Notes on the Book of Psalms, Psalm 44
xliv. PSALM.
The people of Israel being in grievous captivity. The Author of this Psalm accosts God with his Covenant-mercies shewn of old to their forefathers, whose seed they are, and whose God he also is, and so they are confident will in his good time approve himself. But in the mean time their extremities are very great, and his favour quite eclipsed; And yet they are faithful to him, chosing rather to die, than forsake him: and therefore prayes him to pity their case, and hear their prayers joined with fasting and deep humiliation for help and succour.Psalm xliv. To the chief musician, for the sonnes of Korah, Maschil.
A Psalm made for the instruction of the Church in afflictions, shewing the use of them and carriage in them; and committed to Heman the chief musician of the familie of the Korathites, for him and them to sing.
1WE have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.1 WE have heard it both by word and writing from thy servants and our forefathers, O gratious God, the grace and goodness thou shewdst to thy people Israel then in their times long ago, at their first coming into a Canan.
2How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them: how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out.2 How then thou wroughtest for them, and shewdst forth thy mighty power against the many heathenish nations, and their great strength; which, notwithstanding thou didst subdue and vanquish in thy peoples behalf, driving out them to make way for these, whom thou according to promise didst plant in their steads by a marvellous out-stretched arm, wherewith thou didst oppress the Cananites, destroying some, and expelling others, from out that land.
3 For it was not their own power and might that possessed them of the promised land,3For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them. nor was it their own strength that either preserved them from their enemies, or subdued them, but it was thy power and strength▪ and thy gracious goodness and presence with them, that did it for them, because they were the people whom thou hadst chosen, and to whom thou hadst promised thy grace and assistance.
4 Thou Lord,4Thou art my King O God, command deliverances for Jacob. art still the God and King of thy people, whom they serve, and in whom they trust, remember therefore the Covenant of protection and mercy thou madest with Jacob and his seed, and as thou fulfillest it to him in his own person, so now make it good also to him in his posterity, by setting them free from their enemies, as thou didst him from his.
5 That so by thy powerfull assistance we may now do by our enemies,5Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them und…r that rise up against us. as our forefathers did by theirs, overthrow and destroy them, and through thy good grace & faithfull promise we hope to speed no worse than they, but that we shall be able to vanquish and subdue them that do oppose and subjugate us.
6 For it is neither bow nor sword,6For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me. skill nor strength, that we thy people trust in as do the heathens.
7 But in thee,7But thou hast saved us from our enemies, & hast put them to shame that hated us. who hast all this while hitherto from Abraham till now wrought and fought for us against our enemies, and given us still the better, and them the worse, that opposed themselves against us, and sought to destroy us.
8 In thee the Lord,8In God we boast all the day long: and praise thy name for ever. Selah. for that thou hast done, and promised to do, do we boast our selves, and glory in the faith thereof continually, and in no strength nor power but thine, the praise of all our prosperity as from aforetime till now, so from hence even for ever shall it be ascribed by us to thee onelyonly. From our hearts we intend it.
9But thou hast cast off, & put us to shame; and goest not forth with our armies.9 Thou hast been we must and do confess a praiseworthy God to us in former times; but alas now thou seemest to have rejected us, for thou makest us go by the worse, and givest the enemy the better of us, to our great reproach and thine, not prospering our armies, nor giving victory on our side, as thou wast wont to do.
10Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy: & they which hate us spoil for themselves.10 Thou turnest our faith and courage, wherewith we were wont manfully to withstand our enemies into fearfull and faint-hearted flight, and whereas we used to vanquish and spoil them that fought against us, now they on the contrary vanquish us, and prey upon our substance, enriching themselves upon our ruines.
11Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat: and hast scattered us among the heathen.11 Thou hast wonderfully altered thy course of grace and providence towards us, for we that once commanded and bare rule, are now sold over to our enemies to be spoiled and devoured at their pleasure, and thou hast driven us out of our countrey, where once thou plantedst us, and from the exercise of our religion there, and made us bond-men to the heathen, who formerly were so to us.
12Thou sellest thy people for nought, and dost not increase thy wealth by their price.12 Of lates dayes thou hast set light by thy people, for whereas thou wast wont to prize them highly, and to give nations for them, now thou givest them away, and exposest them to all that will spoil them, they not being so much as sold for bond-slaves like unto others, but are made so for nought, in so much as thy people are less worth to thee than common bond-men are to their masters, who use not to part with them but for their profit, but so dost not thou by us.
13 Thou hast brought us from such an height of happiness to such a low estate of miserie and subjection,13Thou makest us a reproch to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us. that now our neighbour-nations who once admired us, and shewed all respectful behaviour to us in our prosperitie, do now generally reproch us as an abject nation.
14 Thou makest us that are thine own people,14Thou makest us a by-word among the heathen: a shaking of the head among the people. chosen out of all the world to serve and worship thee, and to relate peculiarly to thee, to be the laughingstock and scornful by-word of the heathen, and because of our calamities to be esteemed an abject people by the abject Gentils.
15 The woful condition we are brought into,15My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me. under our hateful enemie is sadly remembred, and laid to heart alwayes by us, and a dejected shamefastnes hath utterly possessed us
16 For because of the scorns and blasphemies that through us are cast out against thee by the revengefull enemie,16For the vo…e of him that reprocheth and blasphemeth: by reason of the enemie and avenger. that hath longed for this hour wherein he might despight us, and our God.
17 All this woful miserie of bondage and reproch is fallen upon us,17All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsly in thy covenant. yet in the midst thereof, we forsake thee not, but own thee still for our God, trusting in thee, and worshipping of thee, nor have we broken covenant by deserting thee, and chusing other Gods to worship them, as do our enemies that revile us.
18 We have not peevishly cast off our affection,18Our heart is not turned back: neither have our steps de…lined from thy way. and dutie to thee, neither have we sought our remedie by indirect ways, but still trust in thee, seek to thee, and walk with thee.
19Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death.19 Though thou hast exercised and humbled us under sore and heavie trials, and hast plunged us into a sea of miserie, and brought us out of a happie condition into a most desolate state, uncomfortably scattering us among fierce and cruel enemies, so that nothing but present destruction seems to hang over our heads continually.
20If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange God.20 If for all this we have forsaken the worshipping, and trusting in thee, or betaken our selves to other Gods than thee, to pray to, or trust in them for help.
21Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.21 To God, who we know to be jealous of his glorie, and a searcher of hearts, we appeal if this be so.
22Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long: we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.22 Yea, if on the contrarie for thy truths sake we suffer not continual martyrdom and persecution.
23 We trust in thee, and pray to thee, but find no relief from thee,23Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever. O Lord, bethink thy self of our miseries and thine ingagements, forbear our enemies no longer, but shew thy self against them, and for us, whom thou hast long exposed to their crueltie, but now give an end to it in merciemercy.
24Wherefore hidest thou thy face? and forgettest our affliction, and our oppression?24 Why Lord dost thou so long turn thy back upon us in displeasure, and shew us no favour, but seemest utterly to have forgotten us, as if we neither were, nor never had been thy people, and to have no regard at all to our miserable state and condition.
25For our soul is bowed down to the dust; our belly cleaveth unto the earth.25 For we fruitlesly afflict our souls, and mourn in dust and ashes, prostrating our selves upon the earth before thee in continual prayer and supplication, but are not heard.
26Arise, for our help, and redeem us for thy merciemercy sake.26 Be moved at last, O Lord, to pitie our extremities, and to hear our prayers, after so long and great oppression, and miserie, shew us some merciemercy; help and deliver us by thy great power out of our great straits and miserable captivitie.