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Psalm Seventy-two
Psalm 72
Chapter Contents
David begins with a prayer for Solomon. (1) He passes
into a prophecy of the glories of his reign
and of Christ's kingdom. (2-17)
Praise to God. (18-20)
Commentary on Psalm 72:1
(Read Psalm 72:1)
This psalm belongs to Solomon in part
but to Christ more
fully and clearly. Solomon was both the king and the king's son
and his pious
father desired that the wisdom of God might be in him
that his reign might be
a remembrance of the kingdom of the Messiah. It is the prayer of a father for
his child; a dying blessing. The best we can ask of God for our children is
that God would give them wisdom and grace to know and to do their duty.
Commentary on Psalm 72:2-17
(Read Psalm 72:2-17)
This is a prophecy of the kingdom of Christ; many
passages in it cannot be applied to the reign of Solomon. There were
righteousness and peace at first in the administration of his government; but
before the end of his reign
there were troubles and unrighteousness. The
kingdom here spoken of is to last as long as the sun
but Solomon's was soon at
an end. Even the Jewish expositors understood it of the kingdom of the Messiah.
Observe many great and precious promises here made
which were to have full
accomplishment only in the kingdom of Christ. As far as his kingdom is set up
discord and contentions cease
in families
churches
and nations. The law of
Christ
written in the heart
disposes men to be honest and just
and to render
to all their due; it likewise disposes men to live in love
and so produces
abundance of peace. Holiness and love shall be lasting in Christ's kingdom.
Through all the changes of the world
and all the changes of life
Christ's
kingdom will support itself. And he shall
by the graces and comforts of his
Spirit
come down like rain upon the mown grass; not on that cut down
but that
which is left growing
that it may spring again. His gospel has been
or shall
be
preached to all nations. Though he needs not the services of any
yet he
must be served with the best. Those that have the wealth of this world
must
serve Christ with it
do good with it. Prayer shall be made through him
or for
his sake; whatever we ask of the Father
should be in his name. Praises shall
be offered to him: we are under the highest obligations to him. Christ only
shall be feared throughout all generations. To the end of time
and to
eternity
his name shall be praised. All nations shall call HIM blessed.
Commentary on Psalm 72:18-20
(Read Psalm 72:18-20)
We are taught to bless God in Christ
for all he has done
for us by him. David is earnest in prayer for the fulfilment of this prophecy
and promise. It is sad to think how empty the earth is of the glory of God
how
little service and honour he has from a world to which he is so bountiful. May
we
like David
submit to Christ's authority
and partake of his righteousness
and peace. May we bless him for the wonders of redeeming love. May we spend our
days
and end our lives
praying for the spread of his gospel.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Psalms》
Psalm 72
Verse 1
[1] Give
the king thy judgments
O God
and thy righteousness unto the king's son.
Judgments — He
saith judgments in the plural number
because though the office of judging and
ruling was but one
yet there were divers parts and branches
of it; in all
which he begs that Solomon may be directed to do as God would have him to do.
Verse 2
[2] He shall judge thy people with righteousness
and thy poor with judgment.
Thy afflicted ones —
For such are thine in a special manner
thou art their judge and patron.
Verse 3
[3] The
mountains shall bring peace to the people
and the little hills
by
righteousness.
The mountains —
Which are so dangerous to passengers
in regard of robbers and wild beasts.
Hereby it is implied
that other places should do so too
and that it should be
common and universal.
Verse 4
[4] He
shall judge the poor of the people
he shall save the children of the needy
and shall break in pieces the oppressor.
Judge —
Vindicate them from their oppressors.
Verse 5
[5] They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure
throughout all
generations.
Thee —
Thee
O God
this shall be another blessed fruit of this righteous government
that together with peace
true religion shall be established
and that
throughout all generations
which was begun in Solomon's days
but not fully
accomplished 'till Christ came.
Verse 6
[6] He
shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.
He shall come —
Christ did come down from heaven
and brought or sent down from heaven his
doctrine
(which is often compared to rain) and the sweet and powerful
influences of his spirit.
Verse 8
[8] He
shall have dominion also from sea to sea
and from the river unto the ends of the
earth.
Dominion —
From one sea to another
or in all the parts of the habitable world. This was
accomplished in Christ
and in him only.
The river —
Euphrates: which was the eastern border of the kingdom of Canaan
allotted by
God
but enjoyed only by David
Solomon
and Christ. Of whose kingdom this may
be mentioned
as one of the borders; because the kingdom of Christ is described
under the shadow of Solomon's kingdom.
Verse 10
[10] The
kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and
Seba shall offer gifts.
The sea — Of
remote countries
to which they used to go from Canaan by sea; which are
frequently called isles in scripture; the kings that rule by sea or by land.
Verse 11
[11] Yea
all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.
All nations —
Which cannot be said of Solomon with any truth or colour
but was
unquestionably verified in Christ
Verse 14
[14] He
shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their
blood be in his sight.
Deceit and violence —
The two ways whereby the lives of men are usually destroyed.
Precious — He
will not be prodigal of the lives of his subjects
but like a true father of
his people
will tenderly preserve them
and severely avenge their blood upon
those who shall shed it.
Verse 15
[15] And
he shall live
and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also
shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised.
Live —
Long and prosperous
as Solomon: yea
eternally as Christ.
Gold —
This was done to Solomon
1 Kings 10:15
and to Christ
Matthew 2:11. But such expressions as these
being used of Christ and his kingdom
are commonly understood in a spiritual
sense.
Verse 16
[16]
There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains;
the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish
like grass of the earth.
A handful —
This intimates the small beginnings of his kingdom; and therefore does not
agree to Solomon
whose kingdom was in a manner as large at the beginning of
his reign
as at the end
but it exactly agrees to Christ.
The earth —
Sown in the earth.
Mountains — In
the most barren grounds.
Shake — It
shall yield such abundance of corn
that the ears being thick and high
shall
when they are shaken with the wind
make a noise not unlike that which the tops
of the trees of Lebanon
sometimes make.
Of the city —
The citizens of Jerusalem
which are here put for the subjects of this kingdom.
Verse 20
[20] The
prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
The prayer —
This psalm is the last which David composed: for this was wrote but a little
before his death.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Psalms》
Exposition
Explanatory Notes and
Quaint Sayings
Hints to the Village
Preacher
Other Works
TITLE. A Psalm for
Solomon. The best linguists affirm that this should be rendered
of
or by Solomon. There is not sufficient ground for the rendering for.
It is pretty certain that the title declares Solomon to be the author of the
Psalm
and yet from Ps 72:20 it would seem that David uttered it in prayer
before he died. With some diffidence we suggest that the spirit and matter of
the Psalm are David's
but that he was too near his end to pen the words
or
cast them into form: Solomon
therefore
caught his dying father's song
fashioned it in goodly verse
and
without robbing his father
made the Psalm
his own. It is
we conjecture
the Prayer of David
but the Psalm of Solomon.
Jesus is here
beyond all doubt
in the glory of his reign
both as he now is
and as he shall be revealed in the latter day glory.
DIVISION. We shall
follow the division suggested by Alexander. "A glowing description of the
reign of Messiah as righteous
Ps 72:1-7; universal
Ps 72:8-11; beneficent
Ps
72:12-14; and perpetual
Ps 72:15-17; to which are added a doxology
Ps
72:18-19; and a postscript
Ps 72:20."
EXPOSITION
Verse
1. Give the king thy judgments
O God. The right to reign was
transmitted by descent from David to Solomon
but not by that means alone:
Israel was a theocracy
and the kings were but the viceroys of the greater
King; hence the prayer that the new king might be enthroned by divine right
and then endowed with divine wisdom. Our glorious King in Zion hath all
judgment committed unto him. He rules in the name of God over all lands. He is
king "Dei Gratia" as well as by right of inheritance. And thy
righteousness unto the king's son. Solomon was both king and king's son; so
also is our Lord. He has power and authority in himself
and also royal dignity
given of his Father. He is the righteous king; in a word
he is "the Lord
our righteousness." We are waiting till he shall be manifested among men
as the ever righteous Judge. May the Lord hasten on his own time the long
looked for day. Now wars and fightings are even in Israel itself
but soon the
dispensation will change
and David
the type of Jesus warring with our
enemies
shall be displaced by Solomon the prince of peace.
Verse
2. He shall judge thy people with righteousness. Clothed with
divine authority
he shall use it on the behalf of the favoured nation
for
whom he shall show himself strong
that they be not misjudged
slandered
or in
any way treated maliciously. His sentence shall put their accusers to silence
and award the saints their true position as the accepted of the Lord. What a
consolation to feel that none can suffer wrong in Christ's kingdom: he sits
upon the great white throne
unspotted by a single deed of injustice
or even
mistake of judgment: reputations are safe enough with him. And thy poor with
judgment. True wisdom is manifest in all the decisions of Zion's King. We do
not always understand his doings
but they are always right. Partiality has
been too often shown to rich and great men
but the King of the last and best
of monarchies deals out even handed justice
to the delight of the poor and
despised. Here we have the poor mentioned side by side with the king. The
sovereignty of God is a delightful theme to the poor in spirit; they love to
see the Lord exalted
and have no quarrel with him for exercising the
prerogatives of his crown. It is the fictitious wealth which labours to conceal
real poverty
which makes men cavil at the reigning Lord
but a deep sense of
spiritual need prepares the heart loyally to worship the Redeemer King. On the
other hand
the King has a special delight in the humbled hearts of his contrite
ones
and exercises all his power and wisdom on their behalf
even as Joseph in
Egypt ruled for the welfare of his brethren.
