Annotations Upon the Books of Poetry, Psalms · Psalm 122 – Psalm 124
PSALM CXXII.
Verſ. 1. I Was glad when they ſaid unto me, Let us goe into the houſe of the Lord.] The drift of David in this Pſalm may be, only to ſet forth what delight he took in frequenting Gods houſe. But yet it is the opinion of almoſt all Expoſitours, that he compoſed this Pſalm, when he had newly removed the Ark from the houſe of Obed-Edom to the city of Zion, as to the place wherein God had made known to him, that he would take up his ſettled habitation, according to that Pſal. 132.13, 14; & that his aim herein was, to expreſſe how exceeding glad he was, when he perceived by the peoples flocking together to worſhip God in this holy mountain, & by their exciting one another thereto, eſpecially at the three ſolemn feaſts, when all the males of Iſrael were to appear there before God, how acceptable this which he had done was, not only to the inhabitants of Jeruſalem, who had now gotten the Ark, the ſign of Gods preſence, amongſt them, but to all the people of the land in generall, yea & how unanimouſly they all rejoyced in this, that God had at laſt made good his promiſe, in providing a ſettled place for his worſhip and ſervice.
Verſ. 2. Our feet shall ſtand within thy gates, O Ieruſalem.] This may be taken as the words of David, or as the words of thoſe that ſtirred up him & others to goe to the Sanctuary, Let us goe into the houſe of the Lord; our feet shall ſtand within thy gates, O Ieruſalem. And it is as if it had been ſaid, We ſhall no longer now goe ſometimes to one place to worſhip God, & ſometimes to another, as we did before, when the Ark was now in one place & now in another; but Jeruſalem muſt now be the ſettled place where we ſhall conſtantly meet to worſhip God, even unto the coming of the promiſed Meſſiah.
Verſ. 3. Ieruſalem is builded as a city that is compact together.] That is, whoſe buildings, firſt did not ſtand ſcattering, ſome in one place, & ſome in another, as it uſeth to be in villages, but were joyned cloſely & handſomely together, & that in a well-contrived order, & with a very comely proportion & uniformity in the ſtructure; & 2. whoſe inhabitants were as firmly knit together with all poſſible unanimity and harmony of affection, being joyntly ſubject to the ſame government, & making profeſſion of the ſame religion. All which is here ſpoken of Jeruſalem with relation doubtleſſe to her former condition; becauſe in former times there had been two (if not three) towns in the place where Jeruſalem ſtood, the one inhabited by the Jebuſites, which was called the fort of Zion, the other by the Iſraelites: who did accordingly live under ſeverall governments, & made profeſſion of ſeverall religions, till David took the fort of Zion; & then, it ſeems, he built all the vacant places in & between theſe two towns, and compaſſed them both with the ſame walls, & ſo did perfectly unite them together, and make of them one well-compacted city. And this is noted here by way of extolling the beauty & glory of this city, purpoſely thereby to ſettle in the hearts of the people an high eſteem of it, & (which was the only foundation of all their ſafety and welfare) that they might ſtill own it, as the city which God had choſen to be the only peculiar place of his worſhip, and the royall ſeat of that kingdome, under which they were to live in ſubjection unto all ſucceeding generations.
Verſ. 4. Whether the tribes goe up, &c.] To wit, at the three ſolemn feaſts: the tribes of the Lord unto the Teſtimony of Iſrael; that is, unto the Ark, which is called the Teſtimony, ſee the Note Numb. 17.4; or unto the Tabernacle, or the Temple, where the Ark was; whence the Tabernacle is uſually in the books of Moſes called the Tabernacle of teſtimony.
Verſ. 5. For there are ſet thrones of judgement, &c.] That is, God hath appointed that the ſupreme Courts of Judicature, both civill & eccleſiaſticall, ſhall alwaies be there, ſee the Note Deut. 17.8; or more particularly, that the Regall throne for David & his ſucceſſours ſhall alwaies be there, as is expreſſed in the following clauſe, the thrones of the houſe of David.
