¥. 31. They fhall come, &c.]. Qne generation after another;. there fhall always be a fucceffion of regenerate perfons, who fhall come to Chrift, and to his churches; - and a-fucceffion of. gofpel-minifters among them, who. fhall come forth, bein fent and qualified by Chrift.. And fhall declare bis righteoufne/s,;. either the’ faithfulnefs of ‘God, in fulfilling his promifes; efpecially thofe which re- {pect the miffion of Chrift, and falvation by him, as Zacharias did, Luke 3. 68—73. or rather, the righteoufnels. of Chrift, which.is revealed in the gofpel, and makes a moft confiderable part of the declaration. of it, and is publifhed by gofpel- minifters in all ages, as the only juftifying ‘righteoufnefs before God; and that Unto.a people. that shall be born; in fucceffive generations; that hall be brought upon the ftage of time and life; or that fhall be born again; for to fuch only, ina fpiritual and faving way, is the righteoufnefs of Chrift declared, revealed, and applied, by the bleffed Spirit, through the miniftry of the word: it is added, That be bath done this; wrought this righteoufnels; fo Farchi; that is, is the author of it; is become the end of the law for it; has finifhed it, and brought it in; or elfe all the great things fpoken of in this pfalm, relating to the Meffiah, his fufferings, death, and refurrection, and the calling of the Gentiles; all which are the Lord’s doings, and are what is declared in the gofpel: the Zargum is, the miracles which be bath done; the Septuagint verfion, and thofe that follow it, connect this claufe with the preceding, thus, ta a people that fhajl be born, whom the Lord bath made, made them his people, created them in Chrift, and formed them for himfelf, “ap petal to wobsdt ads to ster BL Slide Ep (Macs GX,
TEN HIS plalm was; written by David,» either; '., when he was, in diftrefled, circum ftances, being perfecuted,-by Seu/; and..was, in the.foreft, of Hareths. 1 Sam. xxii, 5,..as) fome think *;, wherefore he,comforts himfelf with, the Lord’s heing ‘his fhepherd;: fo, that he fhould.not want. nor,would he fear, was he in worfe circumftances than he. at prefent was; or-rather, when. he, was fettled upon the throne of J/rael, andvin the. moft prof{perous and flourifhing, ftate.of -his reign, as the Jatrer part of the pfalm fhews; he {peaks not in his own perfon only, but in the name of all believers; for Chrift, -who is.the {hepherd {poken of,, 1s, a.common fhepherd to al] the faints, who are all the fheep of his pafture, as well as David; and the prophet here makes uf of fimilies very familiar with him; he having.been a fhepherd himfelf, and knew what it was to.do all the parts of that office, which are herein expreffed; and.very pertinently does. this pfalm follow. the former; for as there Chrift is prophefied of as laying down his life far the fheep, as the good fhepherd does;. and of his being brought again from the dead, as the great fhepherd of the fheep, as Chrift has been; fo here of his performing his office as fuch, in all its parts, to the great comfort, refrefhment, and fafety of his people.
x1. The Lord is my fhepberd, &c.|. This is to be underftood not of Febpvah the Father, and of his feeding the people of J/rae/ in the wildernefs, as the Targum paraphrafes it, though the character of a fhepherd is fometimes given to him, P/faj. Ixxvii. 20. and Ixxx. 1. but of Zebovah the Son, to whom jt is moft frequently afcribed, Gen, xlix. 24. J a.xl.
11, Ezek, Xxxiv, 23. and xxxvii. 24. Zech. xiii. 7. Fobn X11, 14+. ¥ Pete ii. 25. aid v.,4, ° This office -he was.called and appointed to by his Father, and which through his.condefcending grace he undertook to execute, and for which he is abundantl qualities being omnifcient, and fo Knows all his fheep and.their maladies, where to find them, what is thejr cafe, and what is to be done for them; and being, Omnipotent, he can do every thing proper for them, and having all’power-in heaven and in earth, can protect, defend, ‘and fave them; and all the treafures of wifdom’ and knowledge being in him, he can guide and direét'them in the beft:manner; wherefore he is called the great fhepherd, and the chief fhepherd, and the good fhepherd. David calls him my /bepherd; Chrift having a right unto him, as he has to all the fheep of God, by virtue of his Father’s gift, his own purchafe, and the power Of his grace; and as owning him/as fuch, and yielding cit ion to him, following him as the fheep of Chrift do wherefoever he goes;.and alfo as expreffing “iis faith of intereft in him, affection for him, and joy becaufe of him: and from thence comfortably concludes, J /hail not want; not any thing, as the Targum and Aben Ezra interpret it; not any temporal good thing, as none of Chrift’s fheep do, that he in his wifdom fees proper and convenient for them; nor any fpiritual good things, fince a fulnefs of them is in him, out of which all their wants are fupplied; ‘they cannot want food, for by him they go in and out and find pafture; in him their bread is given them, where
‘they have enough and to fpare, and their waters are fure unto them; nor clothing, for he is the Lord their righteoufnefs, aiid, they are clothed with the robe of his righteoufnefs; nor reft, for he is their refting-place, in whom they find reft for their fouls, and are by him led to waters of reft, as in the following verfe: the words may be rendered, J -/hall not fail, or come foort *; thats, of eternal glory and happinefs; for. Chrift’s fheep are in his hands, out of which none can pluck them, and therefore fhall not perifh, but have everlafting life, Fobm x. 27, 28, 29. a:
y. 3 He maketh mé to lie down in green paftures, &c.] Or paftures of tender grafs*, this is one part of the fhepherd’s work, and which is performed by Chrift, Ezek. xxxiv. 14. John x. 9. by thefe rreen paftures may be meant the covenant of grace, its bleflings and promifés, where there is delicious feeding; likewife the fulnefs of grace in Chrift, from whence grace for grace is received; alfo the flefh and blood, righteoufnefs and facrifice of Chrift, which faith is led unto, and lives upon, and is refrefhed and invigorated by; to which may beadded the doctrines of the gofpel, with which Chrift’s under-fhepherds feed his lambs and fheep, there being in them milk for babes and meat for ftrong | men; and likewife the ordinances of the gofpel, the goodnefs and fatnefs of the Lord’s houfe, ‘the feaft of fat things, and breafts of confolation: here Chrift’s fheep are made to /ie down, denoting their fatiety and fulnefs; they having in thefe green paftures what is fatisfying and replenifhing; as alfo their reft and fafety, thefé being fure dwellings and quiet refting-places, even in the noon of temptation and perfecution; fee Cant. i.7. He leadeth me be-. fide the fill waters, or waters of reft.and quietnefi*;) not to rapid torrents, which by reafon of the noife they make, and the fwiftnefs of their motion, thefheep are frighted, and not able to drink of them; but to ftill waters, pure and clear, and motionlefs, or that.go foftly, like the waters of Shiloab, Ifa. viii. 6. and the /eading to them is in a gentle way, eafily, as they are able to bear it; fo acob led his flock, Gen. xxxiii, 14, and Chrift leads his, J/a. xl. 11. by thele /7ill waters.mday be. defigned: the everlafting love of God, which is like a river, the ftreams whereof make glad the hearts of his people; thefe are the waters of the fancétuary, which rife to the ancles, knees, and loins, and are as a broad river to fwim in; the pure river of water of life Chrift leads his fheep to, and gives them to drink freely of: alfo communion with God, which the faints pant after, as the hart pants after the water-brooks, and Chrift gives accefs unto; moreover he himfelf is the fountain of gardens, and well of living waters, and ftreams from Lebanon; and the‘ graces of his Spirit are alfo as rivers of living ‘water, all which he makes his people partakers of;
truths of the gofpel, are like frefhing waters to them, and age che w: thofe that are athirft are invited to come, J 2. lv.r.
and in the immortal ftate Chrift will ftill be a fhepherd, and will feed his people, and lead them to. fountains of living water where they fhall folace themfelves for ever, and fhall know no more for-) row and fighing, Rev. vil. 17.
¥. 3. He reftoreth my foul, 8c.) Either when backflidden, and brings it back again when led or driven away, and heals its backflidings; or rather, when fainting, {wooning, and ready to die away, he fetches it back again, relieves, refrefhes, and’ comforts with the difcoveries of his love, with the’ promifés® of ‘his word, and with the confola+ tions of his Spirit, and fuch like reviving cordials, fee the note on ‘P/al. xix.7. He leadethme in the paths of righteoufnefs; in the plain*paths of truth ‘and holinefs, in which men, though fools, fhall not err; in right ones, though ‘they fome= times feem rough and rugged to Chrift’s theep;
yet ate not crooked;’ there is no turning to the right hand or the left; they lead ftraight on to the city of habitation; and they are” righteous ones, as paths of duty are, and all the commandments and ‘ordinances of the Lord bes moreover, Chrift leads his by faith, to walk on in him and in his righteoufhefs, looking through it, ‘and on account of it, for eternal. life; fee Prov: viii. 20. and ‘all this he does for bis names feke;°for his own glory and the praife of his grace, and not for any merits or deferts in men. y. 4. Yea, though I walk through tbe valley of the foadow of dzath, 8c.) Which defigns not a ftate’of fpiritual darknefs and ignorance, as fitting in the fhadow’ of death fometimes does, fince the pfalmift cannot be fuppofed ‘to be at this time or ‘after in’ fuch’ a condition; fee Jfa. ix. 2.) Matt. ivi 13, 16. Luke'i.’ 79. nor defertion or the ‘hidings of God’s face, which is fometimes the cafe of ‘the people of God, and was the ‘cafe of the pfalmift“at ‘times; but now he exprefsly fays, the Lord was’ with? him’ but rather, “fincé the grave is ‘called’ the»Jand! of ‘the fhadow of death, and the diftreffes perfons are ufually in under apprehenfions of immediate death, are called the terrors of the fhadow of death; fee cafe: fuppofed is, that fhould his foul draw nigh to the grave, and the forrows of death compafs him about, and he fhould be upon the brink and borders'of «eternity, he Thould be’ fearlefs of evil;
is thy Victory |! thotigh it feems beft of *all*to interpret it, of the THO fevere and terrible 'aMi@ion, or dark difpenfation’ of Providence, ‘it eduld be thought he: fhould’ ever ‘conié under}! Rfalixliv! 19. and cvii. 10, 14. ‘Fer. ‘xiii. 16) The Taream interprets it of captivity, and Farchi and i of the wildernefs of \Ziph, in which David’ was when purfued by «Sau/’, and’thé latter alfo, together with Ben Melech, of the grave, and oflasplace of danger and of diftrefs, which is Tike unto the grave, that is, a place’ of darknefs; and Aben Ezra, ‘of fome grievous ‘calamity, which God had decreed to bring into the world. Suidas* interprets this phrafe, of danger leading to death; afflictions attend the people of God ‘in ‘this life’; there is a continued feties of them, ‘fo'that they may’ be faid to walk in'them’; thefé ate the way in which they
| walk to heaven, and throuvh which they enter the | kingdom; for though théy continue long, and one affliction comes after another, yet there will be an end at laft; they will’ walk’ and: age them, and come out of great tribulations; and the-midft of fuch dark difpenfations, comparable toa dark. and gloomy valley, covered with the fhadow of death, the pfalmift intimates what would be the inward difpofition of his'mind, and — what his conduét and behaviour: J will fear no evil; neither the evil one Satan, who is the wolf that comes to the flock to kill and to deftroy, and the roaring lion that feeks whom he may devour, fince the Lord was. his, fhepherd,- and on, his fide; nor evil.men, who kill the body and can do. na more, P/a/. xxvii. 1, 2, 3. nor any evil thing, the worft calamity that could befal him, fince every thing of this kind is determined by God, and comes not without his knowledge and will, and works for good, and cannot feparate from the love.of Chrift; fee, P/a/. xlvi. 1—4.. For thou art
Chrift’s people; but when he the fhepherd is. with them, to {ympathize with them under all their afflictions, to revive, and comfort. them. with the cordials of his love and promifes of his grace, to bear them up and fupport them with his mighty arm of power, to teach and. inftruét them by every providence, and fanctify all unto them.;, their fears are driven away, and they, pafs through the dark valley, the deep waters, and fiery trials, with courage and chearfulnefs 5 fee J/a. xli, 10. and xliii. 1,2. Thy rod and thy fiaff, they comfort mes not the rod of afflictions and chaftifements, which is the fenfe of fome Jewifh * as well. as chriftian interpreters; though thefe are in love, and the faints have often much confolation under them; but thefe are defigned by the valley of the fhadow of death, and cannot have a place here, but rather the rod of the word, called the rod of Chrift’s ftrength, and the ftaff of the promifes and the provifions of God’s houfe, the whole ftaff and ftay of bread and water, which are fure unto the faints, and refrefh and comfort them. The Targum interprets. the rod and ftaff, of the word and law of God; and thofe interpreters. who explain.the rod of afflictions, yet by the ftaff underftand the law; and archi expounds it, of the mercy of God in the remiffion of fin, in which the pfalmift trufted: the allufion is to the fhepherd’s crook or ftaff, as in other places; fee Micah vii. 14. Zech. xi. 7. which was made ufe of for the telling and numbering of the fheep, Lev. xxvii. 92. Jer, xiii, 33: Ezek. xx. 37- and it. isno {mall;comfort to the fheep of Chrift, that they have pafled under his rod, who has told them, and that they are all numbered by him;, not only their perfons, but the very hairs of their head; and that they are under his care and protection; the fhepherd with his rod, ftaff, or crook, directs the fheep: where to. go, pufhes forward thofe that are behind, and fetches back thofe that go aftray 5 as well.as drives. away dogs, wolves, bears, &c. that would make a prey of the flock; and of fuch ule is the word of God, attended with the power of Chrift and his Spirit; it points out the path of faith, truth, and holinefs, the faints fhould walk in; it urges and ftirs up thofe that, are negligent to the diicharge of their duty, and is the means of reclaiming backfliders, and of preferving the. flock from the ravenous wolves of falfe teachers: in a word, the prefence, power, and protection of Chrift, in, and by his gofpel and ordinances, are what are here intended, and which are the. comfort and fafety of his people, in the worft of times and cafes. | y. 5. Thou prepareft a table before me, 8cc.] In an affluence of temporal good things; the providence of God, lays and fpreads.a table for his peoplein the wildernefs, and fets them down at it, and bids them welcome to it; fee Pfal. Ixxviii. 19, and in a way of grace, the Lord making large provifions in his houfe for them, called the good.
