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Psalm One
Hundred Eighteen
Psalm 118
Chapter Contents
It is good to trust in the Lord. (1-18) The coming of
Christ in his kingdom. (19-29)
Commentary on Psalm 118:1-18
(Read Psalm 118:1-18)
The account the psalmist here gives of his troubles is
very applicable to Christ: many hated him without a cause; nay
the Lord
himself chastened him sorely
bruised him
and put him to grief
that by his
stripes we might be healed. God is sometimes the strength of his people
when
he is not their song; they have spiritual supports
though they want spiritual
delights. Whether the believer traces back his comfort to the everlasting
goodness and mercy of God
or whether he looks forward to the blessing secured
to him
he will find abundant cause for joy and praise. Every answer to our
prayers is an evidence that the Lord is on our side; and then we need not fear
what man can do unto us; we should conscientiously do our duty to all
and
trust in him alone to accept and bless us. Let us seek to live to declare the
works of God
and to encourage others to serve him and trust in him. Such were
the triumphs of the Son of David
in the assurance that the good pleasure of
the Lord should prosper in his hand.
Commentary on Psalm 118:19-29
(Read Psalm 118:19-29)
Those who saw Christ's day at so great a distance
saw
cause to praise God for the prospect. The prophecy
verses 22
23
may refer to David's preferment;
but principally to Christ. 1. His humiliation; he is the Stone which the
builders refused: they would go on in their building without him. This proved
the ruin of those who thus made light of him. Rejecters of Christ are rejected
of God. 2. His exaltation; he is the chief Cornerstone in the foundation. He is
the chief Top-stone
in whom the building is completed
who must
in all
things
have the pre-eminence. Christ's name is Wonderful; and the redemption
he wrought out is the most amazing of all God's wondrous works. We will rejoice
and be glad in the Lord's day; not only that such a day is appointed
but in
the occasion of it
Christ's becoming the Head. Sabbath days ought to be
rejoicing days
then they are to us as the days of heaven. Let this Saviour be
my Saviour
my Ruler. Let my soul prosper and be in health
in that peace and
righteousness which his government brings. Let me have victory over the lusts
that war against my soul; and let Divine grace subdue my heart. The duty which
the Lord has made
brings light with it
true light. The duty this privilege
calls for
is here set forth; the sacrifices we are to offer to God in
gratitude for redeeming love
are ourselves; not to be slain upon the altar
but living sacrifices
to be bound to the altar; spiritual sacrifices of prayer
and praise
in which our hearts must be engaged. The psalmist praises God
and
calls upon all about him to give thanks to God for the glad tidings of great
joy to all people
that there is a Redeemer
even Christ the Lord. In him the
covenant of grace is made sure and everlasting.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Psalms》
Psalm 118
Verse 10
[10] All
nations compassed me about: but in the name of the LORD will I destroy them.
Nations —
The neighbouring nations
Philistines
Syrians
Ammonites
Moabites
who were
stirred up
by the overthrows which David had given some of them
by their
jealousy at his growing greatness
and by their hatred against the true
religion.
Verse 11
[11] They compassed me about; yea
they compassed me about: but in the name of
the LORD I will destroy them.
Yea —
The repetition implies their frequency and fervency in this action.
Verse 12
[12] They
compassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in
the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
Bees — ln
great numbers.
Thorns —
Which burns fiercely
but quickly spends itself.
Verse 13
[13] Thou
hast thrust sore at me that I might fall: but the LORD helped me.
Thou — O
mine enemy. The singular word is here put collectively for all his enemies.
Verse 14
[14] The LORD is my strength and song
and is become my salvation.
Salvation — My
Saviour.
Verse 15
[15] The
voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the
right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.
Doth valiantly —
These are the words of that song of praise now mentioned.
Verse 16
[16] The
right hand of the LORD is exalted: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.
Exalted —
Hath appeared evidently
and wrought powerfully and gloriously.
Verse 19
[19] Open
to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them
and I will praise the
LORD:
Open — O
ye porters
appointed by God for this work.
The gates — Of
the Lord's tabernacle: where the rule of righteousness was kept and taught
and
the sacrifices of righteousness were offered.
Verse 20
[20] This
gate of the LORD
into which the righteous shall enter.
The righteous — As
David was a type of Christ and the temple of heaven
so this place hath a
farther prospect than David
and relates to Christ's ascending into heaven
and
opening the gates of that blessed temple
both for himself and for all
believers.
Verse 22
[22] The
stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
The builders —
The commonwealth of Israel and the church of God are here and elsewhere
compared to a building
wherein
as the people are the stones
so the princes
and rulers are the builders. And as these master-builders rejected David
so
their successors rejected Christ.
Head stone —
The chief stone in the whole building
by which the several parts of the
building are upheld and firmly united together. Thus David united all the
tribes and families of Israel: and thus Christ united Jews and Gentiles
together. And therefore this place is justly expounded of Christ
Mark 12:10; Acts 4:11; Romans 9:32; Ephesians 2:20. And to him the words agree more
properly than to David.
Verse 24
[24] This
is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Made — Or
sanctified as a season never to be forgotten.
Verse 25
[25] Save
now
I beseech thee
O LORD: O LORD
I beseech thee
send now prosperity.
We — These seem to be the
words of the Levites
to whom he spake verse 19.
Verse 26
[26]
Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of
the house of the LORD.
Blessed — We
pray that God would bless his person and government.
Cometh — To
the throne; or from his Father into the world: who is known by the name of him
that cometh or was to come
and of whom this very word is used
Genesis 49:10; Isaiah 35:4.
Name — By
commission from him.
We — We who are the Lord's
ministers attending upon him in his house
and appointed to bless in his name
Numbers 6:23; Deuteronomy 10:8. So these are the words of the
priests.
Verse 27
[27] God
is the LORD
which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords
even
unto the horns of the altar.
The Lord —
Or
The mighty God
as this name of God signifies
and as he shewed himself to
be by this
his wonderful work.
Who —
Who hath scattered our dark clouds
and put us into a state of peace
and
safety
and happiness.
The horns —
These are supposed to he made for this very use
that the beasts should be
bound and killed there. These three last verses are David's words.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Psalms》
Exposition
Explanatory Notes and
Quaint Sayings
Hints to the Village
Preacher
Other Works
AUTHOR AND
SUBJECT. In the book Ezr 3:10-11
we read that "when the builders
laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord
they set the priests in their
apparel with trumpets
and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals
to
praise he Lord
after the ordinance of David king of Israel. And they sang
together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord; because he is
good
for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted
with a great shout
when they praised the Lord
because the foundation of the
house of the Lord was laid." Now the words mentioned in Ezra are the first
and last sentences of this Psalm
and we therefore conclude that the people
chanted the whole of this sublime song; and
moreover
that the use of this
composition on such occasions was ordained by David
whom we conceive to be its
author. The next step leads us to believe that he is its subject
at least in
some degree; for it is clear that the writer is speaking concerning himself in
the first place
though he may not have strictly confined himself to all the
details of his our personal experience. That the Psalmist had a prophetic view
of our Lord Jesus is very manifest; the frequent quotations from this song in
the New Testament prove this beyond all questions; but at the same time it
could not have been intended that every particular line and sentence should be
read in reference to the Messiah
for this requires very great ingenuity
and
ingenious interpretations are seldom true. Certain devout expositors have
managed to twist the expression of Ps 118:17
"I shall not die
but live
"so as to make it applicable to our Lord
who did actually die
and whose
glory it is that he died; but we cannot bring our minds to do such violence to
the words of holy writ.
The
Psalm
seems to us to describe either David or some other man of God who was
appointed by the divine choice to a high and honourable office in Israel. This
elect champion found himself rejected by his friends and fellow countrymen
and
at the same time violently opposed by his enemies. In faith in God he battles for
his appointed place
and in due time he obtains it in such a way as greatly to
display the power and goodness of the Lord. He then goes up to the house of the
Lord to offer sacrifice
and to express his gratitude for the divine
interposition
all the people blessing him
and wishing him abundant
prosperity. This heroic personage
whom we cannot help thinking to be David
himself
broadly typified our Lord
but not in such a manner that in all the
minutiae of his struggles and prayers we are to hunt for parallels. The
suggestion of Alexander that the speaker is a typical individual representing
the nation
is exceedingly well worthy of attention
but it is not inconsistent
with the idea that a personal leader may be intended
since that which
describes the leader will be in a great measure true of his followers. The
experience of the Head is that of the members
and both may be spoken of in
much the same terms. Alexander thinks that the deliverance celebrated cannot be
identified with any one so exactly as with that from the Babylonian exile; but
we judge it best to refer it to no one incident in particular
but to regard it
as a national song
adapted alike for the rise of a chosen here
and the
building of a temple. Whether a nation is founded again by a conquering prince
or a temple founded by the laying of its cornerstone in joyful state
the Psalm
is equally applicable.
DIVISION. We propose to
divide this Psalm thus
from Ps 118:1-4 the faithful are called upon to magnify
the everlasting mercy of the Lord; from Ps 118:5-18 the Psalmist gives forth a
narrative of his experience
and an expression of his faith; in Ps 118:19-21 he
asks admittance into the house of the Lord
and begins the acknowledgment of
the divine salvation. In Ps 118:22-27 the priests and people recognize their
ruler
magnify the Lord for him
declare him blessed
and bid him approach the
altar with his sacrifice. In Ps 118:28-29 the grateful hero himself exalts God
the ever merciful.
EXPOSITION
Verse
1. O give thanks unto the LORD. The grateful hero feels that
he cannot himself alone sufficiently express his thankfulness
and therefore he
calls in the aid of others. Grateful hearts are greedy of men's tongues
and
would monopolize them all for God's glory. The whole nation was concerned in
David's triumphant accession
and therefore it was right that they should unite
in his adoring song of praise. The thanks were to be rendered unto Jehovah
alone
and not to the patience or valour of the hero himself. It is always well
to trace our mercies to him who bestows them
and if we cannot give him
anything else
let us at any rate give him our thanks. We must not stop short
at the second agent
but rise at once to the first cause
and render all our
praises unto the Lord himself. Have we been of a forgetful or murmuring
spirit? Let us hear the lively language of the text
and allow it to speak to
our hearts: "Cease your complaining
cease from all self glorification
and give thanks unto the Lord."
For
he is good. This is reason enough for giving him thanks; goodness is his
essence and nature
and therefore he is always to be praised whether we are
receiving anything from him or not. Those who only praise God because he does
them good should rise to a higher note and give thanks to him because he is
good. In the truest sense he alone is good
"There is none good but
one
that is God"; therefore in all gratitude the Lord should have the
royal portion. If others seem to be good
he is good. If others are good
in a measure
he is good beyond measure. When others behave badly to us
it
should only stir us up the more heartily to give thanks unto the Lord because
he is good; and when we ourselves are conscious that we are far from being
good
we should only the more reverently bless him that "he is good."
We must never tolerate an instant's unbelief as to the goodness of the Lord;
whatever else may be questionable
this is absolutely certain
that Jehovah is
good; his dispensations may vary
but his nature is always the same
and always
good. It is not only that he was good
and will be good
but he is good;
let his providence be what it may. Therefore let us even at this present
moment
though the skies be dark with clouds
yet give thanks unto his name.
Because
his mercy endureth for ever. Mercy is a great part of his goodness
and
one which more concerns us than any other
for we are sinners and have need of
his mercy. Angels may say that he is good
but they need not his mercy and
cannot therefore take an equal delight in it; inanimate creation declares that he
is good
but it cannot feel his mercy
for it has never
transgressed; but man
deeply guilty and graciously forgiven
beholds mercy as
the very focus and centre of the goodness of the Lord. The endurance of the
divine mercy is a special subject for song: notwithstanding our sins
our
trials
our fears
his mercy endureth for ever. The best of earthly joys
pass away
and even the world itself grows old and hastens to decay
but there
is no change in the mercy of God; he was faithful to our forefathers
he is
merciful to us
and will be gracious to our children and our children's
children. It is to be hoped that the philosophical interpreters who endeavour
to clip the word "for ever"
into a mere period of time will have the
goodness to let this passage alone. However
whether they do or not
we shall
believe in endless mercy—mercy to eternity. The Lord Jesus Christ
who is the
grand incarnation of the mercy of God
calls upon us at every remembrance of
him to give thanks unto the Lord
for "he is good."
Verse
2. Let Israel now say
that his mercy endureth for ever. God
had made a covenant with their forefathers
a covenant of mercy and love
and
to that covenant he was faithful evermore. Israel sinned in Egypt
provoked the
Lord in the wilderness
went astray again and again under the judges
and
transgressed at all times; and yet the Lord continued to regard them as his
people
to favour them with his oracles
and to forgive their sins. He speedily
ceased from the chastisements which they so richly deserved
because he had a
favour towards them. He put his rod away the moment they repented
because his
heart was full of compassion. "His mercy endureth for ever" was
Israel's national hymn
which
as a people
they had been called upon to sing
upon many former occasions; and now their leader
who had at last gained the
place for which Jehovah had destined him
calls upon the whole nation to join
with him in extolling
in this particular instance of the divine goodness
the
eternal mercy of the Lord. David's success was mercy to Israel
as well as
mercy to himself. If Israel does not sing
who will? If Israel does not sing of
mercy
who can? If Israel does not sing when the Son of David ascends the
throne
the very stones will cry out.
Verse
3. Let the house of Aaron now say
that his mercy endureth for
ever. The sons of Aaron were specially set apart to come nearest to God
and it was only because of his mercy that they were enabled to live in the
presence of the thrice holy Jehovah
who is a consuming fire. Every time the
morning and evening lamb was sacrificed
the priests saw the continual mercy of
the Lord
and in all the holy vessels of the sanctuary
and all its services
from hour to hour
they had renewed witness of the goodness of the Most High.
When the high priest went in unto the holy place and came forth accepted
he
might
above all men
sing of the eternal mercy. If this Psalm refers to David
the priests had special reason for thankfulness on his coming to the throne
for Saul had made a great slaughter among them
and had at various times
interfered with their sacred office. A man had now come to the throne who for
their Master's sake would esteem them
give them their dues
and preserve them
safe from all harm. Our Lord Jesus
having made all his people priests unto
God
may well call upon them in that capacity to magnify the everlasting mercy
of the Most High. Can any one of the royal priesthood be silent?
