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diff --git a/42445.txt b/42445.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 6390262..0000000 --- a/42445.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,11954 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Expositor's Bible: The Psalms, Vol. 1, by A. Maclaren - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Expositor's Bible: The Psalms, Vol. 1 - Psalms I.-XXXVIII. - -Author: A. Maclaren - -Editor: W. Robertson Nicoll - -Release Date: March 31, 2013 [EBook #42445] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE *** - - - - -Produced by Douglas L. Alley, III, Colin Bell and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This file was produced from images generously made -available by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - - - THE EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE - - - - EDITED BY THE REV. - SIR W. ROBERTSON NICOLL, M.A., LL.D. - _Editor of "The Expositor," etc._ - - - - THE PSALMS - - BY - - A. MACLAREN, D.D. - - - - _VOLUME 1._ - - PSALMS I.--XXXVIII. - - - - - - HODDER AND STOUGHTON - LONDON NEW YORK TORONTO - - - - - THE EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE. - - _Crown 8vo, cloth, price 7s. 6d. each vol._ - - - FIRST SERIES. - - Colossians. - By the Rev. A. MACLAREN, D.D., D.Lit. - - St. Mark. - By the Right Rev. the Bishop of Derry. - - Genesis. - By Prof. MARCUS DODS, D.D. - - 1 Samuel. - By Prof. W. G. BLAIKIE, D.D. - - 2 Samuel. - By the same Author. - - Hebrews. - By Principal T. C. EDWARDS, D.D. - - SECOND SERIES. - - Galatians. - By Prof. G. G. FINDLAY, B.A., D.D. - - The Pastoral Epistles. - By the Rev. A. PLUMMER, D.D. - - Isaiah I.--XXXIX. - By Prin. G. A. SMITH, D.D. Vol. I. - - The Book of Revelation. - By Prof. W. MILLIGAN, D.D. - - 1 Corinthians. - By Prof. MARCUS DODS, D.D. - - The Epistles of St. John. - By the Most Rev. the Archbishop of Armagh. - - THIRD SERIES. - - Judges and Ruth. - By the Rev. R. A. WATSON, M.A., D.D. - - Jeremiah. - By the Rev. C. J. BALL, M.A. - - Isaiah XL.--LXVI. - By Prin. G. A. SMITH, D.D. Vol. II. - - St. Matthew. - By the Rev. J. MONRO GIBSON, D.D. - - Exodus. - By the Right Rev. the Bishop of Derry. - - St. Luke. - By the Rev. H. BURTON, M.A. - - FOURTH SERIES. - - Ecclesiastes. - By the Rev. SAMUEL COX, D.D. - - St. James and St. Jude. - By the Rev. A. PLUMMER, D.D. - - Proverbs. - By the Rev. R. F. HORTON, D.D. - - Leviticus. - By the Rev. S. H. KELLOGG, D.D. - - The Gospel of St. John. - By Prof. M. DODS, D.D. Vol. I. - - The Acts of the Apostles. - By Prof. STOKES, D.D. Vol. I. - - FIFTH SERIES. - - The Psalms. - By the Rev. A. MACLAREN, D.D. Vol. I. - - 1 and 2 Thessalonians. - By Prof. JAMES DENNEY, D.D. - - The Book of Job. - By the Rev. R. A. WATSON, M.A., D.D. - - Ephesians. - By Prof. G. G. FINDLAY, B.A., D.D. - - The Gospel of St. John. - By Prof. M. DODS, D.D. Vol. II. - - The Acts of the Apostles. - By Prof. STOKES, D.D. Vol. II. - - SIXTH SERIES. - - 1 Kings. - By the Very Rev. F. W. FARRAR, F.R.S. - - Philippians. - By Principal RAINY, D.D. - - Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther. - By Prof. W. F. ADENEY, M.A. - - Joshua. - By Prof. W. G. BLAIKIE, D.D. - - The Psalms. - By the Rev. A. MACLAREN, D.D. Vol. II. - - The Epistles of St. Peter. - By Prof. RAWSON LUMBY, D.D. - - SEVENTH SERIES. - - 2 Kings. - By the Very Rev. F. W. FARRAR. F.R.S. - - Romans. - By the Right Rev. H. C. G. MOULE, D.D. - - The Books of Chronicles. - By Prof. W. H. BENNETT, D.D., D.Lit. - - 2 Corinthians. - By Prof. JAMES DENNEY, D.D. - - Numbers. - By the Rev. R. A. WATSON, M.A., D.D. - - The Psalms. - By the Rev. A. MACLAREN, D.D. Vol. III. - - EIGHTH SERIES. - - Daniel. - By the Very Rev. F. W. FARRAR, F.R.S. - - The Book of Jeremiah. - By Prof. W. H. BENNETT, D.D., D.Lit. - - Deuteronomy. - By Prof. ANDREW HARPER, B.D. - - The Song of Solomon and Lamentations. - By Prof. W. F. ADENEY, M.A. - - Ezekiel. - By Prof. JOHN SKINNER, M.A. - - The Books of the Twelve Prophets. - By Prin. G. A. SMITH, D.D. Two Vols. - - - - - THE PSALMS - - - - - BY - A. MACLAREN, D.D. - - - - - - _VOLUME 1._ - PSALMS I.--XXXVIII. - - - - - - - HODDER AND STOUGHTON - - LONDON NEW YORK TORONTO - - - - - _Printed by Hazell, Watson & Viney, Ld., London and Aylesbury._ - - - - - PREFACE. - - -A volume which appears in "The Expositor's Bible" should obviously, -first of all, be expository. I have tried to conform to that -requirement, and have therefore found it necessary to leave questions -of date and authorship all but untouched. They could not be adequately -discussed in conjunction with Exposition. I venture to think that the -deepest and most precious elements in the Psalms are very slightly -affected by the answers to these questions, and that expository -treatment of the bulk of the Psalter may be separated from critical, -without condemning the former to incompleteness. If I have erred in -thus restricting the scope of this volume, I have done so after due -consideration; and am not without hope that the restriction may -commend itself to some readers. - - A. McL. - - MANCHESTER, _Dec._ 1892. - - - - - CONTENTS. - - - PAGE - - PSALM I. 1 - - " II. 11 - - " III. 23 - - " IV. 30 - - " V. 37 - - " VI. 49 - - " VII. 57 - - " VIII. 68 - - " IX. 77 - - " X. 89 - - " XI. 101 - - " XII. 109 - - " XIII. 117 - - " XIV. 123 - - " XV. 132 - - " XVI. 140 - - " XVII. 150 - - " XVIII. 163 - - " XIX. 186 - - " XX. 195 - - " XXI. 201 - - " XXII. 208 - - " XXIII. 226 - - " XXIV. 233 - - " XXV. 240 - - " XXVI. 251 - - " XXVII. 258 - - " XXVIII. 268 - - " XXIX. 273 - - " XXX. 280 - - " XXXI. 289 - - " XXXII. 302 - - " XXXIII. 311 - - " XXXIV. 320 - - " XXXV. 332 - - " XXXVI. 344 - - " XXXVII. 356 - - " XXXVIII. 375 - - - - - PSALM I. - - 1 Happy the man who has not walked in the counsel of the wicked, - And has not stood in the way of sinners, - And in the session of scorners has not sat. - 2 But in the law of Jehovah [is] his delight, - And in His law he meditates day and night. - 3 And he is like a tree planted by the runnels of water, - Which yields its fruit in its season, - And whose leafage does not fade, - And all which he does he prosperously accomplishes. - - 4 Not so are the wicked, - But like chaff which the wind drives away. - 5 Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment, - Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. - 6 For Jehovah knows the righteous, - And the way of the wicked shall perish. - - -The Psalter may be regarded as the heart's echo to the speech of God, -the manifold music of its wind-swept strings as God's breath sweeps -across them. Law and Prophecy are the two main elements of that speech, -and the first two psalms, as a double prelude to the book, answer to -these, the former setting forth the blessedness of loving and keeping -the law, and the latter celebrating the enthronement of Messiah. Jewish -tradition says that they were originally one, and a well-attested -reading of Acts xiii. 33 quotes "Thou art my Son" as part of "the first -Psalm." The diversity of subject makes original unity improbable, but -possibly our present first Psalm was prefixed, unnumbered. - -Its theme, the blessedness of keeping the law, is enforced by the -juxtaposition of two sharply contrasted pictures, one in bright light, -another in deep shadow, and each heightening the other. Ebal and -Gerizim face one another. - -The character and fate of the lover of the law are sketched in vv. -1-3, and that of the "wicked" in vv. 4-6. - -"How abundantly is that word Blessed multiplied in the Book of Psalms! -The book seems to be made out of that word, and the foundation raised -upon that word, for it is the first word of the book. But in all the -book there is not one Woe" (Donne). - -It is usually taken as an exclamation, but may equally well be a -simple affirmation, and declares a universal truth even more strongly, -if so regarded. The characteristics which thus bring blessedness are -first described negatively, and that order is significant. As long as -there is so much evil in the world, and society is what it is, -godliness must be largely negative, and its possessors "a people whose -laws are different from all people that be on earth." Live fish swim -against the stream; dead ones go with it. - -The tender graces of the devout soul will not flourish unless there be -a wall of close-knit and unparticipating opposition round them, to -keep off nipping blasts. The negative clauses present a climax, -notwithstanding the unquestionable correctness of one of the grounds -on which that has been denied--namely, the practical equivalence of -"wicked" and "sinner." - -Increasing closeness and permanence of association are obvious in the -progress from _walking_ to _standing_ and from standing to _sitting_. -Increasing boldness in evil is marked by the progress from _counsel_ -to _way_, or course of life, and thence to _scoffing_. Evil purposes -come out in deeds, and deeds are formularised at last in bitter -speech. Some men scoff because they have already sinned. The tongue is -blackened and made sore by poison in the system. Therefore goodness -will avoid the smallest conformity with evil, as knowing that if the -hem of the dress or the tips of the hair be caught in the cruel -wheels, the whole body will be drawn in. But these negative -characteristics are valuable mainly for their efficacy in contributing -to the positive, as the wall round a young plantation is there for the -sake of what grows behind it. On the other hand, these positive -characteristics, and eminently that chief one of a higher love, are -the only basis for useful abstinence. Mere conventional, negative -virtue is of little power or worth unless it flow from a strong set of -the soul in another direction. - -"So did not I" is good and noble when we can go on to say, as Nehemiah -did, "because of the fear of God." The true way of floating rubbish -out is to pour water in. Delight in the law will deliver from delight -in the counsel of the wicked. As the negative, so the positive begins -with the inward man. The main thing about all men is the direction of -their "delight." Where do tastes run? what pleases them most? and -where are they most at ease? Deeds will follow the current of desires, -and be right if the hidden man of the heart be right. To the psalmist, -that law was revealed by Pentateuch and prophets; but the delight in -it, in which he recognises the germ of godliness, is the coincidence -of will and inclination with the declared will of God, however -declared. In effect, he reduces perfection to the same elements as the -other psalmist who sang, "I delight to do Thy will, yea, Thy law is -within my heart." The secret of blessedness is self-renunciation,-- - - "A love to lose my will in His, - And by that loss be free." - -Thoughts which are sweet will be familiar. - -The command to Joshua is the instinct of the devout man. In the -distractions and activities of the busy day the law beloved will be -with him, illuminating his path and shaping his acts. In hours of rest -it will solace weariness and renew strength. That habit of patient, -protracted brooding on the revelation of God's will needs to be -cultivated. Men live meanly because they live so fast. Religion lacks -depth and volume because it is not fed by hidden springs. - -The good man's character being thus all condensed into one trait, the -psalm next gathers his blessedness up in one image. The tree is an -eloquent figure to Orientals, who knew water as the one requisite to -turn desert into garden. Such a life as has been sketched will be -rooted and steadfast. "Planted" is expressed by a word which suggests -fixity. The good man's life is deeply anchored, and so rides out -storms. It goes down through superficial fleeting things to that -Eternal Will, and so stands unmoved and upright when winds howl. -Scotch firs lift massive, corrugated boles, and thrust out wide, -gnarled branches clothed in steadfast green, and look as if they could -face any tempest, but their roots run laterally among the surface -gravel, and therefore they go down before blasts which feeble -saplings, that strike theirs vertically, meet unharmed. - -Such a life is fed and refreshed. The law of the Lord is at once soil -and stream. In the one aspect fastening a life to it gives stability; -in the other, freshening and means of growth. Truly loved, that Will -becomes, in its manifold expressions, as the divided irrigation -channels through which a great river is brought to the roots of each -plant. If men do not find it life-giving as rivers of water in a dry -place, it is because they do not delight in it. Opposed, it is -burdensome and harsh; accepted, this sweet image tells what it -becomes--the true good, the only thing that really nourishes and -reinvigorates. The disciples came back to Jesus, whom they had left -too wearied and faint to go with them to the city, and found Him fresh -and strong. Their wonder was answered by, "My meat is to do the will -of Him that sent me." - -Such a life is vigorous and productive. It would be artificial straining -to assign definite meanings to "fruit" and "leaf." All that belongs to -vigorous vitality and beauty is included. These come naturally when the -preceding condition is fulfilled. This stage of the psalm is the -appropriate place for deeds to come into view. By loving fellowship with -God and delight in His law the man is made capable of good. His virtues -are growths, the outcome of life. The psalm anticipates Christ's -teaching of the good tree bringing forth good fruit, and also tells how -His precept of making the tree good is to be obeyed--namely, by -transplanting it from the soil of self-will to that of delight in the -law. How that transplanting is to be effected it does not tell. "But now -being made free from sin, and become servants of God, ye have your fruit -unto holiness," and the fruit of the Spirit in "whatsoever things are -lovely and of good report" hangs in clusters on the life that has been -shifted from the realm of darkness and rooted in Christ. The relation is -more intimate still. "I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that -abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit." - -Such a life will be prosperous. The figure is abandoned here. The -meaning is not affected whether we translate "whatsoever he doeth -shall prosper," or "whatsoever ... he shall cause to succeed." That is -not unconditionally true now, nor was it then, if referred to what the -world calls prospering, as many a sad and questioning strain in the -Psalter proves. He whose life is rooted in God will have his full -share of foiled plans and abortive hopes, and will often see the fruit -nipped by frost or blown green from the boughs, but still the promise -is true in its inmost meaning. For what is prosperity? Does the -psalmist merely mean to preach the more vulgar form of the doctrine -that religion makes the best of both worlds? or are his hopes to be -harmonised with experience, by giving a deeper meaning to -"prosperity"? They to whom the will of God is delight can never be -hurt by evil, for all that meets them expresses and serves that will, -and the fellow-servants of the King do not wound one another. If a -life be rooted in God and a heart delight in His law, that life will -be prosperous and that heart will be at rest. - -The second half of the psalm gives the dark contrast of the fruitless, -rootless life (vv. 4-6). The Hebrew flashes the whole dread antithesis -on the view at once by its first word, "Not so," a universal negative, -which reverses every part of the preceding picture. "Wicked" is -preferable to "ungodly," as the designation of the subjects. Whether -we take the root idea of the word to be "restless," as most of the -older and many modern commentators do, or "crooked" (Hupfeld), or -"loose, flaccid" (Delitzsch), it is the opposite of "righteous," and -therefore means one who lives not by the law of God, but by his own -will. The psalmist has no need to describe him further nor to -enumerate his deeds. The fundamental trait of his character is enough. -Two classes only, then, are recognised here. If a man has not God's -uttered will for his governor, he goes into the category of "wicked." -That sounds harsh doctrine, and not corresponding to the innumerable -gradations of character actually seen. But it does correspond to -facts, if they are grasped in their roots of motive and principle. If -God be not the supreme delight, and His law sovereign, some other -object is men's delight and aim, and that departure from God taints a -life, however fair it may be. It is a plain deduction from our -relations to God that lives lived irrespective of Him are sinful, -whatever be their complexion otherwise. - -The remainder of the psalm has three thoughts--the real nullity of such -lives, their consequent disappearance in "the judgment," and the ground -of both the blessedness of the one type of character and the vanishing -of the other in the diverse attitude of God to each. Nothing could more -vividly suggest the essential nothingness of the "wicked" than the -contrast of the leafy beauty of the fruit-laden tree and the chaff, -rootless, fruitless, lifeless, light, and therefore the sport of every -puff of wind that blows across the elevated and open threshing floor. - -Such is indeed a true picture of every life not rooted in God and -drawing fertility from Him. It is rootless; for what hold-fast is there -but in Him? or where shall the heart twine its tendrils if not round -God's stable throne? or what basis do fleeting objects supply for him -who builds elsewhere than on the enduring Rock? It is fruitless; for -what is fruit? There may be much activity and many results satisfying to -part of man's nature and admired by others. One fruit there will be, in -character elaborated. But if we ask what ought to be the products of a -life, man and God being what they are in themselves and to each other, -we shall not wonder if every result of godless energy is regarded by -"those clear eyes and perfect judgment" of heaven as barrenness. In the -light of these higher demands, achievements hymned by the world's -acclamations seem infinitely small, and many a man, rich in the apparent -results of a busy and prosperous life, will find to his dismayed -astonishment that he has nothing to show but unfruitful works of -darkness. Chaff is fruitless because lifeless. - -Its disappearance in the winnowing wind is the consequence and -manifestation of its essential nullity. "Therefore" draws the -conclusion of necessary transiency. Just as the winnower throws up his -shovel full into the breeze, and the chaff goes fluttering out of the -floor because it is light, while the wheat falls on the heap because -it is solid, so the wind of judgment will one day blow and deal with -each man according to his nature. It will separate them, whirling away -the one, and not the other. "One shall be taken and the other left." -When does this sifting take effect? The psalmist does not date it. -There is a continually operative law of retribution, and there are -crises of individual or national life, when the accumulated -consequences of evil deeds fall on the doers. But the definite article -prefixed to "judgment" seems to suggest some special "day" of -separation. It is noteworthy and perhaps illuminative that John the -Baptist uses the same figures of the tree and the chaff in his picture -of the Messianic judgments, and that epoch may have been in the -psalmist's mind. Whatever the date, this he is sure of--that the wind -will rise some time, and that, when it does, the wicked will be blown -out of sight. When the judgment comes, the "congregation of the -righteous"--that is, the true Israel within Israel, or, to speak in -Christian language, the true invisible Church--will be freed from -admixture of outward adherents, whose lives give the lie to their -profession. Men shall be associated according to spiritual affinity, -and "being let go," will "go to their own company" and "place," -wherever that may be. - -The ground of these diverse fates is the different attitude of God to -each life. Each clause of the last verse really involves two ideas, -but the pregnant brevity of style states only half of the antithesis -in each, suppressing the second member in the first clause and the -first member in the second clause, and so making the contrast the more -striking by emphasising the cause of an unspoken consequence in the -former, and the opposite consequence of an unspoken cause in the -latter. "The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous [therefore it shall -last]. The Lord knoweth not the way of the wicked [therefore it shall -perish]." The way which the Lord knows abides. "Know" is, of course, -here used in its full sense of loving knowledge, care, and approval, -as in "He knoweth my path" and the like sayings. The direction of the -good man's life is watched, guarded, approved, and blessed by God. -Therefore it will not fail to reach its goal. They who walk patiently -in the paths which He has prepared will find them paths of peace, and -will not tread them unaccompanied, nor ever see them diverging from -the straight road to home and rest. "Commit thy way unto the Lord," -and let His way be thine, and He shall make thy way prosperous. - -The way or course of life which God does not know perishes. A path -perishes when, like some dim forest track, it dies out, leaving the -traveller bewildered amid impenetrable forests, or when, like some -treacherous Alpine track among rotten rocks, it crumbles beneath the -tread. Every course of life but that of the man who delights in and -keeps the law of the Lord comes to a fatal end, and leads to the brink -of a precipice, over which the impetus of descent carries the -reluctant foot. "The path of the just is as the shining light, which -shineth more and more till the noontide of the day. The way of the -wicked is as darkness; they know not at what they stumble." - - - - - PSALM II. - - 1 Why do the nations muster with tumult, - And the peoples meditate vanity? - 2 The kings of the earth take up their posts, - And the chieftains sit in counsel together - Against Jehovah and against His Anointed. - 3 "Let us wrench off their bands, - And let us fling off from us their cords." - - 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; - The Lord mocks at them. - 5 Then He speaks to them in His anger-wrath, - And in His wrath-heat puts them in panic. - 6 ... "And yet I, I have set my King - Upon Zion, my holy mountain." - - 7 I will tell of a decree: - Jehovah said unto me, My son art thou; - I have begotten thee this day. - 8 Ask from me and I will give thee the nations as thine inheritance, - And as thy possession the ends of the earth. - 9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron, - Like a potter's vessel shalt thou shatter them. - - 10 And now, O kings, be wise; - Let yourselves be warned, O judges of the earth. - 11 Serve Jehovah in fear, - And rejoice in trembling. - 12 Kiss the Son (?), lest He be angry, and ye perish in [your] way; - For easily may His wrath kindle. - Blessed are all who take refuge in Him! - - -Various unsatisfactory conjectures as to a historical basis for this -magnificent lyric have been made, but none succeeds in specifying -events which fit with the situation painted in it. The banded enemies -are rebels, and the revolt is widespread; for the "kings of the earth" -is a very comprehensive, if we may not even say a universal, -expression. If taken in connection with the "uttermost parts of the -earth" (ver. 8), which are the King's rightful dominion, it implies a -sweep of authority and a breadth of opposition quite beyond any -recorded facts. Authorship and date must be left undetermined. The -psalm is anonymous, like Psalm i., and is thereby marked off from the -psalms which follow in Book I., and with one exception are ascribed to -David. Whether these two preludes to the Psalter were set in their -present place on the completion of the whole book, or were prefixed to -the smaller "Davidic" collection, cannot be settled. The date of -composition may have been much earlier than that of either the smaller -or the larger collection. - -The true basis of the psalm is not some petty revolt of subject -tribes, even if such could be adduced, but Nathan's prophecy in 2 Sam. -vii., which sets forth the dignity and dominion of the King of Israel -as God's son and representative. The poet-prophet of our psalm may -have lived after many monarchs had borne the title, but failed to -realise the ideal there outlined, and the imperfect shadows may have -helped to lift his thoughts to the reality. His grand poem may be -called an idealising of the monarch of Israel, but it is an idealising -which expected realisation. The psalm is prophecy as well as poetry; -and whether it had contemporaneous persons and events as a -starting-point or not, its theme is a real person, fully possessing -the prerogatives and wielding the dominion which Nathan had declared -to be God's gift to the King of Israel. - -The psalm falls into four strophes of three verses each, in the first -three of which the reader is made spectator and auditor of vividly -painted scenes, while in the last the psalmist exhorts the rebels to -return to allegiance. - -In the first strophe (vv. 1-3) the conspiracy of banded rebels is set -before us with extraordinary force. The singer does not delay to tell -what he sees, but breaks into a question of astonished indignation as to -what _can_ be the cause of it all. Then, in a series of swift clauses, -of which the vivid movement cannot be preserved in a translation, he -lets us see what had so moved him. The masses of the "nations" are -hurrying tumultuously to the mustering-place; the "peoples" are -meditating revolt, which is smitingly stigmatised in anticipation as -"vanity." But it is no mere uprising of the common herd; "the kings of -the earth" take their stand as in battle-array, and the men of mark and -influence lay their heads together, pressing close to one another on the -divan as they plot. All classes and orders are united in revolt, and -hurry and eagerness mark their action and throb in the words. The rule -against which the revolt is directed is that of "Jehovah and His -Anointed." That is one rule, not two,--the dominion of Jehovah exercised -through the Messiah. The psalmist had grasped firmly the conception that -God's visible rule is wielded by Messiah, so that rebellion against one -is rebellion against both. Their "bands" are the same. Pure monotheist -as the psalmist was, he had the thought of a king so closely associated -with Jehovah, that he could name them in one breath as, in some sense, -sharers of the same throne and struck at by the same revolt. The -foundation of such a conception was given in the designation of the -Davidic monarch as God's vicegerent and representative, but its full -justification is the relation of the historic Christ to the Father whose -throne He shares in glory. - -That eloquent "why" may include both the ideas of "for what reason?" and -"to what purpose?" Opposition to that King, whether by communities or -individuals, is unreasonable. Every rising of a human will against the -rule which it is blessedness to accept is absurd, and hopelessly -incapable of justification. The question, so understood, is unanswerable -by the rebels or by any one else. The one mystery of mysteries is that a -finite will should be able to lift itself against the Infinite Will, and -be willing to use its power. In the other aspect, the question, like -that pregnant "vanity," implies the failure of all rebellion. Plot and -strive, conspire and muster, as men may, all is vanity and striving of -wind. It is destined to break down from the beginning. It is as hopeless -as if the stars were to combine to abolish gravitation. That dominion -does not depend on man's acceptance of it, and he can no more throw it -off by opposition than he can fling a somersault into space and so get -away from earth. When we can vote ourselves out of submission to -physical law, we may plot or fight ourselves out of subjection to the -reign of Jehovah and of His Anointed. - -All the self-will in the world does not alter the fact that the -authority of Christ is sovereign over human wills. We cannot get away -from it; but we can either lovingly embrace it, and then it is our -life, or we can set ourselves against it, like an obstinate ox -planting its feet and standing stock-still, and then the goad is -driven deep and draws blood. - -The metaphor of bands and cords is taken from the fastenings of the -yoke on a draught bullock. One can scarcely miss the lovely contrast -of this truculent exhortation to rebellion with the gracious summons -"Take my yoke upon you and learn of me." The "bands" are already on -our necks in a very real sense, for we are all under Christ's -authority, and opposition is rebellion, not the effort to prevent a -yoke being imposed, but to shake off one already laid on. But yet the -consent of our own wills is called for, and thereby we take the yoke, -which is a stay rather than a fetter, and bear the burden which bears -up those who bear it. - -Psalm i. set side by side in sharp contrast the godly and the godless. -Here a still more striking transition is made in the second strophe -(vv. 4-6), which changes the scene to heaven. The lower half of the -picture is all eager motion and strained effort; the upper is full of -Divine calm. Hot with hatred, flushed with defiant self-confidence and -busy with plots, the rebels hurry together like swarming ants on their -hillock. "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh." That -representation of the seated God contrasts grandly with the stir on -earth. He needs not to rise from His throned tranquillity, but regards -undisturbed the disturbances of earth. The thought embodied is like -that expressed in the Egyptian statues of gods carved out of the side -of a mountain, "moulded in colossal calm," with their mighty hands -laid in their laps and their wide-opened eyes gazing down on the -little ways of the men creeping about their feet. - -And what shall we say of that daring and awful image of the laughter -of God? The attribution of such action to Him is so bold that no -danger of misunderstanding it is possible. It sends us at once to look -for its translation, which probably lies in the thought of the -essential ludicrousness of opposition, which is discerned in heaven to -be so utterly groundless and hopeless as to be absurd. "When He came -nigh and beheld the city, He wept over it." The two pictures are not -incapable of being reconciled. The Christ who wept over sinners is the -fullest revelation of the heart of God, and the laughter of the psalm -is consistent with the tears of Jesus as He stood on Olivet, and -looked across the glen to the Temple glittering in the morning sun. - -God's laughter passes into the utterance of His wrath at the time -determined by Him. The silence is broken by His voice, and the -motionless form flashes into action. One movement is enough to "vex" -the enemies and fling them into panic, as a flock of birds put to -flight by the lifting of an arm. There is a point, known to God alone, -when He perceives that the fulness of time has come, and the -opposition must be ended. By long-drawn-out, gentle patience He has -sought to win to obedience (though that side of His dealings is not -presented in this psalm), but the moment arrives when in world-wide -catastrophes or crushing blows on individuals sleeping retribution -wakes at the right moment, determined by considerations inappreciable -by us: "Then does He speak in His wrath." - -The last verse of this strophe is parallel with the last of the -preceding, being, like it, the dramatically introduced speech of the -actor in the previous verses. The revolters' mutual encouragement is -directly answered by the sovereign word of God, which discloses the -reason for the futility of their attempts. The "I" of ver. 6 is -emphatic. On one side is that majestic "I have set my King"; on the -other a world of rebels. They may put their shoulders to the throne -of the Anointed to overthrow it; but what of that? God's hand holds it -firm, whatever forces press on it. All enmity of banded or of single -wills breaks against and is dashed by it into ineffectual spray. - -Another speaker is next heard, the Anointed King, who, in the third -strophe (vv. 7-9), bears witness to Himself and claims universal -dominion as His by a Divine decree. "Thou art my son; to-day have I -begotten thee." So runs the first part of the decree. The allusion to -Nathan's words to David is clear. In them the prophet spoke of the -succession of David's descendants, the king as a collective person, so -to speak. The psalmist, knowing how incompletely any or all of these -had fulfilled the words which were the patent of their kingship, -repeats them in confident faith as certain to be accomplished in the -Messiah-king, who fills the future for him with a great light of hope. -He knew not the historic person in whom the word has to be fulfilled, -but it is difficult to resist the conclusion that he had before him -the prospect of a king living as a man, the heir of the promises. Now, -this idea of sonship, as belonging to the monarch, is much better -illustrated by the fact that Israel, the nation, was so named, than by -the boasts of Gentile dynasties to be sons of Zeus or Ra. The -relationship is moral and spiritual, involving Divine care and love -and appointment to office, and demanding human obedience and use of -dignity for God. It is to be observed that in our psalm the day of the -King's self-attestation is the day of His being "begotten." The point -of time referred to is not the beginning of personal existence, but of -investiture with royalty. With accurate insight, then, into the -meaning of the words, the New Testament takes them as fulfilled in -the Resurrection (Acts xiii. 33; Rom. i. 4). In it, as the first step -in the process which was completed in the Ascension, the manhood of -Jesus was lifted above the limitations and weaknesses of earth, and -began to rise to the throne. The day of His resurrection was, as it -were, the day of the birth of His humanity into royal glory. - -Built upon this exaltation to royalty and sonship follows the promise -of universal dominion. Surely the expectation of "the uttermost parts -of the earth for a possession" bursts the bonds of the tiny Jewish -kingdom! The wildest national pride could scarcely have dreamed that -the narrow strip of seaboard, whose inhabitants never entered on any -wide schemes of conquest, should expand into a universal monarchy, -stretching even farther than the giant empires on either side. If such -were the psalmist's expectations, they were never even approximately -fulfilled; but the reference of the glowing words to Messiah's kingdom -is in accordance with the current of prophetic hopes, and need cause -no hesitation to those who believe in prophecy at all. - -Universal dominion is God's gift to Messiah. Even while putting His -foot on the step of the throne, Jesus said, "All power is _given_ unto -me." This dominion is founded not on His essential divinity, but on -His suffering and sacrifice. His rule is the rule of God in Him, for -He is the highest form of the Divine self-revelation, and whoso -trusts, loves, and obeys Christ, trusts, loves, and obeys God in Him. -The psalmist did not know in how much more profound a sense than he -attached to his words they were true. They had an intelligible, great, -and true meaning for him. They have a greater for us. - -The Divine voice foretells victory over opposition and destruction to -opposers. The sceptre is of iron, though the hand that holds it once -grasped the reed. The word rendered "break" may also be translated, -with a different set of vowels, "shepherd," and is so rendered by the -LXX. (which Rev. ii. 27, etc., follows) and by some other versions. -But, in view of the parallelism of the next clause, "break" is to be -preferred. The truth of Christ's destructive energy is too often -forgotten, and, when remembered, is too often thrown forward into -another world. The history of this world ever since the Resurrection -has been but a record of conquered antagonism to Him. The stone cut -out without hands has dashed against the images of clay and silver and -gold and broken them all. The Gospel of Christ is the great solvent of -institutions not based upon itself. Its work is - - "To cast the kingdoms old - Into another mould." - -Destructive work has still to be done, and its most terrible energy is -to be displayed in the future, when all opposition shall be withered -into nothingness by the brightness of His presence. There are two -kinds of breaking: a merciful one, when His love shatters our pride -and breaks into penitence the earthen vessels of our hearts; and a -terrible one, when the weight of His sceptre crushes, and His hand -casts down in shivers "vessels of wrath, fitted to destruction." - -We have listened to three voices, and now, in vv. 10-12, the poet -speaks in solemn exhortation: "Be wise now, ye kings." The "now" is -argumentative, not temporal. It means "since things are so." The kings -addressed are the rebel monarchs whose power seems so puny measured -against that of "my King." But not only these are addressed, but all -possessors of power and influence. Open-eyed consideration of the -facts is true wisdom. The maddest thing a man can do is to shut his -eyes to them and steel his heart against their instruction. This -pleading invitation to calm reflection is the purpose of all the -preceding. To draw rebels to loyalty, which is life, is the meaning of -all appeals to terror. God and His prophet desire that the conviction -of the futility of rebellion with a poor "ten thousand" against "the -king of twenty thousands" should lead to "sending an embassage" to sue -for peace. The facts are before men, that they may be warned and wise. - -The exhortation which follows in vv. 11, 12 points to the conduct which -will be dictated by wise reception of instruction. So far as regards -ver. 11 there is little difficulty. The exhortation to "serve Jehovah -with fear and rejoice with trembling" points to obedience founded on awe -of God's majesty,--the fear which love does not cast out, but perfect; -and to the gladness which blends with reverence, but is not darkened by -it. To love and cleave to God, to feel the silent awe of His greatness -and holiness giving dignity and solemnity to our gladness, and from this -inmost heaven of contemplation to come down to a life of practical -obedience--this is God's command and man's blessedness. - -The close connection between Jehovah and Messiah in the preceding -sections, in each of which the dominion of the latter is treated as that -of the former and rebellion as against both at once, renders it -extremely improbable that there should be no reference to the King in -this closing hortatory strophe. The view-point of the psalm, if -consistently retained throughout, requires something equivalent to the -exhortation to "kiss the Son" in token of fealty, to follow, "serve -Jehovah." But the rendering "Son" is impossible. The word so translated -is _Bar_, which is the Aramaic for _son_, but is not found in that sense -in the Old Testament except in the Aramaic of Ezra and Daniel and in -Prov. xxxi. 2, a chapter which has in other respects a distinct Aramaic -tinge. No good reason appears for the supposition that the singer here -went out of his way to employ a foreign word instead of the usual _Ben_. -But it is probably impossible to make any good and certain rendering of -the existing text. The LXX. and Targum agree in rendering, "Take hold of -instruction," which probably implies another reading of Hebrew text. -None of the various proposed translations--_e.g._, _Worship purely, -Worship the chosen One_--are without objection; and, on the whole, the -supposition of textual corruption seems best. The conjectural -emendations of Graetz, _Hold fast by warning_, or reproof; Cheyne's -alternative ones, _Seek ye His face_ ("Book of Psalms," adopted from -Bruell) or _Put on [again] His bonds_ ("Orig. of Psalt.," p. 351, adopted -from Lagarde), and Hupfeld's (in his translation) _Cleave to Him_, -obliterate the reference to the King, which seems needful in this -section, as has been pointed out, and depart from the well-established -meaning of the verb--namely, "kiss." These two considerations seem to -require that a noun referring to Messiah, and grammatically object of -the verb, should stand in the place occupied by _Son_. The Messianic -reference of the psalm remains undimmed by the uncertainty of the -meaning of this clause. - -The transition from the representative of Jehovah to Jehovah Himself, -which takes place in the next clause, is in accordance with the close -union between them which has marked the whole psalm. It is henceforth -Jehovah only who appears till the close. But the anger which is -destructive, and which may easily flash out like flames from a furnace -mouth, is excited by opposition to Messiah's kingdom, and the -exclusive mention of Jehovah in these closing clauses makes the -picture of the anger the more terrible. - -But since the disclosure of the danger of perishing "in [or as to] the -way" or course of rebellious conduct is part of an exhortation, the -purpose of which is that the threatened flash of wrath may never need -to shoot forth, the psalmist will not close without setting forth the -blessed alternative. The sweet benediction of the close bends round to -the opening words of the companion psalm of prelude, and thus -identifies the man who delights in the law of Jehovah with him who -submits to the kingdom of God's Anointed. The expression "put their -trust" literally means to take refuge in. The act of trust cannot be -more beautifully or forcibly described than as the flight of the soul -to God. They who take shelter in God need fear no kindling anger. They -who yield to the King are they who take refuge in Jehovah; and such -never know aught of His kingdom but its blessings, nor experience any -flame of His wrath, but only the happy glow of His love. - - - - - PSALM III. - - 1 Jehovah, how many are my oppressors! - Many are rising against me. - 2 Many are saying to my soul, - There is no salvation for him in God. Selah. - - 3 And yet Thou, Jehovah, art a shield round me; - My glory, and the lifter up of my head. - 4 With my voice to Jehovah I cry aloud, - And He answers me from His holy mountain. Selah. - - 5 I laid myself down and slept; - I awaked; for Jehovah upholds me. - 6 I am not afraid of ten thousands of people, - Who round about have set themselves against me. - - 7 Arise, Jehovah; save me, my God: - For Thou hast smitten all my enemies [on] the cheek-bone; - The teeth of the wicked Thou hast broken. - 8 To Jehovah belongs salvation: - Upon Thy people be Thy blessing. Selah. - - -Another pair of psalms follows the two of the Introduction. They are -closely connected linguistically, structurally, and in subject. The one -is a morning, the other an evening hymn, and possibly they are placed at -the beginning of the earliest psalter for that reason. Ewald and Hitzig -accept the Davidic authorship, though the latter shifts the period in -David's life at which they were composed to the mutiny of his men at -Ziklag (1 Sam. xxx.). Cheyne thinks that "you will find no situation -which corresponds to these psalms," though you "search the story of -David's life from end to end." He takes the whole of the Psalms from -iii. to xvii., excepting viii., xv., xvi., as a group, "the heart -utterances of the Church amidst some bitter persecution"--namely, "the -period when faithful Israelites were so sorely oppressed both by -traitors in their midst and by Persian tyrants" ("Orig. of Psalt.," pp. -226, 227). But correspondences of the two psalms with David's situation -will strike many readers as being at least as close as that which is -sought to be established with the "spiritual kernel of the nation during -the Persian domination," and the absence of more specific reference is -surely not unnatural in devout song, however strange it would be in -prosaic narrative. We do not look for mention of the actual facts which -wring the poet's soul and were peculiar to him, but are content with his -expression of his religious emotions, which are common to all devout -souls. Who expects Cowper to describe his aberrations of intellect in -the "Olney Hymns"? But who cannot trace the connection of his pathetic -strains with his sad lot? If ever a seeming reference to facts is -pointed out in a so-called Davidic psalm, it is brushed aside as -"prosaic," but the absence of such is, notwithstanding, urged as an -argument against the authorship. Surely that is inconsistent. - -This psalm falls into four strophes, three of which are marked by Selah. -In the first (vv. 1, 2) the psalmist recounts his enemies. If we regard -this as a morning psalm, it is touchingly true to experience that the -first waking thought should be the renewed inrush of the trouble which -sleep had for a time dammed back. His enemies are many, and they taunt -him as forsaken of God. Surely it is a strong thing to say that there is -no correspondence here with David's situation during Absalom's revolt. -It was no partial conspiracy, but practically the nation had risen -against him, "ut totidem fere haberet hostes quot subditos" (Calvin). - -Shimei's foul tongue spoke the general mind: "The Lord hath delivered -the kingdom into the hand of Absalom" (2 Sam. xvi. 8). There had been -sin enough in the king's recent past to give colour to the -interpretation of his present calamity as the sign of his being -forsaken of God. The conviction that such was the fact would swell the -rebel ranks. The multitude has delight in helping to drown a sinking -man who has been prosperous. The taunt went deep, for the Hebrew has -"to my soul," as if the cruel scoff cut like a knife to the very -centre of his personality, and wounded all the more because it gave -utterance to his own fears. "The Lord hath bidden him," said David -about Shimei's curses. But the psalmist is finding refuge from fears -and foes even in telling how many there are, since he begins his -complaint with "Jehovah." Without that word the exclamations of this -first strophe are the voice of cowardice or despair. With it they are -calmed into the appeal of trust. - -The Selah which parts the first from the second strophe is probably a -direction for an instrumental interlude while the singer pauses. - -The second strophe (vv. 3, 4) is the utterance of faith, based on -experience, laying hold of Jehovah as defence. By an effort of will -the psalmist rises from the contemplation of surrounding enemies to -that of the encircling Jehovah. In the thickest of danger and dread -there is a power of choice left a man as to what shall be the object -of thought, whether the stormy sea or the outstretched hand of the -Christ. This harassed man flings himself out of the coil of troubles -round about him and looks up to God. He sees in Him precisely what he -needs most at the moment, for in that infinite nature is fulness -corresponding to all emptiness of ours. "A shield around me," as He -had promised to be to Abraham in his peril; "my glory," at a time when -calumny and shame were wrapping him about and his kingdom seemed gone; -"the lifter up of my head," sunk as it is both in sadness and -calamity, since Jehovah can both cheer his spirit and restore his -dignity. And how comes this sudden burst of confidence to lighten the -complaining soul? Ver. 4 tells. Experience has taught him that as -often as he cries to Jehovah he is heard. The tenses in ver. 4 express -a habitual act and a constant result. Not once or twice, but as his -wont, he prays, and Jehovah answers. The normal relation between him -and Jehovah is that of frank communion; and since it has long been so -and is so now, even the pressure of present disaster does not make -faith falter. It is hard to begin to trust when in the grip of -calamity, but feet accustomed to the road to God can find it in the -dark. There may be an allusion to David's absence from sanctuary and -ark in ver. 4. The expectation of being answered "from His holy hill" -gains in pathetic force when the lovely scene of submissive sacrifice -in which he sent back the Ark is recalled (2 Sam. xv. 25). Though he -be far from the place of prayer, and feeling the pain of absence, the -singer's faith is not so tied to form as to falter in the assurance -that his prayer is heard. Jehovah is shield, glory, and strengthener -to the man who cries to Him, and it is by means of such crying that -the heart wins the certitude that He is all these. Again the -instruments sound and the singer pauses. - -The third strophe (vv. 5, 6) beautifully expresses the tranquil -courage which comes from trust. Since sleeping and safe waking again -in ordinary circumstances is no such striking proof of Divine help -that one in the psalmist's situation would be induced to think -especially of it and to found his confidence on it, the view is to be -taken that the psalmist in ver. 5 is contemplating the experience -which he has just made in his present situation. "Surrounded by -enemies, he was quite safe under God's protection and exposed to no -peril even in the night" (Riehm, in Hupfeld _in loc._). Surely -correspondence with David's circumstances may be traced here. His -little band had no fortress in Mahanaim, and Ahithophel's counsel to -attack them by night was so natural that the possibility must have -been present to the king. But another night had come and gone in -safety, disturbed by no shout of an enemy. The nocturnal danger had -passed, and day was again brightening. - -They were safe because the Keeper of Israel had kept them. It is -difficult to fit this verse into the theory that here the persecuted -Israelitish Church is speaking, but it suits the situation pointed to -in the superscription. To lie down and sleep in such circumstances was -itself an act of faith, and a sign of the quiet heart which faith -gives. Like Christ on the hard wooden "pillow" during the storm, or -like Peter sleeping an infant's sleep the night before his purposed -execution, this man can shut his eyes and quiet himself to slumber, -though "ten thousands have set themselves against him." They ring him -round, but cannot reach him through his shield. Ver. 6 rises to bold -defiance, the result of the experience in ver. 5. How different the -tone of reference to the swarms of the enemy here and in ver. 1! There -the psalmist was counting them and cowering before them; here their -very number is an element in his triumphant confidence. Courage comes -from thinking of the one Divine Ally, before whom myriads of enemies -are nothing. One man with God to back him is always in the majority. -Such courage, based on such experience and faith, is most modest and -reasonable, but it is not won without an effort of will, which refuses -to fear, and fixes a trustful gaze not on peril, but on the protector. -"I will not be afraid" speaks of resolve and of temptations to fear, -which it repels, and from "the nettle danger plucks the flower" -_trust_ and the fruit _safety_. Selah does not follow here. The tone -of the strophe is that of lowly confidence, which is less congruous -with an instrumental interlude than are the more agitated preceding -strophes. The last strophe, too, is closely connected with the third, -since faith bracing itself against fear glides naturally into prayer. - -The final strophe (vv. 7, 8) gives the culmination of faith in prayer. -"Arise, Jehovah," is quoted from the ancient invocation (Num. x. 35), -and expresses in strongly anthropomorphic form the desire for some -interposition of Divine power. Fearlessness is not so complete that -the psalmist is beyond the need of praying. He is courageous because -he knows that God will help, but he knows, too, that God's help -depends on his prayer. The courage which does not pray is foolish, and -will break down into panic; that which fears enough to cry "Arise, -Jehovah," will be vindicated by victory. This prayer is built on -experience, as the preceding confidence was. The enemies are now, -according to a very frequent figure in the Psalter, compared to wild -beasts. Smiting on the cheek is usually a symbol of insult, but here -is better taken in close connection with the following "breaking the -teeth." By a daring image Jehovah is represented as dealing the beasts -of prey, who prowl round the psalmist with open mouth, the buffets -which shatter their jaws and dislodge their teeth, thus making them -powerless to harm him. So it has been in the past, and that past is a -plea that so it will be now. God will be but doing as He has done, if -now He "arise." If He is to be true to Himself, and not to stultify -His past deliverances, He must save his suppliant now. Such is the -logic of faith, which is only valid on the supposition that God's -resources and purpose are inexhaustible and unchangeable. The whole -ends with confident anticipation of an answer. "Salvation belongeth -unto Jehovah." The full spiritual meaning of that salvation was not -yet developed. Literally, the word means "breadth," and so, by a -metaphor common to many languages, deliverance as an act, and -well-being or prosperity as a state. Deliverance from his enemies is -the psalmist's main idea in the word here. It "belongs to Jehovah," -since its bestowal is His act. Thus the psalmist's last utterance of -trust traverses the scoff which wounded him so much (ver. 2), but in a -form which beautifully combines affiance and humility, since it -triumphantly asserts that salvation is in God's power, and silently -implies that what is thus God's "to will and do" shall certainly be -His suppliant's to enjoy. - -Intensely personal as the psalm is, it is the prayer of a king; and -rebels as the bulk of the people are ("ten thousands of the people"), -they are still God's. Therefore all are included in the scope of his -pitying prayer. In other psalms evil is invoked on evil-doers, but -here hate is met by love, and the self-absorption of sorrow -counteracted by wide sympathy. It is a lower exemplification of the -same spirit which breathed from the lips of the greater King the -prayer, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." - - - - - PSALM IV. - - 1 When I cry answer me, O God of my righteousness; Thou hast in - straits made space for me: - Be gracious to me and hear my prayer. - 2 Sons of men! how long shall my glory be mocked, [in that] ye love - vanity, - [And] seek after a lie? Selah. - 3 But know that Jehovah has set apart as His own him whom He - favours: - Jehovah hears when I cry to Him. - 4 Stand in awe, and sin not: - Speak in your hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah. - 5 Sacrifice sacrifices of righteousness, - And trust on Jehovah. - 6 Many are saying, Who will let us see good? - Lift Thou upon us the light of Thy face, O Jehovah. - 7 Thou hast given gladness in my heart, - More than in the time of their corn and their wine [when] they - abound. - 8 In peace will I lie down and at once sleep: - For Thou, Jehovah, in [my] loneliness, makest me dwell in safety. - - -Psalms iii. and iv. are a pair. They are similar in expression (_my -glory, there be many which say, I laid me down and slept_), in the -psalmist's situation, and in structure (as indicated by the _Selahs_). -But they need not be cotemporaneous, nor need the superscription of -Psalm iii. be extended to Psalm iv. Their tone is different, the -fourth having little reference to the personal danger so acutely felt -in Psalm iii., and being mainly a gentle, earnest remonstrance with -antagonists, seeking to win them to a better mind. The strophical -division into four parts of two verses each, as marked by the Selahs, -is imperfectly carried out, as in Psalm iii., and does not correspond -with the logical division--a phenomenon which occurs not infrequently -in the Psalter, as in all poetry, where the surging thought or emotion -overleaps its bounds. Dividing according to the form, we have four -strophes, of which the first two are marked by Selah; dividing by the -flow of thought, we have three parts of unequal length--prayer (ver. -1), remonstrance (vv. 2-5), communion and prayer (vv. 6-8). - -The cry for an answer by deed is based on the name and on the past -acts of God. Grammatically, it would be possible and regular to render -"my God of righteousness," _i.e._, "my righteous God"; but the pronoun -is best attached to "righteousness" only, as the consideration that -God is righteous is less relevant than that He is the source of the -psalmist's righteousness. Since He is so, He may be expected to -vindicate it by answering prayer by deliverance. He who feels that all -good in himself comes from God may be quite sure that, sooner or -later, and by some means or other, God will witness to His own work. -To the psalmist nothing was so incredible as that God should not take -care of what He had planted, or let the springing crop be trodden down -or rooted up. The Old Testament takes prosperity as the Divine -attestation of righteousness; and though they who worship the Man of -Sorrows have new light thrown on the meaning of that conception, the -substance of it remains true for ever. The compellation "God of my -righteousness" is still mighty with God. The second ground of the -prayer is laid in the past deeds of God. Whether the clause "Thou hast -in straits made space for me" be taken relatively or not, it appeals -to former deliverances as reasons for man's prayer and for God's act. -In many languages trouble and deliverance are symbolised by narrowness -and breadth. Compression is oppression. Closely hemmed in by crowds or -by frowning rocks, freedom of movement is impossible and breathing is -difficult. But out in the open, one expatiates, and a clear horizon -means an ample sky. - -The strophe division keeps together the prayer and the beginning of -the remonstrance to opponents, and does so in order to emphasise the -eloquent, sharp juxtaposition of God and the "sons of men." The phrase -is usually employed to mean persons of position, but here the contrast -between the varying height of men's molehills is not so much in view -as that between them all and the loftiness of God. The lips which by -prayer have been purged and cured of quivering can speak to foes -without being much abashed by their dignity or their hatred. But the -very slight reference to the psalmist's own share in the hostility of -these "sons of men" is noticeable. It is their false relation to God -which is prominent throughout the remonstrance; and that being so, "my -glory," in ver. 2, is probably to be taken, as in iii. 3, as a -designation of God. It is usually understood to mean either personal -or official dignity, but the suggested interpretation is more in -keeping with the tone of the psalm. The enemies were really flouting -God and turning that great name in which the singer gloried into a -jest. They were not therefore idolaters, but practical heathen in -Israel, and their "vanity" and "lies" were their schemes doomed to -fail and their blasphemies. These two verses bring most vividly into -view the contrast between the psalmist clinging to his helping God and -the knot of opponents hatching their plans which are sure to fail. - -The Selah indicates a pause in the song, as if to underscore the -question "How long?" and let it soak into the hearts of the foes, and -then, in vv. 3 and 4, the remonstrating voice presses on them the -great truth which has sprung anew in the singer's soul in answer to -his prayer, and beseeches them to let it stay their course and still -their tumult. By "the godly" is meant, of course the psalmist. He is -sure that he belongs to God and is set apart, so that no real evil can -touch him; but does he build this confidence on his own character or -on Jehovah's grace? The answer depends on the meaning of the pregnant -word rendered "godly," which here occurs for the first time in the -Psalter. So far as its form is concerned, it may be either active, one -who shows _chesed_ (lovingkindness or favour), or passive, one to whom -it is shown. But the usage in the Psalter seems to decide in favour of -the passive meaning, which is also more in accordance with the general -biblical view, which traces all man's hopes and blessings, not to his -attitude to God, but to God's to him, and regards man's love to God as -a derivative, "Amati amamus, amantes amplius meremur amari" (Bern). -Out of His own deep heart of love Jehovah has poured His -lovingkindness on the psalmist, as he thrillingly feels, and He will -take care that His treasure is not lost; therefore this conviction, -which has flamed up anew since the moment before when he prayed, -brings with it the assurance that He "hears when I cry," as he had -just asked Him to do. The slight emendation, adopted by Cheyne from -Graetz and others, is tempting, but unnecessary. He would read, with a -small change which would bring this verse into parallelism with xxxi. -22, "See how passing great lovingkindness Jehovah hath shown me"; but -the present text is preferable, inasmuch as what we should expect to -be urged upon the enemies is not outward facts, but some truth of -faith neglected by them. On such a truth the singer rests his own -confidence; such a truth he lays, like a cold hand, on the hot brows -of the plotters, and bids them pause and ponder. Believed, it would -fill them with awe, and set in a lurid light the sinfulness of their -assault on him. Clearly the rendering "Be ye angry" instead of "Stand -in awe" gives a less worthy meaning, and mars the picture of the -progressive conversion of the enemy into a devout worshipper, of which -the first stage is the recognition of the truth in ver. 3; the second -is the awestruck dropping of the weapons, and the third is the silent -reflection in the calm and solitude of night. The psalm being an -evening song, the reference to "your bed" is the more natural; but -"speak in your hearts"--what? The new fact which you have learned from -my lips. Say it quietly to yourselves then, when forgotten truths -blaze on the waking eye, like phosphorescent writing in the dark, and -the nobler self makes its voice heard. "Speak ... and be silent," says -the psalmist, for such meditation will end the busy plots against him, -and in a wider application "that dread voice," heard in the awed -spirit, "shrinks the streams" of passion and earthly desires, which -otherwise brawl and roar there. Another strain of the "stringed -instruments" makes that silence, as it were, audible, and then the -remonstrance goes on once more. - -It rises higher now, exhorting to positive godliness, and that in the -two forms of offering "sacrifices of righteousness," which here simply -means those which are prescribed or which are offered with right -dispositions, and of trusting in Jehovah--the two aspects of true -religion, which outwardly is worship and inwardly is trust. The poet -who could meet hate with no weapon but these earnest pleadings had -learned a better lesson than "the hate of hate, the scorn of scorn, -the love of love," and anticipated "bless them which curse you." The -teacher who thus outlined the stages of the way back to God as -recognition of His relation to the godly, solitary meditation thereon, -forsaking of sin and hushing of the Spirit thereby, and finally -worship and trust, knew the discipline for rebellious souls. - -Ver. 6 seems at first sight to belong more closely to what follows -than to what precedes, and is taken by those who hold the Davidic -authorship as addressed to his followers beginning to despond. But it -may be the continuance of the address to the enemies, carrying on the -exhortation to trust. The sudden appearance of the plural "us" -suggests that the psalmist associates himself with the persons whom he -has been addressing, and, while he glances at the vain cries of the -"many," would make himself the mouthpiece of the nascent faith which -he hopes may follow his beseechings. The cry of _the many_ would, in -that case, have a general reference to the universal desire for -"good," and would pathetically echo the hopelessness which must needs -mingle with it, so long as the heart does not know who is the only -good. The passionate weariness of the question, holding a negation in -itself, is wonderfully contrasted with the calm prayer. The eyes fail -for want of seeing the yearned-for blessing; but if Jehovah lifts the -light of His face upon us, as He will certainly do in answer to -prayer, "in His light we shall see light." Every good, however -various, is sphered in Him. All colours are smelted into the perfect -white and glory of His face. - -There is no Selah after ver. 6, but, as in iii. 6, one is due, though -omitted. - -Vv. 7 and 8 are separated from ver. 6 by their purely personal -reference. The psalmist returns to the tone of his prayer in ver. 1, -only that petition has given place, as it should do, to possession and -confident thankfulness. The many ask, Who?; he prays, "Lord." They have -vague desires after God; he knows what he needs and wants. Therefore in -the brightness of that Face shining on him his heart is glad. The mirth -of harvest and vintage is exuberant, but it is poor beside the deep, -still blessedness which trickles round the heart that craves most the -light of Jehovah's countenance. That craving is joy and the fruition is -bliss. The psalmist here touches the bottom, the foundation fact on -which every life that is not vanity must be based, and which verifies -itself in every life that is so based. Strange and tragic that men -should forget it and love vanity which mocks them, and, though won, -still leaves them looking wearily round the horizon for any glimmer of -good! The glad heart possessing Jehovah can, on the other hand, lay -itself down in peace and sleep, though foes stand round. The last words -of the psalm flow restfully like a lullaby. The expression of confidence -gains much if "alone" be taken as referring to the psalmist. Solitary as -he is, ringed round by hostility as he may be, Jehovah's presence makes -him safe, and being thus safe, he is secure and confidant. So he shuts -his eyes in peace, though he may be lying in the open, beneath the -stars, without defences or sentries. The Face brings light in darkness, -gladness in want, enlargement in straits, safety in peril, and any and -every good that any and every man needs. - - - - - PSALM V. - - 1 Give ear to my words, Jehovah; - Consider my meditation. - 2 Listen to the voice of my crying, my King and my God, - For to Thee do I make supplication. - 3 Jehovah, in the morning Thou shalt hear my voice; - In the morning will I order my [prayer] to Thee and keep watch. - - 4 For not a God delighting in wickedness art Thou; - Evil cannot sojourn with Thee. - 5 Fools cannot stand before Thine eyes; - Thou hatest all workers of iniquity. - 6 Thou destroyest the speakers of falsehood; - The man of blood and deceit Jehovah loathes. - 7 But I, in the multitude of Thy loving-kindness I dare come into - Thy house; - I dare fall prostrate before Thy holy temple in Thy fear. - - 8 Jehovah, lead me in Thy righteousness, because of them that are - spies on me; - Make Thy way level before me. - 9 For in his mouth is nothing trustworthy; - Their inward part is destruction; - An open grave is their throat; - Their tongue they smooth. - - 10 Hold them guilty, Jehovah: let them fall by their own schemes; - In the multitude of their transgressions strike them down, for - they have rebelled against Thee. - 11 Then shall all those who take refuge in Thee be glad; - For ever shall they shout for joy, since Thou dost shelter them; - And they that love Thy name shall exult in Thee. - 12 For Thou dost bless the righteous; - Jehovah, as with a shield, with favour dost Thou compass him - about. - - -The reference to the temple in ver. 7 is not conclusive against the -Davidic authorship of this psalm, since the same word is applied in 1 -Sam. i. 9 and iii. 3 to the house of God in Shiloh. It means a -palace, and may well be used for any structure, even if a hair tent, -in which God dwelt. No doubt it is oftenest used for the Solomonic -temple, but it does not necessarily refer to it. Its use here, then, -cannot be urged as fatal to the correctness of the superscription. At -the same time, it does create a certain presumption against it. But -there is nothing in the psalm to determine its date, and its worth is -quite independent of its authorship. The psalmist is surrounded by -foes, and seeks access to God. These are constant features of the -religious life, and their expression here fits as closely to the -present time as to any past. - -The psalm falls into two main parts: vv. 1-7 and 8-12. The former -division deals with the inner side of the devout life, its access to -God, to whom sinful men cannot approach, the latter with the outward -side, the conduct, "the way" in which the psalmist seeks to be led, and -in which sinful men come to ruin because they will not walk. Naturally -the inward comes first, for communion with God in the secret place of -the Most High must precede all walking in His way and all blessed -experience of His protection, with the joy that springs from it. These -two halves of the psalm are arranged in inverted parallelism, the first -verse of the second part (ver. 8) corresponding to the last verse of the -first (ver. 7) and being, like it, purely personal; vv. 9 and 10 -corresponding similarly to vv. 4-6 and, like them, painting the -character and fate of evil-doers; and, finally, vv. 11, 12, answering to -vv. 1-3 and representing the blessedness of the devout soul, as in the -one case led and protected by God and therefore glad, and in the other -abiding in His presence. The whole is a prayerful meditation on the -inexhaustible theme of the contrasted blessedness of the righteous and -misery of the sinner as shown in the two great halves of life: the -inward of communion and the outward of action. - -In the first part (vv. 1-7) the central thought is that of access to -God's presence, as the desire and purpose of the psalmist (1-3), as -barred to evil-doers (4-6), and as permitted to, and embraced as his -chief blessing by, the singer (7). The petition to be heard in vv. 1 -and 2 passes into confidence that he is heard in ver. 3. There is no -shade of sadness nor trace of struggle with doubt in this prayer, -which is all sunny and fresh, like the morning sky, through which it -ascends to God. "Consider [or Understand] my meditation"--the -brooding, silent thought is spread before God, who knows unspoken -desires, and "understands thoughts afar off." The contrast between -"understanding the meditation" and "hearkening to the voice of my cry" -is scarcely unintentional, and gives vividness to the picture of the -musing psalmist, in whom, as he muses, the fire burns, and he speaks -with his tongue, in a "cry" as loud as the silence from which it -issued had been deep. Meditations that do not pass into cries and -cries which are not preceded by meditations are alike imperfect. The -invocation "my King" is full of meaning if the singer be David, who -thus recognises the delegated character of his own royalty; but -whoever wrote the psalm, that expression equally witnesses to his firm -grasp of the true theocratic idea. - -Noteworthy is the intensely personal tone of the invocation in both -its clauses, as in the whole of these first verses, in every clause of -which "my" or "I" occurs. The poet is alone with God and seeking to -clasp still closer the guiding hand, to draw still nearer to the -sweet and awful presence where is rest. The invocation holds a plea in -itself. He who says, "My King and my God," urges the relation, brought -about by God's love and accepted by man's faith, as a ground for the -hearing of his petition. And so prayer passes into swift assurance; -and with a new turn in thought, marked by the repetition of the name -"Jehovah" (ver. 3), he speaks his confidence and his resolve. "In the -morning" is best taken literally, whether we suppose the psalm to have -been composed for a morning song or no. Apparently the compilers of -the first Psalter placed it next to Psalm iv., which they regarded as -an evening hymn, for this reason. "I will lay me down and sleep" is -beautifully followed by "In the morning shalt Thou hear my voice." The -order of clauses in ver. 3 is significant in its apparent breach of -strict sequence, by which God's hearing is made to precede the -psalmist's praying. It is the order dictated by confidence, and it is -the order in which the thoughts rise in the trustful heart. He who is -sure that God will hear will therefore address himself to speak. First -comes the confidence, and then the resolve. There are prayers wrung -from men by sore need, and in which doubt causes faltering, but the -happier, serener experience is like that of this singer. He resolves -to "order" his prayer, using there the word employed for the priest's -work in preparing the materials for the morning sacrifice. Thus he -compares his prayer to it, and stands at the same level as the writer -of Psalm iv., with whose command to "offer the sacrifices of -righteousness" this thought again presents a parallel. - -A psalmist who has grasped the idea that the true sacrifice is prayer is -not likely to have missed the cognate thought that the "house of the -Lord," of which he will presently speak, is something other than any -material shrine. But to offer the sacrifice is not all which he rejoices -to resolve. He will "keep watch," as Habakkuk said that he would do, on -his watch-tower; and that can only mean that he will be on the outlook -for the answer to his prayer, or, if we may retain the allusion to -sacrifice, for the downward flash of the Divine fire, which tells his -prayer's acceptance. Many a prayer is offered, and no eyes afterwards -turned to heaven to watch for the answer, and perhaps some answers sent -are like water spilled on the ground, for want of such observance. - -The confidence and resolve ground themselves on God's holiness, -through which the necessary condition of approach to Him comes to be -purity--a conviction which finds expression in all religions, but is -nowhere so vividly conceived or construed as demanding such stainless -inward whiteness as in the Psalter. The "for" of ver. 4 would -naturally have heralded a statement of the psalmist's grounds for -expecting that he would be welcomed in his approach, but the turn of -thought, which postpones that, and first regards God's holiness as -shutting out the impure, is profoundly significant. "Thou art not a -God that hath pleasure in wickedness" means more than the simple "Thou -hast not pleasure" would do; it argues from the character of God, and -glances at some of the foul deities whose nostrils snuff up sensual -impurity as acceptable sacrifice. The one idea of absolute contrariety -between God and evil is put in a rich variety of shapes in vv. 4-6, -which first deal with it negatively in three clauses (_not a God_; -_not dwell_; _not stand in Thy sight_) and then positively in other -three (_hatest_; _shalt destroy_; _abhorreth_). "Evil shall not -sojourn with Thee." The verb is to be taken in its full meaning of -sojourning as a guest-friend, who has the right to hospitality and -defence. It thus constitutes the antithesis to ver. 7. Clearly the -sojourning does not mean access to the temple, but abiding with God. -The barriers are of the same nature as the communion which they -hinder, and something far deeper is meant than outward access to any -visible shrine. No one sojourned in the temple. In like manner, the -"standing in Thy sight" is a figure drawn from courts, reminding us of -"my King" in ver. 2 and suggesting the impossibility of evil or its -doers approaching the Divine throne. - -But there is more than a negative side to the relation between God and -evil, which the psalm goes on to paint in sombre colours, for God not -only does not delight in sin, but hates it with a hatred like the -physical loathing of some disgusting thing, and will gather all His -alienation into one fatal lightning bolt. Such thoughts do not exhaust -the truth as to the Divine relation to sin. They did not exhaust the -psalmist's knowledge of that relation, and still less do they exhaust -ours, but they are parts of the truth to-day as much as then, and -nothing in Christ's revelation has antiquated them. - -The psalmist's vocabulary is full of synonyms for sin, which witness to -the profound consciousness of it which law and ritual had evoked in -devout hearts. First, he speaks of it in the abstract, as "wickedness" -and "evil." Then he passes to individuals, of whom he singles out two -pairs, the first a more comprehensive and the second a more specific -designation. The former pair are "the foolish" and "workers of -iniquity." The word for "foolish" is usually translated by the moderns -"arrogant," but the parallelism with the general expression "workers of -iniquity" rather favours a less special meaning, such as Hupfeld's -"fools" or the LXX.'s "transgressors." Only in the last pair are special -forms of evil mentioned, and the two selected are significant of the -psalmist's own experience. _Liars_ and _men of blood and craft_ are his -instances of the sort of sinners most abominable to God. That -specification surely witnesses to his own sufferings from such. - -In ver. 7 the psalmist comes back to the personal reference, -contrasting his own access to God with the separation of evil-doers -from His presence. But he does not assert that he has the right of -entrance because he is pure. Very strikingly he finds the ground of -his right of entry to the palace in God's "multitude of mercy," not in -his own innocence. Answering to "in Thy righteousness" is "in Thy -fear." The one phrase expresses God's disposition to man which makes -access possible, the other man's disposition to God which makes -worship acceptable. "In the multitude of Thy mercy" and "in Thy fear," -taken together, set forth the conditions of approach. Having regard to -ver. 4, it seems impossible to restrict the meaning of "Thy house" to -the material sanctuary. It is rather a symbol of communion, -protection, and friendship. Does the meaning pass into the narrower -sense of outward worship in the material "temple" in the second -clause? It may be fairly taken as doing so (Hupfeld). But it may be -maintained that the whole verse refers to the spiritual realities of -prayer and fellowship, and not at all to the externalities of worship, -which are used as symbols, just as in ver. 3 prayer is symbolised by -the morning sacrifice. But probably it is better to suppose that the -psalmist's faith, though not tied to form, was fed by form, and that -symbol and reality, the outward and the inward worship, the access to -the temple and the approach of the silent soul to God, are fused in -his psalm as they tended to be in his experience. Thus the first part -of the psalm ends with the psalmist prostrate (for so the word for -"worship" means) before the palace sanctuary of his King and God. It -has thus far taught the conditions of approach to God, and given a -concrete embodiment of them in the progress of the singer's thoughts -from petition to assurance and from resolve to accomplishment. - -The second part may be taken as his prayer when in the temple, whether -that be the outward sanctuary or no. It is likewise a further carrying -out of the contrast of the condition of the wicked and of the lovers -of God, expressed in terms applying to outward life rather than to -worship. It falls into three parts: the personal prayer for guidance -in life, the contemplation of evil-doers, and the vehement prayer for -their destruction, corresponding to vv. 4-6, and the contrasted prayer -for the righteous, among whom he implies his own inclusion. - -The whole of the devout man's desires for himself are summed up in -that prayer for guidance. All which the soul needs is included in -these two: access to God in the depths of still prostration before His -throne as the all-sufficient good for the inner life; guidance, as by -a shepherd, on a plain path, chosen not by self-will but by God, for -the outward. He who has received the former in any degree will in the -same measure have the latter. To dwell in God's house is to desire His -guidance as the chief good. "In Thy righteousness" is capable of two -meanings: it may either designate the path by which the psalmist -desired to be led, or the Divine attribute to which he appealed. The -latter meaning, which is substantially equivalent to "because Thou art -righteous," is made more probable by the other instances in the psalm -of a similar use of "in" (_in the multitude of Thy mercy_; _in Thy -fear_; _in the multitude of their transgressions_). His righteousness -is manifested in leading those who seek for His guidance (compare -Psalm xxv. 8; xxxi. 1, etc.). Then comes the only trace in the psalm -of the presence of enemies, because of whom the singer prays for -guidance. It is not so much that he fears falling into their hands as -that he dreads lest, if left to himself, he may take some step which -will give them occasion for malicious joy in his fall or his calamity. -Wherever a man is earnestly God-fearing, many eyes watch him, and -gleam with base delight if they see him stumble. The psalmist, whether -David or another, had that cross to carry, like every thorough-going -adherent of the religious ideal (or of any lofty ideal, for that -matter); and his prayer shows how heavy it was, since thoughts of it -mingled with even his longings for righteousness. "Plain" does not -mean _obvious_, but _level_, and may possibly include both freedom -from stumbling-blocks ("Lead us not into temptation") and from -calamities, but the prevalent tone of the psalm points rather to the -former. He who knows his own weaknesses may legitimately shrink from -snares and occasions to fall, even though, knowing the wisdom of his -Guide and the help that waits on his steps, he may "count it all joy" -when he encounters them. - -The picture of the evil-doers in ver. 9 is introduced, as in ver. 4, -with a "for." The sinners here are evidently the _enemies_ of the -previous verse. Their sins are those of speech; and the force of the -rapid clauses of the picture betrays how recently and sorely the -psalmist had smarted from lies, flatteries, slanders, and all the rest -of the weapons