This brief Psalm is without title or name of
author, but its subject is obvious enough, being stated in the
very first line. It is the Psalm of Omnipotent Sovereignty:
Jehovah, despite all opposition, reigns supreme. Possibly at the
time this sacred ode was written, the nation was in danger from
its enemies, and the hopes of the people of God were encouraged
by remembering that the Lord was still King. What sweeter and
surer consolation could they desire?
EXPOSITION
Verse 1. The LORD reigneth, or Jehovah reigns.
Whatever opposition may arise, his throne is unmoved; he has
reigned, does reign, and will reign for ever and ever. Whatever
turmoil and rebellion there may be beneath the clouds, the
eternal King sits above all in supreme serenity; and everywhere
he is really Master, let his foes rage as they may. All things
are ordered according to his eternal purposes, and his will is
done. In the verse before us it would seem as if the Lord had
for a while appeared to vacate the throne, but on a sudden he
puts on his regal apparel and ascends his lofty seat, while his
happy people proclaim him with new joy, shouting "The Lord
reigneth." What can give greater joy to a loyal subject
than a sight of the king in his beauty? Let us repeat the
proclamation, "the Lord reigneth, " whispering it in
the ears of the desponding, and publishing it in the face of the
foe. He is clothed with majesty. Not with emblems of majesty,
but with majesty itself: everything which surrounds him is
majestic. His is not the semblance but the reality of
sovereignty. In nature, providence, and salvation the Lord is
infinite in majesty. Happy are the people among whom the Lord
appears in all the glory of his grace, conquering their enemies,
and subduing all things unto himself; then indeed is he seen to
be clothed with majesty.
The LORD is clothed with strength. His garments of glory are
not his only array, he wears strength also as his girdle. He is
always strong, but sometimes he displays his power in a special
manner, and may therefore be said to be clothed with it; just as
he is always majestic essentially, but yet there are seasons
when he reveals his glory, and so wears his majesty, or shows
himself in it. May the Lord appear in his church, in our day in
manifest majesty and might, saving sinners, slaying errors, and
honouring his own name. O for a day of the Son of man, in which
the King Immortal and Almighty shall stand upon his glorious
high throne, to be feared in the great congregation, and admired
by all them that believe. Wherewith he hath girded himself. As
men gird up their loins for running or working, so the Lord
appears in the eyes of his people to be preparing for action,
girt with his omnipotence. Strength always dwells in the Lord
Jehovah, but he hides his power full often, until, in answer to
his children's cries, he puts on strength, assumes the throne,
and defends his own. It should be a constant theme for prayer,
that in our day the reign of the Lord may be conspicuous, and
his power displayed in his church and on her behalf. "Thy
kingdom come" should be our daily prayer: that the Lord
Jesus does actually reign should be our daily praise.
The world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.
Because Jehovah reigns terrestrial things for a while are
stable. We could not be sure of anything if we were not sure
that he has dominion. When he withdraws his manifest presence
from among men all things are out of order; blasphemers rave,
persecutors rage, the profane grow bold, and the licentious
increase in wantonness; but when the divine power and glory are
again manifested order is restored, and the poor distracted
world is at peace again. Society would be the football of the
basest of mankind if God did not establish it, and even the
globe itself would fly through space, like thistle down across
the common, if the Lord did not hold it in its appointed orbit.
That there is any stability, either in the world or in the
church, is the Lord's doings, and he is to be adored for it.
Atheism is the mother of anarchy; the reigning power of God
exhibited in true religion is the only security for the human
commonwealth. A belief in God is the foundation and cornerstone
of a well ordered state.
Verse 2. Thy throne is established of old.
Though thou mayest just now appear in more conspicuous
sovereignty, yet thine is no upstart sovereignty: in the most
ancient times thy dominion was secure, yea, before time was thy
throne was set up. We often hear of ancient dynasties, but what
are they when compared with the Lord? Are they not as the bubble
on the breaker, born an instant ago and gone as soon as seen?
