"We live by admiration, faith, and hope, And ever as these are well and wisely fued, In dignity of being we o.scend." (Wordsworth.)
It is in Christ tbn.t we find our true lire and our highest blessedness (cf. Demas and Paul, 2 Tim. iv. 10; 2 Cor. vi. 11; 1 John iii. 1).-W. F. !i8 THE BOOK OF PSALMS. [1'8, LXX, 1-5,
Y ers. 1-IS.-Suffering and prayer. "The psnlm is a prayer and complaint of one suffering ~everely from men for the sake of God." I. GREAT SUFFERING. (Ver,,. 1-4.) 1. Exposing 1.im to great dange1·. (Vers.1 1 2,) He is in peril of bis life. "The floods overwhelm him." 2. Entailing great bodily e:1:ha1tStion. (Ver. 3.) \Veary of crying, parched throat, failing eyes. 3. At·i.~ingfrom the unjust hatred of his enemies, wlw are numei·ous and strong. (Ver. 4.) 'l'hey that bat~ him without & just cause an<l wrongfully, are numberless and mighty. II. GREAT SUFFERING FOR THE SAKE OF Goo AND TRE RIGHTEOUS CAUSE. (Vere. 5-12.) 1. Awakens a sense of personal unworthiness. (Ver. 6.) All suffering tends to this. 2. The sin of his enemies was sin against God. (Vers. 7-9.) 3. lr,timat, t·elatiz•es and friends as well as strangers join in the persecution of liis enemies. (Yen;. 8-12.) III. THE GROUl(DS OF HIS PRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE, (Vers. 13-18.) 1. Others tvho trust in God will be put to sha.me if he is left to perish. Go back to ver. 6 for this. Faith in God is at stake. 2. Bis great misei·y i,s his argument for salvation. (Vers. 14, ·15-17.) We may well use this plea. 3. The greatness of the Divine loving-kind- tiess and mercy. (Vers. 13-16.) This is the argument which is fullest of hope to those who have known God in all ages, but especially to those who have known God in Cbrist.-S.
Vers. 29-36.-The psalm closes with joyful hopes and vows of thanksgiving for salva.tion. These consequences flow from his confidence in God's salvation, I. His OWN PERSONAL GRATITUDE AND SERVICE. 1. The thanksgiving of a grateful heart will show itsel,f in song and service. (Ver. 30.) 2. Spiritual service is more acceptable to God than ceremonial. (Ver. 31.) lL HIS SALVATION WILL STREKGTHEN THE FAITH OF ALL RIGHTEOUS SUFFERERS, (Vers. 32, 33.) 1. The humble, the afflicted, will see in it tlie pledge of their own deliver- ance. (Ver. 32.) God will make a di.fl'erence between all the righteous and the wicked. 2. The experience of the righteous warrants the utmost trust in God. (Ver. 33.) "Fur the Lord heareth the poor, and despisetb not his pri~oners." That is a truth of experience as well as of faith and hope. IIL Z10N AND THE CITIES OF JUDAH SHALL BE REBUILT. The revelations of God to his own experience gave him the hope of a wide and general deliverance; and in the distinction made by God between him and his enemies, security for tho victory of the whole Church of God. He e&lis upon the heavens, the earth, and seas to praise God on this account (vers. 34-36).-S.
EXPOSITION.
PSALM LXX. Ver. 3.-Let them ba turned baok for a raw&rd of their sham9, Pd. xl. 15 has, "Let Tms psalm is & detached fragment of Ps. them be desolate," but this difference seems xl., separated off, probably, for liturgical to arise from & corruption. That HY, Aha, purposes. Except in the last clause, the aha I Ps. xl 15 has, " that say to me, Aha, name "Elohim" is substituted for "Jeh~ aha I" which is better. Ver. 4.-Let all those that seek thee vah." A few omissions are made, and one rejoice and bs gla.d in thee: and let such aa alteration which affects the sense. love thy so.lvation say eontioU&lly, Let God Ver. 1.-Make hute, 0 God, to daliver me. be magnified. Pa. x.l. 1G Lo.a, " Let the Lord In Ps. xL 13 we find, "Be pleaaed, 0 Lord, be mo.gnified." to deliver we;'' nnd this would seem to be Ver. 5.-But I am poor and needy: make the right way of supplying the ellipse here. haste unto ma, 0 God. Instead of this last Make haste to help me, 0 Lord. cl:i.use, Pa. xl. 17 has," Yet the Lord thinkcth Ver. 2.-Let them be ashamed and con- upon me," which ca.unut be ascribed to o. founded. Pa. xl. 14 adds, "together." That corruption, but must be o.n alteration m11de seek after my soul Ps. :d. &dde, "to destroy deliberately. Thou art my Help and my it." Let them be turned backward, and put Daliverer; 0 Lord, make no tarrying. Iden- to oonfusion, that desire my hurt. Identical tical with Ps. xl, 17, except that hero once with Pa. xl. H:, !llld ~ransl&tcd moro more "Jellovah " replaces " Elohiw." literally. PR. T,XXI. 1-24.] THE BOOK OF PSALMS. 6fJ