him.”_ This is the first time that, in the Psalter, we read of the
ministrations of angels. But many fathers rather take this passage of
the “Angel of the Great Counsel,” and gloriously to him it applies.—_J.
M. Neale._
_Verse 7.—“The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear
him,”_ etc. By whom may be meant, either the uncreated Angel, the Lord
Jesus Christ, the Angel of God’s presence, and of the covenant, the
Captain of salvation, the Leader and Commander of the people; and whose
salvation is as walls and bulwarks about them, or as an army surrounding
them; or a created angel may be intended even a single one, which is
sufficient to guard a multitude of saints, since one could destroy at
once such a vast number of enemies, as in 2 Kings xix. 35; or one may be
put for more, since they are an innumerable company that are on the side
of the Lord’s people, and to whom they are joined; and these may be said
to encamp about them, because they are an host or army (see Gen. xxxii.
1, 2; Luke ii. 13); and are the guardians of the saints, that stand up
for them and protect them, as well as minister to them.—_John Gill._
_Verse 7.—“The angel of the Lord”_ is represented in his twofold
character in this pair of Psalms, as an angel of mercy, and also as an
angel of judgment. Psalm xxxv. 6. This pair of Psalms (the thirty fourth
and thirty-fifth), may in this respect be compared with the twelfth
chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, where the angel of the Lord is
displayed as encamping about St. Peter, and delivering him, and also as
smiting the persecutor, Herod Agrippa.—_Christopher Wordsworth, D.D._
_Verse 7.—“Round about.”_ In illustration of this it may be observed,
that according to D’Arvieux, it is the practice of the Arabs to pitch
their tents in a circular form; the prince being in the middle, and the
Arabs about him, but so as to leave a respectful distance between them.
And Thevenot, describing a Turkish encampment near Cairo, having
particularly noticed the spaciousness, decorations, and conveniences of
the Bashaw’s tent, or pavilion, adds, “Round the pale of his tent,
within a pistol shot, were above two hundred tents, pitched in such a
manner that the doors of them all looked towards the Bashaw’s tent; and
it ever is so, that they may have their eye always upon their master’s
lodging, and be in readiness to assist him if he be attacked.”—_Richard
Mant._
_Verse 8.—“O taste and see that the Lord is good.”_ Our senses help our
understandings; we cannot by the most rational discourse perceive what
the sweetness of honey is; _taste_ it and you shall perceive it. “His
fruit was sweet to my _taste_.” Dwell in the light of the Lord, and let
thy soul be always ravished with his love. Get out the marrow and the
fatness that thy portion yields thee. Let fools learn by beholding thy
face how dim their blazes are to the brightness of thy day.—_Richard
Alleine, in “Heaven Opened,” 1665._
_Verse 8.—“O taste and see,”_ etc. It is not enough for thee to see it
afar off, and not have it, as Dives did; or to have it in thee, and not
to taste it, as Samson’s lion had great store of honey in him, but
tasted no sweetness of it; but thou must as well have it as see it, and
as well taste it as have it. “_O taste and see_,” says he, “_how sweet
the Lord is_;” for so indeed Christ giveth his church not only _a sight_
but also “_a taste_” of his sweetness. A _sight_ is where he saith thus:
“We will rise up early, and go into the vineyard, and see whether the
vine have budded forth the small grapes, and whether the pomegranates
flourish;” there is _a sight_ of the vine. A _taste_ is where he says
thus, “I will bring thee into the wine cellar, and cause thee to drink
spiced wine, and new wine of the pomegranates;” there is _a taste_ of
the wine. The church not only goes into the vineyard and _sees_ the
wine, but also goes into the wine cellar, and _tastes_ the wine.—_Thomas
Playfere._
_Verse 8.—“Taste and see.”_ There are some things, especially in the
depths of the religious life, which can only be understood by being
experienced, and which even then are incapable of being adequately
embodied in words. “_O taste and see that the Lord is good._” The
enjoyment must come before the illumination; or rather the enjoyment is
the illumination. There are things that must be loved before we can know
them to be worthy of our love; things to be believed before we can
understand them to be worthy of belief. And even after this—after we are
conscious of a distinct apprehension of some spiritual truth, we can
only, perhaps, answer, if required to explain it, in the words of the
philosopher to whom the question was put, “What is God?” “I know, _if I
am not asked_.”—_Thomas Binney’s “Sermons,” 1869._
_Verse 8.—“Taste and see.”_ Be unwilling that all the good gifts of God
should be swallowed without taste or maliciously forgotten, but use your
palate, know them, and consider them.—_D. H. Mollerus._
_Verse 8._—Heaven and earth are replete with the goodness of God. We
omit to open our mouths and eyes, on which account the Psalmist desires
us to “_taste_” and “_see_.”—_Augustus F. Tholuck._
_Verse 8._—The “_taste and see_” invite, as it were, to a sumptuous
feast, which has long been ready; to a rich sight openly exposed to
view. The imperatives are in reality not hortatory but persuasive.—_E.
