Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 2 · Psalm 56
PSAL. LVI. foreign.
DAƲID in baniſhment among the Philistines, and being there in great danger of his life, prayes, complains of his, profeſſeth his confidence in God.
The Contents of it are,
1. Davids Prayer, verſ. 1, 7, 8.
2. The cauſe, the fear of his enemies, whom he deſcribes, verſ. 1, 2, 5, 6.
3. His Confidence in Gods Word, verſ. 3, 4, 9, 10, 11.
4. His Thankfulneſs, verſ. 4, 10, 12, 13.
1. He begins with a prayer for mercy, little he was like to find from man, The firſt part. His prayer. The ſecond part.from his God he expected it, and therefore he prayes, Be merciful to me, O God.
2. And then preſently be ſubjoins the cauſe, The cauſe, his danger from his enemies.the danger he was in by his bloody and cruel enemies, whom he begins to deſcribe,
1. From their unſatiable raven, like a gulf, they would ſwallow me up, Vers. 1 which he repeats in the next verſe, Man would ſwallow me, my enemies at home and abroad would ſwallow me up.Whom he deſcribes.
2. From the time, Dayly they would do it without intermiſſion.
3. From their number, Many there be that fight againſt me.
Of theſe he gives us a farther Deſcription at the fifth and ſixth verſes.
1. From their unceſſantmalice. Every day they wreſt my words. Vers. 5 All their thoughts are against me for evil.
2. From their ſecret treachery, craft, vigilance. Vers. 6 They gather themſelves together, they hide themſelves, their counſels, lying, as it were, in ambuſh for me. They mark my ſteps. Go whither I will, they are at my heels.
3. From their implacable hatred, nothing could ſatisfie them, but his blood. They lay wait for my ſoul.
In the very midſt of this Complaint he inſerts his courage and confidence.The third part. His courage 1. In Gods promiſe.
1. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
2. I will not fear. He ariſeth higher. Even when he fears, he will not fear. His word, his promiſe is paſs'd to me for protection, and I will truſt to it. In God I will praiſe his Word: In God have I put my truſt, I will not fear, what fleſh, for the proudeſt, the mightieſt enemy I have, is but fleſh, and all fleſh is graſs: I will not then fear, what fleſh can do unto me.
3. Vers. 10 This reaſon he repeats again, verſ. 10, 11.
1. In God I will praiſe his Word: In the Lord I will praiſe his Word.
2. In God have I put my truſt, I will not fear what man can do to me.
And this his Confidence he quickens and animates.2In Gods juſtice.
1. Firſt from his aſſurance, that God would puniſh and bring down his enemies. Vers. 7 Shall they eſcape for their iniquity? No, no. In thine anger thou wilt caſt them down.
2. 2In Gods mercy in protecting him.From his aſſurance of Gods Tutelage, and paternal eye over him in all his dangers, griefs, complaints, petitions, baniſhment. Men think, Vers. 8 Non vacat exiguis rebus adeſſe Jovi, he knew otherwiſe.
1. Thou telleſt, and haſt upon accompt my wanderings. My flights, Vers. 9 exile.
2. Thou putt'ſt my tears into thy bottle. Preſerv'ſt them as rich Wine.
3. Thou keep'ſt a Record of them. Are they not in thy book?
4. Thou putt'ſt my enemies to flight. When I cry unto thee, then I know my enemies ſhall be turned back, for God is with me.
4. The fourth part.And therefore at laſt he concludes with thanks, to which he holds himſelf bound by Vow.
1. His thankfulneſs for his deliverance.Thy vows are upon me. Damnatus ſum voti. I owe thee thanks by vow, and I will pay it. I will render praiſes unto thee.
2. Vers. 12 The reaſon is, For thou haſt delivered my ſoul from death.
2. Vers. 13 Thou wilt deliver me. Wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling?
3. And the end is, That I may walk before God in the light of the living. That I may live awhile, and walk as before thy eye, as in thy ſight, uprightly, ſincerely.
The Prayer collected out of the fifty ſixth Pſalm.
O Lord, Vers. 1 to whom all hearts are open, no ſecrets are hid, thou knoweſt and ſeeſt the ſecret counſels, and open attempts of wicked men againſt thy people. Their endeavours are to ſwallow us up, day by day they fight to oppreſs us. Many they are for number, and mighty they are for power, that fight againſt us, O thou moſt High. And their malice is no leſs than their might, nor their watchfulneſs inferiour to their malice. For every day they wreſt, and put what ſenſe they pleaſe upon our words, all their thoughts are againſt us for evil. They conſpire, aſſemble, lie in wait for us. Every word we ſpeak, every action we do, they obſerve, and mark, that they may take away our lives.
In theſe extremities we have no ſecurity, Vers. 1 but in thy mercy, ariſe, O Lord, and maintain thine own cauſe, be merciful unto us, defend thy Truth, and thy people that ſuffer for thy Truth: Thou haſt made to us many precious promiſes, upon which give us grace ſo to rely, that whatſoever ſadneſs, hardſhip, calamity fall upon us, that we may truſt in thy Word, and praiſe our God for that gracious Word of protection, that hath procéeded out of thy mouth: Why ſhould we be afraid what man can do unto us, when thou haſt paſt thy word to be our Guardian.
It is not as the profane of the World imagine, That thou hideſt away thy face, and wilt not ſee: For if we are in baniſhment and purſued, Thou telleſt every ſtep we take; if our eyes drop down tears, they are not loſt, for thou putteſt them into thy bottle; our ſighs and groans are noted in thy Book.
When therefore now we are Exiles for thy ſake, and wander among a ſtrange people, Bottle up our tears, hear our groans, regiſter our ſighs before us, and turn back our enemies: Shall they eſcape by their iniquity? in thine anger caſt down the people, O Lord.
So ſhall we have juſt reaſon to praiſe our God for his Word; bound we are by duty, bound we have our ſelves by vow to do it: For thy vows are upon us, and therefore we will render praiſes unto thee.
O Lord, deliver our ſouls from death, and keep our feet from falling, and we will walk in ſincerity of heart before our God in the light of the living; in this light, the light of thy countenance give us grace to walk, that we may live with thée for evermore, through Ieſus Chriſt our Lord.