| Back to Home Page | Back to Book Index
|
Psalm Forty-three
Psalm 43
Chapter Contents
David endeavours to still his spirit
with hope and
confidence in God.
As to the quarrel God had with David for sin
he prays
Enter not into judgment with me
if Thou doest so I shall be condemned; but as
to the quarrel his enemies had with him
he prays
Lord
judge me
and in thy
providence appear on my behalf. If we cannot comfort ourselves in God
we may
stay ourselves upon him
and may have spiritual supports
when we want
spiritual delights. He never cast off any that trusted in him
whatever fears
they may have had of their own state. We need desire no more to make us happy
than the good that flow from God's favour
and is included in his promise.
Those whom God leads
he leads to his holy hill; those
therefore
who pretend
to be led by the Spirit
and yet turn their backs upon ordinance
deceive
themselves. We are still to pray for the Spirit of light and truth
who
supplies the want of Christ's bodily presence
to guide us in the way to
heaven. Whatever we rejoice or triumph in
the Lord must be the joy of it.
David applies to God as his never-failing hope. Let us pray earnestly
that the
Lord would send forth the truth of his word
and the light of his Spirit
to
guide us into the way of holiness
peace
and salvation. The desire of the
Christian
like that of the prophet in distress
is to be saved from sin as
well as sorrow; to be taught in the way of righteousness by the light of
heavenly wisdom
shining in Jesus Christ
and to be led by this light and truth
to the New Jerusalem.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Psalms》
Psalm 43
Verse 1
[1] Judge me
O God
and plead my cause against an ungodly
nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.
Nation — So he calls the company of his enemies for their great
numbers.
Man — Probably Achitophel or Absalom.
Verse 3
[3] O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me;
let them bring me unto thy holy hill
and to thy tabernacles.
Send out — That is
actually discover them.
Truth — Thy favour
or the light of thy countenance
and the
truth of thy promises made to me; or the true-light
the illumination of thy
spirit
and the direction of thy gracious providence
whereby I may be led in
the right way
to thy holy hill.
Hill — Of Zion
the place of God's presence and worship.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Psalms》
Exposition
Explanatory Notes and
Quaint Sayings
Hints to the Village
Preacher
Other Works
TITLE. On account of
the similarity of the structure of this Psalm to that of Psalm forty-two
it
has been supposed to be a fragment wrongly separated from the preceding song; but
it is always dangerous to allow these theories of error in Holy Scripture
and
in this instance it would be very difficult to show just cause for such an
admission. Why should the Psalm have been broken? Its similarity would have
secured its unity had it ever been part and parcel of the forty-second. Is it
not far more likely that some in their fancied wisdom united them wrongly in
the few MSS in which they are found as one? We believe the fact is that the
style of the poetry was pleasant to the writer
and therefore in after life he
wrote this supplemental hymn after the same manner. As an appendix it needed no
title. David complains of his enemies
and asks the privilege of communion with
God as his surest deliverance from them.
DIVISION. The psalmist
cried to God in prayer
Ps 43:1-3. Promises praise in the anticipation of an
answer
Ps 43:4
and chides himself for his despondency
Ps 43:5.
EXPOSITION
Verse
1. Judge me
O God. Others are unable to understand my
motives
and unwilling to give me a just verdict. My heart is clear as to
intent and therefore I bring my case before thee
content that thou wilt
impartially weigh my character
and right my wrongs. If thou wilt judge
thy
acceptance of my conduct will be enough for me; I can laugh at human misrepresentation
if my conscience knows that thou art on my side; thou art the only one I care
for; and besides
thy verdict will not sleep
but thou wilt see practical
justice done to thy slandered servant. And plead my cause against an ungodly
nation. One such advocate as the Lord will more than suffice to answer a
nation of brawling accusers. When people are ungodly
no wonder that they are
unjust; those who are not true to God himself cannot be expected to deal
rightly with his people. Hating the King they will not love his subjects.
