. It
comprehends the whole course of our happiness from the commencement, which is
seen here upon earth, even to the consummation which we expect to realize in
heaven. David then assures himself of eternal glory, through the free and
unmerited favor of God, and yet he does not exclude the blessings which God
bestows upon his people here below, with the view of affording them, even in
this life, some foretaste of that
felicity.
Psalm
73:25-28
25. Who is there to me in
heaven?
fc207 And I have desired none other with
thee
fc208 upon the earth. 26. My flesh and
my heart have failed: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for
ever. 27. For, lo: they who depart from thee shall perish: thou hast
destroyed all those who go a whoring from
thee.
fc209 28. As for me, it is good for me
to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord Jehovah, that I may recount
all thy works.
fc210
25.
Whom have I in heaven but
thee? The Psalmist shows more distinctly
how much he had profited in the sanctuary of God; for being satisfied with him
alone, he rejects every other object, except God, which presented itself to him.
The form of expression which he employs, when he joins together an interrogation
and an affirmation, is quite common in the Hebrew tongue, although harsh in
other languages. As to the meaning, there is no ambiguity. David declares that
he desires nothing, either in heaven or in earth, except God alone, and that
without God, all other objects which usually draw the hearts of men towards them
were unattractive to him. And, undoubtedly, God then obtains from us the glory
to which he is entitled, when, instead of being carried first to one object, and
then to another, we hold exclusively by him, being satisfied with him alone. If
we give the smallest portion of our affections to the creatures, we in so far
defraud God of the honor which belongs to him. And yet nothing has been more
common in all ages than this sacrilege, and it prevails too much at the present
day. How small is the number of those who keep their affections fixed on God
alone! We see how superstition joins to him many others as rivals for our
affections. While the Papists admit in word that all things depend upon God,
they are, nevertheless, constantly seeking to obtain help from this and the
other quarter independent of him. Others, puffed up with pride, have the
effrontery to associate either themselves or other men with God. On this account
we ought the more carefully to attend to this doctrine, That it is unlawful for
us to desire any other object besides God. By the words heaven and earth
the Psalmist denotes every conceivable object; but, at the same time, he
seems purposely to point to these two in particular. In saying that he sought
none in heaven but God only, he rejects and renounces all the false gods with
which, through the common error and folly of mankind, heaven has been filled.
When he affirms that he desires none on the earth besides God, he has, I
suppose, a reference to the deceits and illusions with which almost the whole
world is intoxicated; for those who are not beguiled by the former artifice of
Satan, so as to be led to fabricate for themselves false gods, either deceive
themselves by arrogance when confiding in their own skill, or strength, or
prudence, they usurp the prerogatives which belong to God alone; or else trepan
themselves with deceitful allurements when they rely upon the favor of men, or
confide in their own riches and other helps which they possess. If, then, we
would seek God aright, we must beware of going astray into various by-paths, and
divested of all superstition and pride, must betake ourselves directly and
exclusively to Him. This is the only way of seeking him. The expression,
I have desired none other with
thee, amounts to this: I know that thou
by thyself, apart from every other object, art sufficient, yea, more than
sufficient for me, and therefore I do not suffer myself to be carried away after
a variety of desires, but rest in and am fully contented with thee. In short,
that we may be satisfied with God alone, it is of importance for us to know the
plenitude of the blessings which he offers for our
acceptance.
26.
My flesh and my heart have
failed. Some understand the first part of the
verse as meaning that David's heart and flesh failed him through the ardent
desire with which he was actuated; and they think that by it he intends to
testify the earnestness with which he applied his mind to God. We meet with a
similar form of expression elsewhere; but the clause immediately succeeding,
God is the strength of my
heart, seems to require that it should
be explained differently. I am rather disposed to think that there is here a
contrast between the failing which David felt in himself and the
strength with which he was divinely supplied; as if he had said,
Separated from God I am nothing, and all that I attempt to do ends in nothing;
but when I come to him, I find an abundant supply of strength. It is highly
necessary for us to consider what we are without God; for no man will cast
himself wholly upon God, but he who feels himself in a fainting condition, and
who despairs of the sufficiency of his own powers. We will seek nothing from God
but what we are conscious of wanting in ourselves. Indeed, all men confess this,
and the greater part think that all which is necessary is that God should aid
our infirmities, or afford us succor when we have not the means of adequately
relieving ourselves. But the confession of David is far more ample than this
when he lays, so to speak, his own nothingness before God. He, therefore, very
properly adds, that God is his portion. The portion of an individual is a
figurative expression, employed in Scripture to denote the condition or lot with
which every man is contented. Accordingly, the reason why God is represented as
a portion is, because he alone is abundantly sufficient for us, and because in
him the perfection of our happiness consists. Whence it follows, that we are
chargeable with ingratitude, if we turn away our minds from him and fix them on
any other object, as has been stated in
<191604>Psalm
16:4, where David explains more clearly the import of the metaphor. Some
foolishly assert that God is called our portion, because our soul is
taken from him. I know not how such a silly conceit has found its way into their
brains; for it is as far from David's meaning as heaven is from the earth, and
it involves in it the wild notion of the Manicheans, with which Servetus was
bewitched. But it generally happens that men who are not exercised in the
Scriptures, nor imbued with sound theology, although well acquainted with the
Hebrew language, yet err and fall into mistakes even in first principles. Under
the word heart the Psalmist comprehends the whole soul. He does not,
however, mean, when he speaks of the heart failing, that the essence or
substance of the soul fails, but that all the powers which God in his goodness
has bestowed upon it, and the use of which it retains only so long as he
pleases, fall into
decay.
27.
For, lo! they who depart from thee shall
perish. Here he proves, by an argument
taken from things contrary, that nothing was better for him than simply to
repose himself upon God alone; for no sooner does any one depart from God than
he inevitably falls into the most dreadful destruction. All depart from him who
divide and scatter their hope among a variety of objects. The phrase
to go a
whoring
fc211 is of similar import; for it is
the worst kind of adultery to divide our heart that it may not continue fixed
exclusively upon God. This will be more easily understood by defining the
spiritual chastity of our minds, which consists in faith, in calling upon God,
in integrity of heart, and in obedience to the Word. Whoever then submits not
himself to the Word of God, that feeling him to be the sole author of all good
things, he may depend upon him, surrender himself to be governed by him, betake
himself to him at all times, and devote to him all his affections, such a person
is like an adulterous woman who leaves her own husband, and prostitutes herself
to strangers. David's language then is equivalent to his pronouncing all
apostates who revolt from God to be
adulterers.
28.
As for me, it is good for me to draw near to
God. Literally the reading is, And I,
etc. David speaking expressly of himself, affirms that although he should
see all mankind in a state of estrangement from God, and wandering after the
ever-changing errors and superstitions of the world, he would nevertheless study
to continue always in a state of nearness to God. Let others perish, says he, if
their headstrong passions cannot be restrained, and they themselves prevented
from running after the deceits of the world; but as for me, I will
continue steadfast in the resolution of maintaining a sacred communion with God.
In the subsequent clause he informs us that we draw near to God in a right
manner when our confidence continues firmly fixed in him. God will not hold us
by his right hand unless we are fully persuaded of the impossibility of our
continuing steadfast and safe in any other way than by his grace alone. This
passage is worthy of notice, that we may not be carried away by evil examples,
to join ourselves to the wicked, and to act as they do, although even the whole
world should fall into unbelief; but that we may learn to gather in our
affections from other objects, and to confine them exclusively to God. In the
close, the Psalmist intimates that after he shall have devoted himself to God
alone, he shall never want matter for praising him, since God never disappoints
the hope which his people repose in him. From this it follows, that none curse
God or murmur against him, but those who wilfully shut their eyes and involve
themselves in darkness, lest knowing and observing his providence, they should
be induced to give themselves up to his faithfulness and
protection.
PSALM
74
The people of God in this psalm bewail the desolate
condition of the Church, which was such that the very name of Israel was almost
annihilated. It appears from their humble supplications that they impute to
their own sins all the calamities which they endured; but at the same time they
lay before God his own covenant by which he adopted the race of Abraham as his
peculiar people. Afterwards they call to remembrance how mightily and gloriously
he had in the days of old displayed his power in delivering his Church.
Encouraging themselves from this consideration, they beseech Him that he would
at length come to their aid, and remedy a state of matters so deplorable and
desperate.
An instruction of
Asaph.
The inscription
lykçm,
maskil, agrees very well with the subject of the psalm; for although it
is sometimes applied to subjects of a joyful description, as we have seen in the
forty-fifth psalm, yet it generally indicates that the subject treated of is the
divine judgments, by which men are compelled to descend into themselves, and to
examine their own sins, that they may humble themselves before God. It is easy
to gather from the contents of the psalm, that its composition cannot be
ascribed to David; for in his time there was no ground for mourning over such a
wasted and calamitous condition of the Church as is here depicted. Those who are
of a different opinion allege, that David by the spirit of prophecy foretold
what had not yet come to pass. But as it is probable that there are many of the
psalms which were composed by different authors after the death of David, this
psalm, I have no doubt, is one of their number. What calamity is here spoken of,
it is not easy precisely to determine. On this point there are two opinions.
Some suppose that the reference is to that period of Jewish history when the
city and the temple were destroyed, and when the people were carried away
captives to Babylon under king
Nebuchadnezzar;
fc212 and others, that it relates to the
period when the temple was profaned, under Antiochus Epiphanes. There is some
plausibility in both these opinions. From the fact that the faithful here
complain of being now without signs and prophets, the latter opinion would seem
the more probable; for it is well known that many prophets flourished when the
people were carried into captivity. On the other hand, when it is said a little
before that the sanctuaries were burnt to ashes, the carved works destroyed, and
that nothing remained entire, these statements do not apply to the cruelty and
tyranny of Antiochus. He indeed shamefully polluted the temple, by introducing
into it heathen superstitions; but the building itself continued uninjured, and
the timber and stones were not at that time consumed with fire. Some maintain
that by sanctuaries we are to understand the synagogues in which
the Jews were accustomed to hold their holy assemblies, not only at Jerusalem,
but also in the other cities of Judea. It is also a supposable case, that the
faithful beholding the awful desecration of the temple by Antiochus, were led
from so melancholy a spectacle to carry their thoughts back to the time when it
was burnt by the Chaldeans, and that they comprehend the two calamities in one
description. Thus the conjecture will be more probable that these complaints
belong to the time of Antiochus;
fc213 for the Church of God was then without
prophets. If, however, any would rather refer it to the Babylonish captivity, it
will be an easy matter to solve this difficulty; for although Jeremiah, Ezekiel,
and Daniel, were then alive, yet we know that they were silent for a time, as if
they had finished the course of their vocation, until at length Daniel, a little
before the day of their deliverance, again came forth for the purpose of
inspiring the poor exiles with courage to return to their own country. To this
the prophet Isaiah seems to have an eye, when he says in the fortieth chapter
(<234001>Isaiah
40:1) of his prophecies at the beginning, “Comfort ye, comfort ye my
people, will your God say.” The verb, which is there in the future tense,
shows that the prophets were enjoined to hold their peace for a
time.
Psalm
74:1-8
1. O God! why hast thou cast
us off for ever? why doth thy anger smoke against the flock of thy pastures?
2. Remember thy congregation, which thou hast possessed of old, the rod
of thy inheritance which thou hast redeemed, this mount Zion on which thou hast
dwelt. 3. Lift up thy strokes to destroy for ever every enemy that
worketh mischief to thy sanctuary. 4. Thy adversaries have
roared
fc214 in the midst of thy sanctuaries; they
have set up their signs for signs. 5. He who lifted up the axes upon the
thick trees was renowned as doing an excellent work. 6. And now they
break in pieces the carved work thereof with axes and hammers together.
7. They have set on fire thy sanctuaries; they have polluted the
dwelling-place of thy name, levelling it with the ground. 8. They have
said in their heart, Let us destroy them all together: they have burned all the
tabernacles of God in the
land.
1.
O God! why hast thou east us off for ever?
If this complaint was written when the people were captives in Babylon,
although Jeremiah had assigned the 70th year of their captivity as the period of
their deliverance, it is not wonderful that waiting so long was to them a very
bitter affliction, that they daily groaned under it, and that so protracted a
period seemed to them like an eternity. As to those who were persecuted by the
cruelty of Antiochus, they might, not without reason, complain of the wrath of
God being perpetual, from their want of information as to any definite time when
this persecution would terminate; and especially when they saw the cruelty of
their enemies daily increasing without any hope of relief, and that their
condition was constantly proceeding from bad to worse. Having been before this
greatly reduced by the many disastrous wars, which their neighbors one after
another had waged against them, they were now brought almost to the brink of
utter destruction. It is to be observed, that the faithful, when persecuted by
the heathen nations, lifted up their eyes to God, as if all the evils which they
suffered had been inflicted by his hand alone. They were convinced, that had not
God been angry with them, the heathen nations would not have been permitted to
take such license in injuring them. Being persuaded, then, that they were not
encountering merely the opposition of flesh and blood, but that they were
afflicted by the just judgment of God, they direct their thoughts to the true
cause of all their calamities, which was, that God, under whose favor they had
formerly lived prosperous and happy, had cast them off, and deigned no longer to
account them as his flock. The verb
hnz,
zanach, signifies to reject and detest, and sometimes also
to withdraw one's self to a distance. It is of no great moment in which
of these senses it is here taken. We may consider the amount of what is stated
as simply this, that whenever we are visited with adversities, these are not the
arrows of fortune thrown against us at a venture, but the scourges or rods of
God which, in his secret and mysterious providence, he prepares and makes use of
for chastising our sins. Casting
off and
anger
must here be referred to the apprehension or judgment of the flesh. Properly
speaking, God is not angry with his elect, whose diseases he cures by
afflictions as it were by medicines; but as the chastisements which we
experience powerfully tend to produce in our minds apprehensions of his wrath,
the Holy Spirit, by the word anger, admonishes the faithful to
acknowledge their guilt in the presence of infinite purity. When, therefore, God
executes his vengeance upon us, it is our duty seriously to reflect on what we
have deserved, and to consider, that although He is not subject to the emotions
of anger, yet it is not owing to us, who have grievously offended him by our
sins, that his anger is not kindled against us. Moreover, his people, as a plea
for obtaining mercy, flee to the remembrance of the covenant by which they were
adopted to be his children. In calling themselves
the flock of God's
pastures, they magnify his free choice
of them by which they were separated from the Gentiles. This they express more
plainly in the following
verse.
2.
Remember thy congregation, which thou hast possessed of
old.
fc215 Here they boast of having been
the peculiar people of God, not on account of any merit of their own, but by the
grace of adoption. They boast in like manner of their antiquity, — that
they are not subjects who have come under the government of God only within a
few months ago, but such as had fallen to him by right of inheritance. The
longer the period during which he had continued his love towards the seed of
Abraham, the more fully was their faith confirmed. They declare, therefore, that
they had been God's people from the beginning, that is, ever since he had
entered into an inviolable covenant with Abraham. There is also added the
redemption by which the adoption was ratified; for God did not only signify by
word, but also showed by deed at the time when this redemption was effected,
that he was their King and Protector. These benefits which they had received
from God they set before themselves as an encouragement to their trusting in
him, and they recount them before him, the benefactor who bestowed them, as an
argument with him not to forsake the work of his own hands. Inspired with
confidence by the same benefits, they call themselves
the rod of his
inheritance; that is to say, the
heritage which he had measured out for himself. The allusion is to the custom
which then prevailed of measuring or marking out the boundaries of grounds with
poles as with cords or lines. Some would rather translate the word
fbç,
shebet, which we have rendered rod, by tribe; but I prefer the
other translation, taking the meaning to be, that God separated Israel from the
other nations to be his own proper ground, by the secret pre-ordination which
originated in his own good pleasure, as by a measuring rod. In the last place,
the temple in which God had promised to dwell is mentioned; not that his essence
was enclosed in that place, — an observation which has already been
frequently made, — but because his people experienced that there he was
near at hand, and present with them by his power and grace. We now clearly
perceive whence the people derived confidence in prayer; it was from God's free
election and promises, and from the sacred worship which had been set up among
them.
3.
Lift up thy strokes. Here the people of
God, on the other hand, beseech him to inflict a deadly wound upon their
enemies, corresponding to the cruelty with which they had raged against his
sanctuary. They would intimate, that a moderate degree of punishment was not
sufficient for such impious and sacrilegious fury; and that, therefore, those
who had shown themselves such violent enemies of the temple and of the
worshippers of God should be completely destroyed, their impiety being
altogether desperate. As the Holy Spirit has dictated this form of prayer, we
may infer from it, in the first place, the infinite love which God bears towards
us, when he is pleased to punish so severely the wrongs inflicted upon us; and,
in the second place, the high estimation in which he holds the worship yielded
to his Divine majesty, when he pursues with such rigour those who have violated
it. With respect to the words, some translate
µym[p,
pheamim, which we have rendered strokes, by feet or
steps,
fc216 and understand the Church as praying
that the Lord would lift up his feet, and run swiftly to strike her enemies.
Others translate it hammers,
fc217 which suits very well. I have,
however, no hesitation in following the opinion of those who consider the
reference to be to the act of striking, and that the strokes themselves are
denoted. The last clause of the verse is explained by some as meaning that the
enemy had corrupted all things in the
sanctuary.
fc218 But as this construction is not to be
found elsewhere, I would not depart from the received and approved
reading.
4.
Thy adversaries have roared
in the midst of thy sanctuaries. Here
the people of God compare their enemies to lions,
(<300308>Amos
3:8,) to point out the cruelty which they exercised even in the very sanctuaries
of God.
fc219 In this passage we are to understand
the temple of Jerusalem as spoken of rather than the Jewish synagogues; nor is
it any objection to this interpretation that the temple is here called in the
plural number sanctuaries, as is frequently the case in other places, it
being so called because it was divided into three parts. If any, however, think
it preferable to consider synagogues as intended, I would not dispute the point.
Yea, without any impropriety, it may be extended to the whole land, which God
had consecrated to himself. But the language is much more emphatic when we
consider the temple as meant. It thus intimates, that the rage of the enemy was
so unbounded and indiscriminate that they did not even spare the temple of God.
When it is said, They have set up
their signs,
fc220 this serves to show their
insulting and contemptuous conduct, that in erecting their standards they
proudly triumphed even over God himself. Some explain this of magical
divinations,
fc221 even as Ezekiel testifies,
(<262121>Ezekiel
21:21, 22,) that Nebuchadnezzar sought counsel from the flight and the voice of
birds; but this sense is too restricted. The explanation which I have given may
be viewed as very suitable. Whoever entered into the Holy Land knew that the
worship of God which flourished there was of a special character, and different
from that which was performed in any other part of the
world:
fc222 the temple was a token of the presence
of God, and by it he seemed, as if with banners displayed, to hold that people
under his authority and dominion. With these symbols, which distinguished the
chosen tribes from the heathen nations, the prophet here contrasts the
sacrilegious standards which their enemies had brought into the
temple.
fc223 By repeating the word signs
twice, he means to aggravate the abominable nature of their act; for having
thrown down the tokens and ensigns of the true service of God, they set up in
their stead strange symbols.
5.
He who lifted up the axe upon
the thick trees was renowned. The
prophet again aggravates still more the barbarous and brutal cruelty of the
enemies of his countrymen, from the circumstance, that they savagely demolished
an edifice which had been built at such vast expense, which was embellished with
such beauty and magnificence, and finished with so great labor and art. There is
some obscurity in the words; but the sense in which they are almost universally
understood is, that when the temple was about to be built, those who cut and
prepared the wood required for it were in great reputation and renown. Some take
the verb
aybm,
mebi, in an active sense, and explain the words as meaning that the
persons spoken of were illustrious and well known, as if they had offered
sacrifices to God. The thickness of the trees is set in opposition to the
polished beams, to show the more clearly with what exquisite art the rough and
unwrought timber was brought into a form of the greatest beauty and
magnificence. Or the prophet means, what I am inclined to think is the more
correct interpretation, that in the thick forests, where there was vast
abundance of wood, great care was taken in the selection of the trees, that none
might be cut down but such as were of the very best quality. May it not perhaps
be understood in this sense, That in these thick forests the trees to which the
axe was to be applied were well known and marked, as being already of great
height, and exposed to the view of beholders? Whatever may be as to this, the
prophet, there is no doubt, in this verse commends the excellence of the
material which was selected with such care, and was so exquisite, that it
attracted the gaze and excited the admiration of all who saw it; even as in the
following verse, by the carved or graven work is meant the beauty
of the building, which was finished with unequalled art, But now it is declared,
that the Chaldeans, with utter recklessness, made havoc with their axes upon
this splendid edifice, as if it had been their object to tread under foot the
glory of God by destroying so magnificent a
structure.
fc224
7.
They have set fire to thy
sanctuaries. The Psalmist now complains
that the temple was burned, and thus completely razed and destroyed, whereas it
was only half demolished by the instruments of war. Many have supposed that the
order of the words has been here
inverted,
fc225 not being able to perceive how a
suitable meaning could be elicited from them, and therefore would resolve them
thus, They have put fire into thy sanctuaries. I have, however, no doubt
that the sense which I have given, although the accent is against it, is the
true and natural one, That the temple was levelled with the ground by being
burned. This verse corroborates more fully the statement which I have made, that
the temple is called sanctuaries in the plural number, because it
consisted of three parts, — the innermost sanctuary, the middle sanctuary,
and the outer court; for there immediately follows the expression,
The dwelling-place of thy name.
The name of God is here employed to teach us
that his essence was not confined to or shut up in the temple, but that he dwelt
in it by his power and operation, that the people might there call upon him with
the greater
confidence.
8.
They have said in their heart, Let us destroy them all
together. To express the more forcibly
the atrocious cruelty of the enemies of the Church, the prophet introduces them
speaking together, and exciting one another to commit devastation without limit
or measure. His language implies, that each of them, as if they had not
possessed enough of courage to do mischief, stirred up and stimulated his fellow
to waste and destroy the whole of God's people, without leaving so much as one
of them. In the close of the verse he asserts that all the synagogues were
burned. I readily take the Hebrew word
µyd[wm,
moadim, in the sense of
synagogues,
fc226 because he says ALL the
sanctuaries, and speaks expressly of the whole land. It is a frigid
explanation which is given by some, that these enemies, upon finding that they
could not hurt or do violence to the sanctuary of God in heaven, turned their
rage against the material temple or synagogues. The prophet simply complains
that they were so intent upon blotting out the name of God, that they left not a
single corner on which there was not the mark of the hand of violence. The
Hebrew word
µyd[wm,
moadim, is commonly taken for the sanctuary; but when we
consider its etymology, it is not inappropriately applied to those places
where the holy assemblies were wont to be held, not only for reading and
expounding the prophets, but also for calling upon the name of God. The wicked,
as if the prophet had said, have done all in their power to extinguish and
annihilate the worship of God in
Judea.
Psalm
74:9-12
9. We see not our signs:
there is no longer a prophet, nor any with us that knoweth how long. 10.
How long, O God! shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy
name for ever? 11. How long wilt thou withdraw thy hand, and thy right
hand? in the midst of thy bosom consume
them.
fc228 12. But God is my King from the
beginning, working deliverances in the midst of the
earth.
9.
We see not our
signs. Here the pious Jews show that
their calamities were aggravated from the circumstance that they had no
consolation by which to alleviate them. It is a powerful means of encouraging
the children of God, when he enables them to cherish the hope of his being
reconciled to them, by promising, that even in the midst of his wrath he will
remember his mercy. Some limit the signs here spoken of to the miracles
by which God had in the days of old testified, at the very time when he was
afflicting his people, that he would, notwithstanding, still continue to be
gracious to them. But the faithful rather complain that he had removed from them
the tokens of his favor, and had in a manner hidden his face from
them.
fc227 We are overwhelmed with darkness, as if
the prophet had said, because thou, O God! dost not make thy face to shine upon
us as thou hast been accustomed to do. Thus it is common for us to speak of
persons giving us signs either of their love or of their hatred. In short, God's
people here complain not only that the time was cloudy and dark, but also that
they were enveloped in darkness so thick, that there did not appear so much as a
single ray of light. As to be assured by the prophets of future deliverance was
one of the chief signs of God's favor, they lament that there is no longer a
prophet to foresee the end of their calamities. From this we learn that the
office of imparting consolation was committed to the prophets, that they might
lift up the hearts which were cast down with sorrow, by inspiring them with the
hope of Divine mercy. They were, it is true, heralds and witnesses of the wrath
of God to drive the obstinate and rebellious to repentance by threatenings and
terrors. But had they merely and without qualification denounced the vengeance
of God, their doctrine, which was appointed and intended for the salvation of
the people, would have only been the means of their destruction. Accordingly,
the foretelling of the issue of calamities while yet hidden in the future, is
ascribed to them as a part of their office; for temporary punishments are the
fatherly chastisements of God, and the consideration that they are temporary
alleviates sorrow; but his continual displeasure causes poor and wretched
sinners to sink into utter despair. If, therefore, we also would find matter for
patience and consolation, when we are under the chastening hand of God, let us
learn to fix our eyes on this moderation on the part of God, by which he
encourages us to entertain good hope; and from it let us rest assured, that
although he is angry, yet he ceases not to be a father. The correction which
brings deliverance does not inflict unmitigated grief: the sadness which it
produces is mingled with joy. This end all the prophets endeavored to keep in
view in the doctrine which they delivered. They, no doubt, often make use of
very hard and severe language in their dealings with the people, in order, by
inspiring them with terror, to break and subdue their rebellion; but whenever
they see men humbled, they immediately address them in words of consolation,
which, however, would be no consolation at all, were they not encouraged to hope
for future deliverance.
The question may here be
asked, whether God, with the view of assuaging the sadness arising from the
chastisement, which he inflicted, always determined the number of years and days
during which they would last? To this I answer, that although the prophets have
not always marked out and defined a fixed time, yet they frequently gave the
people assurance that deliverance was near at hand; and, moreover, all of them
spoke of the future restoration of the Church. If it is again objected, that the
people in their affliction did wrong in not applying to themselves the general
promises, which it is certain were the common property of all ages, I answer,
that as it was God's usual way to send in every affliction a messenger to
announce the tidings of deliverance, the people, when at the present time no
prophet appeared to be expressly sent for that purpose, not without cause
complain that they were deprived of the signs of the Divine favor which they had
been accustomed to enjoy. Until the coming of Christ it was highly necessary
that the memory of the promised deliverance should be renewed in every age, to
show the people of God that to whatever afflictions they might be subjected, he
still continued to care for them, and would afford them
succor.
10.
How long, O God! shall the adversary
reproach? Here it is intimated that
nothing inflicted upon them greater anguish than when they saw the name of God
blasphemed by the ungodly. By this manner of praying, the object of the inspired
writer was to kindle in our hearts a zeal for maintaining the Divine glory. We
are naturally too delicate and tender for bearing calamities; but it is a
decided proof of genuine godliness, when the contumely which is cast upon God
grieves and disquiets our minds more than all our own personal sufferings. The
poor Jews, there can be no doubt, were assailed with more kinds of reproach than
one under a most cruel tyrant, and amongst a barbarous nation. But the prophet,
speaking in the person of the whole Church, makes almost no account of the
reproaches cast upon the people in comparison of the execrable blasphemies
directed against God; according to the statement contained in
<196909>Psalm
69:9, “The reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon
me.” The phrase for ever is again added; for when the ungodly
continue long unpunished, this has a hardening effect, and renders them more
audacious, especially when the revilings which they pour forth against God seem
to pass unnoticed by him. It is, therefore, added immediately after in the 11th
verse,
11.
How long wilt thou withdraw thy
hand? It is easy to see what the prophet
here intends, and yet interpreters are not agreed as to the words. Some by the
word hand, in the first part of the verse, understand the left hand,
to distinguish it from the right hand, mentioned in the last clause
of the verse. But this is mere trifling; for when he uses the term right
hand, he simply repeats the same thing according to his usual manner. Some
translate the verb
hlk,
kalah, the last word of the verse, by hinder or restrain,
as if the prophet had said, Do thou at length stretch forth thy hand, which
has been kept too long in thy bosom. But this is a forced sense, to which they
have recourse without any color of reason. Those who translate it consume
understand the midst of God's bosom, as denoting allegorically his
temple,
fc229 an interpretation of which I cannot
approve. It will be better to continue the interrogation to the last word in
this way: “How long wilt thou withdraw thy hand? Yea, wilt thou withdraw
it from the midst of thy bosom? Consume, therefore, these ungodly men who so
proudly despise thee.” We may also not improperly view the words as a
prayer that as God's enemies persuaded themselves that he was slothful and idle,
because he did not bestir himself, nor openly lift up his hand; he would cause
them to feel that he was perfectly able to destroy them with his nod alone,
although he should not move so much as a
finger.
12.
But God is my King from the
beginning. In this verse, as we have
often seen to be the case in other places, the people of God intermingle
meditations with their prayers, thereby to acquire renewed vigor to their faith,
and to stir up themselves to greater earnestness in the duty of prayer. We know
how difficult it is to rise above all doubts, and boldly to persevere in a free
and unrestrained course of prayer. Here, then, the faithful call to remembrance
the proofs of God's mercy and working, by which he certified, through a
continued series of ages, that he was the King and Protector of the people whom
he had chosen. By this example we are taught, that as it is not enough to pray
with the lips unless we also pray in faith, we ought always to remember the
benefits by which God has given a confirmation of his fatherly love towards us,
and should regard them as so many testimonies of his electing love. It is quite
clear that the title King, which is here applied to God, ought not
to be restricted merely to his sovereignty. He is addressed by this appellation
because he had taken upon him the government of the Jewish people, in order to
preserve and maintain them in safety. We have already stated what is implied in
the words, from the
beginning.
By the midst of the
earth some think that Judea is intended,
because it was situated as it were in the midst of the habitable globe. There is
no doubt that it is to be understood of a place which stands prominently in
view. We find the expression used in this sense in these words which God
commanded Moses to speak to
Pharaoh,
“And I will sever in
that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies
shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the Lord in the midst of
the
earth,”
(<020822>Exodus
8:22.)
The simple and natural meaning,
therefore, is, that God had wrought in behalf of the chosen people many
deliverances, which were as open and manifest as if they had been exhibited on a
conspicuous theater.
Psalm
74:13-17
13. Thou hast divided the
sea by thy
fc230 power: thou hast broken the heads of
the dragons
fc231 upon the waters. 14. Thou hast
broken the head
fc232 of
Leviathan
fc233 in pieces, and hast given him for food
to thy people in the wilderness. 15. Thou hast cleaved [or divided] the
fountain and the torrent: thou hast dried up mighty rivers. 16. The day
is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast
ordained
fc234 the
light
fc235 and the sun. 17. Thou hast set
[or fixed] all the boundaries of the earth: thou hast made the summer and the
winter.
13.
Thou hast divided the sea by thy
power. The prophet now collects together
certain kinds of deliverances highly worthy of remembrance; all of them,
however, belonging to the first deliverance by which God emancipated his people
from the tyranny of Egypt. We will find him afterwards descending to the general
commendation of the goodness of God which is diffused through the whole world.
Thus from the special grace which God vouchsafes to his Church, he passes on to
speak of the good-will which he displays towards all mankind. In the first
place, he says, Thou hast
divided, or cleaved, the sea.
Some think that the following clause is subjoined as an effect of what is
stated in the first clause, — God, by drying up the sea, having caused the
whales and other great fishes to die. I am, however, of opinion, that it is to
be taken metaphorically for Pharaoh and his army; this mode of expression being
very common among the prophets, especially when they speak of the Egyptians,
whose country was washed by a sea abounding with fish, and divided by the Nile.
Pharaoh is, therefore, not improperly termed
Leviathan,
fc236 on account of the advantages of
the sea possessed by his country, and because, in reigning over that land with
great splendor, he might be compared to a whale moving up and down at its ease
in the midst of the waters of the mighty
ocean.
fc237 As God put forth his power at that time
for the deliverance of the people, to assure the Church that he would always be
her protector and the guardian of her welfare, the encouragement afforded by
this example ought not to be limited exclusively to one age. It is, therefore,
with good reason applied to the descendants of that ancient race, that they
might improve it as a means of confirming and establishing their faith. The
prophet does not here recount all the miracles which God had wrought at the
departure of the people from the land of Egypt; but in adverting to some of
them, he comprehends by the figure synecdoche, all that Moses has narrated
concerning them at greater length. When he says that leviathan was given for
food to the Israelites, and that even in the
wilderness,
fc238 there is a beautiful allusion to the
destruction of Pharaoh and his host. It is as if he had said, that then a
bountiful provision of victuals was laid up for the nourishment of the people;
for when their enemies were destroyed, the quiet and security which the people
in consequence enjoyed served, so to speak, as food to prolong their life. By
the wilderness, is not meant the countries lying on the sea coast, though
they are dry and barren, but the deserts at a great distance from the sea. The
same subject is prosecuted in the following verse, where it is declared, that
the fountain was cleaved or divided, that is, it was so when God
caused a stream of water to gush from the rock to supply the wants of the
people.
fc239 Finally, it is added, that
mighty rivers
fc240 were dried up, an event which
happened when God caused the waters of the Jordan to turn back to make a way for
his people to pass over. Some would have the Hebrew word
ˆtya,
ethan, which signifies mighty, to be a proper name, as if the
correct translation were rivers of Ethan; but this interpretation is
altogether without
foundation.
16.
The day is thine, the night also is thine.
The prophet now descends to the consideration of the divine benefits which
are extended in common to all mankind. Having commenced with the special
blessings by which God manifested himself to be the Father of his chosen people,
he now aptly declares that God exercises his beneficence towards the whole human
family. He teaches us, that it is not by chance that the days and nights succeed
each other in regular succession, but that this order was established by the
appointment of God. The secondary cause of these phenomena is added, being that
arrangement by which God has invested the sun with the power and office of
illuminating the earth; for after having spoken of the light he adds
the sun, as the principal means of communicating it, and, so to speak,
the chariot in which it is brought when it comes to show itself to
men.
fc241 As then the incomparable goodness of
God towards the human race clearly shines forth in this beautiful arrangement,
the prophet justly derives from it an argument for strengthening and
establishing his trust in God.
17.
Thou hast
fixed
fc242 all the boundaries of
the earth. What is here stated
concerning the boundaries or limits assigned to the earth, and concerning the
regular and successive recurrence of summer and winter every year, is to the
same effect as the preceding verse. It is doubtful whether the prophet means the
uttermost ends of the world, or whether he speaks of the particular boundaries
by which countries are separate from each other. Although the latter are often
disturbed by the violence of men, whose insatiable cupidity and ambition cannot
be restrained by any of the lines of demarcation which exist in the world, but
are always endeavoring to break through
them;
fc243 yet God manifests his singular goodness
in assigning to each nation its own territory upon which to dwell. I am,
however, rather of opinion, that the clause is to be understood of those bounds
which cannot be confounded at the will of men, and consider the meaning to be,
that God has allotted to men as much space of earth as he has seen to be
sufficient for them to dwell upon. Farther, the well regulated successions of
summer and winter clearly indicate with what care and benignity God has provided
for the necessities of the human family. From this, the prophet justly
concludes, that nothing is more improbable than that God should neglect to act
the part of a father towards his own flock and
household.
Psalm
74:18-23
18. Remember this: the
adversary hath blasphemed Jehovah: and a worthless people hath done despite to
thy name. 19. Give not to the beast the soul of thy turtle dove: forget
not the congregation of thy poor ones for ever. 20. Have regard to thy
covenant: for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of
violence. 21. Let not him who is oppressed [or afflicted] return ashamed:
let the poor and needy one praise thy name. 22. Arise, O God! Plead thy
cause: remember thy reproach, which is done to thee by the foolish man daily.
23. Forget not the voice of thy adversaries: the tumult of those who rise
up against thee ascendeth
continually.
18.
Remember this. The prophet having
encouraged the hearts of the godly by magnifying the divine power and goodness,
now returns to the prosecution of his prayer. He first complains that the
enemies of his people revile God, and yet continue unpunished. When he says,
Remember
this, the manner of expression is
emphatic; and the occasion demanded it, for it is not a crime of small magnitude
to treat with contumely the sacred name of God. For the sake of contrast, he
states that it was a worthless or foolish people who thus presumed
insolently to pour forth their reproaches against God. The Hebrew word
lbn,
nabal, denotes not only a foolish man, but also a wicked and
infamous person. The prophet, therefore, justly describes the despisers of
God as people who are vile and
worthless.
19.
Give not to the beast the soul of
thy turtle dove. The Hebrew word
tyj,
chayath, which we translate beast, signifies sometimes the soul
or life, and so some explain it in the second clause of this verse,
where it again occurs. But it is here unquestionably to be taken either for a
wild beast or for a multitude. Understood in either of these ways,
this form of expression will contain a very apposite comparison between the life
of a weak and timorous bird, and a powerful army of men, or a cruel beast. The
Church is compared to a turtle
dove
fc244 for, although the faithful
consisted of a considerable number, yet so far were they from matching their
enemies, that, on the contrary, they were exposed to them as a prey. It is next
added, Forget not the soul or
congregation of thy poor ones. The
Hebrew word
tyj,
chayath, is again employed, and there is an elegance when, on account of
its ambiguity, it is used twice in the same verse, but in different senses. I
have preferred translating it congregation, rather than soul,
because the passage seems to be a prayer that it would please God to watch
over and defend his own small flock from the mighty hosts of their
enemies.
fc245
20.
Have regard to thy covenant. That God
may be the more inclined to show mercy, the prophet brings to his remembrance
the Divine covenant; even as the refuge of the saints, when they have found
themselves involved in extreme dangers, has always been to hope for deliverance,
because God had promised, in the covenant which he made with them, to be a
father to then, From this we learn, that the only firm support on which our
prayers can rest is, that God has adopted us to be his people by his free
choice. Whence, also, it appears how devilish was the phrensy of that filthy dog
Servetus, who was not ashamed to affirm that it is foolish, and gross mockery,
to lay before God his own promises when we are engaged in prayer. Farther, the
godly Jews again show us how severely they were afflicted, when they declare
that violence and oppression were everywhere prevalent; as if all places were
the haunts of cut-throats and the dens of
robbers.
fc246 It is said
the dark places of the
earth; for, whenever God seems to hide
his face, the wicked imagine that whatever wickedness they may commit, they will
find, wherever they may be, hiding-places by which to cover it
all.
21.
Let not him who is oppressed return with
shame. The word return, as it has
a reference to God, is equivalent to the expression, to go away empty.
The faithful, then, beseech Him that they may not be put to shame by
suffering a repulse at his hands. They call themselves afflicted, poor,
and needy, as an argument to obtain the Divine favor and mercy. It
is, however, to be observed, that they do not speak insincerely, nor give an
exaggerated representation of their distresses, but intimate, that by so many
calamities they were brought to such a low condition, that there no longer
remained for them any quarter in the world from which they could expect any
help. By this example, we are taught that when we are reduced to the greatest
extremity, there is a remedy always ready for our misery, in calling upon
God.
22.
Arise, O God! plead thy
cause. The pious Jews again supplicate
God to ascend into his judgment-seat. He is then said to arise, when,
after having long exercised forbearance, he shows, in very deed, that he has not
forgotten his office as judge. To induce him to undertake this cause the more
readily, they call upon him to maintain his own right. Lord, as if they had
said, since the matter in hand is what peculiarly concerns thyself; it is not
time for thee to remain inactive. They declare, at the same time, how this was,
in a special sense, the cause of God. It was so, because the foolish people
daily cast reproaches upon him. We may here again translate the word
lbn,
nabal, the worthless people, instead of the foolish people. The
wickedness charged against the persons spoken of is aggravated from the
circumstance, that, not content with reproaching God on one occasion, they
continued their derision and mockery without intermission. For this reason, the
faithful conclude by invoking God that he would not forget such heaven-daring
conduct in men who not only had the audacity to reproach his majesty, but who
fiercely and outrageously poured forth their blasphemies against him. They
seemed, it is true, to do this indirectly; but, as they despised God, it is
asserted that they rose up against him with reckless and infatuated
presumption, after the manner of the Giants of old, and that their haughtiness
was carried to the greatest excess.
PSALM
75
It affords matter of rejoicing and thanksgiving to
the whole Church, to reflect that the world is governed exclusively according to
the will of God, and that she herself is sustained by his grace and power alone.
Encouraged by this consideration, she triumphs over the proud despisers of God,
who, by their infatuated presumption, are driven headlong into all manner of
excess.
To the chief
musician. Destroy not. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
Psalm
75:1-7
1. We will praise thee, O
God! we will praise thee: and
fc247 thy name is near: they will declare [or
recount
fc248] thy wondrous works. 2. When I
shall have taken the congregation,
fc249 I will judge
righteously.
fc250 3. The earth is dissolved, and
all its inhabitants: I will establish
fc251 the pillars of it. 4. I said to
the fools, Act not foolishly: and to the ungodly, Lift not up the horn.
5. Lift not up your horn on high; and speak not with a stiff neck. 6.
For exaltations come neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the
wilderness.
fc252 7. For God is
judge:
fc253 he bringeth low, and he setteth
up.
1.
We will praise thee, O God! With respect
to the inscription of this psalm, I have sufficiently spoken when explaining the
57th psalm. As to the author of it, this is a point, in the determination of
which, I am not inclined to give myself much trouble. Whoever he was, whether
David or some other prophet, he breaks forth at the very commencement into the
language of joy and thanksgiving:
We will praise thee, O God! we
will praise thee. The repetition serves
the more forcibly to express his strong affection and his ardent zeal in singing
the praises of God. The verbs in the Hebrew are in the past tense; but the
subject of the psalm requires that they should be translated into the future;
which may be done in perfect consistency with the idiom of the Hebrew language.
The inspired writer, however, may declare that God had been praised among his
people for the benefits which he had bestowed in the times of old, the design
being thereby to induce God to persevere in acting in the same manner, that thus
continuing like himself, he might from time to time afford his people new matter
for celebrating his praises. The change of the person in the concluding part of
the verse has led some interpreters to supply the relative pronoun
rça,
asher, who, as if the reading were,
O Lord! we will praise thee; and
thy name is near to those who declare thy wondrous
works.
fc254 But the prophet, I have no
doubt, puts the verb they will declare, indefinitely, that is to say,
without determining the person;
fc255 and he has used the copula and
instead of the causal participle for, as is frequently done. His
meaning, then, may be brought out very appropriately th We will praise thee, O
God! for thy name is near; and, therefore, thy wondrous works shall be declared.
He, no doubt, means that the same persons whom he said would celebrate the
praise of God, would be the publishers of his wonderful works. And, certainly,
God, in displaying his power, opens the mouths of his servants to recount his
works. In short, the design is to intimate that there is just ground for
praising God, who shows himself to be at hand to afford succor to his people.
The name of God, as is well known, is taken for his power; and
his presence, or nearness, is judged of by the assistance which he
grants to his people in the time of their
need.
2.
When I shall have taken the congregation.
The Hebrew verb
d[y,
yaäd, signifies to appoint a place or day, and the
noun
d[wm,
moed, derived from it, which is here used, signifies both holy
assemblies, or a congregation of the faithful assembled together in the
name of the Lord, and festival, or appointed solemn days. As
it is certain that God is here introduced as speaking, either of these senses
will agree with the scope of the passage. It may be viewed as denoting either
that having gathered his people to himself, he will restore to due order matters
which were in a state of distraction and confusion, or else that he will make
choice of a fit time for exercising his judgment. In abandoning his people for a
season to the will of their enemies, he seems to forsake them and to exercise no
care about them; so that they are like a flock of sheep which is scattered, and
wanders hither and thither without a shepherd. It being his object, then, to
convey in these words a promise that he would remedy such a confused state of
things, he very properly commences with the gathering together of his Church. If
any choose rather to understand the word
d[wm,
moed, as referring to
time
fc256 God is to be understood as admonishing
his people, that it is their bounden duty to exercise patience until he actually
show that the proper time is come for correcting vices, since he only has the
years and days in his own power, and knows best the fit juncture and moment for
performing this work. The interpretation to which I most incline is, That, to
determine the end and measure of calamities, and the best season of rising up
for the deliverance of his people, — matters, the determination of which
men would willingly claim for themselves, — is reserved by God in his own
hands, and is entirely subject to his own will. At the same time, I am very well
satisfied with the former interpretation, which refers the passage to the
gathering together of the Church. Nor ought it to seem absurd or harsh that God
is here introduced as returning an answer to the prayers of his people. This
graphic representation, by which they are made to speak in the first verse,
while he is introduced as speaking in the second, is much more forcible than if
the prophet had simply said, that God would at length, and at the determined
time, show himself to be the protector of his Church, and gather her together
again when she should be scattered and rent in pieces. The amount, in short, is,
that although God may not succor his own people immediately, yet he never
forgets them, but only delays until the fit time arrive, the redress which he
has in readiness for them. To judge righteously, is just to restore to a
better state matters which are embroiled and disordered. Thus Paul
says,
“Seeing it is a
righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; and
to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from
heaven with his mighty angels.”
(<530106>2
Thessalonians 1:6, 7)
God, therefore, declares
that it is his office to set in order and adjust those things which are in
confusion, that, entertaining this expectation, we may be sustained and
comforted by means of it in all our
afflictions.
3.
The earth is dissolved, and all its
inhabitants. Many commentators are of
opinion that these words are properly applicable to Christ, at whose coming it
behoved the earth and its inhabitants to be shaken. He reigns, as we know, that
he may destroy the old man, and he commences his spiritual kingdom with the
destruction of the flesh; but he conducts his administration in such a manner as
that afterwards there follows the restoration of the new man. Of the second part
of the verse, I will establish
the pillars of it, they make the same
application, explaining it as if Christ had said, As soon as I come into the
world, the earth with its inhabitants shall melt and be dissolved; but
immediately after I will establish it upon firm and solid foundations; for my
elect ones, renewed by my Spirit, shall no longer be like grass or withered
flowers, but shall have conferred upon them new and unwonted stability. I do
not, however, think that such a refined interpretation ever entered into the
mind of the prophet, whose words I consider as simply meaning, that although the
earth may be dissolved, God has the props or supports of it in his own hand.
This verse is connected with the preceding; for it confirms the truth that God
in due time will manifest himself to be an impartial and righteous judge; it
being an easy matter for him, although the whole fabric of the world were fallen
into ruins, to rebuild it from its decayed materials. At the same time, I have
no doubt that there is a reference to the actual state of things in the natural
world. The earth occupies the lowest place in the celestial sphere, and yet
instead of having foundations on which it is supported, is it not rather
suspended in the midst of the air? Besides, since so many waters penetrate and
pass through its veins, would it not be dissolved were it not established by the
secret power of God? While, however, the prophet alludes to the natural state of
the earth, he, nevertheless, rises higher, teaching us, that were the world even
in ruins, it is in the power of God to re-establish
it.
4.
I said to the fools, Act not
foolishly.
fc257 After he has set the office of
God full in his own view and in the view of the faithful, he now triumphs over
all the ungodly, whom he impeaches of madness and blind rage, the effect of
their despising God, which leads them to indulge to excess in pride and
self-gloriation. This holy boasting to which he gives utterance depends upon the
judgment, which in the name of God he denounced to be at hand; for when the
people of God expect that he is coming to execute judgment, and are persuaded
that he will not long delay his coming, they glory even in the midst of their
oppressions. The madness of the wicked may boil over and swell with rage, and
pour forth floods to overwhelm them; but it is enough for them to know that
their life is protected by the power of God, who can with the most perfect ease
humble all pride, and restrain the most daring and presumptuous attempts. The
faithful here deride and despise whatever the wicked plot and conspire to
execute, and bid them desist from their madness; and in calling upon them to do
this, they intimate that they are making all this stir and commotion in vain,
resembling madmen, who are drawn hither and thither by their own distempered
imaginations. It is to be observed, that the Psalmist represents pride as the
cause or mother of all rash and audacious enterprises. The reason why men rush
with such recklessness upon unlawful projects most certainly is, that blinded by
pride, they form an undue and exaggerated estimate of their own power. This
being a malady which is not easily eradicated from the hearts of men, the
admonition, Lift not up your horn
on high
fc258
is repeated once and again. They are next enjoined
not to speak with a fat or a
stiff neck; by which is meant that they
should not speak harshly and
injuriously;
fc259 for it is usual with proud persons to
erect the neck and raise the head when they pour forth their menaces. Others
translate the words, Speak not stiffly with your neck; but the other
translation is the more correct.
6.
For exaltations come neither
from the east nor from the west.
fc260 The prophet here furnishes an
admirable remedy for correcting pride, when he teaches us that promotion or
advancement proceeds not from the earth but from God alone. That which most
frequently blinds the eyes of men is, their gazing about on the right hand and
on the left, and their gathering together from all quarters riches and other
resources, that, strengthened with these, they may be able to gratify their
desires and lusts. The prophet, therefore, affirms, that in not rising above the
world, they are laboring under a great mistake, since it is God alone who has
the power to exalt and to abase. “This,” it may be said,
“seems to be at variance with common experience, it being the fact, that
the majority of men who attain to the highest degrees of honor, owe their
elevation either to their own policy and underhand dealing, or to popular favor
and partiality, or to other means of an earthly kind. What is brought forward as
the reason of this assertion, God is judge, seems also to be
unsatisfactory.” I answer, that although many attain to exalted stations
either by unlawful arts, or by the aid of worldly instrumentality, yet that does
not happen by chance; such persons being advanced to their elevated position by
the secret purpose of God, that forthwith he may scatter them like refuse or
chaff. The prophet does not simply attribute judgment to God. He also
defines what kind of judgment it is, affirming it to consist in this, that,
casting down one man and elevating another to dignity, he orders the affairs of
the human race as seemeth good in his sight. I have stated that the
consideration of this is the means by which haughty spirits are most effectually
humbled; for the reason why worldly men have the daring to attempt whatever
comes into their minds is, because they conceive of God as shut up in heaven,
and think not that they are kept under restraint by his secret providence. In
short, they would divest him of all sovereign power, that they might find a free
and an unimpeded course for the gratification of their lusts. To teach us then,
with all moderation and humility, to remain contented with our own condition,
the Psalmist clearly defines in what the judgment of God, or the order which he
observes in the government of the world, consists, telling us that it belongs to
him alone to exalt or to abase those of mankind whom he
pleases.
From this it follows that all those
who, spreading the wings of their vanity, aspire after any kind of exaltation,
without any regard to or dependence upon God, are chargeable with robbing him as
much as in them lies of his prerogative and power. This is very apparent, not
only from their frantic counsels, but also from the blasphemous boastings in
which they indulge, saying, Who shall hinder me? What shall withstand me? as if,
forsooth! it were not an easy matter for God, with his nod alone, suddenly to
cast a thousand obstacles in their way, with which to render ineffectual all
their efforts. As worldly men by their fool-hardihood and perverse devices are
chargeable with endeavoring to despoil God of his royal dignity, so whenever we
are dismayed at their threatenings, we are guilty of wickedly setting limits to
the sovereignty and power of God. If, whenever we hear the wind blowing with any
degree of violence,
fc261 we are as much frightened as if we were
stricken with a thunderbolt from heaven, such extreme readiness to be thrown
into a state of consternation manifestly shows that we do not as yet thoroughly
understand the nature of that government which God exercises over the world. We
would, no doubt, be ashamed to rob him of the title of judge; yea, there is
almost no individual who would not shrink with horror at the thought of so great
a blasphemy; and yet, when our natural understanding has extorted from us the
confession that he is the judge and the supreme ruler of the world, we conceive
of him as holding only a kind of inactive sovereignty, which I know not how to
characterise, as if he did not govern mankind by his power and wisdom. But the
man who believes it to be an established principle that God disposes of all men
as seemeth good in his sight, and shapes to every man his condition in this
world, will not stop at earthly means: he will look above and beyond these to
God. The improvement which should be made of this doctrine is, that the godly
should submit themselves wholly to God, and beware of being lifted up with vain
confidence. When they see the impious waxing proud, let them not hesitate to
despise their foolish and infatuated presumption. Again, although God has in his
own hand sovereign power and authority, so that he can do whatever he pleases,
yet he, is styled judge, to teach us that he governs the affairs of
mankind with the most perfect equity. Whence it follows, that every man who
abstains from inflicting injuries and committing deeds of mischief, may, when he
is injured and treated unjustly, betake himself to the judgment-seat of
God.
Psalm
75:8-10
8. For in the hand of
Jehovah there is a cup, and the wine is turbid, [or full of
dregs:
fc262] it is full of mixture, and he shall
pour forth of it: surely they shall wring out the dregs of it, and all the
wicked of the earth shall drink of it. 9. But I will publish for ever,
and will sing praise to the God of Jacob. 10. And I will break all the
horns of the wicked: but the horns of the righteous shall be
exalted.
8.
For in the hand of Jehovah there is a
cup.
fc263 The Psalmist here applies more
directly to the use of the godly that judgment of which he has just now spoken.
He affirms, that the object for which God reigns is, that no iniquity may remain
unpunished; but that when wicked men have broken through all restraint and
abandoned themselves to wickedness, he may drag them to deserved punishment.
From this we again learn what estimate we ought to form of the providence of God
— that we ought to regard it as exercising its control by an ever-present
energy over every part of our life. It is therefore asserted that God has in his
hand a cup with which to make the wicked drunk. The word
rmj,
chamar, signifies full of dregs, and also red. As red wine
among the Jews was the strongest and sharpest, we may suppose that it is here
referred to; and the similitude is very appropriate, which represents God as
having in his hand wine of a highly intoxicating character, with which to make
the ungodly drunk even to death. It is implied, that the swiftness of divine
vengeance is incredible, resembling the rapidity and power with which strong
wine penetrates to the brain, and either produces madness or kindles a fever. It
is on this account said, that the wine in God's cup is of a red color; as it is
said in
<202331>Proverbs
23:31,
“Look not upon the
wine when it is red in the cup.”
Nor is it any objection to this that it is described
a little after as full of mixture. These two things do not ill agree with
each other; first, that the wicked are suddenly made drunk with the vengeance of
God; and, secondly, that they drink it out even to the dregs, until they perish.
Some give a different explanation of the term mixture, considering, but
without any just ground, the allusion to be to the custom which prevails in warm
climates of diluting wine with water. This expression, it is full of mixture,
was rather added to give additional force to the statement of the prophet;
his object being to compare the vehemence and fury of God's wrath to spiced
wine.
fc264 By these figures he intimates that it
will be impossible for the ungodly to escape drinking the cup which God will put
into their hands, and that they will be compelled to drain it to the last
drop.
9. and 10.
But I will publish for
ever. This conclusion of the psalm
evinces the joy which God's people felt from having experienced that He was
their deliverer in adversity; for it seems to be their own experience which they
engage to publish, and on account of which they resolve to sing praise to God.
Whence also they gather, that by the divine aid they will overcome all the power
of the reprobate; and that being themselves possessed of righteousness and
equity, they will be sufficiently armed for their own preservation and defense.
The expression, the horns of the
righteous shall be exalted,
fc265 implies, that the children of
God, by a blameless and holy life, acquire greater strength, and more
effectually protect themselves than if it were their endeavor to advance their
own interests by every species of wickedness.
PSALM
76
There is here celebrated the grace and truth of God
in having, according to his promise that he would be the protector of the city
of Jerusalem, defended it by his wonderful power against enemies, who were
renowned for their warlike valor, and well equipped with everything requisite
for war. fc266
To the chief
musician upon Neginoth. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
This psalm, it is probable, was composed after the
death of David; and, accordingly, some think that what is here described is that
deliverance of the Jews from the Ammonites which took place in the reign of king
Jehoshaphat. But I am rather inclined to adopt a different opinion, and to refer
the psalm to that deliverance which they obtained from the Assyrians, recorded
in 2 Kings 19. The Assyrians, under the conduct of Sennacherib, not only invaded
Judea, but also made a violent assault upon the city of Jerusalem, the capital
of the kingdom. The result of this is well known. They were compelled to raise
the siege by the miraculous interference of God, who in one night destroyed that
army with dreadful slaughter by the hand of his angel,
(<121935>2
Kings 19:35.)
fc267 Hence the prophet, not inappropriately,
affirms that God broke the arrows, the swords, and the shields. The point,
however, which is chiefly necessary to be known and attended to is, that the
continual care of God in defending the Church, which he has chosen, is here
celebrated to encourage the faithful without any doubt or hesitation to glory in
his protection.
Psalm
76:1-6
1. God is known in Judah; his
name is great in Israel. 2. And his tabernacle was in Salem, and his
dwelling-place in Zion. 3. There he broke the arrows of the bow, the
shield, and the sword, and the battle. Selah. 4. Thou art more glorious
and terrible than the mountains of prey. 5. The stout hearted were
spoiled, they slept their sleep,
fc268 and all the men of might have not found
their hands. 6. At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob! the chariot and the horse
were cast into a deep
sleep.
1.
God is known in Judah. In the outset, we
are taught that it was not by human means that the enemies of Israel were
compelled to retire without accomplishing any thing, but by the
ever-to-be-remembered aid of Jehovah. Whence came
that knowledge of God and the
greatness of his name which are spoken
of, but because He stretched forth his hand in an extraordinary manner, to make
it openly manifest that both the chosen people and the city were under his
defense and protection? It is therefore asserted, that the glory of God was
conspicuously displayed when the enemies of Israel were discomfited by such a
miraculous interposition.
2.
And his tabernacle was in
Salem. Here the reason is assigned why
God, putting the Assyrians to flight, vouchsafed to deliver the city of
Jerusalem, and to take it under his protection. The reason is, because he had
there chosen for himself a dwelling-place, in which his name was to be called
upon. The amount, in short, is, first, that men had no ground to arrogate to
themselves any share in the deliverance of the city here portrayed, God having
strikingly showed that all the glory was his own, by displaying from heaven his
power in the sight of all men; and, secondly, that he was induced to oppose his
enemies from no other consideration but that of his free choice of the Jewish
nation. God having, by this example, testified that his power is invincible for
preserving his Church, it is a call and an encouragement to all the faithful to
repose with confidence under his shadow. If his name is precious to himself, it
is no ordinary pledge and security which he gives to our faith when he assures
us that it is his will that the greatness of his power should be known in the
preservation of his Church. Moreover, as the Church is a distinguished theater
on which the Divine glory is displayed, we must always take the greatest care
not to shroud or bury in forgetfulness, by our ingratitude, the benefits which
have been bestowed upon it, and especially those which ought to be held in
remembrance in all ages. Farther, although God is not now worshipped in the
visible tabernacle, yet as by Christ he still dwells in the midst of us, yea
even within us, we will doubtless experience, whenever we are exposed to danger,
that under his protection we are in perfect safety. If the earthly sanctuary of
Jerusalem afforded to God's ancient people succor while it stood, we may rest
assured that he will have no less care of us who live in the present day, when
we consider that he has vouchsafed to choose us as his temples in which he may
dwell by his Holy Spirit. Here the prophet, in speaking of Jerusalem, uses
merely the name of Salem, which was the simple and uncompounded name of
the city, and had been applied to it very anciently, as appears from
<011418>Genesis
14:18. Some think that the name in the course of time assumed its compound form,
by having Jebus prefixed to Salem; for Jebus was the name by which
it was afterwards known in the intervening period, as we learn from the Book of
Judges,
<071910>Judges
19:10, it being so called because it was inhabited by the Jebusites. But we will
be more correct as to the etymology of the word, if we derive it from the verb
hary,
yereh, which signifies will
see,
fc269 because Abraham
said,
“God will look out
for himself a lamb for a burnt-offering,”
(<012208>Genesis
22:8.)
3.
There he broke the arrows of
the bow. We have here stated the
particular way in which God was known in Judah. He was known by the wonderful
proofs of his power, which he exhibited in preserving the city. Under these
figures is described the destruction of the enemies of the chosen
people.
fc270 They could not otherwise have been
overthrown than by being despoiled of their armor and weapons of war. It is
therefore said, that the arrows,
the swords, and the shields, were broken,
yea, all the implements of war; implying that these impious enemies of the
Church were deprived of the power of doing harm. The fact indeed is, that they
were wounded and slain, while their weapons remained uninjured; but this
metonymy, by which what befell themselves is represented as happening to their
implements of war, is not improper. Some translate the word
µypçr,
reshaphim, points of weapons! Properly, it should be rendered
fires;
fc271 but it is more accurate to take
it for arrows. Even birds are sometimes metaphorically so called, on
account of their swiftness; and flying is attributed to arrows in
<199106>Psalm
91:6.
It is farther added, (verse 4th,) that
God is more glorious and terrible
than the mountains of prey. By
the mountains of
prey, is meant kingdoms distinguished
for their violence and extortion. We know that from the beginning, he who
exercised himself most in robbery and pillage, was the man who most enlarged his
borders and became greatest. The Psalmist, therefore, here compares those great
kings, who had acquired large dominions by violence and the shedding of human
blood, to savage beasts, who live only upon prey, and their kingdoms to
mountains covered with forests, which are inhabited by beasts inured to live by
the destruction of other animals. The enemies of God's ancient people had been
accustomed to make violent and furious assaults upon Jerusalem; but it is
affirmed that God greatly surpassed them all in power that the faithful might
not be overwhelmed with
terror.
5.
The stout-hearted were spoiled, The
power of God in destroying his enemies is here exalted by another form of
expression. The verb
wllwtça,
eshtolelu, which we translate were spoiled, is derived from
llç,
shalal, and the letter
a,
aleph, is put instead of the letter
h,
he.
fc272 Some translate, were made
fools;
fc273 but this is too forced. I,
however, admit that it is of the same import, as if it had been said, that they
were deprived of wisdom and courage; but we must adhere to the proper
signification of the word. What is added in the second clause is to the same
purpose, All the men of might
have not found their
hands.
fc274 that is to say, they were as
incapable of fighting as if their hands had been maimed or cut off. In short,
their strength, of which they boasted, was utterly overthrown. The
words, they slept their
sleep,
fc275 refer to the same subject;
implying that whereas before they were active and resolute, their hearts now
failed them, and they were sunk asleep in sloth and listlessness. The meaning,
therefore, is, that the enemies of the chosen people were deprived of that
heroic courage of which they boasted, and which inspired them with such
audacity; and that, in consequence, neither mind, nor heart, nor hands, none
either of their mental or bodily faculties, could perform their office. We are
thus taught that all the gifts and power which men seem to possess are in the
hand of God, so that he can, at any instant of time, deprive them of the wisdom
which he has given them, make their hearts effeminate, render their hands unfit
for war, and annihilate their whole strength. It is not without reason that both
the courage and power of these enemies are magnified; the design of this being,
that the faithful might be led, from the contrast, to extol the power and
working of God. The same subject is farther confirmed from the statement, that
the chariot and the horse were
cast into a deep sleep at the rebuke of
God.
fc276 This implies, that whatever
activity characterised these enemies, it was rendered powerless, simply by the
nod of God. Although, therefore, we may be deprived of all created means of
help, let us rest contented with the favor of God alone, accounting it
all-sufficient, since he has no need of great armies to repel the assaults of
the whole world, but is able, by the mere breath of his mouth, to subdue and
dissipate all assailants.
Psalm
76:7-12
7. Thou, even thou, art
terrible, and who shall stand before thy face when thou art angry? 8.
From heaven thou hast made thy judgment to be heard: the earth was
afraid,
fc277 and was still, 9. When God arose
to judgment,
fc278 to save all the
meek
fc279 of the earth. Selah. 10. Surely
the wrath of men shall praise thee, and the remainder of wrath thou wilt
restrain. 11. Vow and pay
fc280 to Jehovah your God: let all those who
are round about him bring presents to him who is worthy to be
feared,
fc281 [literally to the terrible one.]
12. He will cut off the spirit of princes: he is terrible to the kings of
the earth.
7.
Thou, even thou, art
terrible. The repetition of the pronoun
Thou, is intended to exclude all others from what is here predicated of
God, as if it had been said, Whatever power there is in the world, it at once
vanishes away, and is reduced to nothing, when He comes forth and manifests
himself; and, therefore, He alone is terrible. This is confirmed by the
comparison added immediately after, which intimates that, although the wicked
are so filled with pride as to be ready to burst with it, yet they are unable to
abide the look and presence of God. But as he sometimes keeps silence, and seems
merely to look on as an idle spectator, it is expressly asserted, that as soon
as he begins to be angry, ruin will be near all the wicked. Although they may
then for a time not only stand, but also rise above the clouds by their fury, we
are here, notwithstanding, admonished that we ought to wait for the time of
wrath. Let us also mark that this terror is denounced against the wicked in such
a manner as that it sweetly draws all true believers to
God.
8.
From heaven thou hast made thy judgment to be
heard. By the name of heaven, the
Psalmist forcibly intimates that the judgment of God was too manifest to admit
of the possibility of its being ascribed either to fortune or to the policy of
men. Sometimes God executes his judgments obscurely, so that they seem to
proceed out of the earth. For example, when he raises up a godly and courageous
prince, the holy and lawful administration which will flourish under the reign
of such a prince will be the judgment of God, but it will not be vividly seen to
proceed from heaven. As, therefore, the assistance spoken of was of an
extraordinary kind, it is distinguished by special commendation. The same
remarks apply to the hearing of God's judgment, of which the Psalmist
speaks. It is more for the divine judgments to sound aloud like a peal of
thunder, and to stun the ears of all men with their noise, than if they were
merely seen with the eyes. There is here, I have no doubt, an allusion to those
mighty thunder-claps by which men are stricken with
fear.
fc282 When it is said,
the earth was
still, it is properly to be referred to
the ungodly, who, being panic-struck, yield the victory to God, and dare no
longer to rage as they had been accustomed to do. It is only fear which has the
effect of bringing them to subjection; and, accordingly, fear is justly
represented as the cause of this stillness. It is not meant that they restrain
themselves willingly, but that God compels them whether they will or no. The
amount is, that whenever God thunders from heaven, the tumults which the
insolence of the ungodly stir up, when things are in a state of confusion, come
to an end. We are, at the same time, warned of what men may expect to gain by
their rebellion; for, whoever despise the paternal voice of God which is loudly
uttered, must be destroyed by the bolts of his
wrath.
9.
When God arose to
judgment. The great object which God had
in view in executing this judgment is now declared; which was, that he might
furnish a proof of his fatherly love towards all his people. He is, therefore,
introduced as speaking, not with his mouth, but with his hand, that he may show
to all how precious in his sight is the salvation of all who fear and love him.
Under the word arise, there is a reference to the inactivity and
indolency ascribed by wicked men to God, an opinion which had led them to take
so much liberty to themselves. God is then said to ascend into his
judgment-seat, when he plainly indicates that he exercises a special care over
his Church. The design of the passage is to show that it is as impossible for
God to forsake the afflicted and innocent, as it is impossible for him to deny
himself. It is to be observed that he is termed Judge, because he affords succor
to the poor who are unrighteously oppressed. The appellation of the meek
or humble of the earth is applied to the faithful, who, subdued by
afflictions, seek not high things, but, with humble groaning, patiently bear the
burden of the cross. The best fruit of afflictions is, when thereby we are
brought to purge our minds from all arrogance, and to bend them to meekness and
modesty. When such is the effect, we may conclude with certainty that we are
under the guardianship and protection of God, and that he is ready to extend his
aid and favor towards
us.
10.
Surely the wrath of men shall praise thee.
Some understand these words as denoting, that after these enemies shall have
submitted to God, they will yield to him the praise of the victory; being
constrained to acknowledge that they have been subdued by his mighty hand.
Others elicit a more refined sense, That when God stirs up the wicked, and
impels their fury, he in this way affords a most illustrious display of his own
glory; even as he is said to have stirred up the heart of Pharaoh for this very
purpose,
(<021404>Exodus
14:4;
<450917>Romans
9:17.) Understood in this sense, the text no doubt contains a profitable
doctrine, but this being, I am afraid, too refined an explanation, I prefer
considering the meaning simply to be, that although at first the rage of the
enemies of God and his Church may throw all things into confusion, and, as it
were, envelop them in darkness, yet all will at length redound to his praise;
for the issue will make it manifest, that, whatever they may contrive and
attempt, they cannot in any degree prevail against him. The concluding part of
the verse, The remainder of wrath
thou wilt restrain, may also be interpreted in
two ways. As the word
rgj,
chagar, signifies to gird, some supply the pronoun thee, and
give this sense, All the enemies of the Church are not yet overthrown; but thou,
O God! wilt gird thyself to destroy those of them who remain. The other
interpretation is, however, the more simple., which is, that although these
enemies might not cease to breathe forth their cruelty, yet God would
effectually restrain them, and prevent them from succeeding in the
accomplishment of their enterprises.
fc283 Perhaps, also, it would not be
unsuitable to explain the verb thus, Thou wilt gather into a bundle, as
we say in French, “Tu trousseras,” i.e., Thou wilt truss or
pack up. Let us therefore learn, while the wicked would involve in
obscurity and doubt the providence of God, to wait patiently until he glorify
himself by bringing about a happier state of things, and trample under foot
their infatuated presumption, to their shame and confusion. But if new troubles
arise from time to time, let us remember that it is his proper office to
restrain the remainder of the wrath of the wicked, that they may not proceed to
greater lengths. Meanwhile, let us not be surprised if we observe fresh outrages
every now and then springing forth; for, even to the end of the world, Satan
will always have partisans or agents, whom he will urge forward to molest the
children of God.
11.
Vow and pay to Jehovah your
God. The faithful are now exhorted to
the exercise of gratitude. As under the law the custom prevailed among the Jews
of vowing sacrifices for singular blessings which God had conferred upon them,
by which they solemnly acknowledged that their safety depended solely upon him,
and that to him they were entirely indebted for it, they are called anew to
engage in this exercise of religion; and by the word pay it is intended
to inculcate steadfastness, — to teach them that they should not make
merely a sudden and inconsiderate acknowledgement, but that they should also
testify at all times that the remembrance of their deliverance was deeply fixed
in their hearts. Their most important business, no doubt, was seriously to
reflect with themselves that God was the author of their salvation; but still it
is to be observed, that the solemn profession of religion, by which every man
stimulates not only himself but also others to the performance of their duty, is
far from being superfluous. In the second clause, those addressed seem to be the
neighboring nations; as if it had been said, that such a special manifestation
of the goodness of God was worthy of being celebrated even by foreign and
uncircumcised nations.
fc284 But it appears to me, that the sense
most agreeable to the context is, that these words are addressed either to the
Levites or to all the posterity of Abraham, both of whom are not improperly said
to be round about God, both because the tabernacle was pitched in the
midst of the camp so long as the Israelites traveled in the wilderness, and also
because the resting-place assigned for the ark was mount Zion, whither the
people were accustomed to resort from all the surrounding parts of the country.
And the Levites had intrusted to them the charge of the temple, and were
appointed to keep watch and ward round about it. The word
arwml,
lammora, is referred to God by the majority of interpreters, and they
translate it terrible. The term fear is, however, sometimes taken
in a passive sense for God himself.
fc285 If it is applied to the Gentiles and to
irreligious men,
fc286 the sense will be, that they shall be
tributaries to God; because, being stricken with fear, they shall no longer dare
to offer him any resistance. But it is more probable that this word has a
reference to God, whom the prophet justly declares to be worthy of being feared,
after having given such a remarkable proof of his
power.
12.
He will cut
off
fc287 the spirit of
princes. As the Hebrew word
rxb,
batsar, occasionally signifies to strengthen, some think it should
be so translated in this passage. But as in the two clauses of the verse the
same sentiment is repeated, I have no doubt that by the first clause is meant
that understanding and wisdom are taken away from princes; and that by the
second, God is represented in general as terrible to them, because he will cast
them down headlong from their loftiness. As the first thing necessary to conduct
an enterprise to a prosperous issue is to possess sound foresight, in which the
people of God are often deficient from the great perplexity in which they are
involved in the midst of their distresses, while, on the other hand, the ungodly
are too sharp-sighted in their crafty schemes; it is here declared that it is in
the power of God to deprive of understanding, and to inflict blindness on those
who seem to surpass others in acuteness and ingenuity. The majority of princes
being enemies to the Church of God, it is expressly affirmed, that He is
sufficiently terrible to subdue all the kings of the earth. When it is said,
that their spirit is cut off, or taken away from them, it is to be
limited to tyrants and robbers whom God infatuates, because he sees that they
apply all their ingenuity and counsels to do mischief.
PSALM
77
Whoever was the penman of this psalm, the Holy Spirit
seems, by his mouth, to have dictated a common form of prayer for the Church in
her afflictions, that even under the most cruel persecutions the faithful might
not fail to address their prayers to heaven. It is not the private grief of some
particular individual which is here expressed, but the lamentations and
groanings of the chosen people. The faithful celebrate the deliverance which had
been once wrought for them, and which was a testimony of God's everlasting
grace, to animate and strengthen themselves to engage in the exercise of prayer
with the greater earnestness.
To the chief
musician upon Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.
Psalm
77:1-6
1. My voice came to God, and
I cried: my voice came to God, and he heard me. 2. I sought the: Lord in
the day of my trouble: my hand was stretched out in the night, and remitted not
my soul refused to be comforted. 3. I will remember God, and will be
troubled: I will meditate, and my spirit will be oppressed [or overwhelmed] with
sorrow. Selah. 4. Thou hast held the watches of my eyes: I am troubled,
and will not speak. 5. I have recounted the days of old, the years of
ancient times. 6. I will call to remembrance my song in the night: I will
commune with my heart, and my spirit will search
diligently.
1.
My voice came to God, and I
cried. This is not a mere complaint, as
some interpreters explain it, denoting the surprise which the people of God felt
in finding that he who hitherto had been accustomed to grant their requests shut
his ears to them, and was called upon in vain. It appears more probable that the
prophet either speaks of the present feeling of his mind, or else calls to
remembrance how he had experienced that God was inclined and ready to hear his
prayers. There can be no doubt that he describes the greatness of the sorrow
with which he was afflicted; and, in nay opinion, he denotes a continued act
both by the past and the future tenses of the verbs. In the first place, he
declares that he did not foolishly rend the air with his cries, like many who
pour forth bitter cries without measure and at random under their sorrows; but
that he addressed his speech to God when necessity constrained him to cry. The
copula and, which is joined to the verb cried, should be resolved
into the adverb of time when, in this way,
When I cried my voice came to
God. At the same time, he also shows,
that although he had been constrained often to reiterate his cries, he had not
given over persevering in prayer. What is added immediately after is intended
for the confirmation of his faith:
And he heard
me. The copula and, as in many
other places, is here put instead of the causal adverb for. The meaning
is, that he encouraged himself to cry to God, from the consideration that it was
God's usual manner to show his favor and mercy towards
him.
2.
I sought the Lord in the day of my trouble.
In this verse he expresses more distinctly the grievous and hard oppression
to which the Church was at that time subjected. There is, however, some
ambiguity in the words. The Hebrew word
dy,
yad, which I have translated hand, is sometimes taken metaphorically
for a wound; and, therefore, many interpreters elicit this sense, My
wound ran in the night, and ceased
not,
fc288 that is to say, My wound was not
so purified from ulcerous matter as that the running from it was made to stop.
But; I rather take the word in its ordinary signification, which is hand,
because the verb
hrgn,
niggera, which he uses, signifies not only to run as a sore does, but
also to be stretched forth or
extended.
fc289 Now, when he affirms that he sought the
Lord in the day of his trouble, and that his hands were stretched out to him in
the night season, this denotes that prayer was his continual exercise, —
that his heart was so earnestly and unweariedly engaged in that exercise, that
he could not desist from it. In the concluding sentence of the verse the
adversative particle although is to be supplied; and thus the meaning
will be, that although the prophet found no solace and no alleviation of the
bitterness of his grief, he still continued to stretch forth his hands to God.
In this manner it becomes us to wrestle against despair, in order that our
sorrow, although it may seem to be incurable, may not shut our mouths, and keep
us from pouring out our prayers before
God.
3.
I will remember God, and will
be troubled. The Psalmist here employs a
variety of expressions to set forth the vehemence of his grief, and, at the same
time, the greatness of his affliction. He complains that what constituted the
only remedy for allaying his sorrow became to him a source of disquietude. It
may, indeed, seem strange that the minds of true believers should be troubled by
remembering God. But the meaning of the inspired writer simply is, that although
he thought upon God his distress of mind was not removed. It no doubt often
happens that the remembrance of God in the time of adversity aggravates the
anguish and trouble of the godly, as, for example, when they entertain the
thought that he is angry with them. The prophet, however, does not mean that his
heart was thrown into new distress and disquietude whenever God was brought to
his recollection: he only laments that no consolation proceeded from God to
afford him relief; and this is a trial which it is very hard to bear. It is not
surprising to see the wicked racked with dreadful mental agony; for, since their
great object and endeavor is to depart from God, they must suffer the punishment
which they deserve, on account of their rebellion against him. But when the
remembrance of God, from which we seek to draw consolation for mitigating our
calamities, does not afford repose or tranquillity to our minds, we are ready to
think that he is sporting with us. We are nevertheless taught from this passage,
that however much we may experience of fretting, sorrow, and disquietude, we
must persevere in calling upon God even in the midst of all these
impediments.
4.
Thou hast held the watches of
my eyes.
fc290 This verse is to the same effect
with the preceding. The Psalmist affirms that he spent whole nights in watching,
because God granted him no relief. The night in ancient times was usually
divided into many watches; and, accordingly, he describes his continued grief,
which pre. vented him from sleeping, by the metaphorical term watches.
When he stated a little before that he prayed to God with a loud voice, and
when he now affirms that he will remain silent, there seems to be some
appearance of discrepancy. This difficulty has already been solved in our
exposition of
<193203>Psalm
32:3, where we have shown that true believers, when overwhelmed with sorrow, do
not continue in a state of unvarying uniformity, but sometimes give vent to
sighs and complaints, while, at other times, they are silent as if their mouths
were stopped. It is, therefore, not wonderful to find the prophet frankly
confessing that he was so overwhelmed, and, as it were, choked, with calamities,
as to be unable to open his mouth to utter even a single
word.
5.
I have recounted the days of old. There
is no doubt that he endeavored to assuage his grief by the remembrance of his
former joy; but he informs us that relief was not so easily nor so speedily
obtained. By the days of
old, and
the years of ancient
times, he seems not only to refer to the
brief course of his own life, but to comprehend many ages. The people of God, in
their afflictions, ought, undoubtedly, to set before their eyes, and to call to
their remembrance, not only the Divine blessings which they have individually
experienced, but also all the blessings which God in every age has bestowed upon
his Church It may, however, be easily gathered from the text, that when the
prophet reckoned up in his own mind the mercies which God had bestowed in time
past, he began with his own
experience.
6.
I will call to remembrance my song in the
night. By his song he denotes the
exercise of thanksgiving in which he had engaged during the time of his
prosperity.
fc291 There is no remedy better adapted for
healing our sorrows, as I have just now observed, than this; but Satan often
craftily suggests to our thoughts the benefits of God, that the very feeling of
the want of them may inflict upon our minds a deeper wound. It is, therefore,
highly probable, that the prophet was pierced with bitter pangs when he compared
the joy experienced by him in time past with the calamities which he was
presently suffering. He expressly mentions
the
night; because, when we are then alone
by ourselves, and withdrawn from the society and presence of men, it engenders
in the mind more cares and thoughts than are experienced during the day. What is
added immediately after with respect to communing with his own heart, is
to the same effect. Solitude has an influence in leading men to retire within
their own minds, to examine themselves thoroughly, and to speak to themselves
freely and in good earnest, when no created being is with them to impose a
restraint by his presence.
The last clause of
the verse, And my spirit will
search diligently, admits of a twofold
exposition. The word
çpj,
chaphas, for search
diligently,
fc292 being in the masculine gender,
and the word
hwr,
ruach, for spirit, being sometimes feminine, some commentators
suppose that the name of God is to be understood, and explain the
sentence as if the Psalmist had said, There is nothing, O Lord! so hidden in my
heart into which thou hast not penetrated. And God is with the highest propriety
said to search the spirit of the man whom he awakens from his indolence or
torpor, and whom he examines by acute afflictions. Then all hiding —
places and retreats, however obscure, are explored, and affections before
unknown are brought into the light. As, however, the gender of the noun in the
Hebrew language is ambiguous, others more freely translate, MY spirit hath
searched diligently. This being the sense which is most generally embraced,
and being, at the same time, the most natural, I readily adopt it. In that
debate, of which the inspired writer makes mention, he searched for the causes
on account of which he was so severely afflicted, and also into what. his
calamities would ultimately issue. It is surely highly profitable to meditate on
these subjects, and it is the design of God to stir us up to do this when any
adversity presses upon us. There is nothing more perverse than the
stupidity
fc293 of those who harden themselves under
the scourges of God. Only we must keep within due bounds, in order that we may
not be swallowed up of over much sorrow, and that the unfathomable depth of the
Divine judgments may not overwhelm us by our attempting to search them out
thoroughly. The prophet's meaning is, that when he sought for comfort in all
directions, he could find none to assuage the bitterness of his
grief.
Psalm
77:7-10
7. Will the Lord cast off
for ever? and will he be favorable no more? 8. Is his mercy quite gone
for ever? Doth his oracle fail from generation to generation? 9. Hath God
forgotten,
fc294 to be merciful? Hath he shut up his
compassions in anger? Selah. 10. And said, My
death,
fc295 the
years
fc296 of the right hand of the Most
High.
7. and 8.
Will the Lord cast off for
ever? The statements here made
undoubtedly form a part of the searchings which engaged the Psalmist's mind. He
intimates that he was almost overwhelmed by a long succession of calamities; for
he did not break forth into this language until he had endured affliction for so
long a period as hardly to venture to entertain the hope that God would in
future be favorable to him. He might well argue with himself whether God would
continue to be gracious; for when God embraces us with his favor, it is on the
principle that he will continue to extend it towards us even to the end. He does
not properly complain or find fault with God, but rather reasoning with himself,
concludes, from the nature of God, that it is impossible for him not to continue
his free favor towards his people, to whom he has once shown himself to be a
father. As he has traced all the blessings which the faithful receive from the
Divine hand to the mere good pleasure of God, as to a fountain; so a little
after he adds the Divine goodness, as if he had said, How can we suppose it
possible for God to break off the course of his fatherly layout, when it is
considered that he cannot divest himself of his own nature? We see, then, how by
an argument drawn from the goodness of God, he repels the assaults of
temptation. When he puts the question,
Doth his word or oracle
fail? he intimates that he was destitute
of all consolation, since he met with no promise to support and strengthen his
faith. We are indeed thrown into a gulf of despair when God takes away from us
his promises in which our happiness and salvation are included. If it is
objected, that such as had the ]Law among their hands could not be without the
word of God, I answer, that on account of the imperfection of the former
dispensation, when Christ was not yet
manifested,
fc297 special promises were then necessary.
Accordingly, in
<197409>Psalm
74:9, we find the faithful complaining that they saw not any longer their wonted
signs, and that there was no longer a prophet who had knowledge of the time
among them. If David was the penman of this psalm, we know that in matters of
doubt and perplexity it was usual with him to ask counsel from God, and that God
was accustomed to grant him answers. If he was deprived of this source of
alleviation in the midst of his calamities, he had reason to bewail that he
found no oracle or word to sustain and strengthen his faith. But if the psalm
was composed by some other inspired prophet, this complaint will suit the period
which intervened between the return of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity
and the coming of Christ; for, during that time, the course of prophecy was in a
manner broken off, and there was none endued with any peculiar gift of the Holy
Spirit to raise up the hearts of those who were cast down, or to support and
keep them from falling. In addition to this, it sometimes happens that although
the word of God is offered to us, it yet does not enter into our minds, in
consequence of our being involved in such deep distress, as to prevent us from
receiving or admitting the smallest degree of comfort. But I embrace the former
sense, which is, that the Church was now without those special announcements of
prophecy with which she had formerly been favored, and that as she still
depended upon the mere sight of the shadows of that economy, she stood
constantly in need of fresh supports. From this we may gather the profitable
lesson, that we ought not to be unduly disquieted, if God should at any time
withdraw his word from us. It should be borne in mind, that he tries his own
people by such wonderful methods, that they imagine the whole of Scripture to be
turned from its proper end, and that although they are desirous to hear God
speaking, they yet cannot be brought to apply his words to their own particular
case. This, as I have said, is a distressing and painful thing; but it ought not
to hinder us from engaging in the exercise of
prayer.
9.
Hath God forgotten to be
merciful? The prophet still continues
debating with himself the same subject. His object, however, is not to overthrow
his faith, but rather to raise it up. He does not put this question, as if the
point to which it refers were a doubtful matter. It is as if he had said, Hath
God forgotten himself? or, hath he changed his nature? for he cannot be God
unless he is merciful. I indeed admit that he did not remain unshaken as if he
had had a heart of steel. But the more violently he was assailed, the more
firmly did he lean upon the truth, That the goodness of God is so inseparably
connected with his essence as to render it impossible for him not to be
merciful. Whenever, therefore, doubts enter into our minds upon our being
harassed with cares, and oppressed with sorrows, let us learn always to endeavor
to arrive at a satisfactory answer to this question, Has God changed his nature
so as to be no longer merciful? The last clause,
Hath he shut up or restrained his
compassions in his anger? is to the same
effect. It was a very common and notable observation among the holy patriarchs,
That God is long — suffering, slow to wrath, ready to forgive, and easy to
be entreated. It was from them that Habakkuk derived the statement which he
makes in his song,
“Even in his anger
he will be mindful of his mercy.”
(<350302>Habakkuk
3:2)
The prophet, then, here comes to the conclusion, that
the chastisement which he felt would not prevent God from being again reconciled
to him, and returning to his wonted manner of bestowing blessings upon him,
since his anger towards his own people endures only for a moment. Yea, although
God manifests the tokens of his anger, he does not cease most tenderly to love
those whom he chastises. His wrath, it its true, rests continually upon the
reprobate; but the prophet, accounting himself among the number of God's
children, and speaking of other genuine believers, justly argues from the
impossibility of the thing, that the temporary displeasure of God cannot break
off the course of his goodness and
mercy.
10.
And I said, My death, the years
of the right hand, etc. This passage has
been explained in various ways. Some deriving the word
ytwlj,
challothi, from
hlj,
chalah, which signifies to kill, consider the prophet as meaning,
that being overwhelmed with an accumulation of calamities, the only conclusion
to which he could come was, that God had appointed him to utter destruction; and
that his language is a confession of his having fallen into despair. Others
translate it to be sick, to be infirm or enfeebled, which is much
more agreeable to the scope of the
passage.
fc298 But they differ with respect to the
meaning. According to some interpreters, the prophet accuses and reproves
himself for his effeminacy of mind, and for not setting himself more manfully to
resist temptation.
fc299 This exposition may be admitted; for
the people of God ordinarily gather courage after having for a time wavered
under the shock of temptation. I, however, prefer a different interpretation,
namely, that this was a disease merely temporary, and on this account, he
compares it indirectly to death; even as it is said in
<19B818>Psalm
118:18,
“The Lord hath
chastised me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death.”
Also,
“I shall not die, but live.”
(<19B818>Psalm
118:18)
He, therefore, I have no doubt, unburdens himself by
cherishing the confident persuasion, that although he was at present cast down,
it was only for a season, and that therefore it behoved him patiently to endure
this sickness or disease, since it was not mortal. Nor are commentators agreed
in the explanation of the second clause. Those who connect this verse with the
preceding verses, think that the prophet was reduced to such a state of
despondency at first, that he looked upon himself as utterly undone; and that
afterwards he lifted up his head at times, even as those who are thrown into the
deep in a shipwreck repeatedly rise above the water. Besides, they would have
this to be understood as a word of encouragement addressed by some one to the
prophet, desiring him to call to remembrance the years in which he had
experienced that God was merciful to him. But it will be more appropriate to
understand it thus :,Thou hast no reason to think that thou art now doomed to
death, since thou art not laboring under an incurable disease, and the hand of
God is wont to make whole those whom it has stricken. I do not reject the
opinion of those who translate
twnç,
shenoth, by changes;
fc300 for as the Hebrew verb
hnç,
shanah, signifies to change, or to do a thing again and again,
the Hebrews have taken from it the word
twnç,
shenoth, which they employ to denote years, from their revolving
character, from their turning round, as it were, in the same orbit. But in
whatever way we may understand it, the comfort of which I have spoken will
remain firm, which is, that the prophet, assuring himself of a favorable change
in his condition, does not look upon himself as doomed to death. Others give a
somewhat different interpretation, arriving at it in another way:, as if the
prophet had said, Why shouldst thou not patiently endure the severity of God at
this time, when hitherto he has cherished thee by his beneficence? even as Job
said,
“Shall we receive
good at the hand of God, and shall we
not
also receive evil?”
(<180210>Job
2:10)
But it is more probable that the prophet directs his
view to the future, and means that it became him to await the years or
revolutions of the right hand of the Most High, until lie should afford clear
and undisputed evidence of the return of his favor towards
him.
Psalm
77:11-14
11. I will remember the
works of God: surely I will remember thy wonderful works from the beginning.
12. I will also meditate on all thy works, and I will muse on thy doings.
13. Thy ways, O God! are in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our
God? 14. Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast made known thy
strength among the peoples.
11.
I will remember the works of
God. The prophet now, inspired with new
courage, vigorously resists the temptations, which had so far prevailed against
him as well nigh to overwhelm his faith. This remembering of the works of God
differs from the remembering of which he had previously spoken. Then he
contemplated from a distance the divine benefits, and he found the contemplation
of them inadequate to assuage or mitigate his grief. Here he takes hold of them,
so to speak, as assured testimonies of God's everlasting grace. To express the
greater earnestness, he repeats the same sentence, interjecting an affirmation;
for the word
yk,
ki, is here used simply to confirm or enhance the statement. Having then,
as it were, obtained the victory, he triumphs in the remembrance of the works of
God, being assuredly persuaded that God would continue the same as he had shown
himself to be from the beginning. In the second clause, he highly extols the
power which God had displayed in preserving his servants:
I will remember thy wonderful
works from the beginning. He employs the
singular number, thy secret, or thy wonderful work; but I have not
hesitated to correct the obscurity by changing the number. We will find him soon
after employing the singular number to denote many miracles. What he means in
short is, that the wonderful power of God which he has always put forth for the
preservation and salvation of his servants, provided we duly reflect upon it, is
sufficient to enable us to overcome all sorrows. Let us learn from this, that,
although sometimes the remembrance of the works of God may bring us less comfort
than we would desire, and our circumstances would require, we must nevertheless
strive, that the weariness produced by grief may not break our courage. This is
deserving of our most careful attention. In the time of sorrow, we are always
desirous of finding some remedy to mitigate its bitterness; but the only way by
which this can be done is, to cast our cares upon God. It, however, often
happens, that the nearer he approaches us, the more, to outward appearance, does
he aggravate our sorrows. Many, therefore, when they derive no advantage from
this course, imagine that they cannot do better than forget him. Thus they
loathe his word, by the hearing of which their sorrow is rather embittered than
mitigated, and what is worse, they desire that God, who thus aggravates and
inflames their grief, would withdraw to a distance. Others, to bury the
remembrance of him, devote themselves wholly to worldly business. It was far
otherwise with the prophet. Although he did not immediately experience the
benefit which he could have desired, yet he still continued to set God. before
his view, wisely supporting his faith by the reflection, that as God changes
neither his love nor his nature, he cannot but show himself at length merciful
to his servants. Let us also learn to open our eyes to behold the works of God;
the excellence of which is of little account in our estimation, by reason of the
dimness of our eyes, and our inadequate perception of them; but which, if
examined attentively, will ravish us with admiration. The Psalmist repeats in
the 12th verse, that he will meditate continually upon these works, until, in
due time, he receive the full advantage which this meditation is calculated to
afford. The reason why so many examples of the grace of God contribute nothing
to our profit, and fail in edifying our faith, is, that as soon as we have begun
to make them the subjects of our consideration, our inconstancy draws us away to
something else, and thus, at the very commencement, our minds soon lose sight of
them.
13.
Thy ways, O God! are in the
sanctuary. Some translate in
holiness, and they are led to do this, because it seems to them a cold and
meagre form of expression to say, that
God's ways are in his
sanctuary. But as the rules of grammar
will not easily admit of this, we must inquire whether a profitable truth may
not be drawn from the term sanctuary, which is the proper signification
of the original word
çdqb,
bakkodesh. Some are of opinion that this is an abrupt exclamation, as if
it had been said, O God,
who art in the sanctuary! O thy ways!
but of this I do not approve; for they do violence to the words of the
prophet. The clause should be read in one connected sentence, and the word
sanctuary is to be taken either for heaven or for the temple. I am rather
inclined to refer it to heaven, conceiving the meaning to be, that the ways of
God rise high above the world, so that if we are truly desirous to know them, we
must ascend above all heavens. Although the works of God are in part manifest to
us, yet all our knowledge of them comes far short of their immeasurable height.
Besides, it is to be observed, that none enjoy the least taste of his works but
those who by faith rise up to heaven. And yet, the utmost point to which we can
ever attain is, to contemplate with admiration and reverence the hidden wisdom
and power of God, which, while they shine forth in his works, yet far surpass
the limited powers of our understanding. If it is objected, that it is wrong to
attempt to confine to heaven the ways of God, which are extended through the
whole world, the answer is easy; for although there is not a single corner of
the globe in which God does not exhibit some proof of his power and operation,
yet the wonderful character of his works escapes the eyes of men. If any would
rather understand sanctuary as meaning the temple, it may be noticed,
that we have met with an almost similar sentence in
<197316>Psalm
73:16, 17,
“When I
thought to know this, it was too painful for
me,
until I went into the sanctuary
of God.”
The temple, indeed, in which God manifested himself
was, as it were, a heaven on earth.
fc301 It is now obvious that the meaning of
the inspired writer is, that as at the commencement he had uttered distressing
complaints, so now, having attained to a calm and settled state of mind, he
admires and adores the high ways of God, and conscious of his own weakness,
quietly and modestly keeps himself within the bounds prescribed to him, not
permitting himself to judge or pass sentence upon the secret judgments of God
according to the dictates of his carnal understanding. He therefore immediately
after exclaims, Who is so great a
God as our God? By this comparison, he
does not mean that there are many gods, but he indirectly rebukes the deep
infatuation of the world who, not contented with the only true God whose glory
is so conspicuous, invent for themselves many gods. If men would look upon the
works of God with pure eyes, they would be led without much difficulty to rest
with satisfaction in him alone.
14.
Thou art the God that doest
wonders. The Psalmist confirms the
preceding sentence, proving the greatness of God from the wonderful character of
his works. He does not speak of the hidden and mysterious essence of God which
fills heaven and earth, but of the manifestations of his power, wisdom,
goodness, and righteousness, which are clearly exhibited, although they are too
vast for our limited understandings to comprehend. Literally, the words are,
Thou art the God that doest a
Wonder; but the singular number is here
evidently put for the plural, an instance of which we have seen before. From
this we learn that the glory of God is so near us, and that he has so openly and
clearly unfolded himself, that we cannot justly pretend any excuse for
ignorance. He, indeed, works so wonderfully, that even the heathen nations are
inexcusable for their blindness. For this reason it is added,
Thou hast made known thy strength
among the peoples. This has an immediate
reference to the deliverance of the Church; but, at the same time, it shows that
the glory of God, which he had clearly and mightily displayed among the nations,
could not be despised without the guilt of grievous impiety having been
incurred.
Psalm
77:15-20
15. Thou hast redeemed thy
people by thy arm, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah. 16. The waters
saw thee, O God! the waters saw thee; they were afraid, yea even the deeps
trembled. 17. The clouds poured out waters, the heavens [or skies] sent
forth a sound: thy arrows also went abroad. 18. The voice of thy thunder
was in the heaven; the lightnings illumined the world: the earth trembled and
shook. 19. Thy ways are in the sea, and thy paths in the great waters:
and thy footsteps are not known. 20. Thou didst lead thy people like a
flock by the hand of Moses and
Aaron.
15.
