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Psalm One
Hundred and Eight
Psalm 108
We may usefully select passages from
different psalms, as here, Psalm
57, to help our devotions, and enliven our gratitude. When the heart
is firm in faith and love, the tongue, being employed in grateful praises, is
our glory. Every gift of the Lord honours and profits the possessor, as it is
employed in God's service and to his glory. Believers may pray with assured
faith and hope, for all the blessings of salvation; which are secured to them
by the faithful promise and covenant of God. Then let them expect from him help
in every trouble, and victory in every conflict. Whatever we do, whatever we
gain, God must have all the glory. Lord, visit all our souls with this
salvation, with this favour which thou bearest to thy chosen people.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Psalms》
Psalm 108
Verse 1
[1] O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise,
even with my glory.
Glory — With my tongue.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Psalms》
Exposition
Explanatory Notes and
Quaint Sayings
Hints to the Village
Preacher
TITLE AND
SUBJECT. A Song or Psalm of David. To be sung jubilantly as a national
hymn, or solemnly as a sacred psalm. We cannot find it in our heart to dismiss
this psalm by merely referring the reader first to Ps 57:7-11 and then to Ps
60:5-12, though it will be at once seen that those two portions of Scripture
are almost identical with the verses before us. It is true that most of the
commentators have done so, and we are not so presumptuous as to dispute their
wisdom; but we hold for ourselves that the words would not have been repeated
if there had not been an object for so doing, and that this object could not
have been answered if every hearer of it had said, "Ah, we had that
before, and therefore we need not meditate upon it again." The Holy Spirit
is not so short of expressions that he needs to repeat himself, and the
repetition cannot be meant merely to fill the book: there must be some
intention in the arrangement of two former divine utterances in a new
connection; whether we can discover that intent is another matter. It is at
least ours to endeavour to do so, and we may expect divine assistance therein.
We
have before us The Warrior's Morning Song, with which he adores his God
and strengthens his heart before entering upon the conflicts of the day. As an
old Prussian officer was wont in prayer to invoke the aid of "his
Majesty's August Ally", so does David appeal to his God and set up his
banner in Jehovah's name.
DIVISION. First we have
an utterance dictated by the spirit of praise, Ps 108:1-5; then a second
deliverance evoked by the spirit of believing prayer, Ps 108:6-12; and then a
final word of resolve (Ps 108:13), as the warrior hears the war trumpet
summoning him to join battle immediately, and therefore marches with his fellow
soldiers at once to the fray.
EXPOSITION
These
five verses are found in Ps 57:7-11 almost verbatim: the only important
alteration being the use of the great name of JEHOVAH in Ps 108:3 instead of
Adonai in Ps 57:9. This the English reader will only be able to perceive by the
use of capitals in the present Psalm and not in Ps 57:7-11. There are other
inconsiderable alterations, but the chief point of difference probably lies in the
position of the verses. In Ps 57:7-11 these notes of praise follow prayer
and grow out of it; but in this case the psalmist begins at once to sing and
give praise, and afterwards prays to God in a remarkably confident manner, so
that he seems rather to seize the blessing than to entreat for it. Sometimes we
must climb to praise by the ladder of prayer, and at other times we must bless
God for the past in order to be able in faith to plead for the present and the
future. By the aid of God's Spirit we can both pray ourselves up to praise, or
praise the Lord till we get into a fit frame for prayer. In Ps 57:7-11 these
words are a song in the cave of Adullam, and are the result of faith which is
beginning its battles amid domestic enemies of the most malicious kind; but
here they express the continued resolve and praise of a man who has already weathered
many a campaign, has overcome all home conflicts, and is looking forward to
conquests far and wide. The passage served as a fine close for one psalm, and
it makes an equally noteworthy opening for another. We cannot too often with
fixed heart resolve to magnify the Lord; nor need we ever hesitate to use the
same words in drawing near to God, for the Lord who cannot endure vain
repetitions is equally weary of vain variations. Some expressions are so
admirable that they ought to be used again; who would throw away a cup because
he drank from it before? God should be served with the best words, and when we
have them they are surely good enough to be used twice. To use the same words
continually and never utter a new song would show great slothfulness, and would
lead to dead formalism, but we need not regard novelty of language as at all
essential to devotion, nor strain after it as an urgent necessity. It may be
that our heavenly Father would here teach us that if we are unable to find a
great variety of suitable expressions in devotion, we need not in the slightest
degree distress ourselves, but may either pray or praise, "using the same
words."
