aiiiMili

YALE UNIVERSITY LIBEAEY

FORMED BY
James Abraham Hillhouse, B.A. 1749
James Hillhouse, B.A. 1773
James Abraham Hillhouse, B.A. 1808
James Hillhouse, B.A. 1873
Memoved 1942 from the
Manor House in Sachem's Wood
GIFT OF
GEORGE DUDLEY SEYMOUR

CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH

?TTOC

BOOK OF PSALMS.

BT

REY. ANDREW A. BONAR,
AVTHOB 07 THI UBHOIB OF THE REV. R. H. u'CHETNIi, BRk

NEW YORK:
ROBERT CARTER & BROTHERS,
630 BROAD"W AT.
i87r.

PREFACE.

Pew of the Books of Scripture are richer than the
Book of Psalms, that " Mymn-booh for aU times," as
it has been called. " There," says Luther, " you look
right down into the heart of saints, and behold all man
ner of joys and joyous thoughts toward God and his
love springing lustily into life ! Again, you look into
the heart of saints as into death and hell! How
gloomy and dark their mournful 'vdsions of God." An
other has said, " The Psalms teach me to prize a
much tried life." And Tholuck (who gives these
quotations) remarks, " Songs which, like the Psalms,
liave stood the test of three thousand years, contain a
germ for eternity."
The Psalms are for all ages alike — ^not more for
David than for us. Even as the cry, " It is finished !"
though first heard by the ear of John and the women
from Galilee, who stood at the cross, was not meant
for them more truly than for us ; so with the Psalms
The writers were prepared by God, through personal

VI PREFACE,
and public circumstances, for breathing forth appro
priately the mind of Him who used them. Irving,
in his preface to Horns on the Psalms, has spoken some
most valuable truths on this subject. He remarks
that the Psalms, like the prophetic "writings, " arose by
ihe suggestion of some condition of the Ghv/rch, present
in the days of the prophets, as the particular case.
But passing beyond this in time, and passing beyond
it in aggravation of every circumstance, they give as
it were a consecutive glance of all the like cases and
kindred passages in the history of the Church, and
bring out the general law of God's providence and grace
in the present, and in aU the future parallel cases."
The Psalmist, however, was not to be an automaton,
nor his readers mere lookers on or listeners to what
the automaton gives forth. " Therefore, God mmRded
his man to his purpose, and cast him into the conditions
that suited his ends. And still he was a man, acted on
by course of nature, and manifest to the people as a
fellow-man, through whom, indeed, they heard soul-
stirring truths, uttered "with ear-piercing words, bu*
suited to their case, and thrust in their way, and
spoken to their feelings, and pressed on their con
sciences, and riveted there by the most mighty sanc
tions of life and death, present and eternal." "Ajid
asTHE Word which was in the beginning took not
voice, nor intelligence, but flesh, human flesh, and the
fulness of the Godhead was manifested bodily ; so
when that same Word came to the fathers by the pro-

PREFACE. VU
phets, and discovered a part of his fulness, it was
through their flesh, or their humanity — ^thatis, through
their present condition of spirit, and mind, and body,
and outward estate."
It was for this end that God led Da-vid the round oi
'ill human conditions, that he might catch the spirit
proper to every one, and utter it according to the
truth. " He allowed him not to curtail his being by
treading the round of one function ; but by a variety
of functions he cultivated his whole being, and filled
his soul with wisdom and feeling. He found him ob
jects of every affection. He brought him up in the
sheep-pastures, that the groundwork of his character
might be laid through simple and universal forms of
feehng. He took him to the camp, that he might be
filled with nobleness of soul, and ideas of glory. He
placed him in the palace, that he might be filled with
ideas of majesty and sovereign might. He carried
him to the wilderness and placed him in solitudes,
that his soul might dwell alone in the sublime concep
tion of God and his mighty works. And he kept him
there for long years, vsith only one step between him
and death, that he might be well schooled to trust and
depend upon the providence of God. And in none of
these various conditions and vocations of life did He
take from him His Holy Spirit. His trials were but
the tvmmg of the ins^mjtmient vyith which the Spirit might
express the various melodies which He designed to vtter
Lij h imfor the consolation and edification of spiritual men.

VTll PREFACE.
John the Baptist, having to be used for rough work,
was trained in the desert  Every one hath
been disciplined by the providence of God, as well as
¦'vrnisTied in the fountains of his being, for that particu
lar work for which the Spirit of God designed him."
The literal and historical sense is in the highest de
gree profitable ; as Calvin, and Venema, and Matthew
Henry, and others, have shewn. But our principle is,
that having once found the literal sense, the exact mean
ing of the terms, and the primary application of the
Psalm, we are then to ask what the Holy Spirit in-
tended to teach in all ages by this formula. Bishop
Horne speaks of such study as being like a traveller's
ascent to an eminence, "neither unfruitful nor un
pleasant," whence he gets an extensive prospect lying
beyond, and stretching away to the far distance.
Bishop Horsley quotes 2 Sam. xxiii. 3, " The Spirit of
Jehovah spahe by me, aiid His word was in my tongue"
— and adds, " If Da"\dd be allowed to have had any
knowledge of the true subject of his own compositions,
that subject was nothing in his own life, but something
put into his mind by the Holy Spirit of God." This is
so far true ; but at the same time let us hold (as stated
above) that what the Spirit put into Da"vdd's mind, or the
mind of any other writer, was done not abruptly, but in
connection with the writer's position. Even as om
Lord's sayings for all ages were not uttered at random
in any circumstances, but were always connected natu
rally with some present passing event or incident

PREFACE. IX
"Jesus answered and said," is true of them all : he
Strang his pearls on the thread of passing occurrences
or conversations. And even so is it with the Psalms.
They take their rise in things local and temporary,
but they pass onward from the present into the ages
to come.
Now, in the early ages, men full of the thoughts of
Christ could never read the Psalms without being re
minded of their Lord. They probably had no system
or fixed theory as to all the Psalms referring to Christ ;
but still, unthinkingly we might say, they found their
thoughts wandering to their Lord, . as the one Person
in whom these breathings, these praises, these desires,
these hopes, these deep feelings, found their only true
and full realization. Hence Augustine (Psa. Iviii.) said
to his hearers, as he expounded to them this book,
that " the voice of ChrLst and his Church was well-
nigh the only voice to be heard in the Psalms" — " Yix
e^ ut in Psalmis inveniamus vocem nisi Christi et Ec-
desiae ;" and on another occasion (Psa. xliii.), " Every
where diffused throughout is that man whose Head is
above, and whose members are below. We ought to
recognise his voice in aU the Psalms, either waking up
the psaltery or uttering the deep groan — rejoicing in
hope, or heaving sighs over present realities." Ter-
tuUian (quoted by Home) says, " Omnes pocne Psalmi
Christi personam sustinent."
We set out with laying down no other principle of
interpretation in regard to the speakers in these sacred

X PREFACE.
songs, than this one, — "viz., we must consider this book
as " not of private interpretation," (2 Peter i. 20). Its ut
terances did not originate with the authors themselves.
It is one of those writings which " holy men of God
spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost ;" and
therefore it is decidedly erroneous to suppose, that be
cause David, or any other, was the author, that there
fore nothing is spoken of, or sung, but matters in which
they were mainly or primarily concerned. " Not unto
themselves, but unto us they did minister," is true here
also, (1 Pet. i. 12). We cannot err far, therefore, if
with Amyrauld we keep " our left eye on David, while
we have our right eye full on Christ." In some in
stances, the Head exclusively speaks, or is spoken of ,
and in a few others the Members alone ; but generally,
the strain is such in feeling and matter, that the Head
and Members together can use the harp and utter the
song. And so important are these holy songs, that
nearly fifty of them are referred to in the New Testa
ment, and applied to Christ.
Hengstenberg has e-vidently felt, in spite of his dread
of admitting Messiah into the Psalms too often, that
one individual was very generally present to the writer's
mind. He is constrained to admit that reference is
made to some ideal perfect one, or some ideal right
eous one, who is the standard.* Un-wittingly he thus
* Another German writer, Raehr, treats the Cherubim somewhat in the same
manner. He says that the cherub is " the image of the crea)ture in its highest
form — an ideal creature." Whiit i ^ i hi -^ .iriea' of perfection jn th§ creature, but

PREFACE. XI

^ants the fact, that none can read those songs of Zion
without being led to think upon some one indi-vidurii
as the ever-recurring theme. And as the Scriptures
do not speak in the style of philosophy, we may safely
say, that the reference in all these cases is not to any
abstract ideal person, but to the real living One, ii.
whom all perfections meet, and against whom all the
plots and malice of hell have ever been directed —
Messiah, the Righteous One.
There is in almost every one of all these Psalms
something that fitted them for the use of the past
generations of the Church, and something that fits
them admu'ably for the use of the Church now ; while
also there is diffused throughout a hint for the future.
There is, we might say, a past, a present, and a future
element.* Few of them can be said to have no pro
phetic reference, no reference to generations or events
yet to arise, — ^a circumstance that gives them a claim
upon the careful study of every one who searches into
the prophetic records, in addition to the manifold
other claims which they possess.

jnst the Redeemed Church f And why are men reluctant to leave the abstrac
tions of philosophy for the realities of revelation ?
* Dr AUix does not hesitate to apply them very specially to the Church iu
these latter days. Thus he says of the first Psalm, " It containeth both the de
scription of the happiness which the faithful Christians who apply themselves t
their duty shall enjoy, as also those who with patience wait for the promisei
made unto them when Jesus Christ will come to reign upon the whole earth'
and the misery of those who are of Antichrist's side, and who laugh at hi
comin;: "

xu PREFACK

The substance of these Notes (for they are no more
'han notes) appeared originally in the " Quarterly
Journal of Prophecy." They are meant to help those
who delight to search the Scriptures. There are also
gleanings from many fields here and there presented
to the reader ; for the Author has consulted writers on
the Psalms of all different shades of opinion, even
where he simply states tne conclusion at which he has
arrived 'd>, to the true sense of the passage.

CHRIST AND HIS CHTJECH

BOOK OF PSALMS.

PSALM L
1 BLESSED is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly.
Nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord ; — and in his law doth he medi
tate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
That bringeth forth his fruit in his season ;
His leaf also shall not wither ; — and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so : but are like the chaff which the wind driveth
away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 Por the Lord knoweth tho way of the righteous : — but the way of the un
godly shall perish.
The first sound of the harp of the s-weet singer of Israel*
might -well be thought strange in a -world lying in wickedness.
It celebrates the present happiness of that man who has fellow
ship with God, and no fellowship -with the ungodly. Behold
the man ! his eye arrested, not by the things of earth, but
by what has been sent down from heaven — " the law of the
Lord." He has found the " river of living water ;" he is like a
* T)avid'3 name is prefixed to seventy-three Fsa\ms; but he is understood to
be the penman of t/iirty others that bear no title.

The Theme.

PSALM I. — THE PATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS ON".

Historical allusion.

Prophetic
reference.

tree — like some palm or pomegranate-tree,* — laden wit'. !"rr,it,
or like that tree of life in Eev. xxii. 2, that yieldeth its fruit
every month, and yieldeth fruit of all variety. " Every bud of
it grows into a grain," says the Targum, on the words " all
that he doeth shall prosper," taking HK/y as it is used in Gen.
vii. 1], 1^, " He is the very cdhtrast to the barren fig-tree,
'withered by the curse," says a modern interpreter.
Perhaps this comparison to the tree and the streams should
carry us back to Eden, and suggest the state of man holy and
happy there. Redeemed man rises up again to Eden-blessed
ness, Is it the fact of its occurrence iu this Psahn, or is it
simply the expressiveness of the similitude, that has led to its
repetition in Jer, xvii, 8 ?
But, be.sides, we are carried back to Joshua by the language
used regarding the man's prosperity. Joshua^s career was one
of uninterrupted prosperity, except in one single case, when he
forgot to consult the Lord ; and the Lord's words to him were
these : —

" This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth.
But thou shalt meditate therein day and night.
That thou mayest observe to do accordingto all that is wi-
For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous,
And then thou shalt have good success." — (Josh. i. 8.)

tlv i'cin;

Perhaps this reference to the days of Joshua made this
Psalm the more appropriate as an introduction to the whole
book. It connected these ancient days with other generations.
It sang of the same Lord, acting toward all men on the same
principles. It sang of a race who had come to possess the
land of Canaan, who acted ou the holy maxims that guided
Joshua when he took possession — a race of men guided by the
revealed will of Jehovah. •
The ungodly are not thus prosperous, — they are not as
" trees by the river side." They arg as " cho.ff," ready to be
driven away in the day of wrath, and unable to resist the
slightest breath of Jehovah's displeasure (Dan. ii. 35 • Matt.
* Stanley (Pal. and Sinai, p. 145) thinks the oZeanrfer referred to. It grows
common and abundant by river-sides in the East. But the oleander does not
bear fruit.

PSALM I. — THE PATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS ONE. S
iii. 12, tbe "day of decision"). Hence they cannot "stand."
Even as in Eev. vi. 17, the cry of the affrighted world —
kings, captains, rich men, mighty men, bond, free- — is, "The
great day of his wrath is- come, and who shall be able to
stand?" For the ''Lord knoweth the way of the righteous."
Our Lord may have referred to this passage inhis memorable
expression so often used (Matt. vii. 2.3 ; Matt. xxv. ] 2 ; Luke
xiii. 27), "/ never knew you — I know you not." 0 the
happiness, then,i of the godly ! happy now, antl still happier
in that day which now hastens on, when the Husbandman
shall separate "the chaff" from the wheat, and the kingdoms
of earth be broken in pieces " like the chaff of the summer
threshing-floor," and " the wind shall carry them away." 0
the folly of those who " sit in the seat of the scorners," and ask
in these last days (2 Pet. iii. 3), " Where is the promise of his
coming ?"
We have noticed that our Lord seems to quote one of tbe used by chriut,
expressions of this Psalm ; and let us see how we may suppose
it all read by him in the days of his flesh; We know He read
it ; his delight was in the law of the Lord ; and often has he
quoted the book of Psalms. As he read, it would be natural to
his human soul to appropriate the blessedness pronounced on
the godly ; for he knew and felt himself to be iudeed The godly,
Vfho " had not walked in the counsels of the ungodly, nor stood
in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seat of the scornful." He
felt himself able to say at all times, " Thy law is within my
heart ! " Was He not the true palm-tree ? Was He not the
true pomegranate-tree? Can we help thinking on Him as
alone realizing the description in this Psalm ? The members
of his mystical Body, in their measure, aim at this holy walk ;
but it is only in him that they see it perfectly exemplified.
" His leaf never withered ;" " he jjid no sin, neither was guile
found in his mouth" (1 Peter, ii. 22) ; " he yielded his fruit i/n
its season," obeying his mother Mary, and being found about
his Father's business ; going up to the feast " when his hour
was come," and suffering, when the time appointed came ;
everything " in season." And " all he did prospered;" he
finished the work gi\en him to do (John xvii. 4), and because

PSALM IL — THE RIGHTEOUS ONE'S CERTAINTY

Used by the
members.

of bis completed work, " therefore God bath highly exalted
him," (Philip, ii. 8, 9).
'We who are bis members seek to realize all this in our
measure. We seek that everything in us should be to the
glory of God — ^beart, words, actions — all tbat may adorn tbe
gospel, as well as all tbat is directly holy. Having tbe im
puted righteousness of this Saviour, we earnestly long to have
bis holiness imparted too ; though conscious that He alone
comes up to the picture drawn here so beautifully. In either
view, we may inscribe as the title of this Psalm,
The blessed path of the Righteous One.

PSALM IL

Referred t»
in Acts xiii.

I WHY do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying,
3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from ns.
4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: — the Lord shall have them iu
derision.
6 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore
displeasure.
6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
7 I will declare the decree : — the Lord hath said unto me,
Thou art my Son ; this day have I begotten thee.
8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance,
And the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron ;
Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
10 Be wise now therefore, 0 ye kings : be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
II Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembhng.
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry,
And ye perish from the way, — when his -wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
We have a quotation from this Psalm in Acts xiii. 33, where
recent criticism reads, "As itis written in tbe jftrs^ Psalm."
It is not unlikely that it bad at one time been considered as
a second part of Psalm i., instead of standing as a separate
hymn of praise. But, at all events, it is an appropriate

OF EXALTATION TO THE THRONE.

advance upon tbe preceding, inasmuch as it places before
us tbe Eighteous One in a new position. Tbe view taken
of Messiah by tbe world and by Jehovah is tbe theme ; our
eye is fixed ou tbe purpose of Jehovah, triumphantly ac
complished in Messiah's glory, in spite of all opposition. Nor
let us forget tbe quotation of ver. 1, 2, in Acts iv. 23, which
countenances us in asserting that it speaks of the fierce
enmity of tbe world to tbe Eighteous One from tbe period of
his First coming onward to his Second appearing. Tbe nations,
or Gentiles (Q'^3), have raged, and the tribes of Israel (D'^b^V)
have agreed in hostility to tbe Lord's Messiah, ever since -the
day when Jew and Gentile met at Calvary to kill tbe Prince
of life ; and their rage is not evaporated, but shall be mani
fested more fiercely still when tbe beast and tbe false prophet
lead on their hosts to Armageddon. It is quoted with refer
ence to tbat day in Eev. ii. 27, xi. 18 ; and xix. 15, quotes
" the rod of iron," from ver. 9.
Perhaps tbe expression used so frequently in tbe epistles. Referred to in
"fear and trembling," is taken from ver. 11. It is used in
exhortations to servants (Epbes. vi. 5) regarding duty ; in
Philip, ii. 13, to all believers engaged in striving for holiness ;
while in 1 Corinth. iL 3, Paul describes his state of mind in
bis ministry at Corinth by tbese terms. May there not be a
reference in all tbese, and similar passages, to our Psalm ? It
is as if it bad been said, Eemember our instructions for serv
ing our King Messiah, in prospect of bis glorious coming and
kingdom — " Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trem
bling." Even the Jews are pretty nearly agreed tbat no other than
Mes.siah is the theme of tbe sweet singer of Israel here.
"^nointed" is considered as decisive — ^it is Messiah, Christ.
By some readers, however, tbe introduction of Christ by tbe
name of " Son," iu ver. 7, and then in ver. 12, (where the rarer
term 12 occurs, probably because poetical aud lofty, as in
Prov. xxxi. 2,) has been thought abrupt. But, abrupt as it
may seem, there is no doubt banging over tbe application.
Messiah is " my >''on," and so exclusively pre-eminent in this,
that Jehovah, pointing to bim, calls on all men to iionour

Referred to it:
the Gospel.

6 PSALMIL — THE RIGHTEOUS 0:S'E'S CEl.TAIMY
the Son even as tbey honour tbe Father — " Kiss the Son."
Had not our Lord this very passage in his eye when he spoke
tbese -words (John v. 23) : " Tbe Father hath committed all
judgment to the Son, that all men should honour the Son
even as they honour tbe Father ?" And it is thus we can
understand how the term "Father," as applied to Godhead,
broke upou the ear of Israel without exciting surprise, when
J ohn the Baptist (John i. 18), spoke of tbe "only begotten
Son. Vfho is in tbe bosom of the Father." Son and Father
are co-relative terms, and would be so understood by John.
Referred to in Whether, with Hengstenberg and most other interpreters,
the Apocalypse. ' o o ^ 771.
¦we render ver. 12, "A little while and his wrath shall be
kindled," or retain the common version, there is, no doubt, a
reference to this verse in Eev. vi. 16, 17: " The wrath of the
Lamb, ... and who shall be able to stand ? " And if tbe for
mer rendering be adopted, as we believe it ought, then there
is a tacit reference to this passage in tbe New Testament ex
pression, Eev. xxii. 7, " I come quickly." It is as if he said.
Come quickly to that Saviour for eternal life ; for lo ! he com
eth quickly to deal with all who obey not the Gospel. Opposi
tion ends in ruin ; submission brings a blessedness, tbe fulness
of which shall be kno-wn only on the day of wrath.
The scope. But let US examine the contents of this rich and lofty
Psalm. The plan of it is simple, but very grand. Messiah,
on tbe morning when be' broke tbe bands of death, is con
templating our world lying in wickedness. He beholds a
sea of raging hatred and hostility dashing its angry waves on
the throne of God and bis anointed One.* He hears their
scornful words, ' " Let us break their bands asunder," and
marvels at their infatuation. For, lo ! in tbe heavens above,
Jehovah .sits in long-suffering calmness, till their stubborn aad
long-lasting enmity compels bim to arise against them. He
" troubles them" (ver. 5) as be did tbe Egyptians at the Eed
Sea, and referring to their haughty words, declares (ver. 6)
" Tbey ou their part so speak, and I (OX) in spite of tbem,
have set my king in Zion." Tbey may try to make Eome, or
*We might notice a reference to 1 Sam. ii. 10, the original source of
" anointed," if not of " kin^," also iu connexion with " anointed."

OF EXALTATION TO THE THRONE. 7
any other city, their metropolis, and may set up a head to
themselves, but Jebovab will set up bis King, and make Zion
-—the platform of Jerusalem— bis metropolis, as certaiuly as lie
set David on the throne and made Zion his capital. From that
city of the greater than David has gone and shall again go .forth
tbe law. Yes, says Messiab, I will proclaina Jehovah's resolu
tion or decree ; He has said to me, "Thou art m,y Son." At
his resurrection (Eom. i. 3) be was saluted as "Son," because
appearing then in bis own propef array ; no more bid in humi
liation. He bad bepn Son fi'om eternity, but having dived
under our ocean of sin and misery, bis sonship seemed ob
scured till be emerged at bis resurrection on the third day.
(Acts xiii. 33.) And even so again, when be appears in glory
at his coming, investing bis own with their resurrection-dress
(their proper clothing as adopted sons), the long-unseen Son of
God shall be saluted as " My Son " by tbe Father as he places
bim on his visible throne. At what time that manifestation
shall occur depends on bis own request (ver. 8) — a request whicb
be shall prefer whenever his purposes are ripe — and then He
• arises to shake terribly the earth. Does tbe reader not recog
nise in ver. 10, tbe voice of tbe tender, long-suffering, compas
sionate Sa-viour? It resembles bis mode of expostulation in
Proverbs i. 23, in prospect of that " laugh" which is the ex-
, treme opposite of pity, and whicb is referred to in Prov. i. 26, as
used by himself against bis unyielding foes, even as it is here
by .the Father. (Ver. 4.) Corne, then, great and small, fall
upon bis neck, and be reconciled now. Be well pleased -with
bim with whom tbe Father is well pleased ; " Kiss the Son," —
this is saving faith. For, " Yet a little while and his lurath
shall be kindled." (Ver. 1 2.) Behold, be comes quickly !
Blessed are all tbey who put their trust in bim.
It is not, then, to be forgotten, that tbe time when Messiab
utters tbese strains is supposed to be the time of bis resurrec
tion. This seems to be declared to us in Acts xiii. 33. He had
felt tbe united assault of earth and bell, but bad proved all to be
vain ; for He that sat in beaYen had gloriously raised bim from
tbe dead,' and bis enemies had sunk to tbe ground as dead men.
We inigbt imagine this. Psalm poured forth by bim as be stood

8 PSALM II. — THE CERTAINTY OF EXALTATION.
in Joseph's garden, beholding tbe empty sepulchre ou the one
band, and tbe glory at the right hand of tbe Father on tbe
other. It is thus we easily understand the words in ver. 7 :
" This day have I begotten thee ;" tbe Father declaring bim
his " only begotten," by raising bim from the dead, and doing
this as a pledge of bis farther exaltation, — ^placing him (ver. 8)
in tbe position of Intercessor, ere be shall arise to return as
acknowledged Conqueror and King.
Connection with Glauciug back UOW upon Psalm i., in connection with this
the precedmg o i '
Psalm. more lofty and triumphant song, we see bow appropriately tbe
book of Israel's sacred songs has begun. It has sketched to
us tbe calm, holy path of the righteous, and then the final re
sults in tbe day of victory, when the Anointed shall have put
down all enemies, and tbe way of tbe ungodly shall have
perished. We shall meet with tbese topics continually recur
ring in the course of tbe book ; it was good, then, to present an
epitome at tbe outset.
Glancing, also, at particular expressions in both psalms, we
see, at the beginning and end, links of connection with the pre
ceding, in such expressions as ver. 1, "meditating a vain thing,"
in contrast to tbe meditating on the law (Psa. i. 3), while " tbe
way of tbe ungodly shall perish," in Psalm i. 8, is brought to
mind when we read in ver. 12 of "their perishing from the
way." It carries our thoughts to Joshua xxiii. 16. as Psa. i. 3
did to Joshua i. 8. And does not tbe Baptist get his expression,
"chaff he shall bum with unquenchable fire" (Matt. iii. 12) by
joining Psa i. 4, and ii. 12 ?
Used by Christ. ^"'^ Lord, when on earth, might read this Psalm as bis his
tory, — the Eighteous One, who ever meditated on the law of
tbe Lord, and kept aloof from tbe vain meditations of the hea
then, opposed by men who could not submit to tlie restraints
of holiness, but in spite of all, exalted at length to honour. For
here we have Messiab, (tbe bead of every one who seeks Jeho
vah's face), exhibited in bis majesty, and in full prospect of
final triumph. Tbe subject of the whole may thus be said to
be tbe assertion of " the righteous One's claims to the throne."
Some one has proposed to entitle it rather, " The eternal de
cree," in reference to ver. 6, of whicb tbe Psalm might be

PSALM III.' — THE RIGHTEOUS ONE's SAFETY AMID FOES. 9
spoken of as tbe development. But inasmuch as tbe Eternal
decree forms only one topic, while tbe burden is Messiah him
self directly, it is undoubtedly more exact and descriptive to
give as its title.
The certainty of the Righteous One's exaltation to the throne.

PSALM IIL
A Psalm of David, when he fled firom Absalom his son.
1 LoKD, how are they increased that trouble me ! many are they that rise
up against me.
2 Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God.
Selah.
S But thou, O- Lord, art a shield for me ; my glory, and the lifter up of
mine head.
4 I cried unto the Lord with my voice, — and he heard me out of his holy ^
hill, Selah.
6 I laid me down and slept ; — I awaked ; for the Lord sustained me. ,
6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, — that have set themselves
against me round about.
7 Arise, 0 Lord ; save me, O my God !
For thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek-bone :
Thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.
8 Salvation belongeth unto the Lord : — thy blessing is upon thy people.
Selah.
There is strong evidence for tbe genuineness of tbe titles of tbe The title.
Psalms ; tbey occur in all the Hebrew Manuscripts,* This
Psalm was written by Da^'id, " when he fled from Absalom his
son." Tbe Holy Ghost may have used tbese circumstances in
David's lot, as au appropriate occasion on which to dictate
such a bymn of hopeful confidence in tbe Lord.
The connection with Psalm ii., is natural, whether we look The connection
T^ . It 1 • 1 ¦ with the pre-
to David s case when he penned it, or to the more general cir- ceding.
cumstances referred to throughout When the men of Israel
refused David as "King in Zion," (God's chosen type of a greater
King), it was natural for him to raise the cry to the Lord,
* There are only thirty-three of the Psalms that have no title at all, and these
are called by the Jews, " Orphan Psalms."

10 PSALM IIL^-^THE RIGHTEOUS ONE's SAFETY AM.D FOES.
" Lord, how are they increased that trouble me." (Compare
2 Sam. XV. 12.) And not less natural is it to place this cry
next to the closing verses of Psalm ii., a Psalm wherein we
were told how men despised His call and plotted against Je
hovah and, bis- Obrist .i Hengstenberg has remarked: — "It.is
certainly not to be regarded as an accident that Psalms tbe
third and fourth follow immediately tbe first and second. Tbey,
as well as Psalm second, are occupied with a revolt against
the Lord's Anointed, And when, in ver. 8, the enemy is
spoken of as ' smitten on the cheek-bone, and his teeth broken,
there is tbe same tone of conscious safety, mingled with con
tempt of their efforts, as in the ' laugh' of Psalm ii."
A Psalm for It io a Psalm that may be found as suitable and needful in
all ages. ^^^ latter days, as when David wrote it. When waves of sor
row and calamity are dashing over the ship of tbe Church, it
may borrow from this Psalm that ground of hope whicb long
ago Jonah borrowed from it in bis strange trial, " Salvation is
of the Lord," (Jonah ii. 9.) " Affliction and desertion are
two very different things, but often confounded by tbe world,"
and confounded too " by tbe fearful imaginations of our own
desponding hearts, and the suggestions of our adversary." —
Horne.
us^hy the ^h\s secms to be a mornAng hymn (ver. 5.) And so Horsley
hesitates not to call it " A prayer of Messiab, in tbe character
of a Priest, coming at an early hour to prepare the altar of
burnt-offering for tbe morning sacrifice." Every member of
Christ may use it ; aud we can easily see bow the Head him
self could adopt it as his own. We feel as if sympathy were
more sure to us, when we know that tbe Lord Jesus himself
once was in circumstances when such a morning hymn ex
pressed bis state and feelings ; for uow every believer can say,
" My Head once used this Psalm ; and while I use its strains,
bis human heart will recall the day of bis humiliation, when
himself was comforted thereby."
Who more truly than be could say of bis foes, "HowTnany!"
since it was " the world" tbat bated bim. (John vii. 7.) On
tbe cross, did tbey not upbraid bim with the taunt, " There is
no salvation for bim in God," (ver. 2), when tbey cast in his

PSALM III. — THE RIGHTEOUS ONE's SAFETY AMID FOES. ] 1
teeth, " If he will have him" (Matt, xxvii. 43) ; saying it not
'only of bim, but to bim? But (as in Psalm xxii,,) be cried
unceasingly in tbe Father's ear the more his foes reviled — " [
cry — he heareth." Often be retired to tbe Mount of Olive>;,
and either amid its olives or at Bethany, "lay down and slept,"
after enduring tbe contradiction of sinners all d£|,y long ; yes,
even after, such a day as that whereon they took up stones
to stone bim. He foresaw tbe ruin of tbese foes, (ver. 7),
when tbe Lord should arise.-* What a victory ! and all tbe
glory of it belon^ng to tbe Lord, and all tbe blessing to bis
people ! (ver. 8.)
A believer can take up every clause,, and sing it all in sym- used by the
>: J ' » •' Jlembcrs,
patby with bis Head ; bated by tbe same world that bated
bim ; loved and- kept by the same Father that lifted up his
bead ; beard and answered and sustained as he was, and enter
ing on with him final victory in the latter day. It was fitting
to put the arresting mark, " Selah," at ver. 2, where tbe foes
are spoken of ; at ver. 4, where the cry and its answer are xhe three
declared ; and at ver. 8, where the final result appears. "Selah," "^ * °'''' '
whatever be its etymology,-)- marks a proper jjlace to pause and
ponder, (Hengstenberg^ Here each Selah stops us at a
scene in which there is spread before our eyes sufficient for tbe
time ; first, tbe host of foes, as far as eye can reach ; next,
tbe one suppliant crying into tbe ears of the Lord of hosts ;
and, lastly, that one suppliant's secure repose, certain of pre
sent safety and future triumph. May we not, then, justly en
title this Psalm, The Righteous One's safety amid foes ?
* The English Prayer-Book translation is, "Up, Lord, and help me;" re
minding us ot thesudden unexpected rise of the Guards at Waterloo, after
long and patient waiting for the seasonable moiiient.
f Gesenius' [Gramm, § 93, J thinks that in H/D tbe n_ is motion towards,
q. d. ad silentiumj. ani in that case the root is related to JT?^, to be still.

Neginoth.

12 PSALM IV. — THE GODLY ONE'S CHIEF GOOD.

PSALM IV.
To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm of David.
1 Heab me when I call, 0 God of my righteousness .
Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress ;
Have mercy upon me and hear my prayer.
2 O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame ?
How long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing ? Selah.
3 But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself:
The Lord will hear when I call unto him.
4 Stand in awe and sin not :
Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.
6 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, — and put your trust in the Lord.
6 There be many that say, Who will shew us any good ?
Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.
7 Thou hast put gladness in my heart,
More than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.
8 I will both lay me down in peace and sleep :
For thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.
There is no solid reason for doubting tbe genuineness of those
titles, or inscriptions, tbat are prefixed to many of the Psalms.
They are as ancient as the text of the Psalms themselves. Tbe
ancient versions prove tbat they are no modern addition. If,
then, we may put confidence in tbem, why is it that so fre
quently these fragmentary marks are so obscure ? Every one
feels tbeir obscurity ; for to this day no criticism has succeeded
in satisfactorily shewing the true sense of " On Neginoth," and
similar terms. Musical instruments are almost always re
ferred to in these terms ; but tbese joyful instruments of holy
service have been lost in the ruin of Israel's temple. It is some
what, however, for us to know tbat the times of the true David
and Solomon were typified, as to their manifold streams of joy,
by the "Neginoth," " Sheminith," and similar forms of tbe
harp and psaltery.
Tbe Psalm before us, describing the chief good, was one sung
on Zion, in tbe tabernacle, and afterwards in the temple, on
the " Neginoth," some stringed instrument, played upon by the
stroke of tbe fingers, or of tbe musician's plectrum. Its theme
calls for a joyous instrument.

PSALM IV — THE GODLY ONE'S CHIEF GOOD. 13
It is the first Psalm we have found inscribed, " To the Chief The chief
Musician," and there is an interesting propriety in this being """''"*°'
tbe first so inscribed. For, its subject being throughout Jehovah
as the chief good — Israel's true blessedness — what more fitting
than to give it to be sung in tbe midst of all the people by
Asaph, tbe leader of tbe sacred music in the days of David ?
(1 Chron. xvi. 5.)* May we not suppose that tbe " Chief
Musician" occupied a high place in tbe typical economy?
Was he not used by tbe Lord to represent to Israel Him who
is to lead the praise of tbe great congregation ? (Psalm xxii
25.) When be sang such deeply melancholy Psalms rs the
twenty-second was tbe scene not fitted to bring into tbe minds
of God's people tbe idea of tbe suffering Saviour, passing from
tbe unutterable groanings to the joy unspeakable ?
This Psalm takes a survey of earth's best enjoyments — ^tbe
sons of men revelling iu tbe plenty of com and wine, tbe The scope of
joy of harvest and of vintage. Their mirth is loud, tbeii
mockery of less mirthful ones than themselves is keen, vanity
is their pursuit, false joys their fascinations. To such a gay
multitude our Psalm represents One approaching who has
come from weeping in secret places. (Ver. ] .) Entering their
circle, this Eighteous One calls upon them to consider their
ways : " 0 ye sons of men," is his cry, " how long will ye
turn my glory into i-hame ? How long will ye love vanity
and seek after lies ?"-f When -will you leave broken cis
terns ? When will you turn from the golden calf back to
tbe God of Israel, your glory ? A pause ensues — " Selah"
marks it. It is tbe silence of one who waits for tbe effect of
bis expostulation ; but there is no response, and he lifts up his
* There are fifty-three Psalms which bears this inscription, " To the Chief
Musician." Tlie word n2i3D never means " Conqueror," as some have wished
to render it. It means always " standing over," as a foreman, and is used
only of the arrangements made in regard to the Levites in their courses. (See
Hengstenberg, who confesses this by Hab. iii. 19.)
f It has been observed, that, for the sake of all ages, the psalmist is led by
the Holy Ghost to use terms such as "glory," a term which describes what
ever man values ; " lies," which may include under it every degree and species
of deception ; and " vanity," expressive of all those earthly, unsatisfying objects
soujiht after by rich and poor.

14 PSALM IV. — THE GODLY ONE'S CHIEF GOOD.
voice again, and leaves bis testimony among tbem : " But know
the Lord hath set apart the godly for himself." Tbe Lord
keeps tbe godly ; each such man is like tbe witnesses of Eevelar
tion xi. 6 : " These have power to shut heaven, and to smite tbe
earth ;" for " TheLord heareth when I call upon him." Well
then may the sons of men give ear. " Stand in awe — consider
— flee to tbe atoning sacrifices appointed by tbe God of my
righteousness" (ver. I). Having so done stay yourselves on
Him ; for I testify tbat tbe experience of all who have tried
this plan of happiness has been such tbat they cau answer the
question, " Who can shew us any good ?" by an upward look to
Jehovah, "Lord, lift thou on us the light of thy countenance I"
Yes, (says the speaker to bis God, to whom he bad cast bis
upward glance, and by whose look of love be seems riveted,)
no sooner did my prayer ascend than the answer came ; no
sooner did I look to Him than tbe sun broke through the dark
clouds. " Thou hast put more gladness in my heart than
in ihe time when their corn and wine abound. I lay Tne
dovjn and sleep in peace; for thou. Lord, (giving me the
full portion of Israel dwelling in tbeir land of com and wine,
with its heavens dropping dew, Deut. xxxiii. 28,) makest Tne to
dwell in safety, all alone !"
There is an undoubted allusion in tbe last verse, in tbe
ni34^ 1137 to the blessing of Moses in Deut. xxxiii. 28, where
Israel's final destiny is declared to be " dwelling "^12. niD3, in
undisturbed security alone," and needing none to help or bless
them but Jehovah. In this Psalm tbe godly one anticipates
that blessedness as yet to be his portion, and so we see him fix
ing his eye on the future, even while at present bis gladness
is greater far than all earth can yield. The vanity of the sons
of men is all the more clearly seen in tbe additional light of tbe
coming glory,,
ul^i^''^ '"^° We can easily understand bow any true child of God can
use these words— tbey so exactly delineate ins state of feel-*
ing both toward his God, and toward bis fellow-men. But in
no lips could they be so appropriate as in His "who epake
as never man spake." Indeed, is there not throughout a

PS.M,M ly. — THE GODLY ONE'S CHIEF GOOD. ] 5
tone like tbat of " Wisdom," in Proverbs i. and viii. ? Tbe
party addressed is tbe "sons of men," as there ; and there
is tbe same expostulatory and anxious voice, " How long, ye
simple ones ? " (i. 22). " Hear, for I will speak of excellent
thi/ngs," (viii. 6). We might imagine every syllable of this
precious Psalm used by our Master some evening, when about
to leave the Temple for the day, and retiring to his wonted
rest at Bethany, (ver. 8), after another fruitless expostulation used by the
with tbe men of Israel. And we may read it still as the very
utterance of bis heart, longing over man, and delighting in God.
But further, not only is this the utterance of tbe Head, it
is also the language of one of his members in full sympathy
with him in holy feeling. This is a Psalm with whicb tbe
righteous may make their dwellings resound, morning and
evening, as tbey cast a sad look over a world that rejects God's
grace. Tbey may sing it while they cling more and more
every day to Jebovab, as tbeir all-sufficient heritage, now and
in tbe age to come. They may sing it, too, in the happy con
fidence of faith and hope, when tbe evening of this world's day
is coming, and may then fall asleep in tbe certainty of what
shall greet tbeir eyes on the Eesurrection morning —
Sleeping embosomed in his grace
'Till morning-shadows flee.
If, therefore, we were required to state tbe subhlance of this
Psalm in a few words, we should scarcely err in describing its
tbeme as The Godly One's Chief Good.

PSALM V.
To the Chief Musician upon Nehiloth, A Psalm of David.
1 Give ear to my words, O Lord ; consider my meditation.
2 Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God ; — ^for unto thee
will I pray.
3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord ;
In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
4 For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness ; neither shall
evil dwell with thee.
6 The foolish shall not stand in thy sight ; thou hatest all workers of iniquity.

16

PSALM V. — THE R.GHTEOUS ONES THOUGHTS.

6 Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing :
The Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful m.an.
7 But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy t
And in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.
8 Lead rae, 0 Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies ;
Make thy way straight before my face.
9 For there is no faithfulness in their mouth ; tbeir inward part is very
wickedness ;
Their throat is an open sepulchre ; they flatter with their tongue.
10 Destroy thou them, 0 God ; let them fall by their own counsels ;
Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions ; — for they have re
belled against thee.
11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice :
Let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them :
Let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
12 For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous ;
With favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

The Title.

Prophetic re
ference.

Apparent im
precations on
foci.

Another song of the sweet singer of Israel, handed over to
tbe " Chief Musician," who was to fit it to be publicly sung
"on the Nehiloth." This was some one of the many musical
instruments now unknown, lost to us ever since Israel bung
tbeir harp on tbe willows, and bad tbeir joy turned into mourn
ing * — though generally understood to be a wind instrument,
or pipe, of some sort.
There is in it a prophetic element toward tbe close. In ver.
10, H, we have something tbat closely resembles tbe Apoca
lyptic scene in Eevelation xix. 1, 3, 4. The psalmist so fully
sympathises in tbe justice of the doom tbat is coming on tbe
obstinate and impenitent rebels against God, tbat he cries aloud,
" Destroy them, 0 God .'" or, more exactly, " Hold them
guilty, and treat tbem as such." On tbe other band, there

* The idea of Hengstenberg, that this and some others of the titles convey
a mystical meaning, or enigmatical sense, is quite fanciful. He renders this,
" On the lots," as being a Psalm that exhibits the difl'erent lots of righteous and
wicked. But is not the conduct and life of the two classes exhibited in it,
far more than the lot ? The objection that 7J^ is not used with stringed in
struments, is a gratuitous assertion ; probably ^f^ is used, instead of ^y, be
cause of some peculiarity in using the instrument. Tholuck remarks, somewhere,
that ancient performers were not able to play different tunes on the same in
struments, but employed separate instruments for different tunes.

WHILE GOING UP TO THE MORNING SACRIFICE. ] 7
arises at the same moment tbe shout of tbe righteous, acquies
cing with entire satisfaction in tbeir doom : " Atid let all those
that put their trust in thee, rejoice ! Let them ever shout for
joy !" This is tbeir " Halelujah" over the rising smoke of tor
ment— their " Glory and honour to tbe Lord our God." Aud
perhaps it. is in this manner we are to understand, throughout
tbe Book of Psalms, all those portions where we find, apparently,
prayers tbat breathe revenge. Tbey are never to be thought
of as anything else than tbe breathed assent of righteous souls
to the justice of their God, who taketh vengeance on sin. When
taken as tbe words of Christ himself, they are no other than
an echo of the Intercessor's acquiescence at last in the sentence
on the barren fig-tree. It is as if he cried aloud, "Hew it down
now — I will intercede no longer — tbe doom is righteous, destroy
them, 0 God ; cast them ont in (or, for) the multitude of their
transgressions ! for they have rebelled against thee." And in
the same moment be may be supposed to invite his saints to
sympathize in bis decision ; just as in Eevelation xviii. 20 :
" Eejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and pro
phets !" In like manner, when one of Christ's members, in
entire sympathy with bis bead, views tbe barren fig-tree from
tbe same point of observation, and sees tbe glory of God con
cerned in inflicting tbe blow, be too can cry, " Let the axe
smite ! " Had Abraham stood beside tbe angel who destroyed
Sodom, and seen how Jehovah's name required tbe ruin of these
impenitent rebels, be would have cried out, " Let tbe shower
descend — let tbe fire and brimstone come down ! " not in any
spirit of revenge — not from want of tender love to souls — ^but
from intense earnestness of concern for tbe glory ofhis God.
We consider this explanation to be tbe real key tbat opens
all the difficult passages in this book, where curses seem to be
called for on the head of tbe ungodly. They are no more than
a cai'rying out of Deut. xxvii. 15-26, — " Let all tbe people
say. Amen," and an entering into the Lord's holy abhorrence
of sin and delight in acts of justice expressed in tbe " Amen,
hallelujah," of Eev. xix. 3.*
* " Truth," says one, " is always a form of Charity ; or to speak more properly,
Truth is the soul of which Charity is but the beautiful, graceful, and loyely
B

IS PSALM V. — THE RIGHTEOUS ONE's THOUGHTS
The general But let US read the whole Psalm. And we may notice tbat
contents, -J
here the words occur, for the first time, " M.y Kivg and my God."
On this Augustine remarks, " Eecte prirao ' Rex meus,' et
delude Deus meus,' secundum illud quod dictum est, ' Per me
itur ad Patrem.'" He that is peculiarly " King" to Israel is on
Israel's side, for 1 Sam, viii. 20 shews tbat the idea included
in this term is fighting for bi.s subjects. The blue, (Exod, viii.
15), purple, and scarlet, at the gate of the Tabernacle, and on all
its veils, proclaimed, " This is the dwelling of Israel's King,
as well as Israel's God."
We seem to see One going up to the Tabernacle early, in
prospect of the morning sacrifice. It is near tbe time ; the
priest is already at the altar, setting the wood in order, and
the Lamb is bound to tbe altar's horns ; the worshipper's eye
and heart are upward,- — " Give ear to my words, 0 Lord, con
sider my silent prayer" (ver, 1), a prayer made up of the " un
utterable groanings" (Eom, viii. 26), and which can be beard,
as well as presented, while be stands amid the crowd tbat are
gathering in the courts. " My voice shalt thou bear in the
morning" (ver. 3), is the expression of a resolution habitually
to come before him early, — " My earliest cry shall always be
to thee ; in the morning will I direct my (spiritual) offering
unto thee, and will look up to tbat bouse of praj'er where
stand the altar and the mercy-seat, and where God is revealed
in grace." The altar presents " God reconciling the world unto
himself, not imputing unto men their trespasses," Jehovah's
look of love is there ; bis voice is love from its four horns ;
everything tells man of grace.
He is up early, securing the best hour of the day, " like a
diligent artificer," (Horne). But bow careless are those around
this worshipper ; some coming up to tbe altar to lull tbeir con
science asleep by the formality of a visit to tbe courts of God ;
others hurrying off to their earthly pursuits. This leads bim
member. Charity, therefore, is not to be known by soft words and gentle ac
tions, which are oftener the form of policy and courtesy ; but must be sought in
the principles of the heart, out of which our words, thoughts, and actions come
forth. Is it love to God by which we are moved ? Then it is charity, be its
form mildness, or zeal, or the stern inflictions of justice."

¦WHILE GOING UP TO THE MORNING SACRIFICE. 19
to meditate before God on the " world lying in wickedness"
(ver. 4—9), interposing bis own resolute determination to be
unlike that world (ver. 7) by tbe help of Jebovab (ver. 8). A
" dwelling with God," which at tbe lowest means friendly in
tercourse, is what bis righteous soul relishes and revels in tbe
enjoyment of, and tbe want of this be reckons to be the misery
of tbe ungodly. (Ver 4.) This is tbe very spirit of the beloved
John (J John. iv. 16), — " He tbat dwelletb in love, dwelletk in
God, and God in bim ; " and tbe resemblance is all tbe closer
when we find ver. 7 speak of bis coming " in the multitude of
thy mercy," or "greatness oithy love," to worship in Jehovah's
" Holy Temple." And then tbe believer's soul prays to be led
by tbe pillar cloud of divine wisdom, knowing tbe snares of
bis foes.
It is after this that he is brought into sueb deep sympathy
with tbe holy purposes and righteous sentences of Jehovah, in
whose love be dwells, as to cry, " Destroy them,, 0 God," (ver.
10). And we leave bim singing with assured confidence, " For
thou, 0 Lord, wilt bless the righteous ; with favour thou wilt
compass him, as with a shield.""
Itis a Psalm whicb most certainly Messiab could use ; none HowChristonr
•^ ^ ^ ^ Head would us«
could ever use it so fully as He. Think of Him, some morning **•
leaving Bethany early tbat He may be in time for tbe morning
sacrifice, and breathing forth this Psalm by the way and as He
enters tbe Temple-courts. Every word of it becomes doubly
emphatic in bis lips, down to tbe last verse, where we see Him
as " ?Ae Eighteous One," encompassed with tbe Father's love
and well-pleasedness. But whether we read it as peculiarly
the utterance of Messiab, or as tbat of one of his members, we
may describe this Psalm as being
The Righteous One's thoughts of God and of man whih
going up to the morning sacrifice.

20

PSALM VL — THE COMFORTLESS COUCH

PSALM VL*

The title.

Sheminith.

The raembers
of Christ.

To the chief Mnsician on Neginoth upon Sheminith, A Psalm of David.
1 0 Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger, — neither chasten me in thy hot
displeasure.
2 Have mercy upon me, 0 Lord; fori am weak: O Lord, heal me ; for
my bones are vexed.
3 My soul is also sore vexed : — but thou, O Lord, how long?
4 Return, O Lord, deliver my soul: — oh save me for thy mercies' sake !
5 For in death there is no remembrance of thee : — in the grave who shall
give thee thanks ?
6 I am -weary with my groaning !
All the night make I my bed to swim ; — I water my couch -with ray tears.
7 Mine eye is consumed because of grief; — it waxeth old because of all
mine enemies.
8 Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity ; for the Lord hath heard the
voice of my weeping.
9 The Lord hath heard my supplication ; — the Lord will receive my prayer.
10 Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed;
Let them return and be ashamed suddenly.
Hitherto, tbe harp of Judab, and tbe sacred instruments of
varied chords, have sounded little concerning the Just One's
inward sorrows. But now the Psalmist points " tbe Chief
Musician" to the " Neginoth," mentioned in Psalm iv., and at
tbe same time to " Sheminith,"-}f some eigbt-stringed instru
ment, as if both together must be used for a tbeme so intensely
melancholy as these verses handle.
We might at once say to the reader. This is not David, it is
tbe Son of David ; tbe grief is too deep for any other, —
" You never saw a vessel of like sorrow."
* This Psalm, and Psalms xxxii, xxxviii, li, cii, cxxx, «3fand cxlii, seven in
all,form " the Penitential Psalms" — which in Popish days ^penitent was taught
to use, as Naaman at Jordan, and the lepers at purification, used a sevenfold
washing or sprinkling.
t Augustine has a long passage in which he discusses the question, whether
there is any reference to the Last Day in the number " eigJit ;" and is inclined
to think that the Eternal Day may be meant. Some recent critics find an
" octave" in the word, and others " the eighth tune." This very obscurity as to the
sense of such technical terms, confirms the proof of the indisputable antiquity of
the writing, like some of those names in 1 Chronicles, for which we can find no
etymology in written Hebrew.

OF THE EIGHTEOUS ONE. 2 J
David may have been led by tbe Holy Ghost to -write it when
in anguish of soul, as well as suffering of body ; through such
a bruised reed the Spirit of God may have breathed. But surely
be meant to tell of One greater than David, — " the Man of
sorrows." Perhaps David had some seasons of anguish in bis
wanderings in tbe wilderness of Judah tbat furnished a shadow
of tbe grief of Him who was to come, " bearing our griefs aud
carrying our sorrows. " Awakened souls experience horror of
soul and alarming apprehensions of diviue indignation, such
as this Psalm expresses. A clear sight of sin, while the face
of tbe Mediator is hid, produces this state of soul. Occasionally,
too, believers feel, from peculiar causes, glooms that may be ex
pressed in the words of this Psalm more fitly than any other.
And particular clauses in it will express many of a believer's
frames, even as ver. 6. "Lord, how long?" w&s Calvin's favour
ite utterance. Still, it is chiefly of tbe true David tbat this
is written. We may suppose every word used by Him iu some
of those nights which He passed in desert places, or in tbe
garden of Gethsemane.
What cries are tbese ? " Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath." The Head.
Is not this the same voice tbat cried, " Father, if it be possible,
remove this cup from me ?" Again : " Hajue mercy upon me,
0 Lord, for I am weak." Is not this tbe same who said, " The
spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak ? " (Matt. xxvi.
34.) We listen, and again He cries, " My soul is sore vexed."
Is it not tbe voice of Him who, as He entered the garden,
spoke with such affecting sadness to bis disciples, " My soul is
exceeding sorrowfiil ?" (Matt xxvi. 38.) Yes, He said, " even
unto death." Andin this Psalm we hear Him tell some of his
forebodings of death. It seems to be tbe very hour referred to
iu Heb. vi. 7, — tbe hour of " strong crying and tears to Him
who was able to save bim from death," For here are his
strong reasonings with God, — " In death there is no remem
brance of thee ; in the grave, who shall give thee thanks ? "
This expostulation undoubtedly is such as a member of Christ
could use ; for Hezekiah used it (Isa, xxxviii, 18), pleading tbat,
if taken away, he could do no more for tbe making known
God's name and glory among men. But how peculiarly forcibly
it becomes in tbe lips of Jesus ! If he be given over to death,

22 PSALM VI. — THE RIGHTEOUS ONE'S COMFORTLESS COUCH.
i.e., left under its power, then neither He, nor any one of all
those whom the Father bad given Him, can ever give praise.
The dark night becomes darker. It is midnight. " I am
weary with my grooming. Mine eye is consumed with grief.
It waxes old, because of all mine enemies." " Tbe eye is tbe
mirror and gauge of soundness, not inerely as respects tbe soul,
but the body also," says a well-known commentator. On bis
brow, anguish bad shed more snows (see .John -viiL 57,) than
threescore winters, in their natural course, might else have
sprinkled there ; for inconceivably stupendous must His view
of sin have been, and bis sense of its loathsomeness, bis dis
covery of its hurt to God and man, and bis horror under tbe
wrath due to it. But all at once there is a change. The
angel from heaven strengthens Him. (Luke xxii. 43.) He
is revived by tbe Father's promise, " I 'have glorified thee, and
will glorify thee again." He sees bis foes " confounded and
terrified" by the look of that very countenance, which tbey
once could spit upon (ver. 10).
It is only at this one point tbat this Psalm presents anything
reference" bearing OU the prophetic future. But certainly it does at this
turn present us with a glimpse of tbe Second Coming of Him
whose First Coming was so full of woe. "Tbe voice of the turtle
is heard again," says a German commentator ; and truly it is
so. For, at ver. 8, the Suffering One sees " the glory tbat is to
follow," and exclaims, " Depart from me ye workers of ini
quity," words which are employed by himself in Luke xiii. 27,
in describing tbe terms in which, as judge. He will address tbe
multitudes of the unsaved on tbe Great Da.j, when He has risen
ujj and has shut to the door.
Was it not designed tbat this ending should draw more at
tention to tbe beginning ? Let tbe sinner now consider tbe
Suffering One, lest the sentence pass on bim, "Depart." Come,
and see here what a price was paid for tbe soul's redemption ;
and if you have felt anguish of spirit under a sense of deserved
wrath, let it cease when you find tbe Man of sorrows present
ing all his anguish as tbe atonement for your soul. Thus will
tbe reader use aright this most pathetic Psalm, in meditating
on which he is shewn —
The comfortless couch of the Righteous One.

PSALM VII. — THE RIGHTEOUS ONE's CRY. 23

PSALM VIL
Shlggaion of David, which he sang unto theLord, concerning the words of Cnsh the Benjamite.
I O LoED my God, in thee do I put my trust :
Save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me :
2 Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none
to deliver.
3 O Lord my God, if I have done this ; — if there be iniquity in my hands ;
4 If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me ;
(Yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy !)
5 Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it;
Yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, — and lay mine honour in
the dust. Selah.
6 Arise, O Lord, in thine anger, — ^lift up thyself because of the rage of mine
enemies :
And awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded.
7 So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about :
For their sakes therefore return thou on high.
8 The Lord shall judge the people ! Judge me, O Lord,
According to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in
me.
9 Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end ; — bnt establish the just !
For the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.
10 My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.
II God judgeth the righteous, — and God is angry with the wicked every day.
12 If he turn not, he will whet his sword ; — he hath bent his bow, and made
it ready.
13 He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death ;
He ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.
14 Behold, he travaileth with iniquity,
And hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.
15 He made a pit, and digged it,, — and is fallen into the ditch which he made.
16 His mischief shall return upon his own head.
And his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.
17 I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness :
And will sing praise to the name of the Lord most high.
There is something Hke excitement in tbe style of this Psalm. i;in- 1- .¦ .mj
We do not find in it the calm, deep cries of one in anguish,
but rather, the earnest, almost indignant, appeals of one whose
righteous soul is vexed by a world's opposition.
" Jeliovdh, my God, in thee have I put my trust !
Save me from my persecutors I " (Ver. 1.)
It is tbe voice of one who betakes himself to Jebovab as bis

24 PSALM VIL— THE EIGHTEOUS ONE S CRY
only Adullam-cave, and who makes bis cave of refuge ring with
bis vehement appeals. Horsley remarks there is in it com
plaint, supplication, prediction, crimination, commination, aad
thanksgiving.
shiggaion. " Sbiggaiou," though some have attempted to fix on it a re
ference to the moral aspect of the world as depicted in this
Psalm, is in all probability to be taken as expressing the nature
of tlie composition. It conveys the idea of something erratic
(pyv, to wander), in the style ; something not so calm as other
psalms ; and hence Ewald suggests, tbat it might be rendered,
" a confused ode," a Dithyramb. This characteristic of excite
ment in tbe style, and a kind of disorder in tbe sense, suits
Habakkuk iii. 1, tbe only other place where the word occurs.
The Contents. But who was "Gushthc Benjamite ? " None cau give a de
cided answer, though all turn tbeir eye to Saul, and seem
nearly agreed that his calumnies against David gave occasion
for tbe writing of this Psalm. The Targum hesitates not to
say it is "Saul, the son of Kish." Hengstenberg concluiies
that Cush, the Ethiopian, is a name for Saul, because of bis
dark, black hatred of David ; others refer tbe name to some
one of Saul's retinue who was as Ethiopian in heart as bis
master. This last conjecture may be tbe truth ; for David bad
a variety of foes. But at all events, the Holy Spirit made use
of some special attack of some one foe as bis time for convey
ing to bis servant this song. He is a "God who giveth songs
in ihe night," and be has by this means given to bis Church a
song whicb every succeeding generation has felt appropriate in
a world lying in wickedness, and which was never more appro
priate than in tbese latter days. '¦
usedbychriit. The true David, no doubt,took it up in the days of bis flesh ;
and often may he have used it as part of his wondrous Liturgy,
when alone in the bills of Galilee. Tbe cry in vei-. 9, 
" 0 let the wickedness of tlie wicked come to an end I
And estabUsh the just I
And the trier of the heart and reins be thou, 0 God I "
followed up by ver. 10, " My defence_ is in'^ God who saveth
* Literally, " J/y shield is upon God," like Psalm Ixii. 8, " My salvation ia
upon God." Tho, idea may be taken from the armour-bearer, ever ready at hand
to give the needed weapon to the warrior.

FOE EIGHTEOUS RETRIBUTION. 25
giveth victory to) the upright in heart," may remind us of
Him who elsewhere longs for tbe day of God in the words,
" Till tbe day break and tbe shadows flee away, I will get me
to tbe mountain of myrrh and tbe bill of frankincense."
From ver. 1 to ver. 5, innocence is pleaded against those The contents.
who are adversaries "without a cause." This feature of en-
>mity, " without a cause,'' seems to have wounded the tender
heart of our David very deeply ; for in John xv. 25, we find him
quoting another Psalm where the same words occur, and where
tbe emphasis lies on " without a cause." Tbe world has hated
him, because it bated tbe holiness tbat furnished no cause of
accusation ; and so has it bated his members because of what
resemblance tbey bear to their unblemished Head. The world's
enmity is ever directed against tbe only thing in tbe saints
which they are sure tbe Lord loves ; and so they can appeal
with their Head against " Those tbat without cause are our
adversaries." After a Sdah-^SiUse (see Psalm iv.), the tone changes.
From ver. 6 onward, the future day of retribution comes into
view. What an importunate cry is raised in ver. 6, "Arise,
0 Lord, in thine anger" — put on that fierce wrath which con
sumes all before it. " While thy foes are raging (as in Psalm
¦ii. 1), lift up thyself;" and all this because ," Thou hast ap
pointed a day in which thou wilt judge tbe world in righteous
ness," Had not Paul at Athens (Acts xvii. 31), bis eye on this
verse : " The judgment thou hast ordained?"
In ver. 7, we see all tbe tribes (D^QJ'i/). gathered round tbe
Lord's tribunal ; and " over that congregation," or assembly,
tbe Lord takes his seat — as if they were all met tliere, waiting
t^e arrival of tbe Judge, who does at last appear, and walks up
to his seat in tbe -view of all. Is there not a reference to tbe
long-expected arrival of one who bad gone for a time to a far
country in tbe word " return ?" (Luke xix. 12.)
And now, ver. 8. " The Lord judges the nations," acting in
all the plenitude of tbe Judge's office— the office as held by
Otbniel, and Ehud, and Gideon, and Samson. As to right and
wrong, be is what an ancient Eoman was called, " Scopulua
reorum " — every guilty man makes shipwreck on tbat rock ;

26 PSALM VII. — THE RIGHTEOUS ONE'S CRY.
but He is ruler, too, putting earth iu order. And when the
Son of David used this prayer, be was implicitly asking for
tbe day of bis own glory — when the Father shall be the Judge
by committing all judgment to tbe Son. (John v. 22, 27.)
The remainder of this judgment-day Psalm presents us with
views of tbe fearful overthrow of the ungodly — all of them
doubly emphatic when understood as spoken by Him who bad
seen tbe armoury of heaven, " no mau having' ascended up to
heaven, but He that came down from heaven," and who spake
what he did know, and testified what be had seen. Whether
we apply tbese verses to each individual sinner, or use them
of tbe great Antichrist — that special aw(Mc,, lawless one — tbe
description is so constructed as to apply in terrible grandeur.
We see Jehovah's daily anger (ver. 11), which is, in other
words, his daily hatred of sin. " Judging righteously, while
every day finding cause of anger." We hear him tell, that if
yonder sinner return not (ver. 12, " If a mam turn not"), then
there is prepared for him the sword, as well as the bow, q. d.,
there is the arrow from tbe bow aimed at his heart to lay him
low, like Goliath laid low by the pebble in bis forehead, and
then the sword to coraplete tbe work of death. Let none
think of recovering from the wound ; for bis instruments are
" instruments of death," and be " makes his arroivs burning" '
{W\>y1) ; and he shoots his flaming shafts, burning with tbe
fire of Almighty wrath, into tbeir hearts ! All this tbe sinner
has wrought for himself — all this Antichrist has wrought for
himself— it is tbe cup be has filled, and filled doubla
" Belwld I he travailed with mischief, (pjij)
And liaih conceived misery I (^QV) T T
And bringeth forth falsehood !" (disappointment) 
He is precipitated into " the pit" from tbe height of bis pros
perity. How brief, yet bow comprehensive, is this sketch of
bis doom ! It is James i. 15 exhibited in each sinner's history,
and in the final end of " That Wicked" whom tbe Lord shall
destroy by the brightness of bis coming.
Yer. ] 7, is the " Hallelujah, amen .'" of Eev. xix. 1-4. And
is not the whole Psalm one whicb we may well believe the

FSALM VIIL — MANIFESTATION OF JEHOVAH'S NAME. 27
Head of the Church often used, and which each member uses
still when in sympathy with tbe martyr-band (Eev. vi. 1 0) 1
In either view it is —
The Righteous One's cry for righteous retribution.

PSALM VIIL
To the cliief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of David.
1 O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth I
Who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength
Because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the
avenger.
3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers.
The moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained ;
4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him ? — and the son of man, that
thou visitest him ?
6 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels.
And hast crowned him with glory and honour.
6 Thou madest him to have dciiinion over the works of thy hands ;
Thou hast put all things under his feet :
7 All sheop and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field ;
8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea.
And whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth !
' Psalm vii. closed with " The name of tbe Most High," and The name.
this Psalm commences with it. Who can hesitate to say of
this song of Zion, that its subject is no other than " Tbe Name
tbat is above every name ?" For Heb. ii. 6-9 has claimed it
for Jesus, and claimed it for bim, too, in speaking of bis ex
altation in tbe New Earfb, " The world to come." Paul, in
1 Cor. XV. 24, refers a clause of it for fulfilment to tbe day of
the Advent : and it is interesting to find our Lord himself
quoting ver. 2 in reference to the bosannas that welcomed bim
as Israel's King on tbat day when be proved his power over
man and over tbe creatures, riding on tbe ass amid tbe shouts
of thousands upon thousands.
It is not to us of much moment whether tbe original Thetuia
Psalmist David knew distinctly tbe glorious burden of bis

28 psalm viii. — MANIFESTATION OF JEHOVAH'S NAME
song when tbe Holy Spirit taught bis heart and harp to sing
it, and when be gave it over to "tbe chief musician" for
temple-usp, to be sung or played " on Gittith." He raay have
had as dim a view of its real reference, as we have of tbe
reference of the term " Gittith ;" yet that alters not tbe Holy
Spirit's raeaning. Tbe most skilful of our critics can do no
more than give obscure suggestions as to what the title means ;
yet that alters not the certainty tbat the title " Gittith" had
its sure and definite meaning in the mind of Him who prefixed
it Our position and tbat of the original receivers of the
Psalm is now reversed. Any singer of tbe Tabernacle could
have told us at once whether Gittith meant a " Gathic air,"
used by those that handled the harp at Gath, or whether it re
ferred to the air of some vintage-song, or some joyous vintage-
instrument (from nil) ; while yet they could not have told so
surely as a child among us who can put bis finger on Heb. ii.
6, 7, 8, that here is the crown tbat fell from our heads seen on
tbe bead of tbe Second Adam.
Led by Heb. ii. 6-9, we find in this Psalm tbe manifestation
of the Lord's name^ in the dorainion of the Second Adam,
when he reigns over a restored world. It has been said that
this Psalm raight be called " Genesis i. turned into a prayer ;"
but it is more truly " the Genesis i. of the NEW Earth." It cor
responds to Isaiah xi. 6, 7, in the scene it exhibits.
It contains a general view of God's dealings with earth,
from Genesis to Eevelation, He whose glory crowns tbe hea
vens, chooses earth for a theatre whereon to display " His
name," — that is, his character, his very being, of which tbe
narae is the manifestation. Amid tbe ruins of the fall, He
finds as sweet notes of praise ascending as from bis angelic
choirs ; he finds he can confound bis foes — all tbe seed of the
serpent, in bell and on earth (Psa xliv. 16)— by bosannas from
" babes and sucklings," While " He sets his glory above the
heavens," He finds no less glory to His name on earth. Glo
rious grace appears in choosiiag earth for tbe place of this
manifestation (ver. 1). Glorious grace appears again in his
* " Name is the expression of his being, God existing secretly in himself is
nameless. Manifestation and name are insepa.ra.Ue."— Hengstenberg.

IN THE DOMINION OF THE SON OF MAN. 29
working amid the feeblest of our feeble race, and in confound
ing the enemy and avenger by this display (ver. 2). Glorious
grace is seen dealing with man, the worm (JJ'iJi*, "sorry
man"), whose dwelling and whose place in tbe scale of creation
seem so low when compared with the heavens by day, lighted
up by their blazing sun, or tbe moon and stars by night, in
their silent maiesty (ver. 4). Glorious grace lifts up man
from his inferiority to angels (ver. 5). Glorious grace gives
man exaltation above angels, in giving bim a Head, to whom
that whole world is subject, and on whom it leans. All tbat
was lost in Adam is gathered up in this Head : " Thou madest
Him to have dominion — thou bast put all things under his
feet." It is a sight tbat, seen even from afar, raises in the pro
phetic Psalmist adoring wonder and delight, so tbat like tbe
"Amen" in Eev. vii. 12, tbat both prefaces and concludes tbe
angelic song, be begins and ends with the rapturous exclama
tion, — "Jehovah, our Lord,* how excellent is thy namx in
ALL THE EARTH ! '
One difficulty in the Psalm may be solved by attending to a difficulty,
tbe apostolic use of it in Heb. ii. It is tbe clause, " Thou bast
made bim a little lower than the angels." In Exod. xxii. 28,
tbe word signifies "judges ;" and so it seems to have been used
for other beings who are high and noble, viz., angels. For Heb.
i. 6 again renders tbe word, " angels." Some, however, would
fain keep D'rt?^ in the sense of " God," and explain it to this
effect : " Thou madest bim want little of God," raising bim to
a super-earthly dignity. But let it be noted, tbat these inter
pretations are all inconsistent with Heb. ii. 6-9. Tbat passage
quotes this clause as referring to our Lord's humiliation, not
to bis exaltation ; " We see Jesus, who has been crowned
(iBTKpam/jLivoii) with glory and honour because of bis suffering
death, — we see this Jesus made a little lower than angels, iu
* The English Prayer-book version has it " our Governor," a rendering that
suits well with the scope of the whole. Luther's " Herr unser Herrscher," is
better than our " Lord our Lord," and than the similar rendering of the Vulgate
and Septuagint. The Hebrew has the two distinct appellations 1J''J"T^^ nirT-
And notice, too, " How exceUent" "y^^t ^s the same word as Jer. xxx. 21, " his
^")'^^^ noble one."

80 PSALM VIII. — MANIFESTATION OF JEHOVAh'S NAME.
order to taste death for every one." Tbe " made lowei'" is
thus placed beyond doubt as signifying humiliation ; tbe com
parison being, not how little was between him and God, but
bow there was a little between bim and angels, and that little
on tbe side of apparent inferiority during tbe days of bis bumi-
Iiation-;-thougb only as a scaffolding for bis after rising in our
nature far beyond every angel
Christ and hie One Other difficulty remains. At what point does tbe Psalm
leave off tbe subject of man in general, and begin to speak of
man's Head ? We think it is at the word " Thou visilest."
Out of this " visiting" emerges nothing less than man's exal
tation in bis Head ; and this sense of " visiting" seems referred
to in Luke i. 68. (See Duke of Manchester on Epistle to tbe
Hebrews.)
The still futiiTc As the " manifesting" Jehovah's " name" was our Lord's un-
manilestalioli of . . . ,-,-,. -, i . n . ^t t
iii.^ name. Varying design m all his work at his first coming (John xvu.
6 and 26), so shall it still be bis design at bis second. Isaiah
xxx. 27, introduces that event by, " Behold, tbe name of the
Lord coraetb." To this, indeed, be may refer, when in John
xvii. 26, be says, that he not only " has" declared tbat " name,"
but that he " will declare it." Have we not a link of connec
tion here ? Our Psalm and that wondrous prayer in which he
looked onward to coming glory, both speak much of that
" Narae." The dominion of the Second Adam shall carry on
this discovery to tbe praise of bis glory ; and viewing the
Psalm as pointing to this, we may say, tbat it contains —
The manifestation of Jehovah's name in the dominion of
the Son of man.

PSALM IX.
To the Chief Musician upon Muth-labben, A Psalm of Davil
1 I WILL praise thee, O Lord, with my whole hfeart ;
I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in thee :— I will sing praise to thy name, O thou
Most High.
. 3 When mine enemies are turned back,— they shaU fall and perish at thy
presence.

PSALM IX. — ^ANTICIPATING THE THRONE OF JUDGMENT. 31
4 For thou hast maintained my right and my cause ; — thou sattest in the
throne judging right.
5 Thou hast rebuked the heathen, — thou hast destroyed the wicked,
Thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.
6 O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end!
And thou hast destroyed cities ; — their memorial is perished -with them.
7- But the Lord shall endure forever: — he hath prepared his throne for
judgment.
8 And he shall judge the world in righteousness,
He shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.
9 The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, — a refuge in times of
trouble.
10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee :
For thou. Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
II Sing praises to the Lord, which dwelletb in Zion : — declare among the
people his doings.
12 When he maketh inquifsition for blood, he remembereth them :
He forgetteth not the cry of the humble.
13 Have mercy upon me, 0 Lord ; — consider my trouble which I suffer of
them that hate me,
Thou that liftest me up from the gates of death :
14 That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion!
I will rejoice in thy salvation.
15 The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made :
In the net which they hid is their own foot taken,
16 The Lord is known by the judgraent whicb he exeouteth:
The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.
17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, — and all the nations that forget God.
18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten :
The expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.
19 Arise, 0 Lord ; let not man prevail: — let the heathen be judged in thy
. sight.
20 Put them in fear, O Lord, that the nations may know themselves to be
but men. Selah.
The nosition of tbe Psalms in their relation to each other is Position oi tha
..... Psalm.
often remarkable. It is questioned whether the present ar
rangement of them was the order in whicb tbey were given
forth to Israel, or whether some later compiler, perhaps Ezra,
was inspired to attend to this matter, as well as to other points
connected with tbe Canon. Without attempting to decide this
point, it is enough to remark tbat we have proof that tbe order
of the Psalms is as ancient as tbe completing of tbe canon ;
and if so, it seems obvious that tbe Holy Spirit wished this
book to come down to us in its present order.

Psalm.

32

PSALM IX. — THE RIGHTEOUS ONE ANTICIPATING

Heferred to by
I^aiah ch. xxv.

Alphabetic.

The title.

We make these remarks, in order to invite attention to tbe
fact, tbat as the eighth caught up the last line of the seventh,
this ninth Psalm opens with an apparent reference to tbe
eighth : —
" I vrill praise thee, 0 Lord, vrith my whole heart.
I will show forth all thy marvellous works.
I will be glad and rejoice in thee. (Comp. Song i. 4 ; Rev. xix. 7.)
I will sing to thy name, 0 thou Most High." (Ver. 1, 2.)
As if " The Name," so highly praised in the former Fsalm,
were still ringing in tbe ear of tbe sweet singer of Israel. And
in ver. 10, he returns to it, celebrating tbeir confidence who
"know" that "Tiame,'' as if its fragrance still breathed in the
atmosphere around.
There is a considerable resemblance, in tbe commencement,
to the song in Isaiab xxv. 1—5. In both we have praise —
praise to his name — wonderful things — enemies, and na
tions, and cities destroyed — and tbe Lord a refuge for the
needy, a refuge in times of trouble. The period in prophetic
history, before the view of the prophetic Spirit, is the same in
both cases ; the same scene of tbe final ruin of God's enemies,
and of Antichrist, is exhibited ; and tbe language of our Psalm,
like that of Isaiab xxv. ] -5, is that of the past, because tbe
future is to the Lord as sure as if already come aud gone.
There is an approach to the alphabetic form in tbe verses of
this Psalra, but only in part. We shall have occasion to re
mark on this point again in Psalm x. and elsewhere.
It raay be in connection with tbe subject of tbe Psalm, tbat
it is inscribed "To the Chief Musician upon Muth-labben."
None of the titles in this whole book is so obscure as this one.
There is a plausible conjecture tbat JHiD^i^ should be the point
ing, in which case it might be connected with " the psalteries
on Alamolh," 1 Chron, xv. 20 ; aud " Ben," of 1 Chron. xv.
18, be referred to in " Lab-ben ;" but then tbe omission of ^J? is
unaccountable, were this sense intended. There has been an
attempt by Grotius, and others, to regard it as an anagram,
" ^nJ by," on tbe death of Nabal, or, on tbe dying of the fool— ^
but this is wholly gratuitous. Probably the title refers to
something in tbe sacred music now unknown, the appropriate-

THE SETTING UP OF THE THRONE OF JUDGMENT.

33

Christ and Iii^
members.

ness of whicb to tbe subject of this Psalm can be conjectured
only ; tbe word JTIO, death, occurring in it, suggests something
sombre and solemn.
From vers. 1-8, there is a sketch of what tbe Lord is to do The plan.
when be rises up. " 0 enemy" — as if like Hos. xiii. 14, look
ing in the face of Satan, and all tbat follow bim on earth, from
Saul down to tbe last Antichrist. " 0 enemy, destructions are
at an end." The memory of the foe perishes, like tbe cities
which they destroy. In vers. 9-12, we hear what tbe Lord
has been, and is, and shall be to bis own, onward to tbe day
when be remembers tbe cry of souls under tbe altar (Eev. -vi.
10.) Then a cry, like tbat of tbe martyrs, arises, vers. 13, 14,
and tbe answer is given in vers. 15-17. -After all whicb,
vers. 18-20, sing confidently, and pray boldly to bim who is
to do such things on behalf of bis saints.
Tbe speaker may be any member of Christ's body in sympa
thy with his Head ; but Christ himself could utter it as no
other could. Hence Augustine, on ver. 13, asks, " Quare non
dixit, ' Miserere nostri, Domine ?' An quia unus interpellat
pro Sanctis qui primus pauper pro nobis factus est." Christ
on earth delighted to commend bis Father's naine, as ver. 10
does, and to assure disciples tbat with God there is no casting
out of one tbat has once come in.
But to all this every believer responds, and even in ver. 16,
every member of Christ raay, in full sympathy with the feel
ings of justice and holiness in our Head, enter into tbe awful
scene. They see tbe event as if it were already come : —
" The heathen are sunk down into the pit that they made ;
In the net which they hid is their ovm foot taken.
The Lord is known by the judgment he executeth !
The wicked is snared in the work ofhis ovm hands I
Higgaion! Sdah I
We bear a voice, as from tbe Holiest, uttering tbe words,
"Higgaion," a call to deep reflection or solemn musing,*
and " Selah," a call to tbe Chief Musician to pause, tbat, the

Higgaion-
Selah.

* So in Buchanan's version in Latin metre : —
" O res pectoris altis
Condenda in penetralibns !

34 PSALM IX,— ANTICIPATING THE THRONE OF JUDGMENT.
music ceasing, tbe worssbippers might for a time meditate and
adore. With such silent awe, we rriay suppose, the hosts of
Israel stood for a time, gazing on tbe dead bodies of tbe Egyp
tians, when morning light unveiled tbem floating on the wave,
or cast up as sea-weed on the shore. Not less than this shall
be tbe intensity of interest and awe felt by tbe saints, when
from their cloud tbey look down on tbe overwhelmed hosts of
Babylon. In ver, 18 there is an interesting rendering of ?''135? Dip A
in the English Prayer-book version, " the patient abiding of
the poor." It rerainds us of Jaraes v. 7, "Be patient, brethren,
unto the coming of the Lord." At the same time, the words
more properly express tbe earnest expectation of God's poor
ones, who are looking from tbeir state of "oppression" and
" trouble" (ver, 9), for the coming of him whose " name they
know" (ver. 10), to be the Judge of a disordered world. Then
truly shall tbey sing: —
" The Lord is enthroned for ever, (lit, has sat down, i,e., on his throne.)
He has prepared his throne for judgment.
He judges the world in uprightness :
He ministers judgment to thepeoph in vprightness." (v. 7, 8).
Of this Psalm, then, we may say tbat in it we see —
The Righteous One anticipating the setting up of the throne
of judgment.

PSALM X.
1 Why standest thou afar off, O Lord ? — why hidest thou thyself in times
of trouble ?
2 The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor :
Let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.
3 For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire,
And blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth.
4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God :
God is not in all his thoughts.
6 His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out ofhis
sight :
As for all his enemies he puffeth at them.

PSALM X, — DETAIL OF BARTh'S WICKEDNESS. 35
6 He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved : — for I shall never be in
adversity.
7 His mouth is full of cursing, and deceit, and fraud ;
Under his tongue is mischief and vanity.
8 He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages :
In the secret places doth he murder the innocent :
His eyes are privily set against the poor.
9 He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den :
He lieth in wait to catch the poor : — ^he doth catch the poor, when he
draweth him into his net.
10 He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his
strong ones.
11 He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten : he hideth his face; he
will never see it.
12 Arise, 0 Lord ; O God, lift up thine hand : forget not the humble.
13 Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God ?
He hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.
14 Thou hast seen it ; — ^for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it
with thy hand :
The poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the
fatherless.
15 Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man:
Seek out his wickedness till thou find none.
16 The Lord is King for ever and ever ! the heathen are perished out ofhis
land.
17 Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble:
Thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear :
18 To judge the fatherless and the oppressed,
That the man of the earth may no more oppress.
There is much tbat is prophetic in this Psalm towards its
close — ^tbe gloom of tbe present turning tbe eye forward in element
search of tbe coming day-spring. In ver. 16, faith is seen in
its strength, singing as if already in possession of anticipated
victory aud deliverance, " The Lord is king for ever and ever :
tbe heathen are perished out ofhis land !" Such confidence
and faith must appear to the world strange and unaccountable.
It is like what bis fellow-citizens may be supposed to have felt
(if tbe story be true) toward tbat man of whom it is recorded,
that his powers of -vision were so extraordinary, that be could
distinctly see tbe fleet of tbe Carthaginians entering the har
bour of Carthage, while be stood himself at Lilybseum, in Sicily.
A man seeing across an ocean and able to tell of objects so far
off 1 he could feast bis vision on what others saw not. Even

36

PSALM X. — DETAIL OF EARTH'S WICKEDNESS IN

with the preced
ing.

Alphabetic in
structnre.

thus does faith now stand at its Lilybseum and see tbe long-
tossed fleet entering safely tbe desired haven, enjoying tbe bliss
of that still distant day, as if it was already come.
It is a Psalm for "times of trouble" (ver. 1), like the preced
ing, (ix. 9). In it we again bear tbe cry, "Arise," addressed
The connection to the Lord, as in tbe preceding (ix. 20). Here, too, man is
felt as tbe oppressor (ver. 18), even as in Psa. ix. 19. So much
does it resemble the preceding, tbat tbe Septuagint have
reckoned it a continuation. There is, however,, this obvious
difference, viz., while tbe ninth dwells much on tbe ruin of the
ungodly, this Psalm dwells much on tbeir guUt. Both Psalms
also are in some measure alphabetic. (See Hengstenberg.)
Both, however, are alphabetic in a very irregular manner.
Perhaps it was intended by the fact of irregularity in the first
two instances of an alphabetic kind, to teach us not to lay too
much stress upon this kind of composition. God occasionally
employs all the various ways in which men are wont to express
their thoughts, and by whicb tbey are wont to aid tbe me
mory in retaining tbem.
Three parties are presented to our view in succession. God
— tbe wicked — tbe righteous. God (ver. 1) is seen standing
afar off, covering bis eyes from tbe painful sight (?''Vjl^n, soil.
Dp"'y), being of purer eyes than to bebold iniquity. The wicked
(vers. 2-] ]) is seen in all bis ungodliness and unprincipled sel
fishness, practising evil as if no eye regarded. Tbe righteous
(vers. 12-14) calls God's attention to tbese scenes, and raises
tbe cry for bis interposition. Then, at ver. 15, and onward,
tbe scene suddenly changes. God has come nigh ; " tbe arm
of the wicked is broken." In the Hebrew, the first clause is a
prayer, "Break thou tbe arm of tbe wicked and evil man ;"
and tbe next seems to be tbe response to tbat prayer, q. d.,
" Yes, it shall be broken." "And thou shalt seek out his
wickedness, and find none." His extirpation shall be com
plete, (compare Jer. L 20). " The Lord is King." He has
beard tbe desire of tbe bumble ; " he bas judged the fatherless*
•Augustine gives one reason why saints are called fatherless:— " PupiUus ;
, id est, iscuimoritur pater hicmundus, per quem camaliter genitus est; et
jam potest dicere, 'mundus mihi crucifixus est, ego mundo.'"

7) e contents.

ANTICIPATION OF EARTH'S DELIVERANCE. 37
and the oppressed," i.e., he bas acted to tbem as Otbniel, and
Gideon, and Samson, aud other judges of Israel did when
they brought do-wn tbe foe, and set things to right in tbe land.
Our Master, in tbe days of bis flesh, might see all that is Exemplified
here described verified before bim. He saw tbe buyers and Sys.'"' "
sellers making gain in the courts of tbe Temple, and probably
fulfilling there, Zech. xi. 5, " Blessed be tbe Lord ; for I am
rich," — even as it is said, ver. 3, " And whosoever makes gain
blesses (God for it), and yet despise Jehovah. " In the Saddu
cees, be saw before bim men of whom if might be said,
" ' JViere is no God,' in all their thoughts." (ver. 4.)
Tbeir ways were firm (ver. 5, Hengstenberg). Tbey feared
no adversity, saying (as the Prayer-book version graphically
renders ver. 6), " Tush ! I shall never be cast down." The
Pharisees, and Scribes, and Elders furnished abundant exem
plification of " mischief is under his tongue," (ver. 7,) — tbe
storehouse, or cellar, that seemed to lie under their tongue,
ever providing their lips with plans and suggestions of evU.
Tbeir lying in wait, as a lion in bis covert, most vividly paints
tbe plots entered into against Christ, and against bis disci- chiisfscuni
pies afterwards. At the sarae time, "The servant is not
above tbe master," — tbe members of Christ have ever met
with tbe same treatment, and found the world lying in tbe
same wickedness. Any member of Christ can use this Psalm
who feels earth's unboliness and atheism, and who is at all
Hke Lot in Sodom, " his righteous soul vexed from day to
day by tbeir unlawful deeds." It will be well fitted for those
who are on earth when Antichrist practises and prospers ere
bis final overthrow. In short, it is so comprehensive, that whether
used by Christ or by his people, whether in the days of tbe First
Advent, or in tbe days tbat precede and usher in the Second',
it may be said to be —
The Righteous One detailing earth's wickedness in cmtioi-
paiion of earth's deliverance.

in all ages.

38 PSALM XI. — FAITH UNDER APPARENT DISASTER.
PSALM XL
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
J IN the Lord put I my trust : — how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to
your mountain ?
2 For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon
the string,
That they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.
3 If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do ?
4 The Lord is in his holy temple ! the Lord's throne is in heaven :
His eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of meu.
6 The Lord trieth the righteous.
But the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.
6 Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, — fire and brimstone, and an horrible
tempest :
This shall be the portion of their cup.
7 For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness ; his countenance doth be
hold the upright.
/he tone and The combatauts at the Lake Thrasymene are said to have been
plan of the 1 . , 1 n- 1 • , -11
Psalm. SO engrossed with the conflict, that neither party perceived the
convulsions of nature that shook tbe ground —
" An earthquake reeled unheedingly away,
None felt stern nature rocking at his feet."
From a nobler cause, it is thus with tbe soldiers of tbe Lamb.
Tbey believe, and, therefore, make no baste ; nay, tbey can
scarcely be said to feel earth's convulsions as other men, be
cause their eager hope presses forward to the issue at the ad
vent of tbe Lord.
" In the Lord I have put my trust : — how say ye to my soul, Flee, sparrows,
to your hill." (Sneeringly referring to Zion-hill. Horsley.)
They have taken up tbeir position, and who shall ever drive
tbem from it ? They refer to a two-fold ground of alarm pre
sented to their thoughts by tbe foe.
^''gFor lo I the wicked bend their bow,
They place their arrow upon the string
To slioot privily at the upright in heart.
For ('3) the foundations are destroyed!
The righteous, what can he do ? "
The enemy may thus array bis terrors, as if the Lord's host
were a partridge on tbe mountains. (1 Sam. xxvi. 20.) There

PSALM XI. — FAITH UNDER APi'ARENT DL^xLsTER. 39
a sneer at Mount Zion, in ver. 1 it bas been suggested ;
but the words may as well mean, tbey have their secure resort,
their Zoar mountain (Gen. xix. 17), on which tbey shall stand
and see the rain of " snares, fire, and brimstone " on tbese meu
of Sodom (ver. 6) ; tbeir Judean mountain, where they shall
be safe when tbe abomination of desolation appears (Matt. xxiv.
16). It is this — the Lord himself. Though all tbe pillars of
social and religious order were destroyed, still —
" The Lord is in his holy temple ;
The Lord's throne is in heaven ! "
Tbe enemy bas not reached up to this fortress ; be has not
shaken this sure defence.* On the other hand, the Lord is pre
paring to make a sortie in behalf of bis own. He is surveying,
iu preparation for this burst of judgment.
" His eyes behold" —
Nay, more, be is in tbe position of one who contracts his eye
brows and fixes his eyelids in order to discern accurately the
mark be aims at ;
" His eyelids try the children of men.
The Lord trieth the righteous."
And tbe result is interposition in behalf of his own ; for in tbe
trial be discovers tbe difference between tbe principles of the
two hostile parties, and now makes it known : —
" The wicked, and him that loveth violence, his soul hateih.
Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire, and brimstone :
And an horrible tempest (a wrath-wind) shaU be the portion of their cvp."
All that came upon Sodom and Gomorrah shall be realizetl at
tbe Lord's appearing " in flaming fire," (2 Thess i 8). At the
very time, perhaps, when men imagine they have got the
righteous in tbeir snares, tbe Lord comes and his net is spread
over them ; bis "snare" suddenly starts up (Luke xxi. 35) and
they are taken ; caught unexpectedly in a net whose meshes
tbey can never break ; seized by tbe bands of the living
God, and doomed to "tbe vengeance of eternal fire," as the
"portion of their cup." It is the measured, just, and due
amount of wrath for their sins ; for it is called a cup-portion,
• " Shall the pillars be brangled," says Leighton somewhere, " because of tho
swarms of flies upon them?"

40

PSALM XL — FAITH UNDER APPARENT DISASTER.

Ohi-ist using
this Psalm.

The Church.

"Ne quid prseter modum atque mensaram, vel in ipsis pecca-
torum suppliciis per divinam providentiam fieri arbitremur."
(August.) All this proceeds from tbe rectitude of Jehovah's
character : —
" For righteous is the Lord ; he loveth righteousness ;
His countenance doth behold the upright."
His righteousness sees it meet thus to visit tbe ungodly with a
Sodom-doom ; and on tbe other band, to look with favour on
his Abrahams at Mamre, and no longer "hide himself," as in
Psalm X. 4. It is somewhat remarkable that in ver. 7 the He
brew uses the plural for " His countenance." Critics are con
tent to call this use of 'lO''J3, "THEIR countenance," by tbe
name pluralis majestatis; and to say tbat it may express perfec
tion, or greatness, in Him of whom it is used. But if we admit
of a reference to the Trinity in Gen. i. 26, why not here ? The
countenance of the Godhead — Godhead in all its fulness— each
person of tbe Godhead — shall give a look of delighted approval.
" With a countenance full of paternal affection be beholds them
in tbe midst of their sorrows, until, admitted through mercy to
tbe glory from whicb be excludes tbe wicked, tbey bebold tbat
countenance whicb bas always beheld them.'' (Home.)
Our Lord might sing this Psalm at Bethany on such occa
sions as that mentioned in Luke xiii. 31, 32, when they came
and said, " Get thee out hence, for Herod will kill thee." And
be has left it for us, tbat we may use it, as no doubt David
used it when it was first given to the Church, in times of danger
and threatening. Dr AUix would apply it specially to the
Church after she fled into tbe wilderness ; comparing ver. 2,
with Eev. xiii. ] 4. It applies with almost equal fulness to all
tbese cases, and yet also to an individual -believer's case when
tempted, like that good man who said, "Sirs, it is a great thing
to believe tbat there is a God ! " It exhibits to us —
The Righteous One's faith under apparent disaster.

PSALM XII. — THE lord's WORD SHALL NOT FAIL. 41

PSALM XII
To the chief Musician upon Sheminith, A Fsalm of Davii].
1 HELP, Lord ; for the godly man ceaseth ;
For the faithful fail from among the children of men I
2 They speak vanity every one with his neighbour :,
With flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.
3 The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and tbe tongue that speaketh
proud things :
4 Who have said. With our tongue will we prevail ; . our lips are our own |,
who is lord over us ?
For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy,
Now will I arise, saith the Lord ;
I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.
6 The words of the Lord are pure words ;
As silver tried in a furnace ot earth, purified seven times.
7 Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this gene
ration for ever.
8 The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.
A PsALM for all ages, as well as for David's time. Elijah could The Title
sing it, Jeremiah could sing it, and never was there a time when
this Psalm was raore appropriate than in our own day. Though
written by David, and banded over to bis " Chief Musician,"
and though tbe " Sheminith' s" now unknown strings were
touched by tbe fingers of a Levite whose heart could sigh in
sympathy with its strain of sad foreboding and present gloom,
it is, at tbe same time, quite a Psalm for tbe last days. Tbe
Lord is called upon to arise, for the godly perish. You see a
little band gathered under tbe floating banner of tbeir King,;
who bad promised to come to tbeir help in due time. One after
another sinks down, wearied and worn, while the remaining
few, at each such occurrence, cry to tbeir King—'
"Hdp, Lord!" (Ver. 1.)
This is tbe cry tbat ascends from the saints, as one after TheContente
another of tbeir number is successively gathered to the tomb ;
while, "/ will arise," (ver. 4,) is tbe response tbat faintly
reaches their ear.
" Help, Lord !" is their cry as tbey -witness the increase of
bold infidelity, (ver. 2), and, bear such mutterings of boastful:
pride as these :

42 PSALM XII.— ASSURANCE THAT THE LOED'S WORD,

The future.

David's time.

" Ihrough our tongues we are strong.
Our lips are with us, {i. c, are our help. — Hengstenberg,)
" Who is lord over us ?" (Ver. 2, 3.)
The power of human talent and tbe grandeur of man's intellect
are boasted of; while ver. 2, shews tbat tbese same persons
flatter each other into deceitful peace, and are living without
regard to the holy law of love. Meanwhile, tbe remnant who
sigh in secret to tbe Lord — a remnant bated and often in
danger (ver. 5) — are sustained by tbe sure word of promise.
Tbey tell their hope and faith in ver. 6, when tbey describe
" Jehovah's words :"
" The words of the Lord are pure words :
As silver tried in a furnace of earth,*
Purified seven times."
All He has spoken about tbe Woman's Seed from tbe be
ginning ; all He bas spoken of Him in whom all nations shall
be blessed ; all He bas spoken of David and David's seed ; all
is sure, all shall corae to pass. And so tbey sing, (ver. 7),
" Thou shalt keep tbem (i. e., thine own), and shalt preserve
tbem from this generation," — a generation so corrupt and evil
tbat one may say ofit —
" I'he wicked walk on every side ;
Vileness is hdd in honour by the sons of men."
How descriptive of the latter days ! How like tbe times of
which Peter speaks, when raen shall " speak great swelling
words of vanity," (2 Peter ii. 1 8), and shall boldly ask, " Where
is tbe promise of bis coming ?" (iii. 4.) How descriptive, too,
of the consolation of the saints ; for Peter tells us tbat this
shall be tbeir comfort, " Tbe Lord is not slack concerning bis
promise," (ver. 9) ; and " according to His proraise" tbey shall
continue looking for the New Heavens and New Earth, (ver.
1 3). They know tbat tbe " words of the Lord are pure words."
Tbey cannot fail.
Some of the features of this scene are to be found in all the
conflicts tbat have risen between the woman's seed and tb^
* The original is difficult. Hengstenberg's rendering gives additional force
to the comparison,—" the purifed silver of a lord of earth" — the fine silver of
some prince. Such is God's promise ; no dross in it ; no exaggeration ; no deceit.

THOUGH MOCKED AT, SHALL NOT FAIL. 43
serpent's. At tbe same time, tbe times of David when be was
a persecuted man, though anointed to the kingdom, were such
that they might be compared to tbe days tbat precede the com
ing of the Son of mau. The flatterers of Saul bated David's
person and David's principles ; and could not fail to try to cast
contempt on " the Lord's words" iu regard to bim and his seed.
Such, also, were tbe days of tbe true David, our Lord, when He
appeared in our world as the Lord's anointed. We can easily Christ's timo
see how tbe proud Pharisees, Scribes, and Sadducees, might
be characterised by vers. 2, 3 ; and not less how, on such an
occasion as the Baptist's death, Jesus could use ver. 1. Let
us follow tbe Baptist's disciples, who have just buried their
master. They walk along in silent sadness ; for a witness to
tbe truth bas perished. Tbey seek out Jesus (Matt. xiv. ] 2),
and tell Him all tbat tbe foes of God have done. Jesus hears
and sympathises ; and may we not imagine the whole company
of disciples, with the master as " chief musician," sitting down
in the solitary place (ver. 13), and making it echo with tbe
plaintive cry, —
"Help, Lord, for the godly man ceasdh," <ic. ,
The Church's eye, anointed with eye-salve, has ever since our time
been able to discern in the world resemblances to the same
state of things ; and never more clearly than now. Hence
David, and David's Son, and the seed of David's Son, have
ever found the strain of this song fitted to express what tbe
world made tbem feel. Horsley entitles it, " Of free thinkers ;
tbeir cunning, audacity, and final excision." But this is only
one aspect of it. It is rather.
The Righteous One's consoling assurance that the Lord's
word, though mocked at, shall not fail.
PSALM XIIL
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David,
1 How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord ? for ever?
How long wilt thou hide thy face from me ?
2 How long shall I take counsel in ray soul, — having son-ow in my heart
daily ?
How lung shall mine enemy be exalted over me ?

44 PSALM XIII. — "THE EIGHTEOUS ONE'S, LORD, HOW LONG ?
3 Consider and hear me, O Lord my God : lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep
the sleep of death ;
4 Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him ;
And those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.
6 But I have trusted in thy mercy ;— my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.
6 I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.
The tone. Heee is what bas been called " the Righteou,8 One's pathetic
remonstrance." The darkness may be felt ; tbe time seems
long ; tbe night wears slowly away ; hope deferred is making
tbe heart sick ; heaviness hangs on tbe eyelid of tbe watcher.
" Hoio long, O Lord, will thou forgd me still?
How long unit thou hide thy face from me ?
How long shall I lay up counsel in my soul — sorrow in my heart daily ?
(Storing up plans of relief which aJl end in Borrow.)
How long shall the enemy exalt himself over me ?"
David. When David wandered in Judea, and mused on tbe long-
deferred promise of tbe Throne of Israel, he might use tbese
words first of all. When he saw no sign of Saul's dominion
ending, aud no appearance of the Seed of the Woman, be was
in such circumstances as fitted bim to be tbe instrument of the
Holy Ghost in writing for all after-times words which might
utter the feelings of melancholy weariness.
Christ TheSonof David came in the fulness of time. Many a night
of darkness He passed through. Sometimes tbe very shades
of death bent over Him. " My soul is exceeding sorrowful
even unto death !" Could He not most fitly take up ver. 4, as
He carried his cross along tbe " Via Dolorosa ?" Who more
fitly than he might appeal, —
" Consider, hear me, O Lord my God {EU I EU I)
Make mine eyes glisten with joy.
Lest I sleep in death I
Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him,
Lest those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved I"
High Priests, Governors, Scribes, Pharisees, Herodians, Sad
ducees, common priests and common people, were all on tbe eve
of shouting triumph if He rose not from the grave ; and a burst
of joy from bell would respond to their derision if He failed to
arise, and failed to shew himself King of kings.

PSALM XIIL — THE RIGHTEOUS ONE'S, LORD, HOW LONG? 45
But not our Head only, every member of his body also, bas ^g"!^'''
found cause oftentimes to utter such complaints and fears. A
believer in darkness — a believer under temptation — a believer
under tbe pressure of some continued trial — a believer spend
ing wearisome nights, and lying awake on bis couch, may find
appropriate language berewbereinto express bis feelings to God,
and all the more appropriate becau.se it is associated with tbe
Sa-viour's darkness, and so assures us of his sympathy. We
take up the harp which He used in Galilee and Gethsemane ;
and iu touching its strings, do we not recall to our Head tbe re
membrance of " tbe days of bis flesh ?"
How glorious too, for tbe Church to join with her Head ie
tbe prospects of ver. 5 : —
" But as for me C*JX')j / have trusted in thy m^rcy," Se.
Leaning on tbe Father's love amid these sorro-wful appeals.
He was sure, and in him they are sure, of a day of glory dawn
ing — joy coming in tbe morning. Verse 6tb anticipates not
only His o-wn resurrection, but the resurrection of tbe saints
also, and tbe glory of the kingdom : —
" I vrill sing unto the Lord, for He hath dealt bountifully with me."
Glory much more abounds — joy bas set in instead of sorrow,
in fu'l tide ; fruition more than realizing tbe most " ample
propositions tbat hope made" to tbe weary soul. And this is
the blessed issue of what Cal-vin would perhaps have called,
tbe " QUOUSQUE Domine," and which we may call,
The Righteous One's, Lord, how long i

PSALM XIV.
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.
They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, — there is none th»t
doeth good.
2 The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men.
To see if there was any that did understand, and seek God.
3 They are all gone aside, they are altogether become filthy :
There is none that doeth good, no, not one.

46 PSALM XIV. — ^VIEW OF EARTH AND ITS PROSPECTS.
4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge ?
Who eat up my people as they eat up bread, and call not upon tbe Lord.
6 There were they in great fear : for God is in the generation of the
righteous.
6 Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the Lord is his refuge.
7 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion !
When the Lord bringeth back the captivity of his people,
Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.
David. As we read these verses, we seem to pass from gloom to deeper
gloom ; and when ver. 7 suggests a remedy, it is as if a " spark
of light had been struck out from solid darkness." David
wrote it under tbe inspiration of tbe Holy Ghost, but we know
not when ; it may have been in bis wilderness-days, when
Judab seemed nearly as indifferent to Jebovab as were tbe
Title. realms of the Gentiles. Tbe title " Upon Mahalatb," as in
Psalm Ixxxviii., has been considered by Hengstenberg, to be
not a name for a musical instrument, but as meaning '• Upon
tbe sickness," the moral sore and sickness described in tbe
Psalm. Perhaps the title of Psalm Ixxxviii. favours this view.
But after all, some special instrument, used for melancholy sub
jects, may be meant, and Gesenius bas found for it an Etbiopic
root signifying, " to sing."
Christ in it Messiah is the speaker far more than David ; for though
David could call tbe sheep of the house of Israel " my people,"
as being given bim by tbe Lord, yet it is Messiab that is wont
to speak in this manner. He is the shepherd whose voice we
recognise here, saying, " They eat up MY people." (ver. 4.) He
it is who describes our world's condition — Oh, bow unlike the
beaveu He bad left ! But amid the flood, He descries the
waters receding. He sees the overthrow of tbe ungodly (ver.
5), and whence the grand deliverance is to come, (ver. 7.) De
liverance is to appear on tbe walls of Zion. " Salvation is of
the Jews." (John iv. 22.) From Israel comes the Saviour, born
at Bethlel-iem, but crucified, rising, ascending at Jerusalem.
Out of Israel too, comes life from tbe dead to tbe world, when
the Eedeemer returns again; for, " Bebold, darkness shall cover
tbe earth, and gross darkness the people : but tbe Lord shall
arise upon thee, and His gloiy shall be seen upou thee. Aud

PSALM XIV. — VIEW OF EARTH AND ITS PROSPECTS. 47
tbe Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the bright
ness of thy rising," (Isaiab Ix. 2, S).
Let us, then, read this Psalm as our Lord's report regarding
tbe state in whicb earth and its multitudes are found.
(Ver. 1.) 0 Father, they are denying tbat thou hast any The contents.
being. Tbe whole earth is replenished with fools, who say in
tbeir heart, " There is no God." Tbey are corrupt ; tbey are
doing abominable deeds ; there is none tbat doeth good.
(Ver. 2.) 0 sons of men, tbe cry of earth's wickedness came
up to beaveu. The Lord looked down to see if there were any
tbat understood and sought after God.
(Ver. 3.) Alas ! it is altogether according to the ciy, They
are all gone aside. Tbey are altogether becorae filthy. There
is none that doeth good : NO, NOT ONE.
(Ver. 4.) Yet they see not tbeir folly. Who has bewitched
thera ? Have they no knowledge, tbat tbey eat up ray people,
and call not on Jehovah ?
(Ver. 5.) But tbeir damnation slumbereth not. On tbe very
spot where tbeir folly bas been wrought I see them trembling.
" Terror overtakes them ; for God is among the generation of
tbe righteous."
(Ver. 6.) Where is now your mouth, wherewith ye said.
Who is tbe Lord tbat we should serve Hira ? Is not this tbe
people whom ye despised ? (Jud. ix. 38,) Ye cast shame on
tbe counsel of tbe poor, because be made tbe Lord bis refuge.
Ye scorned tbe policy of those who made the Lord their wis
dom ; but the Lord bas now laughed you to scorn.
(Ver. 7.) 0 let the day dawn and the .shadows flee away I
Come quickly, year of my redeemed ! (Isaiab Ixiii. 4.)
" Ld Jacob rejoice and Israd le glad,
At ihe Lord's bringing hack the captivity of His people."
Let tbe time come when earth shall bear Israel's shouts of joy
at the opening of their prison, at the termination of their exile,
at tbe restoration of tbeir long-lost prosperity, at tbe return of
tbeir Shepherd to dwell among tbem. For when earth shall
hear tbat sbout of joy, it shall be a token that now at length
bas the time arrived when the full accomplishment shall take

48 PSALM XV. — THC : Wri.LER IN THE HOLY HILL.
place of that promise to Abraham, " In thy seed shall all na
tions of tbe earth be blessed."
Thus does tbe true Eight<^ous One survey tbe world lying in
-wickedness, and turn his eye toward tbe dawn of day, every
member sympathizing with the Head. We may describe tbe
Psalm as being a setting forth of
The Righteous One's view of earth, and its prospects.

PSALM XV.
A Psalm of David.
I ;,oitD, who .shall abide in thy tabernacle 1 who shall dwell in thy holy
iiill?
2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness.
And speaketh the truth in his heart.
8 He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour.
Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.
I- In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; — but he honoureth them that
fear the Lord.
He that swoareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.
a He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against
the innocent.
He that doeth these things shall never be moved.
We beard of a " righteous generation" in last Psalm, and here
is one of tbem as a representative of the whole. None can
be said to have fulfilled the conditions, or come up to tbe cha
racter here sketched, excepting Christ, if we view tbe matter
in its strictness ; although every member of His body lays
claim to His imputed obedience, and exhibits a goodly speci
men of tbe effect of this imputation in producing personal
holiness. We consider this Psalm as descriptive of our Head
in His personal holiness, and of bis members as made holy by
Him. It is one thing to state bow holiness is attained, and quite
another to assert that perfect holiness is possessed. When you
describe a worshipper in tbe Holy Hill as one who is boly, you
do not ou that account maintain tbat his holiness was self -de-

PSALM XV. — THE DWELLER IN THE HOLY IIILL. 49
rived, or tbat it was bis primary qualification. Far less do
you assert tbat holiness of character stands in the place of the
blood tbat cleanses the conscience. There are several links in
tbe golden chain, and my pointing to one of tbese does in no
way interfere -with my conviction of tbe necessity of tbe rest.
If I find it said of our Lord : —
"Itis Christ that died ;
Yea, rather, that is risen agairt!
Who is even at the right hand of God I
Who also maketh intercession for us,"
I may take up one feature of this Eedeemer, and may say, " He
who saves us is One who is risen again ;" but by so saying I
do not deny, but rather necessarily include, the assertion, tbat
He died first of all. So also if I say, " He who is saved is one
who has holiness ;" I do not, by saying this, deny tbat tbe man
has first of all been made clean by tbe blood : on tbe contrary,
I imply tbat as a thing of course, necessarily preceding the
other. Again, if I say, " That Priest bas washed bis bands and
feet in tbe laver," I do not deny, but, on tbe contrary, neces
sarily imply, tbat first of all he was at tbe Altar, and touched
tbe blood there. Or, once more, if I read 1 Tim. i. 5, —
" Now the end of the commandment is charity
Out of a pure heart.
And out of a good conscience,
And out of faith unfeigned,"
I may fix on tbe middle clause and say, tbe love, or charity,
aimed at by tbe law, is tbe product of a " good conscience."
But do I, on account of tbat statement, at all deny tbat "faith
unfeigned" is needful in order to arrive at a good conscience ?
It is even thus with our Psalm, when received as stating what
belongs to the members of Christ. It tells of tbeir "pure
heart ;" but theu that pure heart came from " a good con
science ;" and that good conscience was tbe effect of" unfeigned
faith" in the blood.
It is, however, only our Head tbat can fully realize tbe cha- christ.
racter here given. " Holvness to the Lord" is on our High
Priest's mitre, while we, as inferior priests, go forward in bis
D

50 PSALM XV. — THE DWELLER IN THE HOLY HILL.
The contents, steps, to dwell in the Tabernacle.* Tbe question is asked, ver,
I, " Who shall dwell ?" abide, be a guest for ever, in tbe palace
of our King and God ? Verse 2 tells tbe outward purity re
quired, and tbe inward guilelessness. Verse 3, the purity of
word ; verse 4, company ; verse 5, disinterested and self-denied
hve to His Tieighbours ; ver. 5, uprightness, if He once promise
he will not " exchange" his promise for anything more conve
nient to himself, and will not fail to shew tbe heart of a brother
in everyday transactions. These are signs of a renewed nature,
very rare in our world, and such as manifest tbe man to be,
" though in tbe world, yet not of tbe world." In verse 4, we have
tbe key to tbe difference between such a one and the man of
earth. "He honoureth them that fear the Lord ;" bis heart lies
in the company of those who fear Jebovab ; and if so, then he
himself prefers Jehovah's company to all besides. He is one
who has fellowship with God.
The holy hill, g^t we must not fail to notice the " Tabernacle" aad the
"Holy HiU," where this man's dwelling shall be for ever.
The Tabernacle of Moses, wbicb, in David's days, was pitched
on tbe slopes of Zion-hUl, is the ty^je of greater things. In
tbat figure we see God in tbe cloud of glory over tbe mercy-
seat, dweUing with men, and tbe Priest entering in on tbe
atonement-day, to His presence. All this was typical of wbat
is now before us in clearer light. The redeemed go in with
the blood of tbe Eedeemer through the rent veil, (for the atone
ment-day is " novj") to Him who is in heaven. And when
the Lord returns, and the " Tabernacle of God is with men,"^~
when Christ, the true mercy-seat, is here — then shall we go
to that Tabernacle, and see Him, on that Holy Hill, where bis
presence shall be manifested. (See this more at large iu Psalm
xxiv.) But on tbat day none shall ascend that Hill, or ap'
preach that Tabernacle, who are not " sanctified." On this
point Eevelation xxi. 27 corresponds with our Psalm — into
• As Barclay puts it, with truth though not with poetic taste,-—
" Now who is He ? Say if ye can
Who so shall gain the Arm ahode ?
Pilate shall say, ' Behold the Man ! '
And John, ' Behold the Lamb of God !' "

PSALM XVI. — Messiah's satisfaction with his lot. 51
New Jerusalem "there shall in no wise enter anything that
defileth or maketh a lie." Over its gate is written, " Without
holiness no man shall see God."
Here, then, we have before us a description of
The dwudler im, the Holy Hid of Qod.

PSALM XVL
Michtam of David.
1 Fbeseuve me, O God : for in thee do I put my trust
2 O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord !
My goodness extendeth not to thee i
3 But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is
all my delight.
4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god :
Their drink-offerings «f blood will I not offer, nor take up their names
into my lips.
5 The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup : — thou main
tainest my lot.
6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places ; yea, I have a goodly
heritage.
7 I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel :
My reins also instruct me in the night seasons.
8 I 'have set the Lord always before me :
Because be is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth : my flesh also shall
rest in hope.
10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell ;
Neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption,
11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life : — in thy presence is fulness of joy ;
At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
It is not sin alone that characterises our world. Misery goes S'sorroV"'*
band in band with sin. And hence, as tbe preceding Psalm
set before us One who was holy in tbe midst of a world lying
in wickedness, though breathing its air, walking on its high
way, handling its objects, and conversing with its inhabitants,
so this Psalm exhibits One who is happy, truly happy, not
withstanding a world of broken cisterns around bim, and the
sighs borne to bis ear on every breeze. This happy One is

too.

