LAMENT OF THE RIGHTEOUS AGAINST TRAITORS AND ENEMIES.
To the chief musician, for use in the liturgical part of worship, a
psalm of David, in which he indeed may have reference to conditions of
his own time, in his relation to Doeg, to Ahithophel, or to Shimei,
but which at the same time is propheti... [ Continue Reading ]
Hold not Thy peace, as if God's silence were an indication of His
indifference, O GOD OF MY PRAISE, the object of his praise, of whose
help he was so sure that he could proclaim His glory even in advance;... [ Continue Reading ]
for the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful, literally,
"of deceit," said in an emphatic statement, ARE OPENED, that is, have
the enemies opened, AGAINST ME, as though in an effort to discredit
him in court; THEY HAVE SPOKEN AGAINST ME WITH A LYING TONGUE,
literally, "with a tongue of... [ Continue Reading ]
They compassed me about also, coming against him from all sides, WITH
WORDS OF HATRED, AND FOUGHT AGAINST ME WITHOUT A CAUSE, without his
having given provocation to them.... [ Continue Reading ]
For my love, that is, in return for all the love which he has shown
them, THEY ARE MY ADVERSARIES; BUT I GIVE MYSELF UNTO PRAYER,
literally, "I am prayer," that is, he gives forth his whole being in
prayer, placing himself in the care of God in absolute trust.... [ Continue Reading ]
And they have rewarded me evil for good, which he, on his part, showed
toward them in all his dealings, AND HATRED FOR MY LOVE. Having thus
set forth the wickedness of the adversaries, David singles out one of
them, the type of Judas Iscariot, asking the Lord to punish him as he
deserved.... [ Continue Reading ]
Set Thou a wicked man over him, a power of punishment, an executioner,
to drag him to judgment, AND LET SATAN, in this case practically as
the servant of God in carrying out the punishment fixed by Him, STAND
AT HIS RIGHT HAND, the usual position of the accusing witness. The
court scene is further p... [ Continue Reading ]
When he shall be judged, let him be condemned, and let his prayer
become sin, since it was not the crying of a penitent sinner, but of
one in the depths of blasphemous despair. We are here reminded of the
cry of Judas Iscariot: "I have sinned in that I have betrayed the
innocent blood," Matthew 27:4... [ Continue Reading ]
Let his days be few, his life coming to an end before the time
normally set for its length; AND LET ANOTHER TAKE HIS OFFICE, this
statement being directly applied by Peter to the apostleship lost by
Judas Iscariot, Acts 1:20.... [ Continue Reading ]
Let his children be fatherless, orphaned by his violent death, AND HIS
WIFE A WIDOW, his family sharing in the punishment of his guilt.... [ Continue Reading ]
Let his children, who evidently followed their father in his
wickedness, BE CONTINUALLY VAGABONDS, wandering vagrants, AND BEG; LET
THEM SEEK THEIR BREAD ALSO OUT OF THEIR DESOLATE PLACES, prowling
about at a distance from their ruined home.... [ Continue Reading ]
Let the extortioner, the heartless creditor, CATCH ALL THAT HE HATH,
as in a net or snare; AND LET THE STRANGERS SPOIL HIS LABOR, making
that their plunder or booty over which he toiled with so much work.... [ Continue Reading ]
Let there be none to extend mercy unto him, showing love to his
children; NEITHER LET THERE BE ANY TO FAVOR HIS FATHERLESS CHILDREN.... [ Continue Reading ]
Let his posterity be cut off, by exterminating his family; AND IN THE
GENERATION FOLLOWING, in the second generation, LET THEIR NAME BE
BLOTTED OUT, so annihilated that not even a remembrance would be left.... [ Continue Reading ]
Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the Lord, and let
not the sin of his mother be blotted out.... [ Continue Reading ]
Let them be before the Lord continually, the iniquities of the father
being unforgotten and unforgiven by the Lord, THAT HE MAY CUT OFF THE
MEMORY OF THEM FROM THE EARTH, to the everlasting disgrace of the
entire family, all of whose members, on account of their own
