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Psalm Four
Psalm 4
Chapter Contents
The children of men proved
and the happiness of godly
people. (1-5) God's favour is happiness. (6-8)
Commentary on Psalm 4:1-5
(Read Psalm 4:1-5)
Hear me for thy mercy-sake
is our best plea. He who will
not ask such blessings as pardon
and justifying righteousness
and eternal
life
must perish for the want of them. Alas! that so many should make so
fearful a choice. The psalmist warns against sin. Keep up holy reverence of the
glory and majesty of God. You have a great deal to say to your hearts
they may
be spoken with
let it not be unsaid. Examine them by serious self-reflection;
let your thoughts fasten upon that which is good
and keep close to it.
Consider your ways
and before you turn to sleep at night
examine your
consciences with respect to what you have done in the day; particularly what
you have done amiss
that you may repent of it. when you awake in the night
meditate upon God
and the things that belong to your peace. Upon a sick-bed
particularly
we should consider our ways. Be still. when you have asked
conscience a question
be serious
be silent
wait for an answer. Open not the
mouth to excuse sin. All confidence must be pan answer. Open not the mouth to
excuse sin. All confidence only: therefore
after commanding the sacrifices of
righteousness
the psalmist says
Put your trust in the Lord.
Commentary on Psalm 4:6-8
(Read Psalm 4:6-8)
Wordly people inquire for good
not for the chief good;
all they want is outward good
present good
partial good
good meat
good
drink
a good trade
and a good estate; but what are all these worth? Any good
will serve the turn of most men
but a gracious soul will not be put off so.
Lord
let us have thy favour
and let us know that we have it
we desire no
more; let us be satisfied of thy loving-kindness
and will be satisfied with
it. Many inquire after happiness
but David had found it. When God puts grace
in the heart
he puts gladness in the heart. Thus comforted
he pitied
but
neither envied nor feared the most prosperous sinner. He commits all his
affairs to God
and is prepared to welcome his holy will. But salvation is in
Christ alone; where will those appear who despise him as their Mediator
and
revile him in his disciples? May they stand in awe
and no longer sin against
the only remedy.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Psalms》
Psalm 4
Verse 1
[1] Hear
me when I call
O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in
distress; have mercy upon me
and hear my prayer.
O God —
The witness and defender of my righteous cause.
Verse 2
[2] O ye sons of men
how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will
ye love vanity
and seek after leasing? /*Selah*/.
My glory — By
his glory probably he means that honour which God had conferred upon him.
Vanity —
Wickedness.
Lying —
Those calumnies which they raised against him
to make him odious to all the
people.
Verse 3
[3] But
know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will
hear when I call unto him.
Godly —
Me
whom
though you traduce as an hypocrite
God hath pronounced to he a man
after his own heart
1 Samuel 13:14.
For himself — In
his stead
or to be his vicegerent
as all kings are
and especially the kings
of God's own people.
Verse 4
[4]
Stand in awe
and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed
and be
still. /*Selah*/.
In awe — Be
afraid
if not of me
yet of God
who hath engaged in my cause.
Sin not — By
prosecuting your rebellion against God's authority.
On your bed —
Calmly consider these things in the silent night
when you are at leisure from
distracting business.
Be still —
Compose your tumultuous minds.
Verse 5
[5] Offer the sacrifices of righteousness
and put your trust in the LORD.
Offer —
Unto God
that he may be reconciled to you.
Righteousness —
Righteous sacrifices; which requires that the persons offering them be
righteous and do righteous things
and offer them with an honest mind
with
faith and true repentance. Without which
he intimates
that all their
sacrifices were of no esteem with God
and would be wholly unprofitable to
them.
Verse 6
[6]
There be many that say
Who will shew us any good? LORD
lift thou up the light
of thy countenance upon us.
Many — Of
my followers
who are weary of waiting upon God.
Who —
Who will put an end to our troubles
and give us tranquility.
Lift up —
Upon me and my friends. Give us an assurance of thy love
and evidence it by
thy powerful assistance.
Verse 7
[7] Thou
hast put gladness in my heart
more than in the time that their corn and their
wine increased.
Thou hast —
Whatsoever thou shalt do with me for the future
I have at present unspeakable
satisfaction in the testimonies of thy love to my soul; more than worldly
persons have in the time of a plentiful harvest.
Verse 8
[8] I
will both lay me down in peace
and sleep: for thou
LORD
only makest me dwell
in safety.
In peace — In
tranquility of mind
resting securely upon God's promises.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Psalms》
Psalm 4
Exposition
Explanatory Notes and Quaint Sayings
Hints to the Village Preacher
Other Works
TITLE. This
Psalm is apparently intended to accompany the third
and make a pair with it. If
the last may be entitled THE MORNING PSALM
this from its matter is
equally deserving of the title of THE EVENING HYMN. May the choice words
of the 8th verse be our sweet song of rest as we retire to our repose!
"Thus with
my thoughts composed to peace
I'll give mine eyes to sleep;
Thy hand in safety keeps my days
And will my slumbers keep."
The
Inspired title runs thus: "To the chief Musician on Neginoth
a Psalm
of David." The chief musician was the master or director of the sacred
music of the sanctuary. Concerning this person carefully read 1 Chronicles
6:31
32; 15:16-22; 25: 1
7. In these passages will be found much that is
interesting to the lover of sacred song
and very much that will throw a light
upon the mode of praising God in the temple. Some of the titles of the Psalms
are
we doubt not
derived from the names of certain renowned singers
who
composed the music to which they were set.