Verse
1. O God, my heart is fixed. Though I have many wars to
disturb me, and many cares to toss me to and fro, yet I am settled in one mind
and cannot be driven from it. My heart has taken hold and abides in one
resolve. Thy grace has overcome the fickleness of nature, and I am now in a
resolute and determined frame of mind. I will sing and give praise. Both with
voice and music will I extol thee—"I will sing and play", as some
read it. Even though I have to shout in the battle I will also sing in my soul,
and if my fingers must needs be engaged with the bow, yet shall they also touch
the ten stringed instrument and show forth thy praise. Even with my glory—with
my intellect, my tongue, my poetic faculty, my musical skill, or whatever else
causes me to be renowned, and confers honour upon me. It is my glory to be able
to speak and not to be a dumb animal, therefore my voice shall show forth thy
praise; it is my glory to know God and not to be a heathen, and therefore my
instructed intellect shall adore thee; it is my glory to be a saint and no more
a rebel, therefore the grace I have received shall bless thee; it is my glory
to be immortal and not a mere brute which perisheth, therefore my inmost life
shall celebrate thy majesty. When he says I will, he supposes that there
might be some temptation to refrain, but this he puts on one side, and with
fixed heart prepares himself for the joyful engagement. He who sings with a
fixed heart is likely to sing on, and all the while to sing well.
Verse
2. Awake, psaltery and harp. As if he could not be content
with voice alone, but must use the well tuned strings, and communicate to them
something of his own liveliness. Strings are wonderful things when some men
play upon them, they seem to become sympathetic and incorporated with the
minstrel as if his very soul were imparted to them and thrilled through them.
Only when a thoroughly enraptured soul speaks in the instrument can music be
acceptable with God: as mere musical sound the Lord can have no pleasure
therein, he is only pleased with the thought and feeling which are thus
expressed. When a man has musical gift, he should regard it as too lovely a
power to be enlisted in the cause of sin. Well did Charles Wesley say:—
"If
well I know the tuneful art
To captivate a human heart,
The glory, Lord, be thine.
A servant of thy blessed will,
I here devote my utmost skill
To sound the praise divine."
"Thine
own musician, Lord, inspire,
And let my consecrated lyre
Repeat the Psalmist's part.
His Son and Thine reveal in me,
And fill with sacred melody
The fibres of my heart."
I
myself will awake early. I will call up the dawn. The best and brightest hours of the day
shall find me heartily aroused to bless my God. Some singers had need to awake,
for they sing in drawling tones, as if they were half asleep; the tune drags
wearily along, there is no feeling or sentiment in the singing, but the
listener hears only a dull mechanical sound, as if the choir ground out the
notes from a worn out barrel organ. Oh, choristers, wake up, for this is not a
work for dreamers, but such as requires your best powers in their liveliest
condition. In all worship this should be the personal resolve of each
worshipper: "I myself will awake."
Verse
3. I will praise thee, O LORD, among the people. Whoever may
come to hear me, devout or profane, believer or heathen, civilized or
barbarian, I shall not cease my music. David seemed inspired to foresee that
his Psalms would be sung in every land, from Greenland's icy mountains to
India's coral strand. His heart was large, he would have the whole race of man
listen to his joy in God, and lo, he has his desire, for his psalmody is
cosmopolitan; no poet is so universally known as he. He had but one theme, he
sang Jehovah and none beside, and his work being thus made of gold, silver, and
precious stones, has endured the fiery ordeal of time, and was never more prized
than at this day. Happy man, to have thus made his choice to be the Lord's
musician, he retains his office as the Poet Laureate of the kingdom of heaven,
and shall retain it till the crack of doom. And I will sing praises unto thee
among the nations. This is written, not only to complete the parallelism of the
verse, but to reaffirm his fixed resolve. He would march to battle praising
Jehovah, and when he had conquered he would make the captured cities ring with
Jehovah's praises. He would carry his religion with him wherever he pushed his
conquests, and the vanquished should not hear the praises of David, but the
glories of the Lord of Hosts. Would to God that wherever professing Christians
travel they would carry the praises of the Lord with them! It is to be feared
that some leave their religion when they leave their homes. Nations and peoples
would soon know the gospel of Jesus if every Christian traveller were as
intensely devout as the Psalmist. Alas, it is to be feared that the Lord's name
is profaned rather than honoured among the heathen by many who are named by the
name of Christ.
Verse
4. For thy mercy is great above the heavens, and therefore
there must be no limit of time, or place, or people, when that mercy is to be
extolled. As the heavens over arch the whole earth, and from above mercy pours
down upon men, so shalt thou be praised everywhere beneath the sky. Mercy is
greater than the mountains, though they pierce the clouds; earth cannot hold it
all, it is so vast, so boundless, so exceeding high that the heavens themselves
are over topped thereby. And thy truth teacheth unto the clouds. As far as we
can see we behold thy truth and faithfulness, and there is much beyond which
lies shrouded in cloud, but we are sure that it is all mercy, though it be far
above and out of our sight. Therefore shall the song be lifted high and the
psalm shall peal forth without stint of far resounding music. Here is ample
space for the loudest chorus, and a subject which deserves thunders of praise.