Thou hast redeemed thy people
by thy arm. The Psalmist here
celebrates, above all the other wonderful works of God, the redemption of the
chosen people, to which the Holy Spirit everywhere throughout the Scriptures
invites the attention of true believers, in order to encourage them to cherish
the hope of their salvation. It is well known that the power of God was at that
time manifested to the Gentiles. The truth of history, indeed, through the
artifice of Satan, was corrupted and falsified by many fables; but this is to be
imputed to the wickedness of those in whose sight those wonderful works were
wrought, who, although they saw them, chose rather to blind their eyes and
disguise the truth of their existence, than to preserve the true knowledge of
them.
fc302 How can we explain the fact that they
made Moses to be I know not what kind of a magician or enchanter, and invented
so many strange and monstrous stories, which Josephus has collected together in
his work against Apion, but upon the principle that it was their deliberate
purpose to bury in forgetfulness the power of God? It is not, however, so much
the design of the prophet to condemn the Gentiles of the sin of ingratitude, as
to furnish himself and others of the children of God matter of hope as to their
own circumstances; for at the time referred to, God openly exhibited for the
benefit of all future ages a proof of his love towards his chosen people. The
word arm is here put metaphorically for power of an extraordinary
character, and which is worthy of remembrance. God did not deliver his ancient
people secretly and in an ordinary way, but openly, and, as it were, with his
arm stretched forth. The prophet, by calling the chosen tribes
the sons of Jacob and
Joseph, assigns the reason why God
accounted them as his people. The reason is, because of the covenant into which
he entered with their godly ancestors. The two tribes which descended from the
two sons of Joseph derived their origin from Jacob as well as the rest; but the
name of Joseph is expressed to put honor upon him, by whose instrumentality the
whole race of Abraham were preserved in
safety.
fc303
16.
The waters saw thee, O
God! Some of the miracles in which God
had displayed the power of his arm are here briefly adverted to. When it is said
that the waters saw
God, the language is figurative,
implying that they were moved, as it were, by a secret instinct and impulse to
obey the divine command in opening up a passage for the chosen people. Neither
the sea nor the Jordan would have altered their nature, and by giving place have
spontaneously afforded a passage to them, had they not both felt upon them the
power of God.
fc304 It is not meant that they retired
backward because of any judgment and understanding which they possessed,
but that in receding as they did, God showed that even the inanimate
elements are ready to yield obedience to him. There is here an indirect
contrast, it being intended to rebuke the stupidity of men if they do not
acknowledge in the redemption of the Israelites from Egypt the presence and hand
of God, which were seen even by the waters. What is added concerning the
deeps intimates, that not only the surface of the waters were agitated at
the sight of God, but that his power penetrated even to the deepest
gulfs.
17.
The clouds poured out
waters. As the noun
µym,
mayim, cannot be taken in the construct state, the verb, I have no doubt,
is put transitively; but it makes little difference as to the sense, whether we
take this view, or read as if
µym,
mayim, were in the construct state and the verb passive; that is, whether
we read, The clouds poured out
waters, or, The waters of the clouds
were poured out. The meaning obviously is, that not only the sea and the
river Jordan, but also the waters which were suspended in the clouds, yielded to
God the honor to which he is entitled, the air, by the concussion of the
thunder, having poured forth copious showers. The object is to show, that, to
whatever quarter men turn their eyes, the glory of God is illustriously
manifested, that it is so in every part of creation, above and beneath, from the
height of heaven to the depths of the sea. What history is here referred to is
involved in some degree of
uncertainty.
fc305 Perhaps it is that which is recorded in
<020923>Exodus
9:23; where we are informed, that hail mingled with thunder and lightning was
one of the dreadful plagues inflicted upon the Egyptians.
The arrows which went
abroad are, no doubt, to be taken
metaphorically for lightnings. With this verse we are to connect the following,
in which it is said, that the
voice of the thunder was heard in the air, and that the lightnings illumined the
world, so that the earth trembled. The
amount is, that at the departure of the people from Egypt, ample testimony was
borne to the power of God, both to the eyes and the ears of men; peals of
thunder having been heard in every quarter of the heavens, and the whole sky
having shone with flashes of lightning, while at the same time the earth was
made to
tremble.
19.
Thy ways are in the sea. The miracle
which was wrought in drying up the Red Sea is here again described in different
phraseology. What, properly speaking, refers to the Israelites is applied to
God, under whose protection and guidance they passed dry-shod through the midst
of the Red Sea. It is declared that a path had been opened up for them in a very
strange and unusual manner; for the sea was not drained by the skill of man, nor
was the river Jordan turned aside from its ordinary course into a different
channel, but the people walked through the midst of the waters in which Pharaoh
and his whole army were soon after drowned. On this account, it is said, that
the footsteps of God were not known, for no sooner had God made the
people to pass over than he caused the waters to return to their accustomed
course.
fc306
The purpose for which this was
effected is added in the 20th verse, — the deliverance of the Church:
Thou didst lead thy people like a
flock.
fc307 And this deliverance should be
regarded by all the godly as affording them the best encouragement to cherish
the hope of safety and salvation. The comparison of the people to sheep,
tacitly intimates that they were in themselves entirely destitute of wisdom,
power, and courage, and that God, in his great goodness, condescended to perform
the office of a shepherd in leading through the sea, and the wilderness, and all
other impediments, his poor flock, which were destitute of all things, that he
might put them in possession of the promised inheritance. This statement is
confirmed, when we are told that Moses and Aaron were the persons employed in
conducting the people. Their service was no doubt illustrious and worthy of
being remembered; but God displayed in no small degree the greatness of his
power in opposing two obscure and despised individuals to the fury and to the
great and powerful army of one of the proudest kings who ever sat on a throne.
What could the rod of an outlaw and a fugitive, and the voice of a poor slave,
have done of themselves, against a formidable tyrant and a warlike nation? The
power of God then was the more manifest when it wrought in such earthen vessels.
At the same time, I do not deny that it is here intended to commend these
servants of God, to whom he had committed such an honorable
trust.
PSALM
78
To comprehend many things within small compass, it is
to be observed, that in this psalm there are two leading topics. On the one
hand, it is declared how God adopted for himself a Church from the posterity of
Abraham, how tenderly and graciously he cherished it, how wonderfully he brought
it out of Egypt, and how varied were the blessings which he bestowed upon it. On
the other hand, the Jews, who were so much indebted to him for the great
blessings which he had conferred upon them, are upbraided for having from time
to time perversely and treacherously revolted from so liberal a father; so that
his inestimable goodness was clearly manifested, not only in his free adoption
of them at first, but also in continuing by the uninterrupted course of his
goodness to strive against the rebellion of so perfidious and stiff-necked a
people. Moreover, mention is made of the renewal of God's grace, and as it were
of a second election which he made when he chose David out of the tribe of Judah
to sway the scepter over the kingdom of Israel.
Asaph giving
instruction.
Psalm
78:1-6
1. Hearken, O my people! to
my law:
fc308 incline your ears to the words of my
mouth. 2. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings
from of old time: 3. What we have heard and known, and our fathers have
related to us. 4. We will not conceal from their children in the
generation to come, recounting the praises of Jehovah, and his power, and the
wonderful works which he has done. 5. He established a testimony in
Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel: for he commanded our fathers to make them
known to their children: 6. That the generation to come might know them,
and that the children to be born should arise and declare them to their
children.
1.
Give ear, O my people! to my law. From
the close of the psalm, it may with probability be conjectured, that it was
written long after the death of David; for there we have celebrated the kingdom
erected by God in the family of David. There also the tribe of Ephraim, which is
said to have been rejected, is contrasted with, and set in opposition to, the
house of David. From this it is evident, that the ten tribes were at that time
in a state of separation from the rest of the chosen people; for there must be
some good reason why the kingdom of Ephraim is branded with a mark of dishonor
as being illegitimate and bastard.
fc309
Whoever was the inspired writer of
this psalm, he does not introduce God speaking as is thought by some, but he
himself addresses the Jews in the character of a teacher. It is no objection to
this that he calls the people his people, and the law his law; it
being no uncommon thing for the prophets to borrow the name of Him by whom they
were sent, that their doctrine might have the greater authority. And, indeed,
the truth which has been committed to their trust may, with propriety, be called
theirs. Thus Paul, in
<450216>Romans
2:16, glories in the gospel as his gospel, an expression not to be
understood as implying that it was a system which owed its origin to him, but
that he was a preacher and a witness of it. I am somewhat doubtful whether
interpreters are strictly correct in translating the word
hrwt,
torah, by law.
fc310 The meaning of it seems to be somewhat
more general, as appears from the following clause, where the Psalmist uses the
phrase, the words of my
mouth, in the same sense. If we consider
with what inattention even those who make great professions of being the
disciples of God listen to his voice, we will admit that the prophet had good
reason for introducing his lessons of instruction by a solemn call of attention.
He does not, it is true, address the unteachable and obstinate, who frowardly
refuse to submit themselves to the word of God; but as even true believers
themselves are generally too backward to receive instruction, this exhortation,
so far from being superfluous, was highly necessary to stir up the sluggish and
inactive among them.
To secure for himself the
greater attention, he declares it to be his purpose to discuss subjects of a
great, high, and difficult character. The word
lçm,
mashal, which I have translated a parable, denotes grave and
striking sentences, such as adages, or proverbs, and
apophthegms.
fc311 As then the matter itself of which we
treat, if it is weighty and important, awakens the minds of men, the inspired
penman affirms that it is his purpose to utter only striking sentences and
notable sayings. The word
twdyj,
chidoth, which, following others, I have rendered enigmas, is here
used, not so much for dark sentences, as for sayings which are pointed and
worthy of special notice.
fc312 He does not mean to wrap up his song in
ambiguous language, but clearly and distinctly to dwell both upon the benefits
of God and the ingratitude of the people. Only, as I have said, his design is to
stimulate his readers to weigh and consider more attentively the subject
propounded. This passage is quoted by Matthew,
(<401335>Matthew
13:35,) and applied to the person of Christ, when he held the minds of the
people in suspense by parables which they could not understand. Christ's object
in doing so, was to prove that he was a distinguished prophet of God, and that
thus he might be received with the greater reverence. Since he then resembled a
prophet because he preached sublime mysteries in a style of language above the
common kind, that which the sacred writer here affirms concerning himself, is
with propriety transferred to him. If in this psalm there shines forth such a
majesty as may justly stir up and inflame the readers with a desire to learn, we
gather from it with what earnest attention it becomes us to receive the gospel,
in which Christ opens and displays to us the treasures of his celestial
wisdom.
3.
What we have heard and known. There
seems to be some discrepancy between what the Psalmist had stated in the
commencement, when he said that he would speak of great and hidden matters, and
what he now adds, that his subject is a common one, and such as is transmitted
from one age to another by the father to the son. If it was incumbent upon the
fathers to recount to their children the things here spoken of, these things
ought, of course, to have been familiarly known to all the people, yea, even to
those who were most illiterate, and had the weakest capacity. Where, then, it
may be said, are the enigmas or dark sentences of which he has just now made
mention? I answer, that these things can easily be reconciled; for although the
psalm contains many things which are generally known, yet he illustrates them
with all the splendor and ornaments of diction, that he may the more powerfully
affect the hearts of men, and acquire for himself the greater authority. At the
same time, it is to be observed, that however high may be the majesty of the
Word of God, this does not prevent the benefits or advantages of it from
reaching even to the unlearned and to babes. The Holy Spirit does not in vain
invite and encourage such to learn from it: — a truth which we ought
carefully to mark. If God, accommodating himself to the limited capacity of men,
speaks in an humble and lowly style, this manner of teaching is despised as too
simple; but if he rise to a higher style, with the view of giving greater
authority to his Word, men, to excuse their ignorance, will pretend that it is
too obscure. As these two vices are very prevalent in the world, the Holy Spirit
so tempers his style as that the sublimity of the truths which he teaches is not
hidden even from those of the weakest capacity, provided they are of a
submissive and teachable disposition, and bring with them an earnest desire to
be instructed. It is the design of the prophet to remove from the mind all doubt
respecting his sayings, and for this purpose, he determines to bring forward
nothing new, but such subjects as had been long well known, and received without
dispute in the Church. He accordingly not only says
we have
heard, but also we have known.
Many things are rashly spread abroad which have no foundation in truth; yea,
nothing is more common than for the ears of men to be filled with fables. It is,
therefore, not without cause that the prophet, after having spoken of the things
which he had heard, at the same time, refers in confirmation of their truth to
undoubted testimony. He adds, that the knowledge of these subjects had been
communicated to the Jews by their fathers. This does not imply, that what
is taught under the domestic roof is always faultless; but it is obvious, that
there is afforded a more favorable opportunity of palming upon men forgeries for
truth, when things are brought from a distant country. What is to be principally
observed is, that all fathers are not here spoken of indiscriminately, but only
those who were chosen to be God's peculiar people, and to whom the care of
divine truth was intrusted.
4.
We will not conceal them from
their children in the generation to come.
Some take the verb
djkn,
nechached, in the nephil conjugation, and translate it, they
are not concealed or hidden. But it ought, according to the rules of
grammar, to be resolved thus: — We will not conceal them from
our posterity, implying, that what we have been taught by our ancestors we
should endeavor to transmit to their children. By this means, all pretense of
ignorance is removed; for it was the will of God that these things should be
published from age to age without interruption; so that being transmitted from
father to child in each family, they might reach even the last family of man.
The end for which this was to be done is shown — that
they might celebrate the praises
of Jehovah, in the wonderful works which he hath
done.
5.
He established a testimony in
Jacob.
fc313 As the reception or approbation
of any doctrine by men would not be a sufficient reason for yielding a firm
assent to its truth, the prophet proceeds farther, and represents God as the
author of what he brings forward. He declares, that the father's were not led to
instruct their children in these truths under the mere impulse of their own
minds, but by the commandment of God. Some understand the words,
He hath established a testimony
in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel,
as implying that God had established a decree in Jacob, to be observed as an
inviolable rule, which was, that the deliverance divinely wrought for the people
should be at all times in the mouth of every Israelite; but this seems to give
too restricted a sense. I therefore consider statute, or testimony,
and law,
fc314 as referring to the written law,
which, however, was partly given for this end, that by the remembrance of their
deliverance, the people, after having been once gathered into one body, might be
kept in their allegiance to God. The meaning then is, that God not only acquired
a right to the Jews as his people by his mighty power, but that he also sealed
up his grace, that the knowledge of it might never be obliterated. And,
undoubtedly, it was then registered as it were in public records, when the
covenant was ratified by the written law, in order to assure the posterity of
Abraham that they had been separated from all other nations. It would have been
a matter of very small importance to have been acquainted with, or to have
remembered the bare history of what had been done, had their eyes not been, at
the same time, directed to the free adoption and the fruit of it. The decree
then is this, That the fathers being instructed in the doctrine of the law
themselves, should recount, as it were, from the mouth of God, to their
children, that they had been not only once delivered, but also gathered into one
body as his Church, that throughout all ages they might yield a holy and pure
obedience to him as their deliverer. The reading of the beginning of the second
clause of the verse properly is, Which he commanded, etc. But the
relative
rça,
asher, which, I have no doubt, is here put by way of exposition for
namely, or that is, he commanded, etc. I have translated it
for, which amounts to the same
thing.
6.
That the generation to come
might know them. In this verse, the
Psalmist confirms what he had said concerning the continued transmission of
divine truth. It greatly concerns us to know, that the law was given not for one
age only; but that the fathers should transmit it to their children, as if it
were their rightful inheritance, in order that it might never be lost, but be
preserved to the end of the world. This is the reason why Paul, in
<540315>1
Timothy 3:15, asserts that “the Church is the pillar and ground of the
truth;” by which he does not mean that the truth of itself is weak, and
stands in need of foreign supports, but that God extends and diffuses it by the
instrumentality of his ministers, who when they faithfully execute the office of
teaching with which they are invested, sustain the truth, as it were, upon their
shoulders. Now, the prophet teaches us, that it is our bounden duty to use our
endeavors that there may be a continual succession of persons to communicate
instruction in divine truth. It is said of Abraham before the law was written,
<011819>Genesis
18:19,
“I know him, that he
will command his children and his household after him, and they shall
keep the way of the Lord to do justice and
judgment;”
and after his death, this was
enjoined upon the patriarchs as a necessary part of their duty. No sooner was
the law delivered, than God appointed priests in his Church to be public masters
and teachers. He has also testified by the prophet Isaiah, that the same is to
be observed under the New Testament dispensation,
saying,
“My Spirit that is
upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of
thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's
seed, from henceforth and for ever.”
(<235921>Isaiah
59:21)
In the passage before us, however, a
particular injunction is given to the fathers on this point — each of them
is enjoined diligently to instruct his own children, and all without distinction
are taught, that their exertions in transmitting the name of God to their
posterity will be most acceptable to Him, and receive his highest approbation.
By the words, That the children
to be born should arise, is not denoted
a small number of individuals; but it is intimated, that the preachers of divine
truth, by whose efforts pure religion may flourish and prevail for ever, will be
as numerous as those who are born into the
world.
Psalm
78:7-11
7. That they might set their
hope
fc315 in God, and not forget the works of
God; but keep his commandments. 8. And that they might not be as their
fathers, a rebellious [or an apostatising] and a provoking generation; a
generation which directed not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not
faithful towards God. 9. The children of Ephraim, being armed and
shooting with the bow, turned back in the day of battle. 10. They kept
not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law. 11. And they
forgat his works, and the wonders which he had shown
them.
7.
That they might set their hope in
God. Here the Psalmist points out the
use to which the doctrine which he had stated should be applied. In the first
place, the fathers, when they find that on the one hand they are instrumental in
maintaining the pure worship of God, and that on the other, they are the means
of providing for the salvation of their children, should, by such a precious
result of their labors, be the more powerfully stirred up to instruct their
children. In the second place, the children on their part, being inflamed with
greater zeal, should eagerly press forward in the acquisition of divine
knowledge, and not suffer their minds to wander in vain speculations, but should
aim at, or keep their eyes directed to, the right mark. It is unhappy and
wretched toil to be
“ever learning, and
never able to come to the knowledge
of
the truth,”
(<550307>2
Timothy 3:7.)
When, therefore, we hear for what purpose the law was
given, we may easily learn what is the true and most successful method of
deriving benefit from it. The inspired writer places trust first,
assigning it the highest rank. He then requires the observance of the holy
commandments of God; and he puts in the middle the remembrance of the works of
God, which serves to confirm and strengthen faith. In short, what he means is,
that the sum of heavenly wisdom consists in this, that men, having their hearts
fixed on God by a true and unfeigned faith, call upon him, and that, for the
purpose of maintaining and cherishing their confidence in him, they exercise
themselves in meditating in good earnest upon his benefits; and that then they
yield to him an unfeigned and devoted obedience. We may learn from this, that
the true service of God begins with faith. If we transfer our trust and
confidence to any other object, we defraud him of the chief part of his
honor.
8.
And that they might not be as
their fathers, a rebellious and provoking
generation. The Psalmist here shows
still more distinctly how necessary this sermon was, from the circumstance that
the Jews were exceedingly prone to revolt from God, if they were not kept in
subjection by powerful restraints. He takes it as a fact, which could not be
questioned, that their hearts were in no respect better than the hearts of their
fathers, whom he affirms to have been a treacherous, rebellious, crooked and
disobedient race. They would, therefore, immediately backslide from the way of
God, unless their hearts were continually sustained by stable supports. The
experience of all ages shows that what Horace writes concerning his own nation
is true every where: —
“Ætas
parenturn, pejor avis,
tulit
Nos nequiores,
mox daturos
Progeniem
vitiosiroem.”
Odes,
Book III. Ode
vi.
“The age
that gave our fathers
birth,
Saw them their
noble sires
disgrace:
We, baser
still, shall leave on
earth
The still
increasing guilt of our degenerate
race.”
Boscawen'Translation.
What then would be the consequence, did not God
succor the world which thus proceeds from evil to worse? As the prophet teaches
the Jews from the wickedness and perverseness of their fathers, that they stood
in need of a severe discipline to recall them from the imitation of bad
examples, we learn from this, how great the folly of the world is, in persuading
itself that the example of the fathers is to be regarded as equivalent to a law,
which ought, in every case, to be followed. He does not here speak of all people
without distinction, but of the holy and chosen race of Abraham; nor does he
rebuke a small number of persons, but almost the whole nation, among whom there
prevailed excessive obstinacy, as well as perverse forgetfulness of the grace of
God, and perfidious dissimulation. He does not mention merely the fathers of one
age, but he comprehends a period stretching back into a remote antiquity, that
persons may not take occasion to excuse themselves in committing sin, from the
length of time during which it has prevailed. We must therefore make a wise
selection from amongst the fathers of those whom it becomes us to imitate. It
being a work of great difficulty to remove the disposition to this perverse
imitation of the fathers, towards whom the feeling of reverence is naturally
impressed on the minds of their successors, the prophet employs a multiplicity
of terms to set forth the aggravated wickedness of the fathers, stigmatising
them as chargeable with apostasy, provocation, treachery, and hypocrisy. These
are very weighty charges; but it will be evident from the sequel that they are
not exaggerated. The word
ˆykh,
hechin, which I have rendered directed, is by some translated
established, but in my opinion, the meaning rather is, that God's ancient
people always turned aside from God into crooked by-paths. Also, in what
follows, instead of reading whose spirit was not faithful towards God,
some read whose spirit leaned not upon
God.
fc316 But it is better to follow the
former interpretation, That they were not faithfully and steadfastly devoted to
God, although they had solemnly sworn allegiance to him. The Papists make use of
this passage as an argument to prove that man has the power of bending his own
heart, and directing it either to good or evil as he pleases; but this is an
inference from it which cannot stand examination for a single moment. Although
the prophet justly blames those who have not directed their heart aright, his
object is not expressly to speak of what men can do of themselves. It is the
special work of God to turn to himself the hearts of men by the secret influence
of his Holy Spirit. It does not however follow from this, that they will be
exempted from blame, when their own lust and depravity draw them away from God.
Moreover, from the sins which are here reproved, we should learn in what way he
would have us to obey and serve him. In the first place, we must lay aside all
obstinacy and take his yoke upon us;
fc317 and, secondly, we must clothe ourselves
with the spirit of meekness, bring the affections of the heart to the obedience
of God, and follow after uprightness, and that not with the fervor of a mere
transient impulse, but with unfeigned and unwavering
steadfastness.
9.
The children of Ephraim being
armed, and shooting with the bow. The sacred
writer sets before us an example of this unfaithfulness in the children of
Ephraim. As those who are pertinaciously set upon doing evil are not easily led
to repentance and reformation by simple instruction, the punishments with which
God visited the children of Ephraim are brought forward, and by these it is
proved that they were reprobates. Since they were a warlike people, it was an
evidence of the divine displeasure for them to turn their backs in battle. And
it is expressly declared, that they were skillful
in
shooting with the
bow;
fc318 for it is an additional stigma
to represent such as were armed with weapons to wound their enemies at a
distance as fleeing through fear. From this, it is the more abundantly manifest
that they had incurred the displeasure of God, who not only deprived them of his
aid, but also made their hearts effeminate in the hour of
danger.
Here the question may be raised, Why the
children of Ephraim only are blamed, when we find a little before, all the
tribes in general comprehended in the same sentence of condemnation? Some
commentators refer this to the slaughter of the sons of Ephraim by the men of
Gath, who came forth against them to recover their cattle of which they had been
despoiled,
<130720>1
Chronicles 7:20, 21, 22.
fc319 But this exposition is too restricted.
Perhaps the kingdom of Israel had fallen into decay, and had been almost ruined
when this psalm was composed. It is therefore better to follow the opinion of
other interpreters, who think, that by the figure synecdoche, the children of
Ephraim are put for the whole people. But these interpreters pass over without
consideration the fact, which ought not to be overlooked, that the Ephraimites
are purposely named because they were the means of leading others into that
rebellion which took place when Jeroboam set up the calves,
(<111225>1
Kings 12:25-33.) What we have already said must be borne in mind, that towards
the close of the psalm, the rejection of the tribe of Ephraim is, not, without
cause, contrasted with the election of the tribe of Judah. The children of
Ephraim are also here spoken of by way of comparison, to warn the true children
of Abraham from the example of those who cut themselves off from the Church, and
yet boasted of the title of the Church without exhibiting holy fruits in their
life.
fc320 As they surpassed all the other tribes
in number and wealth, their influence was too powerful in beguiling the simple;
but of this the prophet now strips them, showing that they were deprived of the
aid of God.
10.
They kept not the covenant of
God. This is the reason assigned for the
Ephraimites turning their backs in the day of battle; and it explains why the
divine assistance was withheld from them. Others, it is true, were guilty in
this respect as well as they, but the vengeance of God executed on that tribe,
which by its influence had corrupted almost the whole kingdom, is purposely
brought forward as a general warning. Since then the tribe of Ephraim, in
consequence of its splendor and dignity, when it threw off the yoke, encouraged
and became as it were a standard of shameful revolt to all the other tribes, the
prophet intended to put people on their guard, that they might not suffer
themselves in their simplicity to be again deceived in the same manner. It is no
light charge which he brings against the sons of Ephraim: he upbraids them on
account of their perfidiousness in despising the whole law and in violating the
covenant. Although he employs these two words, law and covenant,
in the same sense; yet, in placing the covenant first, he clearly
shows that he is speaking not only of the moral law, the all-perfect rule of
life, but of the whole service of God, of the truth and faithfulness of the
divine promises, and of the trust which ought to be reposed in
them,
fc321 of invocation, and of the doctrine of
true religion, the foundation whereof was the adoption. He therefore calls them
covenant-breakers, because they had fallen from their trust in the promises, by
which God had entered into covenant with them to be their Father. Yet he
afterwards very properly adds the law, in which the covenant was sealed
up, as it were, in public records. He aggravates the enormity of their guilt by
the word refuse, which intimates that they were not simply carried away
by a kind of thoughtless or inconsiderate recklessness, and thus sinned through
giddiness, want of knowledge or foresight, but that they had purposely, and with
deliberate obstinacy, violated the holy covenant of
God.
11.
And they forgat his
works. This shameful impiety is here
represented as having originated in ingratitude, inasmuch as they wickedly
buried, and made no account of the deliverance wrought for them, which was
worthy of everlasting remembrance. Truly it was stupidity more than brutish, or
rather, as it were, a monstrous thing,
fc322 for the Israelites to depart from God,
to whom they were under so many and strong obligations. Nor would it have been
possible for them to have been so bewitched by Satan, had they not quite
forgotten the many miracles wrought in their behalf, which formed so many bonds
to keep them in the fear of God and in obedience to him. That no excuse might be
left for extenuating their guilt, the prophet ennobles those works by applying
to them the term wonderful, thereby intimating, that God's manner of
acting was not of a common kind, so as easily to account for their gradually
forgetting his works, but that the Israelites had perversely and wickedly shut
their eyes, that they might not be restrained in their sinful course, by
beholding the glory of God.
Psalm
78:12-16
12. He wrought marvellously
[or he did wondrous things] in the sight of their fathers; in the land of Egypt,
in the field of Zoan.
fc323 13. He divided the sea, and
caused them to pass through, and made the waters to stand as an heap. 14.
And he led them by a cloud in the day; and all the night by the light of
fire. 15. He clave the rocks in the wilderness: and made them to drink in
great deeps. 16. And he brought forth streams from the rock, and made the
waters to run down like
rivers.
12.
He wrought marvellously in
the sight of their fathers. The Psalmist
is still to be regarded as condemning the posterity of the Israelites for their
guilt; but he very properly, at the same time, begins to speak of the first
ancestors of the nation, intimating, that the whole race of them, even from
their first original, were of a perverse and rebellious disposition. But having
remarked that the children of Ephraim had fallen into apostasy, because they had
forgotten the wonderful works of God, he continues to prosecute the same
subject. Meanwhile, as I have said, he makes a very happy transition to speak of
the fathers, whom it was his object to include in the same condemnation. In the
first place, he adverts to the miracles which were wrought in the midst of the
land of Egypt, previous to the departure of the people from it. To recall these
the more vividly to the mind, he names a place which was highly celebrated
— the field of
Zoan. He next comes to speak of the
passage through the sea, where he repeats what was brought under our notice in
the previous psalm, that the order of nature was reversed when the waters
stopped in their course, and were even raised up into solid heaps like
mountains. In the third place, he declares, that after the people had passed
through the Red Sea, God still continued to be their guide in their journey; and
that this might not be a mere temporary deliverance, he graciously continued to
stretch forth his hand to bestow upon them new testimonies of his goodness. It
being a difficult and wearisome thing for them to pursue their journey through
dry and sandy regions, it was no ordinary blessing to be protected from the heat
of the sun by the intervention of a cloud. This, however, was to them a pledge
of more distinguished grace. God hereby testified, that this people were under
his protection, until they should reach the heavenly inheritance. Accordingly,
Paul teaches in
<461002>1
Corinthians 10:2, that there was a kind of baptism administered to the people in
that cloud, as also in their passing through the sea; the fruit of which is not
limited to this frail and transitory life, but extends even to everlasting
salvation.
15.
He clave the rocks in the
wilderness. The Psalmist produces
another evidence of the fatherly love by which God testified the greatness of
the care which he exercised about the welfare of this people. It is not simply
said that God gave them drink, but that he did this in a miraculous manner.
Streams, it is true, sometimes issue from rocks, but the rock which Moses smote
was completely dry. Whence it is evident, that the water was not brought forth
from any spring, but that it was made to flow from the profoundest deeps, as if
it had been said, from the very center of the earth. Those, therefore, who have
interpreted this passage as meaning, that the Israelites drank in the bottomless
deeps, because the waters flowed in great abundance, have failed in giving the
true explanation. Moses, in his history of the miracle, rather enhances its
greatness, by intimating, that God commanded those waters to come gushing from
the remotest veins.
The same truth is confirmed
in the following verse, in which it is stated, that where there had not been a
single drop of water before there was a large and mighty river. Had there only
sprung out of the rock a small rivulet, ungodly men might have had some apparent
ground for cavilling at, and underrating the goodness of God, but when the water
gushed out in such copious abundance all on a sudden, who does not see that the
ordinary course of nature was changed, rather than that some vein or spring
which lay hidden in the earth was
opened?
Psalm
78:17-22
17. Yet they continued
still to sin against him, to provoke the Most High in the wilderness. 18.
And they tempted God in their heart, by asking food for their
soul.
fc324 19. And they spake against God:
they said, Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? 20. Behold! he
smote the rock, and the waters gushed out; and streams overflowed. Can he give
bread also? Can he prepare flesh for his people? 21. Therefore Jehovah
heard, and was wroth: and a fire was kindled in Jacob: and wrath also ascended
against Israel?
fc325 22. Because they believed not in
God, nor trusted in his
salvation.
17.
Yet they continued still to sin against him.
The prophet, having briefly declared how God, by a continual succession of
benefits, had clearly manifested the greatness of his love towards the children
of Abraham, now adds, that after having been laid under such deep and solemn
obligations to him, they, as was natural to them, and according to their
customary way, wickedly rebelled against him. In the first place, he accuses
them of having provoked him grievously, by pertinaciously adding iniquity to
iniquity; and then he points out the particular kind of the provocation with
which they were chargeable. By the word provoke, he intimates, that it
was no light offense which they had committed, but wickedness so heinous and
aggravated as not to be endured. From the place in which it was committed, he
aggravates the enormity of the sin. It was in the very wilderness, whilst the
remembrance of their deliverance was yet fresh in their memory, and where they
had every day full in their view tokens of the presence of God, and where even
necessity itself should have constrained them to yield a true and holy obedience
— it was in that place, and under these circumstances, that they repressed
not their insolence and unbridled
appetite.
fc326 It was then, certainly, a proof of
monstrous infatuation for them to act in such a wanton and disgraceful manner as
they did, at the very time when their want of all things should have proved the
best remedy for keeping them under restraint, and to do this even in the
presence of God, who presented before them such manifestations of his glory as
filled them with terror, and who allured them so kindly and tenderly to
himself.
18.
And they tempted God in their
heart. This is the provocation of which
mention is made in the preceding verse. Not that it was unlawful for them simply
to ask food, when constrained to do so by the cravings of hunger. Who can impute
blame to persons, when being hungry, they implore God to supply their
necessities? The sin with which the Israelites were chargeable consisted in
this, that not content with the food which He had appointed them, they gave
loose reins to their lusts. He, at that time, had begun to feed them with manna,
as we shall again see by and by. It was their loathing of that sustenance which
impelled them eagerly to desire new food, as if they disdained the allowance
assigned them by their heavenly Father. This is what is meant when it is said
that they asked food for their
soul.
fc327 They were not reduced to the
necessity of asking it by hunger; but their lust was not satisfied with living
on the provision which God had appointed for them. On this account, it is
declared, that they tempted
God, overpassing, as they did, the
bounds within which he had limited them. Whoever, undervaluing and despising the
permission or license which He grants, gives full scope to his own intemperate
lust, and desires more than is lawful, is said to tempt God. He acts as if he
would subject Him to his own caprice, or questioned whether He could do more
than he is pleased really to do. God has power to accomplish whatever he wills;
and assuredly, the person who would separate the power of God from his will, or
represent him as unable to do what he wills, does all he can to rend him in
pieces. Those are chargeable with doing this, who are set upon trying whether he
will grant more than he has given them permission to ask. That, therefore, the
lust of the flesh may not stir us up to tempt him, let us learn to impose a
restraint upon our desires, and humbly to rest contented within the limits which
are prescribed to us. If the flesh is allowed to indulge itself without control,
we will not be satisfied with ordinary bread, but will often, and in many ways,
murmur against God.
19.
And they spake against God. The
prophet had said that they tempted God in their
heart;
fc328 and now he adds, that they were
not ashamed openly to utter with their impure and blasphemous tongues, the
impiety which they had inwardly conceived. From this, it is the more abundantly
manifest that malignity and wickedness had taken entire possession of their
hearts. Thus we see how lust conceives sin, when it is admitted into the soul
with unhallowed consent. Afterwards the sin develops itself farther, even as we
see the Israelites proceeding to such a length of profane wantonness, as to call
in question the power of God, as if they made no account of it, any farther than
as it ministered to their lust. By the table prepared which is spoken of,
is to be understood the dainty food, which was their ordinary fare in Egypt. A
single dish did not satisfy their appetite. They were not contented unless they
could gratify themselves with great abundance and variety. When it is said in
the following verse, Behold! God
smote the rock, and the waters gushed out,
etc., this, I have no doubt, is the language of bitter irony, with which the
prophet taunts their unblushing insolence. It is not very likely that they spake
in this manner; but he relates, as it were, with their mouth, or in their
person, the things which took place before their
eyes.
21.
Therefore Jehovah heard, and was wroth.
This hearing of God implies full and perfect knowledge; and it is a figure
taken from earthly judges, who cannot punish criminals until they have become
thoroughly acquainted with the cause. He is said to hear his own people, when he
shows his favor and mercy towards them by granting their requests; and, on the
other hand, he is said to hear those blasphemies which he does not allow to pass
unpunished. To remove all ground for thinking that the divine wrath was unduly
severe, the enormity of the guilt of the Israelites is again described as
manifested in this, that they
believed not God, nor trusted in his
salvation. It is here taken as an
indisputable point, that promises were made to them to which they ought to have
yielded an assent, which, however, they were prevented from yielding by the
extreme infatuation with which they were carried
away. To trust in the salvation
of God, is to lean upon his fatherly
providence, and to regard him as sufficient for the supply of all our wants.
From this we learn not only how hateful unbelief is in the sight of God, but
also, what is the true nature of faith, and what are the fruits which it
produces. Whence is it that men quietly submit themselves to Him, but because
they are persuaded that their salvation is singularly precious in his sight, and
are fully assured that he will give them whatever is needful for them? It is
thus that they are led to surrender themselves to him, to be governed according
to his good pleasure. Faith, then, is the root of true piety. It teaches us to
hope for, and to desire every blessing from God, and it frames us to yield
obedience to him; while those who distrust him must necessarily be always
murmuring and rebelling against him. The scope of the prophet is this, that the
pretences to faith which are made by those who do not hope for salvation from
God, rest upon false grounds; for when God is believed in, the hope of salvation
is speedily produced in the mind, and this hope renders to him the praise of
every blessing.
Psalm
78:23-25
23. But he had commanded
the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, 24. And had rained
down manna
fc329 upon them to eat, and had given them of
the corn of heaven. 25. Man had eaten the bread of the mighty: he had
sent them meat to the
full.
23.
But he had commanded the clouds from above.
It is a mistake to suppose that this miracle is related merely in the way of
history. The prophet rather censures the Israelites the more severely from the
consideration, that although fed to the full with manna, they ceased not to lust
after the dainties which they knew God had denied them. It was the basest
ingratitude to scorn and reject the heavenly food, which, so to speak,
associated them with angels. Were a man who dwells in France or Italy to grieve
and fret that he has not the bread of Egypt to eat, nor the wine of Asia to
drink, would he not make war against God and nature, after the manner of the
giants of old? Much less excusable was the inordinate lust of the Israelites,
whom God not only furnished with earthly provision in rich abundance, but to
whom he also gave the bread of heaven for their support. Had they even endured
hunger for a lengthened period, propriety and duty would have required them to
ask food with more humility. Had they been supplied with only bran and chaff to
eat, it would have been their bounden duty to have acknowledged that in the
place where they were — in the wilderness — this was no ordinary
boon of Heaven. Had only coarse bread been granted them, they would have had
sufficient reason for thanksgiving. But how much stronger were their obligations
to God, when he created a new kind of food, with which, by stretching out, as it
were, his hand from heaven, he supplied them richly and in great abundance? This
is the reason why the manna is called
corn of
heaven, and
bread of the
mighty. Some explain the Hebrew word
µyryba,
abbirim, as denoting the
heavens,
fc330 an opinion which I do not
altogether reject. I, however, prefer taking it for angels, as it is
understood by the Chaldee interpreter, and some others who have followed
him.
fc331 The miracle is celebrated in high
terms, to present the impiety of the people in a more detestable light; for it
was a much more striking display of divine power for manna to be rained down
from heaven, than if they had been fed either with herbs or fruits, or with
other increase of the earth. Paul, in
<461003>1
Corinthians 10:3, calls the manna spiritual meat, in a different sense
— because it was a figure and symbol of Christ. But here the design of the
prophet is to reprove the twofold ingratitude of the people, who despised not
only the common food which was produced from the ground, but also the bread of
angels. Some have translated the verbs in the past tense,
He commanded the clouds —
he opened the doors of heaven — he rained down
manna,
etc.
fc332 But to remove all ambiguity, I have
thought it preferable to translate the verbs in the preterpluperfect tense,
He had commanded, he had opened, he had rained, to enable my readers the
better to understand that the prophet does not here simply relate this history,
but recalls it to remembrance for another purpose, as a thing which happened
long ago.
Psalm
78:26-31
26. He caused an east wind
to blow in the heavens; and by his power he raised up the south wind. 27.
And he rained upon them flesh as dust, and feathered
fowl
fc333 as the sand of the sea; 28. And
he caused it to fall in the midst of his
camp,
fc334 round about his tabernacles. 29.
And they did eat and were filled, and he gave them their desire. 30.
They were not estranged from their desire: the meat was still in their
mouth, 31. When the wrath of God ascended against them, and slew the fat
ones among them, and brought low the chosen of
Israel.
26.
He caused an east wind to
blow in the heavens. We have here
related how God granted the request of his people. This does not imply that he
favourably regarded their fretful desires, but that he showed by the effect that
it was in his power to do what they believed it to be impossible for him to
accomplish. From this, we may perceive how injudiciously some expositors here
join together the flesh and the manna. The reason why the flesh
was given was altogether different from that for which the manna was given. God,
in giving the manna, performed the office of a father; but by the flesh, he
satisfied their gluttonous desires, that their very greediness in devouring it
might choke them. It would not have been a difficult matter for God to have
created quails in the midst of the wilderness; but he chose rather to bring them
by the force of the winds, to teach the Israelites that all the elements are
obedient to his command, and that the distance of places cannot prevent his
power from immediately penetrating from the east even to the
west.
fc335 That unbelieving people, therefore,
were furnished with an undoubted proof of the power of God, from which
they had malignantly detracted, in seeing all the elements of nature ready to
obey and promptly to execute whatever he has commanded. Besides, he no doubt
raised the winds according to the situation of the camp, although it would have
been easy for him, without any means, to have presented flesh before them. It is
stated, that they did eat and
were filled, not only to intimate that
God brought to them a large supply of birds, with which their bellies might be
stuffed to the full; but also, that it was ungovernable lust which led them to
ask flesh, and not a solicitude for having provision on which to live. It has
been said above, that manna had been given them in the greatest abundance, but
here it is intended expressly to censure their gluttony, in which they gave
manifest proof of their unbridled appetite. God promises, in
<19E519>Psalm
145:19, as a peculiar privilege to those who fear him, that “he will
fulfill their desire;” but it is in a different way that he is here said
to have yielded to the perverse desires of the people, who had cast off all fear
of him; for that which his favor and loving-kindness would have led him to
refuse, he now granted them in his wrath. This is an example well worthy of our
attention, that we may not complain if our desires are frowned upon and crossed
by the secret providence of God when they break forth beyond bounds. God then
truly hears us, when, instead of yielding to our foolish inclinations, he
regulates his beneficence according to the measure of our welfare; even as in
lavishing upon the wicked more than is good for them, he cannot, properly
speaking, be said to hear them: he rather loads them with a deadly burden, which
serves to cast them down headlong into
destruction.
The Psalmist expresses this still
more clearly, by adding immediately after, (verses 30, 31,) that this pampering
proved fatal to them, as if with the meat they had swallowed the flame of the
divine wrath. When he says that
they were not estranged from
their lust, this implies, that they were
still burning with their lust. If it is objected that this does not agree with
the preceding sentence, where it is said, that “they did eat, and were
thoroughly filled,” I would answer, that if, as is well known, the minds
of men are not kept within the bounds of reason and temperance, they become
insatiable; and, therefore, a great abundance will not extinguish the fire of a
depraved appetite. Some translate the clause, They were not disappointed,
and others, They did not yet loathe their meat. This last translation
brings out the meaning very well; but it is too far removed from the
signification of the Hebrew word
rwz,
zur, which I have rendered estranged. The prophet intended to
express in two words a present felt pleasure; for when God executed vengeance
upon the people, they still indulged in the excessive gratification of the
palate.
fc336 The wrath of God is said
metaphorically to ascend, when he suddenly rises up to execute judgment;
for when he apparently shuts his eyes and takes no notice of our sins, he seems,
so to speak, to be asleep. The punishment was felt by persons of every condition
among the Israelites; but the fat
ones
fc337 and the chosen are
expressly named, in order to exhibit the judgment of God in a light still more
conspicuous. It did not happen by chance that the most robust and vigorous were
attacked and cut off by the plague. As the strong are commonly deceived by their
strength, and proudly exalt themselves against God, forgetting their own
weakness, and thinking that they may do whatever they please, it is not
surprising to find that the wrath of God burned more fiercely against such
persons than against others.
Psalm
78:32-37
32. For all this they still
sinned, and believed not his wondrous works 33. And he consumed their
days in vanity, and their years in
haste.
fc338 34. When he slew them, then they
sought him; they returned, and hastened early to God. 35. And they
remembered that God was their Rock, and that the High God was their Redeemer.
36. And they flattered him with their mouth, and lied to him with their
tongue. 37. But their heart was not right before him, neither were they
faithful in his
covenant
32.
For all this they still sinned. It is a
common proverb, that fools become wise when the rod is applied to them. Hence it
follows, that those who have often been chastised of God, and yet are not
thereby brought to repentance and amendment, are utterly to be despaired of.
Such was the obstinacy of the Israelites here described. They could not be
reformed by any of the afflictions which were sent upon them. It was a dreadful
manifestation of the vengeance of God to see so many bodies of strong and
vigorous men stretched dead on the ground. It was therefore a proof of monstrous
obduracy, when they were not moved at such an appalling spectacle. By the
expression wondrous
works, is not only meant the plague just
now spoken of: the other miracles, previously mentioned, are comprehended. There
is, therefore, laid to the charge of the people a twofold wickedness; —
they are accused not only of disbelieving the word of God, but also of despising
the miracles which he wrought. For this reason, it is added, that their plagues
were increased; even as God denounces and threatens by Moses, that he will deal
sevenfold more severely with the obstinate and hardened who persevere in their
wickedness.
33.
And he consumed their days in
vanity. As the Psalmist here speaks of
the whole people, as if he had said, that all without exception were speedily
consumed, from the least even to the greatest, this might with probability be
referred to that most grievous punishment which was confirmed and ratified by
the wrath of God — that they should all perish in the wilderness with only
two exceptions, Joshua and Caleb; because, when already near the land of Canaan,
they had turned back. That vast multitude, therefore, after they had shut
against themselves the door of entrance into the Holy Land, died in the
wilderness during the course of forty years. Days are put in the first
place, and then years; by which it is intimated, that the duration of
their life was cut short by the curse of God, and that it was quite apparent
that they failed in the midst of their course. Their days then were
consumed in vanity; for they vanished away like smoke: and their years
in haste, because they passed swiftly away like a stream. The word
hlhb,
behalah, here translated haste, is by some rendered terror.
I would rather prefer reading tumult; for it is undoubtedly meant
that their life was taken away, as when in a tumult any thing is taken by
force.
fc339 But I would not be disposed to change
the word haste, which brings out the meaning more perspicuously. It was a
display of righteous retribution, on account of their obstinacy, that their
strength which made them proud, thus withered and vanished all on a sudden as a
shadow.
34.
When he slew them, then they
sought him. By the circumstance here
recorded, it is intended to aggravate their guilt. When under a conviction of
their wickedness they acknowledged that they were justly punished, and yet did
not with sincerity of heart humble themselves before God, but rather mocked him,
intending to put him off with false pretences, their impiety was the less
excusable. If a man who has lost his judgment does not feel his own calamities,
he is excusable because he is insensible; but he who is forced to acknowledge
that he is culpable, and yet always continues the same, or after having lightly
sought pardon, in fair but deceitful words, suddenly returns to his former state
of mind, manifestly shows by such hollowness of heart that his disease is
incurable. It is here tacitly intimated, that the punishments, by which a people
so obstinate were constrained to seek God, were of no common or ordinary kind;
and we are informed, (verse 35,
fc340) not only that they were convinced of
wickedness, but also that they were affected with a sense and a remembrance of
the redemption from which they were fallen. By this means they are the more
effectually deprived of all excuse on the ground of ignorance. The language
implies that they were not carried away inadvertently, or deceived through
ignorance, but that they had provoked the wrath of God, by dealing
treacherously, as it were with deliberate purpose. And, indeed, God opened their
eyes with the view of more openly discovering their desperate wickedness, as if,
shaking off their hypocrisy and flatteries, he drew them from their
lurking-places into the light.
36.
And they flattered him with their
mouth, and lied to him with their tongue.
Here they are charged with perfidiousness, because they neither confessed
their guilt with sincerity of heart, nor truly ascribed to God the glory of
their deliverance. We are not to suppose that they made no acknowledgement at
all; but it is intimated that the confession of the mouth, as it did not proceed
from the heart, was constrained and not voluntary. This is well worthy of being
noticed; for from it we learn, not only the duty incumbent upon us of guarding
against that gross hypocrisy which consists in uttering with the tongue, before
men, one thing, while we think a different thing in our hearts, but also that we
ought to beware of a species of hypocrisy which is more hidden, and which
consists in this, that the sinner, being constrained by fear, flatters God in a
slavish manner, while yet, if he could, he would shun the judgment of God. The
greater part of men are mortally smitten with this disease; for although the
divine majesty extorts from them some kind of awe, yet it would be gratifying to
them were the light of divine truth completely extinguished. It is, therefore,
not enough to yield an assent to the divine word, unless that assent is
accompanied with true and pure affection, so that our hearts may not be double
or divided. The Psalmist points out the cause and source of this dissimulation
to be, that they were not steadfast and faithful By this he intimates,
that whatever does not proceed from unfeigned purity of heart is accounted lying
and deceit in the sight of God. Since this uprightness is every where required
in the law, he accuses the people with being covenant-breakers, because they had
not kept the covenant of God with that fidelity which became them. As I have
observed elsewhere, there is always to be presupposed a mutual relation and
correspondence between the covenant of God and our faith, in order that the
unfeigned consent of the latter may answer to the faithfulness of the
former.
Psalm
78:38-41
38. Yet he, being merciful,
expiated their iniquity,
fc341 and did not destroy them: and he
multiplied to turn away his anger, and did not stir up all his wrath. 39.
And he remembered that they were flesh; a
spirit
fc342 that passeth, and returneth not.
40. How often did they provoke him in the desert, and grieve him in the
wilderness! 41. And they returned, and tempted God, and limited the Holy
One of Israel.
38.
Yet he, being merciful, expiated
their iniquity. To show the more fully
that no means had succeeded in bending the Israelites, and causing them to
return to a sound state of mind, we are now informed that, although God bare
with their multiplied transgressions, and exercised his mercy in forgiving them,
they had no less manifested their wickedness in abusing his benignity in every
instance in which it was displayed, than they had shown themselves refractory
and obstinate when he treated them with severity. At the same time, the reason
is assigned why they did not utterly perish. They no doubt deserved to be
involved in one common destruction; but it is declared that God mitigated his
anger, that some seed of them might remain. That none might infer, from these
examples of vengeance which have been mentioned, that God had proceeded to
punish them with undue severity, we are told that the punishments inflicted upon
them were moderate — yea, mild, when compared with the aggravated nature
of their wickedness. God kept back his hand, not looking so much to what they
had deserved, as desiring to give place to his mercy. We are not, however, to
imagine that he is changeable, when at one time he chastises us with a degree of
severity, and at another time gently draws and allures us to himself; for in the
exercise of his matchless wisdom, he has recourse to different means by which to
try whether there is really any hope of our recovery. But the guilt of men
becomes more aggravated, when neither his severity can reform them nor his mercy
melt them. It is to be observed, that the mercy of God, which is an essential
attribute of his nature, is here assigned as the reason why he spared his
people, to teach us that he was not induced by any other cause but this, to show
himself so much inclined and ready to pardon. Moreover, as he pardoned them not
only in one instance, nor in one respect, it is affirmed that
he expiated their iniquity, that
he might not destroy them; and again,
that although he had been oftentimes provoked, he yet ceased not to turn away
his anger; and, finally, that he mitigated his chastisements, lest the people
should be overwhelmed with the weight of
them.
39.
And he remembered that they were
flesh. Another reason is now brought
forward why God had compassion on the people, which is, his unwillingness to try
his strength against men who are so constituted as to live only for a short
period in this world, and who then quickly pass away; for the forms of
expression here used denote the frailty by which the condition of men is made
miserable. Flesh and spirit are frequently contrasted in the
Scriptures; not only when flesh means our depraved and sinful nature, and
spirit the uprightness to which the children of God are born again; but
also when men are called flesh, because there is nothing firm or stable
in them: as it is said in Isaiah,
(<233103>Isaiah
31:3,) “Egypt is flesh, and not spirit.” In this passage,
however, the words flesh and spirit are employed in the same sense
— flesh meaning that men are subject to corruption and
putrefaction; and spirit, that they are only a breath or a fleeting
shadow. As men are brought to death by a continual wasting and decay, the people
are compared to a wind which passes away, and which, of its own accord, falls
and does not return again. When we have run our race, we do not commence a new
life upon the earth; even as it is said in
Job,
“For there is hope of a
tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch
thereof will not cease. Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the
stock thereof die in the ground; yet through the scent of water it will bud, and
bring forth boughs like a plant. But man dieth and wasteth away; yea, man giveth
up the ghost, and where is he?”
(<181407>Job
14:7)
The meaning, then, as we may now clearly
perceive, is, that God, in the exercise of his mercy and goodness, bare with the
Jews, not because they deserved this, but because their frail and transitory
condition called forth his pity and induced him to pardon them. We shall
afterwards meet with an almost similar statement in
<19A313>Psalm
103:13-16, where God is represented as being merciful to us, because he sees
that we are like grass, and that we soon wither and become dry like hay. Now, if
God find in us nothing but misery to move him to compassion, it follows that it
is solely his own pure and undeserved goodness which induces him to sustain us.
When it is affirmed that men return not, when they have finished the
course of their life in this world, it is not meant to exclude the hope of a
future resurrection; for men are contemplated only as they are in themselves,
and it is merely their state on earth which is spoken of. With respect to the
renovation of man to the heavenly life, it is a miracle far surpassing nature.
In the same sense it is said, in another place, “His spirit goeth forth,
and returneth not,” (Wisdom 16:14;) language which implies that men, when
they are born into the world, do not bring with them the hope of future
restoration, which must be derived from the grace of
regeneration.
40.
How often did they provoke him in
the desert? Here the preceding sentence
is confirmed, it being declared that, as they had in so many instances provoked
God in the wilderness, by the vast accumulation of their
sins,
fc343 they must of necessity have perished a
thousand times, had not God as often shown himself favorable and merciful
towards them. The interrogatory form of the sentence expresses more
significantly that they continued sinning without intermission. The word
wilderness includes in it the circumstance both of place and of time. By
this it is intended, first, to reprove their ingratitude, in that the memory of
God's benefits, while still so fresh in their minds, and even the sight of them
daily before their eyes, were not at least able to check them in their
wickedness; and, secondly, to condemn their impetuous and infatuated
recklessness, in heaping up such a multitude of sins within so short a
period.
In the same sense it is added
immediately after, (verse 41,) that they returned to their former ways,
and tempted God. The word return does not here signify change, but
a continued course of sinning. The heinous indignity which is done to God when
men tempt him, is expressed by a beautiful metaphor. The Hebrew word
hwt,
tavah, signifies to mark out or describe. It is intimated,
that when the people dared to limit the operations of God, according to their
own pleasure, he was, as it were, shut up within bars of wood or iron, and his
infinite power circumscribed within the narrow boundaries to which unbelief
would confine it. And assuredly, whenever men do not go beyond their own
understandings, it is as if they would measure God by their own small capacity,
which is nothing else than to pull him down from his throne; for his Majesty
must be brought into subjection to us, if we would have him to be regulated
according to our own fancy.
Psalm
78:42-51
42. They remembered not his
hand in the day that he delivered them from the
oppressor:
fc344 43. When he set his signs in
Egypt, and his miracles in the field of Zoan. 44. When he turned their
rivers into blood; and their streams, that they could not drink. 45. He
sent among them a mixture
fc345 which devoured them; and the frog which
destroyed them. 46. And he gave their fruit [or produce] to the
caterpillar,
fc346 and their labor to the
grasshopper. fc347
47. And he destroyed their vines with
hail, and their wild fig-trees
fc348 with hail
stones.
fc349 48. And he gave up their cattle
to the hail; and their flocks to thunderbolts. 49. He sent upon them the
fierceness of his wrath, fury, anger, and affliction, and sent evil angels among
them. 50. He made a way to his anger: he kept not their soul from death,
and shut up their cattle
fc350 to the pestilence. 51. And he
smote all the first-born in Egypt: the first-fruits of their
strength
fc351 in the tents of
Ham.
42.
They remembered not his
hand. The sacred writer still continues
to upbraid the Israelites; for the simple remembrance of God's benefits might
have restrained them, had they not wilfully and perversely forgotten whatever
they had experienced. From this impious forgetfulness proceed waywardness and
all rebellion. The hand of God, as is well known, is by the figure
metonomy taken for his power. In the deliverance of the chosen tribes from Egypt
here celebrated, the hand of God was stretched forth in a new and an unusual
manner. And their impiety, against which the prophet now inveighs, was rendered
the more detestable, from the fact that they accounted as nothing, or soon
forgat, that which no length of time ought to have effaced from their memory.
Farther, he recounts certain examples of the power of God, which he calls first
signs, and then miracles, (verse 43,) that, by the recital of
these, he may again rebuke the shameful stupidity of the people. By both these
words he expresses the same thing; but in the second clause of the verse, the
word miracles gives additional emphasis, implying that, by such strange
and unheard-of events, the Egyptians had at that time been stricken with such
terror as ought not to have vanished so speedily from the minds of the
Israelites.
44.
When he turned their rivers into
blood. The Psalmist does not enumerate
in their order the miracles by which God gave evidence of his power in the
deliverance of his people. He considered it enough to bring to their remembrance
the well-known histories of these events, which would be sufficient to lay open
the wickedness and ingratitude with which they were chargeable; nor is it
necessary for us to stay long on these things, since the narrative of Moses
gives a more distinct and fuller account of what is here briefly stated. Only I
would have my readers to remember that, although God often punished the sins of
the heathen by sending upon them hail and other calamities, yet all the plagues
which at that time were inflicted upon the Egyptians were of an extraordinary
character, and such as were previously unheard-of. A variety of words is
therefore employed to enhance these memorable instances of the vengeance of God,
as that he sent upon them the
fierceness of his wrath, fury, anger, and
affliction. This accumulation of words
is intended to awaken minds which are asleep to a discovery of so many miracles,
of which both the number and the excellence might be perceived even by the blind
themselves.
In the last place, it is added that
God executed these judgments by angels. Although God has, according as it
has pleased him, established certain laws, both in heaven and on earth, and
governs the whole order of nature in such a manner as that each creature has
assigned to it its own peculiar office; yet whenever it seems good to him he
makes use of the ministration of angels for executing his commands, not by
ordinary or natural means, but by his secret power, which to us is
incomprehensible. Some think that devils are here spoken of, because the epithet
evil or hurtful is applied to
angel.
fc352 This opinion I do not reject;
but the ground upon which they rest it has little solidity. They say that as God
dispenses his benefits to us by the ministry of elect angels, so he also
executes his wrath by the agency of reprobate angels, as if they were his
executioners. This I admit is partly true; but I deny that this distinction is
always observed. Many passages of Scripture can be quoted to the contrary. When
the army of the Assyrians laid siege to the holy city Jerusalem, who was it that
made such havoc among them as compelled them to raise the siege, but the angel
who was appointed at that time for the defense of the Church?
(<121935>2
Kings 19:35.) In like manner, the angel who slew the first-born in Egypt
(<021105>Exodus
11:5) was not only a minister and an executor of the wrath of God against the
Egyptians, but also the agent employed for preserving the Israelites. On the
other hand, although the kings of whom Daniel speaks were avaricious and cruel,
or rather robbers, and turned all things upside down, yet the Prophet declares,
(chapter 20:13,) that holy angels were appointed to take charge of them. It is
probable that the Egyptians were given over and subjected to reprobate angels,
as they deserved; but we may simply consider the angels here spoken of as termed
evil, on account of the work in which they were employed, — because
they inflicted upon the enemies of the people of God terrible plagues to repress
their tyranny and cruelty. In this way, both the heavenly and elect angels, and
the fallen angels, are justly accounted the ministers or executors of calamity;
but they are to be regarded as such in different senses. The former yield a
prompt and willing obedience to God; but the latter, as they are always eagerly
intent upon doing mischief, and would, if they could, turn the whole world
upside down, are fit instruments for inflicting calamities upon
men.
50.
He made a way to his
anger.
fc353 To take away all excuse from
this ungrateful people, whom the most evident and striking proofs of the
goodness of God which were presented before their eyes could not keep in their
obedience to him, it is here again repeated that the wrath of God overflowed
Egypt like an impetuous torrent. The miracle adverted to is the last which was
there wrought, when God, by the powerful hand of his angel, slew, in one night,
all the first-born of Egypt. According to a common and familiar mode of speaking
in the Hebrew language, the first-born are called the beginning, or
the first-fruits of strength. Although the old advance to death as they
decline in years, yet as they are in a manner renewed in their offspring, and
thus may be said to recover their decayed strength, the term strength is
applied to their children. And the first-born are called the beginning or
the first-fruits of this strength, as I have explained more at large on
Genesis 49:3. The houses of Egypt are called the tents of Ham, because
Misraim, who gave the name to the country, was the son of Ham,
<011006>Genesis
10:6. Farther, there is here celebrated the free love of God towards the
posterity of Shem, as manifested in his preferring them to all the children of
Ham, although they were possessed of no intrinsic excellence which might render
them worthy of such a distinction.
Psalm
78:52-58
52. And he made his people
to go forth like sheep, and led them in the wilderness like a flock. 53.
And he conducted them in safety, and they were not afraid: and the sea covered
their enemies. 54. And he brought them to his holy border, [literally to
the border of his holiness,] this
mountain,
fc354 which his right hand
acquired.
fc355 55. He expelled the heathen from
before them; and made them to fall into their part of the
inheritance;
fc356 and made the children of Israel to
dwell in their tents. 56. And they tempted and provoked the Most High
God, and kept not his testimonies. 57. And they turned back and dealt
treacherously, like their fathers: they turned back, like a deceitful
bow.
fc357 58. And they provoked him to
anger with their high places; and moved him to anger with their graven
images.
52.
And he made his people to go forth like
sheep. The Psalmist again celebrates
God's fatherly love towards the chosen people, whom, as we have elsewhere
remarked, he compares to a flock of sheep. They had no wisdom or power of their
own to preserve and defend themselves; but God graciously condescended to
perform towards them the office of a shepherd. It is a singular token of the
love which he bore towards them, that he did not disdain to humble himself so
far as to feed them as his own sheep. What could a multitude who had never been
trained up to the art of war do against powerful and warlike enemies? So far
from having learned the art of war, the people, as is well known, had been
employed, when in Egypt, in mean and servile occupations, as if they had been
condemned to toil under the earth in mines or in
quarries.
53.
And he conducted them in safety, and they were not
afraid. This does not imply that they
relied on God confidently, and with tranquil minds, but that, having God for
their guide and the guardian of their welfare, they had no just cause to be
afraid. When at any time they were thrown into consternation, this was owing to
their own unbelief. From this cause proceeded these murmuring questions to which
they gave utterance, when Pharaoh pursued them, upon their leaving Egypt, and
when they were “sore afraid:” “Because there were no graves in
Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou
dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we
did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians?
For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in
the wilderness,”
(<021411>Exodus
14:11.) This security, then, is not to be referred to the feeling of this in the
minds of the people, but to the protection of God, by which it came to pass
that, their enemies having been drowned in the Red Sea, they enjoyed quiet and
repose in the wilderness. Other benefits which God had bestowed upon them are
here recited, and at the same time other transgressions with which they had been
chargeable. This shows the more clearly their deep ingratitude. After having
obtained possession of the inheritance which was promised them, as if they had
been under no obligations to God, their hearts were always rebellious and
untractable. The accomplishment, and, as it were, the concluding act of their
deliverance, was the putting them in possession of the land of Canaan, from
entering which they had precluded themselves, had not God determined,
notwithstanding their wickedness, to complete, in all respects, the work which
he had commenced. The land itself is called the borders of God's sanctuary,
(verse 54,) because God, in assigning it to his people, had also consecrated
it to himself. This, it is manifest, exhibits in a more heinous and aggravated
light the iniquity of the people, who brought into that land the same pollutions
with which it had been anciently defiled. What madness was it for the people of
Israel, who knew that the old inhabitants of the country had been driven from it
on account of their abominations, to strive to surpass them in all kinds of
wickedness? as if they had been resolved to do all they could to bring down upon
their own heads that divine vengeance which they had seen executed upon others.
The words this mountain are improperly explained by some as applying to
the whole country of Judea; for although it was a mountainous country, there
were in it plain and level grounds of large extent, both as to breadth and
length. I have, therefore, no doubt, that by way of amplification the Psalmist
makes honorable mention of mount Zion, where God had chosen a habitation for
himself, and his chief seat. I indeed allow, that under this expression, by the
figure synecdoche, a part is put for the whole; only I would have my readers to
understand, that this place is expressly named, because from it, as from a
source or fountain, flowed the holiness of the whole land. It is asserted that
God, by his right hand, possessed or acquired this mountain; for the Hebrew verb
hnq,
kanah, may be understood in either of these senses: and this assertion is
made, that the Israelites might not be lifted up with pride, as if they had
achieved the conquest of the land, or had obtained the peaceable possession of
it by their own power. As is stated in
<194403>Psalm
44:3,
“They got not the land
in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them, but thy
right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst
a favor unto them.”
(<194403>Psalm
44:3)
55.
He expelled the heathen from before them; and made them to fall into their part
of the inheritance. These words are an
explanation of the concluding sentence of the preceding verse: they describe the
manner in which the land of Canaan was acquired, plainly intimating that the
Israelites were not such a warlike race, nor those heathen nations so cowardly,
as to render it an easy matter for the former to vanquish the latter, and that
it would have been impossible for the former to have expelled the latter from
the country, had they not been led on to victory under the conduct of God, and
been aided by his power. Besides, it would have been unlawful for them to have
taken possession of the country, had it not been the will of God that the first
inhabitants should be deprived of it, and that strangers should be established
in it in their room.
56.
And they tempted and provoked the
Most High God. Here they are upbraided
for having, notwithstanding the many tokens of the divine favor by which they
were distinguished, persevered in acting perfidiously: yea, even although God
from time to time conferred upon them new benefits, to recover them to their
allegiance to him, they, notwithstanding, by their rebellion, shook off his
yoke. With respect to the word tempt, we have already explained its
import. But it is added in general, that
they provoked God, because they
had not kept his covenant. By this last
clause, their open and gross rebellion is the more completely demonstrated; for,
although they had been plainly taught their duty, they nevertheless refused to
submit to the authority of God. The law is called testimonies or
agreements,
fc358 because, as men enter into
contracts upon certain conditions, so God, by his covenant, entered into a
contract with this people, and bound them to himself. In speaking of them in
this manner, there is pronounced upon them no light censure; but when they are
charged in the next verse with apostasy and perfidiousness, that fills up the
measure of their guilt. God had adopted them to be his people: they, on the
other hand, despising his favor, voluntarily renounce it. He had gathered them
together under his wings; and they, by their waywardness, scatter themselves in
all directions. He had promised to be a father to them; and they refuse to be
his children. He had shown them the way of salvation; and they, by going astray,
willingly precipitate themselves into destruction. The prophet, therefore,
concludes, that in every age they showed themselves to be an impious and wicked
people. It is again to be noticed, that the fault which is most severely
condemned in them is, that they too much resembled their fathers. This is
particularly mentioned, to prevent any man from deceiving himself by supposing,
that in indiscriminately imitating his ancestors he is doing right, and that he
may not think of making use of their example as an argument for defending his
own conduct. The instability of the people is next expressed by a very apposite
figure, which Hosea also employs in
<280716>Hosea
7:16. As archers are deceived when they have a bow which is too weak, or ill
bent, or crooked and flexible, so it is stated, that this people turned back,
and slipped away by their deceitful and tortuous craftiness, that they might
not be governed by the hand of God.
58.
And they provoked him to anger
with their high places. We have here
adduced the species of defection by which the Israelites afforded incontestable
evidence that they refused to be faithful to God, and to yield allegiance to
him. They had been sufficiently, and more than sufficiently warned, that the
service of God would be perverted and contaminated, unless they were regulated
in every part of it by the Divine Word; and now, disregarding his whole law,
they recklessly follow their own inventions. And the fruits which uniformly
proceed from the contempt of the law are, that men who choose rather to follow
their own understanding than to submit to the authority of God, become wedded to
gross superstitions. The Psalmist complains that the service of God was
corrupted by them in two ways; in the first place, by their defacing the glory
of God, in setting up for themselves idols and graven images; and, secondly, by
their inventing strange and forbidden ceremonies to appease the anger of
God.
Psalm
78:59-66
59. God heard it, and was
wroth, and exceedingly abhorred Israel. 60. And he forsook the habitation
of Shiloh,
fc359 the tabernacle where he dwelt among
men. 61. And he delivered his strength into captivity, and his beauty
into the hand of the enemy. 62. And he shut up his people to the sword,
and was wroth with his own inheritance. 63. The fire devoured their
chosen;
fc360, and their virgins were not
applauded.
fc361 64. Their priests fell by the
sword; and their widows made no lamentation. 65. But the Lord awoke as
one asleep, as a mighty man that crieth out by reason of wine. 66. And he
smote his enemies behind; he put upon them everlasting
disgrace.
59.
God heard it, and was wroth. The prophet
again shows that God, when he found that no good resulted from his
long-suffering, which the people abused, yea, even treated with mockery, and
perverted as an encouragement to greater excess in sinning, at length proceeded
to inflict severe punishments upon them. The metaphor, which he borrows from
earthly judges, is frequently to be met with in the Scriptures. When God is said
to hear, it is not meant that it is necessary for him to make
inquisition, but it is intended to teach us that he does not rush forth
inconsiderately to execute his judgments, and thus to prevent any from supposing
that he ever acts precipitately. The amount of what is stated is, that the
people continued so pertinaciously in their wickedness, that at length the cry
of it ascended to heaven; and the very weight of the punishment demonstrated the
aggravated nature of the offense.
After it is
said that Israel, whom God had loved so much, was become an abomination in his
sight, it is added, (verse 60,) that they were bereft of the presence of God,
which is the only source of true felicity and comfort under calamities of every
kind. God, then, is said to
have abhorred
Israel, when he permitted the ark of the
covenant to be carried into another country, as if he intended by this to
indicate that he had departed from Judea, and bidden the people farewell. It is
indeed very obvious, that God was not fixed to the outward and visible symbol;
but as he had given the ark to be a token or sign of the close union which
subsisted between him and the Israelites, in suffering it to be carried away, he
testified, that he himself had also departed from them. Shiloh having been for a
long time the abode of the ark, and the place where it was captured by the
Philistines,
(<090411>1
Samuel 4:11,) it is termed the habitation or dwelling-place of God.
The manner of his residence, in short, is beautifully expressed in the next
sentence, where Shiloh is described as his dwelling-place among men. God,
it is true, fills both heaven and earth; but as we cannot attain to that
infinite height to which he is exalted, in descending among us by the exercise
of his power and grace, he approaches as near to us as is needful, and as our
limited capacity will bear. It is a very emphatic manner of speaking to
represent God as so incensed by the continual wickedness of his people, that he
was constrained to forsake this place, the only one which he had chosen for
himself upon the earth.
61.
And he delivered his strength
into captivity. In this verse, the same
subject is prosecuted: it is declared, that the strength of God, by which
the Israelites had been shielded and defended, was at that time in captivity.
Not that his power could only be exerted in connection with the outward
symbol; but instead of opposing their enemies as he had formerly done, it was
now his will that the grace by which he had preserved his people should, so to
speak, be led captive. This, however, is not to be understood as implying that
the Philistines had made God their prisoner. The meaning simply is, that the
Israelites were deprived of the protection of God, in consequence of which they
fell into the hands of their enemies, even as an army is put to flight when the
general is taken prisoner. The ark is also termed the beauty of God;
because, being in himself invisible, he made it the symbol of his presence,
or, as it were, a mirror in which he might be seen. It is a bold, and at first
sight, an absurd hyperbole, to say that the strength of God was taken prisoner
by the Philistines; but it is expressly used for the purpose of aggravating the
wickedness of the people. As he had been accustomed mightily to display the
power of his arm in aiding them, the offenses with which he had been provoked
must have been of a very heinous character, when he suffered that symbol of his
power to be forcibly carried away by a heathen army. We are taught by the
prophet Jeremiah,
(<240712>Jeremiah
7:12,) that what is here related of Shiloh, is addressed as a warning to
all those who, flattering themselves upon false grounds, that they enjoy the
presence of God, are lifted up with vain confidence: “But go ye now
unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see
what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.” If, therefore,
when God approaches us familiarly, we do not sincerely receive him with that
reverence which becomes us, we have ground to fear that what happened to the
people of Shiloh will happen also to us. So much the more disgusting, then, is
the boasting of the Pope and his adherents, who support the claims of Rome as
the special dwelling-place of God, from the fact, that the Church in former
times flourished in that city. It is to be remembered, — what they seem to
forget, — that Christ, who is the true temple of the Godhead, was born in
Bethlehem, and brought up in Nazareth, and that he dwelt and preached in
Capernaum and Jerusalem; and yet the miserable desolation of all these cities
affords a dreadful testimony of the wrath of
God.
62.
And he shut up his people to the sword.
Other parts of the calamity which befell Israel in the time of the high
priest Eli are here mentioned. God, in permitting the ark to be carried away,
showed that he had withdrawn his favor from them. This was also demonstrated
from the fact, that all the flower of the people — those who were in the
prime and blush of manhood — were consumed by the wrath of God: which is
expressed by the fire devouring them. But this language is metaphorical,
as is evident from the history of the event referred to, which informs us, that
those that perished who were of the chosen of Israel, to the number of thirty
thousand men, fell by the sword of the enemy, and not by fire,
(<090410>1
Samuel 4:10.) This figure points out the suddenness of the dreadful calamity. It
is as if it had been said, They were destroyed in a moment, even as fire quickly
consumes chaff and the dry leaves of
trees.
fc362
The great extent of this slaughter
is heightened by another figure, which is, that for want of men, the maidens
continued unmarried. This is the meaning of the clause,
Their virgins were not
applauded; the reference being to the
nuptial songs which were wont to be sung at marriages in praise of the bride. To
aggravate still more the unwonted and appalling nature of the calamity, it is
added, that even the priests, whom God had taken under his special
protection, perished indiscriminately with others. When it is said, that
the widows made no
lamentation, I would explain it as
denoting, either that they themselves died first for sorrow, so that they had no
opportunity of mourning for others, or else, that when led captive by their
enemies, they were prohibited to mourn. By all these expressions, the object is
to show, in a few words, that all kinds of calamities were heaped upon
them.
fc363
65.
But the Lord awoke as one asleep. Some
understand this as spoken of the Israelites, implying that the Lord awoke
against them; and others, as spoken of their enemies. If the first sense is
adopted, it need not excite our surprise, that the Israelites are termed, in the
66th verse, the enemies of God, even as they are so designated in
<230124>Isaiah
1:24,
“Therefore, saith the
Lord, the Lord of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah! I will ease me of mine
adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies.”
(<230124>Isaiah
1:24)
And thus the meaning will be, that the
Israelites paid dearly for abusing the patience of God, by taking encouragement
from it to indulge to greater excess in the commission of sin; for awaking
suddenly, he rushed upon them with so much the greater fury. But as we find the
prophets drawing their doctrine from Moses, and also framing their language
according to his as a standard, the opinion of those who understand this and the
following verse, as referring to the Philistines, is no less probable. The
prophet here appears to have borrowed this order, from the song of Moses,
(<053227>Deuteronomy
32:27,) where God declares, that while he punished his own people, he, at the
same time, did not forget to repress their enemies. Since it is a common
proverb, that the issue of wars is uncertain, if, after the enemies of the
chosen tribes had obtained the victory, no change had happened to them, it would
not have been so manifest, that what befell his own people was a punishment
inflicted upon them by God. But when God, after having afflicted and humbled the
Israelites, made his judgments to fall on their conquerors, without the
instrumentality of man, beyond all human expectation, and contrary to what
happens in the ordinary course of events; — from this it is the more
plainly manifest, that when the Israelites were laid in the dust, it was the
work of God, who intended thus to punish them. The prophet, however, at the same
time, gives us to understand, that God was constrained, as it were, by
necessity, to punish them with greater severity; because, in afterwards
inflicting his judgments upon the Philistines, he gave abundant evidence of his
regard to his covenant, which the Israelites might be very apt to think he had
quite forgotten. Although he had, so to speak, taken the side of the Philistines
for a time, it was not his intention utterly to withdraw his love from the
children of Abraham, lest the truth of his promise should become
void.
The figure of a drunken man may seem
somewhat harsh; but the propriety of using it will appear, when we consider that
it is employed in accommodation to the stupidity of the people. Had they been of
a pure and clear understanding,
fc364 God would not have thus transformed
himself, and assumed a character foreign to his own. When he, therefore,
compares himself to a drunken man, it was the drunkenness of the people; that is
to say, their insensibility that constrained him to speak thus: which was so
much the greater shame to them. With respect to God, the metaphor derogates
nothing from his glory. If he does not immediately remedy our calamities, we are
ready to think that he is sunk into a profound sleep. But how can God, it may be
said, be thus asleep, when he is superior in strength to all the giants, and yet
they can easily watch for a long time, and are satisfied with little sleep? I
answer, when he exercises forbearance, and does not promptly execute his
judgments, the interpretation which ignorant people put upon his conduct is,
that he loiters in this manner like a man who is stupified, and knows not how to
proceed.
fc365 The prophet, on the contrary, declares,
that this sudden awaking of God will be more alarming and terrible than if he
had at the first lifted up his hand to execute judgment; and that it will be as
if a giant, drunken with wine, should start up suddenly out of his sleep, while
as yet he had not slept off his surfeit. Many restrict the statement in the 66th
verse, concerning God's smiting his enemies behind, to the plague which
he sent upon the Philistines, recorded in
<090512>1
Samuel 5:12. The phrase, everlasting disgrace, agrees very well with this
interpretation; for it was a shameful disease to be afflicted with haemorrhoids
in their hinder parts. But as the words,
They were smitten
behind, admit of a more simple sense, I
leave the matter undecided.
Psalm
78:67-72
67. And he rejected the
tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim: 68. But he
chose the tribe of Judah, the mountain of Zion, which he
loved:
fc366 69. And built his sanctuary like
high places, and like the earth which he has established for ever. 70.
And he chose David his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds: 71. He
took him froth following the suckling ewes, to feed Jacob his people, and Israel
his inheritance: 72. And he fed them in the uprightness of his heart, and
guided them by the prudence of his
hands.
67.
And he rejected the tabernacle of
Joseph. Those who suppose that the word
enemies, in the 66th verse, applies to the Israelites, connect these
verses with the preceding, and suppose the meaning to be, that the wound which
God had inflicted upon them was incurable. But, preferring the other opinion,
which regards the Philistines as spoken of, and the scope to be, that God, in
punishing them so severely, evidently showed that the covenant which he had made
with his people was not disannulled, since he had avenged himself in such an
awful manner upon their enemies, the explanation which I would rather give is,
that this is added by way of correction, as if it had been said, That God was
not yet fully reconciled towards his people who had wickedly revolted from him,
and that, as an evidence of this, there remained among them some traces of the
punishment with which he had visited them. The meaning of the text, therefore,
is, that when the ark was taken by the Philistines, God was, so to speak,
asleep, having been made drunk by the sins of his people, so that he could no
longer keep watch for their defense as he had been accustomed to do; and yet,
that he did not continue long sunk in sleep, but that, whenever he saw the
ungodly Philistines treating with mockery the glory of his majesty, this heinous
insult awoke and provoked him, just as if a giant, having well supped, had awoke
from his first sleep before he had recovered from the exciting effects of his
wine; and that, at the same time, his anger had not been so provoked against
this heathen and uncircumcised nation as to prevent him from exhibiting some
signs of the chastisement which he had inflicted upon the wicked and ungrateful
Israelites even to the end. The rejection spoken of amounts to this, that when
God permitted his ark to be carried away to another place, the Israelites were
thereby deprived of the honor with which, by special privilege, they had been
previously distinguished.
There are two
principal points which should here be particularly attended to; in the first
place, when the Philistines were smitten with unseemly ulcers, the plainest
evidence was afforded that when the Israelites were conquered by them, this
happened solely because God willed it to be so. He did not recover new strength,
or gather together a new army for the purpose of invading, some short time
after, the Philistines who had been victorious, nor did he have recourse, in
doing this, to foreign aid. The other point is, that although God stretched
forth his hand against the Philistines, to show that he had still some
remembrance of his covenant, and some care of the people whom he had chosen, yet
in restoring the Israelites in some measure to their former state, he made the
rejection of Shiloh a perpetual monument of his wrath. He, therefore, rejected
the tribe of Ephraim;
fc367 not that he cast them off for ever, or
completely severed them from the rest of the body of the Church, but he would
not have the ark of his covenant to reside any longer within the boundaries of
that tribe. To the tribe of Ephraim is here opposed the tribe of Judah, in which
God afterwards chose for himself a
dwelling-place.
Thus the prophet proceeds to
show, that when the ark of the covenant had a resting-place assigned to it on
mount Zion, the people were in a manner renewed; and this symbol of
reconciliation being restored to them, they were recovered to the favor of God
from which they had fallen. As God had, so to speak, been banished from the
kingdom, and his strength led into captivity through the sins of the Israelites,
they had need to be taught, by this memorial, that God had been so highly
displeased with their wickedness, that he could not bear to look upon the place
in which he had formerly dwelt. After this separation, although to teach the
people to be more on their guard in time to come, there was not a full and
perfect restitution, yet God again chose a fixed residence for his ark, which
was a manifestation of wonderful goodness and mercy on his part. The ark, after
its return, was carried from one place to another, as to Gath, Ekron, and other
places, until mount Zion was pointed out by an oracle as its fixed abode; but
this intervening period is not taken notice of by the prophet, because
his design went no farther than to impress upon the memory, both the example
of the punishment, and the grace of God, which was greater than any could have
ventured to hope for.
fc368 That which is often repeated by Moses
should also be remembered:
“But unto the place
which the Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name
there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt
come,” etc.,
(<051205>Deuteronomy
12:5.)
Shiloh having acquired this renown, because the ark
had dwelt there for a long time, when the ark was carried away into the country
of the enemies of Israel, the minds of men were strangely perplexed, until they
knew the place which God had chosen for its future residence. The ten tribes
were not at that time rejected, and they had an equal interest in the kingdom
and the priesthood with the tribe of Judah; but in process of time their own
rebellion cut them off. This is the reason why the prophet says, in scorn, that
the tribe of Ephraim was rejected, and that the tribe of Joseph, from whom it
sprung, was not chosen.
68.
But he chose the tribe of
Judah. The meaning is, that God
preferred the tribe of Judah to all the rest of the people, and chose from it a
king, whom he might set over all the Israelites as well as the Jews. And he
chose the mountain of
Zion, appointing a certain spot upon it
to be the seat of his sanctuary. That the cause of this choice might not be
sought any where else but in God, it is particularly stated that the preferring
of mount Zion to all other places, and the enriching of it in such a
distinguished manner, proceeded entirely from the free and unmerited love of
God. The relative which is here put instead of the causal adverb for;
the meaning being, that the sanctuary of God was established there, not for
any worthiness of the place, but solely because it was the good pleasure of God.
It was proper that this second restitution of the people should be no less free
than their first adoption was, when God made his covenant with Abraham, or when
he delivered them from the land of Egypt. God's love to the place had a
respect to men. From this it follows, that the Church has been gathered together
from the beginning, and in all ages, by the pure grace and goodness of God; for
never have men been found to possess any intrinsic meritorious claims to his
regard, and the Church is too precious to be left to depend upon the power of
men.
69.
And built his sanctuary like high
places.
fc369 In this verse, what is intimated
is simply this, that Mount Zion was singularly beautified; which, however, ought
to be referred to the heavenly pattern. It was not the will of God that the
minds of his people should be entirely engrossed with the magnificence of the
building, or with the pomp of outward ceremonies; but that they should be
elevated to Christ, in whom the truth of the figures of the former economy was
exhibited. It is, therefore affirmed, that
the sanctuary was built like high
places; that is to say, it was
conspicuous among all the high mountains: even as Isaiah
(<230202>Isaiah
2:2,) and Micah,
(<330401>Micah
4:1,) prophesying of the building of the new and spiritual temple, declare that
it “shall be established in the tops of the mountains, and shall be
exalted above the hills.” And it is well known that fortresses were in
those days erected upon high places. Zion is next compared to the entire mass of
the globe: He hath built his sanctuary like the
earth,
fc370 which he has established for ever.
Some regions of the globe are visited by earthquakes, or perish by the
opening of the earth, or are agitated by some violent commotion, or undergo some
alteration; but the body of the earth itself continues always stable and
unchanged, because it rests upon deep foundations. It is, therefore, here taught
that the building spoken of was not temporary, like the sumptuous palaces of
kings, which fall into ruins during the lapse of time, or are in danger of being
destroyed by other means; but that it was founded to stand entire, even to the
end of the world. If it is objected that the temple was destroyed by the
Chaldeans and Assyrians, the answer is obvious, That the stability celebrated
consists in Christ alone; for, if the ancient sanctuary, which was only a
figure, is considered merely in itself, without any regard to that which it
typified, it will be only an empty shadow. But as God intended it to be a pledge
to show that Christ was to come, perpetuity is justly attributed to it. In like
manner it is said, in another place,
(<198701>Psalm
87:1,) “His foundation is in the holy mountains;” and in
Isaiah,
(<231432>Isaiah
14:32,) “The Lord hath founded Zion;” and again, in
<197402>Psalm
74:2, God is said “to dwell in mount Zion,” so that it should
never be moved.
70.
And he chose David his
servant. After having made mention of
the temple, the prophet now proceeds to speak of the kingdom; for these two
things were the chief signs of God's choice of his ancient people, and of his
favor towards them; and Christ also hath appeared as our king and priest to
bring a full and perfect salvation to us. He proves that David was made king by
God, who elevated him from the sheepfold, and from the keeping of cattle, to the
royal throne. It serves in no small degree to magnify the grace of God, that a
peasant was taken from his mean shepherd's cot, and exalted to the dignity of a
king. Nor is this grace limited to the person of David. We are taught that
whatever worth there was in the children of Abraham, flowed from the fountain of
God's mercy. The whole glory and felicity of the people consisted in the kingdom
and priesthood; and both these are attributed to the pure grace and good
pleasure of God. And it was requisite that the commencement of the kingdom of
Christ should be lowly and contemptible, that it might correspond with its type,
and that God might clearly show that he did not make use of external aids in
order to accomplish our salvation.
71.
He took him from following the
suckling ewes, etc. The grace of God is
farther commended from the circumstance, that David, who was a keeper of sheep,
was made the shepherd of the chosen people and heritage of God. There is an
allusion to David's original condition; but the Spirit of God, at the same time,
shows us the difference between good and lawful kings, and tyrants, robbers, and
insatiable extortioners, by telling us that whoever would aspire to the
character of the former must be like
shepherds.
It is afterwards added, (verse 72,)
that David had faithfully performed the duties of the trust committed to him. By
this the prophet indirectly rebukes the ingratitude and perverseness of the
people, who not only overturned the holy and inviolable order which God had
established, but who had also, in shaking off his salutary yoke, thrown
themselves into a state of miserable dispersion. What follows concerning the
prudence of David's hands seems to be an improper form of expression. But it
is intended forcibly to express, that he not only was successful in what he had
undertaken, but that he was governed by the Spirit of God, which prevented him
from putting his hand at random to any work which might come in his way, and led
him prudently and skilfully to do that to which faith and duty called him; and
thus, in the success of his undertakings, his wisdom appears more conspicuous
than his good fortune.
PSALM
79
This is a complaint and lamentation of the Church
when severely afflicted; in which, while the faithful bewail their miserable
and, in one sense, undeserved calamities, and accuse their enemies of cruelty,
they acknowledge that, in another sense, they have been justly chastised, and
humbly betake themselves to the divine mercy. Their confidence of obtaining
this, they rest chiefly upon the fact, that they saw God's dishonor conjoined
with their calamities, inasmuch as the ungodly, in oppressing the Church,
blasphemed his sacred name.
A Psalm of
Asaph.
This psalm, like others, contains internal evidence
that it was composed long after the death of David. Some who ascribe it to him
allege, in support of this opinion, that the afflictions of the Church have been
here predicted by the spirit of prophecy, to encourage the faithful in bearing
the cross when these afflictions should arrive. But there does not appear to be
any ground for such a supposition. It is not usual with the prophets thus to
speak historically in their prophecies. Whoever judiciously reflects upon the
scope of the poem will easily perceive that it was composed either when the
Assyrians, after having burnt the temple, and destroyed the city, dragged the
people into captivity, or when the temple was defiled by Antiochus, after he had
slaughtered a vast number of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Its subject agrees
very well with either of these periods. Let us then take it as an admitted
point, that this complaint was dictated to the people of God at a time when the
Church was subjected to oppression, and when matters were reduced to the most
hopeless condition. How cruelly the Assyrians conducted themselves is well
known. And under the tyranny of Antiochus, if a man dared simply to open his
mouth in defense of the pure worship of God, he did it at the risk of
immediately forfeiting his
life.
Psalm
79:1-4
1. O God! the heathen [or the
nations] have come into thy inheritance; they have defiled the temple of thy
holiness; they have laid Jerusalem in heaps. 2. They have given the dead
bodies of thy servants for food to the fowls of the heaven; the flesh of thy
meek ones to the beasts of the earth. 3. They have shed their blood like
water, around Jerusalem: and there was none to bury them. 4. We have been
a reproach to our neighbors; a scorn and a derision to them that are around
us.
1.
O God! the heathen have come into thy
inheritance. Here the prophet, in the
person of the faithful, complains that the temple was defiled, and the city
destroyed. In the second and third verses, he complains that the saints were
murdered indiscriminately, and that their dead bodies were cast forth upon the
face of the earth, and deprived of the honor of burial. Almost every word
expresses the cruelty of these enemies of the Church. When it is considered that
God had chosen the land of Judea to be a possession to his own people, it seemed
inconsistent with this choice to abandon it to the heathen nations, that they
might ignominiously trample it under foot, and lay it waste at their pleasure.
The prophet, therefore, complains that when the heathen came into the
heritage of God, the order of nature was, as it were, inverted. The
destruction of the temple, of which he speaks in the second clause, was still
less to be endured; for thus the service of God on earth was extinguished, and
religion destroyed. He adds, that Jerusalem, which was the royal seat of
God, was reduced to heaps. By these words is denoted a hideous overthrow.
The profanation of the temple, and the destruction of the holy city, involving,
as they did, heaven-daring impiety, which ought justly to have provoked the
wrath of God against these enemies — the prophet begins with them, and
then comes to speak of the slaughter of the saints. The atrocious cruelty of
these persecutions is pointed out from the circumstance that they not only put
to death the servants of God, but also exposed their dead bodies to the beasts
of the field, and to birds of prey, to be devoured, instead of burying them. Men
have always had such a sacred regard to the burial of the dead, as to shrink
from depriving even their enemies of the honor of
sepulture.
fc371 Whence it follows, that those who take
a barbarous delight in seeing the bodies of the dead torn to pieces and devoured
by beasts, more resemble these savage and cruel animals than human beings. It is
also shown that these persecutors acted more atrociously than enemies ordinarily
do, inasmuch as they made no more account of shedding human blood than of
pouring forth water. From this we learn their insatiable thirst for
slaughter. When it is added,
there was none to bury
them, this is to be understood as
applying to the brethren and relatives of the slain. The inhabitants of the city
were stricken with such terror by the indiscriminate butchery perpetrated by
these ruthless assassins upon all who came in their way, that no one dared to go
forth. God having intended that, in the burial of men, there should be some
testimony to the resurrection at the last day, it was a double indignity for the
saints to be despoiled of this right after their death. But it may be asked,
Since God often threatens the reprobate with this kind of punishment, why did he
suffer his own people to be devoured of beasts? We must remember, what we have
stated elsewhere, that the elect, as well as the reprobate, are subjected to the
temporal punishments which pertain only to the flesh. The difference between the
two cases lies solely in the issue; for God converts that which in itself is a
token of his wrath into the means of the salvation of his own children. The same
explanation, then, is to be given of their want of burial which is given of
their death. The most eminent of the servants of God may be put to a cruel and
ignominious death — a punishment which we know is often executed upon
murderers, and other despisers of God; but still the death of the saints does
not cease to be precious in his sight: and when he has suffered them to be
unrighteously persecuted in the flesh, he shows, by taking vengeance on their
enemies, how dear they were to him. In like manner, God, to stamp the marks of
his wrath on the reprobate, even after their death, deprives them of burial;
and, therefore, he threatens a wicked king, “He shall be buried
with the burial of all ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of
Jerusalem,”
(<242219>Jeremiah
22:19; see also
<243630>Jeremiah
36:30.)
fc372 When he exposes his own children to the
like indignity, he may seem for a time to have forsaken them; but he afterwards
converts it into the means of furthering their salvation; for their faith, being
subjected to this trial, acquires a fresh triumph. When in ancient times the
bodies of the dead were anointed, that ceremony was performed for the sake of
the living whom they left behind them, to teach them, when they saw the bodies
of the dead carefully preserved, to cherish in their hearts the hope of a better
life. The faithful, then, by being deprived of burial, suffer no loss, when they
rise by faith above these inferior helps, that they may advance with speedy
steps to a blessed
immortality.
4.
We have been a reproach to our neighbors.
Here another complaint is uttered, to excite the mercy of God. The more
proudly the ungodly mock and triumph over us, the more confidently may we expect
that our deliverance is near; for God will not bear with their insolence when it
breaks forth so audaciously; especially when it redounds to the reproach of his
holy name: even as it is said in
Isaiah,
“This is the word
which the Lord hath spoken concerning him, The virgin, the daughter of Zion hath
despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken
her head at thee. Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed; and against whom
hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the
Holy One of Israel.”
(<233722>Isaiah
37:22, 23)
And assuredly their
neighbors,
fc373 who were partly apostates, or
the degenerate children of Abraham, and partly the avowed enemies of religion,
when they molested and reproached this miserable people, did not refrain from
blaspheming God. Let us, therefore, remember that the faithful do not here
complain of the derision with which they were treated as individuals, but of
that which they saw to be indirectly levelled against God and his law. We shall
again meet with a similar complaint in the concluding part of the
psalm.
Psalm
79:5-9
5. How long, O Jehovah! wilt
thou be wroth for ever? Shall thy jealousy burn like fire? 6. Pour out
thy fury
fc374 upon the heathen [or the nations] who
have not known thee, and on the kingdoms which call not upon thy name. 7.
For they have devoured Jacob, and made desolate his
dwelling.
fc375 8. Remember not against us the
iniquities of former times: make haste, let thy compassions prevent us; for we
are exceedingly afflicted. 9. Help us, O God of our salvation! for the
glory of thy name; and deliver us, and be merciful to our sins, for thy name's
sake.
5.
How long, O Jehovah! wilt thou be wroth for
ever? I have already observed that these
two expressions, how
long and
for
ever, when joined together, denote a
lengthened and an uninterrupted continuance of calamities; and that there is no
appearance, when looking to the future, of their coming to a termination. We
may, therefore, conclude that this complaint was not ended within a month or two
after persecution against the Church commenced, but at a time when the hearts of
the faithful were almost broken through the weariness produced by prolonged
suffering. Here they confess that the great accumulation of calamities with
which they are overwhelmed, is to be traced to the wrath of God. Being fully
persuaded that the wicked, whatever they may plot, cannot inflict injury, except
in so far as God permits them — from this, which they regard as an
indubitable principle, they at once conclude, that when he allows such ample
scope to their heathen enemies in persecuting them, his anger is greatly
provoked. Nor would they, without this persuasion, have looked to God in the
hope that he would stretch forth his hand to save them; for it is the work of
Him who hath given loose reins to draw in the bridle. Whenever God visits us
with the rod, and our own conscience accuses us, it especially becomes us to
look to His hand. Here his ancient people do not charge him with being unjustly
displeased, but acknowledge the justice of the punishment inflicted upon them.
God will always find in his servants just grounds for chastising them. He often,
however, in the exercise of his mercy, pardons their sins, and exercises them
with the cross for another purpose than to testify his displeasure against their
sins, just as it was his will to try the patience of Job, and as he
vouchsafed to call the martyrs to an honorable warfare. But here the people, of
their own accord, summoning themselves before the Divine tribunal, trace the
calamities which they endured to their own sins, as the procuring cause. Hence
it may, with probability, be conjectured that this psalm was composed during the
time of the Babylonish captivity. Under the tyranny of Antiochus Epiphanes, they
employed, as we have previously seen, a different form of prayer,
saying,
“All this is
come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in
thy covenant. Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from
thy
way,”
(<194417>Psalm
44:17, 18.)
We are not to suppose that, in the
passage now quoted, the faithful murmured against God, but they employ this
language because they knew that he had another end in view than simply to punish
their sins; for, by means of these severe conflicts, he prepared them for the
prize of their high calling.
6.
Pour out thy fury upon the
heathen, who have not known thee. This
prayer is apparently inconsistent with the rule of charity; for, while we feel
anxious about our own calamities, and desire to be delivered from them, we ought
to desire that others may be relieved as well as ourselves. It would seem,
therefore, that the faithful are to be blamed in here wishing the destruction of
unbelievers, for whose salvation they ought rather to have been solicitous. But
it becomes us to bear in mind what I have previously stated, that the man who
would offer up such a prayer as this in a right manner, must be under the
influence of zeal for the public welfare; so that, by the wrongs done to himself
personally, he may not suffer his carnal affections to be excited, nor allow
himself to be carried away with rage against his enemies; but, forgetting his
individual interests, he must have a sole regard to the common salvation of the
Church, and to what conduces thereto. Secondly, he must implore God to grant him
the spirit of discretion and judgment, that in prayer he may not be impelled by
an inconsiderate zeal: a subject which we have treated more at large in another
place. Besides, it is to be observed, that the pious Jews here not only lay out
of consideration their own particular advantage in order to consult the good of
the whole Church, but also chiefly direct their eyes to Christ, beseeching him
to devote to destruction his enemies whose repentance is hopeless. They,
therefore, do not rashly break forth into this prayer, that God would destroy
these or other enemies, nor do they anticipate the judgment of God; but desiring
that the reprobate may be involved in the condemnation which they deserve, they,
at the same time, patiently wait until the heavenly judge separate the reprobate
from the elect. In doing this, they do not cast aside the affection which
charity requires; for, although they would desire all to be saved, they yet know
that the reformation of some of the enemies of Christ is hopeless, and their
perdition absolutely certain.
