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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1710)
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<!-- (Begin Body) -->
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<CENTER>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>P S A L M S</B></FONT>
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<BR>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>PSALM XXXIII.</FONT>
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<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=50>
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</CENTER>
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<FONT SIZE=-1>
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<P>
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This is a psalm of praise; it is probable that David was the penman of
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it, but we are not told so, because God would have us look above the
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penmen of sacred writ, to that blessed Spirit that moved and guided
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them. The psalmist, in this psalm,
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I. Calls upon the righteous to praise God,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:1-3">ver. 1-3</A>.
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II. Furnishes us with matter for praise. We must praise God,
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1. For his justice, goodness, and truth, appearing in his word, and in
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all his works,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:4,5">ver. 4, 5</A>.
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2. For his power appearing in the work of creation,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:6-9">ver. 6-9</A>.
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3. For the sovereignty of his providence in the government of the world
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:10,11">ver. 10, 11</A>)
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and again,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:13-17">ver. 13-17</A>.
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4. For the peculiar favour which he bears to his own chosen people,
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which encourages them to trust in him
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:12">ver. 12</A>)
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and again,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:18-22">ver. 18-22</A>.
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We need not be at a loss for proper thoughts in singing this psalm,
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which so naturally expresses the pious affections of a devout soul
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towards God.</P>
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</FONT>
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<A NAME="Ps33_1"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps33_2"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps33_3"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps33_4"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps33_5"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps33_6"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps33_7"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps33_8"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps33_9"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps33_10"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps33_11"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec1"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>An Exhortation to Praise God.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1> <! -- Date --> </FONT></TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>1 Rejoice in the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, O ye righteous: <I>for</I> praise is comely
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for the upright.
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2 Praise the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery
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<I>and</I> an instrument of ten strings.
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3 Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.
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4 For the word of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> <I>is</I> right; and all his works <I>are
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done</I> in truth.
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5 He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of
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the goodness of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>.
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6 By the word of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> were the heavens made; and all the
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host of them by the breath of his mouth.
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7 He gathereth the waters of the sea together as a heap: he
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layeth up the depth in storehouses.
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8 Let all the earth fear the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>: let all the inhabitants of
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the world stand in awe of him.
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9 For he spake, and it was <I>done;</I> he commanded, and it stood
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fast.
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10 The L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he
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maketh the devices of the people of none effect.
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11 The counsel of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> standeth for ever, the thoughts of
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his heart to all generations.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Four things the psalmist expresses in these verses:</P>
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<P>
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I. The great desire he had that God might be praised. He did not think
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he did it so well himself, but that he wished others also might be
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employed in this work; the more the better, in this concert: it is the
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more like heaven.
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1. Holy joy is the heart and soul of praise, and that is here pressed
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upon all good people
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:1"><I>v.</I> 1</A>):
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<I>Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous;</I> so the foregoing psalm
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concluded and so this begins; for all our religious exercises should
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both begin and end with a holy complacency and triumph in God as the
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best of being and best of friends.
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2. Thankful praise is the breath and language of holy joy; and that
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also is here required of us
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:2"><I>v.</I> 2</A>):
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"<I>Praise the Lord;</I> speak well of him, and give him the glory due
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to his name."
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3. Religious songs are the proper expressions of thankful praise;
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those are here required
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:3"><I>v.</I> 3</A>):
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"<I>Sing unto him a new song,</I> the best you have, not that which by
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frequent use is worn, thread-bare, but that which, being new, is most
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likely to move the affections, a new song for new mercies and upon
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every new occasion, for those compassions which are new every morning."
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Music was then used, by the appointment of David, with the
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temple-songs, that they might be the better sung; and this also is here
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called for
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:2"><I>v.</I> 2</A>):
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<I>Sing unto him with the psaltery.</I> Here is,
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(1.) A good rule for this duty: "Do it <I>skilfully,</I> and <I>with a
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loud noise;</I> let it have the best both of head and heart; let it be
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done intelligently and with a clear head, affectionately and with a
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warm heart."
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(2.) A good reason for this duty: <I>For praise is comely for the
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upright.</I> It is well pleasing to God (the garments of praise add
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much to the comeliness which God puts upon his people) and it is an
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excellent ornament to our profession. <I>It becomes the upright,</I>
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whom God has put so much honour upon, to give honour to him. The
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upright praise God in a comely manner, for they praise him with their
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hearts, that is praising him with their glory; whereas the praises of
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hypocrites are awkward and uncomely, like <I>a parable in the mouth of
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fools,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+26:7">Prov. xxvi. 7</A>.</P>
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<P>
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II. The high thoughts he had of God, and of his infinite perfections,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:4,5"><I>v.</I> 4, 5</A>.
