Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/4_200.lzh/4_243.TXT

Text File | 1994-09-08 | 6KB | 112 lines

heart it rules: such follow peace with all men, and
the things which make for it; and, as much as in them
lies, endearour to live peaceably with all. 'But when I
speak, they are for war; make a motion for peace, and
propose the terms of it, they declare against it, and for
war: or when he spoke of the things of God, and of
his experience of them, of the word of God, and of the
truths of it, and of what he believed, Psal. cxvi. 10.
and especially when he gave good counsel and advice
to them, and reproved them for their sins, they could
not bear it; but hated him for it, and proclaimed war
against him; and could not behave peaceably to him
in any degree, but became his avowed, sworn, and
implacable enemies. The Targum is, "when I
"prayed;" either prayed to God, that they did not
like; or prayed for peace with them, that they would
not grant; but became more imbittered against him.
The inscription of the Syriac version is, "one of
"the songs of ascent out of Babylon." Aben Ezra
thinks it was composed on account of Israel, when in a
siege and distress; or, adds he, on account of the
children of our captivity; the present state of the
Jews. Grotius is of opinion it was written by David,
at the time of the battle with Absalom. Some take it
to be a military psalm, proper for soldiers engaged with
an enemy: others, that it is suitable for travellers
when on a journey; and why not for persons also,
when they commit themselves to God in the night-
watches, and about to take rest? And indeed it is
suitable at all times; when the good man may, with
the psalmist, expect divine help, and be secure of pro-
tection and preservation.
Vet. 1. I will hft up mine eyes unto the hills, &c..']
Not to the hills and mountains in Judea, looking about
to see if the inhabitants of them, or any bodies of men,
appeared upon them to his help in distress; rather to
the hills of Moriah and Zion, where the ark of God, the
symbol of his presence, was, and to whom he looked
for assistance and deliverance: or to heaven, the holy
hill of the Lord, and to him that dwelleth there; see
Peal. iii. 2. and cxxiii. 1. The lifting up of the eyes is
a prayer-gesture, John xi. 41. and xvii. 1. and is ex-
pressive of boldness and confidence in prayer, and of
hope and expectation of help and salvation, Job xi. 15.
Ezek. xviii. 6. when, on the contrary, persons abashed
and ashamed, hopeless and helpless, cannot look up, or
lift up their eyes offace to God, Ezra ix. 6. Psal. xl. l2.
Luke x-viii. 13. Some read the words, I will lift up
mine eyes upon the hills f; standing there and looking
up to the heavens, and God in the heavens; who is the
most High over all the earth, higher than the highest,
and above all gods. Others render them interro-
gatively, shall I lift up mine eyes to the hillsg ? to the
idols worshipped on hills and mountains, and pray
unto them, and expect help from them? No, I will
not; salvation is not to be had from them, Jet. iii. 23.
or to the kings of the nations, as R. Obadiah interprets
it; and to powerful kingdoms and states he was in al-
liance with, comparable to mountains and hills, Psal.
xlvi. 2. Zech. iv; 7 ? No, I will not; it is better to trust
in the Lord than to put confidence in princes, Psal.
cxviii. 9. And so the following clause may be read,
from whence shall my help come{h}? not from hills and
mountains; not froth men, for vain is the help of man;
not from kings and princes, the great men of the earth,
nor from. the most powerful nations; but from the
Lord, as in the next verse, which may be an answer to
this.
Ver. 2. My help cometh from the Lord, which made
heaven and earth.] Who helps his people out of the
hands of all their enemies, and out of all their troubles
and afflictions; he helps them in the performance of
duty, in the exercise of grace, in bearing the cross, in
fighting the Lord's battles, and on in their journey;
he helps them to all blessings, temporal and spiritual;
to all needful supplies of grace here, and glory here-
after; and this help he gives is quick and present,
suitable and seasonable, is sufficient, and sometimes
with, and sometimes without means; and they.have
great encouragement to expect it from him, since he is
able to give it, being the Maker of heaven and earth;
for what is it that he cannot do, who has made both
them? And besides, he has promised to help them,
and he is faithful that has promised; he has laid help
on Christ for them, and set up a throne of grace,
where they may hope to find grace and mercy, to help
them in time of need; and they have had past expe-
riences of his help and salvation. Arama connects
this with the preceding psalm, and interprets this
help of help from an evil tongue.
Vet. 3. He wilt not suffer thy foot to be moved, &c.]
This is either an address of the psalmist to his own
soul; or to any other good man, his friend and ac-
quaintance, assuring of stability, and of final perse-
verance in grace to glory. The Lord keeps the feet of
his saints from falling: he will not suffer them to be
moved out of the spiritual estate in which they stand;
nor off of the Foundation and Rock of ages, on which
their feet are set, and their goings established; nor out
of the house of God, Where they are as pillars; nor out
of' his ways, where he upholds their goings; moved in
some sense they may be, yet not greatly moved; their
feet may be almost gone, and their steps well nigh
slipped, and yet shall not fall finally and totally, or so
as to perish; see Psal. lxii. 2. and lxxiii. 2. and xxxvii.

{f} \^Myrhh la\^ super montes, Vatablus, Amama; so Kimchi.
{g} \^ynye ava\^ attollerem ocu|os meos ad illos montes ? Junius &
Tremellius; attollamne, &c. Piscator; so Gejerus and Ainsworth.
{h} So Musculus, Cocceius, Gejerus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator,
Michaelis.