Annotations Upon the Books of Poetry, Psalms · Psalm 65
PSALM LXV.
The Title. A Pſalm and Song of David.] See the Note on the Title of the 30. Pſalm. Becauſe of ſeverall paſſages in this Pſalm, verſ. 3, 9, 10, 11, &c. many Expoſitours conceive that it was compoſed, when after the three years famine in Davids time, God was pleaſed by ſending a ſeaſonable rain to give them hopes of a plentifull harveſt, 2 Sam. 21.
Verſ. 1. Praiſe waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion, &c.] It is in the originall, Praiſe is ſilent to thee▪ O God, in Sion; and many obſervable particulars this implyes: as 1. that God is good unto his Church in a ſpeciall manner above others, and gives them daily new occaſions of praiſing him; 2. that his Church are the only people that do truly know God, and ſo the only people that know how to praiſe him; 3. that God did only accept of the worſhip which they performed, and the praiſe which they offered, Sion being the only place where God would be worſhipped; 4. that whereas others, though they live upon Gods bleſſings, yet mind not the Donour, Gods people are ſtill carefull and ready for every mercy to return praiſe; and 5. that even in the worſt times the people of God will with patient ſilence wait upon him, in aſſurance that he would give them occaſion to praiſe his name.
Verſ. 2. O thou that heareſt prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.] Here David begins to reckon up the benefits for which God was moſt worthy to be praiſed in Sion; and accordingly in the firſt place he pitcheth upon this, that he was moſt ready to hear the prayers of his people; inſomuch that all flesh, that is, all ſorts of men of all nations, though but duſt and aſhes, poor, frail, helpleſſe creatures, might hereby be encouraged to draw near in prayer unto him, the glorious God of heaven and earth. And thus the words do alſo covertly imply a prophecy concerning the calling of the Gentiles.
Verſ. 3. Iniquities prevail againſt me, &c.] Here David mentions another great mercy which God affords his Church, for which they were eſpecially bound to praiſe him, and that is his pardoning their ſins: and it is added here as that which muſt encourage them to goe to God in prayer, of which he had ſpoken in the foregoing verſe. Iniquities prevail againſt me; as for our tranſgreſsions, thou shalt purge them away: which is as if he had ſaid, Though our iniquities be ſuch, that they may juſtly provoke thee to diſpleaſure, yet thou wilt pardon them, and purge them away, to wit, by an expiatory ſacrifice, which ſhall be offered up for them. For by this phraſe of iniquities prevailing againſt him, divers things may be implyed: as 1ſt, that his oppoſition againſt them had not been ſuch, but that they had overcome and foyled him; 2ly, that they had brought him into ſubjection and bondage to them; 3ly, that they were ſo many and great, that he was not able to bear them, but was likely to ſink under the burden of them; and 4ly, that they had brought Gods judgements upon him: and indeed by other paſſages in this Pſalm it ſeems probable, that it was compoſed when the people of God had been under ſome ſore judgement. As for Davids expreſſing this in the ſingular number, Iniquities prevail againſt me, whereas the following words are in the plurall number, as for our tranſgreſsions, thou shalt purge them away, the reaſon of this is, either becauſe he ſpeaks in the name of the whole people, as it were collectively in one body, and that the rather, as being their king and head; or elſe becauſe, this Pſalm being intended as a form of thankſgiving for the uſe of the people, he would hereby teach every man, as it were by his example, to confeſſe his own particular ſins.
Verſ. 4. Bleſſed is the man whom thou chuſeſt, &c.] Here ſtill farther mercies are added, for which God was in a ſpeciall manner to be praiſed in Sion: and he begins with that of Gods chuſing them of his own free grace to be his people, this being the firſt ſpring of that mentioned in the foregoing verſe, to wit, his pardoning their ſins; and then in the following words addes divers others, Bleſſed is the man whom thou chuſest, and cauſeſt to approach unto thee; to wit, by receiving them to thy favour, who were enemies by nature, by taking them into ſo near a relation to thee, as to be thy peculiar people, yea thy children, ſuch as may continually have free acceſſe unto thee, as are through Chriſt made one with thee, and to whom thou wilt communicate thy ſelf unto all eternity: that he may dwell in thy courts ▪ ſee the Notes Pſal. 15.1, and 23.6: we shall be ſatisfied with the goodneſſe of thy houſe, &c. See the Note Pſal. 36.8.
