TITLE. A Psalm of David. This Psalm is
wisely placed. Whoever edited and arranged these sacred poems,
he had an eye to apposition and contrast; for if in Ps 137:1-9
we see the need of silence before revilers, here we see the
excellence of a brave confession. There is a time to be silent,
lest we cast pearls before swine; and there is a time to speak
openly, lest we be found guilty of cowardly not confessing. The
Psalm is evidently of a Davidic character, exhibiting all the
fidelity, courage, and decision of that King of Israel and
Prince of Psalmists. Of course the critics have tried to rend
the authorship from David on account of the mention of the
temple, though it so happens that in one of the Psalms which is
allowed to be David's the same word occurs. Many modern critics
are to the word of God what blowflies are to the food of men:
they cannot do any good, and unless relentlessly driven away
they do great harm.
DIVISION. In full confidence David is
prepared to own his God before the gods of the heathen, or
before angels or rulers (Ps 138:1-3); he declares that he will
instruct and convert kings and nations, till on very highway men
shall sing the praises of the Lord (Ps 138:4-5). Having thus
spoken, he utters his personal confidence in Jehovah, who will
help his lowly servant, and preserve him from all the malice of
wrathful foes.
EXPOSITION
Verse 1. I will praise thee with my whole heart.
His mind is so taken up with God that he does not mention his
name: to him there is no other God, and Jehovah is so perfectly
realized and so intimately known, that the Psalmist, in
addressing him, no more thinks of mentioning his name than we
should do if we were speaking to a father or a friend. He sees
God with his mind's eye, and simply addresses him with the
pronoun "thee." He is resolved to praise the Lord, and
to do it with the whole force of his life, even with his whole
heart. He would not submit to act as one under restraint,
because of the opinions of others; but in the presence of the
opponents of the living God he would be as hearty in worship as
if all were friends and would cheerfully unite with him. If
others do not praise the Lord, there is all the more reason why
we should do so, and should do so with enthusiastic eagerness.
We need a broken heart to mourn our own sins, but a whole heart
to praise the Lord's perfections. If ever our heart is whole and
wholly occupied with one thing, it should be when we are
praising the Lord.
Before the gods will I sing praise unto thee. Why
should these idols rob Jehovah of his praises? The Psalmist will
not for a moment suspend his songs because there are images
before him, and their foolish worshippers might not approve of
his music. I believe David referred to the false gods of the
neighbouring nations, and the deities of the surviving
Canaanites. He was not pleased that such gods were set up; but
he intended to express at once his contempt of them, and
his own absorption in the worship of the living Jehovah by
continuing most earnestly to sing wherever he might be. It would
be paying these dead idols too much respect to cease singing
because they were perched aloft. In these days when new
religions are daily excogitated, and new gods are set up, it is
well to know how to act. Bitterness is forbidden, and
controversy is apt to advertise the heresy; the very best method
is to go on personally worshipping the Lord with unvarying zeal,
singing with heart and voice his royal praises. Do they deny the
Divinity of our Lord? Let us the more fervently adore him. Do
they despise the atonement? Let us the more constantly proclaim
it. Had half the time spent in councils and controversies been
given to praising the Lord, the church would have been far
sounder and stronger than she is at this day. The Hallelujah
Legion will win the day. Praising and singing are our armour
against the idolatries of heresy, our comfort under the
depression caused by insolent attacks upon the truth, and our
weapons for defending the gospel. Faith when displayed in
cheerful courage, has about it a sacred contagion: others learn
to believe in the Most High when they see his servant
"Calm 'mid the bewildering cry,
Confident of victory."
Verse 2. I will worship toward thy holy temple,
or the place of God's dwelling, where the ark abode. He would
worship God in God's own way. The Lord had ordained a centre of
unity, a place of sacrifice, a house of his indwelling; and
David accepted the way of worship enjoined by revelation. Even
so, the true hearted believer of these days must not fall into
the will worship of superstition, or the wild worship of
scepticism, but reverently worship as the Lord himself
prescribes. The idol gods had their temples; but David averts
his glance from them, and looks earnestly to the spot chosen of
the Lord for his own sanctuary. We are not only to adore the
true God, but to do so in his own appointed way: the Jew looked
to the temple, we are to look to Jesus, the living temple of the
Godhead.
And praise thy name for thy loving kindness and for thy
truth. Praise would be the main part of David's worship; the
name or character of God the great object of his song; and the
special point of his praise the grace and truth which shone so
conspicuously in that name. The person of Jesus is the temple of
the Godhead, and therein we behold the glory of the Father,
"full of grace and truth." It is upon these two points
that the name of Jehovah is at this time assailed—his grace
and his truth. He is said to be too stern, too terrible, and
therefore "modern thought" displaces the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and sets up an effeminate deity of
its own making. As for us, we firmly believe that God is love,
and that in the summing up of all things it will be seen that
hell itself is not inconsistent with the beneficence of Jehovah,
but is, indeed, a necessary part of his moral government now
that sin has intruded into the universe. True believers hear the
thunders of his justice, and yet they do not doubt his
lovingkindness. Especially do we delight in God's great love to
his own elect, such as he showed to Israel as a race, and more
especially to David and his seed when he entered into covenant
with him. Concerning this there is abundant room for praise. But
not only do men attack the lovingkindness of God, but the truth
of God is at this time assailed on all sides; some doubt the
truth of the inspired record as to its histories, others
challenge the doctrines, many sneer at the prophecies; in fact,
the infallible word of the Lord is at this time treated as if it
were the writing of impostors, and only worthy to be carped at.
The swine are trampling on the pearls at this time, and nothing
restrains them; nevertheless, the pearls are pearls still, and
shall yet shine about our Monarch's brow. We sing the
lovingkindness and truth of the God of the Old
Testament,—"the God of the whole earth shall he be
called." David before the false gods first sang, then
worshipped, and then proclaimed the grace and truth of Jehovah;
let us do the same before the idols of the New Theology.
For thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
The word of promise made to David was in his eyes more glorious
than all else that he had seen of the Most High. Revelation
excels creation in the clearness, definiteness, and fulness of
its teaching. The name of the Lord in nature is not so easily
read as in the Scriptures, which are a revelation in human
language, specially adapted to the human mind, treating of human
need, and of a Saviour who appeared in human nature to redeem
humanity. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but the divine word
will not pass away, and in this respect especially it has a
preeminence over every other form of manifestation. Moreover,
the Lord lays all the rest of his name under tribute to his
word: his wisdom, power, love, and all his other attributes
combine to carry out his word. It is his word which creates,
sustains, quickens, enlightens, and comforts. As a word of
command it is supreme; and in the person of the incarnate Word
it is set above all the works of God's hands. The sentence in
the text is wonderfully full of meaning. We have collected a
vast mass of literature upon it, but space will not allow us to
put it all into our notes. Let us adore the Lord who has spoken
to us by his word, and by his Son; and in the presence of
unbelievers let us both praise his holy name and extol his holy
word.
Verse 3. In the day when I cried thou answerest me.
