Consider'd hast; thou hast my soul Known in adversities: 8 And thou hast not inclosed me And by thee have my feet been made. 9 O LORD, upon me mercy have, For trouble is on me: ་་་་་་་་་་་་་འ ་་་་་་་་་་་ such prayer to his own case, and believe that he shall be heard for his Redeemer's sake. Verse 5. Into thine hand I commend my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD, thou God of truth. In Luke xxiii. 46. the first part of this verse is put in our Lord's mouth on the cross; nor is it improper to apply the latter part to him, since, as the Second Adam, he was redeemed from the power of the enemy, by the God of truth, according to his promises. This verse proves that our Lord's spirit was not his breath, as some would persuade us to believe, that there was a spirit in him, and consequently in every man whose nature he assumed, that survived death, and was capable of being committed into the hands of God, as Stephen also did in the like situation. Verses 6, 7, 8. I have hated them that regard lying vanities, &c. Having supplicated for deliverance, he here appeals to God in regard of his aversion to those who made idols of any kind their refuge, and of his unreserved confidence in himself, and rejoices in the divine favour and assistance, seasonably obtained in answer to prayer. Instead of being shut up into the hand of the enemy, David had his feet set in a large room, when raised to the throne of Israel, and Messiah, when exalted to the Father's right hand. Verses 9-13. Have mercy upon me, O LORD, &c. In these verses the speaker describes his afflicted and forlorn state, introducing the deseription by an earnest prayer for mercy. In all this we see what we deserve, and what our Lord endured when he suffered for the unjust. When Mine eye, my belly, and my soul, 10 Because my life with grief is spent, My strength doth fail; and for my sin 11 I was a scorn to all my foes, 12 And specially reproach'd of those As men are out of mind when dead: 13 For slanders I of many heard; 14 But as for me, O LORD, my trust And I to thee, Thou art my God, 15 My times are wholly in thine hand: From their hands that mine enemies And persecutors be. 16 Thy countenance to shine do thou Upon thy servant make; Unto me give salvation, For thy great mercies' sake. he speaks of his strength failing because of his iniquity, (ver, 10.) we hear the voice of the man of sorrows bewailing the wages of sins not his own; which is not unfrequent in the Book of Psalms. Shimei's slander, and Ahitophel's counsel against king David, may lead us to those of the Jews, Judas, and also of the Sanhedrim against our blesssd Lord, who is still persecuted in like manner in his faithful members. Verses 14-18. Here again he has recourse to prayer, and so teaches 17 Let me not be asham'd, O Lord, For on thee call'd I have: Let wicked men be sham'd, let them 18 To silence put the lying lips, That grievous things do say, And hard reports, in pride and scorn, 19 How great's the goodness thou for them 20 In secret of thy presence thou Shalt hide them from man's pride: From strife of tongues thou closely shalt, 21 All praise and thanks be to the LORD; His wondrous love to me within A city fortify'd. 22 For from thine eyes cut off I am, I in my haste had said; My voice yet heard'st thou, when to thee With cries my moan I made. 23 O love the LORD, all ye his saints; Because the LORD doth guard us to abound in this duty as our foes and troubles increase. The prayer of faith availeth much. Verses 19-22. In these verses the mercies vouchsafed to the righteous are celebrated, to the praise of the liberal giver. The Church is the strong city in which the Lord shews his people marvellous kindness, and where he appoints them salvation for walls and bulwarks, Isa. xxvi. 1. There he hides them from the pride, Heb. conspiracies of men, ver. 20. What the Psalmist said in his haste, ver. 22. may be the conclusion of many of the members of Christ's mystical body, in whose name he may be supposed here to speak, as it was of the prophet Jonah in his dark confinement. Verses 23, 24. Here the saints are exhorted to courage and perserv The faithful, and he plenteously Proud doers doth reward. 24 Be of good courage, and he strength All ye whose hope and confidence PSALM XXXII. THIS psalm presents a model of true penitence, and hence is the second of these which are called penitential. It is one of those called Maschil, or a psalm of instruction, viz. in the great happiness of a pardoned state, and the certain way of obtaining it, true repentance towards God, including the free and full confession of sin, and faith in the Messiah. This is represented as giving ease to a guilty conscience, or wounded spirit; and David concludes with directions, and a gracious promise to those who trust in God for such blessings; in all which he speaks from his own experience. 1 BLESSED is the man to whom All the transgression he hath done, Whose sin is covered. 2 Bless'd is the man to whom the LORD Imputeth not his sin, rance, under their various troubles; and such exhortations come with the greater weight, when viewed as proceeding from our Lord, and founded on his own experience. What have those to fear, whose heart he promises to strengthen? or those to hope who make him their foe? Notes on Psalm XXXII. Verse 1, 2. The Psalmist here celebrates the happiness of those who are blessed with the forgiveness of all their sins. This is spoken of as covering sin, to intimate its abominable nature, and its total extinction, in regard of liableness to punishment; the verb, from which the original term rendered atonement, signifying to cover. Not to impute iniquity, or place it to the penitent's account, implies the imputation of a justifying righteousness; for in Messiah the seed of Israel are justified, and in him shall they glory, having redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of all their sins; and meetness for glory, and title to the inheritance of the saints in light, in right of their elder brother. They receive their heavenly Father's bles sing, like Jacob, in the goodly garments of that elder brother, whose righteousness, put on by faith, justifies the ungodly that believe in his And in whose sp'rit there is no guile, 3 When as I did refrain my speech, My bones then waxed old, because 4 For upon me both day and night I will confess unto the LORD And of my sin thou freely didst name. Instead of taking encouragement hence to continue in sin, that grace may abound, they not only study holiness of life, but also to be in heart Israelites in whose spirit there is no guile. See, Rom. iv. 6. Verses 3, 4. Here he describes that anguish and distress to which he subjected himself, before he was brought to make a free and candid confession of his sin, with its various aggravating circumstances. His sinful silence in that respect cost him dear; for hence, God's hand was day and night heavy upon him; and will it fare better with other sinners, while they go on adding sin to sin, instead of exercising repentance toward God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ? In verse 5, he sets before us the course which he took in the above situation, and the divine goodness in leading him to inward peace and joy. He found to his comfort, that if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, or manifested to be so, to forgive us our sins, 1 John i. 9. No sooner did he make frank confession of his sin, I have sinned against the LORD, than Nathan was inspired to assure him in his name, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die, that is, the death to which the Divine law adjudged adulterers and murderers, in the present state; which pardon secured from future condemnation for these crimes, 2 Sam. xii. 13. Sinners, instead of stumbling at this pardon as a rock of offence, si ould be encouraged by it to apply to God in earnest after the same example... |