The question,
however, is not yet fully answered; for, when in the seventh verse they arraign
the cruelty of their enemies, they seem to desire vengeance. But what I have
just now observed must be remembered, that none can pray in this manner but
those who have clothed themselves with a public character, and who, laying aside
all personal considerations, have espoused, and are deeply interested in, the
welfare of the whole Church; or, rather, who have set before their eyes Christ,
the Head of the Church; and, lastly, none but those who, under the guidance of
the Holy Spirit, have elevated their minds to the judgment of God; so that,
being ready to forgive, they do not indiscriminately adjudge to death every
enemy by whom they are injured, but only the reprobate. With regard to those who
make haste in demanding the execution of the Divine vengeance before all hope of
repentance is lost, Christ has condemned them as chargeable with inconsiderate
and ill-regulated zeal, when he says,
“Ye know not
what manner of spirit ye are
of,”
(<420955>Luke
9:55.)
Moreover, the faithful do not here simply wish the
destruction of those who so wickedly persecuted the Church, but, using that
familiarity which God allows them in their dealings with him, they set forth how
inconsistent it would be did he not punish their
persecutors,
fc376 and reason thus: Lord, how is it that
thou afflictest us so severely, upon whom thy name is invoked, and sparest the
heathen nations who despise thee? In short, they mean to say, that God has
sufficient ground for executing his wrath elsewhere, since they were not the
only people in the world who had sinned. Although it does not become us to
prescribe to God the rule of his conduct, but rather patiently to submit to this
ordination,
“That judgment must
begin at the house of
God”
(<600417>1
Peter 4:17;)
yet he permits his saints to take the liberty of
pleading, that at least they may not be worse dealt with than unbelievers, and
those who despise him.
These two sentences,
who have not known thee, and which call not upon thy name, it is
to be observed, are to be taken in the same sense. By these different forms of
expression, it is intimated that it is impossible for any to call upon God
without a previous knowledge of him, as the Apostle Paul teaches, in
<451014>Romans
10:14,
“How, then, shall they
call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of
whom they have not heard?”
(<451014>Romans
10:14)
It belongs not to us to answer,
“Thou art our God,” till He has anticipated us by saying,
“Thou art my people,”
(<280223>Hosea
2:23;) but he opens our mouths to speak to him in this manner, when he invites
us to himself. Calling on the name of God is often synonymous with
prayer; but it is not here to be exclusively limited to that exercise. The
amount is, that unless we are directed by the knowledge of God, it is impossible
for us sincerely to profess the true religion. At that time the Gentiles
everywhere boasted that they served God; but, being destitute of his word, and
as they fabricated to themselves gods of their own corrupt imaginations, all
their religious services were detestable; even as in our own day, the human
invented religious observances of the blind and deluded votaries of the Man of
Sin, who have no right knowledge of the God whom they profess to worship, and
who inquire not at his mouth what he approves, are certainly rejected by Him,
because they set up idols in his
place.
8.
Remember not against us the iniquities of former
times. The godly Jews here confirm the
sentiment which they had before briefly and obscurely touched upon, namely, that
they had justly deserved the chastisements which had been inflicted upon them.
And they present this prayer, because they could only get relief from their
calamities by obtaining reconciliation with God. This is the sovereign remedy
for every kind of adversity; for so long as he is angry with even our prosperity
turns out to be unproductive of advantage and happiness. By
the iniquities of former
times, some understand the sins
committed by the fathers. Others think that the sins which the suppliants
themselves committed in their childhood and youth are intended. But the
expression, I presume, has a more extensive signification, containing a
confession not only of one offense or two, and these only recently committed,
but an acknowledgement that they had for a long time been involved, along with
their fathers, in manifold and old transgressions. Thus they acknowledge a long
continued stubbornness, in which they had hardened themselves against God. This
acknowledgement corresponds with the rebukes which the prophets administered to
them; for sacred history bears testimony that the punishment of the captivity
was suspended until God had proved from experience that their perversity was
incurable. Nor should it excite our surprise to find the children praying that
God would not impute to them the iniquity of their fathers, when we consider
that the law declares that God casts the sins of the fathers into the bosom of
their children, and takes vengeance upon their iniquities unto the third and
fourth generation,
(<022005>Exodus
20:5.) The contrast between the expressions,
make
haste, and
the iniquities of former
times, is worthy of notice. Had God
called the Israelites to a strict account for all the sins which they had
committed during three or four hundred years before, the time of their
deliverance would have been long delayed. The faithful, therefore, beseech him
to forget their former offenses, and to make haste to succor them. As their sins
proved the great obstacle and cause of delay, we may see the propriety with
which they farther implore that
the compassions of God might
speedily meet
them.
9.
Help O God of our salvation! They again
repeat in this verse, that whatever afflictions they endured were to be traced
to the anger of God, and that they could have no comfort under them unless He
were reconciled to them. Being deeply sensible that they had committed many
transgressions, to strengthen their hope of obtaining pardon, they employ a
variety of expressions. In the first place, as an argument to induce God to show
them favor, they address him as the God of their salvation. In the second
place, they testify that they bring nothing of their own to influence him to
have mercy upon them; and that the only plea which they present before him is
his own glory. From this we learn, that sinners are not reconciled to God by
satisfactions or by the merit of good works, but by a free and an unmerited
forgiveness. The observation which I have made a little before, and which I have
explained more at length on the sixth psalm, is here to be kept in mind, —
That when God visits us with the rod, instead of being merely desirous to be
relieved from external chastisements, our chief concern ought to be to have God
pacified towards us: nor should we follow the example of foolish sick persons,
who are anxious to have merely the symptoms of their disease removed, and make
no account of being delivered from the source and cause of it. With respect to
the word
rpk,
chapper,
fc377 which expositors translate,
Be merciful, or propitious, I have had an opportunity of speaking
in another place. It properly signifies to cleanse, or expiate,
and is applied to sacrifices. Whenever, therefore, we desire to obtain the
favor of God, let us call to remembrance the death of Christ; for “without
shedding of blood is no remissions”
(<580922>Hebrews
9:22.)
Psalm
79:10-13
10. Why should the heathen
say, where is their God? Let the avenging of the blood of thy servants, which
has been shed, be made known among the heathen in our sight. 11. Let the
sighing [or groaning] of the prisoner
fc378 come before thee, [or into thy
presence:] and, according to the greatness of thy arm, reserve the children of
death:
fc379 12. And recompense our neighbors
sevenfold into their bosom
fc380 their reproach with which they have
reproached thee, O Jehovah! 13. And we thy people, and the sheep of thy
pasture, will confess to thee
fc381 for ever; declaring thy praise from
generation to generation.
10.
Why should the heathen say, Where
is their God? Here the people of God, in
urging his name as a plea at the throne of grace: do so in a different sense
from that in which they had urged it before. He extends his compassion towards
us for his own name's sake; for, as he is merciful, and will have our mouths
stopped, that he alone may be accounted righteous, he freely pardons our sins.
But here, the faithful beseech him that he would not allow his sacred name to be
exposed to the blasphemies and insults of the wicked. From this we are taught
that we do not pray in a right manner, unless a concern about our own salvation,
and zeal for the glory of God, are inseparably joined together in our exercise.
From the second clause of the verse, the same question may be raised which we
have just now answered. Although God declares that he will execute vengeance
upon our enemies, we are not warranted to thirst for revenge when we are
injured. Let us remember that this form of prayer was not dictated for all men
indiscriminately, that they might make use of it whenever impelled by their own
passions, but that, under the guidance and instruction of the Holy Spirit, they
might plead the cause of the whole Church, in common, against the wicked. If we
would, therefore, offer up to God a prayer like this in a right manner, in the
first place, our minds must be illuminated by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit;
and, secondly, our zeal, which is often corrupted by the turbid affections of
the flesh, must be pure and well-regulated; and then, with such a pure and
well-tempered zeal, we may lawfully beseech God to show us, by evident examples,
how precious, in his sight, is the life of his servants whose blood he avenges.
The faithful are not to be understood as expressing any desire to be glutted
with the sight of the shedding of human
blood,
fc382 as if they longed greedily after it:
they only desire that God would grant them some confirmation of their faith, in
the exercise of his fatherly love which is manifested when he avenges the wrongs
done to his own people.
fc383 It is farther to be noticed, that the
appellation, the servants of God, is given to those who, nevertheless,
were justly punished on account of their sins; for although he may chastise us,
yet he does not forthwith cast us off, but, on the contrary, testifies thereby
that our salvation is the object of his care. Again, we know that when the anger
of God is extended over the whole body of the Church, as the good and the bad
are mingled together in her, the former are punished in common with the latter,
even as Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Daniel, and others, were carried into captivity. They
were not, it is true, altogether faultless; but it is certain that so great a
calamity was not brought upon the Jews on their account. In their person, there
was rather set forth a spectacle to the ungodly, that they might be the more
deeply affected.
11.
Let the sighing of the prisoner
come before thee. The people of God, I
have no doubt, were in captivity when the Holy Spirit endited this prayer; and,
therefore, the name of prisoners is applied to them all in general,
because they were so shut up within the bounds of Assyria and Chaldea, that had
they stirred one foot thence, they would have incurred the penalty of death.
They are called the children of
death; by which is meant, that they were
appointed or condemned to death in respect of their captivity. This sentence,
however, may not improperly be restricted to a small number who were shut up in
prison under closer restraint. By this expression, it is intimated that those
proud spirits who had before vaunted themselves against God, were now broken and
effectually humbled. The
greatness of God's arm, that is to say,
the greatness of his power,
fc384 is implored; for without a signal and
extraordinary interposition on his part, no hope could be entertained of the
restoration of the Church.
12.
And render to our neighbors
sevenfold. We have already said enough
on the subject of vengeance; and here the faithful show still more clearly, that
they are not so much moved by the injuries done to themselves personally, as
inflamed with a holy zeal when they see the sacred name of God blasphemed, and,
as it were, torn in pieces by the wicked. If this affection reign in our hearts,
it will easily moderate the ungovernableness of our flesh, and if the wisdom of
the Spirit is added to it, our prayers will be in strict accordance with the
just judgment of God.
In the last verse, the
pious Jews declare that the fruit of their deliverance will be, that
the name of God will be
celebrated; and we ought not to desire
our preservation or welfare for any other end. When he freely bestows upon us
all things, the design for which he does this is, that his goodness may be made
known and exalted. Now, these sufferers engage to make a grateful
acknowledgement of their deliverance, and declare that this will not be done
merely for a short time, but that the remembrance of it will be transmitted to
their posterity, and pass, in continued succession, from age to age to the end
of the world. The particular designation here given to them is also worthy of
notice: We are thy people, and
the sheep of thy pasture. As the
posterity of Abraham were chosen to celebrate the name of God, and that his
praises might resound in Zion, what would have been the consequence had that
people been destroyed, but that the memory of the name of God would have
perished? This passage, there is no doubt, corresponds with that prophecy of
Isaiah,
“This people have I
formed for myself; they shall show forth my praise.”
(<234321>Isaiah
43:21)
PSALM
80
This is a sorrowful prayer, in which the faithful
beseech God that he would be graciously pleased to succor his afflicted Church.
To excite him the more readily to grant them relief in their distressing
circumstances, they compare these circumstances with the condition of the Church
in her beginnings, when the Divine favor was conspicuously manifested towards
her.
To the chief
musician upon Sosannim Eduth. A Psalm of Asaph.
This psalm is almost similar to the preceding; but,
in my apprehension it was composed in behalf of the ten tribes, after that
kingdom began to be wasted by various calamities. It is not without reason that
mention is expressly made of Joseph, Ephraim, and Manasseh. Some expositors
allege, that in this there is an allusion to the situation and order of the
camps of the chosen tribes in the wilderness, as described by Moses in
<040218>Numbers
2:18-21; for Manasseh and Ephraim marched together on one
side.
fc385 But it would have been strange to have
passed over in silence the tribe of Judah, and also the holy city, and to have
brought forward the tribes of Joseph, Manasseh, Ephraim, and Benjamin, had it
not been intended to speak especially of the kingdom of
Israel.
fc386 If it is objected, that the ten tribes
from the time when they were cut off from the house of David had become
degenerate, and that the worship of God was corrupted among them, I answer, that
there dwelt among them, notwithstanding, many devout worshippers of God, who had
not bowed the knee before Baal, nor abandoned themselves to the prevailing
superstition,
(<111918>1
Kings 19:18.) Accordingly, Amos
(<300606>Amos
6:6) finds fault with the hard-heartedness which existed in the tribe of Judah,
because there was none among them who was “grieved for the affliction of
Joseph.” It is also well known, that during the time of this defection,
some prophets were sent to them to inspire them with the hope of deliverance.
Although, then, the vast proportion of them were apostates, yet God did not
cease to exercise his care over the seed which remained in the midst of them.
And as formerly he had mitigated coming calamities, by promising beforehand his
grace; so now, by dictating to the people a form of prayer, he confirms and
encourages them in the hope of obtaining his grace, until they found, from
actual experience, that they had not been deceived by vain promises. From this,
we perceive in what respect this and the preceding psalm differ from each other.
If any one considers what I have now stated unsatisfactory, he is at liberty to
adopt a different view. But I flatter myself, that whoever carefully weighs all
the circumstances, will readily acquiesce in my opinion. I will not insist upon
the words Sosannim and Eduth, having already, in Psalm 45th,
stated the opinions of interpreters concerning them; nor is this a matter of so
great importance as to render it necessary to expend much labor upon it.
Besides, those who are most learned in antiquities adduce nothing but probable
conjectures.
Psalm
80:1-3
1. Hearken, O Shepherd of
Israel! who leadest Joseph like a flock: thou who sittest between the cherubim,
shine forth. 2. In the sight of Ephraim, and Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir
up
fc387 thy strength, and come to our
deliverance. 3. Turn us again, O God! cause thy face to shine, and we
shall be saved.
1.
Hearken, O Shepherd of
Israel! The prophet, previous to his
naming Manasseh and Ephraim, makes mention of Joseph; and why does he speak of
Joseph rather than of Judah, but because it was his design to treat separately
of the kingdom of Israel, the government of which was in the family and
posterity of Joseph? Nor, since God sent special prophets among them, after he
had stricken them with his rods, is there any inconsistency when, at the same
time, the prayer is added, That God would gather together the remnant to
himself. Moreover, that they might not delude themselves by trusting in their
spurious worship, the prophet, by applying to God the appellation of
Him who sitteth between the
Cherubim, calls them back to the pure
doctrine of the law. The mercy-seat was a pledge of the presence of God, where
he had promised to be near his people to hear their prayers. This divinely
instituted form, it was unlawful for men to change at their own pleasure. The
Israelites, then, are admonished to return to their original state, if they
would expect to find God gracious towards them. Besides, by the title which is
here attributed to God, there is expressed his wonderful love towards men in
humbling, and, so to speak, lowering himself in order to come down to them, and
choose for himself a seat and habitation on the earth, that he might dwell in
the midst of them. Properly speaking, God cannot be said to sit; nor is it to be
supposed that it is possible for him, whom the heaven of heavens cannot contain,
to be shut up in a certain place,
(<110827>1
Kings 8:27.) But, in accommodation to the infirmity of men, he is represented as
placed between the two Cherubim, that the faithful might not imagine him to be
far from them; and, consequently, be perplexed with doubt and apprehension in
approaching him. At the same time, the remark which I have previously made must
be borne in mind, that the Israelites are here furnished with a rule for
enabling them to pray in a right manner, that they might be withdrawn from the
worship of the god fabricated and set up by themselves at Dan and Bethel, and
that, rejecting all superstitions, they might yield themselves to be guided by
the true light of faith, and follow the Word of
God.
3.
Turn us again, O God! The meaning of
this prayer is, Restore us to our former state. They had petitioned, in the
preceding verse, that God would stir up his strength in the sight of Ephraim and
Manasseh; and now they complain that they are but castaways until God succor
them, and remedy their miserable dispersion. Some understand the words,
turn us
again, in a different way; namely, as a
prayer that God would bestow upon them the spirit of regeneration. But this
interpretation being too refined, it will be better, adhering to the former
sense, to view the expression as meaning that the faithful, under the adversity
with which they were afflicted, betake themselves to God, whose peculiar work it
is to restore life to the dead. They acknowledge, on the one hand, that all
their miseries were to be traced to this as their cause, that God, being angry
on account of their sins, hid his face from them; and, on the other hand, they
expect to obtain complete salvation solely through the Divine favor. It will be
to us, they say, a resurrection indeed, if once thy countenance shine upon us.
Their language implies, that provided God extended his mercy and favor to them,
they would be happy, and all their affairs would
prosper.
Psalm
80:4-7
4. O Jehovah, God of Hosts!
how long wilt thou be incensed
fc388 against the prayer of thy people?
5. Thou hast fed us with bread of tears; and hast given us tears to drink
in great measure. 6. Thou hast made us a strife to our neighbors: and our
enemies laugh at us among themselves. 7. Turn us again, O God of Hosts!
and cause thy face to shine upon us, and we shall be
saved.
4.
O Jehovah, God of
Hosts! God having in the Scriptures freely
promised, and so often assured us, that the prayers of his people will not be
disappointed, it may excite our surprise to find the faithful here alleging
before him, that he continues unpacified, although they betake themselves to
him. They complain not only that they are not heard, but also that he is
angry, when they call upon him; as if he purposely rejected this religious
service. Where, then, it may be said, is that promise recorded in
<236524>Isaiah
65:24, “Before they call I will answer?” To this I would answer,
That as God, by delaying to succor his people, tries their patience, the
prophet, speaking according to the judgment of the flesh, represents him as deaf
to their prayers. Not that it is proper for those who pray to rest in this
opinion, which would throw an insuperable obstacle in their way to the throne of
grace. It rather becomes them to strive to cherish, in opposition to it, the
judgment of faith; and to penetrate even into heaven, where they may behold a
hidden salvation. But still God permits them, the more effectually to disburden
their minds, to tell him of the cares, anxieties, griefs, and fears, with which
they are distressed. In the mention here made of
the smoke of God's
wrath, there appears to be an implicit
allusion to the incense which was used in the sacrifices under the law. The
smoke of the incense served to purify the air; but the Israelites complain that
the heavens were so obscured by a different smoke, that their sighs could not
come up to
God.
5.
Thou hast fed us with bread of tears, etc.
By these forms of expression, they depict the greatness of their grief, and
the long continuance of their calamities; as if they had said, We are so filled
with sorrow, that we can contain no
more.
fc389 They add, in the following verse that
they were made a strife to their
neighbors. This admits of being
explained in two ways. It means either that their neighbors had taken up a
quarrel against them; or that, having obtained the victory over them, they were
contending about the spoil, as is usually the case in such circumstances, each
being eager to drag it to himself. The former interpretation, however seems to
be the more suitable. The people complain that, whereas neighborhood ought to be
a bond of mutual goodwill, they had as many enemies as neighbors. To the same
purpose is their language in the second clause, They laugh at us among
themselves; that is to say, They talk among themselves by way of sport and
mockery at our adversities. To encourage and stir themselves up to repentance,
they ascribe all this to the judgment of God, in whose power it is to bend the
hearts of men. Since we are all at this day chargeable with the same sins, it is
not surprising that our condition is in no degree better than was theirs. But
the Holy Spirit having inspired the prophet to write this form of prayer for a
people who felt their condition to be almost desperate, it serves to inspire us
with hope and boldness, and to prevent us from giving up the exercise of prayer,
under a consciousness of the greatness of our guilt. The seventh verse is a
repetition of the third; and this repetition is undoubtedly intended as a means
of surmounting every obstacle. God did not here intend to endite for his people
a vain repetition of words: his object was to encourage them, when bowed down
under the load of their calamities, boldly to rise up, heavy though the load
might be. This ground of support was often presented to them; and it is repeated
the third time in the concluding verse of the
psalm.
Psalm
80:8-13
8. Thou hast brought a vine
out of Egypt: thou hast expelled the heathen, and planted it. 9. Thou
hast cleansed the ground before it: thou hast rooted its roots, and it hath
filled the land. 10. The mountains were covered with its shadow, and its
branches were like the cedars of God.
fc390 11. It extended its branches to
the sea, and its shoots to the river.
fc391 12. Why then hast thou broken
down its hedges, so that all who pass by the way pluck [or tear] it in pieces?
13. The boar out of the forest
fc392 hath wasted
it;
fc393 and the wild beast of the field hath
eaten it
up.
8.
Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt.
Under the figure of a vine, the singular grace which God was graciously
pleased to exercise towards his people after he had redeemed them is celebrated;
and this powerfully contributed to inspire them with the hope of being heard.
For which of us can be so presumptuous as to dare to come into the presence of
God until he himself has previously invited us? Now, he allures us to himself
both by his benefits and by his word. The object in view in now presenting his
liberality before him is, that he should not leave unfinished the work of his
hands which he had commenced. It is indeed true that, without his word, the
benefits which he has conferred upon us would make a faint impression upon our
hearts; but when experience is added to the testimony of his word, it greatly
encourages us. Now, the redemption of which mention is here made was inseparably
connected with the covenant of God; for he had, even four hundred years before,
entered into covenant with Abraham, in which he promised the deliverance of his
seed. What is stated amounts in short to this, that it is unbecoming that God
should now suffer the vine which he had planted and cultivated so carefully with
his own hand to be wasted by wild beasts. God's covenant was not made to last
only for a few days, or for a short time: when he adopted the children of
Abraham, he took them under his keeping for ever. By the word vine, is
intimated the high place which this people held in the estimation of God, who
not only was pleased to hold them as his own inheritance, but who also
distinguished them by peculiar honor, even as a vine excels all other
possessions. When it is said that the land or ground was cleansed,
this is a repetition of what had been previously stated, that the
heathen were cast
out to make room for the chosen people.
Perhaps, however, the allusion is to the continual digging which vines require,
in order to their being kept clean lest they should degenerate; this allusion
being made with the view of showing how God had performed the part of a good
husbandman towards his people, since, after having planted them, he did not
cease to employ every means to cherish and preserve them. What is added
immediately after, Thou hast
rooted its roots, is not to be
understood of the planting of it at first, but of the pains taken by God to
propagate it,
fc394 which is a part of the culture of the
vine. Whence it follows that the
mountains were covered with its shadow;
for the whole country, although mountainous, was filled with inhabitants; so
much did that people increase in number. The branches of this vine are compared
to the cedars of
God, that is, to the most beautiful and
most excellent cedars; thereby to express still more vividly how eminently the
seed of Abraham were blessed of God. The sea and the Euphrates, as is well
known, were the divinely appointed boundaries of the land promised them for an
inheritance.
12.
Why then hast thou broken
down its hedges? This is the application
of the similitude; for nothing seems more inconsistent than that God should
abandon the vine which he had planted with his own hand, to be rooted up by wild
beasts. It is true that he often threatened and forewarned the people by his
prophets that he would do this; but what constrained him to inflict upon them so
strange and dreadful a species of punishment was, that he might render their
ingratitude the more detestable. At the same time, it is not without reason that
true believers are enjoined to take encouragement from such distinguished
liberality on the part of God; that, even in the midst of this rooting up, they
might at least hope that He, who never forsakes the work of his own hands, would
graciously extend his care towards them,
(<19D808>Psalm
138:8.) The people were brought to desolation, on account of their own incurable
obstinacy; but God did not fail to save a small number of shoots, by means of
which he afterwards restored his vine. This form of supplicating pardon was,
indeed, set forth for the use of the whole people, with the view of preventing a
horrible destruction. But as very few sought to appease the wrath of God by
truly humbling themselves before him, it was enough that these few were
delivered from destruction, that from them a new vine might afterwards spring up
and flourish. The indignity which was done to the Church is aggravated from the
contrast contained in the words, when God, on the one hand, is exhibited to us
as a vine-keeper, and when the destroyers of this vine, on the other, are
represented to be not only all that pass by, but also the wild boars and other
savage beasts. The word
µsrk,
kiresem, which I have translated to waste, is taken by some for
to fill the belly.
fc395 This sense would very well agree
with the present passage; but it is not supported by the ordinary meaning of the
word.
Psalm
80:14-19
14. Return, I beseech thee,
O God of Hosts! look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine,
15. And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and
upon
fc396 the
branch
fc397 which thou hast strengthened for
thyself. 16. It is burnt with fire; it is cut
down;
fc398 they perish at the rebuke of thy
countenance. 17. Let thy hand be upon the Man of thy right hand, upon the
Son of man whom thou hast strengthened for thyself. 18. And we will not
go back from thee: thou shalt quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.
19. Turn us again, O Jehovah, God of Hosts! cause thy face to shine, and
we shall be
saved.
14.
Return, I beseech thee, O God of Hosts!
In these words it is intended to teach, that we ought not to yield to
temptation although God should hide his face from us for a time, yea even
although to the eye of sense and reason he should seem to be alienated from us.
For, provided he is sought in the confident expectation of his showing mercy, he
will become reconciled, and receive into his favor those whom he seemed to have
cast off. It was a distinguished honor for the seed of Abraham to be accounted
the vineyard of God; but while the faithful adduce this consideration as an
argument for obtaining the favor of God, instead of bringing forward any claims
of their own, they only beseech him not to cease to exercise his accustomed
liberality towards them. The words, from heaven, have, no doubt, been
introduced, that the faithful might find no difficulty in extending their faith
to a distance, although God, from whom they had departed, was far from them;
and, farther that if they saw no prospect of deliverance upon earth, they might
lift up their eyes to heaven.
As to the word
hnk,
cannah,
fc399 in the beginning of the 15th
verse, I readily acquiesce in the sense given of it by some who translate it,
a place prepared; but as some think that there is a change in the Hebrew
word of the letter
g,
gimel, into
k,
caph, so that the reading should be
hng,
gannah, a garden or vineyard, we leave the reader to judge for
himself. It is, however, certain that this is a metaphor akin to the former, by
which is denoted the singular liberality of God in advancing this people, and
causing them to prosper. The vine-branch which was planted by the hand of God is
also called the Man of his right
hand.
16.
It is burnt with
fire. The calamities of the people are
now more clearly expressed.
fc400 It had been said that the Lord's vine
was abandoned to the wild beasts, that they might lay it waste. But it was a
greater calamity for it to be consumed with fire, rooted up and utterly
destroyed. The Israelites had perfidiously apostatised from the true religion;
but, as has been previously observed, they were still a part of the Church. We
are accordingly warned by this melancholy example, of the severity of the
punishment due to our ingratitude, especially when it is joined with obstinacy,
which prevents the threatenings and rebukes of God, however sharp and severe
they may be, from being of any benefit to us. Let us also learn from the same
example, when the Divine anger is blazing all around, and even when we are in
the midst of its burning flames, to cast all our sorrows into the bosom of God,
who, in a wonderful manner, raises up his Church from the gulf of destruction.
He would assuredly be ready not only to exercise without interruption his favor
towards us, but also to enrich us with his blessings more and more, did not our
wickedness hinder him. As it is impossible for him not to be angry at the many
offenses which we have committed, it is an evidence of unparalleled mercy for
him to extinguish the fire which we ourselves have kindled, and which has spread
far and wide, and to save some portion or remnant of the Church, or, to speak
more properly, to raise up even from the very ashes a people to call upon his
name. It is again repeated that the Church perished not by the strength
and arms of her enemies, but at the rebuke of God's countenance. Never can we
expect any alleviation of our punishment, unless we are fully persuaded that we
are justly chastised by the hand of God. It was a good sign of the repentance of
these Israelites that, as is observed in
<230912>Isaiah
9:12, “they looked to the hand of him who smote
them.”
17.
Let that hand be upon the Man
of thy right hand. Here the Psalmist
repeats in plain words the prayer which he had expressed under the figure of a
vineyard, pleading that God would defend, under his hand,
the Man of his right hand, and
the Son of man whom he hath strengthened for
himself. It is uncertain whether he
speaks of the king alone, or whether the people also are included. Although
Jeroboam was anointed to be king, yet he did not come to the possession of the
royal dignity in a lawful way; and God never so approved of any of his
successors, as to divest the posterity of David of the right and power of
dominion. God, as we have seen in
<197867>Psalm
78:67, did not choose the tribe of Ephraim. on the contrary, the scepter, by his
immutable decree, was given to the house of Judah, as is plainly taught in the
prophecy of Jacob,
(<014910>Genesis
49:10.) It was therefore a base and wicked dismembering of the body, when the
majority of the people revolted from the house of David, and submitted
themselves to Jeroboam as their king. Such being the ease, why then, it may be
said, is the king of Israel prayed for in this manner? For removing this
difficulty, let it be observed, that although that kingdom had an untoward
commencement, and God, as is stated in
<281311>Hosea
13:11, gave them a king in his anger, yet he was afterwards pleased to tolerate
its continuance; and the anointing of Jeroboam testified that he had ratified
what had been unadvisedly and wickedly done by the tumult and rebellion of the
people. The nation of Israel might therefore say that their king was created and
established by God, who, with the view of remedying the rupture which had been
made, added him as a sharer in the royal dignity to the children of David. By
that rent the state of the people was greatly impaired; but, to prevent an
entire overthrow, the erection of the ten tribes into a separate kingdom, under
the sovereignty of Jeroboam, was, as it were, a pillar put under it by the
secret counsel of God to uphold it.
I have,
however, no hesitation in considering the whole body of the Church as
comprehended under the expressions,
the Man of God's right hand, and
the Son of man. The similar number is
very properly made use of, it having been the Divine will that the chosen people
should be as one man. For the same reason, the Apostle Paul also, in
<480316>Galatians
3:16, lays great stress upon the words, one seed; for Ishmael, Esau, and
others, were separated and scattered when God redeemed arm gathered together the
seed of Abraham. Thus, by the Son of man is to be understood the people
whom God had adopted to himself, that they might be as one
man.
fc401 But as this oneness depended upon the
head, I readily admit that the phrase has a particular reference to the king,
who preserved the greater part of the people from being involved in utter
destruction. Here again the Prophet, in seeking to obtain the Divine favor,
founds his argument and hope only upon the benefits which God had formerly
conferred upon them. “Lord,” as if he had said, “since it
belongs to thee to perfect that which thou hast begun, preserve the king whom
thou hast given us!”
In the 18th verse,
the faithful engage, upon God's hearing them, gratefully to acknowledge his
goodness, not only by rendering to him the sacrifice of praise, but also by
their whole life. Calling upon
God's name, is here to be understood of
“the calves of the lips,” (Hosea 45:3;) but when it is said,
We will not go back from
thee, this means the uniform and
continued course of the whole life. The verse, however, may be interpreted thus:
O Lord! we will continue in our obedience to thee, even when our circumstances,
so far as we can perceive, are hopeless; never shall the sharpness of our
calamities have the effect of driving us to apostasy from thee: and when we are
restored by thy grace and power, we will magnify thy name. It would be
superfluous to make any farther observations on the last verse, which is
repeated for the third time.
PSALM
81
This psalm consists of two parts. Whoever was its
author, he exhorts the people to remember the unparalleled grace of God towards
them, in delivering them by his outstretched arm, and choosing them to be a
kingdom of priests, and a peculiar Church to himself; that thus they may be
excited devoutly to honor their deliverer, both by celebrating his praises, and
by leading a holy life. God is next introduced as upbraiding them for their
ingratitude in continuing obstinately to refuse to submit to the yoke of the
law, notwithstanding the tender and gracious manner in which he allured them to
himself.
To the chief
musician upon Gittith. A Psalm of
Asaph.
fc402
Psalm
81:1-3
1. Sing joyfully to God our
strength sing with a loud voice: to the God of Jacob. 2. Raise a
song,
fc403 and bring forth the tabret, the
pleasant harp, with the psaltery.
fc404 3. Sound the trumpet at the new
moon; at the time appointed on the day of our
sacrifice.
fc405 4. For this is a statute to
Israel, a law to the God of Jacob. 5. He set it for a testimony in
Joseph, when he went forth over [or above] the land of Egypt: I heard a language
which I understood not. 6. I removed his shoulder from the burden; his
hands were freed from the pots.
fc406 7. Thou didst cry in trouble,
and I delivered thee: I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved
thee at the waters of Meribah.
Selah.
1.
Sing joyfully to God our
strength. This psalm, it is probable,
was appointed to be sung on the festival days on which the Jews kept their
solemn assemblies. In the exordium, there is set forth the order of worship
which God had enjoined. They were not to stand deaf and dumb at the tabernacle;
for the service of God does not consist in indolence, nor in cold and empty
ceremonies; but they were, by such exercises as are here prescribed, to cherish
among themselves the unity of faith; to make an open profession of their piety;
to stir up themselves to continual progress therein; to endeavor to join, with
one accord, in praising God; and, in short, to continue steadfast in the sacred
covenant by which God had adopted them to
himself.
Such having been the use of festival
days under the law, we may conclude, that whenever true believers assemble
together at the present day, the end which they ought to have in view is to
employ themselves in the exercises of religion — to call to their
remembrance the benefits which they have received from God — to make
progress in the knowledge of his word — and to testify the oneness of
their faith. Men only mock God by presenting to him vain and unprofitable
ceremonies, unless the doctrine of faith go before, stirring them up to call
upon God; and unless, also, the remembrance of his benefits furnish matter of
praise. Yea, rather it is a profanation of his name, when people quench the
light of divine truth, and satisfy themselves with performing mere outward
service. Accordingly, the faithful are here not only enjoined to come together
to the tabernacle, but are also taught the end for which they are to assemble
there, which is, that the free and gracious covenant which God has made with
them may be brought anew to their remembrance, for increasing their faith and
piety, that thus the benefits which they have received from him may be
celebrated, and their hearts thereby moved to thanksgiving. With respect to the
tabret, harp, and psaltery, we have formerly observed, and will find it
necessary afterwards to repeat the same remark, that the Levites, under the law,
were justified in making use of instrumental music in the worship of God; it
having been his will to train his people, while they were as yet tender and like
children, by such rudiments, until the coming of Christ. But now when the clear
light of the gospel has dissipated the shadows of the law, and taught us that
God is to be served in a simpler form, it would be to act a foolish and mistaken
part to imitate that which the prophet enjoined only upon those of his own time.
From this, it is apparent that the Papists have shown themselves to be very apes
in transferring this to themselves. Under the new moon, by the figure
synecdoche, is comprehended all the other high feasts. Sacrifices were daily
offered; but the days on which the faithful met together at the tabernacle,
according to the express appointment of the law, are called, by way of eminence,
the days of
sacrifice.
4.
For this is a statute to
Israel. To give the more effect to the
preceding exhortation, it is here taught that this law or ordinance had been
prescribed to God's ancient people, for the purpose of ratifying the everlasting
covenant. And as in covenants there is a mutual agreement between the parties,
it is declared that this statute
was given to Israel, and that God, in
contracting, reserved this for himself, as a right to which he was justly
entitled.
5.
He set it for a testimony in
Joseph. The Hebrew word
hwd[,
eduth, is by some derived from
hd[,
adah, which signifies to adorn; and they translate it the honor
or ornament of Joseph. But it rather comes from the verb
dw[,
ud, to testify; and the scope of the passage requires that it should be
translated a testimony or covenant. Farther, when Joseph is named
in particular, there is a reference to the first original of the chosen people,
when, after the death of Jacob, the twelve tribes were distinguished. As the
sovereignty had not at that time come to the tribe of Judah, and as Reuben had
fallen from his right of primogeniture, the posterity of Joseph justly had the
pre-eminence, on account of the benefits which he had been instrumental in
conferring; having been the father and nourisher of his brethren and of the
whole nation. Moreover, the sacredness of the covenant is commended by a special
appeal to the fact, that at the time when God stipulated that this honor should
be yielded to him, he had purchased that people to himself; as if it had been
said, The condition upon which the people were delivered was, that they should
assemble together on the days appointed for renewing the remembrance of the
grace which had been exercised towards them. The words
when he went
forth will apply equally to God and to
the people.
fc408 It is a common form of expression to
speak of God as going forth before his people, as a shepherd goes before his
flock, or as a general before his army. When it is said ABOVE
the land of
Egypt, some think there is an allusion
to the situation of Judea, which was higher than that of Egypt; so that those
who come out of Egypt to Judea ascend. But I understand the language as meaning
simply, that the people, having God for their conductor, passed freely and
without obstruction through the land of Egypt, the inhabitants having been so
discouraged and dismayed as not to dare to make any opposition to their
passage.
fc409 The prophet enhances the blessing of
their deliverance, when, speaking in the name of the whole people, he affirms
that he had been rescued from profound
barbarism: I heard a language
which I understood not.
fc410 Nothing is more disagreeable
than to sojourn among a people with whom we can hold no communication by
language, which is the chief bond of society. Language being, as it were, the
image and mirror of the mind, those who cannot employ it in their mutual
intercourse are no less strangers to one another than the wild beasts of the
forest. When the Prophet Isaiah
(<233319>Isaiah
33:19) intends to denounce a very dreadful punishment, he says, “Thou
shalt see a fierce people, a people of a deeper speech than thou canst perceive;
of a stammering tongue, that thou canst not understand.” Thus the people
acknowledge that the benefit which God conferred was so much the more to be
valued, because they were delivered from the Egyptians, with whose language they
were unacquainted.
fc411
6.
I have removed his shoulder
from the burden. Here God begins to
recount the benefits which he had bestowed upon the Israelites, and the many
ways in which he had laid them under obligations to him. The more galling the
bondage was from which they had been delivered, the more desirable and precious
was their liberty. When, therefore, it is affirmed that their burdens were so
heavy that they stooped under them, and that they were doomed to the labor of
making bricks, and to other slavish and toilsome occupations, the comparison of
this their first state with their condition afterwards is introduced to
illustrate the more strikingly the greatness of the blessing of their
deliverance. Let us now apply this to ourselves, and elevate our minds to a
higher subject, of which it was an image. As God has not only withdrawn our
shoulders from a burden of brick, and not only removed our hands from the kilns,
but has also redeemed us from the cruel and miserable tyranny of Satan, and
drawn us from the depths of hell, the obligations under which we lie to him are
of a much more strict and sacred kind than those under which he had brought his
ancient people.
7.
Thou didst cry in trouble,
and I delivered thee. Here the same
subject is prosecuted. By their crying when they were in distress, I understand
the prayers which they then offered to God. It sometimes happens that those who
are reduced to extremity bewail their calamities with confused crying; but as
this afflicted people still had in them some remains of godliness, and as they
had not forgotten the promise made to their fathers, I have no doubt that they
directed their prayers to God. Even men without religion, who never think of
calling upon God, when they are under the pressure of any great calamity, are
moved by a secret instinct of nature to have recourse to Him. This renders it
the more probable that the promise was, as it were, a schoolmaster to the
Israelites, leading them to look to God. As no man sincerely calls upon Him but
he who trusts in him for help; this crying ought the more effectually to have
convinced them that it was their duty to ascribe to Him alone the deliverance
which was offered them. By the
secret place of thunder some, in my opinion,
with too much refinement of interpretation, understand that God by thundering
rendered the groanings of the people inaudible to the Egyptians, that by hearing
them the Egyptians might not become the more exasperated. But the meaning simply
is, that the people were heard in a secret and wonderful manner, while, at the
same time, manifest tokens were given by which the Israelites might be satisfied
that they were succoured by the Divine hand. God, it is true, was not seen by
them face to face; but the thunder was an evident indication of his secret
presence among them.
fc412 To make them prize more highly this
benefit, God upbraidingly tells them that they were unworthy of it, having given
such a manifest proof at the
waters of Meribah,
fc413 that they were of a wicked and
perverse disposition,
<021707>Exodus
17:7. Your wickedness, as if he had said, having at that time so openly shown
itself, surely it must from this be incontrovertible that my favor to you did
not proceed from any regard to your good desert. This rebuke is not less
applicable to us than to the Israelites; for God not only heard our groanings
when we were afflicted under the tyranny of Satan, but before we were born
appointed his only begotten Son to be the price of our redemption; and
afterwards, when we were his enemies, he called us to be partakers of his grace,
illuminating our minds by his gospel and his Holy Spirit; while we,
notwithstanding, continue to indulge in murmuring, yea, even proudly rebel
against Him.
Psalm
81:8-12
8. Hear, O my people! and I
will protest to thee:
fc414 O Israel! if thou wilt hearken to me.
9. Let there be no strange god in thee: neither worship thou a strange
god. 10. I am Jehovah thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt:
open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. 11. But my people hearkened not
to my voice, and Israel would none of me 12. And I gave them up to the
thoughts
fc415 of their own heart: they shall walk in
their own
counsels.
8.
Hear, O my people! The more effectually
to touch the hearts of the people, God is here invested with the character of a
teacher, and introduced as speaking familiarly in the midst of the congregation;
and this is done for the purpose of instructing them, that all assemblies are
unprofitable and trifling in which the voice of God stirring up men to faith and
true godliness is not uttered. But let us proceed to the consideration of the
words. This preface was intended to teach in a few words, that festival days
were not purely and rightly observed unless the people listened with attention
to the voice of God. In order to consecrate their hands, feet, eyes, and their
whole persons, to his service, it behoved them, in the first place, to open
their ears to his voice. Thus the lesson is taught that he acknowledges as his
servants those only who are disposed to become learners. By the word protest
he intimates that he covenants after a solemn manner, thereby to give his
words the greater authority. The clause which
follows, O Israel! if thou wilt
hearken to me, is, I presume, an abrupt
expression, similar to what is frequently employed in pathetic discourses, the
ellipse serving to express the greater earnestness. Some connect it with the
following verse in this way, O
Israel! if thou wilt hearken to me, there will be no strange god in
thee. But it is rather to be viewed as
the language of regret on the part of God. He indirectly intimates that he
distrusts this obstinate and rebellious people, and can hardly indulge the hope
that they will prove obedient and
teachable.
9.
Let there be no strange
god
fc416 in
thee. Here there is propounded the
leading article of the covenant, and almost the whole sum of it, which is, that
God alone must have the pre-eminence. Some may prefer this explanation: O
Israel! if thou wilt hearken to me, there is nothing which I more strictly
require or demand from thee than that thou shouldst be contented with me alone,
and that thou shouldst not seek after strange gods: and of this opinion I am far
from disapproving. God by this language undoubtedly confirms the truth which he
so frequently inculcates elsewhere in the law and the prophets, that he is so
jealous a God as not to allow another to be a partaker of the honor to which he
alone is entitled. But at the same time he teaches us that true religious
worship begins with obedience. The order which Moses observes is different,
<022002>Exodus
20:2, 4, and
<050506>Deuteronomy
5:6, 8. In these passages God sets out with declaring that he is the God of
Israel; and then he forbids them to make for themselves any new gods. But here
the prohibition is put first, and then the reason of it is subjoined, which is,
that the people ought to be abundantly satisfied with the God who had purchased
them to be his people. Perhaps also he sets this in the front to prepare the way
for his obtaining the throne of their hearts. He would first withdraw the people
from superstitions, as these must necessarily be plucked up and cleared away
before true religion can take root in our
hearts.
10.
I am Jehovah thy God, who brought
thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth
wide. God, by making mention of the
deliverance which he had wrought for the people, put a bridle upon those whom he
had taken under his protection, by which he might hold them bound to his
service; and now he assures them, that with respect to the time to come, he had
an abundant supply of all blessings with which to fill and satisfy their
desires. The three arguments which he employs to induce the Israelites to adhere
exclusively to him, and by which he shows them how wickedly and impiously they
would act in turning aside from him, and having recourse to strange gods, are
worthy of special attention. The first is, that he is Jehovah. By the
word Jehovah, he asserts his claims as God by nature, and declares, that
it is beyond the power of man to make new gods. When he says I am Jehovah,
the pronoun I is emphatic. The Egyptians, no doubt, pretended to worship the
Creator of heaven and of earth; but their contempt of the God of Israel plainly
convicted them of falsehood. Whenever men depart from Him, they adorn the idols
of their own invention with His spoils, whatever the specious pretexts may be by
which they attempt to vindicate themselves. After having affirmed that he is
Jehovah, he proves his Godhead from the effect and experience, — from the
clear and irrefragable evidence of it in his delivering his people from Egypt,
and especially, from his performing at that time the promise which he had made
to the fathers. This is his second argument. The power which was displayed on
that occasion ought not to have been contemplated apart by itself, since it
depended upon the covenant, which long before he had entered into with Abraham.
By that deliverance he gave a proof not less of his veracity than of his power,
and thus vindicated the praise which was due to him. The third argument is, that
he offers himself to the people for the time to come; assuring them, that,
provided they continue to persevere in the faith, he will be the same towards
the children as the fathers experienced him to be, his goodness being
inexhaustible: Open thy mouth
wide, and I will fill it. By the expression
open wide, he tacitly condemns the contracted views and desires which
obstruct the exercise of his beneficence. “If the people are in
penury,” we may suppose him to say, “the blame is to be entirely
ascribed to themselves, because their capacity is not large enough to receive
the blessings of which they stand in need; or rather, because by their unbelief
they reject the blessings which would flow spontaneously upon them.” He
not only bids them open their mouth, but he magnifies the abundance of his grace
still more highly, by intimating, that however enlarged our desires may be,
there will be nothing wanting which is necessary to afford us full satisfaction.
Whence it follows, that the reason why God's blessings drop upon us in a sparing
and slender manner is, because our mouth is too narrow; and the reason why
others are empty and famished is, because they keep their mouth completely shut.
The majority of mankind, either from disgust, or pride, or madness, refuse all
the blessings which are offered them from heaven. Others, although they do not
altogether reject them, yet with difficulty take in only a few small drops,
because their faith is so straitened as to prevent them from receiving an
abundant supply. It is a very manifest proof of the depravity of mankind, when
they have no desire to know God, in order that they may embrace him, and when
they are equally disinclined to rest satisfied with him. He undoubtedly here
requires to be worshipped by external service; but he sets no value upon the
bare name of Deity — for his majesty does not consist in two or three
syllables. He rather looks to what the name imports, and is solicitous that our
hope may not be withdrawn from him to other objects, or that the praise of
righteousness, salvation, and all blessings, may not be transferred from him to
another. In calling himself by the name Jehovah, he claims Godhead
exclusively to himself, on the ground that he possesses a plenitude of all
blessings with which to satisfy and fill
us.
11.
But my people hearkened not to my
voice. God now complains, that the
Israelites, whom he endeavored gently to allure to him, despised his friendly
invitation; yea, that although he had for a long time continued to exhort them,
they always shut their ears against his voice. It is not a rebellion of one day
which he deplores: he complains, that from the very beginning they were always a
stupid and hardened people, and that they continued to persevere in the same
obstinacy. It is assuredly monstrous perverseness to exclude God from obtaining
access to us, and to refuse to give him a hearing, when he is ready to enter
into covenant with us, making the terms almost equal on both sides. To leave
them no room for extenuating their guilt under the pretense of ignorance, he
adds, that he was rejected with avowed and deliberate
contempt: Israel would none of
me. From this it is evident, that their
minds were bewitched by the god of this
world.
This is the reason why, as is stated in
the following verse, he gave them
up to the hardness of their own heart,
or, as others translate it, to the thoughts of their own heart. The
root
rrç,
shorer, from which the word rendered thoughts is derived,
signifies properly the navel. Accordingly, the translation is very
appropriate, which takes this word either for the thoughts which are wrapped up
in the hearts of men, or for the hardness which possesses the heart. It being,
however, as is well known, a usual thing in the Psalms for the same thing to be
twice repeated, I have preferred the word thoughts, because it follows
immediately after, They shall
walk in their own counsels. Besides, by
these words, God testifies, that he justly punished his people, when he deprived
them of good and wholesome doctrine, and gave them over to a reprobate mind. As
in governing us by means of his word, he restrains us, as it were, with a
bridle, and thereby prevents us from going astray after our own perverse
imaginations, so, by removing his prophets from the Jews, he gave loose reins to
their froward and corrupt counsels, by which they were led into devious paths.
It is assuredly the most dreadful kind of punishment which can be inflicted upon
us, and an evidence of the utter hopelessness of our condition, when God,
holding his peace, and conniving at our perverseness, applies no remedy for
bringing us to repentance and amendment. So long as he administers reproof to
us, alarms us with the dread of judgment, and summons us before his tribunal,
he, at the same time, calls upon us to repent. But when he sees that it is
altogether lost labor to reason any longer with us, and that his admonitions
have no effect, he holds his peace, and by this teaches us that he has ceased to
make our salvation the object of his care. Nothing, therefore, is more to be
dreaded, than for men to be so set free from the divine guidance, as recklessly
to follow their own counsels, and to be dragged by Satan wherever he pleases.
The words, however may be viewed in a more extensive sense, as implying that the
patience of God being worn out, he left his people, who, by their desperate
perverseness, had cut off all hope of their ever becoming better, to act without
restraint as they chose. It is a very absurd inference which some draw from this
passage, that the grace of God is bestowed equally upon all men until it is
rejected. Even at that time, God, while he passed by all the rest of the world,
was graciously pleased to bring the posterity of Abraham, by peculiar and
exclusive privilege, into a special relation to himself. At the present day,
this distinction, I admit, has been abolished, and the message of the gospel, by
which God reconciles the world to himself, is common to all men. Yet we see how
God stirs up godly teachers in one place rather than in another. Still the
external call alone would be insufficient, did not God effectually draw to
himself those whom he has called. Further, as this passage teaches us, that
there is no plague more deadly than for men to be left to the guidance of their
own counsels, the only thing which remains for us to do is to renounce the
dictates of carnal wisdom, and to follow the guidance of the Holy
Spirit.
Psalm
81:13-16
13. O if my people had
hearkened to me! If Israel had walked in my ways! 14. I would soon have
brought their enemies low, and turned my hand against their adversaries.
15. The haters of Jehovah would have lied to him, and their time should
have been everlasting. 16. I
fc417 would have fed them with the fat of
corn: and I would have satisfied thee with honey from the
rock.
13.
O if my people had hearkened to
me! By the honorable designation which
God gives to the people of Israel, He exposes the more effectually their
shameful and disgraceful conduct. Their wickedness was doubly aggravated, as
will appear from the consideration, that although God called them to be his
people, they differed nothing from those who were the greatest strangers to him.
Thus he complains by the Prophet Isaiah,
“The ox knoweth his
owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth
not
consider.”
(<230103>Isaiah
1:3)
The Hebrew particle
wl,
lu, which I have rendered O if! is not to be understood as
expressing a condition, but a wish; and therefore God, I have no doubt, like a
man weeping and lamenting, cries out, O the wretchedness of this people in
wilfully refusing to have their best interests carefully provided for! He
assumes the character of a father, and observing, after having tried every
possible means for the recovery of his children, that their condition is utterly
hopeless, he uses the language of one saddened, as it were, with sighing and
groaning; not that he is subject to human passions, but because he cannot
otherwise express the greatness of the love which he bears towards
us.
fc418 The Prophet seems to have borrowed this
passage from the song of Moses in
<053229>Deuteronomy
32:29, where the obstinacy of the people is bewailed in almost the same words:
“Oh that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would
consider their latter end!” He means tacitly to upbraid the Jews, and to
impress upon their minds the truth, that their own perverseness was the only
cause which prevented them from enjoying a state of great outward prosperity. If
it is objected, that God in vain and without ground utters this complaint, since
it was in his power to bend the stiff necks of the people, and that, when he was
not pleased to do this, he had no reason to compare himself to a man deeply
grieved; I answer, that he very properly makes use of this style of speaking on
our account, that we may seek for the procuring cause of our misery nowhere but
in ourselves. We must here beware of mingling together things which are totally
different — as widely different from each other as heaven is distant from
the earth. God, in coming down to us by his word, and addressing his invitations
to all men without exception, disappoints nobody. All who sincerely come to him
are received, and find from actual experience that they were not called in vain.
At the same time, we are to trace to the fountain of the secret electing purpose
of God this difference, that the word enters into the heart of some, while
others only hear the sound of it. And yet there is no inconsistency in his
complaining, as it were, with tears, of our folly when we do not obey him. In
the invitations which he addresses to us by the external word, he shows himself
to be a father; and why may he not also be understood as still representing
himself under the image of a father in using this form of complaint? In
<261832>Ezekiel
18:32, he declares with the strictest regard to truth, “I have no pleasure
in the death of him that dieth,” provided in the interpretation of the
passage we candidly and dispassionately take into view the whole scope of it.
God has no pleasure in the death of a sinner: How? because he would have all men
turned to himself. But it is abundantly evident, that men by their own free-will
cannot turn to God, until he first change their stony hearts into hearts of
flesh: yea, this renovation, as Augustine judiciously observes, is a work
surpassing that of the creation itself. Now what hinders God from bending and
framing the hearts of all men equally in submission to him? Here modesty and
sobriety must be observed, that instead of presuming to intrude into his
incomprehensible decrees, we may rest contented with the revelation which he has
made of his will in his word. There is the justest ground for saying that he
wills the salvation of those to whom that language is addressed,
(<232112>Isaiah
21:12,) “Come unto me, and be ye converted.” In the second part of
the verse before us, we have defined what it is to hear God. To assent to what
he speaks would not be enough; for hypocrites will grant at once that whatever
proceeds from his mouth is true, and will affect to listen just as if an ass
should bend its ears. But the clause is intended to teach us that we can only be
said to hear God, when we submit ourselves to his
authority.
14.
I would soon have brought their
enemies low. Here the Israelites are
taught, that all the calamities which had befallen them were to be imputed to
their own sins; for their enemies did not fight against them with any other
strength than that with which they were supplied from above. God had promised
that under his leading the chosen people would prove victorious over all their
enemies; and now to take away all ground for charging him with violating his
word, he affirms that he would not have failed to enable them to do this had he
not been prevented by their sins. He doubtless intends tacitly to remind them
that the victories which they had formerly achieved were not owing to their own
military valor, but to Him under whose conduct they had been placed. Now, he
tells them that he was not only kept back by their sins from putting forth his
power to defend them, but that he was also compelled by their perverseness to
rush against them with the sword in his hand, while he left their enemies to
remain in undisturbed tranquillity.
15.
The haters of Jehovah would have
lied to him. Here the same thought is
pursued, when the Israelites are informed that their enemies would have humbly
submitted to their authority had not their impiety emboldened them to run to
excess, when they shook off the yoke of God, and waxed wanton against him. In
calling these enemies the enemies
of Jehovah, it is intended to censure
the folly of the Israelites in breaking the bond of the covenant made between
God and them, and thereby separating themselves from him, and preventing him
from forthwith engaging in war in their behalf against those who were alike
their and his enemies. As earthly princes, when they are disappointed of the
assistance promised by their allies, are excited to enter into terms of
agreement with their enemies, and in this way avenge themselves on those who
have been found to be guilty of perjury and covenant-breakers; so God declares
that he had spared his own enemies, because he had been treacherously and
wickedly deceived by the people of Israel. Why does he permit his avowed enemies
to remain unpunished, and cease for a time to maintain his own glory, if it is
not because his object is to set them in contrast with his own rebellious and
disobedient people, whom, by this means, he intends to subdue? The meaning of
the word
çjk,
cachash, which we have rendered lied, has been explained in a
previous psalm
fc419. It is here intimated that peace with
the reprobate cannot be looked for except in so far as God restrains their rage
by hidden chains. A lion shut up in an iron cage still retains his own nature,
but he is kept from mangling and tearing in pieces those who are not even more
than five or six feet distant from him. Thus it is with respect to the wicked.
They may greedily desire our destruction; but they are unable to accomplish what
their hearts are set upon; yea God humbles and abases their fierceness and
arrogance, so that they put on the appearance of gentleness and meekness. The
amount of the whole is, that it was the fault of the Israelites themselves that
their enemies prevailed against them, and insolently triumphed over them;
whereas, had they continued the humble and obedient children of God, these
enemies would have been in a state of subjection to them. When it is said,
their time should have been
everlasting,
fc420 the expression is to be referred
to the promises; and so must the abundance of wheat and of honey,
with which they would have been fully satisfied. God had solemnly declared
that he would be their protector and guardian even to the end. The change, then,
which so suddenly befell them is set before them as a matter of reproach,
inasmuch as they had deliberately cast away all at once their happy state. The
same remarks are applicable to the fruitfulness of the land. How is it to be
accounted for that they suffered hunger in the land in which God had promised
them abundance of wheat and honey, but because the blessing of God had been
withheld on account of their iniquity? By
the fat of
corn
fc421 is meant, metaphorically, pure
grain, unless it may be thought preferable to understand it of the finest wheat.
Some are of opinion that the expression,
honey out of the
rock, is hyperbolical, implying that
honey would have flowed from the very rocks rather than that God would have
failed to satisfy his people. But as it is evident from sacred history that
honey was found everywhere in the hollows of the
rocks
fc422 so long as they enjoyed the blessing of
God, the meaning simply is, that the grace of God would have continued to flow
in an unbroken and uniform course, had it not been interrupted by the
perverseness and wickedness of the people.
PSALM
82
As kings, and such as are invested with authority,
through the blindness which is produced by pride, generally take to themselves a
boundless liberty of action, the Psalmist warns them that they must render an
account at the bar of the Supreme Judge, who is exalted above the highest of
this world. After he has reminded them of their duty and condition, perceiving
that he speaks to such as refuse to receive admonition, he calls upon God to
vindicate his character as a righteous judge.
fc423
A Psalm of
Asaph.
Psalm
82:1-4
1. God sitteth in the
assembly of God: he will judge in the midst of the
gods.
fc424 2. How long will ye judge
unjustly? and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. 3. Determine the
cause of the poor and the orphan;
justify
fc425 the helpless and the destitute.
4. Rescue the poor and the afflicted: deliver them out of the hand of the
wicked.
1.
God sitteth in the assembly
of God.
fc426 It is unquestionably a very
unbecoming thing for those whom God has been pleased to invest with the
government of mankind for the common good, not to acknowledge the end for which
they have been exalted above others, nor yet by whose blessing they have been
placed in so elevated a station; but instead of doing this, contemning every
principle of equity, to rule just as their own unbridled passions dictate. So
infatuated are they by their own splendor and magnificence, as to imagine that
the whole world was made only for them. Besides, they think that it would
derogate from their elevated rank were they to be governed by moderate counsels;
and although their own folly is more than enough to urge them on in their
reckless career, they, notwithstanding, seek for flatterers to soothe and
applaud them in their vices. To correct this arrogance, the psalm opens by
asserting, that although men occupy thrones and judgment-seats, God nevertheless
continues to hold the office of supreme ruler. God has made even a heathen and
licentious poet bear testimony to this truth in the following lines: —
“Regum
timendorum in proprios
greges,
Reges in
ipsos imperium est
Jovis,
Clari giganteo
triumpho,
Cuncta
supercilio
moventis.”
Horatii,
Carm. Liber in. Ode
i.
“Kings rule
their subject flocks; great Jove
O'er kings
themselves his reign extends,
Who hurl'd the rebel
giants from above;
At whose majestic
nod all nature
bends.”
Boscawen's
Translation.
That the potentates of this world may not arrogate to
themselves more than belongs to them, the prophet here erects a throne for
God, from which he judges them all, and represses their pride; a thing
which is highly necessary. They may, indeed, admit that they owe their elevation
to royal power to the favor of God, and they may worship him by outward
ceremonies, but their greatness so infatuates them that they are chargeable with
expelling and casting him to a distance from their assembly, by their vain
imaginations; for they cannot bear to be subject to reason and laws. Thus the
design of the prophet was to deride the madness by which the princes of this
world are bewitched, in leaving God no place in their assembly. The more
effectually to overthrow this irrational self-confidence with which they are
intoxicated, civil order is termed the assembly of God; for although the
divine glory shines forth in every part of the world, yet when lawful government
flourishes among men, it is reflected therefrom with pre-eminent lustre. I
indeed grant that it is quite common for the Hebrews to adorn with the title of
God whatever is rare and excellent. But here it would appear, from the
scope of the passage, that this name of the Divine Being is applied to those who
occupy the exalted station of princes, in which there is afforded a peculiar
manifestation of the majesty of God; even as Solomon, in
<200217>Proverbs
2:17, calls marriage “the covenant of God,” from the peculiar
sanctity by which that relation is
distinguished.
In the second clause of the
verse, it is not material whether we read,
He will judge in the midst of the
gods, or,
He will judge the gods in the
midst. The first construction, however,
is the most easy and natural, That however much the rulers of the world may
exalt themselves, they cannot in the least impair the authority of God, by
divesting him of his sovereignty over them and of the government of all things,
which he will ever retain as his inalienable prerogative. But here, as also a
little after, the name gods is to be understood of judges, on whom
God has impressed special marks of his glory. To apply it to angels is a fancy
too strained to admit of serious
consideration.
2.
How long will ye judge
unjustly? Many suppose that God is here
introduced speaking, and that these are the words which he utters from his
throne of judgment. But I would rather consider the prophet himself as the
speaker, who, in order to prepare the way for administering a rebuke, had spoken
in the manner in which he did in the first verse. Kings may lift up their heads
above the clouds, but they, as well as the rest of mankind, are under the
government of God; and such being the case, it is in vain for them arrogantly to
struggle to obtain exemption from the obligations of reason. Yet this is what
they do. Although tyrants are amongst the basest of men, and occupy their
exalted station by detestable treason, yet if any servant of God has the
fortitude to open his mouth against them, they immediately attempt to shelter
themselves by appealing to the sacred name of God, as if great wrong had been
done to them. Thus, whilst they persuade themselves that they are privileged
with exemption from the law to which the rest of mankind are subject, they
endeavor to deprive the common people of divine truth and its ministers. In
short, they think that there can be no sovereignty unless where uncontrolled
license is enjoyed. But let this principle be once established, “That God
rules among them,” and then a way is opened up for the admission of divine
truth. Accordingly, the prophet, after having thus laid a foundation for his
authority, freely inveighs against princes, and reproves the very gross vice of
selling themselves to those who unrighteously oppress the poor, and of being
gained by bribes to pervert in their administration every principle of justice.
He expressly names the wicked; for good men will never attempt to corrupt
judges. Moreover, there is a certain devilish frenzy which infatuates the
princes of the world, and leads them voluntarily to pay greater respect to
wicked men than to the simple and innocent. Even supposing that the wicked
continue inactive, and use no endeavors to obtain for themselves favor either by
flattery, fraud, bribery, or other artifices; yet those who bear rule are for
the most part inclined of themselves to the bad side. The reason why the prophet
upbraids them is, that wicked men find more favor at their hands than the good
and
conscientious.
3.
Determine the cause of the poor and the
orphan. We are here briefly taught that
a just and well-regulated government will be distinguished for maintaining the
rights of the poor and afflicted. By the figure synecdoche, one part of
equitable administration is put for the whole; for it cannot be doubted that
rulers are bound to observe justice towards all men without distinction. But the
prophet, with much propriety, represents them as appointed to be the defenders
of the miserable and oppressed, both because such persons stand in need of the
assistance of others, and because they can only obtain this where rulers are
free from avarice, ambition, and other vices. The end, therefore, for which
judges bear the sword is to restrain the wicked, and thus to prevent violence
from prevailing among men, who are so much disposed to become disorderly and
outrageous. According as men increase in strength, they become proportionally
audacious in oppressing the weak; and hence it is that rich men seldom resort to
magistrates for help, except when they happen to fall out among themselves. From
these remarks, it is very obvious why the cause of the poor and needy is here
chiefly commended to rulers; for those who are exposed an easy prey to the
cruelty and wrongs of the rich have no less need of the assistance and
protection of magistrates than the sick have of the aid of the physician. Were
the truth deeply fixed in the minds of kings and other judges, that they are
appointed to be the guardians of the poor, and that a special part of this duty
lies in resisting the wrongs which are done to them, and in repressing all
unrighteous violence, perfect righteousness would become triumphant through the
whole world. Whoever thinks it not beneath him to defend the poor, instead of
allowing himself to be carried hither and thither by favor, will have a regard
only to what is right. We may farther learn from this passage, that although
magistrates may not be solicited for succor, they are accounted guilty before
God of negligence, if they do not, of their own accord, succor those who stand
in need of their interference. When iniquity openly prevails, and when, on
account of it, sighs and lamentations are everywhere heard, it is in vain for
them to pretend that they cannot redress wrongs, unless complaints are addressed
to them. Oppression utters a sufficiently loud cry of itself; and if the judge,
sitting on a high watch-tower, seems to take no notice of it, he is here plainly
warned, that such connivance shall not escape with
impunity.
Psalm
82:5-8
5. They know not, neither do
they understand: they walk in darkness, although all the foundations of the
earth are moved. 6. I have said, Ye are gods, and all of you sons of the
Most High. 7. But ye shall die as a man; and ye shall fall, O princes: as
one of the people. 8. Arise, O God! Judge the earth: for thou shalt
inherit all nations.
5.
They know not, neither do
they understand.
fc427 After having reminded princes of
their duty, the Psalmist complains that his admonition from their infatuation is
ineffectual, and that they refuse to receive wholesome instruction; yea, that
although the whole world is shaken to its foundations, they, notwithstanding,
continue thoughtless and secure in the neglect of their duty. He chiefly
reprobates and condemns their madness as manifested in this, that although they
see heaven and earth involved in confusion, they are no more affected at the
sight than if the care of the interests of mankind did not belong to them, of
which they are, notwithstanding, in an especial manner the chosen and appointed
conservators. I have stated a little before, that what chiefly deprives them of
understanding is, that, being dazzled with their own splendor, and perversely
shaking off every yoke, no religious considerations have the effect of inclining
them to moderation. All sound knowledge and wisdom must commence with yielding
to God the honor which is his due, and submitting to be restrained and governed
by his word. The last clause of the verse,
Although all the foundations of
the earth are moved,
fc428 is almost universally understood
by interpreters in a different sense from that in which I have rendered it. They
explain it as implying, that of all the calamities in the world the greatest is
when princes neglect to execute the duties of their office; for it is the
observance and prevalence of justice which constitutes the foundation on which
the fabric of human society rests. Thus the sense, according to them, is, that
the world is undermined and overthrown by the unjust tyranny of princes. I am
far from rejecting this interpretation; but, as I have already hinted, I am more
inclined to think, that we have here condemned the monstrous stupidity of
judges, who can remain indifferent and unmoved in beholding the horrible
confusion of civil society, yea even the very earth shaken to its
foundations.
6.
I have said, ye are
gods. God has invested judges with a
sacred character and title. This the prophet concedes; but he, at the same time,
shows that this will afford no support and protection to wicked judges. He does
not introduce them as speaking of the dignity of their office; but anticipating
the style of reasoning which they would be disposed to adopt, he replies,
“If you appeal to your dignity as an argument to shield you, this boasting
will avail you nothing; yea, rather you are deceiving yourselves by your foolish
confidence; for God, in appointing you his substitutes, has not divested himself
of his own sovereignty as supreme ruler. Again, he would have you to remember
your own frailty as a means of stirring you up to execute with fear and
trembling the office intrusted to you.” This verse may also be viewed as
addressed by God himself to rulers, and as intimating, that, in addition to his
clothing them with authority, he has bestowed upon them his name. This
interpretation seems to agree with the language of Christ in
<431034>John
10:34, where he speaks of those as called gods to whom the word of God came. The
passage, however, may be appropriately resolved thus:
I grant that ye are gods, and the
sons of the Most
High.
fc429 But this does not materially
alter the meaning. The object is simply to teach that the dignity with which
judges are invested can form no excuse or plea why they should escape the
punishment which their wickedness deserves. The government of the world has been
committed to them upon the distinct understanding that they themselves also must
one day appear at the judgment-seat of heaven to render up an account. The
dignity, therefore, with which they are clothed is only temporary, and will pass
away with the fashion of the world. Accordingly, it is added in the 7th verse,
But ye shall die as men. You are armed with power, as if he had said, to
govern the world; but you have not on that account ceased to be men, so as to be
no longer subject to mortality. The last clause of the verse is translated by
some expositors, Ye shall fall like one of the
princes;
fc430 but in my opinion improperly.
They think that it contains a threatening of the violent death which would
befall these unrighteous judges, corresponding to the sentiment of these lines
of a heathen poet: —
“Ad generum
Cereris sine caede et sanguine
pauci,
Descendunt
reges, et sicca morte tyranni.”
“Few kings and tyrants go down to Pluto, the
son-in-law of Ceres, without being put to a violent death, before they have
completed the ordinary term allotted to the life of mortal
man.”
fc431 That translation being forced, and not
such as the words naturally suggest, I have no doubt that princes are here
compared to the obscure and common class of mankind. The word one
signifies any of the common people. Forgetting themselves to be men, the
great ones of the earth may flatter themselves with visionary hopes of
immortality; but they are here taught that they will be compelled to encounter
death as well as other men. Christ, with the view of rebutting the calumny with
which the Pharisees loaded him, quoted this text,
<431034>John
10:34, 35, “Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye
are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the
Scripture cannot be broken; say ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified and
sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of
God?” By these words Christ did not mean to place himself among the order
of judges; but he argues from the less to the greater, that if the name of God
is applied to God's officers, it with much more propriety belongs to his only
begotten Son, who is the express image of the Father, in whom the Father's
majesty shines forth, and in whom the whole fullness of the Godhead
dwells.
8.
Arise, O God! judge the
earth. The reason why this psalm
concludes with a prayer has been already stated at the commencement. The
prophet, finding that his admonitions and remonstrances were ineffectual, and
that princes, inflated with pride, treated with contempt all instruction on the
principles of equity, addresses himself to God, and calls upon Him to repress
their insolence. By this means, the Holy Spirit furnishes us with ground of
comfort whenever we are cruelly treated by tyrants. We may perceive no power on
earth to restrain their excesses; but it becomes us to lift up our eyes to
heaven, and to seek redress from Him whose office it is to judge the world, and
who does not claim this office to himself in vain. It is therefore our bounden
duty to beseech him to restore to order what is embroiled in confusion. The
reason of this which immediately follows —
for thou shalt inherit all
nations — is understood by some as
a prophecy concerning the kingdom of Christ, by whom God has brought all nations
in subjection to himself. But it is to be viewed in a more extensive sense, as
implying that God has a rightful claim to the obedience of all nations, and that
tyrants are chargeable with wickedly and unjustly wresting from him his
prerogative of bearing rule, when they set at nought his authority, and confound
good and evil, right and wrong. We ought therefore to beseech him to restore to
order the confusions of the world, and thus to recover the rightful dominion
which he has over it.
PSALM
83
The prophet implores the divine aid against the
enemies of the Church, and, as an argument for obtaining this the more easily,
he enumerates the many nations which had conspired together for the express
purpose of exterminating the people of Israel, and thereby extinguishing the
very name of the Church of God. To stir up himself and others to greater
earnestness and confidence in prayer, he shows, by many examples, how mightily
God had been wont to succor his servants.
A Song or Psalm of
Asaph.
Psalm
83:1-4
1. O God! keep not silence
with thyself; hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God! 2. For,
behold! Thy enemies are tumultuous: and those who hate thee have lifted up the
head. 3. They have formed a crafty design against thy people, and have
consulted against thy hidden ones. 4. They have said, Come and let us cut
them off from being a nation; and let the name of Israel be no more
remembered.
1.
O God! hold not thy
peace. It is very generally agreed among
commentators, that this psalm was composed during the reign of king Jehoshaphat;
and in this opinion I readily concur. That godly king, as is well known, had to
engage in dreadful wars against multiplied hosts of enemies. Although the
Ammonites and Moabites were the originators of the principal war in which he was
engaged, yet they mustered forces not only from Syria, but also from distant
countries, and the troops thus brought together well nigh overwhelmed Judea with
their multitude. It would then appear, from the long list of enemies, here
enumerated, who had conspired together to destroy the people of God, that the
conjecture is well-founded which refers the composition of this psalm to that
occasion;
fc432 and sacred history informs us, that one
of the Levites, under the influence of the Spirit of prophecy, gave the king
assurance of victory,
fc433 and that the Levites sang before the
Lord. In the midst of so great dangers, the whole nation, as well as the holy
king, must have been involved in the deepest distress; and, accordingly, we have
here a prayer full of earnestness and solicitude. These feelings prompted the
repetition of the words which occur in the very opening of the psalm,
Hold not thy peace, Keep not
silence, be not still. By this, the
faithful would intimate, that if God intended to succor them, it behoved him to
make haste, else the opportunity for doing so would be lost. It is
unquestionably our duty to wait patiently when God at any time delays his help;
but, in condescension to our infirmity, he permits us to supplicate him to make
haste. What I have rendered, keep
not silence with thyself, is literally
keep not silence to thyself, which some translate by the paraphrase,
Hold not thy peace in thy own
cause, — an exposition
which is too refined to be more particularly noticed. This form of expression is
equivalent to saying, Hold not thyself in. Perhaps the particle is here
superfluous, as it is in many other
places.
2.
For, behold! thy enemies are
tumultuous. As an argument for enforcing
the prayer of the preceding verse, it is affirmed that the faithful are
oppressed both by the impetuous violence and the crafty policy of their enemies,
which, to all human appearance, rendered their escape from death utterly
hopeless. When it is said that
they are
tumultuous and lift up the head,
the meaning is, that relying upon their own power, they behave themselves
insolently and proudly. By this conduct on the part of their enemies, the minds
of the people of God are greatly depressed, and the only way in which they can
obtain relief, is by making their moan to Him whose continual work it is to
repress the proud. When, therefore, the saints implore his aid, it is their
ordinary course to lay before him the perverseness of their enemies. It is
worthy of notice, that those who molest the Church are called the enemies of
God.
It affords us no small ground of
confidence that those who are our enemies are also God's enemies. This is one of
the fruits of his free and gracious covenant, in which he has promised to be an
enemy to all our enemies, — a promise for which there is good cause, when
it is considered that the welfare of his people, whom he has taken under his
protection, cannot be assailed without an injury being, at the same the done to
his own majesty. Meanwhile, let us live at peace with all men, as much as in us
lies, and let us endeavor to practice uprightness in our whole deportment, that
we may be able confidently to appeal to God, that when we suffer at the hands of
men, we suffer wrongfully. The pride and violent assaults of our enemies may be
combined with craftiness. But when such is the case, it becomes us to yield to
God the honor which belongs to him, by resting satisfied that He can succor us;
for to break the proud who foam out their rage, and to take the crafty in their
own craftiness, is work which He has been accustomed to perform in all ages. To
keep us from thinking that we are abandoned to the snares and traps of our
enemies, the prophet here seasonably sets before us a consideration calculated
to administer the highest consolation and hope, when he calls us
God's hidden
ones. This expression is understood by
some as meaning that the aid and protection which God extends to us, is not
apparent to the eye of sense and reason; just as it is said elsewhere of the
life of the people of God, that it is hid,
(<510303>Colossians
3:3.) But this interpretation is too forced, and altogether inconsistent both
with the scope of the passage and the natural construction of the words. The
design of them is simply to teach that we are hidden under the shadow of God's
wings; for although to outward appearance we lie open, and are exposed to the
will of the wicked and the proud, we are preserved by the hidden power of
God.
fc434 Accordingly, it is said in another
Psalm, (27:5,)
“In the time
of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle
shall he hide me.”
(<192705>Psalm
27:5)
It is, however, at the same time to be observed, that
none are hid under the keeping and protection of God but those who, renouncing
all dependence on their own strength, betake themselves with fear and trembling
to Him. Such as under the influence of a flattering belief in the sufficiency of
their own strength to resist, boldly enter the conflict, and, as if devoid of
all fear, wax wanton, will ultimately suffer the consequences which result from
inadequate resources.
fc435 We will then best consult our own
safety by taking shelter under the shadow of the Almighty, and, conscious of our
own weakness, committing our salvation to him, casting it, so to speak, into his
bosom.
4.
They have said, Come and let
us cut them off from being a nation. The
wickedness of these hostile powers is aggravated from the circumstance, that it
was their determined purpose utterly to exterminate the Church. This may be
restricted to the Ammonites and Moabites, who were as bellows to blow up the
flame in the rest. But the Hagarenes, the Syrians, and the other nations, being
by their instigation affected with no less hatred and fury against the people of
God, for whose destruction they had taken up arms, we may justly consider this
vaunting language as uttered by the whole of the combined host; for having
entered into a mutual compact they rushed forward with rival eagerness, and
encouraged one another to destroy the kingdom of Judah. The prime agent in
exciting such cruel hatred was doubtless Satan, who has all along from the
beginning been exerting himself to extinguish the Church of God, and who, for
this purpose, has never ceased to stir up his own children to outrage. The
phrase, to cut them off from
being a nation, signifies to exterminate
them root and branch, and thus to put an end to them as a nation or people. That
this is the meaning is more clearly evinced from the second clause of the verse,
Let the name of Israel be no more
remembered. The compassion of God would
in no small degree be excited by the circumstance that this war was not
undertaken, as wars commonly have been, to bring them, when conquered, under the
power of their enemies; but the object which the cruelty of their enemies aimed
at was their entire destruction. And what did this amount to but to an attempt
to overthrow the decree of God on which the perpetual duration of the Church
depends.
Psalm
83:5-8
5. For they have consulted
with the heart together; they have entered into a
covenant
fc436 against thee. 6. The tents of
Edom,
fc437 and the
Ishmaelites
fc438
Moab
fc439 and the
Hagarenes.
fc440 7.
Gebal,
fc441 and
Ammon,
fc442 and
Amalek
fc443 the Philistines with the inhabitants of
Tyre. 8. Assur is also associated with them: they have been an arm to the
sons of Lot.
Selah.
5.
For they have consulted with the heart
together. The multiplied hosts which
united their powers together to oppose the Church of God and to effect her
overthrow, are here enumerated. As so many nations, formed into one powerful
confederacy, were bent on the destruction of a kingdom not greatly distinguished
by its power, the miraculous aid of God was indispensably necessary for the
deliverance of a people who, in such extremity, were altogether unable to defend
themselves. In circumstances apparently as hopeless good king Asa gave utterance
to that truly magnanimous
reflection:
“Lord, it is
nothing with thee to help whether with many, or with them that have no power:
help us, O Lord our God! for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this
multitudes”
(<131411>1
Chronicles 14:11.)
The same Spirit who inspired
that pious king with such invincible fortitude dictated this psalm for the
benefit of the whole Church, to encourage her with unhesitating confidence to
betake herself to God for aid. And in our own day he sets before us these words,
in order that no danger or difficulty may prevent us from calling upon God. When
the whole world may conspire together against us, we have as it were a wall of
brass for the defense of Christ's kingdom in these words, “Why do the
heathen rage?” etc.,
(<190201>Psalm
2:1.)
It will be in no small degree profitable
to us to contemplate this as an example in which we have represented to us, as
in a mirror what has been the lot of the Church of God from the beginning. This,
if rightly reflected upon, will keep us at the present day from being unduly
dejected when we witness the whole world in array against us. We see how the
Pope has inflamed the whole world against us with diabolical rage. Hence it is,
that in whatever direction we turn our eyes, we meet with just so many hostile
armies to destroy us. But when we have once arrived at a settled persuasion that
no strange thing happens to us, the contemplation of the condition of the Church
in old time will strengthen us for continuing in the exercise of patience until
God suddenly display his power, which is perfectly able, without any created
aid, to frustrate all the attempts of the
world.
To remove from the minds of the godly all
misgivings as to whether help is ready to be imparted to them from heaven, the
prophet distinctly affirms that those who molest the Church are chargeable with
making war against God, who has taken her under his protection. The principle
upon which God declares that he will be our helper is contained in these
words,
“He that toucheth
you, toucheth the apple of mine
eye,”
(<380208>Zechariah
2:8.)
And what is said in another psalm concerning the
patriarchs, is equally applicable to all true believers,
“Touch not
mine anointed, and do my prophets no
harm,”
(<19A515>Psalm
105:15.)
He will have the anointing with which he has anointed
us to be, as it were, a buckler to keep us in perfect safety. The nations here
enumerated did not avowedly make war against him; but as, when he sees his
servants unrighteously assaulted, he interposes himself between them and their
enemies to bear the blows aimed at them, they are here justly represented as
having entered into a league
against God. The case is analogous to
that of the Papists in the present day. If any were to ask them, when they hold
consultations for the express purpose of accomplishing our destruction, Whether
they were stronger than God? they would immediately reply, That they had no
intention whatever of assaulting heaven in imitation of the giants of old. But
God having declared that every injury which is done to us is an assault upon
him, we may, as from a watch-tower, behold in the distance by the eye of faith
the approach of that destruction of which the votaries of Antichrist shall have
at length the sad and melancholy experience.
The
expression, to consult with the
heart, is by some explained, to
deliberate with the greatest exertion and earnestness of mind. Thus it is
quite common for us to say, that a thing is done with the heart which is done
with earnestness and ardor of mind. But this expression is rather intended to
denote the hidden crafty devices complained of a little
before.
Some interpreters refer the tents of
Edom to warlike furniture, and understand the words as meaning, that these
enemies came well equipped and provided with tents for prolonging the war; but
the allusion seems rather to be to the custom which prevailed among those
nations of dwelling in tents. It is, however, a hyperbolical form of expression;
as if it had been said, So great was their eagerness to engage in this war, that
they might be said even to pluck their tents from the places where they were
pitched.
I do not intend to enter curiously into
a discussion concerning the respective nations here named, the greater part of
them being familiarly known from the frequency with which they are spoken of in
the sacred Scriptures. When it is said that Assur and the rest were
an arm to the sons of
Lot, this is evidently an additional
aggravation of the wickedness of the sons of Lot. It would have been an act of
unnatural cruelty for them to have aided foreign nations against their own
kindred. But when they themselves are the first to sound the trumpet, and when
of their own suggestion they invite the aid of the Assyrians and other nations
to destroy their own brethren, ought not such barbarous inhumanity to call forth
the deepest detestation? Josephus himself records, that the Israelites had
passed through their borders without doing them any harm, sparing their own
blood according to the express command of God. When the Moabites and Ammonites
then knew that their brethren the Jews spared them, remembering that they were
of the same blood, and sprung from one common parentage, ought they not also to
have reciprocated so much kindness on their part as not to have embarked in any
hostile enterprise against them? But it is, as it were, the destiny of the
Church, not only to be assailed by external enemies, but to suffer far greater
trouble at the hands of false brethren. At the present day, none are more
furiously mad against us than counterfeit
Christians.
Psalm
83:9-12
9. Do to them as to the
Midianites,
fc444 as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook
Kishon.
fc445 10. They perished at Endor; they
became manure for the earth. 11. Make them and their princes like Oreb,
and like Zeeb;
fc446 and like Zebah, and like
Zalmunna,
fc447 all their princes. 12. Who have
said, Let us take in possession for ourselves the habitations of
God.
9.
Do to them as to the
Midianites. The faithful, having
complained of the very grievous oppressions to which they were subjected, with
the view of inducing God the more readily to succor them, now call to their
remembrance the many occasions on which he had afforded relief to his people,
when brought into the most desperate circumstances. From this, it is an obvious
inference, that God wisely delays his aid to his servants under oppression, that
when they seem to be reduced to the last extremity, he may appear in a
miraculous manner for their succor. The prophet, in this verse, mingles together
two histories. Strict accuracy would have required him to have said in one
connected sentence, Do to them as
to the Midianites at the brook Kishon.
But he inserts in the middle of this sentence, the slaughter of Jabin and
Sisera. It was, however, of no great importance to distinguish particularly
between the two histories. He considered it enough for his purpose, to bring to
the remembrance of himself and other pious Jews, the miracles which God in the
days of old had so often wrought in delivering his people. The great object
aimed at is to show, that God, who had so often put his enemies to flight, and
rescued his poor trembling sheep out of the jaws of wolves, was not now without
the power of effecting the same deliverance. The wonderful manner in which he
succoured his people by the hand of Gideon is well known: Judges 6 and 7; It
might have seemed altogether ridiculous for Gideon to venture to engage in
battle against a very powerful army, with no greater a number of men of war than
three hundred, and these, be it observed, such as had been in a state of bondage
during their whole lives, and whom the mere look of their lords might have
thrown into consternation. And yet, it came to pass, that the Midianites
perished by turning their swords against each other. The same goodness God
displayed in the slaughter of Sisera and king Jabin,
<070413>Judges
4:13. Barak, under the conduct of a woman, Deborah, discomfited them both, when,
with a small handful of soldiers, he intrepidly gave battle to their mighty
host. And Sisera, the general of the army, did not die bravely on the field of
battle, but was smitten by the hand of a woman after he had retired to some
hiding-place. That the faithful may not be overwhelmed with terror and fall into
despair, they seasonably fortify themselves with these examples of deliverance,
by which God had shown that in himself alone there resides a sufficiency of
power to defend his people, whenever, destitute of the resources of human aid,
they should betake themselves to him. From that astonishing and unwonted mode of
granting deliverance, they came to the conclusion, that he is a wonderful worker
in preserving his Church; in order to encourage themselves to entertain the
fullest confidence, that in his breath alone they would have sufficient strength
to overthrow all their enemies. Nor is it only in this passage that the
slaughter of the Midianites is related for this purpose. Isaiah also
(<230904>Isaiah
9:4) introduces it for confirming the truth of the Church's restitution:
“For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his
shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.” When it is
stated that they became manure
for the earth, the expression may be
explained as meaning, either, first, that their carcases lay rotting upon the
earth; or, secondly, that they were trampled under foot as manure. This latter
exposition is the most appropriate; but I do not reject the former. The reason
why it is said, They perished at
Endor, it is somewhat difficult to
ascertain. The name, Endor, is to be found in
<061711>Joshua
17:11; and it is probable, that the army of king Jabin was destroyed
there.
fc448 The opinion entertained by some, that
Endor is here used as an appellative, conveying the idea that their
discomfiture was open and visible to the eye, is what I cannot
approve.
12.
Who have said, Let us take in
possession for ourselves the habitations of
God. These heathen enemies are again
accused of treason against the King of heaven, in seizing upon his heritage like
lawless robbers. They would not, we may be sure, avow in so many words that it
was their intention to commit such a crime; but as they despised God, who, as
they well knew, was worshipped by the people of Israel, they are here justly
charged with the guilt of endeavoring to dispossess Him of his own inheritance.
And, without doubt, they profanely poured abuse upon the true God, of whose
sacred majesty they entertained the greatest contempt, their minds being
besotted with their own inventions. But even granting that they abstained from
gross blasphemies, yet whatever harassing proceedings are carried on against the
godly redound to the dishonor of God, who has taken them under his protection.
The appellation, the habitations
or mansions of God, which is
applied to Judea, is a form of expression, containing no small degree of
comfort. God has united himself to us, with the view of having an everlasting
residence amongst us, or rather that he may set as high a value upon his Church,
and account it as precious, as a householder does his possessions which are most
valuable, and yield him a large
revenue.
Psalm
83:13-18
13. O my God! make them
like a whirling ball,
fc449 like stubble before the wind.
14. As fire burns a forest
fc450 and as the flame kindles the
mountains,
fc451 15. So pursue them with thy
tempest,
fc452 and terrify them with thy whirlwind.
16. Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O Jehovah!
17. Let them be ashamed, and terrified perpetually, and let them be
confounded, and perish. 18. And let them know that thou art, thy name
Jehovah, thou alone the Most High over all the
earth.
fc453
13.
O my God! make them like a
whirling ball. As the ungodly, when they
gird and prepare themselves for destroying the Church, are usually inflated with
intolerable pride, the inspired bard beseeches God to put them to shame, it
being impossible to abate their pride until they are laid prostrate, confounded,
and shamefully disappointed. When he declares (verse 16) that, as the result of
this, they will seek the name of
God, he is not to be understood as
speaking of their being brought to true repentance, or of their genuine
conversion. I indeed admit that the first step to genuine repentance is when
men, brought low by affliction, willingly humble themselves. But what is here
meant is nothing more than a forced and slavish submission like that of Pharaoh,
king of Egypt. It is a case of frequent occurrence for the wicked, when subdued
by adversity, to give glory to God, for a short period. But they are soon again
carried away with a frantic madness, which clearly discovers their hypocrisy,
and brings to light the pride and rebellion which lurked in their hearts. What
the prophet desires is, that the wicked may be compelled by stripes to
acknowledge God, whether they will or no, in order that their fury, which breaks
forth because they escape with impunity, may at least be kept under restraint.
This is more clearly apparent from the 17th verse, where he distinctly prays
that they may be destroyed for ever; which would not at all correspond with his
previous statement, were it regarded as a prayer for their being brought to
repentance. Nor does he needlessly heap together such a multiplicity of words.
He does this partly because the reprobate, though often chastised, are
nevertheless so incorrigible that ever and anon they are mustering up new
strength and courage; and partly because there is nothing which it is more
difficult to be persuaded of than that such as wallow at ease in great outward
prosperity will soon perish. The cause to which this is to be attributed is just
our not sufficiently apprehending the dreadful character of the vengeance of God
which awaits the oppressors of the
Church.
18.
And let them know that thou art,
thy name Jehovah. It is not the saving
knowledge of God which is here spoken of, but that acknowledgement of him which
his irresistible power extorts from the wicked. It is not simply said that they
will know that there is a God; but a special kind of knowledge is laid down, it
being intimated that the heathen who before held the true religion in contempt,
would at length perceive that the God who made himself known in the Law, and who
was worshipped in Judea, was the only true God. Still, however, it must be
remembered, that the knowledge spoken of is only that which is of an evanescent
character, having neither root nor the living juice to nourish it; for the
wicked will not submit to God willingly and cordially, but are drawn by
compulsion to yield a counterfeit obedience, or, being restrained by him, dare
not break forth into open outrage. This, then, is an experimental recognition of
God which penetrates not to the heart, but is extorted from them by force and
necessity. The pronoun
hta,
atah, thou, is emphatic, implying a tacit contrast between the God of
Israel and all the false gods which were the product of men's invention. The
prayer amounts to this: Lord, make them to know that the idols which they have
fabricated for themselves are no gods, and in fact are nothing. The despisers of
God may indeed shun the light, and at one time may overcast themselves with
clouds, while at another their may plunge into the deep and thick shades of
darkness; but He pursues them, and draws them forth to the knowledge of himself,
which they would fain bury in ignorance. And as the world indiscriminately and
disgracefully applies his sacred name to its own trifling inventions, this
profanation is corrected when it is added, thy name Jehovah. This implies
that being, or really to be, is in the strict sense applicable to
God alone; for although unbelievers may attempt to tear his glory to pieces, he
continues perfect and unchanged. The contrast of which I have spoken, must be
kept in mind by the reader. A nation has never existed so barbarous as not to
have worshipped some deity; but every country forged particular gods for itself.
And although the Moabites, the Edomites, and the rest of these nations, admitted
that some power and authority belonged to the God of Israel, yet they conceived
that this power and authority did not extend beyond the boundaries of Judea.
Thus the king of Syria called him, “the God of the hills,”
(<112023>1
Kings 20:23.) This preposterous and absurd division of God's glory, which men
make, is disproved by one word, and all the superstitions which at that time
prevailed in the world are overthrown, when the Prophet attributes to the God of
Israel, as well the essence of Deity as the name; for unless all the idols of
the heathen are completely abolished, he will not obtain, alone and unshared,
the name of Jehovah. Accordingly, it is added,
Thou alone art the Most High over
all the earth; a statement which is
worthy of our most careful attention. The superstitious commonly think it enough
to leave God his name, that is to say, two or three syllables; and in the
meantime they fritter away his power, as if his majesty were contained in an
empty title. Let us then remember that God does not receive that honor among men
to which he is entitled, if he is not allowed to possess his own inherent
sovereignty, and if his glory is obscured by setting up other objects against
him with antagonist claims.
PSALM
84
The Psalmist complains that nothing proved to him a
source of greater distress than his being prevented from coming to the
tabernacle, and his being banished from the assembly of the saints, where God
was called upon. And yet he shows, that nothing can withstand the longing
desires of the godly; and that, surmounting all obstacles, they will be
constantly engaged in seeking God, and, so to speak, will make a way for
themselves where there is none.
fc454 At length he expresses his desire to be
restored to the tabernacle of God, and again testifies that a day spent in the
tabernacle was in his estimation more to be
prized
fc455 than to live for a long time in the
society of unbelievers.
To the chief
musician upon Gittith. A Psalm
of
fc456 the sons of
Korah.
fc457
The title of this psalm does not bear the name of
David; but as its subject-matter is applicable to him, he was in all probability
its author. Some think that it was composed by the sons of Korah, for his
particular use; but to prove the groundlessness of this opinion, it is only
necessary to advert to this one consideration, that David in his time was so
eminently distinguished by the gift of prophecy as to be under no necessity of
employing the Levites to perform a service for which he himself was so well
qualified. The only difficulty to our ascribing it to David is, that mention is
made of mount Zion, to which the ark of the covenant was not brought until he
was put in peaceable possession of the kingdom. how after that, he was never
deprived of the liberty of appearing before the ark with others, except once,
and then only for a short time; namely, when he was under the necessity of
betaking himself to flight on account of the rebellion raised against him by his
son Absalom.
fc458 The contents of the psalm, however,
indicate, that at the time of its composition, he had been compelled to wander
long in different places as an exile. If we reflect that David recorded in
psalms the persecutions he endured under Saul long after he was delivered from
them, we will not be surprised to find him making mention of Zion in connection
with them. Of the word Gittith, I have already spoken on the eighth
psalm.
Psalm
84:1-4
1. How amiable are thy
tabernacles, O Jehovah of Hosts! 2. My soul longeth, [or greatly
desireth,] yea, even fainteth after the courts of Jehovah: my heart and my flesh
leap for joy towards the living God. 3. The sparrow also hath found a
house for herself, and the swallow
fc459 a nest for herself, where she may place
her young ones, O thine altars! Thou Jehovah of Hosts! my King, and my God.
4. Blessed are they who dwell in thy house: they will be ever praising
thee. Selah.
1.
How amiable are thy
tabernacles, O Jehovah of Hosts! David
complains of his being deprived of liberty of access to the Church of God, there
to make a profession of his faith, to improve in godliness, and to engage in the
divine worship. Some would understand by the
tabernacles of
God, the kingdom of heaven, as if David
mourned over his continuance in this state of earthly pilgrimage; but they do
not sufficiently consider the nature of his present afflicted circumstances
— that he was debarred from the sanctuary. He knew that God had not in
vain appointed the holy assemblies, and that the godly have need of such helps
so long as they are sojourners in this world. He was also deeply sensible of his
own infirmity; nor was he ignorant how far short he came of approaching the
perfection of angels. He had therefore good ground to lament over his being
deprived of those means, the utility of which is well known to all true
believers. His attention was, no doubt, directed to the proper end for which the
external ritual was appointed; for his character was widely different from that
of hypocrites, who, while they frequent the solemn assemblies with great pomp,
and seem to burn with ardent zeal in serving God, yet in all this, aim at
nothing more than by an ostentatious display of piety to obtain the credit of
having performed their duty towards Him. David's mind was far from being
occupied with this gross imagination. The end he had in view in desiring so
earnestly to enjoy free access to the sanctuary was, that he might there worship
God with sincerity of heart, and in a spiritual manner. The opening words are in
the form of an exclamation, which is an indication of ardent affection; and this
state of feeling is expressed still more fully in the second verse. Hence we
learn, that those are sadly deficient in understanding who carelessly neglect
God's instituted worship, as if they were able to mount up to heaven by their
own unaided efforts.
I have observed, that in
the second verse a more than ordinary ardor of desire is expressed. The first
verb,
psk,
casaph, signifies vehemently to desire; but not contented with
this word, David adds, that his
soul fainteth after the courts of the Lord,
which is equivalent to our pining away, when, under the influence of extreme
mental emotion, we are in a manner transported out of ourselves. He speaks only
of the courts of the tabernacle, because, not being a priest, it was not
lawful for him to go beyond the outer court. None but the priests, as is well
known, were permitted to enter into the inner sanctuary. In the close of the
verse, he declares, that this longing extended itself even to his body, that is,
it manifested itself in the utterance of the mouth, the languor of the eyes, and
the action of the hands. The reason why he longed so intensely to have access to
the tabernacle was, to enjoy the living God; not that he conceived of God
as shut up in so narrow a place as was the tent of the
ark,
fc460 but he was convinced of the need he had
of steps, by which to rise up to heaven, and knew that the visible sanctuary
served the purpose of a ladder, because, by it the minds of the godly were
directed and conducted to the heavenly model. And assuredly, when we consider
that the sluggishness of our flesh hinders us from elevating our minds to the
height of the divine majesty, in vain would God call us to himself, did he not
at the same time, on his part, come down to us; or, did he not at least, by the
interposition of means, stretch out his hand to us, so to speak, in order to
lift us up to himself.
3.
