Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/3_600_e.lzh/3_607.TXT

Text File | 1995-01-30 | 7KB | 127 lines

\*Ver. 9. \\The fear of the Lord [is] clean\\, &c.] Still the
word of God is intended, which teaches men to fear
the Lord; gives a full account of the worship of God,
which is often meant by the fear of God; it instructs
in the matter and manner of worship; and nothing
more powerfully engages to serve the Lord with reverence
and godly fear than the Gospel does: and this is
%clean%; and the doctrines of it direct to the blood of
Christ, which cleanses from all sin, and to the righteousness
of Christ, the fine linen, clean and white; the
promises of it put the saints on cleansing themselves
from all filthiness of flesh and spirit; and the whole
of it is the word of truth, by which God and Christ
sanctify the church and the members of it, \\#Joh 15:2
17:17 Eph 5:25,26\\. And this word is
\*\\enduring for ever\\; the law is done away; the ceremonial
law entirely, and the moral law, as a covenant of
works, and as to the ministration of it by Moses; but
the Gospel continues; it is an everlasting one; it endures
for ever, notwithstanding all the opposition made
to it by open persecution, or false teachers;
\*\\the judgments of the Lord [are] true, [and] righteous altogether\\;
%the judgments of the Lord% are the same with %the word
of God%, as appears from \\#Ps 119:25,149\\; and these
seem to design that part of the word, which contains
rules of God's judging and governing his people; or
the laws, orders, and ordinances of Christ in his house,
which his people should observe, and yield a cheerful
obedience to, he being their King, Judge, and Lawgiver:
and these are %true%, or %truth% {g} itself; being wisely
made, according to the truth of things, and agreeable
to the holiness and righteousness of God, and so righteous;
not at all grievous, but easy, pleasant, and delightful,
one and all of them.

\*Ver. 10. \\More to be desired [are they] than gold\\, &c.]
This refers to all the truths in the word of God; to all
the doctrines of the Gospel; which, by good men, are
more desirable, and by them more prized and valued,
than all worldly riches and treasure;
\*\\yea, than much
fine gold\\: more than gold, and the best of gold, and a
great deal of it, than thousands of gold and silver; see
\\#Ps 119:72,127 Pr 8:10,11\\;
\*\\sweeter also
than honey, and the honeycomb\\; or %the dropping of
the honeycombs% {h}, which is the purest and sweetest of
the honey; and what honey is to the natural taste of
men, that is the Gospel, and the truths of it, to the
spiritual taste of believers, \\#Ps 119:103\\; and when
the presence of Christ is enjoyed, his love is shed
abroad, and the blessings of his grace are partook of,
the ordinances of the Gospel are very delightful, \\#So
2:3\\; eloquence, and eloquent orators, are sometimes
described by mellifluous words; or by their expressions
being like honey, and sweeter than that {i}.

\*Ver. 11. \\Moreover, by them is thy servant warned\\,
&c.] By whom the psalmist means himself, who was
the servant of the Lord, not only in common with
other saints, but as he was a king and prophet, and as
such he received advantage from the word of God; all
his instructions as a prophet, and all his rules of government
as a king; and the whole of that wisdom,
prudence, and knowledge, with which the conducted
in both offices, were from the Lord by his word: and
it may be applied to any servant of the Lord, and
especially in an ecclesiastical office, as an apostle of
Christ, and minister of the word; who serve God in
the Gospel of his Son, and, by means of the Scriptures,
are furnished for every good work; and also to believers
in Christ in common; who, of whatsoever rank
and quality, in whatsoever state and condition of life,
whether high or low, rich or poor, bond or free, are
Christ's servants; and whatsoever is written is for
their instruction, and by the word of God they are
%warned%; the Scriptures are a way mark to them, to
direct them in a right way, and to caution them against
turning to the right or left; either to immoral practices,
or the errors and heresies of wicked men: it is a lamp
to their feet, and a light to their path, and teaches
them to walk circumspectly, and warns them of rocks,
gins, and snares in the way; or, as the words may be
rendered, %by them is thy servant made clear%, or %bright% {k};
so the word is used in \\#Da 12:3\\; that is, in his understanding:
the psalmist confirms, by his own experience,
what he had said before of the word, \\#Ps 19:8\\;
that it enlightened the eyes: the light of the glorious
Gospel of Christ shining into the heart gives the light
of the glory of God in the person of Christ; it illuminates
and irradiates the mind, and gives clear ideas
of the glory and perfections of God, of his counsels
and covenant, of his works of nature and of grace;
and makes a bright discovery of the person, offices,
and grace of Christ; and of the blessed Spirit, and his
operations; and of the blessings of grace, and of eternal
glory and happiness;
\*\\[and] in keeping of them [there
is] great reward\\; which is to be understood, not of
keeping the law of Moses, and the precepts of that,
which, if a man did keep perfectly and constantly, he
should live in them; but of observing the word of God,
and by diligent searching into it, reading and learning
it, and meditating on it, to get and obtain knowledge
of divine things; which carries its own reward with
it, and is better than thousands of gold and silver; and
of laying up the word of God, and the truths of the
Gospel, and keeping them in mind and memory, which
is very profitable and serviceable, to promote spiritual
peace and comfort, and to preserve from sin, doctrinal
and practical; and also of yielding a cheerful obedience
to the Gospel, by cordially embracing and professing
the doctrines, and submitting to the ordinances of it;
from all which arise great profit, and much reward:
such come at the knowledge of Jesus Christ, which is
preferable to every thing else, and is more precious
than rubies; and all desirable things; such enjoy the
presence of Christ, have much peace and comfort in
their souls; they are made wise unto salvation, and
are fitted for every good word and work.

{g} \^tma\^ %veritas%, Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator,
Cocceius, Gejerus, Rivetus.
{h} \^Mypwu tpwn\^ %stillatione favorum%, Vatablus, Rivetus, Cocceius;
so Ainsworth.
{i} \~tou kai apo glwsshv\~, Homer. Iliad. 1. v. 249.
{k} \^rhzn\^ %illustratur%, Pagninus, Montanus, Rivetus.