TITLE. "To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth
Shahar. A Psalm of David." This ode of singular
excellence was committed to the most excellent of the temple
songsters; the chief among ten thousand is worthy to be extolled
by the chief Musician; no meaner singer must have charge of such
a strain; we must see to it that we call up our best abilities
when Jesus is the theme of praise. The words Aijeleth Shahar
are enigmatical, and their meaning is uncertain; some refer
them to a musical instrument used upon mournful occasions, but
the majority adhere to the translation of our margin,
"Concerning the kind of the morning." This last
interpretation is the subject of much enquiry and conjecture.
Calmet believed that the psalm was addressed to the music master
who presided over the band called the "Morning Hind,"
and Adam Clarke thinks this to be the most likely of all the
conjectural interpretations, although he himself inclines to the
belief that no interpretation should be attempted, and believes
that it is a merely arbitrary and unmeaning title, such as
Orientals have always been in the habit of appending to their
songs. Our Lord Jesus is so often compared to a hind, and his
cruel huntings are so pathetically described in this most
affecting psalm, that we cannot but believe that the title
indicates the Lord Jesus under a well-known poetical metaphor;
at any rate, Jesus is the Hind of the morning concerning whom
David here sings.
SUBJECT.
This is beyond all others THE PSALM OF THE CROSS. It
may have been actually repeated word by word by our Lord when
hanging on the tree; it would be too bold to say that it was so,
but even a casual reader may see that it might have been. It
begins with, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me?" and ends, according to some, in the original with
"It is finished." For plaintive expressions uprising
from unutterable depths of woe we may say of this psalm,
"there is none like it." It is the photograph of our
Lord's saddest hours, the record of his dying words, the
lachrymatory of his last tears, the memorial of his expiring
joys. David and his afflictions may be here in a very modified
sense, but, as the star is concealed by the light of the sun, he
who sees Jesus will probably neither see nor care to see David.
Before us we have a description both of the darkness and of the
glory of the cross, the sufferings of Christ and the glory which
shall follow. Oh for grace to draw near and see this great
sight! We should read reverently, putting off our shoes from off
our feet, as Moses did at the burning bush, for if there be holy
ground anywhere in Scripture it is in this psalm.
DIVISION.
From the commencement to the twenty-first verse is a most
pitiful cry for help, and from verse 21 to 31 is a most precious
foretaste of deliverance. The first division may be subdivided
at the tenth verse, from verse 1 to 10 being an appeal based
upon covenant relationship; and from verse 10 to 21 being an
equally earnest plea derived from the imminence of his peril.
EXPOSITION
Verse 1. "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me?" This was the startling cry of Golgotha: Eloi, Eloi,
lama sabacthani. The Jews mocked, but the angels adored when
Jesus cried this exceeding bitter cry. Nailed to the tree we
behold our great Redeemer in extremities, and what see we?
Having ears to hear let us hear, and having eyes to see let us
see! Let us gaze with holy wonder, and mark the flashes of light
amid the awful darkness of that midday-midnight. First, our
Lord's faith beams forth and deserves our reverent imitation; he
keeps his hold upon his God with both hands and cries twice, "My
God, my God!" The spirit of adoption was strong within
the suffering Son of Man, and he felt no doubt about his
interest in his God. Oh that we could imitate this cleaving to
an afflicting God! Nor does the sufferer distrust the power of
God to sustain him, for the title used —"El"—signifies
strength, and is the name of the Mighty God. He knows the
Lord to be the all-sufficient support and succour of his spirit,
and therefore appeals to him in the agony of grief, but not in
the misery of doubt. He would fain know why he is left, he
raises that question and repeats it, but neither the power nor
the faithfulness of God does he mistrust. What an enquiry is
this before us! "Why hast thou forsaken me?" We
must lay the emphasis on every word of this saddest of all
utterances. "Why?" what is the great cause of
such a strange fact as for God to leave his own Son at such a
time and in such a plight? There was no cause in him, why then
was he deserted? "Hast:" it is done, and the
Saviour is feeling its dread effect as he asks the question; it
is surely true, but how mysterious! It was no threatening of
forsaking which made the great Surety cry aloud, he endured that
forsaking in very deed. "Thou:" I can
understand why traitorous Judas and timid Peter should be gone,
but thou, my God, my faithful friend, how canst thou
leave me? This is worst of all, yea, worse than all put
together. Hell itself has for its fiercest flame the separation
of the soul from God. "Forsaken:" if thou hadst
chastened I might bear it, for thy face would shine; but to
forsake me utterly, ah! why is this? "Me:"
thine innocent, obedient, suffering Son, why leavest thou me
to perish? A sight of self seen by penitence, and of Jesus on
the cross seen by faith will best expound this question. Jesus
is forsaken because our sins had separated between us and our
God.
"Why
art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my
roaring?" The Man of Sorrows had prayed until his
speech failed him, and he could only utter moanings and
groanings as men do in severe sicknesses, like the roarings of a
wounded animal. To what extremity of grief was our Master
driven? What strong crying and tears were those which made him
too hoarse for speech! What must have been his anguish to find
his own beloved and trusted Father standing afar off, and
neither granting help nor apparently hearing prayer! This was
good cause to make him "roar." Yet there was reason
for all this which those who rest in Jesus as their Substitute
well know.
Verse 2. "O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou
hearest not." For our prayers to appear to be unheard
is no new trial, Jesus felt it before us, and it is observable
that he still held fast his believing hold on God, and cried
still, "My God." On the other hand his faith
did not render him less importunate, for amid the hurry and
horror of that dismal day he ceased not his cry, even as in
Gethsemane he had agonized all through the gloomy night. Our
Lord continued to pray even though no comfortable answer came,
and in this he set us an example of obedience to his own words,
"men ought always to pray, and not to faint." No
daylight is too glaring, and no midnight too dark to pray in;
and no delay or apparent denial, however grievous, should tempt
us to forbear from importunate pleading.
Verse 3. "But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest
the praises of Israel." However ill things may look,
there is no ill in thee, O God! We are very apt to think and
speak hardly of God when we are under his afflicting hand, but
not so the obedient Son. He knows too well his Father's goodness
to let outward circumstances libel his character. There in no
unrighteousness with the God of Jacob, he deserves no censure;
let him do what he will, he is to be praised, and to reign
enthroned amid the songs of his chosen people. If prayer be
unanswered it is not because God is unfaithful, but for some
other good and weighty reason. If we cannot perceive any ground
for the delay, we must leave the riddle unsolved, but we must
not fly in God's face in order to invent an answer. While the
holiness of God is in the highest degree acknowledged and
adored, the afflicted speaker in this verse seems to marvel how
the holy God could forsake him, and be silent to his cries. The
argument is, thou art holy, Oh! why is it that thou dost
disregard thy holy One in his hour of sharpest anguish? We may
not question the holiness of God, but we may argue from it, and
use it as a plea in our petitions.
Verse 4. "Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted,
and thou didst deliver them." This is the rule of life
with all the chosen family. Three times over is it mentioned,
they trusted, and trusted, and trusted, and
never left off trusting, for it was their very life; and they
fared well too, for thou didst deliver them. Out of all
their straits, difficulties, and miseries faith brought them by
calling their God to the rescue; but in the case of our Lord it
appeared as if faith would bring no assistance from heaven, he
alone of all the trusting ones was to remain without
deliverance. The experience of other saints may be a great
consolation to us when in deep waters if faith can be sure that
their deliverance will be ours; but when we feel ourselves
sinking, it is poor comfort to know that others are swimming.
Our Lord here pleads the past dealings of God with his people as
a reason why he should not be left alone; here again he is an
example to us in the skilful use of the weapon of all prayer.
The use of the plural pronoun "our" shows how
one with his people Jesus was even on the cross. We say,
"Our Father which art in heaven," and he calls those
"our fathers" through whom we came into the world,
although he was without father as to the flesh.
Verse 5. "They cried unto thee, and were delivered:
they trusted in thee, and were not confounded." As if
he had said, "How is it that I am now left without succour
in my overwhelming griefs, while all others have been helped? We
may remind the Lord of his former lovingkindnesses to his
people, and beseech him to be still the same. This is true
wrestling; let us learn the art. Observe, that ancient saints cried
and trusted, and that in trouble we must do the same; and
the invariable result was that they were not ashamed of their
hope, for deliverance came in due time; this same happy portion
shall be ours. The prayer of faith can do the deed when nothing
else can. Let us wonder when we see Jesus using the same pleas
as ourselves, and immersed in griefs far deeper than our own.
Verse 6. "But I am a worm, and no man." This
verse is a miracle in language. How could the Lord of glory be
brought to such abasement as to be not only lower than the
angels, but even lower than men. What a contrast between "I
AM" and "I am a worm"! yet such a double
nature was found in the person of our Lord Jesus when bleeding
upon the tree. He felt himself to be comparable to a helpless,
powerless, down-trodden worm, passive while crushed, and
unnoticed and despised by those who trod upon him. He selects
the weakest of creatures, which is all flesh; and becomes, when
trodden upon, writhing, quivering flesh, utterly devoid of any
might except strength to suffer. This was a true likeness of
himself when his body and soul had become a mass of misery—the
very essence of agony—in the dying pangs of crucifixion. Man
by nature is but a worm; but our Lord puts himself even beneath
man, on account of the scorn that was heaped upon him and the
weakness which he felt, and therefore he adds, "and no
man." The privileges and blessings which belonged to
the fathers he could not obtain while deserted by God, and
common acts of humanity were not allowed him, for he was
rejected of men; he was outlawed from the society of earth, and
shut out from the smile of heaven. How utterly did the Saviour
empty himself of all glory, and become of no reputation for our
sakes! "A reproach of men" —their common butt
and jest; a byword and a proverb unto them: the sport of the
rabble, and the scorn of the rulers. Oh the caustic power of
reproach, to those who endure it with patience, yet smart under
it most painfully! "And despised of the people."
The vox populi was against him. The very people who would
once have crowned him then contemned him, and they who were
benefited by his cures sneered at him in his woes. Sin is worthy
of all reproach and contempt, and for this reason Jesus, the
Sinbearer, was given up to be thus unworthily and shamefully
entreated.
Verse 7. "All they that see me laugh me to
scorn." Read the evangelistic narrative of the ridicule
endured by the Crucified One, and then consider, in the light of
this expression, how it grieved him. The iron entered into his
soul. Mockery has for its distinctive description "cruel
mockings;" those endured by our Lord were of the most cruel
kind. The scornful ridicule of our Lord was universal; all sorts
of men were unanimous in the derisive laughter, and vied with
each other in insulting him. Priests and people, Jews and
Gentiles, soldiers and civilians, all united in the general
scoff, and that at the time when he was prostrate in weakness
and ready to die. Which shall we wonder at the most, the cruelty
of man or the love of the bleeding Saviour? How can we ever
complain of ridicule after this?
"They
shoot out the lip, they shake the head." These were
gestures of contempt. Pouting, grinning, shaking of the head,
thrusting out of the tongue, and other modes of derision were
endured by our patient Lord; men made faces at him before whom
angels vail their faces and adore. The basest signs of disgrace
which disdain could devise were maliciously cast at him. They
punned upon his prayers, they made matter for laughter of his
sufferings, and set him utterly at nought. Herbert sings of our
Lord as saying,—
"Shame tears my soul, my body many a wound;
Sharp nails pierce this, but sharper that confound;
Reproaches which are free, while I am bound.
Was ever grief like mine?"
Verse 8. "Saying, He trusted on the Lord that he
would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in
him." Here the taunt is cruelly aimed at the sufferer's
faith in God, which is the tenderest point in a good man's soul,
the very apple of his eye. They must have learned the diabolical
art from Satan himself, for they made rare proficiency in it.
According to Matthew 27:39-44, there were five forms of taunt
hurled at the Lord Jesus; this special piece of mockery is
probably mentioned in this psalm because it is the most bitter
of the whole; it has a biting, sarcastic irony in it, which
gives it a peculiar venom; it must have stung the Man of Sorrows
to the quick. When we are tormented in the same manner, let us
remember him who endured such contradiction of sinners against
himself, and we shall be comforted. On reading these verses one
is ready, with Trapp, to ask, Is this a prophecy or a history?
for the description is so accurate. We must not lose sight of
the truth which was unwittingly uttered by the Jewish scoffers.
They themselves are witnesses that Jesus of Nazareth trusted in
God: why then was he permitted to perish? Jehovah had aforetime
delivered those who rolled their burdens upon him: why was this
man deserted? Oh that they had understood the answer! Note
further, that their ironical jest, "seeing he delighted
in him," was true. The Lord did delight in his dear
Son, and when he was found in fashion as a man, and became
obedient unto death, he still was well pleased with him. Strange
mixture! Jehovah delights in him, and yet bruises him; is well
pleased, and yet slays him.
Verse 9. "But thou art he that took me out of the
womb." Kindly providence attends with the surgery of
tenderness at every human birth; but the Son of Man, who was
marvelously begotten of the Holy Ghost, was in an especial
manner watched over by the Lord when brought forth by Mary. The
destitute state of Joseph and Mary, far away from friends and
home, led them to see the cherishing hand of God in the safe
delivery of the mother, and the happy birth of the child; that
Child now fighting the great battle of his life, uses the mercy
of his nativity as an argument with God. Faith finds weapons
everywhere. He who wills to believe shall never lack reasons for
believing. "Thou didst make me hope when I was upon my
mother's breasts." Was our Lord so early a believer?
