the fear of the Lord. He himself had learned in the school of experience, under the guidance of God, and wanted to pass this information on to others. V. 12. What man is he that desireth life, prosperity in the best sense of the word, and loveth many days, a long life being considered a special blessing, that he may see good? That is, To whom will God show His goodness in richest measure, by showering blessings upon him? David describes such a person in a series of admonitions. V. 13. Keep thy tongue from evil, from all sins in speech, and thy lips from speaking guile. Cp. Jas. 1, 26; 3, 2—13. V.14. Depart from evil, every form of transgression, and do good; seek peace and pursue it, aspiring after it with all zeal, Rom. 12, 9-18; 1 Pet. 3, 8-17. V. 15. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, in gracious affection, and His ears are open unto their cry, always ready to answer their prayer. V. 16. The face of the Lord, set, in this case, in hard lines, is against them that do evil, opposed to their wicked ways, expressing His disapproval, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth, so that they will be utterly destroyed. V. 17. The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, answering those whose call comes forth from a heart acknowledging its own unworthiness, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. V. 18. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, whose self-righteousness and selfishness have been broken at the root by the thunder

bolt of the Law; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit, whose natural pride has been humbled into the dust, so that they have been led to the proper realization of their damnable sinfulness. People in whom the work of the Law has been done, who see in themselves nothing but unworthiness and damnableness, are in a condition to receive the glorious assurances of salvation, to receive the redemption in the Messiah. V. 19. Many are the afflictions, the distresses, snares, and persecutions, of the righteous, which he experiences at the hand of the wicked; but the Lord delivereth him out of them all, if not here in time, surely in eternity. V. 20. He, Jehovah, keepeth all his bones, the entire framework of his body; not one of them is broken, for without the will of the heavenly Father not even a hair of our heads may fall to the ground, Matt. 10, 30. V. 21. Evil shall slay the wicked, that being their final destiny; and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate, shall stand in the judgment of God and suffer as guilty. V. 22. The Lord redeemeth the soul of His servants, making them, finally, possessors of everlasting salvation; and none of them that trust in Him shall be desolate, since the guilt of their sins will not be imputed to them, and they will therefore not be condemned to everlasting punishment. With our sins imputed to Jesus Christ and His righteousness imputed to us, we are safe in the last Judgment, sure of eternal bliss and glory in heaven.

Prayer against the Godless.

A psalm of David, invoking God's aid against the ungodly, contrasting the hypocrisy, cunning, and malice of the wicked with the integrity and generosity of the righteous, on whose side he himself serves as example. IMPRECATIONS UPON THE WICKED. V. 1. Plead my cause, as in court proceedings, O Lord, with them that strive with me, impleading him for alleged wickedness; fight against them that fight against me, carrying their hatred to the point of making war on him. V. 2. Take hold of shield and buckler, the smaller one being used to protect the head, the larger to shelter the whole body, and stand up for mine help, to defend him against his enemies. V. 3. Draw out also the spear, as a weapon both of defense and of offense, and stop the way against them that persecute me, so that they cannot proceed. Say unto my soul, I am thy Salvation, an assurance on the part of God that He would deliver and save His servant, sustaining him in this extremity. V. 4. Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul; let them be turned back, in abject retreat, and brought to confusion

that devise my hurt, planning evil against him. The heaping of words signifying the failure of the hopes and undertakings of the wicked shows that David prays for the utter frustration of all their intentions, for their complete overthrow. V. 5. Let them be as chaff before the wind, scattered to the four corners of the earth; and let the Angel of the Lord chase them, Jehovah Himself, in the person of this Angel, thrusting them down and destroying them. V. 6. Let their way be dark and slippery, literally, "darkness and slipperiness," where they could not even see nor get a good foothold as they fled from their punishment; and let the Angel of the Lord persecute them, pursuing them as He did the Egyptians when He terrified them in the Red Sea. V. 7. For without cause, without provocation on the part of David, while he was entirely innocent, have they hid for me their net in a pit, (which) without cause they have digged for my soul. That was David's complaint, that his enemies were hunting and pursuing his soul, his life, using every possible means for his destruction. V. 8. Let destruction come upon him at unawares, devastation striking all the enemies of David

