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Psalm Thirty-three
Psalm 33
Chapter Contents
God to be praised. (1-11) His people encouraged by his
power. (12-22)
Commentary on Psalm 33:1-11
(Read Psalm 33:1-11)
Holy joy is the heart and soul of praise, and that is
here pressed upon the righteous. Thankful praise is the breath and language of
holy joy. Religious songs are proper expressions of thankful praise. Every
endowment we possess, should be employed with all our skill and earnestness in
God's service. His promises are all wise and good. His word is right, and
therefore we are only in the right when we agree with it. His works are all
done in truth. He is the righteous Lord, therefore loveth righteousness. What a
pity it is that this earth, which is so full of the proofs and instances of
God's goodness, should be so empty of his praises; and that of the multitudes
who live upon his bounty, there are so few who live to his glory! What the Lord
does, he does to purpose; it stands fast. He overrules all the counsels of men,
and makes them serve his counsels; even that is fulfilled, which to us is most
surprising, the eternal counsel of God, nor can any thing prevent its coming to
pass.
Commentary on Psalm 33:12-22
(Read Psalm 33:12-22)
All the motions and operations of the souls of men, which
no mortals know but themselves, God knows better than they do. Their hearts, as
well as their times, are all in his hand; he formed the spirit of each man
within him. All the powers of the creature depend upon him, and are of no
account, of no avail at all, without him. If we make God's favour sure towards
us, then we need not fear whatever is against us. We are to give to him the
glory of his special grace. All human devices for the salvation of our souls
are vain; but the Lord's watchful eye is over those whose conscientious fear of
his name proceeds from a believing hope in his mercy. In difficulties they
shall be helped; in dangers they shall not receive any real damage. Those that
fear God and his wrath, must hope in God and his mercy; for there is no flying
from him, but by flying to him. Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us; let us
always have the comfort and benefit, not according to our merits, but according
to the promise which thou hast in thy word given to us, and according to the faith
thou hast by thy Spirit and grace wrought in us.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Psalms》
Psalm 33
Verse 2
[2] Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the
psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.
Harp, … — These instruments were used in the publick worship of
God in the tabernacle.
Verse 3
[3] Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud
noise.
A new song — Renewed or continued from day to
day.
Verse 4
[4] For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are
done in truth.
The word — All God's counsels and commands are wise, and just,
and good.
His works — All his works of providence agree
with his word, and are the accomplishment of his promises or threatenings.
Verse 5
[5] He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full
of the goodness of the LORD.
Goodness — He not only doth no man wrong, but he is kind and
merciful to all men.
Verse 6
[6] By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all
the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
The word — God made this admirable structure of the heavens, and
all its glorious stars; not with great pains and time, but with one single
word.
Host — The angels: or the stars.
Verse 7
[7] He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap:
he layeth up the depth in storehouses.
Store-houses — Either in the clouds, or in the
bowels of the earth.
Verse 10
[10] The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought:
he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.
The Lord — Thus he passes from the work of creation, to the works
of providence, and from the instances of his power, in senseless and irrational
creatures, to his power in over-ruling the thoughts and wills, and actions of
men, whether single or united.
Verse 11
[11] The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts
of his heart to all generations.
The Counsel — All his purposes and designs are
always successful.
Verse 13
[13] The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons
of men.
All men — Although he hath a relation to Israel, yet he hath a
general care over all mankind, all whose hearts and ways he observes.
Verse 15
[15] He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all
their works.
Fashioneth — Having said that God sees and
observes all men, he now adds, that he rules and governs them; yea, even the
hearts which are most unmanageable, he disposes and inclines according to the
counsel of his will.
Alike — Or, equally, one as well as another: whether they be
Jews or Gentiles, princes or peasants; all are alike subject to his
jurisdiction.
Their works — Both outward and inward, all the
workings of their minds and actions, and all their endeavours and actions.
Verse 16
[16] There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a
mighty man is not delivered by much strength.
No king — He instances in these, as the most uncontrollable
persons in the world, and most confident of themselves. By which he strongly
proves his general proposition, of God's powerful providence over all men.
By an host — But only by God's providence, who
disposes of victory and success, as he pleases, and that frequently to the
weakest side.
Verse 17
[17] An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he
deliver any by his great strength.
An horse — Though he be strong and fit for battle, or for flight,
if need requires. And so this is put for all warlike provisions.
Vain things — Heb. a lie; because it promises
that help and safety which it cannot give.
Verse 18
[18] Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him,
upon them that hope in his mercy;
The eye — Whosoever therefore would have safety, must expect it
only from the watchful eye, and almighty hand of God.
That fear — These are the chief objects of
his care and favour.
Hope — That place their hope and trust, and happiness, not in
any creature, but only in God, and in his mercy and blessings.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Psalms》
Exposition
Explanatory Notes and
Quaint Sayings
Hints to the Village
Preacher
Other Works
TITLE. This song of
praise bears no title or indication of authorship; to teach us, says Dickson,
"to look upon Holy Scripture as altogether inspired of God, and not put
price upon it for the writers thereof."
SUBJECT
AND DIVISION. The praise of Jehovah is the subject of this sacred song. The
righteous are exhorted to praise him, Ps 33:1-3; because of the excellency of
his character, Ps 33:4-5; and his majesty in creation, Ps 33:6-7. Men are
bidden to fear before Jehovah because his purposes are accomplished in
providence, Ps 33:8-11. His people are proclaimed blessed, Ps 33:12. The
omniscience and omnipotence of God, and his care for his people are celebrated,
in opposition to the weakness of an arm of flesh, Ps 33:13-19; and the Psalm
concludes with a fervent expression of confidence, Ps 33:20-21, and an earnest
prayer, Ps 33:22.
EXPOSITION
Verse
1. Rejoice in the Lord. Joy is the soul of praise. To delight
ourselves in God is most truly to extol him, even if we let no notes of song
proceed from our lips. That God is, and that he is such a God, and our God, ours
for ever and ever, should wake within us an unceasing and overflowing joy. To
rejoice in temporal comforts is dangerous, to rejoice in self is foolish, to
rejoice in sin is fatal, but to rejoice in God is heavenly. He who would have a
double heaven must begin below to rejoice like those above. O ye righteous.
This is peculiarly your duty, your obligations are greater, and your spiritual
nature more adapted to the work, be ye then first in the glad service. Even the
righteous are not always glad, and have need to be stirred up to enjoy their
privileges. For praise is comely for the upright. God has an eye to
things which are becoming. When saints wear their choral robes, they look fair
in the Lord's sight. A harp suits a blood washed hand. No jewel more ornamental
to a holy face than sacred praise. Praise is not comely from unpardoned
professional singers; it is like a jewel of gold in a swine's snout. Crooked
hearts make crooked music, but the upright are the Lord's delight. Praise is
the dress of saints in heaven, it is meet that they should fit it on below.
Verse
2. Praise the Lord with harp. Men need all the help they can
get to stir them up to praise. This is the lesson to be gathered from the use
of musical instruments under the old dispensation. Israel was at school, and
used childish things to help her to learn; but in these days, when Jesus gives
us spiritual manhood, we can make melody without strings and pipes. We who do
not believe these things to be expedient in worship, lest they should mar its
simplicity, do not affirm them to be unlawful, and if any George Herbert or
Martin Luther can worship God better by the aid of well tunes instruments, who
shall gainsay their right? We do not need them, they would hinder than
help our praise, but if others are otherwise minded, are they not living in
gospel liberty? Sing unto him. This is the sweetest and best of music.
No instrument like the human voice. As a help to singing the instrument is
alone to be tolerated, for keys and strings do not praise the Lord. With the
psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. The Lord must have a full
octave, for all notes are his, and all music belongs to him. Where several
pieces of music are mentioned, we are taught to praise God with all the powers
which we possess.
Verse
3. Sing unto him a new song. All songs of praise should be unto
him. Singing for singing's sake is nothing worth; we must carry our tribute
to the King, and not cast it to the winds. Do most worshippers mind this? Our
faculties should be exercised when we are magnifying the Lord, so as not to run
in an old groove without thought; we ought to make every hymn of praise a new
song. To keep up the freshness of worship is a great thing, and in private it
is indispensable. Let us not present old worn out praise, but put life, and
soul, and heart, into every song, since we have new mercies every day, and see
new beauties in the work and word of our Lord. Play skilfully. It is
wretched to hear God praised in a slovenly manner. He deserves the best that we
have. Every Christian should endeavour to sing according to the rules of the
art, so that he may keep time and tune with the congregation. The sweetest
tunes and the sweetest voices, with the sweetest words, are all too little for
the Lord our God; let us not offer him limping rhymes, set to harsh tunes, and
growled out by discordant voices. With a loud noise. Heartiness should
be conspicuous in divine worship. Well bred whispers are disreputable here. It
is not that the Lord cannot hear us, but that it is natural for great
exultation to express itself in the loudest manner. Men shout at the sight of
their kings: shall we offer no loud hosannahs to the Son of David?