Was he one of those babes and sucklings out of whose mouths
strength is ordained? So it would seem; and if so, what a plea
for help! Early piety gives peculiar comfort in our after
trials, for surely he who loved us when we were children is too
faithful to cast us off in our riper years. Some give the text
the sense of "gave me cause to trust, by keeping me
safely," and assuredly there was a special providence which
preserved our Lord's infant days from the fury of Herod, the
dangers of travelling, and the ills of poverty.
Verse 10. "I was cast upon thee from the womb."
Into the Almighty arms he was first received, as into those of a
loving parent. This is a sweet thought. God begins his care over
us from the earliest hour. We are dandled upon the knee of
mercy, and cherished in the lap of goodness; our cradle is
canopied by divine love, and our first totterings are guided by
his care. "Thou art my God from my mother's belly."
The psalm begins with "My God, my God," and
here, not only is the claim repeated, but its early date is
urged. Oh noble perseverance of faith, thus to continue pleading
with holy ingenuity of argument! Our birth was our weakest and
most perilous period of existence; if we were then secured by
Omnipotent tenderness, surely we have no cause to suspect that
divine goodness will fail us now. He who was our God when we
left our mother, will be with us till we return to mother earth,
and will keep us from perishing in the belly of hell.
Verses 11-21. The crucified Son of David continues to pour
out his complaint and prayer. We need much grace that while
reading we may have fellowship with his sufferings. May the
blessed Spirit conduct us into a most clear and affecting sight
of our Redeemer's woes.
Verse 11. "Be not far from me." This is the
petition for which he has been using such varied and powerful
pleas. His great woe was that God had forsaken him, his great
prayer is that he would be near him. A lively sense of the
divine presence is a mighty stay to the heart in times of
distress. "For trouble is near; for there is none to
help." There are two "fors," as though
faith gave a double knock at mercy's gate; that is a powerful
prayer which is full of holy reasons and thoughtful arguments.
The nearness of trouble is a weighty motive for divine help;
this moves our heavenly Father's heart, and brings down his
helping hand. It is his glory to be our very present help in
trouble. Our Substitute had trouble in his inmost heart, for he
said, "the waters have come in, even unto my soul;"
well might he cry, "be not far from me." The
absence of all other helpers is another telling plea. In our
Lord's case none either could or would help him, it was needful
that he should tread the winepress alone; yet was it a sore
aggravation to find that all his disciples had forsaken him, and
lover and friend were put far from him. There is an awfulness
about absolute friendlessness which is crushing to the human
mind, for man was not made to be alone, and is like a
dismembered limb when he has to endure heart-loneliness.
Verse 12. "Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls
of Bashan have beset me round." The mighty ones in the
crowd are here marked by the tearful eye of their victim. The
priests, elders, scribes, Pharisees, rulers, and captains
bellowed round the cross like wild cattle, fed in the fat and
solitary pastures of Bashan, full of strength and fury; they
stamped and foamed around the innocent One, and longed to gore
him to death with their cruelties. Conceive of the Lord Jesus as
a helpless, unarmed, naked man, cast into the midst of a herd of
infuriated wild bulls. They were brutal as bulls, many, and
strong, and the Rejected One was all alone, and bound naked to
the tree. His position throws great force into the earnest
entreaty, "Be not far from me."
Verse 13. "They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a
ravening and a roaring lion." Like hungry cannibals
they opened their blasphemous mouths as if they were about to
swallow the man whom they abhorred. They could not vomit forth
their anger fast enough through the ordinary aperture of their
mouths, and therefore set the doors of their lips wide open like
those who gape. Like roaring lions they howled out their fury,
and longed to tear the Saviour in pieces, as wild beasts raven
over their prey. Our Lord's faith must have passed through a
most severe conflict while he found himself abandoned to the
tender mercies of the wicked, but he came off victorious by
prayer; the very dangers to which he was exposed being used to
add prevalence to his entreaties.
Verse 14. Turning from his enemies, our Lord describes his
own personal condition in language which should bring the tears
into every loving eye. "I am poured out like
water." He was utterly spent, like water poured upon
the earth; his heart failed him, and had no more firmness in it
than running water, and his whole being was made a sacrifice,
like a libation poured out before the Lord. He had long been a
fountain of tears; in Gethsemane his heart welled over in sweat,
and on the cross he gushed forth with blood; he poured out his
strength and spirit, so that he was reduced to the most feeble
and exhausted state. "All my bones are out of joint,"
as if distended upon a rack. Is it not most probable that the
fastenings of the hands and feet, and the jar occasioned by
fixing the cross in the earth, may have dislocated the bones of
the Crucified One? If this is not intended, we must refer the
expression to that extreme weakness which would occasion
relaxation of the muscles and a general sense of parting asunder
throughout the whole system. "My heart is like wax; it
is melted in the midst of my bowels." Excessive
debility and intense pain made his inmost life to feel like wax
melted in the heat. The Greek liturgy uses the expression,
"thine unknown sufferings," and well it may. The fire
of Almighty wrath would have consumed our souls for ever in
hell; it was no light work to bear as a substitute the heat of
an anger so justly terrible. Dr. Gill wisely observes, "if
the heart of Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, melted at
it, what heart can endure, or hands be strong, when God deals
with them in his wrath?"
Verse 15. "My strength is dried up like a
potsherd." Most complete debility is here portrayed;
Jesus likens himself to a broken piece of earthenware, or an
earthen pot, baked in the fire till the last particle of
moisture is driven out of the clay. No doubt a high degree of
feverish burning afflicted the body of our Lord. All his
strength was dried up in the tremendous flames of avenging
justice, even as the paschal lamb was roasted in the fire. "My
tongue cleaveth to my jaws;" thirst and fever fastened
his tongue to his jaws. Dryness and a horrible clamminess
tormented his mouth, so that he could scarcely speak. "Thou
hast brought me into the dust of death;" so tormented
in every single part as to feel dissolved into separate atoms,
and each atom full of misery; the full price of our redemption
was paid, and no part of the Surety's body or soul escaped its
share of agony. The words may set forth Jesus as having wrestled
with Death until he rolled into the dust with his antagonist.
Behold the humiliation of the Son of God! The Lord of Glory
stoops to the dust of death. Amid the mouldering relics of
mortality Jesus condescends to lodge!
Bishop
Mant's version of the two preceding verses is forcible and
accurate:—
"Pour'd forth like water is my frame;
My bones asunder start;
As wax that feels the searching flame,
Within me melts my heart.
My wither'd sinews shrink unstrung
Like potsherd dried and dead:
Cleaves to my jaws my burning tongue
The dust of death my bed."
Verse 16. We are to understand every item of this sad
description as being urged by the Lord Jesus as a plea for
divine help; and this will give us a high idea of his
perseverance in prayer. "For dogs have compassed
me." Here he marks the more ignoble crowd, who, while
less strong than their brutal leaders, were not less ferocious,
for there they were howling and barking like unclean and hungry
dogs. Hunters frequently surround their game with a circle, and
gradually encompass them with an ever-narrowing ring of dogs and
men. Such a picture is before us. In the centre stands, not a
panting stag, but a bleeding, fainting man, and around him are
the enraged and unpitying wretches who have hounded him to his
doom. Here we have the "hind of the morning" of whom
the psalm so plaintively sings, hunted by bloodhounds, all
thirsting to devour him. The assembly of the wicked have
inclosed me: thus the Jewish people were unchurched, and
that which called itself an assembly of the righteous is justly
for its sins marked upon the forehead as an assembly of the
wicked. This is not the only occasion when professed churches of
God have become synagogues of Satan, and have persecuted the
Holy One and the Just. They pierced my hands and my feet.
This can by no means refer to David, or to any one but Jesus of
Nazareth, the once crucified but now exalted Son of God. Pause,
dear reader, and view the wounds of thy Redeemer.
Verse 17. So emaciated was Jesus by his fastings and
sufferings that he says, "I may tell all my bones."
He could count and recount them. The posture of the body on the
cross, Bishop Horne thinks, would so distend the flesh and skin
as to make the bones visible, so that they might be numbered.
The zeal of his Father's house had eaten him up; like a good
soldier he had endured hardness. Oh that we cared less for the
body's enjoyment and ease and more for our Father's business! It
were better to count the bones of an emaciated body than to
bring leanness into our souls.
"They
look and stare upon me." Unholy eyes gazed insultingly
upon the Saviours's nakedness, and shocked the sacred delicacy
of his holy soul. The sight of the agonizing body ought to have
ensured sympathy from the throng, but it only increased their
savage mirth, as they gloated their cruel eyes upon his
miseries. Let us blush for human nature, and mourn in sympathy
with our Redeemer's shame. The first Adam made us all naked, and
therefore the second Adam became naked that he might clothe our
naked souls.
Verse 18. "They part my garments among them, and cast
lots upon my vesture." The garments of the executed
were the perquisites of the executioners in most cases, but it
was not often that they cast lots at the division of the spoil;
this incident shows how clearly David in vision saw the day of
Christ, and how surely the Man of Nazareth is he of whom the
prophets spake: "these things, therefore, the
soldiers did." He who gave his blood to cleanse us gave his
garments to clothe us. As Ness says, "this precious Lamb of
God gave up his golden fleece for us." How every incident
of Jesus' griefs is here stored up in the treasury of
inspiration, and embalmed in the amber of sacred song; we must
learn hence to be very mindful of all that concerns our Beloved,
and to think much more of everything which has a connection with
him. It may be noted that the habit of gambling is of all others
the most hardening, for men could practise it even at the
cross-foot while besprinkled with the blood of the Crucified. No
Christian will endure the rattle of the dice when he thinks of
this.
Verse 19. "But be thou not far from me, O Lord."
Invincible faith returns to the charge, and uses the same means,
viz., importunate prayer. He repeats the petition so piteously
offered before. He wants nothing but his God, even in his lowest
state. He does not ask for the most comfortable or nearest
presence of God, he will be content if he is not far from him;
humble requests speed at the throne. "O my strength,
haste thee to help me." Hard cases need timely aid:
when necessity justifies it we may be urgent with God as to
time, and cry, "make haste;" but we must not do this
out of willfulness. Mark how in the last degree of personal
weakness he calls the Lord "my strength;" after
this fashion the believer can sing, "when I am weak, then
am I strong."
Verse 20. "Deliver my soul from the sword."
By the sword is probably meant entire destruction, which as a
man he dreaded; or perhaps he sought deliverance from the
enemies around him, who were like a sharp and deadly sword to
him. The Lord had said, "Awake, O sword," and now from
the terror of that sword the Shepherd would fain be delivered as
soon as justice should see fit. "My darling from the
power of the dog." Meaning his soul, his life, which is
most dear to every man. The original is, "my only
one," and therefore is our soul dear, because it is our
only soul. Would that all men made their souls their darlings,
but many treat them as if they were not worth so much as the
mire of the streets. The dog may mean Satan, that
infernal Cerberus, that cursed and cursing cur; or else the
whole company of Christ's foes, who though many in number were
as unanimous as if there were but one, and with one consent
sought to rend him in pieces. If Jesus cried for help against
the dog of hell, much more may we. Cave canem, beware of
the dog, for his power is great, and only God can deliver us
from him. When he fawns upon us, we must not put ourselves in
his power; and when he howls at us, we may remember that God
holds him with a chain.
Verse 21. "Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou
hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns." Having
experienced deliverance in the past from great enemies, who were
strong as the unicorns, the Redeemer utters his last cry for
rescue from death, which is fierce and mighty as the lion. This
prayer was heard, and the gloom of the cross departed. Thus
faith, though sorely beaten, and even cast beneath the feet of
her enemy, ultimately wins the victory. It was so in our Head,
it shall be so in all the members. We have overcome the unicorn,
we shall conquer the lion, and from both lion and unicorn we
shall take the crown.
Verses 22-31. The transition is very marked; from a horrible
tempest all is changed into calm. The darkness of Calvary at
length passed away from the face of nature, and from the soul of
the Redeemer, and beholding the light of his triumph and its
future results the Saviour smiled. We have followed him through
the gloom, let us attend him in the returning light. It will be
well still to regard the words as a part of our Lord's soliloquy
upon the cross, uttered in his mind during the last few moments
before his death.
Verse 22. "I will declare thy name unto my
brethren." The delights of Jesus are always with his
church, and hence his thoughts, after much distraction, return
at the first moment of relief to their usual channel; he forms
fresh designs for the benefit of his beloved ones. He is not
ashamed to call them brethren, "Saying, I will declare thy
name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing
praise unto thee." Among his first resurrection words were
these, "Go to my brethren." In the verse before us,
Jesus anticipates happiness in having communication with his
people; he purposes to be their teacher and minister, and fixes
his mind upon the subject of his discourse. The name, i.e.,
the character and conduct of God are by Jesus Christ's gospel
proclaimed to all the holy brotherhood; they behold the fulness
of the Godhead dwelling bodily in him, and rejoice greatly to
see all the infinite perfections manifested in one who is bone
of their bone and flesh of their flesh. What a precious subject
is the name of our God! It is the only one worthy of the only
Begotten, whose meat and drink it was to do the Father's will.
We may learn from this resolution of our Lord, that one of the
most excellent methods of showing our thankfulness for
deliverances is to tell to our brethren what the Lord has done
for us. We mention our sorrows readily enough; why are we so
slow in declaring our deliverances? "In the midst of the
congregation will I praise thee." Not in a little
household gathering merely does our Lord resolve to proclaim his
Father's love, but in the great assemblies of his saints, and in
the general assembly and church of the first-born. This the Lord
Jesus is always doing by his representatives, who are the
heralds of salvation, and labour to praise God. In the great
universal church Jesus is the One authoritative teacher, and all
others, so far as they are worthy to be called teachers, are
nothing but echoes of his voice. Jesus, in this second sentence,
reveals his object in declaring the divine name, it is that God
may be praised; the church continually magnifies Jehovah for
manifesting himself in the person of Jesus, and Jesus himself
leads the song, and is both precentor and preacher in his
church. Delightful are the seasons when Jesus communes with our
hearts concerning divine truth; joyful praise is the sure
result.