ble of the. Lord, on, which, are fet his flefh and blood. for faith to feed upon; fee Prov, ix. 2. and. alfo.in heaven, the joys of which are compared to.a feaft, and the enjoyment of them ta fitting at, a table, and which are prepared by the Lord for his people, from the foundation of the world; and. of which they have fome forefight and foretafte in this world;, fee Luke xxii. 30. In. the prefence of my enemies, they, feeing and envying the outward profperity of the faints, whenever, they enjoy, it, and their liberty of worfhipping God, hearing his word, and. attending on his ordinances, none making them afraid; as they will fee, and envy, and e diftreffed at a more glorious ftate of the church yet to come, Rev. xi. 12. and even as. it fhould feem from the parable of the rich. man and Lazarus, the glory and happinefs of the faints in the other world will be feen, or by fome way. or other known by wicked men; which will be an affiiction to them, and an aggravation of their mifery; tho’ here it feems chiefly to. regard the prefent life. Some have thought there is an allufion to princes, who, having conquered others, eat and feaft at a well-fpread table in the prefence of the conquered, and they being under it; fee Fudgesi. 7. Thou anointe/ft my bead with oil, giving him an abundance of good things, not only for neceffity, but for pleafure.and delight; efpecially pouring out largely upon him the oil of gladnefs, the Spirit of God and his graces, the. anointing which teaches all things, and filling him with fpiricual joy and comfort;, for this. reters not to the anointing of David with material oil for the kingdom, by Samuel, whilft Saul was living, or by the men of Fudah, and afterwards, by all the tribes of J/rae/, when Sculiwas dead.. The allufjon. is to the cuftom of the eaftern countries at feafts, to anoint the heads of the guefts with oil; fee Zecl. ix. 7, 8. Malt. vi. 17, It was ufual to anoint the head, as well as other parts of the body, on certain occafions; hence that. of Pro- pertius *: andin the times before Homer:*, it was -ufual both to wafh and anoint before meals, and not the head only, but'the feet alfo; which, though | Pliny* reprefents as luxurious, wasin ufe in Chrift’s time, Luke vii. 38, 46, and it is fpoken of as an
| ancient cuftom by driffophanes » and his Scholiaft, for, daughters to, anoint the feet of their parents after they had wafhed them-;, which may ferve to illuftrate the paflage in the gofpel; fee Eccl. ix. 8. My cup runneth over; denoting an affluence: of temporal good things, and efpecially of {piritual ones, which was David’s cafe. Such who are bleffed with. all fpiritual bleffings in Chrift, to whom the grace of the Lord has been exceedin abundant, ‘and the Lord himfelf is the portion of their cup, their cup may be faid to run over indeed. ¥. 6. Surely goodnefs and mercy foall follow me, &c.}. Either the free grace, love, favour, and mercy of God in Chrift, which endures continually, and is always the fame from everlafting to everlafting; orthe effects of it; and thefe either temporal good things, which flow from the goodnefs and mercy of God, and not the merits of men; and which are in great mercy and loving-kindnefs beftowed on his people, and which follow them: they do not anxioufly feek after them; but fecking the; kingdom
¥ Terque lavet noftras {pica cilifla comas,
kingdom of God and ‘his righteoufnéls;' thefe “are added'to them, they trufting” in “the Lord, ‘and’ he eating for ‘them: or fpiritual good things, which atife trom the mere'grace and mercy of ‘God;''fuch as ‘the bleffings of ‘the covenant, ‘the fure’mercies of David, the difcoveries‘and inftances of the love of God, and the provifions of his houfe, which follow them, being undeferving of them); and’even when they have backflidden from the Lord,’*and in times of diftrefs, when his grace is fufficient ‘for them; ‘and of all this ‘the pfalmift had “a comfortable affurance, depending upon the'promife “of God, arguing from’ the! bleffings he had already beftowed, and from_the conftant care he takés of his’ people, having’ in“ view‘his’ unchangeablenefs and faithfulfiefs, ‘the firmnefs of his covenant, and the irréverfiblenefs of the"bleffings of it: the words may be rendered’ only goodne/s and mercy, &c.* nothing but mete mercy and kindnefs; for though afflictions do attend the'children of God, yet thefe are in mercy and love; theréis'no fury in the Lord againft them; there'is‘nothing comes in ‘wrath’ to them, throughout the whole courfe of their lives;
BS Anke M.. KAW. tisio 10 box edn belleamimamee
HIS pfalm is thought by fome of the Jewith writers *, to have’ been wrote when’ the” ark was brought from the houfe of Obed Edom, to the city of David, and put into the place: prepared for it by. him, 2 Sam. vi. 17/:t0 -which® reference’ is fuppofed to be had in y. 7—10. or after that David had built an»altar in the threfhing-floor of 4raunab the Febufite, and hadknowledge of the~hill Moriah, as the place where thé fanétuary~ was to be built; called the Hill of the Lord, and his’ ‘holy place; ¥..3. however, it was’ certainly written by David, under the infpiration of the Spirit of God 5 and.is a prophecy of ‘Chrilt, and of the gofpelchurch, and defcribesthe members of it. ©:
yet. Lhe earth.is the Lord’s andthe fulnefs thereof, &c.}. The whole univerfe, all the terraqueous globe; both land and water, andthe: circumambient air, and all that is therein’; the fifhes of the fea, the fowls of the air, the’ beafts of the wherefore it. is added, All the days of my life the » “mercies of God are-néw every morning, they continue all'the day long; temporal goodnefs abides
| as long'as lifé lafts, and ends with it; and fpiritual bleffings are for ever, they are the gifts of God which are without repentance. And I will dwell in the boufe of the Lord for ever; which may denote his conftant attendance on the public worfhip of God;' of which he had ‘been deprived in time paft, being’driven‘out from it, but now he enjoyed’ it, and believed’ he ever fhould; or it may defign his being a member of the church of God, and a _pillar in the houfe and temple of the Lord, that fhould never go ‘out; fee Rev. iii. 12. or it may regard the affurance he had of, dwelling in the houfe not made with hands, eternal,” in the heavens, Chrift’s Father’s houfe, in which are many manfions, {ure dwellings, and quiet refting-places for his people, and that 'to’all eternity..’”"[he Targum interprets it, of the houfe of the fanctuary; and Kimcht expounds the whole ‘verfe in a petitionary way, may goodnefs.and mercy, &c, ru ufe of chriftian liberty, with refpe& to the free ufe of creatures, ‘they all being the Lord’s; and therefore good, and to’ be received‘ with’ thankf iving: ‘and yet, inafmuch as there is a variety of them, fuch fhould be abftained from, when’ to ufé them’ ferves to ¢mbolden evil men in their wicked ways, or offend ‘and grieve weak Chriftians, 1 Cor. x. (2eP 26,1880 Ie:. Se eet y¥. 2. For be hath founded it upon the feas, &c.] Or with thém, as fomé interpret * the particle $5 he ‘hath fotinded the earth’and feas together,’ and both upon nothing; and yet are ftable and firm;) or by the feas*, near ‘unto them, atthe’ fide of them which; ‘though’ higher’ ‘than thelearth, ‘ate’ wotiderfully bounded’ by the power of God, fo as not to return and’ cover the earth $ fee Fob xxviii.’ 811. 'Pfake Gv. 5-—9. fo the ‘particle’ is*ufed in’ Pfal.i°4. and xxiii. 2. Some have thought that the firft earth, which ‘Pefer’ fays was ftanding inthe water, and out of the water, 2 Pet, iii. 5. wa ‘made field, all plants and’ vegetables ‘that {pring out of in the form of ‘an egg, ‘and that ‘the’ waters Were the earth, and metals and minerals ‘in the bowels of it; all which are the riches of the Lord the earth is fullof, P/al. civ. 24. fee Pfal.l. 10, 11, 12. The world, and they that ‘dwell therein, the habitable world, and the dwellers on it, rational and irrational. Thefe words may be interpreted of Chrift, who is Lord of all; he! made the world,: and ‘has aright and claim to all-things in it 5 for the fame perfon is here fpoken of as in the preceding pfalm, under the character of a fhepherd’; and this fhews him to be very fit and proper for fuch an office, feeing he cannot fail of feeding and protecting his fheep; nor can they want any good thing, fince the, fulnefs both of nature and of grace is with him; and hence it is, that all things are ‘theirs, whether the world, or things prefent, or things to come; and though they feem to have nothing, yer poffefs all things, they -poffefling him whofe ‘all thingsare. The apoftle makes ufe of this paffage of {cripture, to prove, explain, and direct in the under the earth, and the earth was as a’ ¢ruft or thell over them, until the deluge came; and'this¢rutt then broke in, and formed the ‘fea’; ‘and pot 9 rat
{pecial and peculiar aoe and that is his church ome reference may be had,!