Verse
3. The mountains shall bring peace to the people. Thence
aforetime
rushed the robber bands which infested the country; but now the
forts there erected are the guardians of the land
and the watchmen publish far
and near the tidings that no foe is to be seen. Where Jesus is there is peace
lasting
deep
eternal. Even those things which were once our dread
lose all
terror when Jesus is owned as monarch of the heart: death itself
that dark
mountain
loses all its gloom. Trials and afflictions
when the Lord is with
us
bring us an increase rather than a diminution of peace. And the little
hills
by righteousness. Seeing that the rule of the monarch was just
every
little hill seemed clothed with peace. Injustice has made Palestine a desert;
if the Turk and Bedouin were gone
the land would smile again; for even in the
most literal sense
justice is the fertilizer of lands
and men are diligent to
plough and raise harvests when they have the prospect of eating the fruit of
their labours. In a spiritual sense
peace is given to the heart by the
righteousness of Christ; and all the powers and passions of the soul are filled
with a holy calm
when the way of salvation
by a divine righteousness
is
revealed. Then do we go forth with joy
and are led forth with peace; the
mountains and the hills break forth before us into singing.
Verse
4. He shall judge the poor of the people. He will do them
justice
yea
and blessed be his name
more than justice
for he will delight
to do them good. He shall save the children of the needy. Poor
helpless
things
they were packhorses for others
and paupers themselves
but their King
would be their protector. Happy are God's poor and needy ones; they are safe
under the wing of the Prince of Peace
for he will save them from all their
enemies. And shall break in pieces the oppressor. He is strong to smite the
foes of his people. Oppressors have been great breakers
but their time of
retribution shall come
and they shall be broken themselves. Sin
Satan
and
all our enemies must be crushed by the iron rod of King Jesus. We have
therefore
no cause to fear; but abundant reason to sing—
"All
hail the power of Jesus' name!
Let angels prostrate fall
Bring forth the royal diadem
And crown him lord of all."
It
is much better to be poor than to be an oppressor; for both the needy and their
children find an advocate in the heavenly Solomon
who aims all his blows at
haughty ones
and rests not till they are utterly destroyed.
Verse
5. They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure.
And well they may. Such righteousness wins the cheerful homage of the poor and
the godly
and strikes dismay into the souls of unrighteous oppressors; so that
all through the lands
both good and bad are filled with awe. Where Jesus
reigns in power men must render obeisance of some sort. His kingdom
moreover
is no house of cards
or dynasty of days; it is as lasting as the lights of
heaven; days and nights will cease before he abdicates his throne. Neither sun
nor moon as yet manifest any failure in their radiance
nor are there any signs
of decrepitude in the kingdom of Jesus; on the contrary
it is but in its youth
and is evidently the coming power
the rising sun. Would to God that fresh
vigour were imparted to all its citizens to push at once the conquests of
Immanuel to the uttermost ends of the earth. Throughout all generations shall
the throne of the Redeemer stand. Humanity shall not wear out the religion of
the Incarnate God. No infidelity shall wither it away
nor superstition smother
it; it shall rise immortal from what seemed its grave; as the true phoenix
it
shall revive from its ashes! As long as there are men on earth Christ shall
have a throne among them. Instead of the fathers shall be the children. Each
generation shall have a regeneration in its midst
let Pope and Devil do what
they may. Even at this hour we have before us the tokens of his eternal power;
since he ascended to his throne
eighteen hundred years ago
his dominion has
not been overturned
though the mightiest of empires have gone like visions of
the night. We see on the shore of time the wrecks of the Caesars
the relics of
the Moguls
and the last remnants of the Ottomans. Charlemagne
Maximilian
Napoleon
how they flit like shadows before us! They were and are not; but
Jesus for ever is. As for the houses of Hohenzollern
Guelph
or Hapsburg
they
have their hour; but the Son of David has all hours and ages as his own.
Verse
6. He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass.
Blessings upon his gentle sway! Those great conquerors who have been the
scourges of mankind have fallen like the fiery hail of Sodom
transforming
fruitful lands into deserts; but he with mild
benignant influence softly
refreshes the weary and wounded among men
and makes them spring up into
newness of life. Pastures mown with the scythe
or shorn by the teeth of
cattle
present
as it were
so many bleeding stems of grass
but when the rain
falls it is balm to all these wounds
and it renews the verdure and beauty of
the field; fit image of the visits and benedictions of "the consolation of
Israel." My soul
how well it is for thee to be brought low
and to be
even as the meadows eaten bare and trodden down by cattle
for then to thee
shall the Lord have respect; he shall remember thy misery
and with his own
most precious love restore thee to more than thy former glory. Welcome Jesus
thou true Bien-aime
the Well beloved
thou art far more than Titus ever
was—the Delight of Mankind. As showers that water the earth. Each crystal drop
of rain tells of heavenly mercy
which forgets not the parched plains: Jesus is
all grace
all that he does is love
and his presence among men is joy. We need
to preach him more
for no shower can so refresh the nations. Philosophic
preaching mocks men as with a dust shower
but the gospel meets the case of
fallen humanity
and happiness flourishes beneath its genial power. Come down
O Lord
upon my soul
and my heart shall blossom with thy praise:—
"He
shall come down as still and light
As scattered drops on genial field;
And in his time who loves the right
Freely shall bloom
sweet peace her harvest yield."
Verse
7. In his days shall the righteous flourish. Beneath the
deadly Upas of unrighteous rule no honest principles can be developed
and good
men can scarcely live; but where truth and uprightness are on the throne
the
best of men prosper most. A righteous king is the patron and producer of
righteous subjects. None flourish under Nero but those who are monsters like
himself: like will to like; and under the gentle Jesus the godly find a happy
shelter. And abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. Where Jesus reigns
he is known as the true Melchizedek
king both of righteousness and peace.
Peace based upon right is sure to be lasting
but no other will be. Many a so
called Holy Alliance has come to the ground ere many moons have filled their
horns
because craft formed the league
perjury established it
and oppression
was the design of it; but when Jesus shall proclaim the great Truce of God
he
will ordain perpetual peace
and men shall learn war no more. The peace which
Jesus brings is not superficial or short lived; it is abundant in its depth and
duration. Let all hearts and voices welcome the King of nations; Jesus the
Good
the Great
the Just
the Ever blessed.
Verse
8. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea. Wide spread
shall be the rule of Messiah; only the Land's End shall end his territory: to
the Ultima Thule shall his sceptre be extended. From Pacific to Atlantic
and
from Atlantic to Pacific
he shall be Lord
and the oceans which surround each
pole shall be beneath his sway. All other power shall be subordinate to his; no
rival nor antagonist shall he know. Men speak of the Emperor of all the
Russias
but Jesus shall be Ruler of all mankind. And from the river unto the
ends of the earth. Start where you will
by any river you choose
and Messiah's
kingdom shall reach on to the utmost bounds of the round world. As Solomon's
realm embraced all the land of promise
and left no unconquered margin; so
shall the Son of David rule all lands given him in the better covenant
and
leave no nation to pine beneath the tyranny of the prince of darkness. We are
encouraged by such a passage as this to look for the Saviour's universal reign;
whether before or after his personal advent we leave for the discussion of
others. In this Psalm
at least
we see a personal monarch
and he is the
central figure
the focus of all the glory; not his servant
but himself do we
see possessing the dominion and dispensing the government. Personal pronouns
referring to our great King are constantly occurring in this Psalm; he
has dominion kings fall down before him
and serve him; for he
delivers
he spares
he saves
he lives
and daily is he
praised.
Verse
9. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him.
Unconquered by arms
they shall be subdued by love. Wild and lawless as they
have been
they shall gladly wear his easy yoke; then shall their deserts be
made glad
yea
they shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. And his enemies
shall lick the dust. If they will not be his friends
they shall be utterly
broken and humbled. Dust shall be the serpent's meat; the seed of the serpent
shall be filled therewith. Homage among Orientals is often rendered in the most
abject manner
and truly no sign is too humiliating to denote the utter
discomfiture and subjugation of Messiah's foes. Tongues which rail at the
Redeemer deserve to lick the dust. Those who will not joyfully bow to such a
prince richly merit to be hurled down and laid prostrate; the dust is too good
for them
since they trampled on the blood of Christ.
Verse
10. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents.
Trade shall be made subservient to the purposes of mediatorial rule; merchant
princes
both far and near
shall joyfully contribute of their wealth to his
throne. Seafaring places are good centres from which to spread the gospel; and
seafaring men often make earnest heralds of the cross. Tarshish of old was so
far away
that to the eastern mind it was lost in its remoteness
and seemed to
be upon the verge of the universe; even so far as imagination itself can
travel
shall the Son of David rule; across the blue sea shall his sceptre be
stretched; the white cliffs of Britain already own him
the gems of the
Southern Sea glitter for him
even Iceland's heart is warm with his love.
