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<TITLE>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible [Psalms CXIII].</TITLE>
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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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on the Whole Bible</h1>
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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 CXIII.</FONT>
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<P>
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This psalm begins and ends with "Hallelujah;" for, as many others, it
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is designed to promote the great and good work of praising God.
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I. We are here called upon and urged to praise God,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+113:1-3">ver. 1-3</A>.
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II. We are here furnished with matter for praise, and words are put
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into our mouths, in singing which we must with holy fear and love give
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to God the glory of,
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1. The elevations of his glory and greatness,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+113:4,5">ver. 4, 5</A>.
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2. The condescensions of his grace and goodness
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+113:6-9">ver. 6-9</A>),
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which very much illustrate one another, that we may be duly affected
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with both.</P>
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</FONT>
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<A NAME="Ps113_1"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps113_2"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps113_3"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps113_4"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps113_5"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps113_6"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps113_7"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps113_8"> </A>
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<A NAME="Ps113_9"> </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>A Call to Praise God; God's Greatness and Condescension.</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 Praise ye the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>. Praise, O ye servants of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, praise
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the name of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>.
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2 Blessed be the name of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> from this time forth and for
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evermore.
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3 From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same
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the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>'s name <I>is</I> to be praised.
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4 The L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> <I>is</I> high above all nations, <I>and</I> his glory above
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the heavens.
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5 Who <I>is</I> like unto the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> our God, who dwelleth on high,
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6 Who humbleth <I>himself</I> to behold <I>the things that are</I> in
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heaven, and in the earth!
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7 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, <I>and</I> lifteth the
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needy out of the dunghill;
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8 That he may set <I>him</I> with princes, <I>even</I> with the princes
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of his people.
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9 He maketh the barren woman to keep house, <I>and to be</I> a
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joyful mother of children. Praise ye the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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In this psalm,</P>
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<P>
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I. We are extorted to give glory to God, to give him the glory due to
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his name.</P>
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<P>
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1. The invitation is very pressing: <I>praise you the Lord,</I> and
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again and again, <I>Praise him, praise him; blessed be his name,</I>
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for it is to be praised,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+113:1-3"><I>v.</I> 1-3</A>.
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This intimates,
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(1.) That it is a necessary and most excellent duty, greatly pleasing
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to God, and has a large room in religion.
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(2.) That it is a duty we should much abound in, in which we should be
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frequently employed and greatly enlarged.
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(3.) That it is work which we are very backward to, and which we need
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to be engaged and excited to by precept upon precept and line upon
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line.
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(4.) That those who are much in praising God themselves will court
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others to it, both because they find the weight of the work, and that
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there is need of all the help they can fetch in (there is employment
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for all hearts, all hands, and all little enough), and because they
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find the pleasure of it, which they wish all their friends may share
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in.</P>
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<P>
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2. The invitation is very extensive. Observe,
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(1.) From whom God has praise--from his own people; they are here
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called upon to praise God, as those that will answer the call:
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<I>Praise, O you servants of the Lord!</I> They have most reason to
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praise him; for those that attend him as his servants know him best and
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receive most of his favours. And it is their business to praise him;
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that is the work required of them as his servants: it is easy pleasant
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work to speak well of their Master, and do him what honour they can; if
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they do not, who should? Some understand it of the Levites; but, if
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so, all Christians are a royal priesthood, <I>to show forth the praises
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of him that has called them,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Pe+2:9">1 Pet. ii. 9</A>.
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The angels are the servants of the Lord; they need not be called upon
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by us to praise God, yet it is a comfort to us that they do praise him,
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and that they praise him better than we can.
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(2.) From whom he ought to have praise.
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[1.] From all ages
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+113:2"><I>v.</I> 2</A>)
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--<I>from this time forth for evermore.</I> Let not this work die with
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us, but let us be doing it in a better world, and let those that come
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after us be doing it in this. Let not our seed degenerate, but let God
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be praised through all the generations of time, and not in this only.
