inheritance, will make much of the conveyance.
Thomas Adams.
Verse 2. To "meditate," as it is generally understood, signifies to
discuss, to dispute; and its meaning is always confined to a being employed
in words, as in Psalm 32:30, "The mouth of the righteous shall meditate
wisdom." Hence Augustine has, in his translation, "chatter;" and a
beautiful metaphor it is—as chattering is the employment of birds, so a
continual conversing in the law of the Lord (for talking is peculiar to
man), ought to be the employment of man. But I cannot worthily and fully
set forth the gracious meaning and force of this word; for this "meditating"
consists first in an intent observing of the words of the law, and then in a
comparing of the different Scriptures; which is a certain delightful
hunting, nay, rather a playing with stags in a forest, where the Lord
furnishes us with the stags, and opens to us their secret coverts. And from
this kind of employment, there comes forth at length a man well instructed
in the law of the Lord to speak unto the people.
Martin Luther.
Verse 2. "In his law doth he meditate day and night." The godly man
will read the Word by day , that men, seeing his good works, may glorify
his Father who is in heaven; he will do it in the night , that he may not
be seen of men: by day , to show that he is not one of those who dread the
light; by night , to show that he is one who can shine in the shade: by
day , for that is the time for working—work whilst it is day; by
night , lest his Master should come as a thief, and find him idle.
Sir Richard Baker.
Verse 2. I have no rest, but in a nook, with the book.
Thomas a Kempis, 1380-1471.
Verse 2. "Meditate." Meditation doth discriminate and characterise a
man; by this he may take a measure of his heart, whether it be good or bad;
let me allude to that; "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." Proverbs
23:7. As the meditation is, such is the man. Meditation is the touchstone
of a Christian; it shows what metal he is made of. It is a spiritual index;
the index shows what is in the book, so meditation shows what is in the
heart.
Thomas Watson's Saints' Spiritual Delight.
Verse 2. Meditation chews the cud, and gets the sweetness and nutritive
virtue of the Word into the heart and life: this is the way the godly bring
forth much fruit.
Bartholomew Ashwood's Heavenly Trade, 1688.
Verse 2. The naturalists observe that to uphold and accommodate bodily
life, there are diverse sorts of faculties communicated, and these among the
rest:
1. An attractive faculty, to assume and draw in the
food;
2. A retentive faculty, to retain it when taken in;
3. As assimilating faculty to concoct the nourishment;
4. An augmenting faculty, for drawing to perfection.
Meditation is all these. It helps judgment, wisdom, and faith to ponder,
discern, and credit the things which reading and hearing supply and furnish.
It assists the memory to lock up the jewels of divine truth in her sure
treasury. It has a digesting power, and turns special truth into spiritual
nourishment; and lastly, it helps the renewed heart to grow upward and
increase its power to know the things which are freely given to us of God.
Condensed from Nathaniel Ranew, 1670.
Verse 3. "A tree." —There is one tree, only to be found in the
valley of the Jordan, but too beautiful to be entirely passed over; the
oleander, with its bright blossoms and dark green leaves, giving the aspect
of a rich garden to any spot where it grows. It is rarely if ever alluded
to in the Scriptures. But it may be the tree planted by the streams of
water which bringeth forth his fruit in due season, and "whose leaf shall
not wither."
A. P. Stanley, D.D., in "Sinai and Palestine."
Verse 3. "A tree planted by the rivers of water." —This is an
allusion to the Eastern method of cultivation, by which rivulets of water
are made to flow between the rows of trees, and thus, by artificial means,
the trees receive a constant supply of moisture.
Verse 3. "His fruit in his season." —In such a case expectation is
never disappointed. Fruit is expected, fruit is borne, and it comes also in
the time in which it should come. A godly education, under the influences
of the divine Spirit, which can never be withheld where they are earnestly
sought, is sure to produce the fruits of righteousness; and he who reads,
prays, and meditates, will ever see the work which God has given him to
do; the power by which he is to perform it; and the times, places, and
opportunities for doing those things by which God can obtain most glory,
his own soul most good, and his neighbour most edification.
Adam Clarke.
Verse 3. "In his season." The Lord reckons the times which pass over
us, and puts them to our account: let us, therefore, improve them, and with
the impotent persons at the pool of Bethesda, step in when the angel stirs
the water. Now the church is afflicted, it is a season of prayer and
learning; now the church is enlarged, it is a season of praise; I am now at
a sermon, I will hear what God will say; now in the company of a learned and
wise man, I will draw some knowledge and counsel from him; I am under a
temptation, now is a fit time to lean on the name of the Lord; I am in a
place of dignity and power, let me consider what it is that God requireth of
me in such a time as this. And thus as the tree of life bringeth fruit
every month, so a wise Christian, as a wise husbandman, hath his distinct
employments for every month, bringing forth his fruit in his season.
John Spencer's Things New and Old, 1658.
