wicked have inclosed me: thus the Jewish people were unchurched, and that
which called itself an assembly of the righteous is justly for its sins
marked upon the forehead as an assembly of the wicked. This is not the only
occasion when professed churches of God have become synagogues of Satan, and
have persecuted the Holy One and the Just. They pierced my hands and my
feet. This can by no means refer to David, or to any one but Jesus of
Nazareth, the once crucified but now exalted Son of God. Pause, dear
reader, and view the wounds of thy Redeemer.
Verse 17. So emaciated was Jesus by his fastings and sufferings that he
says, "I may tell all my bones." He could count and recount them. The
posture of the body on the cross, Bishop Horne thinks, would so distend the
flesh and skin as to make the bones visible, so that they might be numbered.
The zeal of his Father's house had eaten him up; like a good soldier he had
endured hardness. Oh that we cared less for the body's enjoyment and ease
and more for our Father's business! It were better to count the bones of an
emaciated body than to bring leanness into our souls.
"They look and stare upon me." Unholy eyes gazed insultingly upon the
Saviours's nakedness, and shocked the sacred delicacy of his holy soul. The
sight of the agonizing body ought to have ensured sympathy from the throng,
but it only increased their savage mirth, as they gloated their cruel eyes
upon his miseries. Let us blush for human nature, and mourn in sympathy
with our Redeemer's shame. The first Adam made us all naked, and therefore
the second Adam became naked that he might clothe our naked souls.
Verse 18. "They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my
vesture." The garments of the executed were the perquisites of the
executioners in most cases, but it was not often that they cast lots at the
division of the spoil; this incident shows how clearly David in vision saw
the day of Christ, and how surely the Man of Nazareth is he of whom the
prophets spake: "these things, therefore, the soldiers did." He who gave
his blood to cleanse us gave his garments to clothe us. As Ness says, "this
precious Lamb of God gave up his golden fleece for us." How every incident
of Jesus' griefs is here stored up in the treasury of inspiration, and
embalmed in the amber of sacred song; we must learn hence to be very mindful
of all that concerns our Beloved, and to think much more of everything which
has a connection with him. It may be noted that the habit of gambling is of
all others the most hardening, for men could practise it even at the
cross-foot while besprinkled with the blood of the Crucified. No Christian
will endure the rattle of the dice when he thinks of this.
Verse 19. "But be thou not far from me, O Lord." Invincible faith
returns to the charge, and uses the same means, viz., importunate prayer.
He repeats the petition so piteously offered before. He wants nothing but
his God, even in his lowest state. He does not ask for the most comfortable
or nearest presence of God, he will be content if he is not far from him;
humble requests speed at the throne. "O my strength, haste thee to help
me." Hard cases need timely aid: when necessity justifies it we may be
urgent with God as to time, and cry, "make haste;" but we must not do this
out of willfulness. Mark how in the last degree of personal weakness he
calls the Lord "my strength;" after this fashion the believer can sing,
"when I am weak, then am I strong."
Verse 20. "Deliver my soul from the sword." By the sword is probably
meant entire destruction, which as a man he dreaded; or perhaps he sought
deliverance from the enemies around him, who were like a sharp and deadly
sword to him. The Lord had said, "Awake, O sword," and now from the terror
of that sword the Shepherd would fain be delivered as soon as justice should
see fit. "My darling from the power of the dog." Meaning his soul, his
life, which is most dear to every man. The original is, "my only one," and
therefore is our soul dear, because it is our only soul. Would that all men
made their souls their darlings, but many treat them as if they were not
worth so much as the mire of the streets. The dog may mean Satan, that
infernal Cerberus, that cursed and cursing cur; or else the whole company of
Christ's foes, who though many in number were as unanimous as if there were
but one, and with one consent sought to rend him in pieces. If Jesus cried
for help against the dog of hell, much more may we. Cave canem, beware of
the dog, for his power is great, and only God can deliver us from him. When
he fawns upon us, we must not put ourselves in his power; and when he howls
at us, we may remember that God holds him with a chain.
Verse 21. "Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the
horns of the unicorns." Having experienced deliverance in the past from
great enemies, who were strong as the unicorns, the Redeemer utters his last
cry for rescue from death, which is fierce and mighty as the lion. This
prayer was heard, and the gloom of the cross departed. Thus faith, though
sorely beaten, and even cast beneath the feet of her enemy, ultimately wins
the victory. It was so in our Head, it shall be so in all the members. We
have overcome the unicorn, we shall conquer the lion, and from both lion and
unicorn we shall take the crown.
Verses 22-31. The transition is very marked; from a horrible tempest all
is changed into calm. The darkness of Calvary at length passed away from
the face of nature, and from the soul of the Redeemer, and beholding the
light of his triumph and its future results the Saviour smiled. We have
followed him through the gloom, let us attend him in the returning light.
It will be well still to regard the words as a part of our Lord's soliloquy
upon the cross, uttered in his mind during the last few moments before his
death.
