2:4
To start with we see the words “laugh” and “derision” here. While the original text would be two different words (sâchaq – to laugh and lâ’ag – to deride) they both carry with them the same context, which is doing so for the sake of mocking. lâ’ag is used more in the context of making fun of their speech. But even sâchaq carries with it the idea of making fun of, mocking, deriding, and laughing to scorn. The idea would be similar to when a child might say to another child, “I’m mad at you” and the other child mocks him by repeating it in a goofy voice and laughing at him. But in essence they drive home the point that the Lord laughs at their foolish plans and efforts against Him and mocks them as they proclaim their evil desires against Him. The fact that it is doubly so drives home the point of to what extent the Lord finds their conspiracy worthless and to be laughed at.
“He who sits in the heavens”
• After David has told us of the tumult and commotions, the counsels of pride, the preparation and the resources, the strength and efforts of his enemies, in opposition to all those he places the power of God alone, which he concludes would be brought to bear against them, from them attempting to frustrate His decree. By the lofty title He that dwelleth in heaven, he extols the power of God, as if he had said, that power remains intact and unimpaired, whatever men may attempt against it. Let them exalt themselves as they may, they shall never be able to reach heaven; yea, while they think to confound heaven and earth together, they resemble so many grasshoppers, and the Lord, meanwhile, undisturbed beholds from on high their infatuated evolutions. JC
• Those that make this mighty struggle are the people of the earth, and the kings of the earth, who, being of the earth, are earthly; be He whom they contest with is one that sits in the heavens. Such is His power that He can overcome them all and all their attempts. He sits there, as one easy at rest, out of the reach of their impotent menaces and attempts. There He sits as judge in all the affairs of the children of men, perfectly secure of the full accomplishment of all His own purposes and designs, in spite of all the opposition. (Ps 29:10) The perfect repose of the Eternal Mind may be our comfort under all the disquietments of our mind. MH
• [He] sits there enthroned; though He is not included and comprehended in them, but is everywhere; and His being there is mentioned in opposition to the kings of the earth, and the people in it; and to show the vast distance there is between them, and how they are as nothing to Him, and how vain and fruitless their attempts must be against Him and His Messiah: and His sitting there still and quiet, serene and undisturbed, is opposed to the running to and fro, and the tumultuous and riotous assembling of the Heathen. John Gill
• [This] is intended to convey…as best adapted to our comprehension, how impossible it is for the wicked opposers of God’s holy will, whether to escape His knowledge, to counteract His designs, or to avert His judgments. Sweet consideration to the humble believer, both to support him under his fears, as if he were overlooked and forgotten, when the enemy seems to triumph; and to give him the firmest confidence, that as Jesus knows all his path, so He beholds all His conflicts with the enemies of his salvation, and will assuredly in His own time, which is always the best time, deliver him out of all his troubles. RH
“shall laugh… hold them in derision”
• David ascribes laughter to God on two accounts: He does not… need... great armies to repress the rebellion of wicked men, as if this were… [a] difficult matter, but on the contrary, could do this as often as He pleases with the most perfect of ease. In the second place… when God permits the reign of His Son to be troubled, He does not cease from interfering because he is employed elsewhere, or unable to afford assistance, or because he is neglectful of the honor of His Son; but He purposefully delays the inflictions of His wrath to the proper time, namely, until He has exposed their infatuated rage to general derision. JC
• Mark the quiet dignity of the Omnipotent One, and the contempt which He pours upon the princes and their raging people. He has not taken the trouble to rise up and do battle with them – He despises them, he knows how absurd, how irrational, how futile are their attempts against Him – He therefore laughs at them. CHS
• Pharaoh imagined that by drowning the Israelite males, he had found a way to root their name from the earth; but when at the same time, his own daughter, in his own court, gave princely education to Moses, their deliverer, did God not laugh? Short is the joy of the wicked. Thomas Adams.
• … those attempts of the kingdom of Satan which in our eyes are formidable in His are despicable. MH
• [His laughter] expresses His security from all their attempts, and the contempt He has them in, and the certain punishment of them, and the aggravation of it; who will not only then laugh at them Himself, but expose them to the laughter and scorn of others. [This repetition] is made partly to show the certainty of their disappointment and ruin, and partly to explain who is meant by Him that sits in the heavens. John Gill
Personal Summary:
The world plots and conspires against God. We at times sit and wonder where is God? Why isn’t He doing anything about this? When will He avenge us from our oppressors? Yet, who are we to lack patience in waiting on the will of God to be accomplished? He is not bound to time and He is not bound to act simply because we think He should. God is not accountable to man in any way. Did not the Jews have this same mode of thinking? Did it not lead to their denial of Christ because He was not what they had envisioned or desired? It is intensely sinful to hold this view and creates a chasm between us and God. This view puts us in the same position as the rulers and people that would plot against Him. The difference in how we are opposing Him may be evident, but at its base are we not attempting to make God accountable to man? Insisting that He act according to our whims, desires, and timelines? Yet, who has the greater offense been done to? Man or God? It may be that we are afflicted in their attack on God, but make no mistake about it… if the arrows from their bows strike you in the arm it is a misplaced shot; for it was certainly intended to hit the heart of God. So the greater offense has been done to God, not us. He may indeed avenge those that would afflict His chosen people. But the ultimate vengeance will come because they came against Him.
Yet, that said there is a comfort to be had. The comfort is that God will avenge, He will correct, and He will not sit idly by and allow this to go on forever. There will be a time when the Lord rises up and strikes them down. I was reading Ps 18 today and thought it particularly applicable to the conversation. This is the Word of God, Ps 18:31-33, 35-36, 39-42, “For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God? It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places. Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip. For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me. Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me. They cried, but there was none to save them: even unto the LORD, but he answered them not. Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.” In the end they are utterly destroyed and beaten into the dust of the earth while we stand victorious and cling evermore to the Lord! The victory is sure, the reward is great, and we must persevere and wait patiently on the Lord. Jas 1:2-4, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” Patience is necessary to our walk and produces character, even Abraham had to wait patiently on the promise of the Lord. Heb 6:13-15, “For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.” Yet in all these things the Lord, in His own time, delivered the promise and delivered His people. He never ceases to be omniscient; He knows what will happen to you before it has ever even been designed in the minds of men. He never ceases to be omnipotent; He has the ability to do what is good and right in His eyes and according to the counsel of His will and in His time.
Remember, He laughs at the plans of these evil men. They may seem like they are victorious in the short term but we are assured that it is not so forever. His sovereignty stands true in every walk of life and His plans will never be thwarted by any of us, let alone the wicked.
