TITLE. Maschil of Asaph. An
instructive Psalm by Asaph. The history of the suffering church
is always edifying; when we see how the faithful trusted and
wrestled with their God in times of dire distress, we are
thereby taught how to behave ourselves under similar
circumstances; we learn moreover, that when fiery trial befalls
us, no strange thing happened unto us, we are following the
trail of the host of God.
DIVISION. From Ps 74:1-11 the poet
pleads the sorrows of the nation, and the despite done to the
assemblies of the Lord; then he urges former displays of divine
power as a reason for present deliverance (Ps 74:12-23). Whether
it is a prophetic Psalm, intended for use in troubles foreseen,
or whether it was written by a later Asaph, after the invasion
by Sennacherib or during the Maccabean wars, it would be very
hard to determine, but we see no difficulty in the first
supposition.
EXPOSITION
Verse 1. O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever?
To cast us off at all were hard, but when thou dost for so long
a time desert they people it is an evil beyond all
endurance—the very chief of woes and abyss of misery. It is
our wisdom when under chastisement to enquire, "Show me
wherefore thou contendest with me?" and if the affliction
be a protracted one, we should more eagerly enquire the purport
of it. Sin is usually at the bottom of all the hiding of the
Lord's face; let us ask the Lord to reveal the special form of
it to us, that we may repent of it, overcome it, and henceforth
forsake it. When a church is in a forsaken condition it must not
sit still in apathy, but turn to the hand which smiteth it, and
humbly enquire the reason why. At the same time, the enquiry of
the text is a faulty one, for it implies two mistakes. There are
two questions, which only admit of negative replies. "Hath
God cast away his people?" (Ro 11:1); and the other,
"Will the Lord cast off for ever?" (Ps 77:7). God is
never weary of his people so as to abhor them, and even when his
anger is turned against them, it is but for a small moment, and
with a view to their eternal good. Grief in its distraction asks
strange questions and surmises impossible terrors. It is a
wonder of grace that the Lord has not long ago put us away as
men lay aside cast off garments, but he hateth putting away, and
will still be patient with his chosen. Why doth thine anger
smoke against the sheep of thy pasture? They are thine, they are
the objects of thy care, they are poor, silly, and defenceless
things: pity them, forgive them, and come to their rescue. They
are but sheep, do not continue to be wroth with them. It is a
terrible thing when the anger of God smokes, but it is an
infinite mercy that it does not break into a devouring flame. It
is meet to pray the Lord to remove every sign of his wrath, for
it is to those who are truly the Lord's sheep a most painful
thing to be the objects of his displeasure. To vex the Holy
Spirit is no mean sin, and yet how frequently are we guilty of
it; hence it is no marvel that we are often under a cloud.
Verse 2. Remember thy congregation, which thou hast
purchased of old. What a mighty plea is redemption. O God,
canst thou see the blood mark on thine own sheep, and yet allow
grievous wolves to devour them? The church is no new purchase of
the Lord; from before the world's foundation the chosen were
regarded as redeemed by the Lamb slain; shall ancient love die
out, and the eternal purpose become frustrate? The Lord would
have his people remember the paschal Lamb, the bloodstained
lintel, and the overthrow of Egypt; and will he forget all this
himself? Let us put him in remembrance, let us plead together.
Can he desert his blood bought and forsake his redeemed? Can
election fail and eternal love cease to glow? Impossible. The
woes of Calvary, and the covenant of which they are the seal,
are the security of the saints.
The rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed. So
sweet a plea deserved to be repeated and enlarged upon. The
Lord's portion is his people—will he lose his inheritance? His
church is his kingdom, over which he stretches the rod of
sovereignty; will he allow his possessions to be torn from him?
God's property in us is a fact full of comfort: his value of us,
his dominion over us, his connection with us are all so many
lights to cheer our darkness. No man will willingly lose his
inheritance, and no prince will relinquish his dominions;
therefore we believe that the King of kings will hold his own,
and maintain his rights against all comers.
This mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt. The Lord's having
made Zion the especial centre of his worship, and place of his
manifestation, is yet another plea for the preservation of
Jerusalem. Shall the sacred temple of Jehovah be desecrated by
heathen, and the throne of the Great King be defiled by his
enemies? Has the Spirit of God dwelt in our hearts, and will he
leave them to become a haunt for the devil? Has he sanctified us
by his indwelling, and will he, after all, vacate the throne?
God forbid. It may be well to note that this Psalm was evidently
written with a view to the temple upon Zion, and not to the
tabernacle which was there in David's time, and was a mere tent;
but the destructions here bewailed were exercised upon the
carved work of a substantial structure. Those who had seen the
glory of God in Solomon's peerless temple might well mourn in
bitterness, when the Lord allowed his enemies to make an utter
ruin of that matchless edifice.
Verse 3. Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual
desolations. The ruin made had already long been an eyesore
to the suppliant, and there seemed no hope of restoration. Havoc
lorded it not only for a day or a year, but with perpetual
power. This is another argument with God. Would Jehovah sit
still and see his own land made a wilderness, his own palace a
desolation? Until he should arise, and draw near, the desolation
would remain; only his presence could cure the evil, therefore
is he entreated to hasten with uplifted feet for the deliverance
of his people. Even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the
sanctuary. Every stone in the ruined temple appealed to the
Lord; on all sides were the marks of impious spoilers, the
holiest places bore evidence of their malicious wickedness;
would the Lord for ever permit this? Would he not hasten to
overthrow the foe who defied him to his face, and profaned the
throne of his glory? Faith finds pleas in the worst
circumstances, she uses even the fallen stones of her desolate
palaces, and assails with them the gates of heaven, casting them
forth with the great engine of prayer.
Verse 4. Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy
congregations. Where thy people sang like angels, these
barbarians roar like beasts. When thy saints come together for
worship, these cruel men attack them with all the fury of lions.
They have no respect for the most solemn gatherings, but intrude
themselves and their blasphemies into our most hallowed
meetings. How often in times of persecution or prevalent heresy
has the church learned the meaning of such language. May the
Lord spare us such misery. When hypocrites abound in the church,
and pollute her worship, the case is parallel to that before us;
Lord save us from so severe a trial. They set up their ensigns
for signs. Idolatrous emblems used in war were set up over God's
altar, as an insulting token of victory, and of contempt for the
vanquished and their God. Papists, Arians, and the modern school
of Neologians, have, in their day, set up their ensigns for
signs. Superstition, unbelief, and carnal wisdom have
endeavoured to usurp the place of Christ crucified, to the grief
of the church of God. The enemies without do us small damage,
but those within the church cause her serious harm; by
supplanting the truth and placing error in its stead, they
deceive the people, and lead multitudes to destruction. As a Jew
felt a holy horror when he saw an idolatrous emblem set up in
the holy place, even so do we when in a Protestant church we see
the fooleries of Rome, and when from pulpits, once occupied by
men of God, we hear philosophy and vain deceit.
Verse 5. A man was famous according as he had
lifted up axes upon the thick trees. Once men were renowned
for felling the cedars and preparing them for building the
temple, but now the axe finds other work, and men are as proud
of destroying as their fathers were of erecting. Thus in the
olden times our sires dealt sturdy blows against the forests of
error, and laboured hard to lay the axe at the root of the
trees; but, alas! their sons appear to be quite as diligent to
destroy the truth and to overthrow all that their fathers built
up. O for the good old times again! O for an hour of Luther's
hatchet, or Calvin's mighty axe!
Verse 6. But now they break down the carved work
thereof at once with axes and hammers. The invaders were as
industrious to destroy as the ancient builders had been to
construct. Such fair carving it was barbarous to hew in pieces,
but the Vandals had no mercy and broke down all, with any weapon
which came to hand. In these days men are using axes and
sledgehammers against the gospel and the church. Glorious
truths, far more exquisite than the goodliest carving, are
cavilled over and smashed by the blows of modern criticism.
Truths which have upheld the afflicted and cheered the dying are
smitten by pretentious Goths, who would be accounted learned,
but know not the first principals of the truth. With sharp
ridicule, and heavy blows of sophistry, they break the faith of
some: and would, if it were possible, destroy the confidence of
the elect themselves. Assyrians, Babylonians, and Romans are but
types of spiritual foes who labour to crush the truth and the
people of God.
Verse 7. They have cast fire into thy sanctuary.
Axes and hammers were not sufficient for the purpose of the
destroyers, they must needs try fire. Malice knows no bounds.
