hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. For then God set his
feet on high places, setting his kingdom, and establishing him in the place
of Saul.— Edward Marbury.
Verse 33. "He maketh my feet like hinds' feet: " (Heb. words). Celerity
of motion was considered as one of the qualities of an ancient hero.
Achilles is celebrated for being podas wkus. Virgil's Nisus is
hyperbolically described, "Et ventis et fulminis ocior alis;" and the men
of God, who came to David, "Men of might, and men of war fit for the battle,
that could handle shield and buckler," are said to have had "faces like the
faces of lions," and to have been "as swift as the roes upon the mountains."
1 Chronicles 12:8. Asahel is described as "light of foot as a wild roe" (2
Samuel 2:18); and Saul seems called the roe (in the English translation,
"the beauty) of Israel." 2 Samuel 1:19. It has been said that the legs of
the hind are straighter than those of the buck, and that she is swifter
than he is; but there is no sufficient proof of this. Gataker gives the
true account of it when he says, "The female formula is often used for the
species." This is not uncommon in Hebrew. The female ass obviously stands
for the ass species. Genesis 12:16; Job 1:3; 42:12. Some (at the head of
whom is Bochart, Hierozoicon , P. i. L. ii. c. 17), have supposed the
reference to be to the peculiar hardness of the hoof of the roe, which
enables it to walk firmly, without danger of falling, on the roughest and
rockiest places. Virgil calls the hind "aeri-pedem," brass-footed. Others
suppose the reference to be to its agility and celerity. There is nothing
to prevent our supposing that there is reference to both these
distinguishing qualities of the hind's feet.— John Brown.
Verse 33. He maketh my feet like hinds' feet," etc. He maketh me able
to stand on the sides of mountains and rocks, which were anciently used as
fastnesses in time of war. The feet of the sheep, the goat, and the hart
are particularly adapted to standing in such places. Mr. Merrick has here
very appositely cited the following passage from Xenophon; Lib. de
Venatione: Epiokupein dei econta tus kunas tas men en oredi edtwdas 'lafouz )
See also Psalm 104:18, where the same property of standing on the rocks and
steep cliffs, is attributed to the wild goat.— Stephen Street, M.A., in loc., 1790.
Verse 34. "He teacheth my hands to war," etc. To him I owe all that
military skill, or strength, or courage, which I have. My strength is
sufficient, not only to bend "a bow of steel," but to break it.— Matthew Poole.
Verse 34. "Steel." The word so rendered in the authorised version,
properly means "copper" (Heb.) It is doubtful if the Hebrews were
acquainted with the process of hardening iron into steel, for though the
"northern iron" of Jeremiah 15:12, has been supposed by some to be steel,
this is by no means certain; it may have only been a superior sort of iron.— William Lindsay Alexander, in "Kitto's Cyclopaedia."
Verse 34. The drawing of a mighty bow was a mark of great slaughter and
skill.
"So the great master drew the mighty bow,
And drew with ease. One hand aloft display'd
The bending horns, and one the string essay'd."
Alexander Pope, 1688-1744 Translation of Homer.
Verses 37, 38:—
Oh, I have seen the day,
When with a single word,
God helping me to say,
"My trust is in the Lord;"
My soul has quelled a thousand foes,
Fearless of all that could oppose.
William Cowper, 1731-1800.
Verse 38. "I have wounded them," etc. Greater is he that is in us than
he that is against us, and God shall bruise Satan under our feet shortly.
Romans 15:20.— W. Wilson
Verses 38-40. Though passion possess our bodies, let "patience possess
our souls." The law of our profession binds us to a warfare; patiendo
vincimus, our troubles shall end, our victory is eternal. Hear David's
triumph, "I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are
fallen under my feet. Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against
me. Thou hast given me the necks of mine enemies," etc. They have wounds
for their wounds; and the treaders down of the poor are trodden down by the
poor. The Lord will subdue those to us that would have subdued us to
themselves; and though for a short time they rode over our heads, yet now at
last we shall everlastingly tread upon their necks. Lo, then, the reward of
humble patience and confident hope!— Thomas Adams.
Verse 39. To be well girt was to be well armed in the Greek and Latin
idioms, as well as in the Hebrew.— Alexander Geddes, LL.D., 1737-1802.
Verse 41. "They shall cry, but there shall be none to help them," etc.
Sad examples enough there are of the truth of this prophecy. Of Esau it is
written that he "found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully
with tears." Hebrews 12:17. Of Antiochus, though he vowed in his last
illness, "that also he would become a Jew himself, and go through all the
world that was inhabited, and declare the power of God, yet," continues the
historian, "for all this his pains would not cease, for the just judgment of
God was come upon him." 2 Maccabees 9:17, 18. But most appropriately to
this passage, it is written of Saul, "When he enquired of the Lord, the Lord
answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets." 1
Samuel 28:6. And therefore, the prophet warns us: "Give glory to the Lord
your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the
dark mountains (Jeremiah 13:16): as Saul's feet, indeed stumbled on the dark
mountains of Gilboa. "Even unto the Lord shall they cry:" but not, as it
has been well remarked, by a Mediator: and so, crying to him in their own
name, and by their own merits, they cry in vain.— John Lorinus (1569-1634), and Remigus (900), quoted by J. M. Neale.
Verse 41. "Even unto the Lord." As nature prompteth men in an
extremity to look up for help; but because it is but the prayer of the flesh
for ease, and not of the Spirit for grace, and a good use of calamities, and
not but in extreme despair of help elsewhere, therefore God hears them not.
