PSALM. XXXI.
NHIS pfalm, according to Arama, was compofed by David when in Keilab; but, according to Kimchi and others, when the Ziphites propofed to deliver him up into the hands of Sau/, and who, upon their folicitations, came down and furrounded him with his army, from whom in hafte he made his efcape, and to which he is thought to refer in ¥. 22. Theodoret fuppofes it was written by David when he fled from Abfalom, and that it has fome refpect in it to his fin againft Uriab, in that verie.
y. 1. In thee, O Lord, do I put my truft, &c.] Not in any creature, but in the Lord Febovab; the Targum, in thy Word; the effential Logos, or Word, which was in the beginning with God, and was God, and fo an equal object of faith, truft, and confidence, as ehovab the Father: this act includes a trufting all with God, body and foul, and the welfare of them, in time, and to eternity; and a trufting him for all things, both of providence and grace, and for both grace and glory, andis a continued act; for the pfalmift does not fay, I have trufted, or I will truft, but Ido and this was a very confiderable thing to do in this time of his diftrefs: the Lord is to be trufted in at all times. Let me never be afbamed; neither in this world, nor in that to come. The beliéver has no reafon to be afhamed of any thing in this life but fin, and the imperfection of his own righteoufnefs, and his truft in it; not of the Lord, in whom he trufts; nor of his Word, or Son, the Lord Jefus Chrift, in whom he believes as his Saviour and Redeemer; nor of the Spirit, and his work of grace upon him; ‘nor of his faith, hope, truft and confidence in them; nor of the gofpel, the means of faith, and of the fupport of it; nor of the reproaches, afflictions, and fufferings, he endures for the fake of Chrift and his gofpel; nor of his ordinances and his people; nor will he be afhamed hereafter at the coming of Chrift, when he will appear in his righteoufnefs, be clothed with white robes, have palms in his hands, and fhall ftand at his right hand, and be received into glory. Deliver me in iby righteoufnefs; not in his own, by which he knew there was no acceptance with God, no juttification before him, nor any deliverance and falvation from fin and death; but by the righteoufnefs of God, which the Son of God has wrought out, God the Father accepts of and imputes, and the Spirit of God reveals and applies; by this there is deliverance from fin, its guilt, and damning power, and from the curfes and condemnation of the law, _ va wrath to come, and from the fecond y. 2. Bow down thine ear to me, &c.] Which is faid after the manner of men, who, when they give attention, and liften to any thing, ftoop, and incline the ear.; and this for God to do, as he fometimes does, is wonderful condefcending grace! Deliver me f{peedily; which fhews that he was in great danger, and his cafe required hafte: the Lord does help right early, and is fometimes a prefent helpin time of need, and delivers at once, as foon as the mercy is afked for. Be thou my ftrong. rock, for fhelter and fecurity from enemies, as. well as to build his everlafting falvation on, and to ftand firmly upon, and out of danger. For an boufe of defence to fave me, both for an houfe to dwell in, the Lord being the dwelling-place of his people in all generations, and a ftrong habitation to which they may continually refort; and for protection and fafety, their place of defence in him being the munition of rocks, a ftrong-hold, and a ftrong tower from the enemy.
¥. 3. For thou art my rock and my fortrefs, 820.) What he prayed for he knew him to be, and to have been in times paft, and could claim his intereft in him; and therefore intreats, that he would appear to be to him what he was in himfelf, and what he had been to him. Therefore for thy name-fake: lead me, and guide me, either as a fhepherd does his flock, gently, as they are able to bear it; into the green paftures of the word and ordinances, and befide the ftill waters of divine love, and to the overflowing fountain, and fulnefs of grace in him- - felf; or as a general leads and guides his army; - Chrift being a leader and commander of the people, and the great Captain of.theirfalvation, and who. being at the head of them, they fear no enemy 3 or as a guide leads and directs fuch as are ignorant, and out of the way. The pfalmift defires the Lord would lead him in the way of truth, and paths of righteoufnefs, according to his word; and guide him with his counfel, and by his Spirit, that fo he might walk in the way in which he fhould go; and this he intreats he would do for his name-fake; not for any merit or worthinefs in him; but for the glory of his own name, and for the honour of his free grace and mercy, for which the Lord often.