Verse 23. "Ye that fear the Lord praise him."
The reader must imagine the Saviour as addressing the
congregation of the saints. He exhorts the faithful to unite
with him in thanksgiving. The description of "fearing the
Lord" is very frequent and very instructive; it is the
beginning of wisdom, and is an essential sign of grace. "I
am a Hebrew and I fear God" was Jonah's confession of
faith. Humble awe of God is so necessary a preparation for
praising him that none are fit to sing to his honour but such as
reverence his word; but this fear is consistent with the highest
joy, and is not to be confounded with legal bondage, which is a
fear which perfect love casteth out. Holy fear should always
keep the key of the singing pew. Where Jesus leads the tune none
but holy lips may dare to sing. "All ye the seed of
Jacob glorify him." The genius of the gospel is praise.
Jew and Gentile saved by sovereign grace should be eager in the
blessed work of magnifying the God of our salvation. All
saints should unite in the song; no tongue may be silent, no
heart may be cold. Christ calls us to glorify God, and can we
refuse? "And fear him, all ye the seed of Israel."
The spiritual Israel all do this, and we hope the day will come
when Israel after the flesh will be brought to the same mind.
The more we praise God the more reverently shall we fear him,
and the deeper our reverence the sweeter our songs. So much does
Jesus value praise that we have it here under his dying hand and
seal that all the saints must glorify the Lord.
Verse 24. "For he hath not despised nor abhorred the
affliction of the afflicted." Here is good matter and
motive for praise. The experience of our covenant Head and
Representative should encourage all of us to bless the God of
grace. Never was man so afflicted as our Saviour in body and
soul from friends and foes, by heaven and hell, in life and
death; he was the foremost in the ranks of the afflicted, but
all those afflictions were sent in love, and not because his
Father despised and abhorred him. 'Tis true that justice
demanded that Christ should bear the burden which as a
substitute he undertook to carry, but Jehovah always loved him,
and in love laid that load upon him with a view to his ultimate
glory and to the accomplishment of the dearest wish of his
heart. Under all his woes our Lord was honourable in the
Father's sight, the matchless jewel of Jehovah's heart. "Neither
hath he hid his face from him." That is to say, the
hiding was but temporary, and was soon removed; it was not final
and eternal. "But when he cried unto him, he
heard." Jesus was heard in that he feared. He cried in
extremis and de profundis, and was speedily answered;
he therefore bids his people join him in singing a Gloria in
excelsis.
Every
child of God should seek refreshment for his faith in this
testimony of the Man of Sorrows. What Jesus here witnesses is as
true to-day as when it was first written. It shall never be said
that any man's affliction or poverty prevented his being an
accepted suppliant at Jehovah's throne of grace. The meanest
applicant is welcome at mercy's door:—
"None that approach his throne shall find
A God unfaithful or unkind."
Verse 25. "My praise shall be of thee in the great
congregation." The one subject of our Master's song is
the Lord alone. The Lord and the Lord only is the theme which
the believer handleth when he gives himself to imitate Jesus in
praise. The word in the original is "from
thee,"—true praise is of celestial origin. The rarest
harmonies of music are nothing unless they are sincerely
consecrated to God by hearts sanctified by the Spirit. The clerk
says, "Let us sing to the praise and glory of God;"
but the choir often sing to the praise and glory of themselves.
Oh when shall our service of song be a pure offering? Observe in
this verse how Jesus loves the public praises of the saints, and
thinks with pleasure of the great congregation. It would be
wicked on our part to despise the twos and threes; but, on the
other hand, let not the little companies snarl at the greater
assemblies as though they were necessarily less pure and less
approved, for Jesus loves the praise of the great congregation. "I
will pay my vows before them that fear him." Jesus
dedicates himself anew to the carrying out of the divine purpose
in fulfilment of his vows made in anguish. Did our Lord when he
ascended to the skies proclaim amid the redeemed in glory the
goodness of Jehovah? And was that the vow here meant?
Undoubtedly the publication of the gospel is the constant
fulfilment of covenant engagements made by our Surety in the
councils of eternity. Messiah vowed to build up a spiritual
temple for the Lord, and he will surely keep his word.
Verse 26. "The meek shall eat and be satisfied."
Mark how the dying Lover of our souls solaces himself with the
result of his death. The spiritually poor find a feast in Jesus,
they feed upon him to the satisfaction of their hearts, they
were famished until he gave himself for them, but now they are
filled with royal dainties. The thought of the joy of his people
gave comfort to our expiring Lord. Note the characters who
partake of the benefit of his passion; "the meek,"
the humble and lowly. Lord, make us so. Note also the certainty
that gospel provisions shall not be wasted, "they shall
eat;" and the sure result of such eating, "and
be satisfied." "They shall praise the Lord that seek
him." For a while they may keep a fast, but their
thanksgiving days must and shall come. "Your heart shall
live for ever." Your spirits shall not fail through
trial, you shall not die of grief, immortal joys shall be your
portion. Thus Jesus speaks even from the cross to the troubled
seeker. If his dying words are so assuring, what consolation may
we not find in the truth that he ever liveth to make
intercession for us! They who eat at Jesus' table receive the
fulfilment of the promise, "Whosoever eateth of this bread
shall live for ever."
Verse 27. In reading this verse one is struck with the
Messiah's missionary spirit. It is evidently his grand
consolation that Jehovah will be known throughout all places of
his dominion. "All the ends of the world shall remember
and turn unto the Lord." Out from the inner circle of
the present church the blessing is to spread in growing power
until the remotest parts of the earth shall be ashamed of their
idols, mindful of the true God, penitent for their offences, and
unanimously earnest for reconciliation with Jehovah. Then shall
false worship cease, "and all the kindreds of the
nations shall worship before thee," O thou only living
and true God. This hope which was the reward of Jesus is a
stimulus to those who fight his battles.
It
is well to mark the order of conversion as here set forth; they
shall "remember"—this is reflection, like the
prodigal who came unto himself; "and turn unto
Jehovah"—this is repentance, like Manasseh who left
his idols and "worship"—this is holy service,
as Paul adored the Christ whom once he abhorred.
Verse 28. "For the kingdom is the Lord's."
As an obedient Son the dying Redeemer rejoiced to know that his
Father's interests would prosper through his pains. "The
Lord reigneth" was his song as it is ours. He who by
his own power reigns supreme in the domains of creation and
providence, has set up a kingdom of grace, and by the conquering
power of the cross that kingdom will grow until all people shall
own its sway and proclaim that "he is the governor among
the nations." Amid the tumults and disasters of the
present the Lord reigneth; but in the halcyon days of peace the
rich fruit of his dominion will be apparent to every eye. Great
Shepherd, let thy glorious kingdom come.
Verse 29. "All they that be fat upon earth,"
the rich and great are not shut out. Grace now finds the most of
its jewels among the poor, but in the latter days the mighty of
the earth "shall eat," shall taste of redeeming
grace and dying love, and shall "worship" with
all their hearts the God who deals so bountifully with us in
Christ Jesus. Those who are spiritually fat with inward
prosperity shall be filled with the marrow of communion, and
shall worship the Lord with peculiar fervour. In the covenant of
grace Jesus has provided good cheer for our high estate, and he
has taken equal care to console us in our humiliation, for the
next sentence is, "all they that go down to the dust
shall bow before him." There is relief and comfort in
bowing before God when our case is at its worst; even amid the
dust of death prayer kindles the lamp of hope.
While
all who come to God by Jesus Christ are thus blessed, whether
they be rich or poor, none of those who despise him may hope for
a blessing. "None can keep alive his own soul."
This is the stern counterpart of the gospel message of
"look and live." There is no salvation out of Christ.
We must hold life, and have life as Christ's gift, or we shall
die eternally. This is very solid evangelical doctrine, and
should be proclaimed in every corner of the earth, that like a
great hammer it may break in pieces all self-confidence.
Verse 30. "A seed shall serve him."
Posterity shall perpetuate the worship of the Most High. The
kingdom of truth on earth shall never fail. As one generation is
called to its rest, another will arise in its stead. We need
have no fear for the true apostolic succession; that is safe
enough. "It shall be accounted to the Lord for a
generation." He will reckon the ages by the succession
of the saints, and set his accounts according to the families of
the faithful. Generations of sinners come not into the genealogy
of the skies. God's family register is not for strangers, but
for the children only.
Verse 31. "They shall come." Sovereign grace
shall bring out from among men the bloodbought ones. Nothing
shall thwart the divine purpose. The chosen shall come to life,
to faith, to pardon, to heaven. In this the dying Saviour finds
a sacred satisfaction. Toiling servant of God, be glad at the
thought that the eternal purpose of God shall suffer neither let
nor hindrance. "And shall declare his righteousness unto
a people that shall be born." None of the people who
shall be brought to God by the irresistible attractions of the
cross shall be dumb, they shall be able to tell forth the
righteousness of the Lord, so that future generations shall know
the truth. Fathers shall teach their sons, who shall hand it
down to their children; the burden of the story always being "that
he hath done this," or, that "It is
finished." Salvation's glorious work is done, there is
peace on earth, and glory in the highest. "It is
finished," these were the expiring words of the Lord Jesus,
as they are the last words of this Psalm. May we by living faith
be enabled to see our salvation finished by the death of Jesus!
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Title.—Aijeleth Shahar. The title of the
twenty-second Psalm is Aijeleth Shahar—the morning hart.
The whole Psalm refers to Christ, containing much that cannot be
applied to another: parting his garments, casting lots for his
vesture, etc. He is described as a kindly, meek and beautiful
hart, started by the huntsman at the dawn of the day. Herod
began hunting him down as soon as he appeared. Poverty, the
hatred of men, and the temptation of Satan, joined in the
pursuit. There always was some "dog," or
"bull," or "unicorn," ready to attack him.
After his first sermon the huntsmen gathered about him, but he
was too fleet of foot, and escaped. The church had long seen the
Messiah "like a roe, or a young hart, upon the
mountains," had "heard the voice of her Beloved,"
and had cried out, "Behold, he cometh, leaping upon the
mountains, skipping upon the hills;" sometimes he was even
seen, with the dawn of the day, in the neighbourhood of the
temple, and beside the enclosures of the vineyards. The church
requested to see him "on the mountains of Bether," and
upon "the mountains of spices." The former probably
signifying the place of his sufferings, and the latter the
sublime acclivities of light, glory, and honour, where the
"hart" shall be hunted no more. But in the afternoon,
the huntsmen who had been following the "young roe"
from early day-break, had succeeded in driving him to the
mountains of Bether. Christ found Calvary a craggy, jagged, and
fearful hill—"a mountain of division." Here he was
driven by the huntsmen to the edges of the awful precipices
yawning destruction from below, while he was surrounded and held
at bay by all the beasts of prey and monsters of the infernal
forest. The "unicorn," and the "bulls of Bashan,"
gored him with their horns; the great "lion" roared at
him; and the "dog" fastened himself upon him. But he
foiled them all. In his own time he bowed his head and gave up
the ghost. He was buried in a new grave; and his assailants
reckoned upon complete victory. They had not considered that he
was a "morning hart." Surely enough, at the appointed
time, did he escape from the hunter's net, and stand forth on
the mountains of Israel ALIVE, and never, NEVER to die
again. Now he is with Mary in the garden, giving evidence of his
own resurrection; in a moment he is at Emmaus, encouraging the
too timid and bewildered disciples. Nor does it cost him any
trouble to go thence to Galilee to his friends, and again to the
Mount of Olives, "on the mountains of spices," carrying
with him the day-dawn, robed in life and beauty for ever
more." Christmas Evans, 1766-1838.
Title. It will be very readily admitted that the hind
is a very appropriate emblem of the suffering and persecuted
righteous man who meets us in this Psalm. . . . That the hind
may be a figurative expression significant of suffering
innocence, is put beyond a doubt by the fact, that the wicked
and the persecutors in this Psalm, whose peculiar physiognomy
is marked by emblems drawn from the brute creation, are
designed by the terms dogs, lions, bulls, etc. E. W.
Hengstenberg.
Title. "The hind." Much extraordinary
symbolism has by old authors been conjured up and clustered
around the hind. According to their curious natural history,
there exists a deadly enmity between the deer and the serpent,
and the deer by its warm breath draws serpents out of their
holes in order to devour them. The old grammarians derived Elaphas,
or hart, from elaunein tous opheis, that is, of driving
away serpents. Even the burning a portion of the deer's horns
was said to drive away all snakes. If a snake had escaped the
hart after being drawn out by the hart by its breath, it was
said to be more vehemently poisonous than before. The timidity
of the deer was ascribed to the great size of its heart, in
which they thought was a bone shaped like a cross. Condensed
from Wood's "Bible Animals," by C. H. S.
Whole Psalm. This is a kind of gem among the Psalms,
and is peculiarly excellent and remarkable. It contains those
deep, sublime, and heavy sufferings of Christ, when agonising in
the midst of the terrors and pangs of divine wrath and death,
which surpass all human thought and comprehension. I know not
whether any Psalm throughout the whole book contains matter more
weighty, or from which the hearts of the godly can so truly
perceive those sighs and groans, inexpressible by man, which
their Lord and Head, Jesus Christ, uttered when conflicting for
us in the midst of death, and in the midst of the pains and
terrors of hell. Wherefore this Psalm ought to be most highly
prized by all who have any acquaintance with temptations of
faith and spiritual conflicts. Martin Luther.