Verſ. 5. By terrible things in righteouſneſſe wilt thou anſwer us, O God of our ſalvation, &c.] That is, Becauſe of thy righteouſneſſe, to wit, thy faithfulneſſe, which moveth thee to make good thy promiſes to thy people, ſee the Note Pſal. 51.14, or thy juſtice, which moveth thee to aid all thoſe that are wronged and oppreſſed, thou wilt anſwer us when we call upon thee from thy tabernacle and temple, (which is one of the Priviledges of Gods people mentioned in the foregoing verſe;) and that by executing ſtrange and unuſuall judgements upon our adverſaries, and by many miraculous deliverances afforded us, which ſhall be terrible to our enemies, and dreadfull to thine own people: and it is likely that David ſpeaks of theſe terrible things, in reference to the ſigns and miracles which God wrought in Egypt, and at the giving of the law. As for the following clauſe, wherein he tearmes God the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afarre off upon the ſea, this is added, either 1. to imply, that the Gentiles ſhould alſo be ſharers with the Jewes in theſe mercies, when they alſo ſhould become the people of God; or 2. to intimate, that by thoſe forementioned terrible things, which God ſhould work for his people, many that dwelt farre off from his people ſhould be wonne to pray unto and to truſt in God; or 3. to ſet forth the power of this God, who ſhould doe ſuch great things for his people, and ſo give them ſuch ſpeciall occaſion to praiſe him in Sion, by ſhewing that all the inhabitants of the world, far and near, have their dependance wholly upon God, in whom they live, move, and have their being: ſee the Note Pſal. 22.9. whence it is alſo that by a ſecret inſtinct of nature all nations are moved to look to God in their dangers, though they be indeed ignorant of the true God.
Verſ. 6. Which by his ſtrength ſetteth faſt the mountains, being girded with power.] That is, which God, being endued with an almighty power, doth cauſe the mountains to ſtand faſt, ſo that neither the winds nor flouds can remove them, nor do they ſink under their own weight, as great buildings of men often do for want of a firm foundation. I conceive that David adds this large deſcription that here follows, of the great works of God throughout the world, either 1. to ſhew that it was no ſuch ſtrange thing, that God ſhould extend grace at laſt to the Gentiles, as well as to the Jews, ſince from the firſt creation God had been very good to all the inhabitants of the world, and had done great things for them; or 2. to ſet forth the mighty power of that God, from whom his people expect ſuch terrible things to be done for them; or 3. becauſe, though all the world receive benefit from theſe great works of God, yet only Sion looks on them as bleſſings from God, and returns him praiſe for them.
Verſ. 7. Which ſtilleth the noiſe of the ſeas, the noiſe of their waves, and the tumult of the people.] Some conceive that the laſt words, and the tumult of the people, are added by way of explaining what he meant in the firſt words, to wit, Gods appeaſing the tumults and inſurrections of unruly people, whereby kingdomes and common-wealths are indangered: and indeed by ſeas and the waves thereof in the Scripture great armies and tumults of people are uſually meant; as Jer. 51.42. and ſo Eſa. 17.12, 13; ſee alſo the Notes Pſal. 46.3, 6. But I rather chuſe the plainer expoſition, that in the firſt words he ſpeaks of Gods ſtilling the ſeas, to wit, both by keeping them within their bounds that they overflow not the land, and by making them quiet at his pleaſure, when they are moſt tempeſtuous; and that then in the next words he adds, that after the ſame manner likewiſe he ſtilleth the tumult of the people.
