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Psalm One
Hundred Forty-nine
Psalm 149
Chapter Contents
Joy to all the people of God. (1-5) Terror to their
enemies. (6-9)
Commentary on Psalm 149:1-5
(Read Psalm 149:1-5)
New mercies continually demand new songs of praise, upon
earth and in heaven. And the children of Zion have not only to bless the God
who made them, but to rejoice in him, as having created them in Christ Jesus
unto good works, and formed them saints as well as men. The Lord takes pleasure
in his people; they should rejoice in Him. When the Lord has made sinners feel
their wants and unworthiness, he will adorn them with the graces of his Spirit,
and cause them to bear his image, and rejoice in his happiness for ever. Let
his saints employ their waking hours upon their beds in songs of praise. Let
them rejoice, even upon the bed of death, assured that they are going to
eternal rest and glory.
Commentary on Psalm 149:6-9
(Read Psalm 149:6-9)
Some of God's servants of old were appointed to execute
vengeance according to his word. They did not do it from personal revenge or
earthly politics, but in obedience to God's command. And the honour intended
for all the saints of God, consists in their triumphs over the enemies of their
salvation. Christ never intended his gospel should be spread by fire and sword,
or his righteousness by the wrath of man. But let the high praises of God be in
our mouths, while we wield the sword of the word of God, with the shield of
faith, in warfare with the world, the flesh, and the devil. The saints shall be
more than conquerors over the enemies of their souls, through the blood of the
Lamb and the word of his testimony. The completing of this will be in the
judgement of the great day. Then shall the judgement be executed. Behold Jesus,
and his gospel church, chiefly in her millennial state. He and his people
rejoice in each other; by their prayers and efforts they work with him, while
he goes forth in the chariots of salvation, conquering sinners by grace, or in
chariots of vengeance, to destroy his enemies.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Psalms》
Psalm 149
Verse 4
[4] For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will
beautify the meek with salvation.
The Lord — He rejoiceth over them to do them good.
Beautify — Heb. adorn, make them amiable and honourable in the
eyes of the world, who now hate and despise them.
The meek — All true Israelites are such.
Verse 5
[5] Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud
upon their beds.
In glory — For the honour which God putteth upon them.
Beds — By night as well as by day.
Verse 7
[7] To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments
upon the people;
Vengeance — For all their cruelties and
injuries towards God's people. This was literally accomplished by David upon
the Philistines, Ammonites, Syrians and other neighbouring nations.
Verse 9
[9] To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour
have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.
Written — Appointed and declared in the holy scripture.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Psalms》
Exposition
Explanatory Notes and
Quaint Sayings
Hints to the Village
Preacher
We are almost
at the last Psalm, and still among the Hallelujahs. This is "a new
song", evidently intended for the new creation, and the men who are of
new heart. It is such a song as may be sung at the coming of the Lord, when the
new dispensation shall bring overthrow to the wicked and honour to all the
saints. The tone is exceedingly jubilant and exultant. All through one hears
the beat of the feet of dancing maidens, keeping time to the timbrel and harp.
EXPOSITION
Verse
1. Praise ye the LORD. Specially you, ye chosen people, whom
he has made to be his saints. You have praised him aforetime, praise him yet
again; yea, for ever praise him. With renewed zeal and fresh delight lift up
your song unto Jehovah. Sing unto the LORD a new song. Sing, for it is the
fittest method for expressing reverent praise. Sing a hymn newly composed, for
you have now a new knowledge of God. He is ever new in his manifestations; his
mercies are new every morning; his deliverances are new in every night of
sorrow; let your gratitude and thanksgivings be new also. It is well to repeat
the old; it is more useful to invent the new. Novelty goes well with
heartiness. Our singing should be "unto the Lord"; the songs we sing
should be of him and to him, "for of him, and to him, and through him are
all things." Among our novelties there should be new songs: alas! men are
fonder of making new complaints than new Psalms. Our new songs should be
devised in Jehovah's honour; indeed all our newest thoughts should run towards
him. Never can we find a nobler subject for a song than the Lord, nor one more
full of fresh matter for a new song, nor one which we are personally so much
bound to sing as a new song "unto the Lord." And his praise in the congregation
of saints. Saints are precious, and a congregation of saints is a treasure
house of jewels. God is in the midst of saints, and because of this we may well
long to be among them. They are so full of his praise that we feel at home
among them when we are ourselves full of praise. The sanctuary is the house of
praise as well as the house of prayer. All saints praise God: they would not be
saints if they did not. Their praise is sincere, suitable, seasonable, and
acceptable. Personal praise is sweet unto God, but congregated praise has a
multiplicity of sweetnesses in it. When holy ones meet, they adore The Holy
One. Saints do not gather to amuse themselves with music, nor to extol one
another, but to sing his praise whose saints they are. A congregation of saints
is heaven upon earth: should not Jehovah, the Lord of saints, have all the
praise that can come from such an assembly? Yet at times even saintly conclaves
need to be stirred up to thanksgiving; for saints may be sad and apprehensive,
and then their spirits require to be raised to a higher key, and stimulated to
happier worship.
