In an attempt to make this accessible to both my children and to others; I am working to create a version of this study to supplement the larger study and post them here as well. I will edit them down (as an example I removed a little over 50% of the original study in 1:1 leaving only the most vital and necessary elements) and remove some of the more technical language that may be a hindrance to the children. Another change will be review questions added at the end of each segment of study. You are welcome to compare against the normal counterpart to ensure you are confident I am still being faithful to the text. My desire is that not only will this expose them to the beauty of the Psalms which is God's word (and this is by far the more important consideration); but, that this too will expose them to some reformed theologians and will help to develop their thought in this area. You do not need any permission to print this and use it if you should choose to do so, feel free.
Title:
Psalms: “Praises”, instituted to praise and give thanks to God for His benefits. 1599 Geneva Bible
Psalmos – a set piece of music, a sacred ode. Strong’s Dictionary
We have now before us one of the choicest and most excellent parts of the OT, nay, so much is there in it of Christ and His gospel , as well as of God and His law, that it had been called the… summary of both Testaments. Matthew Henry
Psalm 1
This Psalm may be regarded as the preface Psalm, having in it a notification of the contents of the entire book. This then… may be looked upon… as the text upon which the whole of the Psalms make up a divine sermon. C.H. Spurgeon
[…] all the Godly must take on the duty of meditating upon the law of God. The sum and substance of the whole is, that they are blessed who apply their hearts to the pursuit of heavenly wisdom; whereas the profane despisers of God, although for a time may reckon themselves happy, shall at length have a miserable end. John Calvin
This is a Psalm of instruction concerning good and evil, setting before us life and death, the blessing and the curse that we may take the right way. The different character and condition of godly people and wicked people… is here plainly stated in a few words; so that every man… may see his own face and read his own doom. The division of men into saints and sinners, righteous and unrighteous... [and] by this men’s everlasting state will be determined, and the distinction will last as long as heaven and hell. MH
"Blessed”
• See how this book of Psalms opens with a benediction (a blessing)… hence we may learn the… blessing which shall rest upon the man whom God has justified, and the perfection and greatness of the blessedness he shall enjoy. CHS
• It was of importance that the righteous should be confirmed in the way of holiness, by the consideration of the miserable condition of all men without the blessing of God, and the conviction that God is favorable to none but those who zealously devote themselves to the study of the divine truth. JC
“counsel of the wicked (ungodly)”:
• When a man hath given once place to evil counsel, or to his own [lust or longing], he begins to forget himself in his sin, and so falls into contempt of God, which contempt is called the seat of the scornful. 1599 GB
• [The Christian’s] footsteps are ordered by the Word of God and not by the cunning and wicked devices of carnal men. It is a rich sign of inward grace when the outward walk is changed, and when ungodliness is put far from our actions. CHS
• … he teaches how impossible it is for anyone to apply his mind to meditation upon God’s law, who has not first withdrawn and separated himself from the society of the ungodly. The first step to living well, is to renounce the company of the ungodly, otherwise it is sure to infect us with its own pollution. JC
• This part of his character is put first, because those that will keep the commandments of God must say to evil-doers Depart from us (Ps. 119:115), and departing from evil is that in which wisdom begins. The ungodly are unsettled, aim at no certain end and walk by no certain rule, but are at the command of every lust and at the beck of every temptation. MH
“he stands not in the way of sinners”:
• The way – customary manner of living. When a person willingly walks after the gratification of his corrupt lusts, the practice of sinning so infatuates him, that, forgetful of himself, he grows hardened in wickedness. JC
“…nor sits in the seat of the scornful”:
• […] those that set their mouths against heaven. These the good man sees with a sad heart; they are a constant [bother] to his righteous soul. MH
Summary:
• The sum of the whole is that servants of God must endeavor utterly to abhor the life of ungodly men. Men do not, at first step, advance so far as a proud contempt of God; but having once begun to give ear to evil counsel, Satan leads them, step by step, farther astray, till they rush headlong into open transgression. We ought carefully to avoid all dangerous society, that we may be kept unstained by its impurities. The prophet not only commands the faithful to keep at a distance from the ungodly, from the dread of being infected by them, but his admonition further implies, that every one should be careful not to corrupt himself, nor abandon himself to impiety. JC
Personal Summary:
We must delineate between ourselves and the world, we must be willing to step out and be different from them. We must differentiate ourselves from the lost world and quite frankly from the religiously incompetent. If the world views God through the prism of today’s Christianity then it is just as lost today as it was before it looked. We do nothing to separate ourselves from the world and the church and the secular have merged into one. Reformed people are running as fast as they can to join the apostate, the heretic, and the blasphemers of our day. So that even within religious circles there is no clear difference between godly doctrines and the doctrines of men.
Yet this Psalm specifically tells us that we must change that, that we must strive for more, and that we must be willing to step out from our comfort zones and reach forward for the sake of God’s glory. MH said, “… departing from evil is that in which wisdom begins” and could he be more right? When we mingle with the world as if we are the same we become like them every time, not once (or rarely for certain) do they become like us. We must step away from the world and allow our light to shine as a city set on a hill that cannot be hid (Matt. 5:14). We must be on guard at work, at school, in friendships, when watching tv, listening to music, or reading books, we must not sit in the counsel of the ungodly. And what if calamity should befall us for our stepping out? Matt. 5:10-12, “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” If calamity is coming I say come swiftly! For our reward is waiting, and it is eternal, and it is beyond compare!
The other key factor here is what will happen when we do keep the company of sinners? It leads to evil within our lives as we have all surely experienced. It is gradual, it sneaks up on you, and it is crafty and catches you when you are least aware. We rationalize this sin or that sin based first on the company we keep; and that may be in very small matters. Later, we openly sin… no longer concerned with what people will think and least of all what God Himself thinks. Then in the greatest sign of sinfulness we openly advocate others to do as we have done and to walk in our sinful ways openly defying God. Many a Christian has been in these shoes, the younger you are and less mature in Christ the more apt you are to this error. We must be on guard at all times. We must focus on the Lord at all times. We must be mindful of every person and every activity we allow ourselves to be involved with. For nothing in this world is to further your walk with God apart from the things He Himself has given us. Hold on to those things for dear life! They will be the things that carry you through as you struggle through these issues and strive to be obedient to and please the Lord in your life.
Questions:
Q) What is a Psalm?
A) “Praises”, a set piece of music, the… summary of both Testaments.
Q) What is a benediction?
A) A blessing.
Q) In Psalm 1:1 who receives the blessing and who does not?
A) The righteous receive it while the wicked do not and incur the wrath of God against their sin.
Q) What does it mean to walk in the counsel of the wicked or ungodly?
A) It means to keep company with and receive advice from the lost rather than being obedient to the Word of God which is to be our rule for faith and life.
Q) Does it lead to standing in the way of sinners? Why is this dangerous?
A) Yes. Bad company corrupts good character and by doing this we are ever more inclined to embrace our sin and to defy God and His commandments in our lives. We then find justification to keep company with the scorners of God.
Q) What does scorn mean?
A) To despise or hate. They reject God, they mock Him, and they try to explain Him away.
Q) How should a righteous man react to the behavior of the ungodly as they express their scorn?
A) They should make him sad, even angry; it should bother him to the depths of his soul for they have offended and sinned against his holy God.
Q) When a Christian first starts keeping company with the lost do they immediately see their godly living disappear?
A) No, gradually they will see a loosening of their morals; which, if not corrected, will only lead to more frequent and easy godless living until they have turned their backs on God altogether.
Q) Should we be on guard against the world in all places and at all times?
A) Yes, we are to put on the whole armor of God and never, even for a moment, believe that we are no longer battling the temptations and sin of this world, which the lost embrace.
Q) As we separate ourselves from the influence of the world should we then shine as an example to them?
A) Yes, we are to be examples of God’s grace with every interaction we have with the lost of this world. Our good character, enabled by God, should always stand as an example to the wicked.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Blog Update:
I have added labels to the blog which will now allow you to quickly bring up only the Psalm you may be interested in if you are desiring to go back through one, or share it, or whatever the case may be. It is on the right side of the page under the archives section.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Psalm 3:5
Note: The word that you will see in your bibles translated as either sustains or sustained is the Hebrew word camak (Strong’s 5564). Obviously some are translating it with a present tense and others with a past tense. A number of the commentaries did take note of tense in this verse and comment on it with almost all of the commentaries I am using settling on the past tense application. Most of them don’t recognize the present tense at all and refer to a possible reading of the text in the past or future tense. It is interesting to note, that even if used only as a compliment to the translations we have been given, that this word is rendered “help” in the Septuagint making the last half read “for the Lord will help me” rather than “for the Lord sustains/ed me”. There does seem to be at least a logical basis for the rendering since the word has some application as lean upon, bear up, and uphold. It would also seem to keep in context with the passage. In fact it may give more credence to the idea of faith being addressed in this verse; I would think that is why they settled there. Of course you are then back to dealing with the present/future tense which would seem to stand opposed to the other translations and commentators.
“I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.”
• […] David expresses a wonderful and almost incredible steadfastness of mind in that he slept so soundly in the midst of many deaths, as if he had been beyond the reach of all danger. He had doubtless been tossed amidst the merciless waves of anxiety, but it is certain their violence had been allayed by means of faith, so that however much he was disquieted, he reposed in God. Thus the godly never fail in ultimately proving victorious over all their fears, whereas the ungodly, who do not rely upon God, are overwhelmed with despair, even when they meet with the smallest perils. David… declares how much good he had obtained by means of faith and prayer; namely, the peaceful and undisturbed state of a well regulated mind. But let us… notice that David came to have this confidence of safety from the protection of God, not from stupidity of mind. JC
• I laid me down and slept securely, casting all my cares and fears upon God, and relying on His help. I awaked… after a sweet and undisturbed sleep. [God] upheld my spirit, and person, and cause. M. Poole
• David’s faith enabled him to lie down; anxiety would certainly have kept him on tiptoe, watching for an enemy. Yea, he was able to sleep, to sleep in the midst of trouble, surrounded by foes. There is a sleep of presumption; God deliver us from it! There is a sleep of holy confidence; God help us so to close our eyes! CHS
• […] that soul which hath the beauty or holiness shining in it, shall be preserved for the glory of the structure, God will not suffer his own temple to be destroyed. Would you be secured in evil times? Get grace and fortify the garrison; a good conscience is a Christian’s fort-royal. True grace may be shot at, but can never be shot through; grace puts the soul into Christ, and there it is safe, as the bee in the hive, as the dove in the ark. Thomas Watson
• The psalmist committed himself to the care and protection of God; he laid himself down in His arms, and there slept in safety; the Lord preserved him, who is Israel's keeper, that neither slumbers nor sleeps: and he rose in health and cheerfulness in the morning, supported by His right hand. This shows, that lying down to sleep, when in such circumstances, and awaking with cheerfulness, were not owing to rashness, stupidity, and insensibility, but to divine supports. JG
• Having by prayer committed himself and his cause to God, and being sure of His protection, his heart was fixed, and he was easy. [The entire situation] never deprived him of an hour’s sleep, nor gave any disturbance to his repose; for the Lord, by His grace and the consolations of His Spirit, powerfully sustained him and made him easy. It is a great mercy when we are in trouble to have our minds stayed upon by God, so as never either to eat or sleep with trembling and astonishment. MH
Personal Summary:
In vs. 4 we saw that David was a man of prayer and how we must be that too. Now David shows us that he is a man of faith. David is such a man of faith that he is listed among the Heroes of the Faith in Heb. 11. The two are naturally tied together here and who can but attest to the fact that in their own lives this is true as well? Let us stop praying for a season and our faith will weaken as well. But frequent time in prayer and the study of God’s word emboldens our faith and sustains us through all of life’s difficulties. The same is true here of David. His world collapsing around him, betrayal and danger on every side, men actively seeking to take his life, David placed all of this in the hands of God and peacefully slept without worry. The difficult times didn’t drive him from prayer, they drove him to it. Difficult times didn’t stop him from believing in the promises of God, they proved them.
