124 lines
9.1 KiB
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124 lines
9.1 KiB
XML
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<div2 id="Ps.lxxi" n="lxxi" next="Ps.lxxii" prev="Ps.lxx" progress="45.73%" title="Chapter LXX">
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<h2 id="Ps.lxxi-p0.1">P S A L M S</h2>
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<h3 id="Ps.lxxi-p0.2">PSALM LXX.</h3>
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<p class="intro" id="Ps.lxxi-p1">This psalm is adapted to a state of affliction; it
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is copied almost word for word from the fortieth, and, some think
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for that reason, is entitled, "a psalm to bring to remembrance;"
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for it may be of use sometimes to pray over the prayers we have
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formerly made to God upon similar occasions, which may be done with
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new affections. David here prays that God would send, I. Help to
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himself, <scripRef id="Ps.lxxi-p1.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.70.1 Bible:Ps.70.5" parsed="|Ps|70|1|0|0;|Ps|70|5|0|0" passage="Ps 70:1,5">ver. 1, 5</scripRef>. II.
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Shame to his enemies, <scripRef id="Ps.lxxi-p1.2" osisRef="Bible:Ps.70.2-Ps.70.3" parsed="|Ps|70|2|70|3" passage="Ps 70:2,3">ver. 2,
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3</scripRef>. III. Joy to his friends, <scripRef id="Ps.lxxi-p1.3" osisRef="Bible:Ps.70.4" parsed="|Ps|70|4|0|0" passage="Ps 70:4">ver. 4</scripRef>. These five verses were the <scripRef id="Ps.lxxi-p1.4" osisRef="Bible:Ps.40.13-Ps.40.17 Bible:Ps.70.1-Ps.70.5" parsed="|Ps|40|13|40|17;|Ps|70|1|70|5" passage="Ps 40:13-17,70:1-5">last five verses of Ps. xl.</scripRef>
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He seems to have intended this short prayer to be both for himself
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and us a salve for every sore, and therefore to be always in mind;
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and in singing we may apply it to our particular troubles, whatever
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they are.</p>
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<scripCom id="Ps.lxxi-p1.5" osisRef="Bible:Ps.70" parsed="|Ps|70|0|0|0" passage="Ps 70" type="Commentary"/>
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<scripCom id="Ps.lxxi-p1.6" osisRef="Bible:Ps.70.1-Ps.70.5" parsed="|Ps|70|1|70|5" passage="Ps 70:1-5" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Ps.70.1-Ps.70.5">
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<h4 id="Ps.lxxi-p1.7">Urgent Petitions.</h4>
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<div class="Center" id="Ps.lxxi-p1.8">
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<p id="Ps.lxxi-p2">To the chief musician. <i>A psalm</i> of David, to bring to
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remembrance.</p>
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</div>
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<p class="passage" id="Ps.lxxi-p3">1 <i>Make haste,</i> O God, to deliver me; make
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haste to help me, <span class="smallcaps" id="Ps.lxxi-p3.1">O Lord</span>. 2
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Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let
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them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt.
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3 Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame that
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say, Aha, aha. 4 Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be
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glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually,
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Let God be magnified. 5 But I <i>am</i> poor and needy: make
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haste unto me, O God: thou <i>art</i> my help and my deliverer;
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<span class="smallcaps" id="Ps.lxxi-p3.2">O Lord</span>, make no tarrying.</p>
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<p class="indent" id="Ps.lxxi-p4">The title tells us that this psalm was
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designed to bring to remembrance; that is, to put God in
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remembrance of his mercy and promises (for so we are said to do
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when we pray to him and plead with him. <scripRef id="Ps.lxxi-p4.1" osisRef="Bible:Isa.43.26" parsed="|Isa|43|26|0|0" passage="Isa 43:26">Isa. xliii. 26</scripRef>, <i>Put me in
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remembrance</i>)—not that the Eternal Mind needs a remembrancer,
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but this honour he is pleased to put upon the prayer of faith. Or,
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rather, to put himself and others in remembrance of former
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afflictions, that we may never be secure, but always in expectation
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of troubles, and of former devotions, that when the clouds return
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after the rain we may have recourse to the same means which we have
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formerly found effectual for fetching in comfort and relief. We may
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in prayer use the words we have often used before: our Saviour in
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his agony prayed thrice, saying the same words; so David here uses
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the words he had used before, yet not without some alterations, to
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show that he did not design to tie himself or others to them as a
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form. God looks at the heart, not at the words.</p>
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<p class="indent" id="Ps.lxxi-p5">I. David here prays that God would make
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haste to relieve and succour him (<scripRef id="Ps.lxxi-p5.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.70.1 Bible:Ps.70.5" parsed="|Ps|70|1|0|0;|Ps|70|5|0|0" passage="Ps 70:1,5"><i>v.</i> 1, 5</scripRef>): <i>I am poor and needy,</i>
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in want and distress, and much at a loss within myself. Poverty and
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necessity are very good pleas in prayer to a God of infinite mercy,
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who despises not the sighing of a contrite heart, who has
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pronounced a blessing upon the poor in spirit, and who fills the
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hungry with good things. He prays, 1. That God would appear for him
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to deliver him from his troubles in due time. 2. That in the mean
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time he would come in to his aid, to help him under his troubles,
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that he might not sink and faint. 3. That he would do this quickly:
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<i>Make haste</i> (<scripRef id="Ps.lxxi-p5.2" osisRef="Bible:Ps.70.1" parsed="|Ps|70|1|0|0" passage="Ps 70:1"><i>v.</i>
