Commentary on Ezra Nehemiah Ester Job and Psalms, Commentary 5 · Psalm 94
PSAL. XCIV.
VErſ. 1. O Lord God to whom vengeance belongeth] Heb. Jehovah God of revenges; ſo Jer. 51.56. The Lord God of recompences. Vengeance is mine ſaith He, I will repay, Deut. 32.35. And it is beſt he ſhould; for he returneth a juſt recompence of reward, Heb. 2.2. whereas men ſeek oft an unequall revenge, as a ſtab for the lye given; and beſides, in ſeeking the lives of others,Heb. 10.30. they ſometimes loſe their own.
Shew thy ſelf] Heb. Shine forth, appear for thy poor wronged ſervant. David knew the Law, and ſubmitted to it; he turneth over his enemies to God to bee ordered by him; neither did he himſelf herein any diſ-ſervice. I ſeek not mine own glory (ſo mine own revenge) ſaith Chriſt; but there is one that ſeeketh it. God never faileth to do it, to be their Champion, who ſtrive not for themſelves, only they muſt wait his leiſure, and not preoccupate his executions.
Verſ. 2. Lift up thy ſelf thou Judge of the earth] Judges as they aſcend the Tribunal, ſo when to paſſe ſentence they uſually ſtand up. See Iſa. 33.10.And hereunto the Pſalmiſt alludeth.
Verſ. 3. Lord, how long ſhall the wicked, how long?] Bis, quia de die in diem gloriantur, ſaith Aben-Ezra. Twice he ſaith it, becauſe the wicked boaſt day after day, with ſuch inſolency and outrage, as if they were above controul.
Verſ. 4. Hour long ſhall they utter] Heb. They will bluſter (or will-out as a fountain) they will ſpeak hard things (ſpeak milſtones, throw daggers) they will boaſt themſelves (talk largely of their good parts and practices) all this is expreſſed by an elegant Aſyndeton, to ſhew that they did all this ordinarily, and unceſſantly. foreign.Euripid.
Verſ. 5. They break in peeces thy people] They make potſheards of them. And this is the beſt uſe they make of thy patience; break it off therefore.
Verſ. 6. They ſlay the widdow and the ſtranger] Thoſe ſacred perſons, thy proper clients; to ſuch an height of hard-heartedneſſe are they grown, that they pitty not them whom nature and curteſy would ſhew compaſſion to. Nulla fides, pietaſ que viris qui caſtra ſequ…ntur.
Let us bleſſe our ſelves out of the bloody fingers of barbarous and brutiſh men, skilful to deſtroy.
Verſ. 7. Yet they ſay, The Lord ſhall not ſee] To all other their enormities they added this,Lib. 2. c. 7. that they denyed a divine providence, and profeſſed prophaneneſſe. Irridendum vero, curam agere reruns humanarum illud quicquid eſt ſummum, ſaith Pliny, delivering the ſenſe of all other Atheiſts.
Verſ. 8. Under ſtand O ye bru…iſh] Ye that are ringleaders to the reſt, but no wiſer than the reaſonleſſe creatures; yea, therefore worſe, becauſe ye ought to be better. Polybius complaineth of mans folly above that of other Creatures, in theſe words, Caetera animantes ubi ſemel offenderint, cavent; non vulpes aa laqueum, lupus ad foveam, canis ad fuſtem temere redibunt; Solus home ab aevo ad aevum peccat fere iniiſdem.
Verſ. 9. He that planted the ear, ſhall he not hear?] Shall the Author of theſe ſenſes be ſenſeleſſe? Our God is not as that Jupiter of Creet, who was pictured without ears, and could not be at leiſure to attend upon ſmall matters. He is foreign; he is alſo foreign, all eye, all ear. We read of a people called Panotii, God only is ſo, to ſpeak properly.
He that formed the eye, ſhall he not ſee?] He ſaith formeth, becauſe there are many formes or ſpecies in the eye continually; and as the optick vertue in thy eye ſeeth all, and is ſeen of none, ſo doth God much more. All Davids wayes were in Gods ſight, all Gods lawes in Davids ſight, Pſal. 119.168.
Verſ. 10. He that chaſtiſeth the Heathen, ſhall not he correct?]. Qui totis gentibus non parcit, vos non redarguet? He that puniſheth prophane Nations that know him not, ſhall he ſpare you, Amos 3.2? Shall not tribulation and anguiſh be upon the Jew firſt. Rom. 2.9? The Chaldee thus paraphraſeth, He that gave a law to his people, ſhall he not puniſh them when they tranſgreſſe it?
He that teacheth man knowledge] Shall not be know? is to be ſupplied to make ſenſe. The Pſalmiſt ſeemeth ſo diſpleaſed at mens doubting or denying of this, that he could not perfect his ſentence, through paſſion of mind. Some cauſes indeed do give that which themſelves have not; as the lifeleſſe heaven inliveneth; the dull whetſtone ſharpeneth. But here it is far otherwiſe, and woe be to ſuch as act not accordingly, Iſa. 29.15.
Verſ. 11. The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man that they are vanity] Or worſe; that they are ever weaving ſpiders webs, or elſe hatching Cockatrice eggs, Iſa. 59.5. This ſentence St. Paul allegeth againſt the Worlds wizzards, 1 Cor. 3.20. who the wiſer they were, the vainer they were, Rom. 1.21. As Auſtin writing to a man of great paris, ſaith, Ornari abste Diabolus quarit, the Devill would fain bee tricked up by thee.