of smooth and bitter tongues. He complains that there -is no faithfulness or steadfastness in "his mouth"--a distributive -singular, which immediately passes into the plural--nothing there that -a man can rely on, but all treacherous. "Their inward part is -destruction." The other rendering, "engulfing ruin" or "a yawning -gulf," is picturesque; but _destruction_ is more commonly the meaning -of the word and yields a vigorous sense here. They plot inwardly the -ruin of the men whom they flatter. The figure is bold. Down to this -pit of destruction is a way like an open sepulchre, the throat -expanded in the act of speech; and the falsely smoothed tongue is like -a slippery approach to the descent (so Jennings and Lowe). Such -figures strike Western minds as violent, but are natural to the East. -The shuddering sense of the deadly power of words is a marked -characteristic of the Psalter. Nothing stirs psalmists to deeper -indignation than "God's great gift of speech abused," and this -generation would be all the better for relearning the lesson. - -The psalmist is "in the sanctuary," and there "understands their end," -and breaks into prayer which is also prophecy. The vindication of such -prayers for the destruction of evil-doers is that they are not the -expressions of personal enmity ("They have rebelled against Thee"), -and that they correspond to one side of the Divine character and acts, -which was prominent in the Old Testament epoch of revelation, and is -not superseded by the New. But they do belong to that lower level; and -to hesitate to admit their imperfection from the Christian point of -view is to neglect the plain teaching of our Lord, who built His law -of the kingdom on the declared relative imperfection of the ethics of -the Old. Terrible indeed are the prayers here. _Hold them -guilty_--that is, probably, treat them as such by punishing; _let them -fall_; _thrust them out_--from Thy presence, if they have ventured -thither, or out into the darkness of death. Let us be thankful that we -dare not pray such prayers, but let us not forget that for the -psalmist not to have prayed them would have indicated, not that he had -anticipated the tenderness of the Gospel, but that he had failed to -learn the lesson of the law and was basely tolerant of baseness. - -But we come into the sunshine again at the close, and hear the -contrasted prayer, which thrills with gladness and hope. "When the -wicked perish there is shouting." The servants of God, relieved from -the incubus and beholding the fall of evil, lift up their praises. The -order in which the designations of these servants occur is very -noteworthy. It is surely not accidental that we have them first -described as "those that trust in Thee," then as "all them that love -Thy name," and finally as "the righteous." What is this sequence but -an anticipation of the evangelical order? The root of all is trust, -then love, then righteousness. Love follows trust. "We have known and -believed the love which God hath to us." Righteousness follows trust -and love, inasmuch as by faith the new life enters the heart and -inasmuch as love supplies the great motive for keeping the -commandments. So root, stem, and flower are here, wrapped up, as it -were, in a seed, which unfolds into full growth in the New Testament. -The literal meaning of the word rendered "put their trust" is "flee as -to a refuge," and that beautifully expresses the very essence of the -act of faith; while the same metaphor is carried on in "defendest," -which literally means _coverest_. The fugitive who shelters in God is -covered by the shadow of His wing. Faith, love, and righteousness are -the conditions of the purest joy. Trust is joy; love is joy; obedience -to a loved law is joy. And round him who thus, in his deepest self, -dwells in God's house and in his daily life walks, with these angels -for his companions, on God's path, which by choice he has made his -own, there is ever cast the broad buckler of God's favour. He is safe -from all evil on whom God looks with love, and he on whom God so looks -is he whose heart dwells in God's house and whose feet "travel on -life's common way in cheerful godliness." - - - - - PSALM VI. - - 1 Jehovah, not in Thine anger do Thou correct me, - And not in Thy hot wrath do Thou chastise me. - 2 Be gracious to me, Jehovah, for I am withered away; - Heal me, Jehovah, for my bones are dismayed: - 3 And my soul is sorely dismayed; - And Thou, Jehovah--how long? - - 4 Return, Jehovah, deliver my soul; - Save me for the sake of Thy loving-kindness. - 5 For in death there is no remembrance of Thee; - In Sheol who gives thee thanks? - - 6 I am wearied out with my groaning; - Every night I make my bed swim; - With my tears I melt away my couch. - 7 My eye is wasted with trouble; - It is aged because of all my oppressors. - - 8 Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity, - For Jehovah has heard the voice of my weeping. - 9 Jehovah has heard my supplication; - Jehovah will accept my prayer. - 10 Ashamed and sore dismayed shall be all my enemies; - They shall turn back, shall be ashamed in a moment. - - -The theme and progress of thought in this psalm are very common, -especially in those attributed to David. A soul compassed by enemies, -whose hate has all but sapped the life out of it, "catches at God's -skirts and prays," and thence wins confidence which anticipates -deliverance and victory. There are numerous variations of this -_leitmotif_, and each of the psalms which embody it has its own beauty, -its own discords resolved into its own harmonies. The representation of -the trouble of spirit as producing wasting of the body is also frequent, -and is apparently not to be taken as metaphor, though not to be pressed, -as if the psalmist were at once struck with the two calamities of -hostility and disease, but the latter is simply the result of the -former, and will disappear with it. It is needless to look for a -historical occasion of the psalm, but to an ear that knows the tones of -sorrow, or to a heart that has itself uttered them, the supposition that -in these pathetic cries we hear only a representative Israelite -bewailing the national ruin sounds singularly artificial. If ever the -throb of personal anguish found tears and a voice, it does so in this -psalm. Whoever wrote it wrote with his blood. There are in it no obvious -references to events in the recorded life of David, and hence the -ascription of it to him must rest on something else than the -interpretation of the psalm. The very absence of such allusions is a -fact to be dealt with by those who deny the accuracy of the attribution -of authorship. But, however that question may be settled, the worth of -this little plaintive cry depends on quite other considerations than the -discovery of the name of the singer or the nature of his sorrow. It is a -transcript of a perennial experience, a guide for a road which all feet -have to travel. Its stream runs turbid and broken at first, but calms -and clears as it flows. It has four curves or windings, which can -scarcely be called strophes without making too artificial a framework -for such a simple and spontaneous gush of feeling. Still the transitions -are clear enough. - -In vv. 1-3 we have a cluster of sharp, short cries to God for help, -which all mean the same thing. In each of these the great name of -Jehovah is repeated, and in each the plea urged is simply the sore -need of the suppliant. These are no "vain repetitions," which are -pressed out of a soul by the grip of the rack; and it is not "taking -the name of the Lord in vain" when four times in three short verses -the passionate cry for help is winged with it as the arrow with its -feather. Two thoughts fill the psalmist's consciousness, or rather one -thought--the Lord--and one feeling--his pains. In ver. 1 the Hebrew -makes "in Thine anger" and "in Thine hot wrath" emphatic by setting -these two phrases between the negative and the verb: "Not in Thine -anger rebuke me; not in Thy heat chasten me." He is willing to submit -to both rebuke and chastisement; but he shrinks appalled from that -form of either which tends to destruction, not to betterment. There -are chastisements in tenderness, which express God's love, and there -are others which manifest His alienation and wrath. This psalmist did -not think that all Divine retribution was intended for reformation. To -him there was such a thing as wrath which slew. Jeremiah has the same -distinction (x. 24), and the parallel has been made an argument for -the later date of the psalm. Cheyne and others assume that Jeremiah is -the original, but that is simple conjecture, and the prophet's -conspicuous fondness for quotations from older authors makes the -supposition more probable that the psalm is the earlier. Resignation -and shrinking blend in that cry, in which a heart conscious of evil -confesses as well as implores, recognises the justice and yet -deprecates the utmost severity of the blow. He who asks, "Not in Thine -anger rebuke me," thereby submits to _loving_ chastisement. - -Then follow in vv. 2 and 3 three short petitions, which are as much -cries of pain as prayers, and as much prayers as cries of pain. In the -two former the prayer is put first, and its plea second; in the last -the order is reversed, and so the whole is, as it were, enclosed in a -circlet of prayer. Two words make the petition in each clause, "Have -mercy on me, Jehovah" (tastelessly corrected by Graetz into "Revive -me"), and "Heal me, Jehovah." The third petition is daring and -pregnant in its incompleteness. In that emphatic "And Thou, Jehovah," -the psalmist looks up, with almost reproach in his gaze, to the -infinite Personality which seems so unaccountably passive. The hours -that bring pain are leaden-footed, and their moments each seem an -eternity. The most patient sufferer may cry, "How long?" and God will -not mistake the voice of pain for that of impatience. This threefold -prayer, with its triple invocation, has a triple plea, which is all -substantially one. His misery fills the psalmist's soul, and he -believes that God will feel for him. He does not at first appeal to -God's revealed character, except in so far as the plaintive -reiteration of the Divine name carries such an appeal, but he spreads -out his own wretchedness, and he who does that has faith in God's -pity. "I am withered away," like a faded flower. "My bones are -vexed";--the physical effects of his calamity, "bones" being put for -the whole body, and regarded as the seat of sensibility, as is -frequently the usage. "Vexed" is too weak a rendering. The idea is -that of the utmost consternation. Not only the body, but the soul, -partakes in the dismay. The "soul" is even more shaken than the -"bones"; that is to say, mental agitation rather than physical disease -(and the latter as the result of the former) troubles the psalmist. We -can scarcely fail to remember the added sanctity which these -plaintive words have received, since they were used by the Prince of -sufferers when all but in sight of the cross. - -The next turn of thought includes vv. 4, 5, and is remarkable for the -new pleas on which it rests the triple prayer, "Return; deliver; -save." God is His own motive, and His self-revelation in act must -always be self-consistent. Therefore the plea is presented, "for Thy -loving-kindness' sake." It beseeches Him to be what He is, and to show -Himself as still being what He had always been. The second plea is -striking both in its view of the condition of the dead and in its use -of that view as an argument with God. Like many other psalmists, the -writer thinks of Sheol as the common gathering-place of the departed, -a dim region where they live a poor shadowy life, inactive, joyless, -and all but godless, inasmuch as praise, service, and fellowship with -Him have ceased. - -That view is equally compatible with the belief in a resurrection and -the denial of it, for it assumes continued individual consciousness. -It is the prevailing tone in the Psalter and in Job and Ecclesiastes. -But in some psalms, which embody the highest rapture of inward and -mystical devotion, the sense of present union with God bears up the -psalmist into the sunlight of the assurance that against such a union -death can have no power, and we see the hope of immortality in the -very act of dawning on the devout soul. May we not say that the -subjective experience of the reality of communion with God now is -still the path by which the certainty of its perpetuity in a future -life is reached? The objective proof in the resurrection of Jesus -Christ is verified by this experience. The psalmists had not the -former, but, having the latter, they attained to at all events -occasional confidence in a blessed life beyond. But the tone of such -triumphant glimpses as xvi. 10, xvii. 15, xlix. 15, lxxiii. 24, is of -a higher mood than that of this and other psalms, which probably -represent the usual view of devout Hebrews. - -The fact, as it appeared to those at the then stage of revelation, -that remembrance and praise of God were impossible in Sheol, is urged -as a plea. That implies the psalmist's belief that God cared for men's -praise--a thought which may be so put as to make Him an almighty -Selfishness, but which in its true aspect is the direct inference from -the faith that He is infinite Love. It is the same sweet thought of -Him which Browning has when he makes God say, "I miss my little human -praise." God's joy in men's praise is joy in men's love and in their -recognition of His love. - -The third turn of feeling is in vv. 6 and 7. The sense of his own -pains which, in the two previous parts of the psalm, had been -contending with the thought of God, masters the psalmist in these -dreary verses, in which the absence of the name of God is noteworthy -as expressive of his absorption in brooding over his misery. The -vehemence of the manifestations of sorrow and the frankness of the -record of these manifestations in the song are characteristic of the -emotional, demonstrative Eastern temperament, and strike our more -reticent dispositions as excessive. But however expressed in -unfamiliar terms, the emotion which wails in these sad verses is only -too familiar to men of all temperaments. All sad hearts are tempted to -shut out God and to look only at their griefs. There is a strange -pleasure in turning round the knife in the wound and recounting the -tokens of misery. This man feels some ease in telling how he had -exhausted his strength with groaning and worn away the sleepless -night with weeping. Night is ever the nurse of heavy thought, and -stings burn again then. The hyperbolical expressions that he had set -his bed afloat with his tears and "melted" it (as the word means) are -matched by the other hyperboles which follow, describing the effect of -this unmeasured weeping on his eyes. He had wept them away, and they -were bleared and dim like those of an old man. The cause of this -passion of weeping is next expressed, in plain words, which connect -this turn of the thought with the next verses, and seem to explain the -previously mentioned physical pains as either metaphorical or -consequent on the hostility of "mine adversaries." - -But even while thus his spirit is bitterly burying itself in his -sorrows the sudden certainty of the answer to his prayer flashes on -him. "Sometimes a light surprises," as Cowper, who too well knew what -it was to be worn with groaning, has sung. That swift conviction -witnesses its origin in a Divine inspiration by its very suddenness. -Nothing has changed in circumstances, but everything has changed in -aspect. Wonder and exultation throb in the threefold assurance that -the prayer is heard. In the two former clauses the "hearing" is -regarded as a present act; in the latter the "receiving" is looked for -in the future. The process, which is usually treated as one simple -act, is here analysed. "God has heard; therefore God will -receive"--_i.e._, answer--"my weeping prayer." Whence came that -confidence but from the breath of God on the troubled spirit? "The -peace of God" is ever the reward of submissive prayer. In this -confidence a man can front the close-knit ring of enemies, of whatever -sort they be, and bid them back. Their triumphant dismissal is a -vivid way of expressing the certainty of their departure, with their -murderous hate unslaked and baulked. "Mine enemies" are "workers of -iniquity." That is a daring assumption, made still more remarkable by -the previous confession that the psalmist's sorrow was God's rebuke -and chastening. But a man has the right to believe that his cause is -God's in the measure in which he makes God's cause his. In the -confidence of prayer heard, the psalmist can see "things that are not -as though they were," and, though no change has passed on the -beleaguering hosts, triumphs in their sure rout and retreat. Very -significantly does he predict in ver. 10 the same fate for them which -he had bewailed as his own. The "dismay" which had afflicted his soul -shall pass to them ("sore vexed"). Since God "returns" (ver. 4), the -enemy will have to "return" in baffled abandonment of their plans, and -be "ashamed" at the failure of their cruel hopes. And all this will -come as suddenly as the glad conviction had started up in the troubled -heart of the singer. His outward life shall be as swiftly rescued as -his inward has been. One gleam of God's presence in his soul had lit -its darkness, and turned tears into sparkling homes of the rainbow; -one flash of that same presence in his outward life shall scatter all -his foes with like swiftness. - - - - - PSALM VII. - - 1 Jehovah, my God, in Thee I take refuge; - Save me from all my pursuers, and deliver me, - 2 Lest like a lion he tear my soul, breaking it while there is no - deliverer. - 3 Jehovah, my God, if I have done this, - If there is iniquity in my hands, - 4 If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me-- - Nay, I have delivered him that was my enemy causelessly-- - 5 May the enemy chase my soul and overtake it, and trample my life - to the ground! - And may he lay my honour in the dust! Selah. - - 6 Arise, Jehovah, in Thine anger; - Lift up Thyself against the ragings of my adversaries, - And awake for me: judgment Thou hast appointed. - 7 And let a gathering of peoples stand round Thee, - And above it sit Thou on high. - 8 Jehovah will judge the peoples; - Do me right, Jehovah, according to my righteousness and according - to my innocence [that is] upon me. - 9 Let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and establish Thou the - righteous, - For a Trier of hearts and reins is God the righteous. - 10 My shield is upon God, - The Saviour of the upright-hearted. - - 11 God is a righteous Judge, - And a God who is angry every day. - 12 If [a man] turn not, He will sharpen His sword; - His bow He has bent, and made it ready. - 13 And at him He has aimed deadly weapons; - His arrows He will kindle into flaming darts. - 14 See! he is in labour with wickedness; - Yea, he is pregnant with mischief, and gives birth to a lie. - 15 A pit has he sunk, and dug it out; - And he will fall into the hole he is making. - 16 His mischief shall come back on his own head, - And upon his own skull shall his violence come down. - - 17 I will thank Jehovah according to His righteousness, - And sing with the harp to the name of Jehovah most high. - - -This is the only psalm with the title "Shiggaion." The word occurs -only here and in Hab. iii. 1, where it stands in the plural, and with -the preposition "upon," as if it designated instruments. The meaning -is unknown, and commentators, who do not like to say so, have much ado -to find one. The root is a verb, "to wander," and the explanation is -common that the word describes the disconnected character of the -psalm, which is full of swiftly succeeding emotions rather than of -sequent thoughts. But there is no such exceptional discontinuity as to -explain the title. It may refer to the character of the musical -accompaniment rather than to that of the words. The authorities are -all at sea, the LXX. shirking the difficulty by rendering "psalm," -others giving "error" or "ignorance," with allusion to David's -repentance after cutting off Saul's skirt or to Saul's repentance of -his persecuting David. The later Jewish writers quoted by Neubauer -("Studia Biblic.," ii. 36, _sq._) guess at most various meanings, such -as "love and pleasure," "occupation with music," "affliction," -"humility," while others, again, explain it as the name of a musical -instrument. Clearly the antiquity of the title is proved by this -unintelligibility. If we turn to the other part of it, we find further -evidence of age and of independence. Who was "Cush, a Benjamite"? He -is not mentioned elsewhere. The author of the title, then, had access -to some sources for David's life other than the Biblical records; and, -as Hupfeld acknowledges, we have here evidence of ancient ascription -of authorship which "has more weight than most of the others." Cush -has been supposed to be Shimei or Saul himself, and to have been so -called because of his swarthy complexion (Cush meaning an African) or -as a jest, because of his personal beauty. Cheyne, following Krochmal, -would correct into "because of [Mordecai] the son of Kish, a -Benjamite," and finds in this entirely conjectural and violent -emendation an "attestation that the psalm was very early regarded as a -work of the Persian age" ("Orig. of Psalt.," p. 229). But there is -really no reason of weight for denying the Davidic authorship, as -Ewald, Hitzig, Hupfeld, and Riehm allow; and there is much in 1 Sam. -xxiv.-xxvi. correspondent with the situation and emotions of the -psalmist here, such as, _e.g._, the protestations of innocence, the -calumnies launched at him, and the call on God to judge. The tone of -the psalm is high and courageous, in remarkable contrast to the -depression of spirit in the former psalm, up out of which the singer -had to pray himself. Here, on the contrary, he fronts the enemy, -lion-like though he be, without a quiver. It is the courage of -innocence and of trust. Psalm vi. wailed like some soft flute; Psalm -vii. peals like the trumpet of judgment, and there is triumph in the -note. The whole may be divided into three parts, of which the close of -the first is marked by the Selah at the end of ver. 5; and the second -includes vv. 6-10. Thus we have the appeal of innocence for help (vv. -1-5), the cry for more than help--namely, definite judgment (vv. -6-10)--and the vision of judgment (vv. 11-17). - -The first section has two main thoughts: the cry for help and the -protestation of innocence. It is in accordance with the bold -triumphant tone of the psalm that its first words are a profession of -faith in Jehovah. It is well to look _to_ God before looking _at_ -dangers and foes. He who begins with trust can go on to think of the -fiercest antagonism without dismay. Many of the psalms ascribed to -David begin thus, but it is no mere stereotyped formula. Each -represents a new act of faith, in the presence of a new danger. The -word for "put trust" here is very illuminative and graphic, meaning -properly the act of fleeing to a refuge. It is sometimes blended with -the image of a sheltering rock, sometimes with the still tenderer one -of a mother-bird, as when Ruth "came to trust under the wings of -Jehovah," and in many other places. The very essence of the act of -faith is better expressed by that metaphor than by much subtle -exposition. Its blessedness as bringing security and warm shelter and -tenderness more than maternal is wrapped up in the sweet and -instructive figure. The many enemies are, as it were, embodied in one, -on whom the psalmist concentrates his thoughts as the most formidable -and fierce. The metaphor of the lion is common in the psalms -attributed to David, and is, at all events, natural in the mouth of a -shepherd king, who had taken a lion by the beard. He is quite aware of -his peril, if God does not help him, but he is so sure of his safety, -since he trusts, that he can contemplate the enemy's power unmoved, -like a man standing within arm's length of the lion's open jaws, but -with a strong grating between. This is the blessing of true faith, not -the oblivion of dangers, but the calm fronting of them because our -refuge is in God. - -Indignant repelling of slander follows the first burst of triumphant -trust (vv. 3-5). Apparently "the words of Cush" were calumnies -poisoning Saul's suspicious nature, such as David refers to in 1 Sam. -xxiv. 9: "Wherefore hearkenest thou to men's words, saying, Behold, -David seeketh thy hurt?" The emphatic and enigmatic _This_ in ver. 3 -is unintelligible, unless it refers to some slander freshly coined, -the base malice of which stirs its object into flashing anger and -vehement self-vindication. The special point of the falsehood is plain -from the repudiation. He had been charged with attempting to injure -one who was at peace with him. That is exactly what "men's words" -charged on David, "saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt" (1 Samuel, -as above). "If there be iniquity in my hands" is very like "See that -there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not -sinned against thee"; "Thou huntest after my soul to take it" (1 -Samuel) is also like our ver. 1: "them that pursue me," and ver. 5: -"let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it." The specific form of -this protestation of innocence finds no explanation in the now -favourite view of the sufferer in the psalm as being the righteous -nation. The clause which is usually treated as a parenthesis in ver. -4, and translated, as in the R.V., "I have delivered him that without -cause was mine adversary," is needlessly taken by Delitzsch and others -as a continuation of the hypothetical clauses, and rendered, with a -change in the meaning of the verb, "And if I have despoiled him," -etc.; but it is better taken as above and referred to the incident in -the cave when David spared Saul's life. What meaning would that clause -have with the national reference? The metaphor of a wild beast in -chase of its prey colours the vehement declaration in ver. 5 of -readiness to suffer if guilty. We see the swift pursuit, the victim -overtaken and trampled to death. There may also be an echo of the -Song of Miriam (Exod. xv. 9): "The enemy said, I will pursue; I will -overtake." To "lay my glory in the dust" is equivalent to "bring down -my soul to the dust of death." Man's glory is his "soul." Thus, nobly -throbbing with conscious innocence and fronting unmerited hate, the -rush of words stops, to let the musical accompaniment blare on, for a -while, as if defiant and confident. - -The second section of the psalm (vv. 6-10) is a cry for the coming of -the Divine Judge. The previous prayer was content with deliverance, -but this takes a bolder flight, and asks for the manifestation of the -punitive activity of God on the enemies, who, as usually, are -identified with "evil-doers." The grand metaphors in "Arise," "Lift up -Thyself," "Awake," mean substantially the same thing. The long periods -during which evil works and flaunts with impunity are the times when -God sits as if passive and, in a figure still more daring, as if -asleep. When His destructive power flashed into act, and some -long-tolerated iniquity was smitten at a blow, the Hebrew singers saw -therein God springing to His feet or awaking to judgment. Such long -stretches of patient permission of evil and of swift punishment are -repeated through the ages, and individual lives have them in -miniature. The great judgments of nations and the small ones of single -men embody the same principles, just as the tiniest crystal has the -same angles and lines of cleavage as the greatest of its kind. So this -psalmist has penetrated to a true discernment of the relations of the -small and the great, when he links his own vindication by the judicial -act of God with the pomp and splendour of a world-wide judgment, and -bases his prayer for the former on the Divine purpose to effect the -latter. The sequence, "The Lord ministereth judgment to the -peoples"--therefore--"judge me, O Lord," does not imply that the "me" -is the nation, but simply indicates as the ground of the individual -hope of a vindicating judgment the Divine fact, of which history had -given him ample proof and faith gave him still fuller evidence, that -God, though He sometimes seemed to sleep, did indeed judge the -nations. The prerogative of the poet, and still more, the instinct of -the inspired spirit, is to see the law of the greatest exemplified in -the small and to bring every triviality of personal life into contact -with God and His government. The somewhat harsh construction of the -last clause of ver. 6 begins the transition from the prayer for the -smaller to the assurance of the greater judgment which is its basis, -and similarly the first clause of ver. 8 closes the picture of that -wider act, and the next clause returns to the prayer. This picture, -thus embedded in the heart of the supplication, is majestic in its few -broad strokes. First comes the appointment of judgment, then the -assembling of the "peoples," which here may, perhaps, have the -narrower meaning of the "tribes," since "congregation" is the word -used for them in their national assembly, and would scarcely be -employed for the collection of Gentile nations. But whether the -concourse be all Israel or all nations, they are gathered in silent -expectance as in a great judgment-hall. Then enters the Judge. If we -retain the usual reading and rendering of ver. 7 _b_, the act of -judgment is passed over in silence, and the poet beholds God, the -judgment finished, soaring above the awe-struck multitudes, in -triumphant return to the repose of His heavenly throne. But the slight -emendation of the text, needed to yield the meaning "Sit Thou above -it," is worthy of consideration. In either case, the picture closes -with the repeated assurance of the Divine judgment of the peoples, and -(ver. 8) the prayer begins again. The emphatic assertion of innocence -must be taken in connection with the slanders already repudiated. The -matter in hand is the evils charged on the psalmist, for which he was -being chased as if by lions, the judgment craved is the chastisement -of his persecutors, and the innocence professed is simply the -innocence which they calumniated. The words have no bearing at all on -the psalmist's general relation to the Divine law, nor is there any -need to have recourse to the hypothesis that the speaker is the -"righteous nation." It is much more difficult to vindicate a member of -that remnant from the charge of overestimating the extent and quality -of even the righteous nation's obedience, if he meant to allege, as -that interpretation would make him do, that the nation was pure in -life and heart, than it is to vindicate the single psalmist vehemently -protesting his innocence of the charges for which he was hunted. -Cheyne confesses (Commentary _in loc._) that the "psalmist's view may -seem too rose-coloured," which is another way of acknowledging that -the interpretation of the protestation as the voice of the nation is -at variance with the facts of its condition. - -The accents require ver. 9 _a_ to be rendered "Let wickedness make an -end of the wicked," but that introduces an irrelevant thought of the -suicidal nature of evil. It may be significant that the psalmist's -prayer is not for the destruction of the wicked, but of their -wickedness. Such annihilation of evil is the great end of God's -judgment, and its consequence will be the establishment of the -righteous. Again the prayer strengthens itself by the thought of God -as righteous and as trying the hearts and reins (the seat of feeling). -In the presence of rampant and all but triumphant evil, a man needs to -feed hopes of its overthrow that would else seem vainest dreams, by -gazing on the righteousness and searching power of God. Very -beautifully does the order of the words in ver. 9 suggest the kindred -of the good man with God by closing each division of the verse with -"righteous." A righteous man has a claim on a righteous God. Most -naturally then the prayer ends with the calm confidence of ver. 10: -"My shield is upon God." He Himself bears the defence of the psalmist. -This confidence he has won by his prayer, and in it he ceases to be a -suppliant and becomes a seer. - -The last section (ver. 11 to end) is a vision of the judgment prayed -for, and may be supposed to be addressed to the enemy. If so, the -hunted man towers above them, and becomes a rebuker. The character of -God underlies the fact of judgment, as it had encouraged the prayer -for it. What he had said to himself when his hope drooped, he now, as -a prophet, peals out to men as making retribution sure: "God is a -righteous Judge, yea a God that hath indignation every day." The -absence of an object specified for the indignation makes its -inevitable flow wherever there is evil the more vividly certain. If He -is such, then of course follows the destruction of every one who -"turns not." Retribution is set forth with solemn vigour under four -figures. First, God is as an armed enemy sharpening His sword in -preparation for action, a work of time which in the Hebrew is -represented as in process, and bending His bow, which is the work of a -moment, and in the Hebrew is represented as a completed act. Another -second, and the arrow will whizz. Not only is the bow bent, but (ver. -11) the deadly arrows are aimed, and not only aimed, but continuously -fed with flame. The Hebrew puts "At him" (the wicked) emphatically at -the beginning of the verse, and uses the form of the verb which -implies completed action for the "aiming" and that which implies -incomplete for "making" the arrows burn. So the stern picture is drawn -of God as in the moment before the outburst of His punitive -energy--the sword sharpened, the bow bent, the arrows fitted, the -burning stuff being smeared on their tips. What will happen when all -this preparation blazes into action? - -The next figure in ver. 14 insists on the automatic action of evil in -bringing punishment. It is the Old Testament version of "Sin when it -is finished bringeth forth death." The evil-doer is boldly represented -as "travailing with iniquity," and that metaphor is broken up into the -two parts "He hath conceived mischief" and "He hath brought forth -falsehood." The "falsehood," which is the thing actually produced, is -so called, not because it deceives others, but because it mocks its -producer with false hopes and never fulfils his purposes. This is but -the highly metaphorical way of saying that a sinner never does what he -means to do, but that the end of all his plans is disappointment. The -law of the universe condemns him to feed on ashes and to make and -trust in lies. - -A third figure brings out more fully the idea implied in "falsehood," -namely, the failure of evil to accomplish its doer's purpose. Crafty -attempts to trap others have an ugly habit of snaring their contriver. -The irony of fortune tumbles the hunter into the pitfall dug by him for -his prey. The fourth figure (ver. 16) represents the incidence of his -evil on the evil-doer as being certain as the fall of a stone thrown -straight up, which will infallibly come back in the line of its ascent. -Retribution is as sure as gravitation, especially if there is an Unseen -Hand above, which adds impetus and direction to the falling weight. All -these metaphors, dealing with the "natural" consequences of evil, are -adduced as guarantees of _God's_ judgment, whence it is clear both that -the psalmist is thinking not of some final future judgment, but of the -continuous one of daily providence, and that he made no sharp line of -demarcation between the supernatural and the natural. The qualities of -things and the play of natural events are God's working. - -So the end of all is thanksgiving. A stern but not selfish nor -unworthy thankfulness follows judgment, with praise which is not -inconsistent with tears of pity, even as the act of judgment which -calls it forth is not inconsistent with Divine love. The vindication -of God's righteousness is worthily hymned by the choral thanksgivings -of all who love righteousness. By judgment Jehovah makes Himself known -as "most high," supreme over all creatures; and hence the music of -thanksgiving celebrates Him under that name. The title "Elyon" here -employed is regarded by Cheyne and others as a sign of late date, but -the use of it seems rather a matter of poetic style than of -chronology. Melchizedek, Balaam, and the king of Babylon (Isa. xiv. -14) use it; it occurs in Daniel, but, with these exceptions, is -confined to poetical passages, and cannot be made out to be a mark of -late date, except by assuming the point in question--namely, the late -date of the poetry, principally nineteen psalms, in which it occurs. - - - - - PSALM VIII. - - 1 Jehovah, our Lord, - How glorious is Thy name in all the earth! - Who hast set Thy glory upon the heavens. - 2 Out of the mouth of children and sucklings hast Thou founded a - strength, - Because of Thine adversaries, - To still the enemy and the revengeful. - - 3 When I gaze on Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, - Moon and stars, which Thou hast established, - 4 What is frail man, that Thou rememberest him, - And the son of man, that Thou visitest him? - 5 For Thou didst let him fall but little short of God, - And crownedst him with glory and honour. - 6 Thou madest him ruler over the works of Thy hands; - Thou hast put all things under his feet, - 7 Sheep and oxen, all of them, - And likewise beasts of the field, - 8 Fowl of the heavens and fishes of the sea, - Whatever traverses the paths of the seas. - - 9 Jehovah, our Lord, how glorious is Thy name in all the earth! - - -The exclamation which begins and ends this psalm, enclosing it as a -jewel in a setting, determines its theme as being neither the nightly -heaven, with all its stars, nor the dignity of man, but the name of the -Lord as proclaimed by both. The Biblical contemplation of nature and man -starts from and ends in God. The main thought of the psalm is the -superiority of the revelation in man's nature and place to that in the -vault of heaven. The very smallness of man makes the revelation of God -in His dealings with him great. In his insignificance is lodged a Divine -spark, and, lowly as is his head as he stands beneath the midnight sky -blazing with inaccessible lights, it is crowned with a halo which -reflects God's glory more brightly than does their lustre. That one idea -is the theme of both parts of the psalm. In the former (vv. 1, 2) it is -briefly stated; in the latter (vv. 3-8) it is wrought out in detail. The -movement of thought is by expansion rather than progress. - -The name of the Lord is His character as made known. The psalmist -looks beyond Israel, the recipient of a fuller manifestation, and, -with adoring wonder, sees far-flashing through all the earth, as if -written in light, the splendour of that name. The universal revelation -in the depths of the sparkling heavens and the special one by which -Israel can say, "our Lord," are both recognised. The very abruptness -of the exclamation in ver. 1 tells that it is the end of long, silent -contemplation, which overflows at last in speech. The remainder of -ver. 1 and ver. 2 present the two forms of Divine manifestation which -it is the main purpose of the psalm to contrast, and which effect the -world-wide diffusion of the glory of the Name. These are the -apocalypse in the nightly heavens and the witness from the mouth of -babes and sucklings. As to the former, there is some difficulty in the -text as it stands; and there may be a question also as to the -connection with the preceding burst of praise. The word rendered "hast -set" is an imperative, which introduces an incongruous thought, since -the psalm proceeds on the conviction that God has already done what -such a reading would be asking Him to do. The simplest solution is to -suppose a textual corruption, and to make the slight change required -for the rendering of the A.V. and R.V. God's name is glorious in all -the earth, first, because He has set His glory upon the heavens, which -stretch their solemn magnificence above every land. It is His glory of -which theirs is the shimmering reflection, visible to every eye -upturned from "this dim spot which men call earth." May we attach -significance to the difference between "Thy name" and "Thy glory"? -Possibly there is a hint of the relative inferiority even of the -heavenly proclamation, inasmuch as, while it rays out "glory," the -lustre of power and infinitude, it is only on earth that that -revelation becomes the utterance of the Name, since here are hearts -and minds to interpret. - -The relative at the beginning of the last clause of ver. 1 seems to -require that the initial exclamation should not be isolated, as it is -in the last verse; but, in any case, the two methods of revelation -must be taken in the closest connection, and brought into line as -parallel media of revelation. - -Ver. 2 gives the second of these. The sudden drop from the glories of -the heavens to the babble and prattle of infancy and childhood is most -impressive, and gives extraordinary force to the paradox that the -latter's witness is more powerful to silence gainsayers than that of the -former. This conviction is expressed in a noble metaphor, which is -blurred by the rendering "strength." The word here rather means _a -strength_ in the old use of the term--that is, a stronghold or -fortress--and the image, somewhat more daring than colder Western taste -finds permissible, is that, out of such frail material as children's -speech, God builds a tower of strength, which, like some border castle, -will bridle and still the restless enemy. There seems no sufficient -reason for taking "children and sucklings" in any but its natural -meaning, however the reference to lowly believers may accord with the -spirit of the psalm. The children's voices are taken as a type of feeble -instruments, which are yet strong enough to silence the enemy. -Childhood, "with no language but a cry," is, if rightly regarded in its -source, its budding possibilities, its dependence, its growth, a more -potent witness to a more wondrous name than are all the stars. In like -manner, man is man's clearest revelation of God. The more lowly he is, -the more lofty his testimony. What are all His servants' words but the -babbling of children who "do not know half the deep things they speak"? -God's strongest fortress is built of weakest stones. The rendering of -the LXX., which is that used by our Lord in the Temple when He claimed -the children's shrill hosannas as perfected praise, is an explanation -rather than a translation, and as such is quite in the line of the -psalmist's meaning. To find in the "children and sucklings" a reference -either to the humble believers in Israel or to the nation as a whole, -and in the "enemy and the vengeful man" hostile nations, introduces -thoughts alien to the universality of the psalm, which deals with -humanity as a whole and with the great revelations wide as humanity. If -the two parts of the psalm are to be kept together, the theme of the -compendious first portion must be the same as that of the second, -namely, the glory of God as revealed by nature and man, but most chiefly -by the latter, notwithstanding and even by his comparative feebleness. - -The second part (vv. 3-8) expands the theme of the first. The nightly -sky is more overwhelming than the bare blue vault of day. Light -conceals and darkness unveils the solemn glories. The silent depths, -the inaccessible splendours, spoke to this psalmist, as they do to all -sensitive souls, of man's relative insignificance, but they spoke also -of the God whose hand had fashioned them, and the thought of Him -carried with it the assurance of His care for so small a creature, and -therefore changed the aspect of his insignificance. To an ear deaf to -the witness of the heavens to their Maker, the only voice which sounds -from their crushing magnificence is one which counsels unmitigated -despair, insists on man's nothingness, and mocks his aspirations. If -we stop with "What is man?" the answer is, A fleeting nothing. The -magnitude, the duration, the multitudes of these awful suns and stars -dwarf him. Modern astronomy has so far increased the impression that -it has landed many minds in blank unbelief that God has visited so -small a speck as earth, and abundant ridicule has been poured on the -arrogance which dreams that such stupendous events, as the Christian -revelation asserts, have been transacted on earth for man. If we begin -with man, certainly his insignificance makes it supremely absurd to -suppose him thus distinguished; but if we begin at the other end, the -supposition takes a new appearance of probability. If there is a God, -and men are His creatures, it is supremely unlikely that He should not -have a care of them. Nothing can be more absurd than the supposition -of a dumb God, who has never spoken to such a being as man. The -psalmist gives full weight to man's smallness, his frailty, and his -lowly origin, for his exclamation, "What is man?" means, "How little -is he!" and he uses the words which connote frailty and mortality, and -emphasise the fact of birth as if in contrast with "the work of Thy -fingers"; but all these points only enhance the wonderfulness of what -is to the poet an axiom--that God has personal relations with His -creature. "Thou art mindful of him" refers to God's thought, "Thou -visitest him" to His acts of loving care; and both point to God's -universal beneficence, not to His special revelation. The bitter -parody in Job vii. 17, 18, takes the truth by the other handle, and -makes the personal relations those of a rigid inspector on the one -hand and a creature not worth being so strict with on the other. -Mindfulness is only watchfulness for slips, and visiting means penal -visitation. So the same fact may be the source of thankful wonder or -of almost blasphemous murmuring. - -Vv. 5-8 draw out the consequences of God's loving regard, which has -made the insignificance of man the medium of a nobler manifestation of -the Divine name than streams from all the stars. There is no allusion -here to sin; and its absence has led to the assertion that this -psalmist knew nothing of a fall, and was not in harmony with the -prevalent Old Testament tone as to the condition of humanity. But -surely the contemplation of the ideal manhood, as it came from God's -hand, does not need to be darkened by the shadows of the actual. The -picture of man as God made him is the only theme which concerns the -psalmist; and he paints it with colours drawn from the Genesis -account, which tells of the fall as well as the creation of man. - -The picture contains three elements: man is Deiform, crowned with glory -and honour, and lord of the creatures on earth. The rendering "than the -angels" in the A.V. comes from the LXX., but though defensible, is less -probable than the more lofty conception contained in "than God," which -is vindicated, not only by lexical considerations, but as embodying an -allusion to the original creation "in the image of God." What then is -the "little" which marks man's inferiority? It is mainly that the -spirit, which is God's image, is confined in and limited by flesh, and -subject to death. The distance from the apex of creation to the Creator -must ever be infinite; but man is so far above the non-sentient, though -mighty, stars and the creatures which share earth with him, by reason of -his being made in the Divine image--_i.e._, having consciousness, will, -and reason--that the distance is foreshortened. The gulf between man and -matter is greater than that between man and God. The moral separation -caused by sin is not in the psalmist's mind. Thus man is invested with -some reflection of God's glory, and wears this as a crown. He is king on -earth. - -The enumeration of his subjects follows, in language reminding again -of the Genesis narrative. The catalogue begins with those nearest to -him, the long-tamed domestic animals, and of these the most submissive -(sheep) first; it then passes to the untamed animals, whose home is -"the field" or uncultivated land, and from them goes to the heights -and depths, where the free fowls of the air and fish of the sea and -all the mysterious monsters that may roam the hidden ways of that -unknown ocean dwell. The power of taming and disciplining some, the -right to use all, belong to man, but his subjects have their rights -and their king his limits of power and his duties. - -Such then is man, as God meant him to be. Such a being is a more -glorious revelation of the Name than all stars and systems. Looked at in -regard to his duration, his years are a handbreadth before these shining -ancients of days that have seen his generations fret their little hour -and sink into silence; looked at in contrast with their magnitude and -numbers numberless, he is but an atom, and his dwelling-place a speck. -Science increases the knowledge of his insignificance, but perhaps not -the impression of it made on a quiet heart by the simple sight of the -heavens. But besides the merely scientific view, and the merely poetic, -and the grimly Agnostic, there is the other, the religious, and it is as -valid to-day as ever. To it the heavens are the work of God's finger, -and their glories are His, set there by Him. That being so, man's -littleness magnifies the name, because it enhances the condescending -love of God, which has greatened the littleness by such nearness of care -and such gifts of dignity. The reflection of His glory which blazes in -the heavens is less bright than that which gleams in the crown of glory -and honour on man's lowly yet lofty head. The "babe and suckling" of -creation has a mouth from which the strength of perfected praise issues -and makes a bulwark against all gainsayers. - -The use made of this psalm in the Epistle to the Hebrews proceeds on -the understanding that it describes ideal humanity. Where, then, says -the writer of the epistle, shall we look for the realisation of that -ideal? Do not the grand words sound liker irony than truth? Is this -poor creature that crawls about the world, its slave, discrowned and -sure to die, the Man whom the psalmist saw? No. Then was the fair -vision a baseless fabric, and is there nothing to be looked for but a -dreary continuance of such abortions dragging out their futile being -through hopeless generations? No; the promise shall be fulfilled for -humanity, because it has been fulfilled in one Man: the Man Christ -Jesus. He is the realised ideal, and in Him is a life which will be -communicated to all who trust and obey Him, and they, too, will become -all that God meant man to be. The psalm was not intended as a -prophecy, but every clear vision of God's purpose is a prophecy, for -none of His purposes remain unfulfilled. It was not intended as a -picture of the Christ, but it is so; for He, and He alone, is the Man -who answers to that fair Divine Ideal, and He will make all His people -partakers of His royalty and perfect manhood. - -So the psalm ends, as it began, with adoring wonder, and proclaims -this as the result of the twofold witness which it has so nobly set -forth: that God's name shines glorious through all the earth, and -every eye may see its lustre. - - - - - PSALM IX. - - 1 ([Hebrew: alef]) I will thank Jehovah with my whole heart; - I will recount all Thy wonders. - 2 I will be glad and exult in Thee; - I will sing Thy name, Most High, - - 3 ([Hebrew: bet]) Because mine enemies turn back; - They stumble and perish at Thy presence. - 4 For Thou hast upheld my right and my suit; - Thou didst seat Thyself on Thy throne, judging righteously. - - 5 ([Hebrew: gimel]) Thou hast rebuked the nations, Thou hast - destroyed the wicked; - Thou hast blotted out their name for ever and aye. - 6 The enemy--they are ended, [they are] desolations for ever, - And [their] cities hast Thou rooted out; perished is their memory. - - 7 ([Hebrew: he]) They [are perished], but Jehovah shall sit throned - for ever; - He hath prepared His throne for judgment. - 8 And He--He shall judge the world in righteousness; - He shall deal judgment to the peoples in equity. - - 9 ([Hebrew: vav]) And Jehovah shall be a lofty stronghold for the - crushed, - A lofty stronghold in times of extremity. - 10 And they who know Thy name will put trust in Thee, - For Thou hast not forsaken them that seek Thee, Jehovah. - - 11 ([Hebrew: zayin]) Sing with the harp to Jehovah, sitting throned - in Zion; - Declare among the peoples His doings. - 12 For He that makes inquisition for blood has remembered them; - He has not forgotten the cry of the humble. - - 13 ([Hebrew: het]) Have mercy on me, Jehovah; - Look on my affliction from my haters, - Thou who liftest me up from the gates of death - 14 To the end that I may recount all Thy praises. - In the gates of the daughter of Zion, - I will rejoice in Thy salvation. - - 15 ([Hebrew: tet]) The nations are sunk in the pit they made; - In the net which they spread their foot is caught. - 16 Jehovah makes Himself known; judgment hath He done, - Snaring the wicked by the work of his own hands. Higgaion; Selah. - - 17 ([Hebrew: yod]) The wicked shall return to Sheol, - All the nations who forget God - 18 For not for ever shall the needy be forgotten, - Nor the expectation of the afflicted perish for aye. - - 19 ([Hebrew: qof]) Arise, Jehovah: let not man grow strong; - Let the nations be judged before Thy presence. - 20 Appoint, Jehovah, terrors for them; - Let the nations come to know that they are men. - - -Psalms vii. and ix. are connected by the recurrence of the two thoughts -of God as the Judge of nations and the wicked falling into the pit which -he digged. Probably the original arrangement of the Psalter put these -two next each other, and Psalm viii. was inserted later. - -Psalm ix. is imperfectly acrostic. It falls into strains of two verses -each, which are marked by sequence of thought as well as by the acrostic -arrangement. The first begins with Aleph, the second with Beth, and so -on, the second verse of each pair not being counted in the scheme. The -fourth letter is missing, and ver. 7, which should begin with it, begins -with the sixth. But a textual correction, which is desirable on other -grounds, makes the fifth letter (He) the initial of ver. 7, and then the -regular sequence is kept up till ver. 19, which should begin with the -soft K, but takes instead the guttural Q. What has become of the rest of -the alphabet? Part of it is found in Psalm x., where the first verse -begins with the L, which should follow the regular K for ver. 19. But -there is no more trace of acrostic structure in x. till ver. 12, which -resumes it with the Q which has already appeared out of place in ix. -19; and it goes on to the end of the alphabet, with only the -irregularity that the R strain (x. 14) has but one verse. Verses with -the missing letters would just about occupy the space of the -non-acrostic verses in Psalm x., and the suggestion is obvious that the -latter are part of some other psalm which has been substituted for the -original; but there are links of connection between the non-acrostic and -acrostic portions of Psalm x., which make that hypothesis difficult. The -resemblances between the two psalms as they stand are close, and the -dissimilarities not less obvious. The psalmist's enemies are different. -In the former they are foreign, in the latter domestic. Psalm ix. rings -with triumph; Psalm x. is in a minor key. The former celebrates a -judgment as accomplished which the latter almost despairingly longs to -see begun. On the whole, the two were most probably never formally one, -but are a closely connected pair. - -There is nothing to discredit the Davidic authorship. The singer's -enemies are "nations," and the destruction of these foreign foes is -equivalent to "maintaining his cause." That would be language natural -in the mouth of a king, and there were foreign wars enough in David's -reign to supply appropriate occasions for such a song. The psalm falls -into two parts, vv. 1-12 and 13 to end, of which the second -substantially repeats the main thoughts of the first, but with a -significant difference. In the first part the sequence is praise and -its occasion (Aleph and Beth verses, 1-4), triumphant recounting of -accomplished judgment (Gimel verses, 5, 6), confident expectation of -future wider judgment (amended He and Vav pairs, vv. 7-10), and a -final call to praise (vii. 12). Thus set, as it were, in a circlet of -praise, are experience of past and consequent confidence of future -deliverance. The second part gives the same order, only, instead of -praise, it has prayer for its beginning and end, the two central -portions remaining the same as in part I. The Cheth pair (vv. 13, 14) -is prayer, the deliverance not being perfected, though some foes have -fallen; the past act of accomplished judgment is again celebrated in -the Teth pair (vv. 15, 16), followed, as before, by the triumphant -confidence of future complete crushing of enemies (Yod strain, vv. 17, -18); and all closes with prayer (Qoph pair, vv. 19, 20). Thus the same -thoughts are twice dwelt on; and the different use made of them is the -explanation of the repetition, which strikes a cursory reader as -needless. The diamond is turned a little in the hand, and a -differently tinted beam flashes from its facet. - -In the first pair of verses, the song rushes out like some river -breaking through a dam and flashing as it hurries on its course. Each -short clause begins with Aleph; each makes the same fervid resolve. -Wholehearted praise is sincere, and all the singer's being is fused -into it. "All Thy marvellous works" include the great deliverances of -the past, with which a living sense of God's working associates those -of the present, as one in character and source. To-day is as full of -God to this man as the sacred yesterdays of national history, and his -deliverances as wonderful as those of old. But high above the joy in -God's work is the joy in Himself to which it leads, and "Thy name, O -thou Most High," is the ground of all pure delight and the theme of -all worthy praise. - -The second stanza (Beth, vv. 3, 4) is best taken as giving the ground of -praise. Render in close connection with preceding "_because_ mine -enemies turn back; they stumble and perish at [or from] Thy presence." -God's face blazes out on the foe, and they turn and flee from the field, -but in their flight they stumble, and, like fugitives, once fallen can -rise no more. The underlying picture is of a battle-field and a -disastrous rout. It is God's coming into action that scatters the enemy, -as ver. 4 tells by its "for." When He took His seat on the throne (of -judgment rather than of royalty), they fled; and that act of assuming -judicial activity was the maintaining of the psalmist's cause. - -The third pair of verses (Gimel, 5, 6) dwells on the grand picture of -judgment, and specifies for the first time the enemies as "the -nations" or "heathen," thus showing that the psalmist is not a private -individual, and probably implying that the whole psalm is a hymn of -victory, in which the heat of battle still glows, but which writes no -name on the trophy but that of God. The metaphor of a judgment-seat is -exchanged for a triumphant description of the destructions fallen on -the land of the enemy, in all which God alone is recognised as the -actor. "Thou hast rebuked"; and just as His creative word was -all-powerful, so His destructive word sweeps its objects into -nothingness. There is a grand and solemn sequence in that "Thou hast -rebuked; ... Thou hast destroyed." His breath has made; His breath can -unmake. In ver. 6 the rendering to be preferred is substantially that -of the R.V.: "The enemy are ended, [they are] ruins for ever, and -cities hast Thou rooted out; perished is their memory." To take -"enemy" as a vocative breaks the continuity of the address to God, and -brings in an irrelevant reference to the former conquests of the foe -("Thou hast destroyed cities") which is much more forcible if -regarded as descriptive of God's destruction of his cities. "Their -memory" refers to the enemy, not to the cities. Utter, perpetual ruin, -so complete that the very name is forgotten, has fallen on the foe. - -In the fourth pair of verses a slight emendation of the text is -approved of by most critics. The last word of ver. 6 is the pronoun -"they," which, though possible in such a position, is awkward. If it -is transferred to the beginning of ver. 7, and it is further supposed -that "are perished" has dropped out, as might easily be the case, from -the verb having just occurred in the singular, a staking antithesis is -gained: "They perish, but Jehovah shall sit," etc. Further, the pair -of verses then begins with the fifth letter; and the only irregularity -in the acrostic arrangement till ver. 19 is the omission of the fourth -letter: Daleth. A very significant change in tenses takes place at -this point. Hitherto the verbs have been perfects, implying a finished -act; that is to say, hitherto the psalm has been dealing with facts of -recent but completed experience. Now the verbs change to imperfects or -futures, and continue so till ver. 12; that is to say, "experience -doth attain to something of prophetic strain," and passes into -confidence for the future. That confidence is cast in the mould -supplied by the deliverance on which it is founded. The smaller act of -judgment, which maintained the psalmist's cause, expands into a -world-wide judgment in righteousness, for which the preparations are -already made. "He hath prepared His throne for judgment" is the only -perfect in the series. This is the true point of view from which to -regard the less comprehensive acts of judgment thinly sown through -history, when God has arisen to smite some hoary iniquity or some -godless conqueror. Such acts are premonitions of the future, and every -"day of the Lord" is a miniature of that final _dies irae_. The -psalmist probably was rather thinking of other acts of judgment which -would free him and his people from hostile nations, but his hope was -built on the great truth that all such acts are prophecies of others -like them, and it is a legitimate extension of the same principle to -view them all in relation to the last and greatest of the series. - -The fifth pair (Vav stanza, vv. 9, 10) turns to the glad contemplation -of the purpose of all the pomp and terror of the judgment thus hoped -for. The Judge is seated on high, and His elevation makes a "lofty -stronghold" for the crushed or downtrodden. - -The rare word rendered "extremity" in ver. 9 occurs only here and in -x. 1. It means a cutting off, _i.e._, of hope of deliverance. The -notion of distress intensified to despair is conveyed. God's judgments -show that even in such extremity He is an inexpugnable defence, like -some hill fortress, inaccessible to any foe. A further result of -judgment is the (growing) trust of devout souls (ver. 10). To "know -Thy name" is here equivalent to learning God's character as made known -by His acts, especially by the judgments anticipated. For such -knowledge some measure of devout trust is required, but further -knowledge deepens trust. The best teacher of faith is experience; and, -on the other hand, the condition of such experience is faith. The -action of knowledge and of trust is reciprocal. That trust is -reinforced by the renewed evidence, afforded by the judgments, that -Jehovah does not desert them that seek Him. To "seek Him" is to long -for Him, to look for His help in trouble, to turn with desire and -obedience to Him in daily life; and anything is possible rather than -that He should not disclose and give Himself to such search. Trust and -seeking, fruition and desire, the repose of the soul on God and its -longing after God, are inseparable. They are but varying aspects of -the one thing. When a finite spirit cleaves to the infinite God, there -must be longing as an element in all possession and possession as an -element in all longing; and both will be fed by contemplation of the -self-revealing acts which are the syllables of His name. - -Section 6, the last of the first part (Zayin, vv. 11, 12), circles -round to section 1, and calls on all trusters and seekers to be a -chorus to the solo of praise therein. The ground of the praise is the -same past act which has been already set forth as that of the -psalmist's thanksgiving, as is shown by the recurrence here of perfect -tenses (_hath remembered_; _hath not forgotten_). The designation of -God as "dwelling" in Zion is perhaps better rendered, with allusion to -the same word in ver. 7, "sitteth." His seat had been there from the -time that the Ark was brought thither. That earthly throne was the -type of His heavenly seat, and from Zion He is conceived as executing -judgment. The world-wide destination of Israel's knowledge of God -inspires the call to "show forth His doings" to "the peoples." The -"nations" are not merely the objects of destructive wrath, but are to -be summoned to share in the blessing of knowing His mighty acts. The -psalmist may not have been able to harmonise these two points of view -as to Israel's relation to the Gentile world, but both thoughts -vibrate in his song. The designation of God as "making inquisition for -blood" thinks of Him as the Goel, or Avenger. To seek means here to -demand back as one who had entrusted property to another who had -destroyed it would do, thence to demand compensation or satisfaction, -and thus finally comes to mean to avenge or punish (so Hupfeld, -Delitzsch, etc.). "The poor" or "meek" (R.V. and margin) whose cry is -heard are the devout portion of the Jewish people, who are often -spoken of in the Psalms and elsewhere as a class. - -The second part of the psalm begins with ver. 13. The prayer in that -verse is the only trace of trouble in the psalm. The rest is triumph and -exultation. This, at first sight discordant, note has sorely exercised -commentators; and the violent solution that the whole Cheth stanza (vv. -13, 14) should be regarded as "the cry of the meek," quoted by the -psalmist, and therefore be put in inverted commas (though adopted by -Delitzsch and Cheyne), is artificial and cold. If the view of the -structure of the psalm given above is adopted, there is little -difficulty in the connection. The victory has been completed over -certain enemies, but there remain others; and the time for praise -unmingled with petition has not yet come for the psalmist, as it never -comes for any of us in this life. Quatre Bras is won, but Waterloo has -to be fought to-morrow. The prayer takes account of the dangers still -threatening, but it only glances at these, and then once more turns to -look with hope on the accomplished deliverance. The thought of how God -had lifted the suppliant up from the very gates of death heartens him to -pray for all further mercy needed. Death is the lord of a gloomy -prison-house, the gates of which open inwards only and permit no egress. -On its very threshold the psalmist had stood. But God had lifted him -thence, and the remembrance wings his prayer. "The gates of the -daughter of Zion" are in sharp, happy contrast with the frowning portals -of death. A city's gates are the place of cheery life, stir, gossip, -business. Anything proclaimed there flies far. There the psalmist -resolves that he will tell his story of rescue, which he believes was -granted that it might be told. God's purpose in blessing men is that -they may open their lips to proclaim the blessings and so bring others -to share in them. God's end is the spread of His name, not for any good -to Him, but because to know it is life to us. - -The Teth pair (vv. 15, 16) repeats the thoughts of the Gimel stanza (5, -6), recurring to the same significant perfects and dwelling on the new -thought that the destruction of the enemy was self-caused. As in Psalm -vii., the familiar figure of the pitfall catching the hunter expresses -the truth that all evil, and especially malice, recoils on its -contriver. A companion illustration is added of the fowler's (or -hunter's) foot being caught in his own snare. Ver. 16 presents the other -view of retribution, which was the only one in vv. 5, 6, namely that it -is a Divine act. It is God who executes judgment, and who "snareth the -wicked," though it be "the work of his own hands" which weaves the -snare. Both views are needed for the complete truth. This close of the -retrospect of deliverance which is the main motive of the psalm is -appropriately marked by the musical direction "Higgaion. Selah," which -calls for a strain of instrumental music to fill the pause of the song -and to mark the rapture of triumph in accomplished deliverance. - -The Yod stanza (vv. 17, 18), like the He and Vav stanzas (vv. 7-10), -passes to confidence for the future. The correspondence is very close, -but the two verses of this stanza represent the four of the earlier -ones; thus ver. 17 answers to vv. 7 and 8, while ver. 18 is the -representative of vv. 9 and 10. In ver. 17 the "return to Sheol" is -equivalent to destruction. In one view, men who cease to be may be -regarded as going back to original nothingness, as in Psalm xc. 3. -Sheol is not here a place of punishment, but is the dreary dwelling of -the dead, from the gates of which the psalmist had been brought up. -Reduction to nothingness and yet a shadowy, dim life or death-in-life -will certainly be the end of the wicked. The psalmist's experience in -his past deliverance entitles him to generalise thus. To forget God is -the sure way to be forgotten. The reason for the certain destruction -of the nations who forget God and for the psalmist's assurance of it -is (ver. 18) the confidence he has that "the needy shall not always be -forgotten." That confidence corresponds precisely to vv. 9, 10, and -also looks back to the "hath remembered" and "not forgotten" of ver. -12. They who remember God are remembered by Him; and their being -remembered--_i.e._, by deliverance--necessitates the wicked's being -forgotten, and those who are forgotten by God perish. The second -clause of ver. 18 echoes the other solemn word of doom from vv. 3-6. -There the fate of the evil-doers was set forth as "perishing"; their -very memory was to "perish." But the "expectation of the poor shall -not perish." Apparently fragile and to the eye of sense unsubstantial -as a soap-bubble, the devout man's hope is more solid than the most -solid-seeming realities, and will outlast them all. - -The final stanza (vv. 19, 20) does not take Kaph as it should do, but -Qoph. Hence some critics suspect that this pair of verses has been -added by another hand, but the continuity of sense is plain, and is -against this supposition. The psalmist was not so bound to his form -but that he could vary it, as here. The prayer of this concluding -stanza circles round to the prayer in ver. 13, as has been noticed, -and so completes the whole psalm symmetrically. The personal element -in ver. 13 has passed away; and the prayer is general, just as the -solo of praise in ver. 1 broadened into the call for a chorus of -voices in ver. 12. The scope of the prayer is the very judgment which -the previous stanza has contemplated as certain. The devout man's -desires are moulded on God's promises, and his prayers echo these. -"Let not mortal man grow strong," or rather "vaunt his strength." The -word for _man_ here connotes weakness. How ridiculous for him, being -such as he is, to swell and swagger as if strong, and how certain his -boasted strength is to shrivel like a leaf in the fire, if God should -come forth, roused to action by his boasting! Ver. 20 closes the -prayer with the cry that some awe-inspiring act of Divine justice may -be flashed before the "nations," in order to force the conviction of -their own weakness home to them. "Set terror for them," the word -_terror_ meaning not the emotion, but the object which produces it, -namely an act of judgment such as the whole psalm has had in view. Its -purpose is not destruction, but conviction, the wholesome -consciousness of weakness, out of which may spring the recognition of -their own folly and of God's strength to bless. So the two parts of -the psalm end with the thought that the "nations" may yet come to know -the name of God, the one calling upon those who have experienced His -deliverance to "declare among the peoples His doings," the other -praying God to teach by chastisement what nations who forget Him have -failed to learn from mercies. - - - - - PSALM X. - - 1 ([Hebrew: lamed]) Why, Jehovah, dost Thou stand far off? - Why veilest [Thine eyes] in times of extremity? - 2 Through the pride of the wicked the afflicted is burned away; - They are taken in the plots which these have devised. - - 3 For the wicked boasts of his soul's desire, - And the rapacious man renounces, contemns, Jehovah. - 4 The wicked, by (lit., according to) the uplifting of his nostrils, - [says,] He will not inquire; - There is no God, is all his thought. - - 5 His ways are stable at all times; - High above [him] are Thy judgments, remote from before him; - His adversaries--he snorts at them. - - 6 He says in his heart, I shall not be moved; - To generation after generation, [I am he] who never falls into - adversity. - 7 Of cursing his mouth is full, and deceits, and oppression; - Under his tongue are mischief and iniquity. - - 8 He couches in the hiding-places of the villages; - In secret he slays the innocent; - His eyes watch the helpless. - - 9 He lies in wait in secret, like a lion in his lair; - He lies in wait to seize the afflicted; - He seizes the afflicted, dragging him in his net. - - 10 He crouches, he bows down, - And there falls into his strong [claws] the helpless. - 11 He says in his heart, God forgets; - He hides His face, He will not ever see it. - - 12 ([Hebrew: qof]) Rise! Jehovah, God! lift up Thy hand! - Forget not the afflicted. - 13 Wherefore does the wicked blaspheme God, - [And] say in his heart, Thou wilt not inquire? - - 14 ([Hebrew: resh]) Thou hast seen, for Thou, Thou dost behold - mischief and trouble, to take it into Thy hand; - To Thee the helpless leaves himself; - The orphan, Thou, Thou hast been his Helper. - - 15 ([Hebrew: shin]) Break the arm of the wicked; - As for the evil man, inquire for his wickedness [till] Thou find - none. - 16 Jehovah is King for ever and aye; - The nations are perished out of the land. - - 17 ([Hebrew: tav]) The desire of the meek Thou hast heard, Jehovah; - Thou wilt prepare their heart, wilt make Thine ear attentive - 18 To do judgment for the orphan and downtrodden; - Terrible no more shall the man of the earth be. - - -Psalms ix. and x. are alike in their imperfectly acrostic structure, -the occurrence of certain phrases--_e.g._, the very uncommon -expression for "times of trouble" (ix. 9; x. 1), "Arise, O Lord" (ix. -19; x. 12)--and the references to the nations' judgment. But the -differences are so great that the hypothesis of their original unity -is hard to accept. As already remarked, the enemies are different. The -tone of the one psalm is jubilant thanksgiving for victory won and -judgment effected; that of the other is passionate portraiture of a -rampant foe and cries for a judgment yet unmanifested. They are a -pair, though why the psalmist should have bound together two songs of -which the unlikenesses are at least as great as the likenesses it is -not easy to discover. The circumstances of his day may have brought -the cruelty of domestic robbers close upon the heels of foreign foes, -as is often the case, but that is mere conjecture. - -The acrostic structure is continued into Psalm x., as if the last -stanza of ix. had begun with the regular Kaph instead of the cognate -Qoph; but it then disappears till ver. 12, from which point it -continues to the end of the psalm, with the anomaly that one of the -four stanzas has but one verse: the unusually long verse 14. These -four stanzas are allotted to the four last letters of the alphabet. -Six letters are thus omitted, to which twelve verses should belong. -The nine non-acrostic verses (3-11) are by some supposed to be -substituted for the missing twelve, but there are too many verbal -allusions to them in the subsequent part of the psalm to admit of -their being regarded as later than it. Why, then, the break in the -acrostic structure? It is noticeable that the (acrostic) psalm ix. is -wholly addressed to God, and that the parts of x. which are addressed -to Him are likewise acrostic, the section vv. 3-11 being the vivid -description of the "wicked," for deliverance from whom the psalmist -prays. The difference of theme may be the solution of the difference -of form, which was intended to mark off the prayer stanzas and to -suggest, by the very continuity of the alphabetical scheme and the -allowance made for the letters which do not appear, the calm flow of -devotion and persistency of prayer throughout the parenthesis of -oppression. The description of the "wicked" is as a black rock damming -the river, but it flows on beneath and emerges beyond. - -The psalm falls into two parts after the introductory verse of -petition and remonstrance: vv. 3-11, the grim picture of the enemy of -the "poor"; and vv. 12-18, the cry for deliverance and judgment. - -The first stanza (vv. 1, 2) gives in its passionate cry a general -picture of the situation, which is entirely different from that of -Psalm ix. The two opposite characters, whose relations occupy so much -of these early psalms, "the wicked" and "the poor," are, as usual, -hunter and hunted, and God is passive, as if far away, and hiding His -eyes. The voice of complaining but devout remonstrance is singularly -like the voice of arrogant godlessness (vv. 4-11), but the fact which -brings false security to the one moves the other to prayer. The -boldness and the submissiveness of devotion are both throbbing in that -"Why?" and beneath it lies the entreaty to break this apparent apathy. -Ver. 2 spreads the facts of the situation before God. "Through the -pride of the wicked the afflicted is burned," _i.e._, with anguish, -_pride_ being the fierce fire and _burning_ being a vigorous -expression for anguish, or possibly for destruction. The ambiguous -next clause may either have "the wicked" or "the poor" for its -subject. If the former (R. V.), it is a prayer that the retribution -which has been already spoken of in Psalm ix. may fall, but the -context rather suggests the other construction, carrying on the -description of the sufferings of the poor, with an easy change to the -plural, since the singular is a collective. This, then, being how -things stand, the natural flow of thought would be the continuance of -the prayer; but the reference to the enemy sets the psalmist on fire, -and he "burns" in another fashion, flaming out into a passionate -portraiture of the wicked, which is marked as an interruption to the -current of his song by the cessation of the acrostic arrangement. - -The picture is drawn with extraordinary energy, and describes first -the character (vv. 3-6) and then the conduct of the wicked. The style -reflects the vehemence of the psalmist's abhorrence, being full of -gnarled phrases and harsh constructions. As with a merciless scalpel -the inner heart of the man is laid open. Observe the recurrence of -"saith," "thoughts," and "saith in his heart." But first comes a -feature of character which is open and palpable. He "boasts of his -soul's desire." What is especially flagrant in that? The usual -explanation is that he is not ashamed of his shameful lusts, but -glories in them, or that he boasts of succeeding in all that he -desires. But what will a good man do with his heart's desires? Ver. 7 -tells us, namely breathe them to God; and therefore to boast of them -instead is the outward expression of godless self-confidence and -resolve to consult inclination and not God. The word rendered _boast_ -has the two significations of _pray_ and _boast_, and the use of it -here, in the worse one, is parallel with the use of _bless_ or -_renounce_ in the next clause. The wicked is also "rapacious," for -"covetous" is too weak. He grasps all that he can reach by fair or -foul means. Such a man in effect and by his very selfish greed -"renounces, contemns God." He may be a worshipper; but his "blessing" -is like a parting salutation, dismissing Him to whom it is addressed. -There is no need to suppose that conscious apostacy is meant. Rather -the psalmist is laying bare the under-meaning of the earth-bound man's -life, and in effect anticipates Christ's "Ye cannot serve God and -mammon" and Paul's "covetousness which is idolatry." - -The next trait of character is practical atheism and denial of Divine -retribution. The Hebrew is rough and elliptical, but the A.V. misses -its point, which the R.V. gives by the introduction of "saith." "The -pride of his countenance" is literally "the elevation of his nose." -Translate those upturned nostrils into words, and they mean that God -will not require (seek, in the sense of punish). But a God who does -not punish is a dim shape, through which the empty sky is seen, and -the denial (or forgetfulness) of God's retributive judgment is -equivalent to denying that there is a God at all. - -Thus armed, the wicked is in fancied security. "His ways are -firm"--_i.e._, he prospers--and, in the very madness of arrogance, he -scoffs at God's judgments as too high up to be seen. His scoff is a -truth, for how can eyes glued to earth see the solemn lights that move -in the heavens? Purblind men say, We do not see them, and mean, They are -not; but all that their speech proves is their own blindness. Defiant of -God, he is truculent to men, and "snorts contempt at his enemies." "In -his heart he says, I shall not be moved." The same words express the -sane confidence of the devout soul and the foolish presumption of the -man of the earth; but the one says, "because He is at my right hand," -and the other trusts in himself. "To all generations I shall not be in -adversity" (R.V.). The Hebrew is gnarled and obscure; and attempts to -amend the text have been made (compare Cheyne, Graetz _in loc._), but -needlessly. The confidence has become almost insane, and has lost sight -altogether of the brevity of life. "His inward thought is that he shall -continue for ever" (Psalm xlix.). "Pride stifles reason. The language of -the heart cannot be translated into spoken words without seeming -exaggeration" (Cheyne). He who can be so blind to facts as to find no -God may well carry his blindness a step further and wink hard enough to -see no death, or may live as if he did not. - -Following the disclosure of the inner springs of life in the secret -thoughts comes, in vv. 7-10, the outcome of these in word and deed. When -the wicked "lets the rank tongue blossom into speech," the product is -affronts to God and maledictions, lies, mischiefs, for men. These stuff -the mouth full, and lie under the tongue as sweet morsels for the -perverted taste or as stored there, ready to be shot out. The deeds -match the words. The vivid picture of a prowling lion seems to begin in -ver. 8, though it is sometimes taken as the unmetaphorical description -of the wicked man's crime. The stealthy couching of the beast of prey, -hiding among the cover round the unwalled village or poorly sheltered -fold, the eyes gleaming out of the darkness and steadfastly fixed on the -victim with a baleful light in them, belong to the figure, which is -abruptly changed in one clause (ver. 9 _c_) into that of a hunter with -his net, and then is resumed and completed in ver. 10, where the R.V. -is, on the whole, to be preferred--"He croucheth; he boweth down"--as -resuming the figure at the point where it had been interrupted and -finishing it in the next clause, with the helpless victim fallen into -the grip of the strong claws. With great emphasis the picture is rounded -off (ver. 11) with the repetition of the secret thought of God's -forgetfulness, which underlies the cruel oppression. - -This whole section indicates a lawless condition in which open violence, -robbery, and murder were common. In Hosea's vigorous language, "blood -touched blood," the splashes being so numerous that they met, and the -land was red with them. There is no reason to suppose that the picture -is ideal or exaggerated. Where in the turbulent annals of Israel it is -to be placed must remain uncertain; but that it is a transcript of -bitter experience is obvious, and the aspect which it presents should be -kept in view as a corrective of the tendency to idealise the moral -condition of Israel, which at no time was free from dark stains, and -which offered only too many epochs of disorganisation in which the dark -picture of the psalm could have been photographed from life. - -The phrases for the victims in this section are noteworthy: "the -innocent"; "the helpless"; "the poor." Of these the first and last are -frequent, and the meaning obvious. There is a doubt whether the last -should be regarded as the designation of outward condition or of -disposition, _i.e._ whether "meek" or "poor" is the idea. There are two -cognate words in Hebrew, one of which means one who is bowed down, -_i.e._ by outward troubles, and the other one who bows himself down, -_i.e._ is meek. The margin of the Hebrew Bible is fond of correcting -these words when they occur in the text and substituting the one for the -other, but arbitrarily; and it is doubtful whether in actual usage there -is any real distinction between them. "Helpless" is a word only found in -this psalm (vv. 8, 10, 14), which has received various explanations, but -is probably derived from a root meaning _to be black_, and hence comes -to mean _miserable_, _hapless_, or the like. All the designations refer -to a class--namely, the devout minority, the true Israel within -Israel--and hence the plurals in vv. 10, 12, and 17. - -The second part of the psalm (ver. 12 to end) is the prayer, forced -from the heart of the persecuted remnant, God's little flock in the -midst of wolves. No trace of individual reference appears in it, nor -any breath of passion or vengeance, such as is found in some of the -psalms of persecution; but it glows with indignation at the -blasphemies which are, for the moment, triumphant, and cries aloud to -God for a judicial act which shall shatter the dream that He does not -see and will not requite. That impious boast, far more than the -personal incidence of sufferings, moves the prayer. As regards its -form, the reappearance of the acrostic arrangement is significant, as -is the repetition of the prayer and letter of ix. 19, which binds the -two psalms together. The acrostic reappears with the direct address to -God. The seven verses of the prayer are divided by it into four -groups, one of which is abnormal as containing but one verse, the -unusual length of which, however, somewhat compensates for the -irregularity (ver. 14). The progress of thought in them follows the -logic of emotional prayer rather than of the understanding. First, -there are a vehement cry for God's intervention and a complaint of His -mysterious apparent apathy. The familiar figure for the Divine -flashing forth of judgment, "Arise, O Lord," is intensified by the -other cry that He would "lift His hand." A God who has risen from His -restful throne and raised His arm is ready to bring it down with a -shattering blow; but before it falls the psalmist spreads in God's -sight the lies of the scornful men. They had said (ver. 11) that He -forgot; the prayer pleads that He would not forget. Their confidence -was that He did not see nor would requite; the psalmist is bold to ask -the reason for the apparent facts which permit such a thought. The -deepest reverence will question God in a fashion which would be -daring, if it were not instinct with the assurance of the clearness of -His Divine knowledge of evil and of the worthiness of the reasons for -its impunity. "Wherefore doest Thou thus?" may be insolence or faith. -Next, the prayer centres itself on the facts of faith, which sense -does not grasp (ver. 14). The specific acts of oppression which force -out the psalmist's cry are certainly "seen" by God, for it is His very -nature to look on all such ("Thou" in ver. 14 is emphatic); and faith -argues from the character to the acts of God and from the general -relation of all sin towards Him to that which at present afflicts the -meek. But is God's gaze on the evil an idle look? No; He sees, and the -sight moves Him to act. Such is the force of "to take it into Thy -hand," which expresses the purpose and issue of the beholding. What He -sees He "takes in hand," as we say, with a similar colloquialism. If a -man believes these things about God, it will follow of course that he -will leave himself in God's hand, that uplifted hand which prayer has -moved. So ver. 14 is like a great picture in two compartments, as -Raphael's Transfiguration. Above is God, risen with lifted arm, -beholding and ready to strike; beneath is the helpless man, appealing -to God by the very act of "leaving" himself to Him. That absolute -reliance has an all-prevalent voice which reaches the Divine heart, as -surely as her child's wail the mother's; and wherever it is exercised -the truth of faith which the past has established becomes a truth of -experience freshly confirmed. The form of the sentence in the Hebrew -(the substantive verb with a participle, "Thou hast been helping") -gives prominence to the continuousness of the action: It has always -been Thy way, and it is so still. Of course "fatherless" here is -tantamount to the "hapless," or poor, of the rest of the psalm. - -Then at last comes the cry for the descent of God's uplifted hand (vv. -15, 16). It is not invoked to destroy, but simply to "break the arm" -of, the wicked, _i.e._ to make him powerless for mischief, as a -swordsman with a shattered arm is. One blow from God's hand lames, and -the arm hangs useless. The impious denial of the Divine retribution -still affects the psalmist with horror; and he returns to it in the -second clause of ver. 15, in which he prays that God would "seek -out"--_i.e._, require and requite, so as to abolish and make utterly -non-existent--the wicked man's wickedness. The yearning of every heart -that beats in sympathy with and devotion to God, especially when it is -tortured by evil experienced or beheld flourishing unsmitten, is for -its annihilation. There is no prayer here for the destruction of the -doer; but the reduction to nothingness of his evil is the worthy -aspiration of all the good, and they who have no sympathy with such a -cry as this have either small experience of evil, or a feeble -realisation of its character. - -The psalmist was heartened to pray his prayer, because "the nations -are perished out of His land." Does that point back to the great -instance of exterminating justice in the destruction of the -Canaanites? It may do so, but it is rather to be taken as referring to -the victories celebrated in the companion psalm. Note the recurrence -of the words "nations" and "perished," which are drawn from it. The -connection between the two psalms is thus witnessed, and the -deliverance from foreign enemies, which is the theme of Psalm ix., is -urged as a plea with God and taken as a ground of confidence by the -psalmist himself for the completion of the deliverance by making -domestic oppressors powerless. This lofty height of faith is preserved -in the closing stanza, in which the agitation of the first part and -the yearning of the second are calmed into serene assurance that the -_Ecclesia pressa_ has not cried nor ever can cry in vain. Into the -praying, trusting heart "the peace of God, which passeth -understanding," steals, and the answer is certified to faith long -before it is manifest to sense. To pray and immediately to feel the -thrilling consciousness, "Thou hast heard," is given to those who pray -in faith. The wicked makes a boast of his "desire"; the humble makes -a prayer of it, and so has it fulfilled. Desires which can be -translated into petitions will be converted into fruition. If the -heart is humble, that Divine breath will be breathed over and into it -which will prepare it to desire only what accords with God's will, and -the prepared heart will always find God's ear open. The cry of the -_hapless_, which has been put into their lips by God himself, is the -appointed prerequisite of the manifestations of Divine judgment which -will relieve the earth of the incubus of "the man of the earth." -"Shall not God avenge His own elect, though He bear long with them? I -tell you that He will avenge them speedily." The prayer of the humble, -like a whisper amid the avalanches, has power to start the swift, -white destruction on its downward path; and when once that gliding -mass has way on it, nothing which it smites can stand. - - - - - PSALM XI. - - 1 In Jehovah have I taken refuge; - How say ye to my soul, - Flee to the mountain as a bird? - 2 For lo, the wicked bend the bow, - They make ready their arrow upon the string, - To shoot in the dark at those who are upright of heart. - 3 For the foundations are being destroyed; - The righteous--what hath he achieved? - - 4 Jehovah in His holy palace, Jehovah, whose throne is in heaven-- - His eyes behold, His eyelids try, the children of men. - 5 Jehovah trieth the righteous, - But the wicked and lover of violence His soul hateth. - 6 May He rain upon the wicked snares; - Fire and brimstone and a burning wind be the portion of their cup! - 7 For Jehovah is righteous: righteous deeds He loveth; - The upright shall behold His face. - - -The correctness of the superscription is, in the present case, -defended by Ewald and Hitzig. Delitzsch refers the psalm to the eve of -Absalom's conspiracy, while other supporters of the Davidic authorship -prefer the Sauline persecution. The situation as described in the -psalm corresponds sufficiently well to either of these periods, in -both of which David was surrounded by stealthy hostility and -counselled by prudence to flight. But there are no definite marks of -date in the psalm itself; and all that is certain is its many -affinities with the other psalms of the group which Cheyne calls the -"persecution psalms," including iii.