Verse 8. Thy going out and thy coming in] Night and day—in all thy business and undertakings; and this through the whole course of thy life: for ever more. ANALYSIS OF THE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIRST PSALM. The scope of this psalm is to show that God alone is the refuge of the distressed. I. While some are looking for earthly comfort and support, "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills," &c. II. Faith sees God, the only helper; and says, "My help is the Lord." And the first reason for this is given: God's omnipotence and sufficiency. "The Lord that made heaven and earth," and is consequently the author and dispenser of all spiritual and temporal blessings. And the second reason is, his grace and goodness; "He will not suffer thy foot to be moved." A third reason is, his watchful care: "He that keepeth thee will not slumber." III. The end which God proposes in his watching, -to keep them. to God's ordinances. 1. He is the "Keeper of Israel." He guards his church; he is as a wall of fire about it. 2. He is a shade. This certainly refers to that kind of umbraculum, or parasol, which was in very ancient use in the eastern countries. The sense of the passage is, Neither the day of prosperity nor the night of adversity shall hurt thee; nor the heat of persecution, nor the coldness of friends or relatives: all these shall work for thy good. 3. "He shall preserve thee from all evil;"-and, soul: "He shall preserve thy soul." 4. Especially from every thing that might hurt thy The Psalmist concludes with this encouraging as surance. 1. "The Lord shall preserve thy going out." We are always beginning or ending some action, going abroad or returning home; and we need the protecting care of God in all. 2. "From this time forth." Now that thou hast put thy whole trust and confidence in God, he will be thy continual portion and defence in all places, in all times, in all actions; in life, in prosperity, in adversity, in death, in time, and in eternity. PSALM CXXII. The satisfaction of a gracious soul in the use of God's ordinances, 1, 2. Description of the internal government of Jerusalem, 3-5. WAS glad when they said unto me, "Let us go into the house of the LORD. 2 Our feet shall stand within b Prayers for its peace and prosperity, 6-9. & 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. 7 Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity thy gates, O Jerusalem. NOTES ON PSALM CXXII. In the preceding psalms we find the poor captives crying to God for deliverance; here they are returning thanks that they find they are permitted to return to their own land and to the ordinances of their God. Verse 1. I was glad when they said] When Cyrus published an edict for their return, the very first object of their thanksgiving was the kindness of God in permitting them to return to his ordinances. Verse 2. Our feet shall stand] For seventy years we have been exiled from our own land; our heart was in Jerusalem, but our feet were in Chaldea. Now God has turned our captivity, and our feet shall shortly stand within the gates of Jerusalem. What a transition from misery to happiness! and what a subject for rejoicing! 8 For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee. 9 Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good. b Verse 3. Jerusalem-compact together.] It is now well rebuilt, every part contributing to the strength of the whole. It is also a state of great political and spiritual union. It is the centre of union to all the tribes, for each tribe has an equal interest in that God who is worshipped there. Verse 4. The testimony of Israel] There is the ark, where the presence of God is manifested; there is the holy of holies; and there all the tribes assembled to worship Jehovah. He no doubt alludes to the assembling of the tribes annually at each of the three grand national festivals. Verse 5. There are set thrones of judgment] There were the public courts, and thither the people went to obtain justice; and while the thrones of the house of David were there, they had justice. Verse 6. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem] shalom signifies both peace and prosperity. Let her unanimity never be disturbed; let her prosperity ever be on the increase! They shall prosper that love thee.] In the peace and prosperity of the city, they shall find their peace and their prosperity; and even on this ground they should love the city, and labour to promote its best interests. There is a remarkable alliteration in this verse, the letter w shin frequently recurring. שאלו שלום ירושלם ישליו אהביך Shaalu shelom yerushalam yishlayu ohabeycha. "Ask ye the prosperity of Jerusalem; they shall be quiet that love thee." There are remarkable specimens of similar alliteration to be found in all poets, ancient and modern. This formed the chief feature of our ancient poetry. Thus in Peter the ploughman : “In a somers seysoun whan sete was the sonne I schoop me in a shrowde as I a sheep were." And the same manner often appears, even in Milton himself. See the Il Penseroso :— "Oft, on a plat of rising ground, Verse 7. Peace be within thy walls] This is the form of prayer that they are to use: "May prosperity ever reside within thy walls, on all the people that dwell there; and tranquillity within thy palaces or high places, among the rulers and governors of