On
Neginoth
that is
on stringed instruments
or hand instruments
which were played on with the hand alone
as harps and cymbals. The joy of the
Jewish church was so great that they needed music to set forth the delightful
feelings of their souls. Our holy mirth is none the less overflowing because we
prefer to express it in a more spiritual manner
as becometh a more spiritual
dispensation. In allusion to these instruments to be played on with the hand
Nazianzen says
"Lord
I am an instrument for thee to touch." Let us
lay ourselves open to the Spirit's touch
so shall we make melody. May we be
full of faith and love
and we shall be living instruments of music.
Hawker
says: "The Septuagint read the word which we have rendered in our
translation chief musician Lamenetz
instead of Lamenetzoth
the
meaning of which is unto the end. From whence the Greek and Latin
fathers imagined
that all psalms which bear this inscription refer to the
Messiah
the great end. If so
this Psalm is addressed to Christ; and
well it may
for it is all of Christ
and spoken by Christ
and hath respect
only to his people as being one with Christ. The Lord the Spirit give the
reader to see this
and he will find it most blessed.
DIVISION.
In the first verse David pleads with God for help. In the second he
expostulates with his enemies
and continues to address them to the end of
verse 5. Then from verse 6 to the close he delightfully contrasts his own
satisfaction and safety with the disquietude of the ungodly in their best
estate. The Psalm was most probably written upon the same occasion as the
preceeding
and is another choice flower from the garden of affliction. Happy
is it for us that David was tried
or probably we should never have heard these
sweet sonnets of faith.
EXPOSITION
Verse 1. This
is another instance of David's common habit of pleading past mercies as a
ground for present favour. Here he reviews his Ebenezers and takes comfort from
them. It is not to be imagined that he who has helped us in six troubles will
leave us in the seventh. God does nothing by halves
and he will never cease to
help us until we cease to need. The manna shall fall every morning until we
cross the Jordan.
Observe
that David speaks first to God and then to men. Surely we should all speak the
more boldly to men if we had more constant converse with God. He who dares to
face his Maker will not tremble before the sons of men.
The
name by which the Lord is here addressed
"God of my
righteousness
" deserves notice
since it is not used in any other
part of Scripture. It means
Thou art the author
the witness
the maintainer
the judge
and the rewarder of my righteousness; to thee I appeal from the
calumnies and harsh judgments of men. Herein is wisdom
let us imitate it and
always take our suit
not to the petty courts of human opinion
but into the
superior court
the King's Bench of heaven.
"Thou
hast enlarged me when I was in distress." A figure taken from an army
enclosed in a defile
and hardly pressed by the surrounding enemy. God hath
dashed down the rocks and given me room; he hath broken the barriers and set me
in a large place. Or
we may understand it thus:— "God hath enlarged my
heart with joy and comfort
when I was like a man imprisoned by grief and
sorrow." God is a never-failing comforter.]
"Have
mercy upon me." Though thou mayest justly permit my enemies to destroy
me
on account of my many and great sins
yet I flee to thy mercy
and I
beseech thee hear my prayer
and bring thy servant out of his troubles.
The best of men need mercy as truly as the worst of men. All the deliverances
of saints
as well as the pardons of sinners
are the free gifts of heavenly
grace.
Verse
2. In this second division of the Psalm
we are led from the closet of prayer
into the field of conflict. Remark the undaunted courage of the man of God. He
allows that his enemies are great men (for such is the import of the Hebrew
words translated—sons of men)
but still he believes them to be foolish
men
and therefore chides them
as though they were but children. He tells them
that they love vanity
and seek after leasing
that is
lying
empty
fancies
vain conceits
wicked fabrications. He asks them how long they
mean to make his honour a jest
and his fame a mockery? A little of such mirth
is too much
why need they continue to indulge in it? Had they not been long
enough upon the watch for his halting? Had not repeated disappointments
convinced them that the Lord's anointed was not to be overcome by all their
calumnies? Did they mean to jest their souls into hell
and go on with their
laughter until swift vengeance should turn their merriment into howling? In the
contemplation of their perverse continuance in their vain and lying pursuits
the Psalmist solemnly pauses and inserts a Selah. Surely we too may stop
awhile
and meditate upon the deep-seated folly of the wicked
their
continuance in evil
and their sure destruction; and we may learn to admire
that grace which has made us to differ
and taught us to love truth
and
seek after righteousness.
Verse
3. "But know." Fools will not learn
and therefore they must
again and again be told the same thing
especially when it is such a bitter
truth which is to be taught them
viz.:—the fact that the godly are the chosen
of God
and are
by distinguishing grace
set apart and separated from among
men. Election is a doctrine which unrenewed men cannot endure
but
nevertheless
it is a glorious and well-attested truth
and one which should
comfort the tempted believer. Election is the guarantee of complete salvation
and an argument for success at the throne of grace. He who chose us for himself
will surely hear our prayer. The Lord's elect shall not be condemned
nor shall
their cry be unheard. David was king by divine decree
and we are the Lord's
people in the same manner: let us tell our enemies to their faces
that they
fight against God and destiny
when they strive to overthrow our souls. O
beloved
when you are on your knees
the fact of your being set apart as
God's own peculiar treasure
should give you courage and inspire you with
fervency and faith. "Shall not God avenge his own elect
which cry day and
night unto him?" Since he chose to love us he cannot but choose to hear
us.
