Annotations on the Pentateuch, Psalms, Song of Songs, Biblical commentary 6 · Book 2 · Commentary on psalm 9
PSAL. L.
The Majestie of God in the Church. 5 His order to gather Saints. 7. The pleasure of God is not in in legall sacrifices; 14 but in sinceritie of obedience. 16 The wicked are shut out from Gods Covenant. 21 They abuse Gods patience to their destruction, 23 but the godly shall see his salvation.
A Psalme of Asaph.
THe God of gods, Iehovah speaketh and calleth the earth, from the rising up of the Sun, unto the going downe thereof. Out of Sion the whole perfection of beauty God shineth clearely. Our God come and not keepe silence, a fire shall eat before him, and round about him shall a storme be moved vehemently. He will call to the heavens from above, and to the earth to judge his people. Gather yee to me my gracious Saints, that have stricken my covenant with sacrifice. And the heavens shall openly shew his justice, for God he is judge Selah. Heare O my people, and I will speake, O Israel, and I will testifie to thee; I am God thy God. I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices, for thy burnt offerings are before me continually. I will not take a bullocke out of thine house; goat buckes out of thy folds. For every wilde beast of the wood is mine; the beasts that bee on a thousand mountaines. I know all the fowle of the mountaines, and the store of beasts of the field is with me. If I were hungry I would not tell it thee, for mine is the world, and the plenty thereof. Will I eat the flesh of mightie buls, and drinke the bloud of goat-bucks? Sacrifice thou to God a confession, and pay thy vowes to the most high. And call on me in day of distresse, I will release thee, and thou shalt glorifie mee.
But to the wicked saith God, what hast thou to doe to tell my statutes, and that thou shouldest take up my covenant on thy mouth. And thou hatest nurture, and castest my words behind thee. If thou seest a theefe, then thou runnest with him, and thy part is with the adulterers. Thy mouth thou sendest out in evill, and thy tongue joyneth together deceit. Thou sittest, thou speakest against thy brother, against thy mothers sonne thou givest ill report. These things thou hast done, and I kept silence, thou didst thinke that I was surely like thee; I will reprove thee and set in order to thine eies. O now consider this ye that forget God, lest I teare, and there be no reskewer. Hee that sacrificeth confession, honoureth me, and hee that disposeth his way, I will cause him to see the salvation of God.
Annotations.
A Psalme of Asaph] that is, made by him, as the Chaldee saith, An hymne by the hand of Asaph; or to Asaph, that is, committed vntounto him to sing. For Asaph was a Seer or Prophet, which made Psalms as did David, 2 Chron. 29. 30. Also he and his sons, were singers in Israel, 1 Chron. 25. 2. The God of Gods] that is, God of all Angels, Iudges and Rulers of the world: or as the Chaldee saith, The mighty (God) the God of Iehovah. Three titles of God here used together, Ael, Aelohim, Iehovah. So in Iosh. 22. 22. the going downe] that is, the West, where the Sunne setteth, or (after the Hebrew phrase) goeth in, as at the rising, it is said to goe out, or come forth, Gen. 19. 23.
Vers. 2. Out of Sion] the state of the Church under the Gospell, Heb. 12. 18. 22. Psal. 2. 6. therefore in this Psalme, the legall sacrifices appointed at mount Sinai, are reproved, and the worship of God in spirit and truth commended. the whole perfection] or, the Vniversality of beautie, that is, which is wholly and perfectly beautifull. See the like praise of Sion, Psal. 48. 3. Lam. 2. 15. shineth clearly] as the Sunne shineth in his strength: that is, appeareth in glorious majestie. This also is a signe of favour, Iob 10. 3. Psal. 80. 2. So God shined from mount Paran, Deut. 33. 3.
Vers. 3. Our God come] a praier to hasten his comming, as in Rev. 22. 20. or, as the former, our God will come. So the Chaldee paraphraseth, The just shall say, In the day of the great judgement, our God will come, and not silent, to execute the vengeance of his people. fire shall eat] that is, consume, devoure. So God is called an eating fire, Deut. 4. 24. that is, as the Apostle expoundeth it, a consuming fire, Heb. 12. 29. and the sight of his glory on mount Sinai, was like eating (consuming) fire, Exod. 24. 17. and fire out of his mouth eateth, Psal. 18. 9. a storme be moved] a tempest raised: which maketh fire the more fierce and forcible. And these things signifie Christs judgements against hypocriticall carnall worshippers: see Mal. 3. 1, 2, 3. Mat. 3. 12.
Vers. 4. call to the heavens &c.] that heaven and earth may beare record; as in Deut. 31. 28. and 32. 1. Isa. 1. 2. The Chaldee expoundeth it, He will call the high Angels from above, and the just of the earth from beneath.