the people." Verse 8. For my brethren and companions' sakes] Because this city is the abode of my kinsfolk and Countrymen, I will wish it prosperity. I will promote its peace and tranquillity by all means in my power. I will affectionately say, May peace be within thee! Verse 9. Because of the house of the Lord our God] Particularly will I wish thee well, because thou art the seat of religion, the place where our merciful God has condescended to dwell. To the captives in Babylon the prophet Jeremiah had given this charge, chap. xxix. 7: "And seek shalom, the prosperity of the city, whither I have caused you to be carried captives, and pray unto the Lord for it; for in the prosperity thereof ye shall have prosperity." preceding psalm. constituted authorities in church and state were doing ANALYSIS OF THE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SECOND PSALM. I. Expresses his joy that he might join with the church in God's service, ver. 1, 2. II. Commends the church, under the name of Jerusalem, for her unity, ver. 3; religious worship, ver. 4; civil and ecclesiastical policy, ver. 5. III. Exhorts all to pray for its peace and prosperity, ver. 6; and puts the form of prayer into their mouths, ver. 7. IV. Shows his own readiness to do this, and offers up his supplications, ver. 8, 9. I. The Psalmist congratulates himself and the people on the restoration of God's worship : 1. He expresses his own joy: "I was glad." 2. To hear of the unanimity of the people mutually exhorting each other to it: "When they said unto me." 3. "Let us go into the house of the Lord." Let us all go, hear his word, give him thanks, and make prayers and supplications to him. II. He commends Jerusalem three ways: 1. For its unity: it was compact together; it was united in itself; and united, both in politics and religion, in its inhabitants. 2. For its being the place of God's worship: 1. For "thither the tribes go up" thrice in the year, as was ordained, Exod. xxiii. 14, to celebrate their deliverance from Egypt, in keeping the passover. 2. The giving of the law, in the feast of pentecost. 3. Their preservation in the wilderness, in the feast of tubernacles. These tribes are "the tribes of the Lord." A very honourable title. "Unto the testimony of Israel." To the ark of the covenant, the pledge of the covenant between God and the people. The end for which they went up: "To give thanks unto the name of the Lord." 3. He commends Jerusalem for its civil and ecclesiastical policy: 1. "For there are set thrones of judgment." The tribunals and courts of justice are there. 2. "The thrones of the house of David." The court and throne of a legitimate sovereign. III. He exhorts the tribes to pray for a continu Was this a duty for the captives? Yes. And is it the duty of every man for his own country? God, ance of its present happy state. nature, common sense, and self-interest say, YES! 1. " Pray for the peace," &c. It is our duty to And what must we think of the wretches who not pray for the prosperity of the nation and of the only do not thus pray, but labour to destroy the public church of God. peace, to subvert the government of their country, to 2. " They shall prosper that love thee." Those raise seditions, and to destroy all its civil and religious who love both are blessed, those who do not are cursed. institutions? Think of them! Why, that hemp 3. And that we may know the prayer that God would be disgraced by hanging them. will hear, he puts one in our mouth, "Peace be There is a fine picture given us here of the state of within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces." Jerusalem after the restoration of the Jews. The It is well to join peace and prosperity together. Peace walls were finished, the city rebuilt, beautiful, strong, without prosperity is but a secure possession of and regular; the temple and its worship were re-misery; and prosperity without peace is but a dubious stored, the courts of justice were re-established, the and uncertain felicity. 1. "Peace be within thy walls." Not only thy | fortifications, civil and religious institutions, but also among all thy officers, soldiers, and inhabitants, for they constitute the strength and safety of the kingdom. 2. "And prosperity within thy palaces." In the king's house, his family, his ministers; if there be dissensions there, ruin will soon follow. IV. The Psalmist shows his own readiness to do this. 1. "I will now say, Peace be within thee." So should all the ministers of religion pray. 2. "I will seek thy good." So should the king and every officer of state resolve. All should be united in so good a work. They should not seek their own good, but the good, not the goods, of the people. from persecution. For this the Psalmist gives these reasons:1. "For my brethren and companions' sakes." We are not only subjects of one king, citizens of the same city, but we have all one God and Father. 