Verse
5. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above
all the earth. Let thy praise be according to the greatness of thy mercy.
Ah, if we were to measure our devotion thus, with what ardour should we sing!
The whole earth with its overhanging dome would seem too scant an orchestra,
and all the faculties of all mankind too little for the hallelujah. Angels
would be called in to aid us, and surely they would come. They will come in
that day when the whole earth shall be filled with the praises of Jehovah. We
long for the time when God shall be universally worshipped, and his glory in
the gospel shall be everywhere made known. This is a truly missionary prayer.
David had none of the exclusiveness of the modern Jew, or the narrow
heartedness of some nominal Christians. For God's sake, that his glory might be
everywhere revealed, he longed to see heaven and earth full of the divine
praise. Amen, so let it be. Now prayer follows upon praise, and derives
strength of faith and holy boldness therefrom. It is frequently best to begin
worship with a hymn, and then to bring forth our vials full of odours after the
harps have commenced their sweeter sounds.
Verse
6. That thy beloved may be delivered: save with thy right hand,
and answer me. Let my prayer avail for all the beloved ones. Sometimes a
nation seems to hang upon the petitions of one man. With what ardour should
such an one pour out his soul! David does so here. It is easy praying for the
Lord's beloved, for we feel sure of a favourable answer, since the Lord's heart
is already set upon doing them good: yet it is solemn work to plead when we
feel that the condition of a whole beloved nation depends upon what the Lord
means to do with us whom he has placed in a representative position.
"Answer me, that thy many beloved ones may be delivered": it
is an urgent prayer. David felt that the case demanded the right hand of
God,—his wisest, speediest, and most efficient interposition, and he feels sure
of obtaining it for himself, since his cause involved the safety of the chosen
people. Will the Lord fail to use his right hand of power on behalf of those
whom he has set at his right hand of favour? Shall not the beloved be delivered
by him who loves them? When our suit is not a selfish one, but is bound up with
the cause of God, we may be very bold about it.
Verse
7. God hath spoken in his holiness. Aforetime the Lord had
made large promises to David, and these his holiness had guaranteed. The divine
attributes were pledged to give the son of Jesse great blessings; there was no
fear that the covenant God would run back from his plighted word. I will
rejoice. If God has spoken we may well be glad: the very fact of a divine
revelation is a joy. If the Lord had meant to destroy us he would not have
spoken to us as he has done. But what God has spoken is a still further reason
for gladness, for he has declared "the sure mercies of David", and
promised to establish his seed upon his throne, and to subdue all his enemies.
David greatly rejoiced after the Lord had spoken to him by the mouth of Nathan.
He sat before the Lord in a wonder of joy. See 1Ch 17:1-27, and note that in
the next chapter David began to act vigorously against his enemies, even as in
this Psalm he vows to do. I will divide Shechem. Home conquests come first.
Foes must be dislodged from Israel's territory, and lands properly settled and
managed. And mete out the valley of Succoth. On the other side Jordan as well
as on this the land must be put in order, and secured against all wandering
marauders. Some rejoicing leads to inaction, but not that which is grounded
upon a lively faith in the promise of God. See how David prays, as if he had
the blessing already, and could share it among his men: this comes of having
sung so heartily unto the Lord his helper. See how he resolves on action, like
a man whose prayers are only a part of his life, and vital portions of his
action.
Verse
8. Gilead is mine. Thankful hearts dwell upon the gifts which
the Lord has given them, and think it no task to mention them one by one.
Manasseh is mine. I have it already, and it is to me the token and assurance
that the rest of the promised heritage will also come into my possession in due
time. If we gratefully acknowledge what we have we shall be in better heart for
obtaining that which as yet we have not received. He who gives us Gilead and
Manasseh will not fail to put the rest of the promised territory into our
hands. Ephraim also is the strength of mine head. This tribe furnished David
with more than twenty thousand "mighty men of valour, famous throughout
the house of their fathers": the faithful loyalty of this band was, no
doubt, a proof that the rest of the tribe were with him, and so he regarded
them as the helmet of the state, the guard of his royal crown. Judah is my
lawgiver. There had he seated the government and chief courts of justice. No
other tribe could lawfully govern but Judah: till Shiloh came the divine decree
fixed the legal power in that state. To us also there is no lawgiver but our
Lord who sprang out of Judah; and whenever Rome, or Canterbury, or any other
power shall attempt to set up laws and ordinances for the church, we have but
one reply—"Judah is my lawgiver." Thus the royal psalmist rejoiced
because his own land had been cleansed of intruders, and a regular government
had been set up, and guarded by an ample force, and in all this he found
encouragement to plead for victory over his foreign foes. Even thus do we plead
with the Lord that as in one land and another Christ's holy gospel has been set
up and maintained, so also in other lands the power of his sceptre of grace may
be owned till the whole earth shall bow before him, and the Edom of Antichrist
shall be crushed beneath his feet.