-vii., ix.-xiv., xvii. These -resemblances make a common authorship probable. - -The structure of the psalm is simple and striking. There are two -vividly contrasted halves; the first gives the suggestions of timid -counsellors who see only along the low levels of earth, the second the -brave answer of faith which looks up into heaven. - -In the first part (vv. 1-3) the psalmist begins with an utterance of -faith, which makes him recoil with wonder and aversion from the -cowardly, well-meant counsels of his friends. "In Jehovah have I taken -refuge"--a profession of faith which in Psalm vii. 1 was laid as the -basis of prayer for deliverance and is here the ground for steadfastly -remaining where he stands. The metaphor of flight to a stronghold, -which is in the word for trust, obviously colours the context, for -what can be more absurd than that he who has sought and found shelter -in God Himself should listen to the whisperings of his own heart or to -the advice of friends and hurry to some other hiding-place? "He that -believeth shall not make haste," and, even when the floods come, shall -not need to seek in wild hurry for an asylum above the rising waters. -Safe in God, the psalmist wonders why such counsel should be given, -and his question expresses its irrationality and his rejection of it. -But these timid voices spoke to his "soul," and the speakers are -undefined. Is he apostrophising his own lower nature? Have we here a -good man's dialogue with himself? Were there two voices in him: the -voice of sense, which spoke to the soul, and that of the soul, which -spoke authoritatively to sense? Calvin finds here the mention of -_spirituales luctas_; and whether there were actual counsellors of -flight or no, no doubt prudence and fear said to and in his soul, -"Flee." If we might venture to suppose that the double thought of the -oneness of the psalmist's personality and the manifoldness of his -faculties was in his mind, we should have an explanation of the -strange fluctuation between singulars and plurals in ver. 1 _b_. -"Flee" is plural, but is addressed to a singular subject: "my soul"; -"your" is also plural, and "bird" singular. The Hebrew marginal -correction smooths away the first anomaly by reading the singular -imperative, but that leaves the anomaly in "your." The LXX. and other -old versions had apparently a slightly different text, which got rid -of that anomaly by reading (with the addition of one letter and a -change in the division of words), "Flee to the mountain as a bird"; -and that is probably the best solution of the difficulty. One can -scarcely fail to recall the comparison of David to a partridge hunted -on the mountains. Cheyne finds in the plurals a proof that "it is the -Church within the Jewish nation of which the poet thinks." The timid -counsel is enforced by two considerations: the danger of remaining a -mark for the stealthy foe and the nobler thought of the hopelessness -of resistance, and therefore the quixotism of sacrificing one's self -in a prolongation of it. - -The same figure employed in Psalm vii. 12 of God's judgments on the -wicked is here used of the wicked's artillery against the righteous. -The peril is imminent, for the bows are bent, and the arrows already -fitted to the string. In midnight darkness the assault will be made -(compare lxiv. 3, 4). The appeal to the instinct of self-preservation -is reinforced by the consideration (ver. 3) of the impotence of -efforts to check the general anarchy. The particle at the beginning of -the verse is best taken as in the same sense as at the beginning of -ver. 2, thus introducing a second co-ordinate reason for the counsel. -The translation of it as hypothetical or temporal (if or when) rather -weakens the urgency of ver. 3 as a motive for flight. The probably -exaggerated fears of the advisers, who are still speaking, are -expressed in two short, breathless sentences: "The foundations [of -society] are being torn down; the righteous--what has he achieved?" or -possibly, "What can he do?" In either case, the implication is, Why -wage a hopeless conflict any longer at the peril of life? All is lost; -the wise thing to do is to run. It is obvious that this description of -the dissolution of the foundations of the social order is either the -exaggeration of fear, or poetic generalisation from an individual case -(David's), or refers the psalm to some time of anarchy, when things -were much worse than even in the time of Saul or Absalom. - -All these suggestions may well represent the voice of our own fears, the -whispers of sense and sloth, which ever dwell on and exaggerate the -perils in the road of duty, and bid us abandon resistance to prevailing -evils as useless and betake ourselves to the repose and security of some -tempting nest far away from strife. But such counsels are always base, -and though they be the result of "prudence," are short-sighted, and -leave out precisely the determining factor in the calculation. The enemy -may have fitted his arrows to the string, but there is another bow bent -which will be drawn before his (Psalm vii. 12). The foundations are not -being destroyed, however many and strong the arms that are trying to dig -them up. The righteous has done much, and can do more, though his work -seem wasted. Self-preservation is not a man's first duty; flight is his -last. Better and wiser and infinitely nobler to stand a mark for the -"slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" and to stop at our post, -though we fall there, better infinitely to toil on, even when toil seems -vain, than cowardly to keep a whole skin at the cost of a wounded -conscience or despairingly to fling up work, because the ground is hard -and the growth of the seed imperceptible. Prudent advices, when the -prudence is only inspired by sense, are generally foolish; and the only -reasonable attitude is obstinate hopefulness and brave adherence to -duty. - -So the psalm turns, in its second part, from these creeping counsels, -which see but half the field of vision, and that the lower, to soar -and gaze on the upper half. "God is in heaven; all's right with the -world," and with the good men who are trying to help to make it right. -The poet opposes to the picture drawn by fear the vision of the opened -heaven and the throned Jehovah. In ver. 4 the former part is not to be -taken as a separate affirmation: "The Lord is," etc., but "Jehovah" is -a nominative absolute, and the weight of the sentence falls on the -last clause. The "holy palace" in which Jehovah is beheld enthroned is -not on earth, as the parallelism of the clauses shows. To the eyes -that have seen that vision and before which it ever burns, all earthly -sorrows and dangers seem small. There is the true asylum of the hunted -soul; that is the mountain to which it is wise to flee. If the -faint-hearted had seen that sight, their timid counsels would have -caught a new tone. They are preposterous to him who does see it. For -not only does he behold Jehovah enthroned, but he sees Him -scrutinising all men's acts. We bring the eyelids close when minutely -examining any small thing. So God is by a bold figure represented as -doing, and the word for "beholds" has _to divide_ as its root idea, -and hence implies a keen discriminating gaze. As fire tries metal, so -He tries men. And the result of the trial is twofold, as is described -in the two clauses of ver. 5, which each require to be completed from -the other: "The Lord trieth the righteous (and finding him approved, -loveth), but the wicked" (He trieth, and finding him base metal), His -soul "hateth." In the former clause the process of trial is mentioned, -and its result omitted; in the latter the process is omitted, and the -result described. The strong anthropomorphism which attributes a -"soul" to God and "hatred" to His soul is not to be slurred over as -due to the imperfection of Hebrew ideas of the Divine nature. There is -necessarily in the Divine nature an aversion to evil and to the man -who has so completely given himself over to it as to "love" it. Such -perverted love can only have turned to it that side of the Divine -character which in gravity of disapprobation and recoil from evil -answers to what we call hate, but neither desires to harm nor is -perturbed by passion. The New Testament is as emphatic as the Old in -asserting the reality of "the wrath of God." But there are limitation -and imperfection in this psalm in that it does not transcend the point -of view which regards man's conduct as determining God's attitude. -Retribution, not forgiveness nor the possibility of changing the moral -bias of character, is its conception of the relations of man and God. - -The Divine estimate, which in ver. 5 is the result of God's trial of -the two classes, is carried forward in vv. 6 and 7 to its twofold -issues. But the form of ver. 6 is that of a wish, not of a prediction; -and here again we encounter the tone which, after all allowances, must -be regarded as the result of the lower stage of revelation on which -the psalmist stood, even though personal revenge need not be ascribed -to him. In the terrible picture of the judgment poured down from the -open heavens into which the singer has been gazing, there is a -reproduction of the destruction of the cities of the plain, the fate -of which stands in the Old Testament as the specimen and prophecy of -all subsequent acts of judgment. But the rain from heaven is conceived -as consisting of "snares," which is a strangely incongruous idea. Such -mingled metaphors are less distasteful to Hebrew poets than to Western -critics; and the various expedients to smooth this one away, such as -altering the text and neglecting the accents and reading "coals of -fire," are unnecessary sacrifices to correctness of style. Delitzsch -thinks that the "snares" are "a whole discharge of lassoes," _i.e._ -lightnings, the zigzag course of which may be compared to a "noose -thrown down from above"! The purpose of the snares is to hold fast the -victims so that they cannot escape the fiery rain--a terrible picture, -the very incongruity of figure heightening the grim effect. The -division of the verse according to the accents parts the snares from -the actual components of the fatal shower, and makes the second half -of the verse an independent clause, which is probably to be taken, -like the former clause, as a wish: "Fire and brimstone and a burning -wind [Zornhauch, Hupfeld] be the portion of their cup," again an -incongruity making the representation more dreadful. What a -draught--flaming brimstone and a hot blast as of the simoom! The -tremendous metaphor suggests awful reality. - -But the double judgment of ver. 5 has a gentler side, and the reason for -the tempest of wrath is likewise that for the blessed hope of the -upright, as the "for" of ver. 7 teaches. "Jehovah is righteous." That -is the rock foundation for the indomitable faith of the Psalter in the -certain ultimate triumph of patient, afflicted righteousness. Because -God in His own character is so, He must love righteous acts--His own and -men's. The latter seems to be the meaning here, where the fate of men is -the subject in hand. The Divine "love" is here contrasted with both the -wicked man's "love" of "violence" and God's "hate" (ver. 5), and is the -foundation of the final confidence, "The upright shall behold His face." -The converse rendering, "His countenance doth behold the upright" -(A.V.), is grammatically permissible, but would be flat, -tautological--since ver. 4 has already said so--and inappropriate to the -close, where a statement as to the upright, antithetical to that as to -the wicked, is needed. God looks on the upright, as has been said; and -the upright shall gaze on Him, here and now in the communion of that -faith which is a better kind of sight and hereafter in the vision of -heaven, which the psalmist was on the verge of anticipating. That mutual -gaze is blessedness. They who, looking up, behold Jehovah are brave to -front all foes and to keep calm hearts in the midst of alarms. Hope -burns like a pillar of fire in them when it is gone out in others; and -to all the suggestions of their own timidity or of others they have the -answer, "In the Lord have I put my trust; how say ye to my soul, Flee?" -"Here I stand; I can do no otherwise. God help me. Amen." - - - - - PSALM XII. - - 1 Save, Jehovah, for the godly ceases, - For the trusty have vanished from the sons of men. - 2 They speak vanity every man with his neighbour; - [With] smooth lip and a heart and a heart do they speak. - - 3 May Jehovah cut off all smooth lips, - The tongue that speaks proud things, - 4 That says, To our tongues we give strength: our lips are our own - (lit. with us); - Who is lord to us? - - 5 For the oppression of the afflicted, for the sighing of the needy, - Now I will arise, saith Jehovah; I will set him in the safety he - pants for. - 6 The words of Jehovah are pure words, - Silver tried in a furnace [and flowing down] to the ground, - purified seven times. - - 7 Thou, Jehovah, shalt guard them; - Thou shalt preserve him from this generation for ever. - 8 All around the wicked swagger, - When vileness is set on high among the sons of men. - - -One penalty of living near God is keen pain from low lives. The ears -that hear God's word cannot but be stunned and hurt by the babble of -empty speech. This psalm is profoundly melancholy, but without trace -of personal affliction. The psalmist is not sad for himself, but sick -of the clatter of godless tongues, in which he discerns the outcome of -godless lives. His plaint wakes echoes in hearts touched by the love -of God and the visions of man's true life. It passes through four -clearly marked stages, each consisting of two verses: despondent -contemplation of the flood of corrupt talk which seems to submerge all -(1, 2); a passionate prayer for Divine intervention, wrung from the -psalmist by the miserable spectacle (3, 4); the answer to that cry -from the voice of God, with the rapturous response of the psalmist to -it (5, 6); and the confidence built on the Divine word, which -rectifies the too despondent complaint at the beginning, but is still -shaded by the facts which stare him in the face (7, 8). - -The cry for help (_Save_, LXX.) abruptly beginning the psalm tells of -the sharp pain from which it comes. The psalmist has been brooding -over the black outlook till his overcharged heart relieves itself in -this single-worded prayer. As he looks round he sees no exceptions to -the prevailing evil. Like Elijah, he thinks that he is left alone, and -love to God and men and reliableness and truth are vanished with their -representatives. No doubt in all such despondent thoughts about the -rarity of Christian charity and of transparent truthfulness there is -an element of exaggeration, which in the present case is, as we shall -see, corrected by the process of God-taught meditation. But the -clearer the insight into what society should be, the sadder the -estimate of what it is. Roseate pictures of it augur ill for the ideal -which their painters have. It is better to be too sensitive to evils -than to be contented with them. Unless the passionate conviction of -the psalmist has burned itself into us, we shall but languidly work to -set things right. Heroes and reformers have all begun with -"exaggerated estimates" of corruption. The judgment formed of the -moral state of this or of any generation depends on the clearness -with which we grasp as a standard the ideal realised in Jesus Christ -and on the closeness of our communion with God. - -As in Psalm v., sins of speech are singled out, and of these "vanity" -and "smooth lips with a heart and a heart" are taken as typical. As in -Eph. iv. 25, the guilt of falsehood is deduced from the bond of -neighbourliness, which it rends. The sin, to which a "high -civilisation" is especially prone, of saying pleasant things without -meaning them, seems to this moralist as grave as to most men it seems -slight. Is the psalmist right or wrong in taking speech for an even -more clear index of corruption than deeds? What would he have said if -he had been among us, when the press has augmented the power of the -tongue, and floods of "vanity," not only in the form of actual lies, -but of inane trivialities and nothings of personal gossip, are poured -over the whole nation? Surely, if his canon is right, there is -something rotten in the state of this land; and the Babel around may -well make good men sad and wise men despondent. - -Shall we venture to follow the psalmist in the second turn of his -thoughts (vv. 3, 4), where the verb at the beginning is best taken as -an optative and rendered, "May Jehovah cut off"? The deepest meaning -of his desire every true man will take for his own, namely the -cessation of the sin; but the more we live in the spirit of Jesus, the -more we shall cherish the hope that that may be accomplished by -winning the sinner. Better to have the tongue touched with a live coal -from the altar than cut out. In the one case there is only a mute, in -the other an instrument for God's praise. But the impatience of evil -and the certainty that God can subdue it, which make the very nerve -of the prayer, should belong to Christians yet more than to the -psalmist. A new phase of sinful speech appears as provoking judgment -even more than the former did. The combination of flattery and -boastfulness is not rare, discordant as they seem; but the special -description of the "proud things" spoken is that they are denials of -responsibility to God or man for the use of lips and tongue. Insolence -has gone far when it has formulated itself into definite statements. -Twenty men will act on the principle for one who will put it into -words. The conscious adoption and cynical avowal of it are a mark of -defiance of God. "To our tongues we give strength"--an obscure -expression which may be taken in various shades of meaning, _e.g._ as -= We have power over, or = Through, or as to, our tongues we are -strong, or = We will give effect to our words. Possibly it stands as -the foundation of the daring defiance in the last clause of the verse, -and asserts that the speaker is the author of his power of speech and -therefore responsible to none for its use. "Our lips are with us" may -be a further development of the same godless thought. "With us" is -usually taken to mean "our allies," or confederates, but signifies -rather "in our possession, to do as we will with them." "Who is lord -over us?" There speaks godless insolence shaking off dependence, and -asserting shamelessly licence of speech and life, unhindered by -obligations to God and His law. - -With dramatic swiftness the scene changes in the next pair of verses -(5, 6). That deep voice, which silences all the loud bluster, as the -lion's roar hushes the midnight cries of lesser creatures, speaks in -the waiting soul of the psalmist. Like Hezekiah with Sennacherib's -letter, he spreads before the Lord the "words with which they reproach -Thee," and, like Hezekiah, he has immediate answer. The inward -assurance that God will arise is won by prayer at once, and changes -the whole aspect of the facts which as yet remain unchanged. The -situation does not seem so desperate when we know that God is moving. -Whatever delay may intervene before the actual Divine act, there is -none before the assurance of it calms the soul. Many wintry days may -have to be faced, but a breath of spring has been in the air, and hope -revives. The twofold reason which rouses the Divine activity is very -strikingly put first in ver. 5. Not merely the "oppression or spoiling -of the meek," but that conjoined with the "sighing of the needy," -bring God into the field. Not affliction alone, but affliction which -impels to prayer, moves Him to "stir up His strength." "Now will I -arise." That solemn "now" marks the crisis, or turning-point, when -long forbearance ends and the crash of retribution begins. It is like -the whirr of the clock that precedes the striking. The swiftly -following blow will ring out the old evil. The purpose of God's -intervention is the safety of the afflicted who have sighed to Him; -but while that is clear, the condensed language of ver. 5 is extremely -obscure. The A.V.'s rendering, "I will set him in safety from him that -puffeth at him," requires a too liberal use of supplemental words to -eke out the sense; and the rendering of the R.V. (margin), "the safety -he panteth for," is most congruous with the run of the sentence and of -the thought. What has just been described as a sigh is now, with equal -naturalness, figured as a pant of eager desire. The former is the -expression of the weight of the affliction, the latter of yearning to -escape from it. The latter is vain waste of breath unless accompanied -with the former, which is also a prayer; but if so accompanied, the -desire of the humble soul is the prophecy of its own fulfilment: and -the measure of the Divine deliverance is regulated by His servant's -longing. He will always, sooner or later, get "the safety for which he -pants." Faith determines the extent of God's gift. - -The listening psalmist rapturously responds in ver. 6 to God's great -word. That word stands, with strong force of contrast, side by side -with the arrogant chatter of irresponsible frivolity, and sounds -majestic by the side of the shrill feebleness of the defiance. Now the -psalmist lifts his voice in trustful acceptance of the oracle. - -The general sense of ver. 6 is clear, and the metaphor which compares -God's words to refined silver is familiar, but the precise meaning of -the words rendered "in a furnace on the earth" (R.V.) is doubtful. The -word for "furnace" occurs only here, and has consequently been -explained in very different ways, is omitted altogether by the LXX., -and supposed by Cheyne to be a remnant of an ancient gloss. But the -meaning of furnace or crucible is fairly made out and appropriate. But -what does "tried in a furnace to the earth" mean? The "on the earth" -of the R.V. is scarcely in accordance with the use of the preposition -"to," and the best course is to adopt a supplement and read "tried in -a furnace [and running down] to the earth." The sparkling stream of -molten silver as, free from dross, it runs from the melting-pot to the -mould on the ground, is a beautiful figure of the word of God, clear -of all the impurities of men's words, which the psalm has been -bewailing and raining down on the world. God's words are a silver -shower, precious and bright. - -The last turn of the psalm builds hope on the pure words just heard -from heaven. When God speaks a promise, faith repeats it as a -certitude and prophesies in the line of the revelation. "Thou shalt" -is man's answer to God's "I will." In the strength of the Divine word, -the despondency of the opening strain is brightened. The godly and -faithful shall not "cease from among the children of men," since God -will keep them; and His keeping shall preserve them. "This generation" -describes a class rather than an epoch. It means the vain talkers who -have been sketched in such dark colours in the earlier part of the -psalm. These are "the children of men" among whom the meek and needy -are to live, not failing before them because God holds them up. This -hope is for the militant Church, whose lot is to stand for God amidst -wide-flowing evil, which may swell and rage against the band of -faithful ones, but cannot sweep them away. Not of victory which -annihilates opposition, but of charmed lives invulnerable in conflict, -is the psalmist's confidence. There is no more lamenting of the -extinction of good men and their goodness, neither is there triumphant -anticipation of present extinction of bad men and their badness, but -both are to grow together till the harvest. - -But even the pure words which promise safety and wake the response of -faith do not wholly scatter the clouds. The psalm recurs very -pathetically at its close to the tone of its beginning. Notice the -repetition of "the children of men" which links ver. 8 with ver. 1. If -the fear that the faithful should fail is soothed by God's promise heard -by the psalmist sounding in his soul, the hard fact of dominant evil is -not altered thereby. That "vileness is set on high among the sons of -men" is the description of a world turned upside down. Beggars are on -horseback, and princes walking. The despicable is honoured, and -corruption is a recommendation to high position. There have been such -epochs of moral dissolution; and there is always a drift in that -direction, which is only checked by the influence of the "faithful." If -"vileness is set on high among the sons of men," it is because the sons -of men prefer it to the stern purity of goodness. A corrupt people will -crown corrupt men and put them aloft. The average goodness of the -community is generally fairly represented by its heroes, rulers, and -persons to whom influence is given; and when such topsy-turvydom as the -rule of the worst is in fashion, "the wicked walk on every side." -Impunity breeds arrogance; and they swagger and swell, knowing that they -are protected. Impunity multiplies the number; and on every side they -swarm, like vermin in a dirty house. But even when such an outlook -saddens, the soul that has been in the secret place of the Most High and -has heard the words of His mouth will not fall into pessimistic -despondency, nor think that the faithful fail, because the wicked strut. -When tempted to wail, "I, even I only, am left," such a soul will listen -to the still small voice that tells of seven thousands of God's hidden -ones, and will be of good cheer, as knowing that God's men can never -cease so long as God continues. - - - - - PSALM XIII. - - 1 For how long, Jehovah, wilt Thou forget me for ever? - For how long wilt Thou hide Thy face from me? - 2 For how long shall I brood on schemes (_i.e._, of deliverance) in - my soul, - Trouble in my heart by day? - For how long shall my foe lift himself above me? - - 3 Look hither, answer me, Jehovah, my God; - Lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the death, - 4 Lest my foe say, I have overcome him, - And oppressors exult when I am moved. - - 5 But as for me, in Thy mercy have I trusted; - Let my heart exult in Thy salvation: - 6 I will sing to Jehovah, for He has dealt bountifully with me. - - -This little psalm begins in agitation, and ends in calm. The waves run -high at first, but swiftly sink to rest, and at last lie peacefully -glinting in sunshine. It falls into three strophes, of which the first -(vv. 1, 2) is the complaint of endurance strained almost to giving -way; the second (vv. 3, 4) is prayer which feeds fainting faith; and -the third (vv. 5, 6, which are one in the Hebrew) is the voice of -confidence, which, in the midst of trouble, makes future deliverance -and praise a present experience. - -However true it is that sorrow is "but for a moment," it seems to last -for an eternity. Sad hours are leaden-footed, and joyful ones winged. -If sorrows passed to our consciousness as quickly as joys, or joys -lingered as long as sorrows, life would be less weary. That -reiterated "How long?" betrays how weary it was to the psalmist. Very -significant is the progress of thought in the fourfold questioning -plaint, which turns first to God, then to himself, then to the enemy. -The root of his sorrow is that God seems to have forgotten him; -therefore his soul is full of plans for relief, and the enemy seems to -be lifted above him. The "sorrow of the world" begins with the visible -evil, and stops with the inward pain; the sorrow which betakes itself -first to God, and thinks last of the foe, has trust embedded in its -depths, and may unblamed use words which sound like impatience. If the -psalmist had not held fast by his confidence, he would not have -appealed to God. So the "illogical" combination in his first cry of -"How long?" and "for ever" is not to be smoothed away, but represents -vividly, because unconsciously, the conflict in his soul from the -mingling of the assurance that God's seeming forgetfulness must have -an end and the dread that it might have none. Luther, who had trodden -the dark places, understood the meaning of the cry, and puts it -beautifully when he says that here "hope itself despairs, and despair -yet hopes, and only that unspeakable groaning is audible with which -the Holy Spirit, who moves over the waters covered with darkness, -intercedes for us." The psalmist is tempted to forget the confidence -expressed in Psalm ix. 18 and to sink to the denial animating the -wicked in Psalms x., xi. The heart wrung by troubles finds little -consolation in the mere intellectual belief in a Divine omniscience. -An idle remembrance which does not lead to actual help is a poor stay -for such a time. No doubt the psalmist knew that forgetfulness was -impossible to God; but a God who, though He remembered, did nothing -for, His servant, was not enough for him, nor is He for any of us. -Heart and flesh cry out for _active_ remembrance; and, however clear -the creed, the tendency of long-continued misery will be to tempt to -the feeling that the sufferer is forgotten. It takes much grace to -cling fast to the belief that He thinks of the poor suppliant whose -cry for deliverance is unanswered. The natural inference is one or -other of the psalmist's two here: God has forgotten or has hidden His -face in indifference or displeasure. The Evangelist's profound -"therefore" is the corrective of the psalmist's temptation: "Jesus -loved" the three sad ones at Bethany; "when therefore He heard that he -was sick, He abode still two days in the place where He was." - -Left alone, without God's help, what can a man do but think and think, -plan and scheme to weariness all night and carry a heavy heart as he -sees by daylight how futile his plans are? Probably "by night" should -be supplied in ver. 2 _a_; and the picture of the gnawing cares and -busy thoughts which banish sleep and of the fresh burst of sorrow on -each new morning appeals only too well to all sad souls. A brother -laments across the centuries, and his long-silent wail is as the voice -of our own griefs. The immediate visible occasion of trouble appears -only in the last of the fourfold cries. God's apparent forgetfulness -and the psalmist's own subjective agitations are more prominent than -the "enemy" who "lifts himself above him." His arrogant airs and -oppression would soon vanish if God would arise. The insight which -places him last in order is taught by faith. The soul stands between -God and the external world, with all its possible calamities; and if -the relation with God is right, and help is flowing unbrokenly from -Him, the relation to the world will quickly come right, and the soul -be lifted high above the foe, however lofty he be or think himself. - -The agitation of the first strophe is somewhat stilled in the second, in -which the stream of prayer runs clear without such foam, as the -impatient questions of the first part. It falls into four clauses, which -have an approximate correspondence to those of strophe 1. "Look hither, -answer me, Jehovah, my God." The first petition corresponds to the -hiding of God's face, and perhaps the second, by the law of inverted -parallelism, may correspond to the _forgetting_, but in any case the -noticeable thing is the swift decisiveness of spring with which the -psalmist's faith reaches firm ground here. Mark the implied belief that -God's look is not an otiose gaze, but brings immediate act answering the -prayer; mark the absence of copula between the verbs, giving force to -the prayer and swiftness to the sequence of Divine acts; mark the -outgoing of the psalmist's faith in the addition to the name "Jehovah" -(as in ver. 1), of the personal "my God," with all the sweet and -reverent appeal hived in the address. The third petition, "Lighten mine -eyes," is not for illumination of vision, but for renewed strength. -Dying eyes are glazed; a sick man's are heavy and dull. Returning health -brightens them. So here the figure of sickness threatening to become -death stands for trouble, or possibly the "enemy" is a real foe seeking -the life, as will be the most natural interpretation if the Davidic -origin is maintained. To "sleep death" is a forcible compressed -expression, which is only attenuated by being completed. The prayer -rests upon the profound conviction that Jehovah is the fountain of life, -and that only by His continual pouring of fresh vitality into a man can -any eyes be kept from death. The brightest must be replenished from His -hand, or they fail and become dim; the dimmest can be brightened by His -gift of vigorous health. As in the first strophe the psalmist passed -from God to self, and thence to enemies, so he does in the second. His -prayer addresses God; its pleas regard, first, himself, and, second, his -foe. How is the preventing of the enemy's triumph in his being stronger -than the psalmist and of his malicious joy over the latter's misfortune -an argument with God to help? It is the plea, so familiar in the Psalter -and to devout hearts, that God's honour is identified with His servant's -deliverance, a true thought, and one that may reverently be entertained -by the humblest lover of God, but which needs to be carefully guarded. -We must make very sure that God's cause is ours before we can be sure -that ours is His; we must be very completely living for His honour -before we dare assume that His honour is involved in our continuing to -live. As Calvin says, "Cum eo nobis communis erit haec precatio, si sub -Dei imperio et auspiciis militamus." - -The storm has all rolled away in the third strophe, in which faith has -triumphed over doubt and anticipates the fulfilment of its prayer. It -begins with an emphatic opposition of the psalmist's personality to the -foe: "But as for me"--however they may rage--"I have trusted in Thy -mercy." Because he has thus trusted, therefore he is sure that that -mercy will work for him salvation or deliverance from his present peril. -Anything is possible rather than that the appeal of faith to God's heart -of love should not be answered. Whoever can say, I have trusted, has the -right to say, I shall rejoice. It was but a moment ago that this man had -asked, How long shall I have sorrow in my heart? and now the sad heart -is flooded with sudden gladness. Such is the magic of faith, which can -see an unrisen light in the thickest darkness, and hear the birds -singing amongst the branches even while the trees are bare and the air -silent. How significant the contrast of the two rejoicings set side by -side: the adversaries' when the good man is "moved"; the good man's when -God's salvation establishes him in his place! The closing strain reaches -forward to deliverance not yet accomplished, and, by the prerogative of -trust, calls things that are not as though they were. "He has dealt -bountifully with me"; so says the psalmist who had begun with "How -long?" No external change has taken place; but his complaint and prayer -have helped him to tighten his grasp of God, and have transported him -into the certain future of deliverance and praise. He who can thus say, -"I will sing," when the hoped-for mercy has wrought salvation, is not -far off singing even while it tarries. The sure anticipation of triumph -is triumph. The sad minor of "How long?" if coming from faithful lips, -passes into a jubilant key, which heralds the full gladness of the yet -future songs of deliverance. - - - - - PSALM XIV. - - 1 The fool says in his heart, There is no God; - They corrupt; they make abominable their doings; - There is no one doing good. - - 2 Jehovah looketh down from heaven upon the sons of men - To see if there is any having discernment, - Seeking after God. - - 3 They are all turned aside: together they are become putrid; - There is no one doing good, - There is not even one. - - 4 Do they not know, all the workers of iniquity, - Who devour my people [as] they devour bread? - On Jehovah they do not call. - - 5 There they feared a [great] fear, - For God is in the righteous generation. - - 6 The counsel of the afflicted ye would put to shame, - For God is his refuge. - - 7 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! - When Jehovah brings back the captivity of His people, - May Jacob exult, may Israel be glad! - - -This psalm springs from the same situation as Psalms x. and xii. It -has several points of likeness to both. It resembles the former in its -attribution to "the fool" of the heart-speech, "There is no God," and -the latter in its use of the phrases "sons of men" and "generation" as -ethical terms and in its thought of a Divine interference as the -source of safety for the righteous. We have thus three psalms closely -connected, but separated from each other by Psalms xi. and xiii. Now -it is observable that these three have no personal references, and -that the two which part them have. It would appear that the five are -arranged on the principle of alternating a general complaint of the -evil of the times with a more personal pleading of an individual -sufferer. It is also noticeable that these five psalms--a little group -of wailing and sighs--are marked off from the cognate psalms iii.-vii. -and xvi., xvii., by two (Psalms viii. and xv.) in an entirely -different tone. A second recast of this psalm appears in the Elohistic -Book (Psalm liii.), the characteristics of which will be dealt with -there. This is probably the original. - -The structure of the psalm is simple, but is not carried out completely. -It should consist of seven verses each having three clauses, and so -having stamped on it the sacred numbers 3 and 7, but vv. 5 and 6 each -want a clause, and are the more vehement from their brevity. - -The heavy fact of wide-spread corruption presses on the psalmist, and -starts a train of thought which begins with a sad picture of the deluge -of evil, rises to a vision of God's judgment of and on it, triumphs in -the prospect of the sudden panic which shall shake the souls of the -"workers of iniquity" when they see that God is with the righteous, and -ends with a sigh for the coming of that time. The staple of the poem is -but the familiar contrast of a corrupt world and a righteous God who -judges, but it is cast into very dramatic and vivid form here. - -We listen first (ver. 1) to the psalmist's judgment of his generation. -Probably it was very unlike the rosy hues in which a heart less in -contact with God and the unseen would have painted the condition of -things. Eras of great culture and material prosperity may have a very -seamy side, which eyes accustomed to the light of God cannot fail to -see. The root of the evil lay, as the psalmist believed, in a -practical denial of God; and whoever thus denied Him was "a fool." It -does not need formulated atheism in order to say in one's heart, -"There is no God." Practical denial or neglect of His working in the -world, rather than a creed of negation, is in the psalmist's mind. In -effect, we say that there is no God when we shut Him up in a far-off -heaven, and never think of Him as concerned in our affairs. To strip -Him of His justice and rob Him of His control is the part of a fool. -For the Biblical conception of folly is moral perversity rather than -intellectual feebleness, and whoever is morally and religiously wrong -cannot be in reality intellectually right. - -The practical denial of God lies at the root of two forms of evil. -Positively, "they have made their doings corrupt and abominable"--rotten -in themselves and sickening and loathsome to pure hearts and to God. -Negatively, they do no good things. That is the dreary estimate of his -cotemporaries forced on this sad-hearted singer, because he himself had -so thrillingly felt God's touch and had therefore been smitten with -loathing of men's low ways and with a passion for goodness. "Sursum -corda" is the only consolation for such hearts. - -So the next wave of thought (ver. 2) brings into his consciousness the -solemn contrast between the godless noise and activity of earth and -the silent gaze of God, that marks it all. The strong anthropomorphism -of the vivid picture recalls the stories of the Deluge, of Babel, and -of Sodom, and casts an emotional hue over the abstract thought of the -Divine omniscience and observance. The purpose of the Divine quest is -set forth with deep insight, as being the finding of even one good, -devout man. It is the anticipation of Christ's tender word to the -Samaritan that "the Father seeketh such to worship Him." God's heart -yearns to find hearts that turn to Him; He seeks those who seek Him; -they who seek Him, and only they, are "wise." Other Scriptures present -other reasons for that gaze of God from heaven, but this one in the -midst of its solemnity is gracious with revelation of Divine desires. - -What is to be the issue of the strongly contrasted situation in these -two verses: beneath, a world full of godless lawlessness; above, a fixed -eye piercing to the discernment of the inmost nature of actions and -characters? Ver. 3 answers. We may almost venture to say that it shows a -disappointed God, so sharply does it put the difference between what He -desired to see and what He did see. The psalmist's sad estimate is -repeated as the result of the Divine search. But it is also increased in -emphasis and in compass. For "the whole" (race) is the subject. -Universality is insisted on in each clause; "all," "together," "not -one," and strong metaphors are used to describe the condition of -humanity. It is "turned aside," _i.e._, from the way of Jehovah; it is -become putrid, like a rotting carcase, is rank, and smells to heaven. -There is a sad cadence in that "no, not one," as of a hope long -cherished and reluctantly abandoned, not without some tinge of wonder at -the barren results of such a search. This stern indictment is quoted by -St. Paul in Romans as confirmation of his thesis of universal -sinfulness; and, however the psalmist had the wickedness of Israel in -the foreground of his consciousness, his language is studiously wide and -meant to include all "the sons of men." - -But this baffled quest cannot be the end. If Jehovah seeks in vain for -goodness on earth, earth cannot go on for ever in godless riot. -Therefore, with eloquent abruptness, the voice from heaven crashes in -upon the "fools" in the full career of their folly. The thunder rolls -from a clear sky. God speaks in ver. 4. The three clauses of the -Divine rebuke roughly correspond with those of ver. 1 in so far as the -first points to ignorance as the root of wrong-doing, the second -charges positive sin, and the third refers to negative evil. "Have all -the workers of iniquity no knowledge?" The question has almost a tone -of surprise, as if even Omniscience found matter of wonder in men's -mysterious love of evil. Jesus "marvelled" at some men's "unbelief"; -and certainly sin is the most inexplicable thing in the world, and -might almost astonish God as well as heaven and earth. The meaning of -the word "know" here is best learned from ver. 1. "Not to know" is the -same thing as to be "a fool." That ignorance, which is moral -perversity as well as intellectual blindness, needs not to have a -special object stated. Its thick veil hides all real knowledge of God, -duty, and consequences from men. It makes evil-doing possible. If the -evil-doer could have flashed before him the realities of things, his -hand would stay its crime. It is not true that all sin can be resolved -into ignorance, but it is true that criminal ignorance is necessary to -make sin possible. A bull shuts its eyes when it charges. Men who do -wrong are blind in one eye at least, for, if they saw at the moment -what they probably know well enough, sin would be impossible. - -This explanation of the words seems more congruous with ver. 1 than -that of others, "made to know," _i.e._ by experience to rue. - -Ver. 4 _b_ is obscure from its compressed brevity "Eating my people, -they eat bread." The A.V. and R.V. take their introduction of the "as" -of comparison from the old translations. The Hebrew has no term of -comparison, but it is not unusual to omit the formal term in rapid and -emotional speech, and the picture of the appetite with which a hungry -man devours his food may well stand for the relish with which the -oppressors swallowed up the innocent. There seems no need for the -ingenuities which have been applied to the interpretation of the -clause, nor for departing, with Cheyne, from the division of the verse -according to the accents. The positive sins of the oppressors, of -which we have heard so much in the connected psalms, are here -concentrated in their cruel plundering of "my people," by which the -whole strain of the psalm leads us to understand the devout kernel of -Israel, in contrast with the mass of "men of the earth" in the nation, -and not the nation as a whole in contrast with heathen enemies. - -The Divine indictment is completed by "They call not on Jehovah." -Practical atheism is, of course, prayerless. That negation makes a -dreary silence in the noisiest life, and is in one aspect the crown, -and in another the foundation, of all evil-doing. - -The thunder-peal of the Divine voice strikes a sudden panic into the -hosts of evil. "There they feared a fear." The psalmist conceives the -scene and its locality. He does not say "there" when he means "then," -but he pictures the terror seizing the oppressors where they stood -when the Divine thunder rolled above their heads; and with him, as -with us, "on the spot" implies "at the moment." The epoch of such -panic is left vague. Whensoever in any man's experience that solemn -voice sounds, conscience wakes fear. The revelation by any means of a -God who sees evil and judges it makes cowards of us all. Probably the -psalmist thought of some speedily impending act of judgment; but his -juxtaposition of the two facts, the audible voice of God and the swift -terror that shakes the heart, contains an eternal truth, which men who -whisper in their hearts, "There is no God," need to ponder. - -This verse 5 is the first of the two shorter verses of our psalm, -containing only two clauses instead of the regular three; but it does -not therefore follow that anything has dropped out. Rather the -framework is sufficiently elastic to allow of such variation according -to the contents, and the shorter verse is not without a certain -increase of vigour, derived from the sharp opposition of its two -clauses. On the one hand is the terror of the sinner occasioned by and -contrasted with the discovery which stands on the other that God is in -the righteous generation. The psalmist sets before himself and us the -two camps: the panic-stricken and confused mass of enemies ready to -break into flight and the little flock of the "righteous generation," -at peace in the midst of trouble and foes because God is in the midst -of them. No added clause could heighten the effect of that contrast, -which is like that of the host of Israel walking in light and safety -on one side of the fiery pillar and the army of Pharaoh groping in -darkness and dread on the other. The permanent relations of God to the -two sorts of men who are found in every generation and community are -set forth in that strongly marked contrast. - -In ver. 6 the psalmist himself addresses the oppressors, with -triumphant confidence born of his previous contemplations. The first -clause might be a question, but is more probably a taunting -affirmation: "You would frustrate the plans of the afflicted"--and you -could not--"for Jehovah is his refuge." Here again the briefer -sentence brings out the eloquent contrast. The malicious foe, seeking -to thwart the poor man's plans, is thwarted. His desire is -unaccomplished; and there is but one explanation of the impotence of -the mighty and the powerfulness of the weak, namely that Jehovah is -the stronghold of His saints. Not by reason of his own wit or power -does the afflicted baffle the oppressor, but by reason of the strength -and inaccessibleness of his hiding-place. "The conies are a feeble -folk, but they make their houses in the rocks," where nothing that has -not wings can get at them. - -So, finally, the whole course of thought gathers itself up in the prayer -that the salvation of Israel--the true Israel apparently--were come out -of Zion, God's dwelling, from which He comes forth in His delivering -power. The salvation longed for is that just described. The voice of the -oppressed handful of good men in an evil generation is heard in this -closing prayer. It is encouraged by the visions which have passed before -the psalmist. The assurance that God will intervene is the very -life-breath of the cry to Him that He would. Because we know that He -will deliver, therefore we find it in our hearts to pray that He would -deliver. The revelation of His gracious purposes animates the longings -for their realisation. Such a sigh of desire has no sadness in its -longing and no doubt in its expectation. It basks in the light of an -unrisen sun, and feels beforehand the gladness of the future joys "when -the Lord shall bring again the captivity of His people." - -This last verse is by some regarded as a liturgical addition to the -psalm; but ver. 6 cannot be the original close, and it is scarcely -probable that some other ending has been put aside to make room for -this. Besides, the prayer of ver. 7 coheres very naturally with the rest -of the psalm, if only we take that phrase "turns the captivity" in the -sense which it admittedly bears in Job xlii. 10 and Ezek. xvi. 53, -namely that of deliverance from misfortune. Thus almost all modern -interpreters understand the words, and even those who most strongly hold -the late date of the psalm do not find here any reference to the -historical bondage. The devout kernel of the nation is suffering from -oppressors, and that may well be called a captivity. For a good man the -present condition of society is bondage, as many a devout soul has felt -since the psalmist did. But there is a dawning hope of a better day of -freedom, the liberty of the glory of the children of God; and the -gladness of the ransomed captives may be in some degree anticipated even -now. The psalmist was thinking only of some intervention on the field of -history, and we are not to read loftier hopes into his song. But it is -as impossible for Christians not to entertain, as it was for him to -grasp firmly, the last, mightiest hope of a last, utter deliverance from -all evil and of an eternal and perfect joy. - - - - - PSALM XV. - - 1 Jehovah, who can be guest in Thy tent? - Who can dwell in Thy holy hill? - - 2 The man walking blamelessly, and doing righteousness, - And speaking truth with his heart. - - 3 He has not slander on his tongue, - He does not harm to his comrade, - And reproach he does not lay on his neighbour. - - 4 A reprobate is despised in his eyes, - But the fearers of Jehovah he honours; - He swears to his own hurt, and will not change. - - 5 His silver he does not give at usury, - And a bribe against the innocent he does not take; - He that does these things shall not be moved for ever. - - -The ideal worshipper of Jehovah is painted in this psalm in a few broad -outlines. Zion is holy because God's "tent" is there. This is the only -hint of date given by the psalm; and all that can be said is that, if -that consecration of Thy hill was recent, the poet would naturally -ponder all the more deeply the question of who were fit to dwell in the -new solemnities of the abode of Jehovah. The tone of the psalm, then, -accords with the circumstances of the time when David brought the ark to -Jerusalem; but more than this cannot be affirmed. Much more important -are its two main points: the conception of the guests of Jehovah and the -statement of the ethical qualifications of these. - -As to structure, the psalm is simple. It has, first, the general -question and answer in two verses of two clauses each (vv. 1, 2). Then -the general description of the guest of God is expanded in three -verses of three clauses each, the last of which closes with an -assurance of stability, which varies and heightens the idea of -dwelling in the tent of Jehovah. - -It is no mere poetic apostrophe with which the psalmist's question is -prefaced. He does thereby consult the Master of the house as to the -terms on which He extends hospitality, which terms it is His right to -prescribe. He brings to his own view and to his readers' all that lies -in the name of Jehovah, the covenant name, and all that is meant by -"holiness," and thence draws the answer to his question, which is none -the less Jehovah's answer because it springs in the psalmist's heart -and is spoken by his lips. The character of the God determines the -character of the worshipper. The roots of ethics are in religion. The -Old Testament ideal of the righteous man flows from its revelation of -the righteous God. Not men's own fancies, but insight gained by -communion with God and docile inquiry of Him, will reliably tell what -manner of men they are who can abide in His light. - -The thought, expressed so forcibly in the question of the psalm, that -men may be God's guests, is a very deep and tender one, common to a -considerable number of psalms (v. 5, xxvii. 4, lxxxiv. 5, etc.). The -word translated "abide" in the A.V. and "sojourn" in the R.V. -originally implied a transient residence as a stranger, but when -applied to men's relations to God, it does not always preserve the -idea of transiency (see, for instance, lxi. 4: "I will dwell in Thy -tent _for ever_"); and the idea of protection is the most prominent. -The stranger who took refuge in the tent even of the wild Beduin was -safe, much more the happy man who crept under the folds of the tent of -Jehovah. If the holy hill of Zion were not immediately mentioned, one -might be tempted to think that the tent here was only used as a -metaphor; but the juxtaposition of the two things seems to set the -allusion to the dwelling-place of the Ark on its hill beyond question. -In the gracious hospitality of the antique world, a guest was -sheltered from all harm; his person was inviolable, his wants all met. -So the guest of Jehovah is safe, can claim asylum from every foe and a -share in all the bountiful provision of His abode. Taken accurately, -the two verbs in ver. 1 differ in that the first implies transient and -the second permanent abode; but that difference is not in the -psalmist's mind, and the two phrases mean the same thing, with only -the difference that the former brings out his conception of the rights -of the guest. Clearly, then, the psalmist's question by no means -refers only to an outward approach to an outward tabernacle; but we -see here the symbol in the very act of melting into the deep spiritual -reality signified. The singer has been educated by the husks of ritual -to pass beyond these, and has learned that there is a better -dwelling-place for Jehovah, and therefore for himself, than that -pitched on Zion and frequented by impure and pure alike. - -Ver. 2 sums the qualifications of Jehovah's guest in one comprehensive -demand, that he should walk uprightly, and then analyses that -requirement into the two of righteous deeds and truthful speech. The -verbs are in the participial form, which emphasises the notion of -habitual action. The general answer is expanded in the three following -verses, which each contain three clauses, and take up the two points -of ver. 2 in inverted order, although perhaps not with absolute -accuracy of arrangement. The participial construction is in them -changed for finite verbs. Ver. 2 sketches the figure in outline, and -the rest of the psalm adds clause on clause of description as if the -man stood before the psalmist's vision. Habits are described as acts. - -The first outstanding characteristic of this ideal is that it deals -entirely with duties to men, and the second is that it is almost -wholly negative. Moral qualities of the most obvious kind, and such as -can be tested in daily life and are cultivated by rigid abstinence -from prevailing evils, and not any recondite and impalpable -refinements of conduct, still less any peculiar emotions of souls -raised high above the dusty levels of common life, are the -qualifications for dwelling, a guarded guest, in that great pavilion. -Such a stress laid on homely duties, which the universal conscience -recognises, is characteristic of the ethics of the Old Testament as a -whole and of the Psalter in particular, and is exemplified in the -lives of its saints and heroes. They "come eating and drinking," -sharing in domestic joys and civic duties; and however high their -aspirations and vows may soar, they have always their feet firmly -planted on the ground and, laying the smallest duties on themselves, -"tread life's common road in cheerful godliness." The Christian answer -to the psalmist's question goes deeper than his, but is fatally -incomplete unless it include his and lay the same stress on duties to -men which all acknowledge, as that does. Lofty emotions, raptures of -communion, aspirations which bring their own fulfilment, and all the -experiences of the devout soul, which are sometimes apt to be divorced -from plain morality, need the ballast of the psalmist's homely answer -to the great question. There is something in a religion of emotion -not wholly favourable to the practice of ordinary duties; and many -men, good after a fashion, seem to have their spiritual nature divided -into water-tight and uncommunicating compartments, in one of which -they keep their religion, and in the other their morality. - -The stringent assertion that these two are inseparable was the great -peculiarity of Judaism as compared with the old world religions, from -which, as from the heathenism of to-day, the conception that religion -had anything to do with conduct was absent. But it is not only -heathenism that needs the reminder. - -True, the ideal drawn here is not the full Christian one. It is too -merely negative for that, and too entirely concerned with acts. -Therein it reproduces the limitations of the earlier revelation. It -scarcely touches at all the deeper forms of "love to our neighbour"; -and, above all, it has no answer to the question which instinctively -rises in the heart when the psalm has answered its own question. How -can I attain to these qualifications? is a second interrogation, -raised by the response to the first, and for its answer we have to -turn to Jesus. The psalm, like the law which inspired it, is mainly -negative, deals mainly with acts, and has no light to show how its -requirements may be won. But it yet stands as an unantiquated -statement of what a man must be who dwells in the secret place of the -Most High. How he may become such a one we must learn from Him who -both teaches us the way, and gives us the power, to become such as God -will shelter in the safe recesses of His pavilion. - -The details of the qualifications as described in the psalm are simple -and homely. They relate first to right speech, which holds so -prominent a place in the ethics of the Psalter. The triplets of ver. 3 -probably all refer to sins of the tongue. The good man has no slander -on his tongue; he does not harm his companion (by word) nor heap -reproach on his neighbour. These things are the staple of much common -talk. What a quantity of brilliant wit and polished sarcasm would -perish if this rule were observed! How dull many sparkling circles -would become, and how many columns of newspapers and pages of books -would be obliterated, if the censor's pencil struck out all that -infringed it! Ver. 4 adds as characteristic of a righteous man that in -his estimate of character he gives each his own, and judges men by no -other standard than their moral worth. The reprobate may be a -millionaire or a prince, but his due is contempt; the devout man may -be a pauper or one of narrow culture, but his due is respect, and he -gets it. "A terrible sagacity informs" the good man's heart; and he -who is, in his own inmost desires, walking uprightly will not be -seduced into adulation of a popular idol who is a bad man, nor turned -from reverence for lowly goodness. The world will be a paradise when -the churl is no more called bountiful. - -Apparently the utterance of these estimates is in the psalmist's mind, -and he is still thinking of speech. Neither calumny (ver. 3) nor the -equally ignoble flattery of evil-doers (ver. 4) pollutes the lips of -his ideal good man. If this reference to spoken estimates is allowed, -the last clause of ver. 4 completes the references to the right use of -speech. The obligation of speaking "truth with his heart" is pursued -into a third region: that of vows or promises. These must be conceived -as not religious vows, but, in accordance with the reference of the -whole psalm to duties to neighbours, as oaths made to men. They must -be kept, whatever consequences may ensue. The law prohibited the -substitution of another animal sacrifice for that which had been vowed -(Lev. xxvii. 10); and the psalm uses the same word for "changeth," -with evident allusion to the prohibition, which must therefore have -been known to the psalmist. - -Usury and bribery were common sins, as they still are in communities -on the same industrial and judicial level as that mirrored in the -psalm. Capitalists who "bite" the poor (for that is the literal -meaning of the words for usurious taking of interest) and judges who -condemn the innocent for gain are the blood-suckers of such societies. -The avoidance of such gross sin is a most elementary illustration of -walking uprightly, and could only have been chosen to stand in lieu of -all other neighbourly virtues in an age when these sins were -deplorably common. This draft of a God-pleasing character is by no -means complete even from the Old Testament ethical point of view. -There are two variations of it, which add important elements: that in -Psalm xxiv., which seems to have been occasioned by the same -circumstances; and the noble adaptation in Isa. xxxiii. 13-16, which -is probably moulded on a reminiscence of both psalms. Add to these -Micah's answer to the question what God requires of man (ch. vi. 8), -and we have an interesting series, exhibiting the effects of the Law -on the moral judgments of devout men in Israel. - -The psalmist's last word goes beyond his question, in the clear -recognition that such a character as he has outlined not only dwells -in Jehovah's tent, but will stand unmoved, though all the world should -rock. He does not see how far onward that "for ever" may stretch, but -of this he is sure: that righteousness is the one stable thing in the -universe, and there may have shone before him the hope that it was -possible to travel on beyond the horizon that bounds this life. "I -shall be a guest in Jehovah's tent for ever," says the other psalm -already quoted; "He shall never be moved," says this one. Both find -their fulfilment in the great words of the Apostle who taught a -completer ideal of love to men, because he had dwelt close by the -perfect revelation of God's love: "The world passeth away, and the -lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." - - - - - PSALM XVI. - - 1 Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in Thee - 2 I have said to Jehovah, Thou art my Lord; - Good for me there is none besides Thee. - 3 As for the saints which are in the earth, - They are the excellent, in whom is all my delight. - 4 Their griefs are many who change [Jehovah] for another. - I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood, - And will not take their names on my lips. - - 5 Jehovah is my allotted portion and my cup; - Thou art continually my lot. - 6 The measuring lines have fallen for me in pleasant places, - And my inheritance is fair to me. - 7 I will bless Jehovah who has given me counsel; - Yea, in the night seasons my reins instruct me. - 8 I set Jehovah before me continually, - Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. - - 9 Therefore my heart rejoices, and my glory exults; - Yea, my flesh dwells in safety. - 10 For Thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol; - Thou wilt not suffer Thy Beloved One to see the pit. - 11 Thou wilt make me know the path of life; - Before Thy face is fulness of joys; - Pleasures are in Thy right hand for evermore. - - -The progress of thought in this psalm is striking. The singer is first -a bold confessor in the face of idolatry and apostasy (vv. 1-4). Then -the inward sweetness of his faith fills his soul, as is ever the -reward of brave avowal, and he buries himself, bee-like in the pure -delights of communion with Jehovah (vv. 5-8). Finally, on the ground -of such experience, he rises to the assurance that "its very -sweetness yieldeth proof" that he and it are born for undying life -(vv. 9-11). The conviction of immortality is then most vividly felt, -when it results from the consciousness of a present full of God. The -outpourings of a pure and wholesome mystic religion in the psalm are -so entirely independent of the personality and environment of the -singer that there is no need to encumber the study of it with -questions of date. If we accept the opinion that the conception of -resurrection was the result of intercourse with Persia, we shall have -to give a post-exilic date to the psalm. But even if the general -adoption of that belief was historically so motived, that does not -forbid our believing that select souls, living in touch with God, rose -to it long before. The peaks caught the glow while the valleys were -filled with mists. The tone of the last section sounds liker that of a -devout soul in the very act of grasping a wonderful new thought, which -God was then and there revealing to him through his present -experience, than of one who was simply repeating a theological truth -become familiar to all. - -The first turn of thought (vv. 1-4) is clear in its general purport. -It is a profession of personal adherence to Jehovah and of attachment -to His lovers, in the face of idol worship which had drawn away some. -The brief cry for preservation at the beginning does not necessarily -imply actual danger, but refers to the possible antagonism of the idol -worshippers provoked by the psalmist's bold testimony. The two -meanings of Martyr, a witness and a sufferer, are closely intertwined -in fact. He needs to be preserved, and he has a claim to be so, for -his profession of faith has brought the peril. - -The remarkable expression in ver. 2 _b_ is best understood as -unfolding the depth of what lies in saying, My God. It means the -cleaving to Him of the whole nature as the all-comprehending supply of -every desire and capacity. "Good for me is none besides Thee." This is -the same high strain as in the cognate Psalm lxxiii. 