PSALM 73 THE ARGUMENT The subject of this Psalm is the same with PSA 77, concerning the promiscuous carriage of God's providence towards good and bad men Or, _for Asaph_, the famous musician, to whom divers of David's Psalms were committed, as PSA 1, &c. But because Asaph was not only a skilfull mus... [ Continue Reading ]
Yet I must acknowledge this with grief and shame concerning myself; notwithstanding all my knowledge of this truth, and my own experience and observation of God's gracious dealings with me, and other good men, MY FEET WERE ALMOST GONE; my faith in God's promises and providence was almost overthrown... [ Continue Reading ]
I grudged and murmured at it, and had a secret desire to partake of their delicates.... [ Continue Reading ]
THERE ARE NO BANDS IN THEIR DEATH; they are not dragged to death, neither by the hand and sentence of the magistrate, which yet they deserve; nor by any lingering and grievous torments of mind or body, which is the case of many good men; but they enjoy a sweet and quiet death, dropping into the grav... [ Continue Reading ]
Either, 1. As good men frequently are. Or 2. As men generally are. They do by a secret and favourable providence of God escape even common calamities.... [ Continue Reading ]
PRIDE COMPASSETH THEM ABOUT AS A CHAIN: this phrase notes both the extent of their pride, which appears on every side of them, in their countenances, discourses, gestures, &c, and their glorying in it. The like may be said of the next phrase.... [ Continue Reading ]
THEIR EYES STAND OUT WITH FATNESS; as they do in some fat persons, though not in others. The meaning is, they live in great plenty and prosperity, as the next clause explains it.... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY ARE CORRUPT; or, _dissolved_ in pleasure. Or, _they corrupt_ themselves. SPEAK WICKEDLY CONCERNING OPPRESSION; wickedly boasting of their oppressions; either of what they have done, or of what they intend to do, in that kind. THEY SPEAK LOFTILY; arrogantly presuming upon their own strength, and... [ Continue Reading ]
AGAINST THE HEAVENS, i.e. against God, blaspheming his name, denying or deriding his providence, reviling his saints and servants. WALKETH THROUGH THE EARTH; using all manner of liberty, introducing and reproaching all sorts of persons, not caring whom they displease or hurt by it.... [ Continue Reading ]
HIS PEOPLE; either, 1. The people of those wicked blasphemers; all their children, and servants, and friends, encouraged by their example. Or rather, 2. The people of God, who is oft understood under the pronoun relative _he_ or _his_, though he be not expressed, as PSALMS 105:19 ISAIAH 30:23. See... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY; either, 1. The godly. Or rather, 2. Those wicked ones, whose words and actions he hath been hitherto describing, or the people confederate with them. For these and such-like opinions are oft ascribed to the wicked in Scripture, but never, as far as I know; to any good man. And Job, though he... [ Continue Reading ]
THESE ARE THE UNGODLY; this is their condition and carriage in it. These seem to be the words of the psalmist, summing up the matter, and preparing his passage to the other part of the Psalm.... [ Continue Reading ]
Hence I was sometimes tempted to think that religion was a vain and unprofitable thing, at least as to the happiness of this life, which yet God had promised as a reward to piety. True religion is here fitly and fully described by its two principal parts and works, the cleansing of the heart from si... [ Continue Reading ]
Whilst their ungodliness hath been attended with constant prosperity, my piety hath been exercised with continual afflictions.... [ Continue Reading ]
I WILL SPEAK THUS; I will give sentence for the ungodly in this manner. I SHOULD OFFEND AGAINST THE GENERATION OF THY CHILDREN, by grieving, and discouraging, and condemning them, and by tempting them to revolt from God and godliness. But because the Hebrew verb _bagad_ in this sense is always, so f... [ Continue Reading ]
TO KNOW THIS; to find out the reason of this mysterious course of thy providence. IT WAS TOO PAINFUL FOR ME; I was gravelled with the difficulty.... [ Continue Reading ]
Till I consulted with the oracle, or word of God. He alludes to the practice of those times, which was, in dark and difficult cases, to resort to God's sanctuary, and the oracle in it, for satisfaction. THEN UNDERSTOOD I THEIR END; there I learned that their posterity was short, and would quickly ha... [ Continue Reading ]
Their happiness hath no firm foundation; it was very unstable, like a man's standing in very slippery ground. The same hand which raised them will cast them down into the pit of utter destruction.... [ Continue Reading ]
Their fall is wonderful, both for its soreness and for its suddenness. CONSUMED WITH TERRORS; either, with the horrors of their own minds; or rather, with God's dreadful judgments unexpectedly seizing upon them.... [ Continue Reading ]
Their happiness is like that in a dream, wherein a man seems to be highly pleased and transported with ravishing delights, but when he awakes he finds himself deceived and unsatisfied. _Awakest_, i.e. stirrest up thyself to punish them. Or rather, _when they shall awake_ out of the pleasant dream of... [ Continue Reading ]
THUS; so as I have above expressed; for this particle so taken, doth not belong to what he had now wisely and piously said in the next foregoing verses, but to what he had unadvisedly spoken in the former verses, as is evident from the following verse. Or, _nevertheless_, as this particle is oft use... [ Continue Reading ]
AS A BEAST. Heb. _beasts_, which may signify a great beast; a most stupid and sottish creature, like one not only void of grace, but of reason too; for reason itself, especially assisted by the Holy Scriptures, did sufficiently discover that, all things considered, I had no sufficient cause to envy... [ Continue Reading ]
NEVERTHELESS; notwithstanding all my temptations, and my gross folly in yielding to them. I AM CONTINUALLY WITH THEE; either, 1. In a way of duty. Yet I did not depart from thee, nor from thy ways; but did at last conquer them, and firmly cleave unto thee by faith. Or rather, 2. In a way of mercy a... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU SHALT GUIDE ME: as thou hast kept me hitherto in all my trials, so I am assured thou wilt lead me still into right paths, and keep me from wandering or straying from thee, or falling into mischief. WITH THY COUNSEL; partly, by thy gracious providence, executing thy purpose of mercy to me, and w... [ Continue Reading ]
WHOM HAVE I IN HEAVEN, or _in earth_ ? as it follows. There is no other person nor thing in the world from which I can seek or hope for happiness, or which I am willing to accept as my portion. Let sinners have an earthly prosperity, I am satisfied with thee, and with thy favour. Since thou givest m... [ Continue Reading ]
In myself, I confess I am a poor weak creature, and my body and spirit may fail and be ready to faint under such temptations and tribulations as these, and I know I shall shortly return to the dust, out of which I was taken. But though I have no strength in myself; I have it in God, my never-failing... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY THAT ARE FAR FROM THEE; they that forsake thee and thy ways, preferring the prosperity of this present evil world before thy love, and favour, and service; they who estrange themselves from the love, and life, and acquaintance of God; that _say to God, Depart from us, for we desire not the know... [ Continue Reading ]
But whatsoever they do, I am abundantly satisfied that it is, as my duty, so my interest and happiness, to cleave unto thee, by faith, and love, and obedience, and diligent attendance upon all thine ordinances. I HAVE PUT MY TRUST IN THE LORD GOD; I depend upon him alone for all my comfort and felic... [ Continue Reading ]