does many things; he defers his anger, he purges away the fins of his people, he ape their tranf= greflions, and remembers their fins no more, for his name’s-fake. ae. «
¥. 4. Pull me out of the net that they bave laid privily for me, &c.| The Ziphites, and Saul, and his men; the former intending treacheroufly to be+ tray him, and the latter encompaffing him about, ~ inorder to take him; and fuch was his da difficulty, that he faw none but God could deliver. ching him; and he itis that breaks the nets of men; and the {nares of the devil, which they fecretly lay for the people of God, that they may ftumble, and Saviour, but the Lord: now fuch as regard thofé fall, and be taken, and delivers them out of them. For thou art my firength, the author, giver, and maintainer, both of his natural and fpiritual ftrength; and who was able, and was only able, to pull him out of the net, and extricate him out of the difficulties in which he was.
¥. 5. Into thine hand I commit my fpirit, &c.] Either his life, as to a faithful Creator and preferver, who was the God of his life, gave him it, and upheld his foul in it; or his foul, and the eternal falvation of it, which he committed into the hand of the Lord his Redeemer, where he knew it would be fafe, and out of whofe hands none can pluck; or this he might fay, as apprehenfive of immediate death, through the danger he was in; and.therefore commits his fpirit ‘into the hands of God, to whom he knew it belonged, and to whom it returns at death, and dies not with the body, but exifts in a feparate ftate, and would be immediately with him. Our Lord Jefus Chrift ufed the fame words when he was expiring on the crofs, and feems to have taken’them from hence, or to refer to thefe, Luke xxiii. 46. Thou baft redeemed me,
O Lord God of truth; which may be underftood, either of the temporal redemption of his life from deftrution in times paft, which encouraged him to commit his life into the hands of God now, who was the fame, and’changed not; or of fpiritual and eternal redemption from fin by the blood of Chrift, and which the pfalmift fpeaks of as if it was paft, though it was to come, becaufe of the certainty of it; juft as [/aiah fpeaks of the incarnation and fufferings of Chrift, J/a. ix. 6. and liii. 4—6. and of which he was affured, becaufe the Lord, who had provided, appointed, and promifed the Redeemer, was the God of truth, and was faithful to every word of promife; and Chrift, who had engaged to be the Redeemer, was faithful to him that appointed him; and having an intereit therefore in this plenteous redemption, by virtue of which he was the Lord’s, he committed himfelf into his hands. y. 6. Ihave hated them that regard lying vanities, &c.] Soothfaying and divination, as Aben Ezra and others think; made ufe of by kings, and generals of armies, to know when it was proper to go out to war, and what fuccefs they fhould have; fee Bzek. xxi. 2123. Hof. iv. 12. but fuch men and their praétices David abhorred; he took no fuch methods when in diftrefs, but applied to the Lord, and trufted in him; or rather, idol-gods, as Farchi and others, who are vanity, and the work of errors, and are nothing: in the world; fee Fon. ii. 8. all will-worfhip and fuperftition may be included in this phrafe, which being not according to the will and word of God, is worfhipping in vain, and carries off from true fpiritual worfhip; and fo isa lying vanity, and to be detefted, and the abettors of it: as alfo all errors and’herefies; thefe are great wellin words of vanity, and are lies in hypocrify; sh Jikewife all immorality and wickednefs, which fpring from the vanity of the mind, and promife much liberty and pleafure, but deceive, and therefore lying; yea, all worldly enjoyments, are vanity and vexation of fpitit, and are fallacious and deceit-
~_ ful when trufted in; and indeed every falfe truft d confidence may come under this name; fuch ae truftin riches, in wifdom and knowledge, in carnal defcent and privileges, in a moral and legal righteoufnefs, and even in a bare profeffion of true
61f religion, and a fubjection to golpel-ordinance’; for there is no true object of truft, no Redeemer and lying vanities, are they that look to them, love them, embrace them, and _ put their confidence in them; and fuch are to be bated not their perfons, but their principles and practices, and they themfelves are to be fhunned and abftained from. But 1 truft in the Lord; the God of truth, that cannot lie, deny himfelf, nor deceive; who is unchangeable, and without any variablenefs, or thadow of turning.
