beauty, (a word applied to creature-beauty in Hos. xiv. 6, Zech. x. 3), is here emphatically exalted beyond comparison by the addition of “the glory of thy beauty;" aye, and “the majesty of the glory." And then the "Chronicles (77) of thy wmdrous acts" is a term applied in 1 Chron. xxvii. 24, 1 Kings xi. 41, to the acts of Solomon and David, the journals or records made of their deeds; even as it is in Esther vi. 1, to the king of Persia. The terms all bear reference to royalty and government. Then he adds that in all these coming ages there will be a company of those who delight to record the manifes tation of his name in his deeds. "They shall speak of the overwhelming might (m) of thy terrible acts,” (Ver. 6) done in past days, such as Israel has delighted to tell to their children (Psa. lxxviii. 4), even such as He did at the Red Sea (Exod. xv. 11, 87, as here), and upon the cities of the plain, as well as on the nations of Canaan. "And thy greatness, I will recount it ! Leave me to declare, or recount, the manifestations of his "Greatness." While other men are uttering praise, the Psalmist catches up the theme, as one which he must appropriate to himself that "greatness" spoken of in 1 Chron. xvii. 19, when he sat before the Lord-that royal greatness which a Persian king's wealth and magnificence would faintly shadow forth (Esther i. 4, "excellency of his greatness") when taken as an emblem. But it is chiefly here the display of his greatness in acts of kindness that he is to shew. 3. The harp extols Jehovah's past manifestation of His gracious character, in verses 7-9. The first words in verse 7 are, “ They shall pour out (as from a gushing spring, Psa xix. 2) the memory of thy great goodness;" and perhaps we ought to understand the clause as asserting that the Lord's "great goodness" is itself the " ," the thing to be remembered concerning Ilim-His memorial, as in Exod. iii. 15, Psa. cii. 12. And then there is allusion to Exod. xxxiv. 6, Numb. xiv. 8, in verse 8. “The Lord is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger and abundant in goodness (TDM).” The very words of Exod. iii. 4, though unfortunately altered in our version; and the more to be noticed, as verse 4, "Thy goodness," is corresponding so exactly to Exod. xxxiii. 19, טובי The God who was thus gracious in the wilderness to his people remains the same evermore. And this is He who at Calvary, in his incarnate Son, manifested his gracious name. We, in our day, turn to the sacrifice of Calvary, as best displaying his great goodness, his memorial, and we sing of “his righteousness” as shining there. "The Lord is good to every one; And his yearning bowels are over all his works." (Ver. 9.) He attends to individual souls, and yet also bends, like the blue sky, over all his universe in mercy. His mercies, like the rainbow, span the world. We see this at the rock of Horeb (Exod. xxxiv.); but we see it best of all at Calvary. What yearnings there!—what love!-what goodness! And the "whole creation" shall yet have a share in that mercy, when the time spoken of in Rom. viii. 19-21 has arrived. 4. The harp extols Jehovah's kingdom in verses 10-13. All he has created, and all he has wrought in providence, has been of such a character as to yield him a revenue of praise; and his saints act as his priests, presenting the praise. But this will be peculiarly the case when the kingdom is manifested. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, And shall talk of (chronicle, as ver. 5) thy might (see ver. 4), And the glory of the majesty of thy kingdom." (Ver. 11, 12.) The writer of Esther i. 4 says, "While he shewed them the riches of the glory of his kingdom”—a kingdom which was to last only a season. May we suppose that that writer, a man of Israel, was led to use these terms, with this Psalm in his hand, purposely in order to suggest by contrast the infinite difference between that earthly monarch's splendour, and the glory of the God of Israel? The Persian monarch's display lasted 180 days, and when its half-year was over, the splendour had vanished; whereas Jehovah's is (as Dan. iv. 31) "A kingdom of all eternities “In every generation and generation." (Ver. 13.) 5. The harp extols the qualifications of Him who reigneth in verses 14-19, "The Lord is an upholder to all that are falling, And maketh all that are bowed down to stand upright." (Ver. 14.) Those in distress and trouble are meant by the "falling," as in Próv. xiii. 16, 17; and who the "bowed down” are, we see by Psa. lvii. 7, where the Psalmist's soul is nearly overwhelmed by the thought of snares and foes shutting him in. Rejoice, O saints though ye are feeling disaster and calamity, and are sore distressed, your Lord is coming to put all things in order. He is the uplifter of a fallen World; he will not break the bruised reed. The world shall soon hear no sigh, no murmur, no voice of weeping; for his unsuffering kingdom is at hand! He has provision for all (ver. 15, 16); he is more than was Joseph in Goshen, to his own and to all creation. And he acts on the holiest principles of administration (ver 17), while giving access and audience to his subjects who seek his presence, (ver. 18). Yes, he will satiate their weary souls, and leave not one wish ungratified-not one craving, not one longing-" He will accomplish the desire of those that fear him," (ver. 19). 