Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 1 · Psalm 18
PSAL. XVIII. Is Davids foreign, or Song of Triumph after his Conqueſt of all his enemies, 2 Sam. 22.
IN which, He expreſſeth what God is to him.he firſt expreſſes what God is to his ſervants, to him eſpecially. My Rock, my Fortreſs, my Deliverer, &c.
2. The firſt part.The effect it wrought upon him. 1. Love. I will love the Lord. Vers. 2 The effect it wrought in him.2. Confidence. In him will I truſt. 3. Invocation. I will call on the Lord. The fruit of which was his ſafety. So ſhall I be ſaved from my enemies.
2. Vers. 1 Next he makes a long Narrative. 1. Of the dangers in which he was. Vers. 2 2. Of his Eſcape.
1. Vers. 3 The ſecond part.His danger was great. Sorrows of death, floods of ungodly men, ſorrows of hell, ſnares of death, theſe compaſsed him, made him afraid, prevented him, came upon him at unawares, The danger he was in.verſ. 4, 5.
2. Vers. 4, 5. He ſhews how he behav'd himſelf in theſe dangers, and from whom he ſought for help. Very great. He flies to God.He betook him to God. In my diſtreſs I call'd upon the Lord, and cryed unto my God.
3. He ſhews the goodneſs of God to him, and his readineſs to help him. He heard me out of his Holy Temple, Vers. 6 and my cry came before him, &c.
4. Vers. 6 The cauſe of his eſcape, was the immediate hand of God, who made uſe of his Power to deliver him, Gods goodneſs for his eſcape. From Verſ. 7. The manner, to Verſ. 16. Verſ. 16, 17, 18.and teſtified his preſence in a ſtrong way, by Concuſſion of the earth. Thunders, winds, tempeſts, darkneſs, thick clouds, hail-ſtones, coals of fire, lightnings, ſtrange inundations.
5. He reckons up his deliverance, with the manner, and the cauſes.
1. He took, he drew me; and when the danger was greateſt, for it was out of many waters, from my ſtrong enemy, from them that hated me, were too mighty for me, that ſought at unawares to ſurpriſe me.
2. He did it in a ſtrange way. For he ſent from above. He brought me into a large place.
3. But then he was my ſtay. And the cauſes that moved him to it, were,
1. His own good-will. Becauſe he delighted in me.
2. Vers. 20 My innocence. Which he declares from verſ. 20. to verſ. 25.
6. Which extends to all good men.And then ab hypotheſi, from his own particular caſe, he takes occaſion to diſcourſe in Theſi, that this is not true only in Davids perſon, but ſhall be verified of all, that are Innocent, as he was. Which he proves from the nature and uſual manner of Gods proceeding with good and bad men, from verſ. 27.
With the merciful, thou wilt ſhew thy ſelf merciful, and with an upright man thou wilt ſhew thy ſelf upright: With the pure thou wilt ſhew thy ſelf pure, and with the froward thou wilt ſhew thy ſelf froward. For thou wilt ſave the afflicted people, and bring down the high looks of the proud, &c.
The third part. Davids Victory amplified.Now follows Davids glorious victory. 2. The conſequent upon it, from verſ. 28. to 46.
1. His victory, he expreſſes and amplifies many wayes.
1. From the oppoſition that he conquer'd. Nor troops, Vers. 29 nor walls hinder'd. Vers. 30, 31.
2. From Gods ſingular protection. He was his Buckler. His Rock. Vers. 32, 33.
3. From the Armour, the nimbleneſs, the military diſcipline and ſcience, ſtrength, defence, that he had from god.
4. from the ſafe cuſtody, that in the battle he receiv'd no wound. Vers. 36
5. From the ſucceſs of the battle. He had his enemies in chaſe, Vers. 37 and follow'd them in purſuit.
6. From the greatneſs of his Victory, Vers. 38 it was a compleat and full Conqueſt. For by it his enemies were taken, conſumed, wounded, not able to riſe, they fell under his feet, ſubdues, their necks brought down, &c.
7. From the cauſe, in which he takes nothing …o himſelf, but attributes the whole to God. Thou haſt girded me, &c. Thou haſt ſubdued. Thou haſt given me the necks of my enemies. Which is indeed acknowledged through the whole Pſalm.
