TITLE. This Psalm may be regarded as THE
PREFACE PSALM, having in it a notification of the contents of
the entire Book. It is the psalmists's desire to teach us the
way to blessedness, and to warn us of the sure destruction of
sinners. This, then, is the matter of the first Psalm, which may
be looked upon, in some respects, as the text upon which the
whole of the Psalms make up a divine sermon.
DIVISION. This Psalm consists of two parts: in the first
(from verse 1 to the end of the 3rd) David sets out wherein the
felicity and blessedness of a godly man consisteth, what his
exercises are, and what blessings he shall receive from the
Lord. In the second part (from verse 4 to the end) he contrasts
the state and character of the ungodly, reveals the future, and
describes, in telling language, his ultimate doom.
EXPOSITION
Verse 1. "BLESSED"—see how this Book of
Psalms opens with a benediction, even as did the famous Sermon
of our Lord upon the Mount! The word translated
"blessed" is a very expressive one. The original word
is plural, and it is a controverted matter whether it is an
adjective or a substantive. Hence we may learn the multiplicity
of the blessings which shall rest upon the man whom God hath
justified, and the perfection and greatness of the blessedness
he shall enjoy. We might read it, "Oh, the blessednesses!"
and we may well regard it (as Ainsworth does) as a joyful
acclamation of the gracious man's felicity. May the like
benediction rest on us!
Here
the gracious man is described both negatively (verse 1) and
positively (verse 2). He is a man who does not walk in the
counsel of the ungodly. He takes wiser counsel, and walks in
the commandments of the Lord his God. To him the ways of piety
are paths of peace and pleasantness. His footsteps are ordered
by the Word of God, and not by the cunning and wicked devices of
carnal men. It is a rich sign of inward grace when the outward
walk is changed, and when ungodliness is put far from our
actions. Note next, he standeth not in the way of sinners.
His company is of a choicer sort than it was. Although a sinner
himself, he is now a blood-washed sinner, quickened by the Holy
Spirit, and renewed in heart. Standing by the rich grace of God
in the congregation of the righteous, he dares not herd with the
multitude that do evil. Again it is said, "nor sitteth
in the seat of the scornful." He finds no rest in the
atheist's scoffings. Let others make a mock of sin, of eternity,
of hell and heaven, and of the Eternal God; this man has learned
better philosophy than that of the infidel, and has too much
sense of God's presence to endure to hear His name blasphemed.
The seat of the scorner may be very lofty, but it is very near
to the gate of hell; let us flee from it, for it shall soon be
empty, and destruction shall swallow up the man who sits
therein. Mark the gradation in the first verse:
He walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor standeth in the way of sinners,
Nor SITTETH in the SEAT of SCORNFUL.
When
men are living in sin they go from bad to worse. At first they
merely walk in the counsel of the careless and ungodly,
who forget God—the evil is rather practical than
habitual—but after that, they become habituated to evil, and
they stand in the way of open sinners who wilfully
violate God's commandments; and if let alone, they go one step
further, and become themselves pestilent teachers and tempters
of others, and thus they sit in the seat of the scornful.
They have taken their degree in vice, and as true Doctors of
Damnation they are installed, and are looked up to by others as
Masters in Belial. But the blessed man, the man to whom all the
blessings of God belong, can hold no communion with such
characters as these. He keeps himself pure from these lepers; he
puts away evil things from him as garments spotted by the flesh;
he comes out from among the wicked, and goes without the camp,
bearing the reproach of Christ. O for grace to be thus separate
from sinners.
And
now mark his positive character. "His delight is in the
law of the Lord." He is not under the law as a
curse and condemnation, but he is in it, and he delights
to be in it as his rule of life; he delights, moreover, to meditate
in it, to read it by day, and think upon it by night.
He takes a text and carries it with him all day long; and in the
night-watches, when sleep forsakes his eyelids, he museth upon
the Word of God. In the day of his prosperity he sings psalms
out of the Word of God, and in the night of his
affliction he comforts himself with promises out of the
same book. "The law of the Lord" is the daily bread of
the true believer. And yet, in David's day, how small was the
volume of inspiration, for they had scarcely anything save the
first five books of Moses! How much more, then, should we prize
the whole written Word which it is our privilege to have in all
our houses! But, alas, what ill-treatment is given to this angel
from heaven! We are not all Berean searchers of the Scriptures.
