I. VANITY OF HUMAN EFFORT (r-2). Futility Betokened. I. Necessary Reminder of Man's Insufficiency. His "Busyness." Building-Defending-Sus¼g. 2. Necessary Reminder of God's All-sufficiency. His Bounty. II. VALUE OF DNINE ENDOWMENT (3-5). Felicity Bestowed. His Blessing. Gift of Sons to Build -Defend-Sustain the "House." SUPERSCRIPT.-A Song of the Degrees (or, Ascents); Solomon's. PRIMARY ASSOCIATION .-This psalm is significant in view of Solomon's many labours in building (a) the temple, and (b) his palace. The former took seven years to complete, the latter thirteen, I Kings vi.-viii. The connection between the first part of the psalm and the remainder is better understood if it be remembered that the Hebrew word for "children" is fr01n a root meaning to build. This is the middle psalm of the group and Êeems to have been chosen by Hezekiah as suited to his own childless condition during the siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib the Assyrian. He remembers the Lord's promise to. David (2 Sam. vii. 12) and longs for the fulfilment ofit in his case by the granting of an heir; c£ 2 Chron. vi. 16; vii. 18. Manasseh was born in Hezekiah's seventeenth year on the throne, that is, the trurd of the added fifteen, 2 Kings xx. 18; xxi. I. PROPHETIC ANTICIPATION.-A reminder to the newly restored nation of Israel in early millennial days. Note that the blessing here is strictly Jewish in character; communal life (1), ,domestic life (2). PERSONAL APPLICATION .-Without God both working and watching are in vain, cf. Neh. iv. 13-23. Long hours do not neces sarily mean a prosperous work (2). The world struggles and snatches, X
the believer quietly works and waits on God. God does not encourage laziness, but He does rebuke anxious drudgery, c£ Matt. vi. 25-34. He gives to His own what the godless strive for in vain; c£ Phil. iv. 6. VERSE NOTES 2. All that godless ones seek with much toil and in vain, God hestows upon His bdoved ones while they sleep. The passage is addressed to toilers who, by reason of constant anxiety and unremitting labour, lose the enjoyment that is the portion of those who trust God. God gave to Solomon in sleep, I Kings iii. 5-r3; so Adam, Gen. ii. 2r-22; Abraham, Gen. xv. r2-r6; c£ the growth of Messiah's kingdom, Mark iv. 26; Luke xvii. 20. "Beloved," Heb. yedid, a reminder of the name given to Solomon, 2 Sam. xii. 25. 3. "children,,= sons, so also (4); hr. "from Jehovah"; omit italicised words. 4. " .. . of (a father,s) youth;" or, "sons, the young men," taking the Heb. as genitive of apposition. 5. "the gate,"= chief place of city concourse for commerce, courts, etc. A stalwart family conveys a sense of influence and power, enough, e.g. to make an unjust adversary hesitate to lodge unfounded complaints.
This book has 150 chapters