Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 1 · Psalm 21
PSAL. XXI. The Peoples foreign, or Carmen Triumphale.
THIS Pſalm is the Peoples Thankſgiving after the Victory: In the former Pſalm they pray'd for David when he went out to War; in this they praiſe God for the Conqueſt God gave him over his enemies, and the ſingular mercies God beſtowed on him.
Three parts there are of it.
1. A general Propoſition in ver. 1.
2. A Narration, which is twofold, from ver. 1. to 4.
1. An enumeration of the particular bleſſings beſtowed on David, from ver. 1. to 6.
2. An account how God would deal with his enemies, from ver. 6. to 13.
3. A Vow or Acclamation, ver. 14.
The Sum of the Pſalm is contained in the firſt verſe: The King ſhall joy, The firſt part.the King ſhall be exceeding glad: Ver. 1 Joy then is the affection that King and People were tranſported with; for all that follows, ſhew but the riſe and cauſes of it.The joy of the King in Gods ſalvation.
1. The riſe or object of it: The ſtrength of God, the ſalvation of God.
1. His ſtrength, by which he did ſubdue his enemies, contemn dangers.
2. His ſalvation, by which he eſcaped dangers, fell not in battle.
2. The ſecond part.Then they make a large Narration of the goodneſs of God to Davids perſon in particular, of which the ſeverals are theſe following.
1. God granted to the King what he ask'd with his heart and mouth: Gods goodneſs to David.Thou haſt given his hearts deſire, and hast not witholden the requeſts of his lips.
2. He granted unto him more than he asked, was more ready to give, Ver. 2 than David to pray: Thou preventedſt him with the bleſſings of goodneſs. Ver. 3
3. He choſe him to be King: Thou haſt ſet a Crown of pure gold upon his head; in which God prevented him, choſen him, when he thought not of it.
4. When he went to War, He asked his life, Ver. 4 and thou gavest him even length of dayes for ever and ever; which is moſt true in Chriſt, who was the Son of David, in him his life and Kingdom is immortal.
5. A great acceſſion of Glory, Honour, Majeſty; he was no poor, obſcure King, now as at firſt; nor contemptible in the eyes of the people, Ver. 5 but greater than Saul or any King of Iſrael that followed; of which yet he was not to boaſt, not in his power, not in his riches, wiſdom, but in Gods goodneſs: His glory is great, but in thy ſalvation, Honour and Majeſty haſt thou laid upon him.
All which are ſum'd up under the word Bleſſing, in the next verſe: Ver. 6 For thou haſt made him moſt bleſſed for ever: And added this to the bleſſing, that thou haſt given him a heart to rejoyce in it: Thou haſt made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.
6. The continuance of theſe bleſſings, which is another favour, Ver. 7 with the cauſe of it, Davids confidence in God: The cauſe, his truſt in God.For the King truſteth in the Lord, and through the mercy of the moſt High he ſhall not be moved.
2. Hitherto is the firſt part of the Narrative that concerned Davids perſon in particular; now follows the effects of Gods goodneſs to him, ab extra, and the whole Kingdom in the overthrow of his enemies; The overthrow of his enemies by God.and neceſſary it was to add this, ſince no Kingdom, though abounding with good Laws, Wealth, Subjects, prudently governed, can be happy, except it be defended, and ſafe from enemies abroad. Now here their ruine and deſtruction is deſcribed, and the cauſe.
1. God by Davids hand would do it: Thine hand, the Sword of God and Gideon.
2. He would certainly do it; Ver. 8 for he ſhould find them out wherever they were: Thy hand ſhall find out all thy enemies, and thy right hand ſhall find out all that hate thee.
3. Ver. 9 This was eaſie to do; as eaſie as for fire to conſume the ſtubble: Thou ſhalt make them as a fiery Oven in the time of thy wrath, the Lord ſhall ſwallow them, &c.
4. Ver. 10 This deſtruction ſhould be univerſal, it ſhould reach to them and their poſterity: Their fruit ſhalt thou deſtroy from the Earth, and their ſeed from among the children of men.
5. Ver. 12 Their judgment fearful and unavoidable; God would ſet them up as a Mark to ſhoot at, that ſhould turn their back, and yet they ſhould not ſo eſcape, becauſe when they fled, God would overtake them with a bended Bow, and ſhoot his Arrows upon them: Thou ſhalt make them turn their back, when thou ſhalt make ready thine Arrows upon the ſiring againſt the face of them.
And at laſt the cauſe is added of this ſeverity againſt them; Ver. 11 of that ſuccour he will afford his afflicted, The cauſe.oppreſſed people, and the ſharp revenge he will take upon their enemies: For they intended evil againſt, and imagin'd a miſchievous device, which they were not able to perform: A great comfort this.
