Works Volume 4, Book 5 · Psalm 125
The Hundred and Twenty Fifth PSALM.
A Song of ‖aſcents.Degrees.
The hundred twenty fifth is a declaration of the onelyonly true ſafety, that which conſiſts in our adherence to God, without any ſeeking to irregular indirect means for the attaining it. (Aben Ezra applies it to the †foreigndays of the Meſſiah.)
1. THey that truſt in the Lord ſhall be as mount Sion, which cannot be removed, but ſtandeth faſt for ever.
2. *Jeruſalem hath hills round about herAs the mountains are round about Jeruſalem, ſo the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.
Paraphrase. 1, 2. There is no ſuch perfect ſecurity as that of the faithfull ſervant of God, which repoſeth his intire truſt and dependence on him. He that doth ſo, ſtands as faſt as the holy mountain whereon God himſelf is pleaſed to reſide, which certainly no power of man can be able to remove out of its place. The guard of God's Angels and bleſſed protection ſurrounding him, cannot better be expreſt than by the ſituation of Jeruſalem with hills incompaſſing it; for as thoſe hills are ſure to keep that city ſafe from all incounters of winds or tempeſts, ſo doth the bleſſed protection of God ſurround all faithfull ſervants of his.
3. For the rod of ‖wickedneſs foreignthe wicked ſhall not reſt on the lot of the righteous; leſt the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity.
Paraphrase. 3. For however for a time the tyrannical oppreſſions of wicked men may proſper, to the diſturbing the peace of the pious, and ſo rob them of their promiſed portion of felicity in this life; yet will not God permit this to be laſting or durable to the one or to the other, (proſperity to the wicked, or oppreſſions to good men) leſt it ſhould be a temptation of too great force, able to ſhake the conſtancy of pious men, and perſwade them to doe as wicked men doe, when they ſee it proſper ſo well with them. (See note on Pſal. 16. f.)
4. Doe good, O Lord, unto thoſe that be good, and to them that are upright in their hearts.
5. As for ſuch as †or pervert theirturn aſide unto their crooked ways, the Lord ſhall *ſend or caſtlead them forth with the workers of iniquity; but peace ſhall be upon Iſrael.
Paraphrase. 4, 5. God is, and will certainly be, a gracious and bountifull God to all that continue faithfull and conſtant to him. Their ſincere indeavours of ſerving him ſhall be abundantly rewarded by him, whilſt on the other ſide all obſtinate impenitent ſinners, that in deſpight of all God's commands, and threats, and warnings, will ſtill go on to heap ſin upon ſin, one wilfull provocation upon another, God ſhall certainly inflict moſt horrid eternal puniſhments on them; which ſhall yet farther be increaſed and inhanſed to them, by ſeeing the true pious man, whom they ſcorned and oppreſt in this life, to be received into a ſtate of immarceſſible felicities.
Annotations on Pſal. CXXV.
foreignV. 2. As the mountains] The Hebrew here is elliptical, and beſt ſupplied by adding the verb hath, thus, foreign Jeruſalem hath hills round about her; and this a fit expreſſion of the ſafety and ſecurity of the ſituation, being thus guarded from winds and tempeſts; and this a ſeaſonable reſemblance, to expreſs the benefit and ſafety which ariſeth from God's protection, which incompaſſeth the pious man. The LXXII. have here, by varying the punctation, made this other ſenſe of the two firſt verſes, foreign, They that truſt in the Lord are as the hill Sion; and then in another ſentence, foreign, He that inhabits Jeruſalem ſhall not be ſhaken for ever, foreign — The mountains are round about it, and the Lord is round about his people. In which rendring they have made no other change (beſide that of the pointing) ſave that for foreign ſhall ſtand, foreignthey ſeem to have read foreign the participle, ſtanding, or dwelling, which is anſwerable to foreign. But the Chaldee and Syriack accord to our ordinary reading and punctation.
V. 5. Turn aſide unto] The Hebrew foreign (from foreign to bend, diſtort, foreignpervert) regularly ſignifies perverting, diſtorting; and being joyned here with foreign, which we rightly render crooked ways, it ſignifies a perverting thoſe ways which are already crooked, i. e. going on ſtill, and improving their courſe of impiety, in ſtead of reforming or ſtrengthening, growing worſe and worſe. And to ſuch obdurate ſinners, which daily accumulate ſin on ſin, the vengeance belongs which is here ſpoken of▪ viz. to be caſt out, rejected from God (ſo foreign ſignifies, making to go, or walk; either bidding them go, Go ye curſed into everlaſting fire, or as foreign and foreign, to caſt out, and ſend out, is all one, foreign ſay the LXXII. here, he ſhall drive them out) and that foreign the workers of iniquity, as when Chriſt ſaith, they ſhall have their portion with hypocrites, or unbelievers. The Chaldee here adds foreign into hell, the place where ſuch muſt expect their payment.