The sparrow also hath found a
house for herself, and the swallow a nest for
herself. Some read this verse as one
continuous sentence, conveying the idea that the birds made their nests near the
altars;
fc461 from which it might the more evidently
appear how hard and distressing his condition was in being kept at a distance
from them. This opinion seems to be supported from the circumstance, that
immediately before the Hebrew word for altars, there is the particle
ta,
eth, which is commonly joined with the accusative case. But as it is also
sometimes used in exclamations, the prophet, I have no doubt, breaking off in
the middle of his sentence all at once, exclaims, that nothing would be more
grateful to him than to behold the altar of God. David then, in the first place,
with the view of aggravating the misery of his condition, compares himself with
the sparrows and swallows, showing how hard a case it was for the children of
Abraham to be driven out of the heritage which had been promised them, whilst
the little birds found some place or other for building their nests. He might
sometimes find a comfortable retreat, and might even dwell among unbelievers
with some degree of honor and state; but so long as he was deprived of liberty
of access to the sanctuary, he seemed to himself to be in a manner banished from
the whole world. Undoubtedly, the proper end which we ought to propose to
ourselves in living, is to be engaged in the service of God. The manner in which
he requires us to serve him is spiritual; but still it is necessary for us to
make use of those external aids which he has wisely appointed for our
observance. This is the reason why David all at once breaks forth into the
exclamation, O thine altars! thou
Jehovah of Hosts! Some might be ready to
say in reference to his present circumstances, that there were many retreats in
the world, where he might live in safety and repose, yea, that there were many
who would gladly receive him as a guest under their roof, and that therefore he
had no cause to be so greatly distressed. To this he answers, that he would
rather relinquish the whole world than continue in a state of exclusion from the
holy tabernacle; that he felt no place delightful at a distance from God's
altars; and, in short, that no dwelling-place was agreeable to him beyond the
limits of the Holy Land. This he would intimate, by the appellations which he
gives to God, My King, and my
God. In speaking thus, he gives us to
understand that his life was uncomfortable and embittered, because he was
banished from the kingdom of God. “Although all men,” as if he had
said, “should vie with each other in their eagerness to afford me shelter
and entertainment, yet as thou art my King, what pleasure would it afford me to
live in the world, so long as I am excluded from the territory of the Holy Land?
And again, as thou art my God, for what end do I live but to seek after thee?
Now, when thou castest me off, should I not despise every place of retreat and
shelter which is offered me, however pleasant and delightful it may be to my
flesh?”
4.
Blessed are they who dwell in thy house.
Here the Psalmist expresses more distinctly the proper and legitimate use of
the sanctuary; and thus he distinguishes himself from hypocrites, who are
sedulously attentive to the observance of outward ceremonies, but destitute of
genuine heart godliness. David, on the contrary, testifies, that the true
worshippers of God offer to him the sacrifice of praise, which can never be
dissociated from faith. Never will a man praise God from the heart, unless,
relying upon his grace, he is a partaker of spiritual peace and
joy.
Psalm
84:5-7
5. Blessed is the man whose
strength is in thee; the ways are in their hearts. 6. They passing
through the valley of weeping,
fc462 will together make it a
fountain;
fc463 the rain also will cover the cisterns,
[or reservoirs.]
fc464 7. They will go from strength to
strength;
fc465 the God of gods will be seen in
Zion.
5.
Blessed is the man whose
strength is in thee. David again informs
us, that the purpose for which he desired liberty of access to the sanctuary
was, not merely to gratify his eyes with what was to be seen there, but to make
progress in faith. To lean with the whole heart upon God, is to attain to no
ordinary degree of advancement: and this cannot be attained by any man, unless
all his pride is laid prostrate in the dust, and his heart truly humbled. In
proposing to himself this way of seeking God, David's object is to borrow from
him by prayer the strength of which he feels himself to be destitute. The
concluding clause of the verse,
the ways are in their
hearts,
fc466 is by some interpreted as
meaning, That those are happy who walk in the way which God has appointed; for
nothing is more injurious to a man than to trust in his own understanding. It is
not improperly said of the law, “This is the way, walk ye in it,”
<233021>Isaiah
30:21. Whenever then men turn aside, however little it may be, from the divine
law, they go astray, and become entangled in perverse errors. But it is more
appropriate to restrict the clause to the scope of the passage, and to
understand it as implying, that those are happy whose highest ambition it is to
have God as the guide of their life, and who therefore desire to draw near to
him. God, as we have formerly observed, is not satisfied with mere outward
ceremonies. What he desires is, to rule and keep in subjection to himself all
whom he invites to his tabernacle. Whoever then has learned how great a
blessedness it is to rely upon God, will put forth all the desires and faculties
of his mind, that with all speed he may hasten to
Him.
6.
They passing through the
valley of weeping, will together make it a
well. The meaning of the Psalmist is,
that no impediments can prevent the enlightened and courageous worshippers of
God from making conscience of waiting upon the sanctuary. By this manner of
speaking, he confirms the statement which he had previously made, That nothing
is more desirable than to be daily engaged in the worship of God; showing, as he
does, that no difficulties can put a stop to the ardent longings of the godly,
and prevent them from hastening with alacrity, yea, even though their way should
be through dry and barren deserts, to meet together to solemnise the holy
assemblies. As the Hebrew word
ajbh,
habbacha, when the final letter is
h,
he, signifies tears, and when the final letter is
a,
aleph, a mulberry tree, some here read valley of tears, and others,
valley of the mulberry. The majority of interpreters adopt the first
reading; but the other opinion is not destitute of
probability.
fc467 There is, however, no doubt, that dry
and barren deserts are here to be understood, in travelling through which, much
difficulty and privation must be endured, particularly from the want of water;
drink being of all other articles the most necessary to persons when travelling.
David intended this as an argument to prove the steadfastness of the godly, whom
the scarcity of water, which often discourages travelers from prosecuting their
journey, will not hinder from hastening to seek God, though their way should be
through sandy and and vales. In these words, reproof is administered to the
slothfulness of those who will not submit to any inconvenience for the sake of
being benefited by the service of God. They indulge themselves in their own ease
and pleasures, and allow nothing to interfere with these. They will, therefore,
provided they are not required to make any exertion or sacrifice, readily
profess themselves to be the servants of God; but they would not give a hair of
their head, or make the smallest sacrifice, to obtain the liberty of hearing the
gospel preached, and of enjoying the sacraments. This slothful spirit, as is
evident from daily observation, keeps multitudes fast bound to their nests, so
that they cannot bear to forego in any degree their own ease and convenience.
Yea, even in those places where they are summoned by the sound of the
church-bell to public prayers
fc468 to hear the doctrine of salvation, or
to partake of the holy mysteries, we see that some give themselves to sleep,
some think only of gain, some are entangled with the affairs of the world, and
others are engaged in their amusements. It is therefore not surprising, if those
who live at a distance, and who cannot enjoy these religious services and means
of salvation, without making some sacrifice of their worldly substance, remain
lolling at home. That such may not live secure and self-satisfied in the
enjoyment of outward prosperity, David declares, that those who have true heart
religion, and who sincerely serve God, direct their steps to the sanctuary of
God, not only when the way is easy and cheerful, under the shade and through
delightful paths, but also when they must walk through rugged and barren
deserts; and that they will rather make for themselves cisterns with immense
toil, than be prevented from prosecuting their journey by reason of the drought
of the country.
7.
They will go from strength to
strength. In this verse the same
sentiment is repeated. Mount Zion being the place where, according to the
appointment of the law, the holy assemblies were observed, after the ark of the
covenant was removed thither, it is said, that the people of God will come to
Zion in great numbers, provoking one another to this good
work.
fc469 The word
lyj,
chayil, seldom signifies a troop, or band of men, but most
commonly power, or strength. It will therefore be more in
accordance with the ordinary use of the term, to translate,
They will go from strength to
strength;
fc470 implying, that the saints are
continually acquiring fresh strength for going up to mount Zion, and continue to
prosecute their journey without weariness or fatigue, until they reach the
wished-for place, and behold the countenance of God. If the word troop is
preferred, the meaning will be, that not a few only will come, but numerous
companies. The manner in which God manifested himself to his servants in the
temple in old time, we have spoken of elsewhere, and especially on the 27th
psalm, at the 4th and 5th verses. No visible image of God was there to be seen;
but the ark of the covenant was a symbol of his presence, and genuine
worshippers found from experience, that by this means they were greatly aided in
approaching him.
Psalm
84:8-11
8. O Jehovah, God of Hosts!
hear my prayer: O God of Jacob! hearken. Selah. 9. O God! our shield,
behold; and look upon the face of thy Anointed. 10. For better is one day
in thy courts than a thousand
elsewhere.
fc471 I had rather be a door-keeper in the
house of my God, than dwell in the tents of wickedness. 11. For Jehovah
God is our sun and shield: Jehovah will give grace and glory: he will withhold
no good thing from those who walk uprightly. O Jehovah of Hosts! blessed is the
man who trusteth in
thee.
8.
O Jehovah, God of Hosts! hear
my prayer. David, instead of acting like
worldly men, who foolishly and unprofitably distress and torment themselves by
inwardly cherishing their desires, very wisely directs his wishes and prayers to
God. From this it is also evident, that he was not accustomed to indulge in
ostentatious boasting, as is the case with many hypocrites, who present to
outward appearance a wonderful ardor of zeal, while yet the omniscient eye of
God sees nothing but coldness in their hearts. In the first place, he
supplicates in general, that God would vouchsafe to hear him. He next
anticipates a temptation which might very readily arise from his being at
present apparently cut off from the Church, and wards it off, by associating and
ranking himself with all true believers, under the protection of God. Had he not
been a member of the Church, he could not have said generally, and as it were in
the person of all its members, Our shield. Having made this statement, he
uses language still more expressive of high privilege, adducing the royal
anointing with which God had honored him by the hand of Samuel,
<091612>1
Samuel 16:12. These words, Look
upon the face of thy anointed, are very
emphatic, and yet many interpreters pass over them very frigidly. He encourages
himself in the hope of obtaining the favor of God, from the consideration that
he had been anointed king in compliance with a divine command. Knowing, however,
that his kingdom was merely a shadow and type of something more illustrious,
there is no doubt, that in uttering these words, the object which he aspired
after was, to obtain the divine favor through the intervention of the Mediator
of whom he was a type. I am personally unworthy, as if he had said, that thou
shouldest restore me, but the anointing by which thou hast made me a type of the
only Redeemer will secure this blessing for me. We are thus taught, that the
only way in which God becomes reconciled to us is through the mediation of
Christ, whose presence scatters and dissipates all the dark clouds of our
sins.
10.
For better is one day in thy courts than a thousand
elsewhere. Unlike the greater part of
mankind, who desire to live without knowing why, wishing simply that their life
may be prolonged, David here testifies, not only that the end which he proposed
to himself in living was to serve God, but that in addition to this, he set a
higher value on one day which he could spend in the divine service, than upon a
long time passed among the men of the world, from whose society true religion is
banished. It being lawful for none but the priests to enter into the inner and
innermost courts of the temple, David expressly declares, that provided he were
permitted to have a place at the porch, he would be contented with this humble
station; for the Hebrew word
ps,
saph, signifies a door-post, or the threshold of a
house.
fc472 The value which he set upon the
sanctuary is presented in a very striking light by the comparison, that
he
would prefer having a place
at the very doors of the temple, to his having full possession of the tents of
wickedness, the plain import of which
is, that he would rather be cast into a common and unhonoured place, provided he
were among the people of God, than exalted to the highest rank of honor among
unbelievers. A rare example of godliness indeed! Many are to be found who desire
to occupy a place in the Church, but such is the sway which ambition has over
the minds of men, that very few are content to continue among the number of the
common and undistinguished class. Almost all are carried away with the frantic
desire of rising to distinction, and can never think of being at ease until they
have attained to some station of
eminence.
11.
Jehovah God is our sun and
shield. The idea conveyed by the
comparison derived from the sun is, that as the sun by his light vivifies,
nourishes, and rejoices the world, so the benign countenance of God fills with
joy the hearts of his people, or rather, that they neither live nor breathe
except in so far as he shines upon them. By the term shield is meant,
that our salvation, which would otherwise be perilled by countless dangers, is
in perfect safety under his protection. The favor of God in communicating life
to us would be far from adequate to the exigencies of our condition, unless at
the same time, in the midst of so many dangers, he interposed his power as a
buckler to defend us. The sentence immediately succeeding,
he will give grace and
glory, might be viewed as meaning, that
those whom God has distinguished by his grace in this world, will at length be
crowned with everlasting glory in his heavenly kingdom. But this distinction
between grace and glory being, I am afraid, too refined, it will be preferable
to explain the sentence as implying, that after God has once taken the faithful
into his favor, he will advance them to high honor, and never cease to enrich
them with his blessings.
fc473 This interpretation is confirmed by the
following clause, He will
withhold no good thing from those who walk
uprightly, obviously teaching us, that
God's bounty can never be exhausted, but flows without intermission. We learn
from these words, that whatever excellence may be in us proceeds solely from the
grace of God. They contain, at the same time, this special mark, by which the
genuine worshippers of God may be distinguished from others, That their life is
framed and regulated according to the principles of strict
integrity.
The exclamation with which David
concludes the psalm, Blessed is
the man who trusteth in thee, seems to
refer to the season of his banishment. He had previously described the
blessedness of those who dwell in the courts of the Lord, and now he avows, that
although he was for a time deprived of that privilege, he was far from being
altogether miserable, because he was supported by the best of all consolations,
that which arose from beholding from a distance the grace of God. This is an
example well worthy of special attention. So long as we are deprived of God's
benefits, we must necessarily groan and be sad in heart. But, that the sense of
our distresses may not overwhelm us, we ought to impress it upon our minds, that
even in the midst of our calamities we do not cease to be happy, when faith and
patience are in exercise.
PSALM
85
God having afflicted his people with new troubles and
calamities, after their return from their captivity in Babylon, they, in the
first place, make mention of their deliverance as an argument why he should not
leave unfinished the work of his grace. Then they complain of the long
continuance of their afflictions. And, in the third place, inspired with hope
and confidence, they triumph in the blessedness promised them; for their
restoration to their own country was connected with the kingdom of Christ, from
which they anticipated an abundance of all good
things. fc474
To the chief
musician, a Psalm of the sons of Korah.
Psalm
85:1-4
1. O Jehovah! thou hast been
favorable to thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob. 2.
Thou hast taken away the iniquity
fc475 of thy people: thou hast covered all
their sins. Selah. 3. Thou hast turned away all thy anger: thou hast
drawn back the fury of thy indignation. 4. Turn us, O God of our
salvation! and cause thy anger against us to
cease.
1.
O Jehovah! thou hast been
favorable to thy land. Those who
translate these words in the future tense, in my opinion, mar their meaning.
This psalm, it is probable, was endited to be sung by the people when they were
persecuted by the cruel tyranny of Antiochus; and from the deliverance wrought
for them in the past, they were encouraged to expect in the future, fresh and
continued tokens of the divine favor, — God having thereby testified, that
their sins, however numerous and aggravated, could not efface from his memory
the remembrance of his covenant, so as to render him inexorable towards the
children of Abraham, and deaf to their
prayers.
fc476 Had they not previously experienced
such remarkable proofs of the divine goodness, they must necessarily have been
overwhelmed with the load of their present afflictions, especially when so long
protracted. The cause of their deliverance from captivity they attribute to the
free love with which God had embraced the land which he had chosen for himself.
Whence it follows, that the course of his favor was unintermitted; and the
faithful also were inspired with confidence in prayer, by the reflection that,
mindful of his choice, he had shown himself merciful to his own land. We have
elsewhere had occasion to remark, that nothing contributes more effectually to
encourage us to come to the throne of grace, than the remembrance of God's
former benefits. Our faith would immediately succumb under adversity, and sorrow
would choke our hearts, were we not taught to believe from the experience of the
past, that he is inclined compassionately to hear the prayers of his servants,
and always affords them succor when the exigencies of their circumstances
require it; especially as there remains at all times the same reason for
continuing his goodness. Thus the prophet happily applies to believers of his
own day, the benefits which God in old time bestowed upon their fathers, because
both they and their fathers were called to the hope of the same
inheritance.
2.
Thou hast taken away the
iniquity of thy people. It was very
natural for the faithful to feel alarmed and perplexed on account of their sins,
and therefore the prophet removes all ground for overwhelming apprehension, by
showing them, that God, in delivering his people, had given an irrefragable
proof of free forgiveness. He had before traced this deliverance to the mere
good pleasure and free grace of God as its source; but after it was wrought, the
iniquities of the people having separated between them and their God, and
estranged them from him, it was necessary that the remedy of pardon should be
brought to their aid. In saying that
their iniquities were taken
away, he does not refer to the faithful
being reformed and purged from their sins, in other words, to that work by which
God, sanctifying them by the Spirit of regeneration, actually removes sin from
them. What he intended to say he explains immediately after. The amount, in
short, is, that God was reconciled to the Jews by not imputing their sins to
them. When God is said to cover sins, the meaning is, that he buries
them, so that they come not into judgment, as we have shown more at large on the
32nd psalm, at the beginning. When, therefore, he had punished the sins of his
people by captivity, it being his will to restore them again to their own
country, he removed the great impediment to this, by blotting out their
transgressions; for deliverance from punishment depends upon the remission of
sin. Thus we are furnished with an argument in confutation of that foolish
conceit of the Sophists, which they set forth as some great mystery, That God
retains the punishment although he forgive the fault; whereas God announces in
every part of his word, that his object in pardoning is, that being pacified, he
may at the same time mitigate the punishment. Of this we have an additional
confirmation in the following verse, where we are informed, that God was
mercifully inclined towards his people, that he might withdraw his hand from
chastising them. What answer in any degree plausible can be given to this by the
Sophists, who affirm that God would not be righteous did he not, after he had
forgiven the fault, execute punishment according to the strict demands of his
justice? The sequence of the pardon of sin is, that God by his blessing
testifies that he is no longer
displeased.
4.
Turn us, O God of our
salvation! The faithful now make a
practical application to themselves, in their present circumstances, of what
they had rehearsed before concerning God's paternal tenderness towards his
people whom he had redeemed. And they attribute to him, by whom they desire to
be restored to their former state, the appellation,
O God of our
salvation! to encourage themselves, even
in the most desperate circumstances, in the hope of being delivered by the power
of God. Although to the eye of sense and reason there may be no apparent ground
to hope favourably as to our condition, it becomes us to believe that our
salvation rests secure in his hand, and that, whenever he pleases, he can easily
and readily find the means of bringing salvation to us. God's anger being
the cause and origin of all calamities, the faithful beseech him to remove it.
This order demands our special attention; for so effeminate and faint-hearted in
bearing adversity are we, that no sooner does God begin to smite us with his
little finger, than we entreat him, with groaning and lamentable cries, to spare
us. But we forget to plead, what should chiefly engage our thoughts, that he
would deliver us from guilt and condemnation; and we forget this because we are
reluctant to descend into our own hearts and to examine
ourselves.
Psalm
85:5-8
5. Wilt thou be wroth against
us for ever? wilt thou prolong thy displeasure from age to age? 6. Wilt
thou not turn again and quicken us? and thy people will rejoice in thee.
7. Show us thy mercy, O Jehovah! and grant us thy salvation. 8. I
will hear what God Jehovah will speak: surely he will speak peace to his people
and to his meek ones, and they will not turn again to
folly.
5.
Wilt thou be wroth against us
for ever? Here the godly bewail the long
continuance of their afflictions, and derive an argument in prayer from the
nature of God, as it is described in the law, —
“The Lord, The Lord
God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and
sin,”
(<023406>Exodus
34:6, 7,)
— a truth which has also been brought under our
notice in
<193005>Psalm
30:5, “For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favor is life: weeping
may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” It thus becomes
us, when we engage in prayer, to meditate upon the Divine promises that we may
be furnished with suitable expressions. It may seem, at first view, that these
devout Jews find fault with God, as if he exhibited his character to them in a
light very different from that in which he was wont to exhibit it; but the
object they had in view undoubtedly was to obtain, in the struggle they were
resolutely maintaining against temptation, hope of relief from the contemplation
of the nature of God; as if they laid it down as a fixed principle, that it is
impossible for Him to be angry for ever. We may observe, by the way, that it is
evident, from their praying in this manner, that they were weighed down with
such an oppressive load of calamities, as to be almost unable any longer to
endure them. Let us therefore learn, that although God may not immediately grant
us manifest tokens of his returning favor, yet we must not cease to persevere in
earnest prayer. If it is objected, that then God has promised in vain that his
anger would be of short duration, I answer, that if we entertain suitable views
of our own sins, his anger will assuredly appear to be always of short
continuance; and if we call to remembrance the everlasting course of his mercy,
we will confess that his anger endures but for a moment. As our corrupt nature
is ever relapsing into the wanton indulgence of its native propensities,
manifold corrections are indispensably necessary to subdue it
thoroughly.
The godly, still dwelling on the
same theme, ask, in the 6th verse, whether
God will not turn again and
quicken them. Being fully convinced of
the truth of this principle, That the punishments with which God chastises his
children are only temporary; they thereby encourage themselves in the confident
expectation, that although he may be now justly displeased, and may have turned
away his face from them, yet, when they implore his mercy, he will be entreated,
and raising the dead to life again, will turn their mourning into gladness. By
the word quicken, they complain that they almost resemble persons who are
dead, or that they are stunned and laid prostrate with afflictions. And when
they promise themselves matter of rejoicing, they intimate that in the meantime
they are well nigh worn out with
sorrow.
7. Show
us thy mercy, O Jehovah! In these words
there is the same contrast as in the preceding sentence. In supplicating that
mercy may be extended to them, and deliverance granted them, they confess that
they are deprived of all sense of both these blessings. Such having been the
state of the saints in old time, let us learn, even when we are so oppressed
with calamities as to be reduced to extremity, and on the brink of despair, to
betake ourselves notwithstanding to God. Mercy is appropriately put in
the first place; and then there is added salvation, which is the work and
fruit of mercy; for no other reason can be assigned why God is induced to show
himself our Savior, but that he is merciful. Whence it follows, that all who
urge their own merits before Him as a plea for obtaining his favor, are shutting
up the way of
salvation.
8.
I will hear what God Jehovah will speak.
The prophet, by his own example, here exhorts the whole body of the Church
to quiet and calm endurance. As he had burst forth under the influence of strong
emotion into a degree of vehemence, he now restrains himself as it were with a
bridle; and in all our desires, be they never so devout and holy, we must always
beware of their running to excess. When a man gives indulgence to his own
infirmity, he is easily carried beyond the bounds of moderation by an undue
ardor. For this reason the prophet enjoins silence, both upon himself and
others, that they may patiently wait God's own time. By these words, he shows
that he was in a composed state of mind, and, as it were, continued silent,
because he was persuaded that the care of God is exercised about his Church. Had
he thought that fortune held the sovereignty of the world, and that mankind are
whirled round by a blind impulse, he would not, as he does, have represented God
as sustaining the function of governing. To speak, in this passage, is
equivalent to command, or to appoint. It is, as if he had said,
Being confident that the remedy for our present calamities is in the hand of
God, I will remain quiet until the fit time for delivering the Church arrive. As
then the unruliness of our passions murmur, and raise an uproar against God, so
patience is a kind of silence by which the godly keep themselves in subjection
to his authority. In the second clause of the verse, the Psalmist comes to the
conclusion, that the condition of the Church will be more prosperous:
Surely he will speak peace to his
people, and to his meek ones. As God
rules supreme over the affairs of men, he cannot but provide for the welfare of
his Church, which is the object of his special love. The word peace, we
have elsewhere shown, is employed by the Hebrews to denote prosperity; and,
accordingly, what is here expressed is, that the Church, by the Divine blessing,
will prosper. Moreover, by the word speak, it is intimated that God will
not fail to regard his promises. The Psalmist might have spoken more plainly of
Divine Providence, as for instance in these terms, “I will look to what
God will do;” but as the benefits bestowed upon the Church flow from the
Divine promises, he makes mention of God's mouth rather than of his
hand; and, at the same time, he shows that patience depends upon the
quiet hearing of faith. When those to whom God speaks peace are not only
described as his people, but also as his meek ones, this is a mark
by which the genuine people of God are distinguished from such as bear merely
the title of his people. As hypocrites arrogantly claim to themselves all the
privileges of the Church, it is requisite to repel and exhibit the
groundlessness of their boasting, in order to let them know that they are justly
excluded from the promises of
God.
And they will not turn
again to folly. The particle rendered
and has usually been explained in this way:
That they may not turn again to
folly; as if this clause were added to
express the fruit of the Divine goodness. As God, in dealing graciously with his
people, allures them to himself, that they may continue obedient to him, the
prophet, as these interpreters contend, maintains that they will not again
return to folly, because the Divine goodness will serve as a bridle to restrain
them. This exposition is admissible; but it will be more suitable to refer the
sentence to the whole subject comprised in the passage — to regard it, in
short, as meaning, that after God has sufficiently chastised his Church, he will
at length show himself merciful to her, that the saints, taught by
chastisements, may exercise a stricter vigilance over themselves in future. The
cause is shown why God suspends and delays the communications of his grace. As
the physician, although his patient may experience some alleviation of his
disease, keeps him still under medicinal treatment, until he become fully
convalescent, and until, the cause of his disease being removed, his
constitution become invigorated, — for to allow him all at once to use
whatever diet he chose, would be highly injurious to him; — so God,
perceiving that we are not completely recovered from our vices to spiritual
health in one day, prolongs his chastisements: without which we would be in
danger of a speedy relapse. Accordingly, the prophet, to assuage the grief with
which the protracted duration of calamities would oppress the faithful, applies
this remedy and solace, That God purposely continues his corrections for a
longer period than they would wish, that they may be brought in good earnest to
repent, and excited to be more on their guard in
future.
Psalm
85:9-13
9.
Surely
fc477 his salvation is near to them that fear
him, that glory may dwell in our land. 10. Mercy and truth shall meet
together; righteousness and peace shall kiss each other. 11. Truth shall
spring [or bud] out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
12. Likewise, Jehovah will grant prosperity: and our land shall yield her
increase. 13. Righteousness shall go before him; and set her steps in the
way.
9.
Surely his salvation is near
to them that fear him. Here the Psalmist
confirms the statement made in the preceding verse. He encourages both himself
and other servants of God in the hope, that although to outward appearance God
was far off from his people, yet deliverance was near at hand; because it is
certain, that God secretly regards those whom he seems openly to neglect. If it
is considered preferable to take the particle
°a,
ach, adversatively, Yet
his
salvation, etc., — a sense in
which it is often used in Hebrew — the sentence will be fuller. The
prophet had just now said, that God continues to lengthen out the chastisement
of his people, when he perceives that they are too prone to fall anew into sin;
and here, lest his slowness in removing the stroke of his hand should prove too
much for their patience, he qualifies the above statement, by observing, that
even when the Divine help seems slowest in coming it is then near at hand.
The glory which in the second part of the verse he anticipates
will dwell in the
land, is undoubtedly set in opposition
to the ruinous appearance it then presented to the eye, which was a token of the
dreadful anger of God, and which consigned the land to ignominy and
reproach.
fc478 By this language, therefore, he
encourages himself and other genuine believers to repentance, putting them in
mind, that the grievous oppression, accompanied with insult and derision, to
which they were subjected by the tyranny of their enemies, was to be ascribed
entirely to their having driven away the salvation of God from them by their
sins.
10.
Mercy and truth shall meet
together. Here the verbs are in the past
tense; but it is evident from the scope of the passage, that they should be
translated into the future. I cordially embrace the opinion which is held by
many, that we have here a prophecy concerning the kingdom of Christ. There is no
doubt, that the faithful lifted up their eyes to Him, when their faith had need
of encouragement and support in reference to the restoration of the Church; and
especially after their return from Babylon. Meanwhile, the design of the prophet
is, to show how bountifully God deals with his Church, after he is reconciled to
her. The fruits which he represents as springing from this reconciliation are,
first, that mercy and truth meet
together; and, secondly, that
righteousness and peace embrace
each other. From these words, Augustine
deduces a beautiful sentiment, and one fraught with the sweetest consolation,
That the mercy of God is the origin and source of all his promises, from whence
issues the righteousness which is offered to us by the gospel, while from that
righteousness proceeds the peace which we obtain by faith, when God justifies us
freely. According to him, righteousness is represented
as looking down from
heaven, because it is the free gift of
God, and not acquired by the merit of works; and that it comes from heaven,
because it is not to be found among men, who are by nature utterly destitute of
it. He also explains truth
springing out of the earth as meaning,
that God affords the most incontestable evidence of his faithfulness, in
fulfilling what he has promised. But as we ought rather to seek after the solid
truth, than exercise our ingenuity in searching out refined interpretations, let
us rest contented with the natural meaning of the passage, which is, that mercy,
truth, peace, and righteousness, will form the grand and ennobling distinction
of the kingdom of Christ. The prophet does not proclaim the praises of men, but
commends the grace which he had before hoped for, and supplicated from God only;
thus teaching us to regard it as an undoubted truth, that all these blessings
flow from God. By the figure synecdoche, some parts being put for the whole,
there is described in these four words all the ingredients of true happiness.
When cruelty rages with impunity, when truth is extinguished, when righteousness
is oppressed and trampled under foot, and when all things are embroiled in
confusion, were it not better that the world should be brought to an end, than
that such a state of things should continue? Whence it follows, that nothing can
contribute more effectually to the promotion of a happy life, than that these
four virtues should flourish and rule supreme. The reign of Christ, in other
parts of Scripture, is adorned with almost similar encomiums. If, however, any
one would rather understand mercy and truth as referring to God, I have
no disposition to enter into dispute with
him.
fc479
The springing of truth out of the
earth, and
the looking down of righteousness
from heaven, without doubt imply, that
truth and righteousness will be universally diffused, as well above as beneath,
so as to fill both heaven and earth. It is not meant to attribute something
different to each of them, but to affirm in general, that there will be no
corner of the earth where these qualities do not
flourish.
12.
Likewise, Jehovah will grant
prosperity. Some take this verse
allegorically, and interpret it of the increase of spiritual blessings; but this
does not agree with the particle
µg,
gam, rendered likewise, by which the prophet, in my opinion, intends
to express the completeness of that blessedness of which he had spoken. He
therefore mentions the fruit of the earth, as an additional proof of
God's surpassing beneficence. The chief happiness of the Church is comprehended
in these four blessings which he had specified; but the provision which is
required for the support of our bodies ought not to be considered as unworthy of
attention, provided our care about this matter is kept within proper bounds. If
it is objected that these two subjects — the spiritual kingdom of Christ,
and the fruitfulness of the earth, are improperly intermingled, it may be easily
observed in reply, that there is nothing at all incongruous in this, when we
consider that God, while he bestows upon his people spiritual blessings, gives
them, in addition to these, some taste of his fatherly love, in the outward
benefits which relate to the life of the body; it being evident from the
testimony of Paul, that
“godliness is
profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that
which is to come,”
(<540408>1
Timothy 4:8.)
But let it be observed, that the faithful generally
have only granted to them a limited portion of the comforts of this transitory
life: that they may not be lulled asleep by the allurements of earth. I have
therefore said, that, while on earth, they only taste of God's fatherly love,
and are not filled with an overflowing abundance of the good things of this
world. Moreover, we are taught from this verse, that the power and capacity of
the earth to produce fruit for the sustenance of our bodies was not given to it
once for all, — as the heathen imagine God at the first creation to have
adapted each element to its proper office, while he now sits in heaven in a
state of indolence and repose; — but that the earth is from year to year
rendered fruitful by the secret influence of God, who designs hereby to afford
us a manifestation of his goodness.
13.
Righteousness shall go before
him. The word righteousness is
taken by some for a righteous person; but this is unnatural. Viewed in
this light, the passage, indeed, contains the useful and important truth, That
the righteous man will walk before God, and will make it his object to regulate
all his actions according to the principles of moral rectitude. But there being
no necessity for wresting the word righteousness so violently, it will be
better to adopt the more correct and simple view, which is, that under the reign
of Christ order will be so well established, that righteousness will walk before
God, and occupy every path. The prophet seems thus to call back the attention of
the faithful to what constitutes the chief elements of blessedness; for although
God may grant to his servants an abundant supply of sustenance for the body, it
is unbecoming for them to have their hearts set upon this. And in truth, one
difference between us and the lower animals is, that God, instead of pampering
and stuffing our bellies, for the mere gratification of our animal appetites,
directs our views to higher and more important objects. When it is said that
righteousness shall go before
God, the meaning is, that the prevalence
and unobstructed course of righteousness, which is equivalent to setting her
steps in the way, is to be attributed to the appointment of God. Isaiah, on
the contrary, complains that equity, instead of setting her steps in the way, is
prohibited from making her appearance in public, and meets with a universal
repulse. “And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar
off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter,”
(<235914>Isaiah
59:14.) In this psalm prayers and holy meditations, engaged in with the view of
nourishing and confirming faith, together with praises and thanksgivings, are
intermingled. It having been difficult in the judgment of carnal reason for
David to escape from the distresses with which he was environed, he sets in
opposition to its conclusions the infinite goodness and power of God. Nor does
he simply request deliverance from his enemies; but he also prays that the fear
of God may be implanted and firmly established in his heart.
PSALM
86
In this psalm prayers and holy meditations, engaged
in with the view of nourishing and confirming faith, together with praises and
thanksgivings, are intermingled. It having been difficult in the judgement of
carnal reason for David to escape from the distresses with which he was
environed, he sets in opposition to its conclusions the infinite goodness and
power of God. Nor does he simply request deliverance from his enemies; but he
also prays that the fear of God may be implanted and firmly established in
heart.
A Prayer of
David.
Psalm
86:1-7
1. Incline thy ear, O
Jehovah! answer me; for I am poor and needy. 2. Preserve my soul, for I
am meek:
fc480 O my God! save thy servant who trusteth
in thee. 3. Have mercy upon me, O Jehovah! for
daily
fc481 do I cry to thee. 4. Make glad
the soul of thy servant; for to thee, O
Lord!
fc482 do I lift up my soul. 5. For
thou, O Lord! art good, and gracious, and of great mercy to all who call upon
thee. 6. Listen, O Jehovah! to my prayer, and attend to the voice of my
supplications. 7. In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for
thou wilt answer
me.
1.
Incline thy ear, O Jehovah! Neither the
inscription nor the contents of this psalm enable us to conclude with certainty
what dangers David here complains of; but the psalm in all probability refers to
that period of his life when he was persecuted by Saul, and describes the train
of thought which then occupied his mind, although it may not have been written
until after his restoration to a state of outward peace and tranquillity, when
he enjoyed greater leisure. He does not without cause allege before God the
oppressions which he endured as a plea for obtaining the divine favor; for
nothing is more suitable to the nature of God than to succor the afflicted: and
the more severely any one is oppressed, and the more destitute he is of the
resources of human aid, the more inclined is God graciously to help him. That
despair therefore may not overwhelm our minds under our greatest afflictions,
let us support ourselves from the consideration that the Holy Spirit has
dictated this prayer for the poor and the
afflicted.
2.
Preserve my soul, for I am meek. Here
the Psalmist adduces two other arguments by which to stir up God to grant him
succor, — his own gentleness towards his neighbors, and the trust which he
reposed in God. In the first clause he may seem at first sight to make some
pretensions to personal worth; yet he plainly shows that nothing was farther
from his intention than to insinuate that by any merits of his own he had
brought God under obligations to preserve him. But the particular mention made
of his clemency or meekness tends to exhibit in a more odious
light the wickedness of his enemies, who had treated so shamefully, and with
such inhumanity, a man against whom they could bring no well-founded charge, and
who had even endeavored to the utmost of his power to please
them.
fc483 Since God then has avowed himself to be
the defender both of good causes and of those who follow after righteousness,
David, not without good reason, testifies that he had endeavored to exercise
kindness and gentleness; that from this it may appear that he was basely
requited by his enemies, when they gratuitously acted with cruelty towards a
merciful man. But as it would not be enough for our lives to be characterised by
kindness and righteousness, an additional qualification is subjoined —
that of trust or confidence in God, which is the mother of all
true religion. Some, we are aware, have been endued with so high a degree of
integrity, as to have obtained among men the praise of being perfectly just,
even as Aristides gloried in having never given any man cause of sorrow. But as
those men, with all the excellence of their virtues, were either filled with
ambition, or inflated with pride, which made them trust more to themselves than
to God, it is not surprising to find them suffering the punishment of their
vanity. In reading profane history, we are disposed to marvel how it came to
pass that God abandoned the honest, the grave, and the temperate, to the enraged
passions of a wicked multitude; but there is no reason for wondering at this
when we reflect that such persons, relying on their own strength and virtue,
despised the grace of God with all the superciliousness of impiety. Making an
idol of their own virtue they disdained to lift up their eyes to Him. Although,
therefore, we may have the testimony of an approving conscience, and although He
may be the best witness of our innocence, yet if we are desirous of obtaining
his assistance, it is necessary for us to commit our hopes and anxieties to him.
If it is objected, that in this way the gate is shut against sinners, I answer,
that when God invites to himself those who are blameless and upright in their
deportment, this does not imply that he forthwith repels all who are punished on
account of their sins; for they have an opportunity given them, if they will
improve it, for prayer and the acknowledgement of their
guilt.
fc484, But if those whom we have never
offended unrighteously assail us, we have ground for double confidence before
God.
3.
Have mercy upon me, O Jehovah! The
Psalmist again betakes himself to the mercy of God. The word
ˆnj,
chanan, which I have rendered have mercy, is substantially the
same as to gratify, to do a pleasure. It is as if he had said, I bring no
merit of my own, but humbly pray for deliverance solely on the ground of thy
mercy. When he speaks of crying daily, it is a proof of his hope and
confidence, of which we have spoken a little before. By the word cry, as
I have already had occasion frequently to remark, is denoted vehemence and
earnestness of soul. The saints do not indeed always pray with a loud voice; but
their secret sighs and groanings resound and echo upwards, and, ascending from
their hearts, penetrate even into heaven. The inspired suppliant not only
represents himself as crying, but as persevering in doing so, to teach us that
he was not discouraged at the first or second encounter, but continued in prayer
with untiring earnestness. In the following verse, he expresses more definitely
the end for which he besought God to be merciful to him, which was, that his
sorrow might be removed. In the second clause, he declares that there was no
hypocrisy in his crying; for he
lifted up his
soul to God, which is the chief
characteristic of right
prayer.
5.
For thou, O Lord! art good
and propitious.
fc485 We have here a confirmation of
the whole preceding doctrine, derived from the nature of God. It would avail the
afflicted nothing to have recourse to him, and to lift up their desires and
prayers to heaven, were they not persuaded that he is a faithful rewarder of all
who call upon him. The point upon which David now insists is, that God is
bountiful and inclined to compassion, and that his mercy is so great, as to
render it impossible for him to reject any who implore his aid. He calls God
propitious, or ascribes to him the attribute of pardoning sin, which is a
modification of his goodness. It were not enough for God to be good in
general, did he not also extend to sinners his forgiving mercy, which is the
meaning of the word
hls,
salach. Farther, although David magnifies the plenteousness of God's
mercy, yet he immediately after represents this plenteousness as restricted to
the faithful who call upon him, to teach us that those who, making no account of
God, obstinately chafe upon the bit, deservedly perish in their calamities. At
the same time, he uses the term all, that every man, without exception,
from the greatest to the least, may be encouraged confidently to betake himself
to the goodness and mercy of
God.
6.
Listen, O Jehovah! to my prayer. From
the earnest repetition of his former requests in this and the subsequent verse,
it is evident that he was oppressed with no ordinary degree of grief, and also
agitated with extreme anxiety, From this example, we are taught that those who,
having engaged in prayer once, allow themselves immediately to give over that
exercise, provided God does not at once grant them their desire, betray the
coldness and inconstancy of their hearts. Nor is this repetition of the same
requests to be thought superfluous; for hereby the saints, by little and little,
discharge their cares into the bosom of God, and this importunity is a sacrifice
of a sweet savor before Him. When the Psalmist says,
God will hear me when I cry in
the day of trouble, he makes a
particular application to himself of the truth which he had just now stated,
That God is merciful and gracious to all who call upon
him.
Psalm
86:8-11
8. Among the gods there is
none like unto thee, O Lord! nor any that can work as thou workest. 9.
All the nations which thou hast made shall come and worship before thy face, O
Lord! and shall give glory to thy name. 10. For thou art great, and thou
alone, O God! doest wondrous things. 11. Show me thy ways, O Jehovah! I
will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy
name.
8.
Among the gods there is none
like unto thee, O Lord! Here the
Psalmist may be considered either as bursting forth into thanksgivings, after
having obtained what he desired, or else as gathering courage and new strength
for prayer. The latter opinion I am most inclined to adopt; but perhaps it may
be preferable to regard both views as included. Some understand the word
µwhla,
Elohim, as denoting angels —
There is none like unto thee,
O Lord! among the angels — as
if David compared them with the Most High God; but this does not seem to
agree so well with the passage. He does not humble the angels, representing them
as inferior gods, that they may give place to the power of God; but he holds up
to contempt and derision all the false gods in whom the heathen world imagined
some help was to be found;
fc486 and he does this because they could
supply no evidence of their being gods from their works. Had he distributed the
power of working between them and the true God in different degrees, assigning
less to the former and more to the latter, he would not have attributed to God
that which is naturally and exclusively his own. He therefore affirms, without
qualification, that no characteristic of Deity could be perceived in them, or
traced in any works performed by them. In calling us to the consideration of
works, he clearly shows, that those who indulge in ingenious speculations about
the occult or secret essence of God, and pass over the unequivocal traces of his
majesty which are to be seen beaming forth in bright effulgence in his works, do
but trifle and spend their time to no purpose. As the Divine nature is
infinitely exalted above the comprehension of our understanding, David wisely
confines his attention to the testimony of God's works, and declares that the
gods who put forth no power are false and counterfeit. If it is objected that
there is no comparison between God and the silly inventions of men, the answer
is obvious, That this language is employed in accommodation to the ignorance of
the generality of men. The effrontery with which the superstitious exalt the
spurious fabrications of their own brain above the heavens is well known; and
David very justly derides their madness in forging gods to themselves, which in
reality are no gods.
9.
All nations which thou hast
made shall come.
fc487 If any would rather limit what
is here stated to David's present case, this view does not seem liable to any
material objection. He, in fact, often enhances the Divine goodness of which he
himself had experience by the like magnificent strain. It may, however, be fitly
extended to the universal power of God; but whether he speaks of the grace that
was bestowed upon himself alone, or treats, in general, of the works of God, we
must bear in mind what has been observed in another place, that whenever he
celebrates the prevalence of true godliness among the heathen, he has an eye to
the kingdom of Christ, prior to whose coming God gave only the initial or
dawning manifestation of his glory, which at length was diffused through the
whole world by the preaching of the Gospel. David was not ignorant of the future
calling of the Gentiles; but this being a doctrine with which Jewish ears were
not familiar, that people would have felt it a disagreeable announcement, to
have been told that the Gentiles should come to worship God indiscriminately
with the children of Abraham, and, all distinction being removed, become
partakers with them of heavenly truth. To soften the announcement, he asserts
that the Gentiles also were created by God, so that it ought not to be
accounted strange if they, being enlightened also, should at length acknowledge
Him who had created and fashioned
them.
10.
For thou art great, and thou
alone, O God! doest wondrous things. In
this verse there is again repeated the cause which will bring all nations to
worship before the Lord, namely, the discovery made of his glory by the
greatness of his works. The contemplation of God's glory in his works is
the true way of acquiring genuine godliness. The pride of the flesh would always
lead it to wing its way into heaven; but, as our understandings fail us in such
an extended investigation, our most profitable course is, according to the small
measure of our feeble capacity, to seek God in his works, which bear witness of
him. Let us therefore learn to awaken our understandings to contemplate the
divine works, and let us leave the presumptuous to wander in their own intricate
mazes, which, in the end, will invariably land them in an abyss from which they
will be unable to extricate themselves. To incline our hearts to exercise this
modesty, David magnificently extols the works of God, calling them wondrous
things, although to the blind, and those who have no taste for them, they
are destitute of attraction. In the meantime, we ought carefully to attend to
this truth, That the glory of Godhead belongs exclusively to the one true God;
for in no other being is it possible to find the wisdom, or the power, or the
righteousness, or any of the numerous marks of divinity which shine forth in his
wonderful works. Whence it follows, that the Papists are chargeable with
rendering, as much as in them lies, his title to true Godhead nugatory, when
despoiling him of his attributes they leave him almost nothing but the bare
name.
11.
Show me thy ways, O
Jehovah! David now rises higher, praying
that he may be governed by the spirit of sound understanding, in order to his
living a holy life, and that he may be strengthened in his endeavors thereto by
the spirit of fortitude. He tacitly contrasts
the ways of
God with all the counsels which he could
derive from carnal reason. In submitting himself to God, and in imploring Him to
be his guide, he confesses that the only possible way by which we can be enabled
to live a holy and an upright life is, when God goes before us, while we follow
after him; and, accordingly, that those who deviate, let it be never so little,
from the law through a proud conceit of their own wisdom, wander from the right
path. This he more fully confirms, by adding immediately after,
I will walk in thy
truth. He pronounces all to be guilty of
vanity and lying who observe not this rule of truth. Farther, his prayer to be
taught in the ways of the Lord does not imply that he had been previously
altogether ignorant of divine truth; but well aware of the much darkness —
of the many clouds of ignorance in which he was still enveloped, he aspires
after greater improvement. Let it also be observed, that he is not to be
understood as speaking only of external teaching: but having the law among his
hands, he prays for the inward light of the Holy Spirit, that he may not labor
in the unprofitable task of learning only the letter; according as he prays in
another place,
“Open thou
mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law,”
(<19B918>Psalm
119:18.)
If a prophet so distinguished, and so richly endued
with the graces of the Holy Spirit, makes such a frank and cordial confession of
his own ignorance, how great our folly if we feel not our own deficiency, and
are not stirred up to greater diligence in self-improvement from the knowledge
of our slender attainments! And, assuredly, the more progress a man has made in
the knowledge of the true religion, the more sensible will he be that he is far
from the mark. Secondly, it is necessary to add, that reading or hearing is not
enough, unless God impart to us inward light by his
Spirit.
In addition to this, the Psalmist
desires that his heart may be framed for yielding obedience to God, and that it
may be firmly established therein; for as our understanding has need of light,
so has our will of uprightness. The original words which I have translated,
unite my heart, are translated by some, rejoice my heart, as if
the verb were from the root,
hdj,
chadah, to rejoice;
fc488 but it rather comes from
djy,
yachad, to unite — a sense which is very suitable to the passage
before us.
fc489 This word contains a tacit contrast,
which has not been sufficiently attended to, between the unwavering purpose with
which the heart of man cleaves to God when it is under the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, and the disquietude with which it is distracted and tossed so long as it
fluctuates amidst its own affections. It is therefore indispensably requisite,
that the faithful, after having learned what is right, should firmly and
cordially embrace it, that the heart may not break forth in impetuous desire
after unhallowed lusts. Thus, in the word unite, there is a very
beautiful metaphor, conveying the idea, that the heart of man is full of tumult,
drawn asunder, and, as it were, scattered about in fragments, until God has
gathered it to himself, and holds it together in a state of steadfast and
persevering obedience. From this also, it is manifest what free will is able to
do of itself. Two powers are ascribed to it; but David confesses that he is
destitute of both; setting the light of the Holy Spirit in opposition to the
blindness of his own mind; and affirming that uprightness of heart is entirely
the gift of God.
Psalm
86:12-17
12. I will praise thee, O
Lord my God! With all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for ever. 13.
For thy mercy has been great towards me: and thou hast delivered my soul from
the lower grave.
fc490 14. O God! the proud have risen
up against me, and a company of mighty men have sought after my soul; and they
have not set thee before them. 15. And thou, O Lord! art God, merciful,
ready to forgive, long-suffering, and abundant in mercy and truth. 16.
Look to me, and have pity upon me: give thy strength to thy servant, and
save the son of thy handmaid. 17. Make with me a sign for good: and my
adversaries will see it
fc491 and be ashamed; for thou, O Jehovah!
hast succoured and comforted me.
12.
I will praise thee, O Lord my
God! David engages, when he shall have
experienced God to be in all respects a beneficent father, to yield to him the
tribute of gratitude. He expressed in the preceding verse a desire to have his
heart united to God, that he might fear him; and now he affirms it to be his
resolution to publish or celebrate his praises, not only with the mouth or
tongue, but also with sincere affection of heart; yea, even to continue with
steadfast perseverance in that exercise.
In the
13th verse, he sets forth the reason of this, which is, because, in delivering
him, God had given a singular and remarkable proof of his mercy. To place in a
stronger light the greatness of this benefit, he describes the dangers from
which he had been delivered, by the expression, the lower grave; as if he
had said, I have not been held down by one death only, but have been thrust down
into the lowest depths of the grave, so that my circumstances required the hand
of God to be stretched out to me in a wonderful manner. By the grace of the Lord
Jesus Christ we are delivered from a still deeper abyss of death; and such being
the case, our ingratitude will be inexcusable, unless each of us exercise
himself to the utmost of his power in celebrating this deliverance. If David so
highly magnified the name of God merely on account of the prolongation of his
life for a short time, what praises are due for this unparalleled redemption by
which we are drawn from the depths of hell and elevated to heaven? The Papists
attempt to found an argument on this passage in support of their doctrine of
Purgatory, as if that were an upper hell, while there was another
lower;
fc492 but this argument is too rotten to
stand in need of refutation.
14.
O God! the proud are risen up
against me. Instead of
µydz,
zedim, the proud, some read,
µyrz,
zarim, strangers; and, undoubtedly, the Scriptures often employ this word
to denote barbarous cruelty, so that it is the same as if it had been said,
the cruel. I, however, prefer following the generally received
reading. As between the Hebrew word
µydz,
zedim, the proud, and
µyrz,
zarim, strangers, there is only the difference of a single letter, the
one having the letter
d,
daleth, where the other has the letter
r,
resh, it is obvious that, from the similarity of these two letters, the
former might easily have been changed into the latter. Besides, the word,
proud, agrees better with the scope of the passage; for, in the same
sense, the Psalmist immediately after applies the epithet, strong, to
those who, with headlong impetuosity and fierceness, rushed upon him to
destroy him; and we know that where pride reigns no moderation is observed. He
expresses without figure what he had just now said respecting the grave. Being
as a lamb in the midst of wolves, he would have been quickly swallowed up, had
not God miraculously delivered him, as it were, from the jaws of death. In
representing his enemies as having no regard to God, he means to set forth the
extreme excess of their cruelty. The fury of our lusts, unless we are restrained
by the fear of God and the sense of his judgment, will become so great as to
dare any thing, however atrocious. For these calamities he seeks a remedy, in
the Divine mercy, in the following
verse.
15.
And thou, O Lord! art God,
merciful, ready to forgive. By
immediately passing on to the celebration of these divine attributes, he would
intimate, that we have adequate strength and protection against the audacity and
rage of the wicked, in the divine goodness, mercy, and faithfulness. Perhaps,
also, from his feeling that the wicked were scourges in the hand of God, he set
before himself the divine goodness and mercy, to allay the excess of terror with
which he might be seized; for this is the true and the only source of comfort,
that although God chastise us he does not forget his mercy. This sentence, as is
well known, is taken from
<023406>Exodus
34:6, where we meet with a very remarkable description of the nature of God.
First, he is called merciful; in the next place,
ready to
forgive, which he manifests by
compassionating our distresses. In the third place, he is described as
long-suffering;
for he is not angry whenever an offense is committed against him, but
pardons us according to the greatness of his loving-kindness. In short, he is
said to be abundant in mercy and
truth; by which I understand, that his
beneficence is continually exercised, and that he is always true. He is indeed
no less worthy to be praised on account of his rigour, than on account of his
mercy; but as it is our wilful obstinacy alone which makes him severe,
compelling him, as it were, to punish us, the Scriptures, in representing him as
by nature merciful and ready to forgive, teach us, that if he is at any time
rigorous and severe, this is, as it were, accidental to him. I am speaking, it
is true, in popular language, and such as is not strictly correct; but still,
these terms by which the divine character is described amount in effect to this,
That God is by nature so gracious and ready to forgive, that he seems to connive
at our sins, delays the infliction of punishment, and never proceeds to execute
vengeance unless compelled by our obstinate wickedness. Why the truth of
God is joined with his mercy has been considered in another place. As
even those who are most generous sometimes desire to retract the promises which
they have made, repenting of their too great facility, we who are accustomed
unreasonably to judge of God by ourselves, distrust his promises. God therefore
declares, that he is unlike men, because he is as firm to his purpose in
abundantly performing whatever he has promised, as he is distinguished for
promising liberally.
16.
Look to me, and have pity upon
me. Here the Psalmist makes a more
distinct application to himself of what he had said concerning the divine mercy
and goodness. As God is merciful, he assures himself that his welfare will be
the object of the divine care. The second verb in the verse,
ˆnj,
chanan, which I have rendered have pity, signifies to gratify,
to do one a pleasure; and is intended to convey the idea, that the succor
which God affords to his people proceeds from his free
goodness.
fc493 Finally, the Psalmist concludes, that
the only way in which he can be preserved is by the divine aid, which he seeks
to obtain by prayer; and thus he confesses his utter destitution of any strength
of his own. In applying to himself the appellation of
God's servant, and the son of his
handmaid, he does not boast of his own
services, but urges as a plea, for obtaining greater favor at the divine hand,
the long line of his ancestors, and the continual course of God's grace; setting
forth, that he was from his mother's womb a household-servant of God, and, as it
were, born one of his servants in his
house:
fc494 a point of which we have already spoken
elsewhere.
The last verse contains an additional
confirmation of the statement, that he was in a manner forsaken of God. He would
not have desired to be favored with some token of the divine favor, had he not
been on all sides driven to despair, and had not the divine favor been hidden
from him to try his patience. It was a proof of no ordinary steadfastness to
maintain the conflict with this temptation, and to do this so successfully,
as not to cease to descry light in the midst of darkness. He desires that
his enemies may be put to
shame, because they assailed his
simplicity with mockery and scoffing, as if he had acted a foolish part by
trusting in God. The miserable and distressing condition in which the Church was
placed after the Babylonish captivity, might be apt to sink the minds of the
godly into despondency; and, accordingly, the Holy Spirit here promises her
restoration in a wonderful and incredible manner, so that nothing would be more
desirable than to be reckoned among the number of her members.
PSALM
87
A Psalm or Song of the
sons of Korah.
It is evident, from constant observation, that, so
long as the children of this world are in prosperity, they are well satisfied
with their condition, and mightily extol it, while they look upon the Church
with proud contempt; and even after having endured calamities, they are not so
subdued by them as to renounce the foolish presumption by which they are
intoxicated. Meanwhile they recklessly despise all religion, and the worship of
God, because, contenting themselves with pleasures, riches, and the splendor of
honor, they fancy themselves to be happy without him. And then it often happens,
that the Lord pampers them with all kind of good things, purposing at length to
inflict upon them merited punishment for their ingratitude, when the fit season
shall have arrived; while, on the contrary, he loads his Church with various and
grievous afflictions, or, at least, keeps her in a low and despised condition,
so that she may seem to herself to be miserable, or she is at least exposed to
the contempt of others. That the faithful may not be deceived with this shadowy
appearance of things, it is of importance to recall their attention to a
different subject, that they may be persuaded of the truth of what is stated in
<193312>Psalm
33:12,
“Blessed is the
nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own
inheritance.”
(<193312>Psalm
33:12)
What we are taught in this psalm may be summed up in
this, That the Church of God far excels all the kingdoms and politics of the
world, inasmuch as she is watched over, and protected by Him in all her
interests, and placed under his government; that, in the first place, amidst the
violent commotions and dreadful storms with which the whole world is often
shaken, she may continue safe; and, in the second place, and principally, that
being wonderfully preserved by the protection of the same God, she may at
length, after the toil and struggle of a protracted warfare, be crowned with the
triumphant laurels of her high calling. It is in truth a singular benefit of
God, and at the same time, a signal miracle, that, amidst the great and various
revolutions of the kingdoms of this world, he enlarges her continually from age
to age, and preserves her from destruction; so that in the whole world there is
nothing enduring but the Church. As, however, it often happens, that whilst the
wicked abound in riches, and have lavished upon them worldly possessions and
authority, the afflicted Church is tossed amidst many dangers, or rather, is so
overwhelmed with impetuous floods as to seem to be entirely shipwrecked, her
happiness must be considered as consisting principally in this, that she has
reserved for her an everlasting state in
heaven.
An attention to the time when this psalm
was composed will contribute, in no small degree, to a clear understanding of
its contents. Although the people had returned from their captivity in Babylon;
although the Church of God had been again gathered together, and united into one
body after a long dispersion; although the temple had been rebuilt, the altar
set up, and the service of God restored; yet, as of a vast multitude of people,
there was only a small portion remaining, which made the condition of the Church
very low and despised, — as the number left was daily diminished by their
enemies, — and as the temple was far inferior in magnificence to what it
originally was; — all this being considered, the faithful had hardly any
ground to entertain favorable hopes as to the future. It certainly seemed
impossible that they would ever again be raised to their former state from which
they had fallen. There was, therefore, reason to apprehend that the minds of the
godly, both from the remembrance of the overthrow which they had already
experienced, and from the weight of the present miseries with which they were
oppressed, would faint and finally sink into despair. That they might not
succumb under such heavy adversities, the Lord not only promises in this psalm
that they would recover what they had lost, but also encourages them in the hope
of an incomparable glory with which the Church should yet be invested, according
to that prophecy of Haggai,
“The glory of this
latter house shall be greater than of the former.”
(<370209>Haggai
2:9)
Last of all, it remains that we learn to accommodate
this psalm to our own circumstances, and study to derive from it the lessons
which it is fitted to convey. The consolation contained in it ought to have had
such influence on the godly of that age, as to have made them not only stand
erect in the midst of their adversities, but also to have raised them from the
grave, and lifted them up to heaven. In the present day, when we know that
whatever was foretold by the Spirit has been fulfilled, we are more than
ungrateful if the experience of the fathers, added to the words of the Spirit,
does not more powerfully confirm our faith. It is impossible to express in
language adequate to the subject the glory with which Christ beautified his
Church by his advent. Then the true religion which before had been shut up
within the narrow limits of Judea was spread abroad through the whole world.
Then God, who had been known only by one family, began to be called upon in the
different languages of all nations. Then the world, which had been miserably
rent in pieces by innumerable sects of superstition and error, was gathered
together into a holy unity of faith. Then all men, vying with each other,
associated themselves in companies to the society of the Jews, whom they had
before abhorred. Then the kings of the earth and their people voluntarily
yielded themselves to the yoke of Christ; wolves and lions were converted into
lambs; the gifts of the Holy Spirit were poured out upon the faithful, —
gifts which far surpassed all the glory, all the riches, and grandeur, and
precious ornaments of the world.
fc495 The body of the Church also was
gathered together out of countries far distant from each other, and was
increased and preserved in a wonderful manner. The gospel was spread far and
wide within a period of time incredibly short, and equally extraordinary was the
rich harvest of fruit with which the preaching of it was succeeded. Although,
therefore, the renown of the Church had never been celebrated by this prophecy,
yet the goodly and unequalled condition of that age, which may be called the
Golden Age, clearly demonstrate that she was truly the heavenly kingdom of God.
It was however requisite, even at that period, that the faithful should form
their estimate of her excellence by something higher than carnal sense or
reason. At the time when she flourished most, it was not purple, gold, and
precious stones, which imparted to her the splendor which invested her, but the
blood of martyrs. Rich she was in the graces of the Spirit, and yet poor and
destitute of earthly possessions. Beautiful and glorious in holiness before God
and the angels, she was nevertheless contemptible in the eyes of the world.
Without she had many avowed enemies, who either exercised towards her fierce and
cruel persecution, or by indirect acts practiced against her, the worst that
craft could suggest; while within were alarms and treachery. In short, her
dignity, venerable indeed, but yet spiritual, lay as yet hidden beneath the
cross of Christ. The consolation, therefore, contained in this psalm was very
seasonable, even at that time, for encouraging the faithful to wait for a more
perfect state of the Church But the case stands otherwise with us. It has
already long ago come to pass,
fc496 through the default of our fathers,
that that renowned beauty of the Church has lain polluted and disfigured under
the feet of the wicked. And at the present day, overwhelmed with the load of our
sins, she groans under miserable desolation, under the scornful reproaches of
the devil and the world, under the cruelty of tyrants, and under the wicked
calumnies of enemies; so that the children of this world, who wish to live at
ease, desire nothing less than to be accounted among the people of God. Whence
we may perceive the more clearly how much benefit may be derived from this
psalm; and, at the same time, how necessary it is to meditate upon it
continually. The title does not so much refer to the authors of the psalm as to
the chief musicians to whom it was committed to be sung. It is, however,
possible that some Levite of the family of Korah composed
it.
Psalm
87:1-3
1. His foundations are in the
holy mountains. 2. Jehovah loveth the gates of Zion above all the
dwellings of Jacob. 3. Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God!
Selah.
1.
His foundations are in the
holy mountains. Those who conceive that
Jerusalem is here meant, as if it were said to
be founded upon the holy
mountains, are in my judgment mistaken;
for the relative is in the masculine gender. Some learned men, I am aware,
defend this opinion, by supposing that the words, the people, are to be
supplied, although it is the capital of Judea which is specified. But it is
unnecessary for me to say any thing to prove what is apparent to all, that this
exposition is forced. Some Jewish interpreters have thought it most probable
that this opening sentence is to be referred to the psalm itself; and,
accordingly, they explain foundations as denoting metaphorically the
theme, or subject of the poem, because it treats of the holy city Jerusalem,
which was situated upon mountains. But I am surprised that they should have been
mistaken in a matter so very obvious. It being quite a common thing among the
Hebrews to put a relative without its
antecedent,
fc497 this manner of speaking ought not to
seem harsh or strange. The name of God is mentioned a little after; and we know
that he is everywhere represented as having founded
Jerusalem.
Some by the mountains
understand Moriah and Zion,
fc498 which were the two tops of a mountain
cleft into two, but this is too forced. As the country was mountainous, we are
rather to understand the prophet as having in his eye the several neighboring
and contiguous mountains which formed a chain around Jerusalem; for we will see
in another place that Jerusalem was surrounded by mountains,
(<19C502>Psalm
125:2.) The true and natural meaning then is, that God chose the holy mountains
in order to found and erect his city in the midst of them. For a little after,
in the prosecution of the subject, these words occur, “The Highest
himself shall establish her.” He is indeed the founder of other cities
also; yet we do not read of him saying with respect to any other
city,
“This is my
rest for ever; here will I dwell; for I have desired
it,”
(<19D214>Psalm
132:14.)
There is this difference, which is always to be
remembered, that while other cities were founded and built by the guidance and
power of God, merely for the sake of civil government, Jerusalem was his
peculiar sanctuary, and his royal seat. Isaiah also uses a similar form of
expression,
(<231432>Isaiah
14:32,) “The Lord hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall
trust in it.” Besides, although the whole country of Judea was consecrated
to God, yet he is said to have rejected all the other cities, and to have chosen
this one for himself in which to reign. Here the question is not about earthly
polity, but spiritual government; for the pure religion, and the true worship of
God, and the doctrine of godliness, were at that time to be found nowhere but in
Jerusalem.
2.
Jehovah loveth the gates of
Zion above all the dwellings of Jacob.
Here we are taught that all the excellence of the holy city depended on the
free choice which God had made of it. With this agrees what is stated in
<197706>Psalm
77:60, 67, that God rejected Shiloh, the tribe of Ephraim, and the tabernacle of
Joseph, that he might dwell in Zion which he loved. The prophet then points out
the cause why God preferred that one place before all others; and the cause
which he assigns is, not the worth of the place itself, but the free love of
God. If it is demanded why Jerusalem was so highly distinguished, let this short
answer be deemed sufficient,
Because it so pleased
God. To this the divine love is to be
traced as its source; but the end of such a choice was, that there might be some
fixed place in which the true religion should be preserved, and the unity of the
faith maintained, until the advent of Christ, and from which it might afterwards
flow into all the regions of the earth. This, then, explains why the prophet
celebrates Jerusalem as possessing the high distinction of having God for its
master-builder, its founder and protector. Farther, he attributes to the divine
favor and adoption whatever excellence it possessed above other places. In
putting Zion for Jerusalem, and the gates for the whole compass of
the city, there is a double
synecdoche.
3.
Glorious things are spoken of
thee, O city of God! The reading
literally is, That which is
spoken in thee are glorious things. We
must consider the design of the prophet, or rather the object of the Spirit of
God, speaking by the mouth of the prophet. From the low and despised condition
of the whole people, from the many and terrible enemies who pressed hard upon
them on all sides, from the small number who had sufficient courage to surmount
the obstacles in their way, from the new and unlooked-for changes which were
daily springing up, from the danger there was lest the state of affairs
gradually sinking more and more into decay, should at length become desperate,
it was difficult to cherish the hope that the holy city would be restored. That
despair might not overcome the hearts of the faithful, and cause them to fail,
there is set before them the supporting and consolatory consideration, that the
Lord hath spoken differently concerning the future condition of the Church.
Their attention, there can be no doubt, is called away from the present aspect
of things, and directed to the promises which inspired them with the hope of the
wonderful glory with which she should be adorned. Although, therefore, nothing
appeared to the eye of sense and reason, calculated greatly to rejoice the
heart, yet the prophet would have them encouraged by the word to stand as it
were on a watch-tower, waiting patiently for the fulfillment of what God had
promised. In this way they were admonished, first, to direct their attention to
the ancient prophecies, and to keep in remembrance, especially those which are
contained in Isaiah from the fortieth chapter (Isaiah 40) to the end of the
book; and, secondly, to give ear to the servants of God, who at that time
preached the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Whence it follows that a right judgment
cannot be formed of the happiness of the Church, except when we estimate it
according to the standard of God's
word.
Psalm
87:4-6
4. I will make mention of
Rahab,
fc499 and Babel among them that know me:
behold the Philistines, and Tyre, with
Ethiopia,
fc500 he is born
there!
fc501 Selah. 5. And it shall be said
of Zion, Man and man is born in her: and the Most High himself will establish
her. 6. The Lord will recount when he writeth the peoples, he is born
there. Selah.
4.
I will make mention of Rahab
and Babel. The name of Rahab is
put for Egypt in many other parts of Scripture; and this signification is very
suitable to the present passage, the object of which is to portray the
magnificent amplitude of the Church, which as yet was only matter of hope. It is
therefore said that those who formerly were deadly enemies, or entire strangers,
shall not only become familiar friends, but shall also be ingrafted into one
body, that they may be accounted citizens of Jerusalem. In the first clause it
is said, I will make mention of
Egypt and Babylon among my household. In
the second, it is added, that the Philistines, Tyrians, and Ethiopians, who
hitherto had been so much at variance with the people of God, shall now be
brought into as cordial harmony with them as if they were Jews by birth. What a
glorious distinction of the Church, that even those who held her in contempt
shall come flocking to her from every quarter, and that those who desired to see
her completely cut up and destroyed, shall consider it the highest honor to have
a place among the number of her citizens, and to be accounted such! All of them
shall voluntarily renounce their own countries in which they had before proudly
boasted. Wherever they may have been born, whether in Palestine, or Ethiopia, or
Tyre, they shall profess themselves citizens of the holy
city.
The Hebrew doctors explain this passage as
meaning, that there shall spring from other nations very few who shall excel
either in mental endowment or in virtuous attainment, but that in Israel such
persons will be very numerous. Scarcely, say they, will there be found among the
Tyrians, the Egyptians, the Ethiopians, and other nations, a man to each of them
worthy of praise; so that if such an one be found among them, he may be pointed
at with the finger, on account of his rarity; but
in Zion man and man shall be
born;
fc502 that is to say, the number of such men
among the Jews shall be great. Christian doctors are almost unanimous in
referring these words to Christ, and think that the cause is here assigned why
those who hitherto were strangers, and even mortal enemies to each other, are
now to be numbered among the citizens of Jerusalem, namely, because Christ shall
be born there,
fc503 whose office it is to gather together
into the unity of faith and hope of eternal life, men who were scattered like
members torn from the body. The first of these interpretations being altogether
forced, needs no refutation. Moreover, it is very evident that the Jews,
actuated by a foolish ambition, wrest this passage as it were purposely. The
exposition of the Christian doctors is, at first sight, plausible from its
ingenuity; but it is destitute of solidity. The words clearly imply, that
whatever nation men may belong to, they shall willingly renounce their own
country, to be enrolled in the Register of the chosen people. When it is said,
that they are born there, this does not mean that they are natives of the
country, and have been brought up in it from their birth, but that they are its
citizens. What is added afterwards,
The Most High himself will
establish her, may, with equal
propriety, be translated, will order her; it being the work of God
specially to govern his Church by his
word.
5.
And it shall be said of Zion,
Man and man is born in her. It is
asserted, in the 4th verse, That new citizens shall be gathered into the Church
of God from different parts of the world; and here the same subject is
prosecuted. Another figure is however employed, which is, that strangers by
birth shall be accounted among the holy people, just as if they were descended
from Abraham. It had been stated in the preceding verse, that the Chaldeans and
Egyptians would be added to the household of the Church; and that the
Ethiopians, Philistines, and Tyrians, would be enrolled among her children. Now,
it is added, by way of confirmation, that the number of the new progeny shall be
exceeding great, so that the city which had been for a time uninhabited, and
afterwards only half filled with a few people, shall be crowded with a vast
population. The prophet Isaiah describes more at length what is here promised,
in a few words,
“Sing, O
barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou
that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate
than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord. Enlarge the place of thy
tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not,
lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes: for thou shalt break forth on the
right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make
the desolate cities to be inhabited.”
(<235401>Isaiah
54:1)
Also,
“Lift
up thine eyes round about, and see; all they gather themselves together, they
come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at
thy
side.”
(<236004>Isaiah
60:4)
And, in the 44th chapter, at the 5th
verse, we meet with almost the same language as in the passage before us, or at
least what comes very near to it: “One shall say, I am the Lord's; and
another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe
with his hand unto the Lord, and surname himself by the name of Israel.”
Nor is the word born inappropriately employed to express the fact, that
the Egyptians, Chaldeans, and such like, shall be of the flock of God's people.
Although Zion was not the place of their natural birth, but they were to be
grafted into the body of the holy people by adoption; yet as the way by which we
enter into the Church is a second birth, this form of expression is used with
great propriety. The condition upon which Christ espouses the faithful to
himself is, that they should forget their own people and their father's house,
(<194511>Psalm
45:11,) and that, being formed into new creatures, and born again of
incorruptible seed, they should begin to be the children of God as well as of
the Church,
(<480419>Galatians
4:19.) And the ministry of the Church, and it alone, is undoubtedly the means by
which we are born again to a heavenly life. By the way, we should remember the
difference which the Apostle sets forth as subsisting between the earthly
Jerusalem, — which, being herself a bondwoman, brings forth children also
in bondage, — and the heavenly Jerusalem, which brings forth free children
by the instrumentality of the Gospel.
In the
second part of the verse, there is expressed the stability and enduring
character of Zion. It often happens, that in proportion to the rapidity with
which cities rise to distinguished eminence, is the shortness of the continuance
of their prosperity. That it may not be thought that the prosperity of the
Church is of such a perishable and transitory nature, it is declared, that
the Most High himself will
establish her. It is not surprising, as
if it had been said, to find other cities shaken, and subject from time to time
to a variety of vicissitudes; for they are carried round with the world in its
revolutions, and do not enjoy everlasting defenders. But it is the very reverse
with respect to the new Jerusalem, which, being founded upon the power of God,
will continue even when heaven and earth shall fall into
ruins.
6.
The Lord will recount, when he writeth the
peoples. The meaning is, that Zion will
acquire such renown as to excite all men with the greatest earnestness to desire
to be admitted into the number and rank of her citizens. It is a highly
honorable condition which is spoken of, the language implying, that when God
shall take a census of the people on whom he will be graciously pleased to
confer the highest honor, he will write them as belonging to Zion, rather than
to Babylon or any other cities; for to be one of the common people among the
citizens of Zion, will be a greater distinction than to be invested with the
highest rank anywhere else. We are, at the same time, taught that the cause to
which we are to trace the sudden elevation of these aliens to so great honor, is
the favor of God. Those who are the bondslaves of Satan and of sin will
assuredly never be able to obtain, by any efforts of their own, the right of
citizenship in the heavenly Jerusalem. It is the Lord's peculiar work to divide
people into their respective ranks, distinguishing one from another, as seemeth
good to him, all men being on a level by nature. This passage is to be
understood as referring to effectual calling. God, it is true, wrote the names
of his children in the Book of Life before the creation of the world; but he
enrols them in the catalogue of his saints, only when, having regenerated them
by the Spirit of adoption, he impresses his own mark upon
them.
Psalm
87:7
7. And the singers as the
players upon instruments: all my springs are in
thee.
fc504
The meaning of this verse is
obscure, partly from its abrupt brevity, and partly from the ambiguity of one
word. The word springs is, beyond all controversy, to be here taken
metaphorically; but interpreters are not agreed as to the explanation of the
metaphor. Some understand it as denoting hopes, some affections,
and others thoughts. Did the idiom of the language admit, I would
willingly subscribe to the opinion of those who translate it melodies or
songs. But as this might be considered unsupported by the usage of the
Hebrew term, I am rather inclined to adopt, as most suitable to the subject in
hand, the opinion that lookings is the proper translation, the root of
the word signifying an eye. It is as if the Psalmist had said, I will
always be earnestly looking, as it were, with fixed eyes upon
thee.
Let us now inquire what is meant by the
other clause, The singers as the
players upon instruments. This, it is true, is
an abrupt form of expression; but the sense, about which there is a general
agreement, is, that so great will be the ground for rejoicing, that the praises
of God will resound in Zion continually, with the energy of the living voice, as
well as with musical instruments. This, then, is a confirmation of what was
spoken before concerning the glorious restoration of Zion; for by the greatness
of the joy, and the manifold harmony and melody of praises, is portrayed the
happiness which shall prevail in the midst of it. At the same time, we have here
described the great design of all the gifts which God has conferred upon his
Church with so liberal a hand; namely, that the faithful, by hymns and songs,
should testify their remembrance of his benefits and gratefully acknowledge
them.
fc505 The Hebrew word
µyllwj,
cholelim, which we have rendered
the players upon
instruments, is translated by some,
those who dance to the sound of
instruments.
fc506 But this is a matter of no great
importance, it being enough to consider the meaning, in short, as this, that
there will be a continual concert of God's praises in the Church, where he
unfolds the treasures of his grace, and that the faithful will be heard singing
successively and in response. Moreover, the prophet shows his singular love to
the Church, and the singular care and zeal which he exercised about her, to
encourage and stir up all the godly, by his example, to cultivate and manifest
the same zeal, agreeably to what is stated in another
psalm,
“If I forget thee, O
Jerusalem! let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let
my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my
chief joy.”
(<19D705>Psalm
137:5)
All our affections are then settled on
the Church, when, gathered in from the vague and vain objects by which they are
distracted, and regarding with indifference the honors, pleasures, riches, and
pageantries of the world, they find enough to engage and satisfy them in the
spiritual glory of Christ's kingdom, and in that alone.
PSALM
88
This psalm contains very grievous lamentations,
poured forth by its inspired penman when under very severe affliction, and
almost at the point of despair. But he, at the same time, whilst struggling with
sorrow, declares the invincible steadfastness of his faith; which he displayed
in calling upon God to deliver him, even when he was in the, deep darkness of
death. fc507
A Song or Psalm of
the sons of Korah. To the chief musician upon Machalath, to make humble. An
instruction of Heman, the Ezrahite.
Heman, whose name appears in the inscription, is
probably the same person who is mentioned in sacred history,
<110431>1
Kings 4:31, where Solomon, when commended for his wisdom, is compared with
Ethan, Heman, Chalcol, and Darda.
fc508 It is, therefore, not surprising that a
man, so highly distinguished by the spirit of wisdom, was the author of this
psalm. Some translate
tlhmAl[,
al-machalath, upon infirmity;
fc509 but it is probable, according to
the ordinary use of the word, that it denotes either some instrument of music,
or the beginning of some song.
fc510 Of the other words I have already
sufficiently spoken elsewhere. Moreover, it is of importance to bear in mind,
that in the person of one man there is presented to our view an example at once
of rare affliction and of singular patience. God, in so sorely exercising Heman,
whom he had adorned with such excellent gifts to be an example to others, did
not do this for the sake of his servant only. His object was to present common
matter of instruction to all his people. Carrying out this object, Heman
ascending, as it were, an elevated stage, testifies to the whole Church his
infirmities as well as his faith and constancy. It greatly concerns us to look
upon such a distinguished servant of God, and one who was so eminently adorned
with the graces of the Holy Spirit, thus overwhelmed with so heavy a burden of
afflictions as made him mournfully complain that he differed nothing from a dead
man, — it greatly concerns us, I say, to look on this spectacle, that our
distresses, however grievous, may not overwhelm us with despair; or if we should
at times be ready to faint through weariness, care, grief, sorrow, or fear, that
we may not on that account despond, especially when we see that it is not
without the highest effort that the holy prophet emerges from this profound
darkness into the cheering light of hope. We should rather rest assured that the
Spirit of God, by the mouth of Heman, has here furnished us with a form of
prayer for encouraging all the afflicted who are, as it were, on the brink of
despair to come to himself.
Psalm
88:1-5
1. O Jehovah! God of my
salvation! I cry day and night before thee. 2. Let my prayer come into
thy presence: incline thy ear to my cry; 3. For my soul is filled with
troubles; and my life is drawing near to the grave. 4. I am numbered with
them that go down to the pit: I have been as a man who hath no strength:
5. Free among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom thou
rememberest no more, and who are cut off from thy
hand.
1.
O Jehovah! God of my
salvation! Let me call upon you
particularly to notice what I have just now stated, that although the prophet
simply, and without hyperbole, recites the agony which he suffered from the
greatness of his sorrows, yet his purpose was at the same time to supply the
afflicted with a form of prayer that they might not faint under any adversities,
however severe, which might befall them. We will hear him by and by bursting out
into vehement complaints on account of the grievousness of his calamities; but
he seasonably fortifies himself by this brief exordium, lest, carried away with
the heat of his feelings, he might become chargeable with complaining and
murmuring against God, instead of humbly supplicating Him for pardon. By
applying to Him the appellation of
the God of his
salvation, casting, as it were, a bridle
upon himself, he restrains the excess of his sorrow, shuts the door against
despair, and strengthens and prepares himself for the endurance of the cross.
When he speaks of his crying and importunity, he indicates the earnestness of
soul with which he engaged in prayer. He may not, indeed, have given utterance
to loud cries; but he uses the word cry, with much propriety', to
denote the great earnestness of his prayers. The same thing is implied when he
tells us that he continued crying days and nights. Nor are the words
before thee superfluous. It is common for all men to complain when under
the pressure of grief; but they are far from pouring out their groanings before
God. Instead of this, the majority of mankind court retirement, that they may
murmur against him, and accuse him of undue severity; while others pour forth
their cries into the air at random. Hence we gather that it is a rare virtue to
set God before our eyes, that we may address our prayers to
him.
3.
For my soul is filled with
troubles. These words contain the excuse
which the prophet pleads for the excess of his grief. They imply that his
continued crying did not proceed from softness or effeminacy of spirit, but that
from a due consideration of his condition, it would be found that the immense
accumulation of miseries with which he was oppressed was such as might justly
extort from him these lamentations. Nor does he speak of one kind of calamity
only; but of calamities so heaped one upon another that his heart was filled
with sorrow, till it could contain no more. He next particularly affirms that
his life was not far from the grave. This idea he pursues and expresses in terms
more significant in the following verse, where he complains that he was,
as it were, dead. Although he breathed still among the living, yet the many
deaths with which he was threatened on all sides were to him so many graves by
which he expected to be swallowed up in a moment. And he seems to use the word
rbg,
geber, which is derived from
rbg,
gabar, he prevailed, or was
strong,
fc511 in preference to the word which
simply signifies man, — the more emphatically to show that
his distresses were so great and crushing as to have been sufficient to bring
down the strongest man.
5.
Free among the dead, lie the
slain who lie in the grave. The prophet
intended to express something more distressing and grievous than common death.
First, he says, that he was free
among the dead, because he was rendered
unfit for all the business which engages human life, and, as it were, cut off
from the world. The refined interpretation of Augustine, that Christ is here
described, and that he is said to be free among the dead, because he obtained
the victory over death by a special privilege, that it might not have dominion
over him, has no connection with the meaning of the
passage.
fc512 The prophet is rather to be understood
as affirming, that having finished the course of this present life, his mind had
become disengaged from all worldly solicitude; his afflictions having deprived
him of all feeling.
fc513 In the next place, comparing himself
with those who have been
wounded, he bewails his condition as
worse than if, enfeebled by calamities, he were going down to death by little
and little; for we are naturally inspired with horror at the prospect of a
violent death.
What he adds, that
he is forgotten of God, and cut
off from his hand or guardianship,
is apparently harsh and improper, since it is certain that the dead
are no less under the Divine protection than the living. Even wicked Balaam,
whose purpose it was to turn light into darkness, was, nevertheless, constrained
to cry out,
“Let me die the
death of the righteous,
and let my
last end be like his,”
(<042310>Numbers
23:10.)
To say, then, that God is no longer mindful of man
after he is dead, might seem to be the language of a heathen. To this it may be
answered, That the prophet speaks according to the opinion of the generality of
men; just as the Scriptures, in like manner, when treating of the providence of
God, accommodate their style to the state of the world as presented to the eye,
because our thoughts ascend only by slow degrees to the future and invisible
world. I, however, think, that he rather gave utterance to those confused
conceptions which arise in the mind of a man under affliction, than that he had
an eye to the opinion of the ignorant and uninstructed part of mankind. Nor is
it wonderful that a man endued with the Spirit of God was, as it were, so
stunned and stupified when sorrow overmastered him, as to allow unadvised words
to escape from his lips. Although faith in the truth that God extends his care
both to the living and the dead is deeply rooted in the hearts of all his
genuine servants, yet sorrow often so overclouds their minds as to exclude from
them for the time all remembrance of his providence. From perusing the
complaints of Job, we may perceive, that when the minds of the godly are
preoccupied with sorrow, they do not immediately pierce to the consideration of
the secret providence of God, which yet has been before the subject of their
careful meditation, and the truth of which they bear engraven on their hearts.
Although the prophet, then, was persuaded that the dead also are under the
Divine protection, yet, in the first paroxysm of his grief, he spoke less
advisedly than he ought to have done; for the light of faith was, as it were,
extinguished in him, although, as we shall see, it soon after shone forth. This
it will be highly useful particularly to observe, that, should we be at any time
weakened by temptation, we may, nevertheless, be kept from falling into
despondency or despair.
Psalm
88:6-9
6. Thou hast laid me in the
lowest pit, in dark places, in the deeps. 7. Thy indignation lieth heavy
upon me; and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah. 8. Thou
hast removed my acquaintances from me: thou hast made me to be abhorred by them:
I am shut up that I cannot go forth. 9. My eye mourneth because of my
affliction; I invoke thee, O Jehovah! daily: I stretch out my hands to
thee.
6.
Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit. The
Psalmist now acknowledges more distinctly, that whatever adversities he endured
proceeded from the Divine hand. Nor indeed will any man sincerely betake himself
to God to seek relief without a previous persuasion that it is the Divine hand
which smites him, and that nothing happens by chance. It is observable that the
nearer the prophet approaches God the more is his grief embittered; for nothing
is more dreadful to the saints than the judgment of
God.
Some translate the first clause of the 7th
verse, Thy indignation hath approached upon me; and the Hebrew word
°ms,
samach, is sometimes to be taken in this sense. But from the scope of the
passage, it must necessarily be understood here, as in many other places, in the
sense of to surround, or to lie heavy upon; for when the subject
spoken of is a man sunk into a threefold grave, it would be too feeble to speak
of the wrath of God as merely approaching him. The translation which I have
adopted is peculiarly suitable to the whole drift of the text. It views the
prophet as declaring, that he sustained the whole burden of God's wrath; seeing
he was afflicted with His
waves. Farther, as so dreadful a flood
did not prevent him from lifting up his heart and prayers to God, we may learn
from his example to cast the anchor of our faith and prayers direct into heaven
in all the perils of shipwreck to which we may be
exposed.
8.
Thou hast removed my acquaintances from me.
He was now destitute of all human aid, and that also he attributes to
the anger of God, in whose power it is either to bend the hearts of men to
humanity, or to harden them, and render them cruel. This is a point well worthy
of our attention; for unless we bear in mind that our destitution of human aid
in any case is owing to God's withdrawing his hand, we agitate ourselves without
end or measure. We may indeed justly complain of the ingratitude or cruelty of
men whenever they defraud us of the just claims of duty which we have upon them;
but still this will avail us nothing, unless we are thoroughly convinced that
God, being displeased with us, takes away the means of help which he had
destined for us; just as it is easy for him, whenever he pleases, to incline the
hearts of all men to stretch forth their hand to succor us. The prophet, as an
additional and still more grievous element in his distressed condition, tells us
that his friends abhorred him.
fc514 Finally, he concludes by
observing, that he could perceive no way of escape from his
calamities: I am shut up that I
cannot go forth.
fc515
9.
My eye mourneth because of my
affliction. To prevent it from being
supposed that he was iron-hearted, he again repeats that his afflictions were so
severe and painful as to produce manifest traces of his sorrow, even in his
countenance and eyes — a plain indication of the low condition to which he
was reduced. But he, notwithstanding, testifies that he was not drawn away from
God, like many who, secretly murmuring in their hearts, and, to use a proverbial
expression, chafing upon the bit, have nothing farther from their thoughts than
to disburden their cares into the bosom of God, in order to derive comfort from
Him. In speaking of the
stretching out of his hands, he puts the
sign for the thing signified. I have elsewhere had an opportunity of explaining
the import of this ceremony, which has been in common use in all
ages.
Psalm
88:10-13
10. Wilt thou perform a
miracle for the dead? shall the dead
fc516 arise to praise thee? Selah. 11.
Shall thy loving kindness be declared in the grave? thy truth in
destruction?
fc517 12. Shall thy wonders be known
in darkness? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? 13. But
to thee have I cried, O Jehovah! and in the morning my prayer shall come before
thee.
fc518
10.
Wilt thou perform a miracle for
the dead? By these words the prophet
intimates, that God, if he did not make haste to succor him, would be too late,
there being scarce anything betwixt him and death; and that therefore this was
the critical juncture, if God was inclined to help him, for should the present
opportunity not be embraced another would not occur. He asks how long God meant
to delay, — if he meant to do so till death intervened, that he might
raise the dead by a miracle? He does not speak of the resurrection at the last
day, which will surpass all other miracles, as if he called it in question; yet
he cannot be vindicated from the charge of going to excess, for it does not
belong to us to prescribe to God the season of succouring us. We impeach his
power if we believe not that it is as easy for him to restore life to the dead
as to prevent, in proper season, the extreme danger which may threaten us from
actually lighting upon us. Great as has been the constancy of the saints, it has
always had some mixture of the infirmity of the flesh, which has rendered it
necessary for God, in the exercise of his fatherly clemency, to bear with the
sin with which even their very virtues have been to a degree contaminated. When
the Psalmist asks, Shall thy
loving-kindness be declared in the grave?
he does not mean that the dead are devoid of consciousness; but he pursues
the same sentiment which he had previously stated, That it is a more seasonable
time to succor men, whilst in the midst of danger they are as yet crying, than
to raise them up from their graves when they are dead. He reasons from what
ordinarily happens; it not being God's usual way to bring the dead out of their
graves to be witnesses and publishers of his goodness. To God's
loving-kindness or mercy he annexes his truth or
faithfulness; for when God delivers his servants he gives a confirmation
of his faithfulness to his promises. And, on the other hand, he is influenced to
make his promises by nothing but his own pure goodness. When the prophet
affirms, that the divine faithfulness as well as the divine goodness, power, and
righteousness, are not known in
the land of forgetfulness, some deluded
persons foolishly wrest the statement to support a gross error, as if it taught
that men were annihilated by death. He speaks only of the ordinary manner in
which help is extended by God, who has designed this world to be as a stage on
which to display his goodness towards
mankind.
13.
But to thee have I cried, O
Jehovah! There may have been a degree of
intemperateness in the language of the prophet, which, as I have granted, cannot
be altogether vindicated; but still it was a sign of rare faith and piety to
persevere as he did with never-failing earnestness in prayer. This is what is
meant when he says, that he made
haste in the morning; by which he would
have us not to imagine that he slowly and coldly lingered till he was
constrained by dire necessity. At the same time, he modestly intimates by these
words, that his pining away in long continued miseries was not owing to his own
sluggishness, as if he had not sought God. This is an example particularly
worthy of notice, that we may not become discouraged if it happen sometimes that
our prayers are for a time unsuccessful, although they may proceed from the
heart, and may be assiduously persevered
in.
Psalm
88:14-18
14. Wherefore, O Jehovah!
wilt thou reject my soul? and hide thy face from me? 15. I am afflicted,
and ready to die from my youth; I have suffered thy terrors by doubting.
16. Thy wraths have passed over me: thy terrors have cut me off.
17. They have daily encompassed me like waters: they have surrounded me
together. 18. Thou hast put far from me friend and companion: and my
acquaintances are darkness.
fc519
14.
Wherefore, O Jehovah! wilt thou
reject my soul? These lamentations at
first sight would seem to indicate a state of mind in which sorrow without any
consolation prevailed; but they contain in them tacit prayers. The Psalmist does
not proudly enter into debate with God, but mournfully desires some remedy to
his calamities. This kind of complaint justly deserves to be reckoned among the
unutterable groanings of which Paul makes mention in
<450826>Romans
8:26. Had the prophet thought himself rejected and abhorred by God, he certainly
would not have persevered in prayer. But here he sets forth the judgment of the
flesh, against which he strenuously and magnanimously struggled, that it might
at length be manifest from the result that he had not prayed in vain. Although,
therefore, this psalm does not end with thanksgiving, but with a mournful
complaint, as if there remained no place for mercy, yet it is so much the more
useful as a means of keeping us in the duty of prayer. The prophet, in heaving
these sighs, and discharging them, as it were, into the bosom of God, doubtless
ceased not to hope for the salvation of which he could see no signs by the eye
of sense. He did not call God, at the opening of the psalm, the God of his
salvation, and then bid farewell to all hope of succor from
him.
The reason why he says that
he was ready to
die
fc520 from his
youth, (verse 15,) is uncertain, unless
it may be considered a probable conjecture that he was severely tried in a
variety of ways, so that his life, as it were, hung by a thread amidst various
tremblings and fears. Whence also we gather that
God's wraths and
terrors, of which he speaks in the 16th
verse, were not of short continuance. He expresses them in the 17th verse as
having encompassed him daily. Since nothing is more dreadful than to
conceive of God as angry with us, he not improperly compares his distress to a
flood. Hence also proceeded his
doubting.
fc521 for a sense of the divine anger
must necessarily have agitated his mind with sore disquietude. But it may be
asked, How can this wavering agree with faith? It is true, that when the heart
is in perplexity and doubt, or rather is tossed hither and thither, faith seems
to be swallowed up. But experience teaches us, that faith, while it fluctuates
amidst these agitations, continues to rise again from time to time, so as not to
be overwhelmed; and if at any time it is at the point of being stifled, it is
nevertheless sheltered and cherished, for though the tempests may become never
so violent, it shields itself from them by reflecting that God continues
faithful, and never disappoints or forsakes his own children.
PSALM
89
The prophet who wrote this psalm, whoever he was, in
approaching the throne of grace to make supplication to God in behalf of the
afflicted Church, lays down, as an encouragement both to himself and the rest of
the faithful to cherish good hope, the covenant which God had made with David.
He then adverts in general to the Divine power which is discerned in the whole
government of the world. And next, he calls to remembrance the redemption in
which God had given an everlasting testimony of his fatherly love towards his
chosen people. Thence, he again returns to the covenant made with David, in
which God had promised to continue his favor towards that people for ever, for
the sake of their king. Finally, he subjoins a complaint that God, as if he had
forgotten his covenant, abandoned his Church to the will of her enemies, and, in
the midst of strange disaster and mournful desolation, withheld all succor and
consolation.
An instruction of
Ethan, the Ezrahite.
Who this Ethan was, to whom this psalm is ascribed,
is somewhat uncertain. If we should consider him to have been one of the four
eminent men to whom Solomon is compared for his distinguished wisdom,
(<110431>1
Kings 4:31)
fc522 the argument or subject of the poem
will not agree with his time; unless we suppose him to have survived Solomon,
and bewailed the sad and mournful division which occurred after the death of
that monarch, and which proved the commencement and prelude of future ruin. The
people, it is true, after being divided into two kingdoms, continued still to
exist safe as before; but as that rupture dissolved the unity established by
God, what ground of hope could any longer remain? Besides, the prosperity and
welfare of the whole body depended upon their having one head, from their
allegiance to whom the ten tribes had wickedly revolted. What a horrible
spectacle was it to behold that kingdom, which might have flourished in
unimpaired vigor, even to the end of the world, disfigured and miserably rent
asunder, at the close of the life of one man! Who would not have thought that
the holy oracle was deceptive and vain, the truth of which seemed to be
overthrown in so short a time? If, therefore, the Ethan above referred to should
be regarded as the author of this psalm, the complaints contained in it must be
applied to that period, in which not only the throne of David was weakened, but
in which also the great mass of the people apostatised from God, while those who
were brethren proceeded to work each other's ruin by mutual and intestine
discord. This certainly appears to me to be the most probable conjecture in this
doubtful case. Some think that the author, speaking under the influence of the
Spirit of prophecy, predicts the calamities which were to befall the people: but
this opinion may be easily refuted by the context itself, where the inspired
bard expressly bewails the first unhappy alteration which took place in the
kingdom, in consequence of the conspiracy of
Jeroboam.
Psalm
89:1-4
1. I will sing of the mercies
of Jehovah for ever: with my mouth will I celebrate thy truth from generation to
generation. 2. For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thou
shalt establish the heavens, thy truth is in
them.
fc523 3. I have made a covenant with
my chosen: I have sworn to David my servant, 4. I will establish thy seed
for ever, and will build up thy throne from age to age.
Selah.
1.
I will sing of the mercies of Jehovah for
ever. It must be borne in mind, as I
have just now observed, that the Psalmist opens with the praises of God, and
with calling to mind the Divine covenant, to encourage the faithful to
strengthen their faith against the formidable assaults of temptation. If when we
set about the duty of prayer some despairing thought, at the very outset,
presents itself to us, we must forcibly and resolutely break through it, lest
our hearts faint and utterly fail. The design of the prophet, therefore, was to
fortify the minds of the godly at the very commencement, with stable and
substantial supports, that, relying on the Divine promise, which, to outward
appearance, had almost fallen to the ground, and repelling all the assaults of
temptation with which their faith was severely shaken, they might with
confidence hope for the re-establishment of the kingdom, and continue
perseveringly to pray for this blessing. From the sad spectacle of begun
decay,
fc524 which Ethan beheld, listening to the
dictates of carnal reason, he might have thought that both himself and the rest
of God's believing people were deceived; but he expresses his determination to
celebrate the mercies of God which at that time were hidden from his view. And
as it was no easy matter for him to apprehend and acknowledge the merciful
character of God, of whose severity he had actual experience, he uses the plural
number, the Mercies of
God, that by reflecting on the abundance
and variety of the blessings of Divine grace he might overcome this
temptation.
2.
For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for
ever. He assigns the reason why he
perseveres in singing the Divine praises in the midst of adversities; which is,
that he does not despair of the manifestation of God's loving-kindness towards
his people, although at present they were under severe chastisement. Never will
a man freely open his mouth to praise God, unless he is fully persuaded that
God, even when he is angry with his people, never lays aside his fatherly
affection towards them. The words I have said, imply that the truth which
the inspired writer propounds was deeply fixed in his
heart.
fc525 Whatever, as if he had said, has
hitherto happened, it has never had the effect of effacing from my heart the
undoubted hope of experiencing the Divine favor as to the future, and I will
always continue steadfastly to cherish the same feeling. It is to be observed,
that it was not without a painful and arduous conflict that he succeeded in
embracing by faith the goodness of God, which at that time had entirely vanished
out of sight; — this we say is to be particularly noticed, in order that
when God at any time withdraws from us all the tokens of his love, we may
nevertheless learn to erect in our hearts that everlasting building of mercy,
which is here spoken of, — a metaphor, by which is meant that the
Divine mercy shall be extended, or shall continue till it reach its end or
consummation. In the second clause of the verse something must be supplied. The
sense, in short, is, that the Divine promise is no less stable than the settled
course of the heavens, which is eternal and exempt from all change. By the word
heavens I understand not only the visible skies, but the heavens which
are above the whole frame of the world; for the truth of God, in the heavenly
glory of his kingdom, is placed above all the elements of the
world.