Thou art from everlasting. The Lord himself is eternal. Let the
believer rejoice that the government under which he dwells has
an immortal ruler at its head, has existed from all eternity and
will flourish when all created things shall have for ever passed
away. Vain are the rebellions of mortals, the kingdom of God is
not shaken.
Verse 3. The floods have lifted up, 0 LORD. Men
have raged like angry waves of the sea, but vain has been their
tumult. Observe that the psalmist turns to the Lord when he sees
the billows foam, and hears the breakers roar; he does not waste
his breath by talking to the waves, or to violent men; but like
Hezekiah he spreads the blasphemies of the wicked before the
Lord. The floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up
their waves. These repetitions are needed for the sake
both of the poetry and the music, but they also suggest the
frequency and the violence of wicked assaults upon the
government of God, and the repeated defeats which they sustain.
Sometimes men are furious in words—they lift up their voice,
and at other times they rise to acts of violence—they lift up
their waves; but the Lord has control over them in either case.
The ungodly are all foam and fury, noise and bluster, during
their little hour, and then the tide turns or the storm is
hushed, and we hear no more of them; while the kingdom of the
Eternal abides in the grandeur of its power.
Verse 4. The LORD on high is mightier than the
noise of many waters. The utmost of their power is to him
but a sound and he can readily master it, therefore he calls it
a noise by way of contempt. When men combine to overthrow the
kingdom of Jesus, plot secretly, and by and by rage openly, the
Lord thinks no more of it than of so much noise upon the sea
beach. Jehovah, the self existent and omnipotent, cares not for
the opposition of dying men, however many or mighty they may be.
"Loud the stormy billows spoke,
Loud the billows raised their cry;
Fierce the stormy billows broke,
Sounding to the echoing sky.
Strong the breakers tossing high,
Stronger is Jehovah's might.
True thy words; and sanctity
Well becomes thy temple bright."
Yea, than the mighty waves of the sea. When the storm raises
Atlantic billows, and drives them on with terrific force, the
Lord is still able to restrain them, and so also when impious
men are haughty and full of rage the Lord is able to subdue them
and overrule their malice. Kings or mobs, emperors or savages,
all are in the Lord's hands, and he can forbid their touching a
hair of the heads of his saints.
Verse 5. Thy testimonies are very sure. As in
providence the throne of God is fixed beyond all risk, so in
revelation his truth is beyond all question. Other teachings are
uncertain, but the revelations of heaven are infallible. As the
rocks remain unmoved amid the tumult of the sea, so does divine
truth resist all the currents of man's opinion and the storms of
human controversy; they are not only sure, but very sure.
Glory be to God, we have not been deluded by a cunningly devised
fable: our faith is grounded upon the eternal truth of the Most
High. Holiness becometh thine house, 0 LORD, for ever. Truth
changes not in its doctrines, which are very sure, nor holiness
in its precepts, which are incorruptible. The teaching and the
character of God are both unaltered. God has not admitted evil
to dwell with him, he will not tolerate it in his house, he is
eternally its enemy, and is for ever the sworn friend of
holiness. The church must remain unchanged, and for ever be
holiness unto the Lord; yea, her King will preserve her
undefiled by the intruder's foot. Sacred unto the Lord is the
church of Jesus Christ, and so shall she be kept evermore.
"Jehovah reigns, "is the first word and the main
doctrine of the psalm, and holiness is the final result; a due
esteem for the great King will lead us to adopt a behaviour
becoming his royal presence. Divine sovereignty both confirms
the promises as sure testimonies, and enforces the precepts as
seemly and becoming in the presence of so great a Lord. The
whole psalm is most impressive, and is calculated to comfort the
distressed, confirm the timorous, and assist the devout. O thou
who art so great and gracious a King, reign over us for ever! We
do not desire to question or restrain thy power, such is thy
character that we rejoice to see thee exercise the rights of an
absolute monarch. All power is in thine hands, and we rejoice to
have it so. Hosanna! Hosanna!