W. Hengstenberg._
_Verse 8._—All that the believer can attain of spiritual consolation in
this life is but a taste.—_David Dickson._
_Verse 8_:—
O taste the Lord, and see how sweet He is,
The man that trusts in him lives still in bliss.
_Sir John Davies, 1569-1626._
_Verses 8, 9, 10._—All these verses are beautiful representations of the
fulness, suitableness, completeness, and all-sufficiency of God in
Christ to answer all the wants of his people. And is there not a vast
elegance in the comparison taken from the hunger and rapacity of the
lion, even the impetuousness of the young lion, to that of the patience
and silent waiting of the faithful believer? A life of faith will find
food in everything, because it is all founded in Christ. The young lions
may, and will lack, because nothing will supply their voracious
appetites but that which is carnal.—_Robert Hawker._
_Verse 10.—“The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger.”_ The old lions
will have it for them, if it be to be had. “_But they that seek the Lord
shall not want any good thing._” As they would feel no evil thing
within, so they shall want no good thing without. He that freely opens
the upper, will never wholly close the nether springs. There shall be no
silver lacking in Benjamin’s sack, while Joseph has it to throw in.
Grace is not such a beggarly visitant, as will not pay its own way. When
the best of beings is adored, the best of blessings are
enjoyed.—_William Secker._
_Verse 10._—People are apt to fancy that a wild beast’s life must be
happy—in a brute’s sense—and that the carnivorous and graminivorous
creatures which have never come under the dominion of mankind are better
off than the domesticated quadrupeds which buy their quieter and safer
lives at the price of ministering to the luxuries or necessities of
their human lords. But the contrary is the case: the career of a
flesh-eating animal must be wretched, even from the tiger’s or leopard’s
point of view. They must often suffer pangs of long-continued hunger,
and when they find and kill food they frequently have to wage desperate
war for the enjoyment of their victim. The cry of almost every wild
beast is so melancholy and forlorn, that it impresses the traveller with
sadness more even than with fear. If the opportunity occurs for watching
them in the chase, they are seen to sneak and sniff about, far less like
“kings of the forest,” than poor, dejected, starving wretches, desperate
upon the subject of their next meal. They suffer horribly from diseases
induced by foul diet and long abstinence; and very few are found without
scars in their hide—the tokens of terrible combats. If they live to old
age their lot is piteous: their teeth are worn down, their claws are
blunt, and in this state numbers of them perish by starvation. Not one
half of the wild animals die a natural death; and their life, so far as
it can be observed, is a series of stern privations, with desperate and
bloody fights among themselves.—_Clipping from “Daily Telegraph.”_
_Verse 10.—“They that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.”_
There shall be no want to such, and such shall want no good thing: so
that he must be such an one to whom the promise is made; and he must
also be sure that it is good for him which is promised. But oftentimes
it is not good for a man to abound with earthly blessings; as strong
drink is not good for weak brains. Yea, if anything be wanting to a good
man, he may be sure it is not good for him; and then better that he doth
want it, than that he did enjoy it; and what wise man will complain of
the want of that, which if he had, would prove more hurtful than gainful
to him? As a sword to a madman, a knife to a child, drink to them that
have a fever or the dropsy. “No good thing will God withhold,” etc., and
therefore, not wants themselves, which to many are also good, yea, very
good things, as I could reckon up many. Want sanctified is a notable
means to bring to repentance, to work in us amendment of life, it stirs
up prayer, it weans from the love of the world, it keeps us always
prepared for the spiritual combat, discovers whether we be true
believers or hypocrites, prevents greater evils of sin and punishment to
come; it makes us humble, conformable to Christ our Head, increaseth our
faith, our joy, and thankfulness, our spiritual wisdom, and likewise our
patience, as I have largely shown in another treatise.—_Richard Young,
in the “Poor’s Advocate,” 1653._
_Verse 10._—I remember as I came through the country, that there was a
poor widow woman, whose husband fell at Bothwell: the bloody soldiers
came to plunder her house, telling her they would take all she had. “We
will leave thee nothing,” said they, “either to put in thee, or on
thee.” “I care not,” said she, “I will not want as long as God is in the
heavens.” That was a believer indeed.—_Alexander Peden’s Sermon, 1682._
_Verse 10._—Take a survey of heaven and earth and all things therein,
and whatsoever upon sure ground appears good, ask it confidently of
Christ; his love will not deny it. If it were good for you that there
were no sin, no devil, no affliction, no destruction, the love of Christ
would instantly abolish these. Nay, if the possession of all the
kingdoms of the world were absolutely good for any saint, the love of
Christ would instantly crown him monarch of them.—_David Clarkson._
_Verse 10 (last clause)._—Part of his last afternoon was spent by
Columba in transcribing the Psalms of David. Having come to that passage
in the thirty-fourth Psalm, where it is said, “_They that seek the Lord
shall not want any good thing_,” he said, “I have come to the end of a
page, and I will stop here, for the following verse, ‘_Come, ye
children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord_,’ will
better suit my successor to transcribe than me. I will leave it,
therefore, to Baithen.” As usual, the bell was rung at midnight for
prayers. Columba was the first to hasten to church. On entering it soon
after, Dermid found him on his knees in prayer, but evidently dying.