52 PSALM XVL— MESSIAH'S SATISFACTION WITH HIS LOT.
" ihe Man of Sorrows," — ^no other than He ! For Peter, in
Acts ii. 31, declares, " David speaketh concerning Him !"
His memhers, This bappy One (followed in all ages by his chosen ones)
walks through many a varied scene, and at every step expresses
satisfaction and perfect contentment with tbe Father's arrange
ments. In verses 1, 2, be tells, -with complacent delight, into
whose bands it is he has committed his all : " Thou art my
Lord," — my soul bas said this with all its strength. And
" My goodness is not over Thee ;"
whatever is good or blessed in my lot, makes no pretensions
to add anything to thy blessedness, to overshadow thee ; nor
do I allow tbe bliss I enjoy to supersede Him who blesses me.*
And does not every raember of bis body respond to all this !
Who of them does not reply, " My Lord and my God ! thou
art tbe very bower of bliss under wbicb I sit. We are blessed in
thee ; but thou needest not us to bless thee !"
Satisfied with bis Father as God, and Lord, and Guardian,
he is equally so with tbe sphere witbin which be must move :
" Jesus loved Martha, and .ber sister, and Lazarus." None on
earth, seem to Him so pleasant and " honourable" (D^'''^^i),
(see Psa. viii. 1) as tbe saints. And not less is He pleased with
bis separation from all idols and all idolatry. (See ver. 3 and 4.)
And does not every member of bis body respond, " Amen .'"
gladly recognising tbeir own company as tbe circle witbin which
is " all tbeir delight." But bow instructive and wonderful it is
to find, in ver. 5, such entire contentedness with tbe Lord's
doings, and such a recognition of bis will. For it was enemies
tbat brought bim many a bitter draught to drink, tbe vinegar
and the gall, — it was " not au enemy," but worse far, a perfi
dious friend, tbat plunged the dagger into bis heart ; and yet
in all this be sees tbe Lord giving him bis cup and portion.
Nor less remarkable is it to hear, in ver. 6, tbe Man of Sorrows
tell tbat bis lines have fallen to bim in pleasant places ! He
tbat bad nowhere to lay bis head, bow happy is He ! What
* As for " goodness," see Psalm cvi. 6, and the equivalent ^.St^ of Psalm
cxxviii. 5. In the flvy there may be reference to the sky over our head.
Such a passage as Psalm cviii. 5 is parallel ; " Great above the heavens" — the
heavens not above thee, but thou over them.

' PSALM xvt. — MESSIAHS SATI:-FACTI0N AVITH HIS LOT. 53
a calm contentment sits upon bis pensive brow ! Earth and
bell are unable to destroy bis blessed lot. He has (ver. 7) fouiid
communion with bis Father, when others sleep, — in the retired
valleys and bills of Galilee, on tbe Mount of Olives, in tbe
wilderness. Tbe presence aud care of bis Father is a fund
of enjoyment in itself. (Ver. 8.) All may be scattered and
leave bim alone ; but yet be is not alone, for tbe Father is
with bim.
Such joys as these stUl gladden every believer's soul, even
as they did refresh tbe "Author and Finisher of our Faith."
He drank of tbese brooks by tbe way, " therefore was bis heart
glad." Tbat he might endure to tbe end, and as man endure,
he tasted of needful draughts in bis sore undertaking ; and his
draughts of refreshment were of tbe kind whicb we have seen
above. We, too, can taste the same, and we need the same.
Nor less do we need wbat follows in ver. 9, secure confidence in
prospect of death, and (ver. 10) tbe hope of blessed resurrec
tion. Our Head laid his flesh in the Joseph's sepulchre, ex
pecting tbe future result, a speedy resurrection. His soul was
not to be left long separate from bis body — out of paradise it
was soon to come, and on tbe third day to rejoin its body ere
corruption could begin. But we, too, bis members, are as sure
of a return of our souls from paradise to join our bodies on the
Eesurrection Morn, when " this corruptible shall put on incor-
ruption." And thus to tbe Head and members shall tbeir full
satisfaction be realized, and tbat for ever. He and tbey shall
tread tbe path of life, and enter into "fulness of joy, pleasures
for evermore," — tbe blessedness of tbe eternal kingdom.
Such are tbe riches of this Psalm that some have been led
to think tbe obscure title, " Michtam," has been prefixed to it
on account of its golden stores. For DJIS is used of the " gold
of Ophir," (e.g., Psa. xlv. 10), and DniQ might be a derivative
from tbat root. But as there is a group of five other Psalms
(viz., Ivi., Ivii., Iviii., lix., Ix.) tbat bear this title, whose subject
matter is various, but wbicb all end in a tone of triumph, it
bas been suggested tbat the Septuagint may be nearly right
in their ^rnXoy^afia, as if "A Psalm to be bung up or in
scribed on a pillar to commemorate victory." It is, however,

Title.

54 psalm xvil — DISSATISFACTION WITH A PRESENT WORLD.
more like still that tbe term, " Michtam" (like " Maschil"), is a
musical term, whose real meaning and use we bave lost, and
may recover only when the ransomed bouse of Israel return
home with songs. Meanwhile tbe subject-matter of this Psalm
itself is very clearly this —
The Righteous One's satisfaction with his lot.

PSALM XVIL
A Prayer of David.
1 Hear the right, 0 Lord, attend unto my cry.
Give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.
2 Let my sentence come forth from thy presence ;
Let thine eyes behold the things that are equal.
3 Thou hast proved mine heart ; thou hast visited me in the night;
Thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing ;
I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.
4 Concerning the works of men,
By the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the deitiojer.
6 Hold up my goings in thy paths, — that my footsteps slip not
6 I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God ;
Incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.
7 Shew thy marvellous loving-kindness, 0 thou that savest by thy right hand.
Them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them.
8 Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,
9 From the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who com
pass me about.
10 They are enclosed in their own fat : with their mouth they speak proudly.
11 They have now compassed us in our steps :
They have set their eyes bowing down to the earth ;
12 Like as a lion that is greedy ofhis prey.
And as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.
13 Arise, 0 Lord, disappoint him, cast him down :
Deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword :
14 Frora men which are thy hand, 0 Lord,
From men of the world, which have their portion in this life,
And whose belly thou fiUest with thy hid treasure :
They are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.
15 As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness :
I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.
The tone, "^^^ ^^^^ strain again — only here tbe sin and sorrow of tbe
world are brought together, and tbe Eighteous One is seen

PSALM XVII. — DISSATISFACTION WITH A PHliSENT WORLD. 55
lifting bis eyes to heaven, as sure conqueror over both. Earth,
whether viewed from the top of Peor, or tbe field of Zopbim,
is still the same fallen earth ; and not less gratefully does tbe
sbout of the King of Jesburum greet our ears, by whatever
cliff of Pisgab it may happen to be echoed back. It is called
A Prayer, for it consists of strong appeals to God. Thetiue.
While fully satisfied with his lot, tbe Eighteous One tells
us how little reason there is to be satisfied with tbe world Thepia»
wherein bis lot was for a time cast. Dissatisfied with man's
judgment, be appeals to tbe Lord, and ver. 1 is equivalent to
those two words in bis prayer (John xvii. 25), " 0 righteous
Father." Before Him he spreads his cause, expecting (ver. 2, 3)
a reversal of the world's sentence. The Father " proved him
and could find nothing." Was it to this be referred in John.
xiv. 30, when telling of Satan's attempt 1 Mysterious trial !
all-perfect righteousness ! Heaven and hell bave tried it ; and
neither tbe holiness of God, nor the envy of Satan, could detect
a flaw. We find him appealing to tbe Father as to his heart
(ver. 3), as to bis words (ver. 4), and as to his ways (vey. 5)
— sure of tbe verdict from tbe lips of Holiness itself. And,
united to Him, each believer may make the same appeal, with
the same success, while be is led also, in tbe very act of so
doing, to plant bis steps in tbe footsteps of bis all-perfect
Surety. In ver. 6, emphasis rests on / ('Jl<) ; " I bave called ;"
let others do tbe same.
Still dissatisfied with men, in ver. 6-8 He seeras to unbosom
himself to tbe Father, fixing bis eye on the marvellous love
sbe-wn in redemption, "tbe tender mercies," or "bowels of
mercy," by reason of wbicb tbe " Dayspring from on high bath
visited us," (Luke i. 78).
" Single out thy lovingkindness, thou deliverer of those that trust."
Saints are called "Trusters," (D'DiH) and tbe prayer is,
" Set apart (Psalm iv. 3) for me some special mercy. Make
it appear in its singular brightness, 0 thou who deliverest me
who trust in Thee, and wilt deliver all others who simply trust
in Thee through me ! " We, too, may follow Him even into the
very secret of tbe Most High, when in ver. 8 be presses for
ward and sits down under tbe wings of majesty and love — at

56 PSALM XVIL — DISSATISFACTION WITH A PRESENT WORLD.
rest in the " God of Israel, under whose wings be bas come to
trust." And here we may, with our Head, survey the turmoil
of human wickedness, beholding (verses 9-1 4) tbeir assaults,
their snares, tbeir lion-like anger, tbeir conspiracies, and, in
ver. 14, tbeir luxury and worldly ease.
" My soul ddiver from the wicked, by thy sword,
From men, by thy hand, 0 Lord,
From men!" (Perhaps, fraU, dying men, if D'/1J3 be connected
-with jy\f2 to die.)
" From the transitory world I"
Grieved at such scenes, the Eighteous One suddenly darts bis
eye into tbe future, and anticipates resurrection-glory, — a glory
that shall cast human splendour into the shade, and leave tbe
Lord's people without one unsatisfied desire. Our Head sung,
in prospect of bis resurrection, and we, bis members, sing, in
prospect of ours, —
" But as for me I shall behold his face in righteousness." (Ver. 15.)
0 righteous Father, 0 boly Father (John xvii), I come to thee,
and, for ever dead unto sin, and escaped from tbe world's miry
clay, I shall stand before Thee who art righteous iu the beauty
of pure righteousness. And my dissatisfactions shall be for
gotten when entering on tbat enjoyment, — thou appearing in
glory to meet me, and I conformed to tbe glory tbat meets me
at my rising, " I shall be satisfied when thy likeness awakes " —
This likeness is spoken of in Numb. xii. 8. It is the mani
festation of God in his glory. Tbe "glory of the Father"
(Eom. vi. 3) met Christ at tbe sepulchre, and He arose glo
rious, soul and body. So shall it be with each of his members.
Christ our Life, tbe incarnate manifestation of the likeness of
God, shall appear in glory ; and we shall instantly be con
formed to Him "seeing Him as He is" (J John iii. 2). Tbe
appearing of tbat glory, in our dark world, whence it has so
long been exiled, seeras to be meant by tbe " awakening of His
likeness." Psalm Ixxiii. 20 speaks of it again, and attributes
to tbat event the eternal confusion of the worldlings who bad
tbeir portion and cup full for a season.
It was in tbe act of singing tbese words, as tbey stand in tbe

PSALM XVIIL — MESSIAH SAVED AND GLORIFIED, 57
metrical version, tbat one of our Scottish martyrs, Alexander
Home, passed from tbe scaffold to glory. With a solemn eye
and glowing soul, he was able amid gathered thousands to ex
press bis rest and hope in tbese words, —
" But as for me I thine own face
In righteousness shall see ;
And with thy likeness when I wake
I satisfied shall be."
And who of all tbe saints would not join bim ? Who would
not take up every clause of tbe whole Psalm ? Who would not
sympathize in
The Righteous One's dissatisfaction with a present world?

PSALM XVIIL
To the chief Musician, A Fsalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who spake unto theLord the
words of this song in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies,
and from the hand of Saul : And he said,
1 I WILL love thee, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer ;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust ;.
My buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
3 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised :
So shall I be saved from mine enemies.
4 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made
me afraid.
5 The sorrows of hell compassed me about : the snares of death prevented me.
6 In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God :
He heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even
into his ears.
7 Then the earth shook and trembled ;
The foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he
was wroth.
8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils,
And fire out of his mouth devoured : — coals were kindled by it.
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down : and darkness was nnder
his feet.
10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly : yea, he did fly upon the wings
of the wind.
11 He made darkness his secret place ;
His pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
12 At the brightness that was before him his thick cloud,? passed, — hail-stone»
and coals of flre.

58 PSALM XVIII. — MESdIAH SAVED AND GLORIFI-D.
13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
And the Highest gave his voice ;— hail-stones and coals of fire.
14 Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them ;
And he shot out lightnings, and discomfited thera.
15 Then the channels of water were seen, and the foundations of the world
were discovered
At thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
16 He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy.
And from them which hated me : for they were too strong for me.
18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity : — but the Lord was my stay.
19 He brought me forth also into a large place ; — he delivered me, because ha
delighted me.
20 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness ;
According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed
from my God.
22 For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his
statutes from me.
23 I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.
24 Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness,
According to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
25 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful ;
With au upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright ;
26 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure ;
And with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward,
27 For thou wilt save the afflicted people ; but wilt bring down high looks.
28 For thou wilt light my candle : the Lord my God will enlighten my
darkness.
29 For by thee I have run through a troop ; and by my God have I leaped
over a wall.
30 As for God, his way is perfect : the word of the Lord is tried :
He is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
31 For who is God save the Lord? or who is a rock save our God ?
32 It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
33 He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places.
34 He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
35 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation :
And thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made
me great.
36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.
37 I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them:
Neither did I turn again till they were consumed.
38 I have wounded them that they were not able to rise :— they are fallen
under my feet.
39 For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle :
Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.

PSALM XVIII, — ^MESSIAH SAVLD AND GLORIFIED. 59
40 Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies ;
That I might destroy them that hate me.
41 They cried, but there was none to save them : — even unto the Lord, but
he answered them not.
42 Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind :
I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.
43 Thou hast deUvered me from the strivings of the people :
And thou hast made me the bead of the heathen :
A people whom I have not known shall serve me.
44 As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me :
The strangers shall submit themselves unto me.
45 The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.
46 The Lord liveth ! and blessed be my rock ; and let the God of my salva
tion be exalted.
47 It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me.
48 He delivereth me from mine enemies :
Yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me ;
Thou hast delivered me from the violent man.
49 Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen,
And sing praises unto thy name.
60 G reat deliverance giveth he to his king ; and sheweth mercy to his anointed,
To David, and to his seed for evermore.
This is a Psalm of " The Lord's Servant," a title given to one
called to specific services for God. It was given into the hands
of " The Chief Musician'' on tbe day when the Lord bad de-
bvered from every foe. Tbe circumstances were peculiar, aud
so is tbe style of tbe song. Thus ver. 1, "/ will love thee" is
expressed by tbe unusual word DrTHK, whicb can be expressed
only by some such paraphrase as '"' My bowels yearn in love to
thee."* And then tbe next term, " My strength," 'jprri is rare
but very expressive, equivalent to, " Thou who hast held me up
firm and fast."
It is meant for a greater than David, but David's circum- David here.
stances furnished an appropriate occasion for giving to tbe
Church a song such as might suit Messiab, and all his members
too. Da-vid's circumstances, tbat made bim suitable to be tbe
vehicle of this divine communication, have moulded tbe lan-
* Sternhold had no doubt felt that there was something very energetic in
the original, and so he has versified it thus, with considerable success :
" 0 God, my strength and fortitude
Of force I must love thee ;
Thou art my castle and defence
In my necessity."

The title.

60 PSALM XVIIL— MESSIAH SAVED AND GLORIFIED.
guage ; but we are not to carry tbe allusion to bis history too far.
Some have supposed that there is reference in verses 7-1 5 to
some tempest that helped David's victory on some occasion ; but
we may be content with observing tbat the style is coloured by
David's experience. Thus, ver. 2 amplifies the '•ptrj of ver. 1.
" Tbe Lord is my ^V :" my precipitous rock (like 1 Sam.
xxiii. 28), wbicb foes find inaccessible. " My TXVi^iQ strong-
bold" amid such rocks ; like those of Engedi, 1 Sam. xxiii. 29.
" My deliverer," not leaving me simply to tbe defence of rocks,
but bimsell interposing with bis loving arm. " My God! "
not deliverance only to me, but every thing, my all in all !
" My lilt," my firm, immoveable rock (Isa. xxvi. 4) who never
changes. " In Him will 1 trust." In sucb a one as this may
I not be satisfied? And when I go forth to tbe battle field,
this Jehovah is " My Shield ;" and by Him I win victory ;
" The horn of my Salvation I" And as I return to my encamp
ment on yonder height, sucb as 1 Sam. xxvi. 13 used to be to
me, far above the reach of foes, I sing of Him as " My High
Place," the height where I repose secure.
But the Psalm was meant for tbe Lord Jesus very specially. It
Christ m it. presents a singular history of some portions of our Lord's mighty
undertakings, all related in sucb a manner as tbat bis mem
bers (and David among tbe rest) might often use it for them
selves. In Heb. ii. 1 3, Paul quotes verse 2 as our Lord's words :
" / will put my trust in him ;" to shew tbat Christ, as our
brother, leant on God, just as we ourselves would lean our
weakness on Almighty strength. And again, in Eom. xv. 9,
be quotes verse 49, "/ will confess to thee among the Gentiles"
to shew Christ's deep interest in tbe world at large. So that
we bave, by means of tbese two references, — one from tbe be
ginning, the other from tbe close, — tbe whole Psalm marked
out (bracketed witbin these two quotations) as belonging to
Christ in a special and direct manner.
It is, then, our Brother who bere sings. (Heb. ii. 13.) He
begins with telling bis younger brethren wbat bis Father {"His
Father and ours") did for bim in tbe day of tbe sadness of bis
heart. He is relating some of tbe ' bidden things, wbicb are
nowhere else recorded, but wbicb fit in to tbe time of Getbse-

PSALM XVIIL— MESSIAH SAVED AND GLORIFIED. 61
mane suffering, and tbe three hours' darkness, aud the earth
quake, and tbe fending of tbe Temple veil, — things tbat took
place in tbe view of other spectators than man, when tbe "prince
of tbe air" was overthrown, and tbe Father, with bis legions of
angels, carae forward to debver.
The mention of tbe "cherub" in verse 10 is not to be over- Thecherab.
looked : " He rode upon a cherub." Like a king or warrior,
tbe Lord is represented as going forth in bis chariot ; but be
mounts, on tbat memorable day, a chariot whose coat of arms
is the cherub. He goes forth in his cherub-chariot, and this
is sufficient to shew the errand on wbicb he is gone out : it is
redemption. For tbat symbol is tbe redemption-symbol
Cherubim in paradise after tbe fall ; cherubim on the mercy-
seat, with tbeir feet touching tbe blood, and their whole weight
on tbe ark ; cherubim on tbe veil that was rent ; — everywhere
cherubim (the four li-ving beings of Eev. iv.) represented the
Eedeemed. How significant to the universe, when Jehovah
rose up with tbe symbol of man's redemption, to go forth to
tbe aid of man's Eedeemer.
Let us begin, then. Tbe true Sweet Singer of Israel, tbe The plan.
firstborn among many brethren, stands on tbe shore of bis
Eed Sea, and sings, in verses 1 and 2, tbe grace and glory
of bis God. Wbat a God be is : " My strength, my rock,* my
fortress," &c. Then comes the story of bis a-wful conflict. He
traverses the field with us, and tells us of bis cries that pierced
tbe heavens and tbe Father's heart (ver. 3-6), — a commen
tary on Heb. v. 7. But from verse 7 to 1 5 what a scene of
terrific incidents is opened to view ! "The cords" of tbe hun
ter " death" were enclosing him ; and tbe " torrents of Belial"
— floods swollen with all the mischief of bell and hellish men,
— were sweeping down upon bim, when bis ciy began to be
noticed, and the Father rose up. Earth shook — smoke and
fire were seen by those same angels who were witnesses of tbe
smoke and fire on Sinai, attesting the majesty of tbe law ; and
the same heavens bowed tbat bowed when tbe Law was given,
* The clause, "God of myrock," in 2 Sam. xxii. 3, is properly "my rock-
God," i.e., my strong, rock-like, God.

62 PSALM XVIIL— MESSIAH SAVED AND GLORIFIED.
the same darkness attended this descent, for now tbe Law-ful-
Mler was about to present the law fulfilled. He carae with tbe
cherub-sjmhol, inasmuch as there was now to be redemption
from tbe curse of tbe law. But there was no abatement of bis
glory — no obscuring of his raajesty ; on the contrary, there
was tbe same covering of darkness, as when tbe law was given,
and thereafter the same brightness shot forth. Hailstones, too,
as when He overcame bis enemies at Betbboron, attested tbe
presence of tbe same majesty and power : the same thunder
uttered its voice, tbe same lightning-arrows flew abroad. It
was Israel's God in his majesty; yes, the same that laid bare
tbe Eed Sea's channel, (verses 14, 15), who then appeared in
still greater displays of majesty. It was a scene not -witnessed
by mortal eyes, but, no doubt, "seen of angels."
At length tbe Eedeemer was delivered. "He sent from
above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters" (Verses
1 6-18). In vain do tbe scribes and elders triumph, sealing tbe
sepulchre stone, and setting a watch ; in vain does Satan exult,
as if he had crushed the woman's seed.
" They prevented me, {i.e. got before me, as if between me and my re
fuge,) in the day of my calamity."
But Jebovab came — ^resurrection followed, with all its con
sequences. He stood in " a large place ; " and soon sat down
at the right hand of Majesty on high. And in tbat hour every
member of his body was virtually "raised with Him, aud
made to sit with Him in tbe heavenly places, " — in a large
room !
And was all this done in conforraity with law and righteous
ness ? Tbe law was honoured then, and is honoured and mag
nified for ever, by all that tbe Eedeemer wrought. Vers. 20-
26 declares it :
" Jehovah rewarded me according to my righteousness,
" A ccording to ihe cleanness of my hands has he recompensed me.
" Because I kept the ways of the Lord —
"All his judgments icere before me,
" And I did not put away his statutes from ?»e."
" Yea, I was upright before Him," &c
Henceforth, nothing binders tbe application of his redemption-

PSALM XVIIL— MESSIAH SAVED AND GLORIFIED. 63
work on tbe part of God ; and on man's part there is nothing
required but tbe poverty of spirit tbat is willing to receive a
gift. Pride, tbat caused the fall, binders the rising again of
tbe fallen. " For thou wilt save the peeple that are poor,"
" But vrill bring down high looks," (ver. 27).
Our Brother, having brought us thus far in his history, tells
us ouce more of tbe Father's love to Him and his people, and
how fully tbe Father, who equipped Him for the forraer struggle,
has equipped him for whatever remains for bim to do. (Verses
28-35). Tbe Father lovetb tbe Son, and bath given all
things into bis bands. He seems suddenly to remind the Father
of this, (verses 35, 36), in preparation for wbat is coming, say
ing.— " Thy gentleness hath made me great."
Then follows tbe final assault (long deferred) upon his unyield
ing enemies.* (Verses 37-42.) It is evidently tbe day of bis
Second Coming ; for we hear the cry (v. 41), when " there is
none to save ;" tbe Master bas risen up and shut to tbe door.
Eocks and mountains cannot shelter foes, any more than could
tbe cave of Makkedab the five kings tbat fled to it. Our Joshua
calls tbem out, and puts bis own foot upon their necks. (V. 40,
compared with Josh. x. 24). And then is earth subdued under
Him. (Ver. 43, 44, 45). Isaiab lii. 15 is fulfilled : nations
coming to Him, as did tbe Queen of Sheba, attracted by tbe
report of his grace and glory.
* The ti?n3 of ^- '*5, is the same word used in Ps. Ixvi. 3, and Ixxxi. 16. It
originally expressed "feigned obedience," through fear or flattery ; the kind of
submission yielded by men to irresistible conquerors. But here we must un
derstand the word to be accommodated to the circumstances of the case, and to
express the completeness of the homage rendered to Messiah, arising from the
feeling of his irresistible greatness. It is q. d. all the homage that was ever
given by subdued nations to their conquerors, shall be given to Messiah. The
feignedness of the submission is not to be considered. Just as in Isaiah viii. 13,
" Make Jehovah your dread, the object of your terror," C^'pi'^ti)- The allu
sion i« to what idolators felt toward their horrid idols : but it is only an allu
sion, q.d„ l£t Jehovah be the object of your heart's reverence,— this is yow
dread i

of Christ.

64 PSALM XVIII. — MESSIAH SAVED AND GLOliiFIED.
The Lord alone is exalted in tbat day. The glory resounds
to Him (verses 46-48) ; aud "HVT'/n" is the watchword, or
congratulatory acclaraation (I Kings i.. 25, 31), of all the earth
— "Jehovah liveth!" Jew and Gentile are seen in union;
for the Deliverer (ver. 49-50) declares his celebration of Je-
bovab's narae araong the Geutiles, while be shews kindness
" to David and bis seed for ever."
Well may we join with all tbe members of our Head, " made
more than conquerors" in Him, and enjoying our share in all
these triumphs along with Him, — ^well may we join in tbe ex
clamation of ver. 50,
" Thou who makest great the salvations ofhis King I "
Tbe full, salvation-work wrought out by our appointed King,
is called " li\VW^ ; " and tbese things are all done in tbe way of
might and majesty.
The memijei-.^ Butjiow See how wotoo may sing all this; even as David
could sing it, as well as David's son. We sing of our deliver
ances, and remember all tbe while tbat tbe source of tbem
was God's rising up for us in all bis power, in-visible yet
awfully great. And then in ver. 20-27, we, like David, may
speak before tbe Lord of tbe righteousness we bave got, and
of tbe purity He himself bas bestowed. It is with our eye
on Christ's righteousness imputed, and Christ's Spirit im
parted, tbat we so sing, humbly declaring wbat He bas wrought
for us. As for ver. 28-36, tbey tell our experience to the
life ; and as for ver. 37-45, tbey tell, in our case, of tbe
day when we shall share with our Head, in bruising Satan
under our feet, and when Eev. iii. 9 shall be fulfilled. Wbat
are we tbat we should be called upon to join in sucb a song !
Wbat are we. Lord, tbat tby Son should be our elder brother,
and work all this for us I Enable us for evermore to love,
serve, glorify, and follow fully tbat Saviour who was saved when
he. took our place ! And never may we sing this Psalm but
with burning love to Him, as we tbink of
The Righteous One saved and glorified.

PSALM XIX. — THE TWOFOLD WITNESS. 65

PSALM XIX.
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
1 The heavens declare the glory of God ; and the firmament sheweth his
handywork.
2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end
of the world.
In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
6 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
And rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the
ends ofit:
And there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul :
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple :
8 The statutes of the Loi-d are right, rejoicing the heart :
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes ;
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever :
The judgments of theLord are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold:
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned : and in keeping of them there
is great reward.
12 Who can understand his errors ? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins ; — ^let them not have
dominion over me :
Then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great trans
gression.
14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart.
Be acceptable iu thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
Standing on tbe platform of earth, but looking away from The plan.
what in it is merely man's work, tbe eye of bim that speaks
in this Psalm bas rested first on tbe glorious heavens, and
then on the law that reveals Him who dwelleth in the hea
vens. Law is here equivalent to Revelation; it is tTIID ; tbat is,
wbat be teaches.
There will be a time when, under tbe seven-fold light of
tbe New Heavens tbat will stretch tbeir canopy over a New
Earth, it may be said yet more emphatically than now, that
" without voice, or articulate sound,"

66 PSALM XIX. — ^THE TWOFOLD WITNE3S
" The heavens are tdling the glory of God."
" Day unto day pours out a gushing stream of speech," <&e.
And then, too, shall we be better able to read that glorious lom,
tbat tells of Jebovab, — for we shall see better then than we do
now bow " perfect" it is, how " surei" never failing in threaten
ing or promise, bow "right," bow really "eternal ;" better
than " gold ;" and wbat a future as well as present "reward"
there is in keeping it ! But why should we not even no>v
reach far into the 'ander-standing of all this ? His "'Law," i. e.
his revelation of bis will (mi/l, teaching), is "perfect," or entire,
wanting nothing ; aud so it can furnish the soul tbat needs to
be " restored" with what suits its case. His " testimony," i.e.
bis witness, (with a tacit reference to tbe Tabernacle of Witness),
or declaration of what is really good and evil, sweet and bitter, is
" sure," worthy to be trusted as true, not being like tbe .specula
tions and systems of philosophy ; and so it is tbe very thing for
tbe raan who is easily misled, and who hitherto bas bad no de
cided principles, "the simple." His "statutes' (DmpS) are
always according to rectitude. Tbese His special charges in spe
cial circumstances (sucb as that at Sinai, not to touch the moun
tain), are "right," being wisely accordant with circurastances;
and so, instead of being grievous, they becorae the occasion of
gladness. His commandment (iTl^JD), every single precept of the
whole Moral Law (Eom. vii. 12), is " pure," clear, fair, (mi
Song vi. 9, 10), and so is a heart-cheering object, and would im
part to tbe man who kept it (who dipt his rod in this honey, 1
Sam. xiv. 27), cheerfulness and vigour of mind, arising from
clearness of conscience and freedom from gna-wing corruption.
{^'Enlighten the eyes," means invigorate ; see Ezra is. 8, &c.)
His "fear" is tbe solemn impression made by God's perfec
tions on tbe soul, as on Jacob at Bethel. Instruction in regard
to this is in its nature " clean" (niinQ Levit. xiii. ] 7), there
is in it no defilement condemned by tbe Law to be cast out, no
pollution, and therefore nothing tbat requires removal, " stand
ing fast for ever." In a word, His "judgments," i. e. His
decisions as to our duty, and bis modes of dealing or provi
dential actings, following out bis decisions, are all according

TO THE JEHOVAH S GLORY.

67

to " truth," not capricious : firm principle guides them, " they
are thoroughly righteous."
There was once one in our world who used this Psalm, and c*^'-
was guided by it to gaze on the glory of God, in tbe heavens
and in tbe law. Our Lord and Saviour loved bis Father's
works and imrd. Often did He sit on tbe bigb mountains of
tbe land of Israel, or look abroad over its broad plains, and
then turn upward to tbe blue canopy over all, to adore bis
Father. Often did He unrol "the volume of the Book," or
sit listening to its words read in tbe synagogue. He saw evil
on every side ; bis own holy soul was tbe only ark wbicb
this deluge bad not overtaken ; and, with this in full view.
He might often pray, "keep me clear from secret faults,"
(v. 12), as well as "from presumptuous sin," in a world where
none are free from sin, and few care to know that tbey do sin ;
and thus shall I be found,
" Upright and innocent from transgression that abounds."*
We can easily imagine our Master thus using tbese two -wit
nesses to bis Father's glory. Let us trace His steps ; let us
turn our eye from vanity to tbe contemplation of tbe glory of
God. The two witnesses resemble and help each other. Hengs
tenberg remarks that the law is from the sarae source as the
sun and firmament, and bas, accordingly, many features of re
semblance. In all probability, tbe special description of tbe
sun going forth as a bridegroom and warrior (ver. 5), with all
tbe images of cheerfulness and joy it is fitted to suggest, was
designed to hint to us a counterpart in tbe firmament of tbe
spiritual heavens, wbicb are reflected in tbe law. Christ is
tbe Sun, tbe Bridegroom, tbe Warrior, whose words (" line"+
ver. 4), and going forth shall yet be from one end of tbe world to

The memhera

The contents.

* The words y^ V^B ™^y ^^ taken in the same sense of we find l'^ (IJpfi^
Deut. iii. 19, or Proverbs xxviii. 20, il^Jll n, " abounding in blessings." Is
not this the sense of Psa. xxv. II, J^!)n IT ?
t " Line ;" compass of their territory ; (Isaiah xxiv. 17), (Hengstenberg).
Paul seems to do no more than refer by way of allusion to this verse in
Bomans x. 18.

68 PSALM XIX. — THE TWOFOLD WITNESS.
the other, and nothing be hid from His beat. Then shall
Romans x. 1 8 be more thoroughly accomplished. But even if
tbe two witnesses did not resemble each other, tbey do at least
belp each other, and point to tbe same object ; and bappy is
the man wbo is led thereby to tbe glory of God. For verily
there is a " great reward" (ver. 11), both in the act of keep
ing His Eevelation, and as the Lord's mark of approval /or- our
having kept it ; a present aud a future " recompence of reward,"
sucb as Heb. x. 35 holds up before our view. Happy tbey wbo
are found "upright and innocent" (ver. 13), because "found in
Christ," found "without spot and blameless" (2 Pet. iiL 14),
even in those last days when iniquity abounds. O, Jebovab,
accept this meditation, fulfil these prayers ! Thou art —
" My rock," never shifting from Thy promise ;
"My Deliverer," from every evil work (ver. 14).
Thus sings this worshipper, perhaps at early da-wn. But
now tbe sun is up — gone forth on his fiery race ; tbe altar's
smoke is ascending — busy men are abroad, each pursuing bis
own calling, and be must join tbem. We seem to see him rise
up from bis place of calm contemplation, and return to bis
active duties for a season, quickened by wbat these two -wit
nesses for God bave presented to bis soul, leaving us to ponder
and apply,
The Righteous One's meditations on the twofold witness to
Jehovah's glory

PSALM XX.
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
1 The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble ; the name of the God of Jacob
defend thee.
2 Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion.
3 Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice. Selah.
4 Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.
5 We will rejoice in thy salvation, and jn the name of our God we will set
up our banners :
The Lord fulfil all thy petitions.
6 Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed ;
He will h?ar him from his holy heaven with the saving strength, of his
right hand.

PSALM XX.-MESSIAH PRAYED FOR BY HIS WAITING PEOPLE. 69
7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses :
But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
8 They are brought down and fallen : but we are risen, and stand upright.
9 Save, Lord : let the king hear us when we call.
What typical occurrence, or wbat event in Israel's history. The drapery
may bave given the groundwork of this Psalm ? Luther caUs it °' *''' ^^'°'
a "battle-cry;" while others have imagined it appropriate to
sucb an occasion as tbat of tbe bigb priest going in to tbe
Holiest on tbe Day of Atonement, and reappearing to tbe joy
of all wbo waited without in anxious prayer. We tbink tbe
truth may be reached by finding some scene tbat may combine
tbe "battle-cry" and tbe priestly function, sucb as was once
presented in Numbers xxxi. 1-6, when tbe zealous priest Phi
nehas was sent forth at tbe head of tbe armies of Israel to
battle. David may bave been led to recal some sucb scene, as
be sang.
Full of zeal for bis God, Phinehas, in bis priestly attire, and
with priestly solemnity, — with " Holiness to tbe Lord" on bis
mitre, — ^prepares for tbe conflict with Jehovah's and Israel's
most subtle foes. We may suppose bim at the altar ere he
goes, presenting bis offerings (ver. 3), and supplicating tbe
Holy One of Israel (ver. 4), amid a vast assemblage of tbe
camp, small and great, all sympathizing in his enterprise.
This done, be takes the boly instruments and the silver trum
pets in bis hand, and sets forth. There is now an interval of
suspense, — but soon tidings of victory come, and the priestly
leader reappears, crowned with victory, leading captivity cap
tive. Tbe confidence expressed in ver. 5 is not vain, for vic
tory, or " salvation," has been given.
Perhaps there were times when Da-vid was in sucb circum- Christ's
stance as these, and there are still times when any member of
the Cburch may be, in some sense, so situated ; while "all
weep" with tbe one member tbat weeps, and then "all rejoice"
in the joy of tbe one. Butstill tbe chief reference is to David's
Son, our Lord. He is the Leader ;aud tbe Priest, the true Christ
Phinehas, going out against Midian. It is " the Anoimted"
(ver. 5) tbat is principally the theme.
This Psalm is tbe prayer -which the Cburch might be sup- The contents.

70 PSALM XX. — MESSIAH PRAYED FOR, AND
posed offering up, bad all tbe redeemed stood by tbe cross,
or in Gethsemane, iu fuU consciousness of wbat was doing
there. Messiah, in reading tbese words, would know tbat He
bad elsewhere tbe sympathy he longed for, when be said to the
three disciples, " Tarry ye bere, and watch with me," (Matt.
xxvi. 38). It is thus a pleasant song of tbe sacred singer of
Israel, to set forth tbe feelings of tbe redeemed in tbeir Head,
whether in bis sufferings or in tbe glory tbat was to follow. In
ver 1-4, they pray : —
" Jehovah hear thee in the day of trouble,
" Tile name of(\. e., He who manifests himself by deeds to be) the God of
Jacob defend thee.
"Send thee hdp from the sanduary," where his well-pleasedness is seen.
" And bless thee out of Zion," — ^not from Sinai, but from the place of peace
ful acceptance, Zion.
The solemn " Selah "-pause comes in when "sacrifice" has
been spoken of, and then in verse 5, they exult at the suc
cess whicb has crowned bis undertaking ; and, observe, reader,
they speak now of Him as one that makes petitions — " The
Lord fulfil all thy petitions." Is not this recognising Him as
now specially employed in interceding ? applying His finished
work by pleading it for us ? It may, at tbe same time, re
mind us of that other request, wbicb tbe Intercessor is yet
to make, and to make wbicb, speedily, tbe Church is often
urging him, verse 15, ''Ask of me, and I will give tbee the
beatben for thine inheritance." — (Psa. ii. 8.) In ver. 6-8,
they exult again, " knowing whom they bave believed" (2
Tim. i. 12), both as to wbat the Father has done for Him,
and wbat tbe Father will do. Tbey reject all grounds of hope
not found in King Messiah ; express their souls' desire for
complete deliverance, when He shall appear at last, and answer,
by complete salvation (Heb. ix. 28), tbe continual cry of His
Church, " Come ! Lord Jesus !" Verse 9 teaches us to ex
pect both present and future victories, by the arm of our King ;
and in hope of these further exploits, we look often upward
to the right hand of tbe Father, and cry, "Hosanna !" —
" Save, Lord t" or, Give victory, rty'jy^n
" Ld the King (who sitteth there) hear us when we call."

PRAYED TO, BY HIS WAITING PEOPLK 71
It is a Psalm differing in its aspects from most others, for
il presents to us,
Messiah prayed for, and prayed to, by his waiting people.

PSALM XXL
To the chief Musician, a Fsalm of David.
1 The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord ;
And in thy salvation- how greatly shall he rejoice !
2 Thou hast given him his heart's desire,
And hast not withholden the request ofhis lips. Selah.
3 For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness :
Thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head.
4 He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for
ever and ever.
6 His glory is great in thy salvation : honour and majesty hast thou laid
upon him.
6 For thou hast made him most blessed for ever :
Thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.
7 For the king trusteth in the Lord,
And through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved.
8 Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies ;
Thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.
9 Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger :
The Lord shall swallow tbem up in his wrath, and the fire shall deTOnr
tbem.
10 Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth.
And their seed from among the children of men.
11 For they intended evil against thee ;
They imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to per
form,
12 Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back :
When thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the
face of them.
13 Be thou exalted. Lord, in thine own strength ; so will we sing and praise
thy power.
We have entered on a series of Psalms tbat more directly ^p^^f^Jg
fix the eye on Messiah alone as tbeir tbeme. This is tbe se- g'J^^'Jf '"
cond of tbe series. It takes up the tbeme of tbe former Psalm.
We are at once shewn tbe King Messiah, already triumphant
at tbe Father's right band ; and yet, as King, to triumph more
ere all be done.

laieplau

Messiah.

72 PSALM XXI.— MESSIAH'S PRESENT JOY
David. Da-vid, now on tbe tbrone at Hebron, and soon to be on a
loftier tbrone at Jerusalem, might be tbe original of tbe typi
cal scene ; but certainly be was not more than this. It is of
our King tbat tbe Holy Spirit speaks.
Tbe plan is very simple. From ver. 1-7, we bave Messiah's
exaltation after bis suffering : then ver. 8-12, His future acts
when He rises up to sweep away bis foes ; and ver. 13, tbe
cry of His own for tbat day, as their day of realised bbss : —
" Be exalted. Lord, in thy strength !
Se will we sing andpraise thy power."*
He who was the " man of sorrows," and " whose flesb was
weak," now (ver. 1), "joys in thy strength, greatly rejoices.''
And bow sweet to us to hear verse 2, " Thou hast given Him
His heart's desire," remembering, in connection with it> John
xi. 42, " I know tbat thou bearest me always ;" for it assures
us tbat He did not mistake tbe depth of tbe Father's love, or
err in His faith in tbe Father's kindness of purpose towards
Hira. He knew wbat was in man, but be knew what was in God
also, and declares it to us, sealing it -with tbe " Selah" -'pa.nse of
solemn thought. Tbe Father "came before Him with," or rather,
anticipated, outran. His desfres ; for tbat is tbe meaning of
" For thou preventest Him vrith ihe blessings of thy goodness.''
And iu the " crown of pure gold," already set on His bead, we
see this verified, inasmuch as it is not tbe crown wbicb be is
to get at his appearing. Tbe Father bas at present given Him
tbe cro-wn, mentioned in Heb. ii. 9, " Glory and honour," but it
is as an assurance and pledge of something more and better, tbe
"many crowns," (Eev. xix. 12).
Let us often stay to rejoice tbat tbe man of sorrows is bappy
now — "most blessed for ever!" He feeds among tbe blies.
Shall we not rejoice in tbe refreshment of our Head — in tbe
ointment poured on bim — ^in tbe glory resting on bis brow —
* One who paraphrases the Psalms (Barclay) has given this as the essence
of the one before us : — "The battle fought, the victory won, 
The Church rejoicing in the spoil,
Gives glory to her Lord alone.
And hails Him home from all His toil."

AND FUTURE VICTORY. 73
in tbe smile of tbe Father which his eye ever seeth ! Shall
tbe members not be glad when their Head is thus gladdened
and lifted up ? Shall sucb verses as ver. 5, 6, not form our
frequent themes of praise ?
In ver. 4, bis prayers are referred to — ^tbose prayers that He
offered during tbe lonely nights, when He made tbe desert
places of Galilee echo to bis moans and tbe voice of His cry —
sucb prayers as Heb. v. 7 tells of, and snob as Psalm bcxxviii.
10, 11, gives a sample of He asked deliverance frc^ death
and tbe grave — and, lo ! He bas now "Endless life" (Heb. vii.
16) in all its power. Verse 6 resembles in construction verse 9,
and so presents the contrast of meaning more forcibly. Tbe
one is, " Thou hast set him blessings;" tbe other is, "Thou hast
set them like a furnace."
And here we see tbat " He is tbe author and finisher of faith ; "
for if bis prayers and cries prove bim to have bad truly our
very humanity in sinless weakness, no less does ver. 7 shew
that bis boly human soul fixed itself for support, like ivy twin
ing round tbe tower, on the Father hy faith. In this He was
our pattern. " The King trusted in the Lord." (Ver. 7.)
He is the true example of faith, surpassing all tbe "elders who
have obtained a good report ;" be is "captain and perfecter of
faith ;" he leads tbe van and he brings up tbe rear, in tbe ex
amples of faith given on this world's theatre. (Heb. xii. 3.)
And tbe Father's love rests on Him for ever ; tbat love ("ten
der mercy," ver. 7) of wbicb be prayed in John xvii. 26, that
tbe same might ever be on us.
And now the scene changes ; for, lo ! be has risen up !
" Thy hand finds out all thine enemies ;
" Yea, thy hand finds out all thai hate thee I
" ThoupuUest them in a furnace of fire," .&e. (Ver. 8, 9.)
It is bis rising up to judgment ! His foes hide in tbe caves
and rocks of earth, but he .finds tbem out. It is tbe day wbicb
bums as an oven (Malachi iv. 1) tbat bas come at length. It
is tbe f'jBny ; tbe time of bis presence; tbe day ofhis appear
ing ; "tbe day of bis /ace" — ^tbat face before wbicb heaven aud

74 PSALM XXL— MESSIAH'S JOY AND "VICTORY.
earth flee. His enemies flee, and tbey perish in tbefr impo
tence, bis arrows striking tbem through, (Ver. ] 2).
" They formed a design which they could not effect,"
is truly tbe history of man's attempts to thwart God, from the
day of Babel tower do-wn to the day when Babylon and Anti-
cbrifst perish together. And who would not bave it so ? Who
will not join tbe Cburch in ber song, " Else bigb, 0 Lord, in
thy strength ?" — tbe song of
Messiah's present joy and future victory'.

PSALM XXIL
To the chief Musician upon Aijeloth Shahar, A Psalm of David.
1 Mt God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ?
Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring ?
2 O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not ;
And in the night season, and am not silent.
3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel !
4 Our fathers trusted in thee : they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
6 They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and
were not confounded.
G But I am a worm, and no man ; a reproach of men, and despised of the
people.
7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn :
They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
8 He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him :
Let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb :
Thou didst make me hope when 1 was upon my mother's breasts.
10 I was cast upon thee from the womb : thou art my God from my
mother's belly.
11 Be not far from me ; for trouble is near ; for there is none to help.
12 Many bulls have compassed me : strong bulls of Bashan have beset me
round.
13 They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint:
My heart is like wax ; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd ; and my tongue cleaveth to my
jaws;
And thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
16 For dogs have compassed me : the assembly of the wicked have inclosed
me:
They pierced my hands and my feet.

P.SALM XXIL — MESSIAH BEARING THL Cl.OSS. 75
17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me
18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
.19 But be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to
help me.
20 Deliver my soul from the sword ; my darling from the power of the dog.
21 Save me from the lion's mouth : tor thou hast heard me from the hornj
of the unicorns.
22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren :
In the midst of tbe congregation will I praise thee.
23 Ye that fear the Lord, praise him ;
All ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him ; and fear him, all ye the seed of
Israel.
24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the atfliction of the afflicted ;
Neither hath he hid his face from him ; but when he cried unto him, he
heard.
25 My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation !
I will pay my vows before them that fear him.
26 Tlv meek shall eat and be satisfied :
They shall praise the Lord that seek him : your heart shall live for ever.
27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord :
And all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
28 For the kingdom is the Lord's : and he is the governor among the nations.
29 All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship :
All they that go down to the dust shall bow before him :
And none can keep alive his own soul.
30 A seed shall serve him ; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
31 They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness
Unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.
What a change ! Instead of tbe songs of victory, we hear the The position
„ . ., T- , -Vl , of this Psalm,
moaning ot one in angmsb. It is not the voice oi those that
sbout for tbe mastery, as were tbe preceding songs of Zion, but
tbe voice of one tbat cries in weakness. And yet this abrupt
transition is quite a natural one. We saw the warrior — we saw chnsthero
tbe fruits for bis victory — ^we saw the prospects of yet farther
glorious results from that victory. Now then we are brought to
tbe battle-field and shewn tbe battle itself — tbat battle whicb
virtually ended tbe conflict with Satan and all bis allies. We
bear tbe din of tbat awful onset. Our David in " tbe irresistible
might of weakness" is before us, crying in tbe crisis of conflict,
" Eli, Eli, lama sabadhani /"
the words uttered on Calvary, and preserved in every syllable
as tbey were used by tbe Saviour then.
Some have sought to mingle the bebever's confidence with

alone.

76 PSALM XXIL — ^MESSIAH BEARING THE CROSS,
Christ's in this Psalm. But it is too awful in its strain to
admit of this application, though we may learn from Christ's ex
ample, as well as words, on the cross ; as Peter is fond of shew
ing us in bis first epistle. Tbe words of verse 1st may indicate
tbat sucb cries were uttered more than once during tbe Ee-
deemer's days of anguish. There were other seasons besides
tbe cross when tbe Father was near to lay on Him the weight
of tbe burden of guilt, and when, for a time, be left Him, for
saken. Tbese were seasons of tbe hottest trial ever known in
warfare, for it was warfare wherein nothing could exhaust the
resources brought up against tbe champion, while also there
were divine supplies on bis side.
Tlie plan, ij-fjg scheme of this Psalm is evident at a glance. There are
two parts in it ; tbe one from verse 1 to middle of verse 21 ; tbe
other from tbe middle of verse 21 to tbe end. Tbe first "part is
Messiah's sufferings ; tbe second is his entering into bis glory.
His first coming is tbe theme of tbe one ; bis glorious king
dom, established billy at bis second coming, is tbe tbeme of
the other ; and this is so very obvious, tbat we shall be very
brief in our remarks, leaving the reader to meditate for himself,
with tbe history of tbe Lord in the Evangelists* before bim for
tbe first part, and bis eye glancing through tbe Apocalyptic
visions for the second.
The title. Xhe title is strange: "On Aijeleth SAaAar,"— literaUy,
" The hind of tbe morning." This was probably some instru
ment used for compositions of a peculiar cast, wherein joy gave
* This Psalm is quoted in Hebrews ii. II, where verse 23 is the passage re
ferred to. The "piercing of hands and feet," verse 17, may be considered as
referred to in such passages as Luke xxiv. 39, John xx. 27, when he carefully
shewed his hands and his feet. The attempt of the modern Jews to translate
^nS3 "like a lion," admits of a very complete and satisfactory refutation.
Whether we adopt the Keri !nX3, or retain the Ketibh *^}0, the sense is
the same, only in the former case the literal rendering is, " They have pierced,"
in the latter, it is to be understood participially, " Tliey are piercing." See an
article in No. I-V. of Bibliotheca Sacra and Biblical Repository, 1852 (com
bined series), where it is shewn that the Masora on Numbers xxiv. 9, plainly
states that the text read, " They pierced," and Jacob bon Haiim says it was so
" In many copies." All the ancient versions, e.g., Septuagint and Syriac, and
such critics as De Wette, Winer, Bahr (in Tholuck's Lit. Anzeig. 1853), agree
in this rendering.

AND WEARING THE CROWN. 77
place to anguish, and then anguish to joy. Tbe bind leaps
from height to depth, from valley to bill-top, rising up from its
quiet lair, where it bad reposed till morning, when met by tbe
bunters' cry. That there was such an instrument used we
cannot tell — it is a mere conjecture ; at tbe sarae time it is
interesting to notice bow truly tbe scene of the bind, roused
at morning from its rest (not to bound at liberty like Napb-
tab in Gen. xlix. 21, but) to be chased by tbe bunters, corres
ponds to tbe tale of persecution related here, when "dogs
encompass bim about."
Without attempting to explore tbe riches, tbe unsearchable
riches, of tbese mournful cries, let us listen to a few of tbeir sad
echoes. In verse 3, " But thou art holy, 0 thou who inhabitest
the praises of Israel," we bave a declaration tbat Israel's Holy
One shall be praised more than ever for bis holiness, because of
his impartial treatment of Him who cries, " Why hast thou for
saken me?" Strange as it may seem, it shall turn out to be an
illustration of bis boly character ; and if before this He in
habited Israel's praises, much more hereafter. In verse 4, tbat
note, " Our fathers," (as in Psalm xl. 5) from such lips may '
well touch our hearts. He is not ashamed, reader, to call
you and me his brethren ! He identifies himself with us ! Our
fathers are His fathers, tbat His Father may be ours. How
like Him wbo afterwards (ver. 22), calls us " my brethren ;"
and who on earth did say, after resurrection, " Go and tell my
brethren," (Matt, xx-viii. 10).
We do not dwell on the ample field of remark opened to
us from verses 6-22. " The people," in verse 6, is specially
" His own" Israel. Tbe taunt, ver. 8, is equivalent to He was
fond of saying " Roll on the Lord !" wbat Psalm xxxvii. 5 ex
presses more fully. Iu verse 20, " My only one" is understood
to be tbe soul described as dear like an only son.* How
appropriate is tbe lips of Him wbo asked tbe memorable ques
tion, in Matt, x-vi 26.
* The word is the fem. of T^^ used in Gen. -xxii. 2 and elsewhere, for a
thing that is precious because the only one of its kind. Is there any thing
of this idea in Homer's (piXov frog (Iliad iii. 31, &c.), his own dear heart !

78 PSALM XXII. — MESSIAH BEARING THE CROSS,
It is in verse 21 tbat the tide turns. Tbe clause
" Thou hast heard me"
ought to be taken by itself. It is a cry of delight. It is like
Luke xxii. 43. The lamentation of ver. 2 is over now — He is
beard now ! And his being now heard is not a blessing to Him
alone ; he runs to bring bis disciples word : —
" I will declare thy name to my hrdhren" (ver. 22) ;
words characteristic to tbe full of Him wbo spoke, John x-vii. 26,
and whose first resurrection-act was to send word to bis disciples,
by tbe name " my brethren" and then to send tbem to all the
earth. His special love to Israel, too, is apparent, as when
He said, "to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem" — "Both
in Jerusalem and in all Judea." Here be calls to tbem, —
" Te seed, of Jacob, glorify Him —
For He has not abhoi-red the afflidion of the poor." (Y. 23, 24.)
He bas not treated tbe poor sinner as an unclean thing to be
shrunk from (Levit. xi. 11), passing by on tbe other side. (Luke
X. 31.) All shall yet praise Him who makes tbeir heart live for
ever by feeding thera on this sacrifice (verse 26). Verse 28
shews us the Kingdom come, and Christ tbe Governor among
the nations ; at which tirae we find a feast partaken of by all
nations, and observed by sinners tbat were ready to perish : —
" All they that be fat (the rich) oh the earth shall eat and worship. (V. 29.)
Before Him sliall bow all that go dmvn io dust, (the poor)
And he who could not keep alive his soul," (the most destitute of the poor).
The essence of the/easiis indicated at verse 26, as consisting in
knowing and feeding upon Him wbo is our Paschal Lamb ; even
as in Isaiab xxv. 8, tbe feast of fat things is Christ Himself,
seen and known, eye to eye. The people of that millennial
tirae are " the seed" of ver. 30. If men do not at present serve
Him, yet their seed shall — there is a generation to rise who
shall so do. (" Hoc semen illi serviet," says Buchanan.)
" Posterityshalt serve Him,
It shall be related of the Lord to the generation to come.
These shall go forth (on the theatre of the world) and declare his
righteousness
To a people tJien to be born. (Ps. cii. 18.)
For He has done it!"

AND WEARING THE CROWN. 79
The Hebrew is very elliptical It seems as if njyy were here
intentionally used in an absolute and indefinite way in order
to fix our thoughts on tbe thing being done. A finger points
to tbe scene, and a voice says Hit'SJ ! q. d. "Be has performed .'"
Here is deed, not word only. Here is fulfilment, not promise
only. Tbe meek may eat and be filled ! For lo ! there is tbe
thing done ! performance of all tbat this Psalm describes, of all
that Jesus meant when be cried, "It is finished." In tbat
hour He saw bis sufferings ended and bis glory begun, and
could proclaim victory through suffering. What a song of Zion
is this ! Messiab at every step ! beginning -with " EU, Eli,"
and ending with TeteXscto/, " It is finished."
Messiah bearing ihe cross, and wearing ihe crown.

PSALM XXIII.
A Psalm of David.
1. The Lord is my shepherd ; I shall not want.
2. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures ; he leadeth me beside the
still waters.
3. He restoreth my soul : he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for
his name's sake.
4. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will
fear no evil :
For thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies : Thou
anointest my head with oil ; my cup runneth over.
6. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life : And
I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
After tbe conflict of the preceding Psalm, and its bright Theposmon
glimpse of triumph, we might have thought tbat sucb an ode
as we afterwards find in Psalm xxiv. would bave immediately
followed, leading us to sutvey tbe scenes of victory anticipated
by the sufferer. But, instead of this, we suddenly find ourselves
in the quiet peace of tbe quietest valley that imagination could
paint ; where is seen One walking by bis shepherd's side sing
ing,—

80 PSALM XXIU, — THE SHEPHERD'S LEADINGS.
" Jdumah is my shepherd I
I shall not want."*
The arrangement seems intentional ; tbe soothing after tbe
exciting, tbe stillness of tbe still waters after tbe fury of the
tempest, the calm of rural peace before tbe engrossing and
enrapturing scene of the Mighty One's dominion. It is like
tbe pause of Milton's angel, —
"As one who in his joumey bates at noon.
Though bent on speed, so here the Archangel paused,
Between the world destroyed and world restored."
And, besides, it is most suitable tbat between tbe conflict
finished successfully in man's behalf and the glorious issues of
that conflict, as seen from the tbrone of dominion, there should
interpose a view of that state of soul toward tbe Father in
which the Head and bis members pass through tbeir wilder
ness.
chvist and his The Church bas so exclusively (we might say) applied this
Psalm to herself, as almost to forget tbat ber shepherd (" that
Great Shepherd !") once needed it and was glad to use it.
The Lamb (now in tbe midst of tbe tbrone ready to lead us to
U-ving fountains of water) was once led along by his Father,
He said to his disciples, " And yet I am not alone, for the Fa
ther is with me," (John xvi. 32). Was not tbe burden of
his song : — " The Lord is my shepherd ; I shall not lack,"
(Ver. ] ) ? When he said, on another occasion, (John x. 1 4, ] 5,)
" I know my sheep, and am known of mine, as tbe Father
knoweth me," was be not saying, " I lead you as my Father
leads me ?" But try every clause, and every syllable -will be
found applicable not to David alone, but to Da-vid's Son, to tbe
* Perhaps these verses were never more poetically rendered into anothel
tongue than by Buchanan in his Latin version : —
-^— "Sicut Pastor ovem, me Dominus regit;
Kil deerit pehitus mihi.
" Per campi viridis mitiapahula,
Quffl veris teneri pingit amoenitas.
Nunc pascor placide,.nunc saturum latns
Fessus molliter explico.
" Parcse rivns aqua leniter adstrepenB
Membris restituit rohora languidis;
£t blando recreat fomite spiritui^
Soils sub face torrida."

P.SALM XXIIL — THE SHEPHERD'S LEADINGS. 81
Cl.urch and to tbe Cburcb's Head. If verse 1 sings, " I shall
not want," it is just a continuance of tbe testimony of Moses,
Deut. ii. 7, " Tbe Lord tby God — ^knoweth tby walking through
this great wilderness : tbese forty years tbe Lord tby God has
been with tbee ; thou hast lacked 'nothing." Chrisfand bis
Church together review their wUderness-days and praise tbe
Lord. Tbe song of tbe Lamb is not less complete than tbat of
Moses. Tbe occasional retreat to tbe Sea of GaUlee, and desert places,
and tbe Mount of Olives, furnished Christ with many such
seasons as verse 2 celebrates. " He inaJceth me to lie down
on pastures of tender grass." His saints know so well tbat it
is bis wont to do this in their case, tbat tbe Song of Songs asks
not, " Dost tbou make tby flock rest at noon ?" but only,
" Where ?" And as tbe Lord of tbe Ark of tbe covenant
(Numb. X. 33) sought out for Israel a place to rest, so did the
Father for bis true Israel, — tbat Prince with God, — ^giving him
refreshing hours amid bis sorrow ; as it is written, " He is at
my right hand, tbat I should not be moved : therefore did my
heart rejoice," (Acts ii 25).
In temptation seasons, or after sore conflicts with man's
unbelief, the Lord " restored bis soul" (ver. 3) ; tbat is, re
vived it with cordials, even as be does his people after such
seasons, and after times of battle with their own unbelief.
And when in tbe hour of trouble and darkness be cri^d, " Wbat
sbaU I say ?" tbe Father " led him in paths of righteousness,
for his name's sake," glorifying bis own name in bis Son,
as we read, John xii. 27.
It was not once only, (though it was specially as tbe Garden
and tbe Cross drew near,) that his soul was in " tbe valley of
death-shade," (ver. 4). But be passed all in safety ; even
when he came to that thick gloom of Calvary. And He wbo
led Him through will never leave one of bis disciples to faint
there. Tbe rod and staff* tbat slew the bear and tbe lion, made
David confident against Goliath ; so do we obtain confidence
* 1 Sam. xvii. 40 and 43, Micah vii. 14, These were for defence ; also for beat
ing bushes when the sheep went astray, for killing serpents, and the like.
F

S2 PSALM XXIII. — THE SHEPHERD S LEADINGS.
from knowing how our Shepherd bas already found a safe way
through wolves and perils.
In verse 5, tbe table, tbe oil, and tbe cup, might be illus
trated in Cbrist's case by tbe day of his baptism, by tbe sbining
forth of his glory, by sucb a miracle as tbat of Lazarus' resur
rection, and by tbe light of tbe Transfiguration scene, as well
by tbe "meat to eat wbicb the world knew not of," and the
" rejoicing in spirit" as be thought upon tbe Father's will — ^in
all whicb blessings tbe sheep still share from time to time, get
ting occasional exaltations, and moments of "joy unspeakable
and full of glory."
Even those scenes of woe, the essence of whose anguish is
expressed by " Eli, Eli, lama sabacthani," did not make the
Master doubt tbat " goodness and mercy would follow bim,"
till be reached bis home, his Father's bouse, with its many
mansions. And shall any member doubt of bis persevering to
tbe end ? loved to tbe end with the love tbat first loved him,
till be becomes a guest for ever in his Father's house ?
House of tlie What is the " House of the Lord," the true B.ihel, where the
ladder is set between earth and heaven ? Tbe Tabernacle was
such in type. And of the antitype Christ spoke when, leaving
his few sheep in tbe wilderness and amid wolves, be said, "In
my Father's house are mxvny mansions," (Johu xiv. 1, 2).
It is New Jerusalem ; and He is gone to the right band of
tbe Father to gather in his elect, and then at length to raise
up tbeir bodies in glory, that they may enter into tbe full en
joyment of that House in tbe " kingdom prepared for the
blessed of bis Father." Fear not, then, little flock, it is your
Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom — and if so,
you must be kept for ii ; goodness and mercy raust follow you
all tbe days of your life, .bringing up tbe rear of the camp,
and leaving not a straggler to perish. It will be then that
every sheep of his pasture will fully know and use tbe words of
this Psalm, which sets forth with inimitable simplicity.
The Righteous One's experience of the leadings of the
Shepherd.

,»td-'

PSALM XXIV. — THE PATH TO GLORY. 83

PSALM XXIV.
A Psalm of David.
1 The earth is the Lord's, and the folness thereof: the world, and they
that dwell therein.
2 For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.'
3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in liis
holy place?
4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart ;
Who hath not lifted up bis soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive the blessing from the Lord,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 This is the generation of them that seek him,
That seek tby face, O Jacob. Selah.
7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates ; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors ;
And the King of glory shall come in.
8 Who is this King of glory ?
The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O ye gates ; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors;
And the King of glory shall come in.
10 Who is this King of glory ? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.
Selah.
This may bave been written by David when the ark was
brought up to Zion, Every eye in the universe is looking on, the°Psiim!
and every ear listening in heaven, earth, and under the eartb.
The strain of this Psalm brings up to our thoughts, Eeve
lation V. 2, 3 ; for it is as if a voice proclaimed
" TTie earth is the Lord's .'"
And then, " It is He, and no one else, who. founded it above the surround
ing seas.'''
The claim of tbe Lord's dominion is made in bearing of tbe
universe ; and the proclamation challenges a denial. This is
done in verses 1, 2, and no one in beaveu, or earth, or hell, is
found, wbo does not acquiesce in this declaration of Jehovah's
sovereignty. Amid tbe universal attention of all beings, a voice asks the
question, " Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord f
And who shall stand in his holy place ?" (Ver. 3.)
Tbe import of the question is this. There is in tbat world a
tabernacle on Zion, typical of God's prepared mansion for bis

Christ.

84 PSALM XXIV. — THE PATH OF THE EIGHTEOUS
redeemed. Wbo shall enter and " stand" (tbat is, beep bis
place) there, claiming as bis proper home both tbat Tabernacle
and tbe better things of wbicb it is tbe type ?
Tbe voice states tbe character of tbe accepted one in verse
4, — " He that hath clean hands;" tbat is, be tbat washes in the
water of the laver after being at the altar. This, 0 men of Israel,
bas been shewn to you. Is not tbat every day exhibited in
your tabernacle ? No priest enters tbe holj place until be has
washed at the laver after being at tbe altar, (Exod. xxx. 19).
Or, to express it without a tjrpe, —
" He that has a pure heart.
Who has not lifted up his soul to vanity,
Nor sworn deceitfully." (Ver. 4.)
He must be pure, free from charge of sin against God and
man. This is the man tbat receives '" tbe blessing," (Gen. xxvii
36) ; this is tbe man that receives it, not as Jacob by stealth,
but as tbe award of " righteousness," being treated as righteous
by tbe " God of salvation." Messiab is this man.
But Israel knew the way to obtain this purity. His " holy
place" presented to bim in type tbeprovision thatthe "God of sal
vation" bad revealed for a sinner. And so tbe voice pronounces,
(referring to a company wbo resemble The Man described),
" This is the generation of them that seek him :
That seek thy face, O Jacob.'' (Ver. 6).
Tbe generation of those who seek Jebovab are sucb. And
this further praise is given them, -viz., "Tbediligent seekers of tby
face are Jacob," i. e., persons wbo bave a claim to tbe name of the
peculiarpeople — if weadopttbe rendering of Hengstenberg. But,
retaining the common version, we understand the words in the
foUowing way : — Tbese whose bands are clean are tbe true
seekers of Jehovah : and tbey are taking tbe true way to get
Jacob's birthright and Jacob's blessing, — " They seek thy face,
0 Jacob : tbey do not seek Esau, with tbe fatness of eartb,
but tbee, Jacob, wbo bast got tbe blessing from the Lord."*
* In Prov. vii. 1 5, and xxix. 26, we have, " seeking the face of in the sense of
seeking the favour of, or shewing delight in. Their delight is not in Esau, who
got " the fatness of earth" (Gen. xxvii. 39) as his portion. And those writers
may be right whi. consider ,7acob as ananiefor Messiah, to whom belongthe
. true birtlirij;ht !\]id blessing.

TO THE THRONE OF GLORY. 85
If we understand it in reference to tbe possession of tbe birth
right and tbe blessing, tbat is, to the promise of Messiab and
tbe pre-eminence involved herein, we see a reason for introduc
ing tbe name " Jacob." Properly and dfrectly it is Christ only
wbo can advance tbe claim to be regarded as " pure," and in
all respects unspotted. It is Christ wbo in bis own person is
accepted as sucb, and is proclaimed righteous. But all He does
and receives is in behalf of bis people ; and hence tbe words,
" This is the generation of them that seek Him," q. d., Lo !
here is a generation of sucb men.
There is a pause, intimated by " Selah" (ver. 6), not unlike
tbat in Prov. i., between verses 23 and 24 ; and the voice, hav
ing before declared wbo may hope to enter tbe Lord's presence,
suddenly announces tbat tbeir King is at band ! Tbe accepted
pure and righteous One is the King !
" Lift up your heads, O ye gates ;
And be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors ;
And the King of Glory shall come in." (Ver. 7.)
That name, " King of Glory,"* from whence is it derived?
Is it not from tbe cloud of glory in tbe Holy of Holiest ? Is
He not thus designated as being tbe Antitype of tbat symbol
of tbe Divine presence ? And tbe doors are called "Everlast
ing," because be who enters in at them is to keep for ever and
in everlasting freshness this palace and sanctuary which he
makes for himself in our Eartb. " Tbe beams of his bouse are
to be cedar, and tbe rafters fir," (Song i. 17) because tbe up-
bolder of aU is come. Earth is now to be bis sanctuary and
palace — Eartb full of bis glory — Eartb with New Jerusalem
come down from heaven.
It is tbe Lord himself, perhaps, wbo asks at the wondering
universe (just as tbe Elder asked at wondering John, Eev. vu.
13) concerning his Well-beloved, now brought into the world in
honour, and glory, and majesty, not as at bis first coining, in
humiliation, " Who is this King of Glory ? " (Ver. 8.)
* Dr AUix remarks, " If some Christians have applied it to Christ's ascen
sion it was for want of considering that it gives to Christ the title of Jehovah,
King of Glory (1 Cor, ii. 8), and of being powerful in battle. These titles
suppose his enemies destroyed." (Eev. xix. 6.)

86 PSALM XXV. — THE CONFIDENCE OF THE RIGHTEOUS
It is like Jeremiah xxx. 21, PIPD, " Wbo is this tbat bas en
gaged bis heart to approach to me ? saitb tbe Lord." And
the reply also is tbe Father's, who teUs of bis Son that be bas
gained victories and overcome in battles, and so won the
Kingdom. But when the proclamatiob. is repeated, aud won
dering onlookers half incredulous again put tbe question, "Who
is this King ?" tbe Father's reply is, —
" Tlie Lord of Hosts, He is the King of Glory."
thus proclaiming tbe oneness of our King with Jehovah,
before all creation.
" Selah" ends tbe Psalm — a solemn pause ere the people
depart from tbe spot where tbey beard this lofty song.
It is a glorious hymn for the Church in all ages. Paul
writing to Corinth (1 Cor. x. 26), claims a believer's right to
tbe things of eartb, on tbe ground tbat this Psalm claims for
God a right to it : " The earth is the Lord's and the fulness
thereof." Evidently Paul associated himself and bis fellow-
saints with "The King of Glory," in whose train we also
expect to enter through the everlasting gates. Tbe Psahn
describes our mode of joining tbe royal procession, and so
passing on to glory with tbe King. There is no Psalm which,
with sucb sublime and simple grandeur, describes —
The path of the Righteous to the throne of glory.

PSALM XXV.
A Psalm of David.
1, 2. TTnto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in thee !
Let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.
3 Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed :
Let them be ashamed which transgress without catise.
4 Shew me thy ways, 0 Lord ; teach me thy paths.
5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me :
For thou art the God of my salvation ; on thee do I wait all the day.
6 Eemember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy lovingldndnesses ;
For they have been everof old.
7 Eemember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgres.sions :
According to thy mercy remember thou me, for thy goodness sake, 0 Lord

IN THE LORD S MERCIEd

S7

8 Good and upright is the Lord : therefore -will he teach sinners in the way.
9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teachhis way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth
Unto such as keep his covenant aiid his testimonies.
11 For thy name's sake, 0 Lord, pardon mine iniquity ; for it is great.
12 What man is he that feareth the Lord ? Him shall he teach in the way that
he shall choose.
13 His soul shall dwell at ease ; and his seed shall inherit the earth.
14 The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them
his covenant.
15 Mine eyes are ever towardthe Lord 5 for he shall pluck my feet out of the
net.
16 Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me ; for I am desolate and
afflicted,
17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged : 0 bring thou me out of my dis
tresses.
18 Look upon mine affliction and my pain ; and forgive all my sins.
19 Consider mine enemies ; for they are many ; and they hate me with cruel
hatred.
20 O keep my soul, and deliver me ! let me not be ashamed ; for I put my trust
in thee.
21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me ; for I w^it on thee.
22 Redeem Israel, O God( out of all his troubles.

Hesfliah in i'.

The inquiry may have crossed tbe reader's mind, Why was The position
the Psalm.
this Psalm placed next sucb a one as tbe 24tb ? We almost
tbink we can answer tbat question ; and if our answer is right,
it gives us a key to tbe structure of tbe Psalm. Vv^e suppose
tbat tbe resemblance of verse 12 to tbe style of tbe closing verses
of Psalm xxiv. may account for tbe juxtaposition. Tbe re em-
blance is much closer than appears at first sight.
As in Psalm xxiv. 8 (like Jer. xxx. 21) we bad Messiab in
troduced to our notice by tbe question, IpD Hf p, so in ver. 12
of this Psalm we find suddenly tbe question put, —
nin^ XT' tt>'^<^ m '•d
" Who is this man whofeardh the Lord f
Up to that verse, we may suppose tbe Psalmist speaks in
tbe name of a member of tbe Church, such as himself, amid
snares (ver. 15) and troubles (ver. 17) at a time when Israel, too,
was tried (ver. 22) — times when David was as a partridge on
tbe mountains. This member of the Church prays for deliver
ance and guidance, appealing' to tbe Lord's compassion,s. He

88 PSALM XXV, — THE co:;fide.:ce of the righteous
feels sure tbat the Lord " will guide the meek" {i.e., those who
give up tbeir will to His) " in judgment," i.e., on the tbe high
way where all is lawful and right. At verse 11 be utters tbe
appeal, " Pardon mine iniquity for thy name's sake," throwing
bis burden down as too heavy for bim to bear ; " For it is
great." At this point the scene changes. An answer is coming
to tbe petitioner. His eyes fix on tbe Perfect One, wbo seems
suddenly to come in sight.
" Who ts this man thatfeardh the Lord,
Whom he teachdh the way that he shall choose ?
His soul lodgdh at ease,
And His seed shall inherit the earth."
Wbat a blessed vision ! What a sweet sketch of Messiah
and his blessings ! Himself in bis glorious re.st, and bis seed
filling tbe eartb ! Instantly, in verse 1 4tb, it is added that a
share in this bUss belongs to all wbo fear tbe Lord : —
" The secrd of tlie Lord is with them that fear him.
And he will shew them his covenant."
All the blessings of the covenant are yours ; the bidden trea
sures of the Lord's friendship ("secret") are yours, 0 fearer
of Jehovah. Having seen and beard all this, tbe Psalmist ex
claims, — " Mine etes are ever towards the Lord,"
who pro-vides such blessings, present and future, and thus makes
my soul dwell at ease, while I behold Him. And so be prays
again in full hope and confidence. When be reaches verse 20,
" Let Tne not be ashamed, for I put my trust in thee," we are
reminded of Coriolanus betaking himself to the ball of Attius
Tubus, and sitting as a helpless stranger there, claiming the
king's hospitality, though aware of his having deserved to die
at bis bands. Tbe Psalmist throws himself on tbe compassions
of an injured God with similar feelings ; " I trust in Thee !"
me?cy! *" "'-* ^® *° ^® noticed, tbat throughout tbe appeals of this Psalm
are far more to the compassion and mercy of the Lord than to
any other attribute. Only let bis pity awake, and be bas a
righteous channel down whicb to pour it. In Psalm xxvi., as
we shall see, it is different. But here tbe general strain of all
tbe appeals is that of verses 5-8, 10, 11.

in the lord's mercies. 89
It is tbe first fully Alphabetic Psalm ;* tbat is, tbe first in- An Alphabetic
stance we have met with where every verse begins with a letter ^^^'^
of tbe Hebrew alphabet in succession. There seems nothing
peculiar in this sort of composition ; and as if to guard us against
tbe idea of any mystery in it, tbe regularity is twice broken in
upon in this Psalm, as in most of the others of tbe same struc
ture. Nor are tbese irregularities tbe effect of careless tran
scription ; for every MS. agrees in tbe readings, and the an
cient versions shew tbat tbe text existed in its present state
irom tbe earliest times. Tbe only lesson wbicb tbe use of the
Alphabetic form may teacb is this : tbat tbe Holy Spirit was
willing to throw bis words into aU tbe moulds of human
thought and speech ; and whatever ingenuity man may exhibit
in intellectual efforts, be should consecrate these to his Lord,
making bim tbe "Alpha and Omega" ofhis pursuits.t
It is a Psalm, then, wherein tbe letters of tbe Hebrew alpha-
Let are made use of to belp tbe memory and to vary the struc
ture — all with the view of enabling tbe Church in every age
to do as tbe Psabni.st does here, viz., confess and pray for pardon,
belp, guidance, deliverance, with tbe eye on Him wbo is set
before us in verse 12, " This Man," tbe true pattern of tbe
fear of God, and tbe bestower of blessing from himself on all
that fear tbe Lord. And wbo would not say with tbe Cburch
in every land, and with tbe souls under tbe altar, as weU as
with David here,—
"Eedeem Israd, 0 God, from all his troubles I" (Ver. 22.)
If tbe day when tbat prayer was 'first answered by David
being raised to tbe tbrone was glorious, what will be tbe day
when tbe true David ascends bis tbrone and dwells at ease,
and bis seed inherit tbe eartb ? Let us leam to use the Psalm
if we would fully enter into
The confidence of the Righteous i/n the Lord's mercies.
* We met with partially alphabetic Psalms in Psalms ix. and x.
f Psalms XXV., xxxiv., xxxvii., cxi., cxii., cxix., and cxlv., are all written in
this manner, — so that there are seven Alphabetic Psalms, thus exhibiting a full
specimen of this form of writing. Fry, Horsley, and others insist on trying to
rectify the omitted letters in those cases where there is a deficiency, quite un
warrantably.

90 psalm XXVL — THE CONFIDENCE OF THE EIGHTEOUS

PSALM XXVL
A Psalm of David.
1 Jot)oe me, O Lord ; for I have walked in mine integrity :
I have trusted also in the Lord ; therefore I shall not slide.
2 Examine me, O Lord, and prove me ; try my reins and my heart.
3 For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy
truth.
4 I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go iu with dissemblers.
5 I have hated the congregation Of evil doers ; and will not sit with the
wicked.
6 I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O
Lord;
7 That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy
wondrous works.
8 Lord, I havo'loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine
honour dwelleth.
9 Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men :
10 In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes.
11 But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity : redeem me, and be merciful
unto me.
12 My foot standeth in an even place : in the congregations will I bless the
Lord.
The tone. The distinguishing peculiarity of this Psalm, in the tone of its
appeals, is, that it dwells so much on tbe righteousness of Jeho
vah's character. Having in tbe preceding one dealt much with
bis mercies, it was fitting in this one to trace tbe channel do-wn
wbicb tbese mercies flow to sinners.
Our Head himself speaks bere as well as bis members. We
may consider Him as teaching bis members to take up his
words, and address tbem to- tbe Father in his name.
" Judge me, 0 Lord," &c,, (Ver. 1 ). Wbo could so well
speak thus, as He -who prayed that prayer and bold tbat con
verse in John xvii. —
" Examine me, 0 Lord, and prove me ;
" My heart and reins have been tried" — as gold is tried, (Ver. 2):
John xvii. 4,
And who could so well say as Jesus, in verse 3, —
" Thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes ; — (as Deut. -vi. 8, frontlets.)
And I have walked in thy truth."
He fears not to invite this searching of heart and reins, for

Christ in it as
well as his
Memhers.

IN THE lord's RIGHTEOUSNESa 91
be knows the " lovioigkindness" of the Lord ; and he fears not
to be driven from any favourite path be is upon, for bis desire
is to " walk habitually in bis truth." " / love' the Father," said
Jesus, (John xiv 31). " I come to bear witness to f/ie irw^V'
(John x-viii. 37). And we might thus go through tbe Psalm,
and shew its application to Him. But more particulariy ob
serve verses 6, 7, —
" I vrill wash 'my hands in innocency {i.e., I will touch no unclean thing,
like Gen. xx. 5, Deut. xxi. 6) :
I vrill compass thine altar, O Lord; (as Jericho was compassed, Josh. vi. 3)
That I may publish vrith the voice of thanksgiving ;
And tdl all thy wondrovsly accomplished works."
Tbe meaning is, tbat be will go round and round the altar,
looking at it, looking at the blood on its base, and the blood on
each of the four boms, towards north, south, east, and west,
and beholding the smoke of tbe fire, and thinking of the sacri
ficial victim that has died there, — all in tbe way of joyful
thanks, for salvation provided for men! It is a survey of
redemption-work, taken by tbe Eedeemer ; sucb a survey, as
every member of bis body often takes after having felt tbe
power of free forgiveness, and while aiming at " innocency."
For tbe "com/passing" of the altar takes place after pardon ;
it is made in order to view it leisurely.
Jesus loved tbe types, and tbat typical Temple, because
tbey shewed forth his work ;
" Lord, I have loved the habitation of ihy house,
And the place where thine honour dwdldh" — (Ter. 8),
where bis Glory dwelt, and where God was shewn as just, wbUe
gracious. ¦ He bated the thought of sin ; and though " num
bered with transgressors," abhorred tbeir company as helL
(Ver. 9, 10.) And is not this tbe feeling of every member of
his mystical body ? And do not all join in tbe resolution and
prayer of verse 11?
We consider verse 12 as anticipating the future. " The even
place," seems to be tbe place of security, where no farther
danger of falling shall occur ; though it may express also the
present sure standing of the soul in God's love. At all events, —
" In the congregations will I bless tlie Lord " (ver. 12), —

92 psalm xxvii. — THE CONFIDENT ASSERTION OF THE
points farther than to tbe assemblies of God's people on earth.
However pleasant tbese may be, tbey are but types of better.
Tbey are but shadows of those multitudes, " numbers without
number " in tbe kingdom, and their voice of praise but tbe
prelude to the anthems tbat shall arise from " blessed voices
uttering joy," when tbe Lord shall bave gathered bis great
multitude that no man can number. Till tbat day dawns, let
us use this Psalm, in order to enter fully into sympathy with
the appeals of the Eighteous One and his members. It is,
throughout, a breathing forth of —
The confidence of the Righteous in the Lord's righteousness.

PSALM XXVIL
A Psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation ; whom shall I fear ?
The Lord is the strength of my life ; of whom shall I be afraid ?
2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat
up my flesh.
They stumbled and fell.
3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear:
Though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
4 One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after ;
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
6 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion:
In the secret of his tablernacle shall he hide me ;
He shall set me upon a rock.
6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me :
Therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy ;
I will sing, yea, I wiU sing praises unto the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice : have mercy also upon me, and
answer me.
8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face ; my heart said unto thee. Thy face,
Lord, will I seek.
9 Hide not thy face far from me ; put not thy servant away in anger :
Thou hast been my help ; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my
salvation.
10 When my father and my mother forsake, then the Lord will take me up.
11 Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me iu a plain path, because of mine
enemies.
12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies :
For false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.

RIGHTEOUS AMID SURROUNDING FOEd.

93

13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the
land of tbe living.
14 Wait on the Lord : be of good courage,
And he shall strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord.

Christ and li:
people.

The Eighteous One does not walk without opposition. We
are led bere to a field of conflict ; or rather to tbe height,
whence tbe Eighteous One surveys tbe legions of foes that are
embattled against him ; and standing by his side, we bear bis
song of confidence, and cry of dependence, as he looks up to
the Lord as bis " light and salvation." Is it Christ that we
bear thus expressing wbat bis soul felt ? or is it one of his own
wbo encounters tbe same foes ? It is both ; for David was
taught by tbe Spirit to -write tbe blessed experience of tbe
Cburch and its Head. Tbe Church's experience bere is obvious.
Let us dwell a little on her Lord's.
Is this, then, "tbe light of tbe world" walking through Christ
darkness, and staying himself on bis Father ? Wbat an illus
tration of bis own words, in John xvi. 32, 3-3, " The hour cometh
when ye shall be scattered, every man to bis own, and shall
leave me alone ; and yet I am not alone, for the Father is with
me. In tbe world ye shall bave tribulation : but be of good
cheer, I bave overcome tbe world." And then, soon after, bis
enemies " stumbled and fell," (Ver. 2). The band, with Judas
at tbeir bead, " went backwards and fell to tbe ground" (John
x-viii. 6), as if in token of tbe future falling of all tbat come out
against bim ; while Judas, tbefr leader, stumbled over tbe cor
ner-stone to bis eternal ruin. So sure is this, tbat in verse 3
he appropriates to bis own. use, and the use of all tbe righteous,
tbe protecting hosts that Elisha saw round Dothan. (2 Kings
-vi. 1 5.) Our Lord's -words, " Thinkest tbou not that I cannot
pray to my Father, and He will presently give more than
twelve legions of angels ?" were at once a reference to the
guard of Elisba, and a breathing forth of tbe strong confidence
of this Psalm.
Tbe words, " In this will I be confident," refer us back to The content:.
tbe faitb of verse 1 , " I will be confident, tbat Jebovab is my
light, salvation, strength."
We have our Lord's style, so to speak, in verse 4, — " One Christ.
thi/ng." He, wbo on earth pointed out tbe " one thing lack-

94 PSALM XXVIL — THE CONFIDKNT A-'-V^'^-oy; OF TtlE
ing," to tbe Euler : and " tbe one thing needful," to Martha,
declares what himself felt regarding tbat " one thing." To see
the Lord, in, bis temple where everything spoke of redemption,
— ^tbere to see tbe Father's " beauty," was tbe essence of bis
soul's desire. This " beauty," Dtfi is tbe Lord's well-pleased
look ; sucb a look as the Father gave, when his voice pro
claimed, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."
It also means, all tbat makes God an object of affection and de
light to a soul* Nothing could be more desirable to Christ,
than this approving look of bis Father, telling, as it did, bis
love to tbe uttermost. And nothing to us sinners, can equal
this look of love ; it is tbe essence of heaven now, and heaven
for ever. It is tbe "one thing ; " for from this boly love pro
ceed aU other blessings. To catch glimpses of this "beauty"
in tbe temple was our Lord's aim ; be engaged in no other
pursuit on eartb. Neither did David, this true disciple, amid
the glory of a kingdom. In the light of this Divine smile, tbe
soul is sure of deliverances manifold, deliverance from every
evil, and eternal gladness ; and can sing (ver. 7) lOven now,
as if full deliverance were corae already. Eeal assurance of
salvation depends in our seeing tbe Father's " beauty," —
bis reconciled coimtenance, his heart of love ; in seeing whicb,
tbe soul feels certain beyond measure, tbat bis future state will
be well, for tbat love is too deep to change ; and so it " sings and
makes music to Jebovab."
But verse 8 bas a tinge of sadness again. It is, in our Lord's
case, like John xii. 17, "Now is my soul troubled," after a sea
son of peaceful rest. Never was there an experience so varied
and full as our Lord's in bis human nature ; and never an ex
perience which bis saints so often turn to as tbeir own. Tbe
cry for belp ascends ; and perhaps the broken words of verse 9
are intentional, being tbe difiicult utterance of one in trouble
quoting words of hope, —
" My heart says to thee, Seek ye my face."
My soul repeats to tbee thine owu call and encouragement.
* Luther understood it. " The beautiful services of the Lord " in the Taber
nacle (Tholuck) ; the spiritual truths reflected in the mirror of that symbolic
worship.

RIGHTEOUS AMID SURROUNDING FOES. 95
How often hast tbou bidden us, " Seek my face ?" My heart
reminds tbee of thine own words ; I will not let tbee go. To
me, and to tbe sons of men, tbou bast sent forth an invitation
to this effect, " Seek ye my face ;" therefore, my heart in aU
its distress holds up to tbee this call of thine. / will seek thy
face, and I will urge thee, " Hide not thy face,'' (ver. 9).
In verse 10, tbe harp sings of a lonely, friendless, orphan stat^
" My father and mother have left me !" But forthwith faitb
responds, " The Lord will take me in." (Josh, xx. 4, Judges
xix. 5.) Our Lord, no doubt, felt as man tbe desire for a
father's and a mother's sympathy and belp. But in want of that
sympathy and belp, he turns to wbat be finds in Jebovab ; for
the Lord bas a, father's "heart," " Like as a father pitieth his
children, so tbe Lord pitietb them that fear him,''' (Ps. ciii. 13) ;
and the mother's affections, too, " As one whom bis mother
comfortetb, so the Lord will comfort you," (Isa. Ixvi. 13). Our
Lord uses what is equivalent to "take me in," in Matt. xxv.
43. (Hengstenberg.)
A shrill note of tbe harp touches upon reproach and calumny,
inverses 13, 14, " false witnesses are risen up." luMatt. xxvL
62, 63, these false ivit/nesses come in against our Lord, before
tbe high priest ; aud on tbat occasion, our Lprd bursts forth
after long silence, with the declaration, " Hereafter ye shall see
the Son of man sitting on tbe right hand of power, and coming
in the clouds of heaven." Is this tbe train of thought on this
Psalm ? For verse 1 5 sets forth tbe hope of seeing what Zecha
riah ix. 17 speaks of as yet future in a great measure, " His
goodness." " The goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."
Our Lord was content, as real man, to sustain his soul by
faith and hope ; resting on what He knew of bis Father, and
animating it in suffering and trouble, by tbe " hope set before
Him,"' (Heb. xii. 2). Is not this bis testimony (and tbe tes
timony of all his saints wbo bave used this Psalm) to tbe ad
vantages and blessedness of hope ? Tbe words in tbe Hebrew
run thus —
" Unless I had bdieved to see the goodness of the Lord." (Ver. 15.)
There is no " / had fainted." It is an imperfect sentence.

96 PSALM XXVIII. — CONFIDENT ASSERTION OF &AFLTY.
There is something to be supplied ; it is like our Lord's own
words in Luke xix. 42, " If thou hadst known !" — a sentence
never ended, and all tbe more emphatic and awfully significant
for this very reason. Here, also, there is the same significance.
It is "Wbo can tell, wbat heart of man can conceive, wbat might
bave come on me, — unless I had believed to see the goodness
of the Lord !" Faith, and tbe " hope set before Him," carried
Him through his darkest hour. And hence, in verse 16, He
leaves for tbe Church in all ages tbe counsel of one wbo bas
tried it himself, — " Wait on the Lord." Keep your eye
ever on tbe Lord, expecting tbe Ught to break and belp to
come. The Cburch, and tbe Church's head, can lay claim to every
clause of this blessed Psalm. That pledge of its truth in verse
5 has already in all ages been found faithfully performed Tbe
Lord has ever bid bis own in evil days, finding an Oba-
diah to feed his prophets, or sending tbem to a Cberith,
whither his ravens shall carry provision. So tbat Augustine's
confidence is tbat of all saints, " Qui tantum pignus dedit pere-
grinanti, non deseret pervenientem." We may call it then, —
The Righteous One's confident assertion of safety when lonely
. amid surrounding foes.

PSALM XXVIIL
A Psalm of David.
1 Unto thee will I cry, O Lord my rock ; be not si'ci t to me :
Lest if thou be silent to me, I become like them tlutt go down into the pit.
2 Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee,
When I lift up my hands toward thy Holy Oracle.
8 Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity,
Which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts.
4 Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of
their endeavours i
Give them after the work of their hands ; render to them their desert.
5 Because they regard not the works of the Lord, nor the operation of his
hands.
He shall destroy them, and not build them up.
6 Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.

TSALM XXV. II. — THANKSGIVING OF THE RIGHTEOUS. 97
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I
am helped :
Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth ; and with my song will I praise him.
8 The Lord is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.
9 Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance : feed them also, and lift them
up for ever.
The cry at tbe commencement is tbe appeal heavenward of The speaker.
one wbo anticipates, in tbe future (ver. 9), full salvation to
the Lord's people, and a time when tbeir Shepherd shall feed
them in green pastures, and lift tbem up as his heritage to
tbeir place of dignity and dominion. Tbe secret persuasion
of this final issue pervades bis song. If tbe preceding Psalm
took us up to a field of Zopbim, whence we might espy the en
camped legions, this Psalm sbjws us from tbe same height
tbese hosts of the ungodly shattered and dissipated, in answer
to tbe prayer of Him wbo makes intercession against tbem.
We may imagine the Psalmist, — whether David or David's
Son,* tbe Church's head, or any member of tbe Cburch — as
cending an eminence, overlooking tbe tents of tbe ungodly, and
there listening to tbeir mirth and witnessing tbeir revelry ! He
is a Moses, crying to heaven against Amalek. It may be David,
wbo is tbe original "Anointed" of verse 8 ; but be is so as
uttering wbat the Lord and all bis own might use in other days.
What intensity of earnest vehemence in verse 1 ! Not to be The contents.
beard, will be death ! it will be tbe black despair of those wbo
go down to the pit ! But bis reasons for being beard are
powerful, — "/ lift up my hand toward thy Holy Oracle," (ver.
2). This is the Holy of Holies, where tbe Mercy-seat stood : for
the " oracle" is, in Hebrew, " T'41'" the spot where .lehovah
spoke to men, referring probably to bis promise in Exodus xxv.
22, " There will I meet tbee, and commune C"/!!!!!) with tbee."
Tbe supplicant refers God, in this brief way, to bis own pro
vision for sinful men, and his own promise of blessing when
ever that provision should be used. If we take tbe words as
uttered by Christ, bow interesting to find bim pleading with
reference to the types of bis own person and work, presenting
them to tbe Father for us ! If we use them as tbe words of
" "Tnsius Mediatoris vox est, manu fortis, conflictn passionis." — Augustine.
G

98 PSALM XXVIII.— THANKSGl-VING OF THE EIGHTEOUS,
David, or any saint, tbey still convey the same truth, namely,
tbat tbe strongest plea wbicb can rise from eartb to heaven is
drawn from tbe person and work of Jesus. No doubt, when
Daniel prayed " with his windows open in bis chamber toward
Jerusalem" (Dan. vi. 10), be bad bis eye on " the Holy Oracle,"
— on tbe person and work of Him wbo was set forth in Jeru
salera in tbe significant types tbat were to be found in tbe Holy
of Holies.
In verse 3, tbe sympathy of the Eighteous One in God's love
of holiness appears ; and in verse 4, bis sympathy in God's
justice, even when bis burning wrath descends. It is full ac
quiescence that is expressed — nay, almost positive desire. But
it is only as tbe redeemed in Eev. xix. 1, 3, are enabled to sbout
" Alleluia" over the lost ; or as the Eedeemer (Luke xiii. 9),
in tb« parable of the Fig-tree, promised to cease at last from
intercession, and bid the axe take its swing.
Verse 5 is tbe answer whispered to tbe conscious heart of
tbose who pray ; whicb causes thanksgiving and rapturous tri
umph in the Lord, reviving faitb bestowing strength, (in verses
6, 7, 8)* and raising tbe anticipation of bright days approaching,
when full "salvation" comes out of Zion (verse 9), and there shall
be no more casting down. Every stream seems to flow onward
to the future day when joy shall no more be pent up within
narrow banks, but have unlimited scope — the people " saved"
—tbe " blessing" corae — there being uo more curse — tbe heirs
arrived at their inheritance, joint-heirs of Him wbo is " Heir
of all things" — the shepherd leading tbem to Uving fountains
— and reproach all fled away!
We express the tone and substance of tbe Psalm if we de
scribe it as—
The appeal and thanksgiving of the rigUeous as they view
the teTtts of the ungodly.
* In verse 7 it is literally, " I will give praise to him from out of my song,"—
as if it were a fountain. In verse 8, " TheLord is tJieir strength." This mode
of expression seems to be equivalent to " The strength of yonder ones," or of
Buch as possess the character just described. So in Psalm cxv. 9-II. Isa.
xxxiii, 2. So also Psalm ix. 6 is to be explained, where, after addressing the
foe directly, the Psalmist turns to those who stand by and sings, " Their me
morial is perished ;" i. e., the memorial of such men as these.

.ilM XXIX. — ADORATION OF THE GOD OF GLORY. 99

PSALM XXIX.
A Psalm of David.
1 Gi-VE unto the Lord, O ye mighty, give unto the Lord glory and strength.
2 Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name ;
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters !
The God of glory thundereth : the Lord is upon many waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful ; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
6 The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars ; yea, the Lord breaketh the
cedars of Lebanon.
6 He maketh them also to skip like a calf: Lebanon and Sirion like a young
unicorn.
7 The voice of theLord divideth the flames of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord shaketh the -wilderness ;
The Lord shaketh the -wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the
forests :
And in his temple doth every one speak ofhis glory.
10 The Lord sitteth upon the flood ; yea, the Lord sitteth King for ever.
11 The Lord will give strength unto his people ; the Lord will bless his people
with peace.
Our attention is called seven times to tbe " voice of Jehovah," Christ nsing it,
' aswellashiB
uttering majesty. Tbe psalm presents sucb adoration as tbe '^"'e^-
Lord Jesus (himself " mighty God") could present to tbe Fa
ther, in tbe days of bis flesb, when listening amid the bills
round Nazareth, or at the foot of Lebanon by the sources of
double-founted Jordan, to tbe voice of his Father's awful thun
der. Tbe redeemed, too, feel tbat such scenes furnish occasion
for adoring the majesty and omnipotence of Godhead. At the
same time, this seems to be more especially a Psalm of adora- The time.
tion for tbat great and notable Day of the Lord, when tbe
Lamb's song shaU be sung. " Great and marvellous are tby
works. Lord God Almighty — for all nations shall come and
worship before thee ; for tby judgments are made manffest,"
(Psalm XV. 9). It is, in this view, a Psalm to, rather than for,
our King. Dr AUix at once concludes, " This Psalm containeth
an exhortation to all tbe princes of tbe world to submit them
selves to tbe Messiah's empire, after be shall bave re-estab-
Usbed bis people, and given as great proof of his vengeance on

100 PSALM XXIX.— THE RIGHTEOUS ONES ADORATION
bis enemies as He did in tbe time of tbe Flood." In this last
clause He alludes to verse 1 0, and to tbe true rendering of it,
(Hengstenberg, &c.)
" The Lard at theDduge sat, jb'ill'eh 2tt?^
" The Lord for ever sits, as King."
We might, no doubt, apply every clause of it to tbe Lord's
display of his majesty in any tremendous tbunder-storm. An
awe-struck spectator cries as tbe lightnings play and tbe thun
der roUs ; " Tbe God of Glory tbunderetb !" (ver. 5). " The
voice of Jehovah is breaking the cedars .'" and as tbe crash is
beard, " The Lord has broken the cedars of Lebanon!" Tra
vellers tell us of the solemnity and terrific force of storms in
the East. But tbe thunders of tbe Great Day shall most of
all call forth tbese strains to tbe Lord tbe King. Eartb at
large, and the heavens, too, shall shake on tbat day, when
" tbe Lord roars from Zion, and utters bis voice from Jeru
salem," (Joel iii. 16); while Israel's land, from Lebanon on
the north to Kadesh on tbe south, shall be in tbe vortex of
that storm. Meanwhile, secure as Noah in bis ark. He and
his redeemed witness tbe storm sweep along, beating do-wn
tbe wicked ; and tbey burst into this song, (See Isaiab
xxx 32) :—
" Give unto the Lord, O ye sons of the mighty, {i.e., ye mighty ones in
heaven and earth),
" Give unto the Lord glory and strength."
" Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name." (Ver. 1, 2.)
Like tbe voice of much people in beaven beard by John
(Eev. xix. 1), saying, —
" Alleluiah !
" Salvation and glory I
" And honour and power !
" Unto the Lord our God ! "
foUowed up by tbe call " Praise our God — small and great,"
wbUe tbe multitude wbo sing appear in their " fine linen, clean
and white," corresponding to tbe description bere (verse 2),
" Worship the Lord in the beauties of Holiness" —
in boly attire, in sanctuary array, in tbe beautiful robes of tbe

OP THE GOD OF GLORY. 101
priesthood. And then, agam, verse 9 seems to tell of Earth
filled with bis glory.
" In his temple everything saith ' Glory I'" t^b^ its all — the all of the
temple.)
Happy tbey on whose side this Jebovab stands ! (ver. 11).
He can say to tbe soul as Jesus said to tbe sea in Mark iv.
39, " Peace." Tbat this is tbe fuU reference of the Psalm, we
may fully beUeve ; and yet this reference by no means forbids
our using it as an appropriate song to tbe Lord when celebrat
ing tbe majesty of bis voice beard in the storms tbat sweep
over tbe land, from Lebanon on tbe north to Kadesh on tbe
south ; or tbat voice beard in the hearts of men, when He stirs
tbeir conscience and speaks bis message of grace.
It is the same Lord, and the same majesty, tbat is shewn
forth in scenes of nature, in tbe doings of grace, and in tbe "nireefc*! ap-
fuU outburst of glory. Our Lord, in the days of his flesh,
might use it in tbat threefold way, and we still do tbe same.
We celebrate bis present bestowal of "strength" and of " peace,"
in verse 11, while still we wait for the completeness of both in
the day when we sbaU get tbe " grace tbat shall be brought us
at tbe Appearing of Jesus Christ." Tbe Psalm is thus fitted for
manifold occasions, though most specially for the day of tbe
Lord, being throughout
" The Righteous One's adoration of the God of Glory, in the
Day of His storm.*
* Barclay's Paraphrase will give the reader some help in filling up the preg
nant brevity of these magnificent verses. We give a part of it wherein he re
fers to the events of the Cross, as much as to the events of the "Great Baj,"
making the idea of a storm oulj the colouring of the style.
Ver. 3. *' Messiah's voice is in the cloud,
The God of glory thunders loud,
Messiah rides alon^ the floods.
He treads upon the flying clouds.
Ver. 4. Messiah's voice is full of power.
His lightnings play -when tempests lowar.
Ver. 6. Messiah's voice the cedars hreaks,
While l,ebanon'8 foundation quakei :
Messiah's voice removes the hills,
And all the plains with rivers fills.
Ver. 6. The voice of their expiring God
ShaU make the rocks to start abroad ;

102 PSALM XXX. — SONG OF THE RIGHTEOUS CONCERNING

PSALM XXX.
A Psalm and Song at the dedication of the house of David.
1 I WILL extol thee, O Lord ; for thou hast lifted me up,
And hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.
3 0 Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave :
Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
4 Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his,
And give thanks at the remembrance ofhis holiness,
6 For his anger endureth but a moment : in his favour is life :
Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
6 And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.
7 Lord, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong:
Thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.
8 I cried to thee, O Lord ; and unto the Lord I made supplication.
9 What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit ?
Shall the dust praise thee ? shall it declare thy truth ?
10 Hear, 0 Lord, and have mercy upon me ! Lord, be thou my helper !
11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing:
Thou hast put ofi^ my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness ;
12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent.
0 Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.
"A Psalm, a Song of the Dedication of the House; by
David." Sucb is the title in tbe Hebrew, referring to tbe
occasion whereon tbe writer of it was moved by the Holy
Ghost to take up bis harp, and touch its plaintively-pleasant
Theoccasion. strings. It is supposed that "The house of David" means
tbat bouse,* or temple, which David wished to bave built to
tbe Lord — an " bouse of cedar — an bouse for my name " (2
Mount Zion and Mount Sirion
Shall hound along with Lebanon.
Ver* 7. The flames of fire shall round him wreathe.
When He shall on the ether breathe.
Ver. 8, 9. Messiah's voice shall shake the earth.
And, lo I the graves shall groan in birth
Ten thousand thousand living sons
Shall be the issue of their groans.
Ver. 11. The peace of God, the Gospel sounds;
The peace of God, the earth rebounds,
The Gospel everlasting shines
A light from God that ne'er declines.
This is the light Jehovah sends,
To bless the world's remotest ends."
• Hengstenberg, Tholuck, Alexander, &c.

The title.

THE NIGHT OF WEEPING AND MORNING OP JOY. 103
Sam. vii. 7-13.) This bouse David was not aUowed to build ;
but he was permitted to fix upon tbe place where it was after
wards to be reared, and to dedicate tbat spot— doing wbicb
might be called undoubtedly, "Tbe dedication of the bouse."
Tbe spot was Oman's threshing-floor on Mount Moriah. Tbe
case is recorded in 1 ChroiL xxL 26, tbe Lord answering bim
by fire from heaven, so tbat David exclaimed, " This is tbe
bouse of tbe Lord God ! " (1 Chron. xxi. 1.) Tbe circum
stances are altogether sucb as to furnish a fit occasion for a
psalm, whose strains are melancholy intermixed with tbe
gladsome and tbe bright. The plague that followed the sin
of numbering the people bad brought the Psalraist low, to the
very gates of death, for tbe sword was suspended over his
bead ; but the voice tbat uttered, " It is enough ! " Ufted bim
and his up again. The morning of that day rose in clouds
and portentous gloom, but its setting sun shed its sweetest
rays on Jerusalem from a sapphire sky, and left a forgiven
people and a forgiven king reposing in tbe restored favour of
Jebovab. Our David could take up tbese strains, and adopt them as chri.st using
his own. There was a time when his sacrifice was offered, '"p*"*™-
and tbe temple of his body accepted by the Father. He, too,
bad been low, and bad been Ufted up (ver. 1) ; bad cried, and
been healed (ver. 2) ; bad been brought up from araong tbe
dead (ver. 3). Wbo could call on men so weU as He to sing to
Jebovab (ver. 4), and " celebrate the meTnorial of his holi
ness " — that is, to celebrate whatever called tbat holiness to
mind, and kept it before men. Was it not holiness tbat shone
forth most brightly in all bis suffering ? Was it not holiness
that shone through tbe darkness of Calvary ? " But tbou art
holy ! " was not tbat tbe comforting thought that upheld bim
on tbe cross ? If tbe Lord's sore judgment on Israel, ii^ben
70,000 were cut off for one sin, shewed David bow boly tbe
Lord was, surely infinitely more did tbe outpoured fierceness
of wrath manifest it to our David, and to all who are his saints.
Yet, even as tbat wrath was not eternal, for tbe angel put up
bis sword in its sbeatb, so tbat anger poured out on tbe true
David, " endured but a moment," and bis resurrection morning

The members
of Christ.

104 PSALM XXX — SONG OF THE RIG'ITEOUS CO::CERNING
was all joy (ver. 5). And once past, it never returns. Estab
lished on tbe Eock tbat never changes. He was able to say,
"In my prosperity, I sliall never be moved."
" Thou, Lord, hast imparted strength to my mountain by thy love," (vers.
6,7).
Once " Tbou didst hide tby face, and I was troubled," and
my prayer then was tbe prayer of one who sought tby glory even
under gloom, and wbo pleaded tbat " thy truth " was pledged
to deliver me. And tbou didst deliver, with sucb a deliverance
as calls for everlasting praise, and for praise wbicb never bas
a break in it from this time and for evermore.
At tbe resurrection morning (we have said) Christ began to
enter into this joy, for it was then tbat tbe Father distinctly
said, " It is enough ! Stay now tby band " — fulfilling tbe type
given in tbe angel's sword put up into its scabbard at the spot
where " The House " was dedicated. But no one of bis mem
bers, all of whom bave been (ver. 2) bealed, cau fail to find in
this Psalm very much tbat suits tbefr o-wu experience.'* They
bave bad tbeir " vnoment of anger ; " when tbe Lord awoke
tbem, and made tbem know tbeir guilt, and dropped on tbefr
conscience a drop of wrath tbat might make tbem cry vehe
mently for deliverance, though He meant soon to wipe it off.
Each of " bis holy ones " bas known this " moment of anger,"
followed by " life in his favour," from tbe hour when bis anger
was turned away. From tbat time forth tbey bave bad tbeir
"night of weeping " oftentimes, but never any more of anger.
They have bad tbeir sorrows, weeping bas " lodged " in their
dwellings oftentimes, and tbey bave walked through many a
bowling wilderness ; but it was always followed by a " mornin^t
of joy," some sweet beams of love and favour making them
feel night turning into day. And tbey are expecting very soon
their Resurrection^morning, when unmingled joy cometh,
joy like that of tbeir Lord's at bis resurrection. It is then
tbat tbey will, in tbe highest sense, sit on tbeir Eock of Ages
* David was "healed" at his restoration to,health and strength, andin being
saved from the pestilence ; the Son of David at his resurrection. The soul is
healed at its repentance and conversion; the body will hereafter be huuui;
when it is repaired, beautified, and glorified.

THE NIGHT OF WEEPING AND MORNING OF JOY. 105
and have their " shouting for joy " at morning, singing sucb
a song as this :
" / [even I] am in peace ! I shall never be moved !
" 0 Lord, thou hast imparted strength to my mountain by thy loioe ! [allud
ing to Zion, the seat of royalty.]
" Once thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled ;
" And I called unto thee, 0 Lord,
"And I made supplication [in words like these] :
" What profit is there in my blood ?
" Shall the dust praise thee ?
" Would not thy faithfulness be honoured in saving the chief of sinners f
"And now thou hast turned for me my mourning into daneing ;
" Thou hast put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness,.
" In order thai my glory* may sing praise unto thee, and not be silent."
And with one accord aU tbe " boly ones" join in the con
cluding burst of rapturous gratitude, tbe true David himself
leading tbe song —
" 0 Lord, my God, I vrill give thanks unto thee for ever !"
And thus comes to a blessed. close this song of tbe righteous,
wbicb we may call, perhaps not improperly.
The Song of the Righteous concerning the Night of Weeping
and the Morning of Joy.

PSALM XXXL
To the Chief Musician, A Psahn of David.
1 In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust !
Let me never be ashamed : deliver me in thy righteousness.
2 Bow down thine ear to me ; deliver me speedily :
Be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me.
3 For thou art my rock and my fortress ;
Therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me.
4 Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me : for thou art my
strength.
5 Into thine hand I commit my spirit : thou hast redeemed me, O Lord
God of truth.
6 I have bated them that regard lying vanities : but I trust in the Lord.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy :
For thou hast considered my trouble. Thou hast known my soul in ad
versities ;
* Tholuck, and many others, understand " my souF' by " my glory."

106 PSALM XXXL — THE RIGHTEOUS, THOUGil r -r!LORN,
8 And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy : thou hast set my
feet in a large room.
9 Have mercy upon me, 0 Lord, for I am in trouble :
Mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.
10 For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing :
My strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.
11 I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my
neighbours.
And a fear to mine acquaintance : they that did see me without fled
from me,
12 I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind : I am like a broken vessel.
13 For I have heard the slander of many : fear was on every side :
While they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away
my life.
14 But I trusted in thee, 0 Lord : I said. Thou art my God.
15 My times are in thy hand !
Deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute
me.
16 Make thy face to shine upon thy servant : save me for thy mercies' sake.
17 Let me not be ashamed, 0 Lord ; for I have called upon thee ;
Let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.
18 Let the lying lips be put to silence ;
Which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the
righteous.
19 Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that
fear thee ;
Which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of
men !
20 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man :
Thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
21 Blessed bo the Lord ! for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in
a strong city.
22 For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes !
Nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried
unto thee.
23 0 love the Lord, all ye his saints :
For the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud
doer.
24 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope
in the Lord,
Christ and his The Head and bis members are bere. Tbe Head said (ver. 8),
members. _ \ j>
in the hour when He gave up tbe gbost, " Into tby bands I
commit my spirit !" And bow often bave his members taken
up bis words, from the days of Stephen to Huss, and from tbe
days of Huss to this hour. /

SAFE IN THE HAND OP THE LIVING GOD. 107
Safety in tbe bands of tbe living God, and only there, is tbe The theme.
tbeme of this plaintive Psalm ; safety in life as well as in death ;
safety from the enemies' snares, and from all adversity, from
grief and reproach, from calumny and contempt, from personal
despondency as weU as from the pressure of outward adversity.
David needed bis tbeme, tbe true David needed it yet more,
and bis followers wiU not cease to need it tiU verse nineteenth
be realised in all its vastness.
" 0 how great is ihy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear
thee!"
Tbey get at present (like Joseph's brethren) their ass-loads of
tbe fine wheat from this granary ; but tbey shall yet stand
amidst it, and " fear" (Isa. Ix. 8) because of the very immensity
ofit. In verse 6, there is an emphatic pronoun, y^<, q. d. unlike special clauses.
tbose wbo regard lying vanities, I, for my part, trust in tbe
Lord. In verse 8, the " large room" seems to be God's un
bounded love, wide Uke a plain tbat stretches fai- beyond our
ken. The complaint in verse ] 1 resembles Lament, iv. 1 5, where
tbe people are represented as treating exiled Israel as a leper,
" Depart ye, unclean ; depart, depart ; touch not !" and forc
ing tbem to flee away ;* and verse 12 reminds us of Job on his
dunghill, inasmuch as tbe "broken vessel" is just a potsherd,
like what be took to scrape himself withal But verse 22 con
tains an expression wbicb is worth dweUing upou, as it occurs Passover-haste.
again in Psalm cxvi. 1 1. It is tbe expression, " In my baste,
'tEini' The words, ntSJnS occur in 2 Sam iv. 4, used of Mepbi-
¦;t:' -'I*:
bo.sbetb's nurse making haste to flee when she beard the evil
tidings of .lonatban slain on GUboa. In Psalm xlviii. 6, tbe
verb is used of tbe gathered kings making haste to flee away ;
and in 1 Sam. xxui. 26, of David making baste to get out of
Saul's way. It is never used of impatience, or heat of spirit,
OT irritation, or excited tern/per;] it always refers to speedy
* Here Augustine has a note applicable to this hour : " Dioo vobis, fratres
moi ; incipe, quicunque me audit, vivere quomodo Christianns, et vide si non
tibi objiciatur et a Ohristianis, sed nomine, non vitd, non moribus."
+ Fry goes far wrong here, speaking of " Hurry of mind, and confusion ; and
a moment of despair;" Hengstenberg gives it the sense of "rapid flight;''
Alexander, " terror ;" Horsley, " consternation ;" Street, " affright."

