Psalms 65
PATTo the chief Musician. A Psalm of David, the Servant of the Lord, who spake unto the Lord the Words of thisSong, in the Day that the Lord delivered him from the Hand of all his Enemies, and from the Hand of Saul: and he said, ARGUiMENT. A Psalm composed by David (whom the Lord chose to serve him in governing the children of Israel), and delivered by him to the, master of the music in the tabernacle, for a perpetual commemoration of God’s graciofas care over him, and preservation of him, through the whole course of the long persecution and opposition he met withal, before he could get the kingdom. For which singular providence, he still gave particular thanks to God after every deliverance or victory which he vouchsafed him: but, at last (so great was his piety), he made one general acknowledgment of God’s goodness to hiin, when he* was peaceably settled upon his throne, in delivering him from the Philistines, the Syrians, and other nations, who rose up against him (and that in a miraculous manner, as he describes it, ver. 13, 14, &c. where Theodoret observes, that, in his time, God scattered the enemies of Christians by the like dreadful tempests); but especially from Saul, who (as he was the first, so) was the most violent, implacable, and dangerous, of all his enemies. The sense of the Psalm is this: Vor. 1. JL WILL love thee, O Lord, my strength.’] I love thee, O Lord, to whom I owe my safety and preferment, with the most passionate and ardent affection: and I will never cease to love thee thus, as long as ever I live. - to go into, or come out of it’ (I know no* well which they mean); there is no sense that I can see to be made of it. For Jeremiah was not carried captive, as Theodoret observes, but left at liberty to go whither he pleased; and Ezekiel was gone long before: nor arc there any such words, as the same Theodoret notes, to be found cither in the Hebrew, or in other interpreters; no, not in the LXX. which was in the Hexaplus. But somebody, who ■ neither attended to the sense of the Psalm (as he passes his censure), nor understood the history, added this inscription. Yet he himself thinks it was spoken by them in captivity, when, far from their own land, they longed to sing God’s praises; but could not do it publicly in Babylon; and therefore prayed God, in the words of this Hymn, to turn their captivity, and to bring them again to Zion; which I know not how to contradict: but seeing no proof of it, I shall not meddle with that sense in my Paraphrase. TJiou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.] But we are more particularly bound unto thee; whose land, which was lately visited with drought, thou hast now refreshed and enriched with such liberal showers out of the clouds (which, like a vast river, are never exhausted), as have made it exceeding fruitful; for from thence thou hast ordained it should be constantly replenished.
Psalms 65:1
JL RAISE waitethfor thee, O God, in Zion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed.". It becomes us, O God, above all other people, to praise thee in thy sanctuary (though we cannot worthily express, but must rather silently adore, thy incomparable excellences), and to pay the vows which we made unto thee in the time of our distress,
Psalms 65:2
Tlie Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I trust, my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.* For it was not.the caves and lurking-places, (1 Sam. xxii. 1. 5. xxiii. 23.) nor the fortresses and strong holds, (xxiii. 14. 19. 29.) the rocks and impregnable forts, (xxiv. 2.) the high mountains and steep hills, to which I fled, (xxvi. 1.) that preserved me from my enemies; but the Lord Almighty, whom I made my refuge, and whom I acknowledge for my deliverer: to his gracious providence, and powerful protection, I ascribe my safety, and will never confide in any other security; he defended me in the most dangerous assaults of my enemies; he repelled all their forces, and placed me out of the reach of their violence. O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.] And more especially to magnify thy clemency in hearing my prayer, (2 Sam. xxi. 1.) which may invite all mankind, even those that are most miserable, to make their addresses unto thee.
Psalms 65:3
I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from my enemies. Praised therefore be the Lord, unto whom I humbly commended myself by prayer (as I mean to do always) in my distresses, and he delivered me from all my enemies. Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.] Nor need their sins discourage them; for thou hadst matter enough of that kind against me to have hindered the prevalcncy of my prayer, if thou hadst charged my iniquities upon me: but thou hast been graciously pleased to forgive not only me, but all thy people their transgressions, whereby they have provoked thee.
Psalms 65:4
The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. When there appeared no way for my escape, but they thought that they had me as sure as a bird taken in a net; when whole troops of ungodly men came pouring in upon me as a torrent, that threatened to sweep me quite away; Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he mcty dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.] O how happy is the condition of a priest, or a Levite, whom thou hast chosen to minister before thee; and hath the privilege to be continually cmployed in thy service! Though we cannot all be so blessed, yet, such is thy goodness, we enjoy most sweet refreshments in thy house, when we offer our prayers and praises to thee; and taste of the sacrifices of thanksgiving, which we there present for the benefits we have received from thee.