Verse
4. For the word of the Lord is right. His ordinances both
natural, moral, and spiritual, are right, and especially his incarnate Word,
who is the Lord our righteousness. Whatever God has ordained must be good, and
just, and excellent. There are no anomalies in God's universe, except what sin
has made; his word of command made all things good. When we look at his word of
promise, and remember its faithfulness, what reasons have we for joy and
thankfulness! And all his works are done in truth. His work is the
outflow of his word, and it is true to it. He neither doth nor saith anything
ill; in deed and speech he agrees with himself and the purest truth. There is
no lie in God's word, and no sham in his works; in creation, providence, and
revelation, unalloyed truth abounds. To act truth as well as to utter it is
divine. Let not children of God ever yield their principles in practice any
more than in heart. What a God we serve! The more we know of him, the more our
better natures approve his surpassing excellence; even his afflicting works are
according to his truthful word.
"Why
should I complain of want of distress,
Afflictions or pain? he told me no less;
The heirs of salvation, I know from his word,
Through much tribulation must follow their Lord."
God
writes with a pen that never blots, speaks with a tongue that never slips, acts
with a hand which never fails. Bless his name.
Verse
5. He loveth righteousness and judgment. The theory and
practice of right he intensely loves. He doth not only approve the true and the
just, but his inmost soul delights therein. The character of God is a sea,
every drop of which should become a wellhead of praise for his people. The
righteousness of Jesus is peculiarly dear to the Father, and for its sake he
takes pleasure in those to whom it is imputed. Sin, on the other hand, is
infinitely abhorrent to the Lord, and woe unto those who die in it; if he sees
no righteousness in them, he will deal righteously with them, and judgment
stern and final will be the result. The earth is full of the goodness of the
Lord. Come hither, astronomers, geologists, naturalists, botanists,
chemists, miners, yea, all of you who study the works of God, for all your
truthful stories confirm this declaration. From the midge in the sunbeam to
leviathan in the ocean all creatures own the bounty of the Creator. Even the
pathless desert blazes with some undiscovered mercy, and the caverns of ocean
conceal the treasures of love. Earth might have been as full of terror as of
grace, but instead thereof it teems and overflows with kindness. He who cannot
see it, and yet lives in it as the fish lives in the water, deserves to die. If
earth be full of mercy, what must heaven be where goodness concentrates its
beams?
Verse
6. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made. The angelic
heavens, the sidereal heavens, and the firmament or terrestrial heavens, were
all made to start into existence by a word; what if we say by the Word,
"For without him was not anything made that is made." It is
interesting to note the mention of the Spirit in the next clause, and all
the host of them by the breath of his mouth; the breath is the same
as is elsewhere rendered Spirit. Thus the three persons of the Godhead unite in
creating all things. How easy for the Lord to make the most ponderous orbs, and
the most glorious angels! A word, a breath could do it. It is as easy for God
to create the universe as for a man to breathe, nay, far easier, for man
breathes not independently, but borrows the breath in his nostrils from his
Maker. It may be gathered from this verse that the constitution of all things
is from the infinite wisdom, for his word may mean his appointment and
determination. A wise and merciful Word has arranged, and a living Spirit
sustains all the creation of Jehovah.
Verse
7. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap.
The waters were once scattered like corn strewn upon a threshing floor: they
are now collected in one spot as an heap. Who else could have gathered them
into one channel but their great Lord, at whose bidding the waters fled away?
The miracle of the Red Sea is repeated in nature day by day, for the sea which
now invades the shore under the impulse of sun and moon, would soon devour the
land if bounds were not maintained by the divine decree. He layeth up the
depth in storehouses. The depths of the main are God's great cellars and storerooms
for the tempestuous element. Vast reservoirs of water are secreted in the
bowels of the earth, from which issue our springs and wells of water. What a
merciful provision for a pressing need? May not the text also refer to the
clouds, and the magazines of hail, and snow, and rain, those treasures of
merciful wealth for the fields of earth? These aqueous masses are not piled
away as in lumber rooms, but in storehouses for future beneficial use. Abundant
tenderness is seen in the foresight of our heavenly Joseph, whose granaries are
already filled against earth's time of need. These stores might have been, as
once they were, the ammunition of vengeance, they are now a part of the
commissariat of mercy.
Verse
8. Let all the earth fear the Lord. Not only Jews, but
Gentiles. The psalmist was not a man blinded by national prejudice, he did not
desire to restrict the worship of Jehovah to the seed of Abraham. He looks for
homage even to far off nations. If they are not well enough instructed to be
able to praise, at least let them fear. There is an inferior kind of worship in
the trembling which involuntarily admits the boundless power of the thundering
God. A defiant blasphemer is out of place in a world covered with tokens of the
divine power and Godhead: the whole earth cannot afford a spot congenial for
the erection of a synagogue of Atheism, nor a man in whom it is becoming to
profane the name of God. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe
of him. Let them forsake their idols, and reverently regard the only living
God. What is here placed as a wish may also be read as a prophecy: the
adoration of God will yet be universal.
Verse
9. For he spake, and it was done. Creation was the fruit of a
word. Jehovah said, "Light be, "and light was. The Lord's acts are
sublime in their ease and instantaneousness. "What a word is this?"
This was the wondering enquiry of old, and it may be ours to this day. He
commanded, and it stood fast. Out of nothing creation stood forth, and was
confirmed in existence. The same power which first uplifted, now makes the
universe to abide; although we may not observe it, there is as great a display
of sublime power in confirming as in creating. Happy is the man who has learned
to lean his all upon the sure word of him who built the skies!
Verse
10. The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought.
While his own will is done, he takes care to anticipate the wilfulness of his
enemies. Before they come to action he vanquishes them in the council chamber;
and when, well armed with craft, they march to the assault, he frustrates their
knaveries, and makes their promising plots to end in nothing. Not only the
folly of the heathen, but their wisdom too, shall yield to the power of the
cross of Jesus: what a comfort is this to those who have to labour where
sophistry, and philosophy, falsely so called, are set in opposition to the
truth as it is in Jesus. He maketh the devices of the people of none effect.
Their persecutions, slanders, falsehoods, are like puff balls flung against a
granite wall—they produce no result at all; for the Lord overrules the evil,
and brings good out of it. The cause of God is never in danger: infernal craft
is outwitted by infinite wisdom, and Satanic malice held in check by boundless
power.
Verse
11. The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever. He changes not
his purpose, his decree is not frustrated, his designs are accomplished. God
has a predestination according to the counsel of his will, and none of the
devices of his foes can thwart his decree for a moment. Men's purposes are
blown to and from like the thread of the gossamer or the down of the thistle,
but the eternal purposes are firmer than the earth. The thoughts of his
heart to all generations. Men come and go, sons follow their sires to the
grave, but the undisturbed mind of God moves on in unbroken serenity, producing
ordained results with unerring certainty. No man can expect his will or plan to
be carried out from age to age; the wisdom of one period is the folly of
another, but the Lord's wisdom is always wise, and his designs run on from
century to century. His power to fulfil his purposes is by no means diminished
by the lapse of years. He who was absolute over Pharaoh in Egypt is not one
whit the less today the King of kings and Lord of lords; still do his chariot
wheels roll onward in imperial grandeur, none being for a moment able to resist
his eternal will.
Verse
12. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Israel was
happy in the worship of the only true God. It was the blessedness of the chosen
nation to have received a revelation from Jehovah. While others grovelled
before their idols, the chosen people were elevated by a spiritual religion
which introduced them to the invisible God, and led them to trust in him. All
who confide in the Lord are blessed in the largest and deepest sense, and none
can reverse the blessing. And the people whom he hath chosen for his own
inheritance. Election is at the bottom of it all. The divine choice rules
the day; none take Jehovah to be their God till he takes them to be his people.
What an ennobling choice this is! We are selected to no mean estate, and for no
ignoble purpose: we are made the peculiar domain and delight of the Lord our
God. Being so blessed, let us rejoice in our portion, and show the world by our
lives that we serve a glorious Master.