25, where, as -here, the joy of communion is seen in the very act of creating the -confidence of immortality. The purest expression of the loftiest -devotion lies in these few words. The soul that speaks thus to Jehovah -turns next to Jehovah's friends and then to His foes. To the former it -speaks, in ver. 3, of the gnarled obscurity of which the simplest -clearing up is that adopted by the R.V. This requires a very small -correction of the text, the omission of one letter, (_Waw_ = and) -before "excellent," and the transference to the second clause of -"these," which the accents append clumsily to the first. If we regard -the "to" at the beginning, as the R.V. does, as marking simply -reference ("as for"), the verse is an independent sentence; but it is -possible to regard the influence of "I have said" as still continuing, -and in that case we should have what the psalmist said to the saints, -following on what he said to Jehovah, which gives unity to the whole -context, and is probably best. Cheyne would expunge the first clause -as a gloss crept in from the margin; and that clears the sense, though -the remedy is somewhat drastic, and a fine touch is lost, "I said to -Thy loved ones,--these (and not the braggarts who strut as great men) -are the truly excellent, in whom is all my delight." When temptations -to forsake Jehovah are many, the true worshipper has to choose his -company, and his devotion to his only God will lead to penetrating -insight into the unreality of many shining reputations and the modest -beauty of humble lives of godliness. Eyes which have been purged to -see God, by seeing Him will see through much. Hearts that have learned -to love Jehovah will be quick to discern kindred hearts, and, if they -have found all good in Him, will surely find purest delight in them. -The solitary confessor clasps the hands of his unknown fellows. - -With dramatic abruptness he points to the unnamed recreants from -Jehovah. "Their griefs are many--they exchange (Jehovah) for another." -Apparently, then, there was some tendency in Israel to idolatry, which -gives energy to the psalmist's vehement vow that he will not offer -their libations of blood, nor take the abhorred names of the gods they -pronounced into his lips. This state of things would suit but too much -of Israel's history, during which temptations to idol worship were -continually present, and the bloody libations would point to such -abominations of human sacrifice as we know characterised the worship -of Moloch and Chemosh. Cheyne sees in the reference to these a sign of -the post-exilic date of the psalm; but was there any period after the -exile in which there was danger of relapse to idolatry, and was not -rather a rigid monotheism the great treasure which the exiles brought -back? The trait seems rather to favour an earlier date. - -In the second section (vv. 5-8) the devout soul suns itself in the -light of God, and tells itself how rich it is. "The portion of mine -inheritance" might mean an allotted share of either food or land, but -ver. 6 favours the latter interpretation. "Cup" here is not so much an -image for that which satisfies thirst, though that would be beautiful, -as for that which is appointed for one to experience. Such a use of -the figure is familiar, and brings it into line with the other of -inheritance, which is plainly the principal, as that of the cup is -dropped in the following words. Every godly man has the same -possession and the same prohibitions as the priests had. Like them he -is landless, and instead of estates has Jehovah. They presented in -mere outward fashion what is the very law of the devout life. Because -God is the only true Good, the soul must have none other, and if it -have forsaken all other by reason of the greater wealth of even -partial possession of Him, it will be growingly rich in Him. He who -has said unto the Lord, "Thou art my Lord," will with ever increasing -decisiveness of choice and consciousness of sufficiency say, "The Lord -is the portion of mine inheritance." The same figure is continued in -ver. 5 _b_. "My lot" is the same idea as "my portion," and the natural -flow of thought would lead us to expect that Jehovah is both. That -consideration combines with the very anomalous grammatical form of the -word rendered "maintainest" to recommend the slight alteration adopted -by Cheyne following Dyserinck and Bickell, by which "continually" is -read for it. What God is rather than what He does is filling the -psalmist's happy thoughts, and the depth of his blessedness already -kindles that confidence in its perpetuity which shoots up to so bright -a flame in the closing verses (cf. lxxiii.). The consciousness of -perfect rest in perfect satisfaction of need and desires ever follows -possession of God. So the calm rapture of ver. 6 is the true utterance -of the heart acquainted with God, and of it alone. One possession only -bears reflection. Whatever else a man has, if he has not Jehovah for -his portion, some part of himself will stand stiffly out, dissentient -and unsatisfied, and hinder him from saying "My inheritance is fair -to me." That verdict of experience implies, as it stands in the -Hebrew, subjective delight in the portion and not merely the objective -worth of it. This is the peculiar pre-eminence of a God-filled life, -that the Infinitely good is wholly Good to it, through all the extent -of capacities and cravings. Who else can say the same? Blessed they -whose delights are in God! He will ever delight them. - -No wonder that the psalmist breaks into blessing; but it is deeply -significant of the freedom from mere sentimental religion which -characterises the highest flights of his devotion, that his special -ground of blessing Jehovah is not inward peace of communion, but the -wise guidance given thereby for daily difficulties. A God whose sweet -sufficiency gives satisfaction for all desires and balm for every -wound is much, but a God who by these very gifts makes duty plain, is -more. The test of inward devotion is its bearing on common tasks. True -wisdom is found in fellowship with God. Eyes which look on Him see -many things more clearly. The "reins" are conceived of as the seat of -the Divine voice. In Old Testament psychology they seem to stand for -feelings rather than reason or conscience, and it is no mistake of the -psalmist's when he thinks that through them God's counsel comes. He -means much the same as we do when we say that devout instincts are of -God. He will purify, ennoble and instruct even the lower propensities -and emotions, so that they may be trusted to guide, when the heart is -at rest in Him. "Prayer is better than sleep," says the Mohammedan -call to devotion. "In the night seasons," says the psalmist, when -things are more clearly seen in the dark than by day, many a whisper -from Jehovah steals into his ears. - -The upshot of all is a firm resolve to make really his what is his. "I -set Jehovah always before me"--since He is "always my lot." That -effort of faith is the very life of devotion. We have any possession -only while it is present to our thoughts. It is all one not to have a -great estate and never to see it or think about it. True love is an -intense desire for the presence of its object. God is only ours in -reality when we are conscious of His nearness, and that is strange -love of Him which is content to pass days without ever setting Him -before itself. The effort of faith brings an ally and champion for -faith, for "He is at my right hand," in so far as I set Him before me. -"At my right hand,"--then I am at His left, and the left arm wears the -shield, and the shield covers my head. Then He is close by my working -hand, to direct its activity and to lay His own great hand on my -feeble one, as the prophet did his on the wasted fingers of the sick -king to give strength to draw the bow. The ally of faith secures the -stability of faith. "I shall not be moved," either by the agitations -of passions or by the shocks of fortune. A calm heart, which is not -the same thing as a stagnant heart, is the heritage of him who has God -at his side; and he who is fixed on that rock stands four-square to -all the winds that blow. Foolhardy self-reliance says, I shall never -be moved (x. 6), and the end of that boast is destruction. A good man, -seduced by prosperity, may forget himself so far as to say it (xxx. -6), and the end of that has to be fatherly discipline, to bring him -right. But to say "Because He is at my right hand I shall not be -moved" is but to claim the blessings belonging to the possession of -the only satisfying inheritance, even Jehovah Himself. - -The heart that expands with such blessed consciousness of possessing -God can chant its triumphant song even in front of the grave. So, in -his closing strain the psalmist pours out his rapturous faith that his -fellowship with God abolishes death. No worthy climax to the profound -consciousness of communion already expressed, nor any satisfactory -progress of thought justifying the "therefore" of ver. 9, can be made -out with any explanation of the final verses, which eliminates the -assurance of immortal life from them. The experiences of the devout -life here are prophecies. These aspirations and enjoyments are to -their possessor, not only authentic proofs "that God is and that He is -the rewarder of the heart that seeks Him," but also witnesses of -immortality not to be silenced. They "were not born for death," but, -in their sweetness and incompleteness alike, point onwards to their -own perpetuity and perfecting. If a man has been able to say and has -said "My God," nothing will seem more impossible to him than that such -a trifle as death should have power to choke his voice or still the -outgoings of his heart towards, and its rest in, his God. Whatever may -have been the current beliefs of the psalmist's time in regard to a -future life, and whether his sunny confidence here abode with him in -less blessed hours of less "high communion with the living God," or -ebbed away, leaving him to the gloomier thoughts of other psalms, we -need not try to determine. Here, at all events, we see his faith in -the act of embracing the great thought, which may have been like the -rising of a new sun in his sky--namely, the conviction that this his -joy was joy for ever. A like depth of personal experience of the -sweetness of communion with God will always issue in like far-seeing -assurance of its duration as unaffected by anything that touches only -the physical husk of the true self. If we would be sure of immortal -life, we must make the mortal a God-filled life. - -The psalmist feels the glad certainty in all his complex nature, -heart, soul, and flesh. All three have their portion in the joy which -it brings. The foundation of the exultation of heart and soul and of -the quiet rest of flesh is not so much the assurance that after death -there will be life, and after the grave a resurrection, as the -confidence that there will be no death at all. To "see the pit" is a -synonym for experiencing death, and what is hoped for is exemption -from it altogether, and a Divine hand leading him, as Enoch was led, -along the high levels on a "path of life" which leads to God's right -hand, without any grim descent to the dark valley below. Such an -expectation may be called vain, but we must distinguish between the -form and the substance of the psalmist's hope. Its essence -was--unbroken and perfected communion with God, uninterrupted sense of -possessing Him, and therein all delights and satisfactions. To secure -these he dared to hope that for him death would be abolished. But he -died, and assuredly he found that the unbroken communion for which he -longed was persistent through death, and that in dying his hope that -he should not die was fulfilled beyond his hope. - -The correspondence between his effort of faith in ver. 8 and his final -position in ver. 11 is striking. He who sets Jehovah continually -before himself will, in due time, come where there are fulness of joys -before God's face; and he who here, amid distractions and sorrows, -has kept Jehovah at his right hand as his counsellor, defender and -companion, will one day stand at Jehovah's right hand, and be -satisfied for evermore with the uncloying and inexhaustible pleasures -that there abide. - -The singer, whose clear notes thus rang above the grave, died and saw -corruption. But, as the apostolic use of this psalm as a prophecy of -Christ's resurrection has taught us, the apparent contradiction of his -triumphal chant by the fact of his death did not prove it to be a vain -dream. If there ever should be a life of absolutely unbroken -communion, that would be a life in which death would be abolished. -Jesus Christ is God's "Beloved" as no other is. He has conquered death -as no other has. The psalm sets forth the ideal relation of the -perfectly devout man to death and the future, and that ideal is a -reality in Him, from whom the blessed continuity, which the psalmist -was sure must belong to fellowship so close as was his with God, flows -to all who unite themselves with Him. He has trodden the path of life -which He shows to us, and it _is_ life, at every step, even when it -dips into the darkness of what men call death, whence it rises into -the light of the Face which it is joy to see, and close to the loving -strong Hand which holds and gives pleasures for evermore. - - - - - PSALM XVII. - - 1 Hear a righteous cause, Jehovah, attend to my cry; - Give ear to my prayer from no lips of guile. - 2 From Thy face let my sentence go forth; - Thine eyes behold rightly. - 3 Thou provest my heart, searchest it by night, - Triest me by fire: Thou findest not [anything]; - Should I purpose evil, it shall not pass my mouth (?) - 4 As for (During) the doings of men, by the word of Thy lips - I have kept [me from] the paths of the violent man. - 5 My steps have held fast to Thy ways; - My feet have not slipped. - - 6 I, I call upon Thee, for Thou wilt answer me, O God; - Incline Thine ear unto me: hear my speech. - 7 Magnify (Make wonderful) Thy loving-kindnesses, Thou who savest - those who seek refuge - From those who rise [against them?] by Thy right hand. - 8 Keep me as the pupil, the daughter of the eye; - In the shadow of Thy wing hide me - 9 From the wicked, who lay me waste, - My enemies at heart, [who] ring me round. - 10 Their heart they have shut up; - With their mouth they speak in arrogance. - 11 In our steps, they already compass us about; - Their eyes they fix, to lay [us] on the ground. - 12 He is like a lion who longs to rend, - And a young lion crouching in coverts. - - 13 Arise, Jehovah: meet his face: make him crouch; - Deliver my soul from the wicked [with] Thy sword, - 14 From men [by] Thy hand, Jehovah, from men of the world, - [Having] their portion in [this] life, and [with] Thy hidden - treasure Thou fillest their belly; - They are full of sons, and leave their overabundance to their - children. - 15 I, I shall in righteousness behold Thy face; - I shall be satisfied on awaking [with] Thy likeness. - - -The investigations as to authorship and date yield the usual -conflicting results. Davidic, say one school; undoubtedly post-exilic, -say another, without venturing on closer definition; late in the -Persian period, says Cheyne. Perhaps we may content ourselves with the -modest judgment of Baethgen in his last book ("Handcommentar," 1892, -p. 45): "The date of composition cannot be decided by internal -indications." The background is the familiar one of causeless foes -round an innocent sufferer, who flings himself into God's arms for -safety, and in prayer enters into peace and hope. He is, no doubt, a -representative of the _Ecclesia pressa_; but he is so just because his -cry is intensely personal. The experience of one is the type for all, -and a poet's prerogative is to cast his most thoroughly individual -emotions into words that fit the universal heart. The psalm is called -a "prayer," a title given to only four other psalms, none of which are -in the First Book. It has three movements, marked by the repetition of -the name of God, which does not appear elsewhere, except in the -doubtful verse 14. These three are vv. 1-5, in which the cry for help -is founded on a strong profession of innocence; vv. 6-12, in which it -is based on a vivid description of the enemies; and vv. 13-15, in -which it soars into the pure air of mystic devotion, and thence looks -down on the transient prosperity of the foe and upwards, in a rapture -of hope, to the face of God. - -The petition proper, in vv. 1, 2, and its ground, are both strongly -marked by conscious innocence, and therefore sound strange to our -ears, trained as we have been by the New Testament to deeper insight -into sin. This sufferer asks God to "hear righteousness," _i.e._ his -righteous cause. He pleads the _bona fides_ of his prayer, the fervour -of which is marked by its designation as "my _cry_," the high-pitched -note usually the expression of joy, but here of sore need and strong -desire. Boldly he asks for his "sentence from Thy face," and the -ground of that petition is that "Thine eyes behold rightly." Was -there, then, no inner baseness that should have toned down such -confidence? Was this prayer not much the same as the Pharisee's in -Christ's parable? The answer is partly found in the considerations -that the innocence professed is specially in regard to the occasions -of the psalmist's present distress, and that the acquittal by -deliverance which he asks is God's testimony that as to these he was -slandered and clear. But, further, the strong professions of -heart-cleanness and outward obedience which follow are not so much -denials of any sin as avowals of sincere devotion and honest -submission of life to God's law. They are "the answer of a good -conscience towards God," expressed, indeed, more absolutely than -befits Christian consciousness, but having nothing in common with -Pharisaic self-complacency. The modern type of religion which recoils -from such professions, and contents itself with always confessing sins -which it has given up hope of overcoming, would be all the better for -listening to the psalmist and aiming a little more vigorously and -hopefully at being able to say, "I know nothing against myself." There -is no danger in such a saying, if it be accompanied by "Yet am I not -hereby justified" and by "Who can understand his errors? Cleanse Thou -me from secret faults." - -The general drift of vv. 3-5 is clear, but the precise meaning and -connection are extremely obscure. Probably the text is faulty. It has -been twisted in all sorts of ways, the Masoretic accents have been -disregarded, the division of verses set aside, and still no proposed -rendering of parts of vv. 3, 4, is wholly satisfactory. The psalmist -deals with heart, lips, feet--that is, thoughts, words, and deeds--and -declares the innocence of all. But difficulties begin when we look -closer. The first question is as to the meaning and connection of the -word rendered in the A.V. and R.V., "I am purposed." It may be a first -person singular or an infinitive used as a noun or even a noun, -meaning, in both the latter cases, substantially the same, _i.e._ my -thinking or my thoughts. It is connected by the accents with what -follows; but in that case the preceding verb "find" is left without an -object, and hence many renderings attach the word to the preceding -clause, and so get "Thou shalt find no [evil] thoughts in me." This -division of the clauses leaves the words rendered, by A.V. and R.V., -"My mouth shall not transgress," standing alone. There is no other -instance of the verb standing by itself with that meaning, nor is -"mouth" clearly the subject. It may as well be the object, and the -clause be, "[It] shall not pass my mouth." If that is the meaning, we -have to look to the preceding word as defining what it is that is thus -to be kept unuttered, and so detach it from the verb "find," as the -accents do. The knot has been untied in two ways: "My [evil] purpose -shall not pass," etc., or, taking the word as a verb and regarding the -clause as hypothetical, "Should I think evil, it shall not pass," etc. - -Either of these renderings has the advantage of retaining the -recognised meaning of the verb and of avoiding neglect of the accent. -Such a rendering has been objected to as inconsistent with the -previous clause, but the psalmist may be looking back to it, feeling -that his partial self-knowledge makes it a bold statement, and thus -far limiting it, that _if_ any evil thought is found in his heart, it -is sternly repressed in silence. - -Obscurity continues in ver. 4. The usual rendering, "As for [or, -During] the works of men, by the word of Thy mouth I have kept me," -etc., is against the accents, which make the principal division of the -verse fall after "lips"; but no satisfactory sense results if the -accentuation is followed unless we suppose a verb implied, such as, -_e.g._, _stand fast_ or the like, so getting the profession of -steadfastness in the words of God's lips, in face of men's self-willed -doings. But this is precarious, and probably the ordinary way of -cutting the knot by neglecting the accents is best. In any case the -avowal of innocence passes here from thoughts and words to acts. The -contrast of the psalmist's closed mouth and God's lips is significant, -even if unintended. Only he who silences much that rises in his heart -can hear God speaking. "I kept me from," is a very unusual meaning for -the word employed, which generally signifies to _guard_ or _watch_, -but here seems to mean _to take heed so as to avoid_. Possibly the -preposition _from_, denoted by a single letter, has fallen out before -"paths." This negative avoidance precedes positive walking in God's -ways, since the poet's position is amidst evil men. Goodness has to -learn to say No to men, if it is ever to say Yes to God. The foot has -to be forcibly plucked and vigilantly kept from foul ways before it -can be planted firmly in "Thy paths." By holding fast to courses -appointed by God stability is ensured. Thus the closing clause of this -first part is rather an acknowledgment of the happy result of devoted -cleaving to God than an assertion of self-secured steadfastness. "My -feet do not slip," not so much because they are strong as because the -road is good, and the Guide's word and hand ready. - -The second part repeats the prayer for help, but bases it on the -double ground of God's character and acts and of the suppliant's -desperate straits; and of these two the former comes first in the -prayer, though the latter has impelled to the prayer. Faith may be -helped to self-consciousness by the sense of danger, but when awakened -it grasps God's hand first and then faces its foes. In this part of -the psalm the petitions, the aspects of the Divine character and -working, and the grim picture of dangers are all noteworthy. The -petitions by their number and variety reveal the pressure of trouble, -each new prick of fear or pain forcing a new cry and each cry -recording a fresh act of faith tightening its grasp. The "I" in ver. 6 -is emphatic, and may be taken as gathering up the psalmist's preceding -declarations and humbly laying them before God as a plea: "_I, who -thus cleave to Thy ways_, call upon Thee, and my prayer is that of -faith, which is sure of answer." But that confidence does not make -petition superfluous, but rather encourages it. The assurance that -"Thou wilt answer" is the reason for the prayer, "Incline Thine ear." -Naturally at such a moment the name of God springs to the psalmist's -lips, but significantly it is not the name found in the other two -parts of the psalm. There He is invoked as "Jehovah," here as "God." -The variation is not merely rhetorical, but the name which connotes -power is appropriate in a prayer for deliverance from peril so -extreme. "Magnify [or make wonderful] Thy loving-kindnesses" is a -petition containing at once a glimpse of the psalmist's danger, for -escape from which nothing short of a wonder of power will avail, and -an appeal to God's delight in magnifying His name by the display of -His mercy. The prayer sounds arrogant, as if the petitioner thought -himself important enough to have miracles wrought for him; but it is -really most humble, for the very wonder of the loving-kindness -besought is that it should be exercised for such a one. God wins -honour by saving a poor man who cries to Him; and it is with deep -insight into the heart of God that this man presents himself as -offering an occasion, in which God must delight, to flash the glory of -His loving power before dull eyes. The petitions grow in boldness as -they go on, and culminate in two which occur in similar contiguity in -the great Song of Moses in Deut. xxxii.: "Keep me as the pupil of Thy -eye." What closeness of union with God that lovely figure implies, and -what sedulous guardianship it implores! "In the shadow of Thy wings -hide me." What tenderness of fostering protection that ascribes to -God, and what warmth and security it asks for man! The combination and -order of these two petitions may teach us that, if we are to be -"kept," we must be hidden; that if these frail lives of ours are to be -dear to God as the apple of His eye, they must be passed nestling -close by His side. Deep, secret communion with Him is the condition of -His protection of us, as another psalm, using the same image, has it: -"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide -under the shadow of the Almighty." - -The aspects of the Divine character, which the psalmist employs to move -God's heart and to encourage his own, are contained first in the name -"God," and next in the reference to His habitual dealings with trusting -souls, in ver 7. From of old it has been His way to be the Saviour of -such as take refuge in Him from their enemies, and His right hand has -shielded them. That past is a prophecy which the psalmist grasps in -faith. He has in view instances enough to warrant an induction -absolutely certain. He knows the law of the Divine dealings, and is sure -that anything may happen rather than that it shall fail. Was he wrong in -thus characterising God? Much in his experience and in ours looks as if -he were; but they who most truly understand what help or salvation truly -is will most joyously dwell in the sunny clearness of this confidence, -which will not be clouded for them, though their own and others' trust -is not answered by what sense calls deliverance. - -The eye which steadily looks on God can look calmly at dangers. It is -with no failure of faith that the poet's thoughts turn to his enemies. -Fears that have become prayers are already more than half conquered. -The psalmist would move God to help, not himself to despair, by -recounting his perils. The enemy "spoil" him or lay him waste, the -word used for the ravages of invaders. They are "enemies in -soul"--_i.e._, deadly--or perhaps "against [my] soul" or life. They -are pitiless and proud, closing their hearts, which prosperity has -made "fat" or arrogant, against the entrance of compassion, and -indulging in gasconading boasts of their own power and contemptuous -scoffs at his weakness. They ring him round, watching his steps. The -text has a sudden change here from singular to plural, and back again -to singular, reading "_our_ steps," and "They have compassed _me_," -which the Hebrew margin alters to "us." The wavering between the -singular and plural is accounted for by the upholders of the Davidic -authorship by a reference to him and his followers, and by the -advocates of the theory that the speaker is the personified Israel by -supposing that the mask falls for a moment, and the "me," which always -means "us," gives place to the collective. Ver. 11 _b_ is ambiguous in -consequence of the absence of an object to the second verb. To "set -the eyes" is to watch fixedly and eagerly; and the purpose of the gaze -is in the next clause stated by an infinitive with a preposition, not -by a participle, as in the A.V. The verb is sometimes transitive and -sometimes intransitive, but the former is the better meaning here, and -the omitted object is most naturally "us" or "me." The sense, then, -will be that the enemies eagerly watch for an opportunity to cast down -the psalmist, so as to lay him low on the earth. The intransitive -meaning "to bow down" is taken by some commentators. If that is -adopted (as it is by Hupfeld and others), the reference is to "our -steps" in the previous clause, and the sense of the whole is that -eager eyes watch for these "bowing to the ground," that is stumbling. -But such a rendering is harsh, since steps are always on the ground. -Baethgen ("Handcommentar"), on the strength of Num. xxi. 22, the only -place where the verb occurs with the same preposition as here, and -which he takes as meaning "to turn aside to field or vineyard--_i.e._, -to plunder them"--would translate, "They direct their eyes to burst -into the land," and supposes the reference to be to some impending -invasion. A similar variation in number to that in ver. 11 occurs in -ver. 12, where the enemies are concentrated into one. The allusion is -supposed to be to some one conspicuous leader--_e.g._, Saul--but -probably the change is merely an illustration of the carelessness as -to such grammatical accuracy characteristic of emotional Hebrew -poetry. The familiar metaphor of the lurking lion may have been led up -to in the poet's imagination by the preceding picture of the steadfast -gaze of the enemy, like the glare of the green eyeballs flashing from -the covert of a jungle. - -The third part (vv. 13-15) renews the cry for deliverance, and unites -the points of view of the preceding parts in inverted order, -describing first the enemies and then the psalmist, but with these -significant differences, the fruits of his communion with God, that -now the former are painted, not in their fierceness, but in their -transitory attachments and low delights, and that the latter does not -bemoan his own helplessness nor build on his own integrity, but feeds -his soul on his confidence of the vision of God and the satisfaction -which it will bring. The smoke clouds that rolled in the former parts -have caught fire, and one clear shoot of flame aspires heavenward. He -who makes his needs known to God gains for immediate answer "the peace -of God, which passeth understanding," and can wait God's time for the -rest. The crouching lion is still ready to spring; but the psalmist -hides himself behind God, whom he asks to face the brute and make him -grovel at his feet ("Make him bow down," the same word used for a lion -couchant in Gen. xlix. 9 and Num. xxiv. 9). The rendering of ver. 13 -_b_, "the wicked, who is Thy sword," introduces an irrelevant thought; -and it is better to regard the sword as God's weapon that slays the -crouching wild beast. The excessive length of ver. 14 and the entirely -pleonastic "from men (by) Thy hand, O Lord," suggest textual -corruption. The thought runs more smoothly, though not altogether -clearly, if these words are omitted. There remains a penetrating -characterisation of the enemy in the sensuous limitations and mistaken -aims of his godless being, which may be satiated with low delights, -but never satisfied, and has to leave them all at last. He is no -longer dreaded, but pitied. His prayer has cleared the psalmist's eyes -and lifted him high enough to see his foes as they are. They are "men -of the world," belonging, by the set of their lives, to a transitory -order of things--an anticipation of New Testament language about "the -children of this world." "Their portion is in [this] life," while the -psalmist's is God (xvi. 5). They have chosen to have their good things -in their lifetime. Hopes, desires, aims, tastes, are all confined -within the narrow bounds of time and sense, than which there can be no -greater folly. Such limitation will often seem to succeed, for low -aims are easily reached; and God sometimes lets men have their fill of -the goods at which their perverted choice clutches. But even so the -choice is madness and misery, for the man, gorged with worldly good, -has yet to leave it, however unwilling to loosen his hold. He cannot -use his goods; and it is no comfort to him, sent away naked into -darkness of death, that his descendants revel in what was his. - -How different the contrasted conditions of the hunted psalmist and his -enemies look when the light of such thoughts streams on them! The -helpless victim towers above his persecutors, for his desires go up to -Him who abides and saturates with His blessed fulness the heart that -aspires to Him. Terrors vanish; foes are forgotten; every other wish -is swallowed up in one, which is a confidence as well as a desire. The -psalmist neither grudges, nor is perplexed by, the prosperity of the -wicked. The mysteries of men's earthly lot puzzle those who stand at a -lower elevation; but they do not disturb the soul on these supreme -heights of mystic devotion, where God is seen to be the only good, and -the hungry heart is filled with Him. Assuredly the psalmist's closing -expectation embodies the one contrast worth notice: that between the -present gross and partial satisfactions of sense-bound lives and the -calm, permanent, full delights of communion with God. But does he -limit his hopes to such "hours of high communion with the living God" -as may be ours, even while the foe rings us round and earth holds us -down? Possibly so, but it is difficult to find a worthy meaning for -"when I awake" unless it be from the sleep of death. Possibly, too, -the allusion to the men of the world as "leaving their substance" -makes the reference to a future beatific vision more likely. Death is -to them the stripping off of their chosen portion; it is to him whose -portion is God the fuller possession of all that he loves and desires. -Cheyne ("Orig. of Psalt.," p. 407) regards the "awaking" as that from -the "sleep" of the intermediate state by "the passing of the soul into -a resurrection body." He is led to the recognition of the doctrine of -the resurrection here by his theory of the late date of the psalm and -the influence of Zoroastrianism on it. But it is not necessary to -suppose an allusion to the resurrection. Rather the psalmist's -confidence is the offspring of his profound consciousness of present -communion, and we see here the very process by which a devout man, in -the absence of a clear revelation of the future, reached up to a -conclusion to which he was led by his experience of the inmost reality -of friendship with God. The impotence of death on the relation of the -devout soul to God is a postulate of faith, whether formulated as an -article of faith or not. Probably the psalmist had no clear conception -of a future life; but certainly he had a distinct assurance of it, -because he felt that the very "sweetness" of present fellowship with -God "yielded proof that it was born for immortality." - - - - - PSALM XVIII. - - 1 Heartily do I love Thee, Jehovah, my strength! - 2 Jehovah, my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, - My God, my rock in whom I take refuge, - My shield and the horn of my salvation and my high tower! - 3 I call upon Him who is to be praised, Jehovah; - And from mine enemies am I saved. - - 4 The breakers of death ringed me round, - And streams of destruction terrified me. - 5 The cords of Sheol encircled me; - The snares of death fronted me. - 6 In my distress I called on Jehovah, - And to my God I loudly cried; - He heard my voice from His palace-temple, - And my loud crying before Him entered His ears. - - 7 Then the earth rocked and reeled, - And the foundations of the mountains quivered - And rocked again, for He was wroth. - 8 Smoke went up in His nostrils, - And fire from His mouth devoured; - Brands came blazing from Him. - 9 And He bowed the heavens and came down, - And cloud gloom [was] below His feet. - 10 And He rode upon the cherub and flew, - And came swooping on the wings of the wind. - 11 He made darkness His covert, His tent round about Him, - Darkness of waters and cloud masses of the skies. - 12 From the brightness before Him there passed through His - cloud-masses - Hail and brands of fire. - 13 And Jehovah thundered in the heavens, - And the Most High gave forth His voice. - 14 And He sent forth His arrows and scattered them, - And lightnings many, and flung them into panic. - 15 And the beds of the waters were seen, - And the foundations of the earth bared, - At Thy rebuke, Jehovah, - At the blast of the breath of Thy nostrils. - - 16 He stretched from on high: He took me; - He drew me from many waters. - 17 He rescued me from my strong enemy - And from my haters, because they were too mighty for me. - 18 They fell on me in the day of my calamity, - But Jehovah became as a staff to me. - 19 And He brought me out into a wide place; - He delivered me, because He delighted in me. - - 20 Jehovah treated me according to my righteousness; - According to the cleanness of my hands He returned [recompense] - to me. - 21 For I kept the ways of Jehovah, - And did not part myself by sin from my God. - 22 For all His judgments were before me, - And His statutes did I not put away from me. - 23 And I was without fault with Him, - And I kept myself from my iniquity. - 24 Therefore Jehovah returned [recompense] to me according to my - righteousness, - According to the cleanness of my hands before His eyes. - - 25 With the gracious man Thou showest Thyself gracious; - With the faultless man Thou showest Thyself faultless. - 26 With him who purifies himself Thou showest Thyself pure, - And with the perverse Thou showest Thyself froward. - 27 For Thou savest humbled people, - And eyes uplifted Thou dost bring low. - - 28 For Thou lightest my lamp; - Jehovah my God brightens my darkness. - 29 For by Thee I run down a troop, - And through my God I spring over a rampart. - 30 As for God, His way is faultless; - The word of Jehovah is tried (as by fire): - A shield is He to all who take refuge in Him. - 31 For who is God but Jehovah, - And who is a rock besides our God? - 32 [It is] God who girded me with strength, - And made my way faultless; - 33 Who made my feet like hinds' [feet], - And made me stand upon my high places; - 34 Who schooled my hands for war, - So that my arms bend a bow of brass. - - 35 And Thou didst give me the shield of Thy salvation, - And Thy right hand upheld me, - And Thy humility made me great. - 36 Thou didst broaden under me [a path for] my step, - And my ankles did not give. - - 37 I pursued my enemies, and overtook them; - And I did not turn till I had consumed them. - 38 I shattered them, and they could not rise; - They fell beneath my feet. - 39 And Thou girdedst me with might for battle; - Thou didst bring my assailants to their knees under me. - 40 And my enemies Thou madest to turn their backs to me, - And my haters--I annihilated them. - - 41 They shrieked, and there was no helper, - To Jehovah, and He answered them not. - 42 I pounded them like dust before the wind; - Like street mud I emptied them out. - - 43 Thou didst deliver me from the strifes of the people; - Thou didst set me for a head of the nations; - A people whom I knew not served me. - 44 At the hearing of the ear they made themselves obedient to me; - The children of the foreigner came feigning to me. - 45 The children of the foreigner faded away, - And came trembling from their strongholds. - - 46 Jehovah lives, and blessed be my rock; - And exalted be the God of my salvation, - 47 The God who gave me revenges - And subdued peoples under me, - 48 My deliverer from my enemies: - Yea, from my assailants Thou didst set me on high, - From the man of violence didst Thou rescue me. - - 49 Therefore will I give Thee thanks among the nations, Jehovah; - And to Thy name will I sing praise. - 50 He magnifies salvations for His king, - And works loving-kindness for His anointed, - For David and for his seed for evermore. - - -The description of the theophany (vv. 7-19) and that of the psalmist's -God-won victories (vv. 32-46) appear to refer to the same facts, -transfigured in the former case by devout imagination and presented in -the latter in their actual form. These two portions make the two central -masses round which the psalm is built up. They are connected by a -transitional section, of which the main theme is the power of character -to determine God's aspect to a man as exemplified in the singer's -experience; and they are preceded and followed by an introduction and a -conclusion, throbbing with gratitude and love to Jehovah, the Deliverer. - -The Davidic authorship of this psalm has been admitted even by critics -who are slow to recognise it. Cheyne asks, as if sure of a negative -answer, "What is there in it that suggests the history of David?" -("Orig. of the Psalter," p. 205). Baethgen, who "suspects" that a -Davidic psalm has been "worked over" for use in public worship, may -answer the question: "The following points speak for the Davidic -authorship. The poet is a military commander and king, who wages -successful wars, and subdues peoples whom he hitherto did not know. -There is no Israelite king to whom the expressions in question in the -psalm apply so closely as is the case with David." To these points may -be added the allusions to earlier trials and perils, and the distinct -correspondence, in a certain warmth and inwardness of personal relation -to Jehovah, with the other psalms attributed to David, as well as the -pregnant use of the word _to flee to a refuge_, applied to the soul's -flight to God, which we find here (ver. 2) and in the psalms ascribed to -him. If the clear notes of the psalm be the voice of personal -experience, there is but one author possible--namely, David--and the -glow and intensity of the whole make the personification theory -singularly inadequate. It is much easier to believe that David used the -word "temple" or "palace" for Jehovah's heavenly dwelling, than that the -"I" of the psalm, with his clinging sense of possession in Jehovah, his -vivid remembrance of sorrows, his protestations of integrity, his wonder -at his own victories, and his triumphant praise, is not a man, but a -frosty personification of the nation. - -The preluding invocation in vv. 1-3 at once touches the high-water mark -of Old Testament devotion, and is conspicuous among its noblest -utterances. Nowhere else in Scripture is the form of the word employed -which is here used for "love." It has special depth and tenderness. How -far into the centre this man had penetrated, who could thus isolate and -unite Jehovah and himself, and could feel that they two were alone and -knit together by love! The true estimate of Jehovah's ways with a man -will always lead to that resolve to love, based on the consciousness of -God's love to him. Happy they who learn that lesson by retrospect; -happier still if they gather it from their sorrows while these press! -Love delights in addressing the beloved and heaping tender names on its -object, each made more tender and blessed by that appropriating "my." It -seems more accordant with the fervent tone of the psalm to regard the -reiterated designations in ver. 2 as vocatives, than to take "Jehovah" -and "God" as subjects and the other names as predicates. Rather the -whole is one long, loving accumulation of dear names, a series of -invocations, in which the restful heart murmurs to itself how rich it is -and is never wearied of saying, "my delight and defence." As in Psalm -xvii., the name of Jehovah occurs twice, and that of God once. Each of -these is expanded, as it were, by the following epithets, and the -expansion becomes more extended as it advances, beginning with one -member in ver. 1, having three in ver. 2 _a_ and four in ver. 2 _b_. -Leaving out the Divine names proper, there are seven in ver. 2, -separated into two groups by the name of God. It may be observed there -is a general correspondence between the two sets, each beginning with -"rock" (though the word is different in the two clauses), each having -the metaphor of a fortress, and "shield and horn of salvation," roughly -answering to "Deliverer." The first word for _rock_ is more properly -_crag_ or _cliff_, thus suggesting inaccessibility, and the second a -_rock mass_, thus giving the notion of firmness or solidity. The shade -of difference need not be pressed, but the general idea is that of -safety, or by elevation above the enemy and by reason of the -unchangeable strength of Jehovah. In that lofty eyrie, a man may look -down on all the armies of earth, idly active on the plain. That great -Rock towers unchangeable above fleeting things. The river at its base -runs past, the woods nestling at its feet bud and shed their leaves, but -it stands the same. David had many a time found shelter among the hills -and caves of Judah and the South land, and it may not be fancy that sees -reminiscences of these experiences in his song. The beautiful figure for -trust embodied in the word in 2 _b_ belongs to the metaphor of the rock. -It is found with singular appropriateness in Psalm lvii., which the -title ascribes to David "in the cave," the sides of which bent above -him and sheltered him, like a great pair of wings, and possibly -suggested the image, "In the shadow of Thy wings will I take refuge." -The difference between "fortress" and "high tower" is slight, but the -former gives more prominence to the idea of strength, and the latter to -that of elevation, both concurring in the same thought as was expressed -by "rock," but with the additional suggestion of Jehovah as the home of -the soul. Safety, then, comes through communion. Abiding in God is -seclusion from danger. "Deliverer" stands last in the first set, saying -in plain words what the preceding had put in figures. "My shield and the -horn of my salvation" come in the centre of the second set, in obedience -to the law of variety in reiteration which the poet's artistic instincts -impose. They shift the figure to that of a warrior in actual conflict. -The others picture a fugitive from enemies, these a fighter. The shield -is a defensive weapon; horns are offensive ones, and the combination -suggests that in conflict we are safe by the interposition of God's -covering power, and are armed by the same power for striking at the foe. -That power ensures salvation, whether in the narrower or wider sense. -Thus Jehovah is all the armour and all the refuge of His servant. To -trust Him is to have His protection cast around and His power infused -for conflict and victory. The end of all life's experience is to reveal -Him in these characters, and they have rightly learned its lessons whose -song of retrospect begins with "I will love Thee, Jehovah," and pours -out at His feet all happy names expressive of His sufficiency and of the -singer's rest in possessing Him. Ver. 3 is not a resolution for the -future--"I will call; ... so shall I be saved"--but the summing up of -experience in a great truth: "I call, ... and I am saved." It unfolds -the meaning of the previous names of God, and strikes the key-note for -the magnificent sequel. - -The superb idealisation of past deliverances under the figure of a -theophany is prepared for by a retrospect of dangers, which still -palpitates with the memory of former fears. "A sorrow's crown of -sorrow is remembering happier things," and a joy's crown of joy is -remembering past perils. No better description of David's early life -could have been given than that contained in the two vivid figures of -vv. 4 and 5. If we adopt the more congruous reading of the other -recension of the psalm in 2 Sam. xxii., we have in both members of -ver. 4 a parallel metaphor. Instead of "sorrows" or "cords" (both of -which renderings are possible for the text of the psalm here), it -reads "breakers," corresponding with "floods" in the second clause. -"Destruction" is better than _ungodly men_ as the rendering of the -unusual word "Belial." Thus the psalmist pictures himself as standing -on a diminishing bit of solid ground, round which a rising flood runs -strong, breaking on its crumbling narrowness. Islanded thus, he is all -but lost. With swift transition he casts the picture of his distress -into another metaphor. Now he is a hunted creature, surrounded and -confronted by cords and snares. Sheol and Death have marked him for -their prey, and are drawing their nets round him. What is left for -him? One thing only. He has a voice, and he has a God. In his despair -one piercing cry breaks from him; and, wonder of wonders, that thin -shoot of prayer rises right into the heavenly palace-temple and the -ears of God. The repetition of "I called upon the Lord" connects this -with ver. 3 as the experience on which the generalisation there is -based. His extremity of peril had not paralysed the psalmist's grasp -of God as still "my God," and his confidence is vindicated. There is -an eloquent contrast between the insignificance of the cause and the -stupendous grandeur of the effect: one poor man's shrill cry and a -shaking earth and all the dread pomp attending an interposing God. A -cupful of water poured into a hydraulic ram sets in motion power that -lifts tons; the prayer of faith brings the dread magnificence of -Jehovah into the field. The reading of 2 Samuel is preferable in the -last clause of ver. 6, omitting the superfluous "before Him." - -The phenomena of a thunderstorm are the substratum of the grand -description of Jehovah's delivering self-manifestation. The garb is -lofty poetry; but a definite fact lies beneath, namely some -deliverance in which the psalmist saw Jehovah's coming in storm and -lightning flash to destroy, and therefore to save. Faith sees more -truly because more deeply than sense. What would have appeared to an -ordinary looker-on as merely a remarkable escape was to its subject -the manifestation of a present God. Which eye sees the "things that -are,"--that which is cognisant only of a concatenation of events, or -that which discerns a Person directing these? The cry of this hunted -man has for first effect the kindling of the Divine "wrath," which is -represented as flaming into action in the tremendous imagery of vv. 7 -and 8. The description of the storm in which God comes to help the -suppliant does not begin with these verses, as is commonly understood. -The Divine power is not in motion yet, but is, as it were, gathering -itself up for action. The complaining prayer is boldly treated as -bringing to God's knowledge His servant's straits, and the knowledge -as moving Him to wrath towards the enemies of one who takes shelter -beneath His wings. "What have I here that my"--servant is thus -bestead? saith the Lord. The poet can venture to paint a picture with -the pen, which the painter dare not attempt with the pencil. The anger -of Jehovah is described in words of singular daring, as rising like -smoke from His nostrils and pouring in fire from His lips, from which -blazing brands issue. No wonder that the earth reels even to the roots -of the mountains, as unable to endure that wrath! The frank -anthropomorphism of the picture, of which the features are taken from -the hard breathing of an angry man or animal (compare Job's crocodile -in Job xli. 10-13), and the underlying conception are equally -offensive to many; but as for the former, the more "gross" the -humanising of the picture, the less likely is it to be mistaken for -prose fact, and the more easy to apprehend as symbol: and as for the -latter, the New Testament endorses the conception of the "wrath of -God," and bids us take heed lest, if we cast it away, we maim His -love. This same psalm hymns Jehovah's "gentleness"; and the more -deeply His love is apprehended, the more surely will His wrath be -discerned as its necessary accompaniment. The dark orb and its radiant -sister move round a common centre. - -Thus kindled, God's wrath flashes into action, as is wonderfully -painted in that great storm piece in vv. 9-15. The stages of a violent -thunder tempest are painted with unsurpassable force and brevity. - -First we see the low clouds: far nearer the trembling earth than the -hidden blue was, and seeming to press down with leaden weight, their -boding blackness is above us; but - - "Whose foot shall we see emerge, - Whose from the straining topmost dark?" - -Their low gathering is followed by the sudden rush of wind, which -breaks the awful calm. In its "sound," the psalmist hears the -winnowing of mighty wings: those of the cherub on whom, as a living -chariot, Jehovah sits throned. This is called "mythology." Is it not -rather a poetic personification of elemental powers, which gives -emphasis to their being God's instruments? The cherubim are in -Scripture represented in varying forms and with different attributes. -In Ezekiel they assume a composite form, due apparently to Babylonian -influences; but here there is no trace of that, and the absence of -such strongly supports a pre-exilic date. - -Blacker grows the gloom, in which awed hearts are conscious of a present -Deity shrouded behind the livid folds of the thunder-clouds, as in a -tent. Down rushes the rain; the darkness is "a darkness of waters," and -also "thick clouds of the skies," or "cloud masses," a mingled chaos of -rain and cloud. Then lightning tears a way through the blackness, and -the language becomes abrupt, like the flash. In vv. 12 and 13 the fury -of the storm rages. Blinding brightness and deafening thunder-claps -gleam and rattle through the broken words. Probably ver. 12 should be -rendered, "From the brightness before Him there came through His clouds -hail and brands of fire." Hidden in the cloudy tent is the light of -Jehovah's presence, sparkles from which, flung forth by Him, pierce the -solid gloom; and men call them lightnings. Then thunder rolls, the voice -of the Most High. The repetition in ver. 13 of "hail and brands of fire" -gives much abrupt force, and one is unwilling to part with it. The -reason for omitting it from the text is the want of grammatical -connection, but that is rather a reason for retaining it, as the -isolated clause breaks in on the continuity of the sentence, just as -the flash shoots suddenly out of the cloud. These lightnings are God's -arrows; and, as they are showered down in flights, the psalmist's -enemies, unnamed since ver. 3, scatter in panic. The ideal character of -the whole representation is plain from the last element in it--the -description in ver. 15 of laying bare the sea's depths, as the waters -were parted at the Exodus. That voice and the fierce blast from these -fire-breathing nostrils have dried the streams, and the oozy bed is -seen. God's "rebuke" has power to produce physical changes. The -earthquake at the beginning and the empty ocean bed at the end are both -somewhat outside the picture of the storm, and complete the -representation of all nature as moved by the theophany. - -Then comes the purpose of all the dread magnificence, strangely small -except to the psalmist. Heaven and earth have been shaken, and -lightnings set leaping through the sky, for nothing greater than to -drag one half-drowned man from the floods. But the result of the -theophany is small only in the same fashion as its cause was small. -This same poor man cried, and the cry set Jehovah's activity in -motion. The deliverance of a single soul may seem a small thing, but -if the single soul has prayed it is no longer small, for God's good -name is involved. A nation is disgraced if its meanest subject is left -to die in the hands of foreign enemies, and blood and treasure are not -wasted if poured out lavishly for his rescue. God cannot let a -suppliant who has taken shelter in His tent be dragged thence. -Therefore there is no disproportion between the theophany and the -individual deliverance which is its sole result. - -The psalmist lays aside the figure in vv. 17, 18, and comes to the -bare fact of his deliverance from enemies, and perhaps from one -especially formidable ("my enemy," ver. 17). The prose of the whole -would have been that he was in great danger and without means of -averting it, but had a hair-breadth escape. But the outside of a fact -is not all of it; and in this mystical life of ours poetry gets nearer -the heart of things than does prose, and religion nearer than either. -It is no miracle, in the narrow meaning of that word, which the -psalmist sings; but his eye has seen the unseen force which moves all -visible events. We may see the same apocalypse of a present Jehovah, -if our eyes are purged, and our hearts pure. It is always true that -the cry of a trustful soul pierces heaven and moves God; it is always -true that He comes to His servant sinking and crying, "Lord, save me; -I perish." The scene on the Galilean lake when Christ's strong grasp -held Peter up, because his fear struck out a spark of faith, though -his faith was darkened with fear, is ever being repeated. - -The note slightly touched at the close of the description of the -deliverance dominates the second part of the psalm (vv. 20-31), of -which the main theme is the correspondence of God's dealings with -character, as illustrated in the singer's experience, and thence -generalised into a law of the Divine administration. It begins with -startling protestations of innocence. These are rounded into a whole -by the repetition, at the beginning and end, of the same statement -that God dealt with the psalmist according to his righteousness and -clean-handedness. If the author is David, this voice of a good -conscience must have been uttered before his great fall, after which -he could, indeed, sing of forgiveness and restoring grace, but never -again of integrity. Unlike as the tone of these verses is to that -deeper consciousness of sin which is not the least of Christ's gifts, -the truth which they embody is as much a part of the Christian as of -the earlier revelation. True, penitence must now mingle with conscious -rectitude more abundantly than it does in this psalm; but it is still -and for ever true that God deals with His servants according to their -righteousness. Cherished sin separates from Him, and forces His love -to leave cries for help many times unanswered, in order that, filled -with the fruit of their doings, His people may have a wholesome fear -of again straying from the narrow way. Unless a Christian can say, "I -keep myself from mine iniquity," he has no right to look for the -sunshine of God's face to gladden his eyes, nor for the strength of -God's hand to pluck his feet from the net. In noble and daring words, -the psalmist proclaims as a law of God's dealings his own experience -generalised (vv. 25-27). It is a bold reversal of the ordinary point -of view to regard man as taking the initiative and God as following -his lead. And yet is not life full of solemn facts confirmatory of the -truth that God is to a man what the man is to God? That is so, both -subjectively and objectively. Subjectively our conceptions of God vary -with our moral nature, and objectively the dealings of God are moulded -according to that nature. There is such a thing as colour blindness in -regard to the Divine character, whereby some men cannot see the green -of faithful love or the red of wrath, but each beholds that in God -which his vision fits him to see; and the many-sided dealings of God -are different in their incidence upon different characters, so that -the same heat melts wax and hardens clay; and further the actual -dealings are accurately adapted to the state of their objects, so -that each gets what he needs most: the loving heart, sweet love tokens -from the Divine Lover; the perverse, thwartings which come from a God -"contrary" to them who are contrary to Him. "The history of the world -is the judgment of the world." But the first of the designations of -character in ver. 25 hints that before man's initiative had been -God's; for "merciful" is the pregnant word occurring so often in the -Psalter, and so impossible to translate by any one word. It means, as -we have already had occasion to point out, one who is the subject of -the Divine loving-kindness, and who therefore loves God in return. -Here it seems rather to be taken in the sense of loving than of -beloved. He who exercises this loving-kindness, whether towards God or -man, shall find in God One who exercises it to him. But the word -itself regards man's loving-kindness towards God as being the echo of -God's, and so the very first step in determining the mutual relations -is God's, and but for it there would never have been that in man which -God could answer by showing Himself as loving. The contrasted dealings -and characters are summed up in the familiar antithesis of ver. 27. -The "afflicted" or humble are the type of God-pleasing character, -since humility, such as befits dependent creatures, is the mother of -all goodness, and "high looks" the master sin, and the whole drift of -Providence is to lift the lowly and abase the proud. - -The psalmist's swift thought vibrates throughout this part of the song -between his own experience and the general truths exemplified in it. -He is too full of his own deliverance to be long silent about it, and, -on the other hand, is continually reminded by it of the wide sweep of -the beneficent laws which have been so fruitful of good to him. The -most precious result of individual mercy is the vision obtained -through it of the universal Lover of souls. "My God" will be widened -into "our God," and "our God" will rest upon "my God," if either is -spoken from the heart's depths. So in vv. 27-29 the personal element -comes again to the front. The individualising name "My God" occurs in -each verse, and the deliverance underlying the theophany is described -in terms which prepare for the fuller celebration of victory in the -last part of the psalm. God lights the psalmist's lamp, by which is -meant not the continuance of his family (as the expression elsewhere -means), but the preservation of his own life, with the added idea, -especially in ver. 28 _b_, of prosperity. Ver. 29 tells how the lamp -was kept alight, namely by the singer's victory in actual battle, in -which his swift rush had overtaken the enemy, and his agile limbs had -scaled their walls. The parallelism of the clauses is made more -complete by the emendation adopted by Lagarde, Cheyne, Baethgen, etc., -who read ver. 29 _a_, "I [can] break down a fence," but this is -unnecessary. The same combination of running and climbing occurs in -Joel ii. 7, and the two clauses of ver. 33 seem to repeat those of -ver. 29. The swift, agile warrior, then, traces these physical powers -to God, as he does more at large in later verses. - -Once more, the song passes, in ver. 30, to the wider truths taught by -the personal deliverance. "Our God" takes the place of "my God"; and -"all who take refuge in Him" are discerned as gathering, a shadowy -crowd, round the solitary psalmist, and as sharing in his blessings. -The large truths of these verses are the precious fruit of distress -and deliverance. Both have cleared the singer's eyes to see, and -tuned his lips to sing, a God whose doings are without a flaw, whose -word is like pure gold without alloy or falsehood, whose ample -protection shields all who flee to its shelter, who alone is God, the -fountain of strength, who stands firm for ever, the inexpugnable -defence and dwelling-place of men. This burst of pure adoration echoes -the tones of the glorious beginning of the psalm. Happy they who, as -the result of life's experience, solve "the riddle of this painful -earth," with these firm and jubilant convictions as the very -foundation of their being. - -The remainder of the psalm (ver. 32 to end) describes the victorious -campaign of the psalmist and the establishment of his kingdom. There is -difficulty in determining the tenses of the verbs in some verses, and -interpreters vary between pasts and futures. The inclination of the -greater number of recent commentators is to carry the historical -retrospect uninterruptedly through the whole context, which, as Hupfeld -acknowledges, "allerdings das bequemste ist," and those who suppose -occasional futures interspersed (as the R.V. and Hupfeld) differ in the -places of their introduction. "Everything here is retrospective," says -Delitzsch, and certainly that view is simplest and gives unity to the -whole. The name of God is never mentioned in the entire section, except -as vainly invoked by the flying foe. Not till the closing doxologies -does it appear again, with the frequency which marks the middle part of -the psalm. A similar sparse use of it characterises the description of -the theophany. In both cases there is a peculiar force given by the -stream of verbs without expressed nominatives. The hurrying clauses here -vividly reproduce the haste of battle, and each falls like the blow of a -battle mace wielded by a strong arm. The equipment of the king for the -fight (vv. 32-36), the fierce assault, flight of the foe and their utter -annihilation (vv. 37-42), the extension by conquest of the singer's -kingdom (vv. 43, 44), successively pass before us as we listen to the -panting words with the heat of battle in them; and all rises at last -into exuberant praise, which re-echoes some strains of the introductory -burst of thanksgiving. - -Many mythologies have told how the gods arm their champions, but the -psalmist reaches a loftier height than these. He ventures to think of -God as doing the humble office of bracing on his girdle, but the girdle -is itself strength. God, whose own "way is perfect" (ver. 30), makes His -servant's "way" in some measure like His own; and though, no doubt, the -figure must be interpreted in a manner congruous with its context, as -chiefly implying "perfection" in regard to the purpose in hand--namely, -warfare--we need not miss the deeper truth that God's soldiers are -fitted for conflict by their "ways" being conformed to God's. This man's -"strength was as the strength of ten, because his heart was pure." -Strength and swiftness are the two characteristics of antique heroes, -and God's gift bestowed both on the psalmist. Light of foot as a deer -and able to climb to the robber forts perched on crags, as a chamois -would, his hands deft, and his muscular arms strong to bend the bow -which others could not use, he is the ideal of a warrior of old; and all -these natural powers he again ascribes to God's gift. A goddess gave -Achilles his wondrous shield, but what was it to that which God binds -upon this warrior's arm? As his girdle was strength, and not merely a -means of strength, his shield is salvation, and not merely a means of -safety. The fact that God purposes to save and does act for saving is -the defence against all dangers and enemies. It is the same deep truth -as the prophet expresses by making "salvation" the walls and bulwarks of -the strong city where the righteous nation dwells in peace. God does not -thus arm His servant and then send him out alone to fight as he can, but -"Thy right hand holds me up." What assailant can beat him down, if that -hand is under his armpit to support him? The beautiful rendering of the -A.V., "Thy gentleness," scarcely conveys the meaning, and weakens the -antithesis with the psalmist's "greatness," which is brought out by -translating "Thy lowliness," or even more boldly "Thy humility." There -is that in God which answers to the peculiarly human virtue of -lowliness; and unless there were, man would remain small and unclothed -with God-given strength. The devout soul thrills with wonder at God's -stooping love, which it discerns to be the foundation of all His gifts -and therefore of its blessedness. This singer saw deep into the heart of -God, and anticipated the great word of the one Revealer, "I am meek and -lowly in heart." But God's care for him does not merely fit him for the -fight: it also orders circumstances so as to give him a free course. -Having made his "feet like hinds' feet," God then prepares paths that he -should walk in them. The work is only half done when the man is endowed -for service or conflict; a field for his powers must be forthcoming, and -God will take care that no strength given by Him lies idle for want of a -wrestling ground. Sooner or later feet find the road. - -Then follow six verses (37-42) full of the stir and tumult of battle. -There is no necessity for the change to futures in the verbs of vv. -37, 38, which the R.V. adopts. The whole is a picture of past -conflict, for which the psalmist had been equipped by God. It is a -literal fight, the triumph of which still glows in the singer's heart -and flames in his vivid words. We see him in swift pursuit, pressing -hard on the enemy, crushing them with his fierce onset, trampling them -under foot. They break and flee, shrieking out prayers, which the -pursuer has a stern joy in knowing to be fruitless. His blows fall -like those of a great pestle, and crush the fleeing wretches, who are -scattered by his irresistible charge, like dust whirled by the storm. -The last clause of the picture of the routed foe is better given by -the various reading in 2 Samuel, which requires only a very slight -alteration in one letter: "I did stamp them as the mire of the -streets." Such delight in the enemy's despair and destruction, such -gratification at hearing their vain cries to Jehovah, are far away -from Christian sentiments; and the gulf is not wholly bridged by the -consideration that the psalmist felt himself to be God's anointed, and -enmity to him to be treason against God. Most natural as his feelings -were, perfectly consistent with the level of religion proper to the -then stage of revelation, capable of being purified into that triumph -in the victory of good and ruin of evil without which there is no -vigorous sympathy with Christ's battle, and kindling as they do by -their splendid energy and condensed rapidity an answering glow in even -readers so far away from their scene as we are, they are still of -"another spirit" from that which Christ has breathed into the Church, -and nothing but confusion and mischief can come of slurring over the -difference. The light of battle which blazes in them is not the fire -which Jesus longed to kindle upon earth. - -Thus far the enemies seem to have been native foes rebelling against -God's anointed or, if the reference to the Sauline persecution is held -by, seeking to prevent his reaching his throne. But, in the concluding -verses of this part (43-45), a transition is made to victory over -"strangers," _i.e._ foreign nations. "The strivings of the people" seems -to point back to the war described already, while "Thou hast made me the -head of the nations" refers to external conquests. In 2 Samuel the -reading is "my people," which would bring out the domestic reference -more strongly; but the suffix for "my" may be a defective form of -writing the plural; if so, the peoples in ver. 43 _a_ are the "nations" -of 43 _b_. In any case the royal singer celebrates the extension of his -dominion. The tenses in vv. 44, 45, which the R.V. again gives as -futures (as does Hupfeld), are better regarded, like all the others, as -pasts. The wider dominion is not inconsistent with Davidic origin, as -his conquests were extended beyond the territory of Israel. The picture -of the hasty surrender of the enemy at the very sound of the conqueror's -name is graphic. "They lied unto me," as the words in ver. 44 _b_ are -literally, gives forcibly the feigned submission covering bitter hate. -"They fade away," as if withered by the simoom, the hot blast of the -psalmist's conquering power. "They come trembling [or, as 2 Samuel -reads, come limping] from their strongholds." - -Vv. 46 to end make a noble close to a noble hymn, in which the singer's -strong wing never flags nor the rush of thought and feeling slackens. -Even more absolutely than in the rest of the psalm every victory is -ascribed to Jehovah. He alone acts; the psalmist is simply the -recipient. To have learned by life's struggles and deliverances that -Jehovah is a living God and "my Rock" is to have gathered life's best -fruit. A morning of tempest has cleared into sunny calm, as it always -will, if tempest drives to God. He who cries to Jehovah when the floods -of destruction make him afraid will in due time have to set to his seal -that Jehovah liveth. If we begin with "The Lord is my Rock," we shall -end with "Blessed be my Rock." Thankfulness does not weary of -reiterating acknowledgments; and so the psalmist gathers up once more -the main points of the psalm in these closing strains and lays all his -mass of blessings at the feet of the Giver. His deliverance from his -domestic foes and his conquests over external enemies are wholly God's -work, and therefore supply both impulse and material for praises which -shall sound out beyond the limits of Israel. The vow to give thanks -among the nations has been thought fatal to the Davidic origin of the -psalm. Seeing, however, that some foreign peoples were conquered by him, -there was opportunity for its fulfilment. His function to make known the -name of Jehovah was the reason for his victories. David had learned the -purpose of his elevation, and recognised in an extended kingdom a wider -audience for his song. Therefore Paul penetrates to the heart of the -psalm when he quotes ver. 49 in Rom. xv. 9 as a proof that the -evangelising of the Gentiles was an Old Testament hope. The plain lesson -from the psalmist's vow is that God's mercies bind, and if felt aright -will joyfully impel, the receiver to spread His name as far as his voice -can reach. Love is sometimes silent, but gratitude must speak. The most -unmusical voice is tuned to melody by thankfulness, and they need never -want a theme who can tell what the Lord has done for their soul. - -The last verse of the psalm is sometimes regarded as a liturgical -addition, and the mention of David gratuitously supposed to be adverse -to his authorship, but there is nothing unnatural in a king's -mentioning himself in such a connection nor in the reference to his -dynasty, which is evidently based upon the promise of perpetual -dominion given through Nathan. The Christian reader knows how much -more wonderful than the singer knew was the mercy granted to the king -in that great promise, fulfilled in the Son of David, whose kingdom is -an everlasting kingdom, and who bears God's name to all the nations. - - - - - PSALM XIX. - - 1 The heavens declare the glory of God, - And the work of His hands the firmament makes known. - 2 Day to day pours forth speech, - And night to night shows knowledge. - 3 There is no speech and no words; - Not heard is their voice. - 4 In all the earth their line goes forth, and in the end of the - world their words; - For the sun has He set a tent in them, - 5 And he is like a bridegroom going out from his chamber; - He rejoices like a hero to run (his) course. - 6 From the end of the heavens is his going forth, and his circuit - unto their ends; - And nothing is hid from his heat. - - 7 The law of Jehovah is perfect, restoring the soul; - The testimony of Jehovah is trusty, making wise the simple. - 8 The precepts of Jehovah are right, rejoicing the heart; - The commandment of Jehovah is pure, enlightening the eyes. - 9 The fear of Jehovah is clean, standing for ever; - The judgments of Jehovah are truth: they are righteous altogether. - 10 They are more to be desired than gold and than abundant [gold] - refined, - And they are sweeter than honey and the droppings of the - honeycomb. - - 11 Moreover, Thy servant is warned by them; - In keeping them is reward abundant. - 12 Inadvertencies who can discern? - From hidden sins absolve me. - 13 Also from presumptuous [sins] keep back Thy servant: let them not - rule over me; - Then shall I be guiltless, and I shall be absolved from great - transgression. - 14 Accepted be the words of my mouth and meditation of my heart in - Thy sight, - Jehovah, my Rock and my Kinsman-redeemer! - - -Is this originally one psalm or bits of two, pieced together to suggest -a comparison between the two sources of knowledge of God, which the -authors did not dream of? The affirmative is strongly _main_tained, but, -we may venture to say, not so strongly _sus_tained. The two parts are -said to differ in style, rhythm, and subject. Certainly they do, but the -difference in style accounts for the difference in structure. It is not -an unheard-of phenomenon that cadence should change with theme; and if -the very purpose of the song is to set forth the difference of the two -witnesses to God, nothing can be more likely than such a change in -measure. The two halves are said to be put together abruptly without -anything to smooth the transition. So they are, and so is ver. 4 put by -the side of ver. 3; and so does the last turn of thought (vv. 12-14) -follow the second. Cyclopean architecture without mortar has a certain -impressiveness. The abruptness is rather an argument for than against -the original unity, for a compiler would have been likely to try to make -some sort of glue to hold his two fragments together, while a poet, in -the rush of his afflatus, would welcome the very abruptness which the -manufacturer would avoid. Surely the thought that binds the whole into a -unity--that _Jehovah_ is _El_, and that nature and law witness to the -same Divine Person, though with varying clearness--is not so strange as -that we should have to find its author in some late editor unknown. - -Vv. 1-6 hymn the silent declaration by the heavens. The details of -exposition must first be dealt with. "Declare" and "makes known" are -participles, and thus express the continuity of the acts. The -substance of the witness is set forth with distinct reference to its -limitations, for "glory" has here no moral element, but simply means -what Paul calls "eternal power and Godhead," while the Divine name of -God ("El") is used in intended contrast to "Jehovah" in the second -half, a _nuance_ which must be obliterated if this is a conglomerate -psalm. "His handiwork," in like manner, limits the revelation. The -heavens by day are so marvellously unlike the heavens by night that -the psalmist's imagination conjures up two long processions, each -member of which passes on the word entrusted to him to his -successor--the blazing days with heaven naked but for one great light, -and the still nights with all their stars. Ver. 3 has given -commentators much trouble in attempting to smooth its paradox. Tastes -are curiously different, for some critics think that the familiar -interpretation gives a flat, prosaic meaning, while Cheyne takes the -verse to be a gloss for dull readers, and exclaims, "How much the -brilliant psalm fragment gains by its omission!" _De gustibus_, etc. -Some of us may still feel that the psalmist's contrast of the awful -silence in the depths of the sky and of the voice that speaks to -opened ears thrills us with something very like the electric touch of -poetry. In ver. 4 the thought of the great voices returns. "Their -line" is usually explained as meaning their sphere of influence, -marked out, as it were, by a measuring cord. If that rendering is -adopted, ver. 4 _b_ would in effect say, "Their words go as far as -their realm." Or the rendering "sound" may be deduced, though somewhat -precariously, from that of _line_, since a line stretched is musical. -But the word is not used as meaning the string of an instrument, and -the very slight conjectural emendation which gives "voice" instead of -"line" has much to recommend it. In any case the teaching of the verse -is plain from the last clause, namely the universality of the -revelation. It is singular that the mention of the sun should come in -the close of the verse; and there may be some error in the text, -though the introduction of the sun here may be explained as completing -the picture of the heavens, of which it is the crowning glory. Then -follows the fuller delineation of his joyous energy, of his swift -strength in his course, of his penetrating beams, illuminating and -warming all. Why should the glowing metaphors, so natural and -vigorous, of the sun coming forth from his bridal chamber and, -hero-like, running his race, be taken to be traces of ancient myths -now innocently reclaimed from the service of superstition? To find in -these two images a proof that the first part of the psalm belongs to -the post-exilic "literary revival of Hebrew mythology" is surely to -lay more on them than they can bear. - -The scientific contemplation of nature is wholly absent from -Scripture, and the picturesque is very rare. This psalmist knew -nothing about solar spectra or stellar distances, but he heard a voice -from out of the else waste heavens which sounded to him as if it named -God. Comte ventured to say that the heavens declare the glory of the -astronomer, not of God; but, if there be an order in them, which it is -a man's glory to discover, must there not be a mind behind the order, -and must not the Maker have more glory than the investigator? The -psalmist is protesting against stellar worship, which some of his -neighbours practised. The sun was a creature, not a god; his "race" -was marked out by the same hand which in depths beyond the visible -heavens had pitched a "tent" for his nightly rest. We smile at the -simple astronomy; the religious depth is as deep as ever. Dull ears do -not hear these voices; but whether they are stopped with the clay of -earthly tastes and occupations, or stuffed with scientific wadding of -the most modern kind, the ears that do not hear God's name sounded -from the abysses above, have failed to hear the only word which can -make man feel at home in nature. Carlyle said that the sky was "a sad -sicht." The sadness and awfulness are taken away when we hear the -heavens telling the glory of God. The unscientific psalmist who did -hear them was nearer the very heart of the mystery than the scientist -who knows everything else about them but that. - -With an abrupt transition which is full of poetical force, the singer -turns to the praises of the better revelation of Jehovah. Nature -speaks in eloquent silence of the strong God, but has no witness to -His righteous will for men or His love to them which can compare with -the clear utterances of His law. The rhythm changes, and in its -cadence expresses the psalmist's exuberant delight in that law. In vv. -7-11 the clauses are constructed on a uniform plan, each containing a -name for the law, an attribute of it, and one of its effects. The -abundance of synonyms indicates familiarity and clear views of the -many sides of the subject. The psalmist had often brooded on the -thought of what that law was, because, loving its Giver, he must needs -love the gift. So he calls it "law," or teaching, since there he found -the best lessons for character and life. It was "testimony," for in it -God witnessed what He is and what we should be, and so witnessed -against sin; it was a body of "precepts" (statutes, A.V.) giving rich -variety of directions; it was "commandment," blessedly imperative; it -was "fear of the Lord," the effect being put for the cause; it was -"judgments," the decisions of infinite truth concerning duty. - -These synonyms have each an attribute attached, which, together, give -a grand aggregate of qualities discerned by a devout heart to inhere -in that law which is to so many but a restraint and a foe. It is -"perfect," as containing without flaw or defect the ideal of conduct; -"sure" or reliable, as worthy of being absolutely followed and certain -to be completely fulfilled; "right," as prescribing the straight road -to man's true goal; "pure" or bright, as being light like the sun, but -of a higher quality than that material brilliance; "clean," as -contrasted with the foulness bedaubing false faiths and making idol -worship unutterably loathsome; "true" and "wholly righteous," as -corresponding accurately to the mind of Jehovah and the facts of -humanity and as being in full accordance with the justice which has -its seat in the bosom of God. - -The effects are summed up in the latter clauses of these verses, which -stand, as it were, a little apart, and by the slight pause are made more -emphatic. The rhythm rises and falls like the upspringing and sinking of -a fountain. The law "restores the soul," or rather refreshes the life, -as food does; it "makes the simple wise" by its sure testimony, giving -practical guidance to narrow understandings and wills open to easy -beguiling by sin; it "rejoices the heart," since there is no gladness -equal to that of knowing and doing the will of God; it "enlightens the -eyes" with brightness beyond that of the created light which rules the -day. Then the relation of clauses changes slightly in ver. 9, and a -second attribute takes the place of the effect. It "endures for ever," -and, as we have seen, is "wholly righteous." The Old Testament law was -relatively imperfect and destined to be done away, but the moral core of -it abides. Being more valuable than all other treasures, there is wealth -in the very desire after it more than in possessing these. Loved, it -yields sweetness in comparison with which the delights of sense are -bitter; done, it automatically rewards the doer. If obedience had no -results except its inward consequences, it would be abundantly repaid. -Every true servant of Jehovah will be willing to be warned by that -voice, even though it rebuke and threaten. - -All this rapture of delight in the law contrasts with the impatience -and dislike which some men entertain for it. To the disobedient that -law spoils their coarse gratifications. It is as a prison in which -life is wearisomely barred from delights; but they who dwell behind -its fences know that these keep evils off, and that within are calm -joys and pure pleasures. - -The contemplation of the law cannot but lead to self-examination, and -that to petition. So the psalmist passes into prayer. His shortcomings -appal, for "by the law is the knowledge of sin," and he feels that -beyond the sin which he knows, there is a dark region in him where foul -things nestle and breed fast. "Secret faults" are those hidden, not from -men, but from himself. He discovers that he has hitherto undiscovered -sins. Lurking evils are most dangerous because, like aphides on the -under-side of a rose leaf, they multiply so quickly unobserved; small -deeds make up life, and small, unnoticed sins darken the soul. Mud in -water, at the rate of a grain to