Psalm CXIX
A PILGRIM AND STRANGER, GUIDED, DAY AND NIGHT, HV THE LAW OF
THE Lord, till he reaches the city.
The alphabetic peculiarities of this Psalm are well known, Alphabetic every part beginning with a new letter, and every line or verse p®*^’* ‘*“*’*■’■ of that part beginning with the same, till all the letters of the Hebrew alphabet have been exhausted. There may be something more than fancy in the remark, that Christ’s name, “the Alpha and Omega” — equivalent to declaring Him all that which every letter of the alphabet could express — may have had a reference to this peculiarity of this Psalm, — a Psalm in
356 rsALM cxix. — the pilgrim guided by god’s word.
which (with the exception of ver. 84 and 1 22, exceptions that make the rule more marked) every verse speaks of God’s revelation of himself to man, under one or other of the twelve terms, 1, law, 2. testimony, 8. way, 4. commandment, 5. precept, 6. judgment, 7. word, 8. truth, 9. righteousness, 9. faithfulness, 11. statute, 12. name. If so, it gives additional meaning to that title of the Lord — he is not only first and last, but all between; he is all that revelation can express.
In Psalm xix. we tried to ascertain the different shades of meaning in “Law,” “Testimony,” &c. These hold good here; only they are not to be considered as exclusive of one another. But our translators have unfortunately introduced some confusion into the terms employed in this Psalm, by rendering the Hebrew □“‘pH, ‘’ Statutes,” which term was not the one used in rendering Dnj5S), in Psalm xix. 8. In this Psalm, therefore, “Statutes” mean the appointments of the ceremonial law, q. d., the things prescribed to Israel by Jehovah’s decree through their pipnp “statute-giver.”* On the other hand, our translators render DH’IpE) by “Precepts,” invariably in this Psalm. This word (11|5S)) we saw in Psa. xix. 8, signifies particular injunctions given in particular circumstances. Of course, the lessons taught by these special injunctions and appointments are included, as a chief part of the Psalmist’s meditation and delight.
But it is remarkable that a Psalm, which we might suppose to belong to Christ, and to be his special utterance more than most others, has, in its language, some difiiculties which have deterred many from applying it to the Lord Jesus at all. We think, however, the difficulties are such as admit of explanation. They are these, viz., verses 67, 71, 75, and 176. The 67th is the only really serious difficulty, for it seems to ascribe “going astray” to the speaker — always meaning delinquency of some kind, it might be by inadvertency, yet still a deviation from the standard of law. Fry and some others try to dispute this, but have failed. How, then, are we to understand our Lord using such a verse as this? We propose the following solu-
* See Lcvit. xxvi. 46, “these are the statutes” CiJIin- The Prayer-book version translates the word “ceremonies,” in the Psahiis.
tion: — He had said in verse Q6, “I have believed in thy commandments” — “I have kept faithful to what thou hast said.” Then follows the statement of still firmer adherence to the Lord’s word. He says, “I did not need the sorrow and shame of experienced error to drive me into thy ways. Without this teaching, which so often, by its bitter regrets, leads wilful ones to Thee, I have been enabled to hold fast thy words — ‘Ere ever I was afflicted, I kept thy word.’”
“I have not yet been afflicted, as one going astray, And still I Imve kept thy word.’”
The common rendering of j;i ^31^, “I WENT astray,” or “I WAS going,” cannot be defended; it ought to be “I am going astray.” Our proposed rendering is parallel to •IIT’I — Ni2n D“y3, in Exod. i. 19, in regard to the construction of DIO, and gives the obvious and most natural sense of the whole clause. But then, it may be asked. Is not the difficulty of verse 176 equally great: “I have gone astray as a lost sheep?” Not so; for here the term is ^JlW, in the signification of wandering like one who has no home. It is Abraham’s word in Genesis xx. 1 3, “God caused me to wander (D’^ni ‘•ilJ^ ^)^0>?) ^’^^^ “y father’s house.” It is most appropriate in the lips of him who had left his heavenly home to be a stranger here, to be (as Fry observes) “as a sheep whom no man taketh up” (Isa. xiii. 14). The word, indeed, seems to be the same as that which has given the Arabic name El Tyh to part of the desert where Israel wandered. And if this be so, then the difficulties of verses 71, 75, are all that remain; both of which are solved by a reference to Hebrews v. 8, “Though he were a Son, yet learnt he obedience by the things which he suffered.”
We cannot but think that “the Songs of Degrees,” all of which ^’^’^ i’“^“‘’^”- have a pilgrim air about them, are appropriately prefaced by this Psalm, breathing as it does the experience of a pilgrim, with “a soft quiet melancholy” (Hengstenberg) in his tone, met and comforted by the God of all consolation. If we adopt the idea of the Psalm being a kind of manual for a pilgrim, we are able to connect its different parts; and we are able to
Aleph.
358 PSALM CXIX. — THE PILGRIM GUIDED BY GOD’s WORD.
do SO whether we read it as the utterance of the Lord of pilgrims, or of one of his band.
ALEPH.
1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.
2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the
whole heart.
3 They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.
4 Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.
5 O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!
6 Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.
7 I will praise thee with uprightness of heart,
When I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.
8 I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.
(Ver. 1.) The pilgrim setting out. God’s testimonies are his staff. The Lord of pilgrims might utter verse 1, as he uttered Matt. V. 3, 4, 5, “Blessed are the merciful!” Sin leads to misery; holiness leads to bliss, which is far more than joy. He looks along the way, revolving in his soul what he should be who would walk in paths of blessedness, till at verse 8 he lifts his staff for the journey, saying —
“/ icill observe thy statutes! Thou tvilt not forsake me utterly /” (See ver. 43, and comp. 1 Sam. xxvii. 1 with 2 Sam. vii. 15.)
r.ETH.
