The children of God fall into extremity of misery and affliction
Wait upon God
The children of God fall into extremity of misery and affliction Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O God.—Ver. 1.
This psalm is a pithy psalm, and therefore is called a psalm of degrees. Other reasons the Jews give of this title, but they agree not.
Some will have it that these psalms were sung upon the fifteen stairs that went up to the temple. Some call them thus, for that they say they were sung with an extraordinary high voice. But in these difficulties, Melius est dubitare de occultis, quam litigare de incertis.
All historical truths are not necessary to be known, for Christ did many things that were not written, John 20:30.
The author is not named. However, we may assure ourselves the Spirit of God indited it, setting down, first, the state of the writer, ver. 1; secondly, his carriage in that estate: 'He prayed, being in depths,' ver. 2; thirdly, the ground of his prayer, which was God's mercy, ver. 3; his own faith, hope, and patience; his waiting, is simply laid down, ver. 5, and comparatively, ver. 6; and fourthly, an application to the whole church, ver. 7, from his own experience of God's mercy and sufficiency.
Out of the first part, concerning the state of the writer of this psalm, let us observe these particulars, following in their order: first, that the children of God do fall into depths; that is, into extremity of
misery and affliction, which are called 'depths;' because as waters and depths, so these, do swallow up and drown the soul, and because they do compass about the soul, burying it in great, terrible, continuing deep dangers; and these depths of a Christian are either outward or inward. The outward troubles and depths are those of the body. These God's children are afflicted with, as Jonah was when he was in the bottom of the sea, Joseph in prison, and Paul in the dungeon; and these are like the man of God to the Shunamite, 1
Kings 17:18, they do but call our sins to remembrance. But the inward spiritual troubles are the great depths; that is, trouble of mind for sin that lies upon us, causing us to doubt of our estate, to feel God's wrath, to fear rejection and excluding from God's presence. This is the soul of sorrow; other outward sorrows being but the carcase of sorrow. 'The spirit of a man will bear his infirmities; but a wounded spirit who can bear?' Prov. 18:14. In such an estate, in regard of the extremity of the burden of the sins of the whole world laid on him, was our head, Christ Jesus, making him sweat 'drops of blood,' Luke 22:44; and when he was on the cross, when he cried with strong cries and tears, 'My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?' Mark 15:34. But why is this thus, that the Prince* of our salvation should be in such a depth of misery? I answer, because it was requisite that salvation should be repaired by the contrary means to that whereby it was lost. It was lost by lifting up. Adam would be like a god; and Christ he regained us by abasing himself.
The Son of God must become man, and a man of sorrows; and as the head was, so the members have been and must be, Rom. 8:29, 'for we are predestinated to be like the image of his Son,' and so to pledge him in the same cup wherein he drank deep to us. In this plight we find David often, though a man after God's own heart, Ps. 6:2, 3, Ps.
88:2, &c., Ps. 40:12; and Jonah, a prophet, Jonah 2:2, &c.; and Hezekiah, Isa. 38:13; and Job especially, Job 6:4. But why is this