How few among us can lay claim to the benediction of the text!
Perhaps some of you can claim a sort of negative purity, because
you do not walk in the way of the ungodly; but let me ask
you—Is your delight in the law of God? Do you study God's
Word? Do you make it the man of your right hand—your best
companion and hourly guide? If not, this blessing belongeth not
to you.
Verse 3. "And he shall be like a tree planted"—not
a wild tree, but "a tree planted," chosen,
considered as property, cultivated and secured from the last
terrible uprooting, for "every plant which my heavenly
Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up:" Matthew
15:13. "By the rivers of water;" so that even
if one river should fail, he hath another. The rivers of pardon
and the rivers of grace, the rivers of the promise and the
rivers of communion with Christ, are never-failing sources of
supply. He is "like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that
bringeth forth his fruit in his season;" not
unseasonable graces, like untimely figs, which are never
full-flavored. But the man who delights in God's Word, being
taught by it, bringeth forth patience in the time of suffering,
faith in the day of trial, and holy joy in the hour of
prosperity. Fruitfulness is an essential quality of a gracious
man, and that fruitfulness should be seasonable. "His
leaf also shall not wither;" his faintest word shall be
everlasting; his little deeds of love shall be had in
remembrance. Not simply shall his fruit be preserved, but his
leaf also. He shall neither lose his beauty nor his
fruitfulness. "And whatsoever he doeth shall
prosper." Blessed is the man who hath such a promise as
this. But we must not always estimate the fulfillment of a
promise by our own eye-sight. How often, my brethren, if we
judge by feeble sense, may we come to the mournful conclusion of
Jacob, "All these things are against me!" For though
we know our interest in the promise, yet we are so tried and
troubled, that sight sees the very reverse of what that promise
foretells. But to the eye of faith this word is sure, and by it
we perceive that our works are prospered, even when everything
seems to go against us. It is not outward prosperity which the
Christian most desires and values; it is soul prosperity which
he longs for. We often, like Jehoshaphat, make ships to go to
Tarshish for gold, but they are broken at Ezion-geber; but even
here there is a true prospering, for it is often for the soul's
health that we would be poor, bereaved, and persecuted. Our
worst things are often our best things. As there is a curse
wrapped up in the wicked man's mercies, so there is a blessing
concealed in the righteous man's crosses, losses, and sorrows.
The trials of the saint are a divine husbandry, by which he
grows and brings forth abundant fruit.
Verse 4. We have now come to the second head of the Psalm. In
this verse the contrast of the ill estate of the wicked is
employed to heighten the coloring of that fair and pleasant
picture which precedes it. The more forcible translation of the
Vulgate and of the Septuagint version is— "Not so the
ungodly, not so." And we are hereby to understand that
whatever good thing is said of the righteous is not true in the
case of the ungodly. Oh! how terrible is it to have a double
negative put upon the promises! and yet this is just the
condition of the ungodly. Mark the use of the term "ungodly,"
for, as we have seen in the opening of the Psalm, these are the
beginners in evil, and are the least offensive of sinners. Oh!
if such is the sad state of those who quietly continue in their
morality, and neglect their God, what must be the condition of
open sinners and shameless infidels? The first sentence is a
negative description of the ungodly, and the second is the
positive picture. Here is their character — "they
are like chaff," intrinsically worthless, dead,
unserviceable, without substance, and easily carried away. Here,
also, mark their doom, — "the wind driveth
away;" death shall hurry them with its terrible blast
into the fire in which they shall be utterly consumed.
Verse 5. They shall stand there to be judged, but not to be
acquitted. Fear shall lay hold upon them there; they shall not
stand their ground; they shall flee away; they shall not stand
in their own defence; for they shall blush and be covered with
eternal contempt.
Well
may the saints long for heaven, for no evil men shall dwell
there, "nor sinners in the congregation of the
righteous." All our congregations upon earth are mixed.
