Who will lead me into Edom? V. 11. Wilt not Thou, O God, who hast cast us off? And wilt not Thou, O God, go forth with our hosts? V. 12. Give us help from trouble; for vain is the help of man. V. 13. Through God we shall do valiantly;

for He it is that shall tread down our enemies. It is a hymn setting forth the fulfilment of God's promises and as such is a fitting song for all believers, a hymn of triumph over all spiritual enemies, all of whom must finally submit to the Lord.

Lament of the Righteous Against Traitors and Enemies.

To the chief musician, for use in the liturgical part of worship, a psalm of David, in which he indeed may have reference to conditions of his own time, in his relation to Doeg, to Ahithophel, or to Shimei, but which at the same time is prophetical and typical of the relation in which Christ stood to the Jews and especially to Judas Iscariot, who betrayed

Him. This is evident from the remarks of Peter at the election of Matthias, Acts 1, 16. 20. V. 1. Hold not Thy peace, as if God's silence were an indication of His indifference, O God of my praise, the object of his praise, of whose help he was so sure that he could proclaim His glory even in advance; v. 2. for the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful, literally, "of deceit," said in an emphatic statement, are opened, that is, have the enemies opened, against me, as though in an effort to discredit him in court; they have spoken against me with a lying tongue, literally, "with a tongue of lies or falsehood," since their entire being was wrapped up in lying, since they knew nothing else. V. 3. They compassed me about also, coming against him from all sides, with words of hatred, and fought against me without a cause, without his having given provocation to them. V. 4. For my love, that is, in return for all the love which he has shown them, they are my adversaries; but I give myself unto prayer, literally, "I am prayer," that is, he gives forth his whole being in prayer, placing himself in the care of God in absolute trust. V. 5. And they have rewarded me evil for good, which he, on his part, showed toward them in all his dealings, and hatred for my love. Having thus set forth the wickedness of the adversaries, David singles out one of them, the type of Judas Iscariot, asking the Lord to punish him as he deserved. V. 6. Set Thou a wicked man over him, a power of punishment, an executioner, to drag him to judgment, and let Satan, in this case practically as the servant of God in carrying out the punishment fixed by Him, stand at his right hand, the usual position of the accusing witness. The court scene is further pictured. V.7. When he shall be judged, let him be condemned, and let his prayer become sin, since it was not the crying of a penitent sinner, but of one in the depths of blasphemous

despair. We are here reminded of the cry of Judas Iscariot: "I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood," Matt. 27, 4. V. 8. Let his days be few, his life coming to an end before the time normally set for its length; and let another take his office, this statement being directly applied by Peter to the apostleship lost by Judas Iscariot, Acts 1, 20. V. 9. Let his children be fatherless, orphaned by his violent death, and his wife a widow, his family sharing in the punishment of his guilt. V. 10. Let his children, who evidently followed their father in his wickedness, be continually vagabonds, wandering vagrants, and beg; let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places, prowling about at a distance from their ruined home. V. 11. Let the extortioner, the heartless creditor, catch all that he hath, as in a net or snare; and let the strangers spoil his labor, making that their plunder or booty over which he toiled with so much work. V. 12. Let there be none to extend mercy unto him, showing love to his children; neither let there be any to favor his fatherless children. V. 13. Let his posterity be cut off, by exterminating his family; and in the generation following, in the second generation, let their name be blotted out, so annihilated that not even a remembrance would be left. V. 14. Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the Lord, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. V. 15. Let them be before the Lord continually, the iniquities of the father being unforgotten and unforgiven by the Lord, that He may cut off the memory of them from the earth, to the everlasting disgrace of the entire family, all of whose members, on account of their own wickedness, are burdened also with the guilt of their forbears, v. 16. because that he, the chief and representative enemy, remembered not to show mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, one who was already bowed down with suffering, that he might even slay the broken in heart. The Messianic character of this passage is seen from the corresponding section of Psalm 69, especially vv. 20-29. V. 17. As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him, it struck him with full force when he, in despair, took his own life; as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him. His fate was the result of his own choice, made in spite of better knowledge

