Commentary on Ezra Nehemiah Ester Job and Psalms, Commentary 5 · Psalm 103
PSAL. CIII.
A Pſalm of David] Which he wrote when carried out of himſelf, as far as heaven, ſaith Beza; and therefore calleth not upon his own ſoul onelyonly, but upon all creatures from the higheſt Angel, to the loweſt worm, to ſet forth Gods praiſes.
Verſ. 1. Bleſs the Lord, O my ſoul] Agedum animul… mi, & intima mea viſera. A good mans work lyeth moſt within doors; he is more taken up with his own heart, than with all the world beſides; neither can he ever be along ſo long as he hath God and his own ſoul to converſe with. Davids Harp was not of…ner out of tune, than his heart, which here he is ſetting right, that he may the better make melody to the Lord. Muſick is ſweet, but the ſetting of the ſtrings in tune is unpleaſing; ſo is it harſh to ſet out hearts in order, which yet muſt be done, and throughly done, as here.
And all that is within me] All my faculties and ſenſes. The whole ſoul and body muſt be ſet a work in this ſervice; the judgement to ſet a right eſtimate upon mercies; the memory to recognize and retain them, Dent. 6 11, 12. and 8.14. the Will which is the proper ſeat of thankfulneſs; the affections, love, deſire, joy, confidence, all muſt bee actuated, that our praiſes may be cordial, vocal, vital. In peace-offerings God called for the ſat and inwards.
Verſ. 2. Bleſs the Lord, O my ſoul] David found ſome dulneſs and drowſineſs; hence he ſo oft puts the thorn to the breaſt; hence he ſo impe…ouſly inſtigateth his ſoul, as One ſhere phraſeth it.
And forget not all his benefits] Forgetfulneſs is a grave; look to it: Eaten bread is ſoon forgotten with us, as it is with children;foreign. Pin…u. neither periſheth any thing ſo ſoon with many as a good turn. Alphonſus King of Arragon profeſſed that hee wondred not ſo much at his Courtiers ingratitude to him (who had raiſed many of them from mean, to great eſtates, which they little remembred) as at his own to God.
Verſ. 3. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities] David not only taketh upon him with an holy imperiouſneſs, laying Gods charge upon his ſoul to be thankful; but intending to ſhew himſelf good cauſe why to be ſo, he worthily beginneth with remiſſion of fin, as a complexive mercy, and ſuch as comprehendeth all the reſt. He had a Crown of pure gold ſet upon his head, Pſal. 21. But here hee bleſſeth God for a better Crown, verſ. 4. Who crowneth thee with loving kindneſs, &c. And how was this Crown ſet on his head, but by forgiving all his iniquities?
Who healeth all thy diſeaſes] Corporal and ſpiritual. Quod ſani…as in corpore id ſanctitas in corde: Jehovah Rophe, or the Lord the Phyſician (as he is called Exod. 15.26. cureth His people on both fides, maketh them whole every whit. See Iſa. 19.22. Mat. 8.17. He bore out diſeaſes.
Verſ. 4. Who redeemeth thy life from deſtruction] From hell, ſaith the Chaldee, from a thouſand deaths and dangers every day. All this Chriſt our kind kinſman doth for us, dying virtually as oſt as we offend.
WhO crowneth thee with loving kindneſs, &c.] Incircleth and ſurroundeth thee with benefits, ſo that which way ſoever thou turneſt thee, thou canſt not look beſide a bleſſing. See the Note on verſ. 3.
Verſ. 5. Who ſatisfieth thy mouth] Heb. Thy jaws, ſo that thou art top full, eating as long as eating is good: God alloweth thee an honeſt affluence of outward comforts… Open thy mouth wide, and he will fill it, Pſal. 81.10.
So that thy youth is …e…ed like the Eagles] The Eagle is of all birds the moſt vegetous and vivacious, renewing her youth and health, they ſay, at every ten years end, by caſting her old feathers, and getting new, till ſhe be an hundred years old.Aquiſae ſenectus. Prover… Auguſtins obſerveth that when her bill is overgrown that ſhe cannot take in her meat, ſhe beateth it againſt a rock, and ſo ex…it … ro…i, ſhe ſtriketh off the comberſome part of her bill, and thereby recovereth her eating. That which hindreth our renovation, ſaith he, the Rock Chriſt taketh away, &c. See Iſa. 40.31.
