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Psalm One
Hundred and One
Psalm 101
Chapter Contents
David's vow and profession of godliness.
In this psalm we have David declaring how he intended to
regulate his household
and to govern his kingdom
that he might stop
wickedness
and encourage godliness. It is also applicable to private families
and is the householder's psalm. It teaches all that have any power
whether
more or less
to use it so as to be a terror to evil-doers
and a praise to
them that do well. The chosen subject of the psalm is God's mercy and judgment.
The Lord's providences concerning his people are commonly mixed; mercy and
judgment. God has set the one over against the other
both to do good
like
showers and sunshine. When
in his providence
he exercises us with the mixture
of mercy and judgment
we must make suitable acknowledgments to him for both.
Family mercies and family afflictions are both calls to family religion. Those
who are in public stations are not thereby excused from care in governing their
families; they are the more concerned to set a good example of ruling their own
houses well. Whenever a man has a house of his own
let him seek to have God to
dwell with him; and those may expect his presence
who walk with a perfect
heart
in a perfect way. David resolves to practise no evil himself. He further
resolves not to keep bad servants
nor to employ those about him that are
wicked. He will not admit them into his family
lest they spread the infection
of sin. A froward heart
one that delights to be cross and perverse
is not fit
for society
the bond of which is Christian love. Nor will he countenance
slanderers
those who take pleasure in wounding their neighbour's reputation.
Also
God resists the proud
and false
deceitful people
who scruple not to
tell lies
or commit frauds. Let every one be zealous and diligent to reform
his own heart and ways
and to do this early; ever mindful of that future
most
awful morning
when the King of righteousness shall cut off all wicked doers
from the heavenly Jerusalem.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Psalms》
Psalm 101
Verse 1
[1] I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee
O LORD
will
I sing.
I will sing — I will praise thee
O Lord
for
thy mercy and justice
which thou hast so eminently discovered in the
government of the world
and of thy people; and I will make it my care to
imitate thee herein.
Verse 2
[2] I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when
wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
I will — I will manage all my affairs with wisdom and
integrity.
When — God is often said in scripture to come to men
when he
fulfills a promise to them.
House — In my court and family
as well as in my public
administrations.
Verse 4
[4] A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a
wicked person.
Depart — Shall be turned out of my court.
Know — Not own nor countenance.
Verse 8
[8] I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I
may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the LORD.
Early — Speedily; as soon as I am seated in the throne.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Psalms》
Exposition
Explanatory Notes and
Quaint Sayings
Hints to the Village
Preacher
Other Works
TITLE. A Psalm of
David. This is just such a psalm as the man after God's own heart would compose
when he was about to become king in Israel. It is David all over
straight
forward
resolute
devout; there is no trace of policy or vacillation
the Lord
has appointed him to be king
and he knows it
therefore he purposes in all
things to behave as becomes a monarch who me the Lord himself has chosen. If we
call this THE PSALM or PIOUS RESOLUTIONS
we shall perhaps remember it all the
more readily. After songs of praise a psalm of practice not only makes variety
but comes in most fittingly. We never praise the Lord better than when we do
those things which are pleasing in his sight.
EXPOSITION
Verse
1. I will sing of mercy and judgment. He would extol both the
love and the severity
the sweets and the bitters
which the Lord had mingled
in Iris experience; he would admire the justice and the goodness of the Lord.
Such a song would fitly lead up to godly resolutions as to his own conduct
for
that which we admire in our superiors we naturally endeavour to imitate. Mercy
and judgment would temper the administration of David
because he had adoringly
perceived them in the dispensations of his God. Everything in God's dealings
with us may fittingly become the theme of song
and we have not viewed it
aright until we feel we can sing about it. We ought as much to bless the Lord
for the judgment with which he chastens our sin
as for the mercy with which he
forgives it; there is as much love in the blows of his hand as in the kisses of
his mouth. Upon a retrospect of their lives instructed saints scarcely know
which to be most grateful for—the comforts which have
or the afflictions which
nave purged them. Unto thee
O LORD
will I sing. Jehovah shall have all our
praise. The secondary agents of either the mercy or the judgment must hold a
very subordinate place in oue memory
and the Lord alone must be hymned by our
heart. Our soul's sole worship must be the lauding of the Lord. The psalmist
forsakes the minor key
which was soon to rule him in the one hundred and
second psalm
and resolves that
come what may
he will sing
and sing to the
Lord too
whatever others might do.
Verse
2. I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. To be holy
is to be wise; a perfect way is a wise way. David's resolve was excellent
but
his practice did not fully tally with it. Alas! he was not always wise or
perfect
but it was well that it was in his heart. A king had need be both sage
and pure
and
if he be not so in intent
when he comes to the throne
his
after conduct will be a sad example to his people. He who does not even resolve
to do well is likely to do very ill. Householders
employers
and especially
ministers
should pray for both wisdom and holiness
for they will need them
both. O when wilt thou come unto me?—an ejaculation
but not an interruption.
