Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 4 [i.e. 5] · Psalm 114
PSAL. CXIV. foreign.
DAƲID in this Pſalm, chants forth the wonderful works and miracles that God wrought, when he brought forth the people of Iſrael out of Aegypt.
Two parts there are of this Pſalm.
1. A Narration of Iſraels deliverance, amplified by the ſtate they were in, ver. 1. The ſtate to which they were brought, ver. 2. The miracles then done, firſt, at the red Sea, and Jordan, ver. 3. and at Sinai, when the Law was given, wer. 4.
2. A Proſopopeia, ſet down by way of Dialogue; firſt, For the Prophet asks the Sea, and Jordan, Why they fled, turned back? ver. 5, 6. ſecondly, To which the anſwer is made by the brutiſh Earth, which is enough to ſtrike a terrour, a veneration and fear into all men, That it trembled at the preſence of the Lord, ver. 7, 8.
1. In the Narration, Iſra…ls condition is ſet down by way of compariſon, The firſt part. Iſraels condition in Aegype ſet down.that ſo their deliverance might make the deeper impreſſion. Firſt, we are to know that Iſrael, and the houſe of Jacob and Judah, in this place, ſignifie the ſame thing, viz. The whole Nation of the Iſraelites, that deſcended out of Jacobs loins; but of the houſe of Jacob there is peculiar mention, becauſe with him they came into Aegypt; and of Judah, becauſe from him they were called Jewes.
This being premiſed, I come now to Analyſe and explain the Pſalm, in which is deſcribed,
1. The condition of the Jewes before their deliverance, they were in Aegypt; Ver. 1 all one, as if he had ſaid in bondage, and liv'd among Idolators, 1They were in bondage.nor form'd into a State, nor into a Church. 2. Among a barbarous people, or a people of a ſtrange language.
2. The condition of the Jewes after their deliverance, 2But delivered by God.they were then his Sanctuary, and his Scigniory: When Iſrael went art of Aegypt; &c. then Judah was his Sanctuary, and Iſrael his Dominion.
1. Ver. 2 His Sanctuary, a people ſanctified and adopted by him, a peculiar people conſecrated to his Worſhip, 1His Sanctuary, a holy people.as holy Temples and Sanctuaries, and having holy Prieſts to govern them in points of Piety.
2. 2His Seigniory, he their Lord and King.His Dominion or Seigniory, in whom he reigned as a King by his Lawes and ſpirit, and appointed godly Magiſtrates to rule them in matters of Policy; for the Government among them, was, firſt a foreign, till they caſt it off, by chooſing to themſelves a King; whence God told Samuel, They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I ſhould not reign over them, 1 Sam. 8.7.
2. 2The manner of their deliverance, by wonders done.The Prophet ſets down the manner of their deliverance, which was not by ordinary means, but extraordinary, by ſigns, miracles and wonders, of which he gives us theſe inſtances.
1. Ver. 3 In the red Sea: The Seaſaw that, and fled: That is, the Sea ſeeing Gods people come toward it, 1At the red Sea.and deſirous to paſs through it, at the preſence of the Lord turned back all night, Exod. 14. Wiſd. 19.7. Where in a Poetical, ſt…rein he attributes ſenſe to the Sea: The Sea ſaw that.
2. 2In and at Jordan.In or at Jordan forty years after, when they were entring the Land, when Jordan was driven back, and ſuffered a reflux for a long time, Joſh. 4. Ver. 4
3. 3At Sinai.At Sinai, where the Law was given, where the greater parts of that Mountain, and the leſſer Hillocks about it trembled and quaked: The Mountains skipped like Rams, and the little Hills like Lambs. The ſum is, That all the Creatures at the Commandment of the Creator, were then turned upſide down, ready to do, or not to do; to continue in, or to change their natural courſes, according to his good-will or pleaſure, Wiſd. 19.18.
2. The ſecond part.The Pſalm is compoſed after a Poetical vein, and therefore having related the wonderful deliverance, His Expoſtulation.and the manner of it, he expoſtulates with the Sea, Jordan, and the Mountains, what the matter was with them, that they ſo ſtrangely alter'd their courſe, with what paſſion they were affected, and why?
What aileth thee, Ver. 5 O thou Sea, that thou fleddeſt? and thou Jordan, that waſt driven back?1With the Sea and Jordan.
O ye Mountains, what aile ye, that ye skipped like Rams? and ye little Hills, like young ſheep?2And the Mountains.
To which, The anſwer of the Prophet.in the perſon of the earth, ſpeaking to her ſelf, the Prophet anſwers, ſo that it is both a Proſopopeia, and an Apoſtrophe.
