Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 3 · Psalms · Psalm 141 – Psalm 146
PSAL. CXLI.
THis Psalme is altogether Prayer, First for acceptation, that his praying might be as incense; of which Exod. 30. and the lifting up of his hands, by which words he setteth forth Prayer again by the gesture used herein, as the evening sacrifice of which Exod, 29. 39. but the word is foreign Meate offering; which consisted of fine flowre and oile, together with which a lamb was offered, but one part is put for all. But forsomuch as there was a morning sacrifice as well as evening, why doth he not make his comparison as well from that? Ainsworth, he putteth incense for the whole in the morning, and Minchah for the whole in the evening, not that one only was offered at one time and onother at the other, for all were offered at both; but the Sacrifice of the evening was the more notable in respect of the great Feast of the Passe-over, beginning in the evening, which is called a Sacrifice also, and had Numb. 6: 28 16. 17, 18.its Meat-offering annexed to it, and when this Feast was first kept, the Children o… Israel had a great deliverance the same night, and therefore it is aptly prayed, thus to imply a deliverance from his enemies to follow upon this his praying. Of lifting up of hands put for prayer, see Exod. 17.
2. He prayeth to be kept from evill words; Set a watch before the doore of my mouth; a Metaphoricall speech, implying, that to the end we may be kept Vers. 3.from sinning with our mouthes, God must keep them, so prone is every one to offend this way; therefore David having vowed against sinning thus, Psal. 39. now being conscious to his owne weaknesse, commendeth the care of this to God; how prone every one is to sinne with his tongue, see Jam. 3.
3. He prayeth to be kept from evil deeds; Incline not mine heart to any evill Vers. 4.thing, to practice wicked workes with the workers of iniquity, let me not eate of their dainties. And here to prevent evill deeds, he first prayeth against evil thoughts, from whence they come, Matth. 15. 19. But what is eating of their dainties? Calvin answereth well, their delights, for it is very delightfull to the wicked to doe evill, and by the pleasure that is herein, as by dainties, men are moved Calvin.to eate even to their hurt; so by these pleasures, they are fascinated to sinne to the destruction of the soule. The Chald. understands it of their Songs at their ryotous Cald. Paraph.feasts; Or by their dainties understand Idolatrous sacrifices.
4 He prayeth, in case that he offends by word or deed, that the righteous may smite him, Let him reprove me, it shal be an excellent oyl, it shal not break my head, Heb. Vers. 5.Let the righteous smite me in clemency, or mildly, let precious or head-oyle reprove me, it shal not oppresse, or do violence to my head. According to which it is said, Gal. 6. 1. If any be falne by infirmity▪ ye that are spirituall restore him in the spirit of meeknesse. But here may seem to be a contradiction, in that he prayeth that such may smite him, by a word implying smiting, as with an hammer, Psal. 47. 6. Judg. 5. 26. sharp rebuke, Prov. 23: 35. 9. 8. 35. 12, 28. 23. Zech. 13. 6, and yet in mildnesse. This is well answered by Calvin, it is the mildnesse of the heart, and the tender love and care that this Smiter hath, though sharp in words, Calvin.of the good of the party reproved by him; Head-oyle is put for principall, and most precious Oyle, and the reproofes of such are likened to the best Oyle, in opposition to the flatteries of the wicked, these healing, they skinning over, as it were, and making the soare of sinne more dangerous; so that although violence may seeme to be done to thee, by the sharp reproofes, and castigations of the righteous, as he hath power to proceed by the one, or the other, or by both, yet indeed it is no oppression, or violence, to hurt thy head, that is, thee, in thy soule, which is Note. thy principall part; but to heale thee, as by a precious Balsum applyed to a dangerous wound, for such is sinne to the soule, and if by the reproofe of the righteous thou beest not amended, it will be thy death, and that everlastingly. For yet my prayer shall be in their miseries; that is, although the righteous seeme to deale harshly with me for my sinnes, either by sharp reproofe, or otherwise chastening me, yet I will not, as one exasperated hereby, curse, or raile upon them, and, if they fall into misery, insult over them, as justly thus met withall; but as for such as I dearly love, I will pray for them, that they may be comforted in misery, and delivered.
Some take it either thus, or as meant of the wicked before spoken, rendring the Ainsw,former words, Let not the oyle of the head oppresse my head; That is, the flatteries of the chiefe of them be a meanes to make me sinne, which way if they seeke to move me, or howsoever, I will pray against their wicked practises, that they may not prevaile, or have any force to taint me with sinne; But I rest in the former, yet not excluding this for the next words.
