Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/4_200.lzh/4_292.TXT

Text File | 1994-09-08 | 7KB | 128 lines

razor; as swords, and spears, and arrows, and as the
tongue of a serpent, Psal, lvii. 4. and lxiv. 3. and the
subtlety of false teachers, and deceitful workers; .and
the sharp and cutting words of wicked men agains. t
Christ and his people, Jude 15. .4ddert poison is
under their lips. Selah. Which may signify the ma-
lignity of sin in wicked men, which comes from the
old serpent the devil; is latent in men; very infectious,
like poison, and deadly and incurable, but by the grace
of God, and blood of Christ: and may describe parti-
cularly the mischief of the tongue, which is a little
member, as the asp is a little creature; but very mis-
chievous, full of deadly poison, which lurks in it, lies
under it, and which spitting out, it stupifies and kills
insensibly; as do the calumnies of wicked men, and
the doctrines of false teachers; see Rom. iii. 13. The
Targum is, "the poison of the spider;" though it is
said {K} the spider is not venomous.
Vet. 4. Keep me, 0 Lord, .from the hands of the
wicked, &c.] From falling into their hands, and the
weight of them}; and from-their laying hands on him,
being men of power and authority. Preserve me from
the violent man: or men, every one of them; see the
note on vet. 1. Who have parposed to overthrow my
goings: to supplant him; to cause him to stumble and
fall, to his disgrace and reproach; and that they might
take an advantage of him, and an occasion against him.
Arama interprets it, to drive me out of the land of
Israel; see I Sam. xxvi. 1,9. So Christ's enemies
thought to have supplanted him, and have found some-
thi.n.g against him, to accuse him of to Caesar, Matt.
xxii. 15---22.
Vet. 5. The proud have hid a snare for me, and cords,
&c.] These were the Zipbites, according to Arama;
see Psal. cxix. 85. the character well agrees with the
Scribes and Pharisees, who were proud boastors, and
despised others, and often laid snares for Christ to take
away his life; and with the enemies of the church and
people of God; who, through their pride, persecute
them, and are insidious, anti use artful methods to
inshare them; as the lowlet lays his snare for the bird,
and has Iris cords to draw it to him when it is taken in
the snat'e, to which the allusion is. They have spread
a ,.el by/the way-side: they waylaid him; knowing the
way he would go, they lay in wait for him, to seize him
at once as he went along; see John xviii. 1, 2. the word
cords in the preceding clause should be connected with
this, and be read, and with cords they have spread a net
by the way-side: it being usual, as Jarchi observes, to
fasten a long cord at the top of the net; and when the
fowlersees the birds under the net, he draws the cord,
and the net falls upon the fowls. They/have set gins
for me; all these expressions design the insidiousness,
and the private, secret, artful methods, the enemies of
David, of Christ and his people, took and do take to
inshare them. Arama interprets the snare and cords
of the watching of David's house; the net by the way/-
side of posting themselves at the gates of the city, and
surrounding' it; and gins of spies; see 1 Sam. xix.
11--24. Of Selah, see the note on Psal. iii. 2.
Vet. 6. I said unto the Lord, thou art my God, &c.]
He said this to the Lord himself; claimed his covenant-
interest in him, and expressed it in the strength of
faith: and this he did when in the midst of trouble and
distress; in danger of falling into the hands of evil and
violent men; they imagined mischief against him;
were bent on his ruin, and laid nets, snares, gins, and
traps for him; when he applied to his God, who only
could deliver him; and being his covenant-God, he
had reason to belive he would; see Psal. xxxi. 14.
Hear the voice of my supplications, 0 Lord; the requests
he put up in an humble manner for deliverarm and
salvation; and which he expressed vocally, and en-
treated they might be heard and answered; and nothing
could tend more to strengthen his faith in this than
that it was his own God and Father he prayed unto;
see Psal. xxviii. 2. Thus Christ, in the days of his
flesh, offered up prayers and supplications with strong
crying; and in the midst of his troubles, and sur-
rounded with enemies, declared his faith in God as his
God, Heb. v. 7. Psal. xxii. 10, 11. Matt. xxvii. 46.
Ver. 7. 0 God the Lord, the strength of my salvation,
&c.] Temporal and spiritual, which he was able to
effect; the mighty God and mighty Saviour: and this
encouraged David to believe he shouid have deliverance;
and this secured, confirmed, and established it to him;
and to which he was the more induced by what expe-
rience he had had of the divine goodness to tlim, as
follows: thou hast covered my head in the day/of
battle; with the helmet of salvation, as Kimchi, Aben
Ezra, and Arama observe; which, in a spiritual sense,
is to a believer the hope of salvation, Ephes. vi. 17. 1
Thess. v. 8. a defensive weapon to him; and protects
him whilst he is engaging with Iris spiritual enemies in
this his state of warthre, sin, Satan, and the world.
Perhaps David may have respect to the divine pro-
tection of him, when he fought with Goliath. Salva-
tion was Christ's helmet, when he engaged with all his
and our enemies; even with all the powers of darkness,
and obtained deliverance for us, isa. lix. 16, 17.
Ver. 8. Grant not, 0 Lord, the d,?sires of the .wicked,
&c.] Of Doeg, as the Targum, and of other wicked
men, who were desirous both of taking him, and of
taking away his life: but the desires of such men are
under the restraints of the Lord; nor can they fulfil
them unless they have leave from him, which is here
deprecated. The psalmist entreats he might not be
delivered up to their will, or they have their will of
him; see Psal. xxvii. 12. Jarchi interprets it of Esau,
as in vet. 1. and it is applicable enough to antichrist
and his wicked followers; who, could they have their
desires, would root the Gospel, and the interest of
Christ and Iris people, out of the wcrld. Further not
his wicked device: or, let not his widced device come
.forth ', or proceed to execution, or be brought to per-
fection; let him be disappointed in it, that he may not
be able to perform his enterprise, or execute his
designs; which cannot be done without the divine per-
mission.{*} The Rabbins, as Jarchi and others, render it,
let not his bridle come out {m}; the bridle out of his jaws,
with which he was held by the Lord, and restrained
from doing his will; let hitn not bc left to h!s liberty,

{k} Philosoph. Transact. abridged, vol. 2. p. 800. & vol. 5. par. 1. p. 24.
{l} \^qpt la\^ ne facias prodire, Vatablus; ne sinas exire, Cocceius,
Michaelis.
{m} Vel frenum ejus ne sinas exire, Cocceius.