In this psalm, I. David praises God for pleading
his cause, and giving him victory over his enemies and the enemies
of his country (
To the chief musician upon Muth-labben. A psalm of David.
1 I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth all thy marvellous works. 2 I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High. 3 When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence. 4 For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right. 5 Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever. 6 O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them. 7 But the Lord shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment. 8 And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness. 9 The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. 10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
The title of this psalm gives a very
uncertain sound concerning the occasion of penning it. It is upon
Muth-labben, which some make to refer to the death of
Goliath, others of Nabal, others of Absalom; but I incline to think
it signifies only some tone, or some musical instrument, to which
this psalm was intended to be sung; and that the enemies David is
here triumphing in the defeat of are the Philistines, and the other
neighbouring nations that opposed his settlement in the throne,
whom he contested with and subdued in the beginning of his reign,
I. David excites and engages himself to
praise God for his mercies and the great things he had of late done
for him and his government,
II. He acknowledges the almighty power of
God as that which the strongest and stoutest of his enemies were no
way able to contest with or stand before,
III. He gives to God the glory of his
righteousness, in his appearing on his behalf (
IV. He records, with joy, the triumphs of
the God of heaven over all the powers of hell and attends those
triumphs with his praises,
V. He exults over the enemy whom God thus
appears against (
VI. He comforts himself and others in God,
and pleases himself with the thoughts of him. 1. With the thoughts
of his eternity. On this earth we see nothing durable, even strong
cities are buried in rubbish and forgotten; but the Lord shall
endure for ever,
11 Sing praises to the Lord, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings. 12 When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble. 13 Have mercy upon me, O Lord; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death: 14 That I may show forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation. 15 The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken. 16 The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah. 17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. 18 For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever. 19 Arise, O Lord; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight. 20 Put them in fear, O Lord: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.
In these verses,
I. David, having praised God himself, calls
upon and invites others to praise him likewise,
II. David, having praised God for former mercies and deliverances, earnestly prays that God would still appear for him; for he sees not all things put under him.
1. He prays, (1.) That God would be
compassionate to him (
2. He pleads, (1.) The malice of his
enemies, the trouble which he suffered from those that hated him,
and hatred is a cruel passion. (2.) The experience he had had of
divine succours and the expectation he now had of the continuance
of them, as the necessity of his case required: "O thou that
liftest me up, that canst do it, that hast done it, that wilt
do it, whose prerogative it is to lift up thy people from the
gates of death!" We are never brought so low, so near to death,
but God can raise us up. If he has saved us from spiritual and
eternal death, we may thence take encouragement to hope that in all
our distresses he will be a very present help to us. (3.) His
sincere purpose to praise God when his victories should be
completed (
III. David by faith foresees and foretels the certain ruin of all wicked people, both in this world and in that to come.
1. In this world,
2. In the other world (
IV. David encourages the people of God to
wait for his salvation, though it should be long deferred,
V. He concludes with prayer that God would
humble the pride, break the power, and blast the projects, of all
the wicked enemies of his church: "Arise, O Lord! (
In singing this psalm we must give to God the glory of his justice in pleading his people's cause against his and their enemies, and encourage ourselves to wait for the year of the redeemed and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion, even the final destruction of all anti-christian powers and factions, to which many of the ancients apply this psalm.