Commentary on Ezra Nehemiah Ester Job and Psalms, Commentary 5 · Psalm 30
PSAL. XXX.
A Pſalm and ſong] i.e. An holy hymn, firſt framed in meeter; then ſung with mens voices.
At the dedication of the houſe of David] Either when it was new built, 2 Sam. 5.11. confer Deut. 20.5. Neb. 12.27. ſaying as He once,
Jamq, meos dedotibi, Princeps, jure Penates,
Tu mibi jus dederas, poſſe vocare meos.
God ſo loveth his people, that their walls are ever in his ſight, Ifa. 49.16. they ſhould therefore have holineſſe to the Lord written upon them, Zach. 14. ſanctified they ſhould be by the word and prayer, 1 Tim. 4.5. Or else, after he had defiled it by his Adultery, with Bathſbeba, and Abſolom had much more defiled it by his abominable inceſt and other villanies, See 2 Sam. 20.3.
Verſ. I. I will extoll thee O Lord, for thou haſt lifted mee up] De puteo peccati canoſo, ſaith Kimchi, out of the miry pit of fin; or out of the ditch of deadly danger, ſay others. Therefore I will extol thee, that is, I will have high and honourable conceptions of thee. I will alſo do mine utmoft, both by words and deeds, that thou mayeſt be acknowledged by others to bee as thou art, the great and mighty Monarch of the whole World.
And haſt not made my foes to rejoyce over mee] Befides all former victories, Abſolom and Sheba were lately ſlain.
Verſ. 2. I cryed unto thee] In ſome great ſickneſſe, ſay ſome, that befell him about the time that he built his houſe of Cedar, 2 Sam. 5. that he might not be overjoyed, and take a ſurfeit: Or rather, when by my ſons rifing up againſt mee, I was likely to have loſt my ſtate and Kingdome.
Andt hou haſt healed mee] That is, helped mee, as Jon. 2.6. thou haſt reſtored and re-eſtabliſhed mee in my Kingdome. Kimchi ſenſeth it thus, Thou haſt delivered my ſoul from Hell, though in this World thou haſt grievouſly afflicted my body.
Verſ. 3. O Lord thou haſt brought up, &c.] Here he ſaith the ſame again as before; the better to ſet forth the greatneffe of the benefit, and ſo to excite himſelf to due thankfullneſſe. The uttermoſt extremity of a calamity is to be acknowledged, after wee are delivered out of it, Iſa. 38.10.
Thou haſt kept mee alive] Thou haſt reſcued mee from inſtant death; and this I look upon as a reſurrection from the dead.
Verſ. 4. Sing unto the Lord] Here he calleth in help to praiſe God, as holding himſelf too weak to do it a lone. Publication of Gods praiſes ſhould be ſeconded by provocation of others to do the like. David thought one mouth too little to do it.
O yee Saints of his] Or,Chafid. Plus, Benignus. O yee his mercifull ones, that having partaken of his mercy, are ready to impart the ſame to others; and not to pull up that bridge before them, that your ſelves have once gone over.
At the Remembrance (or memorial) of his holineſſe] That is, at his Tabernacle, ſay ſome; that his holineffe, his grace and goodneffe may be alwaies had in remembrance, ſay others; and that which he doth for us be carefully kept upon record.
Verſ. 5. For his anger endureth but a moment] Though it laſts all a mans life; for what's that to eternity? Junctumeſt quod vivimus & puncto minus. But it ſoon repenteth the Lord concerning his ſervants; whom, out of love diſpleaſed, hee correcteth for a ſhort braid, Ifa. 54.7, 8.2 Cor. 14.17. Iſa. 26.20. Heb. 10.37. Tantillum, tantillum, adbuc puſillum. Bear up therefore, faint not, fret not.
Flebile principium melior fortuna ſequetur.
If our ſorrowes be long, they are light; if ſharper the ſhorter. The ſharp North Eaſt-wind never laſteth three dayes; nothing violent is permanent.