and Jehovah before they realized their danger; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself; into that very destruction let him fall, destroyed by the very punishment which he had intended for the righteous. This overthrow of the ungodly power would be followed by the joy of triumphant faith. V. 9. And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord, who by His revenge vindicated the cause of the righteous; it shall rejoice in His salvation, in the deliverance from their wiles which he had experienced. V. 10. All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like unto Thee, his body joining with his soul in praising the Lord, which deliverest the poor, the humble righteous person, from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him? Cp. Ps. 10, 2. Note that a believer may well pray for the destruction of the wicked if he places the execution of the vengeance entirely in God's hands.

and my

THE HYPOCRISY AND MALICE OF THE WICKED. V. 11. False witnesses, literally, "witnesses of violence," did rise up, with unjust accusations; they laid to my charge things that I knew not, of which he knew himself to be innocent. V. 12. They rewarded me evil for good, which he, on his part, was trying to show them, to the spoiling of my soul, to make his soul bereaved, to make him friendless, to isolate him. V. 13. But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth, in sympathetic mourning for their trouble; I humbled my soul with fasting, in making their sorrow his own; prayer returned into mine own bosom, for he was bowed forward so far, with his head lowered, that his voice sounded against his own bosom. Thus he had entreated for his enemies in the greatest earnestness and humility. V. 14. I behaved myself as though he, the enemy in distress, had been my friend or brother; I bowed down heavily, in dust and ashes, so that he appeared squalid and dirty, as one that mourneth for his mother, in the very deepest grief. V. 15. But in mine adversity, his halting, lameness, said of any deep distress, they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together, to witness the spectacle of his great trouble; yea, the abjects, contemptible, degraded persons, gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not, people of whom he had till then not even taken notice; they did tear me and ceased not, attacked him with scorn and laughter, and were not silent; v. 16. with hypocritical mockers in feasts, those who love to make sport of a poor sufferer by cracking biting jokes at his expense, they gnashed upon me with their teeth, in a gesture of sneering contempt, probably also with stammering of distorted things. V. 17. Lord, how long wilt Thou look on? namely, without doing something to effect deliverance for him. Rescue my soul from their destructions,

my darling, literally, "my only one," from the lions, from the wild and ravenous people who were treating him so contemptuously. V. 18. I will give Thee thanks in the great congregation, paying his vows of thanksgiving with all the other believers; I will praise Thee among much people, people of numbers and might. The congregation of believers may seem small and weak in the eyes of the world, but before the Lord and in His might they are invincible.

EARNEST PRAYER FOR RELIEF. V. 19. Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me, by their false and slanderous accusations; neither let them wink with the eye, in a gesture of cunning and contempt, that hate me without a cause, while he is wholly innocent. V. 20. For they speak not peace, their aim is not to bring quiet and happiness to the country; but they devise deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the land, against those who really love peace and seek the welfare of the country. V. 21. Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me, in a gesture of contempt, and said, Aha, aha! our eye hath seen it, namely, the gratification of their hopes that the believer would be in trouble. V. 22. This Thou hast seen, O Lord, the manner in which the enemies acted. Keep not silence; O Lord, be not far from me! in this great emergency, where He alone could provide help. V. 23. Stir up Thyself, rousing Himself, as though from sleep, making ready for energetic action, and awake to my judgment, even unto my cause, namely, to establish it as just, to vindicate him, my God and my Lord. V. 24. Judge me, O Lord, my God, according to Thy righteousness; and let them not rejoice over me. V. 25. Let them not say in their hearts, in their greed to devour, in their desire to destroy, Ah, so would we have it! Let them not say, We have swallowed him up. V. 26. Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together, with all their evil intentions utterly frustrated, that rejoice at mine hurt. Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor that magnify themselves, puffing themselves up, against me. The righteous government of God is the only hope of the pious and the terror of the wicked. V. 27. Let them shout for joy and be glad that favor my righteous cause, or, who delight in my righteousness, glad that he should have his right; yea, let them say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of His servant, delighting in showing him His divine blessings. V. 28. And my tongue shall speak of Thy righteousness, in praising God's righteous government, and of Thy praise all the day long. God is the Champion of all those who are oppressed among His children, and they, in turn, make it their business to make known the honor of His holy name at all times.

