Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 3 · Psalm 83
PSAL. LXXXIII. foreign.
TO reſolve this Pſalm, there is no difficulty. For it branches it ſelf into
Theſe parts:
1. A ſhort Ejaculation or Prayer, verſ. 1.
2. A Complaint of the enemies of Gods Church, which is the reaſon of his Prayer, from verſ. 2. to 11.
3. A fearful Imprecation againſt them, from verſ. 11. to the end.
1. The firſt part. An ardent Ejaculation.The Prophet out of a holy impatience at the patience and long-ſuffering of God, calls ardently and earneſtly upon him, as appears by the ingemination of the words, that he would be no longer patient at the affronts and inſultations of the Churches enemies. The cauſe was his own, not to be endured then longer.
Keep not thou ſilence, Vers. 1 O God, hold not thy peace, be not ſtill, O God.
2. The ſecond part. His complaint of enemies.And next he begins to Complain, which was the reaſon of his Petition. Theſe were enemies, 1. To the people of God. 2. To God himſelf, verſ. 5. And then he tells us, who they were, from verſ. 6. to 9.
1. Vers. 2 He deſcribes the enemies of the Church. The Characters of which, are,Their Characters.
1. They were Souldiers. They make a tumult. Their warlike fierceneſs is ſignified by it. As Lions, Bears.
2. They were arrogant and proud. They that hate thee, life up their head. And wilt thou then be ſilent?
3. They are ſubtle men. They have taken crafty counſel againſt thy people, and conſulted againſt thy hidden ones, thoſe whom thou hideſt under the ſhadow of thy wings. Thy pecul…r, Exod. 19.5.
4. Their intent.Their counſel broke out into action, and they encouraged one another in miſchief, even to the total and final deſtruction of the Church. Come, ſay they, let us cut them off from being a Nation, that the name of Iſrael may be no more in remembrance.
2. Which Confederacy and Conſpiracy was not only againſt the people of God, but againſt God himſelf. For they have conſulted together with one conſent, nemine diſſentiente, The Conſpirators.and are confederate againſt thee.
3. He gives us in a Catalogue of theſe Conſpirators. All the world againſt God and his Church.
The Tabernacles of Edom, and the Iſmaelites: of Moab, Vers. 6 and the Hagarens.
Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek, the Philiſtines with the inhabitants of Tire.
Aſhur alſo is join'd with them, they have holpen the children of Lor. Selah.
3. And having diſcovered the men and their attempts, The third part. He prayes to God to take revenge on them.he prayes to God for revenge, which conſiſted in four particulars. 1. Their fall and ruine. 2. Their perſecution. 3. Their terrour. 4. And their diſgrace. Which he illuſtrates by divers ſimilitudes. 1. Of a wheel, that eaſily runs down a hill. 2. Of ſtubble driven away by the wind. 3. As wood burnt up by the fire. 4. Of a flame that conſumes the Mountains. 5. Of a tempeſt that throws down all things before it.
1. Their ruine and fall, he would have it total, and exemplary. That their ruine be total.Do unto them as unto the Medianites, as to Siſera; as to Jabin at the brook of Kiſon. Which periſhed at Endor, and became as the dung of the earth. Make them and their Princes like Oreb and Zeb; yea, all their Princes as Zeba, and as Zalmunna. Of which he interſerts a reaſon. Who have ſaid, Let us take to our ſelves the houſes of God in poſseſſion.
2. And this their ruine he would have ſudden and violent, 2Sudden and violent.as appears by the ſimilitudes.
1. Precipitate them, whirl them down. O my God, make them like a wheel: or unquiet in mind.
2. Remove them, as light things are blown away by the wind. Make them as stubble before the wind.3Terrible and ſhameful.
3. Burn them as ſpeedily, as the fire burns the wood: Or, as the flame ſets furs on fire on the Mountains.
3. Perſecute them with thy tempeſt.
4. Make them afraid with thy ſtorm.
5. Fill their faces with ſhame.
Theſe three parts of their puniſhment.
1. Flight.
2. Fear. Terrour.
3. Shame, and Ignominy.The ends of his prayer,
And that the Prophet might not ſeem uncharitable in this bitter imprecation, he now ſhews the ends why he thus prayed. Theſe were two.
1. The firſt, That they might ſeek after God, in effect be converted. 1That converted.Do this to them, that they may ſeek thy name, O Lord. 2Or confounded.Or as others conceive. Seek thy name meerly out of a ſervile fear of Gods vengeance, and contain their fury, not daring any further to attempt any thing againſt the Church. Which the next verſe confirms. Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to ſhame, and periſh, i. e. brought to utter deſtruction; or at leaſt, ſo enfeebled, that they may be ſaid to periſh.