No proof is so convincing as that of experience. No man doubts
the power of prayer after he has received an answer of peace to
his supplication. It is the distinguishing mark of the true and
living God that he hears the pleadings of his people, and
answers them; the gods hear not and answer not, but Jehovah's
memorial is—"the God that heareth prayer." There was
some special day in which David cried more vehemently than
usual; he was weak, wounded, worried, and his heart was wearied;
then like a child he "cried",—cried unto his Father.
It was a bitter, earnest, eager prayer, as natural and as
plaintive as the cry of a babe. The Lord answered it, but what
answer can there be to a cry?—to a mere inarticulate wail of
grief? Our heavenly Father is able to interpret tears, and
cries, and he replies to their inner sense in such a way as
fully meets the case. The answer came in the same day as the cry
ascended: so speedily does prayer rise to heaven, so quickly
does mercy return to earth. The statement of this sentence is
one which all believers can make, and as they can substantiate
it with many facts, they ought boldly to publish it, for it is
greatly to God's glory. Well might the Psalmist say, "I
will worship" when he felt bound to say "thou
answeredst me." Well might he glory before the idols and
their worshippers when he had answers to prayer to look back
upon. This also is our defence against modern heresies: we
cannot forsake the Lord, for he has heard our prayers. And
strengthenedst me with strength in my soul. This was a true
answer to his prayer. If the burden was not removed, yet
strength was given wherewith to bear it, and this is an equally
effective method of help. It may not be best for us that the
trial should come to an end; it may be far more to our advantage
that by its pressure we should learn patience. Sweet are the
uses of adversity, and our prudent Father in heaven will not
deprive us of those benefits. Strength imparted to the soul is
an inestimable boon; it means courage, fortitude, assurance,
heroism. By his word and Spirit the Lord can make the trembler
brave, the sick whole, the weary bright. This soul might will
continue: the man having been strengthened for one emergency
remains vigorous for life, and is prepared for all future
labours and sufferings; unless, indeed, he throw away his force
by unbelief, or pride, or some other sin. When God strengthens,
none can weaken. Then is our soul strong indeed when the Lord
infuses might into us.
Verse 4. All the kings of the earth shall praise
thee, O Lord, when they hear the words of thy mouth. Kings
have usually small care to hear the word of the Lord; but King
David feels assured that if they do hear it they will feel its
power. A little piety goes a long way in courts; but brighter
days are coming, in which rulers will become hearers and
worshippers: may the advent of such happy times be hastened.
What an assembly!—"all the kings of the earth!" What
a purpose! Gathered to hear the words of Jehovah's mouth. What a
preacher! David himself rehearses the words of Jehovah. What
praise! when they all in happy union lift up their songs unto
the Lord. Kings are as gods below, and they do well when they
worship the God above. The way of conversion for kings is the
same as for ourselves: faith to them also cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God. Happy are those who can cause the
word of the Lord to penetrate palaces; for the occupants of
thrones are usually the last to know the joyful sounds of the
gospel. David, the king, cared for kings' souls, and it will be
wise for each man to look first after those who are of his own
order. He went to his work of testimony with fall assurance of
success: he meant to speak only the words of Jehovah's mouth,
and he felt sure that the kings would hear and praise Jehovah.
Verse 5. Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the
LORD. Here is a double wonder—kings in God's ways, and
kings singing there. Let a man once know the ways of Jehovah,
and he will find therein abundant reason for song; but the
difficulty is to bring the great ones of the earth into ways so
little attractive to the carnal mind. Perhaps when the Lord
sends us a King David to preach, we shall yet see monarchs
converted and hear their voices raised in devout adoration. For
great is the glory of the LORD. This glory shall overshadow all
the greatness and glory of all kings: they shall be stirred by a
sight of it to obey and adore. O that Jehovah's glory were
revealed even now! O that the blind eyes of men could once
behold it, then their hearts would be subdued to joyful
reverence. David, under a sense of Jehovah's glory, exclaimed,
"I will sing" (Ps 138:1), and here he represents the
kings as doing the same thing.
Verse 6. Though the Lord be high. In greatness,
dignity, and power, Jehovah is higher than the highest. His
nature is high above the comprehension of his creatures, and his
glory even exceeds the loftiest soarings of imagination. Yet
hath he respect unto the lowly. He views them with pleasure,
thinks of them with care, listens to their prayers, and protects
them from evil. Because they think little of themselves he
thinks much of them. They reverence him, and he respects them.
They are low in their own esteem, and he makes them high in his
esteem. But the proud he knoweth afar off. He does not need to
come near them in order to discover their utter vanity: a glance
from afar reveals to him their emptiness and offensiveness. He
has no fellowship with them, but views them from a distance; he
is not deceived, but knows the truth about them, despite their
blustering; he has no respect unto them, but utterly abhors
them. To a Cain's sacrifice, a Pharaoh's promise, a Rabshakeh's
threat, and a Pharisee's prayer, the Lord has no respect.
Nebuchadnezzar, when far off from God, cried, "Behold this
great Babylon which I have builded"; but the Lord knew him,
and sent him grazing with cattle. Proud men boast loudly of
their culture and "the freedom of thought", and even
dare to criticize their Maker: but he knows them from afar, and
will keep them at arm's length in this life, and shut them up in
hell in the next.
Verse 7. Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
thou wilt revive me. If I am walking there now, or shall be
doing so in years to come, I have no cause for fear; for God is
with me, and will give me new life. When we are somewhat in
trouble it is bad enough, but it is worse to penetrate into the
centre of that dark continent and traverse its midst: yet in
such a case the believer makes progress, for he walks; he keeps
to a quiet pace, for he does no more than walk; and he is not
without the best of company, for his God is near to pour fresh
life into him. It is a happy circumstance that, if God be away
at any other time, yet he is pledged to be with us in trying
hours: "when thou passest through the rivers I will be with
thee." He is in a blessed condition who can confidently use
the language of David,—"thou wilt revive me." He
shall not make his boast of God in vain: he shall be kept alive,
and made more alive than ever. How often has the Lord quickened
us by our sorrows! Are they not his readiest means of exciting
to fulness of energy the holy life which dwells within us? If we
receive reviving, we need not regret affliction. When God
revives us, trouble will never harm us. Thou shalt stretch forth
thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right
hand shall save me. This is the fact which would revive
fainting David. Our foes fall when the Lord comes to deal with
them; he makes short work of the enemies of his people,—with
one hand he routs them. His wrath soon quenches their wrath; his
hand stays their hand. Adversaries may be many, and malicious,
and mighty; but our glorious Defender has only to stretch out
his arm and their armies vanish. The sweet singer rehearses his
assurance of salvation, and sings of it in the ears of the Lord,
addressing him with this confident language. He will be
saved,—saved dexterously, decidedly, divinely; he has no doubt
about it. God's right hand cannot forget its cunning; Jerusalem
is his chief joy, and he will defend his own elect.
Verse 8. The Lord will perfect that which
concerneth me. All my interests are safe in Jehovah's hands.