As an ending note: I use the KJV often in this because I can copy and paste it from my Online Bible Software which makes it easy and allows me to forgo a lot of typing. If that version is not what you prefer that is fine and I am not advocating it as a necessary version by including it. But I will use it for the sake of ease in typing these papers.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Psalms 2:2-3
Note: Specifically in verse 3 I like the translation of the Amplified because it brings into focus the true meaning of the individual words and makes clearer what the collective thoughts of the commentators are here. Vs. 3, “Let us break Their bands [of restraint] asunder, and cast Their cords [of control] from us.” It shows, in my opinion, perhaps a clearer picture of the complaint. They are complaining against God that He has shackled them with chains of restraint and handcuffed them for the sake of control. They are inferring that His law and kingdom are oppressive to them and to be shunned for freedom’s sake. It is obvious the freedom they desire is not true freedom; but, they desire to wallow in sin as slaves unto it, gratifying their flesh in defiance of God. (Rom 6:16-18)
“The kings of the earth set themselves”
• The commotion is not caused by the people only, but their leaders [cause trouble and stir up the rebellion]. In determined malice they arrayed themselves in opposition against God. It was not temporary rage, but deep-seated hate, for they set themselves resolutely to withstand the Prince of Peace. CHS
• Not only the rabble and the common people join in the confederacy against God and His Christ, but the kings and [rulers]. (Acts 4:27) But, is there not a more violent opposition made against Jesus? Is not hell up in arms against the kingdom of Jesus? Nay, my soul, were not all thy powers, when in a state of unrenewed nature, as rebellious as any? And even now, are not the breakings out of the remaining indwelling corruptions of thy sinful body too often rising up against thy lawful Sovereign? Hear Paul’s complaint: see whether it is not thine own, and lie low in the dust before God. (Rom 7:21-25) RH
“the rulers take counsel together”
• They go about their warfare craftily, not with foolish haste, but deliberately. Like Pharaoh, they cry, “Let us deal wisely with them.” (Ex. 1:10) Oh that men were half as careful in God’s service to serve Him wisely, as His enemies are to attack His kingdom craftily. Sinners have their wits about them, yet saints are dull. CHS
• It is a combined and confederate opposition… to assist and animate one another in this opposition; they carry their resolutions unanimously, that they will push the unholy war against he Messiah with the utmost vigor, and thereupon councils are called… and all their wits are at work to find out ways and means for the preventing of the establishment of Christ’s kingdom. (Ps 83:5) MH
“against the Lord, and against His Christ (Anointed; Messiah)”
• What an honor it was to David to be thus publicly associated with Jehovah! And, because he was anointed, to be an object of hatred and scorn to the ungodly world! David Pitcairn
• This doctrine runs through the whole gospel; for the prayer of the apostles… manifestly testifies that it ought not to be restricted to the person of Christ. (Acts 4:25-28) JC
“Let us break their bands asunder”
• “Let us rid ourselves of all restraint.” Gathering impudence by the traitorous proposition of rebellion, they add – “let us cast away”; as if it were an easy matter, - let us fling off “their cords from us.” Do you dream (Kings) that you shall snap to pieces and destroy the mandates of God – the decrees of the Most High – as if they were but tow ? Yes! There are monarchs who have spoken thus, and there are still rebels upon thrones. However mad the resolution to revolt from God, it is one in which man has persevered ever since his creation, and he continues in it to this very day. To a graceless neck the yoke of Christ is intolerable, but to the saved sinner it is easy and light. We may judge ourselves by this, do we love that yoke, or do we wish to cast it from us? CHS
• What was their desire of Him? To have His goods? No, He had none for Himself; but they were richer than He. To have His liberty? Nay, that would not suffice them, for they had bound Him before. To bring the people into dislike of Him? Nay, that would not serve them, for they had done so already, until even His disciples were fled from Him. What would they have then? His blood? Yea, “they took counsel together for to put Him to death.” (John 11:53) Henry Smith
• The law of Christ is no more as bands and cords, but as girdles and garters which gird up [man’s] loins and expedite his course. John Trapp
• Not that they openly avowed themselves rebels against God, (for they rather covered their rebellion under every possible pretext, and presumptuously boasted of having God on their side;) but since they were fully determined, by all means, fair or foul, to drive David from his throne, whatever they professed with the mouth, the whole of their consultation amounted to this, how they might overthrow the kingdom which God has set up. He represents them speaking scornfully of his government, as if to submit to it were a slavish and shameful subjection, just as we see it is with all the enemies of Christ who, when compelled to be subject to His authority, reckon it not less degrading than if the utmost disgrace were put upon them. JC
• They will not be under any government, they are children of Belial, that cannot endure the yoke, at least the yoke of the Lord and His anointed. If the Lord and His anointed will make them rich and great in the world, they will bid them welcome; but if they will restrain their corrupt appetites and passions, regulate and reform their hearts and lives, and bring them under the government of a pure and heavenly religion, truly then they will not have this man to reign over them. (Lu 19:14) It is a vain thing [which they attempt], when they have done their worst Christ will have a church in the world and that church shall be glorious and triumphant. It is built upon a rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matt 16:18) MH
Personal Summary:
To start, I love Robert Hawker’s application here. Not because it is entirely the point of the verses under consideration. But, how often do we look at verses like this and feel ourselves above the fray? We seem to feel as if we have never conspired against God; whether when we were a degenerate member of the lost; or, in lesser fashion, hopefully, while we were saved. I can personally attest to the fact that I repeatedly pitted myself against God when I was lost, and intentionally so. I can recall a time when I screamed out at God with every ounce of anger I could muster cursing His very name. It is a great act of mercy and forbearance that God didn’t strike me down on the spot and send me directly to hell. But in that reflection we are apt to have, we must not forget where we came from, what the Lord has saved us from. Yet, even since we have been saved, we find ourselves being disobedient followers, obstinately pursuing our own interests at various times throughout our walk. Oh! The pain and guilt that our sin now causes us when the Lord shows it to us! How many of us when taking stock of our sin, have, at some time or another, wondered how can I both be saved and behave like this? In fact, at times have we not been so appalled at our sin that we wonder if we are saved at all? If not for the seal of the Spirit upon our hearts I would venture to say that we would all be fully convinced we were indeed still lost. (Rom 8:16) The point being that when we read this it should appall us that mankind acts this way. It should equally appall us that we have behaved this way right along with them at various points throughout our lives. The key difference being that we are redeemed and viewed through the imputed righteousness of Christ which He gained on the cross for our sins. They are condemned men waiting for the noose to tighten on their wicked necks; with the mighty and righteous hand of God acting as their executioner. Thus we cannot allow our walk to be one merely that in recognition of sin stagnates and wallows in misery because of sin past either. For as Paul says in Php 3:13-14, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” It is good to be convicted of your sin and humbled before the Lord which leads to repentance. It is better to understand that you are forgiven and to continuously strive for the glory of Christ until we are finally called home to Him and sin shall reign no more. (Rom 5:21)
Yet here we see the reality of the world we live in. This doesn’t only apply to some 3000 year old predicament that no longer affects us. No, it is real today, it is happening all around us. Our President this year proclaimed to the world that we were NOT a Christian nation . And this hardly got a whisper from the vast majority of the people living in America. The nation that God has built and that He has prospered and kept safe under His mighty providential eye. So that it is evident that even within our own country the people and the rulers conspire and plot against God. They hate Him and they hate His followers, they have seething rage against Him, they grind their teeth in rage and disgust at the mere mention of His name. (Verify for yourself the next time you try to share the Word of God with a lost person.) Lamentably, persecution may be something we have to face in America before long. Are we ready and prepared to lay everything on the line like David was? As Mr. Pitcairn said above, “What an honor it was to David to be thus publicly associated with Jehovah! And, because he was anointed, to be an object of hatred and scorn to the ungodly world!”
I read a prayer the other day in “The Valley of Vision” entitled “Longings After God”. In it, it says something entirely applicable to this conversation:
Wrap my life in divine love,
and keep me ever desiring thee,
always humble and resigned to thy will,
more fixed on thyself,
that I may be more fitted for doing and suffering.”
Are we prepared for persecution and if it knocks its heavy hand at our door are we willing to pray that God fit us better for doing and for suffering? We know we will be victorious because we are members of one body with Christ to whom “every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear”. (Isa 45:23) We are assured of suffering and we are assured of victory. Take heart and do both to the glory of God and the furtherance of His kingdom. For in the end, regardless of what takes place on this earth, we have a course that we must travel and it is oh so different from the course of evil men. “Your life is short, your duties many, your assistance great, and your reward sure; therefore faint not, hold on and hold up, in ways of well-doing, and heaven shall make amends for all” —Thomas Brooks
In the end the glorious yoke of Christ is not a burden but an honor. It is not heavy and cumbersome; it is light, it is advantageous for us to bear, it inspires love in us towards God, and what can be better than that?