Those who hate God are never sparing of the most cruel weapons.
To this day the enmity of the human heart is quite as great as
ever; and, if providence did not restrain, the saints would
still be as fuel for the flames. They have defiled by casting
down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground. They
made a heap of the temple, and left not one stone upon another.
When the Lord left Mount Zion, and the Roman gained entrance,
the military fury led the soldiers to burn out and root up the
memorial of the famous House of the Lord. Could the powers of
darkness have their way, a like fate would befall the church of
Christ. "Rase it, "say they, "rase it even to the
foundation thereof." Defilement to the church is
destruction; her foes would defile her till nothing of her
purity, and consequently of her real self, remained. Yet, even
if they could wreak their will upon the cause of Christ, they
are not able to destroy it, it would survive their blows and
fires; the Lord would hold them still like dogs on a leash, and
in the end frustrate all their designs.
Verse 8. They said in their hearts, Let us destroy
them together. It was no idle wish, their cruelty was
sincere, deep seated, a matter of their inmost heart.
Extirpation was the desire of Haman, and the aim of many another
tyrant; not a remnant of the people of God would have been left
if oppressors could have had their way. Pharaoh's policy to
stamp out the nation has been a precedent for others, yet the
Jews survive, and will: the bush though burning has not been
consumed. Even thus the church of Christ has gone through
baptism of blood and fire, but it is all the brighter for them.
They have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land. Here
is no allusion to places called synagogues, but to assemblies;
and as no assemblies for worship here held in but one place, the
ruin of the temple was the destruction of all the holy
gatherings, and so in effect all the meeting places were
destroyed. One object of persecutors has always been to put an
end to all conventicles, as they have called them. Keep them
from meeting and you will scatter them, so have the enemy said;
but, glory be to God, saints are independent of walls, and have
met on the hill side, by the moss, or in the catacombs, or in a
boat at sea. Yet has the attempt been almost successful, and the
hunt so hot, that the faithful have wandered in solitude, and
their solemn congregations have been, under such circumstances,
few and far between. What sighs and cries have in such times
gone up to the ears of the Lord God of Sabaoth. How happy are we
that we can meet for worship in any place we choose, and none
dare molest us.
Verse 9. We see not our signs. Alas, poor
Israel! No Urim and Thummim blazed on the High Priest's bosom,
and no Shechaniah shone from between the cherubim. The smoke of
sacrifice and cloud of incense no more arose from the holy hill;
solemn feasts were suspended, and even circumcision, the
covenant sign, was forbidden by the tyrant. We, too, as
believers, know what it is to lose our evidences and grope in
darkness; and too often do our churches also miss the tokens of
the Redeemer's presence, and their lamps remain untrimmed. Sad
complaint of a people under a cloud! There is no more any
prophet. Prophecy was suspended. No inspiring psalm or consoling
promise fell from bard or seer. It is ill with the people of God
when the voice of the preacher of the gospel fails, and a famine
of the word of life falls on the people. God sent ministers are
as needful to the saints as their daily bread, and it is a great
sorrow when a congregation is destitute of a faithful pastor. It
is to be feared, that with all the ministers now existing, there
is yet a dearth of men whose hearts and tongues are touched with
the celestial fire. Neither is there any among us that knoweth
how long. If someone could foretell an end, the evil might be
borne with a degree of patience, but when none can see a
termination, or foretell an escape, the misery has a hopeless
appearance, and is overwhelming. Blessed be God, he has not left
his church in these days to be so deplorably destitute of
cheering words; let us pray that he never may. Contempt of the
word is very common, and may well provoke the Lord to withdraw
it from us; may his long suffering endure the strain, and his
mercy afford us still the word of life.
Verse 10. O God, how long shall the adversary
reproach? Though we know not how long yet thou dost. The
times and seasons are with thee. When God is reproached, there
is hope for us, for it may be he will hearken and avenge his
dishonoured name. Wickedness has great license allowed it, and
justice lingers on the road; God has his reasons for delay, and
his seasons for action, and in the end it shall be seen that he
is not slack concerning his promise as some men count slackness.
Shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever? He will do so for
ever, unless thou dost give him his quietus. Wilt thou never
defend thyself, and stop slanderous tongues? Wilt thou always
endure the jeers of the profane? Is there to be no end to all
this sacrilege and cursing? Yes, it shall all be ended, but not
by and by. There is a time for the sinner to rage, and a time in
which patience bears with him; yet it is but a time, and then,
ah, then!
Verse 11. Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy
right hand? Wherefore this inaction, this indifference for
thine own honour and thy people's safety? How bold is the
suppliant! Does he err? Nay, verily, we who are so chill, and
distant, and listless in prayer are the erring ones. The kingdom
of heaven suffereth violence, and he who learns the art shall
surely prevail with God by its means. It is fit that we should
enquire why the work of grace goes on so slowly, and the enemy
has so much power over men: the inquiry may suggest practical
reflections of unbounded value.
"Why dost thou from the conflict stay?
Why do thy chariot wheels delay?
Lift up thyself, hell's kingdom shake,
Arm of the Lord, awake, awake."
Pluck it out of thy bosom. A bold simile, but dying men must
venture for their lives. When God seems to fold his arms we must
not fold ours, but rather renew our entreaties that he would
again put his hand to the work. O for more agony in prayer among
professing Christians, then should we see miracles of grace. We
have here before us a model of pleading, a very rapture of
prayer. It is humble, but very bold, eager, fervent, and
effectual. The heart of God is always moved by such entreaties.
When we bring forth out strong reasons, then will he bring forth
his choice mercies.
Verses 12-23. Having spread the sad case before the
Lord, the pleader now urges another series of arguments for
divine help. He reasons from the Lord's former wonders of grace,
and his deeds of power, imploring a repetition of the same
divine works.
Verse 12. For God is my King of old. How
consoling is this avowal! Israel in holy loyalty acknowledges
her King, and claims to have been his possession from of old,
and thence she derives a plea for defence and deliverance. If
the Lord be indeed the sole monarch of our bosoms, he will in
his love put forth his strength on our behalf; if from eternity
he has claimed us as his own, he will preserve us from the
insulting foe. Working salvation in the midst of the earth. From
the most remote period of Israel's history the Lord had worked
out for her many salvations; especially at the Red Sea, the very
heart of the world was astonished by his wonders of deliverance.
Now, every believer may plead at this day the ancient deeds of
the Lord, the work of Calvary, the overthrow of sin, death, and
hell. He who wrought out our salvation of old will not, cannot
desert us now. Each past miracle of grace assures us that he who
has begun to deliver will continue to redeem us from all evil.
His deeds of old were public and wrought in the teeth of his
foes, they were no delusions or make believes; and, therefore,
in all our perils we look for true and manifest assistance, and
we shall surely receive it.
Verse 21. O let not the oppressed return ashamed.
Though broken and crushed they come to thee with confidence;
suffer them not to be disappointed, for then they will be
ashamed of their hope. Let the poor and needy praise thy name.
By thy speedy answer to their cries make their hearts glad, and
they will render to thee their gladdest songs. It is not the way
of the Lord to allow any of those who trust in him to be put to
shame; for his word is, "He shall call upon me, and I will
deliver him, and he shall glorify me."
Verse 22. Arise, O God, plead thine own cause.
Answer thou the taunts of the profane by arguments which shall
annihilate both the blasphemy and the blasphemer. God's
judgments are awful replies to the defiance of his foes. When he
makes empires crumble, and smites persecutors to the heart, his
cause is pleaded by himself as none other could have advocated
it. O that the Lord himself would come into the battle field.
Long has the fight been trembling in the balance; one glance of
his eyes, one word from his lip, and the banners of victory
shall be borne on the breeze. Remember how the foolish man
reproacheth thee daily. The Lord is begged to remember that he
is himself reproached, and that by a mere man—that man a fool,
and he is also reminded that these foul reproaches are incessant
and repeated with every revolving day. It is bravely done when
faith can pluck pleas out of the dragon's mouth and out of the
blasphemies of fools find arguments with God.
Verse 23. Forget not the voice of thine enemies.
Great warrior let the enemy's taunt provoke thee to the fray.
They challenge thee; accept thou the gage of battle, and smite
them with thy terrible hand. If the cries of thy children are
too feeble to be heard, be pleased to note the loud voices of
thy foes and silence their profanities for ever. The tumult of
those that rise up against thee increaseth continually.