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Whole Psalm. This is one of those magnificent psalms
which describe Jehovah's reign. Even Jewish interpreters say of
them: "these all treat of the things which will take place
in the times of Messiah." Throughout it reads like a
commentary and application of the great fundamental truth,
"Jehovah reigneth." Already he hath laid the
foundations of his kingdom in his Church, and anon shall he in
his faithfulness and power establish it. Those elements which
have hitherto resisted shall not be allowed to continue. Right
royally he manifests himself. "He is clothed with
majesty; clothed is Jehovah, might hath he girt about him."
The present state of things is connected with Christ's
humiliation. But when he puts on his royal mantle of majesty,
and girds about him the sword of his might: "thus the
world shall be established; it cannot be moved." And
yet, though seemingly the enemy has long prevailed, "Thy
throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting."
The establishment of his throne is the ground and the pledge of
the establishment of the world and of his kingdom. "Jesus
Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and for ever." In
view of all this the Church stands a wondering spectator, first
struck with awe, and then filled with adoring, gratitude. "The
floods have lifted up, 0 Jehovah, they have lifted up their
roaring; the floods are lifting up their dashing noise."
The latter term refers to the sound of the waves as they break,
and in connexion with it the change of tense is very marked. The
enemies of God and his kingdom have risen like the floods or
waves of the sea, lashed by the storm; with roaring noise have
they advanced; but as they near the vessel which bears the King,
their noise is that of waves dashing into foam. Their utmost
nearness is—to their destruction; their utmost noise is—in
breaking. And even now, and in the height of the storm also far
overtopping not only all danger, but even its threatening noise,
is Jehovah. "Jehovah on high" (even there) "is
mightier than the roaring of many waters and mighty, than the
breaking waves of the sea" (the word here rendered "breaking
waves" being literally a derivative from the
verb to break). What a picture this of our safety; what an
epitome of the history of God's government and of his church!
Thus the calming of the storm on the lake of Galilee was not
only a parabolic representation of the history of the Kingdom of
God, but also typical of the final consummation of all things; a
summary of the past, a prophecy of the future, a type of the
end. And what applies to the Church as a whole, holds equally
true of individual believers. Let us ever remember that the
noise is that of the breaking wave. Our greatest dangers are
only breaking waves; waves which break at his feet. The same
expression is also sometimes applied to the waves of God's wrath
or judgments threatening to engulf the believer, as in Ps 42:7
88:7. These also, blessed be his name, are only breaking waves.
Meanwhile, while waiting for the manifestation of his majesty
and might, "we have the more sure word of prophecy." "Thy
testimonies are very sure" (very reliable, literally
very Amen-ed): and, so far as we are concerned, our faith
and patience are tried and proved: "Holiness becometh
thine house, 0 LORD, for ever."
Thus we have here the history of the Church of God deduced
from the text, "Jehovah reigneth." Those words
are to us as "a light that shineth in a dark place, until
the day dawn and the daystar arise in our hearts." So long
as they are left us, all that threatens us from without is only
like the noise of the breaking wave. The unspeakable comfort
conveyed in this assurance is ever tested in the experience of
God's people. There is no truth more precious to the heart of
the Christian than that "the LORD reigneth."
The conviction of this must carry us far above all cares and
fears. A personal God, a living God, a reigning God—alike in
the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the
earth—and this God the Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ,—such are the steps by which we reach a height, where,
far removed from the turmoil of men, we gain a comprehensive and
clear view of earth and its concerns. I would not exchange the
assurance which these two words, "Jehovah reigneth,
"convey, for all the wisdom, combined with all the
power, of this world. Received into my heart, they are the
solution of every difficulty, the end of all perplexity. It
seems to me as if, after puzzling over the cross writing and
hieroglyphics of men, I turned a fresh leaf, on the top of which
stood these words, as the text to be preached out in all
history, whether of the individual, the family, or the nation,
the Church or the world. It seems as if, after revolving
sorrowfully and helplessly all the difficulties and wants which
distress my heart, I were at once rising above those floating
clouds into clear atmosphere: as if all at once I were
unburdened; as if I had reached a haven of rest; as if I had
found a firm foundation, an ultimate principle. After all, in
every real trial there is but this one final and full comfort.