Madagascar leaps to receive him; and if there be isles of the equatorial seas
whose spices have as yet not been presented to him
even there shall he receive
a revenue of glory. He has made many an islet to become a Holy Isle
and hence
a true Formosa. The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Agriculture and
pasturage shall contribute their share. Foreign princes from inland regions
as
yet unexplored
shall own the all embracing monarchy of the King of kings; they
shall be prompt to pay their reverential tribute. Religious offerings shall
they bring
for their King is their God. Then shall Arabia Felix be happy
indeed
and the Fortunate Isles be more than fortunate. Observe
that true
religion leads to generous giving; we are not taxed in Christ's dominions
but
we are delighted to offer freely to him. It will be a great day when kings will
do this: the poor widow has long ago been before them
it is time that they
followed; their subjects would be sure to imitate the royal example. This free
will offering is all Christ and his church desire; they want no forced levies
and distraints
let all men give of their own free will
kings as well as
commoners; alas! the rule has been for kings to give their subjects' property
to the church
and a wretched church has received this robbery for a burnt
offering; it shall not be thus when Jesus more openly assumes the throne.
Verse
11. Yea
all kings shall fall down before him. Personally
shall they pay their reverence
however mighty they may be. No matter how high
their state
how ancient their dynasty
or far off their realms
they shall
willingly accept him as their Imperial Lord. All nations shall serve him. The
people shall be as obedient as the governors. The extent of the mediatorial
rule is set forth by the two far reaching alls
all kings
and all
nations: we see not as yet all things put under him
but since we see Jesus
crowned with glory and honour in heaven
we are altogether without doubt as to
his universal monarchy on earth. It is not to be imagined that an Alexander or a
Caesar shall have wider sway than the Son of God. "Every knee shall bow to
him
and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord
to the glory of
God the Father." Hasten it
O Lord
in thine own time.
Verse
12. For he shall deliver the needy. Here is an excellent
reason for man's submission to the Lord Christ; it is not because they dread
his overwhelming power
but because they are won over by his just and
condescending rule. Who would not fear so good a Prince
who makes the needy
his peculiar care
and pledges himself to be their deliverer in times of need?
When he crieth. He permits them to be so needy as to be driven to cry bitterly
for help
but then he hears them
and comes to their aid. A child's cry touches
a father's heart
and our King is the Father of his people. If we can do no
more than cry it will bring omnipotence to our aid. A cry is the native
language of a spiritually needy soul; it has done with fine phrases and long
orations
and it takes to sobs and moans; and so
indeed
it grasps the most
potent of all weapons
for heaven always yields to such artillery. The poor
also
and him that hath no helper. The proverb says
"God helps those that
help themselves; "but it is yet more true that Jesus helps those who
cannot help themselves
nor find help in others. All helpless ones are under
the especial care of Zion's compassionate King; let them hasten to put
themselves in fellowship with him. Let them look to him
for he is looking for
them.
Verse
13. He shall spare the poor and needy. His pity shall be
manifested to them; he will not allow their trials to overwhelm them; his rod
of correction shall fall lightly; he will be sparing of his rebukes
and not
sparing in his consolations. And shall save the souls of the needy. His is the
dominion of souls
a spiritual and not a worldly empire; and the needy
that is
to say
the consciously unworthy and weak
shall find that he will give them
his salvation. Jesus calls not the righteous
but sinners to repentance. He
does not attempt the superfluous work of aiding proud Pharisees to air their
vanity; but he is careful of poor Publicans whose eyes dare not look up to
heaven by reason of their sense of sin. We ought to be anxious to be among
these needy ones whom the Great King so highly favours.
Verse
14. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence. These
two things are the weapons with which the poor are assailed: both law and no
law are employed to fleece them. The fox and the lion are combined against
Christ's lambs
but the Shepherd will defeat them
and rescue the defenceless
from their teeth. A soul hunted by the temptations of Satanic craft
and the
insinuations of diabolical malice
will do well to fly to the throne of Jesus
for shelter. And precious shall their blood be in his sight. He will not throw
away his subjects in needless wars as tyrants have done
but will take every
means for preserving the humblest of them. Conquerors have reckoned thousands
of lives as small items; they have reddened fields with gore
as if blood were
water
and flesh but manure for harvests; but Jesus
though he gave his own
blood
is very chary of the blood of his servants
and if they must die for him
as martyrs
he loves their memory
and counts their lives as his precious
things.
Verse
15. And he shall live. Vive le Roi! O King! live for ever! He
was slain
but is risen and ever liveth. And to him shall be given of the gold
of Sheba. These are coronation gifts of the richest kind
cheerfully presented
at his throne. How gladly would we give him all that we have and are
and count
the tribute far too small. We may rejoice that Christ's cause will not stand
still for want of funds; the silver and the gold are his
and if they are not
to be found at home
far off lands shall hasten to make up the deficit. Would
to God we had more faith and more generosity. Prayer also shall be made for him
continually. May all blessings be upon his head; all his people desire that his
cause may prosper
therefore do they hourly cry
"Thy kingdom come."
Prayer for Jesus is a very sweet idea
and one which should be for
evermore lovingly carried out; for the church is Christ's body
and the truth
is his sceptre; therefore we pray for him when we plead for these. The verse
may
however
be read as "through him
"for it is by Christ as our
Mediator that prayer enters heaven and prevails. "Continue in prayer"
is the standing precept of Messiah's reign
and it implies that the Lord will
continue to bless. And daily shall he be praised. As he will perpetually show himself
to be worthy of honour
so shall he be incessantly praised:—
"For
him shall constant prayer be made
And praises throng to crown his head;
His name
like sweet perfume
shall rise
With every morning's sacrifice."
Verse
16. There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of
the mountains. From small beginnings great results shall spring. A mere
handful in a place naturally ungenial shall produce a matchless harvest. What a
blessing that there is a handful; "except the Lord of hosts had left unto
us a very small remnant we should have been as Sodom
and we should have been
like unto Gomorrah:" but now the faithful are a living seed
and shall
multiply in the land. The fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon. The harvest
shall be so great that the wind shall rustle through it
and sound like the
cedars upon Lebanon:—
"Like
Lebanon
by soft winds fanned
Rustles the golden harvest far and wide."
God's
church is no mean thing; its beginnings are small
but its increase is of the
most astonishing kind. As Lebanon is conspicuous and celebrated
so shall the
church be. And they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth. Another
figure. Christ's subjects shall be as plentiful as blades of grass
and shall
as suddenly appear as eastern verdure after a heavy shower. We need not fear
for the cause of truth in the land; it is in good hands
where the pleasure of
the Lord is sure to prosper. "Fear not
little flock
it is your Father's
good pleasure to give you the kingdom." When shall these words
which open
up such a vista of delight
be fulfilled in the midst of the earth?
Verse
17. His name shall endure for ever. In its saving power
as
the rallying point of believers
and as renowned and glorified
his name shall
remain for ever the same. His name shall be continued as long as the sun. While
time is measured out by days
Jesus shall be glorious among men. And men shall
be blessed in him. There shall be cause for all this honour
for he shall
really and truly be a benefactor to the race. He himself shall be earth's
greatest blessing; when men wish to bless others they shall bless in his name.
All nations shall call him blessed. The grateful nations shall echo his
benedictions
and wish him happy who has made them happy. Not only shall some
glorify the Lord
but all; no land shall remain in heathenism; all nations
shall delight to do him honour.
Verses
18-19. As Quesnel well observes
these verses explain themselves. They
call rather for profound gratitude
and emotion of heart
than for an exercise
of the understanding; they are rather to be used for adoration than for
exposition. It is
and ever will be
the acme of our desires
and the climax of
our prayers
to behold Jesus exalted King of kings and Lord of lords. He has
done great wonders such as none else can match
leaving all others so far
behind
that he remains the sole and only wonder worker; but equal marvels yet
remain
for which we look with joyful expectation. He is the Blessed God
and
his name shall be blessed; his name is glorious
and that glory shall fill the
whole earth. For so bright a consummation our heart yearns daily
and we cry Amen
and Amen.
Verse
20. The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended. What more
could he ask? He has climbed the summit of the mount of God; he desires nothing
more. With this upon his lip
he is content to die. He strips himself of his
own royalty and becomes only the "son of Jesse
"thrice happy to
subside into nothing before the crowned Messiah. Before his believing eye the
reign of Jesus
like the sun
filled all around with light
and the holy soul
of the man after God's own heart exulted in it
and sung his "Nunc
dimittis:" "Lord
now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace
for
mine eyes have seen thy salvation!" We
too
will cease from all petitioning
if it be granted to us to see the day of the Lord. Our blissful spirits will
then have nothing further to do but for ever to praise the Lord our God.
EXPLANATORY
NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
TITLE. For
Solomon. I shall but mention a threefold analogy between Christ and
Solomon.
1.
In his personal wisdom (1Ki 4:29-30); so Christ (Col 2:3); "In him
are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."