Verse
9. Moab is my washpot. This nation had shown no friendly
spirit to the Israelites, but had continually viewed them as a detested rival,
therefore they were to be subdued and made subject to David's throne. He claims
by faith the victory, and regards his powerful enemy with contempt. Nor was he
disappointed, for "the Moabites became David's servants and brought him
gifts" (2Sa 8:2). As men wash their feet after a long journey, and so are
revived, so vanquished difficulties serve to refresh us: we use Moab for a
washpot. Over Edom will I cast out my shoe. It shall be as the floor upon which
the bather throws his sandals, it shall lie beneath his foot, subject to his
will and altogether his own. Edom was proud, but David throws his slipper at
it; its capital was high, but he casts his sandal over it; it was strong, but he
hurls his shoe at it as the gage of battle. He had not entered yet into its
rock built fortresses, but since the Lord was with him he felt sure that he
would do so. Under the leadership of the Almighty, he felt so secure of
conquering even fierce Edom itself that he looks upon it as a mere slave, over
which he could exult with impunity. We ought never to fear those who are
defending the wrong side, for since God is not with them their wisdom is folly,
their strength is weakness, and their glory is their shame. We think too much
of God's foes and talk of them with too much respect. Who is this pope of Rome?
His Holiness? Call him not so, but call him His Blasphemy! His Profanity! His
Impudence! What are he and his cardinals, and his legates, but the image and
incarnation of Antichrist, to be in due time cast with the beast and the false
prophet into the lake of fire? Over Philistia will I triumph. David had done so
in his youth, and he is all the more sure of doing it again. We read that
"David smote the Philistines and subdued them" (2Sa 8:1), even as he
hath smitten Edom and filled it with his garrisons. The enemies with whom we
battled in our youth are yet alive, and we shall have more brushes with them
before we die, but, blessed be God, we are by no means dismayed at the
prospect, for we expect to triumph over them even more easily than aforetime.
Thy
right hand shall thy people aid;
Thy faithful promise makes us strong;
We will Philistia's land invade.
And over Edom chant the song.
Through thee we shall most valiant prove,
And tread the foe beneath our feet;
Through thee our faith shall hills remove,
And small as chaff the mountains beat.
Verse
10. Faith leads on to strong desire for the realization of the
promise, and hence the practical question, Who will bring me into the strong
city? who will lead me into Edom? The difficulty is plainly perceived.
Petra is strong and hard to enter: the Psalmist warrior knows that he cannot
enter the city by his own power, and he therefore asks who is to help him. He asks
of the right person, even of his Lord, who has all men at his beck, and can say
to this man, "show my servant the road", and he will show it, or to
this band, "cut your way into the rock city", and they will assuredly
do it. Of Edom it is written by Obadiah", The pride of thine heart hath
deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation
is high; that saith in his heart, who shall bring me down to the ground? Though
thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars,
thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord." David looked for his
conquest to Jehovah's infinite power and he looked not in vain.
Verse
11. Wilt not thou, O God, who hast cast us off? This is grand
faith which can trust the Lord even when he seems to have cast us off. Some can
barely trust him when he pampers them, and yet David relied upon him when
Israel seemed under a cloud and the Lord had hidden his face. O for more of
this real and living faith. The casting off will not last long when faith so
gloriously keeps her hold. None but the elect of God who have obtained
"like precious faith" can sing—
"Now
thou arrayest thine awful face
In angry frowns, without a smile;
We, through the cloud, believe thy grace,
Secure of thy compassion still."
And
wilt not thou, O God, go forth with our hosts? Canst thou for ever
forsake thine own and leave thy people to be overthrown by thine enemies? The
sweet singer is sure that Edom shall be captured, because he cannot and will
not believe that God will refrain from going forth with the armies of his
chosen people. When we ask ourselves, "Who will be the means of our
obtaining a promised blessing?" we need not be discouraged if we perceive
no secondary agent, for we may then fall back upon the great Promiser himself,
and believe that he himself will perform his word unto us. If no one else will
lead us into Edom, the Lord himself will do it, if he has promised it. Or if
there must be visible instruments he will use our hosts, feeble as they
are. We need not that any new agency should be created, God can strengthen our
present hosts and enable them to do all that is needed; all that is wanted even
for the conquest of a world is that the Lord go forth with such forces as we
already have. He can bring us into the strong city even by such weak weapons as
we wield today.
Verse
12. Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.
This prayer has often fallen from the lips of men who have been bitterly
disappointed by their fellows, and it has also been poured out unto the Lord in
the presence of some gigantic labour in which mortal power is evidently of no
avail. Edom cannot be entered by any human power, yet from its fastnesses the
robber bands come rushing down; therefore, O Lord, do thou interpose and give
thy people deliverance. Help divine is expected because help human is of no
avail. We ought to pray with all the more confidence in God when our confidence
in man is altogether gone. When the help of man is vain, we shall not find it
vain to seek the help of God.
