EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS

EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS.

Whole Psalm.—The exordium or beginning of this Psalm is the most grand and striking that can possibly be imagined—the speaker God, the audience an assembled world! We cannot compare or assimilate the scene here presented to us with any human resemblance; nor do I imagine that earth will ever behold such a day till that hour when the trumpet of the archangel shall sound, and shall gather all the nations of the earth from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other; when the dead, small and great, shall stand before God, and the sea shall give up the dead which are in it, and death and hell shall deliver up the dead that are in them.—Barton Bouchier.

Verse 1.—“El, Elohim, Jehovah has spoken!” So reads the Hebrew.—Andrew A. Bonar.

Verse 1 (first clause).—Some have observed that these three names, El, Elohim, Jehovah, here mentioned, have three very distinct accents set to them, and which being joined to a verb singular דִּבֶּר, hath spoken, contains the mystery of the trinity of Persons in the unity of the divine Essence.—John Gill.

Verse 1.—“And called the earth,” etc., i.e., all the inhabitants of the earth he has commanded to come as witnesses and spectators of the judgment.—Simon de Muis.

Verses 1-5.—

Verse 2.—Out of Zion, the perfection of God’s beauty hath shined; or, God has caused the perfection of beauty to shine out of Zion.—Martin Geier.

Verse 2.—“God hath shined.” Like the sun in his strength, sometimes for the comfort of his people, as Psalm lxxx. 1; sometimes for the terror of evil-doers, as Psalm xciv. 1, and here. But evermore God is terrible out of his holy places. Psalm lxviii. 35, and lxxxix. 7.—John Trapp.

Verse 2.—“God hath shined.” The proper meaning of יָפַא is to scatter rays from afar, and from a lofty place, and to glitter. It is a word of a grand sound, says Ch. Schultens, which is always used of a magnificent and flashing light.... It is apparently used of the splendid symbol of God’s presence, as in Deut. xxxiv. 2, where he is said to scatter beams from Mount Paran. From which it is manifest that it may refer to the pillar of cloud and fire, the seat of the Divine Majesty conspicuous on Mount Sinai, or on the tabernacle, or the loftiest part of the temple.—Hermann Venema.

Verse 3.—“Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence.” He kept silence that he might be judged, he will not keep silence when he begins to judge. It would not have been said, “He shall come manifestly,” unless at first he had come concealed; nor, “He shall not keep silence,” had he not at first kept silence. How did he keep silence? Ask Isaiah: “He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.” Isa. liii. 7. But he shall come manifestly, and shall not keep silence. How manifestly? “A fire shall go before him, and round about him a mighty tempest.” That tempest is to carry wholly away the chaff from the floor which is now in threshing; that fire, to consume what the tempest carries off. Now, however, he is silent; silent in judgment, but not in precept. For if Christ is silent, what mean these gospels? What the voices of the apostles? the canticles of the Psalms? the lofty utterances of the prophets? Truly in all these Christ is not silent. Howbeit he is silent for the present in not taking vengeance, not in not warning. But he will come in surpassing brightness to take vengeance, and will be seen of all, even of those who believe not on him; but now, forasmuch as although present he was not concealed, it behoved him to be despised: for unless he had been despised he would not have been crucified; if not crucified he would not have shed his blood, the price with which he redeemed us. But in order that he might give a price for us, he was crucified; that he might be crucified, he was despised; that he might be despised, he appeared in humble guise.—Augustine.

Verse 3 (first clause).—The future in the first clause may be rendered he is coming, as if the sound of his voice and the light of his glory had preceded his actual appearance. The imagery is borrowed from the giving of the law at Sinai.—J. A. Alexander.

Verse 3 (first clause).—May our God come![22] A prayer for the hastening of his advent, as in the Apocalypse, xxii. 20.—Pool’s Synopsis.

Verse 3.—“A fire shall devour before him.” As he gave his law in fire, so in fire shall he require it.—John Trapp.

Verse 4.—“He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth.” That these dumb creatures may be as so many speaking evidences against an unworthy people, and witnesses of God’s righteous dealings against them. See Deut. xxxii. 1; Isaiah i. 2; Mic. vi. 2. The Chaldee thus paraphraseth: He will call the high angels from above; and the just of the earth from beneath.—John Trapp.

Verse 5.—“Gather,” etc. To whom are these words addressed? Many suppose to the angels, as the ministers of God’s will; but it is unnecessary to make the expression more definite than it is in the Psalm.—J. J. Stewart Perowne.

Verse 5.—“My saints,” the objects of my mercy, those whom I have called and specially distinguished. The term is here descriptive of a relation, not of an intrinsic quality.—J. A. Alexander.

Verse 5.—“Gather my saints together unto me.” There is a double or two-fold gathering to Christ. There is a gathering unto Christ by faith, a gathering within the bond of the covenant, a gathering into the family of God, a gathering unto the root of Jesse, standing up for an ensign of the people. “In that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.” Isa. xi. 10. This is the main end of the gospel, the great work of ministers, the gathering of sinners unto Christ. But then there is a gathering unto Christ at the general judgment; and this is the gathering that is here spoken of. This gathering is consequential to the other. Christ will gather none to him at the last day but those that are gathered to him by faith here; he will give orders to gather together unto him all these, and none but these, that have taken hold of his covenant....