Verse 3. "In his season." Oh, golden and admirable word! by which is
asserted the liberty of Christian righteousness. The ungodly have their
stated days, stated times, certain works, and certain places; to which they
stick so closely, that if their neighbours were perishing with hunger, they
could not be torn from them. But this blessed man, being free at all times,
in all places, for every work, and to every person, will serve you whenever
an opportunity is offered him; whatsoever comes into his hands to do, he
does it. He is neither a Jew, nor a Gentile, nor a Greek, nor a barbarian,
nor of any other particular person. He gives his fruit in his season, so
often as either God or man requires his work. Therefore his fruits have no
name, and his times have no name.
Martin Luther.
Verse 3. "His leaf also shall not wither." He describes the fruit
before he does the leaf. The Holy Spirit himself always teaches every
faithful preacher in the church to know that the kingdom of God does not
stand in word but in power. 1 Corinthians 4:20. Again, "Jesus began both
to do and to teach." Acts 1:1. And again, "Which was a prophet mighty in
deed and word." Luke 24:19. And thus, let him who professes the word of
doctrine, first put forth the fruits of life, if he would not have his fruit
to wither, for Christ cursed the fig tree which bore no fruit. And, as
Gregory saith, that man whose life is despised is condemned by his doctrine,
for he preaches to others, and is himself reprobated.
Martin Luther.
Verse 3. "His leaf also shall not wither." The Lord's trees are all
evergreens. No winter's cold can destroy their verdure; and yet, unlike
evergreens in our country, they are all fruit bearers.
C. H. S.
Verse 3. "And whatsoever he doeth, [or, maketh or taketh in
hand ]
shall prosper." And with regard to this "prospering," take heed that thou
understandest not a carnal prosperity. This prosperity is hidden
prosperity, and lies entirely secret in spirit; and therefore if thou hast
not this prosperity that is by faith, thou shouldest rather judge thy
prosperity to be the greatest adversity. For as the devil bitterly hates
this leaf and the word of God, so does he also those who teach and hear it,
and he persecutes such, aided by all the powers of the world. Therefore
thou hearest of a miracle the greatest of all miracles, when thou hearest
that all things prosper which a blessed man doeth.
Martin Luther.
Verse 3. A critical journal has shown that instead of "Whatsoever it
doeth shall prosper," the rendering might be, "Whatsoever it produceth
shall come to maturity." This makes the figure entire, and is sanctioned
by some MSS. and ancient versions.
Verse 3. ( last clause ). Outward prosperity, if it follow close
walking
with God, is very sweet; as the cipher, when it follows a figure, adds to
the number, though it be nothing in itself.
John Trapp.
Verse 4. "Chaff." Here, by the way, we may let the wicked know they
have a thanks to give they little think of; that they may thank the godly
for all the good days they live upon the earth, seeing it is for their sakes
and not for their own that they enjoy them. For as the chaff while it is
united and keeps close to the wheat, enjoys some privileges for the wheat's
sake, and is laid up carefully in the barn; but as soon as it is divided,
and parted from the wheat, it is cast out and scattered by the wind; so the
wicked, whilst the godly are in company and live amongst them, partake for
their sake of some blessedness promised to the godly; but if the godly
forsake them or be taken from them, then either a deluge of water comes
suddenly upon them, as it did upon the old world when Noah left it; or a
deluge of fire, as it did upon Sodom, when Lot left it, and went out of the
city.
Sir Richard Baker.
Verse 4. "Driveth away," or tosseth away; the Chaldee translateth for
"wind," "whirlwind."
Henry Ainsworth, 1639.
This shows the vehement tempest of death, which sweeps away the soul of the ungodly.
Verse 5. "Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment," etc. And may not a reason also be conceived thus, why the ungodly can never come
to be of the congregation of the righteous: the righteous go a way that God
knows, and the wicked go a way that God destroys; and seeing that these ways
can never meet, how should the men meet that go these ways? And to make
sure work that they shall never meet indeed, the prophet expresseth the way
of the righteous by the first link of the chain of God's goodness, which is
his knowledge; but expresseth the way of the wicked by the last link of
God's justice, which is his destroying; and though God's justice and his
mercy do often meet, and are contiguous one to another, yet the first link
of his mercy and the last link of his justice can never meet, for it never
comes to destroying till God be heard to say Nescio vos, "I know you
not," and nescio vos in God, and God's knowledge, can certainly never
possibly meet together.
Sir Richard Baker.
Verse 5. The Irish air will sooner brook a toad, or a snake, than heaven
a sinner.
John Trapp.
Verse 6. "For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of
the ungodly shall perish." Behold how David here terrifies us away from
all prosperous appearances, and commends to us various temptations and
adversities. For this "way" of the righteous all men utterly reprobate;
thinking also, that God knoweth nothing about any such way. But this is the
wisdom of the cross. Therefore, it is God alone that knoweth the way of the
righteous, so hidden is it to the righteous themselves. For his right hand
leads them on in a wonderful manner, seeing that it is a way, not of sense,