Commentary on Ezra Nehemiah Ester Job and Psalms, Commentary 5 · Psalm 6
PSAL. VI.
TO the chief Muſician on Neginoth] See Pſal. 4. Title.
Upon Sheminith] or upon the eight, i.e. Intentiſſimo ſono & clariſſimo voce, Vatab.to be ſung aloud. An Eight is the higheſt Note in Muſick. See 1 Chron. 15.21. Others ſay, that hereby is meant the Baſe and Tenor, as fitteſt for a Mourner.
Verſ. 1. O Lord rebuke me not in thine anger] In this and ſome other Pſalms, David begins ſo heavenly, ends ſo merrily, that one might think they had been compoſed by two men of a contrary humour, as Moulin obſerveth.De L' amont Divin. Every new man is two men, Rom. 7. The Shulamite hath in her as it were the company of two Armies, Cant. 6.13. The Lord alſo chequereth his Providences white and black, hee ſpeckleth his work; (repreſented by thoſe ſpeckled Horſes, Zach. 1.8.) Mercies and Croſſes are inter-woven.
Neither chaſten me in thy hot diſpleaſure] Chaſtened, David deſires to be, as Jer. 10.24. 1 Cor. 11.32. Heb. 12.7, 8. But in Mercy, and in meaſure, 1 Cor. 10.13 Fury is not in me, ſaith God, however it may ſometimes ſeem to be, Iſa. 27.4. Of furious people the Philoſopher giveth this Character, that they are angry, foreign againſt thoſe whom they ſhould not. 2 foreign for matters they ſhould not. 3 foreign more than they ſhould be. But none of all theſe can be affirmed of God. Anger is not in him ſecundum affectum, but ſeemeth ſo to be ſecundum effectum, when he chideth and ſmiteth (as angry people uſe to do) when there is no other remedy, 2 Chron. 36.16. his anger is in Scripture put, 1 For his threatnings, Hoſ. 11.9. Jon. 3.10. 2. For his puniſhments, Mat. 3.7. Rom. 2.8. But as God therefore threatneth that he may not puniſh, Amo. 4.12. ſo in the midſt of Judgement he remembreth Mercy, and it ſoon repenteth him concerning his people.
Verſ. 2. Have mercy upon me, O Lord] As the woman in ſtory appealed from Philip to Philip; ſo doth David fly from Gods anger to Gods grace; for he had none elſe in Heaven or Earth to repair to, Pſal. 73.25. he ſeekes here to eſcape him, by cloſing with God, and to get off, by getting within him.
For I am weak] or cruſhed, gnaſhed, extreamly dejected with ſickneſs of body and trouble of mind. Baſil expounds it of his ſoul ſins into which he fell of infirmity, and for which hee was threatned with Judgements by the Prophet Nathan.
O Lord heal me] On both ſides heal my ſoul, for I have ſinned againſt thee, Pſal. 41.4. heal my body which is full of dolours and diſeaſes, Pſal. 107.18.20. for thou art Jehovah the Phiſician, Exod. 15.26. Heal mine eſtate, which is very calamitous by reaſon of mine enemies, who wiſh my death, and would gladly revel in my ruines. See Hoſ. 6.2. Iſa. 30.26.
For my bones are vexed] viz. by reaſon of my leanneſs, and long lying. For albeit the bones of themſelves are inſenſible, and ake not. yet the membranes and tunicles do, that compaſs the bones.
Verſ. 3. My ſoul is alſo ſore vexed] This was worſe than all the reſt. A light load to a raw ſhoulder is very grievous. A little water in a leaden veſſel is heavie, ſo is a little outward grief to a laden ſoul. Hence Job ſo complaineth, and Jeremy prayeth; be not thou a terrour unto me, O Lord; and then I much matter not what becomes of me.
But thou, O Lord, how long?] ſoil. Wilt thou ſtand off, and not haſt to my help? This is plena affectus Reticentia, Vatab.an emphatical and affectionate Apoſiopeſis, ſuch as is ordinary with thoſe that are in pain, and durance.
Verſ. 4. Return, O Lord, deliver my ſoul] He calleth hard upon Jehovah, which ſweet name of God he hath now five times in theſe four firſt Verſes made uſe of, as one that knew, and could improve the full import of it. Here David beggs of him to return, not by change of place, for God filleth all places (being Entèr, praeſentèr Deus hic & ubi que potentèr.)
But Miſerationis ſerenitate by a beam of his mercy, and by a diſpenſation of his gracious providence, altering his condition for the better, Deut. 30.9. Act. 15.16.
O ſave me for thy mercies ſake] Quàm pulcherrimè iſta ſupplicatio propriis & proficicuis ſermonibus explicatur, ſaith Caſſiodore concerning this text, i.e. How finely and fitly is this requeſt ſet forth? David pleadeth not Merit, but humbly craveth Mercy. The Heart (that peice of proud fleſh) muſt be brought to ſuch a temper and tameneſs, as to crouch to God, for the crums that fall from his table.