Popular opinion weighs with many
but divine opinion is far more weighty with
the gracious few. One good word from God outweighs ten thousand railing
speeches of men. He bears a brazen shield before him whose reliance in all
things is upon his God; the arrows of calumny fall harmlessly from such a
buckler. O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man. Deceit and
injustice are boon companions: he who fawns will not fear to slander. From two
such devils none can deliver us but God. His wisdom can outwit the craft of the
vilest serpent
and his power can over match the most raging lion. Whether this
was Doeg or Ahithophel is small matter
such double distilled villains are
plentiful
and the only way of dealing with them is to refer the matter to the
righteous Judge of all; if we try to fight them with their own weapons
we
shall suffer more serious injury from ourselves than from them. O child of God
leave these thine enemies in better hands
remembering that vengeance belongeth
not to thee
but to thy Lord. Turn to him in prayer
crying
"O deliver
me
"and ere long you shall publish abroad the remembrance of his
salvation.
Verse
2. For. Here is argument
which is the very sinew of prayer.
If we reasoned more with the Lord we should have more victories in
supplication. Thou art the God of my strength. All my strength belongs
to thee—I will not
therefore
use it on my own behalf against my personal
foes. All my strength comes from thee
I therefore seek help from thee
who art
able to bestow it. All my strength is in thee
I leave therefore this task of
combating my foes entirely in thy hands. Faith which leaves such things alone
is wise faith. Note the assurance of David
thou art
not I hope and
trust so
but I know it is so; we shall find confidence to be our consolation. Why
dost thou cast me off? Why am I treated as if thou didst loathe me? Am I
become an offence unto thee? There are many reasons why the Lord might cast us
off
but no reason shall prevail to make him do so. He hath not cast off his
people
though he for awhile treats them as cast offs. Learn from this question
that it is well to enquire into dark providences
but we must enquire of God
not of our own fears. He who is the author of a mysterious trial can best
expound it to us.
"Blind
unbelief is sure to err
And scan his work in vain;
God is his own interpreter
And he will make it plain."
Why
go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? Why do I wander hither
and thither like a restless spirit? Why wear I the weeds of sorrow on my body
and the lines of grief on my face? Oppression makes a wise man mad; why
Lord
am I called to endure so much of it for so long a time? Here again is a useful
question
addressed to the right quarter. The answer will often be because we
are saints
and must be made like our Head
and because such sorrow is
chastening to the spirit
and yieldeth comfortable fruit. We are not to cross
question the Lord in peevishness
but we may ask of him in humility; God help
us to observe the distinction so as not to sin through stress of sorrow.
Verse
3. O send out thy light and thy truth. The joy of thy
presence and the faithfulness of thy heart; let both of these be manifest to
me. Reveal my true character by thy light
and reward me according to thy
truthful promise. As the sun darts forth his beams
so does the Lord send forth
his favour and his faithfulness towards all his people; and as all nature
rejoices in the sunshine
even so the saints triumph in the manifestation of the
love and fidelity of their God
which
like the golden sunbeam
lights up even
the darkest surroundings with delightful splendour. Let them lead me. Be
these my star to guide me to my rest. Be these my Alpine guides to conduct me
over mountains and precipices to the abodes of grace. Let them bring me unto
thy holy hill
and to thy tabernacles. First in thy mercy bring me to thine
earthly courts
and end my weary exile
and then in due time admit me to thy
celestial palace above. We seek not light to sin by
nor truth to be exalted by
it
but that they may become our practical guides to the nearest communion with
God: only such light and truth as are sent us from God will do this
common
light is not strong enough to show the road to heaven
nor will mere moral or
physical truths assist to the holy hill; but the light of the Holy Spirit
and
the truth as it is in Jesus
these are elevating
sanctifying
perfecting; and
hence their virtue in leading us to the glorious presence of God. It is
beautiful to observe how David's longing to be away from the oppression of man
always leads him to sigh more intensely for communion with God.
