Commentary on Ezra Nehemiah Ester Job and Psalms, Commentary 5 · Psalm 21
PSAL. XXI.
VErſ. 1. The King ſhall joy in thy ſtrength] This Pſalm dependeth upon the former; and is therefore fitly ſet next unto it. Some call it Davids Triumphant Song of praiſe, for victory gotten over the Ammonites and Syrians. For that Victory it was certainly, which he and the people had begged ſo fervently, Pſal. 20. and promiſed ſolemnly to rejoyce in Gods Salvation, &c. verſ. 5. as here is done accordingly. Vow and perform unto the Lord your God: bring preſents, &c. Pſal. 76.11.
And in thy ſalvation] All is Gods. As Joab once ſent to David to come, and take the honour of the Victory over Rabbah of the Ammonites: ſo dealeth David by the Lord. His Poſie was, Non nobis Domine; his practiſe was to drive an holy trade between Earth and Heaven, receiving and returning, importing one commodity, and tranſporting another: Prayers and Praiſes were his whole life▪
Verſ. 2. Thom haſt given him his hearts deſire] Good m…n are ſure to have out their prayers either in mony, or in monies worth, as they ſay; in that very thing they deſire, or a better. If God croſs them, it is in faithfulneſs to their Souls: when the wicked boaſteth of his hearts deſire, Pſal. 10.3. which yet he hath for a miſchief. Deus ſaepe dat iratus, quod neg at propitius. See the Note on Pſal. 20.4.
And hath not with-holden, &c. Selah] Ac ſi dicat, O magnam & admirabilem Dei benevolentiam erga Davidem! ſaith Vatablus. This Selah is added here, to ſet forth the very great and wonderful love of God to David, in hearing his Sutes after that ſort.
Verſ. 3. For thou preventeſt him with the bleſſings of goodneſs] Not ſtaying till he asked them of thee. He had but a thought of building thee an houſe, and thou ſenteſt Nathan to tell him, that thou wouldſt build him an everlaſting houſe, and ſtabliſh his Throne to all perpetuity, 2 Sam. 7.16. So Iſa. 65.1. Before they call, I will anſwer, &c.
Thou ſetteſt a Crown of pure gold upon his head] Hebrai dicunt per hoc intelligi favorem Dei, the Jew-Doctors by this Crown underſtand the favour of God; confer Pſal. 103.4. God had ſet a Crown of loving kindneſs, and tender mercies upon his head, by pardoning all his iniquities, as it is there; and he bleſſeth God for this as a farre better Crown, than that which he took from off the head of the King of Ammon, and ſet upon his own, 2 Sam. 12.30.
Verſ. 4. He asked life of thee] Quando fugiebat à Saule, ſaith R. Solomon, when he fled from Saul; rather when he went into the field againſt his enemies, carrying his life in his hand. His life we begged, Pſal. 20.1, 2. and thou haſt not only given him his life, but a long continued ſeries of lives in his Succeſſors, 2 Sam. 7.13. Pſal. 72.15. yea life everlaſting in Chriſt his Son, according to the fleſh. See Pſal. 61.6. Thus God is better to his people than their prayers; and when they ask but one Bleſſing, he anſwereth them as Naaman did Gehezi, with Nay take two. Hezekiah asked but one life, and God gave him fifteen years, which we reckon at two lives, and more. He giveth liberally, and like himſelf; as Great Alexander did when he gave the poor Begger a City; and when hee ſent his School-maſter a ſhip full of Frankincenſe, and bade him ſacrifice freely.
Verſ. 5. His glory is great in thy ſalvation] He was at firſt ſlighted even by his own, as a petty Prince; and the Philiſtines came up to ſeek him, that they might ſuppreſs him, before he grew too ſtrong for them; in ſo much as he for fear of them went down to the Hold, 2 Sam. 5.17. but ſoon after he became formidable to them, and the reſt of the neighbour-Nations, whom he ſubdued, and reigned over. The like hereunto befell our Queen Elizabeth, who how low ſoever at firſt, became at length, as her enemies confeſſed, the moſt glorious Woman that ever ſwayed Scepter, becauſe Poſuit Deum adjutorem ſuum.
Honour and Majeſty haſt thou laid upon him] a growing weight of glory, a load of it, even before man. The Saints when they come to Heaven ſhall have an exceeding exceſſive eternal weight of glory, 2 Cor. 4.17. ſuch as if the body were not upheld by the mighty Power of God, it were impoſſible it ſhould ever bear it.