Verse 22. "I will declare thy name unto my brethren." The delights of
Jesus are always with his church, and hence his thoughts, after much
distraction, return at the first moment of relief to their usual channel; he
forms fresh designs for the benefit of his beloved ones. He is not ashamed
to call them brethren, "Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in
the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee." Among his first
resurrection words were these, "Go to my brethren." In the verse before us,
Jesus anticipates happiness in having communication with his people; he
purposes to be their teacher and minister, and fixes his mind upon the
subject of his discourse. The name, i.e., the character and conduct of
God are by Jesus Christ's gospel proclaimed to all the holy brotherhood;
they behold the fulness of the Godhead dwelling bodily in him, and rejoice
greatly to see all the infinite perfections manifested in one who is bone of
their bone and flesh of their flesh. What a precious subject is the name of
our God! It is the only one worthy of the only Begotten, whose meat and
drink it was to do the Father's will. We may learn from this resolution of
our Lord, that one of the most excellent methods of showing our thankfulness
for deliverances is to tell to our brethren what the Lord has done for us.
We mention our sorrows readily enough; why are we so slow in declaring our
deliverances? "In the midst of the congregation will I praise thee." Not
in a little household gathering merely does our Lord resolve to proclaim his
Father's love, but in the great assemblies of his saints, and in the general
assembly and church of the first-born. This the Lord Jesus is always doing
by his representatives, who are the heralds of salvation, and labour to
praise God. In the great universal church Jesus is the One authoritative
teacher, and all others, so far as they are worthy to be called teachers,
are nothing but echoes of his voice. Jesus, in this second sentence,
reveals his object in declaring the divine name, it is that God may be
praised; the church continually magnifies Jehovah for manifesting himself in
the person of Jesus, and Jesus himself leads the song, and is both precentor
and preacher in his church. Delightful are the seasons when Jesus communes
with our hearts concerning divine truth; joyful praise is the sure result.
Verse 23. "Ye that fear the Lord praise him." The reader must imagine
the Saviour as addressing the congregation of the saints. He exhorts the
faithful to unite with him in thanksgiving. The description of "fearing the
Lord" is very frequent and very instructive; it is the beginning of wisdom,
and is an essential sign of grace. "I am a Hebrew and I fear God" was
Jonah's confession of faith. Humble awe of God is so necessary a
preparation for praising him that none are fit to sing to his honour but
such as reverence his word; but this fear is consistent with the highest
joy, and is not to be confounded with legal bondage, which is a fear which
perfect love casteth out. Holy fear should always keep the key of the
singing pew. Where Jesus leads the tune none but holy lips may dare to
sing. "All ye the seed of Jacob glorify him." The genius of the gospel
is praise. Jew and Gentile saved by sovereign grace should be eager in the
blessed work of magnifying the God of our salvation. All saints should
unite in the song; no tongue may be silent, no heart may be cold. Christ
calls us to glorify God, and can we refuse? "And fear him, all ye the seed
of Israel." The spiritual Israel all do this, and we hope the day will
come when Israel after the flesh will be brought to the same mind. The more
we praise God the more reverently shall we fear him, and the deeper our
reverence the sweeter our songs. So much does Jesus value praise that we
have it here under his dying hand and seal that all the saints must glorify
the Lord.
Verse 24. "For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the
afflicted." Here is good matter and motive for praise. The experience of
our covenant Head and Representative should encourage all of us to bless the
God of grace. Never was man so afflicted as our Saviour in body and soul
from friends and foes, by heaven and hell, in life and death; he was the
foremost in the ranks of the afflicted, but all those afflictions were sent
in love, and not because his Father despised and abhorred him. 'Tis true
that justice demanded that Christ should bear the burden which as a
substitute he undertook to carry, but Jehovah always loved him, and in love
laid that load upon him with a view to his ultimate glory and to the
accomplishment of the dearest wish of his heart. Under all his woes our
Lord was honourable in the Father's sight, the matchless jewel of Jehovah's
heart. "Neither hath he hid his face from him." That is to say, the
hiding was but temporary, and was soon removed; it was not final and
eternal. "But when he cried unto him, he heard." Jesus was heard in that
he feared. He cried in extremis and de profundis, and was speedily
answered; he therefore bids his people join him in singing a Gloria in
excelsis.
Every child of God should seek refreshment for his faith in this
testimony of the Man of Sorrows. What Jesus here witnesses is as true
to-day as when it was first written. It shall never be said that any man's
affliction or poverty prevented his being an accepted suppliant at Jehovah's
throne of grace. The meanest applicant is welcome at mercy's door:—
"None that approach his throne shall find
A God unfaithful or unkind."
Verse 25. "My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation." The
one subject of our Master's song is the Lord alone. The Lord and the Lord
only is the theme which the believer handleth when he gives himself to
imitate Jesus in praise. The word in the original is "from thee,"—true
praise is of celestial origin. The rarest harmonies of music are nothing
unless they are sincerely consecrated to God by hearts sanctified by the
Spirit. The clerk says, "Let us sing to the praise and glory of God;" but
the choir often sing to the praise and glory of themselves. Oh when shall
our service of song be a pure offering? Observe in this verse how Jesus
loves the public praises of the saints, and thinks with pleasure of the
great congregation. It would be wicked on our part to despise the twos and
threes; but, on the other hand, let not the little companies snarl at the
greater assemblies as though they were necessarily less pure and less
approved, for Jesus loves the praise of the great congregation. "I will
pay my vows before them that fear him." Jesus dedicates himself anew to
the carrying out of the divine purpose in fulfilment of his vows made in
anguish. Did our Lord when he ascended to the skies proclaim amid the
redeemed in glory the goodness of Jehovah? And was that the vow here meant?