He feels the need not merely of divine help
but also of the divine presence
that so he may be instructed
and sanctified
and made fit for the discharge of
his high vocation. David longed for a more special and effectual visitation
from the Lord before he began his reign. If God be with us we shall neither err
in judgment nor transgress in character; his presence brings us both wisdom and
holiness; away from God we are away from safety. Good men are so sensible of
infirmity that they cry for help from God
so full of prayer that they cry at
all seasons
so intense in their desires that they cry with sighs and groanings
which cannot be uttered
saying
"O when wilt thou come unto me?" I
will walk within my house with a perfect heart. Piety must begin at home. Our
first duties are those within our own abode. We must have a perfect heart at
home
or we cannot keep a perfect way abroad. Notice that these words are a
part of a song
and that there is no music like the harmony of a gracious life
no psalm so sweet as the daily practice of holiness. Reader
how fares it with
your family? Do you sing in the choir and sin in the chamber Are you a saint
abroad and a devil at home? For shame! What we are at home
that we are indeed.
He cannot be a good king whose palace is the haunt of vice
nor he a true saint
whose habitation is a scene of strife
nor he a faithful minister whose
household dreads his appearance at the fireside.
Verse
3. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes. I will
neither delight in it
aim at it or endure it. If I have wickedness brought
before me by others I will turn away from it
I will not gaze upon it with
pleasure. The psalmist is very sweeping in his resolve
he declines the least
the most reputable
the most customary form of evil—no wicked thing; not only
shall it not dwell in his heart
but not even before his eyes
for what
fascinates the eye is very apt to gain admission into the heart
even as Eve's
apple first pleased her sight and then prevailed over her mind and hand. I hate
the work of them that turn aside. He was warmly against it; he did not view it
with indifference
but with utter scorn and abhorrence. Hatred of sin is a good
sentinel for the door of virtue. There are persons in courts who walk in a very
crooked way
leaving the high road of integrity; and these
by short cuts
and
twists
and turns
are often supposed to accomplish work for their masters
which simple honest hearts are not competent to undertake; but David would not
employ such
he would pay no secret service money
he loathed the practices of
men who deviate from righteousness. He was of the same mind as the dying
statesman who said
"Corruption wins not more than honesty." It is
greatly to be deplored that in after years he did not keep himself clear in
this matter in every case
though
in the main he did; but what would he have
been if he had not commenced with this resolve
but had followed the usual
crooked Policy of Oriental princes? How much do we all need divine keeping! We
are no more perfect than David
nay
we fall far short of him in many things;
and
like him
we shall find need to write a psalm of penitence very soon after
our psalm of good resolution. It shall not cleave to me. I will disown their
ways
I will not imitate their policy: like dirt it may fall upon me
but I
will wash it off
and never rest till I am rid of it. Sin
like pitch
is very
apt to stick. In the course of our family history crooked things will turn up
for we are all imperfect
and some of those around us are far from being what
they should be; it must
therefore
be one great object of our care to
disentangle ourselves
to keep clear of transgression
and of all that comes of
it: this cannot be done unless the Lord both comes to us
and abides with us
evermore.
Verse
4. A froward heart shall depart from me. He refers both to
himself and to those round about him; he would neither be crooked in heart
himself
nor employ persons of evil character in his house; if he found such in
his court he would chase them away. He who begins with his own heart begins at
the fountain head
and is not likely to tolerate evil compamons. We cannot turn
out of our family all whose hearts are evil
but we can keep them out of our
confidence
and let them see that we do not approve of their ways. I will not
know a wicked person. He shall not be my intimate
my bosom friend. I must know
him as a man or I could not discern his character
but if I know him to be
wicked
I will not know him any further
and with his evil I will have no
communion. "To know" in Scripture means more than mere perception
it
includes fellowship
and in that sense it is here used. Princes must disown
those who disown righteousness; if they know the wicked they will soon be known
as wicked themselves.
Verse
5. Whose privily slandereth his neighbor
him will I cut off.
He had known so bitterly the miseries caused by slanderers that he intended to
deal severely with such vipers when he came into power
not to revenge his own
ills
but to prevent others from suffering as he had done. To give one's
neighbour a stab in the dark is one of the most atrocious of crimes
and cannot
be too heartily reprobated
yet such as are guilty of it often find patronage
in high places
and are considered to be men of penetration
trusty ones who
have a keen eye
and take care to keep their lords well posted up. King David
would lop the goodly tree of his state of all such superfluous boughs
Him that
hath an high look and a proud heart him will not I suffer. Proud
domineering
supercilious gentlemen
who look down upon the poor as though they
were so many worms crawling in the earth beneath their feet
the psalmist could
not bear. The sight of them made him suffer
and therefore he would not suffer
them. Great men often affect aristocratic airs and haughty manners
David
therefore resolved that none should be great in his palace but those who had
more grace and more sense than to indulge in such abominable vanity
Proud men
are generally hard
and therefore very unfit for office; persons of high looks
provoke enmity and discontent
and the fewer of such eople about a court the
better for the stability of a throne. If all slanderers were now cut off
and
all the proud banished
it is to be feared that the next census would declare a
very sensible diminution of the population.
