A Brief Explication of the Other Fifty Psalms, Psalm 59
PSAL. LIX. … the chief Musi…n Al …, … of David: when Saul sent, and … watch't the house to kill him.
DAvid in present … of his life by Saul, (who having Da… inclos…d within … City and within his own house, t…ht surely to have killed him, as we read, 1 Sam. 19. 11.) he p…ayeth to God for deliv…rance, ver. 1, 2. and for a …eason of his praye…, make…h a …mplaint against his enemies, ver. 3, 4. In the next place, …e prayeth the second time for delivery to himself, and judgement against his enemies, ver. 5. and complaineth of them the second time, ver. 6, 7. In the third place, he decl…eth his confidence to be delivered, ver. 8, 9, 10. In the fourth place, he maketh imprecation ag…inst his enemies for thei… wickednesse, ver. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. And in the last place, he promi…eth thanks to God for his delivery, whereof he was assu…ed before it came, ver. 16, 17.
From the Inscription, Learn, 1. No common bands of nature or civil relations can secure the godly from the pe…secution of the wicked; for Saul, Davids father in law sendeth to kill David. 2. Gods children cannot be in so great straits, nor the diligence of the wicked be so great to overtake the godly in a strait, but God can deliver a supplicant; They watched the house to kill him, yet he escaped and did write this Psalme: by what meanes he escaped he doth not tell here, for he att…ibuteth the delivery to God, from whom he did seek it by prayer.
Ver. 1. DEliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against. me.
2. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men.
From his prayer; Learne, 1. Whatsoever means God shall offer for escaping out of a trouble, Prayer is our best weapon against our enemies, and the best of all meanes, and …st of all to be used for a delivery; Deliver me from mine enemies. 2. Time of trouble and difficulty doth put beleevers to make use of the Covenant of grace, and of Gods friendship and power for their deliverance; O my God, defend me from them that rise up against me. 3. When wicked, and powerful, and blood-thirsty men do turn Persecutors of the godly, no power but divine can be looked unto for a relief; Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men.
Ver. 3. For …o, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me, not for my transgression, nor for my sinne, O Lord.
4. They runne and prepare themselves without my fault: awake to help me, and behold.
From his complaint against his enemies, and reason of his prayer; Learne, 1. Desperate-like dangers arising from the power and craftinesse of enemies, must not discourage the godly, but sharpen their prayer to God, with whom is power and wisdome to deliver them: For …o, they lie in wait for my soul. 2. It is no new thing, to see them who are in greatest power, to be the chief in the persecution of Gods children; The mighty are gathered together against me. 3. A good conscience, especially in the particular for which a man is pursued, giveth greatest comfort in the time of trouble; Not for my transgression, nor my sin, O Lord. 4. Albeit the Persecutors of the godly cannot finde a fault in them, for which they may pursue them. yet will they devise some challenge, and make a great businesse to accomplish their designe; They run and prepare themselves, not for my fault. 5. The Lord will let the plot go on, and the danger of the godly grow, as if he minded not to take notice of it, that he may first put his children to prayer, and then appear in the fit time: Awake to help me, and behold.
Ver. 5. Thou therefore, O LORD God of hostes, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen: be not merciful to any wicked transgressours. Selah.
6. They return at evening, they make a noise like a dog, and go round about the City.
7. Behold, they belch out with their mouth, swords are in their lips: for who, say they, doth heare?
From his repeated prayer and complaint presented the second time; Learne, 1. In time of straits we should set our eyes most upon those stiles of God, which most serve to strengthen our faith, especially such as hold forth his power and good will to employ his power for us; Thou therefore, O Lord God of hostes, the God of Israel, awake. 2. Counterfeit Professors, and professed Pagans are all one before God in effect, and the counterfeit Professor will be as ready an instrument to persecute the godly as a professed enemy; for so is Saul and his followers named here; Awake to visit all the Heathen. 3 Although the Lord beare with the wicked a while, he will at last take order with hypocrites, and obstinately malicious transgressors; Awake to visit all the Heathen, be not merciful to any wicked transgressor. 4. From the time that Persecutors have once resolved cruelty, they cease not to pursue their purpose, but like bloody dogs they run to and fro till they catch their prey; they are busie all the day, and set watches in the night to hurt the man they would have; They return at evening, they make a noise like a dog, and go round about the City. 5. Resolved obstinacy in sinne taketh away all remorse of conscience, all feare of God, and shame before men, and maketh men openly avow their wickednesse; yea and their cruel hearts will vent their bloody purpose, when they think they are sure to accomplish their designe; Behold, they bel…h out with their mouth, swords are in their lips; for who (say they) doth heare?
Ver. 8. But thou, O LORD, shalt laugh at them: thou shalt have all the heathen in derision.
9. Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defence.
