EXPOSITION, xxvii. 5; xxxi. 2, 3: xl. 3; hi. 2; Jxii. 2, PSALM xxvm. elo.). Tbo llebrcw term used is somelime~ TulS short psalm coneists of throe po.rte: t~ur, som~times aela', which unll to our minds (1) a pro.yer for succour (vers. 1, 2); (2) a the two great rock-fortreesoe of Tyro nud Petro.. Lest, if thou be silent to ma, I ba- dcnnucio.tion of tho wiokcd (vers, S-5); oome like them that go down into the pit; nnd (S) a tho.nksgiving for aid given, or i.e. without hope, despero.te. regarded as certnin to be given (vers. 6-9). Var. 2.-Hee.r the voioe of my aupplice.- l\Ictricnlly, it conto.ine three strophes, oor- tiona, when I cry unto thee. God is ea.id rcspouding to the three subjects, and re- to hoar pmyer when he grants it, to be deaf to proyer when he withhold11 tho boon spectively of two, three, o.nd four versos, rcq uestcd. 'fhe use of the expreasions thus gradually incrensing in length. Thora " voi.ce" and "cry" mnrke the earaestueee is no roason for doubting the assertion of of the prayers offered. When I lift up my tho title, that it is "n PsRlm of David," hands. Tile usual nttitudo of n Hebrew i11 but wo cannot definitely assign it to auy pmyor (sea E:i:od. ix. 2!); :i:vii. II, 12; 1 Kings viii. 22, 54; Pss. lxiii. -l ; cxli. 2 ; particular period of his life. It would suit Lorn. ii. 19; iii. 41). Originally, the iclen almost nny ooco.sion when he w1111 in danger probably was that the hands ahould be or difficulty. , randy to receive the blessings which Go.J would bestow. But, lator on, the lifting up Ver. 1.-Unto thee will I ory, 0 Lord my of the hand:, seema to hnvo beeu regarded as Rock ; be not silent to me ; rn ther, as in the symbolizing the lifting up of the ho,ut Re viscd Vore ion, to thee, 0 Lord, tcill I (Lam. iii. 41). Towards thy holy oracle (dee call; my Rock, be not thou deaf unto me. the oommcut on Pa. v. 7). "My Rock" belongs to the second clause. Ver. 3.-Draw me not awe.y with the It is with Dnvid, in these co.rly psalms, e.n wicked, and with the workers of iniquity ri,itheton wit«tum ( comp. P:19. xv iii. 2: (comp. Pe, uvi. 9). The ruotophor iw11licd 208 THE BOOK OF PSALMS. [rs. xxvm. 1-!l.
in "draw me not away" is that of a hunter, enjoyed it not infrequently (see nbove, Pss. drawing prey of all kinds to him enclosed vi. 8-10; vii. 17, etc.). within a net. The psalmist prays that be may not share the fotc of the workers of Yer. G.-Blessed be the lord, beoause he iniquity, over whom he seems to see some hath heard the voice of my supplioations tcrrihlejndgmcnt impundiu1', Which spe~!i: ( comp. ver. 2, with which this is, of set peaoo to their neighbours, but mischief is in purpose, made exactly to correspond). their hearts. ( F,,r extreme instances of this Ver. 7.-The Lord is my Strength and my kind of wickedness, seo 2 Sam. iii. 27; xx. Shisld (sec Pss. xviii. 1, 2; cxix. 114). My !I, 10; and for the wide prevalence of sneh heart trusted in him, and I em helped. As treacherous dealing, comp. Ps. I,. 20, 21; far ns feeling goes, David is already Jcr. ix. 8.) "helped." He feels himself delivered out Ver. 4.-Give thtm accordi:J.g to their of his peril. Therefore, ho says, my heart desds, and according to the wiokeducss of greatly rejoiceth; and with my song-lite- their endeavours. The feeling ,,f righteous rally, out of my ,ong, which is explained to iudignntion, naturally impfante<l in us, mean "out of my store of song "-will I causes us to desire the punishment of the p1·aisa him. He is rPady to offer thanks- wicked, quite npnrt from any wrong thnt giving for o. mercy not yet received. I.hey may have done to ourselves (Aristotle, Ver. 8.-The Lord is their Strength; i.e. 'Rhet.,' ii. 1, § 8). Give them after the the Strength, not of himself alone, but of wo:-k of their hands ; render to them their the whole people. The deliverance will be desert. Nothing satisfies our moral foelings as much for their sake as for his. And he but exact retribution-Et H< wcieo, -ra.1<' lp•{•, is the saving Strength of his anointed; oi,c71 ,<' iO,ia 'Y•vo,-ro. David shows in both literally, and a Strongho1,,J, of salvation to his respects a moral nature uncorrupted by anointed is HE. The welfare of David and contact with the world of bis day. that of the people are bound up together. Ver. 5.-Because they regard not the God strengthens him for their sakes, that works of the Lord, nor the operation of his he may guide them aright and fight their hands. They do not note God's providential battles, and give them dominion over their workings. lf they did, they would see that enemies. It was with this object that he judrrment falls upon the wicked, and, seeing cho~e him out of all Israel, and took him 1hi6: they would fear and abstain from evil. from the sheepfolds, and had him anointed But they take no notice-God is not in all king-that he might" feed Jacob his people, their thoughts. For this neglect nnd con- and Israel his inheritance" (Pa. lxxviii. tempt of him, he shall destroy them, and not 71). build them np. Ver. 9.-Save thy people, and bleBB thine inheritance. "In conclusion, the psalmist Vers. 6-9.-As, midway in Ps. xxvii., pro.ye that the Lord would do eternally that the tone changed from jubilation to humble whicl.J he bad done now" (Hengstenberg)- entreaty, so, midway in the present pso.lm, " save" and "bless" his people-keep them there is a change from plaintive and humble from evil, and give them all that is good, entreaty to rejoicing and thanksgiving. Feed them also. AB a shepherd does bis flock ( comp. Pd. xxiii. 1, 2; Iso.. xl. 11 ). And lift The cause of the change would seem to have them np for ever. Some explain the" lifting been a confident assurance, arising out of up" as carrying in his arms over rough the very act of prayer, that the prayer is places-a prolongation of the shepherd heard and granted, so that the happy metaphor (Kay; 'Speaker's Commentary'); results prayed for are certain to follow. but, perhaps, the more ordinary meauing of the Hebrew word-" exo.lt," "lift up on Such au assurance is certainly not attained high," "raise above others "-which is pre- by all those whose supplications are earnest ferred by Bishop Horsley, Roscnmiiller, and and devout; but David appears to have Hengstenberg, is intended.
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS .AUTHORS. Vers. 1-9.-Providence and prayer. The contents of this psalm are in eome respects similar to the contents of others already noti~cd. But. there is ?ne pecu_Iiarity about it to which we here propose to devote §pec1al attent10n. It 1s seen 1n the psalmist's prayer against his enemies. On account of such petitions, much reproach has been cast on the Bible itself-as if all the sixty-six books of which the Scnpturcs Rre composed were to be held responsible for the prayers and petitions of every Old 'l'estament saint I No such absurdity could have root-hold if the actual state of the rR. XXVIII. 1-0.] THE BOOK OF PSALMS. 20!)