Throughout the endless day of eternity the Lord Jesus shall himself speak the Father's "praise," and shall put marked emphasis on his "righteousness"—that righteousness which shall have been exhibited both in the doom of those who hated the offered Redeemer, and in the salvation of those who received him. There is nothing in all this wherein his own may not fully join, especially on that day when their views of justice shall be far clearer and fuller than now. On that day we shall be able to understand how Samuel could hew Agag in pieces, and the godly hosts of Israel slay utterly in Canaan man and woman and child, at God's command. We shall be able, not only fully to agree in the doom, "Let them be confounded," &c., but even to sing, "Amen, Hallelujah," over the smoke of torment. (Rev. xix. 1, 2.) We should in some measure now be able to use every verse of this Psalm in the spirit in which the Judge spake it, we feeling ourselves his assessors in judging the world. (1 Cor. vi. 2.) We shall, at all events, be able to use it on that day when what is written here shall be all accomplished :— The awful utterance of the Righteous One regarding those that hate Him without a cause. PSALM XXXVI. To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord. 1 THE transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, That there is no fear of God before his eyes. 2 For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful. 3 The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good. 4 He deviseth mischief upon his bed; He setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil. 5 Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. 6 Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep. O Lord, thou preservest man and beast. 7 How excellent is thy loving-kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. 8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house: And thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. 9 For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. 10 O continue thy loving-kindness unto them that know thee; And thy righteousness to the upright in heart. 11 Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me. 12 There are the workers of iniquity fallen! They are cast down, and shall not be able to rise. HE whom the Holy Ghost employs to write in these strains of elevated thought and intense feeling, is one not ashamed of his God. It is David; and as in Psalm xviii. 1, so here he describes himself as "Servant of Jehovah." Perhaps it was specially appropriate to use this designation in a Psalm that shews us so fully the apostasy of men and a world in rebellion. David glories in being "Servant" to Him whom men desert and despise. Like Balaam (Numb. xxiv. 3 DN) speaking in the Lord's name to Balak, so the Psalmist, in a kind of irony, represents "transgression" as uttering its oracle to the wicked. The first verse reads thus : (C Transgression utters its oracle to the wicked in my heart! (i.e., my heart thus apprehends their meaning,) There is no fear of God before his eyes! "—(Hengstenberg.*) And then he states seven features of the man who has no fear of God. All this prepares the way for the contrast, Jehovah's character and thoughts towards us, verses 5-9. Nor is he done till he has shewn us the Fountain of life, surrounded by the redeemed, and then pointed to the ruin of the lost, “Yonder are they fullen!" (ver. 12),—scenes that carry us forward to the Great Day and its issues. What a Psalm is this! David, and David's Son, and every member of the household of faith, must always have found it congenial; it is such a picture of earth, and such a glimpse of Godhead-glory and grace. It suggests the deliverance of all creation, man and beast," and streams of bliss in reserve * Tholuck renders it, "A divine oracle says from the depth of my heart, concerning the wickedness of the ungodly"-adopting in substance the version of Symmachus and Luther. All agree that DN is very peculiar. for us. It abounds in allusions to Old Testament history-allusions that make it more fragrant and savoury; as when verse 7th sings of Jehovah's care of "man and beast," thereby calling up before us the ark of Noah, and the rainbow that spanned it after the flood; or when verse 8 sings of " the river,' as if to remind us of the streams that watered Paradise (“ a river of thy pleasures"); or when "the fountain" is spoken of, as if to send our thoughts to Deut. xxx. 20, Israel's fountain. It is such a song of Zion as can be appreciated only by meditation deep and frequent-such solemn meditation as will try to gaze up to those heavens (verse 5), wherein mercy dwells; penetrate those clouds in which faithfulness is hid; climb and explore the massy mountain-heights of justice (hills of God, worthy of his greatness, glorious and immense); cast the line into the fathomless deep of his judgments, (i.e, his providential dealings); and feel drawn by that grace that leads men to the shade of the Almighty wings, and then to the rivers of pleasure which flow from the fountain of life. If asked to describe what we see in this Psalm, we would say, We see here The Righteous One looking up to the God of grace from amid a world lying in wickedness. PSALM XXXVII. A Psalm of David. 1 FRET not thyself because of evildoers, Neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. 3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; So shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. 4 Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him ; And he shall bring it to pass. 6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. 7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him : Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. 9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. 10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: Yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. 11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. 12 The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. 13 The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming. 14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation. 15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. 16 A little that a righteous man hath, is better than the riches of many wicked. 17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the Lord upholdeth the righteous. 18 The Lord knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever. 19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. 20 But the wicked shall perish, And the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: They shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away. 21 The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth. 22 For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; And they that be cursed of him shall be cut off. 23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: For the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. 25 I have been young, and now am old; Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. 26 He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed. 27 Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore. 28 For the lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints. They are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. 29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever. 30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment. 31 The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide. 32 The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him. 33 The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged. 34 Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land. When the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it. 35 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. 36 Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not! yea, I sought him, but he could not be found. 37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright! for the end of that man is peace. 38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off. 39 But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble. 40 And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them : He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him. THERE are seven alphabetic Psalms, and this is one of them. It is a song of Zion, in which precious truths are stored up in the memory by the aid of the alphabetic beginnings of each verse. But, as usual, there occurs one irregularity (viz. is omitted), to prevent us, perhaps, attaching too great importance to this form of structure. of Alphabetic structure. Church. hi The two-edged sword gleams bright here; justice and mercy Christ and he ride together over the field of earth. It is a song suitable for the Church and the Church's Head alike, and for every age the Church's history. And yet how exactly some verses suit special scenes. Thus, verses 31, 32, is a full-length portrait of the Just One-word, thought, deed; while Antichrist might be said to have sat for his picture in verses 35, 36. “I saw the wicked," &c. Our Lord seems to quote this Psalm in Matt. v. 2 : "Blessed The future. are the meek-they shall inherit the earth." And in this Psalm "the little while" is spoken of, that "little while" of the Church's patient waiting, now so well known to us : "Yet a little while and the wicked shall not be.” "And the meek shall inherit the earth." (Ver. 10, 11.) Verses 37, 38, describe the final reward, "The End," of the perfect man, and the final doom, "the end," of transgressors, on the Great Day, when He comes who has " His reward with him." And so it closes with ascribing all victory to the Lord alone. (Ver. 39, 40.) |