A Brief Explication of the Other Fifty Psalms, Psalm 83
PSAL. LXXXIII. A song or Psalme of Asaph.
THis Psalme agreeth with such a condition of the Church, as we read of in the dayes of Iehosaphat, 2 Chron. 20. and serveth to comfort the Church in the greatest conspiracies of her enemies against her. The Psalm hath two parts. In the former, the Church doth cry to God to shew himselfe for his people, ver. 1. and complaineth of their conspiracy and preparation to come against her, ver. 2, 3. and of their purpose to root out the Lords people, ver. 4, 5. specifying a number of nations, who were upon the plot, ver. 6. 7, 8. In the latter part, they pray that judgment may so befall them, as befell other such their enemies before, who enterprised the same enterprise, ver. 9, 10, 11, 12. In particular, that the whole host may be overturned and consumed, ver. 13, 14. and the remnant may bee chased and scattered, ver. 15. and ashamed and confounded for ever, ver. 16, 17, that so God may have the m… glory among them, ver. 18.
Ver. 1. KEep not thou silence, O, God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.
From his cry to God to let forth a word for his people in this strait; Learn, 1. The Church may be in such a strait, as if God do not speedily interpose himselfe, she cannot but be swallowed up of her enemies quickly, as here we see. 2. Sense of danger putteth an edge on prayer, and kindleth affection in it; Keep not silence, O God, hold not thy peace; and again, O God, be not still. 3. The Lords uttering a word of comfort to his people, and of terror to his enemies in the extremity of danger, will satisfy his Church, and do all her work; Be not silent, hold not thy peace, be not still, is the summe of all she craveth: for let him speak, and it shall be done.
Ver. 2. For lo thine enemies make a tumult, and they that hate thee, have lift up the head.
3. They have taken crafty counsell against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.
From their complaint of their enemies preparation to come against them; Learne, 1. The enemies of Gods Church are the enemies of God, bearing the same affection to God and to them that are reconciled to him; For lo, thine enemies that hate thee, make a tumult. 2. The more din the enemy makes, the more insolent he is; the higher he lifteth his head, he is the more near to be knockt down by Gods appearing for his people against him: Keep not silence, for thine enemies make a tumult, they have lifted up the head. 3. The chief enemies of the Church are not the silly and simple sort of people, but the most subtile politicians usually, whose heads are most fit for Satans devices against Gods people; They have taken crafty counsell against thy people. 4. The true children of God, his secret ones, who in the sense of their own weaknesse do shelter themselves under Gods wings, and do glory in him, are the special object of the malice of Satan, and of his wicked servants; They have consulted against thy hidden ones. 5. Against the craft and policy of enemies the Church hath nothing in her selfe to oppose, but doth run to God, who can easily disappoint all the enemies plots, as here we see, ver. 4, 5.
Ver. 4. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation: that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5. For they have consulted together with one consents they are confederate against thee.
From their purpose to root out Gods people; Learn, 1. No lesse will satisfy the enemies of Gods Church, then extirpation and abolishing of the Church; Let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. 2. When the Church is least …, and least able to defend her self, the wicked encourage and strengthen one another in an evill course against he…; They have said, one to another, Come, let us cut them off. 3. Although the wicked be at enmity one against another, yet they will all agree together to overthrow the Church; They have consulted together with one consent, (saith he) they are consederate against thee. 4. This consideration, that the conspiracy against the Church, is a conspiracy against God, whose people the Church is, is very comfortable in the Churches extremity; They are confederate against thee.
Ver. 6. The tabernacles of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab, and the Hagarens.
7. Gebal and Ammon and Amelek: the Philistines, with the inhabitants of Tyre. c
8. Ashur also is joyned with them; they have holp …n the children of Lot. Selah.
In the reckoning up of the several nations conspired against Israel; Learn, 1. When the Church looketh upon the multitude of her enemies, and their confederacy, and their resolution to destroy her, she should gather grounds of hope, to be helped so much the more, and so much the sooner; for this is the Churches argument of hope to be helped here. 2. In the persecution of the Church, no wonder to see false brethren to be the chiefe leaders whoever be followers and assistants; for here the Church complaineth of it: They have helped the children of Lot, and importeth, that Moab and Ammon (their bastard-brethren) were first in the enmity. 3. It is no wonder, nor strange thing, to see many nations on all hands to invade the Lords people at once: for here are ten nations coming all together against Israel.
Ver. 9. Do unto them as unto the Midianites: as to Sisera, as to Iabin at the brook of Kishon.
10. Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth.
11. Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea all their princes, as Zebah and as Zalmunna:
12. Who said, Let us take to our selves the houses of God in possession.
In the latter part of the Psalm, is the Churches prayer to God, that he would be party against her enemies, and plague them. There are sundry branches of the malediction, which the Church doth imprecate against the enemies. The first is, that God would destroy them, as he destroyed others before them, who were upon such a wicked plot of roo…ing out Gods people. Whence learn, 1. When the Church hath to do with her enemies, she should look what in Scripture the Lord did for her in times past; for so doth the Church look here to what the Lord did to his enemies, Iudg. 7. 22. and 4. 15, 24. and 7. 25. and 8. …. 2. It is lawful to pray for judgements upon the enemies of the Church, provided it be out of a publick spirit, and not out of private malice or revenge; in which case the prayers of the Church are more forcible for the overthrow of their enemies, then all her external force is: Do unto them, as unto the Midianites, is a hard charge against them. 3. Former plagues poured out upon the Churches enemies, are pledges of the Lords bringing like judgements on her enemies afterward, and of giving like preservation unto the Church, as before; Do unto them as to the Midianites in Gideons time, and to Sisera and Iabin in Deborah time, when small meanes were sufficient for a great overthrow of the enemy. 4. The dead bodies of Gods enemies shall not only be contemptible before men, which is incident to the bodies of the Saints sometimes, but also contemptible before God, as here we see; Their enemies perished at Endor, and became as dung for the earth. 5. The Nobles, leaders, & chief amongst Gods enemies, may look for most eminent judgement: Make their Nobles, like Orch and Zeeb, yea all their Princes like Zebah and Zalmunna. 6. It is all one for enemies to resolve to spoile Gods Church, and to rob God of his habitation specially; so long as Gods people love: to have God dwelling among them, for the injuries done to the Church redound to the contumely of God, who hath taken the maintenance of …. They say, Let us take to our selves the houses of God in possession.
Ver. 13. O my God, make them like a wheel: as the stubble before the winde.
14. As the fire burneth a wood: and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire:
15 So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storme.
16. Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek thy Neme, O LORD.
17. Let them be confounded and troubled for ever: yea let them be put to shame and perish:
From the rest of the branches of the imprecation, wherein sundry similitudes are looked unto, for shewing forth the effects of Gods wrath upon the enemies of the Church; Learn. 1. Use is to be made of our Covenant with God, so well against our enemies, as for our selves; for, O my God, saith he no, wwhen he is about to curse the enemy. 2. The enemies of Gods Church have many a mischief waiting on them, of which if they escape one, another shall overtake them; yea, no one similitude can set forth what misery is prepared for them: no peace, no rest for them, no standing in any stablished prosperity, but they shall be rolled as a bowle turned upside-down, or as a wheel; Make them like a wheel. 3. They shall have no strength to resist the blast of Gods wrath; Make them as stubble, or chaffe, before the winde. 4. The Lords indignation against them shall burn them as a flame doth a Forrest; let them be cons…med, as fire that burneth a wood, which is the greatest flame we can easily conceive; or when a mountain of sulphur or coales is kindled, as the flame sets the mountains on fire, where f… above the earth and under it do meet together. 5. If they escape for a while, yet judgements shall follow them, and overtake them, and … them, and turn them in a circle, till they be giddy; So persecute them with thy tempest, or whirewinde. 6. Beside what torment their present plague shall bring unto them, horror and fear of worse to come shall vexe them; Make them afraid with thy storme. 7. At last they shall be ashamed, when both they shall be disappointed of what they intended against the godly, and also meet with the misery which they least feared: Fill their faces with shame. 8. If any of the enemies of Gods people do belong to Gods election, the Churches prayer against them giveth way to their conversion, and doth not seek more then that the judgement should follow them only, till they acknowledge their sinne, and do turn and seek God: Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek thy Name, O Lord. 9. For the rest of the wicked irreconcileable adversaries, when shame of disappointment and temporal judgements are come upon them, the worst of all doth yet follow, even everlasting perdition: Let them be confounded and troubled for ever: yea let them be put to shame and perish.
Ver. 18. That men may know, that thou, whose Name alone is IEHOVAH, art the most High over all the earth.
He closeth the Psalme with shewing the end of all this complaint and imprecation. Whence learne, 1. The end of all cursing of the wicked enemies of the Church, is not to satisfy private revenge, but that God may be glorified; Let them perish, that men may know, that thou art he whose Name is IEHOVAH. 2. The Name Iehovah signifying Gods being of himself, and the cause of the being of all things created, is incommunicable to any creature (and in Scripture is given only unto the three persons of the Godhead, the Father, the Word, and the Spirit, whose essence is one) as here is taught; Th… men may know, that thou whose Name alone is Iehovah. 3. If men will not acknowledge the true God to be the supreme and only Governour of all the world, they shall by his heavy …ements, either upon others, or upon thgmselves, be made to show it: for the Church doth here declare, that they do use this heavy imprecation against, Gods enemies, that men may know (say they) that thou whose Name alone is Iehovah, art the most High over all the earth.