2.
In the glorious peace and prosperity of his kingdom: the kingdom was
peaceably settled in his hand. 1Ch 22:9 4:24-25. And so he fell to the work of
building the temple
as Christ doth the church; so Christ (Isa 9:6); he is the
Prince of Peace
the great Peacemaker. Eph 2:14.
3.
In his marriage with Pharaoh's daughter. Some observe that the daughter
of Pharaoh never seduced him: neither is there any mention made of the Egyptian
idols. 1Ki 11:5
7. In his other outlandish marriages he did sin; but this
is mentioned as by way of special exception (1Ki 11:1); for she was a proselyte
and so it was no sin to marry her: and the love between her and Solomon is made
a type of the love between Christ and the church. So Christ hath taken us
Gentiles to be spouse unto him. Psalm 45. Samuel Mather (1626-1671)
in
"The Figures or Types of the Old Testament."
Whole
Psalm. The Seventy-second Psalm contains a description of an exalted
king
and of the blessings of his reign. These blessings are of such a nature
as to prove that the subject of the Psalm must be a divine person.
1.
His kingdom is to be everlasting.
2.
Universal.
3.
It secures perfect peace with God and goodwill among men.
4.
All men are to be brought to submit to him through love.
5.
In him all the nations of the earth are to be blessed; i.e.
as we are
distinctly taught in Ga 3:16
it is in him that all the blessings of redemption
are to come upon the world. Charles Hodge
in "Systematic
Theology." 1871.
Whole
Psalm. This Psalm was penned by a king
it is dedicated to a king
and
is chiefly intended concerning him who is "King of kings." Joseph
Caryl
in a Sermon entitled "David's Prayer for Solomon."
Whole
Psalm. Two Psalms bear Solomon's name in their titles. One of
these is the Hundred and Twenty-seventh
the other is the Seventy-second; and
here the traces of his pen are unequivocal. A mistaken interpretation of the
note appended to it
"The prayers of David the Son of Jesse are ended
"led most of the old commentators to attribute the Psalm to David
and to
suppose that it is a prayer offered in his old age "for Solomon
"as
the peaceful prince who was to succeed him on the throne. However
it has long
been known that the note in question refers to the whole of the preceding
portion of the Psalter
much of which was written by Asaph and the sons of
Korah; and there can be no doubt that the title can only be translated
"of Solomon." So clear are the traces of Solomon's pen that Calvin
whose sagacity in this kind of criticism has never been excelled
although he
thought himself obliged
by the note at the end of the Psalm
to attribute the
substance of it to David
felt Solomon's touch so sensibly
that he threw out
the conjecture that the prayer was the father's
but that it was afterward
thrown into the lyrical form by the son. This is not the place for detailed
exposition; I will
therefore
content myself with remarking that
properly
speaking
the Psalm is not "for Solomon" at all. If it refers to him
and his peaceful reign
it does so only in as far as they were types of the
Person and Kingdom of the Prince of Peace. The Psalm
from beginning to end
is
not only capable of being applied to Christ
but great part is incapable of
being fairly applied to any other. William Binnie.
Whole
Psalm. This is the forth of those Psalms which predict the two natures
of Christ. This Psalm admonishes us that we believe in Christ as perfect God
and perfect Man and King. Psalter of Peter Lombard(—1164).
Whole
Psalm. That under the type of Solomon (to whom it is inscribed) the
Messiah is "The King" of whom this Psalm treats
we have the consent
not only of the most eminent divines of modern times
and of the Fathers of the
early Christian church
but the ancient and most distinguished Jewish
expositors; of which reference
indeed
it contains the most conclusive
internal evidence. And
as under a new type
so is the kingdom here presented
to us in a new aspect
in marked contradistinction to its character as
foreshadowed by its other great type
the Davidic: for the character of David's
reign was conquest. He was "a man of war" (1Ch 28:1-3); the appointed
instrument for subjecting the enemies of God's people Israel
by whom they were
put in undisturbed possession of the promised land. But the character of
Solomon's reign was peace
the import of his name
succeeding to the throne
after all enemies had been subdued
and governing the kingdom which David's
wars had established (1Ki 2:12)
the two types
respectively
of Christ as he
is yet to be manifested at his next appearing; first revealed as David
as seen
in the vision of that event (Re 19:11): "I saw heaven opened
and behold a
white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True
and in
righteousness he doth judge and make war
"etc.
subduing the
Antichristian confederacy (Re 19:19-21)
as before predicted in the Second
Psalm
of this same confederacy: "Thou shalt break them with a rod of
iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." And then
as
Solomon
taking his throne
and extending the blessings of his kingdom of peace
to the ends of the earth. David in the Second Psalm; Solomon in this. William
De Burgh.
Whole
Psalm. The reader is reminded of James Montgomery's hymn
beginning
"Hail to the Lord's Anointed; "it is a very beautiful versification
of this Psalm
and will be found in "Our Own Hymn Book
" No. 353.
Verse
1. Give the king thy judgments
O God. Right and authority to
execute judgment and justice. The Father hath committed all judgment unto the
Son. John Fry.
Verse
1. The king... The king's son. I do not apprehend
with the
generality of interpreters
that by The king
and The king's son
David means himself and his son
but Solomon only
to whom both the
titles agree
as he was David's son
and anointed by him king during his
lifetime. Samuel Chandler.
Verse
1. The king... The king's son. We see that our Lord is here
termed both Klm
and Klm Nb
being king himself
and also the son of a king;
both as respects his human origin
having come forth from the stock of David
and also as to his divine origin; for the Father of the universe may
of
course
be properly denominated King. Agreeably to this designation
we find on
the Turkish coins the inscription: Sultan
son of Sultan. George Phillips.
Verse
2. Thy judgments. From whom does he seek these? O God
he
says
give them. Therefore is it the gift of God that kings should judge
righteously and observe justice. Moreover
he does not simply say
O God
give
judgment to the king
and righteousness to the king's son; but thy
judgments and thy righteousness. Grant them this grace
that what is
just in thy sight they may judge. The world has its own judgments and its own
righteousness
but deals in such a way that true righteousness is more
oppressed than approved. Not such are the judgments and righteousness of God. Musculus.
Verse
3. The mountains shall bring peace to the people
etc. Those
who apply this Psalm to Solomon expound the distich thus; "That the steep
mountains on the frontier
strongly garrisoned
shall secure the land from
hostile invasion; and the hills
cleared of the banditti
which in the rude
ages were accustomed to inhabit them
under the government of the king
intended in this Psalm
should be the peaceful seats of a useful
civilised
peasantry." This sense is not ill expressed in Mr. Merrick's translation:
"Peace
from the fort clad mountain's brow
Descending
bless the plain below;
And justice from each rocky cell
Shall violence and fraud expel."
But
so little of the Psalm is at all applicable to Solomon
and the greater part of
it so exclusively belongs to the Messiah
that I think these mountains and
hills allude to the nature of the land of Judaea; and the general sense is
that
in the times of the great king
the inhabitants of that mountainous
region shall live in a state of peace and tranquillity. The thing intended is
the happy condition of the natural Israel
in the latter day restored to God's
favour
and to the peaceful possession of their own land. It is a great
confirmation of this sense
that righteousness is mentioned as the means
of the peace which shall be enjoyed. Samuel Horsley.
Verse
3. The mountains shall bring peace to the people. It was
and
still is
common in the East to announce good or bad news from the tops of
mountains and other eminences. By this means acts of justice were speedily
communicated to the remotest parts of the country. Thus
when Solomon decided
the controversy between the two harlots
the decision was quickly known over
all the land. See 1Ki 3:28. Alexander Geddes.
Verse
3. The mountains shall bring peace. The reference is to the
fertility of the soil
which now is shown in an extraordinary way
when
mountain summits
which are either oppressed with hopeless sterility or yield
at a far inferior rate to the valleys
produce all things plentifully. And by
this figure he signifies that this happiness of his kingdom shall not be the
portion of a few only
but shall abound in all places and to all people
of
every condition and of every age. No corner of the land
he affirms
shall be
destitute of this fertility. Mollerus.
Verse
3. The mountains shall bring peace. You may be sure to have
peace when your mountains shall bring forth peace; when those mountains
which
heretofore were mountains of prey and hills of the robbers
shall be a quiet
habitation; when peace shall not be walled up in cities
or fenced in by
bulwarks
but the open fields and highways
the mountains and the hills shall
yield it abundantly; under every hedge
and under every green tree
there shall
you find it; when the cottagers and the mountaineers shall have their fill of
it; when they shall eat and be satisfied
lie down and none shall make them
afraid
then the blessing is universal: and this is the work of righteousness.
Joseph Caryl.
Verse
3. The mountains and hills are not at all named as the
most unfruitful places of the land
which they really were not
in Palestine
compare De 33:15 Ps 147:8
"Who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains;
" Ps 65:12
—nor even because what is on them can be seen everywhere
and
from all sides. (Tholuck)
compare against this
Joe 3:18
"The
mountains shall drop down new wine
and the hills shall flow with milk
"Isa 55:12
—but
as being the most prominent points and ornaments of the
country
and
therefore
as representing it
well fitted to express the thought
that the country shall be everywhere filled with peace. E. W.