Every Church hath one devil in it. The tares grow in the same
furrows as the wheat. There is no floor which is as yet
thoroughly purged from chaff. Sinners mix with saints, as dross
mingles with gold. God's precious diamonds still lie in the same
field with pebbles. Righteous Lots are this side heaven
continually vexed by the men of Sodom. Let us rejoice then, that
in "the general assembly and church of the firstborn"
above, there shall by no means be admitted a single unrenewed
soul. Sinners cannot live in heaven. They would be out of their
element. Sooner could a fish live upon a tree than the wicked in
Paradise. Heaven would be an intolerable hell to an impenitent
man, even if he could be allowed to enter; but such a privilege
shall never be granted to the man who perseveres in his
iniquities. May God grant that we may have a name and a place in
his courts above!
Verse 6. Or, as the Hebrew hath it yet more fully, "The
Lord is knowing the way of the righteous." He is
constantly looking on their way, and though it may be often in
mist and darkness, yet the Lord knoweth it. If it be in the
clouds and tempest of affliction, he understandeth it. He
numbereth the hairs of our head; he will not suffer any evil to
befall us. "He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath
tried me, I shall come forth as gold." (Job 23:10.) "But
the way of the ungodly shall perish." Not only shall they
perish themselves, but their way shall perish too. The
righteous carves his name upon the rock, but the wicked writes
his remembrance in the sand. The righteous man ploughs the
furrows of earth, and sows a harvest here, which shall never be
fully reaped till he enters the enjoyments of eternity; but as
for the wicked, he ploughs the sea, and though there may seem to
be a shining trail behind his keel, yet the waves shall pass
over it, and the place that knew him shall know him no more for
ever. The very "way" of the ungodly shall perish. If
it exist in remembrance, it shall be in the remembrance of the
bad; for the Lord will cause the name of the wicked to rot, to
become a stench in the nostrils of the good, and to be only
known to the wicked themselves by its putridity.
May
the Lord cleanse our hearts and our ways, that we may escape the
doom of the ungodly, and enjoy the blessedness of the righteous!
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT
SAYINGS
Whole Psalm. As the book of the Canticles is called
the Song of Songs by a Hebraism, it being the most excellent, so
this Psalm may not unfitly be entitled, the Psalm of Psalms, for
it contains in it the very pith and quintessence of
Christianity. What Jerome saith on St. Paul's epistles, the same
may I say of this Psalm; it is short as to the composure, but
full of length and strength as to the matter. This Psalm carries
blessedness in the frontpiece; it begins where we all hope to
end: it may well be called a Christian's Guide, for it discovers
the quicksands where the wicked sink down in perdition, and the
firm ground on which the saints tread to glory.—Thomas
Watson's Saints Spiritual Delight, 1660.
This
whole Psalm offers itself to be drawn into these two opposite
propositions: a godly man is blessed, a wicked man is miserable;
which seem to stand as two challenges, made by the prophet: one,
that he will maintain a godly man against all comers, to be the
only Jason for winning the golden fleece of blessedness; the
other, that albeit the ungodly make a show in the world of being
happy, yet they of all men are most miserable.—Sir Richard
Baker, 1640
I
have been induced to embrace the opinion of some among the
ancient interpreters (Augustine, Jerome, etc.), who conceive
that the first Psalm is intended to be descriptive of the
character and reward of the JUST ONE, i.e. the Lord
Jesus.—John Fry, B.A., 1842
Verse 1. The psalmist saith more to the point about
true happiness in this short Psalm than any one of the
philosophers, or all of them put together; they did but beat the
bush, God hath here put the bird into our hand. John Trapp,
1660
Verse 1. Where the word blessed is hung out as
a sign, we may be sure that we shall find a godly man within. Sir
Richard Baker.
Verse 1. The seat of the drunkard is the seat of the
scornful. Matthew Henry, 1662-1714
Verse 1. "Walketh NOT....NOR standeth....NOR
sitteth," etc. Negative precepts are in some cases
more absolute and peremptory than affirmatives; for to say,
"that hath walketh in the counsel of the godly," might
not be sufficient; for, he might walk in the counsel of the
godly, and yet walk in the counsel of the ungodly too; not both
indeed at once, but both at several times; where now, this
negative clears him at all times. Sir Richard Baker.
