timely death', and is at the same time assailed by persecutors who, as birds of prey over the sinking traveller, exult over the progress of his malady, and long for his death2, as their crowning triumph in the war of persecution against the godly. § 26. PSALM VI. I. The Psalmist appealeth to God for deliverance from sickness, O Jehovah! rebuke me not in Thine indignation, neither chasten me in Thy displeasure! have mercy upon me, Jehovah, for I am weak, heal me, Jehovah, for my bones are vexed, my soul also is sore troubled; but Thou, Jehovah,-Oh! how long-? II. ere it be too late: Turn Thee, O Jehovah, and deliver my soul, for in death no man remembereth Thee; and who shall give Thee thanks in the grave? III. in his misery I am weary with my groaning, every night wash I my bed, and flood my couch with my tears; mine eye is dim for very trouble, I 2 3 4 5 6 7 it is waxed old because of all mine enemies. IV. he is assured that his prayer will be answered. Away from me, all ye that work iniquity, 8 for Jehovah hath heard the voice of my weeping; Jehovah hath heard my petition, 9 Jehovah will receive my prayer! all mine enemies shall be confounded and sore vexed, they shall be turned back and put to shame suddenly. Ver. 3. Cp. § 34. xc. 13, 'Turn Thee again, O Jehovah, how long-?' 1 vi. 5; xiii. 4. 2 vi. 7, 8, 10; xiii. 2, 4. IO § 27. PSALM XIII. I. Despair. How long wilt Thou forget me, Jehovah, for ever, how long wilt Thou hide Thy face from me? how long shall I have trouble in my soul and be so vexed in my heart all the day long, how long shall mine enemy triumph over me? II. Prayer. O look upon me, and hear me, Jehovah my God! give light to mine eyes that I sleep not in death, lest mine enemy say; 'I have prevailed against him!' lest they that trouble me rejoice that I be cast down! III. Trust. But as for me-my trust is in Thy mercy; let my heart be joyful in Thy help! I 2 3 4 5 let me sing to Jehovah, because He hath dealt lovingly with me. 6 Ver. 3. 'Lest this sleep into which I am now sinking be changed into the sleep of death.' Cp. § 26. vi. 5. THE § 28. PSALM xxx. HE Psalmist passes now from the despairing elegy1 to the joyous thanksgiving. In the calm after the storm he sees in quiet retrospect the working of God's ways in all that before had been perplexing to his faith, and in his gratitude he feels his heart warmed towards others who are still in suffering, and pours forth his experience as a lesson of trust to them, and an indication of God's mode of dealing with mankind3. These Psalms of Thanksgiving were probably accompanied with music and dancing4, and were sung at public festivals in the Temple, while the vows which had been made in suffering were discharged by the appropriate offerings. I. The Psalmist praiseth God for deliverance, and exhorteth others to praise Him; I will magnify Thee, O Jehovah, for Thou hast set me up, I and not made my foes to triumph over me! O Jehovah my God! II. I cried unto Thee and Thou hast healed me; Jehovah! Thou hast brought my soul out of the grave, 3 Thou hast called me into life from among them that are gone down to the pit; sing praises unto Jehovah, O ye saints of His, and give thanks unto His holy name! 4 for His wrath endureth but the twinkling of an eye; His favour 5 for a lifetime; heaviness may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. III. he telleth how his self-confidence was rebuked, but his prayer for life accepted. But in my prosperity I said, 'I shall never be removed!' 6 Thou, Jehovah, of Thy goodness hadst made my hill so strong- 7 Thou didst turn Thy face from me, and I was troubled: then cried I unto Thee, O Jehovah, and gat me to Jehovah right humbly;— 8 Ver. 3. out of the grave, in Bible Version 'out of hell;' hell is the Biblical expression for the lower world, the abode of the dead: hence often used where we should say 'death,' or 'the grave,' as it is in the Creed, so § 65. xvi. 11, 'Thou shalt not leave my soul in hell;' § 12. xviii. 4, 'The pains of hell came about me:' where it is parallel with the snares of death;' § 43. lv. 16, 'Let them go down quick into hell,' i.e. alive to the grave. Also § 61. ix. 17, § 118. cxxxix. 7. Ver. 5. a night. Cp. Is. xvii. 14, 'And behold at evening trouble, and before the morning he (the enemy) is not;' and liv. 8. Ver. 6. But in my prosperity I said. Cp. Deut. viii. 12, 14, 17, 'Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, thou say in thy heart, my power and the might of mine hand.' Ver. 7. troubled. Cp. § 132. civ. 29, 'When Thou hidest Thy face they are troubled; when Thou takest away their breath they die, and are turned again to the dust.' Vv. 9-11 are the words of his prayer. What profit-truth, i.e. what advantage wilt Thou gain by shedding my blood, for I can render Thee no service in the grave? Cp. Isaiah xxxviii. 