Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 3 · Psalms · Psalm 116 – Psalm 117
PSAL. CXVI.
I Love the Lord because he hath heard my voice, Hebr. I have loved, because the Lord will hear: Whereupon Jerom noteth, that his profession of love Vers. 1. Hieron:is in the preterperfecttense, and hope to be heard in the future, intimating, that such as love God shall be heard, and therefore prayer is availeable in Note. such as love him only; the wicked that hate him, shall pray and not be heard, Esa. 1. 14.
I will call upon him as long as I live, Hebr. In my dayes I will call: Whereupon Ver: 2:Jerom also saith, what is it in my daies, when as in other places it is, Day and night? and answereth, so long as we are in the world, that is, in the state of sin, we are in the night; but being converted, our dayes begin: the wicked then are in the Night, they cannot pray, but the righteous in the day, there pray, and are heard. And it is sayd, He hath inclined his eares unto me, or bowed them down, because we are low, he the most high, so that he must graciously stoop to our lowness to hear us; and therefore he is said to humble himself to behold things here below▪ and this was in his Son, humbled to take upon him our Nature, that he might be our Mediatour, and through Psal. 113.him our prayers might come up acceptably before him.
Then taking this to be the prayer of a Soule in trouble, he proceedeth upon these words, The sorrowes of death compassed me, the dangers of Hell found me: He saith, These sorrowes, are evill cogitations, and the dangers of Hell Vers. 3.these evill thoughts, breaking out into act; Lust, when it hath conceived, bringeth forth sin, and sin perfecteth death: And I found trouble and sorrow: Iam. 1. 14, 15.Here he altereth his speech, not saying touble and sorrow found me, or laid hold upon me, as before, but I found, that is, besides spirituall Evills before spoken of, indangering me, I willingly suffered Tribulation and affliction here, that I might rest hereafter: for he that will follow Christ, must take up his Cross, and follow him. Afflictions here are for our sins; we are judged, that we may not be condemned, and therefore joyfully to be 1 Cor. 11. 30.born.
Gracious is the Lord and just, our God is mercifull. Gracious and mercifull he Vers. 5.is said to be, that we might not despaire by reason of our sins, and just, that we may not dare to go on in sin.
I was brought low, and he saved me: That is, Either I was brought low Vers. 6. Calvin.by sin, and obtained mercy to be pardoned; or I was high minded, and humbled by his Grace, and so saved. Calvin, and others that follow the litterall sence, apply all things here spoken, to David. that he was brought low, and lay long in great danger, but was again saved.
Return unto thy rest O my Soule. As if he had sayd, thou wert well and Vers. 7.at rest, till sin entred into the World, return now therefore to Christ, who is thy rest, by Faith and Repentance.
For thou hast delivered my Soule from death: By suffering death for me, Vers. 8.and so from the place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth; for which it is added, Mine eyes from tears: and of them that are blessed with everlasting life, it is said Revel. 7. He shall wipe all tears from their eyes. A forcible motive to turn to Christ, and not to live in sin any longer, because Note. this is to turn to rest; whereas to go on still impenitently in sin is to be in a restlest condition, and the way to weeping and wailing for ever.
I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living, Hebr. in the Lands: Vers. 9.Vulg. Lat. Placebo coram domino, I will please before the Lord: Where upon Jerom inferreth, that no man can perfectly please God living upon Earth Hieron.here, for all men, the best have their imperfections; but the time shall come when they shall in all their doings be pleasing before him, that is, In the land of the living: and what is that land, but that where Abraham, Isaack, and Iacob live; of whom when our Lord had said, God is the God of Abraham, Isaack, and Jacob for ever, he added, he is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
And the same inference may be made upon our reading, I cannot walk before him altogether, as I thould here; but in the life to come I shall. From hence forth to the End of Psalme 117. the Vulgar Latine makes another Psalm in number there 115. and so, saith Jerom, doth Symachus; but Heb. Verse 10. 11. &c. to the end, hang together with the Vetses before going, as one and the same Psalme.