9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed thereto according to thy word.
10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy
commandments.
11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I miyht not sin against thee.
12 Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes.
13 With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.
14 I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.
16 I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.
The pilgrim fairly on the way. God’s testimonies smooth the journey. The Lord of pilgrims might be supposed arresting the attention of his followers by this question, verse 9, and by its answer, corresponding as it does to John xvii. 7, and xv. 3. He breathes a firm resolution to make the Word his guide — “IViih my lips do I recount* All the judgments of thy mouth” (as in ver. 7, thy dealings in providence, and the principles that guide them as set forth by thee).
GIMEL.
17 Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word.
18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
19 I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.
20 My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all
times.
21 Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments.
22 Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies.
23 Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate
in thy statutes.
24 Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors.
The ‘pilgrim seeing the prospect open upon his vieiu. He Gimei. seeks discoveries on his path, in spite of external difficulties, and prays, “Uncover Tuineei/es and I will look!” Then, as if dazzled, he exclaims, “Wonders out of thy law!” His plea is, — “■ I am, a stranger upon earth.” (Ver. 19.)
This is not the country where I find my treasure and my home, neither am I to be here long. He uses this as it is used in 1 Chron. xxix. ] 1, an argument which the Son of David, as well as David in the name of any member of Christ, might use. In seeking these discoveries, he looks backward to the days of Pharaoh, verse 21. At verse 22, he remembers Israel’s entrance into a large place when they crossed Jordan, “Roll off from TUB the reproach;” — as Joshua (ver. 9) speaks of it being rolled away at Gilgal, when the Lord shewed his faithfulness in bringing Israel into her land, thereby silencing the taunts of Egypt. And verse 23, “For thy servant Tneditates on thy statutes,” reminds us of Joshua i. 6.” Let us remember, (says Home,) that he who alone, in the strict and unlimited sense of the words, could say, ‘I have kept thy testmnonieSy sustained the utmost degree of ’ reproach and
* When we make the Scriptures the subject of our conversation, we glorify God, we edify our neighbour, and we improve ourselves,” (Home). But this recounting what God’s mouth has appointed to be, is also a matter of private meditation and prayer. contempt’ for our sakes, and was patient under all, till God ‘re-Tiioved’ it from him by a glorious resurrection. There remaineth likewise a resurrection for the mystical body of Christ, and then, Wisdom shall be justified of her children.”
DALETH.
25 My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word.
26 I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes.
27 Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy
wondrous works.
28 My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy
word.
29 Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously.
30 I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me.
31 I have stuck unto thy testimonies: O Lord, put me not to shame.
32 I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my
heart.
The pilgrim weary. The Lord of pilgrims was often weary in spirit when he saw the world so cold, nay, so determinedly inimical, to his Father. “3Iy soul cleaveth to the dust,” declares the feeling of degradation and feebleness, like Psa. xxii. 16; even as verse 28 expresses sorrow, “My soul melteth away for grief. ^’ And still amid this weariness he cries, “Thy word,” (ver. 25); “Thy statutes,” (ver. 26); “Thy precepts,” “Thy law,” (ver. 29); “Thy testimonies,” (ver. 31); these are my
resort.
“I run the way of thy commandments, (Ileb. xii. 1). For thou enlargestmy heart.’’
His frames and feelings may vary, because his circumstances vary, but his heart’s desire and affection toward God and his truth remain unvarying.
HE.
33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the
end.
34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it
with my whole heart.
35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I
delight.
36 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.
37 Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou nie in
thy way. S8 Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear.
39 Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments are good.
40 Behold, I have longed after thy precepts; quicken me in thy righteousness.
The ‘pilgrim stedfast in temptation. In spite of sights of vanity, yea, in spite of all he saw on the hill of Temptation, when the glory of the whole earth was shewn to him, the Master passed on unmoved; and so it is in measure with his disciples. It may be, this very resistance of evil (as in Joseph’s case) may bring them for a time into reproach; or, it may be, then- unlikeliness to the world may draw down on them its malignant assaults; but the end shall be well. None lose by adhering to the Lord’s testimony.
“Turn away my reproach ichich I fear,
For thy judgments are good.” (Ver. 39.)
VAU.
41 Let thy mercies come also unto me, O Lord, even thy salvation, according to thy word.
42 So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me: for I trust
in thy word.
43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth; for I have hoped
in thy judgments.
44 So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever.
45 And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts.
46 I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed.
47 And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved.
48 My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; And I will meditate in thy statutes.
The pilgrim assailed. Outward foes and unsympathising vau. men are not easily dealt with; hence the prayer to be enabled to reply to assailing ones by words in season, getting courage and utterance to confess his name;
“Take not the word of truth utterly otit of my mouth, For I have trusted in thy wwd.” (Ver. 43.)
“Utterly,” as in verse 8, and as in Isa. lxiv. 8, and elsewhere implies the belief, that it may seem right to the Lord to allow some humiliation to be felt; only (says the suppliant) let him not wholly withdraw! The father may teach some lesson by allowing the child to stumble, but surely will not let him so fall as to be injured. In verse 44 the Master alone could fully
assert —
“/ keep thy law
Continually {1’’Kin)fo>’ ver and ever.”
Zain.
,S62 PSALM CXIX. — THE PILGRIM GUJDliD BY GOD 8 WORD.
That is, every day without interruption; and this unbroken service prolonged to eternity.
“And I loalk in a large place,’’ (vcr. 45)
—finding his service freedom and joy. Perhaps verse 46 may be illustrated by Matt. x. 18.
