Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 2 · Psalm 43
PSAL. XLIII.
THIS Pſalm is of the ſame nature with the former, and is, as it were, the Epitom of it, and it contains two chief things.
1. A Petition, which is double.
1. One in the firſt verſe.
2. The other in the fourth verſe.Davids Petition, that God would be his Judge.
2. A comfortable Apoſtrophe to his own ſoul, ver. 5.
Firſt, He petitions to God.The firſt part.
1. That being righteous, he would be his Judge: Judge me, O Lord.
2. That being merciful, he would plead his Cauſe: Plead my Cauſe. Ver. 1
3. That being Omnipotent, he would deliver him: Deliver me, ver. 1.
Of this he aſſigns two Reaſons.
1. The firſt, the unmerciful condition of his enemies.The Reaſons of it two.
1. They were a factious, bloody, inhumane people: Plead my cauſe against an ungodly Nation, an unmerciful people, ver. 1.
2. They were men of deceit and iniquity: Deliver me from the deceitful and unjuſt man, ver. 1.
2. The other from the Nature of God, and his relation to him: Ver. 2 For thou art the God of my ſtrength, ver. 2. Thou haſt promiſed to defend me; His expoſtulation upon it.and upon it he expoſtulates.
1. Why haſt thou caſt me off? For ſo to the eye of ſenſe it ſeems to me.
2. Wh… go I mourning, becauſe of the oppreſſion of the enemy? ver. 2.
Secondly, The ſecond partt of his Petition, is, The ſecond Petition, for Gods favour.that he may be reſtored to Gods favour, and reduced from baniſhment to his Countrey, ver. 3.
1. O ſend forth thy Light and thy Truth, Ver. 3 the light of thy favour and countenance, and make thy promiſes true to me, let them lead me, ver. 3.
2. Let them guide me; whether? to my dignity and honours? No, I ask not that ſo much, as to thy holy Hill, and to thy Tabernacles, where I may enjoy the exerciſes of piety, ver. 3.
Thirdly, Ver. 4 Now that he might the more move God to hear his Petition, he does as good as vow, Which if granted, he vows to be thankful.that this courteſie ſhould not be caſt away upon an ungrateful wretch; thankful he would be, and make it known how good God had been unto him.
1. Then will I go to the Altar of God, unto the God of my exceeding joy; the joy and content he would take in this, ſhould not be vulgar.
2. Yea, upon the Harp will I praiſe thee, O God my God. His joy ſhould be expreſſed outwardly, and Gods Name celebrated with a Pſalm, and inſtruments of Muſick, ver. 4.
The Petitions being ended, The ſecond part. His faith by which he quiets his ſoul.and he now confident of audience and favour, he thus beſpeaks his heavy and mournful heart, juſt as in the former Pſalm: 1. Chiding. 2. Encouraging himſelf.
Ver. 5 Why art thou caſt down, O my ſoul? and why art thou diſquieted within me? Hope in God, for I ſhall yet praiſe him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God, ver. 5.
The Petition collected out of the forty ſecond Pſalm.
O moſt juſt God, for our heinous tranſgreſſions and profaneſs, it hath ſéemed good unto thy Majeſty to turn away thy favourable countenance from us, and to baniſh us from thoſe comforts which we were wont to enjoy in thy Temple, and in thy Courts. By the want we are come to know the juſt value of thoſe enjoyments, and brought to confeſs the advantage of thoſe Petitions which in publick we offered with thy Saints and ſervants, before thoſe ſuits, which now we ſingly make in our retirements: This is it, that in ſecret ſetcheth ſighs from our hearts, and tears from our eyes, that we may once more méet in the beauty of holineſs.
Behold, as the chaſed Hart, ready to periſh for heat and thirſt, panteth after the water-brooks, Ver. 1 ſo our ſouls panteth after thee our God; our ſoul thirſteth for God, Ver. 2 even for the living God, in whom are the Fountains of living water: Oh therefore that that day would once come, that we might go to thy Sanctuary again, and fréely appear in thy preſence.
The inſultations of our enemies are many and bitter, they judge us quite rejected, and caſt off by thée; and this is it which breaks my heart, and my tears have been my meat day and night, Ver. 3 while they continually ſay unto me in deriſion, Where is now thy God?