3.
I have made a covenant with
my chosen.
fc526 The more effectually to confirm
himself and all the godly in the faith of the Divine promise, he introduces God
himself as speaking and sanctioning, by his authority, what had been said in the
preceding verse. As faith ought to depend on the Divine promise, this manner of
speaking, by which God is represented as coming forward and alluring us to
himself by his own voice, is more forcible than if the prophet himself had
simply stated the fact. And when God in this way anticipates us, we cannot be
charged with rashness in coming familiarly to him; even as, on the contrary,
without His word we have no ground to presume that he will be gracious to us, or
to hope, at the mere suggestion of our own fancy, for what he has not promised.
Moreover, the truth of the promise is rendered still more irrefragable, when God
declares that he had made a covenant with his servant David, ratified by his own
solemn oath. It having been customary in ancient times to engrave leagues and
covenants on tables of brass, a metaphor is here used borrowed from this
practice. God applies to David two titles of distinction, calling him both
his chosen and his servant. Those who would refer the former
appellation to Abraham do not sufficiently attend to the style of the Book of
Psalms, in which it is quite common for one thing to be repeated twice. David is
called the chosen of
God, because God of his own good
pleasure, and from no other cause, preferred him not only to the posterity of
Saul, and many distinguished personages, but even to his own brethren. If,
therefore, the cause or origin of this covenant is sought for, we must
necessarily fall back upon the Divine
election.
The name of servant, which
follows immediately after, is not to be understood as implying that David by his
services merited any thing at the hand of God. He is called God's servant
in respect of the royal dignity, into which he had not rashly thrust
himself, having been invested with the government by God, and having undertaken
it in obedience to his lawful call. When, however, we consider what the covenant
summarily contains, we conclude that the prophet has not improperly applied it
to his own use, and to the use of the whole people; for God did not enter into
it with David individually, but had an eye to the whole body of the Church,
which would exist from age to age. The sentence,
I will establish thy throne for
ever, is partly to be understood of
Solomon, and the rest of David's successors; but the prophet well knew that
perpetuity or everlasting duration, in the strict and proper sense, could be
verified only in Christ. In ordaining one man to be king, God assuredly did not
have a respect to one house alone, while he forgot and neglected the people with
whom he had before made his covenant in the person of Abraham; but he conferred
the sovereign power upon David and his children, that they might rule for the
common good of all the rest, until the throne might be truly established by the
advent of Christ.
Psalm
89:5-8
5. And the heavens shall
praise thy wondrous work, O Jehovah! thy
truth
fc527 also in the congregation of the saints.
6. For who in the clouds [or in heaven] can be compared to Jehovah? who
among the sons of the gods
fc528 is like to Jehovah? 7. God is
very terrible
fc529 in the assembly of the saints, and to
be feared above all who are around him. 8. O Jehovah! God of Hosts, who
is a strong God as thou art? and thy truth is round about
thee.
5.
And the heavens shall praise
thy wondrous work. The prophet, having
spoken of God's covenant, even as faith ought to begin at the word, now descends
to a general commendation of his works. It is, however, to be observed, that
when he treats of the wonderful power of God, he has no other end in view than
to exalt and magnify more highly the holiness of the covenant. He exclaims, that
this is the God who has rightful claims to be served and feared, who ought to be
believed, and upon whose power the most unhesitating confidence may be reposed.
The words wondrous work, in the first clause, I would therefore limit to
the power which God displays in preserving and maintaining his Church. The
heavens, it is true, are most excellent witnesses and preachers of God's
wonderful power; but from attending to the scope of the passage, it will be
still more evident, that the encomiums here pronounced have all a special
reference to the end of which I have spoken. Some interpreters judiciously
explain the word heavens, of the angels, among whom there is a common joy
and congratulation in the salvation of the Church. This interpretation is
confirmed from the last clause of the verse, in which it is asserted, that
God's truth will be celebrated in
the congregation of the saints. There is
no doubt, that the same subject is here prosecuted, and that by the word
truth, it is intended to signalise the remarkable deliverances by which
God had manifested his faithfulness to the promises made to his
servants.
6.
For who in the clouds can be
compared to Jehovah? The prophet now
proceeds to illustrate farther what he had said respecting God's wonders, and
exclaims emphatically, Who in the
clouds can be compared to God? The
reason why he speaks of the clouds, or heaven, is because, what is
not surprising, nothing is to be found upon the earth which can at all approach
the glory of God. Although man excels other living creatures, yet we see how
contemptible and miserable his condition is, or rather, how full it is of shame
and reproach. Whence it follows, that under heaven there is no excellence which
can compete with that of God. But when we ascend to heaven, immediately ravished
with admiration, we conceive of a multitude of gods, which do away with the true
God. The last clause of the verse, in which it is said,
that among the sons of the gods
there is none like the true and only God,
is an explanation of the first. The opinion of some, that by the clouds,
or the heavens, is to be understood the sun, moon, and stars, is
disproved by the context itself. The amount then is, that even in the heavens,
God alone has the entire pre-eminence, having there none as a companion or
equal. The appellation the sons
of the gods is here given to angels,
because they neither have their origin from the earth, nor are clothed with a
corruptible body, but are celestial spirits, adorned with a Divine glory. It is
not meant that they are a part of the Divine essence or substance, as some
fanatics dream; but as God displays his power in them, this title is attributed
to them, to distinguish between their nature and ours. In short, although a
greater majesty shines forth in the angels than in other creatures, at the
contemplation of which we are ravished with admiration, yet come they not near
God, so as to obscure and impair his glory by their excellence, or to share with
him in the sovereignty of the universe. This is a point worthy of our careful
attention; for, although God everywhere declares in his word that the angels are
only his servants, and always ready to execute his commands, yet the world, not
contented with having only one God, forges for itself a countless number of
deities.
To the same effect is the following
verse, in which it is affirmed, that
God is very terrible in the
assembly of the saints. In these words
is censured that devilish superstition, to which almost all men are prone, of
exalting angels beyond measure, and without reason. But if the angels themselves
tremble, and are afraid before the Divine Majesty, why should they not be
regarded as subjects, and kept in their own rank, that God alone may have the
sovereignty entirely to himself? Farther, when they are represented as around
God, the meaning is, that they surround his royal throne like body-guards,
and are always ready to execute his behests. In the subsequent verse the same
thing is repeated yet again, Who
is a strong God as thou art? and this is
done, that at least the fear of the Divine Majesty may teach us to beware of
robbing him of the honor which belongs to him. That we may not, however, by too
much fear, be prevented from approaching him, some portion of sweetness is
intermingled with this description, when it is declared, that
his truth is to be seen round
about him on all sides; by which we
are to understand, that God is always steadfast in his promises, and that
whatever changes may happen, he nevertheless continues invariably true, both
before and behind, on the right hand and on the
left.
fc530
Psalm
89:9-14
9. Thou governest the pride
of the sea: when the waves thereof rise up, thou restrainest them 10.
Thou hast overthrown Egypt, as a wounded
man;
fc531 with thy mighty arm [literally, with
the arm of thy strength] thou hast scattered thy enemies. 11. The heavens
are thine, the earth also is thine: thou hast made the world, and the fullness
thereof. 12. Thou hast created the
north
fc532and the
south:
fc533 Tabor and
Hermon
fc534 shall rejoice in thy name. 13.
Thou hast a mighty arm: thou wilt strengthen thy hand, thou wilt exalt thy right
hand. 14. Righteousness and judgment are the place of thy throne: mercy
and truth shall go before thy
face.
9.
Thou governest the pride of
the sea. I have already observed that
what the prophet has hitherto spoken generally concerning the power of God, is
to be referred to the miracle of the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt,
which he now celebrates in express terms. According to the interpretation of
some, God is said to still the impetuous waves of the sea, because he does not
suffer it to break forth and overflow the whole world by a deluge. But I would
read the 9th and 10th verses connectedly, and would understand the prophet as
speaking of the Red Sea, which God divided to make a way for the chosen tribes
to pass over. The Psalmist adds immediately after, that all
the land of Egypt was overthrown
as a wounded man. By these words he
magnifies the grace of God, which was displayed in the deliverance of the
Church. He intended, there can be no doubt, to set before his own mind and the
minds of others, the paternal love of God, to encourage both himself and others
to have recourse to Him for succor, with the greater freedom and alacrity. And
in affirming that God had broken
in pieces his enemies with his mighty arm,
he concludes from the past experience of the Church, that his mode of acting
will be always similar, whenever in his infinite wisdom he sees it to be
required.
11.
The heavens are thine, the
earth also is thine. He again repeats, the
third time, that the same God who had been the deliverer of the chosen people
exercises supreme dominion over the whole world. From the fact that God created
all things, he concludes, that it is He who actually presides over, and controls
whatever takes place in heaven and in earth. It would be absurd to suppose, that
the heavens, having been once created by God, should now revolve by chance, and
that things should be thrown into confusion upon the earth either at the will of
men, or at random, when it is considered that it belongs to God to maintain and
govern whatever he has created; unless, like the heathen, we would imagine that
he enjoys himself in beholding all the works of his hand, in this beautiful
theater of the heaven and the earth, without giving himself any farther trouble
about them. In speaking of the south and the north, and also of
the mountains, Tabor and Hermon, the prophet accommodates his
language to the unrefined apprehension of the common people: as if he had said,
there is no part of the fabric of the world which does not reverence and honor
its Creator. I also connect with this the next verse, which affirms,
that the arm of God is furnished
with power, his hand with strength, and that his right hand is
exalted. Some resolve the two last
clauses of the verse into the form of a prayer,
Strengthen thy hand, lift up thy
right hand; but this seems too much
removed from the mind of the prophet, who, with the simple view of encouraging
all the godly, celebrates the inconceivable power of
God.
14.
Righteousness and judgement are
the place of thy throne. These encomiums
serve more effectually to confirm the hope of true believers than if the Divine
power alone had been presented to our view. Whenever mention is made of God, it
behoves us to apply our minds principally to those attributes of his nature
which are specially fitted for establishing our faith, that we may not lose
ourselves by vainly indulging in subtile speculations, by which foolish men,
although they may minister to their own mental recreation, make no advances to
the right understanding of what God really is. The prophet, therefore, in
allusion to the insignia and pomp of kings, declares that righteousness and
judgment are the pillars of the throne on which God sits conspicuous in
sovereign state, and that mercy and truth are, as it were, his
pursuivants; as if he had said, “The ornaments with which God is invested,
instead of being a robe of purple, a diadem, or a scepter, are, that he is the
righteous and impartial judge of the world, a merciful father, and a faithful
protector of his people.” Earthly kings, from their having nothing in
themselves to procure for them authority, and to give them
dignity,
fc535 are under the necessity of borrowing
elsewhere what will invest them therewith; but God having in himself an
all-sufficiency, and standing in no need of any other helps, exhibits to us the
splendor of his own image in his righteousness, mercy, and
truth.
Psalm
89:15-18
15. Blessed is the people
that know the joyful sound!
fc536 they shall walk, O Jehovah! in the
brightness of thy countenance. 16. In thy name shall they daily rejoice;
and in thy righteousness shall they glory. 17. For thou art the glory of
their strength; and in thy favor shall our horn be exalted. 18. For to
Jehovah
fc537 is our buckler; and our King is to the
Holy One of
Israel.
15.
Blessed is the people that know the joyful
sound. Here the same train of reflection
concerning the Church is pursued, not only because unbelievers are blind to the
consideration of God's works, but also because the prophet has no other purpose
in view than to inspire the godly with good hope, that they may with confidence
rely upon God, and not be discouraged by any adversities from boldly calling
upon him. It is declared that those are happy to whom it is given to rejoice in
God; for although all men in common are sustained and nourished by his
liberality, yet the feeling of his paternal goodness is far from being
experienced by all men in such a manner as to enable them, from a certain
persuasion that he is favorable to them, to congratulate themselves upon their
happy condition. It is, therefore, a singular privilege which he confers upon
his chosen ones, to make them taste of his goodness, that thereby they may be
encouraged to be glad and rejoice. And, in fact, there is not a more miserable
condition than that of unbelievers, when by their brutish insensibility they
trample under foot the Divine benefits which they greedily devour; for the more
abundantly God pampers them, the fouler is their ingratitude. True happiness
then consists in our apprehending the Divine goodness which, filling our hearts
with joy, may stir us up to praise and
thanksgiving.
The prophet afterwards proves from
the effect, that those who with joy and delight acknowledge God to be their
father are blessed, because they not only enjoy his benefits, but also,
confiding in his favor, pass the whole course of their life in mental peace and
tranquillity. This is the import of
walking in the light of God's
countenance: it is to repose upon his
providence from the certain persuasion that he has a special care about our
well-being, and keeps watch and ward effectually to secure it. The expressions
rejoicing in his
name, and
glorying in his
righteousness, are to the same purpose.
The idea involved in them is, that believers find in God abundant, yea more than
abundant, ground to rejoice and glory. The word daily appears to denote
steadfast and unwavering perseverance; and thus there is indirectly censured the
foolish arrogance of those who, inflated only with wind and presuming on their
own strength, lift up their horns on high. Standing as they do upon an insecure
foundation, they must at length inevitably fall. Whence it follows, that there
is no true magnanimity nor any power which can stand but that which leans upon
the grace of God alone; even as we see how Paul
(<450831>Romans
8:31) nobly boasts, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” and
defies all calamities both present and to
come.
17.
For thou art the glory of
their strength. The same sentiment is
confirmed when it is declared, that God never leaves his faithful servants
destitute of strength. By the appellation
the glory of their
strength, which is ascribed to him, is
meant that they are always so sustained by his present aid as to have just
ground to glory in him; or which amounts to the same thing, that his power
appears always glorious in aiding and sustaining them. They are, however, at the
same time, reminded of the duty of yielding to God all the praise of their being
preserved in safety. If this is true as to the present life, it is much more
truly applicable to the spiritual life of the soul. Farther, the more highly to
magnify this instance of God's liberality, we are taught, at the same time, that
it depends entirely upon his good pleasure, there being no other cause of
it.
fc538 Whence it follows, that they are wholly
bound and indebted to Him who is induced by his free bounty alone to continue to
extend to them his help.
18.
For to Jehovah is our
buckler. As the chief protection of the
people was in the person of their king, it is here expressly shown, that the
maintenance of the welfare of the faithful by his instrumentality is the gift of
God. But it is to be noticed, that the prophet's mind was not so fixed upon this
temporal and transitory kingdom as to neglect, at the same time, to consider the
end of it, as we shall presently see. He knew that it was only on account of
Christ that God made his favor to flow upon the head of the Church, and from
thence upon the whole body. And, in the first place, while he calls the king
metaphorically a buckler, — a figurative expression
frequently employed in Scripture, — he confesses that when the people are
defended by his hand and working, it is nevertheless done by the providence of
God, and is thus to be traced to a higher source than human agency. The same
thing is again repeated in the second clause, in which it is affirmed, that the
king was given by God to govern the people; and that, therefore, the defense
which comes from the king is a blessing of God. Moreover, we must remember that
what is said of this kingdom, which was a shadow of something greater, properly
applies to the person of Christ, whom the Father has given to us to be the
guardian of our welfare, that we may be maintained and defended by his
power.
Psalm
89:19-23
19. Then thou spakest in
vision to thy meek ones,
fc539 and saidst, I have laid help upon a
mighty one; I have exalted one chosen from among the people. 20. I have
found David my servant; with my holy oil [literally with the oil of my holiness]
have I anointed him. 21. Therefore, my hand shall be established with
him: my arm also shall strengthen him. 22. The enemy shall not exact upon
him,
fc540 nor shall the son of iniquity afflict
him. 23. And I will break in pieces his oppressors before his face ; and
I will strike those who hate
him.
19.
Then thou spakest in vision to
thy meek ones. The Psalmist now declares
at greater length why he said that the king, set over the chosen people for the
preservation of the public good, was given them from heaven; namely, because he
was not chosen by the suffrages of men, nor usurped at his own hand the supreme
power, nor insinuated himself into it by corrupt arts, but was elected by God to
be the instrument of maintaining the public good, and performed the duties of
his office under the auspices and conduct of God. The design of the prophet, as
we shall shortly see more clearly, is to distinguish this Divinely-appointed
king from all other kings. Although what Paul teaches in
<451301>Romans
13:1, is true, “There is no power but of God;” yet there was a great
difference between David and all earthly kings who have acquired sovereign power
by worldly means. God had delivered the scepter to his servant David immediately
with his own hand, so to speak, and had seated him on the royal throne by his
own authority. The particle
za,
az, which properly signifies then, is taken also for long
since, or in old time. The meaning, therefore, is, that whereas some
are born kings, succeeding their fathers by right of inheritance, and some are
elevated to the royal dignity by election, while others acquire it for
themselves by violence and force of arms, God was the founder of this kingdom,
having chosen David to the throne by his own voice. Farther, although he
revealed his purpose to Samuel, yet as the plural number is here used, implying,
that the same oracle had been delivered to others, we may certainly conclude
that it had been communicated to other prophets that they might be able, with
one consent, to bear testimony that David was created king by the Divine
appointment. And, indeed, as other distinguished and celebrated prophets lived
at that time, it is not very probable that a matter of so great importance was
concealed from them. But Samuel alone is named in this business, because he was
the publisher of the Divine oracle and the minister of the royal anointing. As
God in those days spake to his prophets either by dreams or by visions,
this last mode of revelation is here
mentioned.
There next follows the substance or
amount of the Divine oracle, That God had furnished with help the strong or
mighty one whom he had chosen to be the supreme head and governor of the
kingdom. David is called strong, not because naturally and in himself he
excelled in strength, (for, as is well known, he was of small stature, and
despised among his brethren, so that even Samuel passed him over with neglects)
but because God, after having chosen him, endued him with new strength, and
other distinguished qualities suitable for a king; even as in a parallel case,
when Christ chose his apostles, he not only honored them with the title, but at
the same time bestowed the gifts which were necessary for executing their
office. And at the present day he imparts to his ministers the same grace of his
Spirit. The strength of David, then, of which mention is here made, was the
effect of his election; for God, in creating him king, furnished him at the same
time with strength adequate for the preservation of the people. This appears
still more distinctly from the second clause, where this invincible strength is
traced to its source: I have
exalted one chosen from among the people.
All the words are emphatic. When God declares that he exalted him, it
is to intimate the low and mean condition in which David lived, unknown and
obscure, before God stretched out his hand to him. To the same effect is the
expression which follows, from
among the people. The meaning is, that
he was at that time unnoted, and belonged to the lowest class of the people, and
gave no indications of superior excellence, being the least esteemed of his
father's children, in whose country cottage he held the humble office of a
herdsman.
fc541 By the word chosen, God calls us
back to the consideration of his own free will, as if he forbade us to seek for
any other cause of David's exaltation than his own good
pleasure.
20.
I have found David my
servant. The prophet confirms the same
proposition, That there was nothing of royalty in David, who owed all to the
sovereignty of God in preventing him by his grace. Such is the import of the
word found, as if God had said, When I took him to elevate him, this
proceeded entirely from my free goodness. The name servant, therefore,
does not denote any merit, but is to be referred to the divine call. It is as if
God had said, that he confirmed and ratified by his authority the sovereign
power of David; and if He approved it, its legitimacy is placed beyond all
doubt. The second clause of the verse affords an additional confirmation of
God's free election: With my holy
oil have I anointed him. This anointing,
which was not the fruit of David's own policy, but which he obtained contrary to
all expectation, was the cause of his elevation to the estate of royalty. God
then having of himself, and according to his mere good pleasure, anticipated
David, that he might anoint him king by the hand of Samuel, he justly declares
that he found him. It is afterwards added, that he will be the
guardian and protector of this kingdom of which he was the founder; for it is
not his usual way to abandon his works after having commenced them, but, on the
contrary, to carry them forward by a continued process of improvement to their
completion.
22.
The enemy shall not exact
upon him.
fc542 Here it is declared in express
terms, that although David may not be without enemies, the power of God will be
always ready to maintain and defend him, that he may not be oppressed with
unrighteous violence. It is accordingly affirmed, that David will not be
tributary to his enemies, as he who is vanquished in battle is constrained to
grant such conditions of peace as his conqueror may dictate, however injurious
to himself these may be. When his enemies are called sons of iniquity, it
is tacitly intimated, that this government will be so exempt from tyranny and
extortion, that whoever shall attempt to overthrow it will be involved in the
perpetration of wrong and wickedness. The amount is, that David and his
successors will be so secure and strongly fortified by the divine protection,
that it will be impossible for their enemies to treat them as they would wish.
In regard to the fact, that God suffered this kingdom to be greatly afflicted,
so that David's successors were constrained to pay a vast amount of tribute to
foreign and heathen kings, it is not at variance with this promise; for,
although the power of the kingdom was reduced, it was enough that the root still
remained, until Christ came, in whose hand the kingdom was at length firmly
established. As both the king and the people wickedly rejected this singular
blessing of God, the kingdom was often shaken through their own default,
afterwards impaired, and finally ruined. Yet God, to confirm his oracle
concerning the perpetuity of this kingdom, ceased not all along to cherish and
preserve some hope, by contending against their ingratitude. Besides, when
mention is made of David's haters and oppressors, it is intimated,
that this throne will not be privileged with exemption from annoyances and
troubles, inasmuch as there will be always some who will rise up in hostility
against it, unless God set himself in opposition to them.
Psalm
89:24-29
24. My truth and my mercy
shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted. 25. And I
will set his hand in the sea, and his right hand in the
rivers.
fc543 26. He shall cry to me, Thou art
my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation. 27. I will also make him
my first-born,
fc544 higher than the kings of the earth.
28. And I will keep my mercy for him for ever, and my covenant shall
stand fast with him. 29. And I will establish his seed for ever, and his
throne as the days of
heaven.
24.
My truth and my mercy shall
be with him. God shows that he will
continue to exercise without intermission that grace which he had manifested
towards David at first. These words are as if he had said, that to prove himself
faithful to his word, he would be always gracious and bountiful. Thus We see
that God, not only at the outset, furnished David with testimonies of his
goodness, but that he always continued to deal with him in the same merciful
way. This has a reference to the whole Church of Christ, so that the divine
goodness is manifested in the whole course of our salvation, and not only at our
first entrance upon it, as these shufflers and sophists the Sorbonists foolishly
talk.
fc545 The horn of David denotes here,
as it often does in other places, his glory, dignity, and power. The meaning
therefore is, that by the grace of God, this kingdom shall always flourish and
prosper.
25.
And I will set his hand in the
sea. The vast extent of the kingdom is
here adverted to. As the people by their wickedness had, as it were, blocked up
the way, and intercepted the blessing of God, their inheritance was more limited
than the promise implied. But now God declares, that during the reign of David,
it will be again enlarged, so that the people shall possess the whole country,
from the sea even to the river Euphrates. From this we gather, that what God had
promised by Moses was fulfilled only in the person of David, that is to say,
from his time.
fc546 By the rivers may be understood,
either the Euphrates alone, which is cut into many channels, or the other
neighboring rivers on the coast of
Syria.
26.
He shall cry to me, Thou art my
Father. In this verse it is declared,
that the chief excellence of this king will consist in this, that he will be
accounted the Son of God. This indeed is a title of honor, which is applied to
all whom God ordains to be kings, as we have seen in a previous
psalm,
“I have said, Ye
are gods; and all of you are children of the Most
High:”
(<198206>Psalm
82:6)
but in the passage before us, something special is
expressed of the holy king whom God had chosen, and it is intended to say, that
he will be the son of God in a different sense. We shall immediately see in the
subsequent verse, how he is placed in a higher rank than the kings of the earth,
although they may sway the scepter over a larger extent of country. It was
therefore a privilege peculiar to only one king in this world, to be called the
Son of God. Had it been otherwise, the apostle reasoned not only inconclusively
but absurdly, in quoting this text as a proof of the doctrine, that Christ is
superior to the angels:
“I will be to him a
Father, and he shall be to me a
Son,”
(<580105>Hebrews
1:5.)
Angels, and kings, and all who are regenerated by the
Spirit of adoption, are called sons of God; but David, when God promises
to take him for his son, is, by singular prerogative, elevated above all others
to whom this designation is applied. This is still more apparent from the
following verse, in which he is called God's first-born, because he is
higher than all the kings of the earth; and this is an honor which transcends
all the dignity both of men and angels. If it is objected, that David being a
mortal man could not be equal to the angels, the obvious answer is, that if he
is considered in himself, he cannot justly be elevated to the same rank with
them, but with the highest propriety he may, in so far as for a time he
represented the person of Christ.
28.
And I will keep my mercy to him
for ever. We see how God frequently
repeats, that he had set up the kingdom of David with the express design of
establishing it for ever. By placing his mercy first in order, and then
adding his covenant, he points out the cause of this covenant, intimating
in one word, that it is gratuitous, and that his grace is not only the
foundation on which it rests, but also the cause why it is preserved inviolate.
The amount is, that God will be always merciful to David, in order that his
covenant may never fail. From this it follows, that its inviolability depends
upon the mere good pleasure of God. In the next verse, God expresses the effect
of his truth, declaring, that the posterity of David will sit for ever on the
royal throne. There being nothing under heaven of long continuance, the days
of heaven is an expression employed to denote everlasting duration. Whence
it follows, that this prophecy cannot have its full accomplishment in any till
we come to Christ, in whom alone, in the strict and proper sense, this
everlasting duration is to be
found.
Psalm
89:30-37
30. If his children shall
forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; 31. If they
violate
fc547 my ordinances, and keep not my
statutes; 32. Then will I visit their transgression with my
rod,
fc548 and their iniquity with stripes.
33. But my loving-kindness will I not withdraw from him; nor suffer my
faithfulness to fail, [literally, nor will I lie in my truth.] 34. My
covenant will I not break, nor alter that which hath proceeded from my lips.
35. Once have I sworn by my holiness, That I will not
lie
fc549 to David. 36. His seed shall
endure for ever; and his throne as the sun before me. 37. It shall be
established for ever as the moon, and a faithful witness in the
heaven.
fc550
Selah.
30.
If his children shall forsake my
law. The prophet proceeds yet farther,
declaring, that although the posterity of David should fall into sin, yet God
had promised to show himself merciful towards them, and that he would not punish
their transgressions to the full extent of their desert. Moreover, to give the
promise the greater efficacy, he always introduces God speaking, as if he
presented to him a request corresponding with the precise words and express
articles of his covenant.
fc551 It was very necessary that this should
be added; for so easily do we slide into evil, and so prone are we to continual
falls, that unless God, in the exercise of his infinite mercy, pardoned us,
there would not be a single article of his covenant which would continue
steadfast. God, therefore, seeing that it could not be otherwise, but that the
posterity of David, in so far as it depended upon themselves, would frequently
fall from the covenant, by their own fault, has provided a remedy for such
cases, in his pardoning grace.
Farther, as it is
profitable for men to be subjected to divine correction, he does not promise
that he will allow them to escape unpunished, which would be to encourage them
in their sins; but he promises, that in his chastisements he will exercise a
fatherly moderation, and will not execute vengeance upon them to the full extent
which their sins deserve. It is also to be observed, that he promises pardon,
not only for light offenses, but also for great and aggravated sins. It is not
without cause that he uses these forms of expression,
to forsake his law, to violate
his statutes, not to walk in his judgments,
and not to keep his
commandments. Nor is it without cause
that he uses the word transgression, or perfidiousness, and iniquity.
We see, then, that the patience and lenity of God, by which he reconciles to
himself the posterity of David, is extended even to sins of the most heinous and
aggravated description.
This passage teaches us,
that when God adopts men into his family, they do not forthwith completely lay
aside the flesh with its corruptions, as is held by some enthusiasts, who dream,
that as soon as we are grafted into the body of Christ, all the corruption that
is in us must be destroyed. Would to God that we could all on a sudden change
our nature, and thus exhibit that angelic perfection which they require! But as
it is quite apparent, that we are far from such an attainment, so long as we
carry about with us this tabernacle of flesh, let us bid adieu to that devilish
figment, and let us all betake ourselves to the sanctuary of forgiveness, which
is at all times open for us. God, unquestionably, is speaking of the household
of his Church; and yet it is declared, with sufficient plainness, in the promise
which he makes of pardoning their offenses, that they will transgress and be
guilty of revolting from him.
To limit what is
here said to the ancient people of Israel, is an exposition not only absurd, but
altogether impious. In the first place, I take it as a settled point, which we
have already had occasion often to consider, that this kingdom was erected to be
a figure or shadow in which God might represent the Mediator to his Church: and
this can be proved, not only from the testimony of Christ and the apostles, but
it may also be clearly and indubitably deduced from the thing considered in
itself. If we set Christ aside, where will we find that everlasting duration of
the royal throne of which mention is here made? The second from David, in the
order of succession, was despoiled of the greater part of the kingdom, so that
out of twelve tribes he retained scarcely one tribe and a half. Afterwards, how
many losses did this kingdom thus greatly reduced sustain, and by how many
calamities was it defaced, until at length the king and the whole body of the
people were dragged into captivity, with the utmost ignominy and reproach? And I
pray you to consider where was the dignity of the throne, when the king, after
his sons were put to death before his eyes, was himself treated as a criminal?
(<122507>2
Kings 25:7.) The Jews were indeed afterwards permitted to dwell in their own
country; but it was without the honor and title of a kingdom. Accordingly,
Ezekiel
(<262127>Ezekiel
21:27) declares thrice, that the crown shall be laid in the dust, “until
he come whose right it is.” The obvious conclusion then is, that
perpetuity, as applied to this kingdom, can be verified in Christ alone. And, in
fact, what access could the Jews of old time have had to God, or what access
could we in the present day have to him, did not the Mediator come between us
and him, to cause us find favor in his sight?
It
now remains that we apply to ourselves the qualities of this kingdom of which we
have been speaking. As its everlasting duration leads us to the hope of a
blessed immortality, and its invincible strength inspires our minds with
tranquillity, and prevents our faith from failing, notwithstanding all the
efforts which Satan may put forth against us, and notwithstanding the numerous
forms of death which may surround us; so the pardon which is here promised
belongs to the spiritual kingdom of Christ: and it may be equally gathered from
this passage, that the salvation of the Church depends solely upon the grace of
God, and the truth of his promises. If it is objected, that those who are
regenerated by the Spirit of God never totally fall away, because the
incorruptible seed of the word abides in them, I grant that this is an important
truth. It is not, however, a total apostasy which is here spoken of — not
such as implies the entire extinction of godliness in the individual chargeable
with it. But it sometimes happens that the faithful cast off the yoke of God,
and break forth into sin in such a manner, as that the fear of God seems to be
extinguished in them; and such being the case, it was necessary that He should
promise the pardon even of heinous sins, that they might not upon every fall be
overwhelmed with despair. Thus David seemed, to outward appearance, to be wholly
deprived of the Spirit of God, whom he prays to be restored to him. The reason
why God leaves hope of pardon even for detestable and deadly transgressions is,
that the enormity of our sins may not keep us back or hinder us from seeking
reconciliation with him. From this, we are led to condemn the undue severity of
the fathers, who scrupled to receive to repentance those who had fallen for the
second or third time. Due care must indeed be taken lest, by too great
forbearance, loose reins should be given to men to commit iniquity; but there is
no less danger in an extreme degree of rigour. It is to be observed, that when
God declares that he will show himself merciful towards sinners, who have
violated his law, and broken his commandments, he purposely employs these odious
terms to excite our hatred and detestation of sin, and not to entice us to the
commission of it. Still, however, we must understand the passage as amounting to
this, That although the faithful may not in every instance act in a manner
worthy of the grace of God, and may therefore deserve to be rejected by him, yet
he will be merciful to them, because remission of sins is an essential article
promised in his covenant. And, indeed, as God in his law requires us to perform
what exceeds our power, all that he promises in it is of no avail to us, to whom
it can never be accomplished. Hence Paul, in
<450414>Romans
4:14, affirms, “If the inheritance come by the law, faith is made void,
and the promise made of none effect.” To this also belong these words of
Jeremiah,
“Behold, the days
come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel,
and with the house of Judah; not according to the covenant that I made with
their fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the
land of Egypt; (which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto
them, saith the Lord;) but this shall be the covenant that I will make with the
house of Israel: After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their
inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they
shall be my people. I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin
no more.”
(<243131>Jeremiah
31:31-34)
Farther, since God does not adopt us
as his children, to encourage us to take liberty to commit sin with the greater
boldness, mention is here made at the same time of chastisement, by which he
shows that he hates the sins of his children, and, warning them of what they
have deserved in offending him, invites and exhorts them to repentance. This
fatherly chastisement then, which operates as medicine, holds the medium between
undue indulgence, which is an encouragement to sin, and extreme severity, which
precipitates persons into destruction. Here the inspired writer adverts to the
prophecy recorded in
<100714>2
Samuel 7:14, where God declares that in chastising his own people, he will
proceed after the manner of men —
“If he commit iniquity, I
will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of
men.”
(<100714>2
Samuel 7:14)
God there speaks of his chastising
his people after the manner of men, either because the anger of a father in
correcting his children proceeds from love, — for he sees that otherwise
he would fail in promoting their good; or it contains a contrast between God and
men, implying, that in the task of chastising he will proceed with moderation
and gentleness; for, were he to put forth his strength, he would immediately
bring us to nothing, yea, he could do this simply by moving one of his fingers.
The scope of both passages undoubtedly is, that whenever God punishes the sins
of true believers, he will observe a wholesome moderation; and it is therefore
our duty to take all the punishments which he inflicts upon us, as so many
medicines. On this point, the Papists have egregiously blundered. Not
understanding the true end and fruit of chastisements, they have imagined that
God proceeds herein as if avenging himself upon sinners. Whence arose their
satisfactions, and from these again proceeded pardons and indulgences, by which
they endeavored to redeem themselves from the hand and vengeance of
God.
fc552 But God has nothing else in view than
to correct the vices of his children, in order that, after having thoroughly
purged them, he may restore them anew to his favor and friendship; according to
the words of Paul in
<461133>1
Corinthians 11:33, which affirm that the faithful “are chastened of the
Lord, that they should not be condemned with the world.” For this reason,
lest they should be overwhelmed with the weight of chastisement, he restrains
his hand, and makes considerate allowance for their infirmity. Thus the promise
is fulfilled, That he does not
withdraw his loving-kindness from his
people, even when he is angry with them; for, while he is correcting them for
their profit and salvation, he does not cease to love them. It is, however, to
be observed, that there is a change of person in the words. After it is said,
If his children shall forsake my
law, etc., it is at length
subjoined, My loving-kindness or
mercy will I not withdraw from Him. It ought
surely to have been said, them instead of him, since it is
children in the plural number who are before spoken of. But it is very
probable that this form of expression is purposely employed to teach us that we
are reconciled to God only through Christ; and that if we would expect to find
mercy, we must seek for it from that source alone. What follows in the end of
the verse, I will not suffer my
faithfulness to fail, is more emphatic
than if it had been said that God will be true to what he has said. It is
possible that God's promise may fail of taking effect, and yet he may continue
faithful. For example, the law is true and holy, and yet of what advantage is it
to us that salvation is promised in the law, when no human being can ever obtain
salvation by it? God then in this passage leads us farther; promising that his
covenant shall be steadfast and effectual, not only because he will be faithful
on his part, but also because he will keep his people from falling away through
their own inconstancy.
34.
My covenant will I not
break. As the true knowledge of God's
mercy can only be obtained from his word, he enjoins us to keep our eyes
intently fixed upon his covenant. The more excellent and invaluable a blessing
it is, “Never to be rejected after having been once adopted by him,”
the more difficult it is for us to believe its truth. And we know how many
thoughts from time to time present themselves to our minds, tempting us to call
it in question. That the faithful, therefore, may not harass themselves beyond
measure in debating in their own minds whether or no they are in favor with God,
they are enjoined to look to the covenant, and to embrace the salvation which is
offered to them in it. God here commends to us his own faithfulness, that we may
account his promise sufficient, and that we may not seek the certainty of our
salvation any where else. He had said
above, If the children of David
break my statutes; and now, alluding to
that breach, he declares that he will not requite them as they requite
him, My covenant will I not
break, implying, that although his people may
not altogether act in a manner corresponding to their vocation, as they ought to
do, he will not suffer his covenant to be broken and disannulled on account of
their fault, because he will promptly and effectually prevent this in the way of
blotting out their sins by a gratuitous pardon. He is still pursuing the
illustration of the preceding proposition,
I will not suffer my faithfulness
to fail; promising not only to be
faithful on his side, as we say, but also that what he has promised shall take
full effect, in despite of all the impediments which men may cast in the way;
for he will strive against their sins, that by means of them the fruit of his
goodness may not be prevented from reaching them. When the Jews, by their
ingratitude and treachery, revolted from him, the covenant was not disannulled,
because it was founded upon the perfect immutability of his nature. And still,
at the present day, when our sins mount even to the heavens, the goodness of God
fails not to rise above them, since it is far above the
heavens.
35.
Once have I sworn by my
holiness. God now confirms by an oath
what he previously stated he had promised to David; from which it appears that
it was not a matter of small importance; it being certain that God would not
interpose his holy name in reference to what was of no consequence. It is a
token of singular loving-kindness for him, upon seeing us prone to distrust, to
provide a remedy for it so compassionately. We have, therefore, so much the less
excuse if we do not embrace, with true and unwavering faith, his promise which
is so strongly ratified, since in his deep interest about our salvation, he does
not withhold his oath, that we may yield entire credence to his word. If we do
not reckon his simple promise sufficient, he adds his oath, as it were, for a
pledge. The adverb once,
fc553 denotes that the oath is
irrevocable, and that therefore we have not the least reason to be apprehensive
of any inconstancy. He affirms that he sware by his holiness, because a
greater than himself is not to be found, by whom he could swear. In swearing by
Him, we constitute him our judge, and place him as sovereign over us, even as he
is our sovereign by nature. It is a more emphatic manner of expression for him
to say, by my holiness, than if he had said, by myself, not only
because it magnifies and exalts his glory, but also because it is far more
fitted for the confirmation of faith, calling back, as it does, the faithful to
the earthly habitation which he had chosen for himself, that they might not
think it necessary for them to seek him at a distance; for by the term
holiness, I have no doubt, he means the sanctuary. And yet he
swears by himself, and by nothing else; for, in naming the temple which he had
appointed as his seat, he does not depart from himself; but, merely
accommodating his language to our rude understandings, swears by his holiness
which dwells visibly upon earth. With respect to the elliptical form of the
oath, we have seen, in a previous psalm, that this was a manner of swearing
quite common among the Hebrews. Thus they were warned that the name of God was
not to be used without due consideration, lest, by using it rashly and
irreverently, they should draw down upon themselves the Divine vengeance. The
abrupt and suspended form of expression was, as it were, a bridle to restrain
them, and give them opportunity for reflection. It is no uncommon thing for God
to borrow something from the common custom of
men.
36.
His seed shall endure for ever.
There now follows the promise that the right of
sovereignty shall always remain with the posterity of David. These two things
— his offspring and his throne, are conjoined; and by these words the
everlasting duration of the kingdom is promised, so that it should never pass to
those who were of a strange and different race. The sun and the moon are
produced as witnesses; for although they are creatures subject to corruption,
they yet possess more stability than the earth or air; the elements, as we see,
being subject to continual changes. As the whole of this lower world is subject
to unceasing agitation and change, there is presented to us a more steadfast
state of things in the sun and moon, that the kingdom of David might not be
estimated according to the common order of nature. Since, however, this royal
throne was shaken in the time of Rehoboam, as we have before had occasion to
remark, and afterwards broken down and overthrown, it follows that this prophecy
cannot be limited to David. For although at length the outward majesty of this
kingdom was put an end to without hope of being re-established, the sun ceased
not to shine by day, nor the moon by night. Accordingly, until we come to
Christ, God might seem to be unfaithful to his promises. But in the branch which
sprung from the root of Jesse, these words were fulfilled in their fullest
sense.
fc554
Psalm
89:38-45
38. But thou hast abhorred
and rejected him; thou hast been angry against thy anointed. 39. Thou
hast made the covenant of thy servant to
cease;
fc555 thou hast profaned his crown to the
earth. 40. Thou hast broken down all his walls; thou hast made his
fortresses a ruin. 41. All who pass by the way have spoiled him: he has
been a reproach to his neighbors. 42. Thou hast exalted the right hand of
his oppressors; thou hast caused all his enemies to rejoice. 43. Thou
hast also blunted the edge of his sword, and hast not made him to stand in
battle. 44. Thou hast effaced his splendor, and cast his throne to the
ground. 45. Thou hast shortened the days of his youth; thou hast covered
him with shame. Selah.
38.
But thou hast abhorred and
rejected him. Here the prophet complains
that in consequence of the decayed state of the kingdom, the prophecy appeared
to have failed of its accomplishment. Not that he accuses God of falsehood; but
he speaks in this manner, that he may with all freedom cast his cares and griefs
into the bosom of God, who permits us to deal thus familiarly with him. It
doubtless becomes us to frame our desires according to the divine will; but that
person cannot be said to pass beyond due bounds who humbly laments that he is
deprived of the tokens of the divine favor, provided be does not despair, or
rebelliously murmur against God; and we shall afterwards see that the prophet,
when he blesses God at the close of the psalm, affords a proof of tranquil
submission, by which he corrects or qualifies his complaints. Whoever,
therefore, that Rabbin was who maintained that it is unlawful to recite this
psalm, he was led by a foolish and impious peevishness to condemn what God bears
with in his children. In taking this liberty of expostulating with God, the
prophet had no other object in view than that he might the more effectually
resist distrust and impatience, by unburdening himself in the divine presence.
Farther, the words, Thou hast
abhorred and rejected him, if criticised
according to the rules of the Greek and Latin language, will be pronounced
inelegant; for the word which is most emphatic is put first, and then there is
added another which is less emphatic. But as the Hebrews do not observe our
manner of arrangement in this respect, the order here adopted is quite
consistent with the idiom of the Hebrew language. The third verb contains the
reason of this change on the part of God, teaching us that the king was rejected
because God was incensed against him. It is thought by some that there is here a
recital of the mockery in which the enemies of the chosen people indulged, an
opinion which they adopt to avoid the difficulty arising from viewing this
severe kind of complaint, as uttered by the Church, which proved such a
stumbling-block to the Rabbin above referred to, that on account of it he
condemned the whole psalm. But it is to be observed, that the prophet speaks
according to the common feeling and apprehension of men; while at the same time
he was fully convinced in his own mind, that the king who had been once chosen
by God could not be rejected by him.
In the same
sense we ought to understand what follows (verse 39) concerning the disannulling
of the covenant — Thou hast
made the covenant of thy servant to cease.
The prophet does not charge God with levity and inconstancy: he only
complains that those notable promises of which he had spoken had to appearance
vanished and come to nought. Whenever the faithful put the
question,
“How long
wilt thou forget me, O Lord?” “Awake, why sleepest thou, O
Lord?”
(<191301>Psalm
13:1; 44:23; 79:5,)
they assuredly are not to be understood as
attributing forgetfulness or sleep to him: they only lay before him the
temptations which flesh and blood suggest to them in order to induce him
speedily to succor them under the infirmity with which they are distressed. It
is not then wonderful, though the prophet, amidst such horrible desolation, was
affected by the infirmities to which human nature is so liable in such
circumstances, and thus prompted to make the assertion, that what God promised
was far from being manifestly realised. When he saw all things going contrary to
the Divine promise, he was not a man so steel-hearted as to remain unmoved at so
pitiable and confused a spectacle. But coming freely into the Divine presence,
he seeks a remedy that he might not be swallowed up with sorrow, which would
have been the case had he indulged in secret repining, and neglected this means
of alleviation. What is added in the close of the verse,
Thou hast cast his crown to the
earth, does not seem to apply to the
time of Rehoboam, unless, perhaps, the dismemberment of the kingdom may be
denoted by the casting of the crown to the earth. The statements which are made
immediately after must necessarily be referred to some greater calamity. If this
is admitted, the author of the psalm must have been a different person from
Ethan, who was one of the four wise men, of whom mention is made in the sacred
history,
(<120431>2
Kings 4:31.) In so doubtful a case, I leave every one to adopt the conjecture
which appears to him the most
probable.
40.
Thou hast broken down all his
walls. The prophet, although he might easily
have found another cause to which to impute the breaking down and razing of the
fortifications, yet under the influence of devout and sanctified feeling
acknowledges God to be the author of this calamity; being fully convinced that
men could not at their pleasure have destroyed the kingdom which God had set up
had not the Divine anger been kindled. Afterwards speaking metaphorically, he
complains that the kingdom was exposed as a prey to all passers-by, resembling a
field or garden, of which the walls were broken down, and the ground laid open
to depredation. As an aggravation of a calamity which in itself was sufficiently
grievous, the additional indignity is brought forward, that the king was a
reproach to his neighbors. The worldly and the profane, there can be no
doubt, finding an opportunity so much according to their wishes, derided him,
saying, Is this that king of God's choice, a king more excellent than the
angels, and whose throne was to continue as long as the sun and the moon should
endure? As these railings recoiled upon God himself, the prophet justly
complains of the reproachful derision with which God's Anointed was treated,
whose dignity and royal estate were ratified and confirmed by heavenly
anointing.
42.
Thou hast exalted the right hand of his
oppressors. Here he states that God took
part with the enemies of the king; for he was well aware that these enemies
could not have prevailed but by the will of God, who inspires some with courage,
and renders others faint-hearted. In short, in proportion to the number of the
calamities which had befallen the chosen people, was the number of the evidences
of their having been forsaken by God; for, so long as he continued his favor,
the whole world, by all their machinations, were unable to impair the stability
of that kingdom. Had it been said that the enemies of the king obtained the
victory, the statement would have been quite true; but it would not have been a
mode of expression so obviously fitted to exalt the Divine power; as it might
have been thought that men setting themselves in opposition to God had, by their
own power, forced their way, and effected their purpose, even against those who
enjoyed his protection. Accordingly, the prophet reflects with himself, that
unless the Divine anger had been incensed, that kingdom which God had erected
could not have been reduced to a condition so extremely
wretched.
45.
Thou hast shortened the days of
his youth. Some would explain this
sentence as meaning, that God had weakened the king, so that he faded or
withered away at his very entrance upon the flower of youth, and was exhausted
with old age before reaching the period of
manhood.
fc556 This exposition may be regarded as not
improbable; but still it is to be observed, in order to our having a clearer
understanding of the mind of the prophet, that he does not speak exclusively of
any one individual, but compares the state of the kingdom to the life of man.
His complaint then amounts to this, That God caused the kingdom to wax old, and
finally to decay, before it reached a state of complete maturity; its fate
resembling that of a young man, who, while yet increasing in strength and vigor,
is carried away by a violent death before his time. This similitude is highly
appropriate; for the kingdom, if we compare the state of it at that period with
the Divine promise, had scarce yet fully unfolded its blossom, when, amidst its
first advances, suddenly smitten with a grievous decay, its freshness and beauty
were defaced, while at length it vanished away. Moreover, what we have
previously stated must be borne in mind, that when the prophet complains that
the issue does not correspond with the promise, or is not such as the promise
led the chosen people to expect, he does not, on that account, charge God with
falsehood, but brings forward this apparent discrepancy for another purpose
— to encourage himself, from the consideration of the Divine promises, to
come to the throne of grace with the greater confidence and boldness; and, while
he urged this difficulty before God, he was fully persuaded that it was
impossible for Him not to show himself faithful to his word. As the majority of
men drink up their sorrow and keep it to themselves, because they despair of
deriving any benefit from prayer so true believers, the more frankly and
familiarly they appeal to God in reference to his promises, the more valiantly
do they wrestle against their distrust, and encourage themselves in the hope of
a favorable issue.
Psalm
89:46-48
46. How long, O Jehovah?
wilt thou hide thyself for ever? shall thy fury burn like fire? 47.
Remember of what age I am!
fc557 why shouldst thou have created all the
sons of men in vain?
fc558 48. What man shall live, and
shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul [or life] from the hand of the
grave?
fc559
Selah.
46.
How long, O Jehovah? wilt thou
hide thyself for ever? After having
poured forth his complaints respecting the sad and calamitous condition of the
Church, the Psalmist now turns himself to prayer. Whence it follows that the
language of lamentation to which he had hitherto given utterance, although it
emanated from carnal sense, was nevertheless conjoined with faith. Unbelievers,
in the agitation of trouble, may sometimes engage in prayer, yet whatever they
ask proceeds from feigned lips. But the prophet, by connecting prayer with his
complaints, bears testimony that he had never lost his confidence in the truth
of the Divine promises. With respect to this manner of expression, How long,
for ever? we have spoken on Psalm 79:5, where we have shown that it denotes
a long and continued succession of calamities. Moreover, by asking How long
God will hide himself, he tacitly intimates that all will be well as soon as
God is pleased to look upon his chosen people with a benignant countenance. In
the second clause of the verse, he again mentions as the reason why God did not
vouchsafe to look upon them with paternal favor, that his anger was incensed
against them. The obvious conclusion from which is, that all the afflictions
endured by us proceed from our sins; these being the scourges of an offended
God.
47.
Remember how short my time is. After
having confessed that the severe and deplorable afflictions which had befallen
the Church were to be traced to her own sins as the procuring cause, the
prophet, the more effectually to move God to commiseration, lays before him the
brevity of human life, in which, if we receive no taste of the Divine goodness,
it will seem that we have been created in vain. That we may understand the
passage the more clearly, it will be better to begin with the consideration of
the last member of the verse, Why
shouldst thou have created all the sons of men in
vain? The faithful, in putting this
question, proceed upon an established first principle, That God has created men
and placed them in the world, to show himself a father to them. And, indeed, as
his goodness extends itself even to the cattle and lower animals of every
kind,
fc560 it cannot for a moment be supposed,
that we, who hold a higher rank in the scale of being than the brute creation,
should be wholly deprived of it. Upon the contrary supposition, it were better
for us that we had never been born, than to languish away in continual sorrow.
There is, moreover, set forth the brevity of the course of our life; which is so
brief, that unless God make timely haste in giving us some taste of his
benefits, the opportunity for doing this will be lost, since our life passes
rapidly away. The drift of this verse is now very obvious. In the first place,
it is laid down as a principle, That the end for which men were created was,
that they should enjoy God's bounty in the present world; and from this it is
concluded that they are born in vain, unless he show himself a father towards
them. In the second place, as the course of this life is short, it is argued
that if God does not make haste to bless them, the opportunity will no longer be
afforded when their life shall have run out.
But
here it may be said, in the first place, that the saints take too much upon them
in prescribing to God a time in which to work; and, in the next place, that
although he afflict us with continual distresses, so long as we are in our state
of earthly pilgrimage, yet there is no ground to conclude from this that we have
been created in vain, since there is reserved for us a better life in heaven, to
the hope of which we have been adopted; and that, therefore, it is not
surprising though now our life is hidden from us on earth. I answer, That it is
by the permission of God that the saints take this liberty of urging him in
their prayers to make haste; and that there is no impropriety in doing so,
provided they, at the same time, keep themselves within the bounds of modesty,
and, restraining the impetuosity of their affections, yield themselves wholly to
his will. With respect to the second point, I grant that it is quite true, that
although we must continue to drag out our life amidst continual distresses, we
have abundant consolation to aid us in bearing all our afflictions, provided we
lift up our minds to heaven. But still it is to be observed, in the first place,
that it is certain, considering our great weakness, that no man will ever do
this unless he has first tasted of the Divine goodness in this life; and,
secondly, that the complaints of the people of God ought not to be judged of
according to a perfect rule, because they proceed not from a settled and an
undisturbed state of mind, but have always some excess arising from the
impetuosity or vehemence of the affections at work in their minds. I at once
allow that the man who measures the love of God from the state of things as
presently existing, judges by a standard which must lead to a false
conclusion;
“for whom the Lord
loveth he chasteneth,”
(<581206>Hebrews
12:6.)
But as God is never so severe towards his own people
as not to furnish them with actual experimental evidence of his grace, it stands
always true that life is profitless to men, if they do not feel, while they
live, that He is their father.
As to the second
clause of the verse, it has been stated elsewhere that our prayers do not flow
in one uniform course, but sometimes betray an excess of sorrow. It is,
therefore, not to be wondered at that the faithful, when immoderate sorrow or
fear occupies their thoughts and keeps fast hold of them, experience such
inattention stealing by degrees upon them, as to make them for a time forget to
keep their minds fixed in meditation upon the life to come. Many think it very
unaccountable, if the children of God do not, the first moment they begin to
think, immediately penetrate into heaven, as if thick mists did not often
intervene to impede or hinder us when we would look attentively into it. For
faith to lose its liveliness is one thing, and for it to be utterly extinguished
is another. And, doubtless, whoever is exercised in the judgments of God, and in
conflict with temptations, will acknowledge that he is not so mindful of the
spiritual life as he ought to be. Although then the question,
Why shouldst thou have created
all the sons of men in vain? is deduced
from a true principle, yet it savours somewhat of a faulty excess. Whence it
appears that even in our best framed prayers, we have always need of pardon.
There always escapes from us some language or sentiment chargeable with excess,
and therefore it is necessary for God to overlook or bear with our
infirmity.
48.
What man shall live, and shall
not see death? This verse contains a
confirmation of what has been already stated concerning the brevity of human
life. The amount is, that unless God speedily hasten to show himself a father to
men, the opportunity of causing them to experience his grace will no longer
exist. The original word
rbg,
geber, which we have translated man, is derived from the verb
rbg,
gabar, he was strong, or he prevailed; and the sacred writer
employs this word, the more forcibly to express the truth, that no man is
privileged with exemption from the dominion of
death.
Psalm
89:49-52
49. O Lord! where are thy
former mercies? thou hast sworn to David in thy truth. 50. O Lord!
Remember the reproach of thy servants: I have sustained in my bosom all the
reproaches of mighty peoples; 51. With which thy enemies, O Jehovah! have
reproached thee; with which they have reproached the footsteps of thy Messiah,
[or thy Anointed.] 52. Blessed be Jehovah for ever! Amen, and
Amen.
49.
O Lord! where are thy former
mercies? The prophet encourages himself,
by calling to remembrance God's former benefits, as if his reasoning were, That
God can never be unlike himself, and that therefore the goodness which he
manifested in old time to the fathers cannot come to an end. This comparison
might indeed make the godly despond, when they find that they are not dealt with
by him so gently as he dealt with the fathers, did not another consideration at
the same time present itself to their minds — the consideration that he
never changes, and never wearies in the course of his beneficence. As to the
second clause of the verse, some interpreters connect it with the first, by
interposing the relative, thus: —
Where are thy former
mercies which
thou hast
sworn? In this I readily acquiesce; for
the sense is almost the same, although the relative be omitted. God had given
evident and indubitable proofs of the truth of the oracle delivered to
Samuel;
fc561 and, therefore, the faithful lay before
him both his promise and the many happy fruits of it which had been experienced.
They say, in truth, that they may with the greater confidence apply to
themselves, whatever tokens of his liberality God had in old time bestowed upon
the fathers; for they had the same ground to expect the exercise of the Divine
goodness towards them as the fathers had, God, who is unchangeably the same,
having sworn to be merciful to the posterity of David throughout all
ages.
50.
O Lord! remember the reproach of
thy servants. They again allege, that
they are held in derision by the ungodly, — a consideration which had no
small influence in moving God to compassion: for the more grievous and
troublesome a temptation it is, to have the wicked deriding our patience, that,
after having made us believe that God is not true in what he has promised, they
may precipitate us into despair; the more ready is he to aid us, that our feeble
minds may not yield to the temptation. The prophet does not simply mean that the
reproaches of his enemies are to him intolerable, but that God must repress
their insolence in deriding the faith and patience of the godly, in order that
those who trust in him may not be put to shame. He enhances still more the same
sentiment in the second clause, telling us, that he was assailed with all kind
of reproaches by many peoples, or by the great peoples, for the
Hebrew word
µybr,
rabbim, signifies both great and
many.
Moreover, it is not without cause,
that, after having spoken in general of the servants of God, he changes the
plural into the singular number. He does this, that each of the faithful in
particular may be the more earnestly stirred up to the duty of prayer. The
expression, in my bosom, is very emphatic. It is as if he had said, The
wicked do not throw from a distance their insulting words, but they vomit them,
so to speak, upon the children of God, who are thus constrained to receive them
into their bosom, and to bear patiently this base treatment. Such is the
perversity of the time in which we live, that we have need to apply the same
doctrine to ourselves; for the earth is full of profane and proud despisers of
God, who cease not to make themselves merry at our expense. And as Satan is a
master well qualified to teach them this kind of rhetoric, the calamities of the
Church always furnish them with matter for exercising it. Some take bosom
for the secret affection of the heart; but this exposition seems to be too
refined.
51.
With which thy enemies, O
Jehovah! have reproached thee. What the
Psalmist now affirms is, not that the wicked torment the saints with their
contumelious language, but that they revile even God himself. And he makes this
statement, because it is a much more powerful plea for obtaining favor in the
sight of God, to beseech him to maintain his own cause, because all the
reproaches by which the simplicity of our faith is held up to scorn recoil upon
himself, than to beseech him to do this, because he is wounded in the person of
his Church; according as he declares in
Isaiah,
“Whom hast thou
reproached and blasphemed; and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and
lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.”
(<233723>Isaiah
37:23)
That wicked robber Rabshakeh thought that
he scoffed only at the wretched Jews whom he besieged, and whose surrender of
themselves into his hands he believed he would soon witness; but God took it as
if he himself had been the object whom that wicked man directly assailed. On
this account also, the prophet calls these enemies of his people the enemies
of God; namely, because in persecuting the Church with deadly hostility,
they made an assault upon the majesty of God, under whose protection the Church
was placed.
In the second clause, by the
footsteps of Messiah or Christ is meant the coming of Christ, even as
it is said in
<235207>Isaiah
52:7,
“How beautiful upon the
mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth
peace!”
(<235207>Isaiah
52:7)
The Hebrew word
bq[,
akeb, sometimes signifies the heel; but here, as in many other
passages, it signifies the sole of the foot. Others translate it the
pace or step, but this gives exactly the same sense. There can be no
doubt, that footsteps, by the figure synecdoche, is employed to denote
the feet; and again, that by the feet, according to the figure
metonomy, is meant the coming of Christ. The wicked, observing that the Jews
clung to the hope of redemption, and patiently endured all adversities because a
deliverer had been promised them, disdainfully derided their patience, as if all
that the prophets had testified concerning the coming of Christ had been only a
fable.
fc562 And now also, although he has been once
manifested to the world, yet as, in consequence of his having been received up
into the glory of heaven, he seems to be far distant from us, and to have
forsaken his Church, these filthy dogs scoff at our hope, as if it were a mere
delusion.
52.
Blessed be Jehovah for
ever! I am surprised why some
interpreters should imagine, that this verse was added by some transcriber in
copying the book, affirming, that it does not correspond with the context: as if
the language of praise and thanksgiving to God were not as suitable at the close
of a psalm as at the opening of it. I have therefore no doubt, that the prophet,
after having freely bewailed the calamities of the Church, now, with the view of
allaying the bitterness of his grief, purposely breaks forth into the language
of praise. As to the words Amen, and Amen, I readily grant, that they are
here employed to distinguish the book.
fc563 But whoever composed this psalm, there
is no doubt, that by these words of rejoicing, the design of the writer was to
assuage the greatness of his grief in the midst of his heavy afflictions, that
he might entertain the livelier hope of deliverance.
PSALM
90
As Moses is about to treat as well of the brevity and
miseries of human life, as of the punishments inflicted upon the people of
Israel, in order to minister some consolation for assuaging the grief and fear
which the faithful might have entertained upon observing the operation of the
common law, to which all mankind are subject, and especially, upon considering
their own afflictions, he opens the psalm by speaking of the peculiar grace
which God had vouchsafed to his chosen tribes. He next briefly recites, how
wretched the condition of men is, if they allow their hearts to rest in this
world, especially when God summons them as guilty sinners to his judgment seat.
And after he has bewailed, that even the children of Abraham had experienced for
a time such severity, that they were almost consumed with sorrow, confiding in
God's free favor, by which He had adopted them to himself, he prays that He
would deal towards them in a merciful and gracious manner, as he had done in
times past, and that he would continue even to the end the ordinary course of
his grace.
A Prayer of Moses,
the man of God.
It is uncertain whether this psalm was composed by
Moses, or whether some one of the prophets framed it into a song for the use of
the people, from a formula of prayer written by Moses, and handed down from age
to age. It is, however, highly probable, that it is not without some ground
ascribed to Moses in the title; and since psalms were in use even in his time, I
have no doubt that he was its author.
fc564 Some maintain that the reason why his
name appears in the inscription is, that it was sung by his posterity; but I
cannot see why they should have recourse to such a groundless conceit. The
epithet, The man of God, given to Moses, which is immediately added,
clearly confutes them.
fc565 This honorable designation is expressly
applied to him, that his doctrine may have the greater authority. If conjectures
are to be admitted, it is probable, that when the time of his death drew near,
he endited this prayer to assuage the prolonged sorrow under which the people
had almost pined away, and to comfort their hearts, under the accumulation of
adversities with which they were oppressed. Although the wonderful goodness of
God shone brightly in their deliverance from Egypt, which, burying the miseries
formerly endured by them, might have filled them with joy; yet we know that,
soon after, it was extinguished by their ingratitude; so that for the space of
not less than forty years, they were consumed with continual languor in the
wilderness. It was therefore very seasonable for Moses at that time to beseech
God that he would deal mercifully and gently with his people, according to the
number of the years in which he had afflicted them.
Psalm
90:1-2
1. O Lord! thou hast been our
dwelling-place, from generation to generation. 2. Before the mountains
were brought forth, and before thou hadst formed the earth and the
world,
fc566 even from everlasting to everlasting,
thou art God.
1.
O Lord! thou hast been our dwelling-place.
In separating the seed of Abraham by special privilege from the rest of the
human family, the Psalmist magnifies the grace of adoption, by which God had
embraced them as his children. The object which he has in view in this exordium
is, that God would now renew the grace which he had displayed in old time
towards the holy patriarchs, and continue it towards their offspring. Some
commentators think that he alludes to the tabernacle, because in it the majesty
of God was not less conspicuous than if he had dwelt in the midst of the people;
but this seems to me to be altogether out of place. He rather comprehends the
whole time in which the Fathers sojourned in the land of Canaan. As the
tabernacle had not yet continued for the space of forty years, the long duration
here mentioned — our
dwelling-place from generation to generation
— would not at all be applicable to it. It is not then intended
to recount what God showed himself to be towards the Israelites from the time
that he delivered them from Egypt; but what their fathers had experienced him to
be in all ages, even from the
beginning.
fc567 Now it is declared that as they had
always been pilgrims and wanderers, so God was to them instead of a
dwelling-place. No doubt, the condition of all men is unstable upon earth; but
we know that Abraham and his posterity were, above all others, sojourners, and
as it were exiles. Since, then, they wandered in the land of Canaan till they
were brought into Egypt, where they lived only by sufferance from day to day, it
was necessary for them to seek for themselves a dwelling-place under the shadow
of God, without which they could hardly be accounted inhabitants of the world,
since they continued everywhere strangers, and were afterwards led about through
many windings and turnings. The grace which the Lord displayed in sustaining
them in their wanderings, and shielding them with his hand when they sojourned
among savage and cruel nations, and were exposed to injurious treatment at their
hands — this grace is extolled by Moses in very striking terms, when he
represents God as an abode or dwelling-place to these poor fugitives who were
continually wandering from one place to another in quest of lodgings. This grace
he magnifies from the length of time during which it had been exercised; for God
ceased not to preserve and defend them for the space of more than four hundred
years, during which time they dwelt under the wings of his protection.
2.
Before the mountains were
brought forth. Moses designs to set
forth some high and hidden mystery, and yet he seems to speak feebly, and, as it
were, in a puerile manner. For who does not know that God existed before the
world? This we grant is a truth which all men admit; but we will scarcely find
one in a hundred who is thoroughly persuaded that God remains unchangeably the
same. God is here contrasted with created beings, who, as all know, are subject
to continual changes, so that there is nothing stable under heaven. As, in a
particular manner, nothing is fuller of vicissitude than human life, that men
may not judge of the nature of God by their own fluctuating condition, he is
here placed in a state of settled and undisturbed tranquillity. Thus the
everlastingness of which Moses speaks is to be referred not only to the essence
of God, but also to his providence, by which he governs the world. Although he
subjects the world to many alterations, he remains unmoved; and that not only in
regard to himself, but also in regard to the faithful, who find from experience,
that instead of being wavering, he is steadfast in his power, truth,
righteousness, and goodness, even as he has been from the beginning. This
eternal and unchangeable steadfastness of God could not be perceived prior to
the creation of the world, since there were as yet no eyes to be witnesses of
it. But it may be gathered a posteriori; for while all things are subject
to revolution and incessant vicissitude, his nature continues always the same.
There may be also here a contrast between him and all the false gods of the
heathen, who have, by little and little, crept into the world in such vast
numbers, through the error and folly of men. But I have already shown the object
which Moses has in view, which is, that we mistake if we measure God by our own
understanding; and that we must mount above the earth, yea, even above heaven
itself, whenever we think upon him.
Psalm
90:3-8
3. Thou shalt turn man to
destruction, and shalt say, Return, ye sons of Adam. 4. For a thousand
years in thy sight are as yesterday when it is gone, and as a watch in the
night. 5. Thou carriest them away as with a flood, they will be a sleep:
in the morning he shall grow as grass: 6. In the morning it shall
flourish and grow: at the evening it shall be cut down, and shall wither.
7. For we fail by thy anger, and are affrighted by thy indignation.
8. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, and our secret sins in the
light of thy countenance.
3.
Thou shalt turn man to
destruction. Moses, in the first place,
mentions how frail and transitory is the life of man, and bewails its miseries.
This he does, not for the purpose of quarrelling with God, but as an argument to
induce him the more readily to exercise his mercy, even as he is elsewhere said
to pardon mortal men, when he considers of what they are made, and remembers
that they are but dust and grass,
(<19A314>Psalm
103:14.) he compares the course of our life to a ring or circle, because God,
placing us upon the earth, turns us about within a narrow circuit, and when we
have reached the last point, draws us back to himself in a moment. Others give a
different interpretation, namely, that God leads men forth to death, and
afterwards restores them at the resurrection. But this subtilty is far-fetched,
and does not harmonise with the context. We have here laid down a simple
definition of our life, that it is, as it were, a short revolution in which we
quickly complete our circle, the last point of which is the termination of our
earthly course. This account of human life sets in a clearer light the gracious
manner in which God deals with his servants, in adopting them to be his peculiar
people, that he may at length gather them together into his everlasting
inheritance. Nor is it in vain that it is added, by way of contrast, (verse 4,)
that a thousand years in God's
sight are as yesterday. Although we are
convinced from experience that men, when they have completed their circle, are
forthwith taken out of the world, yet the knowledge of this frailty fails in
making a deep impression upon our hearts, because we do not lift our eyes above
the world. Whence proceeds the great stupidity of men, who, bound fast to the
present state of existence, proceed in the affairs of life as if they were to
live two thousand years, but because they do not elevate their conceptions above
visible objects? Each man, when he compares himself with others, flatters
himself that he will live to a great age. In short, men are so dull as to think
that thirty years, or even a smaller number, are, as it were, an eternity; nor
are they impressed with the brevity of their life so long as this world keeps
possession of their thoughts. This is the reason why Moses awakens us by
elevating our minds to the eternity of God, without the consideration of which
we perceive not how speedily our life vanishes away. The imagination that we
shall have a long life, resembles a profound sleep in which we are all benumbed,
until meditation upon the heavenly life swallow up this foolish fancy respecting
the length of our continuance upon earth.
As
men are thus blinded, Moses sets before their view God as their judge. O Lord!
as if he had said, if men would duly reflect upon that eternity from which thou
beholdest these inconstant circlings of the world, they would not make so great
account of the present life. But as, instead of seriously considering what is
true duration, they rather wilfully turn away their eyes from heaven, this
explains why they are so stupid, and look upon one day as if it were a hundred
years. Moses' apostrophe to God is emphatic, implying that his patience being
exhausted at seeing us so thoughtless, he addresses himself to God; and that it
was labor to no purpose for him to speak to the deaf, who would not be taught
that they were mortal, no, not even by the proofs of this, which experience was
constantly presenting before them. This text is quoted by the Apostle Peter in a
sense somewhat different,
(<610308>2
Peter 3:8,) while at the same time he does not pervert it, for he aptly and
judiciously applies the testimony of Moses in illustration of the subject of
which he is there treating. The design of Moses is to elevate the minds of men
to heaven by withdrawing them from their own gross conceptions. And what is the
object of Peter? As many, because Christ does not hasten his coming according to
their desire, cast off the hope of the resurrection through the weariness of
long delay, he corrects this preposterous impatience by a very suitable remedy.
He perceives men's faith in the Divine promises fainting and failing, from their
thinking that Christ delays his coming too long. Whence does this proceed, but
because they grovel upon the earth? Peter therefore appropriately applies these
words of Moses to cure this vice. As the indulgence in pleasures to which
unbelievers yield themselves is to be traced to this, that having their hearts
too much set upon the world, they do not taste the pleasures of a celestial
eternity; so impatience proceeds from the same source. Hence we learn the true
use of this doctrine. To what is it owing that we have so great anxiety about
our life, that nothing suffices us, and that we are continually molesting
ourselves, but because we foolishly imagine that we shall nestle in this world
for ever? Again, to what are we to ascribe that extreme fretfulness and
impatience, which make our hearts fail in waiting for the coming of Christ, but
to their grovelling upon the earth? Let us learn then not to judge according to
the understanding of the flesh, but to depend upon the judgment of God; and let
us elevate our minds by faith, even to his heavenly throne, from which he
declares that this earthly life is nothing. Nor does Moses simply contrast a
thousand years with one day, but he contrasts them with yesterday, which
is already gone; for whatever is still before our eyes has a hold upon our
minds, but we are less affected with the recollection of what is past. In regard
to the word watch, the ancients, as is well known, were accustomed to
divide the night into four watches, consisting of three hours
each.
fc568 To express still more forcibly how
inconsiderable that which appears to us a long period is in God's eyes, this
similitude is added, That a thousand years in his sight differ nothing from
three hours of the night, in which men scarcely know whether they are awake or
asleep.
5.
Thou carriest them away as
with a flood. Moses confirms what he had
previously said, That men, so long as they are sojourners in this world,
perform, as it were, a revolution which lasts only for a moment. I do not limit
the expression to carry away as
with a flood to calamities of a more
grievous kind, but consider that death is simply compared in general to a flood;
for when we have staid a little while in the world, we forthwith fall into the
grave and are covered with earth. Thus death, which is common to all, is with
propriety called an inundation. While we are breathing the breath of
life, the Lord overflows us by death, just as those who perish in a shipwreck
are engulfed in the ocean; so that death may be fitly called an invisible
deluge. And Moses affirms, that it is then evidently seen that men who flatter
themselves that they are possessed of wonderful vigor in their earthly course,
are only as a sleep. The comparison of grass which is added, amounts to
this, That men come forth in the morning as grass springs up, that they become
green, or pass away within a short time, when being cut down, they wither and
decay. The verbs in the 6th verse being in the singular number, it is better to
connect them with the word grass. But they may also be appropriately
referred to each man; and as it makes little difference as to the sense of the
text, whether we make grass or each man the nominative to the
verbs, I am not disposed to expend much labor upon the matter. This doctrine
requires to be continually meditated upon; for although we all confess that
nothing is more transitory than our life, yet each of us is soon carried away,
as it were, by a frantic impulse to picture to his own imagination an earthly
immortality. Whoever bears in mind that he is mortal, restrains himself, that
instead of having his attention and affections engrossed beyond measure with
earthly objects, he may advance with haste to his mark. When we set no limit to
our cares, we require to be urged forward by continual goadings, that we may not
dream of a thousand lives instead of one, which is but as a shadow that quickly
vanishes away.
7.
For we fail by thy
anger. Moses makes mention of the anger
of God advisedly; for it is necessary that men be touched with the feeling of
this, in order to their considering in good earnest, what experience constrains
them to acknowledge, how soon they finish their course and pass away. He had,
however, still another reason for joining together the brevity of human life and
the anger of God. Whilst men are by nature so transitory, and, as it were,
shadowy, the Israelites were afflicted by the hostile hand of God; and his anger
is less supportable by our frail natures, which speedily vanish away, than it
would be were we furnished with some tolerable degree of strength.
8.
Thou hast set our iniquities
before thee. To show that by this
complaint he is far from intending to murmur against God, he asserts that the
Divine anger, however terrible it had been, was just, inasmuch as the people had
provoked it by their iniquities; for those who, when stricken by the Divine
hand, are not brought to genuine humiliation, harden themselves more and more.
The true way to profit, and also to subdue our pride, is to feel that He is a
righteous judge. Accordingly Moses, after having briefly taught that men by
nature vanish away like smoke, gathers from thence that it is not to be wondered
at if God exanimates and consumes those whom he pursues with his wrath. The
manner of the expression by which God is described as showing the tokens of his
anger is to be observed —
he sets the iniquities of men
before his eyes. Hence it follows, that
whatever intermission of punishment we experience ought in justice to be
ascribed to the forbearance of. God, who buries our sins that he may spare us.
The word
µymwl[,
alumim, which I have rendered our secret sins, is translated by
some, our youth;
fc569 as if Moses had said that the
faults committed in youth are brought to remembrance. But this is too forced,
and inconsistent with the scope of the passage; for it would destroy the
contrast between secret
sins and
the light of God's
countenance, by which Moses intimates
that men hide themselves in darkness, and wrap themselves in many deceits, so
long as God does not shine upon them with the light of his judgment; whereas,
when he draws them back from their subterfuges, by which they endeavor to escape
from him, and sets before his eyes the sins which they hide by hypocrisy, being
subdued by fear and dread, they are brought sincerely to humble themselves
before him.
Psalm
90:9-10
9. For all our days are
passed away in thy indignation: we have spent our years as it were a
thought.
fc570 10. In the days of our years
there are threescore years and ten: and if through strength they are fourscore
years, yet is their pride but labor and grief; for
it
fc571 swiftly passes by, and we fly away.
9.
For all our days are passed
away in thy indignation. This might be
viewed as a general confirmation of the preceding sentence, That the whole
course of man's life is suddenly brought to an end, as soon as God shows himself
displeased. But in my opinion Moses rather amplifies what he has said above
concerning the rigour of God's wrath, and his strict examination of every case
in which he punishes sin. He asserts that this terror which God brought upon his
people was not only for a short time, but that it was extended without
intermission even to death. He complains that the Jews had almost wasted away by
continual miseries; because God neither remitted nor mitigated his anger. It is
therefore not surprising to find him declaring that their years passed away like
a tale, when God's anger rested upon them so unremittingly.
10.
In the days of our years there
are threescore years and ten. He again
returns to the general doctrine respecting the precariousness of the condition
of men, although God may not openly display his wrath to terrify them.
“What,” says he, “is the duration of life? Truly, if we reckon
all our years, we will at length come to threescore and ten, or, if there be
some who are stronger and more vigorous, they will bring us even to
fourscore.” Moses uses the
expression, the days of our
years, for the sake of emphasis; for
when the time is divided into small portions, the very number itself deceives
us, so that we flatter ourselves that life is long. With the view of
overthrowing these vain delusions, he permits men to sum up the many thousand
days
fc572 which are in a few years; while he at
the same time affirms that this great heap is soon brought to nothing. Let men
then extend the space of their life as much as they please, by calculating that
each year contains three hundred and sixty-five days; yet assuredly they will
find that the term of seventy years is short. When they have made a lengthened
calculation of the days, this is the sum in which the process ultimately
results. He who has reached the age of fourscore years hastens to the grave.
Moses himself lived longer,
(<053407>Deuteronomy
34:7,)
fc573 and so perhaps did others in his time;
but he speaks here of the ordinary term. And even then, those were accounted old
men, and in a manner decrepit, who attained to the age of fourscore years; so
that he justly declares that it is the robust only who arrive at that age. He
puts pride for the strength or excellence of which men
boast so highly. The sense is, that before men decline and come to old age, even
in the very bloom of youth they are involved in many troubles, and that they
cannot escape from the cares, weariness, sorrows, fears, griefs, inconveniences,
and anxieties, to which this mortal life is subject. Moreover, this is to be
referred to the whole course of our existence in the present state. And
assuredly, he who considers what is the condition of our life from our infancy
until we descend into the grave, will find troubles and turmoil in every part of
it. The two Hebrew words
lm[,
amal, and
ˆwa,
aven, which are joined together, are taken passively for
inconveniences and afflictions; implying that the life of man is
full of labor, and fraught with many torments, and that even at the time when
men are in the height of their pride. The reason which is added,
for it swiftly passes by, and we
fly away, seems hardly to suit the scope
of the passage; for felicity may be brief, and yet on that account it does not
cease to be felicity. But Moses means that men foolishly glory in their
excellence, since, whether they will or no, they are constrained to look to the
time to come. And as soon as they open their eyes, they see that they are
dragged and carried forward to death with rapid haste, and that their excellence
is every moment vanishing away.
Psalm
90:11-13
11. Who knoweth the power
of thy anger? and according to thy fear, so is thy wrath. 12. Teach us
so
fc574 to number our days, and we shall apply
our hearts to wisdom. 13. Return, O Jehovah! how long? Be pacified
towards thy servants.
11.
Who knoweth, the power of thy
anger? Moses again returns to speak of
the peculiar afflictions of the Israelites; for he had also on this occasion
complained before of the common frailty and miseries of mankind. He justly
exclaims that the power of God's wrath is immeasurably great. So long as God
withholds his hand, men wantonly leap about like runaway slaves, who are no
longer afraid at the sight of their master; nor can their rebellious nature be
reduced to obedience in any other way than by his striking them with the fear of
his judgment. The meaning then is, that whilst God hides himself, and, so to
speak, dissembles his displeasure, men are inflated with pride, and rush upon
sin with reckless impetuosity; but when they are compelled to feel how dreadful
his wrath is, they forget their loftiness, and are reduced to nothing. What
follows, According to thy fear,
so is thy wrath, is commonly explained as
denoting that the more a man is inspired with reverence towards God, the more
severely and sternly is he commonly dealt with; for “judgment begins at
the house of God,”
(<600417>1
Peter 4:17.) Whilst he pampers the reprobate with the good things of this life,
he wastes his chosen ones with continual troubles; and in short, “whom he
loveth he chasteneth,”
(<581206>Hebrews
12:6.) It is then a true and profitable doctrine that he deals more roughly with
those who serve him than with the reprobate. But Moses, I think, has here a
different meaning, which is, that it is a holy awe of God, and that alone, which
makes us truly and deeply feel his anger. We see that the reprobate, although
they are severely punished, only chafe upon the bit, or kick against God, or
become exasperated, or are stupified, as if they were hardened against all
calamities; so far are they from being subdued. And though they are full of
trouble, and cry aloud, yet the Divine anger does not so penetrate their hearts
as to abate their pride and fierceness. The minds of the godly alone are wounded
with the wrath of God; nor do they wait for his thunderbolts, to which the
reprobate hold out their hard and iron necks, but they tremble the very moment
when God moves only his little finger. This I consider to be the true meaning of
the prophet. He had said that the human mind could not sufficiently comprehend
the dreadfulness of the Divine wrath. And we see how, although God shakes heaven
and earth, many notwithstanding, like the giants of old, treat this with
derision, and are actuated by such brutish arrogance, that they despise him when
he brandishes his bolts. But as the Psalmist is treating of a doctrine which
properly belongs to true believers, he affirms that they have a strongly
sensitive feeling of the wrath of God which makes them quietly submit themselves
to his authority. Although to the wicked their own conscience is a tormentor
which does not suffer them to enjoy repose, yet so far is this secret dread from
teaching them to humble themselves, that it excites them to clamor against God
with increasing frowardness. In short, the faithful alone are sensible of God's
wrath; and being subdued by it, they acknowledge that they are nothing, and with
true humility devote themselves wholly to Him. This is wisdom to which the
reprobate cannot attain, because they cannot lay aside the pride with which they
are inflated. They are not touched with the feeling of God's wrath, because they
do not stand in awe of him.
12.
Teach us so to number our
days. Some translate to the number of
our days, which gives the same sense. As Moses perceived that what he had
hitherto taught is not comprehended by the understandings of men until God shine
upon them by his Spirit, he now sets himself to prayer. It indeed seems at first
sight absurd to pray that we may know the number of our years. What? since even
the strongest scarcely reach the age of fourscore years, is there any difficulty
in reckoning up so small a sum? Children learn numbers as soon as they begin to
prattle; and we do not need a teacher in arithmetic to enable us to count the
length of a hundred upon our fingers. So much the fouler and more shameful is
our stupidity in never comprehending the short term of our life. Even he who is
most skillful in arithmetic, and who can precisely and accurately understand and
investigate millions of millions, is nevertheless unable to count fourscore
years in his own life. It is surely a monstrous thing that men can measure all
distances without themselves, that they know how many feet the moon is distant
from the center of the earth, what space there is between the different planets;
and, in short, that they can measure all the dimensions both of heaven and
earth; while yet they cannot number threescore and ten years in their own case.
It is therefore evident that Moses had good reason to beseech God for ability to
perform what requires a wisdom which is very rare among mankind. The last clause
of the verse is also worthy of special notice. By it he teaches us that we then
truly apply our hearts to wisdom when we comprehend the shortness of human life.
What can be a greater proof of madness than to ramble about without proposing to
one's self any end? True believers alone, who know the difference between this
transitory state and a blessed eternity, for which they were created, know what
ought to be the aim of their life. No man then can regulate his life with a
settled mind, but he who, knowing the end of it, that is to say death itself, is
led to consider the great purpose of man's existence in this world, that he may
aspire after the prize of the heavenly calling.
13.
Return, O Jehovah! how
long? After having spoken in the
language of complaint, Moses adds a prayer, That God, who had not ceased for a
long time severely to punish his people, would at length be inclined to deal
gently with them. Although God daily gave them in many ways some taste of his
love, yet their banishment from the land of promise was a very grievous
affliction; for it admonished them that they were unworthy of that blessed
inheritance which he had appointed for his children. They could not fail often
to remember that dreadful oath which he had thundered out against
them,
“Surely they
shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of
them that provoked me see it: But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in
this
wilderness,”
(<041423>Numbers
14:23, 32.)
fc575
Moses, no doubt, combines that sore
bondage which they had suffered in Egypt with their wanderings in the
wilderness; and therefore he justly bewails their protracted languishing in the
words how long? As God is said to turn his back upon us, or to depart to
a distance from us, when he withdraws the tokens of his favor, so by his return
we are to understand the manifestation of his grace. The word
µjn,
nacham, which we have translated be pacified, signifies to
repent, and may therefore not improperly be explained thus: Let it repent
thee concerning thy servants. According to the not unfrequent and well known
phraseology of Scripture, God is said to repent, when putting away men's sorrow,
and affording new ground of gladness, he appears as it were to be changed.
Those, however, seem to come nearer the mind of the Psalmist who translate,
Comfort thyself over thy servants; for God, in cherishing us tenderly,
takes no less pleasure in us than does a father in his own children. Now that is
nothing else than to be pacified or propitious, as we have translated it, to
make the meaning the more
obvious.
Psalm
90:14-17
14. Satiate us
early
fc576 with thy goodness, and we will be glad
and rejoice all our days. 15. Make us joyful according to the days of our
affliction; according to the years in which we have seen evil. 16. Let
thy work appear towards thy servants, and thy glory upon their children. 17.
And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us; and direct the work of
our hands upon us; yea, direct thou the work of our hands.
16.
Let thy work appear towards
thy servants. As God, when he forsakes
his Church, puts on as it were a character different from his own, Moses, with
much propriety, calls the blessing of protection which had been divinely
promised to the children of Abraham God's proper work. Although,
therefore, God's work was manifest in all the instances in which he had punished
the perfidiousness, ingratitude, obstinacy, unruly lusts, and unhallowed desires
of his people, yet Moses, by way of eminence, prefers before all other proofs of
God's power, that care which he exercised in maintaining the welfare of the
people, by which it was his will that he should be principally known. This is
the reason why Paul, in
<450923>Romans
9:23, especially applies to the Divine goodness the honorable title of
“glory.” God indeed maintains his glory by judging the world; but as
nothing is more natural to him than to show himself gracious, his glory on that
account is said to shine forth chiefly in his benefits. With respect to the
present passage, God had then only begun to deliver his people; for they had
still to be put in possession of the land of Canaan. Accordingly, had they gone
no farther than the wilderness, the lustre of their deliverance would have been
obscured. Besides, Moses estimates the work of God according to the Divine
promise; and doing this he affirms that it will be imperfect and incomplete,
unless he continue his grace even to the end. This is expressed still more
plainly in the second clause of the verse, in which he prays not only for the
welfare of his own age, but also for the welfare of the generation yet unborn.
His exercise thus corresponds with the form of the
covenant,
“And I will
establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee, in their
generations, for an everlasting covenants to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed
after
thee,”
(<011707>Genesis
17:7.)
By this example we are taught, that in
our prayers we ought to extend our care to those who are to come after us. As
God has promised that the Church will be perpetuated even to the end of the
world, — a subject which was brought under our notice in the preceding
psalm, — this ought, in a special manner, to lead us in all the prayers by
which we commend the welfare of the Church to him, to include, at the same time,
our posterity who are yet unborn. Farther, the words glory and beauty
are to be particularly noticed: from which we learn that the love which God
bears towards us is unparalleled. Although, in enriching us with his gifts he
gains nothing for himself; yet he would have the splendor and beauty of his
character manifested in dealing bountifully with us, as if his beauty were
obscured when he ceases to do us good. In the clause immediately succeeding,
Direct the work of our hands upon
us, Moses intimates that we cannot
undertake or attempt anything with the prospect of success, unless God become
our guide and counsellor, and govern us by his Spirit. Whence it follows, that
the reason why the enterprises and efforts of worldly men have a disastrous
issue is, because, in not following God, they pervert all order and throw
everything into confusion. Nor is the word
wnyl[,
alenu, upon us, superfluous; for although God converts to good in the end
whatever Satan and the reprobate plot and practice against him or his people;
yet the Church, in which God rules with undisturbed sway, has in this respect a
special privilege. By his providence, which to us is incomprehensible, he
directs his work in regard to the reprobate externally; but he governs his
believing people internally by his Holy Spirit; and therefore he is properly
said to order or direct the work of their hands. The repetition shows that a
continual course of perseverance in the grace of God is required. It would not
be enough for us to be brought to the midst of our journey. He must enable us to
complete the whole course. Some translate, confirm or establish;
and this sense may be admitted. I have, however, followed that translation
which was more agreeable to the context, conceiving the prayer to be that God
would direct to a prosperous issue all the actions and undertakings of his
people.
PSALM
91
In this psalm we are taught that God watches over the
safety of his people, and never fails them in the hour of danger. They are
exhorted to advance through all perils, secure in the confidence of his
protection. The truth inculcated is one of great use, for though many talk much
of God's providence, and profess to believe that he exercises a special
guardianship over his own children, few are found actually willing to intrust
their safety to him.
fc577
Psalm
91:1-4
1. He that dwelleth in the
secret place of the High One shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2. I will say to Jehovah, He is my hope and my fortress: my God; in him
will I hope. 3. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the
fowler, from the noxious pestilence. 4. He shall protect thee with his
wings, and under his feathers shalt thou be safe; his truth shall be thy shield
and buckler.
1.
He that dwelleth in the
secret place of the High One. Some
Hebrew interpreters read the three first verses as one continuous sentence, down
to the words, he shall deliver
thee from the snare of the fowler. The
whole would then run thus — “He who dwells in the covert of the Most
High, and abides under his shadow, to him will I say of Jehovah, that he is his
hope and defense, and the God in whom he may safely rest, for he shall deliver
him from the snare,” etc. This is evidently a forced construction to put
upon the verses, and the reason which has led some to adopt it is weak and
insufficient. They consider that the first verse repeats the same thing twice,
and therefore conveys no proper meaning. But this is a great mistake; for the
inspired penman of the psalm, whoever he may have been, states two ideas quite
distinct, That he who is hid under the Divine protection occupies a safe and
secure position, where no hostile weapon can reach him. Or should the verse be
read — He who has God to be the guardian of his safety shall
rest under the shadow of God; still the second clause would retain an
emphatic meaning, for the power of God would be contrasted with that weak
defense which man is able to extend. Those, too, who dwell in the secret place
of God are here said by the Psalmist to dwell under his shadow, in the sense
that they experience to what a rich extent his protection reaches. Men generally
seek out a great-variety of hiding-places, having recourse to one or another,
according as the calamities are different which threaten to overtake them; but
here we are taught that the only safe and impregnable fortress to which we can
betake ourselves is the protection of God. He contrasts the security of those
who trust in God with the vanity of all other confidences by which we are apt to
delude ourselves.
In the second verse he repeats
the truth which he had already inculcated, showing at the same time that he
speaks from his personal feeling and experience as a believer. This is very
necessary in one who would be a teacher; for we cannot communicate true
knowledge unless we deliver it not merely with the lips, but as something which
God has revealed to our own hearts.
fc578 The Psalmist accordingly gives
evidence, that what he had taught in the preceding verse accorded with his own
inward experience. Some read, I will say concerning the Lord, and
the Hebrew prefix,
l,
lamed, may be so rendered; but the other translation which I have given
conveys the more forcible meaning. The believer does more than simply resolve to
make God his fortress; he draws near in the trust of the Divine promises, and
familiarly addresses God. This confidence in prayer affords an additional proof
how securely the people of God can dwell under his shadow. This holy species of
boasting constitutes the very highest triumph of faith, when we betake ourselves
to God without fear under our worst trials, and are fully persuaded that he
answers all our prayers, nay, that we have in him a sufficiency and a
superabundance of help.
In verse third the
Psalmist expresses his assurance that the trust of which he had spoken would not
be vain and delusory, but that God would prove at all times the deliverer of his
people. He is evidently to be considered as addressing himself, and in this way
encouraging his own heart to hope in the Lord. Some think that by the
snare of the
fowler, spoken of here in connection
with the pestilence, is to be understood hidden mischief as distinguished
from open aggression, and that the Psalmist declares the Divine protection to be
sufficient for him, whether Satan should attack him openly and violently or by
more secret and subtle methods. I would not reject this interpretation; for
though some may think that the words should be taken in their simpler
acceptation, the Psalmist most probably intended under these terms to denote all
different kinds of evil, and to teach us that God was willing and able to
deliver us from any of them.
4.
He shall protect thee with
his wings. This figure, which is
employed in other parts of Scripture, is one which beautifully expresses the
singularly tender care with which God watches over our safety. When we consider
the majesty of God, there is nothing which would suggest a likeness such as is
here drawn between him and the hen or other birds, who spread their wings over
their young ones to cherish and protect them. But, in accommodation to our
infirmity, he does not scruple to descend, as it were, from the heavenly glory
which belongs to him, and to encourage us to approach him under so humble a
similitude. Since he condescends in such a gracious manner to our weakness,
surely there is nothing to prevent us from coming to him with the greatest
freedom. By the truth of God, which, the Psalmist says, would be his
shield and buckler, we must understand God's faithfulness, as
never deserting his people in the time of their need; still we cannot doubt that
he had in his eye the Divine promises, for it is only by looking to these that
any can venture to cast themselves upon the protection of God. As, without the
word, we cannot come to the enjoyment of that Divine mercy of which the Psalmist
had already spoken, he now comes forward himself to bear witness in behalf of
it. Formerly, under the comparison of a fortress, he had taught that by
trusting in God we shall enjoy safety and security; now he compares God to a
shield, intimating that he will come between us and all our enemies to
preserve us from their
attacks.
Psalm
91:5-8
5. Thou shalt not fear for
the terror of the night; for the arrow that flieth by day; 6. For the
destruction that walketh in darkness; for the
pestilence
fc579 which wasteth at
noon-day.
fc580 7. A thousand shall fall at thy
side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; it shall not come nigh thee. 8.
Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the
wicked.
5.
Thou shalt not fear for the
terror of the night. The Psalmist
continues to insist upon the truth which I have just adverted to, that, if we
confide with implicit reliance upon the protection of God, we will be secure
from every temptation and assault of Satan. It is of importance to remember,
that those whom God has taken under his care are in a state of the most absolute
safety. Even those who have reached the most advanced experience find nothing
more difficult than to rely upon Divine deliverance; and more especially when,
overtaken by some of the many forms in which danger and death await us in this
world, doubts will insinuate themselves into our hearts, giving rise to fear and
disquietude. There was reason, therefore, why the Psalmist should enter upon a
specification of different evils, encouraging the Lord's people to look for more
than one mode of deliverance, and to bear up under various and accumulated
calamities. Mention is made of the fear of the night, because men are
naturally apprehensive in the dark, or because the night exposes us to dangers
of different kinds, and our fears are apt at such a season to magnify any sound
or disturbance. The arrow, rather than another weapon, is instanced as
flying by day, for the reason apparently that it shoots to a greater distance,
and with such swiftness, that we can with difficulty escape it. The verse which
follows states, though in different words, the same truth, that there is no kind
of calamity which the shield of the Almighty cannot ward off and
repel.
7.
A thousand shall fall at thy side.
fc581 He proceeds to show that, though
the state of all men may to appearance be alike, the believer has the special
privilege of being exempted from evils of an imminent and impending nature; for
it might be objected that he was but man, and, as such, exposed with others to
death in its thousand different forms. To correct this mistake, the Psalmist
does not hesitate to assert that, when universal ruin prevails around, the
Lord's children are the objects of his distinguishing care, and are preserved
amidst the general destruction. The lesson is one which is needed by us all,
that, though naturally subject to the common evils which are spread around, we
are privileged with a special exemption which secures our safety in the midst of
dangers. In the verse succeeding more is meant than merely that the believer
will have personal experience of the truth which the Psalmist had stated,
actually feeling and seeing with his own eyes that God manages his defense; a
new argument is brought forward in support of the truth, which is this, that
God, as the righteous judge of the world, cannot but punish the wicked according
to their sins, and extend protection to his own children. There is much that is
dark in the aspect of things in this world, yet the Psalmist hints that, amidst
all the confusion which reigns, we may collect from what we see of God's
judgments, that he does not disappoint the expectations of his believing people.
He must be considered, however, as addressing those who have eyes to see, who
are privileged with the true light of faith, who are fully awake to the
consideration of the Divine judgments, and who wait patiently and quietly till
the proper time arrive; for most men stagger and confuse their minds upon this
subject, by starting to precipitate conclusions, and are prevented from
discovering the providence of God by judging according to sense. It becomes us
too to be satisfied with apprehending the judgments of God only in some
imperfect measure while we remain upon earth, and leaving him to defer the
fuller discovery of them to the day of complete
revelation.
Psalm
91:9-12
9. Because thou, Jehovah,
art my protection; thou hast made the Most High thy
refuge.
fc582 10. There shall no evil befall
thee, and no plague shall come nigh thy dwelling. 11. For he has given
his angels charge concerning thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 12. They
shall bear thee upon their hands, lest thou dash thy foot upon a
stone,
9.
Because thou, Jehovah, art my protection. He
dwells at this length in commendation of the providence of God, as knowing
how slow men naturally are to resort to God in a right manner; and how much they
need to be stimulated to this duty, and to be driven from those false and
worldly refuges in which they confide. There is a change of person frequently
throughout this psalm: thus, in the first verse, he addresses God, and
afterwards addresses himself. God he styles his protection, — in
this manner, by his own example, recommending others to have recourse to God
as their help. So, afterwards, he addresses himself, that he may be the better
persuaded of the sincerity of his inward affection. The true method of testing
our faith is to turn our thoughts inward upon ourselves, and, when no human eye
sees us, to search our own spirits. If, not content with having to do with God
only, we turn our eyes to men, it is almost impossible to prevent pride from
insinuating itself into the room of faith. He speaks of accounting God to be his
house or refuge, because he defends us from every evil, as in
<199001>Psalm
90:1. This verse may be considered as connected with that which follows, and as
stating the cause or reason of what is there asserted; for it is added,
There shall no evil befall
thee. And how are coming evils averted,
but just by our resting with confidence in the protection of God? Troubles, it
is true, of various kinds assail the believer as well as others, but the
Psalmist means that God stands between him and the violence of every assault, so
as to preserve him from being overwhelmed. The Divine guardianship is
represented as extending to the whole household of the righteous; and we
know that God comprehends under his love the children of such as he has adopted
into his fatherly favor. Or, perhaps, the term may be taken in its simpler
sense, and nothing more be intended than that those who choose God for their
refuge will dwell safely in their
houses.