Whole Psalm. This Psalm, as it sets out the sufferings
of Christ to the full, so also his three great offices. His
sufferings are copiously described from the beginning of the
Psalm to verse 22. The prophetical office of Christ, from verse
22 to verse 25. That which is foretold about his vows (verse
25), hath respect to his priestly function. In the rest of the
Psalm the kingly office of Christ is set forth. William
Gouge, D.D. (1575-1653), in "A Commentary on the
whole Epistle to the Hebrews." [Reprinted in Nichol's
Series of Commentaries.]
Whole Psalm. This Psalm seems to be less a prophecy
than a history. Cassiodorus.
Whole Psalm. This Psalm must be expounded, word for
word, entire and in every respect, of Christ only; without any
allegory, trope, or anagoge. Bakius, quoted by F.
Delitzsch, D.D., on Hebrews, ii. 12.
Whole Psalm. A prophecy of the passion of Christ, and
of the vocation of the Gentiles. Eusebius of Cæsarea.
Verse 1. "My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me?" We contrast this with John 16:32, "I
am not alone, because the Father is with me." That
these words in David were notwithstanding the words of Christ,
there is no true believer ignorant; yet how cross our Lord's
words in John! Answer:— It is one thing to speak out of
present sense of misery, another thing to be confident of a
never-separated Deity. The condition of Christ in respect of his
human state (not the divine), is in all outward appearances,
like ours; we conceive the saints' condition very lamentable at
times, as if God were for ever gone. And Christ (to teach us to
cry after God the Father, like children after the mother, whose
very stepping but at the door, ofttimes makes the babe believe,
and so saith that his father is gone for ever), presents in his
own sufferings how much he is sensible of ours in that case. As
for his divine nature, he and his Father can never sunder in
that, and so at no time is he alone, but the Father is always
with him. William Streat, in "The Dividing of the
Hoof," 1654.
Verse 1. "My God, my God," etc. There
is a tradition that our Lord, hanging on the cross, began, as we
know from the gospel, this Psalm; and repeating it and those
that follow, gave up his most blessed spirit when he came to the
sixth verse of the thirty-first Psalm. However that may be, by
taking these first words on his lips, he stamped the Psalm as
belonging to himself. Ludolph, the Carthusian (circa.1350),
in J. M. Neale's Commentary.
Verse 1. "My God, my God," etc. It
was so sharp, so heavy an affliction to Christ's soul, that it
caused him who was meek under all other sufferings as a lamb, to
roar under this like a lion. For so much those words of Christ
signify, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why
art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my
roaring?" It comes from a root that signifies to howl
or roar as a lion, and rather signifies the noise made by a wild
beast than the voice of a man. And it is as much as if Christ
had said, O my God, no words can express my anguish, I will not
speak, but roar, howl out my complaints. Pour it out in volleys
of groans. I roar as a lion. It's no small matter will make that
majestic creature to roar. And sure so great a spirit as
Christ's would not have roared under a slight burden.
Did
God really forsake Jesus Christ upon the cross? then from the
desertion of Christ singular consolation springs up to the
people of God; yea, manifold consolation. Principally it's a
support in these two respects, as it is preventive of
your final desertion, and a comfortable pattern to you in your
present sad desertions. 1. Christ's desertion is preventive
of your final desertion. Because he was forsaken for a time you
shall not be forsaken for ever. For he was forsaken for you. It
is every way as much for the dear Son of God, the darling
delight of his soul, to be forsaken of God for a time, as if
such a poor inconsiderable thing as thou art shouldst be cast
off to eternity. Now, this being equivalent and borne in thy
room, must needs give thee the highest security in the world
that God will never finally withdraw from thee. 2. Moreover,
this sad desertion of Christ becomes a comfortable pattern
to poor deserted souls in divers respects; and the proper
business of such souls, at such times, is to eye it believingly.
Though God deserted Christ, yet at the same time he powerfully
supported him. His omnipotent arms were under him, though his
pleased face was hid from him. He had not indeed his smiles, but
he had his supportations. So, Christian, just so shall it be
with thee. Thy God may turn away his face, he will not pluck
away his arm. When one asked of holy Mr. Baines how the case
stood with his soul, he answered, "Supports I have, though
suavities I want." Our Father in this deals with us as we
ourselves sometimes do with a child that is stubborn and
rebellious. We turn him out of doors and bid him begone out of
our sight, and there he sighs and weeps; but however for the
humbling of him, we will not presently take him into house and
favour; yet we order, at least permit the servants to carry him
meat and drink: here is fatherly care and support, though no
former smiles or manifested delights. . . . Though God forsook
Christ, yet at that time he could justify God. So you read,
"O my God (saith he), I cry in the day time; but thou
hearest not, and in the night season, and am not silent; but
thou art holy." Is not thy spirit according to thy measure,
framed like Christ's in this; canst thou not, say even when he
writes bitter things against thee, he is a holy, faithful and
good God for all this! I an deserted but not wronged. There is
not one drop of injustice in all the sea of my sorrows. Though
he condemned me I must and will justify him: this also is
Christ-like. John Flavel.
Verse 1. "My God, my God." The
repetition is expressive of fervent desire—"My
God," in an especial sense, as in his words after the
resurrection to Mary Magdalene, "I ascend unto my God, and
your God;" "My God," not as the Son of God only,
but in that nature which he hath assumed, as the beloved Son in
whom the Father is well pleased; who is loved of the Father and
who loveth the Father more than the whole universe. It is
observed that this expression, "My God," is three
times repeated. Dionysius, quoted by Isaac Williams.
Verse 1. "My God." It was possible
for Christ by faith to know that he was beloved of God,
and he did know that he was beloved of God, when yet as to sense
and feeling he tasted of God's wrath. Faith and
the want of sense are not inconsistent; there may be no present
sense of God's love, nay, there may be a present sense of his
wrath, and yet there may be faith at the same time. John
Row's "Emmanuel," 1680.
Verse 1. This word, "My God," takes
in more than all the philosophers in the world could draw out of
it. Alexander Wedderburn, 1701.
Verse 1. That there is something of a singular force,
meaning, and feeling in these words is manifest from this—the
evangelists have studiously given us this verse in the very
words of the Hebrew, in order to show their emphatic force. And
moreover I do not remember any one other place in the Scriptures
where we have this repetition, ELI, ELI. Martin Luther.
Verse 1. "Why?" Not the "why"
of impatience or despair, not the sinful questioning of one
whose heart rebels against his chastening, but rather the cry of
a lost child who cannot understand why his father has left him,
and who longs to see his father's face again. J. J. Stewart
Perowne.
Verse 1. "My roaring." (Heb.), seems
primarily to denote the roaring of a lion; but, as applied to
intelligent beings, it is generally expressive of profound
mental anguish poured forth in audible and even vehement
strains. Psalm 38:9; 33:3; Job 3:24. Thus did the suffering
Messiah pour forth strong crying and tears, to him that was able
to save him from death. Hebrews 5:7. John Morison.
Verse 1. When Christ complains of having been forsaken
by God, we are not to understand that he was forsaken by the
First Person, or that there was a dissolution of the hypostatic
union, or that he lost the favour and friendship of the Father;
but he signifies to us that God permitted his human nature to
undergo those dreadful torments, and to suffer an ignominious
death, from which he could, if he chose, most easily deliver
him. Nor did such complaints proceed either from impatience or
ignorance, as if Christ were ignorant of the cause of his
suffering, or was not most willing to bear such abandonment in
his suffering; such complaints were only a declaration of his
most bitter sufferings. And whereas, through the whole course of
his passion, with such patience did our Lord suffer, as not to
let a single groan or sigh escape from him, so now, lest the
bystanders may readily believe that he was rendered impassible
by some superior power; therefore, when his last moments were
nigh he protests that he is true man, truly passible; forsaken
by his Father in his sufferings, the bitterness and acuteness of
which he then intimately felt. Robert Bellarmine (Cardinal),
1542-1621.
Verse 1. Divines are wont commonly to say, that
Christ, from the moment of his conception, had the sight of God,
his human soul being immediately united to the Deity, Christ
from the very moment of his conception had the sight of God. Now
for our Saviour, who had known experimentally how sweet the
comfort of his Father's face had been, and had lived all his
days under the warm beams and influences of the Divinity, and
had had his soul all along refreshed with the sense of the
Divine presence, for him to be left in that horror and darkness,
as to have no taste of comfort, no glimpse of the Divinity
breaking in upon his human soul, how great an affliction must
that needs be unto him! John Row.
Verse 1. Desertion is in itself no sin; for Christ
endured its bitterness, ay, he was so deep in it, that when he
died, he said, "Why hast thou forsaken me?" A
total, a final desertion ours is not; partial the best have had
and have. God turns away his face, David himself is troubled: "The
just shall live by faith," and not by feeling. Richard
Capel.
Verse 1. Oh! how will our very hearts melt with love,
when we remember that as we have been distressed for our sins
against him; so he was in greater agonies for us? We have had
gall and wormwood, but he tasted a more bitter cup. The anger of
God has dried up our spirits, but he was scorched with a more
flaming wrath. He was under violent pain in the garden, and on
the cross; ineffable was the sorrow that he felt, being forsaken
of his Father, deserted by his disciples, affronted and
reproached by his enemies, and under a curse for us. This Sun
was under a doleful eclipse, this living Lord was pleased to
die, and in his death was under the frowns of an angry God. That
face was then hid from him that had always smiled before; and
his soul felt that horror and that darkness which it had never
felt before. So that there was no separation between the divine
and human nature, yet he suffered pains equal to those which we
had deserved to suffer in hell for ever. God so suspended the
efficacies of his grace that it displayed in that hour none of
its force and virtue on him. He had no comfort from heaven, none
from his angels, none from his friends, even in that sorrowful
hour when he needed comfort most. Like a lion that is hurt in
the forest, so he roared and cried out, though there was no
despair in him; and when he was forsaken, yet there was trust
and hope in these words, "My God, my God." Timothy
Rogers.
Verse 1. Here is comfort to deserted souls;
Christ himself was deserted; therefore, if thou be deserted, God
dealeth no otherwise with thee than he did with Christ. Thou
mayest be beloved of God and not feel it; Christ was so, he was
beloved of the Father, and yet he had no present sense and
feeling of his love. This may be a great comfort to holy souls
under the suspension of those comforts and manifestations which
sometimes they have felt; Christ himself underwent such a
suspension, therefore such a suspension of divine comfort may
consist with God's love. Thou mayest conclude possibly, "I
am a hypocrite, and therefore God hath forsaken me;" this
is the complaint of some doubting Christians, "I am a
hypocrite, and therefore God hath forsaken me;" but thou
hast no reason so to conclude: there was no failure in Christ's
obedience, and yet Christ was forsaken in point of comfort;
therefore desertion, in point of comfort, may consist with truth
of grace, yea, with the highest measure of grace; so it did in
our Saviour. John Row.
Verse 1. Lord, thou knowest what it is for a soul to
be forsaken, it was sometime thine own case when thou
complainedst, "My God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
not, O my Lord! but that thou hadst a divine supportment, but
thou hadst not (it seemeth) that inward joy which at other times
did fill thee; now thou art in thy glory, pity a worm in
misery, that mourns and desires more after thee than all things:
Lord, thou paidst dear for my good, let good come unto me. Joseph
Symonds, 1658.
Verse 1. The first verse expresses a species of
suffering that never at any other time was felt in this world,
and never will be again—the vengeance of the Almighty upon his
child—"MY God, why hast thou forsaken me? R. H. Ryland.
Verse 2. "O my God, I cry in the daytime, but
thou hearest not," etc. How like is this expostulation
to that of a human child with its earthly parent! It is based on
the ground of relationship—"I am thine; I cry day and
night, yet I am not heard. Thou art my God, yet nothing is done
to silence me. In the daytime of my life I cried; in this night
season of my death I intreat. In the garden of Gethsemane I
occupied the night with prayers; with continual ejaculations
have I passed through this eventful morning. O my God, thou hast
not yet heard me, therefore am I not yet silent; I cannot cease
till thou answerest." Here Christ urges his suit in a
manner which none but filial hearts adopt. The child knows that
the parent yearns over him. His importunity is strengthened by
confidence in paternal love. He keeps not silence, he gives him
no rest because he confides in his power and willingness to
grant the desired relief. This is natural. It is the argument of
the heart, an appeal to the inward yearnings of our nature. It
is also scriptural, and is thus stated, "If ye then being
evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much
more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them
that ask him?" Luke 11:13. John Stevenson, in
"Christ on the Cross," 1842.
Verse 2. The princely prophet says, "Lord, I
cry unto thee in the daytime, but thou hearest not, also in the
night time, and yet this is not to be thought folly to me."
(Septuagint version.) Some perhaps would think it a great point
of folly for a man to cry and call unto him who stops his ears,
and seems not to hear. Nevertheless, this folly of the faithful
is wiser than all the wisdom of the world. For we know well
enough, that howsoever God seem at the first not to hear, yet
the Lord is a sure refuge in due time—in affliction.
Psalm 9:9. Thomas Playfere.
Verses 2, 3. Well, what hears God from him, now he
hears nothing from God, as to the deliverance prayed for? No
murmuring at God's proceedings; nay, he hears quite the
contrary, for he justifies and praises God: "But thou
art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel."
Observe whether thou canst not gather something from the manner
of God's denying the thing prayed for, which may sweeten it to
thee! Haply thou shalt find he denies thee, but it is with a
smiling countenance, and ushers it in with some expressions of
grace and favour, that may assure thee his denial proceeds not
from displeasure. As you would do with a dear friend, who, may
be, comes to borrow a sum of money of you; lend it you dare not,
because you see plainly it is not for his good; but in giving
him the denial, lest he should misinterpret it, as proceeding
from want of love and respect, you preface it with some kind of
language of your hearty affection to him, as that you love him,
and therefore deny him, and shall be ready to do for him more
than that comes to. Thus God sometimes wraps up his denials in
such sweet intimations of love, as prevents all jealousies
arising in the hearts of his people. William Gurnall.