Hengstenberg.
Verse
4. The children of the needy. The phrase
the children of
the afflicted
is put for the afflicted
an idiom quite common in
Hebrew; and a similar from of expression is sometimes used by the Greeks
as
when they say uiouv iatrwn
the sons of physicians for physicians.
John Calvin.
Verse
5.—
The
lofty glory of the Flavian family shall remain
Enduring like the sun and stars. Martial.—Bk. 9. Epig. 7.
Verse
6. He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass
etc.
This is spoken and promised of Christ
and serves to teach us that Christ
coming to his church and people
by the gracious influences of his Holy Spirit
is most useful and refreshing to their souls
like showers of rain to the dry
ground
or a meadow newly cut to make it spring again. Christless souls are
like the dry ground; without the moisture of saving grace their hearts are
hard; neither rods
mercies
nor sermons
make impression upon them. Why? They
are without Christ
the fountain of grace and spiritual influences. Before the
fall man's soul was like a well watered garden
beautiful
green
and fragrant;
but by his apostasy from God
in Adam our first head
the springs of grace and
holiness are quite dried up in his soul; and there is no curing of this drought
but by the soul's union with a new head; to wit
Christ our second Adam
who
has the Spirit given him without measure for the use of all his members. Now
when we are united by faith to Christ
our Head of influences
the dry land is
turned into water springs; Christ "comes down as the rain" by his
Spirit of regeneration
and brings the springs of grace into the soul. He is
the first and immediate receptacle of the Holy Spirit
and all regenerating and
sanctifying influences
and out of his fulness we must by faith receive them.
And when at any time the springs of grace are interrupted in the soul by sin or
unbelief
so as the ground turns dry
the plants wither
and the things which
remain are ready to die
the soul hath need to look up to Jesus Christ to come
down with new showers upon the thirsty ground and decayed plants.
1.
As the rain is the free gift of God to the dry ground
it comes free and cheap
to poor and rich
small and great
and cost them nothing: so Christ with his
blessings is God's free gift to a dry and perishing world; for which we should
be continually thankful.
2.
As nothing can stop the falling of the rain; so nothing can hinder Christ's
gracious influences
when he designs to awake
convince
or soften a hard
heart. When those showers do fall on sinners
the most obstinate will must
yield
and cry
Lord
what wilt thou have me to do?
3.
As the rain is most necessary and suitable to the dry ground
and to the
various plants it produces
and also to the different parts of every plant or
tree—such as the root
trunk
branches
leaves
flowers
and fruit; so Christ
is absolutely necessary
and his influence most suitable to all his people's
souls
and to every faculty of them—the understanding
will
memory
and
affections; and to all their different graces
faith
love
repentance
etc.;
to root and establish them
strengthen and confirm them
quicken and increase
them
cherish and preserve them.
4.
As the rain comes in diverse ways and manners to the earth
sometimes with cold
winds and tempests
thunders and lightnings
and at other times with calmness
and warmth; so Christ comes to sinners
sometimes with sharp convictions and
legal terrors
and sometimes with alluring invitations and promises.
5.
O how pleasant are the effects of rain to languishing plants
to make them
green and beautiful
lively and strong
fragrant and beautiful! So the effects
of Christ's influences are most desirable to drooping souls
for enlightening
and enlivening them
for confirming and strengthening them
for comforting and
enlarging them
for appetizing and satisfying them
transforming and
beautifying them. A shower from Christ would soon make the church
though
withered
turn green and beautiful
and to send forth a smell as of a field
that the Lord hath blessed; and likewise some drops of this shower
falling
down upon the languishing graces of communicants
would soon make them vigorous
and lively in showing forth their Saviour's death at his table. John
Willison.
Verse
6. There cannot be a more lively image of a flourishing condition
than what is conveyed to us in these words. The grass which is forced by the
heat of the sun
before the ground is well prepared by rains
is weak and
languid
and of a faint complexion; but when clear shining succeeds the gentle
showers of spring
the field puts forth its best strength
and is more
beautifully arrayed than ever Solomon in all his glory. Thomas Sherlock.
1678.
Verse
6. He shall come down
dry There is a fourfold descending of
Christ which the Scripture mentions.
1.
His incarnation
the manifestation of himself in the flesh.
2.
The abasing himself in condition; he did not only assume human flesh
but all
the natural infirmities of our flesh.
3.
The subjecting of himself to death.
4.
The distillations of his grace and spiritual blessings upon his church. Ralph
Robinson.
Verse
6. (first clause). Some render this "like dew on the
fleece." The mysterious fleece of Gideon
which on being exposed to the
air
is first of all filled with the dew of heaven
while all the ground around
it is quite dry
and which afterwards becomes dry while the earth is watered
pictures to us
according to the old divines
that the dew of Heaven's grace
was poured out upon Judaea at the time when all the rest of the world remained
in barrenness and ignorance of God; but that now
by a strange alteration
this
same Judaea lies in dryness and forgetfulness of God
while on the contrary
all the other nations of the earth are inundated with the dew of heavenly
grace. Pasquier Quesnel.
Verse
6. Upon the mown grass. The Hebrew word used here hath a
double signification. It signifies a shorn fleece of wool
and it signifies a
meadow newly mown. This hath occasioned divers readings. Some read it
He shall
come down like the rain into a fleece of wool: so the Septuagint. They that
follow this reading make it an allusion unto the dew that fell upon Gideon's
fleece (Jud 6:37-39)
when all the land beside was dry
and
again
upon the
rest of the land when the fleece was dry. Others read it according to our
translation: He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass. This
seems to me more agreeable to the meaning of the Holy Ghost; especially because
of the clause following
which is added by way of explication: As showers
that water the earth. As the showers
Mybybr Rain and showers differ only
as less and more; rain signifies smaller showers
and showers signify greater
rain. De 32:2. Rain falling in multitude of drops is called a shower. That
water the earth. The word Pyzrz zarziph
which is here translated water
is only used in this place in all the Bible. It signifies to water by
dispersion
to water by drops. The showers are dispersed in drops all over the
face of the earth
in a very regular and artificial way. "God hath
divided
"saith Job
"a watercourse for the overflowings of
water." Job 38:25. The rain is from the cloud spouted out by drops after
such a manner that every part hath its share. Ralph Robinson.
Verse
6. The mown grass; literally
that which is shorn
whether fleece or meadow. In the former sense it occurs Jud 6:37
and so the older translators all take it
(Aq epi kouran
LXX and others epi
plokon
Jerome and Vulgate
in vellus
)probably with the idea that the
reign of the monarch would be accompanied by signal tokens of the divine favour
and blessing
like the dew upon Gideon's fleece; in the latter sense
the word
is found Am 7:1; and this is indisputably its meaning here
as the parallel
shows. The mown meadow is particularly mentioned
because the roots of
the grass would be most exposed to the summer heat after the crop has been
gathered in
and the effect would be most striking in the shooting of the young
green blade after the shower. J. J. Stewart Perowne.
Verse
7. Righteous. Peace. Do you ask what he is individually? The
answer is
"King of Righteousness:" a being loving righteousness
working righteousness
promoting righteousness
procuring righteousness
imparting righteousness to those whom he saves
perfectly sinless
and the
enemy and abolisher of all sin. Do you ask what he is practically
and in
relation to the effect of his reign? The answer is
"King of Peace:"
a sovereign whose kingdom is a shelter for all who are miserable
a covert for
all who are persecuted
a resting place for all who are weary
a home for the
destitute
and a refuge for the lost. Charles Stanford.
Verse
7. Abundance of peace. Literally
multitude of peace;
that is
the things which produce peace
or which indicate peace
will not be
few
but numerous; they will abound everywhere. They will be found in towns and
villages
and private dwellings; in the calm and just administration of the
affairs of the State; in abundant harvests; in intelligence
in education
and
in undisturbed industry; in the protection extended to the rights of all. Albert
Barnes.
Verse
7. So long as the moon endureth. It does not necessarily
follow from these words that the moon will ever cease to exist. The idea
commonly held
of the annihilation of the starry firmament is without
foundation in Scripture. Such an idea has a pernicious influence on the human
mind
inasmuch as it leads men to depreciate that which bears in such striking
character the stamp and impress of the divine glory. Frederic Fysh.
Verse
8. From the river. There are many modern interpreters who
from the mention of the "river"—namely
the river Euphrates—in the
other clause of the verse
think that the boundaries of the land of Palestine
are here to be understood
that country being described as extending from the
Red Sea to the Sea of Syria
otherwise called the Sea of the Philistines
and
the Great Sea; and from the Euphrates to the Great Desert lying behind
Palestine and Egypt. These are the limits of the Israelitish territory: the
former
from the south to the west; the latter
from the north to the east. (Ge
15:18.) But
in this passage
there can scarcely be a doubt that by the river—to
wit
the Euphrates—is indicated the extreme boundary of the earth towards the
east. In a highly poetical
magnificent description
such as is given in this
song
of a king exalted above all others
nothing can be conceived more
inappropriate than saying that the dominions of such a king should be bounded
by the limits of Palestine. Ernest F. C. Rosenmueller (1768-1835)
in
"The Biblical Cabinet
" vol. 32.