Now when I compare my former eſtate with my preſent condition, I poure out my ſoul within me; for I lay to heart, How I had gone with the multitude; I went with them to the Houſe of God with the voyce of joy and praiſe, with a multitude that kept Holy-day: But now it is otherwiſe, I am driven from thy Sanctuary, I am caſt out from thy Temple, and this is it, which makes my ſoul within me like melting wax; this is it, which makes my life a burden to me.
O my God, my ſoul is caſt down within me, 'tis a trouble that I muſt remember thée even from this place of baniſhment, even from theſe deſolate places, and land of ſtrangers to which I am driven; here the evils I ſuffer are grievous, heavy, many, continual. One déep of miſeries calls upon another, and thy Cataracts and Spouts of calamities fall with a great noiſe upon my head; All thy waves and billows of afflictions are gone over me, and are ready to ſink and drown me.
Yet Lord, I deſpair not of thy mercy and goodneſs, I know the Lord will command, and make me ſenſible of his loving-kindneſs in the day-time, and in the night-ſeaſon he will continue his love, ſo that I ſhall have juſt reaſon to ſing of him, and my prayer ſhall approach and come unto the God of my life.
Why then art thou caſt down, Ver. 5 O my ſoul? why art thou thus diſquieted within me? why doſt thou deſpair? why art thou ſo impatient? O hope, and put thy truſt in God, be bold upon the confidence of his preſence and help; for I know the day will come, when he will yet look upon me with a favourable eye, when I ſhall yet confeſs his Name, and praiſe him for the help of his countenance.
I will ſay unto God, O thou my Rock, my ſtay, my hope, Ver. 9 why haſt thou forgotten me? why go I mourning, while the enemy oppreſſeth me? Their reproach is no leſs grief unto me, than if I felt a Sword of death in my bones, Ver. 10 it wounds me to the very heart to hear them daily ſay unto me, Where is thy God? where is thy Helper, thy Redéemer, thy Deliverer?
But, O my ſoul, be of good comfort, Why art thou caſt down? Ver. 11 why art thou ſo diſquieted within me? Hope thou in God, for I ſhall yet praiſe him, who is the help of my countenance, and my God.
The Prayer out of the forty third Pſalm.
O God, thou art my ſtrength and comfort, Judge me then, Ver. 2 and plead my cauſe againſt this unmerciful people; O deliver me from the deceitful, unjuſt, and cruel man; why doſt thou ſtand afar off, as if thou hadſt caſt me aſide? why go I thus heavily, becauſe of the oppreſſion of the enemy? Ver. 2 that bitter enemy to me, and to thy Church.
O ſend out thy Light, and thy Truth: Ver. 3 Compaſſed about we are with a fearful miſt and darkneſs of errours, and falſe opinions; diſpel theſe thick Foggs with the beams of thy Truth: Driven even to the very brink of deſpair we are by our preſent calamities, and yet we remember, that thou haſt made many comfortable promiſes to thoſe that fear thy Name, verifie theſe, O Lord, in us, and to us, and let theſe alwayes lead us, and direct us in our way, till they again bring us to thy holy Hill, and to thy Temple, where thine honour dwells, and where thou haſt promiſed to be preſent, and to hear the ſupplications of thy ſervants.
Bring us again to thy Houſe, O God, Thou, Ver. 4 who art the God of our exceeding joy; for then will we offer upon the Altar of a contrite heart, a ſacrifice of peace and thankſgiving; yea, upon the Harp and Organ will we praiſe thee, O Lord our God.
Why art thou caſt down, O my ſoul? and why art thou ſo diſquieted within me? Ver. 5 Hope in God, for I ſhall yet praiſe him, who is the help of my countenance, and my God.
Though the ſtorms and waves of perſecutions have gone over us, and the depths of Tentations gaped very wide to ſwallow us up quick; yet we are confident, that with the Tentation, thou wilt give the iſſue, and ſo moderate the whole by thy grace and mercy, that the ſolid joy of a good conſcience ſhall never be taken from us.
O Lord, enable us by the power of thy Spirit, that in theſe our preſſores we fall not from thée, but expect deliverance from thy hand, for which we will return thée thanks in the great Congregation, through Ieſus Chriſt our Lord. Amen.