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Psalm Sixty-three
Psalm 63
Chapter Contents
David's desire toward God. (1
2) His satisfaction in God.
(3-6) His dependence upon God
and assurance of safety. (7-11)
Commentary on Psalm 63:1
2
(Read Psalm 63:1
2)
Early will I seek thee. The true Christian devotes to God
the morning hour. He opens the eyes of his understanding with those of his
body
and awakes each morning to righteousness. He arises with a thirst after
those comforts which the world cannot give
and has immediate recourse by
prayer to the Fountain of the water of life. The true believer is convinced
that nothing in this sinful world can satisfy the wants and desires of his
immortal soul; he expects his happiness from God
as his portion. When faith
and hope are most in exercise
the world appears a weary desert
and the
believer longs for the joys of heaven
of which he has some foretastes in the
ordinances of God upon earth.
Commentary on Psalm 63:3-6
(Read Psalm 63:3-6)
Even in affliction we need not want matter for praise.
When this is the regular frame of a believer's mind
he values the
loving-kindness of God more than life. God's loving-kindness is our spiritual
life
and that is better than temporal life. We must praise God with joyful
lips; we must address ourselves to the duties of religion with cheerfulness
and speak forth the praises of God from a principle of holy joy. Praising lips
must be joyful lips. David was in continual danger; care and fear held his eyes
waking
and gave him wearisome nights; but he comforted himself with thoughts
of God. The mercies of God
when called to mind in the night watches
support
the soul
making darkness cheerful. How happy will be that last morning
when
the believer
awaking up after the Divine likeness
shall be satisfied with all
the fulness of God
and praise him with joyful lips
where there is no night
and where sorrow and sighing flee away!
Commentary on Psalm 63:7-11
(Read Psalm 63:7-11)
True Christians can
in some measure
and at some times
make use of the strong language of David
but too commonly our souls cleave to
the dust. Having committed ourselves to God
we must be easy and pleased
and
quiet from the fear of evil. Those that follow hard after God
would soon fail
if God's right hand did not uphold them. It is he that strengthens us and
comforts us. The psalmist doubts not but that though now sowing in tears
he
should reap in joy. Messiah the Prince shall rejoice in God; he is already
entered into the joy set before him
and his glory will be completed at his
second coming. Blessed Lord
let our desire towards thee increase every hour;
let our love be always upon thee; let all our enjoyment be in thee
and all our
satisfaction from thee. Be thou all in all to us while we remain in the present
wilderness state
and bring us home to the everlasting enjoyment of thee for
ever.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Psalms》
Psalm 63
Verse 1
[1] O God
thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul
thirsteth for thee
my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land
where
no water is;
Early — Heb. in the morning
Which implies the doing it with
diligence and speed.
Thirsteth — For the enjoyment of thee in thy
house and ordinances.
Flesh — The desire of my soul
is so vehement
that my very
body feels the effects of it.
No water — In a land where I want the refreshing waters of the
sanctuary.
Verse 2
[2] To see thy power and thy glory
so as I have seen thee
in the sanctuary.
To see — To enjoy.
Power — The powerful and glorious effects of thy gracious
presence.
Verse 5
[5] My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness;
and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
Satisfied — When thou shalt fulfil my earnest
desire of enjoying thee in the sanctuary.
Verse 9
[9] But those that seek my soul
to destroy it
shall go
into the lower parts of the earth.
Shall go — Into the grave.
Verse 10
[10] They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion
for foxes.
Foxes — Their carcases shall become a prey to wild and
ravenous creatures.
Verse 11
[11] But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that
sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be
stopped.
The king — I who am already anointed king.
Every one — That sweareth by the name of God
in truth
and judgment
and righteousness. Every sincere servant and worshipper
of God.
Shall glory — Shall rejoice in my deliverance.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Psalms》
Exposition
Explanatory Notes and
Quaint Sayings
Hints to the Village
Preacher
Other Works
TITLE. A Psalm of
David
when he was in the wilderness of Judah. This was probably written
while David was fleeing from Absalom; certainly at the time he wrote it he was
king (Ps 63:11)
and hard pressed by those who sought his life. David did not
leave off singing because he was in the wilderness
neither did he in slovenly
idleness go on repeating Psalms intended for other occasions; but he carefully
made his worship suitable to his circumstances
and presented to his God a
wilderness hymn when he was in the wilderness. There was no desert in his
heart
though there was a desert around him. We too may expect to be cast into
rough places ere we go hence. In such seasons
may the Eternal Comforter abide
with us
and cause us to bless the Lord at all times
making even the solitary
place to become a temple for Jehovah. The distinguishing word of this Psalm is EARLY.
When the bed is the softest we are most tempted to rise at lazy hours; but when
comfort is gone
and the couch is hard
if we rise the earlier to seek the
Lord
we have much for which to thank the wilderness.
DIVISION. In Ps 63:1-8
verses the writer expresses his holy desires after God
and his confidence in
him
and then in Ps 63:9-11 remaining three verses he prophesies the overthrow
of all his enemies. This Psalm is peculiarly suitable for the bed of sickness
or in any constrained absence from public worship.
EXPOSITION
Verse
1. O God
thou art my God; or
O God
thou art my Mighty One.
The last Psalm left the echo of power ringing in the ear
and it is here
remembered. Strong affiance bids the fugitive poet confess his allegiance to
the only living God; and firm faith enables him to claim him as his own. He has
no doubts about his possession of his God; and why should other believers have
any? The straightforward
clear language of this opening sentence would be far
more becoming in Christians than the timorous and doubtful expressions so usual
among professors. How sweet is such language! Is there any other word
comparable to it for delights? Meus Deus. Can angels say more? Early
will I seek thee. Possession breeds desire. Full assurance is no hindrance to
diligence
but is the mainspring of it. How can I seek another man's God? but
it is with ardent desire that I seek after him whom I know to be my own.
Observe the eagerness implied in the time mentioned; he will not wait for noon
or the cool eventide; he is up at cockcrowing to meet his God. Communion with
God is so sweet that the chill of the morning is forgotten
and the luxury of
the couch is despised. The morning is the time for dew and freshness
and the
psalmist consecrates it to prayer and devout fellowship. The best of men have
been betimes on their knees. The word early has not only the sense of
early in the morning
but that of eagerness
immediateness. He who truly longs
for God longs for him now. Holy desires are among the most powerful influences
that stir our inner nature; hence the next sentence
My
soul thirsteth for thee. Thirst is an insatiable longing after that which is
one of the most essential supports of life; there is no reasoning with it
no
forgetting it
no despising it
no overcoming it by stoical indifference.