Verse 1. The word (Heb) haish is emphatic, that
man; that one among a thousand who lives for the
accomplishment of the end for which God created him. Adam
Clarke, 1844
Verse 1. "That walketh not in the counsel of
the ungodly." Mark certain circumstances of their
differing characters and conduct. I. The ungodly man has
his counsel. II. The sinner has his way;
and III. The scorner has his seat. The ungodly
man is unconcerned about religion; he is neither zealous for
his own salvation nor for that of others; and he counsels
and advises those with whom he converses to adopt his
plan, and not trouble themselves about praying, reading,
repentance, etc., etc.; "there is no need for such things;
live an honest life, make no fuss about religion, and you will
fare well enough at last." Now "blessed is the man who
walks not in this man's counsel," who does not come into
his measures, nor act according to his plan.
The
sinner has his particular way of transgressing;
one is a drunkard, another dishonest, another unclean.
Few are given to every species of vice. There are many covetous
men who abhor drunkenness, many drunkards who
abhor covetousness; and so of others. Each has his
easily besetting sin; therefore, says the prophet, "Let
the wicked forsake HIS WAY." (Isaiah 55:7) Now, blessed
is he who stands not is such a man's WAY.
The
scorner has brought, in reference to himself, all
religion and moral feeling to an end. He has sat down—is
utterly confirmed in impiety, and makes a mock at sin. His
conscience is seared, and he is a believer in all unbelief. Now,
blessed is the man who sits not down in his SEAT. Adam
Clarke.
Verse 1. In the Hebrew, the word "blessed"
is a plural noun, ashrey (blessednesses), that is, all
blessednesses are the portion of that man who has not gone away,
etc.; as though it were said, "All things are well with
that man who," etc. Why do you hold any dispute? Why draw
vain conclusions? If a man has found that pearl of great price,
to love the law of God and to be separate from the ungodly, all
blessednesses belong to that man; but, if he does not find this
jewel, he will seek for all blessednesses but will never find
one! For as all things are pure unto the pure, so all things are
lovely unto the loving, all things good unto the good; and,
universally, such as thou art thyself, such is God himself unto
thee, though he is not a creature. He is perverse unto the
perverse, and holy unto the holy. Hence nothing can be good or
saving unto him who is evil: nothing sweet unto him unto whom
the law of God is not sweet. The word "counsel"
is without doubt here to be received as signifying decrees and
doctrines, seeing that no society of men exists without being
formed and preserved by decrees and laws. David, however, by
this term strikes at the pride and reprobate temerity of the
ungodly. First, because they will not humble themselves so far
as to walk in the law of the Lord, but rule themselves by their
own counsel. And then he calls it their "counsel,"
because it is their prudence, and the way that seems to them to
be without error. For this is the destruction of the
ungodly—their being prudent in their own eyes and in their own
esteem, and clothing their errors in the garb of prudence and of
the right way. For if they came to men in the open garb of
error, it would not be so distinguishing a mark of blessedness
not to walk with them. But David does not here say, "in the
folly of the ungodly," or "in the error of the
ungodly;" and therefore he admonishes us to guard with all
diligence against the appearance of what is right, that the
devil transformed into an angel of light do not seduce us by his
craftiness. And he contrasts the counsel of the wicked with the
law of the Lord, that we may learn to beware of wolves in
sheep's clothing, who are always ready to give counsel to all,
to teach all, and to offer assistance unto all, when they are of
all men least qualified to do so. The term "stood"
descriptively represents their obstinacy, and stiff-neckedness,
wherein they harden themselves and make their excuses in words
of malice, having become incorrigible in their ungodliness. For
"to stand," in the figurative manner of Scripture
expression, signifies to be firm and fixed: as in Romans 14:4,
"To his own master he standeth or falleth: yea, he shall be
holden up, for God is able to make him stand." Hence the
word "column" is by the Hebrew derived from their verb
"to stand," as is the word statue among the Latins.