Verse
13. God's help shall inspire us to help ourselves. Faith is neither a
coward nor a sluggard: she knows that God is with her, and therefore she does
valiantly; she knows that he will tread down her enemies, and therefore she
arises to tread them down in his name. Where praise and prayer have preceded
the battle, we may expect to see heroic deeds and decisive victories. Through
God is our secret support; from that source we draw all our courage, wisdom,
and strength. We shall do valiantly. This is the public outflow from that
secret source: our inward and spiritual faith proves itself by outward and
valorous deeds. He shall tread down our enemies. They shall fall before him,
and as they lie prostrate he shall march over them, and all the hosts of his
people with him. This is a prophecy. It was fulfilled to David, but it remains
true to the Son of David and all who are on his side. The Church shall yet
arouse herself to praise her God with all her heart, and then with songs and
hosannas she will advance to the great battle; her foes shall be overthrown and
utterly crushed by the power of her God, and the Lord's glory shall be above
all the earth. Send it in our time, we beseech thee, O Lord.
EXPLANATORY
NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Whole
Psalm. Note the different application of the words as they are used in
Ps 57:1-11 and Ps 60:1-12, and as they are employed in Ps 108:1-13. In the
former they were prophetic of prosperity yet to come, and consolatory in the
expectation of approaching troubles. In the latter, they are eucharistic for
mercies already received, and descriptive of the glorious things which God has
prepared for his Son and for Israel his people. The Psalm, thus interpreted,
announces that Messiah's travail is ended, when the troubles of Israel are
brought to a close. David's Son and David's Lord has taken to himself his great
power and begun to reign, and sitting upon the throne of his glory, he sings
this hymn, Ps 108:1-6. But with the glory of the Redeemer is associated also
the restoration, to favour and happiness, of Israel, his long cast off, but not
forgotten people. The setting up of King Messiah upon the holy hill of Zion is
graphically described, and all Jehovah's promises are realised in the most
ample measure. Messiah is described as a conqueror when the battle is won, and
kings and nations, prostrate at his feet, await his sentence and judgment upon
them. "I will rejoice. I will divide and portion out Shechem and the
valley of Succoth. Gilead is mine, and I give it to the children of Gad and
Reuben. And Manasseh also is mine. Ephraim is my strength in war: my horn of
defence. Judah is my king." Thus in gracious and flattering words, the
victor addresses his confederates and subjects. In a different strain, a strain
of sarcasm and contempt, he announces his pleasure respecting his vanquished
enemies." Moab I will use as a vessel to wash my feet in. Over proud Edom
I will cast my shoe, as an angry master to a slave ministering to him.
Philistia follow my chariot, and shout forth my triumph." But what is to
be understood of the next passage, Ps 108:10, "Who will bring me into
Edom?" Edom is already treated as a vassal state, Ps 108:9. When all the
nations become the kingdoms of Messiah, what is this Edom that is to be amongst
his latest triumphs? One passage only seems to bear upon it, Isa 63:1, and from
this we learn that it is from Edom as the last scene of his vengeance, the
conquering Messiah will come forth, "clothed with a vesture dipped in
blood." This Edom is therefore named with anxiety, because after its
overthrow, Messiah will shine out "King of kings, and Lord of lords",
Re 19:13-16.—R.H. Ryland.
Whole
Psalm. This psalm hath two parts: in the former is the thanksgiving of
faith and promise of praise, in hope of obtaining all which the church is here
to pray for, (Ps 108:1-5). In the latter part is the prayer for preservation of
the church, Ps 108:6, with confidence to be heard and helped, whatsoever
impediment appear, against all who stand out against Christ's kingdom, whether
within the visible church (Ps 108:7-8), or whether without, such as are
professed enemies unto it, (Ps 108:9-11), which prayer is followed forth (Ps
108:12), and comfortably closed with assurance of the Church's victory by the
assistance of God, Ps 108:13.—David Dickson.
Verse
1. O God, my heart is fixed. The wheels of a chariot revolve,
but the axletree turns not; the sails of a mill move with the wind, but the
mill itself moves not; the earth is carried round its orbit, but its centre is
fixed. So should a Christian be able, amidst changing scenes and changing
fortunes, to say, "O God, my heart is fixed, my heart is fixed."—G.S.
Bowes, in "Illustrative Gatherings", 1862.
Verse
1. My heart is fixed. The prophet saith his heart was
ready, so the old translation hath it; the new translation, "My
heart is fixed." The word in the Hebrew signifies, first, ready,
or prepared. Then, secondly, it signifies fixed. We first fit,
prepare a thing, sharpen it, before we drive it into the ground, and then drive
it in and fix it. So ask seriously and often, that thy heart may be ready, and
may also be fixed, and this by a habit which brings readiness and
fixedness, as in other holy duties, so in that of meditation.—Nathanael
Ranew, in "Solitude improved by Divine Meditation," 1670.
