Annotations Upon the Books of Poetry, Psalms · Psalm 95 – Psalm 96
PSALM XCV.
Verſ. 1. O Come let us ſing unto the Lord, &c.] That this Pſalm was penned by David, though it be not here expreſſed, is evident by that of the Apoſtle, Heb. 4.7.
Verſ. 2. Let us come before his preſence with thanksgiving.] To wit, in the Tabernacle, the place of Gods ſpirituall preſence. It is in the Original, let us prevent his face; which may alſo imply, a making haſt to get thither, every one ſtriving who ſhould be there firſt; or a going thither to praiſe God freely and of their own accord, before God did any way exact it of them, or force them to it.
Verſ. 3. For the Lord is a great God, and a great king above all Gods.] See the Note Deut. 10.17.
Verſ. 4. In his hand are the deep places of the earth, the ſtrength of the hills is his alſo.] Or, the heights of the hills are his alſo. The meaning is, that the whole earth, even from the centre and the loweſt foundation thereof to the tops of the higheſt mountains, is born up, ordered and governed, by his power and providence, and conſequently all things high and low, hidden and apparent, as being all the work of his own hands.
Verſ. 6. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker.] To wit, not only in reſpect of our naturall being, as we are his creatures; but alſo in reſpect of our ſpirituall being, as he hath made us his adopted children, and regenerated us by his ſpirit, and made us new creatures, as we are his workmanship created in Chriſt Ieſus to good works Eph. 2.10. For that this laſt is included, the following verſe may probably induce us to think. See alſo the Note Deut. 32.6.
Verſ. 7. For he is our God, and we are the people of his paſture and the sheep of his hand, &c.] That is, his peculiar people, whom he hath engaged himſelf in a ſpeciall manner to feed, guide, govern and protect, as a ſhepheard doth his flock; yea and that not merely by the hand of a ſervant, but by his own immediate power and providence: whence is that of our Saviour Joh. 10.27, 28. my sheep hear my voice, &c. neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand: ſee alſo the Notes Pſal. 77.20, and 23.1, 2, 3, 4. And indeed it is probable that the Pſalmiſt did purpoſely thus expreſſe himſelf; not we are the sheep of his paſture, and the people of his hand, which might ſeem moſt proper, but we are the people of his paſture, and the sheep of his hand; to imply 1. that Gods people were indeed as unable to help and provide for themſelves, as ſheep were without a ſhepheard: and 2. that though they were Gods flock, yet they were a rationall flock, and ought therefore to take notice of the care of their ſhepheard, and to praiſe him for it. As for the laſt clauſe, To day if ye will hear his voice, that muſt be joyned to that which follows in the next verſe, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, &c. yet withall it ſeems to be added with reference to that which went before, to wit, to imply 1. that the ſpeciall intereſt they had in God, and the ſpeciall care he took of them, was evident, in that the voice of his Word and law, inſtructing them in the way of life, was daily heard amongſt them; and 2. that therefore by hearing this his voice, they were to approve themſelves to be truly his ſheep. Yea and ſome learned Expoſitours do, becauſe of theſe words, To day if ye will hear his voice, hold it the more probable, that this Pſalm was compoſed for the ſabbath day, when the Jews uſed to meet together to hear Gods word; and that the Apoſtle doth the rather from theſe words of the Pſalmiſt draw that inference Heb. 4.9. There remaineth therefore a reſt, (or, a keeping of a ſabbath) to the people of God.
Verſ. 8. Harden not your heart, as in the provocation (or in the contention) and as in the day of temptation in the wilderneſſe.] This may be meant of the whole time of their provoking and tempting God whilſt they were in the wilderneſſe, ſee Pſal. 78.17, 18. Yet doubtleſſe in the expreſſions here uſed, the Pſalmiſt hath ſpeciall relation to thoſe particular murmurings of the Iſraelites, by occaſion whereof the places where they ſo murmured were called Maſſah, that is, tentation, and Meribah, that is, chiding or contention; ſee Exod. 17.7. and Numb. 20.13. and Deuter. 16.16.