Verse
6. Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land
that they
may dwell with me. He would seek them out
engage their services
take care
of them
and promote them to honour: this is a noble occupation for a king
and
one which will repay him infinitely better than listening to the soft nothings
of flatterers. It would be greatly for the profit of us all if we chose our
servants rather by their piety than by their cleverness; he who gets a faithful
servant gets a treasure
and he ought to do anything sooner than part with him.
Those who are not faithful to God will not be likely to be faithful to men; if
we are faithful ourselves
we shall not care to have those about us who cannot
speak the truth or fulfil their promises; we shall not be satisfied until all
the members of our family are upright in character. He that walketh in a
perfect way
he shall serve me. What I wish myself to be
that I desire my
servant to be. Employers are to a great degree responsible for their servants
and it is customary to blame a master if he retains in his service persons of
notorious character; therefore
lest we become partakers of other men's sins
we shall do well to decline the services of bad characters. A good master does
well to choose a good servant; he may take a prodigal into his house for the
sinner's good
but if he consults his own he will look in another quarter.
Wicked nurses have great influence for evil over the minds of little children
and ungodly servants often injure the morals of the older members of the
family
and therefore great care should be exercised that godly servants should
be employed as far as possible. Even irreligious men have the sense to perceive
the value of Christian servants
and surely their own Christian brethren ought
not to have a lower appreciation of them.
Verse
7. He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house. He
had power to choose his courtiers
and he meant to exercise it. Deceit among
most orientals is reckoned to be a virtue
and is only censured when it is not
sufficiently cunning
and therefore comes to be found out; it was therefore all
the more remarkable that David should have so determinedly set his face against
it. He could not tell what a deceitful man might be doing
what plots he might
be contriving
what mischief he might be brewing
and therefore he resolved
that he would at any rate keep him out of his house
that his palace might not
become a den of villainy. Cheats in the market are bad enough
but deceivers at
our own table we cannot bear. He that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.
He would not have a liar within sight or hearing; lie loathed the mention of
him. Grace makes men truthful
and creates in them an utter horror of
everything approaching to falsehood. If David would not have a liar in his
sight
much less will the Lord; neither he that loves nor he who makes a lie
shall be admitted into heaven. Liars are obnoxious enough on earth; the saints
shall not be worried with them in another world.
Verse
8. I will early destroy all the wicked of the land. At the
very outset of his government he would promptly deal out justice to the
worthless
he would leave them no rest
but make them leave their wickedness or
feel the lash of the law. The righteous magistrate "beareth not the sword
in vain." To favour sin is to discourage virtue; undue leniency to the bad
is unkindness to the good. When our Lord comes in judgment
this verse will be
fulfilled on a large scale; till then he sinks the judge in the Saviour
and bids
men leave their sins and find pardon. Under the gospel we also are bidden to
suffer long
and to be kind
even to the unthankful and the evil; but the
office of the magistrate is of another kind
and he must have a sterner eye to
justice than would be proper in private persons. Is he not to be a terror to
evil doers? That I may cut off all the wicked doers from the city of the Lord.
Jerusalem was to be a holy city
and the psalmist meant to be doubly careful in
purging it from ungodly men. Judgment must begin at the house of God. Jesus
reserves his scourge of small cords for sinners inside the temple. How pure
ought the church to be
and how diligently should all those who hold office
therein labour to keep out and chase out men of unclean lives. Honourable offices
involve serious responsibilities; to trifle with them will bring our own souls
into guilt
and injure beyond calculation the souls of others. Lord
come to
us
that we
in our several positions in life
may walk before thee with
perfect hearts.
Verse
8. That I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the LORD.
As the kingdom of David was only a faint image of the kingdom of Christ
we
ought to set Christ before our view; who
although he may bear with many
hypocrites
yet as he will be the judge of the world
will at length call them
all to on account
and separate the sheep from the goats. And if it seems to us
that he tarries too long
we should think of that morning which will suddenly
dawn
that all filthiness being purged away
true purity may shine forth.—John
Calvin.
Verse
8. Early. From some incidental notices of Scripture (2Sa 15:2
Ps 101:8 Je 21:12)
it has been inferred that judges ordinarily held their
sessions in the morning. In a climate like that of Palestine
such a custom
would be natural and convenient. It is doubtful
however
whether this passage
expresses anything more than the promptness and zeal which a righteous judge
exercises in the discharge of his duty.—E.P. Barrows
in "Biblical
Geography and Antiquities".
Verse
8. The holy vow "to destroy all the wicked of the lands":
and to "cut off all wicked doers from the city of the Lord
"must
begin at our own hearts as his sanctuary
the temple of the Holy Ghost.—Alfred
Edersheim.