ZAIN.
49 Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused mo
to hope.
50 This is my comfort in my aflBiction: for thy word hath quickened me.
51 The proud have had me greatly in derision: yet have 1 not declined from
thy law.
52 1 remembered thy judgments of old, O Lord, and have comforted myself.
53 Horror hath taken hold upon me, because of the wicked that forsake thy
law.
54 Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.
55 I have remembered thy name, O Lord, in the night, and have kept thy
law.
56 This I had, because I kept thy precepts.
The pilgrim under darkness, yet unmoved. Manifold dark circumstances are the lot of Master and disciples here; but the word of promise, in some of its many forms, sustains.
“Remember thy word to thy servant;” or, for thy servant’s benefit; “Because (lli^J^ 7^, - Sam. iii. 30 — Ilengstenberg) thou hast caused me to hope.”
God’s pilgrims have a hope (Rom. v. 3, viii. 24, xii. 12, xv. 13), that shall never put them to shame; having once spoken, he keeps his promise. As Newton sings —
“And can He have taught me to trust in His name,
And thus far have brought me to put me to shame?”
In verse 52, the Lord of pilgrims might be supposed standing near Capernaum, and Bethsaida, and Chorazin, lifting up his eyes to heaven, thanking the Father who hides these things from the wise and prudent, and reveals them unto babes; or amid his seventy, thanking the Father, and rejoicing because he had seen Satan as lightning fall from heaven. He sees the eternal purpose of the Lord. He sees the Lord himself, ruling all events, and bring about a glorious issue, even the glory of the kingdom.
RSALM CXIX. — THE PILGRIM GUIDED BY GOD’s WORD. 3()3
‘^ I remembered thy judgments from eternity; (see ver. 13) (I remembered) Jehovah, and comforted myself. Horror seized me,
Because oftlie wicked who forsake thy law;
Thy statutes were my songs” (Ver. 52, 53.)
One thing, whatever else befalls, he is sure of, namely, that happen what may, he has cleaved to the Lord. “I’his I have, That I have kept thy statutes.” (Ver. 56. The ^3 is like 6ti in
Rev. ii. 4.)
CHETH.
57 Thou art my portion, O Lord: I have said that I would keep thy words.
58 I entreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word.
59 I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.
60 I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments,
61 The bands of the wicked have robbed me: but I have not forgotten thy
law.
62 At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee, because of thy righteous judgments.
63 I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy
precepts.
64 The earth, O Lord, is full of thy mercy: teach me thy statutes.
The pilgriTii foUoiving on to know the Lord. He breathes cueth. the desire, “Da mihi te, Dumine” —
“Keeping thy ways, I have said,
My portion is Jehovah.” (Ver. 57.)
He values God’s presence, (ver. 58); he compares his ways with God’s testimonies, (ver. 59); he never lingers in the performance, when he finds a commandment (ver. 60); amid the bands of the wicked he adheres to the law, (ver. 61); at midnight (lit, ‘’half of the night” as Exod. xiii. 29, the time when the Destroyer slew Egypt’s first-bom — Hengstenberg) he awakes to praise (ver. 62); he shares (“I^H) with the fearers of God, whatever be their lot, (ver. 63). And it seems as if he saw the future glory awaiting those that follow the Lord; or rather, he delights in the future revelation of the Lord’s riches of Love; for he sings, in a tone that reminds us of Isa. vi. 3 —
“The earth isfrdl of thy mrcy!” But the view is one that overwhelms the soul; it cannot take in the vision but in part; and therefore he prays, “Teach )ue thy statutes,” that I may daily fathom more of the great deep.
TETH.
65 Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O Lord, according unto thy word.
66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge: fori have believed thy commandments.
67 Sefore I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.
68 Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.
69 The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with
my whole heart.
70 Their heart is as fat as grease; but I delight in thy law.
71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy
statutes.
72 The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.
The pilgrim is satisfied in the service of God, and with his dealings hitherto.
“Kindly hast thou dealt with thy servant,
0 Lord, according to thy ivoi’d.” (Ver. 65.)
The Lord of pilgrims had never ought but good to say of his Father; neither have the followers of that Lord any fault to find. “He never wronged me nor mine,” was the saying of a Scottish saint, even when the bloody head of his martyred son was held up to his view. So good, so infinitely satisfying to the soul are the Lord’s ways and the Lord’s revelations of himself, that the pilgrim says (ver. 67), “1 kept thy words, without being driven to them by afiliction.” (See above, in the introduction, p. 857.) He then (ver. 68) prays to be taught more still, as he prayed in verse 66 for “discernment” (DS?^), the faculty to see spiritual things clearly. When in verse 71 he expresses satisfaction in having been afflicted, it is because by the hand of afiliction these grapes were pressed for the refreshing of his thirst; thereby he experienced somewhat more of the infinite adaptation of these statutes to a pilgrim’s wants.
JOD.
73 Thy hands have made me and fashioned me:
Give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.
74 They that fear thee will be glad when they see me; because I have hoped
in thy word.
75 I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right,
And that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.
76 Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort. According to thy word unto thy servant.
77 Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law is my
delight.
78 Let the proud be ashamed, for they dealt perversely with me without a
cause:
But I will meditate in thy precepts.
79 Let those that fear thee turn unto me, and those that have known thy
testimonies.
80 Let my heart be sound in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed.
The pilgrim speaks to the Lord about his future course. He goes back to his creation — his being clay in the hands of the potter. This is a reason for pleading to be led on (ver. 73). Then, the joy it will give others is a reason, verses 74 and 79. And complete soundness (ver. 80, D’^DD) is the goal of his desires, that is, power to complete the work given him to do, his heart impartial, sincere, thoroughly at one with God. Every disciple breathes this desire — ‘^ Let my Tieaii he perfect in thy precepts, That I may not he ashamed.” (Ver. 80.)
