Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 3 · Psalm 74
PSAL. LXXIV. foreign.
THIS Pſalm was compoſed by the Prophet upon ſome grievous deſolation which he either ſaw, or fore-ſaw to fall upon the Temple and Houſes of God in the land of Judaea, whether by Nebuchodonozer, Antiochus, Epiphanes, or ſome other, is uncertain.
Two parts.
1. His Complaint, from ver. 1. to 10.
2. His Prayer, from ver. 10. to 23.
1. Both the Complaint and Petition are firſt ſummarily comprized in the three firſt verſes, The firſt part. His complaint aggravated by a gradation.and afterward amplified through the whole Pſalm.
The Exordium is full of paſſion, for he expoſtulates with God about this calamity, and aggravates it, O God, why haſt thou caſt us off, &c?
1. From the Author of it, it is thou, Thou, O God, that doſt it.
2. Ver. 1 From the extremity of it, Thou haſt caſt us off.
3. From the time, duration, or continuance, for ever.
4. From the cauſe, Anger, ſmoking anger; Thine anger ſmokes.
5. From the object, The ſheep of thy paſture.
As if he had ſaid, when thou art a good and faithful God toward thine, can'ſt thou ſo far forget thy Promiſe and Covenant to thy people, as, to caſt them off, for ever to cast them off, and in anger, in ſmoking anger, thus to proceed againſt the ſheep of thy paſture? Why, why Lord ſhould it be thus? Ʋis Deo grata eſt, quae precibus adhibetur.
2. And preſently to his Complaint he ſubjoins his Petition. Vers. 2To this he joins his Petition.
Remember thy Congregation, &c. where every word is almoſt an Argument.
1. Thy Congregation. A choſen people.
2. Whom thou haſt purchaſed by a mighty hand from Pharaoh. Argumenta∣tive.
3. Of old, thy people a long time ſince, ever ſince thy Covenant with Abraham.
4. The rod of thine inheritance, dwelling in that Land which thou gaveſt them to inherit.
5. Whom thou haſt redeemed from their enemies, the Canaanites, &c.
6. And honoured thee in Mount Zion in thy Temple, where thou haſt dwelt.
Remember thou, O Lord, this people, and all theſe ingagements, and caſt us not off for ever.And the qualities of the enemies.
3. Or if theſe Arguments move thee not, then look upon thine own diſhonour. Lift up thy f…et, i. e. Set up thy ſelf, and march againſt thy enemies, and the perpetual deſolations which they have brought upon us. Now that he might the better prevail with God, he omits the vaſtations which were made, no queſtion, through the whole Land, and inſtanceth in their inſolence to the houſe of God. Lift up thy feet—even to all that the enemy hath done wickedly in thy Sanctuary.
1. As Lions and Beaſts of prey. They roare in the midſt of the Congregations.Their Sacriledge eſpecially.
2. As Conquerors. They ſet up their Enſigns for ſigns of Victory.
3. As prophane perſons, what our fore-fathers built with much coſt, art, and piety, that they break down, rob, and carry away Sacrilegiouſly. A man was famous heretofore according as he had lifted up Axes upon the thick Trees, hewed them out, poliſhed, and dedicated them to the work of thy Temple: But now theſe Sacrilegiſts break down all the carved work thereof with Axes and Hammers.
4. And yet their fury ſtayes not here. For after they have robb'd thy Temple, and taken the dedicated Veſſels, not content with the ſpoyl, They have caſt fire into thy Sanctuary, they have defiled it by caſting down the dwelling-place of thy name to the ground.
5. Nay, their malice ſtay'd not here neither. Their impiety was ſuch, that after they had deſtroy'd thy Temple, they encouraged one another to do more miſchief, even to the depopulation of all the other Synagogues and Schools of Learning. They ſaid in their hearts: Let us deſtroy them, without exception, all together. They have burnt up all the Synagogues of God in the Land.
4. And that which yet imbitters his Complaint, he profeſſeth, Gods deſertion of his people.that it was not with them now as heretofore; Thou, Lord, now doſt ſeem to caſt us off indeed; in our calamities heretofore we could enquire of thee, and thou didſt anſwer us, either by ſome ſign and miracle, or by Urim, and Thummim, or by ſome Prophet. But now,
1. We ſee not our ſigns, i. e. Miraculous deliverances. 2. Or ſigns of thy preſence in thy Temple.
2. There is no more any Prophe, as Iſaiah, &c. who might promiſe us deliverance.2He prayes again that God would look on the enemies blaſphemy.
3. Neither is there among us any that knows how long? as did Jeremy the ſeventy years Captivity.
5. He proceeds in his Complaint, and preſſeth God to hear it, from the contumely and blaſphemy that theſe wicked wretches uſed toward God, to which they were the more encouraged by his long-ſuffering and forbearance.
O God, how long ſhall the adverſary reproach? Shall the enemy blaſphem: And remember his mercy, and what he had done for his people in ſpecial.thy name for ever? Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right-hand? pluck it out of thy boſome.