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We must bless the Lord in our day, by saying, with the psalmist,
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<I>Blessed be his name now and always.</I>
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[2.] From all places--<I>from the rising of the sun to the going down
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of the same,</I> that is, throughout the habitable world. Let all that
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enjoy the benefit of the sun rising (and those that do so must count
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upon it that the sun will set) give thanks for that light to the Father
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of lights. God's <I>name is to be praised;</I> it ought to be praised
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by all nations; for in every place, from east to west, there appear the
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manifest proofs and products of his wisdom, power, and goodness; and it
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is to be lamented that so great a part of mankind are ignorant of him,
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and give that praise to others which is due to him alone. But perhaps
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there is more in it; as the
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+113:2">former verse</A>
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gave us a glimpse of the kingdom of glory, intimating that God's name
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shall be <I>blessed for ever</I> (when time shall be no more that
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praise shall be the work of heaven), so this verse gives us a glimpse
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of the kingdom of grace in the gospel-dispensation of it. When the
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church shall no longer be confined to the Jewish nation, but shall
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spread itself all the world over, when in <I>every place</I> spiritual
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<I>incense shall be offered to our God</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mal+1:11">Mal. i. 11</A>),
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then from <I>the rising to the setting of the sun the Lord's name shall
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be praised</I> by some in all countries.</P>
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<P>
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II. We are here directed what to give him the glory of.</P>
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<P>
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1. Let us look up with an eye of faith, and see how high his glory is
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in the upper world, and mention that to his praise,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+113:4,5"><I>v.</I> 4, 5</A>.
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We are, in our praises, to exalt his name, for he is high, his glory is
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high.
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(1.) <I>High above all nations,</I> their kings though ever so pompous,
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their people though ever so numerous. Whether it be true of an earthly
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king or no that though he is <I>major singulis--greater than
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individuals,</I> he is <I>minor universis--less than the whole,</I> we
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will not dispute; but we are sure it is not true of the King of kings.
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Put all the nations together, and he is above them all; they are before
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him as the <I>drop of the bucket and the small dust of the balance,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+60:15,17">Isa. lx. 15, 17</A>.
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Let all nations think and speak highly of God, for he is high above
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them all.
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(2.) High <I>above the heavens;</I> the throne of his glory is in the
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highest heavens, which should raise our hearts in praising him,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=La+3:41">Lam. iii. 41</A>.
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<I>His glory is above the heavens,</I> that is, above the angels; he is
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above what they are, for their brightness is nothing to his,--above what
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they do, for they are under his command and do his pleasure,--and above
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what even they can speak him to be. He is exalted above <I>all blessing
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and praise,</I> not only all ours, but all theirs. We must therefore
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say, with holy admiration, <I>Who is like unto the Lord our God?</I>
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who of all the princes and potentates of the earth? who of all the
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bright and blessed spirits above? None can equal him, none dare compare
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with him. God is to be praised as transcendently, incomparably, and
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infinitely great; for he <I>dwells on high,</I> and from on high sees
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all, and rules all, and justly attracts all praise to himself.</P>
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<P>
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2. Let us look around with an eye of observation, and see how extensive
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his goodness is in the lower world, and mention that to his praise. He
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is a God <I>who exalts himself to dwell, who humbles himself in heaven,
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and in earth.</I> Some think there is a transposition, <I>He exalts
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himself to dwell in heaven,</I> he <I>humbles himself to behold on
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earth;</I> but the sense is plain enough as we take it, only observe,
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God is said to <I>exalt himself</I> and to <I>humble himself,</I> both
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are his own act and deed; as he is self-existent, so he is both the
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fountain of his own honour and the spring of his own grace; God's
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condescending goodness appears,</P>
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<P>
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(1.) In the cognizance he takes of the world below him. His glory is
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<I>above the nations</I> and <I>above the heavens,</I> and yet neither
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is neglected by him. <I>God is great,</I> yet <I>he despises not
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any,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Job+36:5">Job xxxvi. 5</A>.
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<I>He humbles himself to behold</I> all his creatures, all his
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subjects, though he is infinitely above them. Considering the infinite
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perfection, sufficiency, and felicity of the divine nature, it must be
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acknowledged as an act of wonderful condescension that God is pleased
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to take into the thoughts of his eternal counsel, and into the hand of
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his universal Providence, both the armies of heaven and the inhabitants
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of the earth
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Da+4:35">Dan. iv. 35</A>);
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even in this dominion he humbles himself.
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[1.] It is condescension in him to behold the things in heaven, to
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support the beings, direct the motions, and accept the praises and
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services, of the angels themselves; for he needs them not, nor is
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benefited by them.