The desire is the same with that of the apostle in 1 John iv. 28, “Abide in Him, that we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at his coming,” even as the assurance breathed in the “1 know” of verse 75 is like Rom, viii. 28, and 1 John v. 1 8.
CAPH.
81 My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word.
82 Mine eyes fail for thy word, saying, When wilt thou comfort me?
83 For I am become like a bottle in the smoke; yet do I not forget thy
statutes.
84 How many are the days of thy servant?
When wilt thou execute judgment on them that persecute me?
85 The proud have digged pits for me, which are not after thy law.
86 All thy commandments are faithful: they persecute me wrongfully; help
thou me.
87 They had almost consumed me upon earth; but I forsook not thy precepts.
88 Quicken me after thy lovingkindness; so shall I keep the testimony of thy
mouth.
The pilgrim oppressed, draws strength from the thought of future glory. The “salvation” of verse 81 is like Jacob’s in Gen. xlix. 18, the deliverance in prospect for all the Lord’s children — the glory to come — the kingdom. Trials send for-
366 PSALM t’XIX. — THE PILGRIM GUIDED BY GODS WORD.
ward our hopes to that time of peace. Our Lord, “for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross” (Heb. xii. 3), having respect to the reward and the rest; and so his followers also, expecting the fulfilment of his promises.
“My soul fainidh for thy salvation.
I loaitfor thy tvor-d.’” (Ver. 81.)
As the worshippers went up to Zion “fainting” (Psa, lxxxiv. 2) for the courts of the Lord, that is, thirsting even to faintness, even thus does the pilgrim for the Day of the Lord, ‘’waiting” (as Kom. viii. 19) for the fulfilment of promises and hopes. There is here, too, an amxaohoxia, for
“Mine eyes faint (!)73 as ver. 81)^0?’ thy word,
Saying, When wilt thou comfort me V (Ver. 82.)
On that day, “the bottle in the smoke,” the man of sorrows, the pilgrim who has been subjected to humiliation and dishonour, shall appear as a diadem in the hand of the Lord. No wonder, then, that again he cries —
“How many are the days of thy servants? WTien wilt thou execute judgment on my persecutors?”
—the very prayer and appeal of the souls under the altar in Rev. vi. 9. And the force of verse 85 seems to lie in a reference of the same kind, q. d., “The proud have digged pits for me, but shall find themselves disappointed; these pits are not destined for me” — alluding to the Lord’s judgment when his “Law” shall assign each his portion, the persecutor and the persecuted.* For his promises shall come to fulfilment; they are faithfulness itself
“All thy commandments are faithfulness.” (Ver. 86.)
LAMED.
89 For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.
90 Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth,
and it abidcth.
91 They continue this day according to thine ordinances: for all are thy
servants.
92 Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine
affliction.
* Home remarks, the ^crw enacted punishment, Exod. xxi. 33, on the man who left open a pit into which a beast accidentally fell; much more here.
I’SALM CXIS?. — THE PILGRIM GUIDED BY GODS WOBD. SG?
93 I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thoti hast quickened me.
94 I am thine, save me; for I have sought thy precepts.
95 The wicked have waited for me to destroy me: but I will consider thy
testimonies.
96 I have seen an end of all perfection; but thy commandment is exceeding
broad.
The pilgrim meditates on the unfailing certainty of the Law. The revelation of God in his word and ordinances is just Himself presented to our view; which being so, we find his word like himself, sure and unfailing amid all changes.
“For ever is Jehovah! Thy word isjixed in the heavens!” (above reach of change ) (Ver. 89.)
To this Law he ever resorts. In all else, he finds a limit; other guides go only a certain length with you; other supports are capable of bearing only a certain measure of burden; but the Lord’s revelation has no such limit; “it is exceeding broad” — the contrast to mere human “perfection,” the completeness to which man may reach.
MEM.
97 O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.
98 Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: For they are ever with me.
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are
my meditation.
100 I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.
101 I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word.
102 I have not departed for thy judgments: for thou hast taught me.
103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my
mouth!
104 Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false
way.
The pilgriTn revels in the instructive properties of God’s law. “How I have loved thy law!” (ver. 97). The Law (see Psa. xix.) is equivalent to God’s revelation of himself, and his will to man. His foes have a sort of wisdom, much craft, much subtlety; but as David, in 1 Sam. xviii. 30, was made wiser than all his foes in conduct and in war, even so shall it be here. “I’hy commandment shall make me wiser than mine enemies, For it is mine for ever’’ — my possession and portion for ever. (Ver. 98.) Glancing at the future, he glories in the law as making him wise, not only now, but for ever. “I have got (he says) what shall even in ages to come, in the kingdom, continue to teach me.” No earthly teachers (ver. 99), not even the elders* or the aged (ver. 100), afford anything that equals this revelation of God. No wonder! for it is God’s epistle to mankind offering reconciliation, peace, and union with himself in glory!
NUN.
105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
106 I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous
judgments.
107 I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O Lord, according unto thy word.
108 Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, And teach me thy judgments.
10.Q My soul is continually in my hand: yet do I not forget thy law.
110 The wicked have laid a snare for me: yet I erred not from thy precepts.
111 Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the
rejoicing of my heart.
112 1 have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes alway, even unto the
end.