Verse
9. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him
etc. This is equivalent to saying
the wild Arabs
that the greatest
conquerors could never tame
shall bow before him
or become his vassals;
nay
his enemies
and
consequently
these Arabs among the rest
shall lick
the dust
or court him with the most abject submissions. T. Harmer's
Observations.
Verse
9. His enemies shall lick the dust. Bear in mind that it was
a custom with many nations that
when individuals approached their kings
they
kissed the earth
and prostrated their whole body before them. This was the
custom especially throughout Asia. No one was allowed to address the Persian
kings
unless he prostrated himself on the ground and kissed the footsteps of
the king
as Xenophon records. Thomas Le Blanc.
Verses
9-10. Wilderness
Tarshish
Sheba. The most uncivilized
the
most distant
and the most opulent nations shall pay their homage
to him. Augustus F. Tholuck.
Verses
9-11. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and
his enemies shall lick the dust. They shall humble themselves under the
mighty hand of Christ; they shall acknowledge and receive him as their Lord;
they shall fear and reverence him as their King; they shall veil and bow to his
sceptre: they shall put themselves
and all that is theirs
under Christ; they
shall give themselves to the exaltation and setting up of Christ. The kings
of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba
shall offer gifts. They shall consecrate their abilities to Christ's
service; they shall communicate of their substance to the maintenance of
Christ's church
and minister to the preservation and increase of Christ's
kingdom. All kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.
All shall adore and serve him as their king; all shall exalt and honour him
as
loyal subjects
their heavenly sovereign; all persons
from the highest to the
lowest
must serve the Lord Jesus
and study to make him glorious; grace works
obedience in the hearts of princes
as well as in the hearts of beggars. The
sun as well as the stars
did obeisance unto Christ
under his kingdom and
gospel. Alexander Grosse(-1654)
in "Sweet and Soul Persuading
Inducements leading unto Christ." 1632.
Verses
9-11. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and
his enemies shall lick the dust. See Psalms on "Ps 72:9" for
further information.
Verse
10. Tarshish was an old
celebrated
opulent
cultivated
commercial city
which carried on trade in the Mediterranean
and with the
seaports of Syria
especially Tyre and Joppa
and that it most probably lay on
the extreme west of that sea. Was there
then
in ancient times
any city in
these parts which corresponded with these clearly ascertained facts? There was.
Such was Tartessus in Spain
said to have been a Phoenician colony; a fact
which of itself would account for its intimate connection with Palestine and
the Biblical narratives. As to the exact spot where Tartessis (so written
originally) lay
authorities are not agreed
as the city had ceased to exist
when geography began to receive attention; but it was not far from the Straits
of Gibraltar
and near the mouth of the Guadalquivir
consequently at no great
distance from the famous Granada of later days. The reader
however
must
enlarge his notion beyond that of a mere city
which
how great soever
would
scarcely correspond with the ideas of magnitude
affluence
and power
that the
Scriptures suggest. The name
which is of Phoenician origin
seems to denote
the district of south western Spain
comprising the several colonies which Tyre
planted in that country
and so being equivalent to what we might designate
Phoenician Spain. We are not
however
convinced that the opposite coast of
Africa was not included
so that the word would denote to an inhabitant of
Palestine the extreme western parts of the world. J. R. Beard
in "A
Cyclopaedia of Biblical Literature." 1866.
Verse
10. The isles. Myya
only in the Psalter besides
Ps 97:1
where
and uniformly
so rendered. The word
however
denotes all habitable
land as opposed to water (see Ge 10:5
where first it occurs
with Isa 42:15)
and so "maritime land
whether the sea coast of continent or
island" (Gesenius); especially the countries washed by the Mediterranean
and the remote coasts to the west of Palestine. So in the parallel prophecy
Isa 60:9 11:11 41:1-2 Isa 42:10-12 49:1
etc. Accordingly
"The isles
shall wait for his law
"(Isa 42:4) is expounded in Mt 12:22—"In Him
shall the Gentiles trust." William DeBurgh.
Verse
10. Sheba and Seba. There appear to have been two nations
living in the same region
viz.
Southern Arabia. One of these was descended
from Cush
the son of Ham
and the other from Joktan
a descendant of Shem.
These two people were often antagonistic in interests
despite the similarity
of their names
but their divisions would be healed
and unitedly they would
offer tribute to the Great King. It is an Arab proverb
"divided as the
Sabaeans
"but Christ makes them one. "The Greek geographers usually
couple Abyssinia with Yemen
in Arabia
and invariably represent the Abyssinian
as an Arab or Sabaean race. Modern travellers
also
unanimously agree in
recognising the Arab type among those Abyssinian populations which do not belong
to the African stock." That the Sabaean nations were wealthy is clear from
the Greek historian Agatharchides. "The Sabaeans
"says he
"have in their houses an incredible number of vases and utensils of all
sorts
of gold and silver
beds and tripods of silver
and all the furniture of
astonishing richness. Their buildings have porticoes with columns sheathed with
gold
or surmounted by capitals of silver. On the friezes
ornaments
and the
framework of the doors
they place plates of gold encrusted with precious
stones. They spend immense sums in adorning these edifices
employing gold
silver
ivory
and precious stones
and materials of the greatest value."
They appear
also
to have acquired great wealth by trading
both with India
and Africa
their peninsula lying between those two regions. Rich would be
their gifts if Lenormant and Chevallier's description of their commerce be
correct. "The principal importations from India were gold
tin
precious
stones
ivory
sandalwood
spices
pepper
cinnamon
and cotton. Besides these
articles
the storehouses of southern Arabia received the products of the
opposite coast of Africa
procured by the Sabaeans in the active coasting trade
they carried on with this not far distant land
where Mosyton (now Ras Abourgabeh)
was the principal port. These were
besides the spices that gave name to that
coast
ebony
ostrich feathers
and more gold and ivory. With the addition of
the products of the soil of southern Arabia itself
incense
myrrh
laudanum
precious stones
such as onyx and agates
lastly
aloes from the island of
Socotra
and pearls from the fisheries of the Gulf of Ormus
we shall have the
list of the articles comprised in the trade of this country with Egypt
and
with those Asiatic countries bordering on the Mediterranean; and at the same
time
by considering this activity of such a traffic." "Poor as God's
people usually are
the era will surely arrive when the richest of the rich
will count it all joy to lay their treasures at Jesus' feet." C. H. S.
Verses
9-11. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and
his enemies shall lick the dust. See Psalms on "Ps 72:9" for
further information.
Verse
12. He shall deliver the needy when he crieth. There needeth
no mediator between him and his subjects; he heareth the needy when they
cry. The man that hath nothing within him or without him to commend him to
Christ
to assist
help
relieve
or comfort him in heaven or earth
is not
despised by Christ
but delivered from that which he feareth. David Dickson.
Verse
13. He shall spare; more correctly
compassionate or comfort
the poor and needy; and shall save their souls
or preserve the lives of
the needy. William Henry Alexander
in "The Book of Praises: being the
Book of Psalms... with Notes Original and Selected." 1867.
Verse
13. And shall save the souls of the needy. Scipio used to say
that he would rather save a single citizen than slay a thousand enemies. Of
this mind ought all princes to be towards their subjects; but this affection
and love rose to the highest excellence and power in the breast of Christ. So
ardent is his love for his own
that he suffers not one of them to perish
but
leads them to full salvation
and
opposing himself to both devils and tyrants
who seek to destroy their souls
he constrains their fury and confounds their
rage. Mollerus.
Verse
14. And precious shall their blood be in his sight. The
Angolani so despised their slaves that they would sometimes give as many as
twenty-two for one hunting dog... But Christ prefers the soul of one of his
servants to the whole world
since he died that it might be made more capable
of entering into eternal felicity. For breaking one goblet the Roman cast his
slave into the pond to be devoured by the muraenae. But the Son of God came down
from heaven to earth to deliver mankind
his vile
ungrateful
faithless
servants
from the pangs of the serpent
like the golden fleece
and save them
as Jonah from the whale. Is not their blood precious in his sight? Thomas Le
Blanc.
Verse
15. And he shall live; Hebrew
"So shall he live; "i.e.
the poor man. Charles Carter.
Verse
15. And he shall live. There is a clear reference to the
coronation of kings in the loud acclamations
Long live the King! and
the bestowal of the customary gifts and presents
as is plain from 2Sa 16:16
1Ki 1:39 1Sa 10:27 2Ch 17:5. Hermann Venema.
Verse
15. He shall live. Alexander the Great acknowledged at death
that he was a frail and feeble man. "Lo! I
"said he
"am dying
whom you falsely called a god." But Christ proved that he was God when
by
his own death
he overcame
and
as I may say
slew death. Thomas Le Blanc.
Verse
15. He shall live. It is a great consolation to soldiers
imperilled amid many forms of death
that their king shall live. Whence
one of the chief of these warriors
consoling himself
said
"I know that
my Redeemer liveth
and at the last day I shall rise from the earth."