108 PSALM XXXI. — THE RIGHTEOUS, THOUGH FORLORN,
movement from one locality to another. But specially it is to be
noticed, the cognate word liTSn is used regarding tbe haste in
whicb tbey were to eat tbe passover : thus Exod. xii J 1, " Ye
shall eat it im haste ;" Deut. xvi. 3, " Thou camest out of the
land in haste ;' and Isa. lii 1 2, foretelUng tbe reverse of this,
" Ye shall not go forth in haste." From all this, we infer tbat
in tbe passage before us, tbe reference of tbe Psalmist is not to
anything else than passover-haste. His words are to this
effect : " I said when I was like a passover-man, hastening out
of Egypt, i. e., when I felt my condition to be tbat of one who
must make baste to leave a people tbat bad cast bim out." Left
in this condition, I was ready to say, " I am cut. off" (ver. 22),
even as Israel at the Eed Sea. We come to the same conclu
sion, if we suppose tbe Psalmist refer to sucb circumstances of
danger, and almost of despair, as are referred to when tbe radi
cal word is used in ] Sam. xxiiL 26.
Prophetic lu verses 17, 18, we bear tbe prayer of the Head and his
members for the overthrow of the ungodly, tbe language of
wbicb, as well as tbe reference to the same in verse 20, reminds
us irresistibly of words that occur in tbe prophecy of Enoch.
In this Psalm (as Horsley suggests), the voice from tbe oracle
declares tbefr doom to be,
" They shall b» motionless in hdll
Ld lying lips be put to silence,
Which speak grievous things,
Proudly and contemptuously.
Against the righteous."
Enoch's In Enoch's prophecy we find tbe foundation of bis cry ; and
inasmuch as Enoch's prophecy was known iu tbe Cburch in
David's time, would it not comfort tbe Lord's saints then, and
tbe Lord himself when He came ? —
" Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints,
To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly
among them.
Of all their ungodly deeds, which they have ungodly committed,
And of all their hard speeches
Which ungodly sinners liave spoken against Him." (Jude. 14.)
To this expected interposition, tbe response given is in verses
19, 20, " Oh how great is thy goodness !" wherein we are re-

prophecy.

SAFE IN THE HAND OF THE LIVING GOD. 109
minded of tbe Lord's granary of goodness, or love, and receive
a promise of being bid "from the strife of tongues." Verses
21, 22, contain tbe grateful acknowledgment —
" Blessed be the Lord I for he has shewn me marvellous love !
" In a strong city ;'' (t. e., bringing me into his fortress).
This " strong city " is a contrast to tbe " hasty flight " of
verse 22, when he thought be must surely perish.
But again, in verse 2,3, the delivered one speaks ; " The Lord
keeps the D''31Q8* faithfulnesses," i.e., bis promises ; and then
makes reference to tbe " plentiful reward" of wratb on tbe
wicked at tbe Lord's Coming, even as verse 19 told of tbe
abundant reward of His o-wn yet to come. In prospect of
tbat day, bis saints are exhorted to persevere (ver. 24) ; and it
is in some measure -with a reference to tbe glory coming that
they are called by the name, " Ye that hope in tbe Lord.''
Both now, however in a present evil world, and in tbe hour
of death, and in the end when glory is revpaled, the saints
are safe, even as was tbeir Head. This is tbe burden of this
song of Zion —
The Righteous, though forlorn, safe and blest in the ham,d of
ike living God.

PSALM XXXIL
A Psalm of David, Maschil.
1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity.
And in whose spirit there is no guile.
3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day
long.
4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me :
My moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.
6 I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid.
I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord ;
And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
6 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou
mayest be found.
Surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh tmto him.
7 Thou art my hiding place ; thou shalt preserve me from trouble;
Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.

110

PSALM XXXII. — THE WAY OF FORGIVENESS

The title :
Maschil.

8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go :
I will guide thee with mine eye.
9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding :
-Whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near
unto thee.
10 Many sorrows shall be to tbe wicked :
But he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him •bout.
11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous :
And shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.
We cannot but agree with Ewald in thinking that tbe word in
tbe title, "Maschil," does not refer to any instrument, nor yet
is it used in tbe sense of " Didactic," but bas reference to some
thing artistic in the melody, something peculiarly calling for
tbe skill of the singer or player on tbe harp. It is undoubtedly
used in some sucb sense iu Psalm xMi. 8, TSB'D IIDt* Per-
haps a Psalm of pardoning mercy was set to sorae special
music, whicb it required forgiven ones to appreciate, like some
of our hymn tunes.
The mention of " transgression," " iniquity," " sin," recals
the name of tbe Lord proclaimed to Moses in tbe cleft of the
rock, " forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin,-" (Exod. xxxiv.
7). Tbe " imputing" and " noTi-imputing" was well under
stood in David's day; for we read (2 Sara. xix. 19), .'-bemei
confessing ,sin, and yet asking, " Let not my lord impute it."
We generally take up this Psalm as if it was for tbe mem
bers of Christ alone ; but we should not forget tbat the Head
himself traversed the way of forgiveness. He stood for us, in
our room, in our very place. He stood as substitute, and all
tbe sins of all " tbat great multitude wbicb no man can num
ber" were upon him, laid upon him by imputation. So
dreadful was his position, so truly awful did it seem to him
to be reckoned a sinner, tbat even this, apart from tbe wrath
and curse, would bave been sufficient to make bim cry, " 0,
blessed tbe man to whom tbe Lord doth not impute sin." He
was dumb for our sakes ; bis bones wasted away ; be groaned
* See also in the Hebrew 2 Chron. xxx. 22, applied to the Levitical music.
If the word meant " A Didactic Poem," it is strange to find it omitted in the
case of such as Psa. cxix. and 1., and inserted in the title to such a poetic ode
as Psa. xlv., wherein there is nothing didactic.

TRAVERSED BY THE righteous. Ill
from day to day, and during tbe lonesome hours of midnight
was kept awake by our woe. His moisture (ver. 4), or vigour
of vitality, was changed, "through means of (see Hengsten
berg) the drought of summer, i.e., from tbe excessive heat of
wratb, resembling tbe most parching heats of summer's hottest
days, when tbe sun is fiercely shedding down his intolerable
rays on the arid earth. ' In this state He acknowledged our sin ;
it was only ours be bad to acknowledge ; be spread it out be
fore God on tbe cross ; be continued to do so till it was for
given to bim as our substitute.
Our bead could use these words only in that one way. But
in a personcd sense, from personal experience of wratb, from
a personal consciousness of our own sin, every member of His
cannot but use tbe Psalm as expressing what they have passed
through. Yes, tbey bave each felt tbe silence, the waxing old,
tbe roaring, the drying up of moisture, and the spreading out
before tbe Lord of tbe whole sin and misery of their case ; and
each bas also found the forgiveness. (Ver. 5.)
" Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin." The plan.-
Here is a pause. Here is "Sdah." Stay and ponder.
" On this account" — (J^^iT 7)3), because Thou forgivest sin, —
" On this account shall every godly one pray unto thee."
Forgiveness is so great a blessing that all else may follow.
If tbe Lord forgive our sin, wbat next may we not ask ? On
this account, then. His people pray. Our Head intercedes, be
cause bis offering of himself was accepted ; we pray, because
through Him we have already got pardon, and may get any
other real blessing. Yes, we may get sucb blessing, tbat "at '
the time of lb*") thefloofls of great waters," whensoever that
be — whether calamities personal and national, or the waves of
tbe fiery flood, parallel to tbat of Noab, tbat shall yet sweep
away the ungodly, — even then we shall be altogether safe. The
forgiven man is bidden, instructed, taught, guided by God's ten
der care. (Ver. 7, 8.) A Selah occurs at verse 7. Solemn truth
bas been spoken, which tbe worshipper may muse upon till it
* The ^ here is like the 7 in Psalra xxix. 10.

112 PSALM XXXII. — THE WAY OF FORGIVENESS TRAVERSJiD.
sink into bis heart ; and then a voice from beaven tells tbat His
eye is ever on tbem. — " And (says Horne) next to tbe protecting
power of God'sT&aag, is tbe securing prospect of bis eye." Tbe
forgiven man is sanctified, yielding up bis own will to the Lord's,
not like the " horse and mule that have no understanding,
whose ornament is bit and bridle, because they will not come
near unless by force." Unhappy tbey wbo know not pardon !
" Many sorrows" are their portion ; while mercy compasses
the forgiven, so tbat " they are glad, they rejoice, tliey shout
for joy !" Already tbey anticipate tbe joy of the kingdom,
" glad and rejoice ;" though it is when the kingdom comes
that they shall say emphatically to one another, feeling mercy
compassing tbem about, and no flood, nor drop of flood touch
ing one of them, " Alleluia ! the Lord God Omnipotent reign
eth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him !"
(Eev. xix. 7.) And even then tbey may use this song of Zion ;
for tbe Head and bis members will often review, as is done bere.
The way of forgiveness traversed by the Righteous.

PSALM XXXIIL
1 Rejoice in the Lord, 0 ye righteous : for praise is comely for the upright.
2 Praise the Lord with harp : sing unto him with the psaltery and an in
strument of ten strings.
3 Sing unto him a new song ; play skilfully with a loud noise.
4 For the word of the Lord is right : and all his works are done in truth.
6 He loveth righteousness and judgment : the earth is full of the goodness
of the Lord.
6 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made :
And all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathered the waters of the sea together as an heap :
He layeth up the depth in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord : let all the inhabitants of the world stand
in awe of him.
9 For he spake, and it was done ; he commanded, and it stood fast.
18 The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought ;
He maketh the devices of the people of none effect.
11 The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all
generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord ;
And the people whom he hath ehosen for his own inheritance.

FORGIVEN ONES ADORE THE LORD IN HIS WAYS. 113
13 The Lord looketh from heaven ; he beholdeth all the sons of men :
14 From the place of his habitation he looketh upou all the inhabitants of
the earth.
15 He fashioneth their hearts alike 5 he considereth all their works.
16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an host :
A mighty man is not delivered by much strength.
17 An horse is a vain thing for safety! neither shall he deliver any by his
great strength.
18 Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that
hope in his mercy ;
19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waiteth for the Lord : he is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy
name.
22 Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.
The last note of tbe former is tbe first note of this Psalm, connection.
" Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous ! " The last Psalm bad
much in it of tbe tone of confession and prayer : this is full of
praise ; for now tbe forgiven one is taking up bis harp in
thankfulness :
" Give thanks to Jdumah vrith ihe harp.
Make music to Him with an instrument often strings."
It is a very simple Psalm, yet full of tbe feelings whicb a
forgiven soul teems with. Never did any heart so abound in
tbose feelings as tbe heart of tbe Lord Jesus ; and bis saints
leam from bim. It is He wbo is to lead tbe praise in tbe great
congregation. (Psalm xxii. 22.) Let us see tbe topics taken The contents.
up in turn.
Verses 1-3 prepare us for song, shaking the strings of our
heart. And tbe caU is for a "new song" — a redemption
melody. Verses 4, 5, praise tbe Lord for bis character.
Verses 6-9 praise tbe Lord for bis creation-work, which
his providence stiil continues.
Verses 10, 11, praise tbe Lord for bis counsels.
Verses 12-19 praise tbe Lord for nis care of his Church,
his chosen ones, wbo are saved by grace alone (ver. 16, 17),
and kept by grace (ver. 18, 19).
Verses 20-22 contains tbe response. As exhorted, " Eejoice
in tbe Lord," (ver. 1), — so we reply, "Our heart rejoiceth in
H

114 PSALM XXXIV. — THE RIGHTEOUS ONE'S EXPERIENCE OF
Him." This will be the eternal response of tbe saints when
tbe salvation yet in reserve comes. Then tbeir "ivaiting"
(ver. 20), their Jacob-like waiting, is ended (Gen. xlix. 1 8) ;
then (as ver. 10, 11, as well as Psalm ii 1, sing) tbe nations
bave raged in vain ; aud then, in the fullest sense, " Earth is
full of the goodness of the Lord," a,s Hosea ii 21, 22, described
in part, and as tbe seraphim celebrate in Isaiab vi 3. Then
shall it be full of the Lord's glory, when love, redeeming love,
tbe love of the God of Love, shall be felt by aU tbe earth, the
Gift of Love himself being in tbe midst. It is thus a Psalm
wherein Forgiven ones adore the Lord in his counsels and ways.

PSALM XXXIV.
A Psalm of David, when be changed his behaviour before Abimelech; whe drove him away,
and he departed.
1 I will bless the Lord at all times : his praise shall continually be in my
mouth.
2 My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear hereof,
and be glad.
3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fea.s.
6 They looked unto him, and were lightened : and their faces were not
ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all
his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and
delivereth them.
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good : blessed is the man that trusteth in
him.
9 0 fear the Lord, ye his saints : for there is no want to them that fear him.
10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger :
But they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.
11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach y^u the fear of the Lord.
12 What man is he that desireth life.
And loveth many days, that he may see good ?
13 Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
14 Depart from evil, and do good ; seek peace, and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unt<>
their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

THE lord's love UNDER THE CROSS. 11 5
17 The righteous cry, and the Lord beareth, and delivereth him out of all
their troubles.
18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a liroken heart ;
And saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
19 Many are the afliictions of the righteous : but the Lord delivereth him out
of them all.
20 He keepethall his bones; not one of them is broken.
21 Evil shall slay the wicked ; and they that hate the righteous shall be
desolate.
22 The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants ;
And none of them that trust iu him shall be desolate.
The primitive Christians used to sing this Psalm at tbe cele- Title.
bration of tbe Lord's Supper — ^most suitably. An able writer on
this Psalm bas allowed himself to say rather rashly, " Tbe title
given bytbe Je-wisb editors, likemost of tbe other titles they bave
thought proper to affix to the Psalms, bas evidently no connec
tion whatever with tbe subject." Now, we are not aware of a
single case wherein there is no connection to be traced between
tbe title and tbe contents of tbe Psalms ; and tbe fact tbat
occasionally this connection is not very obvious at first view,
seems to us to speak rather in favour of its genuineness than
against it A mere inventor would bave taken pains to pin
on to tbe composition something tbat would suggest itself easily
to tbe reader as a probable occasion. Here, at all events, there
is in tbe title just tbat combination of obscurity and proba
bility tbat inclines us to assent at once to its genuineness —
even apart from tbe fact tbat we bave no authority for reject
ing it. It bas frequently been observed, as a most beautiful ^avid.
and appropriate circumstance' in tbe life and experience of
David, tbe man of God, tbat tbe first notes of bis harp should
give forth praises at tbe very time "when be changed bis
behaviour (ie., concealed his intellect, or disguised bis reason)
before Abimelech,* wbo sent bim away, and he departed."
Cast out again, homeless, friendless, helpless, David trudges
-* Abimelech is the general title given to Philistine kings, like Pharaoh to
the Egyptian. Achith was the special name of the prince. In Archbishop
Parker's translation (1667), tbe title and argument are thus given —
" When David fled to Achish king,
The door of death he was full near ;
When saved, he this psalm did sing.
With all his friends in godly quire,
To God his Lord, to him so dear —
Give thanks I will, give thanks I will.
For aye to God most gracious," &c.

116 PSALM XXXIV. — THE RIGHTEOUS ONE's EXPERIENCE OF

Alphabetic

Christ

along tbe highway of Philistia, 'witb tbe world all before bim,
where to choose bis place of rest ; and though be knows not
where to lay bis bead, be journeys on, singing, " I will bless
the Lord ! I will bless Him at aU times : His praise shaU
continually be in my mouth." Is he not recalling past expe
rience as a source of encouragement, when he says, " I sought
tbe Lord, and He beard me, and delivered me from all my
fears ? " (Ver. 4.) Tbe word for " They, looked" (!»a''3n) in
verse 5 is tbat used in Num. xxi. 9, when Israel looked to tbe
serpent of brass ; and in Zecb. xii 11, when tbey look on Him
whom tbey pierced.* And in verse 6, " This poor man cried,"
is no other than himself; — I wbo am thus using my harp
to celebrate Him, — I wbo am an outcast, — ^this poor man
whom you see before you. In tbe same bappy strain of faith
tbe whole psalm flows on, till verse 20 rises to tbe height of
confidence, — " He keepeth all his bones, not one of them is
broken,"-|- — while tbe ruin of all bis foes is foreseen as sure,
" Evil shall slay tbe wicked." Could any circumstances afford
a more suitable occasion for sucb a psalm being given to the
Church ? Taking advantage of Da-vid's peculiar state and feel
ings, tbe Holy Gbost gives to tbe Church a song tbat might
suit ber Head, tbe true David when He came, and might
equally suit every member. Augustine -writes : " Dicit Chris-
tus ; dicat et Christianus ; " because tbe Head and members
agree so truly in feeling and experience.
It is one of tbe alphabetic psalms, carefully arranged for tbe
memory easily to grasp ; and yet not so invariably regular as
to cause us to tbink there is any mystery in tbat form of com
position. It is interesting to note tbat tbe name of Jehovah
occurs in each of tbe verses except three.
Our Lord might use it all. He could as truly say, " This
poor man cried," as David ; for He could point to Gethsemane,
and to many a night of " strong crying and tears," (Heb. v. 7).
Wbo more than He could tell of tbe ministering angel (ver. 7),

* In Isa. xlv. 22, the word is ij^g " Turn from other objects and fix your eye
on me," as Ps. Ixix. 16, and Exod. xvi. 10.
t Some think thi.s verse is referred to in John xiv. 36, and so infer that John
understood the whole psalm of Christ throughout.

THE LORD'S LOVE UNDER THE CROSS. 117
since, after Tbe Temptation, and at tbe season of tbe Garden
agony. He obtained sucb belp ? And it was He wbo could
say, " Thinkest tbou tbat I cannot pray to my Father, and He
will presently give me more than twelve legions of angels ?"
Even (in ver. 11) tbe expression, " Ye children," comes from
bis lips more naturally than from any other, for He it is tbat
bas spoken of all God's famUy as " My little children."
Tbe speaker would fain draw us to tbe Lord by telling us
bis own experience. We ought to connect verses 10, 1],
together. " 0 fear tbe Lord ; for with bim is all tbat can satisfy
your soul. Come unto me, and I wiU teacb you tbe fear of
the Lord." Christ is be tbat utters to us tbe words of eternal
Ufe by revealing tbe Father ; and his disciples follow in . bis
steps. Having taught us this "fear of Jehovah," — i. e., to
cry "Abba, Father," and yet also to reaUse bim as Jehovah —
taught us, also, thereby wbat real life is, — be next points out
tbe results. He shews us, in verses 12, 13, 14, tbe holy issues
or effects of tbe fear of tbe Lord, — tbe lips, tbe life, tbe pur
suit of tbe heart, all tending in a boly direction. After this all is
safety to tbem (ver. 15-21), while " the Lord's face is with evil
doers," as tbe PUlar Cloud was -with Pharaoh, to destroy tbem.
Tbe prophetic reference of this Psalm is in the close. There prophetic
tbe anointed eye of David, and tbe Son of David, and all tbe
seed of David, beholds tbe final end of these trials. The
righteous arrive in tbe kingdom, not one bone broken, — even
as Christ came down from the cross, not a bone of bim broken,
to shew tbe inabUity of bis foes really to injure him. Tbey see
tbe wicked slain, and tbe haters of tbe Eighteous One " pro
nounced guilty" and made desolate. Is not this leading us^up
to tbe throne whence tbe sentence goes forth, " Those mine
enemies bring hither and slay them before me ! Depart, ye
cursed ! "
Tbe harp of David thus celebrates.
The Righteous One's eayperience of ihe Lord's love under
the cross.*
• Dr Allix : — " This Psalm containeth the praises whicb the Messias gives
to his Father for having delivered him out of all his sufferings." Horsley :
" Messiah exhorts to holiness and trust in God, by the example of his own
deliverance."

reference.

118 PSALM XXXV. — THE UTTERANCE OF THE RIGHTEOUS ONE

PSALM XXXV.
A Psalm of David.
1 Pleab my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me:
Fight against them that fight against me.
2 Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help.
8 Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me !
Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.
4 Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul :
Let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt.
5 Let them be as chaff before the wind : and let the angel of the Lord
chase them.
6 Let their way be dark and slippery : and let the angel of the Lord perse
cute them.
7 For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit,
Which without cause they have digged for my soul.
8 Let destruction come upon him at unawares ;
And let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruc
tion let him fall.
9 And ray soul shall be joyful in the Lord : it shall rejoice in his salvation.
10 All ray bones shall say. Lord, who is like unto thee ?
Which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him,
Yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him ?
II False witnesses did rise up ; they laid to my charge things that I knew not.
12 They rewarded me evil for good, to the spoiling of my soul.
13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth ;
I humbled my soul with fasting ;
And my prayer returned into mine owu bosom.
14 I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother :
1 bowed down heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother.
16 But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together:
Yea, the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew
it not.
They did tear me, and ceased not :
16 With hypocritical mockers in feasts, they gnashed upon me with their
teeth.
17 Lord, how long wilt thou look on ?
Rescue my soul from their destructions, my darling from the lions.
18 I will give thee thanks in the great congregation : I will praise thee
among much people.
19 Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me :
Neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause.
20 For they speak not peace :
But they devise deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the land.
21 Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me,
And said. Aha! aha! our eye hath seen it.
22 This thou basL seen, ULoru: keep nut silence : O Lord, benotfarfromme

regarding those THAT HATE HIM. 119
23 Stir np thyself, and awake to my judgment ! even unto my cause, my
God and my Lord !
24 Judge me, O Lord my God, according to thy righteousness ;
And let them not rejoice over me.
25 Let them not say in their hearts. Ah ! so would we have it :
Let them not say, We have swallowed him up.
26 Let them be ashamed aud brought to confusion together that rejoice at
mine hurt :
Let them be clothed with shame and dishonour tbat magnify themselves
against me.
27 Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause:
Yea, let them say continually. Let the Lord be magnified,
Which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant
28 And ray tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the
day long.
There is this Unk of connection between this Psalm and the connection.
preceding, that in both we find " the bones" referred to ; in the
former as " not broken" (ver. 20), in the latter as " rejoicing"
(ver. ] 6). In both, too, we find the angel of the Lord acting as
tbe Lord's instrument. In the former tbe angel acts to protect
and preserve (ver. 6), because tbe whole song is one of the
Lord's care ; but in the latter tbe angel acts in tbe way of
vengeance, as an instrument in inflicting tbe Lord's wratb (ver.
5, 6), because tbe burden of tbe Psalm is an a-wful intercession
against those wbo bate the righteous without cause.
Throughout this is an awful Psalm. Let us read it as the chiist in it.
words of tbe Lord Jesus, and wbat do we find ? We find Him
praying to tbe Father for belp, and then consenting to tbe
doom of bis relentless, impenitent foes ; yea, rather pronounc
ing tbe doom witb bis o-wn lips, even as when He shall say to
tbe barren fig-tree, " Cut it down," and to tbose on tbe left The plan.
hand, " Depart." It is in tbat spfrit He says : —
" Ld them be confounded.
Ld them be turned hack.
Ld them be as chaff,
Ld the angel of the Lord smite them down.
Ld their way be dark.
Ld the angel of the Lord chase them." (Ver. 4, 5, 6.)
This is tbeir sentence, uttered by tbe lips of tbe Judge. It Is
not tbe wish of one wbo is revengeful ; it is tbe utterance of
justice, compelled by the state of tbe parties to speak in stem
severity. Our Lord himself quotes verse 19. "they hate me

120 PSALM XXXV. — THE UTTERANCE OF THE RIGHTEOUS ONE
without a cause," in John xv. 25, on tbe last evening be spent
witb his disciples before he suffered. For then be found
himself in tbe very situation so strikingly described in verses
1 1, ] 2 ; — false witnesses rising up, — men rewarding bis whole
career of kindness by spoiling bis souL •
What a deeply affecting picture do verses 13, 14, 15, give
of tbe Saviour's life for us. It may bave been literally realised
at Nazareth ; Christ may bave put on sackcloth when be
beard of some one in sickness, fasting for the dying man whose
soul be longed to save — none tbe less tbat tbe man was a foe.
Jesus acted as if tbe man bad been " friend or brother ;" yea,
be felt sucb grief as men usually feel only when a beloved
" mother" dies. And so be felt for all this miserable world.
But now, says be, when tbe day of my calamity bas come,
tbey do not sympathise -with me : —
" They rejoice and gather togdher.
They gather against me, the abjeds I
Even those whom I knew not, tear me, and cease not.
The vile, who mock for a cake (parasites), gnash thdr tedh af me."
(Ver. 15, 16.)
His cry ascends ; his pleadings up go before tbe righteous
Father, " Lord, bring back my soul from desolations caused by
their ruinous plots. Tbe vehement appeal (ver. 23), " My God,
and my Lord !" may bave been in Thomas's thoughts on tbat
memorable occasion, John xx. 28. We bave tbe answer in
verses 26, 27 :—
" They are ashamed; they are clothed vrith shame.''
This answer carries us forward to tbe day when tbey who re
jected Him shall bave as tbeir portion " shame and everlasting
contempt ;" while they tbat favour bis righteous cause —
" Shout for joy, and are glad ;
They cry continually, Let the Lord he magnified I
Whose pleasure is the prosperity ofhis servants."
Pnphetie Is not this tbe " Hallelujah" of tbe glorified redeemed ? Is
not this their sbout of joy, when sorrow and sighing flee away?
And, once more, is not this tbe sound of tbe Lamb's harp and
voice we bear, when amid this jubilee of bliss be says, —
" And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness,
Of thy praise, all the day long."

REGARDING THOSE IH VT &ATE HIM. 1 21
Throughout the endless day of eternity tbe Lord Jr'-ii« .shall
himself speak the Father's "praise," and shall put raarked
emphasis on his "righteousness" — tbat righteousness wbicb
shall have been exhibited both in tbe doom of tbose who hated
tbe offered Eedeemer, and in tbe salvation of those who re
ceived bim. There is nothing in aU this wherein bis o-wn
may not fully join,- especially on that day when their views of
justice sbaU be far clearer and fuller than now. On tbat day
we shall be able to understand bow Samuel could hew Agag
in pieces, and tbe godly hosts of Israel slay utterly in Canaan
man and woman and child, at God's command. We sbaU be
able, not only fully to agree in tbe doom, " Let tbem be con
founded," &c., but even to sing, " Amen, Hallelujah," over the
smoke of torment. (Eev. xix. 1, 2.) We should in some mea
sure now be able to use every verse of this Psalm in the spirit
in wbicb the Judge spake it, we feeling ourselves his assessors
in judging the world. (1 Cor. vi. 2.) We shall, at all events,
be able to use it on that day when wbat is written bere shall
be aU accompUsbed : —
The awful utterance of the Righteous One regarding those thai
hate Him without a cause.

PSALM XXXVL
To the chief Musician, A Fsalm of David the servant of theLorl.
1 The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart,
That there is no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found' to
be hateful.
3 The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit : he hath left off to be
wise, and to do good.
4 He deviseth mischief upon his bed ;
He setteth himself in a way that is not good ; he abhorreth not evil.
5 Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens ; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto
the clouds.
6 Thy righteousness is like the great mountains ; thy judgments are a great
deep.
O Lord, thou preservest man and beast.
7 How excellent is thy loving-kindness, O God !
Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy
wings.

122 PSALM XXXVL — LOOKING UP TO THE GOD OF GRACE
8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house :
And thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.
9 For with thee is the fountain of life : in thy light shall we see light.
10 0 continue thy loving-kindness unto them that know thee ;
And thy righteousness to the upright in heart.
11 Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the
wicked remove me.
12 There are the workers of iniquity fallen ! They are cast down, and shall
not be able to rise.
¦nie title. He whom tbe Holy Gbost employs to 'write in tbese strains of
elevated thought and intense feeling, is one not ashamed ofhis
God. It is David ; and as in Psalm xviii 1 , so bere be de
scribes himself as "Servant of Jehovah." Perhaps it was
specially appropriate to use this designation in a Psalm tbat
shews us so fully tbe apostasy of men and a world in rebellion.
David glories in being " Servant" to Him whom men desert
and despise.
The plan. Like Balaam (Numb. xxiv. 3 D>i3) speaking in tbe Lord's
name to Balak, so the P.salmist, in a kind of irony, represents
" transgression" as uttering its oracle to tbe wicked. Tbe first
verse reads thus : —
" Transgression utters its oracle to the wicked in my heart ! {i.e., my
heart thus apprehends their meaning,)
There is no fear of God before his eyes ! " — {Hengstenberg?^)
And then he states seven features of tbe man wbo bas no fear of
God. All this prepares tbe way for tbe contrast, Jehovah's
character and thoughts towards us, verses 5-9. Nor is be done
tUl be bas shewn us the Fountain of life, surrounded by the re
deemed, and then pointed to tbe ruin of tbe lost, " Yonder
are they fallen !" (ver. 1 2), — scenes that carry us forward to tbe
Great Day and its issues.
Wbat a Psalm is this ! David, and David's Son, and every
member of tbe- household of faith, must always have found it
congenial ; it is sucb a picture of eartb, and such a glimpse
of Godbead-glory and grace. It suggests tbe deliverance of
aU creation, " man and beast," aud streams of bliss in reserve
* Tholuck renders it, " A divine oracle says from the depth of my heart,
concerning the wickedness of the ungodly" — adopting in substance the version
of Symmachus and Luther. All agree that QJ^J is very peculiar.

PROM AMID A WORLD LYING IN WJCKEDXESS ""~S
for us. It abounds in allusions to Old Testament histor)' — al
lusions that make it more fragrant and savoury ; as when verse
7tb sings of Jehovah's care of " man and beast," thereby
calling up before us the ark of Noah, and tbe rainbow tbat
spanned it after tbe flood ; or when verse 8 sings of " the river,"
as if to remind us of tbe streams tbat watered Paradise (" a
river of tby pleasures" liy) ; or when " the fountain" is spoken
of, as if to send our thoughts to Deut. xxx. 20, Israel's foun
tain. It is sucb a song of Zion as can be appreciated only
by meditation deep and frequent — sucb solemn meditation as
-will try to gaze up 'to tbose heavens (verse 5), wherein mercy
dwells ; penetrate tbose clouds in wbicb faithfulness is hid ;
climb and explore the massy mountain-heights of justice (hills
of God, worthy of bis greatness, glorious and immense) ; cast
tbe line into tbe fathomless deep of bis judgments, (i.e., bis
providential deaUngs) ; and feel drawn by that grace that leads
men to tbe shade of tbe Almighty wings, and then to tbe
rivers of pleasure which flow from tbe fountain of life. If
asked to describe wbat we see in this Psalm, we would say.
We see bere
The Righteous One looking up to the God of grace from amid
a world lying in wiclcedness.

PSALM XXXVIL
A Psalm of David.
1 !Fbet not thyself because of evildoers,
Neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green
herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good ;
So shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
4 Delight thyself also in the Lord ; and he shall give thee the desires of thine
heart.
6 Commit thy way unto tbe Lord ; trust also in him ;
And he shall bring it to pass.
6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment
as the noonday.
7 Kest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him ;
Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way.
Because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

121 PSALM XXXVIL -» THE HEART QUIETED BY DISCERNING
8 Cease from anger, and forsake -wrath : fret not thyself in any wise to
do evil.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they
shall inherit the earth.
10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be :
Yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall net be.
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth ;
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
12 The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his
teeth.
13 The Lord shall laugh at hira : for he seeth that his day is coming.
14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow.
To cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright con
versation.
15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be
broken.
16 A little that a righteous man hath, is better than the riches of many
wicked.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken : but the Lord upholdeth the
righteous.
18 The Lord knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be
for ever.
19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time : and in the days of famine they
shall be satisfied. *
20 But the wicked shall perish.
And the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs :
They shall consume ; into smoke shall they consume away.
21 The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again : but the righteous sheweth
mercy, and giveth.
22 For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth ;
And they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord : and he delighteth in
his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down :
For the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.
25 I have been young, and now am old ;
Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
26 He is ever merciful, and lendeth ; and his seed is blessed.
27 Depart from evil, and do good ; and dwell for evermore.
28 For the lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints.
They are preserved for ever : but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
29 The righteous shall inherit the land, aud dwell therein for ever.
30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of
judgment.
31 The law of his God is in his heart ; none of his steps shall slide.
32 The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.
33 The Lord will not leave hira in his hand, nor condemn him when he is
judged.

between THE GODLY AND THE WICKED. 125
34 Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit
the land.
When the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
36 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green
bay tree.
36 Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not ! yea, I sought him, but he could
not be found.
37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright ! for the end of that man is
peace.
38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together : the end of the wicked
shall be cut off.
39 But the salvation of the righteous is of tbe Lord : he is their strength in
the time of trouble.
40 And the Lord shall help thenS, and deliver thera ;
He shall deliver them from the wicked, aud save them, because they trust
in him.
There are seven alphabetic Psalms, and this is one of tbem. ^Ji^^Jor""
It is a song of Zion, in which precious truths are stored up in
tbe memory by tbe aid of tbe alphabetic beginnings of each
verse. But, as usual, there occurs one irregularity (viz. 5? is
omitted), to prevent us, perhaps, attaching too great importance
to this form of structure.
The two-edged sword gleams bright bere ; justice and mercy oS'^''^"''
ride together over the field of eartb. It is a song suitable for
tbe Cburcb and the Cburcb's Head alike, and for every age of
the Cburcb's history. And yet how exactly some verses suit
special scenes. Thus, verses 31, 32, is a full-length portrait of
tbe Just One — word, thought, deed ; while Antichrist might
be said to have sat for bis picture in verses 35, 36. " I saw
tbe wicked," &c.
Our Lord seems to quote tMs Psalm inMatt. v. 2 : " Blessed The future.
are the meek — they shall inherit the earth." And in this
Psalm "the little while" is spoken of, tbat " Uttle while" of tbe
Cburcb's patient waiting, now so well known to us :
" Yd a little while and the wicked shall not he."
" And the meek shall inherit the earth." (Ver. 10, 11.)
Verses 37, 38, describe tbe final reward, "Tbe End," of the
perfect man, and tbe final doom, " tbe end," of transgressors,
on tbe Great Day, when He comes wbo bas " His reward with
bim." And so it closes witb ascribing all victory to the Lord
alona (Ver. 39, 40.)

126 PSALM XXXVII. — THE HEAIIT QUIKTLD BY DISCERNING
The title. The title is simply, " of David" and this much we may re
mark regarding tbe penman's style in it, tbat in very many
portions bis own history supplied striking exemplifications of
bis doctrinal statements.
The contents. In verses 1-6 we bave ihe Lordfs treatment of His oum.
He lets tbem be proved and tried, while tbe wicked prosper.
David's adversity in the day of Saul's authority, and Nabal's
history, might be referred to as Ulustrating tbese verses.
" Dwell in the Land" may send us to Gen. xxvi 34, or to 1 Sam.
xxvii. 1, 2, by contrast. Notice bow it is faith and hope
together tbat are recommended in verses 5, 6, and remark tbat
"judgment" may well be rendered " The decision of thy cause
in favour of the right," just as in Isaiab xUi 3, 4 ; John xii
31, and xvi 11, it signifies tbe decision of tbe controversy
pending between God and us, against tbe great Accuser.
In verses 7-15 we bave The Lord's treatment of his foes.
Instead of complaining of our burdens, and anxieties, and
c^res, and fears, and instead of throwing tbem off in stoical
indifference, let us " roll them on the Lord" (as ver. 5), and
then " Wait — be silent" — q. d., standing still at tbe Eed Sea,
till God opens the way. "The meek" are tbey wbo bow to God's
will ; tbey shall as surely " inherit the earth," as ever Israel
entered into possession of Canaan. This is a promise repeated
in verses 1], 22, 29, 34, as* if to reiterate, " tbat though you
have little of eartb and earth's good things now, all sbaU yet
be yours, and tbe ungodly be gone for ever."
From verses 16-22 we bave God's blessing onthe substance
of the godly, and his curse on what belongs to the wicked.
This is seen in tbe godly enjoying sufficiency at aU times, and
in tbeir being able (ver. 21) to give to others also; whereas
tbe ungodly are blighted, yea so reduced (ver. 21) as to be
found " borrowing," and unable to repay. All this is a fore
taste of tbe future day described in Matt. xxv. 34, 41, and to
'which reference is made in tbese words,
" For the Lord's blessed ones shall inherit the earlh,
And his cursed ones shall be cut off."
In verses 23-26 we bave contrasts that even now distin
guish tlie lot of these two classes of men. Tbe godly are

BETWEEN THE GODLY AND THE WICKED. 1 27
directed ; lifted up when calamity has overtaken tbem (ver.
24) ; never forsaken (ver. 25).
" I have never seen the righleous forsaken {oi God),
Nor (have I seen) his seed (forsaken) even when in greatest poverty."
Nay, so far from this, tbe righteous is enabled to shew kind
ness to others (ver. 26), and leaves blessing to bis seed. " For
(says one) so far is charity from impoverishing, that wbat is
given away, like vapours emitted by tbe eartb, returns in
showers of blessing."
From verses 27-33 we haye an implied invitation to join
the godly, whom the Lord so cares for, in cherishing all that
is holy. Things are said wbicb in their full sense are realised
only in the person of the Eighteous One.
In verses 34-40 we arrive at the final issues of things.
Wait — that " wicked one" wbo is so " terrible" (Y^l^), shall
soon disappear — that Saul, tbat foe of yours, tbat Antichrist,
tbe Church's foe ! And fail not to mark tbe perfect, " For to
the perfect there is an end," &n /1^"lf7t*. This " r\'n'nVi," is
wbat Baalam speaks of in Numb, xxiii 10, tbe end in the latter
day, the resurrection time.
Aud now let us revert to several expressions, in wbicb we cii)*t the
find a marked likeness to our Lord's mode of speaking when on
eartb. We noticed at verse 22, tbe resemblance to Matt. xxv.
34, 41, tbe "blessed" and the " cursed ;" but not less remark
able is tbe five tiraes repeated " inherit the earth," for our
Lord quotes it in Matt. v. 5, when promising still future bless
ing. Add to these tbe " little while" of verse ] 0, as use^ by
the Lord in John xvi. 16-19, and also " ihe end" as parallel
to our Lord's " end of the age" in Matt, xiii 19. Witb aU
tbese expressions before us, may we not say tbat the Master
himself is tbe chief speaker of this Psalm ? It is as pro
perly tbe lips of David's Son tbat utter it, as it is the pen of
David tbat writes it. And this is tbe tbeme of it —
The Righteous One quieting our heart by teaching ua to
discern betwecTi ihe godly and the wicked.

128 PSALM XXXVIIL — TffE LEPROSY OF SIN ABHORRED.

PSALM XXXVIIL
A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance.
1 O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath : neither chasten me in thy hot dis
pleasure.
2 For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore.
3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger ;
Neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin.
4 For mine iniquities are gone over mine head : as an heavy burden, they are
too heavy for rae.
6 My wounds stink and are corrupt, because of my foolishness.
6 I am troubled ; I am bowed down greatly ; I go mourning all the day long.
7 For ray loins are filled with a loathsome disease : and there is no sound
ness in my flesh.
8 I am feeble and sore broken : I have roared by reason of the disquietness
of my heart.
9 Lord, all my desire is before thee ; and my groaning is not hid from thee.
10 My heart panteth, my strength faileth me :
As for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me.
11 My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore ; and my kinsmen
stand afar off.
12 They also that seek after my life lay snares for me :
And they that seek my heart speak mischievous things,
And imagine deceits all the day long.
13 But I, as a deaf man, heard not ; and I was as a dumb man that openeth
not his mouth.
14 Thus I was as a man that heareth not, and in whose mouth are no re
proofs.
15 For in thee, O Lord, do I hope : thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.
16 For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me :
When my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.
17 For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me.
18 For I will declare mine iniquity ; I will be sorry for my sin.
19 But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong :
And they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied.
20 They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries ;
Because I follow the thing that good is.
21 Forsake me not, 0 Lord : O my God, be not far from me.
22 Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.
Christ in it Here is " The inhabitant saying, I am sick" — David, and every
bebever witb bim, and the Head of aU beUevers, David's Son,
when he took his place in our world as The Inhabitant who was
to heal tbe sicknesses of others. One writer vehemently asserts,
" It is a prophetic prayer of Christ ; it bas no personal refe-

PSALM XXXVIII. — ^THE LEPROSY OF SIN ABHORRED, 129
ence whatever to David" (Tucker) ; wbUe one of tbe ancient
fathers is content witb saying, " It would be bard not to apply
to Christ a Psalm tbat as grapbicaUy describes bis passion as
if we were reading it out of tbe gospels. (Valde durum et
contrarium est, ut ille Psalmus non pertineat ad Christum ubi
babemus tam apertam passionem ejus tanquam ex Evan
gelic recitetur." — Aug). We are content to notice tbat tbe
tone of tbe voice of bim tbat speaks is none other than
tbat of tbe speaker in Psalm vi., as verse 1 in both is suffi
cient to prove. Nor is it unlike Psalm xxii, as verses 21 and
22 will at once suggest (Psa. xxii 29). Tbe difficulty in tbe
way of supposing it used by tbe Lord Jesus, as descriptive of
bis -feelings and state, when be took ou our guilt by imputor
tion, is not at all greater than in some passages of Psalms
xL and Ixix., wbicb almost no one doubts to be bis utterances.
There is some Ught cast on our Lord's feeUngs under tbe
imputation of our sins, if we consider verse 5 to be a statement
of bis abhorrence of tbe sin be bears : " My wounds stink
and are corrupt" — i. e., there is inexpressible loathsomeness
in my festering woimds, tbose wounds wbicb I bave been
subjected to " because of m,y foolishness," viz., tbe folly im
puted to me (as in Psa. Ixix. 5), the fooUsbness, tbe infatuation
and sins of my people. He was weary of wearing tbat poisoned
garment of our sins ; be was weary of ha-ving our leprosy ap
pearing on bis spotless person ; he was weary and woe-begone,
and longed for tbe time when be should " appear without sin,"
(Heb. ix. 28).
It is thus that we can understand it to bave been used by xiic otie.
Christ, and yet to be suitable at the same time, though in a
different manner, to Cbrist's redeemed ones, wbo feel tbefr
personal corruption and guUt. And in either case the title is
appropriate, " To bringto remembrance" — just as in Psabn Ixx.
It speaks of God apparently forgetting the sufferer, so tbat
a cry ascends, equivalent to, " Lord, remember David and all
bis afflictions."
Wbat a cry is verse 1, "Lord, rebuke me not," &c., in tbe Thecontcnti
Ups of the Head, or of the members. It conveys a foreboding
apprehension of another wave of tbe wratb to come, ready to
I

L;0 PSALM XXXVIII. — THE LErr.GSY OF SIN ACIIORRI-D.
breakover tbe already bruised soul. "If it be possible, let
this cup pass !" Wbat a groan is verse 2, " For thine arrows
stick fast in, or, sink into me" — one of which arrows we saw
on tbe bow in Psalm vii. 1 2 — ariows that drink up the life-
blood. Wbat an overwhelming sight verse 4 presents, " Mine
i/niquities are gone over my head," — like the tide rising while
he is within tide-mark. Wbat convulsive agony is depicted in
verse 6, " 1 am racked with pain, I am bowed down greatly.
Day by day do I go in sadness."
How terrible in tbeir very calmness are verses 9 and 10 :
" Lord, all my desire is before thee,
And my groaning is not hid from thee.
My heart panteth, my strength faildh, —
The light of mine eyes — even that no longer remains to me;"
for weeping and sorrow have dimmed tbe eye ; a state to which
His members have been at times reduced, as when that remark
able disciple in tbe Highlands Of Scotland^ wept herself blind,
through sorrow for sin, after ber awakening. And then the
gloomy cloud closes round Him, verse 11, " Lovers and friends
stand aloof, — sympathy there is none. Nor does his gloom
soon pass ; for verse 17 renews the sad complaint,
" I am ready to halt," i.e., to fall and be broken,
for tbe keeper of Israel has to appearance forgotten me, and
does not "keep my feet from sliding," (Psa, cxxi 3).
Tbe deliverance is foreseen in verse 21, " Haste to my help ;"
to save me from tbose who are to me like Satan (ver, 20) ; and
tbe fulness ofit at last is implied and wrapt up in " 0 ! Jehovah,
my salvation." If Jehovah is my, salvation, then is He to
me wbat be was to Moses at tbe Eed Sea (Exod. xv. 2), and
my triumph is sure and fuU. The Head and bis members
have a salvation from Jeboyab of wondrous extent — ^beginning
in tbe resurrection of the Head, and to be completed at the
resurrection of all the members,
Eead, then, in either application, this Psalm describes
The Leprosy of sin abhorred by the rigliteous.

PSALM XXXIX. — ^THE RIGHTEOUS ONE A PILGRIM. 131

PSALM XXXIX.
To the chief Musician, even to Jednthnn, A Fsalm of David.
] I SAID, I -will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue :
I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the -wicked is before me.
2 I was dumb with silence, I hield my peace, even from good ;
And my sorrow was stirred.
3 My heart was hot -within me, while I was musing the fire burned:
Then spake I with my tongue.
4 Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what It is;
That I may know how frail I am.
5 Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreath ;
And mine age is as nothing before thee :
Verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.
6 Surely every man walketh in a vain show ! surely they are disquieted in vain !
He heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.
7 And now. Lord, what wait I for ? my hope is. in thee.
8 Deliver me frora all my transgressions: make me not the reproach of the
foolish.
9 I was dumb, I opened not my mouth ^ because thou didst it.
10 Remove thy stroke away frora me : I am consumed by the blow of thine
hand.
11 When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity,
Thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth :
Surely every man is vanity. Selah.
12 Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear onto my cry ; hold not thy peace
at my tears:
For I am a stranger -with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.
13 O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence; and be no
more.
In last Psalm, verses 13, 14, resenible the first verse here. The position.
and On this account tbe two Psalms haye been put side by
side. But besides, bere is one whom we might call " Gershom,"
for be if a stranger in a strange land, and be is tbe same speaker
(whoever tbat was) as in the previous Psabn. For, if the one
Psalm spoke thus, "/ said, I am ready to halt" (ver. 16),
this begins with, " / said, 1 will take heed to my ways;" and
if the one spoke of being " dumb with silence" (ver. 14), not
less does this in verse 2 ; and if the one said, verse 1 5, " In
tbee do / hope," this also says, verse 7, " My hope is in tbee."
The title does not tell us more than tbat there was a musical The atie
chorus, in which, perhaps, "Jeduthun" may have been tbe name

132 PSALll XXXIX. — THE RIGHTEOUS ONE A IILGRIM.
of the presiding singer, to whose care it was committed. But
The contents, a glance at tbe contents shews a pilgrim-spirit, oue journeying
through a world of vanity, and praying at every step to be
Christ and his taught and kept in tbe will of God. Christ, when " learning
neop e. obedience" and identifying himself with us (as in ver. 12), could
use it, .supplicating his Father in verse 4 ; sympathising with
our feeble frame in verse 5, " Thou hast given me some hand-
breadths as tbe length of my days : and my life is- as non
existence before thee ;" pronouncing the sentence of " Vanity
and Vexation" on all tbat this world presents, however good
and fair to the eye (ver. 6), and in verse 7 turning towards
Jehovah, as the only source of bliss. In verses 9, J 0, not only
can every believer find his own experience, or what should be
his experience under trial, but the Lord Jesus also could have
used these words. On earth, he said, " Even so. Father, for so
it seemeth good in thy sight," praying at the same time, " If it
be possible, let this cup pass." The marred countenance of
the Son of Man, in whicb nothing of the " King in his beauty"
could be seen, may be described in the words of verse 11. Like
verse 5, this verse is followed by a " Sdah," calling for silent
thought. But intermixed with aU the pilgrim's melancholy
laments, do we not recognise his hope and expectation of
something better to come ? Is not " the vanity" of verse 6,
like tbat of Eomans viii 20, for it is followed up by verse 7,
" My hope is in thee." There is " Hope" for this world ! its
" vanity" may give place to reality of bliss. An Israelite, amid
Canaan's plenty, could feel this, as 1 Chron. xxix. 15 shews,
and as Levit. xxv. 33 had taught them to feel And is not
verse 13 a Samson-like cry (Judges xvi 28) to be carried
through the crisis of a final struggle! The believer and his
Lord could fiud here a most suitable petition. Alexander
notices also how full of references to Job is this verse : thus
chap. vu. 19, xiv. 6, and x. 20, 21. But "Spare msthat 1
may be refreshed," is a prayer tbat all in him which sin
withered may be renovated, and his sad soul be refreshed -with
Divine grace. The Psalmist thus describes Christ when on
earth, and at the same time every one of his family while
passing through this eartb to the kingdom. It is.
The Righteous One a Pilgrim and a Stranger.

PSALM XL. — MESSIAH OUR SACRIFICE AND SALVATION, 133

PSALM XL.
To the chief Musician, A Fsalm of David.
1 1 WAITED patiently for the Lord ; and he inclined unto me, and heard
my cry.
2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay.
And set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God;
Many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.
4 Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust,
And respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
6 Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done^
And thy thoughts which are to us-ward :
They cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee !
If I wonld declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.
6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire ; mine ears hast thou opened.
Burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required :
7 Then said I, Lo, I come : in the volume of the book it is written of me,
8 I delight to do thy will, O my God : yea thy law is within my heart.
9 I have preached righteousness in the great congregation :
Lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest.
10 I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart ;
I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation :
I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great
congregation.
11 Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord :
Let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.
12 For innumerable evils have compassed me about ; mine iniquities have
taken hold upon me,
So that I am not able to look up ; they are more than the hairs of mine
head:
Therefore my heart faileth rae.
13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me : O Lord, make haste to help me.
14 Let them be ashamed and confounded together, that seek after my soul
to destroy it ;
Let them be driven backward and put to shame, that wish me evil.
15 Let them be desolate, for a reward of their shame, that say unto me,
Aha! aha! .,
16 Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee.
Let such as love thy salvation say continually. The Lord be magnified.
17 But I am poor and needy ; yet the Lord tfainketh upon me :
Thou art my help and my deliverer ; make no tarrying, O ray God.
"/ waited, I waited for Jehovah," I did nothing but wait, christinit.
(Alexander). Here is one who cries, " Lo ! I come to do thy

134. PSALM XL. — MESSIAH OUR SAClilFICi: A::r/ SAvVATiOX.
will, 0 God." We cannot fail to recognise Messiah bere, even if
we had not had tbe aid of the writer of Hebrews x. 5-1 0. Tbe
iniquities he speaks of in verse 1 2 are all ours* imputed to him
He might say, " And I am a sinner in tby sight, although I
never sinned." Christ speaks throughout, so exclusively in
deed, that the believer must bere take up the words not as his
own experience (except where he can follow Christ to gather the
spoil), but as the experience of the Captain of Salvation, in
fighting tbat battle which bas ended in everlasting triumph.
It is only by accommodation that even verses 1-3 can be used
by tbe believer in describing his own case. Christ is the
Joseph and Jeremiah of this pit.
The them*. Eead verse 4, and meditate on what He who is the Word
suggests-T-" (rodl's thoughts toward us!" The unnumbered
multitude ofhis thoughts of love to us ! The forests with tbefr
countless leaves, tbe grass on every plain and mountain of earth
witb its numberless blades, the sands on every shore of every
river and ocean, the waves of every sea and the drops of every
wave of every sea, tbe stars of beaven — none of these, nor all
combined, could afford an adequate idea of "His thoughts
toward us !" — " there is no comparison to thee" — nothing
wherewith to help out a statement. And the depth of love in
every one of these thoughts ! Who can sit do-wn and meditate
on Eedemption's wonders ? 'Who would not be confounded ?
The plan. Now the wbolc Psalm has this as its theme. From verses
1 to 3, a summary of God's dealings toward tbe Saviour, end
ing in tbe gathering of multitudes to Him as ihe Shiloh.
Verses 4 and 5, adoration of the purposes of God ; and from
verse 9 to the end, we are made to witness something of the
style in which these glorious purposes were carried on to fulfil
ment, in the actual coming and suffering of the Saviour. See
him obeying ; see him proclaiming Jehovah's name in its
breadth and fulness, wherever he came, in the villages, towns,
cities, the synagogues, the temple, the open afr assemblies, " I
bave proclaimed righteousness, and I will not at any future
time restrain my lips." Hear in verse 12 his unutterable
groanings, when " sorrowful unto death." Then bear bim in
* " K uluit enim loqui separatus, qui noluit esse separatus." — August.

PSALM XL. — ^MESSIAH OUR SACRIFICE AND SALVATION. 135
verse 15 foretelling Israel's desolation, and tbat of others like
them, because of their rejection of Him ; while verse 16 pictures
to us present "joy and peace in beUevdng," with the ultimate
result in tbe ages to come, in the joy of The Kingdom. It
would be endless were we to dwell on the rich and copious
suggestions afforded by almost every verse.* It is a manual of
the History of Eedemption. It is
Messiah exhibited cts our oncefor-ali Sacrifice, and all our
Salvoition.

PSALM XLL
To the chief Musician, A Fsalm of David.
1 Blessed is he that considereth the poor :
The Lord will deliver him in the time of trouble.
2 The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive j and he shall be blessed
upon the earth :
And thou wilt not deliver him unto the -will ofhis enemies.
3 The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing :
Thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.
4 I said, Lord, be merciful unto me : heal my soul ; for I have sinned
against thee.
6 Mine enemies speak evil of me, when shall he die and his name perish ?
6 And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity ;
His heart gathereth iniquity to itself; when he goeth abroad he telleth it.
7 All that hate me whisper together against me : against me do they devise
my hurt.
8 An e-vil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto him :
And now that he lieth he shall rise up no more.
9 Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my
bread,
.. Hath lifted np his heel against me.
10 But thou, O Xord, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may
requite them.
* The much-disputed passage, verse 6, " TIiou hast dug through my ears," or
" Thou hast prepared ears for me," is rendered from the Septuagint, " A body
hast thou prepared for me," in Heb. x. 5 ; because his taking our human nature
was the first and most direct step to his being made servant, like the man
whose ears were bored to the dpor-post. Possibly, too, there is reference to his
being a Priest prepared for his office, by having his ears tipt with blood, as
Lev. xiv. 14 ; Exod. xxix. 20. For the Hebrew is scarcely " bored," it is
rather " prepared." Alexander says, " The Septuagint version may have been
retained as suggesting that the Incarnation of the Son was a pre-requisite to his
obedience.

136 psal:,i x..i.— tjie riohteous one
11 By this I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not
triumph over me.
12 And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me be
fore thy face for ever.
13 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everiasting.
Amen, and Amen.
Quoted by The melaucboly interest attached to this Psalm has made it
Christ. well-kno-wn in Zion. Our Lord quoted it as bis own, on the
night when he was betrayed (see John xiii. 1 8, corapared with
ver. 9), when he saw the traitor take his seat at tbe Passover
table with him, and sit down on his left hand, so near that he
could hand him the sop, and dip with him in tbe dish. The
strain, however, is such as suits his famUy as well as himself ;
they may use it in Him.
The contents. It is the Lord who says, " Blessed is he that acts wisely to
ward the poor," ver. 1 ; tbe same wbo said " Blessed are the
merciful .'" and tbe same who on tbe day of bis coming shall
say, " Come, ye blessed ; I was sick, and ye visited me." He
encourages us to do good works in his Name, especially to those
of tbe household of faitb. What is -written frora verse 1 to 3
is a promise whicb Barzillai could bave claimed ; and Ebed-
melech, who drew Jeremiah from the pit ; and Onesiphorus,
who oft refreshed Paul ; and the women of Galilee, Susannah
and others, who ministered to Christ of their substance ; and the
daughters of Jerusalem, who gave him sympathy as he bore
the cross, pitying his marred countenance.
Perhaps in verse 4 Christ may be understood as saying, " I,
even I, myself, did that to others, and do, therefore, claim the
blessing. But how differently my foes act toward me ! AU
my miracles of kindness are forgotten, the memory of all my
thousand benefits is dro-wned in their maUce ; they wish my
death, " When shall He die ;" and " bis name perish ? " (Ver 5.)
" If be comes to see me," [i.e, to play tbe spy on me), he goes
away, saying,
"Some cursed thing cleaves to him." (Ver. 8, literally, "is soldered
into him.")
But the issue shall disappoint them ; I shall not even once
err, and I shall soon stand at thy right hand ;

UNPITIED IN HIS TIME OF NEED. 137
" Mine enemy is not to triumph over me :
And as for me, thou upholdest me in my integrity,
And sdtest me before thy face for ever. " (Ver. 12.)
In this be anticipates the reward of his obedience unto death,
and " ihe glory that should follow," as we too may do.
In this prospect it is interesting to hear him say, " Blessed israei m it
be Jehovdh, God of Israel," (ver. 13). The rejected and des
pised One bas not forgotten or given up the people who re
jected him. He will be their King, " King of the Jews,"
though they crucify him ; he intends grace and glory for them in
the latter day. " Eabbi thou art the Son of God ; thou art the
King of Israel." And that " Amen and Amen," bow sweetly
it dropped from the Ups of the Faithful Witness, wbo delighted
to preface his weighty sayings with " Verily," verily, Afitiv,
A/iriv, and who fixes his mark to this blessed Psalm (resem
bling what Paul does in some ofhis Epistles), as if to say, " The
signature of me, the Faithful Witness, with mine o-wn hand."
The Righteous One unpitied in his time of need.

PSALM XLIL
To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah.
1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee,
O God. \
2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God! When shall I come and
appear before God?
3 My tears have been my meat day and night,
While they continually say unto me. Where is thy God ?
4 When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me :
For I had gone with the multitude, I went with thera to the house of God,
With the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday.
6 Why art thou cast down, O my soul ? and why art thou disquieted in me ?
Hope thou in God : for I shall yet praise hun
For the help ofhis countenance.
6 O my God, my soul is oast down within me !
Therefore will 1 remember thee from the land of Jordan and of the Her
monites,
From the hill Mizar.
7 Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts ;
All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.

138 PSALM XLII. — THE RIGHTEOUS ONE IN WEARINESS.
8 Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the daytime,
And in the night his song shall be with me,
And my prayer unto the God of ray life.
9 I will say unto God my rock. Why hast thou forgotten me ?
Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
10 As with a sword in my bones, mine eneraies reproach me ;
While they say daily unto me, Where is thy God ?
11 Why art thou cast down, 0 my soul ? aud why art thou disquieted within
me?
Hope thou in God : for I shall yet praise him.
Who is the health of my countenance, and ray God.
Commencement The Jews begin Book II. with this Psalm. There is little
OfBookll. ° ¦ . .
doubt that their fourfold division of tbe Book of Psalms is arbi
trary, and was suggested by tbe single cfrcumstance that
" Amen" happens to occur at the close of Ps. xl., Ixxii, Ixxxix.,
and cvi, which are the closing Psalms of tbe different divisions.
Theutie. The Maschil has reference to the music. As for the sons of
Korah, descendants of tbe rebel Korah whose children, spared
by grace, took a conspicuous part in tbe Temple worship of
song, tbey were only the receivers, not the writeirs of the Psalm.
Probably the Levites who were with David (2 Sam. xv. 24) in
clude tbe sons of Korah.
Christ Here is the hart in the wilderness panthig for the water
brooks which it bad not got at. It stands on some bank that
bangs over (/S?), the brook, — the water is not reached. Such
is the Psalmist's state of souL " 0 that I might see tbe face
of God ! " is the force of verse 2 ; and verse 4 is the soul re
sponding to itself, saying, in remembrance of past joys now
withheld, " Thereon will I think, and pour out my soul within
myseff." The Septuagint has translated this very nearly in the words
used in Matt, xxvi 38, and John xii 27.
" Why art thou {' ffsg/XuTToj' Septuagint) very sorrowful, O my soul ?
And why art thou {Ta^aesii; /jli) troubled within me V
Our Lord, as well as every troubled and sorrowful one of
bis people, could use this Psalm, when, as the true David, he
was driven out, not by a son, but by bis Father for our sakes
— driven farther from heaven than Hermon or Jordan, or " the
Little Hill," are from Zion and tbe Tabernacle, hearing deeper

LOOKiNG. UFWAiiD ¦ FOR ^RliFRE&HM^lvT.

139

floods ca,lling to one another, and mustering tbefr waters, as at
tbe 'deluge the cataracts dashed upon the ark from above,
while bursting fountains heaved it up from below.* Still, He
knew tbe issue : " For the joy set before Him he endured tho
cross." He could sing in the gloom, "I shall yd praise him,
the salvation of my countenance, and my God !" The mar
ginal reading is, " His presence is salvation ;" but verse 11 is
against this. The meaning is, I shall praise Him as He, who
shall change my marred form,' and, give me beauty ; who shall
change my bumiUation into exaltation ; who shall in my case,
and then in the case of all my people, exchange the wilderness
and its parched sands for the kingdom and its rivers of pleasure.
The sorest pang of Christ, arising from reproach and scorn. The speaker.
was that which he felt when they cast suspicion on tbe love
and faithfulness -of his Father (ver. 10), " Where is thy God?"
In proportion as sanetification advances, his members feel this,
too, forgetting tbeir o-wn glory, and intent upon his. In the
primary use of tbe Psabn, this taunt would be felt by David
when his enemies insinuated that though God had anointed
him king, yet He could not bring bim to his kingdom : or even
if "the sons of Korah "f wrote this Psalm, (as Hengsten
berg thinks), there would be tbe same feeling in tbem in
regard to this taunt flung at that devoted leader, whose cause
they espoused, coming to bim at Ziklag. (1 Chron. xii. 6.)
But the Holy Ghost founded on these circumstances a song
of Zion, which was meant for Zion's King, and all his princes
in tbeir passage to the throne and kingdom. The Lord Jesus
might speciaUy call it to mind, and sing it witb his disciples
on that remarkable day when, at Ccesarea Philippi (Matt xvi
13), be asked what men were saying of him? On that day,
* The various cataracts of Jordan (see Lynch's Narrative of Expedition to
Jordan) might give origin to the figures of " deep unto deep — noise of thy
waterspouts." f " The sons of Korah " have their name prefixed to fourteen Psalms.
Herein is free sovereign grace ! The descendants of the rebel are spared (Numb.
xxvi. II), and honoured. We find them "porters" and " over the host of the
Lord," 1 Chron. ix. 19, for they were Levites of the family of Kohath. Some of
them came to David at Ziklag, I Chron. xii. 6, and these may be specially the
"sons of Korah "mentioned here, viu., Elkanah, Jesiah, Jaser, Joshobeam, and
Azareel. Their after history, too, is interesting, grace still shining in it
throughout, in the days of the later kings.

Ail helievers.

Christ.

140 PSALM XLIIL — THE RIGHTEOUS ONE CLAIMING HIS EIGHT
Hermon was iu sight, and Jordan's double-fountain close be
side him, and some "Little HUl " near them, some "Mizar,"'*
tbat, by contrast, called up to mind tbe Hills of Zion. On
tbat day, it may be, the Head of the Church made special use
of this Psalm, and embalmed it in the hearts of his disciples,
who would never afterwards faU to sing it (even as we do), with
double refreshment ia the thought that it had comforted the
Master, expressing, as it does.
The Righteous One i/n his wearvness looking up to the Father
for refreshment.

PSALM XLIIL
1 Jddge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation 1
O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man I
2 For thou art the God of my strength ; why dost thou cast me off?
Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy ?
3 0 send out thy light and thy truth ; let them lead me
Let them bring me unto thy holy hill and to thy tabernacles.
4 Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy :
Yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God, ray God.
6 Why art thou cast down, O my soul ? aud why art thou disquieted
within me?
Hope in God : for I shall yet praise hira, who is the health of my
countenance, and my God.
Many ancient and modern writers make this Psalm a part of
the former. They have faded to see tbat the strain is now
more gladsome and hopeful. The hart is now bounding on
to the water brooks. The psalmist is claiming his right to
refreshment, and anticipating it as at his very lips. Tbe gloom
of "night" (xlii. 8) and of "mourning" (ver. 2) is to be ex
changed for favour or "light" (ver. 3), aud " truth," i.e., the
fulfilment of tbe promises made to him (Aben-Ezra) shall
* Tucker has made an interesting suggestion, though it will not bear exami
nation : "I will remember thee concerrdng the land" (Q). God's past mercies
displayed there, at tbe miraculous passage of the river Jordan, and the getting
possession of the land even to Hermon; and then " The Little Hill " would be
Zion itself, only great because the Tabernacle is there. The construction of
the Hebrew refuses to yield this sense.

TO ENJOY FULL REFRESHMENT. 141
soon shew that he has not been " forgotten" (xlii 9) ; and soon
his God shall be his jubilee-song, "joy ofhis joy," and the harp
shall celebrate the well pleased countenance of " Eloi Eloi" i^y
God, wbo once seemed to sta,nd afar of
To Christ and to bis members, the highest gladness (spoken of Christ and his
verse 4) comes from The altar, with its accepted sacrifice. "^'"'"'^
Christ risen, and Christ ascended, are pointed out therein ; and
it is in his resurrection and ascension that we see the sacrifice
accepted, and our hearts learn true joy. No doubt this same
source of joy is to be opened up to us more fully still when He
appears the second time " without sin " unto salvation, and all
enemies are put under him. He, too, shall rejoice afresh in tbat
day, drinking of the coolest of the longed-for water brooks. Let
us, meanwhile, read and sing this Psalm in happy confidence, as
The Righteous One's claiming his right to full refreshment.

PSALM XLIV.
To the chief Musician, for the sons of Korah. Maschil.
1 We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us,
What work thou didst in their days, in the tiraes of old.
2 How tbou didst drive out tbe heathen with thy hand, and plantedstthem;
How thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out.
3 For 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 favour unto them.
4 Thou art my King, 0 God ! command deliverance for Jacob.
6 Through thee will we push down our eneraies :
Through thy narae will we tread them under that rise up against us.
6 For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.
7 Bnt thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put then to shame that
hated us.
8 In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah.
9 But thou hast cast o£F, and put us to shame ; and goest not forth with our
armies !
10 Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy ; and they which hate spoil
for themselves.
11 Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat;
And hast scattered us among the heathen.
12 Thou sellest thy people for nought, and dost not increase thy wealth by
their price.

142 PSALM XLIV. — THE CRY OF THE SLAUGHTERED
13 Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours,
A scorn and derision to them that are round about us.
14 Thou makest us a byword among the heathen, a shaking of the bead
among the people.
15 My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath
covered me ;
16 For the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth ; by reason ot the
enemy and avenger.
17 All this is come upon us ; yet have we not forgotten thee,
Neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.
18 Our heart is not turned back, neither have \a steps declined from thy
way;
19 Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons,
And covered us with the shadow of death.
20 If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a
strange God,
21 Shall not God search this out ? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
22 Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long ; we are counted as sheep
for the slaughter.
23 Aw.ike ! why sleepest thou, O Lord ? Arise I cast us not ofi' for ever.
24 Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our op
pression ?
25 For our soul is bowed down to the dust : our belly cleaveth unto the earth.
26 Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies' sake.
A series. There is apparently a series commencing here and extending
to Psalm 1, wherein the Head is addressed, and tbe various
phenomena of bis actings described, by the menibers of his body.
The title. iji}jjg Pgalm, committed to "tbe Sons of Korah," is the cry of
David and any other true followers of the Lord, in times of
trial, when tbe witnesses prophesy in sackcloth. It is not so
much a national Psalm, as one for the Church Universal, inas
much as verses 17-22, humbly protest (what Israel as a nation
could not) firm, unfaltering adherence to his name; and in Rom.
viii 36, are applied by Paul as expressive of the believer's state
in a persecuting world. The Maschil is a musical reference.
The contents. It is the Cry, Or appeal, of the slaughtered sheep to their
Shepherd. They begin by recalling to mind bis great deeds in
behalf of his people coming out of Egypt. They lay all the
stress of that deliverance on Himself, on bis holy arm alona
(Ver. 2.) " Thotj (r^^l^iJ didst drive out the heathen," &o.
This " Thou" is empliatic, quite similar to the use of the

sheep to the shepherd. 14"3
pronoun in Ezekiel xxxvu. 3, " Thou ( Si), and none else,
knowest ;" and then verse 5, " I ('3K), and none else, will cause
the Spirit of Ufe to enter into you." Or like tbe pronoun (Rev.
iv. 1 1), " For thou (eu), and none else, hast created all things."
Then in verse 5, there is an emphatic Kin, " 0 God, thou art
he, my King."
Not less significant is that other monosyllable (ver 9),- —
" But (Bjji}) thou hast cast off." —
A Selah-'^B.nse (ver. 8) had for a moment brought the harp
to silence ; and when its strings are touched again, it is to
breathe forth lamentation. It seems to reverse the case stated
in Leviticus xxvi 44, where, after long tribulation, there is
hope of tbe removing of the calamity introduced by ^^J1, which
the Jews have marked on- this account as " a golden Sjl*,"
speaking as it does of a change to prosperity. All different
here 3 Tbe tide bas ebbed, and no prospect of its coming in
appears ! We are sold for the most trifling sum, as if the
master were only anxious to get his sheep off his band. (Ver.
12.) We are a by-word (ver. 14), and are put to shame by
" tbe enemy and the avenger," whom thou couldest so easily
stm. (Psa. vui 2.)
And yet the sheep own no Shepherd bat Jehovah. Their
protest is without reserve,
" Thou hast broken u,s, (and laid us helpless,) in the place of dragons,
An,d covered us with the shadow of death,
If we haxe forgotten the name of our God —
Or (if) we have stretched out our hands to a strange God" —
We are cut off from tbe society of our feUow-men, we are
thrust out into dens and caves, we flee to where serpents are
the only inhabitants, we are lingering on the brink of tbe grave.
Yet we can appeal " If we have forgotten !" This " If" is a
form of strong asseveration. It is the same form as our Lord
employs in Luke xix. 42, " If thou hadst known" — tlaen would
blessing have come. It is like Exod. xxxii, 32, " Yet now, if
tbou wilt forgive their sin." It is like Psa. xcv, 7, " To-day,
^ye will hear his voice" — then ye shall enter into rest.
Having made this protestation, they add, " Shall not God
search this out ?' He knoweth all things ; He knoweth that

1 14 I SALM XLV. — MESSIAH KING AND BRIDEGROOM.
we love Him ; He knoweth ihat "our belly is grovelling on
the earth," like the serpent.
" Awake, why sleepest thou, 0 Lord ?" (Ver. 23.)
Hope dawns. Tbeir God shall hear. He allows them to
awaken Him, and tbey in a manner cry through tbe curtains of
his Pavilion, " Up ! why sleepest thou ?" (Prayer Book version.)
Tbe Banner of the Deliverer appears through the gloom. The
sleeping Saviour awakes at tbe cry of bis disciples, and is about
to arise and still tbe storm " For bis mercies' sake" (ver. 26),
— for the sake of the tender love be bears to them. In the
Latter Day we shall see, what is meant by this arising, in its
full glory.
Such is this Psalm —
The cry of the slaughtered sheep to the Shepherd.

PSALM XLV.
To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, for the sons of Korah. Maschil A Song of loves.
1 Mt heart is inditing a good matter:
I speak of the things which I have made touching The King !
My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.
2 Thou art fairer than the children of men! grace is poured into thy lips!
Therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.
3 Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, 0 Most Mighty, with thy glory and thy
majesty.
4 And in thy majesty ride prosperously — because of truth and meekness and
righteousness ;
And thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.
B Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies :
Whereby the people fall under thee.
6 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever ! The sceptre of thy kingdom is a
right sceptre.
7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness :
Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness aboTe
thy fellows.
8 All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia,
Out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.
9 Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women :
Upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.
10 Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear ;
Forget also thine own people, and thy father's house;

l'..iL:.l XLV. — MESSIAH, KING AND BRIDEGROOM. 145
II So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty :
For he is thy Lord ; and worship thou him.
12 And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift ;
Even the rich among the people shall intreat thy favour.
13 The king's daughter is all glorious within : her clothing is of wrought gold :
14 She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework.
The virgins her companions that follow her sh.iU be brought unto thee.
15 With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought : they shall enter into
the king's palace.
16 Instead of tby fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make
princes in all the earth.
17 I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations :
Therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.
The appeal made to the Shepherd, by tbe sheep led to the connwtion,
slaughter, is beard. Here is what Hengstenberg would call
a " matter-of-fact reply." The Shepherd at tbe bleating of his
flock appears in glory to help tbem ; but appears in the character
of a Mighty Conqueror. The Lamb is the Lion of Judah.
The title given to this Psalm corresponds to its glowing Thetitie.
words and theme. " Upon Shosliannim," the lily-instrument,
some Temple instrument of music, peculiarly adapted for the
celebration of themes that were fresh and bright and beautiful
"For the sons of Korah," and "To the Chief Musician" —
the services of the Chief Singer, and the belp of the whole cbofr
of singers are put in requisition. It is also " Maschil," -what
calls for skill in the musician as being the product of great
skill in tbe Singer of Israel who writes it, whether he were
David or Solomon, and whether or not tbe occasion of its
composition were the marriage- festivities of the royal Court.
And once more ; it is "A song of loves ;" or rather " of the Be
loved," viz., the Bride. At least the word "JTlTT" may mean
this. It is used in Jeremiah xii 7, as a term for Israel while
Israel was God's Beloved (God's Spouse), and He tbe Husband ;
and so it corresponds to Jedidiah, " Beloved of Jebovab," just
as Shulamite does to Solomon. If so, it is a Song concerning The contents.
The Bride, as weU as concerning The King, the Bridegroom.
" My heart boils ^ vrith goodly words.
My work is for the King I
My tongue is the pen oj a ready writer I " (Ver. 1).
Abrupt and fervent surely — the Holy Spirit thus using the

146 PSALM XLV. — ^MESSIAH, KING AND BRIDEGROOM.
faculties and feelings of the human instrument to indicate the
exciting nature of the subject.
" ITiou art beautified vrith beauty among the sons of men I "
The verb employed has an unusual form, and might be ren
dered " Beautiful, beautiful art thou," (Alexander).
" Grace is poured upon thy lips."
Everything that is attractive, everything that is graceful
in character and form, in feature and expression, is meant by
"grace." It is not wbat we usuaUy call by that name ; it is
a term for wbat fits with the person and draws tbe eyes of others
to him. It is thus used (Prov. iv. 9), " She shaU give to thy
head an ornament of grace, a crown of glory shall she deliver
to tbee" — wisdom so clothing the person with moral beauty.
It is thus, too, in Psalm Ixxxiv. U — "The Lord will give
grace and glory" — the ornament of beauty, the cro-wn of glory.
All this, in full perfection, is found in Messiah's person ; all
tbat is fitted to attract and fix the soul's gaze ; all tbat is beauti
ful in excellence ; all tbat is drawing in hoUness and majestic
worth. Now comes verse .3,
" Warrior I gird thy sword upon thy thigh, (Horsley).
This is "The Mighty One" whom Isaiah (ix. 5) caUs "The
Mighty God." He is tbe 1^33 who goes forth to -victory, and
yet acts in behalf of " meekness and truth and righteousness "
(see Rev. xix. 15), or more literally, " in behalf of meekness
and truth ;" the doing which iU such a cause is " nghteous-
ness." "On his thigh," we find a name in Rev. xix. 16 in
perfect keeping with tbe "l'l33 here, " King of kings, Lord oi
lords." " Thine arrows are sharpened I
The nations Jail under thee I
They (thy arrows) are in the heartsofthe King's enemies ! "
He reaches the Tbrone, and sits down, his enemies made his
footstool. Messiab, thus seated on the throne in visible ma
jesty, is addressed in verses 6, 7, by the name " God ;"
" Thy Throne, 0 God, is for ever and ever.''
" Thy God hath anointed thee, O God I " (Comp. Heb. i. 8, 9, in the
Greek and undoubtedlv the true rendprir "¦ - ^ ''

PSALM XLV.-— MESSIAH, KING AND BRIDEGROOM. 147
Everything is ready for the Marriage : " myrrh and aloes and
cassia" (Song iii. 6) have been prepared for this day of Espousals,
brought out of " palaces of ivory" to help the joy, or in other
words, to complete the mirthful arrangements of this day of
heavenly gladness. .
" Out of the ivory palace, the sound of the harp (^fp) makdh thee glad,"
(taking >3Q to mean " stringed instruments. "-^-Tholuck.)
The " King's daughters" who are in attendajnoe- " precious
ones," i.e., of high value, seeui to be like tbe " daughter of
Jerusalem" in The Song- and especially does this portion of
tbe Psalm repaind us of Song vi 8, 9, " The threescore queens,
fourscore concubines, and virgins without num,ber.'' We sus-
, pect that both in that Song and here also, these represent the
Angelic hosts. Tbey are natives of that heavenly country-^uot,
like 2'he Bride, brought into it from^ a far foreign land.. The
Bride, or Queen, is the redeemed Church, made up of Jew and
Gentile saints, the one Body of the redeemed who are referred
to in Hebrews xi. 39, 40.
In this view: we find no difficulties left. , " Be it," sings the
sweet singer, " Be if that thy princesses who fill thy court are
of highest rank, such as are Kings' daughters, yet pre-eminent
stands , TJie Qu^n in gold of Ophir ! No rival to her ! She is
honoured, and .worthy of honour, above aU ! "
A pause, follows. The Bride is addressed in prospect of this
day. . It is, q.d., "Wilt, thou riot, since this is thy glorious
destiny,, be. -willing to leave all farmer relationships ? Wilt
thou not, 0 daughter, be as Rebecca going to Isaac ? This
Mighty One is thy Lord,; be thou as Sarah to Abraham."
(Gen, xyui 12 ; 1 Pet. Ui 5„ 6.)
But the scene is not yet sufficiently set before us. The sweet
singer touches his harp again to a lofty strain, tp describe the
splendour of dominion pqsses.sed by the Bride in right of the
B'ridegrQom. .,,,
" TTie daughter of Tyre shall he there with a gift.
The rich among tb.^ feoplb (pJJ) shaU entreat ihy favour." . . (,Ver.,12.)
This tells of the Glorified Church, the Lamb's Wife, ruling over
a subdued world, in the millennial days. "Tyre" is taken as a
sample of Gentile nations, and is elsewhere referred to as acting

148 PS\LM XLV. — ^MESSIAH, KING AND BRIDEGROOM.
a part in these happy times (see Isa. xxiii. 18) ; while "tbe
rich among the People" are the Jews in their restored pros
perity. Tbe glorified Church reigns with Christ over the na
tions upon earth. The glorified Church is with Christ on his
throne, wherever tbat may be, while be rules the people and
nations under the whole heaven, Gentile and Jew, Tyre and
The People.
" The virgins her companions" are, we think, the same as
verse 9 and as Song vi 8, " virgins -without number," namely,
the angelic hosts. These participate in the joy of this scene,
even as tbey sympathized with the birth of the Bridegroom at
Bethlehem. As for her she is all splendour, and "gold em
broidery" is her vesture, i. e., the richest and the rarest fabric
of creation.
And (not to dwell too long on verses that tempt us to linger
at every step), at last comes the final strain. TJie Queen, or
Bride, is addressed in verse 16. It is, like Genesis xxiv. 60
and Ruth iv. 11, the expression of a -wish for the after fruit
fulness of the Bride. The Glorified Church, reigning with
Christ, is to see her prayers answered and her labours crowned,
in the blessings which shall be poured on Earth in those glad
millennial days.
" Instead of thy fathers," those wbo filled eartb in thy former
days " shall be thy children." Earth shall bave its new gene
ration =!. generations of holy men, — "whom thou mayest make
princes in all the earth" — every one fit to be a prince, the
weakest among tbem as David, and the House of David as the
Angel of the Lord.
" So shall the nations praise thee for ever and ever I "
This ends the loftiest Epithalamium ever sung. It is what
Milton would call
" The unexpressive nuptial song,
In the blest kingdom meek of joy and love."
It is Earth taught by Heaven to sing heaven's infinite love to
man. It is a prelude to the New Song. Every clause in it is
melody, aud every thought in it is sublimity ; but it is just
sucb as we might expect to be breathed forth when the theme
on hand was —
Messiah the Mighty One appearing as King and Bridegroom,

PSALM XLVI. — THE MIGHTY ONE WITH THE RIGHTEOUS. 149

PSALM XLVL
To the chief Musician. For the sons of Eorah. A Song upon Alamoth.
1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help iu trouble.
2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be reraoved,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea ;
3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled.
Though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High.
S God is in the midst of her ; she shall not be moved :
God shall belp her, and that right early.
6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved : he uttered his voice, tho
earth melted.
7 The Lord of hosts is with ns ; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the
earth.
9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth ;
He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the
chariot in the fire.
10 Be still, and know that I am God :
I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
11 TheLord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
Before the dawn of that day of the Bridegroom and the Bride, connection
the Marriage-feast, earth shall shake with commotions ; wars,
rumours of wars, earthquakes, famines, pestilence, all combin
ing to make men perplexed. But here we find the same
Mighty One giving strength to his own in tbese perilous times.
The title is peculiar, "on Alamoth," suggesting "a choir of '''""•'
virgins," as if this Virgin-choir were selected to sing a Psalm
that tells of perils and fears and alarms abounding, in order to
shew that even the feeble virgins may in that day sing without
dread because of " The Mighty One" on tbeir side. They
and the " Sons of Korah" join in this lofty strain of confi
dence. We ' all know how Luther used to sing this Psalm
in times of peril and alarm, and many have done the like in
all ages.
They sing of Jehovah " a very present help," or more lite- '^<^ »'»"•
raUy, " He is found a help most truly," tX^'OX being the same
word here as in 1 Sam. xiu. 16, "present with Saul ;" 2 Chron,
xxxv. 18, "Judah and Israel present," or found at tbefr post ;

160 PSALM XLVI. — THE MIGHTY ONE WITH THE RIGHTEOUS.
and 1 Sam. xxi 3, "whatever is present" — is at hand. He
has proved himself to be a help at band.
Tbe river in verse 4 alludes to the Euphrates of Babylon,
and the Tigris of Assyria. Jerusalem has not sucb mighty
floods to boast of. Yet Jerusalem- has ariver too. She has her
" waters of Sitoah," flo'v^ing softly from her Temple (Isa. vui.
6-8), which may be despised by men of might, yet are Jeru
salem's glory. Her glory is, that Jehovah is in her Temple,
from beneath whose rock flows out Siloah ; and thus " A river
is there, tbat gladdens this city of God." Or, if this be not the
primary reference, the allusion is to this same Siloah when it
shall flow from tbe Temple (see Joel Ui 18 ; Isa. xxxiii. 21 ;
Ezek. xlvu. 1-1 6), and shall heal whatever it laves ; far excel
ling the mighty waters of Euphrates and Hiddekel, which bear
the proud gallies of tyrants.
Victory shall come as soon as the Lord's set time arrives ;
" when morning appears," as at tbe Red Sea. (Exod. xiv.
27). Tbe Lord himself shall invite men to see his victory :
" Gome and see!" (ver. 8), and to hear Him proclaim his o-wn
right to exaltation. At this announcement, his people shout
in reply, verses 7 and 11, each marked (like ver. 6) by the
"Selah." " The Lord of hosts is vrith us I
The God of Jacob is oar refuge t"
{Our 22l^Q, ™ore than nOHD of verse 1.)
Thus setting forth
The Mighty Oiie on the side of the righteous, amid earth's
sorest throes.

PSALM XLVIL
To the chief Musician. A Fsalm for tbe sons of Korata.
1 O Clip your hands, all ye people S shout unto God with the voice of
triumph !
2 For the Lord most high is terrible : he is a great King over all the earth.
8 He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet. -
4 He shall choose biu inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob, whom he
loved. Selah.
5 God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the soimd of a trumpet 1

uYll. — THE MIGHTY ON^ ON THE THRONE OF EARTH. 151
J Sing praises to God, sing praises : sing praises unto our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth : sing ye praises with understanding.
8 God reigneth over the heathen : God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.
9 The princes of ihe people are gathered together, even the people of the
God of Abraham :
For the shields of the earth belong unto God : he is greatly exalted.
Some bave applied this Psalm to Christ's ascension ; but
it speaks of his Second Coming. The Mighty One is seated
peacefully on his throne. We are referred back to Psalm xlv.
9. His happy people stand around, exulting in his coronation. The tone.
as Israel (to use a feeble emblem) rejoiced tUl earth rang again,
when Athaliah, the usurper, was deposed, and the King of
David's Une was manifested after his long concealment. Then
they clapt tbefr hands (2 Kings xi. 12) to shew tbefr rapturous
joy, as bere aU earth is invited to do; for even woods and
trees and rivers are elsewhere represented as joining in this
ecstacy of bliss (Isa. Iv. 12) ; Psa. xc-viii. 9), when our King
sets the New Eartb iu its regenerated order.
Verses 2, 3, 4, shew what the King has come to do, viz., to tub plan.
choose the "exceUency," or the excellent Land, "of Jacob."
Resting over this blissful scene, the Psalmist inserts his "Selah"
— a pause of meditation. But verse 5 breaks the thoughtful
silence -with a shout to our Immauuel — for he it is who is cele
brated as " God"— " Sing praises to God !
Sing praises!
Sing praises to our King !
Sing praises !
For. God is King aver all the earth f
Sing praises with understanding.
God reigndh over the nations !
Gfod sittdh upon the throne ofhis Iwliness t"
Around our Incarnate God and King are gathered Israel's
princes — " princes of the God of Abraham" — Abraham's seed
now receiving in full the blessings promised to tbeir father,
and all eartb blest in him. Everywhere, " the shields of earth,"
earth's princes, who once, like "the shields" mentioned in
Hosea iv. 18, instead of defending their people, robbed and
-preyed on tbem, now gather round our God to receive authority

152 PSALM XLVIII. — THE MIGHTY ONE BECOME
from him and use it for him. He is King of kings. He is
Lord of lords. And this is the enthusiastic celebration of
The Mighty One on the throne of earth.

PSALM XLVIIL
A Song and Psalm for the sons of Eorah.
1 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised
In the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.
2 Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion,
On the sides of the north, the city of the great King.
3 God is known in her palaces for a refuge.
4 For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together.
5 They saw it, and so they marvelled ; they were troubled, and hasted away.
6 Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail.
7 Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish, with an east wind.
8 As we have heard so have we seen, in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the
city of our God :
God will establish it for ever. Selah.
9 We have thought of thy lovingkindness, 0 God, in the midst of tby temple.
10 According to thy name, 0 God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth :
Thy right hand is full of righteousness.
11 Let mount Zion rejoice,
Let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of thy judgments.
12 Walk about Zion, and go round about her : tell the towers thereof:
13 Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces ;
That ye may tell it to the generation following.
14 For this God is our God for ever and ever : he will be our guide even unto
death.
ConnecHon. The subject of the Mighty One's history is still continued.
The Mighty One is king, has entered on his dominion, is seated
on bis throne, is ruling in righteousness. But where is his
The plan. capital ? It is at Jerusalem. Here He manifests himself ; and
by the glory of bis presence being shed over tbat " City of the
Great King," brighter than tbe light of seven days, yet far
more mellow and tranquillising than the sweetest hues of even
ing, Jerusalem becomes
"' The joy of the whole earth.
(The joy) of the sides* of the north.'' (Jer. vi. 22.)
• " Sides," '/13")> utmost extremes. See especially Isa. xiv. 9, where th»
proud tyrant says, " I will sit on the mount of the congregation," i. e., Zion,

THE GLORY OF JERU.SALEM. 153
She has become tbe joy of earth, far and near, tbe source of
joy to earth's remotest bounds. Now is fulfilled Isaiah xxiv.
23. Now is Jerusalem made " beautiful for situation," or, set
aloft on its bills in beauty, in another sense than formerly.
Now is Zion exalted above the mountains, and obtains estab
lished pre-eminence above the hills.
And if associations are needed to make any place completely
interesting, these are not wanting here. Such deeds have been
done here, that Sennacherib's overthrow is, in a manner, cast
into the shade. The gathered kings of earth came up, " tbey
passed" in all the pomp of battle, and the Lord scattered them ;
and -writes here his " Veni, vidi, vici," to all nations.
" They saw I
They marvelled!
They were troubled I
They hasted away !" (Ver. 5.)
It was as when an east wind hurls tbe ships of Tarshish on
the rocks. (Ver. 7.) It comprised in it all that is recorded as
wonderful in the achievements of former days ; present events
now come fully up to the measure of former good deeds,
" As we have heard, so have we seen,
In ihe city of ike Lord of hosts." (Ver. 8.)
The solemn Selah-pause occurs here; and then we look out on
a peaceful scene, God known in all the earth. (Ver. 10.)
" Thou art praised wherever thy name is known," or rather,
now at last thou art getting praise worthy of thy glorious
name. Zion is glad, Judah's tears are wiped away, while a
voice invites all men to come and survey the bulwarks of the
city of the Great King, that they may tell it from age to aga
The bulwarks are strong, for the Lord's presence, Jehovah
Shammah, is tbe wall of fire, on whose battlements the happy
citizens walk in security, singing,
and then, " on the sides of the north," earth's widest bounds. Hengstenberg
objects to this construction of the verse, that we do not find in Hebrew this re
sumption of a status constr. But Isa. xiv. 19 is a clear case, " the raiment
of the slain, of the pierced with the sword." So Job xxvi. 10, according to
Ewald; and Prov. xv. 26. Tholuck renders it, "A joy of the earth to the
remotest north." There is another explanation that raakes, " Sides of the
north, the city of the Great King," to be descriptive of the town .(afterwards
Acra) built on he ground north of Mount Zion.

154 P,3ALM XLTX.~TH 3 DIRGE OF THE RIGHTEOUS
" This God is our God for ever and ever ;
He is our guide even over death." (Tholuck, " even beyond death.")
The last clause is much misunderstood, It is not, " Our guide
unto death," for tbe words are DID ^1? U2rn^, " shaU lead us
over death." Surely it means, " It is He who leads over death
to resurrection" — over Jordan into Canaan. Tbe 73? is used
in Levit. xv. 25 for "beyond," in- regard to time, and is not
this the sense here ? " Beyond the time of death ?" Till death
is to us over ? Till we bave stood upon the grave of death ?
Yes : He it is wbo leads us on to this last -victory ; he swallows
up death in victory, and leads us to trample on death. And
so viewed, we easily discern the beautiful link of thought that
joins this Psalm to that which follows.
Such is the celebration o/
The Mighty One become the glory of Jerusalem,

PSALM XLIX.
To the chief Musician. A Psalm for the sons of Eorah.
1 Hear this, all ye people ; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world :
2 Both low and high, rich and poor, together.
3 My mouth shall speak of wisdom;, and the meditation of my heart shall
be of understanding.
4 I will incline mine ear to a parable ; I will open my dark saying upon the
harp.
6 Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil.
When the iniquity of ray heels shall compass me about?.
6 They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of
their riches ;
7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a
ransom for him :
8 (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)
9 That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.
10 For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person
perish.
And leave their wealth to others.
11 Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever,
And their dwelling places to all generations;
They call their lands after their own names,
lii Nevtrtheless map being-in honour aUideth not) he is like the beas:s t',:.-.,
periah.

over the unredeemed.

155

13 This their way is their folly: yet their po-terity approve their sayings,
Selah.
14 Like sheep they are laid in the grave ; death shall feed on them ;
And the upright shall have dorainion over thera in the raorning :
And their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling.
15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave :
For he shall receive me. Selah.
16 Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is
increased ;
17 For when he dieth he shall ca:rry nothiug away : his glory shall not de
scend a;fter him. , '
18 Though while he lived he blessed his soul :
And men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself.
19 He shall go to the generation of his fathers ; they shall never see light.
20 Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that
perish.
The mighty one never rests tiU he has " led us over death" ConnecUon.
(xlviii 14), to Resurrection-fulness of bliss in tbe kingdom.
Thrice happy they who shall enjoy it ! But who shall tell the
misery of tbose who are excluded from that bliss ? It is this
misery tbat is tbe theme of this Psalm. As sure as the eternal
felicity of the redeemed is the miserable doom of the unre
deemed ; and this Psalm is the dirge over tbem.
Tbe Redeemer himself speaks this " parable," this weighty The speaker.
discourse, which in its topics is to the world no better than an
unintelligible enigma — " a dark saying." But nevertheless,
" these things which have been kept secret from the beginning"
(Matt, xiii: 38), are bere laid open in their solemn grandeur,
in tbefr awful importance, in. their truth and certainty. Mes
siah here speaks " wisdom" (/liDpH) and "understanding," as
in Prov. i. 20, revealing the deep things of God to man. It is
Messiah who says (ver. 5), " Wherefore should I fear in the
days of evil, when iniquity at my heals dotfi compass Tne
ahout ?" ¦- Messiab in om- world of, evil, pursued by sons of
Belial, who would fain trample on him, surrounded by the
troops of hell, breathing the atmosphere of this polluted world,
walking'amid its snares, is able to break through all unscathed,
and foretell impending ruin to every foe.
Man has no means of paying to God his ransom-money The plan,
(Exod. xxi. 30), although he bring the most costly price earth

166 PSALM XLIX. — DIRG-^; i^VEU THS UNREDEEMED.
can furnish. He " must let that alone for ever" {Prayer Book
Version) ; he cannot come up to the amount demanded ; he
cannot give even what might be sufficient to redeem the life
from the grave. See how generations die, disappear, give place
to other generations, all equally tbe prey of corruption ; and
yet fools continue to hope for immortality for themselves.
Think of this infatuation ; pause, meditate ; the harp wiU be
silent for a time that you may ponder it — " Selah .'"
But lift the veil ! Where are these sons of folly ? In the
grave; "Death leads them into his pastures," as his sheep
(Hengstenberg) ; and
" The righteous have dominion over them in the morning.
Their beauty consumes away ;
The grave is the dwdling for every one of them." (Ver. 14.)
The First Resurrection is described in these few strokes, the
Resurrection of the Just. They live and reign — have do
minion—while " t!ie rest of the dead live not again until the
thousand years are finished." (Rev. xx. 5.) And to stifle all
doubts in their birth, the Redeemer declares himself sure of
resurrection ; and if he, then they also, for he is the first fruits,
the pledge of theirs.
" Surdy, ("TIXj God shaU redeem my soul from the hand ofthegrave;
For He shall redeem me." (Ver. 15.)
He shall receive me as Enoch was received, receive me up to
glorious rest. (See; Gen. v. 24, the same word, T\\t>-) Hear,
therefore, tbe sum of tbe whole matter. The ungodly shall
never see " the light" of tbat " morning" (ver. 14) ; yea, (ver.
20), " man in prosperity," even Antichrist in the flush of his
power, " is like the beasts ; he is to be rooted out," (Heng
stenberg) — he has no lot or portion with the blessed.
In such strains the Redeemer himseU utters this melancholy
Dirge of the Righteous over the unredeemed.

PSALM L. — THE PIliNCULJiS OF JUDGMENT. 157'

PSALM L.
A Psalm of Asaph.
1 The mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken,
And called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down
-thereof.
2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.
3 Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence :
A fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round
about him.
4 He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may
judge his people.
5 Gather my saints together unto me ; those that have made a covenant
with me by sacrifice.
6 And the heavens shall declare his righteousness : for God is judge him
self. Selah.
7 Hear, O my people, and I will speak ; O Israel, and I will testify against
thee.
I am God, even thy God.
8 I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices.
Or thy burnt offerings, to have been continually before me.
9 I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he-goats out of thy folds.
10 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.
11 I know all the fowls of the mountains : and the wild beasts of the field
are mine.
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell thee : for the world is mine, and the
fulness thereof.
13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats ?
14 Offer unto God thanksgiving ; and pay thy vows unto the Most High!
15 And call upon rae in the day of trouble : 1 will deliver thee, and thon
shalt glorify rae.
16 But unto the wicked God saith,
What bast thou to do to declare my statutes,
Or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth ?
17 Seeing thou hatest instruction, and easiest my words behind thee.
18 When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him,
And hast been partaker with adulterers.
19 Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit.
20 Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother ; thou slanderest thine own'
mother's son.
21 These things hast thou done, and I kept silence ;
Thou thonghtest that I was always such an one as thyself;
But I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.
22 Now consider this, ye that forget God,
Lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.

158 PSALM L. — THE PRINCIPLES OF JUDGMENT.
23 Whoso oft'ereth praise glorifieth met
And to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salva
tion of God.
Connection. " Fl, Elohim, Jehovah, has spoken!"* So reads the Hebrew.
Arrived at the end — ^having sung of the elect's cry, the response
to their cry in the Mighty One's appearing, the Mighty One's
protection, the throne on which he sits, the city where his
glory abides, and himself in the glory — ^having also sung that
melancholy dirge over those who have no portion in this lot of
Theme and the rigbteous — ^the Psalmist is led by the Spirit to strike his
harp to one other strain of a kindred nature. He here sets
forth tbe principles of judgment that guide the decision of the
King " who sits on tbe throne of bis holiness," and reigns
from " out of Zion."
It is the day of Rom. i 18. The heavens are not silent now ;
angels come with tbe God of heaven. The glory of the Lord,
and the gathering of the saints around bim (see 2 Thess. ,ii. 4),
those who over ihe sacrifice bave entered into covenant with
him, being celebrated in ver. 1-6, and the solemn (SeiaA-pause
having given us time to fix our eye upon the scene, the
Lord suddenly speaks, reasoning with men as to their wrong
ideas of the way of salvation (ver. 7—15). Then follows their
sinful practice (ver. 16-22). In ver. 22d the word NJ is em
phatic — " Consider this, I beseech you, ye who forget God."
Man treats God as if he were a being to be ministered unto,
instead of a gracious, sovereign benefactor. Man acts in the
view of God as if the boly God were such a one as himself
But the end comes. None shall enter into glory, none be
shewn " the salvation of God," i. e., his glorious completed
redemption (such as Paul spoke of, Rom. xiii. 11, and Peter,
1 Pet. i 5) at the Lord's Appearing, excepting the man who
"orders his conversation aright;" that is, who regulates his
life by sucb rule as ver. 5 ; in other words, by gospel-rule
— ^who prepares bis way according to tbe preparation revealed
to him by the Lord. The man who would so do must begin
* Coming to judge, he appears as in Eev. xix. with all his names. "M,"
the Mighty God ; " Elohim," God, the object of worship and fear ; " Jehovah,"
he who has rnade himself known to Israel and his people, as having all being

1-?..\\M LI — TKE CRY OF THE BROKEK-HFAliTED SIXNEE. IZ'J
at the altar (ver. 5), and there "sacrifice," or, " offer prai in-,"!
even as ver. 14 also declared. He must begin by owning
Jehovah's benefits to us sinners, responding to the song of tbe
angels at Bethlehem over a Saviour born, and answering ta
the Sa-sdour's cry, " It is finished," hy his soul's glad acceptance
of that finished work This is the " ordering of the conversa
tion " — and to declare this is the object of this Psalm. It sets
forth, at the lips of the Righteous Judge himself.
The principles that shall guide the judgment of tlie Righteous
One at the gathering of the Saints,

PSALM LL
To the chief Musician. A Psalm of David, -when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he
had gone in to Bath-sheha.
1 Have mercy upon me, O Qod, according to thy lovingkindnesses :
According unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out ray trans
gressions.
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me frora my sin.
3 For I acknowledge ray transgressions: and ray sin is ever before me.
4 Against thee, thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight :
That thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when
thou judgest.
6 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity ; and in sin did my mother conceive me
6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts :
And in the hidden parts thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean : wash me, and I shall be
whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness^ that the bones which thou hast
broken may rejoice.
9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10 Create in mc a clean heart, O God ; and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit
frora me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation ; and uphold me with thy Free
Spirit.
13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways ; and sinners shall be converted
unto thee.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation:
And my tongue shall sing aloud of my righteousness.
15 O Lord, open thou my lips ; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
16 For thou desirest not sacrifice ; else would I give it : thou dclightest not
in burnt offering.

160 PSALM LI, — THE BROKEN-HEARTED SINNER'S
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit :
A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion : build thou the walls of Jeru
salem.
19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness,
With burnt offering and whole burnt off-cring :
Then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.
^isP8aim™n°d' " '^^'^ richcs, the powcr," (says a well-known writer), the
subject ofit glory of a kingdom, could neither present nor remove tbe tor
rent of sin, which puts tbe monarch and the beggar upon a
level." No one has more keenly scrutinized his own backslid-
ings, and more bitterly lamented tbem, " laying bare the iron
ribs of raisery," than David, in this Psalm. We saw a series
of considerable length concluded in Psalm 1. The Psalm be
fore us stands iu an isolated position. It is not part of any
series. It has a peculiarity that no previous Psalm has exhi
bited, for it is written (and the Hebrew title authenticates the
fact) on occasion of David's adultery, and his detestable attempts
to hide bis adultery by murder of the basest kind. Now, no
such circumstances as these could ever bave in them aught
that corresponded in the remotest manner to any circurastances
in tbe life of the Surety, Da-vid's Son. On the contrary, so far
is this Psalm from being fitted to express the work of tbe Surety,
that it seeras introduced at this point in order to lead us to
look back on tbe former songs of David, and to say of what was
set forth therein, " Surely this David, who here appears as a
leper all over, with a heart as vile as tbe worst action of his life,
cannot be the David of whom sucb glorious things were for
merly spoken ?" Viewed in this Ught, the Psalm before us is
fitted, both hy its title and its contents, to direct us iu tbe other
Psalms to tbe true Da-vid, as He of whom the lofty things of
preceding Psalms were sung.
The plan. Coming, as this Psalm does, close upon one which set the
principles of judgment before us, it is not uninteresting to ob
serve that it falls into its place very appropriately. Eor here
we find a sinner — an individual sinner — ^realizing his position
at that bar, and consenting to the decisions of a tribunal
whereat nothing but justice has free course. The sinner ac
knowledges in verse 4 that his sin is all his o-wn, and done in

CRY TO THE GOD OF GRACE. 1 61
direct opposition to the Holy One ; and he owns his folly be
fore all the universe.
" That thou mayest be justified, in the matter of the law proclaimed by thee,
And be clear, in regard to the judgment pronounced by thee on the law
breaker."
He finds nothing in the terms of the law too strict, nor
aught in the penalty annexed too severe. The use of "nn^T
may be a reference to Exod. xx. 1, where the Ten Command
ments are called D"'"12'in.
It is as if God had printed the diary of David, and, in order
to humble him, banded it to the " Chief musician," tbat all
Israel might know his bitter repentance, and might say, in
substance, what Augustine writes, (" Non ergo cadendi eas-
emplum propositum est, sed si cecideris resurgendi. Tu hoc
amas in David, quod in se odit David ?") " It is not an ex
ample of falling into sin that is set before thee, but of rising
if thou hast fallen. Dost thou love in David that which David
hated in himseU?"
1. Deep groans for pardoning mercy, from the pit of pollu
tion. (Ver. 1, 2.)
2. Confession of sin, and acknowledgment of the Lord's
righteous law. (Ver. 3, 4.)
3. An awful gaze upon the source of all actual sin. (Ver. 5.)
4. DeUverance from falsehood, folly, and guilt, must come
from God alone. (Ver. 6, 7.) " Purge me from sin with
hyssop," as the leper is purged.
5. The voice of a reconciled God heard again. (Ver. 8.)
Perhaps it was the idea of Resurrection that suggested
" bones rejoicimg."
6. On the foundation of thorough forgiveness, prayer is made
for thorough and constant holiness. (Ver. 9, 10.) " Rer
new to me the gift of a fixed ifOi^) spirit."
7. He seeks permanent holiness, as well as permanent fel
lowship. (Ver. 11.)
8. The joy of full salvation (ie., of both pardon and holiness)
is sought, and the presence of the Holy Spirit, the true
and natural equipment for future usefulness. (Ver. 12.)
" UpholdmewiththeSpirit,whoisgenerous," — princely.
L

162 PSALM LI. — THE BROKEN-HEARTED SINNER'S
9. Efforts are to be made for the good of others. (Ver. 13.)
] 0. Sorrow for having, in days past, injured others is expressed.
(Ver. 14, first clause.)
11. Closing strain of adoring gratitude. (The last clause of
verse 14, and 15, 16, 17.)
1 2. A closing prayer for the glory of God in the land and in
the earth. (Ver. 18, 19.)
This desire for God's glory, the unfailing mark of a soul in
communion witb God, is expressed in terms that indicate hope
as well as faitb. " Be favourable to Zion for thine own sake,
as a fruit of thy free-will," '?|Ji2J'13. This is tbe sense ; as if
he said, " I have given thee cause to forsake my kingdom and
people, and even to abandon Zion, where thine ark stands ; but
wilt thou not rather shew free grace ?"
" Build the walls of Jerusalem I"
Make tby people in Jerusalem strong against their foes ;
build up * this city which I took from the Jebusites and am
seeking to beautify, though my sin might provoke thee to give
it back to the Canaanite again. Make Zion and Jerusalem
strong in their bulwarks as thou wilt yet do in the latter day.
(Psalm xlviii. 11.)
" Then shalt thou le pleased vrith sacrifices of righteousness,'^
In tbat spot where thy name has been blasphemed by me
thou shalt yet again be honoured, if instead of judgment thou
sendest us victory and peace. We shall testify of thee to all
lands by tbe "sacrifices according to just rule and measure"
(Levit. xix. 36), aad by " bullocks," as our D'lS " calves of thank-
offering," (Hosea xiv. -3.) This city Jerusalem shall be a
place wherein atonement is proclaimed, and thy praises sung
by thy forgiven ones, whose contrite, broken hearts shall be a
daily thankoffering. (Ver. 17.)
This last result was specially attained under Solomon. But
in addition to what we have stated as the primary meaning, is
there not a look into the future "? Is not the strain to this ef
fect : — Hasten Zion's final glory, and then shall there be no
¦* "Build" signifies here as in Micah iii, 10; Prov. xxiv. 3 ; Josh. vi. 26;
2 Chron. viii. 2, fortifying and ornamenting.

CRY TO THE GOD OF GRACE. IGo
more scandals to give the enemy cause to blaspheme, no more
backslidings, no more faUs ; then shalt thou be fuUy honoured
as the God of atonement and fiiUy praised with the calves of
our lips. Hasten the day of Jerusalem's glory under the true
Solomon. Such is this Psalm of David —
Tiie broken-hearted simner's cry to the God of grace.

PSALM LIL
To the chief Musician. Maschil. A Psalm of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told
Saul, and said unto him, David is come to the house of Ahimelech.
1 Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man ?
The goodness of God endureth continually.
2 Thy tongue deviseth mischief; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
3 Thou lovest evil more than good, and lying rather than to speak right
eousness. Selah.
4 Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.
6 God shall likewise destroy thee for ever,
He shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place,
And root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.
6 The rigbteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him —
7 Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength !
But trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in
his wickedness.
8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God ;
I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.
9 I will praise thee for ever, because thon hast done it :
And I will wait on thy name ; for it is good before thy saints.
This Psalm was originally written when Doeg informed Saul ThepositioB.
against David. In arranging the Psalms it was natural to
place it after the last, inasmuch as the assaults which it de
scribes would no doubt be repeated in some shape on tbe occar
sion of David's feU, and even after his restoration to the fiiU
sunshine of divine fellowship. The enemy of the Woman's
Seed has never in any age been at a loss for matter of calumny
and reproach, nor wUl he cease tiU the Lord come and he be
finally cast out.
In verse 1, "the mighty man" is TiSl even as Nimrod is The contents.

1 64 PSALM LIL — THE RIGHTEOUS ONE'S HOPE.
caUed in Gen. x. 9, the very antithesis in character to ""liH^'/N,"
"the mighty God," (Isaiah ix. 6,) who is to destroy him.
' In verse 5, closed by tbe significant Selah, tbe true rendering
of the middle clause is, " He will pluck thee out of The Taber
nacle;" not only referring us back to such cases as Korah, or
any rebels whom the Lord thrust out of the boly camp of Israel,
but pointing us onward to the time when " the Tabernacle of
God shall be with men." On that day thou shalt have no place
among the blessed ones ; they shall see thee uprooted with
ease, and shall enjoy the "laugh" of Him wbo sitteth in the
heavens (Psalm ii. 4), and of Wisdom whom thou didst despise
(Prov. i. 26), but who then mocks at thy calamity. Men will
not then say of the Son of God (as they could say in the day
of his humiliation), but shall say of his ruined foes, —
" Behold the man I" (Ver. 7.)
All along their history true Israelites could adopt and ap
propriate tbe words of verse 8, but they shall sing it better
still on the day of Antichrist's final ruin, when they become
" The Olive tree" again. (Rom. xi. 17.) At the. same time it
Christ in it is David's Son, Christ himself, who best of all could sing this
Psabn, and best of all could appropriate these words : —
"I am a green olive tree in the house of God." (Ver. 8.)
He being indeed the true Israelite who " continued in God's
goodness" (Rom. xi 17, 22), the tender love of bis God ever being
as dew on his branches. He wiU, on the Day of his Appear
ing, give the key-note of praise over foes overthrown for ever,
raising the " Hallelujah" of Rev. xix. 2, — " Because thou hast
done it." Nothing less than this result is what we look for and
expect ; and Christ along with us is looking for that display
of tbe Divine character, " waiting for thy name," (as in Psalm
lxxv. 1) when it shall be discovered in judgment acts. Thus
viewed, this Psalm may be entitled.
The hope of the Righteous One when everywhere spoken
against.

Thetitie

PSALM LIII. — EARTH, AND THE VICTORY OF GOD 's PEOPLE. 165

PSALM LIIL
To the chief Musician. Upon Mahalath. Maschil. A Fsalm of David.
1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.
Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity : there is none that
doeth good.
2 God looked down from heaven upon the children of men,
To see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.
3 Every one of them is gone back; they are altogether become filthy;
There is none that dOeth good, no, not one.
4 Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge.
Who eat up my people as they eat bread ? They have not called upon God.
5 There were they in great fear, where no fear was :
For God has scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee :
Thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them.
6 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion !
When God bringeth back the captivity of his people,
Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.
The unknown instrument " Mahalath" (derived from the
Etbiopic root " to sing"), is here fixed on as the one to be used
by " the chief Musician." And the music is to be selected
with care, for this Psalm is, like some others, one that bas the
mark "Maschil."
The state of eartb ought to be deeply felt by us. The world
lying in wickedness .should occupy much of our thoughts. Tbe ^fj^^ ',' """¦
enormous guilt, the inconceivable pollution, the ineffably pro
voking atheism of this faUen province of God's dominion,
might be a theme for our ceaseless meditation and mourning.
To impress it the more on us, therefore, this Psalm repeats
what has been afready sung in Psalm xiv. It is the same
Psalm, -with only a few words varied ; it is "line upon line, precept
upon precept ;" the harp's most melancholy, most dismal notes
again sounded in our ear. Not that the Lord would detain us
always or disproportionably long amid scenes of sadness, for
elsewhere he repeats in like manner that most triumphant me
lody, Psabn Ix. 6-12 ; cviii 6-1 3 ; but it is good to return
now and then to the open field on which we all were found,
cast out in loathsome degradation.
There is one variation of some interest. It is in verse 5. compared wii
. Fsalm xiv.
The words of Psabn xiv. 5 are referred to, but altered to ex-

This Psalm a

166 PSALM LIIL — DEARTH, AND THE VICTORY Oi' GOD S PEOPLE.
press much more of triumph and victory on the part of God's
despised ones ; for the two passages run thus : —
Psalm liii.
" There were they in great fear where no fear was,
For God has scattered the bones of the encamper against thee.
Thou hast put them to shame !
For God has despised them !"
Psalm xiv.
" There were they in great fear,
For God is in the generation of ihe righteous.
You shamed the counsel of the poor,
Because the Lord is his refuge."
Besides substituting " Elohinfi" for Jebovab throughout, the
changes in the Psalm before us seeras raade on purpose to de
clare emphatically the complete overthrow of the ungodly.
" Thou" is emphatic in verse 5, and like Isa. xxxvii. 22, the
verse expresses victory over the ungodly. The term employed
in verse 6 is to be noticed. In Psalm xiv. 6 it was, " 0 that
tbe salvation, nyiti?^, were come ;" in this Psalm it is " salva
tions," "/liytt'V' full, entire deliverance. On these grounds
tbey may be right wbo suggest tbat Psalm xiv. (which see),
may be read as the report of tbe Son of man regarding earth
at bis First Coming, and Psalra liii. as his description of its
state and prospects at bis Second.* There is bere certainly more
said of the full victory ; so tbat while we gave Psalm xiv. the
title of " The Righteous One's view of earth and its prospects,"
we are inclined to state as the contents of this —
Ihe Righteous One's view of earth, and the victory of God's
people.
• Byland says, "Psalm xiv. refers chiefly to God's enemies and their alarm;
this Psalm to God's people and their interests. The former contemplates
judgments, the latter, deliverances.