The pilgrim proclaims God’s law sufficient amid all dijfflculties. Yes, sufficient even in the darkest hour of the darkest night of earth. It shall shed its light, like the Pillar Cloud, on the pilgrim-path of those who travel in the Last Days, amid the shades of the world’s evening; it has shed its light on the gloomiest path ever trod by a saddened follower of the Lamb; it does at this hour shed light, the purest, and the sweetest, into the souls of all who know the Lord.
“2% word is a lamp unto my feet,
And a light unto my pathy (Ver. 105.)
It has all sorts of light in it; it is like what is said in Rev. xxi. 23; it has sun light and temple-lamp light. It is a “larti’p” — nay, the very “light” of day! In this light, the Lord of pilgrims walked; and in this light each of his band walks still, and purposes to walk, “for ever, continually, unto the end,” (ver. 112). The “e)icZ” contains in it a direct reference to the reward; for the word is 2jpy, a word used elsewhere for wages or reward, e. g., Psa xix. 12, Prov. xxii. 14-
* Applying this passage to the Lord Jesus, Augustine says — “Agnosco cum plane, qui super docentes se intellexit, quando cum esset duodecim annorum remansit puer Jesus in Hierusalem.”
PSALM CXIX. — THE PILGRIM GUIDED BY GOD’s WOKD. 869
The pilgrim has his eye on the blessed termination, and seems to speak abruptly as he gazes — ^’Forever! the end!” — the rewarding close!
SAMECH.
113 I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.
114 Thou art my hiding-place and my shield: I hope in thy word.
115 Depart from me, ye evil-doers: for I will keep the commandments of
my God.
116 Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: And let me not be ashamed of my hope.
117 Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe! and I will have respect unto thy
statutes continually.
118 Thou hast trodden down all them that err from thy statutes: for their
deceit is falsehood.
119 Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross: therefore I
love thy testimonies.
120 My flesh trembleth for fear of thee; and I am afraid of thy judgments.
The pilgrim, teTnpted to a compromise, cleaves to the Law. samech Water and oil cannot intermingle; the word of God and the ways of fallen men are equally irreconcilable. “/ hate thougJds.” (D’’3yp)
I hate mere opinions on matters of duty, and on points of divine worship. I hate “waverings,” say some, implying the uncertainty of merely human thoughts on divine truth. “But thy law have I loved” — (thy revelation of thyself and of thy will).
In verse 116, “ashamed of my hope” is, ashamed so as to abandon my hope as one disappointed. At verse 118, the end of all who adopt another rule than the law of God is hinted at; and then dwelt upon in verses 119, 120. “Their deceit {i. e., the lie they trust in) leads to nothing” (Hengst.), or ends in utter disappointment. It is a “spem meniita seges.” The wicked are put away as dross is flung out (ver. 1 ] 9), and this with such accompaniments of terror, that the beholder, though safe in that day within the cloud, exclaims —
“My flesh trembleth (horripilavit caro mea, Jerome) /oj-ya?- of Thee; And I am afraid at thy judgments!”
A IX.
121 I have done judgment and justice: leave me not to mine oppressors.
122 Be surety for thy servant for good: let not the proud oppress me.
A a
123 Mine eyes fail for thy salvation, and for the word of thy righteoitsness.
124 Deal with thy servant according unto thy mercy, and teach me thy
statutes.
125 I am thy servant; give me understanding, that I may know thy testimonies.
126 It is time for thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void thy law.
127 Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.
128 Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; And I hate every false way.
The pilgrim seeks to endure to the end. Do not leave me! Be surety for thy servant that it may be well with him! It is time for thee to work! These appeals indicate a pilgrim feeling himself beset with much that makes him wish that the journey were done, besides the 123d verse —
“Mine eyes fail for thy salvation; (see ver. 81, 82) Andfoi’ the word which thou wilt perform.^’ (Ver. 123.)
It might seem as if the “therefore” p 7^ of verses 127, 128^ declared that the sight of the reckless course of the ungodly has increased the pilgrim’s love to the Lord’s ways; but we incline to another view. The 126th verse is literally,
“Iliere is a time for the Lord to work.^’ (Ver. 126.) Vengeance is not speedily executed; for God is long-suffering. The effect of this delay is to tempt the ungodly to “make void the law.” But the effect of the Lord’s having a time, a fixed time, for the performance of his promises and threatenings, is very different in regard to his servants; they are thereby induced to persevere in shewing love to him. ‘’Therefore,” on this account, “I have persevered till now in loving thy commandments, approving of every one of thy precepts, (’ all thy precepts, even all’) and hating every false way.” Yes, it is he who says in his heart, “My Lord delayeth his coming,” that begins to beat his fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken.
PE.
129 Thy testimonies are wonderful: therefore doth my soul keep them.
130 The entrance of thy words giveth light: it giveth understanding unto
the simple.
131 I opened my mouth and panted: for I longed for thy commandments.
132 Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto mc,
As thou usest to do unto those that love tliv name.
133 Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion
over me.
134 Deliver me from the oppression of man: so will I keep thy precepts.
135 Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; and teach me thy statutes,
136 Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law.
The ‘pilgrim manifests increasing, as well as inteyise, delight in the Law. It is a somewhat quaint, but at the same time faithful, view of his state of mind that is given by one who paraphrases verse 131 thus —
“With open moutJi I pant and run, like hart before the hounds, Until my laioful prize hewon for which my spirit hounds. Behold thou me, 0 Lord my God, the master oftlie race.”