in this paflage, to mount A@oriah, and the hill of oeRAl; ‘ul © @de odds T) aa eR, ‘J
Zion, on which the temple was afterwards built, and is called the hill of the Lord, where he defired to dwell, P/al. Ixviii. 15, 16. yet the church is myttically intended, and is fo called on account of its vifibility, through a profeffion of faith in Chrift, and. for its immoveablene{s, being builtioa him. And who fhall Sand in his holy place? the fame with the hill of the Lord; the temple being to. be built upon it, where the Lord took up his refidence, and was worfhipped, and holinets becomes the houfe of God. for evermore: the import of thefe queftions is, who is a proper perfon to be an inhabitant of Zion, or a member of a gofpel-church?, andthe anfwer to them is in the following verfe, in which is a defcription much like that which is given of of one hundred forty and four thoufand feen with the Lamb on mount Zion, Rev. xiv. 1, 4, 5. compare with this P/a/. xv, y. 4. He that bath clean bands, and a pure heart, &c.] Though clean bands are mentioned firft, as being more obvious to view, and better known, and more fubject to the cognizance and obfervation of others; yet a pure heart is firft in being and in order; from whence cleannefs of hands, when right and real, fprings: no man has a pure heart naturally and of himfelf: the heart is defperately wicked; the imagination of the thoughts of it is evil continually; the mind and confcience are defiled with fin; nor can any man make his heart clean, or fay he is pure from fin 5 but it is God that creates a clean heart, and renewsa right {pirit within men, and purifies the heart by faith, which is led to the blood of fprinkling, which purges the confcience, and cleanfeth it from all fin; and from this purity of heart flows purity of life and converfation, fignified by clean hands; the hand being the inftrument of action; holy actions, or good works, performed from a principle of grace, are meant: the phrafe is expreffive of a holy, harmlefs, and innocent converfation, wafhing the hands being ufed to denote innocence, Matth. xxvii, 24. Pfal. xxvi. 6. and Ixxiii. 13. not aconverfation entirely free from fin, nor by which a man is juftified before God for though he wath his hands ever fo clean, they will not be pure in his fight, and will need wafhing in the blood of the Lamb; but it denotes a converfation upright in general, and declares a man righteous in the fight of men, and diftinguifhes him from one of a diffolute life, whofe hands are full of blood, and defiled with fin. Who bath not lift up bis foul unto vanity; or fet his heart upon *, and defired vain things, as the phrafe is fometimes ufed, Deut, xxiv. 15. fer. xxii. 27. that is, the vain things of this world; as the riches, honours, pleafures and profits of it; or has not ferved other gods, the idols of the Gentiles, which are lying vanities, but has lift up his foul to God, and ferved him only: or who hath not received bis foul in vain*; from the hands of God, but loves him with all his foul, believes with the heart in Chrift for righteoufnefs, being fanctified by the Spirit of God; and fo the defire of his foul is to his name, and the remembrance of him. The keri, or marginal reading according to the points, is, who bath not lift up my foul tovanity’; that is, has not taken the name of God in vain, or {wore falfly by his name; his foul being put for his name or himfelf, and by which he is faid fometimes to fwear, Fer. li. 14. Amos vi. 8. aud this fenfe the Jewith interpreters * generally give into, The Zargum feems to take in both the writing of the text and thé marginal reading, as it often does, and renders the words, who hath not Sworn in Vain, to the condemnation of bis foul, though fometimes to his own difadvantage, yet not to the hurt of others; fee P/al. xv. 4. it follows, Nor worn deceitfully; by bearing falfe witnefs againft any man; or by cheating him out of his fubitance through a falfe oath, =
¥. 5. He feall receive the blefing from the Lord, &c.] Or who receives’; the future for the prefent; and: fo is a continuation of the defcription of a perfon proper to enter and abide in the church of God, as the following verfe feems to require; even one who has received every fpiritual bleffing in Chrift in general, fpecial grace out of his fulnefs; particularly the bleffing of pardon, as alfo adoption, and a right to eternal life; though it may be, that the following claufe is explanative of this... And righteaufne/s from the God of his falvation, from Chrift, who is God his Saviour, the author of falvation,; and who has brought in an everlafting righteoufnefs, which is in him, and is a gift of his grace, and is received from him by faith, and is a great bleffing indeed; it fecures from condemnation and death, and entitles to eternal life.
y. 6. This is the generation of them that feck him, &c.] The perfons above deicribed are fuch, who in every age are the generation of the children of God, and are accounted by him for a generation; they are fuch that feek him, in the firft place, with their whole hearts, and in Chrift, where they find him. That feek thy face, O Jacob. Selah. by the face of God is meant the favour of God, the difcoveries of his love, the light of his countenance, than which nothing is more defirable to gracious fouls, or more fought after by them; and by Facob, is meant the God of Yacab 5 and fo Apollinarius has it in his metaphrafe; fee P/a/. x. 1. unlefs Chrift fhould be intended, one of whofe names is Tfrael, Ifa. xlix. 3. or the words may be fupplied, as they are by fome Jewith writers”, ¢his is Facob; or the perfons before defcribed are the feed of Facob, and who are called by his name: and it may be obferved, that the church of God often bears the fame name, J/a. xliii. 1. and xliv. 1, 5. and then the fenfe is, the perfons whofe characters are given above are fit toaicend, and ftand in the holy hill of God, are J/raelites indeed, in whom there is no guile..
¥.7. Lift up your heads, Oye gates, &c.] By which the gates of hell are not meant; nor are the words to be underftood of the defcent of Chrift thither, to fetch the fouls of Old Teftament-faints from thence; who the papifts dream were detained in an apartment there, as in a prifon, called by them hmbus patrum; feeing thefe immediately, upon their feparation from the body, were ina {tate of happinefs and glory, as the parable of the rich man and Lazarus fhews; and fince Chrift, at his death, went, in his human foul, immediately into heaven, or paradife, where the penitent thief was that day with him: nor do the words defign the gates of heaven, and Chrift’s afcenfion thither, fhut by the fins of men, and opened by the blood of Chrift, by which he entered himfelf, and has made way for all his people; though this fenfe is much preferable to the former, The Jewifh interpreters underftand the phrafe of the gates of the temple, which David prophetically fpeaks of as to be opened, when it fhould be built and dedicated by * So Pagninus. t Ani k Jarchi, Aben Ezra, Kimchi & Ben Melech in loc. RY? goi
_® Aben Ezra, Kimchi & Ben Melech in loc.
by Solomon, and when the ark, the fymbol of Fehovab’s prefence, was brought into it, and the glory of the Lord filled the houfe; fo the Targum interprets this firft claufe of the gates of the boufe of the fanfiuary, though the next, of ébe gates of the garden of Eden; but the words are better interpreted in a myftical and fpiritual fenfe, of the church of God, the temple of the living God, which is faid to have gates, J/a. Ix. 11. and is itfelf called a door, Cant. viii. 9. where the open door of the gofpel is fet, or an opportunity of preaching the gofpel given, and a door of utterance to the minifters of the word, and the doors of mens hearts are opened to attend to it, and indeed, the hearts of particular believers, individual members of the church, may be intended, or at leaft included in the fenfe of the paflage; fee Rev. iii. 20, and it may be obferved, that the new Feru/alem is faid to have gates of pearl, through which Chrift, wnen he makes his glorious appearance, will enter in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and in the glory of the holy angels. And be ye lift up, ye everlafting doors 5 or the dcors of the world”; which fome underftand of the kingdoms and nations of the world, and of the kings and princes thereof, as called upon to open and make way for, and receive the gotpel of Chrift into them, and to fupport and retain it; but it is beft to interpret it of the church and its members, whofe continuance, perpetuity, and duration, are here intimated, by being called everlafting doors; which may be faid to be 4/t up, as it may refpect churches, when thofe things are removed, which hinder communion with Chrift; as their fins, which feparate between them and their God, and the wall of unbelief, behind~ which Chrift ftands; and fleepinefs, drowfinefs, coldnefs, lukewarmnefs, and indifference; fee J/a. lix. 2. Cant. ii. 9. and v. 2. and when public worthip is clofely and ftrictly attended on, as the miniftration of the word and ordinances, prayer to God, which is the lifting up the heart with the ‘hands to God, and finging his praife: and as it may refpect particular believers; thefe doors and gates may be faid to be lifted up, when their hearts are enlarged with the love of God; the defires and affections of their fouls are drawn out towards the Lord, and the graces of the Spirit are in a lively exercife on him; and when they lift up their heads with joy in a view of Chrift coming to them. This muft not be underftood as if they could do all this of themfelves, any more than gates and doors can be thought to open and liftupthemfelves. dud the King of glory foall come in; the Lord Jefus Chrift, called the Lord of glory, 1 Cor. ii. 8. Famesii. 1. who is glorious in himfelf, in the perfeétions of his divine nature, as the Son of God; being the brightnefs of his Father’s glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon; and in his office as Mediator, being full of grace and truth, and having a glory given him before the world was; and which became manifeft upon his refurrection, afcenfion to heaven, and feffion at God’s right hand; and particularly he is glorious as a King, being made higher than the kings of the earth, and crowned with glory and honour; and fo the Targum renders it, NYP? TID, the glorious King; and he is moreover the author and giver, the fum and fubftance of the glory and happinefs of the faints: and now, asthe inhabitants of Zion, and members of the church, are defcribed in the preceding verfes, an account is given of the King of Zion in this and the following; who may
| be faid to come into his chutches, when he
Pf. xxiv. ¥. 8,9. ants his gracious prefence, fhews himfelf thro lattices, and in the galleries of ordinances, in his beauty and glory; takes his walks there, and his goings are feen, even in the fanctuary; and where he dwells as King in his palace, and as a Son in his own houfe; and he may be faid to come into the hearts of particular believers, when he manife(ts himfelf, his love and grace unto them, and grants them fuch communion, as is exprefied by fupping with them, and by dwelling in their hearts by faith.
¥.8. Who is this King of glory? 8c.} Which queftion is put by the church, or particular believers; not through ignorance, as the daughters of Ferufalem, Cant. v. g. or the Pharifees, when Chrift made his public entrance into Ferufalem, Matt. xxi. 10. much lefs in pride and haughtinefs, in fcorn and derifion, as Pharaoh, Exod. v. 1. and the Capernaites, John vi. 42. but as wondring at the glories and excellencies of his perfon, and as defirous of knowing more of him. The anfwer to the queftion is, Zhe Lord ftrong and mighty; he whole name alone is Febouah; ‘ae moft high in all the earth; the everlafting | ams JFebovah our righteouinefs; the mighty God, even the Almighty; the Son of man, whom God has made ftrong for himfelf: his itrength and might have been feen in the creation of all things out of nothing, in upholding all things by his power, in the redemp* tion of his people, in the refurrection of himfelf, in difpotietiing the {trong man armed, out of the hearts of his chofen ones, in the government of his church, and the care of all his faints, and in keeping them from a final and total falling away. From the firft of thefe words, which is only here ufed, Mars, becaufe of his ftrength, has the name of Azizuss which name of his Yalian° makes mention of, and very probably He/us, alfo a deity of the ancient Gauls, Ipoken of by the poet®, and by Laéfans tius 4, but to none does it belong as to our Febovab. The Lord mighty in battle, as he was when he was upon the crofs; when he made an end of fin, fpoiled principalities and powers; abolifhed death, and deftroyed him that had the power of it; and as he will be at the laft day, when the kings of the earth fhall make war with him, and he fhall overcome them; when the bea{t and falfe prophet fhall be taken, and caft alive into the lake of fire; and the remnant fhall be flain with the fword of his mouth; fee Rev. xvii. 14. and xix. 11—21. and who is now the Captain of falvation to his people, their leader and commander; who furnifhes them with weapons of warfare, which are mighty through God who teaches their hands to war, and their fingers to fight the good fight of faith; and makes them more than conquerors through himfelf that has loved them.. vs _ ¥. gs Lift up your beads, O ye gates; &c.] This is repeated on account of the backwardnefs and negligence of churches, and particular believers, to open and let Chrift in; as may be feen in the cafe of the church in Cant. v. 2, 3. as well as the more ta fet forth the greataefs and glory of Chrift, about to make his entrance, and to command a proper awe » and reverence of him: fome think refpeét is had ra- the twofold coming of Chrift; firft into the fecond temple, and next at the laft judgment; though ra~ ther, the certainty of his coming, in a fpiritual mana ner, to his church and people, is here defigned.
