Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/4_000_t.lzh/4_097.TXT

Text File | 1994-09-06 | 6KB | 107 lines

hands, and so in sight: thus they bear them,up in life,
and at death carry their souls to Abraham s bosom:
lest thou dash thy foot against a stone; lest they fall
into sin, or into any calamity and distress; lest the
least hurt or mischief befall them, or the least injury
be done them; see Prov. iii. 23. The Targum inter-
prets it of the evil concupiscence, or corruption of na-
ture, which is like a stone; see Ezek. xxxvi. 26.
Ver. 13. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder,
&c.] Or be unhurt by such savage and poisonous
creatures; as the Israelites, when they travelled
through the wilderness, in which were serpents and
scorpions; and many of the servants of God have been
delivered from them, or have slain them, as Samson,
David, and' Daniel; and so Christ was among the
wild beasts in the wilderness, and yet not touched or
hurt by them; and his disciples had power given them
by him to tread on serpents and scorpions, and to
take up serpents, without receiving any damage from
them; and when a viper fastened on the hand of the
Apostle Paul, he shook it off, without being hurt by
it; see Mark i. 13. and xvi. 18. Luke x. 19. Acts xxviii.
& it may be understood figuratively of Satan, who,
for his voracioushess and cruelty, is compared to a
lion; and, for his craft and subtlety, to a serpent, 1
Pet. v. 8. Rev. xii. 9. the young lion and the dragon shalt
thou trample underfoot; which also may be understood
of the great dragon, the old serpent, called the devil
and Satan; whom Christ trampled under his feet when
he hung on the cross, and spoiled him and his princi-
palities and powers; and who, in a short time, will be
bruised under the feet of his people, as he has been al ready
by the seed of the woman, Gen. iii. 15. Rom. xvi. 20,
Ver. 14. Because he hath set his love upon me, &c.]
These are the words of God himself; and, according
to Aben Ezra, are directed to the angels, describing
the good man, and making promises to him; and in
this clause he is represented as one that had set his love
upon the Lord, being first loved by the Lord, and
having the grace of love wrought in his heart by him:
the phrase denotes the strength of his affection to God,
and the sincerity of it; its singularity, being placed
alone on him, and the settlement and fixedness of it,
so as nothing could separate from it: this the Lord
takes great notice of, and is highly well-pleased with:
hence it follows, therefore will I deliver him: from
noisome diseases before mentioned, from all afflictions
into which he .comes, and from all the temptations of
the evil one, so as that he-shall not be hurt or de-
stroyed by them: I will set him on high; on the Rock
Christ Jesus, that is. higher than he, higher than the
angels, higher than the heavens, and where he is now
out of the reach of all his enemies, and will be set
hereafter on high in heaven, among princes, inheriting
the throne of glory; yea, even set upon the same
throne with Christ himself: because he hath known my
name; himself, his being, and perfections; his Son,
the Angel of his presence, in whom his name, nature,
and perfections are; and his name as proclaimed in
him, a God gracious and merciful; and this not merely
notionally, but experimentally, and affectionately and
fiducially; for such, that truly know him, love him,
and trust in him; and these exalt him, and so are ex-
alted and set on high by him.
Vet. 15. He shall call upon me, and I will'answer him,
&c.] God is to be invoked by prayer, and to be called
upon in every time of trouble, in faith and with fer-
vency, in truth and uprightness, and sincerity of soul;
and he-himself directs and encourages to it, and pro-
mises an answer, which he always sooner or later gives;
for he is a God hearing and answering prayer; see Psal.
1. 15. I will be with him in trouble; the Lord knows his
people in adversity; he visits them in their affliction,
grants his gracious presence with them, supports them
under it, that they are not overwhelmed by it; he
bears them up and through it, and makes all things
work together for their gpod: I will deliver him, ..and
honourhim: deliverance is again promised, to denote
the certainty of it; and with this addition, that the
Lord will honour such that know him, and love him:
all his saints are honoured by him, by taking them
into his family, and giving them a name better than
that of sons and-daughters of the greatest potentate;
by clothing them with the righteousness of his Son;
by adorntug them with the graces of his Spirit; by
granting them communion and fellowship with himself,
and by bringing them to his kingdom and glory.
Ver. 16. With long life will I satisfy him, &c.] In
this world: the saints live in it as long as they choose
to live; and when they come to die, be it when it will,
they are, like Abraham, full of years, or satisfied with
them; they have had enough of them, and would not
live always here; but, with good old Sirecon, desire
to depart in peace; and in the other world they shall
be satisfied with length of days, for ever and ever, even
with eternal life; and nothing short of this will satisfy
a good man: and shew him my salvation; Jesus Christ,
the author of salvation, whom God appointed to do it,
and who has finished it; salvation itself, wrought out
by him; its fulness and suitablehess, and interest in
it; and also eternal glory and happiness, the comple-
tion and consummation of salvation: the former is
shewn unto and seen by faith here; the latter will be
seen and enjoyed in heaven to all eternity. Aben Ezra
and Kimchi refer this salvation to the days of the
Messiah.