The ungodly clamour against thee and thy people, their
blasphemies are loud and incessant, they defy thee, even thee,
and because thou repliest not they laugh thee to scorn. They go
from bad to worse, from worse to worst; their fury swells like
the thunders of an advancing tempest. What will it come too?
What infamy will next be hurled at thee and thine? O God, wilt
thou for ever bear this? Hast thou no regard for thine honour,
no respect for thy glory? Much of this Psalm has passed over our
mind while beholding the idolatries of Rome, (the author visited
Rome in November and December, 1871, while this portion of the
Treasury of David was in progress) and remembering her bloody
persecution of the saints. O Lord, how long shall it be ere thou
wilt ease thyself of those profane wretches, the priests, and
cast the harlot of Babylon into the ditch of corruption? May the
church never cease to plead with thee till judgment shall be
executed, and the Lord avenged upon Antichrist.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Whole Psalm. There is one singularity in this Psalm
which reminds one strongly of Psalm 44: there is not one mention
of national or personal sin throughout, no allusion to the
Lord's righteous dealing in their punishment, no supplication
for pardon and forgiveness; and yet one can hardly doubt that
the writer of the Psalm, be he who he may, must have felt as
keenly as Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, or any other prophet of the
captivity, the sins and iniquities which had brought all this
sore evil upon them. But still, though there be expostulations,
there is no complaint; though there be mourning, there is no
murmuring; there is far more the cry of a smitten child,
wondering why, and grieving that his father's face is so turned
away from him in displeasure, and a father's hand so heavy on
the child of his love. Or, as we might almost say, it is like
the cry of one of those martyred ones beneath the altar,
wondering at the marauder and oppressor, and exclaiming,
"How long, O Lord, how long?" And yet it is the appeal
of one who was still a sufferer, still groaning under the
pressure of his calamities, "Why has thou cast us off for
ever? We see not our signs, there is no more any
prophet among us." Barton Bouchier.
Whole Psalm. The peculiarity of this Psalm is marred
by the very frequent use of the xeg, for ever: Ps
74:1,3,10. E. W. Hengstenberg.
Verse 1. This Psalm, and particularly these words, do
contain the church's sad lamentation over her deep affliction,
together with her earnest expostulations with God about the
cause. Two things there are that the church in these words doth
plead with God. First, The greatness of her affliction:
secondly, the nearness of he relation.
1. The greatness of her affliction. And there were
three things in her affliction that did make it lie very heavy
upon her. First, the root of this affliction; and that
was God's anger: Why doth thine anger smoke, etc.
Secondly, the height of this affliction; God was not only
angry, but he did smoke in his anger. Thirdly, the length
of this affliction: it was so long that God did seem to cast
them off for ever.
2. The nearness of her relation: Against the sheep of thy
pasture; as if they should have said, Lord, if thou hadst
done this against thine enemies, it had been no wonder; if thou
hadst poured out thy wrath against the vessels of wrath, it had
not been so much. But what! wilt thou draw out thy sword against
the sheep of thy pasture? It were no wonder that thou
shouldest take the fat and the strong, and pour out thy
judgments upon them; but wilt thou do it to thy sheep?
There be several doctrines that I may raise from these words;
as,
First doctrine: That God's people are his sheep.
Second doctrine: That God may be sorely angry with his own
people, with his own sheep.
Third doctrine: That when God is angry with his people, it
becomes them carefully to enquire into the cause.
Fourth doctrine: That when God's people are under
afflictions, they ought to take notice of, and be much affected
with, his anger, from which they do proceed.
Fifth doctrine: That God's people under affliction are, or
should be, more affected with his anger than with their smart.
This is that which the church doth complain of, not that the
church did so smart, but that God was displeased and angry; that
did most affect them.
Sixth doctrine: That God's people are apt to have misgiving
thoughts of God when they are in sore afflictions. God was angry
with his people, and their hearts did misgive them, as if God
did cast off his people.
Seventh doctrine: That God may be angry with his people, so
sore, and so long, that in the judgment of sense it may seem
that they are for ever cast off. Eighth doctrine: That though
the people of God may not murmur against his proceedings, yet
they may humbly expostulate with him about the cause. Joseph
Alleine. 1633-1668.
Verse 1. Why doth thine anger smoke, etc. Anger
is a fire; and in men, and other creatures enraged, a smoke
seemeth to go out of their nostrils. Xenophon saith of the
Thebans, when they are angry they breathe fire. This then is
spoken of God, after the manner of men. John Trapp.
Verse 1. The sheep of thy pasture. There is
nothing more imbecile than a sheep: simple, frugal, gentle,
tame, patient, prolific, timid, domesticated, stupid, useful.
Therefore, while the name of sheep is here used, it is
suggested how pressing the necessity is for divine assistance,
and how well befitting the Most High it would be to make their
cause his own. Lorinus.
Verse 2. Remember thy congregation. It is not
without reason that they do not say, Remember us, but Remember
thy congregation, not ours, but thine; nor that
because it has now begun to be thine, but which thou hast
purchased of old, the rod of thine inheritance which thou hast
redeemed: likewise, this Mount Zion; not wherein we, but
wherein thou hast dwelt. They had nothing which they
could bring before an angry God with greater confidence, than
the ancient lovingkindness shown to their fathers in former
days. Musculus.
Verse 2. The rod of thine inheritance. hlxg jbv,
the inheritance rod is the staff with which the
inheritance is measured; jkv hdmh hgq, the land surveyor's rod (Eze
40:3); and this is used as lrwg, the lot, is for the
portion, for the inheritance itself. E. W. Hengstenberg.
Verse 2. Thine inheritance. It signifies a
nation, which through all successions God had a peculiar right
and title to. Henry Hammond.
Verse 2. Thou hast redeemed, i.e., the
purchased people, by restoring them when they had been
alienated, and had fallen into the hands of others: like a goel,
or near kinsman, who ransoms a brother hurried into captivity,
and regains an inheritance that has been sold. Hermann
Venema.
Verse 3. Lift up thy feet. Or, thy hammers,
that is, "thy strokes, "to "stamp" or
"beat down" the enemy "unto perpetual
desolations." Thus the "feet" are used to
"tread down with, " Isa 26:6; and so the Greek taketh
it here, changing the metaphor, and translating it, "Thy
hands, "which are also instruments to strike down with. Or,
lift up thy feet, that is, come quickly to see the
perpetual desolations, which the enemy hath made. Henry
Ainsworth.
Verse 3. Lift up thy feet. Abu Walid renders
it, Tread hard upon thine enemies. The Jewish Arab, Shew
forth thy punishment, adding in a note that the lifting
up the feet implies punishment, the bringing under by force
being usually expressed by treading under the feet. Henry
Hammond.
Verse 3. Lift up thy feet, etc. To these desolations
they seek that God would lift up his footsteps, that is,
that he would approach. In Ge 29:1, there occurs the phrase, to
lift the feet; here the expression is much more marked—to
lift up the footsteps—and must be taken to mean a swift,
impetuous, majestic, and powerful approach; like a hero, who
strikes the ground with heavy tread, and advances rapidly with
far sounding footsteps. Hermann Venema.
Verse 3. In the sanctuary. Their cities had
been laid waste, their provinces, their farms, their vineyards,
their oliveyards. They themselves had been everywhere cut down
without striking a blow in defence, and their means of life had
been snatched away without resistance. Yet they speak not of
these things; not because things of this sort ought not to cause
grief, nor yet because the saints are not touched with a sense
of their loss; but because those things which threatened the
extinction of religion and the worship of God, overtopped the
feeling of all these other misfortunes with an intolerable
sorrow. Musculus.
Verse 4. Thine enemies roar, etc. The word gav
is used especially of the roar of the lion... In this place we
may justly extend the application of the verb to those noisy
words, whether mirthful or boastful, blasphemous against God and
calamitous to his people (Ps 74:10), breathing terror and
threatenings through edicts; or rude and senseless, as in their
idolatrous worship; or in their prayers and thoughtless songs.
As in Isa 52:5, its meaning is to howl. Hermann Venema.
Verse 4. They set up their ensigns for signs.
The meaning is, that the enemy, having abolished the signs of
the true God, of his people and religion, such as circumcision,
the feasts, sacrifices, the other ordinances of religion, and
other marks of liberty, substituted his own idolatrous signs, as
the signs of his authority and religion. Hermann Venema.
Verses 4-7. (The persecution under Antiochus.
