Psalms 149:9

To execute upon them the judgment written,.... In the law, according to the Targum; either upon the seven nations of the land of Canaan, Deuteronomy 7:12; or upon all the enemies of God and his

To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD. To execute upon them the judgment written - in Deuteronomy 32:41; Deuteronomy 32:43.

The judgment written; appointed and declared in the Holy Scripture, as 29:19 32:41-43, and elsewhere. This is added to show that they do not this work to satisfy their own malicious or revengeful inclinations, but in obedience to God’ s command, and only in such manner as God hath allowed in his word. This honour have all his saints; the honour of these actions belongs to all the saints, for whose sakes God appointed this in his word, and afterwards executed it by his providence.

Psalms 149:9 To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.Ver. 9. To execute upon them the judgment written] The Jews thought they might kill any idolaters; and now to kill a Christian is counted by them a meritorious work. The wicked are apt to exceed their commission, Zechariah 1:15. So may the saints. David was too cruel to the Ammonites, 2 Samuel 12:31, Theodosius to the Thessalonians. Here, therefore, they are limited to the word "written." This honour have all his saints] As having obtained like precious faith, 2 Peter 1:1.

(9) The judgment written.—If we knew the exact circumstance which produced the psalm, and had the names of the nobles and princes taken prisoners, we should easily guess at the contents of the “judgment written,” which was, perhaps, some special order, the carrying out of which is celebrated here; or we may think of the judgments against the nation registered here and there in the sacred books, and so by prescription made legitimate, such as that of the Canaanites, Amalekites, &c; or we may give the phrase a still more general sense, as in Isaiah 65:6 : “Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom.” Ought we not, however, to read the verse: To execute judgment upon them. It is written, This honour have all his saints.This honour.—Israel is here regarded as the instrument of God’s righteous judgments on the heathen.

Verse 9. To execute upon them the judgment written] In Deuteronomy 7:1, c., God promises his people complete victory over all their enemies, and over the heathen. God repeatedly promises such victories to his faithful people and this is, properly speaking, the judgment written, i.e., foretold. This honour have all his saints.] They shall all be supported, defended, and saved by the Lord. Israel had this honour, and such victories over their enemies, while they continued faithful to their God. When they relapsed into iniquity, their enemies prevailed against them; they were defeated, their city taken, their temple burnt to the ground, more than a million of themselves slaughtered, and the rest led into captivity; and, scattered through the, world, they continue without king, or temple, or true worship, to the present day. "But do not these last verses contain a promise that all the nations of the earth shall be brought under the dominion of the Church of Christ; that all heathen and ungodly kings shall be put down, and pious men put in their places?" I do not think so. I believe God never intended that his Church should have the civil government of the world. His Church, like its Founder and Head, will never be a ruler and divider among men. The men who under pretense of superior sanctity, affect this, are not of God; the truth of God is not in them; they are puffed up with pride, and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Wo unto the inhabitants of the earth, when the Church takes the civil government of the world into its hand! Were it possible that God should trust religious people with civil government, anarchy would soon ensue; for every professed believer in Christ would consider himself on a par with any other and every other believer, the right to rule and the necessity to obey would be immediately lost, and every man would do what was right in his own eyes; for, where the grace of God makes all equal, who can presume to say, I have Divine authority to govern my fellow? The Church of Rome has claimed this right; and the pope, in consequence, became a secular prince; but the nations of the world have seen the vanity and iniquity of the claim, and refused allegiance. Those whom it did govern, with force and with cruelty did it rule them; and the odious yoke is now universally cast off. Certain enthusiasts and hypocrites, not of that Church, have also attempted to set up a fifth monarchy, a civil government by the SAINTS! and diabolic saints they were. To such pretenders God gives neither countenance nor support. The secular and spiritual government God will ever keep distinct; and the Church shall have no power but that of doing good; and this only in proportion to its holiness, heavenly-mindedness, and piety to God.

9. upon them] The nations; not the kings and nobles only. the judgment written] The sentence pronounced by Jehovah and recorded in His book (cp. Isaiah 65:6; Isaiah 10:1; Job 13:26) for execution at the proper time; or the reference may be to the general testimony of law and prophets concerning the ultimate judgement of the nations. See Deuteronomy 32:41 ff.; Isaiah 41:15 f.; Ezekiel 38, 39; Joe 3:12 ff.; Micah 4:13; Zechariah 14; &c. this honour &c.] Honour shall that be for all his beloved. The defeat of their enemies brings honour to Jehovah’s chosen people. It is possible to render He is the honour of all his beloved, but this fits the context less well. The LXX is probably right in omitting the final Hallelujah.

To execute upon them the judgment written - Either, that which is written in the law in general as what is threatened to wicked men; or, that which was written for their particular case, or which

9. The judgment written—Not the recorded “judgment” against the Canaanitish nations, (Deuteronomy 7:1-2,) but the written prophecies of the earlier Scriptures, and contained in the covenant of