The Book of Psalms Paraphrased, Book 5 · Psalm 122 – Psalm 125
PSALM CXXII.
A Song of degrees of David.
ARGUMENT.
The Title ſatisfies us that David was the Authour of this Pſalm: who having ſettled the Ark (which before had no certain place) at Jeruſalem, and being, at this time, upon ſome occaſion in the Country; heard the good people there ſpeak one to another, as ſome of them did to him, of going to worſhip God; at ſome of the three ſolemn Feaſts. Which devotion of theirs, as it rejoiced his heart, ſo it moved him, I conjecture, to compoſe this Pſalm for their uſe; at ſuch times.
If the Talmudiſts may be believed, they were wont to ſing the firſt Verſe of this Pſalm, as they went out of the Country towards Jeruſalem, carrying their firſt-fruits to the Houſe of the Lord; as the Law (XXVI. Deut. 2.) directed them. And when they entred within the Gates of the City, they ſang the ſecond Verſe. There they were met by ſome of the Citizens; who, if this be true, ſang the reſt of the Pſalm, it is likely, together with them; as they went toward the Temple. Of this cuſtom Mr. Selden treats L. III. de Synedr. Cap. 13. Of A Song of degrees, ſee CXX.
1. I Was glad when they ſaid unto me, Let us go into the houſe of the LORD.
1. I Was exceedingly pleaſed with the chearfull devotion of thoſe, who came unto me, before the approaching Feaſt, and ſaid; Let us go and pay our thankfull acknowledgments to the Lord, in the place where He dwells, and makes Himſelf preſent among us.
2. Our feet ſhall ſtand within thy gates, O Jeruſalem.
2. Which motion ought to be the more readily embraced, becauſe now He hath fixed his habitation: and we need not travel further then Jeruſalem, to enquire after the Ark of his preſence.
3. Jeruſalem is builded as a city, that is compact together:
3. To Jeruſalem, I ſay, that fair and beautifull City; whoſe buildings do not now lie ſcattered and divided: but are all compacted, and united together (as we ought to be) in a goodly order, 1 Sam. V. 9. 1 Chron. XI. 8.
4. Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the teſtimony of Iſrael, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD.
4. Thither all the XII. Tribes of Iſrael, who own the great LORD for their God, go up from all the parts of the Country, by his ſpecial Commandment: (XXIII. Exod. 17.) to acknowledge before the Ark of his Teſtimony, (XXV. Exod. 21, 22.) all the benefits they have received from his almighty Goodneſs; and this above the reſt, that He thereby teſtifies his ſingular care and providence over them.
5. For there are ſet thrones of judgment: the thrones of the houſe of David.
5. Thither alſo they repair for Juſtice; for the ſupreme Judicatory of the Kingdom ſits there, (2 Chr. XIX. 8.) and there is the ſeat of the Royal Family (where David and his Sons have their reſidence, and govern the people, 2 Sam. VIII. 15, 18.)
6. Pray for the peace of Jeruſalem: they ſhall proſper that love thee.
6. O let this be part of your devout prayers, when you come there; that God would preſerve Jeruſalem in peace: Happy ſhall they be, who out of love to the Religion and Juſtice which is adminiſtred in thee, (O beloved City) contribute their indeavours, as well as their prayers, for thy ſafety and proſperity.
7. Peace be within thy walls, and proſperity within thy palaces.
7. Let no enemy (this ſhall be my conſtant prayer) approach ſo much as to thy out-works to diſturb thee: and let plenty of all good things abound within thy Palaces.
8. For my brethren and companions ſakes, I will now ſay, Peace be within thee.
8. The kindneſs I have for my kindred, and my neighbours and friends, whether in the City, or the Country, will not let me ceaſe my earneſt prayers to God; that He will confer his bleſſings on thee.
9. Becauſe of the houſe of the LORD our God, I will ſeek thy good.
9. But above all, the love I have to the Lord our God, whoſe houſe is here, (whither all his devout ſervants reſort to worſhip Him and celebrate his Name) ſhall excite not onelyonly my prayers, but my ſtudy to promote thy welfare.