2. The Conſequent upon this Victory, The conſequent of the Victory, viz. The enlargement of his Kingdom.was the propagation and enlargement of Davids Kingdom.
1. That before theſe Victories there was murmuring at him by the people, but now being a Conquerour, they were all quiet. Thou haſt deliver'd me from the ſtrivings of the people. His Crown was quiet. Vers. 43
2. He was exalted to be the head of heathen, Moabites, Ammonites, &c. ſerv'd him. Vers. 44
3. Nay, a people whom I have not known, Aliens ſhall ſerve me; nay, aſſoon as they hear of me, they ſhall obey me, &c. Vers. 45
4. 'Tis true indeed, they ſhall diſſemble in it, and do it for fear, more than love, and take every occaſion to fall off, and fade away: But yet however, they ſhall do it, ſubmit, and be content to ſerve me.The fourth part. Davids Doxology for his Victories.
The laſt part contains the main Scope and intent of David in this Pſalm; which is to celebrate and extoll the Name and Mercy of God for his Victories: And it hath two parts. 1. His preſent thankſgiving. 2. And his profeſſion for the future.
1. The Lord liveth, and bleſſed be my Rock, Vers. 46 and let the God of my ſalvation be exalted. And to that end in the two next verſes he maketh mention again of his Victories, and attributes the whole ſucceſs to God.
2. And he profeſſeth that he will never ceaſe to do it, no not among the heathen. Therefore I will give thanks to thee among the heathen, and ſing praiſes, &c.
3. And he profeſſeth that he had great reaſon to do it. Great deliverance giveth he to his King. His, one of his own chaiſe. And ſheweth mercy to his Anointed. Uncto ſuo, to David: And not to David a lone, but to his ſeed for evermore.
An foreign, or Thankſgiving for ſome great Victory, collected out of Pſalm 18.
O Lord, whoſe eyes are brighter ten thouſand times than the Sun, thou, who beholdeſt all the wayes of the children of men, and wilt reward every man according to his doings, Vers. 25 who to the good and innocent, wilt ſhew thy ſelf good and merciful, and to the perverſe and froward, wilt ſhew thy ſelf averſe and ſevere. We thy afflicted people have in the depth of our ſorrows cryed unto thée, and thou haſt out of thy goodneſs ſaved us, and haſt brought down the high looks of the proud.
The ſorrows of imminent death, and the incurſions of furious men, like torrents of water, encompaſſed us, the ſnares they laid for us, made us afraid, the grave was open and ready to ſwallow us. But in theſe our diſtreſſes we call'd upon the Lord, and cryed unto our God, and he heard us out of his holy dwelling in Heaven, and the cry of our ardent and inſtant ſupplication was heard by him, accepted, and granted.
Lord, when thou wenteſt out againſt our enemies, when thou marchedſt out into the field againſt Edom, Vers. 13 the earth trembled, and the heavens dropt, the Lord alſo thunder'd from heaven, and the higheſt gave his thunder, hail-ſtones, and coals of fire. From Verſ. 7. to 15.He fought from Heaven, the Starres in their courſes fought againſt Siſera. O my ſoul, thou haſt troden down ſtrength. For, O Lord, the Earth, the Heavens, the Mountains, the lightning, the thunder, the dark and thick clouds, the wind and rain, the bail-ſtones, and tempeſts, all have obey'd thy voice, and conſpired at thy command to the deſtruction of our enemies, to tear them, to ſcatter them, to diſcomfit them. They were too ſtrong for us, Vers. 16 they took all advantages againſt us in the day of our trouble and weakneſs, but then thou, Lord, wert our Protector and Defender; even then he reached us his hand and help from Heaven, he ſent his Angels from above, he took us, he drew us, he deliver'd, he fréed us from our ſtrongeſt Enemies, from thoſe who hated us, from thoſe bitter calamities, which like many waters, did environ our ſouls. And he brought us out of theſe ſtraits into a large and ſafe place, he deliver'd us, even becauſe he had a favour unto us. Thou, Lord, out of thy frée love and mercy haſt done it. So it was, becauſe ſo, Lord, it pleaſed thée.