Faith is everything to the believer. It is a foundation for which our lives are built upon. Sola Fide was a cry of the Reformation. So let us look for a moment at the doctrine of faith and see what it is David had attained that allowed him to sleep so soundly amidst the turmoil.
The Westminster Confession of Faith XIV says:
In another place David (Calvin here gives David the credit although it is uncertain who the author is for sure) says, “The Lord is for me, I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Ps. 118:6) In this vs. fear is dealt with; which is also the pressing matter in the case of David in Psalm 3. Perhaps in a similar situation we would not have slept so well. So let us look at fear through the prism of faith as David did so well.
We see that to have the faith that David has we must focus our eyes on Christ and never look away, that we must be diligent in the godly exercises He has left for us (namely prayer, sacraments, and the reading and study of the Word of God). We see that our perseverence and growth in faith depends not on man but on Christ Himself. We see that, with the Heroes of Faith, we cannot let fear cripple us to inaction. That we must have faith in God that He is sovereign over all things and that He has ordained all things to come to pass so that nothing is beyond His control, including our lives. We see that faith is a vigorous giving of ourselves to God, living with a complete assurance and trust in Him, it is believing with a sure conviction that God is who He says He is and that He will do what He has said He will do. Finally, it is a complete assurance that Christ has died for our sins and we are saved from the wrath of God that is going to come on all of the ungodly of this world. Faith drives you to God in all circumstances and allows you to rest easy in Him. The world has not known this; nor will they, unless they become born again believers as well.
Let troubles come, let men rail against us, let the depths of hell be unleashed in a rage against us! God will preserve us, we will be sustained, we will be glorified with Him one day in heaven. His will is perfect and if that will is that those forces defeat us in this life it matters not, for they have lost in eternity. If it means that times are hard and the road is bumpy for far longer than we would have liked or anticipated, so be it, our road will be smooth soon enough when it is Christ who has paved the road to heaven. Regardless of what we are facing, unpleasant as it might be, pray that God sanctify the situation, trust that He will do so, lie down, and sleep in peace. Sola Fide!
“I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.”
• […] David expresses a wonderful and almost incredible steadfastness of mind in that he slept so soundly in the midst of many deaths, as if he had been beyond the reach of all danger. He had doubtless been tossed amidst the merciless waves of anxiety, but it is certain their violence had been allayed by means of faith, so that however much he was disquieted, he reposed in God. Thus the godly never fail in ultimately proving victorious over all their fears, whereas the ungodly, who do not rely upon God, are overwhelmed with despair, even when they meet with the smallest perils. David… declares how much good he had obtained by means of faith and prayer; namely, the peaceful and undisturbed state of a well regulated mind. But let us… notice that David came to have this confidence of safety from the protection of God, not from stupidity of mind. JC
• I laid me down and slept securely, casting all my cares and fears upon God, and relying on His help. I awaked… after a sweet and undisturbed sleep. [God] upheld my spirit, and person, and cause. M. Poole
• David’s faith enabled him to lie down; anxiety would certainly have kept him on tiptoe, watching for an enemy. Yea, he was able to sleep, to sleep in the midst of trouble, surrounded by foes. There is a sleep of presumption; God deliver us from it! There is a sleep of holy confidence; God help us so to close our eyes! CHS
• […] that soul which hath the beauty or holiness shining in it, shall be preserved for the glory of the structure, God will not suffer his own temple to be destroyed. Would you be secured in evil times? Get grace and fortify the garrison; a good conscience is a Christian’s fort-royal. True grace may be shot at, but can never be shot through; grace puts the soul into Christ, and there it is safe, as the bee in the hive, as the dove in the ark. Thomas Watson
• The psalmist committed himself to the care and protection of God; he laid himself down in His arms, and there slept in safety; the Lord preserved him, who is Israel's keeper, that neither slumbers nor sleeps: and he rose in health and cheerfulness in the morning, supported by His right hand. This shows, that lying down to sleep, when in such circumstances, and awaking with cheerfulness, were not owing to rashness, stupidity, and insensibility, but to divine supports. JG
• Having by prayer committed himself and his cause to God, and being sure of His protection, his heart was fixed, and he was easy. [The entire situation] never deprived him of an hour’s sleep, nor gave any disturbance to his repose; for the Lord, by His grace and the consolations of His Spirit, powerfully sustained him and made him easy. It is a great mercy when we are in trouble to have our minds stayed upon by God, so as never either to eat or sleep with trembling and astonishment. MH
Personal Summary:
In vs. 4 we saw that David was a man of prayer and how we must be that too. Now David shows us that he is a man of faith. David is such a man of faith that he is listed among the Heroes of the Faith in Heb. 11. The two are naturally tied together here and who can but attest to the fact that in their own lives this is true as well? Let us stop praying for a season and our faith will weaken as well. But frequent time in prayer and the study of God’s word emboldens our faith and sustains us through all of life’s difficulties. The same is true here of David. His world collapsing around him, betrayal and danger on every side, men actively seeking to take his life, David placed all of this in the hands of God and peacefully slept without worry. The difficult times didn’t drive him from prayer, they drove him to it. Difficult times didn’t stop him from believing in the promises of God, they proved them.
Faith is everything to the believer. It is a foundation for which our lives are built upon. Sola Fide was a cry of the Reformation. So let us look for a moment at the doctrine of faith and see what it is David had attained that allowed him to sleep so soundly amidst the turmoil.
The Westminster Confession of Faith XIV says:
I. The grace of faith, whereby the elect are enabled to believe to the saving of their souls, is the work of the Spirit of Christ in their hearts, and is ordinarily wrought by the ministry of the Word, by which also, and by the administration of the sacraments, and prayer, it is increased and strengthened.The scripture proof for the end of number 3 requires a moment of our focus. It is Heb. 12:2 which says, “looking unto Jesus, the author and finsisher of our faith.” Simon Kistemaker in his commentary on the book of Hebrews says, “As contestants in running the race, we have no time to look around. We must keep our eyes focussed on Jesus and must do so without distraction. And He whom God perfected through suffering perfects His brothers and sisters who have placed their trust in Him. As originator and perfecter of our faith, Jesus has laid its foundation in our hearts and in time brings faith to completion. He can do this because He is able, and He will do this because He is our brother (Heb. 2:11-12). In a similar vein, Paul encourages the Phillippians when he says that God, “who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (1:6). Therefore, “turn your eyes upon Jesus.” Truly this is the faith that David has expressed in this Psalm. See, it wasn’t dependent on David specifically. It isn’t that there aren’t exercises that God has given the saints to embolden their faith, He has. That is what the Westminster Divines were expressing in XIV.1. But ultimately it comes from, is sustained, and perfected through Christ. What an assurance!
II. By this faith, a Christian believes to be true whatsoever is revealed in the Word, for the authority of God Himself speaking therein; and acts differently upon that which each particular passage thereof contains; yielding obedience to the commands, trembling at the threatenings, and embracing the promises of God for this life, and that which is to come. But the principal acts of saving faith are accepting, receiving, and resting upon Christ alone for justification, sanctification, and eternal life, by virtue of the covenant of grace.
III. This faith is different in degrees, weak or strong; may often and many ways assailed, and weakened, but gets the victory: growing up in many to the attainment of a full assurance, through Christ, who is both the author and finisher of our faith.
In another place David (Calvin here gives David the credit although it is uncertain who the author is for sure) says, “The Lord is for me, I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Ps. 118:6) In this vs. fear is dealt with; which is also the pressing matter in the case of David in Psalm 3. Perhaps in a similar situation we would not have slept so well. So let us look at fear through the prism of faith as David did so well.
“God is sovereign and in comlplete control. Therefore, what are we to fear?BB Warfield says this when discussing the word faith,
• Are we to fear our futures? No, we’ve already given those to God.
• Are we to fear for our families? No, that is resloved in the assurance that God loves and cares for our families even more than we do.
• Are we to be held captive by our fears themselves? No, belief in God’s total sovereignty solves that issue.
One way to stop being afraid is to have the correct view of God. Do you truly believe that God is sovereign and that there are no accidents in His eyes?
Even those things which seem accidental are ordained by God. To have faith, we must believe God for our futures, our families, and our fears.” Dr. Louis Hill, “Faith Is…”, pp 114-115
“[This is] one whose state of mind is free from faintheartedness (Isa. 7:9) and anxious haste (Isa. 28:16), and who stays himself upon the object of his contemplation with confidence and trust. The implication seems to be, not so much that of passive dependence as of a vigorous active commitment. He who, in the Hebrew sense, exercises faith, is secure, assured, confident (Deut. 28:66, Job 24:22, Ps. 27:13), and lays hold of the object of his confidence with firm trust.In another place faith is coupled with assurance to describe what it is to the believer.
