Annotations Upon the Books of Poetry, Psalms · Psalm 25
PSALM XXV.
Verſ. 1. UNto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my ſoul.] That is, In thee only do I truſt and hope; and my hearts deſire for help and comfort is only towards thee, and with much eagerneſſe doth expect good from thee. In the Hebrew this Pſalm is ſo compoſed, that we have all the letters of the Hebrew Alphabet one after another in the firſt letter of every verſe (except only in two or three verſes) and that, as we may probably conceive, that being a Pſalm of ſingular excellency and ſpeciall uſe, it might by this help be the better remembred. The like elegancy there is in the 34, 37, 111, 112, 119, and 145 Pſalms.
Verſ. 2. I truſt in thee, let me not be ashamed.] To wit, as they uſe to be, that when they have hoped for any thing with great confidence, and have boaſted of their hope, yet at laſt have been diſappointed.
Verſ. 3. Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed, &c.] To wit, neither by their own diſappointments, nor mine. For this laſt ſome adde, becauſe if he ſhould fail of his hopes, he knew this would be a great diſcouragement to others, that waited to ſee what the iſſue of Gods dealings with him would be. Let them be ashamed which tranſgreſſe without cauſe, that is, that cauſleſly afflict and trouble me, and oppoſe me in the buſineſſe of the kingdome promiſed me: ſee the Note Pſal. 7.3. Yet ſome conceive that by them which tranſgreſſe without cauſe is meant, thoſe that out of diſtruſt do cauſleſly fall away from God: and others underſtand it of all wicked men whatſoever; all ſin againſt God being in true judgement altogether unreaſonable and cauſleſſe. But the firſt Expoſition is the beſt.
Verſ. 4. Shew me thy waies, O Lord, &c.] That is, the waies wherein thou haſt appointed thy people to walk: Or, Shew me thy waies, that is, the waies thou uſeſt to take with thy children; as namely, how gracious thou art unto them, though thou doſt uſually afflict them, how faithfull in performing all thy promiſes to them, that ſo I may quietly reſt upon thee, and may not through impatience or deſire of revenge doe any thing to diſpleaſe thee. And indeed if we underſtand theſe words in the firſt ſenſe, of Gods teaching him to walk in the waies of his commandments, it is probable that in deſiring that, he had reſpect chiefly to the diſtreſſe he was in, that he might not thereby be drawn to doe any thing that was evil, as men in adverſity are prone to doe.
Verſ. 5. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me, &c.] Many ſeverall Expoſitions are given of theſe words: as, Lead me in thy truth, &c. that is, carry me with conſtant aſſurance and truſt to reſt on thy promiſes, thy truth and faithfulneſſe; or, Cauſe me to be true and faithfull as thou art, &c. But I conceive this is the ſame in effect with that Pſal. 5.8. Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteouſneſſe: concerning which ſee the Note there.
Verſ. 6. Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy loving kindneſſes; for they have been ever of old.] To wit, to me even from my firſt conception, and towards all thine from the beginning of the world; yea from all eternity, in that God ſet his love upon his 2 Tim. 1.9. before the world began. And thus doth David ſecretly comfort himſelf by preſſing this, as knowing that the Lord was unchangeable, even the ſame ſtill that he had ever been.
Verſ. 7. Remember not the ſins of my youth, nor my tranſgreſsions, &c.] To wit, ſuch as I have run into in my riper years. For by mentioning the ſins of his youth in the firſt branch David intended not to imply, that he had not ſinned ſince that time, or that he had no cauſe to be troubled for any ſins but thoſe of his youth; but rather hereby he ſought to humble himſelf before God, that from his youth he had provoked God many wayes, and that if he ſhould deal with him according to the rigour of his juſtice, he might charge upon him not only the ſins he had more lately committed, but all his evil deeds even from his youth unto that time: and therefore he adds, according to thy mercy remember thou me, for thy goodneſſe ſake, O Lord; that is, moved thereto by thine own goodneſſe, or to declare and make known thy goodneſſe.
Verſ. 8. Good and upright is the Lord, &c.] That is, gracious and faithfull, really intending and faithfully performing whatever he hath promiſed: therefore will he teach ſinners in the way; for which ſee the Note before verſ. 4.
Verſ. 9. The meek will he guide in judgement.] Who are meant by the meek, ſee in the Note Pſal. 22.26. And for that which is ſaid, that God will guide them in judgement, the meaning may be, either that God will ſo direct them, that they ſhall walk judiciouſly, or in a right manner, ordering all their affairs with wiſedome and mature judgement; or that God in judgement, that is in great wiſedome and provident care, will guide them, having in all things a fatherly reſpect to their weakneſſe and profit.
Verſ. 10. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth to them that keep his covenant and his Teſtimonies.] That is, his Commandments, (ſee the Note Exod. 25.16.) which by Covenant the people of God are bound evangelically to keep. Now to ſuch it is ſaid, that all the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, that is, all that God doth to them is done in mercy and faithfulneſſe, yea ſuch ſee and acknowledge that there is mercy and truth in all the diſpenſations of Gods providence towards them. Yet ſome here alſo by the paths of the Lord underſtand thoſe that he hath appointed us to walk in, and ſo make the meaning to be, that all that God hath appointed his people to doe is for their good, and out of mercy and faithfulneſſe to them it is injoyned them.
