Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition) (continued)
Exhortation to PraUt God. PSALM CV. His Care for His Servants.
power and beneficence. The mention of leviathan—(Job
(cf. Genesis 20. 7). The "anointed " are those ve:5sel8 of God, consecrated to His service, "in whom (as Pharaoh said jf Josepli, Genesis 41. 38) the Spirit of God is." [Hengstenberg.] 16. God ordered the famine. God " called for famine," as if it were a servant, ready to come at God's bidding. Cf. the centurion's words, as to disease being God's servant (Matthew 8..8, 9). staif of bread what supports life (Leviticus 26.26; Psalm 104.1.5; Isaiah
40. 20) heig Utfeus the estimate of the sea's greatness, and of His power who gives sucli a place for sport to one of His creatures. 2T-30. The entire dependence of this immense family on God is set forth. Witli Him, to kill or make alive is equally easy. 2'o hide His face is to withdraw favour (Psalm 13. 1). By His spirit, or breath, or mere word, He gives life. It is His constant providence which repairs the wastes of time and disease. 31-34. While God could equally glorify His power in destruction, that He does it in preservation is of His ricli goodness and mercy, so that we may well spend our lives in grateful praise, honouring to Him, and delightful to pious hearts (Psalm
3.1). upon tlie land—viz., Canaan (Genesis 41. .54). 17-21. Joseph was sent of God (Genesis 45. 5). lixirt -witli fcttera —(Genesis 40.3). was laid in iron lil., his s(mI, or, ha (Psalm 16. 10) came into iron, or, he was bound to his griet
(cf. Psalm 3. 2 ; 11. 1). Josepii is referred to as being an ap propriate type of those "bound in at Uietion and iron'- (Psalm 107. 10). The "soul" is put for tlie whole person, because the soul of the captive sutlers still more than tho' body. Ills wortl came—His proplieey (Genesis 41. 11-20) to the officers came to pass, or was fulfilled (Judges 13. 12, 17
1-17. 1). 35. Those wiio refuse such a protector and withhold such a service mar the beauty of His works, and must perish from His presence. The Psalm closes with an invocation of praise, the translation of a Hebrew phrase, which is used as an English word, " Hallehijah," and may have served the purpose of a chorus, as often in our psalmody, or to give fuller expression to the writer's emotions. It. is peculiar to Psalms composed after the captivity, as Selah is to those of an earlier date.
1 Samuel 9. 6, explain tlie form of speeoli). llie word [or, saying, or decree] of tUe Lord tried [or, proved] liim- -by the afflictions it appointed him to endure before his elevation (cf. Genesis 41. 40-4.3). 22. To bind—Not literally bind; but exercise over them absolute control, as llie parallel in the second clause shows; also Genesis 41. 40,44, in which not literal fettering, but commanding obedience, is spoken
PSALM CV.
"Ver. 1^5. After an exhortation to praise God, addressed especially to the chosen people, the writer presents the special reason for praise, in a summary of their history from the calling of Abraham to tlieir settlement in Canaan, and reminds them tliat their obedience was the end of all God's gracious dealings.
of. It refers to v. 18. The soul that was once bound itself now binds others, even princes. Tiie same moral binding
Is assigned to the saints (Psalm 149. 8). teacU . . . senators wisdom—the ground of his exaltation by Piiaraoh was his jywf/om (Genesis 41. 39), viz., in state policy, and ordering well a kingdom. 33-25. Israel . . . and Jacob —i. e., Jacob himself is meant, as v. 24 speaks of his people.
1. call . . . name—(Psalm 79. 6 ; Romans 10. 1.3.) Call on Him, according to His historically manifested glory. After the example of Abraham, who, as often as God acquired for Himself a name in guiding him, called in solemn worship upon the name of the Lord (Genesis 12. 8; 13.
Still, he came with his whole house (Genesis 46. 6, 7). so Jouiiied—(Genesis 47. 4). land of Ham—or, Egypt (Psalm
78.51). turned tlieir lieart—God controls men's free acts
4). atnoiig tlie people—or, peoples (Psalm 18. 49). decOa —or, wonders (Psalm 103. 7). 3,4. Seeking God's favour is the only true mode of getting true happiness, and His slrenglh is tlie only true source of protection (cf. Psalm 32.
(cf. 1 Samuel 10. 9). "When Saul had turned liis back to go from (God's prophet) Samuel, God turned (Margin) him to anotlier heart" (see Exodus 1. 8, &c.). Whatever evil the wicked man plots against God's people, God holds bound even his heart, so as not to lay a single plan except what God permits. Thus Isai.ali (4-3. 17) saitli it was God wlio brought forth the army of Pharaoh to pursue Israel to their own destruction (Exodus 4. 21 ; 7. 3). Moses . . . cbosen—both wliat they were by Divine choice (Psalm 78.