P Tentates horrenfque feris rn, | y. 10. Who is this King of glory? &e.| ‘This is repeated, becaufe of the preceding words, ‘and in order to have a further account of this glorious perfon, asfollows, The Lord of hofts, be is the King of glory. Selab. he who is the Lord of Sabaoth, the Lord of the armies, bothof the heavens andthe earth;
HIS is the firft of the pfalms which is written in an alphabetical order, or in which the firft word of every verfe begins with the letters of the Hebrew alphabet in order, though it is not ftri€tly and regularly obferved; the reafon of this manner of writing is not very obvious; the * Jews confefs their ignorance of it; it may be to engage the attention to what is faid, or to affift the memory in Jaying it up, and retaining it there. The occafion of the pfalm feems to be the troubles David was in on account of an unnatural rebellion raifed againft him by fome of his fubjects, at the head of which was his own fon 4b/alom; he fpeaks of himfelf as in a nét, and in great affliction, diftrefs and trouble, by reafon of his enemies, ¥. 15, 16, 17, 18. and as being brought to a fenfe of his former fins, for which he defires pardon, y, 7, 11.
y. 1. Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my foul.) Either ia prayer, as the Chaldee paraphrafe adds *; and denotes fincere, affectionate, hearty prayer to God, a drawing nigh to him with a true heart; for unlefs the heart is lifted up, the lifting up of the eyes or hands in prayer is of no avail; fee Lam. iii. 41. or by way of offering to the Lord, as fome Jewifh writers ‘interpret it; David not only prefented his body in public worfhip, but his foul alfo as a living facrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which was his reafonable fervice; or elfe as a depofitum, which he committed into the hands of God, to be under his care and protection; and then the fenfe is the fame with P/a/. xxxi. 5." the phrafe is fometimes ufed to exprefs earneft and vehement defire ‘after any thing; fee the note on P al. xxiv. 4.
and may here intend the very great defire of the pifalmift after communion with God; which is elfewhere by him exprefled by panting after him, and by thirfting for him in a dry and thirfty land, P al.
xlii. x. and Ixiii. 1. the defires of his foul were not to vain things, the vanities and idols of the Gentiles, but to God only, and to the remembrance of his name.
y.2.O my God, I truft in thee, &c.| He claims his intereft in God, and expreffes his faith and confidence in him, in the midft éf all his troubles; fee the note on Pfal. vii. 1. Let me not be afhamed meaning of his truft in God, by being difappointed of the help, deliverance, and falvation from him, which he trufted in him for; and the believer, as he has no reafon to be afhamed of God, the object of his truft; fo nejther of the act of his hope, or truft in him; nor fhall he; for “hope makes not afhamed; fee P/fal, cxix. 116. Rom. v. 5. Let not mine enemies triumph over me, either his temporal enemies, his fubjects that were rifen up againft him; or his fpiricual enemies, Satan, and the men of the world, who rejoice and triumph x This was written December 2, 1745.
at whofe difpofe and controll all things are in both worlds, above and below: this is the great and glorious perfon that condefcends to dwell in his church« es, and in the hearts of his people; and this honour have all his faints, when the faints are forfaken by God; and they are ready to fay, as David’s enemies did of him, there is no help, or falvation for him in God, P al.
iti, 2. and when they fall into their hands, or fall by them.
¥. 3. Yea, let none that wait on thee be afbamed, &c.] David not only prays for himfelf, but for other faints, as it becomes the people of God to do; for them they waited on the Lord in public worfhip, attended his houfe and ordinances, and waited on him for the difcoveries of his love, the enjoyment of his gracious prefence, and were looking for his falvation, for the Meffiah; for thofe the pfalmift prays, that they might not be afhamed of their expectation and hope, by the delay of thofe things, or the denial of them, Let them be afbamed which tranfere/s without caufe, or act treacheroufly without caufe”; as David's fubjects did, wha were rifen up in rebellion againft him, and acted the perfidious part, contrary to their allegiance, and without any juft reafon, they not being ruled with rigour, and opprefied; but were guided and governed by him according to the laws of God, in the integrity of his heart, and by the fkilfulnefs of his hands; he being a king that reigned in righteoufnefs, and a prince that decreed judgment: and fuch are thofe who are now rifen up againft our rightful fovereign king George *, a parcel of perfidious, treacherous wretches; fome of them who were in the laft rebellion, and obtained his father’s pardon; others that have partook yearly of his royal bounty, for the inftrudtion of their children; and all have enjoyed the blefflings of his mild and gentle government; and therefore are without caufe his enemies: and for fuch we fhould pray, as David did: for his enemies, that they might be afhamed; that they may fail in their attempts and defigns, and be brought to deferved punifhment; fee Pfal. vii. 4. or Let tvanfgreffors be afbamed, and be empty®’; in a ftate of emptinefs and want; lofe their wealth, honour, and credit.
¥. 4. Shew me thy ways, O Lord, &c.] Either thofe which the Lord himfelf took and walked in; as thofe of creation and providence, in which he has difplayed his power, wifdom, and goodnefs; and which are defirable to be known by his people, and require divine inftruction and direction; and particularly his ways of grace, mercy and truth, and the methods he has taken for the falvation of his people, both in eternity and in time; or thofe ways which he orders and directs his people to wall in; namely, the paths of duty, the ways of his worfhip and ordinances; a greater knowledge of which good men defire to have, as well as more grace to enable them to walk more clofely and cone {tantly inthem. Teach me thy paths, a petition the fame with the other, in different words.
t R. Mofeh in Aben Ezra in loc. ® Midrafh y. 5. Lead me ian thy truth and teach me, &c.| Meaning the word of God, the {criptures of truth, and the gofpel, which is the word of truth, and truth itfelf, Foon xvii. 17. and the fenfe is, either that God would lead him by his Spirit. more and more into all truth, as contained in his word; or that he would lead him by it and according to it, that he might form his principles and his conduct more agreeable to it, which is the ftandard and rule of taith and practice: which leading is by’ teaching; and reafons urged for granting all the above petitions follow, fur thou art the God of my falvation;
who, in infinite wifdom, contrived the fcheme and method of it in his Son, and. by hiny effected it, and by his Spirit had made application of it to him: and fince the Lord had. done fuch great things for him, he hoped the requefts he had made would be granted: he adds, On thee do I wau all the day; or continually, in’ publick and‘in private, attending to all the duues ot religion, yet not trufting in them, but in the Lord; and therefore he intreated, he might not be afhamed of his hope and expectation, for deliverance and falvation,
_ ¥. 0. Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy loving-kindneffes, &c.] Not the providentiai mercy and kindnels of God, in the care of him in his mother’s womb, at the time of his birth, in his nurture, and education, and in the preiervation of him to the prefent time; but the fpecial mercy, grace, and love of God in Chrift: the fenfe of the petition is the fame with that of P/al. cvi. 4. which are expreffed in the plural number, becaule of the largenefs and abundance of it, ‘and becaule of the various aéts and inftances of it; the Lord is rich and pienteous in mercy, abundant in goodnefs;_ his love is exceeding great, and numerous are the ways and methods in which it is declared, both in eternity and in time; and though he can never forget his love, nor the people whom he loves, for they are engraven on his hand, and fet as a feal on his heart; yet he fometimes feems, by the conduct of his providence, as if he did not remember it, and had no tender affection for them; and their unbelief is ready to fay, the Lord has forgotten to be gracious; and the defign of fuch a petition as this, is to intreat a freth difcovery and application of the grace, mercy, and. loving-kindnefs of God, and which he allows his people to put him inremembrance of. For rhey have been ever of old; meaning not only from the time of his birth, and in after-appearances of God for him, nor the favours fhewn to the people of J/rae/ in former times, at the Red fea, and in the wildernefs and elfewhere, and to the patriarchs from the beginning of the world; but the love of God from everlafting, which appears in the choice of his people in Chrift, before the foundation of the world, in the everlafting covenant of grace made with him, and in the fetting of him up as the mediator of it, and in putting his people into his hands, with all grace and {piritual bleffings for them before the world began; and which love as it -is from everlafting it is to everlafting, and remains invariably the fame. ¥. 7. Remember not the fins of my youth, &c.] Original fin, in which he was born, and the break ings forth of corrupt nature in infancy, he brought into the world with him, together with all the youthful lufts and vanities, to which that age is addiéted; and fometimes the fins of youth, are in fome perfons remembered by God, and punithed in old age; and if not, they are. brought. to re.
| wrath; fee Jod xiii. 26. which the pila teach his way; of juftifying finners by the righte- membrance through the difpenfations of Providence; and the people of God are chaftifed for — them then, and are ready to fear it is ina way of
€ deprecates; for this is not faid in order extenuate his fins, they being but youthful follies, imprudencies, and inadvertencies, fins Committed through ignorance,when he had not the knowledge of things he. now had; nor as if he had lived ito holy a life, that there were no fins of his to be taken notice of, but what he had committed in his younger days; but rather, this is to be confidered as a confeflion of his having finned from his youth: upwards unto that time, as in Fer. ii, 25. and therefore intreats that God would not femember his fins, fo as to correét him for them ia wrath and hot difpleafure; neither the fins he had formerly been guilty of, nor thofe of a later date; which he next mentions. Nor my tranjgrefious 5 his more notorious and glaring ones; fuch as murder and adultery, in the cale of Uriab and Bath-
Joeba, and which now ftared him in the face; and on account of thefe, andas a chaflening for them, this unnatural rebellion of his fon’s, which was now. railed againithim, was futtered to befal him, as had been toretola to him, 2 Sam. xi. 41, decording to thy mercy remember. thou me, for thy goodnfs-fake, O Lord he pleads no ment, nor good= — aels of his own, but ca{ts himfelf upon the mercy, grace, and goodnefs of God; in which he was certainly right; and on that account, | prayed and hoped for. deliverance from, his preicnt troubles, and for difcoveries of the pardon of his iins unto him, which is what he means by remembring
¥. 8. Good and upright is tbe Lord, &c.] He is effentially, originally, and independently god ot himfelf in his own nature, and he is providentially good to all his creatures; and he isin a way of ipecial grace and mercy good to his own people: and he is upright, juft in himfelf, righteous in al his ways and works, and faithful in ail his promifes; and the confideration of thefe excellent perfections of his, encouraged the pfalmiit to entertain an holy confidence, that his petitions, refpecting inftruction and guidance in the ways of the Lord, y¥. 4, 5, would be heard and anfwered, notwithftanding his fins and tranfgreflions. Yberefore will be teaco finners in the way 3 Such who are ia fintul ways, he will teach them by his word and Spirit the evil of their ways, and bring them out of them, and to repentance tor them; and he will teach them his own ways, both the ways and methods of his grace, in faving finners by Chrift, and the paths of taith and duty, in which he would haye them walk; fee P/al. li. 13. m
¥. 9. The meek will he guide in judgment, 8c.} Or the miferable’ and afflicted; {uch as fee themfelves to be wretched and miferable, loft and undone; and cry out, What fhall we to do to be faved? and who are meek and lowly, are humbled under afenfe of their fins, are poor in {pirit, and of broken and contrite hearts; thefe the Lord will guide by his Spirit into the truth, as it is in Jefus; even the great truth of falvation by him; and in the way of his judgments, ftatutes, and ordinances; _ and will give them a true judgment, and a righe difcerning of things that ditter; and he will lead them on in judgment, or gently; fee Fer. x. 24. into every truth of the gofpel by degrees, and as they are ableto bear them. Amd the meek will ke oufnefs of his Son; for fuch who are humble and confefs their fins and unworthinefs, and throw themfelves on the mercy of God in Chrift, are declaratively juftified by the Lord, when the proud boafting Pharifee is an abomination to him.