Verse
4. Then will I go unto the altar of God. If David might but
be favoured with such a deliverance as would permit his return
it would not be
his own house or heritage which would be his first resort
but to the altar of
God his willing feet should conduct him. His whole heart would go as sacrifice
to the altar
he himself counting it his greatest happiness to be permitted to
lie as a burnt offering wholly dedicated to the Lord. With what exultation
should believers draw near unto Christ
who is the antitype of the altar!
clearer light should give greater intensity of desire. Unto God my exceeding
joy. It was not the altar as such that the psalmist cared for
he was no
believer in the heathenism of ritualism: his soul desired spiritual fellowship
fellowship with God himself in very deed. What are all the rites of worship
unless the Lord be in them; what
indeed
but empty shells and dry husks? Note
the holy rapture with which David regards his Lord! He is not his joy
alone
but his exceeding joy; not the fountain of joy
the giver of joy
or the maintainer of joy
but that joy itself. The margin hath it
"The
gladness of my joy
"i.e.
the soul
the essence
the very bowels
of my joy. To draw near to God
who is such a joy to us
may well be the object
of our hungering and thirsting. Yea
upon the harp will I praise thee.
His best music for his best love. When God fills us with joy we ought ever to
pour it out at his feet in praise
and all the skill and talent we have should
be laid under contribution to increase the divine revenue of glory. O God
my God. How he dwells upon the name which he loves so well! He already
harps on it as though his harp music had begun. What sweeter sounds can music
know than these four words? To have God in possession
and to know it by faith
is the heart's heaven—a fulness of bliss lies therein.
Verse
5. Why art thou cast down
O my soul? If God be thine
why
this dejection? If he uplifts thee
why art thou so near the ground? The dew of
love is falling
O withering heart
revive. And why art thou disquieted
within me? What cause is there to break the repose of thy heart? Wherefore
indulge unreasonable sorrows
which benefit no one
fret thyself
and dishonour
thy God? Why overburden thyself with forebodings? Hope in God
or wait
for God. There is need of patience
but there is ground for hope. The Lord
cannot but avenge his own elect. The heavenly Father will not stand by and see
his children trampled on for ever; as surely as the sun is in the heavens
light must arise for the people of God
though for awhile they may walk in
darkness. Why
then
should we not be encouraged
and lift up our head with comfortable
hope? For I shall yet praise him. Times of complaint will soon end
and
seasons of praise will begin. Come
my heart
look out of the window
borrow
the telescopic glass
forecast a little
and sweeten thy chamber with sprigs of
the sweet herb of hope. Who is the health of my countenance
and my God.
My God will clear the furrows from my brow
and the tear marks from my cheek;
therefore will I lift up my head and smile in the face of the storm. The Psalm
has a blessed ending
such as we would fain imitate when death puts an end to
our mortal existence.
EXPLANATORY
NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Whole
Psalm. This Psalm is evidently a continuation or supplement to the preceding.
In some MSS of Kenicott and de Rossi's
they are united
and make one Psalm. George
Phillips
B.D.
Verse
1. Judge me
O God
and plead my cause
etc. Believers may
appeal to God's justice
and plead God's righteousness.
1.
Touching suffering wrongs of men. Touching suffering wrongs of men
believers
may appeal upon these three grounds:
(a)
The injustice that men do to believers
is as well against God's just nature
as against the believers' ease. So their appeals to God are agreeable to God's
enmity against injustice; therefore
his enmity concurs with their appeals. Ro
1:18.
(b)
Justice in men is according to God's nature
as well as for the believer's
welfare
and
therefore
the disposition and inclination of God's nature
concurs with their prayers for deliverance. Ps 11:7 Lu 23:6-7.
(c)
Such wrong God who do wrong his people 2Ch 15:11 Zec 2:8 Ac 9:4-5; so that in
deliverance God vindicates himself as well as the believers.
2.
Touching sin in relation to God's wrath. Touching sin in relation to God's
wrath
a true believer may plead God's justice or righteousness on these three
grounds:
(a)
Christ our Advocate or Attorney so pleads. Joh 17:24
etc. Now
the client may
plead the same as the advocate
seeing it is in relation to the same party and
the same issue.