PSALM LIV. — HELP FOUND IN THE LORD'S NAME. 167
PSALM LIV.
To the chief Musician. On Neginoth. Maschil. A Psalm of David, when the Ziphlms came
and said unto Saul, Doth not David hide himself with us ?
1 Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me by thy strength.
2 Hear my prayer, O God ; give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 For strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my souls
They have not set God before them. Selah.
4 Behold, God is mine helper : the Lord is with them that uphold my soul.
6 He shall reward evil unto mine enemies : cut them off in thy truth.
6 I will freely sacrifice unto thee : I will praise thy name, O Lord, for it
is good.
7 For he hath delivered me out of all trouble :
And mine eye hath seen his desire upou mine enemies.
The title is such as we have already met with, " On Neginoth" ¦">« ""«•
aud "Maschil ;" and the occasion when it was first written is
mentioned as the time when the men of Ziph informed against
David. Tbe burden of this Psalm is simply — to wbat quarter should The contents.
one look for help in the time of trouble ? Wholly to tbe Lord.
" Save me by thy name" (ver. ]), reminds us of John xvii 11.
We are kept by the putting forth of God's perfections in our
behalf, truth, mercy, love, power, wisdom, holiness. Our Lord
was so kept by the Father, when he prayed in the words of verse
1, using them as his own, and giving his Cburch an instance
in himself of that safe keeping. The (SeZaA-pause of thoughtful-
ness in verse 3 is beautifully foUowed by " Behold" of verse 4.
It is q. d., silent prayer followed by confidence of an answer.
It is in verses 6 and 7 that the future dawns on our view.
David, David's Son, and all who follow David's Son, may exult
in the prospect of that sacrifice of thankfulness to be offered.
When delivered out of all distress, we shall look with triumph
on our enemies ; for as Calvin remarks (quoted by Hengsten
berg), " Only let the eye be pure, and we can piously and holily
refresh ourselves with the manifestations of God's justice."
That will be the time o^the hallelujah in Rev. xix. 1-4, all re
sulting from his 'name glorified, his name manifeste<l ri.s
" good." (Ver. 6.)
We have therefore in this short Psahn,
T.'ie Righteous One's help found in Ui,e Lord's name.

168 PSALM LV. — THE RIGHTEOUS ONES WEARY SOUL

PSALM LV.
To the chief Musician. On Neginoth, Masclill. A Psalm of David.
1 GrvE ear to ray prayer, 0 God ; and hide not thyself from my supplication.
2 Attend unto me, and hear me : I mourn in my complaint, and make a
noise ;
3 Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked :
For they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me.
4 My heart is sore pained within me : and the terrors of <Jeath are fallen
upon me.
6 Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath over
whelmed me.
6 And I said. Oh that I had wings like a dove ! for then would I fly away,
and be at rest.
7 Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. Selah.
8 I would hasten ray escape from the windy storm and tempest.
9 Destroy, 0 Lord, and divide their tongues : for I have seen violence and
strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof;
Mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it.
11 Wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart not from her
streets.
12 For it was not an enemy that reproached me j then I could have borne it :
Neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me ;
Then I would have hid rayself from him :
13 But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance !
14 We took sweet counsel together, and walked into the house of God in
company.
16 Let death seize upon thera, and let thera go down qujck into hells
For wickedness is in their dwellings, and araong them.
16 As for me, I will call upon God ; and the Lord shall save me.
17 Evening, and raorning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud s
And he shall hear my voice.
18 He hath delivered my soul in peace from tho battle that was against me i
For there were many with me.
19 God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah.
Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.
20 He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him;
He hath broken his covenant.
21 The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his
heart.
His words were softer than oil, yet were they dravra swords.
12 Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee :
He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
23 But thou, O God, shall bring them down into the pit of destruction s
Bloody and deceitful men shall uot live out half their days.
But I will trust in thee.

RESTING IN THE LORD. 169
The title is the same as that of some former Psalms, " on Ne- The title.
gmoth," " Maschil," and then " of David." We may read
these strains as expressing David's feelings in some peculiar
seasons of distress, and as the experience of Christ's Cburcb in The memhers,
' JT an(l tiieir Head
every age ; for we find much, very much, that accords alto
gether with humanity in a state of intensely stirred emotion,
and affection wounded to the quick. Yet still it is in Jesus,
the Man of Sorrows, that the Psalm finds its fullest iUustration.
His was the soul tbat was stirred to its lowest depth by scenes
such as are described here. Tbe quotation of Psa. xli. 9 by our
Lord, is almost equivalent to a quotation of verse 13, tbey are
so simUar as to words.
It is tbe wickedness of the wicked tbat raises this mournful The feeling
expressed
cry, and makes bim say,
" I mourn in my complaint ;" or, " give free course to my sorrow." (Ver. 2.)
It is not unlikely that our Lord, possessed as he was of true
humanity, might often give utterance to this expressive wish
(verse 6), "0 that I had wings as a dove," when seeing tbe.
turtle-dove fly out from the olives of the Mount of Olives over
guilty Jerusalem, the city wherein He saw " violence and
strife" — " wickedness, deceit, and guile, never absent from her
streets." Eithertbere, or standing onsome of the hUls around
Nazareth, He might witness the home-loving dove's swift
flight,* and hear its peace-suggesting note, and be led to this
utterance of strong feeling, not at all Unfit for Him wbo so re
joiced in the thought, " And now I am no more in tbe world I
Now I come to thee. Holy Father," (John xvii 11). He to
whom he was thought to bear so close a resemblance (Matt..
xvi. 14), the weeping prophet Jeremiah, gave utterance to his
wovmded feeling in strains that naturally took a similar form, '
" Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging-place," though
only that of the wayfaring man ! (ix. 2). But tbe melancholy
Psalmist here rises a degree beyond this —
" I would remain in the desert." (Ver. 7.)
And then there is the Sdah-T^aMse, as there is in the middle of Seiah.
* Paxton says, the dove, when flying to its resort, never rests on trees or the
like, as other birds, but uses one wipg till tbe ^pther rpsts..

170 PSALM LV. — THE RIGHTEOUS ONE'S WEARY SOUL
verse 1 9, indicating the calm, solemn state of soul in which
these things were uttered.
The>ndpnent The prayer in verse 9 reminds us of Babel, where the Ian-
pronounced, r J ^ ^ '
guage of earth was divided that pride might be humbled for
ever, and its aims irretrievably baffled ; whUe verse 15, "go
quick to hell," at once recalls the doom of Korah and his com
pany, who rejected the true High Priest, and the Lord's KiTig
in Jeshurun. Our Lord describes Israel in verse 13, " his own"
nation (John ill), though, especially, Judas, one ofhis trusted
ones who owned him as Master ; and " mine equal" sig
nifies, " Thou who wert by my side on terms of equality, as if on
a level with me." He permits them to perish in unbelief, they
having rejected the true Priest and King. He no longer acts
the Intercessor's part towards such, but stands over them as a
Judge, pronouncing their doom. And then in verses 16, 17,
The deliver- we hear him express his confidence of full deliverance. " The
ance. . .^
twelve legions of angels," whom He might at any time have
called to his help, have arrived, or rather He sees them on
tbefr way. " For there are many with me.
God heardh and answerdh,
Tea, He sits enthroned for ever .'" Sdah. (Ver. 19.)
The Invitation It is a glaucc at future redress for every wrong, in the Day of
Vengance and the Year of the Redeemed. In prospect of this,
verse 22 invites us to cast our burden upon tbe Lord, whatever
that burden be, even if it be the crushing weight of persecu
tion, and reproach, and treachery. The Lord will " provide"
as Joseph did. Gen. xlv. 11 , and as 1 Kings iv. 7. " The godly
shall not be tossed about for ever ;" the Lord shall arise to hurl
the foe into " the pit of destruction" (" the lake of fire" of Rev.
XX. ] 5), in which Antichrist sinks for ever.
In the last verse there is something of an enthymeme ; for
while the clause, " The bloody and deceitful men shall not live
half their days" predicts and pourtrays tbefr doom, as cut off
by untimely judgment, the responsive clause, "And I will
trust in thee," tells of no proper converse, no judgment in favour
of the godly. But it nevertheless contains in it the equivalent
to a declaration that his lot shall be the reverse of tbe bloody

BESTING IN THE LORD 171
and deceitful. It is equivalent to saying, We go different
ways — they on the broad road, where ruin overtakes tbem
speedily, and I on the safe road of faith in thee, where I shall
soon meet -with Him whom unseen I loved, and in whom I
believed, though as yet I saw him not. Does not, then, this
Psalm depict —
The Righteous One's weary soul resting in the certainty c^
what the Lord will do.

PSALM LVL
To the chief Mnsidan. Upon Jonath-elem-rechokim. Michtam of David, when the PhilLstinea
took him in Gath.
1 Be merciful unto me, O God : for man would swallow me up!
He fighting daily oppresseth me.
2 Mine eneraies would daily swallow me up :
For they be many that fight against rae, O thou Most High.
3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
4 In God I will praise his word.
In God I have put my trust ; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
5 Every day they wrest my words : all their thoughts are against me for
evil.
6 They gather themselves together, they hide themselves.
They mark my steps, when they wait for my soul.
7 Shall they escape by iniquity? In thine anger cast down the people, O
God.
8 Thou tellest my wanderings:
Put thou my tears into thy bottle : are they not in thy book ?
9 When I cry unto thee, then shall mine eneraies turn back : this I know,
for God is for me.
10 In God will I praise his word ; in the Lord will I praise his word.
11 In God have I put my trust : I will not be afraid what man can do unto
me.
12 Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praise unto thee.
13 For thou hast delivered my soul from death : wilt not thou deliver my
feet from falling.
That I may walk before God in the light of the living ?
The reason why fear gains ascendancy in a believing soul on The tone and
occasions of danger and trouble is sententiously expressed by
Augustine, "Magnitudvnem maU vides, potestatem medici

J 7 ? PSALM LVL — god's WORD LEADING TO THE
non vides." " Thou seest the magnitude of the evil ; the
power of the physician thou dost not see." The faith which
penetrates the unseen reaches tbe case. This Psalm, in verses
1, 2, sets forth perUs and evUs in tbefr magnitude, every day
felt, everyday repeating their vigorous assaults; but verses
3, 4, declare the remedy.
" In the day of my fear, I will trust in thee." (Ver. 3.)
This is nothing less than the voice of the Master, of him
who said in John xiv. 1, 27, " Let not your heart be troubled,
believe in God;" "Peace I give unto you; not as the world
giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid."
" God I will extol— his Word." (Ver. 4.)
I will rest my heart in God ; I will praise God (2 ^JHK, as in
Psalm xliv. 9, and as in verse 10 again) ; I will praise God with
a special reverence to "his Word" — his promises, which are
not like those of the world.* David might refer to the Lord's
special promise to him of the seed that was to come, — a pro
mise that of course implied his preservation in order to its ac
complishment. The Son of David had bis eye on that same
promise in another of its aspects, its implied engagement to
supply strength and give victory. Every believing one, in
hours of darkness, reverts to that promise, saying to his soul,
" He that spared npt his own Sou, how shall he not with him
also freely give us all things ?" It is thus that the Lord " mug-
nijies his Word," making it felt to be the prominent and most
attractive to sinful men of all his ways of revealing himself,
(Psalm cxxxidU. 2.)
The world goes on, adding sin to sin. The world goes on,
seeking daily to overthrow God by overthrowing his people ;
even as it sought to overthrow God by overthrowing his Son
(Verses 5, 6.) But
" Shall they escape by (^JJ) iniquity ? " (Ver. 7.)
They have made a covenant with death and hell ; shall it
* Some give this force to the ^, " I, in union with, or as one with God,
will praise;" in which latter case it is like Paul's, " In'the Lord."

ANTICIPATION OF FINAL REST. 173
stand ? No ; if they were to escape by their iniquity, by tbefr
boldness in defying God, this would be a result wholly unlike
tbe past deaUngs of God.
" God, in anger, has brought down the nations " (ver. 7) ;
and will do so again on that day when their anger is hot
against bim. (Rev. xi 18.)
On the other hand. He has never failed to take account of
tbe wanderings and tears of his own. Their HU, " wandering,"
and his IXJ, " bottle" (something far more expressive than the
Roman Lacrymatory um), correspond so far, that every tear
.shed by them in tbeir wanderings is in that bottle of his ; as
if he had travelled along with them through tbeir wilderness,
and never suffered one drop to reach the ground. His bottle
and his book of remembrance bave preserved tbese precious
tears ; and if so, wbat good reason have we for exultation
(verses 9-11), and for reiterating
« God I will extol^the Word I " *
I will praise Jehovah, and why ? tbat " Word," already re
ferred to, verse 4, explains all He has spoken, be has pro
mised ; all shaU go on well, and then shall come tbe glorious
issue — " / shall vxdk before God in the light of the living.'' (Ver. 13.)
Which, while not necessarily confined to the future, yet surely christ in it
carries us forward to New Jerusalem days, when be who is
" Life," and who by being so, is " the Light" of man, shall
walk with his redeemed in the kingdom. He himself is the
grand example of this. His every tear was precious, his every
step was marked ; the book of remembrance has a record of
these so vast, and ample and full, that, were it published here,
" I suppose the world itseU could not contain the volumes that
could be written." He arose on the third day, " walking in
the light of the living ;" no more a prisoner in the darkness of
the grave ; no more subjected to the gloom of his Father's
wrath ; no more walking through the dark vaUey where love
* Fry suggests, "God shall be the theme of my praise; He hath spoken}"

174 PSALM LVL — ANTICIPATIOi; OF FINAL REST.
was withheld; entering on the endless brightness of divine
favour at the right band. A believer's course resembles His,
ending, too, in this unclouded noon of resurrection glory. " 0
come that glorious morning (says Horne), when the redeemed
shall sing eternal praise to the God of salvation, for having
delivered their souls from death, and feet from falling, that
they might walk before bim in the land of the living."
The title. One point we have not noticed. Tbe title of this Psalm is
peculiar. It is " Michtam," in common with Psalm xvi (which
see) and many others ; but also it is " Upon Jonath-elem-^echo-
kim." Hengstenberg renders this " The silent dove among
strangers ; " which certainly well expresses the substance of
the Psalm, as being the breathing of One who returned not re
viling for reviling, but moaned bis sorrows in tbe ear of his
God. Still, since we have reason to believe that these titles all
refer to something in the music to wbicb tbe Psalms were set,
especially when 75?, " Upon," is prefixed, we incline to think
that these words indicate somewhat of the instrument and the
tune ; no doubt, however, a tune and an instrument suited to
tbe subject, and used on occasions of melancholy interest, such
as "Dove araong strangers" may suggest. In either view the
title corresponds to what we gather up as the substance of the
Psalm, written by inspiration, when David had put himself
iato the hands of tbe Philistines, and was " sore afraid"
(1 Sana, xxi 12), namely,
God's word enabling the Righteous One, amid his wander
ings, to anticipate iinal rest.

PSALM LVIL
To the chief Musician. Al-taschith. Michtam of David, when he fled from Saul In the cav*
1 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto rae : for ray soul trusteth in
thee.
Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these ca
lamities be overpast.
2 I will cry unto God most high ; unto God that performeth all things for

PSALM LVIL — Jehovah's glory in deliverance. 176
3 He shall send from heaven, and save rae
From the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah.
God shall send forth his raercy and his truth.
4 My soul is among lions : and I lie even among them that are set on fire,
Even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their
tongue a sharp sword.
6 Be thou exalted, 0 God, above the heavens ; let thy glory be above all
the earth.
6 They have prepared a net for my steps ; my soul is bowed down s
They have digged a pit before me,
Into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.
7 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed ; I will sing and give praise.
8 Awake up, my glory ; awake, psaltery and harp : I myself will awake early.
9 I will praise thee, 0 Lord, among the people : I will sing unto thee among
the nations.
10 For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.
11 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all
the earth.
We spoke of tbe title of last Psalm as peculiar, and as suitable The tit'.e.
to the theme handled. We may say the sarae of the title of
this Psalm, "Al-taschith," i. e., destroy not ; for it is suitable,
whether taken as a musical term or as indicating the spirit
breathed throughout. We do not, however, think that it is
taken from Deut. ix. 26, nor yet from 1 Sam. xxvi. 9,* where
the sentiment occurs, addressed in tbe one case to God, in the
other to man. We suspect it is a musical term of some sort,
perhaps connected witb tbe lofty ideas entertained regarding
tbe harp and its accompaniments, — tbe " JSre perennius," the
"indestructible," common to all nations as an epithet of poetic
and musical compositions.
Christ is the chief Speaker, entering into his o-wn difficulties Christ and his
and those of his Church. The tone is such as we find in
John xii 27, 28, " Father, save me ! Father, glorify thy
name ! " But his people can use every word of it also. Per
haps the publican's prayer was drawn from the 1st verse, " 0
God, be merciful to me." (John v. 1.) The calamities, or
rather the " mischiefs " (/I^IH) of a malicious world and a ma
licious hell are spoken of, but spoken of in order to fix our atten
tion on the means of victory. The means of victory is (verse 2)
" God Most High," God " who accomplishes all things," in spite
* This is the view of several writers, and they suggest that it is an abbrevia
tion similar to " De profundis," or " Miserere ! "

176 PSALM LVIL — JEHOVAH'S GLORY IN DELIVERANCE.
of foes ;* it is God, too, doing this with "mercy and truth," — ^the
attributes thatareprominentin redemption, kindness to theguilty
in consistency with his adherence to everything his mouth has
uttered. " Selah," verse 3, gives peculiar force to the words,
" The devourer snorts at me ! Selah'' Stop, my soul, and
ponder ; for, lo ! God sends help. As for men, they are as
Uons, in violence ; or if you refer to their secret ways, they
are equally to be distrusted; for their tongue scoffs at all
that is holy. (Verses 4, 6.) They have fallen into their own
pit — and another " Selah" calls us to ponder. But God, God
in his glory, let me ever be in his hands (verses 5, 7) ! My
heart is fixed, my glory (i.e., m,y soul) bursts into song, " I
awake tbe morning dawn" to sing his praises. For full is
He of tender mercy tbat reaches above the heavens, as well
as of truth that stretches unto the clouds, — such mercy and
truth as was prayed for in verse 3, and which shine bright in
all his redemption -acts. The issue must be glory to hunself,
infinite glory, glory above tbe heavens, glory above all tbe earth.
A flood of glory is to cover this earth above its highest moun
tains, nay, to cover heaven, too, above its loftiest pinnacles.
The eye of the Psalmist is gazing on the ages to come in the
New Heavens and New Eartb, wherein dwelletb righteousness.
David " in the cave," in the very presence of Saul, was taught
by the Holy Spirit thus to sing for his o-mi use, and the use ot
the Church, and tbe use of the Son of Man in tbe days ofhis fiesh.
The Righteous One connecting his deliverance with Jehovah's
glory.
PSALM LVIIL
To the chief Musician, Al-taschith. Michtam of David.
I Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation ? do ye judge uprightly,
O ye sons of men?
2 Yea in heart ye work wickedness ; ye weigh the violence of your hands
in the earth.
* The Targum curiously paraphrases this clause ; " ^Who ordered the spider
that wrought the web on my account at the mouth of the cave ; " applying a
later historical fact, which, however, may have had its prototype in David's
history.

PSALM LVIIL — THE UNGODLY REASONED -WITH. 177
3 The •wicked are estranged from the womb ;
They go astray as soon as they be bom, speaking lies.
4 Their poison is like the poison of a serpent :
They are like the deaf adder that'stoppeth her ear ;
5 -WTiich will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so
¦wisely.
6 Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth:
Break out the teeth of the young lions, O Lord.
7 Let them melt away as waters which run continually :
When he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces.
8 As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away :
Like the untimely birth of a woman, that they raay not see the sun.
9 Before your pots can feel the thorns,
He shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living and in his
wrath.
10 The righteous shallrejoice when he seeth the vengeance;
He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 So that a man shall say. Verily there is a reward for J;he righteous;
Verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth
Tholuck supposes tbat David was led to write this on occa
sion of Joab murdering Abner. At any rate, it might suit that
event. Tbe Righteous One reasons with the ungodly in pros
pect of tbefr doom. It is another "Al-taschith" and "Mich- Thetitie.
tam," as to its musical accompaniments.
A difficulty meets us in verse 1, some rendering the Hebrew
by a change in one letter, (viz., Dvi< foi D7X,) " Ye raighty ones,
do ye speak righteousness ?" others retaining up^ as a verb,
"Is justice then silent?" (Deut. i 16), or, "Are ye, then, in
deed dumb, so that ye wiU not speak what is right ?" Horsley
puts it thus, " Are ye in earnest reflection when ye talk of
righteousness ?"
It is addressed to " the sons jof rnen" (ver. 1), not to rulers The contents.
only, though to rulers also, as being among the sons of men.
(See Psalm Ixxxii. 6.)
" The vricked are alienated (from God) from the wonih ;
The speakers of falsehood have gone astray as soon as they are horn."
(Ver. 3.)
They are of the "seed otthe serpent;" and, like the adder,
they hide tbeir ears in tbe dust, in order not to be charmed,
let tbe charmer chant however sweet and long. Men bury
their conscience in the things of earth, and shut out the allur-
M

178 PSALM LVIII. — THE UNGODLY REASONED WITH
ing sound of the tidings of love to the guilty. Hence, judgment
comes. " Woe to thee, Chorazin" — Woe to tbee, 0 earth, that
hast heard the offers of love as well as the demands of law. In
verses 6-9 the wrath 's shewn under whicb the mighty melt
away " as a snail," suggesting (it has been thought) the idea
of the filthy trail or mark which their beastly pollutions used
to leave behind them. Their glory is no more than '' an abor
tion." It is at the coming of the Son of man that it overtakes
tbem. They are devising much and planning great schemes,
but " ere their pots can feel the blazing thorn," ere tbefr de
signs of ambition are reached, " be carries tbem away witb a
tempest," — the green and the dry, the sodden and the raw
(^in-iDS ''rr iop), their finished and their unfinished works, and
theraselves, too, witb all their gratified and all tbefr as yet un-
gratified desires. There are seven similitudes : the lion's teeth
broken ; the torrents running off; the bow snapping asunder; the
snail wasting away ; the abortion that scarcely can oe said to
have had existence ; the pots tbat aever get time to feel the
heat ; the whirlwind that makes them its victim.
No doubt, at the sight of Sodom, Gomorrha Admah, and
Zeboim, destroyed, angels saw cause to rejoice and sing, " Hal
lelujah." Wickedness was swept away ; eartb was lightened
of a burden ; justice, tbe justice of God, was highly exalted ;
love to his other creatures was displayed in freeing them from
tbe neighbourhood of such hellish contaminations. Ou the
same principles, (entering, however, yet deeper into the mind
of tbe Father, and sympathizing to the full in his justice,) the
Lord Jesus himself and each one of his members shall cry
" Hallelujah" over Antichrist's ruined hosts. (Rev. xix. 3).
" TTie righteous shall rejoice when He sedh the vengeance.
He shall wash his fed in the blood of the wicked." (Ver. 10.)
He shall be refreshed at the end of his journey (John xiii
6 ; Luke vii. 44 ; Gen. xviii 4), He shall wipe off all the dust
of the way, and end its weariness by entering into that strange,
that divine joy over sin destroyed, justice honoured, the law
magnified, vengeance taken for tbe insult done to Godhead,
the triumph of tbe Holy One over the unholy. It is not
merely the time when that joy begins, — it is also the occasion
and cause of that day's rapturous delight

IN PROSPECT OF THE DAY OF VENGEANCE. 179
But what foUows now ? It is said, verse 11, DlKt 11?^%
" And Tnan shall say." Is not this the effect upon the world
at large in turning them to know their God, his law, his jus
tice, his hatred of sin, his love to his own ? Now shall John
xvn. 23 be fulfilled. Seeing Christ and his bride, the Church,
triumphant and glorified, "The world shaUknow thatthe Father
sent him, and that the Father loved them as he loved Christ."
As they gaze on his and tbefr enthroned glory, they shall con
fess, " Verily there is a reward for the righteous !" and shaU
bend tbeir knee and say of Him who sitteth on the tbrone of his
glory, with his princes who truly decree justice (Isa. xxxii. 1),
" Verily, God judgeth the earth!" Its government has come
into tbe hands of the Just One and his saints ; there is a God,
there is a God who judges !
O that the sons of men would hear in this their day ! 0
that every ear were opened to these words of
The Righteous One reasoning with the ungodly in prospect
of ihe day of vengeance.

PSALM LIX.
To the chief Musician, Al.taschith. Michtam of David ; when Saul sent, and they watched tha
house to kill him.
1 Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God !
Defend me from them that rise np against me.
2 Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men.
3 For, lo, they lie in wait for ray soul : the mighty are gathered against rae ;
Not for ray transgression, nor for my sin, O Lord.
4 They run and prepare themselves without my fault : awake to help me,
and behold !
6 Thou therefore, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all
the heathen :
Be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah.
6 They return at evening : they make a noise like a dog, and go round
about the city.
7 Behold, they belch out with their mouth : swords are in their lips ;
For who, say they, doth hear ?
8 But thou, O Lord, shall laugh at them ; thon shalt have all tbe heathen
in derision.
9 Because of his strength will I wait upon thee : for God is my defence.

180 PSALM LIX. — APPEAL AGAINST APOSTATE ISRAEL
10 The God of my mercy shall prevent me :
God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies.
11 Slay thera not, lest my people forget : scatter them by thy power,
And bring them down, O Lord our shield.
12 For the sin of their mouth and thewords of their lips let them even be
taken in their pride :
And for cursing and lying which they speak.
13 Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be :
And let them know that God ruleth in Jacob, unto the ends of the earth.
Selah.
14 And at evening let them return ;
And let them make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city.
15 Let them wander up and down for meat, and grudge if they be not
satisfied.
16 But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing, aloud of thy mercy in the
morning :
For thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.
17 Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing : for God is my defence, and the
G od of my mercy.
Tlie title. ".His own received Him not." The Sweet Singer of Israel
knew what it is to be cast off by those who should have been
his bosom friends ; and it was on one of those occasions, when
his father-in-law sent a band to take him, dead or alive, from
his own house (1 Sam. xix. 14), that David was taught by the
Holy Ghost to pour out his soul in these straius of strong ap
peal to justice and to mercy. Perhaps it was at Ramah, when
resting in Samuel's dwelling for a time, that this Psalm was
written — a Psalm for David himself — a Psalm for David's Son,
when he too should be rejected of his own — a Psalm for all his
followers when tbey should, in after ages, feel that the disciple
is not greater than the Master. It is another " Al-taschith"
and " Michtam," such as we have seen,
Christ and his If a disciplo, persecuted "for righteousness' sake," can con
fidently use the language of verse 4, saying, " not for any par
ticular crime in me, nor yet for general unholiness, but be
cause I am thine; without being able to fix on anything to
justify their hostility" — if a disciple can use this language,
much more the Master. And in this consciousness of being
bat^d solely for " righteousness' sake," the Head and his mem
bers claim the help of Jehovah as being
The contents. 1. " God of hosts," and therefore able ; 2. " God of Israd," and there
fore willing. (Ver. 5.)

TO THE LORD OF MIGHT AND MERCY. 1 8 1
It seems to be apostate Israel (Tholuck says, "heathenish-
minded Israel") that is primarily described in verse 5 as "the
heathen," q. d., these children of Abraham who are now chil
dren of the devU — Israelites become Goim ! (Comp. Isa. i. 10.)
They are in character and conduct like city dogs, prowling for
prey, feeding on the filth of the town, scouring its streets as if
to clear them of the godly. But Jehovah — 'he who in Psalm
ii 4 was seen on the throne of bis glory deriding the kings of
earth in their vain attempts-^laughs at these impotent apos
tates. In verse 7, tbe Psalihist complainingly utters, "For
wbo is there that hears ?" And then (verse 8) as one confident
in God, he exclaims,
"His strength!" (Yes, this is our stronghold — the idea flashes hOpe
through the soul —
" Jehovah's strength I") — " I will wait on thee." (Ver. 9.)
The " sin of their mouth" may be specially their declared re
jection of Messiah's grace. Then, an intercession ascends, like
that of Elijah against Israel — a prayer that these blinded apos
tates may be scattered, though not destroyed from the earth;*
The prayer of verse 13—^
" Consume them, in wrath consume them till they he no more" —
reminds us of 2 Thess. ii. 16, " Wrath has come on them to
the uttermost" (I'le reXos). As a nation, as a kingdom, they are
" consumed," but as a people they are " scattered," and men
to earth's end are taught of Jacob's God by tbeir doom. It is
a doom of retribution for their treatment of the rigbteous. A
solemn "Selah" follows, like that which in verse 5 closed the
prayer for divine interposition, that we may ponder the awful
judgment, Jacob driven to the ends of the earth ! (ver. 1 3.)
Now they are as hungry dogs in another sense than when Ibey
snarled at the godly — ^they prov?l about the world for food.
(Verses 14, 15.) In spite of them, the Just One flourishes,
singing of Jehovah, mighty and merciful> and looks forward to
a time when he shaU sing louder still — a morning after a
* Not destroyed — that they may be a whetstone to others'' faith — as the
Spartans (mentioned in Plutarch's Apothegms) refused to allow the destruction
of a neighbouring city which had often called forth their armies, saying,
¦"Destroy not the whetstone of our young men!"

182 PSALM LIX.— APP3AL AGAINST APOSTATE ISRAEL.
dark night, viz., tbe resurrection-morning, " Mane, transactis
tentationibus ; mane cum nox bujus sseculi transierit ; mane
quando jam latronum insidias, et Diaboli et angelorum ejus,
non expavescimus ; Tnane quando jam non ad lucernam Pro
ph etise ambulamus, sed ipsum Dei Verbum, tanquam Solem,
contemplamur," (Augustine).
In verse 1 1, the Righteous One seems to seethe sword banging
over apostate Israel, as when it was suspended over Jerusalem
in tbe days of that pestilence tbat cut off 73,000 men of Israel.
Seeing this exterminating sword, he cries, "Slay them not!"
He asks a mitigation of their doom, even that which has been
granted — tbefr dispersion instead of their extirpation. Let
them be as Cain, Gen. iv. 12 ; "make tbem wander." StiU, he
fully agrees with the Lord as to tbefr deserving wrath to the
uttermost, and expresses this entire agreement in tbe closing
verses. It is therefore a Psalm wherein the Head and mem
bers present an appeal against apostate Israel, and then con
sent to their long-enduring desolation, in prospect of mercy
breaking out of the gloom at last, " in the Morning." It is
The Righteous One's appeal against apostate Israel, to ihe
Lord's might and mercy.

PSALM LX.
To the chief Musician. Upon Shushan-eduth Michtam of David, to teach : when he strove with
Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah when Joab returned, and smote of Edom in the
valley of salt twelve thousand.
1 O God, thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered us.
Thou hast been displeased ; O turn thyself to us again.
2 Thou hast made the earth to trerable ; thou hast broken it ;
Heal the breaches thereof ; for it shaketh.
3 Thou hast shewed thy people hard things :
Thou hast raade us to drink the wine of astonishment.
4 Thou hast given a banner to them that feared thee.
That it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.
6 That thy beloved may be delivered ; save with thy right hand, and hear me.
6 God hath spoken in his holiness ;
I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth.
7 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine ;
Ephraim also is the strength of mine head ; Judah is my law^giver ;

PSALM LX. — Israel's restoration rejoicld ;n. 183
8 Moab is ray washpot ; over Edom will I cast out my shoe :
Philistia, triumph thou because of me.
9 -Who will bring me into the strong city ? who will lead me into Edom ?
10 Wilt not thou, O God, which hadst cast us off?
And thou, O God, which didst not go out with our armies?
11 Give us help from trouble : for vain is the help of man.
12 Through God we shall do valiantly : for he it is that shall tread down our
enemies.
The Sweet Singer outUved the dismal days of SauL Seated The time
firmly on his throne, he saw his armies go forth and return
crowned -with -victory. One of his victories, gained by Joab,
was over the king of Zobah, who, it appears, had engaged the
men of Mesopotamia (Aram-naharaim) to take his side. When
the trophies of victory from the river Euphrates (2 Sam. viii 3)
were brought in, David's harp awoke, touched by the Spirit of
God. It sang of a happier day to come — happier than that
triumphant day of Israel in tbe bfrth-land of tbeir father Abra
ham — a day when Israel's breaches shaU be for ever healed, and
Israel's strongest foes for ever subdued.
Sometimes it is the nation, sometimes it is the leader of the The speaker
nation, tbat sings. (See ver. 1, 5, 9.) It may be used by Is
rael, or by Israel's Lord as one of themselves. But what is
" upon Shushan-eduth ? " It must be connected with "joy,"
or with " liUes," {]T^1t}), and may speak of some instrument such
as Psalm xlv. and Psalm Ixxx. refer to. But no writer has
come nearer certainty in regard to " Eduth" than tbat it may
aUude to Israei as the nation tbat had tbe " TestiTnony" (JTITV),
or the Ark of Testimony. " To teach" — as if pointing back to
Moses' song, Deuf. xxxi, 19, and indicating tbat this also is
such a national song as that.
The Psalm may be said to take up the preceding one's hope The pi,in.
expressed at the close. The dispersion of Israel does not last
for ever. Though they have been broken, and though God has
put into tbefr hand a cup of wrath that stuns them (Isa. li 22),
yet they shaU arise. Thefr's is not the malefactor's cup of
myrrh that deadens pain just as a prelude to death and utter
extinction. Though Israel be broken, and his land cleft
asunder a thousandfold more terribly than David's wars or

184 PSALM LX. — Israel's restoration rejoiced in.
any of the desolations ofhis time ever threatened, yet that de
solation ends. (See verse 4.)
" 27wM hast given a Banner to them that fear ihee."
Here is the voice of Israel owning Jehovah's gift of Messiah
to them. Messiah is tbe ensign or banner, Isaiah xi 10.
" To be lifted up as an ensign, because of truth."
Holding up this banner* — in other words, owning God's
truth, or the fulfilment of his ancient promise to Adam, to
Abraham, to all the fathers — Israel may expect favour ; and
they find it. For suddenly, verse 5, Messiab appears, himself
urging their request, and at verse 6 he gets a favourable an
swer ; " God speaks in holiness," (or, as Israel's Holy One,) and
grants the desire of him who asks. Shechem, on tbe west side
of Jordan, where Jacob's first altar was raised, and where he
bought the first parcel of ground (Gen. xxxiii 18), and where
afterwards destruction threatened the whole feeble family be
cause of Levi and Simeon's enormity, is now re-possessed in
peace. Succoth, on the east side of Jordan, where Jacob first
erected a dwelling (Gen. xxxiii. 17), and booths for cattle, as
one intending to remain, is next claimed permanently. The
country eastward beyond Jordan, under the name Gilead, where
stood the mountain famed for healing balm, emblematic of heal
ing to Israel, and whicb was one of the first districts settled
and peopled by Israel, coraes next, as well as westward Ma
nasseh, on the opposite side ; thus shewing us the stretching of
the wing over the breadth of the land. Ephraim, full of power, '
comes in as being to push tbe foe with his homs (Deut. xxxiii
17), while Judah appears as " Lawgiver," or " Ruler," the tribe
of Messiab. Tbe nations round submit ; Moab stands as a slave
at bis master's foot ; Edom picks up tbe sandal cast down at
his feet by his lord (Hengst.) ;-f- and Philistia is compelled to
receive the king witb triumphant shouts.
" Philistia, shout to me The conqueror I"
And whose power is it that accompUsbed all this ? Who
is it tbat leads the conquering nation and its king to the
* Harmer says, that delivering a banner into the hands of a supplicant, was
a sure pledge of protection in the East.
t Tholuck says, that the casting of the shoe is still an emblem of subjugation
in India and Abyssinia.

PSALM LXL — THE OUTCAST LOOKING FOR RESTORATION. 185
strong city ? even to Edom's strongholds, and to the battle
field of Edom iu the latter day? (Isaiah Ixiii 1.) Itis the
very God who once cast them off — ^the very God that scattered
them. Glory to the Lord of hosts, and to Him only ! Israel
and Israel's Leader rest on him, and so do valiantly — as Ba"-
laam, pointing to Moab and Edom, long since foretold (Nunt
xxiv. 18, 19). And thus the scene of Psalm lix. is happUy re
versed at length.
The Righteous One asks, and rejoices in, Israel's restoration.

PSALM LXL
To the cMef Musician. Upon Neginah. A Fsalm of DavidJ
1 Heab my cry, O God ; attend unto my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is over
whelmed :
Lead rae to the rock that is higher than I.
3 For thou hast been a shelter for rae, and a strong tower frora the enemy.
4 I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever : I wUl trust in the covert of thy
wings. Selah.
6 Eor thou, O God, hast heard my vows:
Thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name.
6 Thou wilt prolong the king's life: and his years as many generations.
7 He shall abide before God for ever : O prepare mercy and truth, which may
preserve him.
8 So will I sing praise tmto thy name for ever, that I raay daily perform my
vows,
" On Neginah," (like Neginoth, unknown), and " by David," The tone
and perhaps sung at Mahanaim, (Tholuck). In this life, every
member of the Church has a varied lot — now at rest, then
troubled ; now hopeful, then fearful ; now a conqueror, then
a combatant. Seated as he is on the Rock of Ages, immove-
ably seated, he sees at one time a fair sky and a bright sun ;
then, the thick cloud spreads gloom over nature ; soon, the
beam struggles through again, but soon all is mist once more.
Such being the sure complexion of our sojourning hCTe; we
rejoice to find sympathy there'with evinced by our God who
knoweth our frame, a.nd evinced by the fact that he so often
turns in the Songs of Zion from one state of mind to another,
and from one aspect of our case to another.

186 PSALM LXL — THE OUTCAST LOOKING FOB RESTORATION
Tho contents. Here is the Head and his members in a state of loneliness.
As if suggested by the case of dispersed Israel, language (in
verse 2) is adopted sucb as we find in Deut. xxx. 41 aud Neh.
i 9. Our Lord could use such a Psalm in the days of his hu
miUatiou, looking to the Father, as in John xiv. 28, " the Rock
higher than I," higher than the man Christ Jesus, higher than
all his members. This Rock casts its shadow over those be
neath it. The " Selah" at verse 4 gives us time to look upon
the beUeving one's quiet repose under the wings of God, and
then we hear the calm acknowledgment of verse 5, wbicb may
remind us of Psalm xxii 25. The tone of the Song changes ;
all thereafter is hope, sure anticipation, a future of bliss realised
as already at hand. " He shall sit (on the throne) before God
for ever, (ver. 7).
Two things let us specially notice. "Mercy and truth" (ver.
7) are the attributives which preserve him. Now, " mercy and
truth" are the prominent features of Redemption-blessing; God
able to say, " Live," and yet to do this without retracting the
sentence, " Thou shalt die." Christ's pillar-cloud was " mercy
and truth ; " the Christian's pillar-cloud is the same. Christ,
by harmonising, magnified these perfections of Godhead ; the
Christian magnifies tbem by pointing the Father to them as
harmonised. Thus this prayer is answered,
" 0 prepare mercy and truth ;
Ld them preserve him I "
Perhaps the unusual word tD, " appoint," " prepare," may
have been chosen as suggesting a reference to manna, the 'wil
derness-provision. Give a manna-like provision of mercy and
truth. This be our everlasting food while we dwell before God !
Another thing worthy of brief notice is verse 6, "The King."
David's title was, "King," though a wanderer in Judah's
deserts ; David's Son, too, had tbe same name and title ; and
in the right of tbeir Head, disciples of Christ claim kingship
under him, and look forw^ard with hope and expectation to the
days of his visible manifestation as King in the kingdom that
has no end. Here, then, we have
The Righteous One, when an outcast, looking for the day oj
his Restoration.

PSALM LXIL — ^THE THREATENED LOOKING TO THE ROCK. 187

PSALM LXIL
To the chief Musician, to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
1 Tkcit my soul waiteth upon God : from him cometh my salvation.
2 He only is my rock and my salvation ; he is my defence ; I shall not be
greatly moved.
3 How long will ye imagine mischief against a man?
Ye shall be slain all of you : as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a totter
ing fence.
4 They only consult to cast him down from his excellency :
They delight in lies : they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly.
Selah.
6 My soul, wait thou only upon God ; for my expectation is from him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation : he is my defence ; I shall not be
moved.
7 In God is my salvation and my glory : the rock of ray strength, and my re
fuge, is in God.
8 Trust in him at all times ; ye people, pour out your heart before him :
God is a refuge for us. Selah.
9 Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie ;
To be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.
10 Trust not in oppression, aud become not vain in robbery :
If riches increase, set not your heart upon them.
11 God hath spoken once ; twice have I heard this ;
That power belongeth unto God.
12 Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy:
For thou renderest to every man according to his work.
This Psalm has three parts, each beginning with ^^>^, " truly ; " The connectioa
verses 1, 4, 9. There was a "Rock" spoken of in Psalm Ixi 2.
The God of Israel bad long been kno-wn under that name, ever
since Jacob, and Moses, and Hannah, bad appropriated tbe
Rock, witb its many properties of shade, shelter, strength, so
lidity, dignity, to give a people accustomed to level deserts and
sands an emblem of the Unchanging One to whom the helpless
may resort. This Rock is prominent throughout this Psalm.
At the commencement, the soul of the speaker is seen under
it as his shelter — ^he reposes in its shade, and on its strength.
"Only upon God my sovl reposeth !" (Horsley.) He is a The plan.
rock, while enemies are as an " inclining wall and a fence
that has had a shove" — on the verge of ruin. Thus he can
sing, " Truly in God
My said takes rest." (Verses 1 and 6.)

1 88 PSALM LXIL — THE THRE.4.TENED LOOKING TO THE ROCK.
The plan. Foes and bitter persecutors are around him, and this keeps
bim very near the Refuge at all times. We have bere the soul
of the Rigbteous One — Christ and his members — resorting to
Jehovah while iniquity surrounds them, and persecution tries
them. We hear them calling on Him, and stirring up one
another to do the like (ver. 8.), affixing the solemn, " Selah."
" Trust in him at all times, yepeople," (Dy, true Israel of God !)
" Our estimate of man (it has been said) depends on our
estimate of God ;" and bere God is felt to be most gloriously
great. The sons ofmen (ver 9) are a mere vapour ; their great
ness, even when it shall flush up to the splendour of Antichrist's
dominion, is a mere mirage. The sentence against it is on the
way. Already you may hear God speaking ; it is no fancy.
Two things have been declared by our God, -viz., that he will
bring down tbe proud, and tbat be has mercy for his own.
As out of Sinai so out of tbe Rock, we hear a voice telling that
Jebovab is God Almighty, and yet merciful too.
" One thing God has spoken.
Two things there are which I have heard —
viz., Tliat might is God's ;
And that mercy also is Jehovah's I" (Verses 11, 12.)
In this certainty we look for the Great Day of the Lord— the
day when a mismanaged world shall be set in order — a day
sure to come, and sure to satisfy us when it has come,
" For thou renderest to every man accordingto his work."
The title. When the choir of singers, at whose head was Jeduthun, sang
this Psalm together, the godly in Israel would feel their souls
raised to tbe very heights of confidence, sympathising with
The Righteous One, when threatened, looking to the Rock
for help.

PSALM LXIIL
A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Juda]L
1 O God, thou art my God ; early will I seek thee !
My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee
In a dry and thirsty land, where no water is :

PSALM LXIIL — ^WATER-SPRINGS FOUND IN GOD 1 89
2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
3 Because thy loving-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
4 Thus will I bless thee while I live : I will lift up my hands in thy name.
6 My soul shall be satisfied as with mari-ow and fatness ;
And my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips :
6 When I remember tbee upon. my bed, and imeditate on thee in the night
watches.
7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore. in the shadow of thy wings will
I rejoice.
8 My soul followeth hard after thee : thy right hand upholdeth me.
9 But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of
the earth.
10 They shall fall by the sword; they shall be a portion for foxes.
II But the king shall rejoice in God ; evei7 one that sweareth by him shall
glory:
But the month of them that speak lies shall be stopped.
It may have been near the Dead Sea, on his way to tbe ford Thetitia
of Jordan, that the Psalmist first sung this song. It is a Psalm
first beard, by David's faithful ones in the wilderness of Judah ;
but truly a Psalm for every godly man who in the dry world-
wUderness can sing — " All my springs are in thee" — a Psalm
for David — a Psalm for Da-vid's Son — a Psalm for tbe Cburch
in every age — a Psalin for every member of tbe Church in the
weary land J What assurance, what vehement desire, what Tiiethcma
soul-filling deUght in God, in God alone — in God the only *" ''^""
fountain of Uving water amid a boundless wilderness ! Hope,
too, has its visions here ; for it sees the ungodly perish (verses
(8, 9, 1 0), and the King on the throne surrounded by a com
pany who swear allegiance to Jehovah. Hope sees for itself
what Isaiah Ixiv. ] 6 describes — every mouth " swearing by the
God of truth ;" and what Rev. xxi. 27 bas foretold, tbe mouth
•of "^rs"closed for ever — all who sought other gods, and trusted
to. other saviours, gone for ever. And when we read all this as
spoken of Christ, how much does every verse become enhanced.
His thirst for God 1 His vision of God ! His estimate of
God's lo-ving-kindness ! His soul satisfied ! His mouth full
of praise ! His soul folio-wing hard after God !
" 0 God, thou art my El," mighty one. Tbou art my omni
potence. It is this God he still seeks. The p oi verse 2 and
of verse 4 is interesting. In verse 2 the force of it is this —
" No wonder that I so thirst for th'>'» • r..,-.-,,-^-^-'^- ^i -

1 90 PSALM LXIIL — WATER-SPRINGS FOUND IN GOD.
thoughts at morning are toward tbee ; no wonder that my very
flesh longeth for thee ! Wbo would not, that has seen what I
have seen ? So have I gazed on thee in the sanctuary, seeing
thy power* and glory ! " The " so" is like 2 Peter i ] 7,
" Such a voice !" And then, if the past has been thus exqui
sitely blessed, my prospects for the future are not less so. I
see illimitable bliss coming in as a tide ; " so will I bless Thee
while I have being ! " (ver. 4.) Yes ; in ages to come, as well
as in many a happy moraent on earth, my soul shall be satiated
as with marrow and fatness ! And when verse 7 shews us the
soul under tbe shadow of God's wings, rejoicing, we may say,
it is not only like as " the bird sheltered from the heat of the
sun amid the rich foliage sings its merry note," but it is the
soul reposing there as if enteiing the cloud of glory, like Moses
and Elias.
0 world ! come and see
The Righteous One finding water-spri/ngs in Ood.
PSALM LXIV.
To the chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
1 Hei.b my voice, O God, in my prayer : preserve my life from fsar of the
enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked ;
From the insurrection of the workers of iniquity.
3 Who whet their tongue like a sword.
And bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:
4 That they may shoot in secret at the perfect :
Suddenly they do shoot at him, and fear not.
6 They encourage themselves in an evil raatter .-
They coramune of laying snares privily ; they say. Who shall see them?
6 They search out iniquities ; they accomplish a diligent search :
Both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep.
7 But God shall shoot at them with an arrow ; suddenly shall they be
wounded.
8 So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves;
All that see thera shall flee away.
9 And all raen shall fear, and shall declare the work of God ;
For tbey shall wisely consider of his doing.
10 The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in him ;
And all the upright in heart shall glory.
* "Thy power" — with special reference to the "Ark of his Strength" (2
rhrnn. vU 411. So in V~;ihn Uxvi;! fil  « 7, ,¦.,,.,_—. ii -¦- t.: . i _>.

PSALM LXIV. — THE DOOM OF THE UNGODLY ARCHERS. ] 91
It is a probable conjecture tbat David may have been led to The scheme of
'write this Psalm whUe stUl a youth at Saul's court, when there
discerning tbe arts and deceits of courtiers. We may illus
trate it by referring to the case of Joseph and his many foes.
Here is the Righteous One, or " the Perfect" (ver. 4), set before
us — a name applicable to Christ in its fullest significancy, but
applieil also to bis members, as being " Perfect" in purpose
and in prospects, impartially aiming at the whole -will of tbefr
God in heart and life. But the world hates such, as bis brethren
hated Joseph ; the world 5ays snares, and levels arrows of
maUgnity at them. " The archers have shot at them" — at our
Joseph and his seed. He says, verse 5, " They will tdl about
hiding snares," and they tbink no eye is on tbem.
" I%ey search deep into iniquity," (to find out the most deadly device).
" We have got it ready ! Here is a weU-matured plan I" (This is their
shout over their deep-laid plot)
" And close is each one,
And deep of heart." (Ver. 6.)
But there is another that is an Archer : " God has shot at
them." God has his bow, and his time is coming, (ver. 7).
" AU their hard speeches," are to be brought into judgment at
the Lord's coming (Jude 15) ; and if they wounded others
sorely, sorely shall they in turn be wounded. Theirs shall be
a doom like Korah's (ver. 8), when all Israel fled at the cry
(Num. xvi. 34).
" He has cast them down 1 Their tongues come on themsdves." (Ver. 8.)
All earth shall then discern the righteous ways of God. That
is the day ofhis Redeemed so often spoken of, so long expected
 the day when tbe Righteous shall " enter into the joy of tbefr
Lord,'' and utteraloud their rejoicuigs and thefrglorying in Him.
" The Bightems One shaU be glad in the Lord,
And flee for refuge to none hut to him;
And all the upright in heart shall boast themsdves." (Ver. 6.)
May we not, then, describe this song of Zion as one in which
we find
Our Joseph and his seed foreseeing the doom of the archers
that have shot at them.

192 PSALM LXV. — BLESSING SHOWERED ON THE EARTH.
PSALM LXV.
To the chief Musician. A Psalm and Song of David.
1 Pbai.se waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow
be perforraed.
2 O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.
3 Iniquities prevail against me : as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge
them away,
4 Blessed is the man that thou choosest,
And causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts :
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy
temple.
6 By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our
salvation,
r Who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth,
And of them that are afar off upon the sea :
6 Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with
power:
7 Which stilleth , the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the
tumult of the people.
8 They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens :
Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.
9 Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it :
Thou greatly enriches it with the river of God, which is full of water;
Thou preparest them com, when thou hast so provided for it.
10 Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly : thou settlest the furrow
thereof:
Thou makest it soft with showers : thou blessest the springing thereof.
11 Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.
12 They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness : and the little hills rejoice
on every side,
13 The pastures are clothed with flocks ; the valleys also are covered over with
corn:
They shout for joy, they also sing.
The title. " -^ psolm of David ; a true song," is the import of the title,
thus describing the tone that prevails throughout. Possibly
(as some tbink) it was composed at Passover time, when the
sheaf of first fruits of barley harvest used to be offered.
The contents. Every note in this song tells tbe feeling of a happy soul re
viewing the past, and seeing mercy abounding then and now.
Messiah and his redeemed ones — tbe Lamb and his 144,000 —
might sing it on their Mount Zion, and we may sing it now.
The Head leads the choir, and this is the substance of the
song —

PSALM LXV. — BLESSING SHOWERED ON EARTH. 193
" 0 God, praise is thine I " such praise as leaves the worship- The contents.
per "silent," because the theme is too great for his harp to
handle.* Now is the vow performed to thee ! " 0 Hearer of
Prayer, to thee (yes, even as far as to Thee, ^y). the HoUest
of all, all flesh are coming now." Our iniquities (iniquities
which have been imputed to our Head) once prevailed against
us (as Gen. vu. 24, "in _ ) like the waters of the deluge, sur
mounting the highest hiUs ; but thou purgest tbem away, and
we sing, " Blessed is the man whom thou causest to approach
unto thee as a priest '' (Num. xvi 8). Aye, blessed, indeed,
for he shall dwell in thy courts, and there be satisfied -with
good ; thy house, thy holy place, yielding him its heavenly
stores. When we cried to thee, terrible things (tbiogs of such
surpassing glory and majesty as spread awe around) were thine
answer. Thou wert God of salvation, displaying tby grace
in such a way as to draw the confidence of all ends of eartb.
Creator, too, setting fast the mountains ! and God of provi
dence, stUling the raging waves of the most tumultuous sea,
and by thy wonderfiil signs {"tokens," nSlfit^) causing distant
lands, the lands of the setting and rising sun, the east and the
west, to fear aud t6 rejoice.
And now let us sing together of the crowning act of all, dis
playing grace, creation, and providence in one — ^thy dealings
with this Earth, which thou wilt renew into paradise. Once
(ve sang, " Wbat is man that thou visitest him ? " and now we
singj " Thou visitest his dwelling-place, and makest it teem seed.time and
• 1 1 Jt tr mi 1 1 ^ n i harvest Scenes,
With plenty ! Yes, " ihou hast the earth under thy care,
and waterest it."
" The fountain of God has plenty of waters. (Heng.)
Thou preparest (Horsley, makest sxxi6)their corn, for lo ! thus
hast thou prepared t " (V. 9.)
What a table spread with abundance is that once barren earth !
* " To thee belongeth silenee-praise ; " praise without any tumult (Alexan
der). It has been said, " The most intense feeling is the raost calra, being con
densed by repression." And Hooker says of prayer, " The very silence whichi
our unworthiness putteth us unto doth itself make request for us, and that ia
the confidence of his grace. Looking inward, we are stricken dumb ; looking
upward, we speak and prevail" (v. 48, 4). Horsley renders it, " Upon thee is
the repose of prayer." N

194 PSALM LXV. — BLESSING SHOWERED ON EARTH.
It is " thus (p as in Ps. Ixiii 3) thou dealest as God, with infi
nite liberality." Tbe soaking rain descends on her furrowed
fields. " Hiou layest down its ploughed fidds ;
Thou dost moisten it with showers ;
Thou blesseth the springing thereof.
Thou hast crowned the year, so as to make it a year of goodness;
Thy chariot-wheels drop fatness.
They drop on the urilderness which has pastures now (meadow-lands);
The hills are girded with gladness.''
What a changed world ! And every season we see some
thing of this exhibited. But tbe yearly return of spring and
summer -after winter is an emblem of Earth's summer day,
New^artk"^ when it shall be renewed. Then, even more than now, it shaU
be sung, " The pastures are clad with flocks ;
The valleys are covered over vrith corn I
They shout for joy t they break out into song I
Who does not seem, in reading this majestic Psalm, to hear
the very melody that issues from the happy people of that New
Eartb ? Originally it may bave been sung as a " Psalm of
David, a lively song," at a Feast of Tabernacles, when Israel's
happy land and prosperous tribes furnished a scene that naturally
suggested tbe future days of a renewed earth — earth's golden
age returned. It is, however, on a much higher key than this;
it is a Song of the Lamb, while he leads his glorified ones to
fountains of living water, and shews tbem tbefr old world pre
senting at length a counterpart to beaven — all paradise again,
and better than paradise. Is it not then
Prayers exchanged for praises because of blessings
showered on Earth ?

PSALM LXVL
To the chief MiMician, A Song or Psalm.
1 Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands :
2 Sing forth the honour of his name : make bis praise glorious,
3 Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works!
Through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves
unto thee

PSALM LXVL — THE PRAYER-HEARING GOD BLESSED. 195
4 All the earth shall worship thee.
And shall sing unto thee ; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.
5 Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the
children of men.
6 He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot:
There did we rejoice in him.
7 He ruleth by bis power for ever ; bis eyes behold the nations ;
Let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.
8 O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard,
9 Which holdeth our soul in life, and suff'ereth not our feet to be moved.
10 For thou, O God, has proved us : thou has tried us, as silver is tried.
11 Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins.
12 Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads ; we went through fire and
through water :
But thon broughtest us out into a wealthy place.
13 I will go into thy house with burnt offerings : I will pay thee my vows,
14 Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in
trouble.
15 I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams ;
I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah.
16 Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done
for my soul.
17 I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.
18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear rae :
19 But verily God hath heard me ; he hath attended to the voice of my
prayer.
20 Blessed be God, which hath uot turned away my prayer, nor his mercy
frora me.
Another I^DTD T"!?^ (as Ixv. 1), at once a solemn Psahn, and Thetitie.
a lively Temple song. It is specially the song of Messiah and The plan.
the Church of Israel — a kind of Red Sea song, sung, however,
in Canaan. " Baise the shout of joy I
AU the earth to God t
Shew forth the glory ofhis name t
Giveglory (to him) as his praise."
Then, leading us to such scenes as were spoken of in Psalm
Ixv. 5 — _ »
" Say unto God, Horn awful these works of thine I"
There is a Bethel-solemnity in these scenes, though they bring
us to the vei-y gate of heaven —
" All the earth shall worship Thee.
They sing I they sing thy nam^" Selah.

196 PSALM LXVL — MESSIAH AND HIS RANSOMED ISRAEL
This Selah-Tpause di-vides the Psalm into portions at suitable
times, and intimates a change of scene or tone. Here, as
usual, it gives time for solemn thought ; and then an invita-
tation is given to men to " Come and see." As John i 26, 27,
at Christ's First Coming, and Rev. -vi 3, 6, 7, in events lead
ing on to his Second —
" Come and see the works of God I
Awful in his dealings to the sons of men.'' (Ver. 5.)
And when we have cast our eye back to Red Sea aud Jordan
wonders, and have seen Him to be the same for ever, still sub
duing the nations, another " Selah" gives us time to pause and
adore. But the harp is soon struck again (ver. 8),
" Bless our Ood, ye nations" (?''DJ^, not as Psa. Ixii. 8.)*
The Jews are now inviting the Gentiles ; for the Jews are life
from tbe dead to the world. They tell how tbefr God refined
them ; how He " laid pressure on their loi/ns," the seat of
strength ; yet made tbefr trials act as a furnace to take away
the dross. Even tt> 3S[ " frail men" were made strong against
them; yet Israel passed through desert and flood; and, at
length, reached
" The wealthy place" (ver. 12) — affluence— refreshing. (H^ll). T T ;
Each of their number, as well as their Leader, thus invites the
Gentile nations ; and they do it by example, and not by word
only— " I will go into thine house with offerings ;
I vrill perform my vows unto thee.
I mil offer fat victims as burnt-offerings,
Along with rams that have incense-savour. Selah. (Ver. 13, 14.)
Another pause — like Wisdom's in Prov. i 23. And then
once more, voice and instrument together sound forth a cheer
ful summons to draw near and listen to l\lessiah and the
Church of Israel —
*' Come, hear, and I will tdl,
All ye that fear God,
What he has done for me.'' (Ver. 16.)
He was (ver. 17) "Hearer of prayer" to me (Isa. Ixv. 2) ; for
* It may remind us of Isa. xxiv. 13, " There shall be among the ?''QVi ths
nations, the shaking of an olive-tree," — the Gentiles taking up what Israel lets
fall.

PRAISING THE PRAYER-HEARING GOD. . 197
no sooner did I caU upon Him than he answered — ^turning
my prayer into praise. Had I sought to " lying vanities," or
bad tried crooked paths, I should have failed in finding this
blessed result. But the God of Israel, the Holy One, was
honoured. " Verity God hath heard.
He hath hearkened to the voice of my prayer." (Ver. 19.)
But the way to this blessedness is by a holy path, verse 18
Messiah magnified tbe law ; and in Him, we who come to God
through bis blood and righteousness do the same, and so shall
sing the same song, and bless the same God.
" He has not turned away my prayer !
He has not turned away his mercy from me/"
A close equivalent to Rev. v. 8, where tbe golden vials, full of
saints' prayers, are held up by the saints, and owned by the
Hearer of Prayer on tbat day. Far from turning away my
prayer, lo ! he has done exceeding abundantly beyond all I
asked. Instead of turning away his mercy from me, lo ! He
has brought me to the Wealthy Place! Such is the Song of
Messiah and his ra/nsomed Israel praising the prayer-
hearing God.

PSALM LXVIL
To the chief Musician. On Neginoth. A Psalm or Song.
1 GoD be merciful unto us, aud bless us ; and cause his face to shine upon
us. Selah.
2 That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all
nations.
3 Let the people praise thee, O God ; let all the people praise thee. ,
4 O let the nations be glad and sing for joy !
For thou shalt judge the people^ righteously, and govern the nations upon
earth. Selah.
5 Let the people praise thee, O God ; let all the people praise thee.
6 Then shall the earth yield her increase ; and God, eveii o'lir own God,
shall bless us.
7 God shall bless us ; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.
Once more the Jewish Church is prominent in this solemn The titie.
"Psalm," which is sung as a lively " /Songr," on Neginoth.

198 PSALM LXVIL — Israel's blessing prayed for
The content*. They pray for the outpouring of the full blessing which tbefr
High Priest, Jesus, is to bestow by tbefr means on all the earth.
Tbe language of verse 1 refers us to Num. vi 24, 25, and
very appropriately ; for the time is tbe Lord's Second Coming,
when, as true High Priest, he comes forth from tbe HoUest to
bless the people. The " Selah" at the end of verse 1 and verse
4 is, in both cases, very expressive, indicating, as it does, pauses
in the sense and feeling, as well as the music.
" God be merciful to us
And bless us !
And cast the light ofhis countenance
(So as that it may be) vrith us." (•IjnM- See Hengst.)
Bless US and guide us in thy way, (thy mode of dealing with thy
people), that by us thy way may be known on the earth, as fore
told in Gen. xii. 3, and since those days, in Amos viii. 14 ; Isa.
Ix. 1, 2 ; Acts XV. 15-17 ; Rom. xi. 15, and many other places.
" The nations (D"'Sy) shall praise thee, 0 God;
The nations shallpraise thee t" (Ver. 3.)
The peculiar people, Dyn, bere anticipate with joy the time
when the D^by, the whole Gentile people, shall praise their God
and Saviour, and tbat through their means.
"Zei the tribes (of earth, the ?''HM7 who once raged against thee, Psa.
ii. 1) rejoice and sing,
For thou judgest {i. e., rulest) the {OfQy) nations righteously,
And as for the tribes of earth {WBH/) thou guidest them." (Isa, Iviii
11, Hengst.)
And again at tbe happy prospect they cry, " Hallelujah !" for
they repeat their song —
" The nations {WQy) shallpraise thee, 0 God,
The nations shallpraise thee! every one of them /" (Ver. 5.)
And now Earth, as well as Palestine, giveth its increase, for the
curse is away, and tbe blessing rests on it (Lev. xxvi. 4). Israel
rejoices in this communication of tbeir blessing to all men —
" Earth givdh its increase I
God, our God, blessdh us t
God blessdh us !
And they fear Him !
All ends of the earth ! "

FOR THE SAKE OF EARTH AT LARGE. 199
Horsley says, this is " A hymn for the Feast of Tabernacles,
prophetic of a general conversion of the world to the worship
of God." Dr AlUx entitles this Psalm, " A Prayer of the
Synagogue for the Second Coming of the Messias, when her
empfre is to be extended over all nations, and the temporal
blessings which are promised to the Jews in several oracles
shall be conferred on them." But it is simpler, and perhaps
more correct to describe it thus —
The Prayer of Israel for ihe blessing which Messiah is to
bestow on them, for the sake of earth at large.

PSALM LXVIIL
To the chief Mnsidan. A Psabn or Song of David.
1 Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered : let them also that hate him
fiee before him.
2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away :
As wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of
God.
3 But let the righteous be glad ; let them rejoice before God ;
Yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.
4 Sing unto God, sing praises to his name :
Extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice be
fore him.
5 A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy
habitation.
6 God setteth the solitary in families : he bringeth out those which are bound
with chains :
But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.
7 O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people,
¦When thon didst march through the wilderness. Selah.
8 The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God :
Even Sinai itself was moved at tlie presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain.
Whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.
10 Thy congregation hath dwelt therein :
Thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor.
11 The Lord gave the word : great was the company of those that published it.
12 Kings of armies did flee apace : and she that tarried at home divided the
spoil.
13 Though ye bave lien among the the pots,
Tet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers
with yellow gold.

200 PSALM LXVIIL — MESSIAH LEADING ISRAEL AND
14 When the Almighty scattered kings in it, it was white as snow in Salmon.
15 The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan ; an high hill, as the hill of B»sban,
16 Why leap ye, ye high hills ?
This is the hill which God desireth to dwell io ;
Yea, the Lord will dwell in it for ever.
17 The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels :
The Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.
18 Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive :
Thou hast received gifts for men ;
Yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them.
19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, >'
Even the God of our salvation. Selah.
20 He that is our God is the God of salvation ;
And unto God the Lord belong the issues from death.
21 But God shall wound the head of his enemies.
And the hairy scalp of such a one as goeth on still in his trespasses.
22 The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan,
I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea :
23 That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies,
And the tongue of thy dogs in the same.
24 They have seen thy goings, 0 God : even the goings of my God, my King,
in the sanctuary.
25 The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after;
Among them were the damsels playing the timbrels.
26 Bless ye God in the congregations, even the Lord, frora the fountain of
Israel.
27 There is little Benjamin with their ruler, the princes of , Judah and. their
council ;
The princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali.
28 Thy God hath commanded thy strength :
Strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.
29 Because of thy temple at Jerusalem shall kings bring presents unto thee.
30 Rebuke the company of spearmen.
The multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the people.
Till every one submit himself with pieces of silver.
Scatter thou the people that delight in war.
31 Princes shall come out of Egypt ; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands
unto God.
32 Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth ; O sing praise unto theLord.
Selah.
33 To him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens, which were of old I
Lo, he doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice.
34 Ascribe ye strength unto. God: .:
His excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds.
35 O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places !
The God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people.
Blessed be God.

THE CHURCH FROM THE 'WILDERNESS TO REST. 201
Another "Psalm and Song," by David, the sweet singer of Title ana
Israel As David's days of adversity fumished many occasions
for appropriate Psalms, which the Son of David and bis Church
were afterwards to use in tbefr times of trial, so the more pros
perous season, when the Ark which had been removed in pro
cession by David to Mount Zion, was and afterwards by Solomon
carried up to Moriah, seems to have provided a fit occasion for
this triumphant song. It has been called " Tbe magnificent
march." Certainly it is throughout a tracing of the stately
steps of the Lord in his goings forth for His Cburch, from the
WUdemess onward to final rest.
The plan is as follows : — The plan.
Ver. 1-3. Prefatory strains, celebrating Jehovah as almighty
to scatter foes, almighty to make friends exult -with joy.
Ver. 4-6. General characteristics of his ways — grace to the
helpless — to all that do not reject bis help.
Ver. 7-9. His ways, -with Israel in the Wilderness — glorious
majesty and gracious bounty.
Ver. 10-] 4. His ways, in bringing Israel into Canaan — ^the
irresistible might of a King in behalf of his own.
Ver. 1 5-17. His ways, in fixing his seat on Zion, tbe ark
being carried up thither — sovereignty.
Ver. 18-2.3. His ways, in the typical setting forth on Zion
of an ascended Saviour, the savour of life to his own,
though the savour of death to bis rejecters.
Ver. 24-31. His ways, in the Ark removed afterwards to the
temple on Moriah— Israel gathered round it (ver. 26,27),
and the GentUes flocking to Shiloh there (ver. 29, 31).
All this typical of the Lord's advent, as true Solomon.
Ver. 32-35. The closing doxology to the King of kings on
reviewing tbe whole, and seeing "the Kingdom Come."
Such seems to be the plan. It would carry us beyond our verse l
limits to go into fuU detaUs, since almost every verse is rich and
laden witb meaning. A few hints may be of use, however, on
some of the more difEcult clauses. Some render verse 1 " God
shall arise," q. d., it shaU always be thus, as they sang Num.
X. 35, and Judges v. 31.
In verse 4 the justified ones, singing before tbefr justifief, verse t
cry, " Make a way for him that rideth through the wilder-

202 PSALM LXVIIL — MESSIAH LEADING ISRAEL AND
ness" IPhyysJ) or plain ; the Angel of the Covenant that re
deemed tbem from all evil It is their King whom they thus
honour, and so they raise the cry, " Prepare the way .'" as in
Isa. xl. 3, and as tbe Baptist did when he saw the King of the
kingdom at hand. His name " Jah," pT expresses the fulness
of being and perfection ; and Horsley would fain add beauty
too. In verse 5, Israel's helpless case in Egypt, Earth's helpless
Verse 6. case siuce the Fall, the sinner's state, " without strength," may
all be found here. The " widow's judge," implies his manag-
i/ng and ruling tbe affairs of such as bave no other to inter
pose, like as Gideon, or any judge of Israel, put in order
a disordered county, and bore tbe burden of its cares. And
does not Jas. i 21 refer to this verse, for we bave " the /o-
therless," " the widow," and then the " holiness," of the God
we serve?
In verse 8 tbe ratifying of the covenant at Sinai in circum-
veiM 8. stances of awful grandeur, is tbe theme ; and verse 9 speaks
of tbe "rain of gifts" (Hengst.) tbat attended Israel all
through the Desert — manna, quails, water from the rock —
when God's heritage pitched their tents on the flinty and
scorched soil of tbat weary wilderness.
Then, in verse ] 0, the host of Israel " settle down on It,"
Verse 10. i. e., the well-kuowu, ever-iu-view Land of Promise. TheLord
"gave the word" — (as in Psa. cv. 19) — as if at every step there
had been repeated, like Joshua vi. 16, " Shout, for tbe Lord has
given you tlie land !" and responding multitudes, even of tbe
women of Israel, proclaim the victory, and sing, as did Miriam
at the Red Sea,
" Kings of armies flee I they flee I
And she tliat tarries at home divides the spoil." (Ver. 12.)
So easily does Jehovah conquer ! Aud now, " Ye lie down
VeiseU amid the borders, and are as doves ;" or rather, they who were
" Vying amongthe pots" are now like tbe dove that has washed
itself in tbe streams, and is basking in tbe sun whose bright
beams glance on its feathers with the sheen of silver aud gold
Yes, it was easy for Jehovah to scatter kings. " There was
snow on Zalmon." They fell before him as snow disappears

THE CHURCH FROM THE WILDERNESS TO REST. 203
among the thick- wooded heights of Zalmon (Judg. ix. 48) in
the day of tempest.*
Israel now at rest, where is the Ark of the Covenant ? Not
on Bashan, i. e., the range of AntiUbanus, though that was verse m
a " bill of God," such a hUl as reminded one of the power
of Him who setteth fast the bills by his might (Hengst.) — nor
yet on other lofty hills such as Tabor, Lebanon, or CarmeL
The more lowly Zion is selected, and thither the sovereign
Lord comes with all bis hosts. There be resides, as in a pa
vilion — in that Holy of Holies whicb combines the manifesta
tion of justice and mercy at the mercy-seat — for "Sinai is in
the sanctuary" (^y^i^5 ^J?)- He is as much present here as
when tbe law was given on Sinai There, though unseen except *
by tbe eye of faith, he reigns, more niigbty in his angelic
heavenly hosts than ever was king with his chariots, so tbat
Israel need no more fear a Jabin witb his nine hundred cha
riots of iron (Judg. iv. 2). An anointed eye, (like bis in 2 Kings
'vi 27,) might see these hosts in Israel's land at any moment,
under the rule of Israel's king.
Ascended to Zion, no more wandering from place to place,
the Ark is the centre of blessing to Israel — there worshippers verse is.
get gifts ; there daily benefits are dispensed. And in this was
typified the Saviour, no more a wanderer on earth from place
to place, seated at the Father's right hand, and showering
down his gifts on man — the antitype infinitely greater than tbe
type, and his gifts infinitely more spiritual and plentiful (Eph.
iii 8). Here is (ver. 7) a " Selah," the mark of solemn thought ;
for herein is a great mystery of love (ver. 3 9). The words are
literally rendered, " Thou hast received gifts among 'men."
Here is a constr. prsegn. for " received, and given out among
men (Eph. iv. 1 8), even among the rebels." And then follows,
"At the tabernacling of Jah Elohim" (as ver 16), that is, at
the time when he pitched his tabernacle. But, there is refe-
* Zalmon is mentioned rather than Hermon, or any other of that northem
range, because it is so nearly in the heart of the Land, and near Shechem
(Josh. xxiv. 1), where some of the earliest gatherings of Israel took place.
Tholuck thinks the allusion to the snow is to its flakes falling on the ground.
So fell the ranks of the foe, and their silver ornaments glittered white as they
fell.

Verses 21, 22.

204 PSALM LXVIIL — MESSIAH LEADING ISRAELAND
rence 1. To the type on Zion ; 2. To the days of his First
Coming ; 3. To the stiU future Tabernacling, Rev. xxi, 3.
But again let the harp sing of Him who is thus exalted,
mighty to save, and mighty to overcome his enemies. Jehovah
is "God of our salvation," and "Selah" calls on us to ponder.,'
Then it is repeated,
" The God (of Israel) is God to us, as to salvations. (/llJ^t'lD^)
And to Jehovah bdong the issues, as to the death" (JHID^). (Ver. 21.)
V T T
He dashes his foes in pieces, cleaving tbefr hairy scalp from
the head from which the helmet has been struck off. Yes,
says the Lord,
? " / will turn him (the foe) back from Bashan,
I will turn him back from the depths of ihe sea." (Ver. 22.)
Though they were to make lofty Bashan their fortress, or hide
in tbe caverns of tbe deep. (See Amos vii. 3 ; Obad, 4.)
But all is not yet over. Tbe Ark moves again ! It moves
to Moriah — to Solomon's temple. Then see tbe royal proces
sion (ver. 24), and hear the songs of happy thousands under
Verse 24 the reigu of that Prince of Peace —
" Bless ye God in the congregations,
The Lord (in the congregations that aie), from the fountain of Israd."
There the gathered tribes are seen ; the south sends Benjamin,
once " their ruler," (as it sent Saul, 1 Sam. xiv. 7, and so be
came the conquering tribe) and Judah, their prince, or perhaps
" their bulwark."* The north is represented by Zebulon and
NapbtaU. Thus God has provided strength to them. And
Gentiles, too, are there (ver. 29). Wbat a type of the latter
Verse 29. days, wheu the true Solomon, Prince of Peace, has corae from
the Father's right band to his own throne — frora Zion to Moriah !
Then, more fully than in the first Solomon's days, it wUl be
sung — V
" He has rebuked the Beast of the Reed,
(The hippopotamus, who, like leviathan, is the type of Antichrist.)
Verse 30. The assembly of mighty ones (hnMs^ Vsa,, :s2Ji. H),
With calves of the nations." (Ver, 30.)
These mighty kings and tbefr subjects — bulls aud calve* —
with tbefr leader, are rebuked and destroyed ; and along with
* Parkhurst refers to Homer's " sgxos Aya/wv/'.as paraUel.

THE CHURCH FROM THE WILDERNESS TO REST. 205
these, the mammon-worshipper, "who crouches with pieces
of sUver ;" or rather,
"He that prostrates himsdf on pieces of silver."
The nations tbat delight in war are scattered, for it is the reign
of tbe Prince, of Peace. Egypt .sends princes to Zion, and
Ethiopia hastens to submit to God. And thus we are led on
to the closing strain — the shout of joy over earth now de
livered and put under Jehovah's sway —
'^ Ye kingdoms of earth, sing ye to God I Verse 3'
Chant ye tothe Lodl
Whoriddhintheheavenofancientheaven" (Dip 'Dttf);
(t. e., Who claims as his domain the inmost recess of the eternal heaven.)
" Lo ! he utterdh a mighty voice when he speakdh." (Ver, 33.)
He calls on the. universe for praise in verse 34. But even in '^'"* ^
that, universal hallelujab.there is prominence given to Israel —
" His majesty is over Israel" (ver. 34), as if Israel's land were
the spot of the universe where his manifested glory is to ba
seen in its peculiar radiance —
" God of Israd ! thou, are a terrible Godfr'omthy holy places I"
(Ver. 36.)
" Gimng strength andmight to the (peculiar) jjeopZe .' Blessed he Ood /"
Let every soul cry, " Blessed be God !" Let that be the heart-
cry of eartb for evermore. And let it not faU to be ours, while
we trace in such a record as this,
Messiah's leadings of Israel and the Church from the Wil
derness into final Rest.
PSALM LXIX.
, To the chiLT' .MiiKician, 'Upon Shoshannim. A Psalm of David.
1 Save me, O God ! for the waters are come in unto my soul.
2 I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing :
I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.
3 I am weary of my crying : my throat is dried : mine eyes fail while I wait
for my God.
4 They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head :
They that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty :
Then I restored that which I took not away.
5 O God, thou knowest my foolishness ; and ray sins are not hid from thee.
6 Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed for my sake :
Let not those tbat seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.

SCi PSALM LXIX. — ^Messiah's manifold sufferings
7 Because for thy sake I have borne reproach : shame hath covered my face.
8 I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's
children.
9 For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up ;
And the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.
10 When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach.
II I made sackcloth also my garment ; and I becarae a proverb to them.
12 They that sit in the gate speak against me ; and I was the song of the
drunkards.
13 B'lt as for ine, my prayer is unto thee, O Lord, in an acceptable time :
0 God, in tbe multitude of thy mercy hear rae, in the truth of thy salvation.
14 Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink:
Let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters.
15 Let not the watertlood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up.
And let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.
16 Hear me, O Lord ; for thy lovingkindness is good :
Turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.
17 And hide not thy face from thy servant ; for I am in trouble : hear me
speedily.
18 Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it: deliver me because of mine
enemies.
19 TIiou hast known my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonour:
Mine adversaries are all before thee.
20 Reproach hath broken my heart ; and I am full of heaviness :
And I looked for some to take pity, but there was none ;
And for comforters, bnt I found none.
21 They gave me also gall for my meat ; and in my thirst they gave me
vinegar to drink.
22 Let their table become a snare before them :
And that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap.
23 Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not ; and make their loins con
tinually to shake.
24 Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let thy wrathful anger take
hold of them.
25 Let their habitation be desolate ; and let none dwell in their tents.
26 For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten ;
And they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded,
27 Add iniquity unto their iniquity :
And let them not come into thy righteousness.
28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with
the rigbteous.
29 But I am poor and sorrowful ; let thy salvation, O God, set mc up on high.
30 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with
thanksgiving.
31 This also shall please the Lord better thau an ox, or bullock that hath
horns and hoofs.
32 The humble shall see this, and be glad : and your heart shall live that
seek God.

A SAVOUR OF LIFE AND OF DEATH. 207
33 For the Lord heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners.
34 Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and every thing that
moveth therein.
35 For God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah:
That they raay dwell there, and have il in possession.
36 Tbe seed also of his servants shall inherit it :
And they that love his name shall dwell therein.
A deeply plaintive song. It is seven times quoted (and no The title.
other Psalm is so often quoted) in tbe New Testament as the
utterance of Messiah. Why it is said to be " On Shoshan
nim," we cannot tell, till we know more of wbat tbat instru
ment was. It seeras to speak of joy ; and if so, it suits this
Psalm so far that in it sorrow CTids in joy.
The plan of it is very simple. There are three parts.
I. From verse 1—21 , Messiah's sufferings are related by him- The contents,
self What an embodiment of "prodigious passion" in the
cry " Save me" (ver. 1), from the Ups of the Saviour ! Under
the sea of wratb, sinking in tbe slime at tbe very bottom of this
prisoner's dungeon (see Jer. xxxviii 6), Messiah's voice is heard
ascending to the Father. The " slime and mire" repre,sent the
loathing he felt toward sin. He is weary with crying, for in his
true, real humanity he has all the experience of one in pain,
who, during the slow, heavy hours of darkness and suffering,
feels as if it were never to end. He is spent with calUng
on bis God ; he is unsympathised with, for foes are on every
side, and all this at tbe very time when he is uot taking from
them, but restoring the blessings which they had forfeited. (Ver.
4.) As to the folly and the trespass imputed to bim, he lays it
before God — " Lord, thou knowest as to my folly" (^Jl^wS
Thou knowest the history of the folly and sin laid to my charge,
and why I stand charged therewith. He appeals to him as
able to help, for he is " God of hosts," and proved to be willing,
for he is " God of Israel" (ver. 6). While it is out of love to
man that he suffers, it is also to glorify God (ver. 7), " for thy
sake." He " weeps away his soul with fasting" (ver. 10), for
the good of men, and yet they mock at him. He pours bis
sorrows into the bosom of his God (ver. 13), at a time when
(perhaps in Nazareth) he was " the song of the drunkard," i. e.,
the JVy^l} satire (Ges.), as Job xxx. 9, Lam. iu. 14.

208 PSALM LXIX.-— MESSIAH'S MANIFOLD SUFFERINGS.
" They who sat in the gcde talk at me;
And ike songs of drunkards (do the same)."
" As for me, I pray to thee, 0 Jehovah."
And then he adds (though the punctuation in our version gives
the sense differently), in a passage which Isaiab xlix. 8 seems
to refer to —
" 0 God, in an acceptable time (i. c, a time when thou art favourable),
In the multitude of thy mercy, in ihe truth of thy salvation,
Answer me! "
Hear and answer me when thou seest fit, when thou art well-
pleased. Let there be a time of acceptance. Jehovah, in Isa.
xlix. 8, replies to this cry — " In an acceptable time I have
heard thee" — well pleased with thy work, I give tbee all thy
desire. The cry at verses 14-1 6 is parallel to Heb. v. 7, and
the complaint of want of sympathy (ver. 20) rerainds us how
even his three favoured disciples fell asleep during his agony ;
for here he seeks coraforters with the cross in -view (ver. 2]).
True, his whole life might be said to be a life in whicb he fed
on gall, and drank vinegar, grief and bitterness being the every
day portion of tbe Man of Sorrows — still, the chief reference
is to his life's closing scene, tbe scene of Calvary. And hence,
immediately after this, the strain changes, and we find our
selves in another scene. He has finished his work ; and they
who crucified Him have gone away unmoved.
II. From ver. 22-28, the theme is, bow tbese sufferings of
Messiah becorae the " savour of deatli" to the unbelieving.
It resembles Prov. i 22, 23. He gives tbem up, saying, " Let
their table become a snare to them" since they give the Be
loved Son only gall and vinegar, " and for a recompence atid
for a trap." — (So Mendelssohn apud Phillips, and many others ;
and so Rom. xi 9). Ruin overtakes them at unthougbt-of
moments, like 1 Kings xiii. 20, in the case of tbe disobedient
prophet ; and their " habitation is desolate," as Matt, xxiii. 38
emphatically threatens.* The cup of iniquity is filling up, drop
by drop, and Messiah does not interfere, but on the contrary,
says to Him who records it in his book, " Add iniquity to
* It has been proposed to understand " their Table " as tJie altar (Mai. i. 7),
and then the sentence is, "Let the letter kill them, since they refuse the spirit
let their ceremonial institutions become a trap to them ! " Their " habitation"
is the word in 2 Chron. vi. 54, for tbe enclosures fenced off for the sons of Aaron.

PSALM LXX — STRONG CRY FOR SPEEDY HELP. 209
iniquity, and let tbem never be justified." Such is the " savour
of death." Instead of " Come to me !" it is now, " Let them
not come ! "
III. From ver. 29-36, tbe tbeme is, " the savour of life"
from Messiah's sufferings. Himself is delivered and glorified,
accepted of Jehovah as full type of, or fulfiller of every sacrifice
of clean animals, " ox, and homed bullock with cloven hoof,"
(ver. 31). The sinner who ceases from self, " ihe humble," finds
herein his source of joy, his acceptance witb God. Men every
where over all the earth may thus be blessed in hira ; and
heaven and earth rejoice over tbe consummation. Isra^^l, who
once rejected him, shall then be his, proving that be can soften
the most hardened, and pardon the most guilty. Such, then,
is this Psalm —
Messiah's manifold sufferings a savour of death to the
UnbelieviTig, and of life to the Believing.

PSALM LXX.
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, to hring to rememhrance.
1 Make haste, O God, to deliver me ; make haste to hilp me, O Lord.
2 Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul :
Let thera be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt.
3 Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame that say, Aha ! aha !
4 Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee :
And let such as love thy salvation say continually. Let God be magnified.
6 Bnt I am poor and needy : make haste unto me, O God :
Thou art my help and my deliverer ; O Lord, make no tarrying.
It has been said by some tbat this Psalm is a prayer upon the The titia
69th. It may be so taken. The title seems to mean, a Psalm
" to put God in mind" — Messiah himself being the chief of
God's Remembrancers. Compare this TDtil? with Isa. Ixii 6,
where tbey who pray unceasingly are called nilT' DVi Dpptail-
The words are adopted from Psalm xL 13.
We have in verse 1, the cry ; in verses 2, 3, a reason for the The contents.
cry being heard, viz. tbe guilt ofhis foes ; in verse 4, another rea
son for the same, viz. the benefit of those that love tbe Lord ; in
verse 5, a third reason, viz. his own claims on God for delivRr-
0

Christ and
his members.

21 0 PSALM LXXI. — THE RIGHTEOUS ONE's
ance from this state of humiliation and sorrow. And thus the
cry rises up to heaven on the wings of three strong arguments
certain to be answered in " The Glory thai was to follow,"
implied in tbe "help."
It is such a Psalm as every member of the Church has often
had occasion to uee, in sympathy with David, and in which he
is sympathised witb by the Son of David, whether asking pre
sent help or hastening to the day of his Coming, which brings
full belp aud deliverance — " Tarry not !" But still, it is most
of all Messiah whose voice is beard here. It might be called,
in reference to Heb. v. 7,
One of the Righteous One's strong cries for speedy help.

PSALM LXXL
1 In thee, 0 Lord, do I put my trust : let me never be put to confusion.
2 Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape :
Incline thine ear unto me, and save me.
3 Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort:
Thou hast given commandment to save me ; for thou art my rock and my
fortress.
4 Deliver me, O ray God, out of the hand of the wicked,
Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
£ For thou art my hope, O Lord God : thou art my trust fi'om my youth.
6 By thee have I been holden up from the womb :
Thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels :
My praise shall be continually of thee.
7 I am as a wonder unto many ; but thou art my strong refuge.
8 Let ray mouth be filled with thy praise, and with thy honour all the day.
9 Cast me not off in the time of old age ; forsake me not when my strength
faileth.
10 For mine enemies speak against me ;
And they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together,
11 Saying, God hath forsaken him : persecute and take him ; for there is none
to deliver him.
12 0 God, be not far from mel O my God, make haste for ray help.
13 Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul;
Let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt.
14 But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more.
)6 My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness
And thy salvation all the day ;
For I know not the numbers thereof.

CONFIDENCE OF HOPE TO THE END.

211

16 I will go In the strength of the Lord God:
I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only.
17 O God, thou hast taught me from my youth :
And hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.
18 Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not ;
Until 1 have shewed thy strength unto this generation,
And thy power to every one that is to come.
19 Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high,
¦Who hast done great things. O God, who is like unto thee I
20 Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me
again.
And shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
21 Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.
22 I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God :
Unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee ;
And my soul, which thou hast redeemed.
24 My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long ;
For they are confounded, for they are brought uuto shame, that seek my
hurt.
The Third Part of the Book of Psalms (according to the Jew
ish division) begins, not inappropriately, with a plaintive yet
pleasant song for the time of our sojourning here, embracing
both prospect and retrospect. Our Head could sing it too,
when in all oiir afiliction he was afflicted. It will be asked,
however, how Christ could use such verses as verses 9 and
18, since these look forward apparently to the frailty of age.
The reply to this felt difficulty is, that tbese expressions are
used by him in sympathy -with his mem'oers, and in his own
case denote the state equivalent to age. His old age was ere
he reached three-and-tbirty years, as John viii. 57 is supposed
to imply ; for " worn-out men live fast." Barclay seems to give
the right sense in tbe following lines : —
" Grown old and weak with pain and grief
Before his years were half complete.*
Besides, the words signify, " Forsake me not from this time
• Parkhurst {apud Fry), remarks, that ]pt, " old age," rather expresses the
eflTect that age has on the body, than the time of life. Gesenius gives " de
crepit, the chin banging down," as the radical raeaning, and compares it with
the Latin " senex," which is said to be an abbreviation of " seminea;," half-
dead. In verse 18, also, T^y^ is the head grown white.

The tone and
the singer.

References to
old age.

212 PSALM LXXI. — THE RIGHTEOUS ONE'S
onward, even were I to live to grey hafrs." This is a -view that
conveys precious consolation to aged ones, who might be ready
to say tbat Christ could not altogether enter into their feeUngs,
ha-ving never experienced the failing weakness of age, the de-
biUty, tbe decay, tbe bodily infirmities so trying to tbe spirit
But this Psalm shews us that iu effect be did pass through
tbat stage of our sojourning, worn out and -wasted in bodUy
frame and feeling, by living so much in so short a time. The
aged members of bis Church may find bis sweet sympathy
breathed out in Isaiah xlvi. 3, 4 ; and here tbey may almost
see him learning the lesson in a human way, as he bends un
der the weight of our frailties. For this reason, among others,
this psalm was specially prized by Robert Blair, one of our
godly forefathers. He used to call it " His psalm."
Such expressions as verse 6, " continually," verse 8, " all the
day," verse 15, "all the day," may be illustrated by Augus
tine's comment : — " In prosperis, quia consolaris ; in adversis,
quia corrigis ; antequam essem, quia fecisti ; quum essem, quia
salutem dedisti : quum peccassem, quia igno-visti quum con-
yersus essem, quia adjuvisti : quum persever^ssem, quia coro-
nasti."
The plan. The plan of tbe Psalm is interesting. We bave, from verses
1-4, prayer ; verses 5-8, motives for confidence ; verses 9-13,
prayer ; verses 14-17, confidence expressed ; verse 18, prayer;
verse 19 to end, confidence largely declared.
Verse T In vorso 7, " wondcr " is q. d., a monster, a prodigious sight.
Verse i«, ^^ are to understand verse 16 a Uttle differently from our
version. It may read thus (as Ixvi 13) —
" / win go forward (thinking) upon the mighty deeds of the Lord Je
hovah.
I will celebrate thy righteousness (in working these mighty deeds) j
Thee alone! "
Giving no glory to human skill and valour (Psalm xliv. 3), and
finding in Jehovah himself alone a sufficient theme for praise,
the Head and every member journeys oil His trust and thefrs
look to tbe power, and wisdom, and love of him wbo guides the
vessel, not boasting of the frail vessel's strength to buffet the
billows of a tempest-lashed ocean.

his company.

CONFIDENCE OF HOPE TO THE END. 213
There are precious glimpses given us of Messiah's childhood
in verses 5, 6, 17, when we listen to this Psalm as sung by his
Ups. And then in tbe close, from verse 20 to 24, resurrection-
deliverance is the theme. The Head bas enjoyed all that he
anticipated ; the members as surely will. Do we not see Messiah and
(verses 22—24) the ransomed company — the hundred and forty-
four thousand witb tbe Lamb — on Mount Zion, and hear the
harpers harping with their harps in that day's unclouded bliss ?
" I, too (as well as angels), praise thee with the psaltery,
Thy truth, O Ood!
I chant thee with the harp,
0 Holy One of Israel!
My lips rejoice when I sing of thee,
And my soul which thou hast redeemed.
Tea, my tongue (as well as that of angels) all the day speakdh of thy
righteousness (see verse 16) :
For put to shame, sunk in confusion, are they who sought my hurt! "
Antichrist and all foes are for ever ruined ; Christ and his
Church triumph and reign. This is the anticipation that leads
to tbese closing strains of rapturous exultation.
We may refer to Hebrews iii 6, as suggesting the substance
of the whole Psalm ; for what else is it than
The Righteous One's confidence of hope to the end?

PSALM LXXIL
A Fsalm for Solomon.
1 GiTB the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the
king's son.
2 He shall judge thy people with righteousness; and thy po9r with judg
ment.
3 The mountains shall bring peace to , the; ipeople, and the little hills, by
righteousness.
4 He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the
needy.
And shall break in pieces the oppressor.
6 They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughput all
generations.
6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass : as showers that
water the earth.

214 PSALM LXXIL — THE RIGHTEOUS ONE'S HOPES
7 In his days shall the righteous flourish ;
And abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.
8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river uuto the
ends of the earth.
9 They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him, and his enemies
shall lick the dust.
10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents :
The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
11 Yea, all kings shall fall down before him, all nations shall serve him.
12 For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth ; the poor also, and him
that hath no helper.
13 He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.
14 He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence:
And precious shall their blood be in his sight.
15 And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba :
Prayer also shall be made for him continually ; and daily shall he be
praised.
'6 There shall be an handful of com in the earth upon the top of the moun
tains ;
The fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon :
And they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
17 His name shall endure for ever! his name shall be continued as long as
the sun :
And men shall be blessed in him : all nations shall call him blessed.
19 Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous
things.
19 And blessed be his glorious narae for ever :
And let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen, and Amen.
20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
As ^ in all the other titles expresses the order, the title,
riQ7E'7 is by many (such as Rosenmuller, Tholuck, Hengsten
berg) rendered, " A Psalm of Solomon." But what then of
verse 20 ? It seems to leave just one alternative ; — the Psalm
is not David's directly (uttered, as some think, in connection
with 2 Sam. xxiii. 1—5), but it must be David's indirectly ;
dictated to Solomon, and given forth by Solomon, who re
ceived it at David's lips for this end, and who says in the end,
that his father's prayer will all be completely answered when
this scene is reabsed. It would not ill suit the events of 1
Kings i., and it may be tbat tbe Holy Spirit gave this song to
David's harp, as he resigned it to Solomon along with his
crown, on occasion of his coronation in the valley of Gihon, so

REALISED IN THE GLORY OF THE KINGDOM. 215
near the Upper Pool where Isaiah afterwards stood foretelling
the birth of Immauuel, the true Solomon.
In verse 1 the subjects pray for their King, the Cburch for The plan.
her Head, as in Psa. xx. They ask that their anointed King,
who is the Son of tbe King of kings,* may be sent forth to
govern them. Tbey ask this by requesting that all regal
authority may be entrusted to him, and all regal qualifications
imparted. They are referring, in this request, to the Lord's
revealed will, to his decree given forth in Psa. ii 6, 7, 8. It is
as if tbey said,
" Put thy statute-book into the hands of Him who is our King ;
Clothe Him, thine own Son, with righteousness, that royal robe !"
At tbe same time, it may be the Psalmist himself praying —
David for Solomon, Messiah for himself And then follows the
glowing picture of anticipated blessedness, when this king be
gins his reign of righteousness. Israel's poets and prophets
know of no golden age of which the very centre and life is not Mes
siab, God incarnate. Restored paradise has streams ; Messiab
is tbefr fountain-head. Restored paradise must bave an Adam
that cannot fall, that its scenes may never suffer blight, nor its
bowers be invaded by the old serpent the devil. Dr Allix
rightly speaks of this Psalm being that of " The Cburch an i
synagogue concerning the glorious kingdom of Messiah at his
Second Coming." How intensely tranquil, and yet intensely
glowing, are all the scenes ! If it be true that tbe mediaeval
hymn, " Dies frae, dies ilia," (a hymn of man's composition),
has exerted a solemnising and overawing infiuence upon thou
sands in whose ears it has been sung, sb uld not this glorious
burst of song leave its never-effaced impressions of noon-bright
hope, soon to be realised, on every saint who has a heart to feel ?
Tbe bills and mountains (ver. 3) prominent in Israel's land,
the hUls and mountains, too, of earth at large, generally so
barren, hills and mountains on which tbe feet of other messen
gers have often stood (Isa. xl. 9), but never any messengers so
blest as tbose that visit them now — these hills and" mountains
display the signs of peace, viz., abundant produce, " because
of righteousness" — ^because the Righteous One has come to
dwell in this New Earth. Antichrist and all oppressors are
* On Turkish coins, says Philipps, we find, " Sultan, son of the Sultan."

216 PSALM LXXIL— THE RIGHTEOUS ONE'S HOPES
overthrown (ver. 4) ; earth's thick-peopled regions fear Him, and
shall go on fearing him in peace, so long as sun and moon re
main, that sun and moon which at creation's da-wn were ap
pointed to light up earth and guide men to keep holy festivals
to the Lord, (Gen. i 14). Tbe Lord Jesus is there. Like
" plenty-dropping showers" that reach the very roots of the
mown gTass (ver. 6), so is He to the earth after it has been
shorn by the scythe of war, and every form of ruin and wrath.
He revives it, as summer's genial rains cause grass to spring up
in new vigour, clothing the soil witb a richer and thicker mantle
of verdure than before — as Layard* tells us how in the season
of spring the dusty soil of Mesopotamia will change its aspect,
in one night the tame plains turning to a bright scarlet, or to
deepest blue through the burst of flowers, while tbe meadows put
on tbe emerald green of the most luxuriant pastures, causing
even the wild Bedouin, as he riots in the rich herbage and scented
air, to exclaim, " What delight has God given us equal to this!"
Tbe wealth of opposite nations, Sheba and Seba (Meroe and
Arabia), is consecrated to Him, as they bring " gifts'' (ver.
10), or tribute, 2 Kings iii 4.
" The swart Sabeans and Panchaia's king
Shall cassia, myrrh, and sacred incense bring ;
All kings shall homage to The King afford ;
All nations shall receive him for their Lord." (Sandys.)
He is the true Job (see xxix. 12) who delivers the poor (ver.
12); " he looks with pity upon" (Fry), or " sympathises with"
(Horsley), the poor aud needy (ver. 13). He redeems them
from Satan's craft and cruelty, from Satan as the serpent, and
Satan as tbe lion, " from deceit and from violence."
We agree with Keble's bint in his metrical version of this
book, that verse 1 5 refers to the well-kuown salutation offered
to kings, " O king, live for ever." It runs thus —
" Yes, Id him live !
And the gold of Sheba be given him !
And Id him pray for every one, continuaUy."
The pronoun of the tbird person ^ is used to express " eveiy
one," viz., every one of his subjects. Tbey adore him and
worship ; he intercedes and acts as mediator to them for ever.
* Discoveries in Nineveh and Babylon, pp. 273 and 301. ,

REALISED IN THE GLORY OF THE KINGDOM. 217
And what sights of strange fertUity and beauty shall be seen,
as indicated by verse 16 ! corn to tbe summit of the hillt
rustling like cedar boughs oU Lebanon ; while The City, the
metropoUs (Psa. IxxxvU.), flourishes in population like the
numberless blades of grass, all holy, all praising tbeir King,
presenting the spectacle of a model-dty to tbe world.
And now is fulfilled to the utmost tbe promise made to
Abraham, " in thy seed shaU all nations of the earth be blessed"
(Gen. xxii 18), so oft repeated ; for Messiah's name (ver. 17)
"produces posterity," i. e., renovates itself acquiring fresh
vigour, "for ever" (Hengst.). All nations are blessed in him,
and all caU him blessed.
Sing, then, as verse^s 18, 19, sing with heart and voice for
evermore — '
" Blessed be Jehovah !
God (without a rival), God of Israd !
Who alone (needing no help of any) dodh wondrov,s works.
And blessed be his glorious name for ever and ever I
Tea, Id the whole earth he filed with his glory I
Amen, and amen !"
The prospect of this consummation fiUs tbe heart of the Sweet
Singer of Israel ; it leaves bim nothing more to wish for. He
has reached the height and summit of desire and hope. Per
haps the last words of verse 19 should be joined to verse 20,
and run thus — rrhsn ^^3 idki
T ' t;
^tt^l3 Til
T • ' V . T
The "Amen" of the whole Psalm falls on bis ear from his own
harp strings, and he catches it up and repeats it thus — " Yea,
amen ! the prayers are ended of David the son of Jesse."
" So let it be ! Thy will on earth now done,
No more to seek has David, Jesse's' son."
And thus it is that an individual's own pecuUar desfres shall
aU be satisfied in that kingdom, satisfied because absorbed in
the flood of bUss. Who is there that ever takes up the for
mer Psalm or the next, wearied, faint-hearted, and despoiid-
ing ? Look forward and see here
The Righteous One's hopes realised in the glory of the
kingdom.

218 PSALM LXXIIL — MESSIAH'S PEOPLE ALMOST OFFENDED.

PSALM LXXin.
A Psalm of Asaph.
1 Tnotv God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.
2 But as for rae, my feet were almost gone ; my steps had well nigh slipped ;
3 For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For there are no bands in their death : bnt their strength is firra.
5 They are not in trouble as other raen; neither are they plagued like other
men.
6 Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain ; violence covereth them
as a garment.
7 Their eyes stand out with fatness : they have more than heart could wish.
8 They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression : they speak
loftily.
9 They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh
through the earth.
10 Therefore his people return hither : and waters of a full cup are wrung out
to them :
11 And they say. How doth God know 1 and is there knowledge in the Most
High?
12 Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world ! they increase in
riches.
13 Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in in
nocency.
14 For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.
15 If I say, I will speak thus ; behold, I should offend against the generation
of thy children.
16 -W^hen I thought to know this, it was too painful for me ;
17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God ; then understood I their end.
18 Surely thou didst set them in slippery places : thou castedst them down
into destruction.
19 How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment!
They are utterly consumed with terrors.
20 As a dreara when one awaketh ;
So, 0 Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.
21 Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins.
22 So foolish was I, and ignorant : I was as a beast before thee.
23 Nevertheless I ara continually with thee : thou hast holden me by my right
hand.
24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.
26 Whom have I in heaven but thee ? and there is none upon earth that I
desire beside thee.
26 My flesh and my heart faileth :
But God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

The title.

PSALM LXXIIL — Messiah's people almost offended. 219
27 For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish :
Thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.
28 But it is good for me to draw near to God :
I have put ray trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.
A SORT of historical series begins here, relating to Israel's posi- Anewseriji
tion in the world (Ixxiii), to tbefr temple (Ixxiv.), tbeir land
(lxxv.), God's deeds therein (Ixxvi, Ixxvii), God's dealings in
days past (Ixxviu.), Israel's desolation (Ixxix.), and prayer re
garding the same (Ixxx.).
"A Psahn of Asaph;" perhaps one of those specially sung
by Hezekiah's appointment at the altar (2 Chron. xxix. 30) ;
and wbat more fit to be sung there when the ascending smoke
and poured-out blood declared in type Jehovah's unspeakable
gift, and so seemed to say, " Tes, God is good to Israel !" (2
C!bron. v. 13.)
How well it follows the last Psalm ! As if Asaph had been ^4^^?^
singing it, and thereupon had felt all his surmises and faithless
fears dissipated by the triumphant prospects held out there to
the people of Messiah. It is a Psalm, not about Messiab him
self, but about "his people" (ver. 10), about "Israei" (ver. 1);
about the members, not the Head. It is uttered in the pre
sence of the Head ; but it tells how its members have often
been nearly " offended in Him" (Luke vii 23). Had Asaph
lived in Herod's day, sucb suspicious surmises as are expressed
in verses 3-9 might have been raised in his soul, by seeing
the Baptist first in the dungeon, and then in the tomb, while
Herod ruled and rioted in luxury. Horsley remarks on tbe
first word ^^i, " It expresses the state of mind of a person
meditating a difficult question, in which he is much interested
and can hardly come to a conclusion."
Verse 4 should be rendered — " There are no death-bands ^""*-
to them" (Horsley) ; " tbey are never fettered with death"
(Hengst.), i. e., there are no death-bringing circumstances in
their lot. They escape tbe annoyances and reproaches which
God's people meet with (see 1 Cor. x. 13); their "pride" is
their " ornamental chain" (ver. 6), and (ver. 7) " the imagina
tion of tbeir hearts overflows" — that is, speaks out, or vents
itself ; " They speak of oppression from on high" (ver. 9) (Hengst,) ; Verses 6-9.

Verse 10.

Verse la

220 PSALM LXXIIL — MESSIAH'S PEOPLE ALMOST OFFENDED.
as if tbey were out of reach of danger, aloft on their rock ; or
as old Sandys renders the line, " Tbey speak Uke thunder from
the troubled sky," Hence,
" His people rdurn hither" (ver. 10) ;
i. e., God's people return to tbe state of mind described in verse
2, or to this sight which causes the unbelieving surmises. To
quote Sandys again, as giving the right sense —
" The good not seldom, through their scandal, stray.''
How like a desponding man's words is verse 12, " Yet they
prosper /o'T ever," or more literally, " TJiey are everlasting pros-
perers!" But now, the likelihood of giving occasion to others
to stumble crosses his mind ; and forthwith the same Spirit
who suggested that consideration, leads Asaph i/n his thoughts
(as some understand the words of verse 17) to tbe sanctuary.
Standing there, the very thought of tbe Holy One on his
Tbrone is enough to remind him of what must be the end of
these ungodly ones ; but more especially is tbe remembrance
tbat there is a resurrection day — a day when God wUl arise
Verse 20. and Scatter these dreams of earthly felicity (ver. 20).
" 0 Lord, when thou awakest, (see Psa, xvii. 16) thou vrilt despise
their splendid show,
As one does a dream, when he awakes out ofit ! "
Telling his grief and shame because of such unbelief confess
ing himself a beast* or brute, he yet returns to sing that, not
withstanding all this, God has not forsaken him, and never
wUl —
" And I continually am with thee !
And thou holdest me fast by my right hand."1[ (Ver. 23.)
I am in tbe wilderness, and thou art my guide, and wilt "re
ceive me," as thou didst Enoch (Gen. v. 22, same word). The
Hebrew words are rather obscure, but this may be because of
* Barclay, in his, zeal to prove that every Psalm is Christ's words directly,
falls into the strange error here of rendering JliDPT]! " <^ lamb," as if parallel
to Isaiah liii. 7. Hengstenberg has remai-ked, that HtonS implies, (like
other such plural forms) the essence of the brute character.
t Might it not be rendered (neglecting the accents), " And with the hand thou
dost hold my right hand !"

iLM LXXIIL — ^MESSIAH'S PEOPLE ALMOST OFFENDED. 221
the ideas rushing through the mind of the Psalmist, so various
and so fast. They are Uterally rendered thus —
" Thou wilt lead me by ihy counsd.
And afterwards, glory ! Thou vrilt recdve mel"
Not unlike Psa. xlix. ] 6 — " God shall redeem my soul from tbe
grave" (equivalent to " afterwards glory !") " for he shall re
ceive me."
Thus God is "the rock of my heart ;" my heart rests on Thegiory-
bim as on a solid basis. All foes, and all prosperous wicked
men, are from this point seen as ruined. No wonder. For
has glory come? bas the glory of the kingdom dawned ou us ?
has the Lord himseU welcomed us in ? has he given us a place
beside himself? Then, from this height we look down and
see tbe impotency and ruin of Antichrist and all sucb opposers
of God, "who go a-whoring fxom thee.'' (Comp. Rev. xvii 5,
" mother of harlots.") Meanwhile we draw near to God, re
enter paradise, enjoy our lost fellowship ; and our great em
ployment is to praise Him, all clouds of providence being now
cleared away, and no more unbelief to hinder our "tellimg of
all his works."
The tone of this Psalm, especially of the latter part, is that
of James v. 7, 8 — " Be patient, brethren, unto the coming of
the Lord." The prevailing topic may be said to be,
" Messiah's people almost offended in Hi/m."

PSALM LXXIV.
Maschil of Asaplu
1 O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever?
Why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture ?
2 Remember thy congregation, which thou hast purchased of old;
The rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed ;
This Mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt !
3 Lift up thy feet into the perpetual desolations ;
Even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary.
4 Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations ;
They set up their ensigns for signs.
6 A man was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick
trees.

222 PSALM LXXIV. — ^APPEAL OF THE SCATTERED HERITAGE
6 But now they break down the carved work thereof at once with axes and
hammers.
7 They have cast fire into thy sanctuary.
They have defiled by casting down the dwelling-place of thy name to the
ground.
8 They said in their hearts. Let us destroy them together:
They have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land.
9 We see not our signs : there is no more any prophet :
Neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.
10 O God, how long shall the adversary reproach ?
Shall tbe enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?
11 Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand? Pluck it out of
thy bosom !
12 For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.
13 Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength :
Thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.
14 Thon breakest the heads of leviathan in pieces,
And gavest hira to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
16 Thon didst cleave the fountain and the flood : thou driedst up mighty
rivers.
16 The day is thine, the night also is thine : thou hast prepared the light
and the sun.
17 Thou hast set all the borders of the earth : thou hast made summer and
winter.
18 Eemember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O Lord,
And that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name.
19 0 deliver not tbe soul of thy turtle dove unto the multitude of the wicked :
Forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever.
20 Have respect unto the covenant :
For the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty.
21 O let not the oppressed return ashamed : let the poor and needy praise
thy name.
22 Arise, 0 God, plead thine own cause :
Remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee daily.
23 Forget not the voice of thine enemies :
The tumult of those that rise up against thee increaseih continually.
Thetitie. " Maschil" refers us to soraething (as elsewhere remarked) in
the mode of setting tbe Psalm to music, or playing it on the
harp, of wbicb we know nothing. As in tbe last Psalm, so in this,
Asaph's name appears. Some, however, suppose this Asaph
to be a later individual of tbe same godly family. Patrick
adopts the idea tbat he may have been the Asaph who was
" the keeper of the king's forest" (Neb. ii 8), and hence some
of the allusions to the cedar-trees and the like. It is arresting

TO THE MIGHTY GOD OF ISRAEL. 223
to the fancy to set before us Asaph led to compose this melan
choly bymn amid some of the lonely woods of his now desolate
Land ! But all we can say is, that it certainly is the composi
tion of an Asaph long after the days of David, who perhaps
was one of the family mentioned in Ezra iii. 1 0 (for 2 Chron.
XX. 14 is too early), and so possibly the very "keeper of the
king's forests."
The desolation of Israel's land and people are spread before Tiie tone
and plan.
the Lord. The Head of the Church, who wept over Jerusalem
on tbe Mount of Olives, and lamented their too sure ruin,
could use these strains, and pour tbem into the Father's ear.
Every Israelite's heart would thrill in singing such a solemp
melody. Every believer's soul should fully enter into the sor
row for ancient Israel whicb is taught us here.
" The signs" of verse 4 and verse 9, are the holy emblems.
The significant pillars, " Boaz and Jacbin," the brazen sea, the
altar, the lavers, mercy-seat with cherubims, candlestick, and
the Uke, all had disappeared. The standards of the enemy
appear in the sanctuary instead ! Oh how unlike (in signifi
cance as in form) the vail tbat hid the ark because Jehovah
was there, and the ensigns of Babylon that too surely proved
that Jehovah had forsaken his heritage ! The " synagogues"
may mean places where the elders met to exhort and pray
with the people. (Tholuck.)
In verse 5 some render the line to this effect : — " The enemy
makes himself look like, and known as, one who lifts up the
axe on the trees," applying it to the same subject as verse 6.
But our version gives the better meaning. When the temple
was building, every man that cut down a cedar on Lebanon to
belp in the glorious erection was reckoned famous ; whereas
now, men have become reno-5vned by using " chisel and club" in
destroying the carved work and tracery of the sanctuary walls.*
Inverse 9, the " no prophet" is like Lament, ii, 9. In verse
1 1 we have " Pluck (it) out of thy bosom " — literally, n^3,
" finish — destroy." It is meant to express something far more
* Barclay expresses the idea in another form : —
" In former days of Jerubbaal,
An high renown was tmly won,
^ By hewing down the groves so tail.
Where foul idolatry was shewu." (Judg, vit 28,)

224 PSALM LXXIV. — APPEAL OF THE SCATTERED HERITAGE.
terrible than " plucking the hand out of the bosom;" it '
cry for " destruction on foes;" and, as Hengstenberg sayp
annihilation proceeds from the bosom of God, when his rig.
band is at the moment reposing." May we not add, " from that
bosom whence came bis Son ! " just as the fire on Sodom was
" out of beaven, from God." This appeal represents to our ima
gination tbe suppliant gazing upward on the bosom of bis King,
to see if that right hand begins to be plucked forth ! Thereafter,
reasons of confidence are rehearsed. No less than seven times is
the emphatic " HilNt" used, " the sevenfold thou" (Hengst.), while
his deeds are set forth ; dividing the Red Sea, drying up the
" ever flowing river" (ver. 1 8), and the like ; and forthwith the
suppliant, as if thus anew in-vigorated to hope, urges his plea —
" Give not up thy turtle dove to the greedy host," (Phillips). (Ver. 19.)
Applicable to If this Psalm was -written bv a later Asaph, the verse 20, which
other times. , •' . .\
.speaks of the covenant in connection with earth s dark places,
might tacitly refer to such predictions as Isaiab Ix. 1—3. The
nations are said, in Rev. xi. 18, to be in the very condition
spoken of here at the close, when the Lord arises to judge
the earth, and to make the kingdoms becorae " The Kimg-
dom of our God, and of his Christ." Israel's case will be
attended to that day ; Israel's wrongs will be avenged ; Israel's
sins forgiven ; Israel's sorrows relieved. That will be the day
when this wailing appeal shall find at the hands of Him who
hears tbe voice both of his Own Son, our Head, and of the
members of his Son, a full acknowledgment of this
The appeal of the scattered heritage to the mighty God of
Israd.