Thirst will be heard; the whole man must yield to its power; even thus is it
with that divine desire which the grace of God creates in regenerate men; only
God himself can satisfy the craving of a soul really aroused by the Holy
Spirit. My flesh longeth for thee; by the two words soul and flesh
he denotes the whole of his being. The flesh
in the New Testament sense
of it
never longs after the Lord
but rather it lusteth against the spirit;
David only refers to that sympathy which is sometimes created in our bodily
frame by vehement emotions of the soul. Our corporeal nature usually tugs in
the other direction
but the spirit when ardent can compel it to throw in what
power it has upon the other side. When the wilderness caused David weariness
discomfort
and thirst
his flesh cried out in unison with the desire of his
soul. In a dry and thirsty land
where no water is. A weary place and a weary
heart make the presence of God the more desirable: if there be nothing below
and nothing within to cheer
it is a thousand mercies that we may look up and
find all we need. How frequently have believers traversed in their experience
this dry and thirsty land
where spiritual joys are things forgotten!
and how truly can they testify that the only true necessity of that country is
the near presence of their God! The absence of outward comforts can be borne
with serenity when we walk with God; and the most lavish multiplication of them
avails not when he withdraws. Only after God
therefore
let us pant. Let all
desires be gathered into one. Seeking first the kingdom of God—all else shall
be added unto us.
Verse
2. To see thy power and thy glory
so as I have seen thee in the
sanctuary. He longed not so much to see the sanctuary as to see his God; he
looked through the veil of ceremonies to the invisible One. Often had his heart
been gladdened by communion with God in the outward ordinances
and for this
great blessing he sighs again; as well he might
for it is the weightiest of
all earth's sorrows for a Christian man to lose the conscious presence of his
covenant God. He remembers and mentions the two attributes which had most
impressed themselves upon his mind when he had been rapt in adoration in the
holy place; upon these his mind had dwelt in the preceding Psalm
and the
savour of that contemplation is evidently upon his heart when in the
wilderness: these he desires to behold again in the place of his banishment. It
is a precious thought that the divine power and glory are not confined in their
manifestation to any places or localities; they are to be heard above the
roaring of the sea
seen amid the glare of the tempest
felt in the forest and
the prairie
and enjoyed wherever there is a heart that longs and thirsts to
behold them. Our misery is that we thirst so little for these sublime things
and so much for the mocking trifles of time and sense. We are in very truth
always in a weary land
for this is not our rest; and it is marvellous that
believers do not more continuously thirst after their portion far beyond the
river where they shall hunger no more
neither thirst any more; but shall see
the face of their God
and his name shall be in their foreheads. David did not
thirst for water or any earthly thing
but only for spiritual manifestations.
The sight of God was enough for him
but nothing short of that would content
him. How great a friend is he
the very sight of whom is consolation. Oh
my
soul
imitate the psalmist
and let all thy desires ascend towards the highest
good; longing here to see God
and having no higher joy even for eternity.
Verse
3. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life. A reason
for that which went before
as well as for that which follows. Life is dear
but God's love is dearer. To dwell with God is better than life at its best;
life at ease
in a palace
in health
in honour
in wealth
in pleasure; yea
a
thousand lives are not equal to the eternal life which abides in Jehovah's
smile. In him we truly live
and move
and have our being; the withdrawal of
the light of his countenance is as the shadow of death to us: hence we cannot
but long after the Lord's gracious appearing. Life is to many men a doubtful
good: lovingkindness is an unquestioned boon: life is but transient
mercy is
everlasting: life is shared in by the lowest animals
but the lovingkindness of
the Lord is the peculiar portion of the chosen. My lips shall praise thee.
Openly
so that thy glory shall be made known
I will tell of thy goodness.
Even when our heart is rather desiring than enjoying we should still continue
to magnify the Most High
for his love is truly precious; even if we do not
personally
for the time being
happen to be rejoicing in it. We ought not to
make our praises of God to depend upon our own personal reception of benefits;
this would be mere selfishness; even publicans and sinners have a good word for
those whose hands are enriching them with gifts; it is the true believer only
who will bless the Lord when he takes away his gifts or hides his face.
Verse
4. Thus will I bless thee while I live. As I now bless thee
so will I ever do; or rather
so as thou shalt reveal thy lovingkindness
to me
I will in return continue to extol thee. While we live we will love. If
we see no cause to rejoice in our estate
we shall always have reason for
rejoicing in the Lord. If none others bless God
yet his people will; his very
nature
as being the infinitely good God
is a sufficient argument for our
praising him as long as we exist. I will lift up my hands in thy name. For
worship the hands were uplifted
as also in joy
in thanksgiving
in labour
in
confidence; in all these senses we would lift up our hands in Jehovah's name
alone. No hands need hang down when God draws near in love. The name of Jesus
has often made lame men leap as a hart
and it has made sad men clap their
hands for joy.
Verse
5. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness.
Though unable to feast on the sacrifice at thine altar
my soul shall even here
be filled with spiritual joys
and shall possess a complete
a double
contentment. There is in the love of God a richness
a sumptuousness
a fulness
of soul filling joy
comparable to the richest food with which the body can be
nourished. The Hebrews were more fond of fat than we are
and their highest
idea of festive provision is embodied in the two words
marrow and fatness:
a soul hopeful in God and full of his favour is thus represented as feeding
upon the best of the best
the dainties of a royal banquet. And my mouth shall
praise thee with joyful lips. More joy
more praise. When the mouth is full of
mercy
is should also be full of thanksgiving. When God gives us the marrow of
his love
we must present to him the marrow of our hearts. Vocal praise should
be rendered to God as well as mental adoration; others see our mercies
let
them also hear our thanks.
Verse
6. When I remember thee upon my bed. Lying awake
the good
man betook himself to meditation
and then began to sing. He had a feast in the
night
and a song in the night. He turned his bedchamber into an oratory
he
consecrated his pillow
his praise anticipated the place of which it is
written
"There is no night there." Perhaps the wilderness helped to
keep him awake
and if so
all the ages are debtors to it for this delightful
hymn. If day's cares tempt us to forget God
it is well that night's quiet
should lead us to remember him. We see best in the dark if we there see God
best. And meditate on thee in the night watches. Keeping up sacred worship in
my heart as the priests and Levites celebrated it in the sanctuary. Perhaps
David had formerly united with those "who by night stand in the house of
the Lord
"and now as he could not be with them in person
he remembers
the hours as they pass
and unites with the choristers in spirit
blessing
Jehovah as they did. It may be
moreover
that the king heard the voices of the
sentries as they relieved guard
and each time he returned with renewed
solemnity to his meditations upon his God. Night is congenial
in its silence
and darkness
to a soul which would forget the world
and rise into a higher
sphere. Absorption in the most hallowed of all themes makes watches
which else
would be weary
glide away all too rapidly; it causes the lonely and hard couch
to yield the most delightful repose—repose more restful than even sleep itself.
We read of beds of ivory
but beds of piety are better far. Some revel in the
night
but they are not a tithe so happy as those who meditate in God.
