Annotations Upon the Books of Poetry, Psalms · Psalm 75
PSALM LXXV.
Verſ. 1. UNto thee, O God, do we give thanks, &c.] Some conceive that this Pſalm was compoſed by David, either when the Jebuſites were to be ſubdued that held the fort of Sion, 2 Sam. 5.6. or when upon Joabs ſlaying Abner, that deſign of Abners bringing in the tribes of Iſrael to ſubmit to David was like to be hindered, and the kingdome was in danger thereupon to be involved again in a bloudy warre; and others conceive that it was compoſed by Aſaph, or ſome other holy man of God, in the time of the Babylonian captivity. And accordingly theſe firſt words may be underſtood, either as the words of the people, or of David and the people joyntly together, wherein they reſolve to praiſe God even in the ſaddeſt times, as being aſſured of Gods readneſſe to help them; which is expreſſed in the next words, for that thy name is near, that is, that thou art near at hand to help thy people, thy wonderous works declare; and this may be meant, as we may differently conceive of the perſons here ſpeaking, either of the works of God in generall, whereby God had in all ages manifeſted his care over his people; or more particularly of thoſe wonderfull works which God had already wrought in bringing David to the Crown.
Verſ. 2. When I shall receive the congregation, I will judge uprightly.] Many learned Expoſitours hold, that in theſe words God anſwers his people, and that the meaning thereof is as if he had ſaid, When I ſhall gather my Church and people together again, and ſhall again receive them into my favour and care, whom for the preſent I have ſeemed to caſt off, and to deliver them up to the will and power of their enemies, I will then judge juſtly betwixt them and their enemies, or I will then ſet all in order that is now out of frame. But becauſe the following part of the Pſalm ſeems clearly to be the words of the Pſalmiſt, as is moſt evident verſ. 7, 8, 9, 10, therefore I conceive ſo alſo of this verſe, namely that David here ſpeaks, yet perhaps, as elſewhere, in the perſon of Chriſt; When I shall receive the congregation, that is, ſay ſome, When I ſhall have gotten mount Sion on of the hands of the Jebuſites, which is the place appointed of God for the ſolemn meetings of the congregation of his people, and is therefore called Iſa. 14.13. the mount of the congregation; or rather, When the people ſhall ſubmit themſelves generally to me, then I ſhall judge uprightly: as if he had ſaid, Hitherto a great part of the tribes of Iſrael have refuſed to ſubmit to my government, and ſo the kingdome hath been waſted with civill wars; but when once the whole congregation of the twelve tribes ſhall come in and ſubmit to me, then I will govern them with all poſſible juſtice: which alſo implyes a prayer ſecretly made to God, that he would bring in the people to ſtoop to his government. And if we take it, as ſome do, as ſpoken in the perſon of Chriſt, then it muſt be underſtood of the juſtice of his governing the Church gathered into him by the preaching of the Goſpel. And ſo likewiſe if we read the words according to the tranſlation in the margin, When I shall take a ſet time, I will judge uprightly, it may be underſtood, either as ſpoken by God, or by Chriſt, to wit, that when the fit ſeaſon, already ſet and appointed by Gods decree, ſhould come, he would then take the opportunity to puniſh his peoples enemies; or elſe as ſpoken by David, that when the time appointed of God ſhould come for his being ſettled in the throne, he would then govern them, as became a good king, with all juſtice and equity.
Verſ. 3. The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are diſsolved; I bear up the pillars of it, &c.] According to the different expoſition of the former verſe, this alſo may be underſtood, either 1. as ſpoken by God to his people: All things indeed are in a manner ruined and broken to pieces; but were the whole frame of the world diſſolved and melted, or put quite out of frame, I by mine almighty power am able to repair it, and ſupport it again. And herein there ſeems to be an alluſion to the Lords bearing up the earth in the place wherein he hath ſettled it from the firſt creation: to wit, that as now God bears up the earth hanging in the midſt of the air, and ſtanding as it were in the midſt of the ſeas, as firmly as it it were born up by pillars, & doth not ſuffer it to molder away, though the very waters, that paſſe continually through it, one would think in reaſon ſhould be enough to diſſolve it; ſo if the whole world were ſhattered in ſunder, God were able to renew it again and bear it up; and accordingly, though his people were in never ſo broken a condition, God was able to ſet all right again. Or 2. as ſpoken by David: The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are diſſolved; as if he had ſaid, By the ill government of Saul, by reaſon of judgements that God hath brought upon the land, and by the civill wars that have been of late amongſt us, the whole kingdome and commonwealth of Iſrael is in a manner cracked in pieces, and in danger to be utterly ruined: I bear up the pillars of it; that is, I endeavour to ſupport this poor land and people in this their tottering eſtate, to wit, by ſettling good magiſtrates amongſt them, by maintaining religion & juſtice, which are the great ſupporters of every ſtate, and by ſupporting the righteous, for whoſe ſake and by whoſe means, not only kingdomes and commonwealths, but even the world it ſelf is continued. And then again if we take the words as ſpoken by David in the perſon of Chriſt, the drift of them then is, that though by ſin the whole world was ruined, yet by Chriſt all things were repaired and recovered, and ſet in good order again.