Verse
4. "Tremble and sin not." How many reverse this counsel and
sin but tremble not. O that men would take the advice of this verse and commune
with their own hearts. Surely a want of thought must be one reason why men
are so mad as to despite Christ and hate their own mercies. O that for once
their passions would be quiet and let them be still
that so in solemn
silence they might review the past
and meditate upon their inevitable doom.
Surely a thinking man might have enough sense to discover the vanity of sin and
the worthlessness of the world. Stay
rash sinner
stay
ere thou take the last
leap. Go to thy bed and think upon thy ways. Ask counsel of thy pillow
and let the quietude of night instruct thee! Throw not away thy soul for
nought! Let reason speak! Let the clamorous world be still awhile
and let thy
poor soul plead with thee to bethink thyself before thou seal its fate
and
ruin it for ever! Selah. O sinner! pause while I question thee awhile in
the words of a sacred poet
—
"Sinner
is thy heart at rest?
Is thy bosom void of fear?
Art thou not by guilt oppress'd?
Speaks not conscience in thine ear?
Can
this world afford thee bliss?
Can it chase away thy gloom?
Flattering
false
and vain it is;
Tremble at the worldling's doom!
Think
O sinner
on thy end
See the judgment-day appear
Thither must thy spirit wend
There thy righteous sentence hear.
Wretched
ruin'd
helpless soul
To a Saviour's blood apply;
He alone can make thee whole
Fly to Jesus
sinner
fly!"
Verse
5. Provided that the rebels had obeyed the voice of the last verse
they would
now be crying
—"What shall we do to be saved?" And in the present
verse
they are pointed to the sacrifice
and exhorted to trust in
the Lord. When the Jew offered sacrifice righteously
that is
in a
spiritual manner
he thereby set forth the Redeemer
the great sin-atoning
Lamb; there is
therefore
the full gospel in this exhortation of the Psalmist.
O sinners
flee ye to the sacrifice of Calvary
and there put your whole
confidence and trust
for he who died for men is the LORD JEHOVAH.
Verse
6. We have now entered upon the third division of the Psalm
in which the faith
of the afflicted one finds utterance in sweet expressions of contentment and
peace.
There
were many
even among David's own followers
who wanted to see rather
than to believe. Alas! this is the tendency of us all! Even the regenerate
sometimes groan after the sense and sight of prosperity
and are sad when
darkness covers all good from view. As for worldlings
this is their unceasing
cry. "Who will shew us any good?" Never satisfied
their
gaping mouths are turned in every direction
their empty hearts are ready to
drink in any fine delusion which impostors may invent; and when these fail
they soon yield to despair
and declare that there is no good thing in either
heaven or earth. The true believer is a man of a very different mould. His face
is not downward like the beasts'
but upward like the angels'. He drinks not from
the muddy pools of Mammon
but from the fountain of life above. The light of
God's countenance is enough for him. This is his riches
his honour
his
health
his ambition
his ease. Give him this
and he will ask no more. This is
joy unspeakable
and full of glory. Oh
for more of the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit
that our fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ may
be constant and abiding!
Verse
7. "It is better
" said one
"to feel God's favour one hour in
our repenting souls
that to sit whole ages under the warmest sunshine that
this world affordeth." Christ in the heart is better than corn in the
barn
or wine in the vat. Corn and wine are but fruits of the world
but the
light of God's countenance is the ripe fruit of heaven. "Thou art with
me
" is a far more blessed cry than "Harvest home." Let my
granary be empty
I am yet full of blessings if Jesus Christ smiles upon me;
but if I have all the world
I am poor without him.
We
should not fail to remark that this verse is the saying of the righteous
man
in opposition to the saying of the many. How quickly doth the tongue
betray the character! "Speak
that I may see thee!" said
Socrates to a fair boy. The metal of a bell is best known by its sound. Birds
reveal their nature by their song. Owls cannot sing the carol of the lark
nor
can the nightingale hoot like the owl. Let us
then
weigh and watch our words
lest our speech should prove us to be foreigners
and aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel.
Verse
8. Sweet Evening Hymn! I shall not sit up to watch through fear
but I will lie
down; and then I will not lie awake listening to every rustling sound
but
I will lie down in peace and sleep
for I have nought to fear. He that
hath the wings of God above him needs no other curtain. Better than bolts or
bars is the protection of the Lord. Armed men kept the bed of Solomon
but we
do not believe that he slept more soundly than his father
whose bed was the
hard ground
and who was haunted by blood-thirsty foes. Note the word "only"
which means that God alone was his keeper
and that though alone
without man's
help
he was even then in good keeping
for he was "alone with God."
A quiet conscience is a good bedfellow. How many of our sleepless hours might
be traced to our untrusting and disordered minds. They slumber sweetly whom
faith rocks to sleep. No pillow so soft as a promise; no coverlet so warm as an
assured interest in Christ.
O
Lord
give us this calm repose on thee
that like David we may lie down in
peace
and sleep each night while we live; and joyfully may we lie down in the
appointed season
to sleep in death
to rest in God!
Dr.
Hawker's reflection upon this Psalm is worthy to be prayed over and fed upon
with sacred delight. We cannot help transcribing it.