"The work which his goodness began,
The arm of his strength will complete;
His promise is yea and Amen,
And never was forfeited yet."
God is concerned in all that concerns his servants. He will
see to it that none of their precious things shall fail of
completion; their life, their strength, their hopes, their
graces, their pilgrimage, shall each and all be perfected.
Jehovah himself will see to this and therefore it is most sure.
Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever. The refrain of the former
Psalm is in his ears, and he repeats it as his own personal
conviction and consolation. The first clause of the verse is the
assurance of faith, and this second one reaches to the full
assurance of understanding. God's work in us will abide unto
perfection because God's mercy towards us thus abideth. Forsake
not the works of thine own hands. Our confidence does not cause
us to live without prayer, but encourages us to pray all more.
Since we have it written upon our hearts that God will perfect
his work in us, and we see it also written in Scripture that his
mercy changeth not, with holy earnestness entreat that we may
not be forsaken. If there be anything good in us, it is the work
Of God's own hands: will he leave it? Why has he wrought so much
in us if he means to give us up?—it will be a sheer effort. He
who has gone so far will surely persevere with us to the end.
Our hope for the final perseverance of the believer lies in the
final perseverance of believer's God. If the Lord begins to
build, and does not finish, it will not be his honour. He will
have a desire to the work of his hands, for he knows it has cost
him already, and he will not throw away a vessel upon which he
has expended so much of labour and skill. Therefore do we praise
him with our, whole heart, even in the presence of those who
depart from his Holy Word, and, set up another God and another
gospel; which are not another, but there be some that trouble
us.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Psalm 138:1 to 145:21. These eight Psalms are composed
in the first person, and they follow very happily after the
fifteen "Songs of Up goings", and the three Psalms of
praise uttered by the chorus of those who have gone up to
Sion. Those Psalms were the united utterances of national
devotion. These eight Psalms are the devout Israelite's Manual
of private prayer and praise.—Christopher
Wordsworth.
Whole Psalm. This is the first of a series of eight
Psalms (Ps 138:1-145:21), probably the last composed by David, a
kind of commentary on the great Messianic promise in 2Sa 7:1-29.
They are found in this part of the psalter, in consequence of
having been made the basis, or rather the body, of a system or
series (Ps 135:1-146:10) by a later writer.—Joseph Addison
Alexander.
Whole Psalm. If this Psalm refers to the promise in
2Sa 7:1-29, there can be no doubt of the correctness of the
superscription, which ascribes it to David. For he, on whom the
promise has been conferred, himself stands forth as the speaker.
Proof also of David's authorship is found in the union, so
characteristic of him, of bold courage, see especially Ps 138:3,
and deep humility, see Ps 138:6. And in proof of the same comes,
finally, the near relationship in which it stands with the other
Psalms of David, especially those which likewise refer to the
promise of the everlasting kingdom; and with David's
thanksgiving in 2Sa 7:1-29, the conclusion of which remarkably
agrees with the conclusion of our Psalm: "And now, Lord
God, the word which thou hast spoken upon thy servant and upon
his house, that fulfil even to eternity, and do as thou hast
spoken."—E.W. Hengstenberg.
Verse 1. I will praise thee with my whole heart.
It is a part of our thankfulness to engage our heart to praise
God in time to come, since we find that all the thanks we can
give for the present are short of our duty or desire to praise
him: "I will praise thee", saith David.
Sometimes the believer will find his heart set at liberty in
God's worship, which at another time he will find to be in
bands, and then he should take the opportunity of an enlarged
heart to run in the way of God's service, as David doth here: "I
will praise thee with my whole heart."—David
Dickson.
Verse 1. I will praise thee. Up, dear soul!
What though thou hast once complained like Israel of thy
captivity in Babylon, Ps 137:1, yet now sing once more a song of
joy to the Lord. Thou hast been pressed like a cluster of
grapes, now give forth thy ripe juice.—Christoph Starke.
Verse 1. I will praise thee. Alas, for that
capital crime of the Lord's people—barrenness in praises! Oh,
how fully I am persuaded that a line of praises is worth a leaf
of prayer, and an hour of praises is worth a day of fasting and
mourning!—John Livingstone, 1603-1672.
Verse 1. With my whole heart. This expression,
as in Ps 9:1, points to the surpassing greatness of the benefit
received, which filled the whole heart with thankfulness, and
did not proceed, as it were, from some particular corner of it.
It corresponds also to the greatness of the benefaction, in the
expression, before the gods,—demanding of these,
whether they would verify their godhead by pointing to any such
boon conferred by them on their servants. The benefit which
could afford such a demonstration, and give occasion and ground
for raillery, must have been a surpassingly great one.—E.W.
Hengstenberg.
Verse 1. Before the gods. There is much
diversity in the meaning assigned to "gods" in
this verse. It may mean literally in an idolatrous country, in
the very temples of false gods, as so many Christian martyrs
bore testimony to the faith. The LXX., Vulgate, Ethiopic, and
Arabic translate angels. The Chaldee has judges,
the Syriac kings, and the earlier Greek fathers explain
it as a reference to the choirs of Priests and Levites in
the Temple.—Zigabenus, in Neale and Littledale.
Verse 1. Before the gods. Some (LXX., Luther,
Calvin, etc.) interpret these words of the angels, and compare
Ps 29:1; but it is doubtful if the Hebrew word Elohim, used
nakedly and without any explanation, can have this meaning: it
is also, as it would seem, in this connection, pointless: others
(Rabbins, Flamin., Delitzsch, etc.) interpret "the great
ones of the earth", and compare Ps 138:4 below, and Ps 82:1
119:46, etc.; but this interpretation, too, seems to give no
special force to the passage. Probably (Aq., Symm., Jer., etc.)
the meaning is, "Before, or in the presence of, the gods of
the heathen, i.e., in scorn of, in sight of, the idols,
who can do nothing, I will praise Jehovah, who does miracles for
me and his people." For a similar expression, see Ps 23:5,
see also Ps 95:8, 96:5, for places in which the Hebrew word "gods"
is used probably for idols.—Speaker's Commentary.
Verse 1. Before the gods, etc. The Vulgate
hath, in conspectu angelorum, "before the
angels"; their presence should awe men and women, and keep
them from all dishonesty, evil words, acts, gestures, secret
grudging, all discontents and distempers. For as they are
rejoiced to discern a good frame of spirit in you, to see you
keep that order God hath set in the church and state, to walk as
Christians to the honour of God; so they are grieved to see the
contrary, and you must answer for your sins against these great
officers in the great family of heaven and earth.—William
Greenhill.
Verse 2. I will worship toward thy holy temple.
The holy temple was a type and figure of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore we find Daniel opening his windows toward the temple,
where he prayed three times a day; and we find Jonah saying,
"Yet will I look again toward thy holy temple." So
looking to Jesus, he is our temple. There is no acceptable
worship except through him; but we can offer spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Then, set the
Lord Jesus Christ before your eyes, that you may worship God and
draw near to the footstool of mercy through him, that you may
offer an acceptable sacrifice, and praise his name for his
lovingkindness and for his truth.—Joseph C. Philpot,
1802-1869.