What matters the opinion of men,—who may be for and who
against me; who may be with me, or who may leave me. Who would
speak of prospects or probabilities, of the support to be
derived from wealth or power, or of the defections of friends on
whose sympathy and help we had counted? "Jehovah
reigneth!" There is light here across my every path,
provided I follow Christ, walking in the narrow way. Only let me
be sure that, in any and every respect, I am on the Lord's side
and in the Lord's way, and I ask no more. My God has all the
silver and all the gold in his own hand. He holdeth the hearts
of all men at his disposal; he directeth all events, from the
least to the greatest. If I want power with God or with men, let
me pray; for, Jehovah reigneth. Nor let me think that special
interpositions are either impossible or rare. They are constant.
The course of God's providence is one of constant interposition;
for "all things work together for good to them that love
God." Only these interpositions are not violent, and
therefore not noticed by the superficial observer; they are the
interpositions of all wise and almighty God, not of poor, weak
man; they are the interpositions, not interferences;
they are the working of the machinery by the Mastermind which
designed, and the Master hand which framed it. They are not the
stoppage, but the working of the machinery, whereby its real
object is wrought out.
Lastly, let me note in the Psalm these three things: In creation
and nature:preestablished law along with continuous,
personal government,—not as opposed to, but as presupposing
one another (Ps 93:1-2). In Providence:"The LORD on high
is mightier than the noise of many waters"—which would
otherwise strike terror, even as their swelling would threaten
constant danger. And in grace:"His testimonies are very
sure." I can rest on them. Not one tittle or iota shall
fall to the ground. Wherever I have a word of promise, I can
safely plant my steps. The conclusion and inference from the
whole matter is that "holiness"—not fear nor
man serving, but separation unto the Lord—"becometh,
"or is the right, wise, and proper attitude of his
house and people. Alfred Edersheim, in "The Golden Diary
of Heart Converse with Jesus in the Book of Psalms, "1866.
Whole Psalm. It is mentioned in the Babylonian Talmud
that it was the custom of the Jews to sing this psalm on the
sixth day of the week, to which it is well suited as celebrating
the reestablishing and founding again of the world in the new
creation (Ps 93:1): which is confirmed by a title given to it in
the Septuagint—"On the day before the Sabbath, when
the earth was founded: A Psalm of thanksgiving to (or for)
David"—adopted by the Vulgate and the Oriental
Version in general. And thus is this Psalm identified in subject
with the preceding: as also Hengstenberg observes—"The
reference, which it is impossible not to notice, in which `The
Lord on high is mightier, 'here (Ps 93:4) stands to `But Thou,
Lord, art most high for evermore' (Ps 92:8)—the kernel and
middle point of the whole psalm—has already led commentators
to notice a near connexion between these two psalms... which is
decidedly favoured by the contents; both psalms minister
consolation to the Church, exposed to danger by the might of the
world." He might have added—in the promise they give of
"the rest the Sabbatism that remains to the people
of God, "when both shall be fulfilled. W. De Burgh.
Verse 1. The LORD reigneth. It is a kind of
proclamation in which God's people are invited to declare before
men and angels that the Lord is King, He and He only. It is the
response of the Church to the preaching of the gospel—so
rapturously hailed in Isaiah—the preaching of the messenger
"that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that
bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that
saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!" William Binnie.
Verse 1. The LORD. He describes God by the name
Jehovah, partly, to lead us to think of the God of
Israel, accustomed by this name to be distinguished from the
gods of the nations; partly, to call to mind the virtues of
veracity, grace and justice, comprehended by this name, and now
clearly made known... When he says, Jehovah reigns,
without adding any restriction, or mentioning any people, it
would seem that the Kingdom of Jehovah is to be taken
absolutely and generally, with equal reference to the government
of the world and the church. In the former
sense Jehovah may be said to reign, not as if He then at
last begun to reign, but because He proved himself to be the
King of the world in an extraordinary way, by giving public and
manifest signs; by which it was clearly established that Jehovah
is the true God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the Lord and
Ruler of the whole universe, and a just and equitable judge, in
inflicting notable judgements upon sinners, in casting down the
idols, and vindicating the cause of true religion and virtue.