Verse
4. Let them now that fear the LORD say
that his mercy endureth
for ever. If there were any throughout the world who did not belong to
Israel after the flesh
but nevertheless had a holy fear and lowly reverence of
God
the Psalmist calls upon them to unite with him in his thanksgiving
and to
do it especially on the occasion of his exaltation to the throne; and this is
no more than they would cheerfully agree to do
since every good man in the
world is benefited when a true servant of God is placed in a position of honour
and influence. The prosperity of Israel through the reign of David was a
blessing to all who feared Jehovah. A truly God fearing man will have his eye
much upon God's mercy
because he is deeply conscious of his need of it
and
because that attribute excites in him a deep feeling of reverential awe.
"There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared." In the
three exhortations
to Israel
to the house of Aaron
and to them that fear the
Lord
there is a repetition of the exhortation to say
"that his
mercy endureth for ever." We are not only to believe
but to declare the
goodness of God; truth is not to be hushed up
but proclaimed. God would have
his people act as witnesses
and not stand silent in the day when his honour is
impugned. Specially is it our joy to speak out to the honour and glory of God
when we think up
in the exaltation of his dear Son. We should shout
"Hosannah
"and sing loud "Hallelujahs" when we behold the
stone which the builders rejected lifted into its proper place.
In
each of the three exhortations notice carefully the word "now."
There is no time like time present for telling out the praises of God. The
present exaltation of the Son of David now demands from all who are the
subjects of his kingdom continual songs of thanksgiving to him who hath set him
on high in the midst of Zion. Now with us should mean always. When would
it be right to cease from praising God
whose mercy never ceases? The fourfold
testimonies to the everlasting mercy of God which are now before us speak like
four evangelists
each one declaring the very pith and marrow of the gospel;
and they stand like four angels at the four corners of the earth holding the
winds in their hands
restraining the plagues of the latter days that the mercy
and long suffering of God may endure towards the sons of men. Here are four cords
to bind the sacrifice to the four horns of the altar
and four trumpets with
which to proclaim the year of jubilee to every quarter of the world. Let not
the reader pass on to the consideration of the rest of the Psalm until he has
with all his might lifted up both heart and voice to praise the Lord
"for
his mercy endureth for ever."
"Let
us with a gladsome mind
Praise the Lord
for he is kind;
For his mercies shall endure
Ever faithful
ever sure."
Verse
5. I called upon the LORD in distress
or
"out of
anguish I invoked Jah." Nothing was left him but prayer
his agony was too
great for aught beside; but having the heart and the privilege to pray he
possessed all things. Prayers which come out of distress generally come out of
the heart
and therefore they go to the heart of God. It is sweet to recollect
our prayers
and often profitable to tell others of them after they are heard.
Prayer may be bitter in the offering
but it will be sweet in the answering.
The man of God had called upon the Lord when he was not in distress
and
therefore he found it natural and easy to call upon him when he was in
distress. He worshipped he praised
he prayed: for all this is included in
calling upon God
even when he was in a straitened condition. Some read the original
"a narrow gorge"; and therefore it was the more joy to him when he
could say "The Lord answered me
and set me in a large place." He
passed out of the defile of distress into the well watered plain of delight. He
says
"Jah heard me in a wide place
"for God is never shut up
or
straitened. In God's case hearing means answering
hence the translators
rightly put
"The Lord answered me
"though the original word is "heard."
The answer was appropriate to the prayer
for he brought him out of his narrow
and confined condition into a place of liberty where he could walk at large
free from obstruction and oppression. Many of us can join with the Psalmist in
the declarations of this verse; deep was our distress on account of sin
and we
were shut up as in a prison under the law
but in answer to the prayer of faith
we obtained the liberty of full justification wherewith Christ makes men free
and we are free indeed. It was the Lord who did it
and unto his name we
ascribe all the glory; we had no merits
no strength
no wisdom
all we could
do was to call upon him
and even that was his gift; but the mercy which is to
eternity came to our rescue
we were brought out of bondage
and we were made
to delight ourselves in the length and breadth of a boundless inheritance. What
a large place is that in which the great God has placed us! All things are
ours
all times are ours
all places are ours
for God himself is ours; we have
earth to lodge in and heaven to dwell in
—what larger place can be imagined? We
need all Israel
the whole house of Aaron
and all them that fear the Lord
to
assist us in the expression of our gratitude; and when they have aided us to
the utmost
and we ourselves have done our best
all will fall short of the
praises that are due to our gracious Lord.
Verse
6. The LORD is on my side
or
he is "for me." Once
his justice was against me
but now he is my reconciled God
and engaged on my
behalf. The Psalmist naturally rejoiced in the divine help; all men turned
against him
but God was his defender and advocate
accomplishing the divine
purposes of his grace. The expression may also be translated "to me
"that is to say
Jehovah belongs to me
and is mine. What infinite wealth
is here! If we do not magnify the Lord we are of all men most brutish. I will
not fear. He does not say that he should not suffer
but that he would not
fear: the favour of God infinitely outweighed the hatred of men
therefore
setting the one against the other he felt that he had no reason to be afraid.
He was calm and confident
though surrounded with enemies
and so let all
believers be
for thus they honour God. What can man do unto me? He can do
nothing more than God permits; at the very uttermost he can only kill the body
but he hath no more that he can do. God having purposed to set his servant upon
the throne
the whole race of mankind could do nothing to thwart the divine
decree: the settled purpose of Jehovah's heart could not be turned aside
nor
its accomplishment delayed
much less prevented
by the most rancorous
hostility of the most powerful of men. Saul sought to slay David
but David
outlived Saul
and sat upon his throne. Scribe and Pharisee
priest and
Herodian
united in opposing the Christ of God
but he is exalted on high none
the less because of their enmity. The mightiest man is a puny thing when he
stands in opposition to God
yea
he shrinks into utter nothingness. It were a
pity to be afraid of such a pitiful
miserable
despicable object as a man
opposed to the almighty God. The Psalmist here speaks like a champion throwing
down the gauntlet to all comers
defying the universe in arms; a true Bayard
without fear and without reproach
he enjoys God's favour
and he defies every
foe.
Verse
7. The LORD taketh my part with them that help me. Jehovah
condescended to be in alliance with the good man and his comrades; his God was
not content to look on
but he took part in the struggle. What a consolatory
fact it is that the Lord takes our part
and that when he raises up friends for
us he does not leave them to fight for us alone
but he himself as our chief
defender deigns to come into the battle and wage war on our behalf. David
mentioned those that helped him
he was not unmindful of his followers; there
is a long record of David's mighty men in the book of Chronicles
and this
teaches us that we are not to disdain or think little of the generous friends
who rally around us; but still our great dependence and our grand confidence
must be fixed upon the Lord alone. Without him the strong helpers fail; indeed
apart from him in the sons of men there is no help; but when our gracious
Jehovah is pleased to support and strengthen those who aid us
they become
substantial helpers to us. Therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate
me. The words
"my desire
"are added by the translators; the
Psalmist said
"I shall look upon my haters: I shall look upon them in the
face
I shall make them cease from their contempt
I shall myself look down
upon them instead of their looking down upon me. I shall see their defeat
I
shall see the end of them." Our Lord Jesus does at this moment look down
upon his adversaries
his enemies are his footstool; he shall look upon them at
his second coming
and at the glance of his eyes they shall flee before him
not being able to endure that look with which he shall read them through and
through.
Verse
8. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in
man. It is better in all ways
for first of all it is wiser: God is
infinitely more able to help
and more likely to help
than man
and therefore
prudence suggests that we put our confidence in him above all others. It is
also morally better to do so
for it is the duty of the creature to trust in
the Creator. God has a claim upon his creatures' faith
he deserves to be
trusted; and to place our reliance upon another rather than upon himself
is a
direct insult to his faithfulness. It is better in the sense of safer
since we
can never be sure of our ground if we rely upon mortal man
but we are always
secure in the hands of our God. It is better in its effect upon ourselves: to
trust in man tends to make us mean
crouching
dependent; but confidence in God
elevates
produces a sacred quiet of spirit
and sanctifies the soul. It is
moreover
much better to trust in God
as far as the result is concerned; for
in many cases the human object of our trust fails from want of ability
from
want of generosity
from want of affection
or from want of memory; but the
Lord
so far from falling
does for us exceeding abundantly above all that we
ask or even think. This verse is written out of the experience of many who have
first of all found the broken reeds of the creature break under them
and have
afterwards joyfully found the Lord to be a solid pillar sustaining all their
weight.
Verse
9. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in
princes. These should be the noblest of men
chivalrous in character
and
true to the core. The royal word should be unquestionable. They are noblest in
rank and mightiest in power
and yet as a rule princes are not one whit more
reliable than the rest of mankind. A gilded vane turns with the wind as readily
as a meaner weathercock. Princes are but men
and the best of men are poor
creatures. In many troubles they cannot help us in the least degree: for
instance
in sickness
bereavement
or death; neither can they assist us one
jot in reference to our eternal state. In eternity a prince's smile goes for
nothing; heaven and hell pay no homage to royal authority. The favour of princes
is proverbially fickle
the testimonies of worldlings to this effect are
abundant. All of us remember the words put by the world's great poet into the
lips of the dying Wolsey; their power lies in their truth:
"O
how wretched
Is that poor man that hangs on princes' favours!
There is betwixt that smile we would aspire to
That sweet aspect of princes
and their ruin
More pangs and fears than wars or women have;
And when he falls
he falls like Lucifer
Never to hope again."
Yet
a prince's smile has a strange witchery to many hearts
few are proof against
that tuft hunting which is the index of a weak mind. Principle has been
forgotten and character has been sacrificed to maintain position at court; yea
the manliness which the meanest slave retains has been basely bartered for the
stars and garters of a profligate monarch. He who puts his confidence in God
the great King
is thereby made mentally and spiritually stronger
and rises to
the highest dignity of manhood; in fact
the more he trusts the more is he
free
but the fawning sycophant of greatness is meaner than the dirt he treads
upon. For this reason and a thousand others it is infinitely better to trust in
the Lord than to put confidence in princes.
Verse
10. All nations compassed me about. The hero of the Psalm
while he had no earthly friend upon whom he could thoroughly rely
was
surrounded by innumerable enemies
who heartily hated him. He was hemmed in by
his adversaries
and scarce could find a loophole of escape from the bands
which made a ring around him. As if by common consent all sorts of people set
themselves against him
and yet he was more than a match for them all
because
he was trusting in the name of the Lord. Therefore does he joyfully accept the
battle
and grasp the victory
crying
but in the name of the LORD will I
destroy them
or "cut them in pieces." They thought to destroy him
but he was sure of destroying them;they meant to blot out his name
but
he expected to render not only his own name but the name of the Lord his God
more illustrious in the hearts of men. It takes grand faith to be calm in the
day of actual battle
and especially when that battle waxes hot; but our hero
was as calm as if no fight was raging. Napoleon said that God was always on the
side of the biggest battalions
but the Psalmist warrior found that the Lord of
hosts was with the solitary champion
and that in his name the battalions were
cut to pieces. There is a grand touch of the ego in the last sentence
but it is so overshadowed with the name of the Lord that there is none too much
of it. He recognized his own individuality
and asserted it: he did not sit
still supinely and leave the work to be done by God by some mysterious means;
but he resolved with his own trusty sword to set about the enterprise
and so
become in God's hand the instrument of his own deliverance. He did all in the
name of the Lord
but he did not ignore his own responsibility
nor screen
himself from personal conflict
for he cried
"I will destroy
them." Observe that he does not speak of merely escaping from them like a
bird out of the snare of the fowler
but he vows that he will carry the war
into his enemies' ranks
and overthrow them so thoroughly that there should be
no fear of their rising up a second time.
Verse
11. They compassed me about; yea
they compassed me about. He
had such a vivid recollection of his danger that his enemies seem to live again
in his verses. We see their fierce array
and their cruel combination of
forces. They made a double ring
they surrounded him in a circle of many ranks
they not only talked of doing so
but they actually shut him up and enclosed
him as within a wall. His heart had vividly realized his position of peril at
the time
and now he delights to call it again to mind in order that he may the
more ardently adore the mercy which made him strong in the hour of conflict
so
that he broke through a troop
yea
swept a host to destruction. But in the
name of the LORD will I destroy them. I will subdue them
get them under my
feet
and break their power in pieces. He is as certain about the destruction
of his enemies as he was assured of their having compassed him about. They made
the circle three and four times deep
but for all that he felt confident of
victory. It is grand to hear a man speak in this fashion when it is not
boasting
but the calm declaration of his heartfelt trust in God.
Verse
12. They compassed me about like bees. They seemed to be
everywhere
like a swarm of bees
attacking him at every point; nimbly flying
from place to place
stinging him meanwhile
and inflicting grievous pain. They
threatened at first to baffle him: what weapon could he use against them? They
were so numerous
so inveterate; so contemptible
yet so audacious; so
insignificant and yet so capable of inflicting agony
that to the eye of reason
there appeared no possibility of doing anything with them. Like the swarm of
flies Egypt
there was no standing against them; they threatened to sting a man
to death with their incessant malice
their base insinuations
their dastardly
falsehoods. He was in an evil case
but even there faith availed. All powerful
faith adapts itself to all circumstances
it can cast out devils
and it can
drive out bees. Surely
if it outlives the sting of death
it will not die from
the sting of a bee. They are quenched as the fire of thorns. Their fierce
attacks soon came to an end
the bees lost their stings and the buzz of the
swarm subsided; like thorns which blaze with fierce crackling and abundant
flame
but die out in a handful of ashes very speedily
so did the nations
which surrounded our hero soon cease their clamour and come to an inglorious
end. They were soon hot and soon cold
their attack was as short as it was
sharp. He had no need to crush the bees
for like crackling thorns they died
out of themselves. For a third time he adds
for in the name of the Lord will I
destroy them
or "cut them down
"as men cut down thorns with a
scythe or reaping hook. What wonders have been wrought in the name of the Lord!
It is the battle cry of faith
before which its adversaries fly apace.
"The sword of the Lord and of Gideon" brings instant terror into the
midst of the foe. The name of the Lord is the one weapon which never fails in
the day of battle: he who knows how to use it may chase a thousand with his
single arm. Alas! we too often go to work and to conflict in our own name
and
the enemy knows it not
but scornfully asks
"Who are ye?" Let us
take care never to venture into the presence of the foe without first of all
arming ourselves with this impenetrable mail. If we knew this name better
and
trusted it more
our life would be more fruitful and sublime.