1. Ver. 7 Tremble thou earth at the preſence of the Lord, at the preſence of the God of Jacob. That Gods preſence was the cauſe.As if it had been ſaid, Would you know the reaſon why we flie, turn back, move? The cauſe is this, The Lord hath appeared, and ſhewed his Force and Power, and laid his Commands upon us, and therefore not abiding his Preſence, trembleth, the Mountains are moved, &c.
2. Now of his Power, let this miracle ſuffice for an inſtance; 'tis that God, Who turned the hard Rock into a ſtanding water, Ver. 8 and the flint-ſtone into Fountains of water. Cauſed not only waters to flow from thence, but turned the very ſubſtance of a flint, which is apter to yield fire than water, into that fluid Element, Numb. 20.
The Prayer collected out of the One hundred and fourteenth Pſalm.
O Lord our Governour, how excellent is thy Name in all the World? Thou art glorious in holineſs, fearful in praiſes, doing wonders, able to do whatſoever thou wilt, Ver. 2 and willing to do whatſoever is beſt for Judah, whom thou haſt adopted to be thy Sanctuary, wherein thou wilt be ſerved; and Iſrael thy Dominion, over whom thou wilt reign as a King by thy holy Word and Spirit.
O God, Thou haſt béen very gracious unto us, that were Aliens from the Commonwealth of Iſrael; for in every Nation, every one that feareth God, and worketh righteouſneſs, is now accepted of thée; all true believers are now become the ſéed of Abraham, and the houſe of Jacob. Thou haſt brought us out of Aegypt, out of that Kingdom of darkneſs and ignorance in which we lived, into a marvellous light; Thou haſt fréed us from the bondage of Pharaoh, the Prince of darkneſs, under whom we ſerved and groaned. Ver. 1 Thou haſt taken the burden of the Law, a yoke grievous and heavy to be born, from off our ſhoulders, and cancelled the Hand-writing that was againſt us, laying upon our necks an eaſier yoke, and upon our ſhoulders a lighter burden. Thou haſt overturned, as it were, the Chariots and Horſe-men, and deſtroyed the Hoſt of our enemies, by ſu…uing our iniquities, and caſting all of them into the bottom of the Sea, that they may never appear before us again, to confound our Conſetences in this World, or condemn our Souls in the next.
O Lord, ſhall the dumb and inſenſible Creatures tremble at thy preſence, and ſhall not we be moved with ſo great mercies? Shall they all in their kinds praiſe thée, and ſhall not we, who are endued with reaſon, alwayes ſing of the loving-kindneſs of our God? Shall the Sea flée, and the waters r etire, and the Mountains and Hills skip at the preſence of the God of Jacob, Ver. 3 and ſhall not Jacob himſelf ſerve the Lord in fear, and rejoyce before him in trembling? Shall the hard Rock be turned into a ſtanding water, and the flint-ſtone into a ſpringing Well, and ſhall not our hard and flinty hearts, in conſideration of our own miſeries, Ver. 8 and Gods unſpeakable mercies in delivering us from the bondage of our ſins, and tyranny of Satan (if not guſh forth into Fountains of tears) expreſs ſo much as a little ſtanding water in our eyes? It is a hard heart indeed, that is not rent with compunction, nor ſoftned with kindneſs, nor moved with prayers, nor will yield to threats and blowes.
And yet, O Lord, ſuch are our hearts, ſo hard, ſo flinty: O touch thou the Mountains, and they ſhall ſmoke; touch our lips with a Coal from the Altar, and they ſhall ſhew thy praiſe: Smite, Lord, our flinty hearts, as hard as the nether milſtone, with the hammer of thy Word, and mollifie them alſo with the brops of thy mercies, and dew of thy Spirit; make them humble, fleſhy, flexible, circumciſed, ſoft, obedient, new, clean, broken; for we know, That a broken and contrite heart thou wilt not deſpiſe.
O Lord our God, give us grace from the very bottom of our heart to deſire thée, in deſiring to ſeek thée, in ſéeking to find thée, in finding to love thée, in loving thée, utterly to loath our former wickedneſs; never let us return in our hearts back again into Aegypt, never let us long after the Léeks and Onions, and Garlick thereof: But being by thy mercy delivered and brought from thence, and from the ſlavery of ſin and Satan, let it be our whole endeavour to walk humbly and obediently before our God, that living in thy fear, and dying in thy favour, when we have paſſed through the Wilderneſs of this World, we may poſſeſs that heavenly Canaan, and happy land of promiſe, prepared for all ſuch as love thy coming, even for every Chriſtian ſoul, and who is thy Dominion and Sanctuary. Grant this, O gracious God, in the Name of our Lord and Saviour Ieſus Chriſt, who lives and reigns with thée, and the Holy Spirit, one God, World without end. Amen.