¥. 10. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, &c.) By which are meant, not the paths in which the Lord would have his people walk; though thefe are good and gracious, right and true; his commandments are not grievous, his yoke is eafy, and burden light; his ways are ways of pleafantnefs, and his paths paths of peace: but rather, the paths in which the Lord himfelf walks; not his paths of providence, though thefe are mercy and truth to his own people; every {tep he takes is in a way of goodnefs and kindnefs to them, and in truth and faithfulnefs to his promifes, but the ways and methods he has taken towards the fpiritual and eternal falvation of his people; as in his counfels and purpofes, in which there is a large difplay of his grace and mercy; in the choice of them in Chrift, as veffels of mercy, and which ‘is of grace, and not of works; in determining to fend his Son to die for them, which fprings from the tender mercy of our God; in refolving to. call them by his grace, and to adopt them into his family, and at laft to glorify them; all which proceed from his merciful loving-kindnefs,; and all thefle his counfels of old, are faithfulnefs and truth, fince they can never be fruftrated, but are always accomplifhed: as alfo in his covenant, which fprings from grace, is built upon mercy, and contains the fure mercies of David, and is ever fulfilled; the faithfulnefs of God is engaged to keep it, and its. promifes are yea and amen in Chrift: and likewife the fteps he has taken in Chrift, the mediator of the covenant, who is full of grace and truth; mercy appears in the miffion of him, and redemption by him; and ¢ruzéh in fulfilling the promife of him; and both mercy and truth meet together in him: and fo they do in the various bleffings of grace, which come by him; as particularly: juftification and pardon of fin, in both which there is a difplay of grace and mercy; and alfo of the truth of holinefs and juftice: and the merey and truth of God appear in thefe paths of his, uzto fuch as keep bis covenant and bis. teftimonies; by which are defigned, not the covenant of works, and the precepts of the law, which are fometimes called the teftimonies of God, becaufe they teftify what is his will that fhould be done: but thefe are broke, and not kept perfectly by any; nor is it any favour or high privilege, to be fhewn this covenant and the duties of it, as is fuggefted of the covenant here meant, as appears from y. 14. wherefore the covenant of grace muft be intended, which is made with Chrift, and his people in him; and the ¢eftimonies are the promifes of it, which teftify of the grace, mercy, truth, and faithfulnefs of God; and the keeping of thefe is done by faith: faith lays hold on the covenant, its bleffings and promifes, and claims an intereft in them, as David did, 2 Sam. xxiii. g. fee Ifa. lvi. 4, 6. and it keeps or retains its hold; it will not let go its hold of the covenant and its teftimonies, but afferts its intereft, even when things are at the worft with it; and it holds faft the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end; and to fuch all the fteps the Lord takes, appear to be in mercy and truth. L emia + bey Deis y. 11, For thy name-fake, O Lord, pardon sine iniquity, &c.) Which todo, is one of the promifes and bleffings of the covenant. The pfalmift may have reference to his fin with Bath/beba, as Kimchi obferves; fince it was foretold to him,’ that on account of that fin, evil fhould arife to him out of his own houfe, 2 Sam, xii. 11, meaning, that his fon fhould rife up in rebellion againft him; which was now the cafe, and which no doubt brought afrefh this fin to his mind; and the guilt of it lay heavy upon his confcience; and therefore he prays for an application of pardoning grace and mercy: or he may have refpect to original fin, the fin of his nature, which fo eafily belet him; the loathfome difeafe his Joins were filled with; the law in his members, warring againft the law of his mind, and which, a view of every aétual fin, led him to the confideration and acknowledgement of, as did that now mentioned, P/a/. li. 4, 5. or, iniquity may be put for sniguities, and the fenfe be, that he defired a manifeftation of the pardon of all his fins, for when God forgives fin, he forgives all iniquities: and David here prays for pardon in a way of mercy, and upon the foot of fatisfaCtion; for he prays, that God would mercifully pardon *, as the word fignifies; or, according to his tender mercies, blot out his tranfgreffions, and cleanfe him from his fins; or that he would be propitious ® to him 4 or forgive him in a propitiatory way, or through the propitiation of Chrift, whom God had fet forth in his purpofes and promifes to be the propitiation for the remiffion of fins; and therefore he intreats this favour for his same-fake; not for his own merits and good works, but for the Lord’s fake, for his mercy-fake, or for his Son’s fake; fee Tfa. xiii. 25, compared with Apb. v, 32, The
| argument or reafon he urges is, For it is great, being committed againft the great God, againtt great light and knowledge, and attended with very ageravating circumftances; er much ‘, he being guilty of many fins; his fins were great, both as to quality and quantity: this feems to be rather a reafon againft, than a reafon for the pardon of fin; it denotes the fenfe the pfalmift had of his iniquity, and his importunity for the pardon of it; juft as a perfon, fenfible of the violence and malignity of his difeafe, intreats, the phyfician with the greater eagernefs and importunity to do his utmoft for him fee Pfal. xli. 4. or the words may be rendered, though it is great*: fo Abeu Ezra underftands them; ‘¢ though it is fo very heinous and provoking, yet fince forgivenefs is with thee, and thou haft promifed it in covenant, and haft proclaimed thy name, a God gracious and merciful, pardon it 5” unlefs the words are to be connected, as they are by fome Jewifh* interpreters, with the phrafe thy name-fake, for it is great; that is, thy name is great, and that it may appear to be fa, as it is proclaimed, forgive mine iniquity,.
y. 12. What man is be that feareth the Lerd? &c,] That is, how happy a man is he! and one that fears the Lord, is one that has the fear of God put into his heart, as a blefling of the covenant of grace before fpoken of; who fears the Lord, not on account of the punifhment of fin, but under the influence of the pardon of it, and for his goodnefs-fake; who loves the Lord, trufts in him, is careful not to offend him, hates fin, and avoids it, and has a {trict regard to the worfhip of God in all its parts and branches, and performs it in fear; or.
who ferves the Lord with reverence and godly fear. The defcription of this man’s happinels follows in this and the next verfe; Alim shall be teach in the evay that he foall choofe; either which the man that fears God fhall choofe, which is the way of truth and duty, P/al. cxix. 30,173. or the way which God preferibes to him, and is well-pleafingin his fight, who teaches to profit, and leads in the way his people thould go; and a great happinefs it is, for a man to have his {teps ordered by the Lord, and his goings directed by him.
¥. 13 His foul foall dwell at eafe, &c.} Orin goodnefs &, enjoying an affluence of good things, of fpiritual bleffings in Chrift, in whom he dwells by faith; and where he has peace and fafety, amidft all the troubles, afflictions, and exercifes he meets with; and where with godlinefs he has contentment, which is great gain indeed; for though he may feem to have nothing, he poffeffes all things; and has all things given him richly to enjoy, even all things pertaining to life and godlinets; and at death, when his foul is feparated trom his body, it fhall enter into reft, and be in perfect peace 5 it fhall lie in Abrabam’s bofom, and in the arms of Jefus, during the night of the grave, until the re- {urreétion-rmorn, when the body. will be-raifed and united to it, and both will dwell in perfect happinefs to all eternity. Aud bis feed fhall inherit the earl; that is, thofe who tread in the fame fteps, and fear the Lord as he does; thefe fhall poffefs the good things of this world, which is theirs, in a comfortable way, as their Father’s gift, as covenant-mercies, and in love; though it may be buta fmall portion that they have of them; or rather, they fhall inherit the new heavens and earth, wherein will dwell only righteous perfons, «meek ones, and fuch as fear the Lord, Matt. v. 5. 2 Pet. iii 13. and this they fhall inherit for a thoufand years, and afterwards the land afar off, the better country, the ultimate glory to all eternity.
y. 14. The fecret of the Lord is with them that fear lim, &c.| The fecret of his purpofes with them; as his purpofe according to election; his refolution to redeem his chofen ones by his Son, his defign to call them by his grace; his predeftination of them to the adoption of children, and eternal life; which are the deep things of God, the Spirit of God reveals; and all which are made maniteft to them ineffectual vacation: and the fecret of his providences is with them; fome are made known to them that fear the Lord, before they come to pafs; as the deftruction of Sodom and Gomorrah to Abraham, with many other inftances in the Old Teftament; fee Amos iii 7. and what is fecrets of Providence, from the time of Chrift and his apoftles, to the end of the world? fome they obferve and take notice of whilft they are performing, and fee the gracious defigns of God in them, for their good and his glory; and though fome of his ways of providence are paft finding out, and his footfteps are not known as yet; hereafter his judgments will be made manifeft, and the whole fcene will be opened to the faints, and_be clear to “their view: the fecret of his love, free grace, and favour is with them, which was in his heart from everlaiting, and lay hid in his thoughts,which areas much higher than ours, as the heavens are higher than the earth; and which is made manifeftin regeneration, and then fhed abroad in the hearts of his people: fecret communion with God is enjoyed by thofe tnat fear him, which is what the world knows nothing of, and the joy that refults from it, is what a itranger intermeddles not with; the Lord has his chambers and fecret places, into which he brings them, and where they dwell. The fecret of his gofpel is with them; and the myfteries of it, which were kept fecret fince the world began; as the myftery of a Trinity of perfons in the Godhead; the union of the two natures in Chrift,; the regeneration of the Spirit; the union of the faints to Chrift, and their communion with him; the calling of the Gentiles; the refurrection of the dead, and the change of living faints, And be will fhew them bis covenant; the covenant of grace, which was made with Chrift for them from eternity, is made known to them in time; when they are called by the grace of God, and made partakers of the grace of the covenant, then the Lord. reveals bimfelf as their covenant-God and Father; fhews them that his Son is their furety, mediator, redeemer, and Saviour; puts his Spirit into them to implant covenant-grace in them, to feal up the bleffings of it to them, and bear ‘witnefs to their intereft -in them, as pardon, jultification, and adoption; and to apply the exceeding great. and precious piomifes of it to them. = | | yt. 15. Mine eyes areever towards the Lord, &&c.] Not only as the God of nature and providence, for his daily fupport and fupply, in which fenfe the eyes of al] creatures wait upon him; but as his covenant-God and Father, having the eyes of his underftanding opened to fee and’ know him as fuch, and the eye of his faith dire€ted to him, to believe in him, and make him his:hope and truft; and his eye was fingle to him; it.was to him, and him on- - ly, that he looked; and it was conftant, it was ever to him, he fet the Lord always before him; and fuch a look was well-pleafing to God: it may alfo refpect the lifting up of his eyes to God in prayer for all mercies temporal and fpiritual, and his prayer was the prayer of faith; as” follows: For he fball pluck my feet out of the nets of the corruption of nature, andthe Jufts of it, as Aben Ezra interprets it; by which the faints are fometimes enfnared and taken captive, and out of which they cannot make their efcape of themfelves; but there is a deliverance from it by Jefus Chrift their Lord: or out of the temptations of Satan, called his devices, and wiles, and the {nares of the devil; and as the Lord knows how to delivershis out of témptations, he does deliver them in shis own time: or rather, out of the nets and fnares laid for him by wicked men; as by his fon 4d/alom, Achitophel, and others, in which his feet wereasa bird in the fnare of the fowler; but he believed the net, or {nare, would be broken, and he fhouldefcape, as he did.. ici te seat ¥. 16. Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me, 8c.) Or look unto me, or upon me’; whi fuggefts, that the Lord. had turned himféelf, and.