11.
For he has given his angels charge concerning
thee. This is added by the Psalmist
expressly with the view of obviating any fears which might arise from our
infirmity; so that we cannot fail to be struck with the benignant condescension
of God in thus not only forgiving our diffidence, but proposing the means by
which it may be best removed. Does he exhibit himself to us as a fortress and
shield, proffer the shadow of his protection, make himself known to us as a
habitation in which we may abide, and stretch out his wings for our defense
— surely we are chargeable with the worst ingratitude if we are not
satisfied with promises so abundantly full and satisfactory? If we tremble to
think of his majesty, he presents himself to us under the lowly figure of the
hen: if we are terrified at the power of our enemies, and the multitude of
dangers by which we are beset, he reminds us of his own invincible power, which
extinguishes every opposing force. When even all these attempts to encourage us
have been tried, and he finds that we still linger and hesitate to approach him,
or cast ourselves upon his sole and exclusive protection, he next makes mention
of the angels, and proffers them as guardians of our safety. As an additional
illustration of his indulgent mercy, and compassion for our weakness, he
represents those whom he has ready for our defense as being a numerous host; he
does not assign one solitary angel to each saint, but commissions the whole
armies of heaven to keep watch over every individual believer. It is the
individual believer whom the Psalmist addresses, as we read also
<193407>Psalm
34:7 — that “angels encamp round about them that fear him.” We
may learn from this that there is no truth in the idea that each saint has his
own peculiar guardian angel; and it is of no little consequence to consider,
that as our enemies are numerous, so also are the friends to whom our defense is
intrusted. It were something, no doubt, to know that even one angel was set over
us with this commission, but it adds weight to the promise when we are informed
that the charge of our safety is committed to a numerous host, as Elisha was
enabled, by a like consideration, to despise the great army of adversaries which
was arrayed against him,
(<120616>2
Kings 6:16.) Nor is this inconsistent with passages of Scripture, which seem to
speak as if a distinct angel were assigned to each individual. It is evident
that God employs his angels in different ways, setting one angel over several
whole nations, and again several angels over one man. There is no necessity that
we should be nice and scrupulous in inquiring into the exact manner in which
they minister together for our safety; it is enough that, knowing from the
authority of an apostle the fact of their being appointed ministers to us, we
should rest satisfied of their being always intent upon their commission. We
read elsewhere of their readiness to obey and execute the commands of God; and
this must go to strengthen our faith, since their exertions are made use of by
God for our defense.
The Psalmist, in the
passage now before us, speaks of members of the Church generally; and yet the
devil did not wrest the words when, in his temptation in the wilderness, he
applied them particularly to Christ. It is true that he is constantly seeking to
pervert and corrupt the truth of God; but, so far as general principles are
concerned, he can put a specious gloss upon things, and is a sufficiently acute
theologian. It is to be considered that when our whole human family were
banished from the Divine favor, we ceased to have anything in common with the
angels, and they to have any communication with us. It was Christ, and he only,
who, by removing the ground of separation, reconciled the angels to us; this
being his proper office, as the apostle observes,
(<490110>Ephesians
1:10,) to gather together in one what had been dispersed both in heaven and on
earth. This was represented to the holy patriarch Jacob under the figure of a
ladder,
(<012812>Genesis
28:12;) and, in allusion to our being united into one collective body with the
angels, Christ said,
“Afterwards ye
shall see the heavens opened, and the angels of God ascending and
descending,”
(<430151>John
1:51.)
The Psalmist adds, all your ways in the plural
number, to convey to us more distinctly that wherever we go we may expect that
the angels shall always extend their guardianship to us. The course of our life
is subject to many windings and changes, and who can tell all the storms by
which we are liable to be tossed? It was necessary, therefore, to know that the
angels preside over all our particular actions and purposes, and thus to be
assured of their safe-conduct in whatever quarter we might be called to move.
This expression, however, your ways, was, in all likelihood, intended to
enjoin upon us a due consideration and modesty, to warn us against tempting God
by any rash step, and admonish us to confine ourselves within the bounds of our
proper calling. For should we commit ourselves recklessly, and attempt things
which the promise of God does not warrant us to undertake, aspiring at what is
presumptuous, and opposed to the Divine will, we are not to expect that the
angels will become ministers and helps to our temerity. Satan would appear to
have craftily omitted this clause when he tempted Christ rashly to throw himself
down from the temple.
12.
They shall bear thee upon
their hands. He gives us a still higher
idea of the guardianship of the angels, informing us, that they not only watch
lest any evil should befall us, and are on the alert to extend assistance, but
bear up our steps with their hands, so as to prevent us from stumbling in our
course. Were we to judge indeed by mere appearances, the children of God are far
from being thus borne up aloft in their career; often they labor and pant with
exertion, occasionally they stagger and fall, and it is with a struggle that
they advance in their course; but as in the midst of all this weakness it is
only by the singular help of God that they are preserved every moment from
falling and from being destroyed, we need not wonder that the Psalmist should
speak in such exalted terms of the assistance which they receive through the
ministrations of angels. Never, besides, could we surmount the serious obstacles
which Satan opposes to our prayers, unless God should bear us up in the manner
here described. Let any one combine together the two considerations which have
been mentioned, — our own utter weakness on the one hand, and on the other
the roughness, the difficulties, the thorns which beset our way, the stupidity
besides which characterises our hearts, and the subtlety of the evil one in
laying snares for our destruction, — and he will see that the language of
the Psalmist is not that of hyperbole, that we could not proceed one step did
not the angels bear us up in their hands in a manner beyond the ordinary course
of nature. That we frequently stumble is owing to our own fault in departing
from him who is our head and leader. And though God suffers us to stumble and
fall in this manner that he may convince us how weak we are in ourselves, yet,
inasmuch as he does not permit us to be crushed or altogether overwhelmed, it is
virtually even then as if he put his hand under us and bore us
up.
Psalm
91:13-16
13. Thou shalt walk over
the lion and asp, the young lion and dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
14. Because he hath trusted in me, I will deliver him; because he hath
known my name, I will set him on high. 15. He shall call upon me, and I
shall answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and glorify
him. 16. With length of days will I satisfy him, and I will show him my
salvation.
13.
Thou shalt walk over the lion and asp.
The same truth is here expressed in different words. He had already spoken
of the obstacles which Satan throws in our course under the figure of a
stone. Now he speaks of the formidable troubles to which we are exposed
in the world under the figures of the
asp, lion, young
lion, and
dragon.
So long as we are here we may be truly said to walk amongst wild beasts, and
such as threaten us with destruction. And in this case what would become of us
did not God promise to make us victorious over the manifold evils which
everywhere impend us? None who seriously considers the temptations to which he
is liable will wonder that the Psalmist, with the view of removing apprehension
from the minds of the Lord's people, should have adopted the language of
hyperbole; nor indeed will he say that it is the language of hyperbole, but a
true and exact representation of their case. We boast much of our courage so
long as we remain at a distance from the scene of danger; but no sooner are we
brought into action, than in the smallest matters we conjure up to ourselves
lions, and dragons, and a host of frightful dangers. The Psalmist accommodates
his language to this infirmity of our carnal apprehension. The Hebrew word
ljç,
shachal, which in the Septuagint is rendered
asp,
fc583 signifies a lion, and
such repetition in the second member of the sentence is usual in the Hebrew.
There is therefore no occasion for seeking any nice distinction which may have
been intended in specifying these four different kinds of animals; only by
the lion and young lion we are evidently to understand more open
dangers, where we are assailed by force and violence, and by the serpent
and dragon hidden mischiefs, where the enemy springs upon us
insidiously and unexpectedly, as the serpent from its lurking
place.
fc584
14.
Because he hath trusted in me, I
will deliver him. It may prevent any
feeling of disgust or weariness under the repetition and enlargement of the
Psalmist upon his present subject, to remember, that, as I have already
observed, he is influenced in this by a due consideration of our weakness, ever
indisposed, as we are upon the approach of danger, to exercise a due reliance
upon the providence of God. With this view he now introduces God himself as
speaking, and confirming by his own voice what had already been asserted. And
here it is noticeable that God, in declaring from heaven that we shall be safe
under the wings of his protection, speaks of nothing as necessary on the part of
his people but hope or trust. For the Hebrew verb
qçj,
chashak, which signifies to desire, or love, or, as we commonly express it,
to find our delight in any object, means here to rest with a sweet confidence in
God, and rejoice in his favor. He engages to extend us assistance, if we seek
him in sincerity. The language implies that we must be continually surrounded by
death and destruction in this world, unless his hand is stretched out for our
preservation. Occasionally he assists even unbelievers, but it is only to his
believing people that his help is vouchsafed, in the sense of his being their
Savior to the true extent of that term, and their Savior to the end. Their
knowing the name of God is spoken of in connection with their trust and
expectation; and very properly, for why is it that men are found casting their
eyes vainly round them to every quarter in the hour of danger, but because they
are ignorant of the power of God? They cannot indeed be said to know God at all,
but delude themselves with a vague apprehension of something which is not God, a
mere dead idol substituted for him in their imaginations. As it is a true
knowledge of God which begets confidence in him, and leads us to call upon him;
and as none can seek him sincerely but those who have apprehended the promises,
and put due honor upon his name, the Psalmist with great propriety and truth
represents this knowledge as being the spring or fountain of trust. That the
doctrine which he teaches was needful we may learn from the senseless and
erroneous manner in which the Papists speak of faith. While they inculcate an
implicit adherence to God, they bury the word which opens up the only access
which men can have to him. The expression to exalt or lift up on high
means no more than to keep in a state of safety or security; but the reason
of this metaphor is, that God preserves his people in an extraordinary manner,
raising them, as it were, to some high and impregnable
fortress.
15.
He shall call upon
me. He now shows more clearly what was
meant by trusting in God, or placing our love and delight in him. For that
affection and desire which is produced by faith, prompts us to call upon his
name. This is another proof in support of the truth, which I had occasion to
touch upon formerly, that prayer is properly grounded upon the word of God. We
are not at liberty in this matter, to follow the suggestions of our own mind or
will, but must seek God only in so far as he has in the first place invited us
to approach him. The context, too, may teach us, that faith is not idle or
inoperative, and that one test, by which we ought to try those who look for
Divine deliverances, is, whether they have recourse to God in a right manner. We
are taught the additional lesson, that believers will never be exempt from
troubles and embarrassments. God does not promise them a life of ease and
luxury, but deliverance from their tribulations. Mention is made of his
glorifying them, intimating that the deliverance which God extends, and
which has been spoken of in this psalm, is not of a mere temporary nature, but
will issue at last in their being advanced to perfect happiness. He puts much
honor upon them in the world, and glorifies himself in them conspicuously, but
it is not till the completion of their course that he affords them ground for
triumph. It may seem strange that length of days should be mentioned in
the last verse as promised to them, since many of the Lord's people are soon
taken out of the world. But I may repeat an observation which has been elsewhere
made, that those Divine blessings which are promised in relation to the present
perishing world, are not to be considered as made good in a universal and
absolute sense, or fulfilled in all according to one set and equal
rule.
fc585 Wealth and other worldly comforts must
be looked upon as affording some experience of the Divine favor or goodness, but
it does not follow that the poor are objects of the Divine displeasure;
soundness of body and good health are blessings from God, but we must not
conceive on this account that he regards with disapprobation the weak and the
infirm. Long life is to be classed among benefits of this kind, and would be
bestowed by God upon all his children, were it not for their advantage that they
should be taken early out of the
world.
fc586 They are more satisfied with the short
period during which they live than the wicked, though their life should be
extended for thousands of years. The expression cannot apply to the wicked, that
they are satisfied with length of
days; for however long they live, the
thirst of their desires continues to be unquenched. It is life, and nothing
more, which they riot in with such eagerness; nor can they be said to have had
one moment's enjoyment of that Divine favor and goodness which alone can
communicate true satisfaction. The Psalmist might therefore with propriety state
it as a privilege peculiarly belonging to the Lord's people, that they are
satisfied with life. The brief appointed term is reckoned by them to be
sufficient, abundantly sufficient. Besides, longevity is never to be compared
with eternity. The salvation of God extends far beyond the narrow boundary of
earthly existence; and it is to this, whether we live or come to die, that we
should principally look. It is with such a view that the Psalmist, after stating
all the other benefits which God bestows, adds this as a last clause, that when
he has followed them with his fatherly goodness throughout their lives, he at
last shows them his salvation.
PSALM
92
This psalm contains an exhortation to praise God, and
shows how much ground we have for this exercise from the works of God,
insisting, especially, upon his justice, displayed in the protection of his
people, and the destruction of the wicked. By such truth it encourages to the
practice of righteousness, and preserves us from fainting under the cross of
Christ, by proposing to our view a happy issue out of all our afflictions. To
deter us, on the other hand, from the commission of iniquity it declares that
sinners, however they may prosper for a time, will speedily be
destroyed.
A Song for the
Sabbath-day.
Psalm
92:1-4
1. It is good to give thanks
unto Jehovah, to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High! 2. To show
forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness in the night,
3. Upon the psaltery, and upon the hand instrument, with the song upon
the harp. 4. For thou, Jehovah, hast made me glad in thy works; I will
triumph in the works of thy
hands.
1.
It is good to give thanks
unto Jehovah. There is no reason to
doubt that the Jews were in the habit of singing this psalm, as the inscription
bears, upon the Sabbath-day, and it is apparent, from different passages, that
other psalms were applied to this use. As the words may be read literally in the
Hebrew, it is good for giving
thanks unto the Lord, some interpreters,
founding upon the letter
l,
lamed, prefixed to the verb, understand the Psalmist to mean that it was
good to have a certain day set apart for singing the praises of God — that
it was a useful arrangement by which one day had been chosen to be occupied by
the Lord's people in celebrating his works. But it is well known that this
letter, when prefixed, is merely the ordinary mark of the infinitive mood
— and I have given what is obviously the simple meaning. The reason why
the Psalmist appropriated this psalm to the Sabbath is sufficiently obvious.
That day is not to be holy, in the sense of being devoted to idleness, as if
this could be an acceptable worship to God, but in the sense of our separating
ourselves from all other occupations, to engage in meditating upon the Divine
works. As our minds are inconstant, we are apt, when exposed to various
distractions, to wander from God.
fc587 We need to be disentangled from all
cares if we would seriously apply ourselves to the praises of God. The Psalmist
then would teach us that the right observance of the Sabbath does not consist in
idleness, as some absurdly imagine, but in the celebration of the Divine name.
The argument which he adduces is drawn from the profitableness of the service,
for nothing is more encouraging than to know that our labor is not in vain, and
that what we engage in meets with the Divine approbation. In the succeeding
verse, he adverts to the grounds which we have for praising God, that we may not
imagine that God calls upon us to engage in this service without reason, or
simply in consideration of his greatness and power, but in remembrance of his
goodness and faithfulness, which should inflame our hearts to such
exercise, if we had any proper sense and experience of them. He would have us
consider, in mentioning these, that not only is God worthy of praise, but that
we ourselves are chargeable with ingratitude and perversity should we refuse it.
We are the proper objects of his faithfulness and goodness, and it would argue
inexcusable indifference if they did not elicit our cordial praises. It might
seem a strange distinction which the Psalmist observes when he speaks of our
announcing God's goodness in the morning, and his faithfulness at
night. His goodness is constant, and not peculiar to any one season, why
then devote but a small part of the day to the celebration of it? And the same
may be said of the other Divine perfection mentioned, for it is not merely in
the night that his faithfulness is shown. But this is not what the Psalmist
intends. He means that beginning to praise the Lord from earliest dawn, we
should continue his praises to the latest hour of the night, this being no more
than his goodness and faithfulness
deserve.
fc588 If we begin by celebrating his
goodness, we must next take up the subject of his faithfulness. Both will occupy
our continued praises, for they stand mutually and inseparably connected. The
Psalmist is not therefore to be supposed as wishing us to separate the one from
the other, for they are intimately allied; he would only suggest that we can
never want matter for praising God unless indolence prevail over us, and that if
we would rightly discharge the office of gratitude, we must be assiduous in it,
since his goodness and his faithfulness are
incessant.
In the fourth verse, he more
immediately addresses the Levites, who were appointed to the office of singers,
and calls upon them to employ their instruments of music — not as if this
were in itself necessary, only it was useful as an elementary aid to the people
of God in these ancient times.
fc589 We are not to conceive that God
enjoined the harp as feeling a delight like ourselves in mere melody of sounds;
but the Jews, who were yet under age, were astricted to the use of such childish
elements. The intention of them was to stimulate the worshippers, and stir them
up more actively to the celebration of the praise of God with the heart. We are
to remember that the worship of God was never understood to consist in such
outward services, which were only necessary to help forward a people, as yet
weak and rude in knowledge, in the spiritual worship of God. A difference is to
be observed in this respect between his people under the Old and under the New
Testament; for now that Christ has appeared, and the Church has reached full
age, it were only to bury the light of the Gospel, should we introduce the
shadows of a departed dispensation. From this, it appears that the Papists, as I
shall have occasion to show elsewhere, in employing instrumental music, cannot
be said so much to imitate the practice of God's ancient people, as to ape it in
a senseless and absurd manner, exhibiting a silly delight in that worship of the
Old Testament which was figurative, and terminated with the
Gospel.
fc590
4.
Because thou, Jehovah, hast
made me glad. The Psalmist repeats the truth
that the Sabbath was not prescribed as a day of idleness, but a season when we
should collect our whole energies for meditation upon the works of God. He
intimates, at the same time, that those are best qualified for celebrating the
praises of God who recognize and feel his fatherly goodness, and can undertake
this service with willing and joyful minds. His language implies that the
goodness and faithfulness of God, which he had already mentioned, are apparent
in his works upon a due examination of them. What produces joy in our hearts is
the exhibition which God gives of himself as a Father, and of his deep and
watchful anxiety for our welfare; as, on the other hand, the cause of our
brutish indifference is our inability to savor or relish the end designed in the
works of God.
fc591 As the universe proclaims throughout
that God is faithful and good, it becomes us to be diligently observant of these
tokens, and to be excited by a holy joy to the celebration of his
praise.
Psalm
92:5-8
5. O Jehovah! how magnificent
are thy works! thy thoughts are very deep. 6. The foolish man shall not
know them, neither shall the man void of wisdom understand them. 7. When
the wicked flourish as the grass, and all the workers of iniquity spring up,
that they may perish for ever. 8. And thou, O Jehovah! art exalted for
evermore.
5.
O Jehovah! how highly exalted
are thy works! The Psalmist, having
spoken of the works of God in general, proceeds to speak more particularly of
his justice in the government of the world. Though God may postpone the
punishment of the wicked, he shows, in due time, that in conniving at their
sins, he did not overlook or fail to perceive them; and though he exercises his
own children with the cross, he proves in the issue, that he was not indifferent
to their welfare. His reason for touching upon this particular point seems to
be, that much darkness is thrown upon the scheme of Divine Providence by the
inequality and disorder which prevail in human
affairs.
fc592 We see the wicked triumphing, and
applauding their own good fortune, as if there was no judge above, and taking
occasion from the Divine forbearance to run into additional excesses, under the
impression that they have escaped his hand. The temptation is aggravated by that
stupidity and blindness of heart which lead us to imagine that God exerts no
superintendence over the world, and sits idle in heaven. It is known, too, how
soon we are ready to sink under the troubles of the flesh. The Psalmist,
therefore, intentionally selects this as a case in which he may show the
watchful care exerted by God over the human family. He begins, by using the
language of exclamation, for such is the dreadful distemper and disorder by
which our understandings are confounded, that we cannot comprehend the method of
God's works, even when it is most apparent. We are to notice, that the inspired
penman is not speaking here of the work of God in the creation of the heavens
and earth, nor of his providential government of the world in general, but only
of the judgments which he executes amongst men. He calls the works of God great,
and his thoughts deep, because he governs the world in quite another manner than
we are able to comprehend. Were things under our own management, we would
entirely invert the order which God observes; and, such not being the case, we
perversely expostulate with God for not hastening sooner to the help of the
righteous, and to the punishment of the wicked. It strikes us as in the highest
degree inconsistent with the perfections of God, that he should bear with the
wicked when they rage against him, when they rush without restraint into the
most daring acts of iniquity, and when they persecute at will the good and the
innocent; — it seems, I say, in our eyes to be intolerable, that God
should subject his own people to the injustice and violence of the wicked, while
he puts no check upon abounding falsehood, deceit, rapine, bloodshed, and every
species of enormity. Why does he suffer his truth to be obscured, and his holy
name to be trampled under foot? This is that greatness of the Divine operation,
that depth of the Divine counsel, into the admiration of which the Psalmist
breaks forth. It is no doubt true, that there is an incomprehensible depth of
power and wisdom which God has displayed in the fabric of the universe; but what
the Psalmist has specially in view is, to administer a check to that disposition
which leads us to murmur against God, when he does not pursue our plan in his
providential managements. When anything in these may not agree with the general
ideas of men, we ought to contemplate it with reverence, and remember that God,
for the better trial of our obedience, has lifted his deep and mysterious
judgments far above our
conceptions.
6.
The foolish man shall not
know them. This is added with propriety,
to let us know that the fault lies with ourselves, in not praising the Divine
judgments as we ought. For although the Psalmist had spoken of them as deep and
mysterious, he here informs us that they would be discerned without difficulty,
were it not for our stupidity and indifference. By the foolish, he means
unbelievers in general, tacitly contrasting them with believers who are divinely
enlightened by the word and Spirit. The ignorance and blindness to which he
alludes have possession of all without exception, whose understandings have not
been illuminated by Divine grace. It ought to be our prayer to God, that he
would purge our sight, and qualify us for meditation upon his works. In short,
the Psalmist vindicates the incomprehensible wisdom of God from that contempt
which proud men have often cast upon it, charging them with folly and madness in
acting such a part; and he would arouse us from that insensibility which is too
prevalent, to a due and serious consideration of the mysterious works of
God.
7.
When the wicked flourish as
the grass. He points out, and
exposes, by a striking and appropriate figure, the folly of imagining that the
wicked obtain a triumph over God, when he does not, it may be, immediately bring
them under restraint. He makes an admission so far — he grants that they
spring up and flourish — but adds immediately, by way of qualification,
that they flourish, like the grass, only for a moment, their prosperity being
brief and evanescent. In this way he removes what has been almost a universal
stumbling-block and ground of offense; for it would be ridiculous to envy the
happiness of men who are doomed to be speedily destroyed, and of whom it may be
said, that to-day they flourish, and to-morrow they are cut down and wither,
(<19C906>Psalm
129:6.) It will be shown, when we come to consider the psalm now quoted, that
the herbs to which the wicked are compared are such as grow on the roofs of
houses, which want depth of soil, and die of themselves, for lack of
nourishment. In the passage now before us, the Psalmist satisfies himself with
using simply the figure, that the prosperity of the wicked draws after it the
speedier destruction, as the grass when it is full grown is ready for the
scythe. There is an antithesis drawn, too, between the shortness of their
continuance and the everlasting destruction which awaits them; for they are not
said to be cut down that they may flourish again, as withered plants will
recover their vigor, but to be condemned to eternal
perdition.
fc593 When he says of God, that he sits
exalted for
evermore, some understand him to mean,
that God holds the power and office of governing the world, and that we may be
certain nothing can happen by chance when such a righteous governor and judge
administers the affairs of the world. Various other meanings have been
suggested. But it seems to me that the Psalmist compares the stability of God's
throne with the fluctuating and changeable character of this world, reminding us
that we must not judge of Him by what we see in the world, where there is
nothing of a fixed and enduring nature. God looks down undisturbed from the
altitude of heaven upon all the changes of this earthly scene, which neither
affect nor have any relation to him. And this the Psalmist brings forward with
another view than simply to teach us to distinguish God from his creatures, and
put due honor upon his majesty; he would have us learn in our contemplations
upon the wonderful and mysterious providence of God, to lift our conceptions
above ourselves and this world, since it is only a dark and confused view which
our earthly minds can take up. It is with the purpose of leading us into a
proper discovery of the Divine judgments which are not seen in the world, that
the Psalmist, in making mention of the majesty of God, would remind us, that he
does not work according to our ideas, but in a manner corresponding to his own
eternal being. We, short-lived creatures as we are, often thwarted in our
attempts, embarrassed and interrupted by many intervening difficulties, and too
glad to embrace the first opportunity which offers, are accustomed to advance
with precipitation; but we are taught here to lift our eyes unto that eternal
and unchangeable throne on which God sits, and in wisdom defers the execution of
his judgments. The words accordingly convey more than a simple commendation of
the glorious being of God; they are meant to help our faith, and tell us that,
although his people may sigh under many an anxious apprehension, God himself,
the guardian of their safety, reigns on high, and shields them with his
everlasting power.
Psalm
92:9-11
9. For, lo! thine enemies, O
Jehovah! for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall
be scattered.
fc594 10. But my horn shalt thou
exalt, like the horn of an unicorn:
fc595 I have been profusely anointed with
fresh oil.
fc596 11. And mine eyes shall see it
on mine enemies: mine ears shall hear it upon those who rise up against me, upon
those who persecute me.
9.
For, lo! thine enemies, O
Jehovah! From what was already said in
the verse preceding, the Psalmist concludes it to be impossible that God should
not overthrow his enemies. This, as I have already observed, clearly shows that
it was his design to establish our faith under the strong temptations to which
it is subjected, and, more especially, to remove that offense out of the way,
which has disturbed the minds of many, and led them astray; — we refer to
the prosperity of the wicked, and its effect in attaching a certain perplexity
to the judgments of God. As our faith is never called to a more sharp and
arduous trial than upon this point, the Psalmist delivers the truth, which he
announces with much force of expression, using both exclamations and repetition.
First, he declares the destruction of God's enemies to be as certain as if it
had already taken place, and he had witnessed it with his own eyes; then he
repeats his assertion: and from all this we may see how much he had benefited by
glancing with the eye of faith beyond this world to the throne of God in the
heavens. When staggered in our own faith at any time by the prosperity of the
wicked, we should learn by his example to rise in our contemplations to a God in
heaven, and the conviction will immediately follow in our minds that his enemies
cannot long continue to triumph. The Psalmist tells us who they are that are
God's enemies. God hates none without a cause; nay, so far as men are the
workmanship of his hand, he embraces them in his fatherly love. But as nothing
is more opposed to his nature than sin, he proclaims irreconcilable war with the
wicked. It contributes in no small degree to the comfort of the Lord's people,
to know that the reason why the wicked are destroyed is, their being necessarily
the objects of God's hatred, so that he can no more fail to punish them than
deny himself.
fc597
The Psalmist, shortly afterwards,
shows that he intended this to be a ground of comfort and hope under all cares,
griefs, anxieties, and embarrassments. He speaks under the figure of oil
of enjoying Divine blessings, and by green or fresh oil is
meant, such as has not become corrupted, or unfit for use by age. It is
noticeable that he appropriates, and improves for his own individual comfort,
that grace of God which is extended to all the Lord's people without exception;
and would teach us by this that mere general doctrine is a cold and
unsatisfactory thing, and that each of us should improve it particularly for
himself, in the persuasion of our belonging to the number of God's children. In
one word, the Psalmist promises himself the protection of God, under whatever
persecutions he should endure from his enemies, whether they were secret, or
more open and violent, that he may encourage himself to persevere with
indefatigable spirit in the world's conflict. We may judge from this how absurd
is the opinion of the Rabbin, who conjectured that Adam was the author of this
psalm
fc598 — as if it were credible that his
posterity should have set themselves up in rebellion against
him.
Psalm
92:12-13
12. The righteous shalt
flourish like the palm-tree,
fc599 he shall be multiplied as the cedar in
Lebanon.
fc600 13. Those who are planted in the
house of Jehovah shall flourish in the courts of our God. 14. They shall
still bud forth in old age; they shall be fat and green; 15. That they
may show that Jehovah is upright, my rock, and that there is no iniquity in
him.
12.
The righteous shall flourish
like the palm-tree. He now passes to the
consideration of another general truth, That though God may exercise his people
with many trials, subject them to hardships, and visit them with privations, he
will eventually show that he had not forgotten them. We need not be surprised
that he insists so explicitly and carefully upon this point, as nothing is more
difficult than for the saints of God to entertain expectations of being raised
up and delivered when they have been reduced almost to the state of the dead,
and it does not appear how they can live. Some think the cedar is mentioned from
the fragrancy of its smell, and the palm for the sweetness of its fruit; but
this is too subtile a meaning to attach to the words. The sense seems simply,
that though the righteous may appear for a time to be withered, or to have been
cut down, they will again spring up with renewed vigor, and flourish as well and
as fair in the Church of God as the stateliest trees upon Lebanon. The
expression which is employed —
planted in the house of the
Lord — gives the reason of
their vigorous growth; nor is it meant that they have merely a place there,
(which can be said even of hypocrites,) but that they are firmly fixed, and
deeply rooted in it, so as to be united to God. The Psalmist speaks of the
courts of the Lord, because none but the priests were allowed to enter the
holy place; the people worshipped in the court. By those who are planted
in the Church he means such as are united to God in real and sincere
attachment, and insinuates that their prosperity cannot be of a changeable and
fluctuating nature, because it is not founded upon anything that is in the
world. Nor indeed can we doubt that whatever has its root, and is founded in the
sanctuary, must continue to flourish and partake of a life which is spiritual
and everlasting. It is in this sense that he speaks of their still budding
forth, and being fat, even in old age, when the natural sap and
juices are generally dried up. The language amounts to saying that they are
exempt from the ordinary lot of men, and have a life which is taken from under
the common law of nature.
fc601 It is thus that Jacob, speaking of the
great renovation which should take place in the Church, mentions, that at that
happy period he who was an hundred years old should be a child, meaning that,
though old age naturally tends to death, and one who has lived a hundred years
is upon the very borders of it, yet in the kingdom of Christ; a man would be
reckoned as being merely in his childhood, and starting in life, who entered
upon a new century. This could only be verified in the sense, that after death
we have another existence in heaven.
15.
That they may show that Jehovah
is upright. It is evident from this
verse that the great object of the Psalmist is, to allay that disquietude of
mind which we are apt to feel under the disorder which reigns apparently in the
affairs of this world; and to make us cherish the expectation, (under all that
may seem severe and trying in our lot, and though the wicked are in wealth and
power, flourish, and abound in places and distinctions,) that God will bring
light and order eventually out of
confusion. That they may
show, it is said particularly, that
the Lord is upright; for through the influence of our corruption we are apt
to conclude, when things do not proceed as we would wish in the world, that God
is chargeable not only with neglect but with unrighteousness, in abandoning his
people, and tolerating the commission of sin. When God displays his justice in
proceeding to execute vengeance upon the wicked, it will be seen at once, that
any prosperity which they enjoyed was but the forerunner of a worse destruction
in reserve for them. The Psalmist, in calling God his rock, shows a
second time that he reckoned himself amongst the number of those in whom God
would illustrate his justice by extending towards them his
protection.
Footnotes
ftc1
With this agrees the opinion of the ancient Jews, who apply this psalm to
future times, to the world to come, the times of the Messiah. The
particular time and occasion of its composition can only be conjectured. Bishop
Patrick thinks that it was probably composed by David, when, having brought the
ark to Jerusalem and offered sacrifices, as promised in the psalm foregoing,
verse 15, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of Hosts,
(<100617>2
Samuel 6:17, 18.) Horsley views it as “a hymn for the feast of
tabernacles, prophetic of a general conversion of the world to the worship of
God.” Calmet is of opinion that the composition of this, as well as of the
two preceding psalms, was posterior to the return of the Jews from Babylon; and
that the particular occasion was the restoration of fertility to the soil after
the protracted drought and scarcity recorded by the prophet Haggai,
(<370110>Haggai
1:10,11; 2:17-19.) But though the particular time and occasion on which it was
written cannot with certainty be determined, it is evidently a prayer of the
ancient Church for the appearance of the Messiah, and the universal diffusion of
his
gospel.
ftc2
This verse contains a manifest allusion to the blessings which the priests were
taught to pronounce upon the people of Israel,
(<040624>Numbers
6:24-26.)
ftc3
God, even our own God, will bless us, God shall bless
us. There is here again clearly an allusion to the formula of
blessing in
<040624>Numbers
6:24-26, where the name of God is, as here, repeated three times in succession.
ftc4
“A fin que par la clarte d'icelle les Gentils soyent amenez a la
participation de la mesme esperance.” —
Fr.
ftc5
“The petition here offered is, that the Gospel, God's 'way,' might be
universally spread; — a prayer that is not yet accomplished, but is in
progress towards completion. The mention of nations and peoples, all of them,
intimates, that the time which is the object of supplication is the time when
God will no longer be the God of the Jews, but of the Gentiles also.”
—
Walford.
ftc6
As to the time and occasion of the composition of this psalm, the majority of
interpreters refer it to the translation of the ark from the house of Obed-Edom
to Mount Zion, and with this every part of it would, no doubt, harmonize. But
other critics, as Drs Geddes, Boothroyd, and Morrison, think (and Calvin's
opinion seems to be the same) that it was penned after some great victory;
probably after David's signal victory over the Ammonites and Syrians, when the
ark was brought back in triumph to Jerusalem,
(<131910>1
Chronicles 19:10-19.) That the ark accompanied the army in those ways we learn
from the words of Uriah to David, in
<101111>2
Samuel 11:11, compared with
<101231>2
Samuel 12:31. As every thing under that dispensation was typical or prophetical,
it is very natural to regard the triumphant manner in which the ark ascended the
holy mountain, as an emblem of the far more triumphant and glorious ascension of
the Lord Jesus Christ (of whom the ark, and the tabernacle, and the temple
itself, were all figures) to the highest heavens, after he had overcome his own
and his people's enemies; and in this application the 18th verse of this psalm
is quoted by the Apostle Paul,
(<490408>Ephesians
4:8, 9.)
This inspired composition, though
highly sublime and beautiful, is universally acknowledged by critics to be of
very difficult interpretation. Dr Adam Clarke pronounces it “the most
difficult psalm in the whole Psalter;” and, after quoting the words of
Simon de Muis, — who observes, that “it may not be improperly termed
the torture of critics, and the reproach of commentators,” — he
says, “There are customs here referred to, which I do not fully
understand: there are words whose meaning I cannot, to my own satisfaction,
ascertain; and allusions which are to me inexplicable. Yet of the composition
itself I have the highest opinion: — it is sublime beyond all comparison;
— it is constructed with an art truly admirable; — it possesses all
the dignity of the sacred language; — none but David could have composed
it; and, at this lapse of time, it would require no small influence of the
Spirit that was upon him to give its true
interpretations.”
ftc7
“C'est, Qui est Jah, ou l'Eternel? “ — Fr.
marg. “That is, Who is Jah, or Jehovah?” Jah seems
simply a contraction of the word Jehovah, the name which expresses, as far as
can be expressed by words, the essence, self-existence, and eternity of the
Supreme
Being.
ftc8
The original word
twrçwkb,
bakosharoth, which Calvin renders, with chains, is
rendered by Dathe, ad abundantiam; and by Berlin, ad
opimitates; and is explained by Simeon, in his Lexicon, as
“loca omnibus affluentia proprie abundantiae.” According to
Gesenius,
hrçwk
denotes “happiness, abundance, prosperity.”
The LXX. render it ejn
ajndre>ia, in strength,
i.e., bound firmly. Fry reads, “Bringing forth prisoners into
scenes of
plenty.”
ftc9
That passage contains the words which Moses used when the ark began a
procession. Whenever the tabernacle was moved, and the Levites marched onward,
bearing upon their shoulders the ark of the covenant, and the whole host of
Israel proceeded on their march, “Moses said, Rise up, Lord,” etc.
Martin observes, that “the God whom these opening words of the psalm have
in view is manifestly the same of whom it is said in verse 18, that he ascended
up on high, and led captivity captive. Now he of whom that is said, being,
according to the interpretation of the Apostle Paul,
(<490408>Ephesians
4:8,) Jesus Christ, the Son of God, it clearly follows that it was the Son of
God, the true God, Jehovah the eternal God, whom the Prophet had in his eye in
the first verse and in the rest of the psalm.” See
Appendix.ftc10
As wax melteth before the fire, “a proverbial expression,
denoting speedy dissolution, consumption, and death.” —
Bythner.
ftc11
“Sed quasi fumo hebetari nostros oculos; falli etiam nos in ipsa duritie,
quia non reputamus solo Dei conspectu liquefieri montes ipsos.” —
Lat. “Mais qu'il y a comme une fumee qu'il nous esblouist
les yeux; semblablement que nons nous abusons quant a leur durete et
obstination; pource que nous ne venons point a considerer qu'au seul regard de
Dieu les montagnes mesmes fondent et s'ecoulent.”
Fr.
ftc12
The reading of the Septuagint is,
'Odopoih>sate,
“Make way.” The Hebrew word
wls,
sollu, has this sense, as well as that of exalt. In
two passages in Isaiah, the forms of expression are very like the present
passage,
(<235714>Isaiah
57:14,) “Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way;” and
(<236210>Isaiah
62:10,) “Cast up, cast up the highway.” Jerome has,
“Praeparate viam,” “Prepare yea way.” Walford adopts the
same translation, — “Prepare a way for him who rideth through the
deserts,” — which he explains in the following note: “The
imagery is borrowed from the custom of Eastern princes, who sent pioneers before
their armies, to reduce the hills, and carry raised roads through the valleys,
to facilitate their progress. God is described as riding through the deserts,
from his having accompanied Israel through the wilderness, to conduct them to
Canaan.”
ftc13
The word
twbr[b,
baaraboth, here rendered the clouds, or the
heavens, is by the LXX. translated the west, as if it
were derived from
br[,
ereb, evening; and by the Vulgate, “Super
occasum,” “Upon the going down of the sun.” Others translate
it “deserts.” Thus, Jerome reads, “ascendenti per
deserta,” “for him that rideth through the deserts.” In this
he is followed by Dr Boothroyd, Bishops Lowth and Horsley, Drs Kennicott and
Chandler, Fry, and others; but critics of no less note read heavens,
as Paginus, Buxtorf, and Hammond. “The feminine
hbr[,”
says this last critic, “is frequently taken for a plain, and
so for the desert; but
twbr[,
in the plural, is acknowledged by the Hebrews to signify the
heavens.” The idea is altogether fanciful which has been put
forth by some, that this word, which frequently signifies a plain or
desert, is applied to the highest heavens, “either as being
plain and void of stars, and so a kind of superior desert, without anything in
it, or (as the learned Grotius piously conjectures from
<540616>1
Timothy 6:16) because, as a desert, it is
ajpro>soiton,
not approached or approachable by
any.”
ftc14
This is the rendering in all the ancient versions, as the Septuagint, Chaldee,
Syriac, Vulgate, etc. Many instances might be produced in which
b it
is redundant; as, for example,
<023222>Exodus
32:22,
<200326>Proverbs
3:26.
ftc15
This is the translation given by Horsley, who applies the passage to Christ; and
his criticism upon it is excellent. “Upon mature consideration,”
says he, “I am inclined to take the text as it stands, and render it
literally with Jerome, 'In Jah is his name;' i.e., his name, who
is riding through the wilderness, is in Jehovah, in the Self-existent One. He
who led the armies of Israel through the wilderness, when they first came up
from Egypt, was Christ. He who brought the captives home from Babylon was
Christ. He who shall finally bring the revolted Jews home to his Church, and, in
a literal sense, bring the nation home to its ancient seat, is Christ. Christ,
therefore, is intended here, under the image of one riding through the
wilderness, ('ascendenti per deserta,' Jerome,) not upon the
heavens, at the head of the returning captives. 'His name is in Jah:'
Christ's name is in Jehovah.
µç,
'the Name,' is used, in the Hebrew language, for the thing imperfectly
apprehended, to which, however, a name belongs. Thus, for God all languages have
a name; and all men have an idea of the Being intended by that name, as the
First Cause, the Maker, and Governor of the universe. Yet the human intellect,
— we may say, more generally, the created intellect, — comprehends
not the nature of this Great Being, nor can it enumerate his attributes. 'The
name of God' is the incomprehensible Being who is all that the name imports,
more than is expressed; more, at least, than any name can express to the finite
understanding. Thus, when we are commanded to fear the name of God, the
injunction is, that we carry in our minds a constant fear of the Being to whom
that name belongs. The name, therefore, of Christ is Christ himself, considered
as known by a name, but yet imperfectly understood, or rather incomprehensible
in his nature. The sentence, 'His name is in Jehovah,' is an emphatical
assertion of his divinity, introduced here to justify and enforce the worship
enjoined. 'Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: cast up a way for him that
is riding through the wilderness.' Who is he that is riding through the
wilderness, that we should pay him this respect? 'He,' says the Psalmist, 'who
cannot be described.' 'His name is in Jah.' His name and his nature are involved
in the name and nature of the Godhead. Name him: you name the All-glorious One.
Name the All-glorious One: you name him. Name him as distinct from the All-Good
and Glorious: you name him not
aright.”
ftc16
This verse and the preceding scem to be copied from the Song of Deborah,
<070504>Judges
5:4,
5.
ftc17
“C'est, par ta volonte et liberalite.” — Fr.
marg. “That is, by thy free will and
liberality.”
ftc18
Thy congregations, or company. This is the reading
adopted also by Dathe, Berlin, and De Rossi; and it “is a much better
exposition than those of the two latest English translators, Bishop Horsley and
Mr Fry: —
'Thy flocks dwelt
in the mansion which thou preparedst.' —
Horsley.
'Thy food
settled upon it.' — Fry.”
Rogers' Book of Psalms in Hebrew,
etc., volume 2, Page
220.
ftc19
Heb. Shall shake out, i.e., from the clouds, a
liberal
rain.
ftc20
Ainsworth reads, “a rain of liberalities.” Horsley, “a shower
of unmerited kindnesses;” “literally,” says he, “a
plentiful rain, rain being used here
metaphorically.”
ftc21
Dr Geddes here observes, that “the poet passes rapidly from former times
to his own days, and the occasion of composing his psalm, namely, the
discomfiture and flight of the combined kings of Syria, Ammon, Moab, and Edom:
for with all these David had been engaged in this
war.”
ftc22
The original word for “the women who announce” is
twrçbmh,
hamebasseroth. It is from
rçb,
bisser, “to announce joyous tidings;” and, being a
participle of the feminine gender, is very properly referred to women, who were
wont to celebrate victories, or any kind of good news, with songs and music. But
we find it on one occasion used to express melancholy news,
(<090417>1
Samuel 4:17.) The women here are represented as announcing the victory by
singing congratulatory songs. All the difficulty is, whether
twrçbmh,
hamebasseroth, be in the dative or the genitive case. If in the
genitive case, then
abx,
tsaba, which Calvin renders army, must, as Hammond
observes, be rendered company — great was the company of the
women who thus sang; and
abx,
an host, is often taken for the congregation or assembly employed
in the service of God. But it, may also be taken in the dative, as the same
critic remarks, and as Calvin here renders it. Castellio gives a similar
translation. “And thus the LXX. may be understood:
O Qeo>v Ku>riov dw>sei
rJh~ma toi~v eujaggelisame>noiv (I suppose it
should be tai~v
eujaggelisamei>aiv)
duna>mei
pollh~; 'the Lord shall give the word or matter to
the women that evangelise to or for the great army;' i.e., which
supply the office of proecones thereto, in proclaiming their victories;
though it is certain the Latin that renders it 'virtute multa,' 'by much
virtue,' did not thus understand it.” —
Hammond.
ftc23
“Et posteriora ejus in pallore auri.” — Lat. In
the French it is, “Et laquelle par derriere est comme fin or
bien jaune;” — “and which behind is as fine
yellow
gold.”
ftc24
“Ou, elle fust blanche.” — Fr. marg.
“Or, it was
white.”
ftc25
The interpretation of this verse is attended with great difficulty. Speaking of
it and the following verse, Dr Lowth says, “I am not at all satisfied with
any explication I have ever met with of these verses, either as to sense or
construction, and I must give them up as unintelligible to me. Houbigant helps
out the construction in his violent method: 'Aut invenit viam, aut
facit.'” It is pretty generally admitted, that in the first
part of this verse a “state of wretchedness and distress,” as Calvin
remarks, is indicated; but it is difficult to ascertain the meaning of the word
µytpç,
shephataim, which he renders pots, and,
consequently, to ascertain to what the allusion particularly is. None of the old
translators have so rendered it; and numerous significations have been given to
it. The Chaldee renders it, “bounds in the divisions of the way;”
the Syriac and Arabic, “paths” or “ways;” the
Septuagint,
klh>rwn,
“allotments,” “inheritances,” or “portions,”
apparently deriving the word from
tpç,
divisit, ordinavit, and perhaps attaching to it a similar
idea as in the preceding translations, men's portions of land or possessions
having been divided and distinguished by paths. Jerome, adhering
to the Septuagint, makes it “inter medios terminos.” Thus, the word
will not be without significance, expressing a forlorn and wretched condition,
lying down betwixt the bounds; that is, in the highways. But many modern critics
think that it signifies something in relation to pots, and that it may very
probably be the same as that which the Arabs call
ypata,
Athaphi, stones set in a chimney for a pot to rest on, the pots
being without legs. “Of these,” says Hammond, “the Arabians
had three, and the third being commonly (to them in the desert) some fast piece
of a rock, or the like, behind the pot, — as in a chimney the back of the
chimney itself, and that not looked on as distinct from the chimney, — the
other two at the sides, which were loose, might fitly be here expressed in the
dual number
µytpç;
and then the lying between these will betoken a very low, squalid
condition, as in the ashes, or amidst the soot and filth of the chimney.”
“These two renderings,” he adds, “may seem somewhat distant;
and yet, considering that the termini or bounds in divisions of ways were
but heaps of stones, or broken bricks, or rubbish, the word
µytpç,
which signifies these, may well signify these supporters of the pots also, in
respect of the matter of these being such stones or broken
bricks.”
Parkhurst takes a view somewhat
similar to this last interpretation. He reads, “among the fire
ranges,” or “rows of stones.” “Those,” says he,
“on which the caldrons or pots were placed for boiling; somewhat like, I
suppose, but of a more structure, than those which Niebuhr says are used by the
wandering Arabs. 'Their fire-place is soon constructed: they only set their pots
upon several separate stones, or over a hole digged in the earth.'
Lying among these denotes the most abject slavery; for this seems to have been
the place of rest allotted to the vilest slaves. So, old Laertes, grieving for
the loss of his son, is described by Homer (in the Eleventh Book of the Odyssey)
as, in the winter, sleeping where the slaves did, in the ashes near the fire:
—
'—Oqi dmwev eni
oikw
En koni agci
purov.'”
See his Lexicon on
tpç
ii.
The Chaldee has “broken bricks,” or
“rubbish,” that are thrown away; the word, according to this sense,
being derived from
hpç,
shephah, to bruise, to trample on. A similar noun,
tpça,
ashpoth, derived from the verb
hpç,
is used in
<19B307>Psalm
113:7, for a dunghill, or the vilest place, whither all kinds of
rubbish are cast out, and where the poor are said to lie. When Job was brought
by Satan to the lowest depths of affliction, he sat down among the ashes, and
scraped himself with a potsherd, which indicated the state of extreme sadness
and debasement to which he was reduced. If this is the sense here, “lying
among the broken bricks or rubbish” expresses, in like manner as the
preceding translations, the most mean, dejected, and wretched
condition.
Harmer's attempt to explain this
passage is at least very ingenious: — As shepherds in the East betake
themselves, during the night, for shelter to the caves which they find in their
rocky hills, where they can kindle fires to warm themselves, as well as dress
their provisions, and as doves, as well as other birds, frequently haunt such
places, he conjectures that the afflicted state of Israel in Egypt is here
compared to the condition of a dove making its abode in the hollow of a rock
which had been smutted by the fires which the shepherds had made in it. He
supposes the word here translated pots to mean the little heaps of stones
on which the shepherds set their pots, there being a hollow under them to
contain the fire. — Harmer's Observations, volume 1,
pp. 176, 177.
Gesenius thinks the word is
equivalent to
µytpçmh,
hammishpethaim, which occurs in
<070519>Judges
5:16, and which our English version makes “sheepfolds,” the only
difference between the two words being, that the word here wants the formative
letter
m,
mem. Thus, it may refer to the condition of the Israelites when
living among their flocks in the wilderness. We have not yet exhausted the
different significations affixed by commentators to this word; but, without
referring to more, we shall only add, that, according to some, the allusion is
to the condition of the Israelites in Egypt, who were doomed to the drudgery of
brick-making and pottery, and had probably to sleep among the brick-kilns or
earthenware manufactories in which they were
employed.
With respect to the second clause of
the verse, in which an image taken from the dove is introduced, a difficulty
which has been stated is, how her feathers can be said to resemble yellow gold.
From the circumstance, that the splendor of gold is here intermingled, Harmer
concludes that this is not a description of the animal merely as adorned by the
hand of nature, but that the allusion is to white doves that were consecrated to
the Syrian deities, and adorned with trinkets of gold, the meaning being,
“Israel is to me as a consecrated dove; and though your
circumstances have made you rather appear like a poor dove, blackened by taking
up its abode in a smoky hole of the rocks, yet shall you become beautiful and
glorious as a Syrian silver-coloured pigeon, on which some ornament of gold is
put.” — Harmer's Observations, volume 1, p.
180. But there are certainly doves which answer to the description here given,
some of them having the feathers on the sides of the neck of a shining copper
color, which in a bright sun must resemble gold. See Encyc.
Brit. Art. Columbia. Besides, the reference is not
necessarily to the color of gold, but to its brilliancy. How highly poetical an
emblem, to depict the glorious change effected in the condition of the Hebrews
by the deliverance which God had granted them over the proud and formidable
enemies who had kept them in the degrading condition represented in the first
clause of the
verse!
ftc26
Salmon is the name of a mountain in Samaria, in the tribe of Ephraim,
(<070948>Judges
9:48,) white with perpetual
snow.
ftc27
Carrieres, in his paraphrase, has, “You
became white as snow on mount Salmon.” “We certainly think,”
says the author of the Illustrated Commentary upon the Bible, “that
Carrieres has seized the right idea. The intention evidently is, to describe by
a figure the honor and prosperity the Hebrews acquired by the defeat of their
enemies, and to express this by whiteness, and superlatively by the whiteness of
snow. Nothing can be more usual in Persia, for instance, than for a person to
say, under an influx of prosperity or honor, or on receiving happy intelligence,
'My face is made white;' or gratefully, in return for a favor or compliment,
'You have made my face white;' so also, 'His face is whitened,' expresses the
sense which is entertained of the happiness or favor which has before been
received. Such a figurative use of the idea of whiteness does, we imagine,
furnish the best explanation of the present and some other texts of
Scripture.”
ftc28
Instead of “in Salmon,” the Targum has, “in the shade of
death;” and Boothroyd has,
“The Almighty
having scattered these
kings,
hath by this
turned death-shade to splendor.”
Walford gives a similar version, and explains the
meaning to be, “Though you have been in bondage and the darkness of a
dejected condition, you are now illuminated with the splendor of victory and
prosperity.”
ftc29
That is, it was so called from the dark shade produced by its
trees.
ftc30
“Que comme les neiges font blanchir ceste montagne, laquelle de soy est
obscure et noire, ainsi quand il a pleu a Dieu d'oster l'obscurite qu'apportoit
l'affliction des ennemis, lors on a veu la terre reluire d'un lustre naif, et
par maniere de dire, porter une face joyeuse.” —
Fr.
ftc31
“La montagne des hauteurs,” “the hill of highnesses or
eminences.” — Fr. That is, (says Calvin, on the margin,)
“treshaute,” “very high.” The literal rendering of the
original words is, “a hill of gibbosities,” “a hill with
humps,” i.e., projections, eminences. This seems peculiarly
applicable to Bashan, which had many tops; and this may explain the origin of
the name of that mountain. It has its name from
ˆç,
a tooth; and
ˆçb
rh, the mountain with teeth, might be
given to it, from the appearance of the face of it studded over with small
hills. See Street, in loco. What is here rendered “a high
hill,” is, in the Septuagint, rendered
o]rov
teturwme>non, and in the Vulgate, “mons
coagulatus,” “cheesey, full of cheeses;” or, as Hammond
renders it, “a hill that yielded much butter and cheese,” Bashan
being a rich and fertile mountain beyond Jordan. Horsley has, “a hill of
lofty brows;” and Fry, “a hill of swelling
heights.”
ftc32
The word here rendered leap ye “occurs only here,” observes
Hammond, “and is by guess rendered to leap, or lift
up, or exalt one's self; but may best be interpreted, not
leap as an expression of joy, but lift up, or exalt
yourselves, as an effect of pride;” and he understands the meaning to
be, Why do ye lift up or exalt yourselves, ye high hills, God not having chosen
any of the highest hills to build his temple on, but the hill of Zion, of a very
moderate size, lower than the hill of Hermon, and at the foot of it,
(<19D303>Psalm
133:3.) Some Jewish commentators, founding their opinion on the cognate Arabic
word
rxr,
would render it, to look after. This gives the same sense. What
look ye for? what expect ye, ye high hills, to be done to you? Ye are not those
which God has chosen to beautify with his glorious presence, but mount Zion is
the object of his choice. Aquila and Jerome read, “Why contend ye?”
Dr Chandler renders it, “Why look askance?” i.e.,
“with jealous leer malign,” as Milton expresses it. “Why are
ye jealous?” Horsley, following Jerome, has, “For what would
ye
contend?”
ftc33
“The Psalmist,” says Horsley, “having settled the Israelites
between their hills, proceeds to the circumstance of God's choice of a hill for
the site of his temple. He poetically imagines the different hills as all
ambitious of the honor, anxiously waiting God's decision, and ready to enter
into a jealous contention; watching each other with an anxious eye.
The lofty hill of Bashan first puts in his claim, pleading his stately
height —
The hill for God is
the hill of Bashan;
A
hill of lofty brows is the hill of Bashan.
The Psalmist cuts short the contention —
For what would ye
contend, ye hills of lofty
brows?
This is the
hill desired of God for himself to dwell
in;
Yea, Jehovah will
dwell in it for ever.”
ftc34
The words ˆanç
ypla, alphey shinan, which Calvin
renders “thousands of angels,” are literally “thousands of
repetition;” the noun
ˆanç,
shanan, being derived from
hnç,
shanah, he repeated or reiterated. Accordingly, the
reading which many prefer is, “The chariots of God are twenty thousand
thousands multiplied or reiterated.” Hammond, who adopts this translation,
observes, that “though angels are not mentioned, they are to be
understood, as Jude 14,
muria>dev
aJgi>ai, holy myriads.”
Horsley reads, “Twenty thousand thousand of thousands is the cavalry
of God.” “The cavalry of God,” says he, “is every thing
in nature which he employs as the instruments or vehicles of his power. The
image, which some would introduce here of God riding in a car drawn by angels, I
cannot admire; nor do I think that it is really to be found in any passage of
Scripture rightly understood.” But God, though not here represented as
riding on a car drawn by angels, is undoubtedly, in the most magnificent style
of Eastern poetry, represented as riding on his exalted car, attended by legions
of angels, mounted also on cars. Comp.
<053203>Deuteronomy
32:3, and
<120616>2
Kings 6:16. French and Skinner give a different view of the passage, which
brings out a very good sense —
“God hath
been to them [the Israelites] twice ten thousand
chariots,
Even
thousand of thousands.”
Chariots were much used in war by the nations of
antiquity; and the chosen people were forbidden to use chariots and horses in
war; but God was to them as effectual a safe-guard as innumerable war-chariots
would have been. He was “the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen
thereof,”
<120212>2
Kings 2:12. Comp.
<192007>Psalm
20:7. And in his protection and aid they were to trust. “When thou
goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a
people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the Lord thy God is with thee,
which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” “For the Lord your
God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies to save
you,”
(<052001>Deuteronomy
20:1 and 4.)
ftc35
“That is, a number of prisoners
captive. See
<070512>Judges
5:12;
<170206>Esther
2:6;
<232004>Isaiah
20:4.” — Archbishop Secker. See the like phrase in
<142805>2
Chronicles 28:5, 11;
<042101>Numbers
21:1;
<052110>Deuteronomy
21:10. “The allusion may be to public triumphs, when captives were led in
chains, even kings and great men, that had captivated others.” —
Dr
Gill.
ftc36
Hebrews
µdab
baadam, in man, “in human
nature,” says Dr Adam Clarke, “and God, manifest in human
flesh, dwells among mortals.” “The gifts which Jesus Christ
distributes to man he has received in man, in and by virtue
of his incarnation, and it is in consequence of his being made man
that it may be said, 'the Lord God dwells among them;' for Jesus was called
Immanuel, 'God with us,' in consequence of his
incarnation.”
ftc37
The Hebrew here is not
hwhy,
Jehovah, but
hy,
Jah.
ftc38
“It is worthy of remark, that whilst
µyhla
occurs twenty-six times,
ynda
seven times, and
la
five times in this psalm,
hwhy
only occurs twice.” — Rogers' Book of Psalms in
Hebrew, etc. volume 2, p.
221.
ftc39
Paul's words are not exactly those of the Septuagint, the present reading of
which is, e]labev domata ejn
ajnqrw>pw, “Thou hast received
gifts for man;” while Paul's words are,
e]dwke do>mata toi~v
ajnqrw>poiv. But Bloomfield thinks that
ejn
ajvqrw>pw in the Septuagint is a corruption for
ejpj
ajnqrw>poiv; and that Paul read in that
version e]laqev domata ejpj
anqrw>poiv, which is the true sense of the
Hebrew words, being no other than this, “Thou hast received gifts on
account of men;” i.e., to give to men. Paul, therefore,
might say
e]dwke
instead of e]laqev ejpi,
to make the sense plainer; as also does the Chaldee
Paraphrast, and the Syriac and Arabic translators. Paul's words are evidently
not intended to be a regular quotation, as appears from his changing the second
person into the
third.
ftc40
“The word
µm[,
amas, which we translate to load, signifies to
lift, bear up, support, or, to bear a burden for
another. Hence it would not be going far from the ideal meaning to
translate, 'Blessed be the Lord, day by day, who bears our burthens for
us.'” — Dr Adam Clarke. Boothroyd, on the contrary,
asserts, that “as an active verb it signifies 'to load, to lay a burthen
on another,' but in no instance to bear or support one,
<111202>1
Kings
12:2.”
ftc41
The Septuagint has, Tou~
Kuri>ou die>xodoi tou~ qana>tou, “To
the Lord belong the passages of death,” expressing the ways by which death
goes out upon men to destroy them. The Vulgate has, “exitus
mortus,” “the goings out of death;” and the Chaldee
Paraphrast, “From before the Lord, death, and the going out of the soul to
suffocation, do contend or fight against the wicked.” Hammond follows the
LXX. He observed, that the original words “must literally be rendered
goings forth to death, and must signify the several plagues and
judgments inflicted by God on impenitent enemies, the ways of punishing and
destroying the Egyptians and Canaanites, drowning in the sea, killing by the
sword, infesting by hornets, etc.; and these are properly to be attributed and
imputed to God, as the deliverances of the Israelites, his people, in the former
part of the verse; and to this sense the consequents incline, verse 21, 'Even
God shall wound.' Horsley reads the verse,
“He that is our God
is a God of salvation,
And for
death are the goings forth of the Lord Jehovah;
“i.e.,” says he,
“When Jehovah takes the field, deadly is the battle to his
enemies.”
ftc42
Agreeably to this, Hewlett observes, that the
“issues of death mean the many providential escapes and
deliverances from death;” and Boothroyd reads,
“For to Jehovah we
owe our escapes from death.”
The Syriac version has, —
“The Lord God is
the Lord of death and of escaping.”
ftc43
Bishops Hare and Horsley suppose that there is here an allusion to the usage of
the people in those Arabian regions, who nourished their hair on the crown of
their head, that by their unshorn heads and shaggy hair they might appear more
fierce. “The expressions, 'the head,' and 'the hairy crown,'”
observes Bishop Horne, “denote the principal part, the strength, the
pride, and the glory of the adversary which was to be crushed;” and
Roberts, in his Oriental Illustrations, observes, that “this language,
'wounding the crown of the hair,' still used in the East, is
equivalent to saying, 'I will kill
you.'”
ftc44
Or, “I will bring again from Bashan,” may be thus explained. I will
perform for my people the like wonders which I did in the days of old; I will
render them victorious over their proud enemies, as I before enabled them to
triumph in the conflict with Og king of Bashan,
(<050303>Deuteronomy
3:3, 4;) and I will deliver them from the greatest dangers, as I saved them from
the Red Sea, by opening up a passage for them through the midst of
it.
ftc45
Walford considers the persons here intended, not God's people, but their
enemies. “It is evident,” says he, “from the next verse, that
the persons who are here meant are the enemies of God and his people; because
the purpose for which they were to be brought was, that his people might
completely triumph over them in their utter slaughter and destruction. These, he
says, I will bring back from Bashan, and from the abysses of the sea; thus
referring to the victories that had been gained over the kings of the
Canaanites, and the triumph of Israel at the Red Sea. The design of this
declaration is, to express the determination of God to bring forth all his
enemies to destruction: be they on the heights of Bashan, or in the profoundest
depths of the ocean, they shall not escape; his hand will lay hold upon them,
and his power utterly destroy them. In
<300902>Amos
9:2, and in Obadiah 4, there are two sublime illustrations of the sentiment that
is here delivered.” “Bashan was east of Judea,” says
Boothroyd, “and the sea in the west, so that the meaning is, that God
would bring his enemies from every quarter to be slain by his
people.”
ftc46
“This doubtless refers to the order of the procession then on its march,
and to that of religious processions in general. In the religious and festal
processions of the Hindoos there is the same order and classes of performers.
The singers, men and women, precede, singing songs appropriate to the occasion;
and then the players on instruments follow after.” — Illustrated
Commentary upon the
Bible.
ftc47
“The musical instrument here rendered 'timbrels' was a sort of small drum,
carried in the hand,
(<021520>Exodus
15:20,) and played on by beating with the hand or fingers, as is probable from
<340207>Nahum
2:7. It was used both on civil and religious occasions; and is often mentioned,
as here, to have been beaten by women, but was sometimes played on by men. It
was very like, if not the same kind of instrument as the modern Syrian
diff, which is described by Dr Russell as 'a hoop, (sometimes with
bits of brass fixed in it to make a jingling,) over which a piece of parchment
is distended. It is beat with the fingers; and is the true tympanum of the
ancients, as appears from its figure in several relievos representing the orgies
of Bacchus, and the rites of Cybele. It is worth observing, that, according to
Juvenal, the Romans had this instrument from Syria.' Niebuhr also has given us a
similar description, and a print of an instrument which, (according to his
German spelling,) he says, they call doff: He informs us that they 'hold
it by the bottom, in the air, with one hand, while they play on it with the
other.' The Oriental diff appears to be very like what is known to the
French and English by the name of tambourine.” —
Mant.
ftc48
“A metaphor denoting the posterity of Israel, springing, as it were, from
a common source or fountain.” — Mant. Bishop Hare's
conjectural emendation gives a good sense; but it seems unnecessary. Instead of
rwqmm,
mimmekor, he proposes to read
rwqm,
mekor; and then the passage would run thus:
—
“The fount whence
blessings spring to Israel's race.”
Horsley reads, “The Lord of the stock of
Israel;” and explains it of the Messiah, who was of the stock of Israel
according to the flesh. Fry conceives that the reading more strictly may be,
“from the quarry of Israel; dug, as it were, from this pit,
hewn from this rock. See
<235101>Isaiah
51:1.”
“They blessed
Elohim in the congregations,
The
Lord from the stock of Israel, (or from the quarry of
Israel.)”
ftc49
Zebulun and Naphtali were in Galilee, divided from the country of the half-tribe
of Manasseh; the former by the Jordan, the latter by the Lake of
Gennesareth.
ftc50
Why these tribes in particular? May it be, Judah (having, instead of Reuben,
succeeded to the blessing which conveyed the privilege of having the Chief Ruler
and Messiah of his line) and Benjamin
(ry[x)
the youngest? or Judah and Benjamin, as two of the tribes most southern and
nearest to Jerusalem; and Zebulun and Naphtali, as two of the most northern and
most remote? as another way of expressing 'from Dan to Beersheba,' to include
them all.” — Dr
Lowth.
ftc51
Of other conjectures the following are a specimen: “As for Zebulun and
Naphtali, why their names are here added rather than any of the other tribes,
the reason may, perhaps, best be taken from what we find prophesied of those two
(Genesis 49 and Deuteronomy 33 and Judges 5.) by Jacob and Moses and Deborah,
that learning and knowledge should be most eminent in those two tribes. Of
Naphtali it is said,
(<014921>Genesis
49:21,) 'Naphtali is a hind let loose; he giveth goodly words;' and of Zebulun,
(<070514>Judges
5:14,) 'They shall handle the pen of the writer.'” —
Hammond. “It then specifies the tribes of Judah, Zebulun,
and Naphtali, not as if they were the only tribes present, but as occupying,
perhaps, the foremost ranks of the procession, and followed by all the other
tribes.” —
Walford.
ftc52
“Car David appelant yci ceux qui devoyent faire le plus grand devoir et
estre les premiers a annoncer les louanges de Dieu, n'eust pas fait mention de
ceste acte qui estoit ignominieux, et tendoit grandement a leur
deshonneur.” —
Fr.
ftc53
The Septuagint has, “There is Benjamin the younger.” He was the son
of Jacob's old age; and to this there is an allusion in the name, which is
compounded of
ˆb,
ben, a son, and
ˆyµy,
yamin, of days, (according to the Chaldee plural
termination,ˆy,
yin,) intimating that he was the son of his father's old age,
(<014420>Genesis
44:20,) and not, as is commonly said, the son of my right hand.
—
Bythner.
ftc54
“Caput tamen unum efficere.” — Lat. “Font
toutesfois un chef comme les autres lignees.” —
Fr.
ftc55
The word
µtmgr,
rigmatham, here translated congregation or
assembly, signifies, according to Parkhurst, a heap of stones
for defence, a bulwark of stones; and he considers it to be
here applied metaphorically to the princes of Judah, who, so to speak, were
the bulwark of Israel. Horsley adopts the same reading: “The
princes of Judah their bulwark.” Hammond, after stating that the word
signifies a stone, observes, that it “is here used in a
metaphorical sense for a ruler or governor, as a
foundation-stone which supports the whole building may fitly be applied
to a commonwealth, and then signify the prince thereof.” In this sense the
LXX., no doubt, understood
µtmgr,
rigmatham, who render it
hJgemo>nev
aujtwn, “their governors.” “It
may mean,” says Pike, in his Hebrew Lexicon, “their supreme
authority, signified by stoning, a capital punishment among the
Israelites, in the same manner as it was represented among the Romans by the
Fasces and Securis, the instruments of punishment carried before the
Consuls.” Jerome, however, has taken it for another word nearly similar to
it in its letters, signifying purple, — “in purpura sua;”
— but this comes to the same thing as the Septuagint translation. Dathe
has “agmen,” “a troop;” and according to Gesenius, it
signifies “a multitude, crowd,
band.”
ftc56
Instead of the company of spearmen,
the greater number of modern critics consider the wild beast of the reeds
as the most correct translation; and this is understood by many to represent
the Egyptian people and government under the emblem of the hippopotamus or
river-horse, the behemoth of Scripture. This animal — which is a quadruped
of enormous size, of prodigious strength, fierce and cruel in its disposition,
and whose skin is so impenetrable that no arrows can pierce it — shelters
and reposes itself among the tall reeds which skirt in abundance the banks of
the Nile,
(<184021>Job
40:21.) It is a very appropriate emblem of the Egyptian power, in the height of
its greatness so formidable, and the inveterate enemy of Israel. And that the
Psalmist here refers to it has been thought the more probable, from his
mentioning, in the clause immediately following, the bulls and calves of the
people, these animals having been honored and worshipped as deities by that
degenerate and superstitious nation. Or, the wild beast of the reeds may,
as is supposed by others, denote the same power under the representation of the
crocodile, to which the characteristics of the hippopotamus, now specified, are
equally applicable. By this ferocious and truculent animal Pharaoh king of Egypt
is represented in
<262903>Ezekiel
29:3, 5, and 32:2; and in
<197414>Psalm
74:14. This, it would appear, was anciently employed as an emblem of Egypt. On a
medal which the Emperor Augustine caused to be struck after he had completely
reduced this powerful kingdom, Egypt is represented by the figure of a crocodile
bound with a chain to a palm-tree, with the inscription, Nemo antea
relegavit. Dathe, however, rejects the opinion, that the crocodile,
and under it the King of Egypt, is pointed at; and observes, that David
cultivated peace with the King of Egypt, and that, in verse 31st, the Egyptians
are commemorated as worshippers of the true God. He supposes that the wild
beast of the reeds may be an epithet applied to the lion, who is accustomed
to haunt places where reeds grow, and that under this image the King of Syria
may be referred to, with whom David carried on lengthened and bloody wars, as is
abundantly evident from sacred history. Dr Lowth also supposes that the lion
is meant, (see his Lectures on Sacred Poetry, volume 1, p.
135;) and the same view is adopted by Schnurrer, Rosenmuller, and
others.
ftc57
The original term is
hnq,
kane; hence the English word
cane.
ftc58
While by the multitude of bulls some understand powerful leaders, by
the calves of the people they understand the mass of the people,
undistinguished for rank or power, and particularly the young men. But others,
as Bishop Horne, suppose, that by the calves of the people is meant the
idol-calves of the Egyptians, their Apis, Osiris, etc., whom they made the
objects of their religious worship. Horsley reads, “The assembly of those
who place their strength in the calves;” that is, as he explains it,
“The people of Egypt, who worshipped calves, and trusted in them as their
gods.”
ftc59In
Bagster's interlinear version, the rendering is, “shall be each
submitting itself with pieces of silver.” Wheatland and Silvester
translate,
“Till each submiss,
from hostile acts shall cease,
And
with the tribute-silver sue for peace.”
ftc60
Various other explanations have been given of the words,
ãskAAyxrb
sprtm, mithrappes beratsey-kaseph,
rendered by Calvin, treading with their feet upon pieces of
silver, and by which critics have been much perplexed. “Berlin
translates the words 'calcantem frusta argenti,' which he explains by
'pavimentum argento tessellatum.' De Rossi explains the words thus, 'Who advance
with laminae of silver under their horses' hoofs.' Immanuel Ben Solomon, whose
Scholia on select passages of the Psalms were published by De Rossi,
gives the following explanation. 'Dicit [vates scil.] quod Deus disperdit
nationes, quae volunt malum inferre Israeli, et coetum taurorum, seu reges
illustriores, ut reges Assyriae et Babylonis, quorum quisque conculcat frusta
argentea; i.e., incedunt cum lamina aurea sub pedibus suis ob
multitudinem divitiarum suarum.'” — Rogers' Book of
Psalms, volume 2, p. 223. Dr Geddes' version is:
“The assemblage of
the potent lords of nations,
Who
tread on tiles of silver;”
and he supposes that the poet alludes to the floors
in the palaces of the Oriental kings, which were paved with silver. Dr Jubb
renders the phrase, “who excite themselves with fragments of
silver;” and considers the allusion to be to the dancing of the Egyptians
before their idol-calves, with the tinkling instruments called Sistra. That they
were accustomed to dance before these idols is evident from
<023206>Exodus
32:6, where we are taught that the people of Israel, in imitation of the
Egyptian idolatry, rose up to shout and dance before the golden calf; for such
is the meaning of the words, “they rose up to play,” as appears from
verses 17, 18, and 19. And that they used the sistrum in religious
feasts, Herodotus informs us in the second book of his History. The words,
pieces of silver, according to Jubb, signify the little loose
pieces of metal with which the sistrum was hung round, which produced the
jingling noise when the instrument was played upon. This description fits the
Egyptians; and that it really belongs to them may be inferred, with some degree
of probability, from the following verse, where it is said, “Princes shall
come out of Egypt,” as if the subjugation of this nation, imprecated in
the preceding verse, were here supposed complete. Tucker has here a very good
remark. “David,” says he, “invokes the Messiah to bring down
the power of Egypt; but in his abhorrence of their idolatry, deigns not to
designate them except in the most contemptuous terms. He says not, Rebuke the
assembly of those who worship bulls and calves, and dance round altars to the
sound of instruments of silver, but he classes the people on a par with the
idols which they worshipped, — 'the assembly of bulls and calves, who
dance to bits (or pieces) of
silver.'”
“The sistrum was of
an oval figure, or a dilated semicircle, in the shape of a shoulder-belt, with
brass wires across, which played in holes wherein they were stopped by their
flat heads. The performer played on it by shaking the sistrum in cadence,
and thereby the brass wires made a shrill and loud noise.” —
Mant.
ftc61
“The Hebrew is very emphatic: — 'Cush will cause her hands to run
out to God.' She will with great alacrity and delight surrender her
power and influence unto God.” — Dr Adam
Clarke.
ftc62
“This refers to the phenomena of thunder and lightning; for all nations
have observed that the electric fluid is an irresistible agent —
destroying life, tearing towers and castles to pieces, rending the strongest
oaks, and cleaving the most solid rocks; and the most enlightened nations have
justly considered it as an especial manifestation of the power and Sovereignty
of God.” —
Greenfield.
ftc63
The particular enemies of whom he speaks are uncertain; some referring the
occasion of the composition of the psalm to his persecution by Saul, and others
to the rebellion of Absalom. But to whatever part of David's eventful life the
psalm primarily refers, it may be concluded, from the frequency with which it is
quoted and applied to Christ in the New Testament, that it was prophetic of him,
of whom David, rejected and persecuted, was an eminent type. It is quoted in the
New Testament at least seven times; the 4th verse in
<431525>John
15:25; the 9th verse in
<430217>John
2:17, and
<451503>Romans
15:3; the 21st verse in
<402734>Matthew
27:34, 48, and
<431928>John
19:28, 29; the 22d and 23d verses in
<451109>Romans
11:9, 10; and the 25th verse in
<440116>Acts
1:16,
20.
ftc64
They rest this opinion upon the meaning which they attach to the word
µynçç,
Shoshannim, in the title of the psalm, which they translate
lilies.
ftc65
“Ou, la force et le fil.” — Fr. marg.
“Or, the force and
course.”
ftc66
“Ou, fortifiez.” — Fr. marg. “Or,
strengthened.”
ftc67
The Hebrew word
za,
for then, appears to be emphatic.
“za;
in ipso articulo, (Schultens in Proverbs 7:22;)
immediately, without any contention, or delay.” Lowth, quoted in Merrick's
Annotations.
ftc68
“The waters are come in unto my soul; i.e., a
flood of overwhelming calamities threaten my life: comp. verse 16.”
— Cresswell. Williams thinks the allusion is to a leaky vessel,
or to an
inundation.
ftc69
“Comme nous en voyons plusieurs qui donnans du pied au fond, de roideur
trouvent facon d'eschapper le peril de l'eau: mais depuis qu'on se trouve une
fois enfonce en quelque bourbier ou riviere limonneuse, c'est fait, il n'y a nul
moyen de se sauver.” —
Fr.
ftc70
“'My sight faileth me,' etc. This is said metaphorically, the
metaphor being taken from the pain occasioned to the eyes when they are long and
intently fixed upon the same point.” —
Cresswell
ftc71
“There is an apparent impropriety in the language of this verse, though
the sense is perfectly clear. It is a proverbial expression, to mark the
injustice and extortion of the enemies that are referred to, who compelled the
speaker, without any right, to yield up his goods to persons to whom he was not
indebted.” — Walford. Horsley observes, that this last clause
is a proverbial expression, the meaning of which is, “I have been
accountable for the crimes of others.” Dr Adam Clarke also remarks, that
this is a sort of proverbial expression like these: “Those who suffered
the wrong pay the costs” — “Kings sin and the people are
punished.” This pre-eminently applies to Christ, who was perfectly holy,
but who, by bearing the punishment due to the guilt of man, made satisfaction to
Divine justice for sins which he never committed, and restored those blessings
which he never took
away.
ftc72
According to Augustine, the Messiah, when he says “my foolishness”
and “my iniquities,” speaks of the sins of men which were imputed to
him, and for which he suffered and died under the curse of the law, which
treated him as if he had been a sinner, in consequence of the sins thus imputed
to him. A similar interpretation is given by Bishops Horsley and Horne, as well
as many others. “The Messiah,” says the first of these critics,
“here, as in many places, may speak of the follies and crimes of men, for
which he had made himself answerable as his own.” Admitting, as we are
disposed to do, although Calvin takes an opposite view, that the passage is
applicable to Christ, it may be doubted whether this is the correct
interpretation. The sins of those for whom Christ died, by being imputed to him,
no doubt became his in the eye of the law, in such a sense as to make him
answerable for them. But the Scriptures, be it observed, while they speak of him
as “wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our
iniquities,” and as “bearing our sins in his own body on
the tree,” as if afraid to use any forms of expression which would even
seem to derogate from his immaculate purity, never speak of the sins of those
for whom he died as his own sins. What Horsley adds, as an additional
explanation, is very unguarded. “Perhaps,” says he, “He who,
although he was without sin, was yet tempted in all points like up to us, might,
in his humility, speak of the incitement of the passions in his own mind as
weakness and fault, making confession of it before the Father.”
Nothing, doubtless, was farther from the mind of the prelate than to teach any
thing inconsistent with the perfect holiness of the Son of God; and he expressly
warns that “he was without sin;” but the language which he employs
is scarcely consistent with this position, and it can convey no idea on the
subject except an erroneous one. “The prince of this world cometh,”
said Jesus to his disciples, “and hath nothing in me” —
hath nothing in me, that is, to use the words of Dr Doddridge,
“no guilt of mine to give him power over me; nor any inward corruption, to
take part with his temptations.” The explanation of the text, which
appears to be the most natural and consistent, is that which considers the
Savior as solemnly appealing to the Father in vindication of his innocence. His
enemies falsely charged him with crimes, and made these charges the ground of
their cruel and malignant proceedings against him. The Divine Sufferer,
therefore, with confidence appeals to God, saying, Thou, who art the omniscient
and all-righteous Judge, knowest that I am innocent of the crimes laid to my
charge, and I invoke thee to plead my cause. This interpretation, which is
adopted by many eminent critics, as Dr Boothroyd, Dr Morrison, Walford, and
others, is strongly supported by the context. The preceding verse contains
strong assertions of his innocence; and it was very natural to accompany these
with an appeal from the falsehood and calumny of men, to the all-seeing and
righteous Judge of the
universe.
ftc73
In the East, where polygamy prevails, those who are children of the same father,
but by different mothers, scarcely look upon each other as brothers and sisters
at all, but as strangers or enemies; while those who are children of the same
mother regard each other with peculiarly strong affection. Hence said Gibeon to
Zebah and Zalmunna, who had put to death his brethren, “They were my
brethren, even the sons of my mother; as the Lord liveth, if ye had saved them
alive, I would not slay you,”
(<070819>Judges
8:19.) It therefore greatly aggravated the affliction of David that he had
“become an alien to the children of his mother,” from whom he might
have expected affection and sympathy, however much he might have been
disregarded by his brethren, who were the children of his father's other wives.
See volume 2, p. 277, note
3.ftc74
That is, the confidence arising from the reflection that we are, in the first
place, suffering unjustly; and, secondly, that we are
suffering in the cause of
God.
ftc75
“Qui convertissent en diffame et blasme le desir que les fideles ont de sa
gloire.” —
Fr.
ftc76
The verb means not only 'to eat up, to devour,' but 'to corrode or consume,' by
separating the parts from each other, as fire, (see Parkhurst on
lka
2;) and the radical import of the Hebrew word for 'zeal,' seems to be 'to eat
into, corrode, as fire.' The word (says Parkhurst) is, in the Hebrew Bible,
generally applied to the fervent or ardent affections of the human frame, the
effects of which are well known to be even like those of fire, corroding and
consuming; and, accordingly, the poets, both ancient and modern, abound with
descriptions of these ardent and consuming affections, taken from fire and its
effects. (See on
anq.)”
—
Mant.
ftc77
“That was turned to my reproach; i.e., it was made a
subject of reproach to me.” —
Cresswell.
ftc78
“They that sit in the gate — vain and idle persons who
spent their time there, in which there used to be a confluence of people.”
— Rosenmuller. “They that sit in the gate;
i.e., the elders. The expression may, however, be put for the crowd
assembled there to hear the decisions of the magistrates: compare
<120701>2
Kings 7:1-18.” —
Cresswell.
ftc79
Judges sat there in the exercise of their
judicial functions; the gates of cities being anciently the places where courts
of judicature were held for trying all causes, and deciding all affairs. See
<182907>Job
29:7, compared with verses 12, 16, and 17;
<052507>Deuteronomy
25:7;
<080401>Ruth
4:1, 2;
<112210>1
Kings 22:10;
<170219>Esther
2:19.
ftc80
“Bibentes
siceram.” — Lat. Cresswell has the following
note on this clause of the verse: “More literally, I am the subject of
the songs of them that drink sicera. Sicera was, according to
Chrysostom, an intoxicating liquor, made from the juice of the palm-tree; the
fruit of that tree being bruised and fermented, was probably the beverage of the
lower orders, like the bouza of
Æthiopia.”
ftc81
Dr Wells explains, the truth of thy salvation, as meaning,
“according to the promises thou hast made of saving
me.”
ftc82
“The Chaldee interpreter understands by the pit, Gehenna.”
—
Cresswell.
ftc83
The original word
dsj,
chesed, here translated mercy, signifies, as Dr Adam
Clarke observes, “exuberance of
kindness.”
ftc84
°ymjr,
rachamecha, for compassions, signifies, according to
the same author, such affection as mothers bear to their young, and in God there
is
br,
rob, a multitude of
these.
ftc85
The word
çar,
rosh, here denominated gall, is thought by Celsius,
Michaelis, Boothroyd, and others, to be hemlock. According to Dr
Adam Clarke and Williams, it refers to bitters in general, and
particularly those of a deleterious nature. Bochart, from a comparison of this
passage with
<431929>John
19:29, thinks that
çar,
rosh, is the same herb as the Evangelist calls
uJsswpov,
“hyssop;” a species of which growing in Judea, he proves from Isaac
Ben Orman, an Arabian writer, to be so bitter, as not to be eatable. Theophylact
expressly tells us that the hyssop was added as being deleterious or poisonous;
and 'Nonnus' paraphrase is, “one gave the deadly acid mixed with
hyssop.” See Parkhurst on
çar.
The word occurs in
<052918>Deuteronomy
29:18; 32:33; and is, in the latter place, rendered poison. In
<281004>Hosea
10:4, it is rendered hemlock; and in
<300612>Amos
6:12, it is put in apposition with a word there translated hemlock,
although the same word is also rendered
wormwood.
Vinegar, we
conceive, here means sour wine, such as was given to slaves or prisoners in the
East. Persons in better circumstances used lemons or pomegranates to give their
drink a grateful acidity. It was therefore a great insult offered to a royal
personage to give him in his thirst the refreshment of a slave or of a wretched
prisoner; and David employs this figure to express the insults which were
offered to him by his enemies. See Harmer's Observations,
volume 2, pp. 158,
159.
ftc86
This and the following verses, which are here expressed in the form of
imprecations, are translated by many in the future tense, as predictions:
“Their table before them shall be for a snare,”
etc.
ftc87
The LXX. have rendered the word here translated prosperity by a word
which signifies recompense: “Let their table before them be
for a snare, kai ei>v
ajntapo>dosin, and for a recompense,
and for a stumbling-block.” Paul, in quoting this and the verse
immediately following, as descriptive of the judgments which befell the Jews
after their rejection of the Messiah, quotes with some slight difference the
words of the LXX. He has, Eijv
ajntapo>oma aujtoi~v, “for a
retribution upon them.” The Psalmist's enemies had given him gall for his
meat, and in his thirst vinegar to drink, and he denounces on them evils similar
in kind: as if he had said, Would that their own table may be made bitter by
misery and misfortune, and the food provided for the nourishment and
strengthening of their bodies turned, in the righteous retribution of God, into
the means of their injury and destruction. “Michaelis,” says
Walford, “shows how exactly these comminations were fulfilled in the
history of the final siege of Jerusalem by the Romans. Many thousands of the
Jews had assembled in the city to eat the Paschal lamb, when Titus unexpectedly
made an assault upon them. In this siege the greater part of the inhabitants of
Jerusalem miserably
perished.”
ftc89
“Mais estant conduit par le Sainct Esprit, il n'a point passe outre les
limites.” —
Fr.
ftc90
The loins are the seat of strength in every animal; and hence the prayer,
“Make their loins continually to tremble,” is just a prayer that
their strength might be impaired, or entirely taken
away.
ftc91
This is the translation given by the LXX., who read,
prose>qhkan,
“they added to;” and similar is that of the Syriac, Vulgate, Arabic,
and Æthiopic versions, and of the learned Castellio, who reads,
“Sauciorum tuorum numerum adaugentes,” “increasing the number
of thy wounded.”
“rps,”
says Hammond, “signifies to number, and of that we know
addition is one
sort.”
ftc92
This is the idea attached to it by Horsley, who translates the verse thus:
“Give them punishment upon punishment, and admit them not to thy
justification.” Cresswell explains it thus: “Let them not be
restored to thy favor, nor experience thy
clemency.”
ftc93
“Qu'ils sont alienez et bannis de la presence de Dieu.” —
Fr. “That they are alienated and banished from the presence of
God.”
ftc94
This is the explanation given by Hammond. The Hebrew word
ˆtn,
nathan, here rendered add, he translates give or
permit, which he supports in the following note. “That
µtn,
to give, signifies also to permit, appears by
<170913>Esther
9:13,
ˆtny,
'let it be given to the Jews,' i.e., permitted them. So
<021223>Exodus
12:23, 'And shall not suffer (the Hebrew hath
ˆty,
give) the destroyer to come in; the Chaldee reads
qbçy,
'permit,' and the LXX.
ajqh>sei,
to the same sense. So
<191610>Psalm
16:10, 'Thou shalt not suffer
(µty,
again, give) thy Holy One to see corruption.' And so
ˆw[
hnt, give wickedness, is no more than
permit: for so it is ordinary with God, as a punishment of some former great sin
or sins, though not to infuse any malignity, yet by withdrawing his grace, and
delivering them up to themselves, to permit more sins to follow, one on the
heels of the other, and so to be so far from reforming and amending as daily to
grow worse and worse, to be more obdurate, and so finally never to enter into
God's righteousness; i.e., into that way of obedience
required by him, and which will be accepted by him, or (as
qdx,
in the notion of mercy, may signify being applied to God) into
his mercy, so as to be made partakers of it.” A fuller
statement and illustration of Calvin's views on this point is given in his
Institutes, Book I. chapter
18.
ftc95
In the French version, the two last verbs of the sentence are put in the future
tense, by which the idea conveyed is somewhat modified: “En sorte qu'ils
ne retourneront jamais, a bon sens, et celuy qui est ord, deviendra encore plus
ord.” — “So that they shall never return to a sound
understanding, and he who is filthy will become still more
filthy.”
ftc96
“This phrase,” observes Bishop Mant, “which is not unusual in
Scripture, alludes to the custom of well ordered cities, which kept registers,
containing all the names of the citizens. Out of these registers the names of
apostates, fugitives, and criminals, were erased, as also those of the deceased:
whence the expression 'blotting,' or 'erasing names from the book of
life.'”
ftc97
“Et se retrancher du tout.” —
Fr.
ftc98
Boothroyd reads, “humbled and
afflicted!”
ftc99
Venema and others conjecture, that what follows, from this verse to the end of
the psalm, was added during the captivity of the Jews in Babylon; while others,
from the expressions occurring in these verses, refer the whole psalm to that
period; and observe, that the Hebrew letter
l,
lamed, prefixed to David's name in the title, does not always
signify of; but sometimes, as in
<010111>Genesis
1:11, means according to, and so may be intended to describe this
psalm as being after the manner of David. But Paul, in
<451109>Romans
11:9, ascribes it to
David.
ftc100
“Tous ceux qui seront oppressez a tort.” — Fr.
“All who shall be wrongfully
oppressed.”
ftc101”Although
this psalm has no title, it is by general consent ascribed to David, and
supposed to have been composed during Absalom's revolt, as he mentions his old
age, and his danger of perishing. It is almost a copy of Psalm 31; and, as the
passages in the present psalm, which refer to his advanced age, are wanted in
the other, it seems as if the 31st psalm (written probably during the
persecution of Saul) was taken and adapted, by a little alteration and addition,
to his latter afflictions.” — Illustrated Commentary upon the
Bible.
ftc102
In the Hebrew it is, “Be thou to me for a rock of habitation.” But
instead of
ˆw[m,
maon, “habitation,” many of Dr Kennicott's and De
Rossi's MSS. have
zw[m,
maoz, “munition,” or “defense.” “Be
thou my rock of
defence.”
ftc103
At the same time, it may be observed, that if this psalm was written during the
rebellion of Absalom, this cruel son or Achitophel may be the person whom David
has here in his eye, and describes in the singular number. If he refers to his
own son, how deep must have been his agony of soul to be under the necessity of
appealing to God in his present distressing circumstances, against an unnatural
and wicked child, around whom all the affections of his heart were intwined!
What Calvin renders, in the last clause of the verse, “the violent
man,” is literally “leavened man.” Leaven seems to be an image
for deep and inveterate depravity of any kind. “Beware of the leaven of
the Pharisees and of the Sadducees,” said our Lord. —
(<401606>Matthew
16:6; see also
<460508>1
Corinthians
5:8.)
ftc104
“Des le ventre de ma mere.”
— Fr. “From the womb of my
mother.”
ftc105
“Ou, a plusieurs.” — Fr.
marg. “Or, to
many.”
ftc106
“Et toutesfois.” —
Fr.
ftc107
In the Latin version it is, “Ab affectu
ipso;” which is probably a mistake for “Ab effecto ipso.” In
the French version it is, “Par l'effet
mesme.”
ftc108
Green reads, “I am become a gazing-stock to the multitude.” Horsley,
“'I am become a prodigious sight to the many.' A prodigious
sight, 'a sign which shall be spoken against,'
<420234>Luke
2:34.” “'I am become, as it were, a portentous sign unto many.' Many
are willing to persuade themselves that my trials proceed directly from God's
wrath, and are intended to warn them against pursuing a like course of
conduct.” — French and Skinner. “A
monster, i.e., the supposed object of God's signal
displeasure. Comp.
<232003>Isaiah
20:3;
<261206>Ezekiel
12:6; 24:24, 27.” — Cresswell. But others suppose that
tpwmk,
hemopheth, as a prodigy, implies that the great and many
dangers to which he had been exposed, and the extraordinary deliverances from
them which he had experienced, marked him out as an object of wonder, so that
men looked upon him as if he were exempted from the common lot of mankind, as if
he possessed a charmed life, and were invulnerable to all assaults; and the
second member of the verse has been viewed as the reason why he was so regarded:
“for thou art my strong
refuge.”
ftc109
Others read, “Those who are enemies to my life shall be confounded,”
etc., understanding the words to be prophetic
denunciations.
ftc110
“Atqui proterva haec eorum insultatio.” — Lat.
“Mais cest enrage desdain et outrage.” —
Fr.
ftc111
“Parquoy c'a este une vertu a David plus qu'humaine.” —
Fr. “It was therefore fortitude more than human for
David.”
ftc112
Horsley reads, “'I shall be added,' or 'made an addition;' literally,
'be-made-to-be-added to the sum of thy praise.'” “The sense
is,” says he, “that the mercies to the Psalmist would furnish the
servants of God with a new topic of praise and
thanksgiving.”
ftc113
The present reading of the Septuagint is,
Oujk e]gnwn
pragmatei>av, “I know not the affairs
of men;” but Nobilius, in his Notes on the Septuagint, observes,
that in some Greek copies it is,
grammatei>av,
“learning,” of which reading Augustine makes mention; and as the
Vulgate reads, “literaturam,” “learning,” this makes it
more probable that the ancient reading of the LXX. was not
pragmatei>av,
but
grammateia>v.
Horsley has followed the LXX. He considers this clause as the commencement of a
new sentence, and connects it with the 16th verse thus: —
“Although I am no
proficient in learning;
I will
enter upon [the subject of] the Lord Jehovah's great
might;
I will commemorate thy
righteousness.”
In a foot-note he refers to
<430715>John
7:15, “How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?” and to
<401354>Matthew
13:54, 56; and in an additional note he says, “It is strange that
Houbigant should treat an interpretation with contempt, which is supported by
the versions of the LXX., Jerome, and the Vulgate; which the Hebrew words will
naturally bear, and which gives great spirit to the sentiment.” Street
reads: —
“Though I am
ignorant of books,
I will proceed
with strength,” etc.;
and observes, that “The word
rpsm
signifies number, but
rps,
signifies an epistle, a
book.”
ftc114
“Expertes.” — Lat. “Gros asniers. —
Fr.
ftc115
That is, which represents this work as performed, partly by God, and partly by a
power which man has in himself underived from
God.
ftc116
“Usque in excelsum.” — Lat. “Est eslevee
jusques en haut.” — Fr.
“µwrm
da, ad marom — is up to the exalted
place, — reaches up to heaven. The mercy of God fills all
space and place. It crowns in the heavens what it governed
upon earth.” — Dr Adam
Clarke.
ftc117
“Et to retournant, estant appaise.” — Fr. “And
returning, being
appeased.”
ftc118
“The depths of the earth, expressive of the lowest state of misery
and suffering.” —
Hewlett.
ftc119
“The original word
µnr
expresses a brisk, vibratory motion, like that of the lips in singing a lively
air, or of the feet in dancing. Hence, figuratively, it signifies to rejoice
or exult. In this passage, it may be understood literally of
the lips, and figuratively of the soul. And the English language
having no corresponding verb which may be taken literally in reference to one
subject, and figuratively in reference to another, it might be better to express
its sense in connection with each, by two different verbs, thus:
—
“My lips shall move
briskly, when I sing unto thee,
And
my soul shall rejoice, which thou, etc.” —
Horsley.
ftc120
“Ou, pour Solomon.” — Fr. marg.
“Or, for Solomon.” The prefix
l,
lamed, may be rendered either of or
for.
ftc121
To this it may be added, as Dathe observes, that “Solomon could not,
without the imputation of vanity, have predicted in such strains the glory of
his reign, the admiration with which he would be regarded by other nations, and
the happiness of his subjects, arising from his prudence and virtue.” The
same writer adds, “But while David, or the inspired author, whoever he
was, predicted the prosperity of Solomon's reign, the promise given
(<120701>2
Samuel 7) of that greatest and best of kings, who was afterwards to arise in the
family of David, seems to have been brought before his mind. This is the reason
that the description given is, in various respects, more suited to the reign of
the Messiah than to the reign of
Solomon.”
ftc122
In the Septuagint, in righteousness is connected with the following verse
— In righteousness he shall judge the poor of the people,” Dr Adam
Clarke considers this to be the true
division.
ftc123
“Te craindra,” “shall fear thee,” is a
supplement in the French version. There is no supplement in the Latin
version.
ftc124
“Comme les pluyes drues et longues.” — Fr. “As
the plenteous and prolonged
showers.”
ftc125
“In other places, those events which God himself brings to pass in
defending the righteous, and in punishing the wicked, are called his
judgments, as in
<193607>Psalm
36:7; but the statutes promulgated by God for the regulation of human conduct
are also styled his judgments. In this sense, the judgments and
laws of God may be considered as synonymous terms, Psalm 119. 20, 30, 39, 52,
75. The clause is justly explained by Jarchi: 'Knowledge of the judgments
— to wit, of the particular rules of right — which thou hast
commanded in the law.' The explication given by Kimchi is suitable
also: 'That he may not err in giving forth sentences, give him knowledge and
understanding, that he may judge with judgment and justice.'” —
Rosenmüller on the Messianic Psalms, Biblical Cabinet,
volume 32, pp. 232,
233.
ftc126
As the earth brings forth fruits, so shall the mountains bring forth peace. The
same figure is used in
<198512>Psalm
85:12, where it is said, “Truth shall spring out of the
earth.”
ftc127
Dathe and Boothroyd take another view.
According to them, the allusion is to the custom which, in ancient times,
prevailed in the East, of announcing good or bad news from the tops of
mountains, or other eminences; by means of which, acts of justice were speedily
communicated to the remotest part of the country. The same image is used in
<234009>Isaiah
40:9.
ftc128
That is, we are to read thus: “The
mountains shall bring forth peace to the people in righteousness; and the hills
shall bring forth peace to the people in
righteousness.”
ftc129
“Peace by righteousness.” Calvin considers the Psalmist as
representing peace to be the native fruit or effect of righteousness. Such also
is the interpretation of Rosenmüller: “'And the hills shall
bring forth peace with justice, or because of justice.'