¥.7. I will be glad, and rejoice in thy mercy, &c.}] Both becauie of the nature of it, which ig large and abundant, free and fovereign, from everlalting to everlafting, and is communicated in and through Chrift, and is a good ground of hope and truft; and becaufe of the eifects of it, or what it has produced; for to it are owing the covenant of grace, and all the fure mercies of it; the miffion of
Chrift, and redemption by him; regeneration, and the forgivenefs of fins, and even eternal life and glory; befides a multitude of bleffings, deliverances, and falvations in providence; on account of all which, there is great reafon for joy and gladnefs; of which the following are particulars... For thou haft confidered my trouble; inward, arifing from indwelling fin, doubts and fears, defertions and darknefs, and Satan’s temptations; and outs ward, from the world, and the men of it, and by reafon of bodily afflictions: now the Lord looks upon the troubles of -his people, and upon them in them, with an eye of pity and compaffion; he fympathizes with them; he confiders the nature of their trouble, their weaknefs to bear it, and the beft way, means, and time to deliver out of it; he working all things after the counfel of his own will; fee Exod. iii. 7. Thou hajt known my foul in adverfities; that is, the Lord had took notice of him, approved of him, loved him, had. vifited him, and made known his love to him, and owned him for his own, and had chofen him in the furnace of affliction,; a time and feafon, when oftentimes friends and acquaintance are fhy, and will not look upon men, know them and own them; but the Lord does otherwife, and which is another reafon of joy and gladnefs in his mercy.
¥. 8. dnd baft not fout me up into the hand of ibe enemy, &c.] When in Keilab, in the wildernefs of Ziph and Maon, and encompafied about by Saul and his army, 1 Sam, xxiii. 7, 13, 14, 24,
25, 26. nor does the Lord fuffer his people to be.
fhut up under the power of fin and Satan, fo. that: they cannot come forth in the exercife of grace, and the difcharge of duty; but he brings their fouls out of prifon, that they may praife his name. Thou baft fet my feet in a large room; at full liberty from his enemies; Sau/ and his army being called off from purfuing him, by tidings of an invafion by the Philiftines, 1 Sam. xxiii. 27—-29. and this. is the cafe of the faints when they are brought to Chrift, to walk by faith at large on him; when erace is drawn forth into exercife, and fpiritual knowledge is increafed, and they are delivered from their enemies; or, however, can look upon them as conquered ones, and are fure of victory over them, and at laft of an entire deliverance from them; fee P/al. iv. 1.and xviii. 19. and cxviii. 5." ¥. 9. Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I amin trouble, &c.| A fudden change of cafe and frame this! and fo it is with the people of God, as foon as out of one trouble, they are in another; thefe; are.
bp: PSALMS. Phxxxisro1¢. are what até appointed for them, and'lie in their path-way to heaven, and are neceffary; and under fraid that he fhould do them any mifchiefs bu dey W é afraid to own him, and to do him any fervice unlefs the fenfe is, that they were atraid’ that would befal him, that he fhould not efcape his life; which, though it may exprefs the affeétionate concern of his friends, yet fhews the danger he wasexpofed to. They that did fee me withouts fled from me; as if he had fomething very peftilential and infeGtious abouthim.
