04.16. Chapter 16
Psalms 141:1-10 "LET MY PRAYER BE AS INCENSE!"
Another of David’s Psalms. De Wette is led by the language to class it, with Psalms 10:1-18., as one of the oldest.
Psalms 141:1. I cry! ... Make haste! ... Give ear!-The word Kara, to call, or to cry, continually occurs in the Scriptures (Psalms 17:6; Psalms 22:2). Psalms 3:4 shows the answer. Make haste! (Psalms 38:22; Psalms 40:13; Psalms 70:1). Give ear! (Psalms 17:1; Psalms 60:1; Psalms 86:6).
Psalms 141:2. Let my prayer be as incense!-The smoke of the sweet-smelling incense is often used in Scripture as a symbol of the prayer of believers, which is precious to God (Revelation 5:8; Revelation 8:3-4). The offering of incense morning and evening, under the Levitical dispensation, symbolized prayer (Exodus 30:7-8).
Psalms 141:3-4. Set a watch before my mouth.-The Psalmist prays for preservation from the danger of lip sins, heart sins, and life sins. God’s sentry is God’s peace (Php 4:7). How wise to make God the doorkeeper of our mouth! (Proverbs 4:24).
Psalms 141:4. Let me not eat of their dainties.-The child of God does not eat of the "dainties" of the wicked; and yet amid tribulation he seems to sit at a banqueting table, anointed as a guest with oil (Psalms 23:5).
Psalms 141:5. Let the righteous smite me.-"The righteous" is referred by some commentators to God, who alone, in its full sense, deserves the appellation (2 Samuel 7:14-15). But it may also refer to that loving care which one believer may exercise over another, in rebuke and admonition. For, "which shall not break my head," the R.V. more correctly translates, "let not my head refuse it." The last clause should be rendered, as in the R.V., Even in their wickedness shall my prayer continue. That prayer rises, like a geyser, in winter’s frost as under summer skies.
Psalms 141:6. When their judges.-When the enemies of the Lord are overthrown, they will be the more prepared to listen to words which they had rejected before, but the intrinsic sweetness of which will then commend them to their hearts.
Psalms 141:8. Mine eyes are unto Thee.-"Looking off unto Jesus" (Hebrews 12:2) is a good motto. And it is marvelous how the feet are kept from snares and pitfalls, when the eyes, instead of being fixed upon the ground, are lifted upwards to the Throne (Psalms 119:110).
Psalms 141:9-10. That I withal escape.-Another petition that the Psalmist may be kept. Proverbs 3:26 gives an encouraging promise-"The Lord shall keep."
Psalms 142:1-7 "WITH MY VOICE."
One of David’s Cave-Psalms. Maschil means Instruction. Row much instruction individuals and the Church have gained from the strait dark caves in which, in every age, the saints have been immured! The prison and the persecutor oppress the soul of the sweet singer, who yet towards the close catches sight of a brighter and better time.
Psalms 142:1. I cry with my voice.-In the R.V. each clause is rendered in the present tense. To use audible words is sometimes a great incentive to prayer, stirring up the spirit to more vehemency and concentration.
Psalms 142:2. I poured out my complaint.-of course God knows all before we tell Him; but it is our duty-and a great relief-to unbosom ourselves to Him. We often miss the benefit of prayer, because we deal so much in generals, and do not enough dwell on the particulars of our need.
Psalms 142:3. When my spirit was overwhelmed.-There are times when, however bravely we would bear ourselves, our spirit faints (R.V. marg.). What is here said of the "spirit" (rooakh) is oftener predicted of the "soul" (nephesh). (Psalms 42:6; Psalms 43:5); but the dejection and fainting of the spirit is a more sorrowful condition. Yet how consolatory that God knows our path! His eye is ever fixed on its perplexities. He sees its hidden pitfalls and snares.
Psalms 142:4. Look on my right hand (R.V.).-It was the Jewish custom for the advocate as well as the accuser to stand on the right hand of the accused (Psalms 110:5; Psalms 16:8; Zechariah 3:1). Observe the contrast-no man knoweth; no man careth: Thou knewest my path (3). Refuge failed me; Thou art my refuge (Psalms 142:5).