For this is the very self-excuse and self-hardening of the
ungodly—their appearing to themselves to live rightly, and to
shine in the eternal show of works above all others. With
respect to the term "seat," to sit in the seat,
is to teach, to act the instructor and teacher; as in Matthew
23:2, "The scribes sit in Moses' chair." They
sit in the seat of pestilence, who fill the church with the
opinions of philosophers, with the traditions of men, and with
the counsels of their own brain, and oppress miserable
consciences, setting aside, all the while, the word of God, by
which alone the soul is fed, lives, and is preserved. Martin
Luther, 1536-1546.
Verse 1. "The scornful." Peccator
cum in profundum venerit contemnet—when a wicked man comes
to the depth and worst of sin, he despiseth. Then the Hebrew
will despise Moses (Exodus 2:14), "Who made thee a prince
and a judge over us?" Then Ahab will quarrel with Micaiah
(1 Kings 22:18), because he doth not prophecy good unto him.
Every child in Bethel will mock Elisha (2 Kings 2:23), and be
bold to call him "bald pate." Here is an original drop
of venom swollen to a main ocean of poison: as one drop of some
serpents' poison, lighting on the hand, gets into the veins, and
so spreads itself over all the body till it hath stifled the
vital spirits. God shall "laugh you to scorn," (Psalm
2:4), for laughing Him to scorn; and at last despise you that
have despised him in us. That which a man spits against heaven,
shall fall back on his own face. Your indignities done to your
spiritual physicians shall sleep in the dust with your ashes,
but stand up against your souls in judgment. Thomas Adams,
1614.
Verse 2. "But his will is in the law of the
Lord." The "will," which is here signified,
is that delight of heart, and that certain pleasure, in the law,
which does not look at what the law promises, nor at what it
threatens, but at this only; that "the law is holy, and
just, and good." Hence it is not only a love of the law,
but that loving delight in the law which no prosperity, nor
adversity, nor the world, nor the prince of it, can either take
away or destroy; for it victoriously bursts its way through
poverty, evil report, the cross, death, and hell, and in the
midst of adversities, shines the brightest. Martin Luther.
Verse 2. "His delight is in the law of the
Lord."—This delight which the prophet here
speaks of is the only delight that neither blushes nor looks
pale; the only delight that gives a repast without an after
reckoning; the only delight that stands in construction with all
tenses; and like AEneas Anchyses, carries his parents upon his
back. Sir Richard Baker.
Verse 2. "In His law doth he meditate."
In the plainest text there is a world of holiness and
spirituality; and if we in prayer and dependence upon God did
sit down and study it, we should behold much more than appears
to us. It may be, at once reading or looking, we see little or
nothing; as Elijah's servant went once, and saw nothing;
therefore he was commanded to look seven times. What now? says
the prophet, "I see a cloud rising, like a man's
hand;" and by-and-by, the whole surface of the heavens was
covered with clouds. So you may look lightly upon a Scripture
and see nothing; meditate often upon it, and there you
shall see a light, like the light of the sun. Joseph Caryl,
1647.
Verse 2. "In His law doth he meditate day and
night."—The good man doth meditate on the law of
God day and night. The pontificians beat off the common
people from this common treasury, by objecting this supposed
difficulty. Oh, the Scriptures are hard to be understood, do not
you trouble your heads about them; we will tell you the meaning
of them. They might as well say, heaven is a blessed place, but
it is a hard way to it; do not trouble yourselves, we will go
thither for you. Thus in the great day of trial, when they
should be saved by their book, alas! they have no book to save
them. Instead of the Scriptures they can present images; these
are the layman's books; as if they were to be tried by a jury of
carvers and painters, and not by the twelve apostles. Be not you
so cheated; but study the gospel as you look for comfort by the
gospel. He that hopes for the inheritance, will make much of the
conveyance. Thomas Adams.
Verse 2. To "meditate," as it is
generally understood, signifies to discuss, to dispute; and its
meaning is always confined to a being employed in words, as in
Psalm 32:30, "The mouth of the righteous shall meditate
wisdom." Hence Augustine has, in his translation,
"chatter;" and a beautiful metaphor it is—as
chattering is the employment of birds, so a continual conversing
in the law of the Lord (for talking is peculiar to man), ought
to be the employment of man. But I cannot worthily and fully set
forth the gracious meaning and force of this word; for this
"meditating" consists first in an intent observing of
the words of the law, and then in a comparing of the different
Scriptures; which is a certain delightful hunting, nay, rather a
playing with stags in a forest, where the Lord furnishes us with
the stags, and opens to us their secret coverts. And from this
kind of employment, there comes forth at length a man well
instructed in the law of the Lord to speak unto the people. Martin
Luther.