When their Judges shall be over-throwne in stony places, they shall heare my Vers. 6.words, for they are sweet, Hebr. their Judges are falne head-long in the hands of a rocke, they shall heare my words, &c. which seeme to have reference to the last words of verse 5. I will pray in their evils, as the word signifieth; or against them, that they may be turned here-from; and the time shall come, when their Rulers that lead them thus headlong on against me, meant by Judges, shall cruelly perish, as men cast head-long downe from a rocke, and then the common people shall entertaine a better opinion of me, and heare my words, to acknowledge me innocent, although thus hotly persecuted for a time, and a true Prophet and Servant of God, to follow my instructions, as sweet and excellent, although now contemned. For the common people being without judgement, are carried in multitudes against any man, although set up of God, and chosen of him, as Note. their Princes, and such as have power lead them; in doing which, although they are not excused a toto, yet they are a tanto; and so there is hope, if these their Leaders be over-throwne, that they will come to a better minde, and submit to him, whom God hath chosen. Let not therefore judicium populi, which is nothing, be our rule to walke by, but fore-seeing the over-throw that is coming upon their Leaders, which cannot but be with the ruine of them also; let us pray against such evill practises, and decline them, and heare the words as sweet, which tend to dehort us here-from, before that to our greater smart we shall be made so to doe, whither we will or no.
As one that cutteth and cleaveth, our bones are scattered at the Graves Vers. 7. Vers. 8.mouth, &c. Feare not my soule, destitute. Here is the fifth thing that David prayeth for, promising a Declaration of his, and his mens most dangerous case, they being as wood cut in peeces in their bones, and lying thus all mangled at the Graves mouth; whereby he intimateth not at once suffering of death, but being cut peece by peece, and so brought unto it, after the manner of some Martyrs, who have had their bones broken, and then have been killed; yet he trusted in God, and prayeth, Leave not my soule naked, as the word signifieth, that is, without the cover of thy protection, whereby I may be preserved and comforted. And in speaking so of his dangers, he looketh not at what was done already, but what was every day ready to come upon him and his.
PSAL. CXLII.
THis Psalme, as the title sheweth, was made by David, when he was hid in a Cave, into which Saul entred unwillingly to doe his easement, 1 Sam. 2. 4 instead of taking this advantage to kill him, he now falleth to prayer, and was heard accordingly, as the History sheweth.
When my spirit was over-whelmed within me, thou knewest my path; That Vers. 3.is, when I in so apparent danger stood astonished, not knowing which way to take to escape Sauls hands, thou knewest by what way or meanes I should come out againe; and this was by holding Sauls eyes, that he might not see him or his men, being foure hundred in the way wherein I walked, they privily laid a snare for me; so that if I had had none other way of escaping but my owne, of keeping aloofe in the Wildernesse, I should certainly have come into Sauls hands, who had his Spyes, like snares set in every place to discover him, that he might be taken.
Bring me out of prison, &c. This he spake of the Cave, which he counted as a Prison, because there was no way to get out, but at the entrance, where Saul & his men were, although Calvin thinketh this too restrained, holding that by prison he meant all his streights in generall; but since he had no cause to except against it, considering that the Cave is expresly named in the title, shewing whereupon it was, that he spake thus of David, when Absalom persecuted him.
PSAL. CXLIII.
THis Psalme of David most aptly answereth to the former, for there he sheweth, that he prayed, repeating it twice verse 1. here he twice saith, Heare my prayer, give eare to my supplication; There verse 3. When my spirit was over-whelmed within me; Here verse 4. My spirit is over-whelmed within me, only he is in this morefull, but all things are easie to be understood, and need no exposition; And for the title, prefixed by vulgar Latine, and being so like the former, it is rather held that it was made upon the same occasion.
PSAL. CXLIV.
THis Psalme of David beginneth like Psalme 18. but whereas there he describeth Vers. 1, 2,Gods wonderfull coming to save him, and his people, from verse 8. to verse 18. here he prayeth in some of the same Phrases, that he would come so to save him from his enemies, verse 5, 6, 7. calling them the Sonnes of strangers, as Vers, 5, 6, 7.Psal. 18. 44. where see the meaning. But before he cometh to this, verse 2, 3. Verse 2. Vers. 3. Vers. 8.he borroweth somewhat out of Psalme 8. but after praying against his enemies, verse 7. he describeth them further, verse 8. saying, Whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of iniquity, or of falshood; whereby he meaneth, that as they were ready to promise any thing, although they meant not in their hearts to doe so, and what they spake thus falsly with their mouthes, they did not stick to give their right hands to performe it, but in both they were false and fraudulent alike.
Some bring other expositions, but because it is common with men, that they may be the better trusted, to reach out, and give their right hand for more assurance, this of Calvin seemeth best to me, and fully to set forth the sence. For the Calvin,Psaltery, and instrument of ten strings, see Psal. 33. 2.