66 6. The harp sings the safe arrival in the kingdom (2 Tim. iv. 18) of his saints, and the ruin of those who resist His kingdom, in verse 20. There is a reference to the day of the Lord's Coming, when his Israel reach the safe shore, and see the Pharaohs that pursued them overwhelmed in the deep. When he is spoken of as preserving the souls that love him, while destroying the wicked ones," the word for "destroy" is the same (T, the opposite of iv) as that in Deut. ii. 12, 21, 22, where we are told of the extirpation of various nations; and the same used in Isa. xiv. 23, of Babylon's ruin; and the same in Esther iii. 6, when Haman plotted to uproot Israel at one blow. Antichrist shall be consumed and "destroyed" by the brightness of the Lord's coming, and all that are on his side, in that day when the King establishes his holy kingdom. On the other hand, his saints shall be "preserved" (1 Tim. iv. 18), not only from succeeding dangers, but from the grasp of death itself, and brought by resurrection into his kingdom. 7. The harp invites all to join the sweet singer in praise to the King, (ver. 21). We saw that the Psalm began by prefixing the peculiar title, "Praise," , in order to excite attention, and tune our hearts for its lively, joyful, thrilling strains. And now it closes, uttering the same note— "terrible “My mouth shall speak the praise () of the Lord," the praise of Him who at the Red Sea was known as in praises” (♫♫), and who is known by Calvary, and by scenes of judgment since then, and is to be known ere long in scenes that will never be forgotten. "Let all flesh bless the name of his holiness for ever;" let them cry, in response to the seraphim, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" for we are borne onward to the millennial day by this Psalm, which is so plainly A praise-hymn concerning the kingdom of the Lord, and the Lord the King. PSALM CXLVI. 1 PRAISE ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord, O 2 While I live I will praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being. 3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. 4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. 5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God: 6 Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: 7 Which keepeth truth for ever: which executeth judgment for the oppressed: Which giveth food to the hungry. 8 The Lord looseth the prisoners: the Lord openeth the eyes of the blind : The Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord loveth the righteous: 9 The Lord preserveth the strangers: he relieveth the fatherless and widow: But the way of the wicked he turneth upside down. 10 The Lord shall reign for ever, Even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations, Praise ye the Lord. Psalm. THIS is the beginning of that closing series of Psalms which A Hallelujah has been called Hallelujah Psalms.” The Septuagint ascribes this Psalm, and the three following, to the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, but on what ground we know not. It seems probable, however, that they are nearly right as to the time of their composition; for it is likely that as the day of Christ's first coming approached nearer, the Holy Spirit did indite songs of Zion that were fuller of triumph and praise than any preceding ones, and so constructed them, too, that they might be used afterwards in prospect of the day of his Second Coming. In these latter Psalms, the tone is that of peace attained, and tribulation passed, for the most part. The Lord Jesus himself, as well as his followers, could take up this Psalm. Jehovah's peculiar character, in contrast to all earthly princes, The theme and benefactors, and friends, is the theme. "I will praise Jehovah while I live ; I will play to my God so long as I am.” Confide not in earth's nobles, earth's princely ones, who are each of them but "a son of man" (DIN) returning to his ; dust ,אדמה “For salvation is not in any one of them;" All their "thoughts," their schemes for good or for evil, pass away. Blessed the man who has Jacob's God, the strong one), "amid his help" (Psa. cxviii. 7, liv. 4); for he is Jehovah, maker of heaven, earth, and sea; and this Maker of heaven, earth, and sea, is the same "Who keepeth truth for ever!" Whatever he has promised to the sons of men, he will perform. Whatever he promised about "The Seed of the woman," he will perform it. Whatever he has spoken to David of the Son who was to sit on his throne, he will fulfil. Whatever he has declared by his prophets regarding Israel, he will accomplish-" the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham," (Mic. vii. 20). Yes, the truth shall assuredly be kept; and there is mercy too, there is love, there is grace in this truth. For verses 7-9 describe the same Jehovah acting for men in accordance with his truth. We, in our day, read the words, and Christ here. |