EXPLANATORY
NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Whole
Psalm. The contents of this psalm show that it was written at some
remarkable period of David's life. Three different times have been fixed upon
as respectively giving occasion for the solemn resolutions which are announced
in it. The first is supposed to be when David
immediately after the death of
Saul
succeeded to the government of a part of the kingdom; the second
when
the whole kingdom was united under the dominion of David; and the third
when
he removed the ark from the house of Obededom to Zion
and placed it in the
vicinity of his own abode. It is certainly of little importance which of these
periods we select
but the second verse of the psalm has some appearance of
relating to the last mentioned. The psalmist here says
When wilt thou come to
me? which seems to intimate that when he was to have the symbols of God's
presence so near to him
he experienced a solemn sentiment respecting the
holiness that was now more than ever incumbent upon him—a sentiment which
induced him to form the sacred purposes and resolutions which he has specified.
These purposes relate to the character of the persons whom he would select for
his household
and those whom he would employ in carrying on his government
which appeared to be more firmly established by the divine condescension that
was manifested to him
in having the earthly residence of God placed so near to
himself. It was quite in agreement with David's character to form purposes of
more fervent and steadfast obedience
in proportion to the advantages and favours
which the divine goodness bestowed upon him.—William Walford.
Whole
Psalm. This psalm has been appropriately called "The
House-holder's Psalm"; and assuredly if every master of a family would
regulate his household by these rules of the conscientious psalmist
there
would be a far greater amount
not merely of domestic happiness and comfort
but of fulfilment of the serious and responsible duties which devolve on the
respective members of a household. David in some measure may be supposed to
speak of the regulation of a royal court and household; and of course with such
we in our humbler sphere can have but little in common; yet though there may
not be the same duties and the same requirements
yet the same principles
should actuate all alike
and the same virtues that adorn the lowlier station
may shed a radiance even on the highest.—Barton Bouchier.
Whole
Psalm. This is the psalm which the old expositors used to designate "The
Mirror for Magistrates"; and an excellent mirror it is. It would
mightily accelerate the coming of the time when every nation shall be Christ's
possession
and every capital a "City of the Lord"
if all
magistrates could be persuaded to dress themselves by it every time they go
forth to perform the functions of their godlike office. When Sir George
Villiers became the favourite and prime minister of King James
Lord Bacon
in
a beautiful Letter of Advice
counselled him to take this psalm for his rule in
the promotion of courtiers. "In those the choice had need be of holiest
and faithful servants
as well as of comely outsides who can bow the knee and
kiss the hand. King David (Ps 101:6-7) propounded a rule to himself for the
choice of his courtiers. He was a wise and a good king; and a wise and a good
king shall do well to follow such a good example; and if he find any to be
faulty
which perhaps cannot suddenly be discovered
let him take on him this
resolution as King David did
`There shall no deceitful person dwell in my
house.'"It would have been well both for the Philosopher and the
Favourite if they had been careful to walk by this rule.—William Binnie.
Whole
Psalm. Eyring
in his "Life of Ernest the Pious" (Duke of Saxe
Gotha)
relates that he sent an unfaithful minister a copy of Ps 101:1-8
and
that it became a proverb in the country when an official had done anything
wrong: He will certainly soon receive the prince's psalm to read.—F.
Delitzseh.
Whole
Psalm. Ps 101:1-8 was one beloved by the noblest of Russian princes
Vladimir Monomachos; and by the gentlest of English reformers
Nicholas Ridley.
But it was its first leap into life that has carried it so far into the future.
It is full of a stern exclusiveness
of a noble intolerance
not against
theological error
not against uncourtly manners
not against political insubordination
but against the proud heart
the high look
the secret slanderer
the deceitful
worker
the teller of lies. These are the outlaws from king David's court;
these are the rebels and heretics whom he would not suffer to dwell in his
house or tarry in his sight.—Arthur Penrhyn Stanley
in "Lectures on
the History the Jewish Church"
1870.
Whole
Psalm. Such a hymn of praise as the grand doxology of Ps 99:1-9 could
not die away without an echo. Accordingly Ps 100:1-5 may be regarded as forming
the chorus of the church
and this as taking up and applying that part of the
doxology which celebrated the present manifestation of the "King in
his beauty."—Alfred Edersheim.
Whole
Psalm. Mr. Fox reports that Bishop Ridley often read and expounded this
psalm to his household
hiring them with money to get it by heart.—Thomas
Lye
in "The Morning Exercises."
Verse
1. I will sing. If thou bestowest mercies upon me; or if thou
bringest any judgment upon me; before thee
O Lord
will I sing my hymn for
all.—Chaldee Paraphrase.
Verse
1. I will sing. The manner of expression imports a cordial
resolution; heart and will are engaged in it; there is twice I will in
the text. The manner of expression imports a humble resolution; I cannot
sing of merit; but I will sing of mercy
and through mercy I will sing of
mercy. To sing of mercy must be a humble song
for mercy towards a miserable
sinner is a melting word; and to sing of judgment must be a humble song
for
judgment in every sense is an awful word. The manner of the expression imports
a skilful harper
a dexterous musician
even in a spiritual sense; he
knew what should be the subject of the song
and he says
"I will sing of
mercy and judgment"; and he knew what should be the object of the song
or
to whom it should be sung
and therefore says
"To thee
O Lord
I will
sing"; he knew who should be the singer
and therefore says
"I
will" do it; he knew what should be the manner; and therefore says
"I will sing of mercy and judgment; to thee
O Lord
will I sing."