In Samuel it is, "They looked, but there was none to save them," q.d., If
they could have made any other shift, God should never have heard of them.— John Trapp.
Verse 42. "I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets," or rather
"of the streets." In the East, all household refuse and filth is cast forth
into the streets, where all of it that is at all edible is soon cleared away
by birds and dogs, and all that is not is speedily dried up by the sun. To
cast forth any one, therefore, as the dirt of the streets, is a strong image
of contempt and rejection.— John Kitto.
Verses 43, 44. If these words can be explained literally of David, they
apply much more naturally to Jesus Christ, who has been delivered from the
strivings of the Jewish people; when, after the terrible opposition he met
with on their part, to the establishment of the gospel, he was made the head
of the Gentiles who were a strange people, and whom he had not formerly
acknowledged as his, but who nevertheless obeyed him with astonishing
readiness as soon as they heard his voice.— Louis Isaac le Maistre de Sacy, 1613-1684.
Verse 45. The first clause is comparatively easy. "The strangers shall
fade away" —"shall gradually wither and disappear;" but the second
clause is very difficult, "They shall be afraid out of their close
places." One Jewish scholar interprets it, "They shall fear for the
prisons in which I will throw them and keep them confined." (Jarchi).
Another, "They shall tremble in their castles to which they have betaken
themselves for fear of me." Another (Abenezra), "They shall surrender
themselves from their fortresses." The general meaning is plain enough.
The class referred to are represented as reduced to a state of complete
helpless subjugation. As to the event referred to, if we keep to the
rendering of our translators the meaning may be, "The Pagans, retired now
generally to villages and remote places, shall gradually dwindle away, and
fearfully anticipate the complete extinction of their religion." This
exactly accords with history. If with some interpreters we read, "The
strangers shall fade away, and be afraid because of their prisons," then the
meaning may be, "that they who only feigned submission, when persecution for
the word should arise should openly apostatise." This, too, would be found
consonant with fact. The first of these interpretations seems the more
probable.— John Brown.
Verse 46. "The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of
my salvation be exalted." Let us unite our hearts in this song for a close
of our praises. Honours die, pleasures die, the world dies; but "The
Lord liveth." My flesh is as sand; my fleshly life, strength, glory, is
as a word written on sand; but "blessed be my ROCK." Those are for a
moment; this stands for ever. The curse shall devour those; everlasting
blessings on the head of this. Let outward salvations vanish; let the saved
be crucified; let the "God" of our salvations "be exalted." This Lord
is my rock; this God is my salvation. — Peter Sterry, 1649.
Verse 46. "The Lord liveth." Why do you not oppose one God to all the
armies of evils that beset you round? why do you not take the more content
in God when you have the less of the creature to take content in? why do you
not boast in your God? and bear up yourselves big with your hopes in God
and expectations from him? Do you not see young heirs to great estates act
and spend accordingly? And, why shall you, being the King of heaven's son,
be lean and ragged from day to day, as though you were not worth a groat? O
sirs, live upon your portion, chide yourselves for living besides what you
have. There are great and precious promises, rich, enriching mercies; you
may make use of God's all-sufficiency; you can blame none but yourselves if
you be defective or discouraged. A woman, truly godly for the main, having
buried a child, and sitting alone in sadness, did yet bear up her heart with
the expression, "God lives;" and having parted with another, still she
redoubled, "Comforts die, but God lives." At last her dear husband dies,
and she sat oppressed and most overwhelmed with sorrow. A little child she
had yet surviving, having observed what before she spoke to comfort herself,
comes to her and saith, "Is God dead, mother? is God dead?" This reached
her heart, and by God's blessing recovered her former confidence in her God,
who is a living God. Thus do you chide yourselves; ask your fainting
spirits under pressing outward sorrows, is not God alive? and why then doth
not thy soul revive? why doth thy heart die within thee when comforts die!
Cannot a living God support thy dying hopes? Thus, Christians, argue down
your discouraged and disquieted spirits as David did.— Oliver Heywood's "Sure Mercies of David," 1672.
Verse 47. "It is God." Sir, this is none other than the hand of God;
and to him alone belongs the glory, wherein none are to share with him. The
General served you with all faithfulness and honour; and the best
commendation I can give him is that I dare say he attributes all to God, and
would rather perish than assume to himself.— Written to the Speaker of the House of Commons, after the battle of Naseby,
June 14, 1645, by OLIVER CROMWELL.
Verse 49. I admire King David a great deal more when I see him in the
quire than when I see him in the camp; when I see him singing as the sweet
singer of Israel, than when I see him fighting as the worthy warrior of
Israel. For fighting with others he did overcome all others; but singing,
and delighting himself, he did overcome himself.— Thomas Playfere.
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER
Verse 1. Love's resolve, love's logic, love's trials, love's victories.
James Hervey has two sermons upon "Love to God" from this text.
Verse 2.The many excellences of Jehovah to his people.
Verse 2. God the all-sufficient portion of his people.— C. Simeon's Works, Vol. 5, Page 85.
Verse 3. Prayer resolved upon; praise rendered; result anticipated.
Verses 4-6. Graphic picture of a distressed soul, and its resorts in
the hour of extremity.
Verse 5 ( first clause ). The condition of a soul convinced of sin.
Verse 5 ( second clause ). The way in which snares and temptations are,
by Satanic craft, arranged so as to forestall or prevent us.
Verse 6. The time, the manner, the hearing, and the answering of prayer.