wickedness, are burdened also wit... [ Continue Reading ]
because that he, the chief and representative enemy, remembered not to
show mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, one who was already
bowed down with suffering, THAT HE MIGHT EVEN SLAY THE BROKEN IN
HEART. The Messianic character of this passage is seen from the
corresponding section of Psal... [ Continue Reading ]
As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him, it struck him with full
force when he, in despair, took his own life; AS HE DELIGHTED NOT IN
BLESSING, SO LET IT BE FAR FROM HIM. His fate was the result of his
own choice, made in spite of better knowledge and repeated warnings.... [ Continue Reading ]
As he clothed himself with cursing, as one wrapping himself closely in
it, happy in feeling it all about himself, LIKE AS WITH HIS GARMENT,
SO LET IT COME INTO HIS BOWELS LIKE WATER, the curse penetrating into
the innermost parts of his body, AND LIKE OIL INTO HIS BONES,
saturating everything and br... [ Continue Reading ]
Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, and for a girdle
wherewith he is girded continually. All these imprecations are now
summarized.... [ Continue Reading ]
Let this be the reward, the well-deserved punishment, OF MINE
ADVERSARIES FROM THE LORD, AND OF THEM THAT SPEAK EVIL AGAINST MY
SOUL, in repaying the love shown them with enmity in word and deed.
They have brought the curse and punishment upon themselves, they have
chosen the evil. The inspired sing... [ Continue Reading ]
But do Thou for me, O God the Lord, taking his part, showing him
blessings, FOR THY NAME'S SAKE; BECAUSE THY MERCY, the grace of
Jehovah, the God of salvation, IS GOOD, the source and foundation of
all true spiritual blessings, DELIVER THOU ME.... [ Continue Reading ]
For I am poor and needy, this being particularly descriptive of the
Messiah in His suffering as our Substitute, AND MY HEART IS WOUNDED
WITHIN ME, as when He Himself complained that His soul was exceeding
sorrowful, even unto death, Matthew 26:38.... [ Continue Reading ]
I am gone like the shadow when it declineth, toward evening, just
before it is swallowed up by darkness; I AM TOSSED UP AND DOWN AS THE
LOCUST, driven away like grasshoppers before the wind, Exodus 10:19.... [ Continue Reading ]
My knees are weak through fasting, His deep grief causing Him to loath
all food; AND MY FLESH FAILETH OF FATNESS, emaciation following deep
and sustained sorrow.... [ Continue Reading ]
I became also a reproach unto them, Psalms 69:11; Matthew 27:39; WHEN
THEY LOOKED UPON ME, THEY SHAKED THEIR HEADS.... [ Continue Reading ]
Help Me, O Lord, My God, the Messiah's own prayer being recorded here
as in Psalms 22, 69; O SAVE ME ACCORDING TO THY MERCY,... [ Continue Reading ]
that they, the enemies, MAY KNOW THAT THIS IS THY HAND, THAT THOU,
LORD, HAST DONE IT, His deliverance thus resulting in the
glorification of Jehovah.... [ Continue Reading ]
Let them curse, in a vain attempt to bring evil upon the Lord's
servant, BUT BLESS THOU, since God's blessing more than offsets any
curse on the part of men; WHEN THEY ARISE, in order to carry out their
evil designs, LET THEM BE ASHAMED; BUT LET THY SERVANT REJOICE,
knowing that the end of His suffe... [ Continue Reading ]
Let Mine adversaries be clothed with shame, on account of the fact
that their evil plans miscarried, AND LET THEN COVER THEMSELVES WITH
THEIR OWN CONFUSION, AS WITH A MANTLE, with the disgrace which their
evil deeds brought upon them.... [ Continue Reading ]
I will greatly praise the Lord with My mouth, for the deliverance
which is bound to come; YEA, I WILL PRAISE HIM AMONG THE MULTITUDE, in
the midst of His congregation... [ Continue Reading ]
For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to wage war in His
behalf, TO SAVE HIM FROM THOSE THAT CONDEMN HIS SOUL. Thus God, the
righteous Judge, would eventually pronounce the sentence of
justification upon His Servant. Cf Isaiah 53:8.... [ Continue Reading ]