FRET RET not thyself because of the ungodly; Gal. 5. 19, &c. neither be thou envious against the evil Jam. 4. 4. doers; 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and be withered even as the green herb. 3 Put thou thy trust in the Lord, and be doing good: dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed: 4 Delight thou in the Lord, and he shall give thee thy heart's desire: 5 Commit thy way unto the Lord, and put thy trust in him; and he shall bring it to pass: 6 He shall make thy righteousness as clear as the light, and thy just dealing as the noonday. 7 Hold thee still in the Lord, and abide patiently upon him; but grieve not thyself at him, whose way doth prosper; against [because of] the man that doeth after evil counsels. 8 Leave off from wrath, and let go displeasure: fret not thyself, else shalt thou be moved to do evil. 1 1 1 Job 24. 24. Kings 17. 4, &c. Isai. 58. 14. Pet. 5. 7. Isai. 54. 11, &c. Lam. 3. 25, 26. Luke 9. 54, 55. Jam. 3. 14, &c. 9 Wicked doers shall be rooted out; and Lev. 26. 3, &c. [but] they that patiently abide the Lord, those Isai. 57. 13. shall inherit the land. 1 Neither be thou envious, &c. So as to wish thyself in their situation, and to be prepared to follow their wicked practices, provided only thou canst enjoy their prosperity. Ver. 8. Prov. xxiv. 1, 19. 2 And be withered, &c. The comparison will appear the more apposite, if we take into consideration the great heat of the climate of Palestine. 3 Dwell in the land, &c. When troubles come upon thee, do not, through despair, encourage any notion of deserting thy native country; rather, continue to dwell in it contentedly and patiently, for God will then feed thee with its abundance, as sheep are fed under the care of a good shepherd. 5 Commit thy way, &c. Commit the event of all thy undertakings and affairs, with perfect confidence, to Jehovah, who, in his own good time, will accomplish thy wishes and designs. Prov. xvi. 3. Is there any allusion to a cause, (as the public vindication of one's innocence,) which, if left in the hands of God, he will certainly bring to a favorable issue? Mic. vii. 9. The next verse seems to sanction this notion. 7 Hold thee still, &c. Whatever difficulties arise, be silent and submissive, looking forward, with humble confidence, to the divine aid; nor murmur, because any one, either prospers in his evil courses, or is successful in executing his "wicked devices." Psalm L.xii. 1. Job 11. 18, &c. Matt. 5. 5. 1 Tim. 4. 8. 2 Sam. 15. 14. Matt. 2. 8. 1 Sam. 26. 10. Acts 7. 52. 1 John 3. 12. Isai. 37. 38. Prov. 16. 8. 1 Tim. 6. 6. Acts 12. 23. Isai. 60. 21. Job 5. 20. Ps. 33. 17, 18. 10 Yet a little while, and the ungodly shall be clean gone; thou shalt look after his place, and he shall be away; 11 But the meek-spirited shall possess the earth, and shall be refreshed in the multitude of peace. 12 The ungodly seeketh counsel [plotteth] against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. 13 The Lord shall laugh him to scorn, for he hath seen that his day is coming. 14 The ungodly have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as are of a right conversation. 15 Their sword shall go through their own heart, and their bow shall be broken. 16 A small thing, that the righteous kath, is better than great riches of the ungodly. 17 For the arms of the ungodly shall be broken; and [but] the Lord upholdeth the righ teous. 18 The Lord knoweth the days of the godly, and their inheritance shall endure for ever. 19 They shall not be confounded in the perilous time; and, in the days of dearth, they shall have enough. 10 And he shall be away. Not only will he himself have disappeared, but no trace will be found, even of the place, where he once dwelt. See on Psalm x. 17. 11 Peace. See on Psalm xxix. 10. 13 His day. The season of retribution, when the ungodly will inevitably be destroyed. Psalm cxxxvii. 7. Jer. L. 27. 14 The sword their bow. These words signify, either bitter and calumnious invectives (Psalm Lxiv. 3, 4), or power and crafty devices. -Such as are, &c. Those, whose intercourse (see on Psalm xxxviii. 17.) with their fellow-creatures is marked by purity and uprightness. Josh. viii. 35. 1 Sam. xxv. 15. 17 The arms, &c. So that they will be unable to wield their weapons of destruction. Ezek. 30. 21. The arm is also employed figuratively, in the Hebrew language, to denote power. Job xxxv. 9. 18 The Lord knoweth, &c. God notices with approbation the actions of his devout servants, and rewards them, even with permanent temporal blessings, for the excellent manner, in which their days are employed. 19 They shall not, &c. In times of difficulty and danger, "when some are hard bestead," they will not be disappointed of their hopes of assistance, nor ashamed of the confidence, which they have placed in God. See on Psalm xxii. 5. 20 As for the ungodly, they shall perish; | Ps. 102. 3, 4. and the enemies of the Lord shall consume, as Isai. 1. 31. the fat of lambs, yea, even as the smoke, shall they consume away. 21 The ungodly borroweth, and payeth not again; but the righteous is merciful and liberal. 22 Such as are blessed of God shall possess the land; and they, that are cursed of him, shall be rooted out. 23 The Lord ordereth a good man's going, and maketh his way acceptable to himself. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be cast away [utterly cast down], for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. 25 I have been young, and now am old; and yet saw I never the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging their bread. 26 The righteous is ever merciful and lendeth, and his seed is blessed. 27 Flee from evil, and do the thing that is good, and dwell for evermore; 28 For the Lord loveth the thing, that is right; he forsaketh not his that be godly, but they are preserved for ever. Lev. iv. 26. 