Annotations Upon the Books of Poetry, Psalms · Psalm 118
PSALM CXVIII.
Verſ. 1. O Give thanks unto the Lord, &c.] It is evident by many paſſages in this Pſalm, eſpecially by thoſe expreſſions verſ. 22, 23, and 24. The ſtone which the builders refuſed is become the head ſtone in the corner, &c. that it was compoſed to be ſung in ſome ſolemn and feſtivall aſſembly of the people, and that when David was newly ſettled on the throne of Iſrael. And therefore it is by almoſt all Expoſitours judged moſt probable, that it was penned when after the death of Iſhboſheth all the tribes of Iſrael had anointed him to be their king, & he had vanquiſhed the Philiſtines that at the ſame time had invaded the land, & thereupon he gathered the chief of the people together, that he might give thanks unto the Lord, & withall that they might remove the Ark to Jeruſalem, 2 Sam. 6.1. But yet withall by that paſſage verſ. 22. The ſtone which the builders refuſed is become the head ſtone in the corner, which is in ſo many places of the New Teſtament applyed to Chriſt, & that verſ. 25, 26, Save now, I beſeech thee, O Lord, &c. Bleſsed be he that cometh in the Name of the Lord, which the inhabitants of Jeruſalem applyed to Chriſt, as the promiſed Meſſiah, Matth. 21.9. it is as evident, that whilſt David ſpeaks in this Pſalm of himſelf, & thoſe things which had befallen him, his principall aim was hereby prophetically to foretell thoſe things that concerned Chriſt, that was to ſpring out of his loins. And as for this exhortation, O give thanks unto the Lord, &c. it may be taken as ſpoken by David, or by the people of God, & that principally with reſpect to that great mercy in exalting David to be their king, or rather in giving Chriſt to be their king & Saviour.
Verſ. 3. Let the houſe of Aaron now ſay, that his mercy endureth for ever.] For this and the following verſe, ſee the Notes Pſal. 115.10, 11.
Verſ. 7. The Lord taketh my part with them that help me, &c.] See the Note Pſal. 54.4: therefore shall I ſee my deſire upon them that hate me; ſee the Note Pſal. 91.8.
Verſ. 10. All nations compaſſed me about.] Though of Chriſt it may be literally and truly ſaid, of whom David was a type, that all nations do ſet themſelves againſt him; yet underſtanding the words of David himſelf, it cannot be otherwiſe meant then of the neighbouring nations; unleſſe we take it as a figurative expreſſion, All nations compaſſed me about, as if he had ſaid, All the world is ſet againſt me, I can no where be ſafe or quiet.
Verſ. 12. They compaſſed me about like bees, &c.] Though it is not without ſome contempt that he compares his enemies to bees, yet withall he ſeeks hereby to imply how he was continually ſtung and vexed by them, not knowing how by any means to avoid them. And ſee alſo the Note Deut. 1.44. As for the following words, he doth thereby ſhew farther how eaſily they were ruined: they are quenched as the fire of thorns; which though they be ſoon ſet on fire, and make a mighty crackling noiſe, and yield for a time a more terrible blaze then greater wood will do; yet alas, they are ſoon conſumed in their own flame, and ſo the fire will be preſently out, and they will …arce leave …o much as any aſhes behind them.
Verſ. 13. Thou haſt thruſt ſore at me, that I might fall.] To wit, Thou, O Saul; or indefinitely, Thou, O mine enemy.
Verſ. 15. The voice of rejoycing & ſalvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous, &c.] This may be here laid down as a generall truth; for indeed all Gods righteous ſervants are ſure to ſee the ſalvation of God, & they only can & will truly rejoyce in Gods ſalvation. But here doubtleſſe it is added in reference to that particular mercy, for which this Pſalm was compoſed. And the meaning is, that all the faithfull throughout the land ſhould, every one even in their own private dwellings, rejoyce for that ſalvation which God had wrought for David, being glad to ſee the day whereon ſo great a change was wrought, & that eſpecially becauſe they knew that his exaltation to the throne tended to the great good of the whole kingdome. And ſo the following words, the right hand of the Lord doth valiantly, may be added as that triumphant ſong, which ſhould be ſung in the tabernacles of the righteous.
Verſ. 17. I shall not die, &c.] To wit, by the hand of mine enemies. It is as if he had ſaid, Mine enemies have long thirſted & ſought after my death; & indeed for many years together I have been, as it were, continually in the very jaws of death, & I have been looked upon no otherwiſe then as a loſt dead man: but I ſee God hath determined otherwiſe of me, he hath reſerved me for his praiſe; I shall not die, but live, & declare the works of the Lord. How this may be applyed to Chriſt, whom the pains of death could not hold, we may eaſily conceive.
