Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 2 · Psalm 60
PSAL. LX. foreign vel Triumphale.
BEfore Davids time, 1 Chron. 18.and in the beginning of his reign, Iſrael was in a diſtreſſed condition. He compoſed and quieted all. And made War, and conquered the Moabites, &c. Edom only was not vanquiſhed. In this Pſalm then he gives thanks for his victories. And prayes for aſſiſtance for the conqueſt of Edom.
The parts of it in general are,
1. A commemoration of the former lamentable diſtracted condition of the Iſraelites, verſ. 1, 2, 3.
2. The condition of it under his reign: much better, from verſ. 4. to 9.
3. His thankfulneſs in aſcribing all his victories to God, from verſ. 9. to 12.
1. The firſt part. The former condition of Iſrael, which he laments.In the firſt he ſhews that God was angry with Iſrael. 1. Of which he laments the effects of his anger. 2. And then prayes for the averſion.
1. O Lord, thou haſt, or hadſt caſt us off.
2. Thou haſt ſcattered us abroad, thou hast been diſpleaſed.
3. Vers. 1 Thou haſt made the earth to tremble.
4. Thou haſt broken it.
5. Thou haſt ſhew'd thy people heavy things.
6. Thou haſt given us a drink, the wine of aſtoniſhment. Every ſyllable of which Congeries will appear to be moſt true, to him that ſhall examine the ſtory of the Iſraelites before Sauls reign, under his government, upon his death, and the firſt entrance of David to the Kingdom: The ſtirs he had, and wars with the houſe of Saul, until Iſhboſheth was taken out of the way.
2. Imputes to Gods anger.All which wars, civil and external, with the calamities that flowed from them, Vers. 1 he imputes to Gods anger, verſ. 1. Thou haſt been displeaſed.
3. And prayes to God to turn to them.And upon it prayes,
1. O turn thee to us again. Let us enjoy thy countenance which was averted. Vers. 1
2. Vers. 2 Heal the breaches of the Land. Cloſe the wounds made by theſe contentions; and it ſeems they were not yet all perfectly cloſed. For he adds, It ſhaketh.
2. The ſecond part.But now the condition of it was much better. All being brought under one King. The preſent condition of Iſrael.2. And he victorious over his forreign enemies.
1. Thou now haſt given a Banner to them that fear thee. All Iſrael, all thoſe that are thy ſervants are brought to acknowledge and fight under one ſtandard, Vers. 4 in effect, have receiv'd me for their ſole King, the factions and parties being quieted.David being King.
2. That it may be diſplay'd. Set up, that Iſrael may know under whom to fight, and whoſe part to take.
3. According to Gods promiſe.Becauſe of thy Truth. Who by this haſt made it appear, that it was no fiction, nor no ambition of mine to ſet up this ſtandard. But a Truth, that I was by Samuel by thy ſpecial appointment Anointed to be King. And I am now inveſted with the Crown, for the performance of thy Truth and Promiſe.
4. Vers. 5 And the end is eſpecially, that I ſhould bring deliverance to thy ſervants; Which was done for the good of Gods people.it was, that thy beloved may be delivered. That the Godly, and good men, and thoſe that fear thee, being hitherto oppreſſed, and in theſe diſtractions, harraz'd, robb'd, kept low and under, might be delivered.
5. Which that it may be done, he inſerts a ſhort ejaculation for himſelf and them. Save with thy right-hand, and hear thou me.
And now he begins to commemorate the particulars that God had done by him, and the ſeveral victories he had gotten, as alſo in what manner he ruled theſe people. To all which he prefaceth with this Oracle. Vers. 6
God hath ſpoken in his holineſs. David entering on the Kingdom by Gods promiſe, exults. Vows to gov…th.He certainly and truly hath promiſed to ſave us. And as he is a Holy God, ſo certainly it ſhall be performed. And hath he ſo ſpoken? Laetabor. I will be glad and rejoice in it. With much joy and comfort I ſhall enter upon the Kingdom being confirm'd by his promiſe, which I will adminiſter in a different manner: My government ſhall be paternal to the Iſraelites, which are his people. But more ſevere and ſharp to the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Syrians, becauſe they are aliens from the Common-Wealth of Iſrael.
