Notes on the Book of Psalms, Psalm 89
The lxxxix. PSALM.
Expositours differ upon the occasion of this Psalm, some make it to be in reference to the salling of the ten tribes from Rehoboam, others to Absalons rebellion, others to the Babylonish captivitie, to which I encline, conceiving it prophetically to be composed by Ethan for them to use in that estate. It contains matter of praise to God for his covenant, for his power to make it good, which he both hath done and will do. But expostulates how that captivitie and the matter of that covenant can be reconciled; and puts God in mind of dangerous inconvenience, that must needs insue upon breach of covenant, and abolition of Davids Kingdom, as also of the enemies reprochful blasphemies. And concludes with faithful praises notwithstanding all seeming discouragements.
Psalm lxxxix. Maschil of Ethan, the Ezrahite.An instruction for the people of God, how to demean themselves in publick calamities and concussions of Church or Common-wealth, by sad complaining, humble expostulating, and earnest prayer to God; penned by Ethan, one of the sons of Zerah of the posteritie of Judah, famous for his wisdom. 1 Kings 4.31.
1I Will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.1 WHat ever befal, I will be confident of the mercies God hath promised, that they shall be fulfilled, I will set them forth and sing their praises whilest I live, and leave them upon record to thy Church for ever to do the like: Thy faithfulness to thy people according to thy promises, I will publish and assert it to this age, and all that are to come.
2For I have said merciemercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.2 For upon a deliberate well-grounded faith I believe, and therefore do and dare affirm, and have ever done so in the midst of the greatest concussions that ever befel us, that merciemercy shall be built up from one age of the Church to another, like so many stories, untill it come in the end like a building perfected to its full accomplishment, the Churches perfection in her glorified condition to all eternitie. Thy faithfulness whereupon the promise of merciemercy and grace is builded, and whereby it shall be fulfilled, it is engaged and ratified to thy son, the Churches head in heaven on thy Churches behalf on earth, therefore sure enough to be accomplished from first to last, both here and hereafter, as well in heaven as on earth, nothing shall hinder.
3 Even this merciemercy which thou hast declared and stipulated Covenant-wise,3I have made a covenant with my chosen; I have sworn unto David my servant. and sworn it too (the faster to bind thee and strengthen our faith) to thy chosen servant, even to David that Kingly type of Christ, and head of thy people.
4 That thou wilt establish the Kingdom and Church in David the type,4Thy seed will I establish for ever: and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah. and his posteritie in successive generations, and in Christ the antitype for ever, and will make his throne glorious, and his dominion to increase and enlarge it self to all nations and all generations. Even so Amen.
5 According to which Covenant for the fulfilling thereof in the preservation and deliverance of thy Church,5And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints. thou shalt manifest such power, and do such wonders as shall affect the very Angels in heaven, who shall in the sympathy and love they bear to thy people praise thee, as if themselves shared in the benefit, and in heaven magnifie thy faithfulness as well as we on earth, for keeping promise and remembering thy Covenant to fulfil it.
6 For as there is none that on earth ought to be adored and magnified but God,6For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? who among the sons of the mightie can be likened unto the Lord. so nor in heaven where he alone rules as well as here below, the Angels are our fellow-creatures and subjects, as much inferiour to him as we are to them; Yea, though they are not of humane race, propagated as we are, but by the immediate hand of God created, as was Adam, yet there is no more comparison betwixt them and him, than betwixt us and him, he alone is absolute and Almighty.
7God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints: and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.7 As God is great, yea, the sole Monarch of heaven aswell as earth, so is he there greatly had in reverence, and so ought to be of those his holy Angels and glorified saints, aswell as here of his people; they therefore have the honour to be his servants in ordinarie, domesticks in heaven with him, that they may glorifie him sutably to their excellent natures and happie condition, it is their dutie, and his due.