Psalms 142:5. I said, Thou my refuge ... my portion!-The loneliness and isolation of the soul from all human love often makes it turn the more urgently to God, who can be loved without satiety, and whose love is unchangeable, unselfish, and eternal. How often does God diminish and break off our portion in this life that we may be driven to seek it again in Himself! (Lamentations 3:24).
Psalms 142:6. I am brought very low.-How well did these words befit the lips of our Lord when He descended into the dust of death for us. He was brought very low when he became obedient to the death of the cross. "Stronger than I," but not than Thou! His weakness is stronger than men (Psalms 105:24; Jeremiah 31:11; Luke 11:22; 1 Corinthians 1:25).
Psalms 142:7. Bring my soul out of prison.-Is there not an allusion here to the history of Joseph? "Lead me out of distress," as Joseph from prison (see also Psalms 102:10, Psalms 102:13; Isaiah 42:7; Acts 12:7-9; Acts 16:39). The compassing of the righteous indicates their sympathy with the Psalmist when they press in to offer their congratulations as garlands and crowns. God’s mercy to him would be a source of joy to others, who would bind the story on their brows as a festal crown ("shall crown themselves," R.V., marg.).
Psalms 143:1-12 HEAR MY PRAYER 0 LORD! The spirit and language of this Psalm are so in unison with the earlier Davidic Psalms as to confirm the genuineness of the superscription. It is the last of the penitential Psalms. The pause divides the Psalm exactly, and it may be viewed as consisting of four stanzas, each of three verses.
Psalms 143:1. In thy faithfulness.-When we are in Christ, the sterner attributes of God are on our side. A dying woman said, "I rely on the justice of God"; adding, however, when the words excited surprise, "justice, not to me, but to my Substitute in whom I trust" (1 John 1:9).
Psalms 143:2. In Thy sight shall no man be justified.-The holiest of men have least confidence in themselves (Job 9:3; Php 3:7-9). Bernard of Clairvaux said, "So far from being able to answer for my sins, I cannot answer even for my righteousness." There is a sense in which God will never "enter into judgment" with us, because the great white throne has nought to say to those who are in Christ Jesus. Being justified, who is he that condemneth? (Romans 5:1; 3:34).
Psalms 143:3. As those that have been long dead.-The dead are soon forgotten by the living; and David felt that long haunting of the caves and dens of the earth was like a living burial, which was bearing him from the homes and memories of his fellows.
Psalms 143:4. Overwhelmed! ... Desolate!-Those who are capable of the gladdest heights of joy are also capable of the saddest depths of depression. David was permitted to touch each, that he might be able to give expression to all kinds of emotion-to every phase of feeling. So was it with our great High Priest, "tempted in all points like as we are." But how unutterable the sorrow of this fainting, desolate heart!
Psalms 143:5. The days of old ... The work of Thy hands.-Memory-Meditation-Musing.
Psalms 143:6. I stretch forth my hands.-Stretch forth your hands; and you will certainly touch God. My soul thirsteth! This thirst is blessed (Psalms 42:1-2; Psalms 63:1; Isaiah 44:3). To have it is to be satisfied. There is no natural desire which has not its satisfaction; in the woods, birds do not hunger for food which is not to be had; and so the very existence of this thirst is a proof of the being and sufficiency of Him for whom it yearns, and in whom it is allayed.
Psalms 143:7. Hear me speedily!-Prayer gets more earnest as it proceeds. Speedily does not imply impatience, but vehement yearning. We sometimes think our spirit is going to faint-when there is strength enough left in it to suffer still, and in suffering to attain the strength of steel. But God is very pitiful, and keeps his finger on our pulse while we pass through the operation (Isaiah 57:16).
Psalms 143:8. Cause me to hear! ... cause me to know!-God’s "loving-kindness" speaks continually in the ears of his people: but they may be deaf to it-hence the prayer, "Cause me to hear!" (Job 33:16; Job 36:10; Isaiah 50:5). It is well to hear it in the morning, before other thoughts enter to engross our attention. Our prayer will be fully answered when the morning of eternity breaks. When you are uncertain about your path, lift your soul into the presence of God, until He saturate it with his light and guidance.