It is before the Lord he resolves to sing
as he did before the ark
which was
a type of Christ; and so is it s song to the praise of God in Christ. The
manner of the expression imports a firm
fixed
and constant resolution;
so the redoubling of it seems to import; "I will sing
I will sing."
He had a mind this exercise of singing should not go down
but be his continual
trade
"I will sing
I will sing"; I will sing on earth and I will
sing in heaven; I will sing in time and I will sing in eternity. And
indeed
all on whom the spirit of praise and gratitude is poured out resolve never to
give over singing... David had heard once
yea
twice
that mercy as well as
power belongs to the Lord; and therefore not only once
but twice in a breath
he resolves to sing unto the Lord. The word hath a great deal of elegancy and
emphasis in it; I will sing of mercy
I will sing of judgment; O
I will sing
O Lord
I will sing; and I will sing unto thee.—Ralph Erskine.
Verse
1. This song of the sweet singer of Israel is peculiar to earth;
they do not sing of judgment in heaven
for there is no sin there; they
do not sing of mercy in hell
for there is no propitiation for sin
there. Time was when the song was not heard even on earth; for in Paradise man
walked in innocence
and walking in innocence he walked in the light of his
Father's face.—Hugh Stowell
1856.
Verse
1. I will sing of mercy and judgment. It comes all to this
as if the psalmist should say
"I will sing of merciful
judgements"; for judgment is mercy
as it is the matter of the song:
or
to take them separately
"I will sing of mercy in mercies
and
I will sing of mercy in judgment"; and so I will sing of my blinks
and of my showers; I will sing both of my cloudy and my clear day; both of my
ups and downs.—Ralph Erskine.
Verse
1. Mercy and judgment. As the pedge of the ship S.Paul sailed
in was Castor and Pollux
twin brothers
so the badge of this Psalm is Mercy
and Judgment
inseparable companions; of whom it may be said
as our
prophet sometimes spake of Saul and Jonathan
"They were lovely and
pleasant in their lives
and in their deaths they were not divided." These
are the two brightest stars in the firmament of majesty; the two fairest
flowers
and choicest jewels in the imperial crown; like the carnation and the
lily
the ruby and the sapphire
or the carbuncle and the diamond
yielding a
mutual and interchangeable lustre each to other. They resemble not unfitly the
two supporters of the king's arms
or the two seraphim stretching out their
golden wings over the propitiatory
or the white and red rose in the same
escutcheon.
We
read that Solomon set up two goodly pillars in the porch of the temple
the one
called Jachin
the other Boaz
which signify stability and
strength; such pillars of the state are mercy and judgment. The throne
of the King is borne up by them
as Solomen's was with lions of ivory on each
side. Therefore I as in one place it is said that "the throne is
established by justice" (Pr 16:12); so in another that it is "upheld
by mercy" (Pr 20:28); justice being as the bones and sinews in the
body politic
and mercy as the veins and arteries. They are the two hands of
action
the two eyes of virtue
and the two wings of honour. And as the eyes
if they be rightly set
do both look one way; so do mercy and judgment
however
in the apprehension of the vulgar they seem to look contrary ways. And as the
treble and the bass accord best music; so do they in managing the commonwealth.
Wherefore David promiseth to make them both sound tunable in his song without
jar or discord: "I will sing of mercy and judgment." ...
As
mercy is here set in the first place; so shall the sentence of mercy and
absolution be first pronounced at the last day. And it is a laudable custom of
princes
at their first entrance to their kingdoms
to shew mercy
by hearing
the mourning of the prisoner
and delivering the children of death
by loosing
the bands of wickedness
by taking off the heavy burdens
by letting the
oppressed go free
and by breaking every yoke of former extortions. Thus
our
prophet himself
as soon as the crown was settled on his head
made inquiry if
there remained yet alive any of the house of Saul
on whom he might shew mercy
(2Sa 9:1). O how fair a thing is this mercy in the time of anguish and trouble!
It is like a cloud of rain that cometh in the time of drought. But this mercy
here spoken of in the first part of our prophet's song
stretcheth further;
unfolding itself in clemency
in courtesy
and in compassion.
In clemency
by pardoning malefactors; in compassion
by
relieving the afflicted; in courtesy
towards all.—George Hakewill
or Hakewell
1579-1649.
Verse
1. Mercy and judgment. What is the history of every poor
sinner
plucked as a brand from the fire and brought to heaven in peace at
last
but a history of "mercy and judgment"? Judgment first awakes to
terror and to fear; mercy meets the poor
trembling
returning prodigal
and
falls on his neck
and kisses
and forgives. Then
through all his chequered
course
God hems up his way with judgment
that he may not wander
and yet
brightens his path with mercy
that he may not faint. Is there a child of God
that can look into the varied record of his heart or of his outward history
and not see goodness and severity
severity and goodness
tracking him all his
journey through? Has he ever had a cup so bitter that he could say
"There
is no mercy here"? Has he ever had a lot so bright that he could say
"There is no chastisement or correction here"? Has he ever had any
bad tidings
and there have been no good tidings set over against them to
relieve them? Has he ever had a sky so dark that he could see in it no star
or
a cloud so unchequered that he could trace no rainbow of promise there? . . .
