case were clearly understood. And we deem it to be of no small importance that where readers of the Bible find special difficulty, expounders thereof should put forth special strength, and by no means pass lightly over such passages, or leave them unaccounted for. This psalm is a reflection of varied scenes which may be witnessed in the world-of the known laws of God's providence, of earnest desires which go up from the hearts of God's people in prayer, and of grateful songs which go forth from their lips in praise. There is no reason for attributing the psalm to any one else than to David. Nor do we know of any times in the ancient history which the psalm more clearly reflects than those of the shepherd-king. Nor is there any Old Testament character who would be so likely to speak and write and pray in the style of the psalm before us. In dealing with it as a unity (which method alone falls in with the plan of this section of the Commentary), we have four lines of thought to unfold. I. llinE IS A TWOFOLD OUTLOOK. The writer of this psalm was the anointed of the Lord (ver. 8). He was Israel's king; and was withal encompassed by foes. Not only were there those who were the people of God, his inheritance (ver. 9), but there were also those who regarded not God, and who cared not for man (Ters. 3, 5). And the time has not come when such a double outlook has ceased. The righteous, the wicked-tares and wheat-both are still on "the field of the world," growing together until the harvest. II. HERE IBA TWOFOLD YEARNING OF THE PSALlUST. 1. For the righteQU,S, (Ver. 9.) "Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance." Put the emphasis on "thy," "thine;" herein lies the force of the praying one's tender pleading with God "Feed them;" i.e. tend them, rule them; let them find thee all that thou art as their Shepherd. "Li ft them up," equivalent to" bear them up," carry them in thine arms (Isa. lxiii. 9; xl.11; Deut. i. 31; xxx.ii. 11; see Perowne hereon). 2 . .ilgainst the wicked. (Ver. 4. 1) It is here that so many have found a difficulty. \Ve acknowledge that there would be a difficulty if these were the words of God to man; but ns they nre the words of man to God, why should there be any difficulty at all? Is any one bound to defend every word that any saint ever offered in prayer? Surely not. It is, however, only fair to the writer to bear in mind: (1) Thnt he doM not pray against the wicked with per- sonal vindictiveness, but regards them as the enemies of God (ver. 5), and of society likewise (ver. 3). (2) No saint's prayers ever could go beyond the limits of the inspiration and revelation which were granted to him. No one even now can pray beyond the limits of his own knowledge. In the Old Testament times the all-conquering love of God had not been revealed as it has been to us, and so could not yield fuel for prayer. (3) That such a prayer as this is an historical representation of the petitions of saints in the psalmist's time, and is no absolute model for our time, with our larger nnd wl\l'mer light-beams from on high. At the s11me time, we are bound also to remember t.hat we ought not to cherish the like feelings towards the wicked that we do towards the righteous. Yen, if we are righteous, we cannot. And while we plead with God to build up those who are pure and true, we ought to plead with him to frustrate the designs of unreasonable and wicked men, and to arise and vindicate the groat cause of righteousness and truth. And this we may do, while leaving it abso- lutely with God to deal with wicked people as he sees fit. The Judge of all the earth will do right, and we surely can leave the matter there. "Vengeance is mine: I will repay, saith the Lord." Job's words aro better than any prayers for vengeance: "I know that my Vindicator liveth." There let us rest. For we have to recognize- III. A TWOFOLD ACTION OF GoD'B PROVIDENCE, He builds up the righteous, but disconcerts the schemes of the wicked. So the experience of life shows us, and so this psalm indicates. 1. To the righte()'IJ,S, God is (1) their Strength; 2 (2) their Shield; (3) the Stronghold of salvation for them and for their anointed king. 'l'his may be applied in the highest sense (cf. Rom. viii. 28; Heb. ii. 10). 2. To the wicked. (Ver. 5.) "He shall break them down, and not build them up" (cf. Pss. xviii. 25, 26; 1 On vrr. 4 Calvin is worth careful perusal.
• Ver. 8, "Their strength." "Pro \07, eis, sou ei, legendum osse \!:l!)7, populo ejus, vix dubitari possit; partim propter consonsum omnium interpretum antiquorum, exceptri Chnldmo, in hac leclionc, ptutim propter contoxtum. Nam non adest subslo.ntivum, o.d quad illud io7 referri possit" (Rogers on the fa~lme, App. ii., no. 92). PSALMS, J 210 'l'HE BOOK OF PSALMS. [rs. xxvm. 1-0.