¥. 12. Lam forgotten as a dead man out of mind, &c.] Either by his friends, being out of fight, out of mind; as even the neareft relations and acquaintance are, in procefs of time, when dead, _ Heel. ix. 5! or by the Lord; which fhews the weaknefs of his faith; the uncomfortable frame he was in, through darknefs and defertion; fee Pjiut. Ixxxviii. 5. Jfa. xlix. 14—16: 1 am hike a broken veffél 5 or a perifbing veffel®, or a veffel of perdition *? the Septuagint verfion, renders it a loft veffel* 5 OBE”
them it is quite right to betake themfelves to the Lord, who is a merciful God; and it is beft to caft
‘themfelves upon his | metcy,' having no merit of their.own to plead with him; and they may freely tell him all their diftreffes, as the pfalmift here does, and hope for grace and mercy to help them in time of need. | Mine eye is confumed with grief, exprefled by tears; through! the multitude of which,’ by reafon of trouble, his’ fight was much hurt; according to Farchi, thé word fignifies, that his fight was fo dim as is a man’s when he puts a glafs: before his eyes; to fee what is beyond the glafs: this fhews that the invention of fpectacles was before the year 1105; for in that year Farchi died; and proves it more early than by other writer has pretended to*; for the commonly received opinion is, that they were invented at the latter end of the.13th, or beginning of the rath century; but the apoftle, as 4-Lapide thinks, refpects them, in 1 Cor. xiii.12/and they are mentioned by P/autus>,who lived alnsoft two hundred years before the birth of Chrift: the fame Farchi obferveson P/al. vi.7. Yea, my foul and my belly; perhaps he could not eat his food, or digett it, which brought upon:him internal diforders, and even brought his foul or life into danger. i". ys. 10. For my life is fpent with grief, and my years with fighing, &c.] Which fhews the continuance of his troubles, and that his whole life had been; as it were, an uninterrupted feries of forrows. My ftrength faileth becaufe.of mine iniquity; this opens the fource and {pring of all his grief and trouble; his ‘fin, and the fin of his nature, in which he was conceived and born; indwelling fin, which remained and worked in him; and it may be alfo, the fin of unbelief, which befet him, and prevailed in him, notwithftanding the inftances of divine goodnefs, the declarations of grace, the difcoveries of love, and the exceeding great and precious promifes he had made to him;,as alfo his daily fins and infirmities, and very likely. fome great backflidings, which had brought grief of foul upon him, and which grief affected the feveral parts of his body. Sin was the canfe of the failure of natural ftrength in 4dam and his pofterity; of difeafes and death, by which their ftrength is weakened in the way, and was the caufe of impairing moral ftrength in men to do that which is good, and has a very great influence on the fpiritual ftrength of the Lord’s people, in the exercife of grace... dud my bones are confumed; which are the firmeft and ftrongeft parts of the human body, and the fupport of it. « y. 11. [was a reproach ‘among all mine enemies, &c.] This is acommon cafe of the people of God; and though it may be the leaft of their afflictions, yet it is not grateful to the flefh; and it is as it is made: under.divine fupports faints rejoice, and take pleafure in reproaches, that they are counted worthy to bear. them, and efteem them as great riches; at other times they feize and feed upon their fpirits, and are ready to brealk their hearts. But efpecially among my neighbours; who knew him, and knew he did not deferve to be fo treated; and who ought, as neighbours, to have loved him, and done all good offices to him; fo that this is an aggravation, both of their fin and his diftrefs. And a fear to mine acquaintance; not that they were alike a broken veficl, which can never be put together again, J/a. xxx. 14. Fer. xix. 11. ey moft fad - apprehenfion he had of himfelf, as if his cafe was. delperate, and hea veflel of wrath; compare with, this Rom. ix. 22.. pes. ae | ¥.13. For [have heard the flander of many, Bec. *