[Faith] consists neither in assent nor in obedience, but in a reliant trust in the invisible author of all good (Heb. 11:27), in which the mind is set upon the things that are above and not on the things that are upon the earth (Col. 3:2, 2 Cor. 4:16-18, Matt. 6:25).The examples cited in Heb. 11 are themselves enough to show that the faith there commended is not a mere belief in God’s existence and justice and goodness, or crediting of His word and promises, but a practical counting of Him faithful (11:11), with a trust so profound that no trial can shake it (11:35), and so absolute that it survives the loss of even its own pledge (11:17).” BB Warfeild, “The Works of BB Warfield”, vol. 2 “Biblical Doctrines”, pp 468, 501
“(1) The objective assurance of faith, which is the “certain and undoubting conviction that Christ is all He professes to be, and will do all He promises.” (2) The subjective assurance of faith, or the assurance of grace and salvation, which consists in a sense of security and safety, rising in many instances to the height of an “assured conviction that the individual believer has had his sins pardoned and his soul saved.” Louis Berkhof, “Systematic Theology”, pp 507I believe I could go on for quite a long time and still probably never scratch the surface of what the books will say about faith and the Christian; most of which is worthwhile to read, although it will, of course, at times be repetitive. But what I have included here is because, hopefully, it will describe what David has experienced in this vs. and how that then lays an example for the saints in their own lives.
We see that to have the faith that David has we must focus our eyes on Christ and never look away, that we must be diligent in the godly exercises He has left for us (namely prayer, sacraments, and the reading and study of the Word of God). We see that our perseverence and growth in faith depends not on man but on Christ Himself. We see that, with the Heroes of Faith, we cannot let fear cripple us to inaction. That we must have faith in God that He is sovereign over all things and that He has ordained all things to come to pass so that nothing is beyond His control, including our lives. We see that faith is a vigorous giving of ourselves to God, living with a complete assurance and trust in Him, it is believing with a sure conviction that God is who He says He is and that He will do what He has said He will do. Finally, it is a complete assurance that Christ has died for our sins and we are saved from the wrath of God that is going to come on all of the ungodly of this world. Faith drives you to God in all circumstances and allows you to rest easy in Him. The world has not known this; nor will they, unless they become born again believers as well.
Let troubles come, let men rail against us, let the depths of hell be unleashed in a rage against us! God will preserve us, we will be sustained, we will be glorified with Him one day in heaven. His will is perfect and if that will is that those forces defeat us in this life it matters not, for they have lost in eternity. If it means that times are hard and the road is bumpy for far longer than we would have liked or anticipated, so be it, our road will be smooth soon enough when it is Christ who has paved the road to heaven. Regardless of what we are facing, unpleasant as it might be, pray that God sanctify the situation, trust that He will do so, lie down, and sleep in peace. Sola Fide!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Psalm 3:4
Note: Augustin seems to go out of his way here to ensure we interpret this verse as not meaning a literal voice where others make certain that it is a literal interpretation. What Augustin says is indeed true and worthy; I think the difference lies in Augustin viewing this from the perspective of what lies behind the prayer versus the prayer itself. The word they are all addressing here is qara’ (Strong’s 7121) which means to cry out, call out, proclaim, etc; all of which hold a sense of a verbal action. It is derived from a word that indicates accosting someone when you meet them which would seem to give credence to a literal calling out in prayer and a raising of the voice.
“With my voice I have cried to the Lord”
• [David] here informs us that he had never been so broken by adversity, or cast down by impious scornings, as to be prevented from addressing his prayers to God. And it was an infallible proof of his faith to exercise it by praying even in the midst of his distresses. Nothing is more unbecoming than sullenly to gnaw the bit with which we are bridled, and to withhold our groaning from God, if, indeed we have any faith in His promise. David distinctly mentions his voice… how much soever the ungodly might rage against him… but pronounced, in a loud and distinct voice, the name of his God. David’s meaning appears to me to be principally this, that amidst the blasphemies of his enemies, by which they endeavored to overwhelm his faith, he was not put to silence, but rather lifted up his voice to God, whom the ungodly have imagined to have become his enemy. He adds that he cried not in vain, to encourage all the godly to the like constancy. JC
• When prayer leads the van, in due time deliverence brings up the rear. Thomas Watson
• With my voice; the witness of my faith and fervency of affections. Matthew Poole
• That is, not with the voice of the body, which is drawn out with the sound of the reverberation of the air; but with the voice of the heart, which to men speaks not, but with God sounds as a cry. By this voice Susanna was heard; and with this voice the Lord Himself commanded that prayer should be made in closets that is, in the recesses of the heart noiselessly. Nor would one easily say that prayer is not made with this voice, if no sound of words is uttered from the body; since even when in silence we pray within the heart, if thoughts interpose alien from the mind of one praying, it cannot yet be said, “With my voice have I cried unto the Lord.” Nor is this rightly said, save when the soul alone, taking to itself nothing of the flesh, and nothing of the aims of the flesh, in prayer, speaks to God, where He only hears. But even this is called a cry by reason of the strength of its intention. Augustin
• The experience which the psalmist had of being heard in prayer, was what gave great encouragement to his faith, as to his interest in God and salvation by Him, when his enemies were so increased about him; for crying here is to be understood of prayer, as it is often used in this book of Psalms: and so the Targum renders it, "I prayed"; and this designs vocal prayer. The object addressed in prayer is the Lord, the God of his life, and who was able to save him, and supply all his wants. JG
• David had been exercised with many difficulties, often oppressed and brought very low; but still he had found God all-sufficient. He now remembered with pleasure, that his troubles had always brought him to his knees, and that, in all his difficulties and dangers, he had been enabled to acknowledge God and to lift up his heart to Him, and his voice too. Care and grief do us good and no hurt when they set us a praying, and engage us, not only to speak to God, but to cry to Him, as those that are in earnest. When the earnestness of the voice comes from the fervency of the heart, it shall be taken notice of, in the account, that we cried unto God with our voice. MH
“… and He heard me”
• Answers to prayers are sweet cordials for the soul. We need not fear a frowning world while we rejoice in a prayer-hearing God. CHS
• David was a man of prayer, and he was often heard and answered by God. And this also is true of Christ, He offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears to God that was able to save Him; and He was heard by Him, yea, the Father always heard Him: and God is a God hearing and answering the prayers of His people, sooner or later: sometimes before, sometimes at, and sometimes after their crying to Him. JG
• […] he had always found God ready to answer his prayers. MH
Note: Calvin and Poole make mention of the possibility that some will intend this to mean from heaven and both unequivocally say it is wrong. All of the commentators I have used here readily confess that David is referring to Mount Zion where the ark of the covenant was resting at the time. The word we are translating as hill or mount is harar (Strong’s 2042) which literally means mountain, hill, or mount.
“out of His holy hill”
• As to the expression... from His holy hill, it is improperly explained of heaven, as has been done by some. Heaven, I indeed confess, is often called, in other places, God’s holy palace; but here David has doubtless a reference to the ark of the covenant, which at that time stood on Mount Zion. JC
• Out of the hill of Zion, where God was especially present, the ark being there at this time; towards which the saints then used to direct their prayers, and from thence God heard and answered and blessed them. Matthew Poole
Personal Summary:
It has been awhile since I have posted one of these studies. I have been going through and extrememly hard time and withdrew from the world for awhile. The unpleasant thing about putting yourself in front of others is that in such times it is perhaps more obvious than it would otherwise be to mask the difficulties. Please forgive my absence and pray for me that the Lord will be my strength when I am weak. As Ps. 61:2 says, “…when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Yet what a wonderful place to resume the study; addressing the importance of prayer and the faithfulness of God in our lives. For truly He is enlivening my heart once again and my prayers have been heard, of that I have no doubt.
David was called a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam 13:14). Because of that David was a man of fervent prayer. He says in another place, “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice.” (Ps. 55:17). And every time we see David speaking of his fervent prayer life we see him speaking of God’s answer, and care, and love for His people and him specifically. Even when David is in the throws of sin God hears him. This isn’t to say that God doesn’t discipline him and withdraw Himself from David for a time, He certainly did. But that never caused David to cease praying and it was never permanent; it was to form character in this godly man and draw him ever closer to the Lord. Times like that are hard, really hard, extremely hard. It feels like someone has ripped your heart out, that they have stolen the air from your lungs, you feel as though you are drowning in an ocean of your own sin knowing the only thing that will save you is God throwing you the life preserver; and yet, for a time, it doesn’t come. You can hear this at various times in the Psalms of David. Some examples are:
There is doubt, there is shame, there is lack of faith. There is sin, Satan, and the world to block our way every chance they get. But go to the Lord. For as Paul has told us, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself." (2 Tim. 2:13) Praise God for His encouraging words and His faithfulness to His saints. Who is like Him? He is beyond comprehension. I am constantly baffled at the condescension or our God. His righteousness endures forever and His name is to be praised above all others. Laus Deo!
“With my voice I have cried to the Lord”
• [David] here informs us that he had never been so broken by adversity, or cast down by impious scornings, as to be prevented from addressing his prayers to God. And it was an infallible proof of his faith to exercise it by praying even in the midst of his distresses. Nothing is more unbecoming than sullenly to gnaw the bit with which we are bridled, and to withhold our groaning from God, if, indeed we have any faith in His promise. David distinctly mentions his voice… how much soever the ungodly might rage against him… but pronounced, in a loud and distinct voice, the name of his God. David’s meaning appears to me to be principally this, that amidst the blasphemies of his enemies, by which they endeavored to overwhelm his faith, he was not put to silence, but rather lifted up his voice to God, whom the ungodly have imagined to have become his enemy. He adds that he cried not in vain, to encourage all the godly to the like constancy. JC
• When prayer leads the van, in due time deliverence brings up the rear. Thomas Watson
• With my voice; the witness of my faith and fervency of affections. Matthew Poole
• That is, not with the voice of the body, which is drawn out with the sound of the reverberation of the air; but with the voice of the heart, which to men speaks not, but with God sounds as a cry. By this voice Susanna was heard; and with this voice the Lord Himself commanded that prayer should be made in closets that is, in the recesses of the heart noiselessly. Nor would one easily say that prayer is not made with this voice, if no sound of words is uttered from the body; since even when in silence we pray within the heart, if thoughts interpose alien from the mind of one praying, it cannot yet be said, “With my voice have I cried unto the Lord.” Nor is this rightly said, save when the soul alone, taking to itself nothing of the flesh, and nothing of the aims of the flesh, in prayer, speaks to God, where He only hears. But even this is called a cry by reason of the strength of its intention. Augustin
• The experience which the psalmist had of being heard in prayer, was what gave great encouragement to his faith, as to his interest in God and salvation by Him, when his enemies were so increased about him; for crying here is to be understood of prayer, as it is often used in this book of Psalms: and so the Targum renders it, "I prayed"; and this designs vocal prayer. The object addressed in prayer is the Lord, the God of his life, and who was able to save him, and supply all his wants. JG
• David had been exercised with many difficulties, often oppressed and brought very low; but still he had found God all-sufficient. He now remembered with pleasure, that his troubles had always brought him to his knees, and that, in all his difficulties and dangers, he had been enabled to acknowledge God and to lift up his heart to Him, and his voice too. Care and grief do us good and no hurt when they set us a praying, and engage us, not only to speak to God, but to cry to Him, as those that are in earnest. When the earnestness of the voice comes from the fervency of the heart, it shall be taken notice of, in the account, that we cried unto God with our voice. MH
“… and He heard me”
• Answers to prayers are sweet cordials for the soul. We need not fear a frowning world while we rejoice in a prayer-hearing God. CHS
• David was a man of prayer, and he was often heard and answered by God. And this also is true of Christ, He offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears to God that was able to save Him; and He was heard by Him, yea, the Father always heard Him: and God is a God hearing and answering the prayers of His people, sooner or later: sometimes before, sometimes at, and sometimes after their crying to Him. JG
• […] he had always found God ready to answer his prayers. MH
Note: Calvin and Poole make mention of the possibility that some will intend this to mean from heaven and both unequivocally say it is wrong. All of the commentators I have used here readily confess that David is referring to Mount Zion where the ark of the covenant was resting at the time. The word we are translating as hill or mount is harar (Strong’s 2042) which literally means mountain, hill, or mount.