Verse
7. Because thou hast been my help. Meditation had refreshed
his memory and recalled to him his past deliverances. It were well if we
oftener read our own diaries
especially noting the hand of the Lord in helping
us in suffering
want
labour
or dilemma. This is the grand use of memory
to
furnish us with proofs of the Lord's faithfulness
and lead us onward to a
growing confidence in him. Therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
The very shade of God is sweet to a believer. Under the eagle wings of Jehovah
we hide from all fear
and we do this naturally and at once
because we have
aforetime tried and proved both his love and his power. We are not only safe
but happy in God: we rejoice as well as repose.
Verse
8. My soul followeth hard after thee
or is glued to thee. We
follow close at the Lord's heels
because we are one with him. Who shall divide
us from his love? If we cannot walk with him with equal footsteps
we will at
least follow after with all the strength he lends us
earnestly panting to
reach him and abide in his fellowship. When professors follow hard after the
world
they will fall into the ditch; but none are ever too eager after
communion with the Lord. Thy right hand upholdeth me. Else he would not have
followed the Lord with constancy
or even have longed after him. The divine
power
which has so often been dwelt upon in this and the preceding Psalms
is
here mentioned as the source of man's attachment to God. How strong are we when
the Lord works in us by his own right hand
and how utterly helpless if he
withhold his aid!
Verse
9. As David earnestly sought for God
so there were men of another
order who as eagerly sought after his blood; of these he speaks: But those that
seek my soul
to destroy it. At his life they aimed
at his honour
his best
welfare; and this they would not merely injure but utterly ruin. The devil is a
destroyer
and all his seed are greedy to do the same mischief; and as he has
ruined himself by his crafty devices
so also shall they. Destroyers shall be
destroyed. Those who hunt souls shall be themselves the victims. Shall go into
the lower parts of the earth. Into the pits which they digged for others they
shall fall themselves. The slayers shall be slain
and the grave shall cover
them. The hell which they in their curse invoked for others shall shut its
mouth upon them. Every blow aimed against the godly will recoil on the
persecutor; he who smites a believer drives a nail in his own coffin.
Verse
10. They shall fall by the sword. So David's enemies did. They
that take the sword shall perish with the sword; bloody men shall feel their
own life gushing forth from them
when their evil day shall at last come
and
they shall be given up to feel in their own persons the horrors of death. They
shall be a portion for foxes. Too mean to be fit food for the lions
the foxes
shall sniff around their corpses
and the jackals shall hold carnival over
their carcases. Unburied and unhonoured they shall be meat for the dogs of war.
Frequently have malicious men met with a fate so dire as to be evidently the
award of retributive justice. Although the great assize is reserved for another
world
yet even here
at the common sessions of providence
justice often bares
her avenging sword in the eyes of all the people.
Verse
11. But the king shall rejoice in God. Usurpers shall fade
but he shall flourish; and his prosperity shall be publicly acknowledged as the
gift of God. The Lord's anointed shall not fail to offer his joyful
thanksgiving: his well established throne shall own the superior lordship of
the King of kings; his rejoicing shall be alone in God. When his subjects sing
"Io triumphe
"he will bid them chant
"Te Deum."
Every one that sweareth by him shall glory. His faithful followers shall have
occasion for triumph; they shall never need to blush for the oath of their
allegiance. Or
"swearing by him
"may signify adherence to God
and worship paid to him. The heathen swore by their gods
and the Israelite
called Jehovah to witness to his asseveration; those
therefore
who owned the
Lord as their God should have reason to glory when he proved himself the
defender of the king's righteous cause
and the destroyer of traitors. But the
mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped. And the sooner the better. If
shame will not do it
nor fear
nor reason
then let them be stopped with the
sexton's shovelful of earth; for a liar is a human devil
he is the curse of
men
and accursed of God
who has comprehensively said
"all liars shall
have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone." See
the difference between the mouth that praises God
and the mouth that forges
lies: the first shall never be stopped
but shall sing on for ever; the second
shall be made speechless at the bar of God. O Lord
we seek thee and thy truth;
deliver us from all malice and slander
and reveal to us thine own self
for
Jesus' sake. Amen.
EXPLANATORY
NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
TITLE. When he was
in the wilderness of Judah. Even in Canaan
though a fruitful land
and the
people numerous
yet there were wildernesses... It will be so in the world
in
the church
but not in heaven... All the straits and difficulties of a
wilderness must not put us out of tune for sacred songs; but even then it is
our duty and interest to keep up a cheerful communion with God. There are
Psalms proper for a wilderness; and we have reason to thank God it is the
wilderness of Judah we are in
not the wilderness of Sin. Matthew Henry.
Title. The
Wilderness of Judah is the whole wilderness towards the east of the tribe
of Judah
bounded on the north by the tribe of Benjamin
stretching southward
to the south west end of the Dead Sea; westward
to the Dead Sea and the
Jordan; and eastward to the mountains of Judah. E. W. Hengstenberg.
Title. The term
wilderness rkdm
as distinguished from hdre
(a steppe) was given to
a district which was not regularly cultivated and inhabited
but used for
pasturage (from rbd
to drive)
being generally without wood and
defective in water
but not entirely destitute of vegetation. J. P. Lange.
Title. Hagar saw God
in the wilderness
and called a well by the name derived from that vision
Beerlahairoi.
Ge 16:13-14. Moses saw God in the wilderness. Ex 3:1-4. Elijah saw God in the
wilderness. 1Ki 19:4-18. David saw God in the wilderness. The Christian church
will see God in the wilderness. Re 12:6-14. Every devout soul which has loved
to see God in his house will be refreshed by visions of God in the wilderness
of solitude
sorrow
sickness
and death. Christopher Wordsworth.
Whole
Psalm. This is unquestionably one of the most beautiful and touching
Psalms in the whole Psalter. Donne says of it: "As the whole Book of
Psalms is
oleum offusun (as the spouse speaks of the name of Christ)
an ointment poured out upon all sort of sores
a cerecloth that supplies all
bruises
a balm that searches all wounds; so are there some certain Psalms that
are imperial Psalms
that command over all affections and spread themselves
over all occasions—catholic
universal Psalms
that apply themselves to all
necessities. This is one of these; for of those constitutions which are called
apostolical
one is that the church should meet every day to sing this Psalm.
And
accordingly
St. Chrysostom testifies
`That it was decreed and ordained
by the primitive Fathers
that no day should pass without the public singing of
this Psalm.'" J. J. Stewart Perowne.
Whole
Psalm. This Psalm is aptly described by Clauss as "A precious
confession of a soul thirsting after God and his grace
and finding itself
quickened through inward communion with him
and which knows how to commit its
outward lot also into his hand." Its lesson is
that the consciousness of
communion with God in trouble is the sure pledge of deliverance. This is the
peculiar fountain of consolation which is opened up to the sufferer in the
Psalm. The Berleb Bible describes it as a Psalm "which proceeds from a
spirit really in earnest. It was the favourite Psalm of M. Schade
the famous
preacher in Berlin
which he daily prayed with such earnestness and appropriation
to himself
that it was impossible to hear it without emotion." E. W.