Both enemies and neighbours. Fear was om every. fide; his enemies’ were a Magor Miffabib to him, Fer. xx. 3. encompafied him around, fo that he was in fear from every quarter.. While th Oh, counfél together againft me, how to apprehend him,. and what to do with him.. They dewjed to take away my life, nothing fhort of that would fatisfy 5 but life is in the hand of God; men may devife, but God difappoints, and his counfel ftands; hence the pfalmift was encouraged, after all, to truft in, him, in this time of imminent danger, as follows.; er y.14. But I trufted in thee, O Lord, 8c.) His faith revived again under all the difcouraging views he had of things, and was exercifed upon the Lord;, lié committed himfelf to him, believing he was able.to help him in his.time of trouble, and deliver him. J /aid, Thou art my God; he claimed his co— venant-intereft in him, and ufed it as an argument. with him to have regard unto him; and as a fapport to his faith in his prefent diftrels sfee the note y. 15. My times are in thy hand, ate} ned not in the hand of His enemies 5 as his time of life and death, which was only by the direction and appointment of God, was in his power, and fixed by him; nor could his enemies take away. his life before his time, and without,the will of his covenant-God: the time of his coming to the throne, and what was gone over him during his reign hitherto, 1 Chron. xxix. 30. and all his times of. trouble in it; times of profperity and of adverfity 5. of darknefs, defertion, and temptation; and of joy, peace, and comfort; thefe were all in: nds of. the Lord, at his difpofe, and ordered, by hin good of his fervant, and for the glor of his own name; and this was a quieti pfalmift under his prefent trials and exercifes; the, — Targum is, the times of oh cohen ay aa from the band of mine enemies, a: perfecute me, a good tice, + many | emi ine even his very goodnefs creates him teatime ss entirely ufelefs, wholly loft, and irrecoyerably fo 5 “2 by words or deeds; and deliverance out of their hands is by the Lord, who fometimes gives his people reft from adverfity, and fuffers not the rod of the wicked to continue on them; and therefore it is beft to apply to him for it. SR
' y¥. 16. Make thy face to fhine upon thy fervant, &c,] In which he prays for the gracious prefence of God, the manifeftations of himfelf unto him, the difcoveries of his love, the enjoyment of him in Chrift, communion with him, the comforts of his fpirit, and the joys of his falvation; fee Numb. Vi. 25, 26. Save me for thy mercies fake; not for any merit and righteoufnefs of his own, but for the fake of the grace and goodnefs of the Lord; which is putting falvation, whether temporal or fpiritual, upon its right foot and foundation; which is never wrought out by, or is for works of righteoufnefs done by men, but according to the grace and mercy of God.
y¥. 17. Let me not be afoamed, O Lord, &c.] The fame petition asin y. 1. For I have called xpon thee; who is nigh unto all that call upon him in truth, and is rich unto them, and has promifed ‘to help and fave them; which fhould he not do, not only he would be made afhamed, but the promife of God would feem to fail: for the pfalmift does not plead any duty of his, nor make a merit of his prayers; but hds refpect to the promife and faithfulnefs of God. Let the wicked be afbamed; as they will be, fooner or later, of their wickednefs, and of their falfe truft and confidence; of their being incenfed againft Chrift, and their rage againft his people, and perfecution of them. And let them be filent in the grave; asall are that are there; and the fenfe is, let them be brought to the grave, where they will be filent, or ceafe‘; that is, from their evil words and works, and particularly from troubling the faints, 70d iii. 17.