“out of His holy hill”
• As to the expression... from His holy hill, it is improperly explained of heaven, as has been done by some. Heaven, I indeed confess, is often called, in other places, God’s holy palace; but here David has doubtless a reference to the ark of the covenant, which at that time stood on Mount Zion. JC
• Out of the hill of Zion, where God was especially present, the ark being there at this time; towards which the saints then used to direct their prayers, and from thence God heard and answered and blessed them. Matthew Poole
Personal Summary:
It has been awhile since I have posted one of these studies. I have been going through and extrememly hard time and withdrew from the world for awhile. The unpleasant thing about putting yourself in front of others is that in such times it is perhaps more obvious than it would otherwise be to mask the difficulties. Please forgive my absence and pray for me that the Lord will be my strength when I am weak. As Ps. 61:2 says, “…when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Yet what a wonderful place to resume the study; addressing the importance of prayer and the faithfulness of God in our lives. For truly He is enlivening my heart once again and my prayers have been heard, of that I have no doubt.
David was called a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam 13:14). Because of that David was a man of fervent prayer. He says in another place, “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice.” (Ps. 55:17). And every time we see David speaking of his fervent prayer life we see him speaking of God’s answer, and care, and love for His people and him specifically. Even when David is in the throws of sin God hears him. This isn’t to say that God doesn’t discipline him and withdraw Himself from David for a time, He certainly did. But that never caused David to cease praying and it was never permanent; it was to form character in this godly man and draw him ever closer to the Lord. Times like that are hard, really hard, extremely hard. It feels like someone has ripped your heart out, that they have stolen the air from your lungs, you feel as though you are drowning in an ocean of your own sin knowing the only thing that will save you is God throwing you the life preserver; and yet, for a time, it doesn’t come. You can hear this at various times in the Psalms of David. Some examples are:
5:1-2, “Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.”
6:1-3, “O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed. My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD, how long?”
And who can forget the most glaring example of this in Ps. 51:1-12, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.”Wow! You can hear the anguish in his words. He is a regenerate man as are all the saints. As a result we have a need for God that surpasses this world. Bread and water cannot sustain us, the oxygen in the air fails, sleep is worth nothing to us if we have not God. He is more vital to the saint than all of those things combined and multiplied to the nth degree. So why when we find ourselves in this situation do we cower in the corner and avoid prayer? Calvin rightly says of this attitude, “Nothing is more unbecoming than sullenly to gnaw the bit with which we are bridled, and to withhold our groaning from God, if, indeed we have any faith in His promise.” We don’t just come to Him in times of ease when we have evaluated that things are going as they should be. No, during these times of spiritual upheavel we must cleave to the Lord even more than we normally do. Perhaps this is the lesson you are being taught, GO TO THE LORD! Notice in none of those situations did David avoid the Lord or cease to pray. No, even in his anguish he cast his cares upon the Lord, he confessed his sins, and he prayed and waited for the Lord’s answer. As he said in Ps. 40:1, “I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry.”
There is doubt, there is shame, there is lack of faith. There is sin, Satan, and the world to block our way every chance they get. But go to the Lord. For as Paul has told us, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself." (2 Tim. 2:13) Praise God for His encouraging words and His faithfulness to His saints. Who is like Him? He is beyond comprehension. I am constantly baffled at the condescension or our God. His righteousness endures forever and His name is to be praised above all others. Laus Deo!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Psalm 3:3
Note: The word shield. In English the word means something to ward off blows or to guard, protect, or defend (Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Ed.). And it is not that that meaning is totally off base for this verse, but it is certainly inadequate. The Hebrew word used is meginnâh (Strong’s 4043) which is derived from the word gânan (Strong’s 1598). The idea here is far more than just to ward off a blow, it is to hedge about, encompass, to protect and defend. Thus it is far more than what our English translation has rendered it; it is not only warding off a blow but never allowing the blow to reach David in the first place. To do it justice we must say something like David is engulfed by the protective hand of God, nothing can reach him or do him harm. My Geneva Bible uses the word buckler which Spurgeon also comments on. A buckler may actually do it less justice than the word shield as it was a very small round shield (6-18 inches in diameter); which is even smaller than what you would normally associate with a shield. Spurgeon takes the term and applies it to its full meaning with the Hebrew in mind; but, left alone, that term is also inadequate to convey the idea presented here. The ESV, RSV, NASB and NIV all do it the most justice by saying “a shield about/around me.” The Septuagint does it no justice at all by rendering it “my helper”. Cross reference with Ps. 5:12 and especially 18:2 to get a better understanding of what David is conveying here.
“But You, O Lord, are a shield about me”
• […] David employs a language full of confidence, in opposition to the hardihood and profane scoffings of his enemies, and testifies that whatever they may say, he would nevertheless rely upon the word of God. It appears that he had previously entertained an assured hope of deliverance… here making no mention of his present calamity as a chastisement… but rather depending upon the divine aid, he courageously encounters his enemies, who were carrying on an ungodly and wicked war against him. In short, having acknowledged his sin before, he now takes into consideration only the merits of the present cause. And thus it becomes the servants of God to act when molested by the wicked. Having mourned over their own sins, and humbly betaken themselves to the mercy of God, they ought to keep their eyes fixed on the obvious and immediate cause of their afflictions, that they may entertain no doubt of the help of God when undeservedly subjected to evil treatment. Especially when, by their being evil entreated, the truth of God is opposed, they ought to be greatly encouraged, and glory in the assurance that God without doubt will maintain the truth of His own promises against such perfidious and abandoned creatures. […] by comparing God to a shield, he means that he was defended by His power. JC
• Or "about me" protecting and defending me. David was a military man, and often alludes to military affairs; and borrows words from thence, expressive of his great security from the Lord. So Jehovah the Father was a shield to Christ, in His infancy, from Herod's rage and fury; and afterwards from the insults of the Pharisees, and their attempts to take away His life before the time; and in His sufferings and death… the Lord is a shield unto all His people. They are kept by His power, and encompassed about with His favor, as with a shield; His veracity and His faithfulness in His promises, and His truth, are their shield and buckler: and especially His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the shield which faith makes use of, particularly his blood and righteousness, and salvation by Him; which it holds up, and defends itself with, against the charges of the law, the accusations of conscience, and the temptations of Satan; and which are a security from the justice of God, and wrath to come. JG
• See what grace can do! Depend on it, when grace and faith are in lively exercise the more the opposition is made from without, the stronger the comforts will be within. Oh! How blessed is it thus to look upon God. Jehovah in Jesus is a shield to defend, a glory to shine upon, and a lifter to bear up. Christ is all in all. Safety, honor, support, and holy joy! How fully were all these proved in the case of David after the rebellion of Absalom. RH
• Here David avows his confidence in God. Oh! What a shield God is for His people! He wards off the fiery darts of Satan from beneath, and the storms of trials from above, while, at the same instant, he speaks peace to the tempest within the breast. CHS
• [With a] believer, the more he is beaten off from God, either by the rebukes of Providence or the reproaches of enemies, the faster hold he will take of Him and the closer will he cleave to Him; so David here, when his enemies said, There is no hope for him in God, cries out with so much the more assurance, “But thou, O Lord! Art a shield for me; let them say what they will, I am sure thou wilt never desert me, and I am resolved I will never distrust thee.” See what God is to his people: a shield about me… to secure me on all sides, since my enemies surrounded me. MH
“My glory”
• […] he concludes that God was his glory, because He would be the maintainer and defender of the royal dignity which He had been pleased to confer upon him. JC
• Who took David from the sheepfold, and made him king over Israel, and raised him to all the glory he had enjoyed; and in whom he gloried as his covenant God, and of whom he made his boast; and not of his strength, valor, wisdom, riches, and honor. So God the Father is the glory of Christ, the glorifier of Him, by supporting Him under His sufferings, raising Him from the dead, and setting Him at His own right hand, where He is crowned with glory and honor: He is the glory of His people, in whom they glory, and by whom they are called to eternal glory; and who will give it to them, and reveal it in them, even an eternal weight of it, which the sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared unto. JG
• David knew that thought he was driven from his capital in contempt and scorn, he should yet return in triumph, and by faith he looks upon God as honoring him and glorifying him. O for grace to see our future glory amid present shame! Indeed, there is a present glory in our afflictions, if we could but discern it; for it is no mean thing to have fellowship with Christ in His sufferings. CHS
• Those whom God owns for His are not safe and easy, but really look great, and have true honor put upon them, far above that which the great ones of the earth are proud of. David was now in disgrace; the crown had fallen from his head; but he will not think the worse of himself while he has God for his glory. Thou art my glory… this is what I aim at, and am ambitious of, whatever my lot is, and whatever becomes of my honor – that I may be to my God for a name and a praise. MH
“The One who lifts up my head”
• Thou shalt yet exalt me. Though I hang my head I sorrow, I shall very soon lift it up in joy and thanksgiving. What a divine trio of mercies is contained in this verse! Defense for the defenseless, glory for the despised, and joy for the comfortless. Verily we may well say, “There is none like the God Jeshurun.” CHS
• Thou wilt lift up my head out of troubles, and restore me to my dignity again, in due time, or, at least, thou wilt lift up my head under my troubles, so that I shall not droop nor be discouraged, nor shall my spirits fail. If, in the worst of times, God’s people can lift up their heads with joy, knowing that all shall work for good to them, they will own it is God that is the lifter of their head, that gives them both cause to rejoice and hearts to rejoice. MH
Personal Summary:
I love the all important point of how God defends us. We aren’t just given some pitiful shield with which to parry the blows of this world. No, He surrounds us in all His might and He is an impenetrable wall. It is not that we deserve His sovereign hand guarding us from the wicked advances of this world, we don’t. But God is faithful where we are not; even when in a situation like David’s, he is faithful. But David didn’t allow himself to wallow in the misery of His sin; he confessed it and moved forward knowing full well that God was more faithful than he and would persevere him until the end. So must we.