B.C. 168.) Athenaeus proceeded to Jerusalem, where, with the
assistance of the garrison, he prohibited and suppressed every
observance of the Jewish religion, forced the people to profane
the Sabbath, to eat swine's flesh, and other unclean food, and
expressly forbade the national rite of circumcision. The Temple
was dedicated to Jupiter Olympus: the statue of that deity was
erected on part of the altar of burnt offerings, and sacrifice
duly performed... As a last insult, the feasts of the
Bacchanalia, the license of which, as they were celebrated in
the later ages of Greece, shocked the severe virtue of the older
Romans, were substituted for the national festival of
Tabernacles. The reluctant Jews were forced to join in these
riotous orgies, and to carry the ivy, the insignia of the god.
So near was the Jewish nation, and the worship of Jehovah, to
total extermination. Henry Hart Milman (1791-1868), in
"A History of the Jews."
(Under Titus.) And now the Romans, upon the flight of
the seditious into the city, and upon the burning of the holy
house itself, and of all the buildings lying round about it,
brought their ensigns to the temple, and set them over against
its eastern gate; and there did they offer sacrifices to them,
and there did they make Titus imperator, with the greatest
acclamation of joy. Josephus.
Verse 8. The synagogues of God. It is the
opinion of Spencer, Vitringa, and of the learned in general,
that the institution of synagogues for worship originated in the
reading of the law publicly after the collection of its volumes
by Ezra, and that, consequently, there were no such places of
solemn assembly previous to the Babylonish captivity. Some of
the Jews themselves have expressed a conviction that this is the
fact, and the Scriptures give no intimation of their existence
antecedently to that time. We are aware, however, that one of
the first Hebraists of the present day, the Rev. Dr. Macaul,
inclines to the opinion of an earlier origin than that generally
adopted. We quote his words: "The existence of such places
before the Babylonish captivity has been much disputed";
and most writers, arguing from the silence of the Old Testament,
incline to the opinion that they originated in Babylon, and that
after the restoration similar oratories were opened in the land
of Israel; and hence some infer that the Seventy-fourth Psalm,
which says in the eighth verse, They have burned up all the
synagogues in the land, was written in the post Babylonian
times. The argument from silence is, however, far from
conclusive. The translation of yrewm as synagogues, in
the verse just cited, might fairly lead to a similar translation
in some other passages which were confessedly written before the
captivity; and the circumstances, character, and necessities of
the Israelites, the great body of whom were far removed from the
temple, prove indisputably that in their towns and villages they
must have had some locality where they assembled on their
sabbaths, new moons, and other solemn days, for the purpose of
receiving instruction in the law, and for public prayer. That
locality, however different from subsequent arrangements, was
the origin of the synagogue. How such assemblies were
conducted before the captivity it is now impossible to say. F.
A. Cox.
Verse 8. Synagogues. Dr. Prideaux affirms that
they had no synagogues before the Babylonish captivity; for the
main service of the synagogue, says he, being the reading of the
law unto the people, where there was no book of the law to be
read, there certainly could be no synagogues. But how rare the
book of the law was through all Judaea, before the Babylonish
captivity, many texts of Scripture tell us. When Jehoshaphat
sent teachers through all Judaea, to instruct the people in the
law of God, they carried a book of the law with them (2Ch 17:9),
which they needed not have done if there had been any copies of
the law in those cities to which they went; which certainly
there would have been had there been any synagogues in them. And
when Hilkiah found the law in the temple (2Ki 22:8), neither he
nor king Josiah needed to have been so surprised at it, had
books of the law been common on those times. Their behaviour on
that occasion sufficiently proves they had never seen it before,
which could not be the case had there then been any other copies
of it to be found among the people; and if there were no copies
of the law at that time among them, there could then be most
certainly no synagogues for them to resort to for the
hearing of it read unto them. From whence he concludes there
could be no synagogues among the Jews, till after the
Babylonish captivity. Cruden's Concordance.
Verse 8. Synagogues. The assertion of those who
are in favour of the Maccabean origin of the Psalm, that these
words describe the destruction of the synagogues, is met
by the remark, that in all the copious accounts which we have of
the transactions of these times, there is nothing said of any
such work of destruction. E. W. Hengstenberg.
Verse 8. Synagogues. In the Old Testament we
find no traces of meetings for worship in synagogues. Temporary
altars, groves, and high places were used alike by the Jewish
saints and sinners for the worship of God and idols. The only
pre-exile instance which seems to indicate that the devout in
Israel were in the habit of resorting to pious leaders for
blessings and instruction on stated occasions, is to be found in
2Ki 4:23, where the Shunammite's husband asks, "Wherefore
wilt thou go to him (Elisha) today? It is neither new moon nor
Sabbath." Yet 2Ki 22:8, etc.; 2Ch 34:14, etc., testify
undoubtedly against the existence of places of worship under the
monarchy. It is during the exile, whilst the temple worship was
in abeyance, that we find indubitable proof of the systematic
meetings on fasts for devotion and instruction (Zec 7:3-5 8:19).
Religious meetings were also held on Sabbaths and fasts, to
instruct the exiles in the divine law, and to admonish them to
obey the divine precepts, (Ezr 10:1-9 Ne 8:1-3 9:1-3 13:1-3).
These meetings, held near the temple and in other localities,
were the origin of the synagogue, and the place in which
the people assembled was denominated the house of assembly.
Hence, also, the synagogue in the temple itself... These
synagogues soon became very popular, so that the psalmist in
depicting worship in the time of the Maccabees declares that the
many meeting places of God—or the Synagogues of God as
the A.V. rightly renders it—have been laid waste. Christian
D. Ginsburg, in Cyclopaedia of Biblical Literature.
Verse 8. (second clause). The sense seems to
be, they (the Chaldaean invaders) have abolished all
the solemnities in the land. They have taken away the daily
sacrifice; they have put an end to the festivals and feasts of
our holy ritual. Compare La 2:6: "He hath violently taken
away his tabernacle; he hath destroyed his places of the
assembly, "(or rather, his assembly, his moed).
"The Lord hath caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be
forgotten in Zion." Christopher Wordsworth.
Verse 9. We see not our signs. As if they had
said, heretofore God was wont to give us signs and tokens, he
would even work miracles for us, or he would send a prophet to
instruct and advise us what to do; we had those who could tell
us how long, that is, how long our troubles should last,
and when we should have our expected end of them; but now we are
in trouble, and no man can tell us how long, now we are left to
the wide world, to shift for ourselves as well as we can; the
Lord will not advise us what to do, nor give us his mind what's
best to be done, or how to proceed; thus deplorable was their
condition upon the hiding of God's face from them. Joseph
Caryl.
Verse 9. We see not our signs. These signs,
which he mourned that he did not see, were certain outward marks
of God's special favour, certain testimonies of his presence,
certain memorials that he was with them to bless them. And it is
said that there were five things in Solomon's temple destroyed
by Nebuchadnezzar, which were not in the second temple, which
was erected after the Babylonish captivity. Five memorials or
tokens of God's special presence were then wanting. One was the
ark of the covenant; another, the fire from heaven upon the
brazen altar; the third, the Shechaniah, or cloud that rested
upon the mercyseat; the fourth, the Urim and Thummim which were
in the breastplate of the high priest; and the fifth, the spirit
of prophecy. For though there were the prophets, Haggai,
Zechariah, and Malachi, at the time of, and shortly after, the
restoration; yet the spirit of prophecy ceased with Malachi, and
did not reappear until John the Baptist, the forerunner of the
Lord Jesus... The lamentation of the church here, then, was,
that she saw not her signs. So now, the church of the living
God, the regenerate family of Zion, have often reason to pour
out the same melancholy complaint. Signs of God's favour, marks
and testimonies of his work of grace upon their souls, are often
so out of sight, so buried in obscurity, so enveloped in clouds
of darkness, that the living family are compelled, from soul
feeling, to take up the language of lamentation here expressed,
and say, We see not our signs. J. C. Philpot. 1802-1869.
Verse 9. Our signs. The ordinary signs
of Israel being God's peculiar people are the passover (Ex
12:13), the Sabbath (Ex 21:13), the temple, the altar, the
sacrifices; the extraordinary ones are God's miracles wrought in
his people's behalf (Ps 78:43). A. R. Fausset.
Verse 9. There is no more any prophet. By us it
ought to be observed what they do not say: It is not,—here is
no more any giant or warlike leader who may deliver us from the
adversary: but, there is no more any prophet. And yet when the
prophets were with them, they were contemptible in the eyes of
all, maltreated by the wicked and put to death. Musculus.