a glassful, will make a lake opaque. -"Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he -alloweth." Conscience needs educating; and we have to compare ourselves -with the ideal of perfect life in Jesus, if we would know our faults, -as young artists go over their copies in front of the masterpiece. But -the psalmist knows that, servant of God though he is, he is in danger -from another class of sins, and so prays to be held back from -"presumptuous sins," _i.e._ wilful conscious transgressions. Such -deliberate contraventions of law tend to become habitual and despotic; -so the prayer follows that they may not "have dominion." But even that -is not the lowest depth. Deliberate sin, which has gained the upper -hand, is but too apt to end in apostacy. "Great transgression" is -probably a designation for casting off the very pretence of worshipping -Jehovah. That is the story of many a fall. First, some unsuspected evil -habit gnaws away the substance of the life, as white ants do wood, -leaving the shell apparently intact; then come sins open and palpable, -and these enslave the will, becoming habits, and then follows entire -abandonment of the profession of religion. It is a slippery, dark -stairway, and the only safety is in not setting foot on the top step. -God, and God only, can "keep us back." He will, if we cling to Him, -knowing our weakness. Thus clinging, we may unblamed cherish the daring -hope that we shall be "upright and innocent," since nothing less than -entire deliverance from sin in all its forms and issues can correspond -to the will of God concerning us and the power of God in us, nor satisfy -our deepest desires. - -The closing aspiration is that Jehovah would accept the song and prayer. -There is an allusion to the acceptance of a sacrifice, for the phrase -"be acceptable" is frequent in connection with the sacrificial ritual. -When the words of the mouth coincide with the meditation of the heart, -we may hope that prayers for cleansing from, and defence against, sin, -offered to Him whom our faith recognises as our "strength" and our -"Redeemer," will be as a sacrifice of a sweet smell, well-pleasing to -God. He best loves the law of Jehovah who lets it teach him his sin, and -send him to his knees; he best appreciates the glories of the silent -heavens who knows that their witness to God is but the prelude of the -deeper music of the Scriptures' declaration of the heart and will of -Jehovah, and who grasps Him as his "strength and his Redeemer" from all -evil, whether evil of sin or evil of sorrow. - - - - - PSALM XX. - - 1 Jehovah answer thee in the day of trouble, - The name of the God of Jacob set thee on high; - 2 Send thy help from the holy place, - And from Zion hold thee up; - 3 Remember all thy meal offerings, - And thy burnt offerings may He find fat; Selah. - 4 Give thee according to thy heart, - And all thy counsel may He fulfil. - - 5 May we exult in thy salvation, and in the name of our God wave our - standards; - Jehovah fulfil all thy petitions! - - 6 Now I know that Jehovah saves His anointed; - He will answer him from his Holy heaven, with mighty deeds of the - salvation of His right hand. - - 7 These boast in chariots, and these in horses; - And we--in the name of Jehovah our God we boast. - 8 They--they are bowed down, and fall; - And we--we are risen, and stand firm. - 9 Jehovah, save! - May the King hear us in the day when we call. - - -This is a battle song, followed by a chant of victory. They are -connected in subject and probably in occasion, but fight and triumph -have fallen dim to us, though we can still feel how hotly the fire -once glowed. The passion of loyalty and love for the king, expressed -in these psalms, fits no reign in Judah so well as the bright noonday -of David's, when "whatever the king did pleased all the people." -Cheyne, indeed, would bring them down to the Maccabean period, and -suggests Simon Maccabaeus as the ruler referred to. He has to put a -little gentle pressure on "king" to contract it to fit the man of his -choice, and appeals to the "good old Semitic sense" of "consul." But -would not an appeal to Hebrew usage have been more satisfactory? If -"king" means "king," great or small, the psalm is not post-exilic, and -the Davidic date will not seem impossible. It does not seem impossible -that a poet-king should have composed a national hymn praying for his -own victory, which was the nation's also. - -The psalm has traces of the alternation of chorus and solo. The nation -or army first pours out its united prayer for victory in vv. 1-5, and is -succeeded by a single voice (possibly that of the officiating priest or -the king himself) in ver. 6, expressing confidence that the prayer is -answered, which, again, is followed by the closing chorus of many voices -throbbing with the assurance of victory before a blow is struck, and -sending one more long-drawn cry to God ere battle is joined. - -The prayer in vv. 1-5 breathes self-distrust and confidence in -Jehovah, the temper which brings victory, not only to Israel, but to -all fighters for God. Here is no boasting of former victories, nor of -man's bravery and strength, nor of a captain's skill. One name is -invoked. It alone rouses courage and pledges triumph. "The name of the -God of Jacob set thee on high." That name is almost regarded as a -person, as is often the case. Attributes and acts are ascribed to it -which properly belong to the Unnameable whom it names, as if with some -dim inkling that the agent of revealing a person must be a person. The -name is the revealed character, which is contemplated as having -existence in some sense apart from Him whose character it is. -Possibly there is a reference to Gen. xxxv. 3, where Jacob speaks of -"the God who answered me in the day of my distress." That ancient -instance of His power to hear and help may have floated before the -singer's mind as heartening faith for this day of battle. To "set on -high" is a familiar natural figure for deliverance. The earthly -sanctuary is Jehovah's throne; and all real help must come thence, of -which help His dwelling there is a pledge. So in these two verses the -extremity of need, the history of past revelation, and the special -relation of Jehovah to Israel are woven into the people's prayer for -their king. In vv. 3, 4, they add the incense of their intercession to -his sacrifices. The background of the psalm is probably the altar on -which the accustomed offerings before a battle were being presented (1 -Sam. xiii. 9). The prayer for acceptance of the burnt offering is very -graphic, since the word rendered "accept" is literally "esteem fat." - -One wish moved the sacrificing king and the praying people. Their common -desire was victory, but the people are content to be obscure, and their -loyal love so clings to their monarch and leader that they only wish the -fulfilment of his wishes. This unity of feeling culminates in the -closing petitions in ver. 6, where self-oblivion wishes "May we exult in -thy salvation," arrogating none of the glory of victory to themselves, -but ascribing all to him, and vows "In the name of our God we will wave -our standards," ascribing victory to Him, its ultimate cause. An army -that prays, "Jehovah fulfil all thy petitions," will be ready to obey -all its captain's commands and to move in obedience to his impulse as if -it were part of himself. The enthusiastic community of purpose with its -chief and absolute reliance on Jehovah, with which this prayer throbs, -would go far towards securing victory anywhere. They should find their -highest exemplification in that union between Christ and us in which all -human relationships find theirs, since, in the deepest sense, they are -all Messianic prophecies, and point to Him who is all the good that -other men and women have partially been, and satisfies all the cravings -and necessities which human relationships, however blessed, but -incompletely supply. - -The sacrifice has been offered; the choral prayer has gone up. Silence -follows, the worshippers watching the curling smoke as it rises; and -then a single voice breaks out into a burst of glad assurance that -sacrifice and prayer are answered. Who speaks? The most natural answer -is, "The king"; and the fact that he speaks of himself as Jehovah's -anointed in the third person does not present a difficulty. What is the -reference in that "now" at the beginning of ver. 6? May we venture to -suppose that the king's heart swelled at the exhibition of his subjects' -devotion and hailed it as a pledge of victory? The future is brought -into the present by the outstretched hand of faith, for this single -speaker knows that "Jehovah has saved," though no blow has yet been -struck. The prayer had asked for help from Zion; the anticipation of -answer looks higher: to the holier sanctuary, where Jehovah indeed -dwells. The answer now waited for in sure confidence is "the mighty -deeds of salvation of His right hand," some signal forthputting of -Divine power scattering the foe. A whisper may start an avalanche. The -prayer of the people has set Omnipotence in motion. Such assurance that -petitions are heard is wont to spring in the heart that truly prays, and -comes as a forerunner of fulfilment, shedding on the soul the dawn of -the yet unrisen sun. He has but half prayed who does not wait in -silence, watching the flight of his arrow and not content to cease till -the calm certainty that it has reached its aim fills his heart. - -Again the many voices take up the song, responding to the confidence -of the single speaker and, like him, treating the victory as already -won. Looking across the field to the masses of the enemy's cavalry and -chariots, forces forbidden to Israel, though employed by them in later -days, the song grandly opposes to these "the name of Jehovah our God." -There is a world of contempt and confidence in the juxtaposition. -Chariots and horses are very terrible, especially to raw soldiers -unaccustomed to their whirling onset; but the Name is mightier, as -Pharaoh and his array proved by the Red Sea. This reference to the -army of Israel as unequipped with cavalry and chariots is in favour of -an early date, since the importation and use of both began as soon as -Solomon's time. The certain issue of the fight is given in ver. 8 in a -picturesque fashion, made more vigorous by the tenses which describe -completed acts. When the brief struggle is over, this is what will be -seen--the enemy prone, Israel risen from subjection and standing firm. -Then comes a closing cry for help, which, according to the traditional -division of the verse, has one very short clause and one long drawn -out, like the blast of the trumpet sounding the charge. The intensity -of appeal is condensed in the former clause into the one word "save" -and the renewed utterance of the name, thrice referred to in this -short psalm as the source at once of strength and confidence. The -latter clause, as in the A.V. and R.V., transfers the title of King -from the earthly shadow to the true Monarch in the heavens, and -thereby suggests yet another plea for help. The other division of the -verse, adopted in the LXX. and by some moderns, equalises the clauses -by transferring "the king" to the former ("O Lord, save the king, and -answer us," etc.). But this involves a violent change from the second -person imperfect in the first clause to the third person imperfect in -the second. It would be intolerably clumsy to say, "Do Thou save; may -He hear," and therefore the LXX. has had recourse to inserting "and" -at the beginning of the second clause, which somewhat breaks the jolt, -but is not in the Hebrew. The text, as it stands, yields a striking -meaning, beautifully suggesting the subordinate office of the earthly -monarch and appealing to the true King to defend His own army and go -forth with it to the battle which is waged for His name. When we are -sure that we are serving Jehovah and fighting for Him, we may be sure -that we go not a warfare at our own charges nor alone. - - - - - PSALM XXI. - - 1 Jehovah, in Thy strength the king rejoices, - And in Thy salvation how greatly he exults! - 2 The desire of his heart Thou hast given to him, - And the request of his lips Thou hast not refused. - 3 For Thou meetest him with blessings of good; - Thou settest on his head a crown of pure gold. - 4 Life he asked from Thee; Thou gavest it to him, - Length of days for ever and ever. - 5 Great is his glory through Thy salvation; - Honour and majesty Thou layest upon him. - 6 For Thou dost set him [to be] blessings for ever, - Dost gladden him in joy with Thy face. - 7 For the king trusts in Jehovah, - And in the loving-kindness of the Most High he shall not be moved. - - 8 Thine hand shall reach towards all thy foes; - Thy right hand shall reach all thy haters. - 9 Thou shalt make them as a furnace of fire at the time of thine - appearance (face); - Jehovah in His wrath shall swallow them up: fire shall devour - them. - 10 Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, - And their seed from the sons of men. - 11 For they cause evil to hang over thee; - They meditate mischief: they will achieve nothing. - 12 For thou shalt make them turn their back, - On thy bowstrings wilt aim [arrows] at their faces. - - 13 Lift Thyself up, Jehovah, in Thy strength; - We will sing and harp, [praising] Thy might. - - -This psalm is a pendant to the preceding. There the people prayed for -the king; here they give thanks for him: there they asked that his -desires might be fulfilled; here they bless Jehovah, who has -fulfilled them: there the battle was impending; here it has been won, -though foes are still in the field: there the victory was prayed for; -here it is prophesied. Who is the "king"? The superscription points to -David. Conjecture has referred to Hezekiah, principally because of his -miraculous recovery, which is supposed to be intended in ver. 4. -Cheyne thinks of Simon Maccabaeus, and sees his priestly crown in ver. -3. But there are no individualising features in the royal portrait, -and it is so idealised, or rather spiritualised, that it is hard to -suppose that any single monarch was before the singer's mind. The -remarkable greatness and majesty of the figure will appear as we read. -The whole may be cast into two parts, with a closing strain of prayer. -In the first part (vv. 1-7) the people praise Jehovah for His gifts to -the king; in the second (vv. 8-12) they prophesy to the king complete -victory; in ver. 13 they end, as in xx., with a short petition, which, -however, here is, in accordance with the tone of the whole, more -jubilant than the former and less shrill. - -The former psalm had asked for strength to be given to the king; this -begins with thanks for the strength in which the king rejoices. In the -former the people had anticipated triumph in the king's salvation or -victory; here they celebrate his exceeding exultation in it. It was -his, since he was victor, but it was Jehovah's, since He was Giver of -victory. Loyal subjects share in the king's triumph, and connect it -with him; but he himself traces it to God. The extraordinarily lofty -language in which Jehovah's gifts are described in the subsequent -verses has, no doubt, analogies in the Assyrian hymns to which Cheyne -refers; but the abject reverence and partial deification which these -breathe were foreign to the relations of Israel to its kings, who were -not separated from their subjects by such a gulf as divided the great -sovereigns of the East from theirs. The mysterious Divinity which -hedges "the king" in the royal psalms is in sharp contrast with the -democratic familiarity between prince and people exhibited in the -history. The phenomena common to these psalms naturally suggest that -"the king" whom they celebrate is rather the ideal than the real -monarch. The office rather than the individual who partially fulfils -its demands and possesses its endowments seems to fill the singer's -canvas. But the ideal of the office is destined to be realised in the -Messiah, and the psalm is in a true sense Messianic, inasmuch as, with -whatever mixture of conceptions proper to the then stage of -revelation, it still ascribes to the ideal king attributes which no -king of Judah exhibited. The transcendant character of the gifts of -Jehovah enumerated here is obvious, however the language may be pared -down. First, we have the striking picture of Jehovah coming forth to -meet the conqueror with "blessings of goodness," as Melchizedek met -Abraham with refreshments in his hands and benedictions on his lips. -Victory is naturally followed by repose and enjoyment, and all are -Jehovah's gift. The subsequent endowments may possibly be regarded as -the details of these blessings, the fruits of the victory. Of these -the first is the coronation of the conqueror, not as if he had not -been king before, but as now more fully recognised as such. The -supporters of the Davidic authorship refer to the crown of gold won at -the capture of Rabbath of Ammon, but there is no need to seek -historical basis for the representation. Then comes a signal instance -of the king's closeness of intercourse with Jehovah and of his -receiving his heart's desire in that he asked for "life" and received -"length of days for ever and ever." No doubt the strong expression for -perpetuity may be paralleled in such phrases as "O king, live for -ever," and others which are obviously hyperbolical and mean not -perpetual, but indefinitely protracted, duration; but the great -emphasis of expression here and its repetition in ver. 6 can scarcely -be disposed of as mere hyperbole. If it is the ideal king who is -meant, his undying life is substantially synonymous with the -continuance of the dynasty which 2 Sam. vii. represents as the promise -underlying the Davidic throne. The figure of the king is then brought -still nearer to the light of Jehovah, and words which are consecrated -to express Divine attributes are applied to him in ver. 5. "Glory," -"honour and majesty," are predicated of him, not as if there were an -apotheosis, as would have been possible in Assyrian or Roman flattery, -but the royal recipient and the Divine Giver are clearly separated, -even while the lustre raying from Jehovah is conceived of as falling -in brightness upon the king. These flashing emanations of the Divine -glory make their recipient "blessings for ever," which seems to -include both the possession and the communication of good. An eternal -fountain of blessing and himself blessed, he is cheered with joy which -comes from Jehovah's face, so close is his approach and so gracious to -him is that countenance. Nothing higher could be thought of than such -intimacy and friendliness of access. To dwell in the blaze of that -face and to find only joy therein is the crown of human blessedness -(Psalm xvi. 11). Finally, the double foundation of all the king's -gifts is laid in ver. 7: he trusts and Jehovah's loving-kindness -gives, and therefore he stands firm, and his throne endures, whatever -may dash against it. These daring anticipations are too exuberant to -be realised in any but One, whose victory was achieved in the hour of -apparent defeat; whose conquest was both His salvation and God's; who -prays knowing that He is always heard; who is King of men because He -endured the cross,--and wears the crown of pure gold because He did -not refuse the crown of thorns; who liveth for evermore, having been -given by the Father to have life in Himself; who is the outshining of -the Father's glory, and has all power granted unto Him; who is the -source of all blessing to all, who dwells in the joy to which He will -welcome His servants; and who Himself lived and conquered by the life -of faith, and so became the first Leader of the long line of those who -have trusted and therefore have stood fast. Whomsoever the psalmist -saw in his vision, he has gathered into one many traits which are -realised only in Jesus Christ. - -The second part (vv. 8-12) is, by Hupfeld and others, taken as addressed -to Jehovah; and that idea has much to recommend it, but it seems to go -to wreck on the separate reference to Jehovah in ver. 9, on the -harshness of applying "evil against thee" and "a mischievous device" -(ver. 11) to Him, and on the absence of a sufficient link of connection -between the parts if it is adopted. If, on the other hand, we suppose -that the king is addressed in these verses, there is the same dramatic -structure as in Psalm xx.; and the victory which has been won is now -taken as a pledge of future ones. The expectation is couched in terms -adapted to the horizon of the singer, and on his lips probably meant -stern extermination of hostile nations. The picture is that of a fierce -conqueror, and we must not seek to soften the features, nor, on the -other hand, to deny the prophetic inspiration of the psalmist. The task -of the ideal king was to crush and root out opposition to his monarchy, -which was Jehovah's. Very terrible are the judgments of his hand, which -sound liker those of Jehovah than those inflicted by a man, as Hupfeld -and others have felt. In ver. 8 the construction is slightly varied in -the two clauses, the verb "reach" having a preposition attached in the -former, and not in the latter, which difference may be reproduced by the -distinction between "reach towards" and "reach." The seeking hand is -stretched out after, and then it grasps, its victims. The comparison of -the "fiery oven" is inexact in form, but the very negligence helps the -impression of agitation and terribleness. The enemy are not likened to a -furnace, but to the fuel cast into it. But the phrase rendered in A.V. -"in the time of thine anger" is very remarkable, being literally "in the -time of thy face." The destructive effect of Jehovah's countenance -(xxxiv. 17) is here transferred to His king's, into whose face has -passed, as he gazed in joy on the face of Jehovah, some of the lustre -which kills where it does not gladden. Compare "everlasting destruction -from the face of the Lord" (2 Thess. i. 9). The king is so completely -representative of Jehovah that the destruction of the enemy is the work -of the one fire of wrath common to both. The destruction extends to the -whole generation of enemies, as in the ferocious warfare of old days, -when a nation was wiped off the earth. The psalmist sees in the -extremest vengeance the righteous and inevitable consequence of -hostility condemned by the nature of the case to be futile, and yet -criminal: "They cause evil to hang over thee: they meditate mischief; -they will achieve nothing." Then, in ver. 12, the dread scene is -completed by the picture of the flying foe and the overtaking pursuer, -who first puts them to flight, and then, getting in front of them, sends -his arrows full in their faces. The ideal of the king has a side of -terror; and while his chosen weapon is patient love, he has other arrows -in his quiver. The pictures of the destroying conqueror are taken up and -surpassed in the New Testament. They do not see the whole Christ who do -not see the Warrior Christ, nor have they realised all His work who slur -over the solemn expectation that one day men shall call on rocks and -hills to cover them from "the steady whole of the Judge's face." - -As in Psalm xx., the close is a brief petition, which asks the -fulfilment of the anticipations in vv. 8-12, and traces, as in ver. 1, -the king's triumph to Jehovah's strength. The loyal love of the nation -will take its monarch's victory as its own joy, and be glad in the -manifestation thereby of Jehovah's power. That is the true voice of -devotion which recognises God, not man, in all victories, and answers -the forthflashing of His delivering power by the thunder of praise. - - - - - PSALM XXII. - - 1 My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? - [Why art Thou] afar from my help, from the words of my roar? - 2 My God, I cry to Thee by day, and Thou answerest not; - And by night, but there is no rest for me. - - 3 Yet Thou art Holy, - Throned upon the praises of Israel. - 4 In Thee our fathers trusted; - They trusted and Thou deliveredst them. - 5 To Thee they cried and were delivered; - In Thee they trusted and were not put to shame. - - 6 But I am a worm, and not a man; - A reproach of men and despised of people. - 7 All who see me mock at me; - They draw open the lips, they nod the head. - 8 "Roll [thy cares] on Jehovah--let Him deliver him; - Let Him rescue him, for He delights in him." - - 9 Yea, Thou art He who didst draw me from the womb - Didst make me trust when on my mother's breasts. - 10 Upon Thee was I thrown from birth; - From my mother's womb art Thou my God. - 11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near; - For there is no helper. - - 12 Many bulls have surrounded me, - Strong ones of Bashan have encircled me. - 13 They gape upon me with their mouth, - [Like] a lion tearing and roaring. - - 14 Like water I am poured out, - And all my bones are out of joint - My heart has become like wax, - Melted in the midst of my bowels. - 15 My strength (palate?) is dried up like a potsherd, - And my tongue cleaves to my gums, - And Thou layest me in the dust of death. - - 16 For dogs have surrounded me, - A pack of evil-doers closed round me, - They pierced my hands and my feet. - 17 I can count all my bones, - These--they gaze, upon me they look. - 18 They divide my garments among them, - And on my vesture they cast lots. - - 19 But Thou, Jehovah, be not far off; - My Strength, haste to my help. - 20 Deliver my soul from the sword, - My only [life] from the paw of the dog. - 21 Save me from the mouth of the lion, - And from the horns of the wild oxen--Thou hast answered me. - - 22 I will declare Thy name to my brethren, - In the midst of the congregation will I praise Thee. - 23 Ye that fear Jehovah, praise Him, - All ye the seed of Jacob, glorify Him, - And stand in awe of Him, all ye the seed of Israel. - 24 For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the - afflicted one. - And has not hid His face from him, - And when he cried has hearkened to him. - 25 From Thee [comes] my praise in the great congregation; - My vows will I pay before them that fear Him. - 26 The humble shall eat and be satisfied, - They shall praise Jehovah that seek Him; - Let your heart live for ever. - - 27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to Jehovah. - And all the families of the nations shall bow before Thee. - 28 For the kingdom is Jehovah's; - And He is ruler among the nations. - 29 All the fat ones of the earth eat and bow down; - Before His face kneel all they who were going down to the dust, - And he [who] could not keep his soul alive. - 30 A seed shall serve Him; - And it shall be told of Jehovah unto the [next] generation. - 31 They shall come and declare His righteousness - Unto a people that shall be born, that He has done [this]. - - -Who is the sufferer whose wail is the very voice of desolation and -despair, and who yet dares to believe that the tale of his sorrow will -be a gospel for the world? The usual answers are given. The title -ascribes the authorship to David, and is accepted by Delitzsch and -others. Hengstenberg and his followers see in the picture the ideal -righteous man. Others think of Hezekiah, or Jeremiah, with whose -prophecies and history there are many points of connection. The most -recent critics find here "the personalised Genius of Israel, or more -precisely the followers of Nehemiah, including the large-hearted -psalmist" (Cheyne, "Orig. of Psalt.," 264). On any theory of authorship, -the startling correspondence of the details of the psalmist's sufferings -with those of the Crucifixion has to be accounted for. How startling -that correspondence is, both in the number and minuteness of its points, -need not be insisted on. Not only does our Lord quote the first verse on -the cross, and so show that the psalm was in his heart then, but the -gestures and words of mockery were verbally reproduced, as Luke -significantly indicates by using the LXX's word for "laugh to scorn" -(ver. 7). Christ's thirst is regarded by John as the fulfilment of -"scripture," which can scarcely be other than ver. 15. The physical -effects of crucifixion are described in the ghastly picture of vv. 14, -15. Whatever difficulty exists in determining the true reading and -meaning of the allusion to "my hands and my feet," some violence or -indignity to them is intended. The peculiar detail of dividing the -raiment was more than fulfilled, since the apparently parallel and -synonymous clauses were resolved into two distinct acts. The recognition -of these points in the psalm as prophecies is one thing; the -determination of their relation to the psalmist's own experience is -quite another. It is taken for granted in many quarters that every such -detail in prophecy must describe the writer's own circumstances, and the -supposition that they may transcend these is said to be "psychologically -impossible." But it is somewhat hazardous for those who have not been -subjects of prophetic inspiration to lay down canons of what is possible -and impossible in it, and there are examples enough to prove that the -relation of the prophets' speech to their consciousness and -circumstances was singularly complex, and not to be unravelled by any -such _obiter dicta_ as to psychological possibilities. They were -recipients of messages, and did not always understand what the "Spirit -of Christ which was in them did signify." Theories which neglect that -aspect of the case do not front all the facts. Certainty as to the -authorship of this psalm is probably unattainable. How far its words -fitted the condition of the singer must therefore remain unsettled. But -that these minute and numerous correspondences are more than -coincidences, it seems perverse to deny. The present writer, for one, -sees shining through the shadowy personality of the psalmist the figure -of the Prince of Sufferers, and believes that whether the former's -plaints applied in all their particulars to him, or whether there is in -them a certain "element of hyperbole" which becomes simple fact in -Jesus' sufferings, the psalm is a prophecy of Him and them. In the -former case the psalmist's experience, in the latter case his -utterances, were divinely shaped so as to prefigure the sacred sorrows -of the Man of Sorrows. - -To a reader who shares in this understanding of the psalm, it must be -holy ground, to be trodden reverently and with thoughts adoringly fixed -on Jesus. Cold analysis is out of place. And yet there is a distinct -order even in the groans, and a manifest contrast in the two halves of -the psalm (vv. 1-21 and 22-31). "Thou answerest not" is the key-note of -the former; "Thou hast answered me," of the latter. The one paints the -sufferings, the other the glory that should follow. Both point to Jesus: -the former by the desolation which it breathes; the latter by the -world-wide consequences of these solitary sufferings which it foresees. - -Surely opposites were never more startlingly blended in one gush of -feeling than in that plaint of mingled faith and despair, "My God, my -God, why hast Thou forsaken me?" which by its thus addressing God -clings fast to Him, and by its wondering question discloses the dreary -consciousness of separation from Him. The evidence to the psalmist -that he was forsaken was the apparent rejection of his prayers for -deliverance; and if David be the speaker, we may suppose that the -pathetic fate of his predecessor hovered before his thoughts: "I am -sore distressed ... God is departed from me and answereth me no more." -But, while lower degrees of this conflict of trust and despair belong -to all deep religious life, and are experienced by saintly sufferers -in all ages, the voice that rang through the darkness on Calvary was -the cry of Him who experienced its force in supreme measure and in -altogether unique manner. None but He can ask that question "Why?" -with conscience void of offence. None but He have known the mortal -agony of utter separation from God. None but He have clung to God with -absolute trust even in the horror of great darkness. In Christ's -consciousness of being forsaken by God lie elements peculiar to it -alone, for the separating agent was the gathered sins of the whole -world, laid on Him and accepted by Him in the perfection of His loving -identification of Himself with men. Unless in that dread hour He was -bearing a world's sin, there is no worthy explanation of His cry, and -many a silent martyr has faced death for Him with more courage derived -from Him than He manifested on His cross. - -After the introductory strophe of two verses, there come seven -strophes, of which three contain 3 verses each (vv. 3-11) followed by -two of 2 verses each (vv. 12-15) and these again by two with 3 verses -each. Can a soul agitated as this singer's was regulate its sobs thus? -Yes, if it is a singer's, and still more if it is a saint's. The -fetters make the limbs move less violently, and there is soothing in -the ordered expression of disordered emotion. The form is artistic not -artificial; and objections to the reality of the feelings on the -ground of the regularity of the form ignore the witness of the -masterpieces of literature in all tongues. - -The desolation rising from unanswered prayer drives to the -contemplation of God's holiness and past responses to trusting men, -which are in one aspect an aggravation and in another an alleviation. -The psalmist partly answers his own question "Why?" and preaches to -Himself that the reason cannot be in Jehovah, whose character and -former deeds bind Him to answer trust by help. God's holiness is -primarily His separation from, by elevation above, the creature, both -in regard of His freedom from limitations and of His perfect purity. -If He is thus "holy," He will not break His promise, nor change His -ways with those who trust. It takes some energy of faith to believe -that a silent and apparently deaf God is "holy," and the effect of the -belief may either be to crush or to lift the spirit. Its first result -with this psalmist seems to have been to crush, as the next strophe -shows, but the more blessed consequence is won before the end. Here it -is partly a plea urged with God, as is that beautiful bold image of -God enthroned "on the praises of Israel." These praises are evoked by -former acts of grace answering prayers, and of them is built a yet -nobler throne than the outstretched wings of the Cherubim. The daring -metaphor penetrates deeply into God's delight in men's praise, and the -power of Israel's voice to exalt Him in the world. How could a God -thus throned cease to give mercies like those which were perpetually -commemorated thereby? The same half-wistful, half-confident retrospect -is continued in the remaining verses of this strophe (vv. 4, 5), which -look back to the "grey fathers'" experience. Mark the plaintive -reiteration of "trust" and "deliver," the two inseparables, as the -days of old attested, which had now become so sadly parted. Not more -certainly the flow of water in a pipe answers the application of -thirsty lips to its opening than did God's rescuing act respond to the -father's trust. And now!-- - -The use of "Our" in reference to the fathers has been laid hold of as -favouring the hypothesis that the speaker is the personified nation; -but no individual member of a nation would speak of the common -ancestors as "My fathers." That would mean his own family progenitors, -whereas the psalmist means the Patriarchs and the earlier -generations. No argument for the national theory, then, can be drawn -from the phrase. Can the reference to Jesus be carried into this -strophe? Assuredly it may, and it shows us how truly He associated -Himself with His nation, and fed His faith by the records of the past. -"He also is a son of Abraham." - -Such remembrances make the contrast of present sufferings and of a -far-off God more bitter; and so a fresh wave of agony rolls over the -psalmist's soul. He feels himself crushed and as incapable of -resistance as a worm bruised in all its soft length by an armed heel. -The very semblance of manhood has faded. One can scarcely fail to -recall "his visage was so marred more than any man" (Isa. lii. 14), -and the designation of Jehovah's servant Israel as "thou worm" (Isa. -xli. 14). The taunts that wounded the psalmist so sorely have long -since fallen dumb, and the wounds are all healed; but the immortal -words in which he wails the pain of misapprehension and rejection are -engraved for ever on the heart of the world. No suffering is more -acute than that of a sensitive soul, brimming with love and eagerness -to help, and met with scorn, rejection and ferocious mockery of its -sacredest emotions. No man has ever felt that pang with the intensity -with which Jesus felt it, for none has ever brought such wealth of -longing love to be thrown back on itself, nor been so devoid of the -callousness with which selfishness is shielded. His pure nature was -tender as an infant's hand, and felt the keen edge of the spear as -none but He can have done. They are His sorrows that are painted here, -so vividly and truly that the evangelist Luke takes the very word of -the LXX. version of the psalm to describe the rulers' mockery (Luke -xxiii. 35). "They draw open the lips," grinning with delight or -contempt; "they nod the head" in mockery and assent to the suffering -inflicted; and then the savage hate bursts into irony which defiles -the sacredest emotions and comes near to blaspheming God in ridiculing -trust in Him. The mockers thought it exquisite sarcasm to bid Jesus -roll His troubles on Jehovah, and to bid God deliver Him since He -delighted in Him. How little they knew that they were thereby -proclaiming Him as the Christ of prophecy, and were giving the -unimpeachable testimony of enemies to His life of devout trust and His -consciousness of Divine favour! "Roll (it) on God," sneered they; and -the answer was, "Father, into Thy hands I commit my spirit." "Let Him -deliver Him, since He delighteth in Him," they impiously cried, and -they knew not that God's delight in Him was the very reason why He did -not deliver Him. Because He was His Son in whom He was well pleased, -"it pleased the Lord to bruise Him." The mockery of opponents brings -into clear light the deepest secrets of that cross. - -Another wave of feeling follows in the next strophe (vv. 9-11). -Backwards and forwards, from trust to complaint and from complaint to -trust, rolls the troubled sea of thought, each mood evoking its -opposite. Now reproach makes the psalmist tighten his grasp on God, -and plead former help as a reason for present hearing. Faith turns -taunts into prayers. This strophe begins with a "Yea," and, on the -relationship with God which the enemies had ridiculed and which his -heart knows to be true, pleads that God would not remain, as ver. 1 -had wailed that He was, far off from His help. It goes back to the -beginning of life, and in the mystery of birth and the dependence of -infancy finds arguments with God. They are the personal application -of the wide truth that God by His making us men gives us a claim on -Him, that He has bound Himself by giving life to give what is needful -for its development and well-being. He will not stultify Himself by -making a man and then leaving him to struggle alone, as birds do with -their young, as soon as they can fly. He is "a faithful Creator." May -we venture to find special reference here to the mystery of the -Incarnation? It is noticeable that "my mother" is emphatically -mentioned, while there is no reference to a father. No doubt the cast -of the thought accounts for that, but still the special agency of -Divine power in the birth of Jesus gives special force to His prayer -for Divine help in the life so peculiarly the result of the Divine -hand. But while the plea had singular force on Christ's lips, it is -valid for all men. - -The closing verse of this strophe takes the complaint of ver. 1 and -turns it into prayer. Faith does not rest with plaintively crying "Why -art Thou so far?" but pleads "Be not far"; and makes the nearness of -trouble and the absence of all other help its twofold pleas. So much -the psalmist has already won by his communing with God. Now he can -face environing sorrows and solitary defencelessness, and feel them to -be reasons for God's coming, not tokens of His distance. - -We now come to two strophes of two verses each (vv. 12-15), of which the -former describes the encircling foes and the latter the psalmist's -failure of vital power. The metaphor of raging wild animals recurs in -later verses, and is common to many psalms. Bashan was a land of -pastures over which herds of half wild cattle roamed. They "have -surrounded me" is a picturesque touch, drawn direct from life, as any -one knows who has ever found himself in the midst of such a herd. The -gaping mouth is rather characteristic of the lion than of the bull. The -open jaws emit the fierce roar which precedes the fatal spring and the -"ravening" on its prey. The next short strophe passes from enemies -around to paint inward feebleness. All vital force has melted away; the -very bones are dislocated, raging thirst has supervened. These are -capable of being construed as simply strong metaphors, parallels to -which may be found in other psalms; but it must not be left unnoticed -that they are accurate transcripts of the physical effects of -crucifixion. That torture killed by exhaustion, it stretched the body as -on a rack, it was attended with agonies of thirst. It requires -considerable courage to brush aside such coincidences as accidental, in -obedience to a theory of interpretation. But the picture is not -completed when the bodily sufferings are set forth. A mysterious -attribution of them all to God closes the strophe. "Thou hast brought me -to the dust of death." Then, it is God's hand that has laid all these on -him. No doubt this may be, and probably was in the psalmist's thought, -only a devout recognition of Providence working through calamities; but -the words receive full force only by being regarded as parallel with -those of Isa. liii. 10, "He hath put Him to grief." In like manner the -apostolic preaching regards Christ's murderers as God's instruments. - -The next strophe returns to the three-verse arrangement, and blends -the contents of the two preceding, dealing both with the assailing -enemies and the enfeebled sufferer. The former metaphor of wild -animals encircling him is repeated with variations. A baser order of -foes than bulls and lions, namely a troop of cowardly curs, are -snarling and snapping round him. The contemptuous figure is explained -in ver. 16 _b_, as meaning a mob of evildoers, and is then resumed in -the next clause, which has been the subject of so much dispute. It -seems plain that the Massoretic text is corrupt. "Like a lion, my -hands and my feet" can only be made into sense by violent methods. The -difference between the letters which yield "like a lion" and those -which give "they pierced" is only in the length of the upright stroke -of the final one. LXX. Vulg. Syr. translate _they dug_ or _pierced_, -and other ancient versions attest that they read the word as a verb. -The spelling of the word is anomalous, if we take it to mean _dig_, -but the irregularity is not without parallels, and may be smoothed -away either by assuming an unusual form of a common verb or a rare -root cognate with the more common one. The word would then mean "they -dug" rather than _pierced_, but the shade of difference in meaning is -not so great as to forbid the latter rendering. In any case "it is the -best attested reading. It is to be understood of the gaping wounds -which are inflicted on the sufferer's hands and feet, and which stare -at him like holes" (Baethgen, "Hand Comment.," p. 65). "Behold my -hands and my feet," said the risen Lord, and that calm word is -sufficient proof that both bore the prints of nails. The words might -be written over this psalm. Strange and sad that so many should look -on it and not see Him! - -The picture of bodily sufferings has one more touch in "I can count -all my bones." Emaciation would produce that effect. But so would -crucifixion which extended the frame and threw the bones of the thorax -into prominence. Then the sufferer turns his eyes once more to his -enemies, and describes the stony gaze, protracted and unfeeling, with -which they feed upon his agonies. Crucifixion was a slow process, and -we recall the long hours in which the crowds sated their hatred -through their eyes. - -It is extremely unlikely that the psalmist's garments were literally -parted among his foes, and the usual explanation of the singular -details in ver. 18 is that they are either a metaphor drawn from -plundering the slain in battle or a proverbial expression. What -reference the words had to the original speaker of them must, in our -ignorance of his circumstances, remain uncertain. But they at all -events depict his death as so sure that his enemies regard his dress -as their perquisite. Surely this is a distinct instance of Divine -guidance moulding a psalmist's words so as to fill them with a deeper -meaning than the speaker knew. He who so shaped them saw the soldiers -dividing the rest of the garments and gambling for the seamless cloak; -and He was "the Spirit of Christ which was in" the singer. - -The next strophe closes the first part with petition which, in the -last words, becomes thanksgiving, and realises the answer so fervently -besought. The initial complaint of God's distance is again turned into -prayer, and the former metaphors of wild beasts are gathered into one -long cry for deliverance from the dangerous weapons of each, the dog's -paw, the lion's mouth, the wild oxen's horns. The psalmist speaks of -his "soul" or life as "my only one," referring not to his isolation, -but to his life as that which, once lost, could never be regained. He -has but one life, therefore he clings to it, and cannot but believe -that it is precious in God's eyes. And then, all at once, up shoots a -clear light of joy, and he knows that he has not been speaking to a -deaf or remote God, but that his cry is answered. He had been brought -to the dust of death, but even thence he is heard and brought out -with no soil of it upon him. Such suddenness and completeness of -deliverance from such extremity of peril may, indeed, have been -experienced by many, but receives its fullest meaning in its Messianic -application. "From the horns of the wild oxen," says he, as if the -phrase were still dependent, like the preceding ones, on the prayer, -"deliver me." But, as he thus cries, the conviction that he is heard -floods his soul, and he ends, not with a cry for help, but with that -one rapturous word, "Thou hast answered me." It is like a parting -burst of sunshine at the end of a day of tempest. A man already -transfixed by a buffalo's horns has little hope of escape, but even -thence God delivers. The psalmist did not know, but the Christian -reader should not forget that the Prince of sufferers was yet more -wondrously delivered from death by passing through death, and that by -His victory all who cleave to Him are, in like manner, saved from the -horns even while these gore them, and are then victors over death when -they fall beneath its dart. - -The consequences of the psalmist's deliverance are described in the last -part (vv. 22-31) in language so wide that it is hard to suppose that any -man could think his personal experiences so important and far-reaching. -The whole congregation of Israel are to share in his thanksgiving and to -learn more of God's name through him (vv. 22-6). Nor does that bound his -anticipations, for they traverse the whole world and embrace all lands -and ages, and contemplate that the story of his sufferings and triumph -will prove a true gospel, bringing every country and generation to -remember and turn to Jehovah. The exuberant language becomes but one -mouth. Such consequences, so wide-spread and agelong, can follow from -the story of but one life. If the sorrows of the preceding part can only -be a description of the passion, the glories of the second can only be a -vision of the universal and eternal kingdom of Christ. It is a gospel -before the Gospels and an Apocalypse before Revelations. - -In the first strophe (vv. 22-6) the delivered singer vows to make -God's name known to His brethren. The epistle to the Hebrews quotes -the vow as not only expressive of our Lord's true manhood, but as -specifying its purpose. Jesus became man that men might learn to know -God; and the knowledge of His name streams most brightly from the -cross. The death and resurrection, the sufferings and glory of Christ -open deeper regions in the character of God than even His gracious -life disclosed. Rising from the dead and exalted to the throne, He has -"a new song" in His immortal lips, and more to teach concerning God -than He had before. - -The psalm calls Israel to praise with the singer, and tells the ground -of their joyful songs (vv. 23, 24). Here the absence of any reference -to the relation which the New Testament reveals between these -sufferings and that praise is to be noted as an instance of the -gradual development of prophecy. "We are not yet on the level of -Isaiah liii." (Kirkpatrick, "Psalms," 122). The close of this part -speaks of a sacrifice of which "the humble shall eat and be -satisfied"--"I will pay my vows"--_i.e._ the thank-offerings vowed -when in trouble. The custom of feasting on the "sacrifices for -peace-offering for thanksgiving" (Lev. vii. 15) is here referred to, -but the ceremonial garb covers spiritual truth. The condition of -partaking in this feast is humility, that poverty of spirit which -knows itself to be hungry and unable to find food for itself. The -consequence of partaking is satisfaction--a deep truth reaching far -beyond the ceremonial emblem. A further result is that "your heart -shall live for ever"--an unmeaning hyperbole, but in one application -of the words. We penetrate to the core of the psalm in this part, when -we read it in the light of Christ's words. "My flesh is meat indeed, -and my blood is drink indeed," and when we connect it with the central -act of Christian worship, the Lord's Supper. - -The universal and perpetual diffusion of the kingdom and knowledge of -God is the theme of the closing strain (vv. 27-31). That diffusion is -not definitely stated as the issue of the sufferings or deliverance, -but the very fact that such a universal knowledge comes into view here -requires that it should be so regarded, else the unity of the psalm is -shattered. While, therefore, the ground alleged in ver. 28 for this -universal recognition of God is only His universal dominion, we must -suppose that the history of the singer as told to the world is the -great fact which brings home to men the truth of God's government over -and care for them. True, men know God apart from revelation and from -the gospel, but He is to them a forgotten God, and the great influence -which helps them to "remember and turn to Jehovah" is the message of -the Cross and the Throne of Jesus. - -The psalm had just laid down the condition of partaking in the -sacrificial meal as being lowliness, and (ver. 29) it prophecies that -the "fat" shall also share in it. That can only be, if they become -"humble." Great and small, lofty and low must take the same place and -accept the food of their souls as a meal of charity. The following words -are very difficult, as the text stands. There would appear to be a -contrast intended between the obese self-complacency of the prosperous -and proud, and the pauper-like misery of "those who are going down to -the dust" and who "cannot keep their soul alive," that is, who are in -such penury and wretchedness that they are all but dead. There is a -place for ragged outcasts at the table side by side with the "fat on -earth." Others take the words as referring to those already dead, and -see here a hint that the dim regions of Sheol receive beams of the great -light and some share in the great feast. The thought is beautiful, but -too remote from anything else in the Old Testament to be adopted here. -Various attempts at conjectural emendations and redivision of clauses -have been made in order to lighten the difficulties of the verse. -However attractive some of these are, the existing reading yields a not -unworthy sense, and is best adhered to. - -As universality in extent, so perpetuity in duration is anticipated -for the story of the psalmist's deliverance and for the praise to God -thence accruing. "A seed shall serve Him." That is one generation of -obedient worshippers. "It shall be told of Jehovah unto the [next] -generation." That is, a second, who shall receive from their -progenitors, the seed that serves, the blessed story. "They ... shall -declare His righteousness unto a people that shall be born." That is, -a third, which in its turn receives the good news from parents' lips. -And what is the word which thus maintains itself living amid dying -generations, and blesses each, and impels each to bequeath it as their -best treasure to their successors? "That He hath done." Done what? -With eloquent silence the psalm omits to specify. What was it that was -meant by that word on the cross which, with like reticence, forbore -to tell of what it spoke? "He hath done." "It is finished." No one -word can express all that was accomplished in that sacrifice. Eternity -will not fully supply the missing word, for the consequences of that -finished work go on unfolding for ever, and are for ever unfinished, -because for ever increasing. - - - - - PSALM XXIII. - - 1 Jehovah is my Shepherd; I do not want. - 2 In pastures of fresh grass He leads me; - By waters of rest He makes me lie. - 3 My soul He refreshes; - He guides me in paths of righteousness [straight paths] for His - name's sake. - 4 Even if I walk in a gorge of gloom, I fear not evil, for Thou art - with me; - Thy rod and Thy staff--they comfort me. - - 5 Thou spreadest before me a table in presence of my foes; - Thou anointest with oil my head: my cup is overfulness. - 6 Only good and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, - And my dwelling shall be in the house of Jehovah for length of - days. - - -The world could spare many a large book better than this sunny little -psalm. It has dried many tears and supplied the mould into which many -hearts have poured their peaceful faith. To suppose that the speaker -is the personified nation chills the whole. The tone is too intense -not to be the outcome of personal experience, however admissible the -application to the nation may be as secondary. No doubt Jehovah is the -Shepherd of Israel in several Asaphite psalms and in Jeremiah; but, -notwithstanding great authorities, I cannot persuade myself that the -voice which comes so straight to the heart did not come from the heart -of a brother speaking across the centuries his own personal emotions, -which are universal just because they are individual. It is the pure -utterance of personal trust in Jehovah, darkened by no fears or -complaints and so perfectly at rest that it has nothing more to ask. -For the time desire is stilled in satisfaction. One tone, and that the -most blessed which can sound in a life, is heard through the whole. It -is the psalm of quiet trust, undisturbed even by its joy, which is -quiet too. The fire glows, but does not flame or crackle. The one -thought is expanded in two kindred images: that of the shepherd and -that of the host. The same ideas are substantially repeated under both -forms. The lovely series of vivid pictures, each but a clause long, -but clear-cut in that small compass, like the fine work incised on a -gem, combines with the depth and simplicity of the religious emotion -expressed, to lay this sweet psalm on all hearts. - -Vv. 1-4 present the realities of the devout life under the image of -the Divine Shepherd and His lamb. - -The comparison of rulers to shepherds is familiar to many tongues, and -could scarcely fail to occur to a pastoral people like the Jews, nor -is the application to Jehovah's relation to the people so recondite -that we need to relegate the psalms in which it occurs to a late era -in the national history. The psalmist lovingly lingers on the image, -and draws out the various aspects of the shepherd's care and of the -flock's travels, with a ripeness and calmness which suggests that we -listen to a much-experienced man. The sequence in which the successive -pictures occur is noteworthy. Guidance to refreshment comes first, and -is described in ver. 2, in words which fall as softly as the gentle -streams of which they speak. The noontide is fierce, and the land lies -baking in the sun-blaze; but deep down in some wady runs a brook, and -along its course the herbage is bright with perpetual moisture, and -among the lush grass are cool lairs where the footsore, panting flock -may couch. The shepherd's tenderness is beautifully hinted at in the -two verbs: he "leads," not drives, but in Eastern wise precedes and so -draws the trustful sheep; he "makes me to lie down," taking care that -the sheep shall stretch weary limbs in full enjoyment of repose. God -thus guides to rest and lays to rest the soul that follows Him. Why -does the psalmist begin with this aspect of life? Because it is -fittest to express the shepherd's care, and because it is, after all, -the predominant aspect to the devout heart. Life is full of trial and -effort, but it is an unusually rainy region where rain falls on more -than half the days of the year. We live so much more vividly and fully -in the moments of agony or crisis that they seem to fill more space -than they really do. But they are only moments, and the periods of -continued peaceful possession of blessings are measured by years. But -the sweet words of the psalm are not to be confined to material good. -The psalmist does not tell us whether he is thinking more of the outer -or of the inner life, but both are in his mind, and while his -confidence is only partially warranted by the facts of the former, it -is unlimitedly true in regard to the latter. In that application of -the words the significance of the priority given to the pastures of -fresh springing grass and the waters of repose is plain, for there the -rest of trust and the drinking of living water must precede all -walking in paths of righteousness. - -Food and drink and rest refresh fainting powers, and this -reinvigoration is meant by "restoring my soul" or life. - -But the midday or nightly rest is intended to fit for effort, and so a -second little picture follows in ver. 3, presenting another aspect of -the shepherd's care and of the sheep's course. Out again on to the -road, in spite of heat and dust, the flock goes. "Paths of -righteousness" is perhaps best taken as "straight paths," as that -rendering keeps within the bounds of the metaphor; but since the sheep -are men, straight paths for them must needs be paths of righteousness. -That guidance is "for His name's sake." God has regard to His revealed -character in shepherding His lamb, and will give direction because He -is what He is, and in order that He may be known to be what He has -declared Himself. The psalmist had learned the purpose of repose and -refreshment which, in all regions of life, are intended to prepare for -tasks and marches. We are to "drink for strength, and not for -drunkenness." A man may lie in a bath till strength is diminished, or -may take his plunge and come from it braced for work. In the religious -life it is possible to commit an analogous error, and to prize so -unwisely peaceful hours of communion, as to waive imperative duty for -the sake of them; like Peter with his "Let us make here three -tabernacles," while there were devil-ridden sufferers waiting to be -healed down on the plain. Moments of devotion, which do not prepare -for hours of practical righteousness, are very untrustworthy. But, on -the other hand, the paths of righteousness will not be trodden by -those who have known nothing of the green pastures and waters where -the wearied can rest. - -But life has another aspect than these two--rest and toil; and the -guidance into danger and sorrow is as tender as its other forms are. -The singular word rendered "shadow of death" should probably simply be -"gloomy darkness," such, for instance, as in the shaft of a mine (Job -xxviii. 3). But, even if the former rendering is retained, it is not -to be interpreted as meaning actual death. No wise forward look can -ignore the possibility of many sorrows and the certainty of some. Hope -has ever something of dread in her eyes. The road will not be always -bright and smooth, but will sometimes plunge down into grim canons, -where no sunbeams reach. But even that anticipation may be calm. "Thou -art with me" is enough. He who guides into the gorge will guide -through it. It is not a _cul de sac_, shut in with precipices at the -far end; but it opens out on shining table-lands, where there is -greener pasture. The rod and staff seem to be two names for one -instrument, which was used both to beat off predatory animals and to -direct the sheep. The two synonyms and the appended pronoun express by -their redundancy the full confidence of the psalmist. He will not -fear, though there are grounds enough for terror, in the dark valley; -and though sense prompts him to dread, he conquers fear because he -trusts. "Comfort" suggests a struggle, or, as Calvin says, "Quorsum -enim consolatio ipsa, nisi quia metus eum solicitat?" - -The second image of the Divine Host and His guest is expanded in vv. 5, -6. The ideas are substantially the same as in the first part. Repose and -provision, danger and change, again fill the foreground; and again there -is forecast of a more remote future. But all is intensified, the need -and the supply being painted in stronger colours and the hope being -brighter. The devout man is God's guest while he marches through foes, -and travels towards perpetual repose in the house of Jehovah. - -Jehovah supplies His servants' wants in the midst of conflict. The table -spread in the sight of the enemy is a more signal token of care and -power than the green pastures are. Life is not only journey and effort, -but conflict; and it is possible not only to have seasons of refreshment -interspersed in the weary march, but to find a sudden table spread by -the same unseen hand which holds back the foes, who look on with grim -eyes, powerless to intercept the sustenance or disturb the guests. This -is the condition of God's servant--always conflict, but always a spread -table. Joy snatched in the face of danger is specially poignant. The -flowers that bloom on the brink of a cataract are bright, and their -tremulous motion adds a charm. Special experiences of God's sufficiency -are wont to come in seasons of special difficulty, as many a true heart -knows. It is no scanty meal that waits God's soldier under such -circumstances, but a banquet accompanied with signs of festivity, viz., -the head anointed with oil and the cup which is "fulness." God's -supplies are wont to surpass the narrow limits of need and even to -transcend capacity, having a something over which as yet we are unable -to take in, but which is not disproportioned or wasted, since it widens -desire and thereby increases receptivity. - -In the last verse we seem to pass to pure anticipation. Memory melts -into hope, and that brighter than the forecast which closed the first -part. There the psalmist's trust simply refused to yield to fear, -while keenly conscious of evil which might warrant it; but here he has -risen higher, and the alchemy of his happy faith and experience has -converted evil into something fairer. "_Only_ good and mercy shall -follow me." There is no evil for the heart wedded to Jehovah; there -are no foes to pursue, but two bright-faced angels walk behind him as -his rear-guard. It is much when the retrospect of life can, like -Jacob on his deathbed, see "the Angel which redeemed me from all -evil"; but it is perhaps more when the else fearful heart can look -forward and say that not only will it fear no evil, but that nothing -but blessings, the outcome of God's mercy, will ever reach it. - -The closing hope of dwelling in the house of Jehovah to length of days -rises above even the former verse. The singer knew himself a guest of -God's at the table spread before the foe, but that was, as it were, -refreshment on the march, while this is continual abiding in the home. -Such an unbroken continuity of abode in the house of Jehovah is a -familiar aspiration in other psalms, and is always regarded as -possible even while hands are engaged in ordinary duties and cares. -The psalms which conceive of the religious life under this image are -marked by a peculiar depth and inwardness. They are wholesomely -mystical. The hope of this guest of God's is that, by the might of -fixed faith and continual communion, he may have his life so hid in -God that wherever he goes he may still be in His house, and whatever -he does he may still be "inquiring in His temple." The hope is here -confined to the earthly present, but the Christian reading of the -psalm can scarcely fail to transfer the words to a future. God will -bring those whom He has fed and guided in journeying and conflict to -an unchanging mansion in a home beyond the stars. Here we eat at a -table spread with pilgrims' food, manna from heaven and water from the -rock. We eat in haste and with an eye on the foe, but we may hope to -sit down at another table in the perfected kingdom. The end of the -fray is the beginning of the feast. "We shall go no more out." - - - - - PSALM XXIV. - - 1 Jehovah's is the earth, and what fills it, - The world and the dwellers therein. - 2 For He--upon the seas He founded it, - And upon the floods established it. - - 3 Who may ascend into the hill of Jehovah, - And who may stand in His holy place? - - 4 The clean-handed and pure-hearted, - Who lifts not his desire to vanity, - And swears not to falsehood. - 5 He shall receive blessing from Jehovah - And righteousness from the God of his salvation. - 6 This is the generation of them that seek Him, - That seek Thy face; [this is] Jacob. Selah. - - 7 Lift up, O gates, your heads, - Yea, lift up yourselves, O ancient doors, - That the King of glory may come in. - 8 Who then is the King of glory? - Jehovah, strong and a Champion, - Jehovah, a Champion in battle. - - 9 Lift up, O gates, your heads, - Yea, lift them up, O ancient doors, - That the King of glory may come in. - 10 Who is He, then, the King of glory? - Jehovah of hosts, - He is the King of glory. Selah. - - -Ewald's widely accepted view that this psalm is a composite of two -fragments rests on a somewhat exaggerated estimate of the differences -in tone and structure of the parts. These are obvious, but do not -demand the hypothesis of compilation; and the original author has as -good a right to be credited with the uniting thought as the supposed -editor has. The usually alleged occasion of the psalm fits its tone so -well and gives such appropriateness to some of its phrases that -stronger reasons than are forthcoming are required to negative it. The -account in 2 Sam. vi. tells of exuberant enthusiasm and joy, of which -some echo sounds in the psalm. It is a processional hymn, celebrating -Jehovah's entrance to His house; and that one event, apprehended on -its two sides, informs the whole. Hence the two halves have the same -interchange of question and answer, and the two questions correspond, -the one inquiring the character of the men who dare dwell with God, -the other the name of the God who dwells with men. The procession is -climbing the steep to the gates of the ancient Jebusite fortress, -recently won by David. As it climbs, the song proclaims Jehovah as the -universal Lord, basing the truth of His special dwelling in Zion upon -that of His world-wide rule. The question, so fitting the lips of the -climbers, is asked, possibly in solo, and the answer describing the -qualifications of true worshippers, and possibly choral (vv. 3-6), is -followed by a long-drawn musical interlude. Now the barred gates are -reached. A voice summons them to open. The guards within, or possibly -the gates themselves, endowed by the poet with consciousness and -speech, ask who thus demands entrance. The answer is a triumphant -shout from the procession. But the question is repeated, as if to -allow of the still fuller reiteration of Jehovah's name, which shakes -the grey walls; and then, with clang of trumpets and clash of cymbals, -the ancient portals creak open, and Jehovah "enters into His rest, He -and the ark of His strength." - -Jehovah's dwelling on Zion did not mean His desertion of the rest of -the world, nor did His choice of Israel imply His abdication of rule -over, or withdrawal of blessings from, the nations. The light which -glorified the bare hilltop, where the Ark rested, was reflected thence -over all the world. "The glory" was there concentrated, not confined. -This psalm guards against all superstitious misconceptions, and -protests against national narrowness, in exactly the same way as Exod. -xix. 5 bases Israel's selection from among all peoples on the fact -that "all the earth is Mine." - -"Who may ascend?" was a picturesquely appropriate question for singers -toning upwards, and "who may stand?" for those who hoped presently to -enter the sacred presence. The Ark which they bore had brought -disaster to Dagon's temple, so that the Philistine lords had asked in -terror, "Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God?" and at -Beth-shemesh its presence had been so fatal that David had abandoned -the design of bringing it up and said, "How shall the ark of the Lord -come to me?" The answer, which lays down the qualifications of true -dwellers in Jehovah's house, may be compared with the similar outlines -of ideal character in Psalm xv. and Isa. xxxiii. 14. The one -requirement is purity. Here that requirement is deduced from the -majesty of Jehovah, as set forth in vv. 1, 2, and from the designation -of His dwelling as "holy." This is the postulate of the whole Psalter. -In it the approach to Jehovah is purely spiritual, even while the -outward access is used as a symbol; and the conditions are of the same -nature as the approach. The general truth implied is that the -character of the God determines the character of the worshippers. -Worship is supreme admiration, culminating in imitation. Its law is -always "They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that -trusteth in them." A god of war will have warriors, and a god of lust -sensualists, for his devotees. The worshippers in Jehovah's holy place -must be holy. The details of the answer are but the echoes of a -conscience enlightened by the perception of His character. In ver. 4 -it may be noted that of the four aspects of purity enumerated the two -central refer to the inward life (_pure heart; lifts not his desire -unto vanity_), and these are embedded, as it were, in the outward life -of deeds and words. Purity of act is expressed by "clean -hands"--neither red with blood, nor foul with grubbing in dunghills -for gold and other so-called good. Purity of speech is condensed into -the one virtue of truthfulness (_swears not to a falsehood_). But the -outward will only be right if the inward disposition is pure, and that -inward purity will only be realised when desires are carefully curbed -and directed. As is the desire, so is the man. Therefore the prime -requisite for a pure heart is the withdrawal of affection, esteem, and -longing from the solid-seeming illusions of sense. "Vanity" has, -indeed, the special meaning of _idols_, but the notion of earthly good -apart from God is more relevant here. - -In ver. 5 the possessor of such purity is represented as receiving "a -blessing, even righteousness," from God, which is by many taken to mean -beneficence on the part of God, "inasmuch as, according to the Hebrew -religious view of the world, all good is regarded as reward from God's -retributive righteousness, and consequently as that of man's own -righteousness or right conduct" (Hupfeld). The expression is thus -equivalent to "salvation" in the next clause. But, while the word has -this meaning in some places, it does not seem necessary to adopt it -here, where the ordinary meaning is quite appropriate. Such a man as is -described in ver. 4 will have God's blessing on his efforts after -purity, and a Divine gift will furnish him with that which he strives -after. The hope is not lit by the full sunshine of New Testament truth, -but it approximates thereto. It dimly anticipates "Blessed are they that -hunger and thirst after righteousness"; and it feels after the great -thought that the highest righteousness is not to be won, but to be -accepted, even while it only asserts that man's effort after must -precede his possession of righteousness. We can give the words a deeper -meaning, and see in them the dawn of the later teaching that -righteousness must be "received" from "the God of salvation." - -Ver. 6 seems to carry the adumbration of truth not yet disclosed a step -further. A great planet is trembling into visibility, and is divined -before it is seen. The emphasis in ver. 6 is on "seek," and the -implication is that the men who seek find. If we seek God's face, we -shall receive purity. There the psalm touches the foundation. The Divine -heart so earnestly desires to give righteousness that to seek is to -find. In that region a wish brings an answer, and no outstretched hand -remains empty. Things of less worth have to be toiled and fought for; -but the most precious of all is a gift, to be had for the asking. That -thought did not stand clearly before the Old Testament worshippers, but -struggles towards expression in many a psalm, as it could not but do -whenever a devout heart pondered the problems of conduct. We have -abundant warnings against the anachronism of thrusting New Testament -doctrine into the Psalms, but it is no less one-sided to ignore -anticipations which could not but spring up where there was earnest -wrestling with the thoughts of sin and of the need for purity. - -Are we to adopt the supplement, "O God of," before the abrupt "Jacob"? -The clause is harsh in any construction. The preceding "thy" seems to -require the addition, as God is not directly addressed elsewhere in -the psalm. On the other hand, the declaration that such seekers are -the true people of God is a worthy close of the whole description, and -the reference to the "face" of God verbally recalls Peniel and that -wonderful incident when Jacob became Israel. The seeker after God will -have that scene repeated, and be able to say, "I have seen God." The -abrupt introduction of "Jacob" is made more emphatic by the musical -interlude which closes the first part. - -There is a pause, while the procession ascends the hill of the Lord, -revolving the stringent qualifications for entrance. It stands before -the barred gates, while possibly part of the choir is within. The -advancing singers summon the doors to open and receive the incoming -Jehovah. Their portals are too low for Him to enter, and therefore -they are called upon to lift their lintels. They are grey with age, -and round them cluster long memories; therefore they are addressed as -"gates of ancient time." The question from within expresses ignorance -and hesitation, and dramatically represents the ancient gates as -sharing the relation of the former inhabitants to the God of Israel, -whose name they did not know, and whose authority they did not own. It -heightens the force of the triumphant shout proclaiming His mighty -name. He is Jehovah, the self-existent God, who has made a covenant -with Israel, and fights for His people, as these grey walls bear -witness. His warrior might had wrested them from their former -possessors, and the gates must open for their Conqueror. The repeated -question is pertinacious and animated: "Who then is He, the King of -glory?" as if recognition and surrender were reluctant. The answer is -sharp and authoritative, being at once briefer and fuller. It peals -forth the great name "Jehovah of hosts." There may be reference in the -name to God's command of the armies of Israel, thereby expressing the -religious character of their wars; but the "hosts" include the angels, -"His ministers who do His pleasure," and the stars, of which He brings -forth the hosts by number. In fact, the conception underlying the name -is that of the universe as an ordered whole, a disciplined army, a -cosmos obedient to His voice. It is the same conception which the -centurion had learned from his legion, where the utterance of one will -moved all the stern, shining ranks. That mighty name, like a charge of -explosives, bursts the gates of brass asunder, and the procession -sweeps through them amid yet another burst of triumphant music. - - - - - PSALM XXV. - - 1 ([Hebrew: alef]) Unto Thee, Jehovah, I uplift my soul; - [On Thee I wait all the day, O my God!]