PSALM CXXIII.
A Song of degrees.
ARGUMENT.
This Pſalm, it is certain, was compoſed in a time of great diſtreſs; when they were extreamly afflicted by ſome haughty and inſolent enemies, Ver. 3, 4. who thoſe enemies were, there are ſeveral conjectures; And I will add mine: that this ſhort form of prayer was made by ſome pious perſon, when the King of Aſſyria (whoſe pride the Prophet Iſaiah deſcribes VIII. 7. and many other places) ſent Rabſhakeh and other of his Captains, to beſiege Jeruſalem: where they poured out moſt contemptuous, nay blaſphemous words, againſt God, and his people, 2 King. XVIII, XIX. It is probable, if this conjecture be admitted, that it was made by Iſaiah, whom Hezekiah deſired to lift up his prayer for the remnant that was left, 2 King. XIX. 4. XXXVII. Iſa. 4. Accordingly we reade, (2 Chron. XXXII. 20.) both he and Hezekiah cried unto the Lord: and we may ſuppoſe lift up his eyes to heaven, and ſaid theſe words.
1. UNto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwelleſt in the heavens.
1. THough all humane help fail us in this ſore diſtreſs; yet I do not deſpair of relief from Thee, O Lord: whoſe Majeſty and Power, incomparably excells all earthly Monarchs.
2. Behold, as the eyes of ſervants look unto the hand of their maſters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her miſtreſs: ſo our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, untill that he have mercy upon us.
2. Behold, how, not onelyonly I, but the reſt of thy faithfull people wait upon Thee: ſubmitting our ſelves to this ſevere puniſhment, as poor ſlaves do to the ſtroke of their offended Maſter or Miſtreſs; and reſolving to bear it patiently, till Thou our LORD who doeſt inflict it, wilt be pleaſed to ſhew thy ſelf our moſt gracious God; and in much pity towards us remove it.
3. Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us: for we are exceedingly filled with contempt.
3. O be gracious unto us, good Lord, be gracious unto us; and in much mercy take away this heavy ſcourge from us: for we are become ſo beyond all meaſure contemptible, (2 King. XVIII. 23, 24. XIX. 34.) that we can ſcarce any longer indure it.
4. Our ſoul is exceedingly filled with the ſcorning of thoſe that are at eaſe, and with the contempt of the proud.
4. We have a long time groaned under the intollerable load of the deriſion and contempt of thoſe; whoſe conſtant proſperity puffs them up with pride: nay, makes them inſolently oppreſs all thoſe, who are unable to reſiſt them.
PSALM CXXIV.
A Song of degrees of David.
ARGUMENT.
If the Title had not told us that this is a Pſalm of David's; I ſhould have thought it had been compoſed by the Authour of the former; to acknowledge the wonderfull power and goodneſs of God in delivering them from Senacherib's Army; which came in like a floud, (LIX, Iſa. 19.) and had overflown all the Country as far as Jeruſalem, (VIII. Iſa. 7, 8.) which might well make them be called proud waters (as the Pſalmiſt here ſpeaks, Ver. 5.) becauſe they fancied nothing could ſtand before them. Such it ſeems were, either the Philiſtines; upon whom, when they ſpread themſelves in the valley of Rephaim, the Lord broke forth as a breach of waters, 2 Sam. V. 19: or the Ammonites and their Aſſociates, 2 Sam. X. 6, 15, 16. Of A Song of degrees, ſee CXX.
1. IF it had not been the LORD who was on our ſide, now may Iſrael ſay:
1. IF we had not had ſuch a mighty helper as the Lord; who took our part, may Iſrael now moſt thankfully acknowledge,
2. If it had not been the LORD who was on our ſide, when men roſe up againſt us:
2. If it had not been the Lord (whom none can reſiſt) who took our part, when ſuch numerous enemies united their forces, as one man, to make war upon us;
3. Then they had ſwallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled againſt us,
3. They would then have made but one morſel of our ſmall Army: and in the furious rage wherein they were, have immediately devoured us; as monſtrous beaſts doe their prey, which they greedily ſwallow down alive.
4. Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the ſtream had gone over our ſoul.
4. Then they would have overrun all the Country like a violent torrent: and we ſhould have been buried in the floud.
5. Then the proud waters had gone over our ſoul.
5. Having once made a wide breach, by the overthrow of our Army; they would have poured in more numerous forces upon us: till, like an inundation of water, which ſwells more and more, they had wholly overwhelmed us.
6. Bleſſed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.
6. Thanks be to the Lord, to whoſe infinite mercies we ought to aſcribe it; that He hath not permitted them to domineer over us, and execute their cruel intentions againſt us.
7. Our ſoul is eſcaped as a bird out of the ſnare of the fowlers; the ſnare is broken, and we are eſcaped.
7. They thought they had laid their deſign ſo ſtrongly, that we could not eſcape; no more then a little bird, which a fowler hath taken in his ſnare: but, bleſſed be the Lord, who hath aſſiſted our weakneſs; their plot is defeated, they are broken in pieces; and we thereby moſt wonderfully delivered.
8. Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
8. This was not a work of our wit, no more then of our power; nor were we beholden to the help of any of our neighbours: but we owe it wholly to his almighty Goodneſs; who commands, becauſe He made, all Creatures: in whom we ought to place our confidence for ever.
PSALM CXXV.
A Song of degrees.
ARGUMENT.
We may well look upon this Pſalm, as a pious Exhortation to the people to truſt in God; when Senacherib's Army threatned to deſtroy Jeruſalem. And perhaps theſe were ſome of the comfortable words, which we reade, (2 Chron. XXXII. 6, 7, 8.) Hezekiah then ſpake to them; when God chaſtiſed them by that rod of his anger, (as He calls Senacherib, X. Iſa. 5.) which the Pſalmiſt here foretold (Ver. 3.) ſhould not long afflict them. Of A Song of degrees, ſee CXX.
1. THey that truſt in the LORD ſhall be as mount Sion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.
1. THere are none ſo ſafe, as they that repoſe a pious confidence in the Lord: by which they ſhall both maintain themſelves in a ſettled peace and tranquillity; and remain for ever, as unmoveable, conſpicuous and illuſtrious, as mount Sion.
2. As the mountains are round about Jeruſalem, ſo the LORD is round about his people, from henceforth even for ever.
2. For as Jeruſalem is ſurrounded with high hills, which make it not eaſily acceſſible by any enemies; ſo the Divine providence incompaſſes his people, who depend upon Him: to guard and defend them from all dangers; not onelyonly now, but in all ſucceeding ages, to the end of the world.
3. For the rod of the wicked ſhall not reſt upon the lot of the righteous: leſt the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity.
3. The power of wicked Tyrants indeed may heavily afflict the righteous for a time: but they ſhall not always harraſs their Country, nor continue their oppreſſion ſo long; as quite to tire out the patience of the righteous, and tempt them to forſake their pious confidence in Him, and lay hold on any means, though never ſo unjuſt of obtaining deliverance.
4. Do good, O LORD, unto thoſe that be good, and to them that are upright in their hearts.
4. To prevent ſo great an evil, be pleaſed now, good Lord, to deal well with thoſe who are truly good: and reward their fidelity; who notwithſtanding all theſe calamities ſincerely perſiſt in thy ways, and preſerve their integrity.
5. As for ſuch as turn aſide unto their crooked ways, the LORD ſhall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity: but peace ſhall be upon Iſrael.
5. But as for thoſe, who, inſtead of growing bettter by theſe oppreſſions, decline more and more from the ways of piety; unto the moſt perverſe, and crooked courſes: the Lord ſhall deliver them over to be puniſhed with their oppreſſours; when Iſrael, after all theſe ſore afflictions, ſhall be ſettled again in peace and happineſs.