What ſhall we give unto the Lord for all the benefits he hath done unto us? Aſſiſt us with thy Grace, and we will from henceforth keep thy wayes, and not depart from our God, as the wicked do. His judgements ſhall alway be before us, and we will not put away his Statutes from us. We will walk more cloſely and uprightly with our God, and keep ourſelves from our own iniquity, even from the temptation of that boſome-ſin with which we have been hitherto defiled. For then we know, that the Lord will reward us after our righteous dealing and integrity, according to the cleanneſs of our hearts and hands in his eye-ſight.
We will therefore love thee, Vers. 1, O Lord our ſtrength, for thou art our Rock, and our Fortreſs, and our Deliverer, thou art our God, our ſtrong hold, in thee will we truſt, our Buckler, and the horn of our Salvation, and our high Tower. For who is God ſave the Lord? Vers. 31 or who is the Rock ſave our God? It is God that hath girded and arm'd us with ſtrength, and bleſſed us to make his work perfect. He hath given us expedition in our actions, and power to poſſeſs the ſtrongeſt Fortreſſes. He hath taught and inſtructed us in the art of Warre, and fitted our arms, making them in ſtrength like a bow of ſteel, nimble to ſhoot, dextrous to hit and kill the enemy. And in the very mouth of danger, thou haſt given us thy ſalvation for a ſhield, and the power of thy right hand hath upholden and ſuſtained us, Vers. 36 that we fell not, and thy favour hath made us great, increaſed us in power and dignity. We ſéemed to be incloſed and ſhut up in inexecrable difficulties, but thou haſt enlarg'd our ſteps, and in theſe ſlippry places not ſuffered our féet to flide. In thy name and power it is, that we have purſued our enemies, Vers. 37 that our féet being not wearied in the purſuit, we have overtaken them, that we have not turn'd again, till we have deſtroy'd them and conſum'd them; that we have wounded them, Vers. 38 till they were not able to riſe, that they are fallen under our feet. And that we ſhould do thus valiantly, it is not our ſtrength and skill in Warre, but thy goodneſs. For it is thou. Lord, only, that hath girded us to battle, thou haſt ſubdued under us thoſe that roſe up againſt us. Thou haſt given us the necks of our enemies, that we might deſtroy them that hate us.
In their trouble and diſtreſs they cryed to the Lord, who is wont to hear thoſe that cry and call to him, but wretches they were, and unworthy, and therefore there was none to hear, to the Lord, whom they before derided and contemn'd did they cry, but he would not hear them. Then being deſtitute of thy help, and forſaken by thée, we beat them as ſmall as the duſt, which the wind whiffles away from the face of the earth, we caſt them out as dirt of the ſtreets, which is troden to nothing by the féet of every paſſenger.
O Lord, deliver our King from the ſtrivings, and tumults, Vers. 43 and contradictions of the people, reſtore Him to His Crown and rights, and make Him the Head to this people, who for their perfidiouſneſs and perjury deſerve it not, bring down this rebellious Nation, this heatheniſh people, and let them fall down and ſubmit to Him, and thoſe, who out of malice and ſelf-ends would not acknowledge Him, ſerve Him. Aſſoon as they hear of His name, let them obey Him, and not, as if they were méer ſtrangers and aliens to Him, reject Him any longer, and, laying aſide all diſſimulation, willingly and readily yield homage to Him.
The Lord who liveth, be His Rock, and bleſſed be His name, and let the God of His Salvation be exalted. Avenge Him, and ſubdue the people under Him, deliver Him from His enemies, kéep Him as the apple of thine eye, lift Him up above thoſe who have riſen up againſt Him, and preſerve Him from the tyranny and treachery of the violent man. So ſhall all honeſt Subjects, and true-hearted Iſraelites, that bear any good-will to Zion, celebrate thée, O Lord, who art foorthy to be praiſed, and give thanks unto thee among the people, and ſing praiſes to thy name.
O Lord, ſend deliverance to the King, ſhew mercy to thy Andinted, to reſtore Him to His Throne and people, bleſs Him in His perſon, and bleſs Him in His poſterity for evermore. Amen.