2. "Because of the house of the Lord." For the maintenance of true religion. If religion fail, the kingdom will fail; prosperity will be at an end, the nation will be divided, distracted, destroyed. Religion, the true religion in a country, is the consolation of the good, and the bridle that holds in the jaws of the wicked. Let us all pray for the prosperity of pure and undefiled religion, and the prosperity of the state! A Song of degrees. PSALM CXXIII. The prayer and faith of the godly, 1, 2. They desire to be delivered from contempt, 3, 4. our God, until that he have mercy upon us. NTO thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou 3 Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have b that dwellest in the heavens. UNTO thee a lift I 2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD a Ps. cxxi. 1. cxli. 8. NOTES ON PSALM CXXIII. This psalm is probably a complaint of the captives in Babylon relative to the contempt and cruel usage they received. The author is uncertain. Verse 1. Unto thee lift I up mine eyes] We have no hope but in thee; our eyes look upward; we have expectation from thy mercy alone. Verse 2. As the eyes of servants] We now wait for thy commands, feeling the utmost readiness to obey them when made known to us. The words may be understood as the language of dependance also. As slaves expect their support from their masters and mistresses; so do we ours from thee, O Lord! Or, As servants look to their masters and mistresses, to see how they do their work, that they may do it in the same way; so do we, O Lord, that we may learn of thee, and do thy work in thy own Spirit, and after thy own method. Some think that there is a reference here to the chastisement of slaves by their masters, who, during the time they are receiving it, keep their eyes fixed on the hand that is inflicting punishment upon them, professing deep sorrow, and entreating for mercy. And this sense seems to be countenanced by the following words : : Verse 3. Have mercy upon us, O Lord] Chastise us no more; we will no more revolt against thee. We are exceedingly filled with contempt.] We not only suffer grievously from our captivity, but are treated in the most contemptuous manner by our masters. Verse 4. Those that are at ease] The Babylonians, who, having subdued all the people of the neighbouring! mercy upon us for we are exceedingly filled with contempt. 4 Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud. b Ps. ii. 4. xi. 4. cxv. 3. nations, lived at ease, had none to contend with them, and now became luxurious, indolent, and insolent : they were contemptuous and proud. ANALYSIS OF THE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-THIRD PSALM, The oppressed followers of God make application to him for mercy. In this application they express three things: I. Their confidence in God. III. An account of their oppressors. 1. "Unto thee lift I up mine eyes." We trust in thee alone. 2. "O thou that dwellest in the heavens." Infinitely raised above us; but affected with our miserable condition, and always ready to help us. This he shows by a double similitude :— "As the eyes of servants," i. e., men-servants, "look unto the hand of their masters." 2. "As the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress:" both might be beaten; and here both beg to be saved from farther stripes. 3. "So our eyes," &c. God's children are always looking up to him. 4. "Until that he have mercy;" abate his stripes, and take off his hand. II. Their prayer for mercy. 1. Before they lifted their eyes to God, but now they cry for mercy. For this crying, they give the following reasons: 1. "We are exceedingly filled with contempt," To A thanksgiving PSALM CXXIV. for deliverance. suffer contempt is much, to be filled with it is more; 2. They are proud-puffed up with a sense of their and to be exceedingly filled with it is worst of all. own importance; and this leads them to despise others. 2. We are scorned: they join words and actions to Proud men are for the most part empty, shallow-pated show how much they despise us. men: and contempt and scorn from such wounds III. They give the character of those by whom they deeply; especially if they rise, as they often do, from the dunghill. The sick lion in the fable found it ex suffer. 1. They are at ease-loaded with wealth, and sunk tremely galling to be kicked by the foot of an ass. in indolence. PSALM CXXIV. A thanksgiving of the godly for extraordinary deliverances, 1-6. were in, 7. Their confidence in God, 8. NOTES ON PSALM CXXIV. In our present Hebrew copies this psalm is attributed to David, ledavid; but this inscription is wanting in three of Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS., as also in the Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate, Æthiopic, and Arabic; and in most of the ancient Fathers, Greek and Latin, who found no other inscription in their copies of the text than A Psalm of degrees. It was composed long after David's days; and appears to be either a thanksgiving for their deliverance from the Babylonish captivity, or for a remarkable deliverance from some potent and insidious enemy after their return to Judea. Or, what appears to me more likely, it is a thanksgiving of the Jews for their escape from the general massacre intended by Haman, prime minister of Ahasuerus, king of Persia. the whole Book of Esther. See Verse 1. If it had not been the Lord] If God had not, in a very especial manner, supported and defended us, we had all been swallowed up alive, and destroyed by a sudden destruction, so that not one would have been left. This might refer to the plot against the whole nation of the Jews by Haman, in the days of Mordecai and Esther; when by his treacherous schemes the Jews, wheresoever dispersed in the provinces of Babylon, were all to have been put to death in one day. This may here be represented under the figure of an earthquake, when a chasm is formed, and a whole city and its inhabitants are in a moment swallowed up alive. Verse 5. Then the proud waters] The proud The great danger they Haman had nearly brought the flood of desolation over our lives. Verse 7. Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare] This is a fine image; and at once shows the weakness of the Jews, and the cunning of their adversaries. Haman had laid the snare completely for them; humanly speaking, there was no prospect of their escape: but the Lord was on their side; and the providence that induced Ahasuerus to call for the book of the records of the kingdom to be read to him, as well indeed as the once very improbable advancement of Esther to the throne of Persia, was the means used by the Lord for the preservation of the whole Jewish people from extermination. God thus broke the snare, and the bird escaped; while the poacher was caught in his own trap, and executed. See the Book of Esther, which is probably the best comment on this psalm. Verse 8. Our help is in the name of the Lord] beshum meymra dayai, Chaldee, "In the name of the WORD of the LORD." So in the second verse, "Unless the WORD of the LORD had been our Helper:" the substantial WORD; not a word spoken, or a prophecy delivered, but the person who was afterwards termed 'O Aoyos TOV Otov, the WORD OF GOD. This deliverance of the Jews appears to me the most natural interpretation of this psalm: and probably Mordecai was the author ANALYSIS OF THE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FOURTH PSALM. The people of God, newly escaped from some great The safety of those PSALMS. danger, acknowledge it, and celebrate God as their Deliverer. who trust in God. 1. "We are not given a prey to their teeth." I. The Psalmist begins abruptly, as is usual in "Blessed be God," &c. pathetical expressions. 1. "If it had not been the Lord:" and so deeply was he affected with a sense of God's goodness, and the narrowness of the escape, that he repeats it: "Unless the Lord," &c. Nothing else could have saved us. As this deliverance was beyond expectation, he illustrates it by another metaphor, a bird taken in, but escaping from, a snare. 1. We were in "the snare of the fowler." 3. And the fowler disappointed of his prey. The 2. "Now may Israel say;" the whole body of the disappointment of Haman was, in all its circumstances, Jewish people may well acknowledge this. 3. "When men rose up :" when they were all leagued against us as one man to destroy us; and, humanly speaking, our escape was impossible. II. This danger and escape the Psalmist illustrates by two metaphors : 1. The first is taken from beasts of prey: "They had swallowed us up quick.” They would have rushed upon us, torn us in pieces, and swallowed us down, while life was quivering in our limbs. This they would have done in their fury. The plot was laid with great circumspection and caution; but it would have been executed with a resistless fury. one of the most mortifying that ever occurred to man. 2. This help is sufficient; for he made the heaven and earth; has both under his government; and can employ both in the support, or for the deliverance, of his followers. Or, take the following as a plainer analysis:— I. 1. The subtlety of the adversaries of the church in laying snares to entrap it, as fowlers do birds, ver. 7. 2. Their cruelty in seeking to tear it to pieces, as some ravenous beasts of prey do; or, as mighty inundations that overthrow all in their way, ver. 3—6. II. The cause of this subtlety and cruelty: wrath and displeasure, ver. 3. 2. The second similitude is taken from waters which had broken through dikes, and at once submerged the whole country: "The stream had gone over our soul;" the proud waters, resistless now the dikes were broken, would have gone over our soul-power and goodness of God, ver. 1, 2, 6, 7. destroyed our life. IV. The duty performed for this deliverance; praises to God, ver. 6. III. He next acknowledges the deliverance. III. The delivery of the church from both, by the PSALM CXXV The safety of those who trust in God, 1-2. God's protecting providence in behalf of his followers, 3. A prayer for the godly, 4. The evil lot of the wicked, 5. Prov. ii. 15.- d Ps. cxxviii, 6. Gal. vi, 16. truth, as unshaken as Mount Zion; and shall not be moved by the power of any adversary. This psalm is without a title: it belongs most probably to the times after the captivity; and has been Verse 2. As the mountains are round about Jeruapplied, with apparent propriety, to the opposition salem] Jerusalem, according to Sandys, was situated which Sanballat the Horonite, Geshem the Arabian, on a rocky mountain every way to be ascended, and Tobiah the Ammonite, gave to the Jews while except a little on the north, with steep ascents and employed in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, and deep valleys, naturally fortified. It is surrounded restoring the temple. with other mountains, at no great distance, as if Verse 1. They that trust in the Lord] Every faith-placed in the midst of an amphitheatre; for on the ful Jew who confides in Jehovah shall stand, in those east is Mount Olivet, separated from the city by the open and secret attacks of the enemics of God and valley of Jehoshaphat, which also encompasses a part |