and repeated warnings. V. 18. As he clothed himself with cursing, as one wrapping himself closely in it, happy in feeling it all about himself, like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, the curse penetrating into the innermost parts of his body, and like oil into his bones, saturating everything and bringing condemnation and punishment upon him. V. 19. Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually. All these imprecations are now summarized. V. 20. Let this be the reward, the well-deserved punishment, of mine adversaries from the Lord, and of them that speak evil against my soul, in repaying the love shown them with enmity in word and deed. They have brought the curse and punishment upon themselves, they have chosen the evil. The inspired singer now turns to lament and prayer. V. 21. But do Thou for me, O God the Lord, taking his part, showing him blessings, for Thy name's sake; because Thy mercy, the grace of Jehovah, the God of salvation, is good, the source and foundation of all true spiritual blessings, deliver Thou me. V. 22. For I am poor and needy, this being particularly descriptive of the Messiah in His suffering as our Substitute, and My heart is wounded within Me, as when He Himself complained that His soul was exceeding sorrowful, even unto death, Matt. 26, 38. V. 23. I am gone like the shadow when it declineth, toward evening, just before it is swallowed up by darkness; I am tossed up and down as the locust, driven away like grasshoppers before the wind, Ex.

10, 19. V. 24. My knees are weak through fasting, His deep grief causing Him to loathe all food; and My flesh faileth of fatness, emaciation following deep and sustained sorrow. V. 25. I became also a reproach unto them, Ps. 69, 11. 12; Matt. 27, 39-44; when they looked upon Me, they shaked their heads. V. 26. Help Me, O Lord, My God, the Messiah's own prayer being recorded here, as in Ps. 22 and 69; O save Me according to Thy mercy, v. 27. that they, the enemies, may know that this is Thy hand, that Thou, Lord, hast done it, His deliverance thus resulting in the glorification of Jehovah. V. 28. Let them curse, in a vain attempt to bring evil upon the Lord's servant, but bless Thou, since God's blessing more than offsets any curse on the part of men; when they arise, in order to carry out their evil designs, let them be ashamed; but let Thy Servant rejoice, knowing that the end of His suffering is near. V. 29. Let Mine adversaries be clothed with shame, on account of the fact that their evil plans miscarried, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle, with the disgrace which their evil deeds brought upon them. V. 30. I will greatly praise the Lord with My mouth, for the deliverance which is bound to come; yea, I will praise Him among the multitude, in the midst of His congregation. V. 31. For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to wage war in His behalf, to save Him from those that condemn His soul. Thus God, the righteous Judge, would eventually pronounce the sentence of justification upon His Servant. Cp. Is. 53, 8.

A Psalm of Christ, Our King and
High Priest.

A psalm of David, altogether prophetic in character, setting before the Church of the Old Testament the Messiah as the Lord of David. No other psalm, no other prophecy, is quoted so often in the New Testament as this psalm. Cp. Matt. 22, 44; Mark 12, 36; Luke 20, 42; Acts 2, 34; 1 Cor. 15, 25; Heb. 1, 13; 1 Pet. 3, 22. Compare also Ps. 45, 6. 7, where the same idea is brought out. V. 1. The Lord said unto my Lord, literally, "Declaration of Jehovah to my Lord," David here recording what he, in the spirit, heard Jehovah, the God of heaven, say to his Lord, the Messiah, Sit Thou at My right hand, emblem of the almighty power of God with which He shows forth His great miracles, especially those for the salvation of mankind, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool. The Messiah, the Son of David, and at the same time David's Lord, born as a true man and living His life in lowliness and humility, is given a part in