Verse 2. Thy holy temple. This Psalm is
entitled "a Psalm of David", and Calvin considers him
to be its author agreeably to the title; but the mention of
"the temple" in this verse seems to render such an
opinion doubtful. If, however, we translate this word by
"mansion", which is the proper rendering of the
original—the mansion of thy sanctity,—this objection
to its composition by David falls to the ground.—James
Anderson's Note to Calvin in loc.
Verse 2. I will...praise thy name for thy
lovingkindness. There are two beautiful thoughts brought out
here; one is, "God's condescension in thought"; the
other, "his tenderness in action." These are both
included in "loving kindness." And both of
these are shown by God to his own people. He humbleth himself to
behold the things of the children of men; he condescends to men
of low estate. Of the blessed Jesus it is said, that
"though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor,
that ye through his poverty might be rich": 2Co 8:9. Who
can tell the depths to which God condescends in loving thought?
We are told that the very hairs of our head are all numbered;
and if the hairs of our head, then surely all else beside. God,
as the Heavenly Father, takes an interest in everything about
his people; he takes this interest in matters which they think
beneath his notice, or of which they, from their ignorance, do
not know the importance. The mother may draw whole stores of
comfort from a realization of the condescending
thoughtfulness of God. He will be interested about her babe;
if she commit it to him, he who made the universe will, with his
infinite mind, think upon her cradle and the helpless creature
that is rocked to sleep therein. The sick man may draw whole
stores of comfort from the same source, for he can believe the
ONE by whom the body was fearfully and wonderfully made will
think over the sufferings of that body, and alleviate them, or
give strength for the endurance of them if they must be borne.
Condescension of thought marks all the dealings of God with his
people. And hard following upon it comes tenderness in
action. Now this "tenderness in action" is a great
part of the lovingkindness of God; it is meet that a thoughtful
mind and tender hand should go together in the perfection of
love. God is not only energetic, but tender also in action; he
is the God of the dew drops, as well as the God of the thunder
showers; the God of the tender grass blade, as much as of the
mountain oak. We read of great machines, which are able to crush
iron bars, and yet they can touch so gently as not to break the
shell of the smallest egg; as it is with them, so is it with the
hand of the Most High; he can crush a world, and yet bind up a
wound. And great need have we of tenderness in our low estate; a
little thing would crush us: we have such bruised and feeble
souls, that unless we had One who would deal tenderly with us we
must soon be destroyed.—Philip Bennett Power, in "The
I Wills' of the Psalms," 1861.
Verse 2. Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy
name. His "word" being here annexed to "lovingkindness
and truth", must needs be that part of his word to
which these two are applicable, i.e., his promise, the
matter whereof is mercy or lovingkindness, and in
the performance of which is truth or fidelity. And
then to "magnify" this "word" of promise
seems to signify two things; 1, the making very great and
excellent promises, and then, 2, the performing them most
punctually; and the doing it above all his name is
promising and performing most superlative mercies above all that
is famed or spoken or believed of God. Then thus it will run; I
will worship, etc., "and praise thy name above thy
lovingkindness and above thy truth"; i.e., it will be
too low, too short a compilation, to call thee merciful or
veracious, or style thee after any other of thy attributes; thou
art all these, and more than so, "thou hast magnified
thy word", given and performed most glorious promises, "above
all thy name", above all that men have apprehended or
spoken of thee. This verse and Psalm may easily be interpreted
of God's mercies in Christ, so far above what could be famed, or
said, or believed, or apprehended of him.—Condensed from H.
Hammond.
Verse 2. Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy
name. Beyond all question there are higher and clearer
manifestations of himself, of his being, of his perfection, of
his purposes in the volume of revelation, than any which his
works have disclosed or can disclose. There are very many points
in relation to God, of the highest interest to mankind, on which
the disclosures of science shed no light; there are many things
which it is desirable for man to know, which cannot be learned
in the schools of philosophy; there are consolations which man
needs in a world of trouble which cannot be found in nature;
there is especially a knowledge of the method by which sin may
be pardoned, and the soul saved, which, can never be disclosed
by the blowpipe, the telescope, or the microscope. These things,
if learned at all, must be learned from revelation, and these
are of more importance to man as a traveller to another world
than all the learning which can be acquired in the schools of
philosophy—valuable as that learning is.—Albert Barnes.
Verse 2. For thou hast magnified thy word above all
thy name, etc. This is a dark sentence at the first view,
but as a judicious expositor upon the place well observes, the
words may be thus read, and will better agree with the Hebrew; "thou
hast magnified thy name above all things, in thy word",
that is, in fulfilling thy word thou hast magnified thy name
above all things, in that thou hast fulfilled thy word. What
thou freely promisedst, thou hast faithfully performed; what
thou hast spoken with thy mouth thou hast fulfilled with thy
hand; for which thy name is wonderfully to be magnified.—James
Nalton, 1664.
Verse 2. Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy
name. Every creature bears the name of God; but in his word
and truth therein contained it is written at length, and
therefore he is more choice of this than of all his other works;
he cares not much what becomes of the world and all in it, so
that he keeps his word, and saves his truth. Ere long we shall
see the world in flames; the heavens and earth shall pass away,
"but the word of the Lord endures for ever." When God
will, he can make more such worlds as this; but he cannot make
another truth, and therefore he will not lose one jot thereof.
Satan, knowing this, sets all his wits to work to deface this
and disfigure it by unsound doctrine. The word is the glass in
which we see God, and seeing him are changed into his likeness
by his Spirit. If this glass be cracked, then the conceptions we
have of God will misrepresent him unto us; whereas the word, in
its native clearness, sets him out in all his glory unto our
eye.—William Gurnall.
Verse 2. Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy
name. Thou hast bestowed the promise of perpetuity to my
house and to my kingdom, which rises in grandeur and goodness
above all thy past manifestations of thyself in behalf of thy
people (2Sa 7:10 12-13 15-16 7:21-22 2Sa 24-26 29; 2Sa 7:21
especially, "For thy Word's sake ...hast thou done
all these great things"; 2Sa 7:26, "And let thy
name be magnified for ever"—an undesigned
coincidence of language between the history and the Psalm). In
the Messiah alone the greatness of the promise finds, and shall
hereafter more fully find, its realization for Israel and the
whole world.—Andrew Robert Fausset.