Hengstenberg.
Verse
1. O God
thou art my God; early will I seek thee (or
I will
diligently seek thee
as merchants precious stones that are of greatest value):
my soul thirsteth for thee. He doth not say my soul thirsteth for water
but my soul thirsteth for thee; nor he doth say my soul thirsteth for
the blood of my enemies
but my soul thirsteth for thee; nor he doth not
say my soul thirsteth for deliverance out of this dry and thirsty land
where
no water is; nor he doth not say my soul thirsteth for a crown
a kingdom
but
my soul thirsteth for thee
my flesh longeth for thee. These
words are a notable metaphor
taken from women with child
to note his earnest
ardent
and strong affections towards God. Thomas Brooks.
Verse
1. O God. This is a serious word; pity it should ever be used
as a byword. Matthew Henry.
Verse
1. My God in Hebrew is the same word with which the Lord
cried out upon the cross to the Father about the ninth hour: "My God
my
God
why hast thou forsaken me?" For in Hebrew
this Psalm begins Elohim
Eli. Now
Elohim is plural
and Eli is singular
to
express the mystery of the Trinity
the mystery of the Unity
the distinct
subsistence of the (three) hypostases
and their consubstantiality. Psalterium
Quin. Fabri stapulensis
1513.
Verse
1. (first clause). In David we have a notable example of a
sensitive
tender
self analysing soul
living in sustained communion with God
while deeply sensible of the claims of the civil and religious polity of
Israel
and
moreover
while externally devoted to a large round of exacting
public duties. And in this Psalm public misfortunes do but force him back upon
the central strength of the life of his spirit. For the time his crown
his
palace
his honours
the hearts of his people
the love of his child
whom he
loved
as we know
with such passing tenderness
are forfeited. The psalmist is
alone with God. In his hour of desolation he looks up from the desert to
heaven. O God
he cried
thou art my God. In the original
language he does not repeat the word which is translated God. In Elohim
the true idea of the root is that of awe
while the adjectival form implies
permanency. In Eli
the second word employed
the etymological idea is
that of might
strength. We might paraphrase
"O thou Ever awful One
my
Strength
or my Strong God art thou." But the second word
Eli
is
in itself nothing less than a separate revelation of an entire aspect of the
Being of God. It is
indeed
used as a proper and distinct name of God. The
pronomial suffixes for the second and third persons are
as Gesenius has
remarked
never once found with this name El; whereas Eli
the
first person
occurs very frequently in the Psalter alone. We all of us remember
it in the words actually uttered by our Lord upon the cross
and which he took
from their Syriacised version of Psalm 22. The word unveils a truth unknown
beyond the precincts of revelation. It teaches us that the Almighty and Eternal
gives himself in the fulness of his Being to the soul that seeks him.
Heathenism
indeed
in its cultus of domestic and local deities
of its
penates
of its Oeoi epicwrioi
bore witness by these superstitions to
the deep yearning of the human heart for the individualizing love of a higher
power. To know the true God was to know that such a craving was satisfied. My
God. The word represents not a human impression
or desire
or conceit
but
an aspect
a truth
a necessity of the divine nature. Man can
indeed
give
himself by halves; he can bestow a little of his thought
of his heart
of his
endeavour
upon his brother man. In other words
man can be imperfect in his
acts as he is imperfect and finite in his nature. But when God
the Perfect
Being
loves the creature of his hand
he cannot thus divide his love. He must
perforce love with the whole directness
and strength
and intensity of his
Being; for he is God
and therefore incapable of partial and imperfect action.
He must give himself to the single soul with as absolute a completeness as if
there were no other being besides it
and
on his side
man knows that this
gift of himself by God is thus entire; and in no narrow spirit of ambitious
egotism
but as grasping and representing the literal fact
he cries
"My
God." Therefore does this word enter so largely into the composition
of Hebrew names. Men loved to dwell upon that wondrous relation of the Creator
to their personal life which is so strikingly manifested. Therefore
when God
had "so loved the world
that he gave his only begotten Son
that
whosoever believeth in him shall not perish
but have everlasting life
"we find St. Paul writing to the Galatians as if his own single soul had
been redeemed by the sacrifice of Calvary: "He loved me
and gave himself
for me." Henry Parry Liddon
in "Some Words for God: being Sermons
preached before the University of Oxford
1863-1865."
Verse
1. (first clause). There is a great deal more in it than men
of the world are aware of; to say
O God
thou art my God
in this
connection and conjunction: there is more in it in regard of excellency
and
there is more in it in regard of difficulty likewise. It is not an unfruitful
thing to say it
and it is not am easy thing to say it neither. It confers a
great deal of benefit
and requires a great deal of grace
which belongs unto
it
in the truth and reality of it. The benefit of it
first
is very great;
yea
in effect all things else. To say God is ours
is to say the whole world
is ours
and a great deal more; it is to give us title to everything which may
be requisite or convenient for us. Whatever we can desire or stand in need of
it is all wrapped up in this
Thou art my God. But then
again
it is a
matter of difficulty (as those things which are excellent are). It is a thing
which is not so easily said as the world imagines it and thinks it to be.
Indeed
it is easy to the mouth
but it is not easy to the heart. It is easy to
have a fancy to say it
but it is not to have a faith to say it: this carries
some kind of hardship with it
and is not presently attained unto; but the mind
of man withdraws from it. There are two states and conditions in which it is
very difficult to say
O God
thou art my God: the one is the state of
nature and unregeneracy; and the other is the state of desertion
and the
hiding of God's face from the soul. Thomas Horton (1673).
Verse
1. (second clause). The relations of God to his people are
not bare and empty titles
but they carry some activity with them
both from
him towards them
and from them also answerably towards him. Those whom God is
a God to
he bestows special favours upon them; and those to whom God is a God
they return special services to him. And so we shall find it to be all along in
Scripture
as this David in another place: "Thou art my God
and I will
praise thee; thou art my Lord
I will exalt thee." Ps 118:28. And so here:
Thou art my God; early will I seek thee. While the servants of God have
claimed any interest in him
they have also exhibited duty to him. The text is
an expression not only of faith
but likewise of obedience
and so to be looked
upon by us. Thomas Horton.
Verse
1. Early; in the morning
before all things
God is to be
sought
otherwise he is sought in vain: as the manna
unless collected at early
dawn
dissolves. Simon de Muis.