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[2.] Much more is it condescension in him to <I>behold the things that
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are in the earth,</I> to visit the sons of men, and regard them, to
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order and overrule their affairs, and to take notice of what they say
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and do, that he may fill the earth with his goodness, and so set us an
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example of stooping to do good, of taking notice of, and concerning
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ourselves about, our inferiors. If it be such condescension for God to
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behold things in heaven and earth, what an amazing condescension was it
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for the Son of God to come from heaven to earth and take our nature
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upon him, that he might <I>seek and save those that were lost!</I>
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Herein indeed he humbled himself.</P>
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<P>
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(2.) In the particular favour he sometimes shows to the least and
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lowest of the inhabitants of this meaner lower world. He not only
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beholds the great things in the earth, but the meanest, and those
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things which great men commonly overlook. Not does he merely behold
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them, but does wonders for them, and things that are very surprising,
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out of the common road of providence and chain of causes, which shows
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that the world is governed, not by a course of nature, for that would
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always run in the same channel, but by a God of nature, who delights in
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doing things we looked not for.
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[1.] Those that have been long despicable are sometimes, on a sudden,
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made honourable
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+113:78"><I>v.</I> 7, 8</A>):
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<I>He raises up the poor out of the dust, that he may set him with
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princes. First,</I> Thus God does sometimes magnify himself, and his
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own wisdom, power, and sovereignty. When he has some great work to do
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he chooses to employ those in it that were least likely, and least
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thought of for it by themselves or others, to the highest post of
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honour: Gideon is fetched from threshing, Saul from seeking the asses,
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and David from keeping the sheep; the apostles are sent from fishing to
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be <I>fishers of men.</I> The treasure of the gospel is put into
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earthen vessels, and the weak and foolish ones of the world are pitched
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upon to be preachers of it, to confound the <I>wise and mighty</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Co+1:27,28">1 Cor. i. 27, 28</A>),
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that the excellency of the power may be of God, and all may see that
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promotion comes from him. <I>Secondly,</I> Thus God does sometimes
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reward the eminent piety and patience of his people who have long
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groaned under the burden of poverty and disgrace. When Joseph's virtue
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was tried and manifested he was raised from the prison-dust and <I>set
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with princes.</I> Those that are wise will observe such returns of
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Providence, and will understand by them <I>the loving-kindness of the
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Lord.</I> Some have applied this to the work of redemption by Jesus
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Christ, and not unfitly; for through him poor fallen men are raised out
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of the dust (one of the Jewish rabbies applies it to the resurrection
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of the dead), nay, out of the dunghill of sin, and <I>set among
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princes,</I> among angels, those princes of his people. Hannah had sung
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to this purport,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Sa+2:6-8">1 Sam. ii. 6-8</A>.
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[2.] Those that have been long barren are sometimes, on a sudden, made
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fruitful,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+113:9"><I>v.</I> 9</A>.
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This may look back to Sarah and Rebecca, Rachel, Hannah, and Samson's
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mother, or forward to Elizabeth; and many such instances there have
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been, in which God has looked on the affliction of his handmaids and
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taken away their reproach. <I>He makes the barren woman to keep
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house,</I> not only builds up the family, but thereby finds the heads
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of the family something to do. Note, Those that have the comfort of a
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family must take the care of it; <I>bearing children</I> and <I>guiding
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the house</I> are put together,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ti+5:14">1 Tim. v. 14</A>.
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When God <I>sets the barren in a family</I> he expects that she should
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<I>look well to the ways of her household,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+31:27">Prov. xxxi. 27</A>.
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She is said to <I>be a joyful mother of children,</I> not only because,
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even in common cases, the pain is forgotten, <I>for joy that a
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man-child is born into the world,</I> but there is particular joy when
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a child is born to those that have been long childless (as
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Lu+1:14">Luke i. 14</A>)
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and therefore there ought to be particular thanksgiving. <I>Praise you
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the Lord.</I> Yet, in this case, <I>rejoice with trembling;</I> for,
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though the sorrowful mother be made joyful, the joyful mother may be
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made sorrowful again, if the children be either removed from her or
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embittered to her. This, therefore, may be applied to the gospel-church
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among the Gentiles (the building of which is illustrated by this
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similitude,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+54:1">Isa. liv. 1</A>,
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<I>Sing, O barren! thou that didst not bear,</I> and
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ga+4:27">Gal. iv. 27</A>),
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for which we, who, being sinners of the Gentiles, are children of the
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desolate, have reason to say, <I>Praise you the Lord.</I></P>
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<!-- (End Body) -->
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<HR>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%">
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<TR>
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<TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP">
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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[<A HREF="MHC19112.HTM">Previous</A>]
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[<A HREF="MHC19114.HTM">Next</A>]<BR>
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<TD ALIGN="RIGHT" VALIGN="TOP">
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1710)
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</TABLE>
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<HR>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%">
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<TR>
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<TD ALIGN="CENTER" VALIGN="BOTTOM">
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