“The kings of the earth set themselves”
• The commotion is not caused by the people only, but their leaders [cause trouble and stir up the rebellion]. In determined malice they arrayed themselves in opposition against God. It was not temporary rage, but deep-seated hate, for they set themselves resolutely to withstand the Prince of Peace. CHS
• Not only the rabble and the common people join in the confederacy against God and His Christ, but the kings and [rulers]. (Acts 4:27) But, is there not a more violent opposition made against Jesus? Is not hell up in arms against the kingdom of Jesus? Nay, my soul, were not all thy powers, when in a state of unrenewed nature, as rebellious as any? And even now, are not the breakings out of the remaining indwelling corruptions of thy sinful body too often rising up against thy lawful Sovereign? Hear Paul’s complaint: see whether it is not thine own, and lie low in the dust before God. (Rom 7:21-25) RH
“the rulers take counsel together”
• They go about their warfare craftily, not with foolish haste, but deliberately. Like Pharaoh, they cry, “Let us deal wisely with them.” (Ex. 1:10) Oh that men were half as careful in God’s service to serve Him wisely, as His enemies are to attack His kingdom craftily. Sinners have their wits about them, yet saints are dull. CHS
• It is a combined and confederate opposition… to assist and animate one another in this opposition; they carry their resolutions unanimously, that they will push the unholy war against he Messiah with the utmost vigor, and thereupon councils are called… and all their wits are at work to find out ways and means for the preventing of the establishment of Christ’s kingdom. (Ps 83:5) MH
“against the Lord, and against His Christ (Anointed; Messiah)”
• What an honor it was to David to be thus publicly associated with Jehovah! And, because he was anointed, to be an object of hatred and scorn to the ungodly world! David Pitcairn
• This doctrine runs through the whole gospel; for the prayer of the apostles… manifestly testifies that it ought not to be restricted to the person of Christ. (Acts 4:25-28) JC
“Let us break their bands asunder”
• “Let us rid ourselves of all restraint.” Gathering impudence by the traitorous proposition of rebellion, they add – “let us cast away”; as if it were an easy matter, - let us fling off “their cords from us.” Do you dream (Kings) that you shall snap to pieces and destroy the mandates of God – the decrees of the Most High – as if they were but tow ? Yes! There are monarchs who have spoken thus, and there are still rebels upon thrones. However mad the resolution to revolt from God, it is one in which man has persevered ever since his creation, and he continues in it to this very day. To a graceless neck the yoke of Christ is intolerable, but to the saved sinner it is easy and light. We may judge ourselves by this, do we love that yoke, or do we wish to cast it from us? CHS
• What was their desire of Him? To have His goods? No, He had none for Himself; but they were richer than He. To have His liberty? Nay, that would not suffice them, for they had bound Him before. To bring the people into dislike of Him? Nay, that would not serve them, for they had done so already, until even His disciples were fled from Him. What would they have then? His blood? Yea, “they took counsel together for to put Him to death.” (John 11:53) Henry Smith
• The law of Christ is no more as bands and cords, but as girdles and garters which gird up [man’s] loins and expedite his course. John Trapp
• Not that they openly avowed themselves rebels against God, (for they rather covered their rebellion under every possible pretext, and presumptuously boasted of having God on their side;) but since they were fully determined, by all means, fair or foul, to drive David from his throne, whatever they professed with the mouth, the whole of their consultation amounted to this, how they might overthrow the kingdom which God has set up. He represents them speaking scornfully of his government, as if to submit to it were a slavish and shameful subjection, just as we see it is with all the enemies of Christ who, when compelled to be subject to His authority, reckon it not less degrading than if the utmost disgrace were put upon them. JC
• They will not be under any government, they are children of Belial, that cannot endure the yoke, at least the yoke of the Lord and His anointed. If the Lord and His anointed will make them rich and great in the world, they will bid them welcome; but if they will restrain their corrupt appetites and passions, regulate and reform their hearts and lives, and bring them under the government of a pure and heavenly religion, truly then they will not have this man to reign over them. (Lu 19:14) It is a vain thing [which they attempt], when they have done their worst Christ will have a church in the world and that church shall be glorious and triumphant. It is built upon a rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matt 16:18) MH
Personal Summary:
To start, I love Robert Hawker’s application here. Not because it is entirely the point of the verses under consideration. But, how often do we look at verses like this and feel ourselves above the fray? We seem to feel as if we have never conspired against God; whether when we were a degenerate member of the lost; or, in lesser fashion, hopefully, while we were saved. I can personally attest to the fact that I repeatedly pitted myself against God when I was lost, and intentionally so. I can recall a time when I screamed out at God with every ounce of anger I could muster cursing His very name. It is a great act of mercy and forbearance that God didn’t strike me down on the spot and send me directly to hell. But in that reflection we are apt to have, we must not forget where we came from, what the Lord has saved us from. Yet, even since we have been saved, we find ourselves being disobedient followers, obstinately pursuing our own interests at various times throughout our walk. Oh! The pain and guilt that our sin now causes us when the Lord shows it to us! How many of us when taking stock of our sin, have, at some time or another, wondered how can I both be saved and behave like this? In fact, at times have we not been so appalled at our sin that we wonder if we are saved at all? If not for the seal of the Spirit upon our hearts I would venture to say that we would all be fully convinced we were indeed still lost. (Rom 8:16) The point being that when we read this it should appall us that mankind acts this way. It should equally appall us that we have behaved this way right along with them at various points throughout our lives. The key difference being that we are redeemed and viewed through the imputed righteousness of Christ which He gained on the cross for our sins. They are condemned men waiting for the noose to tighten on their wicked necks; with the mighty and righteous hand of God acting as their executioner. Thus we cannot allow our walk to be one merely that in recognition of sin stagnates and wallows in misery because of sin past either. For as Paul says in Php 3:13-14, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” It is good to be convicted of your sin and humbled before the Lord which leads to repentance. It is better to understand that you are forgiven and to continuously strive for the glory of Christ until we are finally called home to Him and sin shall reign no more. (Rom 5:21)
Yet here we see the reality of the world we live in. This doesn’t only apply to some 3000 year old predicament that no longer affects us. No, it is real today, it is happening all around us. Our President this year proclaimed to the world that we were NOT a Christian nation . And this hardly got a whisper from the vast majority of the people living in America. The nation that God has built and that He has prospered and kept safe under His mighty providential eye. So that it is evident that even within our own country the people and the rulers conspire and plot against God. They hate Him and they hate His followers, they have seething rage against Him, they grind their teeth in rage and disgust at the mere mention of His name. (Verify for yourself the next time you try to share the Word of God with a lost person.) Lamentably, persecution may be something we have to face in America before long. Are we ready and prepared to lay everything on the line like David was? As Mr. Pitcairn said above, “What an honor it was to David to be thus publicly associated with Jehovah! And, because he was anointed, to be an object of hatred and scorn to the ungodly world!”
I read a prayer the other day in “The Valley of Vision” entitled “Longings After God”. In it, it says something entirely applicable to this conversation:
Wrap my life in divine love,
and keep me ever desiring thee,
always humble and resigned to thy will,
more fixed on thyself,
that I may be more fitted for doing and suffering.”
Are we prepared for persecution and if it knocks its heavy hand at our door are we willing to pray that God fit us better for doing and for suffering? We know we will be victorious because we are members of one body with Christ to whom “every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear”. (Isa 45:23) We are assured of suffering and we are assured of victory. Take heart and do both to the glory of God and the furtherance of His kingdom. For in the end, regardless of what takes place on this earth, we have a course that we must travel and it is oh so different from the course of evil men. “Your life is short, your duties many, your assistance great, and your reward sure; therefore faint not, hold on and hold up, in ways of well-doing, and heaven shall make amends for all” —Thomas Brooks
In the end the glorious yoke of Christ is not a burden but an honor. It is not heavy and cumbersome; it is light, it is advantageous for us to bear, it inspires love in us towards God, and what can be better than that?