6. But that now he return, and with favour and mercy look upon the preſent calamities of his people, Vers. 12 he uſeth other Arguments.
1. The ſpecial favour and good-will he had long ago ſhew'd them. For God is my King of old, working ſalvation in the midſt of the earth. Of which he gives inſtances.
1. Their miraculous deliverance out of Egypt, and deſtroying of Pharaoh, Thou didſt divide the Sea by thy ſtrength, thou brakeſt the heads of the Dragons, i. e. the Princes and Nobles of Egypt in the waters of the red Sea. Thou brakeſt the heads of Liviathan in pieces, and gaveſt him to be meat for the people inhabiting the Wilderneſs. Baſil ſaith, that the Ethiopians, upon Pharaohs overthrow in the red Sea, invaded and poſſeſſed Egypt, ſo that he and his Land was given, as it were, for meat to the inhabitants of the deſert.
2. Their miraculous preſervation, by bringing out of the Rock water to quench their thirſt. Thou didſt cleave the fountain and the flood, Numb. 20.11.
3. Their wonderful paſſage through Jordan dry-foot. Thou dryedſt up mighty waters.And for all by his general providence.
2. Gods general providence in his Mercy to all men. The inſtances are
1. His Order for day and night. The day is thine, and the night alſo is thine.
2. His Order for the two great Luminaries. Thou haſt prepared the light and the Sun.
3. His Order for Sea and Land. Thou haſt ſet all the borders of the earth.
4. His Order for the year. Thou haſt made Summer and Winter.
Both in thy ſpecial and general providence, He renews his prayer, and enforceth it. The ſecond part.thy Mercy and Power, are ſufficiently declared, and upon theſe the Prophets affections being heightned, he falls to an evident Petition.
1. That God would remember his own glory, and take revenge of his reproachful enemies. Vers. 18 Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O Lord, and that the fooliſh people have blasphemed thy Name.
2. That he would remember his children, thoſe Turtle Doves, dear to him.
1. O deliver not the ſoul of thy Turtle Dove unto the multitude of their enemies.
2. Forget not the Congregation of the poor for ever.
3. That he would remember his Covenant made with Abraham, that they ſhould inherit the Land, which now they could not do in quiet. For all the earth was full of darkneſs, i. e. impiety, and cruel habitations. Plunderers every where.
And he goes on in his Prayer, and uſeth two Arguments more.
1. That Gods people be not aſhamed of their hope, and expectation, and dependance on God. O let not the oppreſsed return aſhamed.
2. From their gratitude. Let the poor and needy praiſe thy Name.
In the cloſe of the Pſalm, he more openly expreſſeth the affection of his heart for God, and preſſeth him for help, becauſe the cauſe is his, the enemies his, the blaſphemy againſt him, and redounds to the diſhonour of his name, and that it dayly increaſeth.
1. Ariſe, O Lord, plead thine own cauſe.
2. Remember how the fooliſh people reproach thee dayly.
3. Forget not the voice of thine enemies.
4. The tumult of thoſe that riſe againſt thee, increaſeth continually.
The Prayer to be collected out of the ſeventy fourth Pſalm, is needleſs, it being ſo powerful, methodical, and eaſie a Prayer of it ſelf. I ſhall only then Paraphraſe upon it.
AND why, O God, doeſt thou carry thy ſelf toward us at this time, Vers. 1 as if thou didſt ſeem to have caſt us off, rejected us from thy care and favour wholly and for ever? O good God, why doth the ſeverity of thy indignation ſmoke againſt thoſe whom thou haſt choſen to feed, care for, Vers. 2 and govern, as if they had been thine own ſheep, thy ſelected flock? O thou which haſt ſeem'd for a long time to be unmindful of us, remember, we beſeech thee, thy Congregation, which thou haſt purchaſed with thy blood, whom thou haſt bought to be thy inheritance, not yeſterday, nor to day, but before the beginning of the world; Remember Mount Zion, that is now deſtroy'd by the enemy, and that place wherein thou haſt dwelt.
Therefore, that thy mercy may be anſwerable to thy former love, Vers. 3 with-hold not any longer the hand of thy Omnipotence and Iuſtice, but make bare thy arm, and lift up thy feet to the perpetual deſolation, and eternal deſtruction of every enemy, that hath done wickedly in the Sanctuary.
Thy adverſaries being become conquerors, have cryed with a loud voice, Vers. 4 and proudly boaſted and roared as Lions in the midſt of the Congregations, they have prophaned thy Solemn Feaſts, they have thrown down thy Altars, and ſlain thy Prieſts with the edge of the ſword, and they have ſet up their banners in thy Temples, as manifeſt ſigns of their victories, without any reverence had to thy holy place, without any acknowledgement or honour exhibited to thy name, by whoſe permiſſion for our prophaneneſs they thus triumph over us, and theſe confecrated places.
