I

on high. On one occasion, David, driven from the court of Achish, had hid himself in "the cave Adullam" (1 Sam. xxii. 1): on another, he took refuge in " a cave at En-gedi," when in extreme danger from Saul. 1 Sam. xxiv. 1, 3. It is not, however, certain to which of these events the Psalm belongs, and, indeed, it is applicable to either. David seems to have formed the substance of the prayer, which in his great peril he uttered before God, into a Psalm, after he had obtained deliverance; though some persons suggest, that it was composed, whilst he actually abode in the cave, and, consequently, that the verbs should have been rendered in the present tense.

CRIED unto the Lord with my voice; yea, | Ps. 28. 1, 2. even unto the Lord did I make my supplication.

my

trouble.

2 I poured out my complaints before him, and shewed him of 3 When my spirit was in heaviness, thou knewest my path: in the way, wherein I walked, have they privily laid a snare for me. 4 I looked also upon my right hand, and saw there was no man, that would know me. 5 I had no place to flee unto; and no man cared for my soul.

6 I cried unto thee, O Lord, and said, Thou art my hope [refuge], and my portion, in the land of the living.

7 Consider [Attend unto] my complaint, for

I am brought very low.

8 O deliver me from my persecutors, for they 1 Sam. 24. 14, 15.

are too strong for me.

9 Bring my soul out of prison, that I may Acts 2. 24.

2 Shewed him of. See on Psalm xxxviii. 12.

3 Thou knewest my path. Thine eye was upon me: thou wast well acquainted with the straits and difficulties, which encompassed me, and didst graciously protect me under them. Deut. ii. 7. Judg. xviii. 6. The words may mean :-thou knewest and didst point out to me a way, by which I could escape from my enemies. Psalm cxLiii. 8. 4 I looked also, &c. David not only prayed to God for aid, but likewise sought out for human means of rescue from his perilous situation. Psalm xviii. 41. See on Psalm cix. 30.

5 My soul. See on Psalm vii. 2.

6 My portion. Thy love and compassion constitute the only pos session, which remains to me in this world; in nothing else have I any hope, as to nothing else can I betake myself for refuge. Psalm xvi. 6.

9 Prison. The cave, in which David lay concealed, appeared to him like a prison, wherein he should be confined, until Saul came

Ephes. 2. 13, &c. give thanks unto thy name; which thing if thou wilt grant me, then shall the righteous resort unto my company.

PSALM CXLIII.

THE melancholy character of this Psalm evinces the depressed state of David's mind at the time of its composition. It was written, as some persons are disposed to believe, during the war with Absalom and his rebellious party. David beseeches God, that, passing by his numerous sins, and considering only his present sufferings, he would vouchsafe, (according to his mercies in former times, and for the honor of his great name,) to hearken to his prayer, to come speedily to his aid, to deliver him from the persecution of his enemies, and, by the power of the Holy Ghost, both to teach and to guide him in the way of righteous

ness.

Dan. 9. 9, 16.

1 John 1. 9.

Ex. 34. 7.
Gal. 2. 16.

Ps. 88. 3, 4.

HEAR my prayer, O Lord, and consider [give ear to] my desire: hearken unto me, for thy truth and righteousness sake;

2 And enter not into judgment with thy servant; for, in thy sight, shall no man living be justified.

3 For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; Ezek. 37. 11, &c. he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath laid me [made me to dwell] in the

darkness, as the men that have been long dead.

and put him to death.- -Then shall the righteous, &c. The pious, when they perceive that thou art the diligent preserver of all, who commit themselves unto thee, will hasten to congratulate me on my deliverance, and will unite with me in offering up to thee the tribute of praise and thanksgiving. Psalm cxix. 79.

2 And enter not, &c. David, having just appealed to the faithfulness of God in the performance of his promises, as well as to the merciful justice of God to decide between himself and his enemies, now calls to mind, that neither he nor any other man, when brought to judgment at the heavenly tribunal, could expect to be pronounced innocent of transgression; and, consequently, that no one could hope, by reason of his own merits, to have his prayers for relief heard, or to enjoy any portion of the divine favor.

3 Persecuted my soul. See on Psalm vii. 2: xxxviii. 17.—He hath smitten, &c. He has dashed me to the earth, and stands ready to destroy me, whilst thus prostrate under him.- -In the darkness. Several times before had David been obliged to flee from his home, and twice, at least, he had betaken himself for concealment to dark caves (1 Sam. xxii. 1: xxiii. 29), in which he almost seemed to be buried alive. To these circumstances in the previous history of

4 Therefore is my spirit vexed within me, and my heart within me is desolate.

5 Yet do I remember the time past; I muse upon all thy works; yea, I exercise myself in [I muse on] the works of thy hands.

6 I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul gaspeth unto thee, as a thirsty land.

7 Hear me, O Lord, and that, soon, for my spirit waxeth faint: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them, that go down into the pit.

8 0 let me hear thy loving-kindness betimes in the morning, for in thee is my trust: shew thou me the way, that I should walk in, for I lift up my soul unto thee.

9 Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies, for I flee unto thee to hide me.

10 Teach me to do the thing, that pleaseth Neh. 9. 20. thee, for thou art my God: let thy loving John 16. 13. Spirit lead me forth into the land of righteous

ness.

his life he may here allude, being strongly actuated by the impression, that he would now have again to adopt the same mode of safety. 4 Vexed. See on Psalm xxxviii. 17.

5 Yet do I remember, &c. The expressions contained in the verse ought not, certainly, to be exclusively confined to the deliverances, which, in his early days, he had himself experienced from the Deity. For he, no doubt, meditated also on all the displays of power, truth, and mercy, made by God on behalf of his people, from the beginning of the world; and with these he encouraged and revived his drooping soul. Psalm LXXvii. 5, 11.