20 Lambs. Which have been offered in sacrifice. Even as the smoke, &c. This is a second comparison to depict the utter ruin, which will come upon the ungodly, since smoke, dissipated by the winds, leaves no trace of itself behind. Hos. xiii. 3. 21 The ungodly borroweth, &c. The wicked man is frequently so reduced in his circumstances, as to be compelled to borrow money, which his necessities prevent him from repaying; whereas the righteous, having, by the divine favor, "enough and to spare," is rendered capable of exercising his benevolence and generosity towards his distressed brethren. The want of just principle in the one may, however, be contrasted with the compassionate disposition of the other. 23 The Lord ordereth, &c. Jehovah guides the righteous man's steps, and, by the influence of his Spirit, causes him to walk in that way, which is conformable to his own divine will. Psalm xxv. 11. 25 And yet saw I never, &c. This, equally with the following, verse particularly describes the blessedness of that man, both in himself and in his offspring, who, to the other duties of a pious and holy life, superadds a ready distribution of his worldly substance, to relieve the necessities of his destitute brethren. Heb. xiii. 16. 27 And dwell for evermore. All through this Psalm, the peaceable and undisturbed possession of their native land is promised to such, as are conspicuous for "patient continuance in well-doing." Ezra ix. 12. Rom. ii. 7. See on Psalm xxv. 12. Isai. 14. 20. Rev. 21. 7, 8. Prov. 2. 21, 22. Jer. 31. 33, 34. Deut. 6. 6. Isai. 51. 7. Luke 6. 7. Ps. 109. 30. 2 Pet. 2. 9. Job 5. 3, &c. Esth. 5. 11, 12. Job 20. 4, &c. Isai. 32. 17: 57. 2. Matt. 13. 49, 50: 25. 46. Ephes. 2. 8. 29 The unrighteous shall be punished: as for the seed of the ungodly, it shall be rooted out. 30 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever. 31 The mouth of the righteous is exercised in [speaketh] wisdom, and his tongue will be talking of judgment. 32 The law of his God is in his heart, and his goings shall not slide. 33 The ungodly seeth [watcheth] the righteous, and seeketh occasion to slay him. 34 The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him, when he is judged. 35 Hope thou in the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall promote thee, that thou shalt possess the land: when the ungodly shall perish, thou shalt see it. 36 I myself have seen the ungodly in great power, and flourishing like a green bay-tree: 37 I went by, and lo, he was gone: I sought him, but his place could no where be found. 38 Keep innocency, and take heed unto the thing that is right; for that shall bring a man peace at the last. 39 As for the transgressors, they shall perish together; and the end of the ungodly is, they shall be rooted out at the last. 40 But the salvation of the righteous cometh 31 The mouth, &c. Wisdom and equity will be remarkably apparent in hiswhole discourse; for the righteous man will, on no occasion, speak any thing contrary to them. See on Psalm xxxviii. 12. 32 His goings, &c. He will walk on steadily, and without stumbling, in the way, which he has chosen; nor will he "turn aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left." 34 Nor condemn him, &c. Nor will the Almighty suffer the ungodly man to procure his condemnation, when, from the effect of a persecuting spirit, he has been unjustly brought to trial. 35 He shall promote, &c. He will raise thee from that wretched and sad condition, into which he may have allowed thee to fall, so that thou shalt permanently and securely possess the land of thy birth, and enjoy every blessing, which it is capable of yielding to its inhabitants. 36 A green bay-tree. No allusion is intended to the color of the foliage, (which cannot well be called green,) but only to the vigorous and healthy state of the tree. 39 They shall perish together. They shall all, without exception, be destroyed. of the Lord, who is also their strength in the | 2 Tim. 4. 17. time of trouble. Dan. 3. 28. 41 And the Lord shall stand by them, and 1 Chron. 5. 20. save them: he shall deliver them from the ungodly, and shall save them, because they put their trust in him. THE EIGHTH DAY. Morning Prayer. PSALM XXXVIII. It is not certain, whether David describes in this Psalm the wretched state of his mind, by means of various images chiefly borrowed from bodily diseases, or whether, at the time of writing it, he was actually afflicted also with sickness; though, from the extremely figurative character of Hebrew poetry, the former notion would seem to be nearer the truth. His mournful words strongly express the anguish, which he felt, by reason of his own sinfulness, by reason likewise, of the consequent displeasure of God, of the coldness of his friends, and of the insults of his enemies. He, therefore, confesses his guilt, humbly supplicates God for pardon, and, actuated by a feeling of patience and resignation, declares his hope and confidence to be only in the divine favor. PUT me not to rebuke, O Lord, in thine | Deut. 9. 19. anger; neither chasten me in thy heavy Jer. 10. 24. displeasure. 2 For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore. 3 There is no health in my flesh, because of thy displeasure; neither is there any rest in my bones, by reason of my sin. 4 For my wickednesses are gone over my head; and are, like a sore burden, too heavy for me to bear. 5 My wounds stink, and are corrupt, through my foolishness. 6 I am brought into so great trouble and misery, that I go mourning all the day long. 1 Put me not to rebuke, &c. See on Psalm vi. 1. Job 6. 4. Isai. 1. 5, 6. Lam. 3. 40, &c. Ezra 9. 6. Gen. 4. 13. Jer. 8. 22. Ps. 43. 2. Isai. 38. 14. 4 Are gone over, &c. Like a great and overwhelming flood of waters, which has swallowed me up. See on Psalm xviii. 3. Does David allude to the punishment of his "wickednesses?" See on Psalm xxxi. 12. 5 Through my foolishness. In consequence of my perverse and heinous disobedience to the divine law. Prov. i. 7. |