_David prayeth for audience.—He reproveth and exhorteth his
enemies.—Man’s happiness is in God’s favour._
To the chief Musician on Neginoth. A Psalm of David.
Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me
_when I was_ in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.
O ye sons of men, how long _will ye turn_ my glory into shame? _how
long_ will ye love vanity, _and_ seek after leasing? Selah.
But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself:
the Lord will hear when I call unto him.
Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed,
and be still. Selah.
Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.
_There be_ many that say, Who will shew us _any_ good? LORD, lift thou
up the light of thy countenance upon us.
Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time _that_ their
corn and their wine increased.
I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only
makest me dwell in safety.
This is a Psalm of consolation: yet it at the same time teaches us to
bear afflictions patiently, to expect the help of God, and to trust in
him in all adversities. For that greatest of all wisdom, true and real
Christian wisdom, is unknown to the world: which wisdom is, to learn
and to know, by daily temptations and by various trials of faith, that
God exercises his people in all these afflictions, to the end that
they may understand his will; and that his design in exposing them to
the all-bitter hatred of the world and the devil, is, that he might
save, deliver, comfort, strengthen, and glorify them in a wonderful
manner, in the midst of perils, and even in death itself; and that he
might make known his conflicting church as being invincible, through
faith and the word, in the midst of the kingdom of the devil, against
all the storms of the world, and under all the clouds, darkness, and
tempests of temptations of every kind.
This Psalm also most severely strikes at all hypocrites and wicked men
of every description, who, before the eyes of the world, would have us
believe that they are the only true saints and the people of God; who
even say that they worship God, while they know nothing of him; for in
the time of affliction, they tremble with cowardly fear, and
impatiently mutter in their hearts against God and his holy will; they
soon forget his words and his works, and, wickedly forsaking him who
alone is able to comfort them, cease from expecting his aid, hate the
cross, and seek for human consolation: whereas, there is no sure
consolation to be obtained either from friends or from all the
resources of human help; for in God alone is sure consolation; and
that is all-sure, and eternal; which no creature can take away, either
in this world or in that which is to come.
This peace and consolation of God, however, is not like the peace of
the world. For, “Know ye, (saith David) that the Lord dealeth
wonderfully with his saints:” he casts them down, that he may raise
them up; he afflicts them that he may minister consolation unto them;
he humbles them that he may exalt them; he makes them sorrowful that
he may make them glad: in a word, he kills them that he may make them
alive.
The agonizing struggles of the godly, therefore, in this life against
sin, and the devil who unceasingly assaults them, and desires to sift
them as wheat, are their exercises of faith and patience: from which
exercises those that fear God learn more satisfactorily to know his
presence;—that he is ever present with them; and that he will never
leave nor forsake those that believe in him, but will ever
marvellously deliver, save and rescue them from all their deaths and
destructions.
But the wicked and hypocrites, how much soever they may talk about God
with their lips, yet hate God, and hate this his will in the
afflictions of his saints; as it is written in the first
commandment—“Unto them that hate me.” And again, as Paul saith—“Whose
God is their belly.” These characters wish first, and above all
things, that all theirs,—their fortunes, their property, their
friends, should be safe; and they trust in their riches and
possessions. All such, therefore, deride this doctrine of faith: and
if any one should preach to such this patience, and this word of the
cross, they would laugh at it, and would boast of their holiness and
religion in opposition to those who truly fear God. They would say,
‘What! are we to be taught what is right by such a fool as you? Are
you to teach us what is good, and what the true worship of God is?’
This Psalm also pertains to the First Commandment. It teaches us to
trust in God both in prosperity and adversity, and patiently to wait
for his help, calling upon him with earnestness and constancy. The
subject matter of this Psalm is contained in the third and seventh
petition of the Lord’s Prayer—“Thy will be done,” and “Deliver us from
evil:” and also in the fourth, where we pray, “that there may be given
us our daily bread:” that is, peace, and all those things that are
required unto the sustaining of this life, against all the various
evils of poverty, hunger, and want; with which things the devil, in an
especial manner, exercises the church of God in this world.