Verſ. 4. I ſaid unto the fools, Deal not foolishly, &c.] Almoſt all Expoſitours …gree that theſe are the words of the Pſalmiſt, importing either that upon conſideration of that which is ſaid of God in the foregoing verſes, concerning his judging the wicked, and defending his righteous ſervants, he had alwaies ſaid within himſelf, as deriding the pride of ſuch ungodly wretches, that they were but fools to fight againſt God, as they did, and haply had expreſly ſaid thus to them, as diſſwading them from this folly; or elſe (if we take David to be the penner of the Pſalm) that as he promiſed to judge uprightly for the time to come, being once ſettled in the throne, ſo he had alwaies already endeavoured to ſuppreſſe the inſolencies of fooliſh men againſt God, and againſt his righteous ſervants, and had declared how fooliſh a thing it would prove to oppoſe the government which God had ſettled in him: and to the wicked, lift not up the horn; that is, carry not your ſelves proudly and inſolently in the confidence of your great power, perſecuting and oppreſſing Gods people.
Verſ. 5. Speak not with a ſtiffe neck.] That is, Talk not ſo proudly and loftily and peremptorily as you do, as if you would wreſtle and fight againſt God, and as men do that can by no means be brought to yield and to give over any reſolution they have taken up. He alludes either to ſtubborn cattel, that will not ſtoop to or draw in the yoke; or to the garb of proud perſons, whoſe necks will even ſwell with anger and wrath, and who are wont to goe with ſtiffe erected necks.
Verſ. 6. For promotion cometh neither from the Eaſt, &c.] As if he had ſaid, This is a commodity that is to be procured from no countrey in the world. But however the meaning is, that whereas for the helping and advancing of themſelves men are wont to look this way and that way, to their ſeverall allies and friends, and the neighbouring nations round about them, all this is to no purpoſe; and that becauſe it is God alone that raiſeth up and caſts down whom he pleaſeth, and there is none in the whole world that doth it but he. And the drift of theſe words may be to imply, either 1. that, ſeeing therefore it was God that advanced him to the throne, it would be madneſſe in his enemies to reſiſt him; or 2. that if God did ſet himſelf once to ruine the wicked, no power on earth could ſupport them; or 3. that ſince all promotion comes from God, great ones ought not to uſe it to ſerve their luſts, but for Gods glory and his Churches good.
Verſ. 8. For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, &c.] Many Expoſitours hold, that this is added by way of anſwering an objection that might be made againſt that which is before ſaid, concerning the righteouſneſſe of the Lord in judging wicked men: for if it be ſo, might ſome ſay, how comes it then to paſſe, that uſually the righteous are ſo ſorely afflicted? to which in this verſe it is anſwered; that though outward calamities here befall both good and bad, yet the wrath that is reſerved for the portion of the wicked is far more terrible, then that which the righteous ſuffer: for in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, &c. that is, God hath judgements alwaies ready at hand, which he diſtributes, as he pleaſeth, amongſt the children of men, ſee the Notes Pſal. 11.6. and 60.3. and Job 21.20. and the wine is red; and ſo ſtrong and heady. The ground of this expreſſion is, becauſe the wine of Judea was for the moſt part red; and is therefore called Deut. 32.14. the pure bloud of the grape; and the redder their wines were, of the greater ſtrength and the more violent operation they were. But however the meaning is, that the judgements which God hath in a readineſſe are ſore and heavy, and ſuch as will ſoon deſtroy men. And the ſame is alſo implyed in the following words, it is full of mixture: for though ſome take thoſe words to be no other in ſenſe then as if he had ſaid, the cup is full of wine made ready to drink, to wit, by mingling it with water, according to that Prov. 9.5. Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled; and indeed in reference to that cuſtome of allaying their wine with water, pure wrath is elſewhere tearmed wine without mixture, Revel. 14.10; yet here, becauſe it is joyned with the redneſſe of the wine, I rather conceive the meaning to be, that the wine in the Lords cup was mingled with ſpices, to make it the ſtronger, and the apter to intoxicate thoſe that drank it, (whence it is that we read of ſpiced wine Cant. 8.2, and Iſa. 5.22. drunkards are tearmed men of ſtrength to mingle ſtrong drink,) yea perhaps that it was mingled with gall, and poiſon, ſuch things as might make it bitter and deadly to thoſe that ſhould drink of it; and that this is added to imply both the ſoreneſſe and variety of judgements that God hath alwaies in a readineſſe, and that when he begins to puniſh ungodly men, he doth uſually bring many ſeverall judgements together upon them. And he poureth out of the ſame; but the dregs thereof all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them: that is, he maketh all, both good and bad, to drink of this cup of his indignation, though indeed to the good it is but as a phyſicall potion; yea and this cup comes ſooneſt to them from the hand of the Lord, that are neareſt to him, judgement muſt begin at the houſe of God, 1 Pet. 4.17. he afflicts all promiſcuouſly: but then the wicked ſhall at laſt, will they, nil they, drink the dregs even to the laſt drop, that is, the ſoreſt judgements ſhall be their portion, eſpecially at the day of judgement, when they ſhall be caſt into hell, and puniſhed there with inſufferable torments unto all eternity.
Verſ. 10. All the horns of the wicked alſo will I cut off, &c.] That is, I will ſuppreſſe them, or bereave them of their great power: but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted; ſee the Note 1 Sam. 2.1. And this the Pſalmiſt addes, in confidence that God would be aiding to his ſervants againſt their wicked enemies, as he had alwaies formerly been.