Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, Book 4 [i.e. 5] · Psalm 115
PSAL. CXV. foreign.
THE Prophet being zealous of Gods Honour, which the Heathens went about to take from him, and attribute to their Idols, is earneſt with God, that it might be manifeſt, that Honour did belong to him alone, and might not be given to another.
There be four parts of this Pſalm.
1. His Vote and Petition for Gods Honour, ver. 1. that did not belong to any Idols, becauſe of their vanity, from ver. 3. to 9.
2. An Exhortation to praiſe God, and hope in him, from ver. 10. to 12.
3. The Benefit that will accrue from it, a bleſſing, from ver. 12. to 16.
4. A Profeſſion, that for the bleſſing they will bleſs God, ver. 17, 18.
1. The firſt part. His zeal for Gods honour.Some joyn this Pſalm to the former, conceiving, that the Prophet having expreſſed the goodneſs of God in the deliverance of his people from Aegypt, would not have any part of the Glory attributed to Moſes, Aaron, or any merits in them, but wholly aſcribed unto God himſelf: And therefore he thus begins.
1. Ver. 1 Not unto us, not unto us, nor any Leader amongſt us.
2. foreign, Not to us; foreign, to thy Name give the praiſe: Which he deſires to aſſume for three Reaſons.But unto thy Name give glory: We ſeek it not, take it wholly to thy ſelf.
And this he deſires, he would alwayes ſhew in the protection of his people, for three Reaſons.
1. For manifeſtation of his mercy: Give glory to thy Name, for thy mercy.
2. Ver. 2 For declaration of his faithfulneſs in keeping his promiſe: Do it, for thy Truths ſake.Of which the laſt is, that the Heathen do not blaſpheme.
3. That there might not be given an occaſion to the Heathen to blaſpheme, as if they his people ſhould be forſaken, and deſtitute of help: Wherefore ſhould the Heathen ſay, Where is now their God?
Well, ſay it ſo fall out, that the Heathen impiouſly ask the queſtion, Ʋbieorum Deus? We have in a readineſs what to anſwer them, To the glory of our God, but to the diſhonour of their Idols, Be it they do, yet the anſwer is, our God is in Heaven.which he proves by an elegant Antitheſis.
1. As for our God, he is in the Heavens, and his miracles wrought for his people teſtifie as much; Ver. 3 for he hath done whatſoever pleaſeth him. He hath, and can deliver his people when he pleaſeth; Their gods are all Idols, as appears,and if it be his pleaſure, they muſt ſuffer alſo.
2. But now I may better ask, Where are their gods? gods did I call them? nay, nay, they are but Idols, they deſerve not the name of gods, as is evident by the matter, 1By their matter.whereof they are, 2. the Makers of them. 3. Their vanity and inutility.
1. Their Idols are ſilver and gold; at the beſt; of no more precious ſtuffe; Ver. 4 and yet though ſuch, from the Earth they fetch their Original.
2. 2Their makers.The work of mens hands. Works they are, and not Maſters of the work; they made not themſelves, but were made, and therefore baſer, than the baſeſt Smith that made them.
3. Of no uſe, of no power at all; 3Their uſeleſsneſs, of no power.for they can make no uſe at all of thoſe parts which they ſeem to have; for having the ſhape of men, they can do nothing as men.
Ver. 5 For they have mouths, but they ſpeak not; eyes they have, Ver. 6 but they ſee not.
They have ears, but they hear not; noſes they have, but they ſmell not.
They have hands, but they handle not; feet they have, but they walk not; neither speak they through their throat.
They cannot do that which Beaſts can, ſend out of their mouths an inarticulate voyce or found, ſo far they are from ſpeaking.
4. And thus the Prophet having derided their Idols, he goes on, 4He derides the Idol-makers:and derides,
1. The Idol-makers: They that make them, are like to them; a ſenſleſs people, that think to make a god, out of gold, ſilver, wood, and ſtone.
2. The Idol-worſhippers: So is every one that puts their truſt in them; And Idolaters.truſt and relies on that which cannot help. In this life they are like to them; for they ſeem neither to ſee and hear, than hear and ſee indeed; when they will not hear and ſee what belongs to their good, and the Truth; whence Chriſt ſaith, out of the Prophet, of ſuch, Having eyes, they ſee not, and ears, but they hear not, Mark 8.
2. And ſo the Prophet having paſſed this Sarcaſme upon the Idols, The ſecond part.and Idolaters, he leaves them, and turns his ſpeech to the Iſraelites, whom he exhorts to truſt in God.He exhorts Iſrael to truſt in God.