In his favour is life] Vita in voluntate, elſe wee ſhould dye in our ſins; but his favour never faileth. Kimchi here noteth that of thoſe thirteen attributes of God, Exod. 34.7. twelve are mercy, and one only is anger. Joſeph for his thirteen years of ſervitude and impriſonment, had fourſcore years freedome and preferment. Davids perſecution by Saul was but a moment to his following happineffe when once he came to the Kingdome.
Weeping may endure for a night] Diſeafes and aches are worſt toward night. At even-tide loe there is trouble; but afore morning it is gone, Iſa. 17.14 mourning laſterfi but till morning, and then departeth; as did Lots two Angels. The morning of the Reſurrection howſoever, ſhall put a period to all our miſeries; and make a plentifull amends.
But joy commeth in the morning] Heb. Singing; flebilibus modis modus adbibebitur. God turneth his peoples ſighing into ſinging, their muſing into muſick, tears into triumph, wringing of hands into dapping of hands for joy, &c. And as there is a viciſſitude of nights and dayes; ſo of croſſes and mercies to Gods people, whiles they are in this vale of miſery, and valley of tears. God checkereth his providences (ſaith One) white and black; hee ſpeckleth his work, as is ſet forth by thoſe ſpeckled horſes among the Myrtle-trees, Zach. 1.8. Mercies and Croſſes are interwoven. This World is called a valley of tears, or as ſome render it, of Mulberrytrees, Pſal. 84.6. Betwixt them both, they may make up an emblem of the Saints condition here. Tears are moiſt; Mulberries grow in dry places. Gods people have their interchanges of joyes and ſorrows, whilſt here. See in this and the following verſes the circle God goes in with them. David was afflicted and delivered, in this verſe; In the next hee grew wanton. Then he is troubled again, Verſ. 7. cryeth again, 8, 9. God turneth his mourning into mirth again, 11, 12.
Verſ. 6. And in my proſperity I ſaid] Or, In my tranquillity; then it was that he was overgrown with ſecurity; as was alſo Job, chap 29.18, 19, 20. See the Note there; and Job 9.18. How many have burnt their wings about Jobs candle? chap. 29.3. ſaith One; Oh the hazzard of honour … dammage of dignity! how ſoon are wee broken upon the ſoft pillow of eaſe a Lunaticks, when the Moon is declining and in the wain, are ſober enough; but when full, more wild and exorbitant. Flies fettle upon the ſweeteſt perſumes when cold; ſo do ſin and Satans temptations on the beſt hearts, when diſſolved and diſ-ſpirited by proſperity; Watch therefore.Niobe apud Ovid. Major ſum quam cui poffi fortuna nocare. Adam in Paradiſe was overcome; when Job on the dung-hill was a Conqueror.
I ſhall never bee moved] Exceſſere metum mea jam bona. David by miſreckoning of a point, miſt the haven, and had almoſt run upon the Rocks. How apt are the holieſt to bee proud and ſecure? even as worms and waſps eat the ſweeteſt apples and fruits. What reaſonhad David to promiſe himſelf more than ever God promiſed him, immunity from the Croffe? Did he think (as Dionyſius afterwards did,Aelian. … var hiſt. lib. 2. but was clearly confuted ſoon after) that his Kingdome, and with it proſperity. was tyed unto him with cords of Adamant? what though he ſat quietly now at Jeruſalem, 2 Sam. 11.1. free from fear of enemies? and could find time to look and luſt after his neighbours wife, would this alwaies hold, thought he? and could not God ſet up his own darling Abſolom, to put him to trouble? No; David ſaid in his proſperity, Non vacillabo. I ſhall never be moved; and why?