I would speak of Christ’s owning and acknowledging the saints at his second coming. His owning and acknowledging them is imported in his giving these orders, “Gather my saints together unto me.”... Now upon this head I mention the things following:—1. Saintship will be the only mark of distinction in that day. There are many marks of distinction now; but these will all cease, and this only will remain. 2. Saintship will then be Christ’s badge of honour. Beware of mocking at saintship, or sanctity, holiness, and purity; for it is Christ’s badge of honour, the garment with which his followers are clothed, and will be the only badge of honour at the great day. 3. Christ will forget and misken none of the saints. Many of the saints are forgotten here, it is forgotten that such persons were in the world, but Christ will forget and misken none of them at the great day; he will give forth a list of all his saints, and give orders to gather them all unto him. 4. He will confess, own, and acknowledge them before his Father, and his holy angels. Matt. x. 32; Luke xii. 8; Rev. iii. 5; They are to go to my Father’s house, and they are to go thither in my name, in my right, and at my back; and so it is necessary I should own and acknowledge them before my Father. But what need is there for his owning them before the angels? Ans. They are to be the angels’ companions, and so it is necessary he should own them before the angels. This will be like a testimonial for them unto the angels. Lastly. The evidences of his right to, and propriety in them, will then be made to appear. Mal. iii. 17: “And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels.” It is too late for persons to become his then; so the meaning is, they shall evidently appear to be mine.—James Scot, 1773.

Verse 5.—“Gather my saints together unto me.” Our text may be considered as the commission given by the great Judge to his angels—those ministering spirits who do his will, hearkening to the voice of his power. The language of the text is in accordance with that which was uttered by our Lord when, alluding to the coming of the Son of Man, he says, “And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” But previous to this final, this general gathering together of his saints to judgment, Jehovah gathers them together in various ways, in various places, and by various means, both of providence and of grace. Previous to his being seated on a throne of judgment, we behold him sitting on a throne of mercy, and we hear him saying, “Gather my saints together unto me.” These words lead us to notice—I. The characters described, “My saints.” II. The command issued, “Gather my saints together unto me.” I. The characters here described—“My saints.” By the term “my saints,” we are to understand my holy ones—those who have been sanctified and set apart by God. None of us possess this character by nature. We are born sinners, and there is no difference; but by divine grace we experience a change of nature, and consequently a change of name. The title of saint is frequently given to the people of God in derision. “Such an one,” says a man of the world, “is one of your saints.” But, my brethren, no higher honour can be conferred upon us than to be denominated saints, if we truly deserve that character; but in what way do we become saints? We become saints—1. By divine choice. The saints are the objects of everlasting love; their names are written in the Lamb’s book of life; and it is worthy of remark that wherever the people of God are spoken of in sacred Scripture, as the objects of that everlasting love, it is in connection with their personal sanctification. Observe, they are not chosen because they are saints, nor because it is foreseen that they will be so, but they are chosen to be saints; sanctification is the effect and the only evidence of election. We become saints—2. By a divine change which is the necessary consequence of this election. An inward, spiritual, supernatural, universal change is effected in the saints by the power of the Holy Ghost. Thus they are renewed in the spirit of their minds, and made partakers of a divine nature.... Remember, then, this important truth, that Christians are called by the gospel to be saints; that you are Christians, not so much by your orthodoxy as by your holiness; that you are saints no further than as you are holy in all manner of conversation. 3. The people of God furnish an evidence of being saints by their godly conduct. “By their fruits,” not by their feelings; not by their lips, not by their general profession, but, “by their fruits shall ye know them.” 4. The character of the saints is evidenced by divine consecration. The people of God are called holy inasmuch as they are dedicated to God. It is the duty and the privilege of saints to consecrate themselves to the service of God. Even a heathen philosopher could say, “I lend myself to the world, but I give myself to the gods.” But we possess more light and knowledge, and are therefore laid under greater obligations than was Seneca.

II. The command issued—“Gather my saints together unto me.” Jehovah gathers his saints to himself in various ways. 1. He gathers them to himself in their conversion. The commission given by Christ to his ministers is, “Go ye forth into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,” or in other words, “Gather my saints together unto me.” The gospel is to be preached to sinners in order that they may become saints. 2. Saints are gathered together by God in public worship.... 3. He gathers his saints together to himself in times of danger. When storms appear to be gathering around them, he is desirous to screen them from the blast. He says to them, in the language of Isaiah, “Come, my people, and enter into thy chamber—the chamber of my perfections and my promises—enter into thy chamber and shut the doors about thee, and hide thyself until the calamity is overpast.” 4. God gathers his saints together in the service of his church. Thus Christ collected his apostles together to give them their apostolic commission to go and teach all nations. At the period of the Reformation, the great Head of the church raised up Luther and Calvin, together with other eminent reformers, in order that they might light up a flame in Europe, yea, throughout the world, that the breath of popery should never be able to blow out. 5. God gathers his saints together in death, and at the resurrection. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” This is the commission which death is habitually receiving—“Go, death, and gather such-and-such of my saints unto me.” As the gardener enters the garden, and plucks the full-blown flower and the ripened fruit, so Jesus Christ enters the garden of his church and gathers his saints to himself; for he says, “Father, I will that all they whom thou hast given me may be with me, where I am, and behold my glory.”—Condensed from J. Sibree’s “Sermon preached at the reopening of Surrey Chapel, August 29th, 1830.”