Verse
13. The Lord looketh from heaven. The Lord is represented as
dwelling above and looking down below; seeing all things, but peculiarly
observing and caring for those who trust in him. It is one of our choicest
privileges to be always under our Father's eye, to be never out of sight of our
best Friend. He beholdeth all the sons of men. All Adam's sons are as
well watched as was Adam himself, their lone progenitor in the garden. Ranging
from the frozen pole to the scorching equator, dwelling in hills and valleys,
in huts and palaces, alike doth the divine eye regard all the members of the
family of man.
Verse
14. From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the
inhabitants of the earth. Here the sentiment is repeated: it is worth
repeating, and it needs repeating, for man is most prone to forget it. As great
men sit at their windows and watch the crowd below, so doth the Lord; he gazes
intently upon his responsible creatures, and forgets nothing of what he sees.
Verse
15. He fashioneth their hearts alike. By which is meant that
all hearts are equally fashioned by the Lord, kings' hearts as well as the
hearts of beggars. The text does not mean that all hearts are created
originally alike by God, such a statement would scarcely be true, since there
is the utmost variety in the constitutions and dispositions of men. All men
equally owe the possession of life to the Creator, and have therefore no reason
to boast themselves. What reason has the vessel to glorify itself in presence
of the potter? He considereth all their words. Not in vain doth God see
men's acts: he ponders and judges them. He reads the secret design in the
outward behaviour, and resolves the apparent good into its real elements. This
consideration foretokens a judgment when the results of the divine thoughts
will be meted out in measures of happiness or woe. Consider thy ways, O man,
for God considereth them!
Verse
16. There is no king saved by the multitude of an host. Mortal
power is a fiction, and those who trust in it are dupes. Serried ranks of armed
men have failed to maintain an empire, or even to save their monarch's life
when a decree from the court of heaven has gone forth for the empire's
overthrow. The all seeing God preserves the poorest of his people when they are
alone and friendless, but ten thousand armed men cannot ensure safety to him
whom God leaves to destruction. A mighty man is not delivered by much
strength. So far from guarding others, the valiant veteran is not able to
deliver himself. When his time comes to die, neither the force of his arms nor
the speed of his legs can save him. The weakest believer dwells safely under
the shadow of Jehovah's throne, while the most mighty sinner is in peril every
hour. Why do we talk so much of our armies and our heroes? the Lord alone has
strength, and let him alone have praise.
Verse
17. An horse is a vain thing for safety. Military strength
among the Orientals lay much in horses and scythed chariots, but the psalmist
calls them a lie, a deceitful confidence. Surely the knight upon his gallant
steed may be safe, either by valour or by flight? Not so, his horse shall bear
him into danger or crush him with its fall. Neither shall he deliver any by
his great strength. Thus the strongest defences are less than nothing when
most needed. God only is to be trusted and adored. Sennacherib with all his
calvary is not a match for one angel of the Lord, Pharaoh's horses and chariots
found it vain to pursue the Lord's anointed, and so shall all the leaguered
might of earth and hell find themselves utterly defeated when they rise against
the Lord and his chosen.
Verse
18. Behold. For this is a greater wonder than hosts and
horses, a surer confidence than chariots or shields. The eye of the Lord is
upon them that fear him. That eye of peculiar care is their glory and
defence. None can take them at unawares, for the celestial watcher foresees the
designs of their enemies, and provides against them. They who fear God need not
fear anything else; let them fix their eye of faith on him, and his eye of love
will always rest upon them. Upon them that hope in his mercy. This one
would think to be a small evidence of grace, and yet it is a valid one. Humble
hope shall have its share as well as courageous faith. Say, my soul, is not
this an encouragement to thee? Dost thou not hope in the mercy of God in Christ
Jesus? Then the Father's eye is as much upon thee as upon the elder born of the
family. These gentle words, like soft bread, are meant for babes in grace, who
need infant's food.
Verse
19. To deliver their soul from death. The Lord's hand goes
with his eye; he sovereignly preserves those whom he graciously observes.
Rescues and restorations hedge about the lives of the saints; death cannot
touch them till the King signs his warrant and gives him leave, and even then
his touch is not so much mortal as immortal; he doth not so much kill us as
kill our mortality. And to keep them alive in famine. Gaunt famine knows
its master. God has meal and oil for his Elijahs somewhere. "Verily thou
shalt be fed" is a divine provision for the man of faith. The Preserver of
men will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish. Power in human hands
is outmatched by famine, but God is good at a pinch, and proves his bounty
under the most straitened circumstances. Believer, wait upon thy God in
temporals. His eye is upon thee, and his hand will not long delay.
Verse
20. Our soul waits for the Lord. Here the godly avow their
reliance upon him whom the Psalm extols. To wait is a great lesson. To be quiet
in expectation, patient in hope, single in confidence, is one of the bright
attainments of a Christian. Our soul, our life, must hang upon God; we are not
to trust him with a few gewgaws, but with all we have and are. He is our
help and our shield. Our help in labour, our shield in danger. The Lord
answereth all things to his people. He is their all in all. Note the three "ours"
in the text. These holdfast words are precious. Personal possession makes the
Christian man; all else is mere talk.
Verse
21. For our hearts shall rejoice in him. The duty commended
and commanded in the first verse is here presented to the Lord. We, who trust,
cannot but be of a glad heart, our inmost nature must triumph in our faithful
God. Because we have trusted in his holy name. The root of faith in due
time bears the flower of rejoicing. Doubts breed sorrow, confidence creates
joy.
Verse
22. Here is a large and comprehensive prayer to close with. It is an
appeal for mercy, which even joyful believers need; and it is sought for
in a proportion which the Lord has sanctioned. "According to your faith be
it unto you, "is the Master's word, and he will not fall short of the
scale which he has himself selected. Yet, Master, do more than this when hope
is faint, and bless us far above what we ask or even think.
EXPLANATORY
NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Whole
Psalm. A thanksgiving of the church triumphant in the latter ages, for
her final deliverance, by the overthrow of Antichrist and his armies. Samuel
Horsley.
Whole
Psalm. Let us follow the holy man a moment in his meditation. His Psalm
is not composed in scholastic form, in which the author confines himself to
fixed rules; and, scrupulously following a philosophic method, lays down principals,
and infers consequences. However, he establishes principles, the most proper to
give us sublime ideas of the Creator; and he speaks with more precision of the
works and attributes of God than the greatest philosophers have spoken of them.
How
absurdly have the philosophers treated of the origin of the world! How
few of them have reasoned conclusively on this important subject! Our prophet
solves the important question by one single principle; and, what is more
remarkable, this principle, which is nobly expressed, carries the clearest
evidence with it. The principle is this: "By the word of the Lord were the
heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth, "Ps
33:6. This is the most rational account that was ever given of the creation of
the world. The world is the work of a self efficient will, and it is this
principle alone that can account for its creation. The most simple appearances
in nature are sufficient to lead us to this principle. Either my will is self
efficient, or there is some other being whose will is self efficient. What I
say of myself, I say of my parents; and what I affirm of my parents, I affirm
of my more remote ancestors, and of all the finite creatures from whom they
derive their existence. Most certainly either finite beings have a self
efficient will, which it is impossible to suppose, for a finite creature with a
self efficient will is a contradiction: either, I say, a finite creature has a
self efficient will, or there is a First Cause who has a self efficient will;
and that there is such a Being is the principle of the psalmist; "By the
word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath
of his mouth."
If
philosophers have reasoned inconclusively on the origin of the world, they have
spoken of its government with equal uncertainty. The psalmist determines
this question with a great facility, by a single principle, which results from
the former, and which, like the former, carries its evidence with it. "The
Lord looketh from heaven; he considereth all the works of all the inhabitants
of the earth, " Ps 33:13-14. This is the doctrine of providence. And on
what is the doctrine of providence founded? On this principle: God
"fashioneth their hearts alike, "Ps 33:15. Attend a moment to the
evidence of this reasoning, my brethren. The doctrine of providence expressed
in these words, "God considereth the works of the inhabitants of the
earth, "is a necessary consequence of his principle, "God fashioneth
their hearts alike; "and this principle is a necessary consequence of that
which the psalmist had before laid down to account for the origin of the world.
Yes, from that doctrine of God the Creator of men, follows that of God the
inspector, the director, rewarder, and the punisher of their actions. One of
the most specious objections that has ever been opposed to the doctrine of
providence, is a contrast between the grandeur of God and the meanness of men.