Verse
2. Let Israel rejoice in him that made him. Here is that new
creation which calls for the new song. It was Jehovah who made Israel to be
Israel, and the tribes to become a great nation: therefore let the Founder of
the nation be had in perpetual honour. Joy and rejoicing are evidently to be
the special characteristics of the new song. The religion of the dead in sin is
more apt to chant dirges than to sing hallelujahs; but when we are made new in
the spirit of our minds we joy and rejoice in him that made us. Our joy is in
our God and King: we choose no lower delight. Let the children of Zion be
joyful in their King. Those who had seen the tribes formed into a settled
kingdom as well as into a united nation should rejoice. Israel is the nation,
Zion is the capital of the kingdom: Israel rejoices in her Maker, Zion in her
King. In the case of our God we who believe in him are as glad of his
Government as we are of his Creation: his reign is as truly the making of us as
was his divine power. The children of Israel are happy to be made a people; the
children of Zion are equally happy to be ruled as a people. In every character
our God is the source of joy to us: this verse issues a permit to our joy, yea
it lays an injunction upon us to be glad in the Lord.
Verse
3. Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises
unto him with the timbrel and harp. Thus let them repeat the triumph of the
Red Sea, which was ever the typical glory of Israel. Miriam led the daughters
of Israel in the dance when the Lord had triumphed gloriously; was it not most
fit that she should? The sacred dance of devout joy is no example, nor even
excuse, for frivolous dances, much less for lewd ones. Who could help dancing
when Egypt was vanquished, and the tribes were free? Every mode of expressing
delight was bound to be employed on so memorable an occasion. Dancing, singing,
and playing on instruments were all called into requisition, and most fitly so.
There are unusual seasons which call for unusual expressions of joy. When the
Lord saves a soul its holy joy overflows, and it cannot find channels enough
for its exceeding gratitude: if the man does not leap, or play, or sing, at any
rate he praises God, and wishes for a thousand tongues with which to magnify
his Saviour. Who would wish it to be otherwise? Young converts are not to be
restrained in their joy. Let them sing and dance while they can. How can they
mourn now that their Bridegroom is with them? Let us give the utmost liberty to
joy. Let us never attempt its suppression, but issue in the terms of this verse
a double license for exultation. If any ought to be glad it is the children of
Zion; rejoicing is more fit for Israel than for any other people: it is their
own folly and fault that they are not oftener brimming with joy in God, for the
very thought of him is delight.
Verse
4. For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people; and therefore
they should take pleasure in him. If our joy be pleasing to him let us make it
full. What condescension is this on Jehovah's part, to notice, to love, and to
delight in his chosen! Surely there is nothing in our persons, or our actions,
which could cause pleasure to the Ever blessed One, were it not that he condescends
to men of low estate. The thought of the Lord's taking pleasure in us is a mine
of joy never to be exhausted. He will beautify the meek with salvation. They
are humble, and feel their need of salvation; he is gracious, and bestows it
upon them. They lament their deformity, and he puts a beauty upon them of the
choicest sort. He saves them by sanctifying them, and thus they wear the beauty
of holiness, and the beauty of a joy which springs out of full salvation. He
makes his people meek, and then makes the meek beautiful. Herein is grand
argument for worshipping the Lord with the utmost exultation: he who takes such
a pleasure in us must be approached with every token of exceeding joy. God
taketh pleasure in all his children as Jacob loved all his sons; but the meek
are his Josephs, and upon these he puts the coat of many colours, beautifying
them with peace, content, joy, holiness, and influence. A meek and quiet spirit
is called "an ornament", and certainly it is "the beauty of holiness."
When God himself beautifies a man, he becomes beautiful indeed and beautiful
for ever. The verse may be read, "He shall beautify the meek with
salvation", or "He shall beautify the afflicted with
deliverance", or, "He shall beautify the meek with victory"; and
each of these readings gives a new shade of meaning, well worthy of quiet
consideration. Each reading also suggests new cause for joyful adoration.
"O come, let us sing unto the Lord."
Verse
5. Let the saints be joyful in glory. God has honoured them,
and put a rare glory upon them; therefore let them exult therein. Shall those
to whom God is their glory be cast down and troubled? Nay, let their joy
proclaim their honourable estate. Let them sing aloud upon their beds. Their
exultation should express itself in shouts and songs, for it is not a feeling
of which they have any need to be ashamed. That which is so fully justified by
fact, may well be loudly proclaimed. Even in their quietest retreats let them
burst into song; when no one hears them, let them sing aloud unto God. If
confined by sickness let them joy in God. In the night watches let them not lie
awake and weep, but like nightingales let them charm the midnight hours. Their
shouts are not now for the battlefield, but for the places of their rest: they
can peacefully lie down and yet enjoy the victory with which the Lord has
beautified them. Without fighting, faith wins and sings the victory. What a
blessing to have our beds made into thrones, and our retirements turned into
triumphs!
Verse
6. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two edged
sword in their hand. It seems they are not always on their beds, but are
ready for deeds of prowess. When called to fight, the meek are very hard to
overcome; they are just as steady in conflict as they are steadfast in
patience. Besides, their way of fighting is of an extraordinary sort, for they
sing to God but keep their swords in their hands. They can do two things at a
time: if they do not wield the trowel and the sword, at least they sing and strike.
In this Israel was not an example, but a type: we will not copy the chosen
people in making literal war, but we will fulfil the emblem by carrying on
spiritual war. We praise God and contend with our corruptions; we sing joyfully
and war earnestly with evil of every kind. Our weapons are not carnal, but they
are mighty, and wound with both back and edge. The word of God is all edge;
whichever way we turn it, it strikes deadly blows at falsehood and wickedness.