(b)
Christ hath satisfied God's justice
so that on Christ was laid all the sins of
all believers. He was "wounded" for them. Now
God cannot in justice
punish twice; therefore
seeing Christ was wounded
believers must be healed.
Isa 53:1-12.
(c).
Believers have God's righteousness imputed to them 2Co 5:1-21; therefore
God
must deal with believers as he will deal with his own righteousness.
Useful
is this doctrine two ways.
1.
For terror to the enemies of believers. How many prevailing cries to the
justice of God are against such enemies? (a) Their own sins cry. (b) Believers
injuries cry. (c) Believer's prayers cry. (d) Christ's intercession cries over
against their prayers and desires Re 6:9
compared with Re 8:3.
2.
The second use is for comfort to believers
that as God's mercy is for them
so
his justice to deliver them
not only from men
but from sin; and
in and through Christ they may humbly plead justice as against sinners
so
against sin; not only against the guilt but against the power
that seeing
Christ died
sin should not live. Condensed from Nathanael Homes
1652.
Verse
1. Ungodly...deceitful...unjust. There are ungodly men
who
being destitute of religious principle
will not scruple to injure us
when they can thereby gratify their passions or advance their worldly
interests. There are deceitful men who will put on the garb of
friendship
and acquire our confidence and esteem
and then treacherously cheat
us out of our property
or our reputation
or our peace. There are unjust
men
who by fraud or by violence
would rob us of our dearest rights and most
valuable possessions
and not only reduce our powers and opportunities of doing
good
but even diminish our means of comfortable subsistence. And there are oppressors
who taking advantage of our weakness or dependence
and trampling alike on the maxims
of equity and humanity
may exact from us unreasonable services
impose upon us
heavy burdens and cruel restraints
and ply us with insults
and harassments
and deprivations
from which we can make no escape
and for which we can find
no redress. Andrew Thomson
D.D.
in "Lectures on Portions of the
Psalms." 1826.
Verse
2. Thou art the God of my strength. The godly man hath from
God a threefold strength
namely
natural
providential
and spiritual.
1. Natural
Ac 17:28. This is twofold: of body
of mind. Of robustness
hardness
and
agility of body; of wit
invention
and valour of mind. Now
these donations of
corporal and mental natural endowments are God's gifts. Ps 18:34
39 ...
2. Providential
strength
which is threefold: (a) God's donation of strengthening
mercies—Corporal: wine to make glad
and bread to strengthen. Ps 104:15
and
mental
common gifts; as Paul had a singular gift of language and single life;
Apollos of elocution
argument
power of convincing. (b) Providential strength
is God's making way for his people to act and put forth their strength. Ps
78:50. (c) Providential strength is God's concurrence with our lawful human
acting. Ps 18:29.
3.
The third sort of power is spiritual: God is the godly man's spiritual
power. 1Jo 2:14: "I have written unto you
young men
because ye are
strong
" namely
with spiritual strength
for it follows
"The word
of God abideth in you
and ye have overcome the wicked one." This is the
main strength of a godly man; as that text hints
namely
young men are
naturally strong
but St. John takes no notice of that
but commends them for
their spiritual strength. This spiritual strength is from the word of the
Spirit
and from the Spirit of the word
that is
from the Spirit accompanying
the word.
From
the word of the Spirit
the word of God. Ps 119:50: "This is my
comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me." To be "quickened
"i.e.
enlivened
is to be full of vigour and spirit and to act
mightily
and to "comfort" is
as the word signifies
to make
strong; for when a man is most cheerful with sobriety
he is most strong. St.
John in that place fore quoted
saith the young men to whom he wrote were
strong because the word of God abode in them. For Pr 12:25 "whereas sorrow
in the heart of man maketh it stoop"—makes it sickly
weak
drooping—"a good word maketh it glad
"cheerful
strong
vigorous.