This meaning I regard as contained in the general proposition:
yet directly in its primary signification I understand the
Kingdom of God in His Church, partly, because God is here said
to vindicate the cause of religion, and of his people; partly,
he is said, in Ps 99:1 to show himself exalted in Zion,
and there to undertake the Kingdom, Isa 24:23, and often
elsewhere in the Prophetic word; and lastly, because Jehovah,
the King of his people, he himself who reigns, is set
forth as the ruler of the universe. He is the King
therefore of his people, He has his Kingdom in their
midst, but to Him all things in heaven and earth are subject as
well. In this latter sense, therefore, the phrase, Jehovah
has reigned, will stand for, He has undertaken the
Kingdom, He is become King, as it is often used in the
histories of the Kings of Judah and Israel; so also in Isa
28:23, and elsewhere... When He is said to have taken the
Kingdom in the midst of his people, it must not be understood
absolutely, but in a restricted sense, in reference partly to
the manner and form of rule, being more or less theocratic;partly,
to the displays of the Divine Majesty, being more or less
conspicuous; and partly, to the servile or afflicted state of
his people, as extending from the Babylonish exile to the time
of the Maccabees. In which times God is said to have taken
the Kingdom, in many other prophecies beside this, Isa
24:21-23, Obad., ult. Mic 4:6-8. Venema.
Verse 1. The LORD reigneth. These are the
initial words of Ps 97:1 and Ps 99:1 also. Perhaps a threefold
manner of reigning is suggested, namely, over things subjected
to God by a natural necessity, over those that resist his will
and as far as in them lies withdraw themselves from his
dominion, and over those who spontaneously and freely obey. For
in this place the Kingdom is declared to be coextensive with the
foundation of the world: in Ps 97:1 it is hinted at for the
exultation of the earth, and for the gladness of the isles; in
Ps 99:1 God is said to reign, although the people are angry, and
the earth is filled with commotion. Zorinus.
Verse 1. The LORD reigneth. Having considered
in all quarters the worldly rule of idols, and earthly deities
or kings, the Psalmist at last bursts forth into the words which
attribute supreme government to none other, but to Jehovah the
true God. Let it be granted that the monarchs of Assyria, the
kings of Egypt, and the masters of other nations, extend their
empire far and wide; let it be allowed that royal majesty is
ascribed to the idols by their worshippers; yet all these are as
nothing to the kingdom and majesty of Jehovah. Martin Geier.
Verse 1. The LORD reigneth, i.e., the Lord has
become King (Ps 96:10 97:1 99:1). The formula proclaimed at the
accession of earthly sovereigns (2Sa 15:10 1Ki 1:11,13; margin,
2Ki 9:13, "Jehu reigneth"). The reference is
not to the ordinary and constant government of God, but
to his assuming a new and glorious kingdom. The
arrogant proclamation of the world power was virtually "the
Assyrian reigneth"; the overthrow of him was God's counter
proclamation: "The Lord (Jehovah) reigneth." The
antitypical sense is, the world powers under Antichrist,
energized by Satan (Re 16:14 17:12-14,17), shall make one last
desperate stroke, seemingly for the moment successful, for the
dominion of the earth, in defiance of the Lord, (2Th 2:3-12) But
Christ will take his great power and reign as King of kings and
Lord of lords, having overthrown utterly the antichristian
enemy. (Isa 24:23 Ob 1:21; Zec 14:9 Re 11:15,17 19:6.) A. R.
Fausset.
Verse 1. The LORD reigneth. The very first
words of this psalm seem to indicate a morning of calm repose
after a night of storm, a day of stillness after the tumult of
battle. "The LORD reigneth." "He hath put all
enemies under his feet." Barton Bouchier.
Verse 1. The world also is established. The
word world is properly taken for the habitable globe, and
metonymically for the inhabitants of the earth. This is clear
from Ps 24:1-2 89:12 9:9; Ps 96:1,3 98:9. In this passage the
former signification seems to obtain, because this majestic King
has fortified no tower or palace strongly, but the whole world,
by the word of his power, that therein there might be a constant
habitation for the men who worship Him, even to the destined day
of the last judgment. Martin Geier.