When they enter'd into theſe holy Oratories, they ſhew'd no more reverence; than if they had fet footing into ſome thick wood; Thoſe beams of Cedar, which our fore-fathers out of piety and dedotion had poliſhed and dedicated to the ornament and deanty of thy houſe, theſe, thoſe rude and barbarous hands have broken down with Ares and Hammers. Yea, they have caſt fire into thy Sanctuary, they have prophaned the Tabernacle conſecrated to thy name, drawing it down to the ground, deſpoyling it of all glory, and the ſincere worſhip of thy name being taken away, inſtead thereof they have ſet up, and worſhip'd their own indentions. Nay, their malice ſtay'd not here. Not a Synagogue of the Land, but hath felt their fury; no School of the Prophets, but hath groaned under their oppreſſion. They encourage each other in miſchief, Come, ſay they, let us deſtroy them all together, Thus have they made all thy Solemn Feſtivals to ceaſe, and thy whole worſhip to be annihilated.
As for thy Prophets, they are few left, and thoſe that are, diſgraced, eiected, impriſoned, oppreſſed, accounted the off-ſcouring of the world, and made a ſpectacle to men and Angels, thy Word in their mouths is eſtéemed a lye, and the defence of thy truth held for ſuperſtition and the Traditions of men, and with them thy holy Ordinances are all caſt aſide as …eceſſary Ceremonies.
O Lord, how long wilt thou ſuffer the adverſary to reproach? Wilt thou be of that long-ſuffering and patience, that the prophane ſhall blaſpheme thy holy Name, and by his blaſphemies provoke thée to anger for ever? Why, as a lazy man is wont toda, doeſt thou kéep thy right-hand in thy boſome: why doeſt than not pluck it from thence, and make theſe profane perſons féel the blow, and thy people the mercy?
It cannot be aſcribed to thy want of power, that thou art thus patient. For thou art the ſame God now as of old. Thou art the great King which haſt wrought ſalvation for our fathers in the midſt of the earth, even in the ſight of all people.
Marvellous and terrible were thy works, Vers. 13 which thou didſt for thy people of Iſrael. Thou didſt divide the Sea by thy ſtrength, and made the waters to ſtand on a heap, till thy people were paſt through it. Thou brakeſt the heads of that Dragon, Pharaoh, and all his hoaſt in the red Sea. Thou didſt cleave the Rock, and turn'dſt the flint-ſtone into a ſpringing Well, that thence the thirſt of thy people might be ſatisfied as from a fountain. And on the contrary, thou haſt dryed up the ſwifteſt current, and meſt violent ſtream, that thy people might paſs dry-foot through it.
Neither is thy power declared only in theſe extraordinary miracles, but alſo in all creatures. The night and day were created by thee. Thou haſt prepared the light and the Sun. Thou haſt ſet the bounds of the Sea, and all the borders of the earth. Thou haſt made Summer and Winter. The viciſſitudes of all things is a manifeſt of thy power, and the change of all times and ſeaſons is thy Ordinance wiſely diſpoſed for the commodity of man.
When then, O Lord, thy power is ſo great, ſhew thy might, and come amongſt us, remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, in effect imputed weakneſs and impotence to thée, ſaid in his heart, What God ſhall deliver them out of my hand? O Lord, remember that the fooliſh people in prophaning thy Temples, and trampling thy Prophets, have blaſphemed thy name, being regardleſs of thy Omnipotence, and ſecure upon thy patience.
We beſéech thée ſuffer no longer the ſouls of thoſe innocent, mournful Turtle Doves who deſire to worſhip and praiſe thée, to be delivered to the multitude and rabble of the wicked, neither leave deſtitute of thy favour and help for ever, the Congregation of the afflicted people, whoſe conſidence is thy care, and ſecurity thy ſole protection.
Have reſpect, O Lord, to the Covenant thou haſt made with our fathers. Never let the gates of Hell, as thou haſt promiſed, prevail againſt thy Church, which at this time can find no reſt for the ſole of her foot, ſince the places of the earth are full of darkneſs and cruel habitations, for bloody and deceitful men having their heart darkned, are ſpread over the Land, and by violence and injuſtice being grown rich and mighty, have not only deſpoyl'd us of our goods, but conſin'd our bodies alſo in darkſome dungeons, and loathſome priſons. The Iron hath entred into our ſouls.
Forget not the voice of the inſulting enemy. The tumultuous and proud attempts of thoſe which riſe up and hate thée, continually increaſeth more and more. And thou, to whoſe eyes all things are naked, and into whoſe ears all oppreſſions enter, art not ignorant of it.
Ariſe therefore, O Lord, and plead thine own cauſe, and plead the cauſe of thy people, remember how the fooliſh people reproacheth thee dayly.
O let not the oppreſſed, thy poor people, that humbly flées to thée for help, be aſhamed, and depart out of thy preſence as fruſtrated of their expectation. So ſhall theſe poor, and néedy, and deſtitute of all humane help, being delivered by thy Omnipotent hand, and Fatherly goodneſs, praiſe and magnifie thy name for ever and ever.