Psalms 143:9. I flee unto Thee!-Satan outwits himself when he drives us to our God (Psalms 27:5).
Psalms 143:10. Teach me to do thy will.-It is more important to be taught to do than to know. The Good Spirit’s leadings must be good to follow (Nehemiah 9:20; Ephesians 5:9). The land of uprightness is, literally, the level tableland.
Psalms 143:11. For thy Names’s sake!-God’s credit and glory are involved in the succor and deliverance of his saints.
Psalms 143:12. I am thy servant.-God makes Himself responsible for the safety of his servants: therefore to be his servant is a better position than to be an Emperor or a Czar.
Psalms 144:1-15 "LORD, WHAT IS MAN!"
Dr. Alexander says, "the Davidic origin of this Psalm is as marked as that of any in the Psalter." It is partly compiled of passages taken from other Psalms, as Psalms 8:4, and 13:13-15. But the last verses (Psalms 144:9-15) are a valuable addition. This Psalm forms a point of transition between the Prayer Psalms and the Songs of Praise. The cloud of adversity is breaking; the beams of the sun are already struggling through.
Psalms 144:1. The Lord ... teacheth my hands to war.-In all spiritual warfare we need to be taught. Our weapons are only mighty through God (2 Corinthians 10:4). Is there not an illustration of this in 2 Samuel 5:17-25? (See also 2 Samuel 22:25-26).
Psalms 144:2. My Goodness, and my Fortress.-Each of these seven titles for God is a pathway which leads into his very heart. The all· subduing grace of God is indeed a theme for song. The Breaker is ever going before us (Micah 2:13). The Goliaths among men cannot stand before Him, or his weakest servant.
Psalms 144:3. Lord, what is man!-Man would be insignificant indeed if he were mot the favored of Jehovah (see Job 7:17; Psalms 8:4; 2 Samuel 7:18-19).
Psalms 144:4. As a shadow that passeth.-The shadows of the clouds darken miles of sea-and anon they are gone. So evanescent, and so impalpable (Psalms 102:11; Psalms 109:23; Ecclesiastes 6:12; Ecclesiastes 8:13).
Psalms 144:5. Bow Thy heavens, O Lord!-David calls to mind what is recorded (in the past tense) in Psalm 13:9; and here asks God to repeat former deliverances.
Psalms 144:9. I will sing a new song!-New songs are demanded by new mercies. Let us give God freshly baken loaves for His table (1 Samuel 21:6).
Psalms 144:10. Giveth! . . . delivereth!-Comp. Psalms 33:16.
Psalms 144:11-12. Our sons as plants; our daughters as comer stones.-In times of war the children are often the first to suffer from privation and hardship. So the king asks for deliverance, that the sons may grow up as vigorous plants, and that the daughters may be as the exquisitely polished corner-stones which connect the walls of a palace, or even as pillars. Nothing is more important than the nurture of a beautiful family life; and for this the deliverances of God on the behalf of its head are all-important. Let the daughters who read these words seek the polishing which comes of God’s cuttings. The Prayer-book and other versions substitute the word temple for palace.
Psalms 144:13-14. That our garners may be full.-In this picture of national prosperity, consequent on devotion to the cause and service of God, we are taught to realize the immense blessing which follows godliness, even in this life (1 Timothy 4:8). Breaking in refers to the violence of the thief; going out to enforced emigration, like that which took Elimelech and his family to Moab (Ruth 1:1-2). The Hebrew word rendered oxen (aluphim) may be translated captains or governors.
Psalms 144:15. Happy the people whose God is the Lord!-True happiness is only to be found among the people of the Lord, and in the service of the blessed God.