The Curse of Estrangement from God and the Blessing of Fellowship with Him.

To the chief musician, for use in the liturgical services of the Temple, a psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who here pictures to all other servants of Jehovah the darkness in which the ungodly dwell, and then the light in which the believers have their being. V. 1. The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, rather, "A prompting of wickedness to the evil within the confines of his heart," that there is no fear of God before his eyes. That is the

condition as David sees it: There is nothing but promptings to evil in the heart of the wicked and no evidence of fear and dread of God before their eyes. V. 2. For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful; that is, vice, wickedness, evil, flatters the godless person in his own eyes, making sin pleasant and attractive, in order to plunge him into guilt by his hatred of the righteous, for that is the climax of his wickedness. V. 3. The words of his mouth, in the expression of this hatred against the godly, are iniquity and deceit, full of falsehood and lying; he hath left off to be wise and to do good, rejected all right principles of conduct. V. 4. He deviseth mischief upon his bed, using even the night for these meditations of wickedness; he setteth himself in a way, deliberately choosing a course, that is not good; he abhorreth not evil, the strongest way of saying that he delights in it. Such is the spiritual darkness of the ungodly. The psalmist now, by way of contrast, pictures Jehovah and those that believe in Him. V. 5. Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens, rather, reaches up to the heavens; and Thy faithfulness, with which He keeps His promises of mercy, reacheth unto the clouds, filling the whole world. V. 6. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains, huge, massive, and certain; Thy judgments are a great deep, a mighty and powerful flood. O Lord, Thou, with such unbounded

qualities of power, preservest man and beast, all creatures being included in His providence. V. 7. How excellent is Thy loving-kindness, how precious His mercy, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings, the believers finding full shelter in His protection, Deut. 32, 11; Ps. 91, 1. V. 8. They shall be abundantly satisfied, to the point of intoxication, with the fatness of Thy house, in connection with the sacrificial meals of the thank- and peace-offerings; and Thou shalt make them drink of the river of Thy pleasures, in a plentiful supply, as in a new, spiritual Eden, for God is the Fountainhead of richest blessings. V. 9. For with Thee is the fountain of life, the source of all true life, both physical and spiritual; in Thy light shall we see light, the light of everlasting grace from the countenance of God. The frequent connection of life and light in Scripture, Ps. 56, 14; Job 3, 20, also with reference to the coming of Christ, John 1, 4, shows that the redemption of salvation is meant. The believers, even here in time, are enjoying the benefits of the salvation gained through the work of Christ, and in yonder life they shall have it in joyful fulness, without any admixture of this earth's misery. Therefore the psalmist closes with a fervent prayer. V. 10. O continue Thy loving-kindness unto them that know Thee, letting them enjoy His merciful kindness also in the future, and Thy righteousness to the upright in heart, to act as a protective cover over them. V. 11. Let not the foot of pride, in an act of violence, come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me, driving him away into banishment from the land of God's inheritance. V. 12. There are the workers of iniquity, the evil-doers, fallen, in the very act of violence they are overthrown; they are cast down and shall not be able to rise, so that the triumph of the righteous is complete. Such is ever the victory of faith, for it derives both light and life from God.

The Apparent Good Fortune of the Godless Compared with the Believers' True Happiness.

A psalm of David, rightly considered one of the most beautiful written by him, called by Luther the garment of the pious, bearing the inscription: "Here is the patience of the saints," Rev. 14, 12. V. 1. Fret not thyself, with excitement and anger, because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity, being vexed by their apparent good fortune and prosperity. V. 2.