If we do not praise we shall grow sad in our conflict; and if we do not fight
we shall become presumptuous in our song. The verse indicates a happy blending
of the chorister and the crusader. Note how each thing in the believer is
emphatic: if he sings, it is high praises, and praises deep down in his throat,
as the original hath it; and if he fights, it is with the sword, and the sword
is two edged. The living God imparts vigorous life to those who trust him. They
are not of a neutral tint: men both hear them and feel them. Quiet is their
spirit, but in that very quietude abides the thunder of an irresistible force.
When godly men give battle to the powers of evil each conflict is high praise
unto the God of goodness. Even the tumult of our holy war is a part of the
music of our lives.
Verse
7. To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon
the people. This was once literally the duty of Israel: when they came into
Canaan they fulfilled the righteous sentence of the Lord upon guilty nations.
At this hour, under the gentler dispensation of grace, we wrestle not with
flesh and blood; yet is our warfare none the less stern, and our victory none
the less sure. All evil shall eventually be overthrown: the Lord shall display
his justice against evildoers, and in that warfare his servants shall play
their parts. The saints shall judge the world. Both the conflict and the
victory at the end of it shall cause glory to God, and honour to his holy ones.
Verse
8. To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters
of iron. Thus are the greatest enemies of Jehovah and his people reduced to
shame, rendered helpless, and themselves punished. This was Israel's boast in
actual fact, it is ours spiritually. The chief powers of evil shall be
restrained and ultimately destroyed. Those who made captives of the godly shall
themselves be made captive. The powers of evil cannot bind our King, but
by his power their king shall be bound with a great chain, and shut up
in the bottomless pit, that he may at length be trodden under the feet of
saints.
Verse
9. To execute upon them the judgment written. Israel as a
nation had this to do, and did it, and then they rejoiced in the God who gave
success to their arms. We praise our God after another fashion; we are not
executioners of justice, but heralds of mercy. It would be a sad thing for any
one to misuse this text: lest any warlike believer should be led to do so, we
would remind him that the execution must not go beyond the sentence and
warrant; and we have received no warrant of execution against our fellow men.
Christians have no commission of vengeance; it is theirs to execute the command
of mercy, and that alone. This honour have all his saints. All the godly shared
in the triumphs of the Lord when he smote Israel's foes. We have like
honour, but it is shown in victories of another sort. All the holy ones are
sent upon errands by their holy Lord. The honours described in this Psalm are
common to all the family of grace; and such service as the Lord appoints is to
be undertaken by every one of them, without exception. The Lord honours all his
chosen here, and he will glorify them all hereafter: this rule is without
exception. Surely in this we have the best argument for glorifying the Lord,
wherefore we close our new song with another Hallelujah, Praise ye the Lord.
EXPLANATORY
NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Whole
Psalm. The foregoing Psalm was a hymn of praise to the Creator; this is
a hymn to the Redeemer.—Matthew Henry.
Whole
Psalm. The New Testament spiritual church cannot pray as the Old
Testament national church here prays. Under the illusion that it must be used
as a prayer without any spiritual transmutation, Ps 149:1-9 has become the
watchword of the most horrible errors. It was by means of this Psalm that
Caspar Scloppius, in his Classicum Belli Sacri, which, as Bakius says,
is written, not with ink, but with blood, inflamed the Roman Catholic princes
to the Thirty Years' Religious War. And in the Protestant church Thomas Muntzer
stirred up the War of the Peasants by means of this Psalm. We see that the
Christian cannot make such a Psalm directly his own, without disavowing the
apostolic warning, "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal" (2Co
10:4). The praying Christian must therefore transpose the letter of this Psalm
into the spirit of the New Covenant.—Franz Delitzsch.
Verse
1. A new song; for this Psalm is a song of renovation. If
Israel when restored and renewed had new cause for rejoicing, much more should
the New Covenant Israel feel constrained to strike the new note of triumph.
Infidels blaspheme, the ungrateful murmur, the thoughtless are silent, the
mournful weep, all acting according to their old nature; but new men take up a
new mode, which is the divinely inspired song of peace, charity, and joy in the
Lord.—Johannes Paulus Palanterius.
Verse
1. A new song. The old man hath an old song, the new man a
new song. The Old Testament is an old song, the New Testament is a new song...
Whoso loveth earthly things singeth an old song: let him that desireth to sing
a new song love the things of eternity. Love itself is new and eternal;
therefore is it ever new, because it never groweth old.—Augustine.
Verse
1. Saints. A title not to be restricted to the godly of the
first times, but common to all that are saved in all after times also, as Eph
4:12. This name putteth mere morality and formal profession out of countenance,
as the sun doth a glow worm. Saintship is a matter of Divine workmanship, and
therefore it is far more remarkable than human excellence. We should keep up
the name of "saints", that the reality of the true religion be not
lowered by avoiding this title; for in these times it is to be feared that the
name is out of use, because holiness itself is out of fashion.—Thomas
Goodwin.
Verse
2. Let Israel rejoice, etc. Give us, oh, give us the man who
sings at his work! Be his occupation what it may, he is equal to any of those
who follow the same pursuit in silent sullenness. He will do more in the same
time—he will do it better—he will persevere longer. One is scarcely sensible of
fatigue whilst he marches to music. The very stars are said to make harmony as
they revolve in their spheres. Wondrous is the strength of cheerfulness,
altogether past calculation its powers of endurance. Efforts to be permanently
useful must be uniformly joyous—a spiritual sunshine—graceful from very
gladness—beautiful because bright.—Thomas Carlyle.
