time resented this truth, but had their hearts been right they would
have rejoiced in it. They would have kept their God to themselves, and
not even have allowed the Gentile dogs to eat the crumbs from under his
table. Alas! how selfishness turns honey into wormwood. Jehovah is not
the God of the Jews only, all the nations of the earth are, through the
Messiah, yet to own him Lord. Meanwhile his providential throne governs
all events beneath the sky. “_Sing ye praises with understanding._” Sing
a didactic Psalm. Sound doctrine praises God. Even under the economy of
types and ceremonies, it is clear that the Lord had regard to the
spirituality of worship, and would be praised thoughtfully,
intelligently, and with deep appreciation of the reason for song. It is
to be feared from the slovenly way in which some make a noise in
singing, that they fancy any sound will do. On the other hand, from the
great attention paid by some to the mere music, we feel sadly sure that
the sense has no effect upon them. Is it not a sin to be tickling men’s
ears with sounds when we profess to be adoring the Lord? What has a
sensuous delight in organs, anthems, etc., to do with devotion? Do not
men mistake physical effects for spiritual impulses? Do they not often
offer to God strains far more calculated for human amusement than for
divine acceptance? An understanding enlightened of the Holy Spirit is
then and then only fully capable of offering worthy praise.
8 God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his
holiness.
8. Now at this moment, over the most debased idolaters, God holds a
secret rule; here is work for faith. How we ought to long for the day
when this truth shall be changed in its aspect, and the rule now
unrecognised shall be delighted in! The great truth that _God reigneth_
in providence is the guarantee that in a gracious gospel sense his
promise shall be fulfilled, and his kingdom shall come. “_He sitteth
upon the throne of his holiness._” Unmoved he occupies an undisputed
throne, whose decrees, acts, and commands are holiness itself. What
other throne is like this? Never was it stained with injustice, or
defiled with sin. Neither is he who sits upon it dismayed, or in a
dilemma. He sits in serenity, for he knows his own power, and sees that
his purposes will not miscarry. Here is reason enough for holy song.
9 The princes of the people are gathered together, _even_ the people
of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth _belong_ unto
God: he is greatly exalted.
9. “_The princes of the people are gathered together._” The prophetic
eye of the Psalmist sees the willing subjects of the great King
assembled to celebrate his glory. Not only the poor and the men of low
estate are there, but nobles bow their willing necks to his sway. “All
kings shall bow down before him.” No people shall be unrepresented;
their great men shall be good men, their royal ones regenerate ones. How
august will be the parliament where the Lord Jesus shall open the court,
and princes shall rise up to do him honour! “_Even the people of the God
of Abraham._” That same God, who was known only to here and there a
patriarch like the father of the faithful, shall be adored by a seed as
many as the stars of heaven. The covenant promise shall be fulfilled,
“In thee and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.”
Shiloh shall come, and “to him shall the gathering of the people be.”
Babel’s dispersion shall be obliterated by the gathering arm of the
Great Shepherd King.
“_For the shields of the earth belong unto God._” The insignia of pomp,
the emblems of rank, the weapons of war, all must pay loyal homage to
the King of all. Right honourables must honour Jesus, and majesties must
own him to be far more majestic. Those who are earth’s protectors, the
shields of the commonwealth, derive their might from him, and are his.
All principalities and powers must be subject unto Jehovah and his
Christ, for “_He is greatly exalted._” In nature, in power, in
character, in glory, there is none to compare with him. Oh, glorious
vision of a coming era! Make haste, ye wheels of time! Meanwhile, ye
saints, “Be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the
Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS.
_Whole Psalm._—Some have applied this Psalm to Christ’s ascension; but
it speaks of his Second Coming. The Mighty One is seated peacefully on
his throne. We are referred back to Psalm xlv.—_Andrew A. Bonar._
_Verse 1.—“O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the
voice of triumph.”_ This should be done, 1. Cheerfully: “_Clap your
hands_,” for this is a sign of inward joy, Nah. iii. 19. 2. Universally:
“O clap your hands, _all ye people_.” 3. Vocally: “_Shout unto God with
the voice of triumph._” 4. Frequently: “_Sing praises to God, sing
praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises_,” verse 6; and again
“_sing praises_,” verse 7. It cannot be done too frequently. 5.