Verse
1. My soul thirsteth for thee. Oh that Christ would come
near
and stand still
and give me leave to look upon him! for to look seemeth
the poor man's privilege
since he may
for nothing and without hire
behold
the sun. I should have a king's life
if I had no other thing to do than for
evermore to behold and eye my fair Lord Jesus: nay
suppose I were holden out
at heaven's fair entry
I should be happy for evermore
to look through a hole
in the door
and see my dearest and fairest Lord's face. O great King! why
standest thou aloof? Why remainest thou beyond the mountains? O Well beloved
why dost thou pain a poor soul with delays? A long time out of thy glorious
presence is two deaths and two hells to me. We must meet. I must see him
I dow
(Am not able to do without him.) not want him. Hunger and longing for Christ
hath brought on such a necessity of enjoying Christ that I will not
I dow not
want him; for I cannot master nor command Christ's love. Samuel Rutherford
(1600-1661).
Verse
1. My flesh
that is
my bodily sensitive appetite
which
thirsts
ardently longs for consolation
which it receives from the abounding
of spiritual consolation to the soul. This meaning greatly pleases me. God
giveth the upper and the nether springs. Rebekah
after drawing water in her
pitcher
for Eliezer
Abraham's servant
added
"I will draw water for
thy camels also
until they have done drinking
"Ge 24:19. Jacob dug a
well near to Sychar
which was afterwards called Samaria
and as the woman of
Samaria said
"drank thereof himself
and his children
and his cattle
" Joh 4:12. When Moses with the rod smote the rock twice
"the
water came out abundantly
and the congregation drank
and their beasts also
"Nu 20:11. So God satisfies with this consolation both our higher and
lower nature. Thomas Le Blanc.
Verse
1. My flesh longeth for thee. The verb hmk is used only in
this place
and therefore signification of it is rather uncertain
but it will
receive light from the Arabic dialect. In Golius's Lexicon it signifies caligavit
oculus
alteratus colore
et mente debilitatus fuit. His eye grew dim
his
colour was changed
and his mind was weakened; and therefore
as used by the
psalmist
implies the utmost intenseness of fervency of desire
as though it
almost impaired his sight
altered the very hue of his body
and even injured
his understanding; effects sometimes of eager and unsatisfied desires. Samuel
Chandler.
Verse
1. In a dry. Here we must read uyrak (Keeretz)
instead of
nyrak (Beeretz)
for it is
like this
and not
in this (which
has no force)
even like this dry
wearied
and waterless region; so am I for
seeing thee in the sanctuary
for beholding thy power and thy glory. Benjamin
Weiss
in a "New Translation of the Book of the Psalms
with Critical
Notes
"etc. 1858. Weiss appears to have the authority of several MSS
for this
but he seldom errs in the direction of too little dogmatism. C. H.
S.
Verses
1-2. O God
thou art my God. He embraces him at first word
as we used
to do friends at first meeting. Early will I seek thee
says he: my
soul thirsteth for thee
my flesh (that is
myself) longeth for thee in
a dry and thirsty land
where no water is. Surely
David had some
extraordinary business now with God to be done for himself
as it follows (Ps
63:2): To see thy power and thy glory
so as I have seen thee in the
sanctuary; where God had met him
and manifested himself to him... The very
sight of a friend rejoiceth a man (Pr 27:17): "As iron sharpeneth iron
so
doth a man the face of his friend." It alone whets up joy by a sympathy of
spirits; and in answer hereunto it is characteristically to God's people called
the seeking of God's face
that is
himself
for so his face is taken:
"Thou shalt have no other gods before my face; "that is
thou shalt
have myself
or none but myself. Personal communion with God is the end of our
graces; for as reason and the intercourse of it makes men sociable one with
another
so the divine nature makes us sociable with God himself: and the life
we live by is but an engine
a glass to bring God down to us. Thomas
Goodwin.
Verses
1-2. O God
thou art my God. See Psalms on "Ps 63:1"
for further information.
Verse
2. To see thy power
etc.
1.
It is
or should be
the desire of every Christian to see and enjoy more and
more of the glory of God.
2.
That the accomplishment of this design is to be sought by a devout and diligent
attendance upon the worship of the sanctuary. How is God's character in the
sanctuary manifested to believers?
(a)
By the ministry of reconciliation—by the exhibition of gospel truth.
(b)
Believers grow in their knowledge of the divine character in the sanctuary
by
observing and feeling the application of those great doctrines to the souls of
men
by the power and influence of the Holy Spirit.
3.
The effects that result to the believer in his history and experience
from an
increasing knowledge of the power and glory of God. The effects of this
knowledge are great and manifold.
(a)
The believer
by fresh displays of the divine glory
is disenchanted from the
fascination of the world.
(b)
Another effect of an increasing acquaintance with God
and of every view of the
divine glory we obtain
is that the mind is disentangled from the
embarrassments into which it is sometimes thrown by the aspect of providence.
(c)
By seeing the divine power and glory in the sanctuary
we shall have our
strength renewed to go on our Christian course afresh.
4.
A view of the divine glory crucifies our lusts
and puts the corruptions of our
heart to death.
5.
Fresh views of the divine power and glory nourish our humility.
6.
These views of the divine glory in the sanctuary arm us for our conflict with
the last enemy.
Concluding
remarks:
1.
That it is a characteristic of every good man
that he is devoutly attached to
the solemnities of public worship.
2.
That his object in going to the sanctuary is definite and distinct. John
Angell James.
Verse
2. So as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. To converse with
ordinances
and not to converse with God; to have to do with ordinances
and
not to have to do with God
alas! they are but dry breasts
and a miscarrying
womb that will never bring forth the fruits of holiness. Ordinances without God
are but like bones that have no marrow in them; they are but like shells
without a kernel. Your hearing will be in vain; and your praying will be in
vain; there will be no spirit moving
no voice answering
no heart warnings
no
soul refreshing
no God meetings. William Strong (1654)
in the
"Saints' Communion."
Verse
2. God's glory is in the firmament
in all the creatures
but more
especially and fully in the church. Ps 29:9
"In his temple doth every one
speak of his glory; "there it is most visible
affecting
and provoking of
every one to speak. In the world few take notice of it
but in the temple every
one sees it
and speaks of it. The world is God opened
and so glorious; the
church is Christ opened
and so very glorious. This made David long to be in
the sanctuary when he was in the wilderness; and why so? To see thy power
and thy glory. Could not David see them in the heavens
in the mountains
in the goodly cedars
and other works of God? Yes
but not as in the sanctuary;
and therefore he saith
To see thy power and thy glory
so as I have seen
thee in the sanctuary; there I have seen thee otherwise than ever
elsewhere; there he saw the king upon his throne and in his glory. William
Greenhill.
Verse
3. Thy lovingkindness is better than life; or
better than
lives
as the Hebrew hath it (chaiim). Divine favour is better than life;
it is better than life with all its revenues
with all its appurtenances
as
honours
riches
pleasures
applause
etc.; yea
it is better than many lives
put together. Now you know at what a high rate men value their lives; they will
bleed
sweat
vomit
purge
part with an estate
yea
with a limb
yea
limbs
to preserve their lives. As he cried out
"Give me any deformity
any
torment
any misery
so you spare my life." Now
though life be so dear
and precious to a man
yet a deserted soul prizes the returnings of divine
favour upon him above life
yea
above many lives. Many men have been weary of
their lives
as is evident in Scripture and history; but no man was ever yet
found that was weary of the love and favour of God. No man sets so high a price
upon the sun as he that hath long lain in a dark dungeon
etc. Thomas
Brooks.