How can such an insignificant creature as man be the object of the care and
attention of such a magnificent being as God? No objection can be more
specious, or, in appearance, more invincible. The distance between the meanest
insect and the mightiest monarch, who treads and crushes reptiles to death
without the least regard to them, is a very imperfect image of the distance
between God and man. That which proves that it would be beneath the dignity of
a monarch to observe the motions of ants, or worms, to interest himself in
their actions, to punish, or to reward them, seems to demonstrate that God
would degrade himself were he to observe, to direct, to punish, to reward
mankind, who are infinitely inferior to him. But one fact is sufficient to
answer this specious objection: that is, God has created mankind. Does God
degrade himself more by governing than by creating mankind? Who can persuade
himself that a wise Being has given to intelligent creatures faculties capable
of obtaining knowledge and virtue, without willing that they should endeavour
to acquire knowledge and virtue? Or who can imagine, that a wise Being, who
wills that his intelligent creatures should acquire knowledge and virtue, will
not punish them if they neglect those acquisitions; and will not show by the
distribution of his benefits that he approves their endeavours to obtain them?
Unenlightened
philosophers have treated of the attributes of God with as much
abstruseness as they have written of his works. The moral attributes of God, as
they are called in the schools, were mysteries which they could not unfold.
These may be reduced to two classes; attributes of goodness, and
attributes of justice. Philosophers, who had admitted these, have
usually taken that for granted which they ought to have proved. They collected
together in their minds all perfections; they reduced them all to one object
which they denominated a perfect being: and supposing, without proving,
that a perfect being existed, they attributed to him, without proof, everything
that they considered as a perfection. The psalmist shows by a surer way that
there is a God supremely just and supremely good. It is necessary, in order to
convince a rational being of the justice and goodness of God, to follow such a
method as that which we follow to prove his existence. When we would prove the
existence of God, we say, there are creatures, therefore there is a Creator. In
like manner, when we would prove that a creature is a just and a good being, we
say, there are qualities of goodness and justice in creatures, therefore he,
from whom these creatures derive their existence, is a being just and good.
Now, this is the reasoning of the psalmist in this Psalm: "The Lord loveth
righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord"
Ps 33:5; that is to say, it is impossible to consider the work of the Creator, without
receiving evidence of his goodness. And the works of nature which demonstrate
the goodness of God, prove his justice also; for God has created us with such
dispositions, that we cannot enjoy the gifts of his goodness without obeying
the laws of his righteousness. The happiness of an individual who procures a
pleasure by disobeying the laws of equity, is a violent happiness, which cannot
be of long duration; and the prosperity of public bodies, when it is founded in
iniquity, is an edifice which, with its basis, will be presently sunk and gone.
But
what we would particularly remark is, that the excellent principle of the
psalmist concerning God are not mere speculations; but truths from which he
derives practical inferences; and he aims to extend their influence beyond
private persons, even to legislators and conquerors. One would think,
considering the conduct of mankind, that the consequences, which are drawn from
the doctrines of which we have been speaking, belong to none but to the dregs
of the people; that lawgivers and conquerors have a plan of morality peculiar
to themselves, and are above the rules to which other men must submit. Our
prophet had other notions. What are his maxims of policy? They are all included
in these words: "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the
people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance, "Ps 33:12. What are
his military maxims? They are all included in these words: "There is no
king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much
strength. An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by
his great strength, "Ps 33:16-17. Who proposes these maxims? A hermit, who
never appeared on the theatre of the world? or a man destitute of the talents
necessary to shine there? No: one of the wisest of kings; one of the most bold
and able generals: a man whom God has self elected to govern his chosen people,
and to command those armies which fought the most obstinate battles, and gained
the most complete victories. Were I to proceed in explaining the system of the
psalmist, I might prove, that as he had a right to infer the doctrine of
providence from the works of nature, and that of the moral attributes of God
from the works of creation; so from the doctrines of the moral attributes of
God, of providence, and of the works of creation, he had a right to conclude,
that no conquerors or lawgivers could be truly happy but those who acted
agreeably to the laws of the just and good Supreme. James Saurin.
Verse
1. Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous. Exult, ye righteous, in
Jehovah! The Hebrew verb, according to the etymologists, originally means
to dance for joy, and is therefore a very strong expression for the liveliest
exultation. J. A. Alexander.
Verse
1. Rejoice, O ye righteous: not in yourselves, for that is
not safe, but in the Lord. Augustine.
Verse
1. Praise is comely for the upright. Praise is not comely for
any but the godly. A profane man stuck with God's praise is like a dunghill
stuck with flowers. Praise in the mouth of a sinner is like an oracle in the
mouth of a fool: how uncomely is it for him to praise God, whose whole life is
a dishonouring of God? It is as indecent for a wicked man to praise God, who
goes on in sinful practices, as it is for an usurer to talk of living by faith,
or for the devil to quote Scripture. The godly are only fit to be choristers in
God's praise; it is called, "the garment of praise." Isa 61:3. This
garment sits handsome only on a saint's back. Thomas Watson.
Verse
1. This Psalm is coupled with the foregoing one by the catchword
with which it opens, which is a repetition of the exhortation with which the
preceding ends, Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; "Shout for joy,
all ye upright." Christopher Wordsworth.
Verse
1. He pleaseth God whom God pleaseth. Augustine.
Verse
2. Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and
an instrument of ten strings. Here we have the first mention of musical
instruments in the Psalms. It is to be observed that the early fathers almost
with one accord protest against their use in churches; as they are forbidden in
the Eastern church to this day, where yet, by the consent of all, the singing
is infinitely superior to anything that can be heard in the West. J. M.
Neale.
Verse
2. Harp; Psaltery, etc. Our church does not use musical
instruments, as harps and psalteries, to praise God withal, that she may not
seem to Judaise. Thomas Aquinas. It was only permitted to the Jews, as
sacrifice was, for the heaviness and grossness of their souls. God condescended
to their weakness, because they were lately drawn off from idols; but now
instead of organs, we may use our own bodies to praise him withal. Chrysostom.
The use of singing with instrumental music was not received in the Christian
churches as it was among the Jews in their infant state, but only the use of
plain song. Justin Martyr.
Verse
2. (last clause). It is said that David praised God upon an
instrument of ten strings; and he would never have told how many strings
there were, but that without doubt he made use of them all. God hath given all
of us bodies, as it were, instruments of many strings; and can we think it
music good enough to strike but one string, to call upon him with our tongues
only? No, no; when the still sound of the heart by holy thoughts, and the
shrill sound of the tongue by holy words, and the loud sound of the hands by
pious works, do all join together, that is God's concert, and the only music
wherewith he is affected. Sir Richard Baker.
Verse
3. Sing unto him. I. Singing is the music of nature.
The Scriptures tell us the mountains sing Isa 55:12; the valleys sing Ps 65:13;
the trees of the wood sing 1Ch 16:33; nay, the air is the birds' music room,
they chant their musical notes. II. Singing is the music of ordinances.
Augustine reports of himself, that when he came to Milan and heard the people
sing, he wept for joy in the church to hear that pleasing melody. And Beza
confesses that at his first entrance into the congregation, and hearing them
sing the ninety-first Psalm, he felt himself exceedingly comforted, and did
retain the sound of it afterwards upon his heart. The Rabbins tell us that the
Jews, after the feast of the Passover was celebrated, sang the hundred and
eleventh and five following Psalms; and our Saviour and his apostles sang a
hymn immediately after the blessed Supper. Mt 26:30. III. Singing is the music
of saints. (1.) They have performed this duty in their greatest numbers.
Ps 149:1-2. (2.) In their greatest straits. Isa 26:19. (3.) In their
greatest flight. Isa 42:10-11. (4.) In their greatest deliverances.
(5.) In their greatest plenties. Isa 65:14. In all these changes singing
hath been their stated duty and delight. And indeed it is meet that the saints
and servants of God should sing forth their joys and praises to the Lord
Almighty: every attribute of him can set both their song and their tune. IV.
Singing is the music of angels. Job tells us "the morning stars
sang together, "Job 38:7. Now these "morning stars, "as Pineda
tells us, are the angels; to which the Chaldee paraphrase accords, naming these
morning stars, aciem angelorum, an host of angels. Nay, when this
heavenly host was sent to proclaim the birth of our dearest Jesus, they deliver
their message in this raised way of duty. Lu 2:13. They were (ainountev),
delivering their messages in a laudatory singing, the whole company of angels
making a musical quire. Nay, in heaven there is the angels' joyous music; they
there sing hallelujahs to the Most High, and to the Lamb who sits upon the throne,
Re 5:11. V. Singing is the music of heaven; the glorious saints and
angels accent their praises this way, and make one harmony in their state of
blessedness; and this is the music of the Bride chamber. The saints who were
tuning here their Psalms, are now singing their hallelujahs in a louder strain,
and articulating their joys, which here they could not express to their perfect
satisfaction; here they laboured with drowsy hearts, and faltering tongues; but
in glory these impediments are removed, and nothing is left to jar their joyful
celebration. John Wells, in "Morning Exercises."