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Psalms 2:1
Chapter 2
Introduction
• The Prophet David rejoices, that notwithstanding his enemies’ rage, yet God will continue His kingdom forever, and advance it even to the end of the world, and therefore exhorts kings and rulers, that they would humbly submit themselves under God’s yoke, because it is in vain to resist God. Herein is figured Christ’s kingdom.-1599 GB
• We shall not greatly err in our summary of this sublime Psalm is we call it THE PSALM OF MESSIAH THE PRINCE; for it sets forth as in a wondrous vision the tumult of the people against the Lord’s anointed, the determinate purpose of God to exalt His own Son, and the ultimate reign of that Son over all His enemies. Let us read it with the eye of faith, beholding, as in a glass, the final triumph of our Lord Jesus Christ over all His enemies.-CHS
• This glorious Psalm is all over the gospel, and speaks of nothing but of God, and His Christ, from beginning to end. The Holy Spirit, by His servants Peter and John, in one scripture, and by His servant Paul in another, has not left the church to any uncertain reasonings and conjectures respecting this, but decidedly shown to whom the whole belongs. Here is the kingdom of Christ set forth under the type of David’s kingdom, and all the kings of the earth exhorted to bend to it.-Robert Hawker
• David boasts that his kingdom, though assailed by a vast multitude of powerful enemies, would notwithstanding, be perpetual, because it was upheld by the hand and power of God. He adds, that in spite of his enemies, it would be extended even to the utmost ends of the earth. All this was typical, and contains a prophecy concerning the future kingdom of Christ.-JC
• As the foregoing psalm was moral, and showed us our duty, so this is evangelical, and shows us our Savior. There is nothing in it but what is applicable to Christ, but some things are not applicable to David. The Holy Spirit here foretells, I. The opposition that should be given to the kingdom of the Messiah (v. 1-3). II. The baffling and chastising of that opposition (v. 4-5). III. The setting up of the kingdom of Christ, notwithstanding that opposition (v. 6). IV. The confirmation and establishment of it (v. 7). V. A promise of the enlargement and success of it (v. 8, 9). VI. A call and exhortation to kings and princes to yield themselves the willing subjects of this kingdom (v. 10-12). Or thus: We have here, I. Threatenings denounced against the adversaries of Christ’s kingdom (v. 1-6). II. Promises made to Christ Himself, the head of this kingdom (v. 7-9). III. Counsel given to all to espouse the interests of the kingdom (v. 10-12). This psalm… is…. prefixed to this book of devotions, because, as it is necessary to our acceptance with God that we should be subject to the precepts of His law, so it is likewise that we should be subject to the grace of His gospel, and come to Him in the name of a Mediator.-MH
2:1
Note: While in my versions (KJV, NKJV, ESV, Amplified, NIV, NAS, RSV, and 1599 GB) of the bible I couldn’t find one that expressed verse 1 in the past tense it seems that in the original Hebrew it was with the connotation of past tense. Some of the commentaries already assuming this to be known, I suppose, give their notes accordingly. It is presented as if it is already done or being done by the people. “The past tense of this verb (why have they raged?) refers to the commotion as already begun.”-J.A. Alexander
“the heathen rage… imagine a vain thing”:
• We have, in these first three verses, a description of the hatred of human nature against the Christ of God. The Psalm begins abruptly with an angry interrogation; it is surely to be wondered at, that the sight of creatures in arms against their God should amaze the psalmist’s mind. We see the heathen raging, roaring like the sea, tossed to and fro with restless waves, as the ocean in a storm; and then we mark the people in their hearts imagining a vain thing against God. Where there is much rage there is generally some folly, and in this case there is an excess of it. It was not a temporary rage, but deep-seated hate.-CHS
• Herod plotted against Christ, to hinder the course of His ministry and mediatorship, but he could not perform his enterprise; ‘tis so all along, therefore it is said, “Why do the heathen imagine a vain thing?” A vain thing, because a thing successless, their hands could not perform it. It was vain, not only because there was no true ground of reason why they should imagine or do such a thing, but vain also because they labored in vain, they could not do it, and therefore it follows, “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.”-Joseph Caryl
• Observe how triumphantly it opens, in contemplating the Redeemer’s kingdom, speaking of it as a thing already granted and done, although the Psalm was written under the spirit of prophecy, at least a thousand years before Christ became incarnate. Yea, the Psalm looks back to the annals of eternity. The Holy Spirit has decided the point by His servants Peter and John (Acts 4:25-26).-Robert Hawker
• The emphasis falls on the word “vain”; that is, why do the nations plot in vain? The enemies of God think they are victorious against God’s church. They crucify Jesus and imprison His apostles with impunity, and yet their actions are futile. Psalm 2 reveals the utter foolishness of the nations in plotting against God, for all their efforts are thwarted. The kingdom of God’s Son shall last forever.-Simon J. Kistemaker (Hendriksen NT Commentary Vol. 5)
• That David prophesied concerning Christ, is clearly manifest from this, that he knew his own kingdom to be merely a shadow. And in order to learn to apply to Christ whatever David, in times past, sang concerning himself, we must hold this principle, which we meet with everywhere in all the prophets, that he, with his posterity, was, made king, not so much for his own sake as to be an [ectype] of the Redeemer. If we attentively consider the nature of the kingdom, we will perceive that it would be absurd to overlook the end or scope, and to rest in the mere shadow. That the kingdom of Christ is here described by the spirit of prophecy, is sufficiently attested to us by the apostles, who, seeing ungodly conspiring against Christ, arm themselves in prayer with this doctrine (Acts 4:24-26). Let this; therefore, be held as a settled point, that all who do not submit themselves to the authority of Christ make war against God. Since it seems good to God to rule us by the hand of His own Son, those who refuse to obey Christ Himself deny the authority of God, and it is in vain for them to profess otherwise. A twofold consolation may be drawn from this passage: First, as often as the world rages, in order to disturb and put an end to the prosperity of Christ’s kingdom, we have only to remember that, in all this, there is just a fulfillment of what long ago was predicted, and no changes that can happen will greatly disquiet us. Nor is it at all wonderful, or unusual, if the world begins to rage as soon as a throne is erected for Christ. The other consolation which follows is, that when the ungodly have mustered their forces… and… furiously assault heaven itself, we may safely laugh them to scorn, relying on this one consideration, that he whom they are assailing is the God who is in heaven. Let us remember that they are making war against God over whom they shall not prevail, and therefore their attempts, whatever they may be, and however increasing, will come to naught, and be utterly ineffectual.-JC
• We have here a very great struggle about the kingdom of Christ, hell and heaven contesting it; the seat of the war is this earth, where Satan has long had a usurped kingdom and exercised dominion to such a degree that he has been called the prince of the power of the very air we breathe in and the god of this world we live in. He knows very well that, as the Messiah’s kingdom rises and gets ground, his falls and loses ground; and therefore, thought it will set up certainly; it shall not be set up tamely. Never were the notions of any sect of philosophers, though ever so absurd, nor the powers of any prince or state, though ever so tyrannical, opposed with so much violence as the doctrine and government of Christ – a sign that it was from heaven, for the opposite was plainly from hell originally. They rage and fret; they gnash their teeth for vexation at the setting up of Christ’s kingdom; it creates [for] them the utmost uneasiness, and fills them with indignation, so they have no enjoyment of themselves. It is a deliberate and [shrewd] opposition. They imagine or meditate, that is, they contrive means to suppress the rising interests of Christ’s kingdom and are very confident of the success of their contrivances; they promise themselves that they shall run down religion and carry they day. It is a resolute and obstinate opposition.-MH
Personal Summary:
We see here the natural hate mankind has in his heart for God as a result of the fall. Who can deny Original Sin when the practical reality of it exists all around us and is clearly testified to in scripture through such passages as this? Our sin leads us to have a natural enmity between ourselves and God. Apart from God we grow in our hate for Him and His ways. We pit ourselves against Him with whatever perceived strength we can muster. We loath to see His purposes accomplished. We become angry and violent at the mere sound of His name proclaimed and His doctrines preached to us or even indirectly to others. Who that has had the unfortunate experience and memory of being lost cannot remember this in their lives and in the lives of their friends and perhaps their family? WE have done this and been guilty of this and thus we are assured fully that this exists and will until the Lord comes back and takes what is rightfully His and His eternal victory is finally and fully accomplished. Perhaps my disgust and impatience of this stems ever more from the scars I bear in my memory from acting the same.
Yet we have been saved. Should we not yearn that others too will be like us? That they too will be called and saved? That they too will no longer revile the things of God but delight in them? I pray that we do and that we live lives that glorify God and share the gospel at every opportunity.
But though we acted like the heathen and they happily still do, there is an end in sight. As Calvin said, “…we have only to remember that, in all this, there is just a fulfillment of what long ago was predicted, and no changes that can happen will greatly disquiet us. Let us remember that they are making war against God over whom they shall not prevail, and therefore their attempts, whatever they may be, and however increasing, will come to naught, and be utterly ineffectual.” What a consolation this is! Nothing they can or will do is anything more than we have known they will do and thus their ultimate effect on us is nothing. But not only that! We know that Christ will be victorious and we along with Him. For though we suffer temporarily we are bound to Him for eternity, Rom. 8:17, “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” His victory is our victory and with Abraham we will be “glad to see His day” (Jn 8:56). Their plotting against God is in vain and will ultimately amount to nothing. His victory is assured and He in His word tells us to contemplate it from the perspective as a thing already accomplished, past tense… it is done!