Verſ. 8. They alſo that dwell in the uttermoſt parts are afraid at thy tokens, &c.] Any great works of God, wherein there is any ſpeciall impreſſion of his majeſty and glory, may be tearmed Gods tokens; and therefore ſome underſtand hereby the ſun, moon and ſtars, which are ſeen in the remoteſt parts of the earth, and of which God ſaid in the firſt creation, Gen. 1.14. Let them be for ſigns. But becauſe David ſpeaks here of ſuch tokens as ſhould make men afraid, I rather conceive that hereby is meant ſuch works of God as are looked upon by men as tokens of his anger, as namely 1. thunder and lightening, and hail, and earthquakes, and comets, and other ſtrange meteors ſeen often in the air; or 2. thoſe miraculous ſigns which God wrought for the good of his people and the ruine of their enemies, as the dividing of the red ſea, &c. the fame whereof was terrible to the nations far off; or 3. the judgements which he executes upon wicked men, ſuch particularly (ſay ſome Expoſitours) as diſturb the peace of kingdomes; for they conceive this is ſpoken in reference to the tumult of the people mentioned in the laſt words of the foregoing verſe. As for the following words, thou makeſt the out-goings of the morning and the evening to rejoyce, thereby is meant, either 1. that God makes all the men of the world from Eaſt to Weſt to rejoyce with his manifold bleſſings: or 2. that he makes all men to rejoyce in the out-goings of the ſun in the morning, (an expreſſion uſed likewiſe Pſal. 19.6. His going forth is from the end of the heaven) and ſo likewiſe of the moon and ſtars in the evening; as the tokens before-mentioned are a cauſe of terrour to men, ſo theſe of rejoycing: or 3. that by giving peace to the inhabitants of the earth, to wit, through the terrour wherewith the nations are reſtrained and kept in, by reaſon of thoſe tokens of Gods wrath mentioned in the foregoing clauſe▪ men may goe out chearfully in the morning, and the wild beaſts in the evening, without terrour or danger; according to what the Pſalmiſt ſaith, Pſal. 104.20, 23: or 4. that when men goe out to walk in the cool of the morning and evening, he maketh them to rejoyce, in beholding how the earth is enriched with all kind of plenty: or 5. that he maketh the out-goings of the ſun in the morning, the moon and ſtars in the evening, to have a chearfull and pleaſant aſpect, as if they ſeemed to laugh or to ſing; as we ſee the like poeticall expreſſion uſed again verſ. 13. to ſet forth the pleaſant look of fields covered with corn. And indeed the two laſt expoſitions ſeem to me the moſt probable.
Verſ. 9. Thou viſiteſt the earth, and watereſt it, &c.] To wit, as men are wont to viſit their friends, carrying wine and ſweet-meats, or ſome ſuch like junkets with them; ſee alſo the Note above on the Title: thou greatly enricheſt it with the river of God, which is full of water; that is, ſay ſome Expoſitours, the river Shiloah, which ran cloſe by Jeruſalem, the city of God; or the river of Jordan, the chief river of Canaan, Gods holy land, which uſed at times to overflow its banks, and ſo to make the land the more fruitfull. But I rather conceive that it is thoſe ſweet and plentifull ſhowrs of rain ſent from God out of heaven, or the clouds from whence the rain falls, that is here called the river of God; and that hereby is intimated, that ſeaſonable ſhowrs were to the land of Canaan to enrich it with plenty, in ſtead of thoſe great rivers wherewith other countries are watered, ſee the Notes Deut. 11.10, 11, 12; and in ſtead of thoſe brooks and rivulets, which husbandmen draw into their grounds to make them fruitfull.
Verſ. 11. Thou crowneſt the year with thy goodneſſe, &c.] Two things may be implyed in this phraſe: 1. that the plenty of corn and flowers and fruit &c. which God of his goodneſſe cauſed the earth to bring forth, was an ornament to it, like a coronet or garland upon the head of a man; and 2. that God bleſſed the whole circle or revolution of the year, that in every part of it there were ſtill ſome fruits of Gods bounty thereon to be ſeen: and thy paths drop fatneſſe; that is, thy clouds; whereon God is elſewhere ſaid to walk and to ride as in a chariot, as Pſal. 104.3. and Nahum 1.3. or elſe the meaning is only this, that it is he only that maketh the earth rich and fruitfull; and in the expreſſion uſed there may ſeem to be an alluſion to that which is commonly ſaid of mens carefull viſiting their grounds, to wit, that every field is beſt dunged by the duſt that falls from the maſters feet.
Verſ. 12. They drop upon the paſtures of the wilderneſſe, &c.] That is, ſuch places as are not manured and tilled, and are leſſe frequented of people; ſee the Notes Job 38.25, 26: and the little hils, though in ſummer they are moſt parched, and in winter moſt pinched with cold, rejoyce on every ſide, to wit, as being full of vines and other pleaſant fruit-trees &c. and ſo the inhabitants do thereupon rejoyce; yea themſelves have a pleaſant aſpect, as it is uſuall with the latine poets to ſay prata rident: and ſo likewiſe the next verſe muſt be underſtood. See the Note before verſ. 8.