121 lines
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121 lines
8.3 KiB
XML
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<div2 id="Ps.cxxxii" n="cxxxii" next="Ps.cxxxiii" prev="Ps.cxxxi" progress="67.70%" title="Chapter CXXXI">
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<h2 id="Ps.cxxxii-p0.1">P S A L M S</h2>
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<h3 id="Ps.cxxxii-p0.2">PSALM CXXXI.</h3>
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<p class="intro" id="Ps.cxxxii-p1">This psalm is David's profession of humility,
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humbly made, with thankfulness to God for his grace, and not in
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vain-glory. It is probable enough that (as most interpreters
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suggest) David made this protestation in answer to the calumnies of
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Saul and his courtiers, who represented David as an ambitious
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aspiring man, who, under pretence of a divine appointment, sought
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the kingdom, in the pride of his heart. But he appeals to God,
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that, on the contrary, I. He aimed at nothing high nor great,
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<scripRef id="Ps.cxxxii-p1.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.131.1" parsed="|Ps|131|1|0|0" passage="Ps 131:1">ver. 1</scripRef>. II. He was very
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easy in every condition which God allotted him (<scripRef id="Ps.cxxxii-p1.2" osisRef="Bible:Ps.131.2" parsed="|Ps|131|2|0|0" passage="Ps 131:2">ver. 2</scripRef>); and therefore, III. He encourages
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all good people to trust in God as he did, <scripRef id="Ps.cxxxii-p1.3" osisRef="Bible:Ps.131.3" parsed="|Ps|131|3|0|0" passage="Ps 131:3">ver. 3</scripRef>. Some have made it an objection
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against singing David's psalms that there are many who cannot say,
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"My heart is not haughty," &c. It is true there are; but we may
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sing it for the same purpose that we read it, to teach and admonish
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ourselves, and one another, what we ought to be, with repentance
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that we have come short of being so, and humble prayer to God for
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his grace to make us so.</p>
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<scripCom id="Ps.cxxxii-p1.4" osisRef="Bible:Ps.131" parsed="|Ps|131|0|0|0" passage="Ps 131" type="Commentary"/>
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<scripCom id="Ps.cxxxii-p1.5" osisRef="Bible:Ps.131.1-Ps.131.3" parsed="|Ps|131|1|131|3" passage="Ps 131:1-3" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Ps.131.1-Ps.131.3">
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<h4 id="Ps.cxxxii-p1.6">Humble Confidence.</h4>
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<div class="Center" id="Ps.cxxxii-p1.7">
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<p id="Ps.cxxxii-p2">A song of degrees of David.</p>
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</div>
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<p class="passage" id="Ps.cxxxii-p3">1 <span class="smallcaps" id="Ps.cxxxii-p3.1">Lord</span>, my heart
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is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself
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in great matters, or in things too high for me. 2 Surely I
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have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his
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mother: my soul <i>is</i> even as a weaned child. 3 Let
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Israel hope in the <span class="smallcaps" id="Ps.cxxxii-p3.2">Lord</span> from
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henceforth and for ever.</p>
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<p class="indent" id="Ps.cxxxii-p4">Here are two things which will be comforts
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to us:—</p>
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<p class="indent" id="Ps.cxxxii-p5">I. Consciousness of our integrity. This was
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David's rejoicing, that his heart could witness for him that he had
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walked humbly with his God, notwithstanding the censures he was
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under and the temptations he was in.</p>
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<p class="indent" id="Ps.cxxxii-p6">1. He aimed not at a high condition, nor
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was he desirous of making a figure in the world, but, if God had so
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ordered, could have been well content to spend all his days, as he
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did in the beginning of them, in the sheep-folds. His own brother,
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in a passion, charged him with pride (<scripRef id="Ps.cxxxii-p6.1" osisRef="Bible:1Sam.17.28" parsed="|1Sam|17|28|0|0" passage="1Sa 17:28">1 Sam. xvii. 28</scripRef>), but the charge was
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groundless and unjust. God, who searches the heart, knew, (1.) That
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he had no conceited opinion of himself, or his own merits: <i>Lord,
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my heart is not haughty.</i> Humble saints cannot think so well of
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themselves as others think of them, are not in love with their own
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shadow, nor do they magnify their own attainments or achievements.