Verse
3. A new song. That is to say, a new and recent
composition on account of recent benefits; or constantly new songs, song
succeeding song as daily new material for divine praise offers itself to the
attentive student of the works of God. Or new, that is, always fresh and
full of life, and renewed as new occasions offer themselves: as Job says,
"My glory was fresh in me, and my bow was renewed in my hand." Or new,
i.e., not common but rare and exquisite; as the new name in Re 2:17; the
new commandment; Joh 13:34. Or this respects the gospel state, wherein is a new
covenant Heb 8:8, a new Jerusalem Re 21:2, a new man Eph 2:15, and all things
new, 2Co 5:17. New, on account of its matter being unknown of men: as in
Re 14:3, "They sung a new song, "and no man could learn that song but
the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. New
may be used in opposition to old. The song of Moses is old, and of the Lamb is
new. Martin Geir (1614-1681), in "Poli Synopsis
Criticorum."
Verse
3. Sing unto him a new song. Put off oldness: ye know the new
song. A new man, a New Testament, a new song. A new song belongeth not to men
that are old; none learn that but new men, renewed through grace from oldness,
and belonging now to the New Testament, which is the kingdom of heaven. Augustine.
Verse
3. A new song; namely, sung with such fervency of affections
as novelties usually bring with them; or, always new, seeing God's graces never
wax old; or, sung by the motion of this new spirit of grace, which doth not so
much look after the old benefits of the creation as after the new benefit of
the redemption in Christ, which renews all things. Ps 40:3 96:1 Re 5:9 14:3. John
Diodati.
Verse
3. Sing unto him a new song. It is a melancholy proof of the
decline of the church, when the exhortation to sing a new song is no longer
attended to: in such a case, there is need of the greatest care to prevent the
old ones falling into oblivion. E. W. Hengstenberg.
Verse
3. Play skilfully. It is not an easy matter to praise God
aright; it must be done corde, ore, spere, with the very best of the
best. John Trapp.
Verse
4. The word of the Lord is right. His word of promise given
to the church. The divine revelation to all setting forth what is to be
believed, hoped for, and done. The decrees of God and his penal judgments. The
whole counsel and determination of God in the creation and government of the
world. Is right, without defect or error. The word right is
opposed to tortuous; it means true or certain. John de Pineda
(1577-1637); D.H. Mollerus (1639), and others, in Synopsis.
Verse
4. All his works are done in truth.
Truth
is in each flower
As well as in the most solemn things of God:
Truth is the voice of nature and of time—
Truth is the startling monitor within us—
Nought is without it, it comes from the stars,
The golden sun, and every breeze that blows—
Truth, it is God! and God is everywhere!
—William Thomas Bacon.
Verse
5. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. If we
reflect on the prodigious number of human beings who constantly receive their
food, raiment, and every pleasure they enjoy, from their mother earth, we shall
be convinced of the great liberality with which nature dispenses her gifts; and
not only human beings, but an innumerable quantity of living creatures
besides—inhabitants of the air, the waters, and the earth—are daily indebted to
nature for their support. Those animals which are under our care are still
indebted to the earth for their subsistence; for the grass, which nature
spontaneously produces, is their chief food. The whole race of fishes, except
those which men feed for their amusement, subsist without any of their aid. The
species of birds which is perhaps the most despised and most numerous, is the
sparrow. What they require for their support is incredible, but nature takes
care to feed them; they are however but the smallest part of her children. So
great is the quantity of insects, that ages may pass before even their species
and classes can be known. How many and how diversified the sorts of flies that
play in the air! The blood taken from us by the gnat is very accidental food
for them; and we may suppose that where there is one gnat that lives upon it,
there are millions that have never tasted human blood, or that of any other
animal. On what can all these creatures subsist? Perhaps every handful of earth
contains living insects; they are discovered in every drop of water; their
multiplying and means of support are incomprehensible. While nature is thus
prolific in children, she is also fruitful in means for their subsistence; or,
rather, it is the God of nature who has poured into her bosom this
inexhaustible store of riches. He provides each creature with its food and
dwelling. For them he causes the grass and other herbs to grow, leaving each to
select its proper food. And, however mean many creatures may appear to us, he
feeds and assists them all. O Almighty God, how manifest is thy greatness! Thou
dost what the united efforts of all mankind would fail to accomplish. Thou hast
given life, and breath, and being to all creatures that live in the air, the
waters, or the earth. Surely thou wilt do for thy believing people what thou
dost for animals and insects! When we are filled with doubts and fears, let us
consider the ravens whom the Lord feeds when they cry. Let them and all
creatures beside, which man takes no care of, teach us the art of contentment.
The great Author of nature knows all our wants. Let us cast our every care on
him, for he careth for us; and may we come boldly to the throne of grace in
faith and sincerity, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help us in
every time of need. Christopher Christian Sturm.
Verse
5. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. To hear its
worthless inhabitants complain, one would think that God dispensed evil,
not good. To examine the operation of his hand, everything is marked
with mercy, and there is no place where his goodness does not appear. The overflowing
kindness of God fills the earth. Even the iniquities of men are rarely a
bar to his goodness: he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and
sends his rain upon the just and the unjust. Adam Clarke.
Verse
5. The goodness of the Lord. In discoursing on the glorious
perfections of God, his goodness must by no means be omitted; for though
all his perfections are his glory, yet this is particularly so called, for when
Moses, the man of God, earnestly desired to behold a grand display of the glory
of Jehovah, the Lord said in answer to his petition, "I will make all my goodness
pass before thee; "thus intimating that he himself accounted his goodness
to be his glory Ex 33:19 34:7; and it includes that mercy, grace, longsuffering,
and truth, which are afterwards mentioned. When it relieves the miserable, it
is mercy; when it bestows favours on the worthless, it is grace;
when it bears with provoking rebels, it is long suffering; when it
confers promised blessings, it is truth; when it supplies indigent
beings, it is bounty. The goodness of God is a very comprehensive term;
it includes all the forms of his kindness shown to men; whether considered as
creatures, as sinners, or as believers. George Burder, 1838
Verse
5. The goodness of the Lord. He might, if he had pleased,
have made everything we tasted bitter, everything we saw loathsome, everything
we touched a sting, every smell a stench, every sound a discord. William
Paley, D.D., 1743-1805.
Verse
6. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the
host of them by the breath of his mouth. That the (hwd) is not spirit,
but breath, is evident from the words of his mouth (compare Isa
11:4), and from the parallelism with word. Simple word is simple breath;
both together, they stand in contrast to that exercise of strength, that
labour, that use of means and instruments without which feeble man can bring
nothing to perfection. Then there are the parallel passages, "All the
while my breath is in me, and the Spirit of God is in my nostrils." Job
27:3. "The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath
given me life." Job 33:4. "Thou takest away their breath, they die,
and return to their dust, thou sendest forth thy breath, they are
created." Ps 104:29,30. On the other hand, however, the exposition which
would interpret (wyp xwr), without reference to the Spirit of God,
cannot be a correct one. In the history of the creation, to which the verse
before us, as well as verses seven and nine, generally refer, the creation is
described as the work of the SPIRIT of God, and his WORD. First, the Spirit
of God moved upon the face of the waters, then God said. We may also
suppose that the Spirit and the power of God are here represented by the figure
of breath, because that in man is the first sign of life. E. W.
Hengstenberg.
Verse
6. By the word of the Lord. May be understood of the
hypostatic Word, as John teaches us. Joh 1:1. (John Cocceius),
1603-1669. This is an illustration of the old saying, that while Grotius finds
Christ nowhere, Cocceius finds Christ everywhere. C. H. S.
Verse
6. Let any make a world, and he shall be a God, saith Augustine;
hence is it that the church maketh it the very first article of her Creed to
believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. John Weemse.