Verse 2. "In his law doth he meditate day and
night." The godly man will read the Word by day,
that men, seeing his good works, may glorify his Father who is
in heaven; he will do it in the night, that he may not be
seen of men: by day, to show that he is not one of those
who dread the light; by night, to show that he is one who
can shine in the shade: by day, for that is the time for
working—work whilst it is day; by night, lest his
Master should come as a thief, and find him idle. Sir Richard
Baker.
Verse 2. I have no rest, but in a nook, with the
book. Thomas a Kempis, 1380-1471.
Verse 2. "Meditate." Meditation doth
discriminate and characterise a man; by this he may take a
measure of his heart, whether it be good or bad; let me allude
to that; "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he."
Proverbs 23:7. As the meditation is, such is the man. Meditation
is the touchstone of a Christian; it shows what metal he is made
of. It is a spiritual index; the index shows what is in the
book, so meditation shows what is in the heart. Thomas
Watson's Saints' Spiritual Delight.
Verse 2. Meditation chews the cud, and gets the
sweetness and nutritive virtue of the Word into the heart and
life: this is the way the godly bring forth much fruit. Bartholomew
Ashwood's Heavenly Trade, 1688.
Verse 2. The naturalists observe that to uphold and
accommodate bodily life, there are diverse sorts of faculties
communicated, and these among the rest:
1.
An attractive faculty, to assume and draw in the food;
2.
A retentive faculty, to retain it when taken in;
3.
As assimilating faculty to concoct the nourishment;
4.
An augmenting faculty, for drawing to perfection.
Meditation is all these. It helps judgment, wisdom, and faith to
ponder, discern, and credit the things which reading and hearing
supply and furnish. It assists the memory to lock up the jewels
of divine truth in her sure treasury. It has a digesting power,
and turns special truth into spiritual nourishment; and lastly,
it helps the renewed heart to grow upward and increase its power
to know the things which are freely given to us of God. Condensed
from Nathaniel Ranew, 1670.
Verse 3. "A tree."—There is one
tree, only to be found in the valley of the Jordan, but too
beautiful to be entirely passed over; the oleander, with its
bright blossoms and dark green leaves, giving the aspect of a
rich garden to any spot where it grows. It is rarely if ever
alluded to in the Scriptures. But it may be the tree planted by
the streams of water which bringeth forth his fruit in due
season, and "whose leaf shall not wither." A. P.
Stanley, D.D., in "Sinai and Palestine."
Verse 3. "A tree planted by the rivers of
water."—This is an allusion to the Eastern method of
cultivation, by which rivulets of water are made to flow between
the rows of trees, and thus, by artificial means, the trees
receive a constant supply of moisture.
Verse 3. "His fruit in his season."—In
such a case expectation is never disappointed. Fruit is
expected, fruit is borne, and it comes also in the time in which
it should come. A godly education, under the influences of the
divine Spirit, which can never be withheld where they are
earnestly sought, is sure to produce the fruits of
righteousness; and he who reads, prays, and meditates, will ever
see the work which God has given him to do; the power
by which he is to perform it; and the times, places, and opportunities
for doing those things by which God can obtain most glory, his
own soul most good, and his neighbour most edification. Adam
Clarke.
Verse 3. "In his season." The Lord
reckons the times which pass over us, and puts them to our
account: let us, therefore, improve them, and with the impotent
persons at the pool of Bethesda, step in when the angel stirs
the water. Now the church is afflicted, it is a season of prayer
and learning; now the church is enlarged, it is a season of
praise; I am now at a sermon, I will hear what God will say; now
in the company of a learned and wise man, I will draw some
knowledge and counsel from him; I am under a temptation, now is
a fit time to lean on the name of the Lord; I am in a place of
dignity and power, let me consider what it is that God requireth
of me in such a time as this. And thus as the tree of life
bringeth fruit every month, so a wise Christian, as a wise
husbandman, hath his distinct employments for every month,
bringing forth his fruit in his season. John Spencer's Things
New and Old, 1658.