Verse
1. Meditation is a fixed duty. It is not a cursory work. Man's
thoughts naturally labour with a great inconsistency; but meditation chains
them, and fastens them upon some spiritual object. The soul when it meditates
lays a command on itself, that the thoughts which are otherwise flitting and
feathery should fix upon its object; and so this duty is very advantageous. As
we know a garden which is watered with sudden showers is more uncertain in its
fruit than when it is refreshed with a constant stream; so when our thoughts
are sometimes on good things, and then run off; when they only take a glance of
a holy object, and then flit away, there is not so much fruit brought into the
soul. In meditation, then, there must be a fixing of the heart upon the object,
a steeping the thoughts, as holy David: "O God, my heart is
fixed." We must view the holy object presented by meditation, as a
limner who views some curious piece, and carefully heeds every shade, every
line and colour; as the Virgin Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in
her heart. Indeed; meditation is not only the busying the thoughts, but the
centring of them; not only the employing of them, but the staking them down
upon some spiritual affair. When the soul, meditating upon something divine,
saith as the disciples in the transfiguration (Mt 17:4), "It is good to be
here."—John Wells, in the "Practical Sabbatarian," 1668.
Verse
1. With my glory. The parallel passage in the Prayer book
version is, "with the best member I have." The tongue, being
considered the best member, is here described as the glory of man—as
that which tends to elevate him in the scale of creation; and therefore the
pious man resolves to employ his speech in giving utterance to the goodness of
God. God is glorified by the praise of his redeemed, and the instrument whereby
it is effected is man's glory.—The Quiver.
Verses
1-2. As a man first tunes his instrument, and then playeth on it so
should the holy servant of God first labour to bring his spirit, heart, and
affections into a solid and settled frame for worship, and then go to work; My
heart is fixed, or prepared firmly, I will sing and give praise. As
the glory of man above the brute creatures, is that from a reasonable mind he
can express what is his will by his tongue: so the glory of saints above other
men, is to have a tongue directed by the heart, for expressing of God's praise:
"I will sing and give praise, even with my glory." Under
typical terms we are taught to make use of all sanctified means for stirring of
us up unto God's service: for this the psalmist intends, when he saith, Awake
psaltery and harp. We ourselves must first be stirred up to make right use
of the means, before the means can be fit to stir us up: therefore saith he, I
myself will awake right early.—David Dickson.
Verses
1-5. After David has professed a purpose of praising God (Ps 108:1-3)
he tells you, next, the proportion that is between the attributes which he
praiseth in God, and his praise of him. The greatness of the attributes mercy
and truth we have in Ps 108:4, Thy truth reaches unto the clouds;
and there is an answerable greatness in his praises of God for them, Ps 108:5: Be
thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth.
He wishes and endeavours to exalt him as high in his praises as he is in
himself; to exalt him above the earth, above the heaven, and the clouds.—Henry
Jeanes.
Verse
2. With reference to this passage the Talmud says, "A cithern
used to hang above David's bed; and when midnight came the north wind blew
among the strings, so that they sounded of themselves; and forthwith he arose
and busied himself with the Torah until the pillar of the dawn ascended."
Rashi observes, "The dawn awakes the other kings; but I, said David, will
awake the dawn."—Franz Delitzsch
Verse
2. When the Hebrew captives were sitting in sorrow "by the
waters of Babylon", they wept, and hung their harps on the willows, and
could not be prevailed upon by the conquerors to sing "the songs of Zion
in that land" (Ps 137:1,4). But when "the Lord turned again the
captivity of Zion, then was their mouth filled with laughter and their tongue
with singing" (Ps 126:1-2). Then the psaltery and harp of former
generations awoke (Ps 108:2). The old songs revived on their lips, and
the melodies of David acquired new charms for them.—Christopher Wordsworth.
Verse
2. Awake early.
"Yet
never sleep the sun up; prayer should
Dawn with the day, there are set awful hours
Between heaven and us; the manna was not good
After sun rising, for day sullies flowers."
—Henry Vaughan, 1621-1695.
Verse
4. For thy mercy is great, etc. His mercy is great—that mercy
sung of lately (Ps 107:1,43). It is "from above the heavens"
(Mymv-lem); i.e., coming down to us as do drops of a fertilizing shower;
even as the "Peace on earth", of Lu 2:14, was first "peace in
heaven" (Lu 19:38).—Andrew A. Bonar.
Verse
4. The mercy of God was then great above the heavens, when
the God man, Christ Jesus, was raised to the highest heavens, and the truth of
our salvation established on the very throne of God.—W. Wilson.