Knowingly and discreetly: “Sing ye praises _with understanding_;” know
the reason why ye are to praise him.—_Adam Clarke._
_Verse 1.—“O clap your hands,”_ etc. Such expressions of pious and
devout affection as to some may seem indecent and imprudent, yet ought
not to be hastily censured and condemned, much less ridiculed; because
if they come from an upright heart, God will accept the strength of the
affection, and excuse the weakness of the expressions of it.—_Matthew
Henry._
_Verse 1.—“O clap your hands.”_ The _voice of melody_ is not so much to
be uttered with the tongue or with the hands; that is, it is our deeds
not our words, by which God is here to be praised. Even as it was in him
whose pattern we are to follow: “Jesus began both to do and to
teach.”—_J. M. Neale._
_Verse 1.—“All ye people.”_ _Peoples_, in the plural. Here it is used to
call both Jews and Gentiles—all nations.—_William S. Plumer._
_Verse 1.—“Shout unto God.”_ _Jubilate Deo_: _in_ God, and _concerning_
God, and _in honour of_ God. He does not excite them to carnal
joy.—_Martin Geier._
_Verse 2.—“For the Lord most high is terrible; he is a great king over
all the earth.”_ The church celebrates the ascension of Christ, because
then he was “highly exalted;” then he became “_terrible_” to his
enemies, all power in heaven and in earth being committed to him; and
then he began to display the excellent majesty of his universal kingdom,
to which he was then inaugurated, being crowned “King of kings, and Lord
of lords.”—_George Horne._
_Verse 2.—“The Lord most high is terrible.”_ Christ is “_terrible_,”
that is, fearful, or meet to be feared, not of his children only for
their good, but of the wicked also for their punishment; “_terrible_” to
the devil, as being stronger than he, casting out the prince of darkness
by the finger of God. Luke xi. 22; John xii. 31. And therefore so soon
as an unclean spirit saw Jesus, he cried out, “What have we to do with
thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us?” Mark i. 24;
or as other devils, Matt. viii. 29, “Art thou come hither to torment us
before the time?” for the devils in believing tremble. “_Terrible_” to
hypocrites, and other impious agents of the devil, as having his fan in
his hand to make clean his floor, and to gather his wheat into his
garner, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Matt. iii.
12. Or Christ is _excelsus in potentia, terribilis in justitia_; high in
power, and fearful in justice: high in exalting the good, and terrible
in humbling the bad.—_John Boys._
_Verse 3.—“He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under
our feet.”_ The consequence of our Lord’s ascension was the going forth
of the all-subduing Word, under the influence and direction of which the
convinced and converted nations renounced their idols and their lusts,
and bowed their willing necks to the yoke of Jesus. This is that great
conquest, foreshowed by the victories of Joshua, David, and all the
faithful heroes of old time, and foretold in language borrowed from
their history.—_George Horne._
_Verse 3.—“He shall subdue the people under us,”_ etc., or _he shall
lead_ like _sheep_; or _bring unto the fold_; as divers render the word,
by comparing Isa. v. 17; Micah ii. 12. He seems to speak of such a
subjugation of them, as was for the good of the people subdued, because
this is matter of rejoicing to them, verse 1; which is true both of
these people whom David subdued, who thereby had opportunities,
obligations, and encouragements to own and worship the true God, which
was the only way to their true and lasting happiness; and especially of
those Gentiles who were subdued to Christ by the preaching of the
gospel. The Gentile converts were in some sort brought under the Jews,
because they were subjected to Christ and to his apostles, and to the
primitive church, which were Jews.—_Matthew Pool._
_Verse 3.—“And the nations under our feet.”_ By this manner of speech is
meant, that the Gentiles should be _scholars_, and the Jews
_schoolmasters_, as it were to them; for _to sit under the feet_, or _at
the feet_, is used in Scripture for being a scholar, or learning, as
Acts xxii. 3.—_Thomas Wilcocks._
_Verse 4.—“He shall choose.”_ Futures are variously rendered; and
accordingly the vulgar Latin, Syriac, and Arabic, render this word, _He
hath chosen_.—_Matthew Pool._
_Verse 4.—“He shall choose our inheritance for us.”_ It is reported of a
woman who, being sick, was asked whether she was willing to live or die;
she answered, “Which God pleases.” But, said one, if God should refer it
to you, which would you choose? “Truly,” replied she, “I would refer it
to him again.” Thus that man obtains his will of God, whose will is
subjected to God. We are not to be troubled that we have no more _from_
God, but we are to be troubled that we do no more _for_ God. Christians,
if the Lord be well pleased with your persons, should not you be well
pleased with your conditions? There is more reason that you should be
pleased with them, than that he should be pleased with you. Believers
should be like sheep, which change their pastures at the will of the
shepherd; or like vessels in a house, which stand to be filled or
emptied at the pleasure of their owner. He that sails upon the sea of
this world in his own bottom, will sink at last into a bottomless ocean.