What confidence we should have in this world! Imagine for a moment that every saint is walking around with an impenetrable fortress surrounding him, one that would make the famed Ft. Knox look like a sand castle. The wicked have no such fortress, yet they are attacking with vigor as if they do. Yet we know, as David did, that we will be victorious in the end, that whatever happens to us in this world that we will be with God for eternity, that this world is not our home but a temporal resting place on the way to heaven. The wicked don’t understand this which is why they do everything they can to achieve gratification now, and surely they have received their reward. They assail us incessantly; but, as Solomon said in Ec. 9:11-12, “the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happens to them all. For man also knoweth not his time… so… the sons of men [are] snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.” Their day is come and they have missed the sun on the horizon and into eternal darkness they will plunge; for, when God is no longer patient with this most wicked generation who can stand their ground against Him?
God sustains us, we glory in Him, we seek His glory first and foremost in our lives, in our every action, and God glorifies us (Rom. 8:30). He is our all in all and everything good we have in this life flows from Him. What a wonderful Father we have in heaven, hallowed be His name!
“But You, O Lord, are a shield about me”
• […] David employs a language full of confidence, in opposition to the hardihood and profane scoffings of his enemies, and testifies that whatever they may say, he would nevertheless rely upon the word of God. It appears that he had previously entertained an assured hope of deliverance… here making no mention of his present calamity as a chastisement… but rather depending upon the divine aid, he courageously encounters his enemies, who were carrying on an ungodly and wicked war against him. In short, having acknowledged his sin before, he now takes into consideration only the merits of the present cause. And thus it becomes the servants of God to act when molested by the wicked. Having mourned over their own sins, and humbly betaken themselves to the mercy of God, they ought to keep their eyes fixed on the obvious and immediate cause of their afflictions, that they may entertain no doubt of the help of God when undeservedly subjected to evil treatment. Especially when, by their being evil entreated, the truth of God is opposed, they ought to be greatly encouraged, and glory in the assurance that God without doubt will maintain the truth of His own promises against such perfidious and abandoned creatures. […] by comparing God to a shield, he means that he was defended by His power. JC
• Or "about me" protecting and defending me. David was a military man, and often alludes to military affairs; and borrows words from thence, expressive of his great security from the Lord. So Jehovah the Father was a shield to Christ, in His infancy, from Herod's rage and fury; and afterwards from the insults of the Pharisees, and their attempts to take away His life before the time; and in His sufferings and death… the Lord is a shield unto all His people. They are kept by His power, and encompassed about with His favor, as with a shield; His veracity and His faithfulness in His promises, and His truth, are their shield and buckler: and especially His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the shield which faith makes use of, particularly his blood and righteousness, and salvation by Him; which it holds up, and defends itself with, against the charges of the law, the accusations of conscience, and the temptations of Satan; and which are a security from the justice of God, and wrath to come. JG
• See what grace can do! Depend on it, when grace and faith are in lively exercise the more the opposition is made from without, the stronger the comforts will be within. Oh! How blessed is it thus to look upon God. Jehovah in Jesus is a shield to defend, a glory to shine upon, and a lifter to bear up. Christ is all in all. Safety, honor, support, and holy joy! How fully were all these proved in the case of David after the rebellion of Absalom. RH
• Here David avows his confidence in God. Oh! What a shield God is for His people! He wards off the fiery darts of Satan from beneath, and the storms of trials from above, while, at the same instant, he speaks peace to the tempest within the breast. CHS
• [With a] believer, the more he is beaten off from God, either by the rebukes of Providence or the reproaches of enemies, the faster hold he will take of Him and the closer will he cleave to Him; so David here, when his enemies said, There is no hope for him in God, cries out with so much the more assurance, “But thou, O Lord! Art a shield for me; let them say what they will, I am sure thou wilt never desert me, and I am resolved I will never distrust thee.” See what God is to his people: a shield about me… to secure me on all sides, since my enemies surrounded me. MH
“My glory”
• […] he concludes that God was his glory, because He would be the maintainer and defender of the royal dignity which He had been pleased to confer upon him. JC
• Who took David from the sheepfold, and made him king over Israel, and raised him to all the glory he had enjoyed; and in whom he gloried as his covenant God, and of whom he made his boast; and not of his strength, valor, wisdom, riches, and honor. So God the Father is the glory of Christ, the glorifier of Him, by supporting Him under His sufferings, raising Him from the dead, and setting Him at His own right hand, where He is crowned with glory and honor: He is the glory of His people, in whom they glory, and by whom they are called to eternal glory; and who will give it to them, and reveal it in them, even an eternal weight of it, which the sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared unto. JG
• David knew that thought he was driven from his capital in contempt and scorn, he should yet return in triumph, and by faith he looks upon God as honoring him and glorifying him. O for grace to see our future glory amid present shame! Indeed, there is a present glory in our afflictions, if we could but discern it; for it is no mean thing to have fellowship with Christ in His sufferings. CHS
• Those whom God owns for His are not safe and easy, but really look great, and have true honor put upon them, far above that which the great ones of the earth are proud of. David was now in disgrace; the crown had fallen from his head; but he will not think the worse of himself while he has God for his glory. Thou art my glory… this is what I aim at, and am ambitious of, whatever my lot is, and whatever becomes of my honor – that I may be to my God for a name and a praise. MH
“The One who lifts up my head”
• Thou shalt yet exalt me. Though I hang my head I sorrow, I shall very soon lift it up in joy and thanksgiving. What a divine trio of mercies is contained in this verse! Defense for the defenseless, glory for the despised, and joy for the comfortless. Verily we may well say, “There is none like the God Jeshurun.” CHS
• Thou wilt lift up my head out of troubles, and restore me to my dignity again, in due time, or, at least, thou wilt lift up my head under my troubles, so that I shall not droop nor be discouraged, nor shall my spirits fail. If, in the worst of times, God’s people can lift up their heads with joy, knowing that all shall work for good to them, they will own it is God that is the lifter of their head, that gives them both cause to rejoice and hearts to rejoice. MH
Personal Summary:
I love the all important point of how God defends us. We aren’t just given some pitiful shield with which to parry the blows of this world. No, He surrounds us in all His might and He is an impenetrable wall. It is not that we deserve His sovereign hand guarding us from the wicked advances of this world, we don’t. But God is faithful where we are not; even when in a situation like David’s, he is faithful. But David didn’t allow himself to wallow in the misery of His sin; he confessed it and moved forward knowing full well that God was more faithful than he and would persevere him until the end. So must we.
What confidence we should have in this world! Imagine for a moment that every saint is walking around with an impenetrable fortress surrounding him, one that would make the famed Ft. Knox look like a sand castle. The wicked have no such fortress, yet they are attacking with vigor as if they do. Yet we know, as David did, that we will be victorious in the end, that whatever happens to us in this world that we will be with God for eternity, that this world is not our home but a temporal resting place on the way to heaven. The wicked don’t understand this which is why they do everything they can to achieve gratification now, and surely they have received their reward. They assail us incessantly; but, as Solomon said in Ec. 9:11-12, “the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happens to them all. For man also knoweth not his time… so… the sons of men [are] snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.” Their day is come and they have missed the sun on the horizon and into eternal darkness they will plunge; for, when God is no longer patient with this most wicked generation who can stand their ground against Him?
God sustains us, we glory in Him, we seek His glory first and foremost in our lives, in our every action, and God glorifies us (Rom. 8:30). He is our all in all and everything good we have in this life flows from Him. What a wonderful Father we have in heaven, hallowed be His name!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Psalm 3:2
Note: The word Selah. This is the first of 71 times it is used in the Book of Psalms. Every commentary I looked at said something about this word with all covering all of the possible meanings and settling in various places as to its actual application. I included Calvin’s commentary alone because it made the most sense to me in the context of the passage. Strong’s (5542) lists this as a technical musical term probably showing accentuation, pause, interruption; and limits it in my newer version as merely a pause in music. Calvin prefers it to mean a rise in the pitch of the music, and the voice accordingly, making emphasis on one point or another. I suppose a pause might accomplish the same thing and it is favored by Henry and Spurgeon. And I would say that it may even be more accurately used that way in other passages, but contextually I think Calvin is right here. David is making a point of what they have said and done and is ending it with an exclamation point. It is as if he is saying, “Lord look at what they are saying about me and blasphemously about you!” This wouldn’t have the same effect if He said, “Lord look at what they are saying about me and blasphemously about you.” But all seem to readily admit that no-one knows exactly what it means.