Verſ. 11. For thy names ſake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.] This laſt clauſe, for it is great, is not added as a reaſon to move God to pardon his iniquity; (for properly and in it ſelf the greatneſſe of ſin is an argument why God ſhould puniſh, rather then why God ſhould pardon) but rather it is added as a reaſon why he did ſo earneſtly beg pardon of God, namely becauſe his iniquity was great, and therefore was the liker to endanger him, and lay the more heavy upon his conſcience; as if a ſick man ſhould ſay to his Phyſician, Help me, I beſeech you, for I am very ſick: or as a reaſon why he pleaded that God would pardon him for his names ſake, that is, of his own goodneſſe and for his own glory, (ſee the Note 1 Sam. 12.12.) namely, becauſe his ſin was ſo great, that nothing but Gods free grace and infinite mercy could give him hope of pardon. Yet withall it is true, that where the party begging pardon doth truly repent and believe, even the alledging of the greatneſſe of a mans ſin may have ſome force of an argument to move God to pardon, becauſe the glory of Gods mercy and grace is hereby the more magnified, according to that of the Apoſtle Rom. 5.20. where ſin abounded, grace did much more abound. However, by the iniquity which he ſaith was great may be meant ſome particular greater ſin, which lay ſore upon his conſcience, or his ſins in generall collectively conſidered.
Verſ. 12. What man is he that feareth the Lord? &c.] This queſtion may imply the paucity of thoſe that truly fear God, and withall their wonderfull happineſſe; What man is he that feareth the Lord? as if he had ſaid, There are not many ſuch; but oh, great is the happineſſe of that man that doth thus fear God! At leaſt this queſtion implyes how univerſally true that which he ſaith is concerning thoſe that fear the Lord, What man is he that feareth the Lord? as if he ſhould ſay: Whoever he be that doth this, him shall he teach in the way that he shall chuſe; that is, he ſhall be taught of God in the way that God himſelf doth preſcribe or approve: or rather, God ſhall direct him what way to chuſe in all his buſineſſes and ſtreights whatſoever, he ſhall not be left to his own choice, but God ſhall direct him what way to chuſe.
Verſ. 13. His ſoul shall dwell at eaſe.] The man that lives in a proſperous condition is ſaid to live at eaſe, ſee the Note Job 12.5. and accordingly the meaning of theſe words is, that he that feareth the Lord ſhall long enjoy plenty of all bleſſings, temporall and ſpirituall, even to the full content and eaſe of his mind, and after that eternal reſt and joy in heaven. And indeed though the righteous be often much afflicted, (which their not fearing God, as they ought to doe, may bring upon them) and have not all things as they would themſelves; yet, in regard of the inward ſweet content of their minds, they may be well ſaid to dwell at eaſe; and it may be that to imply this the word ſoul is here expreſſed, His ſoul shall dwell at eaſe. Some, I know, reſtrain this to the reſt of heaven. But the firſt Expoſition is every way the beſt.
Verſ. 14. The ſecret of the Lord is with them that fear him, &c.] This may be meant of the ſecret of Gods Providence, and of the ſecret counſell of his ſpirit, ſee the Note Job 29.4. But yet moſt commonly, and upon beſt grounds, it is underſtood of Gods revealing unto ſuch men his will concerning mans ſalvation expreſſed in his word, as is more clearly ſet forth in the following clauſe, and he will shew them his Covenant: and that this is called the ſecret of the Lord, becauſe it contains many things which are not to be known by naturall reaſon, but only by the enlightening of Gods ſpirit; as concerning the remiſſion of ſins, the ſanctifying of our nature, and life eternall, with other ſecrets of heaven, which God only imparts to his friends, as Chriſt ſaith, Joh. 15.15.
Verſ. 15. Mine eyes are ever towards the Lord, &c.] This muſt be taken in the ſame ſenſe, as when before he ſaid that he lifted up his heart unto the Lord: ſee the Note verſ. 1. and Pſal. 5.3. and then the following clauſe, for he shall pluck my feet out of the net, may be meant of all the ſtreights he was in, and more eſpecially of the plots whereby his enemies ſought to enſnare him.
Verſ. 17. The troubles of my heart are enlarged.] To wit, both for my ſins, and the miſeries I endure.
Verſ. 20. Let me not be ashamed.] See the Note before verſ. 2.
Verſ. 21. Let integrity and uprightneſse preſerve me.] That is, Preſerve me, becauſe of mine integrity and uprightneſſe; as I have no way injured others, even thoſe that are now mine enemies, ſo let not others hurt and injure me. Yet withall he might alſo in theſe words deſire of God, that he might be ſtill kept upright for his ſecurity, that nothing his enemies did might drive him to ſeek revenge, or any other way to doe that which was evil in his ſight. Some, I know, limit the words to the integrity of his faith, and ſo make them a requeſt, that God would preſerve him, becauſe he did ſincerely reſt upon God alone: but we had better underſtand them of his integrity in regard of his enemies.
Verſ. 22. Redeem Iſrael, O God, out of all his troubles.] The rather did David adde this, becauſe God, by anointing him king, had committed his people to his care; and it moſt grieved him, that they, the godly eſpecially, were involved in his troubles.