Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/4_200.lzh/4_204.TXT

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views of the love of God, with an increase of spiritual
light, knowledge, peace, and joy; and are delivered
from their troubles, and out of the hands of their
enemies. Or it may be rendered, the Lord answered
me largely {r}; as he did Solomon, when he gave him
more than he asked for; and as he does his people,
when he gives them a sufficiency,and an abundance of
his grace, and even not only above their deserts, but
above their though ts and e x pectations; see Ephes. i i i.
Ver. 6. The Lord is on my side, &c.3 Or for me{s};
he was on the side of David, hence all his prosperity
and victories, the wonderful things done by him, his
exaltation to the throne, and the establishment of it;
and so he was on the side of Christ, he was near unto
him, at his right hand, to guide, direct, and assist him
as man; and he is likewise on the side of his people,
to fight their battles for them, to support them under
all their afflictions, to supply all their wants, to deliver
them from all evil, to carry on the work of grace in
their souls, and to bring them to glory., The Targum is,
"the Word of the Lord is for my-help.' I will not fear:
what can man do unto me ? David did not; he was not
afraid of ten thousands of men, no, not of a whole army
that encamped against him, God being for him, the
strength of his life, and his salvation, Psal. iii. 6. and
xxvii. 1, 3, 3. nor did the Messiah; he was not afraid
of Herod when he was told he would kill him; nor of
the high-priests, Scribes and Pharisees, though he
knew he should fall into their hands, and they would
deliver him to the Gentiles, to be scourged and crucified;
nor of Judas and his band of men, who came to take
him; nor of Pilate his judge, who had no power against
him but what was given him. Nor have the saints any
reason to fear what man can do unto them, when grace
is in exercise; for what is man to God, who isbut flesh,
and that flesh grass ? Nor can he do any thing without
a divine permission; is often frustrated in his attempt;
and what he is suffered to do is overruled for good;
and the utmost he can do is to kill the body; he can-
not destroy the soul, or hinder the happiness of it; see
Psai. lvi. 4, 9, 11.
Ver. 7. The Lord taketh my part with them that help
me, &c.] With the four,hundred men that were with
David, and stood by him in his troubles, 1 Sam. xxii.
see Psal. liv. 4. and with those who ministered unto
Christ as man, Luke viii. 3. Or, the Lord is for me,
with or among my helpers {t}; he is the principal helper,
he is one for all; he is in the room and stead of other
helpers; having him, there is no need of any other:
the Lord is the only helper of his people, vain is the
help of man; he helps them out ofalt their troubles and
difficulties, in the exercise of every grace, and in the
discharge of every duty; he helps them to all their
mercies temporal and spiritual, to grace here, and
glory hereafter. The 'fargum is," the Word of the
"Lord is to help me." Therefore shall I see my desire
upon them that hate me; see vengeance on them, as the
Targum; which was desired by David, by the Messiah,
and by the saints; not for the sake of that itself, but
for the glory of divine justice. David saw this, Psal.
iiv. 7. so will the Messiah, when all his enemies, that
will not have him to reign over them, will be slain
before him; and so will the people of God, when anti-
christ is destroyed.
Ver. 8. It is better to trust in the Lord, &c.'] This,
with what follows in the next verse, .is the conclusion
from the above premises and experience; it is good to
trust in the Lord; such enjoy peace, are in safety, shall
not want any good thing, nor ever be ashamed and
confounded: the Targum is, "it is better to trust in
"theWordofthe Lord." Thantoput confidencein man;
it is not good to put confidence in man at all; it is trust-
ing to a broken staff, to a mere shadow, which can yield
no support or relief: it is best to trust in the Lord; he
is able to help, as well as willing; he is faithful to his
word, and unchangeable in his promises; whereas man,
though he may have a will to help, oftentimes has it
not in his power; and when it is in his power, and has
promised it, he disappoints, being changeable or un-
faithful. Wherefore trust not in man, but in the Lord;
yea, cursed is the man that trusts in man; see Jet.
xvii. 5.
Ver. 9. It is better to trust in the Lord, &c.] The
Targum is, "in the Word of the Lord." This is re-
peated for the sake of what follows: than to put con-
.fideace in princes; who have greater ability to help,
and whose henour should engage them to keep their
word; and yet it is better to trust in the Lord than in
them; see Psal. cxlvi. 3. Two different words being
used in this and the preceding verse for trust and con-
fidence, Jarchi has observed, that the one signifies a
lesser, the other a stronger confidence; as if the sense
was this, It is better lightly to trust in the Lord than
to put the strongest confidence in men and princes.
But the observation is scarcely solid enough.
Ver. I0. All nations cornpassed me about, &c.] Not
all the nations of the world, but all the neighbouring
nations about Judea; as the Philistines, Moabites,
Ammonites, Amalekites, and Syrians ;- and these not
all at one time, but sometimes one, and sometimes
another, whom David fought with and subdued: and
these, applied to C.hrist, design Herod and Pontins
Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel; who
were gathered together against him, to do what God
had determined should be done, Acts iv. 27, 28. see
Psal. xxii. 12, 16. And this is sometimes the case of
the church anti people of God: at the first setting up
of the interest of Christ, the whole world was against
it; and in such circumstances was the church of Christ,
when the whole world wondered after the beast, the
Romish antichrist; as it will be when the kings of the
earth and of the whole world will be gathered to the
battle at Armageddon; and also when the Gog and
Magog army shall compass the camp of the saints and
the beloved city; see Rev. xiii. 3. and xvi. 14. and xx.
8, 9. and so Jarchi interprets this of Gog and Magog.
Yea, it is applicable to particular believers, who are
attacked by Satan, the god of this world; and who are
hated and persecuted by the men of it 'ih general; and
who are beset on all hands, at times, with the tempts-

{r} \^bxrmb\^ in latitudine, V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Munster, Mus-
culus, Cocceius, Michaelis.
{s} \^yl\^ pro me, Musculus, Michaelis.
{t} \^yrzeb yl\^ pro me est cum iis qui auxiliantur mihi, Vatablus; so
Cocceius, Gejerus.