Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/3_500_e.lzh/3_540.TXT

Text File | 1995-01-24 | 6KB | 121 lines

\*Ver. 6. \\[There be] many that say, who will show us
[any] good\\? &c.] 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
contentment in it; to whom the psalmist opposes his
wish and request, in the following words. Or these
are the words of the men that were along with David,
wishing themselves at home and in their families,
enjoying the good things of life they before had; or
rather these are the words of the same many, the
enemies of David, spoken of in \\#Ps 3:1,2\\; who
were wishing, as Kimchi observes, that Absalom's
rebellion might prosper; that David might die and his
son reign in his stead, so the evil they wished to him
was good to them: or they may be the words of the
same men, expressing the desperate condition that
David and his friends were in, which the psalmist
represents in this manner, %who will show us any good%?
none, say they, will show them any good, neither God
norman; there is no help for him in God; he and his
friends must unavoidably perish: and this produces
the following petition,
\*\\Lord, lift thou up the light of
thy countenance upon us\\; meaning his gracious presence,
the manifestations of himself, the discoveries
of his love, communion with him, the comforts of his
spirit, and the joys of his salvation; suggesting that
in the enjoyment of these things lay their good and
happiness, and their safety also; his face and favour,
love and grace, being as a shield to encompass them,
and as a banner over them, \\#Ps 5:12 So 2:4\\;
and so Jarchi observes, that the word here used signifies
to lift up for a banner {r}; so, me respect seems to be
had to the form of the priests blessing, \\#Nu 6:24-26\\;
and the words are opposed to the good desired by
carnal men, and express the true happiness
of the saints, \\#Ps 89:15\\; this is a blessing wished
for not only by David, but by his antitype the Messiah,
\\#Mt 27:46\\; and by all believers.

\*Ver. 7. \\Thou hast put gladness in my heart\\, &c.]
The Ethiopic version reads it %into our heart%; in
granting the above request; for, nothing so rejoices the
hearts of God's people as the light of his countenance,
or the enjoyment of his gracious presence: this was
matter of exceeding joy to Christ himself, \\#Ps 21:6
Ac 2:28\\; and so it is to all his members; this causes
inward gladness, gladness of heart, and is opposed to
the external rejoicings of wicked men and of hypocrites:
and this is of God spurting into the heart; and indeed
no no can put gladness  either into a wounded conscience,
into the heart of a sensible sinner, or into the
soul of one that is panting after the presence of God,
and communion with him, but God himself;
\*\\more than in the time [that] their corn and their wine increased\\:
meaning the time of harvest and of vintage; when
there is a good harvest, and a good vintage, there is
joy among men, and the contrary when it is otherwise,
\\#Isa 9:3 Joe 1:12\\; these things being of general use,
spread an universal joy among people; there is scarce
any earthly thing that occasions more joy than these
do: and yet the joy on such occasions is not to be
compared with spiritual joy, that is a joy unspeakable
and full of glory. Some take the \^m\^ to be not comparative,
but causal, and render the words {s}, %thou hast
put gladness in ray heart from the time that their corn%,
&c. as do the Chaldee paraphrase and Syriac versions;
and the Arabic version renders it, %because of the multitude
of fruits%, &c. and then the sense is, as if David
should say concerning his enemies,
\*"I never envied
"their prosperity, I always rejoiced when they had a
"good harvest, or vintage, and still do; and yet they
"have rose up and rebelled against me, and requited
"me evil for good."\*
\*And this sense is given into by
the Jewish commentators {t}, and shows of what an admirable
spirit, and in what a sweet disposition of mind,
the psalmist was; that whilst his enemies were seeking
his life he was rejoicing in their prosperity; and is
a sad aggravation of their wickedness: and this may
also be understood of the rejoicing of David, and even
of the Messiah, and likewise of all good men, at the
spiritual prosperity of the saints, at any increase of
grace, spiritual knowledge, and joy, signified by these
outward things, as in \\#Jer 31:12\\; the Septuagint,
Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions,
add %oil% to corn and wine.

\*Ver. 8. \\I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep\\,
&c.] Signifying, that he had such a calmness and
serenity of mind, amidst all his troubles, that he could
not only lay himself down in great peace, and much
composure of mind, but sleep also, and that as soon
as laid down almost; some lay themselves down, but
cannot sleep, through the anxiety of their minds; but
the psalmist could do both: or the word rendered
%both% may he translated %together% {u}; and the sense be
either that he would lie down and sleep together with
his friends, committing himself and them to the care
and protection of God; or that he should lie down and
sleep together with his enemies; meaning that he was
assured that there would quickly be a reconciliation
and peace between them; see \\#Pr 16:7\\;
\*\\for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety\\; suggesting that
his protection and safety were owing to the power and
presence of God only; and that was the reason of the
tranquillity of his mind, and why he slept so quietly
in the night watches, though in such danger from his
enemies; or %thou, Lord, makest me only% or %alone% {w},
being solitary and destitute of friends, to dwell in safety;
finder the shadow of thy wings, encompassed by thy
favour, and surrounded by thy power; see \\#De 33:28\\.

{r} So Gussetius, Ebr. Comment. p. 515, 518.
{s} \^Mngd tem\^ %a vel ex tempore quo frumentum eorum%, &c. Pagninus,
Montanus, Musculus, Cocceius.
{t} Jarchi, Aben Ezra, & Kimchi in loc.
{u} \^wdxy\^ %simul%, Musculus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Gejerus,
Cocceius.
{w} \^ddbl\^ %me solum%, Cocceius; %me seorsim%, Gejerus.