I. GRATEFUL ACKNOWLEDGMENT (1-4). Record of Past Deliverance. I. TheExperience (1-3a). 2. The Effect (3b). 3. The Encouragement (4). II. GLAD A VOW AL (5-10 ). Resolve of Personal Devotion. I. Declaration of Jehovah's Works (5). Testimony before God. 2. Demonstration of the Psalmist's Obedience (6-8). 3. Declaration of Jehovah's Attributes (9-ro). Testimony before men. m. GREAT APPEAL (II-17). Request for Present Deliverance. I. The Expectation {II). 2. The Extremity (12).
RE CORD OF THE D IVINE REDEEMER 3. The Entreaty (13). "Make haste ... " 4. Imprecation (14-15). Against soul-seekers. 5. Intercession (16). For God-seekers. 6. The Extremity (17a). 7. The Expectation (17b). 8. The Entreaty (17c). "Make no tarrying ... " SUPERSCRIPT.-A psahn of David. SUBSCRIPT.-For the Chief Musician. PRIMARY AssocIATION.-Written by David probably during the period of Absalom' s rebellion, or that of Adonijah. Both these sons of David commenced their open revolt by a sacrificial feast, 2 Sam. xv. 7-12; 1 Kings i. 9, 41; cf. Ps. lxix. 30-31 and David's warning to Absaloni's faction (Ps. iv. s), who cloaked their evildoing under a show of religion. Ceremonial observance was confounded with cordial obedience to the will of God, a common error in Israel and, alas, in Christendom to-day. In this psalm we find another instance of the deliverance celebrated, followed by a description of the circumstances preceding that deliverance. Note that in lxx. part of this psalm recurs, but in perfect harmony with the context; there, as following the trespass offering, lxix.; here, in the burnt offering psalm. PROPHETIC ANTICIPATION.-Long recognised as Messianic, this psalm represents the burnt offering aspect of the Cross; cf. xxii. and xix. The writer of the Hebrews Epistle quotes the LXX version of 6-8 at x. 5-7, where the efficacy of Christ's perfect obedience in sacri ficing Himself is contrasted with the inefficacy of the legal sacrifices, now set aside in the "once-for-all" offering of the body of Jesus Christ. The difference in the words of the Old Testament and the New Testament are nÜt a contradiction but an explanation. The in spired writers of the New TestameÝt often explain as they quote the Old Testament Scriptures. The Holy Spirit- surely has the right to explain His own words. "Digged ears" and "prepared body" both indicate readiness for service. The burnt offering characterised t4e brazen altar and gave it its more frequent name, Exod.xxxviii.1-7. This offering. was tried fully by the fire of divine holiness and nothing found but a sweet savour, all ascending to God. It is interesting to notice that the number of our psalm is the representative number of perfect trial, forty. From the Messianic standpoint, we may analyse
IIO the psahn thus: (a) the Crowning Celebration, 1-4; (b) the ONE Obedience, 5-13; (c) the Contrasted Consequences, 14-17. Verse 12 was true of Christ only in His vicarious sufferings as the Sin bearer, hence the close association of this verse with the preceding one. The depths into which His holy soul sank are represented in verse 2. This psalm· has also a prophetic relation to the faithful remnant and their soul exercise in the days of the coming crisis. Verse 6, for instance, while expressing a general truth, seems to apply expecial y to them in the days of the last great national apostasy, dark days referred to also in 2 Thess. ii. We have already seen that the sufferings of Messiah in certain aspects are closely related to those of His people. PERSONAL APPLICATION.-Patient waiting for God always meets its due reward (I). For the believer there is a furn footing and strong stepping (2). He has exchanged a slippery place for a secure place, no footing for sure footing (2). The God who has delivered, does deliver and will yet deliver, 2 Cor. i. 10. Remembrance of our salvatio1+ is always an occasion for a new song (3). Study the beatitudes in the Psalter; here is one (4). God's thoughtfulness for "us" (5) is individualised for "me" ( r 7). Try counting our blessings; it is good exercise, but we shall not succeed (5). Let us constantly remind ourselves of the solemn words recorded in 1 Sam. xv. 22. What delights God should delight His servants (8). Gratitude to God is best expressed by willing obedience (8). Public declaration and private desire should be complementary and cons_istent (8--9). The Lord "withholds not" His tender merČies (11), then "withhold not" your testimonial message (9). The best qualification for a preacher of righteousness is the practice of it (9). For Messiah, man's· guilty pleasure insisted upon the Cross, and God's good pleasure involved the Cross. We love God's salvation, because in it we see His character (=personality, power and purpose) so wonderfully displayed (16); we love His• appearing also, because it will bring the consummation of God's salvation, 2 Tim. iv. 8. Let us make 17b our very own to-day. VERSE NOTES 2. Quagmires are common in Palestine. 4. "Happy is the man that hath made Jehovah his trust; and hath not turned 'd th d as1 e to e arrogant an apostates ; man = stro_ng man.