Verse
3. Thy lovingkindness is better than life. The love of life
is a very frequent and pernicious snare
which a sense of God's love must
deliver us from being entangled by. What so desirable as life
if a man have no
place in the heart of God? This is the greatest temporal blessing
and nothing
can outdo it
but the favour of the God of our life; and this excels indeed.
What comparison is there between the breath in our nostrils
and the favour of
an eternal God? any more than there is between an everlasting light and a poor
vanishing vapour. Compare Isa 60:19
with Jas 4:14. Who would not
therefore
hate his own life
which hangs in doubt continually before him
and of which he
can have no assurance
when he knows that the living God is his certain
portion? Who would not freely yield up and part with ten thousand such lives
one after another (if he had so many)
rather than the wrath of God should be kindled
but a little. Timothy Cruso (1657-1697).
Verse
3. (first clause). God's mercy is better than lives.
What lives? Those which for themselves men have chosen. One hath chosen for
himself a life of business
another a country life
another a life of usury
another a military life; one this
another that. Divers are the lives
but better
is thy life than our lives. Better is that which thou givest
to men amended
than that which perverse men choose? One life thou givest
which should be preferred to all our lives
whatsoever in the world we might
have chosen. Augustine.
Verse
3. Life is an impure good. It is a good which is
implicated and involved with abundance of evils. There are many crosses
and
troubles
and calamities
which the life of man is subject unto; which
though
it have some comfort in it
yet that comfort is much troubled and mixed yea
but now the favour of God it is good
and nothing but good. As it is said of
his blessing
it adds no sorrow with it
nor has it any inconvenience in it
nor
has it any evil attendant upon it. Thomas Horton.
Verse
3. My lips shall praise thee. Is it possible that any man
should love another and not commend him
nor speak of him? If thou hast but a
hawk or a hound that thou lovest
thou wilt commend it; and can it stand with
love to Christ
yet seldom or never to speak of him nor of his love
never to
commend him unto others
that they may fall in love with him also? You shall
see the Spouse (Canticles 5:9
16) when she was asked
what her beloved was
above others? she sets him out in every part of him
and concludes with
this: "he is altogether lovely:" because thy lovingkindness
(saith David) is better than life
my lips shall praise thee
and I will
bless thee while I live. Can it stand with this life of love
to be always
speaking about worldly affairs
or news at the best; both weekday and Sabbath
day
in bed and at board
in good company and in bad
at home and abroad? I
tell you
it will be one main reason why you desire to live
that you may make
the Lord Jesus known to your children
friends
acquittance
that so in the
ages to come his name might ring
and his memorial might be of sweet odour
from generation to generation. Ps 71:18. If before thy conversion
especially
thou hast poisoned others by thy vain and corrupt speeches
after thy
conversion thou wilt seek to season the hearts of others by a gracious
sweet
and wise communication of savoury and blessed speeches; what the Lord hath
taught thee thou wilt talk of it unto others
for the sake of him whom thou
lovest. Thomas Sheppard (1605-1649)
in "The Sound Believer."
Verses
3-6. David exalts lovingkindness as a queen above all other
even the most precious
blessings bestowed upon him
because thy
lovingkindness is better than (above) life. Around her throne he places
seven members of his body and faculties of his mind
as the seven chief
angels... who stand before the Lord
that they may praise and admire her; these
are his lips
his tongue
his hands
his will
his mouth
his memory
and his intellect.
For first
he extols the lovingkindness of God with his lips (Ps 63:3): My
lips shall praise thee. Secondly
with his tongue (Ps 63:4): Thus will I
bless thee while I live. Thirdly
with his hands: I will lift up my
hands in thy name. Fourthly
with his will (Ps 63:5): MY soul shall be
satisfied as with marrow and fatness. Fifthly
with his mouth: And my
mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips. Sixthly
with his memory (Ps
63:6): When I remember thee upon my bed. Seventhly
and lastly
with his
intellect: And meditate on thee in the night watches. Thomas Le Blanc.
Verse
6. When I remember thee upon my bed
(and) meditate on thee in
the night watches. Thus the English version connects this verse with Ps
63:5. But the division of the strophes renders the following translation
preferable
which
moreover
obviates the need of supplying "and:" Whenever
I remember thee upon my bed
I meditate on thee in the night watches. The
remembrance of thee on my bed so engrosses me
that I cannot draw my mind off the
thought
so as to fall into the obliviousness of sleep; I often meditate on
thee through the whole night watches. So Ps 119:55
148 1:2. The Hebrew is beds;
probably alluding to the fact that in his unsettled life in exile
he seldom
slept for many nights in the same bed
but through fear of adversaries slept in
different places. There were three night watches: the first (La 2:19); the
middle (Jud 7:19); the third
or morning watch (Ex 19:24 1Sa
2:11). In the New Testament
the Roman usage of four prevails. A. R.
Faussett.
Verse
6. Remember—and meditate. The meditation of anything
hath more sweetness in it than bare remembrance. The memory is the chest to lay
up a truth
but meditation is the palate to feed upon it. The memory is like
the ark in which the manna was laid up; meditation is like Israel's eating of
the manna. When David began to meditate upon God
it was sweet to him as
marrow. There is as much difference between a truth remembered and a truth
meditated
as between a cordial in the glass and a cordial drunk down. John
Wells (1668)
in "Sabbath Holiness."
Verse
6. Upon my bed. The bed may be looked upon as a place
for the remembrance of God in it
according to a threefold notion.
1.
As a place of choice. In the bed
of choice
rather than anywhere else
where I am left to my liberty. David when he had a mind to remember God
he
would make choice of his bed for it
as most suitable and agreeable to it. In
case of excessive weariness contracted to the body from some occasion (this is
often put accidentally in Scripture)
"To commune with our hearts upon our
bed
"etc.
the occasion of it here; it may fall out that the bed may be
the fittest place for such a duty as this. Ps 4:4.
2.
As it is a place of necessity. In my bed at least
when I cannot anywhere
else
as having restraints upon me. David
when (as now it was with him) he was
detained from the public ordinances
whether by sickness
or any other
impediment which he could not withstand
yet he would not now wholly forget
God; he would remember him even in his bed. This is another notion in which we
may take it.
3.
As a place of indifference; that is
there as well as anywhere besides.
I will not only remember thee when I am up
when I shall make it my business to
remember thee
but even in my bed too. I will take an occasion and opportunity
to remember thee there. By commending myself to thee
when I lie down to rest
and acknowledging and owning of thee when I first awake. Thomas Horton.
