04.13. Chapter 13
Psalms 111:1-10 "THE WORKS OF THE LORD." This Psalm was probably written after the return from the Captivity. The circumstances of the new colony were poor and depressing. And the aim of the religious leaders of the people was to get them to look up to God, and expect from Him a gracious repetition of the marvelous works of the past. That word, works, is the keynote of the Psalm, occurring constantly (Psalms 111:2-4, Psalms 111:6-7); also the word ever (Psalms 111:3, Psalms 111:5, Psalms 111:8-10). When tempted to lose heart, because of present difficulty, let us go back on the former deeds of the right hand of the Lord. This Psalm is an alphabetical acrostic.
Psalms 111:1. I will praise the Lord.-It is not enough to call on others to praise: each of us must do so, as a matter of personal duty.
Psalms 111:2. The works of the Lord are great.-Let us search them out-the works of the Lord in nature, with telescope or microscope, on Alpine solitude, and by mountain stream, or in the great world of human life. We must seek, if we would find. For it is God’s pleasure to hide things.
Psalms 111:3. His work.-Notice the singular. All the "works" (Psalms 111:2) are the WORK, emanating from one source, tending to one result. "One law; one plan; one far-off Divine event."
Psalms 111:5. He will ever be mindful of his covenant.- Judge not God by his delays; but by his promises. "He waits that He may be gracious."
Psalms 111:6. The heritage of the heathen.-What a heritage is ours in Christ! (Romans 8:17).
Psalms 111:7. The works of his hands are verity and judgment.-They are "Yea and Amen in Christ" (1 Corinthians 1:20).
Psalms 111:9. He sent redemption unto his people.-Type of the redemption of Christ (Revelation 5:9).
Psalms 111:10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.-The fear of God here mentioned is childlike fear, which dreads to offend, and is compatible with perfect love. To have this is to have a wisdom which enters into God’s secrets, and reads his meaning, and understands Himself. If you want to have a good understanding of things, and men, and God, you will get it best by being right with God. The standpoint from which we view things is of the utmost importance to our right understanding of them. The margin gives another reading, a good success. But note that all depends on obedience. Those that do, know. Act up to all you know; and you will know more (John 7:17). Do God’s will, and He will prosper you.
Psalms 112:1-10 "HALLELUJAH’" The HALLELUJAH at the beginning of this Psalm closely relates it to the preceding and following ones. Evidently they were composed about the same time, perhaps by the same author, and belong manifestly to the era of return from the Captivity. Like the preceding Psalm, this also is an alphabetical acrostic.
Psalms 112:1. Blessed is the man that delighteth in His commandments.-The only way of delighting in God’s commandments is to do them (Revelation 22:14).
Psalms 112:2. The generation of the upright shall be blessed.-We have ample warrant for believing that though godliness is not hereditary, yet the religion of a godly parent has the strongest possible influence on children, and a blessing is passed on to after-generations (Psalms 103:17; Isaiah 59:21) .
Psalms 112:3. Wealth . . . in his house.-Although the Christian dispensation is one of spiritual, rather than of temporal, blessing-it is nevertheless true that "Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come" (1 Timothy 4:8).
Psalms 112:4. There ariseth light in the darkness.-We may not always see the light, but it is behind the cloud, waiting God’s signal (Psalms 97:11; Isaiah 50:10).
Psalms 112:5. A good man . . . lendeth.-There is a premonition here of our Lord’s words (Matthew 5:42).
Psalms 112:7. He shall not be afraid.-The heart which is trustfully fixed on God is not afraid: because no tiding can reach it save through the Father’s care; and all tidings must be of the Father’s appointment. If you are dreading evil tidings, do not look along the road by which the postman comes, but upward and Godward. Trust is expulsive of fear.
Psalms 112:9. He hath given to the poor.-There is no great difficulty in giving to the poor, when once we have learned our unsearchable riches in Christ. Oh to be purveyors of these to others! (Ephesians 3:2-10).
Psalms 112:10. The wicked shall see, and be grieved.-The wicked are vexed, partly because they are aware that the righteous have possessions of which they are destitute; and partly because their own schemes melt way before their eyes, as wreaths of smoke.