8O Lord, God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee.8 O God, that hast the sole Empire in heaven and earth, and the sovereign chief command of all creatures in both; who therefore is of strength like unto thee? nay, of any strength at all but thee? from whom all things are, and thou onelyonly eternally of thy self: who then can match thee in power, or in faithfulness which is equal to thy power, and appears in all things wherein thy power appears, be they acts of providence or created Beeings, and where is it that thy power appears not on every side, in heaven or earth, before or behind, on the right hand or on thy left? and of like extent is thy truth, thy promise being as large as thy power, and thy goodness as large as both in thy Churches behalf, for her preservation and accomplishment.
9Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.9, 10 What was it but thy power and faithfulness, that when time was, did dispose and rule the unruly waters of the red-sea, for the preservation of thy Church then ready to be killed or drownd,10Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces, as one that is slain, thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm. by it before, and the Egyptians behind, whom thou as it were at one blow cutst off and destroyest as one man at once, and didst defeat those thine enemies, because thy Churches, and their great preparations and bloudy designs upon thy people by a mightie manifestation of power, which thou shalt ever put forth in thy Churches behalf, stilling the storms that every where in the world she shall meet with like a ship at sea, and preserve her, spite of all her enemies, though never so proud and potent.
11 How can it be otherwise,11The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them. for all is thine and at thy dispose, heaven, earth, and all things in them both, it is thou that hast given existence, and Being to the whole world and all things in it, both sea and land, as many as they are.
12 Thou hast created all things from one end of the heavens to the other,12The North and the South thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoyce in thy name. from pole to pole, thy Church every where from East to West, for so it shall spread, as Judea from mount Tabor in the West to mount Hermon in the East shall have cause of rejoycing in thy power, and faithfulness, manifested in her behalf, and to praise thee for it.
13 Thy strength and power,13Thou hast a mightie arm, strong is thine hand, and high is thy right hand. when as thou pleasest to make use of it, and put it forth either by means or miracles, in an ordinarie or extraordinarie way, it is unresistable and prevalent.
14 As thou hast power worthie thy greatness to execute thy will withall,14Justice & judgement are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face. so also justice & judgement, mercy and truth, the beauty and establishment of thrones and dominions, these are principally and originally in thee who governest and orders thy jurisdiction over the world, respectively to good and bad, by them dispensing to the unrighteous enemies of thy Church, and thee, justice and judgement, and unto her, even all thy holy ones, thou wilt exhibit merciful providences, and for her fulfil faithfully thy promises, with the gracious manifestation of thy love and favour to her in all those thy dispensations.
15Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.15 Blessed are thy people above all the world; for they onelyonly of all the world are acquainted with the inward sense, and savorie tast of thy peculiar love and saving grace, whispered into their consciences by the still voice and secret workings of the spirit, to the ravishing their hearts with joy unspeakable and glorious, as thine Israelites are inured to, and cheared with the sound of the sacred trumpets of God in their solemn feasts and sacrifies. Such shall comfortably run their race in the whole progress of their lives, they shall walk in a steady course by a faithful dependancie upon thy faithful providence, and in sweet interviews of thee, and frequent feelings of thy favour.
16In thy name shall they rejoyce all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.16 Such as these shall all their life long have cause of rejoycing in thy powerful dispensation of providences from time to time in their behalf, and in thy keeping promise with them, the experience and faith whereof shall lift up their heads above dangers and difficulties.
17For thou art the glorie of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.17 For their glorying is in thee, who though weak in themselves, yet are as it were omnipotent by their interest in thee and relation to thee that art so, by whose power and gracious favour, we that are thy people Israel, resemblancers of thy Church, doubt not of a prosperous state both civil and sacred, and to have the better of our enemies.
18For the Lord is our defence: and the holy one of Israel is our King.18 For the great and faithful God is our defence & protection, his power and goodness shall preserve us as a shield, the holy Lord that hath chosen Israel to be a holy people, and that shall ever have on earth a holy Church, is the Sovereign Lord and protector of us and it, and so shall Christ his vicegerent be, and David his.
19Then thou spa…est in vision unto thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mightie: I have exalted one chosen out of the people.19 Thou, Lord, in thine own appointed time didst make known thy mind by special revelation to thy holy prophet Samuel, that thou hadst ordained one to be a singular type of Christ, to give deliverance and yield protection to thy people against their enemies, over whom thou wouldst make him victorious, who should be chosen from amongst his brethren by thee, above and before all others, to be exalted from a mean condition to be King and ruler over them, as Christ in our nature shall be exalted from the Cross to the Crown, and Empire of his Church.
