Annotations Upon the Books of Poetry, Psalms · Psalm 115
PSALM CXV.
Verſ. 1. NOt unto us, O Lord, &c.] This is expreſſed as a prayer of Gods people when they were in great danger of their idolatrous enemies, Not unto us, Lord, not unto us, but unto thy Name give glory: as if they had ſaid, We deſire, Lord, that thou wouldeſt deliver us from the tyranny of the heathen; but not that any glory may thereby redound unto us, either for our valour in vanquiſhing them, or for our righteouſneſſe, as if we thereby had deſerved any ſuch thing at thy hands, but only that thy Name may be glorified: for thy mercy and for thy truths ſake; that is, that hereby it may be manifeſted how mercifull thou art to thy people, and how faithfull in making good all thy promiſes to them.
Verſ. 3. But our God is in the heavens, &c.] This is added by way of diſdaining that ſcorn of the heathen mentioned in the foregoing verſe, Where is now their God? Our God, ſay they, is in the heavens, and is therefore a God of infinite majeſty and power, having all the creatures in heaven and earth under his command: he hath done whatſoever he pleaſed; ſo that all that hath been done in the world, hath been done, becauſe it was his will and pleaſure it ſhould ſo be. And hence they would imply, that as their enemies could not have prevailed over them, but that their God was pleaſed it ſhould ſo be; to when he pleaſed, he could eaſily reſtore them to a better condition again.
Verſ. 7. Neither ſpeak they through their throat.] It was ſaid before verſ. 5. They have mouths, but they ſpeak not; and therefore that which is added here, ſeems to be meant of ſomewhat more, to wit, that they could not doe what the brute creatures did, they could not make the leaſt noiſe to come out of their throats.
Verſ. 8. They that make them are like unto them, ſo is every one that truſteth in them.] That is, they are as ſtupid and blind, as very ſtocks and blocks, as their idols are; no more able to oppoſe the will and power of God, and to hurt his people, then their dead idols were.
Verſ. 9. O Iſrael, truſt thou in the Lord, &c.] As if he had ſaid, Though the heathen ſay your truſt is in vain, yet be not diſcouraged; let them truſt in ſuch helpleſſe things as their idols are, do you ſtill truſt in the Lord: he is their help and their shield; to wit, that truſt in him.
Verſ. 10. O houſe of Aaron, truſt in the Lord.] Theſe are particularly expreſſed, becauſe by their place they were bound to be patterns and examples herein unto others.
Verſ. 11. Ye that fear the Lord, truſt in the Lord.] Some underſtand this of thoſe that did fear the Lord of other nations, whether they were proſelytes that had joyned themſelves to the Church of the Jews, or others; yea ſome look upon it as a propheſy of the calling of the Gentiles. But rather I conceive the drift of theſe words is, to ſhew how we are to underſtand the two foregoing verſes, to wit, that it was only thoſe of Iſrael, and of the houſe of Aaron, that did truly fear the Lord, that ſhould find him their help and their shield.
Verſ. 12. The Lord hath been mindfull of us, he will bleſſe us, &c.] As if they ſhould have ſaid, Though God hath afflicted us, yet he hath not caſt us off, nor forgotten us; all this while he hath been mindfull of us: God hath formerly remembred us in mercy, and therefore doubtleſſe he will bleſſe us ſtill.
Verſ. 14. The Lord shall encreaſe you more and more, &c.] To wit, in number; or, he will give you daily a ſupply of new benefits, both temporall and ſpirituall.
Verſ. 16. The heaven, even the heavens are the Lords, &c.] That is, they are his by creation; or he hath taken them to be the place of his habitation, and from thence he orders and diſpoſeth all things, as he pleaſeth, that are here below. And the drift of theſe words is, either to aſſure Gods people how ſafely they might truſt in God, who had all things under his power and command, and could therefore make them inſtrumentall for their good; or elſe to illuſtrate that which is ſaid in the following words concerning Gods love to mankind, but the earth hath he given to the children of men: as if they ſhould have ſaid, The Lord enjoyes an alſufficiency in himſelf in the heavens, which he hath provided for the throne of his glory, neither needs he any of theſe things that are here below; and therefore it is clear that all theſe things he hath made merely for mans uſe and ſervice: wherein is implyed 1. that this diſcovery of Gods love and goodneſſe and bounty to mankind might let his people ſee, how confidently they much more might aſſure themſelves, that God would not fail to bleſſe them; and 2. what juſt cauſe there was, that this bountifull proviſion God had made for man ſhould ſtir them up to praiſe God for it; whence it is that thoſe words are added in the following verſe concerning their praiſing God.
Verſ. 17. The dead praiſe not the Lord, neither any that goe down into ſilence.] That is, into the grave; where there can be nothing but ſilence, and therefore no poſſibility of praiſing God. But that which they would imply hereby is, that if the Lord ſhould ſuffer his people to be cut off by their enemies, there would be none left to praiſe his Name, whereas this was the very end why God gave the earth to the children of men. See the Notes Pſal. 6.5, and 30.9.
Verſ. 18. But we will bleſſe the Lord, from this time forth and for evermore.] As if they had ſaid, Thou Lord, preſerving us, we thy people ſhall ſtill in all ſucceeding ages praiſe thy Name: and therefore ſave us for thy Names ſake.