18, 19, 'For the grave cannot praise Thee; death cannot celebrate Thee; *** The living, the living, he shall praise Thee, as I do this day.' 'what profit is there in my blood, in my going down to the grave? 9 'shall the dust give thanks unto Thee, or shall it declare Thy truth? 'hear, Jehovah, and have mercy upon me, 'Jehovah, be Thou my helper !' -and Thou hast turned my heaviness into joy, 10 11 12 Thou hast put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, that my glory may sing unto Thee without ceasing; 13 O Jehovah, my God, I will give thanks unto Thee for ever. Ver. 10. Thy truth, i. e. fidelity, faithfulness to Thy servants who trust in Thee. Cp. § 72. xl. 12, 'My talk hath been of Thy truth, and Thy salvation.' § 52. lvii. 11, 'For the greatness of Thy mercy reacheth unto the heavens, and Thy truth unto the clouds;' where the parallelism shews that truth is the same as 'the greatness of Thy mercy.' Ver. 12. my heaviness into joy. Literally 'mourning into dancing.' So in the next line, 'girded me with gladness' refers to the dress of the dancer. Cp. Introduction. Ver. 13. glory, or 'praise;' that God's glorious acts of deliverance may be vocal with His praise, that so He may receive the worship due to His name for His faithfulness to His servants. Cp. § 7. xxix. I, 'Ascribe unto the Lord worship and strength;' § 109. xcvi. 7; § 148. cxlix. 5, 'let the saints be joyful with glory,' i. e. rejoice in glorifying Him. TH HE 41st is another Psalm of Thanksgiving, but of a somewhat different character from the last. It is marked by more personal feeling and cannot have been intended, at least originally, for a 'Temple hymn.' The bitterness of the hatred, which finds vent in it, points to a distracted time when family feuds were rife. The authoritative form of the cry for vengeance1 seems to indicate that the writer was a man in authority, a prince or the chief of a house. He has been laid low by a deadly sickness, and at the same time has been harassed by the treachery of pretended friends, who have taken advantage of his sickness to spread malicious reports against him2. The Psalmist's soul revolts at the baseness of their conduct. His generous nature scorns the verdict of the world which stamps as blessed the man who succeeds in raising himself on the ruin of the unfortunate, and appeals to the experience of his own life to shew that generosity is not unrewarded and that sympathy for the sick and suffering brings with it an indefeasible blessing. It is to this that he attributes God's favour as shewn in his marvellous recovery1. I. The blessing that attends sympathy for the suffering is shewn from the Blessed is he that considereth the poor and needy! Jehovah delivereth him in the day of trouble. Jehovah preserveth him and keepeth him alive, that he may be 2 blessed upon earth; Thou wilt not deliver him into the will of his enemies! Jehovah upholdeth him when he lieth sick upon his bed, 3 Thou hast changed his bed of sickness into health. II. for when he appealed to God against the treacherous cruelty of his enemies As for me I said: 'Jehovah, be merciful unto me! 'heal my soul, for I have sinned against Thee! 'mine enemies speak evil of me; "when will he die, and his name perish?' 'and if he come to see me, his heart deviseth evil; 5 6 'he conceiveth mischief within himself, and when he cometh forth he telleth it. III. and their malignant joy at his suffering, All mine enemies whisper together against me, 7 'even against me do they imagine evil: "Evil is poured out upon him, 8 "and from the bed whereon he lieth, he shall rise up no more.' Ver. 1. poor and needy, i. e. the sick and suffering. For this meaning of the word poor, as equivalent to 'in misery,' cp. in § 72. xl. ver. 20 with vv. 2, 15, § 63. lxix. 30. Vv. 1-3. The Psalmist passes from the general blessing on sympathy for the suffering to the special blessing which he feels has attended his sympathy with others in misfortune. Ver. 6. come to see me, i. e. to visit him on his bed of sickness. He singles out one of his enemies as specially employed on this treacherous mission: cp. ver. 9. Ver. 8. evil is poured out upon him, i.e. an evil death as the fate of evil deeds. The Psalmist quotes here the words of evil which they are said to whisper (ver. 7). 1 vv. 1-4 in connexion with v. 12. |