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God makes himself known to us,
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1. In his <I>word,</I> here put for all divine revelation, all that
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which God at sundry times and in divers manners spoke to the children
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of men, and that is all <I>right,</I> there is nothing amiss in it; his
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commands exactly agree with the rules of equity and the eternal reasons
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of good and evil. His promises are all wise and good and inviolably
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sure, and there is no iniquity in his threatenings, but even those are
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designed for our good, by deterring us from evil. God's word is right,
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and therefore all our deviations from it are wrong, and we are then in
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the right when we agree with it.
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2. In his <I>works,</I> and those are all <I>done in truth,</I> all
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according to his counsels, which are called the <I>scriptures of
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truth,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Da+10:21">Dan. x. 21</A>.
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The copy in all God's works agrees exactly with the great original, the
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plan laid in the Eternal Mind, and varies not in the least jot. God has
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made it to appear in his works,
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(1.) That he is a God of inflexible justice: <I>He loveth righteousness
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and judgment.</I> There is nothing but righteousness in the sentence he
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passes and judgment in the execution of it. He never did nor can do
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wrong to any of his creatures, but is always ready to give redress to
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those that are wronged, and does it with delight. He takes pleasure in
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those that are righteous. He is himself the righteous Lord, and
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therefore loveth righteousness.
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(2.) That he is a God of inexhaustible bounty: <I>The earth is full of
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his goodness,</I> that is, of the proofs and instances of it. The
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benign influences which the earth receives from above, and the fruits
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it is thereby enabled to produce, the provision that is made both for
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man and beast, and the common blessings with which all the nations of
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the earth are blessed, plainly declare that <I>the earth is full of his
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goodness</I>--the darkest, the coldest, the hottest, and the most dry
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and desert part of it not excepted. What a pity is it that this earth,
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which is so full of God's goodness, should be so empty of his praises,
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and that of the multitudes that live upon his bounty there are so few
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that live to his glory!</P>
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<P>
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III. The conviction he was under of the almighty power of God,
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evidenced in the creation of the world. We "believe in God," and
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therefore we praise him as "the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and
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earth," so we are here taught to praise him. Observe,</P>
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<P>
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1. How God made the world, and brought all things into being.
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(1.) How easily: All things were made <I>by the word of the Lord and by
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the breath of his mouth.</I> Christ is the Word, the Spirit is the
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breath, so that God the Father made the world, as he rules it and
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redeems it, by his Son and Spirit. <I>He spoke, and he commanded</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:9"><I>v.</I> 9</A>),
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and that was enough; there needed no more. With men saying and doing
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are two things, but it is not so with God. By the Word and Spirit of
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God as the world was made, so was man, that little world. God said,
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<I>Let us make man,</I> and he <I>breathed into him the breath of
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life.</I> By the Word and Spirit the church is built, that new world,
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and grace wrought in the soul, that new man, that new creation. What
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cannot that power do which with a word made a world!
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(2.) How effectually it was done: <I>And it stood fast.</I> What God
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does he does to purpose; he does it and it stands fast. <I>Whatsoever
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God doeth, it shall be for ever,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ec+3:14">Eccl. iii. 14</A>.
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It is by virtue of that command to stand fast that things <I>continue
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to this day according to God's ordinance,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+119:91">Ps. cxix. 91</A>.</P>
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<P>
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2. What he made. He made all things, but notice is here taken,
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(1.) of <I>the heavens, and the host of them,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:6"><I>v.</I> 6</A>.
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The visible heavens, and the sun, moon, and stars, their hosts--
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(2.) Of the waters, and the treasures of them,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>.
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The earth was at first covered with the water, and, being heavier, must
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of course subside and sink under it; but, to show from the very first
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that the God of nature is not tied to the ordinary method of nature,
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and the usual operations of his powers, with a word's speaking <I>he
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gathered the waters together on a heap,</I> that the dry land might
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appear, yet left them not to continue on a heap, but <I>laid up the
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depth in store-houses,</I> not only in the flats where the seas make
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their beds, and in which they are locked up by the sand on the shore as
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in storehouses, but in secret subterraneous caverns, where they are
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hidden from the eyes of all living, but were reserved as in a
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store-house for that day when those fountains of the great deep were to
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be broken up; and they are still laid up there in store, for which use
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the great Master of the house knows best.</P>
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<P>
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3. What use is to be made of this
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:8"><I>v.</I> 8</A>):
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<I>Let all the earth fear the Lord,</I> and <I>stand in awe of him;</I>
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that is, let all the children of men worship him and give glory to him,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+95:5,6">Ps. xc. 5, 6</A>.