"Jesus
the name high over all
In hell
or earth
or sky
Angels and men before it fall
And devils fear and fly."
Verse
13. Thou hast thrust sore at me
"Thrusting
thou hast
thrust at me." It is a vigorous apostrophe
in which the enemy is
described as concentrating all his thrusting power into the thrusts which he
gave to the man of God. He thrust again and again with the keenest point
even
as bees thrust their stings into their victim. The foe had exhibited intense
exasperation
and fearful determination
nor had he been without a measure of
success; wounds had been given and received
and these smarted much
and were
exceeding sore. Now
this is true of many a tried child of God who has been
wounded by Satan
by the world
by temptation
by affliction; the sword has
entered into his bones
and left its mark. That I might fall. This was the
object of the thrusting: to throw him down
to wound him in such a way that he
would no longer be able to keep his place
to make him depart from his
integrity
and lose his confidence in God. If our adversaries can do this they
will have succeeded to their heart's content: if we fall into grievous sin they
will be better pleased than even if they had sent the bullet of the assassin
into our heart
for a moral death is worse than a physical one. If they can
dishonour us
and God in us
their victory will be complete. "Better death
than false of faith" is the motto of one of our noble houses
and it may
well be ours. It is to compass our fall that they compass us; they fill us with
their venom that they may fill us with their sin. But the Lord helped me; a
blessed "but." This is the saving clause. Other helpers were unable
to chase away the angry nations
much less to destroy all the noxious swarms;
but when the Lord came to the rescue the hero's single arm was strong enough to
vanquish all his adversaries. How sweetly can many of us repeat in the
retrospect of our past tribulations this delightful sentence
"But the
Lord helped me." I was assailed by innumerable doubts and fears
but the Lord helped me; my natural unbelief was terribly inflamed by the
insinuations of Satan
but the Lord helped me; multiplied trial were rendered
more intense by the cruel assaults of men
and I knew not what to do
but the
Lord helped me. Doubtless
when we land on the hither shore of Jordan
this
will be one of our songs
"Flesh and heart were failing me
and the
adversaries of my soul surrounded me in the swellings of Jordan
but the Lord
helped me. Glory be unto his name."
Verse
14. The LORD my strength and song
my strength while I was in
the conflict
my song now that it is ended; my strength against the strong
and
my song over their defeat. He is far from boasting of his own valour; he
ascribes his victory to its real source
he has no song concerning his own
exploits
but all his peans are unto Jehovah Victor
the Lord whose
right hand and holy arm had given him the victory. And is become my salvation.
The poet warrior knew that he was saved
and he not only ascribed that
salvation unto God
but he declared God himself to be his salvation. It is an
all comprehending expression
signifying that from beginning to end
in the
whole and in the details of it
he owed his deliverance entirely to the Lord.
Thus can all the Lord's redeemed say
"Salvation is of the Lord." We
cannot endure any doctrine which puts the drown upon the wrong head and defrauds
the glorious King of his revenue of praise. Jehovah has done it all; yea; in
Christ Jesus he is all
and therefore in our praises let him alone be
extolled. It is a happy circumstance for us when we can praise God as alike our
strength
song
and salvation; for God sometimes gives a secret strength to his
people
and yet they question their own salvation
and cannot
therefore
sing
of it. Many are
no doubt
truly saved
but at times they have so little
strength
that they are ready to faint
and therefore they cannot sing: when
strength is imparted and salvation is realised then the song is clear and full.
Verse
15. The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of
the righteous. They sympathised in the delight of their leader and they
abode in their tents in peace
rejoicing that one had been raised up who
in
the name of the Lord
would protect them from their adversaries. The families
of believers are happy
and they should take pains to give their happiness a
voice by their family devotion. The dwelling place of saved men should be the
temple of praise; it is but righteous that the righteous should praise the
righteous God
who is their righteousness. The struggling hero knew that the
voice of woe and lamentation was heard in the tents of his adversaries
for
they had suffered severe defeat at his hands; but he was delighted by the
remembrance that the nation for whom he had struggled would rejoice from one
end of the land to the other at the deliverance which God had wrought by his
means. That hero of heroes
the conquering Saviour
gives to all the families
of his people abundant reasons for incessant song now that he has led captivity
captive and ascended up on high. Let none of us be silent in our households: if
we have salvation let us have joy
and if we have joy let us give it a tongue
wherewith it may magnify the Lord. If we hearken carefully to the music which
comes from Israel's tents
we shall catch a stanza to this effect
the right
hand of the Lord doeth valiantly: Jehovah has manifested his strength
given
victory to his chosen champion
and overthrown all the armies of the foe.
"The Lord is a man of war
the Lord is his name." When he comes to
blows
woe to his mightiest opponent.
Verse
16. The right hand of the LORD is exalted
lifted up to smite
the enemy
or extolled and magnified in the eyes of his people. It is the
Lord's right hand
the hand of his skill
the hand of his greatest power
the
hand which is accustomed to defend his saints. When that is lifted up
it lifts
up all who trust in him
and it casts down all who resist him. The right hand
of the Lord doeth valiantly. The Psalmist speaks in triplets
for he is
praising the triune God
his heart is warm and he loves to dwell upon the note;
he is not content with the praise he has rendered
he endeavours to utter it
each time more fervently and more jubilantly than before. He had dwelt upon the
sentence
"they compassed me about
"for his peril from encircling
armies was fully realised; and now he dwells upon the valour of Jehovah's right
hand
for he has as vivid a sense of the presence and majesty of the Lord. How
seldom is this the case: the Lord's mercy is forgotten and only the trial is
remembered.
Verse
17. I shall not die
but live. His enemies hoped that he would
die
and perhaps he himself feared he should perish at their hand: the news of
his death may have been spread among his people
tor the tongue of rumour is
ever ready with ill news
the false intelligence would naturally cause great
sorrow and despondency
but he proclaims himself as yet alive and as confident
that he shall not fall by the hand of the destroyer. He is cheerfully assured
that no arrow could carry death between the joints of his harness
and no
weapon of any sort could end his career. His time had not yet come
he felt
immortality beating within his bosom. Perhaps he had been sick
and brought to
death's door
but he had a presentiment that the sickness was not unto death
but to the glory of God. At any rate
he knew that he should not so die as to
give victory to the enemies of God; for the honour of God and the good of his
people were both wrapped up in his continued success. Feeling that he would
live he devoted himself to the noblest of purposes: he resolved to bear witness
to the divine faithfulness
and declare the works of the LORD. He determined to
recount the works of Jah; and he does so in this Psalm
wherein he dwells with
love and admiration upon the splendour of Jehovah's prowess in the midst of the
fight. While there is a testimony for God to be borne by us to any one
it is
certain that we shall not be hurried from the land of the living. The Lord's
prophets shall live on in the midst of famine
and war
and plague
and
persecution
till they have uttered all the words of their prophecy; his
priests shall stand at the altar unharmed till their last sacrifice has been
presented before him. No bullet will find its billet in our hearts till we have
finished our allotted period of activity
"Plagues
and deaths around me fly
Till he please I cannot die:
Not a single shaft can hit
Till the God of love sees fit."
Verse
18. The LORD hath chastened me sore. This is faith's version
of the former passage
"Thou hast thrust sore at me; "for the attacks
of the enemy are chastisements from the hand of God. The devil tormented Job
for his own purposes
but in reality the sorrows of the patriarch were
chastisements from the Lord. "Chastening
Jah hath chastened me
"says our poet: as much as to say that the Lord had smitten him very
severely
and made him sorrowfully to know the full weight of his rod. The Lord
frequently appears to save his heaviest blows for his best beloved ones; if any
one affliction be more painful than another it falls to
the lot of those whom
he most distinguishes in his service. The gardener prunes his best roses with
most care. Chastisement is sent to keep successful saints humble
to make them
tender towards others
and to enable them to bear the high honours which their
heavenly Friend puts upon them. But he hath not given me over unto death. This
verse
like the thirteenth
concludes with a blessed "but
"which
constitutes a saving clause. The Psalmist felt as if he had been beaten within
an inch of his life
but yet death did not actually ensue. There is always a
merciful limit to the scourging of the sons of God. Forty stripes save one were
all that an Israelite might receive
and the Lord will never allow that one
that killing stroke
to fall upon his children. They are "chastened
but
not killed"; their pains are for their instruction
not for their
destruction. By these things the ungodly die
but gracious Hezekiah could say
"By these things men live
and in all these things is the life of my
spirit." No
blessed be the name of God
he may chastise us
but he will
not condemn us; we must feel the smarting rod
but we shall not feel the
killing sword. He does not give us over unto death at any time
and we may be
quite sure that he has not done so while he condescends to chasten us
for if
he intended our final rejection he would not take the pains to place us under
his fatherly discipline. It may seem hard to be under the afflicting rod
but
it would be a far more dreadful thing if the Lord were to say
"He is
given unto idols
let him alone." Even from our griefs we may distil
consolation
and gather sweet flowers from the garden in which the Lord has
planted salutary rue and wormwood. It is a cheering fact that if we endure
chastening God dealeth with us as with sons
and we may well be satisfied with
the common lot of his beloved family. The hero
restored to health
and rescued
from the dangers of battle
now lifts up his own song unto the Lord
and asks
all Israel
led on by the goodly fellowship of the priests
to assist him in
chanting a joyful Te Deum.
Verse
20. This gate of the LORD
into which the righteous shall enter.
Psalmist loves the house of God so well that he admires the very gate thereof
and pauses beneath its arch to express his affection for it. He loved it
because it was the gate of the Lord
he loved it because it was the gate of
righteousness
because so many godly people had already entered it
and because
in all future ages such persons will continue to pass through its portals. If
the gate of the Lord's house on earth is so pleasant to us
how greatly shall
we rejoice when we pass that gate of pearl
to which none but the righteous
shall ever approach
but through which all the just shall in due time enter to
eternal felicity. The Lord Jesus has passed that way
and not only set the gate
wide open
but secured an entrance for all those who are made righteous in his
righteousness: all the righteous must and shall enter there
whoever may oppose
them. Under another aspect our Lord is himself that gate
and through him
as
the new and living Way
all the righteous delight to approach unto the Lord.
Whenever we draw near to praise the Lord we must come by this gate; acceptable
praise never climbs over the wall
or enters by any other way
but comes to God
in Christ Jesus; as it is written
"no man cometh unto the Father but by
me." Blessed
for ever blessed
be this wondrous gate of the person of our
Lord.
Verse
21. Having entered
the champion exclaims
I will praise thee
not "I will praise the Lord
"for now he vividly realizes the divine
presence
and addresses himself directly to Jehovah
whom his faith sensibly
discerns. How well it is in all our songs of praise to let the heart have
direct and distinct communion with God himself! The Psalmist's song was
personal praise too:—"I will praise thee"; resolute praise
for he firmly resolved to offer it; spontaneous praise
for he voluntarily and
cheerfully rendered it
and continuous praise
for he did not intend soon to
have done with it. It was a life long vow to which there would never come a
close
"I will praise thee." For thou hast heard me
and art become
my salvation. He praises God by mentioning his favours
weaving his song out of
the divine goodness which he had experienced. In these words he gives the
reason for his praise
—his answered prayer
and the deliverance which he had
received in consequence. How fondly he dwells upon the personal interposition
of God! "Thou hast heard me." How heartily he ascribes the
whole of his victory over his enemies to God; nay
he sees God himself to be
the whole of it: "Thou art become my salvation." It is well to
go directly to God himself
and not to stay even in his mercy
or in the acts
of his grace. Answered prayers bring God very near to us; realised salvation
enables us to realise the immediate presence of God. Considering the extreme
distress through which the worshipper had passed
it is not at all wonderful
that he should feel his heart full of gratitude at the great salvation which
God had wrought for him
and should at his first entrance into the temple lift
up his voice in thankful praise for personal favours so great
so needful
so
perfect. This passage (Ps 118:22-27) will appear to be a mixture of the
expressions of the people and of the hero himself.
Verse
22. The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone
of the corner. Here the people magnify God for bringing his chosen servant
into the honourable office
which had been allotted to him by divine decree. A
wise king and valiant leader is a stone by which the national fabric is built
up. David had been rejected by those in authority
but God had placed him in a
position of the highest honour and the greatest usefulness
making him the
chief cornerstone of the state. In the case of many others whose early life has
been spent in conflict
the Lord has been pleased to accomplish his divine
purposes in like manner; but to none is this text so applicable as to the Lord
Jesus himself: he is the living stone
the tried stone
elect
precious
which
God himself appointed from of old. The Jewish builders
scribe
priest
Pharisee
and Herodian
rejected him with disdain. They could see no excellence
in him that they should build upon him; he could not be made to fit in with
their ideal of a national church
he was a stone of another quarry from
themselves
and not after their mind nor according to their taste; therefore
they cast him away and poured contempt upon him
even as Peter said
"This
is the stone which was set at nought of you builders"; they reckoned him
to be as nothing
though he is Lord of all. In raising him from the dead the
Lord God exalted him to be the head of his church
the very pinnacle of her
glory and beauty. Since then he has become the confidence of the Gentiles
even
of them that are afar off upon the sea
and thus he has joined the two walls of
Jew and Gentile into one stately temple
and is seen to be the binding
cornerstone
making both one. This is a delightful subject for contemplation.
Jesus in all things hath the preeminence
he is the principal stone of the whole
house of God. We are accustomed to lay some one stone of a public building with
solemn ceremony
and to deposit in it any precious things which may have been
selected as a memorial of the occasion: henceforth that cornerstone is looked
upon as peculiarly honourable
and joyful memories are associated with it. All
this is in a very emphatic sense true of our blessed Lord
"The Shepherd
the Stone of Israel." God himself laid him where he is
and hid within him
all the precious things of the eternal covenant; and there he shall for ever
remain
the foundation of all our hopes
the glory of all our joys
the united
bond of all our fellowship. He is "the head over all things to the church
"and by him the church is fitly framed together
and groweth unto a holy
temple in the Lord. Still do the builders refuse him: even to this day the
professional teachers of the gospel are far too apt to fly to any and every new
philosophy sooner than maintain the simple gospel
which is the essence of
Christ: nevertheless
he holds his true position amongst his people
and the
foolish builders shall see to their utter confusion that his truth shall be
exalted over all. Those who reject the chosen stone will stumble against him to
their own hurt
and ere long will come his second advent
when he will fall
upon them from the heights of heaven
and grind them to powder.