Verſ. 6. The Lord … &c.] The words are both plural to ſhew that God will execute omnimodam juſtitiam & judicium, all, and all manner of juſtice and judgement, relieving the oppreſſed, and puniſhing the oppreſſor to the ſull.
Verſ. 7. He made known his wayes unto Moſes] Even right Judgements, true Laws, good Statutes, and Commandements, Neh. 9.13, 14. The Rabbins by wayes here, underſtand Gods Attributes and Properties (Middoth they call them) thoſe thirteen proclaimed, Exod. 34. after that Moſes had prayed, Exod. 33. Shew me thy wayes; and the next words favour this interpretation.
Verſ. 8. The Lord is merciful and gracious] Theſe are Moſes his very expreſſions, Exod. 34.7. Theodoret calleth him worthily, The great Ocean of Divinity, &c.
His acts to the children] His miracles in Egypt, and all along the wilderneſs, where they ſed upon Sacraments.
Verſ. 9. He will not always chide] His ſtill revenges are terrible, Gen. 6.3. with 1 Pet. 3.19. but God being appeaſed towards the penitent people, will not ſhew his anger ſo much as in words, Iſa. 57.16.
Neither will be keep his anger for ever] Much leſs muſt we, Levit. 19.18. Eph. 4.26. though againſt his enemies God is expreſly ſaid to keep it, Nab. 1.2.
Verſ. 10. He hath not dealt with us after our ſins] Heb. Our errors, our involuntary and unavoidable infirmities.
According to our iniquities] Heb. perverſly committed: for of theſe evils alſo the Saints are not free; but God bea…eth with more than ſmall faults, eſpecially if not ſcandalous.
Verſ. 11. For as the heaven is high above the earth] How high the third heaven is cannot be conjectured. But for the middlemoſt heaven (wherein the Sun, Moon, and Stars, are placed) how exceeding high it is may be gueſſed and gathered, in that the Stars (whereof thoſe of the firſt magnitude, are ſaid to be every one above a hundred and ſeven times as big again as the whole earth) do yet ſeem to us but as ſo many ſparks or ſpangles. See Prov. 25.3. Eph. 4.10.
So great is his mercy] The heavens are exceeding high above the earth, but Gods mercy to his is above the heavens, Pſal. 108.4. The original word Gabbar here uſed, is the ſame with that Gen. 7.20. uſed for the prevailing of the waters above the mountains.
Verſ. 12. As far as the Eaſt, &c.] And theſe we know to be ſo far aſunder, that they ſhall never come together. The ſpace alſo and diſtance of theſe two is the greateſt that can be imagined, Deut. 4.32. Pſal. 113.3. Iſa. 45.6.
So far hath be removed out tranſgreſsions] The guilt of them, whereby a man ſtands charged with the fault, and is obliged to the puniſhment due thereunto. See Iſa. 43.25. and 38.17 Mic. 7.19. Ezeck. 33.16. Peccata non redeunt. Diſcharges in Juſtification, are not repealed, called in again.
Verſ. 13. Like as a Father pitieth] There is an ocean of love in a fathers heart: See Luke 15.20. Gen. 33.2, 13, 14. and Chap. 4.3. how hardly, and with what caution Jacob parted with Benjamin. Sozomen maketh mention of a certain Merchant, who offering himſelf to be put to death for his two ſons who were ſentenced to dye,Lib. 7. cap. 24. and it being granted that one of the two (whom he ſhould chuſe) ſhould be upon that condition delivered; the miſerable Father, aequali utriuſque amore victus, equally affected to them both, could not yeeld that either of them ſhould dye, but remained hovering about both, till both were put to death.
So the Lord pitieth &c.] So and ten thouſand times more than ſo; For he is the Father of all mercies, Parentela.and the Father of all the Father-beeds in heaven and earth, Eph. 3.15.
Verſ. 14. For he knoweth our frame] Our evil concupiſcence ſaith the Chaldee; Figulinam & fragilem conſtitutionem noſtram, ſaith Junius, that we are nothing better than a compound of dire and ſin.