20 I the Lord,20I have found David my servant: with my holy oil have I anointed him. have by especial appointment set apart David, he is the man, and caused Samuel to go seek and find him out in the obscure condition & place where he lived, and from amongst all his brethren, more likely men than He, in Samuels own eyes, to take and anoint him with oyl I bid him take with him for that purpose, to that Kingly office and typical dignity over my people.
21 I will set the Crown upon his head,21With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him. my power shall protect him, and carrie him through all oppositions, and maugre all his enemies he shall be King, and the Kingdom established upon him, by my might shall he overcome all his adversaries, both before and after his inthronization.
22 Enemies he shall have good store,22The enemy shall not exact upon him: nor the son of wickedness afflict him. but they shall never have their will of him, he shall make them tributarie, but so shall not they him, nor shall any wicked malicious opposer of his be able to suppress him, but he shall prevail to be King, and to flourish in his Kingdom, spite of all gain-sayers.
23 I will make it appear,23And I will beat down his foes before his face: and plague them that hate him. how much I love him by the great things I will do for him, no enemy shall be able to stand before him, all his foes secret, and open, that oppose or stand in the way of his advancement, I will lay them low enough, yea, they that do but in their hearts malign him, though they do not openly oppose him, shall smart for it.
24But my faithfulness and my merciemercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted.24 But as for him I will make good all I have promised, his sins and infirmities shall not hinder me, for though I may punish them, yet will I have a merciful respect and consideration of him, from first to last shall my grace and truth be stedfast with him, as it shall be with my Church to the end, and by my might and power shall he and his Kingdom flourish with great glorie.
25I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers.25 And be extended far and near, from the red-sea to the river Euphrates, his dominion shall be enlarged without the limits of the land of Canaan very far several wayes.
26He shall crie unto me, Thou art my Father: my God, and the rock of my salvation.26 As a dear child and onelyonly son, as is the Messiah, so shall he be unto me, and as a tender Father so will I be to him, and such shall he acknowledge me by the experience he shall have of my love and care, and by the great deliverances and victories that I will give him, and as to his onelyonly God and Saviour shall he make his applications to me.
27Also I will make him my first born: higher than the Kings o… the earth.27 As my son the Messiah is the first born of every creature, and in all things hath the preheminence, so shall my servant David that figures him be advanced to the honour of being the highest Prince on earth, blessed and accepted by me far beyond them all.
28My merciemercy will I keep for him for evermore: and my covenant shall stand fast with him.28 My mercy and truth shall be sure to keep touch with him, I will never forget to be gracious, though I may seem severe; I will not fail of what I have promised him, but as in grace I made my covenant, so in merciemercy and faithfulness, I will make it good, nothing shall hinder.
29His s…ed also will I make to endure for ever: and his throne as the dayes of heaven.29 His posteritie shall continue and possess the throne till they transmit it to the Messiah, in whom it shall be eternized, and in those that shall be begotten to God by the sanctification of the spirit, the blessed of-spring of Christ the son of David, every of which shall reign as Kings, both on earth and in heaven, for evermore in grace and glorie.
30, 31 If his children and childrens children that succeed him in the throne rule not righteously,30If his children forsake my Law, and walk not in my judgements. nor order their conversation aright,31If they break my statutes, and keep not in my judgements. but sin against me, and keep not my commandments.
32 Then will I,32Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquitie with stripes. aswell as I loved their Father David, and them for his sake, be sure to let them know I am sensible of their sins, by making them sensible of my corrections, neither their impietie nor injustice shall go unpunished.
33, 34 Nevertheless,33Nevertheless, my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him: nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. I will not quite cast off the sinner for his sin, because of David my servant, but will remember my love to him and covenant with him, so that I will pardon aswell as punish,34My covenant will I not break: nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. and be faithful aswell as just, they shall not frustrate my covenant, no not by their sins, because it was of grace, no more than shall mine elect regenerate people for my sons sake; with whom I have covenanted, and for whose sake I will perform it to his seed and mine adopted ones, throughout all generations.