Verse
23. This is the LORD'S doing. The exalted position of Christ
in his church is not the work of man
and does not depend for its continuation
upon any builders or ministers; God himself has wrought the exaltation of our
Lord Jesus. Considering the opposition which comes from the wisdom
the power
and the authority of this world
it is manifest that if the kingdom of Christ
be indeed set up and maintained in the world it must be by supernatural power.
Indeed
it is so even in the smallest detail. Every grain of true faith in this
world is a divine creation
and every hour in which the true church subsists is
a prolonged miracle. It is not the goodness of human nature
nor the force of
reasoning
which exalts Christ
and builds up the church
but a power from
above. This staggers the adversary
for he cannot understand what it is which
baffles him: of the Holy Ghost He knows nothing. It is marvellous in our eyes.
We actually see it; it is not in our thoughts and hopes and prayers alone
but
the astonishing work is actually before our eyes. Jesus reigns
his power is
felt
and we perceive that it is so. Faith sees our great Master
far above all
principality
and power
and might
and dominion
and every name that is named
not only in this world
but also in that which is to come; she sees and
marvels. It never ceases to astonish us
as we see
even here below
God by
means of weakness defeating power
by the simplicity of his word baffling the
craft of men
and by the invisible influence of his Spirit exalting his Son in
human hearts in the teeth of open and determined opposition. It is indeed
"marvellous in our eyes
"as all God's works must be if men care to
study them. In the Hebrew the passage reads
"It is wonderfully
done": not only is the exaltation of Jesus of Nazareth itself
wonderful
but the way in which it is brought about is marvellous: it is
wonderfully done. The more we study the history of Christ and his church the
more fully shall we agree with this declaration.
Verse
24. This is the day which the LORD hath made. A new era has
commenced. The day of David's enthronement was the beginning of better times
for Israel; and in a far higher sense the day of our Lord's resurrection is a
new day of God's own making
for it is the dawn of a blessed dispensation. No
doubt the Israelitish nation celebrated the victory of its champion with a day
of feasting
music and song; and surely it is but meet that we should reverently
keep the feast of the triumph of the Son of David. We observe the Lord's day as
henceforth our true Sabbath
a day made and ordained of God
for the perpetual
remembrance of the achievements of our Redeemer. Whenever the soft Sabbath
light of the first day of the week breaks upon the earth
let us sing
"This
is the day the Lord hath made
He calls the hours his own;
Let heaven rejoice
let earth be glad
And praise surround the throne."
We
by no means wish to confine the reference of the passage to the Sabbath
for
the whole gospel day is the day of God's making
and its blessings come to us
through our Lord's being placed as the head of the corner. We will rejoice and
be glad in it. What else can we do? Having obtained so great a deliverance through
our illustrious leader
and having seen the eternal mercy of God so brilliantly
displayed
it would ill become us to mourn and murmur. Rather will we exhibit a
double joy
rejoice in heart and be glad in face
rejoice in secret and be glad
in public
for we have more than a double reason for being glad in the Lord. We
ought to be specially joyous on the Sabbath: it is the queen of days
and its
hours should be clad in royal apparel of delight. George Herbert says of it:
"Thou
art a day of mirth
And where the weekdays trail on ground
Thy flight is higher as thy birth."
Entering
into the midst of the church of God
and beholding the Lord Jesus as all in all
in the assemblies of his people
we are bound to overflow with joy. Is it not
written
"then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord"? When
the King makes the house of prayer to be a banqueting house
and we have grace
to enjoy fellowship with him
both in his sufferings and in his triumphs
we
feel an intense delight
and we are glad to express it with the rest of his
people.
Verse
25. Save now
I beseech thee
O LORD. Hosanna! God save our
king! Let David reign! Or as we who live in these latter days interpret it
—Let
the Son of David live for ever
let his saving help go forth throughout all
nations. This was the peculiar shout of the feast of tabernacles; and so long
as we dwell here below in these tabernacles of clay we cannot do better than
use the same cry. Perpetually let us pray that our glorious King may work
salvation in the midst of the earth. We plead also for ourselves that the Lord
would save us
deliver us
and continue to sanctify us. This we ask with great
earnestness
beseeching it of Jehovah. Prayer should always be an entreating
and beseeching. O LORD
I beseech thee
send now prosperity. Let the church be
built up: through the salvation of sinners may the number of the saints be
increased; through the preservation of saints may the church be strengthened
continued
beautified
perfected. Our Lord Jesus himself pleads for the
salvation and the prosperity of his chosen; as our Intercessor before the
throne he asks that the heavenly Father would save and keep those who were of
old committed to his charge
and cause them to be one through the indwelling
Spirit. Salvation had been given
and therefore it is asked for. Strange though
it may seem
he who cries for salvation is already in a measure saved. None can
so truly cry
"Save
I beseech thee
"as those who have already
participated in salvation; and the most prosperous church is that which most
imploringly seeks prosperity. It may seem strange that
returning from victory
flushed with triumph
the hero should still ask for salvation; but so it is
and it could not be otherwise. When all our Saviour's work and warfare were ended
his intercession became even more prominently a feature of his life; after he
had conquered all his foes he made intercession for the transgressors. What is
true of him is true of his church also
for whenever she obtains the largest
measure of spiritual blessing she is then most inclined to plead for more. She
never pants so eagerly for prosperity as when she sees the Lord's doings in her
midst
and marvels at them. Then
encouraged by the gracious visitation
she
sets apart her solemn days of prayer
and cries with passionate desire
"Save now
"and "Send now prosperity." She would fain take
the tide at the flood
and make the most of the day of which the Lord has
already made so much.
Verse
26. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the LORD. The champion
had done everything "in the name of the Lord": in that name he had
routed all his adversaries
and had risen to the throne
and in that name he
had now entered the temple to pay his vows. We know who it is that cometh in
the name of the Lord beyond all others. In the Psalmist's days he was The
Coming One
and he is still The Coming One
though he hath already come. We are
ready with our hosannas both for his first and second advent; our inmost souls
thankfully adore and bless him and upon his head unspeakable joys. "Prayer
also shall be made for him continually: and daily shall he be praised."
For his sake everybody is blessed to us who comes in the name of the Lord
we
welcome all such to our hearts and our homes; but chiefly
and beyond all others
we welcome himself when he deigns to enter in and sup with us and we
with him. O sacred bliss
fit antepast of heaven! Perhaps this sentence is
intended to be the benediction of the priests upon the valiant servant of the
Lord
and if so
it is appropriately added
We have blessed you out of the
house of the LORD. The priests whose business it was to bless the people
in a
sevenfold degree blessed the people's deliverer
the one chosen out of the
people whom the Lord had exalted. All those whose high privilege it is to dwell
in the house of the Lord for ever
because they are made priests unto God in
Christ Jesus
can truly say that they bless the Christ who has made them what
they are
and placed them where they are. Whenever we feel ourselves at home with
God
and feel the spirit of adoption
whereby we cry
"Abba Father
"the first thought of our hearts should be to bless the elder Brother
through whom the privilege of sonship has descended to such unworthy ones. In
looking back upon our past lives we can remember many delightful occasions in
which with joy unutterable we have in the fulness of our heart blessed our
Saviour and our King; and all these memorable seasons are so many foretastes
and pledges of the time when in the house of our great Father above we shall
for ever sing
"Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
"and with rapture
bless the Redeemer's name.
Verse
27. God is the LORD
which hath shewed us light
or "God
is Jehovah
"the only living and true God. There is none other God but he.
The words may also be rendered
"Mighty is Jehovah." Only the power
of God could have brought us such light and joy as spring from the work of our
Champion and King. We have received light
by which we have known the rejected
stone to be the head of the corner
and this light has led us to enlist beneath
the banner of the once despised Nazarene
who is now the Prince of the kings of
the earth. With the light of knowledge has come the light of joy; for we are
delivered from the powers of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God's
dear Son. Our knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ came
not by the light of nature
nor by reason
nor did it arise from the sparks
which we ourselves had kindled
nor did we receive it of men; but the mighty God
alone hath showed it to us. He made a day on purpose that he might shine upon
us like the sun
and he made our faces to shine in the light of that day
according to the declaration of the twenty-fourth verse. Therefore
unto him be
all the honour of our enlightenment. Let us do our best to magnify the great
Father of lights from whom our present blessedness has descended. "Bind
the sacrifice with cords
even unto the horns of the altar. Some think that by
this we are taught that the king offered so many sacrifices that the whole area
of the court was filled
and the sacrifices were bound even up to the altar;
but we are inclined to keep to our own version
and to believe that sometimes
restive bullocks were bound to the altar before they were slain
in which case
Mant's verse is correct":
"He
Jehovah
is our Lord:
He
our God
on us hath shined:
Bind the sacrifice with cord
To the horned altar bind."
The
word rendered "cords" carries with it the idea of wreaths and boughs
so that it was not a cord of hard
rough rope
but a decorated band; even as in
our case
though we are bound to the altar of God
it is with the cords of love
and the bands of a man
and not by a compulsion which destroys the freedom of
the will. The sacrifice which we would present in honour of the victories of
our Lord Jesus Christ is the living sacrifice of our spirit
soul
and body. We
bring ourselves to his altar
and desire to offer him all that we have and are.
There remains a tendency in our nature to start aside from this; it is not fond
of the sacrificial knife. In the warmth of our love we come willingly to the
altar
but we need constraining power to keep us there in the entirety of our
being throughout the whole of life. Happily there is a cord which
twisted
around the atonement
or
better still
around the person of our Lord Jesus
Christ
who is our only Altar
can hold us
and does hold us: "For the
love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge
that if one died for
all
then all died; and that he died for all
that they that live should not
henceforth live unto themselves
but unto him which died for them
and rose
again." We are bound to the doctrine of atonement; we are bound to Christ
himself
who is both altar and sacrifice; we desire to be more bound to him
than ever
our soul finds her liberty in being tethered fast to the altar of
the Lord. The American Board of Missions has for its seal an ox
with an altar
on one side and a plough on the other
and the motto "Ready for either
"—ready to live and labour
or ready to suffer and die. We would gladly
spend ourselves for the Lord actively
or be spent by him passively
whichever
may be his will; but since we know the rebellion of our corrupt nature we
earnestly pray that we may be kept in this consecrated mind
and that we may
never
under discouragements
or through the temptations of the world
be
permitted to leave the altar
to which it is our intense desire to be for ever
fastened. Such consecration as this
and such desires for its perpetuity
well
beseem that day of gladness which the Lord hath made so bright by the glorious
triumph of his Son
our covenant head
our well beloved. Now comes the closing
song of the champion
and of each one of his admirers.
Verse
28. Thou art my God
and I will praise thee
my mighty God who
hath done this mighty and marvellous thing. Thou shalt be mine
and all the
praise my soul is capable of shall be poured forth at thy feet. Thou art my
God
I will exalt thee. Thou hast exalted me
and as far as my praises can do
it
I will exalt thy name. Jesus is magnified
and he magnifies the Father
according to his prayer
"Father
the hour is come; glorify thy Son
that
thy Son also may glorify thee." God hath given us grace and promised us
glory
and we are constrained to ascribe all grace to him
and all the glory of
it also. The repetition indicates a double determination
and sets forth the
firmness of the resolution
the heartiness of the affection
the intensity of
the gratitude. Our Lord Jesus himself saith
"I will praise thee";
and well may each one of us
humbly and with confidence in divine grace
add
on his own account
the same declaration
"I will praise
thee." However others may blaspheme thee
I will exalt thee; however dull
and cold I may sometimes feel myself
yet will I rouse up my nature
and
determine that as long as I have any being that being shall be spent to thy
praise. For ever thou art my God
and for ever I will give thee thanks.
Verse
29. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy
endureth for ever. The Psalm concludes as it began
making a complete
circle of joyful adoration. We can well suppose that the notes at the close of
the loud hallelujah were more swift
more sweet
more loud than at the
beginning. To the sound of trumpet and harp
Israel
the house of Aaron
and
all that feared the Lord
forgetting their distinctions
joined in one common
hymn
testifying again to their deep gratitude to the Lord's goodness
and to
the mercy which is unto eternity. What better close could there be to this
right royal song? The Psalmist would have risen to something higher
so as to
end with a climax
but nothing loftier remained. He had reached the height of
his grandest argument
and there he paused. The music ceased
the song was
suspended
the great hallel was all chanted
and the people went every one to
his own home
quietly and happily musing upon the goodness of the Lord
whose
mercy fills eternity.
EXPLANATORY
NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Whole
Psalm. This is the last of those Psalms which form the great Hallel
which the Jews sang at the end of the passover. Adam Clarke.
Whole
Psalm. The whole Psalm has a peculiar formation. It resembles the Maschal
Psalms
for each verse has of itself its completed sense
its own scent and
hue; one thought is joined to another as branch to branch and flower to flower.
Franz Delitzsch.
Whole
Psalm. Nothing can surpass the force and majesty
as well as the richly
varied beauty
of this Psalm. Its general burden is quite manifest. It is the
prophetic expression
by the Spirit of Christ
of that exultant strain of
anticipative triumph
wherein the virgin daughter of Zion will laugh to scorn
in the immediate prospect of her Deliverer's advent
the congregated armies of
the Man of Sin (Ps 118:10-13). Arthur Pridham.
Whole
Psalm. The two Psalms
117th and 118th
are placed together because
though each is a distinct portion in itself
the 117th is an exordium to that
which follows it
an address and an invitation to the Gentile and heathen world
to acknowledge and praise Jehovah.