Verſ. 5. For in death there is no remembrance of thee] Some Heathens were of opinion that when a man dyed all dyed with him; neither was there any further ſenſe of weal or woe for ever.foreign Ethic. 1.3. c. 9 Socrates doubted, but Ariſtotle affirmed it to be ſo, for ought he knew. Euſebius and Augustine make mention of certain Arabian Hereticks, who held that the Soul dyed with the Body, and ſo remained dead till the laſt day, and then they revived with the reſurrection of the body. This was long ſince exploded for a foul errour, contrary to that which the Scripture holdeth forth in many places. All that David would ſay here is, that dead men remember not, that is, they mention not Gods worthy Acts; to the quickning of others; their praiſes cannot provoke other men to beleeve in God, or ſerve him, as in their lifetime they might, therefore David would fain live to do more good. A certain Martyr going to ſuffer ſaid, he was ſorry that he was going to a place where hee ſhould do God no more work,Seven Epiſt. 3. but be receiving wages only. Domine ſi adhuc populo tuo ſim neceſſarius non recuſo laborem, ſaid a dying Saint, Lord, if I may be yet uſeful to thy people, I ſhould be very well content it might be ſo. See Iſa. 38.18.19. David and Hezekiah prayed hard that they might not yet dye, leſt Religion, and the true Worſhip of God, which they had begun to vindicate and eſtabliſh, ſhould by their deceaſe fall to the ground, through the wickedneſs of their ſurvivers and ſucceſſors.
In the grave who ſhall give thee thanks?] ſcil. Palani & cum aliis, ſaith Aben-Ezra, openly and exemplarily, in the company of others. Some render it, In Hell who ſhall conſeſs to thee? Hereby is ſhewed the fear of Gods Children (ſaith Diodate) anguiſhed by the feeling of his Wrath, leaſt they ſhould dye out of his grace unreconciled, and by that means be excluded and debarred from their deſired aime, to be everlaſtingly inſtruments of his glory. But it is better to take Sheol here for the place and ſtate of the dead, after their diſſolution; though Dilrio will needs have it to be always in Scripture meant of Hell: which if it be ſo, then why ſhould Job ſo earneſtly deſire to be hid in it, chap. 14.13. That was a ſingular example of Paul the Hermite,Adag. Sacr. in 2 Sam. 22. Digreſſ. 2. Hier. in Vit. Paul. who though dead, ſeemed to be ſerving God, and affected thoſe that beheld him. For he was found (ſaith Hierom) dead kneeling upon his knees, holding up his hands, lifting up his eyes; ſo that the very dead corps ſeemed yet, by a kind of religious geſture, to pray unto God.
Verſ. 6. I am weary with my groaning] I have laboured therein, even unto laſſitude. There muſt be ſome proportion between our ſin and our ſorrow. A ſtorm of ſighes at leaſt, if not a ſhower of tears; ſome ſorrow is above tears, ſome conſtitutions are dry, and will not yeeld tears, and in ſuch caſe dry ſorrow may be as available as wet. Shee that touched the heth of Chriſts Garment only was as welcome to him as Thomas, who put his fingers into the print of the nails.
All the night make I my bed to ſwim] So one hours ſin brought many nights pain.Tranſit voluptas, mani… dolo. Nocet emp… dolore voluptas. Biſhop Pilkiton on Nehem. 1.4. Did we but fore-think what ſin will coſt us, we durſt not but be innocent. But now adays (ſaith a reverend Writer) weep a man may not, for disfiguring his face; faſting is thought Hypocriſie and ſhame; and when his panch is full, then as Prieſts with their drunken Now is ſaid Mattens, and belched out, Eruct avit cor meum verbum, with good devotion as they thought; ſo hee bluſters out a few bluſtering words, and thinks it repentance ſufficient, &c. Another deſcants thus upon the text. As in Sicilia there is Fons Solis, the Fountain of the Sun, out of which at Mid-day, when the Sun is neareſt, floweth cold water; at Mid-night,D. Playfere Pſal. 6.6. when the Sun is further off, floweth hot water: So the Patriarch Davids head is full of water, and his eyes a fountain of tears, who, when he enjoyed his health as the warm Sun-ſhine, was cold in confeſſing his ſins. But being now viſited with ſickneſs, his reins chaſtiſing him in the night ſeaſon, he is ſo ſore troubled, and withall ſo hot, and ſo fervent, that every night he waſheth his bed,Simſon in Lo… and watereth, nay even melteth his Couch with tears. &c. A third makes this good Note upon theſe words; The place of Davids ſin (his Bed) is the place of his repentance, and ſo it ſhould be; yea when we behold the place where wee have offended, we ſhould be prickt in heart, and there again crave him pardon: As Adam ſinned in the Garden, and Chriſt ſweat bloudy tears in the Garden; ſanctify by tears every place which we have polluted by ſin, and let us ſeek Chriſt Jeſus in our Bed, with the Spouſe in the Canticles, who ſaith, In my bed by night I ſought him whom my ſoul loved, Cant. 3.1.