He remembreth th… we are duſt] Our bodies are (for our ſouls are of a ſpiritual nature, divinae particula aurae) and ſooner or later to be turned to duſt again.
Verſ. 15. As for man, his dayes are at graſs] The frailty of mans life intimated in the former verſe is here lively painted out under the ſimilitude of graſs, as likewiſe in many other Scriptures. See Pſal. 37.2. and 90.5.6. &c.
As a ſlower of the field, ſo be flouriſheth] Take him in all his ga…ety, his beauty, and his bravery, he is but as a flower; and that not of the garden, which hath more ſhelter and better ordering, but of the field; and ſo more ſubject to heat, weather, p…lling … or treading down, Iſa. 40.6, 7, 8.
Verſ. 16. For the wind paſſeth over it, and it is gone] Heb. It is not; that is, it neither continues any longer in being, nor returns any more into being: So here. Job 14.7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.
And the place thereof ſhall know it no more] Though whilſt it ſtood and flouriſhed, the place of is ſeemed as it were to know nothing but it; the glory and beauty of it drew all eyes to it, &c. Think the ſame of men in their flouriſh, ſoon forgotten, as dead men out of mind, Pſal. 31.12.
Verſ. 17. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlaſting] God is from all eternity, and unto all eternity kind to all that fear him, in what age of the world ſoever they live.
And his righteouſneſs unto childrens children] That is, his kindneſs or bounty; for ſo the word Tſedac…ah ſhould be taken, according to Pſal. 112.3, 9. 2 Cor. 9.9.
Verſ. 18. To ſuch as keep his Covenant] For elſe they ſhall know Gods breach of promiſe, as it is Numb. 14.3, 4. Neither ſhall it benefit them to have been born of godly parents.
And to thoſe that remember his Commandements] That reſolve to do them, though in many things they fail, Qui faciunt praetepta etiamſ… non perficiant, that wiſh well to that which they can never compaſs, Pſal. 119.4, 5. If they cannot open the door, yet if they give a pluck at the bolt, or a lift at the latch, there is comfort.
Verſ. 19. The Lord hath prepared] Or fixed, founded, firmed, eſtabliſhed. Here God is further praiſed for his moſt excellent Majeſty, which appeareth firſt, From the loftineſs of his Throne; ſecondly, From the largeneſs of his Dominion.
Verſ. 20. Bleſs the Lord, ye his Angels] In ſtirring up the Angels to praiſe God, he awakeneth himſelf; and for this purpoſe, Incipit à ſuperioribus, & finit in infimis, ſaith Kimcbi here, he calleth in the help of all the creatures from the higheſt to the loweſt; and after all, concludeth as he began with a ſaying to himſelf.
That excel in strength] Heb. Giants for ſtrength, ſuch as can prevail, and do great exploits, yet is all their ſtrength derivative, they have it from God (who it Hagibbor, the Mighty One, Deut. 10.17.) and hence the Angel Gabriel hath his name, God is my ſtrength. Labour we to be like unto the Angels, ſtrengthened with all might &c. Col. 1.11. walking about the world as Conquerors, able to do all things through Chriſt who ſtrengthneth us, Philip. 4.13.
That do his Commandements] viz. Cheerfully, ſpeedily, univerſally, humbly, conſtantly. Let us do accordingly, elſe we mock God when we pray, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Verſ. 21. Bleſs ye the Lord all his hoſts] That is, all his creatures, which are fitly called Gods hoſts, Firſt, For their number; Secondly, For their order; thirdly, for their obedience.
Yee Miniſters of his] Whether in State or Church. Kings are Gods Miniſters. Rom. 13.4, 6. So are Angels, Heb. 1.14. like as Miniſters are Angels, Rev. 2.1. they have exchanged names, their office is Angel-like, to wait upon God, to ſtand before him, to ſerve in his preſence, and to bleſs his Name.
Verſ. 22. Bleſs the Lord all his works] Whether living or liveleſs; For all thy works praiſe thee, O Lord, and thy Saints bleſs thee, Pſal. 145.10. Benedicite ter, ad mysterium Triadis, ſaith an Interpreter.
Bleſs the Lord, O my ſoul] Whatever others do, let me be doing at it, as Joſh. 24.14, 15.