Verse 3. "In his season." Oh, golden
and admirable word! by which is asserted the liberty of
Christian righteousness. The ungodly have their stated days,
stated times, certain works, and certain places; to which they
stick so closely, that if their neighbours were perishing with
hunger, they could not be torn from them. But this blessed man,
being free at all times, in all places, for every work, and to
every person, will serve you whenever an opportunity is offered
him; whatsoever comes into his hands to do, he does it. He is
neither a Jew, nor a Gentile, nor a Greek, nor a barbarian, nor
of any other particular person. He gives his fruit in his
season, so often as either God or man requires his work.
Therefore his fruits have no name, and his times have no name. Martin
Luther.
Verse 3. "His leaf also shall not
wither." He describes the fruit before he does the
leaf. The Holy Spirit himself always teaches every faithful
preacher in the church to know that the kingdom of God does not
stand in word but in power. 1 Corinthians 4:20. Again,
"Jesus began both to do and to teach." Acts 1:1. And
again, "Which was a prophet mighty in deed and word."
Luke 24:19. And thus, let him who professes the word of
doctrine, first put forth the fruits of life, if he would not
have his fruit to wither, for Christ cursed the fig tree which
bore no fruit. And, as Gregory saith, that man whose life is
despised is condemned by his doctrine, for he preaches to
others, and is himself reprobated. Martin Luther.
Verse 3. "His leaf also shall not
wither." The Lord's trees are all evergreens. No
winter's cold can destroy their verdure; and yet, unlike
evergreens in our country, they are all fruit bearers. C. H.
S.
Verse 3. "And whatsoever he doeth, [or, maketh
or taketh in hand] shall prosper." And with
regard to this "prospering," take heed that thou
understandest not a carnal prosperity. This prosperity is hidden
prosperity, and lies entirely secret in spirit; and therefore if
thou hast not this prosperity that is by faith, thou shouldest
rather judge thy prosperity to be the greatest adversity. For as
the devil bitterly hates this leaf and the word of God, so does
he also those who teach and hear it, and he persecutes such,
aided by all the powers of the world. Therefore thou hearest of
a miracle the greatest of all miracles, when thou hearest that
all things prosper which a blessed man doeth. Martin Luther.
Verse 3. A critical journal has shown that instead of "Whatsoever
it doeth shall prosper," the rendering might be, "Whatsoever
it produceth shall come to maturity." This makes the
figure entire, and is sanctioned by some MSS. and ancient
versions.
Verse 3. (last clause). Outward prosperity, if
it follow close walking with God, is very sweet; as the cipher,
when it follows a figure, adds to the number, though it be
nothing in itself. John Trapp.
Verse 4. "Chaff." Here, by the way,
we may let the wicked know they have a thanks to give they
little think of; that they may thank the godly for all the good
days they live upon the earth, seeing it is for their sakes and
not for their own that they enjoy them. For as the chaff while
it is united and keeps close to the wheat, enjoys some
privileges for the wheat's sake, and is laid up carefully in the
barn; but as soon as it is divided, and parted from the wheat,
it is cast out and scattered by the wind; so the wicked, whilst
the godly are in company and live amongst them, partake for
their sake of some blessedness promised to the godly; but if the
godly forsake them or be taken from them, then either a deluge
of water comes suddenly upon them, as it did upon the old world
when Noah left it; or a deluge of fire, as it did upon Sodom,
when Lot left it, and went out of the city. Sir Richard
Baker.
Verse 4. "Driveth away," or tosseth
away; the Chaldee translateth for "wind,"
"whirlwind." Henry Ainsworth, 1639.
This
shows the vehement tempest of death, which sweeps away the soul
of the ungodly.