“Many say to my soul”
• […] David here intended to express… that his heart was in a manner pierced with the mockery of his enemies. David teaches us by his own example, that although the whole world, with one voice, should attempt to drive us to despair, instead of listening to it, we ought rather to give ear to God alone, and always cherish within us the hope of the salvation which He has promised; and as the ungodly use their endeavors to destroy our souls, we ought to defend them by our prayers. JC
• The following cutting words, which touched to the quick, reached his very heart, and like a sword pierced through it. JG
• David complains before his loving God of the worst weapon of his enemies’ attacks, and the bitterest drop of his distress. CHS
• They put a spiteful and invidious construction upon his troubles, as Job’s friends did upon him, concluding that because his servants and subjects forsook him thus and did not help him, God had deserted him and abandoned his cause, and he was therefore to be looked on, or rather to be looked off, as a hypocrite and wicked man. MH
“There is no help for Him in God”
• The ungodly, when they rise up to destroy us, may not openly break forth into such daring presumption as to maintain it to be impossible for us to derive and advantage from the favor of God; yet, as they either ascribe everything to fortune, or hold the opinion that a man’s success will be in proportion to his strength, and therefore fearlessly rush forward to gain their object, by all means, whether right or wrong, as if it would be equally the same, whether God is angry with or favorable towards them, it is evident that they set no value whatever upon the favor of God, and mock at the faithful as if it would avail them nothing to be under the care and protection of God. JC
• David's enemies looked upon his case to be desperate; that it was impossible he should ever extricate himself from it; yea, that God himself either could not or would not save him. And in like manner did the enemies of Christ say, when they had put Him upon the cross; and how frequent is it for the men of the world to represent the saints as in a damnable state! And to call them a damned set and generation of men, as if there was no salvation for them? And how often does Satan suggest unto them, that there is no hope for them, and they may as well indulge themselves in all sinful lusts and pleasures? And how often do their own unbelieving hearts say to them, that there is no salvation in Christ for them, though there is for others; and that they have no interest in the favor of God, and shall be eternally lost and perish? JG
• Of all soul distresses that certainly is the greatest, when the enemy and our own unbelieving would tempt us to suppose God hath forsaken us. Here the child of God is sadly put to it, when the enemies of our salvation thus reproach. Oh! Lord, suffer not my soul to fall under this heaviest of all sorrows. While Jesus looks on my affliction, and speaks peace, all is well. Let Jesus but smile, I care not who frowns. But if I begin to despond of His favor; if it could be so, that there really was no help for me in my God, then I should be ruined indeed. RH
• Some of his distrustful friends said this sorrowfully, but his enemies boasted of it, and longed to see their words proved by his total destruction. This was the unkindest cut of all, when they declared that his God has forsaken him. Yet David new in his own conscience that he had given them some ground for this exclamation, for he had committed sin against God in the very light of day. They flung his crime with Bathsheba into his face, and they said, “Go up, thou bloody man; God hath forsaken thee and left thee.” Doubtless David felt this internal suggestion to be staggering to his faith. It is the most bitter of all afflictions to be led to fear that there is no help for us in God. CHS
• When the believer questions the power of God, or his interest in it, his joy gusheth out as blood out of a broken vein. This verse is a sore stab indeed. William Gurnall
• They blasphemously looked upon God as unable to relieve him. It is strange that so great unbelief should be found in any, especially in many, in Israel, as to think any party of men too strong for Omnipotence to deal with. They endeavored to shake his confidence in God and drive him to despair of relief from Him. This grieved him worst of all, that they had so bad an opinion of him as to think it possible to take him off from that foundation. The mere temptation was buffeting to him. Note, a child of God startles at the very thought of despairing of help in God; you cannot vex him with anything so much as if you offer to persuade him that there is no help for him in God.
“Selah”
• […] it denotes the lifting up of the voice in harmony in the exercise of singing… the music was adapted to the sentiment, and so the harmony was in unison with the character or subject matter of the song; just as David here… fixes the attention on this blasphemy, which severely wounded his heart. JC
Personal Summary:
What an accusation we see leveled here. To add insult to injury David is now being accused of losing God’s favor; that God has abandoned him. Undoubtedly at some point these words were felt beyond some slanderous accusation. At some point he may have indeed even asked himself this question. I don’t think it was for long; but, it may have found a home in him which caused these words to sting all the more. For at some point we are all filled with doubt just as God’s people have been throughout the ages. God stands true to His promises; but stained with sin we doubt. We think that the sin we have committed is so atrocious that God could not possibly look down on us with favor any longer. When we feel the sting of His divine rod in discipline we shutter and our confidence is shaken.
But David does what all of us should do when our faith is tested: he takes it to the Lord. We too must cast our complaint before Him and allow Him to deal with it. For the Spirit is our seal both for us and to God. He assures us that we are His no matter what we do. And oh how the world loves to plant seeds of doubt amongst God’s children! They mock us and argue with us with science, with philosophy and with false religion; they are utterly enamored with their own idea of what wisdom is. And they try to use it against us every chance they get. They assail us to defeat us, to hope that our confidence is shaken to the point that we concede their sinful logic and join their miserable ranks. But we are on guard against them, are we not? We see them coming a mile away and we put on the whole armor of God and we fight the good fight of faith! We may lose a battle here and there but we are fully convinced of the outcome of the war and whatever wavering we do it is but a temporary pause in our walk; thus we fight the good fight of faith.
Yet we are assailed still further. The church is not only under attack from the world but from within its own ranks. The more insidious attack, the more dangerous attack, the one that has led many sheep astray is the one we are least on guard for. For there are plenty of churches, I might guess a large majority of modern churches, that are teaching people they may lose their salvation! They do not have the assurance and confidence David has here because they are being told within their local bodies the same thing David’s enemies have told him! Christian! Stand strong! If your church is telling you this move on! It is not true. If you are a child of God you are a true son and you are His. It doesn’t depend on you or me or anyone on this earth; it depends on Christ, who purchased you with His blood and will never leave you nor forsake you! There are a plethora of passages telling us this and it is there so that when we doubt we may call them to mind and be freed from our self-imposed doubt. God doesn’t doubt that we are his, why should we? He chose us! Do we fear that He made a mistake? That our immutable God has now changed His mind? Perhaps my favorite passage concerning this is found in John 10:26-30, “But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.” What sweet, sweet, beautiful words! And in case you didn’t get the point let us not forget Rom. 8:37-39, “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Whether the assault comes from the world, or comes from your own self-doubt, or even from within the church itself, stand strong; for our God is greater than all and He will be faithful when nothing else will, including yourself. Christians, be assured. He sees all and is in control over all and your seat is secured in heaven where He will call you and where you will spend the rest of eternity under His protective wing, never to doubt again. Enemies may come and go; we will sin, be convicted of and disciplined for that sin; we will have our confidence attacked by ourselves, the world and even the church; but in the end we know with David, with Moses, with Joshua, with Paul and all the saints of all the ages that Christ will “also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor. 1:8; for, “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” 1 Cor. 1:9. Amen!
“Many say to my soul”
• […] David here intended to express… that his heart was in a manner pierced with the mockery of his enemies. David teaches us by his own example, that although the whole world, with one voice, should attempt to drive us to despair, instead of listening to it, we ought rather to give ear to God alone, and always cherish within us the hope of the salvation which He has promised; and as the ungodly use their endeavors to destroy our souls, we ought to defend them by our prayers. JC
• The following cutting words, which touched to the quick, reached his very heart, and like a sword pierced through it. JG
• David complains before his loving God of the worst weapon of his enemies’ attacks, and the bitterest drop of his distress. CHS
• They put a spiteful and invidious construction upon his troubles, as Job’s friends did upon him, concluding that because his servants and subjects forsook him thus and did not help him, God had deserted him and abandoned his cause, and he was therefore to be looked on, or rather to be looked off, as a hypocrite and wicked man. MH
“There is no help for Him in God”
• The ungodly, when they rise up to destroy us, may not openly break forth into such daring presumption as to maintain it to be impossible for us to derive and advantage from the favor of God; yet, as they either ascribe everything to fortune, or hold the opinion that a man’s success will be in proportion to his strength, and therefore fearlessly rush forward to gain their object, by all means, whether right or wrong, as if it would be equally the same, whether God is angry with or favorable towards them, it is evident that they set no value whatever upon the favor of God, and mock at the faithful as if it would avail them nothing to be under the care and protection of God. JC
• David's enemies looked upon his case to be desperate; that it was impossible he should ever extricate himself from it; yea, that God himself either could not or would not save him. And in like manner did the enemies of Christ say, when they had put Him upon the cross; and how frequent is it for the men of the world to represent the saints as in a damnable state! And to call them a damned set and generation of men, as if there was no salvation for them? And how often does Satan suggest unto them, that there is no hope for them, and they may as well indulge themselves in all sinful lusts and pleasures? And how often do their own unbelieving hearts say to them, that there is no salvation in Christ for them, though there is for others; and that they have no interest in the favor of God, and shall be eternally lost and perish? JG
• Of all soul distresses that certainly is the greatest, when the enemy and our own unbelieving would tempt us to suppose God hath forsaken us. Here the child of God is sadly put to it, when the enemies of our salvation thus reproach. Oh! Lord, suffer not my soul to fall under this heaviest of all sorrows. While Jesus looks on my affliction, and speaks peace, all is well. Let Jesus but smile, I care not who frowns. But if I begin to despond of His favor; if it could be so, that there really was no help for me in my God, then I should be ruined indeed. RH
• Some of his distrustful friends said this sorrowfully, but his enemies boasted of it, and longed to see their words proved by his total destruction. This was the unkindest cut of all, when they declared that his God has forsaken him. Yet David new in his own conscience that he had given them some ground for this exclamation, for he had committed sin against God in the very light of day. They flung his crime with Bathsheba into his face, and they said, “Go up, thou bloody man; God hath forsaken thee and left thee.” Doubtless David felt this internal suggestion to be staggering to his faith. It is the most bitter of all afflictions to be led to fear that there is no help for us in God. CHS
• When the believer questions the power of God, or his interest in it, his joy gusheth out as blood out of a broken vein. This verse is a sore stab indeed. William Gurnall
• They blasphemously looked upon God as unable to relieve him. It is strange that so great unbelief should be found in any, especially in many, in Israel, as to think any party of men too strong for Omnipotence to deal with. They endeavored to shake his confidence in God and drive him to despair of relief from Him. This grieved him worst of all, that they had so bad an opinion of him as to think it possible to take him off from that foundation. The mere temptation was buffeting to him. Note, a child of God startles at the very thought of despairing of help in God; you cannot vex him with anything so much as if you offer to persuade him that there is no help for him in God.
“Selah”
• […] it denotes the lifting up of the voice in harmony in the exercise of singing… the music was adapted to the sentiment, and so the harmony was in unison with the character or subject matter of the song; just as David here… fixes the attention on this blasphemy, which severely wounded his heart. JC
Personal Summary:
What an accusation we see leveled here. To add insult to injury David is now being accused of losing God’s favor; that God has abandoned him. Undoubtedly at some point these words were felt beyond some slanderous accusation. At some point he may have indeed even asked himself this question. I don’t think it was for long; but, it may have found a home in him which caused these words to sting all the more. For at some point we are all filled with doubt just as God’s people have been throughout the ages. God stands true to His promises; but stained with sin we doubt. We think that the sin we have committed is so atrocious that God could not possibly look down on us with favor any longer. When we feel the sting of His divine rod in discipline we shutter and our confidence is shaken.
But David does what all of us should do when our faith is tested: he takes it to the Lord. We too must cast our complaint before Him and allow Him to deal with it. For the Spirit is our seal both for us and to God. He assures us that we are His no matter what we do. And oh how the world loves to plant seeds of doubt amongst God’s children! They mock us and argue with us with science, with philosophy and with false religion; they are utterly enamored with their own idea of what wisdom is. And they try to use it against us every chance they get. They assail us to defeat us, to hope that our confidence is shaken to the point that we concede their sinful logic and join their miserable ranks. But we are on guard against them, are we not? We see them coming a mile away and we put on the whole armor of God and we fight the good fight of faith! We may lose a battle here and there but we are fully convinced of the outcome of the war and whatever wavering we do it is but a temporary pause in our walk; thus we fight the good fight of faith.