"Reader!
let us never lose sight of the Lord Jesus while reading this Psalm. He is the
Lord our righteousness; and therefore
in all our approaches to the mercy seat
let us go there in a language corresponding to this which calls Jesus the Lord
our righteousness. While men of the world
from the world are seeking their
chief good
let us desire his favour which infinitely transcends corn and wine
and all the good things which perish in the using. Yes
Lord
thy favour is
better than life itself. Thou causest them that love thee to inherit
substance
and fillest all their treasure.
"Oh!
thou gracious God and Father
hast thou in such a wonderful manner set apart
one in our nature for thyself? Hast thou indeed chosen one out of the people?
Hast thou beheld him in the purity of his nature
—as one in every point Godly?
Hast thou given him as the covenant of the people? And hast thou declared
thyself well pleased in him? Oh! then
well may my soul be well pleased in him
also. Now do I know that my God and Father will hear me when I call upon him in
Jesus' name
and when I look up to him for acceptance for Jesus' sake! Yes
my
heart is fixed
O Lord
my heart is fixed; Jesus is my hope and righteousness;
the Lord will hear me when I call. And henceforth will I both lay me down in
peace and sleep securely in Jesus
accepted in the Beloved; for this is the
rest wherewith the Lord causeth the weary to rest
and this is the
refreshing."
EXPLANATORY
NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Verse 1. "Hear
me when I call
" etc. Faith is a good orator and a noble disputer in a
strait; it can reason from God's readiness to hear: "Hear me when I call
O God." And from the everlasting righteousness given to the man in the
justification of his person: "O God of my righteousness." And
from God's constant justice in defending the righteousness of his servant's
cause: "O God of my righteousness." And from both present
distresses and those that are by-past
wherein he hath been
and from by-gone
mercies received: "Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress."
And from God's grace
which is able to answer all objections from the man's
unworthiness or ill-deserving: "Have mercy upon me
and hear my
prayer." David Dickson
1653.
Verse 1. "Hear
me." The great Author of nature and of all things does nothing in
vain. He instituted not this law
and
if I may so express it
art of praying
as a vain and insufficient thing
but endows it with wonderful efficacy for
producing the greatest and happiest consequences. He would have it to be the
key by which all the treasures of heaven should be opened. He has constructed
it as a powerful machine
by which we may
with easy and pleasant labour
remove from us the most dire and unhappy machinations of our enemy
and may
with equal ease draw to ourselves what is most propitious and advantageous.
Heaven and earth
and all the elements
obey and minister to the hands which
are often lifted up to heaven in earnest prayer. Yea
all works
and
which is
yet more and greater
all the words of God obey it. Well known in the sacred
Scriptures are the examples of Moses and Joshua
and that which James (5:17)
particularly mentions of Elijah
whom he expressly calls æotoäns
a man
subject to like infirmities with ourselves
that he might illustrate the
admirable force of prayer
by the common and human weakness of the person by
whom it was offered. And that Christian legion under Antonius is well known and
justly celebrated
which for the singular ardour and efficacy of its prayers
obtained the name of keraunoboloz
the thundering legion. Robert
Leighton
D.D.
Archbishop of Glasgow
1611 - 1684.
Verse 2. "O
ye sons of men
how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye
love vanity
and seek after leasing? Selah." Prayer soars above the
violence and impiety of men
and with a swift wing commits itself to heaven
with happy omen
if I may allude to what the learned tell us of the augury of
the ancients
which I shall not minutely discuss. Fervent prayers stretch forth
a strong
wide-extended wing
and while the birds of night hover beneath
they
mount aloft
and point out
as it were
the proper seats to which we should aspire.
For certainly there is nothing that cuts the air so swiftly
nothing that takes
so sublime
so happy
so auspicious a flight as prayer
which bears the soul on
its pinions
and leaves far behind all the dangers
and even the delights of
this low world of ours. Behold this holy man
who just before was crying to God
in the midst of distress
and with urgent importunity entreating that he might
be heard
now
as if he were already possessed of all he had asked
taking upon
him boldly to rebuke his enemies
how highly soever they were exalted
and how
potent soever they might be even in the royal palace. Robert Leighton
D.D.
Verse 2. "O
ye sons of men
how long will ye turn my glory into shame?" etc. We
might imagine every syllable of this precious Psalm used by our Master some
evening
when about to leave the temple for the day
and retiring to his wonted
rest at Bethany (v. 8)
after another fruitless expostulation with the men of
Israel. And we may read it still as the very utterance of his heart
longing
over man
and delighting in God. But
further
not only is this the utterance
of the Head
it is also the language of one of his members in full sympathy
with him in holy feeling. This is a Psalm with which the righteous may make
their dwellings resound
morning and evening
as they cast a sad look over a
world that rejects God's grace. They may sing it while they cling more and more
every day to Jehovah
as their all-sufficient heritage
now and in the age to
come. They may sing it
too
in the happy confidence of faith and hope
when
the evening of the world's day is coming
and may then fall asleep in the
certainty of what shall greet their eyes on the resurrection morning—
"Sleeping
embosomed in his grace
Till morning-shadows flee.
Andrew
A. Bonar
1859
Verse 2. "Love
vanity." They that love sin
love vanity; they chase a bubble
they lean upon a reed
their hope is as a spider's web.
"Leasing."
This is an old Saxon word signifying falsehood.
