Davids Harp Strung and Tuned, 4 [i.e. 5] (cont.) · Psalm 138
PSAL. CXXXVIII.
DAVID delivered from his enemies and troubles, and advanced to the Kingdom, gives thanks to God, acknowledgeth Gods goodneſſe in hearing his prayers; foretels the converſion of Kings, ſhews that God regards the humble, rejects the proud, puts his truſt in God for the future, and prayes that God would continue and enlarge his mercy to him. More briefly.
1. In the three firſt verſes he promiſeth a grateful heart, and to ſing forth the praiſes of God, becauſe God heard his cryes and prayers, and in tribulations ſent him comfort.
2. In the three next, he ſhews what after Kings would do, when the works and truth of God ſhould be made known to them.
3. In the two laſt verſes he profeſſeth his confidence in God, ſhews what he hopes for from him, and in aſſurance that God will perfect his work, prayes him not to deſert and forſake him.David ſhews his thankfulneſs.
1. Firſt, David ſhews his thankfulneſs, which he illuſtrates and amplifies.
1. The firſt part. And illuſtrates it, that,From the manner of the doing of it, done it ſhould be cordially, ſincerely, ardently, totally, I will praiſe thee with my whole heart.
2. From the witneſſes before whom it ſhould be done, Before the Gods will I ſing praiſe. Ver. 1 Coram Elohim. Not only privately, but publickly, before the Potentates, 1He would do it heartily. 2 Before all men.whether Angels or Kings of the earth, Pſal. 111.1. Pſal. 107.32.
3. From the place, the Temple, then the Tabernacle, a ſymbol of Gods preſence with his people. Ver. 2 It was as it were Gods Palace and there he ruled as a King, 3In the Temple.and therefore he would fall low, bow, worſhip, I will worſhip toward thy Holy Temple. Which the Jews did when abſent from Jeruſalem, Dan. 6.
4. 4The cauſes inducing him to it.From the cauſes inwardly inducing him to it, I will praiſe thy Name for thy loving kindneſſe, and for thy truth.
1. 1Gods calling him to be King.For thy loving kindneſse, in calling me from the ſheepfold to the Kingdom.
2. 2Performing his word.And for thy Truth, in performing thy promiſe. In performing which
5. Thou hast magnified thy Word above all thy Name. This clauſe is diverſly read: Thou haſt magnified thy Name in thy Word, that is, in performing thy Word above all things. Or, Thou haſt-magnified thy Name and thy Word above all things. Or, Magnificas cum to…o nomine tuo ſermonem tuum. Jun. All theſe have the ſame ſenſe. But the vulgar reads it thus, Quoniam magnificaſti ſuper omne nomen ſanctum tuum. And Bellarmine by Sanctum tuum, underſtands Chriſt, who Luc. 1. is foreign, to whom he gave a Name above every Name. I ſuppoſe our Engliſh Tranſlation ſhould be pointed thus. Thus haſt thou magnified thy Word above all thy Name, or, and above all thy Name. For Muſculus by and joyns the Subſtantives. 3For hearing and granting his petitions.Magnificasti ſuper omnia nomen tuum & eloquium.
6. From Gods facility in hearing and granting his petitions, which he preſented to his God in the time of his baniſhment and affliction. Ver. 3 In the day when I cryed thou anſweredſt me, and ſtrengthenedst me with ſtrength in my ſoul. Infirme creatures we are, and in temptations and afflictions muſt faint, except God ſtrengthen us. Out of all theſe motives David would praiſe God.
2. David having ſet down what God had done for him, The ſecond part.in mercy call'd him from following the Ewes great with young ones, anointed him to be a King, heard his prayers, ſtrengthned him in his affliction, and in truth performed his promiſes; conceives it impoſſible, but that either the Neighbour, or future Kings, ſhould take this, when they heard of it, into their conſideration, and …cknowledge the miracle, and praiſe God for it. This certainly is the literal ſenſe, This mercy to David, was like to move other Kings to magnifie God.though it may have an eye to the converſion of Kings in future to the faith.
1. All the Kings of the earth; Hiram, Toe, &c. or the future Kings of Iſrael, Judah ſhall praiſe thee, when they hear the words of thy mouth, what thou haſt ſaid of me, David, and of my ſeed. Ver. 5
2. Yea, They ſhall ſing in the wayes of the Lord; that is, of the wayes of the Lord: Muſcul. of his mercy, truth, clemency: For great is the glory of the Lord; he is very glorious in all his wayes, his works, his proceedings.
3. Of which this is one: Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect to the lowly, of which, I David may be an inſtan̄ce: But the proud he beholds afar off. He removes far from him, he will not have to do with them, they are in remotis agendis; of which Saul may be an example, and the Devil.
3. Becauſe God, who is high, looks upon the lowly, The third part. With it ſo mov'd he was, that he puts his affiance in God.therefore David being conſcious to himſelf of his own humility, promiſeth himſelf help from God in all his tribulation, even for the time to come.