. - 2 ([Hebrew: bet]) On Thee I hang: let me not be put to shame; - Let not my enemies exult over me. - 3 ([Hebrew: gimel]) Yea, all who wait on Thee shall not be put to - shame; - Put to shame shall they be who faithlessly forsake Thee without - cause. - 4 ([Hebrew: dalet]) Thy ways, Jehovah, make me to know, - Thy paths teach Thou me. - 5 ([Hebrew: he]) Make me walk in Thy troth, and teach me, - For Thou art the God of my salvation. - 6 ([Hebrew: zayin]) Remember Thy compassions, Jehovah, and Thy - loving-kindnesses, - For from of old are they. - 7 ([Hebrew: het]) Sins of my youth and my transgression remember - not; - According to Thy loving-kindness remember me, - For Thy goodness' sake, Jehovah. - 8 ([Hebrew: tet]) Good and upright is Jehovah; - Therefore He instructs sinners in the way. - 9 ([Hebrew: yod]) He will cause the meek to walk in that which is - right, - And will teach the meek His way. - - 10 ([Hebrew: kaf]) All the paths of Jehovah are loving-kindness and - troth - To keepers of His covenant and His testimonies. - 11 ([Hebrew: lamed]) For Thy name's sake, Jehovah, - Pardon my iniquity, for great is it. - 12 ([Hebrew: mem]) Who, then, is the man who fears Jehovah? - He will instruct him in the way he should choose. - 13 ([Hebrew: nun]) Himself shall dwell in prosperity, - And his seed shall possess the land. - 14 ([Hebrew: samekh]) The secret of Jehovah is [told] to them that - fear Him, - And His covenant He makes them know. - 15 ([Hebrew: ayin]) My eyes are continually toward Jehovah, - For He, He shall bring out my feet from the net. - 16 ([Hebrew: pe]) Turn Thee unto me, and be gracious to me, - For solitary and afflicted am I. - 17 ([Hebrew: tsadi]) The straits of my heart do Thou enlarge (?), - And from my distresses bring me out. - 18 ([Hebrew: resh]) Look on my affliction and my travail, - And lift away all my sins. - 19 ([Hebrew: resh]) Look on my enemies, for they are many, - And they hate me with cruel hate. - 20 ([Hebrew: shin]) Keep my soul and deliver me; - Let me not be put to shame, for I have taken refuge in Thee. - 21 ([Hebrew: tav]) Let integrity and uprightness guard me, - For I wait on Thee. - 22 Redeem Israel, O God, - From all his straits. - - -The recurrence of the phrase "lift up the soul" may have determined -the place of this psalm next to Psalm xxiv. It is acrostic, but with -irregularities. As the text now stands, the second, not the first, -word in ver. 2 begins with Beth; Vav is omitted or represented in the -"and teach me" of the He verse (ver. 5); Qoph is also omitted, and its -place taken by a supernumerary Resh, which letter has thus two verses -(18, 19); and ver. 22 begins with Pe, and is outside the scheme of the -psalm, both as regards alphabetic structure and subject. The same -peculiarities of deficient Vav and superfluous Pe verses reappear in -another acrostic psalm (xxxiv.), in which the initial word of the last -verse is, as here, "redeem." Possibly the two psalms are connected. - -The fetters of the acrostic structure forbid freedom and progress of -thought, and almost compel repetition. It is fitted for meditative -reiteration of favourite emotions or familiar axioms, and results in a -loosely twined wreath rather than in a column with base, shaft, and -capital. A slight trace of consecution of parts may be noticed in the -division of the verses (excluding ver. 22) into three sevens, of which -the first is prayer, the second meditation on the Divine character and -the blessings secured by covenant to them who fear Him, and the third is -bent round, wreath-like, to meet the first, and is again prayer. Such -alternation of petition and contemplation is like the heart's beat of -the religious life, now expanding in desire, now closing in possession. -The psalm has no marks of occasion or period. It deals with the -permanent elements in a devout man's relation to God. - -The first prayer-section embraces the three standing needs: -protection, guidance, and forgiveness. With these are intertwined -their pleas according to the logic of faith--the suppliant's uplifted -desires and God's eternal tenderness and manifested mercy. The order -of mention of the needs proceeds from without inwards, for protection -from enemies is superficial as compared with illumination as to duty, -and deeper than even that, as well as prior in order of time (and -therefore last in order of enumeration), is pardon. Similarly the -pleas go deeper as they succeed each other; for the psalmist's trust -and waiting is superficial as compared with the plea breathed in the -name of "the God of my salvation"; and that general designation leads -to the gaze upon the ancient and changeless mercies, which constitute -the measure and pattern of God's working (_according to_, ver. 7), and -upon the self-originated motive, which is the deepest and strongest of -all arguments with Him (_for Thy goodness' sake_, ver. 7). - -A qualification of the guest in God's house was in Psalm xxiv. the -negative one that he did not lift up his soul--_i.e._, set his -desires--on the emptinesses of time and sense. Here the psalmist -begins with the plea that he has set his on Jehovah, and, as the -position of "Unto Thee, Jehovah," at the beginning shows, on Him -alone. The very nature of such aspiration after God demands that it -shall be exclusive. "All in all or not at all" is the requirement of -true devotion, and such completeness is not attained without continual -withdrawal of desire from created good. The tendrils of the heart must -be untwined from other props before they can be wreathed round their -true stay. The irregularity in ver. 2, where the second, not the -first, word of the verse begins with Beth, may be attenuated by -treating the Divine name as outside the acrostic order. An acute -conjecture, however, that the last clause of ver. 5 really belongs to -ver. 1 and should include "my God" now in ver. 2, has much in its -favour. Its transposition restores to both verses the two-claused -structure which runs through the psalm, gets rid of the acrostical -anomaly, and emphasises the subsequent reference to those who wait on -Jehovah in ver. 3. - -In that case ver. 2 begins with the requisite letter. It passes from -plea to petition: "Let me not be shamed." Trust that was not -vindicated by deliverance would cover the face with confusion. "Hopes -that breed not shame" are the treasure of him whose hope is in -Jehovah. Foes unnamed threaten; but the stress of the petitions in the -first section of the psalm is less on enemies than on sins. One cry -for protection from the former is all that the psalmist utters, and -then his prayer swiftly turns to deeper needs. In the last section the -petitions are more exclusively for deliverance from enemies. Needful -as such escape is, it is less needful than the knowledge of God's -ways, and the man in extremest peril orders his desires rightly, if he -asks holiness first and safety second. The cry in ver. 2 rests upon -the confidence nobly expressed in ver. 3, in which the verbs are not -optatives, but futures, declaring a truth certain to be realised in -the psalmist's experience, because it is true for all who, like him, -wait on Jehovah. True prayer is the individual's sheltering himself -under the broad folds of the mantle that covers all who pray. The -double confidence as to the waiters on Jehovah and the "treacherous -without cause" is the summary of human experience as read by faith. -Sense has much to adduce in contradiction, but the dictum is -nevertheless true, only its truth does not always appear in the small -arc of the circle which lies between cradle and grave. - -The prayer for deliverance glides into that for guidance, since the -latter is the deeper need, and the former will scarcely be answered -unless the suppliant's will docilely offers the latter. The soul -lifted to Jehovah will long to know His will and submit itself to His -manifold teachings. "Thy ways" and "Thy paths" necessarily mean here -the ways in which Jehovah desires that the psalmist should go. "In Thy -truth" is ambiguous, both as to the preposition and the noun. The -clause may either present God's truth (_i.e._, faithfulness) as His -motive for answering the prayer, or His truth (_i.e._, the objective -revelation) as the path for men. Predominant usage inclines to the -former signification of the noun, but the possibility still remains of -regarding God's faithfulness as the path in which the psalmist desires -to be led, _i.e._ to experience it. The cry for forgiveness strikes a -deeper note of pathos, and, as asking a more wondrous blessing, grasps -still more firmly the thought of what Jehovah is and always has been. -The appeal is made to "_Thy_ compassions and loving-kindnesses," as -belonging to His nature, and to their past exercise as having been -"from of old." Emboldened thus, the psalmist can look back on his own -past, both on his outbursts of youthful passion and levity, which he -calls "failures," as missing the mark, and on the darker evils of -later manhood, which he calls "rebellions," and can trust that Jehovah -will think upon him _according to His mercy_, and _for the sake of His -goodness_ or love. The vivid realisation of that Eternal Mercy as the -very mainspring of God's actions, and as setting forth, in many an -ancient deed, the eternal pattern of His dealings, enables a man to -bear the thought of his own sins. - -The contemplation of the Divine character prepares the way for the -transition to the second group of seven verses, which are mainly -meditation on that character and on God's dealings and the blessedness -of those who fear Him (vv. 8-14). The thought of God beautifully draws -the singer from himself. How deeply and lovingly he had pondered on -the name of the Lord before he attained to the grand truth that His -goodness and very uprightness pledged Him to show sinners where they -should walk! Since there is at the heart of things an infinitely pure -and equally loving Being, nothing is more impossible than that He -should wrap Himself in thick darkness and leave men to grope after -duty. Revelation of the path of life in some fashion is the only -conduct consistent with His character. All presumptions are in favour -of such Divine teaching; and the fact of sin makes it only the more -certain. That fact may separate men from God, but not God from men, -and if they transgress, the more need, both in their characters and in -God's, is there that He should speak. But while their being sinners -does not prevent His utterance, their disposition determines their -actual reception of His teaching, and "the meek" or lowly of heart are -His true scholars. His instruction is not wasted on them, and, being -welcomed, is increased. A fuller communication of His will rewards the -humble acceptance of it. Sinners are led _in_ the way; the meek are -taught His way. Here the conception of God's way is in transition from -its meaning in ver. 4 to that in ver. 10, where it distinctly must -mean His manner of dealing with men. They who accept His teaching, and -order their paths as He would have them do, will learn that the -impulse and meaning of all which He does to them are "mercy and -truth," the two great attributes to which the former petitions -appealed, and which the humble of heart, who observe the conditions of -God's covenant which is witness of His own character and of their -duty, will see gleaming with lambent light even in calamities. - -The participators, then, in this blessed knowledge have a threefold -character: sinners; humble; keepers of the covenant and testimonies. -The thought of these requirements drives the psalmist back on himself, -as it will do all devout souls, and forces from him a short -ejaculation of prayer, which breaks with much pathos and beauty the -calm flow of contemplation. The pleas for forgiveness of the -"iniquity" which makes him feel unworthy of Jehovah's guidance are -remarkable. "For Thy name's sake" appeals to the revealed character of -God, as concerned in the suppliant's pardon, inasmuch as it will be -honoured thereby, and God will be true to Himself in forgiving. "For -it is great" speaks the boldness of helplessness. The magnitude of sin -demands a Divine intervention. None else than God can deal with it. -Faith makes the very greatness of sin and extremity of need a reason -for God's act of pardon. - -Passing from self, the singer again recurs to his theme, reiterating -in vivid language and with some amplification the former thoughts. In -vv. 8-10 the character of Jehovah was the main subject, and the men -whom He blessed were in the background. In vv. 12-14 they stand -forward. Their designation now is the wide one of "those who fear -Jehovah," and the blessings they receive are, first, that of being -taught the way, which has been prominent thus far, but here has a new -phase, as being "the way that he should choose"; _i.e._, God's -teaching illuminates the path, and tells a man what he ought to do, -while his freedom of choice is uninfringed. Next, outward blessings of -settled prosperity shall be his, and his children shall have the -promises to Israel fulfilled in their possession of the land. These -outward blessings belong to the Old Testament epoch, and can only -partially be applied to the present stage of Providence. But the final -element of the good man's blessedness (ver. 14) is eternally true. -Whether we translate the first word "secret" or "friendship," the -sense is substantially the same. Obedience and the true fear of -Jehovah directly tend to discernment of His purposes, and will besides -be rewarded by whispers from heaven. God would not hide from Abraham -what He would do, and still His friend will know His mind better than -the disobedient. The last clause of ver. 14 is capable of various -renderings. "His covenant" may be in the accusative, and the verb a -periphrastic future, as the A.V. takes it, or the former word may be -nominative, and the clause be rendered, "And His covenant [is] to make -them to know." But the absolute use of the verb without a -specification of the object taught is somewhat harsh, and probably the -former rendering is to be preferred. The deeper teaching of the -covenant which follows on the fear of the Lord includes both its -obligations and blessings, and the knowledge is not mere intellectual -perception, but vital experience. In this region life is knowledge, -and knowledge life. Whoso "keeps His covenant" (ver. 10) will ever -grow in appropriation of its blessings and apprehension of its -obligations by his submissive will. - -The third heptad of verses returns to simple petition, and that, with -one exception (ver. 18 _b_), for deliverance from enemies. This -recurrence, in increased intensity, of the consciousness of hostility -is not usual, for the psalms which begin with it generally pray -themselves out of it. "The peace which passeth understanding," which -is the best answer to prayer, has not fully settled on the heaving -sea. A heavy ground swell runs in these last short petitions, which -all mean substantially the same thing. But there is a beginning of -calm; and the renewed petitions are a pattern of that continual -knocking of which such great things are said and recorded in -Scripture. The section begins with a declaration of patient -expectance: "Mine eyes are ever towards Jehovah," with wistful -fixedness which does not doubt though it has long to look. Nets are -wrapped round his feet, inextricably but for one hand. We can bear to -feel our limbs entangled and fettered, if our eyes are free to gaze, -and fixed in gazing, upwards. The desired deliverance is thrice -presented (ver. 16, "turn unto"; ver. 18, "look upon"; ver. 19, -"consider," lit. look upon) as the result of Jehovah's face being -directed towards the psalmist. - -When Jehovah turns to a man, the light streaming from His face makes -darkness day. The pains on which He "looks" are soothed; the enemies -whom He beholds shrivel beneath His eye. The psalmist believes that -God's presence, in the deeper sense of that phrase, as manifested partly -through delivering acts and partly through inward consciousness, is his -one need, in which all deliverances and gladnesses are enwrapped. He -plaintively pleads, "For I am alone and afflicted." The soul that has -awakened to the sense of the awful solitude of personal being, and -stretched out yearning desires to the only God, and felt that with Him -it would know no pain in loneliness, will not cry in vain. In ver. 17 a -slight alteration in the text, the transference of the final Vav of one -word to the beginning of the next, gets rid of the incongruous phrase -"are enlarged" as applied to troubles (lit. straits), and gives a prayer -which is in keeping with the familiar use of the verb in reference to -afflictions: "The troubles of my heart do Thou enlarge [cf. iv. 2; -xviii. 36], and from my distresses," etc. Ver. 18 should begin with -Qoph, but has Resh, which is repeated in the following verse, to which -it rightly belongs. It is at least noteworthy that the anomaly makes the -petition for Jehovah's "look" more emphatic, and brings into prominence -the twofold direction of it. The "look" on the psalmist's affliction and -pain will be tender and sympathetic, as a mother eagle's on her sick -eaglet; that on his foes will be stern and destructive, many though they -be. In ver. 11 the prayer for pardon was sustained by the plea that the -sin was "great"; in ver. 19 that for deliverance from foes rests on the -fact that "they are many," for which the verb cognate with the adjective -of ver. 11 is used. Thus both dangers without and evils within are -regarded as crying out, by their multitude, for God's intervention. The -wreath is twined so that its end is brought round to its beginning. "Let -me not be ashamed, for I trust in Thee," is the second petition of the -first part repeated; and "I wait on Thee," which is the last word of the -psalm, omitting the superfluous verse, echoes the clause which it is -proposed to transfer to ver. 1. Thus the two final verses correspond to -the two initial, the last but one to the first but one, and the last to -the first. The final prayer is that "integrity (probably complete -devotion of heart to God) and uprightness" (in relation to men) may -preserve him, as guardian angels; but this does not assert the -possession of these, but is a petition for the gift of them quite as -much as for their preserving action. The implication of that petition is -that no harm can imperil or destroy him whom these characteristics -guard. That is true in the whole sweep of human life, however often -contradicted in the judgment of sense. - -Like Psalm xxxiv., this concludes with a supplementary verse beginning -with Pe, a letter already represented in the acrostic scheme. This may -be a later addition, for liturgical purposes. - - - - - PSALM XXVI. - - 1 Judge me, Jehovah, for I--in my integrity do I walk, - And in Jehovah do I trust unwavering. - 2 Test me, Jehovah, and try me, - My reins and my heart. - 3 For Thy loving-kindness is before my eyes, - And I walk in Thy troth. - - 4 I sit not with men of vanity, - And with those who mask themselves do I not go. - 5 I hate the congregation of evil-doers, - And with the wicked I do not sit. - - 6 I will wash my hands in innocence, - That I may compass Thine altar, Jehovah, - 7 To cause the voice of praise to be heard, - And to tell forth all Thy wonders. - - 8 Jehovah, I love the shelter of Thy house, - And the place of the dwelling of Thy glory. - 9 Take not away with sinners my soul, - Nor with men of blood my life, - 10 In whose hands is outrage, - And their right hand is full of bribery. - - 11 But I--in my integrity will I walk; - Redeem me, and be gracious to me. - 12 My foot stands on level ground; - In the congregations will I bless Jehovah. - - -The image of "the way" which is characteristic of Psalm xxv. reappears -in a modified form in this psalm, which speaks of "walking in -integrity" and truth and of "feet standing in an even place." Other -resemblances to the preceding psalm are the use of "redeem," "be -merciful"; the references to God's loving-kindness and truth, in which -the psalmist walks, and to his own integrity. These similarities may -or may not indicate common authorship, but probably guided the -compilers in placing the psalm here. It has not clear marks of date or -of the writer's circumstances. Its two ground tones are profession of -integrity and of revulsion from the society of the wicked and prayer -for vindication of innocence by the fact of deliverance. The verses -are usually grouped in couples, but with some irregularity. - -The two key-notes are both struck in the first group of three verses, in -which vv. 2 and 3 are substantially an expansion of ver. 1. The prayer, -"Judge me," asks for a Divine act of deliverance based upon a Divine -recognition of the psalmist's sincerity and unwavering trust. Both the -prayer and its ground are startling. It grates upon ears accustomed to -the tone of the New Testament that a suppliant should allege his -single-eyed simplicity and steadfast faith as pleas with God, and the -strange tone sounds on through the whole psalm. The threefold prayer in -ver. 2 courts Divine scrutiny, as conscious of innocence, and bares the -inmost recesses of affection and impulse for testing, proving by -circumstances, and smelting by any fire. The psalmist is ready for the -ordeal, because he has kept God's "loving-kindness" steadily in sight -through all the glamour of earthly brightnesses, and his outward life -has been all, as it were, transacted in the sphere of God's -truthfulness; _i.e._, the inward contemplation of His mercy and -faithfulness has been the active principle of his life. Such -self-consciousness is strange enough to us, but, strange as it is, it -cannot fairly be stigmatised as Pharisaic self-righteousness. The -psalmist knows that all goodness comes from God, and he clings to God in -childlike trust. The humblest Christian heart might venture in similar -language to declare its recoil from evil-doers and its deepest spring of -action as being trust. Such professions are not inconsistent with -consciousness of sin, which is, in fact, often associated with them in -other psalms (xxv. 20, 21, and vii. 11, 18). They do indicate a lower -stage of religious development, a less keen sense of sinfulness and of -sins, a less clear recognition of the worthlessness before God of all -man's goodness, than belong to Christian feeling. The same language when -spoken at one stage of revelation may be childlike and lowly, and be -swelling arrogance and self-righteous self-ignorance, if spoken at -another. - -Such high and sweet communion cannot but breed profound distaste for -the society of evil-doers. The eyes which have God's loving-kindness -ever before them are endowed with penetrative clearness of vision into -the true hollowness of most of the objects pursued by men, and with a -terrible sagacity which detects hypocrisy and shams. Association with -such men is necessary, else we must needs go out of the world, and -leaven must be in contact with dough in order to do its transforming -work; but it is impossible for a man whose heart is truly in touch -with God not to feel ill at ease when brought into contact with those -who have no share in his deepest convictions and emotions. "Men of -vanity" is a general designation for the ungodly, pronouncing on every -such life the sentence that it is devoted to empty unrealities and -partakes of the nature of that to which it is given up. One who has -Jehovah's loving-kindness before his eyes cannot "sit" with such men -in friendly association, as if sharing their ways of thinking, nor -"go" with them in their course of conduct. "Those who mask themselves" -are another class, namely hypocrites who conceal their pursuit of -vanity under the show of religion. The psalmist's revulsion is -intensified in ver. 5 into "hate," because the evil-doers and sinners -spoken of there are of a deeper tint of blackness, and are banded -together in a "congregation," the opposite and parody of the -assemblies of the righteous, whom he feels to be his kindred. No doubt -separateness from evil-doers is but part of a godly man's duty, and -has often been exaggerated into selfish withdrawal from a world which -needs good men's presence all the more the worse it is; but it _is_ a -part of his duty, and "Come out from among them and be separate" is -not yet an abrogated command. No man will ever mingle with "men of -vanity," so as to draw them from the shadows of earth to the substance -in God, unless his loving association with them rests on profound -revulsion from their principles of action. None comes so near to -sinful men as the sinless Christ; and if He had not been ever -"separate from sinners," He would never have been near enough to -redeem them. We may safely imitate His free companionship, which -earned Him His glorious name of their Friend, if we imitate His -remoteness from their evil. - -From the uncongenial companionship of the wicked the psalmist's -yearnings instinctively turn to his heart's home, the sanctuary. The -more a man feels out of sympathy with a godless world, the more -longingly he presses into the depths of communion with God; and, -conversely, the more he feels at home in still communion, the more -does the tumult of sense-bound crowds grate on his soul. The psalmist, -then, in the next group of verses (6, 7), opposes access to the house -of God and the solemn joy of thankful praises sounding there to the -loathed consorting with evil. He will not sit with men of vanity -because he will enter the sanctuary. Outward participation in its -worship may be included in his vows and wishes, but the tone of the -verses rather points to a symbolical use of the externalities of -ritual. Cleansing the hands alludes to priestly lustration; compassing -the altar is not known to have been a Jewish practice, and probably is -to be taken as simply a picturesque way of describing himself as one -of the joyous circle of worshippers; the sacrifice is praise. The -psalmist rises to the height of the true Israelite's priestly -vocation, and ritual has become transparent to him. None the less may -he have clung to the outwardnesses of ceremonial worship, because he -apprehended them in their highest significance and had learned that -the qualification of the worshipper was purity, and the best offering -praise. Well for those who, like him, are driven to the sanctuary by -the revulsion from vanities and from those who pursue them! - -Ver. 8 is closely connected with the two preceding, but is perhaps -best united with the following verse, as being the ground of the -prayer there. Hate of the congregation of evil-doers has love to God's -house for its complement or foundation. The measure of attachment is -that of detachment. The designations of the sanctuary in ver. 8 show -the aspects in which it drew the psalmist's love. It was "the shelter -of Thy house," where he could hide himself from the strife of tongues -and escape the pain of herding with evil-doers; it was "the place of -the dwelling of Thy glory," the abode of that symbol of Divine -presence which flamed between the cherubim and lit the darkness of -the innermost shrine. Because the singer felt his true home to be -there, he prayed that his soul might not be gathered with sinners, -_i.e._ that he might not be involved in their fate. He has had no -fellowship with them in their evil, and therefore he asks that he may -be separate from them in their punishment. To "gather the soul" is -equivalent to taking away the life. God's judgments sort out -characters and bring like to like, as the tares are bound in bundles -or as, with so different a purpose, Christ made the multitudes sit -down by companies on the green sward. General judgments are not -indiscriminate. The prayer of the psalmist may not have looked beyond -exemption from calamities or from death, but the essence of the faith -which it expresses is eternally true: that distinction of attitude -towards God and goodness must secure distinction of lot, even though -external circumstances are identical. The same things are not the same -to men so profoundly different. The picture of the evil-doers from -whom the psalmist recoils is darker in these last verses than before. -It is evidently a portrait and points to a state of society in which -violence, outrage, and corruption were rampant. The psalmist washed -his hands in innocency, but these men had violence and bribes in -theirs. They were therefore persons in authority, prostituting -justice. The description fits too many periods too well to give a clue -to the date of the psalm. - -Once more the consciousness of difference and the resolve not to be -like such men break forth in the closing couple of verses. The psalm -began with the profession that he had walked in his integrity; it ends -with the vow that he will. It had begun with the prayer "Judge me"; it -ends with the expansion of it into "Redeem me"--_i.e._, from existing -dangers, from evil-doers, or from their fate--and "Be gracious unto -me," the positive side of the same petition. He who purposes to walk -uprightly has the right to expect God's delivering and giving hand to -be extended to him. The resolve to walk uprightly unaccompanied with -the prayer for that hand to hold up is as rash as the prayer without -the resolve is vain. But if these two go together, quiet confidence -will steal into the heart; and though there be no change in -circumstances, the mood of mind will be so soothed and lightened that -the suppliant will feel that he has suddenly emerged from the steep -gorge where he had been struggling and shut up, and stands on the -level ground of the "shining table-lands, whereof our God Himself is -sun and moon." Such peaceful foretaste of coming security is the -forerunner which visits the faithful heart. Gladdened by it, the -psalmist is sure that his desire of compassing God's altar with praise -will be fulfilled, and that, instead of compulsory association with -the "congregation of evil-doers," he will bless Jehovah "in the -congregations" where His name is loved and find himself among those -who, like himself, delight in His praise. - - - - - PSALM XXVII. - - 1 Jehovah is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? - Jehovah is the fortress of my life; for whom should I tremble? - 2 When evil-doers drew near against me, to devour my flesh, - My oppressors and my foes, they stumbled and fell. - 3 Though a host encamp against me, - My heart fears not; - Though war rises against me, - Even then am I confident. - - 4 One thing have I asked from Jehovah; that will I seek: - That I may dwell in the house of Jehovah all the days of my life, - To gaze upon the pleasantness of Jehovah and to meditate in His - palace. - 5 For He will hide me in a bower in the day of evil; - He will secrete me in the secret of His tent; - On a rock will He lift me. - 6 And now shall my head be lifted above my foes around me, - And I will sacrifice in His tent sacrifices of joy; - I will sing and I will harp to Jehovah. - - 7 Hear, Jehovah, when I cry with my voice; - And be gracious to me, and answer me. - 8 To Thee hath my heart said, (when Thou saidst) "Seek ye my face"; - That face of Thine, Jehovah, will I seek. - 9 Hide not Thy face from me: - Repulse not Thy servant in anger; - My help Thou hast been: - Cast me not off, and forsake me not, O God of my salvation - 10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me; - But Jehovah will take me up. - - 11 Show me, Jehovah, Thy way, - And lead me in a level path, because of those who lie in wait for - me. - 12 Give me not up to the desire of my oppressors, - For false witnesses have risen against me, and such as breathe out - violence. - 13 If I had not believed that I should see the goodness of Jehovah - In the land of the living----! - 14 Wait on Jehovah; - Be strong, and let thine heart take courage, and wait on Jehovah. - - -The hypothesis that two originally distinct psalms or fragments are -here blended has much in its favour. The rhythm and style of the -latter half (ver. 7 to end) are strikingly unlike those of the former -part, and the contrast of feeling is equally marked, and is in the -opposite direction from that which is usual, since it drops from -exultant faith to at least plaintive, if not anxious, petition. But -while the phenomena are plain and remarkable, they do not seem to -demand the separation suggested. Form and rhythm are elastic in the -poet's hands, and change in correspondence with his change of mood. -The flowing melody of the earlier part is the natural expression of -its sunny confidence, and the harsher strains of the later verses fit -no less well their contents. Why may not the key change to a minor, -and yet the voice be the same? The fall from jubilant to suppliant -faith is not unexampled in other psalms (cf. ix. and xxv.), nor in -itself unnatural. Dangers, which for a moment cease to press, do -recur, however real the victory over fear has been, and in this -recrudescence of the consciousness of peril, which yet does not -loosen, but tighten, the grasp of faith, this ancient singer speaks -the universal experience; and his song becomes more precious and more -fitted for all lips than if it had been unmingled triumph. One can -better understand the original author passing in swift transition from -the one to the other tone, than a later editor deliberately appending -to a pure burst of joyous faith and aspiration a tag which flattened -it. The more unlike the two halves are, the less probable is it that -their union is owing to any but the author of both. The fire of the -original inspiration could fuse them into homogeneousness; it is -scarcely possible that a mechanical patcher should have done so. If, -then, we take the psalm as a whole, it gives a picture of the -transitions of a trustful soul surrounded by dangers, in which all -such souls may recognise their own likeness. - -The first half (vv. 1-6) is the exultant song of soaring faith. But even -in it there sounds an undertone. The very refusal to be afraid glances -sideways at outstanding causes for fear. The very names of Jehovah as -"Light, Salvation," "the Stronghold of my life," imply darkness, danger, -and besetting foes. The resolve to keep alight the fire of courage and -confidence in the face of encamping foes and rising wars is much too -energetic to be mere hypothetical courage. The hopes of safety in -Jehovah's tent, of a firm standing on a rock, and of the head being -lifted above surrounding foes are not the hopes of a man at ease, but of -one threatened on all sides, and triumphant only because he clasps -Jehovah's hand. The first words of the psalm carry it all in germ. By a -noble dead-lift of confidence, the singer turns from foes and fears to -stay himself on Jehovah, his light and salvation, and then, in the -strength of that assurance, bids back his rising fears to their dens. "I -will trust, and not be afraid," confesses the presence of fear, and, -like our psalm, unveils the only reasonable counteraction of it in the -contemplation of what God is. There is much to fear unless He is our -light, and they who will not begin with the psalmist's confidence have -no right to repeat his courage. - -To a devout man the past is eloquent with reasons for confidence, and -in ver. 2 the psalm points to a past fact. The stumbling and falling -of former foes, who came open-mouthed at him, is not a hypothetical -case, but a bit of autobiography, which lives to nourish present -confidence. It is worth notice that the language employed has -remarkable correspondence with that used in the story of David's fight -with Goliath. There the same word as here is twice employed to -describe the Philistine's advance (1 Sam. xvii. 41, 48). Goliath's -vaunt, "I will give thy flesh to the fowls of the air and to the -beasts of the field," may have supplied the mould for the expression -here, and the fall of the giant, with his face to the earth and the -smooth stone in his brain, is narrated with the same word as occurs in -the psalm. It might well be that when David was a fugitive before Saul -the remembrance of his victory over Goliath should have cheered him, -just as that of his earlier prowess against bear and lion heartened -him to face the Philistine bully; and such recollections would be all -the more natural since jealousy of the fame that came to him from that -feat had set the first light to Saul's hatred. Ver. 3 is not to be -left swinging _in vacuo_, a cheap vow of courage in hypothetical -danger. The supposed case is actual fact, and the expressions of trust -are not only assertions for the future, but statements of the present -temper of the psalmist: "I _do_ not fear; I _am_ confident." - -The confidence of ver. 3 is rested not only on Jehovah's past acts, -but on the psalmist's past and present set of soul towards Him. That -seems to be the connecting link between vv. 1-3 and 4-6. Such desire, -the psalmist is sure, cannot but be answered, and in the answer all -safety is included. The purest longing after God, as the deepest, -most fixed yearning of a heart, was never more nobly expressed. -Clearly the terms forbid the limitation of meaning to mere external -presence in a material sanctuary. "All the days of my life" points to -a continuance inward and capable of accomplishment, wherever the body -may be. The exclusiveness and continuity of the longing, as well as -the gaze on God which is its true object, are incapable of the lower -meaning, while, no doubt, the externals of worship supply the mould -into which these longings are poured. But what the psalmist wants is -what the devout soul in all ages and stages has wanted: the abiding -consciousness of the Divine presence; and the prime good which makes -that presence so infinitely and exclusively desirable to him is the -good which draws all such souls in yearning, namely the vision of God. -The lifelong persistence and exclusiveness of the desire are such as -all must cherish if they are to receive its fruition. Blessed are they -who are delivered from the misery of multiplied and transient aims -which break life into fragments by steadfastly and continually -following one great desire, which binds all the days each to each, and -in its single simplicity encloses and hallows and unifies the else -distracting manifoldness! That life is filled with light, however it -may be ringed round with darkness, which has the perpetual vision of -God, who is its light. Very beautifully does the psalm describe the -occupation of God's guest as "gazing upon the pleasantness of -Jehovah." In that expression the construction of the verb with a -preposition implies a steadfast and penetrating contemplation, and the -word rendered "beauty" or "pleasantness" may mean "friendliness," but -is perhaps better taken in a more general meaning, as equivalent to -the whole gathered delightsomeness of the Divine character, the -supremely fair and sweet. "To inquire" may be rendered "to consider"; -but the rendering "meditate [or contemplate] in" is better, as the -palace would scarcely be a worthy object of consideration; and it is -natural that the gaze on the goodness of Jehovah should be followed by -loving meditation on what that earnest look had seen. The two acts -complete the joyful employment of a soul communing with God: first -perceiving and then reflecting upon His uncreated beauty of goodness. - -Such intimacy of communion brings security from external dangers. The -guest has a claim for protection. And that is a subsidiary reason for -the psalmist's desire as well as a ground of his confidence. Therefore -the assurance of ver. 5 follows the longing of ver. 4. "A pavilion," -as the Hebrew text reads, has been needlessly corrected in the margin -into "His pavilion" (A.V.). "It is not God's dwelling, as the -following 'tent' is, but a booth ... as an image of protection from -heat and inclemency of weather (Isa. iv. 6)" (Hupfeld). God's dwelling -is a "tent," where He will shelter His guests. The privilege of asylum -is theirs. Then, with a swift change of figure, the psalmist expresses -the same idea of security by elevation on a rock, possibly conceiving -the tent as pitched there. The reality of all is that communion with -God secures from perils and enemies, an eternal truth, if the true -meaning of security is grasped. Borne up by such thoughts, the singer -feels himself lifted clear above the reach of surrounding foes, and, -with the triumphant "now" of ver. 6, stretches out his hand to bring -future deliverance into the midst of present distress. Faith can blend -the seasons, and transport June and its roses into December's snows. -Deliverance suggests thankfulness to a true heart, and its -anticipation calls out prophetic "songs in the night." - -But the very brightness of the prospect recalls the stern reality of -present need, and the firmest faith cannot keep on the wing -continually. In the first part of the psalm it sings and soars; in the -second the note is less jubilant, and it sings and sinks; but in both -it is faith. Prayer for deliverance is as really the voice of faith as -triumph in the assurance of deliverance is, and he who sees his foes -and yet "believes to see the goodness of Jehovah" is not far below him -who gazes only on the beauty of the Lord. There is a parallelism -between the two halves of the psalm worth noting. In the former part -the psalmist's confidence reposed on the two facts of past deliverance -and of his past and continuous "seeking after" the one good; in the -second his prayers repose on the same two grounds, which occur in -inverted order. "That will I seek after" (ver. 4), is echoed by "Thy -face will I seek" (ver. 8). To seek the face is the same substantially -as to desire to "gaze on the pleasantness of Jehovah." The past -experience of the fall of foes (ver. 2) is repeated in "Thou hast been -my help." On these two pleas the prayer in which faith speaks itself -founds. The former is urged in vv. 8 and 9 with some harshness of -construction, which is smoothed over, rightly as regards meaning, in -the A.V. and R.V. But the very brokenness of the sentence adds to the -earnestness of the prayer: "To Thee my heart has said, Seek ye my -face; Thy face, Jehovah, will I seek." The answering heart repeats the -invitation which gave it courage to seek before it responds with its -resolve. The insertion of some such phrase as "in answer to Thy word" -before "seek ye" helps the sense in a translation, but mars the -vigour of the original. The invitation is not quoted from any -Scripture, but is the summary of the meaning of all God's -self-revelation. He is ever saying, "Seek ye my face." Therefore He -cannot but show it to a man who takes Him at His word and pleads that -word as the warrant for his petition. "I have never said to the seed -of Jacob, Seek ye my face in vain." The consistency of the Divine -character ensures His satisfying the desires which He has implanted. -He will neither stultify Himself nor tantalise men by setting them on -quests which end in disappointment. In a similar manner, the psalm -urges the familiar argument from God's past, which reposes on the -confidence of unalterable grace and inexhaustible resources. The -psalmist had no cold abstract doctrine of immutability as a Divine -attribute. His conception was intensely practical. Since God has -helped in the past, He will help in the future, because He is God, and -because He is "the God of my salvation." He cannot reverse His action -nor stay His hand until His dealings with His servants have vindicated -that name by completing the process to which it binds Him. - -The prayer "Forsake me not" is based upon a remarkable ground in ver. -10: "For my father and my mother have forsaken me." That seems a -singular plea for a mature man, who has a considerably varied -experience of life behind him, to urge. It is generally explained as a -proverbial expression, meaning no more than the frequent complaints in -the Psalter of desertion by friends and lovers. Cheyne (Commentary in -loc.) sees in it a clear indication that the speaker is the afflicted -nation, comparing itself to a sobbing child deserted by its parents. -But it is at least noteworthy that, when David was hard pressed at -Adullam, he bestowed his father and mother for safety with the king of -Moab (1 Sam. xxi. 3, 4). It is objected that this was not their -"forsaking" him, but it was, at least, their "leaving" him, and might -well add an imaginative pang as well as a real loss to the fugitive. -So specific a statement as that of the psalm can scarcely be weakened -down into proverb or metaphor. The allusion may be undiscoverable, but -the words sound uncommonly like the assertion of a fact, and the fact -referred to is the only known one which in any degree fits them. - -The general petitions of vv. 7-10 become more specific as the song -nears its close. As in Psalm xxv., guidance and protection are the -psalmist's needs now. The analogy of other psalms suggests an ethical -meaning for "the plain path" of ver. 11; and that signification, -rather than that of a safe road, is to be preferred, for the sake of -preserving a difference between this and the following prayer for -deliverance. The figures of his enemies stand out more threateningly -than before (ver. 12). Is that all his gain from his prayer? Is it not -a faint-hearted descent from ver. 6, where, from the height of his -Divine security, he looked down on them far below, and unable to reach -him? Now they have "risen up," and he has dropped down among them. But -such changes of mood are not inconsistent with unchanged faith, if -only the gaze which discerns the precipice at either side is not -turned away from the goal ahead and above, nor from Him who holds up -His servant. The effect of that clearer sight of the enemies is very -beautifully given in the abrupt half-sentence of ver. 13: "If I had -not believed to see the goodness of Jehovah in the land of the -living!" As he thinks of his foes, he breaks into an exclamation, -which he leaves unfinished. The omission is easy to supply. He would -have been their victim but for his faith. The broken words tell of his -recoil from the terrible possibility forced on him by the sight of the -formidable enemies. Well for us if we are but driven the closer to -God, in conscious helplessness, by the sight of dangers and -antagonisms! Faith does not falter, though it is keenly conscious of -difficulties. It is not preserved by ignoring facts, but should be by -them impelled to clasp God more firmly as its only safety. - -So the psalm goes back to the major key at last, and in the closing -verse prayer passes into self-encouragement. The heart that spoke to -God now speaks to itself. Faith exhorts sense and soul to "wait on -Jehovah." The self-communing of the psalmist, beginning with exultant -confidence and merging into prayer thrilled with consciousness of need -and of weakness, closes with bracing him up to courage, which is not -presumption, because it is the fruit of waiting on the Lord. He who -thus keeps his heart in touch with God will be able to obey the -ancient command, which had rung so long before in the ears of Joshua -in the plains of Jericho and is never out of date, "Be strong and of a -good courage"; and none but those who wait on the Lord will be at once -conscious of weakness and filled with strength, aware of the foes and -bold to meet them. - - - - - PSALM XXVIII. - - 1 Unto Thee, Jehovah, I cry; - My Rock, be not deaf to me, - Lest Thou be silent to me, - And I become as those who go down to the pit. - 2 Hear the voice of my supplications in my crying to Thee for help, - In my lifting my hands to Thy holy shrine. - - 3 Drag me not away with wicked men, and with workers of iniquity, - Speaking peace with their neighbours, - And evil is in their hearts. - 4 Give them according to their doings and according to the evil of - their deeds; - According to the work of their hands give them; - Return their desert to them. - 5 For they pay no heed to the doings of Jehovah - Nor to the work of His hands; - He shall cast them down, and not build them up. - - 6 Blessed be Jehovah - For He has heard the voice of my supplications. - 7 Jehovah is my fortress and my shield; - In Him has my heart trusted, and I am helped; - So my heart leaps [for joy], and by my song will I praise Him. - - 8 Jehovah is their strength (or the strength of His people), - And a fortress of salvation for His anointed is He. - 9 Save Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance - And shepherd them, and carry them even for evermore. - - -The unquestionable resemblances to Psalm xxvi. scarcely require that -this should be considered its companion. The differences are as obvious -as the likenesses. While the prayer "Draw me not away with the wicked" -and the characterisation of these are alike in both, the further -emphatic prayer for retribution here and the closing half of this psalm -have nothing corresponding to them in the other. This psalm is built on -the familiar plan of groups of two verses each, with the exception that -the prayer, which is its centre, runs over into three. The course of -thought is as familiar as the structure. Invocation is followed by -petition, and that by exultant anticipation of the answer as already -given; and all closes with wider petitions for the whole people. - -Vv. 1, 2, are a prelude to the prayer proper, bespeaking the Divine -acceptance of it, on the double ground of the psalmist's helplessness -apart from God's help and of his outstretched hands appealing to God -enthroned above the mercy-seat. He is in such straits that, unless his -prayer brings an answer in act, he must sink into the pit of Sheol, -and be made like those that lie huddled there in its darkness. On the -edge of the slippery slope, he stretches out his hands toward the -innermost sanctuary (for so the word rendered, by a mistaken -etymology, "oracle" means). He beseeches God to hear, and blends the -two figures of deafness and silence as both meaning the withholding of -help. Jehovah seems deaf when prayer is unanswered, and is silent when -He does not speak in deliverance. This prelude of invocation throbs -with earnestness, and sets the pattern for suppliants, teaching them -how to quicken their own desires as well as how to appeal to God by -breathing to Him their consciousness that only His hand can keep them -from sliding down into death. - -The prayer itself (vv. 3-5) touches lightly on the petition that the -psalmist may be delivered from the fate of the wicked, and then launches -out into indignant description of their practices and solemn invocation -of retribution upon them. "Drag away" is parallel with, but stronger -than, "Gather not" in xxvi. 9. Commentators quote Job xxiv. 22, where -the word is used of God's dragging the mighty out of life by His power, -as a struggling criminal is haled to the scaffold. The shuddering recoil -from the fate of the wicked is accompanied with vehement loathing of -their practices. A man who keeps his heart in touch with God cannot but -shrink, as from a pestilence, from complicity with evil, and the depth -of his hearty hatred of it is the measure of his right to ask that he -may not share in the ruin it must bring, since God is righteous. One -type of evil-doers is the object of the psalmist's special abhorrence: -false friends with smooth tongues and daggers in their sleeves, the -"dissemblers" of Psalm xxvi.; but he passes to the more general -characterisation of the class, in his terrible prayer for retribution, -in vv. 4, 5. The sin of sins, from which all specific acts of evil flow, -is blindness to God's "deeds" and to "the work of His hands," His acts -both of mercy and of judgment. Practical atheism, the indifference which -looks upon nature, history, and self, and sees no signs of a mighty hand -tender, pure, and strong, ever active in them all, will surely lead the -purblind "Agnostics" to do "works of their hands" which, for lack of -reference to Him, fail to conform to the highest ideal and draw down -righteous judgment. But the blindness to God's work here meant is that -of an averted will rather than that of mistaken understanding, and from -the stem of such a thorn the grapes of holy living cannot be gathered. -Therefore the psalmist is but putting into words the necessary result of -such lives when from suppliant he becomes prophet, and declares that "He -shall cast them down, and not build them up." The stern tone of this -prayer marks it as belonging to the older type of religion, and its -dissimilarity to the New Testament teaching is not to be slurred over. -No doubt the element of personal enmity is all but absent, but it is not -the prayer which those who have heard "Father, forgive them," are to -copy. Yet, on the other hand, the wholesome abhorrence of evil, the -solemn certitude that sin is death, the desire that it may cease from -the world, and the lowly petition that it may not drag us into fatal -associations are all to be preserved in Christian feeling, while -softened by the light that falls from Calvary. - -As in many psalms, the faith which prays passes at once into the faith -which possesses. This man, when he "stood praying, believed that he -had what he asked," and, so believing, had it. There was no change in -circumstances, but he was changed. There is no fear of going down into -the pit now, and the rabble of evil-doers have disappeared. This is -the blessing which every true suppliant may bear away from the throne, -the peace which passeth understanding, the sure pledge of the Divine -act which answers prayer. It is the first gentle ripple of the -incoming tide; high water is sure to come at the due hour. So the -psalmist is exuberant and happily tautological in telling how his -trusting heart has become a leaping heart, and help has been flashed -back from heaven as swiftly as his prayer had travelled thither. - -The closing strophe (vv. 8, 9) is but loosely connected with the body of -the psalm except on one supposition. What if the singer were king over -Israel, and if the dangers threatening him were public perils? That -would explain the else singular attachment of intercession for Israel to -so intensely personal a supplication. It is most natural that God's -"anointed," who has been asking deliverance for himself, should widen -his petitions to take in that flock of which he was but the -under-shepherd, and should devolve the shepherding and carrying of it on -the Divine Shepherd-King, of whom he was the shadowy representative. The -addition of one letter changes "their" in ver. 8 into "to His people," a -reading which has the support of the LXX. and of some manuscripts and -versions and is recommended by its congruity with the context. Cheyne's -suggestion that "His anointed" is the high-priest is only conjecture. -The reference of the expression to the king who is also the psalmist -preserves the unity of the psalm. The Christian reader cannot but think -of the true King and Intercessor, whose great prayer before His passion -began, like our psalm, with petitions for Himself, but passed into -supplication for His little flock and for all the unnumbered millions -"who should believe on" Him "through their word." - - - - - PSALM XXIX. - - 1 Give to Jehovah, ye sons of God, - Give to Jehovah glory and strength. - 2 Give to Jehovah the glory of His name; - Bow down to Jehovah in holy attire. - - 3 The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters; - The God of glory thunders; - Jehovah is on many waters. - 4 The voice of Jehovah is with power; - The voice of Jehovah is with majesty. - - 5 The voice of Jehovah shivers the cedars; - Yea, Jehovah shivers the cedars of Lebanon, - 6 And makes them leap like a calf, - Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox. - 7 The voice of Jehovah hews out flames of fire. - - 8 The voice of Jehovah shakes the wilderness; - Jehovah shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. - 9 The voice of Jehovah makes the hinds calve, and strips the woods: - And in His palace every one is saying, Glory! - - 10 Jehovah sat enthroned for the Flood; - And Jehovah sits King for ever. - 11 Jehovah will give strength to His people; - Jehovah will bless His people with peace. - - -The core of this psalm is the magnificent description of the -thunderstorm rolling over the whole length of the land. That picture -is framed by two verses of introduction and two of conclusion, which -are connected, inasmuch as the one deals with the "glory to God in the -highest" which is the echo of the tempest in angels' praises, and the -other with the "peace on earth" in which its thunders die away. - -The invocation in vv. 1, 2, is addressed to angels, whatever may be -the exact rendering of the remarkable title by which they are summoned -in ver. 1. It is all but unique, and the only other instance of its -use (Psalm lxxxix. 6) establishes its meaning, since "holy ones" is -there given as synonymous in the verses preceding and following. The -most probable explanation of the peculiar phrase (B'ne Elim) is that -of Gesenius, Ewald, Delitzsch, and Riehm in his edition of Hupfeld's -Commentary: that it is a double plural, both members of the compound -phrase being inflected. Similarly "mighty men of valour" (1 Chron. -vii. 5) has the second noun in the plural. This seems more probable -than the rendering "sons of the gods." The psalmist summons these -lofty beings to "give" glory and strength to Jehovah, that is, to -ascribe to Him the attributes manifested in His acts, or, as ver. 2 -puts it, "the glory of His name," _i.e._, belonging to His character -as thus revealed. The worship of earth is regarded as a type of that -of heaven, and as here, so there, they who bow before Him are to be -clothed in "holy attire." The thought underlying this ringing summons -is that even angels learn the character of God from the exhibitions of -His power in the Creation, and as they sang together for joy at first, -still attend its manifestations with adoration. The contrast of their -praise with the tumult and terror on earth, while the thunder growls -in the sky, is surely not unintended. It suggests the different -aspects of God's dread deeds as seen by them and by men, and carries a -tacit lesson true of all calamities and convulsions. The thunder-cloud -hangs boding in its piled blue blackness to those who from beneath -watch the slow crumbling away of its torn edges and the ominous -movements in its sullen heart or hear the crashes from its depths, -but, seen from above, it is transfigured by the light that falls on -its upper surface; and it stretches placid before the throne, like the -sea of glass mingled with fire. Whatever may be earth's terror, -heaven's echo of God's thunders is praise. - -Then the storm bursts. We can hear it rolling in the short periods, -mostly uniform in structure and grouped in verses of two clauses each, -the second of which echoes the first, like the long-drawn roll that -pauses, slackens, and yet persists. Seven times "the voice of Jehovah" -is heard, like the apocalyptic "seven thunders before the throne." The -poet's eye travels with the swift tempest, and his picture is full of -motion, sweeping from the waters above the firmament to earth and from -the northern boundary of the land to the far south. First we hear the -mutterings in the sky (ver. 3). If we understood "the waters" as -meaning the Mediterranean, we should have the picture of the storm -working up from the sea; but it is better to take the expression as -referring to the super-terrestrial reservoirs or the rain flood stored -in the thunder-clouds. Up there the peals roll before their fury -shakes the earth. It was not enough in the poet's mind to call the -thunder the voice of Jehovah, but it must be brought into still closer -connection with Him by the plain statement that it is He who -"thunders" and who rides on the storm-clouds as they hurry across the -sky. To catch tones of a Divine voice, full of power and majesty, in a -noise so entirely explicable as a thunderclap, is, no doubt, -unscientific; but the Hebrew contemplation of nature is occupied with -another set of ideas than scientific, and is entirely unaffected by -these. The psalmist had no notion of the physical cause of thunder, -but there is no reason why a man who can make as much electricity as -he wants by the grinding of a dynamo and then use it to carry his -trivial messages should not repeat the psalmist's devout assertion. We -can assimilate all that physicists can tell us, and then, passing into -another region, can hear Jehovah speaking in thunder. The psalm begins -where science leaves off. - -While the psalmist speaks the swift tempest has come down with a roar -and a crash on the northern mountains, and Lebanon and "Sirion" (a -Sidonian name for Hermon) reel, and the firm-boled, stately cedars are -shivered. The structure of the verses already noticed, in which the -second clause reduplicates, with some specialising, the thought of the -first, makes it probable that in ver. 6 _a_ the mountains, and not the -cedars, are meant by them. The trees are broken; the mountains shake. -An emendation has been proposed, by which "Lebanon" should be -transferred from ver. 5 to ver. 6 and substituted for "them" so as to -bring out this meaning more smoothly, but the roughness of putting the -pronoun in the first clause and the nouns to which it refers in the -second is not so considerable as to require the change. The image of -the mountains "skipping" sounds exaggerated to Western ears, but is -not infrequent in Scripture, and in the present instance is simply a -strong way of expressing the violence of the storm, which seems even -to shake the steadfast mountains that keep guard over the furthest -borders of the land. Nor are we to forget that here there may be some -hint of a parable in nature. The heights are thunder-smitten; the -valleys are safe. "The day of the Lord shall be upon all the cedars of -Lebanon that are high and lifted up, ... and upon all the high -mountains" (Isa. ii. 13, 14). - -The two-claused verses are interrupted by one of a single clause (ver. -7), the brevity of which vividly suggests the suddenness and speed of -the flash: "The voice of Jehovah cleaves [or, hews out] fire flames." -The thunder is conceived of as the principal phenomenon and as creating -the lightning, as if it hewed out the flash from the dark mass of cloud. -A corrected accentuation of this short verse divides it into three -parts, perhaps representing the triple zigzag; but in any case the one -solitary, sudden fork, blazing fiercely for a moment and then swallowed -up in the gloom, is marvellously given. It is further to be noted that -this single lightning gleam parts the description of the storm into two, -the former part painting it as in the north, the latter as in the -extreme south. It has swept over the whole length of the land, while we -have been watching the flash. Now it is rolling over the wide plain of -the southern desert. The precise position of Kadesh is keenly debated, -but it was certainly in the eastern part of the desert region on the -southern border. It, too, shakes, low-lying as it is; and far and wide -over its uninhabited levels the tempest ranges. Its effects there are -variously understood. The parallelism of clauses and the fact that -nowhere else in the picture is animal life introduced give great -probability to the very slight alteration required in ver. 9 _a_, in -order to yield the rendering "pierces the oaks" (Cheyne), instead of -"makes the hinds calve" which harmonises admirably with the next clause; -but, on the other hand, the premature dropping of the young of wild -animals from fear is said to be an authentic fact, and gives a -defensible trait to the picture, which is perhaps none the less striking -for the introduction of one small piece of animated nature. In any case -the next clause paints the dishevelled forest trees, with scarred bark, -broken boughs, and strewn leaves, after the fierce roar and flash, wind -and rain, have swept over them. The southern border must have been very -unlike its present self, or the poet's thoughts must have travelled -eastwards, among the oaks on the other side of the Arabah, if the local -colouring of ver. 9 is correct. - -While tumult of storm and crash of thunder have been raging and -rolling below, the singer hears "a deeper voice across the storm," the -songs of the "sons of God" in the temple palace above, chanting the -praise to which he had summoned them. "In His temple every one is -saying, Glory!" That is the issue of all storms. The clear eyes of the -angels see, and their "loud uplifted trumpets" celebrate, the lustrous -self-manifestation of Jehovah, who rides upon the storm, and makes the -rush of the thunder minister to the fruitfulness of earth. - -But what of the effects down here? The concluding strophe (vv. 10, 11) -tells. Its general sense is clear, though the first clause of ver. 10 -is ambiguous. The source of the difficulty in rendering is twofold. -The preposition may mean "for"--_i.e._, in order to bring about--or, -according to some, "on," or "above," or "at." The word rendered -"flood" is only used elsewhere in reference to the Noachic deluge, and -here has the definite article, which is most naturally explained as -fixing the reference to that event; but it has been objected that the -allusion would be far-fetched and out of place, and therefore the -rendering "rain-storm" has been suggested. In the absence of any -instance of the word's being used for anything but the Deluge, it is -safest to retain that meaning here. There must, however, be combined -with that rendering an allusion to the torrents of thunder rain, -which closed the thunderstorm. These could scarcely be omitted. They -remind the singer of the downpour that drowned the world, and his -thought is that just as Jehovah "sat"--_i.e._, solemnly took His place -as King and Judge--in order to execute that act of retribution, so, in -all subsequent smaller acts of an analogous nature, He "will sit -enthroned for ever." The supremacy of Jehovah over all transient -tempests and the judicial punitive nature of these are the thoughts -which the storm has left with him. It has rolled away; God, who sent -it, remains throned above nature and floods: they are His ministers. - -And all ends with a sweet, calm word, assuring Jehovah's people of a -share in the "strength" which spoke in the thunder, and, better still, -of peace. That close is like the brightness of the glistening earth, -with freshened air, and birds venturing to sing once more, and a sky -of deeper blue, and the spent clouds low and harmless on the horizon. -Beethoven has given the same contrast between storm and after-calm in -the music of the Pastoral Symphony. Faith can listen to the wildest -crashing thunder in quiet confidence that angels are saying, "Glory!" -as each peal rolls, and that when the last, low mutterings are hushed, -earth will smile the brighter, and deeper peace will fall on trusting -hearts. - - - - - PSALM XXX. - - 1 Thee will I exalt, Jehovah, for me hast Thou lifted up, - And not made my foes rejoice over me. - 2 Jehovah, my God, - I cried loudly to Thee, and Thou healedst me. - 3 Jehovah, Thou hast brought up from Sheol my soul; - Thou hast revived me from among those who descend to the pit. - - 4 Make music to Jehovah, ye who are favoured by Him; - And thank His holy Name. - 5 For a moment passes in His anger, - A life in His favour; - In the evening comes weeping as a guest, - And at morn [there is] a shout of joy. - - 6 But I--I said in my security, - I shall not be moved for ever. - 7 Jehovah, by Thy favour Thou hadst established strength to my - mountain; - Thou didst hide Thy face: I was troubled. - - 8 To Thee, Jehovah, I cried; - And to the Lord I made supplication. - 9 "What profit is in my blood when I descend to the pit? - Can dust thank Thee? can it declare Thy faithfulness? - 10 Hear, Jehovah, and be gracious to me; - Jehovah, be my Helper!" - - 11 Thou didst turn for me my mourning to dancing; - Thou didst unloose my sackcloth and gird me with gladness, - 12 To the end that [my] glory should make music to Thee, and not be - silent: - Jehovah, my God, for ever will I thank Thee. - - -The title of this psalm is apparently a composite, the usual "Psalm of -David" having been enlarged by the awkward insertion of "A Song at the -Dedication of the House," which probably indicates its later -liturgical use, and not its first destination. Its occasion was -evidently a deliverance from grave peril; and, whilst its tone is -strikingly inappropriate if it had been composed for the inauguration -of temple, tabernacle, or palace, one can understand how the venerable -words, which praised Jehovah for swift deliverance from impending -destruction, would be felt to fit the circumstances and emotions of -the time when the Temple, profaned by the mad acts of Antiochus -Epiphanes, was purified and the ceremonial worship restored. Never had -Israel seemed nearer going down to the pit; never had deliverance come -more suddenly and completely. The intrusive title is best explained as -dating from that time and indicating the use then found for the song. - -It is an outpouring of thankfulness, and mainly a leaf from the -psalmist's autobiography, interrupted only by a call to all who share -Jehovah's favour to help the single voice to praise Him (vv. 4, 5). -The familiar arrangement in pairs of verses is slightly broken twice, -vv. 1-3 being linked together as a kind of prelude and vv. 8-10 as a -repetition of the singer's prayer. His praise breaks the barrier of -silence and rushes out in a flood. The very first word tells of his -exuberant thankfulness, and stands in striking relation to God's act -which evokes it. Jehovah has raised him from the very sides of the -pit, and therefore what shall he do but exalt Jehovah by praise and -commemoration of His deeds? The song runs over in varying expressions -for the one deliverance, which is designated as lifting up, -disappointment of the malignant joy of enemies, healing, rescue from -Sheol and the company who descend thither, by restoration to life. -Possibly the prose fact was recovery from sickness, but the metaphor -of healing is so frequent that the literal use of the word here is -questionable. As Calvin remarks, sackcloth (ver. 11) is not a sick -man's garb. These glad repetitions of the one thought in various forms -indicate how deeply moved the singer was, and how lovingly he brooded -over his deliverance. A heart truly penetrated with thankfulness -delights to turn its blessings round and round, and see how prismatic -lights play on their facets, as on revolving diamonds. The same warmth -of feeling, which glows in the reiterated celebration of deliverance, -impels to the frequent direct mention of Jehovah. Each verse has that -name set on it as a seal, and the central one of the three (ver. 2), -not content with it only, grasps Him as "my God," manifested as such -with renewed and deepened tenderness by the recent fact that "I cried -loudly unto Thee, and Thou healedst me." The best result of God's -goodness is a firmer assurance of a personal relation to Him. "This is -an enclosure of a common without damage: to make God mine own, to find -that all that God says is spoken to me" (Donne). The stress of these -three verses lies on the reiterated contemplation of God's fresh act -of mercy and on the reiterated invocation of His name, which is not -vain repetition, but represents distinct acts of consciousness, -drawing near to delight the soul in thoughts of Him. The psalmist's -vow of praise and former cry for help could not be left out of view, -since the one was the condition and the other the issue of -deliverance, but they are slightly touched. Such claiming of God for -one's own and such absorbing gaze on Him are the intended results of -His deeds, the crown of devotion, and the repose of the soul. - -True thankfulness is expansive, and joy craves for sympathy. So the -psalmist invites other voices to join his song, since he is sure that -others there are who have shared his experience. It has been but one -instance of a universal law. He is not the only one whom Jehovah has -treated with loving-kindness, and he would fain hear a chorus -supporting his solo. Therefore he calls upon "the favoured of God" to -swell the praise with harp and voice and to give thanks to His "holy -memorial," _i.e._ the name by which His deeds of grace are -commemorated. The ground of their praise is the psalmist's own case -generalised. A tiny mirror may reflect the sun, and the humblest -person's history, devoutly pondered, will yield insight into God's -widest dealings. This, then, is what the psalmist had learned in -suffering, and wishes to teach in song: that sorrow is transient and -joy perennial. A cheerful optimism should be the fruit of experience, -and especially of sorrowful experience. The antitheses in ver. 5 are -obvious. In the first part of the verse "anger" and "favour" are -plainly contrasted, and it is natural to suppose that "a moment" and -"life" are so too. The rendering, then, is, "A moment passes in His -anger, a life [_i.e._, a lifetime] in His favour." Sorrow is brief; -blessings are long. Thunderstorms occupy but a small part of summer. -There is usually less sickness than health in a life. But memory and -anticipation beat out sorrow thin, so as to cover a great space. A -little solid matter, diffused by currents, will discolour miles of a -stream. Unfortunately we have better memories for trouble than for -blessing, and the smart of the rose's prickles lasts longer in the -flesh than its fragrance in the nostril or its hue in the eye. But the -relation of ideas here is not merely that of contrast. May we not say -that just as the "moment" is included in the "life," so the "anger" is -in the "favour"? Probably that application of the thought was not -present to the psalmist, but it is an Old Testament belief that "whom -the Lord loveth He chasteneth," and God's anger is the aversion of -holy love to its moral opposite. Hence comes the truth that varying -and sometimes opposite Divine methods have one motive and one purpose, -as the same motion of the earth brings summer and winter in turn. -Since the desire of God is to make men partakers of His holiness, the -root of chastisement is love, and hours of sorrow are not -interruptions of the continuous favour which fills the life. - -A like double antithesis moulds the beautiful image of the last clause. -Night and morning are contrasted, as are weeping and joy; and the latter -contrast is more striking, if it be observed that "joy" is literally a -"joyful shout," raised by the voice that had been breaking into audible -weeping. The verb used means to lodge for a night, and thus the whole is -a picture of two guests, the one coming, sombre-robed, in the hour -befitting her, the other, bright-garmented, taking the place of the -former, when all things are dewy and sunny, in the morning. The thought -may either be that of the substitution of joy for sorrow, or of the -transformation of sorrow into joy. No grief lasts in its first -bitterness. Recuperative forces begin to tell by slow degrees. "The low -beginnings of content" appear. The sharpest-cutting edge is partially -blunted by time and what it brings. Tender green drapes every ruin. -Sorrow is transformed into something not undeserving of the name of joy. -Griefs accepted change their nature. "Your sorrow shall be turned into -joy." The man who in the darkness took in the dark guest to sit by his -fireside finds in the morning that she is transfigured, and her name is -Gladness. Rich vintages are gathered on the crumbling lava of the -quiescent volcano. Even for irremediable losses and immedicable griefs, -the psalmist's prophecy is true, only that for these "the morning" is -beyond earth's dim dawns, and breaks when this night which we call life, -and which is wearing thin, is past. In the level light of that sunrise, -every raindrop becomes a rainbow, and every sorrow rightly--that is, -submissively--borne shall be represented by a special and particular -joy. - -But the thrilling sense of recent deliverance runs in too strong a -current to be long turned aside, even by the thought of others' -praise; and the personal element recurs in ver. 6, and persists till -the close. This latter part falls into three well-marked minor -divisions: the confession of self-confidence, bred of ease and -shattered by chastisement, in vv. 6, 7; the prayer of the man startled -into renewed dependence in vv. 8-10; and the closing reiterated -commemoration of mercies received and vow of thankful praise, which -echoes the first part, in vv. 11, 12. - -In ver. 6 the psalmist's foolish confidence is emphatically contrasted -with the truth won by experience and stated in ver. 5. "The law of -God's dealings is so, but I--I thought so and so." The word rendered -"prosperity" may be taken as meaning also security. The passage from -the one idea to the other is easy, inasmuch as calm days lull men to -sleep, and make it hard to believe that "to-morrow shall" not "be as -this day." Even devout hearts are apt to count upon the continuance of -present good. "Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not -God." The bottom of the crater of Vesuvius had once great trees -growing, the produce of centuries of quiescence. It would be difficult -to think, when looking at them, that they would ever be torn up and -whirled aloft in flame by a new outburst. While continual peril and -change may not foster remembrance of God, continuous peace is but too -apt to lull to forgetfulness of Him. The psalmist was beguiled by -comfort into saying precisely what "the wicked said in his heart" -(Psalm x. 6). How different may be the meaning of the same words on -different lips! The mad arrogance of the godless man's confidence, the -error of the good man rocked to sleep by prosperity, and the warranted -confidence of a trustful soul are all expressed by the same words; but -the last has an addition which changes the whole: "_Because He is at -my right hand_, I shall not be moved." The end of the first man's -boast can only be destruction; that of the third's faith will -certainly be "pleasures for evermore"; that of the second's lapse from -dependence is recorded in ver. 7. The sudden crash of his false -security is graphically reproduced by the abrupt clauses without -connecting particles. It was the "favour" already celebrated which -gave the stability which had been abused. Its effect is described in -terms of which the general meaning is clear, though the exact -rendering is doubtful. "Thou hast [or hadst] established strength to -my mountain" is harsh, and the proposed emendation (Hupfeld, Cheyne, -etc.), "hast set me on strong mountains," requires the addition to the -text of the pronoun. In either case, we have a natural metaphor for -prosperity. The emphasis lies on the recognition that it was God's -work, a truth which the psalmist had forgotten and had to be taught by -the sudden withdrawal of God's countenance, on which followed his own -immediate passage from careless security to agitation and alarm. The -word "troubled" is that used for Saul's conflicting emotions and -despair in the witch's house at Endor, and for the agitation of -Joseph's brethren when they heard that the man who had their lives in -his hand was their wronged brother. Thus alarmed and filled with -distracting thoughts was the psalmist. "Thou didst hide Thy face," -describes his calamities in their source. When the sun goes in, an -immediate gloom wraps the land, and the birds cease to sing. But the -"trouble" was preferable to "security," for it drove to God. Any -tempest which does that is better than calm which beguiles from Him; -and, since all His storms are meant to "drive us to His breast," they -come from His "favour." - -The approach to God is told in vv. 8-10, of which the two latter are a -quotation of the prayer then wrung from the psalmist. The ground of -this appeal for deliverance from a danger threatening life is as in -Hezekiah's prayer (Isa. xxxviii. 