Annotations Upon the Books of Poetry, Psalms · Psalm 34
PSALM XXXIV.
The Title. A Pſalm of David when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech, &c. To wit, feigning himſelf mad; which circumſtance ſeems here to be expreſſed, becauſe this tended much to the magnifying of Gods grace, that notwithſtanding his infirmity therein, yet God was pleaſed to deliver him; ſee the Notes 1 Sam. 21.10, 11, 13. This is alſo one of the Alphabeticall Pſalms, his exceeding joy cauſing him to compoſe this Pſalm with the more exquiſite art; but for this ſee the Note Pſal. 25.1.
Verſ. 1. I will bleſſe the Lord at all times, &c.] That is, as long as I live, both in proſperity and adverſity; I will never forget this wonderfull deliverance. And thus he aſcribes his eſcape, not to that which he did, but to the providence of God; which is more clearly expreſſed afterwards verſ. 4.
Verſ. 2. My ſoul shall make her boaſt in the Lord, &c.] That is, from my very ſoul I will boaſt of the Lords favour and goodneſſe to me: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad; that is, they ſhall hear of my praiſing the Lord, and out of love to God ſhall rejoyce, that his name is ſo exalted: or rather, they ſhall hear of my deliverance, and ſo ſhall be glad, both on my behalf, that God hath ſo preſerved me, and reſerved me ſtill to ſit on the throne of Iſrael; and on their own behalf, as encouraged by mine example, chearfully to expect the like deliverance from God. For who are meant by the humble here, ſee in the Note Job 22.29.
Verſ. 3. O magnify the Lord with me, &c.] This may be ſpoken to all the faithfull in generall, or in particular to the humble mentioned in the foregoing verſe
Verſ. 4. He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.] And indeed when he was diſcovered and brought to Achiſh, he could not but be ſurprized with divers fears: as, leſt Achiſh ſhould ſlay him, and perhaps with great tortures, to ſatisfie his revenge; or leſt he ſhould deliver him up into Sauls hands, whom he knew now to be his enemy; and many ſuch like.
Verſ. 5. They looked unto him, and were lightned, &c.] This he ſpeaks of thoſe, of whom he had ſaid before verſ. 2. the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad; they (ſaith he) looked unto him, to wit, unto God in prayer, with faith and hope waiting upon God, ſee the Note Pſal. 5.3. and were lightened, ſee the Note 2 Sam. 22.29. It may alſo be read, as it is in the margin, they looked unto him, and they flowed unto him; and then the meaning is, that encouraged by the Lords delivering him, they did in great numbers, and with much earneſtneſſe, alacrity and boldneſſe, not doubting of good ſucceſſe, flee unto the Lord for ſuccour: and their faces were not ashamed, ſee the Note Pſal. 25.2.
Verſ. 6. This poor man cryed, &c.] This ſome take, as ſpoken by David of himſelf; and indeed very frequently in the Pſalms David tearms himſelf poor and afflicted, as Pſal. 40.17. But I am poor and needy, &c. and ſo in many other places: yet rather they are the words of thoſe, of whom he had ſpoken in the former verſe, that admiring the goodneſſe of God in Davids deliverance, do here alledge it for their own encouragement. This poor man (ſay they) cryed, and the Lord heard him; this poor perſecuted man, deſtined to death, and deſpiſed of all men, he cryed, and the Lord heard and delivered him.
Verſ. 8. O taſt and ſee that the Lord is good, &c.] That is, ſay ſome Expoſitours, Make tryall, reſt and rely upon the Lord alone, and ſee whether you ſhall not find that God is very good to them that truſt in him: and indeed the faithfull find much ſweetneſſe in it, when they can caſt all their cares upon God. But rather it is meant of obſerving the proofs that God gives of his goodneſſe, ſuch as was that of Gods delivering him out of the hands of Achiſh; O taſt and ſee that the Lord is good, that is, Mark and obſerve it by experience, that being affected therewith (as you muſt needs be, if you be not ſenſleſſe and ſtupid) it may yield much pleaſure and delight unto your ſouls: ſee 1 Pet. 2.3. Bleſſed is the man that truſteth in him, to wit, becauſe God will be ſure to doe good to ſuch.
Verſ. 9. O fear the Lord, ye his Saints, &c.] This is preſcribed as the means, whereby men may make ſure that God will be in a ſpeciall manner good unto them: and more particularly the aim of theſe words is, to perſwade men, not to take any other courſe to provide for themſelves, as by deceiving and oppreſſing others; which may appear by the following clauſe, for there is no want to them that fear him, God will give them what they deſire, or give them a contented mind without it.