y. 18. Let the lying lips be put to filence, &c.)} Being convicted of the lies told by them, and fo filenced and confounded; or being cut off and deftroyed, as all fuch will be in the Lord’s own time, Pfal. xii. 3. It is very likely the pfalmift may have refpect either to Doeg the Edomite, who loved lying rather than righteoufnefs; or to others that were about Sau/, who lying faid to him that David fought his hurt, even to take away his kingdom, and his life, P/al. lit. g. 1 Sam. xxiv.9. Which Speak grievous things proudly and contemptuoufly againft the righteous; meaning himfelf; not that he thoucht himfelf righteous in the fight of God by eny righteoufnefs of his own, but by the righteoufnefs of Chrift imputed to him; fee P/al. cxliii. 2. Rom. iv. 6. Though he may have regard here to the righteoufnefs of his caufe before men, and af-
» fert himfelf righteous, as he might with refpect to the grievous things, the hard and lying fpeeches, which were fpoken againft him, in a proud, haughty and contemptuous manner. And it is no unufual thing for fuch falfe charges to be brought againift righteous men; nay fuch hard {peeches were fpoken by ungodly men againft Jefys Chrift the righteous, himfelf, Zude 15. The Yargum interprets it of reproaches. p y. 19. O bow great is thy goodnefs, &c.] Not the natural and effential goodnefs of God; for tho’ that is large and abundant, yea infinite, as every perfeétion of his is, yet it cannot with propriety be faid to be laid up and wrought out; but rather the effeéts of his goodnefs, and not thofe which appear:
in providence, for they, though very large and plenteous, are common to all, and are not reftrained to
£ Verbum eft E299 quod fignificat ceffare ab aliquo opere, vel fermone, Pfal, iv. 5. Gejerus.
them that fear the Lord, and truft in him; but fuch as are difplayed in a way of fpecial grace and favour to his own people, and which the pfalmift faw his intereft in and was affected with; and which fupported his faith under his prefent troubles, and appeared to be fo great both for quality and quantity, that he could not well fay how great the bleffings of his goodnefs were. Which thou baft laid up for them that fear thee; both grace and glory; the bleffings of grace were laid up in God’s heart, in his thoughts and purpofes, from everlafting; and in Chrift, in whom the fulnefs of all grace dwells; he was prevented with the blefflings of goodnefs, and his people were blefled in him with all fpiritual bleffings, and had all grace given them in him before the world was; and thefe were likewife laid up in the covenant of grace, ordered in all things and fure; eternal glory is the hope and crown of righteoufnefs laid up in heaven, where it is referved for the faints who are heirs of it: and the laying up of all this goodnefs fhews it to be a treafure, riches of grace, and riches of glory; and that it is an hidden treafure, and riches of fecret places, which are out of the view of carnal men, and_ not perfectly feen and enjoyed by the people of God themfelves as yet; and alfo that it is fafe and fecure for them, and can never be loft; and it expreffes the paternal care of God, his great love and affection for them, to lay up fo early fo much goodnefs for them: and this is faid to be for them that fear him, not naturally but by his grace; for the fear of God is not in man naturally, but is put there by the grace of God; and fuch who have it are thofe who are brought to a true fight and fenfe of fin, fo as to loath it and forfake it; for the fear of the Lord is to hate evil, and by it men depart from it, and becaufe of it cannot fin as others do; fuch have an humble fenfe of themfelves, their own infufficiency and weaknefs, and truft in the grace of God and righteoufnefs of Chrift; they have a filial reverence of God, and worfhip him in fpirit and in truth; but now this fear of the Lord is not the caufe of goodnefs being laid up for themy for that only is the will of God; and befides the fear of God is a part of the goodnefs which is laid up in promife in the covenant of grace, Jer. xxxii. 39, 40. and it is the goodnefs of God difplayed in the bleffings of it, fuch as pardon of fin, &c. which influences, promotes, and increafes the fear of God, Hof. iii. 5. Pfal. cxxx. 4. but, goodnefs being manifefted to and beftowed upon them that fear the Lord, it appears eventually to be laid up for them. Which thou baft wrought for them that truft in thee, before the fons of men; by which may be meant the work of redemption, in which the goodnefs of God greatly appears; in calling and appointing. Chrift unto it, in fending him to effect it, in ftrengthening him as man and mediator to do it; and in the work itfelf, in which many things are. wrought, the law is fulfilled, juftice fatished, a righteoufnefs brought in, peace made, pardon procured, and everlafting falvation obtained. And whereas this is faid to be wrought for them that trujt in the Lord; it is not to be underftood as if trufting in the Lord was the caufe of this work being wrought out, which is the love of God and grace of Chrift; but inafmuch as thofe that truft in the Lord have openly an intereft in redemption, and they that believe in Chrift fhall be faved; therefore it clearly appears in the iffue of things to be wrought out for them. The phrafe, before the fons of men, may be connected either with the goodnefs wrought, and fo fi igtiifies that the work of redemption was'done in a moft public manner, openly before mén, even the enemies of God’s people; nor was it in the power of men and devils to hinder it; or elfe with trufting in the Lord, and fo is expreffive of a public profeffion of faith and confidence in the Lord before men, which ought to be dane:
good work of grace upon the foul; and the Lord’s fulfilling the good pleafure of ‘his goodne(s in the hearts of his people, and the work of faith: with power on them; and alfo the many deliverances of them out of afflictions and temptations, and the many falvations from their enemies, he works for them in the earth, before the fons of men.