Verse 2. Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy
name. God has sent his word to us,
1. As a mirror, to reflect his glory. "The
heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his
handywork"; from them may his eternal power and Godhead be
clearly seen. Ps 19:1, 3-4. In his providential dealings, also,
is much of his wisdom and goodness exhibited. But of his
perfections, generally, we can form no idea from these things;
of his purposes we can know nothing. The state of the Heathen
world clearly attests this; for they behold the wonders of
Creation and Providence, as well as we: "There is no speech
nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line
is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of
the world": Ps 19:3-4. But in the sacred volume all the
glory of the Godhead shines: there we are admitted, so to speak,
even to the council chamber of the Most High; to hear the
covenant entered into between the Father and the Son; the Father
engaging to give to him a seed, whom he should have for his
inheritance, if he, on his part, would "make his soul an
offering for their sins", and, in their nature, expiate the
guilt of their iniquities. This mysterious transaction having
taken place in the incarnation and death of the Lord Jesus
Christ, we behold all the perfections of God united and
harmonizing in a way that they never did, or could, by any other
means: we see justice more inexorable, than if it had executed
vengeance on the whole human race; and mercy more abundant, than
if it had spared the human race without any such atonement.
There, as it is well expressed, "Mercy and truth are met
together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other":
Ps 85:10. Of this great mystery we find not a trace in the whole
creation besides; but in the word it is reflected, as in a
mirror (2Co 3:18); and it shines so brightly, that the very
angels around the throne are made wiser by the revelation of it
to the Church: Eph 3:10.
2. As a standard, to which everything may be referred.
Of God's will we know nothing, but from the word: "we know
neither good nor evil from all that is before us." What God
requires of us, nothing in Creation or Providence can inform us:
what he will do for us, we cannot ascertain: how he will deal
with us, we cannot ascertain. But, in the sacred volume, all is
written as with a sunbeam. There is nothing which God expects us
to do for him, which is not there most explicitly declared:
nothing which he engages to do for us, that does not form the
subject of a distinct promise. The whole of his procedure in the
day of judgment is there laid open: the laws by which we shall
be judged: the manner in which the testimony, whether against us
or in our favour, shall be produced; the grounds on which the
sentence of condemnation or acquittal shall be passed; yea, the
very state to which every person, either as acquitted or
condemned, shall be consigned; all is so clearly made known,
that every person, who will judge himself with candour now, may
assuredly anticipate his fate. There is nothing left to
conjecture. Every man has a standard to which he may refer, for
the rectifying of his judgment in every particular: so that
nothing can be added for the instruction of our minds, or the
regulation of our future expectations.
3. As a fountain, from whence all his blessings
emanate. Great blessings, beyond all doubt, flow down to us
through the works of Creation and Providence: in fact, they are
incessantly administering to our welfare; for "God opens
his hands, and fills all things living with plenteousness."
Still, however, the benefits derived from them are only
temporal; whereas those which the inspired volume imparts are
spiritual and eternal; from whence we derive all our knowledge
of Divine truth, and all our hopes of everlasting salvation. Nor
is it the knowledge only of truth that we obtain, but the
operation and efficacy of it on our souls. There is in Divine
truth, when applied by the Holy Spirit, a power to wound, to
sanctify, to save: Ps 19:7-11. When it comes to the soul with
power, the stoutest heart in the universe is made to tremble:
when it is poured out as balm, the most afflicted creature under
heaven is made to leap for joy. Look over the face of the globe,
and see how many, who were once under the unrestrained dominion
of sin, are now transformed into the image of their God. And
then ascend to heaven, and behold the myriads of the redeemed
around the throne of God, uniting their hallelujahs to God and
to the Lamb: to this state were they all brought by that blessed
word, which alone could ever prevail for so great a work. Thus
it is that God has magnified his word; and thus it is that he
will magnify it, to the end of time; yea, through eternity will
it be acknowledged as the one source of all blessings that shall
ever be enjoyed.—Charles Simeon, in Horae Homileticae.
Verse 2. For thou hast magnified thy word above all
thy name. This is one of those expressions of Scripture that
seem so comprehensive, and yet so amazing. To my mind it is one
of the most remarkable expressions in the whole book of God. "Thou
hast magnified thy word above all thy name." The name
of God includes all the perfections of God; everything that God
is, and which God has revealed himself as having—his justice,
majesty, holiness, greatness, and glory, and whatever he is in
himself, that is God's name. And yet he has "magnified"
something "above his name"—his word—his
truth. This may refer to the Incarnate Word, the Son of
God, who was called "the Word." "There are
three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word,
and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one": 1Jo 5:7,
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God": Joh 1:1. You may take the words either as
meaning that God has magnified his Word, his eternal
Son—above all his great name, that is, he has set Jesus on
high above all the other perfections of his majesty; or take it
as meaning his written word, which is written in the sacred
Scriptures. So, in that case, not only the Incarnate Word
in the person of Jesus; but also the written word in the
Scriptures of truth. He has magnified it above all his name in
the fulfilment of it: God's faithfulness being so dear to him,
he has exalted his faithfulness above all his other perfections.
We see this in nature. Here is a man so to be depended upon, so
faithful to his word, that he will sacrifice anything sooner
than depart from it: that man will give up his property, or life
itself, rather than forfeit his word. So God has spoken of
magnifying his word above all his name. He would sooner allow
all his other perfections to come to naught, than for his
faithfulness to fail. He has so magnified his faithfulness, that
his love, his mercy, his grace, would all sooner fail than his
faithfulness—the word of his mouth and what he has revealed in
the Scripture. What a firm salvation, then, is ours, which rests
upon his word, when God has magnified that word above all his
name! What volumes of blessedness and truth are contained
therein! so that, if God has revealed his truth to your soul,
and given you faith to anchor in the world of promise, sooner
than that should fail, he would suffer the loss of all; for he
has magnified his word above all his name.—Joseph C.
Philpot.
Verse 2. Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy
name. God has a greater regard unto the words of his
mouth, than to the works of his hand: heaven and earth shall
pass away, but one jot or tittle of what he hath spoken shall
never fall to the ground. Some do understand this of Christ the
essential Word, in whom he has set his name, and whom he has so
highly exalted, that he has given him "a name above every
name."—Ebenezer Erskine, 1680-1754.
Verse 2. Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy
name. Meaning that his Word or promise shall have, as it
were, and exercise a kind of sovereignty over all his
prerogatives and attributes, wisdom, justice, power, etc. So
that men need not fear that any of them shall at any time, or in
any case whatsoever, move in the least contrariety thereunto.—John
Goodwin, 1593-1665.
Verse 2. Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy
name. It may be when there are some extraordinary works of
God in the world, thunder and lightning, etc., we are ready to
be afraid, and oh! the great God that doth appear in these great
works! Were our hearts as they ought to be when we read the Word,
we would tremble at that more than at any manifestation of God
since the world began in all his works; and if so be thou dost
not see more of the glory of God in his Word than in his
works, it is because thou hast little light in thee.—Jeremiah
Burroughs, 1599-1646.
Verse 2. Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy
name. "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made,
and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth." But
mightier far is the word by which a lost world is redeemed. This
is the "word" that he hath "magnified
above all his name", as displaying at once the
exceeding greatness of his power, the resources of his manifold
wisdom, and the blended glories of holiness and love.—John
Lillie.