Verſ. 10. The young lions do lack, and ſuffer hunger, &c.] This many underſtand of rich and great oppreſſours, men ravenous as lions: ſee the Note Job 4.10. But there is no reaſon why it may not be as well underſtood of the beaſts themſelves, to wit, that young lions, that are ſtrongeſt and moſt ravenous, ſhall ſooner be hunger-bitten, then they that ſeek the Lord, that is, that fear God, ſhall want any thing that is good for them. See the Note Pſalm 22.26.
Verſ. 11. Come, ye children, hearken unto me, &c.] This expreſſion David uſeth, either as a Prince, becauſe ſuch they uſually ſtiled fathers, ſee the Note 2 Kings 5.13. or rather as a prophet, becauſe ſuch were eſteemed ſpirituall fathers; and therefore the prophets diſciples were called the ſons of the prophets, 2 Kings 2.3. and Chriſt called his diſciples children, Joh. 13.33. Little children, yet a little while I am with you; and ſo did Paul the Galatians, whom he had converted, Gal. 4.19. and that to make known how dearly he loved them, thereby to render them the more willing to hear and embrace his counſell: Or elſe it may be ſpoken as in the name of God, as knowing that he ſpake and wrote by the inſpiration of Gods ſpirit, according to that 2 Sam. 23.2. The ſpirit of the Lord ſpake by me, and his word was in my tongue.
Verſ. 12. What man is he that deſireth life, and loveth many daies, that he may ſee good?] That is, that he may enjoy a bleſſed and happy life both here and hereafter: ſee the Notes Job 7.7, and Pſal. 21.4. It is expreſſed by way of interrogation, to imply, that if any man do really deſire this, they muſt take the way that is here afterward preſcribed; and how ſtrange it was that all men ſhould pretend a deſire of this, and yet ſo few ſhould really deſire it, as is evident becauſe ſo few take the right way to attain it. This with the four following verſes is alledged by Peter, 1 Pet. 3.10, &c.
Verſ. 13. Keep thy tongue from evil, &c.] Though all evil-ſpeaking is here forbidden, yet more eſpecially that, whereby a man deceives or wrongs his neighbour (for ſtill he ſeeks to make good, that he that fears God ſhall be well provided for, and needs not uſe any unlawfull means to help himſelf) as is clear in the following clauſe, and thy lips from ſpeaking guile: and that expreſſion, keep thy tongue, implyes, how ſlippery the tongue is, and prone to offend, if it be not with much watchfulneſſe reſtrained.
Verſ. 14. Depart from evil, and doe good.] Though this alſo may be underſtood generally of all good and evil, yet more particularly it is meant of avoiding the doing of any injury to our neighbours, and ſeeking to doe them all the good we can: and by joyning theſe two together we are taught, that as it is not enough barely to abſtain from wronging any body; ſo neither will God be pleaſed, if we defraud or oppreſſe ſome, and then with goods ſo gotten do good to others. And beſides that expreſſion, Depart from evil, may imply both, 1. that men will be continually followed with temptations to evil, which therefore they muſt moſt carefully avoid; 2. that the purity of man conſiſts, rather in abandoning the evil which we have done, then in keeping our ſelves pure from evil.
Verſ. 15. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, &c.] Becauſe they that thus walk in the fear of the Lord, not daring to return evil for evil, but making peace with thoſe that are enemies to peace, may ſeem likely to be expoſed to many injuries; this that follows is added for their encouragement. For this firſt clauſe, ſee the Note Pſal. 11.7.
Verſ. 18. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, &c.] That is, whoſe hearts are even broken, ſo that they are no other then as dead men, by reaſon of the extremity of their miſeries and ſorrows; and then withall thoſe that are greatly humbled hereby and afflicted in ſpirit, through grief and fear of Gods diſpleaſure becauſe of their ſins.
Verſ. 20. He keepeth all his bones; not one of them is broken.] The meaning is, that God preſerveth the whole man, every member of his body; and much more then his ſoul. Yet this muſt be underſtood with ſubordination to the Croſſe; God will preſerve his bones, unleſſe the breaking of any one of them may tend to the eternall good of his ſoul.
Verſ. 21. Evil shall ſlay the wicked, &c.] That is, His ſin ſhall deſtroy him; or more particularly, The evil he practiſeth againſt the righteous ſhall prove his own ruine: yet ſome underſtand it of the evil of puniſhment, to wit, that the wicked man ſhall, by the judgements that God brings upon him, be irrecoverably cut off: and they that hate the righteous shall be deſolate, or, shall be guilty. See the Note Pſal. 5.10.
Verſ. 22. The Lord redeemeth the ſoul of his ſervants.] See the Note Pſal. 31.5.