For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, fading away and perishing, and wither as the green herb, the tender grass and young vegetation of spring, whose beauty is but transient. These two verses having expressed the sentiment of the whole psalm, the two thoughts contained in them are further elaborated. V. 3. Trust in the Lord, every believer placing his full confidence in Jehovah alone, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, the exhortation being to a quiet and peaceable life, and, verily, thou shalt be fed,

rather, practise faithfulness and uprightness in all dealings. V. 4. Delight thyself also in the Lord, considering Him the heart's highest desire; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart, all the requests which accord with His gracious and good will. V. 5. Commit thy way unto the Lord, literally, "roll it upon Jehovah," heavy as it may seem with all its troubles and cares; trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass, perform all that is needed for the believer's true happiness. V. 6. And He shall bring forth thy righteousness, which is now unappreciated and in densest darkness, as the light, when the dawn spreads over the eastern sky and the morning sun dispels the darkness, and thy judgment, the right on the part of the believers, as the noonday, in full brightness before the eyes of all the world. V. 7. Rest in the Lord, being still before Jehovah with that calm resignation which knows itself secure in His hands, and wait patiently for Him, looking for His help in steadfast hope; fret not thyself, in anxious vexation, because of him who prospereth in his way, against the wicked in his good fortune, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass, carrying out evil plans to harm the righteous. V. 8. Cease from anger and forsake wrath, jealously guarding against the sins of an evil temper; fret not thyself in any wise to do evil, for such would be the natural result if a believer would yield to his vexation; he himself would become guilty of sin. V. 9. For evil-doers shall be cut off, this result being certain without the sinful anger of the believer; but those that wait upon the Lord, steadfastly placing their trust in Him, they shall inherit the earth, enjoy true happiness even here in time, while sure of the blessings of eternity. V. 10. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be, wiped out by the avenging hand of God; yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, wondering why it was so suddenly empty, and it shall not be, literally, "it is not," denoting the quick stroke of God's avenging justice. V. 11. But the meek, those who humbly rest their trust in God, shall inherit the earth, as the Lord repeats, Matt. 5, 5; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace, enjoying the happiness of true prosperity under the blessing of Jehovah. V. 12. The wicked plotteth against the just, with the intention of harming him at every opportunity, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth, in a gesture of unbridled fury. V. 13. The Lord shall laugh at him, making mockery of the unbeliever's futile anger; for He seeth that His day, the day of judgment and punishment, is coming. V. 14. The wicked have drawn out the sword, to commit murder, and have bent their bow, ready to let the death-dealing arrow fly, to cast down the poor and needy, with the weapons of violence, and to slay such

as be of upright conversation, who conduct themselves in accordance with the will of Jehovah. V. 15. Their sword, by the dispensation of God, through His avenging power, shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. V. 16. A little that a righteous man hath, though he be poor in this world's goods, is better than the riches of many wicked, which do not represent true prosperity, because they do not give contentment, do not afford them rest and satisfaction. V. 17. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, so that these members of wickedness can neither harm others nor help themselves; but the Lord upholdeth the righteous, Jehovah being their everlasting Strength and Stay. V. 18. The Lord knoweth the days of the upright, carefully watches over them, lovingly orders all that befalls them; and their inheritance shall be forever, they will be given the blessings which He has intended for them, here in time and hereafter in eternity. V. 19. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, objects of mockery because of their being forsaken by the Lord, and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied, their wants being supplied in accordance with God's gracious and good will. V. 20. But the wicked shall perish, this their ultimate fate being emphasized time and again, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs, or, "as the splendor of the pastures," which vanishes so quickly; they shall consume, into smoke shall they consume away, as smoke dissolves and vanishes in the air. V. 21. The wicked borroweth and payeth not again, being deliberately dishonest in his dealings; but the righteous showeth mercy and giveth, glad to share the blessings given him by God with such as are in want. V. 22. For such as be blessed of Him shall inherit the earth, the blessing of Jehovah proving rich abundance for them; and they that be cursed of Him shall be cut off, their final lot being one of extreme want, of unhappiness, no matter how many treasures they have heaped up. V. 23. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, firmly established, with Jehovah as his Guide; and He

delighteth in his way, Jehovah has pleasure in the entire conduct and manner of living of the believer. V. 24. Though he fall, for even the righteous will occasionally stumble and become guilty of transgressions, he shall not be utterly cast down, stretched out to his full length, unable to rise again; for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand, sustaining him, offering him His almighty and gracious support, so that he can once more stand upright and proceed upon his way. V. 25. I have been young and now am old, the psalmist has the experience of a lifetime to draw from; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, abandoned past the point of help, nor