Verse 5. "Therefore the ungodly shall not
stand in the judgment," etc. And may not a reason also
be conceived thus, why the ungodly can never come to be of the
congregation of the righteous: the righteous go a way that God
knows, and the wicked go a way that God destroys; and seeing
that these ways can never meet, how should the men meet that go
these ways? And to make sure work that they shall never meet
indeed, the prophet expresseth the way of the righteous by the
first link of the chain of God's goodness, which is his knowledge;
but expresseth the way of the wicked by the last link of God's
justice, which is his destroying; and though God's
justice and his mercy do often meet, and are contiguous one to
another, yet the first link of his mercy and the last link of
his justice can never meet, for it never comes to destroying
till God be heard to say Nescio vos, "I know you
not," and nescio vos in God, and God's
knowledge, can certainly never possibly meet together. Sir
Richard Baker.
Verse 5. The Irish air will sooner brook a toad, or a
snake, than heaven a sinner. John Trapp.
Verse 6. "For the Lord knoweth the way of the
righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish."
Behold how David here terrifies us away from all prosperous
appearances, and commends to us various temptations and
adversities. For this "way" of the righteous all men
utterly reprobate; thinking also, that God knoweth nothing about
any such way. But this is the wisdom of the cross. Therefore, it
is God alone that knoweth the way of the righteous, so hidden is
it to the righteous themselves. For his right hand leads them on
in a wonderful manner, seeing that it is a way, not of sense,
nor of reason, but of faith only; even of that faith that sees
in darkness, and beholds things that are invisible. Martin
Luther.
Verse 6. "The righteous." They that
endeavour righteous living in themselves and have Christ's
righteousness imputed to them. Thomas Wilcocks, 1586.
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER
Verse 1. May furnish an excellent text upon
"Progress in Sin," or "The Purity of the
Christian," or "The Blessedness of the
Righteous." Upon the last subject speak of the believer as
BLESSED—
1.
By God;
2.
In Christ;
3.
With all blessings;
4.
In all circumstances;
5.
Through time and eternity;
6.
To the highest degree.
Verse 1. Teaches a godly man to beware, (1) of the
opinions, (2) of the practical life, and (3) of the company and
association of sinful men. Show how meditation upon the Word
will assist us in keeping aloof from these three evils.
The
insinuating and progressive nature of sin. J. Morrison.
Verse 1. in connection with the whole Psalm.
The wide difference between the righteous and the wicked.
Verse 2. THE WORD OF GOD.
1.
The believer's delight in it.
2.
The believer's acquaintance with it.
We long to be in the company of those we love.
Verse 2. I. What is meant by "the law of the
Lord."
II.
What there is in it for the believer to delight in.
III.
How he shows his delight, thinks of it, reads much, speaks of
it, obeys it, does not delight in evil.
Verse 2. (last clause). The benefits, helps,
and hindrances of meditation.
Verse 3. "The fruitful tree."
I.
Where it grows.
II.
How it came there.
III.
What it yields.
IV.
How to be like it.
Verse 3. "Planted by the rivers of
water."
I.
The origination of Christian life, "planted."
II.
The streams which support it.
III.
The fruit expected from it.
Verse 3. Influence of religion upon prosperity.—Blair.
The
nature, causes, signs, and results of true prosperity.
"Fruit
in his season;" virtues to be exhibited at certain
seasons— patience in affliction; gratitude in prosperity; zeal
in opportunity, etc.
"His
leaf also shall not wither;" the blessing of retaining
an unwithered profession.
Verses 3, 4. See No. 280 of "Spurgeon's
Sermons." "The Chaff Driven Away."
Sin
puts a negative on every blessing.
Verse 5. The sinner's double doom.
1.
Condemned at the judgment-bar.
2.
Separated from the saints.
Reasonableness of these penalties, "therefore," and
the way to escape them.
"The congregation of the righteous" viewed as
the church of the first-born above. This may furnish a noble
topic.
Verse 6. (first sentence). A sweet
encouragement to the tried people of God. The knowledge here
meant.
1.
Its character.—It is a knowledge of observation and
approbation.
2.
Its source.—It is caused by omniscience and infinite
love.
3.
Its results.—Support, deliverance, acceptance, and
glory at last.
Verse 6. (last clause). His way of pleasure, of
pride, of unbelief, of profanity, of persecution, of
procrastinating, of self-deception, etc.: all these shall come
to an end.