18, 19), and reflects the same -conception of the state of the dead as Psalm vi. 5. If the suppliant -dies, his voice will be missed from the chorus which sings God's -praise on earth. "The dust" (_i.e._, the grave) is a region of -silence. Here, where life yielded daily proofs of God's "truth" -(_i.e._, faithfulness), it could be extolled, but there dumb tongues -could bring Him no "profit" of praise. The boldness of the thought -that God is in some sense advantaged by men's magnifying of His -faithfulness, the cheerless gaze into the dark realm, and the -implication that to live is desired not only for the sake of life's -joys, but in order to show forth God's dealings, are all remarkable. -The tone of the prayer indicates the imperfect view of the future life -which shadows many psalms, and could only be completed by the -historical facts of the Resurrection and Ascension. Concern for the -honour of the Old Testament revelation may, in this matter, be -stretched to invalidate the distinctive glory of the New, which has -"brought life and immortality to light." - -With quick transition, corresponding to the swiftness of the answer to -prayer, the closing pair of verses tells of the instantaneous change -which that answer wrought. As in the earlier metaphor weeping was -transformed into joy, here mourning is turned into dancing, and God's -hand unties the cord which loosely bound the sackcloth robe, and arrays -the mourner in festival attire. The same conception of the sweetness of -grateful praise to the ear of God which was presented in the prayer -recurs here, where the purpose of God's gifts is regarded as being man's -praise. The thought may be construed so as to be repulsive, but its true -force is to present God as desiring hearts' love and trust, and as -"seeking such to worship Him," because therein they will find supreme -and abiding bliss. "My glory," that wonderful personal being, which in -its lowest debasement retains glimmering reflections caught from God, is -never so truly glory as when it "sings praise to Thee," and never so -blessed as when, through a longer "for ever" than the psalmist saw -stretching before him, it "gives thanks unto Thee." - - - - - PSALM XXXI. - - 1 In Thee, Jehovah, have I taken refuge: let me never be ashamed; - In Thy righteousness deliver me. - 2 Bend down Thine ear to me: speedily extricate me; - Be to me for a refuge-rock, for a fortress-house, to save me. - 3 For my rock and my fortress art Thou, - And for Thy name's sake wilt guide me and lead me. - 4 Thou wilt bring me from the net which they have hidden for me, - For Thou art my defence. - - 5 Into Thy hand I commend my spirit; - Thou hast redeemed me, Jehovah, God of faithfulness. - 6 I hate the worshippers of empty nothingnesses; - And I--to Jehovah do I cling. - 7 I will exult and be joyful in Thy loving-kindness, - Who hast beheld my affliction, - [And] hast taken note of the distresses of my soul, - 8 And hast not enclosed me in the hand of the enemy; - Thou hast set my feet at large. - - 9 Be merciful to me, Jehovah, for I am in straits; - Wasted away in grief is my eye,--my soul and my body. - 10 For my life is consumed with sorrow, - And my years with sighing; - My strength reels because of mine iniquity, - And my bones are wasted. - 11 Because of all my adversaries I am become a reproach - And to my neighbours exceedingly, and a fear to my acquaintances; - They who see me without flee from me. - 12 I am forgotten, out of mind, like a dead man; - I am like a broken vessel. - 13 For I hear the whispering of many, - Terror on every side; - In their consulting together against me, - To take away my life do they scheme. - 14 And I--on Thee I trust, Jehovah; - I say, My God art Thou. - 15 In Thy hand are my times; - Rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my pursuers. - 16 Make Thy face to shine upon Thy servant; - Save me in Thy loving-kindness. - 17 Jehovah, I shall not be shamed, for I cry to Thee; - The wicked shall be shamed, shall be silent in Sheol. - 18 Dumb shall the lying lips be made, - That speak arrogance against the righteous, - In pride and contempt. - - 19 How great is Thy goodness which Thou dost keep in secret for them - who fear Thee, - Dost work before the sons of men for them who take refuge in Thee. - 20 Thou dost shelter them in the shelter of Thy face from the plots - of men; - Thou keepest them in secret in an arbour from the strife of - tongues. - 21 Blessed be Jehovah, - For He has done marvels of loving-kindness for me in a strong - city! - 22 And I--I said in my agitation, I am cut off from before Thine - eyes, - But truly Thou didst hear the voice of my supplication in my - crying aloud to Thee. - 23 Love Jehovah, all His beloved; - Jehovah keeps faithfulness, - And repays overflowingly him that practises pride. - 24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, - All ye that wait on Jehovah. - - -The swift transitions of feeling in this psalm may seem strange to -colder natures whose lives run smoothly, but reveal a brother-soul to -those who have known what it is to ride on the top of the wave and then -to go down into its trough. What is peculiar to the psalm is not only -the inclusion of the whole gamut of feeling, but the force with which -each key is struck and the persistence through all of the one ground -tone of cleaving to Jehovah. The poetic temperament passes quickly from -hope to fear. The devout man in sorrow can sometimes look away from a -darkened earth to a bright sky, but the stern realities of pain and loss -again force themselves in upon him. The psalm is like an April day, in -which sunshine and rain chase each other across the plain. - - "The beautiful uncertain weather, - Where gloom and glory meet together," - -makes the landscape live, and is the precursor of fruitfulness. - -The stream of the psalmist's thoughts now runs in shadow of grim -cliffs and vexed by opposing rocks, and now opens out in sunny -stretches of smoothness; but its source is "In Thee, Jehovah, do I -take refuge" (ver. 1): and its end is "Be strong, and let your heart -take courage, all ye that wait for Jehovah" (ver. 24). - -The first turn of the stream is in vv. 1-4, which consist of petitions -and their grounds. The prayers reveal the suppliant's state. They are -the familiar cries of an afflicted soul common to many psalms, and -presenting no special features. The needs of the human heart are -uniform, and the cry of distress is much alike on all lips. This -sufferer asks, as his fellows have done and will do, for deliverance, a -swift answer, shelter and defence, guidance and leading, escape from the -net spread for him. These are the commonplaces of prayer, which God is -not wearied of hearing, and which fit us all. The last place to look for -originality is in the "sighing of such as be sorrowful." The pleas on -which the petitions rest are also familiar. The man who trusts in -Jehovah has a right to expect that his trust will not be put to shame, -since God is faithful. Therefore the first plea is the psalmist's faith, -expressed in ver. 1 by the word which literally means to flee to a -refuge. The fact that he has done so makes his deliverance a work of -God's "righteousness." The metaphor latent in "flee for refuge" comes -into full sight in that beautiful plea in ver. 3, which unsympathetic -critics would call illogical, "_Be_ for me a refuge-rock, for ... Thou -_art_ my rock." Be what Thou art; manifest Thyself in act to be what -Thou art in nature: be what I, Thy poor servant, have taken Thee to be. -My heart has clasped Thy revelation of Thyself and fled to this strong -tower. Let me not be deceived and find it incapable of sheltering me -from my foes. "Therefore for Thy name's sake," or because of that -revelation and for its glory as true in men's sight, deliver me. God's -nature as revealed is the strongest plea with Him, and surely that -cannot but be potent and acceptable prayer which says, Be what Thou art, -and what Thou hast taught me to believe Thee. - -Vv. 5-8 prolong the tone of the preceding, with some difference, -inasmuch as God's past acts are more specifically dwelt on as the -ground of confidence. In this turn of the stream, faith does not so -much supplicate as meditate, plucking the flower of confidence from -the nettle of past dangers and deliverances, and renewing its acts of -surrender. The sacred words which Jesus made His own on the cross, and -which have been the last utterance of so many saints, were meant by -the psalmist to apply to life, not to death. He laid his spirit as a -precious deposit in God's hand, assured that He was able to keep that -which was committed to Him. Often had he done this before, and now he -does it once more. Petitions pass into surrender. Resignation as well -as confidence speaks. To lay one's life in God's hand is to leave the -disposal of it to Him, and such absolute submission must come as the -calm close and incipient reward of every cry for deliverance. Trust -should not be hard to those who can remember. So Jehovah's past -redemptions--_i.e._, deliverances from temporal dangers--are its -ground here; and these avail as pledges for the future, since He is -"the God of truth," who can never falsify His past. The more -nestlingly a soul clings to God, the more vehemently will it recoil -from other trust. Attraction and repulsion are equal and contrary. The -more clearly it sees God's faithfulness and living power as a reality -operating in its life, the more penetrating will be its detection of -the falseness of other helpers. "Nothingnesses of emptiness" are they -all to one who has felt the clasp of that great, tender hand; and -unless the soul feels them to be such, it will never strongly clutch -or firmly hold its true stay. Such trust has its crown in joyful -experience of God's mercy even before the actual deliverance comes to -pass, as wind-borne fragrance meets the traveller before he sees the -spice gardens from which it comes. The cohortative verbs in ver. 7 may -be petition ("Let me exult"), or they may be anticipation of future -gladness, but in either case some waft of joy has already reached the -singer, as how could it fail to do, when his faith was thus renewing -itself, and his eyes gazing on God's deeds of old? The past tenses in -vv. 7, 8, refer to former experiences. God's sight of the psalmist's -affliction was not idle contemplation, but implied active -intervention. To "take note of the distresses of my soul" (or -possibly, "of my soul in distresses") is the same as to care for it. -It is enough to know that God sees the secret sorrows, the obscure -trials which can be told to none. He loves as well as knows, and looks -on no griefs which He will not comfort nor on any wounds which He is -not ready to bind up. The psalmist was sure that God had seen, because -he had experienced His delivering power, as he goes on joyfully to -tell. The figure in ver. 8 _a_ points back to the act of trust in ver. -5. How should God let the hand of the enemy close round and crush the -spirit which had been entrusted to His own hand? One sees the greedy -fingers of the foe drawing themselves together on their prey as on a -fly, but they close on nothing. Instead of suffering constraint the -delivered spirit walks at liberty. They who are enclosed in God's hand -have ample room there; and unhindered activity, with the ennobling -consciousness of freedom, is the reward of trust. - -Is it inconceivable that such sunny confidence should be suddenly -clouded and followed, as in the third turn of thought (vv. 9-13), by -plaintive absorption in the sad realities of present distress? The -very remembrance of a brighter past may have sharpened the sense of -present trouble. But it is to be noted that these complaints are -prayer, not aimless, self-pitying wailing. The enumeration of miseries -which begins with "Have mercy upon me, for----," has a hidden hope -tinging its darkness, like the faint flush of sunrise on clouds. There -is no such violent change of tone as is sometimes conceived; but the -pleas of the former parts are continued in this section, which adds -the psalmist's sore need to God's past and the suppliant's faith, as -another reason for Jehovah's help. He begins with the effects of his -trouble on himself in body and soul; thence he passes to its -consequences on those around him, and finally he spreads before God -its cause: plots against his life. The resemblances to Psalm vi. and -to several parts of Jeremiah are unmistakable. In vv. 9, 10, the -physical and mental effects of anxiety are graphically described. -Sunken eyes, enfeebled soul, wasted body, are gaunt witnesses of his -distress. Cares seem to him to have gnawed his very bones, so weak is -he. All that he can do is to sigh. And worse than all, conscience -tells him that his own sin underlies his trouble, and so he is without -inward stay. The picture seems exaggerated to easy-going, prosperous -people; but many a sufferer has since recognised himself in it as in a -mirror, and been thankful for words which gave voice to his pained -heart and cheered him with the sense of companionship in the gloom. - -Vv. 11, 12, are mainly the description of the often-repeated -experience of friends forsaking the troubled. "Because of all my -adversaries" somewhat anticipates ver. 13 in assigning the reason for -the cowardly desertion. The three phrases "neighbours," -"acquaintance," and "those who see me without" indicate concentric -circles of increasing diameter. The psalmist is in the middle; and -round him are, first, neighbours, who pour reproach on him, because of -his enemies, then the wider range of "acquaintances," afraid to have -anything to do with one who has such strong and numerous foes, and -remotest of all, the chance people met on the way who fly from Him, as -infected and dangerous. "They all forsook Him and fled." That bitter -ingredient mingles in every cup of sorrow. The meanness of human -nature and the selfishness of much apparent friendship are -commonplaces, but the experience of them is always as painful and -astonishing, as if nobody besides had ever suffered therefrom. The -roughness of structure in ver. 11 _b_, "and unto my neighbours -exceedingly," seems to fit the psalmist's emotion, and does not need -the emendation of "exceedingly" into "burden" (Delitzsch) or "shaking -of the head" (Cheyne). - -In ver. 12 the desertion is bitterly summed up, as like the oblivion -that waits for the dead. The unsympathising world goes on its way, and -friends find new interests and forget the broken man, who used to be -so much to them, as completely as if he were in his grave, or as they -do the damaged cup, flung on the rubbish heap. Ver. 13 discloses the -nature of the calamity which has had these effects. Whispering -slanders buzz round him; he is ringed about with causes for fear, -since enemies are plotting his death. The use of the first part of the -verse by Jeremiah does not require the hypothesis of his authorship of -the psalm, nor of the prophet's priority to the psalmist. It is always -a difficult problem to settle which of two cases of the employment of -the same phrase is original and which quotation. The criteria are -elastic, and the conclusion is very often arrived at in deference to -preconceived ideas. But Jeremiah uses the phrase as if it were a -proverb or familiar expression, and the psalmist as if it were the -freshly struck coinage of his own experience. - -Again the key changes, and the minor is modulated into confident -petition. It is the test of true trust that it is deepened by the -fullest recognition of dangers and enemies. The same facts may feed -despair and be the fuel of faith. This man's eyes took in all -surrounding evils, and these drove him to avert his gaze from them and -fix it on Jehovah. That is the best thing that troubles can do for us. -If they, on the contrary, monopolise our sight, they turn our hearts -to stone; but if we can wrench our stare from them, they clear our -vision to see our Helper. In vv. 14-18 we have the recoil of the -devout soul to God, occasioned by its recognition of need and -helplessness. This turn of the psalm begins with a strong emphatic -adversative: "But I--I trust in Jehovah." We see the man flinging -himself into the arms of God. The word for "trust" is the same as in -ver. 6, and means to _hang_ or _lean upon_, or, as we say, to _depend -on_. He utters his trust in his prayer, which occupies the rest of -this part of the psalm. A prayer, which is the voice of trust, does -not begin with petition, but with renewed adherence to God and happy -consciousness of the soul's relation to Him, and thence melts into -supplication for the blessings which are consequences of that -relation. To feel, on occasion of the very dreariness of -circumstances, that God is mine, makes miraculous sunrise at midnight. -Built on that act of trust claiming its portion in God, is the -recognition of God's all-regulating hand, as shaping the psalmist's -"times," the changing periods, each of which has its definite -character, responsibilities, and opportunities. Every man's life is a -series of crises, in each of which there is some special work to be -done or lesson to be learned, some particular virtue to be cultivated -or sacrifice made. The opportunity does not return. "It might have -been once; and we missed it, lost it for ever." - -But the psalmist is thinking rather of the varying complexion of his -days as bright or dark; and looking beyond circumstances, he sees God. -The "hand of mine enemies" seems shrivelled into impotence when -contrasted with that great hand, to which he has committed his spirit, -and in which are his "times"; and the psalmist's recognition that it -holds his destiny is the ground of his prayer for deliverance from the -foes' paralysed grasp. They who feel the tender clasp of an almighty -hand need not doubt their security from hostile assaults. The -petitions proper are three in number: for deliverance, for the light -of God's face, and for "salvation." The central petition recalls the -priestly blessing (Num. vi. 25). It asks for consciousness of God's -friendship and for the manifestation thereof in safety from present -dangers. That face, turned in love to a man, can "make a sunshine in a -shady place," and brings healing on its beams. It seems best to take -the verbs in vv. 17, 18, as futures and not optatives. The prayer -passes into assurance of its answer, and what was petition in ver. 1 -is now trustful prediction: "I shall not be ashamed, for I cry to -Thee." With like elevation of faith, the psalmist foresees the end of -the whispering defamers round him: shame for their vain plots and -their silent descent to the silent land. The loudest outcry against -God's lovers will be hushed some day, and the hands that threatened -them will be laid motionless and stiff across motionless breasts. He -who stands by God and looks forward, can, by the light of that face, -see the end of much transient bluster, "with pride and contempt," -against the righteous. Lying lips fall dumb; praying lips, like the -psalmist's, are opened to show forth God's praise. His prayer is -audible still across the centuries; the mutterings of his enemies only -live in his mention of them. - -That assurance prepares the way for the noble burst of thanksgiving, as -for accomplished deliverance, which ends the psalm, springing up in a -joyous outpouring of melody, like a lark from a bare furrow. But there -is no such change of tone as to warrant the supposition that these last -verses (19-24) are either the psalmist's later addition or the work of -another, nor do they oblige us to suppose that the whole psalm was -written after the peril which it commemorates had passed. Rather the -same voice which triumphantly rings out in these last verses has been -sounding in the preceding, even in their saddest strains. The ear -catches a twitter hushed again and renewed more than once before the -full song breaks out. The psalmist has been absorbed with his own -troubles till now, but thankfulness expands his vision, and suddenly -there is with him a multitude of fellow-dependants on God's goodness. He -hungers alone, but he feasts in company. The abundance of God's -"goodness" is conceived of as a treasure stored, and in part openly -displayed, before the sons of men. The antithesis suggests manifold -applications of the contrast, such as the inexhaustibleness of the mercy -which, after all revelation, remains unrevealed, and, after all -expenditure, has not perceptibly diminished in its shining mass, as of -bullion in some vault; or the varying dealings of God, who sometimes, -while sorrow is allowed to have its scope, seems to keep His riches of -help under lock and key, and then again flashes them forth in deeds of -deliverance; or the difference between the partial unfolding of these on -earth and the full endowment of His servants with "riches in glory" -hereafter. All these carry the one lesson that there is more in God than -any creature or all creatures have ever drawn from Him or can ever draw. -The repetition of the idea of hiding in ver. 20 is a true touch of -devout poetry. The same word is used for laying up the treasure and for -sheltering in a pavilion from the jangle of tongues. The wealth and the -poor men who need it are stored together, as it were; and the place -where they both lie safe is God Himself. How can they be poor who are -dwelling close beside infinite riches? The psalmist has just prayed that -God would make His face to shine upon him; and now he rejoices in the -assurance of the answer, and knows himself and all like-minded men to be -hidden in that "glorious privacy of light," where evil things cannot -live. As if caught up to and "clothed with the sun," he and they are -beyond the reach of hostile conspiracies, and have "outsoared the shadow -of" earth's antagonisms. The great thought of security in God has never -been more nobly expressed than by that magnificent metaphor of the light -inaccessible streaming from God's face to be the bulwark of a poor man. - -The personal tone recurs for a moment in vv. 21, 22, in which it is -doubtful whether we hear thankfulness for deliverance anticipated as -certain and so spoken of as past, since it is as good as done, or for -some recently experienced marvel of loving-kindness, which heartens the -psalmist in present trouble. If this psalm is David's, the reference may -be to his finding a city of refuge, at the time when his fortunes were -very low, in Ziklag, a strange place for a Jewish fugitive to be -sheltered. One can scarcely help feeling that the allusion is so -specific as to suggest historical fact as its basis. At the same time it -must be admitted that the expression may be the carrying on of the -metaphor of the hiding in a pavilion. The "strong city" is worthily -interpreted as being God Himself, though the historical explanation is -tempting. God's mercy makes a true man ashamed of his doubts, and -therefore the thanksgiving of ver. 21 leads to the confession of ver. -22. Agitated into despair, the psalmist had thought that he was "cut off -from God's eyes"--_i.e._, hidden so as not to be helped--but the event -has showed that God both heard and saw him. If alarm does not so make us -think that God is blind to our need and deaf to our cry as to make us -dumb, we shall be taught the folly of our fears by His answers to our -prayers. These will have a voice of gentle rebuke, and ask us, "O thou -of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" He delivers first, and -lets the deliverance stand in place of chiding. - -The whole closes with a summons to all whom Jehovah loves to love Him -for His mercy's sake. The joyful singer longs for a chorus to join his -single voice, as all devout hearts do. He generalises his own -experience, as all who have for themselves experienced deliverance are -entitled and bound to do, and discerns that in his single case the -broad law is attested that the faithful are guarded whatever dangers -assail, and "the proud doer" abundantly repaid for all his contempt -and hatred of the just. Therefore the last result of contemplating -God's ways with His servants is an incentive to courage, strength, and -patient waiting for the Lord. - - - - - PSALM XXXII. - - 1 Blessed he whose transgression is taken away, whose sin is - covered, - 2 Blessed the man to whom Jehovah reckons not iniquity, - In whose spirit is no guile. - - 3 When I kept silence, my bones rotted away, - Through my roaring all the day. - 4 For day and night Thy hand weighed heavily upon me; - My sap was turned [as] in droughts of summer. Selah. - - 5 My sin I acknowledged to Thee, and my iniquity I covered not, - I said, I will confess because of my transgressions to Jehovah, - And Thou--Thou didst take away the iniquity of my sin. Selah. - - 6 Because of this let every one beloved [of Thee] pray to Thee in a - time of finding; - Surely when great waters are in flood, to him they shall not - reach. - 7 Thou art a shelter for me; from trouble wilt Thou preserve me, - [With] shouts of deliverance wilt encircle me. Selah. - - 8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou - shouldest go; - I will counsel thee, [with] mine eye upon thee. - 9 Be not ye like horse, like mule, without understanding, - Whose harness to hold them in is bit and bridle, - Else no coming near to thee. - 10 The wicked has many sorrows, - And he who trusts in Jehovah--with loving-kindness will He - encircle him. - - 11 Rejoice in Jehovah, and exult, ye righteous; - And shout joyfully, all ye upright of heart. - - -One must have a dull ear not to hear the voice of personal experience in -this psalm. It throbs with emotion, and is a burst of rapture from a -heart tasting the sweetness of the new joy of forgiveness. It is hard -to believe that the speaker is but a personification of the nation, and -the difficulty is recognised by Cheyne's concession that we have here -"principally, though not exclusively, a national psalm." The old opinion -that it records David's experience in the dark time when, for a whole -year, he lived impenitent after his great sin of sense, and was then -broken down by Nathan's message and restored to peace through pardon -following swiftly on penitence, is still defensible, and gives a fit -setting for this gem. Whoever was the singer, his song goes deep down to -permanent realities in conscience and in men's relations to God, and -therefore is not for an age, but for all time. Across the dim waste of -years, we hear this man speaking our sins, our penitence, our joy; and -the antique words are as fresh, and fit as close to our experiences, as -if they had been welled up from a living heart to-day. The theme is the -way of forgiveness and its blessedness; and this is set forth in two -parts: the first (vv. 1-5) a leaf from the psalmist's autobiography, the -second (ver. 6 to end) the generalisation of individual experience and -its application to others. In each part the prevailing division of -verses is into strophes of two, each containing two members, but with -some irregularity. - -The page from the psalmist's confessions (vv. 1-5) begins with a burst -of rapturous thankfulness for the joy of forgiveness (vv. 1, 2), -passes to paint in dark colours the misery of sullen impenitence (vv. -3, 4), and then, in one longer verse, tells with glad wonder how -sudden and complete was the transition to the joy of forgiveness by -the way of penitence. It is a chart of one man's path from the depths -to the heights, and avails to guide all. - -The psalmist begins abruptly with an exclamation (Oh, the blessedness, -etc.). His new joy wells up irrepressibly. To think that he who had gone -so far down in the mire, and had locked his lips in silence for so long, -should find himself so blessed! Joy so exuberant cannot content itself -with one statement of its grounds. It runs over in synonyms for sin and -its forgiveness, which are not feeble tautology. The heart is too full -to be emptied at one outpouring, and though all the clauses describe the -same things, they do so with differences. This is true with regard to -the words both for sin and for pardon. The three designations of the -former present three aspects of its hideousness. The first, rendered -("transgression,") conceives of it as rebellion against rightful -authority, not merely breach of an impersonal law, but breaking away -from a rightful king. The second ("sin") describes it as missing a mark. -What is in regard to God rebellion is in regard to myself missing the -aim, whether that aim be considered as that which a man is, by his very -make and relations, intended to be and do, or as that which he proposes -to himself by his act. All sin tragically fails to hit the mark in both -these senses. It is a failure as to reaching the ideal of conduct, "the -chief end of man," and not less so as to winning the satisfaction sought -by the deed. It keeps the word of promise to the ear, and breaks it to -the hope, ever luring by lying offers; and if it gives the poor delights -which it holds out, it ever adds something that embitters them, like -spirits of wine methylated and made undrinkable. It is always a blunder -to do wrong. The last synonym ("iniquity") means crookedness or -distortion, and seems to embody the same idea as our words "right" and -"wrong," namely the contrast between the straight line of duty and the -contorted lines drawn by sinful hands. What runs parallel with law is -right; what diverges is wrong. The three expressions for pardon are also -eloquent in their variety. The first word means taken away or lifted -off, as a burden from aching shoulders. It implies more than holding -back penal consequences; it is the removal of sin itself, and that not -merely in the multitudinousness of its manifestations in act, but in the -depth of its inward source. This is the metaphor which Bunyan has made -so familiar by his picture of the pilgrim losing his load at the cross. -The second ("covered") paints pardon as God's shrouding the foul thing -from His pure eyes, so that His action is no longer determined by its -existence. The third describes forgiveness as God's not reckoning a -man's sin to him, in which expression hovers some allusion to cancelling -a debt. The clause "in whose spirit is no guile" is best taken as a -conditional one, pointing to sincerity which confesses guilt as a -condition of pardon. But the alternative construction as a continuation -of the description of the forgiven man is quite possible; and if thus -understood, the crowning blessing of pardon is set forth as being the -liberation of the forgiven spirit from all "guile" or evil. God's kiss -of forgiveness sucks the poison from the wound. - -Retrospect of the dismal depth from which it has climbed is natural to a -soul sunning itself on high. Therefore on the overflowing description of -present blessedness follows a shuddering glance downwards to past -unrest. Sullen silence caused the one; frank acknowledgment brought the -other. He who will not speak his sin to God has to groan. A dumb -conscience often makes a loud-voiced pain. This man's sin had indeed -missed its aim; for it had brought about three things: rotting bones -(which may be but a strong metaphor or may be a physical fact), the -consciousness of God's displeasure dimly felt as if a great hand were -pressing him down, and the drying up of the sap of his life, as if the -fierce heat of summer had burned the marrow in his bones. These were the -fruits of pleasant sin, and by reason of them many a moan broke from his -locked lips. Stolid indifference may delay remorse, but its serpent fang -strikes soon or later, and then strength and joy die. The Selah -indicates a swell or prolongation of the accompaniment, to emphasise -this terrible picture of a soul gnawing itself. - -The abrupt turn to description of the opposite disposition in ver. 5 -suggests a sudden gush of penitence. As at a bound, the soul passes from -dreary remorse. The break with the former self is complete, and effected -in one wrench. Some things are best done by degrees; and some, of which -forsaking sin is one, are best done quickly. And as swift as the resolve -to crave pardon, so swift is the answer giving it. We are reminded of -that gospel compressed into a verse, "David said unto Nathan, I have -sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath -put away thy sin." Again the three designations of sin are employed, -though in different order; and the act of confession is thrice -mentioned, as that of forgiveness was. The fulness and immediateness of -pardon are emphatically given by the double epithet "the iniquity of thy -sin" and by the representation that it follows the resolve to confess, -and does not wait for the act. The Divine love is so eager to forgive -that it tarries not for actual confession, but anticipates it, as the -father interrupts the prodigal's acknowledgment with gifts and welcome. -The Selah at the end of ver. 5 is as triumphant as that at the close of -ver. 4 had been sad. It parts the autobiographical section from the more -general one which follows. - -In the second part the solitary soul translates its experience into -exhortations for all, and woos men to follow on the same path, by -setting forth in rich variety the joys of pardon. The exhortation -first dwells on the positive blessings associated with penitence (vv. -6, 7), and next on the degradation and sorrow involved in obstinate -hard-heartedness (vv. 8-10). The natural impulse of him who has known -both is to beseech others to share his happy experience, and the -psalmist's course of thought obeys that impulse, for the future "shall -pray" (R.V.) is better regarded as hortatory "let ... pray." "Because -of this" does not express the contents of the petitions, but their -reason. The manifestation of God as infinitely ready to forgive should -hearten to prayer; and, since God's beloved need forgiveness day by -day, even though they may not have fallen into such gross sin as this -psalmist, there is no incongruity in the exhortation being addressed -to them. "He that is washed" still needs that feet fouled in muddy -ways should be cleansed. Every time of seeking by such prayer is a -"time of finding"; but the phrase implies that there is a time of not -finding, and, in its very graciousness, is heavy with warning against -delay. With forgiveness comes security. The penitent, praying, -pardoned man is set as on a rock islet in the midst of floods, whether -these be conceived of as temptation to sin or as calamities. The -hortatory tone is broken in ver. 7 by the recurrence of the personal -element, since the singer's heart was too full for silence; but there -is no real interruption, for the joyous utterance of one's own faith -is often the most winning persuasive, and a devout man can scarcely -hold out to others the sweetness of finding God without at the same -time tasting what he offers. Unless he does, his words will ring -unreal. "Thou art a shelter for me" (same word as in xxvii. 5, xxxi. -20), is the utterance of trust; and the emphasis is on "my." To hide -in God is to be "preserved from trouble," not in the sense of being -exempt, but in that of not being overwhelmed, as the beautiful last -clause of v. 7 shows, in which "shouts of deliverance" from trouble -which had pressed are represented by a bold, but not harsh, metaphor -as ringing the psalmist round. The air is filled with jubilant voices, -the echoes of his own. The word rendered "songs" or preferably -"shouts" is unusual, and its consonants repeat the last three of the -preceding word ("shalt preserve me"). These peculiarities have led to -the suggestion that we have in it a "dittograph." If so, the remaining -words of the last clause would read, "Thou wilt compass me about with -deliverance," which would be a perfectly appropriate expression. But -probably the similarity of letters is a play upon words, of which we -have another example in the preceding clause where the consonants of -the word for "trouble," reappear in their order in the verb "wilt -preserve." The shout of joy is caught up by the Selah. - -But now the tone changes into solemn warning against obstinate disregard -of God's leading. It is usual to suppose that the psalmist still speaks, -but surely "I will counsel thee, with mine eye upon thee," does not fit -human lips. It is to be observed, too, that in ver. 8 a single person is -addressed, who is most naturally taken to be the same as he who spoke -his individual faith in ver. 7. In other words, the psalmist's -confidence evokes a Divine response, and that brief interchange of -clinging trust and answering promise stands in the midst of the appeal -to men, which it scarcely interrupts. Ver. 9 may either be regarded as -the continuance of the Divine voice, or perhaps better, as the -resumption by the psalmist of his hortatory address. God's direction as -to duty and protection in peril are both included in the promise of ver. -8. With His eye upon His servant, He will show him the way, and will -keep him ever in sight as he travels on it. The beautiful meaning of the -A.V., that God guides with a glance those who dwell near enough to Him -to see His look, is scarcely contained in the words, though it is true -that the sense of pardon binds men to Him in such sweet bonds that they -are eager to catch the faintest indications of His will, and "His looks -command, His lightest words are spells." - -Vv. 9, 10, are a warning against brutish obstinacy. The former verse -has difficulties in detail, but its drift is plain. It contrasts the -gracious guidance which avails for those made docile by forgiveness -and trust with the harsh constraint which must curb and coerce mulish -natures. The only things which such understand are bits and bridles. -They will not come near to God without such rough outward constraint, -any more than an unbroken horse will approach a man unless dragged by -a halter. That untamableness except by force is the reason why "many -sorrows" must strike "the wicked." If these are here compared to "bit" -and "bridle," they are meant to drive to God, and are therefore -regarded as being such mercies as the obstinate are capable of -receiving. Obedience extorted by force is no obedience, but approach -to God compelled by sorrows that restrain unbridled licence of tempers -and of sense is accepted as a real approach and then is purged into -access with confidence. They who are at first driven are afterwards -drawn, and taught to know no delight so great as that of coming and -keeping near God. - -The antithesis of "wicked" and "he that trusteth in Jehovah" is -significant as teaching that faith is the true opposite of sinfulness. -Not less full of meaning is the sequence of trust, righteousness, and -uprightness of heart in vv. 10, 11. Faith leads to righteousness, and -they are upright, not who have never fallen, but who have been raised -from their fall by pardon. The psalmist had thought of himself as -compassed with shouts of deliverance. Another circle is cast round him -and all who, with him, trust Jehovah. A ring of mercies, like a fiery -wall, surrounds the pardoned, faithful soul, without a break through -which a real evil can creep. Therefore the encompassing songs of -deliverance are continuous as the mercies which they hymn, and in the -centre of that double circle the soul sits secure and thankful. - -The psalm ends with a joyful summons to general joy. All share in the -solitary soul's exultation. The depth of penitence measures the height -of gladness. The breath that was spent in "roaring all the day long" -is used for shouts of deliverance. Every tear sparkles like a diamond -in the sunshine of pardon, and he who begins with the lowly cry for -forgiveness will end with lofty songs of joy and be made, by God's -guidance and Spirit, righteous and upright in heart. - - - - - PSALM XXXIII. - - 1 Rejoice aloud, ye righteous, in Jehovah, - For the upright praise is seemly. - 2 Give thanks to Jehovah with harp; - With ten-stringed psaltery play unto Him. - 3 Sing to Him a new song, - Strike well [the strings] with joyful shouts. - - 4 For upright is the word of Jehovah, - And all His work is in faithfulness. - 5 He loves righteousness and judgment, - Of Jehovah's loving-kindness the earth is full. - 6 By the word of Jehovah the heavens were made, - And all their host by the breath of His mouth. - 7 Who gathereth as an heap the waters of the sea, - Who layeth up the deeps in storehouses. - 8 Let all the earth fear Jehovah, - Before Him let all inhabitants of the world stand in awe. - 9 For He, He spoke and it was; - He, He commanded and it stood. - 10 Jehovah has brought to nothing the counsel of the nations, - He has frustrated the designs of the peoples. - 11 The counsel of Jehovah shall stand for ever, - The designs of His heart to generation after generation. - - 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is Jehovah, - The people He has chosen for an inheritance for Himself. - 13 From heaven Jehovah looks down, - He beholds all the sons of men. - 14 From the place where He sits, He gazes - On all the inhabitants of earth:-- - 15 Even He who forms the hearts of them all, - Who marks all their works. - 16 A king is not saved by the greatness of [his] army, - A hero is not delivered by the greatness of [his] strength. - 17 A horse is a vain thing for safety; - And by the greatness of its strength it does not give escape. - 18 Behold the eye of Jehovah is on them who fear Him, - On them who hope for His loving-kindness, - 19 To deliver their soul from death, - And to keep them alive in famine. - - 20 Our soul waits for Jehovah, - Our help and our shield is He. - 21 For in Him shall our heart rejoice, - For in His holy name have we trusted. - 22 Let Thy loving-kindness, Jehovah, be upon us, - According as we have hoped for Thee. - - -This is the last of the four psalms in Book I. which have no title, -the others being Psalms i., ii., which are introductory, and x. which -is closely connected with ix. Some have endeavoured to establish a -similar connection between xxxii. and xxxiii.; but, while the closing -summons to the righteous in the former is substantially repeated in -the opening words of the latter, there is little other trace of -connection, except the references in both to "the eye of Jehovah" -(xxxii. 8, xxxiii. 18); and no two psalms could be more different in -subject and tone than these. The one is full of profound, personal -emotion, and deals with the depths of experience; the other is devoid -of personal reference, and is a devout, calm contemplation of the -creative power and providential government of God. It is kindred with -the later type of psalms, and has many verbal allusions connecting it -with them. It has probably been placed here simply because of the -similarity just noticed between its beginning and the end of the -preceding. The reasons for the arrangement of the psalter were, so far -as they can be traced, usually such merely verbal coincidences. To one -who has been travelling through the heights and depths, the storms and -sunny gleams of the previous psalms, this impersonal didactic -meditation, with its historical allusions and entire ignoring of sins -and sorrows, is indeed "a new song." It is apparently meant for -liturgical use, and falls into three unequal parts; the first three -verses and the last three being prelude and conclusion, the former -summoning the "righteous" to praise Jehovah, the latter putting words -of trust and triumph and prayer into their mouths. The central mass -(vv. 4-19) celebrates the creative and providential work of God, in -two parts, of which the first extends these Divine acts over the world -(vv. 4-11) and the second concentrates them on Israel (vv. 12-19). - -The opening summons to praise takes us far away from the solitary -wrestlings and communings in former psalms. Now - - "The singers lift up their voice, - And the trumpets make endeavour, - Sounding, 'In God rejoice! - In Him rejoice for ever!'" - -But the clear recognition of purity as the condition of access to God -speaks in this invocation as distinctly as in any of the preceding. -"The righteous" whose lives conform to the Divine will, and only they -can shout aloud their joy in Jehovah. Praise fits and adorns the lips -of the "upright" only, whose spirits are without twist of self-will -and sin. The direction of character expressed in the word is -horizontal rather than vertical, and is better represented by -"straight" than "upright." Praise gilds the gold of purity and adds -grace even to the beauty of holiness. Experts tell us that the -_kinnor_ (harp, A.V. and R.V.) and _nebel_ (psaltery) were both -stringed instruments, differing in the position of the sounding board, -which was below in the former and above in the latter, and also in the -covering of the strings (_v._ Delitzsch, Eng. transl. of latest ed., -I. 7, n.). The "new song" is not necessarily the psalm itself, but may -mean other thanksgivings evoked by God's meditated-on goodness. But, -in any case, it is noteworthy that the occasions of the new song are -very old acts, stretching back to the first creation and continued -down through the ages. The psalm has no trace of special recent -mercies, but to the devout soul the old deeds are never antiquated, -and each new meditation on them breaks into new praise. So -inexhaustible is the theme that all generations take it up in turn, -and find "songs unheard" and "sweeter" with which to celebrate it. -Each new rising of the old sun brings music from the lips of Memnon, -as he sits fronting the east. The facts of revelation must be sung by -each age and soul for itself, and the glowing strains grow cold and -archaic, while the ancient mercies which they magnify live on bright -and young. There is always room for a fresh voice to praise the old -gospel, the old creation, the old providence. - -This new song is saturated with reminiscences of old ones, and deals -with familiar thoughts which have come to the psalmist with fresh -power. He magnifies the moral attributes manifested in God's -self-revelation, His creative Word, and His providential government. -"The word of Jehovah," in ver. 4, is to be taken in the wide sense of -every utterance of His thought or will ("non accipi pro doctrina, sed -pro mundi gubernandi ratione," Calvin). It underlies His "works," as -is more largely declared in the following verses. It is "upright," the -same word as in ver. 1, and here equivalent to the general idea of -morally perfect. The acts which flow from it are "in faithfulness," -correspond to and keep His word. The perfect word and works have for -source the deep heart of Jehovah, which loves "righteousness and -judgment," and therefore speaks and acts in accordance with these. -Therefore the outcome of all is a world full of God's loving-kindness. -The psalmist has won that "serene and blessed mood" in which the -problem of life seems easy, and all harsh and gloomy thoughts have -melted out of the sky. There is but one omnipotent Will at work -everywhere, and that is a Will whose law for itself is the love of -righteousness and truth. The majestic simplicity and universality of -the cause are answered by the simplicity and universality of the -result, the flooding of the whole world with blessing. Many another -psalm shows how hard it is to maintain such a faith in the face of the -terrible miseries of men, and the more complex "civilisation" becomes, -the harder it grows; but it is well to hear sometimes the one clear -note of gladness without its chord of melancholy. - -The work of creation is set forth in vv. 6-9, as the effect of the -Divine word alone. The psalmist is fascinated not by the glories -created, but by the wonder of the process of creation. The Divine will -uttered itself, and the universe was. Of course the thought is parallel -with that of Genesis, "God said, Let there be ... and there was...." Nor -are we to antedate the Christian teaching of a personal Word of God, the -agent of creation. The old versions and interpreters, followed by -Cheyne, read "as in a bottle" for "as an heap," vocalising the text -differently from the present pointing; but there seems to be an allusion -to the wall of waters at the passage of the Red Sea, the same word being -used in Miriam's song; with "depths" in the next clause, there as here -(Exod. xv. 8). What is meant, however, here, is the separation of land -and water at first, and possibly the continuance of the same power -keeping them still apart, since the verbs in ver. 7 are participles, -which imply continued action. The image of "an heap" is probably due to -the same optical delusion which has coined the expression "the high -seas," since, to an eye looking seawards from the beach, the level -waters seem to rise as they recede; or it may merely express the -gathering together in a mass. Away out there, in that ocean of which the -Hebrews knew so little, were unplumbed depths in which, as in vast -storehouses, the abundance of the sea was shut up, and the ever-present -Word which made them at first was to them instead of bolts and bars. -Possibly the thought of the storehouses suggested that of the Flood when -these were opened, and that thought, crossing the psalmist's mind, led -to the exhortation in ver. 8 to fear Jehovah, which would more naturally -have followed ver. 9. The power displayed in creation is, however, a -sufficient ground for the summons to reverent obedience, and ver. 9 may -be but an emphatic repetition of the substance of the foregoing -description. It is eloquent in its brevity and juxtaposition of the -creative word and the created world. "It stood,"--"the word includes -much: first, the coming into being (_Entstehen_), then, the continued -subsistence (_Bestehen_), lastly, attendance (_Dastehen_) in readiness -for service" (Stier). - -From the original creation the psalmist's mind runs over the ages -between it and him, and sees the same mystical might of the Divine -Will working in what we call providential government. God's bare word -has power without material means. Nay, His very thoughts unspoken are -endowed with immortal vigour, and are at bottom the only real powers -in history. God's "thoughts stand," as creation does, lasting on -through all men's fleeting years. With reverent boldness the psalm -parallels the processes (if we may so speak) of the Divine mind with -those of the human; "counsel" and "thoughts" being attributed to both. -But how different the issue of the solemn thoughts of God and those of -men, in so far as they are not in accordance with His! It unduly -narrows the sweep of the psalmist's vision to suppose that he is -speaking of a recent experience when some assault on Israel was -repelled. He is much rather linking the hour of creation with to-day -by one swift summary of the net result of all history. The only -stable, permanent reality is the will of God, and it imparts derived -stability to those who ally themselves with it, yielding to its -counsels and moulding their thoughts by its. "He that doeth the will -of God abideth for ever," but the shore of time is littered with -wreckage, the sad fragments of proud fleets which would sail in the -teeth of the wind and went to pieces on the rocks. - -From such thoughts the transition to the second part of the main body -of the psalm is natural. Vv. 12-19 are a joyous celebration of the -blessedness of Israel as the people of so great a God. The most -striking feature of these verses is the pervading reference to the -passage of the Red Sea which, as we have already seen, has coloured -ver. 7. From Miriam's song come the designation of the people as God's -"inheritance," and the phrase "the place of His habitation" (Exod. xv. -17). The "looking upon the inhabitants of the earth," and the thought -that the "eye of Jehovah is upon them that fear Him, to deliver their -soul in death" (vv. 14, 18), remind us of the Lord's looking from the -pillar on the host of Egyptians and the terrified crowd of fugitives, -and of the same glance being darkness to the one and light to the -other. The abrupt introduction of the king not saved by his host, and -of the vanity of the horse for safety, are explained if we catch an -echo of Miriam's ringing notes, "Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath -He cast into the sea.... The horse and his rider hath He thrown into -the sea" (Exod. xv. 4, 21). - -If this historical allusion be not recognised, the connection of these -verses is somewhat obscure, but still discernible. The people who -stand in special relation to God are blessed, because that eye, which -sees all men, rests on them in loving-kindness and with gracious -purpose of special protection. This contrast of God's universal -knowledge and of that knowledge which is accompanied with loving care -is the very nerve of these verses, as is shown by the otherwise -aimless repetition of the thought of God's looking down on men. There -is a wide all-seeingness, characterised by three words in an ascending -scale of closeness of observance, in vv. 13, 14. It is possible to God -as being Creator: "He fashions their hearts individually," or "one by -one," seems the best interpretation of ver. 15 _a_, and thence is -deduced His intimate knowledge of all His creatures' doings. The -sudden turn to the impotence of earthly might, as illustrated by the -king and the hero and the battle-horse, may be taken as intended to -contrast the weakness of such strength both with the preceding picture -of Divine omniscience and almightiness, and with the succeeding -assurance of safety in Jehovah. The true reason for the blessedness of -the chosen people is that God's eye is on them, not merely with cold -omniscience nor with critical considering of their works, but with the -direct purpose of sheltering them from surrounding evil. But the -stress of the characterisation of these guarded and nourished -favourites of heaven is now laid not upon a Divine act of choice, but -upon their meek looking to Him. His eye meets with love the upturned -patient eye of humble expectance and loving fear. - -What should be the issue of such thoughts, but the glad profession of -trust, with which the psalm fittingly ends, corresponding to the -invocation to praise which began it? Once in each of these three closing -verses do the speakers profess their dependence on God. The attitude of -waiting with fixed hope and patient submission is the characteristic of -God's true servants in all ages. In it are blended consciousness of -weakness and vulnerability, dread of assault, reliance on Divine Love, -confidence of safety, patience, submission and strong aspiration. - -These were the tribal marks of God's people, when this was "a new -song"; they are so to-day, for, though the Name of the Lord be more -fully known by Christ, the trust in it is the same. A threefold good -is possessed, expected and asked as the issue of this waiting. God is -"help and shield" to those who exercise it. Its sure fruit is joy in -Him, since He will answer the expectance of His people, and will make -His name more fully known and more sweet to those who have clung to -it, in so far as they knew it. The measure of hope in God is the -measure of experience of His loving-kindness, and the closing prayer -does not allege hope as meriting the answer which it expects, but -recognises that desire is a condition of possession of God's best -gifts, and knows it to be most impossible of all impossibilities that -hope fixed on God should be ashamed. Hands, lifted empty to heaven in -longing trust, will never drop empty back and hang listless, without a -blessing in their grasp. - - - - - PSALM XXXIV. - - 1 ([Hebrew: alef]) I will bless Jehovah at all times, - Continually shall His praise be in my mouth. - 2 ([Hebrew: bet]) In Jehovah my soul shall boast herself, - The humble shall hear and rejoice. - 3 ([Hebrew: gimel]) Magnify Jehovah with me, - And let us exalt His name together. - - 4 ([Hebrew: dalet]) I sought Jehovah and He answered me, - And from all my terrors did He deliver me. - 5 ([Hebrew: he]) They looked to Him and were brightened, - ([Hebrew: vav]) And their faces did not blush. - 6 ([Hebrew: zayin]) This afflicted man cried and Jehovah heard, - And from all his distresses saved him. - 7 ([Hebrew: het]) The angel of Jehovah encamps round them that fear - Him, - And delivers them. - 8 ([Hebrew: tet]) Taste and see that Jehovah is good; - Happy the man that takes refuge in Him. - 9 ([Hebrew: yod]) Fear Jehovah, ye His holy ones; - For there is no want to them that fear Him. - 10 ([Hebrew: kaf]) Young lions famish and starve, - But they that seek Jehovah shall not want any good. - - 11 ([Hebrew: lamed]) Come [my] sons, hearken to me; - I will teach you the fear of Jehovah. - 12 ([Hebrew: mem]) Who is the man who desires life, - Who loves [many] days, in order to see good? - 13 ([Hebrew: nun]) Keep thy tongue from evil, - And thy lips from speaking deceit. - 14 ([Hebrew: samekh]) Depart from evil and do good; - Seek peace and pursue it. - 15 ([Hebrew: ayin]) The eyes of Jehovah are toward the righteous, - And His ears are towards their loud cry. - 16 ([Hebrew: pe]) The face of Jehovah is against the doers of evil - To cut off their remembrance from the earth. - 17 ([Hebrew: tsadi]) The righteous cry and Jehovah hears; - And from all their straits He rescues them. - 18 ([Hebrew: qof]) Jehovah is near to the broken in heart, - And the crushed in spirit He saves. - 19 ([Hebrew: resh]) Many are the afflictions of the righteous; - But from them all Jehovah delivers him. - 20 ([Hebrew: shin]) He keeps all his bones, - Not one of them is broken. - 21 ([Hebrew: tav]) Evil shall slay the wicked; - And the haters of the righteous shall be held guilty. - 22 ([Hebrew: pe]) Jehovah redeems the soul of His servants; - And not held guilty shall any be who take refuge in Him. - - -The occasion of this psalm, according to the superscription, was that -humiliating and questionable episode, when David pretended insanity to -save his life from the ruler of Goliath's city of Gath. The set of -critical opinion sweeps away this tradition as unworthy of serious -refutation. The psalm is acrostic, therefore of late date; there are no -references to the supposed occasion; the careless scribe has blundered -"blindly" (Hupfeld) in the king's name, mixing up the stories about -Abraham and Isaac in Genesis with the legend about David at Gath; the -didactic, gnomical cast of the psalm speaks of a late age. But the -assumption that acrostic structure is necessarily a mark of late date is -not by any means self-evident, and needs more proof than is forthcoming; -the absence of plain allusions to the singer's circumstances cuts both -ways, and suggests the question, how the attribution to the period -stated arose, since there is nothing in the psalm to suggest it; the -blunder of the king's name is perhaps not a blunder after all, but, as -the Genesis passages seem to imply, "Abimelech" (the father of the King) -may be a title, like Pharaoh, common to Philistine "kings," and Achish -may have been the name of the reigning Abimelech; the proverbial style -and somewhat slight connection and progress of thought are necessary -results of acrostic fetters. If the psalm be David's, the contrast -between the degrading expedient which saved him and the exalted -sentiments here is remarkable, but not incredible. The seeming idiot -scrabbling on the gate is now saint, poet, and preacher; and, looking -back on the deliverance won by a trick, he thinks of it as an instance -of Jehovah's answer to prayer! It is a strange psychological study; and -yet, keeping in view the then existing standard of morality as to -stratagems in warfare, and the wonderful power that even good men have -of ignoring flaws in their faith and faults in their conduct, we may -venture to suppose that the event which evoked this song of thanksgiving -and is transfigured in ver. 4 is the escape by craft from Achish. To -David his feigning madness did not seem inconsistent with trust and -prayer. - -Whatever be the occasion of the psalm, its course of thought is -obvious. There is first a vow of praise in which others are summoned -to unite (vv. 1-3); then follows a section in which personal -experience and invocation to others are similarly blended (vv. 4-10); -and finally a purely didactic section, analysing the practical -manifestations of "the fear of the Lord" and enforcing it by the -familiar contrast of the blessedness of the righteous and the -miserable fate of the ungodly. Throughout we find familiar turns of -thought and expression, such as are usual in acrostic psalms. - -The glad vow of unbroken praise and undivided trust, which begins the -psalm, sounds like the welling over of a heart for recent mercy. It -seems easy and natural while the glow of fresh blessings is felt, to -"rejoice in the Lord always, and again to say Rejoice." Thankfulness -which looks forward to its own cessation, and takes into account the -distractions of circumstance and changes of mood which will surely -come, is too foreseeing. Whether the vow be kept or no, it is well -that it should be made; still better is it that it should be kept, as -it may be, even amid distracting circumstances and changing moods. The -incense on the altar did not flame throughout the day, but, being -fanned into a glow at morning and evening sacrifice, it smouldered -with a thread of fragrant smoke continually. It is not only the -exigencies of the acrostic which determine the order in ver. 2: "In -Jehovah shall my soul boast,"--_in Him_, and not in self or worldly -ground, of trust and glorying. The ideal of the devout life, which in -moments of exaltation seems capable of realisation, as in clear -weather Alpine summits look near enough to be reached in an hour, is -unbroken praise and undivided reliance on and joy in Jehovah. But -alas--how far above us the peaks are! Still to see them ennobles, and -to strive to reach them secures an upward course. - -The solitary heart hungers for sympathy in its joy, as in its sorrow; -but knows full well that such can only be given by those who have -known like bitterness and have learned submission in the same way. We -must be purged of self in order to be glad in another's deliverance, -and must be pupils in the same school in order to be entitled to take -his experience as our encouragement, and to make a chorus to his solo -of thanksgiving. The invocation is so natural an expression of the -instinctive desire for companionship in praise that one needs not to -look for any particular group to whom it is addressed; but if the -psalm be David's, the call is not inappropriate in the mouth of the -leader of his band of devoted followers. - -The second section of the psalm (vv. 4-10) is at first biographical, -and then generalises personal experience into broad universal truth. -But even in recounting what befell himself, the singer will not eat -his morsel alone, but is glad to be able at every turn to feel that he -has companions in his happy experience. Vv. 4, 5 are a pair, as are -vv. 6, 7, and in each the same fact is narrated first in reference to -the single soul, and then in regard to all the servants of Jehovah. -"This poor man" is by most of the older expositors taken to be the -psalmist, but by the majority of moderns supposed to be an -individualising way of saying, "poor men." The former explanation -seems to me the more natural, as preserving the parallelism between -the two groups of verses. If so, the close correspondence of -expression in vv. 4 and 6 is explained, since the same event is -subject of both. In both is the psalmist's appeal to Jehovah -presented; in the one as "seeking" with anxious eagerness, and in the -other as "crying" with the loud call of one in urgent need of -immediate rescue. In both, Divine acceptance follows close on the cry, -and in both immediately ensues succour. "He delivered me from all my -fears," and "saved him out of all his troubles," correspond entirely, -though not verbally. In like manner vv. 5 and 7 are alike in extending -the blessing of the unit so as to embrace the class. The absence of -any expressed subject of the verb in ver. 5 makes the statement more -comprehensive, like the French "_on_," or English "they." To "look -unto Him" is the same thing as is expressed in the individualising -verses by the two phrases, "sought," and "cried unto," only the -metaphor is changed into that of silent, wistful directing of -beseeching and sad eyes to God. And its issue is beautifully told, in -pursuance of the metaphor. Whoever turns his face to Jehovah will -receive reflected brightness on his face; as when a mirror is directed -sunwards, the dark surface will flash into sudden glory. Weary eyes -will gleam. Faces turned to the sun are sure to be radiant. - -The hypothesis of the Davidic authorship gives special force to the -great assurance of ver. 7. The fugitive, in his rude shelter in the -cave of Adullam, thinks of Jacob, who, in his hour of defenceless -need, was heartened by the vision of the angel encampment surrounding -his own little band, and named the place "Mahanaim," the two camps. -That fleeting vision was a temporary manifestation of abiding reality. -Wherever there is a camp of them that fear God, there is another, of -which the helmed and sworded angel that appeared to Joshua is Captain, -and the name of every such place is Two Camps. That is the sight which -brightens the eyes that look to God. That mysterious personality, "the -Angel of the Lord," is only mentioned in the Psalter here and in Psalm -xxxv. In other places, He appears as the agent of Divine -communications, and especially as the guide and champion of Israel. He -is "the angel of God's face," the personal revealer of His presence -and nature. His functions correspond to those of the Word in John's -Gospel, and these, conjoined with the supremacy indicated in his name, -suggest that "_the_ Angel of the Lord" is, in fact, the everlasting -Son of the Father, through whom the Christology of the New Testament -teaches that all Revelation has been mediated. The psalmist did not -know the full force of the name, but he believed that there was a -Person, in an eminent and singular sense God's messenger, who would -cast his protection round the devout, and bid inferior heavenly -beings draw their impregnable ranks about them. Christians can tell -more than he could, of the Bearer of the name. It becomes them to be -all the surer of His protection. - -Just as the vow of ver. 1 passed into invocation, so does the personal -experience of vv. 4-7 glide into exhortation. If such be the experience -of poor men, trusting in Jehovah, how should the sharers in it be able -to withhold themselves from calling on others to take their part in the -joy? The depth of a man's religion may be roughly, but on the whole -fairly, tested by his irrepressible impulse to bring other men to the -fountain from which he has drunk. Very significantly does the psalm call -on men to "taste and see," for in religion experience must precede -knowledge. The way to "taste" is to "trust" or to "take refuge in" -Jehovah. "Crede et manducasti," says Augustine. The psalm said it before -him. Just as the act of appealing to Jehovah was described in a -threefold way in vv. 4-6, so a threefold designation of devout men -occurs in vv. 8-10. They "trust," are "saints," they "seek." Faith, -consecration and aspiration are their marks. These are the essentials of -the religious life, whatever be the degree of revelation. These were its -essentials in the psalmist's time, and they are so to-day. As abiding as -they, are the blessings consequent. These may all be summed up in -one--the satisfaction of every need and desire. There are two ways of -seeking for satisfaction: that of effort, violence and reliance on one's -own teeth and claws to get one's meat; the other that of patient, -submissive trust. Were there lions prowling round the camp at Adullam, -and did the psalmist take their growls as typical of all vain attempts -to satisfy the soul? Struggle and force and self-reliant efforts leave -men gaunt and hungry. He who takes the path of trust and has his supreme -desires set on God, and who looks to Him to give what he himself cannot -wring out of life, will get first his deepest desires answered in -possessing God, and will then find that the One great Good is an -encyclopaedia of separate goods. They that "seek Jehovah" shall assuredly -find Him, and in Him everything. He is multiform, and His goodness takes -many shapes, according to the curves of the vessels which it fills. -"Seek ye first the kingdom of God ... and all these things shall be -added unto you." - -The mention of the "fear of the Lord" prepares the way for the -transition to the third part of the psalm. It is purely didactic, and, -in its simple moral teaching and familiar contrast of the fates of -righteous and ungodly, has affinities with the Book of Proverbs; but -these are not so special as to require the supposition of -contemporaneousness. It is unfashionable now to incline to the Davidic -authorship; but would not the supposition that the "children," who are -to be taught the elements of religion, are the band of outlaws who -have gathered round the fugitive, give appropriateness to the -transition from the thanksgiving of the first part to the didactic -tone of the second? We can see them sitting round the singer in the -half-darkness of the cave, a wild group, needing much control and yet -with faithful hearts, and loyal to their leader, who now tells them -the laws of his camp, at the same time as he sets forth the broad -principles of that morality, which is the garment and manifestation -among men of the "fear of the Lord." The relations of religion and -morals were never more clearly and strikingly expressed than in the -simple language of this psalm, which puts the substance of many -profound treatises in a nutshell, when it expounds the "fear of -Jehovah" as consisting in speaking truth, doing good, abhorring evil -and seeking peace even when it seems to flee from us. The primal -virtues are the same for all ages and stages of revelation. The -definition of good and evil may vary and become more spiritual and -inward, but the dictum that it is good to love and do good shines -unalterable. The psalmist's belief that doing good was the sure way to -enjoy good was a commonplace of Old Testament teaching, and under a -Theocracy was more distinctly verified by outward facts than now; but -even then, as many psalms show, had exceptions so stark as to stir -many doubts. Unquestionably good in the sense of blessedness is -inseparable from good in the sense of righteousness, as evil which is -suffering is from evil which is sin, but the conception of what -constitutes blessedness and sorrow must be modified so as to throw -most weight on inward experiences, if such necessary coincidence is to -be maintained in the face of patent facts. - -The psalmist closes his song with a bold statement of the general -principle that goodness is blessedness and wickedness is wretchedness; -but he finds his proof mainly in the contrasted relation to Jehovah -involved in the two opposite moral conditions. He has no vulgar -conception of blessedness as resulting from circumstances. The -loving-kindness of Jehovah is, in his view, prosperity, whatever be -the aspect of externals. So with bold symbols, the very grossness of -the letter of which shields them from misinterpretation, he declares -this as the secret of all blessedness, that Jehovah's eyes are towards -the righteous and His ears open to their cry. The individual -experiences of vv. 5 and 6 are generalised. The eye of God--_i.e._ -His loving observance--rests upon and blesses those whose faces are -turned to Him, and His ear hears the poor man's cry. The grim -antithesis, which contains in itself the seeds of all unrest, is that -the "face of Jehovah"--_i.e._ His manifested presence, the same face -in the reflected light of which the faces of the righteous are lit up -with gladness and dawning glory--is against evil doers. The moral -condition of the beholder determines the operation of the light of -God's countenance upon him. The same presence is light and darkness, -life and death. Evil and its doers shrivel and perish in its beams, as -the sunshine kills creatures whose haunt is the dark, or as Apollo's -keen light-arrows slew the monsters of the slime. All else follows -from this double relationship. - -The remainder of the psalm runs out into a detailed description of the -joyful fate of the lovers of good broken only by one tragic verse (21), -like a black rock in the midst of a sunny stream, telling how evil and -evil-doers end. In ver. 17, as in ver. 5, the verb has no subject -expressed, but the supplement of A.V. and R.V., "the righteous," is -naturally drawn from the context and is found in the LXX., whether as -part of the original text, or as supplement thereto, is unknown. The -construction may, as in ver. 6, indicate that whoever cries to Jehovah -is heard. Hitzig and others propose to transpose vv. 15 and 16, so as to -get a nearer subject for the verb in the "righteous" of ver. 15, and -defend the inversion by referring to the alphabetic order in Lam. ii., -iii., iv., where similarly Pe precedes Ayin; but the present order of -verses is better as putting the principal theme of this part of the -psalm--the blessedness of the righteous--in the foreground, and the -opposite thought as its foil. The main thought of vv. 17-20 is nothing -more than the experience of vv. 4-7 thrown into the form of general -maxims. They are the commonplaces of religion, but come with strange -freshness to a man, when they have been verified in his life. Happy they -who can cast their personal experience into such proverbial sayings, -and, having by faith individualised the general promises, can -re-generalise the individual experience! The psalmist does not promise -untroubled outward good. His anticipation is of troubled lives, -delivered because of crying to Jehovah. "Many are the afflictions," but -more are the deliverances. Many are the blows and painful is the -pressure, but they break no bones, though they rack and wrench the -frame. Significant, too, is the sequence of synonyms--righteous, -broken-hearted, crushed in spirit, servants, them that take refuge in -Jehovah. The first of these refers mainly to conduct, the second to that -submission of will and spirit which sorrow rightly borne brings about, -substantially equivalent to "the humble" or "afflicted" of vv. 2 and 6, -the third again deals mostly with practice, and the last touches the -foundation of all service, submission, and righteousness, as laid in the -act of faith in Jehovah. - -The last group of vv. 21, 22, puts the teaching of the psalm in one -terrible contrast, "Evil shall slay the wicked." It were a mere -platitude if by "evil" were meant misfortune. The same thought of the -inseparable connection of the two senses of that word, which runs -through the context, is here expressed in the most terse fashion. To -do evil is to suffer evil, and all sin is suicide. Its wages is death. -Every sin is a strand in the hangman's rope, which the sinner nooses -and puts round his own neck. That is so because every sin brings -guilt, and guilt brings retribution. Much more than "desolate" is -meant in vv. 21 and 22. The word means _to be condemned_ or _held -guilty_. Jehovah is the Judge; before His bar all actions and -characters are set: His unerring estimate of each brings with it, here -and now, consequences of reward and punishment which prophesy a -future, more perfect judgment. The redemption of the soul of God's -servants is the antithesis to that awful experience; and they only, -who take refuge in Him, escape it. The full Christian significance of -this final contrast is in the Apostle's words, "There is therefore now -no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." - - - - - PSALM XXXV. - - 1 Plead my cause, Jehovah, with those who plead against me; - Fight with those who fight with me. - 2 Grasp target and shield, - And stand up in my help, - 3 And unsheathe lance and battle-axe (?) against my pursuers; - Say to my soul, Thy salvation am I. - - 4 Be the seekers after my life put to shame and dishonoured; - Be the plotters of my hurt turned back and confounded - 5 Be they as chaff before the wind, - And the angel of Jehovah striking them down! - 6 Be their path darkness and slipperiness, - And the angel of Jehovah pursuing them! - - 7 For without provocation have they hidden for me their net; - Without provocation have they dug a pit for my life. - 8 May destruction light on him unawares, - And his net which he hath hidden snare him; - Into destruction (the pit?)--may he fall therein! - - 9 And my soul shall exult in Jehovah, - Shall rejoice in His salvation. - 10 All my bones shall say, Jehovah, who is like Thee, - Delivering the afflicted from a stronger than he, - Even the afflicted and poor from his spoiler? - - 11 Unjust witnesses rise up; - Of what I know not they ask me. - 12 They requite me evil for good-- - Bereavement to my soul! - 13 But I--in their sickness my garment was sackcloth, - I afflicted my soul by fasting, - And my prayer--may it return again (do thou return?) to my own - bosom. - 14 As [for] my friend or brother, I dragged myself about (bowed - myself down?); - As one mourning for a mother, I bowed down (dragged myself about?) - in squalid attire. - 15 And at my tottering they rejoice and assemble themselves; - Abjects and those whom I know not assemble against me; - They tear me, and cease not, - 16 Like the profanest of buffoons for a bit of bread, - Gnashing their teeth at me. - - 17 Lord, how long wilt Thou look on? - Bring back my soul from their destructions, - My only one from the young lions. - 18 I will praise Thee in the great congregation; - Among people strong [in number] will I sound Thy praise. - - 19 Let not my enemies wrongfully rejoice over me, - Nor my haters without provocation wink the eye. - 20 For it is not peace they speak, - And against the quiet of the land they plan words of guile. - 21 And they open wide their mouth against me; - They say, Oho! Oho! our eyes have seen. - - 22 Thou hast seen, Jehovah: be not deaf; - Lord, be not far from me! - 23 Arouse Thyself, and awake for my judgment, - My God and my Lord, for my suit! - 24 Judge me according to Thy righteousness, Jehovah, my God, - And let them not rejoice over me. - - 25 Let them not say in their hearts, Oho! our desire! - Let them not say, We have swallowed him. - 26 Be those who rejoice over my calamity put to shame and confounded - together! - Be those who magnify themselves against me clothed in shame and - dishonour! - - 27 May those who delight in my righteous cause sound out their - gladness and rejoice, - And say continually, Magnified be Jehovah, - Who delights in the peace of His servant. - 28 And my tongue shall meditate Thy righteousness, - All day long Thy praise. - - -The psalmist's life is in danger. He is the victim of ungrateful -hatred. False accusations of crimes that he never dreamed of are -brought against him. He professes innocence, and appeals to Jehovah to -be his Advocate and also his Judge. The prayer in ver. 1 a uses the -same word and metaphor as David does in his remonstrance with Saul (1 -Sam. xxiv. 15). The correspondence with David's situation in the -Sauline persecution is, at least, remarkable, and goes far to sustain -the Davidic authorship. The distinctly individual traits in the psalm -are difficulties in the way of regarding it as a national psalm. -Jeremiah has several coincidences in point of expression and -sentiment, which are more naturally accounted for as reminiscences by -the prophet than as indications that he was the psalmist. His genius -was assimilative, and liked to rest itself on earlier utterances. - -The psalm has three parts, all of substantially the same import, and -marked off by the conclusion of each being a vow of praise and the -main body of each being a cry for deliverance, a characterisation of -the enemy as ungrateful and malicious, and a profession of the -singer's innocence. We do not look for melodious variations of note in -a cry for help. The only variety to be expected is in its shrill -intensity and prolongation. The triple division is in accordance with -the natural feeling of completeness attaching to the number. If there -is any difference between the three sets of petitions, it may be -observed that the first (vv. 1-10) alleges innocence and vows praise -without reference to others; that the second (vv. 11-18) rises to a -profession not only of innocence, but of beneficence and affection met -by hate, and ends with a vow of public praise; and that the final -section (vv. 19-28) has less description of the machinations of the -enemy and more prolonged appeal to Jehovah for His judgment, and ends, -not with a solo of the psalmist's gratitude, but with a chorus of his -friends, praising God for his "prosperity." - -The most striking features of the first part are the boldness of the -appeal to Jehovah to fight for the psalmist and the terrible -imprecations and magnificent picture in vv. 5, 6. The relation between -the two petitions of ver. 1, "Plead with those who plead against the" -and "Fight with them that fight against me," may be variously -determined. Both may be figurative, the former drawn from legal -processes, the latter from the battle-field. But more probably the -psalmist was really the object of armed attack, and the "fighting" was -a grim reality. The suit against him was being carried on, not in a -court, but in the field. The rendering of the R.V. in ver. 1, "Strive -with ... who strive against me," obscures the metaphor of a lawsuit, -which, in view of its further expansion in vv. 23, 24 (and in -"witnesses" in ver. 11?), is best retained. That is a daring flight of -reverent imagination which thinks of the armed Jehovah as starting to -His feet to help one poor man. The attitude anticipates Stephen's -vision of "the Son of man standing," not throned in rest, but risen in -eager sympathy and intent to succour. But the panoply in which the -psalmist's faith arrays Jehovah, is purely imaginative and, of course, -has nothing parallel in the martyr's vision. The "target" was smaller -than the "shield" (2 Chron. ix. 15, 16). Both could not be wielded at -once, but the incongruity helps to idealise the bold imagery and to -emphasise the Divine completeness of protecting power. It is the -psalmist, and not his heavenly Ally, who is to be sheltered. The two -defensive weapons are probably matched by two offensive ones in ver. -3. The word rendered in the A.V. "stop" ("the way" being a supplement) -is more probably to be taken as the name of a weapon, a battle-axe -according to some, a dirk or dagger according to others. The ordinary -translation gives a satisfactory sense, but the other is more in -accordance with the following preposition, with the accents, and with -the parallelism of target and shield. In either case, how beautifully -the spiritual reality breaks through the warlike metaphor! This armed -Jehovah, grasping shield and drawing spear, utters no battle shout, -but whispers consolation to the trembling man crouching behind his -shield. The outward side of the Divine activity, turned to the foe, is -martial and menacing; the inner side is full of tender, secret -breathings of comfort and love. - -The previous imagery of the battle-field and the Warrior God moulds the -terrible wishes in vv. 4-6, which should not be interpreted as having a -wider reference than to the issue of the attacks on the psalmist. The -substance of them is nothing more than the obverse of his wish for his -own deliverance, which necessarily is accomplished by the defeat of his -enemies. The "moral difficulty" of such wishes is not removed by -restricting them to the special matter in hand, but it is unduly -aggravated if they are supposed to go beyond it. However restricted, -they express a stage of feeling far beneath the Christian, and the -attempt to slur over the contrast is in danger of hiding the glory of -midday for fear of not doing justice to the beauty of morning twilight. -It is true that the "imprecations" of the Psalter are not the offspring -of passion, and that the psalmists speak as identifying their cause with -God's; but when all such considerations are taken into account, these -prayers against enemies remain distinctly inferior to the code of -Christian ethics. The more frankly the fact is recognised, the better. -But, if we turn from the moral to the poetic side of these verses, what -stern beauty there is in that awful picture of the fleeing foe, with -the angel of Jehovah pressing hard on their broken ranks! The hope which -has been embodied in the legends of many nations, that the gods were -seen fighting for their worshippers, is the psalmist's faith, and in its -essence is ever true. That angel, whom we heard of in the previous psalm -as defending the defenceless encampment of them that fear Jehovah, -fights with and scatters the enemies like chaff before the wind. One -more touch of terror is added in that picture of flight in the dark, on -a slippery path, with the celestial avenger close on the fugitives' -heels, as when the Amorite kings fled down the pass of Beth-horon, and -"Jehovah cast great stones from heaven upon them." AEschylus or Dante has -nothing more concentrated or suggestive of terror and beauty than this -picture. - -The psalmist's consciousness of innocence is the ground of his prayer -and confidence. Causeless hatred is the lot of the good in this evil -world. Their goodness is cause enough; for men's likes and dislikes -follow their moral character. Virtue rebukes, and even patient endurance -irritates. No hostility is so hard to turn into love as that which has -its origin, not in the attitude of its object, but in instinctive -consciousness of contrariety in the depths of the soul. Whoever wills to -live near God and tries to shape his life accordingly may make up his -mind to be the mark for many arrows of popular dislike, sometimes -lightly tipped with ridicule, sometimes dipped in gall, sometimes -steeped in poison, but always sharpened by hostility. The experience is -too uniform to identify the poet by it, but the correspondence with -David's tone in his remonstrances with Saul is, at least, worthy of -consideration. The familiar figures of the hunter's snare and pitfall -recur here, as expressing crafty plans for destruction, and pass, as in -other places, into the wish that the lex talionis may fall on the -would-be ensnarer. The text appears to be somewhat dislocated and -corrupted in vv. 7, 8. The word "pit" is needless in ver. 7 _a_, since -snares are not usually spread in pits, and it is wanted in the next -clause, and should therefore probably be transposed. Again, the last -clause of ver. 8, whether the translation of the A.V. or of the R.V. be -adopted, is awkward and feeble from the repetition of "destruction," but -if we read "pit," which involves only a slight change of letters, we -avoid tautology, and preserve the reference to the two engines of craft: -"Let his net which he spread catch him; in the pit--let him fall -therein!" The enemy's fall is the occasion of glad praise, not because -his intended victim yields to the temptation to take malicious delight -in his calamity (_Schadenfreude_). His own deliverance, not the other's -destruction, makes the singer joyful in Jehovah, and what he vows to -celebrate is not the retributive, but the delivering, aspect of the -Divine act. In such joy there is nothing unworthy of the purest -forgiving love to foes. The relaxation of the tension of anxiety and -fear brings the sweetest moments, in the sweetness of which soul and -body seem to share, and the very bones, which were consumed and waxed -old (vi. 3, xxxii. 3), are at ease, and, in their sense of well-being, -have a tongue to ascribe it to Jehovah's delivering hand. No physical -enjoyment surpasses the delight of simple freedom from long torture of -pain, nor are there many experiences so poignantly blessed as that of -passing out of tempest into calm. Well for those who deepen and hallow -such joy by turning it into praise, and see even in the experiences of -their little lives tokens of the incomparable greatness and -unparalleled love of their delivering God! - -Once more the singer plunges into the depths, not because his faith -fails to sustain him on the heights which it had won, but because it -would travel the road again, in order to strengthen itself by persistent -prayers which are not "vain repetitions." The second division (vv. -11-18) runs parallel with the first, with some differences. The -reference to "unjust witnesses" and their charges of crimes which he had -never dreamed of may be but the reappearance of the image of a lawsuit, -as in ver. 1, but is more probably fact. We may venture to think of the -slanders which poisoned Saul's too jealous mind, just as in "They -requite me evil for good" we have at least a remarkable verbal -coincidence with the latter's burst of tearful penitence (1 Sam. xxiv. -17): "Thou art more righteous than I, for thou hast rendered unto me -good, whereas I have rendered unto thee evil." What a wail breaks the -continuity of the sentence in the pathetic words of ver. 12 -_b_!