35 I have once for all irrevocably bound my self by as deep an oath as I know how to take;35Once have I sworn by mine Holiness, that I will not lie unto David. even by the most sacred attribute and propertie that is in all my divine nature, that gives a verdure to all the rest, mine Holiness, which is indeed my whole self, the greatest pledge I can lay to stake, the resemblance whereof my sanctuarie you have amongst you, that I will for no cause whatsoever falsifie with David, nor fail of what I promised.
36His seed shall endure for ever; and his throne as the sun before me36 That his seed Christ, the son of David, and the faithful that are begotten by the incorruptible seed of the word, shall last as long as time lasteth. He shall reign in and over his Church by special commission and favour, as my vicegerent and fellow in Government, as long as the sun abides in the firmament, till all things be no more, and he give up the Kingdom into the Fathers hands.
37It shall be established for ever as the Moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.37 Till then it shall be established, even so long as Sun and Moon endures, those never-failing witnesses of my grace and providence as a faithful creator to the children of men, for all their iniquities, notwithstanding which, these have afforded their light and influence from the very beginning, both to the just and unjust, shall do to the end. As the sins of the wicked, because my grace super-abounded, hath not annihilated these mercies of mankind, so, nor shall the sins of the Godly, the sons of Christ, the son of David, make void my Covenant of grace peculiar to my son and his seed, figured by David and his posteritie, no not for ever.
38But thou hast cast off and abhorred: thou hast been wroth with thine anointed.38 But, Lord, what consonancie is there betwixt this thy Covenant with David, and the state of the Kingdom as now it stands, instead of loving kindness, establishment, and merciemercy, here is nothing but utter dereliction and rejection of his posteritie and people with abhorrencie; How couldst thou well be angrier with the seed of thine anointed servant than thou art, to whom for his sake thy covenant reacheth, and is to be fulfilled.
39Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant: thou hast profaned his crown, by casting it to the ground.39 Truly, Lord, to the eye of sense and natural reason, thou hast broken all the ties that were upon thee, oath, promise, faithfulness, holiness, covenant, which seems to be quite made void, even that thou mad'st with thy servant David concerning the establishment of his throne and dignitie upon him and his posteritie for ever. For thou hast suffered as much despight to be done to that royal diadem, as the prophane ignorant Idolatrous heathen can devise to do, by captivating King and Kingdom, contemptibly subjugated and transplanted into another nation far remote, where they are made bon dmen, even the people and posteritie of David, his throne is thus abased of whom thou saidst. The enemy shall not exact, nor the son of wickedness afflict him.
40 Instead of protection thou hast brought upon it utter devastation,40Thou hast broken down all his hedges: thou hast brought his strong holds to ruine. thou hast quite ruinated all the strength of the Kingdom defensive and offensive, and made the enemy absolute there.
41 He is brought to so forlorn a condition,41All that pass by the way spoil him, he is a reproch to his neighbours. that the whole Kingdom, countrey, cities, people, goods, every thing are preid upon and spoiled at pleasure by all that will, houses, gardens, vine-yards, all the whole land is a very through-fare for all commers and goers, that take and leave as they list themselves, there is no bodie nor nothing to resist them. Those Idolatrous prophane people the Ammonites, Moabites, &c. that border about us, whom thou saidest should be under him, are got above him, and most insultingly reproch him upon this occasion, and deridingly ask if this be the King whose throne shall endure so long as the Sun and Moon, which extreamly reflects upon the Messiah himself, and calls in question thy covenant as to him.
42 Thou hast given strength,42Thou hast set up the right hand of his adversarie: thou hast made all his enemies to rejoyce. courage, and success to his enemies, and made them triumphant over him.
43Thou hast also turned the edge of his sword: and hast not made him to stand in the battel.43 On the contrarie, thou hast weakned his power, made ineffectual all his indeavours, and turned the courage wherewith he was wont to be endowed into cowardise, and made him to flie before the enemie, who was wont to flie before him.