Verse 2. It is not with the truth merely excogitated,
but with the truth expressed, that we have any concern; not with
the truth as seen by our inspired teacher, but with the truth as
by him spoken to us. It is not enough that the Spirit hath made
him to see it aright—this is not enough if he have not also
made him to speak it aright. A pure influx into the mind of an
apostle is no sufficient guarantee for the instruction of the
world, unless there be a pure afflux also; for not the doctrine
that has flowed in, but the doctrine that has flowed out, is
truly all that we have to do with. Accordingly, it is to the
doctrine in afflux, that is to the word, that we are
bidden to yield ourselves. It is the word that is a light unto
our feet and a lamp unto our path; it is his word that God hath
exalted above all his name; it is the word that he hath settled
fast in heaven, and given to it a stability surer and more
lasting than to the ordinances of nature. We can take no
cognizance of the doctrine that is conveyed from heaven to
earth, when it has only come the length of excogitation in the
mind of an apostle; and it is not till brought the farther
length of expression, either by speech or by writing, that it
comes into contact with us. In short our immediate concern is
with, not what apostles conceive inwardly, but what they bring
forth outwardly—not with the schemes or the systems which they
have been made to apprehend, but with the books which they have
written; and had the whole force and effect of this observation
been sufficiently pondered, we feel persuaded that the advocates
of a mitigated inspiration would not have dissevered, as they
have done, the inspiration of sentiment from the inspiration of
language.—Thomas Chalmers.
Verse 2. "Thy word", or, "Thy
promise." So great are God's promises, and so faithful
and complete is his performance of them, as even to surpass the
expectations which the greatness of his name has excited.—Annotated
Paragraph Bible.
Verse 3. In the day when I cried, etc. God
granted him a speedy answer; for it was in the very day that he
cried that he was heard: and it was a spiritual answer; he was strengthened
with strength in his soul. Would you have soul strength for
the work you have in view? Then cry unto him who is the
"strength of Israel" for it; for "he giveth power
to the faint, and he increaseth strength to them that have no
might."—Ebenezer Erskine.
Verse 3. In the day when I cried thou answeredst me,
etc. That part of an army which is upon action in the field is
sure to have their pay, if their masters have any money in their
purse, or care of them; yea, sometimes when their fellows left
in their quarters are made to wait. I am sure there is more gold
and silver (spiritual joy, I mean, and comfort) to be found in
Christ's camp, among his suffering ones, than their brethren at
home in peace and prosperity ordinarily can show. What are the
promises but vessels of cordial wine, turned on purpose against
a groaning hour, when God usually broacheth them! "Call
upon me", saith God, "in the day of trouble." Ps
50:15. And may we not do so in the day of peace? Yes; but he
would have us most bold with him in the day of trouble. None
find such quick despatch at the throne of grace as suffering
saints. "In the day that I cried", saith David,
"thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength
in my soul." He was now in a strait, and God comes in
haste to him. Though we may keep a well friend waiting should he
send for us, yet we will give a sick friend leave to call us up
at midnight. In such extremities we usually go with the
messenger that comes for us; and so doth God with the prayer.
Peter knocked at their gate, who were assembled to seek God for
him, almost as soon as their prayer knocked at heaven gate in
his behalf. And truly it is no more than needs, if we consider
the temptations of our afflicted condition; we are prone then to
be suspicious that our best friends forget us, and to think
every stay a delay, and neglect of us; therefore God chooseth to
show himself most kind at such a time. "As the sufferings
of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by
Christ": 2Co 1:5. As man laid on trouble, so Christ laid in
consolation: both tides rose and fell together; when it was
spring tide with him in affliction, it was so with him in his
joy. We relieve the poor as their need increaseth; so Christ
comforts his people as their troubles multiply. And now,
Christian, tell me, doth not thy dear Lord deserve a ready
spirit in thee to meet any suffering with, for, or from him, who
gives his sweetest comforts where his people are put to bear
their saddest sorrows? Well may the servant do his work
cheerfully when his master is so careful of him as with his own
hands to bring him his breakfast into the fields. The Christian
stays not till he comes to heaven for all his comfort. There
indeed shall be the full supper, but there is a breakfast,
Christian, of previous joys, more or less, which Christ brings
to thee into the field, to be eaten on the place where you
endure your hardship.—William Gurnall.
Verse 3. Thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me
with strength in my soul. It is one gracious way of
answering our prayers when God doth bestow upon us spiritual
strength in our souls; if he do not give the things we desire,
yet if he gives us strength in our souls, he graciously answers
our prayers. What is this spiritual strength? I answer, it is a
work of the Spirit of God, enabling a man to do and suffer what
God would have him without fainting or backsliding.—James
Nalton.
Verse 3. Thou strengthenedst me with strength in my
soul. Other masters cut out work for their servants, but do
not help them in their work; but our Master in heaven doth not
only give us work, but strength. God bids us serve him, and he
will enable us to serve him, Eze 36:27: "I will cause you
to walk in my statutes." The Lord doth not only fit work
for us, but fits us for our work; with his command he gives
power.—Thomas Watson.
Verse 3. Thou makest me brave in my soul (with)
strength. The common version of this clause ("strengthenedst
me with strength in my soul") contains a paronomasia
not in the original, where the verb and noun have not even a
letter in common. The verb is by some translated made me
proud, i.e., elated me, not with a vain or selfish pride,
but with a lofty and exhilarating hope.—Joseph Addison
Alexander.
Verse 4. All the kings of the earth shall praise
thee. In a sense sufficiently striking this promise was
fulfilled to David, and to the nation of Israel, as surrounding
monarchs beheld the wonderful dispensations of divine providence
which attended their steps (2Sa 5:11 8:10); but in its
completest sense, it shall realize its accomplishment in the
future conquests of Messiah, when the princes and potentates of
the earth receive his word, learn by divine grace to celebrate
the glorious methods of his love, and see in the light of faith
the greatness of Jehovah's glory as the God of salvation. "All
the kings of the earth" shall yet praise the Lord, and
shall hasten with their numerous subjects to hail the triumphs
of his grace.—John Morison.
Verse 5. Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the
LORD. There will come a time when the praise of Jahve, which
according to Ps 137:4 was obliged to be dumb in the presence of
the heathen, will be sung by the kings of the heathen
themselves.—Franz Delitzsch.
Verse 5. Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the
LORD. Walking with God is a pleasant walk: the ways of
wisdom are called "ways of pleasantness": Pr 3:17. Is
not the light pleasant Ps 89:15: "They shall walk, O LORD,
in the light of thy countenance." Walking with God is like
walking among beds of spices, which send forth a fragrant
perfume. This is it which brings peace, Ac 9:31: "Walking
in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy
Ghost." While we walk with God, what sweet music doth the
bird of conscience make in our breast! "They shall sing
in the ways of the Lord."—Thomas Watson.