Psalms 145:1-21 "I WILL EXTOL THEE!" This Psalm is a song of thanksgiving and praise on the part of the house of David-and of the Church-after all their tribulations have come to a close. It is an acrostic Psalm, the verses beginning in the Hebrew with the successive letters of the alphabet. Somehow the couplet for the fourteenth letter, Nun, has dropped out of the text as it has come down to us. The Septuagint, however, and other ancient versions (with one Hebrew manuscript), supply the omission thus:-"The Lord is faithful in his words, and holy in all his works." The place of this verse is between Psalms 145:13-14 in our English Bibles. The word all is throughout characteristic of this Praise-song. The Psalm was the Te Deum of the Old Testament, and was perhaps the germ of that great Christian hymn. The Jews were accustomed to say that he who could pray this Psalm from the heart three times daily was preparing himself best for the praise of the world to come.
Gilfillan, writing of this and the following Psalms, says:-"They are the Beulah of the Book, where the sun shineth night and day, and the voice of the turtle is heard in the land. Coming at the close after all the mournful, plaintive, penitential, prayerful, varying notes, they unconsciously typify the joy and rest of glory."
Psalms 145:1. I will extol Thee, my God, 0 King!-Praise will be the employment of eternity. There prayer, and faith, and hope, will not be possible; but we shall bless forever. Our days of praise shall ne’er be past, While life, and thought, and being last, And immortality endures.
Psalms 145:2. Every day will I bless Thee!-Let us not wait for eternity, but begin to-day ; and let us practise on our harps every day, intermitting none, but in dark days as well as in bright! There is always something left to bless God for; at least, there is always Himself. Said the poor old woman at her meagre meal, "All this, and Christ!"
Psalms 145:3. His greatness unsearchable.-The sense is, "His greatness cannot be fathomed." Out of Christ, men can only find out about God; but they cannot find HIM out.
Psalms 145:4. One generation ... to another!-The generations as they pass transmit, each to the next, the story of God’s love and power; and so the record can never die (Psalms 44:1; Psalms 78:3).
Psalms 145:5. I will meditate of the glorious majesty of thine honor (R.V.).
Psalms 145:6-7. Men shall speak! ... they shall utter!-What a tumult of voices! As if the time shall come when the hearts of men shall boil with holy love, and their voices rise in a mighty murmur of sound till they sing.
Psalms 145:8. The Lord is gracious!-Founded on his own proclamation (Exodus 34:6-7). We set to our seal that God is true.
Psalms 145:9. The Lord is good!-Even to the worst; even towards the most insignificant. Tender mercy is the blue canopy which arches over all.
Psalms 145:10. All thy works shall praise Thee!-Creation praises God, but not with intelligence: hence the saints are called upon to interpret her, and to express in language what she would say but cannot.
Psalms 145:13. Thy kingdom is a kingdom of all eternities, is a sound translation. It will survive the mightiest kingdoms of this world and "stand forever" (Daniel 2:44).
Psalms 145:14. The Lord upholdeth all that fall.-What a contrast to the preceding majesty! (Psalms 145:5-7; Psalms 146:8).
Psalms 145:16. Thou openest thine hand.-To supply the wants of creation He has but to open his hand. In God the largest appetite is satisfied.
Psalms 145:17. The Lord is righteous.-In all his dealings with us may we have the faith to dare to say this!
Psalms 145:18-19. The Lord is nigh unto all them that call.-What pathos! What exquisite comfort! How nigh He comes! Yet none but the devout soul hears his footfall. He will fulfil the desire. He first instils the desire, and then fulfils it.
Psalms 145:21. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord.-Holy praise is contagious; it spreads from lonely hearts to all flesh (Revelation 5:11-13).
Psalms 146:1-10 "WHILE I LIVE WILL I PRAISE." In the Septuagint this Psalm is ascribed to Haggai and Zechariah; and, if they were not the actual authors, these Psalms were probably composed during their times. The term "Hallelujah" (Praise Jah!) is not characteristic of the Psalms which date from the times of David.
Psalms 146:2. While I live will I praise the Lord.-Our being is to run parallel with God’s forever: but we shall never come to an end of his fulness; and so new discoveries will ever incite to new songs.