Verse
2. Rejoice in him that made him; let the children of Zion be
joyful. You are never right until you can be heartily merry in the Lord,
nor until you can enjoy mirth in connection with holiness.—Walter Marshall.
Verse
2. Him that made him. Jehovah is called Maker, as one
who formed Israel as a nation, and constituted the people a kingdom, though
they had been a race of slaves. This is more than a general creation of men.—Hermann
Venema.
Verse
2. Literally the Hebrew here brings forward the mystic doctrine of
the Trinity, for it reads, "Let Israel rejoice in God his Makers."—Simon
de Muis.
Verse
2. Joyful in their King. I beg the reader to remark with me,
here is nothing said of Israel being joyful in what their king had done for
them. These things, in their proper place, became sweet subjects of praise. But
the subject of praise in which Israel is now to be engaged is Jesus himself.
Reader, pause over this apparently small, but most important, distinction. The
Lord is gracious in his gifts, gracious in his love, gracious in his salvation.
Every thing he gives, it is from his mercy, and ever to be so acknowledged. But
Jesus' gifts are not himself: I cannot be satisfied with his gifts, while I
know that to others he gives his Person. It is Jesus himself I
want. Though he give me all things that I need, yet if he be to me himself all
things that I need, in him I have all things. Hence, therefore, let us see that
Jesus not only gives us all, but that he is our all.—Robert Hawker.
Verse
3. The dance was in early times one of the modes of
expressing religious joy (Ex 15:20 2Sa 6:16). When from any cause men's ideas
shall undergo such a revolution as to lead them to do the same thing for the
same purpose, it will be time enough to discuss that matter. In our time,
dancing has no such use, and cannot, therefore, in any wise be justified by
pleading the practice of pious Jews of old.—William Swan Plumer.
Verse
3. Let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.
They who from hence urge the use of music in religious worship, must, by the
same rule, introduce dancing, for they went together, as in David's dancing
before the ark (Jud 21:21). But whereas many Scriptures in the New Testament
keep up singing as a gospel ordinance, none provide for the keeping up of music
and dancing; the gospel canon for Psalmody is to "sing with the spirit and
with the understanding."—Matthew Henry.
Verse
3. Timbrel. The toph was employed by David in all the
festivities of religion (2Sa 6:5). The occasions on which it was used were
mostly joyful, and those who played upon it were generally females (Ps 68:25),
as was the case among most ancient nations, and is so at the present day in the
East. The usages of the modern East might adequately illustrate all the
scriptural allusions to this instrument, but happily we have more ancient and
very valuable illustration from the monuments of Egypt. In these we find that
the tambourine was a favourite instrument, both on sacred and festive
occasions. There were three kinds, differing, no doubt, in sound as well as in
form; one was circular, another square or oblong, and the third consisted of
two squares separated by a bar. They were all beaten by the land, and often
used as an accompaniment to the harp and other instruments. The tambourine was
usually played by females, who are represented as dancing to its sound without
the accompaniment of any other instrument.—John Kitto.
Verse
3. Harp. Of the kinnor the Scripture affords little
further information than that it was composed of the sounding parts of good
wood, and furnished with strings. Josephus asserts that it was furnished with
ten strings, and played with a plectrum; which, however, is not understood
to imply that it never had any other number of strings, or was always played
with the plectrum. David certainly played it with the hand (1Sa 16:23
18:10 19:9); and it was probably used in both ways, according to its size. That
this instrument was really a harp is now very generally denied (Kitto).
The reader will, by this time, have balanced the probabilities as to the nature
and construction of the kinnor; and most likely he will be led to think
that it was either a guitar or lyre, a belief which seems to be
gaining ground, on account of the aptitude of such instruments for the uses to
which the kinnor was devoted.—J. Stainer.
Verse
4. For the Lord taketh pleasure in his people. In the text
there are two causes assigned why the saints should be excited to praise the
Lord, and to be joyful in their King.
1. The
delight which the LORD has in the saints. "He taketh pleasure in his
people." In this statement there are three subjects for inquiry, namely:
(a) Who are the Lord's people? (b) Why he takes pleasure in them?
(c) In what respects he takes pleasure in them?
(a)
Who are the Lord's people? Many are the names and titles given to them
in Scripture. We find one in the second clause of the text; but it equally
belongs to the first. "He will beautify the meek." The
scriptural term "meekness" is one which singularly
characterizes and distinguishes the true Christian. It, in fact, contains in
itself a combination of graces, which are most evidently the fruit of the
Spirit, and can grow on no other tree than on the Christian vine. Meekness,
as a Christian grace, may be considered as it respects both God and man. As it
respects God, it implies poverty of spirit; humiliation of heart arising from a
sense of guilt and a feeling of corruption; submission to God's will; silence
and patience under his rod; acquiescence with his dispensations; and a
surrender of our own natural desires and inclinations to his overruling
appointments. As it respects man, meekness comprehends lowliness of mind, and a
readiness to prefer others before ourselves; gentleness of disposition and
behaviour; forbearance under provocations; forgiveness of injuries; quietness
of spirit, and moderation in pushing forward our own interest and benefit.
These are the qualities which distinguish "the meek." Are not
these, my brethren, the graces and tempers and dispositions which characterize
and adorn true Christians? They are, in an especial manner, "the
meek upon earth." In fact, there are, and can be, no others to whom
this title really belongs. No man in his natural state can be meek, in the
Scriptural sense of the word.