Psalms 113:1-9 "HE RAlSETH UP THE POOR." This and the five following Psalms constitute the Hallel (or Praise-song), sung at the Jewish festivals, particularly at the Passover and Feast of Tabernacles. It is thought to have been the hymn or psalm sung by our Lord and his disciples after the celebration of the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 26:30). This Psalm is ruled by the number three; three strophes of three verses each: three times in Psalms 113:1 we are exhorted to praise.
Psalms 113:1. Praise the name of the Lord!-God’s "name" is his character.
Psalms 113:2. For evermore!-This verse proceeds on the supposition that our God will forever continue to develop and unfold his glorious nature, so that there will be always some new occasion to adore Him.
Psalms 113:3. From the rising of the sun unto the going down.-This prediction is yet to be realized (Psalms 72:11; Malachi 1:11; Revelation 15:3-4). Then the sun’s course as it awakens the successive populations of the globe shall be tracked by songs.
Psalms 113:5-6. Our God ... who humbleth. Himself.-How humble should we be! Whilst we familiarly speak to God as our Father, we should never forget the immense distance between Him and us. And yet our Lord stooped through this immense distance to become man! (Php 2:6-8).
Psalms 113:7-8. Out of the dust! ... out of the dunghill!-These are almost word for word from the prayer of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:8). A woman may lead the songs of the Church.
Psalms 113:9. A joyful mother.-The "barren woman" here may perhaps typify the Jewish Church in her low estate, or even the Gentile Church (Isaiah 40:13); but when God wills, and in answer to prayer, her children are multiplied.
Psalms 114:1-8 "THE SEA SAW IT, AND FLED!" The authorship of this Psalm cannot be traced. It clearly belongs to the period of return from the Captivity; and the writer seeks comfort, under much discouragement, in the recollection of the blessed and glorious past.
Psalms 114:1. Israel ... Jacob.-The two names of the patriarch occur in the same verse. Israel must never forget that he was once Jacob; and all Jacobs may yet become Israels, by the grace of God. We all have our Egypts, and our people of strange tongue; but when the lesson of our bondage is learned, our God brings us out.
Psalms 114:2. Judah was his sanctuary.-The Eternal finds his home in the midst of his people (Deuteronomy 33:12; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Revelation 21:3). Is thy heart his sanctuary and dominion?
Psalms 114:3-6. The sea saw, and fled.-A poetical description of the passage of the Red Sea, and of the Jordan; also of the giving of the law (Psalms 68:16).
Psalms 114:7. The presence of the God of Jacob.-How gracious that God should call Himself the God of Jacob! (Isaiah 41:14). The Divine presence is always with us (Matthew 28:20), though so often we are insensible to its majestic glory. And if earth should tremble before Him, much more should we; not with the fear of slaves, but with the godly fear which dares not grieve his Holy Spirit.
Psalms 114:8. Who turned the rock into a standing water.-Many such miracles doth He still. The most unlikely things yield the streams which quench our thirst and satisfy our souls. Work such miracles, blessed God, on the rocks and flints which glaciers of trouble have brought down into our lives!
Psalms 115:1-18 "NOT UNTO US, O LORD!"
Another of the Psalms which date from the Captivity era. We may divide it thus:- Psalms 115:1, Ascription; Psalms 115:2-7, God (Elohim), contrasted with heathen Deities; Psalms 115:8, A portrait of idolaters; Psalms 115:9-11, Exhortation; Psalms 115:12-15, Assurance; Psalms 115:16-18, Resolution.
Psalms 115:1. Not unto us, 0 Lord!-It would eliminate from success and praise their power to harm us, if we would, from the heart, give utterance to these noble words. God’s mercy and truth are indissoluble.
Psalms 115:2-3. Where is their God?-Those accustomed to some visible embodiment of God are always amazed at spiritual worship (John 4:24). Pompey, we are told, was very surprised to find nothing in the most Holy Place. God’s good pleasure is never arbitrary, but always conditioned by the highest welfare of his creatures. Let us ask Him to work that pleasure out in us that we may please Him! Hebrews 13:21 and Hebrews 11:5).
Psalms 115:4-7. Their idols.-This sarcastic description recalls the searching passage in Isaiah 44:9-19.
Psalms 115:8. They that make them.-A very striking thought is given in these words. We resemble our ideals; we become like what we worship. And though we may not be now tempted to prostrate ourselves before the idols of the heathen, yet there are idols which may fascinate us (1 Corinthians 10:14; Colossians 3:5; 1 John 5:21). We must not trust gold, or success, or any earthly thing; but God in Christ, till we become like Him (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Psalms 115:9-11. Trust in the Lord!-A triple appeal for trust, addressed to the congregation, the priests, and perhaps the proselytes (Ruth 2:12). The greatest cannot do without God. The least may appropriate Him. Trust it taking what God gives. "Help" and "shield" together make a very assuring combination: the one for succour in every moment of need: the other for defence.