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the divine power and rule, Himself in charge of God's government of the earth, exalted to that position according to His humanity. The climax of His kingly rule will be reached on the Last Day; for then the Lord Jehovah will crown His many victories in behalf of the Head of the Christian Church by vanquishing even the last enemy of mankind, death, 1 Cor. 15, 25. On that day the Kingdom of Grace will become the Kingdom of Glory, and Christ will rule as the King of Glory throughout eternity. V. 2. The Lord shall send the rod, the scepter, of Thy strength, stretching it out in the conquering power of His might, out of Zion, extending His Church on all sides, among all nations. The conquest of the enemies, the conversion of the heathen, is a proof of Christ's almighty power. Rule Thou in the midst of Thine enemies. In the very midst of His enemies Christ establishes His kingdom. V. 3. Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power, literally, "willingnesses" or "willing sacrifices" whenever He

wants to mobilize them, whenever He wants them to carry forward His will, to spread the Gospel of His glory and salvation, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning; Thou hast the dew of Thy youth, literally, "in the majesties of holiness, from the womb of the dawn to Thee is the dew of Thy young men." The people mobilized by the Lord, the soldiers enrolled under Messiah's banners, appear in the majesties of holiness, in the garments of the true priests, the symbol of purity, white linen, their garments cleansed by the blood of the Lamb. Thus they are a nation of priests, 1 Pet. 2, 9. In such numbers are they mobilized for spiritual warfare and ministry that the young men - the vigorous numbers making up the army -are like dew from the womb of the morning for multitude, a countless host. As the dew falls most strongly just at dawn, when the morning star arises, so the members of Christ's Church and army are brought forth when the heavenly light from the Day-star on high shines upon them, when they are converted by the power of the Spirit in the Word. The new spiritual life is bound to show in all the works of the Christians. The psalmist now pictures the majesty of the Messiah. V. 4. The Lord, Jehovah of heaven, hath sworn, in a solemn oath, and will not repent, the words of His oath being directed to the Messiah, Thou art a Priest forever, throughout eternity, after the order of Melchizedek. Jesus Christ is the great High Priest of His Church, who, by His atonement, by offering Himself as a sacrifice to God in the place of all men, as mankind's great Substitute, earned an everlasting redemption, the fruit of which is assured to all believers by His intercession for us at the throne of His Father. The priesthood is His after the order of Melchizedek, king of Salem, who was

both king and priest in one person. The thought is carried out in great detail in the Epistle to the Hebrews, chap. 6, 20-7, 28. V. 5. The Lord at Thy right hand, the Messiah Himself, possessed of the full divine Godhead, also according to His human nature, shall strike through kings in the day of His wrath, crushing them, treading even the greatest and most powerful enemies under foot on the great Day of Judgment, when His anger will blaze forth. V. 6. He shall judge among the heathen, carrying out His sentence of wrath upon all such as persistently oppose His work; He shall fill the places with the dead bodies, the picture being that of a carnage of battle, with the dead and dying strewing the battle-field; He shall wound the heads over many countries, shattering "the head over much earth," the reference most likely being to Antichrist, of whom it is stated that the Lord shall consume him with the Spirit of His mouth and destroy him with the brightness of His coming, 2 Thess. 2, 8, so that he and all his adherents will receive their reward in everlasting damnation. At the same time the Victor will stand forth in His glory. V.7. He shall drink of the brook in the way; therefore shall He lift up the head. He who was obliged to drink of the brook of suffering and tribulation in the state of His humiliation, especially in His last great Passion, will have His exaltation confirmed forever, before friends and enemies, on the great Last Day. It is nothing but victory, conquest, and triumph that falls to the lot of the Messiah. With His head raised up high above all His enemies, He shall never again be laid low, but shall hold the field forever, together with those who have accepted Him as their Savior and their King, in an everlasting victory and triumph.

A Psalm of Praise to Jehovah. V. 1. Praise ye the Lord, or, "Hallelujah, praise Jehovah," the singer celebrating God's gracious dealings with His people, of which he gives a summary statement. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, that is, in the intimate circle of believers, who form a company of confidential friends, and in the congregation, the true spiritual Israel of all times. V. 2. The works of the Lord, both of His providence and of His grace, are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein, that is, carefully studied by all who desire to understand them more perfectly. V. 3. His work is honorable and glorious, literally, "honor and majesty," to emphasize the fact that His entire essence finds expression in them; and His righteousness, espePopular Commentary, Old Test., II.

