The Pulpit Commentary — Psalms — Volume 3 — Section 284

HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers.1-24.-" Lord, thou, lcnowest altogether." This psalm, one of the most sublime of them all, is of unknown authorship. It seems to be the composition of some saint of God who lived after the Captivity. If so, what proof it gives of the blessin~ of sanctified sorrow (cf. the probably companion psalm, Ps. cxix., vers, 67, 71, 75) 1 'fhe furnace of the Exile, the husks of the far country, did bring prodigal Israel to himself; and this psalm is one clea.r evidence thereof. And so, we believe, God will do with all like prodigals. They may seem set against him-they very often are; but his resources are not exhausted, and he will find ways and means to bring them to a better mind. The psalm is divided into four stanzas, of which- L THE FIRST TELLS OF THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF CONCEALING ANYTHING FROM GOD, (Vers. 1--6.) 1. Here is a fact asserted. "Lord, thou hast searched me," etc. The word originally means "to dig," and is applied to the searching for precious metals (Alexander). God had penetrated far below the surface of the psalmist's nets and words, so that he knew him perfectly. And he knows our time of rest and of going forth to active work (ver. 2). He winnows or fans-such the meaning of the word rendered "compassest "-so as to sift our whole life, separating the evil in it from the good, as the chaff is separated from tho wheat. And this is true of the night-life as well as of the day (ver. 3). He knows not only the words that we do speak, but those thnt we are going to speak (ver. 4). The past and the future-lhat which is behind and before-are all known to him, and under the control of his hand (ver. 5). We cannot understand all this, but RO it is (vers. 5, 6). 'l'hus emphatically is the truth asserted. 2. And altogeth~r credible. (1) For reason would infer it (comp. Ps. xciv. 9). The maker of a machine would surely k11ow how his machine would work I Much more must the Lord know our nature and the workings of man's mind and will. He knows our nature (twice) as one k11ows the dwelling in which he bas live<l, for he PS, OXXXlJ:, 1-24.] THE BOOK OF PS.ALMS. 310