Raising him up in his arms, he supported his head on his bosom. The
brethren now entered. When they saw Columba in this dying condition they
wept aloud. Columba heard them. He opened his eyes and attempted to
speak, but his voice failed. He lifted up his hands as if to bless them,
immediately after which he breathed out his spirit. His countenance
retained in death the expression it wore in life, so that it seemed as
if he had only fallen asleep.—_“Story of Columba and his Successors,” in
the Christian Treasury for 1848._
_Verse 11.—“Come, ye children.”_ Venema in substance remarks that David
in addressing his friends in the cave, called them his sons or children,
because he was about to be their teacher, and they his disciples; and
again, because they were young men in the flower of their age, and as
sons, would be the builders up of his house; and still more, because as
their leader to whose discipline and command they were subject, he had a
right to address them as his children.—_C. H. S._
_Verse 11.—“Come ye children,”_ etc. You know your earthly parents, ay,
but labour to know your heavenly. You know the fathers of your flesh,
ay, but strive to know the Father of your spirits. You are expert in may
be in Horace’s Odes, Virgil’s Eclogues, Cicero’s Orations; oh! but
strive to get understanding in David’s Psalms, Solomon’s Proverbs, and
the other plain books of Holy Writ. Manna was to be gathered in the
morning. The orient pearl is generated of the morning dew; _aurora musis
amica_, the morning is a friend to the muses. O “_remember thy
Creator_,” know him in the morning of thy childhood. When God had
created the heavens and the earth, the first thing he did was to adorn
the world with light, and separate it from the darkness. Happy is that
child on whom the light of saving knowledge begins to dawn early. God,
in the law, required the first-born, and the first-fruits, so he doth
still our first days, to be offered to him. They are wisdom’s words,
“They that seek me early shall find me.” Prov. viii. 17. Where a rabbin
observeth a נ is added to the verb more than usual, which in numbering
goeth for fifty. With this note, that early seeking hath not only
twenty, or thirty, but fifty, nay, indeed, an hundred fold recompense
attending on it.—_Nathanael Hardy._
_Verse 11.—“Come, ye children.”_ David in this latter part of the Psalm
undertakes to teach children; though a man of war and anointed to be
king, he did not think it below him: though now he had his head so full
of cares, and his hands of business, yet he could find heart and time to
give good counsel to young people from his own experience.—_Matthew
Henry._
_Verse 11._—Observe I. What he expects from them, “_Hearken unto me_,”
leave your play, lay by your toys, and hear what I have to say to you;
not only give me the hearing, but observe and obey me. II. What he
undertakes to teach them, “_The fear of the Lord_,” inclusive of all the
duties of religion. David was a famous musician, a statesman, a soldier,
but he doth not say to his children, I will teach you to play upon the
harp, or to handle the sword or spear, or draw the bow, or I will teach
you the maxims of state policy, but I will teach you _the fear of the
Lord_, which is better than all arts and sciences, better than all
burnt-offerings and sacrifices. That is it which we should be solicitous
both to learn ourselves, and to teach our children.—_Matthew Henry._
_Verse 11.—“I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”_ I shall introduce
the translation and paraphrase from my old Psalter; and the rather
because I believe there is a reference to that very improper and unholy
method of teaching youth the system of heathen mythology before they are
taught one sound lesson of true divinity, till at last their _minds_ are
_imbued_ with _heathenism_, and the vicious conduct of gods, goddesses,
and heroes (here very properly called tyrants), becomes the model of
their own; and they are as heathenish _without_ as they are heathenish
_within_.
