Vera. 1-4.-Worship. The psalm would seem to have been composed on the occasion of some special deliverance; but the expressions used are too general to indicate the time or the occasion of its being written. I. THE WORSHIP OF GOD SHOULD DE JOYFUL AND FERVENT AS WELL AS SOLEMN, (Ver. 1.) Love and reverence are tlie perfection of worship. II. THE GLORY OF GoD's NATURE IS THE INSPIRATION OF ALL TRUE WORSHIP. (Ver. 2.) His name is his nature; and the glory of his nature is his greatness and goodness. III. GoD's PROVIDENTIAL WORK IN HISTORY COMPELS THE BELUCTAllT HOMAGE OJ' EVEN HIS ENEMIES. (Ver. 3.) "Thine enemies feign alleginuce unto thee" (see marginal reading). IV. THE WHOLE EARTII IS THE TEMPLE OF GoD, Wl!EBErn HIS PRAISES ARE OELE• BRATED. (Ver. 4.) Prediction of faith, that not only in Zion, but in the whole world, the praises of God should be uttered.-S.
Vera. 5--12.-An invitation to study God's mal'vellous warka tOUJards mm. I. WE SHOULD STUDY THE PHYSICAL WONDERS o~· TllE WORLD. (Ver. 6.) He turns the sea into dry land still, nud the dry land into sea. II. WE SHOULD STUDY HIS PROVIDENTIAL RULE IN TUE HISTORY OF NATlONS. How be humbles nnd overthrows those who rebel against his will, and exalts and establishes the people who obey his laws. III. WE SHOULD STUDY GoD's WORK OF SALVATION IN THE WORLD, (Vets. 8, 9.) "Who putteth [not 'holdeth '] our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved." IV. WE SHOULD STUDY GoD's METHODS OF TRIAL AND DISCIPLINE FOR MAKING us 40 'l'BE BOOI! OF PSALMS. [rs. LXVll. 1-7.
BPIRl'l'UALLY RICH. (Vers.10-12.) "We went through fire and through water; but thou broughtest us out to abundance."-S.
Vers.13-20.-Vowsf,d;filled and experiences related. I. Vows FULFILLED. (Vere, 13-15.) 1. When we are in trouble we make solemn wows of amendment and service. As the psalmist bad done in his distress. 2. The fulfilment of our religious vows will often call for great sacrifices. Not burnt offerings from us, but the more costly ~acrifices of the hcnrt and spirit. "The sacrifices of God are a broken heart and a contrite spirit." II. ExrEnIENCES RELATED. (Vers. 16-20.) He proclaims whnt God had done for him in answer to his praises and prayers. 1. It is only those who fear God that have any sympathy with spiritual experience. Only these would care to listen. 2. Only those who are conscious of integrity of heart expect any answer to prayer. (Ver. 18; Job :xxvii. 8, 9.) 3. God will assuredly answer and bless tliose who call upon him in sincerity and in truth. The psalmist knew from experience that God had beard him and manifested his loving-kindness towards him. His faith in God had the warrant of bis experience, and was not an unfulfilled expectation.-S.
EXPOSITION. raised of any compulsory empire, but of one PSALM LXVIL which will grndually exlend itself, by win- AoooRDING to some, this psalm, Ii.kc Ps. lxv., ning the heathen over to it through the is a harvest thanksgiving (Hengstenberg, sight of Israel's blefscdness (comp. Isa. xlix. Cheyne). But the single expression (in 18-23; Ix:. 3, 4). Ver. 3.-Let the paople praise thee, 0 ver. 6) on which this view is grounded God; let all the people praise thee; rather, seems insufficient to support it, more especi- the peoples, in both clauses. In the second ally M that expression may well be under- clause the prayer is intensified by the addi- stood figuratively (see Pe. lx.xxv. 12; Jer. tion of 1he word cuUam, "all of them." viii. 20 ; Hos. vi. 11 ; Joel iii. 13; Matt. ix. Ver. 4.-0 let the nations be glad and sing for joy. There could be no greater S7, etc.). The real idea of the psalm appears blessing to the nations than their attraotion to be an aspiration after the general conver- into God's kingdom; nor, consequently, sion of the world, to be effected by God's any event more worthy to be hailed with special manifestation of his mercy upon joyful acclaim, with songs of joy and thanks- Israel. Thie will draw all nations to him. giving. For thou she.It judge the people (rather, the peoplea) righteously, and govern The psalm is one of three stanzas, consisting the nations upon earth. The main ndvan- respectively of two, two, and three veroes. tage of the change would be the bringing The second and third stanzas have the same of the heathen iuto that kingdom of perfect initiatory refrain (vere. 3, 5). In the first righteousness, wherein God (in the Person stanza the " eelah" is a pause of reverence, of Christ) would dispense justice unerringly, and rule all men with perfect and absolute not a break in the sense. equity. Ver. 1.-God be merciful unto us, and Ver. 5.-Let the people praise thee, 0 bless us. An echo of the priestly blessing God; let all the people praise thee. A repe- (Numb. vi. 24, 25), but not necessarily tition of ver. 3 without any change. uttered by a priest. The substitution of Ver. 6.-Thcn shall the ee.rth yield her Elohim for Jeho'flah is natural, considering increa.se; literally, the land hath given her the univerealiet character of the psalw. increase-a quotation from Lev. xxvi. 4, but And oanae his face to shine upon us; lite- probably in. a metaphorical sense. An rally, with tu. "With tu" especially, as abuudant spirituu.l harvest is seen by the the people of God; but not" with ne" exclu- psalmist as the result of the entrance of the 11ively, a.e the whole psalm makes manifest. Gentiles into the Church-an immense "in- Ver. 2.-That thy way may be known crease" in the fruits of righteousness upon earth, thy saving health among all hitherto yielded-and this is spoken of as utiou. God is besought to bless hie a result already obtained, through the per- people Iere.el (ver. I), in order that BO his fect assurance of the writer that hie prayers " way " may become known to all the earth, arc granted and the result determined on in hie" BnVing health," or his" salvation," to the Divine counsels. And God, even our all (heathen) nations. The idea is n.ot own God, 1hall ble■s us. " Our own God " l'B, LXVU, 1-7.] TllE BOOK OF PSALMS.
must oerlaloly be Jehovah ; but the writer, is identical with that naed In ver. 6. And in his brood univers111ism, will not nee the all the end1 of the earth shall fear him. e:i:preseion. One day the earth she.II be full of tho know• Ver. 7.-0od ahall bleaa u■; or, "may ledge and fear of the Lord " as the waters God bless us" (Kay, Cheyne); but the form cover the sea" (Isa. xi. 11 ).