How wonderful to know that Christ has been so openly proclaimed and testified to for so many thousands of years. Yet, it is even better to know that what we see and know now is only in part, a shadow of what will be, and the true beauty of Christ in all its anticipated fullness still leaves us looking forward in hope. I Jn. 3:2-3, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.” Amen!
Introduction
• The Prophet David rejoices, that notwithstanding his enemies’ rage, yet God will continue His kingdom forever, and advance it even to the end of the world, and therefore exhorts kings and rulers, that they would humbly submit themselves under God’s yoke, because it is in vain to resist God. Herein is figured Christ’s kingdom.-1599 GB
• We shall not greatly err in our summary of this sublime Psalm is we call it THE PSALM OF MESSIAH THE PRINCE; for it sets forth as in a wondrous vision the tumult of the people against the Lord’s anointed, the determinate purpose of God to exalt His own Son, and the ultimate reign of that Son over all His enemies. Let us read it with the eye of faith, beholding, as in a glass, the final triumph of our Lord Jesus Christ over all His enemies.-CHS
• This glorious Psalm is all over the gospel, and speaks of nothing but of God, and His Christ, from beginning to end. The Holy Spirit, by His servants Peter and John, in one scripture, and by His servant Paul in another, has not left the church to any uncertain reasonings and conjectures respecting this, but decidedly shown to whom the whole belongs. Here is the kingdom of Christ set forth under the type of David’s kingdom, and all the kings of the earth exhorted to bend to it.-Robert Hawker
• David boasts that his kingdom, though assailed by a vast multitude of powerful enemies, would notwithstanding, be perpetual, because it was upheld by the hand and power of God. He adds, that in spite of his enemies, it would be extended even to the utmost ends of the earth. All this was typical, and contains a prophecy concerning the future kingdom of Christ.-JC
• As the foregoing psalm was moral, and showed us our duty, so this is evangelical, and shows us our Savior. There is nothing in it but what is applicable to Christ, but some things are not applicable to David. The Holy Spirit here foretells, I. The opposition that should be given to the kingdom of the Messiah (v. 1-3). II. The baffling and chastising of that opposition (v. 4-5). III. The setting up of the kingdom of Christ, notwithstanding that opposition (v. 6). IV. The confirmation and establishment of it (v. 7). V. A promise of the enlargement and success of it (v. 8, 9). VI. A call and exhortation to kings and princes to yield themselves the willing subjects of this kingdom (v. 10-12). Or thus: We have here, I. Threatenings denounced against the adversaries of Christ’s kingdom (v. 1-6). II. Promises made to Christ Himself, the head of this kingdom (v. 7-9). III. Counsel given to all to espouse the interests of the kingdom (v. 10-12). This psalm… is…. prefixed to this book of devotions, because, as it is necessary to our acceptance with God that we should be subject to the precepts of His law, so it is likewise that we should be subject to the grace of His gospel, and come to Him in the name of a Mediator.-MH
2:1
Note: While in my versions (KJV, NKJV, ESV, Amplified, NIV, NAS, RSV, and 1599 GB) of the bible I couldn’t find one that expressed verse 1 in the past tense it seems that in the original Hebrew it was with the connotation of past tense. Some of the commentaries already assuming this to be known, I suppose, give their notes accordingly. It is presented as if it is already done or being done by the people. “The past tense of this verb (why have they raged?) refers to the commotion as already begun.”-J.A. Alexander
“the heathen rage… imagine a vain thing”:
• We have, in these first three verses, a description of the hatred of human nature against the Christ of God. The Psalm begins abruptly with an angry interrogation; it is surely to be wondered at, that the sight of creatures in arms against their God should amaze the psalmist’s mind. We see the heathen raging, roaring like the sea, tossed to and fro with restless waves, as the ocean in a storm; and then we mark the people in their hearts imagining a vain thing against God. Where there is much rage there is generally some folly, and in this case there is an excess of it. It was not a temporary rage, but deep-seated hate.-CHS
• Herod plotted against Christ, to hinder the course of His ministry and mediatorship, but he could not perform his enterprise; ‘tis so all along, therefore it is said, “Why do the heathen imagine a vain thing?” A vain thing, because a thing successless, their hands could not perform it. It was vain, not only because there was no true ground of reason why they should imagine or do such a thing, but vain also because they labored in vain, they could not do it, and therefore it follows, “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.”-Joseph Caryl
• Observe how triumphantly it opens, in contemplating the Redeemer’s kingdom, speaking of it as a thing already granted and done, although the Psalm was written under the spirit of prophecy, at least a thousand years before Christ became incarnate. Yea, the Psalm looks back to the annals of eternity. The Holy Spirit has decided the point by His servants Peter and John (Acts 4:25-26).-Robert Hawker
• The emphasis falls on the word “vain”; that is, why do the nations plot in vain? The enemies of God think they are victorious against God’s church. They crucify Jesus and imprison His apostles with impunity, and yet their actions are futile. Psalm 2 reveals the utter foolishness of the nations in plotting against God, for all their efforts are thwarted. The kingdom of God’s Son shall last forever.-Simon J. Kistemaker (Hendriksen NT Commentary Vol. 5)
• That David prophesied concerning Christ, is clearly manifest from this, that he knew his own kingdom to be merely a shadow. And in order to learn to apply to Christ whatever David, in times past, sang concerning himself, we must hold this principle, which we meet with everywhere in all the prophets, that he, with his posterity, was, made king, not so much for his own sake as to be an [ectype] of the Redeemer. If we attentively consider the nature of the kingdom, we will perceive that it would be absurd to overlook the end or scope, and to rest in the mere shadow. That the kingdom of Christ is here described by the spirit of prophecy, is sufficiently attested to us by the apostles, who, seeing ungodly conspiring against Christ, arm themselves in prayer with this doctrine (Acts 4:24-26). Let this; therefore, be held as a settled point, that all who do not submit themselves to the authority of Christ make war against God. Since it seems good to God to rule us by the hand of His own Son, those who refuse to obey Christ Himself deny the authority of God, and it is in vain for them to profess otherwise. A twofold consolation may be drawn from this passage: First, as often as the world rages, in order to disturb and put an end to the prosperity of Christ’s kingdom, we have only to remember that, in all this, there is just a fulfillment of what long ago was predicted, and no changes that can happen will greatly disquiet us. Nor is it at all wonderful, or unusual, if the world begins to rage as soon as a throne is erected for Christ. The other consolation which follows is, that when the ungodly have mustered their forces… and… furiously assault heaven itself, we may safely laugh them to scorn, relying on this one consideration, that he whom they are assailing is the God who is in heaven. Let us remember that they are making war against God over whom they shall not prevail, and therefore their attempts, whatever they may be, and however increasing, will come to naught, and be utterly ineffectual.-JC
• We have here a very great struggle about the kingdom of Christ, hell and heaven contesting it; the seat of the war is this earth, where Satan has long had a usurped kingdom and exercised dominion to such a degree that he has been called the prince of the power of the very air we breathe in and the god of this world we live in. He knows very well that, as the Messiah’s kingdom rises and gets ground, his falls and loses ground; and therefore, thought it will set up certainly; it shall not be set up tamely. Never were the notions of any sect of philosophers, though ever so absurd, nor the powers of any prince or state, though ever so tyrannical, opposed with so much violence as the doctrine and government of Christ – a sign that it was from heaven, for the opposite was plainly from hell originally. They rage and fret; they gnash their teeth for vexation at the setting up of Christ’s kingdom; it creates [for] them the utmost uneasiness, and fills them with indignation, so they have no enjoyment of themselves. It is a deliberate and [shrewd] opposition. They imagine or meditate, that is, they contrive means to suppress the rising interests of Christ’s kingdom and are very confident of the success of their contrivances; they promise themselves that they shall run down religion and carry they day. It is a resolute and obstinate opposition.-MH
Personal Summary:
We see here the natural hate mankind has in his heart for God as a result of the fall. Who can deny Original Sin when the practical reality of it exists all around us and is clearly testified to in scripture through such passages as this? Our sin leads us to have a natural enmity between ourselves and God. Apart from God we grow in our hate for Him and His ways. We pit ourselves against Him with whatever perceived strength we can muster. We loath to see His purposes accomplished. We become angry and violent at the mere sound of His name proclaimed and His doctrines preached to us or even indirectly to others. Who that has had the unfortunate experience and memory of being lost cannot remember this in their lives and in the lives of their friends and perhaps their family? WE have done this and been guilty of this and thus we are assured fully that this exists and will until the Lord comes back and takes what is rightfully His and His eternal victory is finally and fully accomplished. Perhaps my disgust and impatience of this stems ever more from the scars I bear in my memory from acting the same.