Verse 2. "How
long will ye love vanity
and seek after leasing?" "Vanity of
vanities
and all is vanity." This our first parents found
and therefore
named their second son Abel
or vanity. Solomon
that had tried these things
and could best tell the vanity of them
he preacheth this sermon over again and
again. "Vanity of vanities
and all is vanity." It is sad to think
how many thousands there be that can say with the preacher
"Vanity of
vanities
all is vanity;" nay
swear it
and yet follow after these things
as if there were no other glory
nor felicity
but what is to be found in these
things they call vanity. Such men will sell Christ
heaven
and their souls
for a trifle
that call these things vanity
but do not cordially believe them
to be vanity
but set their hearts upon them as if they were their crown
the
top of all their royalty and glory. Oh! let your souls dwell upon the vanity of
all things here below
till your hearts so thoroughly convinced and persuaded of
the vanity of them
as to trample upon them
and make them a footstool for
Christ to get up
and ride in a holy triumph in your hearts.
Gilemex
king of Vandals
led in triumph by Belisarius
cried out
"Vanity of
vanities
all is vanity." The fancy of Lucian
who placeth Charon on the
top of a high hill
viewing all the affairs of men living
and looking on their
greatest cities as little bird's nests
is very pleasant. Oh
the imperfection
the ingratitude
the levity
the inconstancy
the perfidiousness of those
creatures we most servilely affect! Ah
did we but weigh man's pain with his
payment
his crosses with his mercies
his miseries with his pleasures
we
should then see that there is nothing got by the bargain
and conclude
"Vanity of vanities
all is vanity." Chrysostom said once
"That
if he were the fittest in the world to preach a sermon to the whole world
gathered together in one congregation
and had some high mountain for his
pulpit
from whence he might have a prospect of all the world in his view
and
were furnished with a voice of brass
a voice as loud as the trumpets of the
archangel
that all the world might hear him
he would choose to preach upon no
other text than that in the Psalms
O mortal men
'How long will ye love
vanity
and follow after leasing?'" Thomas Brooks
1608-1680.
Verse 2. "Love
vanity." Men's affections are according to their principles; and every
one loves that most without him which is most suitable to somewhat within
him: liking is founded in likeness
and has therefore that word put
upon it. It is so in whatsoever we can imagine; whether in temporals or
spirituals
as to the things of this life
or of a better. Men's love is according
to some working and impression upon their own spirits. And so it is here in the
point of vanity; those which are vain persons
they delight in vain things; as
children
they love such matters as are most agreeable to their childish
dispositions
and as do suit them in that particular. Out of the heart comes
all kind of evil. Thomas Horton
1675.
Verse 3. "The
Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself." When God chooseth
a man
he chooseth him for himself; for himself to converse with
to communicate
himself unto him as a friend
a companion
and his delight. Now
it is holiness
that makes us fit to live with the holy God for ever
since without it we
cannot see him (Hebrews 12:14)
which is God's main aim
and more than our
being his children; as one must be supposed a man
one of mankind
having a
soul reasonable
ere we can suppose him capable of adoption
or to be another
man's heir. As therefore it was the main first design in God's eye
before the
consideration of our happiness
let it be so in ours. Thomas Goodwin
1600-1679.
Verse 3. What rare
persons the godly are: "The righteous is more excellent than his
neighbour." Proverbs 12:26. As the flower of the sun
as the wine of
Lebanon
as the sparkling upon Aaron's breastplate
such is the orient
splendour of a person embellished with godliness. . . . . . . The godly are
precious
therefore they are set apart for God
"Know that the Lord
hath set apart him that is godly for himself." We set apart things
that are precious; the godly are set apart as God's peculiar treasure (Psalm
135:4); as his garden of delight (Canticles 4:12); as his royal diadem (Isaiah
43:3); the godly are the excellent of the earth (Psalm 16:3); comparable to
fine gold (Lamentations 4:2); double refined (Zechariah 13:9). They are the
glory of the creation. (Isaiah 46:13). Origen compares the saints to sapphires
and crystals: God calls them jewels (Malachi 3:17). Thomas Watson.
Verse 3. "The
Lord will hear when I call unto him." Let us remember that the
experience of one of the saints concerning the verity of God's promises
and of
the certainty of the written privileges of the Lord's people
is a sufficient
proof of the right which all his children have to the same mercies
and a
ground of hope that they also shall partake of them in their times of need. David
Dickson
1653.
Verse 4. "Stand
in awe and sin not." Jehovah is a name of great power and efficacy
a
name that hath in it five vowels
without which no language can be expressed; a
name that hath in it also three syllables
to signify the Trinity of persons
the eternity of God
One in Three and Three in One; a name of such dread and
reverence amongst the Jews
that they tremble to name it
and therefore they
use the name Adonai (Lord) in all their devotions. And thus ought every
one to "stand in awe
and sin not
" by taking the name of God
in vain; but to sing praise
and honour
to remember
to declare
to exalt
to
praise and bless it; for holy and reverend
only worthy and excellent is his
name. Rayment
1630.
Verse 4. "Commune
with your own heart." The language is similar to that which we use
when we say
"Consult your better judgment
" or "Take counsel of
your own good sense." Albert Barnes
in loc.