Justice and peace are joined together, as cause and effect. When
iniquity or injustice prevails, general misery is the consequence; and, on the
contrary, the prevalence of justice is followed by general felicity. The sense
of the clause is, — happiness shall reign throughout the land, for the
people shall be governed with
equity.”
ftc130
Rosenmüller, in like manner, objects to
this reading. “Some expositors,” says he, “consider the prefix
b,
beth, as redundant, or as denoting that the noun is in the
accusative case; and that the clause may be rendered, And the hills shall
bring forth justice. Noldius, in his Concordance, adduces several
passages as examples of a similar construction; but they appear, all of them, to
be constructed on a different
principle.”
ftc131
Many examples of this Hebraism might be
quoted. In
<211017>Ecclesiastes
10:17, “a son of nobles” is put for “a noble person;” in
<191845>Psalm
18:45, children of the stranger, for strangers; and,
in many passages, children, or sons of men, for
men, simply
considered.
ftc132
“The poet in this clause addresses God; not the king, of whom he speaks
always in the third person. The sense is, This king shall establish and preserve
among his subjects the true religion, — the uncorrupted worship of God.
Michaelis, on this passage, justly remarks that this could not, without extreme
flattery, be predicated of Solomon.” —
Dathe.
ftc133
“With the sun,” and “in the presence of the moon,” are
Hebrew idioms, designating the eternity of the Messiah's kingdom. “'They
shall venerate thee with the sun, and in presence of the moon;' that is, as long
as the sun shines, and is succeeded by the moon, or while the sun and moon
continue to give light, — in a word, for ever. Compare verse seventh,
where the same idea is expressed, only in a slightly different manner, —
until there be no moon.
<198937>Psalm
89:37 — 'His throne shall be as the sun before me, as the moon it shall be
established for ever.' The word
ynpl,
[translated in presence of,] in this passage, is to be understood in the
same sense as in
<011128>Genesis
11:28, Mortuus est Haran,
ynpAl[,
coram facie Terah; 'And Haran died before the face of Terah,' that is, while
Terah still survived. Hence, in
<19A202>Psalm
102:29, where
°ynpl,
coram te, 'before thee,' is used in reference to God, — the
Alexandrine version gives eijv
aijw~nav 'for ever.' Here the sense is given in the
words immediately following,
µyrwd
rwd, generatio generationum, 'a
generation of generations' shall venerate thee; — in other words,
throughout all generations, or during a continual series of years, men shall
celebrate thy happy and glorious reign.” —
Rosenmüller. Calvin also reads
µyrwd
rwd, “generation of generations,” in
the nominative case. The translators of our English Bible supply the preposition
l,
lamed, thus making it, “throughout all generations.”
But in either case the meaning is the
same.
ftc134
Literally, “till there be no moon;” till the end of the world
— for
ever.
ftc135
Or the
Mediterranean.
ftc136
µyyx,
tsiim, is from
hyx,
tsiyah, a dry and parched country, a desert.
Rosenmüller translates it, the rude nations.
“The word
µyyx,”
says he, “seems to signify rude, barbarous tribes; the inhabitants of
desert places, — of vast and unknown regions. This sense appears to be
most suitable, both here and in
<197414>Psalm
74:14. Hence it is used
<231321>Isaiah
13:21; 34:14;
<245039>Jeremiah
50:39, for the animals, — the wild beasts that inhabit jungles and
deserts.” The LXX. translate it
Aiqiopev,
“the Æthiopians;” and in like manner the Vulgate,
Æthiopic, and Arabic versions. Boothroyd is of opinion that the wild Arabs
may be
intended.
ftc137
The kings of Persia never admitted any into their presence without exacting this
act of adoration, and it was the Persian custom which Alexander wished to
introduce among the Macedonians. — Rollin's Ancient
History, volume 4, p. 288. This custom is still extant among the
Turks. As soon as an ambassador sees the Sultan, he falls on his knees and
kisses the
ground.
ftc138
hjnm,
minchah, properly signifies a friendly offering; and
rkça,
eshcar, a compensative present made on account of benefits
received, — a gift which a person presents as a token of gratitude.
— See
Appendix.ftc139
Supposed to be in Arabia Felix. “The Septuagint reads, 'The kings of the
Arabs, and Sabaeans, shall bring gifts.' So that anciently, perhaps, Sheba was
the general name of Arabia; and Seba, or Sabaea, was that particular province of
it called Arabia Felix, lying to the South, between the Persian Gulf and the Red
Sea.” —
Hewlett.
ftc140
“Si d'un grand coeur il ne se presentoit pour les punir et en faire la
vengence, et s'opposoit pour defendre ceux qu'on oppresse.” —
Fr.
ftc141
“C'est a dire, sans determiner quelque certaine personne.” —
Fr. In the Hebrew, the three last verbs of the verse are in the singular
number, in the future of kal active, and there is no nominative with
which they agree. Calvin translates them literally: “Et dabit ei de auro
Seba: et orabit pro eo semper, quotidie benedicit eum;” “And shall
give to him of the gold of Sheba, and shall pray for him continually, daily
shall bless him.” But, on the margin of the French version, he thus
explains the construction: “C'est, on luy donnera, etc., on priera, etc.,
on benira.” “That is, the gold of Sheba shall be given to him,
prayer shall be made for him continually, and daily shall he be
blessed.”
ftc142
“Ou, le Leban.” — Fr. marg. “Or,
Lebanon.”
ftc143
In the French version, the word semee, i.e.,
sown, is
supplied.
ftc144
The noun
hsp,
phissah, here translated handful, is found only in
this passage. In explaining
<111844>1
Kings 18:44, the Chaldee interpreter, for the Hebrew words rendered “as a
man's hand,” has dy
tspk, ke-phissath yad, which strictly
signify, “as if a part of the hand.” On this authority several
expositors, along with Calvin, have understood
hsp,
phissah, as signifying “a small quantity of corn,” as
much as may lie on a man's hand, or as he may hold within it. And some at the
beginning of the verse supply the conditional particle
µa,
im, if. But Rosenmüller thinks that “others with
more propriety consider the noun
hsp
as having the same signification as
ˆwysp,
diffusio, uberitas, 'spreading abroad, plenty,' and as
derived from the verb
asp,
which, both in the Chaldee and in the Arabic, means expandit, diffudit
se, 'he spread abroad, he enlarged himself.' The Syriac interpreter
had, no doubt, this sense in view, when he rendered the words multitudinem
frumenti, 'an abundance of
corn.'”
ftc145
The word
˜yx,
tsits, which Calvin renders shall go out, signifies
to spring from, to spring up. It is used, says
Rosenmüller, with respect to plants or herbs when, sprouting from the seed,
they make their appearance above ground in beauty and gracefulness,
(<041708>Numbers
17:8, 23.) It is used to denote also the reproduction of mankind in prosperous
circumstances,
(<232706>Isaiah
27:6.) From the noun
ry[m,
[from the city,] we are at no loss to supply the proper nominative to the
preceding verb; q. d., ex civitatibus singulis cives
efflorescent, 'from the cities severally, the citizens shall
spring forth.' The expression is somewhat similar to that in
<196827>Psalm
68:27, where the descendants of Israel are said to be from the fountain of
Israel.” The extraordinary fertility and great increase of
population here predicted took place in Palestine under the reign of Solomon, as
is evident from
<110420>1
Kings 4:20, where it is said, that in the time of Solomon “Judah and
Israel were many as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and
drinking, and making merry.” But this prophecy is destined to receive its
fullest accomplishment under the reign of the
Messiah.
ftc146
“Filiabitur nomen ejus.” — Henry. In the margin
of our English Bibles it is, “He shall be as a son to continue his
father's name.” Bishop Patrick, therefore, paraphrases it, “His
memory and fame shall never die, but be propagated from father to son, so long
as the sun shall shine.” Rosenmüller reads, “Sobolescet
nomen ejus, 'his name shall increase,' that is, shall be continued as
long as the sun endureth; the government shall continue to his posterity in
perpetual succession.” “The verb
ˆwn,
nun,” he adds, “which occurs only in this passage, is
explained from the noun
ˆyn,
nin,
<012123>Genesis
21:23;
<181819>Job
18:19;
<231422>Isaiah
14:22. In these passages the word has obviously the meaning of offspring, and by
the Chaldee interpreters, it is constantly rendered by the word
rb,
bar, falius, 'a son.' It may, therefore, be assumed with
certainty, that the verb
ˆwn,
nun, signifies sobolem procreare, 'to procreate
descendants.' It may, however, be added, that the Alexandrine has here
diamenei~,
a rendering in which both the Vulgate and Jerome concur: 'perseverabit nomen
ejus,' 'his name shall endure.” Dathe takes this last mentioned
view. He supposes, that instead of
ˆwny,
yinnon, we should read
ˆwky,
yikon, stabilietur, — permanebit; “shall be
established, — shall continue.” “The verb
ˆwn,
nun,” says he, “is not met with either in the Hebrew
or in the cognate tongues, and is explained, — merely by conjecture,
— augescere — sobolescere, — 'to increase or
multiply,' because, as a noun in some of the dialects, it signifies a
fish. In the Septuagint the word is rendered
diamenei~
; in the Vulgate and by Jerome, perseverabit; in the Chaldee,
praeparatum est; in the Syriac, existet nomen ejus.
All these, without doubt, read
ˆwky,
yikon, 'prepared, — established, — fixed,' — the
word which we find in the parallel passage,
<198938>Psalm
89:38. The letters
k,
caph, and
n,
nun, it is evident, may very easily be interchanged from their
similarity in
form.”
ftc147
(“Car c'est un verbe en la langue Hebraique qui vient du nom de Fils,)
c'est a dire, sera perpetue de pere en fils.” —
Fr.
ftc148
This psalm concludes the second book of the Psalms, and this and the following
verse are a doxology similar to that with which the first book and the other
three are concluded. See volume 2, p. 126,
note.ftc149
“Pourveu que nous laissions la providence de Dieu tenir sa procedure par
les degrez, qu'il a determinez en son conseil secret.” —
Fr.
ftc150
“Il semble qu'ils ont bon marche de se mocquer de luy, et qu'il n'en sera
autre chose.” —
Fr.
ftc151
“Que le monde tourne a l'aventure, et (comme on dit) est gouverne par
fortune?” —
Fr.
ftc152
“Ce poinct de doctrine, lequel ils avoyent fait mine de tenir bien
resoluement.” — Fr. “This doctrine, which they had made
a show of holding very
resolutely.”
ftc153
This particle here expresses the state of mind of a person meditating a
difficult question in which he is much interested, and is hardly come to a
conclusion; — a state, in the Psalmist's case, between hope and despair,
though strongly inclining to the former.” —
Horsley.
ftc154
“Ceux qui estans descendus d'Abraham n'ensuyvoyent point sa
sainctete.” — Fr. “Those who being descended from
Abraham did not follow his
holiness.”
ftc155
The original word for the foolish signifies “men of no principle,
wild, giddy, vain boasters.” Boothroyd renders it “the madly
profane,” and Fry, “the
vain-glorious.”
ftc156
“On scait assez par les histoires le brocard duquel usa anciennement un
tyran de Sicile nomme Denis le jeune, quand apres avoir pille le temple de
Syracuses, il se mit sur la mer, et veit qu'il avoit fort bon vent pour
naviger.”
Fr.
ftc157
“Et suyvre a leur train.” —
Fr.
ftc158
“Laquelle est le fondement et le comble de sagesse.” —
Fr. “Which is the foundation and the cope-stone of
wisdom.
ftc159
Literally, “Their strength is fat.” Jerome renders as if, for
µlwa,
his MSS. had
µhymlwa,
'et firma sunt vestibula eorum;' 'their stately mansions are firm.' The
stability of a dwelling is a significant image of general prosperity. —
Horsley.
ftc160
“Oppression. Dr Boothroyd joins this word to the latter clause, thus:
Concerning oppression they talk loftily. This we think preferable.”
—
Williams.
ftc161
“The powerful effects of the tongue are expressed by a like figure in a
Greek proverb preserved by Suidas.
Tlw~ssa poi~ poreu>n; po>lin
ajnorqw>sousa kai< po>lin
katastre>yousa. 'Tongue, whither goest thou? To
build up a city, and to destroy a city.' Garrulity is called 'the walk of the
tongue' in a line quoted by Stobaeus (Serm. 36) from Astydamas
—
Tlw>sshv
peri>pato>v ejstin ajdolesci>a.””
Merrick'Annotations.
ftc162
“Comme souvent il en prendra aux fideles.” —
Fr.
ftc163
“They are not dragged to death,” says Poole, “either by the
hand or sentence of the magistrate, which yet they deserve, nor by any lingering
or grievous torments of mind or body, which is the case with many good men; but
they enjoy a sweet and quiet death, dropping into the grave like ripe fruit from
the tree, without any violence used to them, (compare Job 5:26 and 31:13.) The
word translated bands occurs in only one other place of Scripture,
<235806>Isaiah
58:6, where in all the ancient versions it is rendered bands. But
bands will bear various significations. In the Hebrew style it often
signifies the pangs of child-birth; and therefore the meaning here
may be, they have no pangs in their death; i.e.,
they die an easy death, being suffered to live on to extreme old age, when
the flame of life gradually and quietly becomes extinct. It was also used by the
Hebrews to express diseases of any kind, and this is the sense, in which
Calvin understands it. Thus Jesus says of the “woman who had a spirit of
infirmity,” a sore disease inflicted upon her by an evil spirit,
“eighteen years,” “Thou art loosed from thine
infirmity,” (and loosing, we know, applies to bands:) he again describes
her as “this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these
eighteen years;” and farther says, “Ought she not to be loosed from
this bond?” that is, cured of this sickness?
<421311>Luke
13:11, 12, 16. According to this view, the meaning will be, they have no
violent diseases in their death. Horsley reads, “There is no
fatality in their death.” After observing that the word
twbxrj,
translated bands, occurs but in one other place in the whole
Bible,
<235806>Isaiah
58:6; where the LXX. have rendered it
sundesmon,
and the Vulgate colligationes, he says, “From its sense
there, and from its seeming affinity with the roots
˜rj
and
hbx,
I should guess that in a secondary and figurative sense, the word may denote the
strongest of all bands or knots, physical necessity, or fate; and in that sense
it may be taken here. The complaint is, that the ordinary constitution of the
world is supposed to contain no certain provision for the extermination of the
impious; that there is no necessary and immediate connection between moral evil
and physical, wickedness and death.” The Septuagint reads,
o[ti ou<k e]stin ajna>neusiv
ejn tw~ Qana>tw aujtw~n: “For there is no
sign of reluctance in their death.” The Vulgate, “Quia non est
respectus morti eorum;” “For they do not think of dying,” or,
“For they take no notice of their death.” The Chaldee, “They
are not terrified or troubled on account of the day of their
death.”
ftc164
“En un lieu de plaisance, et comme pour avoir leur nid a part.”
—
Fr.
ftc165
There is here a metaphorical allusion to the rich collars or chains worn about
the necks of great personages for ornament. Compare
<200109>Proverbs
1:9, and Cant. 4, 9. Pride compassed these prosperous wicked men about
as a chain; they wore it for an ornament as gold chains or collars
were worn about the neck; discovering it by their stately carriage. See
<230316>Isaiah
3:16. Or there may be an allusion to the office which some of them bore; for
chains of gold were among the ensigns of magistracy and civil power.
ftc166
Accordingly, the Chaldee, instead of “compasseth them as a chain.”
has “crowneth them as a crown or diadem does the
head.”
ftc167
“Violence covereth them as a garment. Wicked men that are
prosperous and proud, are generally oppressive to others; and are very often
open in their acts of violence, which are as openly done, and to be seen of all
men, as the clothes they wear upon their backs; and frequently the clothes they
wear are got by rapine and oppression, so that they may properly be called
garments of violence. See
<235906>Isaiah
59:6.” — Dr
Gill.
ftc168
“Their eyes are starting out for fatness.” —
Horsley. “Their eyes swell with fatness — this
is a proverbial expression, used to designate the opulent, who are very
commonly given to sensuality: comp.
<181527>Job
15:27:
<191710>Psalm
17:10.” —
Cresswell.
ftc169
“The fantasies of their minds run into excess; i.e.,
they suffer their imaginations to sway them.” —
Cresswell.
ftc170
“Et pesche pour eux.”
Fr.
ftc171
“Exposans que les meschans amolissent, c'est a dire, rendent lasches les
autres, c'est a dire, les espouantent et intimident.” — Fr.
wqymy,
yamicu, is rendered by Vatablus, Cocceius, Gejer, and Michaelis,
“They cause to consume or melt away.” “They melt or dissolve
others,” says Dr Gill, “they consume them, and waste their estates
by their oppression and violence; they make their hearts to melt with their
threatening and terrifying words; or they make them dissolute in their lives by
keeping them company.” Mudge reads, “They behave corruptly;”
and Horsley, “They are in the last stage of
degeneracy.”
ftc172
The original word,
µwrmm,
memmarom, for from on high, is translated by our English
version loftily. But Musculus, Junius, Tremellius, Piscator,
Mudge, Horsley, and others read with Calvin, from on high. They speak
from on high, “as if they were in heaven and above all
creatures, and even God himself; and as if what they said were oracles, and to
be received as such without any scruple and hesitation. Thus Pharaoh,
Sennacherib, and Nebuchadnezzar spake,
<020502>Exodus
5:2;
<233620>Isaiah
36:20;
<270315>Daniel
3:15.” — Dr
Gill.
ftc173
“Car comme les Latins et aussi les Grecs, quand ils descrivent la
contenance des gens enyvrez d'orgueil, ont des verbes qui signifient Regarder en
bas, d'autant que telles gens ne daignent pas regarder droit les
personnes.” — Fr. “As the Romans, and also the Greeks,
when they describe the countenance of persons intoxicated with pride, have words
which mean to look down, because such persons deign not to look
directly at other
people.”
ftc174
“Pource qu'il ne leur semble point avis qu'ils ayent rien de commun avec
les autres hommes, mais pensent estre quelque chose a part, et comme des petis
dieux.” —
Fr.
ftc175
“Et lave mes mains en nettete.” — Fr. “And washed
my hands in innocency.” The Psalmist may allude to the rite of ablution
which was in use among the Jews. See
<052106>Deuteronomy
21:6, and
<192606>Psalm
26:6. Or he may be understood as signifying by the metaphor of washing the hands
in general, the pains which he took to be blameless in the whole of his outward
conduct. “Opposite to the phrase, to wash in innocence,”
says Merrick, “is the scelere imbuere of Cicero,
(Philipp. v.) 'Cum autem semel gladium scelere imbuisset,'”
etc. See
<180930>Job
9:30.
ftc176
The Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac, Arabic, and Æthiopic versions read,
“my
people.”
ftc177
“Abu Walid,” says Hammond, “hath a peculiar way of rendering
µlh,
as if it were
µlh,
the infinitive, with breaking of spirit.” A similar
interpretation is adopted by Horsley. “For
µlh,”
says he, “many MSS. read
µwlh,
which I take as the participle Pual of the verb
µlh,
'Contusus miseria,' scilicet.” He reads,
“Therefore his
[God's] people sit woebegone.”
To make out this translation, he adopts another of
the various readings of MSS. “For
byçy,”
says he, “many MSS. have
bwçy:
I would transpose the vau, and read
bçwy.
The third person future, Hophal, signifies is made to
sit, is settled, attended with grief and consternation at the
unpunished audacity of the
profane.”
ftc178
“Et pourtant il nous y faut aviser de plus pres.” —
Fr.
ftc179
“Stulta aemulatione decepti.” — Lat. “Se
abusans par leur folie a porter envie aux meschans, et les vouloir
ensuyvre.” —
Fr
ftc180
While Calvin admits that the words, his people, may refer to true
believers, he conceives that carnal and hypocritical Israelites are rather
intended. One great objection to the opinion, that true believers are at all
intended is, that stumbled though they often are at the unequal distributions of
the present state, and chargeable though they may be with entertaining murmuring
thoughts in reference to this matter, we can scarcely suppose that they would so
far depart from every principle of truth and propriety, as to break forth into
such language as is ascribed in verse 11th to the persons here spoken of,
“How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the Most High?”
Neither David nor Jeremiah, though much perplexed in reconciling the prosperity
of the wicked and the afflicted state of God's people, with the righteousness
and goodness of Divine Providence, ever gave utterance to any such language. See
Psalm 38 and Jeremiah 12. Walford thinks that “it is far more agreeable to
the design of the entire passage, to interpret the words, his people,
of the friends and connections of the wicked, who imitate their
actions.” In support of this it may be observed, that the description of
the condition, conduct, and words, of these prosperous ungodly men, commences at
the 4th verse, and seems to be continued to the 13th verse, where the Psalmist's
reflections upon the subject begin, and are continued to the close of the
psalm.
ftc181
This has also been understood as denoting the prosperity, the abundance of all
outward good things bestowed upon the persons referred
to.
ftc182
“Et les discours qui regnent communeement en leur cerveaux.” —
Fr.
ftc183
“Que tout vient a l'aventure.” —
Fr.
ftc184
“En la presence de Dieu.” — Fr. “In the presence
of God.”
ftc185
“Plustost il signifie yci un siecle,” –
Fr.
ftc186
“Ou, J'ay transgresse contre la generation de tes enfans.” —
Fr. marg. “Or, I have transgressed against the
generation of thy
children”
ftc187
“Aye considere.” — Fr.
“Considered.”
ftc188
The word in the Hebrew text is
rps,
saphar. Horsley translates it “to argue”
—
“If I resolve to
argue thus,
I should be a traitor
to the generation of thy children.”
“The verb
rps,”
says he, “which literally signifies to count or reckon, may easily signify
'to reason within one's self, to syllogise,' as is indeed the case with the
corresponding words of many languages; as
logizesqai,
ratiocinari, putare, reckon,
count.”
ftc189
“D'autant que toute la vraye sagesse qui doit estre ainsi nommee es
hommes, consiste en un seul poinct.” —
Fr.
ftc190
Green translates the Hebrew word for this, “hard;” Horsley,
“perplexing;” and Boothroyd,
“difficult.”
ftc191
“C'est a dire, la declaration de la volonte de Dieu.” —
Fr.
ftc192
“It is remarkable,” observes Horsley, “that the original word
for 'sanctuary,' in this place, is plural, which is unexampled when the
sanctuary is literally meant.” He considers the expression, “Until I
went into the sanctuary of God,” as meaning, “Till I entered into
the secret grounds of God's dealings with mankind.” Cresswell explains it
— “Until I entered into the grounds of God's dealings with men, as
explained by the sacred writings, which are laid up in the place dedicated to
his
worship.”
ftc193
“Gardons-nous de penser qu'ils soyent eschappez, ou que Dieu leur
favorise.” —
Fr.
ftc194
Martin thinks that there is here an allusion to the time at which judicial
sentences were pronounced, which was in the morning, when men awoke from the
sleep of
night.
ftc195
“Comme junchez en lieux glissans.” —
Fr.
ftc196
“Qu'ils prenent plaisir a contempler leur puissance et grandeur, et sy
mirent, comme qui voudroit se pourmener a loisir sur la glace.” —
Fr.
ftc197
“De nostre tardivete et nonchalance a profiter en la doctrine.”
—
Fr.
ftc198
“They are utterly consumed with terrors; their destruction
is not only sudden, but entire; it is like the breaking in pieces of a potter's
vessel, a sherd of which cannot be gathered up and used; or like the casting of
a millstone into the sea, which will never rise more: and this is done with
terrors, — either by terrible judgments inflicted on them from
without, or with terrors inwardly seizing upon their minds and consciences, as
at the time of temporal calamities, or at death, and certainly at the judgment,
when the awful sentence will be pronounced upon them. See
<182720>Job
27:20.” — Dr.
Gill.
ftc199
With this agree Bishop Horsley and Dr Adam Clarke. The former translates:
—
“Like the dream of
a man beginning to wake publicly,
O
Lord! thou renderest their vain show contemptible.”
The latter: —
“Like to a dream
after one awaketh,
So wilt thou, O
Jehovah! when thou risest
up,
Destroy their shadowy
grandeur.”
The original word,
µlx
tselem, for image, means likeness,
corporeal or incorporeal; and it agrees with
lx,
tsel, a shade, because an image is, as if the shade or
shadow of the body. See Bythner on
<193906>Psalm
39:6. “It seems to be taken here,” says Hammond, “for that
which hath a fantastical only in opposition to a real substantial being.”
“The Hebrew term,” says Walford, “means an unsubstantial
appearance, splendid while it continues, but which in an instant
disappears.” The prosperity which wicked men for a time enjoy, their
greatness, riches, honor, and happiness, however dazzling and imposing, is thus
nothing more than an image or shadow of prosperity, an empty
phantom; and within a short period it ceases to be even so much as a shadow, it
absolutely vanishes and comes to nothing, convincing the good but afflicted man,
to whom it seemed to involve in doubt the rectitude of the Divine government,
what is its real character, and that it should never occasion any perplexity to
the student of Divine
Providence.
ftc200
The LXX. read, ejn th po>lei
sou, “in thy city,” deriving the
original word from
ry[
ir, a city. Such, also, is the reading of the Vulgate,
Arabic, and Æthiopic versions. But the word comes from
rw[,
ur, to awahe, and is in the infinitive hiph.
b,
beth, excluding
h,
he, characteristic of the
conjugation.
ftc201
“As a dream of one who awaketh. The thought here is, as a
pleasing dream vanishes instantly on awaking, so the pleasures of these men will
vanish, and show their unsubstantial nature, when God shall effect his righteous
judgement.” — Walford. Then the prosperity of the
wicked is seen to be fantastic, and to consist only of “such stuff as
dreams are made of.”
ftc202
“The Chaldee in their paraphrase refer it to the day of judgment, when
wicked men shall rise out of their graves, and God proceed in wrath against
them, (ˆwhtwmd zgrb
rsbt, 'in fury shalt thou scorn or despise them,')
according to that expression of
<271202>Daniel
12:2, 'Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to
shame and everlasting contempt.'” —
Hammond.
ftc203
Plautus' words are, “Mea uxor tota in fermento jacet;” “My
wife lies all in a ferment.” In like manner he says, “Ecquid habet
acetum in pectore?” “Has he any vinegar in his
breast?”
ftc204
This is Kimchi's and Houbigant's
opinion.
ftc205
“The Hebrew verb [for pierced] indicates the acute pain felt
from a sharp weapon. (See Parkhurst, on
ˆnç,
iv.) Common experience shows that the workings of the mind, particularly the
passions of joy, grief, and fear, have a very remarkable effect on the reins or
kidneys.” —
Mant.
ftc206
“Notwithstanding these foolish thoughts, I am under the care of thy good
providence.” —
Patrick.
ftc207
Calvin here gives the literal rendering of the original Hebrew. The question
appears elliptical; and accordingly, in the French version he has introduced the
supplement, “si non toy?” “but thee?” — “Who
is there to me in heaven but
thee?”
ftc208
“C'est, outre toy.” — Fr. marg.
“That is, beyond or besides
thee.”
ftc209
“Ascavoir, en te delaissant.” — Fr. marg.
“Namely, in forsaking
thee.”
ftc210
The Septuagint here adds, eju
tai~v pu>laiv thv qugatro<v Siw>n;
“in the gates of the daughter of Zion.” The Vulgate, Arabic, and
Æthiopic versions have the same addition. This seems to make a better
conclusion; but these words are not in our present copies of the Hebrew Bible,
nor are they supported by any of the MSS. yet
collated.
ftc211
“Go a whoring, etc.; i.e.,
forsake God for false gods, which is spiritual adultery.” —
Sutcliffe. When God is said to have destroyed such as do
this, some think there is an allusion to that part of the Mosaic law which
doomed idolaters to be punished with death, as guilty of high treason against
Jehovah the King of
Israel.
ftc212
This is the opinion of Calmet, Poole, Wells, Mant, Walford, and others. “A
melancholy occasion,” says Mant, “commemorated by an elegy of
corresponding tenderness and plaintiveness. It would be difficult to name a
finer specimen of elegiac poetry than this pathetic psalm of Asaph.” If it
was composed during the Babylonish captivity, and if Asaph, whose name is in the
title, was the author of it, he must have been a different person from David's
contemporary, previously noticed, (volume 2, page 257, note,) — probably a
descendant of the same name and family. Dr Gill thinks that he was the Asaph of
the time of David, and supposes that under the influence of the spirit of
prophecy, he might speak of the sufferings of the Church in after ages, just as
David and others testified before-hand of the sufferings of Christ and the glory
that should
follow.
ftc213
Rosenmüller is of opinion that this is the period referred to. “For
my part,” says Dr Geddes, “I think it must have been composed during
the persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes; and the best commentary on it is the
first chapter of the first book of Maccabees. The author may have been
Mattathias.”
ftc214
“Ont rugi comme lions.” — Fr. “Have roared like
lions.”
ftc215
Archbishop Secker thinks that this verse may be read thus: “Remember thy
congregation, which thou hast purchased, hast redeemed of old; the tribe of
thine inheritance; this mount Zion,”
etc.
ftc216
“That
µym[p
means feet or steps is evident from
<191705>Psalms
17:5 57:6; and 58:10. Lift up thy feet, advance not slowly or by
stealth, but with large and stately steps, full in the view of all; come to thy
sanctuary, so long suffered to lie waste; examine what has been done there, and
let thy grace and aid, hitherto so much withheld, be extended to us.”
— Gejer. To lift up the feet is a Hebraism for “to put
one's self in motion;” “to set out on a journey,” as may be
learned from
<012901>Genesis
29:1, where of Jacob it is said, “He lifted up his feet, and went into the
east country.” Lifting up the feet is used for going, in the same way as
opening the mouth is for
speaking.
ftc217
“There is another notion of
µ[p,
for a mallet or hammer,
<234107>Isaiah
41:7 and Kimchi would have that to be the meaning
here,µ[p
µrwh, 'lift up thy mallet,' in opposition to
the 'axes and hammers,' verse 6; and thus also Abu Walid, 'lift up thy dashing
instruments.' And the LXX., who read,
e]paron ta>v
cei~rav, 'lift up thy hands,' come near
this.” —
Hammond.
ftc218
This is the sense put upon the words by some Jewish interpreters. Thus Abu Walid
reads, “Lift up thy dashing instruments, because of the utter destructions
which the enemy hath made, and because of all the evil that he hath done in
or on the sanctuary.” Aben Ezra has, “because of the
perpetual desolations,” that is, because of thy inheritance which is laid
waste. Piscator takes the same view: “Betake thyself to Jerusalem, that
thou mayest see these perpetual desolations which the Babylonians have
wrought.” In like manner, Gejer, who observes that this sense is
preferable to that which considers the words as a prayer, that God would lift up
his feet for the perpetual ruin of the enemy, because the Psalmist has been
hitherto occupied with a mere description of misery, and has used nothing of the
language of imprecation. But the Chaldee has, “Lift up thy goings or
footsteps, to make desolate the nations for ever;” that is, Come and
spread desolation among those enemies who have invaded and so cruelly reduced
thy sanctuary to
ruins.
ftc219
Instead of songs of praise and other acts of devotion, nothing was now heard in
the Jewish places of worship but profane vociferation, and the tumultuous noise
of a heathen army. This is with great beauty and effect compared to the roaring
of a
lion.
ftc220
Hammond reads, “They set up their ensigns for trophies.” The
original word both for ensigns and trophies is
twa,
oth. But he observes that it requires here to be differently
translated.
twa,
oth, signifies a sign, and thence a military
standard or ensign. The setting up of this in any place which
has been taken by arms, is a token or sign of the victory achieved; and,
accordingly, an ensign or standard thus set up becomes a trophy.
To convey, therefore, the distinctive meaning, he contends that it is
necessary in this passage to give different renderings to the same
word.
ftc221
That is, they understand signs to mean such signs as diviners or
soothsayers were wont to give, by which to foretell things to come. Jarchi, who
adopts this interpretation, gives this sense: That the enemies of God's people
having completed their conquest according to the auspices or signs of
soothsayers, were fully convinced that these signs were real signs; in other
words, that the art of divination was
true.
ftc222
“Qu'il y avoit un service divine special et different de ce qui se faisoit
ailleurs.” —
Fr.
ftc223
“Their own symbols they have set for signs. Profane
representations, no doubt, agreeable to their own worship. See 1 Maccabees
1:47.” — Dr
Geddes.
ftc224
In the English Common Prayer-Book the 5th and 6th verses are translated thus:
— “He that hewed timber afore out of the thick trees was known to
bring it to an excellent work. But now they break down all the carved work
thereof with axes and hammers.” Dr Nicholls' paraphrase of this is as
follows: “It is well known from the sacred records of our nation to what
admirable beauty the skillful hand of the artificers brought the rough cedar
trees, which were cut down by the hatchets of Hiram's woodmen in the thick
Tyrian forests. But now they tear down all the curious carvings, that cost so
much time and exquisite labor, with axes and hammers, and other rude instruments
of iron.” “This is a clear and consistent sense of the
passages” says Mant, “and affords a striking and well imagined
contrast.”
ftc225
The order of the words is this,
°çdqm çab
wjlç shilchu baesh mikdashecha,
literally, “They have sent into fire thy
sanctuary.”
ftc226
It has been objected, that if this psalm was composed at the time of the
captivity of the Jews by Nebuchadnezzar, and the desolation of the Holy Land by
the Chaldeans,
yd[wm,
moadey, cannot signify synagogues, because the Jews
had no synagogues for public worship or public instruction till after the
Babylonish captivity. Accordingly, Dr Prideaux thinks that the Proseuchae are
meant. These were courts resembling those in which the people prayed at the
tabernacle, and afterwards at the temple, built by those who lived at a distance
from Jerusalem, and who were unable at all times to resort thither. They were
erected as places in which the Jews might offer up their daily prayers.
“They differed,” says Prideaux, “from synagogues in several
particulars. For, first, In synagogues the prayers were offered up in public
forms in common for the whole congregation; but in the Proseuchae they prayed as
in the temple, every one apart for himself. Secondly, The synagogues were
covered houses; but the Proseuchae were open courts, built in the manner of
forums, which were open enclosures. Thirdly, Synagogues were all built within
the cities to which they did belong; but the Proseuchae without.” —
Connection of the History, etc., Part 1, Book 6, pages 139-141.
Synagogues were afterwards used for the same purpose as the Proseuchae, and
hence both come to be designated by the same name. The same author supposes that
those places in the cities of the Levites, and the schools of the prophets,
whither the people resorted for instruction, having been called, as well as the
Proseuchae,
laAyd[wm,
moadey-el, are also here intended. “The word
yd[wm,
moadey,” says Dr Adam Clarke, “which we translate
synagogues, may be taken in a more general sense, and mean any
places where religious assemblies were held; and that such places and
assemblies did exist long before the Babylonish captivity is pretty
evident from different parts of Scripture.” See
<120423>2
Kings 4:23;
<263331>Ezekiel
33:31;
<441521>Acts
15:21. All such places were consumed to ashes by the hostile invaders whose
ravages are bewailed, it having been their purpose to extinguish for ever the
Jewish religion, and, as the most likely means of effecting their object, to
destroy every memorial of
it.
ftc227
The verb, which is
,hlk,
kalleh, in Pihel conjugation, is from
hlk,
kalah, consumptus est. In
<195913>Psalm
59:13, it is twice used, hlk hmjb
hlk, kalleh bechemah kalleh,
“consume them in wrath, consume them.”
Consume, therefore, appears to be a preferable translation to
pluck, which is that of our English
version.
ftc228
“We see not any token of thy Divine presence with us.” —
Tremellius.
ftc229
“The Jewish Arab reads, 'Turn not from them thy hand, even thy right hand,
but consume them out of the midst of thy house,' giving a note, that the
house of God is called
qyj.”
—
Hammond.
ftc230
There is here a change of person, and a transition from the narrative form of
speech to the apostrophe, which give animation to the composition, and enhances
its poetical
beauty.
ftc231
The word
µynynt,
thanninim, for dragons, is used by the sacred
writers somewhat indeterminately, and translators render it variously, as by
whales, serpents, dragons, crocodiles, and other sea-monsters. (See
<010121>Genesis
1:21;
<020712>Exodus
7:12;
<053233>Deuteronomy
32:33; and
<19E807>Psalm
148:7.) We cannot now ascertain what particular animal is in each case denoted,
and it may very probably be merely a general term equivalent to our word
“monster,” for any strange and prodigious creature.
µynynt,
thanninim, is here explained by Williams as denoting
“sea-monsters or large serpents.” “What animal is meant by
this name,” says Mant, “is not well ascertained. But it seems to
have been some aquatic or amphibious creature commonly known in the neighborhood
of Egypt, but not the crocodile, as that is noticed under a different name in
the following verse.” By the dragons the Egyptian people may be
intended.
ftc232
In the Hebrew it is “the
heads.”
ftc233
“C'est, le plus grand monstre marin qui soit.” — Fr.
marg. “That is, the greatest sea-monster which
exists.”
ftc234
“Ou, establi.” — Fr. marg. “Or,
established.”
ftc235
rwam,
maor, here rendered the light, from
rwa,
or, to shine, signifies in general any luminary or
receptacle of light; the sun or the moon indiscriminately. See
<010116>Genesis
1:16. But being here joined with and opposed to the sun, as the night is to the
day in the preceding clause, it has been supposed to signify the moon, the
luminary of the night, as the sun is that of the day. The Chaldee, the LXX., the
Syriac, and Arabic, render it the moon. The Vulgate has
“auroram,” “the
morning.”
ftc236
Calvin supposes that the whale is the animal here referred to, and this was the
opinion for a long time universally held. But from a comparison of the
description given by Job of the Leviathan (Job 41) with what is known of the
natural history of the crocodile, there can be little doubt that the crocodile
is the Leviathan of Scripture. This is now very generally agreed upon.
“Almost all the oldest commentators,” says Dr Good, “I may say
unconditionally all of them concurred in regarding the whale as the
animal” intended by the Leviathan. “Beza and Diodati were among the
first to interpret it 'the crocodile.' And Bochart has since supported this last
rendering with a train of argument, which has nearly overwhelmed all opposition,
and has brought almost every commentator over to his opinion.” —
Dr Good's New Translation of Job. “With
respect to the Leviathan,” says Fry, “all are now pretty well agreed
that it can apply only to the crocodile, and probably it was nothing but a
defective knowledge of the language of the book of Job, or of the natural
history of this stupendous animal, which led former commentators to imagine the
description applicable to any other.” — Fry's New
Translation and Exposition of the Book of Job. This Egyptian animal,
the crocodile of the Nile, as we have formerly observed, (p. 38, note,) was
anciently employed as a symbol of the Egyptian power, or of their king.
Parkhurst remarks that in Scheuchzer's Physica Sacra may be seen a medal with
Julius Caesar's head on one side, and on the reverse a crocodile with this
inscription, — Ægypte Capta, Egypt Taken. This strengthens the
conclusion that the crocodile is the animal intended by the name Leviathan. Both
the etymology of the name Leviathan, and to what language it belongs, according
to Simonis, are unknown. But according to Gesenius it signifies “properly
the twisted animal.” It is affirmed by the Arabic lexicographers quoted by
Bochart, (Phaleg. Lib. 1, cap. 15,) that Pharaoh in the Egyptian
language signified a crocodile; and if so, there may be some such allusion to
his name in this passage, and in
<262903>Ezekiel
29:3, and 32:2, where the king of Egypt is represented by the same animal, as
was made to the name of Draco, when Herodicus (in a sarcasm recorded by
Aristotle, Rhet. Lib. 2, cap. 23) said that his laws, —
which were very severe, — were the laws
oujk ajnqrw>pou ajlla<
dra>kontov, non hominis sed draconis. —
Merrick's Annotations. “The heads of
Leviathan” may denote the princes of Egypt, or the leaders of the Egyptian
armies.
ftc237
“Regnoit en grand triomphe, comme la balene se pourmene a sou aise au
milieu de ce grande amas d'eaux.” —
Fr.
ftc238
Calvin reads, “thy people in the wilderness.” But thy has
nothing to represent it in the original, which literally is, “to a people,
to those of the wilderness.” Those who adopt this rendering are not agreed
as to what is to be understood by the expression. Some think it means the birds
and beasts of prey, who devoured the dead bodies of Pharaoh and the Egyptian
army, when cast upon the coast of the Red Sea by the tides. See
<021430>Exodus
14:30. If such is the meaning, these birds and beasts of prey are called
“the people of wilderness,” as being its principal inhabitants. That
µ[,
am, people, is sometimes to be thus interpreted in
Scripture is evident from
<203025>Proverbs
30:25, 26, where both the ants and the conies are styled a
people. But as the desert on the coast of which the Egyptians were
thrown up was inhabited by tribes of people who lived on fishes — even on
those of the largest kind, which they found cast upon the shore by the tides
— and were from thence called
Icquofa>goi,
or fish-eaters; some interpreters suppose that these are
“the people of the wilderness” here mentioned; and that as Pharaoh
and his host are represented under the figure of the Leviathan and other
monsters of the deep, so these people, in allusion to their common way of
living, are figuratively said to have preyed on their dead bodies, by which is
understood their enriching themselves with their
spoils.
ftc239
“Quand Dieu feit que de la roche saillit un cours d'eau pour la necessite
du peuple.” —
Fr.
ftc240
It is rivers in the plural, from which it would appear that the Jordan
was not the only river which was dried up, to give an easy passage to the
Israelites. The Chaldee specifies the Arnon, the Jabbok, and the Jordan, as the
rivers here referred to. With respect to the Jordan, see
<060316>Joshua
3:16. As to the miraculous drying up either of the Arnon or the Jabbok, we have
no distinct account in Scripture. But in Numbers 21, after it is mentioned,
verse 13, that the Israelites “pitched on the other side of Arnon,”
it follows, verses 14, 15, “Wherefore, it is said in the book of the wars
of the Lord, What he did in the Red Sea, and in the brooks of Arnon, and at the
stream of the brooks that goeth down to the dwelling of Ar, and lieth upon the
border of Moab.” From this it would appear that God wrought at “the
brooks of Arnon, and at the stream of the brooks that goeth down to the dwelling
of Ar,” miracles similar to that which was wrought at the Red Sea, when it
was divided to open up a passage for the chosen
tribes.
ftc241
“Comme le principal instrument d'icelle, et par maniere de dire, le
chariot auquel elle est apportee, quand elle se vient monstrer aux
hommes.” —
Fr.
ftc242
The original word implies “to settle, to place steadily in a certain
situation or place.” See Parkhurst's Lexicon on
bxy.
ftc243
“Entant que leur cupidite et ambition insatiable ne pent estre retenue par
quelque separation qu'il y ait, mais tasche tousjours d'enjamber par
dessus.” —
Fr.
ftc244
As none of the ancient versions have “turtle dove,” and as the
reading of the LXX. is ,
ejxomologoume>nhn
soi , confessing thee, it has been
thought by some in a high degree probable that the word
°rwt,
torecha, thy turtle dove in our present Hebrew copies, should be
°dwt,
todecha, confessing thee; an error which transcribers might
easily have committed, by writing
r,
resh, instead of
d,
daleth. Houbigant, who approves of this opinion, boldly pronounces
the other, which represents the people of God under the figure of a turtle
dove, to be “putidum et aliunde conquisitum.” But, says
Archbishop Secker, “Turtle dove, which Houbigant calls
putidum, should not be called so, considering that
,ytnwy,
Cant. 2, 14, is the same thing.” The passage, as it now stands, agrees
with other texts of Scripture which represent the people of God under the image
of a bird,
<042421>Numbers
24:21;
<242223>Jeremiah
22:23; 48:28. The turtle dove is a defenceless, solitary, timid, and mournful
creature, equally destitute of skill and courage to defend itself from the
rapacious birds of prey which thirst for its blood. And this gives a very apt
and affecting representation of the state of the Church when this psalm was
written. She was in a weak, helpless, and sorrowful condition, in danger of
being speedily devoured by the inveterate and implacable enemies, who, like
birds of prey, were besetting her on all sides, eagerly intent upon her
destruction. “With the most plaintive earnestness she pleads her cause
with the Almighty, through this and the following verses; continually growing
more importunate in her petitions as the danger increases. While speaking, she
seems in the last verse to hear the tumultuous clamours of the approaching enemy
growing every minute louder as they advance; and we leave the 'turtle dove'
without the Divine assistance, ready to sink under the talons of the rapacious
eagle.” — Mant.
“The
Psalmist's expression, thy turtle dove, may perhaps be farther
illustrated from the custom, ancient and modern, of keeping doves as favourite
birds, (see Theocritus, 5. 96; and Virgil, Eclog. 3, 5, 68, 69,)
and from the care taken to secure them from such animals as are dangerous
to them.” — Merrick's
Annotations.
ftc245
“The caves, dens, woods, etc., of the land, are full of
robbers, cut-throats, and murderers, who are continually destroying thy people;
so that the holy seed seems as if it would be entirely cut off, and the
covenant promise thus rendered void.” — Dr Adam
Clarke. “For the dark places of the earth,
i.e., the caverns of Judea, are full of the habitations of
violence, i.e., of men who live by rapine. Some, however,
by the dark places of the earth, understand the seat of the
captivity of the Jews.” —
Cresswell.
ftc246
“C'est, car.” — Fr. marg. “That is,
for.”
ftc247
“Par ainsi on racontera.” — Fr.
“Therefore they will
recount.”
ftc248
“Quand j'auray prins assignation.” — Fr. “When I
shall have received the appointment.” “Ou, assemble la
congregation.” — Fr. marg “Or, assembled the
congregation.”
ftc249
“C'est, je remettray les choses en leur estat.” — Fr.
marg. “That is, I will restore things to
order.”
ftc250
“Mais j'affermiray.” — Fr. “But I will
support or
sustain.”
ftc251
“C'est, du Midi.” — Fr. marg. “That
is, from the
South.”
ftc252
“C'est, gouverne le monde.” — Fr. marg.
“That is, governs the
world.”
ftc253
This is the reading adopted by Hammond; but instead of making it out by
supplying the pronoun
rça,
asher, as is done by some, he renders,
wrps,
sipperu, as a participle plural in the sense of the dative case.
“Thy name is near,
wrps,
sipperu, to them that declare thy wondrous works.” He
supports this view from the Chaldee, and from the translation of the learned
Castellio.
ftc254
“C'est a dire, sans determiner personne.” —
Fr.
ftc255
The reading adopted by the most eminent critics is, “When I shall have
gotten an appointed or fit time or season, I will judge uprightly.” This
is supported by all the ancient
versions.
ftc256
“Or, Be not mad.” The verb is
wlwht,
tahollu, from
llh,
halal, he was mad, boasting. —
Bythner.
ftc257
Lift not up your horn on high, that is, bear not yourselves
insolently, from a false notion of your power, (comp.
<300613>Amos
6:13.) It has been supposed that the metaphor is taken from the manner in which
horned animals carry themselves when they are in an excited state. A practice
among the Abyssinians, described by Mr Bruce, has been also adduced as throwing
light upon this verse. He observes, that the governors of the provinces in
Abyssinia wear a broad fillet round their heads, which is tied behind the head.
In the middle of this fillet is a horn, or a conical piece of silver, gilded
with gold; and shaped like our candle-extinguishers. This is called kirn
or horn; and is only used in reviews or processions after
victory. The way in which they throw back the head when wearing this ornament
(lest it should fall forward) gives a stiffness to the position of the
head; and this seems to explain the language of the Psalmist, when he mentions
speaking with a stiff neck. Instead of with a stiff
neck, Parkhurst translates with a retorted neck;
observing, that “this is a well-known gesture of pride, contempt, or
disdain.”
ftc258
“Praefracte.” — Lat.
“Rigoureusement et outrageusement.” —
Fr.
ftc259
“For promotion, etc. The meaning is, the fortunes of men
are not governed by planetary influences, but by God's overruling Providence.
The Eastern nations of the world always were, and are at this day, much addicted
to judicial astrology.” —
Warner.
ftc260
“Si tost que nous oyons le vent de quelque esmotion.” —
Fr.
ftc261
“Ou, rouge.” — Fr. marg. “Or,
red.”
ftc262
“Here there seems to be an allusion to the cup of malediction,
as the Jews called that 'mixed cup of wine' and frankincense, which used to
be given to condemned criminals before their execution, in order to take away
their senses. So the Chaldee Targum paraphrases the passage; 'Because a cup
of malediction is in the hand of the Lord, and strong wine full of a mixture
of bitterness, to take away the understanding of the wicked.'” —
Parkhurst quoted by
Mant.
ftc263
Mixed wine, naturally suggests to us the idea of wine weaker than in
its pure state. Accordingly, Green, instead of “full of mixture,”
translates “unmixed,” by which he means wine unmixed with water. He
perceived, what is evident at first sight, that wine of the strongest quality is
intended, and having apparently no idea of any other mixture than that of water,
which would weaken the wine, he took the liberty of rendering the words,
°sm
alm, male mesech, by
“unmixed.” The Greeks and Latins, in like manner by “mixed
wine,” understood wine diluted and weakened with water. But the phrase
among the Hebrews generally denotes wine made stronger, by the addition of
higher and more powerful ingredients. In the East, wines are much mixed with
drugs of a stimulating and intoxicating kind; so that commonly when drawn from
the vessels in which they are preserved, they are strained for use. What remains
is the thick sediment of the strong and stimulating ingredients with which they
had been mixed. This the wicked are doomed to drink. “The introduction of
this circumstance,” says Mant, “forms a fine climax, and carries the
idea of God's indignation to the highest point.” Some interpreters have
explained the passage as meaning that God would pour out the pure and clear wine
for his friends, while he would compel his enemies to drink the dregs. But the
reference is entirely to his enemies, who were wholly to exhaust this cup of his
fury. This, with the prophets, is a very common image of divine wrath. See
volume 2, page 399,
note.ftc264
“By the horns of the wicked is signified pride; by
the horns of the righteous, on the other hand, is meant their power. Basil has
remarked, that the horn is more exalted and more solid than any other part of
the body to which it belongs; and that, at the same time, it supplies ornament
to the head, and is also a weapon of defense. Hence it is put metaphorically
both for strength and power, and also for pride.” —
Cresswell. Here it is threatened that the power and honor of the
wicked, which had been employed as the instruments of cruel wrong and
oppression, would be destroyed, and their pride effectually humbled; while the
righteous would be exalted to power and
dignity.
ftc265
“Et bien equippez de toutes choses requises a la guerre.” —
Fr.
ftc266
The inscription prefixed to the psalm in the Septuagint expressly mentions this
as the occasion of its composition,
Wdh< pro<v
to<n
Assu>rion;
“An ode against the Assyrian.” If in this the version of the LXX. is
correct, and if Asaph, to whom the psalm is ascribed, was the person of that
name who lived in the time of David, one of his compositions must have been
adopted as suitably descriptive of this remarkable deliverance. He may, however,
have been a different person of the same name, and was probably one of his
descendants, as has been before observed, (page 159,) who lived in the time of
Hezekiah. Bishop Patrick and Calmet are of this last opinion. Those who adopt
the former suppose that the original reference of the psalm was to the victory
obtained by David over the Philistines in the valley of
Rephaim.
ftc267
“N'ont peu trouver leurs mains.” — Fr. “Have not
been able to find their
hands.”
ftc268
From
har,
raäh, he saw, or
beheld.
ftc269
“This seems to allude to the miraculous destruction of the Assyrian army,
as recorded in
<232703>Isaiah
27:36.” —
Warner.
ftc270
“The Hebrew
ãçr,
[here rendered arrows,] signifies fire,
<180507>Job
5:7, where 'sparks that fly upward' are poetically expressed by
ãçr
ynb, 'the sons of the fire.' . .By metaphor it is
applies to an 'arrow' or 'dart' shot out of a bow, and, by the swiftness of the
motion, supposed to be inflamed. See Cant. 8, 6, where of love it is said, (not
the coals, but) 'the arrows thereof are arrows of fire,' it
shoots, and wounds, and burns a man's heart, inflames it vehemently by wounding
it. The poetical expression will best be preserved by retaining some trace of
the primary sense in the rendering of it — 'fires or lightnings of the
bow,' i.e., those hostile weapons which are most furious and
formidable, as fire shot out from a bow.” — Hammond.
Parkhurst renders “glittering flashing arrows,” or rather,
“fiery, or fire-bearing arrows;” such as, it is certain, were used
in after times in sieges and in battles; the
belh
pepurwmena of the Greeks, to which Paul
alludes in
<490616>Ephesians
6:16, and the phalarica of the Romans, which Servius (on Virgil,
Æn. lib. 9, 5, 705) describes as a dart or javelin with a spherical leaden
head, to which combustible matter was attached, which being set on fire, the
weapon was darted against the enemy; and when thrown by a powerful hand, it
killed those whom it hit, and set fire to buildings. Walford has, “fiery
arrows.” “The arrows,” says he, “are described as fiery,
to denote either the rapidity of their motion, or that they were tinged with
some poisonous drugs to render them more
deadly.”
ftc271
The verb is in the praet. hithpahel; and it has
a,
aleph, instead of
h,
he, according to the Chaldaic language, which changes
h,
the Hebrew characteristic of hiphil and hithpahel into
a.
ftc272
As the verb signifies, has plundered, spoiled; and as it is
here in the praet. hithpahel, which generally denotes reciprocal
action, that is, acting on one's self, it has been here rendered by some,
despoiled themselves of mind, were mad, furious.
Hammond reads, “The stout-hearted have despoiled or disarmed
themselves.” The Chaldee paraphrase is, “They have cast away their
weapons.”
ftc273
“waxm al
µhydy, may be rendered have not found their
hands, i.e., have not been able to use them for
resistance, for the offending others, or even for their own defense.”
— Hammond. The Chaldee paraphrase is, “They could not
take their weapons in their hands,” i.e., they could not use
their hands to manage their weapons. In the Septuagint, the reading
is, eu[ron oujde<n tai~v cersin
aujtw~n; “they found nothing with their
hands,” i.e., they were able to do nothing with them: the
vast army of Assyrians, the most warlike and victorious then in the world,
achieved nothing, but “returned with shame to face to their own
land,”
(<143221>2
Chronicles
32:21.)
ftc274
“They slept their sleep.” “They slept, but
never waked again.” — Hammond. There may be here a
direct allusion to the catastrophe which befell the Assyrian army during the
night, when, as they were fast asleep in their tents, a hundred and
eighty-five thousand of them were at once slain,
<233736>Isaiah
37:36.
ftc275
The chariot and horse may be put poetically for charioteers and horsemen.
Chariots formed a most important part of the array in the battles of the
ancients. See
<070403>Judges
4:3. Instead of “both the chariot and the horse,” Horsley reads,
“both the rider and the horse.” “It is not improbable,”
says he, “that the pestilence in Sennacherib's army might seize the horses
as well as the men, although the death of the beasts is not mentioned by the
sacred
historian.”
ftc276
“Dont la terre a eu frayeur.” — Fr.
“With which the earth was
afraid.”
ftc277
“Pour faire jugement.” — Fr. “To
execute
judgment.”
ftc278
“Tous les humbles.” — Fr. “All the
humble.”
ftc279
“Rendez vos voeus.” — Fr. “Pay
your
vows.”
ftc280
“Ou, a cause de la frayeur.” — Fr. marg.
“Or, on account of
fear.”
ftc281
When an angel of the Lord descended to perform some mighty work with which he
had been commissioned, thunders and earthquakes frequently accompanied the
execution of his commission; and it is highly probable that both these phenomena
accompanied such a stupendous display of power, as that which was afforded by
the slaughter of one hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the army of
Sennacherib. By God's judgment being heard, may accordingly
be understood the thunder which was heard; and what follows, “The earth
was afraid,” may signify the earthquake which then took
place.
ftc282
Hammond's statement of these two interpretations is clear and full. It is as
follows: — “What
rwgjt
[which Calvin renders, thou wilt restrain] signifies here, is not
agreed among the interpreters, the word signifying 1. to gird,
and, 2. to restrain. In the notion of restraining,
it will have a very commodious sense, applied to Sennacherib, to whom this
psalm belongs. For, as by the slaughter of the one hundred and eighty-five
thousand in his army he was forced to depart, and dwell at Nineveh,
<121936>2
Kings 19:36; so, after his return thither, there are some remainders of his
wrath on the Jews that dwelt there. We may see it, Tobit 1:18, 'If the king
Sennacherib had slain any, when he was come and fled from Judea, I buried them
privily, (for in his wrath he killed many,') etc. This was the gleanings of his
wrath, and this was 'restrained' by God; for he soon falls by the hands of his
sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, 'as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch
his god,'
<121937>2
Kings 19:37. And to this sense Kimchi interprets it, 'Thou shalt so repress the
malice of our enemies, that the other nations shall not dare to fight against
us;' so likewise Aben Ezra. And thus it must be, if 'the remainder of wrath' be
'man's wrath,' as the former part of the verse inclines it, 'Surely the wrath of
man,' etc. But
rgj,
in the primary notion, signifies girding or putting on,
arraying oneself. Girding, we know, signifies putting
on, and is applied to garments, ornaments, arms:
rwgj,
'Gird thy sword upon thy thigh,'
<194503>Psalm
45:3, and frequently elsewhere; and so 'girding with gladness,' is putting on
festival ornaments. And in like manner here, in a poetical phrase, 'Thou shalt
gird on the remainder of wrath,' parallel to 'putting on the garments of
vengeance for clothing,'
<235917>Isaiah
59:17, will signify God's adorning and setting out himself by the exercise of
his vengeance, vulgarly expressed by his wrath, and
the word
tmj,
wrath, most fitly used with reference on
tmj,
the wrath of man, in the beginning of the verse.
Man's wrath is the violence, and rage, and blasphemy of the
oppressor, upon the meek or poor man foregoing. This begins, goes
foremost, in provoking God; and then
tyraç,
the remnant, or second part of wrath, is still
behind for God; and with that he girds himself, i.e., sets
himself out illustriously and dreadfully, as with an ornament, and as with an
hostile preparation in the eyes of men. And so in this sense also it is
agreeable to the context... In either sense, the parts of this verse are
perfectly answerable the one to the other. To this latter rendering of
rwgjt,
the Chaldee inclines us, paraphrasing it by, 'Thou hast girded on, or
prepared, or made ready, the remainder of fury, (meaning by God's
fury,) for the destroying of the
nations.'”
ftc283
This is Kimchi's interpretation: He understands by “those round about
God,” the nations near the land of Israel, and so near
God.
ftc284
In this sense it is employed in
<013153>Genesis
31:53, “And Jacob sware by the Fear of his father
Isaac.”
ftc285
If it is thus applied, the reading will be, “Let all those who are round
about him bring presents on account of
fear.”
ftc286
The word employed by Calvin is “Vindemiabit,” which expresses the
precise idea of the original verb,
rwxby,
yebtstor. It is from
rxb,
he cut off, brake off, referring properly to grapes and
other fruits. The reading of the LXX. is, “takes
away.”
ftc287
This is the rendering in our English Bible, which Dr Adam Clarke pronounces to
be “a most unaccountable translation.” The reading of the margin,
however, “my hand,” favours the sense given by our
Author.
ftc288
This is the translation adopted by many critics, and it appears to be the true
signification of the passage. Thus Symmachus' version is,
hJ ceir mou nuktovejktetato
dihnekwv, “my hand was stretched out by night
continually;” and, in like manner, Jerome, “Manus mea nocte
extenditur, et non quiescit.” Parkhurst renders the verse thus: “In
the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; my hand was stretched out by night and
ceased not,” or, “without interruption.” With this agree the
versions of Horsley, Mant, Fry, Adam Clarke, Walford, and others. The stretching
out of the hand was an usual gesture in prayer. Instead of
ydy,
the Chaldee reads
yny[,
“mine eye trickled down,” which Archbishop Secker and
Green think likely to be the true
reading.
ftc289
Some of the Jewish commentators interpret this clause thus: “Thou holdest
the brows of my eyes.” The eyebrows which protect the eyes were held, so
that he could not shut them and obtain sleep. Sleep to a person in trouble has
the effect of interrupting his sorrow for a time, and of weakening it by
refreshing the body. It is, therefore, in such circumstances, a great blessing,
and is earnestly desired. But to have this denied, and for the sufferer to have
sleepless and wearisome nights appointed to him, is a great aggravation of his
distress.
ftc290
“The times were indeed greatly altered; formerly his sleep had been
prevented by the joyfulness of his feelings, which prompted the voice of
thanksgiving during even the shades of night; now his sleep is taken away by the
severity of his disease, and the anguish of his soul, which was augmented by the
contrast with his past happiness.” —
Walford.
ftc291
“The verb
çpj,
chaphas, signifies such an investigation as a man makes who is
obliged to strip himself in order to do it. Or, to lift up
coverings, to search fold by fbld; or, in our phrase, to leave no
stone unturned. The Vulgate translates, et scopebam spiritum
meum. As scopebam is no pure Latin word, it may probably be
taken from the Greek,
skopew,
scopeo, 'to look about, to consider attentively.' It is, however,
used by no author but St Jerome, and by him only here, and in
<231423>Isaiah
14:23, 'And I will sweep it with the besom of destruction;' 'scopabo eam in
scopa terens.' Hence we see that he has formed a verb from the noun
scopae; a sweeping brush or besom.” — Dr
Adam
Clarke.
ftc292
“La stupidite brutale.” — Fr. “The brutish
stupidity.”
ftc293
“Ou, sera-il eslongne.” — Fr. marg.
“Or, will he be at a
distance.”
ftc294
“C'est, ma maladie.” — Fr. marg.
“That is, my disease or
sickness.”
ftc295
“Ou, changemens.” — Fr. marg. “Or,
changes.”
ftc296
“Qu'a cause de l'infirmite du temps, (ascavoir avant la manifestation de
Christ.”) —
Fr.
ftc297
Walford translates, “Then I said, My disease is this. “Such,”
he observes, “is the exact rendering of the text. Some painful disease had
befallen him, which was heightened by the depression of his spirits, which
deprived him of mental vigor and energy, and clothed every object in the
blackest colours. . . . . 'I said, This is my disease.' My mind is oppressed by
the mortified feelings of my corporeal frame, and on this account, the changes
by which the hand of God has affected me appear in the darkest colours, and I am
ready to give up every hope that he will ever display his goodness to me as he
formerly
did.”
ftc298
According to this view, he refers to what he had said in the 7th, 8th, and 9th
verses, in which he seemed to arrive at the conclusion, that there would never
be an end to his present afflictions, as if the decree had gone forth, and God
had pronounced a final and irreversible sentence. But here he checks and
corrects himself for having given utterance to such language, and recalls his
thoughts to more just and encouraging sentiments respecting God. He acknowledges
his sin in questioning or yielding to a feeling of suspicion in reference to the
divine love, and the truth of the divine promises; and confesses that this
flowed from the corruption of his nature, and the weakness of his faith; that he
had spoken rashly and in haste; and that taking shame and confusion of face to
himself, he would now desist and proceed no
farther.
ftc299Walford
translates the verse thus: —
“Then I said, My
disease is this,
The change of the
right hand of the High God.”
“There is no authority,” he observes,
“for the version, 'I will remember the years;' his meaning is, the power
of God has changed and altered my condition; from a state of health and peace,
he has brought me into disease, and pain, and sorrow. This, he says, he will
remember, so as to inspire some hope that the power which had brought low would
again raise him
up.”
ftc300
Our Author seems to refer to those interpreters who, as in our English version,
make the supplement, But I will remember, before the words,
“the years of the right hand of the Most
High.”
ftc301
“Thy way, O God! is in the sanctuary; the
temple, the Church of God, where he takes his walks and manifests himself, and
where the reasons of his providence and dealings with his people are opened and
made known unto them.” — Dr
Gill.
ftc302
“Neantmoins il faut imputer cela a la malice de ceux qui ayans veu la
chose eux-mesmes de leurs yeux, ont mieux aime s'esblouir la veue et desguiser
le faict, que d'en entretenir la pure cognoissance.” —
Fr.
ftc303
“The reason of Joseph's being coupled with Jacob is, that as the
Israelites derived their birth from Jacob, so they were sustained by Joseph in
Egypt, who became to them a second parent.” —
Walford.
ftc304
“'The waters of the Red Sea,' says Bishop Horne, 'are here beautifully
represented as endued with sensibility; as seeing, feeling, and being
confounded, even to the lowest depths, at the presence and power of their great
Creator, when he commanded them to open a way, and to form a wall on each side
of it, until his people were passed over.' This, in fact, is true poetry; and in
this attributing of life, spirit, feeling, action, and suffering, to inanimate
objects, there are no poets who can vie with those of the Hebrew nation.”
—
Mant.
ftc305
As in the three preceding verses the deliverance of the chosen people from
Egypt, and the drying up of the Red Sea, to make a way for them to pass through,
are the subjects celebrated, it is very natural to suppose that the 17th and
18th verses refer to the tempestuous rain, the thunder, lightning, and
earthquake, by which God testified his wrath against the Egyptians, and by which
that ruthless host were filled with dismay, when they went into the midst of the
Red Sea after the Israelites. Of these particular circumstances, we have indeed
no distinct information in the narrative of Moses; but from a comparison of what
is here stated, with what is said in
<021424>Exodus
14:24, “And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked
unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and
troubled the host of the Egyptians,” it seems highly probable that they
took place on that occasion. With this corresponds the representation given by
Josephus of this part of Jewish History. “As soon as ever the whole
Egyptian army was within it, the sea flowed to its own place, and came down with
a torrent raised by storms of wind, and encompassed the Egyptians. Showers of
rain also came down from the sky, and dreadful thunders and lightning, with
flashes of fire. Thunder-bolts also were darted upon them; nor was there any
thing which used to be sent by God upon men, as indications of his wrath, which
did not happen at that time; for a dark and dismal night oppressed them.”
— Antiquities of the Jews, Book II. chapter 16, section
3.
ftc306
“Thy footsteps are not known; not by the Egyptians, who
essayed to follow after the people of Israel, with the Lord at the head of them,
nor by any since; for the waters returned and covered the place on which the
Israelites went as on dry ground; so that no footsteps or traces were to be seen
at all ever since; and such are the ways of God, many of them in providence as
well as in grace,
<451133>Romans
11:33.” — Dr
Gill.
ftc307
“After the sublime and awful imagery of the four preceding verses, in
which thunders and lightnings, storms and tempests, rain, hail, and earthquakes,
the ministers of the Almighty's displeasure, are brought together and exhibited
in the most impressive colours; nothing can be, more exquisite than the calmness
and tranquillity of this concluding verse, on which the mind reposes with
sensations of refreshment and delight.” —
Mant.
ftc308
“Ou, ma doctrine.” — Fr. marg. “Or,
my doctrine, or
instruction.”
ftc309
Calmet refers the composition of this psalm to the days of Asa, who, aided by
the Syrians, obtained a signal victory over the Israelites, and brought back to
the pure worship of God many out of the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon.
See
<141501>2
Chronicles 15 and 16. Schnurrer supposes, that the special purpose for
which it was composed was, to celebrate a decisive victory which had been gained
over the kingdom of Ephraim or Israel by Abijah, the king of Judah during the
reign of Jeroboam. Walford thinks this opinion highly probable. “There
is,” say's he, “an eulogy passed upon David at the conclusion
of the psalm, which makes it likely that the author of it wished to conciliate
the favor of the whole people towards David's successors, from whom Jeroboam had
revolted: and in verse 9th, there is a reference to Ephraim which affords some
degree of evidence in support of Schnurrer's hypothesis. Whatever may be thought
of this hypothesis, we cannot hesitate to admit that the psalm itself is clear,
pungent, and persuasive, and must have been felt to be so by the persons for
whose use it was
written.”
ftc310
We have seen that Calvin, on the margin of the French version, reads
instruction, and this reading is adopted by Street, Fry, Morison,
and
Walford.
ftc311
See volume 2, page 238, note
2.ftc312
Walford translates
twdyj,
chidoth, “all impressive record.” His version of the
first and second verses is,
“Hear, O my people!
my instruction:
Incline your ears
to the words of my mouth.
I will
open my mouth with an instructive
speech,
I will utter an impressive
record of ancient times.”
“The words law, parable,
and dark sayings,” he observes, “which are found
in the English translation of verses 1st and 2d, are not appropriate to the
recitals which are contained in the psalm. They are here altered for others,
which are in agreement with the subjects which follow, and may be supported by
the usage of the original words which are employed.” Similar is Street's
note on this place. He translates
twdyj,
chidoth, “pointed truths,” and objects to its being
translated dark sayings. “There is nothing obscure in the
psalm,” says he, “it contains instructive historical truth, but no
enigma. Therefore, the rendering of the English Bible, dark sayings,
does not seem to be right. The Septuagint renders the word
dihghma,
<261702>Ezekiel
17:2, and that rendering would suit this place better than
proqlhmata
I have endeavored to express the relation of the word to
ddj,
acutum est.” See volume 2 of this work, page 238, note 3. But
as Dimock observes, “The several transactions of the Mosaical covenant
hereafter recited, might be well called parables and dark
speeches, or, as Arabic, mysteries, considered as types
or figures of the Christian; and viewed in this light, afford ample matter of
contemplation, serving not only as a schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, but
to keep us steadfast in faith and obedience to David our
king.”
ftc313
Horsley considers this verse as a
parenthesis.
ftc314
Dr Adam Clarke, by a testimony understands the various
ordinances, rites, and ceremonies prescribed by the laws
and by the word law, the moral
law.
ftc315
“µlsk,
kislam, their hope, or their constancy.
lsk,
folly, by antiphrasis, constancy.” —
Bythner.
ftc316
“The Syriac version reads, 'And confided not in the God of its spirit,'
translating
hnman,
[the word which Calvin renders 'was faithful,'] by a masculine verb; and this
indeed the sense will very well bear, and the change of genders is not unusual,
and God is frequently known by that title, 'the God of the spirits of all
flesh.' See
<041622>Numbers
16:22.” —
Hammond.
ftc317
“Premierement il faut que nous ostions toute obstination, avant que nous
puissions avoir les cols propres pour recevoir son joug.” —
Fr. In the first place, we must lay aside all obstinacy before we can
bend our necks to receive his
yoke.
ftc318
Of the Ephraimites shooting with the bow, or being archers, we have an
intimation in
<014924>Genesis
49:24, where, in Jacob's blessing on Joseph, the father of Ephraim, it is said,
“His bow abode in
strength.”
ftc319
Dr Morison supposes, that the history here referred to, is that of the
Israelites going up contrary to the divine command to take possession of the
promised land, when, for their temerity, they were smitten and humbled before
their enemies.
(<050142>Deuteronomy
1:42.) “The tribe of Ephraim,” he observes, “is doubtless
specially singled out, because they were the most warlike of all the chosen
tribes, and because, perhaps, they led on the other tribes to the fatal act of
rebellion against the expressed will of the God of Israel.” This, perhaps,
may be considered as receiving some support from comparing the number of the
tribe of Ephraim
(<040219>Numbers
2:19) when they came out of Egypt, with their number when taken in the plains of
Moab, at the termination of their wanderings in the wilderness,
(<042637>Numbers
26:37.) At the former period, they amounted to 40,500, at the latter, to 32,500,
eight thousand less; whereas, during those forty years the other tribes had
considerably
increased.
ftc320
“Sans en monstrer les fruicts en leur vie.” —
Fr.
ftc321
“De la verite et fidelite des promesses, et de la foy qu'on y doit
adjouster.” —
Fr.
ftc322
“A la verite une telle stupidite estoit plusque brutale, ou plustost comme
une chose monstrueuse.” —
Fr.
ftc323
Zoan was the ancient capital of Egypt where the Pharaohs resided. Its great
antiquity appears from the expression used respecting Hebron, in
<041322>Numbers
13:22, where, to set forth the antiquity of that city, in which Abraham the
tenth from Noah dwelt, it is said, that it “was built seven years before
Zoan in Egypt.” Zoan is twice specified in this psalm, here and in verse
43d, (though not mentioned in the history of the plagues in the book of Exodus,)
as the scene of the wonderful works wrought on Pharaoh and the land of Egypt by
Moses. This may mean, that these miracles were performed there in the sight of
Pharaoh. Or the field or country of Zoan, may be put
poetically for Egypt in general. Thus, in other poetical parts of Scripture,
Zoan is sometimes used instead of Egypt, as in
<231911>Isaiah
19:11, 13, where “the princes of Zoan” just mean the counsellors of
Pharaoh; and in
<233004>Isaiah
30:4, where, when God's ancient people are represented as sending to Egypt for
relief, it is said, that their “princes were at Zoan.” Zoan is
rendered by the Chaldee
µynaf,
by the LXX.
Taniv
, by the Vulgate Tanis, and by the Coptic Tane, from the Coptic ten,
plain, flat, level; being situated on the low ground of the Delta, on one of
the Eastern branches of the Nile, bearing its own name, near a large lake, now
called the Lake of Menzala, 44 miles west of Pelusium, 169 miles east of
Alexandria, and three miles from the Mediterranean. There are ruins still
remaining to mark the site of Zoan or Tanis, called San
by the Arabs, comprising broken obelisks, capitals of the Corinthian order,
a granite monument, etc. These ruins, however, are not thought to be of the
highest
antiquity.
ftc324
“Ou, a leur cupidite.” — Fr. marg.
“Or, for their
lust.”
ftc325
“The term ascended is figurative, derived from the ascending of the
breath, in vehement gusts of agitation and anger.” —
Walford.
ftc326
“Qu'ils n'ont point reprime leur insolence et appetit desordonne.”
—
Fr.
ftc327
The word
çpn,
nephesh, for soul, has great latitude of
signification. It sometimes signifies the sensitive or animal appetites, as in
this passage. The people had their wants abundantly supplied, and yet they
remained unsatisfied and querulous. It is therefore said, that they demanded
meat
µçpnl,
for their souls; i.e., not for their real wants, which they
might rationally and lawfully desire to have supplied, but to gratify their
sensitive and carnal appetites. Our English Bible, and Calvin on the margin of
the French version, give a very happy translation, They tempted God,
by asking meat for their
lust.
ftc328
“'They tempted God with their heart,' that is, heartily, or with all their
soul.” —
Walford.
ftc329
The manna received its name, either from
hnm,
manah, he prepared, appointed, distributed,
to intimate that this food was prepared by God for the Israelites, and was
their appointed portion which was daily distributed to them by measure; or, it
is from the words ˆm
hwh, huh man, What is this?
<021516>Exodus
15:16,
ˆ
being used for
h in
euphony. This was the question which they asked when they first saw this species
of food, not knowing what it
was.
ftc330
Abu Walid and Kimchi read, “the bread of
heaven.”
ftc331
The Chaldee paraphrase of the expression, the bread of the mighty,
is, “the food that descends from the dwelling of angels;” so
that, according to this view, it signifies no more than , “corn of
heaven,” by which the manna is described in the preceding verse. Dr Geddes
and Williams observe, that the Hebrew word
µyryba,
abbirim, never signifies angels, but persons of the
higher classes, the rich, the great, the
noble; and that the meaning of the Psalmist is, that the
Israelites found in the manna a dainty, delicate food, such as might suit the
palates of the great; that it was bread fit for princes; the best, the choicest
of bread. This agrees with Simonis' rendering of the phrase, “cibus
nobilium, scilicet principum; hoc est, cibus exquisitus, delicatus,
eximius.” Such also is the view taken by Fry, Walford, and others. If by
µyryba,
abbirim, the mighty, angels should be understood, as it is
rendered in all the ancient versions, the meaning will be substantially the
same; for the manna, by an obvious poetical figure, may be called the bread
of angels, to denote food of the most exquisite kind; just as Paul
speaks of the tongues of angels,
(<461301>1
Corinthians 13:1,) to indicate eloquence of the highest
order.
ftc332
“Les autres ont traduit les verbes par un temps passe, Il a commande aux
nuees, Il a ouvert les portes du ciel, Il a fait pluvoir la Manne,” etc.
—
Fr.
ftc333
“Heb. 'fowl of wing;' i.e., flying fowls, in distinction
from domestic poultry.” —
Williams.
ftc334
“Heb. Of his camp; either Israel's camp or God's camp; for
seeing Israel was God's people, and he dwelt among them, their camp was his
camp.” —
Poole.
ftc335
The Israelites were miraculously supplied with quails in the wilderness on two
different occasions. The first occasion was upon the fifteenth day of the second
month after their departure from Egypt, and before they came to mount Sinai,
<021601>Exodus
16:1, 12, 13. The second, which is the one here referred to, was at
Kibroth-hattaavah, a place three days' journey beyond the desert of Sinai, in
the beginning of the second year after their departure from Egypt,
<041011>Numbers
10:11; and 11:31-35. In both instances, the quails were sent in consequence of
the murmuring of the Israelites. But in the first instance, they came up and
covered the camp of Israel only one evening, while in the second, they came up
from the sea for a whole month. No token of the divine displeasure accompanied
the first miracle, God having, in his compassion, forgiven their murmuring; but
the second miracle was wrought in wrath, and attended with the infliction of the
divine vengeance on that rebellious people,
(<041133>Numbers
11:33.)
ftc336
“While their meat was yet in their mouth; the meat of the
quails, while it was between their teeth, ere it was chewed, and before it was
swallowed down, while they were rolling this sweet morsel under their tongues,
and were gorging themselves with it, destruction came upon them; just as
Belshazzar, while he was feasting with his nobles, in the midst of his mirth and
jollity, was slain by the Persians,
<270501>Daniel
5:1, 30.” — Dr
Gill.
ftc337
Mr Mudge observes, that this clause should be translated, “Slew them
amidst their fatnesses or indulgences.” This is approved of by Lowth.
Cocceius and Michaelis give a similar
version.
ftc338
“This alludes to their appointed wanderings for forty years in the
wilderness, as the punishment of their disobedience and rebellion; that all
those who had left Egypt, and were grown to man's estate, were dead, with the
exceptions of Caleb and Joshua.” —
Warner.
ftc339
“Que leur vie a este emportee comme quand en tumulte on ravit quelque
chose.” —
Fr.
ftc340
In the Hebrew Bible, a masoretic note is inserted after the 35th verse,
rpsh
yxj, chatsi ha-sepher, the middle of the
book, that is, with respect to
verses.
ftc341
“rpky,
yecapher, made an atonement for their iniquity.”
— Dr Adam
Clarke.
ftc342
“C'est a dire, souffle.” — Fr. marg.
“That is to say, a breath.” Dr Adam Clarke translates,
“the spirit goeth away, and it doth not return.” “The present
life,” he observes, “is the state of probation; when, therefore, the
flesh, the body, fails, the spirit goeth away into
the eternal world, and returneth not hither again.” He considers the
translation in our English Bible, “a wind that passeth away, and cometh
not again,” to be a bad one, and that it may be productive of error; as if
when a man dies, his being were ended, and death were an eternal
sleep.
ftc343
“They provoked God at least ten times,
(<041422>Numbers
14:22,) during the first two years of their journey through the wilderness. 1.
at the Red Sea,
(<021411>Exodus
14:11, 12;) 2. at the waters of Marah,
(<021524>Exodus
15:24;) 3. in the wilderness of Sin,
(<021502>Exodus
15:2;) 4. when they kept the manna until the following day,
(<021610>Exodus
16:10;) 5, when the manna was collected on the Sabbath,
(<021627>Exodus
16:27;) 6. in Rephidim, where there was no water,
(<042002>Numbers
20:2, 13;) 7. at Horeb, when a molten calf was made,
(<023201>Exodus
32:1, etc.;) 8. at Taberah,
(<041101>Numbers
11:1, 2, 3;) 9. when they lusted for flesh,
(<041104>Numbers
11:4;) 10. when they murmured at the news brought by the men, who had been sent
to search the land,
(<041401>Numbers
14:1, etc.”) —
Cresswell.
ftc344
That is, Pharaoh, as the next verse shows. See
<19A702>Psalm
107:2.
ftc345
This is the literal rendering of the original word
br[,
arob, which is derived from the verb
br[,
arab, he mingled. It is not agreed among interpreters what
is meant by this name given here, and in
<020821>Exodus
8:21, and in
<19A531>Psalm
105:31, to one of the plagues which fell upon the Egyptians. The Chaldee has
“a mixture of living creatures of the wood.” “A
mixture; a mixed collection of beasts,” says Bythner. In
our English Bible, it is “divers sorts of flies.” Others read,
“swarms of flies.” Bishop Mant reads, “the ravening
fly;” Fry, simply “the fly;” and Walford, “the
horse-fly.” “The Seventy,” says Mant, “have rendered the
original word translated 'fly,' when spoken of the Egyptian plague, constantly
by
kunomui>a
, 'the dog-fly;' whence it is plain those translators thought it meant
some particular species of fly, in opposition to those who are of opinion that
it meant 'all sorts of flies.' (See Parkhurst on
br[.)
What particular species was intended has been much doubted. Bruce, however,
seems to have decided the question, and fixed the insect to be the Ethiopian
fly, called Zimb, of which he has given a particular description. Some of its
effects are thus represented by him. 'As soon as this plague appears, and their
buzzing is heard, all the cattle forsake their food, and run wildly about the
plain, till they die, worn out with fatigue, fright, and hunger. No remedy
remains but to leave the black earth, and hasten down to the sands of Atbara;
and there they remain, while the rains last, this cruel enemy not daring to
pursue them further. Though his size be immense, as is his strength, and his
body covered with a thick skin, defended with strong hair, yet even the camel is
not capable of sustaining the violent punctures the fly makes with his pointed
proboscis. When once attacked by this fly, his body, head, and legs, break out
into large bosses, which swell, break, and putrefy, to the certain destruction
of the creature. Even the elephant and rhinoceros, which, by reason of their
enormous bulk, and the vast quantity of food and water they daily need, cannot
shift to desert and dry places, as the season may require, are obliged to roll
themselves in mud and mire; which, when dry, coats them over like armor, and
enables them to stand their ground against this winged assassin.'” —
Mant.
ftc346
lysj,
chasil, which is derived from
lsj,
chasal, to consume, eat up, denotes a species of
insect, so called from its devouring the fruits of the earth. But we are so
little acquainted with the various kinds of destructive insects that ravage the
Eastern countries, that it is somewhat difficult to determine the particular
species meant by this term. It is distinguished from the locust in Solomon's
prayer at the dedication of the temple,
<140628>2
Chronicles 6:28, and in
<290104>Joel
1:4, where it is mentioned as eating up what the locusts had left. Harmer is of
opinion that it is the species of insects now called sim in Persia,
referred to in the following extract from Sir John Chardin's Travels: —
“Persia is subject to have its harvests spoiled by hail, by drought, or by
insects, either locusts or small insects which they call sim,
which are small white lice, which fix themselves on the foot of the stalk of
corn, gnaw it, and make it die. It is rare for a year to be exempt from one or
other of these scourges, which affect the ploughed lands and the gardens,”
etc. On this Harmer observes, “The enumeration by Solomon and that of this
modern writer, though not exactly alike, yet so nearly resemble each other, that
one would be inclined to believe these small insects are what Solomon meant by
the word
[lysj,
chasil] translated 'caterpillars' in our English version.” —
Harmer's Observations, volume 3, page 316.
lysj,
chasil, is rendered
broucov
by the LXX., in
<140628>2
Chronicles 6:28, and by Aquila here, and also by the Vulgate in Chronicles and
in
<233304>Isaiah
33:4, and it is rendered by Jerome here, bruchus, “the
chaffer,” which every one knows to be a great devourer of the leaves of
trees. The Syriac in
<290104>Joel
1:4, 2:25, renders it
,arwxrx,
tzartzooro, which Michaelis, (Supplem. ad Lex. Heb., page 865,)
from the Arabic
rxrx,
tsartzar, a cricket, interprets the mole-cricket,
which, in its grub state, is also very destructive to corn, grass, and other
vegetables, by cankering the roots on which it feeds. — See
Parkhurst's Lexicon on
laj.
ftc347
The Hebrew word here translated “grasshopper” is
,hbra,
arbeh, which properly means “locust.” The locust
receives no fewer than ten different names in Scripture, each of which indicates
something characteristic. It is called
hbra,
arbeh, from its extraordinary fecundity. No animal is more
prolific; nor has Providence ever employed an agency more effective in
destroying the fruits of the earth. Dr Russell, in his Natural History of
Aleppo, observes that locusts “sometimes arrive in such incredible
multitudes as it would appear fabulous to relate, destroying the whole of the
verdure wherever they pass.” A Traveller in Syria says, “That
country, together with Egypt, Persia, and almost all the whole middle part of
Asia, partakes in another scourge besides volcanoes and earthquakes, and that no
less terrible; I mean those clouds of locusts of which travelers have spoken:
the quantity of these insects is incredible to any man who has not seen it: the
earth is covered by them for several leagues round. One may hear at a distance
the noise they make in brousing the plants and trees, like an army plundering in
secret. It would be better to be concerned with Tartars than these little
destructive animals: one might say that fire follows their tract.” —
See Parkhurst's Lexicon on
hbr,4.
ftc348
The original word
µtwmqç,
shikmotham, does not properly signify the fig-tree, but
the sycamore, a tree which grows in Palestine, Arabia, and Egypt.
It is different from the English sycamore, which is a species of maple. It bears
fruit resembling the fig, whilst its leaves are like those of the mulberry-tree;
whence its name,
sukov
, (sycos,) a fig-tree, and ,
mwrov,
(moros,) a mulberry-tree. The sycamore was highly valued by the
ancient Egyptians. It furnished them with wood for various purposes; it afforded
a grateful shade by its wide-spreading branches; and the figs which it produced,
it is not improbable, formed a principal part of the food of the common people.
“Norden tells us the people for the greater part live upon these figs;
thinking themselves well regaled when they have a piece of bread, a couple of
sycamore-figs, and a pitcher filled with water from the Nile.” —
Harmer's Observations, volume 4, pages 4, 5. From this it is
easy to conceive how severe and distressing the loss must have been which the
Egyptians sustained “when their vines were destroyed with hail, and their
sycamore-trees with frost or
hailstones.”
ftc349
“lmnjb,
ba-chana-mal, in frost. A noun of four letters prefixed
with
b;
lmnj
is read here only in Scripture. And what it may be is unknown. Severe
frost, according to some; a kind of hail, according to
others.” —
Bythner.
ftc350The
original word
µtyj,
chayatham, here rendered their cattle, is
translated in our English Bible their life. But in all the
ancient versions it is their cattle. The reference is to the
plague which destroyed all the first-born in the land of Egypt. The first-born
both of cattle, and of the Egyptians themselves, were involved in one common
destruction.
<021229>Exodus
12:29.
ftc351
“Ar. reads
,µhynb,
'the first-fruits of their children.' See
<021229>Exodus
12:29.” —
Dimock.
ftc352
Aben Ezra supposes µy[r
ykalm, malachey raim, to be Moses and
Aaron, as messengers of evil to Pharaoh, who are so called because they
previously warned him, and denounced the judgments of God against him, just as
the Prophet Abijah makes use of a similar expression when the wife of Jeroboam
came to him to inquire concerning her son: “I am a messenger to thee of
hard things,”
<111406>1
Kings 14:6. Fry also reads “messengers of evil,” and has the
following note: “Such is the literal meaning and exact rendering of
µy[r
ykalm, and not evil angels, which
would be regularly µy[r
µykalm. By these messengers of evil,
I make no doubt, no more is meant than Moses and Aaron, who were charged
with denunciations of wrath to Pharaoh, previously to the infliction of all the
several plagues.” Archbishop Secker, however, observes, that although
µy[r
µykalm would be the proper expression for
evil angels, yet the plural of
kal
is sometimes written defectively
ykalm.
The LXX. has, ajpostolh~n dij
ajggelwn ponhrw~n, “a message by evil
angels.”
ftc353
“He levelled a path to his anger.
slp
[the word for levelled] signifies to direct by a line or level;
and when applied to a way, is understood to denote that the way is made straight
and smooth, so as to leave no impediment to the passenger. See Poole's Synopsis
and Le Clerc. The sense will be much the same whether we thus interpret the
phrase, or suppose the anger of God to have taken its direction,
para<
sta>qmhn, in a straight line, and by a level;
that is, in the shortest way, without delay or deviation.” —
Merrick's
Annotations.
ftc354
“This mountain, i.e., Zion; which the Psalmist might
point to with his finger.” —
Dimock.
ftc355
“Ou, possedee.” — Fr. marg. “Or,
possessed.”
ftc356
“Perhaps for
hljn,
we should read
µljn,
'and he made them fall in the lot of their inheritance.' For it has been
by some learned men conjectured, that the land of Canaan was originally the
allotment of Heber and his descendants, and that the Canaanites had obtained it
by force and violence; for which reason amongst others, they were
expelled from it, and the Hebrews reinstated. See
<011115>Genesis
11:15; 13:15;
<130124>1
Chronicles 1:24-27; and Bryant's Obs. But see
<19A511>Psalm
105:11, 12, 44, and
<19B107>Psalm
111:7.” —
Dimock.
ftc357
“hymr
tçqk, like a deceitful bow.
This comparison does not seem to convey a suitable idea either here or
<280716>Hosea
7:16. Might we then venture to read in both places
tçak
'like a deceitful woman?' backsliding Israel being often
represented under the character of an adulteress. See
<261632>Ezekiel
16:32. And the last line of the next verse strongly countenances this reading:
'and they made him jealous with their images.' See
<022005>Exodus
20:5.” — Dimock. There is, however, no necessity for
this conjectural emendation. The image employed is natural enough. “The
Eastern bow,” says Dr Adam Clarke, “which, when at rest, is in the
form of a
bow, must be recurred, or turned
the contrary way, in order to be what is called bent and
strung. If a person who is unskilful or weak attempt to recurve
and string one of these bows, if he take not great heed, it will spring back
and regain its quiescent position, and perhaps break his arm. And sometimes I
have known it, when bent, to start aside — regain its
quiescent position — to my no small danger; and, in one or two cases, to
my injury. This image is frequently used in the Sacred Writings; but no person
has understood it, not being acquainted with the Eastern recurved bow,
which must be bent the contrary way, in order to be proper for use These
Israelites, when brought out of their natural bent, soon recoiled, and relapsed
into their former
state.”
ftc358
“Ou, Convenances.” —
Fr.
ftc359
Shiloh was a city in the tribe of Ephraim, (the son of Joseph,) where the
tabernacle and the ark had for a long time their fixed abode; (see
<061801>Joshua
18:1,) but from whence the ark was taken by the Philistines, in the time of Eli
the
priest.
ftc360
“C'est, l'elite et la fleur du peuple.” — Fr.
marg. “That is, the choice and flower of the people.”
ftc361
Fry renders this verse: —
“A fire consumed
their young men,
And their virgins
had no nuptial song.”
“wllwh,
(pro
wllh,)
laudatae, celebratoe sunt, scil. epithalamiis.”
— Simonis. “Were not praised,
i.e., remained unmarried; as marriage songs were sung at
nuptials.” —
Bythner.
ftc362
“Que c'en a este fait en un moment, ainsi que le feu a incontinent consume
de la paille ou des fueilles d'arbres bieu seiches.” —
Fr.
ftc363
That is, the order of enumerating first the judgments inflicted by God upon his
own people, and then those inflicted upon their
enemies.
ftc364
“S'il eust eu un entendement rassis et bien dispose a escouter.”
— Fr. “Had they been possessed of a clear understanding, and
disposed to
listen.”
ftc365
“Les gens stupides prenent cela comme s'il s'arrestoit ainsi qu'un homme
estonne, qui ne scait par ou commencer.” —
Fr.
ftc366
“The epocha to which the Psalmist brings down the Israelitish history was
the exaltation of David, and the establishment of the royal and ecclesiastical
pre-eminence of Judah and Jerusalem. Previous to that period, Ephraim was in
some sort the leading tribe; and the first erection of the tabernacle in Shiloh,
whither the tribes went up, gave to the sons of Joseph a kind of metropolitan
dignity in Israel. Hence, this period is considered as the time of their
precedency in the nation. But the children of Ephraim, or Israel, under their
precedency, had been faithless to their trust, and in the day of trial, had not
answered to their promise and professions. And to this was owing the low estate,
in which the administrations of Samuel and David found the Church and people of
Israel.” —
Fry.
ftc367
Shiloh, as formerly observed, was a city in the tribe of Ephraim, and it was
rejected as the resting-place of the
ark.
ftc368
“La grace de Dieu plus grande qu'on n'eust ose esperer.” —
Fr.
ftc369
In our English Bible it is, “And he built his sanctuary like high
palaces.” On which Archbishop Secker has the following note:
— “That God built his tabernacle like high palaces, is
not a strong expression. On high, which Hare adopts, is better.
And perhaps changing
k,
into
b,
would suffice for this sense. But the old versions have
k,
and yet in the latter part of the verse they have
b,
for
k.
It is a remarkable anticipation to mention the temple, which Solomon built,
before the mention of
David.”
ftc370
“Like the earth; the simile is intended to point out the
fixedness of the temple, in opposition to the frequent
different stations in which the tabernacle had been placed.”
—
Warner.
ftc371
If this psalm was written on the taking of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, or
during the Babylonish captivity, it would appear, from this verse, that when the
Chaldeans destroyed Jerusalem, they left the bodies of the slain unburied, to be
devoured by beasts and birds of
prey.
ftc372
Similar threatenings are to be found in
<231419>Isaiah
14:19, 20;
<240802>Jeremiah
8:2.
ftc373
Street, instead of “our neighbors,” reads, “those that dwell
among us;” and has the following note: — “Those foreigners who
sojourn among us;
wnynkçl,
from
ˆkç,
to inhabit or dwell;
geitosin
hJmwn, our neighbors, Septuagint. But
that rendering does not sufficiently express the distressed and humbled state of
Israel, as described in the Hebrew; they were so reduced, that not only
neighboring nations, but even those foreigners who sojourned amongst them, had
the insolence to deride them, even in their own country.” Dr Adam Clarke
explains, We are become a reproach to our neighbors, thus:
“The Idumeans, Philistines, Phoenicians, Ammonites, and Moabites, all
gloried in the subjugation of this people; and their insults to them were mixed
with blasphemies against
God.”
ftc374
“C'est, ire.” — Fr. marg. “That is,
anger.”
ftc375
This and the preceding verse are almost exactly the same with
<241025>Jeremiah
10:25. “Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon
the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob, and
devoured him, and consumed him; and have made his habitation desolate.”
From this, some have thought that Jeremiah, who was one of the prophets of the
captivity, was the inspired writer of this
psalm.
ftc376
“Mettans en avant l'absurdite qui en reviendroit, si Dieu ne punissoit les
persecuteurs.” —
Fr.
ftc377
“rpk,
chapper, be propitiated, or receive an atonement
(wnytafh
l[, al chatoteinu) on account of our
sins.” — Dr Adam Clarke.
ftc378
Horsley, who guesses that this psalm was composed during the distresses of
Manasseh's reign, supposes “the prisoner” to mean
Manasseh.
ftc379
“C'est, les condamnez a mort.” — Fr. marg.
“That is, those who are condemned to death.” “Sons
of death, either those who were condemned to death because of
their crimes, or condemned to be destroyed by their oppressors. Both these
senses apply to the Israelites: they were sons of death, i.e.,
worthy of death because of their sins against God. They were condemned to death,
or utter destruction, by their Babylonish enemies.” — Dr
Adam
Clarke.
ftc380
“Sevenfold, i.e., in excessively great measure,
— (comp.
<010415>Genesis
4:15, 24;
<090205>1
Samuel 2:5,) — into their bosom. This is an allusion to the
custom of folding the loose garment worn by the natives of Eastern countries, so
as to make it a recipient of gifts. Comp.
<193513>Psalm
35:13;
<236506>Isaiah
65:6;
<243218>Jeremiah
32:18;
<420638>Luke
6:38.” —
Cresswell.
ftc381
“C'est, te rendrons graces.” — Fr. marg.
“That is, will give thee
thanks.”
ftc382
“Car ce n'est pas que les fideles se veuillent yci souler a veoir espandre
le sang humain.” —
Fr.
ftc383
“Laquelle apparoist quand il fait la vengence des outrages qu'on a faits
aux siens.” —
Fr.
ftc384
“C'est a dire, de la puissance de Dieu.” —
Fr.
ftc385
This is the opinion of Hammond, who supposes that this psalm “is a
complaint of the troubles of God's Church and people, probably in time of
captivity, or by way of prediction of it.” “Why Ephraim, Benjamin,
and Manasseh, and no other, are here named,” says he, “must be
learned from the order of the Israelites' march in the wilderness, Numbers 2.