(b)
But why does the Lord "take pleasure" in them? Is there
anything in them of their own, which he can regard with complacency and
delight? No: they know and feel that they have no pretensions of this kind. It
is not for their sake, but for his own sake; for his name's, His truth's, and
his mercy's sake, that he has now a favour unto them. The Lord "taketh
pleasure in his people", because they are his people; those whom he has
purchased by his blood, renewed by his Spirit, and redeemed by his power. He
"taketh pleasure in them", because in them he is himself honoured and
glorified; because he sees in them the travail of his soul, the fruit of his
suffering and mediation; because of the work which he has already begun in
them; because they already exhibit some traces of his own image, some
transcript of that mind which was in him, who was "meek and lowly in
heart."
(c)
In what respects the Lord takes pleasure in his people. First: the Lord
takes pleasure in them, inasmuch as he delights in the exercise of their
graces towards him. They all believe in him, and have faith in his word and
promises; they rely on his truth and power; they hope in his mercy; they fear
his displeasure; they love his person and name. Secondly: the Lord hath
pleasure in the services of his people. It is true, that they can do but
little for him, and that little is nothing worth. At the best they can but
render to him of his own again. But he regards their services, not with an eye
to their intrinsic value in themselves, but for the sake of the willing mind
from which they flow. He takes pleasure in their poor attempts to please him,
because they are attempts. He weighs not the worth or merit of the action, but
the principle and motive from which it springs. Thirdly: the Lord hath pleasure
in the prosperity of his people. His name is love; his nature is
goodness; and can we doubt but that he loves to see his people happy? Nay, we
are expressly told that "he rejoiceth over them with joy"; that
"he rejoiceth over them to do them good." Even in those dispensations
which in themselves are grievous and painful he is seeking their good, and in
the end promoting their happiness. What consolations do these reflections
furnish to the meek and suffering servants of the Lord!
2.
Let us now consider the LORD'S gracious designs concerning his people: He
will beautify them with salvation. He designs not only to save, but to
adorn and honour his people. Those "whom he justifies, them he also
glorifies." He "will beautify them with salvation"; a
promise relating both to the present life and to the future one.
(a)
To the present life. It is the purpose of God to beautify his people
with salvation in this world. There are many passages in the Scripture which
intimate this purpose, and lead us to this view of the happy effects of
religion, even in the present life. When the prodigal returned home to his
father's house, contrite, penitent, and reformed, he was not only received with
kindness, assured of forgiveness, and welcomed as a son, but he was adorned and
beautified (Lu 15:22). So in the forty-fifth Psalm, the church, the bride of
Christ, is thus described: "The king's daughter is all glorious within:
her clothing is of wrought gold. She shall be brought unto the king in raiment
of needlework." "So shall he greatly desire thy beauty."
See also Eph 5:25-27. But what is the glory, the beauty, which is here meant in
these passages, with which Christ will adorn and beautify his people? It is
"the beauty of holiness." We have already seen that the meek and
quiet spirit by which the Christian is distinguished is an "ornament"
to him; and we read in another place that he is "adorned" with good
works. It is the great object of the gospel to sanctify all who embrace it, to
restore them to the image of God which they have lost through sin.
(b)
We may now consider this promise as it relates to the future world.
Lovely and glorious as are the saints on earth, their beauty falls far short of
the perfection to which it will attain hereafter. They are "predestinated
to be conformed to the image of the Son"; and when they awake up in
another world, it will be after his likeness, without any remaining blemish,
defect, or spot. Carry forward your thoughts to the morning of the
resurrection, when this corruption shall have put on incorruption, this mortal
immortality; when the body, raised in honour and glory, shall be clothed in its
beauteous apparel, and being made like unto Christ's glorious body, shall shine
as the sun in the firmament; when now, once more united to its kindred and
sanctified spirit, it shall no longer be a weight, and a clog, and a hindrance,
but become a furtherer of its joy, and a sharer and a helper in its spiritual
happiness. This is the meaning of the text, this is the beauty which he
has designed for his people, and for which he is now preparing them. In the
contemplation of these, with reason may it be said to them, "Praise ye the
Lord."—Condensed from a Sermon by Edward Cooper, 1826.
Verse
4. Here is ratio propositionis, the important reason of the
proposed praising of the Lord. Those who know that they are objects of Divine
complacency are likely to act on the principle of reciprocity. God takes
pleasure in sanctifying, justifying and glorifying them; they must surely take
pleasure in extolling him as Friend, Protector, Law giver, Leader, King, God!—Simon
de Muis.
Verse
4. He will beautify the meek with salvation. Meekness not
only gives great peace of mind, but often adds a lustre to the countenance. We
only read of three in Scripture whose faces shone remarkably—viz., Christ,
Moses, and Stephen—and they were eminent for meekness.—Matthew Henry.
Verse
4. The meek. In the Hebrew Mywge, anavim, means poor
and afflicted ones; but the term came afterwards to be applied to merciful
persons, as bodily afflictions have a tendency to subdue pride, while
abundance begets cruelty.—John Calvin.
Verse
5. Let the saints be joyful, etc. Here begins a beautiful
exegesis of the former passage. A protected people may rejoice with confidence.
An anxious and fearful people could not sing aloud on their couches of repose.—Simon
de Muis.