Verſ. 9. When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and ſaw my work.] That is, When they would needs try and prove whether I could doe what they deſired ſhould be done, notwithſtanding they had ſeen ſo many wonderfull works that I had wrought amongſt them, that were clear evidences of mine almighty power. Yet others, I know, do otherwiſe underſtand thoſe laſt words, proved me, and ſaw my work; to wit, that when they ſo tempted him, they found by proof in the works that he wrought how infinite his power was, yea and that they found it to their coſt in the puniſhments he brought upon them. What is meant by tempting God, ſee in the Notes Exod. 17.2. and Deut. 6.16.
Verſ. 10. It is a people that do erre in their heart, &c.] That is, a ſottiſh and brutiſh people, void of all reaſon, and that have not the underſtanding of men in them, ſee the Note Deut. 32.28; or, a perverſe, ſtubborn people, whoſe heart is not upright towards me their God, ſee the Note Pſal. 78.8: and they have not known my waies; that is, they have not learnt and loved and obſerved my laws and inſtructions, and they have not ſeriouſly obſerved and underſtood the wonderfull works I have wrought amongſt them, they have not obſerved the juſtice, mercy and faithfulneſſe that hath been in all my waies towards them, that ſo they might truſt in me; they have not underſtood the way of my government, and ſo they have diſliked and deſpiſed it, becauſe it was not agreeable to their deſires.
Verſ. 11. VntoUnto whom I ſware in my wrath, that they should not enter into my reſt.] So was the land of Canaan called Deut. 12.9. ye are not yet come to the rest, and to the inheritance which the Lord your God giveth you, and 1 Chron. 23.25. David ſaid, The Lord God of Iſrael hath given reſt unto his people, that they may dwell in Ieruſalem for ever; and that becauſe after the uncertain peregrination of the Patriarchs there, the exile and bondage of the Iſraelites in Egypt, and their many years weariſome travels through the wilderneſſe, God did at laſt by Joſhua give them a ſettled reſting place in this land, as in their inheritance; yea and himſelf in the Ark did there take up his own ſettled habitation amongſt them: ſee the Note 2 Chron. 6.41. And of this doubtleſſe David ſpeaks here. But now the Apoſtle, in the epiſtle to the Hebrews chap. 3, and 4. taking it for granted 1. that David ſpeaks thoſe words, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart, &c. not only to the people then living, but alſo to the people of God in all ſucceeding generations, eſpecially in the daies of the Goſpel, when God by his ſon doth more fully & clearly reveal his will to us; & 2. that Davids urging this oath, which God ſware concerning the Iſraelites in the wilderneſſe, that they ſhould not enter into his reſt, upon the people of God, both in his own daies, & in all ſucceeding times, doth clearly imply a threatning of the like puniſhment upon them, and conſequently alſo a promiſe that they ſhould enter into Gods reſt, if they did hearken to his voice: hence he concludes, that there is a reſt ſtill remaining to the people of God, which he makes to be their ſpirituall reſting from ſin, which is begun here, but eſpecially that eternall ſabbath of reſt, whereinto they ſhall be received in the kingdome of heaven.
PSALM XCVI.
Verſ. 1. O Sing unto the Lord a new ſong, &c.] See the Note Pſal. 33.3. This Pſalm is a part of that Pſalm which was ſung by David and the people, when they carried the Ark from the houſe of Obed-Edom to the houſe which David had prepared for it in Jeruſalem: for which therefore ſee the Notes 1 Chron. 16.23, &c.
Verſ. 7. Give unto the Lord, (O ye kindreds of the people) give unto the Lord glory and ſtrength, &c.] For this and the three following verſes, ſee the Notes alſo Pſal. 29.1, 2.
Verſ. 10. Say among the heathen, that the Lord reigneth, &c.] This is a propheſy of the ſetting up of Chriſts kingdome amongſt the Gentiles by the preaching of the Goſpel: the world alſo shall be established that it shall not be moved; to wit, ſay ſome Expoſitours, by bringing men to be of one mind and of one will; but ſee alſo the Note Pſal. 93.1: he shall judge the people righteouſly; ſee the Note Pſal. 45.6, 7.
Verſ. 11. Let the heavens reioyce, and let the earth be glad, &c.] Some underſtand this of the joy of the creatures for their being delivered from the bondage of corruption, Rom. 8.21. But ſee the Notes 1 Chron. 16.