For there, next after the ark, the pledge of God's special presence and
assistance, did these three tribes follow: 'Then the tabernacle of the
congregation shall set forward,' etc., verse 17; 'On the west side
(i.e., next behind it) shall be the standard of the camp of
Ephraim,' verse 18; 'and his host,' etc., verse 19. 'And by him shall be the
tribe of Manasseh,' verse 20; 'and his host,' etc., verse 21. 'Then the tribe of
Benjamin, and his host,' verses 22, 23. Now the returning from the captivity,
the desire whereof is the business of this psalm, being a parallel to the
delivery from Egypt, God's 'leading them back, stirring up himself, and coming
to save them,' is very fitly. begged, and described in a style resembling the
former rescue.” Merrick accounts for Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh,
being particularly specified, by supposing the psalm to have been written at a
time when some enemy was advancing towards these tribes, which were contiguously
situated, or was directing his march to Jerusalem, through their territories.
“Such an occasion,” he observes, “might make it very proper
for the Psalmist to pray that the people of those tribes might particularly be
made spectators of the divine interposition. If the psalm was not written on any
such occasion, it may be most reasonable to suppose, that Benjamin, Joseph's
only brother by the same mother, and Ephraim and Manasseh his sons, are in the
second verse equivalent to Joseph; who, in the preceding verse, represents the
whole posterity of
Israel.”
ftc386
The argument which Calvin here adduces in support of the opinion, that this
psalm relates to the ten tribes which constituted the kingdom of Israel, in
contradistinction to the kingdom of Judah, is evidently inconclusive. He seems
to have forgotten the fact that the tribe of Benjamin, which is expressly
specified, did not belong to the kingdom of Israel, but formed a part of the
kingdom of Judah, — a fact which is altogether destructive of the argument
by which he attempts to prove that the psalm relates exclusively or especially
to the kingdom of Israel. The whole of God's ancient people seem therefore to be
intended. It may farther be observed, that the calamities which are referred to
are so extensive and general, as to render it in a high degree probable, that
the entire body of that people are spoken of. This view is also confirmed, from
the introduction of the similitude of a vine transplanted from Egypt. The
subject of the psalm may be the same with that of the 79th — the
calamitous condition into which the chosen people were brought by the arms of
Nebuchadnezzar.
ftc387
The original word for “stir up” is ,
hrrw[,
orera, from
rw[,
ur, was excited. “This word,” says Dimock,
“seems to convey the idea of God's having been asleep during the
Babylonish captivity. See
<235109>Isaiah
51:9.”
ftc388
Literally, “wilt thou smoke (with wrath;”) i.e., be
very angry. — See
<197401>Psalm
74:1.
ftc389
“There cannot,” says Bishop Horne, “be a more striking picture
of Zion in captivity! Her bread is dipped in tears; and her cup is filled to the
brim with them: no time is free from grief and
lamentation!”
ftc390
The LXX. read this verse as follows.
Eka>luyeno]rh hJ skia<
aujth~v, kai< ai> ajnadendra>dev aujth~v ta<v ke>drouv tou
Qeou~ . “The shadow thereof covered
the hills, and the branches thereof [covered] the cedars of God.” The LXX.
seem to have read
hsk,
casah, covered, instead of
wsk,
cossu, were covered. With this agree the versions of the
Syriac, Arabic, and Vulgate; and this is the reading adopted by Hare, Houbigant,
Lowth, and Horsley. “Is it an extravagant image of a flourishing
vine,” says Lowth, “to say, that it climbed up even the highest
cedars, spread itself along the branches, and covered the very top of
them?” “The image,” says Merrick, “may, I think, well be
allowed in the description of an allegorical vine, which is represented as
stretching out her branches unto the sea, and her boughs unto the river;
especially when compared with what Kaempfer says of some foreign vines. 'Maximum
proventum vites tribuunt, quae nulla jutae cultura palmites per summa spargunt
fastigia arborum.' — Amoenitat. Exot. Fascic.
2, Relat. 9, § 2, page 390. The author of the History of
the Piratical States of Barbary (published in 1750) informs us that some of the
vines near Algiers 'climb to the tops of very lofty trees, and, extending
themselves to others, form natural bowers,' page 163. And Beverley, in his
History of Virginia, (page 116, ed. 2d,) affirms that he has seen great trees
covered with single vines, and those vines almost hidden with grapes. . .
. The vine's covering the cedars, in the Psalmist's description, might be
intended to suggest an idea not only of its extent, but also of its sovereignty,
(agreeably to what Musculus writes on the place: 'Operti fuerunt montes umbra
ejus, et ramis ejus cedri Dei: Ponit haec de potentia regni
Israelitici,' etc.,) as a Greek poet has, from this very circumstance,
represented the vine as the mistress of the trees. (Nonnus, Dionysiac.
L. 12, 278,
279.”)
ftc391
The sea — the river — i.e., the Mediterranean,
which was the Western, and the Euphrates, which was the Eastern boundary of
Palestine. The Divine promise respecting the extent of the territory of the
chosen people runs in these terms,
(<051124>Deuteronomy
11:24,) “From the river Euphrates to the uttermost sea shall your coast
be.” And it was fulfilled in the days of Solomon,
(<110421>1
Kings 4:21;
<197208>Psalm
72:8.) In his time there were Hebrew colonies and garrisons near the river
Euphrates.
ftc392
According to the Talmud, the middle letter of the word rendered forest in
this verse, is the middle letter of the Hebrew
Psalter.
ftc393
The boar out of the forest hath wasted it. “This terrible
animal is both fierce and cruel, and so swift, that few of the savage tribes can
outstrip him in running. His chief abode, says Forbes, is in the forests and
jungles; but, when the grain is nearly ripe, he commits great ravages in the
fields and sugar plantations. That ferocious and destructive animal, not
satisfied with devouring the fruit, lacerates and breaks with his sharp and
powerful tusks the branches of the vine, or, with his snout, digs it up by the
roots, pollutes it with his touch, or tramples it under his feet.” —
(Paxton's Illustrations, volume 2, page 66.) Homer
complains of the ravages of this animal, (Iliad, 9. 535;) and Mr Ward remarks,
that the buffaloes and wild hogs make the like ravages in the orchards of the
Hindoos; to prevent which, men are placed day and night in proper situations to
guard against them. — (Ward's Hindoos, volume 2, page
327.)
ftc394
“Mais du travail qu'il avoit prins a la provigner.” —
Fr.
ftc395
“hnmsrky,
(jechar-semenna,) will destroy it. Targum, Will tear it
up with its tusk. Fut. pih. From
µsrj,
he cut off, cut down, consumed, a quadriliteral,
same as the Chaldaic
µswq.
Occurs here only in Scripture, and, according to others, is compounded of
çrk,
a belly, as though
çrkw,
will fill the belly from it.” —
Bythner.
ftc396
“Hammond thinks it most probable that
l[,
al, upon, is an expletive, or that it may refer to
har,
reeh, behold or look, the last verb except one in
the preceding verse, l[
har, reeh al, look
upon.
ftc397
The original word which Calvin renders branch is
ˆb,
ben, son. “Where,” says Horsley, “does
ˆb
signify a branch?” It is; however, so used in
<014922>Genesis
49:22, where it is said, “Joseph is a fruitful
ˆb,
ben, bough, or branch, by a well.” The
reading of some MSS., and of the Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac, Æthiopic,
and Arabic versions, is the son of man, as in the 17th verse; and
eighteen of Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS. read
µda
ˆb, ben adam, son of man.
It has been thought by many that Christ is here intended. Aben Ezra and R.
Obadiah thus interpret the passage. The Chaldee paraphrase is, “And upon
the King Messiah whom thou hast strengthened for thyself.” Hare, Green,
Horsley, and Morison, consider the last clause of this verse, “and the
branch which thou hast strengthened for thyself,” as a misplaced
anticipation of the latter clause of the 17th
verse.
ftc398
Horsley thinks that the word
hjwsk,
kesuchah, which Calvin renders as a verb, “it is cut
down,” is probably the noun
hjws,
with the comparative
k,
caph, prefixed — “It is consumed in fire like
refuse;” and he refers to Parkhurst's Lexicon, under the roots,
jsk,
and
hjs.
“This verse,” says he, “with the two preceding, should be thus
rendered: —
'Return, we beseech thee,
O God of Hosts!
Look down from
heaven and behold, And visit this
vine;
Even the plant which thine
own right hand planted,
Burnt with
fire like refuse.—
At the
rebuke of thy countenance they shall perish,'
“ — they shall perish:
They, the spoilers of the vineyard, described under the image of the
wild boar and beast in the 13th verse.” “The Bishop's reading of
verse 16,” says Dr Morison, “is very satisfactory.”
“They perish. This should either be rendered as by
our translators and Mr Ainsworth, and then the words refer to the vine of the
Jewish Church; but if in the future, as by Bishop Horsley, it must refer to
their heathen persecutors. Bishop Horne mentions both, and the original will
admit of either.” —
Williams.
ftc399
“Surely
,hnk,
should not be translated vineyard, but plant: and
probably
w
should be translated, or understood to mean, even. See Noldius,
Sign. 38.” — Arcbishop Secker. “Michaelis
and Gesenius derive it from
ˆnk,
texit, with the suffix
h.
Bochart considers it an Egyptian word.
'hnk,
verto plantam ex sententia Bocharti (in Phaleg. lib. 1, cap. 15 and 16,
edit. Leusd.) qui putat vocem esse Ægyptiacam. Nam, auctore Plutarcho in
Iside, hederam Ægyptii
ceno>irin,
h. e. futo<n
Osiridov, plantam Osiridis vocabant.' Dathe.
De Rossi concurs.” — Rogers' Book of Psalms,
etc., volume 2,
231.
ftc400
Under the same allegorical imagery the Prophet Ezekiel represents the afflicted
state of his country,
(<261910>Ezekiel
19:10, 12, 13.)
ftc401
Muis, Walford, and others, in like manner, suppose these titles, The Man of
thy right hand, and The Son of man, to belong to the
people of Israel. Walford translates the 15th and 17th verses thus: —
“The scion, which
thy right hand planted;
Even the
branch, which thou madest strong for
thyself.
Let thy support be
extended to the Man of thy right
hand;
To the Son of man, whom thou
madest strong for thyself.”
And he observes on the 17th verse, “The
Psalmist here quits the figurative representation, and speaks literally of the
people of Israel, whom God had chosen, and so greatly favored.”
“From comparing
<143622>2
Chronicles 36:22, 23;
<234426>Isaiah
44:26-28; 45:1-11, and
<242512>Jeremiah
25:12, 13,” says Dimock, “with this verse, might not Jeremiah, or
whoever was the author of this psalm, mean Cyrus, by these titles,
who was prophesied of as the restorer of Israel, by name, above a
hundred years before his birth?” It has been thought by others, and it is
highly probable, that the phraseology here employed contains a mystic allusion
to the Messiah. The pious Israelites were accustomed, in times of great
calamity, to look forward with longing desire to the days of Him who should
reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of whose kingdom there should be no
end. These striking expressions, The Man of thy right hand, and
The Son of man, apply in the fullest and most perfect sense to
Christ. If the Man of God's right hand be the man placed there, to
whom can the title apply but to him? for, “to which of the angels said God
at any time, Sit on my right hand?”
(<580103>Hebrews
1:3;) and much less has he said this of any Jewish king. As to the other
appellation, The Son of man, it is one of Christ's most definite
titles, being given to him in Scripture no less than seventy-one times; in
sixty-seven instances by himself; once by Daniel; once by the martyr Stephen;
and twice by the Apostle John in the Revelation. He it is, too, whom the Father
has made strong for the salvation of his Church, and who will yet turn away
iniquity from the chosen people, and restore them to a place in the Church, so
that henceforth they “will not go back from
God.”
ftc402
There are various opinions as to the time and occasion of the composition of
this psalm. Bishop Horsley observes, “It is certainly older than the time
of David; for the use of Joseph's name, in the 5th verse, as the name of the
whole nation, shows that it was composed before Judah became the principal
tribe, while the place of worship was in the tribe of Ephraim; that is, among
Joseph's descendants.” “This, however,” says Fry, “is
not conclusive, as a psalm, whenever composed, referring to the events of those
times, might use the same distinctions.” According to Walford, it
“was most likely written to be sung at some celebration of the feast of
the Passover, during the reign of Jehoshaphat or of Hezekiah.” But the
generally received opinion is, that it was composed, in the first instance, for
the feast of trumpets. This feast was celebrated on the first day of the month
Tisri, which was the beginning of the Jewish year, answering to
our September. It has been supposed by some, that this feast was appointed in
commemoration of the creation of the world, which is conjectured to have been
completed at that season of the year. The Hebrew months were lunar, and the
first day of each month had its religious services, accompanied with sound of
trumpets,
<041010>Numbers
10:10; but the feast of trumpets was kept with additional sacrifices,
<032324>Leviticus
23:24;
<042901>Numbers
29:1. The trumpets were blown from sunrise until sunset. It appears from the
book of the Jewish Liturgy, that this psalm is still sung at that feast.
“It may have been used,” observes Dr Adam Clarke, “in
celebrating the feast of trumpets on the first of Tisri; the feast of
tabernacles, on the fifteenth of the same month; the creation of the world; the
feast of the new moons; and the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt; to all
which circumstances it appears to refer.”
ftc403
“Take a psalm. Ainsworth, Take up a psalm.
Bishop Horsley says, 'The word (psalm) must in this place denote some
musical instrument.' But, with all due deference to his Lordship, suppose a
clergyman in the present day were to say to his clerk, 'Strike up a psalm!'
(quite a similar phrase,) would the clerk understand him to mean a musical
instrument? Certainly not.” —
Williams.
ftc404
For an account of these musical instruments, see
Appendix.ftc405
Hammond translates this verse thus," "Blow the trumpet on the first day of the
month, on the new moon, on the day of our feast." "The word
çdhk,"
says he, "must here be rendered, in the beginning of the month, that so
hskk,
that follows, may be rendered, as it truly signifies, in the new moon. It
is true, that from
vdh,
new,
vdh
indifferently signifies the novilunium, and the first day of the
month; but here, the new moon being peculiarly expressed by
hsk,
to avoid tautology,
çdh
must be rendered the new month; i.e., the first day of the month.
The Syriac sets this down here most expressly, 'In the beginning or first of the
month, and in the new moon;' which, meeting always together, were festival among
the Jews, and so the trumpet was to be sounded
thereon."
ftc406
The word translated pot was, according to Kennicott, a large vessel in
which the earth was mixed and worked up for making the bricks. The LXX. the
Vulgate, Symmachus, Jerome, Street, Parkhurst, Ainsworth, Fry, Walford, and
others, render the original word, by the basket. Parkhurst
observes, that baskets might probably be employed both in carrying the earth of
which the bricks were made, and also the bricks
themselves.
ftc408
“When he went forth, etc.; i.e., When God went
forth to destroy the first-born in all the land of Egypt, on account of which
the passover was appointed.” —
Walford.
ftc409
“Going forth
(l[)
over the land of Egypt seems to express dominion over it, which God exercised in
bringing out the Israelites; and they were then in what may be called a state of
superiority over the Egyptians, and went out with a high hand.
<021408>Exodus
14:8;
<043303>Numbers
33:3. And soon after that the law was given.” — Archbishop
Secker.
ftc410
The Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate, and all the versions except the Chaldee, have
the third person, “He heard a language which he understood
not;” Doederlein reads, “I heard a voice which I understood
not;” and retaining the first person, interprets the words as an abrupt
exclamation of the Psalmist upon feeling himself suddenly influenced by a divine
afflatus, and upon hearing an oracle addressed to him by God, which consisted of
what immediately follows, from the 6th verse to the close of the psalm, and
which is spoken in the person of God. This voice he heard, but he did not
understand it; that is, he did not fully comprehend its design and
import.
ftc411
“The Egyptian language was not intelligible to the children of Jacob; for
Joseph spake to his brethren by an interpreter, when he appeared as ruler of
Egypt, and did not as yet choose to make himself known to them. See
<014223>Genesis
42:23.” —
Street.
ftc412
Bishop Lowth understands by “the secret place of thunder” the
communication of the Israelites with God upon mount Sinai, the awfulness of
which is expressed by these few words. (Lowth's Lectures on the Sacred Poetry of
the Hebrews, volume 2, page 220.) Walford reads, “I answered thee by
thunder, from a hidden retreat;” and he observes, that this contains
“a reference to the majestic display on Sinai, where, though the symbols
of the present Deity were seen and heard, the lightnings and thunders, he
himself was concealed from all human view.” The only objection which can
be made against interpreting this of Sinai is, that the murmuring at Meribah,
Exodus 17, was before the thundering on Sinai, Exodus 19; whereas here the
thunder is mentioned first, and then what took place at Meribah in the end of
the verse. But this objection is easily removed; for in the poetical
compositions of Scripture strict order is not, always observed in the narration
of facts. Thus in
<198309>Psalm
83:9, the victory over the Midianites (Judges 7) is mentioned before that over
Sisera, (Judges 4,) which was the victory first
achieved.
ftc413
Literally “the waters of contradiction;”
hbyrm,
meribah, from
bwr,
rub, to quarrel, being a noun signifying
contention, strife. It is therefore fitly used as the name
of the place in the desert where the Israelites quarrelled with Moses.
“The local specification,” observes Bishop Mant, “as used in
our Bible translation, is much more poetical than the rendering in the Common
Prayer-Book, 'the waters of strife.'” “The mention of
Meribah,” says Lowth, “introduces another idea, namely, the
ingratitude and contumacy of the Israelites, who appear to have been ever
unmindful of the favors and indulgence of their heavenly
Benefactor.”
ftc414
Street reads, “and I will make a testimony with thee.”
“hdy[a”
says he, “is in the hiphil conjugation, which frequently signifies to make
or cause a thing to be made. The ark is called the ark of the
testimony, td[h
ˆwra,
<023026>Exodus
30:26, and the ark of the covenant,
<060306>Joshua
3:6, and
<022521>Exodus
25:21. Moses is commanded to put the testimony which God shall give him
into the ark. It is plain, therefore, that the covenant and the testimony are
the same.” “I will testify unto thee. I
will, upon all occasions, give the oracular direction, so that thou shalt have
no occasion to resort to other gods, nor shall any pretended god have power to
harm thee.” —
Horsley.
ftc415
“Ou, perversite, ou, durete.” — Fr. marg.
“Or, the perversity, or, the hardness.” Hammond reads: “I
gave them up unto the imaginations of their hearts.” Horsley: “So I
gave them up to the government of their own hearts.” Fry: “And I
gave them up to the desires of their heart.” Walford: “Therefore I
gave them up to the purposes of their
heart.”
ftc416
“Heathen, or foreign god.” —
Hammond.
ftc417
In our English Bible it is, “He should have fed them.” The
LXX., Vulgate, and Syriac versions, Green, Walford, and others, read as Calvin
does, “I would have fed them.” “This is the preferable
reading,” says Walford, “as the common lection introduces a too
sudden change of
person.”
ftc418
“Nothing,” says Dr Adam Clarke on this verse, “can be more
plaintive than the original: sense and sound are surprisingly
united. I scruple not to say to him who understands the Hebrew, however learned,
he has never found in any poet, Greek or Latin, a finer example of deep-seated
grief, unable to express itself in appropriate words, without frequent
interruptions of sighs and sobs, terminated with a mournful cry
—
yl [mç ym[
wl
wklhy ykrdb
larçy
Loo-ghammee-shomeagh-lee
Yishrael-bid'
rakee-yehallekoo!
“He who can give the proper guttural
pronunciation to the letter
[,
ayin; and gives the
w,
vau, and the
y,
yod, their full Asiatic sound; and does not pinch them to death by a
compressed and worthless European enunciation; will at once be convinced of the
propriety of this
remark.”
ftc419
See volume 1, page
301.
ftc420
“Their time, etc.: that is, the time, the continuance, the
prosperity of my people, would have been durable.” —
Warner.
ftc421
It is an usual phrase with the Hebrews to call the most esteemed part of
anything
blj,
cheleb, “the fat.” The word is used with this
combination in
<053214>Deuteronomy
32:14; and is adopted again in
<19E714>Psalm
147:14. See also
<014518>Genesis
45:18;
<041829>Numbers
18:29; and
<197304>Psalm
73:4. The translators of our English version have rendered it here “the
finest of the
wheat.”
ftc422
Palestine abounded in wild bees, which, living in the crevices of rocks, and in
the hollows of trees, furnished honey in great plenty. To this there are
frequent allusions in Scripture. In
<053213>Deuteronomy
32:13, Moses, speaking of God's goodness to Israel in the song with which he
closed his long and eventful career, says, “He made him suck honey out of
the rock.” As an evidence of the great abundance of wild honey in that
country, we may refer to
<091425>1
Samuel 14:25, where it is said, “And all they of the land came to a wood,
and there was honey upon the ground; and when the people were come to the wood,
behold the honey dropped.” In proof of the same point, reference may be
also made to the fact, that a part of the food of John the Baptist in the
wilderness was wild honey, which most probably he found in rocks or hollow
trees. In Scripture, the country is frequently described by a familiar phrase,
as “A land flowing with milk and honey;” and in
<182017>Job
20:17, we meet with the strong expression of “Brooks, floods, and rivers
of honey.” Palestine is still remarkable for this natural production. It
may be observed, that the change of person in this last verse from the third to
the first is highly
poetical.
ftc423
Kimchi thinks it probable that this psalm was written in the days of
Jehoshaphat, and refers to
<141905>2
Chronicles 19:5-7, as indicating the time and occasion of its composition. We
are there informed that Jehoshaphat; “set judges in the land, throughout
all the fenced cities of Judah, city by city;” and in instructing them
with regard to their duty, he uses nearly the same words as those in the
beginning of this psalm. Dr Morison takes a different view. “This
psalm,” says he, “was composed in all probability in the days of
Hezekiah, in reference to certain wicked magistrates,
(<142930>2
Chronicles 29:30,) who had grievously perverted the administration of justice,
who were guilty of great oppression, and who had done much to introduce a state
of general national corruption. King Jehoshaphat had reformed several public
abuses which had crept into the judicatories of Israel in his time,
(<141907>2
Chronicles 19:7,) but before the reign of Hezekiah, things had reverted to their
former unhappy condition; so that a public national reformation was loudly
demanded. The psalm contains an exhortation to the judges of Israel, and a
reproof for their negligence and
oppression.”
ftc424
“Ou, il jugeras au milieu les dieux.” — Fr.
marg. “Or, he will judge in the midst the
gods.”
ftc425
“C'est, faites justice.” — Fr. marg.
“That is, do justice
to.”
ftc426
Horsley translates the first verse thus: —
“God standeth in
the assembly;
God, in the midst of
the gods, giveth sentence.”
On which he has the following note: — “In
what assembly? The assembly of his holy angels. The Psalmist, I think,
poetically imagines the celestial court assembled for the business of this
review of the proceedings of the earth's judges, and God, in the midst of his
angels, taxing their iniquity, and awarding their
punishment.”
ftc427
“The Psalmist having thus far addressed himself to the administrators of
justice, as if wearied with his ineffectual remonstrance, here suddenly turns
away and condemns their inattention and perverseness. The change of person is a
natural indication of the earnestness of the speaker, and has a lively
effect.” —
Mant.
ftc428
“All the foundations of the earth, etc. Rather, of the
land; that is, truth and justice, the foundation of all good
government, and the only security of a state, are now altogether violated or
disregarded.” —
Warner.
ftc429
“Ye are all the children of the Most High, an Hebrew idiom,
signifying men of the highest rank and power. Comp.
<192901>Psalm
29:1; 89:7.” —
Cresswell.
ftc430
This is the reading in our English Bible, on which Archbishop Secker remarks,
“It seems needless to say that these princes shall fall like one of the
princes.” He thinks with Bishop Hare that the true reading is not
µyrçh,
hassarim, the princes, as in our present copies, but
µyçrh,
harsaim, the poor. The translation, however, given by
Calvin, who takes
µyrçh
in the vocative case, O ye princes! and who, after the word
djak,
cheachad, for as one of, supplies the
people, makes any alteration of the text unnecessary. Gataker also
considers
µyrçh,
to be in the vocative case, which is approved by Horsley, Berlin, and others.
Dathe takes
µyrçh
in the sense of tyrants, but brings no authority to prove that the
word has this sense. Le Clerc, in the latter part of the verse, after like
one of, supplies the many, reading, “And fall, O
ye princes! like one of the
many.”
ftc431
This is the translation given of these lines in the French
version.
ftc432
Compare the 6th, 7th, and 8th verses of the psalm with
<142001>2
Chronicles 20:1, 10, 22; and the 12th verse of the psalm with the 11th verse of
that
chapter.
ftc433
The name of this Levite was Jahaziel, and he is expressly said to be a prophet
of the race of Asaph,
<142014>2
Chronicles 20:14. It is not unlikely that he is the same with Asaph, the author
of this
psalm.
ftc434
The Hebrew word translated thy hidden ones, primarily means a
treasure, and is so taken in
<191714>Psalm
17:14. Accordingly, it is here rendered by Mudge, and French and Skinner,
“thy treasured ones :” that is, thy peculiar people: those whom thou
hast hitherto protected and kept in perfect safety, as in a place of security
and secrecy. The Septuagint reads,
kata< tw~n aJgi>wn
sou, “against thy saints.” The word is
also sometimes put for the sanctuary, as in
<260722>Ezekiel
7:22. Some therefore think that the temple, and the treasures contained in it,
are
intended.
ftc435
“Ils sentiront a la fin a leur grande honte, qu'ils estoyent desnuer de
toute vertu.” — Fr. “Will at length find, to
their great shame, that they were destitute of all
power.”
ftc436
The Hebrew is wtrky
tyrb, berith yichrothu,
“they have cut a covenant.” The verb is from
trk,
carath, he cut, which, with the noun,
tyrb,
berith, signifies to strike a league, or to
covenant. The phrase owes its origin to the custom which prevailed,
in ancient times, of sacrificing an animal at the forming of solemn leagues, and
dividing the victim in twain, the contracting parties passing between the two
pieces; see volume 2, page 264, note. It is then affirmed of these combined
enemies of the Jews, that they had cut the covenant sacrifice;
that they had slain a sacrificial victim, divided it in twain, and passed
between the pieces' thus mutually binding themselves to accomplish their hostile
purpose.
ftc437
That is, the Edomites, the descendants of Esau,
(<012530>Genesis
25:30.) They were a pastoral people, and made great use of
tents.
ftc438
The Ishmaelites were the descendants of Ishmael, Abraham's son, by Hagar the
Egyptian,
(<012512>Genesis
25:12-18.) They inhabited part of
Arabia.
ftc439
That is, the Moabites, the descendants of Moab, a son of Lot, by one of his
daughters,
(<011937>Genesis
19:37.)
ftc440
The Hagarenes or Hagarites were the posterity of Abraham by Keturah, (who is
supposed to have been Hagar,) whom he married after Sarah's death. They dwelt on
the east of Gilead, in the vicinity of the Euphrates. , In the days of Saul war
was made upon them by the Reubenites, who, after having nearly destroyed them
and expelled them from their country, dwelt in their tents,
(<130510>1
Chronicles 5:10.) They seem again to have recruited their strength; but where
they afterwards dwelt is not known. “They are probably the same,”
says Cresswell, “as the
Saracens.”
ftc441
Gebal, which signifies a mountain, denotes, according to some, the Giblites, who
inhabited a district on the Phoenician coast in the neighborhood of Tyre. They
were a tribe of the Aborigines of Canaan, and are mentioned as left by Joshua to
be conquered after his death,
(<061305>Joshua
13:5.) They were of considerable service to Hiram, king of Tyre, in preparing
materials for Solomon's temple, as we learn from
<110518>1
Kings 5:18, where the original word for stone-squarers is
µylbgh
haggibelim, the Giblites; and it would seem from Ezekiel's
speaking of “the ancients of Gebal and the wise men thereof,”
(<262709>Ezekiel
27:9,) that they rose to no small degree of eminence. The ruins of an ancient
city called by the natives Gibyle, situated upon the Mediterranean Sea between
Tripoli and Sidon, are supposed to be those of the chief city of the Giblites.
If so, these ruins attest its ancient grandeur to have been considerable. Others
suppose that Gebal (the Gebalene of the Romans) was a mountainous district
inhabited by the Edomites, and extending from the Dead Sea southward to Selal or
Petra. By the Arabs it is called
Djebal.
ftc442
That is, the Ammonites, the descendants of Ammon, another of Lot's sons, by one
of his daughters,
(<011938>Genesis
19:38.) They dwelt in Arabia
Petrea.
ftc443
The Amalekites were a powerful people, who dwelt also in Arabia Petrea, between
the Dead Sea and the Red Sea, or between Havilah and Shur,
(<091507>1
Samuel 15:7,) south of Idumea, and east of the northern part of the Red
Sea.
ftc444
The Midianites derive their name from Midian, the son of Abraham, by Keturah,
<012502>Genesis
25:2. The history here referred to is the complete defeat of that people by
Gideon,
<070721>Judges
7:21,
23.
ftc445
Kishon is a torrent which flows from mount Tabor into the
sea.
ftc446
Oreb and Zeeb were two chiefs or generals of the Midianites, and
were slain by the men of Ephraim in their pursuit of the Midianites,
<070724>Judges
7:24,
25.
ftc447
Zebah and Zalmunna were kings of Midian, whom Gideon, after having
defeated their army, took prisoners and put to death,
<070810>Judges
8:10-21.
ftc448
Endor is not mentioned in the account given of the discomfiture of Jabin's host,
and the slaughter of Sisera, in Judges 4; but it appears from
<061711>Joshua
17:11, which Calvin quotes, to have been a part of the portion which fell to the
tribe of Manasseh. In that passage, Taanach and Megiddo are mentioned as
districts adjoining to Endor. And in the song of Deborah, the kings of Canaan
who fought on the occasion referred to, against the Israelites, are said to have
fought “in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo,”
<070519>Judges
5:19. This may explain why they are said to have perished at Endor, which was
near the place where Sisera's army were
destroyed.
ftc449
“Globum,” — Lat. “Une
boule,” — Fr. The word
lglg,
galeggal, thus translated, is interpreted by Lowth, “any
light thing whirled by the wind, chaff, thistle-down, etc.”
“lglg
seems here,” says Archbishop Secker, “especially on comparing
<231713>Isaiah
17:13, to be not a wheel, but some light matter, which the wind whirls round and
blows away; chaff.” In that passage of Isaiah, where the
same Hebrew word occurs, the rendering in our English Bible is “a rolling
thing;” and the marginal reading, “thistle-down.” This verse
affords a striking exhibition of the nothingness of combined nations before the
Almighty. He can make them “like the thistle-down; like the stubble before
the
wind.”
ftc450
The allusion in this verse is to the fires, either accidental or designed, which
frequently occur in hot and wooded countries, and which spread to a vast extent,
devouring all before them, and continuing their ravages for a long time. Many
Eastern and African travelers describe these formidable and alarming fires from
personal observation; and such descriptions serve to give a more adequate idea
than would otherwise offer itself to an European mind of the Psalmist's meaning.
This language is an expressive image for wide and quick
destruction.
ftc451
“Kindleth the mountains, that is, the produce of the
mountains, trees, plants, etc.” —
Walford.
ftc452
“Pursue them with thy tempest, is an evident reference to
the dissipation of the chaff, and what follows relates clearly to
the expansion of the flame.” — Note of Henley, in
Lowth's Sacred Poetry of the Hebrews, volume 1, page
277.
ftc453
“The construction of the words in the close of the psalm lies most
probably thus,
w[dyw,
and they shall know, i.e., it shall be known by this
means, hwhy °mç hta
yk, thou art thy name Jehovah,
i.e., that thou art what thy name Jehovah imports; and
what that is, is expounded in the remainder of the verse,
ˆwyl[
°dbl, thou only the Most High over all the
earth; that being indeed the meaning of Jehovah, the
infinite, eternal, and so the only supreme power over all the world.”.
—
Hammond.
ftc454
“Mais au contraire que par dessus tous empeschemens ils poursuyvront
constamment a chercher Dieu, et par maniere de dire, se feront voye la ou il n'y
en a point.” —
Fr.
ftc455
“Il tesmoigne derechef qu'il estime plus de jouyer de ceste liberte
d'assister avec les autres au tabernacle de Dieu, quand mesme il ne devroit
vivre qu'un jour, etc.” — Fr. “He again testifies, that
to enjoy the liberty of assisting with others at the tabernacle of God for only
one day was, in his estimation, more to be prized,
etc.”
ftc456
“It is admitted that the Hebrew preposition here used (lamed)
may be translated either by, to, or for.
When applied to an individual, we consider it as marking the author by whom
it was written, or the musician to whose care it was addressed, for adapting it
to music. But when addressed to a company of choristers, as the sons of Korah,
there seems no doubt but it was intended for them to sing it.” —
Williams.
ftc457
The sons of Korah were the descendants of Korah, whom the earth swallowed up for
striving against Moses and against the Lord. In the narrative of that event, we
are informed that “the children of Korah died not,”
(<042610>Numbers
26:10.) They joined not with their father in his sedition, and therefore escaped
his punishment. It appears from
<130919>1
Chronicles 9:19, and 26:1-19, that their posterity were employed as porters or
keepers of the tabernacle and temple. They had also a place among the singers of
the temple,
(<142019>2
Chronicles 20:19.) Their name occurs in the title of nine
psalms.
ftc458
“Or est-il, que depuis ce temps-la, il ne perdit jamais la liberte de
pouvoir comparoistre devant l'Arche avec les autres, si non une fois et pour
bien peu de temps, c'est ascavoir quand il s'enfuit pour la persecution que luy
faisoit son fils.” —
Fr.
ftc459
Bochart supposes
rwrd,
to signify not the swallow, but some kind of wild dove;
as he observes, that the Æthiopic version renders it the
ring-dove, and the Septuagint, Vulgate, Chaldee, Syriac, and other
ancient versions, the turtle. These last probably render it
turtle from the resemblance of the name to
rwt,
tur, the common name of that bird. Merrick, in his version,
translated it at first turtle, but afterwards substituted the more
comprehensive name of dove instead of turtle, at the suggestion of Dr
Lowth. “You have very good authorities for the turtle,”
says that learned Prelate: “my objection may be merely an English one.
The bird which we know by that name is of all others the most retired and
shyest; and hardly ever approaches any building, much less makes her nest in any
frequented place. Does not this consideration render it an unfit image for the
Psalmist's purpose here? The dove, which is only a more general
name for the same bird, would not be liable to this objection.” But to
remove that difficulty relating to the turtle, Merrick quotes a passage from Sir
H. Blunt's Voyage to the Levant, (page 186, ed. 5) in which that traveler says,
that in Turkey, all birds are so tame from not being used to violence, that he
had thrown his coat upon turtle-doves in the highway. “The Hebrew
interpreters,” says the Illustrated Commentary upon the Bible,
“believe it is the swallow, and are followed by our version. The word
means freedom, deliverance, and may be supposed to refer to
the free manner in which the swallow flies. It is only mentioned again, at least
by this name, in
<202602>Proverbs
26:2; and is there also associated with the tsippor, which our
version there renders bird, instead of sparrow. In
both texts, the meaning agrees better with the swallow than the
turtle-dove.”
ftc460
“Comme estort le pavillon de l'Arche.” —
Fr.
ftc461
This is the sense given in our English Bible; to the accuracy of which Dr Adam
Clarke objects. “It is very unlikely,” says he, “that sparrows
and swallows, or birds of any kind, should be permitted to build their nests,
and hatch their young, in or about altars, which were kept in a state of the
greatest purity, and where perpetual fires were kept for
the purpose of sacrifice, burning incense, etc.” He proposes to read the
words beginning at the third verse and ending with her young ones,
within a parenthesis, and to explain the remaining part of the verse as the
conclusion of the sentence commencing at verse 2d; or to read the parenthesis as
the close of verse 3d: “Even the sparrow hath found out a house, and the
swallow (ring-dove) a nest for herself, where she may lay her young; but I
have no place either of rest or worship.” But though it cannot
be reasonably supposed that these birds would be permitted to nestle about the
altar itself, before which the priests were continually serving; yet it is not
improbable that they were permitted to construct their nests in the houses near
the altar. “The altar,” says Dr Paxton, “is here by a
synecdoche of a part for the whole, to be understood of the tabernacle, among
the rafters of which, the sparrow and the swallow were allowed to nestle; or
rather for the buildings which surrounded the sacred edifice where the priests
and their assistants had their ordinary residence.” —
Paxton's Illustrations of Scripture, volume 2, pages 310,
355. Dr Morison, after quoting the criticism of Dr Clarke, observes, “I
confess I see a great beauty in adhering to the sense given in the common
version. Though the sparrow and ring-dove are represented as finding a nest for
themselves at the altars of the sanctuary, it does not follow that the inspired
writer intends any thing more than that, while he was exiled from the house of
his God, these familiar birds had a home near that sacred spot where he had
associated his chief joys.” Parkhurst considers, that a comparison is
intended; and that though the particles of similitude “as” and
“so” are not in the Hebrew text, they are to be understood. And in
the Hebrew Scriptures, there are many instances in which they are omitted, but
where it is necessary to supply them to make an intelligible version. He
translates as follows: “Even (as) the sparrow findeth her house, and the
dove her nest, where she hath laid her young, (so, should I find,) thy altars, O
Jehovah of Hosts! my King, and my God.” According to this exposition, the
Psalmist illustrates his vehement longing after the sacred tabernacle, and God's
public worship, by the natural affection of birds, and by that joy and delight
with which they return to their brood after they have been absent from them.
(See Parkhurst's Lexicon on
rrd,2.)
Walford takes the same view. His version is: —
“As the sparrow
findeth a house, and the swallow a
nest,
Where she may place her
offspring,
So may thy altars be my
abode, O Jehovah of Hosts!
My King,
and my God.”
ftc462
“Ou, du meurier.” — Fr. marg. “Or,
of the
mulberry-tree.”
ftc463
“Fontem ponent.” — Lat. “La rendent semblable
a une fontaine.” —
Fr.
ftc464
“Pools or reservoirs of water, as well as wells, are common in the Eastern
deserts: the latter are supplied by springs, the former by rains, as here
noticed: but both are to be found in considerable numbers in Judea, and are,
according to Rauwolff, more numerous in these countries than springs that lie
high; that is, than fountains and brooks of running water. Some of these have
been made for the use of the people that dwell in the neighborhood; some for
travelers, and especially those that travel for devotion; as for instance, such
as go in pilgrimage to Mecca. The Psalmist appears to refer to provisions of
this sort, made by the devout Israelites in the way of their progress to
Jerusalem.” — Mant.
This
last clause has been very variously rendered. It has been understood by all the
versions, in a different sense from that given to it by Calvin and our English
version, which agrees with him. The Septuagint reads: “The law-giver will
give blessings.” Dr Adam Clarke: “Yea, the instructor is covered, or
clothed with blessings.” “God,” says he, “takes care to
give his followers teachers after his own heart, that shall feed them with
knowledge: and while they are watering the people they are watered
themselves.” Mudge reads: “Even Moreh is clothed with ponds.”
He translates the 5th, 6th, and 7th verses thus: — “How happy the
man whose strength is in thee! that travel the roads with their hearts. In the
valley of Baca he maketh it a fountain; even Moreh is clothed with ponds. They
walk from strength to strength; he appeareth before God in Zion.”
His note on these verses is as follows: — “I join the latter end of
the 5th to the first word of the 6th, (so the Seventy direct, and the sense
seems to require,) with a slight alteration into
wrb[;
the change of number, I have often observed, is not to be regarded. 'How happy
the man that feels himself invigorated by thee; that travels the roads that lead
to Jerusalem, with full bent of heart! He goes through the valley of Baca
as full of spirit as if it was cheered with a fountain of waters, and
Moreh, as if it was filled with delicious ponds.' (Two desolate
places I suppose, through which the road lay.) 'He grows lustier as he walks; he
appears before God in
Zion.'”
ftc465
“Ou, de troupe en troupe.” — Fr. marg.
“Or, from company to
company.”
ftc466
“Heb. The ways are in his heart; i.e., the highways
to the temple are the objects of his delight. In the former verses he had
alluded to the happiness of the priests, etc., who were always engaged in the
service of Jehovah; here he expresses the felicity of other
Israelites, who frequented the worship of the temple.”
— Dr Good's new Version of the Book of Psalms,
with
Notes.
ftc468
“Au reste, pource que le mot Hebrieu Habbacha, quand il est
escrit par un He, en la fin, signifie Pleurs: et quand il ha un
Aleph, en la fin, signifie un meurier, les uns lisent yci Vallee
de pleurs, les autres Vallee du meurier. Or combien que la pluspart suyve la
premiere lecture, l'opinion toutesfois des derniers n'est pas sans
apparence.” — Fr.
The LXX.
render
akb,
bacha, here by , tou
klauqmw~nov; Aquila by
klauqmaou
, “of weeping;” and the Vulgate by lachrymarum,
“of tears;” viewing the word as related to the verb
,hkb,
bachah, to weep, to distil, etc. “Instead of
akb,
baca, a mulberry-tree,” says Dr Adam Clarke,
“seven MSS. have
hkb,
bacah, mourning. I believe Baca to be the same here
as Bochim,
<070201>Judges
2:1-5, called The valley of weeping.” But according to
others, Bacha signifies the mulberry-tree, which is supposed to be so
called because its fruit exudes a juice resembling tears. In our English Bible,
while in the text “Baca” is retained as a proper name, the marginal
reading is “of mulberry-trees;” and
µyakb,
bechaim, the plural of
akb,
bacha, which occurs in
<100523>2
Samuel 5:23, 24, and
<131414>1
Chronicles 14:14, 15, is also in our English version rendered
“mulberry-trees;” and in the Septuagint and Vulgate, “pear
trees.” Harmer in his remarks on the passage before us, considers the
translation “mulberry-trees” to be wrong, on the ground that the
mulberry-tree is not a native of Judea, an opinion which he rests upon what is
stated by Hasselquist, that this tree scarcely ever grows in Judea, very little
in Galilee, but in abundance in Syria and mount Lebanon. He conceives the cause
of its present abundance in these places to arise from the great industry with
which their inhabitants apply themselves to the production of silk, and
observes, that had this tree been a native of Judea, it would still be often met
with there. He supposes that the weeping willow is the tree here meant.
Harmer's Observations, volume 3, pages 253, 254. But it is
a strong objection to this conjecture, that the favourite situation of the
willow is the watery plain, or the margin of the brook, and not a barren or
desert place such as this valley appears to have been. Parkhurst and Gesenius
think, that
akb,
bacha, means a kind of large shrub, (the Amyris
Gileadensis,) which the Arabs in the present day call Baca; and which
probably was so named, from its distilling an odoriferous
gum.
Through this valley, the Israelites, it
appears, were wont to pass, in going up to Jerusalem; but commentators are not
agreed with respect to its situation. Some, as Dathe, suppose, that it is the
place referred to in those passages from Samuel and Chronicles, which have been
quoted above. In the Fragments to Calmet it is alleged, that it lay among the
mountains of Lebanon; that some rivulets ran through it; and that it was one of
the most northern districts whence travelers were supposed to journey to
Jerusalem. De la Roque (Voyage de Syrie) states, that the
province, or rather the whole territory of Baalbec towards the mountains, is
named in Arabic Al-Bkaa, which we express by Bekaa.
It is watered by a river and many other streams. But if Calvin's
interpretation of the verse be correct, the valley spoken of was not a place
abounding with water, but some dry and barren defile among the mountains —
irrigated by no streams, and clothed with no verdure, where the thirsty traveler
was compelled to dig for water, and to form cisterns in the earth to receive the
rain of heaven. Dathe translates, “Passing through the arid valley
of Baca, it seems to them well watered. The autumnal rain refreshes them.”
“The road through that valley to Jerusalem,” says he, “was
doubtless painful to these travelers. But through their longing for the
solemnities to be observed at the holy city, these and places seemed to them as
if irrigated with fountains of water.” Celsius, (quoted in Merrick's
Annotations,) after observing that the supposition that this was a certain
valley where fountains required to be dug, would serve not a little to
illustrate the subject, and expressing a doubt of its correctness, because
valleys are not generally deficient in water, goes on to say, that he would
rather conjecture that it was called the valley of weeping,
because it was a valley rugged and embarrassed with bushes and stones, which
could not be passed through without labor and tears; and he refers to
<052104>Deuteronomy
21:4, to prove that there were such valleys in
Judea.
ftc467
“Ou la cloche sonnera pour appeler les gens aux prieres publiques”
—
Fr.
ftc468
“Il dit que les fideles y viendront a grand foulle, et a l'envie l'un de
l'autre, comme on dit.” —
Fr.
ftc469
“Horsley reads, 'from wall to wall;' Merrick, 'from station to station;'
others, 'from virtue to virtue,' in the military sense. All come to the same
effect; they persevere through all difficulty or opposition, having their hearts
set on reaching Zion's hill.” — Williams. “I think with
Gejerus that the Hebrew may be translated from strength to strength,
(answerably to the words from faith to faith,
<450117>Romans
1:17, and from glory to glory,
<470318>2
Corinthians 3:18,) and signify, that whereas other travelers grow more and more
weary as they travel, each of the pious persons here described shall, by the
refreshments administered to them, proceed from one degree of strength to
another, viresque acquiret eundo. As Jerusalem is represented in
the New Testament as a type of heaven, I see nothing irrational in supposing
that the inspired writer might, in describing the ascent to Jerusalem, have in
view also that spiritual progress which leads to the city which is above, the
mother of us all. The words before us are certainly very applicable to the
advances made in this progress, from strength to strength, from one stage of
Christian perfection to another.” — Merrick's
Annotations.
ftc470
“Ailleurs.” This supplement is not in the Latin
version.
ftc471
And therefore the verb
ãpwtsh,
histopheph, derived from this noun, signifies to sit at the
threshold.
ftc472
This explanation is adopted by Walford, who reads, “Jehovah giveth favor
and honor.” “The common gloss on these words,” he observes,
“is, that God first bestows grace on earth, and then glory in heaven. But
this is an interpretation of the ear rather than of the understanding. The
writer is evidently speaking of the present happy consequences of walking
uprightly as he immediately says. The judgment of Calvin agrees with this
statement.”
ftc473
“It is generally agreed, that the subject of this psalm is the return of
the Jews from the Babylonish captivity; in celebrating which, the Psalmist is
carried by a prophetic impulse to foretell a much greater deliverance by the
coming of Christ.” —
Dimock.
ftc474
“ˆw[
taçn, nasata avon, 'Thou hast
borne, or carried away, the iniquity. An allusion to the ceremony of the
scape-goat.” — Dr Adam Clarke. “It is a
maxim among the Jewish doctors,” says Hammond, “that captivity is
one way of expiation, and so to return from thence was a sure indication that
the sin for which it was inflicted was remitted or done away. This, saith
Abarbanel, on Leviticus 16, was adumbrated in the Azazel, or
scape-goat, which, as the other that was slain, was a
sin-offering, as appears,
<031605>Leviticus
16:5. 'He shall take two kids for a sin-offering.' And then the 'confessing the
sins over him,' mentioned 5:21, ('Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of
the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of
Israel, etc., putting them on the head of the goat: And the goat shall bear upon
him all their iniquities into a land of separation,' 5:22,) shows that they were
to carry their sins with them into the land of their captivity, meant by the
land of separation, that land whatsoever it was, whither the
Divine Providence had designed their deportation. From whence therefore being
now returned, their sins, for which they were thus punished, are
supposed to be left behind them, no more to be laid to their charge, if their
return to their former sins do not cause them to be called to
remembrance.”
ftc475
“Ne faire qu'il ne fust enclin et pitie envers les enfans d'Abraham pour
exaucer leurs prieres.” —
Fr.
ftc476
“Ou, si est ce que.” — Fr. marg.
“Or,
Yet.”
ftc477
Walford, who thinks that the composition of this psalm is referable to some
period subsequent to the return of God's ancient people from Babylon, explains
this concluding clause of the 9th verse as follows: — “The glory
that is here spoken of is that which was formerly enjoyed, when they were
surrounded on all sides by prosperity; and when especially they were favored
with the tokens of the divine presence, in the performance of all the instituted
worship of the sanctuary, when the ark, the temples etc., were in their pristine
beauty and
splendor.”
ftc478
Mercy and truth are very generally applied by commentators to God;
and the passage is understood as the celebration of the harmony of the divine
attributes in the salvation of man. The description is one of great beauty and
sublimity. “How admirable,” says Bishop Lowth, in illustrating this
verse, “is that celebrated personification of the divine attributes by the
Psalmist; How just, elegant, and splendid does it appear, if applied only
according to the literal sense, to the restoration of the Jewish nation from the
Babylonish captivity! but if interpreted as relating to that sublimer, more
sacred, and mystical sense, which is not obscurely shadowed under the ostensible
image, it is certainly uncommonly noble and elevated, mysterious and
sublime.” — (Lowth's Lectures on Hebrew
Poetry, volume 1, page 284.)
Dr Adam
Clarke gives a turn to the text, which still more heightens its effect.
“It would be more simple,” says he, “to translate the
original,
'Mercy and truth have met
on the way;
Righteousness and peace
have embraced.'
This is a
remarkable text, and much has been said on it: but there is a beauty in it,
which I think has not been
noticed.
“Mercy and
peace are on one side: truth and righteousness on
the other. Truth requires righteousness; mercy calls for
peace.
“They meet together on the way; one going to
make inquisition for sin, the other to plead for reconciliation. Having met,
their differences on certain considerations (not here particularly mentioned)
are adjusted: their mutual claims are blended together in one common interest;
on which peace and righteousness immediately embrace. Thus
righteousness is given to truth; and peace is given
to mercy. “Now, Where did these meet? — In
Christ Jesus. “When were they reconciled? — When He poured out His
life on
Calvary.”
ftc479
“Pource qu'on luy defend de se trouver en public et que chacun la
repousse.” —
Fr.
ftc480
“Hezekiah, in the season of distress,
<121916>2
Kings 19:16, begins his prayer with these words: which may have occasioned the
tradition of the Jews that he made use of this psalm on that occasion.”
—
Warner.
ftc481
In our English version it is, “for I am holy.” Cresswell would
rather render, “for I am merciful and pious.” “That,”
says he, “is the meaning of the Hebrew word, which the Septuagint and
Jerome have rendered by holy. The Psalmist supplicates God's favor
upon five several grounds, namely, his destitution, (verse 1;) his mercifulness
and goodness, (verse 2;) his trust in God, (verse 2;) his prayerfulness, (verses
3, 4;) and God's goodness, (verse 5.”) —
Cresswell.
ftc482
“Ou, tout le jour.” — Fr. marg.
“Or, all the
day.”
ftc483
Here, and in all the verses in this psalm where
ynda,
Adonai, occurs, many MSS. read
hwhy,
Yehovah. We have before observed, (volume 1, page 13, note 2, and
page 195, note,) that the Jews, out of reverence to the incommunicable name
Jehovah, pronounce
ynda
where
hwhy
is in the text. It is, therefore, not improbable that
hwhy
is the true reading in all these
places.
ftc484
“Veu que luy qui estoit homme innocent, voire qui s'estoit efforce de tout
son pouvoir a leur faire plaisir.” —
Fr.
ftc485
“Quia illis ad manum est deprecatio.” — Lat.
“Car ils ont en main la priere et recognoissance de leur faute.”
—
Fr.
ftc486
The word for “and propitious” is
jlsw,
vesallach, which Bythner renders, “and a pardoner.” It
is from
jls,
salach, he forgave,
pardoned.
ftc487
“Among the gods, i.e., among the gods of the
Gentiles, such as Baal, Baal-berith, Baal-zebub, Dagon, Ashtoreth, Chemosh,
Milcom, Nisroch, and especially, as R. Kimchi thinks, the heavenly bodies, the
sun and the stars. Some commentators suppose that it may mean, among
angels, or among princes. There is good reason for
doubting, however, with Parkhurst, whether the word Alaim ever positively
means princes, judges, or magistrates; and the passage
(<071322>Judges
13:22) quoted by Buxtorf, to show that it sometimes means an angel,
only proves that Manoah intended to say that he had seen God in the person
of his angel. Comp.
<198907>Psalm
89:7; 96:5.” —
Cresswell.
ftc488
“This verse has been considered, with great probability, as a prediction
of the calling of the Gentiles under the messiah. See
<451509>Romans
15:9.” —
Warner.
ftc489
The reading of the LXX. is, “Let my heart rejoice,” with which the
Syriac agrees; and this sense is adopted by several critics, as Muis, Dr Durell,
and
others.
ftc490
Bishop Law would read, “Make my heart one, that it may fear
thy name;” that is, says he, “Let the fear of thee be the one
ruling disposition of my soul.” — Quoted in Warner's Psalter,
with
Notes.
ftc491
The original word here for grave is
lwaç,
sheol; on which Mr Peters remarks, that if sheol here meant
only a deliverance from death and the grave, the expression, lower,
or lowest, would be quite unnecessary. “The lower grave” may,
however, be a figurative expression for a state of the deepest
distress.
ftc492
Street reads, “That those who hate me may fear. The word
wary,”
he observes, “if considered without the points, may be the third person
plural of
ary,
to fear; but the authors of all the versions seem to have derived it
from
har,
to see. I read
°bwfl
instead of
hbwfl.”
ftc493
“Comme si c'estoit un enfer plus haut, et qu'il y en eust un autre plus
bas.” —
Fr.
ftc494
“Et est pour monstrer que le secours que Dieu donne aux siens, procede de
sa bonte gratuite.” —
Fr.
ftc495
“Que des le ventre de sa mere il est serviteur domestique de Dieu, et
comme nay d'un sien serviteur en la maison.” —
Fr.
ftc496
“Lesquels surmontoyent de beaucoup toute la gloire, toutes les richesses
et magnificences et les precieux ornemens du monde.” — Fr.
ftc497
“Il est advenu desja de pieca.” —
Fr.
ftc498
As examples of this, see
<100119>2
Samuel 1:19, 25;
<19B402>Psalm
114:2; Song of Solomon 1:2;
<232301>Isaiah
23:1; 26:1, 3; 30:4; 41:2; 55:4;
<243302>Jeremiah
33:2;
<250301>Lamentations
3:1;
<340108>Nahum
1:8.
ftc499
Warner, who adopts this opinion, observes: — “Though the hills round
about Jerusalem
(<19C502>Psalm
125:2) were all holy, from their proximity to the holy
city, yet those of Zion and Moriah
(<194802>Psalm
48:2) were more especially so, as on them were built the tabernacle, the palace
of David, and the temple of
Solomon.”
ftc500
Rahab is a poetical name of Egypt,
(<233007>Isaiah
30:7; 51:9;
<198704>Psalm
87:4; 89:11.) It signifies pride or fierceness, and seems
to have been given to Egypt by the Jews, in memorial of the cruel tyranny which
had been exercised over them by the Egyptians during their bondage among that
people.
ftc501
“Ethiopia, the land of Cush, which was in Arabia.” —
Williams.
ftc502
“These nations, as amongst those best known to the Jews, typify the entire
Gentile world; and are intended to declare the accession of all the earth to the
faith of Christianity.” —
Tucker.
ftc503
“But of Zion it shall be said, He and He were born
there; i.e., not one, but many men of note.”
—
Geddes.
ftc504
Horsley, who takes this view, translates —
“And every one
shall say of Zion,
He was born
there:”
on which he has the following note: —
“Unusquisque, every one. Every one shall confess, to
the honor of the Israelites, that the Savior was a native Jew.” Dimock
objects to this, observing that Christ was not born at
Jerusalem.
ftc505
Cresswell connects the second clause of this verse with the first, in this
manner: — “Singers also, and players upon the pipe, shall chant,
'All my wells are in thee;'” i.e., says he,
“all my sources of refreshment, of hope, and of salvation, are in thee, O
Zion!” He adds, “The phrase, wells of salvation,
occurs in
<231203>Isaiah
12:3, the Hebrew word being the same as that which, in our two English versions
of the Psalms, is translated springs and fountains.”
Walford connects the two clauses in the same manner, “They sing with
musical instruments, 'All my springs are in thee.'” “The persons who
are here said to sing,” he observes, “accompanied by musical
instruments, are the people spoken of in verse 6. They are described as uniting
in a joyful song of praise and thanksgiving; and the burden of their song is,
'All my springs are in thee.' Springs or fountains are a constant image for the
blessings which are productive of refreshment and happiness. These new-born
converts are, therefore, represented as joining the universal Church, and
offering ascriptions of praise to God, who is the overflowing source of all the
streams of good, which refresh and bless the
people.”
ftc506
“Afin que les fideles en chantant Pseaumes et Cantiques monstrent la
souvenance qu'ils ont des benefices receus, et luy en facent
recognoissance.” —
Fr.
ftc507
“As well the singers as players, or
dancers, shall be there; i.e., the whole
chorus of joy and praise. Dr Chandler renders it, 'They shall sing like those
that lead up the dance;' i.e., with joy and exultation.”
— Williams. Symmachus and Aquila translate the text:—
...Kai aJdontev wJv cwroi, pasai
phgai en soi : “And they shall sing as in
leading up a dance; 'All my fountains are in
thee.'”
ftc508
There are various opinions as to the occasion of the composition of this psalm.
Dr Kennicott conceives it to be the prayer of a person shut up in a separate
house because of the leprosy, who seems to have been in the last stage of that
distemper; this disease, under the Mosaic dispensation, having been supposed to
come from the immediate stroke of God. Kimchi is of opinion that it was written
in the name of the Jewish people during the captivity, in the language of a poor
slave under his chains. Bishop Patrick supposes that Heman, the author of it,
was during the same period cast into a dark prison, (see verses 5, 6,) or, that
he was otherwise as miserably treated, as if he had been in a dungeon; and that
he here bewails his private
calamity.
ftc509
The Heman mentioned in that text has been supposed by some to be the son of
Zerah, one of Judah's sons, by his daughter-in-law Tamar, spoken of in
<130206>1
Chronicles 2:6. If these two passages refer to the same persons, then as the
grandchildren of Judah are called in
<110431>1
Kings 4:31, the sons of Mahol, it would follow that Mahol was either another
name of Zerah or the name of his wife. If this Heman was the author of the psalm
before us, and if Ethan, his brother, wrote the subsequent psalm, as they lived
at least one hundred and seventy years before Moses, these poems are the oldest
poetical compositions extant, and the most ancient part of divine revelation.
This, however, is far from being certain. Heman, the grandson of Judah, may have
been the author of the 78th psalm; but the 79th could not have been written by
Ethan, his brother, as it speaks of transactions that took place long after his
time, at least as late as the days of David, who is particularly mentioned in
it. Calvin obviously considers this Heman to have lived in the time of David or
Solomon. There is a person of the same name who was constituted by David one of
the chiefs of the sacred singers,
<132501>1
Chronicles 25:1. But he was a Levite, whereas the present Heman is called an
Ezrahite, which is understood to denote a descendant from Zerah, the son of
Judah. If, therefore, the chief musician in the time of David be intended, some
transcriber must have erroneously applied to him the term Ezrahite.
But if the psalm, as is supposed by many, was written during the Babylonish
captivity, it must have been written by a different
person.
ftc510
Street renders the title, “An instructive psalm in sickness, through
affliction, by Aiman, the Ezrahite.” He observes,
“hljm,
sickness, is used,
<022325>Exodus
23:25. The word
tlhm,
is the construct form of it.” He adds — “ The title thus
translated agrees with the matter contained in the
psalm.”
ftc511
See volume 2, page 320, note 2. Some consider the words
twn[l
tljm, Machalath Leannoth, which
Calvin renders “Machalath, to make humble,” as together denoting an
instrument of music. “For my part,” says Dr Morison, “I lean
to the idea that these words are intended to denote some musical instrument of
the plaintive order; and in this opinion Kimchi and other Jewish writers
perfectly agree. They assert that it was a wind-instrument, answering very much
to the flute, and employed mainly in giving utterance to sentiments of grief,
upon occasions of great sorrow and
lamentation.”
ftc512
rbg
geber, therefore, denotes a man “when in vigorous
manhood; who is neither a boy nor an old man, yet it is applied to Balaam, when
old, in
<042404>Numbers
24:4.” —
Bythner.
ftc513
“'Free among the dead,' inter mortuos liber,” says Dr
Adam Clarke, “has been applied by the Fathers to our Lord's voluntary
death: all others were obliged to die; He alone gave up his
life, and could take it again,
(<431018>John
10:18.) He went into the grave and came out when he chose. The
dead are bound in the grave: He was free, and not
obliged to continue in that state as they
were.”
ftc514
This verse has been supposed to contain a reference to the condition of the
leper under the law, which much resembled the picture here drawn.
yçpj,
chophshi, from
çpj,
chophash, “is free,” says Hammond,
(“in opposition to servitude,) manumitted, set at
liberty. The use of this word may more generally be taken from
<142621>2
Chronicles 26:21, where of Uzziah, being a leper, it is said, that he dwelt,
tyçpjh
tyb, 'in an house of freedom, for he was cut off
from the house of the Lord.' The meaning is, that after the manner of the
lepers, he was excluded from the temple, and dwelt,
µlçwry ˆm
rb, saith the Chaldee, there, in some place without
Jerusalem, which is therefore called the 'house of freedom,' because such as
were there were exempt from the common affairs, and shut up from the
conversation of men. And in comparison with these, they that are, as it were,
dead and laid in their graves, are here said to be free, i.e.,
removed from all the affairs and conversation of the
world.”
ftc515
“This verse,” observes Dr Adam Clarke, “has been supposed to
express the state of a leper, who, because of the infectious nature of his
disease, is separated from his family, — is abominable to all, and at last
shut up in a separate house, whence he does not come out to mingle with
society.” “Heman means,” says Walford, “either that the
character of his disease was such that men could not endure to be near him, or
that the state of his mind was so disordered that he became wearisome and
intolerable; perhaps he includes
both.”
ftc516
According to Cresswell, the meaning of this clause is, “That the Psalmist
confined himself to his house from the fear of encountering, if he were abroad,
the revilings of his former friends.” Walford explains it as follows
— “Either his state of feeling was such as induced him to withdraw
himself altogether from society, or he was so environed by hopeless misery, that
he regarded himself as a wretch confined in a dungeon, whence he could not
escape.” Horsley reads, “I am shut up apart, and am not permitted to
come out.” He observes, that shut up apart is the proper sense of
alk,
and adds, that “when it denotes confinement, it always implies solitary
confinement.”
ftc517
The Hebrew word for the dead, in the first clause of the verse, is
µytm,
methim; here it is
µyapr,
rephaim. This last “Hebrew word,” says Parkhurst,
“means 'dead bodies reduced,' or 'resolved into their original dust.' I
know not (he adds) of any one English word that will express it:
remains, or relics, come as near to it as any that I can
recollect. It is several times put after
µytm,
'the dead,' as of more intense signification.” (See Parkhurst's
Lexicon,apr,
2.) “Mortui, qui vivere desierunt, manes, proprie
flaccidi.” — Simonis. According to Dr Adam
Clarke,
µyapr,
rephaim, means “the manes or departed spirits.” The
Chaldee paraphrases this word “the carcases that are putrefied in the
dust.”
ftc518
“C'est, la mort.” — Fr. marg. “That
is,
death.”
ftc519
Or prevent thee — Come before the usual hour of morning prayer.
— See
<410135>Mark
1:35.
ftc520
“C'est, se cachent.” — Fr. marg.
“That is, hide themselves.” Walford reads, “The darkness
of death is my associate;” on which he has the following note: —
“The darkness of death. I take this literally to mean, 'My
acquaintance, or he that knoweth me, is darkness personified:' — orcus,
abaddon.”
ftc521
The original word for “ready to die” is
[wg,
goveang. It is literally, I labour,or pant for
breath, I breathe with pain and difficulty, as a person in
great affliction and distress. The verb sometimes signifies to expire;
but it does not so strictly express as imply death, from the
obstruction of breathing that accompanies it. (See Parkhurst's Lexicon,
[gg,
1,
2.)
ftc522
The Hebrew verb for “doubting” is
,hnwpa,
aphunah. It means “to turn this way and that,” as a
person in great distress, not knowing, as we say, which way to turn himself.
(See Parkhurst's Lexicon,
hnp,
8.)
ftc523
The Ethan celebrated in that passage, according to some, is the same person who
is mentioned in
<130206>1
Chronicles 2:6, as the grandson of Judah. (See page 406, note 2.) But that this
psalm could not have been written by him is evident, as we have there observed,
from several allusions contained in it to events which happened even posterior
to the days of David. A person of this name was one of the chief musicians in
the time of David,
(<132501>1
Chronicles 25:1,) but he was a Levite; whereas this Ethan is called an Ezrahite.
Nichols thinks it probable that the author, like Heman, was of the family of
Zerah, and wrote this psalm during the captivity, most likely in the time of
Jehoiakim, whose misfortunes he seems here to describe in a spirit of
despondency, notwithstanding the promises made to
David.
ftc524
Ainsworth's translation of this last clause is both literal and elegant.
“The heavens, thou wilt establish thy faithfulness in them.” Dr
Kennicott, in his Remarks on Select Passages of the Old Testament, here refers
to verses 37, 38, “where,” says he, “it appears that the sun,
the moon, and the bow in the sky, were the tokens of confirmation given by God
to the covenant made with David.” “The meaning of this
passage,” says Warner, “appears to be, that the constancy of the
celestial motions, the regular vicissitudes of day and night, and alternations
of the seasons, were emblems of God's own
immutability.”
ftc525
“Ex tristi ruinae spectaculo.” — Lat. “Voyant ce
commoncement pitoyable d'une ruine.” —
Fr.
ftc526
“The word
ytrma,
'I have said,' is used, in the Book of Psalms, to express two things; either a
fixed purpose, or a settled opinion of the person speaking. The Psalmist,
therefore, delivers the whole of this second verse in his own person, and
introduces not God speaking till the next verse.” —
Horsley.
ftc527
“Comp.
<100711>2
Samuel 7:11, etc. In 5:3 and 5:4, the Psalmist introduces God as speaking on a
subject which he resumes in 5:34; so that the intervening verses may be
considered as parenthetical.” —
Cresswell.
ftc528
“ — and thy truth” — Le Clerc
thinks that the word men should here be supplied, and men thy
truth; in which case, the congregation of the saints will have its
proper meaning — an assembly of the pious upon earth; and the Psalmist
thus describes both angels and men as praising God.” —
Cresswell.
ftc529
“Literally who is he among the sons of Alim, (or of Gods, as
in
<192901>Psalm
29:1,) i.e., according to Suicer, the powerful, the princes
of the earth. Ale, in the singular number, is used to signify God
in
<053217>Deuteronomy
32:17;
<180304>Job
3:4, 23, (and in other places of that book;)
<271138>Daniel
11:38; Habakkak 3:3. But it may be doubted whether its plural, Alim,
ever means, as Aleim does, the true God. We have, however, the
sons of Aleim, for chief men, in
<010602>Genesis
6:2, and for angels in
<180106>Job
1:6; in which sense some commentators have understood the sons of Alim
both here and in
<192901>Psalm
29:1, and with them agrees the Chaldee interpreter of this place. In Habakkak
1:11, Ale is used in speaking of the false god of the Chaldeans; and
Parkhurst is of opinion, that by the sons of Alim are meant those kings
who worshipped material divinities, such as the sun.” —
Cresswell.
ftc530
Ainsworth reads, “God is daunting terrible.” The original word is
˜r[n,
naarats, from
˜r[,
arats, he was broken, bruised, terrified. “An
epithet of God,” says Bythner “as though breaking all
things.”
ftc531
Hammond's explanation of the words, And thy truth is round about thee,
conveys a striking and beautiful idea. “The elegance of the phrase
(which is poetical) seems to be taken,” says he, “from the style of
angels, verse 7th, where they are described as they that encompass God;
signifying, that as they wait upon God, and execute his will, so, far above the
strength of those, God's fidelity, his care to perform his promise exactly
encompasses him, is ready prest to perform all that he hath ever promised to
do.” —
Hammond.
ftc532
Horsley renders the clause thus: — Thou hast crushed Rahab, that she lies
gasping with her wounds; and has the following note: — “The word
llj“,
[for lies gasping with her wounds,] “as it is used here, and
in
<198805>Psalm
88:5, signifies not a dead carcass, but a person left for dead, under his
wounds, upon the field of battle; a person so wounded, as to be fallen, and
incapable of rising to defend himself, or annoy the enemy. It answers exactly to
the Greek word ,
traumatiav,
by which the LXX. render it. We have no corresponding word in the English
language.” Dr Adam Clarke reads, “Thou, like a hero, hast broken
down Egypt;” and observes, “Dr Kennicott has largely proved, that
llj,
chalal, which we render wounded, slain, etc.,
means a soldier, warrior, hero; and it is certain
that this sense agrees better with it than the other in a great number of
places.”
ftc533
“The Hebrew word for 'the north,' is derived from a root signifying 'to
hide, conceal.' The 'north' is probably so named; because in our northern
hemisphere of the earth, the sun appears to move from east to south, and from
south to west, and, towards mid-day, is at all times of the year southerly;
whence the north side of a building, tree, or mountain, is usually 'concealed'
or 'hidden' from his direct rays, and is, as we express it, in the shade. (See
Parkhurst on
ˆpx,
4.) Simonis, also, assigns this as the reason of the name, in the judgment of
some critics, or, in that of others, because the north is covered with snow, and
of others again, with darkness; and so the Greek word for darkness,
zofov,
is continually used by Homer for the north: for the ancients thought that the
north was always buried in gloom and thick darkness.” —
Mant.
ftc534
The original word
ˆymy,
yamin, for “the south,” signifies literally “the
right hand.” As the Hebrews, when they engaged in prayer, turned their
faces eastward, they called the East
µynp,
the face, and the West,
rwja,
the hinder part. The South, therefore, would necessarily be
on their right hand; and hence,
µymy,
yamin, came to be used to denote the
south.
ftc535
Tabor is a mountain of Judea, and Hermon
(<19D303>Psalm
133:3) of Syria, the former to the west, and the latter to the east of the
Jordan; so that they may be considered as put for the East and the West.
Accordingly, the Chaldee paraphrase is, “Thou hast created the desert of
the north, and the inhabitants of the south; Tabor on the west, and Hermon on
the east, sing praises to thy name.” “These mountains,” says
Warner, “were at a considerable distance from each other. This indicates,
that the most distant parts of the land shall be equally blessed; have a like
cause of
rejoicing.”
ftc536
“Pource qu'ils n'ont rien au dedans qui leur acquiere authorite et donne
majeste.” —
Fr.
ftc537
“O the blessednesses of the people that know the joyful sound; that are
spared to hear the sound of the trumpet on the morning of the jubilee, which
proclaims deliverance to the captives, and the restoration of all their
forfeited estates!” — Dr Adam Clarke.
“But let us not forget,” says Dr Morison, “that the
trumpet of jubilee was a type of the proclamation of peace and salvation by
Jesus Christ. How happy they who, when the gospel trumpet is blown by the
heralds of salvation, are enabled to recognize its joyful
sound.”
ftc538
“The Hebrew
hwhyl,
must be rendered of or from the Lord, in both places in
this verse: 'Of the Lord is our shield or defense;' 'Of the Lord, or
from him,' i.e., of his appointment, 'is our
King.'”—
Hammond.
ftc539
“Sans qu'il y en ait aucune autre cause.” —
Fr.
ftc540
The word in the Hebrew Bible for “thy meek ones” is in the singular
number; but in the ancient versions, and in sixty-three MSS. of Dr Kennicott's
collection, and seventy-one of De Rossi's, it is in the plural
number.
ftc541
“L'ennemi n'aura puissance sur luy.” — Fr. “The
enemy shall not have power over
him.”
ftc542
“Quum ultimus esset in rustico tugurio, et inter pecuarios.” —
Lat. “Veu qu'il estoit le plus petit en la maison de son
pere, et qu'en ce mesnage de village il estoit de ceux qui gardoyent les
bestes.” —
Fr.
ftc543
“The allusion appears to us to be made to a cruel and unjust creditor, who
exacts not only his just debts, but some exaggerated demand, with usurious
interest, which was not permitted.” —
Williams.
ftc544
This means, that David's power should extend from the Mediterranean, or Great
Sea, to the river Euphrates. Gejerus and Le Clerc have illustrated this passage
from a speech addressed to Alexander by the Scythian ambassadors, in Q. Curtius,
50, 7.”Si Dii habitum corporis tui aviditati animi parem esse voluissent,
orbis te non caperet; altera manu orientem, altera occidentem
contingeres.” “If the gods had given thee a body proportionable to
thy insatiable mind, the world would not be able to contain thee. Thou wouldst
stretch forth one hand to the furthest extremities of the east, and the other to
the utmost
west.”
ftc545
“I will make him my first-born; i.e.,
as the eldest son of a family ranks the highest, and receives the most from
his father, so shall David be first in the order of kings, who, when they are
legitimate sovereigns, may be regarded as the sons of God, their common Father:
comp.
<012701>Genesis
27:1, etc.;
<020422>Exodus
4:22;
<052117>Deuteronomy
21:17;
<190207>Psalm
2:7;
<510115>Colossians
1:15. In
<231430>Isaiah
14:30, by the first-born of the poor, is meant the extreme of that
class, they who are the poorest of the poor.” —
Cresswell.
ftc546
“Sicuti nugantur Sophistae.” — Lat. “Comme
gazouillent ces brouillons et Sophistes de Sorbonistes.” —
Fr.
ftc547
“C'est a dire, de son
temps.”
ftc548
The original word for “they violate” is
wlljy,
yechallelu, from
llj,
chalal, he perforated or pierced through.
“When said of sacred things, he profaned, violated,
polluted, prostituted, as though, pierced through
divine things.” —
Bythner.
ftc549
“In virga.” — Lat. “Avec ma verge.”
—
Fr.
ftc550
Heb. 'if I lie,' the most solemn form of negative in that language.”
—
Williams.
ftc551
“The whole passage, beginning with 'I have laid help,' in verse 19, to the
end of verse 37, may be considered as a paraphrase of what God had said unto
David,
(<100708>2
Samuel 7:8, etc.,) through the mouth of Nathan. The promises herein recited, we
know from history, had their fulfillment only in Jesus Christ. The Psalmist,
therefore, in the next subsequent verses, contemplating the calamities of his
nation, indulges in the language of complaint.” —
Cresswell.
ftc552
“Acsi ex conceptis pacti verbis cum eo ageret.” —
Lat. “Comme s'il luy presentoit requeste suyvant les propres
mots et articles expres de son alliance.” —
Fr.
ftc553
“Par lesqnels moyens ils ont pensé se racheter pour eschapper la
main et vengence de Dieu.” —
Fr.
ftc554
“Once. Emphatic. It needs not to be repeated: nor will
be.” —
Walford.
ftc555
“There is a very obvious and important observation to be made on the
description of the apparent change that had taken place in the conduct of God
towards the family and descendants of David. The extraordinary promises which
had been given to that prince were certainly not accomplished in the fortunes of
his descendants, the kings of Judah; nor shall we be able to discover how the
truth of these promises is to be sustained without an admission of their being
given in reference to the Messiah, that spiritual king, who 'was born of the
seed of David, according to the flesh.' When we take the assurances which were
made to David, and which pledged to him the perpetuity of his kingdom, in this
sense, the mystery is disclosed, and the difficulty is completely removed: 'the
loving-kindness of God has not been withdrawn from him, nor has his faithfulness
failed.' David has still a royal successor, though the genealogy of his
posterity is lost upon earth; a successor who will endure for ever, and whose
throne will be perpetuated in glory, not merely as long as the sun and the moon
continue, but will still be rising in splendor, when those lights of heaven
shall be extinguished, and the new heaven and the new earth shall witness the
imperishable glories of the Son of God.” —
Walford.
ftc556
“Ou, as quitte l'alliance de ton serviteur.” — Fr.
marg. “Or, thou hast quitted the covenant of thy
servant.”
ftc557
Some of the Jewish interpreters take this view, and suppose the allusion to be
to king Jehoiachin,
(<122408>2
Kings 24:8.) Kennicott infers from the expression, “Thou hast shortened
the days of his youth,” that this portion of the psalm refers to Ahaz, who
died at thirty-six years of
age.
ftc558
“'Remember at what an age or time of life I am.' Or, 'of what
duration,' or, 'how fleeting,'
rlj,
(by a transposition of letters from
lrj,
he ceased,) denotes the present time rapidly passing away. Or, the
short race of our life; or this world, 'the fashion of which passeth away,'
(<460731>1
Corinthians 7:31.)” —
Bythner.
ftc559
Ainsworth reads, “O call thou to remembrance how transitory I am; into
what vain state thou hast made all the sons of
Adam.”
ftc560
This appeal respecting the universality of death, and the impossibility of
avoiding it, meets with a ready response in the bosom of every child of Adam,
however exalted or humble his lot. And, when death has once seized on its
victim, all the wealth, power, and skill of the world cannot spoil the grave of
its dominion. The admirable lines of Gray, in his celebrated Elegy, furnish a
very good comment on this verse: —
“The boast of
heraldry, the pomp of
power,
And all that
beauty, all that wealth e'er
gave,
Await alike th'
inevitable hour:
—
The paths of
glory lead but to the
grave.
“Can
storied urn, or animated
bust,
Back to its
mansions call the fleeting
breath?
Can Honour's
voice provoke the silent
dust,
Or Flatt'ry
soothe the dull cold ear of Death?”
ftc561
“Sur les asnes et chevaux, et autres bestes brutes.” —
Fr. “To asses and horses, and other brute
beasts.”
ftc562
“De la revelation faite a Samuel.” —
Fr.
ftc563
Or, as if our Redeemer were slow-paced, halt, or lame, and his Church should
never behold his steps. With this agrees the Chaldee paraphrase: —
“The slowness of the footsteps of the feet of thy Messiah or
anointed.” Kimchi renders, “the delays of the Messiah;”
“the discourse,” he observes, “being of those who say that he
will never come.” A similar style of speech has been employed by the
enemies of the gospel, as Calvin goes on to observe, who scoffingly asked in the
days of the apostles, and who still ask, “Where is the promise of his
coming?”
<610304>2
Peter
3:4.
ftc564
“Pour faire la fin de ce livre troisieme.” — Fr.
“As a conclusion to this third Book.” The Psalter, as we have before
observed, has been divided by the Hebrews into five books. This is the end of
Book 3. See volume 2, page 126, note.
ftc565
All the ancient versions ascribe this psalm to Moses, and it is generally
agreed, that it was written by him. To him also, R. Selomo, and other Jewish
commentators, ascribe the nine following psalms; for which they do not appear to
have any other foundation but their own absurd canon of criticism, by which they
assign all anonymous psalms to that author whose name last occurred in a
preceding title. It is evident, for instance, that the 99th psalm, in which the
prophet Samuel is mentioned, could not have been written by
Moses.
ftc566
Man of God was a common designation of the Jewish prophets: comp.
<071306>Judges
13:6;
<090227>1
Samuel 2:27; 9:6.
ftc567
“The earth and the world. The latter of those words properly
means, the habitable world; that part of the earth which, by its fertility, is
capable of supporting inhabitants.” — Walford.
ftc568
“'Our home' — or 'our dwelling-place.'
This image seems to have a particular reference to the unsettled condition of
the Israelites before their establishment in the Land of Promise. 'Strangers and
pilgrims as we have hitherto been, in every succeeding generation, from the days
of Abraham; first sojourners in Canaan; then bondsmen in Egypt; now wanderers in
this dreary waste; we nevertheless find the comforts of a home and settlement in
thy miraculous protection.'” — Horsley.
ftc569
“In the Indies,” says Sir John Chardin, “the parts of the
night are made known, as well by instruments (of music,) in great cities, as by
the rounds of the watchmen, who, with cries and small drums, give notice that a
fourth part of the night is passed. Now, as these cries awaked those who had
slept all that quarter part of the night, it appeared to them but as a
moment.” — Harmer's Observations, volume 1,
page 333. If this psalm was the production of Moses, it is observable that night
watches were in use in his time.
ftc570
Archbishop Secker supposes that this may be the reading, and refers to
<182011>Job
20:11.
ftc571
“Ou, une parolle.” — Fr. marg. “Or,
a word.” Dr Adam Clarke reads, “We consume our years like a
groan;” and observes, “We live a dying, whining, complaining life;
and at last a groan is its termination! How amazingly
expressive!”
ftc572
“Pource que nostre vie.” — Fr. “For our
life.”
ftc573
In the Latin version it is, “multa annorum millia;” “many
thousand years.” But this is evidently a mistake, which the French version
corrects, reading “beaucoup de milliers de
jours.”
ftc574
Moses, as we learn from the passage to which Calvin refers, “was an
hundred and twenty years old when he died, his eye was not dim, nor his natural
force abated.” He was eighty years old when God made him captain of the
chosen people; and Aaron was eighty-three years old before he was made High
Priest,
<020707>Exodus
7:7. These, and a few other similar cases, have led many to conclude that the
age of eighty was not considered at that time the age of decrepitude; and
consequently that this psalm, which limits the average length of human life to
seventy or eighty years, must be of a later date than the time of Moses. But
this is no valid argument against his being its penman. According to Calvin,
seventy or eighty years was at that time, in general, the utmost limits of human
life; and the longevity of Moses and some others who exceeded that limit was an
exception to the general rule. If this should be called in question, it might be
observed that this psalm treats of the afflictions and brevity of life, not in
reference to all men absolutely, but with respect to the Israelites in
particular, who, on account of their murmuring at the report of the spies who
had been sent to spy out the land of Canaan, and other sins, provoked God to
swear in his wrath that the carcases of all that were numbered of them according
to their whole number, from twenty years old and upwards, with the exception of
Caleb and Joshua, should fall in the wilderness during the forty years of their
wandering in it,
(<041427>Numbers
14:27-29.) Few of them, therefore, could have exceeded or even reached the age
of fourscore years. It has been thought by some that at that time human life all
over the world was reduced to the measure here specified, as its average
standard. “The decree which abbreviated the life of man as a general rule
to seventy or eighty years,” observes Dr J. M. Good, “was given as a
chastisement upon the whole race of Israelites in the wilderness. It does not
appear that the term of life was lengthened afterwards. Samuel died about
seventy years old, David under seventy-one, and Solomon under sixty; and the
history of the world shows that the abbreviation of life in other countries was
nearly in the same
proportion.”
ftc575
“There is an ambiguity in
ˆk,
as it denotes either so or rightly. Hence the
interpretation is twofold; either 'so make us to know that we may cause a heart
of wisdom to come,' i.e., so instruct us that we may
acquire a wise heart. Or, 'teach us to number our days rightly,' etc. LXX. give
it another and distorted interpretation.” —
Bythner.
ftc576
The great mortality constantly taking place among them could not but remind them
of this oath. Dimock calculates that the number of persons who died in the
wilderness, from twenty years old and upwards, was one year with another near
15,000.
ftc577
“Early, after the dark night of afflictions.” —
Ainsworth.
ftc578
This psalm is allowed to be one of the finest in the whole collection.
“Could the Latin or any modern language,” says Simon de Muis,
“express thoroughly all the beauties and elegancies as well of the
words as of the sentences, it would not be difficult to
persuade the reader that we have no poem, either in Greek or Latin, comparable
to this Hebrew ode.” It is supposed by some to have been composed by Moses
on the same occasion as the preceding; but others think it was written by David
on the occasion of the pestilence which was inflicted upon the people as a
punishment of his sin in numbering them, (2 Samuel 24.) It is ascribed to David
in the Septuagint, Chaldee, Vulgate, Syriac, Arabic, and Æthiopic
versions. Its subject-matter affords us no assistance in determining who was its
inspired author, or on what occasion it was written. “There is, however,
no reason,” says Walford, “to regret our unacquaintedness with these
particulars, as the poem is so clear and intelligible, that nothing in it can be
mistaken or misunderstood. The purpose of it is to illustrate the safety and
happiness which result from the knowledge of God, and the exercise of a
steadfast dependence upon his promise and grace. The sentiments are expressed
with great force and beauty; and dead indeed must be the soul to every emotion
of spiritual and heavenly delight that fails to be impressed by its truth, or to
aim at the acquirement of such faith and reliance upon it as will alone render
it productive of the peace and tranquillity of mind which it is intended to
bestow. The learned Michaelis is of opinion that this psalm was to be recited in
alternate parts by two choruses or sets of singers responding to each other, and
that God himself is introduced in verse 14 as taking part of the
performance.” It is supposed by the Jews to relate to the Messiah. See
<400406>Matthew
4:6;
<420410>Luke
4:10,
11.
ftc579
“Car ceste est la vraye cognoissance, laquelle nous pouvons bailler aux
autres de main en main, quand nous mettons en avant ce que Dieu nous a revele,
non point des levres taut seulement: mais aussi du profond du coeur.”
—
Fr.
ftc580
The original word, which Calvin renders “the pestilence,” is
rendered in the Syriac “the blowing wind.” Fry's version has
“the blast.” “The simoon, or hot wind of the
desert,” he observes, “a phenomenon in those regions too remarkable
to have escaped the divine poet in enumerating the sources of danger to human
life.” This wind being hot and burning in its effects, when it blows at
noon-day, must be still more
fatal.
ftc581
“Verses 5 and 6. Jos. Scaliger explains, in Epis. 9, these two verses
thus: — Thou shalt not fear,
rhpm,
from consternation by night,
˜jm,
from the arrow flying by day,
rbdm,
from pestilence walking at evening,
bfqm,
from devastation at noon. Under these four he comprehends all the
evils and dangers to which man is liable. And as the Hebrews divide the four and
twenty hours of day and night into four parts, namely, evening, midnight,
morning, and mid-day, so he understands the hours of danger to be divided
accordingly: in a word, 'that the man, who has made God his refuge,' is always
safe, day and night, at every hour, from every danger.” —
Bythner.
ftc582
As a signal instance of this preservation, Bishop Horne adduces the well known
and exemplary conduct of the good Bishop of Marseilles, who, during the plague
in that city in 1720, When nature sickened, and each gale was death, though in
constant attendance on the infected and dying thousands, entirely escaped the
contagion.
ftc583
Calvin's reading of this verse is different from that of our English Bible.
According to it, thou, in the first clause, refers to the
Psalmist; while, according to him, it is to be understood of God. Hammond gives
a similar version. “Because thou, O Lord! art my hope; thou hast made the
Most High thy help or refuge.” All the ancient versions understand
the first clause as spoken of God. In the Septuagint it is
su< Ku>rie hJ e]lpiv
mou, “thou, O Lord! art my
hope.” Similar is the reading of the Chaldee, the Syriac, and Vulgate. But
the last member of the verse, “thou hast made the Most High thy
refuge,” is generally referred to the Psalmist, and regarded as a part of
a soliloquy to which, when alone, his soul gave
utterance.
ftc584
ajspida.
The most ancient versions correspond in this respect with the Septuagint, as the
Vulgate, St Jerome's, Apollinaris', the Syriac, Arabic, and Æthiopic
versions, rendering
ljç,
shachal, not by the lion but by the asp,
though they are not agreed as to the particular kind of asp which is
intended. This opinion is adopted by the learned Bochart, (Hieroz. volume 3,
lib. 3, cap. 3,) who thinks it probable that throughout the verse serpents only
are spoken of, and other interpreters have concurred in the same view. He thinks
ljç,
shachal, rendered “the lion,” is the black
serpent, or hoemorhous; and
rypk,
kepher, rendered “young lion,” has been supposed to be
the cenchris, which Nicander (Theriac, 5, 463) calls
le>wn
a]iolov, the spotted lion, because he
is speckled, and, like the lion, raises his tail when about to fight, and bites
and gluts himself with blood. Bochart objects to the lion and young
lion being meant, on the ground of the incongruity of animals of so very
different a nature as lions and serpents being joined together; and observes,
that to walk upon the lion seems not a very proper expression, as men do
not in walking tread on lions as they do on serpents. But the lion and
the young lion, the rendering of later interpreters,
correspond to each other, and preserve the parallelism for which the Hebrew
poetry is distinguished, and the reasons assigned by Bochart for setting it
aside seem insufficient. The lion and the serpent are formidable animals to
contend with; and Satan, one of the enemies to be “put in subjection under
the feet of Christ,” is, in the New Testament, compared both to the lion
and the dragon,
(<600508>1
Peter 5:8;
<661209>Revelation
12:9.) “Let it be added,” says Merrick, “that the Hebrew text
says nothing of walking upon the lion, but has the word
°rdt,
which strictly signifies calcabis, thou shalt tread; and as
to trample on the nations, and to make his
enemies his footstool, are expressions used to signify the subduing
and triumphing over them; to tread on the lion and the serpent may be understood
in the same sense.”
Cresswell thinks it
probable that the language of this verse is proverbial. “The course of
human life,” he remarks, “is in Scripture compared to a journey; and
the dangers described in this verse were common to the wayfaring man in the
Psalmist's time and
country.”
ftc585
“Dei benedictiones quae ad hanc caducam vitam spectant, non esse
perpetuas, neque aequali tenore fluere.” — Lat. “Ne
sont pas perpetuelles, et ne descoulent pas d'un fil continuel.” —
Fr.
ftc586
“With long life, etc. This was a blessing often
pledged to good men during the Mosaic dispensation; though we cannot understand
it as being universally accomplished, because God at that, as at every
subsequent period, has reserved to himself, and to his own wisdom, 'the times
and the seasons.'” —
Walford.
ftc587
“Car selon que nos pensees sont volages, si elles sont distraittes ca et
la, elles s'alienent facilement de
Dieu.”
ftc588
“Que si nous commencons au matin de louer Dieu, il faut continuer ses
louanges jusques a la derniere partie de la nuit; pource que sa bonte et
fidelite meritent cela.” —
Fr.
ftc589
“Mais pource que c'estoit un rudiment fort utile au peuple ancien.”
—
Fr.
ftc590
But although Calvin held the use of instrumental music in public worship to be
inconsistent with the genius of the Christian dispensation, he regarded the
celebration of the praises of God with the melody of the human voice as an
institution of great solemnity and usefulness. He knew that psalm-singing is
sanctioned by the apostles, and that music has a powerful influence in exciting
the mind to ardor of devotion; and to him belongs the merit of having, with the
advice of Luther, formed the plan of establishing, as a principal branch of
public worship in the Reformed Churches, the singing of psalms, translated into
the vernacular language, and adapted to plain and easy melodies, which all the
people might learn, and in which they all might join. Immediately upon the
publication of Clement Marot's version of David's Psalms into French rhymes at
Paris, he introduced it into his congregation at Geneva, set to plain and
popular music; and it soon came into universal use throughout the numerous
congregations of the Reformed Church of France. At length Marot's Psalms formed
an appendix to the Catechism at Geneva, and became a characteristic mark or
badge of the Calvinistic worship and profession. Marot's translation, which did
not aim at any innovation in the public worship, and which he dedicated to his
master Francis I., and the ladies of France, received at first the sanction of
the Sorbonne, as containing nothing contrary to sound doctrine. But Calvin knew
the character of the book better than the doctors of the Sorbonne, and having,
by his influence, obtained its introduction into the worship of the Protestant
Church of France, it contributed so much, in consequence of its extraordinary
popularity, to the advancement of the Reformed cause in that country, that it
was interdicted under the most severe penalties; and, in the language of the
Romish Church, psalm-singing and heresy became synonymous terms. —
Warton's History of English Poetry, volume 3, pages
164,
165.
ftc591
“Comme aussi la cause de nostre paresse brutale est, que nous avons perdu
tout goust quand il est question dee savourer la fin des oeuvres
de
Dieu.”
ftc592
“Pource que la confusion difforme laquelle se voit en la vie des hommes,
obscurcit grandement l'ordre de la providence de
Dieu.”
ftc593
“Comme s'il disoit qu'ils ne sont point retranchez, afin que sur le
prim-temps ils rejettent derechef, ainsi que les herbes mortes reprenent
nouvelle vigueur, mais qu'ils sont condamnez a perdition eternelle. —
Fr.
ftc594
Hammond reads “separated,” and supposes that this may be a judicial
phrase, denoting the discrimination made betwixt men, as that which will be
effected betwixt the sheep and the goats at the last day.
<402532>Matthew
25:32 — “All the nations shall be gathered together or assembled
before him” as a judge, “and,
ajforiei~ aujtouv ajpj
allh>lwn, he shall separate them one from
another, as a shepherd,
ajfori>zei,
separates the sheep from the goats.” For this interpretation we have
the authority of the Chaldee, which paraphrases the clause thus, “In the
world to come the workers of iniquity shall be separated from the congregation
of the just.” If this sense is admitted, the passage corresponds with
these words in the fifth verse of the first psalm, “The ungodly shall not
stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.”
The LXX., however, render the original word,
wdrpty,
yithparedu, by
diaskorpisqh>sontai,
“shall be scattered;” and the Syriac gives a similar version. Thus
it may denote the scattering of enemies, which have been vanquished in
battle and put to
flight.
ftc595
The horn is worn over all the East, and is the symbol of strength and power. It
adorns the heads of all princely personages in Oriental mythology. Large horns,
representing the glory of deity, are planted on the heads of their idols, or
placed in their hands. The horn is therefore frequently employed in Scripture as
the emblem of power and authority; and when the Psalmist affirms that God would
exalt his horn, it expresses his assurance of victory over his enemies. As to
the animal meant by “the unicorn,” great variety of interpretations
has obtained both among ancient and modern critics. The most probable opinion is
that of Bochart, who, supporting himself by numerous quotations from Arabian and
other Eastern writers, concludes that the
µar,
reem, of Scripture, is a species of wild goat of a snow-white color,
having long and sharp horns, and distinguished by carrying their heads very
high.
ftc596
“The verb in the Hebrew expresses much more than a superficial unction,
viz., a penetration of the whole substance of the man's person by the oil. See
Parkhurst's Lexicon, under
lb:
— fresh oil; rather invigorating oil.” —
Horsley. The original word for fresh signifies
green. But, as Harmer observes, “We are not to suppose the
Psalmist means oil of a green color. We are to understand the word as signifying
precious, fragrant oil, such as princes in times of prosperity were anointed
with.” — Harmer's Observations, volume 3, page
257.
ftc597
“Qu'il faut necessairement qu'ils soyent hays de Dieu, lequel ne se peut
renoncer soy
mesme.”
ftc598
These Rabbins say that Adam composed it immediately after the creation before
the Sabbath. The Chaldee paraphrase entitles the psalm, “A hymn or song
which the first man spoke concerning the Sabbath-day.” But had it been a
composition of Adam's, one would think it should have been placed at the head of
this collection of psalms. Besides, there were no musical instruments at that
time for this psalm to be sung upon, (see verse 3;) for Tubal was the father of
them that handle the harp and organ; nor, as Calvin observes, had Adam numerous
enemies and wicked men who rose up against him, to which reference is made in
verses 7, 9, 11. We may therefore justly regard the Jewish tradition, which
ascribes the composition of this psalm to Adam, as fabulous, having no other
foundation but the invention and fancy of some of their Rabbins.
ftc599
The palm is one of the noblest and most beautiful of trees. It is more
remarkable than any other tree for its straight, upright growth,
and hence its Hebrew name
rmt
tamar. It frequently rises to the height of more than a hundred
feet; and its leaves, when it arrives at maturity, are often six or eight feet
in length, and broad in proportion. At the age of thirty it attains its greatest
vigor, and continues in full strength and beauty for seventy years longer,
producing every year about three or four hundred weight of dates. It is crowned
at the top with a large tuft of spiralling leaves about four feet long, which
never fall off, but always continue in the same flourishing verdure. And it has
been said that when loaded with any weight it possesses the quality of resisting
it, and of rising upwards and bending the contrary way, to counterbalance the
pressure. This tree, then, so distinguished for its uprightness, loftiness,
fecundity, longevity, perpetual verdure, and power of resistance, is employed
with great elegance to express the spiritual beauty, elevation, fruitfulness,
constancy, patience, and victory of the
righteous.
ftc600
The cedars of Lebanon are a favourite image with the sacred writers. They grow
to a prodigious size, rise to an enormous height, and spread their branches to a
great extent, affording a grateful shade. They continue to flourish for more
than a thousand years; and, when cut down, their wood is so durable that it has
obtained the reputation of being incorruptible. How striking, then, the image,
“The righteous shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon,” like that massy,
lofty, umbrageous, and incorruptible tree, which continues to flourish from
generation to generation, which survives empires, and is still vigorous when a
thousand years have passed over
it.
ftc601
“They shall still bring forth fruit in old age. Being thus
planted and watered, they shall not only bring forth the fruits of
righteousness, but shall continue and go on to do so, and even when they are
grown old; contrary to all other trees, which, when old, cease bearing fruit;
but so do not the righteous; grace is often in the greatest vigor when nature is
decayed; witness Abraham, Job, David, Zechariah, and Elisabeth, and good old
Simeon, who went to the grave like shocks of corn fully ripe.” —
Dr Gill.