6 As a thirsty land. As the dry and parched soil appears to long for the refreshing showers. Psalm XLii. 1: Isai. xxxii. 2.

8 Betimes in the morning. A mere poetical phrase for speedily, or without delay. See on Psalm XLvi. 5- -Shew thou me, &c. David, whose affections and hopes were entirely placed on God, now prays to be directed, either in the methods necessary to be adopted for his safety, or in so regulating his present conduct, that it may not be inconsistent with his religious duty.

9 I flee unto thee, &c. By this figurative language, David can only mean that he must surely perish, unless God condescends to take up his cause, and to vouchsafe him protection: he is unable, he says, to lie concealed from danger, except, as it were, in the secret place of God's dwelling. Psalm xxvii. 5: Lvii. 1.

10 Thy loving Spirit. We have now another reference to the Holy Ghost. See on Psalm cxxxix. 6. The land of righteousness. Though the words in the original may really bear the same meaning as is given to them, Psalm xxvii. 13, our translators clearly designed

Ephes. 2. 4, &c.

Rev. 7. 14, &c.

1 Sam. 25. 29. Luke 20. 17, 18.

11 Quicken me, O Lord, for thy name's sake; and, for thy righteousness' sake, bring my soul out of trouble;

12 And, of thy goodness, slay mine enemies, and destroy all them that vex [afflict] my soul; for I am thy servant.

THE THIRTIETH DAY.

Morning Prayer.

PSALM CXLIV.

DAVID, most probably, wrote the present Psalm, after his complete establishment on the throne of Israel, and when he had gained some of his first victories over the neighbouring nations, but had not yet finished his wars against them. We have here, therefore, an animated expression of exultation, as well as of gratitude, on account of past mercies, (particularly of such as pertained to the author, in his character of a king and a warrior,) joined with devout entreaties for a continuance of the divine protection: he also prays, that God would graciously perfect his work, by subduing his remaining adversaries, and thereby conferring upon his nation the blessing of an enviable state of happiness. This Psalm, though much shorter than the eighteenth, bears still a very great resemblance to it.

2 Cor. 10. 4. Ephes. 6. 10, 11.

Jer. 16. 19, &c.

John 6. 44.

BLESSED be the Lord my strength [rock]; who teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:

2 My hope and my fortress, my castle and deliverer, my defender [shield] in whom I trust; who subdueth my people, that is under

me.

them to express here a country, whose inhabitants love righteousness, and are not, therefore, disposed to injure or oppress any one. Psalm LXXXviii. 12. Isai. xxvi. 10.

11 Quicken me. Revive (see on Psalm iii. 3.) and comfort me in the midst of this imminent peril.

12 Slay mine enemies. on Psalm LXXXVI. 16.

See on Psalm Liv. 7.-Thy servant. See

2 Who subdueth, &c. By whose power and influence the various tribes of the Israelites have given over their rebellious proceedings in favor of the house of Saul, and have, at length, submitted themselves to my lawful authority by receiving me as their king. 2 Sam. v. 1, &c. There is, doubtless, an allusion also to those nations,

3 Lord, what is man, that thou hast such respect unto him? or, the son of man, that thou so regardest him?

4 Man is like a thing of nought [like to vanity]: his time passeth away like a shadow. 5 Bow thy heavens, O Lord, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.

Job 7. 17.
Heb. 2. 6.

Job 4. 19, 20.
Ps. 39. 6.
Isai. 64. 1, 2.

6 Cast forth thy lightning, and tear them: Deut. 32. 23, 42. shoot out thine arrows, and consume [destroy] them.

7 Send down thine hand from above: deliver me, and take me, out of the great waters, from the hand of strange children;

8 Whose mouth talketh of vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of wickedness.

Matt. 27. 43.
Acts 18. 9, 10.

Ps. 109. 1, 2.

Matt. 5. 30.

whom he had already conquered, who were incorporated among his people, and now formed a part of them.

3 Lord, what is man, &c. This exclamation arose from the consciousness, that he was in himself a remarkable instance of God's love to men, though by nature they are feeble, and their days are transient as a shadow; for victory in the battle had been vouchsafed him, and success, when contending against his domestic enemies.

4 Like a shadow. Which glides over the earth, vanishes, and is seen no more. Job xiv. 2. See on Psalm cii. 11.

5 Bow thy heavens, &c. By the "heavens” are meant the clouds. See on Psalm viii. 1. Jehovah is entreated to come in tempests (see on Psalm L. 3.) to the assistance of David against those heathen nations, who were then molesting him. The images in this and the succeeding verse are, evidently, derived from the circumstances, which attended the promulgation of the law on mount Sinai.

6 Them. No persons have been yet mentioned, as fit objects of the divine wrath, but David, adapting his words to what was passing in his own mind, clearly points at his national foes.

7 The great waters. See on Psalm xviii. 16.-Strange children. Foreign people; such as differed from the Israelites in manners, language, and religion. Psalm cxiv. 1: cxxxvii. 4.

8 Talketh of. See on Psalm xxxviii. 12.-Vanity.

Falsehood

and deceit. Psalm xii. 2: XLI. 6. Since the conduct of nations is here described, we must consider them to be represented as perfidious, with whom no firm and durable treaty of peace could be made.

—And their right hand, &c. See on Psalm cvi. 26. Though they call the Deity to witness their oaths, they have no intention of keeping them. David may, however, wish to say, that these "strange children" are idolaters, for, in scripture language, idolatry is often termed "vanity" (see on Psalm xxiv. 4); and that they readily abandon themselves to every wicked and unholy work. Ver. 11..