1. In general, the whole Nation; O Iſrael, truſt thou in the Lord: Let the Heathen truſt in their Idols, but you are Gods ſervants, truſt you then in that Lord you ſerve. And to encourage them, he adds his Reaſon, 1In general, all Iſrael.He is their help, and their ſhield; the Lord Protector of the whole Nation.
2. In particular, the Tribe of Levi; O houſe of Aaron truſt in the Lord: 2In particular the Levites.You are the Leaders and Guides in Religion, and God is your portion, and therefore you ought to truſt eſpecially in him: He is their help, 3All that fear the Lord.and their ſhield; a ſhield you need, and he will be the Lord Protector of your Tribe.
3. In a word: Ye that fear the Lord, Jewes or Proſelytes, in what Nation ſoever ye live, ſee that ye truſt in the Lord; and that for the ſame reaſon; For he will be their help, and their ſhield alſo. In every Nation thoſe that fear him, and do righteouſneſs, are accepted of him: He will be a Lord Protector even to theſe, as to Job, Naaman, &c.
3. And that his Exhortation to truſt in God might take the deeper root, The third part. The bleſſing upon it.he tells all three that they ſhould be no loſers by it; for it was it that had, and would bring a bleſſing upon them: For God doth not uſe to forget thoſe that truſt in him; but he hath been mindful of us: Ver. 12 And by a ſingular and eſpecial Providence, and care of us, he hath ſhew'd it, and he will ſhew it to every one of you.
1. To you of the Nation: He will bleſs the houſe of Iſrael.1To the Nation.
2. To you of the Prieſthood: He will bleſs the houſe of Aaron.
3. To all you that fear him: He will bleſs them that fear the Lord, 2To the Prieſthood.both ſmall and great.
And the Prophet taking his example from God, 3To all that fear him. This the Prophet ſeconds with his prayer.poures forth his bleſſing upon them alſo; he thought it not enough to exhort them only to truſt in God, and acquaint them that God would bleſs them, except he ſeconded it with his prayer, and therefore to Gods bleſſing he adds his own, and deſires the bleſſing may reſt upon the heads of them, and their children.
1. The Lord ſhall increaſe you more and more, you and your children.
2. Let the World curſe you, and ſpeak evil of you; yet I ſay, Ye are the bleſſed of the Lord; come ye bleſsed, Deutr. 28.
3. That Lord which made heaven and earth; which words are added, that they be aſſured that their bleſſing is a real bleſſing coming from him, in whoſe hand is the dew of heaven, and fatneſs of the earth; in which form Iſaac bleſſed Jacob, Gen. 27.28.
4. It comes from one that is able to bleſs.
1. For the heaven, even the heavens are the Lords. In them he eſpecially ſhewes his Preſence, Majeſty, Glory, from thence deſcend the dewes of grace, and the drops of rain that water the earth.
2. As for the earth, he hath made a Deed of Gift for that, He hath given it to the children of men; that by his bleſſing upon their labour, they may be ſuſtained with food and rayment; ſo that while they live in it, and enjoy the Goods thereof, they praiſe him.
4. The fourth part.For that is the true end of their being here, the chief, nay, the ſole end, they live upon it, And that for their bleſſing they again bleſs God.the end that God gave it to them; an end, which they that are dead, cannot attain unto. This he illuſtrates by an Antitheſis, betwixt the dead and the living.
1. Ver. 17 For the dead praiſe not the Lord, neither any that go down into the ſilence. Among them there is great ſilence of the dewes of heaven, and the fatneſs of the earth, they need neither; and therefore they praiſe not God for them. The bleſſing of the City, and bleſſings of the Field, are nothing unto them, they have no mouths to fill, and therefore no mouths in a corporal manner to open in the praiſe of God. Him they praiſe, but it is after their manner, not ours; him they praiſe, but it is for other bleſſings than ours.
2. Ver. 18 But we as yet are upon the earth, we enjoy his protection, we enjoy beſides ſpiritual, theſe temporal bleſſings alſo: this his gift we muſt make uſe of. And therefore we will do that the dead cannot, We will bloſs the Lord from this time forth for evermore. By our ſelves, while we live; and deſire it may be done by our poſterity when we are going down into ſilence.
3. However, ye that are alive this day, Praiſe ye the Lord.
The Prayer collected out of the One hundred and fifteenth Pſalm.