1. If I walk in the midſt of trouble, that is, on all ſides expoſed to trouble. Ver. 7
2. Thou wilt revive me, make me live, and preſerve me ſafe, and untouch't.
3. Thou ſhalt ſtretch forth thy hand againſt the wrath of my enemies: Thou, by thy power, ſhalt reſtrain their fury, that would devour me; and hinder their endeavours and enterpriſes.
4. And thy right hand ſhall ſave me: Thy power, thy virtue, thy Chriſt, who in Iſa. 53. is call'd the arm of the Lord, ſhall do it.
The laſt verſe depends on the former, becauſe he knew, And that that God who had, would yet deliver him.that as yet many troubles and afflictions remained to be undergone, therefore he was confident, that the ſame God who had hitherto delivered him, would be a good God to him for the future, and deliver him in time to come, and ſo make his work perfect.
1. The Lord will perfect that which concernt me; not for any merit, but mercy.
2. Of which he gives the Reaſon: Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth … …ver. Ver. 8 It is not for a moment, it vaniſheth not with one benefit; For his mercy.but … is eternal, ſo is it eternal, and the reſote I know that God will perſ… in me what he hath begun.
3. And to that end he concludes with a prayer, And for this he prayes.Forſake not the work of thy own hands. Thou which in mercy haſt begun this work, conſerve, increaſe, perfect it, becauſe it is thine own work only, and none of mine. If we deſire that God ſhould perfect any work in us, we muſt be ſure that it is his work. Abſolons work had no bleſſing, for it was none of Gods.
The Prayer out of the One hundred and thirty eighth Pſalm.
O Lord, I will praiſe thee with my whole heart; neither will I do this privately, and within the walls of my houſe, but in publick, and in the Aſſembly of thy Saints, even before Angels, and the greateſt Princes, who are Terreſtrial gods; Ver. 1 I will ſing Pſalms to the honour of thy Name; I will bow my ſelf, and fall low, and worſhip towards thy holy Temple, and there praiſe thy Name for thy loving-kindneſs, in making unto me many gracious promiſes; and for thy Truth, in performing what thou haſt promiſed, in both which, Thou haſt magnified thy Name, Ver. 2 and thy Word, above all things that are in heaven and earth. Thou haſt commanded me to call on thée in time of trouble, and I, in obedience to thy Word, have call'd: And in the day when I cryed, Thou anſwer'dſt me, by which, Thou haſt magnified thy Word; and in my weakeſt eſtate, Ver. 3 Thou haſt ſtrengthned me with ſtrength and conſolation in my ſoul, by which, Thou haſt magnified thy Name.
So many have béen thy mercies, ſo wonderful thy Providence, ſo ſtrange thy protection toward me through my whole life, ſo beyond expectation thy ſalvation ſent unto me in my greateſt dangers, Ver. 4 That whoſoever ſhall hear the words of thy mouth ſpoken of me, and fulfilled in me, will be ready to praiſe thee, yea, Ver. 5 they ſhall ſing of the wayes of the Lord; of thy wiſdom, thy power, thy juſtice, thy goodneſs, and confeſs, upon the conſideration of thy works, That great is the Majeſty and Glory of our God.
For though thou art high, moſt high in nature, moſt high in power, moſt high in command and empire, Ver. 6 yet thou humbleſt thy ſelf, and haſt reſpect to the lowly; for whoſe ſake thou humbledſt thy ſelf in thy Son, didſt vouchſafe to deſcend from Heaven, and converſe with them: As for the proud, Thou beholdeſt them afar off, as no way approving their haughty thoughts. O Lord, remove far from me all pride of heart, and create in me an humble ſpirit, that thou may'ſt caſt one, good look toward me, deſcend into my heart by grace; and that I may from this low eſtate aſcend unto thée.
Thou, O Lord, haſt hitherto béen merciful unto me, and deliver'd me from many troubles, Ver. 7 but yet I carry about me a body of fleſh, and my ſorrowes are not at an end, I muſt look for afflictions, and I expect them; that which alone can arm me againſt theſe calamities, is the experience of thy former mercies; hitherto thou haſt, and I am aſſured, that hereafter thou wilt deliver me: Though then I walk in the midſt of trouble, I know thou wilt revive me; Thou ſhalt ſtretch forth thy hand againſt the wrath of mine enemies, quell their fury, and allay their rage, and thy right hand ſhall ſave me.
O Lord, perfect thy work in me that thou haſt begun; It procéeds not from my mer… but thy mercy; Ver. 8 and this thy mercy is not for a moment, but endures for ever; … vaniſheth not with one benefit, but is eternal, as thou art eternal: And all the works that flow from me, whether within me, or done upon me, are thy works; forſake not then, but protect and cheriſh the works of thine own hands; nor leave me, who am thy workmanſhip, created after thine own image. Good God, renew in me what is decay'd by the fraud and malice of the Devil, or my own frailty; let thy grace purſue me, and thy right hand uphold me, that I may attain to that perfection of thy Saints in glory, through Ieſus Chriſt our Lord. Amen.