The Lord Jesus, the Son of David, could utter these words; and David, or any member of Christ, can find no better words to express their soul’s desire when getting a glimpse of “the unsearchable riches.” There is some difficulty, however, in verse ISO, which is literally,
“The door oftliy words giveth light.” Some say, “The opening up of the true sense of thy word;” but this is not in the expression. The Lord’s words are apparently represented as the door (HJIS)) by which we enter into the chambers of his heart. The idea is this. You cannot handle any saying of God in a true frame or spirit without finding yourself in so doing at a door which may lead you far in to the palace — to the innermost thoughts of God’s heart toward us. A door is opened to you every time you apprehend one sentence or saying of the Lord’s — “a door in heaven,“’ shall we say? — a door like that of which John (Rev. iv. 1) speaks, by which you are enabled, in the spirit, to pass farther in to the secrets of God? Only this is not a revelation of things hidden from other saints — part of its blessedness is found in its being the common privilege of all saints; just as verse 132 has expressed it, “According to the manner* (Gen. xl. 13) to-
“TTpS^p. The same expression occurs in verse 149, “Quicken me, O Lord, ‘TJjpSti;^^, according to thy manner.” The sense would in this case be, “Quicken, in answer to my cry; for thou art wont to hear such cries.” Perhaps, also, verse 175 should be so understood.
yard those that love thy name” — toward Abel, toward Enoch, toward Abraham, toward Moses, toward us also who love “thy name!” We may be able to say nothing else of ourselves but this only, “We love thy name!” But this is enough. And how real, how intense, is this love, since it draws forth the heart in strains like verse 136 —
“Mine eyes run down as brooks of water,
Because of their not keeping thy laics I”
Their present wickedness, and their final doom, are both referred to. It is, “If thou hadst known, even thou!” (Luke XX. 41.)
TZADDI.
137 Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thj’ judgments.
138 Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and veryfaithful.
139 My zeal hath consumed me, because mine enemies have forgotten thy
words.
140 Thy word is veiy pure: therefore thy seiTant loveth it.
141 I am small and despised: yet do not I forget thy precepts.
142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the
truth.
143 Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet thy commandments
are my delights.
144 The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting: give me understanding, and I shall live.
2he pilgrim, adopts the tone of adoration. Getting nearer his journey’s end, it is natural for the man of God to praise more than at the outset. At the close of their warfare, saints are represented in Revelation (e. g., chap. xv. 4) as discerning the Lord’s righteousness and faiihfidness, “Just and true have thy ways been, 0 King of saints! “They see this in his judgments on the ungodly; for it is not with them as is told of the Emperor Mauritius, who uttered, in reference to his own sufferings and his family at the hand of Phocas,” Righteous art thou, 0 Lord.” And this is the utterance of verses 137, 138. The more that enemies forget the Lord’s word, the more he remembers it. It is a word without dross, “pure,” no defect in it.* ■’ Thy righteousness is righteousness for ever. And thy law is truth.” (Ver. 142.)
* Pure gold (says Home) is said to be so fixed that an ounce of it set in the eye of a glass-furnace, for two months, did not lose a single grain.
Joshua (xxiii. 1 4) testified to Israel, and they said Amen to the testimony, that not one good thing had failed of all that the Lord had spoken. His word of promise and of threatening cannot deceive, cannot disappoint, cannot come short of its declarations. And this is once more repeated, verse 1 44 — “Righteousness (p*TiJ) are thy testimonies for ever! Cause me to understand this and I shall live.” Life eternal! — the life of the redeemed in the everlasting kingdom, when the Righteous One has triumphed, and expelled ungodliness from earth!
KOrH.
145 I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O Lord! I will keep thy statutes.
146 I cried unto thee; save me, and I shall keep thy testimonies.
147 I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy
word.
148 Mine eyes prevent the night-watches, that I might meditate in thy word.
149 Hear my voice according unto thy lovingkindness: O Lord, quicken me according to thy judgment.
150 They draw nigh that follow after mischief: they are far from thy law.
151 Thou art near, O Lord; and thy commandments are truth.
152 Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded
them for ever.
The pilgrim protests that all his expectation is from the Kopi.. Lord. Rising before daybreak, nay, even encroaching on the night-watches (like Mark i. 35, and Luke vi. 12), the Lord of pilgrims follows hard after God, going from strength to strength, instead of abating in his zeal, as men often do in other pursuits, through length of time.
“/ came before thee in the morning twilight.” (Ver. 147.)
And all his true followers may be expected to resemble the Lord in this hard pursuit, especially as they get nearer their journey’s end, and approach the Lord’s dwelling-place. What strength of comfort in verse 151 —
“Thou art near, 0 Lord, And all thy commandments are truth!” (cannot disappoint.)
There is an anomaly in verse 152, as to gender, if “Thou hast founded them” (D”), is to be referred to “testimonies;” but probably it is meant to refer back to all the terms used in this
37-i PSAT,M CXIX. — THE PILGRIM GUIDED BY GOD’S WOED.
context, e.g., statutes (ver. 145), words (ver. 147), as well as commandments and testimonies. And this is the sense. “Aforetime” (Dljp before experience had given me palpable proofs),
“Aforetime I knew from out of thy testimonies (Ilengstenberg) That tJiou hast founded these for ever.” (Ver. 152.)
In the ages to come we shall still have God’s words, and we shall then look back and see how truthful our God was. The Lord of pilgrims, who trod our path himself, will then lead us to review the dealings of Jehovah, talking with us as he talked with Moses and Elias about his own decease on the Transfiguration Hill.
RESH.
153 Consider mine affliction, and deliver me: for I do not forget thy law.
154 Plead my cause, and deliver me: quicken me according to thy word.
155 Salvation is far from the wicked: for they seek not thy statutes.
156 Great are thy tender mercies, O Lord: quicken me according to thy
judgments.
157 Many are my persecutors and mine enemies; yet do I not dechne from
thy testimonies.
158 I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; because they kept not thy
word.
159 Consider how I love thy precepts! quicken me, O Lord, according to thy
lovingkindness.