¥. 20. Thou foalt bide them in the fecret of thy prefence, &c.] Thatis, thofe that fear the Lord and truft in him; and therefore they are called his bidden ones, Pfaim Ixxxiii. 3. thefe the Lord preferves in times of trouble and danger, and when his indignation is out againft others; and fo the Zar- LUM is, in the time of “thine anger; fee Ifa. xxvi. 20.
the prefence of God is their protection, he himfelf is a wall of fire round about them, his favour compafies them as a fhield, and they are kept as in a garrifon by his power; fee P/fal. xci, 1. and that from the pride of ‘man, which otherwile would at once opprefs, bear them down, and deftroy them, Thou foalt keep them fecretly in @ pavilion from the firife of tongues, which are as a fharp fword, and from whence proceed devouring words, fuch contradiétion of: finners as Chrift endured; not that the faints are kept free from the reproaches of men, from the lafh.of their tongues, but from being hurt by them; and fometimes through the ftrivings and contentions of men y. 21. Bleffed be the Lord, &c.] A form of thank{giving, in which the pfalmift calls upon himfelf and others to blefs and praife the Lord for the fingular mercy granted him, exprefied in the next claufe; fee the note on Pfal. xviii. 46. for be bath foewed me his marvelous kindnefs in a ftrong city; either in the city Keilab, fo Farchi;:a city which had gates and bars,’ where Sau/ithought he had David fafe, and he could not efcape his hands; but sotwithftanding that, and though the inhabitants. of that place intended to deliver him up, yet he was matveloufly faved; as he alfo was from the Zipbites; and when Saul and his army had encompafied him about, by a furprizing incident, a mefienger coming to Saz/ juft as he was about to feize him, informing him that the Pbiifines had invaded the land, 1 Sam. xxiii. 7-29. Or the city of Ferufalem, which was fortified both by nature and art, whither he was brought and placed as king, and enjoyed reft from all his enemies round about him, 2 Se¢m.v.6—g. and vii. 1. Or this may {piritually defign the church of God, which is called.a ftrong city, being built. on Chrift the Rock, and having falvation for walls and bulwarks, J/@. xxvi. 1. where the Lord difplays his banner of love, makes difcoveries of his marvelous. kindnefs, and commands his bleffing for evermore.
Some render it as in @ ftrong city*, and) take the fenfe to be, that he was fafe through the kindnefs of Ged thewed to him in the falvation of him, as if he was in a fortified city*, and this was marvelous in ‘his eyes, as every inftance of providential goodaefs isto the people of God; ——s his
| arelbog, unchangeable, from ev erlaiting: lafting; and fo. wonderful and aftonifhingsand oF was hid in God until revealed; and fometi moreover this goodnefs wrought may include the manifeftations of it are withdrawn, and t is
-weaknefs and unbelief..., clofe with his people; thefe he not ¢ ing them in Chritt, faving them by him, x x them by his, Spirit, and taking ie ae ys.Which love i is free and fovercign,.