And so if the word of a wise friend
how much more the word of God
with its
many strengthening promises? Ps 20:2 119:28. The word of God is the very mind
and will of God
and power of God
and with the word God created the world
therefore
he that receives this word must needs receive a great deal of
strength. Ro 1:16.
Verse
2. The Spirit of the word
the Holy Spirit that useth to
accompany the word to them that receive it. By his Spirit God is in a believer
1Co 6:9 Eph 2:1-22; and this is the spirit of strength and power. Eph 3:16 2Ti
1:7. As a powerful
active soul makes a vigorous body
so the Spirit in the
soul makes the soul powerful and strong
being the soul of the soul of a
believer. We read more than once or twice in the Scriptures
that when
believers did any eminent act
it is said
the Spirit of the Lord came upon
them
and they did so and so
i.e.
the Spirit of God in them did
them put forth its power to make them act powerfully. Condensed from
Nathanael Homes.
Verse
3. O send out thy light and thy truth. Possibly there may be
an allusion to the Urim and Thummim
as the symbol of light and truth. J. J.
Stewart Perowne.
Verse
3. Light and truth. Delightful and all comprehensive words.
Thy contain all the salvation and all the desire of a believing
confiding
soul. But it is only when thus combined—separated they are no longer a ground
of trust and joy. For what would favour avail without faithfulness? It would be
no more than the uncertain friendship of men
who smile today and reproach
tomorrow; who make large promises
but do not perform them. Even the light
which angels and glorified spirits enjoy in heaven would be insufficient to banish
all fear and to fill them with satisfaction
were it not for their confidence
in the truth of God. How much more
then
must this be the case with
erring
sinful
mortals on earth? When the humble spirit is bowed down under a
sense of its utter unworthiness and innumerable weaknesses and defilements
its
negligences
follies
and wanderings
what should save from despair but the
confidence that he who has been merciful will also be faithful; that God is
truth as well as light; that he hath said
"I will never leave thee nor
forsake thee; "that he "cannot lie
"and that
therefore
"his mercy endureth for ever?" On the other hand
truth
without light
faithfulness without grace
would be only the dreadful
execution of terrible but just denunciations on the transgressors of the holy
law. "In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
Adam ate
and in that day became the subject of sin and death. This was truth
executing judgment. But light arose around the darkness; beams of mercy
tempered the heavy cloud. The promise of the Great Deliverer was given; then
faithfulness was enlisted on the side of grace
and became engaged for its
bestowment; "mercy and truth met together; righteousness and peace kissed
each other." Since then
all humble and trusting souls have beheld them
united
and have made their union the ground of their confidence and joy. Henry
March.
Verse
3. Thy tabernacles. There were two tabernacles
one at Zion
where the ark stood
and another at Gibeon. 1Ch 16:37
39. It is not to this
fact that the psalmist alludes
however
but to the circumstance
in all
probability of the different parts of the tabernacle. There was
first the
holiest of all
then the sanctuary
and then the tabernacle of the convocation.
Heb 9:1-8. John Morison.
Verse
4. Then will I go unto the altar of God. Let us remember that
the approach to God in the holy place is by means of the altar
whence
eternally ascendeth the fragrance and the preciousness of the one whole
perfect burnt offering
and where for ever and ever the divine holiness resteth
and feedeth with its pure fire with infinite satisfaction
with inconceivable
delight. Oh
what a holy
a divine
a wondrous place is this altar of God!
That altar now means all the value and everlasting efficacy of the one offering
of Christ unto God for us; and it is in the full power and blessedness thereof
that we draw nigh to God. To this point
to this unspeakably blessed position
the light and the truth of God will attract the child of God. Toward this altar
all the rays of the light of divine favour and grace
and of divine truth and
holiness
have from eternity converged; and from this point they shine forth
toward and upon the soul and heart of the poor
far off penitent
attracting
him to that altar where he may meet his God. Let us then come to the altar of
God; let us enter the cloud of holy incense that filleth the tabernacle of the
Most High; let us realise how perfectly God is satisfied with that which Christ
has done
with his obedience in dying to meet the claims of divine justice on
the sinner
and to complete the perfect surrender of himself as our exceeding
joy
even the gladness of our joy
the heart
essence
substance
and
reality of our joy. John Offord
1868.