Verse 4. If thou
wouldst exercise thyself to godliness in solitude
accustom thyself to
soliloquies
I mean to conference with thyself. He needs never be idle that
hath so much business to do with his own soul. It was a famous answer which
Antisthenes gave when he was asked what fruit he reaped by all his studies. By
them
saith he
I have learned both to live and talk with myself. Soliloquies
are the best disputes; every good man is best company for himself of all the
creatures. Holy David enjoineth this to others
"Commune with your own
hearts upon your bed
and be still." "Commune with your own
hearts;" when ye have none to speak with
talk to yourselves. Ask
yourselves for what end ye were made
what lives ye have led
what times ye
have lost
what love ye have abused
what wrath ye have deserved. Call
yourselves to a reckoning
how ye have improved your talents
how true or false
ye have been to your trust
what provision ye have laid in for an hour of
death
what preparation ye have made for a great day of account. "Upon
your beds." Secrecy is the best opportunity for this duty. The silent
night is a good time for this speech. When we have no outward objects to
disturb us
and to call our eyes
as the fools' eyes are always
to the ends of
the earth; then our eyes
as the eyes of the wise
may be in our heads; and
then our minds
like the windows in Solomon's temple
may be broad inwards. The
most successful searches have been made in the night season; the soul is then
wholly shut up in the earthly house of the body
and hath no visits from
strangers to disquiet its thoughts. Physicians have judged dreams a probable
sign whereby they might find out the distempers of the body. Surely
then
the
bed is no bad place to examine and search into the state of the soul. "And
be still." Self-communion will much help to curb your headstrong
ungodly passions. Serious consideration
like the casting up of earth amongst
bees
will allay inordinate affections when they are full of fury
and make
such a hideous noise. Though sensual appetites and unruly desires are
as the
people of Ephesus
in an uproar
pleading for their former privilege
and
expecting their wonted provisions
as in the days of their predominancy
if
conscience use its authority
commanding them in God's name
whose officer it
is
to keep the king's peace
and argue it with them
as the town-clerk of
Ephesus
"We are in danger to be called in question for this day's uproar
there being no cause whereby we may give an account of this day's
concourse;" all is frequently by this means hushed
and the tumult
appeased without any further mischief. George Swinnock
1627 - 1673.
Verse 4. "Commune
with your own heart upon your bed
and be still." When we are most
retired from the world
then we are most fit to have
and usually have
most
communion with God. If a man would but abridge himself of sleep
and wake with
holy thoughts
when deep sleep falleth upon sorrowful labouring men
he might
be entertained with visions from God
though not such visions as Eliphaz and
others of the saints have had
yet visions he might have. Every time God
communicates himself to the soul
there is a vision of love
or mercy
or
power
somewhat of God in his nature
or in his will
is showed unto us. David
shows us divine work when we go to rest. The bed is not all for sleep: "Commune
with your own heart upon your bed
and be still." Be still or quiet
and then commune with your hearts; and if you will commune with your hearts
God will come and commune with your hearts
too
his Spirit will give you a
loving visit and visions of his love. Joseph Caryl.
Verse 4. "Stand
in awe."
With sacred awe
pronounce his name
Whom words nor thoughts can reach.
John
Needham
1768.
Verse 6. Where
Christ reveals himself there is satisfaction in the slenderest portion
and
without Christ there is emptiness in the greatest fullness. Alexander
Grosse
on enjoying Christ
1632.
Verse 6. "Many
"
said David. "ask who will shew us any good?" meaning riches
and honour
and pleasure
which are not good. But when he came to godliness
itself
he leaves out "many
" and prayeth in his own person
"Lord
lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us;" as if none would
join with him. Henry Smith.
Verse 6. "Who
will shew us any good?" This is not a fair translation. The word any
is not in the text
nor anything equivalent to it; and not a few have quoted it
and preached upon the text
placing the principal emphasis upon this
illegitimate. The place is sufficiently emphatic. There are multitudes who
say
Who will shew us good? Man wants good; he hates evil as
evil
because he has pain
suffering
and death through it; and
he wishes to find that supreme good which will content his heart
and
save him from evil. But men mistake this good. They look for a good that is to
gratify their passions; they have no notion of any happiness that does
not come to them through the medium of their senses. Therefore they
reject spiritual good
and they reject the Supreme God
by whom alone
all the powers of the soul of man can be gratified. Adam Clarke.
Verse 6. "Lift
thou up
" etc. This was the blessing of the high priest and is the
heritage of all the saints. It includes reconciliation
assurance
communion
benediction
in a word
the fulness of God. Oh
to be filled therewith! C.
H. S.
Verses 6
7. Lest
riches should be accounted evil in themselves
God sometimes gives them to the
righteous; and lest they should be considered as the chief good
he
frequently bestows them on the wicked. But they are more generally the portion
of his enemies than his friends. Alas! what is it to receive and not be
received? to have none other dews of blessing than such as shall be followed by
showers of brimstone? We may compass ourselves with sparks of security
and
afterwards be secrures in eternal misery. This world is a floating island
and
so sure as we cast anchor upon it
we shall be carried away by
it. God
and all that he has made
is not more than God without anything that
he has made. He can never want treasure who has such a golden mine. He
is enough without the creature
but the creature is not anything without
him. It is
therefore
better to enjoy him without anything else
than to enjoy
everything else without him. It is better to be a wooden vessel filled with
wine
than a golden one filled with water. William Secker's Nonsuch Professor
1660.
Verse 7. What
madness and folly is it that the favourites of heaven should envy the men of
the world
who at best do but feed upon the scraps that come from God's table!
