Notes on the Book of Psalms, Psalm 95
The xcv. PSALM.
David, as appears by Heb. 4.7. was authour of this Psalm, wherein he incites the people solemnly, unanimously, and affectionately to sing praise and thanks to God, for his grace to them, and his greatness in himself, and over the world, and not to be like their fore-fathers, rebellious, and unbelieving, but to hear and obey, lest imitating their sins, they share in their plagues.
1, 2 O How meet a thing it is for all us Israelites,Psalm xcv. the adopted people of the Lord,1O Come let us …ing unto the Lord, let us make a joyfull noise to the rock of our salvation. frequently to meet together, and with willing minds and thankfull hearts to set forth the praises of the Lord in solemn assemblies,2Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyfull noise unto him with Psalms let us unanimously and cheerfully do so, even sing aloud the praise-worthy preservations that he the Rock of our salvation hath in all ages vouchsafed unto us. Let us joyfully repair to his sanctuary in the faith of his presence according to his promise, with our hearts full-fraught with the memorie of his mercies, and our lips gratuitously pouring out the praises of them before him there, singing joyfully with all the melodious harmonie of voyces and instruments, the Psalms made for that purpose.
3 For who is there like him,3For the Lord is a great God: and a great King above all Gods. or who is besides him worthy of worship? He onelyonly is God, great in might and majestie, doing whatsoever pleaseth him, the onelyonly Potentate, whose is the kingdom, power and glory. The maker of all things, besides whom there is no God, though, falsly and abusively, there are gods many and lords many, as heathenish idols, civil majestrates, glorified Angels, yea, divels also bear that name, but he is above every thing so called, and commanded them as well as us.
4, 5 What is there that he hath not fashioned and framed in all the world,4In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hils is his also. and consequently which are not at his command and dispose:5The sea is his and he made it: and his hands formed the drie land. from the bottom of the bottomless sea to the top of the mightiest mountains in the whole earth; for both land and sea were made by him, and possessed of those places they enjoy, at first he commanded the al-over-flowing waters now the sea, to the abyss prepared for them, that the face of the earth might appear above them for the use of man and beast, and so it did.
6O come let us worship & bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.6 O let me exhort you again and again, chearfully and joyntly with unanimitie and gratuitie, to frequent the tabernacle of this immense majestie, there to worship him in all the ways and ordinances he hath appointed, and adore his great and glorious name, by humbling and prostrating our selves before him with lowly hearts and bended knees, in token of giving our whole selves a living and reasonable sacrifice unto him, as a homage due to so Almighty a God and our Creatour, of whom, we as well as all other things had our beeings and have still.
7For he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand: to day if you will hear his voice,7, 8, 9 Nor is that all, but besides the common interest of Creation, he is our God by special Election, who governs us not onelyonly by common providence as all mankind,8Harden not your heart, as in the provocation; and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: but by special gubernation as his Church and chosen people, to whom, and on whom he hath bestowed his saving truths and ordinances for us to feed upon,9When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works. and grow by unto everlasting life and happiness, we are not of his flock which he turns out to the wide world, as sheep-masters do some sheep to commons and fallows, but we are his pasture-sheep, yea, his cades brought up at hand, his very domesticks, these priviledges we have if we know how to use them, and walk worthy of them, obedientially hearkening to the voice, and submitting to the guidance of this shepherd of Israel, and not after so much and so long experience as we have of him, his goodness, faithfulness, and power, at this time, above what our fore-fathers had formerly, and the light that now shines amongst us, towards the perfect day more than it did then, harden our hearts as they at Meribah and Massah, the place where they chid with Moses, and with ungratefull unbelief questioned the power and presence of the Almightie, whether he were with them, and would or could supply their want of water, after the great things he had done for them all along from Egypt thither, when as he expected far other from them, considering what things he had even then done for them, but much more for us since then, and therefore expects much more from us, for this was in the wilderness long ago, during their peregrination there, short of our times and what we have seen, when yet God expected even then and there their faith and obedience, to have been answerable to his care and providence, and therefore there proved them purposely; but instead of hearkening to the voice of Moses, and of his miracles, to trust in him faithfully, and walk before him humbly, in a meek and patient depending on him, and seeking to him in their necessities, they speak rebelliously, mutined and murmured at God and his servant ungratefully, and instead of submitting themselves to the will and dispensations of God, to be proved by him, that they might have opportunity to shew forth their faith and obedience in and to him that had done such great things for them, they turned it to a contrarie use, obstinately tempting and proving him, by misbelieving and questioning his power and goodness, instead of meekly yielding to be proved by him, and answering his expectations by suitable returns. These were our progenitours, of whom we come, and of whose sins we therefore ought to beware.
10, 11 And this they did,10Fourty years long was I grieved with this generation: and said, It is a people that do erre in their heart, and they have not known my ways. not onelyonly once but often, nor out of frailtie, but obstinacie, Nothing I could do or say (saith God) could reclaim them, but they persisted the self same men from first to last, from the Red-sea to the skirts of Canaan fourtie years together,11Unto whom I sware in my wrath, that they should not enter into my rest. perpetually vexing me with their unbelief and rebellion, even all the generation of them, scarce a man that did other, insomuch that at last, after so long trial and experience of them, I concluded that there was no good to be done, they are a people whose hearts are not upright with me, that erre not of infirmitie, but obstinacie; and for all that, by my word and works, I have taught and assured them thus long of my love, care, power, and faithfulness, yet have not they learned in all this time, nor never will▪ being wilfully blind and perversly inconsiderate, how to walk and demean themselves towards me, by honouring of me with their faithfull dependance, humble submission, and hopefull expectation of my goodness and power to appear for them and be extended to them, and to return me praise and thanks, love and obedience, that so a perpetual intercourse of friendship and sweet correspondencie might have been traded betwixt us for ever as I intended. But so hatefull and vexatious was their carriage, and so infinite and endless their provocation, that at last when I had tried them to the uttermost, had brought them to the very borders of the promised land, and saw they were still the same, as unbelieving and murmuring as ever before, it made me past patience, so that in my rage I sware (never to revoke it) that so unworthy a people that I saw neither was nor never would be good, do all that I could, I say, I sware they should upon no terms nor entreaty enter into and be possessed of the end of their travels, the type of heaven, that resting place the land of Canaan, but should wast their days, and end their lives in the wilderness, where they had so sinned against me, even the whole generation of them, which I made good to the last man of that rebellious crew. Let us fear and tremble, hearken and obey, praise and give thanks, lest we the ofspring of such progenitours be guiltie of their sins, and partake of their plagues, be cast out as they were kept out, of this good land.