_David encourageth himself to praise God.—He prayeth for God’s
assistance according to his promise.—His confidence in God’s help._
A Song or Psalm of David.
O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my
glory.
Awake, psaltery and harp; I _myself_ will awake early.
I will praise thee, O LORD, among the people; and I will sing praises
unto thee among the nations.
For thy mercy is great above the heavens, and thy truth _reacheth_
unto the clouds.
Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; and thy glory above all the
earth:
That thy beloved may be delivered, save _with_ thy right hand, and
answer me.
God hath spoken in his holiness, I will rejoice; I will divide
Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth.
Gilead _is_ mine; Manasseh _is_ mine; Ephraim also _is_ the strength
of mine head; Judah _is_ my law-giver;
Moab _is_ my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe; over
Philistia will I triumph.
Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom?
_Wilt_ not _thou_, O God, _who_ hast cast us off? and wilt not thou, O
God, go forth with our hosts?
Give us help from trouble: for vain _is_ the help of man.
Through God we shall do valiantly: for he _it is that_ shall tread
down our enemies.
This is a Psalm of thanksgiving of the same substance, and almost in
the same words as Psalm lx.; wherein the Psalmist gives thanks for the
happy state of his kingdom, for the establishment of the true religion
and good government, and for the increase of his dominions.
The first verses of the Psalm, however, refer to the kingdom of
Christ. David prays that God would be pleased to set up this kingdom
of Christ in all nations; that thus the kingdom and dominion of David
may be extended far and wide throughout all nations, according to the
promise. For this temporal kingdom of David was confined within very
narrow limits in comparison with the whole world, and was a kingdom
not likely to be extended over all the nations and people of the
earth; and yet this kingdom God promised to enlarge and extend, as in
Isaiah, “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall
stand for an ensign of the people,” Isa. xi. 10. And again, chapter
ix. 7, “Upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it
and to establish it for ever.”