Verses 2, 3. They that have conduit-water come into
their houses, if no water come they do not conclude the spring
to be dry, but the pipes to be stopped or broken. If prayer
speed not, we must be sure that the fault is not in God, but in
ourselves; were we but ripe for mercy, he is ready to extend it
to us, and even waits for the purpose. John Trapp.
Verse 3. "But thou art holy." Here is
the triumph of faith—the Saviour stood like a rock in the wide
ocean of temptation. High as the billows rose, so did his faith,
like the coral rock, wax greater and stronger till it became an
island of salvation to our shipwrecked souls. It is as if he had
said, "It matters not what I endure. Storms may howl upon
me; men despise; devils tempt; circumstances overpower; and God
himself forsake me, still God is holy; there is no
unrighteousness in him." John Stevenson.
Verse 3. "But thou art holy." Does it
seem strange that the heart in its darkness and sorrow should
find comfort in this attribute of God? No, for God's holiness is
but another aspect of his faithfulness and mercy. And in that
remarkable name, "the Holy One of Israel," we
are taught that he who is the "holy" God is
also the God who has made a covenant with his chosen. It would
be impossible for an Israelite to think of God's holiness
without thinking also of that covenant relationship. "Be ye
holy; for I, the Lord your God am holy," were the words in
which Israel was reminded of their relation to God. See
especially Leviticus 19:1. We see something of this feeling in
such passages as Psalm 89:16-19; 99:5-9; Hosea 11:8, 9; Isaiah
41:14; 47:4. J. J. Stewart Perowne.
Verse 3. Were temptations never so black, faith will
not hearken to an ill word spoken against God, but will justify
God always. David Dickson.
Verses 4, 5. Those who look upon this Psalm as having
a primary reference to the King of Israel, attribute great
beauty to these words, from the very pleasing conjecture that
David was, at the time of composing them, sojourning at Mahanaim,
where Jacob, in his distress, wrestled with the angel, and
obtained such signal blessings. That, in a place so greatly
hallowed by associations of the past, he should make his appeal
to the God of his fathers, was alike the dictate of patriarchal
feeling and religion. John Morison, D.D., in "Morning
Meditations."
Verse 5. "Thou didst deliver them,"
but thou wilt not deliver me; nay, rather thou didst deliver
them because thou wilt not deliver me. Gerhohus.
Verse 6. "But I am a worm, and no man."
A fisherman, when he casts his angle into the river, doth not
throw the hook in bare, naked and uncovered, for then he knows
the fish will never bite, and therefore he hides the hook within
a worm, or some other bait, and so, the fish, biting at the
worm, is catched by the hook. Thus Christ, speaking of himself,
saith, "Ego vermis et non homo." He, coming to
perform the great work of our redemption, did cover and hide his
Godhead within the worm of his human nature. The grand
water-serpent, Leviathan, the devil, thinking to swallow the
worm of his humanity, was caught upon the hook of his divinity.
This hook stuck in his jaws, and tore him very sore. By thinking
to destroy Christ, he destroyed his own kingdom, and lost his
own power for ever. Lancelot Andrewes.
Verse 6. "I am a worm." Christ calls
himself "a worm" . . . on account of the
opinion that men of the world had of him . . . the Jews esteemed
Christ as a worm, and treated him as such; he was loathsome to
them and hated by them; every one trampled upon him, and trod
him under foot as men do worms . . . The Chaldee paraphrase
renders it here a weak worm; and though Christ is the
mighty God, and is also the Son of man, whom God made strong for
himself; yet there was a weakness in his human nature, and he
was crucified through it, 2 Corinthians 13:4: and it has been
observed by some, that the word (Heb.) there used signifies the
scarlet worm, or the worm that is in the grain or berry with
which scarlet is dyed: and like this scarlet worm did our Lord
look, when by way of mockery he was clothed with a scarlet robe;
and especially when he appeared in his dyed garments, and was
red in his apparel, as one that treadeth in the wine fat; when
his body was covered with blood when he hung upon the cross,
which was shed to make crimson and scarlet sins as white as
snow. John Gill.
Verse 6. "I am a worm." An humble
soul is emptied of all swelling thoughts of himself. Bernard
calls humility a self-annihilation. Job 22:29. "Thou wilt
save the humble;" in the Hebrew it is, "Him that is of
low eyes." An humble man has lower thoughts of himself than
others can have of him; David, though a king, yet looked upon
himself as "a worm:" "I am a worm, and no
man." Bradford, a martyr, yet subscribes himself
"a sinner." Job 10:15. "If I be righteous, yet
will I not lift up my head:" like the violet a sweet
flower, but hangs down the head. Thomas Watson.
Verse 6. "A worm." So trodden under
foot, trampled on, maltreated, buffeted and spit upon, mocked
and tormented, as to seem more like a worm than a man. Behold
what great contempt hath the Lord of Majesty endured, that his
confusion may be our glory; his punishment our heavenly bliss!
Without ceasing impress this spectacle, O Christian, on thy
soul! Dionysius, quoted by Isaac Williams.
Verse 6. "I am a worm." Among the
Hindoos, when a man complains and abhors himself, he asks;
"What am I! a worm! a worm!" "Ah, the proud man!
he regarded me as a worm, well should I like to say to him, 'We
are all worms.'" "Worm, crawl out of my
presence." Joseph Roberts.
Verse 7. "All they that see me laugh me to
scorn," etc. Imagine this dreadful scene. Behold this
motley multitude of rich and poor, of Jews and Gentiles! Some
stand in groups and gaze. Some recline at ease and stare. Others
move about in restless gratification at the event. There is a
look of satisfaction on every countenance. None are silent. The
velocity of speech seems tardy. The theme is far too great for
one member to utter. Every lip, and head, and finger, is now a
tongue. The rough soldiers, too, are busied in their coarse way.
The work of blood is over. Refreshment has become necessary.
Their usual beverage of vinegar and water is supplied to them.
As they severally are satisfied, they approach the cross, hold
some forth to the Saviour, and bid him drink as they withdraw
it. Luke 23:36. They know he must be suffering an intense
thirst, they therefore aggravate it with the mockery of
refreshment. Cruel Romans! and ye, O regicidal Jews! Was not
death enough? Must mockery and scorn be added? On this sad day
Christ made you one indeed! Dreadful unity—which
constituted you the joint mockers and murderers of the Lord of
glory! John Stevenson.
Verse 7. "All they that see me, laugh me to
scorn," etc. There have been persons in our own days,
whose crimes have excited such detestation that the populace
would probably have torn them in pieces, before, and even after
their trial, if they could have had them in their power. Yet
when these very obnoxious persons have been executed according
to their sentence, if, perhaps, there was not one spectator who
wished them to escape, yet neither was one found so lost to
sensibility as to insult them in their dying moments. But when
Jesus suffers, all that see him laugh him to scorn; they
shoot out the lip, they shake the head; they insult his
character and his hope. John Newton.
Verse 7. "They shoot out the lip." To
protrude the lower lip is, in the East, considered a very strong
indication of contempt. Its employment is chiefly confined to
the lower orders. Illustrated Commentary.
Verses 7, 8. It was after his crucifixion, and during
the hours that he hung upon the cross, that his sufferings in
this way—the torment of beholding and hearing the scorn and
mockery which was made of the truth of his person and
doctrine—exceedingly abounded, and in such and so many kinds
of mockery and insult that some consider this to have been the
chiefest pain and sorrow which he endured in his most sacred
passion. For as, generally, those things are considered the most
painful to endure of which we are most sensible, so it seems to
these persons, that sufferings of this kind contain in them more
cause for feeling than any other sufferings. And, therefore,
although all the torments of the Lord were very great, so that
each one appears the greatest, and no comparison can be made
between them; yet, nevertheless, this kind of suffering appears
to be the most painful. Because in other troubles, not only the
pain and suffering of them, but the troubles themselves, in
themselves, may be desired by us, and such as we suffer for
love's sake, in order by them to evince that love. Wherefore,
the stripes, the crown of thorns, the buffetings, the cross, the
gall, the vinegar, and other bodily torments, besides that they
torment the body, are often a means for promoting the divine
honour, which it holds in esteem above all else. But to
blaspheme God, to give the lie to eternal truths, to deface the
supreme demonstration of the divinity and majesty of the Son of
God (although God knoweth how to extract from these things the
good which he intends), nevertheless are, in their nature,
things, which, from their so greatly affecting the divine honour,
although they may be, for just considerations, endured, can
never be desired by any one, but must be abhorrent to all. Our
Lord then, being, of all, the most zealous for the divine honour,
for which he also died, found in this kind of suffering, more
than in all other, much to abhor and nothing to desire.
Therefore with good reason it may be held to be the greatest of
all, and that in which, more than in all other, he exhibited the
greatest suffering and patience. Fra Thom‚ de Jesu, in
"The Sufferings of Jesus," 1869.
Verses 7-9. All that see me made but a laughynge
stocke on me, they mocked me wyth their lyppes, and wagged theyr
heades at me. Sayenge, thys vyllayne referred all thynges to the
Lord, let him now delyver hym yf he wyll, for he loveth hym
well. But yet thou arte he whyche leddest me oute of my mother's
wombe myne own refuge, even from my mother's teats. As sone as I
came into this worlde, I was layde in thy lappe, thou art my God
even from my mother's wombe. From "The Psalter of David
in English, truly translated out of Latyn," in "Devout
Psalms," etc., by E. Whitchurche, 1547.
Verse 8. Here are recorded some of those very words,
by which the persecutors of our Lord expressed their mockery and
scorn. How remarkable to find them in a Psalm written so many
hundred years before! John Stevenson.
Verses 9, 10. Faith is much strengthened by constant
evidences of God's favour. Herewith did he support his faith
that said to God, "Thou art he that took me out of the
womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's
breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God
from my mother's belly." "Thou art my trust from
my youth. By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art
he that took me out of my mother's bowels." Psalm 71:5, 6.
It was not only the disposition of Obadiah towards God, but also
the evidence that thereby he had of God's affection towards him,
that made him with confidence say to Elijah, "I fear the
Lord from my youth." 1 Kings 18:12. By long continuance of
ancient favour, many demonstrations are given of a fast, fixed,
and unremovable affection. So as if, by reason of temptations,
one or more evidences should be questioned, yet others would
remain to uphold faith, and to keep it from an utter
languishing, and a total falling away. As when a house is
supported by many pillars, though some be taken away, yet by the
support of them which remain, the house will stand. William
Gouge.
Verses 9, 10. David acknowledges ancient mercies,
those mercies which had been cast upon him long ago, these were
still fresh and new in his memory, and this is one affection and
disposition of a thankful heart—to remember those mercies
which another would have quite forgotten, or never thought of.
Thus does David here; the mercies of his infancy, and his
childhood, and his younger years, which one would
have imagined, that now in his age had been quite out of his
mind; yet these does he here stir up himself to remember and
bring to his thoughts. "Took me out of the womb:"
when was that? It may have been threescore years ago when David
penned the Psalms. He thinks of those mercies which God
vouchsafed him when he was not capable of thinking, nor
considering what was bestowed upon him; and so are we taught
hence to do, in an imitation of this holy example which is here
set before us: those mercies which God hast bestowed in our
minority, we are to call to mind and acknowledge in our riper
years. Thomas Horton.
Verses 9, 10. Here the tribulation begins to grow
lighter, and hope inclines towards victory; a support, though
small, and sought out with deep anxiety, is now found. For after
he had felt that he had suffered without any parallel or
example, so that the wonderful works of God as displayed toward
the fathers afforded him no help, he comes to the wonderful
works of God toward himself, and in these he finds the goodwill
of God towards him, and which was displayed towards him alone in
so singular a way. Martin Luther.
Verses 9, 10. The bitter severity of the several
taunts with which his enemies assailed our Lord, had no other
effect than to lead the Saviour to make a direct appeal to his
Father. . . . That appeal is set before us in these two verses.
It is of an unusual and remarkable nature. The argument on which
it is founded is most forcible and conclusive. At the same time,
it is the most seasonable and appropriate that can be urged. We
may thus paraphrase it, "I am now brought as a man to my
last extremity. It is said that God disowns me; but it cannot be
so. My first moment of existence he tenderly cared for. When I
could not even ask for, or think of his kindness, he bestowed it
upon me. If, of his mere good pleasure he brought me into life
at first, he will surely not forsake me when I am departing out
of it. In opposition, therefore, to all their taunts, I can and
I will appeal to himself. Mine enemies declare, O God, that thou
hast cast me off —but thou art he that took me out of the
womb. They affirm that I do not, and need not trust in thee;
but thou didst make me hope (or, keptest me in safety,
margin) when I was upon my mother's breasts. They
insinuate that thou wilt not acknowledge me as thy Son; but I
was cast upon thee from the womb; thou art my God from my
mother's belly." John Stevenson.
Verse 10. "I was cast upon thee from the womb:
thou art my God from my mother's belly." There is a
noble passage in Eusebius, in which he shows the connection
between our Lord's incarnation and his passion: that he might
well comfort himself while hanging on the cross by the
remembrance that the very same body then "marred more than
any man, and his form more than the sons of men" (Isaiah
52:14), was that which had been glorified by the Father with
such singular honour, when the Holy Ghost came upon Mary, and
the power of the Highest overshadowed her. That this body,
therefore, though now so torn and so mangled, as it had once
been the wonder, so it would for ever be the joy, of the angels;
and having put on immortality, would be the support of his
faithful people to the end of time. J. M. Neale, in loc.