Verse 10. Shall the enemy blaspheme the name for
ever? The sinner never leaves his sin till sin first leaves
him: did not death put a stop to his sin, he would never cease
from sin. This may be illustrated by a similitude thus: A
company of gamesters resolve to play all night, and accordingly
they sit down to chess tables, or some other game; their candle,
accidentally or unexpectedly, goes out, or is put out, or burnt
out; their candle being out, they are forced to give over their
game, and go to bed in the dark; but had the candle lasted all
night, they would have played all night. This is every sinner's
case in regard of sin: did not death put out the candle of life,
the sinner would sin still. Should the sinner live for ever, he
would sin for ever; and, therefore, it is a righteous thing with
God to punish him for ever in hellish torments. Every impenitent
sinner would sin to the days of eternity, if he might live to
the days of eternity. O God, how long shall the adversary
reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever? For
ever, and evermore; or for ever and yet—for so the Hebrew
loves to exaggerate: as if the sinner, the blasphemer, would set
a term of duration longer than eternity to sin in. The psalmist
implicitly saith, Lord, if thou dost but let them alone for
ever, they will certainly blaspheme thy name for ever and ever.
I have read of the crocodile, that he knows no maximum quod
sic, he is always growing bigger and bigger, and never comes
to a certain pitch of monstrosity so long as he lives. Quamdiu
vivit crescit. Every habituated sinner would, if he were let
alone, be such a monster, perpetually growing worse and worse. Thomas
Brooks.
Verse 12. God is my King of old, etc. Let us
learn from this verse how to think of our God. First, that he is
our King, and therefore we ought to be encouraged to pray for
his help against the ungodly, and to place ourselves in entire
submission to his will and government. Secondly, that he is not
a new God, but the Ancient of Days, and that whatever salvation
has been wrought not only in the midst of his own people, but in
the midst of the whole earth, even among those by whom he is not
acknowledged, has been wrought by him. Let this meaning strike
at the root of all trust in other gods, or in any creature. Musculus.
Verse 13. Thou didst divide the sea. Thou, O
Lord, didst make firm the flowing sea, that there might be a way
for our fathers to pass over, and in those very waters through
which thou didst lead thy ransomed, thou didst utterly overthrow
the hosts of Egypt, who were like dragons for ferocity, as they
sought to devour thy people. Jansenius.
Verse 14. Thou brakest the heads of leviathan,
etc. It is spoken of Pharaoh's army which God destroyed in the
Red Sea; that is, the destruction of the Egyptians was a pledge
of the accomplishment of God's promise to cast the Canaanite out
of the promised land, and to give them possession of it. Many
hardships they were to pass through in the wilderness, but God
gave them this mercy as food, not to their bodies, but food to
their faith, while they were in the wilderness: therefore, those
former great and glorious promises were accomplished. So that
former mercies are food that God gives unto the faith of his
people to feed upon, till he hath perfectly accomplished
whatever he hath promised unto his church. William Strong.
Verse 14. Leviathan. The Arabic Lexicographers
(quoted by Bochart) affirm that Pharao, in the Egyptian
language, signified a crocodile. Parkhurst remarks that in
Schenchzer's Physica Sacra may be seen a medal with Julius
Caesar's head on one side, and on the reverse a crocodile with
this inscription: AGYPTO CAPTA, Egypt taken. M. Mariette
has discovered at Karnak a monumental stele of Thothmes on which
the king says of himself,
"Fierce as the huge crocodile, I made them see the glory
of my God;
Terrible Lord of the waters, none dare even approach him."
Verse 14. Leviathan is a name given not only to
the crocodile, but to the whale and other large fishes. The Zum,
or people inhabiting the wilderness, are supposed, by many
sensible writers, to be the Ichthyophagy, or fish eaters, who
occupied, according to ancient authors, a part of the coast of
the Red Sea. The psalmist is here speaking of Israel's passage
through its waters; and it is a singular fact that Diodorus, who
lived about two thousand years ago, mentions a tradition,
prevalent amongst these very persons, to the effect that in the
time of their remote forefathers an extraordinary reflux took
place, the channel of the gulf becoming dry, and the green
bottom appearing, whilst the whole body of waters rolled away in
an opposite direction. There can be little doubt that this
strange people would have used for food, and various purposes,
such great fish as might have been cast ashore on the
termination of the miracle. Most writers give this text a
figurative meaning, but that is no reason why it may not be also
literally understood; for such a mode of speaking is common in
the Bible. But whether we understand it one way or the other, we
have the testimony of heathens to its propriety and force. If,
by the term Leviathan, we believe Egypt to be intended,
and by its heads those petty states into which that
country was divided, the traditions of India, and the East,
inform us that such designations were well understood, and
therefore beautifully applicable. Anon., in "Biblical
and Theological Gleanings"; by William O'Neill. 1854.
Verse 14. Meat to the people inhabiting the
wilderness. May not the exact meaning be that even as the
sea monsters washed upon the shore furnished food for the
inhabitants of the Red Sea, even so the symbolic dragon power of
Egypt when destroyed at the Red Sea, became food for Israel's
faith, and even furnished provision for their wilderness journey
by the spoil which was cast up by the tide. C. H. S.
Verse 15. Flood. God in dividing Jordan did not
only divide the water that ordinarily belonged to the river, or
the water which came from its fountains, but also the
extraordinary additional waters by the great rains a little
before harvest. So God cleaved both the fountain,
i.e., the fountain water, and the flood. Jonathan
Edwards.
Verse 16. The day is thine, the night also is thine.
Ah! do not be sorrowful, darling,
And do not be sorrowful, pray—
Taking the year together, my dear,
There is not more night than day.
And God is God, my darling,
Of night as well as day;
And we feel and know that we can go,
Wherever he leads the way.
A God of the night, my darling,
Of the night of death so grim,
The gate that leads out of life, good wife,
Is the gate that leads to Him.
From "In the Sere and Yellow Leaf, "in "The
Circling Year."
Verse 16. Day. Night. These changes are according
to a fixed law. Day and night are the ordinances of heaven
upon earth for the growth of earth's life, and, if we could
trace the sunshine and the dark in every follower of God, we
should see them arranged with equal wisdom. It is a more complex
work, but, be sure of this, there is order in it all, and the
hand that rules the world in its orbit, and that makes it fulfil
its course through light and shade, is governing our lives for a
higher than earthly end. One feature of the law is presented so
far for our guidance. It is a law of alternation. It is
day and night, and, let us thank God, it is also in due time
night and day. Each has its time and use. John Ker. 1869.
Verse 16. Thou hast prepared the light. It is
but recently that we have been able to form any conception of
the power of light as an agent in the economy of the globe; the
discoveries of Actinism are among the most interesting and
marvellous of natural science. The discovery that "no
substance can be exposed to the sun's rays without undergoing a
chemical change, "has been described as scarcely less
important in its effects than the discovery of the law of
gravitation. A sunbeam is one of the most powerful of all the
agencies of nature; magical as it is, it breaks up the strongest
chemical affinities; it is the author of colour, and it is the
creator of a myriad combinations, which all tend to the harmony
of the world. Nor ought we to forget the moral influence of
light. We are all aware of the sensible difference produced in
our moral natures by a fine day or a dark day. Light gives zest
and tone to the spirits; light gives buoyancy and joy to the
soul; light crowds the chambers of the mind with ideas; Light is
Life: the merest insect could not live without light; and
even blind natures receive, in those organs which are not the
property of vision, the assurance of its benignant operations.
Light is Order: and at its wand and command the
separation takes place, and dark and light pair off into their
separate ranks. Light is Beauty: whether in the
refulgence of the moon; the chill sparkle of the stars; the
unrivalled play of colours in the attenuated film of the soap
bubble, at once the toy of childhood and the tool of the sage;
the rich play of tints in the mother of pearl, or the rich
gorgeous rays in the plumes of birds. Light is Purity:
forms that rankle out of the glance of its clear, steady beam,
contract around themselves loathness and disgust, and become the
seats of foulness and shame. Light is Growth: where it
is, we know that nature pursues her work in life and in vigour;
light gives vitality to the sap; light removes obstructions from
the pathway of the growing agencies, while, in its absence,
forms become stunted, gnarled, and impaired. Light is Health:
as it darts its clear and brilliant points to and fro, it brings
in its train those blessings of elasticity and energy, which
give the fulness of being—which is perfect health to the
expanding forms. There is a fine consistency, when Scripture
makes light to contain, as it were, the seeds of all things, and
when the prelude of all creation is made to be those words,
"God said, Let there be light." This, then, is the
part light is made to play in the history of the world; it is
used by moral power to become the creator of moral influence.
