I. CELEBRATION OF DIVINE POWER (1-7). Universal. r. The Worship (1-4). Earth exhorted. Selah. 2. The Witness (5-7 ). Man ward. Earth addressed. "Come and see." What God did for Israel. Selah. II. CONFESSION OF DISCIPLINARY PROVIDENCE (8-12). National. r. The Worship (8-9). Peoples exhorted. 2. The Witness (10-12). Godward. Elohim addressed. "Thou didst test us." What God did to Israel.
JII. CONSUMMATION OF DEVOUT PLEDGES (13-20). Individual. 1. The Worship (13-15). King exercised. Selah. 2. The Witness (16-20). Manward. Elect addressed. "Come and hear." What God did for the Psalmist. SUPERSCRIPT.-A song; a psalm. SUBSCRIPT.-For the Chief Musician; upon Neginoth. PRIMARY AssocrATIOĊr.-This psalm is anony1nous, but the language appears to connect it with the deliverance of Judah from the host of Sennacherib; Isa. xxxvi.-xxxviii. In this case, Hezekiah will be the speaker (13-20) and the psalm may well have been composed by him or by Isaiah for him. With verses 1-4 c£ Isa. xxxvii. 20; 16-20 with Isa. xxxviii. Hezekiah's restoration from sickness was both a type and a pledge of the national deliverance. For meaning of "Neginoth" see Ps. iii. notes. PROPHETIC ANTICIPATION. In verses 1-12 we hear the voice of restored Israel; in 13-20 the vojce of Messiah the King. The period is that which follows the signal defeat of Israel's powerful foes in the last days immediately preceding the mµlennial age. The King iċ in the midst of His delivered people and as their representative Head He leads the joyous praises of the nation. The terrible sufferings of the Great Tribulation are at last understood and acknowledged to have been God's disciplinary action, necessary to bring His people to a true knowledge of their sins and a proper appreciation of His marvellous grace. Note the significant marginal reading at 3. In the Millennium, multitudes will render unwilling homage to Messiah the Conqueror. IsraeLalone will be all holy, Isa. iv. The psalms do not go beyond the Millennium, hence they omit mention of the great revolt which immediately precedes the final judgment, Rev. xx. Utterance of national and universal praise is seen here to be in fulfilment of Messiah's vows ( c£ Ps. xxii.), and God discerns in the worship of the redeemed people the sweet perfume of Messiah's work. PERSONAL APPLICATION.-It is the privilege of Christians both to worship and to witness. If man looks (5) and listens (16) he will learn valuable lessons. Terrible in His works against the rebellious, God is tender in His ways with the righteous (5). The terror of God is not so much to intimidate as to impress us with a -due sense of His majesty and might (5). Come and see His works of grandeur (5), come and hear His words of grace, cf. John i. 39, 4-6. Meaitate much
upon the multitude of His mercies. The result of seeing and hearing is praise. The praise of the saints is the fruit of the Saviour's Passion. What is true of the past is true in the present and future; God's sovereignty is eternal (7). He is the ever-wakeful Watcher of the World (7). The Lord sometimes findx it necessary deliberately to bring His people into trouble to prove and to purify, to chastise and to cleanse (10--12). The divine hand disciplines and delivers the godly (10--12). The way to true liberty often lies throu'gh fire and water (12). Always pay what you owe to God (13). Zeal for God and love to man brought the Saviour down into the world. Israel's God is the only God, and God of all the earth (r, 8). Do we tell others what God has done for our souls (16)? "Every blade of grass catches its own drop of dew" (16). Faith is ever ready to praise even while offering the petition (17). The character of all true service is to exalf God (17). Hypocrisy disqualifies a suppliant with God (18). VERSE NOTES r. or, "Shout unto ... " as xlvii. r. 2. "Sing forth ... " lit. = psalm; so 4 be. 3. C£ lxv. 5-; (b) note marg., or "cringe before Thee." 5. Ctr. the'invitation of the Gospel, John i. 39, 46. 6. Israel's passage of the Red Sea and the crossing of Jordan are notable examples of God's "terrible works." (c) c£ Exod. xv. " Ob "k h " I ( ) cf I serve or, eep watc upon ... , sa. xxxvu. 17; c • sa. xxxvu. 23. 9. "Who hath set ... not suffered ... "; re£ to the recent deliverance. ro. "proved ... tried," i.e. tested and refined as precious ¿etal; Isa. i. 25. God used the Assyrians to this end. 12. Fig. of remorseless victors riding down the defeated forces. Such a scene is often portrayed on the ancient monuments; "men "= enosh (frail men). Fire and water are symbolic of extreme dangers. (c) as marg. or, "a place of liberty," i.e. into freedom; so LXX, etc. 16. (b) c£ Isa. xxxviii. 17; Hezekiah had prayed both for himself and for his people. 17. (b) as margin; i.e. even as he prayed his praise was ready to be offered, so sure was he that his petitions would be answered favourably. 18. (b) as margin, c£ IÀa. xxxviii. 3.
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