What a beautifully woven web of judgment and mercy does every man's secret
history
in his way through the wilderness of life to the land of promise
present! and how good
and how wholesome
and how kindly
and how gracious is
this blessed intermingling of both! How do we need the judgment
to keep us
humble and watchful and pure! and how do we need the mercy to keep us hopeful
and to nerve our efforts
and to stir our hearts
and to sustain us in
patience
amid life's battle and struggle
and disappointment and vexation! Oh
how good it is for us
that we should thus
therefore
have the rod and staff
together—the rod to chasten
and the staff to solace and sustain! How good it
is for us
that we should have to "sing of mercy and judgment!"
And yet
what is judgment itself
but mercy with a sterner aspect? And what are
the chidings of judgment
but the sterner tones of the voice of a Father's
love? For even judgment is one of the "all things" that "work
together for good to them that love God
to them that are the called according
to his purpose."—Hugh Stowell.
Verse
1. Mercy and judgment. God intermixeth mercy with affliction:
he steeps his sword of justice in the oil of mercy; there was no night so dark
but Israel had a pillar of fire in it; there is no condition so dismal
but we
may see a pillar of fire to give light. If the body be in pain
conscience is
in peace
—there is mercy: affliction is for the prevention of sin
—there is
mercy. In the ark there was a rod and a pot of manna
the emblem of a
Christian's condition
mercy interlined with judgment.—Thomas Watson.
Verse
2. I will behave myself wisely. The first thing he vows
touching himself
is wise behaviour; prudence
not sapience; not wise
contemplation
but wise action. It is not wise thoughts
or wise speaking
or
wise writing
or wise gesture and countenance
will serve the turn
but wise
behaviour: the former are graceful
but the other needful. For as the apostle
saith of godliness
"Having a show of godliness
but denying the power
thereof"; so certainly there are those who in point of wisdom and
sufficiency that do little or nothing thoroughly
but magno conatu nugas
they make much ado about small matters; using all the perspectives of shifting
they can devise to make an empty superficies seem a body that hath depth
and bulk.—George Hakewill.
Verse
2. I will walk. Walking is a word often used in Holy
Scripture
and especially by our prophet in this book of the Psalms; yet more
often figuratively than properly. It shall not be amiss
then
out of the
property and nature of it
to consider the duties included and implied in it.
The natural acts of it
then
are three; motion
progress
and moderations.
As it includes motion
so is it opposed to lying
or standing
or sitting; as
it includes progress in motion
so is it opposed to jumping or capering
up and down in the same place; as it includes moderation
in a progressive
motion
so is it opposed to violent running.—George Hakewill.
Verse
2. I will walk within my house. Much
though not all of the
power of godliness
lies within doors. It is in vain to talk of holiness if we
can bring no letters testimonial from our holy walking with our relations. Oh
it is sad when they that have reason to know us best
by their daily converse
with us
do speak least for our godliness! Few so impudent as to come naked
into the streets: if men have anything to cover their haughtiness they will put
it on when they come abroad. But witat art thou within doors? What care and
conscience to discharge thy duty to thy near relations? He is a bad husband
that hath money to spend among company abroad
but none to lay in provisions to
keep his family at home. And can he be a good Christian that spends all his
religion abroad
and leaves none for his nearest relations at home? That is
a
great zealot among strangers
and little or nothing of God comes from him in
his family? Yea
it were well if some that gain the reputation of Christians
abroad
did not fall short of others that pretend not to profession in those
moral duties which they should perform to their relations. There are some who
are great strangers to profession
who yet are loving and kind in their way to
their wives. What kind of professors then are they who are dogged and currish
to the wife of their bosom? Who by their tyrannical lording it over them embitter
their spirit
and make them cover the Lord's altar with tears and weeping?
There are wives to be found that are not clamorous
peevish
and froward to
their husbands
who yet are far from a true work of grace in their hearts; do
they then walk as becomes holiness who trouble the whole house with their
violent passions? There are servants who from the authority of a natural
conscience
are kept from railing and reviling language
when reproved by their
masters
and shall not grace keep pace with nature? Holy David knew very well
how near this part of a saint's duty lies to the very heart of godliness; and
therefore
when he makes his solemn vow to walk holily before God
he
instanceth this
as one stage wherein he might eminently discover the graciousness
of his spirit; "I will walk within my house with a perfect heart."—William
Gurnall.
Verse
2. Within my house. It is easier for most men to walk with a
perfect heart in the church
or even in the world
than in their own
families. How many are as meek as lambs among others
when at home they are
wasps or tigers.—Adam Clarke.