Verse 10. I was like one forsaken by his parent, and
wholly cast upon Providence. I had no father upon earth, and my
mother was poor and helpless. Matthew Poole.
Verse 11. "Be not far from me; for trouble is
near;" and so it is high time for thee to put forth a
helping hand. Hominibus profanis mirabilis videtur h‘cratio,
to profane persons, this seemeth to be a strange reason, saith
an interpreter; but it is a very good one, as this prophet knew,
who therefore makes it his plea. John Trapp.
Verse 12. "Strong bulls of Bashan have beset
me round." These animals are remarkable for the proud,
fierce, and sullen manner in which they exercise their great
strength. Such were the persecutors who now beset our Lord.
These were first, human, and secondly, spiritual foes; and both
were alike distinguished by the proud, fierce, and sullen manner
in which they assaulted him. John Stevenson.
Verses 12, 13. "Bashan" was a fertile
country (Numbers 32:4), and the cattle there fed were fat and
"strong." Deuteronomy 32:14. Like them, the Jews, in
that good land, "waxed fat and kicked," grew proud,
and rebelled; forsook God "that made them, and lightly
esteemed the rock of their salvation." George Horne.
Verse 13. A helpless infant, or a harmless lamb,
surrounded by furious bulls, and hungry lions, aptly represented
the Saviour encompassed by his insulting and bloody persecutors.
Thomas Scott, 1747-1821.
Verse 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." He was faint. Such a feeling
of languor and faintness supervened that language fails to
express it, and the emblem of "water poured out" is
employed to represent it. As the water falls from the vessel to
the earth, see how its particles separate farther and farther
from each other. Its velocity increases as it falls. It has no
power to stay itself midway, much less to return to its place.
It is the very picture of utter weakness. So did our Lord feel
himself to be when hanging on the cross. He was faint with
weakness. The sensations experienced when about to faint away
are very overpowering. We appear to our own consciousness to be
nothing but weakness, as water poured out. All our bones feel
relaxed and out of joint; we seem as though we had none. The
strength of bone is gone, the knitting of the joints is
loosened, and the muscular vigour fled. A sickly giddiness
overcomes us. We have no power to bear up. All heart is lost.
Our strength disappears like that of wax, of melting wax, which
drops upon surrounding objects, and is lost. Daniel thus
describes his sensations on beholding the great vision,
"There remained no strength in me: for my vigour was turned
into corruption, and I retained no strength." Daniel 10:8.
In regard, however, to the faintness which our Lord experienced,
we ought to notice this additional and remarkable circumstance,
that he did not altogether faint away. The relief of
insensibility he refused to take. When consciousness ceases, all
perception of pain is necessarily and instantly terminated. But
our Lord retained his full consciousness throughout the awful
scene; and patiently endured for a considerable period, those,
to us, insupportable sensations which precede the actual swoon. John
Stevenson.
Verse 14. "I am poured out like water:"
that is, in the thought of my enemies I am utterly destroyed.
"For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the
ground, which cannot be gathered up again." 2 Samuel 14:14.
"What marvel," asks St. Bernard, "that the name
of the Bridegroom should be as ointment poured forth, when he
himself, for the greatness of his love, was poured forth like
water!" J. M. Neale.
Verse 14. "I am poured out like water,"
i.e., I am almost past all recovery, as water spilt upon the
ground. John Trapp.
Verse 14. "All my bones are out of
joint." The rack is devised as a most exquisite
pain, even for terror. And the cross is a rack,
whereon he was stretched till, saith the Psalm, "all his
bones were out of joint." But even to stand, as
he hung, three long hours together, holding up but the
arms at length, I have heard it avowed of some that have felt
it, to be a pain scarce credible. But the hands and the feet
being so cruelly nailed (part, of all other, most
sensible, by reason of the texture of sinews there in them most)
it could not but make his pain out of measure painful. It was
not for nothing, that dolores acerrimi dicuntur cruciatus
(saith the heathen man), that the most sharp and bitter pains of
all other have their name from hence, and are called cruciatus—pains
like those of the cross. It had a meaning, that they
gave him, that he had (for his welcome to the cross)
a cup mixed with gall or myrrh; and (for his farewell) a
sponge of vinegar; to show by the one the bitterness,
and by the other the sharpness of the pains of this
painful death. Lancelot Andrewes.
Verse 14. "All my bones are out of
joint." We know that the greatest and most intolerable
pain that the body can endure, is that arising from a bone out
of its place, or dislocated joint. Now when the Lord was raised
up upon the cross, and his sacred body hung in the air from the
nails, all the joints began to give, so that the bones were
parted the one from the other so visibly that, in very truth (as
David had prophesied) they might tell all his bones, and
thus, throughout the whole body, he endured acute torture.
Whilst our Lord suffered these torments, his enemies, who had so
earnestly desired to see him crucified, far from pitying him,
were filled with delight, as though celebrating a victory. Fra
Thom‚ de Jesu.
Verse 15. "My strength is dried up,"
etc. Inflammation must have commenced early and violently in the
wounded parts—then been quickly imparted to those that were
strained, and have terminated in a high degree of feverish
burning over the whole body. The animal juices would be thus
dried up, and the watery particles of the blood absorbed. The
skin parched by the scorching sun till midday would be unable to
supply or to imbibe any moisture. The loss of blood at the hands
and feet would hasten the desiccation. Hence our Lord says,
"My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue
cleaveth to my jaws." The fever would devour his small
remaining strength. And THIRST, that most intolerable of all
bodily privations, must have been overpowering. His body
appeared to his feeling like a potsherd that had been charred in
the potter's kiln. It seemed to have neither strength nor
substance left in it. So feeble had he become, so parched and
dried up that CLAMMINESS OF THE MOUTH, one of the forerunners of
immediate dissolution, had already seized him; "My tongue
cleaveth to my jaws, and thou hast brought me into the dust of
death." John Stevenson.
Verse 15. "My strength is dried up;"
not as in the trial of gold and silver, but "like a
potsherd," as the earthen vessel dried up by the heat,
spoken in humiliation. Isaac Williams, in loc.
Verse 15. "A potsherd." (Heb.)
rendered potsherd, is a word which denotes a piece of
earthenware, frequently in a broken state. As employed in the
verse under consideration, it seems to derive considerable
illustration from the corresponding word in ARABIC, which
expresses roughness of skin, and might well convey to the mind
the idea of the bodily appearance of one in whom the moisture of
the fluids had been dried up by the excess of grief. John
Morison.
Verse 15. That hour what his feelings were is
dangerous to define: we know them not; we may be too bold to
determine of them. To very good purpose it was that the ancient
Fathers of the Greek church in their liturgy, after they had
recounted all the particular pains, as they are set down in his
passion, and by all and by everyone of them called for mercy,
do, after all, shut up with this Di agnwstwn kopwn basanwn
elehson ki swson emas. By thine unknown sorrows and
sufferings, felt by thee, but not distinctly known by us, have
mercy upon us and save us. Lancelot Andrewes.
Verse 16. "Dogs have compassed me."
So great and varied was the malignity exhibited by the enemies
of our Lord, that the combined characteristics of two species of
ferocious animals were not adequate to its representation.
Another emblematical figure is therefore introduced. The
assembly of the wicked is compared to that of "dogs"
who haunt about the cities, prowl in every corner, snarl over
the carrion, and devour it all with greediness—like
"dogs," with their wild cry in full pursuit, with
unfailing scent tracking their victim, with vigilant eye on all
its movements, and with a determination which nothing can
falter, they run it on to death. The Oriental mode of hunting,
both in ancient and modern times, is murderous and merciless in
the extreme. A circle of several miles in circumference is beat
round; and the men, driving all before them, and narrowing as
they advance, inclose the prey on every side. Having thus made
them prisoners, the cruel hunters proceed to slaughter at their
own convenience. So did the enemies of our Lord: long before his
crucifixion it is recorded that they used the most treacherous
plans to get him into their power. John Stevenson.
Verse 16. "Dogs have compassed me."
At the hunting of the lion, a whole district is summoned to
appear, who, forming themselves first into a circle, enclose a
space of four or five miles in compass, according to the number
of the people and the quality of the ground which is pitched
upon for the scene of action. The footmen advance first, running
into the thickets with their dogs and spears, to put up the
game; while the horsemen, keeping a little behind, are always
ready to charge upon the first sally of the wild beast. In this
manner they proceed, still contracting their circle, till they
all at last close in together, or meet with some other game to
divert them. Dr. Shaw's Travels, quoted in Paxton's
"Illustrations of Scripture."
Verse 16. "They pierced my hands and my
feet;" namely, when they nailed Christ to the cross.
Matthew 27:35; John 20:25. Where let me simulate, saith a
learned man, the orator's gradation, Facinus vincire civem
Romanum, etc. It was much for the Son of God to be bound,
more to be beaten, most of all to be slain; Quid dicam in
crucem tolle? but what shall I say to this, that he was
crucified? That was the most vile and ignominious; it was also a
cruel and cursed kind of death, which yet he refused not; and
here we have a clear testimony for his cross. John Trapp.
Verse 16. "They pierced my hands and my
feet." Of all sanguinary punishments, that of
crucifixion is one of the most dreadful—no vital part is
immediately affected by it. The hands and the feet which are
furnished with the most numerous and sensitive organs, are
perforated with nails, which must necessarily be of some size to
suit their intended purpose. The tearing asunder of the tender
fibres of the hands and feet, the lacerating of so many nerves,
and bursting so many blood-vessels, must be productive of
intense agony. The nerves of the hand and foot are intimately
connected, through the arm and leg, with the nerves of the whole
body; their laceration therefore must be felt over the entire
frame. Witness the melancholy result of even a needle's puncture
in even one of the remotest nerves. A spasm is not unfrequently
produced by it in the muscles of the face, which locks the jaws
inseparably. When, therefore the hands and feet of our blessed
Lord were transfixed with nails, he must have felt the sharpest
pangs shoot through every part of his body. Supported only by
his lacerated limbs, and suspended from his pierced hands, our
Lord had nearly six hours' torment to endure. John Stevenson.
Verse 16. "They pierced my hands and my
feet." That evangelical prophet testifies it,
"Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my
hands." Isaiah 49:16. Were we not engraven there when his
hands were pierced for us? "They digged my hands and my
feet." And they digged them so deep, that the very prints
remained after his resurrection, and their fingers were thrust
into them for evidence sake. Some have thought that those scars
remain still in his glorious body, to be showed at his second
appearing: "They shall see him whom they have
pierced." That is improbable, but this is certain; there
remains still an impression upon Christ's hands and his heart,
the sealing and wearing of the elect there, as precious jewels. Thomas
Adams.
Verse 17. "I may tell all my bones: they look
and stare upon me." The skin and flesh were distended
by the posture of the body on the cross, that the bones, as
through a thin veil, became visible, and might be counted. George
Horne.
Verse 17. "I may tell all my bones."
For, as the first Adam by his fall, lost the robe of innocence,
and thenceforth needed other garments, so the second Adam
vouchsafed to be stripped of his earthly vestments, to the end
it might hereafter be said to us, "Bring forth the first
robe, and put it on him." Luke 15:22. Gerhohus, quoted
by J. M. Neale.
Verse 17. "They look and stare upon me."
Sensitively conscious of his condition upon the cross, the
delicate feelings of the holy Saviour were sorely pained by the
gaze of the multitude. With impudent face they looked upon him.
To view him better they halted as they walked. With deliberate
insolence they collected in groups, and made their remarks to
each other on his conduct and appearance. Mocking his naked,
emaciated, and quivering body, they "looked and stared upon
him." John Stevenson.
Verse 17. "They look and stare upon me."
Oh, how different is that look which the awakened sinner directs
to Calvary, when faith lifts up her eye to him who agonised, and
bled, and died, for the guilty! And what gratitude should
perishing men feel, that from him that hangs upon the accursed
tree there is heard proceeding the inviting sound, "Look
unto me, and be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth, for I am
God, and besides me there is none else. John Morison.
Verse 18. "They part my garments,"
etc. Perfectly naked did the cruciarii hang upon the cross, and
the executioners received their clothes. There is nothing to
show that there was a cloth even round the loins. The clothes
became the property of the soldiers, after Roman usage. The
outer garment was divided probably into four, by ripping up the
seams. Four soldiers were counted off as a guard, by the Roman
code. The under garment could not be divided being woven; and
this led the soldiers to the dice-throwing. J. P. Lange, D.D.,
on Matthew, 27:35.
Verse 18. "They part my garments,"
etc. Instruments will not be wanting to crucify Christ, if it
were but for his old clothes, and those but little worth; for
these soldiers crucify him, though they got but his garments for
their reward. Christ did submit to suffer naked, hereby to teach
us:—1. That all flesh are really naked before God by reason of
sin (Exodus 32:25; 2 Chronicles 28:19), and therefore our Surety
behoved to suffer naked. 2. That he offered himself a real
captive in his sufferings, that so he might fully satisfy
justice by being under the power of his enemies, till he
redeemed himself by the strong hand, having fully paid the
price; for therefore did he submit to be stripped naked, as
conquerors use to do with prisoners. 3. That by thus suffering
naked he would expiate our abuse of apparel, and purchase to us
a liberty to make use of suitable raiment, and such as becometh
us in our station. 4. That by this suffering naked he would
purchase unto them who flee to him, to be covered with
righteousness and glory, and to walk with him in white for ever,
and would point out the nakedness of those, who, not being found
clothed with his righteousness, shall not be clothed upon with
immortality and glory. 2 Corinthians 5:2, 3. 5. He would also by
this, teach all his followers to resolve on nakedness in their
following of him, as a part of their conformity with their Head
(1 John 4:17; Romans 8:35; Hebrews 11:37), and that therefore
they should not dote much on their apparel when they have it. George
Hutcheson, 1657.
