Paraphrase Upon the Books of the Psalms, Book 1 · Psalm 14
The fourteenth Psalm.
TO the chief Musitian, a Psalm of David.
Paraphrase. The fourteenth Psal. is a sad reflection on the wickedness and universal defection of his subjects, the men of Israel, in the conspiracy and rebellion of Absalom, 1 Sam. xv. looking only to God for deliverance from them. It was indited by David, and committed to the Prefect of his Quire.
1. The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doth good.
This wicked nation is now made up of such, as have cast off all fear, and care, and even acknowledgement of God: whatsoever they do with their mouthes, (which perhaps are not let loose to that boldness) their actions, as far as they are interpreters of their thoughts, evidence an Atheistical principle of belief within them, that†foreign God hath not the power of the earth Chal. God hath not the governing and judging of the doings of men; for such are their dealings, so false, so detestable, and so universally such, that a man cannot judge more favourably of them, than that they never expect to be accountable to God for what they do.
2. The Lord looked down from Heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand and seek after God.
Should God from his throne of Majesty and tribunal of just judgement survey, and examine all the inhabitants of the whole nation, making inquisition for those that consider and make conscience of duty, and indeavour to approve themselves to his pure eyes;
3. They are alla. *grown so…e,gone aside, they are altogether become†putrid, filthy; there is none that doth good, no, not one.
He would finde a most lamentable appearance, an universal detestable decay of all justice, all duty, both toward God and man, base rotten conversation, and no considerable degree of piety, or humanity, or any thing that is good in any. (This as it was observably true of Israel, that people of God, so eminently owned and favoured by him in Davids time, and in their behaviour toward him: so had it a farther†foreign The Psalm was by the spirit of Prophecy delivered by David. Chald. prophetick truth in it, in respect of the Universality of them at the time of Christs appearing in the world, and in their actions toward him, and his Apostles after him, to the Jews of which age St. Paul applies it, Rom. iii. 10.)
4. Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread,*they have not called foreign and call not upon the Lord?
'Tis strange the conspirators should thus go on in their Atheistical folly, and never be wrought on by all the evidences of Gods power and justice among them,*foreign Lxxii. never brought to any degree of sense or remorse, but still go on in their presumptuous (and withal assiduous, constant) course of injustice and cruelty. And the effect is yet more sad; others that see them go on thus, follow them into their impieties, do not adhere (as they ought) to God, depend on his support, but joyn and comply with the conspirators.
5. There‖they feared a fear, but were they in greatb. fear, for God is in the generation of the righteous.
When they appeared powerful, and threatned all that would not go along with them, the men of Israel were universally terrified, and joyned themselves to the rebel forces; but this most causelesly and impiously, never considering, that God is more to be feared than man, and that he will never fail those that stick fast and constant to him.
6. You have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the Lord is his refuge.
But alas, they laughed at those that made conscience of their duty, thought it a ridiculous thing for any to consult, whether it were lawful or no, when there was so much visible danger in it; to adventure on hazards, and expect security from heaven, was a reproachful thing; their worldly wisdome was their only counseller, and that advised them to joyn with those, whose strength was most visible: And that made the defection so general.
7. †Who shall give from Sion the salvation of Israel. foreignO that the salvation of Israel were come out of Sion. When the Lord bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoyce, and Israel shall be glad.
O how happy a thing were it, that God, whose arke (the place of his speciall residence and exhibition of himself) is in mount Sion, would return us to a peaceable state of attending his service there, that he would bring all back to Jerusalem, that have been driven from thence by occasion of this rebellion of Absalom. When that desired work shall be compleated, it will be matter of universal joy to all the tribes both of Israel and Judah. See 2 Sam. xix.
Annotations on Psalm XIV.
V. 3. Gone aside] The word foreign foreignis not vulgarly understood. That foreign signifies recessit, declinavit, there is no doubt; And this is commonly applyed to a way or path, declining from the right way, or going in a wrong. But that seems not to be the notion of it here, but another, taken from wine, when it growes dead, or soure; thus Hos. iv. 18. foreign their drink is gone aside, or grown sowre; and accordingly wine that is thus dead, is in Greek called foreign, wine that is gone out of it selfe, and by Cicero, vinum fugiens, wine that is fled. And that this is the notion that belongs to this place may be judged by that which next follows; foreign from foreign to be rotten, or putrified, and that properly belongs to flesh, which is corrupted and stinks, and so the proportion is well kept between drink and meat, the one growing dead or soure, as the other putrifies and stinks, and then is good for nothing, but is thrown away: in which respect the LXXII. have fitly interpreted the latter by foreign, are become unprofitable, or nothing worth. In this notion it is fitly applyed to any kinde of defection or Apostacy from any piece of known duty, as here of allegeance to their Prince set over them by God.