_Trans._ “_Cummes sones lere me: dred of Lard I sal you lere._”
_Par._ “_Cummes_, with trauth and luf: _sones_, qwam I gette in haly
lere: _heres me_. With eres of hert. _I sal lere you_, noght the fabyls
of poetes; na the storys of tyrauntz; bot the dred of oure Larde, that
wyl bring you til the felaghschippe of aungels; and thar in is lyfe.” I
need not paraphrase this paraphrase, as it is plain enough.—_Adam
Clarke._
_Verse 11.—“The fear of the Lord.”_ The Master of Sentences dwells, from
this verse, on the four kinds of fear: mundane, servile, initial,
filial. _Mundane_, when we fear to commit sin, simply lest we should
lose some worldly advantage or incur some worldly inconvenience.
_Servile_, when we fear to commit sin, simply because of hell torments
due to it. _Initial_, when we fear to commit it lest we should lose the
happiness of heaven. _Filial_, when we fear, only and entirely because
we dread to offend that God whom we love with all our hearts. “_I will
teach._” Whence notice, that this fear is not a thing to be learnt all
at once; it needs careful study and a good master. S. Chrysostom
compares the Psalmist’s school here with the resort of heathen students
to the academy; and S. Ephraem, referring to this passage, calls the
fear of God itself the school of the mind. “As if he proclaimed,” says
S. Lawrence Justiniani, “I will teach you, not the courses of the stars,
not the nature of things, not the secrets of the heavens, but _the fear
of the Lord_. The knowledge of such matters, without fear, puffs up; but
_the fear of the Lord, without any such knowledge_, can save.” “Here,”
says Cassiodorus, “is not fear to be feared, but to be loved. Human fear
is full of bitterness; divine fear of sweetness: the one drives to
slavery, the other allures to liberty; the one dreads the prison of
Gehenna, the other opens the kingdom of heaven.”—_J. M. Neale._
_Verse 11.—“The fear of the Lord.”_ Let this, therefore, good children,
be your principal care and study; for what shall it avail you to be
cunning in Tully, Virgil, Homer, and other profane writers, if you be
unskilful in God’s book? to have learned Greek and Latin, if you learn
not withal the language of Canaan? to have your speech agreeable to the
rules of Priscian, of Lily, if your lives and courses be not consonant
to the rules and laws of Christianity? to have knowledge of the
creatures when you are ignorant of the Creator? to have learned that
whereby you may live a while here, and neglect that whereby you may live
eternally hereafter? Learn to fear God, to serve God, and then God will
bless you; for “He will bless them that fear him, both small and great.”
Ps. cxv. 13.—_Thomas Gataker’s “David’s Instructor,” 1637._
_Verse 12._—It is no great matter to live long, or always, but to live
happily. That loyal prayer, “Let the king live” (in every language)
imports a prosperous state. When the Psalmist saith, “Who is the man
that would see life?” he explaineth himself presently after by “good
days.” _Vivere_ among the Latins is sometimes as much as _valere_, to
live is as much as to be well; and upon this account it is that as, on
the one hand, the Scripture calls the state of the damned an eternal
death, because their life is only a continuance in misery; so on the
other hand the state of the blessed is an eternal life, because it is a
perpetual abode in felicity.—_Nathanael Hardy._
_Verse 12._—The benefit of life is not in the length, but in the use of
it. He sometimes lives the least that lives the longest.—_Seneca._
_Verse 13.—“Keep thy tongue from evil,”_ etc. Ficinus, after his tracts,
_De sanitate tuenda, of keeping good health_; and another, _of
recovering_ health; and a third, _of prolonging life_; because all will
not do, wisely addeth a fourth, of _laying hold on eternal life_; which
cannot be done but by mortifying this earthly member, a loose and lewd
tongue. “For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou
shalt be condemned,” saith the Judge himself. Matt. xii. 37. Compare
Gen. xlix. 21 with Deut. xxxiii. 23, and it will appear that good words
ingratiate with God and man.—_John Trapp._
_Verse 13.—“And thy lips from speaking guile.”_ Perhaps David, in
warning us that we speak no guile, reflects upon his own sin in changing
his behaviour. They that truly repent of what they have done amiss, will
warn others to take heed of doing likewise.—_Matthew Henry._
_Verse 14.—“Depart from evil,”_ etc. This denotes that evil is near to
men; it keeps close to them, and should be declined and shunned: and it
regards all sorts of evil; evil men and their evil company; evil things,
evil words and works, and all appearance of evil; and the fear of the
Lord shows itself in a hatred of it, and a departure from it. Prov.