Verse
2. Within my house with a perfect heart. Even in our best
directed establishments
as well as in private families
cultivation is still
in a great measure confined to intellect alone; and the direct exercise and
training of the moral and religious sentiments and affections are rarely
thought of as essential to their full and vigorous development. Moral precepts
are
no doubt
offered in abundance; but these address thelnselves chiefly to
the intellect. We must not be satisfied with merely exclaiming
"Be kind
just
and affectionate"
when perhaps at the very moment we are
counteracting the effect of the advice by our own opposite conduct. "She
told me not to lie"
said Guy Rivers in speaking of his mother
"and
she set me the example herself by frequently deceiving my father
and teaching
me to disobey and deceive him." Conduct like this is more common in real
life than is supposed
although generally less flagrant in degree. Parents and
teachers indeed too often forget that the sentiments feel and do not
reason
and that
consequently
even a stupid child may
by the instinctive
operation of its moral nature at once detect and revolt at the immorality of
practices
the true character of which its reason is unable to penetrate
or expose. It is one of the most effectual methods of cultivating and exciting
the moral sentiments in children
to set before them the manifestations of
these in our habitual conduct. . . . What kind of moral duties does the parent
encourage
who
recommending kindness
openness
and justice
tricks the
child into the confession of a fault
and then basely punishes it
having
previously promised forgiveness? And how is openness best encouraged—by
practising it in conduct
or by neglecting it in practice
and prescribing in
words. Is it to be cultivated by thrusting suspicions in the face of honest
intentions? And how is justice to be cultivated by a guardian who speaks
about it
recommends it
and in practice charges each of four pupils the
whole fare of a hackney-coach? Or what kind of moral education is that which
says
"Do as I bid you
and I will give you sweet-meats or money
or I
will tell your mama how good you were"
holding out the lowest and most selfish
propensities as the motives to moral conduct? Did space permit
I might indeed
pursue the whole round of moral and religious duties
and ask similar questions
at each. But it is needless. These examples will suffice; and I give them
not
as applicable generally either to parents or teachers
but simply as individual
instances from among both
which have come within the sphere of my own
knowledge
and which bear directly upon the principle under discussion.—Andrew
Combe
in "The Principles of Physiology"
1836.
Verse
3. Wicked thing. The original hath it
if we will render it
word for word
"I will set no word of Belial before mine eyes."
But word is figuratively there put for thing; as likewise Ps
41:8; and so is it rendered both by Montanus in the margin
and in the
text by Junius; howbeit
in his comment upon this psalm
he precisely
follows the original
applying it against sycophants and flatterers
the mice
and moths of court.—George Hakewill.
Verse
3. I hate the work of them that turn aside. Mr. Schultens
hath shown in his commentary on Pr 7:25 that hjv hath a much stronger and more
significant meaning than that of mere turning aside; and that it is used
of an unruly horse
that champs upon the bit through his fiery impatience; and
when applied to a bad man
denotes one impatient of all restraint
of unbridled
passions
and that is headstrong and ungovernable in the gratification of them
trampling on all the obligations of religion and virtue. Such as these are the
deserved objects of the hatred of all good men
whose criminal deviations and
presumptuous crimes they detest; none of which shall cleave to them;
they will not harbour the love of
or inclination to them
nor habitually
commit them
or encourage the practice of them. Persons of this character are
too frequently about the courts of princes
but it is their honour and
interest
as far as ever they can
to discountenance them.—Samuel Chandler.
Verse
3. It shall not cleave to me. A bird may light upon a man's
house; but he may choose whether she shall nestle or breed there
or no: and
the devil or his instruments may represent a wicked object to a man's sight;
but he may choose whether he will entertain or embrace it or no. For a man to
set wicked things before his eyes is nothing else but to sin of set purpose
to
set himself to sin
or to sell himself to sin
as Ahab did
1Ki 21:1-29.—George
Hakewill.
Verse
3. It shall not cleave to me. A wicked plan or purpose is
thus represented as having a tendency to fasten itself on a man
or to "stick
to him"—as pitch
or wax
or a burr does.—Albert Barnes.
Verse
4. A froward heart. The original sense of vqe is torsit
contorsit
to twist together
and denotes
when applied to men
persons of
a perverse
subtle disposition
that can twist and twine themselves into all
manner of shapes
and who have no truth and honour to be depended on.—Samuel
Chandler.
Verse
4. A froward heart. By which I understand "from-wardness"—giving
way to sudden impulses of anger
or quick conception
and casting it forth in
words or deeds of impetuous violence.—Thomas Chalmers.
Verse
5. Privily slandereth—literally
he that tongueth his
neighbour secretly. Will I not suffer
is properly
"him I cannot"
i.e.
cannot live with
cannot bear about me
as the same verb is used in
Isa 1:13.—Henry Cowles.
Verse
5. Him that hath an high look. Pride will sit and show itself
in the eyes as soon as anywhere. A man is seen what he is in oculis
in
poculis
in loculis (in his eyes
his cups
and his resorts) say the
Rabbins. See Pr 6:17.—John Trapp.
Verse
5. Proud heart. From bxr latus or dilatatus est
is the noun bxr
here
broad
or wide
or large; and being
applied to the heart or soul
it notes largeness of desires.—Henry
Hammond.