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The everlasting gospel gives this as the reason why we must worship
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God, because he made the heaven, and the earth, and the sea,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+14:6,7">Rev. xiv. 6, 7</A>.
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Let us all fear him, that is, dread his wrath and displeasure, and be
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afraid of having him our enemy and of standing it out against him. Let
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us not dare to offend him who having this power no doubt has all power
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in his hand. It is dangerous being at war with him who has the host of
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heaven for his armies and the depths of the sea for his magazines, and
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therefore it is wisdom to desire conditions of peace, see
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+5:22">Jer. v. 22</A>.</P>
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<P>
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IV. The satisfaction he had of God's sovereignty and dominion,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:10,11"><I>v.</I> 10, 11</A>.
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He over-rules all the counsels of men, and makes them, contrary to
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their intention, serviceable to his counsels. Come and see with an eye
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of faith God in the throne,
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1. Frustrating the devices of his enemies: <I>He bringeth the counsel
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of the heathen to nought,</I> so that what they imagine against him and
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his kingdom proves <I>a vain thing</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+2:1">Ps. ii. 1</A>);
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the counsel of Ahithophel is turned into foolishness; Haman's plot is
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baffled. Though the design be laid ever so deep, and the hopes raised
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upon it ever so high, yet, if God says it <I>shall not stand, neither
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shall it come to pass;</I> it is all to no purpose.
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2. Fulfilling his own decrees: <I>The counsel of the Lord standeth for
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ever.</I> It is immutable in itself, <I>for he is in one mind, and who
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can turn him?</I> The execution of it may be opposed, but cannot in the
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least be obstructed by any created power. Through all the revolutions
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of time God never changed his measures, but in every event, even that
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which to us is most surprising, the eternal counsel of God is
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fulfilled, nor can any thing prevent its being accomplished in its
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time. With what pleasure to ourselves may we in singing this give
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praise to God! How easy may this thought make us at all times, that God
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governs the world, that he did it in infinite wisdom before we were
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born, and will do it when we are silent in the dust!</P>
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<A NAME="Ps33_12"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps33_13"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps33_14"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps33_15"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps33_16"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps33_17"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps33_18"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps33_19"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps33_20"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps33_21"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps33_22"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec2"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>God's Sovereign Power.</I></FONT></TD>
|
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1> <! -- Date --> </FONT></TD></TR>
|
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>12 Blessed <I>is</I> the nation whose God <I>is</I> the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>; <I>and</I> the
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people <I>whom</I> he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
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13 The L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of
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men.
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14 From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the
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inhabitants of the earth.
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15 He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their
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works.
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16 There is no king saved by the multitude of a host: a mighty
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man is not delivered by much strength.
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17 A horse <I>is</I> a vain thing for safety: neither shall he
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deliver <I>any</I> by his great strength.
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18 Behold, the eye of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> <I>is</I> upon them that fear him,
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upon them that hope in his mercy;
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19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in
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famine.
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20 Our soul waiteth for the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>: he <I>is</I> our help and our
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shield.
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21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted
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in his holy name.
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22 Let thy mercy, O L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, be upon us, according as we hope in
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thee.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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We are here taught to give to God the glory,</P>
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<P>
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I. Of his common providence towards all the children of men. Though he
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has endued man with understanding and freedom of will, yet he reserves
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to himself the government of him, and even of those very faculties by
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which he is qualified to govern himself.
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1. The children of men are all under his eye, even their hearts are so;
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and all the motions and operations of their souls, which none know but
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they themselves, he knows better than they themselves,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:13,14"><I>v.</I> 13, 14</A>.
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Though the residence of God's glory is in the highest heavens, yet
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thence he not only has a prospect of all the earth, but a particular
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inspection of all the inhabitants of the earth. He not only beholds
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them, but he <I>looks upon them;</I> he looks narrowly upon them (so
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the word here used is sometimes rendered), so narrowly that not the
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least thought can escape his observation. Atheists think that, because
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he dwells above in heaven, he cannot, or will not, take notice of what
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is done here in this lower world; but thence, high as it is, he sees us
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all, and all persons and thing are naked and open before him.
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2. Their hearts, as well as their times, are all in his hand: <I>He
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fashions their hearts.</I> He made them at first, formed the spirit of
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each man within him, then when he brought him into being. Hence he is
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called <I>the Father of spirits:</I> and this is a good argument to
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prove that he perfectly knows them. The artist that made the clock, can
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account for the motions of every wheel. David uses this argument with
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application to himself,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+139:1,14">Ps. cxxxix. 1, 14</A>.