Psalms 146:3. Put not your trust in princes.-This was quoted by the Earl of Strafford, on hearing that, in spite of his royal and solemn pledge, Charles I. had given assent to the Bill of Attainder. The son of man in this passage cannot refer to the Lord Jesus, for none would dare to apply to Him the succeeding words: "in whom is no help." The Hebrew is distinct: Confide ye not in a son of man (see Jeremiah 17:5; John 2:25). The Prayer-book version has: "nor in any child of man."
Psalms 146:4. Thoughts-i.e., "purposes" (R.V. marg.).-At the moment of death the most definite projects of human life are at an end (Luke 12:16-20) .
Psalms 146:5. The God of Jacob.-Jehovah is thus spoken of twenty-one times in the Old Testament, and six times in the New Testament. If God helped Jacob, He will help the least and meanest of us. The reasons for this happiness appear in the following enumeration.
Psalms 146:6. Who made heaven, and earth, the sea, etc.-Nearly twenty times the creative work of God is thus referred to in the Bible. Even if we believe not yet He abideth faithful. Who keepeth truth. He is true to his promises and covenant-engagements.
Psalms 146:7. Who executeth judgment for the oppressed.-We need not avenge ourselves; for God will vindicate us (Psalms 103:6; Romans 12:19; 1 Peter 2:23).
Psalms 146:7-9. The Lord looseth the prisoners.-These verses are an epitome of the mission of the Comforter (Psalms 68:5-6; Psalms 107:10, Psalms 107:14; Isaiah 35:5; Isaiah 61:3).
Psalms 146:8. The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind.-What a true portraiture is this of the ministry of Christ through the ages (Luke 4:18; see also John 9:1-33). Mark these present tenses! This is his unceasing work. Victor Immanuel-Emancipator!
Psalms 146:9. The Lord preserveth: He relieveth.-There are traces of this in all the old Hebrew legislation (Deuteronomy 10:18; Deuteronomy 14:28-29; Deuteronomy 26:12-13; Psalms 68:5). To turn upside down is to defeat the designs of the wicked.
Psalms 146:10. The Lord shall reign for ever.-The eternity of the reign of God is contrasted with the brevity of man’s (Psalms 146:3-4); and is a perpetual theme for praise, because it carries with it the blessedness of all souls and all worlds.
Psalms 147:1-20 "IT IS GOOD TO SING PRAISES!"
It is supposed that this Psalm dates from the re-establishment of Jerusalem (Psalms 147:2), and the re-building of its walls (Psalms 147:13). It might have been composed for the occasion mentioned in Nehemiah 12:27.
Psalms 147:1. Praise ye the Lord! Heb. "Hallelujah!" Praise ye Jah!.-The first verse is compiled from three other Psalms- Psalms 92:1; Psalms 135:3; Psalms 33:1. The R.V. (marg.) suggests a beautiful alternative reading: "For He is good; sing praises unto our God, for His is gracious."
Psalms 147:2. The Lord doth build.-Though Nehemiah and his companions wrought, yet they realized that the Lord was the true builder (Zechariah 6:12; Matthew 16:18).
Psalms 147:3-4. He healeth the broken in heart.-Another of these marvellous contrasts. God of all the stars; yet healer of broken hearts, needing such gentle touches (Psalms 51:17; Isaiah 57:15; Isaiah 66:2). The Creator and Monarch is also Father. One "broken heart" is of more value than the stars. Bigness is not greatness.
Psalms 147:6. The Lord lifteth up the meek.-What reversals are here! Hannah and Mary, and a host of saints have celebrated them in song (1 Samuel 2:7-8; Luke 1:48, Luke 1:51-53). And in our Lord there is the most notable example of all (Acts 5:30-31).
Psalms 147:8. Who covereth the heaven with clouds.-To the devout heart there are no second causes; God is all, and in all (Psalms 104:13-14).
Psalms 147:9. He giveth to the beast his food.-"Shall God give a ton of herrings to a whale for breakfast, and will He not care for me and my children?"
Psalms 147:10. He delighteth not in the strength of a horse.-These clauses represent the cavalry and infantry, on which nations are accustomed to rely. God’s deliverances are not given to these, but to those who trust Him utterly.
Psalms 147:14. He maketh peace.-Here is the hope of distracted communities. God is the great Peacemaker (Job 34:29; Proverbs 16:7).