What a long series of creations elapsed before moral causes
seemed to operate in the affairs of the globe! But he, whose
nature and whose names are Light, had given to light its
distinct being and work; and that creative word, "Let
there be light, "spoke right forwards to the moral
energies which were to be superinduced by its creation. Thus
light, it is true, went before all things, and became the cause
of moral consequences; but then, this arose from the divine
hand, whence darted its benevolent beams. It was God who
gave it its divine commission, to divine between light and
darkness; it was God who made it the fountain of
knowledge and of day; it was God who gave to it the
faculty to become, in turn, a creator, and to warm into life and
beauty a myriad seeds and shape of loveliness. E. Paxton
Hood.
Verse 16. The light and the sun. I was
considerably affected in my younger days by the long standing
objection, that Moses made light to exist before the
creation of the sun; as books then usually taught, what some
still fancy, that there could not have been light without this
luminary. But not choosing, on such important point, to attach
my faith to any general assertion, I sought to find out if any
investigator of the nature of light had perceived any
distinction in its qualities or operation, which made it a fluid
or matter independent of the sun. It was not easy, before the
year 1791, to meet with the works of any student of nature on
such a subject, as it had been little attended to; but I at
length saw the fact asserted by Henckel, a German of the old
school, of some value in his day, and soon afterwards some
experiments were announced in England which confirmed the
supposition. It has been a favourite point of attention with me
ever since; and no truth in philosophy seems to be now more
clearly ascertained than that light has a distinct existence,
separate and independent of the sun. This is a striking
confirmation of the Mosaic record; for that expressly
distinguishes the existence and operation of light from the
solar action upon it, and from that radiation of it which is
connected with his beams and presence. By Moses, an interval of
three days is placed between the luminous creation, and the
appearance and position of the sun and moon. Light was,
therefore, operating by its own laws and agencies, without the
sun, and independently of his peculiar agency, from the first
day to the fourth of our terrestrial fabrication. But from the
time that the sun was placed in his central position, and his
rays were appointed to act on our earth, they have been always
performing most beneficial operations, essential to the general
course of things. Sharon Turner (1768-1847), in "The
Sacred History of the World."
Verse 17. Thou hast set all the borders of the
earth. The actual distribution of sea and land over the
surface of the globe is likewise of the highest importance to
the present condition of organic life. If the ocean were
considerably smaller, or if Asia and America were concentrated
within the tropics, the tides, the oceanic currents, and the
meteorological phenomenon on which the existence of the
vegetable and animal kingdoms depend, would be so profoundly
modified, that it is extremely doubtful whether man could have
existed, and absolutely certain that he could never have risen
to a high degree of civilisation. The dependence of human
progress upon the existing configuration of the globe
necessarily leads us to the conclusion that both must be the
harmonious work of the same Almighty Power, and that a divine
and immutable plan has from all eternity presided over the
destinies of our planet. It is almost superfluous to point out
how largely the irregular windings and undulations of the
coasts, the numerous islands scattered over the face of the
waters, the promontories stretching far away into the domains of
the sea, and the gulfs plunging deeply into the bosom of the
land, have contributed to the civilisation of the human race by
multiplying its points of contact with the ocean, the great
highway of nations. G. Hartwig, in "The Harmonies of
Nature." 1866.
Verse 17. Thou hast set all the borders of the
earth. Consider the form of the earth. It is known to be
globular, and in shape nearly like an orange. And why has God
chosen that form? With a view that it might be inhabited by
living creatures on its whole surface. In order to this, every
part of the globe must have sufficient light and heat, the wind
must have a free circulation, and the water must be diffused
over all its parts. The rotundity of the earth is best
calculated to promote these conveniences: for this round form
admits light and heat, without which there could be no life all
over the globe. The revolutions of day and night, the changes in
the temperature of the air, heat, cold, dryness or moisture,
could not have taken place without this form. Had the earth been
square, had it been conic, had it been an hexagon, or any other
angular form, what must the consequence have been? The greatest
part of our earth would have been drowned, whilst the rest,
would have languished with drought. Some countries must have
been torn in pieces by storms, while others would have been
deprived of the wholesome circulation of wind. I have new reason
to admire the supreme wisdom, when I reflect on the enormous
mass which composes our world. Were the earth softer, or more
spongy than it is, men and animals would sink into it; were it
harder and less penetrable, it would resist the toil of the
labourer, and lose its capacity for producing and nourishing the
multitude of plants, herbs, roots, and flowers, which now spring
out of its bosom. There are regular and distinct strata found in
the earth; some of stone, others of metal and minerals. There
are numerous and evident advantages which result from these in
favour of mankind. Do not the strata of gravel, sunk deep in the
earth, purify and in a manner filter the water and render it
sweet and fit for use? On the surface of the earth there is a
varied prospect; there is an admirable mixture of plains and
valleys, of small hills and mountains. The man must be blind
indeed that does not see the wise purpose of the Great Author of
nature, in thus diversifying the surface of the earth. Were the
earth an even plain, how much beauty would it lose? Besides,
this variety of valley and mountain is very favourable to the
health of living creatures, and were there no hills, the earth
would be less peopled with men and animals. There would be fewer
plants, fewer simples and trees. We should be deprived of metals
and minerals: the vapours would not be condensed, nor should we
have either springs or rivers. Must we not then acknowledge that
the whole plan of the earth, its form, its inward and outward
construction, are all regulated according to the wise laws,
which all combine towards the pleasure and happiness of mankind?
O thou supreme Author of nature, thou hast done all things well!
Whichever way I turn my eyes, whether I penetrate into the
interior structure of the globe thou hast appointed me to
inhabit, or whether I examine its surface, I everywhere discover
marks of profound wisdom and infinite goodness. Christopher
Christian Sturm.
Verse 17. Thou hast made summer and winter.
Plasmasti ea. Now thou hast done all this and more for
mankind in general, wilt thou be wanting to thy church? John
Trapp.
Verse 17. Winter. As if fatigued with so many
cares, nature now rests; this, however, is only to collect new
force, again to be employed for the good of the world. But even
this rest, which nature enjoys in winter, is a secret activity.
A new creation is preparing in silence. The necessary
dispositions are already making, that the desolate earth may
again recover the children she has lost. The corn which is to
serve us for food, already shoots. The fibres of plants, which
are to adorn our fields and gardens, begin insensibly to open. O
my beneficent Creator! Here I find fresh cause to adore thy
wisdom and power. The repose which nature takes it as worthy to
enter into the plan of thy wise providence, as the activity she
shows in spring and summer. Thou hast wisely combined the
several revolutions of the earth, thou hast equally divided its
rest and labour. It is thy will that each day should vary the
scenes of nature, in that way which is most proper for the
perfection of the whole. Pardon, O God, my temerity, If I have
been so stupid as to blame anything in the government of the
world. I am more than ever convinced that all the plans of thy
providence, though they may appear extraordinary to my weak
reason, are replete with wisdom and goodness. Christopher
Christian Sturm. 1750-1786.
Verse 19. O deliver not, etc. How weak soever
the church be, and how many and strong soever the enemy be, yet
cannot they all devour the church, except the Lord should
deliver his church over into their hands, against which evil the
church hath ground of confidence to pray, O deliver not the
soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked; for
he hath given his church wings, and a hiding place too, as the
comparison imports, if he please to give her the use thereof
also. David Dickson.
Verse 19. The people of God are taught in this form of
supplication how to edge and keen their prayers, and make them
vigorous; to wit, by disclaiming any ability or sufficiency in
themselves; by styling themselves a congregation of poor, silly,
weak doves, no way able to encounter an army of bestial,
cunning, crafty, bloody, boisterous enemies. This plea the
people of God make use of: "With thee the fatherless
findeth mercy, "Ho 14:3. John Langley.
Verse 19. The soul of thy turtledove. They
compare themselves to a turtledove, whose nature leads it, in
whatever way it may be afflicted, not to indulge in noisy
impatience, but to mourn in secret; so the afflicted people of
Israel were unable to do anything but breathe their sighs and
groans to God. Musculus.