Verses
6, 9. It is all one with God to do as to say, to perform as to promise;
it is as easy, he is as willing, as able, to do the one as the other. There is
no such distance betwixt God's saying and doing, as amongst men. His saying is
doing: He spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. By the
word of the Lord were the heavens made. "The worlds were framed by the
word of God." Heb 11:3. There is omnipotence in his word, both of command
and promise; therefore called, "The word of his power." Heb 1:3. One
word of his can do more in an instant than the united powers of heaven and
earth can do in eternity. This consideration removes at once the chief
discouragements that hinder the lively actings of faith; for what is it that
weakens our confidence of the promises' performance, but because we look upon
the accomplishment as uncertain or difficult, or future and afar off! Now from
hence faith may conclude the performance is certain, easy, and present. David
Clarkson.
Verse
7. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap, etc.
"God called the gathering together of the waters, seas." Ge 1:10.
This unstable element must, like all other elements, be put under law, and
confined within bounds, that there might be a habitable earth for man and all
the creatures around him. Thus the psalmist sings, He gathereth the waters
of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. The
boundary was such as to cause his servants to wonder. They looked from the
shore, as we do, and under the influence of a well known law, the billows in
their heaving swells, seemed as if they would, as if they did, touch the sky
itself; and as if they were so much higher than the shore, that they were in
danger of leaving their basin and stretching over the land. Just such an
impression, we with all our science, popularly hold. The prophets thus looked
as we do, and under the same kind of feeling. How wonderful, they thought, is
all this! A low barrier of sand is made Jehovah's agent for bounding the deep.
"The Lord hath placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual
decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves,
yet they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it." Jer
5:22. John Duns, D.D., in "Science and Christian Thought, "1868.
Verse
7. The waters of the sea. Of all objects that I have ever
seen, there is none which affect my imagination so much as the sea or ocean. I
cannot see the heavings of this prodigious bulk of waters, even in a calm,
without a very pleasing astonishment; but when it is worked up in a tempest, so
that the horizon on every side is nothing but foaming billows and floating
mountains, it is impossible to describe the agreeable horror that rises from
such a prospect. A troubled ocean, to a man who sails upon it, is, I think, the
biggest object that he can see in motion, and consequently gives his
imagination one of the highest kinds of pleasure that can arise from greatness.
I must confess it is impossible for me to survey this world of fluid matter
without thinking on the hand that first poured it out, and made a proper
channel for its reception. Such an object naturally raises in my thoughts the
idea of an Almighty Being, and convinces me of his existence as much as a
metaphysical demonstration. The imagination prompts the understanding, and by
the greatness of the sensible object, produces in it the idea of a Being who is
neither circumscribed by time nor space. Spectator.
Verse
7. As a heap. Dealing with fluids as if they were solids,
with an obvious allusion to Ex 15:8. Depths, masses of water. The main
point of the description is God's handling these vast liquid masses, as men
handle solid substances of moderate dimensions, heaping the waves up, and
storing them away, as men might do with stones or wheat. J. A. Alexander.
Verse
7. The vast masses of waters which had hitherto covered the entire
surface of the globe, was on the third day of creation brought within narrower
compass, and large tracts of the submerged earth reclaimed and rendered
habitable ground...The waters were, for the most part, congregated
together in one vast body, instead of being universally diffused over the face
of the earth. This is the state of things which we now contemplate; the various
great seas and oceans constituting in fact but one body of water called in
different regions by different names, as the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian,
Southern, etc., oceans. George Bush, on Ge 1:9.
Verse
8. Let all the earth. For who can doubt that God can do as he
wills upon earth, since he so tamed the unconquerable nature of the sea? Hugo
Grotius, 1583-1645.
Verse
8. Let all the earth fear the Lord, etc. Let them not fear
another instead of him. Doth a wild beast rage? Fear God. Doth a serpent lie in
wait? Fear God. Doth man hate thee? Fear God. Doth the devil fight against
thee? Fear God. For the whole creation is under him whom thou art commanded to
fear. Augustine.
Verse
9. He spake, and it was done. As we say in Latin, Dictum
factum, SAID DONE, no delay having interposed. Hugo Grotius.
Verse
9. He spake, and it was done; so that the creatures were not
emanations from the divine nature, but effects of the divine will, the fruits
of intelligence, and design, and counsel. William Binnie, D.D.
Verse
10. The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought,
etc. The more the Pharisees of old, and their successors the prelates of late,
opposed the truth, the more it prevailed. The Reformation in Germany was much
furthered by the Papists' opposition; yea, when two kings (amongst many
others), wrote against Luther, namely, Henry 8th of England, and Ludovicus of
Hungary, this kingly title being entered into the controversy (making men more
curious to examine the matter), stirred up a general inclination towards
Luther's opinions. Richard Younge's Christian Library, 1655.
Verse
11. The counsel of the Lord. Note the contrast between the
counsel of the heathen in the last verse, and the counsel of the Lord in this. C.
H. S.
Verse
11. The thoughts. The same word as devices in the
preceding verse. William de Burgh, D.D., in loc.
Verse
11. The wheels in a watch or a clock move contrary one to another,
some one way, some another, yet all serve the intent of the workman, to show
the time, or to make the clock strike. So in the world, the providence of God
may seem to run cross to his promises; one man takes this way, another runs
that way; good men go one way, wicked men another, yet all in conclusion
accomplish the will, and centre in the purpose of God the great Creator of all
things. Richard Sibbes.
Verse
11. (last clause). Think not, brethren, because he said, The
thoughts of his heart, that God as it were sitteth down and thinketh what
he should do, and taketh counsel to do anything, or not to do anything. To
thee, O man, belongs such tardiness. Augustine.
Verse
12. Blessed—whom he hath chosen. A man may have his name set
down in the chronicles, yet lost; wrought in durable marble, yet perish; set
upon a monument equal to a Colossus, yet be ignominious; inscribed on the
hospital gates, yet go to hell; written in the front of his own house, yet
another come to possess it; all these are but writings in the dust, or upon the
waters, where the characters perish so soon as they are made; they no more
prove a man happy than the fool could prove Pontius Pilate because his name was
written in the Creed. But the true comfort is this, when a man by assurance can
conclude with his own soul that his name is written in those eternal leaves of
heaven, in the book of God's election, which shall never be wrapped up in the
cloudy sheets of darkness but remain legible to all eternity. Thomas Adams.
Verse
12. The people whom he hath chosen. Some read it, The people
which hath chosen him for their inheritance. It cometh all to one. See De
26:17-19. John Trapp.
Verse
12. It's an happiness to have an interest in one greater than
ourselves; an interest in a beggar is of no worth, because he is of no power;
but interest in a prince all men seek, therefore it is said, Blessed are the
people whose God is the Lord. Joseph Symonds.
Verse
12. Lest it should be thought that men obtain so great a good by
their own efforts and industry, David teaches us expressly that it proceeds
from the fountain of God's gracious electing love that we are accounted the
people of God. John Calvin.
Verse
12. I have sometimes compared the great men of the world, and
the good men of the world to the consonants and vowels in
the alphabet. The consonants are the most and the biggest letters; they
take up most room, and carry the greatest bulk; but, believe it, the vowels
though they are the fewest and least of all the letters, yet they are most
useful; they give the greatest sound of all; there is no pronunciation without
vowels. O beloved, though the great men of the world take up room, and
make a show above others, yet they are but consonants, a company of mute
and dumb consonants for the most part; the good men they are the vowels
that are of the greatest use and most concernment at every turn: a good man
to help with his prayers; a good man to advise with his counsels; a
good man to interpose with his authority; this is the loss we lament, we
have lost a good man; death has blotted out a vowel; and I fear
me there will be much silence where he is lacking; silence in the bed, and
silence in the house, and silence in the shop, and silence in the church, and
silence in the parish, for he was everywhere a vowel, a good man in
every respect. John Kitchin, M.A., in a Funeral Sermon, 1660.
Verse
15. He fashioneth their hearts alike. As an illustration of
the passage as it stands in our version, we append the following:—"Every
circumstance concurs in proving that mankind are not composed of species
essentially different from each other; that, on the contrary, there was
originally but one species, which, after multiplying and spreading over the
whole surface of the earth, has undergone various changes, from the influence
of climate, food, mode of living, diseases, and mixture of dissimilar
individuals; that at first these changes were not so conspicuous, and produced
only individual varieties; that these varieties became afterward more specific,
because they were rendered more general, more strongly marked, and more
permanent, by the continual action of the same causes; and that they are
transmitted from generation to generation." G. L. Leclerc, Comte de
Buffon, 1707-1788.
Verse
15. The Creator of all things fashioneth their hearts alike;
the word (dxy), which signifies together at once, intimating that the hearts of
all men though separated from one another by never so vast a gulf of time or
place, are as exactly alike in respect of their original inclinations, as if
they had been all moulded at the same time. The worship of a God and then some
kind of religion, is necessary to us, we cannot shift it off. William Pinke,
1631.