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He still moulds the hearts of men, turns them as the rivers of water,
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which way soever he pleases, to serve his own purposes, darkens or
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enlightens men's understandings, stiffens or bows their wills,
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according as he is pleased to make use of them. He that fashions men's
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hearts fashions them alike. It is in hearts as in faces, though there
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is a great difference, and such a variety as that no two faces are
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exactly of the same features, nor any two hearts exactly of the same
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temper, yet there is such a similitude that, in some things, all faces
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and all hearts agree, <I>as in water face answers to face,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+27:19">Prov. xxvii. 19</A>.
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He <I>fashions them together</I> (so some read it); as the wheels of a
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watch, though of different shapes, sizes, and motions, are yet all put
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together, to serve one and the same purpose, so the hearts of men and
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their dispositions, however varying from each other and seeming to
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contradict one another, are yet all overruled to serve the divine
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purpose, which is one.
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3. They, and all they do, are obnoxious to his judgment; <I>for he
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considers all their works,</I> not only knows them, but weighs them,
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that he may render to every man according to his works, in the day, in
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the world, of retribution, in the judgment, and to eternity.
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4. All the powers of the creature have a dependence upon him, and are
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of no account, of no avail at all, without him,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:16,17"><I>v.</I> 16, 17</A>.
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It is much for the honour of God that not only no force can prevail in
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opposition to him, but that no force can act but in dependence on him
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and by a power derived from him.
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(1.) The strength of a king is nothing without God. No king is sacred
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by his royal prerogatives, or the authority with which he is invested;
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for the powers that are, of that kind, are ordained of God, and are
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what he makes them, and no more. David was a king, and a man of war
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from his youth, and yet acknowledged God to be his only protector and
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Saviour.
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(2.) The strength of an army is nothing without God. <I>The multitude
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|
of a host</I> cannot secure those under whose command they act, unless
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God make them a security to them. A great army cannot be sure of
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|
victory; for, when God pleases, one shall chase a thousand.
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(3.) The strength of a giant is nothing without God. <I>A mighty
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man,</I> such as Goliath was, <I>is not delivered by</I> his <I>much
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|
strength,</I> when his day comes to fall. Neither the firmness and
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|
activity of his body nor the stoutness and resolution of his mind will
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stand him in any stead, any further than God is pleased to give him
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success. <I>Let not the strong man</I> then <I>glory in his
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strength,</I> but let us all strengthen ourselves in the Lord our God,
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go forth, and go on, in his strength.
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(4.) The strength of a horse is nothing without God
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:17"><I>v.</I> 17</A>):
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<I>A horse is a vain thing for safety.</I> In war horses were then so
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highly accounted of, and so much depended on, that God forbade the
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kings of Israel to <I>multiply horses</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=De+17:16">Deut. xvii. 16</A>),
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lest they should be tempted to trust to them and their confidence
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|
should thereby be taken off from God. David houghed the horses of the
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Syrians
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+8:4">2 Sam. viii. 4</A>);
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here he houghs all the horses in the world, by pronouncing a horse a
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vain thing for safety in the day of battle. If the war-horse be unruly
|
|
and ill-managed, he may hurry his rider into danger instead of carrying
|
|
him out of danger. If he be killed under him, he may be his death,
|
|
instead of saving his life. It is therefore our interest to make sure
|
|
God's favour towards us, and then we may be sure of his power engaged
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|
for us, and need not fear whatever is against us.</P>
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<P>
|
|
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|
II. We are to give God the glory of his special grace. In the midst of
|
|
his acknowledgments of God's providence he pronounces those blessed
|
|
that have Jehovah for their God, who governs the world, and has
|
|
wherewithal to help them in every time of need, while those were
|
|
miserable who had this and the other Baal for their god, which was so
|
|
far from being able to hear and help them that is was itself senseless
|
|
and helpless
|
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|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:12"><I>v.</I> 12</A>):
|
|
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|
<I>Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,</I> even Israel, who
|
|
had the knowledge of the true God and were taken into covenant with
|
|
him, and all others who own God for theirs and are owned by him; for
|
|
they also, whatever nation they are of, are of the spiritual seed of
|
|
Abraham.
|
|
|
|
1. It is their wisdom that they take the Lord for their God, that they
|
|
direct their homage and adoration there where it is due and where the
|
|
payment of it will not be in vain.