PSALM LXXV.
To the chief Musician. Al-taschith. A Psalm or Song of Asaph.
1 IJnto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks :
For that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.
2 When I shall receive the congregation, I will judge uprightly.
3 The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved : I bear up the
pillars of it. Selah.
4 I said unto the fools. Deal not foolishly! and to the vricked, Lift not np
the horn !

PSALM LXXV. — Messiah's response to his people. 225
5 Lift not up your horn on high : speak not with a stiff neck.
6 For promotion cometh neither frora the east, nor frora the west, nor from
the south.
7 But God is the judge : he putteth down one, and setteth up another.
8 For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red ;
It is full of mixture, and he poureth out of the same :
But the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out,
and drink them.
9 But I will declare for ever ; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 All the homs of the wicked also will I cut off;
But the homs of the righteous shall be exalted.
The same Asaph takes the haip again, at the bidding of Thetitie
the Holy Ghost, to write an ode that, like many of David's
(see Psa. Ivii), has been marked " Al-taschith," and called, "A
Song," Uvely in theme, and with life in every line.
'•We have praised ihee, 0 God ! we have praised thee I
And (now at length) thy name is near.
Thy wondrous works are tdling it."
This is the delighted cry of Messiah's people, who see Him jhepian.
near at band, and could join -with Isaiah xxv. 9, " Lo ! this is
our God ! " Their hosannahs are becoming hallelujahs. And
Messiah himself responds, as in Isaiah Ixiii. 1, 2, explaining
bis ways. He refers to their words regarding "his name
being now near," his long-hid discovery of his person and
promised deeds, " 1 will take a set time" (Heng.), or rather
thus :
" (It is ao) for I now gd the appointed day ! (Acts i, 7.)
/ {i^H, unlike earth's usurpers), judge uprightly.--
Farth and its inhabitants have mdted away.
lam he who COJfO havepoised its pillars. Sdah.'' (Ver. 2, 3.)
T
He has weighed the pillars and so knows, and has power to
order earth. After a pause, Messiah opens his lips to utter the
sentences of doom. He addresses the apostate nations, with
Antichrist at their bead (ver. 4) —
" I say {Tnoa, the word has passed my lips) to the boastful,
Boast no mare," Sc.
No belp will come to you from east or west, i. e., from land or
p

226 psalm lxxv. — Messiah's resfonse to his peoplk
sea ; nay, nor from the wilderness (')2,'^Q'0) shall any caravan
bring you ought to lift up your bead ;
" For God is judging now I" (ver. 7). (As Psa. Ivii. 11,
lOBbDTl^N^J).
And the processes of judgment are commenced, the revfcr.^al
of unrighteous sentences, and the pouring out of that terrible
"Cup" (ver. 8). John (Rev. xiv. 10) saw this cup, full of
" wine without mixture," i. e., without one drop of water to
alleviate its fierce poison ; but here it is "full of mixture," i. e.,
of all strong ingredients, that make its taste more bitter, and
its -wrathful poison more sure. This blood-red wine of ven
geance is the measured-out portion of all earth's wicked, great
or small.
At verse 9, Messiah seems to wind up the proceedings by
indicating the general result. As in Psa. ii. 7, a full announce
ment is made of these sentences in their hearing —
"And I {''Hii, who am entitled so to do), declare this a thing eternally
Axed ;"
and then turning towards his blessed ones, inviting tbem to
join him in praise, he may be said to cry, " Hallelujah .'"
" Ld me sing (HIStK) to the God of Jacobi
And I vrill cut off all the horns of the vricked" (while my song
ascends).
As the final issue of the whole, lo I
" The homs of the Righteous One are exalted I"
prophecy is fulfilled ; what Hannah sang of in 1 Sam. ii 10,
and so many others besides, is now come to pass ; for his
" name is Tiear," his kingdom is come. And thus, referring all
the while to the beseeching prayer of Psalm Ixxiv., Asaph has
sung Messiah's response to his people who are expecting Hie
Coming.

psalm LXXVI. — THE MIGHTY ONE TO BE FEARED. 227
PSALM LXXVL
To the chief Musician. On Neginoth. A Psalm or Song of Asaph.
1 In Judah is God known : his name is great in Israel.
2 In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion.
3 There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the
battle. Selah.
4 Thou art more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey.
6 The stout-hearted are spoiled, they have slept their sleep :
And none of the men of might have found their hands.
6 At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into
a dead sleep.
7 Thou, even thou, art to be feared ;
And who may stand in thy sight when once tbou art angry?
8 Thou didst cause judgment to be heard from heaven ; the earth feared,
and was still,
9 When God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth. Selah.
10 Surely the wrath of mau shall praise thee : the remainder of wrath shalt
thou restrain.
11 Vow, and pay unto the Lord your God :
Let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be
feared.
12 He shall cutoff the spirit of princes: he is terrible to the kings of the
earth.
Milton celebrates " the in-violable saints," the holy hosts that The title
guard the throne of God. But the family of saints on earth
may claim that title equally with them, being in-vincible and in-
'violable in tbefr King. Asaph sings of these " om Negin oth" (see
Psalm iv.), and uses the Uvely "song" for bis triumphant
strains. He looks back upon the past, when God made himself re- Thepiaa.
nowned as Israel's God, dwelling on Zion, breaking there
(HDB', thitherward, likeEzekiel's " Jebovab-/S'Ao'jri.ma^,"xl'vUi.
k 5, q. d., his eye and heart ever toward them) the " flashing
arrows of the bow," giving fame to Zion beyond all other hUls
aud kingdoms. All was done by the God of Jacob for his
people. The "' Selah" (ver. 3) bids us pause to consider this,
as it docs again verse 9. By him " the stout-hearted were
made a prey ; they slept deep their sleep ;" by him who could
give foes the same " rebuke" that he gave to the swelling
waters (Psalm civ. 7), causing the warrior and his war-chariot

£J3 PSALM LXXVL — THE MIGHTY ONE TO BE FEARED.
to be alike motionless and dead in tbe silent camp. Ah, it is
" Thou" (nJ^i<) who art to be feared. Thou (n.nN) alone ! And
we might have noticed also, there is significance in using the
name " Salem," (ver. 2). It reminds us of tbe reign of Mel-
chizedeck, and hints at tbe slaughter of the kings, whom God's
Abrahams overcome.
And ever shall it be thus. Ever shall it be an unanswer
able question, " Who shall stand before thee when thou art
angry ?" (verse 7), down to that great and terrible day when
all earth, at the sight of thy throne, shall ask, " Who shaU be
able to stand ?" (Rev. -vi. 17). And then shall verses 8, 9, be
fulfilled most emphatically —
" Out of heaven thou hast proclaimed judgment (p^, see Dan. ¦vii. 10,
Earth fears, and is at rest ! (HJOpSJ') hke Josh. xiv. 15, and Isa.
xiv. 7.)
When God arises io judgment.
Saving all the meek of earth. Selah."
Is not this tbe day when the Saviour comes to reign? — ^the
day when the results of things shall best be seen — the day
when every saint with anointed eye shall see that events all
tended to the glory of tbeir God — the day when they shall
.sihg better far than now,
" Surdy the wrath of man praiidh thee.
Thou girdest thyself vrith the remnant of wrath ; "
turning it to use, even every particle of it ?
Vow, then, and perform the vow, 0 Israel ! a people near
to Him (Num. ii. 2). Bring a gift to him that is the true
object of fear, to him who has cut off, as in a time of -vintage
pjjn, as Rev. xiv. 18), the breath, the life, of princes; to him
who is terrible to earth's kings. If this Jehovah be for us,
Tvho can be against us ? Let us even now sing this
Song to the Mighty One, who is the fear of Israel and of
Earth.

PSALM LXXVIL — GOD's DOINGS REMEMBERED. 229

PSALM LXXVIL
To the chief Mnsiclan. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.
^ I CRIED unto God with my voice.
Even unto God with my voice ; and he gave ear unto me.
2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord :
My sore rau in the night, and ceased not ; my soul refused to be com
forted.
3 I remembered God, and was troubled :
I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah.
4 Thou holdest mine eyes waking : I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient tiraes.
6 I call to remembrance my song in the night :
I commune with mine own heart : and my spirit made diligent search.
7 Will the Lord cast off for ever ? and will he be favourable no more ?
8 Is his mercy clean gone for ever ? doth his promise fail for evermore ?
9 Hath God forgotten to be gracious ? hath he in anger shut up his tender
mercies ? Selah.
10 And I said. This is my infirmity.
But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.
11 I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember thy
wonders of old.
12 I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.
13 Thy way, 0 God, is in the sanctuaiy ! Who is so great a God as our God ?
14 Thou art the God that doest wonders : thou hast declared thy strength
among the people.
15 Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and
Joseph. Selah.
16 The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee : they were afraid :
The depths also were troubled.
17 The clouds poured out water : the skies sent out a sound :
Thine arrows also went abroad.
18 The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven : the lightnings lightened the,
world :
The earth trembled and shook.
19 Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters. -
And thy footsteps are not known.
20 Thou leddest thy people like a flock, by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
" For Jeduthun," the choir over which Jeduthun and Heman The titie.
presided (I Chron. xvi 42). They are to sing now a plaintive
psalm. Asaph's harp's strings are moaning to the chill night-
wind. Instead of triumphing in the Mighty One, whom all The tone.
must fear, Asaph is fuU of unkindly fears, fears arising from
clouds around his soul. Our Lord on earth had such changes
in his soul as we find in this Psalm. One day, under the

230 PSALM LXXVIL — THE RIGHTEOUS ONE UNDER THE CLOUD
opened heavens at Jordan ; another, in tbe gloom of the howl
ing -wilderness ; one evening, ascending the Transfiguration-
hill ; another, entering Gethsemane. And so -with every mem
ber of bis body. Not that tbe love of tbeir God varies toward
them, and not that they themselves feel that love exhausted ;
but providences and trials of strange sort, and temptations
buffeting the soul, bide tbe sun by their dark mists.
We find, verses 1-4, The time of darkness pictured to us
The contents most pensively and plaintively. " In the night my hand was
stretched out, and grew not numb, " (Alexander). And the
" Selah " in the midst of it, verse 3, seems to give us time to
observe the dismal plight of the soul
In verses 5-9 we have remembrance of former days, leading
to the profoundly melancholy question — " Has El (tbe Mighty
God) forgotten to be gracious."
" Hath he in anger shut the spring
Of his eternal love ?
And another "Selah" leaves us to pause and ponder.
At verse 10, The cause of this darkness. " This is my sick
ness," (Jer. X. 19). My present circumstances of body, and
tbe oppressive providences around, bave averted mine eye
from God's love. Tholuck renders it, " This afiliction of mine
is a change of the right hand of tbe Most High ;" but we prefer
another view, viz., after having mournfully admitted " This is
my infirmity," the thought fiashes in, " The years of the right
hand of the Most High I" Yes, let me recall what be bas done !
At verse 11, The light breaks — God is seen, still mighty to
save. Asaph is taught by " the years of the right hand of the
Most High," seeing " his way in the sanctuary ;" and in such
past "wonders" as Exod, xv. 11. He sees God redeeming "the
sons of Jacob " from their Egypt exile, and doing it so as to re
mind us of " Joseph," once separated from his brethren, but after
wards the head of them all, (11-15). A " Selah" again bids
us ponder, and tbe Psalm closes by recounting some of his
wonders in providence. " God's way in the sanctuary" (ver.
13) suggests composing thoughts regarding his " Way i/n ihe
Sea." (Ver. 19.)
There is a day coming when we shall, with Christ our Head,
sing of the Church's safe guidance to her rest, in such strains

RECALLING TO MIND THE LORD'S FORMER DOINGS. 231
as these, remembering how often by the way we were ready to
ask, " Has God forgotten to be gracious ?" We are taught by
the harp of Asaph, in moments of despondency, to " remember
the days of old," and assure ourselves that the God of Israel
Uveth — the God of the Passover-night, the God of the Red
Sea, the God of the Pillar-cloud, the God of Sinai, the God of
the wilderness, the God of Jordan, — the God, too, we may add,
of Calvary, and the God of Bethany, who shall lead us as he
led Israel, even when eartb shakes again, till that day when he
comes to cast some light on " his way that was in the sea, and
bis paths that were in tbe great waters, and his footsteps "
that were a mystery. Asaph has been the instrument of the
Holy Ghost to cheer us here, by bidding us look on this pic
ture of
The Righteous One under the cloud recalling to mind ihe
Lord's former doings.

PSALM LXXVIIL
Maschil of Asaph.
1 GrvE ear, O my people, to my law : incline your ears to the words of my
mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable : I will utter dark sayings of old :
3 Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children,
Shewing to the generation to come the prai.ses of the Lord,
And his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.
6 For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel,
When he commanded our fathers, that they should raake thera known to
their children :
6 That the generation to come might know them, even the children which
should be bom ;
Who should arise and declare them to their children :
7 That they might set their hope in God,
And not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments ;
8 And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not
stedfast with God.
9 The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows,
Turned back in the day of battle.
10 They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law;
11 And forgat his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them.
12 Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers,
In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

232 PSALM LXX-VIIL — MESSIAH SHE-WING US
13 He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through-;
And he made the waters to stand as an heap.
14 In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, aud all the night with a
light of fire.
15 He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the
great depths,
16 He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down
like rivers.
17 And they sinned yet more against him, by provoking the Most High in
the wilderness.
18 And they tempted God in their heart, by asking raeat'for tbeir lust. '-
19 Yea, they spake against God ; they said, Can God furnish a table in the
wilderness ?
20 Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams
overflowed ;
Can he give bread also ? can he provide flesh for his people?
21 Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth :
So a lire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against
Israel ;
', 22 Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation,
23 Though he had commanded the clouds frora above, and opened the doors
of heaven,
24 And had rained down raanna upon them to eat, and had given them of
the corn of heaven.
24 Man did eat angels' food : he sent thera meat to the fulU
26 He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven ;
And by his power he brought in the north wind.
27 He rained flesh upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of
the sea :
28 And he let it fall in the raidst of their camp, round about their habitations
29 So they did eat, and were well filled : for he gave them their own desire.
30 They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was jet
in their mouths,
31 The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them,
And smote down the chosen men of Israel.
32 For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wondrous works.
33 Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble
34 When he slew them, then they sought him :
And they returned and inquired early after God.
35 And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God theii
redeemer.
36 Nevertheless they did flatter with their mouth, -
And they lied unto him with their tongues.
37 For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast iu his
covenant.
38 But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed
them not :
Yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his
wrath.

THAT god's ways ARE NOT OUR WAYS. 233
39 For he remembered that they were but flesh; '
A wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.
40 How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the
desert !
41 Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited- the Holy One of
Israel.
42 They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them &om
the enemy.
43 How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of
Zoan :
44 And had turned their rivers into blood ; and their floods, that they, could
not drink.
45 He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them ;
And frogs, which destroyed them.
46 He gave also their increase imto the caterpillar, and their labour unto the
locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycamore-trees with frost.
48 He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunder
bolts.
49 He cast upon them the fierceness ofhis anger, wrath, and indignation, and
trouble.
By sending evil angels among them.
60 He made a way to his anger ; he spared not their sotd from death,
But gave their life over to the pestilence :
61 And smote all the firstborn in Egypt ;
The chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham :
62 But made his own people to go forth like sheep.
And guided thera in the wilderness like a flock.
63 And he led them on safely, so that they feared not :
But the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
64 And he brought them to the border ofhis sanctuary,
Even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.
65 He cast out the heathen also before them, and divided them an inheritance*
by line,
And made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
56 Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and kept uot his tes
timonies :
57 But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers :
They were tumed aside like a deceitful bow.
58 !For they provoked hira to anger with their high places,
And moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
69 When God heard this he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel :
60 So that he forsook the Tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he "placed
among men ;
61 And delivered his Strength into captivity, and his Glory into the enemy's
hand.
62 He gave his people over also unto the sword ; and was wroth with his in
heritance.

234 PSALM LXXVIIL — ^MESSIAH SHEWING US
63 The fire consumed their young men : and their maidens were not given
to marriage.
64 Their priests fell by the sword ; and their widows made no lamentation.
65 Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep.
And like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.
66 And he smote his enemies in the hinder part : he put them to a perpetual
reproach.
67 Moreover, he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of
Ephraim :
68 But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.
69 And he built his sanctuary like high palaces,
Like the earth which he hath established for ever.
70 He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds !
71 From following the ewes great with young
He brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.
72 So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart ;
And guided them by the skilfulness of his hands.
Thu title. " Maschil," referring to the music. " By Asaph," who wrote
Psalm Ixxiv.
Christ here. See Jesus in tbe ship, teaching parables. Compare him
that day by the sea-side -with the Singer here, whose words,
though neither new nor dark, are yet meant to convey bid
den meanings. From verse 2, compared with Matt, xiii 34,
S5, we are led to conclude that Asaph here was directed
to foreshadow Messiah, tlie Prophet, disclosing the mind and
ways of God, where tbese were hidden from the gaze of the
common eye. There is throughout this Psalm a " concealed
background of instruction" (Hengst.), intimated at verse 2, just
as Jesus, in speaking very obvious and plain things about the
seed and tbe sower, the leaven and the mustard-tree, meant aU
the while to lead disciples to a " concealed background of in
struction" — God's ways toward man, and man's toward God.
We can easily believe tbat our Master, in using this Psalm,
would not hesitate to say, verse 3, " We have heard," identify
ing himself with us ; for be does so in Psalm xxii 4, " Our
fathers," yours and mine ; and he does so in the Prayer he
taught us, " Our Father in heaven," mine and yours. On the
other hand, in saying, verse 4, " We will not hide them from
their children," is he not assuming the tone of Godhead ? for
it is the very same voice we hear in Gen. xviii 19, " Shall I
hide from Abraham the thing that I do ?"
The contents. He brings before us most affectingly God's ways in contrast

THAT god's ways ARE NOT OUR WAYS. 235
to man's ! Thus, verse 5, God's mercies to the infant nation.
Prophets, priests, Levites, Moses, the Tabernacle, all are implied
in " He set up a testimony in Israel ;" and all was meant to
make permanent among them the knowledge and love of tbe
glorious Jehovah. This was an act of grace ; for verse 8 recalls
the perverseness of their fathers, "stubborn, rebellious, not
right, not stedfast with God." Truly, His ways are not our
ways ; aud soon tbat after generation shewed tbefr fathers' cor
ruption, refusing to face Anak (ver. 9 ; see Num. xiii 33, and
xiv. 1-4), and to go whither God would.
But, again. His guiding mercies from Egypt onward (ver.
17). How numerous ! every one how marvellous ! all so unde
served, all so constant ! The Red Sea divided, the cloud, the
smitten rock ! Yet tbey provoked the Most High !
Again, His un-upbraiding mercies (ver. 18-29). The history
of the manna shews this — instinct with wonders of Grace ! for
see how the everyday shower comes to a people most ungrate
ful, and forgetful, and unbelieving ! " Each man did eat," as
Exodus xvi. 16 ; each had his omer every day.
Again, His chastising mercies (ver. 30-33). He tries them
¦with fatherly chastenings, and for a time the wayward children
feel. But these, too, avail not. Shall he then leave them ?
No, he has more kindness in reserve for them.
Again, he sings oi His long-suffering mercies (ver. 34-41).
Amid frowardness, how very pitiful 1 how tender ! how sym
pathising !
" For he remembered that they were but flesh,
A wind thatpassdh away, and cometh not again.
And all this while they insulted him." {" Set amark on Israel's Holy
One."— Hengst.)
But to deepen the contrast, he sings of his judgments on
their foes (ver. 42-53) ; and then of Canaan-mercies to them
selves, (ver. 54- 58) ; and of Ccmaan-chastisements, (ver. 58-
64). What a God ! Wbat a people ! How glorious in grace
the One ! How low sunk in sin the other ! How low must
mercy condescend in helping such a people !
But he has stUl another note to the praise of grace. His
mercies in the days of David (ver. 65 to the end), when the

236 PSALM LXXIX. — CRY OF WIDO-WED ZION
Lord arose, resolved to throw do-wn every barrier to bis love,
smiting foes, and erecting bis tabernacle on its fixed seat at Je
rusalem, and giving to his people David, the type of a better
David yet to come — .
" And he built his sanduary, like lofty palaces ;
Like the earth, he has established it for ever." (Ver. 69.)
This is ever to be a renowned spot, " morally gigantic"
(Hengst.), aud not to be as Shiloh, forsaken for ever. There
are great things to come, awaiting that very spot. The type
of the scene in David's days is not yet realised in full. At
verse 70, the Singer has his eye on what Ezekiel (xxxiv. 23)
has foretold, — the David and the Tabernacle of that coming
day, when our " Beloved," led up from tbe Bethlehem manger
to tbe tbrone, shall feed Israel and Jacob, with upright heart
and skilful band — dealing prudently, exalted, extolled, and
very high. Grace shall reach its zenith then. Our earth shall
bask under tbe hot noonday sun of grace, grace no more
thwarted aud slighted, no more forgotten and denied, no more
disbelieved and bated. Come quickly, Faithful and True
Witness ! Come quickly, and be again among us, not King
only, not Priest only, but
Messiah, the Prophet, shewing us that God's ways are not
our ways.

PSALM LXXIX.
A Psalm of Asaph.
1 O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance!
Thy holy temple have they defiled ; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.
2 The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the
fowls of the heaven,
The fiesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth.
3 Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem ;
And there was none to bury them.
4 We are becorae a reproach to our neighbours,
A scorn and derision to them that are round about us.
6 How long, Lord? wilt thou be angry for ever? shall thy jealousy bum
like fire?

TO THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE, 237
6 Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee,
And upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name.
7 For they have devoured Jacob, and laid waste his dwelling place.
8 O remember not against ns former iniquities :
Let thy tender mercies speedily prevent ns : for we are brought very low.
9 Help us, 0 God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name:
And deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name's sake.
10 Wherefore should the heathen say. Where is their God ?
Let him be known among the heathen in our sight.
By the revenging of the blood of thy servants which is shed.
11 Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee !
According to the greatness of thy power, preserve thou those that are
appointed to die ;
12 And render unto our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom
'Their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.
13 So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks forever:
We will shew forth thy praise to all generations. >
Another of the " Asaph-Psalms" — the cry, evidently, of Thewtie.
widowed Zion in the ear of the righteous Judge ; such a cry
as our Head (Luke xviii 7) describes the Church at large as
raising in tbe Latter Days. It suits alike the Church in Israel
in Asaph's time, and the Church scattered over earth in these
Last Days, and not less -will it suit Israel in the days of their
final tribulation, (Zecb. xiv. 1, &c.).
It tells of martyrdom (1-3), -with a remnant left behind, The contents. '
appealing to the Lord with somewhat of the awful power we
feel to be in~the cry of the souls under tbe altar (Rev. vi. 9) —
q. d., " Pour out thy wrath on Antichrist (see 2 Thess. i. 8),
and on the nations that know thee not and that persecute thy
people, " Even as they poured out the blood of thy servants." (Ver. 3.)
When they confess (ver. 8) "former iniquities," is not this in
the lips of bsrael an acknowledgment of tbefr forefathers' unbe
Uef when Jerusalem rang with — " His blood be upon us and
upon our children?" It includes this, no doubt, and tbeir
idolatry, too, presenting the long-expected cry spoken of in
Lev. xxvi. 45, on hearing which the Lord shall arise, and as
" they are brought very low," shall fulfil Deut. xxxiU. 1 6, when
he seeth that their power is gone. "Let the avenging of thy
servant's blood be known," (ver. 1 0).

238 PSALM LXXIX. — CRY TO THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE.
When (ver. 11) we hear them plead, "Let ihe sighing of
ihe prisoner come before thee," we caU to mind Manasseh in
his Assyrian dungeon. We seem to see Israel taking Manasseh's
position, and obtaining Manasseh's wondrous pardon. Nor
are they like Manasseh only, but are, besides, " children of
death," rtDIDJJl '•j)!, that is, exposed to a continuing death ;
for n/VlDri is more than D^'O just as " fExgwff/s" is more than
" 6amrog" (see Beza on 2 Cor. iv. 10). And then there is " the
reproach" that lay upon them, the essence of which (like the
" reproach of Egypt," Josh. v. 9, Num. xiv. 1 .3) had been,
" Is God able to accomplish his promises ? Where is their
God?" (Ver. 16.)
Melody from freed souls bursts on our ear at verse 1 3. The
old pastures, Sharon, Carmel, Bashan, are repossessed by the
long-lost sheep ; and this is the burden of the praise of these
ransomed of tbe Lord, returning to Z'on -with songs and ever
lasting joy :
" And we are ihy people, and sheep of thy pasture!
We will give thee praise for evermore !
We will record thy praise to all generations ! "
We, too, belonging to tbe Church at large, shall join in this
baUelujah, and take part in this eternal song to the faithful
Jehovah — tbat same incarnate Jehovah who once wept on the
Mount of Olives, over Jerusalem ready to become heaps. With
them, therefore, let us join in raising this
Cry of widowed Zion to the Righteous Judge.

PSALM LXXX.
To the chief Musician. Upon Shoshannim-Eduth. A Psalm of Asaph.
1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock!
Thou that dwellest between the cherubim, shine forth 1
2 Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh,
Stir up thy strength and come and save us.
3 Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be save!
4 O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of
tby p'ople?
5 Thou feedest them with the bread of tears : and givest them tears to drinlt
great in measure.

PSALM LXXX. — ISRAEL'S PLEAS FOR RE'^TORATION. 239
6 Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh
among themselves.
7 Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall
be saved.
8 Tbou hast brought a vine out of Egypt : thou hast cast out the heathen,
and planted it.
9 Thou preparedst room before it,
And didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the laud.
10 The hills were covered with the shadow of it.
And the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars.
II She sent out her boughs unto The Sea, and her branches unto The River.
12 'Why hast thou then broken down her hedges.
So that all they which pass by the way do pluck her ?
13 The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field
doth devotir it.
14 Eetum, we beseech thee, O God of hosts I
Look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine :
15 And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted,
And the branch that thon madest strong for thyself.
16 It is bumed with fire, it is cut down : 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 madest strong for thyself.
18 So will we not go back from thee : quicken us, and we will call upon thy
narae.
19 Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, cause thy face to shine I and we shall
be saved.
The sun in the firmament shone cloudless on the field of Aus- The title.
terUtz, where a conqueror of earth was gaining his renown ;
and that bright sun was recognised by the victors as a fit ac
companiment of what they reckoned a day so glorious in its
triumphs. It may have been on this principle of suiting the
external symbol to the nature of the theme on baud, .that the
temple musicians selected for this Psalm an instrument called
" Shosliannim-eduth." In Psalm xlv. we have mention of
" Shosliannim,," and in Psalm Ix. we have the " Shushan-
eduth," referring, as some fancy, to the joy or the lily-bloom
that shall overspread the land, when the nation that alone pos
sessed God's " Testimony" should receive the answer of these
prayers. But more than this we cannot say.*
• It is a conceit of the Jews to mark the JJ in verse 13, "W*D as the middle
letter of the Psalter, by suspending it above the line of the other letters.

-40 PSALM LXXX. — Israel's pleas for restoration.
ketone and It is an Asaph-prayer again, full of pleas in Israel's behalf.
It is as if tbey had before tbem Isa. Ixiii 11, "Then he re
membered the days of old." Tbey call to his mind the days
of Josephi when (Gen. xlix. 24) theLord miraculously fed them
in Egypt. And then the tabernacle- days, when first, since the
days of Eden, the Lord was known to dwell between tbe cheru
bim, on the mercy-seat. They call to his mind wilderness-
times (ver. 2), when their march was gladdened by bis presence,
" Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh" lookfrg on the Pillar of
Glory as it rose before thera, the guide and partner of their
way (see Num. x. 22-24), " 0 God, bring us back again !
Cause thy face to shine ! and all shall be well again ! "
Tbey appeal to his power, verse 4, " 0 God of Hosts" (ver.
4 and 7), and to bis love for his people (ver. 4). Why smokes
thine anger, rejecting the smoke of incense tbat speaks of
favour? Instead of joyful feasts (ver. 5), we weep sore, and
foes divide our substance for spoil, instead of the safety our
fathers enjoyed in serving thee (Exodus xxxiv, 24). " 0 God
of Hosts, bring us back again ! Cause thy face to shine ! and
aUshaUbe weU!"
Again the harp sounds to a melancholy reminiscence of the
past. Memory recalls the time when Israel was the Lord's
Vine — an emblem of him who is the True Vine. Taken out
of Egypt, and made to spread (Isa. v. 2), it filled the land.
The hUls of Judah on tbe south, the cedar region of Lebanon
on tbe north (ver. 1 1), the great Mediterranean sea on the we,st,
and the Euphrates on the far eastern border, were all wit
nesses of tbe Vine's luxuriance. How desolate now ! " 0
God of Hosts, come back, we pray ! Look down from heaven,
and see ! Visit this vine."
Some think that in verse 17 they are acknowledging Mes
siah, calling him by the name, " Man of thy right band,"
" Branch made strong for thyself" The Chaldee Targum says,
this is " King Messiah." Others claim these names for Israel ;
for Israel is God^s Benjamin, and God's strong rod wherewith
to rule the nations. The words are in the original such as
surely point to Messiah ; for they are not, " son of thy right
hand," but tj^p;' tt?'N, " Man of thy right hand," and " son of

psalm LXXX.— Israel's pleas for full restoration. 241
man whom thou hast made strong for thyself," Olijt ]2, ; in
this resembling Psalm viu. 6. Even if the terms were appro
priate to Israel as God's favoured people, still there would be
bere simply an allusion to that fact, while the real possessor of
the name is Messiab, God's true Israel. And if so, then verse
17 is Israel, in the Latter Day, crying " Hosanna !" to Christ,
and so entitled to what his words implicitly promised in Matt.
XX. 39 — " Tbou shalt not see me henceforth till thou shalt
say. Blessed is be that cometh in the name of the Lord." They
pray, " Appoint Him our captain — let thy hand be upon Mm,
designating him to his of&ce, as Moses did Joshua," (Num.
xxvii 23). And so they may claim to be gathered and blest
-with a fuller blessing than their fathers, who, by the hand of
God upon tbem, were led up by Ezra (vii. 9), and Nehemiah
(u. 18) ; for they claim as their leader Messiah, the true Ezra,
" Helper," and true Nehemiah, " the Lord's consolation." Is
not Psalm ex. 1 of itself sufficient to justify the name, " The
man of thy Right Hand ?"
" Jehovah, God of Hosts, hring us baek I
Cause thy countenance to shine on us !
And we shall be saved," {i[Tj}\^^ihQ response to " Hosanna I"
^<3^r'^y^^)• T T .
May we not sympathise in these appeals ? May we not put The chnrch.
in our own case with thefrs ? Appoint, Lord, Messiab to be
our captain, our soul's leader, and we individually shall be
saved ! We cry, " Hosanna !" W H^iyirT, and thou -wilt givea
response that shall make us shout back nyiihi Yes, thy CJburcb
in all the earth. Lord God of Hosts, with one consent joins in
presenting to thee,
Isrotd'spleas for fuU restoration.

PSALM LXXXL
To the chief Musician. Upon Gittith. A Psalm of Asaph.
1 SiNO loud unto God our strength : make a joyful noise unto the God of
Jacob.
2 Take a psalm, and bring hither tbe timbrel, the pleasant harp with the
psaltery. Q

242 PSALM LXXXI. — THE REDEEMER'S LAMENTATION OVER
3 Blow up the trumpet in the new moon,
In the time appointed, on our solemn fea6t»day.
4 For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.
6 This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the
land of Egypt:
Where I heard a language that I understood not;
6 I removed his shoulder from the burden ;
His hands were delivered from the pots.
7 Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee ;
I answered tbee in the secret place of thunder ;
I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah.
8 Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee : O Israel, if thou wilt
hearken unto me I
9 There shall no strange god be in thee : neither shalt thon worship any
strange god.
10 I ara the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt;
Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.
II But my people would not hearken to my voice : and Israel would none
of me.
12 So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust : and they walked in their
own counsels.
13 Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in
my ways !
14 I should soon have subdued their enemies, and tumed my hand against
their adversaries.
15 The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto him :
But their time should have endured for ever.
16 He should bave fed them also with the finest of the wheats
And with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.
Thet:ii". Asaph is the writer of this Psalm, Whether or not it was
'written (as some suppose) for Hezekiah's passover, we need not
stay to inquire (2 Cbroa xxx. 2). It does not affect our view
of the raind of God — the heart, the bowels of compassion,-
displayed in every Une, — the breathing of tender love, The
Lord is ever well pleased with such a cry as the two preceding
Psalms sent up ; for bis heart is toward his people ; and he
bere tells how he has longed over them, even in their back
slidings. It is " on Gittith," like Psalm viii.
The contents In the first verses (1-3), is it the voice of Israel we hear?
Is it not rather tbe voice of the Church's Head and Israel's,
identifying himself with us and them ? Is it not Messiah, the
lawgiver and redeemer of Israel ? To understand the speaker
throughout to be He, gives beautiful unity and force to the

HIS people's REJECTION OF GRACE. 243
whole. It is He, we suppose, who summons them in thesfc.
lively, inviting strains : —
" Sing hud unto Ood our strength !
Raise the shout of joy unto the God of Jacob !
Take music (rTlDT voice and instrument), and hring the tirnk/rtl,
The pleasant harp aad the psaltery I
Blow the horn in the month {i. e., Abib., Exodus xii. 1.)
On the full moon, on the day of our feast {i. e., the Passover),
For this is a statute for Israd,
A law in reference to (7 for the worship of. — Hengst.) the God of
JacO)." (1-4.)
Then mention is made of " Joseph," because the Passover-
reference calls back to mind the days of Egypt, when Joseph
was Israel's shepherd iu Goshen ; and it is said that this feast
was ordained for a " testimony," viz., to the Lord's goodness
and sparing mercy.
" When he went out against the land of Egypt ;" (to destroy it by
plagues.)
" When I heard a language that I knew not ;" (not the tongue of Israel,
irhich is so well known to me, as one knows his friend.)
And having thus identified himself with Israel — tbe shepherd
-with the flock — he speaks in his ow,n name of what he wrought
for them. He took them from bondage,* at tbeir going forth ;
and often did he reason with them, as at Sinai when the
thunder's roar was heard from thick clouds that were the
curtains of his pavUion, and from the pillar-cloud—
" Oh ! hadst thou heard my voice alone I
When thunders rolled above thy head.
And lightnings flashed before thine eyes,
When I of thee a trial made,
Where, Meribah, thy waters rise I" (Barclay.)
There is " Sdah," the pause for solemn thought, here. And
then the expostulation begins, tender, but earnest and search
ing (8-12), till, after saying verse 12, " Let them go on in thei/r
own counsels," as Deut. xxix. 18, He seems to recall his words,
gi-ving vent to that burst of impassioned feeling, verse 13 —
• The burden and " the pots," or day-basket, are remarkably illustrated
(says Tholuck) by tbe Egyptian sculptures, which still shew Israelites carrying
the clay and the tiles.

244 PSALM LXXXII — MESSIAH THE TRUE JUDGE
" Oh, if my people would hearken to met
Would Israel walk in my ways !"
Revealing tbe very same Jesus whose words and tears, as ha
beheld Jerusalem, are reorded in Luke xix. 43. It is the
same speaker that continues thus to teU what they have lost
by their waywardness —
" I would soon have subdued iheir enemies,
" The haters of Jehovah should have submitted unto him."
And, on the other hand. He (Jehovah) would have fed them
with " kernelled wheat," — alludingto the rich old covenant pro
mises, Deut. xxxii. 14, xxxiii. 14. All this (says Messiah),
Jehovah was ready to do. Yes, thesfe covenant promises, every
one, even to the honey from the rock (Deut. xxxii. 13), I would
have given thee in all abundance, till thou hadst not a want
remaining.* Thus frora beginning to end, in this Psalm, we hear
The Redeemer of Israel's tender lamentation over his people's
rejection of His grace.

PSALM LXXXII
A Psalm of Asaph.
1 Gob standeth in the congregation of the mighty ; he judgeth among the
gods.
2 How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wieked?
Selah.
3 Defend the poor and fatherless : do justice to the afBicted and needy.
4 Deliver the poor and needy : rid them out of the hand of the wicked.
6 They know not, neither will they understand ! they walk on in darkness!
All the foundations of the earth are out of course.
6 I have said. Ye are gods ; and all of you are children of the Most High.
7 But ye shall die like meii, and fall like one of the princes.
8 Arise, O God, judge tbe earth! for thou shalt inherit all nations.
Asaph's name is at Psalm 1, in which the solemn scenes and
expostulations of the Great Day are given ; and here, too, is
* The change of persons, "He" and "I," is quite natural, if Messiah is the
speaker throughout. But, besides, we find such changes from the indirect to
the direct frequently, e.g.. Exodus xxiii. 25, and Isa. x. 12.

OP A MISGOVERNED 'WORLD. - 245
his name, prefixed to this a-wfuUy authoritative rebuke and
warning —
We see, verse 1, the Judge surveying earth's rulers. The plan.
" God hath placed himself in the ossenMy of the mighty." (Isa. iii. 13.)
" He judges in the midst of the gods," {i. e., earth's judges, Exodus xxiL
28, John X. 34.)
We bear bis voice (ver. 2), and we recognise in it him who '
speaks to us, " How long, ye simple ones," in Proverbs i 26.
The " Sdah" completes it, giving a solemn seal to the words.
We Usten again (verses 3, 4) ; he is declaring the rules that
should guide them — ^rules on which tbe Judge himself has
ever acted — defending tbe poor ; interposing where no help of
man was on the side of the oppressed ; maintaining equity;
doing acts of disinterested grace and favour.
We are told of the contempt poured upon Him (ver. 5), for
it is said, " They take no notice" (they disregard God and his
Christ), &c. ; and as a consequence, " The foundations of earth
begin to totter," (comp. Isa. xxiv. 20) ; and we hear the voice
of tbe Great Judge (ver. 6) —
" / have said ! (iJX, «'• e-i This is now your doom — I solemnly pro
claim it) —
Ye are judges (bearing the name of God, as verse 2) ;
Allofyou are sons of the Most High I"
This is your great name, in which you rest secure. But
" Surdy ye shall die, as other men have died ;
Ye shall fall, as other men of rank have fallen."*
Your day is coming I. The saints are raising the loud cry of
verse 8, inviting Messiah, the true God, tbe Son of the Most
High (John x. 34), the Mighty One, tbe Judge and Ruler; to
arise and take his inheritance, for he is tbe "heir of all
things;" and to be the true Otbniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Barak,
Gideon, .Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Samson, and, Samuel, who wUl
judge, or govern and rule, a mismanaged earth.. We sing this
song of Ziori in his ears, urging him to come quickly ; and we
sing it to one another in joyful hope, while the foundations of
earth seem out of .course, because here we find-
Messiah the true Judge of a misgoverned' world. ..
* " As other men," see note on Psalm Ixxxvii.

246 PSALM LXXXIIL — THE PRAYER OF THE HIDDEN ONES

PSALM LXXXIIL
A Song or Psalm of Asaph.
1 Keep not thou silence, O God : hold not thy peace, and be not still, 0
God.
2 For, lo, thine eneraies raake a tumult: and they that hate thee have
lifted up the head.
3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against
thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them oif from being a nation;
That the name of Israel may be no raore in remembrance.
6 For they have consulted together with one consent : they are confederate
against thee :
6 The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites ; of Moab and the Ha-
garenes ;
7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek ; the Philistines with the inhabitants of
Tyre;
8 Assur also is joined with them : they have holpen the children of Lot.
Selah.
9 Do unto thera as to the Midianites ; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the
brook of Kison,
10 Which perished at En-dor : they became as dung for the earth.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb :
Yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna:
12 Who said. Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.
13 O my God, make them like a wheel ! as the stubble before tho wind !
14 As the fire burnet'n a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on
fire;
15 So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy
storm.
16 Fill their faces with shame ; that they may seek thy narae, O Lord.
17 Let thera be confounded and troubled for ever ; yea, let thera be put to
shame, and perish :
Ib That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH,
Art the Most High over all the earth.
TTie title ana A song and psalm by Asaph ; lively, yet solemn ; for there
is in it both victory and vengeance. The appeal of last Psalm
to the Judge, by Asaph in the name of Messiah and his
people, is of the same spirit with this more lengthened and full
prayer by the same Asaph. The times are tbe same. What
ever were tbe circumstances of tbe Psalmist that fumished au
appropriate season in the view of the Spirit of God for giving
it to tbe Church — whether such as those of Jehoshapbat's reign

AGAINST THE CRAFTY COUNSEL OF MESSIAH'S FOES. 2i7
(2 ChroiL XX. 14) or not — it seems probable that He who knew
men's hearts saw more than once this same hatred to Israel
taking tbe form of a combined conspiracy of all the nations
round. Even thus has it been more than once in regard to
Britain, the retreat of God's bidden ones ; and even thus, were
the vail Ufted up, might it be found to be true at this hour of
the foes of Protestant truth. And yet more shall the Latter
Day bring to view a combination of kings and people against
the Lamb and bis faithful few — a combination whicb shall
meet with extinction on the plains of Megiddo, most fully rea-
Using the prayer and anticipations of this I'salm, verses 9, 1 0,
1 1. Wbat a song for days when Antichrist shall be wondered
at by all the earth ! It is pervaded by a tone of astonishment
at the Lord's long-sufiering.
From verses 1 to 8, where " Selah " introduces the pause, the The piaa.
prayer ascends, spreading before the Lord like (Acts iv. 29)
the threatening aspect of his foes, wbo direct tbefr malice
against " his hidden ones" (ver. 3) — that is, his people, not
unknown or obscure, but hid as his treasure. (See Psa, xxvii.
5.) They who were all jealous of each other, like Pilate and
Herod, are friends now —
" They consult from the heart with one accord " (ver. 5).
They make a covenant against Thee ! "
A circle seems drawn round Israel's land ; the hunters hav«
inclosed their prey — Edom and Ishmael on the south ; Moab
and the Hagarenes who dwelt near Gilead (1 Chron. iv. 18),
to the east, along witb Gebal (i e., Gebalene, which means
the mountainous region, from the Arabic Djebd, the district
whose capital was Petra, or Sola), and Ammon, and old Amalek ;
and on tbe west Philistia and Tyre — all these call Assyria to
their aid, to pour down from the north his resistless bands !
" The cliildren of Lot," the nations who, because of the rela
tionship of their ancestors, might have been expected to be
friend Israel, take tbe lead against Israel in this unbrotherly
covenant. But faitb sees this armada scattered, as surely as was that
of Spain on our shores.

248 PSALM LXXXIV.— THE RIGHTEOUS ONE ON HIS WAT
" Treat them as Midian I
As Sisera ! as Jabin I
At the torrent of Kishon!
At Endor they have perished I
They have become dung for the soil I (Ver. 9, 10.)
All this, at the very time when they are saying, " We will take
possession of these habitations of God" (ver. 15), the cities
of Israel, protected by their God.* The Lord answers tbefr
prayers — " Make thim like a wheel " that threshes the corn
and beats the straw to pieces (PhiUips), or like the thisthr
down in the whirl of the storm.
The end is like the issue of judgment so often declared by
Ezekiel, e. g. xxx. 26, xxxv. 1 5, xxxviii 23, xxxix. 28.
" Men seek thy name, 0 Jehovah I (Ver. 16.)
And again —
" And they know that Thou — thy name alone is Jehovdh I
Most high over all the earth!"
The Armageddon of the Last Days, ended by the Lord's ap
pearing, when his feet stand on the Mount of Olives, and he
recapitulates (so to speak) all the victories of ancient days in
that one, shall result in the fame of the Lord being spread
over earth, and his one name acknowledged. What a glorious
answer to
The prayer of the Hidden Ones against the crafty counsel of
Messiah's f des.

PSALM LXXXIV.
To the chief Musician, Upon Gittith, A Psalm for the sons of Eorah.
1 How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts I
2 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord :
My heart and my flesh crieth out for the living Godj , , , i
3 Yea, the sparrow hath found an house.
And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young,
Even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God,
4 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house ! they will be' still praising thee !
Selah.
6 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee ; in whose heart are tbe wayi
of them.
* Stanley (Palestine and Sinai, p. 336), " pastures of God," or pasture-grounds.

TO THE CITY OF THE LIVING GOD. 249
6 'Who passing through the valley ,of Baca niake it a well; the rain also
filleth the pools.
7 They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth
before God.
8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: Give ear, 0 God of Jacob. Selah.
9 Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed.
10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand.
I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the
tents of wickedness.,
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield : the Lord will give grace and glory.
No good thing will he withhold, from thera that walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
Tholuck has suggested that this Psalm may have been sung
at Mahanaim, during David's flight. But, at any rate, it is
for aU times. We are now with the Lord's "hidden ones" in Thetitie.
their quiet land, where they wait on their God. We see here
their joys, their earthly heaven. They may see at a distance
"the tents of the wicked," as Balaam from his rocks saw
Israel's; but they feel no envy, they desire nothing of the
luxuries there, tbey seek not the fame of being one of these
"men of renown." Like the first Psalm " on Gittith" tbat we
met with (Psa. viii), this " Psalm of, or for, the sons of Ko
rah,"* celebrates the excellencies of tbe Lord's name, for it
presents us with the pleasant sight of a company of worshippers
going up to the house of the Lord.
That pilgrimage of Israel, to tbe place where the Lord had
put his name, was significant of more than met the eye. It
told of other pilgrims who should in after ages travel through The speakers.
the world with their heart toward tbe Lord, and their hope
fixed on seeing him revealed at the end of their pilgrimage in
another manner than they knew him by the way. It included,
too, tbe joumey of him who, as Chief of Pilgrims, was to take
the same road, share the same hardships, feel the sarae long
ings, hope for the same resting-place, and enter on the same
full enjoyment of tbe Father's grace and glory.
It is, then, the Just One and his. members on theii: way to
Zion, " the city of the living God," that forms the essence, of
the Psalmi
* The sons of Korah kept the gates of .the tabernacle, 1 .Chron. ix., 19.
Hence verse 10 is peculiarly natural iu their lips.

250 PSALM LXXXIV. — THE RIGHTEOUS ONE ON HIS WAY
The plan. We have their setting forth, verse 1, 2. " Hovj beloved
{jy\yv) are thy tahernacles," they say to the " Lord of Hosts,"
n deeper feeling than Num. xxiv. 5, for tbey love the place
because they love the person. They speak to one another in
verse 2, " Longing, yea, even fainting has my soul felt for
the courts of the Lord."
" My heart and my flesh sing for joy
Toward God, the Living One!"
We next find objects on the way attracting a moment's at
tention, and furnishing belp to their thoughts, verse 3.
" Truly* the sparrow reaches her home,
And the swallow her nest,
Where she has placed her youtig ! "
And who is this sparrow ? Is it not as Psalm xi. 2, a name for
the feeble homeless one ? Who is this swallow, a wanderer to
another clirae, though here for a time ? It is the pilgrim him
self (Hengst.). The pilgrim identifies himself with tbese birds
of the air, and perhaps thinks of his family while he sings of
the nest —
" Thy altars, 0 Lord of Hosts (see Num. iv. 31, altar of sacrifice and
altar of incense.)
My King and my God 1 ''
The pilgrim-sparrow has found thine altars, 0 Lord of Hosts !
The stranger-swallow has found thine altars ! They could not
be a home for the birds, but they are so to bim. There is the
home and the nest ! That atoning altar of sacrifice speaks
peace ! Tbat golden altar of incense holds out acceptance
through the infinite merits of the sacrifice offered ; here is my
home, my nest ;-|- for here is God, my God and my king, who
•will care for me, defend me, be all in all to me.
The pilgrim (verse 4, which is followed bytbe " Selah" -Tpa,use),
seems to rest by the way — he is under some fig-tree, at some
* This is a common use of D3i Job xviii. 5, "Yea (DJ), the light of the
wicked shall be put out." So Ps. xxv. 3, and elsewhere.
f Our English version misleads the reader. The Hebrew does not mean to
imply that birds built their nests at the altars : the thing was a moral impossi
bility. The French is good — " M moi quand verrai-je tes autels ?"

TO THE CITY OF THE LIVING GOD. 251
weU. He thinks of those who are never away from the Lord,
and covets tbefr bUss. But he rises up, verses 5, 6, and jouir-
neys on, comforted and strengthened by tbe thought that tbey
are afready blessed whose " strength is in Thee" — and
" In whose hearts are ways,"
pilgrim-ways, the roads that are cast up for travelling. Blessed
it is to have the resolution to traverse these ways, instead of
slothfuUy abiding at home (Jer. xxxi. 31). They are wilUng
to endure hardship and inconvenience, taking what they find,
less or more. " Passing through the valley of Baca,*
They nuike it a wdl —
Yea, thepools which the rain has filled."
Little as there may be of water, that little suffices them on
their way. It is a well to them. Tbey find only "pools (which)
the early rain lias (barely) covered" — but are content with the
supply by the way. It is as good and sufficient to them as if
showers of the bea-yy autumnal rains had filled the well. Pil
grims forget the scanty supply at an Inn, when they have
abundance in view at the end. Israelites going up to the Pass
over made light of deficient water, for their hearts were set on
reaching Jerusalem. Our Elder Brother, tbe leader of the pil
grim-band, endured such hardships for the joy set before him
— aye, even endured to be "thirsty" on the cross under infinite
-wrath — and in this he set us an example, as well as wrought
out salvation.
In verse 7 we see the arrival of the pilgrims at the city.
In verses 8, 9, we hear their prayer when arrived —
" O God, see our shield ! (the position of ]J0 is peculiar)
Behold the face of thine Anointed !"
Israel's Priest was " shidd and anointed" to the worshippers ;
Christ is all this in antitype. Christ himself could use this
prayer. Identifying himself with the pilgrim-band, they might
be supposed pointing to him and saying, " Our sliield look
¦" Valley of tear-shrubs (Hengst), or mulberries. Valley of lamentation,
Jammerthal, (Gesen.) — some sterile, gloomy spot, on the way to Jerusalem,
like that near the barren knoll of Scopes, where Nob once stood. Others sup
pose the spot where the mulberry-trees grew, 1 Chron. xiv. 15.

252 PSALM LXXXV. — BRINGING BACK OF ISRAEL S CAPTIVITY
upon, 0 God !" While he himself might be supposed, second
ing the plea by calling the Lord's attention to himself— ,"5e-
hold the face of thine Anointed Otic."
And now, verses 10, 12, you are made to hear tbe.report of
the place given by those who reach it. Israelites would thus
commend God's holy place to their fellows ; but they who reach
the kingdom, of which all this was the shadow, what would
they not say of the glory, and beauty, and bliss, and peace ?
If a day in the Lord's typical courts was so satisfying, what
would be a day in tbe kingdom ? And if one day, what the
Eternal Day, — " dies sempiternus, cui non cedit hesternus,
quem non urget crastinus ?" (August.)
" For the Lord is a sun and shield f
God givdh grace and glory ;
The Lord withholds no good
From them that walk uprightly."
The Lord is all brightness and no gloom, and all safety. He
gives " honour and glory," (see Prov. iv. 9, &c.). He leaves not
one unsatisfied wish. Not one in tbat kingdom but ever sings
(and 0 that all on earth heard it uow !) —
" O Lord of Hosts, blessed is the man that trustdh in Thee .'"
This is the heartfelt utterance of each one that has traveUed,
thither ; the testimony, ungrudging a,nd unqualified, of
The Righteous One on his way to the city of the Living God.

PSALM LXXXV.
To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Eonik
1 Lord, thou hast been favourable unto thy land :
Thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.
2 Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their
sin. Selah.
8 Thou hast taken away all thy wrath :
Thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.
4 Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.
fi Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou, draw: out thineianger to
all generations ?
6 Wilt thou not revive us again ! that thy people may rejoice in thee ?

EXPECTED BY THE RIGHTEOUS. 263
7 Shew us thy mercy, 0 Lord, and grant us thy salvation.
8 1 will hear what God the Lord will speak:
For he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints:
But let them not turn again to folly.
9 Surely his Mvation is nigh thein that fear him ; that glory may dwell iu
our land.
10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace bave kissed
each other.
11 Truth shall spring out of the earth ; and righteousness shall look down
from heaven.
12 Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good ; and our land shall yield her
increase.
13 Kighteousness shall go before him, and shall set us in the way ofhis steps.
When Israel ceased to be pUgrims to the city of God, tbe Lord t"" ''¦'"^¦
made tbem in another sense pilgrims and strangers, "tribes oi'
the wandering foot and weary breast." The captivity of Baby
lon was only a foretaste of centuries of exile and oppression.
But, on the other hand, tbe restoration under Ezra and Ne
hemiah is, after aU, but a foretaste of the final restoration of
that people, still beloved for their fathers' sakes. " The sons
of Korah" sang this song, perhaps first by Babel's streams, and
then at Jerusalem when the few thousands returned.
They pray for fuU deliverance, from verse 1 to 7. The The contents.
burden of it is ; " Lord, thou hast in other times been gracious,
thou didst in former days turn back Jacob's captivity ; thou
didst forgive his sins" — ^pausing in the midst of the renew,
"Selah" — and iJj^ , -"•"^'Tning to their plea.
" Wilt thou not quicken us again ? (give us life again.)
And thy peeple (no more scattered) shall rejoice in thee" (Ver. 6.)
And that " Zi/e" to them as a nation (li^^nri) is what Paul re
fers to as " life from the dead to the world," (Rom. ix. 1 5).
They get an answer, verse 8. Tlie people as one body
(Hengst.) suddenly hear a voice from tlie Holy One. "Let me
hear what God the Lord speaketh !" It may be tbefr priest,
as representative of the nation, that says, njJpB'Nt "Let me '
hear," in which case we might see Christ, their long-rejected
Priest, becomingthefr Intercessor, and bringing them the Lord's
message from the tme Holy of Holies. The nation is waiting.

254 PSALM LXXXV. — ^BRINGING BACK OF ISRAEL'S CAPTIVITY
and their representative says, " Let me hear^' — ^for it is worth
bearing, it is glorious news,
" For he speaks peace to his people .'"
words like tbose of Jeremiah — " Thoughts of peace and not of
evil !" But, besides, he seems to tell of their being instru
mental, as " life from tbe dead," in blessing the nations ; for
while he speaks peace, it is to Israel, but not to them only,
it is to " His people, and to his saints.
And they ahall turn no more to folly /"
The time of millennial blessedness has come. The time for
displaying grace to the full has come. Jew and Gentile shaU
meet, like David and Araunah, at the altar on Moriah.
" Surely, ("HJ^ as Psa. Ixxiii. 1) his salvation is near them that fear him.
So that glory tabernacles in our Land."
The salvation of Israel bas corae out of Zion. The Sa-riour
has corae, the Redeemer, " the glory," in its fullest sense, anti
type of the cloud of glory. And wbat a full display of di-vine
perfections now in the salvation of Jerusalem-sinners, Man-
nasseh-sinners, unbelieving souls ! * Tbe Redeemer is there,
and hence " grace and truth" have met, for " mercy and truth"
here, are tbe " grace and truth" of John i 17, of which Mes
siah is the full vessel, the living fountain. "Righteousness
and peace'' also — for here is the true Melchizedec, who is "first
king of righteousness, and then king of peace." The harmo
nised perfections of the Holy One shine bright over Lsrael re
stored ; these, guiltiest once of all unbelieving ones, illustrate in
their conversion every attribute whicb the cross has magnified
They are received on principles of righteousness and truth, as weU
as love and mercy, because received through Christ's atoning
sacrifice ; and then they reflect these attributes (as the sea does
the sky above it) in tbeir life. " Wbat were joined as attributes
in Christ, ought not as virtues to be separated in a Christian
who may leam to resemble bis blessed Lord and Master by
* It is said in Romans xi. 31 — " At present they have not believed your
mercy {riviiSriSav tui '\)jj,iTi^iji sXiti) in order that they may be objects of mercy"
— monuments of what that very mercy cau do.

EXPECTED BY THE RIGHTEOUS. 265
observing that short but complete rule of life. Shew mercy and
speak truth ; do righteousness and follow peace." (Home.)
Restored and converted Israel walk in a singular land ! for
their heaven over them is righteousness, and the soU under
their feet yields ti'uth. God's unbroken word is illustrated by
them in manifold ways, so that it is as if " Truth sprang up
Uke the flowers of their land" when tbe rains are over and
gone ; and then, all is done in righteousness, their sins being
forgiven through atoning blood ; so that, " righteousTiess" is
their canopy, " looking down from heaven."* " A carpet of
tmth ! a canopy of righteou.sness !"
" Truly Jehovah givdh what is good ; (Exod. xxxiii. 19)
And our land yielddh its increase."
In verse 13 our attention is tumed again to the magnifying
of his " righteousness ;" for now more than ever his character
is manifested as " righteous," since it is the work of a law-ful-
fiUing Redeemer no longer rejected by Israel, but heartily
embraced, that has brought about these glorious changes on the
nation. " Righteousness godh before Him,
And sds His steps on the way." (Ver. 13.)
His steps are not straitened as he walks through Israel's land ;
righteousness itself as a " royal harbinger," makes a way for
his footsteps. Such is
The bringing back of Israel's captivity eospected by the
righteous.
* This " looking down," t)ptt>3 rendered generally by ita.iayLM'KTtii in the
Greek, implies such a look as in I Pet. i. 12 angels give into the things of sal
vation, and such a look as the disciples gave into the sepulchre. It is really
the Righteous One who is resting over them in complacent love, not as in
Psa. xiv. 2, and liii. 3, bnt fulfilling Psa. cii. 20.

256 PSA. LXXXI. — JEHOVAH'S CHARACTER, THE RESTING-PLACE

PSALM LXXXVL
A Prayer of David.
1 Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me ! for I am poor and needy.
2 Preserve my soul; for I am holy :
O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.
I Be merciful unto me, O Lord : for I cry unto thee daily.
4 Eejoice tbe soul of thy servant : forunto thee, 0 Lord, do I lift up my soul.
6 For thou. Lord, art good, and ready to forgive.
And plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
6 Give ear, 0 Lord, unto my prayer ; and attend unto the voice of my sup-,
plications.
7 In the day of trouble I will call upon the : for thou wilt answer me.
8 Araong the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord ;
', Neither are there any works like unto thy works.
' 9 All nations whom thou hast made shall corae
And worship before thee, 0 Lord ;
And shall glorify thy name.
10 For thou art great, and doest wondrous things : thou art God alone.
11 Teach me thy way, 0 Lord ; I will walk in thy truth !
Unite my heart to fear thy name.
12 1 will praise thee, 0 Lord my God, with all my heart :
And I will glorify thy name for evermore.
13 For great is thy mercy toward me : and thou has delivered my soul from
the lowest bell.
14 O God, the proud are risen against me,
And the assemblies of violent raen have sought after my soul j
And have not set thee before them.
15 But thou, 0 Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious,
Long-sufl'ering, and plenteous in mercy aud truth.
16 O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me ;
Give thy strength unto tby servant, and save the son of thine handmaid.
17 Shew me a token for good ; that they which hate me may see it, and be
ashamed :
Because thou. Lord, hast holpen me, and comforted me.
Thetitie. There was much, very much, of God's peculiar character, his
glorious name, brought to view in tbe close of the last Psalm.
This may account for its being followed by another, " A prayer
of David," almost equally full of the character of Jehovah.
The key-note of this Psalm is Jehovah's name;
he contents. From verse 1 to 4, the worshipper states his case ; "poor,
needy," affording an argument in our approach to Him of whom
we can say, " Though be was rich, yet for our sakes he became

FOE FAITH AND HOPE. 257
poor" (sucb was his grace!), " that ^ we through his poverty
might become rich," (2 Cor. -viii 9). There is emphasis in verse
4 in the words, " for to THEE " — to no other, " do I Uft up my
soul" But what, then, is the plea, verse 2, " Preserve my
soul, for 7 am holy ?" It is TDH, and we can refer at once to
Psalm iv. 3, — " Know that the Lord has set apart him tbat is
Tpn for himself" Is it a poor and needy member of Christ
that prays still ? that poor member is TOTl ; he is a saint, he
is devoted to the Lord, and beloved by the Lord, and bas that
of .which Psa. iv. 3 has spoken. He is set apart for the
Lord ; he is a temple- vessel ; the Lord will own the plea,
" Keep tbe temple-vessel from being profaned or broken." And
when the Lord Jesus so prayed, Jesus the true T'pn, what
force was in tbe cry I
At verse 5 the worshipper begins to tell us wbat be sees in
God — the God of love and grace —
" Thou, Lord, art good (love), and one whose very nature is forgiving,
Abundant in mercy (as Exod. xxxiv. 6) to aU that call on thee."
It is this sight that draws forth the requests of verses 6, 7, and
theii another look is directed to the Lord.
At verse 8 theLord is seen as unparalleled in heart and hand ;
and the full heart of the Psalmist feels (ver. 9) that there is
enough there to encourage, not him alone, but whole nations,
to draw near and adore. It is a note from the song of Moses,
Exod. XV. 11.
Then at verse 10 he looks again towards the throne and Him
that sitteth thereon, and sees his greatness in Himself and his
great deeds, which leads to the prayer of verse 11, for guidance
in his way. It is surely a matter of spiritual skill thus to look
first at the Lord, and then, with our soul bathed in his perfec
tions, to pour forth our desires. " Keep my heart to the one
thing, to fear thy name .'" (Tholuck.)
But at verses 12, 1.3, he recalls the past kuidness of his God,
wbat he has done in his behalf afready ; and thus he is en
couraged to ask for what be needs now, surrounded as he is by
proud foes, (ver. 14).
Once more, at verse 16, he gazes on the blaze of di-vine love ;
R

258 PSA. LXXXVL — Jehovah's character the resting place.
and forthwith utters his request for his special needs, in verse
16. He quotes Exod. xxxiv. 7, and expects sucb favour as
Moses found. And then, gathering strong confidence from the
many views he has had of bis God, the words qf verses 16, 17,
are a closing petition, in which he refers to Exod. xxiii. 32,
" the son of thine handmaid" (" verna "), thy home-bom slave,
and asks a sign (an J^SH), a rainbow-like sign of -wrath for ever
past (Gen. ix. 1 2), and mercy bending over him like a canopy,
Ci.:i t iicre Let US tbiuk of Jesus uttering verse 8 to bis Father ; and
Jesus amid such foes as verse 14 speaks of ; of Jesus, " truly thy
servant," verse 16, and of Jesus asking a " sign for good." In His
case, tbe sign would be resurrection-victory; this would be the
true " helping and comforting' for all other " Ebenezers" led on
to that final triumph. The ny'lt'lH of verse ] 6, is the " hosan-
nah" of Psa. cxviii. 25, both alike answered bytbe king Mes
siah riding forth in glorious triumph. And this shall be the
full " help and comfort," as well as the overflowing cup of
" salvation :" bestowed on each member, too ! In verse 9
there may be a glimpse, a passing glance, at tbe time of this
-—when all nations shall come and worship. There was a time
when Israel sang verse 8 at the Red Sea ; there has been a
time when the Church has sung it in view of tbe cross ; there
is a time at band when Christ and every member of his shall
sing it before the throne, when all kingdoms troop together to
acknowledge and adore Jehovah's name, revealed in his acts of
redemption-grace. Here, then, is the theme of this Psalm —
The Righteous One, in his day of distress, resting his faith
and hope on the character of Jehovah.

PSALM LXXXVII.
A Psalm or Song for the sons of Eorah.
1 His foundation is in the holy mountains.
2 The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob
3 Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.
4 I will make mention of Eahab and Babylon to them that know me i
Behold Philistia, and Tyre, and Ethiopia; this man was born there.

PSALM LXXXVIL — ^THE GLORY OF THE PLACE. 259
6 -And of Zion it shall be said. This and that man was bom in her ;
And the highest himself shall establish her.
6 The Lord shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man was
bom there. Selah.
7 As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there.
All my springs are in thee !
" A Psalm, a song, for the sons of Korah" — a title similar The title and
to many former Psalms. "Repletus Spiritu Sancto" (says
Augustine), " civis iste, et multa de amore et desiderio civi-
tatis bujus volvens secum, tanquam plura intus se meditans
erupit in hoc. Multa secum in silentio de ilia civitate par-
turiens, damans ad Dominum erupit etiam in aures hominum,
' Fundamenta ejus,' " &c. He supposes this citizen of Zion,
who sings of Zion, to be so rapt in soul, and fiUed with the
Spirit, that he abruptly exclaims, as if giving unwitting utter
ance to his overflowing feelings —
" His foundations are on the holy hills I"
or as more exactly rendered —
" His founded city is upon the holy hiUs I"
We consider it a Psalm in which Jemsalem is celebrated as The theme.
•" the city of the Great King," and this in reference in some
measure to the past, but in still fuller measure to the future,
when Isa. xxxiii 20-24 shall be fulfilled. " Look upon Zion,"
says Isaiah — and here is one looking on — like John, gazing on
New Jerusalem and examining its splendour. , Tbese moun
tains, Moriah, Zion, Olivet, long famous in Israel, they are
adorned now witb a city of which
" Glorious things are spoken."
or as some render it —
" Glorious things in thee have been spoken."
The Lord loves it above all the other* dwellings of Jacob, or all
his other cities, even as was announced of old, Deut. xii 5.
It is here he is to be for ever known as "Jehovah Sham
mah," Ezek. xlviii. 35. And this is " a psahn, a song" of that
glorious tima
¦* Though "other" is omitted, this is the sense, as in Psa. cxxxviii. 2,
" Magnified thy word above all thy name," i. a., thine other manifest at'' -as if
thyself; so Psa. Ixxxii. 6.

260 PSALM LXXXVII. — THE GLORY OF THE PLACE WHERE
Let us keep " Jehovah Shammah" before us as the key-note
of the Psalm. The Psalmist says —
" / vnll bring Rahab and Babd to the remembrarux of all my
acquaintance.
Behold PhUistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia !"
Having said this, the wondering narrator of Jerusalem's glory
abruptly breaks off as if to intimate to us that it is mere
absurdity to speak of these in the same breath witb Zion. As
the Persian poet (see Dr Clark) introduces one saying, " What
celebrity can Egypt or Syria, or any thing on earth or in the
sea, pretend to, when compared to Shiraz ? These are but
villages ; this alone is a city." So the Psalmist here. Speak
of Egypt, proud Egypt (^H"]), speak of Babylon, speak of
Philistia, speak of Tyre ! Speak of the far-off Ethiopia !
Speak of these in comparison — ^no, never ! This is my boast
to those that know me —
"I was bom there" (QC^) in yonder dty, on the holy hills !
T
For "this man" means no other than the speaker himself*
He goes on in his rapturous excitement, to tell more of the
city's renown, in such a strain as this : Well may I glory in
being a citizen of Zion, for many shall be proud of their relar
tion to it when the cities of tbe nations have long been for
gotten. I boast of my connection therewith, and many shaU
take up my boast.
" Of Zion it shall he said.
This man and that man was horn in her. (t£^X") E^K)-
And the Most High shall establish her." (Ver. 5.)
Yes, says the Psalmist, it shall be thus ; and happy am I who
belong to that happy city ; for the Lord himself, and not men
alone, shall proclaim its pre-eminence, and give me my place
as one of its citizens.
" The Lord shall record, when he enrolls the nations,-\
This man (that is, I who sing) was born there." (Dt£^.
* That " This man" may be the speaker himself, see Psalm xxxiv. 6; It is,
q. d., I who am speaking thus, — as John ii. 19.
t In Num. i. 18, .1"^7>/1^ " declared themselves to be bom," is an expression
to be noted in connection with this Psalm. For here, as in Numbers 1., the
Lord is represented as taking the census of his Israel.

THE EIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL BE MANIFESTED. 261
Happy mel wbo am to dweU in that city. Thrice, happy me 1
Then, still speaking with all the abruptness of deep excite
ment— " And also singers, as wdl as players on instruments,"
shall be there, filling the city with praise and holy joy ; and
this shall be the burden of our everlasting song —
" All my springs (fountains) are in Thee ! "
In thee, 0 Zion, where Jehovah Shammah for ever dwells ! in
thee I have found my rest. I have traced tbe streams of bUss
up to their fountain-head ! Such shall be Jerusalem redeemed,
restored, made the metropolis of a redeemed and restored
world, and the pattern or model of a holy capital to the nations.
It may be taken as sung by the Lord Jesus himself who said,
" Salvation is of the Jews" (Johu iv. 22), not ashamed to call
himself one of us, and glorying in the city built by God his
Father — not in the world's glory which Satan shewed him on
the high mountain of temptation. In that case his " being
bom there" refers to his, " This day I have begotten ihee" —
his resurrection and glory. Or it may be taken up in the lips
of any pilgrim and stranger who is looking for the " City that
has foundations ;" the city which God has prepared and thinks
worthy of himself to give to his weary ones for everlasting
rest, and which they on their partreceive with grateful wonder,
conscious tbat even if it had been a Cabul (1 Kings ix. 13),
they could not speak of having merited more. For the earthly
Jerusalem restored, and become the place of the manifesta
tion of the Lord on his throne, will be to tbe " new Jei'usar
lem" as the outer courts leading to the inner shrine. Sing,
'then, pilgrims, — sing, 0 Cburch of God,
The glory of the place ivhere the Righteous One shall be
manifested.
PSALM LXXX VIIL
A Song «r Psalm for the sons of Eorah. To the chief Musician, Upon Mahalath Leannoth.
Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite.
10 Lord Gob of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee.
2 Let my prayer come before thee : incline thine ear unto my cry;

The tone.

262 PSALM LXXXVIIL — ^THE SORROWFUL DAYS AND
3 For my soul is full of troubles : and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.
4 I ara counted with them that go down into the pit : I am as a man that
hath no strength j
5 Free, among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave,
-W-hom thou rememberest no more : and they are cut off from thy hand.
6 Thou hast laid rae in the lowest pit, in darkness, iu the deeps.
7 Thy wrath lieth hard upou rae,
And thou hast afSicted rae with all thy waves. Selah.
fl Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me ;
Thou hast made me an abomination unto them :
i am shut up, and I cannot come forth.
9 Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction :
Lord, I have called daily upon tbee, I have stretched out my hands Tinta
thee.
10 -Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead ?
Shall the dead arise and praise thee ? Selah.
11 Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave?
Or thy faithfulness in destruction ?
12 Shall thy wonders be known in the dark ?
And thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness ?
13 But unto thee have I cried, 0 Lord ; and iu the morning shall my prayer
prevent thee.
14 Lord, why castest thou off my soul ? why hidest thou thy face from me 1
15 lam afilicted and ready to die from my youth up !
While I sufier thy terrors I am distracted.
16 Thy fierce wrath goeth over me ; thy terrors have cut me off.
17 They came round about me daily like water ; they compassed me about
together.
18 Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into
darkness.
It has been said of some of our poets, that their living utter
ance threw more feeling into particular phrases than those
phrases conveyed in themselves, and that consequently they
who knew the men saw far more meaning in thefr language
than strangers could. In reference to the same fact, it has
been said, " Who would part with a ring tbat contained a dead
friend's hair? and yet a jeweller will give for it only the value
of the gold." In-many compositions of our deep-feeling poets,
there is " the hair of the dead friend in tbe gold." Their verses
are not to be weighed in the scale, and judged of by mere style
and expression. To read them right, we should be able to
call up tbe person himself wbo wrote, and make the verse glow
with bis impassioned feeling.

nights of the man OP SORROWS. 263
If this can be said of mere human compositions, how much
more of such a Psalm as this before us? The language is
strangely and a-wfuUy saddening ; and yet, evidently he who
speaks is far more deeply sad than his words expres.i, and filled
witb submissive calmness, while he bends his soul under the
storm. Hema/n, the grandchild of Samuel, was the instru- Thetitie.
ment of deUvering it to the Church, perhaps on some occasion
when very smgularly tried — nigh overwhelmed— but stUl, his
case was but the shadow of one who sank
 " Beneath a rougher sea.

And whelmed in deeper gulfs than he."
Heman is the person who, in 1 Chron. xv. 1 7, stands side by
side -with Asaph, and -with the Ethan, who writes the Psalm
that follows. Heman selected the most suitable instrument, no
doubt, for a piece so profoundly melancholy ; and this may be
meant by " Mahalath," if derived from the root that signifies
" to sing," (see Gesenius). Hengstenberg translates it as the
noun tbat raeans " sickness, or distress," as in the title of
Psalm liii We agree, however, with most interpreters in
supposing it an instrument of music, that same instrument
used in singing Psalm Uii, where the world's disease and sore
sickness are sung of in strains so sad. That same instrument
is to be used in singing the sorrows of Him who bore the world's
sickness. And then "Leannoth" means, " in reference to afflic
tion," such affliction as is described by that very term in verse
7 and verse 9. Some, indeed, join the term " Leannoth " to
" Mahalath," as if it had formed one compound name for the
instrament used by Heman. But even if this be so, tbe etymo
logy would still point to something melancholy, something of
.affliction, in the occasions on which it was to be used.
" We have in this Psalm the voice of our suflering Re- Christ the
deemer," says Home ; and the contents may be thus briefly
stated —
1. The plaintive wailing of the suffering one, verses 1, 2.
It strongly resembles Psa. xxii 1, 2.
2. His soul exceeding sorrowful, even unto death, verses 3,
4, 5. The word "free," in our version, is ^tt^BH, properly de
noting separation from others, and here rendered by Junius

264 PSALM LXXXVnL— THE SOEEO-WFUL DAYS AND
and TremelUus, " set aside from all intercourse and communi
cation witb men, ha-(dng nothing in common with them, Uke
those who are afilicted with leprosy, and are sent away to se
parate dwellings." They quote 2 Chron. xxvi. 21.
3. His feelings of hell, verses 6, 7. For be feels God's pri
son, and the gloom of God's darkest wrath. ¦ And " Selah"
gives tirae to ponder.
4. His feelings of shame and helplessness, verse 8. "His
own receive him not."
5. The effects of soul-agony upon his body, verse 9.
6 His submission to the Lord, verse 9. It is tbe very tone
of Gethsemane, " Nevertheless, not my will .'"
7. The sustainiTig hope of resurrection, Yerses 10 (with a so
lemn pause, "Selah"), 11, 12. The " land of forgetfulness," a,nd
" the dark," express the unseen world, which, to those on this
side of the vail, is so unkno-wn, and where tbose who enter it
are to us as if tbey had for ever been forgotten by those they
left behind. God's wonders shall be made known there. There
shall be victory gained over death and tbe grave : God's " lov
ing-kindness" to man, and his "faithfulness," pledge him to
do this new thing in the universe. Messiah must return
from the abodes of the in-visible state ; and in due time. He-
man, as well as all other members of the Messiah's body, must
return also. Yes, God's wonders shall be known at the grave's
mouth. God's righteousness, in giving what satisfied justice
in behalf of Messiah's members, has been ndanifested gloriously,
so tbat resurrection must follow, and the land of forgetfulness
must give up its dead. 0 morning of surpas.sing bliss, hasten
on ! Messiah has risen ; when shall all that are his arise ? Till
that day dawn, tbey must take up their Head's plaintive'-
expostulations, and remind their God in Heman's strains of
what he has yet to accomplish.
" Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead," Sc.
8. His perseverance in vehement prayer, verses 13, 14.
9. His long-continued and manifold woes, verses 1 5, 16, 17.
10. His loneliness of soul, verse 18. Hengstenberg renders
the last clause of this verse more Uterally — " The dark king
dom of the dead is instead of all my companions." What un-

NIGHTS OP THE MAN OF SORROWS. 265
Titterable gloom ! completed by this last dark shade — all sym
pathy from every quarter totally withdrawn ! Forlorn indeed !
Sinking from gloom to gloom, from one deep to another, and
every billow sweeping over him, and -wrath, like a tremendous
mountain, " leaning" or resting its weight on the crushed worm !
Not even Psalm xxU. is more awfully solemnising, there being
inthisdeeply melancholy Psalm only one cheering glimpse
thiwagbme^inienieglooih, namely,, tbat of resurrection hoped
for, but still at a distance. At sucb a price was salvation pur-
cEaSed by Hun wEo is the resurrection and the life. He himself
•wrestled for life and resurrection in our name — and that price
so paid is the reason why to us salvation is free. And so we
hear in solemnjoythe harp of Judah struck by Heman, to over
awe our souls not witb his own sorrows,* but with what Horsley
calls " The lamentation of Messiab," or yet more fully.
The sorrowful days and nights of the Man of Sorrows.

PSALM LXXXIX.
Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite.
1 I WILL sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever I
'With my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generatiom.
2 For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever :
Thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.
3 I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David <nly
servant,
4 Tby seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all geneni-
tions. Selah.
6 And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lordl
Thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints.
6 For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord ?
-Who among tbe sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord! ¦
7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints.
And to be bad in reverence of all them that are about him.
8 O Lord God of hosts, wbo is a strong Lord like unto thee?
Or to thy faithfulness round about thee?
* " Thy suffering Lord, believer, see.
And praise the heart that bled for thee.
The horrors ofhis hell- touched soul
F'rom wounds of death hath made thee whole." — ^Babclat.

266 PSALM LXXXIX, — THE FAITHFUL COVENANT
8 Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou
stillest thera.
10 Thou hast broken Eahab in pieces, as one that is slain ;
Thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm.
11 The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine :
As for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.
12 The north and the south thou hast created them :
Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.
13 Thou hast a mighty arm : strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand
14 Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne :
Mercy and truth shall go before thy face,
15 Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound :
They shall walk, 0 Lord, in the light of thy countenance.
16 In thy name shall they rejoice all the day, and in thy righteousness shall-
they be exalted.
17 For thou art the glory of their strength : and in thy favour our horn shall
be exalted.
18 For the Lord is our defence ; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.
19 Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one.
And saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty ;
I have exalted one chosen out of the people.
20 I have found David my servant ; with my holy oil have I anointed him :
21 -With whom my hand shall be established : mine arm also shall strengthen
him.
22 The enemy shall not exact upon him ; nor the son of wickedness afflict
hira.
23 And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate
him.
24 But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with Him :
And in my name shall His horn be exalted.
25 I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers.
26 He shall cry unto me, Tbou art my father, my God, and the rock of my
salvation.
27 Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.
28 My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and ray covenant shall stand
fast with hira.
29 His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of
heaven.
30 If his children forsake my law, and walk not in ray judgments ;
31 If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments ;
32 Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with
stripes.
33 Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from Him,
Nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.
34 My covenant will I not break, not alter the thing that is gone out of my
lips.
36 Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.
36 His seed shall endure for ever, and his tbrone as the sun before me.

¦WITH MESSIAH AND HIS SEED. 267
37 It shall be established for ever as the moon,
And as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.
38 But thou hast cast off and abhorred, thou hast been wroth vrith thine
anointed.
39 Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant :
Thou hast profaned his crown by casting it to the ground.
40 Thou bast broken down all his hedges ; thou hast brought his strongholds
to ruin.
41 All that pass by the way spoil him : he is a reproach to his neighbours.
42 Thou hast set up the right hand of his adversaries ; thou hast made all his
enemies to rejoice.
43 Thou hast also tumed the edge of his sword, and hast not made him to
stand in the battle. '
44 Thou hast made his glory to cease, and cast his throne down to the ground.
45 The days ofhis youth hast thou shortened : thou hast covered him with
shame. Selah.
46 How long, Lord ? wilt thon hide thyself for ever ?
Shall thy wrath burn like fire ?
47 Eemember how short ray tirae is :
Wherefore hast thou made all men in vain ?
48 What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death ?
Shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave ? Selah.
49 Lord, where are thy former lovingkindnesses, which thou swearest nnta
David in thy truth ?
50 Eemember, Lord, the reproach of thy servants ;
How I do bear in my bosom the reproach of all the mighty people ;
51 Wherewith thine enemies have reproached, O Lord,
Wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine anointed.
62 Blessed be the Lord for evermore. Amen, and Amen.
The title assigns this Psalm to " Ethan the Ezrahite," as the The titia.
last was by "Heman the Ezrahite." Tbese were probably
called " Ezrahites," i. e., sons of Zerab, as a name of honour,
because of their skill in music. For, in 1 Chron. ii. 6, we find
the grandcbUdren of Judah bear these names, and in 1 Kings
iv. 31, they are spoken of as renowned for skill in song, being
" sons of Mahol, i. e., sons of th e choir." Hence, in after times,
Levitical singers who were conspicuous in this department
were called " Ezrahites," q. d., Handels or Mozarts, And this
is a " Maschil."
The subject here is foUowed out in progressive development. The plan.
He is to sing, verse 1, of the Lord's mercies and faithfulness ;
in other words, of " the sure mercies of David," spoken of by
Isaiah Iv. 4. He seems to be revolving in his thoughts the

,268 PSALM LXXXIX^THE FAITHFUL COVENANT
Lord's words to David, 2 Sam. vii 1 4. Impressed with that
solemn covenant, he sings, verse 2 —
" I have said, Merey shall he built up for ever /"
Not as the tower of Babel, to be left unfinished, and then de
stroyed, but built up heaven-ward, a grateful sight to God and
man — " The heavens! thy faithfulness thou wilt establish therein .'"
Tbe Lord himself replies to this expression of faith in verses
3, 4, clearly referring to his word pledged to David in 2 Sam.
vU. When bis voice bas uttered its sealing testimony, there is
a solemn pause — " Selah .' " The Lord bas spoken ! And then
silence is broken by rapturous praise, verse 5 —
" I%e heavens shall praise thy wonderful doing ;
Thy faithfulness, also, in the congregation of ihe saints."
Unfallen angels, and the great congregation of redeemed men,
shall yet unite in praise to the God whose mercies have been
promised to David. Messiah's Second Coming will be the
special season for that praise, when his gathered elect, " the con
gregation of the saints," survey the foundation of their blessed
ness, and review tbe way by which he led them on. Every
time an assembly of saints now, in this time of ingathering,
unites in so celebrating the Lord, we have a type of that com
ing day ; especially when they so unite on tbe Sabbath of rest,
itself a type. And the strains that follow are a specimen to us
of what may be the topics of the Song of the Lamb.
Here are bis praises. From verse 6 to verse 18, Ethan
sings of the Lord's incomparable glory and greatness, felt by
saints, as well as by angels, the sons of the mighty. He is
" God of Hosts," frresistible in might, and yet never once tm-
loosening the girdle oi faithfulness to his covenant. " Faith
fulness is round about thee !" (ver. 8). It is God in Christ
whom Ethan praises ; it is he who at his coming again bears
the name, " Faithful and true" (Rev. xix. il), and who has
" faithfulness as the girdle of his reins," (Isa. xi; 5). He is the
ruler of the stormy sea, and of proud Egypt ; the Creator of the
glorious heavens, and of the earth witb its fulness; the founder

'WITH MESSLAH AND HIS SEED. 269
of Israel's land, who appointed Tabor and Hermon* to stand
in the midst of that land as witnesses of the Lord's doings.
This is Jehovah ; and he is at once righteous and loving —
" Righteousness and judgment-are the platform on which thy throne
stands,
Mercy and truth stand before thy presence." (Ver. 14.)
Happy they who know him ! wbo have heard and joined in
the " joyful sound," i.e., the shout of joy raised by Israel to
this king (Num. xxiii. 21), when they worship him at thefr
solemn feasts (Lev. xxv. 9). Happy people ! They walk in
his light ! They anticipate the day when the shout of joy
shall be raised at his Coming, and when they shall have no
other light to walk in than what beams from God and the
Lamb. So they go on from day to day —
" For our shield, it belongs to the Lord (y) ;
And our king he belongs to the Holy One of Israd."
(Our protector is himself protected by the Lord.) (Ver. 18.)
A fuller and plainer declaration, however, is given at verse 19
and onwards, of the source of all this rejoicing. Israel's shield
and king was the type of another whom Jehovah gives to Is
rael and to earth —
" Thou spakest in vision to thy holy ones,'' i. «., thy people (Ver. 18.)
Thou revealedst to thy saints, by Nathan and others, thy pur
pose to send Messiab in David's line ; and from ] 9 to 28, this
is sung of in lofty strains. He has made him the depositary
of help ; and he tells how be will uphold him, honour hira, ex
tend his kingdom, exalt his name to the highest. Nay (29-34),
he shall not be disappointed of his glory and proraised bliss
even by his children's unfaithfulness ; for they even (35-37),
when unfaithful, must be brought back to him, tbat be may
want no joy. His tmth is pledged to this, as surely as when
he made the rainbow " his witness in the heavens" to Noah.
A " Selah" -Tpaxuse follows. 0 tbat this scene were realised !
O that all were come !
But, alas, as yet these things are not arrived. We must
* This is surely better than to suppose the allusion to either side of Jorda
Tabor on the west and Hermon on the north-east.

270 PSALM LXXXIX. — FAITHFUL COVENANT WITH MEiSIAH.
hang on his faithfulness. For at present (vers. 38-45) deso
lation and ominous disaster abound. Another " Sdah"-^&nse
follows ; the worshipper is mournfully pondering the scene, and
wondering what he shall do ; and soon the Lord's remembered
faithfulness draws forth prayer from his Ups, the cry (ver. 46) —
" How long, Lord " 
accompanied by the plea that days are passing away, and that
the millions of earth are ever disappearing from the scene,
none able to resist the stroke —
" What mighty man livdh and sedh not death ?
Shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave f Selah I"
ever. 48.;
Keeeutk I* ™ay be that this verse (with its 113 *p) points to the longed-
for Messiah, as if saying —
" Where is He that shall live and not die f
That sliall deliver his soul from the hand of the grave ? Selah !"
Another burst of impassioned desire follows this pensive pause,
verses 49-5 1 , — an appeal to the Lord's love in former days,
enforced by the consideration tbat his name is reproached in
his servants, and by a touching reference to Moses, iu Num. xi.
12, and the gracious answer he got when bidden " carry in his
bosom" that stifi"-necked people —
" I bear the many nations in my bosom..
For thy foes, O Lord, have reproached.
They have reproached the footsteps of thy MessicM"
Tbey have been told of bis Coming ; but he tarries, and they
scoff at this delay ; they cast it up to me. " The footsteps"
are explained by the Targum, and by Kinchi to mean " the
tardiness of his steps,"* but by others as equivalent to the
whole movements or ways of Messiah. In either case the
taunt of the scoffers, 2 Peter iii. 4, and Malachi u. 17, is in
cluded — " Where is the promise of his coming ? Where is
the God of judgment?"
* M. Anton. Flaminius says, that it is by some understood of scoffers who
derided the Jews — " Quod ii Christum liberatorem expectarent, cujus vestigia
et pedes venientes nunquam visuri essent."

PSALM XC. — man's sin AND FBAILTY. 271
But faith holds out, nay, realises the happy issue, (ver. 32) —
" Blessed he the Lord for ever !
Amen, and amen !"
Let it come, let it come ? {yimro, yivom ! Sept.) or rather, tes-
tifjdng its assurance that all this shall come, not one thing
failing ; for the theme from beginning to end has been —
The faithful covenant with Messiah and his Seed.

PSALM XC.
A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.
I LoKD, thou bast been our dwelling-place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed tho
earth and the world.
Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
3 Thou turnest mau to destruction ; and sayest, Eeturn, ye children of men.
4 For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past,
And as a watch in the night.
5 Thou carriest them away as with a flood ; they are as a sleep :
In the morning they are like grass which groweth up.
6 In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up ;
In the evening it is cut down, and withereth.
7 For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.
8 Thou bast set our iniquities before thee,
Onr secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
9 For all our days are passed away in thy wrath : we spend our years as a
tale that is told.
10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten ;
And if by reason of strength they be fourscore years,
Yet is their strength labour and sorrow ;
For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is
thy wrath.
12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
13 Return, O Lord ! how long ? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants.
14 O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and he glad all
our days.
15 Make ns glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us.
And the years wherein we have seen evil.
16 Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children.
17 And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us:
And establish thou the work of our hands upon us ;
Yea, the work of oar hands establish thou it.

272

PSALM XC. — man's sin AND FRAILTY

The position of
the Fsalm.

The title.

The contents

Part IV. of the Book of Psalms, according to the Jewish divi
sion, begins here. It is, however, unsuitable in this way to
separate the 90th from the 89th, inasmuch as tbe latter sets
forth the abiding faithfulness of God the Lord, while the for
mer shews tbe need of tbat faithful covenant, because of man's
sin and fraUty. Perhaps the reference in the close of Psa.
Ixxxix. to the words of Moses, in Num. xi. 12, may have in part
led to the position of this Psalm next to it.
Thetitie, " The prayer of Moses, the man of God," is a title,
the genuineness of which we have no grounds for disputing, as
all manuscripts have it. ,Some diminish tbe interest of this
title by giving it a figurative turn, as if all that was meant was
tbat the Psalm is a proper prayer for one who, like Moses, is a
pilgrim in the world's wilderness. But it is far better to take
it as it stands — a real prayer and psalm of Moses, perhaps
written about the time of that a-wful event. Num. xi , or, in the
88th year of the desert-journey, when himself had so sinned
as to be forbidden to enter the land. Some even fix on Pis-
gab as the spot where be sang so pensively.
Moses, bemoaning tbe sentence gone forth on Israel, and al
ready in prospect seeing tbe sands of the desert covering the
whitening bones of the thousands that had followed him, sings
of these three themes —
(a) 'From 1 -10, Nothing found stable but Jehovah. Heis
jiya not a tent in the desert, but a fixed abode (ver. 1) ; and
shall be so more gloriously stiU, (Horne).
" ITwu turnest them even to brokenness, {i. e., crumbling down the mass
of dust) ; '
And sayest, Rdurn, ye children of men," {q. d., let the sentence re
corded in Gen. iii. 19, take its course).
Man fades though his sentence of death be deferred, and
even if he were, like tbose before the flood, to live onward
to a thousand years. All this because of sin, — sin which God's
holy eye cannot overlook, for bis countenance is spoken of (ver,
8) as "liND, a luminary. And then the shortened period of
seventy years ever tells of the limit to man. Our days pass
away as " a tale," or " ejaculation," or "sigh," or " thought ;"

LEADING TO THE CRY FOE BETTEE DAYS. 273
and if there be fourscore years, yet D3n^, that in which they
prided themselves (thefr Rahab), becomes toU and suffering.
(Hengst.) (b) In verses 11, 12, he sings. Nothing able to stand before
the wrath of the Lord —
" WTw knows the power of thine anger, (Ezra viii. 22)
And thy wrath, up to the measure ofthyfMr ?
Who knows, or cares for, thy wrath in a manner suitable 'to
what is demanded by tby perfection. 0 to know it so as to
be led thereby to wisdom —
" Cause us to know (it), numbering our days I
That we may bring our heart to wisdom."
(c) But in verses 13-17, he sings of The days of the Res
titution of all things — days when " the Lord returns," that is,
" turns back from his wrath," and comforts his servants — days,
when the dark night is past, and when " at morning" (")p31,
ver. 14) the LOrd satiates his own, so that they are evermore
rejoicing — days Uke what Jesus speaks of John xvi 20-22,
that make anguish no more remembered — days when the
Lord's work appears in power, and his glory is unveiled — days,
when the "beauty (Qyi> see Psa. xxvii. 4,*) of the Lord," his
well-pleased look, rests ou aU his people, and on earth at
large. Of such days the times of Da-vid and Solomon were a
type, and the times of Immauuel on earth and his apostles
were so far a specimen. But the fulness is stUl a thing hoped
for, to be brought us at the Lord's appearing.
The meeker than Moses, CJbrist on earth, could use this Psalm Heal*'' ""
in sympathy with us. As in Psa. cu. 3, 10, 11, he mourns
over sin, and tbe results of sin, which he by imputation was
made to share, so here he might speak as one of us throughout
This very ancient Psalm, " Tbe prayer of Moses, the man of
God," has for its burden
Mam! 8 sin and frailty leadvng to the cry f on- ike better days.
* The Targiun has here — " Let the sweetness of the garden of Eden be npoE
ns."

274 PSALM XCL — ^MOEE THAN ISEAEL'S BLESSING

PSALM XCL
1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress :
My God ; in him will I trust.
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the
noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust:
His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
6 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night ;
Nor for tbe arrow that flieth by day ;
6 Nor for the pestilence Ihat walketh in darkness :
Nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand;
But it shall not come nigh thee.
8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold, and see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because thou hast made the Lord which is my refuge, even the Most High,
thy habitation ;
10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any pl.ague come nigl; thy
dwelling.
11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy
ways.
12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a
stone.
13 Thon shalt tread upon the lion and adder :
The young lion and tbe dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver hira
I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer hira :
I will be with him in trouble ; I will deliver him, and honour him.
16 -With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

'' ™1° *''° " Incarnate God ! the soul that knows
Jieme. Thy name's mysterious power,
Shall dwell iu undisturbed repose
And fear the trying hour."
il'e'f speaiier. The Messiah, of whom former Psalms have sung, and to whom
every sweet singer of Israel had regard, is here prominently
before us. In contrast to tbe utter failure of man in himself,
bere is Messiah's safety in bis God. Besides (in the wonted
manner of all these holy songs for the Church in aU ages),
Messiah's seed are included, who, though as reeds in them
selves, are as the cedars of God in thefr Head

RESTING ON MESSIAH AND HIS SEED. 275
The imagenris taken from Israel's historv. Thus, verse lAiinsionsto
o J J ' Israel's history.
speaks of " the AlTnighty," the " Shaddai" wbo spoke to Abra
ham, Gen. xvii 1 ; verse 5, tbe Passover night, and David's escape
from the pestilence ; and the same again, in another aspect, in
verses 6, 7, 8. Not to speak of the reference in verse 2 to the
Taberrmde and its Holy of Holies, verses 3, 4, allusion is made.
to Jehovah as ihe eagle (Deut. xxxiii. 12) who bore up Israel.
Not less so verses 11—13, where the scorpions of the desert,
and the beasts of " tbe waste, howling wilderness" are in view,
as well as the flints and the pit-falls of the desert, needing an
angel-hand to do the service done by the angel of the covenant
in the Cloudy Pillar. Even verse 1 5 abounds in sucb refer
ences ; the " calling" and " trouble" resemble Psa. Ixxxi 7,
where Isr^l's distresses are the theme ; the " delivering," too,
and then the "glorifying" remind us of Israel made glorious
in the eyes of tbe nations ; while the " length of days" sends
us back to such promises as Deut. xi. 21,
The Psalm, then, ma-y be viewed as gathering round Messiah Christ ana his
, . . . . . members.
and his seed all the Lord's gracious and glorious interpositions
in behalf of his own from the beginning ; and all the Lord's
promises. It is Christ who realises verse 1 to the full, (as
Satan seems to have known when he used this Psalm in the
temptation, Luke iv. 1 0, 1 1) —
" He who sits in the covert of the Mod High
Shall spend the night {i. «., his darkest hours) under the shade of the
Almighty ;
Saying to Jehovah, ' He is my Refuge,' <&c"
Let us simply notice that IDK may very naturally be rendered
as tbe present part, " He sits, saying to Jehovah." Christ's
people, in their measure, may be thus described ; for does
not faitb confidingly " sit in the covert of the Most High,"
going in by the rent vail ? And in the measure they so do, in
the same measure tbey claim and they enjoy the blessings a,fter-
wards set forth. It is interesting to notice in verse 6 the "li"!
and the ^Dp which Hosea xiii. 14 alludes to, when telling that
at the resurrection morn he will be plague and destruction to
death. Tbe putrid plague-fever often comes on in tbe night
while the patient is asleep ; the solstitial disease seizes in
^.--¦'- -" '-arvest upon a man in open air, and c«t,8 him off per-

276 PSALM XCL— MORE THAN ISRAEL'S BLESSING
haps ere evening. It is safety from perils like these that is
spoken of All these blessings are derived from and rest on
verse 1, the position of Him tbat claims tbem "under the
covert of the Most Higli." Hence, verse 9 brings this pro
minently into view again, and in the Hebrew the form of it is
peculiar. Tbe speaker says,
" Because thou, Lord, art my confidence !"
and forthwith a voice from heaven* seems to reply, "Yes,
" Thou hast made the Most High thy habitation." (Psa. xc. 1.)
And that same voice utters the blessing onward to the end. It
is the Lord's o-wn voice, for verse 14 has the words of Deut.
vii 7 — " Because he has sd his love on me,
Therefore will I ddiver him.
I will sd him on high
Because he has known my name."
Referred to hi The teuoT of the Psalm reminds us of John xvii, when the
Lord prays down his own privileges and blessings on his dis
ciples. How like is this last clause to John xvii 6-25, where
the Incarnate Son describes his disciples (ver. 14) by that
same feature, " They have known thee." The " length of
days," in verse 15, corresponds to Isa. UU. 10, "He shall
prolong bis days," but tells bere of resurrection and eternal Ufe
to Messiah's seed as well as to himself
One thing still let us notice —
" I wiU shew him my salvation."
The salvation. This salvation is the full redemption — all the glory purchased
by ihe Saviour as well as all the grace. "Salvation" is here
used as in Psa. 1. 23, in Rora. xiii. 11, 1 Thess. v. 8, Heb. is.
18, 1 Peter i 5, and many other passages. It tells of the day
that is yet to come, when Rev. xii 10 shaU be sung, and aU
the unknown glory of the New Jerusalem and its King shall
burst on our view. " All these promises," says Bishop Homer,
" have already been made good to our gracious Head and Re
presentative. Swift fly the intermediate years, and rise that
long-expected morning, when He who is gone to prepare a
* " A voice from heaven," remarks Tholuck, " seems to accompany the pro
mise of God."

RESTING ON MESSIAH AND HIS SEED. 277
place for us shall come again and take us to himself that
where he is we may be also !"
Augustine speaks of this Psalm as, " Psalmus iste de quo
Dominum nostrum Jesus Christum tentator tentare ausus est"
And we may say of it, that it exhibits
More than Israd' s blessings resting on Messiah and his seed.

PSALM XCIL
A Fsalm or Song for the sahhath-day.
1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord,
And to sing praises unto thy name, 0 Most High :
2 To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfhlnesi
every night,
3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery,
Upon the harp, with a solemn sound.
4 For thou. Lord, hast made me glad through thy work :
I will triumph in the works of thy hands.
6 O Lord, how great are thy works ! and thy thoughts are very deep.
6 A brutish mau knoweth not, neither doth a fool understand this.
7 When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity
do flourish ;
It is that they shall be destroyed for ever.
8 But thou, Lord, art Most High for evermore.
9 For, lo, thine eneraies, O Lord, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish;
All the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
10 But my horn shalt thou exalt like the boru of an unicorn :
I shall be anointed with fresh oil.
_ 11 Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies,
Aud mine ears shall hear my desire of the wieked that rise up against me.
12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree : he shall grow like a cedar
in Lebanon.
13 Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts
of our God.
14 They shall still bring forth fmit in old age ; they shall be fai; and ^flourish
ing;
T'o shew that the Lord is upright. He is my rock, and there is no unright
eousness in him.
vVhen we have arrived at the eternal Sabbath, this " Song or The titia.
Psalm for the Sabbath-day " shall be enjoyed in full In other
words, when the last words of Psalm xci. are accomplished, " I
will shew him my salvation," then shall this Psalm have its
most fitting place, sung, as it shall be, in the stillness and calm

278 PSALM XCII. — THE RIGHTEOUS ONE's SABBATH-SONG,
of the eternal day, when works are over — works of creation,
works of redemption, aye, and works of providence, too — when
Pharaohs are sunk in the deep, and when no sound but of psal
tery and harp breaks upon Sabbatic quiet — sung, too, by the
Lord of the Sabbath, not only at the beginning of his " glorious
rest," but oftentimes, as the ages to come roll on — sung in
memory of tbe past ! Glorious, glorious anthem ! taken up by
every member of Christ, by every harper present in that con
gregation of the saved, by every sweet singer of the new song !
The Chaldee paraphrast ascribes tbe original to " the first man
Adam.," forgetting that he could not refer to " ten-stringed
instruments," nor to "Lebanon." Jewish writers generally
refer it to Moses, in whose lips certainly the reference to the
" palra-tree," such as he might see at Elim, and to the " cedar
on Lebanon," and that goodly mountain he longed to see, would
be quite appropriate. It is banded down for the Cburch in all
time, whatever may bave been the circumstances in which it
was first given, and whoever may bave been the penman.
The themes of It is tuued, WO noticed, to tbe strains of tbe eternal Sabbatk*
tlio Ps&lni But still, it is no less suitable for every Sabbath now, inasmuch
as every Sabbath speaks in type of the " rest remaining for the
people of God." A redeemed soul -will sing it gladly as he
awakes ou the Lord's day ; our day of rest on which Jesus
finished bis work of resurrection, and which he seems, by his
o-wn act, to have set apart as " The Lord's day." The dawn
of day, after dark night, tbe dawn of day without toil be
fore him, cannot but seem a sweet type, or emblem of the
Lord's " lovingkindness" appearing in salvation after a night
of sin ; while the bright day that follows, with its hours of en
joyment and peace, presents as true an emblem and specimen
of tbe everlasting "faithfulness" that upholds his lot, fulfilling
all the promises that mercy gave. And hence, at morning
(perhaps over the morning lamb on the altar), " He shews forth
God's loving-kindness," and at evenings, (Heb. rt^^^i) (it t^^Y
he, over the evening lamb,) he praises the Lord for realising
all his expectations, proving himself a "faithful" God. He
uses every instrument of praise that tabernacle or temple could
• The Talmud is quoted by some writers as entitling it, " For the future age,
all of which shall be Sabbath."

ANTICIPATING FINAL REST AND PROSPERITY. 279
furnish, aye, adding one to all the other instruments, namely,
]'\''3in, " solemn heart-musing," to accompany the harp. For
this seems the only plain sense of li^ilH w^. It is upon the
heart-stvings, so to speak, as well as harp-strings.
But what thoughts are these that call forth such emotions?
Verses 4, 5, 6, are tbe answer. The Most High's wblJ^, D^Wp,
ntoiyno, "works, deeds, thoughts" — ^bis plans, and his plans ac
complished, in creation, redemption, providence. The " bndish
maw," the carnal man, "a m,an-brute" (Alex,), understands
not these ; but the Lord's spiritual ones do, beholding his glory
in every act, and perceiving height, depth, length, and breadth
of love, as well as hoUness. in thpm all.
One of these mysterio q i''''^^ I'l'i mysterious works of God
has ever been his dealings win Lis foes. He lets them prosper
long. But the Sabbath (every Sabbath that leads us to the
sanctuary where we consider ihefr latter end, and see persecu
tors buried in their Red Sea), and especially the great Sabbath
that fulfils all, comes to remove the veil from this part of the
Lord's ways. The Lord is seen in the end all the more illus
triously exalted ;
" But thou. Lord, art height {]yr\ti)for evermore ! " (Ver. 8.)
T
Thou art found exceedingly exalted, nay, placed on the pinnacle
of exaltation — height, or exaltation in the abstract !
Another of God's wondrous ways has been the trials of his
own. But the Sabbath clears up these too. Indeed, every
Sabbath gives a specimen of this, when tbe godly worshipper
goes forth to tbe sanctuary, anticipating the refreshments of
the final rest, and saying as the day advances —
" But my horn shalt thou exalt as the unicorn (or reem) ;
I am anointed with fresh oil." (Ver. 10.)
These anticipations, no doubt, are only foretastes of the enjoy
ments and revelations of the eternal Sabbath; but they are
tokens of its bliss. That clause, "anointed with fresh oil,"
is peculiar, the word being '/i?3, a term used in Numbers and
Leviticus (e.g., ii 4, 5), for "soaked in oil," copiously drenched
in oU. And this abundance of refreshment, this overflowing
of anointing oil, leads on the singer to other refreshings, as
plentiful and as desfrable —

280 PSALM XCIL — ^THE RIGHTEOUS ONE's SABBATH-SONG,
" The righteous shall fiourish as the palm-tree,*
He shall grow like a cedar on Ldiarwn," (his root fixed).
Is this the Lord Jesus ? Is He tbe Righteous; One ? It may
be, he is referred to as the model Rigbteous One, the only true
full specimen of God's palms and cedars, though bis mem
bers in him come in for their share. Indeed, is not He the
true Adam, wbo takes up this Sabbath-spng with aU his
heart and soul ? On His resurrection morning, and on the
morning of the resurrection of bis own, it suits him more than
any other.
If Sabbaths now are days of grace to men, what shall that
great Sabbath be ? O wbat shall saints be then ! If now it
be said, " They are planted in the house of the Lord I
They fiourish in ihe courts of our God !" (Ver. 13.)
how much more when the "house of God" is the "palace" of
the Great King ! — when the earthly courts are superseded by
the heavenly, even as Israel's typical courts were supplanted
by the spiritual.
In " old age" we expect such fearers of tbe Lord to be found
like Simeon and Anna ; but, what shall be their gro-wth after
ages on ages spent in the eternal Sabbath in the kingdom !
"Fat and flourishing !" fertUe and vigorous, as tbose described
by Isaiah Ixv. 20. (Fry.)
All this — ruin to the enemies ot God, everlasting blessedness
and increase to his own — shall prove the truth of what in aU
ages had been sung, in confidence of faith, Ps. xxv. 8. It shaU
" Shew that the Lord is upright." (Ver. 15.)
It shall prove that Jehovah's ways, as well as his words, are
all on the side of holiness. It shall be permitted to. each indi
vidual soul in the kingdom to appropriate Him as his. own —
• Jarchi says, " bearing abundant fruit," as the palra yields its precious
dates. Tholuck quotes from Schubert's Joumey — " The open country wears a
sad aspect now ; the soil is rent and dissolves at every break of wind' ; the green
of the meadows is almost entirely gone. The palra-tree alone preserves its
verdant roof of leaves in the drought and heat." Nor are we to forget the
growth of the tall palra, a growth that can be marked. In the ease of the cedar,
its roots and its age, as well as its strength, are all to be considered.

ANTICIPATING FINAL REST AND PRGSPERITYv 2&1.
"Heis my rock" (as the Head said in Psa. Ixxxix. 26), "wd
no unrighteousness is im, Him.''
Such is the close of this Sabbath-sgng, which has been en
titled by Dr Allix, "A prophecy of the hfippiness pf the Jews
in the great Sabbath of which Paul speaks in Hebrews iv.,"
but whicb might better still be described as
The Righteous One's^ Sabbath-song, anticipati/ng Jinal rest
and prosperity.

PSALM XCIII.
1 The Lord reigneth ! He is clothed with majesty !
The Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself:
The world also is established, that it cannot be moved.
2 Thy throne is established of old : thou art from everlasting.
3 The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice ;
The floods lift up their waves.
4 The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters,
Yea, than the mighty waves of the sea,
5 Thy testimonies are very sure : holiness becometh thine house, 0 Lord,
for ever.
From the lips of unfallen Adam might have come the joyful The theme
exclamation, "The Lord is King!" It was true then, yet
true no less when he looked on creation fallen, and himself and
bis posterity i-uined. " God reigneth !" was the rainbow of
hope. So, also, in every age, God's people have called this
truth to remembrance, and have been of good cheer amid frown
ing pro-vidences. But still, tbeir King was invisible, and his
plan of government involved in obscurity. Our Psalm refers
to all this, but to more besides.
We have heard the Sabbath-song of the redeemed in the
day of " The Rest that remaineth." Now, the Eternal Sab
bath is contemporaneous with the Kingdom. The saints glori
fied shall enter on the enjoyment of the former in all its mani
fold phases of positive rest ; the saints still on earth shall have
thefr share in the latter when it comes, reigned over by the
reigning saints, and by the King to whom these are kings (Rev.
i 6). This is the theme of the Psalm before us.

282 PSALM xciiL — Messiah's kingdom stilling
When the Lord by a prophet anointed Jehu king, we are
told bow tbose around him blew the trumpet, saying, " Jehu
reigneth!" (2 Kings is. 13, "^12 as here.) So the Lord's
anointed Messiah is proclaimed king by every voice and heart
in his dominions — " The Lord is King !"
His robes are not mere show, nor is his strength merely the
power of armies attending him.
" He is clothed with majesty !
The Lord, is clothed !
He hath girded himself with might t"
Nor is this all that is to furnish matter of wonder and delight
and praise. This enthronization of Jehovah in our nature has
intimate connection with our world's felicity.
" I'he world also is established ;
It does not totter." (See Psalm Ixxxiii. 5.)
That is, if we may be allowed to give a paraphrase of the
words, " It is made stedfast now, after aU its shakings ;
If rests from all its commotions, and totters no more."
The throne of Jehovah (once seen in Exod. xxiv. 10 for a few
hours), is now stretched over earth, according to God's ancient
purpose, and as they look up to it, they sing,
" Thy throne was estahlished of old.
Thou thyself art from eternity"
From tbe height of that immovable throne, the saints, in com
pany with their King, look down on enemies made their foot-
,->tool They sing of the past — how these foes gathered together
— " The floods, 0 Lord, lifted up their voice ;" but in a mo
raent the universe was witness of their impotency —
•' The Lord is glorious in the height (iv h-^ieroTg, Luke ii. 14,
xix. 38),
More than the voice of'^njestic waters,
Than bvlows of ihe sea."
The Kingdom has come, the Kingdom so often prayed for, so
ar lently desired, so long expected ; and its coming has reabsed

THE UPROAR OF THE NATIONS. 283
" Thy testimonies are mod true.'' (Ver. 5).
Our Joshua (Josh, xxiii. ] 4), can call all to witness that not one
thing hath faded of all the good things which the Lord God
spoke, (compare Rev. xxi. 5, and xxii 6). All the glorious
things spoken, and all his promises, have been verified, himself
being "faithful and true," (Rev. xix. 11). And the character
istics of his happy government are unlike those that marked
all former dominions on earth. His palace, or " house," (see
Psa, xcii 1 5), is not Uke the gay, loose courts of earthly kings
— holiness is there ; it is holiness only tbat would be suitable
there. And, it is added,
" 0 Lord (all this shaU remain) to dernity.''
The Septuagint translators felt there was such a real connec- connection
tion between this and the foregoing Psalm, tbat they entitle ^eauig rSi^
it, " E/'s Trjv fi/Ligav roij ffa^jSarou org xartfjuisrai rj yri," " For the Sab
bath-day, when the earth has been settled" — ^referring, evidently,
to the title of Psa. xcU., " A song for the Sabbath-day." But
we prefer describing it -with a reference to Rev. xi 1 5, as being
Messiah's kingdom stilling the uproar of the nations.

PSALM XCIV.
1 O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth,
O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself!
2 Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth ! render a reward to the proud.
3 Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?
4 How long shall they utter and speak hard things ?
And all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?
5 They break in pieces thy people, OLord, and afflict thine heritage.
6 They slay the widow and the stranger, and raurder the fatherless.
7 Yet they say. The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob
regard it.
8 Understand, ye brutish among the people : and ye fools, when will ye bo
wise?
9 He that planted the ear, shall he not hear ? he that formed the eye, shall
he not see?
10 He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct ?
He that teacheth raan knowledge, shall not he know ?
Jl The Lord knoweth tbe thoughts of raan, that they are vanity.

