EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS

EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS.

Verse 1.—“Why do nations make a noise,” tumultuate or rage? The Hebrew verb is not expressive of an internal feeling, but of the outward agitation which denotes it. There may be an allusion to the rolling and roaring of the sea, often used as an emblem of popular commotion, both in the Scriptures and the classics. The past tense of this verb (why have they raged?) refers to the commotion as already begun, while the future in the next clause expresses its continuance.—J. A. Alexander, D.D., 1850.

Verse 1.—“Rage.” The word with which Paul renders this in the Greek denotes rage, pride, and restiveness, as of horses that neigh, and rush into the battle. Ἐφρύαξαν, from Φρυάσσω, to snort or neigh, properly applied to a high-mettled horse. See Acts iv. 25.

Verse 1.—“A vain thing.” A medal was struck by Diocletian, which still remains bearing the inscription, “The name of Christians being extinguished.” And in Spain, two monumental pillars were raised, on which were written:—I. “Diocletian Jovian Maximian Herculeus Cæsares Augusti, for having extended the Roman Empire in the east and the west, and for having extinguished the name of Christians, who brought the Republic to ruin.” II. “Diocletian Jovian Maximian Herculeus Cæsares Augusti, for having adopted Galerius in the east, for having everywhere abolished the superstition of Christ, for having extended the worship of the gods.” As a modern writer has elegantly observed: “We have here a monument raised by Paganism, over the grave of its vanquished foe. But in this, ‘the people imagined a vain thing;’ so far from being deceased, Christianity was on the eve of its final and permanent triumph, and the stone guarded a sepulchre empty as the urn which Electra washed with her tears. Neither in Spain, nor elsewhere, can be pointed out the burial place of Christianity; it is not, for the living have no tomb.”

Verses 1-4.—Herod, the fox, plotted against Christ, to hinder the course of his ministry and mediatorship, but he could not perform his enterprise; ’tis so all along, therefore it is said, “Why do the heathen imagine a vain thing?” A vain thing, because a thing successless, their hands could not perform it. It was vain, not only because there was no true ground of reason why they should imagine or do such a thing, but vain also because they laboured in vain, they could not do it, and therefore it follows, “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.” The Lord see what fools they are, and men (yea, themselves) shall see it. The prophet gives us an elegant description to this purpose. Isaiah lix. 5, 6. “They weave the spider’s web.... Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works.” As if he had said, they have been devising and setting things in a goodly frame to catch flies; they have been spinning a fine thread out of their brains, as the spider doth out of her bowels; such is their web, but when they have their web they cannot cut it out, or make it up into a garment. They shall go naked and cold, notwithstanding all their spinning and weaving, all their plotting and devising. The next broom that comes will sweep away all their webs and the spiders too, except they creep apace. God loves and delights to cross worldly proverbs and worldly craft.—Joseph Caryl, 1647.

Verse 2.—The many had done their part, and now the mighty show themselves.—John Trapp.

Verse 2.—“They banded themselves against the Lord, and against his Anointed.” But why did they band themselves against the Lord, or against his Anointed? What was their desire of him? To have his goods? No, he had none for himself; but they were richer than he. To have his liberty? Nay, that would not suffice them, for they had bound him before. To bring the people into dislike of him? Nay, that would not serve them, for they had done so already, until even his disciples were fled from him. What would they have then? his blood? Yea, “they took counsel,” saith Matthew, “to put him to death.” They had the devil’s mind, which is not satisfied but with death. And how do they contrive it? He saith, “they took counsel about it.”—Henry Smith, 1578.

Verse 2.—“Against Jehovah and against his Anointed.” What an honour it was to David to be thus publicly associated with Jehovah! And, because he was HIS anointed, to be an object of hatred and scorn to the ungodly world! If this very circumstance fearfully augmented the guilt, and sealed the doom of these infatuated heathen, surely it was that which above everything else would preserve the mind of David calm and serene, yea, peaceful and joyful notwithstanding the proud and boastful vauntiness of his enemies.... When writing this Psalm David was like a man in a storm, who hears only the roaring of the tempest, or sees nothing but the raging billows threatening destruction on every side of him. And yet his faith enabled him to say, “The people imagine a vain thing.” They cannot succeed. They cannot defeat the counsels of heaven. They cannot injure the Lord’s Anointed.—David Pitcairn, 1851.

Verse 3.—Resolved they were to run riot as lawless, and aweless, and therefore they slander the sweet laws of Christ’s kingdom as bonds and thick cords, which are signs of slavery. Jer. xxvii. 2, 6, 7. But what saith our Saviour? “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” It is no more burden to a regenerate man than wings to a bird. The law of Christ is no more as bands and cords, but as girdles and garters which gird up his loins and expedite his course.—John Trapp.

Verse 4.—“He that sitteth in the heavens.” Hereby it is clearly intimated, (1) that the Lord is far above all their malice and power, (2) that he seeth all their plots, looking down on all; (3) that he is of omnipotent power, and so can do with his enemies as he lists. “Our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he pleased.” Psalm cxv. 3.—Arthur Jackson, 1643.

Verse 4.—“He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh,” etc. Sinners’ follies are the just sport of God’s infinite wisdom and power; and those attempts of the kingdom of Satan, which in our eyes are formidable, in his are despicable.—Mathew Henry.