I Water my Couch with my tears] By Couch ſome underſtand that whereon David lay in the day time for eaſe and refreſhing, the ſame perhaps which David aroſe off when he beheld Bathſheba waſhing her ſelf; where began his miſery, 2 Sam. 11.2. Others take it for his Pallet, his under-bed, which he alſo watered by the abundance of his penitent tears. Ainſworth rendreth it, I water, or melt my bed-ſtead. Theſe are all exceſſive figurative ſpeeches, to ſet forth the greatneſs of his grief, and the multitude of his tears. Weeping becomes not a King, ſaith Euripides. But King David was of another mind, and ſo was he who ſaid — Faciles motus mons generoſcapit.Ovid.
Tears inſtead of Gems were the ornaments of Davids bed, ſaith Chryſoſtom.
Verſ. 7. Mine eye is conſumed] Heb. gnawn, moth eat…n. That eye of his that had looked, and luſted after his Neighbours Wife, is now dimmed, and darkned with grief and indignation, he had wept himſelf almoſt blinde;Prideaux his Introduct. to Hiſt. p. 289. as it is ſtoried of Fauſtus the Son of King Vortiger by his own Daughter, that he wept himſelf ſtark blinde for the abominable inceſt of his Parents.
It waxeth old] or, is ſunk in my head. Doth not do its office, but is become like an old duſty window that lets in little light. An heavie affliction to thoſe whoſe eyes have been loop-holes of Luſt, and windows of wickedneſs, the remembrance whereof is a thorn to their blinde eyes, and puts them to grievous pain, eſpecially when their enemies ſhall have got it by the end, as Davids had his ill pranks, and ſpared not to lay it in his diſh.
Verſ. 8. Depart from me all yee workers of iniquity] What a ſtrange change is here all on the ſudden? well might Luther ſay, Oratio eſt birudo animae; Prayer is the Leech of the Soul, that ſucks out the venom and ſwelling thereof. Prayer, ſaith another, is an Exoriſt with God, and an Exorciſt againſt ſin and miſery. The Prophet I ſaiah calleth it a Charm, chap. 26.16 becauſe it lays our Soul-diſtempers, and like Davids Harp, drives away the evil ſpirit that is upon us. Pray therefore when out of order, though not ſo fit to pray, fall upon the duty by Davids example here, and that will further fit thee for the duty. Thy leaden lumpiſh heart caſt into this holy fire, will heat and melt. Quoties me oratio, quem poeè diſperantem ſuſceperat, reddidit expultantem & pr…ſumentem de venia, ſaith Bernard? How oft hath prayer found me deſpairing almoſt, but left me triumphing and well aſſured of pardon? The ſame in effect ſaith David here, Depart from me, &c. What a word is that to his inſulting enemies, Avoyd, come out, vaniſh. Theſe bee words uſed to Devils, and doggs, but good enough for a Doeg, or a Shimei. And the Son of David ſhall ſay the ſame to his enemies, when he comes to Judgement.
For the Lord hath heard the voyce of my weeping] Tears then have a voyce (as well as Bloud hath) and God hath an Ear for them. And as Muſick upon the waters ſoundeth further, and more harmoniouſly than upon the Land; ſo do prayers joyned with tears,R. Obad. Gaon in Pſal. 6. Portae Lachrymarum ne ſint clauſae, let not the wounds of godly ſorrow be ever ſo healed up in us, but that they may bleed afreſh upon every juſt occaſion.
Verſ. 9. The Lord hath heard my ſupplication] And thereby ſealed up ſweeteſt love to my Soul; as Ahaſhuerus afterwards did to his Heſter, by granting her requeſt. But how knew David, and how may another man in like ſort know that God hath heard his prayer, though as yet no viſible return appeareth?
I anſwer; This he may know.
1 By a caſt of Gods pleaſed countenance.
2 By the teſtimony of his own Conſcience, Phil. 4.6, 7. and by the aſſurance of faith, which faith to a man as the Angel once did to Cornelius, Thy prayers are heard and anſwered. Of Luther we read, that having been once wraſtling hard with God by prayer, for the proſperous proceeding of the Reformation in Germany, about which there was a general meeting of the States at that time, he came leaping out of his Cloſet with Vicimus, Vicimus, in his mouth, that is, we have prevailed, we have got the day. God ſometimes anſwereth his people before they pray, ſometimes whiles they are praying, as here, and ſometimes after they have prayed, but ſooner or later they ſhall be ſure of it.
The Lord will receive my prayer] He hath, and therefore he will. This is the Language of faith, this is the triumph of truſt.
Verſ. 10. Let all mine enemies be aſhamed] When they ſee all their hopes of my death and downfall diſappointed.
Let them return] Retrocedant & in terram cadant, ſaith the Arabick Interpreter, let them go backward, and fall to the earth. Some make this a Prayer, ſome a Prophecy, it comes all to one.
And be aſhamed ſuddenly] Let them be double aſhamed, or deboſht, and that in a moment. Theſe ſudden and ſtill revenges are very terrible. God uſually premoniſheth before he puniſheth; but not always. Now as bleſſings the more unexpected, the more welcome; ſo Judgments, the more ſuddain, the more grievous.