1. I will divide Sichem, and meaſure out the valley of Succoth. 1Paternally to Iſrael.I will bring under my power thoſe places of Iſrael, and as a true Lord of them, I will divide and meaſure out what portions I ſhall think fit to the inhabitants.
2. Gilead alſo is mine, and Manaſſch is mine, the Iſraelites that followed the houſe of Saul, are come into my power, and I will divide and apportion them alſo. Yet, as being mine, I ſhall deal mildly with them.
3. Of Ephraim I ſhall make reckoning. Ephraim ſhall be the ſtrength of my head; as this Tribe had more men than any other, ſo they were great Souldiers, theſe therefore David eſteemed as his Life-Guard.
4. Judah is my Law-giver. His chief Counſel was of this Tribe, in whom, with himſelf, was the Legiſlative power, according to that old Prophecy of Jacob, The Scepter ſhall not depart from Judah, nor a Law-giver from between his feet, till Shiloh come.
And thus having ſhew'd his Kingdom, and the adminiſtration of it, 2Severity to ſtrangers.over the Iſraelites, he paſſeth to the ſtrangers whom he had conquered, over whom he would carry a more ſevere hand, putting them into a ſlaviſh ſubjection, and to baſe Offices.
1. Moab is my Waſh-pot. A ſervant to hold the Baſen, and to waſh my feet.
2. Over Edom I will caſt my ſhooe. Trample upon their necks. …ick them, if I pleaſe, and expoſe them at my pleaſure to ſcorn.
3. Philiſtia, triumph thou becauſe of me. Which is either ſpoken Ironically; as if he ſhould ſay, O Philistines, whom I have ſubdued, Go, go, triumph, becauſe I have conquer'd thee. Or elſe: Triumph thou, that is, in the Triumph that I ſhall celebrate for my conqueſt, bear, though unwillingly, a part, and ſing among the reſt, Jo Paan. Follow the train with happy acclamations, and proclaim me thy King.
Laſtly, After the enumeration of his victories, and form of government, The third part. He gives God the glory of all. And for Edom not yet conquered.that no man ſhould take this for a vain boaſt of his own ſtrength, he thankfully aſcribes all the glory to God, both of what he had done, and what he was yet to do. One people he was yet to conquer, and that could not be done, except that God, who had hitherto gone our with his Armies, would again vouchſafe to lead them. foreign. And therefore he asks.
1. Who will bring me into the ſtrong City? Who will lead me into Edom? No queſtion, had Joab, Abiſhai, &c. or any of his Worthies been by, they would have ſtriven who ſhould have profer'd his ſervice. Every one would have ſaid, I'le be the man.
2. But he prevents them all, and returns this anſwer to himſelf, Which muſt be done by God.that none but God ſhould do it, and that he was perſwaded he would do it, even that God, who was formerly diſpleaſed with them, had caſt them off, but was now reconciled and pacified. Wilt not thou, O God, lead us into the ſtrong City, which had caſt us off? and thou, O God, bring us into Edom, which didſt not go forth with our Armies?
3. And to that purppſe he prayes, Give us help from trouble; and he adds his Reaſon, For which he prayes.that nothing can be well done without Gods help and aſſiſtance; for the ſtrength, power, prudence, skill of man without God, are to little purpoſe; for vain is the help of man.
And he concludes all with this Epiphonema, In God we ſhall do great, or valiant Acts; And is confident in him to do great acts.for he it is that ſhall tread down our enemies: In War theſe two muſt be joyned, and indeed in all actions: He, We, God and Man.
