Annotations Upon the Books of Poetry, Psalms · Psalm 94
PSALM XCIV.
Verſ. 1. O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth, &c.] See Deuter. 32.35: O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thy ſelf; that is, appear in this which belongs to thee, by executing vengeance on thoſe that oppreſſe thy people. It is in the Hebrew, shine forth, for which ſee the Note Pſal. 80.2.
Verſ. 2. Lift up thy ſelf, thou judge of the earth, &c.] See the Note Pſal. 7.7.
Verſ. 4. How long shall they utter and ſpeak hard things? &c.] That is, grievous things, as the word is tranſlated Pſal. 31.18. for which ſee the Note there. He means proud and inſolent ſpeeches, and cruell threatnings againſt men, and blaſphemies againſt God, hard and terrible to be heard, but much more to be endured.
Verſ. 6. They ſlay the widow and the ſtranger, &c.] And ſo likewiſe all other that are deſtitute of humane help. Neither is this only meant of direct murdering them, but likewiſe of ſlaying them by bereaving them of their outward means & livelyhood, through extortion and oppreſſion.
Verſ. 7. Yet they ſay, The Lord shall not ſee, &c.] See the Note Pſal. 14.1.
Verſ. 8. Vnderſtand, ye brutish among the people, &c.] That is, all you that are thus brutiſh; or, you that are the ringleaders amongſt the people in this impiety; or, you that profeſſe your ſelves to be Gods people, & yet are thus brutiſh. Yea, becauſe it is moſt probable, that they are the great oppreſſours of the poor people that he here ſpeaks to, theſe words among the people were haply added, either by way of vilifying them, as being no whit better in Gods eye, then any other of the people; or elſe to imply, that all their eminency above others was, that they were more brutiſh then the reſt of the people.
Verſ. 9. He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? &c.] The force of this argument lyes in this, that in Gods giving to man the ſenſe of hearing, & his planting the ears of man ſo fitly and admirably, as the inſtruments of hearing, (& ſo likewiſe in the framing of mans eye) there is ſuch a clear diſcovery of Gods infinite wiſedome, that it were abſurd to think that he ſhould not both hear and ſee what is done by his creatures: whatever excellency is in his work, muſt needs be far more eminently in him that made it: the fire that gives heat to other things muſt needs have much more heat in it ſelf, &c.
Verſ. 10. He that chaſtiſeth the heathen, shall not he correct? &c.] That is, Seeing we ſee by continuall experience, that he puniſheth the heathens in all nations, for the wickedneſſe which he ſees in them, can you think that he will not much more puniſh you, that profeſſe your ſelves to be his own peculiar people? Yet ſome give the meaning of the words to be this; Seeing God often puniſheth whole nations together, think you that he will let a few ſuch inſolent wretches as you are to eſcape? He that teacheth man knowledge, to wit, by the light of nature, which he hath implanted in mens minds, or by the teaching of his ſpirit; shall not he know? to wit, what is done in the world by the children of men.
Verſ. 11. The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.] As if he had ſaid, Though the Lord may forbear to puniſh wicked men for a time; yet he knows, not their words & deeds only, but their very thoughts alſo, & the vanity of them. Now this may have reſpect to the wickedneſſe and vanity both of thoſe thoughts whereby they plotted miſchief againſt the righteous, which God could eaſily fruſtrate, and alſo of thoſe thoughts whereby they chuckered themſelves, as if God did neither know nor mind what they did. And thus he derides the vanity of thoſe men, that applauded themſelves in the wiſedome of theſe conceits, whereby they ſought as it were to mock God, and to hide themſelves from his all-ſeeing eye: whence it is that the Apoſtle citing this place, expreſſeth it thus, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wiſe, that they are vain, 1. Cor. 3.20.
Verſ. 12. Bleſſed is the man whom thou chaſteneſt, O Lord, and teacheſt him out of thy law.] Here the Pſalmiſt paſſeth from expoſtulating with the wicked oppreſſours of Gods people, to the comforting of the faithfull ſervants of God, that are thus oppreſſed by them, pronouncing them bleſſed, when God doth withall teach them by his Word and ſpirit: becauſe then they ſhall know that which by their own reaſon they would never apprehend, to wit, that the wicked are but the rods whereby God doth chaſtiſe them, and that in love, and for their eternall good. And thus the wiſedome which the righteous attain by the law of God, is oppoſed to the vanity of the carnall mans thoughts & reaſon, mentioned in the foregoing verſe.
Verſ. 13. That thou mayest give him reſt from the daies of adverſity, untill the pit be digged for the wicked.] This is the benefit which redounds to the man that is chaſtiſed by the Lord, & withall taught out of the law; & it may be underſtood two ſeverall waies: to wit, either 1. that hereby he is ſo far purged & every way bettered in his ſpirituall eſtate, that he ſhall not only eſcape the condemnation of the wicked, when they ſhall be thrown into the pit of hell, which is already beforehand preparing for them, but ſhall alſo be delivered from his preſent diſtreſſes, and ſhall at laſt be received into Gods eternall reſt; or 2. that hereby he is enabled quietly and patiently to bear what he ſuffers, in that he is encouraged to wait upon God, as being aſſured that there is a pit digged for the wicked, whereinto they ſhall fall, and ſo he ſhall be delivered.