Verse
5. Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon
their beds. At what time soever God is pleased to inspire his grace and
comfort into us, we ought to rejoice therein, and by night on the bed to seek
him whom our soul loveth; abridging that time of rest and ease, that it may
become as beneficial unto us as the day itself. David was not satisfied by
offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving in the courts of the Lord's house, and
paying his vows in the presence of all the people; but in the night also he
would continue his song of God's mercy. Like that excellent bird, the
nightingale, which is never weary nor spent by continuing her delightful notes,
so this sweet singer of Israel was incessant in praising the Lord; not giving
sleep to his eyes until he had blessed his holy name. In time of affliction he
made his bed to swim, praying unto the Lord to return and deliver his soul. Now
in prosperity he gives thanks for the blessings he doth receive. When our bones
are vexed, and our sleep departeth from us, we pray unto God to deal mercifully
with us; but when our diseases are healed, we do not return to give thanks,
being soon overtaken with heaviness and security. And yet David did endeavour
to watch in the night, that he might sing praise unto the Lord. He did not then
only meditate in the law of God, when he could not take any rest (as Ahasuerus
had the book of the records of the Chronicles read before him, when he could
not sleep); for now he might lie down in peace, and sleep, when God made him to
dwell in safety. Much less did he intend to procure sleep by a sinister
performance of any good duty, like those who, by singing, or reading, or
hearing, or meditating, will have an unworthy aim to bring themselves asleep.
David saith, "Let the saints sing aloud upon their beds": thereby to
testify their cheerful devotion, and also to chase away the spirit of slumber.—William
Bloys, in "Meditations upon the xlii. Psalm," 1632.
Verse
5. The saints in glory shall rest from their labours, but not
from their praises.—Robert Bellarmine.
Verse
5. Upon their beds, where before in the loneliness of night
they consumed themselves with grief for their shame. Comp. Ho 7:14.—E.W.
Hengstenberg.
Verse
5. The saints of God know most of domestic joy and peace. As the
word of Jesus in Joh 14:1-31 records, they have sorrows in plenty, but the more
of these, the greater will be their joy, because their sorrows are to be
transmuted into joys. They are to sing aloud on their beds, or rather
couches, for on these the Orientals not only sleep, but also dine, and feast.
So this verse calls on the saints to hold a banquet, a feast of fat things.
They are, as David sings in Ps 23:1-6, to sit at the table prepared by the Lord
in the presence of their enemies.—Johannes Paulus Palanterius.
Verse
5. This verse has been fulfilled in solemn crises of saintly life.
On beds of death, and at the scaffold and the stake, joy and glory have been
kindled in the hearts of Christ's faithful witnesses.—Thomas Le Blanc.
Verse
5. How I long for my bed! Not that I may sleep—I lie awake often and
long! but to hold sweet communion with my God. What shall I render unto him for
all his revelations and gifts to me? Were there no historical evidence of the
truth of Christianity, were there no well established miracles, still I should
believe that the religion propagated by the fishermen of Galilee is divine. The
holy joy it brings to me must be from heaven. Do I write this boastingly,
brother? Nay, it is with tears of humble gratitude that I tell of the goodness
of the Lord.—From a private letter from Bapa Padmanji, in "Feathers for
Arrows," 1870.
Verse
6. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth and a two edged
sword in their hand. Praise and power go ever hand in hand. The two things
act and react upon each other. An era of spiritual force in the Church is
always one of praise; and when there comes some grand outburst of sacred song,
we may expect that the people of God are entering upon some new crusade for
Christ. Cromwell's Ironsides were sneeringly called Psalm singers; but God's
Psalm singers are always Ironsides. He who has a "new song in his
mouth" is ever stronger, both to suffer and to labour, than the man who
has a dumb spirit and a hymnless heart. When he sings at his work, he will both
do more and do it better than he would without his song. Hence, we need not be
surprised that all through its history the Church of God has travelled
"along the line of music."—William Taylor, in "The
Study," 1873.
Verse
6. The high praises of God. This expression needs a little
explication, because so variously rendered by most interpreters; some rendering
it only, exaltations of God; others, praising exalting God; others, sublime
praises of God; others, praises highly uttered unto God: the reason whereof is,
because the word romemoth in the text signifies sometimes actively, and
then it notes the height, exaltation, and lifting up of anything to the
observation of others; and sometimes passively, and then it notes the height,
worth, excellency of the thing that is exalted, or lifted up, in itself. But
the scope and nature of the duty prescribed in the text necessarily comprehends
both—as well the high acts for which God is to be praised, as the high praises
to be given unto God for those high acts; but especially the latter, namely,
the height and excellency of the duty of praise to be performed for those high
acts of God. This appears from the whole argument of the Psalm, which is
entirely laudatory, as also from the instrument wherewith these high praises
are to be performed, namely, the "mouth", "the high praises
of God in their mouth"; showing that the height herein mentioned is a
property of man's work in praising God, and not only of the work of God, for
which he is to be praised. In my observations I shall comprehend both, and all
the particulars in the duty prescribed besides, which is this—
The
duty of praising God is a high duty, which must exalt and lift up the high God
in it.
This
truth I shall labour to demonstrate, 1. From the Object. 2. The Effect. 3.
Their Price. 4. Their Performance; or, to use the School terms, they are "high":
1. Objective. 2. Effective. 3. Appreciative. 4. Perfective.
1.