284 PSALM XCIV. — THE CRY OF THE OPPRESSED CHURCH
12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out
of thy law ;
13 That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity,
Until the pit be digged for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his in
heri tance.
15 But j udgment shall return unto righteousness : and all the upright in heart
shall follow it.
16 -Who will rise up for rae against the evildoers ?
Or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity ?
17 Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.
18 When I said. My foot sbppeth I thy mercy, O Lord, held me up.
19 In the multitude of my thoughts, within rae thy comforts delight my soul.
20 Shall the tbrone of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth
mischief by a law ?
21 They gather theraselves together against the soul of the righteous,
And condemn the innocent blood.
22 But the Lord is my defence ; and my God is the rock of my refuge.
23 And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity,
And shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the Lord our God
shall cut them off.
wi'thttie'pre-"" '^^^ Kingdom, then, and its King, have been anticipated, or
**""*¦ rather realised as if already coma With this prospect before
them, the oppressed Church and its Head cry for vengeance
— joining tbe cry of Rev. vi. 10, from under tbe altar ; point
ing the Judge to " The Day vengeance," Isa. Ixiii 4 ; recall
ing to his mind tbe words of the song of Moses, Deut. xxxu. 41.
The plan. The appeal is made in pointed heaven-penetrating cries,
verses 1, 2. Reasons for the appeal, strong and vehement, are
alleged, verses 3-7. Tbe world is warned that the appeal is
lodged, verses 8-11.* This done, the Church and her Head
bless the Lord for those very dealings that call for vengeance,
these being instructive 'and sanctifying chastenings to his own,
though their enemies did not mean to help thera to their crown.
They also bless tbe Lord for revealing the final issues, " tecwh-
ing them out of his law," i. e., advertising them in the pages
of his revealed Word of what is coming on, so tbat they
bave peace amid the storm (ver, 12-14)., "Judgment shall
* Bagster has a curious remark pn the phrase " He that planted tl^e ear."
The mechanism of tbe ear, lilce a root planted in the earth, is sunk deep into
the head, and concealed from view.

AND HER HEAD FOR THE DAY OF VENGEANCE. 285
return to righteousness .'" they exclaim : long has it seemed
otherwise ; judgment seemed to lodge in the streets, or stand afar
oflf. But iu God's due time, the Judge comes (ver. 3), and judg
ment goes home to the righteous — justice -vindicates their cause.
From verse 16 to the end, we hear the same parties en
couraging themselves to wait on for a season. When my soul
is bewildered by endless thoughts, when every human scheme
of reUef seems vanity, my resort is to thyself the God of all
consolation ! What streams for tbe thirsty are in thee. The
past, if it brought anxiety, has never failed to bring help,
whUe'the future presents the prospect of the entfre overthrow
of ungodliness —
" 7s the throne of iniquity confederate with thee ? (Is it become thy
friend? Ewald.)
Framing wickedness (or, misery, Hengst.) by right of law ! "
(Ver. 20.)
The question contains in itself its o-wn answer ; and even
meanwhile there is a refuge —
" Jehovah shall be my high place.
And my God (shall be) my rock ofshdter,"
tUl he arises in the day of his wrath to cut them off for ever.
Thus, beginning witb prayer,* the Psalm ends with prophecy ;
beginning with an earnest call, it ends with faith's confidence
of an answer, and sounds in our ear
The cry of ihe oppressed Church and her Head for the day
of vengeance.

PSALM XCV.
1 O coMEjlet us sing unto the Lord ! Let us make a joyflil noise to the rock
of onr salvation !
2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving,
And make a joyful noise unto bim witb psalms.
3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the deep places of the earth : the strength of the hills is
his also.
* Augustine says, on verses 1, 2 — " Prophetia est prsedicentis, non audacia
jubentis."

286 PSALM xcv. — THE FLOCK AND THE SHEPHERD TOGETHER
6 The sea is bis, and he made it : and his hands formed the dry land.
6 O come, let us worship and bow down : let us kneel before the Lord onr
maker.
7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of
his hand.
8 To-day if ye will hear his voice ! harden not your heart, as in the provo
cation.
And as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
9 -When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.
10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation.
And said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not
known my ways :
11 Unto whora I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.
The connection " Holy joy iu God, uot discord nor dejection, appear in the
ceding p^am. old coveuaut as tbe fundamental sentiment of adoration."
Thus truly spoke Tholuck in regard to the gladsome calls that
begin so many of tbese Psalms.
The King and Kingdom, the Judge and the Judge's ven
geance, are within sight, hastening on, almost at tbe door.*
Witb tbese solemn prospects infiuencing tbem, the flock and
the shepherd are now heard inviting men to enter the fold
while it is the day of grace. Augustine felt this connexion
when be wrote — " Venturas est ! prseveniamus faciem ejus in
confessione."

The contents.

" 0 come, let us sing cheerfully to Jehovah (Deut xxviii. 47),
Ld us raise the peal of melody to the rock of our salvation !
Ld us come early before him {q.d., ere ever he calls), with praise;
We will raise the peal of melody in psalms to him." (Ver. 1, 2.)
He is great, and he is Sovereign over all (ver. 3) ; the deeps
and the heights are bis (ver. 4) ; the sea and the land (ver. 5) ;
he IS our Maker — and "Maker" is equivalent to God who
made us all that we are in grace, as a nation and as individuals.
Deut. xxxii. 6 illustrates it So in Psa. c. 2, and many other
places. Our God is a shepherd to us who glory in the blessed
ness of being pastured by him, and defended as well as guided
by him (ver. 6, 7) —
*' To-day, 0 that ye would hear his voice!"
* Horsley connects Psa. xcv., xcvi., xcvii., xcviii., xcix., e., as an entire pro
phetic poem, and calls it, " Tlie introduction of the First-begotten into the
world."

INVITING MEN NO-W TO ENTER THE FOLD. 287
This is tbe force of verse 7, tyopn D«, like Exod. xxxii 32,
" And now, O that tbou wouldst forgive tbeir sin ! " and like
Luke xix. 42, " 0 tbat thou hadst known ! " It is an intensely
earnest call on those addressed to hearken to that voice, viz.,
to tbe call of God ; while verse 8, in the same breath, entreats
them not to be as Israel at Meribah and Massah — " like
Meribah, like tbe day of Massah in the wilderness." Only
let us not fail to notice, that while it is the flock who speak in
verses 1—7, it is the Shepherd who takes up their expostulat- ^^°''" "'
ing words, and urges them home himself at verse 8 to the end,
using the argument which by the Holy Ghost is addressed to
us also in Hebrews iii
There is something very powerful in this expostulation,
when connected witb the circumstances that give rise to it.
In themselves, the burst of adoring love, and tbe full outpour
ing of affection in verses 1—7 are irresistibly persuasive ; but
when the voice of the Lord himself is heard (such a voice,
using terms of vehement entreaty !) we cannot imagine expos
tulation carried further. Unbelief alone could resist this voice ;
blind, malignant unbelief alone could* repel
The flock and the Shepherd together inviting men now to
enter the fold.

PSALM XCVL
1 O SDTG unto the Lord a new song ! Sing unto the Lord, all the earth !
2 Sing unto the Lord, bless his name ; shew forth his salvation from day to
day.
3 Declare bis glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.
4 For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised : he is to be feared above
all gods.
5 For all the gods of the nations are idols : but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Honour and majesty are before him : strength and beauty are in his sanc
tuary.
7 Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord
glory and strength.
9 Give unto the Lord tbe glory due unto his name : bring an offering, and
corae into his courts.
9 0 worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness : fear before him, all the
earth.

283

PSALM XCVL — GLORY TO THE COMING ONE.

10 Say araong the heathen that the Lord reigneth :
The world also shall be established that it shall not be moved:
He shall judge the people righteously.
11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
Let the sea roar, and tlie fulness thereof.
12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein :
13 Then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice before the Lord:
For He cometh I for He cometh to judge the earth !
He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his
truth.

The position
of the Psalm.

Itsoilgtai.

The theme.

Some say that wherever "new song" occurs, it is a soug to
Messiah directly. At any rate. He is always prominent, for
the manifestation of Godhead is in all sucb Psalms a prominent
theme. The call of last Psalm came at a critical moment, namely,
in the interval between the cry for vengeance in Psa. xciv.,
and tbe answer to tbat cry in Psa. xcvi For it is with the
Kingdom and the Coming King just at hand, that Psa. xcvi is
sung. The first draught of this song appears in 1 Chron. xvi. Tbat
scene was a type. There was joy because of rest to tbe land, and
rest to tbe ark of God in tbe midst of the land. And " If crea
tion (says Home) be represented as rejoicing at the establish
ment of the kingdom of grace, how much greater will be the joy
at the approach of tbe kingdom of glory, when, at the resurrec
tion of all things, man, new-made, shall return to the days of
his youth, to begin an immortal spring, and be for ever young.''
It is in harmony witb Rev. xiv. 7, and xix. 1-1 1. Creation
' i's first birth had its jojdul songs from the morning stars,
the sons of God (Job xxxviii 7) ; shall not creation renewed
bave its songs (Isa. Ixii 10)? and shall not Earth itself sing its
o-wn bliss ? It is not angels that are invited to sing, though
no doubt they will join ; it is a redeemed world — and the men
of that redeemed world are to be telling of the salvation
not for a few moments only, but from " day to day." In
telUng the salvation, they are to fell chiefly tbe glory of
Him who has -wrought it out (ver. 1—10) — his wonderful doings,
his greatness, his praise -worthiness, his fear, the nullity of
all other gods, the creator-skill of our God who made the
heavens —

glory to him who COMETH. . 289
" Glory and majesty are his inseparable attendants :
(Not mere transient displays, such as Esther i. 4 records.)
" Power and splendour are in his sanctuary.'' (Ver. 6.)
(The originals of all kingly magnificence are in his palace.)
" Give unto Jehovah, ye families of the nations;
Give unto Jehovah glory and power.
Give unto Jehovah the glory ofhis name I
Bring a present,* and come into his courts I
Worship Jehovah in (real sanctuaiy splendour) the heawly
of holiness.
Tremble at his presence, all earth !
Tdl arhong the nations, Jdiovah is king ! "
As a consequence, there is the reverse of Psa. Ixxxiii. 5. Yes^
teU this also to men,
" The world stands firm ; it totters no more !
He judges thepeople with uprightness ! "
On this announcement, there is a shout that makes the welkin
ring — a shout like that af Corinth, when "Soter, Soter !" rang
through tbe afr, and astonished birds as they flew, reeled, and
dropt tbefr -wings. It is earth rejoicing (Rev. xix. 5) that now
what was foretold iU Rom. -viu. 19-21 about the deliverance of
the whole creation is at last accomplished —
" For He cometh ! for He comdh !
To judge the earth .' "
That is, to put earth in order,t to be its Gideon and Samson,
to be its ruler, to fiibil all that the Book of Judges delineates
of a judge's of&ce. It is, as Hengstenberg say,?, " a gracious
judging," not a time of mere adjudication of causes or pro
nouncing sentences — it is a day of jubilee. It is the happiest
day our world has ever seen. Who would not long for it ?
Who is there that does not pray for it? It is the day of the
Judge's glory, as well as of our world's freedom — the day when
* See 1 Sam. is. 7, 1 Kingsxiv, 3. Allusion is made to the customary forms
of approach to the great.
t The Septuagint has given this title to this Psalm — " ots o o/'xos ipMho-
/ji,iiTo fj-iTo, T7IV ai^aXcasiat." We may suppose they meant their title to
be figurative. T

290 PSALM XCVIL — THE AD-VENT OF MESSIAH,
" the judgment of this world" (John xii 31, and xvi. 11),
which his cross began and made sure, is completed by the total
suppression of Satan's reign, and the removal of the curse.
All this is anticipated here ; and so we entitle this Psalm
The glory due to Him who Gometh to judge the earth.

PSALM XCVIL
1 The Lord reigneth ; let the earth rejoice ;
Let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.
2 Clouds and darkness are round about him :
Righteousness and judgment are the habitation ofhis throne.
3 A fire goeth before him, and bumeth up his enemies round about.
4 His lightnings enlightened the world : the earth saw, and trembled.
5 The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
6 The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.
7 Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves
of idols.
Worship him, all ye gods !
8 Zion heard, and was glad ;
And the daughters of Judah rejoiced becatise of thy judgments, O Lord,
9 For thou, Lord, art high above all the earths
Thou art exalted far above all gods.
10 Ye that love the Lord, hate evil :
He preserveth the souls of his saints ; he delivereth them otit of the hand
of the wicked.
11 Light is sown for the rigbteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.
12 Eejoice in theLord, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance
of his holiness.
T,he Hme "WTe advance a step further. In this Psalm, Messiah has come
referred to. ^ ^ ^ '
in glory — he is not merely expected and anticipated. And
here the effects of bis Coming, in the ruin of his foes and their
idols, are sung of In Heb. i 6 there is a quotation of verse 7,
— " Worship Him all ye D''ii'?X" gods, or angels, as in Psalm
viii. 5. In making that quotation, the sacred writer prefaces
it with a definite mark of time — " When he bringdh his first-
begotten again into the world" — tbe time of his Second.Ad-
vent —

AND ITS RESULTS TO EARTH. ?T 1
" Jehomh reigneth ! Ld the earth* dance for joy ! (Horsley, 7Jiri.) ¦• T
Ld the midtitude of its regions rejoice."
The " basis of his throne" (comp. Psa. Ixxxix. 15) is formed The theme.
by "Righteousness and judgment," while "clouds" are its
curtains. And then is described the judgment upon idols, in
language borrowed from tbe Sinai-appearing of the Lord, (ver.
3, 4). When in verse 6 it is said,
" The heavens declare his righteousness,"
the sense corresponds to Romans i 18 ; it is equivalent to say
ing that now tbe Lord from heaven, from his opened heavens,
rises up in favour of righteousness. From age to age the
heavens seemed silently to hear, as if almost indifferent to tbe
cry of sin ; but not so any longer. At verse 7 Angels are called
upon, "Ye gods," (Heb. i 6); and called upon to worship " Him"
who now appears, viz., Christ who now comes into the world
again, (Heb. i 6). Angels wbo were present, and who adored
bim at Bethlehem, at his first Coming, are again adoring. Is
rael and earth at large rejoice, witnessing his "judgments," i e.,
bis providential dealings. But specially his saints, who have
long prayed and waited, now find that they waited not in vain ;
and hence the exhortation inverse 10, and the promise in verse
11, a verse illustrated by Esther viii 16 in one view ofit —
" Light is sown for the righteous."
Into the fiirrows made by the plough of affliction aud temp- Christ and ins
•^ ^ °_ ^ memherft
tation, God casts the seeds of after-joy. Christ, " the Right
eous One," is first partaker of this harvest of joy, as abun
dant as were his tears, his woes, bis sorrows — and joy is syno
nymous with " light," because of light's cheerfulness, and be
cause the rich flood of rays from the sun may be emblematic
of the gifts and blessings to be poured on the Righteous One
and his members. It is interesting to notice that an apparent
reference to the Head and members is contained in the change
of numbers in the clauses of verse 11 —
"Light is sown for the Righteous One, p^'HS
And gladness for those who are upright in heart," (who keep to his
rule). * Dathe makes Yl^^H, " the land," Palestine.

292 PSALM XCVIII.— ISRAEL, AND EARTH AT LARGE,
All this blessedness, at the very hour judgment comes on idols
and idolaters, may well call forth the rejoicing with which our
Psalm begins and ends. Aud tbe " holiness" of verse 12 may
remind us that all this joy is the result of Jehovah having at
length introduced his own holiness into a fallen world. It is
a blessed song concerning
Tlie Advent of Messiah, and its results to earth

PSALM XCVIIL

1 O SINO unto tbe Lord a new song I for he hath done marvellous things :
His right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.
2 The Lord hath made known his salvation :
His righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.
3 He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel:
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
4 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth :
Make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
6 Sing unto Lord with the harp ; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.
6 With trumpets and sound of comet, make a joyful noise before the Lord,
the King.
7 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell
therein.
8 Let the floods clap their hands :
Let the hills he joyful together before the Lord ;
9 For he cometh to judge the earth :
With righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.
The time. Ryland (in " Psalms restored to Messiah,") thinks that as the
Jews held that Moses wrote Psalm xc. and onward to the xc-viii,
it may be to this Psalm that Rev. xv. alludes, as " The Song of
Moses and the Lamb." This is improbable ; but the Psalm
suits that time. The kingdom and the King have arrived ;
the blessedness of that bappy day has been celebrated. But
the harp cannot be silent yet ! Another song on the same
The theme, key ! Another sweet and solemn melody on the same theme ;
but with this special addition, tbe Lord's faithfulness to Israd.
Hengstenberg remarks that this Psalm is full of allusion to
Isaiah. At any rate, this Psalm and Isaiah, whichever was the

'- - blessed in Messiah's advent. ,, /293
earUer, answer to one another, as seraph to seraph, celebrat
ing " wonders," " salvation with his right hand," " his holy
arm," " his righteousness revealed." And may not the clause
in verse 2, " He hath remembered his mercy and truth," ,- ,
be considered as equivalent to " full of grace and truth" in
John i. 17? That grace and truth is now i ^ be revealed to
Israel in particular, for he who is the fountain of it is to dwell
among them^ — ^his throne stretched over .lerusalem as a rain
bow spans the plain beneath, and his sceptre swayed-over earth
to its utmost ends.
" Sing to Jehovah with the harp !
With the harp and voice of psaltery I
With cornets and sound oflrumpd (as at the bringing up of the ark
to Zion, and as in 1 Kings i. 34, when Solomon was crowned).
Raise ihe peal of melody
Before the kdjg, Jehovah!"
And as at tbe commencement of a reign in Israel, we read of
the shout, " Let tbe king live !" (2 Kings xi 12, and ix. 13,)
" Jehu is king ! " and as they clapped the hand (2 Kings xi.
1 2), as well as shouted and blew the trumpet (2 Kings ix. 1 3),
so we find all these recognitions of The King in this Psalm —
" Tbe rivers clap thefr hands," and " the hills shout for joy,"
for the king foretold in Da-vid's last words has at length come
(2 Sam. xxiU. 3), to rule over men in the fear of tbe Lord.
It is tbe only Psalm called simply IbtD, "Psalm," without Thetitie
addition. Some say that the reason is, there are so many verses
that have some form of the root *1pt, verses 1-8, &c. Heng
stenberg accounts for it by supposing it the lyrical accompani
ment of the more directly prophetical preceding Psalm, and the
lyrical echo of the second part of Isaiah. It is at least interest
ing to notice, tbat a song of Zion whicb so exults in the king's
arrival should be called pre-eminently, "ibfD ; as if the Psalm
of Psalms were that which celebrates
Israel, and Earth at large, bltssed in Messiah's Advent.

294 PSALM XCIX. — MI':SS1AH RULING IN HOLINESa

PSALM XCIX.
1 The Lord reigneth, let the people trerable :
He sitteth between the cherubim, let the earth be moved.
2 The Lord is great in Zion ; and he is high above all the people.
3 Let thera praise thy great and terrible name ; for it is holy.
4 The king's strength also loveth judgment ; thou dost establish, equity,
Thou executest judgraent and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at his footstool;
For he is holy.
6 Moses and Aaron araong his priests, and Samuel among them that call
upon his narae ;
They called upon the Lord, and he answered them.
7 He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar ;
They kept his testimonies, and the ordinance that he gave them.
8 Thou answeredst them, O Lord our God : thou wast a God that forgavest
them,
Though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions.
9 Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy hill ;
For the Lord our God is holy.
The theme. The King and kingdom having come and been established, the
Psalmist sings of the principles of government. Holiness is
the rule. Jehovah is as boly as when he manifested himself
to Israel dwelling between tbe cherubim. Or rather, the idea
seems to be tbat Jehovah, while fulfilling the type exhibited
in his dwelling between the cherubim by dwelling with men in
Zion, is nevertheless so holy that eartb bows prostrate before
him, aud the nations quake.
The contents. " They praise thy name !
Great and terrible, holy is He I
And * royal strength loveth judgment /"
This is their song, because he has established judgment in
Jacob. Tbey call on others to.join (ver. 5), bidding them faU
before " His footstool," i.e., his ark, where be gave his mani*
festation of himself to men who approach to worship.
" He is holy " (ver. 5),
• Like " the might of Gabriel fought " (Milton, P. L. vi. 355), " Orispi /«-
ewnda senectus" (Juven. iv. 31). Others refer back to verse 3, " Let them
praise the strength of the King (who) loveth judgment."

PSALM XCIX — MESSIAH RULING IN HOLINESS. 295
This is one of thefr arguments ; another is, Moses and Aaron,
[srael's leaders in the -wilderness, are there ; and Samuel, the
first of the judges in the land, is there. These men, and such
as these, used to call upon the Lord and get answers, during
thefr days of trial, he speaking from the piUar-cloud.
" They kept his testimonies '' —
this is an abridged description of the obedient life of all these
saints — even as John xvii. 6, " They have kept My word," is
the Master's delineation of his disciples.
" He gave them a code of statutes,"
refers to such a passage as Deut. xxxiii 4, where the law is
reckoned among the prime blessings of Israel Yes, it was
always thus ; Jehovah answered them, and forgave them, yet
was " An avenging Ood because of their iniquities."
He is the same for ever. Just, sin-bating, righteous ! And
then a third time, as if to cause, eartb to respond to the song
of heaven (Isa. vi 3, Rev. iv. 8), the Psalmist extols Jehovah's
hoUness — " Worship at ihe hill ofhis holiness,
For Jehovah our God is holy /"
It is throughout a Psalm proclaiming tbe untarnished perfec
tions of the King, Messiah ruling in holiness.

PSALM C.
A Psalm of praise.
1 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
2 Serve the Lord vrith gladness : corae before his presence with singing.
3 Know ye that the Lord he is God : it is he that hath made us, and not we
ourselves ;
We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise :
Be thankful unto him, and bless his narae.
6 For the Lord is good ; his mercy is everlasting ; and his truth endureth to
all generations.
The King and kingdom come, and holiness now swaying the

296 PSALM C. — THANKSGIVING OF THE GREAT CONGREGATION.
sceptre of a happy world, behold the whole, earth as one great
congregation uttering praise, and blessing, and thanksgiving,
led by Messiah, the Chief Musician !
Thetitie. Its title is, "A psalm for thanksgiving." The word XTVih,
the word used in Lev. vii. 12 for sacrifices of thanksgiving,
when thankful raen brought to the Lord fine flour, and oil,
and wine, in token of their deep sense of blessings bestowed.
Here, then, is Earth's thankoffering day arrived — ¦
" Raise the peal of melody to Jehomh I
All the earth!"
Tlie contents They siug, in verse 2, of bis redemption, not of creation-work.
They say, " He made us," i.e., made us wbat we are, a people
to himself; as in Psa. xcv. 5, 1 Sam. xii 6, and Deut. xxxii 6.
It was not we that made ourselves his (comp. Ezek. xxix. 3).
" He (and not ourselves) made us
Bis people, and the fiock whom he feeds.'' (Ver. 3.)
And of this psalm for all nations, this thanksgiving for redemp
tion, this utterance of every heart and lip on, eartb and ii^
heaven, this song of the whole family of God, of the glorified
from their place, and the saved nations on earth in theirs, the
burden is that old and well-known ascription to Jehovah —
" Jehovah is good — (1 John iv. 8, ' God is love).*
His mercy endurdh for ever,"
sung at the altar long ago, 2 Chron. v. 13, and vii. 3, and 1
Chron, xvi 34, Ezra iii 11, and Jer. xxxiii IJ. To this they
add — " And his truth is from generation to generation."
He has fulfilled all be ever spoke I .. He will continue for ever
fulfiUing all be has begun to fulfil ! He who is " full of grace
and tmth," is no doubt the leader of this song (Psa. xxu. 22),
though He be not mentioned specially ; and it is just such a
burst of rapturous delight and gratitude aswiU respond to
the invitation from the throne, Rev^ xis. 5-7. We therefore
call it —
The heartfelt thanksgiving of the Great Congregation led by
Messiah.

PSALM CI.-^RULES OF HOLY GOVERNMENT. 297

PSALM CL
A Fsalm of David.
1 I Witt sing of mercy and judgment : unto thee, O Lord, will I sing.
2 I will behave myself vrisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come
unto me ? '
I will walk vrithin my house with a perfect heart.
3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes :
I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.
4 A froward heart shall depart from me : I will not know a Wicked person.
5 Whoso privUy slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut otf.
Him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.
6 Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land.
That they may dwell with me :
He that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me.
7 He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house :
He that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.
8 I will early destroy all the wicked of the land ;
That I raay cut off all wicked doers from the city of the Lord.
We descend into the valley again. The Righteous One is before a new series.
us, proposing to himself tbe rules of rectitude that shall be ex
hibited in his kingdom. We may suppose hira pacing the vaUey
of Jehoshaphat, while still only on his way to the kingdora. The
Psalm that foUows (cii.) lets us hear his complaints, and shews
us his comforts ; and the series proceeds, till we reach the end
of the cviii, where we rest under the banner of victory.
The first note of the Psalm guides us to Jehovah's true cha
racter, the grace and yet the holiness of his blessed name.
" Mercy and judgment I vnll sing !"
This is Israel's " Arma virumque cano." Israel's tbeme of Theutie.
praise is never man, but always Jebovab. It is " A Psahn of
David;" and therefore let us take it as David's utterance
when anticipating the establishment of his throne in Jerusar
lem— r-but as typical of David's Son, when he shaU receive that
kingdom foretold in Isa. ix. 7, as well as now while he presides
over the Church, which is " His house," {^eb. iii 6).
The whole Psalm may be used by a believer. When he re- David and
calls " that night to be remembered" in his history, his time
of escape from bondage, he wiU sing of " mercy and judgnient,"
and not less -when he reviews the way (Jod has lefi hbn, since.

2!)"^ PSALM CI. — THE RIGHTEOUS ONE'S
mingling chastisements with forbearance. And, then, his de
sires and his resolutions as to the way be is to follow, resemble
what is here breathed out by his Head. Still, it is of Christ
that every clause speaks most fully, David could use it only
in tbe measure in which a believer can.
The contents. " The perfect way," in verse 2, reminds us of faithful Abra
ham (Gen. XV. 1), whose seed, Christ, Obeys what was then
enjoined ; nor less are we reminded by ^70!i'^i, " I will deal
prudently," or " walk wisely," of David, in 1 Sam. xviii. ] 4,
15, exhibiting a type which was raore than fulfilled by bim of
whom Isaiah (liii. ] 3) bas sung in lofty strains. If he asks,
like one wearying for a friend tbat seems to tarry, " WJien wilt
thou come unto me ?" it is no more than tbe language which
David would be inclined to use in his wanderings, and 6ven at
Hebron, when still the kingdom was only half bis o-«vn — " When
wilt thou give me my promised kingdom ? when wilt tbou come
to rne witb that glory wherewith I am to come to ray own ?"
He sees that day as if already come, and tells how he shall rule,
from verses 3-7. May we not say that the germs of tbe Rook
Proverhs. of Proverbs are here — germs unfolded in the sunshine of Solo
mon's reign ? There can be no doubt of the similarity in many
characteristic expressions (even sucb as using the word '^iSw?Oi
ver. 5, occurring nowhere else again but Prov. xxx. 10) ; and,
? indeed, these verses sketched what that great book of practical
wisdom expands, the rules of boly living, by which every subject
of Cbrist's kingdom shall be guided — tbe principles of Divine
jurisprudence that shall be applied to the details of govern
ment in every province and in every bouse. With truth to
which Absalom was a stranger, he could say, " Oh that I were
made judge in tbe land, that any man that hath any suit or
cause might come to me, and I would do him justice," (2 Sam.
XV. 4). Rising early and standing beside the way of the gate,
Absalom feigned to be eager for the interests of justice and
of bis fellow-men, even as Antichrist can still pretend ; but
Christ shall sit on the throne of judgment for ever, tbe true
antitype of everyfaithful judgewho,at morning,sat at the gate —
From morning to morning will I destroy all the wicked of the land,
Cutting off from the city of the Lord all the workers of iniquity.

RULES OF HOLY GOVERNMENT. 299
Terrible words ! the words of that same Jesus wbo, in expound
ing on the Mount of Beatitudes the law whicb he came to
obey, declared his purpose to cast off all unholy pretenders to
his favour, " Ye that work iniquity, depart from me," (Matt.
-vU. 23). And thus shall he sit on " tbe throne of David" (Isa.
ix. 7), to order it and to settle it, and to rule earth at large.
Then shall it be well known, that to " sing of mercy and
judgmeni' (ver. 1), was to sing of Christ ruling " his own
bousfe." And thus the Psalm presents us witb
The Righteous One's rules of holy government.

PSALM CII.
A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint hefore the
Lord.
1 Hear my prayer, 0 Lord, and let my cry come unto thee.
2 Hide not tby face from me in the day when I am in trouble ;
Incline thine ear unto me : in the day when I call answer me speedily.
3 For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are bumed as an
hearth.
4 My heart is smitten, and withered like grass : so that I forget to eat my
bread.
6 By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to ray skin.
6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness : I am like an owl of the desert.
7 I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.
8 Mine enemies reproach me all the day ;
And they that are mad against me are sworn against me.
9 For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping,
10 Because of thine indignation and thy wrath : for thou hast lifted me up,
and cast me down.
II My days are like a shadow that declineth ; and I ara withered like grasa.
12 But thou, O Lord, shalt endure for ever ;
And thy reraerabrance unto all generations.
13 Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion,
For the time to favour her, yea, the set tirae, is come.
14 For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof.
15 So the heathen shall fear the narae of the Lord,
And all the kings of the earth thy glory.
16 -When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.
17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayex;
18 This shall be written for the generation to come :
And the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord.
19 For he hath looked down firom the height of his sanctuary ;
From heaven did the Lord behold the earth ;

300 PSALM CIL — MESSIAH' .COMPLAINT AND COMFORTS
20 To hear the groaning of Ihe prisoner; to loose thobetbat are appointed
to death ;
21 To declare the narae of the Lord in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem ;
22 -When the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the
Lord.
23 He weakened my strength in the way ; he shortened my days.
24 I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst oi. my days!
Thy years are throughout all generations :
25 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are
the work of thy hands.
26 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure : yea, all of them shall vfax old
like a garment;
As a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:
27 But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.
28 The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be estah
lished before thee.
with the" re*^™ The Greek lawgiver, Zaleucus, exemplified his own laws, even
eding. -j^ their sorest penalties, by bearing half of his son's justly-de
served doom; and men read of the deed, and praise it. But our
Lawgiver, God over all, has cast into tbe shade every such act
of homage to law by tbe infinitude of suffering be in our nature
endured, to honour tbe law of heaven and save tbe doomed
transgressors. Tbe twinkle of a taper bears more proportion
to the blaze of the ever-burning sun, than this one act of
Zaleucus, dictated by partiality for his own family, does to the
honour rendered to law and justice by our Divine Redeeruer.
out of love to that boly law. In this Psalm we may see him,
of whom Psa. ci. sang, giving honour to those rules of rectitude
which there be proclaimed. For here we see the Rigbteous
One, tbe Lord Jesus, laying tbe foundation of his kingdom of
redeemed ones, by fully satisfying tbe demands of justice ia
their room.
The title. It is Christ, in the days of bis humUiation, tbat is before us.
The title has been thus versified,
" This is the mourner's prayer when he iafaint\
And to the Eternal Father breathes his plaint," (Keble).
The simplicity of the Hebrew is raost expressive — " The prayer
of the needy one when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out
his complaint before the Lord." The " needy one" is Christ,
who, "though he was rich, yet for our sakes became poor, that
we through his poverty might become rich." A bebever, also,

IN THE DAYS OF HIS HUMILIATION. 301
can take it up, for much of it expresses what the members may
often feel while taking the same view of the Father's face that
Christ sought.
His doleful complaint occupies from 1 to 11 verses, resem- Thteontents.
bUng closely the deep pathos of Psa. xxii Many of the allu
sions add depth to the words, conveying the idea, that all that
was ever sOrrO-wful in other men is to be found in this one " Man
of Sorrows." Hannah's and David's sorrow, that took away all
appetite for food (1 Sam. i 7 ;* 2 Sam xii 17), and even Saul's
blank horror (1 Sam. xxviii 20), are to be found in bim —
" My heart issmitten, and withered like grass,
So that I have forgotten to eat my bread." (Ver. 4.)
At such cost He purchased for beUevers on his name the pri
vUege of " eating their meat with gladness and singleness of
heart, praising God," as exemplified in the men of Pentecost
(Acts ii 46). He is like "the pelican of the wilderness"
(sometimes seen at tbe Lake of GaUlee, or by the shore of tbe
Waters of Merom,) when it bas left its companions in their desert
resorts, and lingers alone, drooping and dying ; or like " the owl
in desolate places," sometimes haunting ruins, sometimes sitting
on some hollow tree forlom, even at noon-day, as travellers bave
observed in Palestine (see Narrative of Mission to the Jews,
chap. V.) ; or, Uke some solitary sparrow, separated from tbe
happy company of its fellows, mournful on tbe house-top. -f-
He is like Job in the ashes, tears mingling with his drink,
cast away, or cast do-wn low now, and yet once lifted high (vers.
9, 10), his days like the shadow.
But, as an angel strengthened him in Gethsemane, so the
thought of his Father's purposes supports him here. At verse
1 2 he looks upward, as if he said, " But, 0 Father ! I do not
* Daniel's, too, chap. x. 3. Some have supposed Daniel the writer of this
Psalm, the Holy Spirit nsing him in the days of the captivity, as a fit penman
for a subject that touched upon many circumstances like his own.
f Waterston, the naturalist, however, fixes on the " Passer solitarius," which
is known in Egypt and Syria, and in the south of Italy. This bird is like a
thrush in size, shape, habits, and has a sweet plaintive note ; but never asso
ciates with others of its species, not even with itsovpn mate, except in breeding
time. It is seen sitting solitary on house-tops, warbling, it may be, its plain
tive song.

302 PSALM CII. — MESSIAH'S COMPLAINT AND COMFORTS
distrust thee (comp. Psa xxii. 3) ; thou art to me the same as
from all eternity ; thou art Jehovah ;
" Thy memorial is from generation to generation" (Ver. 13.)
That is, tby name manifested by deeds of love, and left on re
cord for after ages, never changes.
" It is thou that shalt arise (Dlpri Hi^iO, o,ud have mercy on Zion ;
For the time to favour her, the appointed time, comdh on" (i<^ >3,
T .
comp. Psa, xcvi, 13).
At tbat time, " Thy servants bave mercy upon (UirP) the very
dust of Zion ;" they feel sorrow for it. At that time shall in
struments be found not less efficient than Nehemiah in his day
(see Neh. iii 34, and iv. 4) to repair her wastes ; and at that
time the nations shall not hinder but help on the work, see
ing the glory of the Lord. " For" — as if already beholding
it accomplished, the vision is so clear (vers. 17, 18) —
" For the Lord has builded Zion i
And His Glory has been seen !
He has regarded the prayer of the destitute.
And has not despised their prayer." (Comp. Psa, xxii. 24.)
He has beard the prayer of Zion's helpers, as well as the
prayer of Him wbo was emphatically "The Destitute One" —
tbe ly^y.C' iis-bed of all things, nowhere to lay his head ; like
(as the word means) the heath in tbe wilderness (Jer. xvii. 6),
like a bare solitary tree. This humiliation ends in exaltation ;
a future generation shall see it; for the Lord's character is
kno-wn as helper of the miserable, manifesting his grace in
their deliverance ; and he has ever " looked down" (Deut.
xxvi. 15) on Israel with such feelings, delivering (as he did
Peter in after days) at times when men expected to see the
captive's end. He will look down (ver 20),
" To hear the groaning of the Prisoner (Christ),
To sd at large the children of death." (Compare Isa. Ixi. 1 ; Christ's
members, and Israel among the rest.)
And this delivered company shall shew forth his praise on that
day when Messiab appears in his glory among the nations,
the ShUoh to whora, at length, all kindreds and people gather.

IN THE DAYS OP HIS HUMILIATIOJS. 303
Such is the bright prospect, tbe glorious -vision ! From the
garden of Gethsemane, with the cup at his lips, Cbrist sees the
throne — 'glory, for a moment, bursting through the gloom.
But it passes away ; he feels himself still in the valley, and his
sense of weakness and woe returns. " Sorrowful unto death,"
his soul cries —
" He has weakened my drengfh* in the way ;
He has shortened my days.
I say, 0 my God !
Take me not away in midst of my days." (Ver. 23, 24.)
Take me not away, let me not sink, ere my Mediatorial
work is accomplished.
It is here (compare Heb. i 10-12) that the voice from the
Father addresses bim. It is at this cry that tbe silence above
is broken. The Father speaks words of strength and hope.
" Tliy years are to all generations ! (D'^^^ li"T3. g.d., in the depth
of ages past, "generation of generations." Not as verse 12,
Tti -iTS)
Of old thou had laid the foundations of earth.
And the heavens were the work of thy hands," &c. ' (Ver. 24, 25.)
The Eternal Son cannot faint or fail He must be conqueror.
He must pass safely up from this humiliation to the throne
whence he descended. Yes, it is his to create these heavens
and earth anew. " These shall perish, hut ihou remained —
These shall wear out as a garment."
And when they have been worn out,
" Thou shalt change them as a vesture (splendid attire, Gesen.),
And they shall he changed" (?\'shrV').
The word for "change" implies in it (see Schultens on Prov. ResnrreoUoii
xxxi. 8) something succeeding to another, S)?!!, (the root of *'™*'
" Caliph,") having in it the radical idea of substitution. It is
used in Arabic in regard to plants, when they are changed, by a
new effloresence, at spring-time ; it is used by Job (xiv. 14) re
garding his Resurrection change ; it is used in Isa. ix. 9 — " We
* " His strength," SVfMi is the true reading, (Hengst). Is it, " God has with
drawn the help which he used to make me feel ? "

304 PSALM CIL— MESSIAH'S COMPLAINTS AND COMFORTS.
wiU put cedars in tbe room of sycamores." If so, we see very
clearly the assurance contained in tbese words, that Christ
must not only suffer, but enter into bis glory too. As cer
tainly as in tbe beginning he was the glorious Creator of aU
things, but was pleased to stoop to our world as a man of sor
rows, so certainly he must once again create these fallen
heavens and earth anew — no more the Man of Sorrows, but
manifested as the Eternal Son.
christ?3mem- In that glor^v his children shall share — ^in tbat unchanginsr
hers. ... o a
bliss tbey " receive a kingdom that cannot be moved," (Heb.
xii 28). They at present often drink of his cup ; they have
some of bis sorrows ; for many an age their lot on earth has
been like his — sorrowful. But, at length, the day of his glory
da-wns, and tbe " children of his servants" shall no more be
strangers and wanderers ; but ('UDlJ?'',) "shall continue," or pitch
tbeir tents and be 'fixed. The children of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, " his servants," may be specially intended ; at least,
they are not forgotten. For now his saints enter on tbe posses
sion of Eartb, and the millennial race of Israelites inherit thefr
Land, reigned over by the Lord and his glorified saints. And
thus we understand this Psalm, beginning in woe, ending in
gladness. It is
Messiah's complaint and comforts in the days of his
humiliation.

PSALM cin.
A Psalm of David.
1 BiiEss the Lord, O my soul ! and all that is within me, bless his holynamel
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits :
3 -Who forgiveth all thine iniquities ; who healeth all thy diseases ;
4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction ;
-Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies ;
5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things ; so that thy youth is renewed
like the eagle's.
6 The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of
Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

PSALM CIII. — SONG OF A REDEEMED ONE. 305
9 He will not always chide ; neither will he keep his anger for ever.
10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins ; nor rewarded us according to
our iniquities.
11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward
them that fear him.
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgres
sions from us.
13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear
him.
14 For he knoweth our frame ; he remeraberetb that we are dust.
16 As for man, his days are as grass : as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.
16 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone ; and the place thereof shall
know it no more.
17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon then*
that fear him.
And his righteousness unto children's children ;
18 To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his command
raents to do thera.
19 The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens ; and his kingdom
ruleth over all.
20 Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength.
That do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.
21 Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his
pleasure.
22 Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places ofhis dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my souL
How often bave saints in Scotland sung this Psalm in days
when they celebrated the Lord's Supper ! It is thereby .spe
cially known in our land. It is connected also with a remark
able case in tbe days of John Knox. Elizabeth Adamson,
a woman who attended on bis preaching " because he raore
fully opened tbe fountain of God's mercies than others did,"
was led to Christ and to rest, in hearing this Psalm, after en
during such agony of soul that she said, concerning racking
pains of body, " A thousand years of this torment, and ten
times more joined, are not to be compared to a quarter of an
hour of my soul's trouble." She asked for this Psalm again
before departing : " It was in receiving it that my troubled
soul first tasted God's mercy, whicb is now sweeter to me than
if all the kingdoms of the earth were given me to possess."
Of this Psalm, when -viewed as following the preceding, we connection
may say. Fruits of Messiah's work appear — glory to God,
u

306 PSALM CIII. — SONG OF A REDEEMED ONE
goodwill to man. We might exclaim. Behold the Redeemer
and his gifts ! for it is the song of a redeemed one by the
Redeemer's side. Forgiveness is tbe chief and foremost of the
mercies celebrated. In tone it might be compared with
Mark ii, 5, 9.
The plan, j ff^ g^f^^ received (ver. 1-5) are celebrated, not only
witb the lips, but witb the whole soul. God's Israel do not
now forget him when he has blessed them (Deut. vi. 12; viii
11, 12), for the blessings are more than temporal, and the
diseases healed are more than bodily (Exod. xv. 26 ; Deut.
xxix. 2.3). The strength imparted, that makes tbem like the
soaring eagle, and to be imparted when the resurrection body
is bestowed, is a removal of tbe evils of sin. An usual word
is employed in verse 5, " Who hath, satisfied T^J? with good;"
rendered by some, "tby mouth;'' by Hengstenberg, "thy
beauty," or ornament, i. e., thy soul ; by Gesenius and others,
"thine age;" and by sorae, simply, " even thee." This full,
rich, overflowing burst of song has led to the use of a terra as
rare as tbe tone of tbe song. Tbe term " crowning" expresses
the bestowal of dignity as well as favour, and tbe reference to
the eagle is, q. d., makest me grow young again, and so to soar
like an eagle.
2. The Receivers of the Gifts (ver. 6, 7). — The oppressed,
the helpless, have been the receivers of bis mercy. It is the
raanner of Jehovah to give thus graciously. He is the Jeho
vah who made known " his ways " to Moses (his principles of
action), and shewed his " works" to Israel, in the days of their
bondage. .3. The Giver, the fountain-head of these blessings (ver.
8-18). — He is that Jehovah whose name Moses heard (Exod
xxxiv. 6) at the rock of Horeb — a name more plentiful in
streams for the thirsty souls, than the smitten rock of Horeb
for thirsty Israel. Here is the Fou/ntain-head — " Merciful,
gracious, slow to anger, plenteous in mercy." Here are seven
streams from that fountain-head : — a, Love unupbraiding
(ver. 9) ; then, b. Love that blesses the undeserving (ver. 10);
e. Love infinite in extent (ver. 11) ; d. Love thoroughgoing in
its nature (ver. 12) ; e. Love very tender (ver. 13) ;/, Love that

BY THE redeemer's SIDE. 307
sympathizes ¦with us (ver. 14, 15, 16) ; Love that is undecay-
ing (ver. 17, 18).
4. The Kingdom of ihe Giver. — In verse 19 we see that
these many streams bear us on to the ocean — ^for we are led
first to the Throne in the heavens, then to tbe Kingdom that
ruleth over all the earth.
5. The closing burst of Praise to the Giver. — The morning
stars sang together, and tbe sons of God shouted for joy, at
the sight of creation issuing from the Creator's hands. Much
more cause is there now for such another song ; ay, and a song
so much nobler as the theme is loftier. Angels must bear a
part, bringing all their strength to the work — this work of
praise. All Jehovah's hosts, all Jehovah's servants, all Jehovah's
creatures, inanimate as well as animate (Psa. civ. 4), in all
places of his dominion, must take up the thanksgiving, and
praise, and blessing. It is Rev. v. 13 anticipated. The man
tbat bears that song, shall be not be coimted a blessed man ?
a thousand times blessed ? But the man himself shall cast his
crown of bliss at the feet of his Lord — " Bless the Lord, 0 my
soul !" ending as he began this
Song of a redeemed one by the Redeemer's side.

PSALM CIV.
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul I
O Lord my God, thou art very great ; thou art clothed with honour and
majesty.
2 'Who eoverest thyself with light as with a garment :
Who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain :
3 Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters :
Who raaketh the clouds his chariots : who walketh upon the wings of th«
wind :
4 Who raaketh his angels spirits ; his ministers a flaming fire :
6 Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for
ever.
6 Thou ci.veredst it with the deep as with a garment : the waters stood above
the mountains.
7 At thy rebuke they fled ; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.
8 They go by to the raountains ; they go down by the valleys.
Unto the place which thou hast founded for them.

308 PSALM CIV. — THE GLORY OF THE LORD REVEALED
9 Thou hast set a bound tbat tbey may not pass O'ver;
That they turn not again to cover the earth.
10 He sendeth tbe springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.
11 They give drink to every beast of the field : the wild asses quench their
thirst,
12 By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing
among the branches.
13 He watereth the hills frora his chambers : the earth is satisfied with the
fruit of thy works.
14 He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of
man,
That he raay bring forth food out of the earth,
15 And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to
shine.
And bread which strengtheneth man's heart
16 The trees of the Lord are full of sap, the cedars of Lebanon which he
hath planted ;
17 Where the birds make their nests : as for the stork, tbe fir-trees are her
house.
18 The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats ; and the rocks for the
conies.
19 He appointed the moon for seasons : the sun knoweth his going down.
20 Thou makest darkness, and it is night, wherein all the beasts of the forest
do creep forth.
21 The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God.
22 The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, and lay them down in
their dens.
23 Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening.
24 0 Lord, how manifold are thy works!
In wisdora hast thou made them all : the earth is full of thy riches.
25 So is this great and wide sea,
-Wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.
26 There go the ships : there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play
therein.
27 These wait all upon thee, that thou mayest give them their meat in due
season.
28 That thou givest them they gather : thou openest thine hand, they are
filled with good.
29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled :
Tboii takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.
30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created : and thou renewest the
face of the earth.
31 The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever: the Lord shall rejoice. in
his works.
32 He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth : he toucheth the hills, and
they smoke. ,
33 I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live : I will sing praise to my God
while I have my being.

IN EARTH CREATED AND EARTH RENEWED. 309
34 My meditation of him shall be sweet : I will be glad in the Lord.
35 Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no
more.
Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord.
One of our poets has said  The theme di».
¦*¦ tinguishedfroit
"  The song of woe '"' preceding.
Is, after aU, an earthly song" "¦
It is not perpetuated in heaven, nor in tbe glorious kingdom ;
for there praise, " from blest voices uttering joy," fills the
many mansions. Last Psalm shewed us this coming joy, aris
ing from spiritual sources — the soul enjoying God, bathing in
his holy love, knowing him, obeying him, serving him, blessing
him, seeing him as he is, and for ever witb him. This Psalm
calls our attention to the glory of our God displayed in the
material world already, and yet to be displayed in it more fully.
The key-note, "Bless the Lord, 0 my soul!" is tbat on The content*
which it is raised. Tbe same redeemed soul that, with anointed
eyes, saw Jehovah in Redemption works, beholds him here in
Creation scenes — in the scenes of tbe old and new earth. With
the Book of Genesis (chap i) in his hand, he surveys the first
day's handiwork (ver. 1, 2), * God's mantle of light, and some
folds of it thrown over the new-made earth. Unlike the array
of earthly monarchs, " glory and majesty" (symbolised by
light,) Sire his robe, the skirts of which adorn the eartb, which
is his footstool.-f- Then the second day's work (ver. 3-5) — " He
malceth his upper chambers with waters ;" that is, the very
waters in tbe clouds are the beams on which the floor of the
upper chamber of his palace is laid. — He makes winds to act
for him as angels,' and lightnings to do the office of servants.X
* Not that the writer keeps close to historical arrangement ; for, as Augus
tine says, on Psa. cv. — " Libera est laudatio a lege narrantis et texentis his-
toriara." f The eastern upper chamber was for retirement and refreshraent ; God is
spoken of as having such an Aliah, built up in bright sether on the slender
foundation of rainy clouds. (Tholuck.)
J In Heb. i. 7, the argument is, that angels are truly no more thau the
mere handiwork of the Creator ; for he says that he uses winds for angels,
flames of fire for ministering ones, and vice versa. Thus angels are classed
with other common material agencies employed by God, and no higher.

310 PSALM CIV. — THE GLORY OF THE LORD REVEALED
The third day's work, wherein the platform of our earth was
cleared, is celebrated from verses 6 to 18 — " As for the deep,
thou eoverest it {S) as with a garment" (see Hengstenberg).
Does not this mean that, onthe third day, the Lord first shone
on the waters that covered eartb, and stood above the hiUs,
then, the voice from The Glory commanded tbese waters to their
beds? And thus it was tbat springs began to flow among the
hiUs, and have flowed ever since, wild asses coming to drink,
birds among leafy trees, overhanging tbe brooks (UTvpy, verse
12), uttering their cheerful notes, " living their life of music"
— the Lord condescending to care for every creature, yes, and
for every blade of grass, and for the olive that yields oU for
man, and for the vine, and the corn ; for tbe cedars, too, and
the pines or cypresses on Lebanon, where little birds and
stately storks alike find nestling ; while goats and jerboas sport
among the rocks below. Over this scene, the fourth day's
creation casts its beams (ver. 19-24). Sun and moon go
forth to regulate man and beast, by interchange of day and
night. And the fiftfi day's creation scene is not forgotten
(vers. 25, 26) — ^tbe wonders of the sea ; tbe li-ving creatures of
the immense ocean. If man bas found use for that ocean, and
has floated his ships upon it, in so doing he has discovered
some of the uses to which the Lord's treasures hid there for
bim may be applied ; at the same time, how feeble man's
work appears, when you observe that the Lord has constituted
tbese mighty waters the home and native abode of such mon
sters as "Leviathan whom thou hast made to take his pas
time therein." As for the sixth day's work, it was introduced
at verses 21-23 — man and beast. As the Psalm is not histori
cal, but a review of creation by one of tbe created ones who
inhabit that earth, hence it may be that man and beast were
introduced when singing of the uses of sun and moon to us —
all the rather, because man's workmanship, " the ships," could
not be spoken of without previously introducing man himself
Providence is creation continued from hour to hour, from
age to age ; and of this, verses 27, 28, 29 sing, casting in the
thought of " creation subject to vanity" (ver. 29).
Every spring we have a specimen of the Creator's power, to

IN EARTH CREATED AND EARTH RENEWED. 311
renew tbe earth. It may be, in part, to this annual renewal,
when winter is over and gone, that verse 30 refers. Even if it
, be so, however, it contains, besides, the promise and prospect
of earth's final renewal at the "Times of Restitution of ail
things ;" for then only shaU we know the meaning lodged iu
the words, " Thou makest new the face of the earth."
If at verse 24, the adoring exclamation spontaneously broke
from the beholder's Ups, " 0 Lord ! how manifold are thy
works ! in -wisdom thou hast made them aU !" it shaU yet
again burst from admiring witnesses of that New Creation.
And then shaU that chorus be heard from heaven and earth
together ; " The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever !
The Lord shall rejoice in his works / " (Ver. 31.)
They shall say of him in thefr songs —
" It is He who looked (JO^HDn) on earth and it trembled I
He towiheth the mountains, and they smoke."
One shall cry to the other —
" While I live, I uiUl sing to the Lord ;
During the whole period of my existence (eternity) I will praise my God.
Swed, as it rests on him, shall my meditation be I
7(*3j^} though no one else should) will rejoice inthe Lord."
At last has come that " New Earth, wherein dweUeth righteous
ness ;" for " sinners are consumed (as in Num. xiv. 35), the
wicked are no more." Even in anticipation now we cannot
but join in the " Bless the Lord, 0 my soul !" and tbe "' Hal
lelujah'' that closes this celebration of tbe Lord's glory —
2%e glory of the Lord revealed in Earth created and Earth
renewed.

PSALM CV.
1 O srvE thanks unto the Lord ; call upon his name :
Make known his deeds among the people.
2 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto hira : talk ye of all his wondrous works.
3 Glory ye in his holy name : let the heart of them rejoice that seek tbe
Lord,

3] 2 PSALM CV. — THE LORD GLORIFIED IN
4 Seek the Lord, and his strength : seek his face evermore.
6 Eemember his marvellous works that he hath done ;
His wonders, and the judgments ofhis mouth ;
6 O ye seed of Abrahara his servant, ye children of Jacob big chosen
7 He is the Lord our God : his judgraents are in all the earth.
8 He hath remembered his covenant for ever.
The word which he commanded to a thousand generations.
9 Which covenant he raade with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac,
10 And confirmed the sarae unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an ever
lasting covenant,
11 Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your in
heritance.
12 -When there were but a few men in number ; yea, very few, and strangers
in it.
13 When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another
people ;
14 He suffered no man to do thera wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their

15 Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do ray prophets no harra.
16 Moreover he called for a famine upon the land : he brake the whole staff
of bread.
17 He sent a man before tbem, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant ;
18 Whose feet they hurt with fetters : he was laid in iron :
19 Until the time that his word came, the word of the Lord tried him.
20 The king sent and loosed him ; even the ruler of the people, aud let him
go free,
21 He made bim lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance :
22 To bind his princes at his pleasure ; and teach his senators wisdom.
23 Israel also came into Egypt ; and Jacob sojourned iu the land of Ham.
24 And he increased his people greatly ; aud he raade thera stronger than
their enemies.
25 He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtilely with his servants.
26 He sen t Moses his servant ; and Aaron whora he had chosen.
27 They shewed his signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness, and made it dark ; and they rebelled not against his
word.
29 He turned their waters into blood, and slew their fish.
30 Their land brought forth frogs in abundance, in the chambers of their
kings.
31 He spake, and there came divers sorts of flies, and lice in all their coasts.
32 He gave thera hail for rain, and flaming fii-e in their land.
33 He smote their vines also and their fig-trees ; and brake the trees of their
coasts.
34 He spake, and the locusts came, and caterpillars, and that withont number.
35 And did eat up all the herbs in their land, and devoured the fruit of their
ground.
36 He smote also all the firstborn in their land, the chief of all their strength

HIS REDEEMING ACTS TOWARD ISRAEL.

313

37 He brought them forth also with silver and gold :
And there was not one feeble person among their tribes.
38 Egypt was glad when they departed : for the fear of them fell upon them.
39 He spread a cloud for a covering ; and fire to give light in the night.
40 The people asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied thera with the
bread of heaven.
41 He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry
places like a river.
42 For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham his servant,
43 And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness :
44 And gave them the lands of the heathen : and they inherited the labour
of the people ;
45 That they raight observe his statutes, and keep his laws.
Praise ye the Lord.
The first fifteen verses were written at the bringing up of the
Ark, 1 Chron, x-vi. They tell tbat it is sovereign grace that
ruleth over all — it is a sovereign God. Out of a fallen world
he takes whom he pleases — individuals, families, nations. He
chose Israel long ago, that they might be the objects of grace,
and their land tbe theatre of its display. He will yet again re
turn to Israel, when the days of his Kingdom of Glory draw
near ; and Israel shall have a full share — the very fullest and
richest — in his blessings, temporal and spiritual. In these
days shall this song be sung again —
" Ogive thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name !
Make known among the Gentiles his workings," dc.
Inviting, in sucb strains (ver, 1-8), all Israel to tell of their
redeeming God among the nations ; " He, tbe Lord, is our
God" (ver. 7). They recount his benefits, frora the days of
Abraham onward to their entering in peace upon possession
of Canaan — the type of the more blessed rest remaining for
them and us under the true Joshua. The Covenant (ver. 8, 9)
was the sure foundation of this favour manifested toward them ;
and that same Covenant (ver. 42) was the Lord's reason for
putting the cope-stone on tbe work. It is " grace, grace,"
from beginning to end. And the repeated call on saints to
"make God's deeds known" breathe a missionary spirit, and
should be so felt by us who know the great deeds of Calvary
and Pentecost. Home, also, well remarks on verse 2, "Sing
— talk, — music and conversation are two things by which the
mind of man receiveth great good or a great deal of harm.

God's sove
reignty.

The contents.

314 PSALM CV. — THE LORD GLORIFIED IN
They who make Jehovah the subject of both wiU enjoy a heaven
on earth."
1. The Psalm, then, selects incidents that may best touch the
heart. Thus Israel's insignificance, even after becoming a na
tion, and their weakness, and wanderings (vers. 12-15). They
went " from the kingdom," a land promised to them, {(1371330)
" to a foreign people,"
" From kingdom unto kingdom,
Sojomiied a little band :
From, place to place compelled to stray —
Strangers in a strange land." (Barclay,)
Yet they are " anointed ;" tbe oil of him wbo set tbem apart
is on their head ; and therefore they are safe (ver. 15). He
has separated tbem for himself, and made them " his prophets"
— teachers of his will to other nations of earth.
2. Joseph's History is next selected as a theme ; for there
Jehovah is seen casting down and lifting up ; using, too, a
despised instrument to be a glorious deliverer. There is some
thing graphic in the language of verse 16, " He called for
famine," representing it as his waiting servant, (Horne).
Scarcely less so is tbe literal rendering of verse 17, " He sent a
man before tbem" — but how ? To man's eye there appeared
no sending ; but it was to emerge from this, " Joseph was sold
for a servant." Here again is grace — ^grace flowing in un
thougbt-of channels (vers. 1 6-24).
3. Egyptian bondage follows, but only as introducing re
demption — redemption by power, and redemption that pro
claimed Jehovah's wrath on tbe rebellious (vers. 25, 26). We
see Jehovah removing from tbe rebellious resistors of his will
the blessing of light, tbe blessing of water for their thirst, the
blessing of domestic comfort, the blessing of fertilising rain, the
blessing of the increase yielded by the vine and fig, the grass
and grain, nay, the blessing of health and of life (27-36). On
the other hand, bis blessing rests, in sovereign grace, on his
redeemed (vers. 37-4.3) — tbe blessing tbat is tbe reverse of
these inflictions on Egypt, besides strength, security from foes,
guidance, providential supply of food and water.
" He brought forth his people with rejoicing,
His elect with the song of joy."

HIS REDEEMING ACTS TOWARD ISRAEL. 315
But all this — not for their sakes — only because of bis holy co
venant. " Grace, grace," pervades his ways ; and grace leads
them into possession of thefr inheritance (ver. 44) ; but leads
tbem thither to glorify their redeeming God, even as shaU be
the case at their final return —
" For ihe sake of having his datutes observed,
And his laws preserved.
Halldujah I"
Whether we consider the sweet singer here to be David, or ne aingen
David's Son, wbo sat in the pillar-cloud over Israel's tents,
the theme is the same.
The Lord glorified in his redeeming acts toward Israel.

PSALM CVL
1 Pr.mje ye the Lord. O give thanks unto the Lord.
For he is good : for his mercy endureth for ever.
2 Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord ? who can shew forth all his
praise ?
3 Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at
all times.
4 Remember me, OLord, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people:
O visit me with thy salvation !
6 That I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness
of thy nation,
That I may glory with thine inheritance,
6 We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have
done wickedly.
7 Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt ;
They remembered not the multitude of thy mercies ;
But provoked hira at the sea, even at the Red Sea.
8 Nevertheless he saved thera for his name's sake.
That he might make bis mighty power to be known.
9 He rebuked the Eed Sea also, and it was dried up :
So he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness.
10 And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them.
And redeemed them frora the hand of the enemy.
II And the waters covered their enemies : there was not one of them left.
12 Then believed they his words ; they sang his praise.
13 They soon forgat his works ; they waited not for his counsel :
14 But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert.
15 And he gave them their request ; but sent leanness into their soul.

316 PSALM CVL — THE LORD GLORIFIED IN
16 They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the Lord,
17 The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of
Abiram ;
18 And a fire was kindled in their company ; the flame burned up the
wicked.
19 They raade a calf in Horeb, and wor.shipped the molten image.
20 Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of au ox that eateth
grass.
21 They forgat God their Saviour, which had done great things in Egypt,
22 Wondrous works in the land of Hara, and terrible things by the Red Sea.
23 Therefore he said tbat he would destroy them.
Had not Moses his chosen stood before hira in the breach,
To turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.
24 Yea, they despised the pleasant land, they believed not his word :
25 But murmured in their tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of the
Lord.
26 Therefore he lifted up his hand against them,
To overthrow them in the wilderness :
27 To overthrow their seed also among the nations.
And to scatter thera in the lands.
28 They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor, and ate the sacrifices of the
dead.
29 Thus they provoked bim to anger with their inventions : and the plague
brake in upon them,
SO Then stood up Phinehas, aud executed judgraent : and so the plague was
stayed.
31 And that was counted unto hira for righteousness unto all generations
for everraore,
32 They angered him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with
Moses for their sakes :
33 Because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his
lips. ,
84 They did not destroy the nations, concerning whora the Lord com
manded them :
35 But were raingled among the heathen, and learned their works.
36 And they served their idols : which were a snare unto them.
37 Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils,
38 And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their
daughters,
Whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan :
And the land was polluted with blood,
39 Thus were they defiled with their own works.
And went a whoring with their own inventions.
40 Therefore was the wrath of the Lord kindled against his people,
Insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance,
41 And he gave them into the hand of the heathen ; and they that hated them
ruled over them.

HIS LONGSUFFERING TO ISRAEL. 317
42 Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were brought into subjec
tion under their hand.
43 Many times did- he deliver them ; but they provoked him with their
counsel,
And were brought low for their iniquity.
44 Nevertheless he regarded their afliction, when he heard their ciy s
45 And he remembered for them his covenant,
And repented according to the multitude of his mercies.
46 He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captives-
47 Save us, 0 Lord our God, and gather us from among the heathen,
To give thanks unto thy holy name, and to triumph in thy praise.
48 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting:
And let all the people say. Amen. Praise ye the Lord.
We are still traversing the same field We are still listening The thema
to the gracious acts of the Lord toward one nation of his ran
somed — namely, Israel It is another portion of their history
tbat is reviewed, but there is as much of grace, sovereign grace,
in this portion as in the first. And hence it opens, like the
former, with praise and adoring wondter —
" Halldujah ! praise ye the Lord 'I
For he is good ! for his mercy is for ever.
Who can tdl the mighty deeds of the Lord f
Who can shew forth all his praise f
The only mode in which the creature can even attempt aright The plan.
to shew forth his praise is, by continued aud ever increasing
service — " Blessed are they that keep judgment, and they that
do righteousness at all times." So great has the Lord's favour
to his Israel been, that the sweet singer, whoever he be —
David, as in 1 Chron. x-vi, or David's Lord, in his day — while
remembering that favour and singular love, exclaims (ver.
4, 5),- " Remember me. Lord, with the favour o/" (shewn to) thy people I
Visit me with thy salvation ! (such as was wrought for them. J
That I may see the good of thy chosen ones.
And may rejoice in the joy of thy nation,*
And glory vrith thine inheritance.''
If tbe type afforded such matter for praise, what shall the an-
* Here the term f')3 is applied to Israel. It is only so used when QJJ has
. T
preceded it, says Hengstenberg. It may also, in such cases, imply that God's
people (OS) ^"^6, in themselves, no better than Qlij, But >ij though they
be by nature, they are thine. '

318 PSALM CVI. — GOD GLORIFIED IN ISRAEL.
titype ? If that kingdom of Israel fumished such proofs of
Jehovah's love, what shall The Kingdom that is yet to come ?
To magnify the Lord's grace, confession is made of Israel's
sin — forgetfulness, ingratitude, selfishness (vers. 6-15) ; and
then of rebellion, idolatry, murmuring unbelief, lust, and lewd
ness ; persevering unbelief neglect of duty, conformity to the
heathen world (vers. 16-39). Scene upon scene is brought
before us in which Israel is seen defiled, polluted, stained to
the core with sin. Yet the Lord saved them, when they re
turned from their ways (vers, 40-46), fulfilling the promise in
Lev. xxvi 12, and answering the prayer (1 Kings viii 47), left
for all ages.
Yes ; these scenes of grace toward the basest, most ungrate
ful, most perverse, are for all ages, to lead them to the cry in
verse 47, — " Save us, 0 Lord, our God !
And gatlfer us from the Gentiles."
Israel must raise that cry in these latter days. Israel will
raise it soon. Ere long, they shall take up the harp of David,
and Solomon, and Asaph, and Heman, and the sons of Korah,
and use all these songs ; and this among the rest — this among
the first. On tbat day, instead of " Amen" to tbe solemn
curse, as in Deut. xxvii. 15-26, the people shall, with one
accord, say " Amen" to tbe song of thanksgiving raised to Je
hovah, who has gathered them from the Gentiles.
" Blessed be Jehovah, God of Israel,
From eeerlasting and unto everlasting !
And Id all thepeople (DVil) say, Amen I
TT
Halldujah ! "
Thus setting forth
The Lord glorified in his long-suffering to Israd, amd in their
fi.val gathering.

PSALM CVII. — SONG OF THE GATHERED ONES. 319
PSALM CVIL
1 O GIVE thanks unto the Lord, for he is good ; for his mercy endureth for
ever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the
hand of the enemy ;
3 And gathered them out of the lands,
From the east, and frora the west, from the north, and from the south,
4 They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way ; they found no city to
dwell in.
5 Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.
6 Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out
of their distresses ;
7 And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of
habitation.
8 Oh tbat men would praise the Lord for his goodness.
And for his wonderful works to the children of men !
9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
10 Such as sit in darkness and in shadow of death, being bound in affliction
and iron,
11 Because they rebelled against the words of God,
And contemned the counsel of the Most High :
12 Therefore he brought down their heart with labour;
They fell down, and there was none to help.
13 Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them ont
of their distresses.
14 He brought thera out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake
their bands in sunder.
15 Oh that raen would praise the Lord for his goodness.
And for his wonderful works to the children of men !
16 For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut tbe bars of iron in sunder.
17 Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are
afflicted.
18 Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat ; and they draw near unto the
gates of death.
19 Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saveth them out of
their distresses.
20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their de
struction.
21 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness,
And for his wonderful works to the children of meu I
22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works
with rejoicing.
23 They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters ;
24 These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.

320 PSALM CVIL — SONG OF THE GATHERED ONES.
25 For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the
waves thereof.
26 They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths;
Their soul is melted because of trouble.
27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their
wit's end.
28 Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out
of their distresses.
29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
30 Then are they glad because they be quiet ; so he bringeth them into their
desired haven.
31 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness.
And for his wonderful works to the children of men!
32 Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people,
And praise him in the assembly of the elders.
33 He turneth rivers into a wilderness, and the watersprings into dry ground ;
34 A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell
therein.
35 He turneth the wilderness into a standing water, and dry ground into
watersprings.
36 And there he maketh the hungry to dwell, that they may prepare a city
for habitation;
37 And sow the fields, and plant vineyards, which may yield fruits of in
crease.
38 He blesseth thera also, so that they are multiplied greatly;
And suffereth not their cattle to decrease.
39 Again, they are minished and brought low through oppression, affliction,
and sorrow.
40 He poureth contempt upon princes,
And causeth them to wander in the wilderness, where there is no way.
41 Yet setteth he the poor on high from afiliction, and maketh him families
like a flock.
42 The righteous shall see it, and rejoice : and all iniquity shall stop her
mouth.
43 Whoso is wise, and will observe these things.
Even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the Lord.
ihe connection. SCARCELY has the ascending cry of the preceding Psalm ceased,
when the answer* comes. For here is all Israel gathered.
We say, all Israel ; for it is Israel pecuharly who form the
subject of it. At the same time, on the same principle that
* The Jewish Fifth division of the Psalms begins here, apparently for no
other reason than because Psa. cvi. ended with an Amen. Properly there is a
close connection between Psa. cv., cvi., and cvii., equivalent to Part I., Part II.,
Part III., of one and the same narrative.

PSALM CVIL — SONG OF THE GATHERED ONES. 321
leads us to admit every member of Christ's body to share in
David's hopes and faith, and in the Son of David's confidence
and victory, we find this a Psalm which every one of God's re
deemed, in any age, can sympathise in, and can sing with re
ference to themselves.
Hengstenberg thinks it suited peculiarly to a joyful, na- its typical and .
tional service of thanksgiving, sucb as that Feast of Tabernacles sisencs.
in Ezra's day (chap, iii), after the few bands of tbe dispersed
of Israel bad returned to their land. If it would be appro
priate in such circumstances, much more will it be so when all
Israel, from all lands of tbefr dispersion, bave returned home.
And thus it is that Dr Allix describes it — " A Hymn of the
Synagogue, gathered from its last dispersion " — applicable
to that day foretold by Isa xi 11, when the Lord recovers tbe
remnant of his people, the second time, " from Assyria, and
from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam,
and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the isles of the
sea." Some bave experience of their forefathers' trials in tbe
desert (ver. 4-7) ; some have come from the prison-house (ver.
1 0-14) ; some have been emaciated by sickness (ver. 1 7-20) ;
others have been aU but swallowed up by the sea (ver. 23-30) ;
— all have been witnesses of the Lord's curse on their ovnx
land and nation for sin, and now have become witnesses of the
blessing when sin is removed. A nation that has had, aud
is to have, such experience is the fittest of all to form a type, or
be the pattern, of God's discovery of his ways in grace, to
men of every nation, and kindred, and tongue, whom he re
deems. It is such manifestations as these that make " the
righteous see and rejoice;" it is such views of God's ways
that cause " all iniquity to stop her mouth" (ver. 42) ; and it
is thus that men discover Jehovah's thoughts that are higher
than our thoughts.
" Whoso is wise wHl consider these things.
And vrill understand the mercies ('•IDn) of the Lord" ,
The kingdom will be tbe time and place for a thorough and
searching inquiry into the Lord's past ways. We try this in-
qufry now, and what we do succeed in discerning is most
profitable. But our eyes are dim. 0 for the time when Israel,
X

322 PSALM CVII. — SONG OF THANKS FROM GATHERED ISRAEL
and we beside them, shall look back on the Lord's' ways, such
ways as are described here, and understand the Lord's character
and tbe Lord's lovingkindness ! From the heights of glory
we shall be able to look far down into the depths of grace.
The contents. p^^^ jjq wonder it closes thus, when we dwell upon its many
subjects of praise and thanksgiving. Its first words are abun
dant in thought concerning Jehovah — " For he is good." Is
not this (as we saw in Psa. c.) the Old Testament version of
"God is love?" (1 John iv. 8.) And then, "For his mercy
endureth for ever." Is not this the gushing stream from the
fountain of Love ? — the never-failing stream, on whose banks
"tbe redeemed of the Lord" walk, "those whom he has re
deemed from the hand of the enemy" (Heugsteoberg, "hand
of trouble," IS). Nor is tbe rich significance of these clauses
diminished by our knowing that they were, from tirae to time,
tbe burden of tbe altar-song. When the ark carae to its rest
ing-place (1 Chron. xvi 34), tbey sang to the Lord — "For he is
good; for his mercy endureth for ever !" In Solomon's tem
ple, the singers and players on instruraents were raaking the
resplendent walls of tbe newly-risen temple resound with tbese
very words, when the glory descended (2 Chron, v, 13) ; and
these were tbe words that burst from the lips of the awe
struck and delighted worshippers, who saw the fire descend
on the altar (2 Chron. vii 3). And in Ezra's days (iii. 11),
again, as soon as the altar rose, they sang to tbe Lord — " Be
cause he is good; for his mercy to Israel endureth for ever."
Our God is known to be " Love," by the side of the atoning
sacrifice. Jeremiah, (xxxiii. 11) too, shews how restored Israel
shall exult in this name.
Dwell next on the experience of his redeemed, "from east
and vjest," .so far separate from each other ; and from " north,"
the raost obscure quarter of earth, and frora " the sea " (W), the
tempest-tossed region. They have witnessed strange scenes,
and tbe love of God in them all Tbink of the wanderers in
the desert (ver. 4) realising thefr fathers' history, and joining
to it Hagar and Ishmael's thirst and despondency — bow tbey
were delivered after all, and led to the city, to Jerusalem (Tar
gum and Hengstenberg) — the city where tbey found the habi
tation of God, and where tbey were made to dweU.

AND FROM THE REDEEMED. 323
" Ld these praise the Lord for his goodness,
And for his wonderful doings to the sons of men ;
For he satisfidh the longing soul {TV^pt}, going hither and thither
in vain),
AndfUldh the hungry soul with good " (3^J0 ; his own name, ver. 1.)
Think of another scene. Yonder is a prison-hi :.¦.-', (ver. 10),
and there you find transgressors, such as Manasseh or Zede
kiah, brought low, because they despised tbe words of (7K)
the Mighty God, and left in the dungeon to c • -;ider thefr
ways. Their cry goes up to the mercy-seat — tbey are de
Uvered ; they are blessed.
" Ld them praise the Lord for his goodness," Sc.
Think of another scene — the bed of sickness, " Fools afflicted
because of their course of transgression," (ver. l7). Hear the
groan, look on the languid eye, observe the sore anguish of these
death-stricken ones. But, like the man described in Job xxxiii
19-23, to whom the Interpreter comes, these cry to the Lord
and find mercy.
And so is it with those tempest-tossed ones (ver. 22), who
for a time were like Jonah and tbe mariners tbat were with
him.* The Lord commandeth, and the stormy wind ariseth,
(ver. 25).
" Which lifteth up His waves;" {i.e., Jehovah's waves Psa. xliii. 7;
¦ Jonah ii. 3).
xJut what a calm when Jehovah hears thefr cry ! — like the sea
of Galilee that morning when The Master arose and rebuked
winds and waves with his " Peace ; be still." Was there need
then to exhort men to adore and praise ? Did they not cry
one to another, " What manner of man is this ?" Even so
here ; when "their waves" (ver. 29) — i. e., the waves that tossed
them, sent out by God (ver. 25), and made terrible to them— •
are lulled by him who hears their cry.
* " Me miserum ! quanti montes volvuntnr aquaron 1
Jamjam tacturos sidera summa putes.
QuantsB diducto snbsidunt ssquore valles !
Jamjam tacturos Tartara regna putes.
Kector in incerto est, nee quod fugiatve, petatva
Invenit ! ambiguis ars stnpet ipsa malis." —Ovid, Eleg. I., ver. 28.

324 PSALM CVIL-^SONG OF THE GATHERED ONES.
" Ld them praise the Lord for his goodness," &c.
Let them praise Him in the place where the Elders sit together-
deliberating on the ways of God.
But now Israel, from all lands, meet on their proper soil —
Palestine. •. i Tbey see it had become waste and desolate, like
Sodom (Deut. xxix. 23), though once as the garden of Eden ;
aud they own it is for " the wickedness of those that dwelt
there," (ver. 34). They remember how, when tbeir fathers
emerged from the wilderness, they found it a land flowing with
milk and honey ; and how to them it was exchanging a desert
for water-springs — there they dwelt, built thefr cities, reared
Jerusalem, and there they multiplied (ver. 35-38), It was sin
tbat " diminished them," and " poured contempt on thefr
princes," (ver. 39, 40). God is good ; God is Love. God -would
have blessed them for ever, nor ever once have broken a link
of tbe chain, but for sin. And now He has returned in free
love to them.
" He sdtdh the poor on high.
And maketh families to him, like a flock of sheep." (Ver. 41.)
Shall not gathered Israel bless the Lord ? and shaU not aU the
earth hear, and see, and leam ?
" The righteous shall see and rejoice,
And all iniquity stop her mouth.
Whoso is wise will consider these things.
And vnll understand the mercies of the Lord."
By such closing words are all men in-vited to come and join
the Lord's redeemed, in tbefr blessings and in thefr joyful song,
helping them to raise to the Lord this
Song of thanks from gathered Israel and the redeemed,
PSALM CVIIL
A Song or Psalm of David.
1 O God, my heart is fixed ;
I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.
2 Awake, psaltery and harp : I myself will awake early.
3 I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people :
And I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.
4 For thy mercy is great above the heavens : and thy truth reacheth unto
the clouds.

PSALM CVIIL — ^MESSIAH RAISING THE SHOUT OF VICTORY. 325
6 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens : and thy glory above all the
earth.
6 That thy beloved may be delivered : save with thy right hand, and an
swer me.
7 God bath spoken in his holiness! I will rejoice ;
I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth,
8 Gilead is mine ; Manasseh is mine ;
Ephraim also is the strength of mine head ; Judah is my lawgiver ;
9 Moab is my washpot ; over Edom will I cast out ray shoe ;
Over Philistia will I triumph.
10 Who will bring rae into the strong city ? who vrill lead me into Edom?
11 Wilt not thou, O God, who hast cast us off? and wilt not thou, O God,
go forth with our hosts ?
12 Give us help firom trouble : for vain is the help of man.
13 Through God we shall do valiantly : for he it is. that shall tread down onr
enemies.
He has brought them to their desired haven I me tone.
" 0 God ! my heart is fixed—
My heart isjixed."
No more tossed, no more wandering.
'' I will sing and give praise;
Awake, my glory, awake ! "
A call to celebrate a greater victory than Deborah's (Judges
V. 12) — " Awake, my glory" — i. e., my tongue, the best member
I have for the purpose ; or, my heart (Hengstenberg), fitted to
be a harp that may sound thy name.
" Awake, psaltery and harp I
I vrill awake the morning I "
For his mercy is great — that mercy sung of lately (Psa. cvu.
1, and ver. 43). It is "from above the heavens"' (0'D?i>.7i?a) ;
i. e., coming down on us, as do drops of a fertilizing shower.
Even as the " Peace on earth," of Luke ii 14, was fixst " Peace
in heaven" (Luke xix. 38).
We have already had the words of this Psalm in two others Title and fom,
— ^viz., the Ivii and Ix. But here the joyful and the trium
phant portions of these two are joined in one, to form a lofty
melodv (" A song, a psalm," bke Psa. xxx. in the title), cele-
^•- . -r „ 1 T.V . 1, . ¦ T ^ n«- -1 1 Messiah, Israe
bratmg Israels return and Messiab s triumph.* Messiab, and and saints.
¦* Ryland says, that in Psalm Ivii. and Ix. the words were prophetic^ and
consolatory; here they are rather eucharistic, and descriptive of what God
has prepared for his own.

326 PSA. CVIII. — MESSIAH RAISING THE SHOUT OF VICTORY.
all Israel along with him, and every saint " rejoicing with Jeru
salem" (Isa. Ixv. 18), utter this Psalm. Messiah, as Leader,
speaks, in verse 9, in his own name (an intentional variation
from Psalm Ix. 8) —
" Moab I will use as a vessel in which to wash my fed (when the joumey
is over),
Over Edom I vrill cast my shoe (as one does to Ms servant),
Over Philistia I will raise the shout of joy."
Both in this Psalm and Psalra Ix, the words in verse 10 —
"Wbo shxM lead me?" — are in the present participle, 7^1* ^D
— " Who is my leader ?" — thus admitting of application to the
past, while they may be prospective also ; like tbe expression
in Heb. xiii. 7, " Remember tSk rjyoviMvm h(jjZ>i" your rulers.
Tbe speaker asks —
" Who is he that leaddh me to the strong city f
Who hath led me into Edom ?
7s it not thou, 0 God, who hadst rejected us.
And didst not go forth with our armies f "
Then, going forward in the Lord's name, and renouncing man's
strength. He and His enier on possession, saying —
" Through God we shall do valiantly ;
He it is that treads down our enemies."
" It is be that bruises Satan under our feet," may every saint
reply ; and, when Israel's day bas come, every saint shall find
himself blessed in their blessing. And so shall the Church
join Messiah, in behalf of restored Isroxl, raising the shout of
victory.

PSALM CIX.
To the chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
I Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise!
2 For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened
against me :
They have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
3 They have compassed me about with words of hatred ;
And fought against me without a cause.

PriALiI CIX. — JUDGMENT ON JUDAS AND JUDAS-LIKE MEN. 327
4 For my love they are my adversaries ; but I give myself unto prayer.
5 And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hated for my love.
6 Set thou a wicked raan over him : and let Satan stand at his right hand.
7 When he shall be judged, let him be condemned : and let his prayer be
come sin.
8 Let his days be few ; and let another take his office.
9 Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.
10 Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg:
Let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.
11 Let the extortioner catch all that he hath ; and let the stranger spoil his
labour.
12 Let there be none to extend mercy unto him :
Neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children.
13 Let his posterity be cut off;
And in the generation following let their name be blotted out.
14 Let the iniquity of bis fathers be remembered with the Lord ;
And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.
15 Let them be before the Lord continually,
That he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.
16 Because that he reraerabered not to shew mercy.
But persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the
broken in heart.
17 As he loved cursing, so let it corae unto him :
As he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.
18 As he clothed himself with cursing Uke as with a garment,
So let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.
19 Let it be unto hira as a garraent which covereth him,
And for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually.
20 Let this be a reward of mine adversaries from the Lord,
And of them that speak evil against my soul.
21 But do thou for me, O God the Lord, for thy name's sake :
Because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me.
22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.
23 I am gone like the shadow when it declineth : I am tossed up and down
as the locust.
24 My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness.
25 I became also a reproach unto them : when they looked upon me they
shaked their heads.
26 Help me, O Lord my God : O save me according to thy mercy :
27 That they may know that this is thy hand ; that thou, Lord, hast done it.
28 Let them curse, but bless thou :
When they arise, let thera be ashamed ; but let thy servant rejoice.
29 Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame,
And let thera cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle.
30 I will greatly praise the Lord with ray mouth ;
Yea, I will praise him among the multitude.
31 For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor,
To save him from those that condemn his soul.

328 PSALM CIX. — ^Messiah's prayers and praises for

Christ the
speaker.

The Jews and
Judaa.

Reference to
former days.

Ihe plan.

A SERIES of four Connected Psalnis commences here, beginning
with Messiah in his low estate. It is an observation as old as
the days of the Fathers, that this Psalm presents to us " The
sufferings of Christ," and tbe Psalm that succeeds celebrates
" The glory that should follow." We here descend into the
Valley of Humiliation, that we may look up from thence to the
height of Exaltation. Christ is here enduriug tbe contradic
tion of sinners, and at last meeting with the traitor. " Ettu,
Brute .'" is the tone of the complaint. The Fathers called it
" the Iscariotic Psalm," because so specially applied by Peter
(Acts i 16-20) to Judas. We may consider Judas, at the
same time, as tbe virtual head of tbe Jewish nation in thefr
daring atterapt to dethrone the Son of God. The doom pro
nounced, and the reasons for it, apply to the Jews as a nation,
as well as to the leader of the band who took Jesus. In the
words of verse 1,
"Hold not thy peace, 0 God of my praise,''
we hear the Saviour taking up Israel's manner of addressing
Jehovah ; for Moses uses it (Deut. x. 21) when expressing the
feeUng that during all his wilderness journey he had proved
Jehovah sufficient for him under sorrow, fear, perplexity, suf
fering, temptation, and so had ever found reason to praise him.
Jeremiah, the weeping Jeremiah, broken in spfrit, and meeting
with treachery in tbe house of his friends, could call on Jeho
vah by tbe same name (xvii 14), " Thou art my praise .'"
The Lord Jesus identifies himself with bis saints — " in all
points tempted like as we are." Yes, and if at one time he
looks up to the Father and says, " Thou art my praise !"
thinking of blessings already received, no less does he at
another time, as one of us would do when needing more help,,
speak thus of himself " / am prayer," (ver. 4).
Christ speaks from verses 1-5 as one. surrounded by foes, like
Shammah amid the Philistines in tbe field ofi lentiles (2 Sam.
xxiii 1 2) ; then suddenly his eye falls on the leader of the
troop, the tallest and most prominent sinner of the many
thousands whom he guides to tbe prey. May we not say
tbat verse 6, so abruptly isolating some one enemy, pointing
the finger at him, and bidding the divine thunderbolt fell on

JUDGMENT ON JUDAS AND JUDAS-LIKE, MEN. 329
his head, is like the EvangeUst's " While he yet spake, lo !
Judas, one of the twelve !" Even as Judas said to those he
led on, " That same is he, hold him fast ;" so tbe Son of man
says to the Father, "There is he! let him die !"
We consider the terrific utterance of doom, from verse 6 to
verse 20, as no other than a copy (if we may so speak) of the
Father's sentence upon the traitor who sold the Beloved Son
for thirty pieces of silver. Christ declares it, and consents to
it — " Let it be even so !"
" Ld the wieked one be sd over him ;
And Id Satan dand at his right hand." (Ver. 6.)
Again, —
" Ld his children wandering, wander on,
Ld them beg, and seek {food) from among the ruins of their own hemes."
And then he says, —
" Ld their sins be before the Lord continually, that he may cut off the
memory of the sinner from the earth ;
Because he remembered not to shew mercy (worse than Gen. xl. 23),
But persecuted the poor and needy One;
The One that was broken-hearted even unto death .'" (Ver. 16.)
Our Master had this verse in substance on his lips at the very
hour when Judas was on his way to Gethsemane to betray him ;
for Matt, xxvi 38 teUs us tbat Jesus spake of being " sorrow-
ful UNTO DEATH ;" which is the form of the expression here,
" broken in heart unto death" nrDob 2^b ^^<3J. (See on Psa.
Ixxix. IL for the force of H/TID.)
We must not pass verse 18 without remarking tbat there ia
an allusion in its tone to Num. v. 2], 22, 24 — the unfaithful
wife. Her curse was to penetrate into her bowels ; " the water
that causeth the curse shall enter into her ;" and such a curse
comes on unfaithful Judas,, who -delates his engagement to
the Lord, and upon Israel at large also, who have . departed
from him as a "wife treacherously departeth from her husband,"
and have committed adultery against the Bridegroom.
After this manifestation of Jehovah's abhorrence of all Mes
siah's foes, from Judas downward,, the Saviour looks again to
the Father, committing all to. bim.

330 PSALM CIX. — JUDGMENT ON JUDAS AND JUDAS-LIKE MEN.
" And thou, Jehovah, art my Lord /" (Ver. 21.)
To us it is sweet consolation to be able to say, " My Beloved
is mine, and I am his !" Was it less so to the Son of man ?
" Ad for me, for thy name's sake /"
Father, glorify thy name ! Glorify thyself even ui my con
tinued suffering (ver. 22-25). For again he cries,
" For poor and needy am 1 (^3JS{, even I whom thou hast already
T
helped).
And my heart is wounded within me.
Like the declining shadow I go away (night is near),
I am tossed to and fro as the locust" (the storm has begun).
Blasts from hell, and from earth, drive me about, as brisk winds
do the locusts, seeking to sweep me into the deep.
Once more (vers. 26—28) prayer arises from him who said
in verse 4, " I am prayer ;" and after this, praise. For he
sees deliverance on its way, and ends with praise to tbe " God
of his praise'' (ver. 1) as be began, adoring the grace of Jeho
vah, who rescues the helpless one, standing at his right hand.
And in this " Salvation" is included glory and blessedness,
the glory and the blessedness of the kingdom. The harp is
soon to sing of this theme in louder notes ; and, therefore, it is
no more than indicated at tbe close. Wbat a Psalm !
Messiah's prayers and praises for judgnient on Judas and
Judas-like men.

PSALM CX.
A Psalm of David.
1 The Lord said unto my Lord,
Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
2 The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion :
Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power ;
In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of tbe morning,
Thou hast the dew of thy youth.
4 The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent,
Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedec

PSALM ex.— THE RIGHT HAND AND THE FOOTSTOOI.,. 331
5 The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his
wrath.
6 He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead
bodies ;
He shall wound the heads over many countries.
7 He shall drink of the brook iu the way : therefore shall he lift up the head.
"The right hand of the poor !" was heard in the closing lines Ltokofco,
r. ,, , ° nection.
Ot the last song — " the right hand of the Poor One," viz., the
Messiab on eartb in his humiliation. But look up now ; this
" poor and needy One is exalted ! The Lord has " saved him."
We see no Judas now ; but we see Him whom Judas betrayed,
and whom Israel agreed in rejecting, exalted to the right hand
of God. " Jehovah said to my Lord, (*3'TK)
Sit at my right hand."
An oft-quoted passage — ^because it contains a memorable truth.* Quotationi.
We find it quoted by Messiab himself to lead Israel to own
him as greater than David, Matt, xxii 41. It is quoted in
Heb. i. 13, to prove him higher far than angels. Itis brought
forward by Peter, Acts ii 34, to shew him Lord as well as
Christ. It is referred to in Heb. x. 12, 13, as declaring that
Jesus has satisfactorily finished what he undertook to accom
plish on earth, " The one sacrifice for ever," and is henceforth
on that seat of divine honour " expecting till his enemies be
made his footstool" — the day ofhis Second Coming.
In verse 1, We have the personal glory of tbe exalted Mes- The plan.
slab declared by the Father. He sits in highest honour (see
1 Kings ii. 19; Psa. xlv. 9) till the day arrive for still farther
honour, viz., the utter prostration of his foes, wbo shall be made
his footstool, alluding (Josh. x. 24) to the five kings. Then
the land shall have rest.
In verse 2, The Father's promise to him of tbe subjugation
of all his foes. The " rod" is HDD, not a sceptre, but a rod of
chastisement, like that of Moses, used in bringing judgment on
Egypt. * Luther, in his " Familiar Sermons," uses the Hebrew words as a summary
of abundant consolation and a fit watchword for Christians, " Sheb limini," Sit
at my right hand.

332 PSALM ex. — MESSIAH EXPECTING TILL
In verse 3, The promise of a people, loving, holy, spotless,
and more than man can number.
In verse 4, His office as Royal Priest, specially exercised in
bringing this innumerable people to himself and then blessing
tbem. He is Melchizedec, but over a mighty kingdom, and
be intercedes for and blesses his Abrahams.
In verses 5, 6, Details are given of his leaving the right hand.
And verse 7 is a summary of his -whole career.
But, we should notice, in verses 5, 6, how the prophetic tele
scope is shifted. Hitherto (ver. 1-4) our eye had been fixed
on tbe Exalted Son, while David rehearsed in prophecy what
the Father would do for him " in the day of his power" —
tbat is, tbe day referred to. Rev. xi. 17, when he takes to
hiraself bis great power and reigns, the day of his Second
Coming, But now, in verse 5, we are guided to the Father ;
for it is he wbo " shall send Jesus," (Acts iu. 20 ; 1 Tim. -vi
15). And it is with our eye on the Father that we are to
read verse 5.
" The Lord CiJlf^ Chaldee, ' Shecinah') at thy right hand," (0 Jehovah).
T ;
See verse 1.
^ Or, perhaps, more correctly still, in tbe manner of adoring jo)
and hope, " The Lord (Adonai) is at thy right harid!
He has smitten through kings in the days ofhis torath I
He unit contend vrith the nations,
He hath smitten The Head of earth in all its extent ! "
This last clause, which speaks of a usurper who claimed a
right to our world, is the contrast to verse 7, wherein His own
exaltation over earth is proclaimed by " Ufting up the head!'
(see Gen. xl 1 3, 20, &c.).
" Of tlie brook in the way he shall dririk :
Therefore shall he lift up the head."
We may now turn back to discuss some of tbe difficulties of
this magnificent triumphal song. We shall notice two — one
in the description of bis army, verse 3 ; the other in the sum
mary of his career, verse 7. .
Difflcnitiea. We read in verse 3; " Thy people shall be free-gifts to thee,
in the day of thy power" — ^themselves presenting themselves

i HIS ENEMIES BE MADE HIS FOOTSTOOL. 333
as Uving sacrifices.'. The allusion is probably to the ma,nj free
will-offerings brought to Israel's altar, — all of whicb, as well
as their meat-offerings and drink-offerings, declared that God's
people were a people who gave up themselves to him, soul,
body, and spirit without reserve. And there was an old type
in Judges v. 2, Barak's army — like this great assembly from all
tribes, while those that were like Meroz perished with the foe.
This army, this host of the Lord, may be specially meant of
Israel as a nation, at Christ's Second Coming ; but if so, it is
Israel as afterwards the centre-point of union to the converted
nations of the whole earth. There may be reference, also, to
that other part of tbe Lord's host on tbat day, his glorified
saints "who attend upon him," and reign witb him over these
nations of eartb, and over the twelve tribes of Israel. But the
full reference is to all these multitudes together, gathered to
Shiloh at his Coming. These shall be arrayed as priests: fes
tively adorned ; for, " In the beauties of holiness,"
is an expression taken from Exodus xix. 6 aud xxviii. 4 (com
pare Prov. xxxi 25, nt£;l'p "y^^). It is used frequently, and
always seems to refer us back to the dress of tbe priesthood,
or Levites ;* so that we are to understand Messiah's host as
then manifested to be " a nation of priests," to offer up earth's
praise and service. " Out of the womb of the morning
Is the dew of thy youth."
Thy " youth-Uke soldiery are as dew for beauty" (Hengsten
berg) ; some say also, in perpetual succession ; and we must
add, for number too. But, is there not this other idea — tbey
come suddenly as the dew appears, seen all at once under the
light of the new-risen Sun of Righteousness ? And may we
not adopt yet another from Hengstenberg, " all begotten from
above" — as Job xxxviii. 28 might lead us to remember ? The
metre version of Tate and Brady has thus expressed some of
these views : —
* 2!Cbron. XX. 21 ought to be rendered, " He set singers .... according
to the beauty of holiness; " i. e., he set tbem in the beautiful robes worn by
the tribe of Levi. (See Keil.)

334 PSALM CX. — THE RIGHT HAND AND THE FOOTSTOOL.
" Shall all (redeemed from error's night)
Appear as numberless and bright
As crystal drops of morning dew."
But now let us briefly notice verse 7, " He shall drink of the
irook by the way." Ancients and modems bave all been at a loss
how to decide the true meaning. Tbe idea, so common among
us, that the clause foretells Chrisis sufferings, is very rarely
found among old interpreters.* The words were understood by
Junius and TremelUus long ago as meaning, " He shall steadily
press on to victory, as generals of energy act, who, in pursuing
routed foes, stay not to indulge themselves in meat or drink."-j-
Hengstenberg and others substantially approve of this view.
While a few hold that allusion may be made to Sarason at
Raraatb-Lehi (as if the words spoke of Christ having a secret
spring of refreshment when needful), most seera inclined to
take Gideon as the type that best expresses tbe idea. Pressing
on to victory, Messiah, like Gideon, " faint yet pursuing" as
he passed over Jordan, shall not desist till all is won. " He
shall not fail nor be discouraged till he has set judgraent in the
earth." Perha.ps the full idea is this : — His career was irre
sistibly successful, like that of Gideon ; for he allowed nothing
to detain him, nor did be shrink in the enterprise from any
fatigue, nor did he stop to indulge the flesh. If we take it
thus, there is both the Humiliation and the Exaltation of the
Son of man contained in the words ; aud Phil. U. 8, 9 supplies
a commentary.* It was current, however ; for Antonius Flaminius, 1576, adopts it, and
commenting on the Latin, not the Hebreiv term, says tiiat the Psalraist has used
the word torrent, " ad signiticandum vim et magnitudinem aerumnarum."
Some wished to understand it of " drinking of the blood of the slain ;" others,
ofhis slaking his thirst as a poor pilgrim passing a brook. One saw in the
words the very brook Cedron, and another was inclined to think it might be
" the waters of truth and holiness." We think, nevertheless, that raost readers
will agree that the probable meaning lies in a view of the passage much less
forced. f See also tbe oldest version of the metre Psalms: —
" Yea, he, through haste for to pursue his foe.
Shall drink the brook that runneth by the way."
And Amyrald, "He shall not give his foes even a moment to recover breath.
He himself shall just, as it were, lift bis helmet and hastily drink of water from
the running brook." Tholuck, " He shall combat without stoppage."

PSALM CXL — HALLELUJAH FOR PAST BLESSINGS. 335
And thus the harp sings of David's Son and Da-vid's Lord.
May we not entitle the Psalm,
Messiah, at the Right Hand, eaypecting till his enemies be mads
his footstool ?

PSALM CXL
1 Pbaise ye the Lord.
I will praise the Lord with my whole heart.
In the assembly of the upright, and in tbe congregation.
2 The works of the Lord are great,
Sought out of all them tbat have pleasure therein.
3 His work is honourable and glorious :
And his righteousness endureth for ever.
4 He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered ;
The Lord is gracious and full of compassion.
6 He hath given meat unto them that fear him.
He will ever be mindful of his covenant.
6 He hath shewed his people the power of his works,
That he may give them the heritage of the heathen.
7 The works of his hands are verity and judgment ;
All his commandments are sure.
8 They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.
9 He sent redemption unto his people:
He hatn commanded his covenant for ever.
Holy and reverend is his name.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom :
A good understanding bave all they that do his commandments :
His praise endureth for ever.
An Alphabetic Psalm. It may be sung now, iu the same The singers.
manner that it might be sung long ago in the temple ; but it
is fit also for tbat day described in Rev, xix. 1, 3, 4, the day of
many "Hallelujahs," sucb as this Psalm begins with and
reiterates. Messiah might sing it on earth and in the king
dom, and so may each of his members.
Tbe plan is simple. In verse 1 we hear of " The assembly (the The contents
confidential meeting) of the upright," whether such assemblies
as meet now, or that great multitude that shall meet at the Great
Day in the kingdom, "The Congregation." In verse 2 we have .
the theme of praise, Jehovah's works, which engages the atten
tion of all in these meetings, " The works of Jehovah sought

Wladom.

336 PSALM CXIL — HALLELUJAH FOR PAST BLESSINGS.
out according to all their wishes," (Hengst.). Tbey find " mar
jesty and glory" therein ; they find (ver. 4) " He has erected
a memorial for his wonderful works," i. e., made them as cer
tainly to be remembered as when men erect a meraorial edifice.
At verse 7 the unchangeableness of his ways is the leading
thought, occurring in verses 8 and 9 again. And then this
sweet song of Zion closes witb (ver. 10) the solemn expression
of entire satisfaction in the Lord and his ways.
It is worth noticing that verse 10 sings,
" The beginning of Wisdom is Jdumah' s fear"
Job had declared that truth to tbe sons of men in tbe earUest
ages, xxviii. 28. In after days, Solomon (Prov. i 7) declared it
with all the authority of bis unparalleled wisdom and greatness.
But here, Messiab and his members may be regarded as singing
it, not on earth only, but in the kingdom — in " The assembly
of the upright." Tbey shall tell for ever of all true wisdom
being found in the Lord. Never till they knew Him did any
of them know ought that could satisfy ; but in knowing Him,
all found eternal life. Out of this Fountain of Wisdom they
drink for evermore. " Holy and fearful is his name .'"
Herein lies wisdom — they that know that name (and Messiah
came to reveal it all) are for ever blessed. Such shall be
Thje Hallelujah of Messiah and his members in reviewing
the past.

PSALM CXIL
I Pbaise ye the Lord.
Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord,
That delighteth greatly in his coraraandments.
2 His seed shall be mighty upon earth :
The generation of the upright shall be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches shall be in his house :
And his righteousness endureth for ever.
4 Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness:
He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteotis.
6 A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth : he will guide his affain with
discretion.

PSALM CXIL — ^RECOMPENSE OF MESSIAH AND HIS SEED. 337
6 Surely he shall not be moved for ever : the righteous shall be in everlast
ing reraerabrance.
7 He shall not be afraid of evil tidings : his heart is fixed, trusting in the
Lord.
8 His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon
his enemies.
9 He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor ;
His righteousness endureth for ever ; his horn shall be exalted with honour.
10 The wicked shall see it, and be grieved ;
He shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away : the desire of the wicked
shall perish.
Another Alphabetic Psalm. The 111th celebrated the cha Jhe distinguish.
^ ing theme.
racter and ways of tbe Lord ; this song celebrates the bless
ings of those that are his, and speaks of the many points in
which God's people are like God. Like the last, it is a " Hal
lelujah" song, fit to be sung by Messiah, and by each of his
members, bere on earth and hereafter in tbe kingdom. It tells
of the reward of those tbat are tbe Lord's, while its description
of their character prevents any mistake as to the persons meant.
From verse 1 tbe features of character which mark the true The contents.
fearer of God are noticed, carrying us back to verse 10 of Psalm
cxi It is Messiah who exhibits these in perfection ; he is
" mighty," "li3J, far above that conqueror mentioned in Gen.
X. 8.
In verses 2, 3, the blessing, whicb follows this character as the
shadow does the substance, is spread before us ; and as a crown
ing element of blessing, the clause, " To the upright ariseth
light in darlcness," intimates tbat all the darkness of the up
right, bis trials, sorrows, temptations, will end in light. It is
a precious clause, appUcable to Christ's day of sorrow, and ap
plicable to each member's, telling us of present deliverances
prepared for tbe righteous, and of the grand deliverance when
" the light" of the Day of God appears (Mai. iv. 2).
In verses 4, 5, the features of likeness to God are spoken of
Of these, Messiah is the great exemplar ; merciful and gra
cious (Exod. xxxiv. 6), and righteous.
" Happy the man ! (Isa. iii. 10.)
He shewdh favour and lenddh !"
Inverses 6-8, his sure, unchanging bliss is proclaimed. He
Y

338 PSALM CXIIL — ^PRAISE TO HIM WHO
is " never moved ; " he is remembered by God for ever,,as, the
high priest had the names of Israel ever on bis heart. No
tidings can overwhelm him ; be is fixed for ever.
In verse 9 bis " cups i of cold water" are spoken of "He
gave to the poor ;" for as Christ did (Acts xx. 35), so each mem
ber bas ever counted it more blessed to give than to receive.
And this " righteousness," i. e., righteous conduct, is not for
gotten ; it is recorded in tbe book of remembrance, (see ver. 3,
and 2 Cor. ix. 9).
In verses 10, 11, his.triumph is proclaimed. He is exalted ;
tbe wicked is for ever fallen. This is the day of Glory — the
time of rewards. How verily true of Christ tbe Head ! " His
horn exalted."
And thus every holy strearn pours itself at last into the
ocean of glory, meeting it on the day when Messiah and his
merabers are glorified together. And this is the burden of
this Psalra which the righteous raight often sing in their dwell
ings in joyful anticipation —
The recompense of Messiah and his seed.

PSALM CXIIL
1 Pbaise ye the Lord.
Praise, 0 ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord.
2 Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for everraore.
3 From the rising of tbe sun unto the going down of the same the Lord's
name is to be praised.
4 The Lord is high above all nations, and his gloiy above the heavens.
6 Who is like unto the Lord onr God, who dwelleth on high,
6 Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the
earth !
7 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth tbe needy out of the
dunghill,
8 That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of bis people.
9 He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of
children.
Praise ye the Lord.
Ths HaiieL The Jews have handed down the tradition, that this Psalm,
and those that follow on to the 118th, were all sung at the

REDEEMS FROM THE LQ-VTEST DEPTHS. 339
Passover ; and they are denominated " The Great Hallel."
This tradition shews, at aU events, tbat tbe ancient Jews per
ceived in these six Psalms some link of close connection. They
all sing of God the Redeemer, in some aspect of his redeeming
character ; and this being so, while tbey suited the pasChal
feast, we can see how appropriate they would be in the lip^ of
the Redeemer, in his Upper Room.* Thus —
In Psa. cxiU., he sang praise to Him who redeems from the
lowest depth.
In Psa. cxiv., he sang praise to Him who once redeemed
Israel, and shall redeem Israel again.
In Psa. cxv., he uttered a song: — over earth's fallen idols —
to Him who blesses Israel and the world.
In Psa. cxvi, be sang his. resurrection-song of thanksgiving
by anticipation. . .
In Psa. cxvii, he led the song^ of praise for the great congre
gation. In Psa. cxviii. (just before leaving the Upper Room to go to
Gethsemane), he poured forth the story of his suffering, con
flict, trium.ph, and glorification.
Our Fsalrn, then, begins with a twice-repeated invitation to ThePsaim's
all God's servants to join in praise. It is sometimes true, that
for the soul, " solitude is best , society ; " but in the matte- of
praise, the reverse may be oftenest held. Tbe society of kin
dred souls, is the best help to each, individual soul ; every voice
in the great multitude touches the heart-fibres of yonder sweet
singer, as the wind does the .^olian harp. Hence it is tbat so
many Psalrns begin witb " Hallelujah ! " calling on others, all
around to praise-r— not that the "harper harping with his harp"
means to delegate this blessed duty to others, but, he seeks t'"
tune his own ;§oul,by bearing their, voices ascend. The jwaranth
of thefr hearts fires his own.
The persons invited (yer. 1), to praise, are "Jehovah's ser
vants;" all those (as Nehemiah i. 10 expands tbe words
whom he has redeemed. The time (ver. 2) for praise is speciall.
* The term used in Matt. xxvi. 30, is tfJ,vriea,VTes, the word used in Heb. :
12 ; and by the Sept. for niin and ^|),-l occasionally.

commenceiii&

340 PSALM CXIIL — PRAISE TO HIM WHO REDEEMS
"henceforth," iroxQ. the date of this redemption. 'The place
(ver. 3, 4) where it is to be celebrated is all the earth, not
Israel's land alone ; for all nations are to hear what Jehovah
has done on the theatre of that land. The object of praise
(ver. 5) is Jehovah, he to whom they sang at the Red Sea,
" Who is like unto thee?" (Exod. xv. 11.)
" Who is like to Jehovah our God t
He who is exalted high, as to his dwelling {o sv u^^ijXois xaroixZv, — Sept.)
He who stoopdh low as to his beholding ! {t& Totmeiva, iipogSiv. — Sept.)
In heaven, and in earth ! " (Ver 5, 6.)
Then follows the special subject of celebration (ver. 7, 8, 9)
— what He does for the fallen. Hannah's song in 1 Sam. ii
5, 6, 7, 8, seems kept in view, as well as God's own words to
Da-vid, 2 Sam. vii 8, 9, all to furnish suitable language to ex
press redemption-acts. And the long " barren woman " of
verse 9, while it reminds us of Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Ma
noah 's wife, Elizabeth, who all in the end were filled with joy,
may point to one and the same period of the world's history
for its full and final illustration, as does Isaiah liv. 1. Isaiah
seems expressly to allude to this Psalm as receiving its ful
filment to the full when Messiah's work of suffering (Isa. Uu.)
issues in illimitable blessing to Israel and the world. The re
demption celebrated includes glory as well as grace ; for we
have princes (ver. 8) spoken of, and these " sit" -with them, be
coming associates of the noble — thus highly exalted, though
once fit for tbe lowest bell. It is an expression parallel to
Hannah's " throne of glory," (2 Sam. ii 8). And lo ! the once
barren one of the house "sits a joyful mother of sons." Whether
we look upon the speaker as Christ praising the Father, or as
the Church of Christ, and every member of Christ praising
the Father because of Christ, the theme cannot be mistaken.
Itis Praise to Him who redeems from the lowest depth

PSALM CXIV. — PRAISE TO HIM WHO REDEEMED ISRAEL. 341

PSALM CXIV.
1 When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from >¦ people of
strange language ;
2 Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion.
3 The sea saw it, and fled ; Jordan was driven back.
4 The raountains skipped like raras, and the little hills like lambs.
6 What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest ? thou Jordan, tbat thon
wast driven back ?
6 Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little bills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the
God of Jacob ;
8 Which turned the rock into a standing water, tbe flint into a fountain of
waters.
Every tear dropt on the golden altar would appear golden. The tone.
because tbe gold shone through ; and common things presented
in sanctuary-vessels would become sacred. So it is with events
of history referred to in these songs of Zion. Even if they
were not wondrous in themselves, still they could not fail to
be felt as unlike all other events, because so exquisitely cele
brated on the harp of Israel.
This Psalm sings of tbe past, and of the future too. The The contenti.
past extends from verse 1 to verse 6, the time
" When Israd, of the Lord bdoved.
Out of the land of bondage came."
When we find in verse 1, as in Psa. Ixxxi 5, Egypt spoken
of as a land where the people were of a " strange tongue," it
seems likely that the reference is to their being a people who
could not speak of God, as Israel could ; even as Zeph. iii. 9 tells
of tbe " pure lip," viz., tbe lip tbat caUs on the name of the
Lord. In verse 2, " Judah" (Sept. Uudaia) is followed by a femi
nine verb, both to shew that it was not tbe land, but the people,
and also to remind us of their helplessness at that time. It is,
q. d., the " daughter of myjeople." And in tbe same verse,
we hear of "His sanctuary," as in Psa. Ixxxvii 1, without
naming the person, because tbe heart is full of him. God
dwelt in the camp, making the hearts of the people his " Holy
place," and taking the tribes as his Kingdom ; while the Red
Sea and Sinai testified of his presence and power. What a

342 PSALk CXIV. — PRAISE TO HIM WHO REDliEMED ISRAEL.
privilege to bave such a king ! What a blessedness to be
dwelt in by the Holy One.
There is a future time when tbe like shall occur again, and
the question be again asked, " What aileth thee, 0 sea, that
thou fleest V For (ver. 7, 8) the closing verses seem to be
parallel to Haggai ii. 6, and Heb. xii 26, when, all the earth
shall be moved at the presence of him whose presence so af
fected Sinai, and tbe Red Sea, and Jordan. Augustine also —
" Ilia quoque miracula, cum in illo populo fierent, prsesentia
quidem, sed non sine futurorum sigiiificatione, gerebantur."
And Dr Allix says — " 'Tis a meditation upon the coming out
of Egypt, and upon the several miracles whicb changed the
order of nature ; from whence tbe sacred author lifted up the
minds ofhis people to the thoughts of their redemption, when
the Messiah, appearing for their deliverance, will cause the
same changes in the world." See Micah vii. 15-17, Isa. xi
15. And on that day they shall come forth from the crushing
dominion of a power that has trod Jerusalem under foot,
" whose tongue thou shalt not understand," (Deut. xxvui 49).
Whether in tbe lips of Jesus at the passover table in the
upper room, when using this as part of the great Hallel, or
in the lips of any of his members, the song is one of
Praise to Him who has redeemed, and will again redeem,
his Israd.

PSALM CXV.
1 Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us.
But unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake.
2 Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now tbeir God ?
3 But our God is in the heavens : he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.
4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.
5 They have mouths, but they speak not : eyes have they, biit they see not!
6 They have ears, but they hear not : noses have they, but they smell not :
7 They have hands, but tbey handle not : feet have they, but they walk
not :
Neither speak tbey through their throat.
8 They that make them are like unto them ; so is every one that trusteth
in them.