44Thou hast made his glorie to cease; and cast his throne down to the ground.44 Thou hast put an end to that honour and dignitie, which thou saidst, nay swearest should continue for ever, his throne which thou covenantest to establish is utterly demolished, he is laid level with the common people, nay a very bondman in captivitie.
45The dayes of his youth hast thou shortned: thou hast covered him with sham…. Selah.45 Instead of estating him and his Kingdom in everlasting happiness, thou hast brought sudden and speedie desolation, it is true some few dayes of glorie and felicitie he hath seen, but they soon have an end, nay a shameful end. Lord this is true.
46How long, Lord, wilt thou hide thy self for ever? shall thy wrath burn like fire?46 Lord, instead of being everlastingly gracious, wilt thou be everlastingly displeased, shall we never partake of favour and grace again, art thou utterly estranged, and we utterly rejected? shall we be quite consumed in thine anger, without any mixture of merciemercy, or mitigation of thy wrath?
47Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?47, 48 Lord, consider the shortness and vanitie of my life, and by me judge of all other men, that by course of nature are as I am short-lived, and sure to die.48What man is he that liveth and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave. Selah. Now then if thou thus breakest covenant, casts off thy people, nullifies thy Church, and hereby overthrows all possibilitie of the Messiah and his Kingdom, what a vain thing must it needs be for thee to have made man, if all the happiness he shall have, is but to live a few dayes on earth and so die, or if that be all the honour and service thou art like to have of him, and truly, Lord, if thy Church and covenant be null, that is all can come on't, for none shall be saved but thy people, and no people are so but by Covenant, if then the one be not, and so the other be frustrate, we are all reduced into the sinful mass of mankind, at best to live miserably and die wretchedly. This will be the issue.
49 Lord,49Lord, where are thy former loving kindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy truth? thou doest infinitly amaze us, to consider what loving kindness thou hast heretofore covenanted to shew to David and his seed for ever, and ratified it with a deep and solemn Oath, obliging thee in thine infinit truth and faithfulness to fulfil it: we are at a stand to think on this, and withall how this thy word, and these thy works are consistent and reconcileable.
50 Lord,50Remember (Lord) the reproch of thy servant: how I do bear in my bosom the reproch of all the mightie people. for all this, make it appear thou canst keep Covenant, and preserve thy Church and people as low as they be brought, and that thou mayest be moved hereunto; Remember and take notice of the reprochful contumelious usage, thy servants have at their enemies hands for thy sake, more than their own, and to thy dishonour more than theirs. Weigh well to what an ebb of fortune we are fallen, when subjugated and captivated under the insolentest and mightiest nation upon earth, whose reprochful insufferable abuse of thy people they are forced to put up, and with infinit patience to dissemble their grief, which goes to my heart to think of, and am as sensible of it as if I bare the whole burden on my own back.
51 Even those blasphemous reprochful taunts which those victorious heathen,51Wherewith thine enemies have reproched, O Lord: wherewith they have reproched the footsteps of thine anointed. enemies to thee, and for thy sake to thy people, do cast upon their hope in thy promises, and their faithful expectation of the coming and near approch of the Messiah their King thine anointed, now in this their so low, miserable, and irrecoverable estate.
52Blessed be the Lord for evermore. Amen and Amen.52 But how ever it be, neither our miserie, the enemies insolencie, thy severitie and seeming perfidie, nor our amazements upon all these shall eradicate the faith, and hope mine heart hath in thee and thy covenant, nor stop my mouth from praising thee for it, but that I do affirm thee holy, faithful, and gracious for all these, even to David, to whom thou wilt make good all that ever thou hast promised, yea, to the end of the World shall his Kingdom last. The Messiah for all this shall come, whose shall be the Kingdom, power, and glorie for evermore. And in the faith hereof I do bless thee now, as if it were, and pronounce thee worthie of blessing, praise, and thanksgiving throughout all ages of the World, so long as Sun and Moon endures, so be it, yea, Lord, dispose the hearts of thy people to believe that so it shall be, that in the hope thereof we may praise thee, and in the happie enjoyment thereof all ages hereafter may do so too.