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cially as shown in the great work of redemption, endureth forever. V. 4. He hath made His wonderful works to be remembered, literally, "A remembrance He hath made to His miracles," setting them before men never to be forgotten; the Lord is gracious and full of compassion, His wonders showing in His goodness, love, and mercy. V. 5. He hath given meat unto them that fear Him, supplying them richly with food; He will ever be mindful of His covenant, the covenant between Israel and Jehovah being typical of that made with all believers in the Word of Grace. V. 6. He hath showed His people, the children of Israel, the power of His works, His almighty power being manifested in the manner in which He led and guided them, that He may give them the heritage of the heathen, as He did at the conquest of 12

Canaan. V. 7. The works of His hands, by which He manifests Himself to His people, are verity and judgment, truth and justice 'designating both their source and the manner in which they are performed before men; all His commandments are sure, whatever He ordains is trustworthy, dependable, as being intended for the highest benefit of mankind. V. 8. They stand fast forever and ever, established by His eternal decree, and are done in truth and uprightness, without hypocrisy, with only the highest good of His people in mind. V. 9. He sent redemption unto His people, the deliverance from the bondage of Egypt being typical of the great spiritual redemption which was gained by Christ for all men; He hath commanded His covenant forever, giving the assurance that the covenant of His mercy should never fail.

Holy and reverend is His name, His entire essence and all His attributes filling all those who contemplate them with awe. V. 10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the highest and best wisdom, for this world and for the world to come, flowing out of the reverence of God which is grounded in faith; a good understanding, a proper appreciation and recognition of the values in life, have all they that do His commandments, faithful in their duties according to His Word, the spiritual men being able to have the right judgment in all things. His praise endureth forever, that is, every one who fears the Lord with the reverence which is an outgrowth of faith may rightly be called happy and blessed, since he is in the most intimate relation with his heavenly Father, from whom every blessing flows.

A Psalm of the Happiness of the Believers. V. 1. Praise ye the Lord, another hallelujah psalm, properly regarded as an exposition and application of the last verse of the preceding psalm, the object being to present the inner happiness of those who fear and obey God, as contrasted with the fate of the unbelievers. Blessed, living in true happiness, is the man that feareth the Lord, in the awe and reverence flowing from true faith, that delighteth greatly in His commandments, taking great pleasure, finding the highest happiness, in proper obedience to them. V. 2. His seed, his children or posterity, shall be mighty upon earth, literally, "a hero or champion," having authority and influence even in the temporal affairs of the state; the generation of the upright, his family, in so far as its members follow him in his godliness, shall be blessed, just as the Lord states in the summary of the Ten Commandments. V. 3. Wealth and riches, everything needed for a long and happy life, shall be in his house, even if the filthy lucre is not stacked up in heaps; and his righteousness endureth forever, his entire conduct is always in agreement with the divine requirements, because he has, by faith, accepted the righteousness imputed to him by virtue of the Messiah's work. V. 4. Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness, in the very midst of the valley of the shadow of death the sun of God's mercy shines upon them and guides them in the right way; he is gracious and full of compassion and righteous, every believer reflecting, in this respect, the virtues of His heavenly Father. V. 5. A good man showeth favor and lendeth, that is, happy is the man,

it is well with him, who is benevolent and generous; he will guide his affairs with discretion, literally, "he will maintain his cause in judgment," his character will be so well established in the community that he will be safe against the schemes of enemies seeking to discredit him. V. 6. Surely he shall not be moved forever, his position being such that evil designs cannot harm him; the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance, remembered with approval by all who were acquainted with him. V. 7. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings, not dread reports which threaten misfortune to himself and his house; his heart is fixed, set in firm confidence, trusting in the Lord, who will not permit any real evil to strike him. V. 8. His heart is established, firm in faith and trust, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies, his oppressors laid low by the punishment of God. V. 9. He hath dispersed, showed proper generosity, he hath given to the poor, those really in need; his righteousness endureth forever, his righteous conduct, as grounded in, and flowing from, his faith in Jehovah; his horn, emblem of authority and might, shall be exalted with honor, lifted up high before all the world, with open appreciation of his moral worth. V. 10. The wicked shall see it and be grieved, on account of being disappointed in his evil designs; he shall gnash with his teeth, in impotent rage, and melt away, his final portion being everlasting destruction. The desire of the wicked shall perish, all his wicked scheming against the righteous will come to naught, be of no avail to him. This serves to cheer and encourage all believers in the midst of the world's hatred.