Verse
5. Detraction
ambition
and avarice are three weeds which spring
and flourish in the rich soil of a court. The psalmist declareth his resolution
to undertake the difficult task of eradicating them for the benefit of his
people
that Israelites might not be harassed by informers
or repressed by insolent
and rapacious ministers. Shall we imagine these vices less odious in the eyes
of that King whose character was composed of humilty and charity; or will
Christ admit those tempers into the court of heaven
which David determined to
exclude from his court upon earth?—George Horne.
Verses
5-10. Perfect
as prophetic of Christ
is the delineation of his
associates and disciples. The perverse; the evil-doers; the slanderers
and the
proud found no fellowship with him. There were no common principles; no bond of
union between them. There was "a gulph" interposed
as in the
parable
which they could not pass; and what they saw of Christ
they beheld
only from a distance. Nor even now
as then
can "the deceitful"
dwell in Christ's "house"—his holy temple; nor the man of "lies
be established" by his love and favour. They must renounce their vices
before they can be admitted to his covenant; or
however they may claim
communion with Him
he in return can have no sympathy with them.—William
Hill Tucker.
HINTS TO THE
VILLAGE PREACHER
Whole
Psalm. This is a psalm of wills and shalls. There are nine wills and
five shalls. Resolutions should be made
1.
With deliberation; not
therefore
upon trifling matters.
2. With reservation. "If the Lord will
"etc.
3. With dependence upon divine strength for their fulfilment.
—G.R.
Verse
1.—
1.
The sweet work that is resolved upon is to "sing."
2.
The sweet singer that thus resolves
namely
David
"l will sing."
3.
The sweet subject of the song
"mercy and judgment."
4.
The sweet object of this praise
and the manner in which he would sing
it—"Unto three
0 Lord
will I sing."
—Ralph
Ershikine.
Verse
1. What there is in mercy that affords ground of singing.
1.
The freeness and undeservedhess of mercy.
2.
The unexpectedness of mercy. When I was expecting a frown I got a smile; when I
was expecting nothing but wrath
I got a glance of love; instead of a stroke of
vengeance
I got a view of glory.
3.
The seasonablehess of mercy is a ground of singing—grace to help in time of
need.
4.
The greatness and riches of mercy make the recipiants there of sing.
5.
The sweetness of mercy makes them sing.
6.
The sureness and firmness of mercy make them sing—"The sure mercies of
David."
—From
Ralph Erskine's Sermon
entitled "The Militant's Song".
Verse
1.—
1.
The different conditions of the righteous man in this life. Not all mercy
nor
all judgment
but mercy and judgment.
2.
His one duty and privilege in reference to them: "I will sing
"etc.
(a)
Because they are both from God.
(b) Because they are both from love.
(c) Because they are both for present good.
(d) Because they are both preparative for the heavenly rest.
—G.R.
Verse
1. The blending of song with holy living. The bell of praise and the
pomegranate of holy fruitfulness should both adorn the Lord's priests.
Verse
2.
1.
The end desired: "To behave wisely
"etc.; consistency of conduct.
2.
The means employed: "When wilt thou come
"etc.; only when God is
with us we walk in a perfect way.
3.
The test proposed: "Within my house
"where I am most myself and am
best known.
—G.R.
Verse
2.—The wisdom of holiness.
1.
In selecting our sphere of duty.
2.
In timing
:arranging
and balancing duties.
3.
In managing others according to their tempers.
4.
In avoiding disputes with adversaries.
5.
In administering rebuke
giving alms
rendering advice
etc.; the blending of
the serpent with the dove.
Verse
2. —O when wilt thou come unto me? A devout ejaculation.
1.
Revealing the psalmist's need of the divine presence in order to holiness.
2.
His intense longing.
3.
His full expectation.
4.
His the rough appreciation of the condescending visit.
Verse
2 (last clause). Home piety. Its duty
excellence
influence
sphere
and reward. Note also the change of heart and firmness of purpose
necessary to it.
Verse
3.
1.
The sight of wickedness is to be avoided: "I will set no wicked thing
"etc.
2.
When seen it is to be loathed: "I Hate
"etc.
3.
When felt it is to be repudiated. It may touch me
but "it shall not cleave
to me."
Verse
4. The need of extreme care in the choice of our intimates.
Verse
5. The detestable nature of slander
hurting three persons at
once—the speaker
hearer
and person slandered.
Verse
6. The duty of believers who are wealthy to encourage and employ
persons of pious character.
Verse
8. The work of the great King when he comes in judgment.
WORKS UPON THE
HUNDRED AND FIRST PSALM
In
CHANDLER's "Life of David"
Vol. II
pp. 16-20
there is an
Exposition of this Psalm. "King David's Vow for Reformation of Himselfe
his Family
his Kingdome. Delivered in twelve sermons before the Prince his
Highhesse vpon Psalme 101. By GEORGE HAKEWlLL
Dr. in Diuinity. London 1622."
── C.H. Spurgeon《The Treasury of David》