fhewed again, and. frefh difcoveries of it ASR and effects of it applied, and the ees y. 22. For I faidin my. hafte, &e.] made hafte to get away for fear of Saul. xxiii. 20. and fo the Targum renders it, F fe i I fought to flee away; or elfe he faid this and rafhly, in the hurry of his mind, eae in i utmoft contufion and diftrefs, as in P/al, cxvi. 11, Tam cut off from befare thine eyes, ‘his calev was very bad, he was reduced to the utmoft extremi, and | his faith was as low; he thought it was all. with him, and there was no way oF efcape, cor pe of it;,and that he was dike a branch cat- oY: the houfe of God, and: from communion with he to be caft into the fire; that he was cut of that he would never look upon him, mare, and he fhould. never; enjoy his, prefence <, this: inftanc € of, weaknefs and unbelief is mentioned to ite he goodnefs of God, and to make his. kin to be the more marvelous;i in the falvation,, fo fometimes the Lord tuffers his people.t the utmoft diftrefs, and their faith.to beat the | eft ebb, when he appears, to their help,, and in it manifeft that their falvation i is by his and of his own good will, and not by 1 any goodnefs of theirs. Nevertbelefs, thou. the voice of my fupplications when cried 1 unite. for though faith was very low, and unbelief ftrong ly prevailed, yet he was not fo far gone.as to ng. off praying; for though he faw no age way o efcape, and. feared the Lord would take no notice of him; yet he knew. that nothing was. ppaiine with wit and therefore he ftill looked up to as Jonah did when he thought, himfelf in a ‘like condition, Fonah it. 4. and fuch was the grace and goodnefs of God, that he did not defpife but regard his, prayer, ‘though attended with fo, smauch y. 23..0.love the Lord, To whom his goodnels ex re with the bleffings of his grace, as peace, and righteoufnels 5; and who il ti; fied by his Spirit, and have. principles of gnac holinefs, wrought in their hearts: thefe, ¢ of them, are called upon to love the Lord, havi that grace implanted in their fouls; that is, prefs it, not by words, but by. eat under.a;
of the love and kindnefs of God to them;. fale Reto re eee join with the pfalmift in an.a of him; truft in him, and thankfulne account of his marvelous ki s For the Lord preferveth, the faithful in him, believe in C word and ordinances, bile yak ina providential way, but he preferves em. in 7 the Targum; from the evil. of fing. de a in é and final falling away by its, fron he evil of the world, fo.as not to body wn of from Chrift and his
66-1 w aiGcROR sty b Aben Ezra, Kimchi § Be ous Pak le mote #4 ae and his temptations; and thefe are preferved fafe to the kingdom and glory of Chrift, by the mighty power of God: fome render the words, the Lord keepeth faithfulnefs' 5 he will. never fuffer his own faithfulnefs to fail; he is a covenant-keeping God, and is always true to his word and promife. Aud plentifully rewardeth the proud doer; fuch as all felf-righteous perfons are, and all that {peak grievous things proudly and contemptuoufly againft the truly righteous, ¥. 18. who bear hard upon them, and opprefs them; and fuch as antichrift and his party, who exalts himfelf above all that is called God; but in what thofe deal proudly, God is above them, an over-match for them, and he fets
-himfelfagainft them; he refifts them; and will reward them according to their works.
W. 24. Be of good courage, and be fhall ftrengthen your heart, 8c.) See the note on Pfal. xxvii. 14. by this inftance of God’s wonderful kindnefs to, the plalmift, he would have the faints take heart, and be of good chear, even in, the greateft diftrefles, fince their cafe cannot be worfe than his was; and yet he had deliverance out of it. All ye that hope in the Lord for the eye of the Lord is on fuch, and he takes delight in them, P/a/. xxxiii, 18. and cxlvii, vi. TheZargum is, who hope for, or trujft in: the word of the Lordy the eflential Word, the promifed Meffiah,