Annotations Upon the Books of Poetry, Psalms · Psalm 77
PSALM LXXVII.
The Title. TO the chief Muſician, to Ieduthun, &c.] See the Note on the Title Pſal. 39. And becauſe this clauſe ſhews, as is there noted, that this Pſalm was committed to the poſterity of Jeduthun, to be ſung by them, this makes it moſt probable, that the following words in the originall, that are in the Title of many other Pſalms▪ ſhould rather be tranſlated, as they are in our Bibles, A Pſalm of Aſaph, then A Pſalm for Aſaph; becauſe it is hard to conceive why it ſhould be ſaid, that this Pſalm was intended both for Jeduthuns Quire and Aſaphs too.
Verſ. 1. I cried unto God with my voice, &c.] See the Note Pſal. 3.4; even unto God with my voice, & he gave ear unto me. All which may be underſtood either of that diſtreſſe whereof the Pſalmiſt ſpeaks in the ſequele of the Pſalm, the event whereof he ſhews here at firſt; to wit, that perſevering in prayer he at laſt got the day, that ſo others might learn to doe the like in the like conflicts: or elſe of Gods hearing him in former troubles; & ſo hereby he ſeeks to ſtrengthen his faith, that as God had heard him formerly, ſo he would again.
Verſ. 2. In the day of my trouble I ſought the Lord, &c.] Here the Pſalmiſt ſhews the ſad conflict he had within himſelf for a time, to wit, that at firſt this courſe of praying to God ſeemed to doe him no good at all: In the day of my trouble I ſought the Lord, that is, when I was in grievous diſtreſſe, not outward only, but inward too, my ſoul, becauſe of my afflictions, apprehending that Gods wrath did lye upon me, and that God had utterly forſaken me: my ſore ran in the night, and ceaſed not; that is, I could find no help nor eaſe of my miſery, my ſorrow ſeemed incurable. The Hebrew words may be indeed interpreted, as in the margin, my hand flowed, or was poured forth, and ceaſed not; which may be a vehement figurative expreſſion, like that Pſal. 62.8. of pouring forth the heart before God, and may ſignify, either 1. that his ſtrength did continually waſt away; or 2. that his hands did continually drop with tears, which diſtilled down from his eyes upon his hands held up in prayer, or by frequent wiping his eyes; or 3. that he continually ſtretched forth his hands to God in prayer. But I rather conceive, that to expreſſe how hopeleſſe and helpleſſe his condition was, he compares his miſery or grief to a wound that bleeds and cannot be ſtaunched, or to a ſore that runs continually and cannot be healed; my ſore ran in the night, and ceaſed not: my ſoul refuſed to be comforted; that is, though I prayed unto the Lord, yet that yielded me no comfort, becauſe ſtill my miſery continued ſo grievous upon me; my ſoul was ſo imbittered hereby, and I became ſo wayward and heartleſſe, that nothing would yield me any joy or comfort.
Verſ. 3. I remembred God, and was troubled, &c.] That is, I thought of ſeeking help from God, and ſo prayed unto him, and yet my trouble ſtill continued, or rather encreaſed, as being thereby confirmed that God was angry with me, becauſe he regarded not my prayers; or thus, I ſought to comfort my ſelf by thinking of God, his goodneſſe and mercy, and faithfulneſſe in making good his promiſes, and the experience I formerly had of his gracious dealing with me; but all this yielded me no eaſe, becauſe my miſeries ſtill terrified me with apprehenſions of his wrath, and of his proceeding in a way of ſevere juſtice againſt me. I complained, that is, I made my complaints to God; and my ſpirit was overwhelmed.
Verſ. 4. Thou holdeſt mine eyes waking, &c.] To wit, by my continuall miſeries and diſquieting thoughts; or by thine immediate providence withholding reſt from me, which alone doth uſually eaſe a grieved mind: I am ſo troubled, that I cannot ſpeak; ſee the Notes Job 2.13, and 3.1.
Verſ. 5. I have conſidered the daies of old, &c.] That is, as hoping to comfort and encourage my ſelf thereby, I meditated on thy former mercies, both to thy people in generall, and to my ſelf in particular. But yet becauſe the Pſalmiſt is ſtill relating his temptation, I conceive that his intention is to imply, that even this tended to the encreaſe of his ſorrows, whilſt he weighed how far otherwiſe it was with him at preſent, then it had been in former times.
Verſ. 6. I call to remembrance my ſong in the night, &c.] That is, In the night, as I lye muſing by my ſelf, I call to mind thy former favours, for which I have praiſed thee with a ſong; or, I call to remembrance thy former mercies, whereby I was ſtirred up to ſing praiſes to thee, not by day only, but even by night alſo: ſee the Notes Job 35.10. and Pſal. 42.8. I commune with mine own heart, and my ſpirit made diligent ſearch, to wit, as enquiring what the cauſe was why the Lord did ſo ſorely afflict me, and what the iſſue thereof was like to be; whether there would ever be an end of my troubles, and what means were to be uſed to bring it to paſſe; or whether it were likely that God had caſt me off for ever, as he expreſſeth his thoughts in the following verſes.