Verses
4-5. There is more stuff and substance of good in the Lord's promises
than the sharpest sighted saint did or can perceive; for when we have followed
the promise, to find out all the truth which is in it, we meet with a cloud of
unsearchable riches, and are forced to leave it there; for so much is included
in this, Thy truth reacheth unto the clouds. The height of our praising
of God is to put the work of praising God upon himself, and to point him out
unto others as going about the magnifying of his own name, and to be glad for
it, as here; Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; and thy glory above
all the earth.—David Dickson.
Verses
4-6. There is great confidence here, and, as ever, mercy to the soul
which knows itself and comes before truth. But, then, for its own deliverance
and blessing it looks to the exalting of God. This shows it must be a holy,
righteous exalting. "Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and
thy glory above all the earth; that thy beloved may be delivered." It is a
blessed thought, and this is what faith has to lay hold of now, even in the
time of trial, that our blessing and God's glory are one, only we must put his
glory first.—J.N. Darby.
Verse
6. That thy beloved may be delivered, etc. The church is the
Lord's "beloved", or the incorporation, more loved than
anything else in the world, therefore here called, "Thy beloved."
Because the church is God's beloved, the care of it should be most in our mind,
and the love of the preservation of it should draw forth our prayer most in
favour of it. "That thy beloved may be delivered: save."—David
Dickson.
Verse
6. God being thus exalted according to the majesty of his truth, the
special plea of the Spirit of Jesus, founded on the mercy which has throned
itself above the heavens, is next urged (Ps 108:6) on behalf of the nation of
his ancient love. That thy beloved (ones) may be delivered, save with thy
right hand and answer me. It is the Spirit of Immanuel that thus makes
intercession for his well remembered people according to God. His land should
be rid in due time of those who had burdened it with wickedness. For God
had spoken in his holiness concerning the portion of his anointed.—Arthur
Pridham.
Verse
7. God hath spoken the word of assurance. This refers to all
the words in which the land of their inheritance was defined, especially Ge
15:18 Ex 23:31 De 11:24, and that remarkable prediction concerning the
perpetuity of David's line, 2Sa 7:1-17, which must have made a deep impression
on his mind. From these passages it is evident that Aram as well as Edom was
included in the full compass of the territory designed for Israel, and that
David felt himself to be in the path of destiny when he was endeavouring to
extend his sway from the river of Egypt to the great river, even the Euphrates.
In his holiness, in the immutable integrity of his heart, which was an
infallible guarantee for the fulfilment of his promise. I will exult.
This is the exclamation of the representative head of the people, when he
ponders upon the divine utterance.—James G. Murphy.
Verse
7. Faith closing with a promise, will furnish joy to the believer
before he enjoys the performance of it: God hath spoken, saith he, I
will rejoice.—David Dickson.
Verse
7. He, the second David, had accomplished his warfare, and had
crowned himself with victory. Henceforth he would apportion the kingdoms of the
world and subdue them unto himself at his own holy will. Ephraim and Judah,
Moab and Philistia, the Jew first and then the Gentile, were to be brought to
confess him as their Lord.—Plain Commentary.
Verse
8. Ephraim also is the strength of mine head. As Ephraim was
the most populous of all the tribes, he appropriately terms it the strength
of his head, that is, of his dominions.—John Calvin.
Verse
9. Moab, who had enticed Israel to impurity, is made a vessel
for its purifying. Edom, descendant of him who despised his birthright,
is deprived of his independence;—for "flinging a shoe" was a sign of
the transference of a prior claim on land. Ru 4:7.—William Kay.
Verse
9. Moab is my washpot. The office of washing the feet was in
the East commonly performed by slaves, and the meanest of the family, as
appears from what Abigail said to David when he took her to wife, "Behold,
let thine handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my
lord", 1Sa 25:41; and from the fact of our Saviour washing his disciples'
feet, to give them an example of humility, Joh 8:5. The word nipthr, used in
this last passage, signifies in general a washing pot, and is put for the word
podoniptron, the term which the Greeks, in strict propriety of speech, applied
to a vessel for washing the feet. As this office was servile, so the vessels
employed for this purpose were a mean part of household stuff. Gataker and Le
Clerc illustrate this text from an anecdote related by Herodotus, concerning
Amasis, king of Egypt, who expressed the meanness of his own origin by
comparing himself to a pot for washing the feet in, (Herod. Lib. 2. c. 172).
When, therefore, it is said, "Moab is my washing pot", the
complete and servile subjection of Moab to David is strongly marked. This is
expressed, not by comparing Moab to a slave who performs the lowest offices, as
presenting to his master the basin for washing his feet, but by comparing him
to the mean utensil itself. See 2Sa 8:2 1Ch 18:1-2, 12-13.—James Anderson's
Note to Calvin on Isa 60:1-12.
