Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 1 · Psalm 27
PSAL. XXVII. To comfort one in Danger and Adverſity againſt Deſpair.
THERE be four general parts of it. David ſhews,
1. How free he is in danger from fear, and the cauſes ver. 1, 2, 3.
2. He expreſſes his love to Gods Houſe and Religion, ver. 4, 5, 6.
3. He prayes, ver. 7, &c.
4. He exhorts to depend on God, ver. 14.
Poſſible it is, that ſome Man, Friend or Foe, might ask David, The firſt part. David fears not, becauſe God is with him.what heart he had in his miſeries and perſecutions all the time of Saul? To whom David might return this Anſwer, That he was never diſheartned, he never did deſpair; and the Reaſon was, becauſe God was his Light to guide him, his Rock to ſave him, his Strength to ſuſtain and uphold him.
The Lord is my Light, and my Salvation, of whom then ſhould I fear? Ver. 1
The Lord is the Strength of my life, of whom then ſhould I be afraid?Of which he had experience.
And this he amplifies in the next two verſes; firſt by experience, he had already found this true: When the wicked, Ver. 2 even mine enemies came upon me to eat up my fleſh, they ſtumbled, and fell: ſecondly, he puts a caſe, Say that an Hoſt of men ſhould encamp against me, my heart ſhall not fear; Ver. 3 though War ſhould riſe against me, in this will I be confident.
The Arguments of his confidence, were Gods goodneſs, ver. 1. And was therefore confident.and his own experience, ver. 2. to which he adds three more, in the 5, 10, 13, verſes.
1. That God would hide him in his Tabernacle, ver. 5. Ver. 5
2. That when his father and mother forſook him, God took him up, ver. 10.
3. That he ſhould ſee the goodneſs of the Lord in the land of the living, ver. 13.
He expreſſeth his great love and deſire to the Tabernacle and Houſe of God: The ſecond part. His love to Gods houſe.One thing I have deſired, this one before all other things; and he was conſtant in it, That, emphatically, I will ſeek after, that I may dwell in the Houſe of the Lord all the dayes of my life; and that for three ends. Ver. 4
1. To behold the beauty of the Lord; to taſte how good and gracious the Lord is.
2. To enquire in his Temple; there to ſearch the mind of God.
3. To offer in his Tabernacle ſacrifices of joy, Ver. 6 and to ſing praiſes to the Lord.
And this was another Argument of his ſecurity: For in the time of trouble he ſhall hide me in his pavilion, in the ſecret of his Tabernacle ſhall he hide me, he ſhall ſet me upon a Rock; and now ſhall mine head be lifted up above all my enemies round about me.
In the laſt part he falls to prayer.The third part.
1. He prayes.For Audience, and an Anſwer: Hear O Lord when I cry with my voyee; have mercy upon me, Ver. 7 and anſwer me.
2. 1The ground of his prayer, obedience.The ground of his prayer, his obedience to Gods Command: Thou haſt ſaid, ſeek ye my face; Thy face Lord will I ſeek.
3. Ver. 8 The matter of his prayer in general: Hide not thy face from me, put not thy ſervant away in anger; Ver. 9 in which he hath good hope to ſpeed, even upon former experience: 2The matter of his prayer in general, that God deſert him not.Thou haſt been my help, be not now worſe to me than thou haſt been; therefore leave me not now; nor forſake me, O God of my ſalvation; when father and mother forſake me, then the Lord will take me up.
4. Ver. 10 The matter of his prayer in particular: Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path: In particular, to he taught a way to eſcape his enemies;i. e. Teach me what to do, that I may pleaſe thee; and lead me in a plain path, that I may eſcape the ambuſhes and ſnares of my enemies; deliver me not over to their will; for they ſeek my ruine. Ver. 11
1. Who are,They are perjured men; falſe witneſſes are riſe up againſt me.
2. Ver. 12 They are miſchievouſly bent; They breath out cruelty.
5. 1Perjured men.And their cruelty and falſhood is ſo great, that I had fainted, were it not for my hope in thee: 2Cruel men.I had fainted, unleſs I had believed to ſee the goodneſs of the Lord in the land of the living. Ver. 13
At laſt he concludes with an Exhortation, The fourth part He takes heart, and perſwades others to it.that all others would take out his example, and in their greateſt extremities be couragious, and put truſt in God as he did: Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and he ſhall ſtrengthen thine heart: Wait I ſay, on the Lord: Be an expectant; for he that ſhall come, will come in his good time.