--"Bereavement to my soul!" The word is used again in Isa. xlviii. -7, 8, and there is translated "loss of children." The forlorn man felt -as if all whom he loved were swept away, and he left alone to face the -storm. The utter loneliness of sorrow was never more vividly expressed. -The interjected clause sounds like an agonised cry forced from a man on -the rack. Surely we hear in it not the voice of a personified nation, -but of an individual sufferer, and if we have been down into the depths -ourselves, we recognise the sound. The consciousness of innocence -marking the former section becomes now the assertion of active sympathy, -met by ungrateful hate. The power of kindness is great, but there are -ill-conditioned souls which resent it. There is too much truth in the -cynical belief that the sure way to make an enemy is to do a kindness. -It is all too common an experience that the more abundantly one loves, -the less he is loved. The highest degree of unrequited participation in -others' sorrows is seen in Him who "Himself took our sicknesses." This -psalmist so shared in those of his foes that in sackcloth and with -fasting he prayed for their healing. Whether the prayer was answered to -them or not, it brought reflex blessing to him, for self-forgetting -sympathy is never waste, even though it does not secure returns of -gratitude. "Your peace shall return to you again," though it may not -bring peace to nor with a jangling household. Riehm (in Hupfeld) -suggests the transposition of the verbs in 14 _a_ and _b_: "I _bowed -down_ as though he had been my friend or brother; I _went_ in mourning," -etc., the former clause painting the drooping head of a mourner, the -latter his slow walk and sad attire, either squalid or black. - -The reverse of this picture of true sympathy is given in the conduct -of its objects when it was the psalmist's turn to sorrow. Gleefully -they flock together to mock and triumph. His calamity was as good as a -feast to the ingrates. Vv. 15 and 16 are in parts obscure, but the -general sense is clear. The word rendered "abjects" is unique, and -consequently its meaning is doubtful, and various conjectural -emendations have been proposed--_e.g._, "foreigners," which, as -Hupfeld says, is "as foreign to the connection as can be," "smiting," -and others--but the rendering "abjects," or men of low degree, gives -an intelligible meaning. The comparison in ver. 16 _a_ is extremely -obscure. The existing text is harsh; "profane of mockers for a cake" -needs much explanation to be intelligible. "Mockers for a cake" are -usually explained to be hangers-on at feasts who found wit for dull -guests and were paid by a share of good things, or who crept into -favour and entertainment by slandering the objects of the host's -dislike. Another explanation, suggested by Hupfeld as an alternative, -connects the word rendered "mockers" with the imagery in "tear" (ver. -15) and "gnash" (ver. 16) and "swallow" (ver. 25), and by an -alteration of one letter gets the rendering "like profane -cake-devourers," so comparing the enemies to greedy gluttons, to whom -the psalmist's ruin is a dainty morsel eagerly devoured. - -The picture of his danger is followed, as in the former part, by the -psalmist's prayer. To him God's beholding without interposing is -strange, and the time seems protracted; for the moments creep when -sorrow-laden, and God's help seems slow to tortured hearts. But the -impatience which speaks of itself to Him is soothed, and, though the -man who cries, _How long?_ may feel that his life lies as among lions, -he will swiftly change his note of petition into thanksgiving. The -designation of the life as "my only one," as in xxii. 20, enhances the -earnestness of petition by the thought that, once lost, it can never -be restored. A man has but one life; therefore he holds it so dear. -The mercy implored for the single soul will be occasion of praise -before many people. Not now, as in vv. 9, 10, is the thankfulness a -private soliloquy. Individual blessings should be publicly -acknowledged, and the praise accruing thence may be used as a plea -with God, who delivers men that they may "show forth the excellencies -of Him who hath called them out of" trouble into His marvellous peace. - -The third division (ver. 18 to end) goes over nearly the same ground -as before, with the difference that the prayer for deliverance is -more extended, and that the resulting praise comes from the great -congregation, joining in as chorus in the singer's solo. The former -references to innocence and causeless hatred, lies and plots, -open-mouthed rage, are repeated. "Our eyes have seen," say the -enemies, counting their plots as good as successful and snorting -contempt of their victim's helplessness; but he bethinks him of -another eye, and grandly opposes God's sight to theirs. Usually that -Jehovah sees is, in the Psalter, the same as His helping; but here, as -in ver. 17, the two things are separated, as they so often are, in -fact, for the trial of faith. God's inaction does not disprove His -knowledge, but the pleading soul presses on Him His knowledge as a -plea that He would not be deaf to its cry nor far from its help. The -greedy eyes of the enemy round the psalmist gloat on their prey; but -he cries aloud to his God, and dares to speak to Him as if He were -deaf and far off, inactive and asleep. The imagery of the lawsuit -reappears in fuller form here. "My cause" in ver. 23 is a noun cognate -with the verb rendered "plead" or "strive" in ver. 1; "Judge me" in -ver. 24 does not mean, Pronounce sentence on my character and conduct, -but, Do me right in this case of mine _versus_ my gratuitous foes. - -Again recurs the prayer for their confusion, which clearly has no -wider scope than concerning the matter in hand. It is no breach of -Christian charity to pray that hostile devices may fail. The vivid -imagination of the poet hears the triumphant exclamations of gratified -hatred: "Oho! our desire!" "We have swallowed him," and sums up the -character of his enemies in the two traits of malicious joy in his -hurt and self-exaltation in their hostility to him. - -At last the prayer, which has run through so many moods of feeling, -settles itself into restful contemplation of the sure results of -Jehovah's sure deliverance. One receives the blessing; many rejoice in -it. In significant antithesis to the enemies' joy is the joy of the -rescued man's lovers and favourers. Their "saying" stands over against -the silenced boastings of the losers of the suit. The latter -"magnified themselves," but the end of Jehovah's deliverance will be -that true hearts will "magnify" Him. The victor in the cause will give -all the praise to the Judge, and he and his friends will unite in -self-oblivious praise. Those who delight in his righteousness are of -one mind with Jehovah, and magnify Him because He "delights in the -peace of His servant." While they ring out their praises, the humble -suppliant, whose cry has brought the Divine act which has waked all -this surging song, "shall musingly speak in the low murmur of one -entranced by a sweet thought" (Cheyne), or, if we might use a fine old -word, shall "croon" over God's righteousness all the day long. That is -the right end of mercies received. Whether there be many voices to -join in praise or no, one voice should not be silent, that of the -receiver of the blessings, and, even when he pauses in his song, his -heart should keep singing day-long and life-long praises. - - - - - PSALM XXXVI. - - 1 The wicked has an Oracle of Transgression within his heart; - There is no fear of God before his eyes. - 2 For it speaks smooth things to him in his imagination (eyes) - As to finding out his iniquity, as to hating [it]. - - 3 The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit; - He has ceased being wise, doing good. - 4 He plots mischief upon his bed; - He sets himself firmly in a way [that is] not good; - Evil he loathes not. - - 5 Jehovah, Thy loving-kindness is in the heavens, - Thy faithfulness is unto the clouds. - 6 Thy righteousness is like the mountains of God, - Thy judgments a mighty deep; - Man and beast preservest Thou, Jehovah. - - 7 How precious is Thy loving-kindness, Jehovah, O God! - And the sons of men in the shadow of Thy wings take refuge. - 8 They are satisfied from the fatness of Thy house, - And [of] the river of Thy delights Thou givest them to drink. - 9 For with Thee is the fountain of life; - In Thy light do we see light. - - 10 Continue Thy loving-kindness to those who know Thee, - And Thy righteousness to the upright in heart. - 11 Let not the foot of pride come against me, - And the hand of the wicked--let it not drive me forth. - - 12 There the workers of iniquity are fallen; - They are struck down, and are not able to rise. - - -The supposition that the sombre picture of "the wicked" in vv. 1-4 was -originally unconnected with the glorious hymn in vv. 5-9 fails to give -weight to the difference between the sober pace of pedestrian prose and -the swift flight of winged poetry. It fails also in apprehending the -instinctive turning of a devout meditative spectator from the darkness -of earth and its sins to the light above. The one refuge from the sad -vision of evil here is in the faith that God is above it all, and that -His name is Mercy. Nor can the blackness of the one picture be anywhere -so plainly seen as when it is set in front of the brightness of the -other. A religious man, who has laid to heart the miserable sights of -which earth is full, will scarcely think that the psalmist's quick -averting of his eyes from these to steep them in the light of God is -unnatural, or that the original connection of the two parts of this -psalm is an artificial supposition. Besides this, the closing section of -prayer is tinged with references to the first part, and derives its -_raison d'etre_ from it. The three parts form an organic whole. - -The gnarled obscurity of the language in which the "wicked" is described -corresponds to the theme, and contrasts strikingly with the limpid flow -of the second part. "The line, too, labours" as it tries to tell the -dark thoughts that move to dark deeds. Vv. 1, 2, unveil the secret -beliefs of the sinner, vv. 3, 4, his consequent acts. As the text -stands, it needs much torturing to get a tolerable meaning out of ver. -1, and the slight alteration, found in the LXX. and in some old -versions, of "his heart" instead of "my heart" smooths the difficulty. -We have then a bold personification of "Transgression" as speaking in -the secret heart of the wicked, as in some dark cave, such as heathen -oracle-mongers haunted. There is bitter irony in using the sacred word -which stamped the prophets' utterances, and which we may translate -"oracle," for the godless lies muttered in the sinner's heart. This is -the account of how men come to do evil: that there is a voice within -whispering falsehood. And the reason why that bitter voice has the -shrine to itself is that "there is no fear of God before" the man's -"eyes." The two clauses of ver. 1 are simply set side by side, leaving -the reader to spell out their logical relation. Possibly the absence of -the fear of God may be regarded as both the occasion and the result of -the oracle of Transgression, since, in fact, it is both. Still more -obscure is ver. 2. Who is the "flatterer"? The answers are conflicting. -The "wicked," say some, but if so, "in his own eyes" is superfluous; -"God," say others, but that requires a doubtful meaning for -"flatters"--namely, "treats gently"--and is open to the same objection -as the preceding in regard to "in his own eyes." The most natural -supposition is that "transgression," which was represented in ver. 1 as -speaking, is here also meant. Clearly the person in whose eyes the -flattery is real is the wicked, and therefore its speaker must be -another. "Sin beguiled me," says Paul, and therein echoes this psalmist. -Transgression in its oracle is one of "those juggling fiends that palter -with us in a double sense," promising delights and impunity. But the -closing words of ver. 2 are a crux. Conjectural emendations have been -suggested, but do not afford much help. Probably the best way is to take -the text as it stands, and make the best of it. The meaning it yields is -harsh, but tolerable: "to find out his sin, to hate" (it?). Who finds -out sin? God. If He is the finder, it is He who also "hates"; and if it -is sin that is the object of the one verb, it is most natural to suppose -it that of the other also. The two verbs are infinitives, with the -preposition of purpose or of reference prefixed. Either meaning is -allowable. If the preposition is taken as implying reference, the sense -will be that the glosing whispers of sin deceive a man in regard to the -discovery of his wrong-doing and God's displeasure at it. Impunity is -promised, and God's holiness is smoothed down. If, on the other hand, -the idea of purpose is adopted, the solemn thought emerges that the -oracle is spoken with intent to ruin the deluded listener and set his -secret sins in the condemning light of God's face. Sin is cruel, and a -traitor. This profound glimpse into the depths of a soul without the -fear of God is followed by the picture of the consequences of such -practical atheism, as seen in conduct. It is deeply charged with -blackness and unrelieved by any gleam of light. Falsehood, abandonment -of all attempts to do right, insensibility to the hallowing influences -of nightly solitude, when men are wont to see their evil more clearly in -the dark, like phosphorus streaks on the wall, obstinate planting the -feet in ways not good, a silenced conscience which has no movement of -aversion to evil--these are the fruits of that oracle of Transgression -when it has its perfect work. We may call such a picture the -idealisation of the character described, but there have been men who -realised it, and the warning is weighty that such a uniform and -all-enwrapping darkness is the terrible goal towards which all listening -to that bitter voice tends. No wonder that the psalmist wrenches himself -swiftly away from such a sight! - -The two strophes of the second division (vv. 5, 6, and 7-9) present -the glorious realities of the Divine name in contrast with the false -oracle of vv. 1, 2, and the blessedness of God's guests in contrast -with the gloomy picture of the "wicked" in vv. 3, 4. It is noteworthy -that the first and last-named "attributes" are the same. -"Loving-kindness" begins and ends the glowing series. That stooping, -active love encloses, like a golden circlet, all else that men can -know or say of the perfection whose name is God. It is the white beam -into which all colours melt, and from which all are evolved. As -science feels after the reduction of all forms of physical energy to -one, for which there is no name but energy, all the adorable glories -of God pass into one, which He has bidden us call love. "Thy -loving-kindness is in the heavens," towering on high. It is like some -Divine aether, filling all space. The heavens are the home of light. -They arch above every head; they rim every horizon; they are filled -with nightly stars; they open into abysses as the eye gazes; they bend -unchanged and untroubled above a weary earth; from them fall -benedictions of rain and sunshine. All these subordinate allusions may -lie in the psalmist's thought, while its main intention is to magnify -the greatness of that mercy as heaven-high. - -But mercy standing alone might seem to lack a guarantee of its -duration, and therefore the strength of "faithfulness," unalterable -continuance in a course begun, and adherence to every promise either -spoken in words or implied in creation or providence, is added to the -tenderness of mercy. The boundlessness of that faithfulness is the -main thought, but the contrast of the whirling, shifting clouds with -it is striking. The realm of eternal purpose and enduring act reaches -to and stretches above the lower region where change rules. - -But a third glory has yet to be flashed before glad eyes, God's -"righteousness," which here is not merely nor mainly punitive, but -delivering, or, perhaps in a still wider view, the perfect conformity -of His nature with the ideal of ethical completeness. Right is the -same for heaven as for earth, and "whatsoever things are just" have -their home in the bosom of God. The point of comparison with "the -mountains of God" is, as in the previous clauses, their loftiness, -which expresses greatness and elevation above our reach; but the -subsidiary ideas of permanence and sublimity are not to be overlooked. -"The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, but His -righteousness endures for ever." There is safe hiding there, in the -fastnesses of that everlasting hill. From character the psalmist -passes to acts, and sets all the Divine dealings forth under the one -category of "judgments," the utterances in act of His judicial -estimate of men. Mountains seem highest and ocean broadest when the -former rise sheer from the water's edge, as Carmel does. The -immobility of the silent hills is wonderfully contrasted with the -ever-moving sea, which to the Hebrew was the very home of mystery. The -obscurity of the Divine judgments is a subject of praise, if we hold -fast by faith in God's loving-kindness, faithfulness, and -righteousness. They are obscure by reason of their vast scale, which -permits the vision of only a fragment. How little of the ocean is seen -from any shore! But there is no arbitrary obscurity. The sea is "of -glass mingled with fire"; and if the eye cannot pierce its depths, it -is not because of any darkening impurity in the crystal clearness, but -simply because not even light can travel to the bottom. The higher up -on the mountains men go, the deeper down can they see into that ocean. -It is a hymn, not an indictment, which says, "Thy judgments are a -great deep." But however the heights tower and the abysses open, there -is a strip of green, solid earth on which "man and beast" live in -safe plenty. The plain blessings of an all-embracing providence should -make it easier to believe in the unmingled goodness of acts which are -too vast for men to judge and of that mighty name which towers above -their conceptions. What they see is goodness; what they cannot see -must be of a piece. The psalmist is in "that serene and blessed mood" -when the terrible mysteries of creation and providence do not -interfere with his "steadfast faith that all which he beholds is full -of blessings." There are times when these mysteries press with -agonising force on devout souls, but there should also be moments when -the pure love of the perfectly good God is seen to fill all space and -outstretch all dimensions of height and depth and breadth. The awful -problems of pain and death will be best dealt with by those who can -echo the rapture of this psalm. - -If God is such, what is man's natural attitude to so great and sweet a -name? Glad wonder, accepting His gift as the one precious thing, and -faith sheltering beneath the great shadow of His outstretched wing. -The exclamation in ver. 8, "How precious is Thy loving-kindness!" -expresses not only its intrinsic value, but the devout soul's -appreciation of it. The secret of blessedness and test of true wisdom -lie in a sane estimate of the worth of God's loving-kindness as -compared with all other treasures. Such an estimate leads to trust in -Him, as the psalmist implies by his juxtaposition of the two clauses -of ver. 7, though he connects them, not by an expressed "therefore," -but by the simple copula. The representation of trust as taking refuge -reappears here, with its usual suggestions of haste and peril. The -"wing" of God suggests tenderness and security. And the reason for -trust is enforced in the designation "sons of men," partakers of -weakness and mortality, and therefore needing the refuge which, in the -wonderfulness of His loving-kindness, they find under the pinions of -so great a God. - -The psalm follows the refugees into their hiding-place, and shows how -much more than bare shelter they find there. They are God's guests, -and royally entertained as such. The joyful priestly feasts in the -Temple colour the metaphor, but the idea of hospitable reception of -guests is the more prominent. The psalmist speaks the language of that -true and wholesome mysticism without which religion is feeble and -formal. The root ideas of his delineation of the blessedness of the -fugitives to God are their union with God and possession of Him. Such -is the magical might of lowly trust that by it weak dying "sons of -men" are so knit to the God whose glories the singer has been -celebrating that they partake of Himself and are saturated with His -sufficiency, drink of His delights in some deep sense, bathe in the -fountain of life, and have His light for their organ and medium and -object of sight. These great sentences beggar all exposition. They -touch on the rim of infinite things, whereof only the nearer fringe -comes within our ken in this life. The soul that lives in God is -satisfied, having real possession of the only adequate object. The -variety of desires, appetites, and needs requires manifoldness in -their food, but the unity of our nature demands that all that -manifoldness should be in One. Multiplicity in objects, aims, loves, -is misery; oneness is blessedness. We need a lasting good and an -ever-growing one to meet and unfold the capacity of indefinite growth. -Nothing but God can satisfy the narrowest human capacity. - -Union with Him is the source of all delight, as of all true fruition -of desires. Possibly a reference to Eden may be intended in the -selection of the word for "pleasures," which is a cognate with that -name. So there may be allusion to the river which watered that garden, -and the thought may be that the present life of the guest of God is -not all unlike the delights of that vanished paradise. We may perhaps -scarcely venture on supposing that "Thy pleasures" means those which -the blessed God Himself possesses; but even if we take the lower and -safer meaning of those which God gives, we may bring into connection -Christ's own gift to His disciples of His own peace, and His assurance -that faithful servants will "enter into the joy of their Lord." -Shepherd and sheep drink of the same brook by the way and of the same -living fountains above. The psalmist's conception of religion is -essentially joyful. No doubt there are sources of sadness peculiar to -a religious man, and he is necessarily shut out from much of the -effervescent poison of earthly joys drugged with sin. Much in his life -is inevitably grave, stern, and sad. But the sources of joy opened are -far deeper than those that are closed. Surface wells (many of them -little better than open sewers) may be shut up, but an unfailing -stream is found in the desert. Satisfaction and joy flow from God, -because life and light are with Him; and therefore he who is with Him -has them for his. "With Thee is the fountain of life" is true in every -sense of the word "life." In regard to life natural, the saying -embodies a loftier conception of the Creator's relation to the -creature than the mechanical notion of creation. The fountain pours -its waters into stream or basin, which it keeps full by continual -flow. Stop the efflux, and these are dried up. So the great mystery of -life in all its forms is as a spark from a fire, a drop from a -fountain, or, as Scripture puts it in regard to man, a breath from -God's own lips. In a very real sense, wherever life is, there God is, -and only by some form of union with Him or by the presence of His -power, which is Himself, do creatures live. But the psalm is dealing -with the blessings belonging to those who trust beneath the shadow of -God's wing; therefore life here, in this verse, is no equivalent to -mere existence, physical or self-conscious, but it must be taken in -its highest spiritual sense. Union with God is its condition, and that -union is brought to pass by taking refuge with Him. The deep words -anticipated the explicit teaching of the Gospel in so far as they -proclaimed these truths, but the greatest utterance still remained -unspoken: that this life is "in His Son." - -Light and life are closely connected. Whether knowledge, purity, or -joy is regarded as the dominant idea in the symbol, or whether all are -united in it, the profound words of the psalm are true. In God's light -we see light. In the lowest region "the seeing eye is from the Lord." -"The inspiration of the Almighty giveth understanding." Faculty and -medium of vision are both of Him. But hearts in communion with God are -illumined, and they who are "in the light" cannot walk in darkness. -Practical wisdom is theirs. The light of God, like the star of the -Magi, stoops to guide pilgrims' steps. Clear certitude as to sovereign -realities is the guerdon of the guests of God. Where other eyes see -nothing but mists, they can discern solid land and the gleaming towers -of the city across the sea. Nor is that light only the dry light by -which we know, but it means purity and joy also; and to "see light" is -to possess these too by derivation from the purity and joy of God -Himself. He is the "master light of all our seeing." The fountain has -become a stream, and taken to itself movement towards men; for the -psalmist's glowing picture is more than fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who -has said, "I am the Light of the world; he that followeth me shall not -walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." - -The closing division is prayer, based both upon the contemplation of -God's attributes in vv. 5, 6, and of the wicked in the first part. This -distinct reference to both the preceding sections is in favour of the -original unity of the psalm. The belief in the immensity of Divine -loving-kindness and righteousness inspires the prayer for their -long-drawn-out (so "continue" means literally) continuance to the -psalmist and his fellows. He will not separate himself from these in his -petition, but thinks of them before himself. "Those who know Thee" are -those who take refuge under the shadow of the great wing. Their -knowledge is intimate, vital; it is acquaintanceship, not mere -intellectual apprehension. It is such as to purge the heart and make its -possessors upright. Thus we have set forth in that sequence of trust, -knowledge, and uprightness stages of growing Godlikeness closely -corresponding to the Gospel sequence of faith, love, and holiness. Such -souls are _capaces Dei_, fit to receive the manifestations of God's -loving-kindness and righteousness; and from such these will never -remove. They will stand stable as His firm attributes, and the spurning -foot of proud oppressors shall not trample on them, nor violent hands be -able to stir them from their steadfast, secure place. The prayer of the -psalm goes deeper than any mere deprecation of earthly removal, and is -but prosaically understood, if thought to refer to exile or the like. -The dwelling-place from which it beseeches that the suppliant may never -be removed is his safe refuge beneath the wing, or in the house, of God. -Christ answered it when He said, "No man is able to pluck them out of my -Father's hand." The one desire of the heart which has tasted the -abundance, satisfaction, delights, fulness of life, and clearness of -light that attend the presence of God is that nothing may draw it -thence. - -Prayer wins prophetic certitude. From his serene shelter under the -wing, the suppliant looks out on the rout of battled foes, and sees -the end which gives the lie to the oracle of transgression and its -flatteries. "They are struck down," the same word as in the picture of -the pursuing angel of the Lord in Psalm xxxv. Here the agent of their -fall is unnamed, but one power only can inflict such irrevocable ruin. -God, who is the shelter of the upright in heart, has at last found out -the sinners' iniquity, and His hatred of sin stands ready to "smite -once, and smite no more." - - - - - PSALM XXXVII. - - 1 ([Hebrew: alef]) Heat not thyself because of the evil-doers; - Be not envious because of the workers of perversity - 2 For like grass shall they swiftly fade, - And like green herbage shall they wither. - - 3 ([Hebrew: bet]) Trust in Jehovah, and do good; - Inhabit the land, and feed on faithfulness. - 4 And delight thyself in Jehovah, - And He shall give thee the desires of thy heart. - - 5 ([Hebrew: gimel]) Roll thy way upon Jehovah, - And trust in Him, and He shall do [all that thou dost need]. - 6 And He shall bring forth as the light thy righteousness, - And thy judgment as the noonday. - - 7 ([Hebrew: dalet]) Be silent to Jehovah, and wait patiently for - Him; - Heat not thyself because of him who makes his way prosperous, - Because of the man who carries out intrigues. - - 8 ([Hebrew: he]) Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; - Heat not thyself: [it leads] only to doing evil. - 9 For evil-doers shall be cut off; - And they who wait on Jehovah--they shall inherit the land. - - 10 ([Hebrew: vav]) And yet a little while, and the wicked is no more, - And thou shalt take heed to his place, and he is not [there]. - 11 And the meek shall inherit the land, - And delight themselves in the abundance of peace. - - 12 ([Hebrew: zayin]) The wicked intrigues against the righteous, - And grinds his teeth at him. - 13 The Lord laughs at him, - For He sees that his day is coming. - - 14 ([Hebrew: het]) The wicked draw sword and bend their bow, - To slay the afflicted and poor, - To butcher the upright in way; - 15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart, - And their bows shall be broken. - - 16 ([Hebrew: tet]) Better is the little of the righteous - Than the abundance of many wicked. - 17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, - And Jehovah holds up the righteous. - - 18 ([Hebrew: yod]) Jehovah has knowledge of the days of the perfect, - And their inheritance shall be for ever; - 19 They shall not be put to shame in the time of evil, - And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. - - 20 ([Hebrew: kaf]) For the wicked shall perish, - And the enemies of Jehovah shall be like the beauty of the - pastures; - They melt away in smoke: they melt away. - - 21 ([Hebrew: lamed]) The wicked borrows, and does not pay; - And the righteous deals generously, and gives. - 22 For His blessed ones shall inherit the earth, - And His cursed ones shall be cut off. - - 23 ([Hebrew: mem]) From Jehovah are a man's steps established, - And He delighteth in his way; - 24 If he falls, he shall not lie prostrate, - For Jehovah holds up his hand. - - 25 ([Hebrew: nun]) A youth have I been, now I am old, - And I have not seen a righteous man forsaken, - Or his seed begging bread. - 26 All day long he is dealing generously and lending, - And his seed is blessed. - - 27 ([Hebrew: samekh]) Depart from evil, and do good; - And dwell for evermore. - 28 For Jehovah loves judgment, - And forsakes not them whom He favours. - - ([Hebrew: ayin]) They are preserved for ever - (The unrighteous are destroyed for ever?), - And the seed of the wicked is cut off. - 29 The righteous shall inherit the land, - And dwell thereon for ever. - - 30 ([Hebrew: pe]) The mouth of the righteous meditates wisdom, - And his tongue speaks judgment. - 31 The law of his God is in his heart; - His steps shall not waver. - - 32 ([Hebrew: tsadi]) The wicked watches the righteous, - And seeks to slay him; - 33 Jehovah will not leave him in his hand, - And will not condemn him when he is judged. - - 34 ([Hebrew: qof]) Wait for Jehovah, and keep His way, - And He will exalt thee to inherit the land; - When the wicked is cut off, thou shalt see [it]. - - 35 ([Hebrew: resh]) I have seen the wicked terror-striking - And spreading himself abroad like [a tree] native to the soil - [and] green. - 36 And he passed (I passed by?), and lo, he was not [there]; - And I sought for him, and he was not to be found. - - 37 ([Hebrew: shin]) Mark the perfect, and behold the upright; - For there is a posterity to the man of peace. - 38 And apostates are destroyed together; - The posterity of the wicked is cut off. - - 39 ([Hebrew: tav]) And the salvation of the righteous is from - Jehovah, - Their stronghold in time of trouble. - 40 And Jehovah helps them and rescues them; - He rescues them from the wicked, and saves them, - Because they take refuge in Him. - - -There is a natural connection between acrostic structure and didactic -tone, as is shown in several instances, and especially in this psalm. -The structure is on the whole regular, each second verse beginning -with the required letter, but here and there the period is curtailed -or elongated by one member. Such irregularities do not seem to mark -stages in the thought or breaks in the sequence, but are simply -reliefs to the monotony of the rhythm, like the shiftings of the place -of the pause in blank verse, the management of which makes the -difference between a master and a bungler. The psalm grapples with the -problem which tried the faith of the Old Testament saints--namely, the -apparent absence of correlation of conduct with condition--and solves -it by the strong assertion of the brevity of godless prosperity and -the certainty that well-doing will lean to well-being. The principle -is true absolutely in the long run, but there is no reference in the -psalm to the future life. Visible material prosperity is its promise -for the righteous, and the opposite its threatening for the godless. -No doubt retribution is not wholly postponed till another life, but it -does not fall so surely and visibly as this psalm would lead us to -expect. The relative imperfection of the Old Testament revelation is -reflected in the Psalms, faith's answer to Heaven's word. The clear -light of New Testament revelation of the future is wanting, nor could -the truest view of the meaning and blessedness of sorrow be adequately -and proportionately held before Christ had taught it by His own -history and by His words. The Cross was needed before the mystery of -righteous suffering could be fully elucidated, and the psalmist's -solution is but provisional. His faith that infinite love ruled and -that righteousness was always gain, and sin loss, is grandly and -eternally true. Nor is it to be forgotten that he lived and sang in an -order of things in which the Divine government had promised material -blessings as the result of spiritual faithfulness, and that, with -whatever anomalies, modest prosperity did, on the whole, attend the -true Israelite. The Scripture books which wrestle most profoundly with -the standing puzzle of prosperous evil and afflicted goodness are late -books, not merely because religious reflectiveness was slowly evolved, -but because decaying faith had laid Israel open to many wounds, and -the condition of things which accompanied the decline of the ancient -order abounded with instances of triumphant wickedness. - -But though this psalm does not go to the bottom of its theme, its -teaching of the blessedness of absolute trust in God's providence is -ever fresh, and fits close to all stages of revelation; and its -prophecies of triumph for the afflicted who trust and of confusion to -the evil-doer need only to be referred to the end to be completely -established. As a theodicy, or vindication of the ways of God with -men, it was true for its age, but the New Testament goes beneath it. -As an exhortation to patient trust and an exhibition of the sure -blessings thereof, it remains what it has been to many generations: -the gentle encourager of meek faith and the stay of afflicted hearts. - -Marked progress of thought is not to be looked for in an acrostic -psalm. In the present instance the same ideas are reiterated with -emphatic persistence, but little addition or variation. To the -didactic poet "to write the same things is not grievous," for they are -his habitual thoughts; and for his scholars "it is safe," for there is -no better aid to memory than the cadenced monotony of the same ideas -cast into song and slightly varied. But a possible grouping may be -suggested by observing that the thought of the "cutting off" of the -wicked and the inheritance of the land by the righteous occurs three -times. If it is taken as a kind of refrain, we may cast the psalm into -four portions, the first three of which close with that double -thought. Vv. 1-9 will then form a group, characterised by exhortations -to trust and assurances of triumph. The second section will then be -vv. 10-22, which, while reiterating the ground tone of the whole, does -so with a difference, inasmuch as its main thought is the destruction -of the wicked, in contrast with the triumph of the righteous in the -preceding verses. A third division will be vv. 23-29, of which the -chief feature is the adduction of the psalmist's own experience as -authenticating his teaching in regard to the Divine care of the -righteous, and that extended to his descendants. The last section (vv. -30-40) gathers up all, reasserts the main thesis, and confirms it by -again adducing the psalmist's experience in confirmation of the other -half of his assurances, namely the destruction of the wicked. But the -poet does not wish to close his words with that gloomy picture, and -therefore this last section bends round again to reiterate and -strengthen the promises for the righteous, and its last note is one of -untroubled trust and joy in experienced deliverance. - -The first portion (vv. 1-9) consists of a series of exhortations to -trust and patience, accompanied by assurance of consequent blessing. -These are preceded and followed by a dehortation from yielding to the -temptation of fretting against the prosperity of evil-doers, based -upon the assurance of its transitoriness. Thus the positive precepts -inculcating the ideal temper to be cultivated are framed in a setting -of negatives, inseparable from them. The tendency to murmur at -flaunting wrong must be repressed if the disposition of trust is to be -cultivated; and, on the other hand, full obedience to the negative -precepts is only possible when the positive ones have been obeyed with -some degree of completeness. The soul's husbandry must be busied in -grubbing up weeds as well as in sowing; but the true way to take away -nourishment from the baser is to throw the strength of the soil into -growing the nobler crop. "Fret not thyself" (A.V.) is literally, "Heat -not thyself," and "Be not envious" is "Do not glow," the root idea -being that of becoming fiery red. The one word expresses the kindling -emotion, the other its visible sign in the flushed face. Envy, anger, -and any other violent and God-forgetting emotion are included. There -is nothing in the matter in hand worth getting into a heat about, for -the prosperity in question is short-lived. This leading conviction -moulds the whole psalm, and, as we have pointed out, is half of the -refrain. We look for the other half to accompany it, as usual, and we -find it in one rendering of ver. 3, which has fallen into discredit -with modern commentators, and to which we shall come presently; but -for the moment we may pause to suggest that the picture of the herbage -withering as soon as cut, under the fierce heat of the Eastern sun, -may stand in connection with the metaphors in ver. 1. Why should we -blaze with indignation when so much hotter a glow will dry up the cut -grass? Let it wave in brief glory, unmeddled with by us. The scythe -and the sunshine will soon make an end. The precept and its reason are -not on the highest levels of Christian ethics, but they are unfairly -dealt with if taken to mean, Do not envy the wicked man's prosperity, -nor wish it were yours, but solace yourself with the assurance of his -speedy ruin. What is said is far nobler than that. It is, Do not let -the prosperity of unworthy men shake your faith in God's government, -nor fling you into an unwholesome heat, for God will sweep away the -anomaly in due time. - -In regard to the positive precepts, the question arises whether ver. 3 -_b_ is command or promise, with which is associated another question -as to the translation of the words rendered by the A.V., "Verily thou -shalt be fed," and by the R.V., "Follow after faithfulness." The -relation of the first and second parts of the subsequent verses is in -favour of regarding the clause as promise, but the force of that -consideration is somewhat weakened by the non-occurrence in ver. 3 of -the copula which introduces the promises of the other verses. Still -its omission does not seem sufficient to forbid taking the clause as -corresponding with these. The imperative is similarly used as -substantially a future in ver. 27: "and dwell for evermore." The fact -that in every other place in the psalm where "dwelling in the land" is -spoken of it is a promise of the sure results of trust, points to the -same sense here, and the juxtaposition of the two ideas in the refrain -leads us to expect to find the prediction of ver. 2 followed by its -companion there. On the whole, then, to understand ver. 3 _b_ as -promise seems best. (So LXX., Ewald, Graetz, etc.) What, then, is the -meaning of its last words? If they are a continuation of the promise, -they must describe some blessed effect of trust. Two renderings -present themselves, one that adopted in the R.V. margin, "Feed -securely," and another "Feed on faithfulness" (_i.e._, of God). -Hupfeld calls this an "arbitrary and forced" reference of -"faithfulness"; but it worthily completes the great promise. The -blessed results of trust and active goodness are stable dwelling in -the land and nourishment there from a faithful God. The thoughts move -within the Old Testament circle, but their substance is eternally -true, for they who take God for their portion have a safe abode, and -feed their souls on His unalterable adherence to His promises and on -the abundance flowing thence. - -The subsequent precepts bear a certain relation to each other, and, -taken together, make a lovely picture of the inner secret of the -devout life: "Delight thyself in Jehovah; roll thy way on Him; trust -in Him; be silent to Jehovah." No man will commit his way to God who -does not delight in Him; and unless he has so committed his way, he -cannot rest in the Lord. The heart that delights in God, finding its -truest joy in Him and being well and at ease when consciously moving -in Him as an all-encompassing atmosphere and reaching towards Him with -the deepest of its desires, will live far above the region of -disappointment. For it desire and fruition go together. Longings fixed -on Him fulfil themselves. We can have as much of God as we wish. If He -is our delight, we shall wish nothing contrary to nor apart from Him, -and wishes which are directed to Him cannot be in vain. To delight in -God is to possess our delight, and in Him to find fulfilled wishes and -abiding joys. "Commit thy way unto Him," or "Roll it upon Him" in the -exercise of trust; and, as the verse says with grand generality, -omitting to specify an object for the verb, "He will do"--all that is -wanted, or will finish the work. To roll one's way upon Jehovah -implies subordination of will and judgment to Him and quiet confidence -in His guidance. If the heart delights in Him, and the will waits -silent before Him, and a happy consciousness of dependence fills the -soul, the desert will not be trackless, nor the travellers fail to -hear the voice which says, "This is the way; walk ye in it." He who -trusts is led, and God works for him, clearing away clouds and -obstructions. His good may be evil spoken of, but the vindication by -fact will make his righteousness shine spotless; and his cause may be -apparently hopeless, but God will deliver him. He shall shine forth as -the sun, not only in such earthly vindication as the psalmist -prophesied, but more resplendently, as Christian faith has been gifted -with long sight to anticipate, "in the kingdom of my Father." Thus -delighting and trusting, a man may "be silent." Be still before -Jehovah, in the silence of a submissive heart, and let not that -stillness be torpor, but gather thyself together and stretch out thy -hope towards Him. That patience is no mere passive endurance without -murmuring, but implies tension of expectance. Only if it is thus -occupied will it be possible to purge the heart of that foolish and -weakening heat which does no harm to any one but to the man himself. -"Heat not thyself; it only leads to doing evil." Thus the section -returns upon itself and once more ends with the unhesitating -assurance, based upon the very essence of God's covenant with the -nation, that righteousness is the condition of inheritance, and sin -the cause of certain destruction. The narrower application of the -principle, which was all that the then stage of revelation made clear -to the psalmist, melts away for us into the Christian certainty that -righteousness is the condition of dwelling in the true land of -promise, and that sin is always death, in germ or in full fruitage. - -The refrain occurs next in ver. 22, and the portion thus marked off -(vv. 10-22) may be dealt with as a smaller whole. After a repetition -(vv. 10, 11) of the main thesis slightly expanded, it sketches in -vivid outline the fury of "the wicked" against "the just" and the grim -retribution that turns their weapons into agents of their destruction. -How dramatically are contrasted the two pictures of the quiet -righteous in the former section and of this raging enemy, with his -gnashing teeth and arsenal of murder! And with what crushing force the -thought of the awful laughter of Jehovah, in foresight of the swift -flight towards the blind miscreant of the day of his fall, which has -already, as it were, set out on its road, smites his elaborate -preparations into dust! Silently the good man sits wrapped in his -faith. Without are raging, armed foes. Above, the laughter of God -rolls thunderous, and from the throne the obedient "day" is winging -its flight, like an eagle with lightning bolts in its claws. What can -the end be but another instance of the solemn lex talionis, by which a -man's evil slays himself? - -Various forms of the contrast between the two classes follow, with -considerable repetition and windings. One consideration which has to -be taken into account in estimating the distribution of material -prosperity is strongly put in vv. 16, 17. The good of outward -blessings depends chiefly on the character of their owner. The -strength of the extract from a raw material depends on the solvent -applied, and there is none so powerful to draw out the last drop of -most poignant and pure sweetness from earthly good as is righteousness -of heart. Naboth's vineyard will yield better wine, if Naboth is -trusting in Jehovah, than all the vines of Jezreel or Samaria. "Many -wicked" have not as much of the potentiality of blessedness in all -their bursting coffers as a poor widow may distil out of two mites. -The reasons for that are manifold, but the prevailing thought of the -psalm leads to one only being named here. "For," says ver. 17, "the -arms of the wicked shall be broken." Little is the good of possessions -which cannot defend their owners from the stroke of God's -executioners, but themselves pass away. The poor man's little is much, -because, among other reasons, he is upheld by God, and therefore needs -not to cherish anxiety, which embitters the enjoyments of others. -Again the familiar thought of permanent inheritance recurs, but now -with a glance at the picture just drawn of the destruction coming to -the wicked. There are days and days. God saw that day of ruin -speeding on its errand, and He has loving sympathetic knowledge of the -days of the righteous (i. 6), and holds their lives in His hand; -therefore continuance and abundance are ensured. - -The antithetical structure of vv. 16-22 is skilfully varied, so as to -avoid monotony. It is elastic within limits. We note that in the Teth -strophe (vv. 16, 17) each verse contains a complete contrast, while in -the Yod strophe (vv. 18, 19) one half only of the contrast is -presented, which would require a similar expansion of the other over -two verses. Instead of this, however, the latter half is compressed -into one verse (20), which is elongated by a clause. Then in the Lamed -strophe (vv. 21, 22) the briefer form recurs, as in vv. 16, 17. Thus -the longer antithesis is enclosed between two parallel shorter ones, -and a certain variety breaks up the sameness of the swing from one -side to the other, and suggests a pause in the flow of the psalm. The -elongated verse (20) reiterates the initial metaphor of withering -herbage (ver. 2) with an addition, for the rendering "fat of lambs" -must be given up as incongruous, and only plausible on account of the -emblem of smoke in the next clause. But the two metaphors are -independent. Just as in ver. 2, so here, the gay "beauty of the -pastures," so soon to wilt and be changed into brown barrenness, -mirrors the fate of the wicked. Ver. 2 shows the grass fallen before -the scythe; ver. 20 lets us see it in its flush of loveliness, so -tragically unlike what it will be when its "day" has come. The other -figure of smoke is a stereotype in all tongues for evanescence. The -thick wreaths thin away and melt. Another peculiar form of the -standing antithesis appears in the Lamed strophe (vv. 21, 22), which -sets forth the gradual impoverishment of the wicked and prosperity as -well as beneficence of the righteous, and, by the "for" of ver. 22, -traces these up to the "curse and blessing of God, which become -manifest in the final destiny of the two" (Delitzsch). Not dishonesty, -but bankruptcy, is the cause of "not paying again"; while, on the -other hand, the blessing of God not only enriches, but softens, making -the heart which has received grace a well-spring of grace to needy -ones, even if they are foes. The form of the contrast suggests its -dependence on the promises in Deut. xii. 44, xv. 6, 28. Thus the -refrain is once more reached, and a new departure taken. - -The third section is shorter than the preceding (vv. 23-29), and has, -as its centre, the psalmist's confirmation from his own experience of -the former part of his antithesis, the fourth section similarly -confirming the second. All this third part is sunny with the Divine -favour streaming upon the righteous, the only reference to the wicked -being in the refrain at the close. The first strophe (vv. 23, 24) -declares God's care for the former under the familiar image of -guidance and support to a traveller. As in vv. 5, 7, the "way" is an -emblem of active life, and is designated as "his" who treads it. The -intention of the psalm, the context of the metaphor, and the -parallelism with the verses just referred to, settle the reference of -the ambiguous pronouns "he" and "his" in ver. 23 _b_. God delights in -the good man's way (i. 6), and that is the reason for His establishing -his goings. "Quoniam Deo grata est piorum via, gressus ipsum ad laetum -finem adducit" (Calvin). That promise is not to be limited to either -the material or moral region. The ground tone of the psalm is that the -two regions coincide in so far as prosperity in the outer is the -infallible index of rightness in the inner. The dial has two sets of -hands, one within and one without, but both are, as it were, mounted -on the same spindle, and move accurately alike. Steadfast treading in -the path of duty and successful undertakings are both included, since -they are inseparable in fact. True, even the fixed faith of the -psalmist has to admit that the good man's path is not always smooth. -If facts had not often contradicted his creed, he would never have -sung his song; and hence he takes into account the case of such a -man's falling, and seeks to reduce its importance by the -considerations of its recoverableness and of God's keeping hold of the -man's hand all the while. - -The Nun strophe brings in the psalmist's experience to confirm his -doctrine. The studiously impersonal tone of the psalm is dropped only -here and in the complementary reference to the fall of the wicked (vv. -35, 36). Observation and reflection yield the same results. Experience -seals the declarations of faith. His old eyes have seen much; and the -net result is that the righteous may be troubled, but not abandoned, -and that there is an entail of blessing to their children. In general, -experience preaches the same truths to-day, for, on the whole, -wrong-doing lies at the root of most of the hopeless poverty and -misery of modern society. Idleness, recklessness, thriftlessness, -lust, drunkenness, are the potent factors of it; and if their -handiwork and that of the subtler forms of respectable godlessness and -evil were to be eliminated, the sum of human wretchedness would shrink -to very small dimensions. The mystery of suffering is made more -mysterious by ignoring its patent connection with sin, and by denying -the name of sin to many of its causes. If men's conduct were judged by -God's standard, there would be less wonder at God's judgments -manifested in men's suffering. - -The solidarity of the family was more strongly felt in ancient times -than in our days of individualism, but even now the children of the -righteous, if they maintain the hereditary character, do largely -realise the blessing which the psalmist declares is uniformly theirs. -He is not to be tied down to literality in his statement of the -general working of things. What he deals with is the prevailing trend, -and isolated exceptions do not destroy his assertion. Of course -continuance in paternal virtues is presupposed as the condition of -succeeding to paternal good. In the strength of the adduced -experience, a hortatory tone, dropped since ver. 8, is resumed, with -reminiscences of that earlier series of counsels. The secret of -permanence is condensed into two antithetical precepts, to depart from -evil and do good, and the key-note is sounded once more in a promise, -cast into the guise of a commandment (compare ver. 3), of unmoved -habitation, which is, however, not to be stretched to refer to a -future life, of which the psalm says nothing. Such permanent abiding -is sure, inasmuch as Jehovah loves judgment and watches over the -objects of His loving-kindness. - -The acrostic sequence fails at this point, if the Masoretic text is -adhered to. There is evident disorder in the division of verses, for -ver. 28 has four clauses instead of the normal two. If the superfluous -two are detached from it and connected as one strophe with ver. 29, a -regular two-versed and four-claused strophe results. Its first word -(L'olam = "for ever") has the Ayin, due in the alphabetical sequence, -in its second letter, the first being a prefixed preposition, which -may be passed over, as in ver. 39 the copula Vav is prefixed to the -initial letter. Delitzsch takes this to be the required letter; but if -so, another irregularity remains, inasmuch as the first couplet of the -strophe should be occupied with the fate of the wicked, as -antithetical to that of the righteous in ver. 29. "They are preserved -for ever" throws the whole strophe out of order. Probably, therefore, -there is textual corruption here, which the LXX. helps in correcting. -It has an evidently double rendering of the clause, as is not -unfrequently the case where there is ambiguity or textual difficulty, -and gives side by side with "They shall be preserved for ever" the -rendering "The lawless shall be hunted out," which can be re-turned -into Hebrew so as to give the needed initial Ayin either in a somewhat -rare word, or in one which occurs in ver. 35. If this correction is -adopted, the anomalies disappear, and strophe, division, acrostic, and -antithetical refrain are all in order. - -The last section (ver. 30 to end), like the preceding, has the -psalmist's experience for its centre, and traces the entail of conduct -to a second generation of evil-doers, as the former did to the seed of -the righteous. Both sections begin with the promise of firmness for the -"goings or steps" of the righteous, but the later verses expand the -thought by a fuller description of the moral conditions of stability. -"The law of his God is in his heart." That is the foundation on which -all permanence is built. From that as centre there issue wise and just -words on the one hand and stable deeds on the other. That is true in the -psalmist's view in reference to outward success and continuance, but -still more profoundly in regard to steadfast progress in paths of -righteousness. He who orders his footsteps by God's known will is saved -from much hesitancy, vacillation, and stumbling, and plants a firm foot -even on slippery places. - -Once more the picture of the enmity of the wicked recurs, as in vv. -12-14, with the difference that there the emphasis was laid on the -destruction of the plotters, and here it is put on the vindication of -the righteous by acts of deliverance (vv. 32, 33). - -In ver. 34 another irregularity occurs, in its being the only verse in -a strophe and being prolonged to three clauses. This may be intended -to give emphasis to the exhortation contained in it, which, like that -in ver. 27, is the only one in its section. The two key words -"inherit" and "cut off" are brought together. Not only are the two -fates set in contrast, but the waiters on Jehovah are promised the -sight of the destruction of the wicked. Satisfaction at the sight is -implied. There is nothing unworthy in solemn thankfulness when God's -judgments break the teeth of some devouring lion. Divine judgments -minister occasion for praise even from pure spirits before the throne, -and men relieved from the incubus of godless oppression may well draw -a long breath of relief, which passes into celebration of His -righteous acts. No doubt there is a higher tone, which remembers ruth -and pity even in that solemn joy; but Christian feeling does not -destroy but modify the psalmist's thankfulness for the sweeping away -of godless antagonism to goodness. - -His assurance to those who wait on Jehovah has his own experience as its -guarantee (ver. 35), just as the complementary assurance in ver. 24 had -in ver. 25. The earlier metaphors of the green herbage and the beauty of -the pastures are heightened now. A venerable, wide-spreading giant of -the forests, rooted in its native soil, is grander than those humble -growths; but for lofty cedars or lowly grass the end is the same. Twice -the psalmist stood at the same place; once the great tree laid its large -limbs across the field, and lifted a firm bole: again he came, and a -clear space revealed how great had been the bulk which shadowed it. Not -even a stump was left to tell where the leafy glory had been. - -Vv. 37, 38, make the Shin strophe, and simply reiterate the antithesis -which has moulded the whole psalm, with the addition of that reference -to a second generation which appeared in the third and fourth parts. The -word rendered in the A.V. and R.V. "latter end" here means posterity. -The "perfect man" is further designated as a "man of peace." - -The psalm might have ended with this gathering together of its -contents in one final emphatic statement, but the poet will not leave -the stern words of destruction as his last. Therefore he adds a sweet, -long-drawn-out close, like the calm, extended clouds, that lie -motionless in the western sky after a day of storm, in which he once -more sings of the blessedness of those who wait on Jehovah. Trouble -will come, notwithstanding his assurances that righteousness is -blessedness; but in it Jehovah will be a fortress home, and out of it -He will save them. However the teaching of the psalm may need -modification in order to coincide with the highest New Testament -doctrine of the relation between righteousness and prosperity, these -confidences need none. For ever and absolutely they are true: in -trouble a stronghold, out of trouble a Saviour, is God to all who -cling to Him. Very beautifully the closing verse lingers on its theme, -and wreathes its thoughts together, with repetition that tells how -sweet they are to the singer: "Jehovah helps them, and _rescues_ them; -He _rescues_ them, ... and saves them." So the measure of the strophe -is complete, but the song flows over in an additional clause, which -points the path for all who seek such blessedness. Trust is peace. -They who take refuge in Jehovah are safe, and their inheritance shall -be for ever. That is the psalmist's inmost secret of a blessed life. - - - - - PSALM XXXVIII. - - 1 Jehovah, not in Thine indignation do Thou rebuke me, - Nor in Thy hot anger chastise me. - 2 For Thine arrows are come down into me, - And down upon me comes Thy hand. - - 3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of Thy wrath - There is no health in my bones because of my sin. - 4 For my iniquities have gone over my head; - As a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me. - - 5 My bruises smell foully, they run with matter, - Because of my folly. - 6 I am twisted [with pain]; I am bowed down utterly; - All the day I drag about in squalid attire. - - 7 For my loins are full of burning, - And there is no soundness in my flesh. - 8 I am exhausted and crushed utterly; - I roar for the sighing of my heart. - - 9 Lord, present to Thee is all my desire, - And my sighing is not hid from Thee. - 10 My heart flutters, my strength has left me, - And the light of my eyes--even it is no more with me. - - 11 My lovers and friends stand aloof from my stroke, - And my near [kin] stand far off. - 12 And they who seek after my life set snares [for me], - And they who desire my hurt speak destruction, - And meditate deceits all the day. - - 13 And I, like a deaf man, do not hear, - And am like one dumb, who opens not his mouth. - 14 Yea, I am become like a man who hears not, - And in whose mouth are no counter-pleas. - - 15 For for Thee, Jehovah, do I wait; - Thou, Thou wilt answer, O Lord, my God. - 16 For I said, Lest they should rejoice over me, - [And] when my foot slips, should magnify themselves over me - - 17 For I am ready to fall, - And my sorrow is continually present to me. - 18 For I must declare my guilt, - Be distressed for my sin. - - 19 And my enemies are lively, they are strong, - (And my enemies without cause are strong?) - And they who wrongfully hate me are many; - 20 And, requiting evil for good, - They are my adversaries because I follow good. - - 21 Forsake me not, Jehovah; - My God, be not far from me. - 22 Haste to my help, - O God, my salvation. - - -This is a long-drawn wail, passionate at first, but gradually calming -itself into submission and trust, though never passing from the minor -key. The name of God is invoked thrice (vv. 1, 9, 15), and each time -that the psalmist looks up his burden is somewhat easier to carry, and -some "low beginnings of content" steal into his heart and mingle with -his lament. Sorrow finds relief in repeating its plaint. It is the -mistake of cold-blooded readers to look for consecution of thought in -the cries of a wounded soul; but it is also a mistake to be blind to -the gradual sinking of the waves in this psalm, which begins with -deprecating God's wrath, and ends with quietly nestling close to Him -as "my salvation." - -The characteristic of the first burst of feeling is its unbroken -gloom. It sounds the depths of darkness, with which easy-going, -superficial lives are unfamiliar, but whoever has been down into them -will not think the picture overcharged with black. The occasion of the -psalmist's deep dejection cannot be gathered from his words. He, like -all poets who teach in song what they learn in suffering, translates -his personal sorrows into language fitting for others' pains. The -feelings are more important to him and to us than the facts, and we -must be content to leave unsettled the question of his circumstances, -on which, after all, little depends. Only, it is hard for the present -writer, at least, to believe that such a psalm, quivering, as it -seems, with agony, is not the genuine cry of a brother's tortured -soul, but an utterance invented for a personified nation. The close -verbal resemblance of the introductory deprecation of chastisement in -anger to Psalm vi. 1 has been supposed to point to a common -authorship, and Delitzsch takes both psalms, along with Psalms xxxii., -and li. as a series belonging to the time of David's penitence after -his great fall from purity. But the resemblance in question would -rather favour the supposition of difference of authorship, since -quotation is more probable than self-repetition. Jer. x. 23 is by some -held to be the original, and either Jeremiah himself or some later -singer to have been the author of the psalm. The question of which of -two similar passages is source and which is copy is always ticklish. -Jeremiah's bent was assimilative, and his prophecies are full of -echoes. The priority, therefore, probably lies with one or other of -the psalmists, if there are two. - -The first part of the psalm is entirely occupied with the subjective -aspect of the psalmist's affliction. Three elements are conspicuous: -God's judgments, the singer's consciousness of sin, and his mental and -probably physical sufferings. Are the "arrows" and crushing weight of -God's "hand," which he deprecates in the first verses, the same as the -sickness and wounds, whether of mind or body, which he next describes so -pathetically? They are generally taken to be so, but the language of -this section and the contents of the remainder of the psalm rather point -to a distinction between them. It would seem that there are three -stages, not two, as that interpretation would make them. Unspecified -calamities, recognised by the sufferer as God's chastisements, have -roused his conscience, and its gnawing has superinduced mental and -bodily pain. The terribly realistic description of the latter may, -indeed, be figurative, but is more probably literal. The reiterated -synonyms for God's displeasure in vv. 1, 3, show how all the aspects of -that solemn thought are familiar. The first word regards it as an -outburst, or explosion, like a charge of dynamite; the second as -"glowing, igniting"; the third as effervescent, bubbling like lava in a -crater. The metaphors for the effects of this anger in ver. 2 deepen the -impression of its terribleness. It is a fearful fate to be the target -for God's "arrows," but it is worse to be crushed under the weight of -His "hand." The two forms of representation refer to the same facts, but -make a climax. The verbs in ver. 2 are from one root, meaning to come -down, or to lie upon. In 2 _a_ the word is reflexive, and represents the -"arrows" as endowed with volition, hurling themselves down. They -penetrate with force proportionate to the distance which they fall, as a -meteoric stone buries itself in the ground. Such being the wounding, -crushing power of the Divine "anger," its effects on the psalmist are -spread out before God, in the remaining part of this first division, -with plaintive reiteration. The connection which a quickened conscience -discerns between sorrow and sin is strikingly set forth in ver. 3, in -which "thine indignation" and "my sin" are the double fountain-heads of -bitterness. The quivering frame first felt the power of God's anger, and -then the awakened conscience turned inwards and discerned the occasion -of the anger. The three elements which we have distinguished are clearly -separated here, and their connection laid bare. - -The second of these is the sense of sin, which the psalmist feels as -taking all "peace" or well-being out of his "bones," as a flood -rolling its black waters over his head, as a weight beneath which he -cannot stand upright, and again as foolishness, since its only effect -has been, to bring to him not what he hoped to win by it, but this -miserable plight. - -Then, he pours himself out, with the monotonous repetition so natural -to self-pity, in a graphic accumulation of pictures of disease, which -may be taken as symbolic of mental distress, but are better understood -literally. With the whole, Isa. i. 5, 6, should be compared, nor -should the partial resemblances of Isa. liii. be overlooked. No -fastidiousness keeps the psalmist from describing offensive details. -His body is scourged and livid with parti-coloured, swollen weals from -the lash, and these discharge foul-smelling matter. With this compare -Isa. liii. 5, "His stripes" (same word). Whatever may be thought of -the other physical features of suffering, this must obviously be -figurative. Contorted in pain, bent down by weakness, dragging himself -wearily with the slow gait of an invalid, squalid in attire, burning -with inward fever, diseased in every tortured atom of flesh, he is -utterly worn out and broken (same word as "bruised," Isa. liii. 5). -Inward misery, the cry of the heart, must have outward expression, -and, with Eastern vehemence in utterance of emotions which Western -reticence prefers to let gnaw in silence at the roots of life, he -"roars" aloud because his heart groans. - -This vivid picture of the effects of the sense of personal sin will -seem to superficial modern Christianity, exaggerated and alien from -experience; but the deeper a man's godliness, the more will he listen -with sympathy, with understanding and with appropriation of such -piercing laments as his own. Just as few of us are dowered with -sensibilities so keen as to feel what poets feel, in love or hope, or -delight in nature, or with power to express the feelings, and yet can -recognise in their winged words the heightened expression of our own -less full emotions, so the truly devout soul will find, in the most -passionate of these wailing notes, the completer expression of his own -experience. We must go down into the depths and cry to God out of -them, if we are to reach sunny heights of communion. Intense -consciousness of sin is the obverse of ardent aspiration after -righteousness, and that is but a poor type of religion which has not -both. It is one of the glories of the Psalter that both are given -utterance to in it in words which are as vital to-day as when they -first came warm from the lips of these long dead men. Everything in -the world has changed, but these songs of penitence and plaintive -deprecation, like their twin bursts of rapturous communion, were "not -born for death." Contrast the utter deadness of the religious hymns of -all other nations with the fresh vitality of the Psalms. As long as -hearts are penetrated with the consciousness of evil done and loved, -these strains will fit themselves to men's lips. - -Because the psalmist's recounting of his pains was prayer and not -soliloquy or mere cry of anguish, it calms him. We make the wound deeper -by turning round the arrow in it, when we dwell upon suffering without -thinking of God; but when, like the psalmist, we tell all to Him, -healing begins. Thus, the second part (vv. 9-14) is perceptibly calmer, -and though still agitated, its thought of God is more trustful, and -silent submission at the close takes the place of the "roaring," the -shrill cry of agony which ended the first part. A further variation of -tone is that, instead of the entirely subjective description of the -psalmist's sufferings in vv. 1-8, the desertion by friends and the -hostility of foes, are now the main elements of trial. There is -comparative peace for a tortured heart in the thought that all its -desire and sighing are known to God. That knowledge is prior to the -heart's prayer, but does not make it needless, for by the prayer the -conviction of the Divine knowledge has entered the troubled soul, and -brought some prelude of deliverance and hope of answer. The devout soul -does not argue "Thou knowest, and I need not speak," but "Thou knowest, -therefore I tell Thee"; and it is soothed in and after telling. He who -begins prayer, by submitting to chastisement and only deprecating the -form of it inflicted by "wrath," will pass to the more gracious thought -of God as lovingly cognisant of both his desire and his sighing, his -wishes and his pains. The burst of the storm is past, when that light -begins to break through clouds, though waves still run high. - -How high they still run is plain from the immediate recurrence of the -strain of recounting the singer's sorrows. This recrudescence of woe -after the clear calm of a moment is only too well known to us all in our -sorrows. The psalmist returns to speak of his sickness in ver. 10, which -is really a picture of syncope or fainting. The heart's action is -described by a rare word, which in its root means to go round and round, -and is here in an intensive form expressive of violent motion, or -possibly is to be regarded as a diminutive rather than an intensive, -expressive of the thinner though quicker pulse. Then come collapse of -strength and failure of sight. But this echo of the preceding part -immediately gives place to the new element in the psalmist's sorrow, -arising from the behaviour of friends and foes. The frequent complaint -of desertion by friends has to be repeated by most sufferers in this -selfish world. They keep far away from his "stroke," says the psalm, -using the same word as is employed for leprosy, and as is used in the -verb in Isa. liii. 4 ("stricken"). There is a tone of wonder and -disappointment in the untranslatable play of language in ver. 11 _b_. -"My near relations stand far off." Kin are not always kind. Friends have -deserted because foes have beset him. Probably we have here the facts -which in the previous part are conceived of as the "arrows" of God. - -Open and secret enemies laying snares for him, as for some hunted wild -creature, eagerly seeking his life, speaking "destructions" as if they -would fain kill him with their words, and perpetually whispering lies -about him, were recognised by him as instruments of God's judgment, -and evoked his consciousness of sin, which again led to actual -disease. But the bitter schooling led to something else more -blessed--namely, to silent resignation. Like David, when he let Shimei -shriek his curses at him from the hillside and answered not, the -psalmist is deaf and dumb to malicious tongues. He will speak to God, -but to man he is silent, in utter submission of will. - -Isaiah liii. 7 gives the same trait in the perfect Sufferer, a faint -foreshadowing of whom is seen in the psalmist; and 1 Peter ii. 23 bids -all who would follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth, like Him open not -their mouths when reviled, but commit themselves to the righteous Judge. - -Once more the psalmist lifts his eyes to God, and the third invocation -of the Name is attended by an increase of confidence. In the first -part, "Jehovah" was addressed; in the second the designation "Lord" -was used; in the third, both are united and the appropriating name "my -God" is added. In the closing invocation (v. 22-3) all three reappear, -and each is the plea of a petition. The characteristics of these -closing verses are three: humble trust, the marshalling of its -reasons, and the combination of acknowledgment of sin and professions -of innocence. The growth of trust is very marked, if the first part, -with its synonyms for God's wrath and its deprecation of unmeasured -chastisement and its details of pain, be compared with the quiet hope -and assurance that God will answer, and with that great name "my -Salvation." The singer does not indeed touch the heights of triumphant -faith; but he who can grasp God as his, and can be silent because he -is sure that God will speak by delivering deeds for him and can call -Him his Salvation, has climbed far enough to have the sunshine all -round him, and to be clear of the mists among which his song began. -The best reason for letting the enemy speak on unanswered is the -confidence that a mightier voice will speak. "But thou wilt answer, -Lord, for me" may well make us deaf and dumb to temptations and -threats, calumnies and flatteries. - -How does this confidence spring in so troubled a heart? The fourfold -"For" beginning each verse from 15 to 18 weaves them all into a chain. -The first gives the reason for the submissive silence as being quiet -confidence; and the succeeding three may be taken as either dependent -on each other, or, as is perhaps better, as co-ordinate and -all-assigning reasons for that confidence. Either construction yields -worthy and natural meanings. If the former be adopted, trust in God's -undertaking of the silent sufferer's cause is based upon the prayer -which broke his silence. Dumb to men, he had breathed to God his -petition for help, and had buttressed it with this plea "Lest they -rejoice over me," and he had feared that they would, because he knew -that he was ready to fall and had ever before him his pain, and that -because he felt himself forced to lament and confess his sin. But it -seems to yield a richer meaning, if the "For's" be regarded as -co-ordinate. They then become a striking and instructive example of -faith's logic, the ingenuity of pleading which finds encouragements in -discouragements. The suppliant is sure of answer because he has told -God his fear, and yet again because he is so near falling and -therefore needs help so much, and yet again because he has made a -clean breast of his sin. Trust in God's help, distrust of self, -consciousness of weakness, and penitence make anything possible rather -than that the prayer which embodies them should be flung up to an -unanswering God. They are prevalent pleas with Him in regard to which -He will not be "as a man that heareth not, and in whose mouth there is -no reply." They are grounds of assurance to him who prays. - -The juxtaposition of consciousness of sin in ver. 18 with the -declaration that love of good was the cause of being persecuted, brings -out the twofold attitude, in regard to God and men, which a devout soul -may permissibly and sometimes must necessarily assume. There may be the -truest sense of sinfulness, along with a clear-hearted affirmation of -innocence in regard to men, and a conviction that it is good and -goodwill to them, not evil in the sufferer, which makes him the butt of -hatred. Not less instructive is the double view of the same facts -presented in the beginning and end of this psalm. They were to the -psalmist first regarded as God's chastisement in wrath, His "arrows" and -heavy "hand," because of sin. Now they are men's enmity, because of his -love of good. Is there not an entire contradiction between these two -views of suffering, its cause and source? Certainly not, but rather the -two views differ only in the angle of vision, and may be combined, like -stereoscopic pictures, into one rounded, harmonious whole. To be able so -to combine them is one of the rewards of such pleading trust as breathes -its plaintive music through this psalm, and wakes responsive notes in -devout hearts still. - - - - - WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR - - =Bible Class Expositions.= - - _Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s. 6d. each volume._ - - - The Gospel of St. Matthew. - - (TWO VOLS.) - -=The Leeds Mercury= says: "They are all written in clear, forcible -language, and bring abundant illustration from science, the facts of -life and history and Scripture. All through they manifest a true -philosophical spirit, and a deep knowledge of human nature. 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They may be heartily recommended -to all teachers as about the best things of the kind to be had." - - - The Acts of the Apostles. - -=The Presbyterian= says: "The more this volume is read and studied the -more do we admire the humility that ranks such a book as for Bible -Classes only. It is for them beyond all question, and better fare has -nowhere been provided for them. Whether they be Bible Classes or -preachers who study this volume, they will be enriched and -strengthened by it." - - - LONDON: HODDER & STOUGHTON. - - - - - WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR. - - Expositions of Holy Scripture. - - By the Rev. ALEXANDER MACLAREN, D.D., Litt.D., Manchester. - - Complete in about 30 volumes. Handsomely bound in cloth, 8vo, - =7s. 6d.= each volume. 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In an age which has -been charmed and inspired by the sermons of Newman and Robertson of -Brighton, there were no published discourses which for profundity of -thought, logical arrangement, eloquence of appeal, and power of the -human heart, exceeded in merit those of Dr. Maclaren." - - - _Second Series, comprising_:-- - - The Gospel of St. Mark (_Two Volumes_). - -The Books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy (_One Volume_). - - The Books of Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Samuel, and Kings (_Two Volumes_). - - The Acts of the Apostles, Vol. I. - - - LONDON: HODDER & STOUGHTON. - - - - - WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR. - - _Crown 8vo, cloth, price 5s. each._ - - A Year's Ministry. - FIRST SERIES. - _Sixth Edition._ - - - A Year's Ministry. - SECOND SERIES. - _Sixth Edition._ - - - Christ in the Heart; - And other Sermons. - _Second Edition._ - - - Week-Day Evening Addresses. - _Fourth Edition._ - - - After the Resurrection. - _Second Edition._ - - - Last Sheaves. - _Second Edition._ - - -DR. 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We have nothing but admiration and praise for this -valuable little reprint." - -=The Guardian= says: "Just the book we should give to awaken a living -and historical interest in the Psalms." - - - Colossians and Philemon. - - IN THE "EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE," FIRST SERIES. - - _Crown 8vo, cloth, 7s. 6d._ - -=The Leeds Mercury= says: "With great analytical skill, and with a -spiritual insight which almost amounts to genius, Dr. Maclaren lays -bare the gist of Paul's message, and does so in terms which cannot -fail to appeal deeply and at once to the common heart of Christians of -all sorts and conditions. In moral fervour, spiritual beauty, and an -unfailing charm of literary expression, this volume is worthy to rank -with the noblest results of Christian scholarship and culture." - -=The Baptist Magazine= says: "Dr. Maclaren's lectures on the -Colossians are among his best works. He has thoroughly grasped the -argument of this profound Epistle, followed the sequences of its -thoughts, traced the connections and dependences of its different -parts, and applied its principles and lessons to the religious and -social needs of our own day. He seems almost to have 'changed eyes' -with St. Paul, and to have elucidated his thoughts with a vividness of -imagination, an intensity of feeling, and an incisiveness of speech -which have rarely been equalled." - -=The Scotsman= says: "There will be found in it much that is -instructive and much that is practical, many sound views of life and -religion as well as considerable insight into the spirit and meaning -of the Apostle. Dr. Maclaren, at any rate, knows how to apply the -lessons of Scripture to the needs and the questionings of our own day; -and his views, which are evangelical, and opposed to ritualism and -asceticism, will be widely acceptable." - - - LONDON: HODDER & STOUGHTON. - - - - -Transcriber's Notes: - - -Obvious punctuation and spelling errors have been fixed throughout. - -Inconsistent hyphenation left as in the original text. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Expositor's Bible: The Psalms, -Vol. 1, by A. Maclaren - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE *** - -***** This file should be named 42445.txt or 42445.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/4/4/42445/ - -Produced by Douglas L. 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