Verse
15. (last clause). Two men give to the poor, one seeketh his
reward in heaven, the other the praise of men. Thou in two seest one thing, God
understandeth two. For he understandeth what is within, and knoweth what is
within; their ends he seeth, their base intentions he seeth. He
understandeth all their works. Augustine.
Verse
16. There is no king saved by the multitude of an host. At the
battle of Arbela, the Persian hosts numbered between five hundred thousand and
a million men, but they were utterly put to the rout by Alexander's band of
fifty thousand; and the once mighty Darius was soon vanquished. Napoleon led
more than half a million of men into Russia:
"Not
such the numbers, nor the host so dread,
By northern Bren, or Scythian Timour led."
But
the terrible winter left the army a mere wreck, and their leader was soon a
prisoner on the lone rock of St. Helena. All along the line of history this
verse has been verified. The strongest battalions melt like snowflakes when God
is against them. C. H. S.
Verse
16. A mighty man; or a giant; Goliath for instance. As
the most skilful swimmers are often drowned, so here. John Trapp.
Verses
16-17.
Not
the chief his serried lances,
Not his strength secures the brave;
All in vain the warhorse prances,
Weak his force his lord to save.
—Richard Mant.
Verses
16-17. The weakness and insufficiency of all human power, however
great, as before of all human intellect. J. J. Stewart Perowne.
Verses
16-17. As a passenger in a storm, that for shelter against the weather,
steps out of the way, betakes him to a fair spread oak, stands under the
boughs, with his back close to the body of it, and finds good relief thereby
for the space of some time; till at length comes a sudden gust of wind, that
tears down a main arm of it, which falling upon the poor passenger, either
maims or mischieves him that resorted to it for succour. Thus falleth it out
with not a few, meeting in the world with many troubles, and with manifold
vexations, they step aside out of their own way, and too, too often out of
God's, to get under the wing of some great one, and gain, it may be, some aid
and shelter thereby for a season; but after awhile, that great one himself coming
down headlong, and falling from his former height of favour, or honour, they
are also called in question and to fall together with him, that might otherwise
have stood long enough on their own legs, if they had not trusted to such an
arm of flesh, such a broken staff that deceived them. Thomas Gataker.
Verse
17. An horse. If the strength of horses be of God, or be his
gift Job 39:19, then trust not in the strength of horses: use the strength of
horses, but do not trust the strength of horses. If you trust the strength
which God hath given to horses, you make them your god. How often doth God
forbid trusting in the strength of horses, as knowing that we are apt to trust
in anything that is strong, though but a beast. An horse is a vain thing for
safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength. As if God had
said, you think a horse can save you, but know he is a vain thing. And when the
psalmist saith, "A horse is a vain thing, "he doth not mean it of a
weak horse, but of a horse of the greatest strength imaginable; such a horse is
a vain thing to save a man, neither can he deliver any by his strength; and
therefore the Lord, when he promised great deliverances to his people, lest
they should expect it by the strength of horses, saith Ho 1:7, "I will
save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword,
nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen; "as if he had told them, do not
look after creature strength to be saved by; a horse will be a vain thing to
save you, and I can save you effectually without horses, and I will. Joseph
Caryl.
Verses
17-20. Man is sensible of his want of earthly blessings, and will never
cease, with excessive care, diligence, and vexation, to hunt after them, till
he come to know that God will provide for him. When one hath great friends
which they are known to lean upon, we say of them, such need take no care, they
know such and such will see to them. On the contrary, come to one who knows no
end of toiling and caring, ask him, Why will you thus tire yourself out? He
will answer, I must needs do it, I have none but myself to trust to. So Christ
followeth his disciples' carefulness to this door, their unbelief, which did
not let them consider our heavenly Father cared for them. No present estate,
though never so great, can free the heart from distraction, because it is
subject to decay and vanishing; we shall never cast the burden of care off our
own shoulders, till we learn by faith to cast it upon the Lord, whose eye is
over us for good. He will never renounce carnal supports who make not God the
stay of his soul for outward things. He will trust in the abundance of his
riches, wisdom, friends, or strength, that makes not God his strength. The
heart of man, being aware of his inability to sustain himself if he be not
underset, will seek out some prop, true or false, sound or rotten, to lean
unto. They will go down to Egypt for help, and stay on horses, and trust in
chariots, because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong,
who look not to the Holy One of Israel, and seek not the Lord. John Ball.
Verse
18. Behold, etc. Hitherto he had given a proof of God's
providence towards all men, but now he descends to a particular proof of
it, by his care over his church, which he wonderfully guides, defends,
and protects in all dangers and assaults; and that notice may be taken of it,
he begins with, "Behold!" Adam Clarke.
Verse
18. The eye of the Lord is upon. Look upon the sun, how it
casts light and heat upon the whole world in its general course, how it shineth
upon the good and the bad with an equal influence; but let its beams be but
concentrated in a burning glass, then it sets fire on the object only, and
passeth by all others: and thus God in the creation looketh upon all his works
with a general love, erant omnia valde bona, they pleased him very well.
Oh! but when he is pleased to cast the beams of his love, and cause them to
shine upon his elect through Christ, then it is that their hearts burn within
them, then it is that their affections are inflamed; whereas others are but as
it were a little warmed, have a little shine of common graces cast upon them. Richard
Holdsworth, 1651.
Verse
18. Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon
them that hope in his mercy. This is a very encouraging character. They who
cannot claim the higher distinctions of religion, may surely know that they
"fear God, and hope in his mercy." Some may wonder at the
combination; and suppose that the qualities are incompatible with each other.
But the first Christians "walked in the fear of the Lord, and in the
comforts of the Holy Ghost." They may think that the fear will injure the
hope, or the hope the fear. But these are even mutually helpful; and they are,
not only never so beautiful, but never so influential as when they are blended.
The fear promotes hope by the evidence it affords; and by keeping us from loose
and careless walking, which must always affect our peace and pleasure. And hope
no less befriends this fear. For never is God seen so glorious, so worthy of
all our devotedness to him as when we hope in his mercy; and even the more
assured we are of his regard, the more we shall enquire, Lord, what wilt thou
have ne to do? The more we shall tremble at the thought of offending and grieving
him, the more we shall continue upon our knees praying, "Let the words of
my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my
Strength and my Redeemer." It is called "a lively hope:"
and Christians know, by experience, that upon all their principles and duties
it has the same influence as Spring has upon the fields and the gardens. William
Jay.
Verse
18. Who hope in his mercy. When thou canst not get assurance,
make as much improvement of the grounds upon which thou mayest build hopes
of salvation. The probable grounds thou hast, thou wouldst not part with for
all the world. If thy heart is not full of joy through sense of God's love, yet
thine eyes are full of tears, and thy soul full of sorrow, through the sense of
thy sin: wouldst thou change thy condition with any hypocrite whatsoever, with
the richest man that hath no grace? I would not have thee rest satisfied with a
probability, but yet bless God for a probability of salvation. Is it nothing
that one that hath deserved hell most certainly, should have a probability that
he should escape it? Would not this be a little ease to the torments of the
damned, if they had but a strong probability that they should be saved? but no
hope makes it heavy. When thou art sick, thou enquirest of the physician,
Sir, what do you think of me? Shall I live, or shall I die? If he reply it is
not certain, but there is good hopes, it is probable you will live and
do well; this is some support unto thee in thy sickness. Thomas Doolittle,
M.A. (1630-1707), in "Morning Exercises."
Verse
18. The weakest believer, the least of saints, hath ground to hope.
The gospel is so ordered, the covenant so methodised, God hath made such ample
provision, that every one may "have good hope through grace" 1Th 2:16;
and all that bear this character are allowed, encouraged, nay, commanded to
hope: their hoping is as mighty a pleasure to God, as it is a comfort to
themselves. Samuel Doolittle's "Righteous Man's Hope in Death,
"1693.
