Psalms 25
PATA Psalm of David. This Psalm seems to have been penned by David after the commission of some great sin, (ver. 11.) and in some great distress, whereinto he was fallen, (ver. 15, 16.) probably after the matter of Uriah, and when Absalom rebelled against him. AVhich brought to mind all the offences of his youth, (ver. 7.) and made him an earnest supplicant for the pardon of them, and for deliverance from his enemies. He began to make this petition with an extraordinary art; but the method is presently disturbed, by the ardency of his desires, and his passionate sorrow, which would not let him follow exactly the order of the letters of the alphabet, in the beginning of every, verse, as he first designed. falling into their hands, for they seek my life, and rescue me from the danger I am now in of losing it: and let not (I again most humbly beseech thee) the trust and confidence which I repose in thee be turned into shame and. confusion, as they will be if thou dost not deliver me.
Psalms 25:1
UNTO thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. O Lord, my constant and only refuge in all my troubles, I look up unto thee in this distress; most humbly waiting on thee, arid hoping in thee that thou wilt deliver me.
Psalms 25:2
O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed; let not mine enemies triumph over me. Thou knowest, Omy God, that I place no confidence in any thing but thine almighty goodness, upon which I profess entirely to depend: and therefore do not fail to relieve me, lest I hang down my head in confusion of face, and my enemies insult over me, when they see me disappointed of the help which I have so often declared I expect from thee. Digitized, by Microsoft ® [psalm XXV.
Psalms 25:3
Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause. Yea, for their sakes, who, by my example, wait upon thee, do not deny me: let not those who take my part, and place the same confidence in thee that I do, be disappointed of their hopes; but let them be utterly defeated, who, against all law and all obligations, have broke their faith with ine, and without any provocation vainly labour to destroy me.
Psalms 25:4
Shew me thy tvays, OLord; teachme thy paths. It is hard to know what to do in these difficult times, especially in this great agitation of thoughts, wherein my troubled mind is tossed up and down: therefore do thou bo pleased, O Lord, to shew me the course thou wouldest have me take; and govern my actions so, that they may be pleasing unto thee.
Psalms 25:5
Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I tvait all the day. I have as much need of thy guidance, as a little child hath of its parents’; and I cry as earnestly to thee, that thou wilt direct me in every step: and especially that thou wilt preserve me as faithful to thee, as I doubt not thou wilt be to me; for thou art the author of all the deliverances I have received, and on thee I have, with a constant and perseverant hope, depended in all my trials.
Psalms 25:6
Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy loving-kindmsses; for tliey have been ever of old. Who art so ready to help the miserable, when they humbly seek thee, that all ages have left us remembrances of thy most compassionate bounty towards them. And therefore I beseech thee to do to mc as thou hast ever done: I beg no new thing of thee, but implore that clemency and mercy which thou never yet deniedst to any pious supplicant.
Psalms 25:7
Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; according to thy mercy remember thou me, for thy goodness 9 sake, O Lord. I am a sinner indeed, and began to be so very early; for in my youth I childishly and foolishly went astray from thee, and since that time have committed much more grievous offences. Bnt thy goodness is so great, that thou art not wont to punish us according to our deserts, but to pardon us according to thy tender mercies; to which I now betake myself, beseeching thee not to consider the greatness of my sins, but only the largeness and freeness of thy mercy, which gives me hope thou wilt be graciously reconciled to me.
Psalms 25:8
Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way. For such is the loving-kindness of the Lord, such is his love to rectitude and holiness; that he will rather choose to reduce sinners, and instruct them in the way of virtue, than destroy them because they have wandered from it.
Psalms 25:9
The meek will he guide in judgment,- and the meek will he teach his way. If they repent, that is, and, being troubled for what they have done amiss, meekly submit to his will and pleasure; he will sweetly direct them to discern what is acceptable to him. Such humble souls will be apt to learn, and therefore he will not fail to teach them the way to recover his favour.
Psalms 25:10
AH thepatJis of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies. And when they carefully observe the covenant wherein they stand engaged to him (by obeying his laws, which testify what his tvill and pleasure are), he will order and dispose all things for their good, and faithfully perform the promises he hath made to such dutiful servants.
Psalms 25:11
For thy name’s sake, O Lord, pardon mine inU quity;forit is great. I beseech thee therefore again, by this mercy and faithfulness of thine, which shall be always celebrated and praised by me, to grant mc a gracious pardon; for which I am the more earnest, because my sin is so foul, so heinous, and such a multiplied wickedness, that I can have no rest till thou art reconciled to me.
Psalms 25:12
What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall Iwteach in the way that he shall choose. Which if thou wilt be, how happy shall I think myself! For he that fears to’ offend thy majesty (as I in all reason ought hereafter to do,* both because I on no other terms expect thy merciful pardon, and have felt also the sad burden of being a sinner), him will the Lord instruct, and lead into those ways which are conformable to his blessed will, and which will prove most grateful to him that walks in them.
Psalms 25:13
His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth. He shall be at ease within himself, or rather filled with joy, and all manner of satisfaction: none of the blessings of this life shall be wanting to him, and he shall leave them as an inheritance to his posterity after him.
Psalms 25:14
The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he ivill sheiv them his covenant. Or if he fall into any straits and difficulties, the greatest comfort of all is, that the Lord is present to them that fear to do any thing displeasing to him (though it w r ere to deliver themselves from danger), to counsel and secretly suggest good advico unto them; for he hath engaged himself to. shew them what is best for their safety and preservation.
Psalms 25:15
Mine eyes are ever towards the Lord; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net. In confidence of which my mind is fixed in a constant dependance upon the Lord: I expect no help from any one else, but on him will I patiently wait; for I believe he will wind me^ out of these perplexities, and deliver me from the snares which my enemies have laid for me.
Psalms 25:16
Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for. I am desolate and afflicted^. Behold, O Lord, how entirely I trust in thee; have a respect to my faith, and hope, and patience, and take pity upon me, now that thou seest I am in a manner forsaken by all, and reduced from the estate of a king to the condition of a beggar.
Psalms 25:17
Tlte troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses. Great are the oppressions that lie upon my heart, and they are still growing into new cares, and fears, and vexatious thoughts: O deliver me out of such grievous straits, which press so sore upon me.
Psalms 25:18
Look upon mine affliction and my pain, and forgive all my sins. Have compassion upon the miserable and toilsome life which I lead, and remove all my sins out of thy sight, which I know are the cause of it.
Psalms 25:19
Consider mine enemies, for they are many; and they hate mc with cruel htitred. Discountenance my enemies, who (as they are very numerous, so) bear an implacable hatred to mc; which disposes them to do me all the mischief imaginable, though I have not been in the least injurious to them.
Psalms 25:20
O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for IptU my trust in thee. O preserve me from
Psalms 25:21
Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee. I have grievously offended thy majesty, it is true, and I have sorrowfully bewailed it; but as for them th^t rise up against me, they have so little reason to accuse me, that I desire thee to deal with me according to my uprightness and integrity, in all my administrations: let my innocency be my guard, and my honest dealing my protection; for I depend on nothing but thy favour in such courses…:….
Psalms 25:22
Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles. Nor do I plead my own private cause alone, but beseech thee to have mercy upon the whole nation, who are lamentably distracted by these divisions; and to restore them to peace and quietness, by delivering me from this rebellion that is raised against me.