I did beleeve, therefore I spake, I was greatly afflicted, vulg. I was very much humbled; whereupon Jerom, I beleived, as I said before Verse 9. that I Vers. 10.shall live in heaven in angelicall perfection, and therefore I spake so; but I consider withall, that I am dust and ashes, and this humbleth me very low, even when my Faith lifteth me up so high as hath been sayd: see this alleadged, 2 Cor 4. 23. to the same purpose.
I sayd in my hast, all men are lyars, Hebr. Either haste or feare, or trepidation, Vulg. In excessu meo, Men are lyars, because shadowes and no substances, Vers. 11.they see but in part, and therefore not all truth; and so in things, wherein they see not the truth, they are lyars. But what then, was David himself a lyar? for he was also a man?
Answ. Some are said to be Gods, Viz. The sanctified, and therefore come not now under the Notion of men, as the word is here used. Or in respect of the body every man is a Lyar, not in respect of the Soule; because the Body is no substantiall thing, but a shadow thus Jerom. And I said in my excess Basil.of calamity, which makes men to speak, as it were in an ecstasy, All men are lyars. because as the Corn from which great increase is expected, but faileth, is said to be lying and deceitfull, so eueryevery man that hath high thoughts of himself, and thinks that he is somewhat, and can do great matters, Ainsw.but proves nothing, is a Lyar. Of men sayd to be lyars, see Numb. 23. 19. Psal. 33. 17. Rom. 3. 4. Some understand it as spoken of Samuel, that had promised David that he should be King, whith in the time of his distresse should never come to passe: Or generally as before, that i… any trust be put in man, he will prove a Lyar, that is, he shall be deceived in him, for he is of no power. Calvin hath another Exposition, which he saith some bring, that Calvin.David doth only express here, what atemptation he had about Gods promises made to him by his Prophets, but was not overcome hereby. But for his part, he holdeth it to be a confession of his being overwhelmed with doubts and fears in his great dangers; not that he ever despaired, but by thus saying, sought to magnifie Gods mercy towards him the more, who stood to him when no man did: And I think, it may be understood of the fair promises of Saul, and the great good will which his Courtiers sometime shewed to him, and all the people in generall; but in fine they proved all deceitfull; and even Jonathan, who was most affected to him, though he were desirous, could do him no good to save him from his Fathers fury.
I will take the Cup of Salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord: Jerom, I wise take the cup of Jesus, because it is Hebr. foreign from whence Jesus Vers. 13. Hieron.cometh, and expounds it of suffering Martyrdom for his cause. For this is the Cup of Jesus, as he sayd to the two Sons of Zebedee, Yee shall drink indeed Matth. 2…. 20.of my Cup; For the Great benefit of Christ dying for us, we have nothing …o worthy to render to God again, as our Lives; neither are these any thing, if they be compared with his laying down his life, which was of infinite worth, for us; only this, being all that we have, is accepted of as the poor Widdowes two Mites.
Others rendring it the Cup of Salvations, because it is a noune plurall, understand it of thanksgiving, expressed by sacrifices, whereunto were added Calvin.drink-offerings; but I prefer the former, and the rather, because it followeth; Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints: and Verse 17. Vers. 15. Vers. 17.he speaketh of; sacrificing the Sacrifice of Praise: as of another thing which the Faithfull shall do in the land of the living.
And V 16: thou hast loosed my bands, further sheweth the same; for then Vers. 16.the bands of sin which before filled them with fear are loosed, when death is suffered for Christ, and the Soule appeareth confidently before the Lord to praise him for ever.
And when this shall be done, the vowes made of pleasing before him are payd, in Heavenly Jerusalem, before all his people, that is, The Vers. 18. Vers. 19.Saints in Heaven: for which he concludeth with their word of praise, Halalujah, Rev. 19.
PSAL. CXVII.
THis Psalm hath nothing in it but what hath been said before Psalm 100. 96. 97. 98. and therefore needeth no exposition, it being, as these here named, a Prophesie of the Conversion of all Nations to the Faith of Christ.