We
are now arrived at the concluding portion of the hymn
which Christ and his
disciples sung preparatory to their going forth to the Mount of Olives. Nothing
could be more appropriate or better fitted to comfort and encourage
at that
awful period
than a prophecy which
overleaping the suffering to be endured
showed forth the glory that was afterwards to follow
and a song of triumph
then only recited
but in due time to be literally acted
when the cross was to
be succeeded by a crown. This Psalm is not only frequently quoted in the New
Testament
but it was also partially applied at one period of our Saviour's
sojourn on earth
and thus we are afforded decisive testimony to the purpose
for which it is originally and prophetically destined. It was partially used at
the time when Messiah
in the days of his humiliation
was received with
triumph and acclamation into Jerusalem; and we may conclude it will be fully
enacted
when our glorified and triumphant Lord
coming with ten thousand of
his saints
will again stand upon the earth and receive the promised
salutation
"Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of Jehovah."
This dramatic representation of Messiah coming in glory
to take his great
power and reign among us
is apportioned to the chief character
"the King
of kings and Lord of lords
"to his saints following him in procession
and to priests and Levites
representing the Jewish nation.
The
Conqueror and his attendants sing the 117th Psalm
an introductory hymn
inviting all
Jews and Gentiles
to share in the merciful kindness of God
and
to sing his praises. It is a gathering together of all the Lord's people
to be
witnesses and partakers of his glory. Ps 118:1-3 are sung by single voices. As
the procession moves along
the theme of rejoicing is announced. The first
voice repeats
O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his
mercy endureth for ever. Another single voice calls on Israel to
acknowledge this great truth; and a third invites the house of Aaron
the
priesthood
to acknowledge their share in Jehovah's love. Ps 118:4 is a chorus;
the whole procession
the living: and the dead who are raised to meet Christ
(1Th 4:16)
shout aloud the burden of the song
Ps 118:1. Arrived at the temple
gate
or rather
the gate of Jerusalem
the Conqueror alone sings
Ps 118:5-7.
He begins by recounting the circumstances of his distress. Next
he tells of
his refuge: I betook me to God
I told him my sorrows
and he heard me. The
procession
in chorus
sings Ps 118:8-9
taking up the substance of Messiah's
chaunt
and fully echoing the sentiment
It is better to trust in the LORD
than to put confidence in princes. The Conqueror alone again sings Ps
118:10-14. He enlarges on the magnitude of his dangers
and the hopelessness of
his situation. It was not a common difficulty
or a single enemy
whole nations
compassed him about. The procession in chorus
Ps 118:15-16
attributes their
Lord's gloat deliverance to his righteous person
and to his righteous cause.
Justice and equity and truth
all demanded that Messiah should not be trodden
down. "Was it not thine arm
O Jehovah
which has gotten thee the
victory?" Messiah now takes up the language of a conqueror
Ps 118:17-19.
My sufferings were sore
but they were only for a season. I laid down my life
and I now take it up again: and then
with a loud voice
as when he roused
Lazarus out of the grave
he cries to those within the walls
Open to me the
gates of righteousness: I will go into them
and I will praise the LORD. The
priests and Levites within instantly obey his command
and while they throw
open the gates
they sing
This is the gate of the LORD
into which the
righteous shall enter. As he enters
the Conqueror alone repeats Ps 118:21.
His sorrows are ended
his victory is complete. The objects for which he lived
and died
and for which his prayers were offered
are now fulfilled
and thus
in a few short words
he expresses his joy and gratitude to God. The priests
and Levites sing in chorus Ps 118:22-24. Depositaries and expounders of the
prophecies as they had long been
they now
for the first time
quote and apply
one
Isa 28:16
which held a conspicuous place
but never before was
intelligible to Jewish ears. "The man of sorrows
"the stone which
the builders refused
is become the headstone of the corner. The Conqueror is
now within the gates
and proceeds to accomplish his good purpose
Lu 1:68. Hosannah
save thy people
O LORD
and send them now prosperity
Ps 118:25. The
priests and Levites are led by the Spirit to use the words foretold by our
Lord
Mt 28:39. Now at length the veil is removed
and his people say
Blessed
be he that cometh in the name of the Lord
Ps 118:26. The Conqueror and his
train (Ps 118:27) now praise God
who has given light and deliverance and
salvation
and they offer to him the sacrifice of thanksgiving for all that
they enjoy. The Conqueror alone (Ps 118:28) next makes a solemn acknowledgment
of gratitude and praise to Jehovah
and then
all being within the gates
the
united body
triumphant procession
priests and Levites
end
as they
commenced
O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy
endureth for ever. R. H. Ryland
in "The Psalms restored to Messiah
"1853.
Whole
Psalm. It was Luther's favourite Psalm
his beauteous Confitemini
which "had helped him out of what neither emperor nor king
nor any other
man on earth
could have helped him." With the exposition of this his
noblest jewel
his defence and his treasure
he occupied himself in the
solitude of his Patmos (Coburg). Franz Delitzsch.
Whole
Psalm. This is my Psalm
my chosen Psalm. I love them all; I love all
holy Scripture
which is my consolation and my life. But this Psalm is nearest
my heart
and I have a peculiar right to call it mine. It has saved me from
many a pressing danger
from which nor emperor
nor kings
nor sages
nor
saints
could have saved me. It is my friend; dearer to me than all the honours
and power of the earth... But it may be objected
that this Psalm is common to
all; no one has a right to call it his own. Yes; but Christ is also common to
all
and yet Christ is mine. I am not jealous of my property; I would divide it
with the whole world... And would to God that all men would claim the Psalm as
especially theirs! It would be the most touching quarrel
the most agreeable to
God—a quarrel of union and perfect charity. Luther. From his Dedication of
his Translation of Psalm 118 to the Abbot Frederick of Nuremberg.
Verse
1. For he is good. The praise of God could not be expressed
in fewer words than these
"For he is good." I see not what
can be more solemn than this brevity
since goodness is so peculiarly the
quality of God
that the Son of God himself when addressed by some one as
"Good Master
"by one
namely
who beholding his flesh
and
comprehending not the fulness of his divine nature
considered him as man only
replied
"Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one
that is
God." And what is this but to say
If you wish to call me good
recognize
me as God? Augustine.
Verse
1. His mercy endureth for ever. What the close of Psalm 117
says of God's truth
viz.
that it endureth for ever
Ps 118:1-4 says of its
sister
his mercy or lovingkindness. Franz Delitzsch.
Verses
1-4. As the salvation of the elect is one
and the love of God to them
one
so should their song be one
as here four several times it is said
His
mercy endureth for ever. David Dickson.
Verses
1-4. Because we hear the sentence so frequently repeated here
that "the
mercy of the Lord endureth for ever
"we are not to think that the
Holy Spirit has employed empty tautology
but our great necessity demands it:
for in temptations and dangers the flesh begins to doubt of the mercy of God;
therefore nothing should be so frequently impressed on the mind as this
that
the mercy of God does not fail
that the Eternal Father wearies not in
remitting our sins. Solomon Gesner.
Verse
2. Let Israel now say. Albeit all the elect have interest in
God's praise for mercies purchased by Christ unto them
yet the elect of Israel
have the first room in the song; for Christ is first promised to them
and came
of them according to the flesh
and will be most marvellous about them. David
Dickson.
Verse
2. Let Israel now say
that his mercy endureth for ever. Let
such who have had an experience of it
acknowledge and declare it to others;
not only believe it with their hearts
and privately give thanks for it
but
with the mouth make confession of it to the glory of divine grace. John
Gill.
Verse
2-4. Now. Beware of delaying. Delays be dangerous
our hearts will
cool
and our affections will fall down. It is good then to be doing while it
is called today
while it is called now. Now
now
now
saith David; there be three nows
and all to teach us that for aught we know
it is now or never
today or not at all; we must praise God while the
heart is hot
else our iron will cool. Satan hath little hope to prevail unless
he can persuade us to omit our duties when the clock strikes
and therefore his
skill is to urge us to put it off till another time as fitter or better. Do it
anon
next hour
next day
next week (saith he); and why not next year?
Hereafter (saith he) it will be as well as now. This he saith indeed
but his
meaning (by hereafter) is never: and he that is not fit today
hath no promise
but he shall be more unapt tomorrow. We have neither God nor our own hearts at
command; and when we have lost the opportunity
God to correct us perhaps will
not give us affections. The cock within shall not crow to awaken us
the sun shall
not shine
and then we are in danger to give over quite; and if we come once to
a total omission of one duty
why not of another
and of another
and so of
all? and then farewell to us. Richard Capel (1586-1656) in
"Tentations
their Nature
Danger
Cure."
Verse
4. Them that fear the LORD. Who were neither of "the
house of Aaron
"that is
of the priests or Levites; nor of "the
house of Israel
"that is
native Jews; yet might be of the Jewish
religion
and "fear the LORD." These were called proselytes
and are here invited to praise the Lord. Joseph Caryl.
Verse
4. God's mercy endureth for ever. That is
his covenant
mercy
that precious church privilege: this is perpetual to his people
and
should perpetually remain as a memorial in our hearts. And therefore it is that
this is the foot or burden of these first four verses. Neither is there any
idle repetition
but a notable expression of the saints' insatiableness of
praising God for his never failing mercy. These heavenly birds having got a
note
sing it over and over. In the last Psalm there are but six verses
yet
twelve Hallelujahs. Abraham Wright.
Verse
5. Perhaps Ps 118:5
which says
I called upon the LORD in
distress (literally
out of the narrow gorge)
and the LORD answered me
on the open plain—which describes the deliverance of Israel from their
captivity
—may have been sung as they defiled from a narrow ravine into the
plain; and when they arrived at the gate of the temple
then they broke forth
in full chorus into the words
"Open to me the gates of
righteousness" (Ps 118:19). Christopher Wordsworth.
Verse
5. It is said
I called upon the LORD. Thou must learn to
call
and not to sit there by thyself
and lie on the bench
hang and shake thy
head
and bite and devour thyself with thy thoughts; but come on
thou indolent
knave
down upon thy knees
up with thy hands and eyes to heaven
take a Psalm
or a prayer
and set forth thy distress with tears before God. Martin
Luther.
Verse
5. The LORD answered me
and set me in a large place. It may
be rendered
The LORD answered me largely;as he did Solomon
when he
gave him more than he asked for; and as he does his people
when he gives them
a sufficiency and an abundance of his grace; not only above their deserts
but
above their thoughts and expectations. See Eph 3:20. John Gill.
Verse
6. The LORD is on my side. The reason which the Psalmist
gives here for his trusting
or for his not fearing
is the great fact
that
the Lord is on his side; and the prominent idea which this brings before us is Alliance;
the making common cause
which the great God undoubtedly does
with
imperfect
yet with earnest
trusting man. We know very well the great anxiety
shown by men
in all their worldly conflicts
to secure the aid of a powerful
ally; in their lawsuits
to retain the services of a powerful advocate; or
in
their attempts at worldly advancement
to win the friendship and interest of
those who can further the aims they have in view. When Herod was highly
displeased with the armies of Tyre and Sidon
they did not venture to approach
him until they had made Blastus
the king's chamberlain
their friend. If such
and such a person be on their side
men think that all must go well. Who so
well off as he who is able to say
The LORD is on my side? Philip
Bennet Power
in "The I Will's of the Psalms
" 1861.
Verse
6. God is with those he calls and employs in public service. Joshua
was exhorted to be strong and of good courage
"For the Lord thy God is
with thee" (Jos 1:9). So also was Jeremiah
"Be not afraid of their
faces; for I am with thee to deliver thee" (Jer 1:8). God's presence
should put life into us. When inferior natures are backed with a superior
they
are full of courage: when the master is by
the dog will venture upon creatures
greater than himself and fear not; at another time he will not do it when his
master is absent. When God is with us
who is the supreme
it should make us
fearless. It did David; The LORD is on my side; I will not fear what man can
do unto me. Let him do his worst
frown
threat
plot
arm
strike; the
Lord is on my side
he hath a special care for me
he is a shield unto me
I
will not fear
but hope; as it is in the next verse. "I shall see my
desire on them that hate me
"I shall see them changed or ruined. Our help
is in the name of the Lord
but our fears are in the name of man. William
Green hill.
Verse
6. I will not fear. David
(or God's people
if you will
)
being taught by experience
exults in great confidence
but does not say
the
Lord is my helper
and I shall suffer no more
knowing that while he is a
pilgrim here below he will have much to suffer from his daily enemies; but he
says
The LORD is my helper
I will not fear what man can do unto me. Robert
Bellarmine.
Verse
6. Man does not here mean a man
but mankind
or man as
opposed to God. Joseph Addison
Alexander.
Verse
8. It may perhaps be considered beneath the dignity and solemnity of
our subject to remark
that this 8th verse of this Psalm is the middle verse of
the Bible. There are
I believe
31
174 verses in all
and this is the
15
587th. I do not wish
nor would I advise you to occupy your time in counting
for yourselves
nor should I indeed have noticed the subject at all
but that I
wish to suggest one remark upon it
and that is
that though we may generally
look upon such calculations as only laborious idleness
—and they certainly have
been carried to the most minute dissection of every part of Scripture
such as
to how many times the word "Lord
"the word "GOD
" and
even the word "and
"occurs
—yet I believe that the integrity of the
holy volume owes a vast deal to this scruple weighing of these calculators. I
do not say
nor do I think
that they had such motives in their minds; but
whatever their reasons were
I cannot but think that there was an overruling
Providence in thus converting these trifling and apparently useless
investigations into additional guards and fences around the sacred text. Barton
Bouchier.
Verse
8. It is better to trust in the LORD
etc. Luther on this
text calleth it
artem artium
et mirificam
ac suam artem
non fidere
hominibus
that is
the art of arts
and that which he had well studied
not to put confidence in man: as for trust in God
he calleth it sacrificium
omnium gratissimum et suavissimum
et cultum omnium pulcherrimum
the most
pleasant and sweetest of all sacrifices
the best of all services we perform to
God. John Trapp.
Verse
8. It is better to trust in the LORD. All make this
acknowledgment
and yet there is scarcely one among a hundred who is fully persuaded
that God alone can afford him sufficient help. That man has attained a high
rank among the faithful
who resting satisfied in God
never ceases to
entertain a lively hope
even when he finds no help upon earth. John Calvin.
Verse
8. It is a great cause oftentimes why God blesseth not means
because we are so apt to trust in them
and rob God of his glory
not waiting
for a blessing at his hands. This causeth the Lord to cross us
and to curse
his own benefits
because we seek not him
but sacrifice to our own nets
putting confidence in outward means. Therefore when we hope for help from them
God bloweth upon them
and turneth them to our hurt and destruction. Abraham
Wright.
