Psalms 4:6

[There be] many that say, who will show us [any] good?.... These may be thought to be the men of the world; carnal worldly minded men, seeking after temporal good, and taking up their rest and

There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. Many ... say, Who will show us any good?

There be many; either, 1. Of my own followers, who are weary of waiting upon God, and ready to despair. Or rather, 2. Of mine enemies, and of the body of the people, who were either engaged against him, or at least unconcerned for him, and sought only their own case and advantage. Who will show us, Heb. make or give us to see, i.e. to enjoy, as this phrase is frequently used, as 34:12 3:13. Any good, i.e. worldly good, as appears by the opposition of the light of God’ s countenance to it in the next words, and by the explication of it of corn and wine in the next verse. i.e. Who will put an end to our present broils and troubles, and give us that tranquillity and outward happiness which is the only thing that we desire. Withal, he may seem to intimate the reason and motive which induced so many persons to take part against him, which was their eager desire of honour or worldly advantage, which they promised to themselves by appearing against David: see . Upon us, i.e. upon me and my friends. Give us assurance of thy love and favour to us, and evidence it to us by thy powerful and gracious assistance.

Psalms 4:6 [There be] many that say, Who will shew us [any] good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.Ver. 6. There be many that say, Who will show us, &c.] This is Vox populi, the common cry; Studium improborum vagum, good they would have, but pitch not upon the true good. It was well observed that he who first called riches bona, goods, was a better husband than divine; but the most are such husbands. O siquis daret ut videamus bonum? Who will help us to a good bargain, a good estate? &c.; but God, the chief good, is not in all their thoughts; they mind not communion with him or conformity to him, which is the Bonum hominis, good of a man Micah 6:8, the totum hominis, whole of a man Ecclesiastes 12:13, the one thing necessary, though nothing is less thought upon. What are these outward comforts, so much affected and admired, saith Plato, but Dei ludibria, banded up and down like tennis balls, from one to another? A spiritual man heeds not wealth, or at least makes it not his business. What tell you me of money? saith Paul; I need it not, but to further your reckoning, Philippians 4:1. And David, having spoken of those rich and wretched people that have their portion here in all abundance, Psalms 17:14, concludeth, I neither envy their store nor covet their happiness; it is enough for me that, when I awake, sc. at the resurrection of the just, I shall be full of thine linage, Psalms 17:15. Christ, who had all riches, scorned these Bona scabelli, earthly riches; he was born poor, lived poor, died poor; for, as Austin observeth, when Christ died he made no will, &c., and as he was born in another man’ s house, so he was buried in another man’ s tomb. And yet he was, and still is, God blessed for ever. Cicero indeed, writing to Atticus, would have one friend wish to another three things only, viz. to enjoy health, possess honour, and not suffer necessity. How much better Paul’ s wish, grace, mercy, and peace, or David’ s desire here! Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us] One good cast of God’ s countenance was more to David than all this world’ s wealth, than a confluence of all outward comforts and contentments. He had set up God for his chief good, and the light of God’ s loving countenance was the guide of that way that leadeth to that good; and hence his importunity; he cannot draw breath but in that air, nor take comfort in anything without God’ s gracious aspect, and some comings in from Christ. It is better, saith one, to feel God’ s favour one hour in our repenting souls, than to sit whole ages under the warmest sunshine that this world affordeth. Saith not David so much in the next words?

(6) There be many.—Around the fugitive king were many whose courage was not so high, nor their faith so firm, as his. He hears their expressions of despair— “Talking like this world’s brood.”—MILTON. It is better to translate the words of these faint-hearted ones by the future, as in Authorised Version; not by the optative, as Ewald and others. Lift thou up . . .—This is an echo of the priestly benediction (Numbers 6:24, et seq.), which must so often have inspired the children of Israel with hope and cheerfulness during their desert wanderings—which has breathed peace over so many death-beds in Christian times. The Hebrew for “lift” is doubly anomalous, and is apparently formed from the usual word “to lift,” with a play upon another word meaning “a banner,” suggesting to the fearful followers of the king that Jehovah’s power was ready to protect him. The Vulg. follows the LXX. in rendering, “The light of thy countenance was made known by a sign over us:” i.e., shone so that we recognised it.

Verse 6. Who will show us any good?] This is not a fair translation. The word any is not in the text, nor any thing equivalent to it; and not a few have quoted it, and preached upon the text, placing the principal emphasis on this illegitimate word. The place is sufficiently emphatic without this. There are multitudes who say, Who will show us good? Man wants good; he hates evil as evil, because he has pain, suffering, and death through it; and he wishes to find that supreme good which will content his heart, and save him from evil. But men mistake this good. They look for a good that is to gratify their passions; they have no notion of any happiness that does not come to them through the medium of their senses. Therefore they reject spiritual good, and they reject the Supreme God, by whom alone all the powers of the soul of man can be gratified. Lift thou up the light of thy countenance] This alone, the light of thy countenance - thy peace and approbation, constitute the supreme good. This is what we want, wish, and pray for. The first is the wish of the worldling, the latter the wish of the godly.

6. David knows well that there are plenty of discontented grumblers among his subjects, ready to follow anyone who makes them fair promises. His answer to them is a prayer for a blessing upon himself and his people (us), which recalls the great Aaronic benediction of Num 6:24-26, fusing into one the two petitions, “The Lord make His face to shine upon thee,” “the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee.” Cp. Psalms 31:16; Psalms 80:3; Psalms 80:7; Psalms 80:19. The ‘many’, as in Psalms 3:2, are chiefly the wavering mass of the people, who had not yet taken a side; but some at least of Absalom’s partisans, and some of David’s half-hearted followers are included.

There be many that say - Some have supposed, as DeWette and others, that the allusion of the psalmist here is to his own followers, and that the reference is to their anxious fears in their

6. Who will show us any good—The thoughtless multitude ask this. Unbelief, or weak faith, asks it. Faith steadfastly looks above. Lord, lift thou, etc.—A portion of the form of Levitical blessing, quoted from Numbers 6:25-26.