_A.M. 2964. B.C. 1040._ This Psalm contains an exhortation addressed to all the Israelites, and especially to the priests and Levites, to praise God for his great and wonderful works; some particulars whereof are here recorded. Some have conjectured that this was the morning hymn which the precento... [ Continue Reading ]
_O ye servants of the Lord_ Ye priests and Levites, as in the former Psalm, or the people; _that stand in the courts_, &c. Either in the sanctuary or the inner court, both which were appropriated to the priests and Levites; or in the outward court, which was for the people. _Praise,_ &c _., for the... [ Continue Reading ]
_For the Lord hath chosen Jacob_, &c. Here we have a third reason why the Israelites should praise the Lord, namely, “the circumstance of their having been selected from among the nations to be his church, to receive the law and the promises, to have his presence residing in the midst of them, and t... [ Continue Reading ]
_Whatsoever the Lord pleased_ Either in the creation or government of the world; _that did he in heaven and in earth_ His power and jurisdiction are universal, and not like those of the heathen gods, confined, as their worshippers allowed, to their several countries; _in the seas, and all deep place... [ Continue Reading ]
_He causeth the vapours to ascend_, &c. “They who in old time paid their devotions to the elements, imagined those elements to be capable of giving or withholding rain at pleasure. Therefore we find the Prophet Jeremiah reclaiming that power to Jehovah, as the God who made and governed the world, Je... [ Continue Reading ]
_Who smote the firstborn of Egypt_ From the general works of nature he comes to God's special works of providence toward his people. “Egypt was the theatre of the grand contest between the God of Israel and the gods of the heathen. The superiority of the former over the latter was shown in every pos... [ Continue Reading ]
_Who smote great nations_, &c. “The victories gained by Israel over Sihon and Og, in their passage to Canaan, and afterward over the idolatrous kings of that country, are further proofs of the same point. For Israel therefore conquered because Jehovah fought for them, and put them in possession of t... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thy name, O Lord, endureth for ever_ These wonderful works of thine shall never be forgotten. They, together with the land which thou gavest us through them, and which we yet enjoy, are an everlasting monument of thy power and goodness, and an obligation upon, and an encouragement to us, to trust i... [ Continue Reading ]
_The idols of the heathen are silver and gold_ Here he sets forth the difference between the God of Israel and the idols of the nations, as also between the worshippers of each, all tending to confirm the truth of what was asserted, Psalms 135:5, _I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is... [ Continue Reading ]
_Bless the Lord, O house of Israel_ He who proved himself to be infinitely superior to the objects of heathen idolatry, is no less superior to every object on which deluded men can place their affections. _Let the house of Israel, therefore, the house of Levi, and the house of Aaron_, the church, th... [ Continue Reading ]