PSALM CXV. — THE PRAISE TO JEHOVAH. 343
9 O Israel, trust thou in the Lord ! He is their help and their shield.
10 0 house of Aaron, trust in the Lord ! He is their help and their shield.
II Ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord ! He is their help and their shield.
12 The Lord hath been miu Jt'ul of us : he will bless us ;
He will bless the house of Israel ; he will bless the house of Aaron.
13 He will bless them that fear the Lord, both small and great.
14 The Lord shall increase you more and more, you and your children.
15 Ye are blessed of the Lord which made heaVen and earth.
16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's :
But the earth hath he given to the children of men.
17 The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence.
18 But we will bless the Lord, frora this time forth and for evermore.
Praise the Lord.
The misisionary, Adonfram Judson, was arrested in tbe midst The theme.
of ambitious schemes, and led to lay hirnself at the feet of his
Lord by the first verse of this Psalm, " Not unto us."
This " Not unto us " has reference to the undeserving char
racter of the recipients. Our God gives liberally ; and withal
he gives as none other gives ; for (as Milton sing.s) he gives,
" With his good upbraiding none."
It is this divine peculiarity in his giving that ought more than
all else to induce us to hasten to his throne with our thanks
and adoring praise. His " mercy and truth" (ver. 1) are the
Jacbin and Boaz of the redemption-scbemd ; his grace, or, love,
or mercy, prompting the gift of his Son, and his truth, or ad
herence to every word he ever spoke, to every law he ever
gave, to every attribute of his character, are the reigning mani
festations of bis name. In- giving praise, therefore, should not
his redeemed continually refer to " mercy and truth" — to
"grace aind truth that came by Jesus Christ ?" It is thus we
give him " glory in the highest."
But contrast Jehovah with any other god. Why should the The contrast,
heathen say, " Where, pray, (K3) is your God ?" Take up
Moses' brief description in Deut. iv. 28, and expand it as is
done hera Idols of gold and sUver have a mouth, but give
no 'Counsel to i their worshippers; eyes, but see not the de
votions nor the wantsi of those wh& serve them ; ears, but hear
not their cries of distress or songs of praise ; nostrils, but smell
not the fragrant incense presented to thefr images ; hands, but
the thunderbolt which they seem to hold (as Jupiter Tonans

344 PSALM cxv. — the praise to JEHOVAH.
in after days), is a brutum fulmen, they cannot launch it ;
feet, but tbey cannot move to help the fallen. Ah ! they
cannot so much as whisper one syllable of response, or even
mutter ia thefr throat ! And as man becomes like his god,
(witness Hindoo idolaters whose cruelty is just the reflec
tion of the cruelty of their gods), so these gods of the hea
then being " soul-less, the worshippers become soul-less them
selves," (Tholuck).
Happy Israel ! trust in Jebovab —
" For to all such an aid he is,
A buckler and defence." (Oldest version.)
His people. " Their help" means " the help of sucb as do so."* Some
understand it as if a chorus uttered these words in reply. In
either way the sense is clear. Israel at large ! house of Aaron !
all fearers of God ! trust him alone ; for all of you can say
verse 12, 13.
In verses 14, 15, the latter-day blessing of Israel is referred
^0. Thefr God whom they praised pronounces blessing, a
creation-like blessing (Gen. i 28), upon tbem, by the mouth
ol his High Priest, we may suppose ; and in that case,
bow appropriately uttered by the Lord Jesus on tbe night
he was betrayed, while using these words at the pas,sover
table : " May Jehovah add to you (Deut. i. 11),
To you and to your children !
May you be blessed of Jehovah,
Maker of heaven and earth /"
It is like Melchizedec blessing Abraham in the name of the
Most High God, " possessor of heaven and earth." They who
receive tbe blessing respond in the closing words —
" As to the heavens — the heavens bdong to Jdiovah /
Audit is he that givdh earth to the children of men ! "
Ay, and it is he who will give eartb, in its renovated beauty,
to the children of men. To him we owe all things. Should
be not be praised — upraised on his own earth ?
• See note on Psalm xxviii. 7.

PSALM CXVL —TEE REDEEMER'S RESLTREECTION-SONG. 345
" It is they that are not dead who vnU praise Jdiovah,
And not those that go dovm to silence (Isa. xxvi. 14) :
And as for vs, let us bless Jdiovah ("3123 y^U^*t)
From henceforth and for ever / HaUdujah!"
What a fervent act of praise ! — a song, in defiance of idols.
Praise to Jehovah, the sovereign source of blessings
manifold to all that fear his name.

PSALM CXVL
1 I lOVE the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications,
2 Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him
as long as I live.
3 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon
me:
I found trouble and sorrow.
4 Then called I upon the name of the Lord ; O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver
my soul !
6 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous ; yea, our God is merciful.
6 The Lord preserveth the simple : I was brought low, and he helped me.
7 Return unto thy rest, O my soul ; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with
thee.
8 For thou hast delivered my soul fi-ora death.
Mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.
9 I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
10 I believed, therefore have I spoken : I was greatly afflicted :
II I said in ray haste. All raen are liars.
12 What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me ?
13 I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.
14 I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in tbe presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
16 O Lord, truly I am thy servant ;
I am thy servant, and the son of thine handraaid : thou hast loosed my
bonds.
17 I will otfer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the
name of the Lord.
18 I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people,
19 In the courts of the Lord's house, in the midst of thee, 0 Jerusalem.
Praise ye the Lord.
If the greatest wonder that eye shall ever see, ear ever hear. The key-not*
and tbe heart of man and angel ever conceive, is the sacrifice
of God manifest in the flesh, " Deity expended upon human

346 PSALM CXVL — ^THE REDEEMER'S
weal !" it need not seem strange to us that tbe harp of Zion
returns again and again and again to this theme. This is the
theme before us here, for this Psalm is Cbrist's resurrection-
song, sung by his own lips in the upper room at the passover,
in anticipation of the darkness^ of Gethsemane and Calvary
passing away into glory.
Paul, in 2 Cor. iv. 13, 14, furnishes the- key-note — "We hav
ing the same spirit of faitb, according as it is written, / believed,
and therefore have I spoken (Fau. cxvi 1 7), we also believe,
and therefore speak." We, says Paul, go on -with our testi
mony as Jesus did, believing, as he did, that the Father will
raise us up at last in glory; though at present we' "bear about
with us the dying (r?jv vm^uBii/, the HJliari of Psalm cxvi 15)
of the Lord Jesus."
It has been noticed by Hengstenberg (wbo beautifully speaks
of the speaker here as uttering " thanksgiving with the tear in
his eye"), that there is a reserablance to tbe tone of this Psalm
in Hezekiah's writing, when be had been sick, and was recovered
of his sickness (Isa. xxxviii). It may be that Hezekiah's case
was meant to furnish a living type of the Saviour in some de
tails. It is also raost true tbat in a certain sense and measure,
every member of Christ can sing, " 1 love the Lord," and say it,
too, in the very style of the original writer. " I love ! because
the Lord has heard " — so transported witb joy and love, " as
at first to express bis affection without declaring its object,
thinking all the world must know who is the person intended
— ^bke Mary Magdalene, John xx. 15," . (Horne). Still it is
the Master, rather than tbe disciples, who speaks here. The
Lord Jesus is the true Hezekiah, who alone can appropriate aU
that is written here, having passed through sorer pangs, and
gotten a more real resurrection, than Hezekiah could celebrate
when he went up, on the third day, to the house of the Lord.
Christ the It is Christ only wbo can say/in tbe full sense of the word,
tbe very first syllable of the Psalm ; for the words run in the
original thus, " / love ! because the Lord has heard my voice,
my supplications !"
" I love .'" ('DinN, like Jffrjjxa, Eev. iii. 17. " I have so done, and
do so still")

speaker.

RESURRECTION-SONG OF THANKSGI-VING. 347
It, is not, " I am well pleased that the Lord has heard ;" no,
it is far more. It is as if he pointed to Deut. vi. 5, " Thou
•shalt love tbe Lord" — DNniP'ri^nXI, exclaiming," I bave
done so, and ever -will !" And then, as the proof of this love
(not as the cause, comp. Luke vii 47), he adds, " For see, the
Lord has' testified to my love by hearing iny prayers." Yes ;
those tears and strong cries, to which reference is made, Heb.
V. 7, were proofs of bis love to the Father ; and the Father's
hearing and helping was proof of bis love to the Soil
" And I vrill call so long as I live."
Literally, " during my days," V3^^, as in 2 Kings xx. 1 9, Isa.
xxxix. 8 (Hengst.) Is there not an implied reference to his
intercession ? and does not the phrase remind us of Rom. v. 1 8,
"saved by his life," and of Heb. vii. 16 ?
Israel might use these words at their paschal table, reckon- ^'^jj,'^' ™'' ''
ing Egyptian sorrows and bondage as a kind of tomb, and re
calling the fiight from Egypt, and the passage through the
Eed Sea, when all human help had failed. It was like a re
surrection — a passage up from tbe grave. Still, all was but
an imperfect shadow of God's Israel, his beloved Son. The
world was his Egypt, his place of bondage, his scene of suffer
ing ; and, on tbe night be left this Egypt's tasks and bricks
for ever, all help of man failed him — not even a disciple
offered him sympathy. It was he, therefore — it was he alone
— ^who could so truly sing, as verse 11,
" I said in my haste" {t. e., while hastening from Egypt, like Israel on
the passover night),
" All'men are liars ;''
for the term is altogether a passover-night one, "tSH. It is not
trepidation of mind, it is not irritation, it is not alarm, it is not
tumult of soul, that the term indicates ; but it is the flight or
hasty escape of Israel on that memorable night. See this dis
cussed in Psa. xxxi. 22. The old metre version of Tate and
Brady is right— " For i'n my fiight all hopes of aid
From faithless man were lost."

348 PSALM CXVX. — ^THE REDEEMER'S
And so the Targum has ^[p'lyM, " in my fleeing." Bishop
Patrick and some others have noticed this to be tbe true sense.*
The contents. These remarks help us to the scope and plan of tbe psalm.
The Saviour begins (ver. 1-4) with the Lord and his benefits ;
then (ver. 5, 6) celebrates some attractive features of his cha
racter, " Gracious is Jehovah," while still he is " righteous,"
" and our God sheweth mercy," (DHno.) ; and this he does
by " Keeping the simple," i. e., those whom Satan might easUy
beguile. And now be gives a fuller history of his suffering
and deliverance (ver. 7), " I was brought low," and how the
Lord permitted not the enemy to triumph over him in the
a^vP^ll hour of his tremendous woe ; "He helped me," (ver. 7, 8).
He seeras to reveal to us some of the thoughts tbat upheld
bi il — some of "the joy set before him" that enabled him to
endure. Tbey were such as these — ^paraphrasing the words a
little (verses 9, ]0, 11)—
" I shall yd walk before Jehomh
In the lands (J^^J{")^<2) of tlie living," {i. e., the regions of glory, not
the abodes of the dead).
" I have fall confidence ! That is the reason why I have so often declared
my resurredion."
Not that I had no temptations to the contrary. I was more
afflicted than other men.
" I CiN) was greatly afflicted."
Tes ; and forsaken too, so that
" I said, in my hastening away,
AU men are liars."
All that is man disappoints expectation (ver. 8) ; 20, as in
Jer. XV. 18. But now, taking up the drink-offering cup, and
pouring it on the altar as a thanksgiving-token-j- (ver. 12, to
the end), he looks up to the Lord, and expresses his entire
• Horsley gives " in ecstasy of despair," quite as far from the true meaning
as is Barclay's " agony to fulfil the law," and Bishop's Home's " hurry aud tre
pidation." But see Psa. xxxi 22.
t Hengstenberg maintains that commentators have no ground at all for
saying that there was a cup of thanksgiving at the passover supper. Mede has
suggested the allusion to the drink-offering.

RESURRECTION-SONG OF THANKSGIVING. 349
satisfaction in Him, uttering thanks, praise, ^.blessing, vows,
while looking forward to the results of all, in a people freed
and gathered into glory ; for this is contained in the oft-repeated
words, (equivalent to " Our gathering together in him," 2
Thess. ii 1), " In the presence of all his people."
This is f-wice declared (ver. 1 4 and 1 8), in peculiar language —
" I will pay my vows to the Lord,
Tea, I will in presence of all his people ; (or, in presence of — let me d
it — all his people.)
Precious (are thej) in the sight of the Lord ;
Even the death which belongs to his saints." (VT^DH? nniSH-)
This last Une of tbe verse is quite peculiar. Tbe word for
death is peculiar, corresponding, as we noticed before, to the
Greek vix-^usig (Uke nD)DJn in Psalm Ixxix. 11), while it cannot
be construed with "1p\ " precious," because of the gender. We
may, therefore, connect the "precious" with " hiS people" (as
we find iu Psa. Ixxii ] 4, Isa. xlii 4), and raay understand the
next clause as a declaration that even such suffering, such
death-like pangs, are no proof that Jebovab bas forgotten his
people — "even in regard to their death-like suffering, they
are precious in his eyes."* Everything that concerns his
people is of interest to him, every hair of their head is num
bered. With his eye on sucb a passage as this, weU might
Paul rapturously exclaim — " All things are yours, the world,
life, death !" (1 Cor. iii 22, 23.) ShaU not all this bind me to
thee ? "I am thy servant." Who shall separate me from the
love of God? Hallelujak (Ver. 19.) Such is
The Redeemer's Resurrection-song of Thanksgiving.
* There is a simpler way of overcoming the difficulty. It is to take "^p*
as the noun (neglecting the masoretic pointing), and punctuate it ")p», " price,
honour, glory," as in .Job xxviii. 10, Dan. vii. 14. We might then render
the verse, — " A precious thing in the sight of tlie Lord
Is the death which befalls his saints.'"

350 PSALM CX-VIL— CALL ON THE CONGREGATION FOR PRAISE.

PSALM CXVIL
1 O PRAISE the Lord, all ye nations! Praise him, all ye people!
2 For his merciful kindness is great toward us : and the truth of the Lord
endureth for ever.
Praise ye the Lord.
Connection with " The presence of all his people !" Our gathering together iu
the preceding. J^ . r r o o o
him ! This was beard in the close of the former Psalm. So
now we seem to be introduced for one brief moment into that
assembly where the Redeemer stands leading their praise.
What a Hallel ! from " aU nations" and " aU tribes" {WQH),
as in Rev. v. 9. '
" Loud as the sound of seas,
Through multitudes that sing."
The plan. Tbey Celebrate, as in Psalm cxv. 1, and often at other
tiraes, the mercy, the tender love of God which to usward is
¦p!!, " mighty," prevailing as did tbe deluge-waters over the
mountain-tops (Gen. vii. 24, Tl^^l), and also his truth, going
hand in hand with truth in man's redemption.
Paul quotes this short song in Rom. xv. 11 (this heavenly
catch whicb seraph might cry to seraph, or one redeemed to his
fellow), to remind us that the Ensign on Calvary was set up
for all nations. Gentiles as well as Jews. Let us, then, from
time to tirae, recall this song to mind, and therewith exhort
one another to praise. In so doing, we are using words which
tbe Master used in the upper room, and which be will use
again when " he drinks the new wine witb us in the Father's
kingdom." For it is He specially who is tbe speaker in the
Call on the Great Congregation for praise.

PSALM CXVIIL
1 O GIVE thanks unto the Lord ! for he is good ; becai:8e his mercy endur
eth far ever.
2 Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.
3 Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth for ever.
4 Let them now that fear the Lord say, that his merey endureth for ever.

PSALM CXVIIL — Messiah's conflict and triumph. 351.
6 I called upon the Lord in distress : the Lord answered me, and set me in
a large place.
6 The Lord is on my side ; I will not fear; what cap man do unto me ?
7 The Lord taketh my part with them that help me ;
Therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me.
8 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.
9 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.
10 All nations compassed me about : but in the name of the Lord will I de
stroy them.
11 They compassed me about ; yea, they compassed me about :
But in the name oftheXord I will_destroy tbem.
12 They compassed me about like bees ; they are quenched as the fire of
thorns:
For in the name of the Lord 1 will destroy them.
13 Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall : but the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation. .
15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous;
The right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly.
16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted : the right band of the Lord doeth
valiantly.
17 I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.
18 The Lord hath chastened me sore: bnt he hath not given me over unto
death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness ; I will go into thera, and I will
praise the Lord :
20 This gate of theLord, into which the righteous shall enter.
21 I will praise thee : for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.
22 Tbe stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the
comer.
23 This is tbe Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which the Lord hath made ; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord ; O Lord, I beseech thee, send now
prosperity.
26 Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lords
We bave blessed you out of the house of the Lord.
27 God is the Lord, which has shewed us light :
Bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.
28 Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt
thee.
29 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for
ever.
LUTHER wrote on bis study-wall, "Tbe 118th Psalm is my Thetonek
Psalm, which I love. Without it, neither emperor nor king,
though wise and prudent, nor saints, could have helped me,"
Tholuck).

352 PSALM CXVIIL — ^MESSIAH'S CONFLICT AND TRIUMPH.
Christ uses it Still remembering that there is reason to believe that our
Lord used tbese Psalms, which formed the " Great Hallel," on
the last night he sat with his disciples at the passover-supper,
and now specially remerabering that this was tbe hymn they
must in tbat case have sung just before " He went to the Mount
of Olives," every verse will appear lighted up with pecuUar
attractiveness. " What pleasing seemed, for Him now pleases more."
The plan. The plan of it is as follows : — In verses 1-4, " Oh let Israel
say," &c., the Saviour is calling upon others to belp bim in
praise ; at verse 5 begins his thanksgiving narrative ; whUe
verses 6, 7, states a holy axiom, verified in his own case, and
left for the use of all his own, to this effect —
" Ld Jehovah be with me ! I fear not.
What can man do to me 7
Ld Jehovah be with me, among my helpers I
Then I will look in triumph on mine enemies."*
Beiievem In all this, every member of Christ can join, even as in Rom.
viii 31 we find Paul, and those in whose name he speaks, using
language equally bold. Nor is there need of other help (vers.
8, 9), for " human dust and royal clay" cannot add to the Lord's
strength. Proceeding in bis narrative, from verses 10 to 13,
be tells tbe strength of his foes. Tbe term used for their de-
straction (ver 10), D^''OSt, may have been chosen because it calls
up the idea that these foes are aU ^1D, " uncircumcised"
(Hengst.), and so he is the trae David going forth against this
Goliath (1 Sam. xvii 36).
" In the name of the Lord (I go forth) ! for I will destroy them."
This seems the force of ^D, though some insert, " 1 swear that."
The figure of bees (ver. ] 2) sends our thoughts to tbe Amo
rites, in Deut. i 44 ; he chases and destroys them. Then, the
special foe (v. 13) that seems addressed, who is this ? He
speaks to some person, " Thou didst sore thrust :" is be speak
ing to the host as one ? the army of all nations ? or is he
* Wyckliffe's spirited application of this verse to the monks who came to his
bedside, hoping that his sickness would end in speedy dissolution, was an ac
commodation of the words ; but the incident may be used as emblematic

PSALM CXVIIL — ^MESSIAH'S CONFLICT AND TRIUMPH. 353
singling out tbefr chief? Were this last idea adopted, we
might suppose we saw the Serpent combating the Woman's
Seed, tbe " sore thrust" being tbe Serpent's bruising the heel
of tbe Sa-viour.
See next tbe victory won by Jehovah's aid alone (vers. 1 4-1 6).
As Moses, the leader of the host, sang in Exod. xv. 2, " The
Lord is my strength, my salvation," so does Jesus ; but at the
same tirae there are sharers in the victory. Hearken !
" The voice of rejoicing and salvation in the tents of the righteous I"
And wbat do they sing : —
" Ihe right hand of the Lord hath done valiantly."
They sing this as at the Red Sea ; and three times they sing
of tbat right band tbat has won an infinitely greater victory.
But next he refers to death, and his triuraph over it (ver.
17, 18). Tbe curse, " Thou shalt die," cannot now fall on me ;
it is past and gone ; it is exhausted :
'• I shall not die ; for I shall live !"
It is the voice of Jesus ; "I am the li-ving one" (Rev. i. 18),
" and I was dead, and, behold, I am alive for evermore ! " And
as he added then, "And I have tbe keys of Hades and of
death," so here he adds (vers. ] 9, 20) —
" Open io me the gates of righteousness !"
— the gates of the holy temple above that shut out iniquity, and
admit only what is pure and righteous. The temple on earth
was typical of the better temple above.
" This is Jehovah's gate" (this " righteousness-gate") ;
" The righteous go in therdry."
He enters singing (ver. 21), " I will praise tbee, for thou hast
heard me, and art becorae my salvation." Upon whicb the
shout of congratulation arises from " the righteous" who go in
after him. They it is who sing from verses 22 to 26, rejoicing
in " the stone" become the head, or main stone of the corner,
the corner-piece foundation-stone, bearing the weight of two
walls and uniting both — a beautiful figure of Christ reconciling
God and man, as well uniting all the saved in one. It is they,
too, who sing, " This is the day which the Lord Tnade," i. e., set
z

The time.

354 PSALM CXVIIL— -MESSIAH'S CONFLICT- AND TRIUMPH :
apart, consecrated (n^,y as in Deut. v. 15, niii/y^) — this day of
the Saviour's -victory. And then another shout arises from
Israel, owning their King and Lord now risen and glorified —
" Yea, Lord, hosanna I {i. e., give us a share in thy victory).
Yea, yea. Lord, send prosperity !"
Another shout from bappy Israel ! —
" Blessed is he that comdh ! in the name of the Lord ! "
And looking, it would seem, on bis attendants — " the right
eous," of verse 20 — they shout again,
" We pronounce you blessed (it is plural Q3~),
You that are of the Lord's house."
In such strains are set forth tbe triumphs of the Saviour, when
he had overcome death and the grave. When himself sung bis
Psalm, would not bis eye look onward, not to Resurrection
only, but to Ascension, too, when he entered " the gates of
righteousness'' above — but not least to bis Second Coming and
his passing in with his ransomed into the New Jerusalem,
when tbey together " enter in through the gates into the city,"
(Rev. xxii. 14). The multitudes, who almost unwittingly (yet
prophetically, in the sense wherein Caiaphas spoke prophe
tically, John xi 51) applied to him verse 26, were, after all,
presenting a type of the great and final triumph 'at whicb the
innumerable ransomed shall raise the cry, " Hosanna !" In that
day, Israel, looking on with opened eyes, shall join in blessing
him, and blessing all that are his, though they so long were the
builders who rejected that tried stone. And this last feature
of the scene leads us to notice verse 27, where Israel speciaUy
look on Hira and cry,
" Jehovah is God (7J^ mighty one) ; and has shined upon us," (Exod.
xiii. 21, Tit. ii, 11, I'Tre^a.vr}).
They see what had been hid from their eyes so long ; they
see Jesus of Nazareth to be the Saviour, their God, Jehovah.
In transports of grateful wonder, they exhort one another to
offer thanksgiving-offerings, hastening to the altar,
" Bind the sacrifice " (JpJ as Isa. xxix. 1, &c.) " with strong cords I '
(D''nb^2).
" Ld us dway to the homs of the altar ! "

SHARED IN ET THE REDEEMED. 355
The last Une is peculiar :; for iH^S^p "t;^, " to the boms," can
scarcely be connected with the verb to bind, in the sense of.
Hold fast the victim till yoli reaoh the homs of the altar. The
word Ty is rather a particle of locality. In Lament, iii. 40 it
occurs thus : " Let us search and try our ways ; and let iis re
turn (let us go) to the Lord ! " And so we take it here. The
restored and grateful people are hastening to bring their offer
ings of praise to thefr God and King, stimulating one another's
zeal; " Sursum corda!" to the altar! to the altar! whose
horns hold up to view the blood of sacrifice.
It seems to be the Redeemer himself now surrounded b-v Christ with hi
" people.
this multitude of ransomed ones, in whom be sees of the tra^
vail of his soul and is satisfied, who closes the Psalm (in verses
28, 29) by a thanksgiving to his Father for these results, and
by an invitation (as at ver. 1) to all the universe to join in
praise to the God of love. In anticipation of tbese results. He,
in the days of his First Coming, sang it as his hymn while
rising from table to go to the garden of Gethsemane ; but at
his Second Coming, be will sing it with the tone of the more
than conqueror, having realized the whole. We may entitle
a Psalm that contains such stirring incidents, past and pros
pective, .
The Redeemer's Conflict, Triumph, and Glorification, shared
in by his Redeemed.

PSALM CXIX.
A PILGRIM AND STRANGER, GUIDED, DAY AND NIGHT, BT THE LAW 0»
THE Lord, till he reaches the city.
Th^ alphabetic peculiarities of this Psalm are well known. Alphabetic
every part beginning with a new letter, and every line or verse ^^
of that part beginning with the same, till all tbe letters of the
Hebrew alphabet have been exhausted. There may be some
thing more than fancy in the remark, that Cbrist's name, " the
Alpha and Omega" — equivalent to declaring Him all that
which every letter of the alphabet could express — may have
had a reference to this pecuUarity of this Psalm, — a Psalm in

doQ PSALM CXIX. — THE PILGRIM GUIDED BT GOD S WORD.

The terms
^'statutes" and
' Precepts,"

DifHcuities In
fine portion.

which (with the exception of ver. 84 and 1 22, exceptions that
make the rule more marked) every verse speaks of God's reve
lation of himself to man, under one or other of tbe twelve
terms, -1. law, 2. testimony, 3. way, 4. commandment, 5. pre
cept, 6. judgment, 7. word, 8. truth, 9. righteousness, 9. faith-
fiilness, 11. statute, 12. name. If so, it gives additional mean
ing to tbat title of tbe Lord — he is not only first and last, but
all between ; be is all that revelation can express.
In Psalm xix. we tried to ascertain the different shades of
meaning in " Law," " Testimony," &c. These hold good here ;
only they are not to be conisidered as exclusive of one another.
But our translators have unfortunately introduced some con
fusion into tbe terms eraployed in this Psalm, by rendering
tbe Hebrew D^i5n, " Statutes," which term was not the one
used in rendering D'TIISE), in Psalm xix. 8. In this Psalm,
therefore, "Statutes" mean the appointments of the ceremo
nial law, q. d., the things prescribed to Israel by Jehovah's
decree through tbeir p^Hip " statute-giver."* On the other hand,
our translators render ?"'"TlpH) by " Precepts," invariably in
this Psalm. This word ("11133) we saw in Psa. xix 8, signi
fies particular injunctions given in particular cfrcum.stances.
Of course, the lessons taught by tbese special injunctions and
appointments are included, as a chief part of the Psalmist's
meditation and delight.
But it is remarkable tbat a Psalm, which we might suppose
to belong to Christ, and to be his special utterance more than
most others, bas, in its language, some diflSculties which have
deteiTed many from applying it to the Lord Jesus at all. We
think, however, the difficulties are such as admit of explanation.
They are these, viz., verses 67, 71, 75, and 176. The 67th is the
only really serious difficulty, for it seems to ascribe " going
astray" to the speaker— J32' always meaning delinquency of
some kind, it might be by inadvertency, yet stiU a deviation
from the standard of law. Fry and some others try to dispute
this, but have failed. How, then, are we to understand our Lord
using such a verse as this ? We propose tbe following solu-
* See Levit. xxvi. 46, " these are the statutes," Q^iJUn- The Praver-book
version translates the word " ceremonies," in the Psalms.

PSALM CXIX. — THE PILGRIM GUIDED BT GOD'S WORD. 357
tion : — He had said in verse 66, " I have believed in thy com
mandments" — " I have kept faithful to wbat tbou hast said."
Then follows the statement of still firmer adherence to the
Lord's word. He says, " I did not need the sorrow and shame
of experienced error to drive me into thy ways. Without this
teaching, whicb so often, by its bitter regrets, leads wUiul ones
to Thee, I have been enabled to hold fast thy words — ' Ere
ever I was afflicted, I kept thy word.'"
" / have not yd been afflicted, as one going astray,
And dill I have kept thy word."
The common rendering of JJ^£^ '•OX, " I WENT astray," or " I WAS
going," cannot be defended ; it ought to be " I am going astray."
Our proposed rendering is parallel to TvT'^ — Ki2n D")^3, in
Exod. i 19, in regard to tbe construction of D"]D, and gives the
obvious and most natural sense of the whole clause. But then,
it may be asked. Is not the difficulty of verse 176 equally
great: "I have gone astray as a lost sheep?" Not so; for
here the term is *J1''yil, in the signification of wandering like
one wbo has no home. It is Abraham's word in Genesis xx.
] 3, " God caused me to wander (DNi '1^ "^TfA ^V^'^) fro"^ iiiy
father's house." It is most appropriate in tbe lips of him who
aad left his heavenly home to be a stranger here, to be (as
Fry observes) " as a sheep whom no man taketh up" (Isa. xiii
14). The word, indeed, seems to, be the same as that which
has given the Arabic name El Tyh to part of the desert where
Israel wandered. And if this be so, then the difficulties of
verses 71, 75, are all that remain ; both of which are solved by
a reference to Hebrews v. 8, " Though he were a Son, yet learnt
he obedience by the things which he suffered."
We cannot but think that " the Songs of Degrees," all of whicb The posiuon
have a pilgrim air about them, are appropriately prefaced by
this Psalm, breathing as it does the experience of a pilgrim,
with " a soft quiet melancholy" (Hengstenberg) in his tone,
met and comforted by the God of all consolation. If we adopt
the idea of tbe Psalm being a kind of manual for a pilgrim,
we are able to connect its different parts ; and we are able to

358 PSALM CXIX. — THE PILGRIM GUIDED BT GOD'S WORD.
do so whether we read it as the utterance of the Lord of pil
grims, or of one of his band. ALEPH.
1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.
2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the
whole heart.
' 3 They also do no iniquity : thfey walk in his ways.
4 Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.
6 O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes !
6 Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy command
raents.
7 I will praise thee with uprightness of heart.
When I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.
8 I will keep thy statutes : O forsake me not utterly.
Aieph. (Ver. 1.) The pilgrim setting out. God's testimonies are his
staff. The Lord of pilgrims might utter verse 1, as he uttered
Matt. V. 3, 4, 5, " Blessed are the merciful !" Sin leads to
misery ; holiness leads to bliss, which is far more than joy. He
looks along the way, revolving in bis soul what he should be
who would walk in paths of blessedness, tiU at verse 8 be lifts
his staff for the joumey, saying —
" I will observe thy statutes !
Thou wilt not forsake me utterly I" (See ver. 43, and comp>
1 Sam. xxvii. 1 with 2 Sam. vii. 15.)
BETH.
9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed thereto according to thy word.
10 With my whole heart have I sought thee : O let rae not wander from thy
comraandraents,
11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, tbat I might not sin against thee.
12 Blessed art thon, 0 Lord ; teach me thy statutes.
13 With my lips have I declared all tbe judgments of thy mouth.
14 I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.
16 I will delight myself in thy statutes : I will not forget thy word.

Bttlu

The pilgrim fairly on the way. God's testimonies smooth
the joumey. The Lord of pilgrims might be supposed arrest
ing tbe attention of bis followers by this question, verse 9, and
by its answer, corresponding as it does to John,xvii. 7, and xv. 3.
He breathes a ffrm resolution to make the Word his guide —

PSALM CXIX. — THE PILGRIM GUIDED BT GOD S WORD. .S59
" With my lips do I recount,*
All the judgments of thy mouth," (as in ver. 7, thy dealings in provi
dence, and the principles that guide them as set forth by thee^.
GIMEL.
17 Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word.
18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
19 I am a stranger in the earth : hide not thy comraandments from rae.
20 My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath uuto thy judgments at all
tiraes.
21 Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err frora thy com
mandments.
22 Remove from me reproach and contempt ; for I have kept thy testimonies.
23 Princes also did sit and speak against me : but thy servant did meditate
in thy statutes.
24 Tby testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors.
The pilgrim, seeing the prospect open upon liis view. He Gin"».
seeks discoveries on his path, in spite of external difficulties,
and prays, " Uncover mineei/es and I will look !" Then, as if
dazzled, he exclaims, " Wonders out of thy law!" His plea is, —
" / am a dranger vpon earth." (Ver. 19.)
This is not the country where I find my treasure and my home,
neither am I to be here long. He uses this as it is used in 1
Chron. xxix. 11, an argument which the Son of David, as well
as David in the name of any member of Christ, might use.
In seeking these discoveries, he looks backward to tbe days of
Pharaoh, verse 21. At verse 22, he remembers Israel's en-:
trance into a large place • when they crossed Jordan, " Roll
nff from, me the reproach;" — as ^Joshua (ver. 9) speaks of it
being rolled away at Gilgal, when the Lord shewed his faith
fulness in bringing Israel into her land, thereby silencing the
taunts of Egypt. And verse 23, "For thy servant medi-
.tates on thy statutes," reminds us of Joshua i 6. " Let us
remember, (says Home,) that he wbo alone, in the strict
and unlimited sense Of tbe words, could say, ' / have kept thy
testimonies,' sustained the utmost degree of ' reproach and
* When we make the Scriptures the subject of our conversation, we glorify
God, we edify our neighbour, and we improve ourselves," (Horne). But thie
recounting what God's mouth has appointed to be, is also a matter of private
meditation and prayer.

360 PSALM CXIX. — THE PILGRIM GUIDED BT GOD'S WORD.
contempt' for our sakes, and was patient under all, till God 're
moved' it from him by a glorious resurrection. There remain
eth likewise a resurrection for the mystical body of Christ, and
then. Wisdom sbaU be justified of her children."
daleth.
25 My soul cleaveth unto the dust : quicken thou me according to thy word.
26 I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me : teach me thy statutes.
27 Make me to understand the way of thy precepts : so shall I talk of thy
wondrous works.
28 My soul melteth for heaviness : strengthen thou me according unto thy
word.
29 Remove from me the way of lying : and grant me thy law graciously.
30 I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me.
31 I have stuck unto thy testimonies : O Lord, put rae not to sharae.
32 I will run the way of thy coramandments, when thou shalt enlarge my
heart.
Daleth. ¦ The pilgrim weary. The Lord of pilgrims was often weary
in spirit when he saw the world so cold, nay, so determinedly
inimical, to his Father. " My soul cleaveth to ihe dust," de
clares the feeling of degradation and feebleness, like Psa, xxii.
16 ; even as verse 28 expresses sorrow, " My soul melteth away
for grief." And still araid this weariness he cries, " Tby word,"
(ver. 25) ; " Thy statutes," (ver. 26) ; " Thy precepts," " Thy
law," (ver. 29) ; " Tby testimonies," (ver. 31 ) ; these are my
resort. " / run the way of thy commandments, (Heb. xii. 1).
For thou enlargestmy heart."
His frames and feelings may vary, because his circumstances
vary, but his heart's desire and affection toward God and his
truth remain unvarying. HE. '
33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes ; and I shall keep it unto the
end.
34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law ; yea, I shall observe it
with my whole heart.
35 Make me to go in the path of thy coramandments; for therein do I
delight.
36 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.
37 Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity ; and quicken thou me in
thy way.
38 Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear.
39 Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments are good.
40 Behold, I have longed after thy precepts ; quicken me in thy righteousness.

PSALM CXIX. — THE PILGRIM GUIDED BT GOD's WORD. 361
'^he pilgrim stedfast in temptation. In spite of sights of He.
nity, yea, in spite of aU he saw on the hill of Temptation,
./hen the glory of the whole earth was shewn to him, the Mas
ter passed on unmoved ; and so it is in measure with his dis
ciples. It may be, this very resistance of evil (as in Joseph's
case) may bring tbem for a time into reproach ; or, it may be,
thefr unlikeUness to the world may draw do-wn on them its
malignant assaults ; but the end shall be well None lose by
adhering to the Lord's testimony.
" Turn away my reproach which I fear,
For thy judgments are good." (Ver. 39.)
VA0.
41 Let thy mercies come also unto me, O Lord, even thy salvation, accord
ing to thy word.
42 So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me : for I trust
in thy word.
43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth ; for I have hoped
in thy judgments.
44 So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever.
45 And I will walk at liberty : for I seek thy precepts.
46 I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed.
47 And I will delight myself in thy coramandments, which I have loved.
48 My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved ;
And I will meditate in tby statutes.
The pilgrim assailed. Outward foes and unsympathising Van.
men are not easUy dealt with ; hence the prayer to be enabled
to reply to assailing ones by words in season, getting courage
and utterance to confess his name ;
" Take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,
For I have truded in thy word." (Ver. 43.)
" Utterly'' as in verse 8, and as in Isa. Ixiv. 8, and elsewhere
implies the belief that it may seem right to the Lord to allow
some humiliation to be felt ; only (says tbe suppliant) let him
not wholly withdraw I Tbe father may teach some lesson by
allowing the chUd to stumble, but surely will not let him so faU
as to be injured. In verse 44 tbe Master alone could fuUy
assert — " I keep ihy law
ContinuaUy (n^D/1)/o»' ever and ever."

Zaln.

362 PSALM CXIX. — THE PILGRIM GUIDED BT GOD'S WORD.
That is, every day without interruption ; and this unbroken
service prolonged to etemity.
" And I walk in a large place," (ver. 45)
— ^finding his service freedom and joy. Perhaps verse 46 may
be Ulustrated by Matt. x. 18. ZAIN.
49 Eemember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me
to hope.
60 This is my comfort in my afiSiction : for thy word hath quickeried me.
61 The proud have had me greatly in derision : yet have I not declined from
thy law.
52 I reraerabered thy judgraents of old, 0 Lord, and have coraforted rayself
53 Horror hath taken hold upon me, because of the wicked that forsake thy
law.
64 Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage. _
55 I have remembered thy name, O Lord, in the night, and have kept thy
law.
66 This I had, because I kept thy precepts.
The pilgriyn under darkness, yet unmoved. Manifold dark
circurastances are tbe lot of Master and disciples bere ; but the
word of promise, in some of its many forms, sustain,s.
" Bemember thy word to thy servant ;" or, for thy servant's benefit ;
" Because (Itt^N b^, 2 Sam. iii.. 30.^Hengstenberg) thou hast caused
me to hope."
God's pilgrims have a hope (Rom. v. 3, viii. 24, xii. 12, xv. ] 3),
that shall never put them to shame ; having once spoken, he
keeps his promise. As Newton sings —
" And can He have taught me to trust in His name,
And thus far have brought me to put me to shame ?"
In verse 52, the Lord of pilgrims might be supposed standing
near Capernaum, and Bethsaida, and Chorazin, lifting up his
eyes to heaven, thanking the Father who hides tbese things
from the wise and pradent, and reveals them unto babes ; or
amid his seventy, thanking the Father, and rejoicing because he
bad seen Satan as lightning fall from heaven. He sees the
eternal purpose of the Lord. He sees the Lord himself ruling
aU events, and bring about a glorious issue, even the glory of
tbe kingdom.

PSALM CXIX. — THE PILGRIM GUIDED BT GOD'S WORD. 363
"I remembered thy judgments from dernity ; (see ver. 13)
(I remembered) Jdiovah, and comforted mysdf.
Horror seized me,
Because of the wicked who forsake thy law ;
Thy datutes were my songs." (Ver. 52, 53.)
One thing, whatever else befalls, be is sure of namely, that
happen what may,, he has cleaved to the Lord.
" This I have.
That I have k^t thy statutes." (Ver. 56. The 13 is like 6u in.
Rev. ii. 4.) cheth.
57 Thou art my portion, O Lord : I have said that I would keep thy words.
58 I entreated thy favour with my whole heart : be merciful unto me accord
ing to thy word.
59 I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.
60 I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.
61 The bands of the wicked have robbed me : but I have not forgotten thy
law.
62 At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee, because of thy right
eous judgments.
63 I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of thera that keep thy
precepts.
64 The earth, O Lord, is full of thy raercy : teach me thy statutes.
The pilgrimi following on to know the Lord. He breathes caiett.
the desire, " Da mihi te, Domine" —
"Keying thy ways, I have said.
My portion is Jehovah." (Ver. 57.)
He values God's presence, (ver. 58) ; he compares his ways with
God's testimonies, (ver. 59) ; he never lingers in the perform
ance, when he finds a commandment (ver. 60) ; amid the
bands of the wicked be adheres to the law, (ver. 61); at mid
night (lit., "half of the night" as Exod. xiii. 29, tbe time when
the Destroyer slew Egypt's first-bom — Hengstenberg) he
awakes to praise (ver. 62) ; he shares (IIIH) with the fearers
of God, whatever be their lot, (ver. 63). And it seems as if
he saw the future glory awaiting those that follow the Lord ; or
rather, he delights in the future revelatioU of the Lord's riches
of Love ; for he sings, in a tone that reminds us of Isa. vi. 3 —
" The ea/rth is full of thy merey /"
But the view is one that overwhelms the sOul ; it cannot takf

364 PSALM CXIX. — THE PILGRIM GUIDED BT GOD'S WORD.
in the vision but in part ; and therefore he prays, " Teach me
thy statutes," that I may daily fathom more of the great deep.
teth.
65 Thou hast dealt well vrith thy servant, O Lord, according unto thy word.
66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge : for I have believed thy com
mandments.
67 Before I was afflicted I went astray : but now have I kept thy word.
68 Thou art good, and doest good ; teach me thy statutes.
69 The proud have forged a lie against rae : but I will keep thy precepts with
my whole heart.
70 Their heart is as fat as grease ; but I delight in thy law.
71 It is good for me that I have been afBicted ; that I might learn thy
statutes.
72 The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.
The pilgrim is satisfied in the service of God, and with his
dealing9 hitherto. " Kindly hast thou dealt urith thy servant,
O Lord, according to thy word." (Ver. 65.)
The Lord of pilgrims bad never ought but good to say of his
Father ; neither have the followers of that Lord any fault to
find. " He never wronged me nor mine," was tbe saying of a
Scottish saint, even when the bloody bead of his martyred son
was held up to his view. So good, so infinitely satisfying to
tbe soul are the Lord's ways and tbe Lord's revelations of
himself tbat the pilgrim says (ver. 67), " 1 kept ihy words,
without being driven to them by affliction." (See above, in
tbe introduction, p. 357.) He then (ver. 68) prays to be taught
more still, as he prayed in verse 66 for " discernment" (DyD),
the faculty to see spiritual things cleariy. When in verse 71
he expresses satisfaction in having been afflicted, it "is because
by the hand of affliction these grapes were pressed for tbe re
freshing of his thirst ; thereby be experienced somewhat more
of the infinite adaptation of tbese statutes to a pilgrim's wants.
JOD.
73 Thy hands have made me and fashioned me :
Give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandraents.
74 They that fear thee will be glad when they see rae ; because I have hopec
in thy word.
76 I know, (-) Lord, that tby judgraents are right,
And that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.

PSALM CXIX — THE PILGRIM GUIDED BT GOD's WORD. 365
76 Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort,
According to thy word unto thy servant.
77 Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live : for thy law is my
delight.
78 Let the proud be ashamed, for they dealt perversely with rae without a
cause :
Bnt I will meditate in thy precepts.
79 Let those that fear thee turn unto me, and those that have known thy
testimonies.
80 Let my heart be sound in thy statutes ; that I be not asharaed.
The pilgrim speaks to the Lord about his future course. •''^
He goes back to his creation — ^his being clay in the hands
of the potter. This is a reason for pleading to be led on
(ver. 73). Then, the joy it will give others is a reason,
verses 74 and 79, And complete soundness (ver. 80, WQr\\
is the goal of his desires, that is, power to coraplete the work
given him to do, his heart impartial, sincere, thoroughly at one
with God. Every disciple breathes this desire —
" et my heart be perfect in thy precepts.
That I may not be ashamed." (Ver. 80.)
The desire is tbe same with that of the apostle in 1 John iv.
28, " Abide in Him, that we may bave confidence, and not be
ashamed before Him at his coming," even as the asssuranco
breathed in the " 1 know " of verse 75 is like Rom. viii. 28,
and 1 John v. 1 8. CAPH.
81 My soul fainteth for thy salvation : but I hope in thy word.
82 Mine eyes fail for thy word, saying. When wilt thou comfort me ?
83 For I am become like a bottle in the smoke ; yet do I not forget thy
statutes.
84 How many are the days of thy servant ?
When wilt thou execute judgment on them that persecute me ?
86 The proud have digged pits for me, which are not after thy law.
86 All thy commandments are faithful : they persecute rae wrongfully ; help
thou rae.
87 They had almost consumed me upon earth ; but I forsook not thy precepts.
88 Quicken me after thy lovingkindness; so shall I keep the testimony of thy
mouth.
The pilgrvm, oppressed, draws strength from the thought of caph.
future glory. The " salvation " of verse 81 is like Jacob's in
Gen. xlix. 18, the deliverance in prospect for aU tbe Lord's
children — the glory to come — ^the kingdom., Trials send for-

366 PSALM CXIX. — THE PILGRIM GUIDED BT GOD S WORD.
ward our hopes to that time of peace. Our Lord, " for the joy
that was set before him, endured the cross" (Heb. xii. 3), hav
ing respect to tbe reward and the rest ; and so bis foUowers also,
expecting the fulfilment of his promises.
" My soul faintdh for thy salvation.
I wait for thy word." (Ver. 81.)
As the worshippers went up to Zion "fainting" (Psa. Ixxxiv.
2) for the courts of the Lord, tbat is, thirsting even to faint-
ness, even thus does tbe pilgrim for the Day of the Lord,
"waiting" (as Rom. viii. 19) for tbe fulfilment of promises and
hopes. There is here, too, an aToxagoSox/a, for
" Mine eyes faint (!)^2) as ver. 81) for thy word,
T
Saying, When wilt ihou comfort me V (Ver. 82.)
On that day, " the bottle in the smoke," the man of sorrows,
the pilgrim who bas been subjected to humiliation and dis
honour, shall appear as a diadem in the hand of the Lord. No
wonder, then, that again be cries —
" How many are the days of thy servants f
When vrilt thou execute judgment on my persecutors ?"
— ^the very prayer and appeal of the souls under tbe altar in
Rev. vi. 9. And the force of verse 85 seems to lie in a refer
ence of tbe same kind, q. d., " The proud have digged pits for
me, but shall find themselves disappointed ; these pits are not
destined for rae" — alluding to the Lord's judgraent when his
" Law" shall assign each his portion, the persecutor and the
persecuted.* For his promises shall come to fulfilment ; they
are faithfulness itself
" AU thy commandments are faithfulness " (Ver. 86.)
LAMED.
89 For ever, 0 Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.
90 Thy faithfulness is unto all generations : thou hast established the earth,
and it abideth.
91 They continue this day according to thine ordinances : for all are thy
servants.
92 Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine
affliction.
* Horne remarks, the law enacted punishment, Exod. xxi. 33, on the man
wbo left open a pit into which a beast accidentally fell ; much more here,

PSALM CXIX — ^TH^ PILGRIM GUIDED BT GOI>'S WORD. 367
93 I vrill never forget' thy precepts : for witb them thon hast quickened me.
94 I am thiue, save me ; for I bave sought thy. precepts.
95 The wicked have waited for me to destroy rae : but I will consider thy
testiraonies.
96 I have seen an end of all perfection ; bnt thy commandment is exceeding
broad.
The pilgrim meditates on the unfailing certavnty of the tamea-
Law. Tbe revelation of God in his word and ordinances is
just Himself presented to our view ; which being so, we find
his word like himself sure ^,nd unfailing amid all changes.
" For ever is Jehovah I
Thy word is fixed in the heavens ! " (above reach of change ) (Ver. 89.)
To this Law be ever resorts. In all else, be finds a limit ;
other guides go only a certain length witb you ; other supports
are capable of bearing only a certain measure of burden ; but
the Lord's revelation has no such limit ; " it is exceedi/ng
broad" — ^the contrast to mere human "perfection," tbe com
pleteness to which man may reach.
MEM.
97 0 how love I thy law ! It is my meditation all the day.
98 Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies :
For they are ever with me.
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers : for thy testiraonies are
my meditation.
00 I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.
101 I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I raight keep thy word.
102 I have not departed for thy judgments : for thou hast taught me.
103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste ! yea, sweeter than honey to my
mouth !
104 Through thy precepts I get understanding ; therefore I hate every false
way.
The pilgrim revels im the instructive properties of God's ,;^,^,
law. " How I have loved thy law .'" (ver. 97). The Law (see
Psa xix.) is equivalent to God's revelation of himself and; his
will to man. His foes have a sort of wisdom, much craft, much
subtlety ; but as David, in 1 Sam. xviii 30, was made wiser
than all his foes in conduct and in war, even so shall it be here.
" Thy commandment shall make me wiser than mine enemies,
' For U is mine for ever"—T-tay possession and portion for ever. (Ver. 98.)
Glancing at tbe future, he glories in the law as making him
wise, not only now, but for ever. " I have got (he says) what

Ntm.

368 PSALM CXIX — THE PILGRIM GUIDED BT GOD S WORD.
shall even in ages to come, in tbe kingdom, continue to teacb
me." No earthly teachers (ver. 99), not even the elders* or
the aged (ver. 1 00), afford anything tbat equals this revelation
of God. No wonder ! for it is God's epistle to mankind offer
ing reconciliation, peace, and union with himself in glory I
NUN.
105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
106 I have Sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous
judgments.
107 I ara afflicted very much : quicken me,'0 Lord, according unto thy word.
108 Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord,
And teach me thy judgments.
109 My soul is continually in my hand : yet do I not forget tby law.
110 The wicked have laid a snare for me : yet I erred not from thy precepts.
Ill Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for even for they are the
rejoicing of my heart.
"112 I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes alway, even unto the
end.
The pilgrim proclaims God's law sufficient amid all diffi
culties. Yes, sufficient even in tbe darkest hour of the darkest
night of earth. It shall shed its light, like the PUlar Cloud,
on the pilgrim-path of those wbo travel in the Last Days, amid
tbe shades of the world's evening ; it has shed its light on the
gloomiest path ever trod by a saddened follower of the Lamb ;
it does at this hour shed light, tbe purest, and the sweetest,
into the souls of all wbo know tbe Lord.
"Ihy word is a lamp unto my fed.
And a light unto my path." (Ver. 105.)
It has all sorts of light in it ; it is like what is said in
Rev. xxi. 23 ; it has sun Ught and temple-larap light. It is
a "lamp"—m.j, the very "light" of day ! In this light, the
Lord of pilgrims walked ; and in this light each of bis band
walks still, and purposes to walk, "for ever, continuaUy, unto
the end," (ver. 112). Tbe " erne?" contains in it a direct re
ference to tbe reward ; for the word is J3py, a word used else
where for wages or reward, e. g., Psa. xix. 12, Prov. xxii 14,
* -A-PPb'ig tli's passage to the Lord Jesus, Augustine says  "Agnosco
enm plane, qui super docentes se intellexit, quando cum esset duodecim an-
norura remansit puer Jesus in Hierusalem."

PSALM CXIX. — ^THE PILGRIM GUIDED BT GOD's WORD. 369
The pUgrim has his eye on the blessed termination, and seems
to speak abruptly as he gazes — "Forever! the end .'" — the re
warding close ! SAMECH.
113 I hate vain thoughts : but thy law do I love.
114 Thou art my hiding-place and my shield : I hope in thy word.
115 Depart from me, ye evil-doersi for I will keep the commandments of
my God.
116 Uphold me according unto thy word, tbat I may live :
And let me not be ashamed of my hope.
117 Hold thou me np, and I shall be safe! and I will have respect uuto thy
statutes continually.
118 Thou hast trodden down all thera that err from thy statutes : for their
deceit is falsehood.
119 Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross : therefore I
love thy testiraonies.
120 My flesh trerableth for fear of thee ; and I am afraid of thy judgments.
The pilgrim, tempted to a compromise, cleaves to the Law. samech.
Water and oil cannot intermingle ; the word of God and the
ways of fallen men are equally irreconcilable.
" I hate thoughts." (D''3yp-)
I hate mere opinions on matters of duty, and on points of di-vine
worship. I hate " waverings," say some, implying tbe uncer
tainty of merely human thoughts on divine truth.
" But thy law have I loved " — (thy revelation of thyself and of thy will).
In verse 116, "ashamed of my hope" is, ashamed so as to
abandon my hope as one disappointed. At verse 118, the end
of all wbo adopt another rule than the law of God is hinted at ;
and then dwelt upon in verses 119, 120. " Their deceit (i. e.,
the lie they trust in) leads to nothing" (Hengst.), or ends in
utter disappointment. It is a " spem meniita seges." The
wicked are put away as dross is flung out (ver ] 1 9), and this
with sucb accompaniments of terror, tbat tbe beholder, though
safe in tbat day within the cloud, exclaims —
"Myfiesh trembldh (horripilavit caro mea, Jeiomn) for fear of Thee;
And I am afraid at thy judgments I "
ain.
121 I have done judgment and justice : leave me not to mine oppressors.
122 Be surety for thy servant for good : let not the proud oppress me.
Aa

370 PSALM CXIX — THE PltGRIM GUIDED BY GOD 'S WORD.
123 Mine eyes fail for thy salvation, and for the word of thy righteousness.
124 Deal with thy servant according unto thy mercy, and teach me thy
statutes.
125 I am thy servant ; give me understanding, that I may know tby testi
monies.
126 It is tirae for thee, Lord, to work : for they have made void thy law.
127 Therefore I love thy commandments above gold ; yea, above fine gold.
128 Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right ;
And I hate every false way
Ain. The pilgrim seeks to endure to the end. De not leave me !
Be surety for thy servant that it may be well witb him ! It
is time for thee to work ! These appeals indicate a pilgrim
feeling himself beset with much that makes him -wish that the
journey were done, besides the T'J3d verse —
" Mine eyes fail for thy salvation; (see ver. 81, 82)
.A.ndfor the word which tlwu wiU perform." (Ver. 123.)
It might seem as if tlie " therefore" "Q ^y of verses 127, 128,
declared that the sight of the reckless course of tbe ungodly
bas increased tbe pilgrim's love to the Lord's ways ; but we
incline to another view. Tbe 126th verse is literally,
" There is a time for the Lord to work." (Ver. 126.)
Vengeance is not speedily executed ; for God is long-suffering.
The effect of this delay is to tempt the ungodly to "make void
the law." But tbe effect of the Lord's having a time, a fixed
time, for tbe performance of his promises and threatenings, is
very different in regard to his servants ; they are thereby in
duced to persevere in shewing love to bun. " Therefore," on
this account, " I have persevered till now in loving thy com
mandments, approving of every one of tby precepts, ('all thy
precepts, even all') and hating every false way." Yes, it is he
wbo says in his heart, " My Lord delayeth his coming," that
begins to beat his fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with
the drunken. PE.
129 Thy testimonies are wonderful : therefore doth my soul keep them.
130 The entrance of thy words giveth light : it giveth understanding unto
the simple.
131 I opened ray mouth and panted : for I longed for thy commandments.
132 Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me,
As thou usest to do unto those that love thy name.

.: PSALM CXIX-^THE PIIiGRIM; GUIDED BT GOD'S -^OllD, 371
,rI3?i.Or4e^.TOy.steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion
over me.
134 Deliver me from the Oppression of man : so will I keep thy precepts.
135 Make thy face to shine upon thy servant ; and teach me thy statutes.
.136 Riyprs of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law.
The pilgrim manifests increasing, as well as imtense, delight ^*
in the Law. It is a somewhat quaint, but at tbe same time
faithful, view of his state of mind that is given by one who
paraphrases verse 131 thus —
" With open mouth I pant and run, like hart hefore the hounds.
Until my lawful prize he won for which my spirit bounds.
Behold thou me, 0 Lord my God, the master of the race  ."
The Lord Jesus, the Son of David, could utter these words ;
and David, or any member of Christ, can find no better words
to express their soul's desire when getting a glimpse of " the
iinsearcbable riches." There is some difficulty, however, in
verse 130, which is literally,
" The door of thy words givdh light.
Some say, " The opening up of the trae sense of thy word ;"
but this is not in the expression. The Lord's words are ap
parently represented as the door (HilB) by which we enter into
the chambers of his heart. Tbe idea is this. You cannot
handle any saying of God in a true frame or spirit without find
ing yourself in so doing at a door which may lead you far in to
the palace — to the innermost thoughts of God's heart toward
us. A door is opened to you every time you apprehend one
sentence or saying of the Lord's — "a door in heaven,"' shall
we say? — a door like that of which John (Rev. iv. 1) speaks,
by whicb you are enabled, in the spirit, to pass farther in to
the secrets of God ? Only this is not a revelation of things
hidden from other saints — part of its blessedness is found in
its being the common priidlege of all saints ; just as verse 132
has expressed it, "According to the manner* (Gen. xL 1 3) to-
* T|i33tyDD- The same expression occurs in verse 149, " Quicken me, O
Lord xI^Stt^Q^. according to thy manner." The sense would in this case be,
I ... T ; • :
" Quicken, in answer to my cry ; for thou art wont to hear such cries." Per
haps, algo, verse 175 shoiild be so understood.

372 PSALM CXIX. — THE PILGRIM GUIDED BT GOD's WORD.
ward those that love ihy name" — ^toward Abel, toward Enoch,
toward Abraham, toward Moses, toward us also who love " thy
name .'" We may be able to say nothing else of ourselves but
this only, " We love thy name!" But this is enough. And
how real, how intense, is this love, since it draws forth the
heart in strains like verse 136 —
" Mine eyes run down as brooks of water,
Because of their not keeping thy laws I "
Tbeir precent wickedness, and their final doom, are both re
ferred to. It is, " If tbou hadst known, even thou !" (Luke
XX. 41.) TZADDI.
137 Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments.
138 Thy testimonies that thou hast comraanded are righteous and very
faithful.
139 My zeal hath consuraed me, because mine enemies have forgotten thy
words.
140 Thy word is very pure : therefore thy servant loveth it.
141 I am small and despised : yet do not I forget thy precepts.
142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the
truth.
143 Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me : yet thy commandments
are ray delights.
14't The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting : give me understand
ing, and I shall live.
Tzaiidi The pilgrim adopts the tone of adoration. Getting nearer
his journey's end, it is natural for the man of God to praise
more than at the outset. At the close of tbeir warfare, saints
are represented in Revelation (e. g., chap. xv. 4) as discerning the
Lord's righteousness and faithfulness, " Just and true have
thy ways been, 0 King of saints ! " Tbey see this in his judg
ments on the ungodly ; for it is not with them as is told of the
Emperor MauritiufS, who uttered, in reference to bis own suf
ferings aud his family at the baud of Phocas, " Righteous art
thou, 0 Lord." And this i-s the utterance of verses 1 37, 138.
Tbe more that enemies forget the Lord's word, the more he re
members it. It is a word without dross, "pure," no defect in it.*
" Thy righteousness is righteousness for ever.
And thy law is truth." (Ver. 142.)
* Pure gold (says Home) is said to be so fixed that an ounce of it set in
the eye of a glass-furnace, for two months, did not lose a single grain.

PSALM CXIX — THE PILGRIM GUIDED BT GOD'S WORD. 373
Joshua (xxiii. 1 4) testified to Israel, and they said Amen to the
testimony, that not one good thing had failed of all that the
Lord had spoken. His word of promise and of threatening
cannot deceive, cannot disappoint, cannot come short of its de
clarations. And this is once more repeated, verse .] 44 —
" Righteousness (p^2{) are thy testimonies for eoer !
Cause me to understand this and I shall live."
Life eternal ! — tbe life of the redeeined in the everlasting king
dom, when tbe Righteous One has triumphed, and expelled
ungodliness from earth ! KOPH.
145 I cried with my whole heart ; hear me, O Lord 1 I will keep thy statutes.
146 I cried unto thee ; save me, and I shall keep thy testimonies.
147 I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried : I hoped in thy
word.
148 Mine eyes prevent the night-watches, that I might meditate in thy word
149 Hear my voice according unto thy lovingkindness :
O Lord, quicken me according to thy judgment.
150 They draw nigh that follow after mischief : they are far frora thy law.
151 Thou art near, 0 Lord ; and thy comraandments are truth.
152 Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded
thera for ever.
The pilgrim protests that all his expectation is from the K„ph.
Lord. Rising before daybreak, nay, even encroaching on the
night-watches (like Mark i 35, and Luke vi. 12), the Lord of
pilgrims foUows hard after God, going from strength to strength,
instead of abating in his zeal, as men often do in other pur
suits, through length of time.
" I came hefore thee in the morning turilight" (Ver. 147.)
And all his true followers may be expected to resemble the
Lord in this hard pursuit, especially as they get nearer their
journey's end, and approach the Lord's dwelling-place. What
strength of comfort in verse 1 5 1 —
" Thou art near, 0 Lord,
And all thy commandments are truth!" (cannot disappoint.)
There is an anomaly in verse 152, as to gender, if " Thou hast
founded them" (D"), is to be referred to " testimonies ;" but
probably it is meant to refer back to all the terms used in this

Beah.

3.'t PS AIM CXIX — ^I'HE PILGRIM GUIDED BT GOD'S WORD.
context, e.g., .statutes (ver, 145), words (ver. 147), as well as
coramandments and testimonies. And this is the sense. "Afore
time" (Dip before experience had given me palpable proofs),
" Afordime I knew from out of thy testimonies (Hengstenberg)
That thou hast founded these for ever." (Ver. 152.)
In the ages to come we shall still have God's words, and we shall
then look back and see bow truthful our God was. The Lord
of pilgriras, wbo trod our path himself, will then lead us to
review the- dealings of Jebovab, talking with us as be talked
-with Moses and Elias about bis own decease on the Transfigu
ration HiU. EESH.
153 Consider mine affliction, and deliver me : for I do not forget thy law.
154 Plead my cause, and deliver me : quicken me according to thy word.
155 Salvation is far from the wicked : for they seek not thy statutes.
156 Great are thy tender mercies, O Lord : quicken me according to thy
judgments.
167 Many are my persecutors and mine eneraies ; yet do I not decline frora
thy testiraonies.
158 I beheld the transgressors, and jvas grieved; because they kept not thy
word.
159 Consider bow I love thy precepts ! quicken me, O Lord, according to tby
lovingkindness.
160 Thy word is true from the beginning :
And every one of thy righteous judgraents endureth for ever.
' Continued opposition causes the pilgrim to pray for con
tinued quickening. The end of tbe joumey bas as many
trials as the beginning ; we are to " bold fast the beginning of
our confidence stedfast to the end." Three times to cry for
" quickening" arises bere, viz., in verses .154, 156, 159 — an ap
peal for more life — which we now may specially urge, since we
can hold up to the Lord his own words, " I am come that they
might have life, and have it more abundantly," (John x. 10).
One like Paul, whose sympathy was so entfrely with his
Lord, might well use the words in 2 Tim. iv. 7, " T have fought
a good fight ;" but all pilgrims, and he too among the rest, would
gladly use to the last the appeal of verse ] 54, all the more
after a life-time experience of the trials by the way.
" Fight my fight (Psa. xliv. 1, Hengstenberg),
And redeem me." ('•j'jNJ.) (Ver. 154.)

PSALM CXIX — THE PILGRIM GUIDED BT GOD'S WORD. 375
Be a Goel to me ! Be to me what Job expected when he cried,
" 1 know that my ("^NJ) Redeemer liveth, and that he sliall
stand at tbe latter day upon the earth," (xix. -5J. Jle.ui-
while, "Quicken me, according to thy word," (ver. 154. Thy promises to thy
children who knock).
'' Quicken me, according to thy judgments," (ver. 156, The principles of
thy dealing with us).
" Ihdield transgressors, and was sickened at those who kept not thy word."
(Ver. 158.)
" Quicken me, according to thy lovingkindness," (ver. 159. The dictatea
of thine own free love).
Why should not all of us rest on the Lord's word witb increas
ing confidence as oUr pilgrimage advances to its close, since
experience adds to tbe evidence of his faithfulness,
" The beginnng o/difj^")) thy word is truth ;
And to dernity is every appointment of thy righteousness."
There is nothing but truth and certainty in thy holy word.
It may be rendered, " Truth is the sum of thy word," (Heng
stenberg). At the same tirae, the Psalmist probably ex
presses fer more by that peculiar form; " 1£^N"1, the head of tby
word." As n33 t^NT in Psa. cxviii. 22 is the " head, or chief,
of the corner," may not this expression be intended to desig
nate " that original promise which is the ' head, or chief pro
mise, of the whole word of God' — the promise of the' Woman's
Seed ?" The faithful in Israel no doubt were ever reverting to
it. To tbem could it be otherwise than " the Viiil, the head,"
the chief utterance of the Word ? It is, therefore, mainly to
this that we suppose reference is made in this verse. The
Lord, Jesus could use it of himself when ou earth ; and each
one of bis disciples could-r— but not less can we now, we who
can point baek to the Woman's Seed having come, to the ful
filment of that " head of the word," and who may thus more
than-ever confidently look forward to the fiilfilment of what
remains, " every appointment of his righteousness," in the ages
to come, including the Day of tbe Lord, when all things shall
be set in order.

376 PSALM CXIX — THE PILGRIM GUiDED BT GOD'S WORD.
SCHIN.
161 Princes have persecuted me without a cause ; but my heart standeth in
awe of tby word.
162 I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil.
163 I hate and abhor lying : but thy law do I love.
164 Seven times a day do I praise thee, because of thy righteous judgments.
165 Great peace have tbey which love thy law :
And nothing shall oflFend them,
166 Lord, I have hoped for tby salvation, and done tby commandments.
167 My soul hath kept thy testimonies ; and I love them exceedingly.
168 I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies : for all my ways are be
fore thee.
sehin The pilgrim is full of peace and praise. It is now specially
that praise seems to abound in tbe traveller ; that is, it is now
near his journey's end that it is poured forth, so as to be heard
by others. His Hosanna is changing into the Hallelujahs of
the heavenly citizens,
" Seven times a day have I praised thee." (Ver. 164.)
The pilgrira is an Isaac, one wbo meditates at even-tide, and
one wbo can call God his "fear ;" for verse 161 has 1^13, the
very word used twice in Gen. xxxi. 42, 53 of Isaac's God, "the
fear of Isaac." In this frame of solemn Bethel-like awe he ap
proaches tbe end of his joumey, and crosses the threshold of
the King's palace. This reverent awe has deepened ou him,
the longer be has meditated on Jehovah's word. Very fitting
it is, now tbat he is near the end, to tell, and to leave it for
encouragement to tbose tbat come after, as a thing proved by
experience, " Great peace is the portion of those that love thy law;
There is no stumbling-block to them." (Ver. 165.)
" At peace (says one) with God, at peace with themselves, at
peace with all men ; and the whole creation at peace with
them." This peace enables tbem to wait patiently for the final
glory — ^in tbe kingdom of peace.
" I have waited for (see Ruth i. 13, in the Hebrew the same word, l3^)
thy salvation, 0 Lord." Ver. 166.)

PSALM CXIX. — THE PILGRIM GUIDED BT GOD'S WORD. 377
TAU.
169 Let my cry come near before thee, 0 Lord : give me understanding ac
cording to thy word.
170 Let my supplication come before thee : deliver rae according to thy word.
171 My lips shall utter praise, when thou hast taught rae thy statutes.
172 My tongue shall speak of thy word : for all thy comraandraents are
righteousness.
173 Let thine hand help me ; for I have chosen thy precepts.
174 I have longed for tby salvation, O Lord ; and tby law is my delight.
175 Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee ; and let thy judgments help me,
176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep ; seek thy servant ;
For I do not forget thy coramandments.
The pilgrim pours out prayer and praise, in a strong Tan.
cry, at the close of his journey. Praise is uttered in the midst
of redoubled supplication; repeated praise inthe verses 171,
172. " My lips shall dream forth with thy praise; (gush forth, as Ps. xix. I)
For thou vrilt teach me thy statutes."
" My tongue shcdl sing thy word, (responsively ])JPi) ;
For all thy commandments are righteousness."
Anticipating the employments, the discoveries, the enjoyments
of tbe Coming Rest and Kingdom, the Psalmist tells of the
hallelujahs that shall dwell upon his lips, gushing up from an
ever full and ever filling soul — a soul full of the Lord's grace
in the past, and ever fiUing Avith fresh manifestations ; for
" Thou wilt teach me" still, and I shall see with increasing
clearness that all thy commandments were holy, and just, and
good. Help me, then, to the end ; for (ver. 1 74)
" I have pined for thy salvation," ('J^3^iJ^)•
This is (as we might expect at tbe close) the strongest expres
sion of desfre for Coming Glory that has yet been used. " Sal
vation," as we noticed above, is the final deliverance, with aU
the grace and glory tbat it brings. At verse 81, we find the
soul " thirsting," fainting in thirst for it ; at verse ] 23, the
earnest expectation made " the eye faint" for it ; at verse J 66,
there was strong hope, and waiting ; but this verse rises to an
almost impatient longing — a " pining with desire" for the arri
val of the blessed day.
Again, verse 1 75, there is the anticipation of praise, because

378, PSALM CXIX— THE PILGRIM GUIDED BT GOD's WORD.
of a hajDpy arrival ; and a lj'ar,-,t of prayer such as might weU
sum U|.i cl liietime's experience and desires.
" / have been a wanderer, (^JT'yn) like a lost slieep.*
I have all my life found nowhere to lay my head, and no rest
to the sole of my foot. I bave, like Hagar and Ishmael
ri^JlB, Gen. xxi. 14), wandered in the wilderness where there
was no water. I have, like Joseph (nyn, Gen. xxxvii 15),
wandered in search of my brethren, without home or friends.
I have, like Abraham, above all (lyjlil, Gen. xx. 13), left my
country and kindred, all my father's house, for the Lord's sake.
My life has been a wandering, like sheep lost, when the shep
herd is a'nfay, or when the shepherd chooses to send them away
from his care (•'lyjli^) Jer. L 6), " turning them loose on the
mountains, so that tbey go from mountain to hill, forgetting
thefr resting-place." (But in all my wanderings and weariness, and sorrow)
" I have not forgotten thy commandments."
"Seek, then, thy servant" — i. e., do the part of a shepherd who
brings horae his sheep to the fold ! It is a request that he would
do as Ezekiel (xxxiv. 16) foretells tbe Lord shall do on the day
when he gathers his scattered ones under the shade of the Plant
of Renown ; for here the word is K'i^S, and there the word is
1£>j^l^*. " I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that
which Was driven away." Then shall Rev. vii 15, 16,. 17, be
realised ; for the Lamb in the midst shall be Shepherd ever pre
sent ; himself once a wanderer in our world's wastes, and now
feeding among the lilies, bringing home all his flock to where
they thfrst no raore, nor hunger, neither does the sun light ou
them, nor any heat.
Amen ! Even so ! Come, Lord Jesus ! Surely this is the
heart's feeling of the Singer of this Psalm,
A pilgrim and stranger guided day and night by the
Law of the Lord.
* David Dickson says on this verse, "I have gone astray — driven out in
the stormy aud dark day; or by the hunting of the dogs chased out from the
rest of the flock." Banished from his native country and the fellowship of the
Church, as to bodily presence. Horne also notices that it may mean the
•misery of " wandering as an exile in foreign lands."

SONGS OF DEGREES. 379

SONGS OF DEGREES.
¦-" ' ',' .'jj.ul to a right understanding of the Psalms we
now approach, and may increase our interest in them, to be
gin with a synoptical view of the fifteen which are clustered
together, and go by the name of " Songs of Degrees." Tbe
progression of thought and subject thus becomes clear : —
The Pilgrim Train and its Leader —
Psa. cxx. — Weary vrith the strife of tongues. (Comp. Psa. Ixxxi. 6.)
Psa. cxxi.— Commit themselves to Jehovah alone, as they joumey
forth.
Psa, cxxu. — Sing of the City of Habitation, to which they journey.
Psa. cxxiii — Cast an upward look amid the contempt of those they
meet vrith.
"At a stageln thefr wiay which we might call Ebenezer —I
Psa. cxxiv. — Give praise for deliverance hitherto.
Psa. cxxv. — Express corifidence of being kept faithful, through Je
hovah's faithfulness , to the end.
Psa. cxxvi. — Sing qf the joys Jehovah has given, and vrill give, to hit
servants.
Psa. Gxx-vii. — Cease from carefulness, and ascribe the success to Je-
hovah.
Psa. cxxviii. — Pronounce blessing on all the fearers of God.
Psa. cxxix. — Meview their past sufferings in hope,
Psa. cxxx. — Selate their earnest cry in trouble, amd the rich result.
Psa. cxxxi. — Eicpress their contentment with Jehovah's will.
Psa. cxxxii. — Bemind Jehovdh of pledges of favour to Zion, and are
answered.
Psa. cxxxiii. — Admire and sing of the unity of those met in the Holy
City, iheir habitatian.
Psa.' cxxxiv. — Call for unceasing pl-aise from all Jehovah's servants.
We adopt the idea of these fifteen Psalms being in some
sense tbe songs of those who went up to Jerusalem to worship.
They do not give us the inward experience of individuals only ;
they bear reference to Israel at large ; for even when, as in the

380 PSALM cxx. — THE LORD'S SERVANT WEART
case of the 130th and 131st, the strain has a personal aspect,
the closing verse sings of Israel*
In the singular, HTJ/D frequently designates tbe going up to
a higher spot, e. g., the ascent of Betbboron, the ascent of Lu-
hith, and in Ezra vii 9, the going up from Babylon. In the
plural it is used for the steps of Solomon's throne, and in Eze
kiel (xl. 26, 3], 34), for tbe steps of tbe temple-gates. The
use of liuVU for the degrees or steps of a dial, has been fully
illustrated by recent discoveries in Assyria, wbicb prove that
the sun-dial was a series of steps, or terraces, on which a pole
cast its shadow. It would appear, therefore, tbat tbe name
"Song of the Steps" is a poetical one, designating Psalms
which specially suited the circumstances of those who go up
to the Temple.
Hengstenberg remarks that they are grouped round the 127th,
which is Solomon's ; and we may add that that central " Song
of Degrees," or steps, has special reference to " The House," or
Templa
PSALM CXX.
A Song of degrees.
1 Ik my distress I cried unto the Lord, and he heard me.
2 Deliver my soul, 0 Lord, frora lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.
3 What shall be given unto thee ? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false
tongue ?
4 Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.
5 Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar !
6 My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace.
7 I am for peace : but when I speak, they are for war.
The theme. We could bavc imagined Hannah, the mother of Samuel, tak
ing up this song in her lips when going up to tbe Feast at
* This feature of these fifteen Psalras is itself sufficient to set aside the idea
of a writer in the Jewish Chronicle, that they were specially for domestic use, and
get their narae frora the steps, or ascent to the house-top, where devout Jews
were wont to worship. Some have conjectured that the title "Degrees" raay
refer to the musical instruraents used in chaunting them. The common idea
that the name refers to the steps of the Temple, is that expressed in Parker's
old translation — " These fifteen Psalras next following be songs benamed of
steps and stairs, for that the choir on them did sing."

WITH THE STRIFE OF TONGUES. 381
ShUoh. She carried her private sorrows to the Great Congre- Hops m sorrow.
gation, that in the midst of the many worshippers she might
find the special presence of Jehovah. The complaint, in ber
case, was her adversary's tongue ; so, here it is tbe tongue —
" the false tongue." At the same time, it is " sore distress,"
for tbe form ni ^ is emphatic (ver. 1), just as -in Psa. in. 3,
njn;p')tt^^ is the emphatic form to signify complete deliverance.
We see a worshipper, who enjoys little peace in his own The plan.
country, coming up to the City of Peace, Salem, there to
realise peace at one of those feasts which exhibited sucb a
spectacle of united devotion. In the sanctuary, the pilgrim is
enabled to see the end of those who so hate the godly, that
they make war upon them. He sees
" The arrows tfthe Mighty One sharpened;"
as if anticipating the day of God, when be, tbe Mighty One,
sung of in Psa. xlv. 3, shall send forth his arrows — arrows of
fire — "glowing embers of genista-fuel" — in other words, "The
flaming fire that takes vengeance on his foes," (2 Thess, i 8).
Meanwhile, it is a saddening thought that as yet the days
of the Prince of peace have not come. But we may have his
sympathy, for once the Prince of peace felt thus himself taber
nacling among us,
" Woe's me ! for I tarry in Mesech !
I pitch my tents with the tents of Kedar /"
As Isaiah i 1 0 brands the a^iostate people and rulers of Jeru
salem as " people of Sodom and rulers of Gomorrha," and as
Ezek. xvi. 4 calls them " Amorites" and " Hittites," so does
the Psalmist speak of his harassing foe, as like the barbarous
men of Mesech in the obscure north (tbe Moschian mountains),
or near the Caspian Sea (see Ezek. xxxviii. 2), and the ever-
unsettled tribes of Kedar in tbe south. And so he sighs
" It is wearisome for my soul to dwdl with the hater of peace /" (Hengst.)
Literally, " Enough of this dwelling !" Is not this the very
feeling of the Church at this hour, in these days of never-end
ing forms of lies and vanity that assail the truth ? They cry,
" 0 when shall the Prince of peace arrive I And so felt the
Lord himself when on earth, as we see in his teaching his fol-

382 PSALM CXXL — THE LORD'S SERVANT
lowers the blessedness of being " peace-makers." Indeed, wbo
would sing this pilgrim-song so truly frorn;the heart as "The
Master ?" It is a song for
The servant of the Lord weary with the strife of tongues.

PSALM CXXL
A Song of degrees.
1 I wilt lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
2 My help cometh from tbe Lord, which made heaven and earth.
3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved : he that keepeth thee will not
slumber.
1 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
6 The Lord is thy keeper : the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.
fi The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil : he shall preserve thy soul.
" The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in
From this tirae forth, and even for evermore.

" A Song for the goings up !" {rmvtpj).* The pilgrim sings
it as he leaves his home to raeet the .Lord in tbe Great Con
gregation at Jerusalem ; and the believer (like the Master)
sings it as he journeys through earth to the New Jerusalem.
The theme. Abraham (Gen. xxii. 4) " lifted up bis eyes" and saw the bills
of Moriah on the third day. The worshipper sets forth with
the desire to fix his eyes at last on the bills where his trials are,
not, like Abrahara 's, to reach th^r crisis, but to end.
Faith " I urill lift up mine eyes to the hills." (Ver. 1.)
This is his resolution ; his motive for leaving home and kin
dred is to reach " the holy mountains," as they are called, Psa.
Ixxxvii. 1, — those bills tbat are the emblems of Jehovah's faith
fulness, Psa. cxxv. 1, 2, — that spot where Jehovah is specially
present because of tbe Propitiation being there, (1 Kings vUi
42 ; Dan. vi. 10).
* This is the only time that this form of the expression occurs, and so it is
probably meant to signif>' something different from "Song o/ Degrees." It
may be, in poetical style, like ^ in "Psalm I'l'l'^^," ¥&a\m composedhy Darid,
q d., a. Psalm which the goings up to Jerusalem may be said to have com
posed.

COMMITTING HIMSELF TO JEHOVAH ALONE. 383
' This, then, is his resolution. But there are perils by the
way, and so be asks —
" Whence shall my hdp come?" (]>J<Di which Phillip and others re
mark, is always interrogative.)
What a full answer is at once returned to his soul : " My help
is from (Dl'D from with, coming out from tbat depository of
help) Jehovah, the Maker of heaven and earth." And then
he speaks to his soul, as the singer of Psa. ciii. does — " He -will
not suffer my feet to totter ! Thy keeper is not one that
slumbers !" He is not like Baal, (1 Kings xviii 27).
" Behold, he never slumbers !
He never falls asleep, the Keeper of Israd (Num. vi. 24).
My keeper is Jdumah !" —
tbat Jehovah in whora Israel is blessed (Nura. vi. 24) by thefr
High Priest — whose blessing awaits the pilgrira wbo reaches
the city. He shall keep thee, making thy experience in tby
journey to become oft-times a type of the rest where " the
sun* shall not smite them nor any heat," (Rev. vii. 16) — the
rest in the Kingdom, and the rest of which Israel shall partake
in the latter day, (Isa xlix. 1 0). Thus shalt tbou be kept till
the glory comes, and thou " goest no more out,'' but art a pUlar
in tbe temple of God,
" From henceforth and for ever I"
¦» The Psalmist speaks of " the moon" smiting. He may raean all the nox
ious influences of night, but still he refers most specially to the moon. The
force of this allusion raay be understood by the following quotation from Wall-
stedt's City of the Caliphs : — " The glare of the moon in the Persian Gulf is
so baneful, and creates feelings so disagreeable, that at night a person may be
seen sheltering himself from those rays with the same care as he would in the
day from the heat of tbe sun. The effect of lunar rays in producing decom
position of fish, and other animal substances, is known, though not yet ex
plained ; all in the East and West Indies are familiar with the fact." Moon
light specially injures the traveller's sight, as the coup-de-soleil endangers
his very life. Prof. Piazzi Smyth, at Teneriffe, lately ascertained that there
is some heat iu moonbearas, for his thermometrical instruments were sensibly
aflfected by the moon's rays. In these tropical climes, meat putrifies rapidly in
moonlight, and negroes, who do not hesitate to expose themselves to the sun,
muffle head and face from the moon, believing that it causes distortion of the
face and swelling.

384 PSALM CXXII. — THE CITT TO WHICH HE JOURNETS.
With such a song of faith, keeping in sight tbe faithfulness
and love of Him in whose law he delights, whose feasts be
keeps, in whose ways he walks, the Master aud his disciples
no doubt often left the peaceful shores of the Lake of Galilee
to go up to Jerasalem to worship ; often realised, under some
fig-tree's seasonable shade, or some convenient cloud bringing
down tbe heat by its shadow the deliverance from the sun's
intolerable rays ; and found in all an emblem of their journey
through earth to tbe Kingdom whose capital is New Jerusa
lem, and whose congregation is the Assembly of .the first-bom.
It is a song of
The Lord's servant, as he goes forth on his journey, commit
ting himself to Jehovah alone.

PSALM CXXIL
A Song of degrees of David.
1 I WAS glad when they said unto me. Let us go into the house of the Lord.
2 Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalera.
3 Jerusalera is builded as a city that is compact together :
4 Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, unto the testimony of
Israel,
To give thanks unto the name of the Lord.
5 For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David..
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem ! they shall prosper that love thee.
7 Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.
8 For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within
thee.
9 Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek thy good.
The theme. " A PSALM of David."
Low and joy. Hopo was the prevailing feature of the first Song of Degrees ;
faith characterised the second ; and surely love and joy abound
in this one which we now take up. The first verse strikes the
key-note — " O 'twas a joyful sound to hear
Our friends devoutly say.
Up, Israel ! To your Temple haste !
And keep your festal day." — {Tate and Brady.)
"I have rejoiced," says the worshipper, "amoTig (or, over

PSALM CXXIL — THE CITT TO WHICH HE JOURNETS. 385
those who say, Let us go to the house of the Lord!" David,
who wrote this song, had felt that joy fill his whole soul, because
of the love he bore to the Lord of the place. And lo ! instantly
the pilgrim-worshipper fancies himself arrived — he is already
standing at the gate in the early morning, waiting to enter,
along with those who said — " Let us go."
" Our fed are standing at thy gates, 0 Jerusalem I"
The gates are thrown open, and they enter ; the city on
every side engaging their attention. They see in it a city, not
mined by war, but built in its place — not like the straggling
dwellings of the villages, nor like tbe wide spaces of Babylon,
with gardens between, but with firm-buUt streets of stately
edifices. " Jerusalem is builded as a city I
(A city) which is bound togdher." (Ver. 3.)
The very coiApactness of its streets suggesting the close union
of its inhabitants in brotherly love.
" (A city) where are* the tribes who go up.
The tribes of Jehovah." (Jah, as Psa. Ixviii. 4, &c.)
How pleasant to meet, not the Canaanite — not the uncir
cumcised — but the tribes who, witb one accord, worship the
Lord ; who go up to this city for that end.
" (A city where is) the testimony (given) to Israel,
That they might praise the name of the Lord."
" The Testimony" is by some considered to mean " The Lawf*
by others, more probably, The Ark, so often called " The Ark
of the Testimony ;" as we also find " The Tabernacle of Tes
timony." We may perhaps best understand it as a reference
. to all these together — they together setting forth Jehovah's
character, and will, and ways, to men. And there, in its gate
ways, sit those who explain aud enforce these laws and testi
monies, according to the ancient promise in Deut. x-vdi. 8, 9 ;
and there, also, sit the king and his princes.
* The }[} here, and in verse 3, is, according to Hengstenberg, the old popu
lar dialect of common life, as found in Deborah's song. If it be tbe popular
style, it is most suitably adopted in a song for the nation at large at its feasts.
Bb

386 PSALM CXXII. — TKE CITT TO 'WHICH HE JOURNETSl
" For there (nDtt^) aresd (Ezek. xlviii, 35). ,
Thrones for judgment, (7)
Thrones for the house of David." (7)
In all this, we may easily trace a type of our Jerusalem and
its privileges. With Christ our Head, as well as with David,
we look for another city that " bath foundations" — surely built,
and " that lielh foursquare," compactly built (Rev. xxi. 1 6) — a
city where we shall raeet none but friends, our own friends and
friends of God, — a city where the Lord's testimony is fully
opened' out, and his narae praised, — a city at whose gates judg
ment is fuUy given, and where " a King reigneth in righteous
ness, and princes decree judgment," (Isa. xxxii 1).
And if Israel's devout people did so pray for their Jerusa
lem, verses 6, 7, 8, 9, how much more shall the pilgrims to
ward tbat New Jerasalem "seek tbe better, that is, the heavenly
country," It is interesting to know that the expression,
?vty y^t^'p (ver. 6), generally means, " Salute ye," — q. d.,
Greet ye Jerusalem with your good wishes reminds us of
some of the mediaeval hymns,* e. g. —
" Urbs in portu satis tuto,
De longinquo, te saluto,
Te saluto, te suspire,
Te affecto, te require."
And these old hymns were borrowed from Augustine, who (in
his De Spirit, et Anim,^ exchiims, "0 civitas sancta, civitas
speciosa, de longinquo te saluto, ad te clamo, te require." All
of us, who follow tbe Lord, surelj^ join in this ardent pantiog
for entrance into that city of which the other was but a type,
and of which we can say —
• And of Tasso's famous passage {Oiervs. lib. iii. 3)—
" Ecco apparir Gierusalem si vede,
Ecco additar Gierusalem si seorge t
Ecco da mille voci unitaraente,
Gierusalemme salutare si sente I ¦
Home mentions from De Tbou, tbat Theodore Zuinger felt this Psalm so ap
propriate to one getting near glory, tbat he spent his last hours in versifying it
in Latm : for he could sing —
"Fer Christi meritvmpatet
Yitoe porta beatce."

PSALM CXXIII, — THE UPWARD LOOK AMID CONTEMPT. 387
" They that love thee shall prosper ; ¦
There shaU be peace in thy bvlwarks,
Prosperity in thy palaces,".
Or take if, as some render the words ; "Peace within thy rami
parts! Repose within thy palaces!" Love to our brethren,
whom we hope to meet there (ver. 8), and love to God who has
so loved us (ver. 9), must lead us to this earnest desfre — " be
cause of my brethren, and because the house of my God is
there." Thus, then, now concerning the Antitype, as hereafter
pf the type through which he looked to the Antitype,
The Lord's servant si/ngs of the City of Habitation to which
he journeys.

PSALM CXXIIL
A Song of degrees.
1 Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, 0 thou that dwellest in the heavena.
2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters,
And as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress ;
So our eyes wait upon the Lord our God,
Until that he have mercy upon us.
3 Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us :
For we are exceedingly filled witb contempt.
4 Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of tbose that are at ease,
And with the contempt of the proud.
If we have found hope,' faith, joy, and love in these " Songs of The theme
Degrees" hitherto, we now find long-suffering patience. David Patient
is said to have been the writer. The worshipper, whether
David, or David's greater Son, or any member of his lifu'y,
" lifts his eyes" upward to tbe Lord in the heavens. Tbe same
Lord who, in Psa. cxxi. 1, is seen on Zion-hills, is here seen,
" in the heavens," because tbe contrast is intended to be made
between tbe Eartb that persecutes, and the Majesty, overcano-
pying earth, which protects.
Scorn is, felf, such as Nebemiab's case illustrates (Neh. ii
19), or Hezekiah's case, in 2 Chron. xxx 10, when that godly
king incited tiie, tribes of Israel to join him in the passover
feast. It is tbe scorn of tbose " at ease," D'ilJNB'rT, persons on

dependence.

388

PSALM CXXIV. — SONG FOR DELIVERANCE

whom the world smiles, and who say in tbeir hearts, " Where
is the promise of bis Coming?" Uke the nations of earth, in
Zech, i 1 5, D"'a2^«^'i^ Ci^n. It is the contempt of " the proud"
O'liVlJl^, that class of scomers who shall be found abounding on
earth when " the day of the Lord" comes on " every one that
is (nX3) proud," — the " boasters, lovers of pleasure," of 2 Tim.
iii. 2. Tbe prayer for help has reference to tbe high priest's
blessing, Num.'-vi. 24. In Psa. cxxi. 3, 4, he lifted up bis eyes
to the Lord, and sought that part of the blessing which con
sists in safe keeping ; here, he asks, lJ3n, Be gracious ! Be
gracious ! (Num. vi 24.) The Lord makes his face shine
upon the pilgrim ; and the grace that beams thence is the
antidote to the contempt of men. Yes, even now it is so ;
but if even now, what then when the lifted-up countenance
shall be " the grace that shall be brought us at the appear
ing of Jesus Christ ?" Sucb is tbe reward of
The upward look of the Lord's servant amid contempt.

PSALM CXXIV.
A Song of degrees of David. *
1 If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, now may Israel say ;
2 If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when raen rose up
against us ;
3 Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled
against us :
4 Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul :
6 Then the proud waters had gone over our soul.
6 Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.
7 Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers :
The snare is broken, and we are escaped.
8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

The theme.
Thankfuliicknowledg-
ment.

Ebenezer ! Hitherto tbe Lord hath helped I This seems to
be the tone of this song of Da-vid, sung at a stage of the way,
or at a time, when the thought of past difficulties overcome,
and dangers escaped, was active and lively. Thankfulness
characterises it as much as hope, faith, joy, love, patience,
characterised the previous Psalms.

VOUCHSAFED AT EVERT STEP OF THE WAT. 389
In the year 1582, it was sung on a remarkable occasion in
Edinburgh. An imprisoned minister, John Durie, had been
set free, and was met and welcomed on entering the town by
two hundred of his friends. The number increased till he
found himself in the midst of a company of two thousand, who
began to sing, as they moved up the long High Street, " Now
Israel may say," &c. They sang in four parts with deep so-
lemrdty, all joining in the well-known tune and Psalm. Tbey
were much moved themselves, and so were all who heard ; and
one of tbe chief persecutors is said to have been more alarmed
at this sight and song than at anything he had seen in Scotland.
" Had it not been Jehovah I Re was for us, Oh {Hi) Id Is.zd say ;
T
Had it not been Jehovah I He who was for us, when men rose against us
They had at that time made one morsd^ofus (Patrick),
When thdr virath burnt against vs."
We should have been dealt with by them as Korah and bin
company were by the Lord, Num. xvi. 32. But the thunder
bolt was not in our enemies' hand. We have got the help
we sought (Psa. cxxi and cxxiii), and have escaped every snare.
Is not this a strain in which all saints can join by tbe way, at
every palm-tree station, at every resting-stage, at every refresh
ing well, — a strain which the Lord of Pilgrims hiraself would
often raise ? And Oh ! how he and his company shall sing it
at the journey's end, when they wbo " were counted worthy to
escape all thi/ngs, and to stand before the Sou of man" (Luke
xxi. 36), lift up their voice in mighty thunderings —
" The snare is broken, and we are escaped I
Our hdp has been in the name of Jdwvah I "
that Jehovah to whom belongs eartb, as weU as heaven. Such
is this Ebenezer song,
The song of the Lord's servant for deliverance vouchsafed at
every step of ihe way.

390 PSA. cxxv. — ^FAITHFUL ADHERENCE TO THE FAITHFUL GOD.

The tlieme.

PSALM CXXV.
A Song of degrees.
1 Thet that tmst in the Lord shall be as mount Zion,
Which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.
2 As the mountains are round about Jerusalem,
So the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.
3 For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon tbe lot of the righteous;
Lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity.
4 Do good, O Lord, unto those that be good, and to them that are upright
in their hearts.
6 As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, '
The Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity ;
But peace shall be upon Israel.
Faithfulness under temptation is the grace that shines out
in this song. It is sung amid enemies, when they environ the
Lord's servant on every side. Two thoughts contribute mu
tually to strengthen and confirm the determined and decided
adherence of the Psalmist to his Lord, viz., the thought of
Jehovah's faithfulness to him, and the thought of the short
lived prosperity of foes.
" They that trust in Jehovah are like the hill of Zion,
It moves not ;
' ¦ For ever it abides.
Jerusalem, the hills are round about her ;
And (so) Jehovah is round about his people,
From henceforth, and unto dernity."
In verse 3 the "lot of the righteous" is inheritance or
possession. The worshipper rejoices that never shall rod, or
sceptre, of the wicked, extend its influence to that happy spot,
the allotted portion, the Canaan-lot of the Lord's people ; and
thus the old temptation to idolatry, and other evils, shall be
for ever escaped. Tbe language of verse 3 has a peculiarity
in it ; it is literally, " the rod of the Wicked One," thus fitting
tbe Psalm for the circumstances of tbe saints even in the last
days, when " that Wicked," yp^H shall be revealed and then
destroyed. In verse 5 the pUgrim seems to sing tbe unhappy end of
backsUders, of those who once joined their company in going

psa. cxxv. — FAITHFUL ADHERENCE TO THE FAITHFUL GOD. .391
to the house of God. The Lord, it is said, " will let them go
with tbe workers of iniquity (pybS'', Hengstenberg), as if to
suggest to us, who know now of the great day's awful scenes,
the word of the Judge, "Depart!" and the description of tbe
result — " Tbese shall go away into everlasting punishment."
He shall assign them thefr portion with the hypocrites, (Matt.
xxiv. 61).
How calm, bow sweet the contrast to which our eyes are sud
denly and abruptly turned ! It is the high priest pronouncing
what remained of his full blessing (Num. vi 26). The Lord
lifts up bis countenance upon therci, and gives the word —
"Peace upon Israel !" Everything desirable is wrapt up in
this peace. Thine eyes shall see Jerusalera a quiet habitation, a
tabernacle that shall not be taken down, (Isa. xxxiii 20). This
will be the " good" which the Lord will do to his Israel, when
he places him in bis lot in tbe end of tbe days. And with his
soul full of thoughts Uke tbese, we need but wonder at
The Lord's servant's faithful adherence to his faithful God.

PSALM CXXVL
A Song of degrees.
¦ 1 Whkh the Lord tumed again the captivity of Zion, we were like them
that dream.
2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing.
Then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for
them.
3 The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad.
4 Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in tbe south.
6 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed,
Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
LoRl), to whom shall we go for the joy of final victory, but to ihetiiene.
thee, who has be6n in all ages the source of Israel's joyful vic
tories? Jehovah has ever been the author of our blessings, of cohKilico
blessings 'almost too great to be believed, and He wUl give ii,s
"An autumn of joy for a seed-time of tears."
" We have been like those ihat dream."

392 P,SALM CXXVL — PAST JOTS RECORDED, AND
On all such occasions, so great has been the blessing vouchsafed,
tbat our "mouth has been filled with laughter." The word VpJ^
expresses the habit, or customary act, as does also 1~lDi<', q. d.,
at such times (J^) our mouth was filled witb laughter, and the
old patriarch's words. Job viii. 21, were verified in us, and tbe
GentUes were wont to say,
" The Lord has wrought mightily
In what he has done for them."
It was thus in tbe valley of Elah, where Goliath fell, and
Philistia fled. It was thus at Baal-Perazim. It was thus
when one morning, after many nights of gloom, Jerusalem •
arose at dawn of day, and found Sennacherib's thousands a camp
of the dead. And it has all along been tbe manner of our God.
" The Lord has wrought mightily
In what he has done for us ;
And we have been made glad I "
Ever do this till conflict is over ! Just as thou dost with
the streams of tbe south, year by year, so do with us — witb all,
with each. And we are confident thou wilt ; we are sure that
we make no vain boast when we sing this Psalm as descriptive
of the experience of all thy pilgrims and worshippers. Home
beautifully says, " Thou sowest perhaps in tears, tbou doest thy
duty amidst persecution and affliction, sickness, pain, and sor
row ; thou labourest in the cburch, and no account is made of thy
labours, no profit seems likely to accrue from thee. Nay, thou
thyself must drop into the dust of death, and all the storms ol
that winter must pass over thee. Yet the day is coming when
tbou shalt reap in joy ; and plentiful shall be thy harvest. For
thus tby blessed Master ' went forth weeping,' a man of sor
rows, bearing precious seed, and strewing it all around him, tiU
at length bis own body was buried, like a grain of wheat, in the
furrow of tbe grave. But He arose and is now in heaven, whence
he shall ' doubtless come again rejoicing,' with the voice of the
archangel and the tmmp of God, ' bringing his sheaves with
Him.' Then shall every man receive the fruit of his works, and
have praisp of God." Look, then, at this picture*—

FUTURE JOTS ANTICIPATED. 393
" He goes, and he goes weeping,
Bearing the basket of seed, (load of, Amos ix. 13) :
He conies, and he comes urith singing.
Bearing his sheaves ! "
The worshipper, in all ages, has kno-wn the going forth to
serve the Lord in tears — ^the following bim -with the cross — the
scattering the seed in his field in sorrow and fear ; but as cer
tainly shall he know the joy of harvest at ,his Lord's return.
The disciple is in this merely tracing the Master's path —
" So came Messiah, friend of men,
(A' man of sorrows he),
To fight with grief, and tears, and pain,
That we might conquerors be.
Behold, he comes the Second time
To wipe away our tears,
And takes us up along with him
For everlasting years." — Babol/lt.
Our Lord, in his parable of tbe Sower, seems to unfold the
idea expressed here, so far as it bore on his serviflb and labour
here. The other part, referring to his Second Coming and
glory, was not dwelt upon there. Nevertheless, it is well for
us, in pondering the parable of the Sower, to revert to this
Psalm, and see the reward of him who goeth forth like the
master. We shall not serve less cheerfully by joining in this
Psalm —
The Lord's servant thankfully recording past joys, and a/nti-
dpating future

PSALM CXXVIL
A Song of degrees for Solomon.
1 Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain tbat build it ;
Except tbe Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
2 It is vain for you to rise np early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of
sorrows :
For so he giveth his beloved sleep.
3 Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord ! and the fruit of the womb is hie
reward.
4 As arrows are in the hands of a mighty man, so are children of the yonth.
5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of thera :
They shall not be ashamed, bnt they shall speak with the enemies in the
gate.

394 PSA. CXXVIL — THE LORD's SERVANT CEASING FROM CARE,
Thetitie. A SONG of the beloved ! — of him who toiled himself till all was
finished, and who now bids us enter into rest ! A song of him
who giveth his beloved ones sleep ! Taking it as a song from the
pen of Solomon, who was its author, Kimchi understands the
" Temple" by the " House" of verse 1, as " tbe Gity" is Jeru
salem. The connection in that case with the former is the
thought of Jerasalem restored and rebuilt after the captivity
— " Unless the Lord build the city."
The theme. Here we find tbe worshippers exhibit that rare grace, free
dom from fiare, arising from full confidence in Jebovab.
Freedom from Solomou, wbo saug afterward of " vanity" (/IIH emptiness) in
all merely human pursuits, here sings of Nll^, "nothingness,"
the uselessness of mere human anxiety and care — uselessness
ofit to the builders of the house, uselessness in the keeper of
the city — uselessness in you who rise up early, who defer your
resting till late, who eat bread of sorrows ! How like the
-writer of EcSesiastes is all this ! And then the other side of
the picture is presented, as in his " Song of Songs."
" On this wise (]3) givdhhe to his beloved — sleep."
ThOy may rest frora care, and he will work ; it is " the
blessing of the Lord tbat maketh rich," says this same Solo
mon, " -without tbe addition of 3X — sorrow," such as verse 2
- T '
spoke of (Prov. x. 22). This is his manner witb those who are
TT like Solomon himself who bore the name " Jedidiah" (2
Sam. xii. 25). " Sleep'' is used for complete freedom from care,
and peace of mind.
Having laid down this principle, those who inhabit the city
and house are remembered, and the illustration follows in the
style of the Greater than' Solomon, who asked, " Which of you
can add one cubit to bis stature, one year to his life, by all his
thought ? " Who could, by care, secure a family like Jacob's
twelve sons ?
"Behold, sons are a heritage of the Lord's giving." (Gen. xxxiii. 5.)
" The fruit of the womb is the hire he gives." (Gen. xxx. 18.)
It is he that gives them, and it is he that makes them what
they are — that makes " sons begotten in youth" (Gen. xlix. 3)
to be like a warrior's arrows.

grim-band.

AND EXPECTING PROSPERITT FROM THE LORD. 395
" Happy the man whose quiver he (Jehovah) has filled, with these;
They shall not be confounded when they speak with their enemies in the
gate."
They enjoy the blessing pronounced by Rebecca's friends,
(Gen. xxiv. 60). But it is the Lord that fiUs the quiver ; it is
not the forethought or anxiety of man.
Thus the pilgrim-band, and tbeir Lord at the head of them chrisFspii.
(Matt. vi. 25-34), cast their cares on Jebovab. Even when they
see a lack of men to defend the cause of God — even when ready
to ask, " When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faitb on the
earth ?" — they still depend on Him whose part it is to give
sons of youth. And he will do it gloriously. Zion shall see
Isa. Ixvi 8 fulfilled — " a nation born at once ;" and earth shall
see the sons of Israel on the'^ord's side, when " the weakest
of them shall be as David" (Zech. xii. 8). And thus, whether
as to The Temple, or as to Jerasalem, whether in regard to the
families of Israel, or as to who shall stand on the Lord's side in
evil days, he knows that the Lord, in the matter of salvation,
has " given bis beloved sleep," and tbat this is his manner in
providenc^ too.
Horsley calls this Psalm, " A Psalm to be addressed by the
priest to the parents presentiflg the first-born;" but though
that would no doubt be an appropriate time to use it, it is of
far wider significance. We see in it this sight, viz. —
The Lord's servant ceases from care, and expects prosperity
from the Lord.

PSALM CXXVIIL
A Song of degreea
1 Blessed is every one thar feareth the Lord ; that walketh in his way*.
2 For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands :
Happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.
3 Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house ;
Thy children like olive-plants round about thy table.
4 Bebbld, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord 1
6 The Lord shall bless tbee out of Zion :
And thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life.
6 Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon Israel.

The theme.

The Lord's
hlesslng.

396 PSA. CXXVIII. — BLESSEDNESS OF THE FEARERS OF JEHOVAH.
Luther calls this, " A wedding-song for Christians." It may
be so used ; but it is more. Attention to every duty, and,
among the rest, attention to the Lord's ordinances and solemn
feasts, is the means of prosperity. As in last Psalm tbe wor
shipper's words were to this effect, " Take no thought what ye
shall eat ; for which of you by taking thought can add to bis
stature one cubit ?" (Matt, vi 27), so in this Psalm the wor
shipper seems to sing, " Seek first the kingdom of God and his
righteousness, and all other things shall be added unto you,"
(Matt, vi 33). " Blessed is every fearer of the Lord I
Every walker in his ways ! "
And then, to shew more personal sympathy 'with the man, tbe
Psalmist looks in bis face and says, "For thou shalt eat the
labour of thy hands." Instead of the frown spoken of in Lev.
xxvi. 10, Deut. xxviii 30-36, he shall surely eat what he la
boured for ; his wife is like a -vine by the bouse sides, yielding
its clusters and its shade ; ber children are not brambles, but
Uke the useful olive-tree that served " God and man" (Judges ix.
9), also surround the family-table with cheerful faces.
" Behold I (note it) For thus is the man wont to he blest whofeardh the
Lord.
Jehovah is wont to bless thee out of Zion." (Ver. 4, 5.)
Then follows the imperative HKt , as if it were the very words
of the uttered benediction —
" And (shall say), See ihou the good of Jerusalem, aU the days ofthylife;
Tea, see thy children's children.''
And then the benediction uttered before at the close of Psalm
cxxv. closes all — " Peace upon Israel ! " In sucb strains the
well-satisfied worshipper encourages his fellows, rich or poor.
In such strains the Lord Jesus used to admonish his band of pil
grim-like followers, telling them that not one of them that left
father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for his sake and
tbe gospel, but would receive a hundredfold even in this life,"
(Matt. xix. 29 ; Luke xviii 30). And when he added, " In
the world to come life everlasting," explained as it bad been
by bis having just promised to the twelve a seat on tbe twelve

psa. cxxix. — REVIEW OF PAST SUFFERING, INSPIRING HOPK 397
thrones, in tbe day of The Regeneration, was it not the equiva
lent of the priestly benediction, " Peace upon Israel? " That
shall be the issue of service uow ; for thus
The Lord's servant pronounces the present and future
blessedness of the fearers of the Lord.

PSALM CXXIX.
A Song of degrees.
1 Many a time have they afflicted me frora my youth, may Israel now say I
2 Many a tirae have they afflicted rae frora ray youth : yet they have not pre
vailed against me.
3 The plowers plowed upon my back : they made long their furrows.
4 The Lord is righteous ! he hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked.
5 Let them all be confounded and tumed back that hate Zion.
6 Let them be as the grass upon the house tops, which withereth afors it
groweth up :
7 Wherewith the mower filleth not his hand ; nor he that bindeth sheaves
his bosom.
8 Neither do they which go by say, The blessing of the Lord be upon you ;
We bless you in the name of the Lord.
Perseverance to the end is the burden of this song, inasmuch me theme
as in it we hear the pUgrim at another stage of the way re- ^^"^^"^*»-
cording deliverances and drawing from his past experience
good hope of final deliverance. It is like 2 Cor. i 10, " He
delivered us from so great a death, and doth delmer, in whom
we tmst that he will yet deliver.
" Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth,
Oh Id Israel say!" (}<J, I beseech you.)
T
Israel as a nation might refer to the time of their " youth ;"
see Hosea xi 1, Jer. ii. 1, and every man of Israel might do
the like. Every worshipper, and not least the Lord Jesus in
the days of his flash, could take up this song. Abel, Enoch,
Noah, and all the elders, and not less the Church in its latter
days, when feeling the terrible blast of tbe enemy, might de
scribe their experience by its verses ; all agreeing, too, in the
expectation of final victory. Tbe Lord cuts asunder "the
cord" that fastens tbe oxen to the plough.

398 PSALM cxxx — THE CRT FROM THE DEPTHS,
" Ashamed and turned back shall be all the haters of Zion, (Ver. 5.)
They shall be like the grass on the house topi,
That witherdh ere it is plucked up.''
Not as Job V. 26, the shock of corn in its season, but as 2 Kings
xix. 26, Sennacherib's doom, which is the doom of all God's
foes : " Tbey are as the grass of the field, and as the green
herb, as the grass on the house tops, and as corn blasted be
fore it is grown up ! " Antichrist, like all before him, shall
thus perish. They are men working a vain work ; no Boaz
shall ever bless them with a prayer, nor shaU even a casual
traveller. The Lord's foes perish unblest ; they perish with the
curse upon tbem, on that day when the Lord comes forth to
reward bis own with the " Come, ye blessed." With expecta
tions like these
The Lord's servant reviews past sufferings in assured hope.

PSALM CXXX.
A Song of degrees.
1 Odt of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord.
2 Lord, hear my voice : let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my sup
plications.
3 If thon. Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand ?
4 But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
5 I wait for the Lord, ray soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
6 My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning :
I say, more than they that watch for the morning.
7 Let Israel hope in the Lord :
For with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.
6 And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
The theme. A NEW scries begins here. Though Horsley suggests the oc-
Pardon and casion of this Psalm to be " Upon bringing a sin-offering,"
^'^"^ there is nothing to fix it specially to this occasion. The cos
tume of it is taken from a Levite, says the Targum, waiting
for the first intimation of tbe hour of morning sacrifice ; but it
may just as well be said to be taken from tbe case of any watch
man on his watch-tower, wearying for tbe dawn of day. It
reminds us of Hab. ii. 2.

AND ITS RESULT. 399
The worshipper relates his former earnest cry (ver. 1, 2)
from troubles and darkness that were to him like Jonah's deep
waters, or the water-deeps of Psa. Ixix. 1 4. The Lord of Pil
grims, as well as each of his band, became familiar with such
deeps. He cried the cry of verse 1 , feeling intense agony all
tbe while, under bis load of imputed guilt,
" If thou. Lord (Jah), wert to mark (Job x. 14, 16) iniquity, who, Lord,
could stand ? " (Ver. 3.)
But he cried in expectation of being heard, being able to point
te satisfaction given to the, law for tbat guilt.
"For with thee the forgiveness is" (nn'7Dn) — Sept., 6 iXa,(rfi,og sffr;.
T • : T
The forgiveness spoken of in the law of sacrifice, such as Lev.
iv. 20, 26, 31, verses 10, 13, and proclaimed at Horeb, Exod.
xxxiv. 9, and in the Temple, ] Kings viii. 34, 36, 39. This
being so, tbe worshipper learns there "the fear of the Lord,"
and goes on his way, waiting for further light and teaching,
waiting for the opening out of tbe Lord's hid treasures fi-om
day to day, waiting for tbese discoveries with intenser interest
than watchman wait for morning. With intense desire Israel
waited for Christ's coming in the flesh, and for the offering up
of the " one sacrifice for ever," that was to make the worship
per " perfect as pertaining to the conscience." Yet still he sees
only a part ; he waits for more of " tbe Spirit of wisdom and
revelation in the knowledge of Him." And if the Lord's
Second Coming be the chief time for the unfolding of all that
tbe worshipper desires, then the waiting for that day is not one
of the least intense of his feelings. And so, " 0 Israel, hope
thou in the Lord ;" for who knoweth the flood of mercies that
shall yet burst on tbem and on earth, when Jacob's redeeming
God (Gen. Ixviii 17) brings "plenteous redemption," or, as it
is literally, "shall multiply to his people redemptions," as
he " multiplied pardons" (Isa. Iv. 6), at tbefr first return to
him. To all of tbem he fulfils the name "Jesus," saving
from all transgressions. In sucb strains we find
I'he Lordj's servctmt relating his earnest cry and its results.

400 PSALM CXXXI. — THE HEART CONTENTED WITH JEHOVAH.
PSALM CXXXL
A Song of degrees of David.
1 Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty :
Neither do I exercise myself in great matters,
Or in things too high for rae.
2 Surely I have behaved and quieted myself,
As a child that is weaned of his mother :
My soul is even as a weaned child.
3 Let Israel hope in the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.
The theme. Think of the calm bosom of the Lake of Galilee that morning
Holiness. after Christ had spoken peace to the tempest — ^think of that
glassy sea, resting in a morning without clouds under the ris
ing sun. Was it not a fit and fair emblem of tbe soul of the
man whose narae had once been " Legion," whom Jesus tbat
morning met, and whose spiritual storms Jesus calmed by a
word ? Is tbat man's soul now not as peaceful and at rest as
that lake ? It is such a picture of repose we have here. In
the case of the Master, no previous storm had vexed it ; in the
case of the disciple, the tempest has preceded the peace.
It is the Master who can in full measure look up to his
Father and say —
" Lord, my heart is not haughty, neither are mine eyes lofty ;
I walk not in great things, and matters too high for me."
He was willing on earth to be ignorant even of tbe day of his
own glory — ^his Second Coming — and, while grieving intensely
over Capernaum, and tbe other cities, was content to rest bis
spirit in this one consideration, "Even so. Father ; for so it
seemed good in thy sight."
" Surely (^7 DK hke Isa. v. 9, &o.) I have smoothed and silenced my soul.
As a child weaned from its mother. My soul in me is as a weaned child."
Others say,
" As a weaned child leans upon his mother," (IDK "h^,) without any de-
-T
sire to suck the breast as before.
Not of this world, loving the Father, Christ walked through
eartb without a murmur, or suspicion, or doubt, as to bis Fa
ther's wiU — " Not my 'wUl, but thine be done." And his heart

memberBL

PSALM CXXXL— A HEART CONTENTED WITH JEHOVAH. 401
overflowed toward man also (ver. 3) ; he pressed men to partake
of his joy in the Lord. Such was the Master.
His followers are only in some measure like him. It is °^'''*f
when they shall " see him as he is," that they shaU be able to
take up the Psalm in all its breadth. Trae, they receive the
kingdom of God "as a little chUd ;" tbey are " not of the worid,
even as he is not of the world;" they have accepted the pun
ishment of their iniquity, and tbeir once uncircumcised hearts
have been humbled. Still, they have only sorae measure of
this " mind that was in Him;" but tbey are expecting the entire
likeness, on that day when Israel realizes what is written in Lev.
xxvi 41, and hopes inthe Lord, from henceforth and for ever."
Thus the harp sings of
J'Ae Lord's servant's contentment with Jehovah's will.