viii. 13; xvi. 6.—_John Gill._
_Verse 14.—“Depart from evil.”_ The other precepts are the duty of
works, and they are four, where the precepts of words were but two;
because we must be more in works than in words; and they are all
affirmative, for it is against the nature of a work to be in the
negative; for so working should be no better than idleness: the two
former are general, as general as good and evil; that if we meet with
anything that is evil, our part is to _depart_, for there is no demuring
upon evil.—_Sir Richard Baker._
_Verse 14.—“Do good.”_ Negative goodness is not sufficient to entitle us
to heaven. There are some in the world whose religion runs all upon
negatives; they are not drunkards, they are not swearers, and for this
they do bless themselves. See how the Pharisee vapours (Luke xviii. 11),
“God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust,
adulterers,” etc. Alas! the not being scandalous will no more make a
Christian than a cypher will make a sum. We are bid, not only to _cease
from evil_, but to _do good_. It will be a poor plea at last—Lord, I
kept myself from being spotted with gross sin: I did no hurt. But what
good is there in thee? It is not enough for the servant of the vineyard
that he doth no hurt there, he doth not break the trees, or destroy the
hedges; if he doth not work in the vineyard he loseth his pay. It is not
enough for us to say at the last day, we have done no hurt, we have
lived in no gross sin; but what good have we done in the vineyard? Where
is the grace we have gotten? If we cannot show this, we shall lose our
pay, and miss of salvation.—_Thomas Watson._
_Verse 14.—“Seek peace, and pursue it.”_ Yea, do well, and thou shalt
not need to pursue it; peace will find thee without seeking. Augustine
says, _Fiat justitia, et habebis pacem_—Live righteously, and live
peaceably. Quietness shall find out righteousness wheresoever he
lodgeth. But she abhorreth the house of evil. Peace will not dine where
grace hath not first broken her fast. Let us embrace godliness, and “the
peace of God, that passeth all understanding, shall preserve our hearts
and minds in Jesus Christ.” Phil. iv. 7.—_Thomas Adams._
_Verse 14.—“Seek peace and pursue it.”_ The most desirable things are
not the easiest to be obtained. What is more lovely to the imagination
than the tranquillity of peace? But this great blessing does not
voluntarily present itself: it must be _sought_. Even when sought it
often eludes the grasp: it flies away, and must be _pursued_. 1. The man
of a peaceable carriage must be cautious not to give offence when
needless, or, when it may innocently be spared. 2. Another part of the
peaceable man’s character is, not to take offence; especially in small
matters, which are hardly worth a wise man’s notice. 3. If any needless
offence has been either given or taken, we must endeavour to put a stop
to it as soon as may be. If a difference is already begun, stifle it in
the birth, and suffer it not to proceed farther.—_Condensed from Dr.
Waterland’s Sermon, in J. R. Pitman’s Course of Sermons on the Psalms,
1846._
_Verse 15.—“His ears are open unto their cry.”_ The word “open” is not
in the original, but the meaning is that the ear of God is propense, and
in a leaning kind of posture, towards the cries of the righteous; the
word may here be taken emphatically, as many times in Scripture it is,
for some worthy, choice, and excellent strain of righteousness. Those
who are worthy and righteous indeed, the ear of God, I say, is propense,
and leans and hangs towards them and their prayers, according to that of
Cant. ii. 14, “Let me hear thy voice, for sweet is thy voice.” There is
a kind of naturalness and pleasantness between the ear of God and the
prayers and petitions, and cries of such a righteous man. John xv.
7.—_John Goodwin._
_Verse 15.—“His ears are open unto their cry.”_ Hebrew, “_Are to their
cry_,” or as St. Peter hath it, “_His ears are into their prayers_” (1
Peter iii. 12); to show that though their prayers are so faint and
feeble that they cannot enter into the ears of the Lord of Hosts, yet
that he will bow down and incline his ears _unto_, nay, _into_ their
prayers, their breathings. Lam. iii. 56.—_John Trapp._