Verse 2. Thy throne is established. The
invariable perpetuity of the divine kingdom is celebrated in
these words. No vicissitudes are apprehended there, as in
earthly monarchies and kingdoms, where thrones are not
infrequently shaken, either on account of the death of their
kings or principal men, or by reason of the unfaithfulness of
subjects or ministers, or because of the schemes or attacks of
enemies; none of which can disturb the divine rule. Martin
Geier.
Verse 2. Thy throne is established of old. Lest
any one should suspect that the royal dignity depicted and
demonstrated in the previous verse by the creation of the world,
which was the effect of kingly power and majesty, was a new
thing or came into existence yesterday or the day before, or
that God had recently obtained the office of ruling and
governing, or that by long use and experience he had acquired
skill, or held a somewhat foreign throne as other kings are
wont, he says that this dignity is as ancient as creation
itself, so that the throne of this kingdom was founded at the
very time when the foundations of the earth were laid; and as
the earth was established by him as his footstool, so the
heaven was his throne, (Isa 66:1), which endures for ever.
Especially does he teach that from eternity, before the
formation of the world, God always remained the same in himself,
not needing creation or any creature, thereby to obtain any new
perfection. Lorinus.
Verse 2. Of old. The Italian, from all
eternity:Hebrew, from then;an Hebrew phrase to
signify an eternity without any beginning, Pr 8:22: as eternity
without end is signified by another term, which is as much as, until
then. Diodati.
Verse 3. The floods have lifted up, etc.
Advisedly in this place does he make mention of floods, in order
better to depict the effects of war. For when rivers are raised
and swollen with inundations, they burst the restraining banks,
and sweep far and wide over the neighbouring plains, carrying
everything in their course. Such is the manner of war; when
armies are despatched into countries, they lay waste and fill
all places with slaughter. Whence Virgil employs this simile (Aeneid
2) in describing the violence of the Grecian army breaking into
the citadel of Priam,—rendered by Dryden thus—
"In rush the Greeks, and all the apartments fill;
Those few defendants whom they find, they kill.
Not with so fierce a rage the foaming flood
Roars, when he finds his rapid course withstood;
Bears down the dittos with unresisted sway,
And sweeps the cattle and the cots away." Mollerus.
Verse 3. Their waves. The word k signifies a
wave; because the water being dashed against a rock, or the
shore, or another wave, is broken into spray. For the central
idea of the word is breaking. And this aptly serves to picture
the issue of those commotions and wars which are undertaken for
the overthrow of empires and the church. For as mighty waves
fill the beholders with horror, so great and powerful armies
fill all things with fear and terror. But as the waves striking,
in a moment are broken, and disappear, so the mighty power of
kings and princes is often dissolved at one glance of God. The
Church dwells in this life, as a rock in the waves, beaten by
the waves of every tempest; but yet remains immutable, because
the Son of God confirms and sustains her. Mollerus.
Verse 4. The LORD on high. "On high"
is not to be regarded in the sense of locality, as none compete
with God in that, but in reference to dominion and glory. Martin
Geier.
Verse 4. The LORD on high is mightier, etc.
Therefore consider not so much thy distress, as thy Deliverer;
and when men's malicious combination may affright thee, let
Divine association support thee. The danger may exceed thy
resistance, but not God's assistance; the enemies' power may
surpass thy strength, their subtlety outwit thy prudence, but
neither can excel the wisdom and might of God that is with thee.
O learn therefore to try God in his strength, to trust him in
difficulties; and when the merciless waves are ready to swallow
thee; commit thyself to his custody. The mariner in straits
looks up to heaven, do thou so; and remember that when the
waters of affliction are never so high, yet "the Lord on
high is mightier than they." Abraham Wright.
Verse 5. Thy testimonies, i.e., thy words;
either, 1. Thy precepts, which are commonly called God's testimonies.