Psalms 115:12-13. The Lord ... will bless!-Here is a triple answer to the triple appeal. And we are surely at liberty to argue from the past to the future. What God has done, that He will do: trust Him!
Psalms 115:15. Ye are blessed of the Lord!-Then let him curse who may. We have but to turn back to Abraham’s life to see what God’s blessing includes (Genesis 12:2-3; see also Numbers 6:22-27). And we who believe must be blessed, if the Maker of all things blesses us. The lot of God’s children may seem arduous and darksome; but it is a blessed one: and in Him is our peace and rest.
Psalms 115:17. The dead praise not.-Views of the HEREAFTER were but partial to the Old Testament saints (2 Timothy 1:10). We have now an opportunity, which even heaven does not present, of praising God amid the obloquy and hate of men: let his praise be the more hearty and continuous in proportion to their anathemas.
Psalms 116:1-19 "I LOVE THE LORD!" This Psalm formed part of the Paschal Hallel, and contains an underlying reference to the deliverance from Egypt, and also to the deliverance from the captivity in Babylon. The Psalmist passes from the national deliverance to his personal sweet experiences of redeeming mercy, and sings his own song of thankfulness. The name "Jehovah" occurs fifteen times, and "Jah" once.
Psalms 116:1-2. He hath heard.-Answered prayer may well incite to renewed love; but let us not love Him less, if He withhold. Perhaps the withholding is a greater proof of love than giving would be (John 11:3-15).
Psalms 116:3-6. The sorrows of death.-Many who are reading this Psalm may be in a similar position. And excessive grief is some times apt to check prayer. The soul is too sore and hurt even to cry out. Yet it is well worth our while, when we are in such circumstances, to break through all restraints and call out to God. He is very merciful.
Psalms 116:7. Return unto thy rest, 0 my soul!-There is no "rest" so warm and safe for the soul, as in the love and care of God. Sometimes, however, like the dove, we seem to get away from it: there is nothing better, at such times, than to return, and we shall be at once pulled in unto Him (Genesis 8:9). Why do we ever leave our rest? Why wander from our home? (Matthew 11:29). The love of God invites us back (Romans 2:4).
Psalms 116:8. Thou hast delivered.-He hath delivered; He doth deliver; He will yet deliver (2 Corinthians 1:10).
Psalms 116:10. I believed: therefore have I spoken.-Quoted by the Apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 4:13). This is the speech which convinces men, because it has in it the accent of the speaker’s conviction. Never say more than you believe.
Psalms 116:11. In my haste.-It is this hasty speaking which lies at the root of so much misery to ourselves and others. An eminent director of souls once said: "I shall have good hopes of you when you can speak and move slowly." Oh for a holy collectedness of spirit!
Psalms 116:13. The cup of salvation.-The Scripture often speaks of our lot as a "cup." In this case it brims with blessed help. But it is only because our dear Lord drank a cup brimming with bitter sorrow (John 18:11).
Psalms 116:14. I will pay my vows.-A good resolve, repeated in Psalms 116:13 (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5).
Psalms 116:15. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.-Therefore He often raises them from the very borders of the grave. Each saintly death- bed is the scene of minute care on the part of God our Father; since it is there that He puts the finishing touch on a perfected character. Balaam’s wish (Numbers 23:10) was not granted; for it went forth from feigned lips.
Psalms 116:16. 0 Lord, truly I am thy servant (thy slave).-A marvelous avowal! The Psalmist dwells with delight on his slavery (ebed, a slave); and through it finds freedom. To be the slave of Jesus is to taste the sweets of liberty. Those who become God’s slaves are loosed by Him from all other bonds (John 8:31-36).
Psalms 116:17-19. The sacrifice of thanksgiving.-"Praise is comely" (Psalms 33:1; Psalms 147:1). Shall we withhold from Jehovah that praise which is his due? Thanksgiving should ever be the accompaniment of our prayers (Php 4:6). Psalms 116:17-18 are almost identical with Psalms 116:13-14. We ought not to shrink from making mention of God’s name (Psalms 66:13-16).