|
|
|
|
2. It is their happiness that they are the people whom God has chosen
|
|
for his own inheritance, whom he is pleased with, and honoured in, and
|
|
whom he protects and takes care of, whom he cultivates and improves as
|
|
a man does his inheritance,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=De+32:9">Deut. xxxii. 9</A>.
|
|
|
|
Now let us observe here, to the honour of divine grace,
|
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|
|
(1.) The regard which God has to his people,
|
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|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:18,19"><I>v.</I> 18, 19</A>.
|
|
|
|
God beholds all the sons of men with an eye of observation, but his eye
|
|
of favour and complacency is upon those that fear him. He looks upon
|
|
them with delight, as the father on his children, as the bridegroom on
|
|
his spouse,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+62:5">Isa. lxii. 5</A>.
|
|
|
|
While those that depend on arms and armies, on chariots and horses,
|
|
perish in the disappointment of their expectations, God's people, under
|
|
his protection, are safe, for he shall deliver their soul from death
|
|
when there seems to be but a step between them and it. If he do not
|
|
deliver the body from temporal death, yet he will deliver the soul from
|
|
spiritual and eternal death. Their souls, whatever happens, shall live
|
|
and praise him, either in this world or in a better. From his bounty
|
|
they shall be supplied with all necessaries. he shall <I>keep them
|
|
alive in famine;</I> when others die for want, they shall live, which
|
|
shall make it a distinguishing mercy. When visible means fail, God will
|
|
find out some way or other to supply them. He does not say that he will
|
|
give them abundance (they have no reason either to desire it or to
|
|
expect it), but he will keep them alive; they shall not starve; and,
|
|
when destroying judgments are abroad, it ought to be reckoned a great
|
|
favour, for it is a very striking one, and lays us under peculiar
|
|
obligations, to have our lives given us for a prey. Those that have the
|
|
Lord for their God shall find him their help and their shield,
|
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|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:20"><I>v.</I> 20</A>.
|
|
|
|
In their difficulties he will assist them; they shall be helped over
|
|
them, helped through them. In their dangers he will secure them; they
|
|
shall be helped over them, helped through them. In their dangers he
|
|
will secure them, so that they shall not receive any real damage.
|
|
|
|
(2.) The regard which God's people have to him and which we ought to
|
|
have in consideration of this.
|
|
|
|
[1.] We must wait for God. We must attend the motions of his
|
|
providence, and accommodate ourselves to them, and patiently
|
|
accommodate ourselves to them, and patiently expect the issue of them.
|
|
Our souls must wait for him,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:20"><I>v.</I> 20</A>.
|
|
|
|
We must not only in word and tongue profess a believing regard to God,
|
|
but it must be inward and sincere, a secret and silent attendance on
|
|
him.
|
|
|
|
[2.] We must rely on God, <I>hope in his mercy,</I> in the goodness of
|
|
his nature, though we have not an express promise to depend upon. Those
|
|
that fear God and his wrath must hope in God and his mercy; for there
|
|
is no flying from God, but by flying to him. These pious dispositions
|
|
will not only consist together, but befriend each other, a holy fear of
|
|
God and yet at the same time a hope in his mercy. This is <I>trusting
|
|
in his holy name</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:21"><I>v.</I> 21</A>),
|
|
|
|
in all that whereby he has made known himself to us, for our
|
|
encouragement to serve him.
|
|
|
|
[3.] We must rejoice in God,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:21"><I>v.</I> 21</A>.
|
|
|
|
Those do not truly rest in God, or do not know the unspeakable
|
|
advantage they have by so doing, who do not rejoice in him at all
|
|
times; because those that hope in God hope for an eternal fulness of
|
|
joy in his presence.
|
|
|
|
[4.] We must seek to him for that mercy which we hope in,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:22"><I>v.</I> 22</A>.
|
|
|
|
Our expectations from God are not to supersede, but to quicken and
|
|
encourage, our applications to him; he will be sought unto for that
|
|
which he has promised, and therefore the psalm concludes with a short
|
|
but comprehensive prayer, "<I>Let thy mercy, O Lord! be upon us;</I>
|
|
let us always have the comfort and benefit of it, not according as we
|
|
merit from thee, but <I>according as we hope in thee,</I> that is,
|
|
according to the promise which thou hast in thy word given to us and
|
|
according to the faith which thou hast by thy Spirit and grace wrought
|
|
in us." If, in singing
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+33:12-22">these verses</A>,
|
|
|
|
we put forth a dependence upon God, and let out our desires towards
|
|
him, we make melody with our hearts to the Lord.</P>
|
|
|
|
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