unto the LORD, but he answered them not. 42 Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets. 43 Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me. 44 As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me. 45 The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places. 46 The LORD liveth; and QUOTED IN NEW TESTAMENT. Ver. 4, in Rom. x. 18. It must be by way of illustration only, to give an idea of the extent to which the gospel had been preached. Psalm 19. A Psalm of David. I THE heavens declare the glory of God; and the fir WRITER: David. The word of God in nature and in Scripture. "The meditation of my heart" (ver. 14). I. The heavens," "the firmament," ie., what they contain. The "glory" and the "handiwork" of God are shown by them. blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted. 47 It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me. 48 He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man. 49 Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name. 50 Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and showeth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for 4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, 5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. 6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof. 7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart : the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the LORD is 5, 6. The glories of the sun, as the prince among the heavenly bodies. His splendour of rising, his seemingly joyous alacrity, the magnificent extent of his course, and his all-pervading influence. 7-11. The connecting link between these verses and those before must be the thought how God is manifested to men; (1) to all by his works; (2) to some by his written Word. That written Word called here "the law," &c. (see notes on Ps. cxix. 1-9) reveals to us what nature cannot reveal; specially, how sinful man can be forgiven and made righteous before God; clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. II Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward. 12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. 13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. for in that portion of the Bible which David had were "statutes" and "commandments" in reference to sacrifice. See Lev. xvi. 34. Nature cannot convert the soul (ver. 7), but God's Word can (1 Pet. i. 23). How enthusiastic the admiration in vers. 10, 11; just as it is in Ps. cxix. 12, 13. The knowledge of God is humbling, whether we learn it from His works or from His written Word; and it makes us distrust ourselves, and cling to Him for strength. "The great transgression"; in the marginal reading it is "much transgression." Psalm 20. A Psalm of David. I THE LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee; 2 Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion; 3 Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; 4 Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel. 5 We will rejoice in thy WRITER: David. The prayer (1-4), the encouragement in God (5-8). The change of person may betoken a partpsalm, as some fancy, but it matters not. The practical sense of it is, first, prayer, and then the brave thoughts inspired thereby. 1. "The name," i.e., the character of the God of Jacob. See Gen. xxviii. 13-15. What idolaters Psalm 21. A Psalm of David. I THE king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice! salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions. 6 Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand. 7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. 8 They are brought down and fallen but we are risen, and stand upright. 9 Save, LORD : let the king hear us when we call. 4 He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever. 5 His glory is great in thy salvation: honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him. 6 For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance. 7 For the king trusteth in the LORD, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved. 8 Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee. WRITER: David. OCCASION: Unknown. PRINCIPAL USE: For time of It forms (whether so designed or not) a very natural sequel to Ps. xx. Compare Ps. lxvi. 17. Personal (1-7); general (8-13). 1. "The king," i.e., David; not as in last verse of Ps. xx. By no means an easy or commonplace thing thus to rejoice in God. 3. "Preventest him." The word signifies priority, being beforehand with. What a lovely view of God's readiness to give! "A crown of pure gold," when David was made king. See 2 Sam. vii. 8. 4. For how many dreary days 9 Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them. IO Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men. II For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform. 12 Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, when thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the face of them. could David have said, "There is but a step between me and death" (1 Sam. xx. 3). Like Hezekiah, he did not want to die before his time; and God heard his prayer. "For ever and ever," and again (ver. 6), "for ever," can hardly mean only a few more years on earth. 5. Glory does not hurt us if we thus connect it with God. "He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord." 8. "Thine enemies," "hate thee." In the case of David, his enemies were God's enemies. And this is an important view to take of many expressions in the Psalms. But we must not too hastily conclude the same for ourselves. 8-12. These verses give a striking picture of the way in which the Almighty is preparing to take the ungodly in hand in his own good time. Strong and patient. 13 Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so 13. Concentrated essence of praise, as the last verse of previous psalm is of prayer. On the broad principle of interpretation that what had reference QUOTED IN NEW TESTAMENT. (1.) Ver. 1, in Matt. xxvii. 46; Mark xv. 34. (2.) Ver. 18, in Matt. xxvii. 35; John xix. 24. (3.) Ver. 22, in Heb. ii. 12. Other verses have their evident fulfilment (though not quoted) in various parts of the gospel history, as vers. 7, 8, in Matt. xxvii. 43, and ver. 14, in John xix. 34, and ver. 16 in Mark xv. 25. How could anything in David's history answer to ver. 16? Psalm 22. A Psalm of David. 1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why WRITER: David. It is one of the prophetic psalms that seem to have hardly any reference to any one except the blessed Saviour Himself. It describes His sufferings, and shows His perfectly human feelings; and observe, those sufferings (though worst at the last) were life-long. See Mark ix. 19. The sufferings of Christ (1-21); their triumphant consequences (22-31). 1-2. Throw light on the most mysterious subject that can possibly art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? 2 O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. 3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. 4 Our fathers trusted in thee they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. 5 They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded. be found, namely, the nature of our Redeemer's sufferings. An ocean of speculation here presents itself. Was it an actual desertion as the sin-bearer? or was it the loss of a sense of God's presence, as it may be with ourselves? "Thou hearest not," compare with Heb. v. 7. 3. Observe these "buts," vers. 3, 6, 9, 19. But-the fault is not with thee. "Thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel": how grandly poetical. 4, 5. These words, as applied to Christ, may signify the unprecedented character of His sufferings. See Isa. lii. 14, and liii. 3. |