Yet we are assailed still further. The church is not only under attack from the world but from within its own ranks. The more insidious attack, the more dangerous attack, the one that has led many sheep astray is the one we are least on guard for. For there are plenty of churches, I might guess a large majority of modern churches, that are teaching people they may lose their salvation! They do not have the assurance and confidence David has here because they are being told within their local bodies the same thing David’s enemies have told him! Christian! Stand strong! If your church is telling you this move on! It is not true. If you are a child of God you are a true son and you are His. It doesn’t depend on you or me or anyone on this earth; it depends on Christ, who purchased you with His blood and will never leave you nor forsake you! There are a plethora of passages telling us this and it is there so that when we doubt we may call them to mind and be freed from our self-imposed doubt. God doesn’t doubt that we are his, why should we? He chose us! Do we fear that He made a mistake? That our immutable God has now changed His mind? Perhaps my favorite passage concerning this is found in John 10:26-30, “But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.” What sweet, sweet, beautiful words! And in case you didn’t get the point let us not forget Rom. 8:37-39, “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Whether the assault comes from the world, or comes from your own self-doubt, or even from within the church itself, stand strong; for our God is greater than all and He will be faithful when nothing else will, including yourself. Christians, be assured. He sees all and is in control over all and your seat is secured in heaven where He will call you and where you will spend the rest of eternity under His protective wing, never to doubt again. Enemies may come and go; we will sin, be convicted of and disciplined for that sin; we will have our confidence attacked by ourselves, the world and even the church; but in the end we know with David, with Moses, with Joshua, with Paul and all the saints of all the ages that Christ will “also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor. 1:8; for, “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” 1 Cor. 1:9. Amen!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Psalm 3:1
Note: The commentators I respect most, Calvin and Henry, do not give any application (with only one small exception from Henry) of this psalm as pertaining to Christ. All of the others I have available to me do make such an application. I can see where they draw the parallels because of the connection between this psalm and 2 Sam. 15-18 as well as David’s path as he fled, even his similar circumstance, being compared to Christ who apparently took the same path (brook Kedron and mount of Olives) before Judas betrayed Him. With all of that said, I think Calvin and Henry got it right and the others are not entirely correct. I leave room for the fact that there is some reasonable correlation to be drawn between the two betrayals; but, as I think this study will show, this Psalm is about David’s trust in God and God’s faithfulness and deliverance for His people. I will include the notes where it is reasonable to do so, but if the commentary is just too far off base it will not be included. I have, though, included in the introductory notes their reasoning behind the exegesis of this psalm.
Introduction
• David driven forth of his kingdom, was greatly tormented in mind for his sins against God: And therefore calleth upon God, and waxeth bold through His promises, against the great railings of his enemies, yea against death itself, which he saw present before his eyes. Finally, he rejoiceth for the good success that God gave him and all the church. 1599 GB
• David, although driven from his kingdom, and pressed down with utter despair of relief from every earthly quarter, ceases not to call upon God, and supports himself from his promise against the greatest terrors, against the mockery and cruel assaults of his enemies; and, finally, against death itself, which then forced itself upon his consideration. In the end of the psalm, he congratulates himself and the whole church on the happy issue of all. JC
• David was the composer of this psalm, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, occasioned by his flight from Absalom; who, having stolen away the hearts of the people of Israel, entered into a conspiracy with them to dethrone his father and place himself in his stead; and the people so increased continually with him, that David thought it advisable to flee from Jerusalem. Now was fulfilled what God had said, by Nathan the prophet, should befall him, because of the affair of Bathsheba and Uriah. David was an eminent type of Christ, and so he was in his troubles, and in these; as one of his sons conspired against him to dethrone him, and take away his life; so Judas, one of Christ's disciples or children, for disciples were called children, His familiar friend, that did eat of His bread, lifted up his heel against Him, and sought to betray Him, and did; and who, though He knew the designs of Judas against Him, and did not flee from him, but rather went to meet him, yet it is easy to observe that He took the same route from Jerusalem as David did. At this time He went over the brook Kidron, and to the Mount of Olives. Indeed the whole psalm may be applied to Christ; and so as the second psalm sets forth the dignity of Christ's person, as the Son of God, and the stability and enlargement of His kingdom, notwithstanding the opposition made to Him; this expresses His troubles from His enemies, His death and resurrection from the dead, His victory over His enemies, and the salvation He wrought out for His people. JG
• You will remember the sad story of David’s flight from his own palace, when, in the dead of the night, he forded the brook Kedron, and went with a few faithful followers to hide himself for awhile from the fury of his rebellious son. Remember that David in this was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. He, too, fled; he, too, passed over the brook Kedron when His own people were in rebellion against Him, and with a feeble band of followers He went to the garden of Gethsemane. CHS
• The title of this psalm best leads to the contents of it. The first and literal sense on this psalm should seem to refer wholly to David; but, to an enlightened eye, there is much to be seen in it of Christ. Amidst the afflictions here complained of, there is much of the consolations of Jesus, and His great salvation. RH
• As the foregoing psalm, in the type of David in preferment, showed us the royal dignity of the Redeemer, so this, by example of David in distress, shows us the peace and holy security of the redeemed, how safe they really are, and think themselves to be, under the divine protection. Those speak best of the truths of God who speak experimentally; so David here speaks of the power and goodness of God, and of the safety and tranquility of the godly. MH
3:1
“Lord, how they have increased who trouble me!”
• David was not only dethroned, but forsaken by almost all men; so that he had well nigh as many enemies as he had subjects. It is therefore not wonderful though he was affrighted by the great numbers who were opposed to him, for nothing could have taken place more unlooked for, on his part, than so sudden a rebellion. It was a mark of uncommon faith, when smitten with so great consternation, to venture freely to make his complaint to God, and, as it were, to pour out his soul into his bosom. And certainly the only remedy for allaying our fears is this, to cast upon Him all the cares which trouble us; as, on the other hand, those who have the conviction that they are not the objects of His regard, must be prostrated and overwhelmed by the calamities which befall them. JC
• David's enemies increased in the conspiracy against him, the hearts of the men of Israel were after Absalom, and against him. Christ's enemies increased when Judas with a multitude came to take Him; when the body of the common people cried out, “crucify Him”; when the assembly of the wicked enclosed Him, and pierced His hands and His feet. And the enemies of God's people are many; the men of this world are against them; legions of devils oppose them; and they have swarms of sins in their own hearts; and all these give trouble. David's enemies troubled him… to think that his own son should seek to destroy him; that his subjects, whom he had ruled so long with clemency, and had hazarded his person in war for their defense, and to protect them in their civil and religious rights, should rebel against him. Christ's enemies troubled Him, when they bound and led Him away as a malefactor; when they spit upon Him, smote and buffeted Him; when they scourged and crucified Him, and mocked at Him. The enemies of the saints are troublers of them; in the world, and from the men of it, they have tribulation; Satan's temptations give them much uneasiness and distress. JG
• David was now under the chastening hand of God. And what tended greatly to aggravate it, was the consciousness which he could not but have in his own mind, that it was for sin. God had said concerning his transgression in the case of Uriah, that the sword should not depart from his house; so that David could not but eye God’s hand, in the natural usurpation of his son Absalom. RH
• The poor broken-hearted father complains of the multitude of his enemies. CHS
• That they were very many… beyond what they were at first, and beyond whatever he thought they would have been. Absalom’s faction, like a snowball, strangely gathered in its motion. He speaks of it as one amazed. And how little fidelity and constancy are to be found among men! David had had the hearts of his subjects as much as ever any king had, and yet now, of a sudden, he had lost them. MH
“Many are they who rise up against me”
• Many in quantity… such as Ahithophel and others, who rose up against David in a hostile manner, to dispossess him of his kingdom, and to destroy his life. And many were they that rose up against Christ; the multitude came against Him as a thief, with clubs and staves: the men of this world rise up against the saints with their tongues, and sometimes with open force and violence; Satan, like a roaring lion, seeks to devour them, and their own fleshly lusts war against them. JG
• Christ, the Son of David, had many enemies. When the great multitude came to seize Him, when the crowd cried, Crucify Him! Crucify Him, how were those then increased that troubled Him. Even good people must not think it strange if the stream be against them and the powers that threaten them grow more and more formidable. MH
Personal Summary:
How many of us have been in a circumstance where it felt like the whole world was stacked up against us? The weight of it pressing us down into a deep despair; at its worst, it seems like our very lives are about to collapse and whither away into nothing. I have been there multiple times in my life and I am reasonably sure that many, if not all, of you have been there too. The difference here is that David really was in such a circumstance. Can you imagine the despair; not only of what was going on, but that it was being driven along and facilitated by his own son? I can imagine that between his broken heart and the stress of death pursuing him constantly that David’s life was a mess. Perhaps to aggravate the matter more is the guilt that must’ve have been at the forefront of his mind knowing that his sin caused this and that God was disciplining him for that sin. David had not only been an adulterer but a murderer and now the Lord was disciplining him. But the picture grows dimmer still; for David’s son, born to him by Bathsheba, was killed by the Lord as part of his punishment. What a bleak picture! You sin, Nathan the prophet is sent by the Lord to convict you of your sin, your son dies as a direct result of your sin, then another son turns your people against you and you have to flee your kingdom and hide lest he and his followers kill you. Wow! In our worst moments I would guess that we have not been in this most unenviable position. If we felt crushed under the weight of our moment, imagine how crushed David must’ve been.
Yet, in the face of utter ruin what was David’s response? Did he curse God? Did he lose faith? Did he complain about the severity of God’s wrath against his sin? No, no, and no… he did none of those things. He drew closer to God, he repented, he cast his cares upon God and had faith that the Lord would deliver him. In Hebrews 11:32 the faith of David is one of those listed as an example for all of Christianity to follow for all of time. His faith was great and this psalm tells us about that faith in the face of great adversity. What an example we have for our own lives! As Henry says, “Is any afflicted? Let him pray, nay, let him sing psalms, let him sing this psalm. Perils and frights should drive us to God, not drive us from Him. Even our sorrow for sin must not hinder either our joy in God or our hope in God.” I can say that in times of great despair, specifically despair brought on by sin, that I have mulled over the idea of hiding from God. I have made feeble attempts at avoiding Him in my shame. Yet where am I to go to escape so great a God? What would I achieve should He allow me to escape? Surely I have known no ruin or despair like I would feel if that were to happen.
But, God is more faithful than I am, or, for that matter, any man ever to have lived on this earth. What are we running from? Was the blood of Christ not a sufficient propitiation for the sins of the elect? God loves me and I may have to endure His discipline as Pr 3:12 says, “For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” But, I am not going to lose Him! I am not going to be cast from Him! I am eternally secured by Christ. I am justified! Do we know what that means? I am, through the imputed righteousness of Christ, found not guilty. Notice in Rom. 8:30 it is written in the past tense. Do we think the bible made a mistake here and forgot to account for sins that we were yet to commit? No! Of course it didn’t. The redemptive work of Christ stands just as sure with sin number one as it does with the very last sin we will ever commit before the Lord takes us home. Yes, we must repent and we must confess our sins to God. But, when we do we are told, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 Jn 1:9).