Verſ. 7. Will the Lord caſt off for ever, &c.?] This the Pſalmiſt ſpeaks, as ſtruggling againſt his temptation; as if he had ſaid, Theſe things Satan and mine own corrupt heart do ſuggeſt to me; but ſure it cannot be ſo.
Verſ. 10. And I ſaid, This is mine infirmity, &c.] That is, it is but the weakneſſe of my faith, and the feebleneſſe of my ſpirit, thus to doubt of Gods goodneſſe and faithfulneſſe to his ſervants: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the moſt High; that is, the great works which by his almighty power he hath in all ages wrought for the deliverance of his people. Though the remembrance of theſe things hath not hitherto prevailed over my doubts and fears, yet doubtleſſe when I have ſeriouſly laid them to heart, they will at length prevail to ſtrengthen my faith and hope in God.
Verſ. 11. I will remember the works of the Lord, &c.] That is, Though at firſt this doth not appeaſe my ſpirit, yet I will ſtill and ſtill meditate on the great things God hath done for his people, as being abundantly ſufficient to comfort me in my ſorrows: ſurely I will remember thy wonders of old; ſee the Note Pſal. 25.6. And hereby he intimates, that as we uſe not to queſtion the love of an old friend, that hath been many years faithfull to us; ſo it would be very injurious to queſtion Gods goodneſſe and faithfulneſſe to his ſervants, which had been approved by experience of many generations, in that however he hath afflicted them for a time, yet at laſt he hath alwaies wrought wonderfully for them.
Verſ. 13. Thy way, O God, is in the Sanctuary.] That is, in the Temple, or in the Heaven. However the meaning is, that the works of God are hidden from the eyes of the world, as the holy things of the Temple might not be ſeen by men; or, which is all one in effect, that the works of God are above the reach of humane reaſon, as thoſe things in the heaven are only to be diſcovered by faith, ſee the Note Pſal. 36.5. Yet ſome do otherwiſe underſtand this expreſſion, as namely that the proceedings of Gods providence amongſt his people might be known in the Sanctuary, according to that Pſal. 73.16, 17: concerning which ſee the Note there.
Verſ. 15. Thou haſt with thine arm redeemed thy people, &c.] To wit, after thou hadſt ſuffered them to be in bondage in Egypt for many years together, as if thou hadſt meant to caſt them off for ever; for this ſeems to be alledged to diſcover his acknowledged weakneſſe in thoſe thoughts of his before mentioned verſ. 7, 8, 9: the ſons of Iacob and Ioſeph; that is, all the tribes of Iſrael. But though ſome conceive that all the tribes are here called the ſons of Ioſeph, becauſe they were all nouriſhed by Ioſeph as a father; yet I rather conceive that by the ſons of Joſeph are only meant the tribes of Ephraim and Manaſſeh: and that they are ſeverally mentioned, either by way of honour to Joſeph, by whoſe means the whole poſterity of Abraham was preſerved; or out of reſpect to the future numerouſneſſe and dignity of the tribe of Ephraim, by whoſe name the whole kingdome of the ten tribes was afterwards called; or rather, becauſe the ſons of Joſeph were born in Egypt, which the other ſons of Jacob were not, and yet their poſterity, and that as two diſtinct tribes, were delivered out of Egypt together with the reſt.
Verſ. 16. The waters ſaw thee, O God, the waters ſaw thee; they were afraid, &c.] That is, At thy preſence they flew back and were divided: the depths alſo were troubled; that is, even the deep ſea was divided to the very bottome.
Verſ. 17. The clouds poured out water, &c.] See the Note Exod. 14.24: thine arrows alſo went abroad; ſee the Note 2 Sam. 22.15.
Verſ. 19. Thy way is in the ſea, &c.] That is, Thou canſt make a way for thy people through the greateſt dangers, as appeared by thy leading the Iſraelites through the red ſea: and thy foot-ſteps are not known; that is, thy wayes in the government of thy Church are not to be diſcovered by humane reaſon, as that way through the red ſea was a way which no man could have thought of or found out: when God had carried his people that way, there was no following by the track that they left behind them, in regard the waters preſently returned, and covered the ground again, ſo that when the Egyptians would have followed them, they could not paſſe through.
Verſ. 20. Thou leddeſt thy people like a flock, &c.] That is, with all poſſible tenderneſſe, love and unwearied providence. And by ſaying that God led them like a flock, he implyes alſo, that it was not by their own arms or ſtrength or wiſdome that they were protected from dangers as they went, but merely by the watchfull care of God over them. By the hand of Moſes and Aaron, mean and obſcure and contemptible men, no way likely by ſo high a hand to have carried the people of God out of the dominions of ſuch a potent prince as Pharaoh was.