Verſ. 15. But judgement shall return unto righteouſneſſe, &c.] That is, ſay ſome Expoſitours, The times ſhall change, & judges ſhall execute righteous judgement again, which now they do not: and the upright in heart shall follow it; that is, all good men ſhall promote & practiſe it; or, whereas now judgement is uſually perverted, at the laſt day all unjuſt ſentences ſhall be repealed & made void, and righteous judgement ſhall be pronounced by him in every cauſe, and the upright in heart shall follow it, that is, all the Saints ſhall approve of it. But I rather, with the moſt and beſt Expoſitours, underſtand it thus; But judgement shall return unto righteouſneſſe, that is, whereas in the outward adminiſtration of things, there may ſeem to be for a time neither judgement nor juſtice obſerved, but both may ſeem to be baniſhed from the earth, in that neither the wicked are judged & puniſhed as they ought to be, nor yet are the righteous rewarded & proſpered, as juſtice required, theſe ſhould be reſtored again according to the exact rule of juſtice, and ſo ſhould meet together; judgement being executed upon the wicked, and the righteous exalted. Or rather thus, whereas Gods judgements may not ſeem to be juſt, juſtice may ſeem to be ſeparated from his judgements, in that wicked men proſper, trample upon and afflict the righteous, God will at length reduce things into a right order again, pouring forth his wrath upon the wicked, and abundantly bleſſing his righteous ſervants: which may be meant either of this life, or of that which is to come. And then for the next clauſe, and all the upright in heart shall follow it; if we refer the former clauſe to the judgement of the laſt day, then the meaning of it muſt be, that all the upright ſhall earneſtly long for this, and follow after it in their deſires, or ſhall cleave to it, and approve of it; or if we referre it to that which God will doe here in this world, then the meaning muſt be, that when the righteous ſhall ſee judgement thus executed upon wicked men, they ſhall the more chearfully follow after Gods favour in a way of righteouſneſſe, though for a time they ſuffer therein, as ſeeing that in the concluſion God will not fail both to reward the righteous, and puniſh the wicked.
Verſ. 16. Who will riſe up for me againſt the evil doers? &c.] To wit, to help me? It is as if he had ſaid, No man will, none but God, as it follows in the next verſe, Vnleſſe the Lord had been my help, my ſoul had almoſt dwelt in ſilence. And thus the Pſalmiſt proves here by his own example what he had ſaid before verſ. 13. that God would not utterly forſake his people.
Verſ. 18. When I ſaid, My foot ſlippeth, thy mercy, O Lord, held me up.] That is, When I apprehended my ſelf in ſome danger; or, when I gave my ſelf for loſt, at leaſt my carnall heart began to conclude within me, Well, I am now gone, there is no hope of eſcape. He compares himſelf to a man ſtanding on the very brink of ſome deep precipice, or to a man flying before his enemies, where the very ſlipping of the foot is enough to cauſe his utter ruine. See alſo the Notes Pſal. 38.17. and 56.13.
Verſ. 19. In the multitudes of my thoughts within me, &c.] That is, In the midſt of thoſe many and manifold griefs and cares and fears that perplex my ſpirit, whilſt I ſilently within my ſelf think of many things, concerning mine own innocency and miſeries and dangers, the proſperity and wickedneſſe of mine enemies, and thy diſpleaſure againſt me; thy comforts delight my ſoul, that is, the comforts which I take in thee, or which thou haſt given me in thy Word, and doſt work in me by thy ſpirit, do chear me up even in the midſt of theſe perplexities. And one of theſe comforts may be that which follows in the next verſe.
Verſ. 20. Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth miſchief by a law?] That is, ſay ſome Expoſitours, Doſt thou judge as wicked tyrants do? are thy proceedings in judgement any way like to theirs, that oppreſſe men under a pretence of law and juſtice? Doubtleſſe that cannot be: and therefore it cannot be that thou ſhouldeſt forſake or oppreſſe thy people. But I rather take it thus, Though oppreſſours in the throne ſit in thy ſeat & repreſent thy perſon, yet when they abuſe the law to injure men, canſt thou favour ſuch men, or approve ſuch waies? Doubtleſſe thou doſt abhorre them the more becauſe they ſit in the throne, ſee Pſal. 5.5.
Verſ. 23. And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, &c.] That is, the evil which they have unjuſtly ſought to bring upon others; which is farther expreſſed in the next clauſe, and shall cut them off in their own wickedneſſe: ſee alſo the Note Pſal. 7.16.