Verse 18. "And cast lots upon my
vesture." Trifling as this act of casting the lot for
our Lord's vesture may appear, it is most significant. It
contains a double lesson. It teaches us how greatly that
seamless shirt was valued; how little he to whom it had
belonged. It seemed to say, this garment is more valuable than
its owner. As it was said of the thirty pieces of silver,
"A goodly price at which I was prized at of them;" so
may we say regarding the casting of the lot, "How cheaply
Christ was held!" John Stevenson.
Verse 20. "My darling" had better be
rendered "my lonely, or solitary one." For he wishes
to say that his soul was lonely and forsaken by all, and that
there was no one who sought after him as a friend, or cared for
him, or comforted him: as we have it, Psalm 142:4, "Refuge
failed me; no one cared for my soul; I looked on my right hand,
but there was no one who would know me;" that is, solitude
is of itself a certain cross, and especially so in such great
torments, in which it is most grievous to be immersed without an
example and without a companion. And yet, in such a state,
everyone of us must be, in some suffering or other, and
especially in that of death; and we must be brought to cry out
with Psalm 25:16, "Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon
me, for I am desolate and afflicted." Martin Luther.
Verse 20. "The dog." It is scarcely
possible for a European to form an idea of the intolerable
nuisance occasioned in the villages and cities of the East, by
the multitudes of dogs that infest the streets. The natives,
accustomed from their earliest years to the annoyance, come to
be regardless of it; but to a stranger, these creatures are the
greatest plague to which he is subjected; for as they are never
allowed to enter a house, and do not constitute the property of
any particular owner, they display none of those habits of which
the domesticated species among us are found susceptible, and are
destitute of all those social qualities which often render the
dog the trusty and attached friend of man. . . . The race seems
wholly to degenerate in the warm regions of the East, and to
approximate to the character of beasts of prey, as in
disposition they are ferocious, cunning, bloodthirsty, and
possessed of the most insatiable voracity: and even in their
very form there is something repulsive; their sharp and savage
features; their wolf-like eyes; their long hanging ears; their
straight and pointed tails; their lank and emaciated forms,
almost entirely without a belly, give them an appearance of
wretchedness and degradation, that stands in sad contrast with
the general condition and qualities of the breed in Europe. . .
. These hideous creatures, dreaded by the people for their
ferocity, or avoided by them as useless and unclean, are obliged
to prowl about everywhere in search of a precarious existence. .
. . They generally run in bands, and their natural ferocity,
inflamed by hunger, and the consciousness of strength, makes
them the most troublesome and dangerous visitors to the stranger
who unexpectedly finds himself in their neighbourhood, as they
will not scruple to seize whatever he may have about him, and
even, in the event of his falling, and being otherwise
defenceless, to attack and devour him. . . These animals, driven
by hunger, greedily devour everything that comes in their way;
they glut themselves with the most putrid and loathsome
substances that are thrown about the cities, and of nothing are
they so fond as of human flesh, a repast, with which the
barbarity of the despotic countries of Asia frequently supplies
them, as the bodies of criminals slain for murder, treason, or
violence, are seldom buried, and lie exposed till the mangled
fragments are carried off by the dogs. From
"Illustrations of Scripture, by the late Professor George
Paxton, D.D., revised and enlarged by Robert Jamieson,"
1843.
Verse 21. "Save me from the lion's
mouth." Satan is called a lion, and that fitly; for he
hath all the properties of the lion: as bold as a lion, as
strong as a lion, as furious as a lion, as terrible as the
roaring of a lion. Yea, worse: the lion wants subtlety and
suspicion; herein the devil is beyond the lion. The lion will
spare the prostrate, the devil spares none. The lion is full and
forbears, the devil is full and devours. He seeks all; let not
the simple say, He will take no notice of me; nor the subtle, He
cannot overreach me; nor the noble say, He will not presume to
meddle with me; nor the rich, He dares not contest with me; for
he seeks to devour all. He is our common adversary, therefore
let us cease all quarrels amongst ourselves, and fight with him.
Thomas Adams.
Verse 21. "Save me . . . from the horns of the
unicorns." Those who are in great trouble from the
power or cruelty of others, often cry out to their gods,
"Ah! save me from the tusk of the elephant! from the mouth
of the tiger and the tusks of the boar, deliver me, deliver
me!" Who will save me from the horn of the K„ndam?"
This animal is now extinct in these regions, and it is not easy
to determine what it was; the word in the Sathur —Agar„the—is
rendered "jungle cow." Joseph Roberts.
Verse 21. "The horns of the unicorns."
On turning to the Jewish Bible we find that the word (Heb.) is
translated as buffalo, and there is no doubt that this rendering
is nearly the correct one, and at the present day naturalists
are nearly agreed that the reˆm of the Old Testament must have
been now the extinct urus. . . . The presence of these horns
affords a remarkable confirmation to a well-known passage in
Julias Caesar's familiar "Commentaries." "The uri
are little inferior to elephants in size ("magnitudine
paulo infra elephantos;") "but are bulls in their
nature, color, and figure. Great is their strength, and great
their swiftness; nor do they spare man or beast when they have
caught sight of them." J. G. Wood, M.A., F.L.S., in
"Bible Animals." 1869.
Verse 22. "I will declare thy name unto my
brethren." Having thus obtained relief from the
oppressive darkness, and regained conscious possession of the
joy and light of his Father's countenance, the thoughts and
desires of the Redeemer flow into their accustomed channel. The
glory of God in the salvation of his church. John Stevenson.
Verse 22. "My brethren." This give
evidence of the low condescension of the Son of God, and also of
the high exaltation of sons of men; for the Son of God to be a
brother to sons of men is a great degree of humiliation, and for
the sons of men to be made brethren with the Son of God is a
high degree of exaltation; for Christ's brethren are in that
respect sons of God, heirs of heaven, or kings, not earthly, but
heavenly; not temporary, but everlasting kings. . . . This
respect of Christ to his brethren is a great encouragement and
comfort to such as are despised and scorned by men of this world
for Christ's professing of them. William Gouge.
Verse 24. "For he hath not despised nor
abhorred the prayer of the poor, neither hath he hid his face
from me; but when I cried unto him, he heard me." Let
him, therefore, that desires to be of the seed of Israel, and to
rejoice in the grace of the gospel, become poor, for this is a
fixed truth, our God is one that has respect unto the poor! And
observe the fulness and diligence of the prophet. He was not
content with having said "will not despise," but adds,
"and will not abhor;" and, again, "will not turn
away his face;" and again, "will hear." And then
he adds himself as an example, saying, "When I cried,"
as our translation has it. As if he had said, "Behold ye,
and learn by my example, who have been made the most vile of all
men, and numbered among the wicked; when I was despised, cast
out, rejected, behold! I was held in the highest esteem, and
taken up, and heard. Let not this state of things, therefore,
after this, my encouraging example, frighten you; the gospel
requires a man to be such a character before it will save him.
These things, I say, because our weakness requires so much
exhortation, that it might not dread being humbled, nor despair
when humbled, and thus might, after the bearing of the cross,
receive the salvation. Martin Luther.
Verse 25. "My praise shall be of thee in the
great congregation," etc. The joy and gratitude of our
adorable Lord rise to such a height at this great deliverance,
his heart so overflows with fresh and blessed consciousness of
his heavenly Father's nearness, that he again pours forth the
expression of his praise. By its repetition, he teaches us that
this is not a temporary burst of gratitude, but an abiding
determination, a full and settled resolution. John Stevenson.
Verse 25. "In the great congregation."
Saints are fittest witnesses of sacred duties. That which, in
Psalm 116:14, is implied under this particle of restraint,
"his," in "the presence of all his people,"
is in Psalm 22:25, more expressly noted by a more apparent
description, thus: "I will pay my vows before them that
fear him." None but true saints do truly fear God. 1.
This property of God's people, that they fear the Lord, showeth
that they will make the best use of such sacred, solemn duties
performed in their presence. They will glorify God for this your
zeal; they will join their spirits with your spirit in this open
performance of duty; they will become followers of you, and
learn of you to vow and pay unto the Lord, and that openly,
publicly. 2. As for others, they are no better than such hogs
and dogs as are not meet to have such precious pearls and holy
things cast before them, lest they trample them under their
feet. William Gouge.
Verse 26. "The meek shall eat and be
satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him; your heart
shall live for ever." A spiritual banquet is prepared
in the church for the "meek" and lowly in
heart. The death of Christ was the sacrifice for sin; his flesh
is meat indeed, and his blood is drink indeed. The poor in
spirit feed on this provision, in their hearts by faith, and are
satisfied; and thus, whilst they "seek" the
Lord, they "praise" him also, and their "hearts"
(or souls), are preserved unto eternal life. Practical
Illustrations of the Book of Psalms," 1826.
Verse 26. "The meek." Bonaventure
engraved this sweet saying of our Lord, "Learn of me, for I
am meek and lowly in heart," in his study. O that this
saying was engraved upon all your foreheads, and upon all your
hearts! Charles Bradbury.
Verse 26. "They shall praise the Lord that
seek him; your heart shall live for ever." Now, I would
fain know the man that ever went about to form such laws as
should bind the hearts of men, or prepare such rewards as
should reach the souls and consciences of men! Truly, if any
mortal man should make a law that his subjects should love him
with all their hearts and souls, and not dare, upon peril of his
greatest indignation, to entertain a traitorous thought against
his royal person, but presently confess it to him, or else he
would be avenged on him, he would deserve to be more laughed at
for his pride and folly, than Xerxes for casting his fetters
into the Hellespont, to chain the waves into his obedience; or
Caligula, that threatened the air, if it durst rain when he was
at his pastimes, who durst not himself so much as look into the
air when it thundered. Certainly a madhouse would be more fit
for such a person than a throne, who should so far forfeit his
reason, as to think that the thoughts and hearts of men were
within his jurisdiction. William Gurnall.
Verse 26. "Your heart," that is, not
your outward man, but the hidden man of the heart (Ezekiel
36:26); the new man which is created after the image of God in
righteousness and true holiness, "shall live for
ever." The life which animates it is the life of the
Spirit of God. John Stevenson.
Verse 27. "All the ends of the world shall
remember and turn unto the Lord; and all the kindreds of the
nations shall worship before him." This passage is a
prediction of the conversion of the Gentiles. It furnishes us
with two interesting ideas; the nature of true conversion—and
the extent of it under the reign of the Messiah. 1. The NATURE
of true conversion: —It is to "remember"—to
"turn to the Lord"—and to "worship
before him." This is a plain and simple process.
Perhaps the first religious exercise of mind of which we are
conscious is reflection. A state of unregeneracy is a state of
forgetfulness. God is forgotten. Sinners have lost all just
sense of his glory, authority, mercy, and judgment; living as if
there were no God, or as if they thought there was none. But if
ever we are brought to be the subjects of true conversion, we
shall be brought to remember these things. This divine change is
fitly expressed by the case of the prodigal, who is said to have
come to himself, or to his right mind. But further, true
conversion consists not only in remembering, but in "turning
to the Lord." This part of the passage is expressive of
a cordial relinquishment of our idols, whatever they have been,
and an acquiescence in the gospel way of salvation by Christ
alone. Once more, true conversion to Christ will be accompanied
with the "worship" of him. Worship, as a
religious exercise, is the homage of the heart, presented to God
according to his revealed will. . . . 2. The EXTENT of
conversion under the kingdom or reign of the Messiah: "All
the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord; and
all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before him."
It was fit that the accession of the Gentiles should be reserved
for the gospel day, that it might grace the triumph of Christ
over his enemies, and appear to be what it is, "the travail
of his soul." This great and good work, begun in the
apostles' day, must go on, and "must increase,"
till "All the ends of the world shall remember and
turn," and "all the kindreds of the nations
shall worship before him." Conversion work has been individual;
God has gathered sinners one by one. Thus it is at present with
us; but it will not be thus always. People will flock to Zion as
doves to their windows. Further, conversion work has hitherto
been circumscribed within certain parts of the world. But the
time will come when "all the kindreds of the earth"
shall worship. These hopes are not the flight of an ardent
imagination; they are founded on the true sayings of God.
Finally, while we are concerned for the world, let us not forget
our own souls. So the whole world be saved and we lost, what
will it avail us? Condensed from Andrew Fuller.
Verse 27. "All the ends of the world shall
REMEMBER"—this is a remarkable expression. It implies
that man has forgotten God. It represents all the successive
generations of the world as but one, and then it exhibits
that one generation, as if it had been once in paradise,
suddenly remembering the Lord whom it had known there, but had
long forgotten. . . . The converted nations, we learn by this
verse, will not only obtain remembrance of their past loss, but
will also be filled with the knowledge of present duty. John
Stevenson.
Verse 27. "All the nations of the world"
((Heb.) jizkeru, the same Hebrew root with (Heb.) azkir)
"shall remember;" why? what is that? or what
shall they remember? Even this: they shall turn to the Lord, and
worship him, in his name, in his ordinances; as is explained in
the words following of this verse: "And all the families
of the nations" ((Heb.) jishtachavu, "shall
bow" down themselves, or) "worship before
thee," etc. And so in Psalm 86:9, "All nations
whom thou hast made shall come" ((Heb.) vejishtachavu)
"and they shall worship before thee;" and how shall
they do so? Even by recording, remembering, and making mention
of the glory of thy name; as in the words following ((Hebrew) vicabbedu
lishmecha), "and shall glorify thy name." William
Strong's "Saints Communion with God," 1656.