O Omnipotent and Gracious God, in all Ages thou haſt béen merciful to thy people, and even in their greateſt afflictions raiſed up the ſpirits of ſome one or other of thy ſervants, by whoſe hands thou haſt delivered them. At this time we are in great miſery, at this time we are in affliction, ſend us help from thy Sanctuary, raiſe us up ſome Moſes to go before us, ſome Joſhua to ſight for us, Ver. 2 ſome Sampſon to deliver us; wherefore ſhould the uncircumciſed triumph over us, and ſay, Where is now their God? The reproach, O Lord, redounds to thée, this inſultation is to thy diſhonour; ariſe then, O Lord, and give the glory unto thy Name, ſhew thy merciful countenance, and that thou art a God of Truth, Ver. 1 and for thy Mercy and Truths ſake, come down at laſt and deliver us. Merit there is none on our part, why thou ſhouldſt do it for us, and therefore it muſt be mercy. Merit there is too much on our part, why thou ſhouldſt not do it, and therefore if it be done, it muſt be thy Truth, thy Word paſſ'd to thy ſervants, that moves thée to it. We deſtre not that any part of this work be attributed to us, but that the honour of it be wholly thine. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy Name, which is now blaſhemed and vilified, Ver. 3 give the Glory, for thy Mercy, and for thy Truths ſake. Make them know, that have ſo long truſted in lying vanities, and worſhipped the imaginations of their own hearts, That our God is in Heaven, that he hath done whatſoever pleaſed him; that as it hath béen his pleaſure to humble us, ſo it is his pleaſure to exalt us; he hath brought us very low, but he can ſet us again on high, when, how, and by whom he pleaſeth.
O Lord, heal our back-ſlidings, and love us freely, turn away thine anger from us; be as a dew to thy Iſrael, make his branches …oread, Ver. 9 and his beauty as the Olive-trée; let him revive as the Corn, and grow as the Vine; what have we to do any more with Idols, vain men, That have hands, and cannot help; and ears, and will not hear? Thée, O Lord, will we hear, Thée will we alone obſerve; For thou art our help; and our ſhield. Thou wilt be the Lord Protector to thy Iſrael, Thou wilt be a ſhield to the houſe of Aaron, Thou wilt be a helper to all thoſe that fear thée; therefore renouncing the arm of fleſh, we will truſt to thée alone.
O Lord, be mindful of us, and bleſs us; bleſs the houſe of Iſrael, that people which thou haſt choſen to thy ſelf, and gathered from among the Nations: Bleſs the houſe of Aaron, that Tribe that thou haſt choſen to thy ſelf, and ſet apart to come near unto thée among this people. O Lord, bleſs them all that ſear thy Name, in what part of the World ſoever they remain, of what condition ſoever they he, both great and ſmall; whether thou haſt raiſed them to a high degrée of honour, or made them veſſels of diſhonour. Thou Lord, art that great Lord, that hath made both heaven and earth; ſhe power in heaven, Thou haſt reſerved to thy ſelf; the earth, Thou haſt given to the children or men, that they may inhabit it, and be ſuſtained by it. By thine own mouth, all thoſe who ſerve thée in fear and reverence, are pronounced to be the Bleſſed of the Lord; give then, good God, to theſe the dew of heaven, and the fameſs of the earth; multiply and increaſe them more and more, both the fathers and their children.
Of this nothing can deprive us, but our abuſe and unthankfulneſs; that may make heaven braſs, and the earth iron under us: So touch our hearts then with thy grace, that we never receive a bleſſing, but we be as ready to return a bleſſing; that we uſe not the gift, without bleſſing thée the Doner; tis the end we live, 'tis the end we breath. The dead praiſe thee not; for the gifts of the earth, becauſe they have no uſe of them; they that go down into the ſtlent places of the grave, are altogether ſilent for thy ſwéet dewes and ſhowres wherewith the earth is impregned and fatned, becauſe they ſtand not in néed of any of her ſupplies. We are the men, who yet live, and draw our breath, which muſt be nouriſhed and ſuſtained by the dugs of this good mother, which we will never praw without thankfulneſs. We will bleſs the Lord while we live upon the earth, even from this time, to the end of our life; and if we could live for ever, for evermore.
Since therefore, O merciful Lord, Thou haſt given the earth for a poſſeſſion to the ſons of men, and to that end, that there may be upon the earth ſome to celebrate thy Name, we beſéech thée to defend thy little flock from the hands of violent men, and ſuffer them not by their rage and fury, to be taken from their poſſeſſions, by a violent and immature death. But much more, O Lord, preſerve them from eternal death and damnation, in which no man can praiſe thée; and grant unto them, that while they live on earth, they may live by the life of thy Spirit, that both now, and for ever, as it is their bounden duty, they may praiſe and magniſle thy Name, and ſet forth thy mercies in Ieſus Chriſt our only Lord and Saviour. Amen.