Verſ. 7. Lord, by thy favour thou haſt made my mountain, &c.] Yea, but there is no mountain ſo ſtrong that may not bee moved, if not removed with an Earthquake. Is it not as eaſie with God to blaſt an Oak, as trample a muſhrome? And what though God in his favour had ſeeled ſtrength to Davids mountain? what though he had conſtituted and eſtabliſhed it ſure as Mount-Zion (for there was Davids arx, & aularegia) which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever? Pſal. 125.1. yet by a turn of his countenance only, God can ſoon diſ-ſweeten all his injoyments, and plunge him into a deplorable condition.
Thou didſt hide thy face and… was troubled] i. e. Thou didſt ſuſpend the actuall influence and communication of thy grace (the Chaldea calleth it Sheahinab the divine prefence) and I was all-amort. The life of ſome creatures conſiſteth in the E… ſo doth that of the Saints in the light of Gods countenance. And …sun an Eclipſe of the Sun there is a drooping in the whole frame of nature ſo when God hideth his face, the good ſoul laboureth and languiſheth. And as none look at the Sun but when it is in the eclipſe; ſo neither prize wee Gods loving countenance, till we have loſt it.
Verſ. 8. I …, O Lord, &c.] For why? I felt my ſelf … while that I was deſerted, in a kind of Hell above-ground. Hac tentatio initium aliquod & guſtus fuit illorum inenarr abilium dolorum quos impii ſentiunt in omni aternitate. David felt himſelf now in the ſuburbs of Hell, as it were; and doth therefore ſet up as loud a cry after God, as once Micah did after his mawmets, Judg. 18. and farre greater cauſe he had.
And to the Lord I made ſupplication] He knew that the ſame hand alone muſt cure him that had wounded him; neither was Gods favour recoverable, but by humble confeſſion, and hearty prayer. Some think to glide away their groans with games, and their cares with cards; to bury their terrours and themſelves in wine and ſleep. They run to their muſick with Saul, to building of Cities with Cain, when caſt out of Gods preſence, &c. ſed haret lateri lethalis arundo; but as the wounded Deer that hath the deadly arrow ſticking in his ſide, well he may frisk up and down for a time, but ſtill he bleedeth, and will ere long fall down dead: ſo it is with ſuch as feek not comfort in God alone, as make not ſupplication to Him for Him; as return not to God who hath ſmitten them, nor ſeek the Lord of Hoaſts, Iſa. 9.13.
Verſ. 9. What profit is there in my blood, &c?] i.e. In my life, ſay ſome, q. d. To what purpoſe have I lived, ſith Religion is not yet ſettled? In my death (ſay others,Diolat. and better) a violent death eſpecially, and out of thy favour? Now all beleevers have ever abhorred ſuch a kind of death, before they were reconciled to God, and had a true feeling of his grace.
Shall the duſt praiſe thee, &c?] See Pſal. 6.6. with the Note.
Verſ. 10. Hear O Lord, and have mercy upon me] When faith hath once ſaid to God what it hath to fay, it will wait for a good anſwer, relying on his mercy, and expecting relief from the Lord, as here David doth; looking in the mean whiles, through the anger of his corrections, to the ſweetneffe of his loving countenance; as by a Rain-bow we ſee the beautifull image of the Suns light, in the midſt of a dark and wateriſh cloud.
Verſ. 11. Thou haſt turned from mee my mourning, &c.] Suſtuliſti luctum, & latitiam attuliſti. See the Note on verſ. 5.
Ver. 12. To the end that my glory may ſing praiſe to thee] i.e. That my tongue, oyled from an heart enlarged, may exalt thee according to my bounden duty, and thine abundant deſert. A good tongue that watcheth all opportunities to glorifie God, and edifie others, is certainly a mans great glory; but an evill tongue is his foul ſhame. Baſil expoundeth glory by foreign the ſpirit or ſoul. The Chaldee Paraphraſt, Laudabunt to honor abiles mundi, The glorious ones of the World ſhall praiſe thee.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever] Epiphonematica & pathetica concluſio, Davidi ex ſummis calamitatibus erepto familiaris. He concludeth as he began, ingaging his heart to everlaſting thankfullneſſe; and therein becoming a worthy pattern to all poſterity.