Vers. 6-8.-The believer's ground of confidence. David now turns from admonish- ing his enemies to the case of bis companions in trouble, who saw no ground of hope in the visible aspect of things. I. TnE DESPAm OF UNBELIEF. "'Who will show us any good?" No one can. 1. '1.'he grandest revelations are made to the mind, and not to the senses. 'l'he question, therefore, is beside the mark. God, Christ, immortality, justice, love, holiness, cannot be shown in visible material form. Christ showed them for a season. 2. The good that can be shown can work no cure of life's greatest evils. It is the inward deliver- ances, not the outward, that we most need. 'l'alent, money, position, health, cannot work these. II. THE HIOHEST aoon COVETED BY THE BELIEVER IN GoD. '' Lift thou up the light ol thy countenance upon us." A.s the sun lights the world. I. Then we become intensely conscious of God. The thought of him fills every faculty and solves every problem. "In his light we see light." 2. Then we !mow that he is our Helper and Saviour. For what is the light of the Divine face ?-the light of Fatherhood and love? The light of the warrior's face is that of courage; of the poet's nnd prophet's, inspirntion; of tho judge's, that of absolute justice; but the light of God's face is that of an infinite abundance of love for all his children. III. 'fHE SUPERIORITY OF THIS GOOD OVER THE RICHEST MATERIAL PLENTY. (Ver. 7.) 1. It creates a Divine ;'oy and gladness. 'l'he excitement of the senses wears out the body and corrupts the mind; but the joys of the heart and mind impart the highest strength and the noblest impulses. 'l'herefore "be not drunk, with wine, •.. but be filled with the Spirit." 2. It gives a deep inward pc·ace. (Ver. 8, "I will both lay me down in peacr, and sleep.'') Ao intense. ·consciousness of God and his fa\"our bas power to tranquillize the mind thal is most. disturbed by inward or outward trouble. It cau cnlw tbo greatest storm, bec:rns~ w~ know the centre of rest, nnd are reposing upou it. 30 THE BOOK OF PSALMS. [rs. v. 1-12.
3. It gi:ves a sc11.~e of HXttl'ity. (Ver. 8, "For thou, Lord, only makest mo dwell ill si&ty.") Ro needed no guards to ensure his safety during sleep, because God was ni~h. " Who is he that can harm you, if yo bo followers of that which is good?" But " though he slay me, yet will I trust in him." If we perish by shipwreck, or in lintt-lc, or railway accident, we are still in God's h:mds, and onght to trust in him. This is faith in God-to trust him in the darkness as well as in the light.-S,
EXPOSITION. PSALM V. my silent musing (Kay); comp. Ps. xxxix. 8, where the snmo word is used. Tms psalm is nssigned by some to the Ver. 2.-Hearken nnto the voice of my time of l\'[anassoli, but contnins nothing cry ( comp. Pss. xxvii. 7; xxviii. 2; hi v. I ; that is renlly opposed to the superscription cxix. 149; cxxx. 2; cxl. 6). The Oriental habit of making requests in loud and shrill -" A Psalm of Dnvid "-since, before the tones is the origin of these forms of speech. temple was built, the tabernacle was called My Xing, David was "king" over Israel; "the temple" (Josh. vi. 2-l; 1 Snm. i. 9; but Jehovah was" King" over David (comp. iii. 3; 2 Sam. xii 2()). It is thoroughly Pss. x. 16; xxi.x. 10; xliv. 4; xlvii. 6, etc.). "Davidic in style, concise, vigorous; with Aud my God (see Ps. lxxxiv. 3). For unto thee will I pray. 'l.'o thee, i.e., and to no rapid transitions of thought and feeling" other. (' Speaker's Commentary'). With respect Ver. 3.-My voice shalt thou hear in the to the time in David's life whereto it shonlu morning, 0 Lord (compare "At evening, be nssigned, there are no very distinct indi- aud at mOT11ing, nud at noonday will I prny, cations. It was not while he was in exile, and he shall hear my voicP," Ps. l v. 17; and see also Pss. lix. 16; lxxxYiii. 13; cxix. for he had ready access to the honse of Goel 147). The appointment of dnily morning (vcr. 7); nor was it in the later years of his and evening eacrifice (Numb. xxviii. 4) life, when ho had no open adversaries. pointed out morn and eve as times espe- Perhaps "a short time before the revolt of cially appropriato for prayer. A natural Absalom, when David was awnro of the instinct suggested the same idea (Job i. 5). In the morning will I direct my prayer unto machinations of conspirntors against him thee. The mpetition acids force to the im- under a bloodthirsty and treacherous chief" plied injunction (comp. Ps. cx:xx. 6). The is the most probe.ble date. The psalm is word translated "direct my prayer" mean~ not marked by u.ny notes of division, but "arrange" or "set in order," as the priests seems to consist of five parts: (1) a morning did the altar before o. sacrifice (Lev. i. 7, 8, 12; vi. 5; Numb. xxviii. 4). Prayer is prayer (rnrs. 1-3); (2) a warning to the viewed ns a sort of sncrificial net. And will wicked (vcrs. 4-6); (3) a renewed prayer look np; or, lool, out-keep on the watch- (,·ere. 7, 8); (4) a denunciation of woe Oil in expectation or my prayer being grunted the wicked (vers. 9, 10); and (5) an antici- (sec the Revised Version). pation ofble2sings and favour for the right- Ver. 4.-For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness. Thou wilt listei1 eous (vcrs. 11, 12). TLe superscription, to the prnyer of a righteous mnn (Ps. iv. I), "To the Chief Musician upon N ehiloth," is since thou dost not delight in wickodncss, tl:nuglJt to mean, either, continuously," To but in goodness. Neither shall evil dwell the Chief Musician, for an accompaniment of with thee. Light has no fellowship with wiud instruments;" or, discontinuously, darkness. Evil men cnn obtnin no support from thee, who mt All-holy. They will "To the Chief Musician: a Psalm upou in- ecnrcely venture to usk thy nid. heritances." In the latter case, the respec- Ver. 5.-The foolish (or, the arrogant- tive "inheritances" of the wicked (ver. G) " the boasters") shall. not stand in thy sight. und the righteous ( rnrs. 11, 12) are sup- Rather ehall they be cust down and dis- posed to be mennt. mnycd (Pa. lxxiii. 3, 18). Thou hatest all workers of iniquity. Dnvid bas in mind Ver. 1.-Give €ar to my wordo, 0 Lord the wicked and presumptuous men who (comp. Pss. lxvi. I; lxxxvi. 6). Cries of this hnve banded themselves together against ldnd are coruruou with the psalrnbts, even him, nncl "toke his contrary port" (Pa. oix. wl,en they do not express the purport of 3, Praycr-b1ok Version.). These 110 fa suro tl,C;ir prayer, Consider m1 meditation; or, that Q od h1tcs, l'B, V, 1-12.] 'l'IIE BOOK OF PSALMS. 31