Verse 28. ( first clause ). Men's curses are impotent, God's blessings are omnipotent.— Matthew Henry.
Verse 30. I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth. In the celebration of God's praises, there can be no question that these must issue from the heart ere they can be uttered by the lips; at the same time, it would be an indication of great coldness, and of want of fervour, did not the tongue unite with the heart in this exercise. The reason why David makes mention of the tongue only is, that he takes it for granted that, unless there be a pouring out of the heart before God, those praises which reach no farther than the ear are vain and frivolous; and, therefore, from the very bottom of his soul, he pours forth his heart felt gratitude in fervent strains of praise; and this he does from the same motives which ought to influence all the faithful—the desire of mutual edification; for to act otherwise would be to rob God of the honour which belongs to him.— John Calvin.
Verse 31. He shall stand at the right hated of the poor. This expression implies, first, that he appears there as a friend. How cheering, how comforting it is to have a friend to stand by us when we are in trouble! Such a friend is Jesus. In the hour of necessity he comes as a friend to stand by the right hand of the poor creature whose soul is condemned by guilt and accusation. But he stands in a far higher relation than that of a friend; he stands, too, as surety and a deliverer. He goes, as it were, into the court; and when the prisoner stands at the bar, he comes forward and stands at his right hand as his surety and bondsman; he brings out of his bosom the acquittance of the debt, signed and sealed with his own blood, he produces it to the eyes of the court, and claims and demands the acquittal and absolution of the prisoner at whose right hand he stands. He stands there, then, that the prisoner may be freely pardoned, and completely justified from those accusations that condemn his soul. O sweet standing! O blessed appearance!— Joseph C. Philpot (1802-1869).
Verse 31. He shall stand at the right hand of the poor. One of the oldest Rabbinical commentaries has a very beautiful gloss on this passage. "Whenever a poor man stands at thy door, the Holy One, blessed be His Name, stands at his right hand. If thou givest him alms, know that thou shalt receive a reward from Him who standeth at his right hand."— Alfred Edersheim, in "Sketches of the Jewish Social Life in the Days of Christ," 1876.
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER
Verse 1. The silence of God. What it may mean: what it involves: how we may endeavour to break it.
Verse 1. God of my praise. A text which may be expounded in its double meaning.
Verses 1-3.
1. God is for his people when the wicked are against them (Ps 109:1);
(a) for his people's sake;
(b) for his own sake.
2. The wicked are against his people when he is for them (Ps 109:2-3);
(a) from hatred to God;
(b) from hatred to his people.— G.R.
Verse 2. Slander. Its cause—wickedness and malice. Its instruments—deceit and lies. Its frequency—Jesus and the saints slandered. Its punishment. Our resort when tried by it—prayer to God.
Verse 4. On the excellency of prayer. See Expository Notes.
Verse 4. Our Lord's adversaries, and his resort.
Verses 4-5.
1. David's spirit and conduct towards his enemies.
(a) His spirit is love—love for hatred; hence his denunciations are against their sins, rather than against them.
(b) His conduct. He returned good for evil; he interceded for them.
2. Their spirit and conduct towards him.
(a) Hatred for love.
(b) Evil for good.— G.R.
Verse 5. Evil for good. This is devil like. Have not men been guilty of this to parents, to those who have warned them, to saints and ministers, and especially to the Lord himself?
Verse 5. How has the Redeemer been recompensed? Show what he deserves and what he receives from various individuals. He feels the unkindness of those who are ungrateful.
Verse 6. It is the law of retribution to punish the wicked by means of the wicked.— Starke.
Verse 7. When may prayer become sin. From what is sought, how sought, by whom sought, and wherefore sought.
Verse 8. Let his days be few. Sin the great shortener of human life. After the flood the whole race lived a shorter time; passion and avaricious care shorten life, and some sins have a peculiar power to do this, lust, drunkenness, & c.
Verse 20-21.
1. David leaves his enemies in the hand of God (Ps 109:20).
2. He puts himself into the same hands (Ps 109:21).— G.R.
Verse 21. The plea of a believer must be drawn from his God, his "name" and "mercy." The opposite habit of searching for arguments in self very common and very disappointing.
Verse 21. The peculiar goodness of divine mercy.
Verse 22. The inward sorrows of a saint. Their cause, effects, consolations and cure.
Verses 26-27.
1. The Prayer.
2. The Believing Title: "O Lord my God."
3. The attribute relied upon.
4. The motive for the petition.
Verse 28. The divine cure for human ill will; and the saint's temper when he trusts therein—"let thy servant rejoice."
Verse 29.
1. A prayer for the repentance of David's adversaries.
2. A prophecy for their confusion if they remain impenitent.— G.R.
Verse 29. The sinner's last mantle.
Verse 30. Vocal praise. Should be personal, resolute, intelligent, abundant, hearty. It should attract others, join with others, stimulate others, but never lose its personality.
Verses 30-31.
1. David's will with respect to himself: "I will... yea, I will" etc. (Ps 109:30).
2. His shall with respect to God: "he shall", etc. (Ps 109:31).— G.R.
Verses 30-31. He promises God that he will praise him, Ps 109:30. He promises himself that he shall have cause to praise God, Ps 109:31.— Matthew Henry.
Verse 31.
1. The character to whom the promise is made—the poor.
2. The danger to which he is exposed—those that condemn his soul.
3. The deliverance which is promised to him—divine, opportune, efficient, complete, everlasting.
WORKS UPON THE HUNDRED AND NINTH PSALM
In "The Expositor", vol. 2. (1875), edited by the Rev. Samuel Cox, there is "An Apology for the Vindictive Psalm" (Ps 109:1-31), by Joseph Hammond, L.L.B. In volume 3 of the same magazine are four articles from the pen of the same writer, on "The Vindictive Psalms vindicated." "The Imprecatory Psalms." Six Lectures. By the Rev. R.A. Bertram. 1867. (12 mo.)
In Dr. Thomas Randolph's Works, entitled "A View of our Blessed Saviour's Ministry...together with a Charge, Dissertations, Sermons, and Theological Lectures," 2 vols., 8vo., Oxford, 1784, there is a comment on Ps 109:1-31, vol. 2, p. 315.
The Sermons of Charles Peters, A.M., 8vo., London, 1776, contain "The Curses of Psalm the 109th explained, with practical instructions," pp. 348-378.
W. Keate's Sermon, entitled, "The 109th, commonly called the Imprecating Psalm, considered, on a principle by which the Psalm explains itself." 4to., London, 1794.
F.H. Dunwell. A Tract on the Commination Service of the Church of England. 12 mo. 1853.
In the "Bibliotheca Sacra and Theological Review," vol. 1., 1844, pp. 97-110, there is an article on "The Imprecations in the Scriptures," by B.B. Edwards, Professor in the Theological Seminary, Andover.
There is also an article on "The Imprecatory Psalms", in "Bibliotheca Sacra and American Biblical Repository," for July, 1856, pp. 551-563, by John J. Owen, D.D., Professor in the Free Academy, New York.