Psalms 147:15. He speaks, ... His word runneth.-"He spake, and it was done" (Psalms 33:9).
Psalms 147:16-17. He giveth snow.-The snow is like wool, not only because it is white, but because it acts as a blanket; and, being a non-conductor, conserves the latent heat of the soil. The hoar frost resembles the fine grey ash of wood burned in the open air. Who can stand before his cold? Think of the retreat from Moscow!
Psalms 147:18. He ... melteth them.-"So it was on the day of Pentecost. The winter of spiritual captivity was thawed and dissolved by the soft breath of the Holy Ghost." And such gracious spring-tides come to us all by the direct and sovereign grace of God (Song of Solomon 2:11-12).
Psalms 147:19-20. He showeth his words.-We may plead for this-that He would manifest Himself and his Divine truth to us as He does not unto the world (John 14:22-23).
Psalms 148:1-14 "PRAISE HIM, ALL HIS ANGELS!" The universe is summoned to praise God. When Mr. Janeway was dying, he said: "Come, help me with praises!-yet all is too little. Come, help me, all ye mighty and glorious angels, who are so well skilled in the heavenly work of praise! Praise Him, all ye creatures upon earth! Let everything that hath being help me to praise God! Praise is now my work; and I shall be engaged in this sweet employ now and forever." Similarly in our loftiest hours we turn to these Psalms, and find that their expressions befit the tumultuous rush of our emotions.
Psalms 148:1. Praise ye the Lord!-Gloria in excelsis!
Psalms 148:2. Praise Him, all his angels! (Psalms 103:20-21).-Not angels only, but all other created intelligences are to sound out Jehovah’s praise.
Psalms 148:3. Praise Him, sun and moon!-Here is the fabled music of the spheres.
Psalms 148:4. Praise Him, ye heavens! and ye waters!-The very clouds, dark and sombre, or steeped in glory, praise Him. And all the immensities of space are vocal; so that, storey upon storey, the whole is one temple of unceasing adoration.
Psalms 148:6. He hath stablished!-Two things are here: the permanence and the order of creation, which shall not be impaired, though the Lord shall make new heavens and new earth, any more than man loses his identity when passing through the dust of death. What a marvellous miracle is continually in process around us the renewal and maintenance of creation! And remember that all is directly due to our blessed Lord, to whom these praises are ascribed (Colossians 1:15-19).
Psalms 148:7. Dragons, i.e., sea-monsters (R. V. marg.).
Psalms 148:8. Fire, and hail!-The tempests which sweep our lives have, all of them, music in their hearts. There is a chord in the rush of every storm. Let us praise God in unison! All stormy winds only fulfil His command.
Psalms 149:9. We speak of the silence of the hills. But they too have a voice; and every tree claps its hands, or sings in its myriad leaves (Psalms 95:4; Isaiah 55:12).
Psalms 148:10. Beasts, and all cattle.-The lowing of the cattle; the song of the birds; the hum of the insects-all are indispensable notes in the great hallelujah chorus.
Psalms 148:11. Kings and all peoples (see Psalms 72:11; Proverbs 8:15-16).
Psalms 148:12-13. Young men and maidens; old men and children.-"The Psalms are Church songs, and all who from her congregations should join in them."
Psalms 148:14. "A people near unto Him."-"Far off ... made nigh" (Ephesians 2:13).
Psalms 149:1-9 SING A NEW SONG! This Psalm, like the rest of these closing songs of Hallelujah, belongs to the days of Nehemiah and Ezra, when the long-restrained joy of the restored people broke into vigorous manifestation (Ezra 6:22). The praises of the "King" are, throughout, the theme and substance.
Psalms 149:1. In the congregation.-We must not sing lonely songs. For this, if for no other purpose, we should frequent the meetings of God’s people, to share the enkindlings of common worship.
Psalms 149:2. Let Israel rejoice! ... let Zion be joyful!-Our first creation and our second; our making and re-making; our natural and our supernatural life, with all that belongs to them of provision and nourishment-suggest themes of constant praise.
