What profit _is there_ in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall
the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?
Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper.
Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my
sackcloth, and girded me with gladness:
To the end that _my_ glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.
This is a remarkable Psalm, and truly Davidical. Here, with a
wonderful fervency of heart, he gives thanks unto God for having
delivered him from spiritual temptations and unspeakable conflicts
with Satan, and for having refreshed and comforted his heart when
brought down to such a state of weakness, when broken with such views
of misery, terror, and wrath, and when almost overwhelmed with the
greatness of his temptations. “Thou hast (saith he) brought my soul up
from hell:” that is, thou hast enabled me to overcome the violence and
fury of Satan, which never could be overcome by any human power.
This Psalm contains, as you see, those sublime and heavenly feelings
of one rejoicing in the Holy Ghost, because God has turned such deep
distress, such overwhelming terrors and fears, so many tears and sighs
from the very belly of hell, into a joy that has refreshed and healed
the soul that was just before burning with the fiery darts of the
devil, and with the very flames of hell.
The Psalm contains also a most sweet consolation: “His anger (says
David) endureth but for a moment: in his favour is life;” that is,
God, although he exercises the godly in these deep temptations, and
these intense agonizings of soul, yet he does not so try them with the
intent to slay them; nor does he afflict, in order to destroy his
people; nor is he the God of misery, of terror, and of death, but the
God of peace and of life, the God of joy and of consolation.
This Psalm belongs to the third precept and to the first petition of
the Lord’s Prayer.