Psalms 65:5
The sorroivs of hell compassed me about; tlie snares of death prevented me. When I had no more power to help myself than a dead man bound hand and foot in his grave; (so suddenly was I entangled in their deadly snares, ISam. xxiii. 26.) Ver. G. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.] This was my belief in such grievous straits: I made my usual addresses to the Lord, arid with great earnestness supplicated my most merciful God, who had so often delivered me: and, though he be so infinitely above us in his heavenly palace, he did not despise my petition, but it was admitted into his presence, and found a gracious audience. By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea.] Who hast done wonderful and astonishing things for us, out of thy mere mercy and bounty, when in our necessity we implored thy help, O God; who not only marvellously savest and deliverest us in this nation from destruction, but art the support and safeguard of all mankind in the remotest parts of the earth, or islands of the sea. Ver. G. Which by his strength settethfast the mountains; vol. m. being girded with power.] For God’s power, which is ready at all times to execute his pleasure, is not inferior to his mercy; but hath settled the mountains in their places, and sustains their vast weight from sinking down into the earth.
Psalms 65:7
Tlien the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. For he instantly appeared in a sensible manner to confound my enemies; who saw his wrathful displeasure in the dreadful tempest which fell upon them, and made the very earth tremble under them. Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.] Against which, when the sea beats tempestuously, he composes and silences its swelling and roaring waves: as he doth, with the same ease, the rage and fury of the people, when, by the breath of unquiet, seditious spirits, they rise up tumultuously, and break out into rebellion.
Psalms 65:8
There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it. There was nothing to be seen but fuming smoke and devouring fire; which, at his command, shot out burning coals among them. They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.] The most barbarous people, who live in the remotest corners of the earth, behold with wonder and amazement the heavenly bodies, which thou hast appointed for signs and tokens; (Gen, i. 14.) by the rising of the sun, the moon, and stars, in the morri-, ing and evening, thou fillest them with joy, as well as admiration.
Psalms 65:9
He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet. His glorious majesty also visibly shewed itself, bowing the heavens (the place of its residence), and coming down in a thick cloud, which’ was spread as a carpet under it. But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth,] Which now shall fall upon those that endeavour to destroy me: who, seeking to take away my life, shall lose their own, (2 Sam. xviii. 7, 8, &c.)
Psalms 65:10
And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly; yea, he did fly upon the ivings of the xvindJ. Some of the principal angels were its chariot, wherein it rode very swiftly; and a rapid wind was the token of their presence, (2 Sam. v. 24.)’ They shall fall by the sxvord; they shall be a portion for foxes.] They shall perish by the sword; and their carcasses have no other sepulchres but in the bowels of foxes, and other such-like ravenous creatures, who live as they do, by stealth and deceit. Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly; thou settlest the furrows thereof; thou makest it soft with showers; thou blessest the springing thereof] And, accordingly, when the ground is ploughed up, thou sendest abundance of rain upon its ridges, which settle the clods, and make them sink down upon the seed that is newly sown: and when the ground grows too hard, and hinders its sprouting forth, thou softenest and openest it with gentle showers, which bring up the blade; and that thy blessing makes to prosper and thrive, till it grow up into corn..
Psalms 65:11
Hemade darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters, and thick clouds of tlie skies. A great darkness obscured it; for round about it were the rest of the heavenly ministers disposedto attend upon it in watery vapours and thick clouds of the sky. But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped,] But I, their sovereign, shall be filled with joy; and so shall all pious men, who preserved their loyalty, and would by no means violate their oath, wherein they stood engaged to me: they shall triumph when my calumniators, (2 Sam. xv. 2, 3.) and all perfidious persons, shall be so silenced, that they shall not have a word to say for themselves, Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy jmtlts drop fatness.] Thus thy goodness hath made this a most plentiful year, and magnificently adorned it with variety of fruits: for thy clouds have wheeled about, and every where distilled a fattening juice into the earth.
Psalms 65:12
At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed; hail-stones and coals of fire. Who, going forth from his glorious presence, sent hail-stones and coals of fire (as in the days of Joshua, x. 11.) in the face of my enemies. They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness; and the little hills rejoice on every side.] They have made green pastures even in desolate places; and thelittle hills, which before looked ruefully, appear now most beautiful; and have, as it were, put on the garments of joy and gladness.
Psalms 65:13
The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail-stones and coals of fire. Which were followed with such terrible thunder, (like that in the days of Samuel, 1 Sam. vii. 10.) mixed with more hailstones and fiery exhalations, as declared the greatness of his majesty, and the mightiness of his power. The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.] The pastures, which were bare before, are clothed now with flocks, as they arc with grass; the fields also are so covered with corn, that the face of the earth cannot be seen: they keep a kind of festival, which hath filled us all with an universal mirth, and made us triumph in thy goodness.
Yea, he sent outhisarrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them!. These were the arrows wherewith he scattered them: there needed no other darts to discomfit them.
Then the channels of waters were seen, and tlie foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils. For even the earth itself was rent and torn by them; they cleft it asunder, and penetrated so deep, that the secret abysses