Verse 19. Thy turtledove. God's people are an
harmless, innocent people, altogether unable and insufficient to
help themselves against their enemies, who are numerous, cruel,
and barbarous. Hence they are resembled to sheep, doves; called
in the Word, fatherless, orphans, little ones, babes, poor,
simple, needy. They are men bound to their good behaviour, may
not harbour so much as a bad thought against any; are called to
suffer, not to do wrong. Julian did jeer at them for this; he
would strike them on the one cheek, and tell them that their
Master taught them to turn the other; his soldiers would take
away their cloaks, and mind them that they must part with their
coats also. Out of their own dispositions they judge of others,
therefore may easily be deceived and entrapped. Thus Gedaliah,
that sweet man, would not believe the relation of Johanan
touching the conspiracy of the crocodile Ishmael against him;
nay, was even angry with him for his faithful dealing that way,
and it cost him his life. Jer 40:16,41. That famous admiral of
France, Jasper Coligny, though he had information and
intelligence from sundry parts beyond the seas, that the court
did intend to mischief him, and that there was no security in
their promises and agreements, though backed with oaths, thrust
himself, notwithstanding, upon the lion, and was smoothed with
one paw and torn with the other: being such, they lie open to
the rage of many adversaries... One would think these turtles
should rather win the love of all that come near them than incur
the hatred of any, for they are quiet and peaceable persons. In
the mount of the Lord there is no hurt done (Isa 11:9), yet,
notwithstanding, they are maligned by a world of people. Because
they are not like them (1Pe 4:4); because they are not of their
number (Joh 15:19); because their persons and their sacrifices
are more acceptable with God than the others' (Ge 4:4); because
they reprove them for their evil ways (Joh 3:20); because they
are for the most part poor and mean, have no great forecast in
worldly affairs, are no deep politicians, they are such as those
pauperes Lugdunensis, those poor men of Lyons in France,
therefore are exposed to beasts and lions (Mt 1:25); because
they mourn for sin in themselves and others: they quarrel with
the dove even because of her mournful note. They will jeer at
sighing sisters, and men that hang the head like a bulrush; yet,
seeing this bulrush cannot grow without mire and mud, why should
it not hang the head? John Langley.
Verse 19. Thy turtledove. This expression may,
perhaps, be further illustrated from the custom, ancient and
modern, of keeping doves as favourite birds (see Theocritus
v. 96, and Virgil Eclog. 3. v 68, 69), and from the care
taken to secure them from such animals as are dangerous to them.
James Merrick.
Verse 19. Turtle Doves, of whatever species
they be, whether travellers or domesticated, are equally
preserved by the inhabitants of Egypt: they do not kill, and
never eat them. Wishing to know the motive of this abstinence
among people who possess so little in the greater part of their
action, I learnt that it was for the honour of humanity. It is a
consequence of the respect due to hospitality, which the Arabs
hold in such high estimation, and of which they have
communicated some shades to the people who dwell among them.
They would regard it as a violation of this hospitality not to
spare those birds, which come with a perfect confidence to live
amongst them, and there to become skilful but useless receptors
of love and tenderness. The very farmer, who sees his harvest a
prey for the flights of turtle doves which alight on his fields,
neither destroys nor harasses them, but suffers them to multiply
in tranquillity. C. N.S. de M. Sonnini. 1775-1811.
Verse 19. Forget not the congregation of thy poor.
Thy poor, by way of discrimination. There may be a greater
distance between poor and poor, than there is between poor and
rich. There are many "ragged regiments,
""congregations of poor, "whom the Lord will
forget for ever; but his poor shall be saved. And these
poor are of two sorts; either poor in regard of wealth and
outward substance, or poor in regard of friends or outward
assistance. A rich man, especially a godly rich man, may be in a
poor case, destitute and forsaken, wanting patronage and
protection. God saveth the poor in both notions, both those that
have no friends, and those that have no estates. Joseph Caryl.
Verse 20. Have respect. The word, in the
original signification of it, imports a fastening of the eyes
upon some object, that a man desires to look into. Hence, by a
metaphor, it is transferred to the eyes of the mind, and
signifies a serious weighing and consideration of a thing. God
is said to "wink at the times of ignorance, "or not to
regard it, Ac 17:30. God's people here look at God, as if he did
wink at his covenant, and neither look at it, nor them in their
miseries. The psalmist desires him that he would be mindful of
it for his people's deliverance. Francis Taylor, in "A
Sermon preached before the House of Commons, " entitled
"God's Covenant the Churches Plea." 1645.
Verse 20. Have respect unto the covenant. This
presseth the Lord more than the former; this is the close
grappling, as it were, with him in the words of Jacob: "I
will not let thee go till thou hast blessed me." This is
the throwing out of the greatest sheet anchor in the tempest,
for it lays hold on God's faithfulness, and truth, and fatherly
goodness. If they be not in covenant with God, it may be charged
upon them.—"You have violated my holy law, you have
incensed my wrath against you by your perverse ways, therefore I
will not help you, but give you up; "but now the souls that
be in covenant with God will not be put off so (be it spoken
with holy reverence), but will cry out, O Lord, though our
iniquities testify against us, yet have respect unto thy
covenant. Yet be sure you walk uprightly before the
Lord...With what face can any one say, Lord, have respect
unto thy covenant, when he casts his own covenant behind his
back, and cannot say with the prophet David, "I have a
respect to all thy commandments"? How canst thou say,
"Deliver me not up to the many beasts without, "when
thou art not afraid to be delivered up to thy vile, bestial
lusts and affections that are within? Thou hypocrite, first
labour the subduing of the monsters that are within thee, then a
fair way will be open to have thine enemies subdued round about
thee. John Langley.
Verse 20. Have respect unto the covenant. Those
persons and preachers who decline to think and speak of gospel
mercies and free salvation as secured by covenant,
deprive themselves and others of much of the blessed comforts of
God's word. Such was not the manner of the inspired psalmist. William
S. Plumer.
Verse 20. God seems to his people to neglect his
covenant, when they are oppressed by ungodly men. So Asaph
complains. After an acknowledgment that God was the Shepherd of
Israel, and so in covenant with his people, and accordingly had
wonderfully brought them out of Egypt, and made them flourish
marvellously in the land of Canaan, he attributes their misery
to God's neglect. Many reasons may be given of this unkind
carriage of God's people to him. As, first, because their misery
blinds them; and blind men when they are smitten suspect every
man that comes near them. Secondly, self love makes us suspect
any rather than ourselves, yea, even God himself. The people
should have reflected upon themselves that were innocent, but in
their sorrows they reflect upon God that was innocent. We are
all Adam and Eve's children. When Eve had eaten of the forbidden
fruit, she tacitly lays the fault upon God: "The serpent
beguiled me, and I did eat." Ge 3:13. Hadst thou not made a
subtil serpent I had not broken thy commandment. Adam lays it
openly upon God: "The woman who thou gavest to be with me,
she gave me of the tree, and I did eat." Ge 3:12. Hadst
thou not given me such a companion to betray me, I had been
innocent. So we their posterity, when trouble is upon us,
suspect God's breaking covenant, rather than our own. Thus our
nurses beat the stone when children stumble through their own
neglect. Thirdly, in time of need we most commonly suspect such
as are best able to help us. The sick man, if he be in danger of
death, suspects not his ignorant neighbours, but his skilful
physician. He that is oppressed in his estate, when the sentence
goes against him, suspects none more than the advocate, or the
judge. We know God is best able to help us; our corruption,
therefore, makes us to suspect him most, if our troubles
continue. Fourthly, we most suspect those who, as we think, have
most reason to help us in our miseries, and do it not. If the
servant wants meal or apparel, he complains not of his fellow
servants but of his master, who is tied by covenant to provide
for him; if the child be wronged by the servants, he lays not
the fault upon his brethren but upon his father, who by bands of
nature is obliged to take care of him. So we, being in covenant
with God, wonder not much if others fail us, but complain
heavily if God seems to neglect us. Francis Taylor.
Verse 20. The psalmist moves God in prayer to look to
his covenant by this argument: For the dark places of the
earth are full of the habitations of cruelty; that is, of
cruel men, or of men so full of cruelty, that they deserve
rather to be called cruelty than cruel: this sort of men
inhabit and fill up all those places where the light of holy
truth doth not shine. Now, if they who want the light, or have
no true knowledge of God among them, are hereby prepared for the
acting of all manner of wickedness, how much more are they
prepared for the acting of wickedness who have thrust the light
from them, and are in dark places of their own making? The
prophet Hosea shows (Ho 4:1), that where there is no knowledge
of God in a land, for want of means, there is no truth nor mercy
(that is, there is none exercised) in that land, but oppression,
deceit, and falsehood bear down all: how much more must it be so
when there is no knowledge of God in a land, because of the
contempt of means, and rebellion against the light? What
wickedness will not they do in the dark, who put out the candle
that they may not see what they do? Joseph Caryl.