hid his face from him; and exprefles a defire, that he would Jook upon him witha | f love and mercy, and arife to help and deliver him out of the hands of his enemies; he pleads no merits nor works’ of righteoufnefs of his, but cafts himfelf upon the mercy of God. © For Jam defolate and afflicted; or alone and poor ®; not that he was quite alone, and had none with him; for though he was - obliged to quit his palace, and the city of ery/alem, yet he was accompanied by his fervants, and a large number of his people; and could not be ale in a literal fenfe, being king of Jfrael; yet e put no truft in men, nor in riches, but wholly depended on the Lord, as if he had none with him, nor any thing to fubfiit with: and his cafe was indeed very deplorable, and called for pity and affift- ‘ance; ‘his own fon was rifen up againft him, and the hearts of the-men of J/rae/ went after him; and he was obliged to flee from the city, and leave his houfe and family. ¥. 17. The troubles of my heart are enlarged, &c.] His enemies being increafed, which troubled him; the floods of ungodly men made him afraid; the waters of affliction were come into his foul, and fpread themfelves, and threatened ta overwhelm him: or it may be rendered, as by fame, ¢roudles have enlarged my beart*®, made him wiler, increafed his knowledge and experience; fee P/a/, exix. 67, 71. but the former feems better to agree with what follows. O bring thou me out of my diftreffes; or frraits'; for the enlargement of his troubles was the ftraitning of his heart; and therefore he applies to the Lord to bring him out af his afflicted circumftances, in whigh he was penned up,-as in 4 {trait place, on every fide, and which. were fuch that he could not free himfelf from; but he knew that God could deliver him. ¥.18. Look upon mine affliction and my pain, &c.| The affiiétion, was the rebellion of his fubjects againft him, at the head of which was his own fon; and the pain, was the uneafinefs ef mind it gave him; or the /adour*, as the word may be rendered; the toil and fatigue of hody he was exercifed with, he flying from place to place; and he defires that God would Jock upon all this with an eye of pity and compaffion to him, and arife ta his help and deliverance; as he looked upon the affliction of the children of J/rael in Egypt, and delivered them, Hwod. itis 7,8. Deut. xxvi. 7, | And forgive all my fins, or lift up, bear, or takeaway’, as the word fignifjes: fins are burdens, and. they lay heavy at this time on David’s confcience, being brought to mind, by the affliction he laboured under, -not only: his fin with Bath/Lebab, but. all others; and thefe were on him as a heavy burden, toa heavy to bear; wherefore he intreats that the Lord would lift them off, and take them away from him, by the frefh difcoveries.of pardoning grace to him, The fins of God’s people are removed from them to Chrift, by his Father, on whom, they have been laid by his act. of imputation; and he has bore them, and all the punifhment due unto them, and has taken them away, and madean end of them; and through the application of his-blood, righteoufnefs, and facrifice, they are caufed to pafs from the confciences of the faints, and are removed as far from them as the eaft is from the weft; and:
this is what the pfalmift here defires, and this he requefts with refpect to all his fins; well knowing, that if one was left upon him, it would be an infupportable burden.to him,, |
¥. 19+ Confider mine enemies, &c.| Or look™ upon them; but with another kind of look; fo.as he looked through the pillar of fire upon the Egyptians, and troubled them, Exod. xiv. 24. witha look of wrath and vengeance, The arguments he ufes are taken both from the quantity and quality of:his enemies, their number and their natyye. For they are many; the hearts of the people of J/rael, in general, being after Abfalom, 2 Sam.%N. 12,13, and fa the fpiritua enemies.of the Lord’s people are many; their fins and corruptions, Satan, and his principalities and powers, and the men ofthis world. And they bate me with gruel hatred; like that of Simeon and Levi, Gen. xlix. 7. their hatred broke out ina cruel manner, in acts of force and cruelty; and’ it was the more ¢ruel, inafmuch as it was without caufe: and fuch is the hatred of Satan and his emiffaries againft the faithful followers of Chrift; who breathe out cruelty, thirft after their blood, and make themfelves drunk with it; even their tender mercies are cruel, and much more their hatred. HON y. 20. O keep my foul, &c.} Or life", which was in danger, his enemies feeking for it, wherefore he applies to God that gave jt, and who had hitherta held him in it, to preferve it, God is the keeper of his peaple in a fpiritual fenfe; they cannot keep themfelves from fin, Satan, and the world; but he is able to keep them from falling, and therefore they pray to him that he would keep them, and they have reafon to believe they fhall be kept by his power, through faith unto falvation. And deg liver me, as out of the hands of his prefent enemies; fo from all evil, fram the evils of the world; from the evil one, Satan, from the evil of fin, and out of all affliction and troubles. Let me not be afoamed; for I put my truft in thee; fee the note on
¥. 21, Let inlegrity and uprightue/s preferve me, 8c,| Meaning either his own, as in Pfal, vii. 8. and xxvi. 1, and then the fenfe is, either that Gad would:preferve him, feeing he had aéted the faithful and upright part in the government of the people of I/rael, and they had rebelled againft him without acaufe; fee Pfal. |xxviii. 72. or that thofe might be continued with him, that he might not be-led afide ‘by the corruptions of his heart, and the temptations of Satan, and by the provocations of his rebellious fubjects, to acta part difagreeable to his character; a8 aman of integrity and yprightnefs; but that thefe remaining with him, might be a means of keeping him in the waysof God, ‘Prov. xiii. 6. or elfe the integrity and uprightnefs of God are defigned, which are no other than his goodnefs and — grace to his people, and his faithfulnefs in his covenant, and promifes, or his Joving-kindnefs anc his truth; fee P/a/. xl, 11, for I svait on thee; in the ufe of means for deliverance and fafety 5 the Targum is, for I trusf in thy word. sb
‘ 9. 22, Redeem Ifrael, Q God, out of all big troubles.) David was not only concerned for hime ‘felf, but forthe whole nation of J/rael, which was involved in trouble through this unnatural rebellion of ‘his. fon, and many of his fubjeéts; and no doubt he may. haye a further view to the re— demption of the church of God, the fpiritual Hrael, by the Meffiah; and his-fenfe may be, that Go would fend the promifed Redeemer and Saviour, | to redeem his people from all their iniquities; from the law, its curfes and condemnation; to ranfom them.out of the hands of Satan, that is ftronger than they 5 and to deliver them from all their enemies, and from death itfelf, the laft enemy, which will put an end to all their troybles, J/a, xxxv. 10,
HE occafion of this pfalm feems to be, the quarrel between Saul and David, the former liftening to calamnies and reproaches caft upon the latter, and perfecuting him in a violent manner. The argument of it is the fame, i in a great meafure, with the feventh pfalm, and is an appeal made to God, the Judge of the whole earth, by the pfalmift, for his innocence and integrity; Teodoret thinks it was written by David when he fled from Saul. *
¥. 1. Fudge me, O Lord, &c.] Meaning, not that God would enter into judgment with him, in refpect to the juftification of his perfon in his fight, which he knew was not by his own righteoufnefs and integrity, but by the righteoufnefs of God; but his view is, to the juftification of his caufe before men; and particularly to the difference between Savi and him; and intreats that God would interpofe, take his caufe in hand, judge between them, and vindicate him. Fer [have walked in mine integrity; or perfection’; not that he thought himfelf free from fin; this would be con trary to the complaints, confeffions and petitions frequently made by him; but that in the affair with which he was accufed, of feeking Sau/’s hurt, 1 Sam. xxiv. g. he was quite innocent: by his integrity he means, the purity of his intentions and defigns; the uprightnefs of his conduct, the fimplicity and fincerity of his converfation towards all men, and efpecially his fidelity to his prince; but though he knew nothing by himfelf, and. could not charge himfelf with any wrong action in this: refpect, and therefore ought to be acquitted before men; yet he did not expect hereby to be juftified in the fight of God. J have trufted alfo in the Lord; not inhimfelf, in the fincerity of his heart, and the uprightnefs of his life; nor did he truft to the goodnefs of his caufe; but he committed it to the Lord, who judgeth righteoully;; and trufted in him, that he fhould not be afhamed and confounded: this fhews from whence his integrity fprung, even from. faith unfeigned; for where that is true and genuine, there are works of righteoufnefs, and integrity of life. Therefore J /hall not fide’; thefe words may be connected with the former, thus; J have trufted alfoin the Lord, that I fhall not lide”, that:is, thall not fail in judgment, or lofe the caufe; but fhall ftand and carry it, and not be confounded or con-’
demned. Our verfion fupplies the word therefore, making thefe words to be an inference from the former, that becaufe he trufted in the Lord, therefore he fhould not flide, flip and fall; true. believers may not only have their fect well nigh flipt, but altogether 5 yea fall, and that fometimes into great fins, to the breaking of their bones; but then they fhall not ‘totally and finally fall, for they ftand by faith, and are kept through it by the power of God. The words may be confidered as a prayer, Let me not flide*;. being fenfible of his own weaknefs, and of the neceflity of being upheld in his uprightnefs, and in the ways of the Lord by him, that his Seni might not flip;
for though he walked in his uprightnefs, te was not felf-{ufficient, and felf-confident, but dependent on the Lord.
y. 2. Examine me, O Lord, &c.] His caufe, his integrity, and truft in the Lord, as filver and gold are examined by the touchttone, the word of God, which is the ftandard of faith and practice. And prove me; or tempt me‘; as Abrabam was tempted by the Lord; and his faith in him, and fear of him, and love to him, were proved to be true and genuine. Try my reins and my beart; the thoughts, defires, and affections of it, as gold and filver are tried in the furnace; and fo God fometimes tries the faith and patience of his people by afflictive providences; and this examination, probation, and trial, are made by him, not for his own fake, who knows the hearts and ways of all men; but for the fake of others, to make known, either to themfelves or others, the truth of grace that is in them, and the uprightnefs of their hearts
}and ways; and it was on this account the pfalmift defired to pafs under fuch an examination.
¥. 3. For thy loving-kindne/s is before mine eyes,
&c.|. The fpecial loving-kindnefs of God, fhewn ~ in the choice of him in Chrift, in the provifion of a Saviour for him, and in the effectual vocation of him; which loving-kindnefs is unmerited, free, and fovereign, is from everlafting and to everlaftings it is better than life, excellent beyond expreffion, and marvelous: and this may be faid to be defore his eyes; becaufe it was now in fight; he had a comfortable view of intereft in it, and was perfuaded nothing fhould feparate him from it; it was upon his heart, fhed abroad in it, and he was affected with it; it was in his mind, and in his thoughts, and they were employed about it; he had it in remembrance, and was comfortably ré- frefhed with it: and this he mentions as the reafon of his laying his caufe before the Lord, as the ground of his truft in him, and why he defired to be examined, proved, and tried by him. And I have walked in thy truth; by faith in Chrift, who is the truth of all promifes, prophecies, types, and figures; in the ‘word of truth, by abiding by it, and walking according to it; and in the truth of worfhip, in “all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord; and to walk herein, he ufed himfelf to, and was conftant in, a8 the word * fighifies:
and nothing more: engages to walk on in Chrift, as he has been received, and to walk as becomes his gofpel,'‘and in all holy converfation and godlinefs, than-the love of God manifefted to’ “he al this being fet continually before our ocd encourages faith and: hope,: and influences 3 ah Tar and chearful obedience to the will of God.
