EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS

EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS.

Title.—“A prayer of David.” Since many of the Psalms consist of prayers, the question may be asked why such an inscription more especially belongs to this. But though the others contain divers prayers mixed with other matters, this is a supplication through its whole course.—The Venerable Bede, 672-735.

Verse 1.—“Hear ... attend ... give ear.” This petition repeated thrice, indicates a great power of feeling and many tears; because the craft of the ungodly, in truth, grieves and afflicts the spiritual man more than their power and violence, for we can get a knowledge of open force and violence, and, when we see the danger, can in some way guard against it.—Martin Luther.

Verse 1.—“That goeth not out of feigned lips.”—There are such things as “feigned lips;” a contradiction between the heart and the tongue, a clamour in the voice and scoffing in the soul, a crying to God, “Thou art my father, the guide of my youth;” and yet speaking and doing evil to the utmost of our power (Jer. iii. 4, 5), as if God could be imposed upon by fawning pretences, and, like old Isaac, take Jacob for Esau, and be cozened by the smell of his garments; as if he could not discern the negro heart under an angel’s garb.... This is an unworthy conceit of God, to fancy that we can satisfy for inward sins, and avert approaching judgments by external offerings, by a loud voice, with a false heart, as if God (like children), would be pleased with the glittering of an empty shell, or the rattling of stones, the chinking of money, a mere voice, and crying without inward frames and intentions of service.—Stephen Charnock.

Verse 1.—“Not out of feigned lips.” It is observable, that the eagle soareth on high, little intending to fly to heaven, but to gain her prey; and so it is that many do carry a great deal of seeming devotion in lifting up their eyes towards heaven; but they do it only to accomplish with more ease, safety, and applause their wicked and damnable designs here on earth; such as without are Catos, within Neros; hear them, no man better; search and try them, no man worse; they have Jacob’s voice, but Esau’s hands; they profess like saints, but practise little Satans; they have their long prayers, but short prayings; they are like apothecaries’ gallipots—having without the title of some excellent preservative, but within they are full of deadly poison; counterfeit holiness is their cloak for all manner of villanies, and the midwife to bring forth all their devilish designs.—Peter Bales, in Spencer’s “Things New and Old.”

Verse 1.—“Not out of feigned lips.” Not only a righteous cause, but a righteous prayer are urged as motives why God should hear. Calvin remarks on the importance of joining prayer to the testimony of a good conscience, lest we defraud God of his honour by not committing all judgment to him.—J. J. Stewart Perowne.

Verse 1.—Though thy prayers be never so well framed in regard of words, and reverently performed as to thy external gestures; yet all is nothing, if thy heart be not in the duty. For prayer is not a work of the head, or hand, or eyes only, but chiefly a work of the heart, and therefore called in Scripture, the “pouring out of the soul” (1 Sam. i. 15); and the “pouring out of the heart.” Psalm lxii. 8. And, indeed, the very soul of prayer lieth in the pouring out of the soul before the Lord. Whensoever, therefore, thou drawest near unto God in prayer, let it be with thine heart and soul, otherwise thou canst have no assurance of audience, and acceptance; for as Cyprian speaketh, Quomodo te audiri a Deo postulas, etc. How canst thou expect the Lord should hear thee, when thou hearest not thyself? or that he should regard thy prayers, when thou regardest not what thou prayest? Certainly that prayer reacheth not the heart of God, which reacheth not our own.—Thomas Gouge, 1605-1681.

Verse 2.—David appeals unto God to judge the righteousness of his heart towards Saul—“Let my sentence come forth from thy presence.” From Saul and his courtiers there comes a hard sentence; they call me traitor, they call me rebel; but, Lord, leave me not unto their sentence, “Let my sentence come from thy presence;” that I know will be another sentence than what cometh from them, for thou hast proved me, and tried me, and findest nothing in me.—Jeremiah Burroughs.

Verse 3.—“Thou hast proved mine heart:”—

Verse 3.—“Thou hast visited me in the night,” etc. In the night the soul is free from business with the world, and therefore freest for business with God; and then did God prove and visit David, that is, examine and sift him, by calling to his mind all his ways and works in former passages; and the issue of this trial was he found nothing; not that his soul was empty of good things, or that there was nothing evil in him; but God, upon examination, found nothing of that evil in him which some men suspected him of; namely, either any ill will or evil design against Saul, in reference to whom he called his cause a righteous cause, or “the right” (verse 1); “Hear the right, O Lord.”—Joseph Caryl.

Verse 3 (third clause, New Translation).—“Thou hast smelted me, and found in me no dross.” A metaphor taken from the smelting of metals to purify them from extraneous matter.—Geddes.

Verse 3.—“Proved ... visited in the night ... tried.” Tribulation, whereby, when examined, I was found righteous, is called not only night, in that it is wont to disturb with fear, but fire in that it actually burns.—Augustine.

Verse 3.—“I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.”—Wherefore, if thou be upon a mountain, look not backward again unto Sodom as Lot’s wife did; if thou be within the ark, fly not out again into the world as Noah’s crow did; if thou be well washed, return not again to the mire as the hog doth; if thou be clean, run not again to thy filth, as the dog doth; if thou be going towards the land of Canaan, think not on the flesh-pots of Egypt; if thou be marching against the host of Midian, drink not of the waters of Harod; if thou be upon the housetop, come not down; if thou have set thy hand to the plough, look not behind thee; remember not those vices which are behind thee.—Thomas Playfere.