Verse
4. Then will I go unto the altar of God. He would with
cheerfulness run and offer up the sacrifice of thanksgiving to his gracious
deliverer; he would take his own soul as the burnt offering
and kindle and
burn it up with the fire of a vigorous love and raised affections terminating
upon God
the flames whereof should ascend to him alone...Unto God my
exceeding joy
or
as the Hebrew is more exactly translated
unto God
the gladness of his joy—that which gave a relish to every other comfort
which was the soul and life of his pleasures
and could only make them real and
lasting; it was God who raised his joy to fulness of satisfaction and
contentment. William Dunlop.
Verse
4. Then will I go...unto God. The expression of going to
God implies SUBMISSION and FRIENDSHIP
1. Submission.
I will go and pay my homage to him
as my Sovereign; I will go and hear what he
says; I will go and receive his orders.
2. Friendship.
I will go and consult him
and converse with him as a friend; and be thankful
that
in such a troublesome and ensnaring world
I have such a friend to advise
with.
(a)
I will go and tell him my griefs; how greatly I am distressed with some
particular disorder in my body
or with some disturbance in my family
or with
some disappointment in my worldly circumstances
or (which is worse than all of
them together) with a sad darkness in my soul.
(b)
I will go and tell him my joys
for even in this vale of tears "my
heart is" sometimes "glad
and my glory rejoiceth."
(c)
I will go and tell him of my sins. He knows them
indeed
already
but
he shall hear them from me.
(d)
I will go and tell him my fears; how greatly I am distressed at times
when I perceive this or the other corruption so strong
which I thought had
received its death wound... how I tremble when I have by my folly provoked the
Lord to leave me
for fear he will never return again
etc.
(e)
I will go and tell him my hopes
for some hope I have amidst all my
discouragements...I will go and tell him all this; I will unbosom and unburden
my whole heart to him; and if my necessities did not drive me to him
I
should go to him from inclination. Condensed from Samuel Lavington.
Verse
4. Unto God. Believers are not satisfied in the use of
religious duties
unless they arrive at God himself in those duties. We speak not
here of that arrival at God himself which is by and after all duties
to a
beatific vision of God in glory
but we speak of that arrival at God himself
which is to be had in duties
while we are in the exercise of duties;
namely
to attain to God's special presence in them
in an actual communion
communication and conversing with God
so that we are spiritually sensible he
is with us therein. I say God's special presence and actual communion
to distinguish it from that ordinary habitual presence and communion of God's
being with a believer at all times. Joh 14:16. Nathanael Homes.
Verse
4. My exceeding joy. The psalmist might well call God his exceeding
joy
for it infinitely exceeds all other joy in its nature
degree
and
duration. Samuel Lavington.
Verse
4. My exceeding joy. As faith acquires more strength
we come
to think of God and address him in more endearing terms. J. P. Lange.
Verse
4. Exceeding joy. This can be said of no other joy. All other
beauties have their boundaries
all other glories have their glooms. This is
that illimitable sea
God. E. Paxton Hood.
Verse
5. Why art thou cast down
O my soul. He comes to his former
remedy; he had stilled his grief once before with the same meditation and
upbraiding of his own soul
and chiding himself; but he comes to it here as a probatum
est
as a tried remedy; he takes up his soul very short
Why art thou so
cast down
O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? You see how
David's passions here are interlaced with comforts
and his comforts with
passions
till at last he gets the victory of his own heart. Beloved
neither
sin nor grief for sin
are stilled and quieted at the first. You have some
short spirited Christians
if all be not quiet at the first
all is lost with
them; but it is not so with a true Christian soul
with the best soul living.
