The Pulpit Commentary — Psalms — Volume 1 — Section 71

HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers.1-18.- W7,y 1 or, Hard/acts and puzzling questions. Whether or no this psalm was originally a put of the ninth is a question which, as may be seen, is discussed by many expositors. The mere absence of a title to it is, however, a very slight indica- tion in that direction; while the contrast, almost violent, between the two psalms seems to be sufficient to show that they could scarcely have been penned by the 1-ame writer at the same time. The ninth psalm is a song of praise over the great deliverance God had wrought in bringing about the destroyer's destruction, This is a mournful wail over the ill designs and too successful plans of the wicked on the one hand, and over the long silence of God on the other. 'l'he ungodly are at the very height of their riotoUB and iniquitous revelling; and the Divine interposition is passionately and agonizingly implored. We have no clue whatever to the precise period of disorder to which reference is here made. Perhaps it is well that we have not. There have been times in the history of the world and of the Church, again and again, when designing and godless men have been, as it were, let loose, and have been permitted to play havoc with God's people, while the righteous were mourning and the wicked were boasting that God did not interpose to check their cruelties and crimes, And it will be necessary for the sLudent and expositor to throw himself meutally into the midst of such a state of things, ere he can appreciate all the words of a psalm lilco this. For it is one of those containing words of man to God, and not words of God to man. \Ve have therein-terrific facts specified; bard q ue~tions asked ; a permanent solace; a forced-out prayer. I. TERRIFIO FACTS. (Vers. 2-11.) Let every phrase in this indictment be weighed; it presents as f,-arful a picture of human wickedness as any contained in the Word of God. It sets before UB pride, persecution, device, boasting, ridicule, denial of Provi- dence, bardne~s, scorn, evil-speaking, defying and denying of Goel, oppression and crush- ing of the poor, a glorying in deeds of shame, and expected impunity there_in.1 And what is more trying still i~, that God seems to let all this go on, and keeps silence, and 1 foteresting illustrations of some of the phrases here used will be found in Geilde'■ • Holy Laue! and the Bible,' vol. i. pp. 14-16; _others f'rom Dr. Thomson's• Lan~ ~nd th_e Boo~;' and J. Gadsby'e 'Wanderings,' quoted 1n Spurgeon'e 'Treasury of David, vol. I, p. luJ. PS, X, 1-18.] THE BOOK OF PSALMS.