Verses
18-19. During the siege of Rochelle, which was endured with unexampled
bravery for nearly fifteenth months, the inhabitants were reduced by famine to
the misery of being obliged to have recourse to the flesh of horses, asses,
mules, dogs, cats, rats, and mice; and a single peck of corn is said to have
been sold for a sum equivalent to about twenty-five pounds sterling of our
money in the present day. There were numerous examples of great and liberal
generosity among the inhabitants. Some dispensed their charity so secretly that
their names were never discovered. Among the rest, the following example is
narrated:—"The Sieur de la Goute, an honorary king's advocate, had a
sister, the widow of a merchant named Prosni, who, being a very religious and
benevolent woman, at the time when the famine became more severe than it had
been, freely assisted the poor with her present surplus. Her sister-in-law, the
wife of her brother, De la Goute, being differently inclined, reproved her for
her conduct, asking her in anger, `What she would do when all should be
expended?' Her reply was, `My sister, the Lord will provide for me.' The
siege was continued, and the famine increased its fearful ravages; and poor
widow Prosni, who had four children, found herself in a great strait—all her
store of provisions being exhausted. She applied to her sister for relief, who,
in the stead of comforting, reproached her for her improvidence; tauntingly
adding that, as she had done mighty well to be so reduced under all her great
faith and fine words, that `the Lord will provide for her.'so in good
time he might provide for her. Wounded to the heart by these words, poor widow
Prosni returned to her house in sad distress; resolving nevertheless to meet
death patiently. On reaching her home, her children met her with gladdened
hearts and joyous faces, and told her that a man, to them an entire stranger,
had knocked at the door, it being late; and, on its being opened, he threw in a
sack of about two bushels of wheat; and then, without saying a word, suddenly
departed. The widow Prosni, scarcely able to believe her own eyes, with an
overflowing, grateful heart towards her gracious benefactor, immediately ran to
her sister-in-law as quickly as her famished condition would allow; and upon
seeing her, exclaimed aloud, `My sister, the Lord HATH provided for me; 'and,
saying no more, returned home again. By means of this unexpected relief,
conveyed to her so opportunely, she was enabled to support herself and family
until the end of the siege, and she never knew to whom she was instrumentally
indebted for this timely and merciful assistance." The Biblical
Treasury, Vol. 4
Verse
20. Our soul waiteth for the Lord. There is an emphasis on the
word soul which should be attended to; for although this is a common
mode of speech among the Hebrews, yet it expresses earnest affection; as if
believers should say, We sincerely rely upon God with our whole heart,
accounting him our shield and help. John Calvin.
Verse
20. Our soul. Not our souls, but our soul, as if they
all had only one. And what is the language of God by the prophet? "I will
give them one heart and one way." And thus the two disciples going to
Emmaus exclaimed, upon their discovery and surprise, "Did not our heart
burn within us?" And thus in the beginning of the gospel it was said,
"The multitude of them that believed were of one heart, and of one
soul." We have seen several drops of water on the table, by being brought
to touch, running into one. If Christians were better acquainted with each
other, they would easily unite. William Jay.
Verse
20. He is our help. Antigonus, king of Syria, being ready to
give battle near the Isle of Andreos, sent out a squadron to watch the motions
of his enemies, and to descry their strength: return was made that they had
more ships, and better manned than he was. "How?" says Antigonus,
"that cannot be; quam multis meipsum opponis (for how many dost
thou reckon me?)" intimating that the dignity of a general weighed down
many others, especially when poised with valour and experience. And where is
valour, where is experience to be found, if not in God? He is the Lord of
hosts; with him alone is strength and power to deliver Israel our of all her
troubles. He may do it, he can do it, he will do it; he is wise in heart and
mighty in strength; besides him there is no Saviour, no deliverer; he is a
shield to the righteous, strength to the weak, a refuge to the oppressed. He is
instar omnium (all in all), and who is like unto him in all the world? John
Spencer.
Verse
20. There is an excellent story of a young man, that was at sea in a
mighty raging tempest; and when all the passengers were at their wits' end for
fear, he only was merry; and when he was asked the reason of his mirth, he
answered, "That the pilot of the ship was his father, and he knew his
father would have a care of him." The great and wise God, who is our
Father, hath from all eternity decreed what shall be the issue of all wars,
what the event of all troubles; he is our pilot, he sits at the stern; and
though the ship of the church or state be in a sinking condition, yet be of
good comfort, our Pilot will have a care of us. There is nothing done in the
lower house of Parliament on earth, but what is first decreed in the higher
house in heaven. All the lesser wheels are ordered and overruled by the upper.
Are not five sparrows, saith Christ, sold for a farthing? One sparrow is not
worth half a farthing. And there's no man shall have half a farthing's worth of
harm more than God hath decreed from all eternity. Edmund Calamy.
Verse
22. According as we hope in thee; not according to any merits
of theirs, but according to the measure of grace, of the grace of hope which
God had bestowed on them, and encouraged them to exercise on him, in
expectation of finding grace and mercy with him. John Gill.
HINTS TO THE
VILLAGE PREACHER
Whole
Psalm. This Psalm is eucharistic: the contents are:
1. An
exhortation to praise God Ps 33:1-3.
2.
The arguments to enforce the duty Ps 33:4-19.
3.
The confidence of God's people in his name, their happiness, and
petition Ps 33:20-22.
—Adam
Clarke.
Verse
1. Rejoicing—the soul of praise; the Lord—a wellspring of joy.
Character—indispensable to true enjoyment.
Verse
1. (last clause). Praise comely. What? Vocal,
meditative, habitual praise. Why? It is comely as wings to an angel, we
mount with it; as flowers to a tree, it is our fruit; as a robe to a priest, it
is our office; as long hair to a woman, it is our beauty; as a crown to a king,
it is our highest honour. When? Evermore, but chiefly amid blasphemy, persecution,
sickness, poverty, death. Whom? Not from the ungodly, hypocritical, or
thoughtless. To be without praise is to miss our comeliest adornment.
Verse
2. Instrumental music. Is it lawful? Is it expedient? If so, its
uses, limits, and laws. A sermon to improve congregational music.
Verse
3. (first clause). The duty of maintaining the freshness of
our devotions. Freshness, skill, and heartiness, to be combined in our
congregational psalmody.
Verse
4. God's word and works, their rightness, and agreement, and our
view of both.
Verse
4. (first clause). The word doctrinal, preceptive,
historical, prophetic, promissory, and experimental, always right, i.e.,
free from error or evil.
Verse
4. (second clause). God's work of creation, providence, and
grace, always in conformity with truth. His hatred of everything like a sham.
Verses
4-5. A fourfold argument for praise, from the truth, the faithfulness
the justice, and goodness of God:
1. For
the word of the Lord is right.
2. All his works are done in truth.
3. He loveth righteousness and judgment.
4. The earth is full of his goodness.
—Adam Clarke.
Verse
5. Justice and goodness equally conspicuous in the divine action.
Verse
5. (last clause). A matchless theme for an observant eye and
an eloquent tongue.
Verse
6. The power of the Word and the Spirit in the old and new
creations.
Verse
7. God's control of destructive and reconstructive agencies.
Verse
7. The storehouses of the Great Husbandman.
Verse
8. Reasons for universal worship, obstacles to it, future prospects
of it, our duty in relation to it.
Verse
8. (last clause). Awe—the soul of worship.
Verse
9. The irresistible word of Jehovah in creation, in calling
his people, in their comfort and deliverance, in their entrance to glory.
Verse
10. Educated and philosophical heathen within the reach of missions.
Verses
10-11. The opposing counsels.
Verse
11. The eternity, immutability, efficiency, and wisdom of the divine
decrees. God's purposes, "the thoughts of his heart, " hence their
wisdom, and yet more their love.
Verse
12. Two elections made by a blessed people and a gracious God, and
their happy result. The happiness of the church of God. God's delight in his
people, and their delight in him.
Verse
13. Omniscience and its lessons.
Verses
13-15. The doctrine of providence.
Verse
15. God's acquaintance with men hearts, and his estimate of their
actions. The similarity of human nature.
Verses
16-18. The fallacy of human trust, and the security of faith in God.
Verse
18. Hoping in the mercy of God—false and true forms distinguished.
Verse
18.
1.
The eyes of God's knowledge are upon them.
2. The eyes of his affection are upon them.
3. The eyes of his providence are upon them.
—William Jay.
Verse
19. Life in famine, natural and spiritual, especially a famine of
inward hope and legal satisfaction.
Verse
20. Waiting for the Lord, includes:
1.
Conviction—a persuasion that the Lord is the supreme good.
2. Desire—it is expressed by hungering and thirsting after righteousness.
3. Hope.
4. Patience—God is never slack concerning his promise.
—William Jay.
Verse
20. (first clause). The believer's hourly position.
Verse
21. Joy, the outflow of faith.
Verse
22. A prayer for believers only.
Verse
22. Measure for measure, or mercy proportioned to faith.
── C.H. Spurgeon《The Treasury of David》