The Pulpit Commentary — Psalms — Volume 1 — Section 129

mantle, but as gracious intimations of whnt 26, or "the recompense of the rewe.rd" laid God desires man to do for his own good. ~~ for men in heaven, but a. present rewiml The commandment of the Lord is pure; i.e. lD ~he act of. ke~piug them" (Kay). spotless, clean, without fault (comp. ,·er. 7, Obcd1cnce, like virtue, is its own reward. •: The ~aw of the Lord is perfect"). En- ~1ghtemng the eyes; i.e. giving light to the Vc1l:I. 12-14.-A con~ideration of the mtell,·ct. Law cannot but raise the thought of tre.ns- Ver: 9.-The fear of the Lord is olean, gression. Mau "had not known sin but by ~ndurmg for ever. Hengs~enberg explains the Law" (Ilom. vii. 7), and he cannot " the . fear of_ the Lord " m this plucc ns contemplate the Law without being re- ~he,,rnstructwu afforded by God for fearin~ 1nm. And certain_ly, uuless we ndopt minded of possible disobedience to it. The s~me such exphuahou, we shall find it psalmist's thoughts are led in this direc- difficult to account for the intrusion of the tion, and he eD(ls with an earnest prliyer clause into its present position. The Law against "secret sins" (1•er. 12), against tlie testimony, the statutes (or precepts): "presumptuous sins" (l'er. 13), and ago.inst the commandment (rnrs. 7, S), aud the Judg~cnte (ver. 9), are external to man, sins of word e.nd thought (vcr. 14), ad- obJect1ve; the fear of the Lord, as com- dressed to "God his Strength [or, • his monly unilcrstood, is internal, subjective o. Rock'] aud his Redeemer." "settled habit of his soul." It is not' a. Ver. 12. -Who ce.n nndersbnd hie errors 1 thing of the same kind with the other fire rather, «:ho can discern ( or, pcrcei"e) hi~ nominatives, and appears out of place errors? 1.e. all of them. Who will not among tl,em. Hence it seems best, with o'!erlook some, try as he may to search out Professor Alexander, to adopt Henasten- his heart? Cleanse thou me from secret berg'~ explanation. '! he Law, view"cd as faults. Those which a.re hidden from me !_eacl.:m~ tl~e fear of God, is undoubterlly which I cannot discern. ' clean -i.e. pnr<', per:cct-and "endures Ver. 13.-Keep back thy servant also from for e_ver," or is of perpetual obligation. prosumptuous sins (comp. Exod. xxi. 14; The Jndgments of the Lord arc truo and Numb. xv. 30; Deut. xvii. 12). Wilful righteous altogether. In "j udgments" we intentional, delibere.te sins a.re intended__: have a.notl.ter of the recognized synonyms such as out off from grace. They are call eel for the entire Law (Ps. cxi:s:. 7 13 43 52 "presumptuous ones," being "personified 62), which is from fast to last'" e;ccediu,; as tyrants who strive to bring the servant righteous anJ true" (Po. crix. 138, Prayer~ of God into unbecoming subjection to them" book Version). (Hengstenberg). Let them not have do- Ver. 10.-lll:ore to bo desired are they ~on over me (comp. Ps. cxix. 133; Rom. than gold, yea, tha.n much fine gold. (For v1. 14). Then shall I be upright; or the difference between "g-nld" (:ml) aD.d "ble.meless" (~µ.wµ.o,, LXX.). And I sh11Ii .. fine gold" (Hl ), ste the 'Homiletic Com- be innocent from the great transgression. mentary on Job,' p. 458.) God's Law is a far Thero i3 no article in the original. Traus- greater gooil to man, a.nd therefore far more late, and innocent of great trnnsgression (see to be desired, th&.n uny amount of riches; the Rcvi;od Version). much more must it be preferable to honey Ver. 14.-Let the words of my mouth, and and the honeycomb. the meditation of my hoe.rt, be aoceptable Ver. ll.-Moreover by them is thy ser- in thy sight. Nor let my doings only be vant war11ed. This verse i~ a sort of connect- righteous; let the door of my lips be kept ing link between the second and the third that I utter no evil word, and the receesc; parts of the psalm. Through its subject- of my heart be purged, that I think no evil matter, which is still the Law of the Lord thought. 0 Lord, my strength; literally, it belongs to the second part; but metri: my Hoel, (•:ii~), as in Ps. xviii. I. And my cally, and by the introduction of the person of the ps_almist (" ~by servant"), it belongs Redeemor (comp. Pa. lxxviii. 35; aud sell to the third. David feels that to him it is Gen. xlviii. 16; ExoJ. xv. 13; Lev. xxv. the crowning excellency of the Law, that it 48; Ruth iv. 4; Job xix. 25; Isa. !xiii. 9). teaches, instructs, or " warns " him. And As applied to God, the word "Redeemer" in keeping of them there is great reward. (S!)il) always means o. "Deliverer" from Not only the reward promised in Exod. xv. sin, or death, or danger.