The praises of God are "high" in relation to their Object,
which is none other but the Most High God, and that in the consideration of his
transcendent height and sublimity over and above all other things or persons:
so the Psalmist's resolution intimates (Ps 7:17), "I will praise the LORD
according to his righteousness", which he expresses in the following
words, "To sing praise to the name of the Lord most high"; and Ps
92:1: "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing
praises unto thy name, O most High." In which places, and very many more
in the Scriptures, it is evident that the Lord, considered in his highest
sublimity, is the object of high praise, and that by most special and peculiar
appropriation of it unto himself, and none other (Isa 42:8).
2.
In the second place, the praises of God will appear to be of a high, sublime
nature, from the high effect, the genuine and proper fruit they produce, viz.,
that although their object, to whom they are peculiarly appropriate (I mean the
Lord himself) be in his own nature, and of himself, most infinitely high and
transcendent, yet by the attribution and performance of praise unto him, doth
he account his name, his power, his wisdom, and justice, and himself to be
exalted thereby. What else do those expressions in Scripture imply wherein it
is asserted, that by this high duty of praise the high Jehovah is exalted (Ps
108:32); His sublime perfections are extolled and lifted up (Ps 68:4); His great
Name is magnified (Lu 1:64); His infinite majesty is glorified (Ps 50:23)? Oh
how high must be that duty, that adds height to the high God, that magnifies
the great God, and glorifies the God of glory, and makes him higher, greater,
and more glorious than he was before!
3.
Thirdly, the praises of God are of a high nature, appreciative, in
respect of the high estimation the Lord himself hath of them, which
appears two ways: (1.) By the high price wherewith he purchases them; (2.) By
the high delight he takes in them, after he hath procured them.
First. The price
wherewith God is willing to purchase them is very high, for not only the
expense of all his wisdom, power, and goodness, put forth in creation, not only
the laying out of all his counsel, care, love, and faithfulness in providence
and preservation; but also the rich treasure of his promises, covenant, grace,
yea, the precious blood of his own Son, in our redemption, is given freely,
absolutely, intentionally, and ultimately, for no other thing but the purchase
of high praises to God (Eph 1:5-6). All that God doth and giveth; all that
Christ doth and suffereth, is for the praise of the glory of his grace. I
confess, consider men's highest praises of God, as they are man's performance,
they are poor and inconsiderable things; but consider them as they are the
testimonies and expressions of a believing heart, declaring and making known
the unspeakable wisdom, faithfulness, bounty, and excellencies of God,
exercised in his works; in this notion the Scripture declares the heart of God
to be so taken with the desire of them, that he is willing to give heaven,
earth, Himself, and Son to poor men for the praises of their hearts, hands, and
tongues; and accounts himself abundantly satisfied. Therefore, when his people
will speak good of his name, they speak of him in the dialect of angels' notes,
"the high praises of God."
Secondly. The high value
that God hath of "high praises" will be evident by the high
delight and pleasure God takes in them thus purchased; for skilful artists,
and high principled, elevated understandings, never take pleasure or delight in
any thing or work which is not answerable to their highest principles, and
proportionable to their uttermost skill and desire. Now the Lord, who is of the
most perfect understanding, and deepest skill and knowledge, declares himself
to take infinite delight in his people's praises. It is his solace and pleasure
to be attended with them, either in earth or in heaven, by men or angels; and
his soul is ravished with the thoughts and contemplation of them.
4.
In the fourth place, the praises of God are high, and of a high nature perfective,
that is, in respect of the high measure of grace they are to be attended withal
in their performance: the Lord requiring the duty of high praise to be
performed with a great measure of Scripture light, with a high degree of
effectual fifth, and with a more ample proportion of practical holiness than
any other of the most solemn exercises of his public worship.—Condensed from
a Sermon by Samuel Fairclough, entitled "The Prisoner's Praise,"
1650.
Verse
8. To bind their kings with chains, etc. Agrippa was captive
to Paul. The word had him in bands like a prisoner, and made him confess
against himself before Festus that he was "almost persuaded to be a
Christian." Then it was verified which before was prophesied, They
shall bind kings in chains, and nobles in fetters of iron. Oh, the majesty
and force of the word!—Henry Smith.
Verse
8. It was once the saying of Pompey, that with one stamp of his foot
he could raise all Italy up in arms; and the mighty men of the world may have
nations, kingdoms, and commonwealths at their command, but yet God is more
powerful than they all. If he do but arise, they shall all of them fly before him.
If he once fall to fettering of princes, it shall be done so sure, that no
flesh shall be able to knock off their bolts again.—Stephen Gosson,
1554-1623.
Verse
9. This honour have all his saints. All other glories and
honours are but feminine, weak, poor things to it. God is their glory; honoured
they are with his blessed presence, honoured with his sight, with his embraces;
they see him and enjoy him. This is the very glory of their honour, the height
and pitch of all, for "in thy presence is joy, and at thy right hand there
is pleasure for evermore", honour advanced into eternal glory; and "this
honour" also "have all his saints"; some in spe,
and some in re, some in hope, and some in deed; all either
in promise or in possession.—Mark Frank.