Verse 6. Though the LORD be high. We have here
God's transcendent greatness; he is the high Lord, or
Jehovah: he is "the high and lofty One, who inhabits
eternity, and who dwells in the high and lofty place, to which
no man can approach." Who can think or speak of his
highness in a suitable manner? It dazzles the eyes of sinful
mortal worms to behold "the place where his honour
dwells." Oh how infinite is the distance between him and
us! "There are none of the sons of the mighty that can be
compared unto him"; yea, "the inhabitants of the earth
are before him but as the drop in the bucket, and the small dust
in the balance." He is not only "high"
above men, but above angels: cherubims and seraphims are his
ministering spirits. He is "high" above the
heavens; for "the heaven, yea, the heaven of heavens cannot
contain him"; and he "humbleth himself" when
"he beholds things that are in heaven." Oh, sirs,
study to entertain high and admiring thoughts and apprehensions
of the glorious majesty of God; for "honour and majesty are
before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary."—Ebenezer
Erskine.
Verse 6. The LORD hath respect unto the lowly.
God has such a respect unto the lowly, not as if this frame of
soul were meritorious of any good at his hand, but because,
1. This is a disposition that best serves God's great design
of lifting up and glorifying his free grace. What think you,
sirs, was God's design in election, in redemption, in the whole
of the gospel dispensation, and in all the ordinances thereof?
His grand design in all was to rear up a glorious high throne,
from which he might display the riches of his free and sovereign
grace; this is that which he will have magnified through
eternity above all his other name. Now, this lowliness and
humility of spirit suits best unto God's design of exalting the
freedom of his grace. It is not the legalist, or proud Pharisee,
but the poor humble publican, who is smiting on his breast, and
crying, "God be merciful to me, a sinner", that
submits to the revelation of grace.
2. God has such respect unto the humble soul because it is a
fruit of the Spirit inhabiting the soul, and an evidence of the
soul's union with the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom alone we are
accepted.
3. This is a disposition that makes the soul like Christ; and
the more alike that a person is to Christ, God loves him all the
better. We are told that Christ was "meek and lowly";
"he did not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be
heard in the streets"; though he was "the brightness
of his Father's glory", yet he was content to appear
"in the form of a servant"; though he was rich, yet he
was content to become poor, that we through his poverty might be
rich. Now, the humble soul, being the image of Christ, who is
the express image of his Father, God cannot but have a regard
unto him.—Ebenezer Erskine.
Verse 6. He hath respect unto the lowly. Give
me the homely vessel of humility, which God shall preserve, and
fill with the wine of his grace; rather than the varnished cup
of pride, which he will dash in pieces, like a potter's vessel.
Where humility is the corner stone, there glory shall be the top
stone.—William Seeker, in "The Nonsuch Professor in
his Meridian Splendour," 1660.
Verse 6. The proud he knoweth afar off. He that
meets a spectacle or person which he cannot endure to look upon,
avoids it, or turns from it while he is yet afar off; whereas,
if the object be delightful, he draweth near and comes as close
as he can. When therefore it is said, The Lord knoweth a
proud man afar off, it shows his disdain of him: he will
scarce touch him with a pair of tongs (as we say); he cannot
abide to come near him. He knows well enough how vile he is even
at the greatest distance.—Joseph Caryl.
Verse 6. The proud he knoweth afar off. By
punishing them in hell.—Richard Rolle, 1340.
Verse 7. Though a walk in the midst of trouble,
thou wilt revive me. So as to the three youths in the fiery
furnace, their persecutor, Nebuchadnezzar, said, "Lo, I see
four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and
they have no hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of
God."—Andrew Robert Fausset.
Verse 7. In the midst of trouble thou wilt revive
me. The wisdom of God is seen in helping in desperate cases.
God loves to show his wisdom when human help and wisdom fail.
Exquisite lawyers love to wrestle with niceties and difficulties
in the law, to show their skill the more. God's wisdom is never
at a loss; but when providences are darkest, then the morning
star of deliverance appears. Sometimes God melts away the
spirits of his enemies. Jos 2:24. Sometimes he finds them other
work to do, and sounds a retreat to them, as he did to Saul when
he was pursuing David. "The Philistines are in the
land." "In the mount God will be seen." When the
church seems to be upon the altar, her peace and liberty ready
to be sacrificed, then the angel comes.—Thomas Watson.
Verse 7. Thou shalt stretch forth thine hand,
etc. Thou shalt interpose thine help betwixt me and them, and
save me harmless; as the poets feign their gods did those whom
they favoured. Thou shalt strike them with thy left hand, and
save me with thy right; so Tremellius senses it.—John
Trapp.
Verse 8. The LORD will perfect, etc. God's work
is perfect, man's is clumsy and incomplete. God does not leave
off till he has finished. When he rests, it is because, looking
on his work, he sees it all "very good." His Sabbath
is the Sabbath of an achieved purpose, of a fulfilled counsel.
The palaces which we build are ever like that in the story,
where one window remains dark and without jewels, while the rest
blaze in beauty. But when God builds none can say, "He was
not able to finish." In his great palace he makes her
"windows of agates", and all her "borders
of pleasant stones." I suppose that if the medieval dream
had ever come true, and an alchemist had ever turned a grain of
lead into gold, he could have turned all the lead in the world,
in time, and with crucibles and furnaces enough. The first step
is all the difficulty, and if you and I have been changed from
enemies into sons, and had one spark of love to God kindled in
our hearts, that is a mightier change than any that yet remains
to be effected in order to make us perfect. One grain has been
changed, the whole mass will be in due time.—Alexander
Maclaren, Sermon in "Wesleyan Methodist Magazine,"
1879.
Verse 8. Forsake not the works of thine own hands.
When we are under such afflictions as threaten to ruin us, 'tis
seasonable to tell the Lord he made us. David strengthens prayer
upon this argument: "Forsake not the works of thine own
hands." All men love their own works, many dote upon
them: shall we think God will forsake his? See how the people of
God plead with God in greatest distress (Isa 64:8): "But
now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our
potter; and we are all the work of thy hand. Be not wroth very
sore, O LORD."—Joseph Caryl.
Verse 8. Forsake not the works of thine own hands.
Look upon the wounds of thine hands, and forsake not the works
of thine hands, prayed Queen Elizabeth. And Luther's usual
prayer was, Confirm, O God, in us that thou hast wrought, and
perfect the work that thou hast begun in us, to thy glory. So be
it.—John Trapp.
Verse 8. Forsake not the works of thine own hands.
Behold in me thy work, not mine: for mine, if thou seest, thou
condemnest; thine, if thou seest, thou crownest. For whatever
good works there be of mine, from thee are they to me; and so
they are more thine than mine. For I hear from thine apostle,
"By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man
should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus": Eph 2:8-10.—Augustine.
Verse 8. Thine own hands. His creating hands
formed our souls at the beginning; his nail pierced hands
redeemed them on Calvary; his glorified hands will hold our
souls fast and not let them go for ever. Unto his hands let us
commend our spirits, sure that even though the works of our
hands have made void the works of his hands, yet his hands will
again make perfect all that our hands have unmade.—J.W.
Burgon.
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER
Verses 1-3. David vexed with rival gods, as we are
with rival gospels. How will he act?
1. Sing with whole hearted praise.
a) It would generously show his contempt of the false.
b) It would evince his strong faith in the true.
c) It would declare his joyful zeal for God.
d) It would shield him from evil from those about him.