Verſ. 6. For thou haſt made him moſt bleſſed for ever] Heb. Thou haſt ſet him to be bleſſings. For as the wicked, when deſtroyed by ſome horrible Judgment, are examples to others of Gods curſe, Iſa. 65.15. Jer. 29.22. 2 Pet. 2.6. Judaeus ſim, ſi fallam, ſay the Turks at this day, when they would aſſure any thing for a certainty; ſo the godly when in a ſpeciall manner bleſſed, are Patterns of bleſſings to others, that in them they may bleſſe themſelves or others, Pſal. 72.17. Pſal. 1▪28. 4. Gen. 12.2. & 48.20. Ruth 4.11, 12. See Pſal. 37.26. So here they ſhall ſay, Tanto rerum ſucceſſu polleas, quanto David, Maiſt thou bee as ſucceſsfull as ever David was.
Thou haſt made him exceeding glad with thy countenance] One good caſt whereof David long ſince preferred before all the worlds good, Pſal. 4.6. See the Note there.
Verſ. 7. For the King truſteth in the Lord] So then, his joy was the joy of faith which is unſpeakable and full of glory; and hee muſt needs bee ſafe who relyeth upon God, Iſa. 26.4.
Hee ſhall not bee moved] ſc. from the proſperous ſucceſſe of his affaires and ſtate; the beauty and bulwark whereof is Gods never failing mercy.
Verſ. 8. Thine hand ſhall find out all thine enemies] Thine, becauſe ours; for thou art in a league with us both defenſive and offenſive: Now our enemies act as if they were out of the reach of thy rod, but thou wilt eaſily hunt them down, and root them out. Purſued they ſhall bee by thee, and overtaken, run they never ſo farre, never ſo faſt.
foreign.
Verſ. 9. Thou ſhalt make them as a fiery Oven] i.e. Thou ſhalt lay upon them grievous and exquiſite miſeries, Lam. 5.10. Hee alludeth to the overthrow of Sodom, ſaith Vatablus.
The Lord ſhall ſwallow them up] As the fire doth the fuel. Some think the Prophet here alludeth to that direfull kind of puniſhment which David inflicted upon the Ammonites whom hee made to paſs thorow the brick-kiln, 2 Sam. 12.31. perhaps the furnace of their Idol Moloch or Milcholm, wherein they cauſed their Children to paſſe thorow the fire, 2 King. 16.3. & 23.10.
And the fire ſhall devour them] Hell-fire, ſaith the Chaldee Paraphraſt.
Verſ. 10.Nulla emolumenta laborum Juven. Their fruit ſhalt thou deſtroy] i.e. Their labour, and that which comes thereof, Prov. 21.16, 31. they ſhall toil to no purpoſe; the gains ſhall not pay for the paines.
And their ſeed] For as perſonall goodneſſe is profitable to poſterity; ſo on the contrary; as, in the ſecond Commandement: they are peremptores potius quam Parentes.Bern.
Verſ. 11. For they intended evill againſt thee] Becauſe againſt thy people. Hee that wrongeth a ſubject is arraigned for injury done to the King, his Crown and dignity. And as a certain Gentleman of Normandy was executed for but intending only to kill Francis the ſecond King of France, which he diſcovered to a Prieſt, ſub ſigillo confeſſionis, not thinking ever to hear further of it again; ſo here.
Verſ. 12. Therefore ſhalt thou make them turn their back] Who faced the very Heavens, and ran, as it were, full butt againſt thee; ſuch was their impudence and inſolence. But thy wrath ſhall ſo meet them in the teeth, whereſoever they turn, that they ſhall bee forced to give over their chaſe and purſute of thy people. Thou ſhalt make them turn their back, Heb. their ſhoulder; whence ſome ſenſe the words thus, Thou ſhalt bind them back to back, and caſt them into the Sea of perdition. Some read the words thus,Pones eos ut meram. Kimchi Thou ſhalt ſet them as a Butt or Mark to ſhoot at; and this agreeth beſt with that which followeth.
Againſt the face of them] Which is elegantly campared to the white; as their bodies to the whole mark or Butt.
Verſ. 13. Bee thou exalted, Lord, in thine own ſtrength] Finit Pſalmum cum laude, ſicut incaepit, ſaith Aben-Ezra, Hee cloſeth up the Pſalm, as hee began it, with praiſe and prayer that God would ariſe and deſtroy thereſt, as hee had allready done ſome of their enemies. Gods power and ſtrength is in it ſelf infinite, and cannot be exalted or amplified; but in reſpect of us it is ſaid to bee exalted, when exerted and put forth for the defence of his people.
So will we ſing and praiſe thy power] This they reſtipulate; as knowing that it would pleaſe the Lord better than an Ox or Bullock that hath hornes and hoofs, Pſal. 69.31.