Verses 27, 28. The one undeviating object of the Son
all through was, the glory of the Father: he came to do his
will, and he fulfilled it with all the unvarying intensity of
the most heavenly affection. What, then, will not be the
exuberant joy of his heart, when in his glorious kingdom, he
shall see the Father beyond all measure glorified? . . . The
praise and honour and blessing which will be yielded to the
Father in that day through him, so that God shall be all in all,
will make him feel he underwent not a sorrow too much for such a
precious consummation. . . . Every note of thanksgiving which
ascends to the Father, whether from the fowls of the air, or the
beasts of the field, or the fishes of the sea, or the hills, or
the mountains, or the trees of the forest, or the rivers of the
valleys—all shall gladden his heart, as sweet in the ears of
God, for the sake of him who redeemed even them from the curse,
and restored to them a harmony more musical than burst from them
on the birthday of their creation. And man! renewed and
regenerated man! for whose soul the blood was spilt, and for the
redemption of whose body death was overcome, how shall the
chorus of his thanksgiving, in its intelligent and articulate
hallelujahs, be the incense which that Saviour shall still love
to present unto the Father, a sweet-smelling savour through
himself, who, that he might sanctify his people by his own
blood, suffered without the camp. How are the channels choked up
or impaired in this evil world, wherein the praise and glory of
our God should flow as a river! How will Christ then witness, to
the delight of his soul, all cleared and restored! No chill upon
the heart, no stammering in the tongue, in his Father's praises!
No understanding dull, or eye feeble, in the apprehension of his
glory! No hand unready, or foot stumbling, in the fulfilling of
his commandments. God, the glory of his creatures: his glory
their service and their love; and all this the reward to
Jesus of once suffering himself. C. J. Goodhart, M.A., in
"Bloomsbury Lent Lectures," 1848.
Verse 29. "And they shall bow that go down
into the dust; their soul liveth not:" that is, whose
soul liveth not, by an Hebraism; it being meant, that he who
is of most desperate condition, being without hope of life and
salvation, his sins are so notorious, shall "eat" also
of this feast, and be turned to God to "worship" and
serve him; being thus plucked out of the jaws of death and
everlasting destruction, as it were, being before this very hour
ready to seize upon him. The new translation, "None can
keep alive his own soul," as it agreeth not with the
Hebrew, so it makes the sense more perplexed. By "him
that goeth down to the dust, whose soul liveth not,"
some understand the most miserably poor, who have nothing to
feed upon, whereby their life may be preserved, yet shall feed
also of this feast as well as the rich, and praise God.
Ainsworth is for either spiritually poor and miserable, because
most wicked, or worldly poor; and there is an exposition of
Basil's, understanding by the rich, the rich in faith and grace,
touching which, or the rich properly so called, he is
indifferent. But because it is said, "The fat of the
earth," I prefer the former, and that the close of the
verse may best answer to the first part; the latter by "those
that are going to the dust," understand the miserably
poor. So that there is a commonplace of comfort for all, both
richest and poorest, if they be subjects of God's kingdom of
grace: their souls shall be alike fed by him and saved. John
Mayer.
Verse 29. "All they that go down to the
dust;" either those who stand quivering on the brink of
the grave, or those who occupy the humble, sequestered walks of
life. As the great and opulent of the earth are intended in the
first clause, it is not by any means unnatural to suppose that
the image of going "down to the dust," is
designed to represent the poor and mean of mankind, who are
unable to support themselves, and to provide for their
multiplied necessities. If the grave be alluded to, as is
thought by many eminent divines, the beautiful sentiment of the
verse will be, that multitudes of dying sinners shall be brought
to worship Jehovah, and that those who cannot save or deliver
themselves shall seek that shelter which none can find but those
who approach the mercy-seat. "Rich and poor," as
Bishop Horne observes, "are invited"—that is, to
"worship God;" "and the hour is coming when all
the race of Adam, as many as sleep in the 'dust' of the earth,
unable to raise themselves from thence, quickened and called
forth by the voice of the Son of Man, must bow the knee to King
Messiah." John Morison.
Verse 29. To be brought to the dust, is, at first, a
circumlocution or description of death: "Shall the dust
praise thee, shall it declare thy truth?" Psalm 30:9.
That is, shall I praise thee when I am among the dead? "What
profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit?"
Not that profit, sure, I cannot bring thee in the tribute of
praise when my life's gone out. Secondly, to be brought to the
dust is a description of any low and poor condition. "All
they that be fat upon the earth" (that is, the great
and mighty), "shall eat and worship" "all they
that go down to the dust" (that is, the mean and base),
"shall bow before him." As if he had said, rich
and poor, high and low, the king and the beggar, have alike need
of salvation by Jesus Christ, and must submit unto him, that
they may be saved, for, as it there follows, "none can
keep alive his own soul." The captivity of the Jews in
Babylon is expressed under those notions of death, and of
dwelling in the dust (Isaiah 26:19); to show how low,
that no power but his who can raise the dead, could work their
deliverance. Joseph Caryl.
Verse 29. "None can keep alive his own
soul." And yet we look back to our conversion, and its
agonies of earnestness, its feelings of deep, helpless
dependence—of Christ's being absolutely our daily, hourly need
—supplier—as a past something—a stage of spiritual
life which is over. And we are satisfied to have it so.
The Spirit of God moved over our deadness, and breathed into us
the breath of life. My soul became a living soul. But was
this enough? God's word says, No. "None can keep alive
his own soul." My heart says, No. Truth must ever answer to
truth. I cannot (ah! have I not tried, and failed?) I cannot keep
alive my own soul. We cannot live upon ourselves. Our
physical life is kept up by supply from without—air, food,
warmth. So must the spiritual life. Jesus gives, Jesus feeds us
day by day, else must the life fade out and die. "None can keep
alive his own soul." It is not enough to be made alive.
I must be fed, and guided, and taught, and kept in life. Mother,
who hast brought a living babe into the world, is your work
done? Will you not nurse it, and feed it, and care for it, that
it may be kept alive? Lord, I am this babe. I live
indeed, for I can crave and cry. Leave me not, O my Saviour.
Forsake not the work of thine own hands. In thee I live. Hold
me, carry me, feed me, let me abide in thee. "For thy
kingdom is the Lord's: and he is the governor among the nations.
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." In our work for God, we need to
remember this. Is not the conversion, the arousing of sinners,
the great, and with many, the sole aim in working for God?
Should it be so? Let us think of this other work. Let us help to
keep alive. Perhaps it is less distinguished, as it may
be less distinguished to feed a starving child than to rescue a
drowning man. But let us walk less by sight, more by faith. Let
us not indeed neglect to call to life those who are spiritually
dead. But Oh! let us watch for the more hidden needs of the
living—the fading, starving, fainting souls, which yet can
walk and speak, and cover their want and sorrow. Let us be
fellow-workers with God in all his work. And with a deep
heart-feeling of the need of constant life supplies from
above, let us try how often, how freely, we may be made the
channels of those streams of the "water of
life,"—for "none can keep alive his own soul." Mary
B. M. Duncan, in "Bible Hours." 1856.
Verse 29. Having considered the vastness and glory of
the prospect, our Lord next contemplates the reality and
minuteness of its accomplishment. He sets before his mind
individual cases and particular facts. He appears to look upon
this picture of the future as we do upon a grand historical
painting of the past. It seems natural to gaze with silent
admiration on the picture as a whole, then to fix the attention
on particular groups, and testify our sense of the general
excellence, by expatiating on the truth and beauty of the
several parts. John Stevenson.
Verse 30. "A seed shall serve him."
This figurative expression signifies Christ and his people, who
yield true obedience to God—they are called by this name in a
spiritual and figurative, but most appropriate sense. The idea
is taken from the operations of the husbandman who carefully
reserves every year a portion of his grain for seed. Though it
be small, compared with all the produce of his harvest, yet he
prizes it very highly and estimates it by the value of that crop
which it may yield in the succeeding autumn. Nor does he look
only to the quantity, he pays particular regard to the quality
of the seed. He reserves only the best, nay, he will put away
his own if spoiled, that he may procure better. The very
smallest quantity of really good seed, is, to him, an object of
great desire, and if by grievous failure of crops, he should not
be able to procure more than a single grain, yet would he accept
it thankfully, preserve it carefully, and plant it in the most
favourable soil. Such is the source from which the metaphor is
taken. John Stevenson.
Verse 31. "And shall declare his
righteousness." The occupation of the seed is to "declare,"
to testify from their own experience, from their own knowledge
and convictions, that grand subject, theme, or lesson, which
they have learned. . . . They will declare the righteousness of
God the Holy Ghost in his convictions of sin, in his reproofs of
conscience, in his forsaking of the impenitent, and in his
abiding with the believer. And in a special manner, they will
declare the righteousness of God the Son, during his human life,
in his sufferings, and death, as man's surety, by which he
"magnified the law, and made it honourable" (Isaiah
42:21), and on account of which they are able to address him by
this name, "The Lord our Righteousness." (Jeremiah
23:6.) John Stevenson.
Verse 31. "A people that shall be born."
What is this? What people is there that is not born? According
to my apprehensions I think this is said for this
reason—because the people of other kings are formed by laws,
by customs, and by manners; by which, however, you can never
move a man to true righteousness: it is only a fable of
righteousness, and a mere theatrical scene or representation.
For even the law of Moses could form the people of the Jews unto
nothing but unto hypocrisy. But the people of this King are not
formed by laws to make up an external appearance, but they are
begotten by water and by the Spirit unto a new creature of
truth. Martin Luther.
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER
Whole Psalm. The volume entitled "Christ on the
Cross," by Rev. J. Stevenson, has a sermon upon every
verse. We give the headings, they are suggestive. Verse
1. The Cry. 2. The Complaint. 3. The Acknowledgment. 4-6. The
Contrast. 6. The Reproach. 7. The Mockery. 8. The Taunt. 9, 10.
The Appeal. 11. The Entreaty. 12, 13. The Assault. 14. The
Faintness. 15. The Exhaustion. 16. The Piercing. 17. The
Emaciation. 17. The Insulting Gaze. 18. The Partition of the
Garments and Casting Lots. 19-21. The Importunity. 21. The
Deliverance. 22. The Gratitude. 23. The Invitation. 24. The
Testimony. 25. The Vow. 26. The Satisfaction of the Meek; the
Seekers of the Lord Praising Him; the Eternal Life. 27. The
Conversion of the World. 28. The Enthronement. 29. The Author of
the Faith. 30. The Seed. 31. The Everlasting Theme and
Occupation. The Finish of the Faith.
Verse 1. The Saviour's dying cry.
Verse 2. Unanswered prayer. Enquire the reason
for it; encourage our hope concerning it; urge to continue in
importunity.
Verse 3. Whatever God may do, we must settle it in our
minds that he is holy and to be praised.
Verse 4. God's faithfulness in past ages a plea for
the present.
Verses 4, 5. Ancient saints.
I.
Their life. "They trusted."
II.
Their practice. "They cried."
III.
Their experience. "Were not confounded."
IV.
Their voice to us.
Verses 6-18. Full of striking sentences upon our
Lord's suffering.
Verse 11. A saint's troubles, his arguments in prayer.
Verse 20. "My darling." A man's soul
to be very dear to him.
Verse 21 (first clause). "Lion's
mouth." Men of cruelty. The devil. Sin. Death. Hell.
Verse 22. Christ as a brother, a preacher, and a
precentor.
Verse 22. A sweet subject, a glorious preacher, a
loving relationship, a heavenly exercise.
Verse 23. A threefold duty, "praise him,
"glorify him;" "fear him;" towards one
object, "the Lord;" for three characters,
"ye that fear him, seed of Jacob, seed of Israel," which
are but one person.
Verse 23. Glory to God the fruit of the tree on which
Jesus died.
Verse 24. A consoling fact in history attested by
universal experience.
Verse 24. (first clause). A common fear
dispelled.
Verse 25. Public praise.
I.
A delightful exercise—"praise."
II.
A personal participation—"My praise."
III.
A fitting object—"of thee."
IV.
A special source—"from thee."
V.
An appropriate place—"in the great congregation."
Verse 25. (second clause). Vows. What
vows to make, when and how to make them, and the importance of
paying them.
Verse 26. Spiritual feasting. The guests, the
food, the host, and the satisfaction.
Verse 26. (second clause). Seekers who shall
be singers. Who they are? What they shall do? When? and what
is the reason for expecting that they shall?
Verse 27. (last clause). Life everlasting.
What lives? Source of life. Manner of life. Why for ever? What
occupation? What comfort to be derived from it?
Verse 27. Nature of true conversion, and extent of it
under the reign of the Messiah. Andrew Fuller.
Verse 27. The universal triumph of Christianity
certain.
Verse 27. The order of conversion. See the Exposition.
Verse 28. The empire of the King of kings as it is,
and as it shall be.
Verse 29. Grace for the rich, grace for the poor, but
all lost without it.
Verse 29 (last clause). A weighty text upon the
vanity of self-confidence.
Verse 30. The perpetuity of the church.
Verse 30 (last clause). Church history, the
marrow of all history.
Verse 31. Future prospects for the church.
I.
Conversions certain.
II.
Preachers promised.
III.
Succeeding generations blest.
IV.
Gospel published.
V.
Christ exalted.
WORK UPON THE TWENTY-SECOND PSALM
Christ on the Cross: An Exposition of the
Twenty-second Psalm. By the Rev. JOHN STEVENSON, Perpetual
Curate of Curry and Gunwalloe, Cornwall. 1842.