I. CONFIDENT PETITIONS (r-4). r. Profession of Trust (ra). 2. Prayers for Deliverance (rb-3a). 3. Profession of Trust (3b). 4. Prayer for Deliverance (4): II. COGENT PLEAS (5-rr). Youth and Age. The Psalmist's consistent trust and Jehovah's constant care.- I. Avowal of Trust (5). 2. Acknowledgment of Care {6). 3. Ascription of Praise (6) 4. Astonishment of Men (7). 5.Avowal of Trust (7). 6. Ascription of Praise (8). 7. Appeal for Preservation (9-rr). "Forsake me not." (i) Request (9 ). (ii) Reason (ro-rr).
I80 III. CONTINUED PRAYER (12-13). 1. Request (12). Aid desired. 2. Reprobation (13). Adversaries denounced. "Them that seek my hurt." IV. CONTEMPLATED PRAISE (14-16). THEME = ",Thy Righteousness." V. COGENT PLEAS (17-18). Youth and Age. Jehovah's constant care and the psalmist's consistent testimony. r. Acknowledgment of Instruction (17). 2. Activity in Testimony (17). 3. Appeal for Preservation (18). "Forsake me not." 4. Aim in Testimony (18). VI. CONFIDENT PRONOUNCEMENTS (19-20). r. Attributes of God ( 19 ). 2. Acts oi God (20 ). VII. CONCLUDING PRAYER (21 ). VIll. CONTEMPLATED PRAISE (22-24). THEME= "Thy Righteousness." r. Rendition (22-24d). Aid conferred. 2. Reason (24b ). Adversaries confounded. "They that sought my hurt." PRIMARY AssocIATION.-The psalm is anonymous and occasion unknown. The writer is evidently elderly (9, 18). The close con nection with the two preceding psalms, the absence of title here, and the style, all suggest Davidic authorship, in which case it belongs to his later life¡ perhaps the time of Adonijah' s revolt. The LXX attributes it to David, and the superscript in that version seems to indicate that this was a favourite psalm of the Rechabites, Jer. xxxv. The composition contains many quotations from other psalms, but the new combination has a significant individuality of its own. PROPHETIC ANTICIPATION.-The godly remnant in Israel here anticipates the renewal of national youth. The proper exercise of heart su¢.ted to the coming revival of the nation is manifested in the psalmist's utterance as its representative. ApproJ?riately also, this follows almost immediately upon the psalm (lxix.) which gives the necessary foundation of the national res_toration. The earli£r verses give the theme which is expanded and illustrated in the rest of the poem; c£ Ezek. xxxvii.; Dan. xii.; Rom. xi. r 5. In 6-r r is represented what God has been to His people from their beginning as a nation, and with this retrospective view is linked a prospective one of restoration to come.
PERSONAL APPLICATION.-Every Scripture which we incorporate into our own experience possesses a new meaning and ope,:-ates with a new force. Faith is the expression of self-renunciation (1). Divine righteousness is a theme upon which we, as well as the psalmist, should delight to dwell (2, 15, 16, 19, 24). Unchanging rectitude is an inalienable attribute of God. In virtue of it, He cannot desert His own (2). God's people should ever be "rock dwellers'' (3a). By reason of the Cross the sinner can now plead the righteousness of God as a ground of salvation (2a). Happy are they who have trusted God from their youth (5). The preservation of Israel as a people is the outstanding miracle of history (7). Divine providence watches over the elect, not only from birth, but before it ( 6) ; c£ J er. i. 5 ; Gal. i. 15. The Christian has the assurance of Christ's own words, John vi. 37; x. 27-30; Heb. xiii. 5-6, with verse 9 of our psalm. Another instance of God's people sharing the sufferings of the Saviour is in xxx. ro-n. Praise should increase with our passing years, and hope' grow stronger (14). Here is an all-day occupation (15). EnÔmies may take advantage of the apparent weakness of old age, but God never forsakes His saints ( 18). However elderly God's servant may be, there is still work for him to do (r8). Grey-headed saints have a message for the rising generation (r8). With the Christian, an aged body should be accompanied by a youthful spirit, 2 Cor. iv. 16. The first note of renewed Israel's song will be God's truth (=troth), i.e. His abiding faithfulness (22b). The freed soul sings aloud (23). VERSE NOTES 1-3. ·c£ xxxviii. 1-3. I. (a) Br. " ... have I taken refuge." 3. (a) Br. "Be to me a rock-dwelling." ()" "k d 4 .• a • . • w1c e · one. 6. Read, "On Thee have I stayed myself from birth." 7. (a) Br. "I have been ... " c£ Isa. Iii. 14; Deut. xxviii. 46. l" 1ifc concemmg, or agamst; sou = e. 13. c£ XXXV. 4. r ut as 1or me, ... 15. (c) Br. "For I know not how to reckon it." 16. (a) i.e. bringing them as a theme of praise; or as margin. David did this (1 Chron. xxviii.-xxix.) doubtless to the wonder of many (7).
8 B "N al " Ii f r. ow so ... , t. as margm; arm suggests agency o power to rescue, protect, guide, govern, chastise, etc., lxxvii. 15; Isa. liii. 1; br." ... (this) generatton. (b) B hal · " Ii " d ·c1c r. . .. s t revive us agam ; t. turn an qw en us. 21. The prayer of R.V. is practically the prediction of A.V. 22. "eraise' = give thanks unto ... " (c) lit. "I will psalm unto thee upon the harp "; (b) "truth "= troth, i.e. in keeping the promise; (d) divine title here is freq. in Isaiah, ÚuÛ oÜy Ýice again in the PsÞms, lxxviii. 41 ; lxxxix. 18; also found Jer. v. 29, Ii. 5, modified form Ezek. XXXIX. 7. 23. "sing praises, lit." psalm," see 22; Kirkpatrick always trans. "make melody." (b) "redeemed," or set free. 24. (b) Br. " ... that sought my hurt."
This book has 150 chapters