Verse
8. When my enemies have been brought to contempt
let not my friend present
himself unto me as a good man
and bid me repose my hope in himself; for still
must I trust in the Lord alone. Augustine.
Verses
8-9. Nothing is more profitable than dwelling on familiar truths. Was
there ever a good man who did not believe that it was better to trust in
Jehovah than rely on any created arm? Yet David here repeats this truth
that
if possible it may sink deep into every mind. William S. Plumer.
Verse
9. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in
princes. David knew that by experience
for he confided in Saul his king
at another time in Achish
the Philistine
at another time in Ahithophel his
own most prudent minister
besides some others; and they all failed him; but he
never confided in God without feeling the benefit of it. Robert Bellarmine.
Verse
9. It is better
etc. Literally
"Good is it to trust in
Jehovah more than to confide in man." This is the Hebrew form of
comparison
and is equivalent to what is stated in our version. "It is better
"etc. It is better
(1) because man is weak
—but God is Almighty; (2)
because man is selfish
—but God is benevolent; (3) because man is often
faithless and deceitful
—God never; (4) because there are emergencies
as
death
in which man cannot aid us
however faithful
kind
and friendly he may
be
—but there are no circumstances in this life
and none in death
where God
cannot assist us; and (5) because the ability of man to help us pertains at
best only to the present life
—the power of God will be commensurate with eternity.
Albert Barnes.
Verse
9. Than to put confidence in princes. Great men's words
saith one
are like dead men's shoes; he may go barefoot that waiteth for them.
John Trapp.
Verse
9. They who constantly attend upon God
and depend upon him
have a
much sweeter life
than those that wait upon princes with great observance and
expectation. A servant of the Lord is better provided for than the greatest
favourites and minions of princes. Thomas Manton.
Verse
11. Whether Tertullus persecute the church with his tongue
or Elymas
with his hand
God hath the command of both. Indeed the wicked are the mediate
causes of our troubles: the righteous are as the centre
the other the
circumference; which way soever they turn
they find themselves environed; yet
still the centre is fixed and immovable
being founded upon Christ. It is good
for some men to have adversaries; for often they more fear to sin
lest they
should despise them
than dislike it for conscience
lest God should condemn
them. They speak evil of us: if true
let us amend it; if false
contemn it;
whether false or true
observe it. Thus we shall learn good out of their evil;
make them our tutors
and give them our pupillage. In all things let us match
them
in nothing fear them: "which is to them an evident token of
perdition
but to us of salvation
"Php 1:28. The church is that tower of
David; if there be a thousand weapons to wound us
there are a thousand shields
to guard us
So 4:4. Thomas Adams.
Verse
12. They compassed me about like bees. Christ's enemies are so
spiteful
that in fighting against his kingdom
they regard not what become of
themselves
so they may hurt his people; but as the bee undoes herself in
stinging
and loses her life or her power with her sting
so do they. All that
the enemies of Christ's church can do against his people is but to trouble them
externally; their wounds are like the sting of a bee
that is
unto pain and
swelling
and a short trouble only
but are not deadly. David Dickson.
Verse
12. They compassed me about like bees. Now
as the north east
wind of course was adverse to any north east progress
it was necessary that
the boat should be towed by the crew. As the rope was being drawn along through
the grass on the banks it happened that it disturbed a swarm of bees. In a
moment
like a great cloud
they burst upon the men who were dragging; everyone
of them threw himself headlong into the water and hurried to regain the boat.
The swarm followed at their heels
and in a few seconds filled every nook and
cranny of the deck. What a scene of confusion ensued may readily be imagined.
Without any foreboding of ill
I was arranging my plants in my cabin
when I
heard all around me a scampering which I took at first to be merely the frolics
of my people
as that was the order of the day. I called out to enquire the
meaning of the noise
but only got excited gestures and reproachful looks in
answer. The cry of "Bees! bees!" soon broke upon my ear
and I
proceeded to light a pipe. My attempt was entirely in vain; in an instant bees
in thousands are about me
and I am mercilessly stung all over my face and
hands. To no purpose do I try to protect my face with a handkerchief
and the
more violently I fling my hands about
so much the more violent becomes the
impetuosity of the irritated insects. The maddening pain is now on my cheek
now in my eye
now in my hair. The dogs from under my bed burst out
frantically
overturning everything in their way. Losing well nigh all control
over myself
I fling myself into the river; I dive down
but all in vain
for
the stings rain down still upon my head. Not heeding the warning of my people
I creep through the reedy grass to the swampy bank. The grass lacerates my
hands
and I try to gain the mainland
hoping to find shelter in the woods. All
at once four powerful arms seize me and drag me back with such force that I
think I must be choked in the mud. I am compelled to go back on board
and
flight is not to be thought of... I felt ready
in the evening
for an
encounter with half a score of buffaloes or a brace of lions rather than have
anything more to do with bees; and this was a sentiment in which all the ship's
company heartily concurred. George Schweinfurth
in "The Heart of
Africa
"1873.
Verse
12. David said of his enemies
that they came about him like bees;
he doth not say like wasps. For though they used their stings
yet he found
honey in them too. Peter Smith
1644.
Verse
12. They compassed me about like bees.
As
wasps
provoked by children in their play
Pour from their mansions by the broad highway
In swarms the guiltless traveller engage
Whet all their stings
and call forth all their rage
All rise in arms
and with a general cry
Assert their waxen domes
and buzzing progeny;
Thus from the tents the fervent legion swarms
So loud their clamours
and so keen their arms. Homer.
Verse
12. They are quenched as the fire of thorns. The illustration
from the "fire of thorns" is derived from the fact that they
quickly kindle into a blaze
and then the flame soon dies away. In Eastern
countries it was common to burn over their fields in the dry time of the year
and thus to clear them of thorns and briers and weeds. Of course
at such a
time they would kindle quickly
and burn rapidly
and would soon be consumed.
So the Psalmist says it was with his enemies. He came upon them
numerous as
they were
as the fire runs over a field in a dry time
burning everything
before it. Albert Barnes.
Verse
12. In the name of the LORD. This has been understood as the tessera
the sentence of attack
or signal to engage
like those of Cyrus—Jupiter is our
leader and ally—Jupiter our captain and preserver. Cyropaed. 1. 3 and 7; and
Gideon
Jud 7:18. This interpretation being only founded on the repetition
may
it not more probably be designed as suited to the musical performance? Samuel
Burder.
Verse
13. Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall. The
apostrophe is strong
and probably directed to some particular person in the
battle
who had put David in great danger. Samuel Burder.
Verse
13. Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall. Thou hast
indeed. Thou hast done thy part
O Satan
and it has been well done. Thou hast
known all my weakest parts
thou hast seen where my armour was not buckled on
tightly
and thou hast attacked me at the right time and in the right way. The
great Spanish poet
Calderon
tells of one who wore a heavy suit of armour for
a whole year
and laid it by for one hour
and in that hour the enemy came
and
the man paid for his negligence with his life. "Blessed is the man that
endureth temptation; for when he is tried he shall receive the crown of life
which the Lord hath promised to them that love him." John Mason Neale.
Verse
14. The LORD is my strength and song
and as become my salvation.
"My strength
"that I am able to resist my enemies; "my
salvation
"that I am delivered from my enemies; "my song
"that I may joyfully praise him and sing of him after I am delivered. William
Nicholson
1662.
Verse
14. Good songs
good promises
good proverbs
good doctrines are none
the worse for age. What was sung just after the passage of the Red Sea
is here
sung by the prophet
and shall be sung to the end of the world by the saints of
the Most High. William S. Plumer.
Verse
14. And is become my salvation. Not that he hath become
anything which he was not before
but because his people
when they believed on
him
became what they were not before
and then he began to be salvation unto
them when turned towards him
which he was not to them when turned away from
himself. Augustine.
Verse
15. Thy voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of
the righteous. Every one should be careful that his dwelling is one of the tabernacles
of the righteous
and that he himself together with his household should
walk in righteousness (Lu 1:75). And he should be so diligent in hymns and
sacred songs
that his rooms should resound with them. Martin Geier.
Verse
16. The right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly. Thrice he
celebrates God's right hand
to set forth his earnest desire to say the utmost;
or
in reference to the Sacred Trinity
as some will have it. John Trapp.
Verse
17. I shall not die
but live. As Christ is risen
"we
shall not die
but live"; we shall not die eternally
but we shall live in
this world
the life of grace
and in the world to come
the life of glory;
that we may in both declare the "works" and chant the praises of God
our Saviour. We are "chastened" for our sins
but "not given
over to death" and destruction everlasting; nay
our being
"chastened" is now a proof that we are not so given over; "for
what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?" Heb 12:7. George Horne.
Verse
17. I shall not die
but live. To live
signifies
not barely
to live
but to live comfortably
to have content with our life; to live is to
prosper. Thus the word is often used in Scripture. "I shall not die
but live." David did not look upon himself as immortal
or that he
should never die; he knew he was subject to the statute of death: but the
meaning is
I shall not die now
I shall not die by the hands of these men
I
shall not die the death which they have designed me to; or when he saith
"I
shall not die
but live
"his meaning is
I shall live comfortably and
prosperously
I shall live as a king. That which we translate (1Sa 10:24)
"God save the king
"is
"Let the king live
"that
is
let him prosper
and have good days; let him have peace with all
or
victory over his enemies. Joseph Caryl.
Verse
17. I shall not die
etc. The following incident is worth
recording: "Wycliffe was now getting old
but the Reformer was worn out
rather by the harassing attacks of his foes
and his incessant and ever growing
labours
than with the weight of years
for he was not yet sixty. He fell sick.
With unbounded joy the friars heard that their great enemy was dying. Of course
he was overwhelmed with horror and remorse for the evil he had done them
and
they would hasten to his bedside and receive the expression of his penitence
and sorrow. In a trice a little crowd of shaven crowns assembled round the
couch of the sick man—delegates from the four orders of friars. `They began
fair
'wishing him `health and restoration from his distemper'; but speedily
changing their tone
they exhorted him
as one on the brink of the grave
to
make full confession
and express his unfeigned grief for the injuries he had
inflicted on their order. Wycliffe lay silent till they should have made an
end
then
making his servant raise him a little on his pillow
and fixing his
keen eyes upon them
he said with a loud voice
`I shall not die
but live
and
declare the evil deeds of the friars.' The monks rushed in astonishment and
confusion from the chamber." J. A. Wylie
in "The History of
Protestantism."
Verse
17. I shall not die
not absolutely
for see Ps 89:48; Heb
9:27; but not in the midst of my days
Ps 103:24; nor according to the will of
mine enemies
who "thrust at me that I might fall
"Ps 118:13.
But
on the contrary
I shall live
not simply as he had hitherto lived
in the
greatest distress
which would be a wretched life
a living death: but lively
joyous
happy. Of this
he says he is secure; this the word asserts. On what
foundation does he rest? Ps 118:14-15
"Because God had become his
salvation
"and "the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly."
Jacob Alting.
Verse
17. And declare the works of the LORD. Matter of praise
abounds in all the divine works
both of the general creation and preservation
and of the redemption of our souls: chiefly
that God
besides the life of
nature
has given to us the life of grace
without which we could not properly
praise God and declare his works. Rivetus.
Verse
17. And declare the works of the LORD. In the second member of
the verse
he points out the proper use of life. God does not prolong the lives
of his people
that they may pamper themselves with meat and drink
sleep as
much as they please
and enjoy every temporal blessing; but to magnify hint for
his benefits which he is daily heaping upon them. John Calvin.
Verse
17. According to Matthesius
Luther had this verse written against
his study wall.
Verse
18. The LORD hath chastened me sore. Strong humours require
strong physic to purge them out. Where corruption is deeply rooted in the
heart
a light or small matter will not serve the turn to work it out. No; but
a great deal of stir and ado must be made with it. Thomas Horton.
Verse
18. But he hath not given me over unto death. It might have
been worse
may the afflicted saint say
and it will yet be better; it is in
mercy and in measure that God chastiseth his children. It is his care that
"the spirit fail not before him
nor the souls which he hath made
"Isa 57:16. If his child swoons in the whipping
God lets fall the rod
and falls a kissing it
to fetch life into it again. John Trapp.
Verse
19. Open to me the gates of righteousness. The gates won by
his righteousness
to whom we daily say
"Thou only art holy"; the
gates which needed the "Via Dolorossa and the cross
before they could
roll back on their hinges. On a certain stormy afternoon
after the sun had
been for three hours darkened
the world again heard of that Eden from which
four thousand years before
Adam had been banished. "Verily I say unto
thee
this day shalt thou be with me in paradise." O blessed malefactor
who thus entered into the heavenly gardens! O happy thief
that thus stole the
kingdom of heaven! And see how valiantly he now enters it. "Open to me
the gates of righteousness. Not "God be merciful to me a sinner";
not "Lord
if thou wilt
thou canst make me clean." But this is what
is called the suppliant; omnipotence of prayer. "Blessed are they that do
his commandments
that they may have right to the tree of life
and may enter
in through the gates into the city." John Mason Neale.
Verse
21. I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me. There is a
point which we would especially notice
and that is
praise for hearing
prayer. In this point
almost above all others
God is frequently robbed of
his praise. Men pray; they receive an answer to their prayers; and then forget
to praise. This happens especially in small things; we should ever remember
that whatever is worth praying for
is worth praising for also. The fact is
we
do not recognize God in these small things as much as we should; if we do
praise
it is for the receipt of the blessing
with which we are pleased
leaving out of account the One from whom the blessing has come. This is not
acceptable to God; we must see him in the blessing
if we would really praise.
The Psalmist says
"I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me";
he praised not only because he had received
but also because he had
been heard—because the living God
as a hearing God
was manifested in
his mercies. And when we know that God has heard us
let us not delay our
praise; if we put off our thanksgiving until perhaps only the evening
we may
forget to praise at all; and if we do praise
it will in all probability be
with only half the warmth which would animate our song at first. God loves a
quick return for his blessings; one sentence of heartfelt thanksgiving is worth
all the formalism of a more laboured service. There is a freshness about
immediate praise which is like the bloom upon the fruit; its being spontaneous
adds ineffably to its price. Trace
then
dear reader
a connection between
your God and your blessing. Recognize his hearing ear as well as his bounteous
hand
and be yours the Psalmist's words
I will praise thee: for thou hast
heard me. Philip Bennet Power.