Verſ. 8. For my bre…hren & companions ſakes, I will now ſay, Peace be within thee.] Leaſt any ſhould ſuſpect, that in transferring the Ark into Zion, his own city, & in ſpeaking ſo much for Jeruſalem in the foregoing verſes, he aimed at his own glory, & the eſtabliſhment of his own kingdome, therefore he proteſts here, that he deſired that Jeruſalem might flouriſh, not out of any ſelf reſpects, but for his brethren and companions ſakes, to wit, the whole Iſrael of God throughout the land, who were his brethren, and companions in the fellowſhip of the ſame faith duplicate page duplicate page and religion; & that becauſe he knew that the ſafety & happineſſe of them all depended upon the welfare of Jeruſalem, in that God had eſtabliſhed that to be the ſeat of the Sanctuary and kingdome: neither could they be happy any longer then they enjoyed Gods Ordinances there, and lived under the government of that kingdome.
PSALM CXXIII.
Verſ. 1. UNto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwelleſt in the heavens.] As if he had ſaid, Finding all things in outward appearance hopeleſſe & deſperate here below, I look up unto thee, O Lord, in whom there is hope for thy people in their greateſt extremities. And indeed if this Pſalm was compoſed for the uſe of Gods people (as it is probably thought by many Expoſitours) when they were in Babylon, or under the perſecution of Antiochus Epiphanes, they might well then ſay that they had no hope in the world, but in God only.
Verſ. 2. Behold, as the eyes of ſervants look unto the hands of their maſters, and as the eyes of a handmaid unto the hands of her miſtreſſe, ſo our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, &c.] The faithfuls waiting upon and looking up unto God may here be compared to ſervants looking to the hand of their maſter or miſtreſſe in three regards eſpecially: 1. as ſervants & ſlaves of old did wholly depend upon the good will & pleaſure of their maſters & miſtreſſes for their food & raiment, and whatever elſe they wanted, not daring to challenge any thing, but patiently waiting to receive what they were pleaſed to give them; ſo the faithfull do quietly wait upon God for a ſupply in all their neceſſities: 2. as ſuch ſervants when they were beaten were wont to caſt back their eyes ſadly upon the hand of their maſter or miſtreſſe that beat them, even by their mournfull looks begging as it were for mercy; ſo are Gods ſervants wont to look with weeping eyes unto the Lord, when ever he corrects them: & 3. as ſuch ſervants, however they were wronged, yet were not allowed to revenge themſelves, nor to lift up a hand againſt thoſe that injured them; in ſuch thraldome they lived in this regard, that they might not carry either ſword or any other weapon about them; and therefore whenever they were injured they ſtill had recourſe to their maſters for aid, expecting that they ſhould take their part, & defend them againſt thoſe that injured them; ſo alſo it is with Gods ſervants, they look up ſtill to God, to whom vengeance belongs, for protection & help againſt thoſe that oppreſſe and afflict them. And indeed this laſt is moſt agreeable to the ſequele of the Pſalm, wherein they complain how exceedingly they were oppreſſed by their enemies. As for that laſt clauſe, untill that he have mercy upon us, as it implyes their confidence that God would help them, ſo alſo their reſolution patiently to wait upon God, till he were pleaſed to help, though he deferred it never ſo long.
PSALM CXXIV.
Verſ. 1. IF it had not been the Lord who was on our ſide, now may Iſrael ſay, &c.] Some Expoſitours conceive that David ſpeakes here in generall of all the wonderfull deliverance which God had wrought for the Iſraelites in all ages. But becauſe of thoſe words, now may Iſrael ſay, I rather think that he ſpeakes here of ſome particular deliverance, upon occaſion whereof this Pſalm was compoſed, & wherein it was unqueſtionably clear that God alone had ſaved them by his almighty power; as haply that from Abſaloms conſpiracy, or that from the invaſion of the Philiſtines, 2 Sam. 5.17, 18, or ſome other of the like nature.
Verſ. 3. Then they had ſwallowed us up quick, &c.] That is, They had utterly deſtroyed us, & that as ſpeedily as a man is ſwallowed up that falls into deep waters; for that he alludes thereto in this expreſſion, is evident in the following verſe.
Verſ. 4. Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the ſtream had gone over our ſoul.] See the Notes 2 Sam. 22.5. Pſal. 32.6, & 69.1.
Verſ. 6. Bleſsed be the Lord, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.] This phraſe implyes, 1. that the mightieſt enemies of Gods people cannot prevail over them, even in their greateſt weakneſſe, unleſſe the Lord deliver them into their hands; & 2. that this, becauſe of their ſins, God in his juſtice might now have done, but that of his mercy he was pleaſed to ſpare them.
Verſ. 7. Our ſoul is eſcaped as a bird out of the ſnare of the fowler.] See the Note Pſal. 91.3.