¥.4. I have not fat with vain perfons, &c.]
Or men of vanity’; who are full of it who.
are addiéted to the vanities’ of the world who purfue the riches, honours, | pleafures, nd ° fits of it; which is no other than wa’ Si a vain fhew: whofe thoughts, words, © are vain; who are vainly puffed ‘up in yet Reth ly mind, and walk in the vaniey of it 5 Whe, - the name of God in vain, and whofe common difcourfe is foolifh, frothy, light, and empty; and who are men of a vain converfation, and are rath, imprudent, and deceitful: men of bad principles may very well go by this name, who are vain and unruly talkers, and whofe doétrines are- doctrines of vanity, and no other than vain babbling; and alfo men guilty of idolatrous practices, who obferve lying vanities, and worthip them, and lift up their fouls unto them; with fuca vain men, in any of thefe fenfes, the pfalmift would have nothing to do; he would not keep company with them, nor have any communion, confultation, and converfation with them; it may be, he may have fome refpect to the men that were about Sau/, to whom fuch a character agreed; or he may fay this, and what follows, to remove a calumny caft upon him and his friends; as if they that were with him were fuch men as here defcribed, and in the next verfe. Neither will I go in with diffemblers; or bidden or unknown perfons “*, who lie in private lurking-places, to murder the innocent, or fecret- jy take away the good names and characters of men, and it is not known who they are; or who commit fin fecretly; go into fecret places to do their works in the dark, and hide themfelves to do evil; as the Targum, Farchi, Kimchi, and Ben Melech, interpret it; who love darknefs rather than light, becaufe their deeds are evil; or who cover themfelves with lying and flattering words, that it is not known what their real intentions be; they fpeak one thing, and mean another; are an affembly of treacherous men: fuch are all deceitful workers, who lie in wait to deceive, and walk in craftinefs; and hypocrites, who have the form of religion, but are ftrangers to the power of it; and who are to be turned away from, and avoided; the houfes, affemblies, cabals, and company of fuch, are to be fhunned; fee Gen. xlix. 6. Fer. ix. 2. or fuch as are figned or marked; that is, infamous perfons ”.
y. 5. I have bated the congregation of evil-doers, &c.}] That do hurt to the perfons, characters or properties of men; and who meet together in bodies, to confult and form fchemes to do mifchief, and have their affemblies to encourage each other in it; thefe,their works and actions the pfalmift hated, though not their perfons; and fhewed his difplicency at them, and diflike and difapprobation of them, by abfenting from them; fee Fer. xv. 17. And will not fit with the wicked, ungodly and unrighteous men, fons of Belial; for with fuch, what fellowfhip and concord can there be? 2 Cor. vi. 14, 15. the word * fignifies reftlefs and unquiet perfons, who cannot reft unlefs they do mifchief; are like the troubled fea, continually cafting up mire and dirt, Ja. lvii, 20, 21. now, by all this, the pfalmift means not, that good men fhould have no manner of converfation with the men of the world: for then, as the apoftle fays, we muft needs go out of the world, 1 Cor. v. 9, 10. Converfation in civil things, in matters of trade and bufinefs, is lawful; though all unneceffary converfation in things of civil life is to be fhunned; no more fhould be had, than what natural relation, and the bufinefs of life require; but all converfation in things criminal is to be avoided; company is not to be kept with them, fo as tojoin them in any thing finful; this is to harden them in their evil ways, and it brings into danger and into difgrace: a man is known, and is judged of by the company that he keeps; and evil communications corrupt good manners.
¥.6. I will wafo my hands in innocency, 8c.]} The Vulgate Latin verfion renders it, among innocent perfons; men ofa holy, harmlefs life and converfation; with thefe he determined to converfe in common, and not with fuch as before defcribed; or the fenfe is, that he would wafh his hands, in token of his innocence, integrity, and uprightnefs he had before fpoke of, and of his having nothing to do with fuch evil men as now mentioned; fee Deut. xxi. 6, 7. Mattb, xxvii. 24. bands are the inftrument of action, and to wa/h them may defign the performance of good works, Fob ix 30. and to do this-2m innocency, or purity, may fignify the performance of them from a pure heart, a good con- {cience, and faith unfeigned; and particularly may have fome refpect to the lifting up of holy hands in prayer to God, previous to public worfhip; there feems to be an allufion to the priefts wafhing their hands before they offered facrifice, Exod, xxx. 19, 20, 21. So will I compafs thine altar, O Lord; frequent the houfe of God, where the altar was, and conftantly attend the worfhip and ordinances of God; the work of the altar being put for the whole of divine fervice; the altar of burnt-offering is here meant, which was a type of Chrift; fee Heb. xiii. 10. reference is had to the priefts at the altar, who ufed to go round it, when they laid the facrifice on the altar, and bound it to the horns of it, at the four corners, and there fprinkled, and poured out the blood; compare P/a/. xliii. 4. in order to which they wafhed their hands, as before; and in after-times it was ufual with the heathens”
to wath their hands before divine fervice.
¥.7. That I may publifh with the voice of thanksgiving, &c.} Or caufe to hear with the voice of confefion*: the meaning is, that the view of the pfalmift in compaffing the altar of God in the manner he propofed, was not to offer upon it any flain beaft; but to offer the facrifices of praife upon that altar, which fanétifies the gift, and from whence they come with acceptance to God; even for all mercies, both temporal and fpiritual, and that with a confeffion and acknowledgment of fin, and unworthinefs; all this is agreeable to the will of God; it is well-pleafing in his fight, what glorifies him, and is but our reafonable fervice. And tell of all thy wondrous works; of creation and providence 5 and efpecially of grace and redemption; this is the bufinefs of faints in God’s houfe below, and will be their employment in heaven to all eternity. Zarchi on the place fays, that this fong of praife has in it what relates to future times, to Gag, to the days of the Meffiah, and to the world to come.
y. 8. Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy houfe, &c.] Meaning the tabernacle, for as yet the temple was not built; which was an habitation for the faints, where they chofe to dwell, and reckoned it their happinefs, and was the habitation of the Lord himfelf: the fanctuary was built for that purpofe; and between the cherubim, over the mercy-feat, he took up his refidence; hence it
y —— pura
cum velte venito, & manibus puris fumite fontis aquam, nunc lavabo ut rem divinam faciam, Tibull. 1. 2. eleg. 1. Plautus in Aul.
follows; © Aad the place where thine honour dwelleth 5 death is Often expteffed by a man’s being gathered
6r glory*: when the tabernacle was fet up, the glory of the Lord filled it, as it did the temple, when it was dedicated, Exod. xl. 34, 35. The pfalmift expreffés his love to this place, in oppofition to the congregation of evil-doers, which he hated, ¥. 5: and to remove a calumny from him, that being ainiong the Pdiliftines, and at a diftance from the houfe of God, his affections were alienated from it; Whereas it was his greateft concern that he was debarred the privileges of it; fee Pad. xlii. 1, 2. and Ixiii. 1. 1 Sam. xxyi. 19: befides, he had fhewed his great régard to it by his conftant attendance before his éxile, as he did after it; Pfa/. xlii. 3. and Iv. 14. and it was out of pure love to the worfhip of God, and with real pleafure and delight, that he did attend; and not thtough cuftom, and in mere form; P/al. cxxii. 1. and Ixxxiv. 1; 2, ro. The Lord’s houfe is loved by his people, becaufe of his word and ordinances, which are miniftred there, and becaufe of his prefence in it: or elfe what was typified by the tabernacle is here defigned; either the tabernacle of Chrift’s human nature, called the true tabernacle, Hed. viii. 2. in°Which the fulnefs of the Godhead dwells; which the Son of God, the brightnefs of his Father’s glory, inhabits; and in the redemption and falvation wrought out in it, the glory of all the divine attributes is difplayed; and Chrift incarnate is the mercy-feat from which God communes with his people, and is their way of accefs unto him, and whereby they have fellowfhip with him; and who is loved by the faints fincerely, above all creatures and things, ‘and inthe moft ardent and affectionate manner: or heaven itfelf, of which the tabernacle was a figure, Heb. ix. 24. which is the habitation of the holinefs and glory of God, and in which are many manfions or dwelling-places for his people; and is the continuing city they feek, the heavenly and better country they are defirous of, and where their hearts and affeétions are; becaufe there their God, their
Saviour, and their treafure be; which fenfe feems to be confirmed by what follows.
¥. 9. Gather not my foul with finners, &c.] Profligate and abandoned ones, fuch as are notorioufly profane, and who live and die impenitent ones; otherwife all men are finners: the fenfe is either, that he defires that he might not, by any means, be brought into the company of fuch /perfons, be joined unto them, and have a converfation with them, which would be uncomfortable, difhonourable and dangerous; or that God would not-deftroy him with them, and punifh him as he did them and that he might not die the death of the wicked, nor be gathered with them at death:
to his people, and to his fathers; fee 2 Kings xxii. 20.
the body is gathered to the grave, the foul returns to God that gave it, and has its place affigned by. him the fouls of the righteous are gathered into heaven, Chrift’s garner; the fouls of the wicked into hell; the pialmift deprecates being gathered with them. Nor my life with bloody men; that thirft after blood, lie in wait for it, fhed it, and are drunk with it, as‘ the antichriftian party; thefe God abhors and detefts; nor fhall they live out half their days, and their end is miferable.
¥. 10. In whofe hands is. mifchief, &e.J Every abominable wickednefs; as idolatry, adultery, murder, &c. the word fignifies, and is fometimes ufed for mifchief conceived in the mind, artificially devifed and contrived there; here mifchief committed, the hand being the inftrament of action, and intends. whatever is prejudicial to the perfon, character, and properties of men. Aad their rightband is full of bribes; whereby the eyes of judges are blinded, the words of the righteous perverted, mens perfons refpected, and judgment wrelted, Dent. xvi. 19. ¥ y. 11. But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity, &c.] In which he had hitherto walked, y. 1. OF it may exprefs his faith, that after he was gathered by death, he fhould walk in uprightnefs and righteoufnefs, in purity and perfection, with Chrift in white, and behold the face of God in righteoufnefs; fee J/a. lvii. 1, 2.° Redeem me; from the vain converfation of the wicked, from all troubles, and out of the hands of all enemies. 4nd be merciful unto me, who was now in diftrefs; being perfecuted by Sawl, and at adiftance from ‘the houfe of God: this fhews, that mercy is the fourcé and {pring of redemption, both temporal and fpiritual; and that the pfalmift did not truft in, and depend upon his ‘prefent upright walk and cenverfation, ‘but in redemption by Chrift, and upon thé mercy of God in Chrift. i y. 12. My foot fiandeth in an even place, 86c.] Or in a plain’, in a {ure place; on Chrift the fure foundation, and who is the plain way and path to eternal life; fee Pfal. xxvii. 11. or in the ways and worfhip of God, prefcribed by his word; and fo denotes ftedfaftnefs and continuance in them. Fa the congregations will I blefs the Lord; in the aflem+ blies of the faints, in the churches of Chrift below, and in the great congregation above, in the general affembly and church of the firft-born; where it is the work of faints now, and will be hereafter, to praife the Lord, for all his mercies temporal and {piritual.