Verse
22. The stone. The head stone of the corner. Christ Jesus is a
stone: no firmness
but in him. A fundamental stone: no building
but on him. A
corner stone: no piecing nor reconciliation
but in him. James Ford
1856.
Verse
22. The stone which the builders rejected
etc. To apply it to
Christ
"The Stone" is the ground of all. Two things befall
it; two things as contrary as may be
—1. Refused
cast away; then
called for again
and made head of the building. So
two parts there are
to the eye. 1. The refusing;2. The raising;which are his two
estates
his humiliation
and his exaltation. In either of these
you may observe two degrees
a quibus
and quosque
by whom and
how far. By whom refused? We weigh the word
aeificantes:not by
men unskilful
but by workmen
professed builders;it is so much the
worse. How far? We weigh the word
—reprobaverunt; usque ad reprobari
even to a reprobation. It is not improbaverunt
disliked
as not fit for
some eminent place; but reprobaverunt
utterly reprobate
for any place
at all. Again
exalted
by whom? The next words are a Domino
by God
as good a builder
nay
better than the best of them; which makes amends
for the former. And How far? Placed by him
not in any part of the building;but
in the part most in the eye (the corner)
and in the highest place of
it
the very head. So
rejected
and that by the builders
and
to the lowest estate: and from the lowest estate exalted in caput anguli
to the chiefest place of all; and that by God himself. Lancelot Andrewes.
Verse
22. The stone which the builders refused
etc. We need not
wonder
that not only the powers of the world are usually enemies to Christ
and that the contrivers of policies
those builders
leave out Christ in their
building
but that the pretended builders of the church of God
though they use
the name of Christ
and serve their turn with that
yet reject himself
and
oppose the power of his spiritual kingdom. There may be wit and learning
and
much knowledge of the Scriptures
amongst those that are haters of the Lord
Jesus Christ
and of the power of godliness
and corrupters of the worship of
God. It is the spirit of humility and obedience
and saving faith
that teach
men to esteem Christ
and build upon him. The vanity and folly of these
builders' opinion appears in this
that they are overpowered by the great
Architect of the church: his purpose stands. Notwithstanding their rejection of
Christ
he is still made the head corner stone. They cast him away by their
reproaches
and by giving him up to be crucified and then cast into the grave
causing a stone to be rolled upon this stone which they had so rejected
that it might appear no more
and so thought themselves sure. But even from
thence did he arise
and became the head of the corner. Robert Leighton.
Verse
22. The stone which the builders refused
etc. That is to say
God sent a living
precious
chosen stone on earth; but the Jews
who then had
the building of the church
rejected that stone
and said of it
"This
man
who observeth not the Sabbath
is not of God and
"We have no king
but Caesar
"and
That seducer said
I will rise after three days";
and many similar things beside. But this stone
so rejected by the builders as
unfit for raising the spiritual edifice
is become the head of the corner;
has been made by God
the principal architect
the bond to connect the two
walls and keep them together; that is to say
has been made the head of the
whole church
composed of Jews and Gentiles; and such a head
that whoever is
not under him cannot be saved; and whoever is built under him
the living
stone
will certainly be saved. Now all this is the Lord's doing
done
by his election and design
without any intervention on the part of man
and
therefore
it is wonderful in our eyes. For who is there that must not
look upon it as a wonderful thing
to find a man crucified
dead and buried
rising
after three days
from the dead
immortal
with unbounded power
and
declared Prince of men and angels
and a way opened through him for mortal man
to the kingdom of heaven
to the society of the angels
to a happy immortality?
Robert Bellarmine.
Verse
22. The stone which the builders refused. Here we behold with
how strong and impregnable a shield the Holy Ghost furnishes us against the
empty vaunting of the Papal clergy. Be it so
that they possess the name
"chief builders"; but if they disown Christ
does it necessarily
follow that we must disown him also? Let us rather contemn and trample under
our feet all their decrees
and let us reverence this precious stone upon which
our salvation rests. By the expression
is become the head of the corner
we are to understand the real foundation of the church
which sustains the
whole weight of the edifice; it being requisite that the corners should form
the main strength of buildings. John Calvin.
Verse
22. The stone
etc. That is
I
whom the great men and rulers
of the people rejected (1Sa 26:19)
as the builders of a house reject a stone
unfit to be employed in it
am now become king over Israel and Judah; and a
type of that glorious King who shall hereafter be in like manner refused (Lu
19:14 Lu 20:17)
and then be by God exalted to be Lord of all the world
and
the foundation of all men's happiness. Thomas Fellton.
Verse
22. The stone. The author of Historia Scholastica mentions it
as a tradition that at the building of the second temple there was a particular
stone of which that was literally true
which is here parabolically
rehearsed
viz.
that it had the hap to be often taken up by the builders
and
as oft rejected
and at last was found to be perfectly fit for the most honourable
place
that of the chief cornerstone
which coupled the sides of the walls
together
the extraordinariness whereof occasioned the speech here following: This
is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. Henry Hammond.
Verse
22. The head stone of the corner. How of the "corner"?
The corner is the place where two walls meet: and there be many twos in
this building:the two walls of nations. Jews and Gentiles;the
two of conditions
bond and free;the two of sex
male and female:the
great two (which this Easter day we celebrate) of the quick and
the dead;above all
the greatest two of all
heaven and earth.
Lancelot Andrewes.
Verse
22. Is become the head stone of the corner.
Higher
yet and ever higher
passeth he those ranks above
Where the seraphs are enkindled with the flame of endless love;
Passeth them
for not even seraphs ever loved so well as he
Who hath borne for his beloved
stripes
and thorns
and shameful tree;
Ever further
ever onward
where no angel's foot may tread
Where the twenty-four elders prostrate fall in mystic dread:
Where the four strange living creatures sing their hymn before the throne
The Despised One and rejected passeth
in his might alone;
Passeth through the dazzling rainbow
till upon the father's right
He is seated
his Co-Equal
God of God
anti Light of Light.
—R. F. Littledale.
Verse
22. Head stone of the corner. It is now clear to all by divine
grace whom Holy Scripture calls the cornerstone. Him in truth who
taking unto
himself from one side the Jewish
and from the other the Gentile people
unites
as it were
two walls in the one fabric of the Church; them of whom it
is written
"He hath made both one"; who exhibited himself as the
Cornerstone
not only in things below
but in things above
because he united
on earth the nations of the Gentiles to the people of Israel
and both together
to angels. For at his birth the angels exclaimed
"On earth peace
good
will toward men." Gregory
quoted by Henry Newland
1860.
Verse
22. The corner. By Bede it is rendered as a reason why the
Jewish builders refused our Saviour Christ for the head place
Quia
in uno pariete
stare amabant. They could endure no corner;they must
stand alone upon their own single wall; be of themselves
not join with
Gentiles or Samaritans. And Christ they endured not
because they thought if he
had been heard he would have inclined that way. Alias oves oportet me
adducere (Joh 10:16). Alias they could not abide. But sure
a
purpose there must be
alias oves adducendi
of bringing in others
of
joining a corner
or else we do not facere secundum exemplar
build not according to Christ's pattern; our fashion of fabric is not like his.
Lancelot Andrewes.
Verse
22-27. By the consent of all expositors
in this Psalm is typed the
coming of Christ
and his kingdom of the gospel. This is manifested by an exaltation
by an exultation
by a petition
by a benediction. The exaltation:Ps
118:22
The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the
corner. The Jews refused this stone
but God hath built his church upon it.
The
exultation: Ps 118:24
This is the day which the Lord hath made; we
will rejoice and be glad in it. A more blessed day than that day was
wherein he made man
when he had done making the world; "Rejoice we
and be glad in it."
The
petition: Ps 118:25
Save now
I beseech thee
O LORD: O LORD
I
beseech thee
send now prosperity. Thy justice would not suffer thee to
save without the Messiah; he is come
"Save now
O LORD
I beseech
thee." Our Saviour is come
let mercy and salvation come along with
him.
The
benediction makes all clear: Ps 118:26
Blessed be he that cometh in
the name of the LORD. For what David here prophesied
the people after
accomplished: Mt 21:9
"Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."
The corollary or sum is in my text: Ps 118:27
God is the LORD
which hath
shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords
even unto the horns of the
altar. Thomas Adams.
Verse
24. This is the day which the LORD hath made. 1. Here is the
doctrine of the Christian sabbath: "it is the day which the Lord hath
made
"has made remarkable
made holy
has distinguished it from other
days; he has made it for man: it is therefore called the Lord's day
for it
bears his image and superscription. 2. The duty of the Sabbath
"we
will rejoice and be glad in it"; not only in the institution of the
day
that there is such a day appointed
but in the occasion of it
Christ's
becoming "the head of the corner." This we ought to rejoice
in
both as his honour and our advantage. Sabbath days must be rejoicing days
and then they are to us as the days of heaven. See what a good Master we serve
who having instituted a day for his service
appoints it to be spent in holy
joy. Matthew Henry.
Verse
24. This is the day
etc. The "queen of days
"as
the Jews call the Sabbath. Arnobius interprets this text of the Christian
Sabbath; others
of the day of salvation by Christ exalted to be the head
cornerstone; in opposition to that dismal day of man's fall. John Trapp.
Verse
24. Because believers have ever cause for comfort
therefore they are
commanded always to rejoice
Php 3:1 4:4. Whether their sins or sufferings come
into their hearts
they must not sorrow as they that have no hope. In their
saddest conditions
they have the Spirit of consolation. There is seed of joy
sown within them when it is turned under the clods
and appears not above
ground. But there are special times when God calls for this grain to spring up.
They have some red letters
some holy days in the calendar of their lives
wherein this joy
as wine at a wedding
is most seasonable; but among all those
days it never relishes so well
it never tasteth so pleasantly
as on a Lord's
day. Joy suits no person so much as a saint
and it becomes no season so well
as a Sabbath. Joy in God on other days is like the birds chirping in winter
which is pleasing; but joy on the Lord's day is like their warbling times and
pretty notes in spring
when all other things look with a suitable delightful
aspect. This is the day which the LORD hath made
(he that made all
days
so especially this day
but what follows?) we will rejoice and be glad
in it. In which words we have the church's solace
or joy
and the season
or day of it. Her solace was great: "We will rejoice and be glad."
Those expressions are not needless repetitions
but shew the exuberance or high
degree of their joy. The season of it: "This is the day which the LORD
hath made." Compare this place with Mt 11:22-23
and Ac 4:11
and you
will find that the precedent verses are a prophetical prediction of Christ's
resurrection
and so this verse foretells the church's joy upon that memorable
and glorious day. And
indeed
if "a feast be made for laughter
"Ec
10:19
then that day wherein Christ feasts his saints with the choicest mercies
may well command their greatest spiritual mirth. A thanksgiving day hath a
double precedence of a fast day. On a fast day we eye God's anger; on a
thanksgiving day we look to God's favour. In the former we specially mind our
corruptions; in the latter
God's compassions;—therefore a fast day calls for
sorrow
a thanksgiving day for joy. But the Lord's day is the highest
thanksgiving day
and deserveth much more than the Jewish Purim
to be a day of
feasting and gladness
and a good day. George Spinnock.
Verse
24. Day which the LORD hath made. As the sun in heaven makes
the natural day by his light
so does Christ the Sun of Righteousness make ours
a spiritual day. Starke.
Verse
24. Day which the LORD hath made. Adam introduced a day of sadness
but another day is made by Christ: Abraham saw his day from afar
and was glad;
we will walk even now in his light. Johann David Friesch
1731.
Verse
25. Save. With the Hebrews salvation is a wide word
comprising all the favours of God that may lead to preservation; and therefore
the Psalmist elsewhere extends this act both to man and beast
and
as if he
would comment upon himself
expounds swson save
by euodwson? It is so
dear a title of God
that the prophet cannot have enough of it. Joseph Hall.
Verse
25. Save now
I beseech thee
O LORD. Let him have the
acclamations of the people as is usual at the inauguration of a prince; let
every one of his loyal subjects shout for joy
"Save now
I beseech
thee
O LORD." This is like vivat rex
and speaks both a hearty
joy for his accession to the crown
an entire satisfaction in his government
and a zealous affection to the interests and honour of it. Hosanna signifies
"Save
now
I beseech thee." Lord
save me
I beseech thee; let this Saviour
be my Saviour; and in order to that my Ruler: let me be taken under his
protection
and owned as one of his willing subjects. His enemies are my
enemies; Lord
I beseech thee
save me from them. Send me an interest in that
prosperity which his kingdom brings with it to all those that entertain it. Let
my soul prosper and be in health
in that peace and righteousness which his
government brings. Ps 72:3. Let me have victory over those lusts that war
against my soul
and let divine grace go on in my heart
conquering and to
conquer. Matthew Henry.
Verse
25. Save now
or
hosanna. Our thanksgivings on earth
must always be accompanied with prayers for further mercies
and the
continuance of our prosperity; Our hallelujahs with hosannas. Ingram Cobbin.
Verse
25. Save now
I beseech thee
O Lord
etc. Hosanna. The cry of
the multitudes as they thronged in our Lord's triumphal procession into
Jerusalem (Mt 21:9
18 Mr 11:9
15 Joh 12:13) was taken from this Psalm
from
which they were accustomed to recite Ps 118:25-26 at the Feast of Tabernacles.
On that occasion the great Hallel
consisting of Psalms 113-118 was chanted by
one of the priests
and at certain intervals the multitudes joined in the
responses
waving their branches of willow and palm
and shouting as they waved
them
Hallelujah
or Hosannah
or
"O LORD
I beseech thee
send
now prosperity." This was done at the recitation of Ps 118:1
29; but
according to the school of Hillel
at the words "Save now
we beseech
thee." The school of Shammai
on the contrary
say it was at the
words
"Send now prosperity." Rabban Gamaliel and R. Joshua
were observed by R. Akiba to wave their branches only at the words
"Save
now
we beseech thee" (Mishna
Succah
3. 9). On each of the
seven days during which the feast lasted the people thronged the court of the
temple
and went in procession about the altar
setting their boughs bending
towards it; the trumpets sounding as they shouted Hosannah. But on the
seventh day they marched seven times round the altar
shouting meanwhile the
great Hosannah to the sound of the trumpets of the Levites (Lightfoot
Temple
Service
16. 2). The very children who could wave the palm branches were
expected to take part in the solemnity (Mishna
Succah
3. 15; Mt
21:15). From the custom of waving the boughs of myrtle and willow during the
service the name Hosannah was ultimately transferred to the boughs themselves
so that according to Elias Levita (Thisbi. sv)
"the bundles of the
willows of the brook which they carry at the Feast of Tabernacles are called
Hosannahs." William Aldis Wright
in "Smith's Dictionary of the
Bible
" 1863.