10. The God of my mercy shall prevent me: God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies.
In the third place, he declare…h his considence to be delivered, and doth make sweet use of his saith for keeping up his heart under his trouble. Whence learn, 1. The first f…it of an humble Prayer, is a spiritual delivery of a mans oppressed spirit, granted to him by faith and ass…ance of an outgate, as here, and many times elsewhere appeareth. 2. When faith seeth God to be a friend, it scorneth all opposition of whatsoever enemies, few or many, all is one to the clear-sighted beleever; But thou, O Lord, shalt laugh at them, thou shalt have all the heathen in derision. 3. How weak soever the beleever finde himself, and how powerful soever he perceive his enemie to be, it is all one to him he hath no more to do, but to put faith on work, and to wait till God work; because of his (that is, the enemies) strength, I will wait upon thee, saith he to the Lord, for God is my defence 4 When faith gets up the head, it seeth its own deliverance, and the overthrow of the enemy, both at once in the proper cause there …, to wit, the fountain of over-running mercy, engaged unto it by Covenant; The God of my mercy. There is the … of …rlasting mercy, whereof God is called God, because he is the beleevers God for ever, and therefore the God of all mercy, consolation and salvation to the beleever; He (saith he) shall prevent me; that is, he shall give manifest deliverance before I succumb: it sh…ll come soon… then I could set it a time. Then, for his enemies, he saith, God shall let me see upon mine enemies; to wit, what I could lawfully desire, or what should satisfie me.
Ver. 11. Slay them not, lest my people forget: Scatter them by thy power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield.
12. For the sinne of their mouth, and the words of their lips, let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak.
13. Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and let them know that God ruleth in Iacob unto the ends of the earth. Selah.
14. And at evening let them returne, and let them make a noise like a dog, and go round about the City.
15. Let them wander up and down for meat: and grudge if they be not satisfied.
In the fourth place, he prayeth to God to glorifie himself in the manner and measure of his just judgement on his obstinate enemies; which in effect is a Prophecy of the punishment of Persecutors of the righteous, and of the wrath to come upon the enemies of Christ, of whom David in his trouble and unjust sufferings was a type. Whence learn, 1. Sometime the Lord will delay the cutting off of wicked enemies of his people, for a curse to them, and a benefit to his people: Slay them not, left my people forget. 2. The Lords people are subject to forget the Lords doing for them, and punishing of their enemies, except the Lord did renew the evidence of his care he hath of them, by often renewed, or long continued judgement on their enemies, whose misery is made more to them, by lingring judgements in the sight of men, then if they were cut off more suddenly; Slay them not, left my people forget; 3. In praying against our wicked enemies that persecute us, we must take heed that we be found pleading, not our own particular revenge, but the common cause of the Church, and the Lords quarrel; Slay them not, left my people forget; scatter and bring them down, O Lord, our shield. It is the good of the Lords people, and the glorifying of God which is in his eyes. 4. Albeit the Lord do not at first cut off the troublers of his Church, but do suffer them to live for the exercise of his people; yet it is mercy worthy to be prayed for, if God disable them, and break their power, that they prevaile not over the righteous; Scatter them by thy power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield. 5. Albeit the Persecutors do not accomplish their purpose against the righteous; yet their pride, their brags, their lies, their slanders, their curses against the godly, are a sufficient ditty for damnation, and wrath to come upon them; For the sin of their mouth, and the words of their lips, let them even be taken in their pride, and for cursing and lying which they speak. 6. After the keeping alive of the wicked for a time, to the encreasing of their misery, at length utter destruction cometh upon them; Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be. 7. By the judgements of God upon the adversaries of his people, the knowledge of his sovereignty over, and Kingly care for his Church is made more known to the world, the encrease of which glory of the Lord should be the scope of the prayers of the Saints against their foes; And let them know that God ruleth in Iacob unto the ends of the earth. 8. It is suitable to Gods justice, and no strange thing to see such as have been messengers, servants, officers of persecuting powers, or searchers out of the godly, as beagles or blood hounds, to be made beggars, vagabonds, and miserable spectacles of Gods wrath before they die, roving to and fro… like hungry and masterlesse dogs; At evening let them return, and let them make a noise like a dog, and go round about the City; let them wander up and down for meat, and grudge if they be not satisfied.
Ver. 16. But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning; for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.
17. Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing; for God is my defence, and the God of my mercy.
In the last place, he promiseth thanksgiving for the mercy whith he felt in the day of his trouble, and sixeth his faith on God, as his merciful Protector, and only strength, whereon he was to lean in every condition where in he could fall. Whence learn, 1. Whatsoever mischief fall upon the wicked, the Lords children whom they maligne, shall have reason to rejoyce and to praise God for supporting them in their trials, and delivering of them out of toubles: But I will sing of thy power. 2. When the godly do compare the Lords putting difference between them and the rest of the wicked world, pitying them and pardoning their sins, when he justly pursueth the sins of others, they cannot but rejoyce and proclaim Gods mercy with earnest affection; Yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning. 3. The shining light of one late experience of Gods care of a man, serveth to bring to remembrance, and to illuminate the whole course of Gods by past care, and kindnesse to him, and to raise a song of joy and praise to God for altogether; For thou hist been my refuge and defence in the day of trouble. 4. What God hath been unto us (being looked on rightly) may serve to certifie us, what God is unto us, and what he shall be to us, and what we may expect of him: For from, thou hast been my defence and my refuge, he inferreth hope of joyful experience of the same mercy for time to come; Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing. 5 When a man is sure of God engaged to him by good will and Covenant, and proof given for letting out to him protection and mercy, as his soul needeth, he cannot choose but have a heart full of joy, and a mouth full of joyful praises unto God: Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing, for God is my defence, and the God of my mercy.