Psalms 117:1-2 "ALL YE NATIONS!" This is the shortest chapter in the Bible, and its center. Perhaps it was intended to be used as a doxology to the preceding and other Psalms. And yet, small as it is, it is full of a world-wide spirit, reaching out to all nations. "It is a dewdrop reflecting the universe." The Apostle quotes it in Romans 15:11, as foretelling the call of the Gentiles. In this Psalm, as also in Isaiah 11:10, and elsewhere, the spirit of Judaism forgets its natural exclusiveness, and reaches out its hands to the world.
Psalms 117:1. Oh, praise the Lord, all ye nations!-Before we can appropriate these words, we must have learned to exercise the spirit of praise for ourselves. We must have come to see that the Lord Jesus is infinitely deserving of the love and homage of all mankind. And we must have received into our hearts the spirit of his own great love, which yearns over all men. Men will never be truly happy till they adore and praise Him whom we call Master (Php 2:10).
Psalms 117:2. His merciful kindness is great.-The greatness of his love and the permanence of his word. Here are themes indeed for praise. Do we think enough of them? And are we as prepared to praise in dark and sad days as in bright and happy ones-because God is the same, and the same to us, though our lot may not be quite what it was in other and more gladsome moments?
Psalms 118:1-29 "CHASTENED SORE!" This Psalm was sung by the restored exiles, when they laid the foundation of the second Temple (Ezra 3:10-11). It is believed that our Lord and his disciples sang this Psalm before He went into the garden (Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26). It was the last Psalm of the Hallel, 113-118; and is said to have been used after the Paschal meal. It is very touching to read into this Psalm some of those thoughts which must have filled the heart of our blessed Saviour, as with it on his lips. He stood on the margin of the cold river. Psalms 118:26 had been, but a few days before, sung in chorus by the multitudes who attended the triumphant entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:9). That same verse will probably be on the nation’s lips when Zechariah 14:1-21 is fulfilled. (Compare Isaiah 25:9 with Matthew 23:39). Luther says of Psalms 118:1-29, "This is my Psalm, the one which I love." "Jehovah" occurs twenty-two times, corresponding with the numbers of letters in the Hebrew alphabet; "Jah" occurs five times.
Psalms 118:1. He IS good. Hold this fast, in spite of all appearances to the contrary, or the maledictions of his foes. And He will not grow weary, or change (Malachi 3:6).
Psalms 118:2-4. His mercy endureth forever.-The triple call of Psalms 115:9-11.
Psalms 118:5. I called, . . . the Lord answered.- Sin-stricken and sorrowful souls can hardly do better than take this prescription. If it has healed one, why should it not avail for others? (See Psalms 34:6).
Psalms 118:6-7. The Lord is on my side.-If you would have God on your side, you must take care to be on his side. And when once a poor saint and God are on the same side, victory is certain (Romans 8:33; Hebrews 13:6).
Psalms 118:8-9. It is better to trust in the Lord.-If our dearest friend were a rich and mighty prince, how secure we should be! Are we less so, when we entrust all our concerns to God? Nay, saith the Psalmist, not worse off, but better. Put your most secret desires and plans, then, into the hands of Jesus.
Psalms 118:10-12. In the name of the Lord.-We may say this of our spiritual foes, as well as of all who oppose our endeavors for God’s cause.
Psalms 118:14. The Lord is my strength and song/-A fragment from the Song of Moses (Exodus 15:2). (See also Psalms 27:1; Psalms 62:6)
Psalms 118:16. The right hand of the Lord.-Our Mediator sits at the right hand of God, the position of activity and might (Mark 16:19). That right hand must therefore prevail for us.
Psalms 118:17-18. But.-There is always a "but" of merciful reservation in God’s dealings with us (Isaiah 38:17).
Psalms 118:19-20. The gates of righteousness.-The Lord hath many gates, through which the righteous pass, into the inner chambers of his presence (Revelation 21:12, Revelation 21:25).
Psalms 118:22. The head-stone of the corner.-This verse is supposed to have been suggested by the difficulty experienced by the Temple builders in fitting a certain stone into its place, though it afterwards occupied a very important position in the completed structure. The verse is frequently quoted, and applied to the Lord Jesus (Matthew 21:42; Acts 4:11; and 1 Peter 2:4, 1 Peter 2:7).