2. The ſecond, That thereby Gods glory may be the more exalted, 3And Gods name glorified.viz. That men may know, that thou whoſe name is Jehovah, art the moſt High over all the earth, i. e. not Lord of the Jews only, but the Gentiles alſo. Ʋt cognoſcatur. Junius. That thy Eternity, Majeſty, Power, may be acknowledg'd by all men.
The Prayer collected out of the eighty third Pſalm.
O Omnipotent God, Vers. 2 ſo great is the hatred, ſo many the conſpiracies, ſo ſecret and malicious are the counſels of our enemies againſt thee and thy people, that were it not for the promiſes which thou haſt made unto thy people, we ſhould deſpair and faint. They have appeared in Arms, and headed the iumultnous many againſt us; They, who by their impiety ſhew they hate thee, have lift up in pride their head, they have taken crafty counſel againſt they people, and conſulted againſt thoſe, whom thou haſt taken under the ſhadow of thy wings. So great is their malice and hatred to us, that they have ſaid in their hearts, and encouraged each other in this miſchief. Come, ſay they, let us cut them off from being a Nation, that the name of Iſrael may be no more in remembrance; yea, their conſultations and confederacies, their Leagues and Covenant, is not ſo much againſt us, as againſt thy honour, thy ſervice, thy truth, which we endeavour to maintain. They have conſulted together with one conſent, and are confederate againſt thee; yea, ſo far they have prevailed, that they have taken to themſelves, and their own uſe, all the houſes of God in poſſeſſion.
Wherefore, Vers. 1 O Lord, we beſeech thee, keep no longer ſilence, hold not thy peace, be not ſtill; ſince thy enemies lift up their heads againſt thee, awake, and lift up thy head againſt them: and thou, who for thy people Iſraels ſafety, didſt ſhew thy ſtrength againſt the Tabernacles of Edom, and the Iſmaelites, againſt Moab and the Hagarens; againſt the Ammonites and Amalekites, againſt the Philiſtines, and them of Tyre, with all their aſſiſtants: ſtir up thy ſtrength, and come amongſt us. Do unto theſe enemies of thy Truth, as thou didſt to the Medianites, deliver them, and all their hoſt, into the hand of Gideon. Go out before them, as thou didſt before Barak, who overthrew Siſera at the brook of Kiſon, and aſtoniſhed the heart of Jabin King of Canaan, when his whole Army periſhed at Endor, and became as the dung of the earth. Set every mans ſword againſt his fellow, as when thou fought'ſt for Iſrael againſt Oreb and Zeeb. They have kill'd our brethren, even the ſons of our mother, ſave them not then alive, but tear their fleſh with briars and thorns of the Wilderneſs, as it hapned to thoſe who took part with Zeba and Zalmunna.
O my God, make them like unto a wheel, giddy in their counſels as a whéel; that is, alwayes turning, reſtleſs in their conſciences as a whéel; that is, apt to motion, precipitate in their downfall as a whéel; that is, alwayes running. Make them as the ſtubble or chaſt, which the wind fiutters up and down, and eaſily blows from its place. Let them be conſumed as the wood burnt up by the fire, and ſpéedily deſtroyed, as heath and furrs when raiſed into a flame in the Mountains. Let the tempeſt of thy wrath perſecute them, and the ſtorm of thy indignation ſtrike terrour into them.
Bring it ſo to paſs, good God, that they may not only be fruſtrated of their hopes, and aſhamed of their counſels, and of their rebellion undertaken againſt thy Truth and People: but that theſe proud, arrogant, and inſolent men, who gloried in their ſtrength, and thought themſelves invincible, become contemptible, and deſpicable, their faces being ſo full of ſhame, that they dare not look a good man in the face, nor appear in the preſence of thy people. Let them be confounded and troubled for ever, yea let them be put to ſhame, and periſh in their own imaginations.
So ſhall other m…n take warning by their boldneſs, even for very fear they ſhall ſeek thy Name, they ſhall come bending and bowing to thee to appeaſe thy anger. Known it will be even to thy greateſt enemies, that thou alone, whoſe Name is Jehovah, art the moſt High in all the earth. That thou art the only God, whom, all Superſtitions, and all falſe worſhip being rejected, they ought only to honour, only to ſerve, only to obey in thy Son Jeſus Chriſt our Lord. Amen.