It was not so with David when he was in distemper; he checks himself
the
distemper was not yet stilled; he checks himself again
then the distemper
breaks out again; he checks himself again
and all little enough to bring his
soul to a holy
blessed
quiet
temper
to that blessed tranquillity and rest
that the soul should be in before it can enjoy its own happiness
and enjoy
sweet communion with God. As you see in physic
perhaps one purge will not
carry away the peccant humour
then a second must be added; perhaps that will
not do it
then there must be a third; so when the soul hath been once checked
perhaps it will not do
we must fall to it again
go to God again. And then it
may be there will be breaking out of the grief and malady again; we must to it
again
and never give over
that is the right temper of a Christian. Richard
Sibbes.
Verse
5. Hope in God. The more terrible the storm
the more
necessary is the anchor. Heb 6:19. William S. Plumer.
Verse
5. Hope in God. The complete and perfect state of God's
children here is not in re
but in spe: as Christ's kingdom is
not of this world
so is not our hope. The worldling's motto is
"a bird
in the hand." Give me today
say they
and take tomorrow whoso will. But
the word of believers is
spero meliora—my hopes are better than my
present possessions. Elnathan Parr.
Verse
5. The varied conflicts of the soul afford occasion for the exercise
of the graces
and thus
through the divine wisdom and goodness
are made the
means of eventual good. Henry March.
HINTS TO THE
VILLAGE PREACHER
Verse
1. We apply to God—
1.
As our Judge:Judge me.
2.
As our Advocate:Plead my cause.
3.
As our Deliverer:O deliver me.
Verse
1. Popular opinion outweighed by divine approbation.
Verse
1. How the Lord pleads the cause of his people.
Verse
1. Deceit and injustice twin vipers; their origin
their character
their folly
their end.
Verses
1-2
4-5. Five mys:
1.
My cause—"plead it."
2. My strength—"thou art."
3. My joy—God is.
4. My soul—"why disquieted."
5. My God.
Verse
3. O send out thy light and thy truth.
1.
What is truth?
2.
How truth is to be diffused.
3.
Why it should be diffused.
4.
Who must be the main agent of it. Varied from Dr. Bogue. 1800.
Verse
3. The blessings desired; the guidance sought; the end longed for.
Verse
3. Under what influence we should resort to divine worship.
Verse
4.
1.
The good man's duty—expressed by going to God.
2.
His blessedness—expressed by rejoicing in God. Samuel Lavington.
Verse
4. (first clause). When? Then. Where? Altar of God.
Who? I. Why? My exceeding joy.
Verse
4. (second clause). It is God alone who can be an exceeding
joy to his creatures. W. Dunlop's Sermons.
Verse
4. The joy of joy. The soul of soul joy.
Verse
4. The great object of public worship
its bliss
and the praise
resulting from attaining it.
Verse
4.
1. The
medium of joy
the altar of God
or God in Christ Jesus.
2. The
springs of joy
or the attributes of God—mercy
justice
power
holiness
as seen in the atonement.
3. The
value of joy
as comfort
strength
etc.
Verse
4. God my exceeding joy. A most rich and precious title.
Verse
4. (last clause). Possession
praise
resolution.
Verse
5. Discouragement's recovery. R. Sibbes Sermons.
Verse
5. I shall yet praise him. I
even I; shall
sooner or
later
most assuredly; yet
despite troubles
foes
devils; praise
with gratitude
confidence
exultation; him above all other helpers
though now afflicting me.
Verse
5. Health of my countenance
removing that which mars it—sin
shame
fear
care
sorrow
weakness
etc.
WORKS UPON THE
FORTY-THIRD PSALM
"Soul
cordials against Sore Discomforts: in a Commentary or Explanations and
Applications of the whole Forty-third Psalm
" pp. 312-562 of "The
Works of Dr. Nathanael Homes
"1652 (folio).
In "Sabbaths
at Home." by HENRY MARCH
there is an exposition of this Psalm. See "Treasury
of David
"Vol. II
Page 323.
── C.H. Spurgeon《The Treasury of David》