Psalms 149:3. Praise his name!-The Kingship of Jesus is a matter not of terror, but of great and abounding joy. We never learn the secret of true gladness till Jesus holds court in our hearts; then the joy-bells ring, whilst the sounds of rejoicing are heard (Psalms 118:15).
Psalms 149:4. He will beautify the meek.-It is a solemn question with which to close each day, "Art thou pleased with me, 0 blessed Master!" And this is the one prayer for every morning, "May I walk to-day so as to please God!" (John 8:29; Colossians 1:10; Hebrews 11:5).
Psalms 149:5. Let the saints be joyful!-This may mean either that the saints already enjoy a foretaste of glory-or that they may be glad in anticipation of glory. But, though we devote our nights as well as our days to it, we shall never reach the limits of praise. The nights of the exiles’ grief are exchanged for nights of song (Job 35:10).
Psalms 149:6. In their mouth ... in their hand.-Whilst we praise God with our lips, let us never lay aside the sword, but imitate the servants of the good Nehemiah (Nehemiah 4:17-18). Then the devil will be resisted, the flesh crucified, and the world vanquished, to the music of unceasing adoration (Ephesians 6:17).
Psalms 149:7. To execute vengeance.-Not their vengeance, but God’s. But the Divine method of vengeance was also nobly illustrated in the sending of a Pentecost blessing on those who had been the murderers of the Lord (Acts 2:23-33).
Psalms 149:8-9. To bind their kings.-The law was very stringent in its denunciation of such as refused to acknowledge God (Deuteronomy 7:2; Deuteronomy 32:41). And there is coming a time when He shall put down all rule, and authority, and power; for He must reign (1 Corinthians 15:24-25.) This Psalm may await the consummation described in Revelation 15:2-3. Then we will sing it, as Israel its song of deliverance on the shore of the Red Sea.
Psalms 150:1-6 "PRAISE GOD IN HIS SANCTUARY!" The last Psalm is a tumultuous outburst of praise. The sea of adoration is swept by mighty tempests of feeling, which roll the billows forward to break in thunderous acclaim upon the shore. "The Psalms," says Dr. Chalmers, "have their final and most appropriate outgoing in praise-that highest of all the exercises of godliness." "As the life of the faithful," says Hengstenberg, "and the history of the Church, so also the Psalter, with all its cries from the depths, runs out in a Hallelujah." "There is nothing in the Psalter," says Dr. Alexander, "more majestic or more beautiful than this brief but most significant finale; as if in emblematical allusion to the triumph which awaits the Church and all its memo hers, when through much tribulation they shall enter into rest."
"We have the place (Psalms 150:1); the theme (Psalms 150:2); the mode (Psalms 150:3-5); and the universality (Psalms 150:6) -of the praise to be presented to Jehovah. This Psalm is said by a Jewish tradition to have been sung by persons who came to present the first-fruits, while the Levites met them singing" (Psalms 30:1-12).
Psalms 150:1. In his Sanctuary.-The sanctuary is the earthly temple; the firmament of his power the heavenly. Earth and heaven blend in common acts of praise. Every true act of worship on earth excites a response in yonder world-the home of praise.
Psalms 150:2. Praise Him for his mighty acts.-For the enumeration of these, we should turn to such recitals as Psalms 105:1-45., Psalms 106:1-48, or to Colossians 1:15-21.
Psalms 150:3. With trumpet, psaltery, and harp.-We are not concerned as to the nature of these instruments. But let us remember that each of our emotions and faculties may be a musical instrument in the best sense. Praise Him with the sound of your love! Praise Him with hope and faith! Praise Him with meekness and patience! Praise Him with courage and strength! Praise Him in Christian work! Praise Him when tied by pain and weariness to a sick-bed!
Psalms 150:6. Let every thing . . . praise the Lord!-Pull out the mighty stops in nature’s organ!
Let the bright Seraphim in burning row, Their loud uplifted angel-trumpets blow.
Let the gnat make music with the vibrations of its wings! Let every creature which is in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea (Revelation 5:12-13) be heard saying, "Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." Hallelujah! Amen.