V. 5. In great fear] That fear is oft taken for the object of fear, foreigndangers or threats is an ordinary observation. foreign, fear, i. e. danger, threatned by the tyrant, in Alex. Aphrodis: So when Menander saith of a fair-tongued woman, that she is foreign, an exceeding fear, i. e. danger. Of this see Annot. on Luk. 1.9. This is most visible 1 Pet. iii. 14. foreign, fear not their fear, i. e. whatsoever evil persecuting enemies can threaten to bring upon you. And this seems to give us the best understanding of this phrase, foreign there they feared a fear, i. e. they apprehended some danger, and by that were hurried into this defection from their lawful sovereign in the former part of the Psalm. The Psalm seems to have been indited upon the defection of Israel from David to Absalom: It was begun by the young mans depraving his Fathers government, and flattering the people with an expectation of great reformations from him; but when by these insinuations he had gained the hearts of a great part of the people, and was now proclaimed King in Hebron, then many others, for fear of this his growing power, came in, and joyned with him: and that was the cause of the universality of the defection of the tribes of Israel; they that were not corrupted by his flattery, were yet by fear brought over to him, and where ever he moved, all were so farre wrought on by this fear, and debauched from their duty, that in fine the story taketh not notice of any that made opposition against, or refused to joyne with him. And so this shews us the fitnesse of the connection of this passage with the former verses. David complains of Israel, that they were universally guilty of this defection, v. 3. none adhered to that duty of allegiance that they ought, those that were in the conspiracy devoured and destroyed every day the subjects of David, whom he calls his people, v. 4. and by this means carried all before them: The reason was, they feared a fear, or a danger, fear possest them, and inclined them to a general compliance with Absaloms party: and so that is the most probable perspicuous meaning of the place. Now as this Psalm, besides the literal Historical, had also a Mystical, Prophetical sense, and as such, is signally referred to by the Apostle, Rom. iii. as a testimony (Prophetical) of the universality of the defection of the Jews from God in that age; so most evidently it was: The Scribes and Pharisees conspired against him, and by fear gained the people to the like complyance; they that did believe, durst not professe it, for fear of them; his friends kept their kindnesse to him secret, but the persecuters did oppose him openly, and so the voices of the people were brought to joyne with the Rulers, to require him to be crucified. In the Apostles times it was thus also: The fear of the persecution from the Jews kept many from receiving the faith of Christ, many that had received it, from assembling with them; Heb. x. 25, 26, 38. and generally this was the ground of the Gnostick Heresie, or rather Apostacie; the fear of persecutions; and so in the Revelation c. xxi. 8. the fearful Gnosticks and unbelieving Jews are joyned, as in the sin of denying the faith, so in the punishment of it. And so this is the account that is visible to be given of those testimonies Rom. iii. 10. some taken from this Psalm, and the rest which follow v. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. out of several other parcels of the Psalms: All which (from that place of the Apostle, in all probability) some Christian transcribers of the copies of the LXXII. have here put together; over and above what is to be found either in the Hebrew, Chaldee, or Syriack; for that the Translators before Christs time should here interpose those additions, it is not imaginable. In this verse also the LXXII. have made an addition to these words [there they feared a fear] annexing, foreign, where there was no fear, or danger; and it is uncertain, whether the Transcribers transferred it by memory from Psal. Liii. 6. where the same phrase is, with that addition, foreign no fear was] or whether the LXXII. (after their Paraphrastical manner, frequently observable in them) added these words, either the more to express the nature of the fear, viz. that it was a meer worldly, and so causelesse fear, or else to fit the words to connect with what follows, foreign, because, or, for God is in the generation of the righteous, thus; The generality of the people was moved with fear to joyn with Absalom; but this a Panick, causelesse feare: if they had called on God, v. 4. and adhered and relyed on him, they had not needed to fear any evil; for God is present among such, to protect them, and to convert all their temporary sufferings to their advantages. But this sense is as fully conteined in the Hebrew words without this addition, if only the foreign foreignthat followes be rendred not [for] but [but] which is not an usual signification of it; Gen. LXV. 8. it was not you that sent me hither, foreign but God, & if it be so rendred here, the sense will be perspicuous: There they feared a fear, the generality of them fell off; but God is in the generation of the righteous; by the help of God I have been susteined, though the generality of my subjects, through flattering insinuations first, and then through fear, was fallen off from me. Here only it is to be remembred, that the generality (though set in very comprehensive phrases, All gone out of the way, none that doth good, no not one) is not so to be interpreted, as to belong to all, and every Jew at that t…me; for it is certain some, though very few in comparison, adhered to David, 2 Sam. xv. 17, 18. and went out to fight with Absalom, 2 Sam. xviii. 1. And so in the Prophetick sense, as it belonged to the times of Christ and his Apostles; when though 'tis said they were all gone out of the way— Rom. iii. yet, as elsewhere appears, a remnant there was, which still adhered to God, believed in Christ, and remained stedfast in his doctrine: see Rev. vii. 4. But these phrases must be interpreted so, as general expressions are wont to signifie, i. e. so as to admit of some exceptions, or else be applyed only to the men of Israel, who universally went after Absalom, 2 Sam. xviii. 6. whilst Davids forces were raised only of his own servants, men of Judah, and the Cherethites, Pelethites, Gittites which came after him from Gath 2 Sam. xv. 18. and flying from Jerusalem he was relieved by the Ammonites &c. c. xvii. 27. and Ittai the Gittite, of Gath a city of the Philistims, subdued by him, was one of his three chief commanders, c. xviii. 2. And so this perspicuously applies the whole Psalm to this particular matter of Absaloms rebellion.