Psalms 118:27. God ... hath showed us light.-New light demands more devoted service.
Psalms 119:1-176 "THY LAW DO I LOVE." This long and noble Psalm is devoted to the praise of the Word of God, which it mentions in nearly every verse, under one title or another. Ezra probably composed it in order to lead the people better to appreciate and prize the Holy Scriptures. The Psalm is a rich aid to meditation, if read thoughtfully and prayerfully, and will be loved in proportion as it is used. Chrysostom, Ambros, Augustine, and Luther have left on record very high tributes to its worth.
It is an alphabetical acrostic; and certainly the most remarkable of all the acrostic Psalms in the Scriptures. To make the Psalm easier to commit to memory, its contents are broken into twenty-two short divisions or sections, all the verses in each section beginning with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
It is a pleasant exercise to take up the keywords of this Psalm, which occur throughout its texture, and to dwell on them in all the varying lights flashed thereon by the context in each several case. Take, for instance, that word Quicken (Psalms 119:25, Psalms 119:37, Psalms 119:40, Psalms 119:138, Psalms 119:149, Psalms 119:156, Psalms 119:159). The following division, founded on that of Pastor C. A. Davis, is proposed.
Psalms 119:1-8. The undefiled, and their blessedness.
Psalms 119:9-16. The sanctifying influence of the Word.
Psalms 119:17-24. The longings of the holy soul.
Psalms 119:25-32. A cry for quickening.
Psalms 119:33-40. Faithfulness, the result of the Divine inworking.
Psalms 119:41-48. Mercies, and their effect.
Psalms 119:46-59. Hope in affliction.
Psalms 119:57-64. God our portion.
Psalms 119:65-72. A review of the Divine dealings.
Psalms 119:73-80. The creature’s appeal to its Creator.
Psalms 119:81-88. Hope in depression.
Psalms 119:89-96. The inimitable Word of God.
Psalms 119:97-104. The benefits of pious musing.
Psalms 119:105-112. Light for a dark landing.
Psalms 119:113-120. Human thoughts contrasted with God’s Law.
Psalms 119:121-128. The plea of the oppressed.
Psalms 119:129-136. Thirst for the living God.
Psalms 119:137-144. God’s righteousness.
Psalms 119:145-152. The paragraph of the "Cry."
Psalms 119:153-160. An appeal for consideration.
Psalms 119:161-168. The believer’s eulogy on God’s Word.
Psalms 119:169-176. A closing appeal. And it is touching to notice the closing minor cadence, for the loftiest flights of holy rapture must ever come back to a lowly confession of sin and unworthiness (1 Peter 2:25).
Psalms 120:1-7 "IN MY DISTRESS." This and the following fourteen Psalms are called "Songs of Degrees," or of "Goings Up." They were, perhaps, composed for singing as the Ark was being borne to its resting-place. In any case, they became the pilgrim songs of the people, who sang them as they went up from all parts of the country to the annual Feasts. May our souls mount up on these songs as on wings! This Psalm, like so many of David’s, seems to refer to Doeg, or a man of his sort, whose lies had brought untold mischief to the singer (1 Samuel 22:9). .
Psalms 120:1. I cried; ... and He heard.-Let those that are in distress lay this testimony to heart. One personal experience is worth tons of exhortation. If you cannot pray, cry.
Psalms 120:2. Deliver ... from lying lips!-Slander is a vile sin; though even Christian people are not as watchful against it as they should be (James 3:1-18).
Psalms 120:3. Thou false tongue!-The strongest treatment is not too much to be meted out to those who forge or circulate untrue statements, or statements the truth of which they have not verified.
Psalms 120:4. Sharp arrows ... with coals of juniper.-A figurative intimation of the punishment in reserve for slanderers. As sure as the poisoned arrow shot by an expert takes its victim, revenge shall overtake such an offender against God and man.
Psalms 120:5. Woe is me!-By a proverbial allusion, an outcast life is described. Denied the joys of home and friendship, and participation in the ordinances of God’s house, the believer is very like a wanderer among barbarians.
Psalms 120:6-7. I am for peace ... they are for war!-Having opened with a statement of the gracious treatment he received at the hands of the Lord, the Psalmist closes with a contrasted reference to man’s ill-treatment of him. He was for peace; but his enemy desired war. In like manner, the Christian is frequently made painfully aware of the "contradiction of sinners." (Hebrews 12:3).