The Epilogue is an Acclamation, The third part. A Vote to Gods glory.and it hath two parts. 1. A Petition. 2. A Profeſſion.
1. Be thou exalted, Lord, in thy own ſtrength: Shew thy ſelf more powerful than all Men or Devils in deſtroying the enemies of thy Church. Ver. 13
2. Their thankfulneſs.And we will be a thankful people; So will we ſing, and praiſe thy power: 1. Serva Regem & Populum. 2. Nos agemus gratias.
A Prayer for Kings, and all in Authority, collected out of the twenty firſt Pſalm.
O Lord, ſhew thy mercy to the King that is now in great diſtreſs, and caſt aſide by a ſtubborn, rebellious, and ſelf-ended people: Call for him again, Ver. 1 and make him the Head-ſtone of the Corner, that he may unite theſe diſtracted and divided Kingdoms, give him occaſion to rejoyce in thy ſtrength, and to be excéeding glad of that ſalvation, which thou alone, now he is deſerted of all men, art able to ſend him againſt his malicious enemies. Thou art the Lord of Hoſts, and victory and ſucceſs procéed from thée; fight for him, O Lord, and fight with him, that he may be ſafe; and being ſaved, rejoyce; and rejoycing, …ng of thy Name all the day long.
With inſtant and fervent prayers he, Ver. 2 and with him his true-hearted people ſollicite thée to avert thy wrath, and ſhew tender compaſſion; grant him then, what he ſhall deſire with his heart, and deny him not the requeſt of his lips: With heart and tongue Petitions are preſented to thy Throne for him; hear, O Lord, Ver. 3 and grant, and grant and do what is deſired: Nay, prevent his Petitions, give him more than he hath asked, or we can expect; let the bleſſings of thy goodneſs flow upon him unexpected, and ſet upon his head a Crown of the pureſt gold, which of right belongs to him, and which his ambitious and bloody enemy moſt injuriouſly hath raviſh'd and detains from him: Ver. 4 His enemies purſhe him to take away his life, but do thou beſtow upon him length of dayes; let him live to a good old Age, ſafe, and obeyed in his Kingdom: He is now deſpiſed, but let his glory be again great and illuſtrious; he is now diſhonour'd, but do thou load him with honour; his Majeſty is laid low in the duſt, but do thou raiſe it; ſo he ſhall have juſt cauſe to make his boaſt, not of his wealth, not of his power, not of his wiſdom, but of thy ſalvation, goodneſs and deliverance only: Set him a bleſſing for ever to his people, and make him exceeding glad with thy favour and countenance.
He hath had often experience, that the help of man is but vain, that they are all but weak and broken réeds, which run into the hand, wound and grieve thoſe that lean upon them, therefore ſetting aſide all humane confidences, he repoſeth his truſt only in thée; Thou art his God, and the God of his Father, whoſe blood was ſhed to maintain thy Truth, through the mercy then of thée the moſt High God; let him not be moved, much leſs removed, as he places his truſt in thée, ſo place him again in his Fathers Seat.
As thou haſt heretofore ſhewed thy Power againſt thy enemies, Ver. 8 ſo declare thy Might now; let no lurking places hide them, no Fortreſſes ſecure them, find them out with thy hand, and make them féel thy juſt and ſevere revenge; Ver. 9 purſue thoſe that hate thée and thy Truth, let thy right hand lay hold of them, and execute thy wrath upon them; never ſuffer them to eſcape, Ver. 10 but make them as a fiery Oven in the day of thy anger, that preſently devoures thoſe that are caſt into it; ſwallow them up in thy hot indignation, Ver. 12 and let the fire of thy juſt vengeance conſume them: Deſtroy the fruit of their loyns from the Earth, and root out their ſeed from among the children of men, make them to turn their backs, and ſlie in the day of Battle, and yet ſo let them not eſcape; for even then make thou ready the arrow upon the ſtring, and ſet them as a Butt to ſhoot at; prepare thy Bow againſt the face of them, let them ſée with great grief the faces of thoſe thou haſt ſaved, and féel their arm.
For by their Treaſon and Rebellion againſt thy King, Ver. 11 they have intended evil againſt thée, they have imagined to deſtroy thy Truth, to aboliſh thy Goſpel and Ordinances, which yet, as appears by their own factions and diviſions, they are not able to perform: Fruſtrate, O Lord, their counſels, and never let them be able to perform them.
Raiſe up thy power, O Lord, and come amongſt us; Ver. 13 Be thou exalted in thy own ſtrength, ſhew thy ſelf more potent than all Divels and Men, who rejected our Kings, and do eat up, and oppreſs thy people; ſo ſhall we ſing and praiſe thy power.