HE Septuagint interpreters add to this title, f before he was anointed. David was anointed three times, firft when a youth in his father’s houfe; but this pfalm could not be written before that time, becaufe he had not had then:any experience of war, nor could be in any immediate apprehenfion of it, as here fuggefted; he was anointed a fecond time, after the death of Saul at Hebron, by the men of Judah; before that time indeed he had been-haraffed by Sau/, and diftreffed by the Amale-
‘kites, and ‘was driven from the public wothhip of
God, to which he has a refpect, ¥. 4. and he was a third time anointed by the elders of Zrael, ki over all J/rael; and between the death of Sai’ this unétion, there was a war between the houfe of
, David and the houfe of Sau/; but-what is referred to is not certain, nor is it of moment, fince thefe words are neither in the Hebrew text, nor in the Chaldee
Chaldee paraphrafe. Theodoret is of opinion this pfalm was written by David when he fled from Sau/, and came.to Abimelech the prieft.
y. 1. The Lord is my light and my falvation; whom fhall I fear? &c.) The Targum in the king of Spain’s Bible explains it, the Word of the Lord 1s my light; and fo Ainfworth cites it; that is, Chrift the eternal Word, in whom was life, and that life was the light of men, John i. 4. and the pfalmift is not to be underftood of the light of nature and reafon, with which the Lagos, or Word, enlightens every man that comes into the world; nor merely in a temporal fenfe, of giving him the light of profperity, and delivering him from the darknefs of adverfity; but of the light of grace communicated to him by him who is the fun of righteoufnefs, and the light’ of the world; and by whom fuch who are darknefs itfelf, whilft in an unregenerate ftate, aré made light, and fee light: all the light which is given to men at firft converfion is from Chrift; and all the after-communications and increafe of it are from him; as well as all that fpiritual joy, peace and comfort they partake of, which light fometimes fignifies, Pfalm xcvii. 11. and which the pfalmift now had an experience of; enjoying the light of God’s countenance, and having difcoveries of his Jove, which made him fearlefs of danger and enemies: and. fuch who are made light in the Lord, have no reafon to be afraid of the prince of darknefs; nor of the rulers of the darknefs of this world; ‘nor of all the darknefs, diftrefs and perfecutions they are the authors of; nor of the blacknefs of darknefs referved for ungodly men; for their light is an everlafting one, and they are made meet to be partakers of the inheritance with the faints in light:
and the more light they have, the lefs fear; and. what made the pfalmift {till more fearlefs, was that Chrift was his /alvation by the light which the ord was to him, he faw his need of falvation, he knew that his own righteoufnefs would not fave him; he was made acquainted with the defign and appointment of the Lord, that Chrift fhould’be falvation to the ends of the earth; he had knowledge of the covenant of grace, and faith in it, which was all his falvation, 2 Sam. xxiii, 5. Salvation was revealed to the Old Teftament-faints, in the promifes, facrifices, types and figures of that difpenfation; and they looked through them to him for it, and were faved by him, as New Teftament-believers are; and they had faith of intereft in Chrift, and knew him to be their Saviour and Redeemer, as did ‘fob, and here the pfalmift David: and fuch who know Chrift to be their falvation need not be afraid of any perfon or thing; not of fin, for tho’ they fear, and fhould fear to commit it, they need not fear the damning power of it, for they are faved from it; nor of Satan, out of whofe hands they are ranfomed; nor of the world, which is overcome by Chrift; nor of the laft enemy, death, which is abolifhed by him; nor of hell, and wrath to come, for he has delivered them from it. The Lord is the Strength of my life; of whom foall I be afraid? meaning not of his natural life, though he was the God of his life, who had given it to him, and had preferved it, and upheld his foul in it; but of his {piritual life: Chrift is the author of fpiritual life, he implants the principle of it in the hearts of his people, yea he himfelf is that life; he lives in them, and is the fupport of their life; he is the tree of life, and the bread of life, by which it is maintain-
: sy JP cum appropinquaverint adverfam me, Pagninus; fo Gejerus. ® Jarchi, Kimchi & Aben Ezra in loc, ed; and he is the fecurity of it, it is bound up in the bundle of life with him, it is hid with Chrift in God; and becaufe he lives, they live alfo; and he gives unto them eternal life, fo that they have no reafon to be afraid that they fhall come fhort of heaven and happinefs; nor need they fear them that kill the body and can do no more; nor any enemy whatever, who cannot reach their fpiritual life, nor hurt that, nor hinder them of the enjoyment of eternal life.
¥. 2. When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me, &c.) They are wicked men, men of malignant fpirits, and evil-doers, who are the enemies and foes of the people of God, and who hate them with an implacable hatred, and do every thing they can to diftrefs and affi& them; and fuch enemies David had; who were many and mighty; and thefe came upon him, or approached apainft him‘, they drew near to him to make war with him, as the word fignifies*; they attacked him. in an hoftile manner; and their view was, as He fays, to eat up my fle/h, as they eat bread, P/alm xiv. 4. to devour him at once, to make but one morfel of ltim, to deftroy his life, to ftrip him of his fubftance, to take away his wives and children; as the dmalekites at Ziklag, 1 Sam. xxx. 1—6. They stumbled and fell; the Lord put ftumbling blocks in their way, and retarded their march, and hindered them from executing their defigns; and they fell into the hands of David, and were fubdued under him, or fell by death; and thefe paft inftances of divine goodnefs the pfalmitft calls to mind, to keep up his heart and courage, and animate and ftrengthen him againtft the fears of men, of death and hell..
¥. 3. Thongh an hoft foould encamp againft me, &c.] An hoft of the ungodly, as the Targum; though ever fo many of them, even ten thoufands of them, as in P/al. iii. 6. fhould befet him on evety fide. My heart fhall not fear; for not only the angels of the Lord encamped about him, as they do about all that fear the Lord; but falvation was appointed for walls and bulwarks about him; yea the Lord himfelf was a wall of fire around him, and he was kept a8 in a garrifon by the power of God. Though war should rife againft me; in all its terrible fhapes: in this will I be confident; either in this war, in the midft of it; or inthis that he had expreffed, y. 1. that the Lord was his light, his falvation, and the ftrength of his life; fothe Jewith writers *: or as others ‘, in this one thing, defired in the next verfe; but either of the former fenfes is beft, efpecially the latter of them. Saints need not be afraid, though there is a war within them between the flefh and fpirit; and though without are fightings with Satan and his principalities and powers; fince they may be confident of vidtory, and that they are more than conquerors, through Chrift that has loved them.
y. 4. One thing have I defired of the Lord, &c.] Not to be returned to Sau/’s court; norto.his own houfe and family; nor to have an affluence of worldly riches and honours; but to have conftant
_abode in the houfe of the Lord; an opportunity of attending continually on the publick worfhip of God; which is excufed and neglected by many, and is a wearinefs to others, but was by the pfalmift preferred to every thing elfe; he being now deprived of it, as it feems. That will I feck
‘tunity and perféverance in prayer are the way to
@ Belligerantibus contra me, Junius & f ‘Some in Aben Ezra in loc, fucceed, as appears from the parable of the widow and unjuft judge. That I may dwell in the houfe of the Lord all the days of my life; not in heaven, Chrift’s Father’s houfe, where he dwells, and where. the faints will dwell to all eternity; though to be clothed upon with the houfe from heaven is very defirable; rather, in the church of the living God, which is the houfe of God, and pillar of truth, where true believers in Chrift have a place and a name, and are pillars that will never go out; but here the place of divine worfhip feems to be meant, where the Lord granted his prefence, and where to dwell, the pfalmift counted the greateft happinefs on earth; he envied the very {parrows and fwallows, that built their nefts on the altars in it; and reckoned a day in it better thana thoufand elfewhere; and to have the privilege of attending all opportunities in it, as long as_he lived,’ is the fingular requeft he here makes: the ends he had in view follow. Zo bebold the beauty of the Lord, or the delight and pleafantne/s of the Lord *; to fee the priefts in their robes, and doing their office, as typical of Chrift the great high prieft; and the Levites and fingers performing their work in melodious ftrains, prefiguring the churches in gofpel-times, finging to the Lord with grace in their hearts, and the four and twenty elders, and one hundred and forty-four thoufand, with the Lamb on Mount Zion, finging the fong of redeeming love; and all the tribes and people of Jfrael, affembled together to worfhip God, reprefenting the church of Chrift asa perfection of beauty, having the beauty of the Lord upon her, and made perfeétly comely through his comelinefs; as it is a moft delightful fight, to fee a company of faints attending gofpel-worfhip, meeting together to fing, and pray, and hear the word, and wait upon the Lord in all his appointments; to fee them walking in the faith and fellowfhip of the gofpel, and according to the order of it; this is next to the defireable fight of the bride, the Lamb’s wife, in the new Feru/falem-ftate, having the glory of God upon her: moreover it was a pleafant fight to a believer in thofe times, to behold the facrifices of flain beafts, which were figures of the better facrifice of Chrift, the Lamb flain from the foundation of the world; to which may beadded other things that were to be feen by priefts; as the ark of the Lord, which had the two tables in it, typical of Chrift, the fulfilling end of the law for righteoufnefs; and the table of fhew-bread, which pointed out Chrift the bread of life, and his perpetual interceffion for his people; and the golden-candleftick, a type of the church, holding forth the word of life to others; with many other things, which, with an eye of faith, the faints of thofe times could look upon with delight and pleafure: alfo the prefence of the Lord may be intended by his beauty, than which nothing is more defirable to the people of God, even to behold his f{miling countenance, to fee his face, and enjoy his favour, and to have fellowfhip with him, and with one another; and ~ particularly the beauty and glory of the Lord Jefus Chrift may be defigned, reprefented by the Shekinah, or glory, which filled both the tabernacle and the temple; who being the brightnefs of his Father’s glory, and fairer than the children of men, and altogether lovely and full of grace, is a very defirable object to be beheld by faith. And to enquire in bis temple; to feek the face of the Lord, to confult him in matters of difficulty and moment; to fearch after the knowledge of divine things, and to afk for bleffings of grace, for which — he will be inquired of by his people, to beftow them on them. at ¥. 5. For in the time of trouble be fall bide me in his pavilion, &c.} This, with what follows, is given as a reafon, why the pfalmift defired to dwell in the houfe of the Lord; becaufe he confidered it as a pavilionor booth, as the word " fignifies, in which he fhould be hid by the Lord, in times of trouble and diftrefs, either through the heat of perfecution, or of inward anxiety of mind, caufed by the working of a fiery law; the allufion being, as fome think, to the fhepherd’s tent or booth, into which he fometimes takes a ~ poor fheep, and protects it from the fcorching heat of the fun at noon: and of fuch ufe is the tabernacle of the Lord; fee J/ai. iv. 6. In the fecret of bis tabernacle fhall he bide mes alluding either to the tents of generals of armies, who receive into them thofe whom they would protect from the infults and injuries of others; or rather, to the moft holy place in the tabernacle, called the fecret place, Ezek. vil. 22. typical of Chrift, the hiding-place of his people, in whom their life is hid, and where it is fafe and fecure. He fhall fet me up upon a rock; where he would be above and out of the reach of. his enemies; meaning Chrift, comparable to a rock for its height, he being higher than the kings of the earth, than the angels in heaven, than the heavens themfelves, and much more than the fons of men; fee Pfal. |xi. 2. and for fhelter and fafety, he being a munition of rocks, a ftrong tower, a place of defence, and rock of refuge; and for firmnefs, folidity, and ftrength, he being able to bear the whole weight of the building of the church, and every believer laid upon him; and for duration, he being more immoveablethan rocks and mountains; fo that fuch whoare fet up upon him, are in the moft fafe and fecure {tate imaginable.