Verse 20. (second clause). This might have some
literal meaning. The dark places of the earth, some have
thought, may here describe in the first instance, the caves, the
dens, and the woods of the land; for there are many such (as
travellers testify) in the land of Judaea, and in unsettled
times they have often been the abode of robbers and murderers,
who have thence sallied forth to molest and cut off the
travellers, to ravish peaceful villages, to waylay and plunder
the merchant, to commit all sorts of crimes, and then to return
in impunity to these dark retreats, where they laugh at all law,
human or divine; they quaff, with horrid pleasure, the
recollection of the widow's tears, and listen with inhuman joy
to the echoing remembrances of the orphan's moan and the dying
father's shriek. But what a land thus infested would be, is but
a faint image of the heathen world. Wherever heathenism spreads
itself, there are the dark places of the earth. The
Scripture often tells us that. John Hambleton. 1839.
Verse 20. The dark places. An allusion, as
sometimes interpreters conceive, to the dens of wild beasts,
wherein they hide themselves to seize upon their prey, Ps
104:21-22. To these cruel men are compared. Ps 10:8-9. "He
sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret
places doth he murder the innocent. He lieth in wait secretly as
a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor."
Such places oppressors and robbers choose. Others take it for an
allusion to prisons and dark dungeons void of light. As the
prophet, Isa 42:7, describes a prison: "To open the blind
eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that
sit in darkness out of the prison house." So trouble in
Scripture is compared to darkness, and prosperity to light;
because darkness is irksome, and light comfortable: "The
people that walked in darkness have seen a great light;
"and then the sorry hiding places whither God's people went
to hide themselves are here meant. Yet, could they not there be
quiet, but were pursued, found out, and spoiled by their
adversaries. Others take dark places for obscure and mean
places, as dark men, in the original, are called mean
men in our translation, Pr 22:29. And then it may either
signify that the meanest men did oppress God's people, or that
the poorest and meanest of God's people were not spared. Such
usage have we found in our time, when the poor cottages of our
foes have sent out pillagers, and no cottagers of ours have
escaped spoiling in diverse places. Francis Taylor.
Verse 20. Cruelty. Heathenism is cruel. It is
not changed in character since the days when parents made their
children to pass through fire to Moloch. At this very day, for
instance, infanticide prevails in China; and the "law,
"says a book of authority—"the law, otherwise so
rigorous, does not take the slightest cognisance of that crime,
nor ever subject those guilty of it to punishment. Every morning
before it is light, waggons traverse the different quarters of
the city of Pekin to receive the dead infants." Well may
they go "before it is light; ""the dark places of
the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty."
"The missionaries of that city obtained details, which
justify belief that the number of infants (chiefly females)
destroyed there is upwards of three thousand annually."
Think of this same proportion, extended throughout that densely
peopled empire. Among the same people suicide is also of
frequent occurrence. What a contrast with the religion which
stays the rash hand, and calls out, "Do thyself no
harm!" We might pass to India; and there the flames of the
funeral piles, on which so many widows were annually burnt, had
hardly expired, when we were shocked, only a few years since,
with other proofs of the cruelty of heathenism. What painful
details were those, which our government brought to light
respecting the secret murderers of India! What think you of a
vast fraternity of murderers, consisting of many thousands of
persons, which has existed from generation to generation, which
has been ramified over the whole country from Cape Comorin to
the Himalayan mountains, which has flourished alike under Hindu,
Mahometan, and British rulers, and which has every year
destroyed multitudes of victims—and all this under the
sanction of religion? The murderous system, they say, has been
enjoined them by the goddess Kalee, who is represented as having
made a grant of half the human race to her votaries, (to be
murdered, that is) according to certain prescribed forms. John
Hambleton.
Verse 23. If we are compelled to close our most solemn
and urgent devotions, and our most earnest supplications,
without seeing one ray of light beaming upon our path, it may
comfort us to remember that so the pious psalmist closed this
complaint. To hope against hope is the most blessed kind of
hope. William S. Plumer.
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER
Verse 1.
1. The divine displeasure a fact.
2. It is but in measure, and we are very liable to exaggerate
it.
3. Even while it lasts our relation to him is unaffected: Sheep
of thy pasture.
4. Our business is to enquire the reason of it, and act
accordingly.
Verse 1. (second clause). The Lord's anger with
his people compared to smoke.
1. It is not a consuming fire.
2. It suggests fear of the fire.
3. It darkens the light of joy.
4. It blinds the eyes of faith.
5. It checks the breath of life.
6. It blackens the beauty of our worldly comforts.
Verse 2.
1. The Lord's relation to his people.
(a) Election.
(b) Redemption.
(c) Indwelling.
2. The prayer arising from it: Remember.
Verse 3. Church mischief.
1. The church has enemies.
2. Wickedness in the church is their great weapon.
3. This causes much desolation to weak saints, to enquirers,
to peace, to prayer, to usefulness.
4. The cure for it is God's interposition.
Verses 3-4. The power of prayer.
1. On one side were,
(a) Desolation: perpetual, etc.
(b) Desecration.
(c) Declamation: enemies roar.
(d) Demonstration: they set up.
2. On the other side is,
(a) Supplication.
(b) This brings God to the rescue effectually and quickly.
Verse 4. Ensigns for signs. The craft of Satan
is supplanting truth with deceptive counterfeits.
Verse 5. True fame. To build for God with labour,
daring, diligence, skill, etc.
Verse 6. Vandal work against the truth of God.
Verses 6-7. Things feared by a church.
1. Injury to her doctrines or ordinances: carved work.
2. The fire of strife, division, etc.
3. The defilement of sin. Either of these three will throw a
church down; let her guard and pray against them.
Verse 8. The destruction of rural churches, the aim of
our enemies: the injury they would so do, and our duty to
prevent it: the means the destroyers use: bribery, oppression,
etc. Our proper method for sustaining such churches.
Verse 9. (first clause).
1. There are such things as signs, that is, tokens and
marks of God's special favour to the soul.
2. There is also a seeing those signs when God, the
Holy Ghost, is pleased to shine upon them.
3. There is a third state, where there is not seeing
the signs, those signs being enveloped in darkness, dimness, and
obscurity. J. C. Philpot.
Verse 10. A prayer for revival.
1. How God is reproached.
2. What are the ill effects of it.
3. When we may expect him to arise.
Verse 11.
1. The patience of God with man: He 'withdraws his hand,
even,' etc., he hesitates to strike.
2. The impatience of man with God: "pluck it, "etc.
G. R.
Verse 12.
1. The sovereignty of God.
2. Its antiquity.
3. Our loyalty to it.
4. The practical character of his reign: working.
5. The graciousness of it: working salvation.
6. The place of its operation: in the midst of the
earth.
Verse 14. God's defeat of our enemies, and the benefit
accruing to ourselves.
Verse 15. The wonderful nature of gracious supplies,
illustrated by the smitten rock.
Verse 16. God present alike in all dispensations of
providence.
Verses 16-17.
1. The God of grace is the God of nature: The day in thine,
etc.
2. The God of nature is the God of grace: the wisdom, the
power, the faithfulness the same. See Psalm 19. G. R.
Verse 19. The soul of the believer compared to a
turtledove.
Verse 20.
1. The title given to heathen nations: dark places of the
earth. Not without the light of nature, or of reason, or of
natural conscience, or of philosophy, as of Greece and Rome; but
without the light of revelation.
2. Their condition: full of, etc.: cruelty in their
public, social, and private relationships. See Romans 1:
"without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful."
3. Their part in the covenant. This is known from their part
in its promises, and in prophecies: I will give thee the
heathen, etc.
4. The prayer of others on their behalf: Have respect,
etc.; Oh send forth thy light, etc.
The conversion of the world will be in answer to the prayers
of the church.
Verse 22. God pleading his own cause in providential
visitations of nations and individuals, as also in remarkable
conversions and awakenings.
Verse 22.
1. The glory of our cause: it is the Lord's own.
2. The hope of our cause: he will plead it himself.
3. The hope thus derivable from the violence of man: it will
move the Lord to arise.