Temporals are the bones; spirituals are the marrow. Is it below a man to envy
the dogs
because of the bones? And is it not much more below a Christian to
envy others for temporals
when himself enjoys spirituals? Thomas Brooks.
Verse 7. "Thou
hast put gladness in my heart." The comforts which God reserves for
his mourners are filling comforts (Romans 15:13); "The God of hope fill
you with joy" (John 16:24); "Ask that your joy may be full."
When God pours in the joys of heaven they fill the heart
and make it run over
(2 Corinthians 7:4); "I am exceeding joyful;" the Greek is
I overflow
with joy
as a cup that is filled with wine till it runs over. Outward comforts
can no more fill the heart than a triangle can fill a circle. Spiritual joys
are satisfying (Psalm 63:5); "My heart shall be satisfied as with marrow
and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips;" "Thou
hast put gladness in my heart." Worldly joys do put gladness into the
face
but the spirit of God puts gladness into the heart; divine joys are heart
joys (Zechariah 10:7; John 16:22); "Your heart shall rejoice" (Luke
1:47); "My spirit rejoiced in God." And to show how filling these
comforts are
which are of a heavenly extraction
the psalmist says they create
greater joy than when "corn and wine increase." Wine and oil
may delight but not satisfy; they have their vacuity and indigence. We may say
as Zechariah 10:2
"They comfort in vain;" outward comforts do sooner
cloy than cheer
and sooner weary that fill. Xerxes offered great rewards to
him that could find out a new pleasure; but the comforts of the Spirit are
satisfactory
they recruit the heart (Psalm 94:19)
"Thy comforts delight
my soul." There is as much difference between heavenly comforts and
earthly
as between a banquet that is eaten
and one that is painted on the
wall. Thomas Watson.
Verse 8. It is said
of the husbandman
that having cast his seed into the ground
he sleeps and
riseth day and night
and the seed springs and grows he knoweth not how. Mark
4:26
27. So a good man having by faith and prayer cast his care upon God
he
resteth night and day
and is very easy
leaving it to his God to perform all
things for him according to his holy will. Matthew Henry.
Verse 8. When you
have walked with God from morning until night
it remaineth that you conclude
the day well
when you would give yourself to rest at night. Wherefore
first
look back and take a strict view of your whole carriage that day past.
Reform what you find amiss; and rejoice
or be grieved
as you find you have
done well or ill
as you have advanced or declined in grace that day. Secondly
since you cannot sleep in safety if God
who is your keeper (Psalm
121:4
5)
do not wake and watch for you (Psalm 127:1); and though you
have God to watch when you sleep
you cannot be safe
if he that
watcheth be your enemy. Wherefore it is very convenient that at night
you renew and confirm your peace with God by faith and prayer
commending and
committing yourself to God's tuition by prayer (Psalm 3:4
5); Psalm 92:2)
with thanksgiving before you go to bed. Then shall you lie down in safety.
Psalm 4:8. All this being done
yet while you are putting off your
apparel
when you are lying down
and when you are in bed
before
you sleep
it is good that you commune with your own heart. Psalm
4:4. If possibly you can fall asleep with some heavenly meditation
then
will your sleep be more sweet (Proverbs 3:21
24
25); and more
secure (Proverbs 6:21
22); your dreams fewer
or more comfortable;
your head will be fuller of good thoughts (Proverbs 6:22)
and your heart will
be in a better frame when you awake
whether in the night or in
the morning. Condensed from Henry Scudder's Daily Walk
1633.
Verse 8. "I
will both
" etc. We have now to retire for a moment from the strife of
tongues and the open hostility of foes
into the stillness and privacy of the
chamber of sleep. Here
also
we find the "I will" of trust. "I
will both lay me down in peace
and sleep; for thou
Lord
only makest me dwell
in safety." God is here revealed to us as exercising personal care
in the still chamber. And there is something here which should be
inexpressibly sweet to the believer
for this shows the minuteness of God's
care
the individuality of his love; how it condescends and stoops
and acts
not only in great
but also in little spheres; not only where glory might be
procured from great results
but where nought is to be had save the gratitude
and love of a poor feeble creature
whose life has been protected and
preserved
in a period of helplessness and sleep. How blessed would it be if we
made larger recognition of God in the still chamber; if we thought of him as
being there in all hours of illness
of weariness
and pain; if we believed
that his interest and care are as much concentrated upon the feeble believer
there as upon his people when in the wider battle field of the strife of
tongues. There is something inexpressibly touching in this "lying
down" of the Psalmist. In thus lying down he voluntarily gave up any
guardianship of himself; he resigned himself into the hands of another; he did
so completely
for in the absence of all care he slept; there was here a
perfect trust. Many a believer lies down
but it is not to sleep. Perhaps he
feels safe enough so far as his body is concerned
but cares and anxieties
invade the privacy of his chamber; they come to try his faith and trust; they
threaten
they frighten
and alas! prove too strong for trust. Many a poor
believer might say
"I will lay me down
but not to sleep." The
author met with a touching instance of this
in the case of an aged minister
whom he visited in severe illness. This worthy man's circumstances were narrow
and his family trials were great; he said
"The doctor wants me to sleep
but how can I sleep with care sitting on my pillow?" It is the experience
of some of the Lord's people
that although equal to an emergency or a
continued pressure
a re-action sets in afterwards; and when they come to be
alone their spirits sink
and they do not realise that strength from God
or
feel that confidence in him which they felt while the pressure was exerting its
force. . . . . . There is a trial in stillness; and oftentimes the still
chamber makes a larger demand upon loving trust than the battle field. O that
we could trust God more and more with personal things! O that he were the God
of our chamber
as well as of our temples and houses! O that we could bring him
more and more into the minutiae of daily life! If we did thus
we should
experience a measure of rest to which we are
perhaps
strangers now; we should
have less dread of the sick chamber; we should have that unharassed mind which
conduces most to repose
in body and soul; we should be able to say
"I
will lie down and sleep
and leave to-morrow with God!" Ridley's
brother offered to remain with him during the night preceeding his martyrdom
but
the bishop declined
saying
that "he meant to go to bed
and sleep as
quietly as ever he did in his life." Philip Bennett Power's 'I Wills'
of the Psalms.