ECORD OF THE DIVINE REDEEMER III 5. "Tl,011" (emph.); (b) or, " . . . and Thy thoughtfulness for us"; (,) br. as margin. 6-8. Contrast Saul's selfwill with David's self-devotion, I Sam. xv. 22. 6. Note mention of principal offerings to show that all those given in the Levitical code are included; "sacrifice" t'c!Ņtrew = zebach) a general term for all eucharistic sacrifices-peace, votive and ,-offerings; "offering" (Heb. mincha) is the meal offering with which is connected the drink offering; "burnt offering" (Heb. olah); "sin offering" (Heb. chatath) refers to the expiatory sacrifices, viz. sin and trespass offerings. All pointed to Christ and found their full realisation in Him, consequently were no more required after He appeared. It is siņcant that the very generation which saw His rejection, saw also the Jewish priesthood abolished and the sacrifices taken away. Since then the Jews have had no oppor tunity for offering sacrifices according to the legal code. As typifying Christ's perfect offering, we may briefly mention:( a) the Sin Offering, _:a:ll..-piation for sin; (b) the Trespass Offering, Restitution for sin; (c) the Meal Offering, Perfection of life; (d) the Burnt Offering, Devotion unto death; (e) the Peace Offering, Reconciliation ef ected and enjoyed. 6. (b) Placed between (a) and (c) apparently for poetic effect introductory to 7-8. True in measure of David, Messiah was the supreme and only perfect example of obedience. The meaning is not the same as in Exod. xxi. 6, though there is a connection. There perpetual service is denoted; here, perfect service; both are realised in Christ; c£ Isa. L 4-5. 7. "Then"; of David, expresses the ready response of the servant to his master's summons, Num. :x:xii. 38; 2 Sam. xix. 20; c£ Isa. vi. 9; of Messiah, it is to be referred to the time after His assumption of Ňood (Heb. x. 5 ). Note tense of verb in R.V. (b) cf. John v. 39; Lukexxiv. 44; but here specifically the institution of the sacrifices mentioned, verse 6; as much as to say," My work is the fulfilment of these." Only blind critics could ever take verse 6 to mean that sacrifices were never instituted of God. David did not neglect their use ( I Chron. xxix. 21 ), though he did condemn the rebel's abuse of them, c£ Isa. i. rerr7. See Appendix VII. 8. (a) Ctr. the "delight" of the wicked (14), s.H.w.; (b) Such was God's demand of Israel, Deut. vi. 6, and such is the characteristic of the righteous, Ps. xxxvii. 3r. Such also is to be the condition of those under the New Covenant, Jer. xxxi. 33. 9. (a) Br. as marg., xxxv. 18. Public declaration of a paramount theme. (b) br. "I did not restrain . . . ," not a prayer, but an expression of confidence in the divine response. (b) As he has not ceased to acknowledge God's loving kindness and truth, so loving-kindness and truth will not cease to guard him. " ils " · _m: · " th .. b "And I " c£ ev , 1.e. anucllons; so at . . . r. cannot see ; . XXXVlll. ro. 13-17. Passage recurs as Ps. lxx. with a few variations. 13b. cf. xxxviii. 22. 14,ff. Recall passages in Ps. :xxxv. 17. "But," or, though. 19. I.e. discomfited because of the defeat of their malevolent plans; "Aha, aha" = exclamation of malicious pleasure.
II2 ANALYTICAL STUDIES IN tlIE PSALMS
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