2. Worship by the despised rule.
a) Quietly ignoring all will worship.
b) Looking to the person of Christ, which was typified by the
temple.
c) Trusting in sacrifice.
d) Realizing God himself, for it is to God he speaks.
3. Praise the questioned attributes.
a) Lovingkindness in its universality, in its speciality.
Grace in everything.
b) Truth. Historic accuracy. Certainty of promises.
Correctness of prophecies. Assured of the love of God and the
truth of his word, let us cling the closer to these.
4. Reverence the honoured word. It is beyond all
revelation by creation and providence, for it is—
a) More clear.
b) More sure.
c) More sovereign.
d) More complete, unique.
e) More lasting.
f) More glorifying to God.
5. Prove it by experience.
a) By offering prayer.
b) By narrating the answer.
c) By exhibiting the strength in soul which was given in answer
to prayer.
Verse 2. The Christward position.
1. Worship and praise are to be blended.
2. They are to be presented with an eye to God in Christ, for
he is the temple: the place of divine indwelling, sacrifice,
intercession, priesthood, oracle, and manifestation.
Verse 2. (first clause).—
1. The soul's noblest attitude: "Toward thy
temple."
2. The soul's noblest exercise: "worship,"
"praise."
—W.W.
Verse 2.
1. The worshipper's contemplation. Gaze fixed on Holy
Temple. Material temple not yet built. Christ the sanctuary. Heb
8:2 All worship through him. Eye of worshippers fixed on him.
2. The worshipper's song. Love and truth. Note the
combination. Truth by Moses. Grace and truth Jesus Christ.
3. The worshipper's argument. Because Christ "The
Word" is the embodiment and most glorious manifestation of
God. Heb 1:2-3.—Archibald G. Brown.
Verse 3.
1. Prayer answered in the day.
2. Prayer answered by giving strength for the day. See
2Co 12:8-9.
—A.G.B.
Verse 3.
1. Answers to prayer should be noted and acknowledged:
"Thou answeredst me."
2. Speedy answers should have special praise: "In the
when I cried, thou", etc.
3. A strengthened soul is sometimes the best answer to
prayer: "Strengthened me with strength."
—J.F.
Verse 3. Remarkable answer to prayer.
1. The prayer: feeble, earnest, sorrowful, inarticulate.
2. The answer: prompt, divine, effectual, certain.
3. The praise deserved by such grace. See preceding verses.
Verse 3.
1. A special day.
2. A specific form of prayer: "I cried."
3. A special method of response.
—W.W.
Verse 4.
1. A royal audience.
2. A royal orchestra.
Verses 4-5.
1. They who hear the words of God will know God.
2. They who know God will praise him, however exalted they
may be amongst men: "All the kings, "etc.
3. They who praise God will walk in his ways.
4. They who walk in the ways of the Lord will glorify him,
and he will be glorified in them.
—G.R.
Verse 5. See "Spurgeon's Sermons", No. 1615:
"Singing in the Ways of the Lord."
Verse 5. This is spoken of kings, but it is true of
the humblest pilgrims. The Lord hath respect unto the lowly, and
will make them sing.
1. They shall sing in the ways.
a) They take pleasure in them.
b) They do not go out of them to find pleasure.
c) They sing as they proceed in service, in worship, in
holiness, in suffering.
d) They are in a case for singing. They have strength,
safety, guidance, provision, comfort.
2. They sing of the ways of the Lord.
a) Of God's ways to them.
b) Of their way to God. They know whence they came out. They
know where they are going. It is a good road; prophets went by
it, and the Lord of the prophets. Therein we have good company,
good accommodation, good prospects, good daylight.
3. They sing of the Lord of the way. His loving
kindness. His truth. Answers to prayer. His condescension. His
reviving us in trouble. His delivering us. His perfecting us.
His everlasting mercy.
4. They shall sing to the Lord of the way.
a) To his honour.
b) To the extending of that honour.
c) As a preparation to eternally honouring him.
Verse 6. Divine inversions.
1. Lowliness honoured to its great surprise.
2. Pride passed by to its eternal mortification.
—W.B.H.
Verse 7. (first clause).
1. The Psalmist's dismal excursion: walking "in the
midst of trouble"; this is not a spectator, but one
assailed. Troubles—personal, social, ecclesiastical, national.
2. His cheering anticipation—of revival, defence,
deliverance.—W.J.
Verse 7.
1. Good men are sometimes in the midst of troubles: these are
many, and continue long.
2. They interfere not with their progress. They "walk in
the midst" of them; faint, yet pursuing; sometimes they
"run with patience", etc.
3. They have comfort in them: "Though I walk",
etc., "thou wilt revive me."
4. They are benefited by them.
a) Their enemies are overthrown.
b) Their deliverance is complete.—G.R.
Verse 7. The child of God often revived out of
trouble; more frequently in trouble; not seldom through
trouble. Delivered from, sustained in, sanctified through,
trouble.—A.G.B.
Verse 7. An incident of the road to the city.
1. Pilgrims beset by thieves and struck down.
2. The arrival of Great heart and flight of the enemy.
3. The flask to the lips: "thou wilt revive me." Sweet
awakening to know the beauty of his face and strength of his
hand!—W.B.H.
Verse 7. (third clause). Right hand salvation.
1. It shall be wrought of God.
2. He shall throw his strength into the deed.
3. His utmost dexterity shall be displayed.
Verse 8. (first clause).
1. A wide subject "That which concerneth me." Not
necessarily that which gives me concern.
2. A promise that covers it: "the Lord will
perfect."—A.G.B.
Verse 8. (first and last clauses). Faith in
divine purpose no hindrance to prayer, but rather an
encouragement in it: "The Lord will perfect."
"Forsake not."—A.G.B
Verse 8. See "Spurgeon's Sermons", Nos. 231
and 1506: "Faith in Perfection", and, "Choice
Comfort for a Young Believer."
Verse 8. The grace of God makes a man thoughtful, and
leads him to concern about himself, his life, his future, and
the completeness of the work of grace. This might lead us to
sadness and despair, but the Lord worketh in us for other ends.
1. He fills us with assurance.
a) That the Lord will work for us.
b) That he will complete his work.
c) That he will do this in providence; if it be properly a
concern of ours.
d) That he will do this within us. Our graces shall grow. Our
soul shall become Christly. Our whole nature perfect.
e) That he will do this with our work for him.
2. He gives us rest in his mercy.
a) Thou wilt forgive my sins.
b) Thou wilt bear with my nature.
c) Thou wilt support me in suffering.
d) Thou wilt supply me in need.
e) Thou wilt succour me in death.
3. He puts prayer into our hearts.
a) That he will not forsake me.
b) That he will not leave his own work in me undone.
c) Nor his work by me unfinished. Why did he begin? Why carry so
far? Why not complete?
Verse 8.
1. Faith's full assurance: "The Lord will perfect that
which concerneth me."
2. Faith's firm foundation: "Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth
for ever."
3. Faith's fervent prayer: "Forsake not the works of
thine own hands."