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1</scripRef>), and again (<scripRef id="Ps.lxxi-p5.3" osisRef="Bible:Ps.70.5" parsed="|Ps|70|5|0|0" passage="Ps 70:5"><i>v.</i>
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5</scripRef>), <i>Make haste, make no tarrying.</i> Sometimes God
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seems to delay helping his own people, that he may excite such
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earnest desires as these. <i>He that believes does not make
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haste,</i> so as to anticipate or outrun the divine counsels, so as
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to force a way of escape or to take any unlawful methods of relief;
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but he may make haste by going forth to meet God in humble prayer
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that he would hasten the desired succour. "<i>Make haste unto
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me,</i> for the longing desire of my soul is towards thee; I shall
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perish if I be not speedily helped. I have no other to expect
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relief from: <i>Thou art my help and my delivered.</i> Thou hast
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engaged to be so to all that seek thee; I depend upon thee to be so
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to me; I have often found thee so; and thou art sufficient,
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all-sufficient, to be so; therefore make haste to me."</p>
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<p class="indent" id="Ps.lxxi-p6">II. He prays that God would fill the faces
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of his enemies with shame, <scripRef id="Ps.lxxi-p6.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.70.2-Ps.70.3" parsed="|Ps|70|2|70|3" passage="Ps 70:2,3"><i>v.</i>
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2, 3</scripRef>. Observe, 1. How he describes them; they sought
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after his soul—his life, to destroy that—his mind, to disturb
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that, to draw him from God to sin and to despair. They desired his
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hurt, his ruin; when any calamity befel him or threatened him they
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said, "<i>Aha, aha! so would we have it;</i> we shall gain our
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point now, and see him ruined." Thus spiteful, thus insolent, were
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they. 2. What his prayer is against them: "<i>Let them be
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ashamed;</i> let them be brought to repentance, so filled with
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shame as that they may seek thy name (<scripRef id="Ps.lxxi-p6.2" osisRef="Bible:Ps.83.16" parsed="|Ps|83|16|0|0" passage="Ps 83:16">Ps. lxxxiii. 16</scripRef>); let them see their fault
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and folly in fighting against those whom thou dost protect, and be
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<i>ashamed of their envy,</i> <scripRef id="Ps.lxxi-p6.3" osisRef="Bible:Isa.26.11" parsed="|Isa|26|11|0|0" passage="Isa 26:11">Isa.
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xxvi. 11</scripRef>. However, let their designs against me be
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frustrated and their measures broken; let them be turned back from
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their malicious pursuits, and then they will be ashamed and
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confounded, and, like the enemies of the Jews, <i>much cast down in
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their own eyes,</i>" <scripRef id="Ps.lxxi-p6.4" osisRef="Bible:Gen.6.16" parsed="|Gen|6|16|0|0" passage="Ge 6:16">Gen. vi.
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16</scripRef>.</p>
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<p class="indent" id="Ps.lxxi-p7">III. He prays that God would fill the
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hearts of his friends with joy (<scripRef id="Ps.lxxi-p7.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.70.4" parsed="|Ps|70|4|0|0" passage="Ps 70:4"><i>v.</i> 4</scripRef>), that all those who seek God and
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love his salvation, who desire it, delight in it, and depend upon
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it, may have continual matter for joy and praise and hearts for
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both; and then he doubts not but that he should put in for a share
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of the blessing he prays for; and so may we if we answer the
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character. 1. Let us make the service of God our great business and
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the favour of God our great delight and pleasure, for that is
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seeking him and loving his salvation. Let the pursuit of a
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happiness in God be our great care and the enjoyment of it our
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great satisfaction. A heart to love the salvation of the Lord, and
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to prefer it before any secular advantages whatsoever, so as
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cheerfully to quit all rather than hazard our salvation, is a good
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evidence of our interest in it and title to it. 2. Let us then be
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assured that, if it be not our own fault, the joy of the Lord shall
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fill our minds and the high praises of the Lord shall fill our
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mouths. Those that seek God, if they seek him early and seek him
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diligently, shall rejoice and be glad in him, for their seeking him
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is an evidence of his good-will to them and an earnest of their
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finding him, <scripRef id="Ps.lxxi-p7.2" osisRef="Bible:Ps.105.3" parsed="|Ps|105|3|0|0" passage="Ps 105:3">Ps. cv. 3</scripRef>.
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There is pleasure and joy even in seeking God, for it is one of the
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fundamental principles of religion that God is the <i>rewarder of
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all those that diligently seek him.</i> Those that love God's
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salvation shall say with pleasure, with constant pleasure (for
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praising God, if we make it our continual work, will be our
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continual feast), <i>Let God be magnified,</i> as he will be, to
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eternity, in the salvation of his people. All who wish well to the
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comfort of the saints, and to the glory of God, cannot but say a
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hearty <i>amen</i> to this prayer, that those who love God's
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salvation may say continually, <i>Let God be magnified.</i></p>
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</div></div2>
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