Never were any their own carvers, but they were sure to cut their own
fingers.—_William Secker._
_Verse 4.—“He shall choose our inheritance for us,”_ means that he who
knows what is better for us than ourselves, _hath chosen_, that is, hath
appointed, and that of his own good will and mercy towards us, _our
inheritance_; not only things meet for this life as lands, and houses,
and possessions, etc., but even all other things concerning the hope of
a better life, to wit, a kingdom that cannot be shaken, an everlasting
habitation, an inheritance which is immortal and undefiled, and fadeth
not away, reserved for us in heaven.—_John Boys._
_Verse 4.—“The excellency (or glory) of Jacob whom he loved_;” that is,
even all those excellent things that he gave and promised to Jacob,
wherein he might glory and rejoice. The faithful mean, that they had as
great, both abundance and assurance of God’s grace and goodness, as ever
Jacob had.—_Thomas Wilcocks._
_Verse 4._—It may be thou art godly and poor. ’Tis well; but canst thou
tell whether, if thou wert not poor, thou wouldst be godly? Surely God
knows us better than we ourselves do, and therefore can best fit the
estate to the person.—_Giles Fletcher._
_Verse 5.—“God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a
trumpet.”_ It is worthy (as Origen suggests) that this mention of the
“_shout_,” and the _voice_ of the “_trumpet_,” serves to connect
together past and future events in the history of the church and of the
world, and carry our thoughts forward to Christ’s coming to
judgment.—_Christopher Wordsworth._
_Verse 5._—Thou hast great cause, O my soul, to praise him, and to
rejoice before him, especially if thou considerest that Christ ascended
not for himself, but also for thee: it is God in our nature that is gone
up to heaven: whatever God acted on the person of Christ, that he did as
in thy behalf, and he means to act the very same on thee. Christ as a
public person ascended up to heaven; thy interest is in this very
ascension of Jesus Christ; and therefore dost thou consider thy Head as
soaring up? O let every member praise his name; let thy tongue (called
thy _glory_), glory in this, and trumpet out his praise, that in respect
of thy duty it may be verified: “Christ is _gone up with a shout, the
Lord with the sound of a trumpet_.”—_Isaac Ambrose._
_Verse 7.—“For God is the King of all the earth:”_ as if he had said,
“Our King, said I? it is too little; he is King _of all the
earth_.”—_John Trapp._
_Verse 7.—“Sing ye praises with understanding.”_ How may we make melody
in our hearts to God in singing of Psalms? We must sing “_with
understanding_.” We must not be guided by the _time_, but the _words_ of
the Psalm; we must mind the matter more than the music, and consider
what we sing, as well as how we sing; the tune may affect the fancy, but
it is the matter affects the heart, and that God principally eyes. The
Psalmist adviseth us in this particular, and so doth the apostle (1 Cor.
xiv. 15). Otherwise this sweet duty would be more the work of a
chorister than of a Christian, and we should be more delighted in an
anthem of the musician’s making, than in a Psalm of the Spirit’s making.
A Lapide observes that in the text, 1 Cor. xiv. 15, the word
_understanding_ is _maschil_, משְׂכִּיל, profound judgment: we must sing
_wisely_, if we will sing gratefully; we must relish what we sing. In a
word, we must sing as we must pray; now the most rude petitioner will
_understand_ what he prays. 1 Cor. xiv. 15. If we do not understand what
we sing, it argues carelessness of spirit, or hardness of heart; and
this makes the service impertinent. Upon this the worthy Davenant cries
out, “Adieu to the bellowing of the Papists, who sing in an unknown
tongue.” God will not understand us in that service which we understand
not ourselves. One of the first pieces of the creation was _light_, and
this must break out in every duty.—_John Wells (—1676), in “Morning
Exercises.”_
_Verse 7.—“Sing ye praises with understanding,” sing an instructive
song._ Let _sense_ and _sound_ go together. Let your _hearts_ and
_heads_ go with your _voices_. _Understand_ what you _sing_, and _feel_
what you _understand_.—_Adam Clarke._
_Verse 7.—“Sing ye praises with understanding;”_ because in the full
light of the new dispensation, the darkness of the patriarchal ages, the
seeing as through a glass of the Levitical law, are turned into the
vision of full and very reality.—_Hugo Victorinus._
_Verse 7.—“Sing ye praises with understanding.”_ Mark this, thou who
daily readest the Psalms, and yet dost not understand them.—_Simon de
Muis._
_Verse 7.—“With understanding.”_ If they had sung “_with
understanding_,” they had not adored stones. When a man sensible sang to
a stone insensible, did he sing “_with understanding_”? But now,
brethren, we see not with our eyes whom we adore, and yet correctly we
adore. Much more is God commended to us, that with our eyes we see him
not.—_Augustine._