Yet we have been saved. Should we not yearn that others too will be like us? That they too will be called and saved? That they too will no longer revile the things of God but delight in them? I pray that we do and that we live lives that glorify God and share the gospel at every opportunity.
But though we acted like the heathen and they happily still do, there is an end in sight. As Calvin said, “…we have only to remember that, in all this, there is just a fulfillment of what long ago was predicted, and no changes that can happen will greatly disquiet us. Let us remember that they are making war against God over whom they shall not prevail, and therefore their attempts, whatever they may be, and however increasing, will come to naught, and be utterly ineffectual.” What a consolation this is! Nothing they can or will do is anything more than we have known they will do and thus their ultimate effect on us is nothing. But not only that! We know that Christ will be victorious and we along with Him. For though we suffer temporarily we are bound to Him for eternity, Rom. 8:17, “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” His victory is our victory and with Abraham we will be “glad to see His day” (Jn 8:56). Their plotting against God is in vain and will ultimately amount to nothing. His victory is assured and He in His word tells us to contemplate it from the perspective as a thing already accomplished, past tense… it is done!
How wonderful to know that Christ has been so openly proclaimed and testified to for so many thousands of years. Yet, it is even better to know that what we see and know now is only in part, a shadow of what will be, and the true beauty of Christ in all its anticipated fullness still leaves us looking forward in hope. I Jn. 3:2-3, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.” Amen!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Psalms 1:5-6
1:5-6
Now begins the aforementioned promise to the wicked. In vs.4 we saw their characteristics, their nature. They are the antithesis of the Godly man described in vs. 1 and 2. Now enters the promise of God to the wicked because of their sin.
The Amplified makes perhaps a clearer differentiation between the wicked and the righteous in these two verses and the wicked’s justifiable fear when they stand in judgment. 1:5-6, “Therefore the wicked, those disobedient [and living without God], shall not stand [justified] in the judgment; nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous [those who are upright and in right standing with God]. For the Lord knows and is fully acquainted with the way of the righteous; but the way of the ungodly [those living outside of God’s will] shall perish (end in ruin and come to nought).”
“Shall stand in judgment”:
• They shall stand there to be judged, but not to be acquitted. Fear shall lay hold upon them there; they shall not stand their ground; they shall flee away; they shall not stand in their own defense; they shall be covered with eternal contempt. Well may the saints long for heaven, for no evil men shall dwell there. All of our congregations upon earth are mixed. Every church has one devil in it. Let us rejoice then, that in “the general assembly and church of the firstborn” (Heb. 12:23) above, there shall by no means be admitted a single unrenewed soul. Sinners cannot live in heaven. They would be out of their element… such a privilege shall never be granted to the man who perseveres in his iniquities. CHS
• [The wicked shall not stand in the judgment] but tremble when they feel God’s wrath. 1599 GB
• The Prophet teaches that a happy life depends on a good conscience, and that, therefore, it is not wonderful, if the ungodly suddenly fall from the happiness which they fancied themselves in possession. And there is implied in the words a kind of concession; the prophet tacitly acknowledges that the ungodly please and enjoy themselves, and triumph during the reign of moral disorder in the world. But he assures us, that things will not always remain in their present state of confusion, and that when they shall have been reduced to proper order, these ungodly persons shall have been entirely deprived of their pleasures, and feel that they were infatuated when they thought themselves happy. The Psalmist pronounces the ungodly to be miserable, because happiness is the inward blessing of a good conscience. He does not deny, that before… judgment… things succeed well with them; but he denies that they are happy… for the true integrity of the righteous manifests itself when it comes at length to be tried. JC
• There is a judgment to come, in which every man’s present character and work, though ever so artfully concealed and disguised, shall be perfectly and truly discovered, and appear in their own colors, and accordingly every man’s state will be, by an irreversible sentence, determined for eternity. The wicked and profane, in this world, ridiculed the righteous and their congregation, despised them, and cared not for their company; justly therefore will they be forever separated from them. MH
“For the Lord knows the way of the righteous”:
• There is a more full idea rendered here than this translation. As the Amplified says, “For the Lord knows and is fully acquainted with the way of the righteous” or in the Hebrew, “the Lord is knowing the way of the righteous”. He is actively involved with knowing the ways and the works of the righteous, He knows it completely, it is fully understood by the Lord.
• The knowledge of God is not only perfect in kind, but also in its inclusiveness. It is called omniscience, because it is all comprehensive. God knows Himself and in Himself all things that come from Him (internal knowledge). He knows all things as they actually come to pass, past, present, and future, and knows them in their real relations. He knows the hidden essence of things, to which the knowledge of man cannot penetrate. He sees not as man sees, who observes only the outward manifestations of life, but penetrates to the depths of the human heart. He is perfect in knowledge (Job 37:16), looks not on outward appearance but on the heart (I Sam. 16:7), observes the ways of men (Deut. 2:7 and Ps. 1:6), knows the place of their habitation (Ps. 33:13), and the days of their life (Ps. 37:18). Louis Berkhof
• He is constantly looking on their way, and though it may often be in the midst of darkness, yet the Lord knows it… He understands it. He numbers the hairs of our head; He will not suffer any evil to befall us. Job 23:10, “But he knows the way that I take: when he has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” CHS
“but the way of the ungodly shall perish”:
• Not only shall they perish themselves, but their way shall perish too. The very “way” of the ungodly shall perish. CHS
• God is the Grand Judge of the world. Granting this, it follows that it cannot but be well with the upright and the just, while, on the other hand, the most terrible destruction must impend over the ungodly… at length He will visit them with destruction. Instead, therefore, of allowing ourselves to be deceived with their imaginary felicity, let us, in circumstances of distress, have ever before our eyes the providence of God, to whom it belongs to settle the affairs of the world, and to bring order out of confusion. JC
• Sinners must bear all the blame of their own destruction. The ungodly perish, because the very way in which they have chosen and resolved to walk leads directly to destruction; it naturally leads towards ruin and must necessarily end in it.[God] is angry with the way of the wicked, all they do is offensive to Him, therefore it shall perish, and they in it. MH
Personal Summary:
The Lord knows the way of the righteous and the wicked. The righteous He prospers and in the full realization of time assures a full and complete victory. The wicked He utterly destroys, “but the way of the ungodly [those living outside of God’s will] shall perish (end in ruin and come to nought).” We give thanks to the Lord for the blessings he bestows on us including and most importantly our inclusion to eternal life. Never must we forget that aside from God electing us to salvation, the Son dying on the cross as the propitiation for our sins, and the Spirit giving us the effectual call and ever sanctifying our damnable souls; that we too would be blissfully incorporated with the plight of the wicked and most assuredly spend eternity in their unenviable estate.
When it seems like we are losing the fight with the world, when it seems they prosper at our expense and in place of us, when we see them persecute and oppress with impunity, when life is beating us down as it will have occasion to do from time to time… fear not, despair not, only keep your eyes ever focused on the Lord. He is the omniscient creator of heaven and earth and nothing escapes His potent gaze. The sins of the lost are punitively passed by but for the briefest of moments and then eternity waits, and how dreadful it is for the wicked.
Even consider each half of this chapter in comparison to the other. As the bible is apt to do it weighs it in a balance with one verdict on each side. On the one side is the Godly man, he loves the Lord, refrains from the wicked, he envelopes himself in the Word of God and constantly it is in his thoughts, as a result his ways are prospered, his spiritual life is blessed beyond compare, the Lord cares for him, Jer. 29:11-14, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you.” The Lord secures us in our walk in all that we do He lifts us up. On the other side is the wicked, he hates God, has enmity against him, he persecutes and mocks the righteous, he sins and relishes in that sin, he is proud, he is a fool, he is dishonest, and he is self absorbed. For the wicked, their reward cannot even be placed on the same scale. It is justly inferior in every way. Ours is God’s assurance of prosperity and theirs is God’s assurance of damnation.
Let us be steadfast in seeking the Lord and may His glory always be the intense focus of our lives.