That our sons may be plants, grown up in their youth, &c. Calv. Because our Vers. 9. Vers. 12.sonnes are as plants; As if it were meant, that they were now so, and it were here desired that they may still so continue; but most generally it is understood as a blessing to come, which the Prophet promised himselfe and the people should be, when the things before spoken of were done, and this is most consonant to the argument of the Psalme, intimating some troubles then in the Land, to hinder the happinesse here spoken of; and the word foreign may be rendred either, because, or that. These here spoken of are worldly blessings, and great blessings, but the greatest of all is the last mentioned, to have the Lord for our God.
PSAL. CXLV.
THis is intituled a Psalme of Praise, and like unto it are all the rest to the end of the Psalmes. Here David beginneth with generall praises, wherewith both he and all men praised God, to verse 8. where he brings an argument of praise from Exod. 34. 6. The Lord is gracious, full of compassion, &c. as Psalm 103. 8. and in magnifying his mercy further he saith, His tender mercies Verse 8. Vers. 9.are above all his workes; and, the Lord is good to all, hereby meaning, that Gods mercy extendeth to every thing that he hath made, to feed and preserve it, and not, as it is commonly taken, that which he doth in mercy excelleth all other things that he doth, although this be true also, for there is no worke comparable to that shewed in Jesus Christ. But to shew, that here mercy is meant towards all, verse 10. he saith, All thy workes praise thee; and verse 14, 15, 16. the two Vers. 10.thing which have before been spoken of, preserving and feeding are specified, as the matter of their praise, of the latter of which see before, Psal. 104. 17 2 He praiseth him for his righteousnesse, and holinesse, in all his wayes Vers. 17.and workes. 3 For his hearing those that pray unto him, whereby wee should be stirred up so to doe, and to praise him, but they must be such as feare him. 4 For his speciall providence over his friends and Lovers to Vers. 20.preserve them; the vulgar also to this Psalme prefixeth David against Goliah.
PSAL. CXLVI.
HEre is an Exhortation to himselfe to praise God, as Psal. 103 and to us all, not to trust in man, but in Almighty God, who is commended to us, 1 From his workes of Creation, vers. 6. 2 The truth of his promises; 3 His justice towards the oppressed. 4 His feeding the Vers. 1, 2, 3, 4. Verse 6. Vers. 7. Vers. 8. Vers. 9. Vers. 10.hungry. 5 His loosing the Prisoners. 6 His giving sight to the blinde. 7 His lifting up of those be bowed downe. 8 His love to the righteous, who doe blesse and praise him. 9 His charity to strangers, fatherlesse, and widowes. 10 His over-turning the wayes of the wicked. And lest it should be thought God indeed hath done this, but will he doe so ever, verse 10. he concludeth, The Lord shall reigne for ever, even thy God (O Zion) to all Generations. So that whosoever to the worlds end putteth his trust in him, as his case shall require, shall finde him ready in any misery to helpe him. In vulgar Latine before this, and Psal. 147. and 148. is prefixed for title Halalujah, of Haggai and Zechariah, but Hebr. there is no title prefixed, but the first word of every of them is Halalujah, and the like of Psalm 149. 150. It is conceived by Jerom to have been made after the peoples returne from Babylon, the last words, verse 10. being by him understood, as a joyfull Hieron.acclamation made thereupon, it being gathered, that the God of Zion, who had done so great things for her, shall alwayes continue, as a most mighty King, protecting her; that is, his Church for ever; and therefore he doth not only prosecute the literall sence, which speaketh what he hath done for the oppressed Jewes, making good his promises, loosing them, and lifting them up that were so low, giving their eyes light of comfort for the darknesse of sorrow, and shewing them mercy in a strange Land, many of them being fatherlesse and widowes, and these he setteth forth by the name of the righteous, because peculiarly chosen, and sanctified to be his owne people, but the wicked Babylonians he over-turned; for having spoken to this effect of corporeall blessings, he saith further, that Christ was the truth here spoken of, and deliverance from oppression is from sinne and Satan, loosing Prisoners, the captives of sinne, feeding the hungry with the spirituall food of his Word, opening the blindes eyes, who were blinde in their understanding, kindnesse-shewing to strangers, by bringing strangers to the Common-wealth of Israel into the Covenant of Grace; and to fatherlesse and widowes, those that were without God to their Father, and Husband; and therefore he noteth, that Hebrew, it is not giving light to the blinde, but giving wisdome to them, so he; but foreign is opening the eyes of the blinde, indeed there is no word signifying eyes, but opening the blinde, which is the same in effect, but may as well be referred to the understanding, as to the eyes, and that of Jerom will be made good.
Moreover he noteth, that touching the widow and fatherlesse it is not said, Custodiet, he will keep, but suscipiet, he will undertake, or receive them returning. Hebr. it is foreign, he will establish, for such as he receiveth are established; as on the contrary side, the wicked over-thrown, of which also it is, Psal. 147.