Great is the consolation of the dying
that he for whom
or in whom
they die
shall
live for evermore. With whom
if we die
we shall also live again
and
share his riches equally with himself; for rich indeed is our Solomon
in whom
are hidden all the treasures of the wisdom and knowledge of God. Gerhohus.
Verse
15. Prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall
he be praised. It might have been rendered
"Prayer also shall be made
through him continually
and daily shall he be blessed." The word
is rendered "blessed
"when speaking if an act of worship towards
God; and the word translated "for" is sometimes used for
"through
"as Jos 2:15
"Through the window." If we hold
the translation "for him
"then it must be understood of the saints
praying for the Father's accomplishment of his promises
made to the Son in the
covenant of redemption
that his kingdom may come
his name be glorified
and
that he may see his seed
and that the full reward may be given him for his
sufferings
and so that he may receive the joy that was set before him. Jonathan
Edwards.
Verse
15. Prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall
he be praised. In all conquered countries
two things marked the
subjection of the people:
1.
Their money was stamped with the name of the conqueror.
2.
They were obliged to pray for him in their acts of public worship. Adam
Clarke.
Verse
16. An handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains.
Not only would the soil be likely to lack depth of earth
but the seed itself
would be apt to be blown away by the winds of heaven
or washed down by the
teeming rain to the base beneath. Peter Grant. 1867.
Verse
16. An handful of corn
etc. Upon mature consideration
I am
persuaded that the proper sense of the word Mk
or hmk
is "a patch"
or "piece; "and that it is used here just as we use the same words in
English
in such expressions as these
—"a patch of wheat
a patch of
barley
a piece of corn." Samuel Horsley.
Verse
16. An handful of corn. Doubtless it has been familiar to you
to see corn merchants carrying small bags with them
containing just a handful
of corn
which they exhibit as specimens of the store which they have for sale.
Now
let me beg of every one of you to carry a small bag with this precious
corn of the gospel. When you write a letter
drop in a word for Christ; it may
be a seed that will take root... Speak a word for Christ wherever you go; it
may be a seed productive of a great deal of fruit. Drop a tract on the counter
or in a house; it may be a seed productive of a plenteous harvest. The most
difficult place
the steepest mountain
the spot where there is the least hope
of producing fruit
is to be the first place of attack; and the more labour
there is required
the more is to be given
in the distribution of the seeds. James
Sherman.
Verse
16. Shall shake like Lebanon. With a plentiful ear
shall
yield so large and strong a stalk that
with the motion of the wind
it shall
shake cedar like. Joseph Hall.
Verse
16. Shall shake as Lebanon. That is to say
shall wave
backwards and forwards with the wind
like the tall cedars of Lebanon. This
implies that the corn will be lofty and luxuriant. French and Skinner.
Verse
16. Neither wave nor shake conveys the full force of
the Hebrew verb
ver which suggests the additional idea of a rushing noise
like that of the wind among the cedars of Lebanon. This comparison is certainly
more natural and obvious than that which some interpreters assume with the
grain crops or harvest fields of Lebanon itself. This would be merely likening
one harvest to another
nor is any such allusion ever made elsewhere to the
mountain
though its circumjacent plains and valleys were productive. Joseph
Addison Alexander.
Verse
16. Like Lebanon. By dint of skill and labour
they have
compelled a rocky soil to become fertile. Sometimes
to avail themselves of the
waters
they have made a channel for them
by means of a thousand windings on
the declivities
or have arrested them in the valleys by embankments. At other
times they have propped up the earth
that was ready to roll down
by means of
terraces and walls. Almost all the mountains being thus husbanded
present the
appearance of a staircase
or of an amphitheatre
each tier of which is a row
of vines or mulberry trees. I have counted
upon one declivity
as many as a
hundred
or a hundred and twenty
tiers from the bottom of the valley to the
top of the hill. I forgot
for the moment
that I was in Turkey. Volney.
Verse
16. Like Lebanon. To understand the images taken from Mount
Lebanon
it is necessary to remark that four enclosures of mountains are
described
rising one upon another. The first and lowest of these is described
as rich in grain and fruits. The second is barren
being covered only with
thorns
rocks
and flints. The third
though higher still
is blessed with a
perpetual spring; the trees are always green. There are innumerable orchards
laden with fruit
and it forms
altogether
a terrestrial paradise
"Where
fruits and blossoms blush
In social sweetness
on the self same bough."
The
fourth
or highest ridge of all
is the region of perpetual snow. Now
the
imagery in the 72nd Psalm is evidently taken from the first of these ridges of
Lebanon
where (most probably following the ancient mode of cultivating) the
monks of Lebanon
for they were the chief cultivators of the terraced soil
industriously husband every particle of productive earth. In the expressive
words of Burckhardt
"Every inch of ground is cultivated
"so
that no image could have been more singularly expressive of the universal
cultivation under Messiah's reign
than to say that His fruit shall shake
like Lebanon; or
understanding the psalmist to speak figuratively
what
moral landscape could be painted more richly than he does
when he intimates
that those barren mountains of our world
which at present yield no fruit unto
God
shall be cultivated in that day so industriously and so fully
that the
fruit shall wave like the terraced heights of Lebanon. Robert Murray
Macheyne. 1813-1843.
Verse
16. Shall flourish like grass. The peculiar characters of the
grass
which adapt it especially for the service of man
are its apparent humility
and cheerfulness. Its humility
in that it seems created only for lowest
service
—appointed to be trodden on and fed upon. Its cheerfulness
in that it
seems to exult under all kinds of violence and suffering. You roll it
and it
is stronger next day; you mow it
and it multiplies its shoots
as if it were
grateful; you tread upon it
and it only sends up richer perfume. Spring comes
and it rejoices with all the earth
—glowing with variegated flames of
flowers
—waving in soft depth of fruitful strength. Winter comes
and
though
it will not mock its fellow plants by growing then
it will not pine and mourn
and turn colourless and leafless as they. It is always green; and is only the
brighter and gayer for the hoar frost. John Ruskin.
Verse
17. His name shall be continued. Yinnon: The Kethiv
yanin
would be; "shall produce fresh progeny
"or "send forth new
shoots." M. Renan was far from intending to supply a commentary on this
verse
when he said of the Lord Jesus
"Son culte se rajeunira sans
cesse." Yet it would not be easy to find a more forcible illustration
of the meaning of yannin. William Kay.
Verse
17. (second clause). The version and sense which Gussetius
gives seems best of all: His name shall generate
or beget children
before the sun; that is
his name preached
as the gospel
which is his
name (Ac 9:15)
shall be the means of begetting many sons and daughters openly
and publicly
in the face of the sun
and wherever that is. John Gill.
Verse
17. All nations shall call him blessed. It is sometimes
inadvertently said that the Old Testament is narrow and exclusive
while the
New Testament is broad and catholic in its spirit. This is a mistake. The Old
and New Testaments are of one mind on this matter. Many are called
and few
chosen. This is the common doctrine of the New as well as of the Old. They are
both equally catholic in proclaiming the gospel to all. The covenant with Adam
and with Noah is still valid
and sure to all who return to God; and the call
of Abram is expressly said to be a means of extending blessing to all the
families of man. The New Testament does not aim at anything more than this: it
merely hails the approaching accomplishment of the same gracious end. James
G. Murphy
in "A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of
Genesis." 1863.
Verse
19. Amen
and Amen. Rabbi Jehudah the Holy
said
"He
that said Amen in this world is worthy to say it in the world to come.
David
therefore
utters Amen twice in this Psalm
to show that one
`Amen' belongs to this world
the other to that which is to come. He who saith
`Amen' devoutly
is greater than he who uttereth the prayers
for the prayers
are but the letter
and the Amen is the seal. The scribe writeth the letters
the prince alone seals them." Neale and Littledale.
Verse
19. Amen
and Amen. What is Amen in Mt 16:28 is alhywv
or "verily" in Lu 9:27. Our Saviour hath this phrase peculiar to
himself
"Amen
Amen
"to give confirmation to the doctrine
and to
raise our attention and faith; or to show that not only truth is spoken
but by
him who is truth itself... There is no need for a rubric by the men of the
Great Synagogue
or a canon
to command a man to blush
when it only the
natural passion that will command it; so
when the heart is warm in prayer with
serious and earnest affections
a double Amen doth as naturally flow from us as
milk from a mother's breast to her suckling. And Amen comes from Nma
aman
which signifies "to nurse; "as if it were
if not the mother
yet the
faithful nurse
of lively devotion. Assent to repetitions is essential unto
prayer
and it is not signified publicly but by one Amen. Thomas
Woodcock(—1695) in "Morning Exercises."
Verse
19. Amen is a short word
but marvellously pregnant
full of
sense
full of spirit. It is a word that seals all the truths of God
that
seals every particular promise of God. And it is never likely to arise in the
soul
unless there be first an almighty power from heaven
to seize on the
powers of the soul
to subdue them
and make it say
"Amen." There is
such an inward rising of the heart
and an innate rebellion against the blessed
truth of God
that unless God
by his strong arm
bring the heart down
it
never will nor can say
"Amen." Richard Sibbes.