Now begins the aforementioned promise to the wicked. In vs.4 we saw their characteristics, their nature. They are the antithesis of the Godly man described in vs. 1 and 2. Now enters the promise of God to the wicked because of their sin.
The Amplified makes perhaps a clearer differentiation between the wicked and the righteous in these two verses and the wicked’s justifiable fear when they stand in judgment. 1:5-6, “Therefore the wicked, those disobedient [and living without God], shall not stand [justified] in the judgment; nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous [those who are upright and in right standing with God]. For the Lord knows and is fully acquainted with the way of the righteous; but the way of the ungodly [those living outside of God’s will] shall perish (end in ruin and come to nought).”
“Shall stand in judgment”:
• They shall stand there to be judged, but not to be acquitted. Fear shall lay hold upon them there; they shall not stand their ground; they shall flee away; they shall not stand in their own defense; they shall be covered with eternal contempt. Well may the saints long for heaven, for no evil men shall dwell there. All of our congregations upon earth are mixed. Every church has one devil in it. Let us rejoice then, that in “the general assembly and church of the firstborn” (Heb. 12:23) above, there shall by no means be admitted a single unrenewed soul. Sinners cannot live in heaven. They would be out of their element… such a privilege shall never be granted to the man who perseveres in his iniquities. CHS
• [The wicked shall not stand in the judgment] but tremble when they feel God’s wrath. 1599 GB
• The Prophet teaches that a happy life depends on a good conscience, and that, therefore, it is not wonderful, if the ungodly suddenly fall from the happiness which they fancied themselves in possession. And there is implied in the words a kind of concession; the prophet tacitly acknowledges that the ungodly please and enjoy themselves, and triumph during the reign of moral disorder in the world. But he assures us, that things will not always remain in their present state of confusion, and that when they shall have been reduced to proper order, these ungodly persons shall have been entirely deprived of their pleasures, and feel that they were infatuated when they thought themselves happy. The Psalmist pronounces the ungodly to be miserable, because happiness is the inward blessing of a good conscience. He does not deny, that before… judgment… things succeed well with them; but he denies that they are happy… for the true integrity of the righteous manifests itself when it comes at length to be tried. JC
• There is a judgment to come, in which every man’s present character and work, though ever so artfully concealed and disguised, shall be perfectly and truly discovered, and appear in their own colors, and accordingly every man’s state will be, by an irreversible sentence, determined for eternity. The wicked and profane, in this world, ridiculed the righteous and their congregation, despised them, and cared not for their company; justly therefore will they be forever separated from them. MH
“For the Lord knows the way of the righteous”:
• There is a more full idea rendered here than this translation. As the Amplified says, “For the Lord knows and is fully acquainted with the way of the righteous” or in the Hebrew, “the Lord is knowing the way of the righteous”. He is actively involved with knowing the ways and the works of the righteous, He knows it completely, it is fully understood by the Lord.
• The knowledge of God is not only perfect in kind, but also in its inclusiveness. It is called omniscience, because it is all comprehensive. God knows Himself and in Himself all things that come from Him (internal knowledge). He knows all things as they actually come to pass, past, present, and future, and knows them in their real relations. He knows the hidden essence of things, to which the knowledge of man cannot penetrate. He sees not as man sees, who observes only the outward manifestations of life, but penetrates to the depths of the human heart. He is perfect in knowledge (Job 37:16), looks not on outward appearance but on the heart (I Sam. 16:7), observes the ways of men (Deut. 2:7 and Ps. 1:6), knows the place of their habitation (Ps. 33:13), and the days of their life (Ps. 37:18). Louis Berkhof
• He is constantly looking on their way, and though it may often be in the midst of darkness, yet the Lord knows it… He understands it. He numbers the hairs of our head; He will not suffer any evil to befall us. Job 23:10, “But he knows the way that I take: when he has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” CHS
“but the way of the ungodly shall perish”:
• Not only shall they perish themselves, but their way shall perish too. The very “way” of the ungodly shall perish. CHS
• God is the Grand Judge of the world. Granting this, it follows that it cannot but be well with the upright and the just, while, on the other hand, the most terrible destruction must impend over the ungodly… at length He will visit them with destruction. Instead, therefore, of allowing ourselves to be deceived with their imaginary felicity, let us, in circumstances of distress, have ever before our eyes the providence of God, to whom it belongs to settle the affairs of the world, and to bring order out of confusion. JC
• Sinners must bear all the blame of their own destruction. The ungodly perish, because the very way in which they have chosen and resolved to walk leads directly to destruction; it naturally leads towards ruin and must necessarily end in it.[God] is angry with the way of the wicked, all they do is offensive to Him, therefore it shall perish, and they in it. MH
Personal Summary:
The Lord knows the way of the righteous and the wicked. The righteous He prospers and in the full realization of time assures a full and complete victory. The wicked He utterly destroys, “but the way of the ungodly [those living outside of God’s will] shall perish (end in ruin and come to nought).” We give thanks to the Lord for the blessings he bestows on us including and most importantly our inclusion to eternal life. Never must we forget that aside from God electing us to salvation, the Son dying on the cross as the propitiation for our sins, and the Spirit giving us the effectual call and ever sanctifying our damnable souls; that we too would be blissfully incorporated with the plight of the wicked and most assuredly spend eternity in their unenviable estate.
When it seems like we are losing the fight with the world, when it seems they prosper at our expense and in place of us, when we see them persecute and oppress with impunity, when life is beating us down as it will have occasion to do from time to time… fear not, despair not, only keep your eyes ever focused on the Lord. He is the omniscient creator of heaven and earth and nothing escapes His potent gaze. The sins of the lost are punitively passed by but for the briefest of moments and then eternity waits, and how dreadful it is for the wicked.
Even consider each half of this chapter in comparison to the other. As the bible is apt to do it weighs it in a balance with one verdict on each side. On the one side is the Godly man, he loves the Lord, refrains from the wicked, he envelopes himself in the Word of God and constantly it is in his thoughts, as a result his ways are prospered, his spiritual life is blessed beyond compare, the Lord cares for him, Jer. 29:11-14, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you.” The Lord secures us in our walk in all that we do He lifts us up. On the other side is the wicked, he hates God, has enmity against him, he persecutes and mocks the righteous, he sins and relishes in that sin, he is proud, he is a fool, he is dishonest, and he is self absorbed. For the wicked, their reward cannot even be placed on the same scale. It is justly inferior in every way. Ours is God’s assurance of prosperity and theirs is God’s assurance of damnation.
Let us be steadfast in seeking the Lord and may His glory always be the intense focus of our lives.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Psalms 1:4
1:4
In the Septuagint it is stated, “Not so the ungodly, they are not so” driving home the point with emphasis that they are different from and unlike the just described Godly man. The Amplified spells it out in this way, “Not so the wicked [those disobedient and living without God are not so]”, which leaves little room for doubt as to who and why. Two of my commentaries took care to point out the emphasis placed upon this line in the Septuagint which would lead me to believe that it is more than likely a more accurate translation or at the very least gives it better or more appropriate emphasis.