Vers. 5. have stricken my covenant] or have cut, that is, made covenant with me with sacrifice. For at holy covenants, the sacrifices were cut asunder, and they went betweene the parts, Gen. 15. 10, 13, 18. Ier. 34. 18. See Psal. 25. 10. See also a covenant betweene God and his people with sacrifice, Exod. 24. 4,—8. The Chaldee openeth it thus; which have stricken the covenant, and confirmed the Law, and beene busied in praier, which is like to sacrifices.
Vers. 6. And the heavens] hereby may be meant the heavenly Angels, as in Iob 15. 15. and so the Chaldee translateth, high Angels, or the meteors in the aire, thunder, lightning, &c. Exod. 19. 16. 18. See also Psal. 97. 6. and 89. 6. he is Iudge] himselfe in his owne person, and not by his servants onelyonly, as afore time, Heb. 1. 1, 2. 2 Tim. 4. 1.
Vers. 7. testifie to thee] that is, give thee contestations, admonitions, charges, &c. to cause the more obedience, as Nehem. 9. 29. 2 King. 17. 15. Exod. 19. 21. 23. or, testifie against thee, (as this phrase sometime signifieth, Deut. 4. 26. and 31. 28.) that is, convince thee of disobedience: Both these are done in this Psalme, verse 14, 15. 18, 19. &c.
Vers. 8. for thy sacrifices] so elsewhere hee saith, I spake not to your fathers, &c. concerning sacrifices, Ier. 7. 22. are before me] so the Greeke explaineth it; and so Israel used to weary God with outward offerings, Isa. 1. 11. 14, Mic. 6. 6, 7. Amos 4. 4, 5.
Vers. 9. goat-buckes] the he-goats; such with bullocks were principall in the sacrifices, Num. 7. 17. 23, &c. Psal. 66. 15.
Vers 11. store of beasts] all sorts of beasts that range about. So Psal. 80. 14.
Vers. 12. If I were hungry] This the Chaldee expoundeth, If the time come of the continuall sacrifice, I will not tell thee. So it may bee a prophesie of Christs abolishing the daily sacrifice, as in Dan. 9. 27.
Vers. 14. a confession] a thanke-offering. There was an oblation in the law thus called, Levit. 7. 12, 15. mentioned also in Ps. 116. 17. and 107. 22. which the Apostle openeth, exhorting to o…er the sacrifice of praise continually to God, that is, the fruit of the lips, confessing to his name, Heb. 13. 15. See also Psal. 95. 2. The Chaldee saith, Subdue evill concupiscence, and it shall be counted before the Lord as a sacrifice of confession. vowes to the most high] that is, to God, Gen. 14. 18. so hee that in Luke 6. 35. is the Most high, in Matth. 5. 45. is our Father which is in heaven. To him vowes were made with prayers, Gen. 28. 20. Psal. 61. 6. and paid with thanksgiving, Psal. 65. 2. and 66. 13, 14. and by law their payment was required, Deut. 23. 23. Eccles. 5. 5. Psal. 76. 12. and there were sacrifices for vowes, Levit. 7. 16. But the Chaldee referreth this here to the vow which they made at mount Sinai, to confirme the commandements, (Exod. 19.)
Vers. 16. what hast thou to doe] the Hebrew phrase is, what to thee? the Greeke, wherefore doest thou?
Vers. 17. nurture] or restraint, chastisement; which is the way of life, Prov. 6. 23. and 12. 1. The Chaldee addeth, nurture of wise men. behinde thee] or after thee. See a like speech, Neh. 9. 26.
Vers. 18. then thou] Hebr. and thou runnest, or readily consentest, takest pleasure. And, may be omitted in our English; it serveth to increase the readinesse & earnestnesse of the affections. He that partaketh with a theefe, hateth his soule, Prov. 29. 24.
Vers. 19. thou sendest out] that is, usest and appliest it. thy tongue joyneth] or, with thy tongue thou joynest, framest, compactest.
Vers. 20. ill report] or infamie, offensive scandalous speech; (as the Greeke turneth it, scandall) a word not found but in this place.
Vers. 21. I was surely] Hebrew, I being had b…ee, or was. set in order] to wit, thy faults; as the Greeke explaineth it, I will set thy sinnes before thy face. The Chaldee giveth this paraphrase, Thou thoughtest to be for ever; thou saidst in thy heart, I shall be like God: but I in powerfull wrath will take vengeance on thee, I will rebuke thee in this world, and order the judgement of Gehenna in the world to come, before thee.
Vers. 22. no reskuer] or no deliverer. A similitude taken from Lions, which catch and teare their prey, from whose jawes none can reskue. See the like in Hos. 5. 14.
Vers. 23. he that sacrificeth confession] that is, which giveth confession (or thankes) as a sacrifice, the Greeke translateth, The sacrifice of praise shall glorifie me; the Chaldee, He that slayeth evill concupiscence, and subdueth it, it shall be counted to him as a sacrifice of confession. disposeth his way] composeth and ordereth it according to these directions: or, he that putteth this way before him. to see the salvation] that is, to enjoy it; or, I will shew it him. In Hebrew the word in redoundeth. See Psal. 27. 4. So Psal. 91. 16. and 85. 8.