Verſ. 19. Open to me the gates of righteouſneſſe, &c.] That is, the gates of Gods Sanctuary: which are called the gates of righteouſneſſe, 1. becauſe there the moſt righteous God had choſen the Sanctuary for his habitation; 2. becauſe there the word of God was taught, the only rule of true righteouſneſſe; 3. becauſe there the people of God were cleanſed from their ſins by the ſacrifices that they offered up unto God, & ſo were preſented righteous in Gods ſight; 4. becauſe there they worſhipped & praiſed God, which was a chief part of their righteouſneſſe; & 5. & eſpecially, becauſe God required that they ſhould be a righteous people, that preſented themſelves there in his preſence, & did therefore enjoyn, that none that were unclean ſhould be admitted to be there. And indeed this reaſon ſeems to be implyed in the following verſe, This gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter. Now this David ſpeaks to the Prieſts & Levites, that had the charge of the doors of the Sanctuary, in reference to that feſtivity for which this Pſalm was compoſed, whereon he had gathered the people together, that they might praiſe God for his mercy to them: ſee the Note above verſ. 1. And it is expreſſed in a poeticall manner, with a kind of triumphant joy, Open to me the gates of righteouſneſſe; as if he ſhould have ſaid, Thoſe gates from which I was ſo long baniſhed, & which I did ſo long & ſo earneſtly deſire to ſee, Let them be now opened to me, & my company, I will goe into them, & I will praiſe the Lord.
Verſ. 20. This gate of the Lord, &c.] That is, of the Lords houſe, into which the righteous shall enter, according to that Iſa. 26.2. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth truth may enter in. Now ſome learned Expoſitours conceive that in theſe words David doth covertly intimate, what a change there ſhould be in matters of religion, now God had exalted him to the throne, to wit, that whereas in Sauls time the worſhip of God had been neglected, or at leaſt polluted by profane ungodly wretches; now, by the encouragement that ſhould be given to religion, the houſe of God ſhould be more carefully frequented, & that by ſuch as did truly fear his Name.
Verſ. 22. The ſtone which the builders refuſed is become the head-ſtone of the corner.] That is, the chief foundation corner-ſtone. This with the three following verſes ſeem to be the words of the people, congratulating the inauguration of their new king; as thoſe expreſſions therein may well induce us to think, it is marvellous in our eyes, & we will rejoyce & be glad. But however for the meaning of the words, Firſt, doubtleſſe they are meant of David. As builders are wont to caſt away ſome ſtones, as not fit to be laid in the building, ſo was David deſpiſed and rejected: his own father looked upon him, as not worthy to be preſented before Samuel, when he came to anoint one of his ſons to be king, 1 Sam. 16.11; his brethren ſcorned & deſpiſed him, 1 Sam. 17.28; & as for Saul, his princes & courtiers, who were as the maſter-builders in Iſrael, upon whom the care chiefly lay of raiſing & advancing the glory & wel-fare of the Church & commonwealth of Iſrael, in ſtead of owning David to be the man ordained of God to be king after Saul, they perſecuted him, as a perfidious ungodly wretch, not worthy to be numbred amongſt Gods people; they have driven me out this day (ſaith he) from abiding in the inheritance of the Lord, 1 Sam. 26.19. yea & after Sauls death all the tribes of Iſrael, but Judah only, ſided with Iſhboſheth, & would not endure to have David their king. And yet at laſt in deſpight of all this oppoſition, God brought it ſo about, that he was eſtabliſhed king, & ſo became the foundation corner-ſtone in that Church & ſtate, whoſe peace & glory he was a means under God to uphold & raiſe, & united together thoſe that had been ſadly divided & diſtracted amongſt themſelves. And this is thus recorded, that by conſidering what a miracle it was, that he ſhould be thus exalted to the throne, men might plainly ſee, that it was not by any ambitious policy & power of his, that he came to be king, but merely by the decree & mighty hand of God, as is more fully expreſſed in the following verſe, This is the Lords doing, & it is marvellous in our eyes; & conſequently, how notoriouſly falſe all thoſe ſlanders were, that had been formerly raiſed of him. But then 2. this is principally meant of Chriſt, that ſtone cut out of the mountain without hands, Dan. 2.45. who though he was deſpiſed & rejected of men Iſa. 53.3. eſpecially by the Prieſts, the Scribes & Phariſees, the elders & rulers of the people, that by their place ought to have built up the Church of God, who would not endure that he ſhould be counted the promiſed Meſſiah, but on the contrary perſecuted him, as a notorious wicked wretch, not worthy to live amongſt Gods people, & never left till they had put him to a ſhamefull death; yet being raiſed from the dead, he is now aſcended into heaven, is now become the foundation, 1 Cor. 3.11. the King & Head of the Church, Epheſ. 1.22. the chief corner-ſtone, who hath joyned together the Jews & Gentiles in one body, in one Church, as the corner-ſtones in a building do joyn two walls together, & in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord, Eph. 2.20, 21. And indeed ſo clear a teſtimony this is of Chriſts being the promiſed Meſſiah, that to prove this no place in the Old Teſtament is cited ſo often by Chriſt & his Apoſtles, as this is: ſee Matth. 21.42. Mark 12.10. Act. 4.11. Rom. 9.32. 1 Pet. 2.4.