Verse 4.—“He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh.” They scoff at us, God laughs at them. Laugh? This seems a hard word at the first view: are the injuries of his saints, the cruelties of their enemies, the derision, the persecution of all that are round about us, no more but matter of laughter? Severe Cato thought that laughter did not become the gravity of Roman consuls; that it is a diminution of states, as another told princes; and is it attributed to the Majesty of heaven? According to our capacities, the prophet describes God, as ourselves would be in a merry disposition, deriding vain attempts. He laughs, but it is in scorn; he scorns, but it is with vengeance. Pharaoh imagined that by drowning the Israelite males, he had found a way to root their name from the earth; but when at the same time, his own daughter, in his own court, gave princely education to Moses, their deliverer, did not God laugh?

Short is the joy of the wicked. Is Dagon put up to his place again? God’s smile shall take off his head and his hands, and leave him neither wit to guide nor power to subsist.... We may not judge of God’s works until the fifth act: the case, deplorable and desperate in outward appearance, may with one smile from heaven find a blessed issue. He permitted his temple to be sacked and rifled, the holy vessels to be profaned and caroused in; but did not God’s smile make Belshazzar to tremble at the handwriting on the wall? Oh, what are his frowns, if his smiles be so terrible!—Thomas Adams.

Verse 4.—The expression, “He that sitteth in the heavens,” at once fixes our thoughts on a being infinitely exalted above man, who is of the earth, earthly. And when it is said, “He shall laugh,” this word is designed to convey to our minds the idea, that the greatest confederacies amongst kings and peoples, and their most extensive and vigorous preparations, to defeat HIS purposes or to injure HIS servants, are in HIS sight altogether insignificant and worthless. He looks upon their poor and puny efforts, not only without uneasiness or fear, but HE laughs at their folly; HE treats their impotency with derision. He knows how HE can crush them like a moth when HE pleases, or consume them in a moment with the breath of HIS mouth. How profitable it is for us to be reminded of truths such as these! Ah! it is indeed “a vain thing” for the potsherds of the earth to strive with the glorious Majesty of Heaven.—David Pitcairn.

Verse 4.—“The Lord,” in Hebrew, Adonai, mystically signifieth my stays, or my sustainers—my pillars. Our English word “Lord” hath much the same force, being contracted of the old Saxon word “Llaford,” or “Hlafford,” which cometh from “Laef,” to sustain, refresh, cherish.—Henry Ainsworth.

Verse 4.—“He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh at them: the Lord shall have them in derision.” This tautology or repetition of the same thing, which is frequent in the Scriptures, is a sign of the thing being established: according to the authority of the patriarch Joseph (Gen. xli. 32), where, having interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh he said, “And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.” And therefore, here also, “shall laugh at them,” and “shall have them in derision,” is a repetition to show that there is not a doubt to be entertained that all these things will most surely come to pass. And the gracious Spirit does all this for our comfort and consolation, that we may not faint under temptation, but lift up our heads with the most certain hope; because “he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.” Hebrews x. 37.—Martin Luther.

Verse 5.—“Vex them;” either by horror of conscience, or corporal plagues; one way or the other he will have his pennyworths of them, as he always has had of the persecutors of his people.—John Trapp.

Verses 5, 9.—It is easy for God to destroy his foes.... Behold Pharaoh, his wise men, his hosts, and his horses plouting and plunging, and sinking like lead in the Red sea. Here is the end of one of the greatest plots ever formed against God’s chosen. Of thirty Roman emperors, governors of provinces, and others high in office, who distinguished themselves by their zeal and bitterness in persecuting the early Christians, one became speedily deranged after some atrocious cruelty, one was slain by his own son, one became blind, the eyes of one started out of his head, one was drowned, one was strangled, one died in a miserable captivity, one fell dead in a manner that will not bear recital, one died of so loathsome a disease that several of his physicians were put to death because they could not abide the stench that filled his room, two committed suicide, a third attempted it, but had to call for help to finish the work, five were assassinated by their own people or servants, five others died the most miserable and excruciating deaths, several of them having an untold complication of diseases, and eight were killed in battle, or after being taken prisoners. Among these was Julian the apostate. In the days of his prosperity he is said to have pointed his dagger to heaven defying the Son of God, whom he commonly called the Galilean. But when he was wounded in battle, he saw that all was over with him, and he gathered up his clotted blood, and threw it into the air, exclaiming, “Thou hast conquered, O thou Galilean.” Voltaire has told us of the agonies of Charles IX. of France, which drove the blood through the pores of the skin of that miserable monarch, after his cruelties and treachery to the Huguenots.—William S. Plummer, D.D., LL.D., 1867.

Verse 6.—“Yet have I set my King.” Notice—1. The royal office and character of our glorious Redeemer: he is a King, “This name he hath on his vesture and on his thigh.” Rev. xix. 16. 2. The authority by which he reigns; he is “my King,” says God the Father, and I have set him up from everlasting: “The Father judgeth no man; but hath committed all judgment unto the Son.” The world disowns his authority, but I own it; I have set him, I have “given him to be head over all things to the church.” 3. His particular kingdom over which he rules; it is over “my holy hill of Zion”—an eminent type of the gospel church. The temple was built upon Mount Zion and therefore called a holy hill. Christ’s throne is in his church, it is his head-quarters, and the place of his peculiar residence. Notice the firmness of the divine purpose with respect unto this matter. “Yet have I set” him “King;” i.e., whatever be the plots of hell and earth to the contrary, he reigns by his Father’s ordination.—Stephen Charnock, 1628-1680.