Verses 3, 4, 5.—Where there is true grace, there is hatred of all sin, for hatred is πρὸς τὸ γένος. Can a man be resolved to commit what he hates? No, for his inward aversion would secure him more against it than all outward obstacles. As this inward purpose of a good man is against all sin, so more particularly against that which doth so easily beset him. David seems in several places to be naturally inclined to lying, but he takes up a particular resolution against it: (verse 3), “I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress;” זַמֹּתִי—I have contrived to waylay and intercept the sin of lying when it hath an occasion to approach me. A good man hath not only purposes, but he endeavours to fasten and strengthen those purposes by prayer; so David (verse 5), “Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.” He strengthens himself by stirring up a liveliness in duty, and by avoiding occasions of sin; (verse 4), “I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer;” whereas, a wicked man neither steps out of the way of temptation, nor steps up to God for strength against it.—Stephen Charnock.

Verse 4.—“Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer:” as if he had said, Would you know how it comes to pass that I escape those ungodly works and practices which men ordinarily take liberty to do? I must ascribe it to the good word of God; it is this I consult with, and by it I am kept from those foul ways whereinto others, that make no use of the word for their defence, are carried by Satan the destroyer. Can we go against sin and Satan with a better weapon than Christ used to vanquish the tempter with? And, certainly, Christ did it to set us an example how we should come armed into the field against them; for Christ could with one beam shot from his Deity (if he had pleased to exert it), have as easily laid the bold fiend at his foot, as afterward he did them that came to attack him; but he chose rather to conceal the majesty of his Divinity, and let Satan come up closer to him, that so he might confound him with the word, and thereby give him a proof of that sword of his saints, which he was to leave them for their defence against the same enemy. The devil is set out by the leviathan (Isaiah xxvii. 1), him God threatens to punish with his strong sword; alluding to that great fish, the whale, which fears no fish like the sword-fish, by whom this great devourer of all other fish is so often killed; for, receiving one prick from his sword, he hasteneth to the shore, and beats himself against it till he dies. Thus the devil, the great devourer of souls, who sports himself in the sea of this world, as the leviathan in the waters, and swallows the greatest part of mankind without any power to make resistance against him, is himself vanquished by the word. When he has to do with a saint armed with this sword, and instructed how to use this weapon, he then, and not till then, meets his match.—William Gurnall.

Verse 4.—“By the word of thy lips,” etc. It is a great relief against temptations to have the word ready. The word is called, “The sword of the Spirit,” Eph. vi. 17. In spiritual conflicts there is none like to that. Those that ride abroad in time of danger, will not be without a sword. We are in danger, and had need handle the sword of the Spirit. The more ready the Scripture is with us, the greater advantage in our conflicts and temptations. When the devil came to assault Christ, he had Scripture ready for him, whereby he overcame the tempter. The door is barred upon Satan, and he cannot find such easy entrance when the word is hid in our hearts, and made use of pertinently. “I write unto you, young men, because ye are strong.” Where lies their strength? “And the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.” 1 John ii. 14. Oh, it is a great advantage when we have the word not only by us, but in us, engrafted in the heart; when it is present with us, we are more able to resist the assaults of Satan. Either a man forgets the word, or hath lost his affection to it, before he can be drawn to sin.—Thomas Manton.

Verse 5.—“Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.” Lord, whatsoever the wrath of Saul be against me, yet let neither that, nor any other thing put me out of thy way, but keep my heart close unto thee, and keep my paths in thy way; let not my footsteps so much as slide from thee, for, Lord, they watch for my halting; if they can find but the least slip from me, they take advantage of it to the utmost; and I am a poor and a weak creature, therefore Lord help me, that my footsteps may not slide.—Jeremiah Burroughs.

Verse 5.—“Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.” As a stone cast up into the air cannot go any higher, neither yet there abide when the power of the hurler ceaseth to drive it; even so, seeing our corrupt nature can go downward only, and the devil, the world, and the flesh, driveth to the same way; how can we proceed further in virtue, or stand therein, when we are tempted, if our merciful and good God do not by his Holy Spirit, from time to time, guide and govern us?—Robert Cawdray.

Verse 5.—“Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.” Lord, hold me up, that I may hold out. Thou hast set the crown at the end of the race; let me run the race, that I may wear the crown. It was Beza’s prayer, and let it be ours, “Lord, perfect what thou hast begun in me, that I may not suffer shipwreck when I am almost at the haven.”—Thomas Watson.

Verse 5.—In fierce assaults and strong temptations, when Satan layeth siege to the soul, shooting his fiery darts, and using stratagems of policy, joining his endeavours with our corruptions, as wind with tide, then we have cause to pray as David, “Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.” The apostle also found he had need of help from heaven when he was assaulted, and therefore he prayed “thrice,” that the thing that he feared might depart from him. 2 Cor. xii. Christ hath taught us to pray daily, “Lead us not into temptation,” for it is dangerous; and then temptations are most dangerous, when, 1. Most suitable—when Satan joins with our disposition or constitution; 2. Continual; 3. When opportunity and power is greatest.—Joseph Symonds.