160 Thy word is true from the beginning:
And every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.
Continued opposition causes the pilgrim to pray for continued quickening. The end of the journey has as many trials as the beginning; we are to “hold fast the beginning of our confidence stedfast to the end.” Three times to cry for “quicJcening’” arises here, viz., in verses 154, 156, 159 — an appeal for more life — which we now may specially urge, since we can hold up to the Lord his own words, “I am come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly,” (John x. 10).
One like Paul, whose sympathy was so entirely with his Lord, might well use the words in 2 Tim. iv. 7, “I have fought a good fight;” but all pilgrims, and he too among the rest, would gladly use to the last the appeal of verse 154, all the more after a life-time experience of the trials by the way. “Fiffhf rnyfght (Psa. xliv. 1, Ilengstenberg), And redeem, mc.” (pjbs:i) (Ver. 154.)
Be a Ooel to me! Be to me what Job expected when he cried, “I know that my (7^Jil Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth,” (xix. 25). Meanwhile,
“Quicken me, according to thy word,’’’’ (ver. 154. Thy promises to thy
children who knock). “Quicken me, according to thy J udgnients,” (ver. 156. The pi’inciples of
thy dealing with us). “I beheld transgressors, and loas sickened at those loho kept not thy word.”
(Ver. 158.) “Quicken me, according to thy lovingkindness,’” (ver. 159. The dictates
of thine own free love).
Why should not all of us rest on the Lord’s word with increasing confidence as our pilgrimage advances to its close, since experience adds to the evidence of his faithfulness,
“The beginnng o/(ti>J^“l) thy loord is truth; And to eternity is every appointment of thy righ’eousness.”
There is nothing but truth and certainty in thy holy word. It may be rendered, “Truth is the sum of thy word,” (Hengstenberg). At the same time, the Psalmist probably expresses far more by that peculiar form, “iDiki, the head of thy word.” As n33 ]iyl in Psa. cxviii. 22 is the “head, or chief, of the corner,” may not this expression be intended to designate “that original promise which is the ’ head, or chief promise, of the whole word of God’ — the promise of the Woman’s Seed?” The faithful in Israel no doubt were ever reverting to it. To them could it be otherwise than “the Uyikl, the head,” the chief utterance of the Word? It is, therefore, mainly to this that we suppose reference is made in this verse. The Lord Jesus could use it of himself when on earth; and each one of his disciples could — but not less can we now, we who can point back to the Woman’s Seed having come, to the fulfilment of that “head of the luord,” and who may thus more than ever confidently look forward to the fulfilment of what remains, “every appointment of his righteousness,” in the ages to come, including the Day of the Lord, when all things shall be set in order.
SCHIN.
161 Princes have persecuted mo without a cause: but my heart standeth in
awe of thy word.
162 I rejoice at thy word, as one that findeth great spoil.
163 I hate and abhor lying: but thy law do I love.
164 Seven times a day do I praise thee, because of thy righteous judgments.
165 Great peace have they which love thy law:
And nothing shall offend them.
166 Lord, I have hoped for thy salvation, and done thy commandments.
167 My soul hath kept thy testimonies; and I love them exceedingly.
168 I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies: for all my ways are before thee.
The ‘pilgrim is full of peace and praise. It is now specially that praise seems to abound in the traveller; that is, it is now near his journey’s end that it is poured forth, so as to be heard by others. His Hosanna is changing into the Hallelujahs of the heavenly citizens,
“Seven times a day have I praised thee.” (Ver. 164.)
The pilgrim is an Isaac, one who meditates at even-tide, and one who can call God his “fear;” for verse 161 has inS), the very word used twice in Gen. xxxi. 42, 53 of Isaac’s God, “the fear of Isaac.” In thi? frame of solemn Bethel-like awe he approaches the end of his journey, and crosses the threshold of the King’s palace. This reverent awe has deepened on him, the longer he has meditated on Jehovah’s word. Very fitting it is, now that he is near the end, to teU, and to leave it for encouragement to those that come after, as a thing proved by experience,
“Great peace is the portion of those that love thy law; There is no stumbling-block to them.’’ (Ver. 165.)
“At peace (says one) with God, at peace with themselves, at peace with all men; and the whole creation at peace with them.” This peace enables them to wait patiently for the final glory — in the kingdom of peace. “ITiave waited for (see Ruth i. 13, in the Hebrew the same word, “)5^) thy salvation, 0 Lord.” Ver. 166.)
PSALM CXIX. — THE PILGRIM CUIDED BY GOD’s WORD. 377
TAU.
169 Let my cry come near before thee, O Lord: give me understanding according to thy word.
170 Let my supplication come before thee: deliver me according to thy word.
171 IMy lips shall utter praise, when thou hast taught me thy statutes.
172 My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are
righteousness.
173 Let thine hand help me; for I have chosen thy precepts.
174 I have longed for thy salvation, 0 Lord; and thy law is my delight.
175 Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee; and let thy judgments help me.
176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; For I do not forget thy commandments.
The pilgrim pours out prayer and ^^rctise, in a strong cry, at the dose of his journey. Praise i.s uttered in the midst of redoubled supplication; repeated praise in the verses 171, 172.
“My lips shall stream for/h with thy praise; (gush forth, as Ps. six. 1) For thou wilt teach me thy statutes. ‘’’
“My tongue shall sing thy word, (responsively l^Pi); For all thy commandments are righteousness.’” Anticipating the employments, the discoveries, the enjoyments of the Coming Rest and Kingdom, the Psalmist tells of the hallelujahs that shall dwell upon his lips, gushing up from an ever full and ever filling soul — a soul full of the Lord’s grace in the past, and ever filling with fresh manifestations; for “Thou wilt teach me” still, and I shall see with increasing clearness that all thy commandments were holy, and just, and good.