Praise of God's Mercy toward the Lowly.

V. 1. Praise ye the Lord, this being the third hallelujah psalm, setting forth the majesty of God, together with His mercy in dealing with the humble. It was used as the introduction to the great hallel sung by the Jews on their great festivals, particularly on the Passover. Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, all the faithful, all true believers, who delight in the true ministry of Jehovah, praise the name of the Lord, setting forth the glory of His essence and attributes, as shown in His Word and works. V. 2. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore, the entire Church, with all its members, singing His praises as Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier, throughout eternity. V. 3. From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, throughout the length and breadth of the world, the Lord's name is to be praised, all creatures being invited to join in this psalm. V. 4. The Lord is high above all nations, exalted above all human states with their puny rulers, and His glory above the heavens, over which He, too, is the absolute Sovereign. V. 5. Who is

like unto the Lord, our God, who dwelleth on high, on the throne of His power, v. 6. who humbleth Himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth, that is, who, from His exalted position of omniscience and omnipresence, watches most carefully over everything that happens in heaven and earth. V. 7. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, out of the condition of extreme lowliness, and lifteth the needy, the miserable and despised, out of the dunghill, or ash-heap, as one cast off by men and making the refuse heap of the city his dwelling; v. 8. that He may set him with princes, even with the princes of His people, elevating him to a position in the nobility, the powerful people of the land. V. 9. He maketh the barren woman to keep house, taking from her the disgrace of childlessness, and to be a joyful mother of children, a blessing which is often emphasized in the Bible. Praise ye the Lord! It is the proper song for the believers of all times, and all the blessings here enumerated are gratefully acknowledged by them in hymns of praise and in willing ministry of the hands.

The God of Jacob the Deliverer out
of Egypt.

A majestic song celebrating the care of God for His people at the time of the exodus from Egypt, when all the powers of nature were called to contribute for their benefit. V. 1. When Israel, God's chosen people, who had accepted the true God as their King, went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob, which had entered Egypt as a family and left it as a nation, from a people of strange language, that is, unintelligible, foreign, Hebrew being considered the sacred language, v. 2. Judah, the tribe which assumed the leadership and to whose tribe the capital was reckoned after the time of David, was His Sanctuary and Israel, the entire nation, as His Church, His dominion, His rule over them being acknowledged by all the true Israelites, Ex. 6, 7. V. 3. The sea saw it and fled, the Red sea opening up before the people, Ex. 14, 21; Jordan was driven back, Josh. 3, 13. 16; v. 4. the mountains skipped like rams and the little hills like lambs, the

reference being to the quaking of Mount Sinai and the surrounding country at the time of the giving of the Law. V. 5. What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back? the reference being to the two events that marked the beginning and the end of the wilderness journey. V. 6. Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams? and ye little hills, like lambs? Why should all nature be in a turmoil with so many manifestations of His divine power? V. 7. Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, that being the explanation of the agitation in nature at various times during the wilderness journey, at the presence of the God of Jacob, v. 8. which turned the rock into a standing water, on the two occasions when Moses, at the command of God, smote the rock and water gushed forth, the flint into a fountain of waters, Ex. 17, 6; Num. 20, 11. It is a source of great comfort to New Testament believers to know that the spiritual Rock on whom the children of Israel depended was Christ, 1 Cor. 10, 4. 9.

PSALM

Vindication of God's Glory over against the Idols.

This psalm may have been a cry of Israel for the assistance of the Lord in the face of invading enemies, who placed their confidence

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in their heathen idols. V. 1. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, the repetition of the cry serving for emphasis, but unto Thy name give glory, so that His essence and His attributes might properly be proclaimed before