“The ungodly are not so…”:
• In this verse the contrast of the ill estate of the wicked is employed to heighten the coloring of that fair and pleasant picture which precedes it. We are hereby to understand that whatever good thing is said of the righteous is not true in the case of the ungodly. Mark the use of the term “ungodly”… these are the beginners in evil… the least offensive of sinners. If such is the sad state of those who quietly continue in their morality, and neglect their God, what must be the condition of open sinners and shameless infidels? Here is their character: “they are like chaff”, intrinsically worthless, dead, unserviceable, without substance, and easily carried away. Here, also, mark their doom: “the wind drives away”, death shall hurry them with its terrible blast into the fire in which they shall be utterly consumed. CHS
• The Psalmist might, with propriety, have compared the ungodly to a tree that speedily withers, as Jeremiah likens them to the heath which grows in the wilderness (Jer. 17:6). But not reckoning this figure sufficiently strong, he debases them by employing another, which represents them in a light still more contemptible: and the reason is, that he does not keep his eye on the prosperous condition of which they boast for a short time, but his mind is seriously pondering on the destruction which awaits them, and will at length overtake them. Although the ungodly now live prosperously… they shall become like chaff; for when the Lord has brought them low, He shall drive them hither and thither with the blast of His wrath. The Holy Spirit teaches us to contemplate with the eye of faith, what might otherwise seem incredible; for although the ungodly rise high, and appear to great advantage… we may rest assured that he will be even as chaff or refuse, whenever God chooses to cast him down from his high estate, with the breath of His mouth. JC
• [The ungodly] are led by the counsel of the wicked, in the way of sinners, to the seat of the scornful; they have no delight in the law of God, nor ever think of it; they bring forth no fruit but grapes of Sodom. In particular, the righteous are like valuable, useful, fruitful trees… they (the wicked) are “like the chaff which the wind drives away”, the very lightest of the chaff… [which] is not capable of being put to any use. They are… of no worth at all in God’s account, how highly soever they may value themselves. They have no substance in them… they are easily driven by temptation. The wrath of God will drive them away in their wickedness. MH
Personal Summary:
As in verses 1 and 2 we see a contrast between the negative (vs.1) and the positive (vs.2) of the Godly man’s walk. So here we see a division in the first half (vs. 1-3) and the second half (vs.4-6) of chapter one. The first half deals with the Godly man who lives to God’s glory and according to His will. He delights in the things of God, he constantly meditates upon them, and he is rewarded with spiritual prosperity. Vs. 4 begins the division and we see the ungodly man now described and in a couple of verses the opposite promise is given, but nonetheless a promise to the wicked.
It has never ceased to amaze me that people in the world, including many professing Christianity, will somehow try to blame God for the wicked man’s fate and condemnation. As if God has not done everything to save wicked men deserving of His wrath. In fact it seems it would be far more appropriate if God would strike each of us from the face of the earth at every moment of every day if based solely on our actions. It is far more amazing that God saves even one of us; not that he condemns any of us. Abraham Kuyper says in his “Stone Lectures”, “The sovereignty of God is and remains, for Calvinism, its unchangeable point of departure.” How wonderfully true this is in this matter and in all things generally. Thank the Lord He has allowed us to see this! We must have faith that not only is this true but will never cease to be true. God will, in His sovereignty, save some from their sins and lead them to live Godly lives, and He will likewise punish others for their sin, and He will do both in perfect righteousness.
Sometimes in our Christian walk it can seem as if we are losing the battle temporarily. Sometimes our focus is not on the Lord and His ways but on the temporal material things. We allow ourselves to covet what the world has. I now barely have a car that runs. It would be easy for me to start coveting the cars that my neighbors drive. Or the houses that friends live in. We have all done it and unfortunately may well do it again. But when our focus is on the Lord we see the futility of what the lost man has. Yes, they may indeed win the material battle here on this earth. And why wouldn’t they? They care for nothing more than what will satisfy their own selfish desires and lusts. They will do anything to get ahead in the world. Morality to them is spelled out by success and is only as good as it will afford them that success. But in the end they are blown away like the chaff. They cannot take what they have with them and I imagine it is a fear beyond measure when they stand in front of the Lord and have to give account as to why they lived their lives for sin and worldly gain and despised Him every step of the way. Yet the Godly man lives for different ends. We live to grow spiritually and to please and glorify God. We are most destitute when we feel our lives pulling away from God rather than drawing near Him. We are most satisfied and full when we are learning and growing and drawing near to Him. He is our very sustenance. And we with David, in the end, will say, “In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psa. 16:11)
In the Septuagint it is stated, “Not so the ungodly, they are not so” driving home the point with emphasis that they are different from and unlike the just described Godly man. The Amplified spells it out in this way, “Not so the wicked [those disobedient and living without God are not so]”, which leaves little room for doubt as to who and why. Two of my commentaries took care to point out the emphasis placed upon this line in the Septuagint which would lead me to believe that it is more than likely a more accurate translation or at the very least gives it better or more appropriate emphasis.
“The ungodly are not so…”:
• In this verse the contrast of the ill estate of the wicked is employed to heighten the coloring of that fair and pleasant picture which precedes it. We are hereby to understand that whatever good thing is said of the righteous is not true in the case of the ungodly. Mark the use of the term “ungodly”… these are the beginners in evil… the least offensive of sinners. If such is the sad state of those who quietly continue in their morality, and neglect their God, what must be the condition of open sinners and shameless infidels? Here is their character: “they are like chaff”, intrinsically worthless, dead, unserviceable, without substance, and easily carried away. Here, also, mark their doom: “the wind drives away”, death shall hurry them with its terrible blast into the fire in which they shall be utterly consumed. CHS
• The Psalmist might, with propriety, have compared the ungodly to a tree that speedily withers, as Jeremiah likens them to the heath which grows in the wilderness (Jer. 17:6). But not reckoning this figure sufficiently strong, he debases them by employing another, which represents them in a light still more contemptible: and the reason is, that he does not keep his eye on the prosperous condition of which they boast for a short time, but his mind is seriously pondering on the destruction which awaits them, and will at length overtake them. Although the ungodly now live prosperously… they shall become like chaff; for when the Lord has brought them low, He shall drive them hither and thither with the blast of His wrath. The Holy Spirit teaches us to contemplate with the eye of faith, what might otherwise seem incredible; for although the ungodly rise high, and appear to great advantage… we may rest assured that he will be even as chaff or refuse, whenever God chooses to cast him down from his high estate, with the breath of His mouth. JC
• [The ungodly] are led by the counsel of the wicked, in the way of sinners, to the seat of the scornful; they have no delight in the law of God, nor ever think of it; they bring forth no fruit but grapes of Sodom. In particular, the righteous are like valuable, useful, fruitful trees… they (the wicked) are “like the chaff which the wind drives away”, the very lightest of the chaff… [which] is not capable of being put to any use. They are… of no worth at all in God’s account, how highly soever they may value themselves. They have no substance in them… they are easily driven by temptation. The wrath of God will drive them away in their wickedness. MH
Personal Summary:
As in verses 1 and 2 we see a contrast between the negative (vs.1) and the positive (vs.2) of the Godly man’s walk. So here we see a division in the first half (vs. 1-3) and the second half (vs.4-6) of chapter one. The first half deals with the Godly man who lives to God’s glory and according to His will. He delights in the things of God, he constantly meditates upon them, and he is rewarded with spiritual prosperity. Vs. 4 begins the division and we see the ungodly man now described and in a couple of verses the opposite promise is given, but nonetheless a promise to the wicked.
It has never ceased to amaze me that people in the world, including many professing Christianity, will somehow try to blame God for the wicked man’s fate and condemnation. As if God has not done everything to save wicked men deserving of His wrath. In fact it seems it would be far more appropriate if God would strike each of us from the face of the earth at every moment of every day if based solely on our actions. It is far more amazing that God saves even one of us; not that he condemns any of us. Abraham Kuyper says in his “Stone Lectures”, “The sovereignty of God is and remains, for Calvinism, its unchangeable point of departure.” How wonderfully true this is in this matter and in all things generally. Thank the Lord He has allowed us to see this! We must have faith that not only is this true but will never cease to be true. God will, in His sovereignty, save some from their sins and lead them to live Godly lives, and He will likewise punish others for their sin, and He will do both in perfect righteousness.
Sometimes in our Christian walk it can seem as if we are losing the battle temporarily. Sometimes our focus is not on the Lord and His ways but on the temporal material things. We allow ourselves to covet what the world has. I now barely have a car that runs. It would be easy for me to start coveting the cars that my neighbors drive. Or the houses that friends live in. We have all done it and unfortunately may well do it again. But when our focus is on the Lord we see the futility of what the lost man has. Yes, they may indeed win the material battle here on this earth. And why wouldn’t they? They care for nothing more than what will satisfy their own selfish desires and lusts. They will do anything to get ahead in the world. Morality to them is spelled out by success and is only as good as it will afford them that success. But in the end they are blown away like the chaff. They cannot take what they have with them and I imagine it is a fear beyond measure when they stand in front of the Lord and have to give account as to why they lived their lives for sin and worldly gain and despised Him every step of the way. Yet the Godly man lives for different ends. We live to grow spiritually and to please and glorify God. We are most destitute when we feel our lives pulling away from God rather than drawing near Him. We are most satisfied and full when we are learning and growing and drawing near to Him. He is our very sustenance. And we with David, in the end, will say, “In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psa. 16:11)
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