Verſ. 23. This is the Lords doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.] To wit, This bringing of a poor, deſpiſed, baniſhed man to ſit on the throne of Iſrael; & this bringing of a poor crucified man to be the ſole Saviour & Monarch of the world.
Verſ. 24. This is the day which the Lord hath made.] As if they had ſaid, It is the Lord only that hath given us occaſion of keeping this ſolemn day of rejoycing, & praiſing his Name together; to wit, by bringing David ſo miraculouſly to the throne of Iſrael: ſee the Note above verſ. 1. And as this is ſpoken in reference to Chriſt, it may be meant of the day of our redemption, the day of the Goſpel, or the day of the Reſurrection of Chriſt.
Verſ. 25. Save now, I beſeech thee, O Lord, &c.] Having given us ſuch a king, we beſeech thee ſave him from all evil. It is an acclamation which they were wont to make to their new kings, & ſo was now uſed by the people when David came to the Sanctuary to give thanks for the kingdome received. In the Hebrew it is Hoſchiahna, but in the Greek it is expreſſed by that word Hoſanna, as we may ſee Mat. 21.9. where the people uſed this acclamation to Chriſt when he rode into Jeruſalem, as being an acknowledged propheſy concerning the promiſed Meſſiah; Hoſanna to the ſon of David, that is, ſave now, I beſeech thee, the ſon of David; let him be victorious over all his enemies, & let him be preſerved in his members unto the end of the world. And the ſame is implyed in the following words, O Lord, I beſeech thee, ſend now proſperity, to wit, to our king & people.
Verſ. 26. Bleſsed be he that cometh in the Name of the Lord, &c.] That is, Let our king, who cometh by authority & commiſſion from God, that he may repreſent Gods perſon, & ſeek his glory, & may in his ſtead govern & ſave his people, let him be praiſed & extolled of all men; or rather, Let him be bleſſed of God with all bleſſings requiſite to make his government happy, & a bleſſing to the people, & that both in his own perſon & in the ſucceſſe of all his enterprizes. And this was alſo applyed to Chriſt by the people when he rode into Jeruſalem, Matth. 21.9. Hoſanna to the ſon of David, bleſſed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord; profeſſing thereby their faith, that he was that bleſſed ſeed, that was ſent of God to be a bleſſing to his people, & that the work of the Lord would ſurely proſper in his hands. Some take theſe words to be a part of the acclamation of the people to David when he came to the Sanctuary. But rather they are the words of the prieſts welcoming David to the tabernacle; for clearly the following words are the prieſts words to the people, we have bleſſed you out of the houſe of the Lord; that is, We, whoſe office it is to wait upon Gods ſervice in his tabernacle, & to bleſſe his people in his Name, ſee Numb. 6.23. we deſire the Lord to bleſſe thee, David, & thy followers, yea we aſſure you that you ſhall be bleſſed, & that in this your king. And indeed if we take the words as ſpoken in reference to Chriſt, when Gods miniſters do preach the Goſpel, what do they but pronounce the people bleſſed in their Lord & Saviour Chriſt?
Verſ. 27. God is the Lord, &c.] That is, God is the Lord of heaven & earth, faithfull in performing all his promiſes; or, the Lord Jehovah, the God whom we ſerve, & who hath revealed himſelf to us in his word, is the true almighty God: which hath shewed us light; that is, he hath manifeſted himſelf to be ſuch, in that he, & he alone, hath brought us into a joyfull proſperous condition, who lay before, in the time of Sauls reign, under the darkneſſe of great ſorrows & afflictions. But eſpecially may it be ſaid that God ſhewed his people light in giving them Chriſt, who is the light of the world, Joh. 8.12. & by his word & ſpirit doth enlighten all his people. Bind the ſacrifice with cords even unto the horns of the altar: ſee the Note Exod. 27.2.