So what are we hiding from? What discipline have we not deserved? What trial is not put here for our good? We have a faithful God who is infinitely greater than you or I. Like David, regardless of the cause for our troubles and despair, we cannot run from God. We must draw ever closer to Him and in complete surrender depend upon Him to care for His children. The promise stands true which Christ Himself said, “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” (Jn 10:28) Do not allow sinful logic to convince you that you have done something that will separate you from the Lord, you have not. Draw near to God, no matter the circumstance, and your life will be more beautiful than you ever have imagined it to be. Under no circumstance can the child of God sever himself from his God and hope to achieve that which is good or fruitful. Our well being, every single aspect of our lives, every detail of our salvation and our passing into eternity has always been, and always will be, dependent on God, not you or I. Thanks be to Him for that! For if the opposite were true we would all be awaiting damnation. Praise be to God!
Introduction
• David driven forth of his kingdom, was greatly tormented in mind for his sins against God: And therefore calleth upon God, and waxeth bold through His promises, against the great railings of his enemies, yea against death itself, which he saw present before his eyes. Finally, he rejoiceth for the good success that God gave him and all the church. 1599 GB
• David, although driven from his kingdom, and pressed down with utter despair of relief from every earthly quarter, ceases not to call upon God, and supports himself from his promise against the greatest terrors, against the mockery and cruel assaults of his enemies; and, finally, against death itself, which then forced itself upon his consideration. In the end of the psalm, he congratulates himself and the whole church on the happy issue of all. JC
• David was the composer of this psalm, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, occasioned by his flight from Absalom; who, having stolen away the hearts of the people of Israel, entered into a conspiracy with them to dethrone his father and place himself in his stead; and the people so increased continually with him, that David thought it advisable to flee from Jerusalem. Now was fulfilled what God had said, by Nathan the prophet, should befall him, because of the affair of Bathsheba and Uriah. David was an eminent type of Christ, and so he was in his troubles, and in these; as one of his sons conspired against him to dethrone him, and take away his life; so Judas, one of Christ's disciples or children, for disciples were called children, His familiar friend, that did eat of His bread, lifted up his heel against Him, and sought to betray Him, and did; and who, though He knew the designs of Judas against Him, and did not flee from him, but rather went to meet him, yet it is easy to observe that He took the same route from Jerusalem as David did. At this time He went over the brook Kidron, and to the Mount of Olives. Indeed the whole psalm may be applied to Christ; and so as the second psalm sets forth the dignity of Christ's person, as the Son of God, and the stability and enlargement of His kingdom, notwithstanding the opposition made to Him; this expresses His troubles from His enemies, His death and resurrection from the dead, His victory over His enemies, and the salvation He wrought out for His people. JG
• You will remember the sad story of David’s flight from his own palace, when, in the dead of the night, he forded the brook Kedron, and went with a few faithful followers to hide himself for awhile from the fury of his rebellious son. Remember that David in this was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. He, too, fled; he, too, passed over the brook Kedron when His own people were in rebellion against Him, and with a feeble band of followers He went to the garden of Gethsemane. CHS
• The title of this psalm best leads to the contents of it. The first and literal sense on this psalm should seem to refer wholly to David; but, to an enlightened eye, there is much to be seen in it of Christ. Amidst the afflictions here complained of, there is much of the consolations of Jesus, and His great salvation. RH
• As the foregoing psalm, in the type of David in preferment, showed us the royal dignity of the Redeemer, so this, by example of David in distress, shows us the peace and holy security of the redeemed, how safe they really are, and think themselves to be, under the divine protection. Those speak best of the truths of God who speak experimentally; so David here speaks of the power and goodness of God, and of the safety and tranquility of the godly. MH
3:1
“Lord, how they have increased who trouble me!”
• David was not only dethroned, but forsaken by almost all men; so that he had well nigh as many enemies as he had subjects. It is therefore not wonderful though he was affrighted by the great numbers who were opposed to him, for nothing could have taken place more unlooked for, on his part, than so sudden a rebellion. It was a mark of uncommon faith, when smitten with so great consternation, to venture freely to make his complaint to God, and, as it were, to pour out his soul into his bosom. And certainly the only remedy for allaying our fears is this, to cast upon Him all the cares which trouble us; as, on the other hand, those who have the conviction that they are not the objects of His regard, must be prostrated and overwhelmed by the calamities which befall them. JC
• David's enemies increased in the conspiracy against him, the hearts of the men of Israel were after Absalom, and against him. Christ's enemies increased when Judas with a multitude came to take Him; when the body of the common people cried out, “crucify Him”; when the assembly of the wicked enclosed Him, and pierced His hands and His feet. And the enemies of God's people are many; the men of this world are against them; legions of devils oppose them; and they have swarms of sins in their own hearts; and all these give trouble. David's enemies troubled him… to think that his own son should seek to destroy him; that his subjects, whom he had ruled so long with clemency, and had hazarded his person in war for their defense, and to protect them in their civil and religious rights, should rebel against him. Christ's enemies troubled Him, when they bound and led Him away as a malefactor; when they spit upon Him, smote and buffeted Him; when they scourged and crucified Him, and mocked at Him. The enemies of the saints are troublers of them; in the world, and from the men of it, they have tribulation; Satan's temptations give them much uneasiness and distress. JG
• David was now under the chastening hand of God. And what tended greatly to aggravate it, was the consciousness which he could not but have in his own mind, that it was for sin. God had said concerning his transgression in the case of Uriah, that the sword should not depart from his house; so that David could not but eye God’s hand, in the natural usurpation of his son Absalom. RH
• The poor broken-hearted father complains of the multitude of his enemies. CHS
• That they were very many… beyond what they were at first, and beyond whatever he thought they would have been. Absalom’s faction, like a snowball, strangely gathered in its motion. He speaks of it as one amazed. And how little fidelity and constancy are to be found among men! David had had the hearts of his subjects as much as ever any king had, and yet now, of a sudden, he had lost them. MH
“Many are they who rise up against me”
• Many in quantity… such as Ahithophel and others, who rose up against David in a hostile manner, to dispossess him of his kingdom, and to destroy his life. And many were they that rose up against Christ; the multitude came against Him as a thief, with clubs and staves: the men of this world rise up against the saints with their tongues, and sometimes with open force and violence; Satan, like a roaring lion, seeks to devour them, and their own fleshly lusts war against them. JG
• Christ, the Son of David, had many enemies. When the great multitude came to seize Him, when the crowd cried, Crucify Him! Crucify Him, how were those then increased that troubled Him. Even good people must not think it strange if the stream be against them and the powers that threaten them grow more and more formidable. MH
Personal Summary:
How many of us have been in a circumstance where it felt like the whole world was stacked up against us? The weight of it pressing us down into a deep despair; at its worst, it seems like our very lives are about to collapse and whither away into nothing. I have been there multiple times in my life and I am reasonably sure that many, if not all, of you have been there too. The difference here is that David really was in such a circumstance. Can you imagine the despair; not only of what was going on, but that it was being driven along and facilitated by his own son? I can imagine that between his broken heart and the stress of death pursuing him constantly that David’s life was a mess. Perhaps to aggravate the matter more is the guilt that must’ve have been at the forefront of his mind knowing that his sin caused this and that God was disciplining him for that sin. David had not only been an adulterer but a murderer and now the Lord was disciplining him. But the picture grows dimmer still; for David’s son, born to him by Bathsheba, was killed by the Lord as part of his punishment. What a bleak picture! You sin, Nathan the prophet is sent by the Lord to convict you of your sin, your son dies as a direct result of your sin, then another son turns your people against you and you have to flee your kingdom and hide lest he and his followers kill you. Wow! In our worst moments I would guess that we have not been in this most unenviable position. If we felt crushed under the weight of our moment, imagine how crushed David must’ve been.
Yet, in the face of utter ruin what was David’s response? Did he curse God? Did he lose faith? Did he complain about the severity of God’s wrath against his sin? No, no, and no… he did none of those things. He drew closer to God, he repented, he cast his cares upon God and had faith that the Lord would deliver him. In Hebrews 11:32 the faith of David is one of those listed as an example for all of Christianity to follow for all of time. His faith was great and this psalm tells us about that faith in the face of great adversity. What an example we have for our own lives! As Henry says, “Is any afflicted? Let him pray, nay, let him sing psalms, let him sing this psalm. Perils and frights should drive us to God, not drive us from Him. Even our sorrow for sin must not hinder either our joy in God or our hope in God.” I can say that in times of great despair, specifically despair brought on by sin, that I have mulled over the idea of hiding from God. I have made feeble attempts at avoiding Him in my shame. Yet where am I to go to escape so great a God? What would I achieve should He allow me to escape? Surely I have known no ruin or despair like I would feel if that were to happen.
But, God is more faithful than I am, or, for that matter, any man ever to have lived on this earth. What are we running from? Was the blood of Christ not a sufficient propitiation for the sins of the elect? God loves me and I may have to endure His discipline as Pr 3:12 says, “For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” But, I am not going to lose Him! I am not going to be cast from Him! I am eternally secured by Christ. I am justified! Do we know what that means? I am, through the imputed righteousness of Christ, found not guilty. Notice in Rom. 8:30 it is written in the past tense. Do we think the bible made a mistake here and forgot to account for sins that we were yet to commit? No! Of course it didn’t. The redemptive work of Christ stands just as sure with sin number one as it does with the very last sin we will ever commit before the Lord takes us home. Yes, we must repent and we must confess our sins to God. But, when we do we are told, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 Jn 1:9).
So what are we hiding from? What discipline have we not deserved? What trial is not put here for our good? We have a faithful God who is infinitely greater than you or I. Like David, regardless of the cause for our troubles and despair, we cannot run from God. We must draw ever closer to Him and in complete surrender depend upon Him to care for His children. The promise stands true which Christ Himself said, “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” (Jn 10:28) Do not allow sinful logic to convince you that you have done something that will separate you from the Lord, you have not. Draw near to God, no matter the circumstance, and your life will be more beautiful than you ever have imagined it to be. Under no circumstance can the child of God sever himself from his God and hope to achieve that which is good or fruitful. Our well being, every single aspect of our lives, every detail of our salvation and our passing into eternity has always been, and always will be, dependent on God, not you or I. Thanks be to Him for that! For if the opposite were true we would all be awaiting damnation. Praise be to God!
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