Verse
20. The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended. This
announcement carries with it an intimation that other Psalms besides are to
follow. It would have been superfluous
if the Psalms had not been to follow
which bear on their front the name of David. To this
indeed
it must point
bearing
the character of an enigma
that these additional Psalms stood in other
relations than those given in the first two books. We shall attain perfect
clearness and certainty by perceiving that all the Psalms of David in the last
two books are inserted as component parts into the later cycles. The
subscription at the end of the second book must have been designed to separate
the free from the bound
the scattered and serial Psalms of David from each
other. Analogous in some measure is the subscription
at an end are the
speeches of Job
in Job 31:40
which is not contradicted by the fact that
Job appears again speaking in chapters 41 and 42; it should rather be regarded
as serving to give us a right understanding of that formal conclusion. E. W.
Hengstenberg.
Verse
20. At the conclusion of this Psalm
the Hebrew copies have
Here
end the orisons of David
the son of Jesse. But
as several other Psalms of
David follow
we must understand the note to mean either
"Here ends this
book of the orisons of David
"or
"Here ends the collection of hymns
made by David himself; "additions being afterwards made to it
containing
other hymns of David
by Asaph and others
and
lastly
by Esdras. Daniel
Cresswell.
Verse
20. The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended. So long
as the fivefold division of the Psalter was neglected
this note gave nothing
but perplexity to the commentators. Augustine
and his master
Ambrose of
Milan
finding it standing in their Psalters
between the seventy-second and
seventy-third Psalms
took it for part of the title of the latter
and tortured
their ingenuity in divining its import. Calvin saw that the note is
retrospective
but
not having observed its position at the end of a book
he
thought it pertained exclusively to the Psalm immediately preceding
and took
it to mean that the Psalm embalms the last prayers of the aged king. But he was
at a loss to reconcile this with the two obvious facts
that the title
of the Psalm ascribes it to Solomon
and that quite a different Psalm is
elsewhere preserved as "the last words of David" (2Sa 23:1). And this
perplexity of the great Reformer is shared by the older commentators generally.
We get rid of it at once
by simply remarking the position of the note in
question. It is set down after a doxology which marks the end of the Second
Book. It has no special reference
therefore
to the seventy-second Psalm. It
either refers to the Second Book
or
more probably
to both the First and
Second. William Binnie.
Verse
20. The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended. (Compared
with) Psalm 86
title
A prayer of David. How can the prayers of David
be said to be ended
when more begin? Answer: The end David had in making the
Psalms
prayers
and praises
is one thing; but to make a final end of praying
is another. Many several opinions have been given to reconcile this. Some that
here end the prayers he made for Solomon. Some that here end the prayers he
made in the days of his affliction. Some that here end the praises that he
made
not the prayers
turning the word tepillahs into tehillahs.
Some that here end David's
the rest that follow are Asaph's. Some that this
Psalm was the last
the rest posthumes
found after his death. Some
think it is spoken as the phrase is in Job 31:40: "The words of Job are
ended; "and yet he had some words after this
but not so many. But the
soundest resolution is this:—Here ends the prayers of David the son of Jesse;
that is
here they are perfected. If any ask hereafter what or where lies the
end that all these Psalms were made for? tell them here it lies in this Psalm
and
therefore
placed in the midst of all; as the centre in midst of a circle
all the lines meet here
and all the Psalms determine here; for it is only a
prophetical treatise of the kingdom of Christ drawn out to the life
and it is
dedicated to Solomon
because here is wisdom; other men had other ends
it may
be
but the son of Jesse had no other end in the world but to set out Christ's
kingdom in making of his Psalms. William Streat
in "The Dividing of
the Hoof." 1654.
Verse
20. The son of Jesse. It is the note of true humility and
sincere love to God to abase ourselves
and acknowledge our low condition
wherein God did find us when he did let forth his love to us
that thereby we
may commend the riches of God's goodness and grace unto us
appeareth here in
David. David Dickson.
Verse
20. Are ended. The sense is
that David
the son of Jesse
had
nothing to pray for
or to wish
beyond the great things described in this
Psalm. Nothing can be more animated than this conclusion. Having described the
blessings of Messiah's reign
he closes the whole with this magnificent
doxology:
Blessed
be Jehovah God
God of Israel
alone performing wonders;
And blessed be his name of glory
And let his glory fill the whole of the earth.
Amen
and Amen.
Finished are the prayers of David
the son of Jesse.
—Samuel Horsley.
HINTS TO THE
VILLAGE PREACHER
Whole
Psalm.
1.
He shall.
2.
They shall. Ring the changes on these
as the Psalm does.
Verse
1. The prayer of the ancient church now fulfilled.
1.
Our Lord's titles.
(a)
King
by divine nature.
(b)
King's Son
in both natures. Thus we see his power innate and derived.
2.
Our Lord's authority: "Judgments."
(a)
To rule his people.
(b) To rule the world for his people's benefit.
(c) To judge mankind.
(d) To judge devils.
3.
Our Lord's character. He is righteous in rewarding and punishing
righteous
towards God and man.
4.
Our loyal prayer. This asks for his rule over ourselves and the universe.
Verse
2. The rule of Christ in his church.
1.
The subjects.
(a)
Thy people
the elect
called
etc.
(b) Thy poor
through conviction and consciousness of sin.
2.
The ruler. He
only
truly
constantly
etc.
3.
The rule.—Righteous
impartial
gentle
prudent
etc. Lesson. Desire this rule.
Verse
3. Mountains of divine decree
of immutable truth
of almighty
power
of eternal grace
etc. These mountains of God are securities of peace.
Verse
4. The poor man's King
or the benefits derived by the poor from the
reign of Jesus.
Verse
5. The perpetuity of the gospel
reasons for it
things which
threaten it
and lessons derived from it.
Verse
6. The field
the shower
the result. This verse is easily enough
handled in a variety of ways.
Verse
7.
1.
The righteous flourish more at one season than another.
2.
They flourish most when Jesus is with them: in his days
etc.
3.
The fruit of their growth is proportionately abundant: and abundance
etc. G. Rogers.
Verse
7. Abundance of peace. Abundant overtures of peace
abundant
redemption making peace
abundant pardon conferring peace
abundant influences
of the Spirit sealing peace
abundant promises guaranteeing peace
abundant
love spreading peace
etc.
Verse
8. The universal spread of the gospel. Other theories as to the
future overturned
and their evil influence exposed; while the benefit and
certainty of this truth is vindicated.
Verse
9 (last clause). The ignoble end of Christ's enemies.
Verse
10. Christian finance; voluntary but abundant are the gifts presented
to Jesus.
Verse
12. Christ's peculiar care of the poor.
Verse
12.
1.
Pitiable characters.
2. Abject conditions: "cry; ""no helper."
3. Natural resort: "crieth."
4. Glorious interposition. G. Rogers.
Verse
14. The martyr's hope in life and comfort in death. G. Rogers.
Verse
14 (last clause). The martyr's blood.
1.
Seen of God when shed.
2. Remembered by him.
3. Honoured by being a benefit to the church.
4. Rewarded especially in heaven.
Verse
15. Prayer shall be made for him. We are to pray for Jesus
Christ. Owing to the interest he has in certain objects
what is done for them
is done for himself and so he esteems it. We
therefore
pray for him when we
pray for his ministers
his ordinances
his gospel
his church—in a word
his cause.
But what should we pray for on his behalf?
1.
The degree of its resources; that there be always a sufficiency of suitable and
able instruments to carry on the work.
2.
The freedom of its administration; that whatever opposes or hinders its
progress may be removed.
3.
The diffusion of its principles; that they may become general and universal.
4.
The increase of its glory
as well as its extent. W. Jay.
Verse
15. Prayer for Jesus
a suggestive topic. Daily praise
a Christian
duty.
Verse
15. A living Saviour
a giving people; the connection between the
two. Or
Christ in the church fills the exchequer
fosters the prayer meeting
and sanctifies the service of song.
Verse
16.
1.
A happy description of the gospel: it is a handful of corn.
2.
The places where it is sown.
3.
The blessed effects which this gospel
when thus sown
will produce in the
world. J. Sherman.
Verse
16.
1.
Commencement.
2. Publicity.
3. Growth.
4. Result.
Verse
16.
1.
What? Corn.
2.
How much? A handful.
3.
Where? In the earth upon the top of the mountains.
4.
Will it grow? The fruits
etc.
5.
What then? They of the city
etc.
Verse
17.
1.
Christ glorified in the Church: men shall be blessed
etc.
2.
Glorified in the world: all nations
etc.
3.
Glorified in worlds to come: endure
be continued
etc.
4.
Glorified for ever. G. Rogers.
Verses
17-19. The Four Blesseds
their meaning and order.
Verse
20.
1.
Prayer should be frequent: The prayers.
2.
Should be individual: Of David.
3.
Should be early commenced: the son of Jesse.
4.
Should be continued till they are no more needed.
HERE
ENDETH THE SECOND BOOK OF THE PSALMS.
WORK UPON THE
SEVENTY-SECOND PSALM
In
CHANDLER'S Life of David
Vol. 2
pp. 440-44
there is an Exposition of
this Psalm.
── C.H. Spurgeon《The Treasury of David》