Verse
9. Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast my shoe. This
somewhat difficult expression may be thus explained. Moab and Edom were to be
reduced to a state of lowest vassalage to the people of God. The one was to be
like a pot or tub fit only for washing the feet in, while the other was to be
like the domestic slave standing by to receive the sandals thrown to him by the
person about to perform his ablutions, that he might first put them by in a
safe place, and then come and wash his master's feet.—"Rays from the
East."
Verse
9. Over Edom will I cast my shoe. David overthrew their army
in the "Valley of Salt", and his general, Joab, following up the
victory, destroyed nearly the whole male population (1Ki 11:15-16), and placed
Jewish garrisons in all the strongholds of Edom (2Sa 8:13-14). In honour of
that victory the Psalmist warrior may have penned the words in Ps 60:8, "Over
Edom will I cast my shoe."—J.L. Porter in, "Smith's Dictionary
of the Bible."
Verse
10. The strong city built on the rock, even man's hardened heart,
stronger and more stony than the tomb, he had conquered and overcome; and in
him and his might are his people to carry on his warfare, and to cast down all
the strongholds of human pride, and human stubbornness, and human
unrepentance.—Plain Commentary.
Verses
10-11. It is not conclusive evidence that we are not called to undertake
a given work or perform a certain duty, because it is very difficult, or even
impossible for us to succeed without special help from God. If God calls David
to take Petra, he shall take Petra.—William S. Plumer.
Verse
11. Wilt not thou, O God? His hand shall lead him even to
Petra, which seems unapproachable by human strength. That marvellous rock city
of the Edomites is surrounded by rocks some of which are three hundred feet
high, and a single path twelve in width leads to it. The city itself is partly
hewn out of the cloven rocks, and its ruins, which however belong to a later
period, fill travellers with amazement.—Augustus F. Tholuck.
Verse
11. He who came victorious from Edom, and with garments dyed in the
blood of his passion from Bozrah, will henceforth now go forth with the armies
of the true Israel,—for what are hosts without the Lord of hosts?—to subdue
their enemy.—Plain Commentary.
Verse
12. Give us help from trouble, etc. He who would have God's
help in any business, must quit confidence in man's help; and the seeing of the
vanity of man's help must make the believer to trust the more unto, and expect
the more confidently God's help, as here is done. "Give us help from
trouble: for vain is the help of man."—David Dickson.
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE
PREACHER
Whole
Psalm. Parts of two former psalms are here united in one.
1.
Repetition is here sanctioned by inspiration.
(a)
Of what? Of hymns, of prayers, of sermons.
(b)
For what? For impression. "As we said before so say I now again, if any man
preach", etc. For confirmation: "Rejoice in the Lord, and again I say
rejoice": they went through Syria and Cilicia again confirming the
churches. For preservation: quotations authenticate originals, a writing in two
copies is safer than in one.
2.
Rearrangement is here sanctioned by inspiration.
(a)
Different experiences may require it. Sometimes the heart is most fixed at the
commencement of a spiritual exercise: sometimes at its close. Hence the
commencement of one psalm is the close of another.
(b)
Different occasions may require it. As of sorrow and joy. Two parts of two
different hymns may better harmonise with a particular occasion than either one
separately considered.—G.R.
Verse
1.
1.
The best occupation: praise. Worthy—
(a)
Of the heart in its best condition.
(b) Of the best faculties of the best educated man.
2.
The best resolution.
(a)
Arising from a fixed heart.
(b) Deliberately formed.
(c) Solemnly expressed.
(d) Joyfully executed.
3.
The best results. To praise God makes a man both happier and holier, stronger
and bolder—as the succeeding verses show.
Verse
2. The benefit of early rising. The sweetness of the Sabbath morning
early prayer meeting.
Verse
3. We must not restrain praise because we are overheard by
strangers, nor because the listeners are heathen, or ungodly, or are numerous,
or are likely to oppose. There may be all the more reason for our outspoken
praise of God when we are in such circumstances.
Verses
4-5. The greatness of mercy, the height of truth, and the immensity of
the Divine praise.
Verse
6. The prayer of a representative man. There are times when to
answer me is to deliver the church—at such times I have a powerful plea.
Verse
7. God's voice the cause of joy, the reason for action, the
guarantee of success.
Verse
8. Judah is my lawgiver. Jesus the sole and only lawmaker in
the church.
Verse
11. (first clause).—Confidence in a frowning God.
Verse
11. (second clause). Whether God will go forth with our hosts
depends upon—Who they are? What is their object? What is their motive and
spirit? What weapons do they use? etc.
Verse
12. The failure of human help is often
1.
The direct cause of our prayer.
2. The source of urgency in pleading.
3. A powerful argument for the pleader.
4. A distinct reason for hope to light upon.
Verse
13. How, when, and why a believer should do valiantly.
── C.H. Spurgeon《The Treasury of David》