The Prayer collected out of the twenty ſeventh Pſalm.
O Heavenly Father, whatſoever the World plots, the Devil endeavours, and wicked men conſpire againſt us, that we are fully perſwaded ſhall come to nought, Ver. 1 and be utterly fruſtrate: For thou, O Lord, art our delight, to direct and comfort us; our ſalvation to deliver us; the ſtrength of our life to ſupport us; whom then ſhould we fear? of whom then ſhould we be afraid, when we have ſo powerful a Saviour to defend us? Though an Hoſt of armed men ſhould encamp againſt us, our heart ſhould not fear, though War ſhould riſe againſt us, Ver. 5 in this we would be confident, that in the time of trouble he will hide us in the ſecret of his Tabernacle, he ſhall ſet us upon a Rock, to which the malicious hand of our enemies ſhall never be able to reach.
How often have our enemies, Ver. 3 no otherwiſe than ravening Dogs, ſet upon us to fear and eat up our fleſh? and how often have they béen defeated, and fruſtrated of their purpoſes, and fallen before us? This, O Lord, is thy doing, this the work of thy hand; Ver. 6 Thou only haſt lift up our heads above our enemies round about us.
For which great mercy, One thing I have deſired of thee, this One before all other things, Ver. 4 and this I will ever ſeek; deny me not, that in peace and quietneſs, I may dwell all the reſt of my life, in that place, where the Houſe of my God is; that I may have experience of the beauty of holineſs, and taſte of that delight with which thou doſt affect thy ſervants by the manifeſtation of thy preſence; that I may there inquire and learn my Duty, and make a progreſs in the knowledge of ſpiritual things; Ver. 6 that I may there compaſs thy Altar, and offer the Sacrifices of Joy, and ſing Pſalms of Praiſe, and Hymns of Thanks to thee my God.
O my God hear my voyce, for I have long cried and called unto thee; deliver me from mine enemies that purſue me, Ver. 7 and bring me back, and give me a quiet Manſion in the place thine Honour dwelleth; being moved by my unjuſt perſecution, have mercy upon me, and return me a favourable anſwer: My careful heart hath alwayes thought upon thée, and béen revived with thy command, Seek ye my face, call upon me in the day of trouble; and therefore with elevated eyes and hands, and with an intent heart, I have ſought thy face, thy preſence, thy favour, thy protection, and I will never ceaſe to ſéek it, till I ſhall ſée thée face to face: And ſince from my heart I ſéek it, O do not turn, and hide thy face from me, and deny me not thy favour: Conceive not ſo great anger and diſpleaſure againſt thy ſervant (who yet have deſerved it for his ſins) as to caſt me away, and deny me that help which thou haſt hitherto graciouſly afforded me: My father, my mother, my friends, my acquaintance, my neighbours have all ſtood afar, and forſaken me in my trouble; and wilt thou alſo leave me at this time? This hath not béen thy cuſtom; for when I have béen deſtitu…e, Thou haſt been my help; when I have béen expoſed, Thou haſt taken me up: Forſake me not then now, O God of my ſalvation; be my Helper, who without thée am nothing; be my Saviour, who except thou ſave, am like to periſh.
Teach me thy Law, and ſet me in the way in which I am to walk, make it plain to me, that I miſtake it not; leſt by the errour in thy way, and tranſgreſſion of thy Law, being forſaken of thée, I fall into thoſe ſnares and ambuſhes, which my enemies have ſet for me: O, never deliver me over to their will: Conſider, O Lord, their injuſtice, who have ſuborned falſe witneſs againſt me, and ſuch as breath out cruel words to take away my life: So great is their malice, That I had utterly fainted, but that I believe verily to receive that happineſs which thou haſt promiſed in this life, and after to enjoy thoſe good things which thou haſt engaged to give in Heaven, which is truly, the Land of the living: For theſe thy word is paſt, and therefore I will wait on thee, this ſhall make me of good courage, and ſtrengthen my heart; I will wait, I ſay, on the Lord, with patience; and though he defer me, I will not faint; but I will be inſtant with him in prayer, and beg his aid, being aſſured, that at the laſt he will hear me, for the merits of Ieſus Chriſt my Saviour. Amen.