_Verse 9.—“The princes of the people are gathered together.”_ I note
from hence, 1. That it is not impossible for great men to be good men;
for the heads of a country to be members of Christ; and for princes as
well as the people to serve the God of Abraham. It is said by the
prophet, “upon my peace came great bitterness;” “a thousand fall on the
left hand, but ten thousand at the right hand” (Psalm xci. 7): ten
perish in their prosperity, for one that falleth in adversity. _Homo
victus in paradiso, victor in stercore_: Adam in the garden of pleasure
was overcome by the subtil serpent, whereas Job on the dunghill of
misery was more than a conqueror. Woodmen say that deer are more
circumspect in fat pastures; so the godly fear most in a rich estate:
_nihil timendum video_ (saith one), _timeo tamen_.[21] It is a sweet
prayer of our church in the Litany. “Good Lord, deliver us in all time
of our wealth,” insinuating that our minds are not so wanton in want as
in abundance: yet, as you see, such is Christ’s unspeakable goodness
towards all sorts of men, in preventing them even with the riches of his
mercy, that not only the mean people, but also the mighty princes among
the heathen are joined unto the church of the God of Abraham.—_John
Boys._
_Verse 9.—“Gathered together.”_ Christ’s gathering of the saints
together unto him will be at his second coming, his coming to judgment,
the general and final judgment. “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto
him.” 2 Thess. ii. 1.—_James Scot (—1773), in “A Collection of Sermons,”
1774._
_Verse 9.—“The people of the God of Abraham.”_ First, touching _the God
of Abraham_, it is Christ, whose day Abraham desired to see, and in
seeing whereof he did so much rejoice (John viii.); that is, not only
the day of his birth, which he saw, as we learn by the oath which he
caused his servant to take (Gen. xxiv.), but also the day of his
passion, which he saw long ago, and rejoiced in seeing it, when he said
to his son Isaac in the mount, “The Lord will provide a sacrifice.” Gen.
xxii. 8. Secondly, “_The people of the God of Abraham_,” are his
children and posterity: not only they that are the seed of Abraham,
coming out of his loins, and are “_the children of the flesh_” (Rom. ix.
9); but “_the children of the promise_;” for if they that come out of
Abraham’s loins were only his children, then the Hagarins, the Turks,
and Ishmaelites should be the people of God; “_But in Isaac shall thy
seed be called._” They that lay hold of the promise by faith, “They that
are of the faith, are the children of Abraham” (Gal. iii. 7), that have
the same spirit of faith that Abraham had. As the apostle saith (Rom.
ii. 28), “He is not a Jew that is one outwardly, but a Jew inwardly is
the true Jew.” They that worship the Messias by believing in him with
the faith of Abraham, they are Abraham’s children, and the _people of
Abraham’s God_, which thing John Baptist affirmeth (Matt. iii.), “God
can of stones raise up children to Abraham.” So the Gentiles, which
worshipped stones, and therefore were “_like unto them_” (Psalm cxv.),
were notwithstanding raised up to be children to Abraham.—_Lancelot
Andrews._
_Verse 9.—“The shields of the earth belong unto God.”_ There we have the
_rulers_ of the earth set forth by a double relation; the one _upward_,
they are _scuta Deo_, they belong to God; the other _downward_, they are
_scuta terræ_, “_the shields of the earth_;” and both these noting two
things, their _dignity_ and their _duty_. They belong to God, it is
their honour that he hath sealed them: they belong to God, it is their
duty to be subject to him. They are “_shields of the earth_,” it is
their honour that they are above others: they are “_the shields of the
earth_,” it is their duty to protect others.—_Edward Reynolds (Bishop)._
_Verse 9.—“The shields of the earth are God’s,”_ is understood by many
as spoken of princes. I admit that this metaphor is of frequent
occurrence in Scripture, nor does this sense seem to be unsuitable to
the scope of the passage.... Yet the sense will be more simple if we
explain the words thus: That, as it is God alone who defends and
preserves the world, the high and supreme majesty which is sufficient
for so exalted and difficult a work as the preservation of the world, is
justly looked upon with admiration. The sacred writer expressly uses the
word _shields_ in the plural number, for, considering the various and
almost innumerable dangers which unceasingly threaten every part of the
world, the providence of God must necessarily interpose in many ways,
and make use as it were, of many bucklers.—_John Calvin._
_Verse 9.—“The shields of the earth.”_ Magistrates are said to _bear the
sword_, not to be swords; and they are said _to be shields_, not to bear
shields, and all this to show that protection and preservation are more
essential and intrinsical to their office than destruction and
punishment are.—_Joseph Caryl._
HINTS TO PREACHERS.