Verſ. 12. Bleſſed is the man whom thou chaſteneſt, &c.] And thereby effecteſt, that his vain thoughts lodge not within him, Jer. 4.14. but that the wicked forſake his wayes, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and return to thee, &c. Iſa. 55.7. Feri Domine, feri, ſaid Luther, ſtrike whiles thou pleaſeſt, Lord; only to thy correction adde inſtruction, Ʋt quod noceat, doceat. See my Lovetokens.
And teachest him out of thy law] Laſhing him, but withall leſſoning him, ut reſipiſcat, & ſerviat tibi corde perfecto, ſaith Kimchi here, that he may repent and ſerve thee with an upright heart; for which purpoſe affliction ſanctified is of ſingular uſe. Crux voluntat is Dei ſchola, morum diſciplina, felicitatis meditatorium, gau dii Spiritus ſancti officina, breviter bonorum omnium theſaurus, ſaith Brentius on Job 33.16.
Verſ. 13. That thou mayeſt give him reſt] Here uſually, but hereafter certainly. Mors arumnarum requies, was Chaucers Motto; thoſe that dye in the Lord ſhall reſt from their labours. Mean-while they are chaſtened of the Lord, that they may not be condemned with the World, 1 Cor. 11.32.
Ʋntill the pit be digged for the wicked] Untill the cold grave hold his body, and hot Hell hold his ſoul.
Verſ. 14. For the Lord will not caſt off his people] Though he caſt them into the furnace of affliction. The wicked he bringeth into miſery, and there leaveth them, to come off as they can, Ezek. 22.20. & 29.5. Not ſo the Saints, Zach. 13.9. Iſa. 43.2. Heb. 13.5.
Nor for ſake his inheritance] Becauſe His.Senecai Patriam quivis ama, … quia pulchram, ſed quia ſuam. All love their own.
Verſ. 15. But judgement ſhall return unto Righteouſneſs] All ſhall be ſet to rights, and every one have his due, according to Rom. 2.6, 7, 8, 9, 10. if not ſooner, yet at the day of judgement without fail. Some give this ſenſe, ſeverity ſhall be changed into mercy, the rigour of the law to the clemency of the Goſpel. Others thus, judgement ſhall return to Righteouſneſs, that is, to its own place; licet defertur judicium non aufertur.
And all the upright in heart ſhall follow it] viz. In their affections; they are carried out after it, earneſtly deſiring that dear day when God will unriddle his providences, and clear up his proceedings with the ſons of men. Some read, ſhall follow him, that is, God; being brought home to him by their afflictions, they ſhall follow the Lamb whitherſoever he goeth. Not ſo every looſe ungirt Chriſtian or profligate profeſſor.
Verſ. 16. Who will riſe up for mee?] q.d. But a very few faſt friends find I at Court, Jonathan excepted. Some there are that will ſprinkle mee with Court-holywater (as they ſay) give glozing ſpeeches; but 'tis little that they will do, and yet leſſe that they will ſuffer for mee. Faithfull friends, ſaith One, are gone on pilgrimage, and their return is uncertain.
Verſ. 17. Except the Lord had been my help] He loveth to help at a pinch; he uſually reſerveth his hand for a dead lift. See 2 Tim. 4.16, 17.
My ſoul had almost dwelt in ſilence] i.e. In the dark cloiſters of death. The Greek and Latin Tranſlators render it, In Hell.
Verſ. 18. when I ſaid my foot ſlippeth] I ſtand on a precipice, and ſhall be down. Hypotypoſis eſt.
Thy mercy O Lord held mee] I have ſubſiſted meerly by a miracle of thy mercy, by a prop of thine extraordinary pitty and patience.
Verſ. 19. In the multitude of my thoughts within mee] My perplexed, intricated, inſnarled, intertwined (as the branches of a tree) cogitations and ploddings upon my daily ſufferings; when I know not what to think, or which way to take to.
Thy comforts delight my ſoul] The Beleever is never without his cordiall; he hath comforts that the World wots not of. The good Lantgrave of Heſſen being held priſoner for a long time together by Charles the fift Emperour, ſaid, that he could never have held it out ſo, but that he felt the divine conſolations of the Martyrs.Auguſt. Martyr etiam in catena gaudet, &c. ſaith Auſtin; Crux inunct a eſt, ſaith Bernard. Godlineſſe hath many croſſes, and as many comforts; like as Egypt hath many venemous Creatures, but withall many Antidotes againſt them.
Verſ. 20. Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowſhip with thee?] Shall Tyrants and Oppreſſours (who do exerciſe regiment without righteouſneſs) intitle thee to their wicked proceedings, and go unpuniſhed? See Iſa. 36.10. with 37.36. the Throne or Tribunal is called, The holy place, Eccleſ. 8.10. wo then to thoſe that pollute it.
Which frameth miſchief by a Law] As did the Primitive Perſecutors, with their bloudy Edicts againſt Chriſtians; and the Popiſh Biſhops, or whoſe Laws that of Politian was verified,
Inventum Actiae dicuntur jura Draconis:
Verſ eſt fama nimis, nil niſivir us habent.
Some render it, Praeter, vel contra legem, beſide or againſt Law.
Verſ. 21. They gather together] Heb. Run by troops, as Theeves do.
Againſt the ſoul] Which they would gladly deſtroy, if it lay in their power. This the Popiſh perſecutors oft attempted, but God hath better provided, Mat. 10.28.
Verſ. 22. But the Lord is my defence] Heb. My high place, where I am ſet out of their reach.
Verſ. 23. And he ſhall bring upon them, &c.] See Pſal. 7.15, 16.