PSALM CXXXIL
A Song of degrees.
I LoBD, reraeraber David, and all his afflictions :
2 How he sware unto the Lord, and vowed unto the mighty God of
Jacob ;
3 Surely I will' not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into
my bed,
4 I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids,
6 Until I find out a place for the Lord, an habitation for the mighty God
of Jacob.
6 Lo, we heard ofit at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the wood.
7 We will go into his tabernacles : we will worship at his footstool.
8 Arise, O Lord, into thy rest ; thou, and the ark of thy strength.
9 Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness ; and let thy saints shout
for joy.
10 For thy servant David's sake, turn not away the face of thine anointed.
II The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David ; he will npt turn from it ;
Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.
12 If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach
them.
Their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore.
13 For the Lord hath chosen Zion ; he hath desired it for his habitation.
14 This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell ; for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly bless her provision : I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16 I will also clothe her priests with salvation : and her saints shall shout
aloud for joy.
CC

402 PSALM CXXXII. — GOD PLEDGED TO BLESS ZION.
17 There will I make the horn of David to bud : I have ordained a lamp for
mine anointed.
18 His eneraies will I clothe with shame : but upou himself shall his crown
flourish.
The theme. The pilgrim-worshipper spreads before his God the pledges of
of God. his favour to Zion, reminds him of prayers presented, and gets
a reply that leaves him in adoring silence. The anxiety David
felt about the Ark, aud the Lord's care in general, is meant in
verse 1. "Lord, remember Q) as to David all his trouble:"
all his efforts to establish thy sanctuary, and all he has under
gone for thee, (or, in behalf of) even as 2 Chron. vi 42, Solo
mon prays — " Remember the mercies of David thy servant.'
Remember David's solemn oath to tbe " Mighty One of Jacob"
(see Gen. xlix. 25) — tbe Blesser of Joseph with all blessings of
heaven, and eartb, and the deep beneath. As tbe men of Israel
so resolutely pursued tbe evil-doers of Gibeah tbat they swore
(Judges XX. 8), " We will not any of us go to his tent, nciilier
will any of us turn into his house," so did he swear, in fol
lowing hard after the Lord's glory, when desiring to build the
Temple. It seems as if the appeal altered its form at verse 6. The
worshippers refer to the past history of the Ark, when dwelling
at Shiloh; for by "Ephratah," we do not understand Bethle
hem,* tbe place where David spent his youth, but the J,istrict of
Ephraim.^ As a man of Mount Ephraim is called */T13ii>, in
1 Sam. i. 1, so the district would be rrmpij!. The worship
pers say, " We have heard the past history of tho Ark at Shiloii
iu Ephraim ; how the Lord warned Israel by judgraents there
against all formality and all irreverence. We have found it at
Kirjath-jearim, where the Lord blessed those who made it wel
come ; and so we bave learnt to honour it." For, "fields of the
wood," is agreed to be a name equivalent to " city of the woods,"
i. e., Kirjath-jearim.
* It will not at all accord with the original, to find bere an allusion to
Christ's journeying through the land — ^born at Ephratah, sitting on Jacob's
Well, &c. Nor, as Alexander would have it, " When in my youth I resided
at Bethlehem, I heard of the Ark's movements."
f So, J. H. Michaelis' Bible, note on 1 Sam xvii. 12, " Regie, Ephrata dici
videtur." And Tholuck says here that Shiloh in Ephraim is meant.

PSALM CXXXIL — GOD PLEDGED TO BLESS ZION. 403
" Ld vs come to his tahernacles (the Holy and Most Holy),
Ld us worship at his footstool (the Ark with its Mercy-seat, Lam. ii. 1).
Arise, O Lord, (to go) to thy resting-place,
Thou and thy mighty Ark." (2 Chron. vi. 41.)
Let us notice the prayer, verse 9, with the answer, verse 16.
Tbe prayer asks in behalf of the priests " righteousness," i. e.,
what shews forth God's righteous character ; the answer is,
" I will clothe her priests with salvation," i. e., witb what shews
forth God's gracious character. Caring for tbe interests of
God, the worshipper finds his own interests fully cared for.
And now, after spreading the Lord's pledged word (verses 1 1 ,
12), before him, the worshipper hears the Lord himself utter the
reply, q. d., " I will do all that has been sought."
" For the Lord hath chosen Zion. (Ver. 13.)
There wiU I make a horn bud up to David (one full of power, Messiah).
I have prepared (^rCny as Exod. xxvii. 20)a lampformine anointed One."
In tirae of darkness, lo ! the lamp (like the burners on the
seven-branched lamp,) of mine Anointed shines ! Messiah
and his Church, the bght of tbe world ! As yet this has been
fulfilled only in part ; the lamp is lighted ; the bom of David
has shot up ; but it is only in part that the last verse has been
accomplished. The Lord's Second Coming will accompUsh all
to the full " His enemies wiU I clotlie toith shame.
But upon himself shall the crown fiourish."
It is thus the pilgrim-worshippers going up to the feasts re
mind their Lord of the mercies he has given them reason to
expect. <rhey imitate the heavenly worshippers in Rev. v. 8,
holding up their golden vials '• full of incense," i. e., of prayers
as yet unanswered. When the type of the Ark at rest in Solo
mon's Temple is ftilfiUed, all our prayers shall be answered.
Meanwhile let us often use such an appeal as this, an appeal in
which our Master could take part in the days of his flesL It
is a Psalm wherein we hear.
The Lord's servant reminding Jehovah that he has pledged
himself to bless Zion.

404 PSALM CXXXIIL— ADMIRATION OF THE UNITT OF

PSALM CXXXIIL
A Song of degrees. Of DavM.
1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together
in unity!
2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head,
That ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard :
That went down to the skirts of his garraents.
3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the moun-
tains of Zion :
For there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
The theme. "A JOTOUS and hearty Psalm (says one) on occasion of one of
Unity. the great feasts." A song for David's harp — one of the breath
ings of that sweet singer of Israel. How gladly would the Son
of David sing it, full as it is of the love of brethren — ^the very
spfrit of his " new commandment," and fitted so well for tbe
use of even the Great Congregation at " our gathering together
in him." It is spoken by one looking on, and calUng the at
tention of others to the pleasant spectacle —
" Behold ! how good and how pleasant
The dwelling of hrdhren entirely as one .'" {tTf DjI)
But the last clause may mean as D^ usuaUy does, " also." How
pleasant to see tbem " together also," as well as in thefr tents or
separate abodes. Two comparisons are chosen to set forth the
exceUency of such brotherly harmony ; one taken from the ta
bernacle, tbe other from the Promised Land. The holy oil, for
the priests, was made of four sorts of the best spices, mixed
into one (Exod. xxxiv. 22) ; and thus compounded, its fra
grance was felt by all in the sanctuary, breathing from the
high priest Aaron's head and garments — an emblem of the
unity of many tribes, unity called forth by the presence of one
High Priest, and emblem also of all that gratifies the senses and
strengthens the heart. One and the same oil sheds its sweet
odour from the head, the beard, and the skfrts of tbe priestly
robes —
" Like thepredous oil on the head,
(Like oil) which descended on the heard — Aaron's heard,
(Like oil) which descended on the very border ofhis garments."

THOSE -WHO MEET IN THE HOLT CITT. 405
Or, changing the figure,
" Like the dew of Hermon, (not the Hermon or Sirion of Deut. iii. 9, for
it is crowned with perpetual snow — but that Hermon which rises
from the plain of -Tezreel)
(Like the dew) which descended on the hills of Zion.''
The oil diffuses a like fragrance, whether it be on head, beard,
or garment tbat you find it ; the dew is alike reviving and
refreshing, whether it fall on Hermon* or on tbe hills of Zion ;
and so it is with the harmonious congregations of Israel, one
spirit breathes in tbem all, though some come from the extreme
parts of the land, and some from the more distinguished por
tions ; some from the plain of Jezreel, others from the hiUs of
Jerusalem. It ic " there" where such brotherly love is seen, in such as
semblies as these, that the Lord commands the blessing. It will
be in the assembly of the first-born, gathered together into one,
at bis Second Coming, tbat the blessing shall descend in all its
richness, eten " life for evermore." And then shall the pilgrim
band, arrived at tbeir boly city, with their Leader in the midst,
burst out into this wondering and delighted cry — " Behold !"
¦ — a sight to whicb our eyes were strangers during all our pil
grimage — " Behold ! men dwelling together as brethren .'"
without jar or discord, in entire love and unity ! In strains
Uke tbese shall we at last hear
The Lord's servant ad/miring the unity of those who meet i/n
the Holy Gity.
* Buchanan has Latinised this Psalm very happily. After beginning with
" Nil caritate mntu£ fratrum, nihil
Jacundius concordifi," —
he says ; — "Non ros, tenella gemmulis argenteis
Fingens Zionis gromlna.
Ant vema dulci inebrians uliginu
Hermonis Intonsl Jug».!' <

406 PSALM CXXXIV. — A CALL FOR UNCEASING PRAISE.

PSALM CXXXIV.
A Song of degrees.
1 BEHotn, bless ye the Lord !
All ye servants of the Lord, which by night stand in the house of ths
Lord.
2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord.
3 The Lord that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion.
The theme. This is the last of the " Songs of Degrees ; " consisting of
Praise withont praise and blessing, yea calling on us for never-ceasing praise.
The shutting of tbe Teraple gates at night is by some (e. g.,
Horsley) supposed to indicate tbe appropriate time for singing
this song. Hengstenberg assigns it to the time of the evening
sacrifice, and compares Psa. xcii 2, denpng that there was
any Levitical ser-dce during night. But 1 Chron. ix. 33 seems
to assert, very clearly, that there was a service of song by
night ; and other places hint the same.
There is animation at least in Barclay's paraphfese of this
most Uvely Psalm —
" O bless the Lord, his servants all,
Who watch within the Teraple-wall,
And nightly praise him as ye stand
With lifted eye, and lifted hand !
Clap, clap your hands, exult and sing,
In holiness of Christ your King !
Behold he hath redeemed you
To bless and praise him as ye do."
Benediction was most appropriate in closing this series of
" Psalms of Degrees." Tbe worshipper calls upon tbose who
inhabit tbe sanctuary to be ever praising (ver. 1), and lifting
up their hands " towards his sanctuary," Psa. xx-vUi 2 ; a call
in which Paul most heartily joins, 2 Tim. ii 8. And then, in
verse 3, tbe priest pronounces a Melcbizedec-blessing ; for it is
in the very style of Melchizedec, Gen. xiv. 18, 19. And this
is the final blessing reserved for the Lord's weary Abrahams,
to be pronounced on them by tbe " Possessor of heaven and
earth," on tbe day of Christ ; in prospect of which, and in en
joyment of all that cometh even now from the same Lord,
The Lord's servant calls for unceasing praise to Jehovah.

PSALM CXXXV. — ^THE PECULIAR PEOPLE ADORING. 407

PSALM CXXXV.
1 Pbaise ye the Lord ! Praise ye the narae of the Lord !
Praise hira, O y& servants of the Lord.
2 Te that stand in the house of the Lord, iu the courts of tbe house of onr
God.
3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good ; sing praises unto his narae, for it
is pleasant.
4 For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar
treasure.
5 For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods.
6 Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth,
^n the seas, and all deep places.
7 He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth ;
He maketh the lightnings for the rain : he bringeth the wind out of his
treasuries.
8 Who smote the first-born of Egypt, both of man and beast.
9 Who sent tokens and wonders into the raidst of thee, O Egypt,
Upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants.
10 Who smote great nations, and slew mighty kings ;
II Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan,
And all the kingdoms of Canaan :
12 And gave their land for an heritage, an heritage unto Israel his people.
13 Thy name, O Lord, endureth for ever;
And thy memorial, O Lord, throughout all generations.
14 For the Lord will judge his people, and he will repent himself concerning
his servants.
15 The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.
16 They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not;
17 They have ears, but they hear not ; neither is there any breath in their
mouths.
18 They that make them are like unto them : so is every one that trusteth
in them.
19 Bless the Lord, O house of Israel ; bless the Lord, O house of Aaron :
20 Bless the Lord, O house of Levi : ye that fear the Lord, bless the Lord.
21 Blessed be the Lord out of Zion, which dwelleth at Jerusalem.
Praise ye the Lord.
We have been descending the river, finding its banks very The tone.
varied, with sometimes shade, sometimes sunshine on its waters,
yet all along the incessant murmur of praise. The river is
now nearer its ocean, and hence the utterance of praise be
comes louder, fuller, more distinct and direct than ever. In
this Psalm and tbe next, we have two very lofty bursts of song,
"Hallelujahs" from the lips of men on earth. The peculiar

408 PSALM CXXXV. — THE PECULIAR PEOPLE ADORING
people, Israel, sing iu the name of all God's people ; and no
doubt the Lord Jesus, when on earth, took up the song as
chief musician.
The conteuta The first grouud of praise is what the Lord is in himself
" Praise ye Jah (n»), T
Praise ye the name of Jehovah (nilT'))
Praise ye, ye servants of Jehovah." (Ver. 1.)
Te who " stand" in the Lord's bouse ; that is, wait there to
serve him, as Deut. x. 8 ; Judges xx. 28. Then verse 3 —
"Praise ye Jah {J^); T
For good is Jehovah (niH^) i
Hymn ye to his name.
For it is pleasant (D^yj)-" (Ver. 8.)
His name is pleasant, it is ?''57J ; it has in it D^i (Psa. xxvii
4 ; Psa. xc. 17). It discovers to us the Lord's well-pleased
ness ; it shews us the awful frown of the Judge changed into
the sweet smile of favour. Israel sees it thus — Israel, to whom
the altar and all its significant accompaniments belong.
The next ground of praise is the Lord's sovereignty, (verses
4-6,) choosing a people, she-wing himself above all gods, doing
as pleaseth him ; and it is sweet for Israel to say as they sing,
that this Jehovah is theirs, as they are his HTpD, peculiar pro
perty, his valuable jewels.
" And our Lord is above all gods." (Ver. 5.)
Then they praise him for creation-works, (ver. 7). He does
what he pleases.
" Bringing up vapours fiom the ends of earth /
Making lightnings for rain ;
Bringing the wind from histreasure-chamberB."
But chiefly is he praised for works of providence and redemp
tion, (ver. 8-12) ; smiting Egypt and great kings.* And aU
this contrasts so broadly with all other gods, tbat no name
but Jehovah's shall be exalted, no one shall be named along
* " In regard to Sihon and Og, he smote them." The construction of verse
11 is peculiar, the verb y)^ having had the accusative before^ now employs
a preposition ^.

THE EXCELLENCT OF THEIR SOVEREIGN GOD. 409
with bim ; bis " memorial," i. e., that by which he is kno'wn
and remembered, shall be for ever singular and peculiar. See
Exod. iu. 15.
"For Jehovah wiU act the part of a judge (l^T) to his people," i.e.,
defend their rights. (Gen. xxx. 6 ; Jer. xxii. 16.)
And will repent {i. e., change his procedure) toward his servants;"
reminding us of Deut. xxxii 26, the utterance of the Lord's
name in tbat song of Moses. But as for idols, they have a
"mouth," but speak not to give advice ; " eyes," but see not
the circumstances, nor yet tbe gifts, of their devotees ; " ears,"
but hear neither their praise nor prayer ; and as they have no
" breath in their nostrils," they cannot inhale the sweet and
fragrant incense offered to tbem. Their worshippers become
equally helpless and vain. Oh, then, Israel, bless thou Je
hovah ! House of Israel, house of Aaron, house of Levi, fearers
of Jebovab everywhere, bless ye Jehovah !
"From out of Zion Id Jehovah be blessed {i.e., let the voice of praise
to him be heard from 23on),
(Jehovah) who dwells at Jerusalem.
Hallelujah, !"
We may easily suppose Christ thus exhorting his own in the
days of bis flesh, using this very Psalm ; aye, and at this clos
ing verse, would be not feel peculiarly ? for he was Jehovah,
come to fiUfil all types and shadows, being himself the Incar
nate God inhabiting Jerusalem. And then he would look for
ward to tbe future, when his throne shall be as a canopy over
Jerasalem, and when he shall in glory inhabit it as the city of
the Great King, whUe out from Zion issues forth such praise
as makes eartb wonder — ^the joy of Jerusalem heard afar offi
We, too, may sing it with such thoughts, joining Israel and
Israel's King. It suits all the redeemed, inasmuch as it is
The peculiar people's song of praise, as they adore the excd-
lenoy of their sovereign God,

410 PSALM CXXXVI. — PRAISE TO JEHOVAH, WHOSE MERCT

PSALM CXXXVL
1 O GIVE thanks unto the Lord ; for he is good : for his mercy endureth for
ever.
2 O give thanks unto the God of gods : for his mercy endureth for ever.
3 O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for bis mercy endureth for ever.
4 To him who alone doeth great wonders : for his raercy endureth for ever.
6 To hira that by wisdom made the heavens : for his mercy endureth for ever.
6 To him that stretched out the earth above the waters : for his mercy en.
dureth for ever.
7 To him that made great lights : for his mercy endureth for ever:
8 The sun to rule by day : for his mercy endureth for ever :
9 The moon and stars to rule by night : for his mercy endureth for ever.
10 To him that smote Egypt in their first-born ; for his mercy endureth for
ever:
II And brought out Israel from araong thera : for his mercy endureth for ever :
12 With a strong hand, and with a stretched-out arm : for his mercy endureth
for ever.
13 To him which divided the Red Sea into parts : for bis mercy endureth for
ever ;
14 And raade Israel to pass through the midst of it : for his mercy endureth
for ever :
16 But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea: for his mercy en
dureth for ever.
16 To him which led his people through the wilderness : for his mercy en
dureth for ever.
17 To him which smote great kings : for his mercy endureth for ever :
18 And slew famous kings : for his mercy endureth for ever :
19 Sihon king of the Amorites : for his mercy endureth for ever :
20 And Og the king of Bashan : for his mercy endureth for ever:
21 And gave their land for an heritage: for his raercy endureth for ever:
22 Even an heritage unto Israel his servant : for his mercy endureth for ever.
23 Who redeemed us in our low estate : for his mercy endureth for ever :
24 And hath redeemed us from our enemies : for his raercy endureth for ever.
25 Who giveth food to all flesh : for his mercy endureth for ever.
26 O give thanks unto the God of heaven ! for his mercy endureth for ever.
The theme. The theme of last Psalm is taken up again ; but whereas the
glory of Jebovab was chiefly dwelt upon there, now it is bis
love. The same acts display more than one illustrious perfec
tion, and may therefore call forth variety of praise.
That "(roc? ¦is Jow" is the pervading view; or, in other words,
" God is good, and his mercy endureth for ever" — tbe fountain
and the stream, tbe fountain sendeth forth its streams on our

HAS BLESSED, AND 'WILL BLESS FOR EVER. 41 1
scorched and blighted world, streams that shall never be with
drawn, and which are not like the brook Cedron, flowing only
now and then, but are perennial and perpetual. We refer back
to what was said on Psalm cvii 1, in reference to this theme
and this -view of Jehovah being taught at the altar : it was
taught there most specially, and is still taught by the blood of
Him who was the sacrifice. Indeed, we may say that it is
only when standing by His side tbat we can truly sing this
Psalm. He raises the tune ; he calls on us thus to sing —
" Praise ye (!)TirT) Jehovah ;"
not as in Psa. cxxxv. 1, " Hallelujah," but varying the words,
" Be ye Judahs to the Lord ! "
Praise him for what he is, (ver 1—3). The content*
Praise him for what he is able to do, (ver. 4).
Praise him for what be bas done in creation, (ver. 5-9).
Praise him for what he did in redeeming Israel from bond
age, (ver. 10-15).
Praise him for what he did in his providence tow?rd them,
(ver. 16-22).
Praise him for his grace in times of calamity, (ver. 23, 24).
Praise bim for his grace to the world at large, (ver. 25).
Praise him at the remembrance that this God is the God of
heaven, (ver. 26).
Is he " God of gods ?" (ver. 2.) Well may we praise him, and
be sure that the mercy which has issued forth from his throne,
Uke the crystal river of the Apocalypse, shall fiow on for ever ;
for there is none higher than himself; no rival to mar his
plans, or interfere with his schemes. Yes, he is as Moses de
scribed in Deut. x. 17, — so infinitely higher than any creature
that ever bore the name of " god," that tbey dared not be
named in his presence.
Is he " Lord of lords?" (ver. 3) as Moses also said long ago
in Deut. x. 17. Then no principality in heaven, no power Lu
hell, no assumed lordship in earth, can at all resist bim : his
mercy shall be impeded by none. It is the mercy of the " God
of gods and the Lord of lords !" What height, depth, length,
breadth, in his mercy ! And you may sing on the banks of

41 2 PSALM CXXXVL — PRAISE TO JEHOVAH, WHOSE MERCT
this river that fertilizes our desert world — " I am persuaded
that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor
powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor
depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate
us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord,"
(Rom. viii 38, 39).
Does he " alone" do great wonders ? (ver. 4.) That means,
he does so by himself unaided, needing nothing from others,
asking no help from his creatures. As the Nile from Nubia to
the Mediterranean rolls on 1 300 miles in solitary grandeur, re
ceiving not one tributary, but itself alone dispensing fertility
and fatness wherever it comes ; so our God " alone'' does won
ders. (See Deut. xxxii, 12, Psa. Ixxii 18, &c.) No promp
ter, no helper ; spontaneously he goes forth to work, and all he
works is worthy of God. Then we bave no need of any other ;
we are independent of all others ; all our springs are in him.
Did be "make the heavens by his understanding V
(n3^3i])) (ver. 5) — ^not only the firmament, but the tbfrd
heavens, too, where all is felicity, where is the'throne of glory.
Then, I infer, that if tbe mercy which visits eartb is from the
same Jehovah who built that heaven and filled it with glory,
there must be in this mercy something of the same " under
standing,'' or wisdom. It is wise, prudent mercy ; not rashly
given forth ; and it is the mercy of Him whose love has filled
tbat heaven with bliss. Tbe same architect — the same skUl
— ^the same love !
It is he who "spread the earth above the waters" (ver. 6),
making a solid platform for man's abode. Tbe Creator is he
who sheweth mercy on us. He was preparing a theatre for
the display of mercy. He was thinking thoughts of grace ere
ever man appeared, so tbat bis love ' has a deep source, and
was issuing forth from its far back source all the time he was
forming our earth.
It is he who " made the great lights;" (ver. 7). Instead of
causing the light that was shot out from bis presence^ on the
three first days of creation, to serve our eartb, He kindly pre
pared the " Great Lights." That our comfort might be fully
attended to, two great orbs were so placed, or our eartb so

HAS BLESSED, AND WILL BLESS FOE EVER. 413
placed towards them, as that our habitation might thus be full
of cheerful light. Was he not remembering man ? 0 praise
him ! And think as you praise, " His mercy endures for
ever ! "
He made " ihe sun to rule by day," (ver. 8). Though be
knew how our earth would abuse its mercies, and sinners em
ploy the light in order to carry on schemes of wickedness, yet
still he made it thus, and left it thus after the fall, to shine on
the fields and dwellings even of the ungodly. Yea, and " the
moon and stars by night" (ver. 9),* — the same that shone in
Paradise and Eden. He bas not withdrawn tbem. " His
mercy endureth for ever !"
But again ; this is he wbo "smote Egypi s first-born," (ver.
10). Remember his sovereign grace, when righteousness would
shew itself upon the guilty. There was mercy even then to
Israel — drops of that mercy that for ever endureth — at the
very time when judgment fell on others. Should not this give
emphasis to our praises ? The dark background makes the
figures in tbe foreground more prominent.
He " brought out Israel from among them," (ver. ] 1 ). This
was mercy, separating them from all tbe evil and all the misery
there. Aye, and with " a strong hand" (ver. J 2) : for mercy
prompted him to exercise power against the mighty. What a
ground of encouragement in after ages to his own ! That same
" strong ha/nd" ready at mercy's call to do sucb acts, and that
mercy enduring for ever !
" He divided the Red Sea into parts," (ver, 1 3). Obstacles
are nothing to him whose " mercy endureth for ever.'' The
divided Red Sea is a " pawn of his purpose and power to de
liver his Church" in all ages. He " made Israel pass ihrough
the midst of it" (ver. 14), making the very bed of tbe sea their
highway of safety ; as he has often done since then, when the
very calamities of his own have become their blessings.
Did he "shake off" ("iW) (ver. 1 5, as Exod. xiv. 27) Fharaoh
* In this verse the expression " to rule " is /I'l^tyOD in the plural ; whereas
in Gen. i. 16 there is the repetition of ri7t£toD. It is, q. d., their jurisdictions
, V V ; v
over night : for the term seems properly to mean the post of a ruler, the offiee
he fills as a mler.

41 4 PSALM CXXXVI. — PRAISE TO JEHOVAH, WHOSE MERCT
and his host, as he did the locusts, into the Red Sea, and this
when they would have hung on Israel's rear, and clung to his
skirts ? This was mercy to bis own, their foes overtbro-vm ;
such mercy as shall awake hallelujahs when Antichrist is de
stroyed, in the last days, (Rev. xix. 1, 2).
Did he " make his people walJc in the wilderness?" (ver.
16.) Such a floor ! sucb a pathway ! Yet who has not heard
of tbeir safety and well-being there ? Now, this mercy shall
still act thus — for ever ! All through the desert, and till it is
done, his people shall be kept.*
Aye, but enemies again appear : " He smote great kings,"
(ver. 17). Great as they were, it availed nothing ; they lost
tbeir credit and prestige of greatness. And "noble kings,"
too (ver. 18), were shorn of their pomp when tbey touched his
anointed. Such is bis mercy — mercy that lasts still for us in
these last days. Yea, "Sihon, king of Amorites" (ver. 19),
like tbe goodly cedar (Amos ii. 9), and the first that opposed
their entrance into their land — he fell ; an example to those
who might afterwards dare to oppose the Lord's people. And
when " Og, the king of Bashan" (ver. 20), took the field, a
giant, a new and more terrific foe, he too fell. And the mercy
tbat thus dealt with eneraies so great, enemies so strong, one
after another, " endureth for ever." When Antichrist raises
up his hosts in tbe latter days, one after another — when the
great, the famous, the mighty, the noble, the gigantic men,
in succession assail the Church, they shall perish. " For his
mercy endureth for ever."
But celebrate the Lord's praise again; for " he gave iheir land
for an inheritance," (ver. 21). His mercy to bis own soon
coraforted thera for all their toils and conflicts, in a land flow-
* The Arabic interpolates,
" And made the waters fiow from the solid rock t
For his merey endureth for ever."
This, however, is of no authority, and may have originally been the pious am
plification of some reader who felt that these were but samples of God'? many
doings. Like that devout sonl who said to a friend that we might, in the
very spirit of this Psalm, give thanks for affliction, singing,
" To Him. who withered our grounds ;
For his mercy endureth for ever "

HAS BLESSED, AND WILL BLESS FOR EVER. 415
ing -with milk and honey — a type of that inheritance awaiting
his saints now, after conflict is over. It was " an inheritance
to Israel, his servant," (ver. 22) ; to Israel who had served him,
and who would yet serve him better. Mercy gave this reward ;
it was not merit that won it ; and so it shall be to the end,
even in the case of the Lord's servants who labour most for
him. Israel and all the saints are debtors to mercy to tbe last.
He was the God " who remembered us when we were brought
low," (ver. 23). He did thus to Israel in times when sin
brought on chastisement, as in Judges ii, iii, iv., &c., or
2 Kings xiii 4, xiv. 26, 27. In backsliding times he still kept
hold of us, not forgetting "us when we forgot him. Oh what
mercy! Like the mercy of Him whose love changes not!
The river flowed on day and night, even when we came not to
draw ! " And redeemed us (broke us off) from our enemies,"
(ver. 24). Grace interposed for the helpless, the doubly help
less ; and redeemed the backsliding ones from the very adver-
sari&s whom tbeir sins raised up to chastise tbem. And thus
mercy will do in the latter day to Israel again ; and thus it is
ever doing for saints at this present time.
We might fancy that they who have so much to sing of in
regard to themselves, so much done for their own souls, would
bave little care for others. We might fear that tbey would be
found selfish. But not so ; the love of God felt by a man
makes the man feel as God does towards men ; and as God's
love is ever going forth to others, so is tbe heart of the man of
God. We see how it is even as to patriotism — a man's intensest
patriotic feelings do not necessarily make him indifferent to
the good of other countries, but rather make him wish all
countries to be like his own ; so it is, much more certainly and
truly, with the Lord's people in tbeir enjoyment of blessing.
Tbeir heart expands toward others ; they would fain have all
men share in what tbey enjoy. They therefore cannot close
thefr song without having this other clause — Praise Him who is
" The giver of bread to all fiesh !" (Ver. 25.)
Not to Israel only does he give blessing. Israel had their
manna ; but, at the same time, the earth at large has its food.
So in spiritual things. Israel's God is he who giveth himself

416 PSALM CXXXVIL — EXILED ISRAELS TENDER ZEAL
as Bread of Life to the world. Perhaps at this point the
Psalmist's eye may be supposed to see Earth in its state of
blessedness, after Israel is for the last time redeemed from all
enemies, and become " life from the dead" to the world — when
Christ reigns and dispenses bread of life to tbe New Eartb,
as widely as he gave common food — " the feast of fat things
to all nations," (Isa xxv. 10) ; for bis mercy -mil not rest tiU
this is accomplished. " 0 give praise Cnin) io the God of heaven ! " (Ver. 26.)
Whom having not seen we love, for his mercy endureth for
ever ; whom seated in heaven, we see not, but from whom all
these blessings come down to earth. ' It is Heaven that blesses
Earth, and shall not Earth send up its praise to Heaven. Oh,
that all men were Judahs — joining in this song to Jehovah—^
Praise to Jehovah because of his mercy that has blessed, a/nd
will bless, for ever !

PSALM CXXXVIL
I Bt the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down ; yea, we wept, when we re
membered Zion !
2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song ;
And they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying. Sing us one of the
songs of Zion.
4 How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land ?
5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.
6 Ifldonot remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth ;
If I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.
7 Remember, 0 Lord, the children of Edom, in the day of Jerusalem;
Who said. Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.
8 O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed ;
Happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.
9 Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the
stones.
The tone. When a fitful gust of wind has blown aside for a time the sand
that hid an ancient tomb or monument, the traveUer, arrested
by the sight, may muse beside it, and feel himself borne back
into other days, sympathising with the mourning friends who

FOE JERUSALEM AND JEHOVAH. 417
piled these monumental stones. But his deepest sympathy
can never equal, aud scarcely can resemble -with much near
ness, that burst of grief with which the real mourners conse
crated the spot. It is even thus with our Psalm. We feel it
to be a peculiar song of Zion, strangely beautiful, full of pathos,
and rising to sublimity ; but what would be the fresh emotions
of tbose who sang it first, and who dropped their tears into
these rivers of Babel ? No author's narae is given ; but so
plaintive is it, that some have ascribed it to Jeremiah, the
weeping prophet, of whose Lamentations it has been said,
" Every word seems written with a tear, and every sound seems
the sob of a broken heart."
Tholuck says it is a Psalm by an exiled Levite, " A raaster rho title.
of song." Perhaps we expected to find some notice prefixed
of the instrument used when it was set to music, such as,
" Ou Gittith," — ^when first the sound of its commencing strain
broke on our ear — ^i^^^^^7y aud D'liy-7y,
" On the hanks of the rivers —
On the willow-trees."
But the only instrument before the singer is the murm'aring
streams of Babylon, with the wind moaning through the willows
on either bauL Whether wandering along by Euphrates, or
Tigris, or Ulai or Chabor,* all of them " rivers of Babylon,"
the exiles of Israel felt the burden of Jehovah's anger in thefr
state of estrangement from the land given to their fathers. We
have a series of most moving scenes presented to our view : —
1. The river's banks fringed with mourners, who sit there, The scena,
shaded by the willows. You see above their heads their harps
which they used in Judah, and perhaps in the temple of Jeru
salem, some of those mentioned, 1 Chron. xv. 16 (Patrick),
carried witb them as precious memorials of happier days.
2. You see some of their gay, heartless oppressors approach
ing the weeping band, asking a song. Q. Curtius, in bis his
tory of Alexander the Great (vi 2), tells us of the captive
* " In the midst thereof," in the midst of her {r]^Sn2.)< means in the midst
of the country. The four streams we have named, are four of these that Scrip
ture speaks of in connection with t^e captives. Alas ! not four rivers of
Paradise to them I
Dd

418 PSALM CXXXVIL — EXILED ISRAEL'S TENDER ZEAL
woman from Persia being ordered to sing in the fashion of their
country {suo ritu canere), -when, in the midst of the scene, the
king's eye caught the spectacle of a mourner on the ground,
sadder than all the rest, tbe wife of Hystaspis ; for the lordly
oppressors of Israel were then feeling the retribution of being
summoned to do as they had done to their captives. The wife
of Hystaspis, says the historian, struggled against tbose who
would fain have led ber forward to the king, foremost among
the captive band witb whose songs they sought to entertain
themselves ; even as here Israel, though fallen, replied in
princely dignity, to tbose who asked of them " words of the
song," some stanza, at least, out of sorae song of Zion (TB'O) —
" How shall we sing Jehovah's song
On the soil of a dranger ? " (Ver, 4,)
3. You see their oppressors retire, and the exiles are alone
again, dropping their tears into the sti;eam. They sing now,
the one to tbe other, and this is the burden —
" If I lose my memory of thee, 0 Jerusalem,
Ld my right hand lose its memory ! ...
Ld my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth,
If I do not remeffnber thee —
If I do not lift up Jerusalem
On the top of my joy ! " (Ver. 5, 6.)
They remember the past ; and they know it is foretold (Isa.
xxxv. 10) that one day they shall return to Zion with songs.
But, till that day arrives, they will continue to hang up their
harps. 4. You see tbem assurae the attitude of appeal and prayer.
Tbey call upon Jehovah to visit thejr oppressors. Edom is
first mentioned. Why is this ? We find the explanation in
Obad. 8-1 4, where Edom's unbrotherly exultation over Israel's
day of calamity is described ; as it is also in Lam. iv. 21 . Ba
bylon is next. The awful cry against this foe, tbe Antichrist
of tbat day, resembles Rev. x-viii 20, " Rejoice over her ! "
The emphasis is to be put on "thee," and in verse 9, "thy
children," in opposition to God's people and their children.
Happy the man who, instead of being , an oppressor of God's
heritage, is the Lord's instrument in bringing low, even to the
foundation, the city tbat has fought against him, thus requiting

FOR JERUSALEM, AND JEHOVAH. 419
her in her own way ; yes, happy is that man even though in
executing the judgment he be sent to dash tbe children on
the rocks (children being reckoned one with tbeir parents, as in
Achan's case, Josh, vii 24), in pouring out the vial of wrath.
Could our Master sing this song ? If he identified himself Christ m it.
with his peopje in Egypt; as we find him doing in Psa; Ixxxi
5, why should he not sympathise in this strain ¦ also ? He
would use it when on earth. And his Church herself a stranger
in a strange land, can use it, not only in sympathising with
Israel's ruin, but in thinking of what has endeared Jerusalem
to us. Calvary, Mount of Olives, Siloam, how fragrant are
ye with the Name that is above every name ! " If I forget
thee, 0 Jerusalem ! " Can I forget where he walked so often,
where he spoke such gracious words, where he died ? Can I
forget tbat his feet shall stand on that " Mount of Olives, which
is before Jerusalem, on the east?" Can I forget tbat there
stood the Upper Room, and there felLthe showers of Pentecost?
And can I not pray against Antichrist in using the names
of Edom, and Babylon^ the old foes of the Lord and his people ?
Yes, I fully sympathise in every verse of this sacred song,
for it is !
Exiled Israel's tender zeal for Jerusalem and Jehovah.

PSALM CXXXVIIL
A Psalm of David.
1 I WILL praise thee with ray whole heart : before the gods will I sing praise
nnto thee.
2 I wii worship toward thy holy teraple,
And praise tby name for thy lovingkindness and for thy tmth;
For thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
•3 In the day when I cried thou answeredst me.
And strengthenedst me with strength in ray soul.
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord, when they hear the
words of thy mouth.
5 Tea, thy shall sing in the ways of tbe Lord : for great is the glory of the
Lord.
6 Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect nnto the lowly s
But the proud he knoweth afar ofl^.

420 PSALM CXXXVIIL — HEARTFELT PRAISE FOR
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me :
Thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemif ,
And thy right hand shall save me.
8 The Lord will perfect that which concemeth me ;
Thy mercy, 0 Lord, endureth for ever : forsake not the works of thine own
hands.
Dana. David's harp agaiu sounds, from this Psalm on^yard to Psalm
cxlv., where praises of every kind, and probably proceeding
from various singers, close tbe Book.
The theme. The theme is tbe promise made to David (Psa. Ixxxix. 26,
and 2 Sam. vii. 28, which is in efiect tbe same as Isa. Iv. 3),
" Tbe sure mercies of David. It is the definite promise of a
Saviour who is to descend from David's loins, that furnishes
the subject. And is not this substantially the same as the
first promise, the great promise of a Debverer, the promise of
tbe Seed of the woman ? Let one read over tbe seventh chapter
of 2 Samuel, as it came from Da-vid's full heart, and he has found
tbe key-note of tbe Psalm ; and then let us realise what was
-wrapt up in tbe promise of a Saviour in its fulness, and we wUl
join in every clause of the Psalm. Our Master would feel aU
at home in every verse.
The contents. In verses 1 —3 he sings to this efiect — No god, uo pretendea
god, in any country, or any age, ever gave utterance to such a
thought as I am now to sing of — " before the gods I wUl
sing," and I worship toward thy boly temple as I sing, prais
ing thee for such a matchless display of mercy and truth 1
(Comp. John i 14.)
'¦' For thou hast magnified, above all thy name, thy word,
In the day when I called, and thou didst answer
(When) thou didst make me brave in my soul with might !" (Ver. 2, 3.)
In that day when the Lord brought to him the word, or pro
mise, of which he speaks (the word concerning the future Son),
he did an act of grace that might be said to cast into the .shade
even all the other displays of grace God had given. " All ihy
name" is used here as equivalent to " all that hitherto has
made thee known and famous in our eyes." This is the sense
of "name" in such places as 2 Sam. vii. 9, and 23, a passage
closely allied to this ; as also viii. 13, xxiii. 18. In short,
it is like as if one had said of Abishai (1 Chron. xi. 20), " You
had a name among the three, but that last exploit of yours

JEHOVAH S GREAT PROMISE. 421
has raised you above all your previous name ;" or take Jer.
xxxii. 20 — " Tbou hast made thee a name" by thy wonders in
^gypt> but this promise to David is " above aU that name of
thine." In verses 4, 5, he sings to this effect — No king ever heard
news like this that thou art making known. When they
hear it, " They will sing in the ways of the Lord ! " (Ver. 5.)
Tbey will sing 2. " upon," as if to say they wUl enter on these
ways (Hengst.) ; or rather, at or over, because of hearing such
an account of Jehovah's dealings with men.
In verses 6, 7, he sings to this effect — Unparalleled grace !
The Lofty One bas stooped down to shew mercy to one so low
as I, to the family of Jesse — yea, to tbe fallen family of man —
" Hie Lord is exalted; and (yet) he looks upon the mean !
While the proud he knowdh afar ofir." (Comp. Luke i. 51, 52.)
This gracious Jehovah removes all my fears, whatever shall
betide ; for he will help me. And in the person of our Mas
ter, be has given his saints a pledge of the fulfilment of verse
7, for the Master " walked in the midst of trouble," as did
tbe three youths in the fiery furnace, and yet was " revived" —
brought back to the enjoyment of favour and peace ; brought
back from the sepulchre to the " fulness of joy."
In verse 8 he sings to this effect — Lord, leave me not till thou
hast brought me into glory. Confidence of getting leads him
to ask boldly, as in 2 Sam. vii. 27, and what he asks is, that he
may be kept till glory come. For by " the works of thy hand"
is meant the undertaking God has commenced. Every saint has
this same confidence, remembering that it*is written, " He that
hath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of
Jesus Christ," (Phil i. 6). Our Lord, the Son of David, as weU
as David's Lord, would often, in the days of his flesb, use this
appeal, and sing in man's behalf this glorious Psalm ; and shaU
we not take it up, now that " the Word" bas been fully de
veloped, and developed in such astounding magnificence of
grace ? It suits us as much as it did David, or any other ;
for it is heartfelt praise for Jehovah's Great Promise.

422 PSALM CXXXIX. — SATISFACTION IN THINKING UPON

PSALM CXXXIX.
To the chief Musician. A Psalm of Davlo.
1 O Lord, thon hast searched me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest' my downsitting and mine uprising, thon understandest my
thought afar off.
3 Thou compassest my path and ray lying down, and art acquainted with all
my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it
altogether.
6 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me ! it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
7 Whither shall I go from thy Spirit ? or whither shall I flee from thy pre.
sence ?
8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there : if I make ray bed in hell, be
hold, thou art there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of tha
sea,
10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say. Surely the darkness shall cover rae ! even the night shall be light
about me.
12 Tea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day:
The darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
13 For thou hast possessed my reins : thou hast covered me in my mother's
womb.
14 I will praise thee ; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made!
Marvellous are thy works ; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15 My substance was not bid from thee.
When I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of
the earth.
16 Thine eyes did see ray substance, yet being unperfect ;
And in thy book all ray members were written,
Which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God ! how great is the sum
of thera !
18 Ifi should count them, they are more in number than the sand.
When I awake, I am still with thee.
19 Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, 0 God : depart from me therefore, ye
bloody men.
20 For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in
vain.
21 Do not I hate thera, O Lord, that hate tbee ?
And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee ?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred : I count them mine enemies.
23 Search me; 0 God, and know my heart : try me, and know my thoughts ;
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way, ever*
las tin".

THE ALL-KNOWING CREATOR AND JUDGE. 423
" A PsALM of David," and no doubt often sung by the " Son of Th
Da-nd.'' For, rightly understood, there is not in it any thought
of desfring an escape from the Lord's happy presence in verses
7, 8 ; far from this, it is meant to express delight in the re
membrance of Jehovah's omnipresence and omniscience. It is
not the Utterance of the First Adam, slmking from sight be
hind tbe trees of Eden ; but it is the utterance of the Second
Adam, dwelling in the, blissful fellowship with God, which fel
lowship he would not for all worlds ever lose. Think of it
as sung by David, and by Christ, and by all the family of
Christ. • The key-note, then, is delight in the Lord's presence. The DitBcuities.
stracture is very simple, and there are no difficulties in any
verses but 15, 16 ; to the understanding of which it is needful
to knew that " lower parts of eai th," is a proverbial expression
for secresy — what is hidden frora view of man — as the paral
lelism shews. The verses are to this purpose — " Thou bast at
thy disposal " my reins," the seat of my heart, thoughts, and
feelings ; for —
" My subdance was not hid from thee when I was made in secret,
When 1 was curiously virought, hid from the view of all men.
Thine eyes saw when I was stUi unprepared {i. e., my unformed sub
stance ; or, the unwound ball of the thread of life),
And in thy book all of them were written, (viz.)
The days which were still to be, and of which none then was. " (Hengst.)
And because of this singular care of the Creating Hand, and
the' skill displayed in the rare workmanship, verse 14 sings —
' " I praise thee on this account, that I am fearfully distinguished !
Marvellous are thy works ! Tes, my soul perceives it well !"
But now let us trace the thread of connection that runs through
the whole Psalm. There isiu verses 3-6, adoration of Jeho
vah's omniscience. The Lord ' Jesus could sing it all ; even
verse 6, "too wonderful for me" (Prov. xxx. 18), was suitable
to him as man, in bis humiliation-days, when he knew not the
day of his Second Coming, and when be stood on the shore and
adored tbe awful depth of his Father's counsels. The expres
sion, "Laidst thy hand over me" (f7V Pli^Pt), denotes a kind,
- T V T ^
friendly act ; not the act of one in anger, as when T n/tt^ is

The plan.

4 24 PSALM CXXXIX. — SATISFACTION IN THINKING UPON
used, in such passages as Exod. xxiv. ] 1. Tbe Psalmist is re
joicing in the shadow of this Omniscient One. " Thou hast
searched, and knowest me.''
In verses 7-12, there is adoration of Jehovah's omnipresence.
If I had cause to flee from thee, whither could I go ? " If 1
scale heaven, or if I spread the grave" (Alexander), or if(ver. 1)
the thought occurs, " I will raise the wing of morning," travel
ling swift as the Ught whicb travels 200,000 miles in a second,
all would be vain. Whither, then ? Not to Heaven, for tbat
is the very centre and seat of his manifested presence ; not to
Hell, i. e., sheol, or the grave, for the disembodied spirit is even
more than before in his felt presence ; not to any part of crea
tion, for bis providence is at work there in every sparrow that
lights on the ground. What a comforting thought to a believer !
If God's eye is on ine, then I ara blessed, though I be obscure,
and though I suffer unheeded by man. Heis with the prisoner
in the Inquisition, with the soldier, the sailor, the miner ; yes,
be is so truly with his saints, that wherever their dust may be
laid,- he will find it, and gathering every particle from fhe dark
;.';rave, will raise up therefrom a glorious body. And let us
note that verse 10 expresses the gracious leading of a father
."iid friend — " Thy hand would lead me," Uke verse 5 ; while
\ LTse ] 1 is still more expressive of favour —
" Ifi should say, surely the darkness will crush me, {''^S)'^)
Then night would be light about me."
Were I apprehensive of danger, some appalling evil ready to
crush me {^W, as Job ix. 17, and as Gen. iii 15) during the
darkness, tbe Omnipresent One would haste to my help. Is
tliere any reference to Satan's " hour and power of darkness"
involved in this use of the first word applied to his assaults on
the woman's Seed (Sptt;) ?
Inverses 13- 18, there is adoration of Jehovah as owner
and Greater of men. " For thou (nriK), and no other, possess-
e.it andbast the right to my most inmost parts;" aud then
lie sings of the wonderful work of tbe heavenly Father, forming
the human frame, closing with that exclamation of amazed
delight —

THr: ALL-KNOWING CREATOR AND JUDGE. 425
" How precious are thy thoughts to me, 0 God !
I vrill count them ! — (but no) — more than sand they are many !"
In this there is a resemblance to Psa. xl. 5, where we find Christ
identifying himself with his own, and wondering at his Father's
thoughts " to usward." There, however, it is chiefly his
thoughts, or plans, about our redemption, while here it is more
specially about our creation. Unless, indeed, we suppose that
the glowing description of verses 14, 15, 16, may refer, not to
creation only, but also to the forming anew of the body after it
has lain in the dust, when it is to arise in honour, in glory, in
power, the very likeness of Christ's perfect human form.
In verses 19, 20, there is presented to us tbe omniscient and
omnipresent Creator as Judge. It is literally, " If thou
wouldst slay the wicked !" — an unfinished sentence, pointing
at the terrible results. Though at present he bears long with
the ungodly, he hates their sin, and will destroy the sinner.
In this he glances at the great day when the Judge shall say,
" Depart." In verses 21, 22, there is si protestation on the part of the
Psalmist, against all who are foes to Jehovah whom he has
held up to our adoration. It reminds us of John xxi 17.
In verses 23, 24, there is a prayer that this omniscient and
omnipresent Creator would keep his worshipper for ever on
his side. Some render " wicked way" (ver. 24), the way of an
idol (so Gesenius) ; but Hengstenberg seems right in rendering
it, " the way of pain ;" that leads to pain or trouble ; the con
trast of the " everlasting way," (the " ancient paths" of Jere
miah vi 16), where a man finds rest to his soul This is the
way that ushers a man into the kingdom, into the bliss of the
ages to come. It reminds us of Isaiah xxxv. 8, the holy way
in which those walk who enjoy the bliss of the Restored
Paradise. Thus we see tbat this Psalm is one of joy and happy confi
dence in God, abounding in views that enlarge the heart and
strengthen it. It expresses the worshipper's happy remem
brance of the omniscient and omnipresent God ;
Satisfaction in thinking upon the all-knowing Creator
and, Judge.

426 PSALM CXL. — THE RIGHTEOUS ONE AMID SNARES
PSALM CXL.
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
1 Deliver me, 0 Lord, from the evil man, preser\'e rae from the violent man,
2 Which imagine raischiefs in their heart. Continually are they gathered
together for war :
3 They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent ;
Adders' poison is under their lips. Selah.
4 Keep me, 0 Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
Preserve me from the violent man ; who have purposed to overthrow mj
goings.
5 The proud have hid a snare for me, and cords ;
They have spread a net by the wayside ; they have set gins for me.' Selah.
6 I said unto the Lord, Thou art my God : hear the voice of my supplica
tions, 0 Lord.
7 O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head
in the day of battle.
8 Grant not, 0 Lord, the desires of the wicked ;
Further not his wicked device, lest they exalt themselves. Selah.
9 As for the head of those that compass me about, let the mischief of their
own lips cover them.
10 Let burning coals fall upon tbem : let thera be cast into the fire,
Into deep pits, that tbey rise not up again.
11 Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth ;
Evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him;
12 I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afSicte^, and the right
of the poor.
13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name :
The upright shall dwell in thy presence.
ThePsahnist ANOTHER Psalm " of David," to be sung by all saints, even as
The plan. it was used by their Head, David's Son. In it we bave (ver.
1—3) the picture of the wicked, with a "Selah," that bids us
pause over its dark colours. Then we have (ver. 4, 5) a view
of the snares spread by the wicked, with another " Selah-"
pause. Thereafter, we see a soul in tlie attitude of faith (ver.
6-8). They are laying their snares, but calm as Elisha be
holding the Syrian host assembling (2 Kings vi. 1 5), the stayed
soul sings — " / have said to the Lord, My God art thoU ;"
And then he prays, putting a " Selah" * at the close, that we
may again pause and survey the scene.
* We meet with Selah here for the first time since Psa. Ixxxix. From Psa.
xc. to Psa. cxi. no Selah occurs. Why omitted in these fifty. We caniiot tell,
any more than why so often occurring in others. However, there are only
about forty Psalms in all in which it is used.

•' EXPECTING THE RUIN OF HIS FOES. 427
In ver. 9-11 we have the certainty of the wicked's overthrow.
It is spoken of as a thing to be realised as a matter of course.
It is a glance at the great day of the Lord, wheu he destroys
the Man of Sin, and all such foes.
" Goals of fire shall be thrown upon them ;
He loiU precipitate them into raging gulfs (/liD'inQ) /
They shall rise no more."
And then we bave (ver. 12, 13) the calm assurance of bless
ing to the righteous, introduced by an expression tbat sends
our thoughts away to Job's memorable utterance of his hope
that the Redeemer would appear on the earth at the latter
day, (xix. 25). " I know," says tbe Psalmist —
" I know that Jehovah vrill execute
The judgment of the poor, the right of the needy.''
And then in verse 13 the expression ^Nt, like tbat in Psa.
Ixxiii 1, intimates that these are inferences drawn from previous
refiection. Tbe issue shall be this, the righteous shall praise his
name, and dwell before his face for ever. Tbey shall inherit
the promised kingdom, entering in with songs, and continuing
their songs for ever. Sucb is this song of the sweet singer of
Israel, under tbe inspiration of the Holy Ghost, setting forth
The Righteous One amid snares, confidently expecting the
ruin of the ungodly, and his own reward.

PSALM CXLL
A Psalm of David.
1 Loan, I cry unto thee : make haste unto me ! give ear unto my voice when
I cry unto thee.
2 Let ray prayer be set forth before thee as incense ;
And the lifting up of ray hands as the evening sacrifice.
3 Set a watch, G Lord, before ray raouth : keep the door of my lips.
4 liicline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works witb men
that work iniquity :
And let rae not eat of their dainties.
6 Let the righteous smite me, it shall be a kindness ;
And let him reprove me, it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break
my bead :
For yet-my prayer also shall be in their calamities.

428 PSALM CXLI. — PRATER TO BE KEPT PROM ANT EVIL WORK
6 When their judges are overthrown in stony places.
They shall hear my words ; for they are sweet.
Our bones are scattered at the grave's mouth.
As when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth.
8 But mine eyes are unto thee, 0 God the Lord !
In thee is my trust ; leave not ray soul destitute.
9 Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the
workers of iniquity.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape.
Tlie tone of A PsALM of David, for the Church's Head and the Church's
the Psahn. . ,
members m every age. h or may the members not cry, and.
might not the Head cry, witb as much urgency as verses ] , 2,
asking for as speedy an answer as that given to Daniel at the
hour of the evening sacrifice (ix. 19-21)? And should not
prayer and alms-giving go together, now as of old as in the
days of Cornelius (Acts x. 3) ? Here, the " lifting up oj
hands," is, whatever our hands bring to God, by way of offer
ing or service (see 2 Sam. xi 8). The " incense" represented
the sweet savour arising from the blood on the altar's homs,
and from tbe atoning sacrifice in generaL
The 1,1 in. jjj g^^ agos, help against temptation has been needed, as in
verses 3-5. Surely we need still to pray in this self-indulging
age, as verse 4, Let me not be ensnared by tbeir prosperity,
" Ld me not eat of their dainties."
Nay, rather, instead of this self-indulgence,
" Ld the righteous smite, it is '~iercy ;
My head refuses not the oil fur the head," (Hengst.)
This oil for the head is better to me than all tbat these guests
find at their festive board. Yes, and if tempted to avenge my
self (Matt. xxv. 51), I will pray instead. Tbe force of the clause
may be thus given — " For still r-h le it continues, my prayer
ahall ascend in ihe midst of their evil," (Hengst.). The
Cburch has in every age needed the help of hope, when her
persecutors were strong ; and this we have in verses 6, 7 —
" Their judges are overthrown in (precipitated on) the sides oftherock,"
(2 Chron. xxv. 12 ; 2 Kings ix. 33, Jezebel rook). Selah.
they wbo were leaders of the oppressing crew are fallen !
crushed ! dashed in pieces by the mighty hand of the Judge
of all ! And though now they refuse to listen to warning, yet
it is tbeir interest so to do ; " Let them hear my words;" for

AND PRESERVED TO THE KINGDOM. 429
there is no terror in them, no bitterness if listened to now
(comp. Psa. ii 12) ; "they are sweet."
In verse 7, " Our bones are scattered, like one ploughi/ng
a/nd clearing (making furrows in) the earth," has been sup
posed to contain an allusion to Resurrection, as if the Psalm
ist said. These persecutions are the precursors of a time when
the seed shall spring up. The Church never doubts, and never'
in any age has doubted, that soou shall come her final escape
from all snares, "from the hands of the snare" (ver. 9) ; and
this we have in tbe closing verses, verses 8-10. Tbey remind
us much of Paul's words in 2 Tim. iv. ] 8^ — " And the Lord
shall preserve me from every evil work, and will preserve me to
his heavenly kingdom." Like Jehoshaphat in 2 Chron. xix. 12,
the Church fixes her eye on the Lord (ver. 8) whatever be her
case, imitating her Lord in the days of his flesh, when he,
too, used this Psalra, most emphatically praying, " Leave not
my soul bare" ("iy^ /Vl), when about to pour out his soul
(mi^n Isa. liii. 12. It is interesting to notice that the last
words of the Psalm are literally,
" Until that I pass over."
Go on overthrowing tbem till they are annihilated ; go on de- Pre
stroying them till thy people are safely in the kingdom —
"passed over" into Canaan, as when the ark stood keeping back
Jordan's waters for them ; or as when Israel passed tbe Red
Sea and entered on the conquest of the land, for the expression
is the same as occurs in Exod. xv. 16. Augustine was wrong
in thinking the reference was to the Passover ; for that is ex
pressed by a peculiar term, whereas this is the usual "li.3y^<.
He has been foUowed by others, e.g., one who paraphrases the
clause thus — " And Id my saints escape vrith me ;
My blood their passover shall be."
But the allusion is to tbe passing i/nfo Canaan, and so re
minds us more directly of the glory. Christ and his host of
ransomed ones march in triumph into possession of the king
dom, while his and their enemies are falling on every side, like
snow falling on fire. Tbe whole Psalm is
A prayer of the Head and his Members to be kept from every
evil work and preserved to the kingdom.

430 PSALM eXLIL— ^THE CAVE-THOUGHTS OF DAVID

PSALM CXLIL
Maschil of David. A Prayer when he was In the csve.
1 CRIED unto the Lord with my voice ;
With my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication.
2 I poured out my complaint before him ; I shewed before him my trouble.
When my spirit was overwhelmed within rae, then thou knewest my path.
In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me.
4 I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would
know me:
Refuge failed me ; no man cared for my soul.
6 I cried unto thee, 0 Lord !
I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.
6 Attend unto my cry ; for I am brought very low :
Deliver me from my persecutors ; for they are stronger than I.
7 Bring my soul out of prison, that I raay praise thy name;
The righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully
with me.
Thetitie. Maschil — "A prayer of David, when he was in the cave;"
or, more closely adhering to the order of the original, "Maschil,
(i. e., as in Psa. xxxii., which see) of David, when he was in
the cave ; a prayer." The cave of Adullam echoed these holy
strains ; and David's men, " the distressed, the debtors, tbe
bitter of soul," (1 Sam. xxii 2,) heard, as did the prisoners in
Philippi wheu Paul and Silas sung, and were not only soothed
but sanctified, when the Holy Ghost used the same harp tbat
bad calmed Saul's spirit, to cast out the evil that -wrought in
that strange band. But is it not written for all ages ? Da-vid's
Son, and all tbat follow bim, use it when " bitter in soul," or
in " distress."
The contents. Let US see how beautifully it utters our Master's heart as
" A prayer "
Verse 1 . The cry of the Son of David — " / cry unto Jeho
vah, who has so often heard my voice ; I supplicate Je
hovah with my voice." Is not this suitable in the lips of
bim wbo was ever calling on his Father, and whose agony
drew forth all the more that filial cry, " 0 my Father 1"
Verse 2. " / pour forth my complaint before him." Com
pare the title of Psa. cii, and remember tbe Lord's words
in the garden, " Let this cup pass .'" when reading " /
fhewed before him my didreas."

FOR ALL IN EXTBEMITT. 431
Verse 3. " When my spi'rit is overwhelmed within me"
(compare again tbe title of Psa. cii), and thou knewest
(nriK emphatic, as if to say, I did not know, but thou
didst) my path, or the way where I was going where they
hid a trap for me.'' How suitable in the mouth of him
who was " sore amazed" as he entered the garden !
Verse 4. " Look on thy right hand, and behold" — an abrapt,
or broken cry; look, and behold, and you will see only
this — "no one knoweth me! refuge fails me! no one
concerns himself for my soul." Such language raight
actually be used by our Lord Jesus to the Father, when
be saw even his disciples fleeing from hira, as the band
drew near to take him in their snare ; or when he saw
them all asleep in that terrible hour.
Verse 5. " I ha,ve cried (and do still cry) to thee, 0 Jehovah;
Thou art my portion (both now and hereafter) in the land
of the living." The Master returned to the Father for
sympathy, finding it only there.
Verse 6, Another cry pointed with the appeal, " For I am
brought very low." He needed an angel to strengthen
him, so low did he become — lower in every sense than
angels. His flesh was weak
Verse 7- Rut here, as in Psa. xxii, the scene begins to
brighten. His disciples may sleep on and take their rest,
for he has accomplished his sufferings. He sees in pros
pect the results, and prays,
" Bring my sovl from being shut up ;" (as Joseph was, -Gen. xxxix.
20, as Isa. xxiv. 22.)
ihat men 'may praise thy name. (Hengstenberg.)
And then in confidence of hope, seeing down the vista of
ages, bis eye resting on the millions of his saved ones,
"The righteous shall form a eiicle close round me; (linD' ^3
press closely in upon me ; Hengst.)
For thou shalt deal bountifully with me."
Is not this His anticipation of the great multitude, whom no prophetn
man can number, in his kingdom, round his throne, as in
Rev, vu. 9, where the redeemed stand nearer than angels, as

432 PSALM CXLIIL  PRAISE FROM ONE WHO FEELS
if pressing in ? And, being one with our Head, each of us the
members may take up this song in our Adullam sojourn — for
the disciple is as the Master, in his degree. Arrived at last at
the Throne, disciples shall feel solitude no more, nor complain
of sympathy withheld, araid the great congregation.
Horsley entities this Psalm, " A prayer of Messiab, when he
was taken and deserted." Let us call it.
The cave-thoughts of David, and of David's Son, for all im,
extremity.

PSALM CXLIIL
A Psalm of David.
I Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications ;
In thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.
2 And enter not into judgment with thy servant :
For in thy sight shall no man living be justified.
3 For the enemy hath persecuted ray soul ; he hath smitten my life down to
the ground :
He hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.
4 Therefore is ray spirit overwhelraed witbin me ; ray heart ivithin me is
desolate.
6 I remember tbe days of old ; I meditate on all thy works ;
I muse on the work of thy bands.
u I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as
thirsty land. Selah.
7 Hear me, speedily, 0 Lord ! my spirit faileth :
Hide not thy face frora me, lest I be like unto thera tbat go down into the pit.
8 Cause rae to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning ; forin thee do I trust I
Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk ; for I lift up my soul
nnto thee.
9 Deliver me, 0 Lord, from mine enemies : I flee unto thee to hide me,
10 Teach me to do thy will ; for thou art my God :
Thy spirit is good ; lead me into the land of uprightness.
11 Quicken me, 0 Lord, for thy name's sake :
For thy righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble.
12 And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies.
And destroy all them that afflict my soul : for I am thy servant.
The author David is still the sweet singer here, his harp sounding in the
the pXu' -mldemess of Judah, or, as in Psa. xlii, from some still more
remote retreat. Here, however, he alludes to no particular

THE HEAT OF THE WEART LAND. 433
external privation — it is his soul's sadness that is the burden
of his song. Christ could use these utterances, feeling not his
bodUy absence from heaven so much as the Father's hidden
face. And it suits the believer at times, when he mourns most
of all for the absence of any tokens of the Lord's special pre
sence, in himself or the church around.
From verses 1 to 4 we have t^be strong appeal of one who The plan.
feels the darkness in which he is enveloped by the absence of
special tokens of God's love. Our Lord uses the argument of
God's " truth and righteousness," in seeking an answer ; and
so we, bis members, appeal to tbese same perfections, in our
expostulations with our God, warranted by 1 John i. 9, " He
is faithful and just to forgive us." And then the deprecation
in verse 2, " And enter not into judgment vrith thy servant,"
is, in our Lord's lips, equivalent to " If it be possible, let this
cup pass from me ! " Do not argue the case with me (see Job
ix. 32, and xxii. 4, and xxxiv. 23), to shew me that there is
cause for all this darkness. I know there is a cause ; tbe cause
is the sin which I have undertaken to bear, " For before thee
shall no living one be justified" — ^not one of all descended
from Adam. (Compare "'n"75 here with Gen. iii. 20, when
Eve's posterity got that name after tbe Fall.) But my appeal
is to thy " truth and righteousness,'' which are engaged to
carry me through ; and my need of help is great.
" For the foe is pursuing (P)^'^) my soul !" (Ver. 3.)
And then, as if overtaken in the pursuit, he cries, " He has
smitten my life to the grouTid ! He has made me stand in
deep darkness, like one eternally dead (Hengst) ; and my
spirit is overwhelmed (Psa. cii, title, and cxlii. 4) within me;
my heart in the midst of me is desolate."
At verse 5, there is a gleam of light through the " dark
ness ;" he recalls to mind God's love manifested to Israel in
former days.
At verse 6, there is a renewed appeal to the Lord's pity,
drawn from his state, resembling " a weary land" — (nS'lJ^ V^**
Uke Isa. xxxii 2) — a land where a traveller's strength is ex-
£ e

434 PSALM CXLIIL — PRAYER OF ONE IN THE WEART LAND.
hausted by the rough roads and crooked paths^ and the oppres
sive heat of the sun's intolerable rays. It was thus our Surety
learned by experience to sympathise with us ; and thus it was
he became the "shadow of a great rock in a weary land." He
here calls the Father to notice his self-emptying and humiUa
tiou, while bearing wrath for our sins ;
" My soul is to thee (see Hebr.) as a weary land."
At verses 7 and 9 he seeks speedy relief ; and the clause,
" Make ine to know the path I should walk in," is similar to
the " If it be possible" in his prayer in tbe garden. In the
case of one of his members, tbe words bave of course a differ
ent application, and yet one resembling his in the circum
stance, that it is a petition for guidance under our personal
difficulties. At verse 10 do we not hear, "Not my will, but thine be
done," raingled with tbe filial accents of confidence, "My God !"
But at verses 11, 12, the prospect opens out on future .glory.
The Spirit, that sarae " loving," or " good Spirit" who in
structed Israel (Nehera. ix. 20), tbat same " eternal Spirit by
whom he offered hiraself without spot to God," shall lead him
forth from those scenes, and place him
" In the land of uprightness.''
The land of plainness (Tuy'O), a land where no wickedness of
men, and raalice of Satan, vex the soul from day to day ; a
land where no rough paths and crooked turns lengthen out
the traveller's weary journey, (see ver. 5) ; but where all is like
the smooth pasture lands of Reuben (Deut. iii 10, Josh, xiii
9), a fit place for flocks to lie down. " Thy Spirif will do this
in his love, when "my f^'pirit" (ver. 7), my overwhelmed human
soul, seemed ready to fail. Thou wilt be to me what thou wert
to David, in " bringing his soul out of aU distress" (1 Kings
i 29), and establishing him on his throne. All foes shall be
extirpated, {r\''UiFf). Is not this the kingdom come, and its
King exalted ! And is not this a song aUke for the Head aud
the members ?
A prayer of the Righteous One, when f eding the heat of tlie
lueary land.

PSALM CXLIV. — A PRATERFUL SONG. 436

PSALM CXLIV.
A Psalm of David.
1 Blessed be the Lord my strength.
Which teacheth my hands to war, and ray fingers to fight ;
2 My goodness and ray fortress ; my high tower, and my deliverer;
My shield, and he iu whom I trust ; who subdueth my people under me.
3 Lord, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him!
Or the son of man, that thou makest account of him ! ,
4 Man is like to vanity : his days are as a shadow that passeth away.
6 Bow thy heavens, O Lord, and come down : touch the mountains, and they
shall sraoke.
6 Cast forth lightning, and scatter them : shoot out thine arrows, and destroy
them.
7 Send thine hand from above ; rid me, and deliver me out of great waters.
From the hand of strange children ;
8 Whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right baud of
falsehood.
9 I will sing a new song unto thee, 0 God :
Upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto
thee.
10 It is he that giveth salvation uuto kings:
Who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword.
II Rid me, and deliver me frora the hand of strange children,
Whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of
falsehood.
12 That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth ;
That our daughters may be as corner-stones, polished after the similitude
of a palace :
13 That our garners may be full, affording all manner of store:
That our sheep may bring forth thousands, and ten thousands in our
streets :
14 That our oxen may be strong to labour ; that there be no breaking in, nor
going out ;
That there be no complaining in our streets.
15 Happy is that people, that is in such a case !
Yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord.
The Spirit of tbe Lord spake by David the words of this song, jj, masiim
when tbe king felt his need of the King of kings to subdue
the turbulent and proud spirits who were ambitious of distinc
tion (ver. 2), as well as to conquer the nations of idolaters
who bated God's anointed, (ver. 7-11). The Spirit leads him
back to the day when he sang Psa. xviii. (see ver. 1, 2), the
day when be was delivered from Saul and other foes ; and still

4.^6 PSALM CXLIV. — ^A PRATERFUL SONG, ANTICIPATING
farther back to the quiet night when the strains of Psa. viii
ascended to the ear of Jehovah, (see ver. 3) ; but he does not
fail also to lead him forward to a future day, when earth shall
witness its millennial scenes, among whicb not the least won
derful and refreshing shall be Israel in all the restored plenty
of his last times, %vith the favour of Jehovah over aU. In all
this, David was the type of Christ.
The contents. Jehovah's grace to Tnan is the theme of verses 1, 2 ; that
expression, " My goodness," """IDn, may be understood as if de
claring that all the kindness or mercy that is in God is made
over to his o-wn people ; q. d., all in thee that is kind is my
property. Man's unworthiness and littleness are tbe theme of verses
3, 4 — the contrast to the preceding verse. The Hebrew of
verse 4, " man is a vapour," reads suggestively 72117 DIH, re
calling tbe disappointment of tbe first family on earth ; q. d.,
all corae of Adam are as sure to disappoint, and to be disap
pointed, in the fond hopes cherished concerning them, as Abel,
so short-lived, and untimely in his end.
God's strength laid hold upon by his own against foes is
the theme of verses 5-8. The God of Sinai is remembered in
verse 5 ; and the ease with which he can overwhelm his foes is
expressed, verse 6, " Lighten with lightning," and forth-with
tbey are scattered, (acT-gct-vj/oi/ aar^aTriv. — Sept.). The " right hand
of falsehood," verse 8, expresses tbe violation of soleran oaths
and engagements, in ratifying whicb the right band was lifted
up to heaven, (Gen. xiv. 22). Hence Tholuck renders it,
" Their oaths are perjuries." With majesty and might, with
lightning and fire like this, shall the Lord appear, when he
arises at last to the final confiict.
Praise and prayer, in prospect of victory, form the matter
of verses 9-11. And here "Tbe New Song" is mentioned,
which " New Song" is ever sung by one whose eye is on that
vail which was rent — looking either at the Saviour going in
with the sacrifice, or coming out the second time to bless.
The happy scene to be witnessed, when these desires are re
sponded to, is the subject of verse 12, to the end. Do all this
for us, in answer to our prayer, so that, as a consequence of
this deliverance.

THE PROSPERITT WHICH THE LORD BESTOWS. 437
" Our sons may be as plants {oi ^6 palm-tree, says the Targum),
Vigorously shooting up in their youth ;
Our daughters like comer-columns.
Polished like a palace.''
Others take this last clause to contain an allusion to the costly
stones so carefully prepared for the building of the Temple :
" hewn for the building of the Temple." These are the choice
of men ! each one fuU of Ufe and beauty, walking before the
Lord. " Our granaries fuU, supplying one kind of food after another; "
Uke Egypt in Joseph's days. It is a scene of plenty, as if
the curse were lifted off the soil.
" Our flocks increased to thousands,
Increased to thousands in our fields." (/lijJin. Joh v. 10.)
Here are the pastures peopled with their appropriate tenants,
and a scene of peaceful plenty is set before us. And then follow
tbe yoked cattle, carrying tbeir loads through the streets — a
token of busy commerce.
" No breach" in the tribes, like Judges xxi. 15 ; or in individual like
Uzzah, 2 Sam vi. 8.
" No going forth" to war.
" No cry" like that in Isa. xxiv. 11, over disasters.
Happy days when these scenes are realised ! Happy people
who shall enjoy tbem. Men shall in tbat day exclaim with
Balaam, "How goodly are thy tents, 0 Jacob!" — or rather,
all shall then unite in tracing the blessing to its fountain-head,
" Blessed are thepeople whose God is Jehovah."
Every member of Christ may take up this Psalm in behalt The speaker
of his own country and people — ^yea, in behalf of our common
humanity, praying for the day when all eartb shall enjoy these
blessings, by enjoying Jebovab as their God. It is a prospect
that awaits the world when Christ returns ; and our expecta
tion of such happiness in reserve for our world is kept alive by
a song like this,
A prayerful song of David, and David's Lord, anticipating
the prosperity which Jehovah brings to his own.

438 PSALM CXLV. — ^A PRAISE-HTMN CONCERNING

PSALM CXLV.
David's Psalm of praise.
1 I WILL extol thee, my God, O King ! and I will bless thy name for ever
and ever.
2 Every day will I bless thee ; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised ; and his greatness is un
searchable.
4 One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy
mighty acts.
5 I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous
works.
6 And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts : and I will declare
thy greatness.
7 They shall abundantly utter the raeraory of thy great goodness,
And shall sing of thy righteousness.
8 The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion ;
Slow to anger, and of great raercy.
9 The Lord is good to all : and his tender mercies are over all his works.
10 All thy works shall praise thee, 0 Lord ; and thy saints shall bless thee.
II They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power ;
12 To make known to the sons of men his raighty acts,
And the glorious raajesty ofhis kingdom.
13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
14 The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed
down.
' 15 The eyes' of all wait upon thee ; and thou givest them their meat iu due
J season.
16 Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.
18 The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon
him in truth.
19 He will fulfil the desire of them that fear hira ;
He also will hear their cry, and will save them,
20 The Lord preserveth all thera that love him ;
But all the wicked will he destroy.
21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord :
And let all flesh bless his holy narae for ever and ever.
rtractaw!' '^^'^ well-known 45th Psalm saug of the King in his beauty :
this 145th is a hymn of praise concerning the reign of Jehovah,
and his kingdom. It is a Davidic and an alphabetic Psalm.
In regard to its alphabetic structure, it has one pecubarity,
viz., the "nun" is omitted ; the reason of which may be, that

THE KINGDOM OF THE LORD.

439

(as we bave seen in some otherPsalms of this structure) by
means of that, or some other such omission, we might be kept
from putting stress on tbe mere form of the composition.
It is peculiar, also, in its title ; indeed, quite unique — " Of
David ; praise." The word is n^njl. Some render this " a
hymn ;" others, such as Hengstenberg, " a, praise-song," differ
ing in this from the n?S)jp, the "prayer-song." It is prayer
tumed into praise. Patrick remarks, tbat the term seemed so
peculiar and excellent that it was given from this Psalra to the
whole book, which is entitled by tbe Jews, the book of D^/njl.
Bythner has this note on the word — " So called because it is
throughout nothing but the celebration of God ; so that the
ancient Jews used tO say, that the man was already enjoying
the felicity of the age to come who daily recited it three times
with the mouth and heart." We are getting now beyond the
region of former themes ; all inthe remaining Psalms is praise,
praise ; and this title is an appropriate introduction to the
closing group of praise-psalms. Nor is its burden less appro
priate ; for, being a song of tbe kingdom, it ushers us into the
region of eternal praise.
It is a song for all saints. Bnt we may say also. What a
song in the Ups of Christ for the Father's ear ! What a song
to soothe his own soul, when still " man of sorrows ! " For the
prospect is presented here of the kingdom made manifest, so
that all see the glory of the Lord. It is a Psalra that gathers
up much of the excellency of former Psalms ; and so truly is
the style of royalty and tbe manner of a kingdora in it, that
we find, in after days, the writer of the Book of Esther using
expressions regarding the Jiing and kingdom of Media and
Persia, that bear a striking resemblance to the terms employed
by the Psalmist — only the one speaksW an earthly, and the
other of the heavenly throne.
1. The harp extols Jehovah for what He is, in verses 1-3, The plan.
" My God, 0 King .'"—rather, " My God, who art The King."
It is much more emphatic than Psa. v. 3, "My God, and my
King ;" here he is sung of as the only King. We are rerainded
at once of Psa;. xlv. 2, *'My words concern the King." Of this
*God and'Kin^ the Psalmist sings, that he is unlike all idols.

The sijeaker.

The theme.

440 PSALM CXLV. — A PRAISE-HTMN CONCERNING
He is self-existent, and infinite, and so tbe greatness of any
of his perfections cannot be told. He is eternal and unchange
able ; for he must be celebrated " For ever cmd ever." And
all this he is in his very being or essence, for be is " Jehovah."
All he does is so wisely done, that for all he is to be praised.
And his deeds display such power ! Righteous too, is He, and
yet abounding in love, kindness, and grace.
" Yes, Id me bless {^\y^2ii'\) thy name for ever and eoer," (comp. 1 Pet.
i. 3, &c.).
Every day will I bless thee (comp. Psa. xix. 2) ;
Yes, Id me praise {r\^^r]ii')—q. d., let me Hallelujah) thy name for
ever and ever I"
Great is Jehovah; and {7?TV2) worthy to he praised !" (ver. 1-3.)
How many terms of adoration and honour ! Praise, praise,
is on bis lips ; the harp-strings will utter nothing but praise ;
for " of his greatness there is no searching out," (comp. Job
V. 9).
2. The harp extols the deeds that shew Jehovah's name, in
verses 4—6, or what He is.
" Generation to generation shall commend his works.
Yea, they shall declare his mighty acts." (Ver. 4.)
Compare Psa. xix. 2, " day unto day" uttering the Lord's praise
in creation. But here it is both creation-works and redemp
tion-wonders that are shewn ; for /lilUJ cannot fail to remind
us of the acts of Him who overthrew Israel's foes, and of Him
whose name is "liBJ, "Mighty One" (Psa. xlv. 3), and "Mighty
God," (Isa. ix, 6) . His mighty acts, in establishing his kingdom
on eartb upon the ruins of Antichrist's dominion, shall form
part of the tbeme. And tbat is the time wheu, in a special
sense, the next clause shall be understood, though it may ap
ply in some degree to his creation-works :
" Of the majesty of glory (which is), thy beauty,
And of the chronicles of thy wondrous acts, Id me speak.'' (Ver. 5.)
O how his beauty shall burst forth when the King appears -with
his many crowns ! And if Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, amid
gorgeous splendour, suggested to his people to cry, " A god,
not a man ! " what shall creation feel at this sight ? Tbe Lord's

THE KINGDOM OF THE LORD. 441
beauty, l^il (a word applied to creature-beauty iu Hos. xiv. 6,
Zech. X. 3), is here emphatically exalted beyond comparison by
the addition of " ihe glory of thy beauty ;" aye, and " the ma
jesty of the glory." And then the "Chronicles ('"11")) of thy
wondrous acts" is a term applied in 1 Chron. xxvii 24, 1 Kings
xi. 41, to the acts of Solomon and David, the journals or re
cords made of tbeir deeds ; even as it is in Esther vi 1, to the
king of Persia. The terms all bear reference to royalty and
government. Then he adds that in all these coming ages there
will be a company of those who delight to record the manifes
tation of his name in bis deeds.
" They shall ^edk of the overwhdming might (tHJ?) of thy terrible ads,"
(Ver. 6)
done in past days, sucb as Israel has delighted to tell to their
children (Psa. Ixxviii 4), even such as He did at the Red Sea
(Exod. XV. 11, X"1^J, as here), and upon the cities of the plain,
as well as on the nations of Canaan.
" A nd thy greatness, I vrill recount it!"
Leave me to declare, or recount, the manifestations of his
" Greatness." While other men are uttering praise, the Psalmist
catches up the theme, as one which he must appropriate to
himself — that "greatness" spoken of in 1 Chron. xvii. 19,
when he sat before the Lord — that royal greatness wbicb a
Persian king's wealth and magnificence would faintly shadow
forth (Esther i 4, " excellency of bis greatness") when taken as
an emblem. But it is chiefly here the display of his greatness
in acts of kindness that he is to shew.
3. The harp extols Jehovah's past manifestation of His
gracious character, in verses 7-9. The first words in verse 7
are, " They shall pour out (as from a gushing spring, Psa xix.
2) the memory of thy great goodness ;" and perhaps we ought
to understand the clause as asserting tbat the Lord's " great
goodness" is itself the " ^^," the thing to be remembered con
cerning Him — His memorial, as in Exod. iii 15, Psa. cii 12.
And then there is allusion to Exod. xxxiv. 6, Numb. xiv. 8, in
verse 8. " The Lord is gracious and merciful.
Slow to anger and abundant in goodness {'^VT^)."

442 PSALM CXL-V-. — A PRAISE-fl-yMN CONCERNING
The very words of Exod. iii 4, though unfortunately altered
in our version ; and the more to be noticed, as verse 4, " Thy
goodness," is TjlltO corresponding so exactly to Exod. xxxiii 19,
"•mo The God who was thus gracious in the wUderness to his
people remains the sarae fevermore. And this is He wbo at
Calvary, in his incarnate Son, manifested his gracious name.
We, in our day, turn to the sacrifice of Calvary, as best display
ing his great goodness, his memorial, arid we sing of " his right
eousness" as shining there.
" The Lord is good to exery onej
And his yearning bowels are over aU his works." (Ver. 9.)
He attends to individual souls, and yet also bends, like the
blue sky, over all his universe in raercy. His mercies, like the
rainbow, span the world. We see this at the rock of Horeb
(Exod. xxxiv.) ; but we see it best of all at Cal-5'ary. What
yearnings there ! — what .love ! — what goodness ! Aud the
"whole creation" shall yet have a share in that mercy, when
the time spoken of in Rom. viii 1 9-21 has arrived.
4. The hsir-p' extols Jehovah's kingdom in verses 10—13. All
he has created, and all he has wrought in providence, bas been
of such a character as to yield hira a revenue of praise ; and
his saints act as his priests, presenting the praise. But this
-will be peculiarly tbe case when the kingdom is manifested.
" Tliey shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom,
And shall talk Of (chronicle, as ver. 5) thy might (see ver. 4),
Making known to the sons of men thy mighty acts ;
And the glory of the majesty of thy kingdom." (Ver. 11, 12.)
The writer of Esther i 4 says, "While he shewed them the
riches of the glory of his -kingdom" — a kingdom which was to
last only a season. May we suppose that that writer, a man
of Israel, was led to use these terms, with this Psalm in his hand,
purposely in order to suggest by contrast tbe infinite difference
between that earthly monarch's splendour, and tbe glory of the
God of Israel? The Persian monarch's display lasted 180
days, and when its half-year was over, the splendoiir had
vanished ; whereas Jehovah's is (as Dan. iv. 31)
" A kingdom of all eternities —
" In every generation and generation." (Ver. 13.)

THE KINGDOM OF THE LORD. 443
5. The harp extols the qualifications of Him who reigneth
in verses 14-19,
" The Lord is an upholder to all that are falling.
And makdh all that are bowed down to stand upright." (Ver. 14.)
Those in distress and 'trouble are meant by the "falling," as
in Prov. xiii, 16, 17 ; and wbo the "bowed down" are, we see
by Psa. Ivii 7, where the Psalmist's soul is nearly overwhelmed
by the thought of snares and foes shutting hira in. Rejoice, 0
saints ! though ye are feeling disaster and calamity, and are sore
distressed, your Lord is coraing to put all things in order. He
is the upUfter of a fallen World ; he will not break the bruised
reed. Tbe world shall soon hear no sigh, no murraur, no voice
of weeping ; for his unsuffering kingdom is at hand ! He has
provision for all (ver. 15, 16) ; he is raore than was Joseph in
Goshen, to his own and to all creation. And he acts on the
holiest principles of administration (ver 17), while giving access
and audience to his subjects who seek his presence, (ver. 18).
Yes, he -will satiate their weary souls, and leave not one wish
ungratified — not one craving, not one longing — " He will ac
complish the desire of those that fear him," (ver. 19).
6. Tbe harp sings the safe arrival in the kingdora (2 Tim.
iv. 18) of bife 'faints, and the ruin of those who resist His king
dom, in verse 20. There is a reference to the day of the Lord's
Coming, when his Israel reach the safe shore, and see tbe
'Pharaohs tbat pursued them overwhelmed in the deep. When
he is spoken of as preserving the souls that love him, while
"' desiroyi'kg the wicked ones," the word for "destroy" is the
same (TDK^, the opposite of "VytH)) as that in Deut. U., 12, 21,
22, where we are told of the extirpation of various nations ; and
the same used in Isa. xiv. 23, of Babylon's ruin ; and the same
in Esther iii. 6, when Haman plotted to uproot Israel at one
blow. Antichrist shall be consumed and " destroyed" by the
brightness of the Lord's coming, and all that are on his side,
'in that day when tbe King establishes his holy kingdom. On
the other hand, his saints shall be "preserved" (1 Tim. iv. 18),
not only from succeeding dangers, but from tbe grasp of death
itself and brought by resurrection into his kingdom.
7. The harp invites all to joi/n the sweet singer in praise

444 PSALM CXLVL— RAPTUROUS PRAISE IN CONTRASTING
to the King, (ver, 21). We saw that the Psalm began by pre
fixing tbe peculiar title, " Praise," n?njl, in order to excite at
tention, and tune our hearts for its lively, joyful, thrilling
strains. And now it closes, uttering the sarae note —
'• My mouth shall speak thepraise (n'prm) of the Lord,"
T ¦ :
the praise of Hira who at the Red Sea was known as " terrible
in praises" (ni^nri), and who is known by Calvary, and by
scenes of judgment since then, and is to be known ere long in
scenes that will never be forgotten. " Let all flesh bless the
name of his holiness for ever ;" let them cry, in response to
the seraphim, " Holy, holy, boly, is the Lord of Hosts ; the
whole earth is full of bis glory !" for we are borne onward to
the millennial day by this Psalm, which is so plainly
A praise-hymn concerning the kingdom of the Lord, and
the Lord the King.

PSALM CXLVL
1 Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord, O my sonl !
2 While I live I will praise the Lord : I will sing praises unto my God while
I have any being.
3 Put not your trust in princes, nor iu the son of man, in whom there is
no help.
4 His breath goeth forth, he retumeth to his earth ; in that very day his
thoughts perish.
S Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the
Lord his God :
6 Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is:
7 Which keepeth truth for ever: which executeth judgment for the op
pressed :
Which giveth food to the hungry.
8 The Lord looseth the prisoners : the Lord openeth the eyes of the blind :
The Lord ¦ raiseth them that are bowed down : the Lord loveth the
righteous :
9 The Lord preserveth the strangers: he relieveth the fatherless and
widow :
But the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.
10 The Lord shall reign for ever,
Even thy God, 0 Zion, unto all generations;
Praise ye the Lord.

EARTH S GREAT ONES WITH JEHOVAH.

445

This is the beginning of tbat closing series of Psalms which a Haiieiujah
has been called " Hallelujah Psalms." The Septuagint
ascribes this Psalm, and the three following, to the prophets
Haggai and Zechariah, but on what ground we know not. It
seems probable, however, tbat they are nearly right as to the
time of tbeir composition ; for it is likely that as the day of
Cbiist's first coming approached nearer, the Holy Spirit did
Indite songs of Zion that were fuller of triumph and praise
than any preceding ones, and so constracted tbem, too, that they
might be used afterwards iu prospect of the day of his Second
Coming. In these latter Psalms, the tone is that of peace at
tained, and tribulation passed, for the most part. The Lord
Jesus himself as well as his followers, could take up this Psalm.
Jehovah's peculiar character, in contrast to all earthly princes, The theme
and benefactors, and friends, is the theme.
" / vrill praise Jehovah while I live ;
I vrill play to my God so long as I am."
Confide not in earth's nobles, earth's princely ones, wbo are
each of tbem but " a son of man " (D"^^*) returning to his
nD"I«, dust :
- X X ' " For salvation is not in any one of them ;"
All tbeir " thoughts," their schemes for good or for evil, pass
away. Blessed the man who has Jacob's <^od (7ii^ the strong
one), " aTnid his help'' (Psa. cxviii. 7, liv. 4) ; for he is Jehovah,
maker of heaven, earth, and sea ; and this Maker of heaven,
earth, and sea, is the same
" Who keepdh truth /or ever ! "
Whatever he has promised to the sons of men, he will perform.
Whatever he promised about " The Seed of the woman," be
will perform it Whatever he bas spoken to David of tbe
Son wbo was to sit on his tbrone, he will fulfil. Whatever be
has declared by his prophets regarding Isiael, he will accom
plish — " the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham," (Mic.
vii. 20). Yes, the truth shall assuredly be kept ; and there is
mercy too, there is love, there is grace in this truth. For
verses 7-9 describe the same Jehovah acting for men in ac- christher*
cordance with his truth. We, in our day, read the words, and

446 PSALM CXLVL — JEHOVAH AND EARTH'S GREAT ONES.
at every step we see their verification in the incarnate Son of
God ; even as Jesus, in singing those words when on earth,
would have reference to himself as the great illustration of each
clause (Luke xviii 75 ; Matt. ix. 27), and as he may have
thought upon tbem when he gave that answer to John's disciples,
Matt, xi 4, 5, q.d, all that characterises Jehovah bas been done
by me. Did not Jesus relieve " all that were oppressed of the
de-dl" (Acts X. 38), as a sample of verse 7 ; and did he not
" give food to the hungry," (John vi) ? Did Jesus not set free
"the prisoners," when he beheld tbe Bethesda man, bound for
thirty-eight years (John v.), and when he sent his angel to set
Pete free, (Acts xii)? How often did he "open the eyes of
the blind !" and the literally " bowed down" he made straight
(Luke xiii. 16), as well as the spiritually laden (Matt. xi. 20) ;
and, in spite of their low condition, "he loved the righteous" —
for a fisherman of Galilee lay on his bosom ; his parables told
of a diseased Lazarus ; aud there was a Lazarus of Bethany, in
whom he delighted. We know bis care " of the stranger ;"
for we read of his words to the Syrophenician, and to tbe
Samaritan leper (Luke xvii. 16-19); -while " the widow" oi
Nain, and his tender words in John xiv. 18, tell how be "re
stored" {'T^I^V'') to cheerfulness the orphan and the widow. His
Second Coming shall tell what his purging the temple inti
mated (John ii, 15, Matt. xxi. 12), namely, bow
" He overtumdh the way of the wicked."
This is he who is " King" for ever ! This is " thy God, 0
Zion," who shall be thine to all generations. The mention of
sucb a King and God raay well draw forth another " Halle
lujah !" a " Hallelujah" such as we hear again in Rev. xix. 1—6,
when " the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." For " that great
voice of much people in heaven" fully accords in spirit, and
may be joined with the Psalm before us, uttering, as it does.
Rapturous praise, in contrasting all Earth's great ones with
Jehovah the King.

PSA. CXLVIL — PRAISE FOR RESTORATION TO PROSPERITT. 447

PSALM CXLVIL
1 Pbaise ye the Lord !
For it is good to sing psalras unto our God ;
For it is pleasant and praise is comely.
2 The Lord doth build up Jerusalem : he gathereth together the outcasts of
, Israel.
3 He healeth the broken n heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
4 He telleth the nuraber of the stars; he calleth them all liy their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and of great power : his undcrstimdini; is infinite.
6 The Lord lifteth up the meek : he casteth the wicked down to the ground.
7 Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto
our God :
8 Who covereth the heaven with cloud.s, who prepareth rain for the earth,
Who maketh grass to grow upon the raountains.
9 He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.
10 He delighteth not in the strength of the horse : he taketh not pleasure in
the legs of a man.
11 The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those tbat hope in his
mercy
12 Praise the Lord, 0 Jerusalera ! praise thy God, 0 Zion.
13 For he has strengthened the bars of thy gates ; he hath blessed thy chil
dren within thee.
14 He maketh peace in tby borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the
wheat,
16 He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth : his word runneth very
swiftly.
16 He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes,
17 He casteth forth his ice like morsels ; who can stand before his cold ?
18 He sendeth out his word, and melteth thera :
He causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.
19 He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto
Israel.
20 He hath not dealt so with any nation : and as for his judgments, they
have not known them.
Praise ye the Lord.
The God of Israel, what he has done, what he does, what he Another Haiie.
can do — this is the " Hallelujah" note of his song. So glad- "'^ ™"
some is the tbeme, that in verse 1 we find a contribution for
it levied on Psa. xxxiii. 1, xcii. 1, and cxxxv. 3 ; each must fur-
pish their quota of testimony to the desfrableness of giving
praise to sucb a God.
The theme is stated in verse 2, and then expatiated upon The theme.
onwards to the end of verse 1 1, where tbe Septuagint finish

448 PSALM CXLVII. — ISRAEL'S PRAISE TO HIM WHO
the Psalm, casting the remaining verses into a Psalm by itself
It is probably one of tbose songs of Zion which the Holy Ghost
gave to Israel under Nehemiah and Ezra, when tbe circum
stances of that partial restoration furnished an appropriate oc
casion for celebrating the joy of tbe still greater restoration in
the latter days, wiien Messiah should go up at the head of them.
Let us remark upon verse 4. It sets forth the true great
ness and grandeur of Israel's God, who can attend at once to
every wound of every broken-hearted one, and to the glorious
host of stars. This power of attending so carefully to what is
minute is peculiar to Jehovah. And he "counts" or deter
mines the number of tbe stars, just as he does the dust of
Jacob (Num xxiii. 10) — assigning each his " name," according
to his quality, as Adam did to the creation in Paradise on a
limited scale, (Gen. ii 20). His resources are inexhaustible, for
" His understanding is infinite," as well as his " power."
" Sing to Jehovah a responsive song" (!)jy).
like what we find in Nebem. xii. 27-43. For he, tbe God of
creation, feeds even the ravens (Luke xii. 24 may be Christ's
quotation of these words), disagreeable as these ravens often
seem to man ; and, judging not as man does, he delights in
his children's reverend faith, not in displays of warlike pomp
and military valour (ver. 10) — yes, iu his children's godly fear,
and in their hope also. " In the hopersfor his mercy."
f f°''''nc& ¦'¦^ ^^^ *^^® equivalent to Jude 21," who look for the mercy of
the Lord Jesus" at his coming ; and in 1 Pet. i 13, " who hope
for the grace that is to be brought tbem at the appearing of
Jesus Christ." And it is at tbat day when (ver. 12-14) shall
be fully realised, Israel getting back again " the fat of wheat,"
as Moses sang, (Deut. xxxii 14). On tbat day they will re
member how, long ago, they had appealed to Jehovah as able
to reverse their captivity, even as he changed night unto day,
winter into summer, the floods mto dry land, (Psa. Ixxiv. 15-17).
He who commands and forthwith snow appears, and who sum
mons tbe frost to serve him and then dissolves it (see ver.
15-18), he it is who reverses Israel's desolation, sending his

REJOICETH OVER THEIR RESTORATION TO PROSPERITT. 449
word, relaxing their bonds, and causing rivers of milk and
honey to flow in their land, and themselves walk on the shady
banks. This is the God of Israel, who selected his people as
a peculiar people, in ages past, " declaring his word to Jacob,
his statutes and ordinances to Israel" — ^tbe revealer of the
way of salvation, and the appointor of the types that fore
shadowed better things, all which Israel enjoyed. He has
been sovereign from the first ; he will act in sovereignty to the
last. In times past, " He dealt not thus with any heathen
nation;" and to the end it will be seen that he bas done for Israel,
in sovereign grace, more than he bas done for all other peoples.
" Hallelujah," then ! Let a sovereign God be praised on earth
now, even as he shall be by the "voice of much people in
beaven" (Psa. xix. 1), who see him glorified in his mysterious
dealings and terrible judgments. Let us take up this calmly
triumphant song of
Israel's praise to the sovereign Jehovah, who blesseth and
rejoiceth over their nation restored to prosperity.
PSALM CXLVIII.
1 Pbaise ye the Lord !
Praise ye the Lord irom the heavens ; praise him in the heights.
2 Praise ye hiin, all his angels : praise ye him, all his hosts.
3 Praise ye hira, sun and moon ; praise hira, all ye stars of light.
4 Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the
heavens.
6 Let them praise the narae of the Lord !
• For he commanded, and they were created.
6 He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree
which shall not pass.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps :
8 Fire, and hail ; snow, and vapours ; stormy wind fulfilling his word.
9 Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars:
10 Beasts, and all cattle ; creeping things, and flying fowl .-
11 Kings of the earth, and allpeople ; princes, and all judges of the earth :
12 Both young men, and maidens : old men and children :
13 Let tbem praise the name of tbe Lord I
For his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.
14 He also exalteth the horn ofhis people, the praise of all his saints ;
Even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him.
Praise ye the Lord
Ff

450 PSALM CXLVIII. — Israel's adoration of him who has
Anotherjiau*. The Apocrypha has borrowed from this Psalm the supposed
™. . ,1 song of the three Hebrew youths in the fiery furnace. It is
The tone and ° . .
pi»'>' Israel's uncontrollable burst of praise at the thought of him
who makes them " a people near to him ;" a priestly people
(see Levit. x. 3 ; Ezek. Ixii 1 3 ; Deut. iv. 7 ; and Num. x-vi.
6-9). How they rejoice before him in tbe latter day ; restored
from their wanderings ! One great deed of a benefactor excites
us to draw the attention of others to him, and inclines us to
dwell upon all that is in him ; and so it is here with Israel in this
" Hallelujah." They call for praise "from the heavens ;" they
bid tbose " in the heights" give praise ; " all angels," of what
ever rank, " all his hosts," with one accord. Sun at noon,
moon at midnight, stars so bright (tbe visible host of the sky,
as the angels are the invisible), " heaven of heavens," where
is the orbit of the planet and the path of the comet, and the
track of every star ; " waters above the heaven," or firmament,*
the clouds of the sky — unite ye in one song of praise ! Do ye
wonder at this summons ? Why should ye ? (Gen. i 7.)
" For he commanded and they were created," —
Yes, even angels ; for, as Augustine says, in Psa. Ixxi 19, " Ne
putes hominem solum pertinere ad gratiam Dei. Quid erat
Angelus antequam fieret ? Quid est angelus, si deserat qui
creavit ?" Again, then, he takes up the call — and now it is
as if one from heaven looked down to eartb and summoned
it to praise, as before it was one on eartb looking upward to
heaven. " Praise ye Jehovah from ihe earth !" Te sea-mon
sters, or great whales (Gen. i 21), and ye floods wherein they
swim ; heat and cold, white snow and dark smoke (Gen. xix.
20 ; Psa. cxix. 83. Hengstenberg) ; strong wind that, amid
apparent anarchy, dost his will; mountains, and more lowly-
hills, diversifying tbe face of earth ; ye palms and pomegrar
nates, fruit-trees, ye firs and pines, " cedars of every kind ;"
wild beasts and tame ; reptiles &nA fowls of every wing, whether
small as tbe -wten, or majestic as tbe eagle — unite in one song
of praise ! All the more because ye, too, shaU be delivered
* This is the_/Srst Aeajienj, the sky; the seeonei is that just mentioned; the
third lieavcns was called upon in verses 1, 2.

MADE THEM A PEOPLE NEAR TO HIM. 451
from the bondage of corruption, aud have your share in the
millennial liberty of the sons of God, (Rom. viii 21).
As in creation, so here, man appears on the scene last of all,
just because chief of all.
" Kings of earth, and all ye tribes,
Princes, and all earth's judges."
Toung men, who are in your strength ; maidens in your
beauty ; old,men, 'wdth lips of age dropping wisdom ; children,
who can only lisp bis name — all of you join, for there is no
name exalted but his alone. " His beauty is over earth and
heaven" — his beauty (lin, Psa. cxlv. 5), his splendour, sheds
its beams now over the earth as well as heaven. For the
times of refreshing are come.
And of all men, none should so extol him as his peculiar
people Israei For,
" He hath raised up a horn for his people."
He has fulfilled the words of Zechariah, (Luke i. 69). Messian
has come ; Messiah, with all the blessings purchased at his
first coming, is now made known to Israel, and has pushed
Israel's enemies off the field. And he who is this horn is
" the theme of praise" to the peculiar people, and to all
saints besides, wherever found, though none have more reason
than Israel to adore and love him who saves the chief of sin
ners, and in sovereignty exalts the stiffnecked people to pre
eminence among the nations, making them a people S'2h'\> " His
intimate friend," as Psa. xxxviii. 12 ; lxxv. 2 ; Job xix. 14.
" The theme of praise (as Deut. x. 21,"T[/1^n/l ^^!l^) <" <M his saints.
To the children of Israd, a people near to him .'"
"HaUdujah!"'
Surely the " great voice of much people in heaven, saying,
Halldujah!" (Rev. xix. 1) wUl present an appropriate re
sponse to the call in verses 1-6. And not less does their sum
mons to men on earth (Rev. xix. 5, 6) accord with the call in
verses 7-1 3. Indeed, there is the very tone and energy of
heaven in this glorious burst of praise —
Israd' s rapturous burst of adoration to Him who makes them
a people near to Jiim.

452 PSALM CXLIX — PRAISE TO ISRAEL'S KING,

PSALM CXLIX.
1 Pkaise ye the Lord !
Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congrcg^ition ol
saints.
2 Let Israel rejoice in him that raade him ;
Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
3 Let them praise his narae in the dance :
Let them sing praises unto him with the trimbrel and harp.
4 For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people : he -will beautify the meek
with salvation.
6 Let the saints be joyful in glory : let them sing aloud upon their beds.
6 Let tho high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in
their hand ;
7 To execute venge"nce upon the heathen, and punishment upon the
people ;
8 To bind their kings with chains, and tbeir nobles with fetters of iron;
9 To execute upon them the judgment written : this honour have all his
saints.
Praise ye the Lord.
Another Halle- This Hollelujah Psalm begins somewhat in the strain with
which the preceding one closed. In Psa. cxlviii. 14, not Israel
!!i ¦ r!>niicction. *• . ,,
only, but " all saints, were represented as giving honour to
him wbo had in sovereign grace redeemed his people ; and so
here, while Israel are called on as peculiarly indebted to Jeho
vah, yet all saints are joined with them in the triumphant song.
" Sing to Jehovah a new song ;
Ld his praise be in the congregation of saints.'' (Psa. cxlviii. 14.)
The theme. Are WO uot Carried away to the scene in Rev. v. 9, to the " new
song" to the Lamb who takes the book and opens its seals, and
claims possession of earth ? Let all saints accord in this great
hymn of triumph. Yet let Israel not fail to lift up tbeir voice
above all others, for they have been peculiarly honoured, and
are above all others exalted. " Let Israel rejoice in him that
MADE HIM," i. e., made him what he is, as Deut. xxxii. 6 ; Isa.
Ivi 5. ; Job xxxv. 10. "Let Zion's children rejoice in their
King," v/ho takes them under his special protection, and deigns
to be specially called " King of the Jews." ¦>
" Praise His name in ihe dance, "' '
Play to Him with timbrd and harp ;"

as THE SUBDUER OF THE NATIONS. 453
as David before the ark (2 Sam. vi. 5. 1 4, 15), and as Jephthah's
daughter welcoming her sire, (Judges xi. 34). For the Lord
"gloriously helps the wretched" (say some), or better far,
"Beautifies the meek with salvation," i. e., 'with aU the spoils
of that victory which he has achieved.
" Ld his saints exult in joy .'" —
No lohgeir obscure, despised, the offscouring of all things, but
glorious in the glory of their King, let them joyfully exult.
And " on their couches," when resting from active work and
meditating on the Lord's ways (not as Psa. xxxvi. 14, nor
Psa. iv. 4 even ; but in loftier and happier themes) " let them
sing." " High praises loudly sung.
The two-edged sword waved aloft !"
The " exaltings" or " extollings" seem to refer us to all pre
vious psalms vherein worshippers have said — " I will extol thee,
0 God," for the root is the same ; and here, " in their throat,"
as it is in the Hebrew, is equivalent to speaking aloud, Uke
Isa. Iviii 1 ; the very opposite of the heathen's dumb idols,
Psa. cxv. 7. And what is the " Two-EDGED SWORD ?" Is it not
the peculiar symbol of Messiah ? As Bunyan represents his
captains -with their escutcheons — Captain Boanerges, with three
burning thunderbolts ; Captain Execution, with the axe lying
at the foot of the tree — so we may say tbat tbe escutcheon of
, the King that cometh to avenge his Father's honour, is the
two-edged sword : for thus we find it in Rev. i 16, ii. 12, as
well as Heb. iv. 12; and we may add Rev. xix. 15. It is
the Ehud-dagger (Judg. iii. 16) that slays tbe oppressor. Tbe
time is come for this now. " The meek" (ver, 4) put on salva
tion-strength ; and tbeir King associates them with himself in
the battle. It is like Rev. ii. 26-27, and iii. 21 , even as " beau
tifying with salvation" is like Rev. ii. 28. Some, indeed, con
fine this to Israel, and compare Jer. li. 20, 21. But as we find
"all the saints" associated in the work, we prefer the view that
makes verses 6-9 to refer to " the saints judging the world."
Thej are figuratively said to lift up the " two-edged sword," he-
. cause they join with Messiah in inflicting the fourfold vengeance,
(Deut. xxxii. 41). At the same time, Israel in the flesh shaU

reference.

454 PSALM CL. — A CALL UPON THE UNIVERSE
be acting apart analogous to that of their King and his
heavenly hosts, (Ezek. xxxviii, Zech. xiv.).
Prophetic What au echoing back of this song is Rev. xix. 1-6, with all
its " Hallelujahs !" Israel is the chief musician, or rather,
their King. Messiah hiraself leads the praise ; but it is for the
lips of tbe whole congregation of his redeemed — " Tfds honour
is to all his saints." StiU, sovereign grace puts Israel promi
nently forward ; so that we cannot fail to see in this Psalm,
Triumphant praise from Israel, because of tlieir King and
all his saints subduing the nations.

PSALM CL.
1 Praise ye the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary :
Praise bim in the firmament of his power.
2 Praise him for his mighty acts:
Praise him according to his excellent greatness.
8 Praise hira with the sound of the trumpet:
Praise him with the psaltery and harp.
4 Praise hira witb the tirabrel and dance :
Praise hira with stringed instruments and organs.
6 Praise hira upon the loud cymbals :
Praise hira upon the high sounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.
Praise ye the Lord.
This the closing When men presume to dictate to the Spirit of God, how deep
their fall ; as we see in the apocryphal attempts at writing
books of scripture to be added to the genuine word of God.
So it happens here, also ; for the Septuagint bave not been
content to close the Book of Psalms with this most lofty and
sublime doxology, but have added a psalm about David's his
tory — a tarae piece of prose* that surprises every one by its in-
appropriateness in such a position. But the true close is tbe
1 50tb Psalm, of whicb it may be said, that as the preceding
* It begins thus —
" I was little among my hrethren, and the youngest in my father's house.
I fed the sheep of my father. My hands made the organ."
and ends with —
" I went forth to meet the uncircumcised, and he cursed me by his idols.
But I, drawing his own sword from him, cut off his head, and took away reproach
from the children of Israel."

TO PRAISE JEHOVAH.

455

The instru
ments of
music here.

one ushered us into the presence of the King, and placed us
-with him in his kingdom, this leaves us in it, singing endless
" Hallelujahs." Augustine ingeniously notices, that " Psalm 50th was one
ot repentance; Psalm 100th" (i. e., in the Septuagint-reckoning
our 101st) "is about mercy and judgment ; but tbe 150th is
the praise of our God in his sanctuary ; for there we arrive at
life eternal and blessed." Hengstenberg remarks — " As the
life of the faithful, and the history of tbe Christ, so also the
Psalter, with all its cries from the depths, runs out in a Hal
lelujah !" Dr Allix says of it — " It relateth to Messiah's
reign, when every thing that has breath, or was made by hira,
shall be subjected to bim." Horsley says of it — " A grand
chorus of all voices, and all instruraents ! "
Patrick has a not uninteresting note on the many instru
ments of music in Psalm cxUx., which we quote here. " Tbe
ancient inhabitants of Etruria used the trumpet ; the Arca
dians, the whistle ; the Sicilians, the pectid ; the Cretians, the
harp ; tbe Thracians, the cornet ; the Lacedemonians, the
pipe ; the Egyptians, the drum ; the Arabians, tbe cymbal."
(Clem. Psedag. u. 4.) May we not say tbat in this Psalm's
enumeration of musical instruments, there is a reference to the
variety which exists among men in the mode of expressing joy,
and exciting to feeling ? All nations, come and praise ! Use
every energy, for praise ! Men in every variety of circum
stances, men of every various mood, men of all capacities, come
and praise ! Each in his own way, sing " Hallelujah ! " And
in the words of another — " The Church composed of many
different members, all actuated, like the pipes of a well-tuned
instrument, by the same spirit, will become one great instru
ment, sending forth the praises of God Most High."
" Praise ye JV " — the peculiar name of God in covenant vrith Israel. The theme.
" Praise ye Vn " — ^the name that implies dominion over all the earth.

I. Where shall His praise be uttered? In his sanctuary, Thepisn.
where everything speaks of redemption ; and in the firma
ment, which his might has spread forth between earth and
heaven, on tbe platform of creation.

456 PSALM CL,— A CALL UPON THE UNIVERSE
II. Why ? Because of bis deeds as the Mighty One*— tbose
beams of glory inexpressible ; and because of tbe " multitude
of His greatness"-— thsit Source of aU these beams, his own
nature in itself
III. Wherewith? With every instrument— with trumpet,
psaltery, harp, soft timbrel, pipe, stringed instruments, and
wind-instruments; with cymbals, softly played (^^tt tbat
do not overpower the voice of tbe singer) ; and -with cym
bals of jubilee, (2 Sam. vi 5). Not merely an instmment
of ten strings, as at other times, but ten distinct instraments
are called for ; and twelve times is the caU uttered, " Praise
ye ! " ^bbrt. Twelve times ; so that each tribe is summoned,
and then aU the universe besides, to use tbeir voice.
" Let eoery thing that hath breath, praise Jehovah ! "
All creation is summoned to take part, and angels too ; for
they have interest in our rederaption scenes — since He is to
"reconcile all things to himself whether they be things on
earth, or things in heaven," (Col. i 20).
What magnificence and majesty in this close ! Praise
gathered in from every creature ; every instrument of joy, and
gladness, and triumph, and jubilee, summoned to sound loud
praise ; and every heart and voice engaged to help tbe choir.
" Every voice teems with praise ; every thought is about praise ;
every object awakens it ; every power uses itself for His ser
vice " (Meditat. on Psalms). And no wonder, when we remem
ber that we are ushered into the kingdom. " The Levites have
changed their service now ; no longer have they burdens to
bear through the wilderness ; but tbey lift up new songs= in the
house of the Lord. Tbe heavens have changed their glory too ;
they have ended their laughter at the proud confederates
(Psalm ii. 3) ; and are now filled with joy and singing, and with
that glory which is to break forth from them, and be a covering
* The note, in the Version of Junius and Treraellius, on tbe I3th verse of
Psalra cxlviii., applies here also, a note wherein they say, " that the cause of
praise is both God's own great name, and also his doings to bis Church:"
Cujus restitutionem res omnes creatce expectant exerto capite, • et angeli ipsi
ciipiunt introspicere. Rom. viii. 19 ; I Peter i 12.

TO PRAISE JEHOVAH. 457
over aU the dwellings of Zion, (Isa. iv). These are days of
heaven upon the eartb ! The kingdom has come ; and tbe
will of the Blessed iS done here as there. The mystic ladder
connects the upper and the lower Sanctuaries. Praise cro-wns
the scene. The vision passes from before us with the chanting
of all kinds of music. Man has taken the imstrument of joy
into his hand ; but it is only to God's glory he strikes it. The
creature is happy ; God is glorified ; yes, praise, all praise !
untiring, satisfying fruit of lips uttering tbe joy of creation,
and owning the glory of the Blessed One," (Medit. on the Psalras,
p 195).
We close tbe Book with something of the feeling -with which
we suppose John came away from hearing "tbe voice of much
people in heaven, saying. Hallelujah !" We Seera to have been
brought within hearing of heavenly melody, from heavenly harps
and voices. Is not the closing verse taken up in Rev. v. 13^-
" And every creature which is in beaven, and on earth, and
under the earth, and such as are in tlie sea, and all that are
in them, heard I saying. Blessing, and honour, and glory,
and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and
unto the Lamb for ever and ever ! " And again, in Rev.
xix. 6, 7, when the great multitude, with voice " as tbe voice of
many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings," cry,
" Hallelujah : for the Lord God oranipotent reigneth. Let us
be glad, 'and rejoice, and give honour to him ; for the marriage
of the Lamb is come ! "
May my voice be raised in tbat mighty thunder of praise,
in the great congregation ! rapturously uniting -with Israel, and
aU the saints, in this grand choms of the universe, this full-
toned Call upon the universe at large to praise Jehovah with heart,
and soul, a/nd mind, and might !

The cni?

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