Verse
6. There were night watches kept in the tabernacle
for
praising God (Ps 134:1)
which it is probable David
when he had liberty
joined with the Levites in: but now he could not keep place with them
he kept
time with them
and wished himself among them. Matthew Henry.
Verse
8. My soul followeth hard after thee. This is the language of
a good man in his worst frames; for when he has lost his nearness to God
he
will be uneasy till he has again obtained it
and will follow after it with all
his might. It is also his language in his best frames; for when he knows and
enjoys most of God
he wants to know and enjoy more. But it may especially be
considered as the language of an afflicted and seeking soul
not sinking under
its burden
but earnestly breathing after deliverance
and supported by the
prospect of obtaining it. Hence it follows
Thy right hand upholdeth me...
I
shall consider what is implied in the soul's following hard after God
and then
enquire the reason of it.
1.
Following hard after God supposes
(a)
A previous acquaintance with him. An unknown good
be it ever so desirable in
itself
cannot be the object of desire. Hence
when God shines into the heart
it is to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of
Jesus Christ
as the foundation of all gracious exercises
and especially as
the source of all fervent desires after him.
(b)
Following hard after God is expressive of ardent and intense desires. It does
not consist in cold and languid wishes
but insatiable longings after communion
with God and conformity to his will.
(c)
It implies laborious exertion. My soul followeth
it followeth hard after
thee. Not earth nor heaven merely is the object of pursuit
but God
himself. And the desires of a truly renewed soul are not sluggish and
ineffectual; they lead him to the use of all appointed means
and to the
exertion of his utmost endeavours till the object be attained.
(d)
Perseverance in seeking. To follow implies this
and to follow hard
implies it more strongly. It is as if the psalmist had said
"Does God
retire? I will pursue. Does he withhold the blessing? I will wrestle with him
till I obtain it. He long waited to be gracious
and I will now wait till he is
so."
2.
We are to enquire the reason why David thus followed hard after God.
(a)
Guilt and distress followed hard after him.
(b)
His enemies also followed hard after him. Satan did so
and once and again
caused him to stumble and fall.
(c)
He had followed hard after other things to no purpose.
(d)
We may add the powerful attractions of divine grace. Condensed from Benjamin
Beddome's Sermon
"The Christian's Pursuit
" in "Short
Discourses
" 1809.
Verse
8. My soul followeth hard after thee. kyrha hqbd The primary
sense of qbd is agglutinavit
to glue together; from thence it signifies
figuratively to associate
to adhere to
to be united with; and
particularly to be firmly united with strong affection. "Therefore shall a
man leave his father and mother
wyvak qbdw
and cleave to his wife;
"properly
be closely united and compacted with his wife
with the most
permanent affection. Ge 2:24. The psalmist
therefore
means that his soul
adhered to God with the warmest affection
and longed to offer up his sacrifice
of praise in his sanctuary. Samuel Chandler.
Verse
8. My soul followeth hard after thee. tqkd
adhaesit
adherescit anima mea post te: My soul cleaves after thee
as do things
which hang by another; the root is of so great frequency in Scripture
as of
enquiry amongst critics; it imports here the posture of David's spirit
and
speaketh it close to God; and so depending upon him
as nothing could loosen it
from him: Satan's subtlety
Saul's cruelty
his own personal loss and
indemnity
are not all of them of any force or dexterity
to cut asunder or
untie the Gordian knot of this unity. The cleaving of David's spirit was a
gluing of the Lord's spirit: a marriage of the Lord's making is altogether
incapable of the devil's breaking. It is no wonder David's words report him so
much devoted to God
seeing with the same breath they speak him supported by God;
Thy right hand upholdeth me
saith he. Alexander Pringle
in "A
Stay in Trouble; or the Saint's Rest in the Evil Day
" 1657.
Verse
8. My soul followeth hard after thee. The original is kyrxa
yvkg My soul cleaves after thee. As if he had said
Go
lead on
my God!
Behold
I follow as near
as close
as I can; e vestigio; I would not
leave any distance
but pursue thy footsteps
step by step
leaning upon thine
everlasting arms
that are underneath me
and following thy manuduction. John
Gibbon
in "The Morning Exercises
" 1661.
Verse
8. The soul's following
and following hard after
God—what means this? Surely it intends much more than a languid
inert
inclination; or "the desire of the slothful which killeth him
because his
hands refuse to labour." It evinces an intenseness of concern that
quickens and rouses the man into life and earnestness; that draws his very soul
along with it; that reconciles him to every needful exertion and sacrifice
however trying; and urges him to persevere
whatever difficulties or
discouragements he meets with in his course. And sometimes the distance is
long
and the progress up hill
and the road rough
and the weather unfriendly
and enemies would thrust us back; and sometimes we lose sight of him
and ask
those we meet: "Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?" and when we spy him
again
he seems to advance as we advance
and when we gain upon him and get
nearer
he seems to look back and frown
and tell us to retire. The exercises
and feelings of Christians in the divine life will enable them to explain these
allusions. Who among them all has not
like the Jews
been sometimes
"discouraged because of the way?" Who has not resembled Barak's
adherents—"Faith
yet pursuing?" Who has not frequently said
My
soul followeth hard after thee? William Jay.
Verses
9-10. If the psalmist's divine longing was unquenched
so also was his
faith; and in the latter part of the psalm he foretells with full assurance the
final overthrow of his enemies. Nor did his denunciations fail to meet with a
certain accuracy of fulfilment even in the battle by which his own deliverance
was effected. The armies encountered in the wood of Ephraim
across the Jordan;
there was "a greater slaughter that day of twenty thousand men;
""and the wood devoured more people that day than the sword
devoured." That David's words concerning the lower parts of the earth
and the sword
and the foxes
had not been idly spoken: the
pitfalls of the forest
and the swords of the royal pursuers
and the wild
beasts that had there made their lairs
all effectually did their work; and the
fate of the rebel army was shared by their leader
who
caught in the thick
boughs of the oak
pierced through the heart by Joab
and cut down by his
attendants
received no further funeral honours than to be cast "into a
great pit in the wood
"and have "a very great heap of stones"
laid upon him to cover him. Joseph Francis Thrupp
in "An Introduction
to the Study and Use of the Psalms
" 1860.
Verse
10. They shall fall. The word is ordinarily applied to water.
2Sa 14:14 La 3:49. But here
by the immediate mention of the sword
it
is restrained to the effusion of blood
and being in the third person
plural
in the active sense
it is after the Hebrew idiom to be interpreted in
the passive sense
they shall pour out by the hand of the sword
i.e.
they
shall be poured out by the sword
the hand of the sword being
no more than the edge of the sword. Henry Hammond.