Verse 8. Due
observation of Providence will both beget and secure inward tranquillity in
your minds amidst the vicissitudes and revolutions of things in this unstable
vain world. "I will both lay me down in peace
and sleep; for the Lord
only maketh me dwell in safety." He resolves that sinful fears of
events shall not rob him of his inward quiet
nor torture his thoughts with
anxious presages; he will commit all his concerns into that faithful fatherly
hand that had hitherto wrought all things for him; and he means not to lose the
comfort of one night's rest
nor bring the evil of to-morrow upon the day; but
knowing in whose hand he was
wisely enjoys the sweet felicity of a resigned
will. Now this tranquillity of our minds is as much begotten and preserved by a
due consideration of providence as by anything whatsoever. John Flavel
1627 - 1691.
Verse 8. Happy is
the Christian
who having nightly with this verse
committed himself to his bed
as to his grave
shall at last
with the same words
resign himself to his
grave as to his bed
from which he expects in due time to arise
and sing a
morning hymn with the children of the resurrection. George Horne
D.D.
1776.
Verse 8. "Sleep
"
"How
blessed was that sleep
The sinless Saviour knew!
In vain the storm-sinds blew
Till he awoke to others woes
And hushed the billows to repose.
How
beautiful is sleep—
The sleep that Christians know!
Ye mourners! cease your woe
While soft upon his Saviour's breast
The righteous sinks to endless rest."
Mrs. M'Cartree.
HINTS TO THE
VILLAGE PREACHER
Verse 1. Is full of
matter for a sermon upon
past mercies a plea for present help. The
first sentence shows that believers desire
expect
and believe in a God that
heareth prayer. The title— God of my righteousness
may furnish a text
(see exposition)
and the last sentence may suggest a sermon upon
"The
best of saints must still appeal to God's mercy and sovereign grace."
Verse 2. Depravity
of man as evinced
(1)
by continuance in despising Christ
(2)
by loving vanity in his heart
and
(3)
seeking lies in his daily life.
Verse 2. The length
of the sinner's sin. "How long?" May be bounded by repentance
shall
be by death
and yet shall continue in eternity.
Verse 3. Election.
Its aspects toward God
our enemies
and ourselves.
Verse 3. "The
Lord will hear when I call unto him." Answers to prayer certain to
special persons. Mark out those who can claim the favour.
Verse 3. The
gracious Separatist. Who is he? Who separated him? With what end? How to
make men know it?
Verse 4. The sinner
directed to review himself
that he may be convinced of sin. Andrew Fuller
1754-1815.
Verse 4. "Be
still." Advice—good
practical
but hard to follow. Times when
seasonable. Graces needed to enable one to be still. Results of quietness.
Persons who most need the advice. Instances of its practice. here is much
material for a sermon.
Verse 5. The nature
of those sacrifices of righteousness which the Lord's people are expected to
offer. William Ford Vance
1827.
Verse 6. The cry of
the world and the church contrasted. Vox populi not always Vox Dei.
Verse 6. The
cravings of the soul all satisfied in God.
Verses 6
7. An
assurance of the Saviour's love
the source of unrivalled joy.
Verse 7. The
believer's joys.
(1)
Their source
"Thou;"
(2)
Their season—even now—"Thou hast;"
(3)
Their position
"in my heart;"
(4)
Their excellence
"more than in the time that their corn and their wine
increased."
Another
excellent theme suggests itself— "The superiority of the joys of grace to
the joys of earth;" or
"Two sorts of prosperity—which is to be the
more desired?"
Verse 8. The peace
and safety of the good man. Joseph Lathrop
D.D.
1805.
Verse 8. A
bedchamber for believers
a vesper song to sing in it
and a guard to keep the
door.
Verse 8. The
Christian's good night.
Verses 2 to 8.
The means which a believer should use to win the ungodly to Christ.
(1)
Expostulation
verse 2.
(2)
Instruction
verse 3.
(3)
Exhortation
verses 4
5.
(4)
Testimony to the blessedness of true religion as in verses 6
7.
(5)
Exemplification of that testimony by the peace of faith
verse 8.
WORKS UPON THE
FOURTH PSALM
Choice and
Practical Expositions on four select Psalms: namely
the Fourth Psalm
in eight Sermons
etc. By THOMAS HORTON
D.D. 1675
Meditations
Critical and Practical
on Psalm IV.
in Archbishop Leighton's
Works.
── C.H. Spurgeon《The Treasury of David》