Verse
9. This honour have all his saints. "His saints"
emphatically; Divine providence foreseeing that in after ages some would usurp
the title of saintship to whom it did not belong. "His saints"
exclusively; casting out saint traitors, as Beckett and Garnet; saint
hypocrites, and many others; who, in the same sense as auri sacra fames,
may be termed sacri, or sancti, saints. But, what honour have all
his saints? Mark what went before—"as it is written"; but by whom,
and where? Though chapters and verses be of later date, the Holy Spirit might
have cited the book. O no! He, to quicken our industry, refers us to the Word
at large. However, "search the Scriptures", and therein we shall meet
with many honours afforded to the saints; both whilst they were living, and when
they were dead. Honour to their memories is sometimes paid them very
abundantly, even by those who formerly were so niggardly and covetous as not to
afford them a good word in their lifetime.
Many
are made converts by the godly ends of good men; as the centurion himself, who
attended and ordered the crucifying of Christ, after his expiring broke forth
into that testimony of him,—"Verily, this was the Son of God." So,
such as rail at, revile, curse, condemn, persecute, execute pious people, speak
other language of them when such men have passed the purgation of death, and
confess them faithful and sincere servants of God. The last "honour"
is imitation of their virtuous examples. The Papists brag that Stapleton, their
great controversial divine, was born on that very day whereon Sir Thomas More
was put to death; but Providence so ordereth it that out of the ashes of dead
saints many living ones do spring and sprout, by following the pious precedents
of such godly persons deceased.—Thomas Fuller in "Abel Redivivus."
HINTS TO THE
VILLAGE PREACHER
Verse
1. Praise ye the lord.
1.
The one work of a life.
2. The work of the truly living of all degrees.
3. Their work in many and various forms.
4. A work for which there is abundant cause, reason, and argument.
Verse
1.
1.
A wonderful gift—to be a saint.
2. A wonderful people—who are saints.
3. A wonderful assembly—a congregation of saints.
4. A wonderful God—the object of their song.
Verses
1-2. The new song of the saints.
1.
The saints are God's children by the new birth.
2. The new birth has given them a new heart.
3. The new heart utters itself in a new song.—C.A.D.
Verses
1, 5.
1.
We must praise God in public, "in the congregation of the saints":
the more the better; it is like to heaven.
2.
We must praise him in private. "Let the saints" be so transported
with their joy in God as to "sing aloud upon their beds", when they
awake in the night, as David; Ps 119:62.—Matthew Henry.
Verse
2. The duty, reasonableness, and benefit of holy joy.
Verse
2. A peculiar people, their peculiar God, and their peculiar joy in
him.
Verse
2. (second clause). Christ's people may well rejoice:
1.
In the majesty of his person.
2. In the righteousness of his rule.
3. In the extent of his conquests.
4. In the protection they enjoy under him.
5. In the glory to which he will raise them.
—From "The Homiletical Library," 1882.
Verses
2, 4. The cause given to God's Israel for Praise. Consider,
1.
God's doings for them. They have reason to rejoice in God, and employ
themselves in his service; for it is he that "made" them.
2.
God's dominion over them. This follows upon the former: if he made them he is
their King.
3.
God's delight in them. He is a King that rules by love, and therefore to be
praised.
4.
God's designs concerning them. Besides the present complacency he hath in them,
he hath prepared for their future glory. "He will beautify the meek",
etc.—Matthew Henry.
Verse
4. The text bears other renderings. Read as in Authorized Version.
1. The
character to be aimed at—the meek.
a)
Submissive to God. To his truth. To his dealings.
b)
Gentle towards men. Bearing with patience. Forgiving with heartiness. Loving
with perseverance.
c)
Lowly in ourselves.
2. The
favour to be enjoyed—beautify.
a)
The beauty of gentleness.
b) The beauty of peace.
c) The beauty of content.
d) The beauty of joy.
e) The beauty of holiness.
f) The beauty of respect and influence.
3. The
good results to be expected.
a)
God will be glorified and Christ manifested.
b) Men will be attracted.
c) Heaven will be anticipated.
Verse
4. (first clause). The Lord's taking pleasure in his people
is,
1.
A wonderful evidence of his grace.
2. The highest honour they can desire.
3. Their security for time and eternity.—J.F.
Verse
5. Saintly joy.
1.
The state to which God has lifted the saints: "glory", in contrast
with sin, reproach, affliction.
2.
The emotion which accordingly befits the saints: "be joyful."
3.
The utterance of that emotion incumbent on the saints: "sing aloud."—C.A.D.
Verse
5. (second clause). Let them praise God—
1.
Upon their beds of rest, upon their nightly couch.
a)
Because of what God has done for them during the day.
b)
Because sleep is the gift of God.
c)
Because they have a bed to lie upon.
d)
Because the Lord is their keeper (Ps 4:5,8).
2.
Upon their beds of sickness.
a)
Because it is God's will they should suffer.
b)
Because affliction is often a proof of God's love.
c)
Because, if sanctified, sickness is a great blessing.
d)
Because praise offered upon a bed of sickness is a testimony to the power of
religion.
3.
Upon their beds of death.
a)
Because the sting of death is removed.
b)
Because their Lord has passed through death.
c)
Because Christ is with them while they suffer.
d)
Because of what awaits them.
e)
Because they have the glorious hope of resurrection.—C.W. Townsend, of
Inskip, 1885.
Verse
6.
1.
The Christian life a combination of adoration and conflict.
2.
In each case it should be at its best: "high praises", "two
edged sword."
3.
In each case holiness should be conspicuous: it is of saints that the text
speaks.
Verse
8. The restraining and subduing power of the gospel.
Verse
9. The honour common to all saints.
── C.H. Spurgeon《The Treasury of David》