11; ii). IG). Glory . . . name—Boast in His perfections. The world glories in its horses and chariots against the Church of God lying in the dust; but our hope is in the name, i. e., the power and love of God to His people, manifested in past deliverances. 5, 6. jutlgments . . . moutli His judicial decisions for the good and against the wicked. clio>ien—rather qualifies children than Jacob, as a plural. 7. Rather, " He, Jeliovali, is our God." His title, Jehovah, implies that He, tlie unchangeable, self-existing Being, makes things to be, i. e., fulfils His promises, and therefore will not forsake His people. Though specially of His people, He is God over all. 8-11. The covenant was often ratified, commancled—or, ordained (Psalm 68. 28). woi-d—answering to "coven.'int" in the parallel clause,
70). 27. signs—za., wordLs of signs, or rather, as words in Hebrew mean things, " things of His signs," i. e.. His marvellous tokens of power (Psalm 14.5. 5, Margin). Cf. the same Hebraism (Psalm 65. 3, Margin). 28-36. The ninth plague is made prominent as peculiarly wonderful, tliey rebelled not—Moses and Aanm promptly obeyed God (Hebrews 11. 27) (cf. Exodus 7.-11. and Psalm 78. 44-51, with which this summary sub.stantiall,v agrees). Or, ratiier, the "darkness" here is figurative (Jeremiah 13. 16), the literal plague of darkness (Exodus 10. 22, 23) being only alluded to as the symbol of God's wrath which overliung Egypt as a dark cloud during all the plagues. Hence, it is placed viz., the word of promise, wliich, according to v. 10, He set forthforan inviolablelaw. toa . . . generations—perpetually. A verbal allusion to Deuteronomy 7. 9 (cf. Exodus
20.6). 9. Wiiicli covenant — or, "\Vord"(i'. 8). 10, 11. Alluding to God's promise to Jacob (Genesis 28.13). Out of tile whole storehouse of the promises of God, only one first, out of the historical order. Thus, "They reijelled not (t. e., no longer) against His word," refers to the Egyptians. Whenever God sent a plague on them, (hey ivere ready to let Israel go, though refusing when the plague ceased. "His word " is His command to let Israel go. [Hengstenberg.] Of the ten plagues, only eight are mentioned, tlie fifth, the murrain of beasts, and the sixth, the boils, being omitted. 29, 30. He deprived them of their favourite fish, and gave them Instead, out of the water, loathsome frogs, and {v. 31) upon their land tormenting flies (^/le do,f/-.;?y, according to JlAUUERiand lice {gnats, Heng.stenberg). 32. bail for rain—instead of fertilizing showers, hail destructive to trees. Tills forms the transition to the vegetable kingdom. The locusts in
Is prominently brought forward, namely, that concerning the possession of Canaan. Every thing revolves round this. The wonders and .judgments have all for their ultimate design the fulfilment of this promise. 12-15. few. . . in nnmber—alluding to Jacob's words(Genesis 34.30), " I being./'«« in mtinher." yea, very tew-— lit., " as a few," i. e., like fewness itself (cf. Isaiah 1. 9). strangers— sojourners in the land of tlieir future inheritance, as in a Ktrange country (Hel)rews 11. 0). 13. from one nation to nnotl»cr—and so from danger to danger; now in Egypt, now in the wilderness, and lastly in Canaan. Though a few strangers, wandering among various nations, God protected tliem. reproved Ittngs—Pharaoh of Egypt and Ablmekch of Gerar (Genesis 12.17; 20.3). Toucli not Referring to Genesis 20. 11, where .\bimelech says of Isaac, " He that touchelh this man or his wife sliall surely be put to death." mine anointed—as specially consecrated to aie (Psalm 2. 2). The patriarch was ttie propliet, priest, apJ king of his family, iny propliets—in a .similar sense
V. 34 similarly are destructive to plants. ga-»e tliem—referring to Leviticus 20. 4, "I give you rain in due season." His "gift" to Israel's foes is one of a very dlirerent kind from that bestowed on His people. 33. tlieir coasts—all their land (Psalm 7.S. .54). 34. caterpillars—//C, the tickers up, devouring insects; probably the hairy-winged locutt, 36. tbc cbief— thefirstlings, Ac. The ascending climax passes from the food of man to man himself. Tlie language