Help me, then, to the end; for (ver. 1 74)
“/ have pined Jor thy salvation,’” (‘’J^D^^n)•
This is (as we might expect at the close) the strongest expression of desire for Coming Glory that has yet been used. “Salvation,” as we noticed above, is the final deliverance, with all the grace and glory that it brings. At verse 81, we find the soul “thirsting,” fainting in thirst for it; at verse 1 23, the earnest expectation made “the eye faint” for it; at verse ] 66, there was strong hope, and waiting; but this verse rises to an almost impatient longing — a “pining with desire” for the arrival of the blessed day.
Again, verse 175, there is the anticipation of praise, because of a happy arrival; and a burst of prayer such as might well sum up a lifetime’s experience and desires.
“/ have been a ivanderei; C^JT^jPi)?’/>-’e a lost sheej).* I have all my life found nowhere to lay my head, and no rest to the sole of my foot. I have, like Hagar and Ishmael (Vr> Gen. xxi. 14), wandered in the wilderness where there was no water. I have, like Joseph (nSJD, Gen. xxxvii. 15), wandered in search of my brethren, without home or friends. I have, like Abraham, above all (-IS^Ori’ Gen. xx. 13), left my country and kindred, all my father’s house, for the Lord’s sake. My life has been a wandering, like sheep lost, when the shepherd is away, or when the shepherd chooses to send them away from his care (-liirT. Jer. 1. 6), “turning them loose on the mountains, so that they go from mountain to hill, forgetting their resting-place.”
(But in all my wanderings and weariness, and sorrow) “I have not forgotten thy commandments.” “Seek, then, thy servant” — i. e., do the part of a shepherd who brings home his sheep to the fold! It is a request that he would do as Ezekiel (xxxiv. 16) foretells the Lord shall do on the day when he gathers his scattered ones under the shade of the Plant of Renown; for here the word is I^jp.^, and there the word is tt’p2^y. “1 will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away.” Then shall Rev. vii. 15, 16, 17, be realised; for the Lamb in the midst shall be Shepherd ever present; himself once a wanderer in our world’s wastes, and now feeding among the lilies, bringing home all his flock to where they thirst no more, nor hunger, neither does the sun light on them, nor any heat.
Amen! Even so! Come, Lord Jesus! Surely this is the heart’s feeling of the Singer of this Psalm,
A pilgrim and stranger guided dag and night by the
Law of the Lord.
* David Dickson says on this verse, “I have gone astray — driven out in the stormy and dark day; or by the hunting of the dogs chased out from the rest of the flock.” Banished from his native country and the fellowship of the Church, as to bodily presence. Ilorne also notices that it may mean the misery of “wnndcring as an exile in foreign lands.”
SONGS OF DEGREES.
It may he helpful to a right understanding of the Psalms we now approach, and may increase our interest in them, to begin with a synoptical view of the fifteen which are clustered together, and go by the name of “Songs of Degrees.” The progression of thought and subject thus becomes clear: —
The Pilgrim Train and its Leader —
Psa. cxx. — Weari, tvith the strife cf tongues. (Comp. Psa. lxxxi. 6.) Psa. cxxi. — Commit themselves to Jehovah cdone, as they joui-ney
forth. Psa. cxxii. — Sing of the City of Habitation, to which they journey. Psa. cxxiii. — Cast an upioard look amid the contempt of those they
7neet with.
At a stage in their way which we might call Ehenezer —
Psa. exxiv. — Give praise for deliverance hitherto.
Psa. exxv. — Express confidence of leing hept faithful, through Jehovah’s faithfulness, to the end.
Psa. cxxvi. — Sing of the joys Jehovah has given, and will give, to his servants.
Psa. cxxvii. — Cease from carefulness, and ascribe the success to Jehovah.
Psa. cxxviii. — Pronounce blessing on all the fearers of God.
Psa. cxxix. — Eevieiv their past sufferings in hop)e.
Psa. cxxx. — Relate their earnest cry in trouble, and the rich result.
Psa. cxxxi. — Express their contentment tvith Jehovah’s will.
Psa. cxxxii. — Remind Jehovah of pledges of favour to Zion, and are answered.
Psa. cxxxiii. — Admire and sing of the unity of those met in the Holy City, their habitatian.
Psa. cxxxiv. — Call for unceasing praise from all Jehovah’s servants.
We adopt the idea of these fifteen Psalms being in some sense the songs of those who went ujp to Jerusalem to worship. They do not give us the inward experience of individuals only; they bear reference to Israel at large; for even when, as in the
380 PSALM CXX. — THE LORD’s SERVANT WEARY
case of the ]30th and 131st, the strain has a personal aspect, the closing verse sings of Israel.*
In the singular, tf?y frequently designates the going up to a higher spot, e. g., the ascent of Bethhoron, the ascent of Luhith, and in Ezra vii, 9, the going up from Babylon. In the plural it is used for the steps of Solomon’s throne, and in Ezekiel (xl. 26, 31, 34), for the steps of the temple-gates. The use of ryhvj2 for the degrees or steps of a dial, has been fully illustrated by recent discoveries in Assyria, which prove that the sun-dial was a series of steps, or terraces, on which a pole cast its shadow. It would appear, therefore, that the name “Song of the Steps” is a poetical one, designating Psalms which specially suited the circumstances of those who go up to the Temple.
Hengstenberg remarks that they are grouped round the 1 27th, which is Solomon s; and we may add that that central “Song of Degrees,” or steps, has special reference to “The House,” or Temple.