his seed begging bread, suffering permanent want. Temporary abandonment and privation there may be, but the righteous are never really forsaken by Jehovah. V. 26. He, the righteous, the possessor of true righteousness by faith, is ever merciful, showing the faith of his heart in deeds of love, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed, the blessing of Jehovah resting upon his house and family. The conclusion drawn by David, therefore, is: v. 27. Depart from evil and do good, following the way of true righteousness; and dwell forevermore, that being God's blessing of mercy upon true piety. V. 28. For the Lord loveth judgment, He is right in all His dealings with men, and forsaketh not His saints; they are preserved forever. But the seed of the wicked shall be cut off, their entire posterity, following them in their wickedness, shall be destroyed. V. 29. The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell therein forever, possessors of true happiness. V. 30. The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, for he is continually meditating upon such things as pertain to the highest wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment, intent upon the right in every situation. V. 31. The Law of his God is in his heart, providing the motive for his pious conduct; none of his steps shall slide, his entire conduct being guided by a certain rule and norm, since his will is regulated by the will of God. V. 32. The wicked watcheth the righteous and seeketh to slay him, to that end he has laid his plans. V. 33. The Lord will not leave him in his hand, will not give the righteous up to the evil intention of the wicked, nor condemn him when he is judged, the divine

judgment will acquit him, even if men should declare him guilty. V. 34. Wait on the Lord, with quiet, steady confidence, and keep His way, and He shall exalt thee to inherit the land, this promise being given six times in this one psalm; when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it. V. 35. I have seen the wicked in great power, proud, ruthless, arrogant, and spreading himself like a green bay-tree, a tree in full foliage, teeming with strength. V. 36. Yet he passed away, rather, "lo, one passed by," spoken as of a casual passer-by, and, lo, he was not, gone without causing so much as a ripple; yea, I sought him, but he could not be found. "The paths of glory lead but to the grave." V. 37. Mark the perfect man and behold the upright, watching closely how the Lord deals with such a person; for the end of that man is peace, the man of peace receiving everlasting peace as the reward of God's mercy. V. 38. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; the end of the wicked, their entire posterity, shall be cut off. V. 39. But the salvation of the righteous, their final deliverance from every evil, of body and soul, property and honor, is of the Lord: He is their Strength in the time of trouble, in every form of distress and oppression. V. 40. And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked and save them because they trust in Him, making Jehovah their sole refuge. The lesson of the psalm is beautifully summarized in the well-known hymn of Paul Gerhardt "Commit Whatever Grieves Thee," which has brought consolation to many a troubled heart.

Prayer for Relief from a Burden of Guilt. A psalm of David, to bring to remembrance, to remind God of His great mercy toward poor sinners, the hymn probably being intended for that part of worship when the meat-offering was added to the sacrifice, for its sweet savor was to rise to Jehovah with the prayer of the faithful. V. 1. O Lord, rebuke me not in Thy wrath, although, as David knew, he well deserved it; neither chasten me in Thy hot displeasure, with the full rigor of divine justice. V. 2. For Thine arrows stick fast in me, the arrows of God's anger having sunk into his flesh, and Thy hand presseth me sore, in the misfortune or in the dread which was oppressing him. V. 3. There is no soundness in my flesh because of Thine anger, his body being ill in consequence of Jehovah's indignation over his sins; neither is there any rest in my bones, no proper health and peace, because of my sin, the results of which affected both Popular Commentary, Old Test., II.

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body and mind with their afflictions. V. 4. For mine iniquities are gone over mine head, passing over him like an overwhelming flood; as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me, the burden bearing down upon his conscience exceeding his strength. V. 5. My wounds, the bruises which he, figuratively, bore by reason of his sins, stink and are corrupt, not only having an evil odor, but also running like an open, festering sore, because of my foolishness, this designation being chosen since all sin is folly and self-destruction. V. 6. I am troubled, bent over with the disease of his soul; I am bowed down greatly, as with a sickness which contracts the body in writhing pains; I go mourning all the day long, literally, "squalid," black with filth, on account of the ashes and the soiled garments indicating his mourning. V. 7. For my loins, usually representing robust strength, are filled with a loathsome disease, full of dry burning, as if gangrene were

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