1. We muſt do valiantly; for God helps not remiſs and cowardly men, or negligent.
2. And yet that being done, the work is his, He ſhall tread down, the blow and overthrow is not to be attributed to us, but to him.
The Prayer collected out of the ſixtieth Pſalm.
O Moſt Mighty God, juſt in thy wayes, and righteous in all thy judgments, we confeſs with confuſion of face againſt our ſelves, that we by our crying ſins have provoked thée to wrath and indignation againſt us, and that now we juſtly féel the effects of this thy diſpleaſure; Ver. 1 for thou haſt ſéemed to caſt us off, and delivered us to the will of our enemies; Thou haſt ſcattered us among other Nations: Ver. 2 There is no part of the Land which hath not béen moved and ſhaken, as with an Earth-quake; no corner that hath not béen broken by the fury from a mercileſs War. Ver. 3 In a word, even thoſe whom the edge of the Sword hath left alive, theſe have had a ſad experience from thy hand of thy diſpleaſure; for thou haſt ſhewed unto them hard things, and reached unto them a cuy of deadly wine, moſt bitter tribulations which aſtoniſh their hearts, and moſt grievous preſſures which ſo overwhelm their ſenſes, that they know not which way to turn themſelves, nor what to do.
But, O God, Thou art a God of mercy, turn unto us, who turn to thée with faſting, Ver. 1 wéeping and mourning: Heal our wounds, repair our breaches, ſet an end to our ſorrows, and for the Cup of trembling, of which we have taken ſo full draughts for theſe many years, give us a Cup of wine that may exhilerate and glad our afflicted ſouls.
Let the man of thy right hand once more ſet up his Standard, and diſplay his Banner; and let all thy Beloved, and ſuch as fear thée run unto it; and ſave and protect them with thy right hand, that they may be delivered at laſt from the Tyranny of theſe cruel and bloody Oppreſſors, that have made the Land to tremble, and the foundations thereof to ſhake.
Hear the prayers of thoſe that fear thée; for thy Truths ſake make good thy Word to thy Beloved, let the Fugitives return under the Banner of thine Andinted, and make up the breaches of this Kingdom, and thy Church.
Thou haſt ſpoken in thy holineſs, that thou wilt be a God to the righteous, and to his ſeed: O perform this promiſe, and let the ſéed of thy righteous ſervant inherit his Crown and Dignity.
Rejoyce I ſhall, and with me all that fear thée, when we ſhall ſée him divide Sichem, and meaſure out the Vally of Succoth; let Gilead be his, and Manaſſeh his, bring Ephraim under his ſubjection, and be the ſtrength of his Crown, and Judah his Law-giver.
Subdue Moab and Edom unto him; make Moab his Slave and Vaſſel, and let him trample upon the neck of Edom, that Edom which in the day of Jeruſalem cried, Down with it, down with it to the ground; and thou, O Philiſtia, which haſt brought forth Sampſon to make thée ſport, and inſulted over the captivity of Iſrael, the Lord reward thée as thou haſt dealt with us, and lead thée in Triumph, as thou haſt triumphed over Gods people.
'Tis true, O Lord, that thou hadſt caſt us off, and didſt not go forth with our Armies; but we truſt in thy Promiſes, and rely upon thy Word; we do not doubt but in thy appointed time, Thou wilt bring us into the ſtrong City, and lead us into Edom: Thou alone, Thou alone art able, Thou muſt do it for us; for vain is the help of man. All our ſtrength is but as Tow, and all our ammunition and endeavours is but to ſit ſtill without thée. Help us then in this our trouble; ſo we that are infirm, ſhall be ſtrong; we that are of a weak heart, ſhall grow couragious, and do valiantly; and with the aſſiſtance and power of thée our God, we ſhall tread down our enemies. In thée is our hope, in thy right hand our help, give us power to do great things to the honour of thy Name, and to addance the Goſpel of our Lord Ieſus Chriſt. Amen.