_Verse 1._—Unusual and enthusiastic expressions of joy when justifiable
and even desirable.
_Verses 1-4._—Joy the true spirit of worship. 1. Joy in God’s character.
2. In his reign. 3. In the triumphs of his gospel. 4. In his favour to
his saints.
_Verse 2._—The terrors of the Lord viewed by faith as a subject of joy.
_Verse 2 (second clause)._—The universal reign of Christ as it is and is
to be.
_Verse 3._—The hope of victory to the church. What shall be subdued? By
whose instrumentality? “_Us._” By whose power? “_He._” When it shall be
accomplished? What is the token of it? The ascension, verse 5.
_Verse 3._—I. The final triumph of the saints. All enemies subdued under
them in earth and hell, within and without. 1. Gradually. 2. Completely.
II. The power by which it is accomplished.—“_He shall_,” etc. 1. Not
without means. 2. Not by means only. 3. But by appointed means made
potent by divine energy.—_G. R._
_Verse 4._—This comprehends time and eternity. It is a matter of fact,
of holy acquiescence, of desire, of thankfulness.
_Verse 4._—I. God is willing to choose our inheritance for us in time
and eternity. II. His choice is better than ours—“_the excellency of
Jacob_.” III. He will leave us to the consequences of our own choice.
IV. He will help us in obtaining that which he chooses for us.—_G. R._
_Verse 5._—The ascension. Its publicity, solemnity, triumph, joy. Who
went up. Where he went up. To what he went up. For what purpose. With
what result.
_Verse 6._—The importance of holy song. The repetition rebukes our
slackness, and implies that earnestness, frequency, delight, and
universality should characterise the praises offered.
_Verse 7 (last clause)._—The Psalmody of the instructed, and instruction
by Psalmody; praise should be both the fruit and the vehicle of
teaching.
_Verse 8 (last clause)._—Divine sovereignty always connected with
holiness.
_Verse 8._—I. God has a throne of holiness, for which he is to be feared
by all men. II. A throne of grace, for which he is to be loved by his
redeemed. III. A throne of glory, for which he is to be praised by his
whole creation.
_Verse 9._—I. A shield is a _merciful_ weapon, none more so. II. A
shield is a _venturous_ weapon, a kind of surety, which bears the blows
and receives the injuries which were intended for another. III. A shield
is a _strong_ weapon, to repel the darts of wickedness and break them in
pieces. IV. A shield is an honourable weapon, none more: taking away of
shields was a sign of victory; preserving them a sign of glory. V.
Remember, a shield must ever _have an eye to guide it_—you the shields,
the law the eye.—_Bishop Reynolds._
Footnote 21:
Seneca.
PSALM XLVIII.
TITLE.—A Song and Psalm for the Sons of Korah.—_A song for joyfulness
and a Psalm for reverence. Alas! every song is not a Psalm, for poets
are not all heaven-born, and every Psalm is not a song, for in coming
before God we have to utter mournful confessions as well as exulting
praises. The Sons of Korah were happy in having so large a selection of
song; the worship where such a variety of music was used could not
become monotonous, but must have given scope for all the sacred passions
of gracious souls._
SUBJECT AND DIVISIONS.—_It would be idle dogmatically to attribute this
song to any one event of Jewish history. Its author and date are
unknown. It records the withdrawal of certain confederate kings from
Jerusalem, their courage failing them before striking a blow. The
mention of the ships of Tarshish may allow us to conjecture that the
Psalm was written in connection with the overthrow of Ammon, Moab, and
Edom in the reign of Jehoshaphat; and if the reader will turn to 2
Chron. xx., and note especially verses 19, 25, and 36, he will probably
accept the suggestion. Verses 1, 2, 3, are in honour of the Lord and the
city dedicated to his worship. From 4-8 the song records the confusion
of Zion’s foes, ascribing all the praise to God; 9, 10, 11 extolling
Zion, and avowing Jehovah to be her God for evermore._
EXPOSITION.
Great _is_ the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our
God, _in_ the mountain of his holiness.
2 Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, _is_ mount
Zion, _on_ the sides of the north, the city of the great King.
3 God is known in her palaces for a refuge.