And so having spoken of God's kingdom, he now showeth that the
laws of that kingdom are just, and true, and holy; which is a
singular commendation of it. Or, 2. Thy promises, as may be
gathered from the following words, "are sure, "or
true, or faithful;which attribute properly
belongs, and everywhere in Scripture is ascribed, to promises
rather than to precepts. And the promises no less than the
precepts are God's testimonies, or the witnesses or
declarations of his mind and will to mankind. And he seems here
to speak of those great and precious promises concerning the
erection and establishment of his kingdom in the world by the
Messias; which, saith he, are infallibly true, and shall
certainly be accomplished in thy time. Matthew Pool.
Verse 5. Holiness becometh thine house, O LORD.
Singular things are expected of all that draw nigh to God in any
duty, but especially in the office of the ministry; they must
sanctify themselves with a singular care above that of the rest
of the people. Those that stand in the presence of princes must
be exact in their carriage. God appointed both the weights and
measures of the sanctuary to be twice as large as those of the
commonwealth, to shew that he expects much more of those that
serve him there, than he doth of others. Holiness becomes every
house well, but best God's; and every man, but most of all the
minister, who is the mirror in which the people behold heaven,
and the convoy to direct them thither. Now if the glass be
spotted, instead of an angel they look upon a fury; and if the
conduct be false, there is more danger in the guide than the
way. None, therefore, are to walk so strictly as the ministry. Abraham
Wright.
Verse 5. Holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, for
ever. No hangings, no tapestry become God's house so well as
holiness; and no place is so proper as the house of God for this
costly, comely furniture... The blind heathen were choice and
devout in the service of dumb idols; they served them in white,
an emblem of purity; they thought nothing too good for those
false gods, for whom the worst was not bad enough. Solon, the
Athenian lawgiver, enacted, that none should serve the gods obiter,
or by the by, that their sacrificers should purify themselves
some days beforehand. George Swinnock.
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER
Whole Psalm. Revivals of religion described.
1. God reigns.
2. His power is felt.
3. His kingdom is established.
4. Opposition is overcome.
5. The word is valued.
6. Holiness is cultivated.
Verses 1-2. The prophet in the first verse describes
our King:
1. From his office.
(a) He "reigns." He is the great and chief Monarch;
he is no idle spectator of things below; but wisely, and justly,
and powerfully administers all things.
(b) He is a glorious King: "He is clothed with
majesty."
(c) He is a potent King: "The Lord is clothed with
strength."
(d) He is a warlike King: "He hath girded himself,
" buckled his sword upon his armour; for offence towards
his enemies, for defence of his kingdom.
2. From his kingdom.
(a) It is universal: "The world."
(b) It is fixed, firm, and stable: "The world also is
stablished, and cannot be moved."
(c) It is an everlasting kingdom: "From everlasting to
everlasting; thy throne is established of old; thou art from
everlasting." Adam Clarke.
Verses 1-2. Shew,
1. The royal proclamation.
2. The imperial robe.
3. The stable kingdom.
4. The ancient throne.
5. The Eternal King. C.A.D.
Verses 1-2.
1. Make the great proclamation. The right, stability,
antiquity, extent, perpetuity of the Lord's dominion.
2. Note the different emotions it inspires. In the
rebellious, condemned, loyal, &c.
3. Negotiate for submission to the King. C. A. D.
Verse 3. The voice of the floods.
1. The voice of Nature is the voice of God.
2. It is a voice from God.
3. It is a voice for God. "God hath a voice that ever is
heard, In the peal of the thunder, the chirp of the bird: It
comes in the torrent, all rapid and strong, In the streamlet's
soft gush, as it ripples along; In the waves of the ocean, the
furrows of land, In the mountain of granite, the atom of sand;
Turn where ye may, from the sky to the sod, Where can ye gaze
that ye see not a God?" G. R. Poetry by Eliza Cook.
Verse 4.
1. God is mighty in creation.
2. He is mightier in providence.
3. He is mightiest in redemption. G. R.
Verse 5.
1. Faithfulness becometh the word of God.
2. Holiness becometh the house of God. G. R.
Verse 5 (last clause).
1. Holiness becometh God's typical house, the temple.
2. His greater spiritual house, the church.
3. His smaller spiritual house, the believer.
4. His eternal house, heaven. C. A. D.