Verse
10. They shall be a portion for foxes. Beasts were given to
men for their food
but here men are given to beasts for a prey. A lamentable
spectacle to see the vilest of all creatures ravenously feast themselves with
the flesh of the noblest
and irrespectively hale and tear in pieces the
caskets which whilome enclosed the richest jewel in the world. Is it not
against the law of nature that men should become beasts' meat; yea
the meat of
such beasts as are carrion
and not man's meat? Questionless it is
yet nature
giveth her consent to this kind of punishment of unnatural crimes. For it is
consonant to reason
that the law of nature should be broken in their
punishment who brake it in their sin; that they who devoured men like beasts
should be devoured of beasts like men
that they who with their hands offered
unnatural violence to their sovereign should suffer the like by the claws and
teeth of wild beasts
their slaves; that they who bear a fox in their breast in
their life
should be entombed in the belly of a fox at their death. St.
Austin
expounding this whole prophecy of Christ
yieldeth a special reason of
this judgment of God by which the Jews were condemned to foxes. The Jews
saith
he
therefore killed Christ that they might not lose their country; but
indeed
they therefore lost their country because they killed Christ; because they
refused the Lamb
and chose Herod the fox before him
therefore by the just
retribution of the Almighty
they were allotted to the foxes for their portion.
Notwithstanding this allusion of St. Austin to foxes in special
Jansenius and
other expositors extend this grant in my text to all wild beasts and fowls
which are
as it were
impatient with the fox
and have full power and liberty
given them to seize upon the corpses of traitors to God and their country; but
foxes bear the name because they abound in those parts where was such store of
them
that Samson in a short time
with a wet finger
caught three hundred. Daniel
Featley
D.D.
in "Clavis Mystica
" 1636.
Verse
10. They shall be a portion for foxes. If the body of a human
being were to be left on the ground
the jackals would certainly leave
but little traces of it; and in the olden times of warfare
they must have held
high revelry in the battle fields after the armies had retired. It is to this
propensity of the jackal that David refers—himself a man of war
who had
fought on many a battle field
and must have seen the carcases of the slain
mangled by those nocturnal prowlers. J. G. Wood.
Verse
10. What a doom is that which David pronounces upon those who seek
the soul of the righteous to destroy it: They shall be a portion for foxes;
by which jackals are meant
as I suppose. These sinister
guilty
woebegone brutes
when pressed with hunger
gather in gangs among the graves
and yell in rage
and fight like fiends over their midnight orgies; but on the
battle field is their great carnival. Oh! let me never even dream that any one
dear to me has fallen by the sword
and lies there to be torn
and
gnawed at
and dragged about by these hideous howlers. W. M. Thomson
D.D.
in "The Land and the Book
" 1861.
Verse
11. Every one that sweareth by him
i.e.
to David
that comes
into his interest
and takes an oath of allegiance to him
shall glory in his
success. Or
that swears by him
i.e.
by the blessed name of God
and
not by any idol. De 6:15. And then it means all good people that make a sincere
and open profession of God's name: they shall glory in God; they shall glory in
David's advancement: "They that fear thee will be glad when they see
me." They that heartily espouse the cause of Christ
shall glory in its
victory at last. "If we suffer with him
we shall reign with him." Matthew
Henry.
HINTS TO THE
VILLAGE PREACHER
Verse
1. (first clause). While the Atheist says
"No God
"and the heathen worship "gods many
"the true believer says
"O God
thou art my God." He is so
1.
By choice.
2. By covenant.
3. By confession.
Verse
1. (second clause). Seeking God early.
1.
Early in respect of life.
2. Early in respect of diligence.
3. Early in respect of (fervour.)
4. Early in respect of times or continuance. Alexander Shanks.
Verse
1. (second clause). Earnest seeking. That which is
longed for will be eagerly sought.
1.
The soul is resolute. I will seek.
2. The soul is reasonable. I will seek.
3. The soul is ready. Early will I.
4. The soul is persevering.
Let
this be the resolution of both saved and unsaved. G. J. K.
Verse
3.
1. Love's
resolution. My lips shall praise thee.
(a)
To praise. This is congenial to the renewed nature. It delights not in
grumbling
reproaching
or scolding. Praise expresses appreciation
gratitude
happiness
affection.
(b)
To praise God.
(c)
To praise God practically. My lips. By speaking well to him; by
speaking well of him; of his wisdom
justice
love
grace
etc.
(d)
To praise God continually. As long as I live
etc.
2. Love's
reason. Because thy lovingkindness. Love must praise God because—
(a)
It owes its existence to him. "We love him because he first loved
us."
(b)
Because it is fostered by him. "The love of God is shed abroad
"etc.
(c)
Because the expressions of his love demand praise. "Kindness" to
needy
helpless
lost. Lovingkindness
not wounding our natures. Better
than life; either the principle
pleasures
or pursuits of life. G. J.
K.
Verse
3. Thy lovingkindness is better than life.
1. Love
enjoyed with life.
2. Love compared with life.
3. Love preferred to life. G. J. K.
Verses
5-6.
1. The
empty vessel filled. How? By meditation. With what? God's goodness as
marrow and fatness. To what extent? Satisfaction.
2. The
full vessel running over. My mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips. The
soul overflows with praise—joyful praise. G. J. K.
Verses
5-6. Describe the nature of
and show the intimate connection between
1. the believer's employments and 2. his enjoyments. J. S. Bruce.
Verse
7. A well founded resolve.
1.
Upon what based.
2. How expressed. J. S. B.
Verse
8.
1. The
soul's pursuit after God. It follows
(a) In desire. (b) In action. (c)
Earnestly. (d) Quickly. (e) Closely.
2. The
soul's support. Thy right hand upholdeth me
the arm of strength. In doing
and bearing. G. J. K.
Verse
8. "A mighty hunter before the Lord."
1.
The object of pursuit: Thee.
2. The manner of pursuit: Hard after.
3. The dangers encountered. J. S. B.
Verse
8. (second clause). God's right hand upholds his people three
ways.
1.
As to sin; lest they should fall by it.
2. As to suffering; lest they should sink under it.
3. As to duty; lest they should decline from it. W. Jay.
Verses
9-10.
1.
The enemies of the Christian. Evil spirits
evil men
evil habits
etc.
etc.
2.
Their intent. To destroy the soul.
3.
Their fall. Certain
shameful
destructive.
4.
Their future. Hell is reserved for them G. J. K.
Verse
11. Three topics.
1.
Royal rejoicing.
2. Lawful swearing.
3. Evil speaking.
WORKS UPON THE
SIXTY-THIRD PSALM
CHANDLER'S
"Life of David" contains an Exposition of this Psalm. Vol. 1
pp. 130-4.
"An
Exposition of the 63 Psalm
"in eight Sermons
in "Choice and
Practical Expositions on four Select Psalms... By THOMAS HORTON
D.D.
1675."
(Folio.)
Twelve
Sermons (on Ps 63:1-8) in "Sermons on various Practical Subjects.
By ALEXANDER SHANKS (1731-1799)
late Minister of the Associate Congregation of
Jedburgh
Edinburgh
1081."
── C.H. Spurgeon《The Treasury of David》