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The love of God reigning in the heart will subdue all inordinate
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self-love. (2.) That he had neither a scornful nor an aspiring
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look: "<i>My eyes are not lofty,</i> either to look with envy upon
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those that are above me or to look with disdain upon those that are
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below me." Where there is a proud heart there is commonly a proud
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look (<scripRef id="Ps.cxxxii-p6.2" osisRef="Bible:Prov.6.17" parsed="|Prov|6|17|0|0" passage="Pr 6:17">Prov. vi. 17</scripRef>), but the
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humble publican will not so much as lift up his eyes. (3.) That he
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did not employ himself in things above his station, <i>in things
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too great or too high for</i> him. He did not employ himself in
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studies too high; he made God's word his meditation, and did not
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amuse himself with matters of nice speculation or doubtful
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disputation, or covet to be wise above what is written. To know God
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and our duty is learning sufficiently high for us. He did not
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employ himself in affairs too great; he followed his ewes, and
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never set up for a politician; no, nor for a soldier; for, when his
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brethren went to the wars, he staid at home to keep the sheep. It
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is our wisdom, and will be our praise, to keep within our sphere,
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and not to intrude into things which we have not seen, or meddle
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with that which does not belong to us. Princes and scholars must
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not exercise themselves in matters too great, too high, for men:
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and those in a low station, and of ordinary capacities, must not
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pretend to that which is out of their reach, and which they were
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not cut out for. Those will fall under due shame that affect undue
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honours.</p>
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<p class="indent" id="Ps.cxxxii-p7">2. He was well reconciled to every
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condition that God placed him in (<scripRef id="Ps.cxxxii-p7.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.131.2" parsed="|Ps|131|2|0|0" passage="Ps 131:2"><i>v.</i> 2</scripRef>): <i>I have behaved and quieted
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myself as a child that is weaned of his mother.</i> As he had not
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proudly aimed at the kingdom, so, since God had appointed him to
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it, he had not behaved insolently towards any, nor been restless in
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his attempts to get the crown before the time set; but, (1.) He had
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been as humble as a little child about the age of a weanling, as
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manageable and governable, and as far from aiming at high things;
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as entirely at God's disposal as the child at the disposal of the
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mother or nurse; as far from taking state upon him, though anointed
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to be king, or valuing himself upon the prospect of his future
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advancement, as a child in the arms. Our Saviour has taught us
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humility by this comparison (<scripRef id="Ps.cxxxii-p7.2" osisRef="Bible:Matt.18.3" parsed="|Matt|18|3|0|0" passage="Mt 18:3">Matt.
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xviii. 3</scripRef>); we must <i>become as little children.</i>
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(2.) He had been as indifferent to the wealth and honour of this
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world as a child is to the breast when it is thoroughly weaned from
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it. <i>I have levelled and quieted myself</i> (so Dr. Hammond reads
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it) <i>as a child that is weaned.</i> This intimates that our
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hearts are naturally as desirous of worldly things as the babe is
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of the breast, and in like manner relish them, cry for them, are
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fond of them, play with them, and cannot live without them. But, by
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the grace of God, a soul that is sanctified, is weaned from those
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things. Providence puts wormwood upon the breast, and that helps to
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wean us. The child is perhaps cross and fretful while it is in the
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weaning and thinks itself undone when it has lost the breast. But
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in a day or two it is forgotten; the fret is over, and it
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accommodates itself well enough to a new way of feeding, cares no
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longer for milk, but can bear strong meat. Thus does a gracious
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soul quiet itself under the loss of that which it loved and
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disappointment in that which it hoped for, and is easy whatever
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happens, lives, and lives comfortably, upon God and the
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covenant-grace, when creatures prove dry breasts. When our
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condition is not to our mind we must bring our mind to our
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condition; and then we are easy to ourselves and all about us; then
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our souls are <i>as a weaned child.</i></p>
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<p class="indent" id="Ps.cxxxii-p8">II. Confidence in God; and this David
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recommends to all Israel of God, no doubt from his own experience
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of the benefit of it (<scripRef id="Ps.cxxxii-p8.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.131.3" parsed="|Ps|131|3|0|0" passage="Ps 131:3"><i>v.</i>
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3</scripRef>): <i>Let Israel hope in the Lord,</i> and let them
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continue to do so <i>henceforth and for ever.</i> Though David
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could himself wait patiently and quietly for the crown designed
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him, yet perhaps Israel, the people whose darling he was, would be
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ready to attempt something in favour of him before the time; and
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therefore endeavours to quiet them too, and bids them <i>hope in
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the Lord</i> that they should see a happy change of the face of
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affairs in due time. <i>Thus it is good to hope and quietly to wait
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for the salvation of the Lord.</i></p>
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</div></div2>
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