Verse
25. Send now prosperity
.God will send it
but his people
must pray for it. "I came for thy prayers
"Da 10:12. John Trapp.
Verse
26. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the LORD. The
difference between Christ and Antichrist is to be noticed
because Christ did
not come in his own name
but in the name of the Father; of which he himself
testified
Joh 5:43
"I am come in my Father's name
and ye receive me
not; if another shall come in his own name
him ye will receive." Thus
all faithful ministers of the Church must not come in their own name
or the
name of Baal
or of Mammon and their own belly
but in the name of God
with a
lawful call; concerning which see Heb 5:1-14 Re 10:1-11 15:1-8. Solomon
Gesner.
Verse
27. God is the LORD
which hath shewed us light. The Psalmist
was clearly possessed of light
for he says
"God is the Lord
which
hath shewed us light." He was evidently
then
possessed of light; and
this light was in him as "the light of life." This light had shone
into his heart; the rays and beams of divine truth had penetrated into his
conscience. He carried about with him a light which had come from God; in this
light he saw light
and in this light he discerned everything which the light
manifested. Thus by this internal light he knew what was good and what was
evil
what was Sweet and what was bitter
what was true and what was false
what was spiritual and what was natural. He did not say
This light came from
creature exertion
this light was the produce of my own wisdom
this light was
nature transmuted some action of my own will
and thus gradually rose into
existence from long time and assiduous cultivation. But he ascribes the whole
of that light which he possessed unto God the Lord
as the sole author and the
only giver of it. Now
if God the Lord has ever showed you and me the same
light which he showed his servant of old
we carry about with us more or less
of a solemn conviction that we have received this light from him. There will
indeed
be many clouds of darkness to cover it; there will often be doubts and
fears
hovering like mists and fogs over our souls
whether the light which we
have received be from God or not. But in solemn moments when the Lord is
pleased a little to revive his work; at times and seasons when he condescends
to draw forth the affections of our hearts unto himself
to bring us into his
presence
to hide us in some measure in the hollow of his hand
and give us access
unto himself
at such moments and seasons we carry about with us
in spite of
all our unbelief
in spite of all the suggestions of the enemy
in spite of all
doubts and fears and suspicions that rise from the depths of the carnal mind
in spite of all these counter workings and undermining
we carry about with us
at these times a solemn conviction that we have light
and that this light we
have received from God. And why so? Because we can look back to a time when we
walked in no such light
when we felt no such light
when everything spiritual
and heavenly was dark to us
and we were dark to them.
Those
things which the Spirit of God enables a man to do
are in Scripture sometimes
called sacrifices. "That we may offer
"we read
"spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God
by Jesus Christ." The
apostle speaks of "receiving of Epaphroditus the things which were sent
from the brethren at Philippi; an odour of a sweet smell; a sacrifice
acceptable and well pleasing to God." Php 4:18. So he says to the Hebrew church:
"But to do good and to communicate (that is
to the wants of God's
people)
forget not; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased."
Heb 13:16. Well
then
these spiritual sacrifices which a man offers unto God
are bound also to the horns of the altar. They are not well pleasing in
the sight of God
except they are bound to the horns of the altar
so as to
derive all their acceptance from the altar. Our prayers are only acceptable to
God as they are offered through the cross of Jesus. Our praises and
thanksgivings are only acceptable to God as they are connected with the cross
of Christ
and ascend to the Father through the propitiation of his dear Son.
The ordinances of God's house are only acceptable to God as spiritual
sacrifices
when they are bound to the horns of the altar. Both the ordinances
of the New Testament—baptism and the Lord's supper—have been bound by the hands
of God himself to the horns of the altar; and no one either rightly went
through the one
or rightly received the other
who had not been first
spiritually bound by the same hand to the horns of the altar. Every act of
liberality
every cup of cold water given in the name of a disciple
every
feeling of sympathy and affection
every kind word
every compassionate action
shown to a brother; all and each are only acceptable to God as they ascend to
him through the mediation of his dear Son. And
therefore
every sacrifice of
our own comfort
or of our own advantage
of our own time
or of our own money
for the profit of God's children
is only a spiritual and acceptable sacrifice
so far as it is bound to the horns of the altar
linked on to the cross of
Jesus
and deriving all its fragrance and odour from its connection with the
incense there offered by the Lord of life and glory. J. C. Philpot.
Verse
27. How comfortable is the light! It is so comfortable that light and
comfort are often put for the same thing: God is the LORD
which hath shewed
us light
that is
the light of counsel what to do
and the light of
comfort in what we do
or after all our sufferings. Light is not only a candle
held to us
to do our work by
but it comforts and cheereth us in our work. Ec
11:7. Joseph Caryl.
Verse
27. Shewed us light: bind the sacrifice. Here is somewhat
received; somewhat to be returned. God hath blessed us
and we must bless God.
His grace
and our gratitude
are the two lines my discourse must run upon.
They are met in my text; let them as happily meet in your hearts
and they
shall not leave you till they bring you to heaven. Thomas Adams.
Verse
27. Bind the sacrifice with cords
etc. The sacrifice we are
to offer to God
in gratitude for redeeming love
is ourselves
not to be slain
upon the altar
but "living sacrifices" (Ro 12:1) to be bound to the
altar; spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise
in which our hearts must be
fixed and engaged
as the sacrifice was bound "with cords to the horns of
the altar." Matthew Henry.
Verse
27. Bind the sacrifice
etc. It is a saying among the Hebrews
that the beasts that were offered in sacrifice
they were the most struggling
beasts of all the rest; such is the nature of us unthankful beasts
when we
should love God again
we are readier to run away from him; we must be tied to
the altar with cords
to draw from us love or fear. Abraham Wright.
Verse
27. With cords. This word is sometimes used for thick twisted
cords
Jud 15:13; sometimes for thick branches of trees
used at
some feasts
Eze 19:11 Le 23:40. Hereupon this sentence may two ways be read; bind
the feast with thick branches
or
bind the sacrifice with cords;both
mean one thing
that men should keep the festivity with joy and thanks to God
as Israel did at their solemnities. Henry Ainsworth.
Verse
27. Even unto the horns of the altar. Before these words must
be understood
lead it: for the victims were bound to rings fixed in the
floor. "The horns" were architectural ornaments
a kind of
capitals
made of iron or of brass
somewhat in the form of the curved horns of
an animal
projecting from the four angles of the altar. The officiating
priest
when he prayed
placed his hands on them
and sometimes sprinkled them
with the blood of the sacrifice: compare Ex 30:3 Le 4:7
18. At the end of this
verse the word saying must be supplied. Daniel Cresswell.
Verse
27. Unto the horns. That is
all the court over
until you
come even to the horns of the altar
intending hereby many sacrifices or
boughs. Henry Ainsworth.
Verse
28. God. The original for "God" gives force to this
passage: Them art my "El"—The Mighty One; therefore will I
praise thee: my "Eloah"—a varied form with substantially the
same sense
"and I will extol thee"—lift thee high in glory and
honour. Henry Cowles.
Verse
28. This "extolling the Lord" will accomplish one of the
great ends of praise
viz.
his exaltation. It is true that God both can and
will exalt himself
but it is at once the duty and the privilege of his people
to exalt him. His name should be borne up and magnified by them; the glory of
that name is now
as it were
committed to them: what use are we making of the
opportunity and the privilege? Philip Bennet Power.
HINTS TO THE
VILLAGE PREACHER
Verses
1-4.
1.
The subject of songs "O give thanks unto the Lord
for he is good."
2.
The chorus—"His mercy endureth for ever."
3.
The choir—"Let Israel now say
"etc.; "Let the house of Aaron
"etc.; "Let them that fear the Lord
"etc.
4.
The rehearsal—"Let them now say
"that they may be better
prepared for universal praise hereafter.
Verse
5.
1.
The season for prayer—"in distress."
2. The answer in season—"The Lord answered me."
3. The answer beyond the request—"And set me
"etc.
Verse
6.
1.
When may a man know that God is on his side?
2. What confidence may that man enjoy who is assured of divine aid?
Verse
7.
1.
The value of true friends.
2. The greater value of help from above.
Verses
8-9. Better. It is wiser
surer
morally more right
more ennobling
more happy in result.
Verse
10. Take a wide range and consider what has been done
should be
done
and may be done "in the name of the Lord."
Verse
12.
1.
Faith's innumerable annoyances.
2. Their speedy end.
3. Faith's complete victory.
Verse
13.
1.
Our great antagonist.
2. His fierce attacks.
3. His evident object: "that I might fall."
4. His failure: "but the Lord helped me."
Verse
14.
1.
Strength under affliction.
2. Song in hope of deliverance.
3. Salvation
or actual escape out of trial.
Verse
15. The joy of Christian households. It is joy in salvation: it is
expressed
—"The voice": it abides: "the voice is":it
is joy in the protection and honour given by the Lord's right hand.
Verse
15-16.
1.
True joy is peculiar to the righteous.
2. In
their tabernacles: in their pilgrimage state.
3. For
salvation: rejoicing and salvation go together.
4. From
God: "the right hand
"etc.: three right hands; both the salvation
and the joy are from the hand of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost; the
right hand of each doeth valiantly. G. R.
Verse
17.
1.
Good men are often in special danger: Joseph in the pit; Moses in the ark of
bulrushes; Job on the dunghill; David's narrow escapes from the hand of Saul;
Paul let down in a basket; what a fruit basket was that! How much was suspended
upon that cord! The salvation of how many!
2.
Good men have often a presentiment of their recovery from special danger:
"I shall not die
but live."
3.
Good men have a special desire for the preservation of their lives: "live
and declare the works of the Lord." G. R.
Verses
17
19
22. The victory of the risen Saviour and its far reaching
consequences:
(1)
Death is vanquished;
(2) the gates of righteousness are opened;
(3) the cornerstone of the church is laid.
—Deichert
in Lange's Commentary.
Verse
18.
1.
The afflictions of the people of God are chastisements: "The Lord hath
chastened me."
2.
Those chastisements are often severe: hath chastened me sore.
3.
The severity is limited: "it is not unto death." G. R.
Verse
19.
1.
Access to God desired.
2. Humbly requested: "Open to me."
3. Boldly accepted: "I will go into them."
4. Gratefully enjoyed: "And praise the Lord."
Verse
22. In these words we may notice the following particulars.
1.
The metaphorical view in which the church is here represented
namely
that of
a house or building.
2.
The character that our Immanuel bears with respect to this building; he is the
stone in a way of eminence
without whom there can be no building
no house
for God to dwell in among the children of men.
3.
The character of the workmen employed in this spiritual structure; they are
called builders.
4.
A fatal error they are charged with in building the house of God; they refuse
the stone of God's choosing; they do not allow him a place in his own house.
5.
Notice the place that Christ should and shall have in this building
let the
builders do their worst: he is made the head stone of the corner. The
words immediately following declare how this is effected
and how the saints
are affected with the news of his exaltation
notwithstanding the malice of
hell and earth: "This is the Lord's doing
and it is wonderful in our
eyes." Ebenezer Erskine.
Verses
22-23.
1.
The mystery stated. (a) That which is least esteemed by men as a means of
salvation is most esteemed by God. (b) That which is most esteemed by God when
made known is least esteemed by man.
2.
The mystery explained. The way of salvation is the Lord's doing
therefore
marvellous in our eyes.—G.R.
Verses
22-25.
1.
Christ rejected.
2. Christ exalted.
3. His exaltation is due to God alone.
4. His exaltation commences a new era.
5. His exaltation suggests a new prayer.
—See Spurgeon's Sermon
no. 1
420.
Verse
24.
1.
What is spoken of.
(a)
The gospel day.
(b) The sabbath day.
2.
What is said of it.
(a)
It is given by God.
(b) To be joyfully received by man.—G.R.
Verse
25. What is church prosperity? Whence must it come? How can we obtain
it?
Verse
25.
1.
The object of the prayer.
(a)
Salvation from sin.
(b) Prosperity in righteousness.
2.
The earnestness of the prayer: "I beseech thee
I beseech thee".
3.
The urgency of the prayer
"now—now"—now that the gates of righteousness
are open
now that the foundation stone is laid
now that the gospel day has
come—now
Lord! now!—G.R.
Verse
27. Bind the sacrifice
etc. Devotion is the mother
and she
hath four daughters.
1.
Constancy: "Bind the sacrifice."
2. Fervency: Bind it "with cords."
3. Wisdom: Bind it "to the altar."
4. Confidence: Even to the "horns" of the altar.
—Thomas Adams.
Verse
27. Bind the sacrifice with cords
etc.
1.
What is the sacrifice? Our whole selves
every talent
all our time
property
position
mind
heart
temper
life to the last.
2.
Why does it need binding? It is naturally restive. Long delay
temptations
wealth
rank
discouragement
scepticism
all tend to drive it from the altar.
3.
To what is it bound? To the doctrine of atonement. To Jesus and his work. To
Jesus and out work.
4.
What are the cords? Our own vows. The need of souls. Our joy in the work. The
great reward. The love of Christ working upon us by the Holy Spirit.
Verse
28.
1.
The gladdest fact in all the world: "Thou art my God."
2. The fittest spirit in which to enjoy it: "Praise thee"
Verse
28.
1.
The effect of Christ being sacrificed for us: "Thou art my God."
2.
The effect of our being offered as an acceptable sacrifice to him: "I will
praise thee
I will exalt thee." Or
(a)
The covenant blessing: "Thou art my God."
(b) The covenant obligation: "I will praise thee."—G.R.
Verse
29.
1.
The beginning and the end of salvation is mercy.
2.
The beginning and end of its requirements is thanksgiving.—G.R.
WORK UPON THE
HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH PSALM
In
"The Works of John Boys
" 1626
folio
pp. 861-870
there is an
exposition of this psalm.
── C.H. Spurgeon《The Treasury of David》