Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 18:50
Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and showeth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed forevermore.
50. These closing words may be due to a later poet, who thus sums up the lessons of the Psalm. But they may well be David’s own. He drops the first person, and surveys his own life from without, in the light of the great promise of 2Sa 7:12-16. These are the deliverances Jehovah has wrought for the king of His choice; this is a sample of the lovingkindness which He has shewn to His Anointed, and will shew to his seed for evermore. The words reach forward to the perfect life, and the world-wide victories, of the Christ, the Son of David.
Great deliverance &c.] Lit. He magnifieth the salvations of his king. Cp. Psa 20:6. The Kthbh and the Versions in 2 Sam. have the same reading: but the Qr, which the A.V. follows, has “He is a tower of deliverance for his king.” Cp. Psa 61:3; Pro 18:10.The consonants of the two words, as originally written defectively and without vowels, are identical.
mercy ] lovingkindness. Cp. Psa 17:7; 2Sa 7:15.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Great deliverance giveth he to his king – To David, as king. The word in the original, which is rendered deliverance, means properly salvations, and is here in the plural number. It refers not to one act of divine interposition, but to the many acts (referred to in the psalm) in which God had interposed to save him from danger and from death. The phrase to his king refers to the fact that God had appointed him to reign, and to administer the government for him. He did not reign on his own account, but he reigned for God, and with a view to do his will.
And showeth mercy to his anointed – To him who had been set apart to the kingly office by a solemn act of anointing. Compare 1Sa 16:13; 2Sa 2:4-7; 2Sa 5:3, 2Sa 5:17; 2Sa 12:7; compare 2Ki 9:3, 2Ki 9:6,2Ki 9:12. It is in allusion to this custom that the Messiah is called the Anointed, or the Christ. See the note at Mat 1:1.
To David, and to his seed – To his descendants, or posterity. There is an undoubted reference here to the promises made to David in regard to his successors on the throne. See 2Sa 7:12-16, 2Sa 7:25-26, and Ps. 89:19-37.
Forevermore – This expresses the confident expectation of David that the government would remain in his family to the latest times. This expectation was founded on such promises as that in 2Sa 7:12-13 : I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom; he shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. Also 2Sa 7:16 : And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established forever before thee; thy throne shall be established forever. See also Psa 89:36 : His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me. The perpetuity of this kingdom is found, in fact, in the reign of the Messiah, a descendant of David, in whose eternal reign these promises will receive an ample fulfillment. See Isa 9:7. Compare Luk 1:32-33. The temporal reign passed wholly away in the process of time from the descendants of David; the spiritual reign is perpetual in the Messiah. How far David understood this it is not important to inquire, and it would be impossible to determine. It is sufficient for the proper understanding of the place to remember
(a) that there will have been a strict fulfillment of the promise, according to the full import of the language, in the Messiah, the Son of David; and
(b) that, however this may have been understood by David who recorded the promise, the real author of the promise was the Holy Spirit, and that the real meaning of the promise, as thus recorded, was that it should be fulfilled as it has been.
In this, as in all other cases, the inquiry to be made in interpreting the language is not how the sacred penman understood it, but what was meant by the real author, the Spirit of God – and whether the prediction, according to that meaning, has been fulfilled. When a man employs an amanuensis, the inquiry in regard to what is written is not how the amanuensis understood it, but how he who dictated what was written intended it should be understood. Applying this principle, the prediction here and elsewhere, in regard to the perpetuity of the reign of David and his posterity, has been, and is, fulfilled in the most ample manner. Great Davids greater Son shall reign forever and ever.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 18:50
Great deliverance giveth He to the King.
Great deliverances
This is Christs resurrection Psalm. It is a Psalm of deliverance or salvation–the two words are the same. This deliverance is one of love, power, and righteousness. The whole history of the Bible from beginning to end pertains to what God calls deliverance. First of all, we have King Davids history, the history of deliverance. Secondly, we have in Israels history a history of deliverance. Thirdly, in Messiahs history we have a history of deliverance. Fourthly, in the Churchs history we have a history of deliverance. And lastly, in the history of each individual man we have a history of deliverance. It is deliverance from first to last. (A. Bonar.)
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Psa 19:1-14
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 50. Great deliverance giveth he to his king] David was a king of God’s appointment, and was peculiarly favoured by him. Literally, He is magnifying the salvations of his king. He not only delivers, but follows up those deliverances with innumerable blessings.
Showeth mercy – to David] I have no claim upon his bounty. I deserve nothing from him, but he continues to show mercy.
To his seed] His posterity. So the words zera and , in the Old and New Testament, should be universally translated. The common translation is totally improper, and now more so than formerly, when anatomy was less understood.
For evermore.] ad olam, for ever; through all duration of created worlds. And more – the eternity that is beyond time. This shows that another David is meant, with another kind of posterity, and another sort of kingdom. From the family of David came the man Christ Jesus; his posterity are the genuine Christians; his kingdom, in which they are subjects, is spiritual. This government shall last through all time, for Christianity will continue to prevail till the end of the world: and it will be extended through eternity; for that is the kingdom of glory in which Jesus reigns on the throne of his Father, and in which his followers shall reign with him for ever and ever.
It has already been remarked that this whole Psalm has been understood as relating to the passion and victories of CHRIST, and the success of the Gospel in the earth. In this way Bishop Horne has understood and paraphrased it; and in the same way it is considered by the ancient Psalter, so often mentioned. Many of the primitive fathers and modern interpreters have taken the same view of it. Those passages which I judged to have this meaning I have pointed out, and have only to add that, as David was a type of Christ, many things spoken of him primarily, refer to our Lord ultimately; but much judgment and caution are required in their application. To apply the whole Psalm in this way appears to me very injudicious, and often derogatory from the majesty of Christ. Let this be my excuse for not following the same track in which many of my predecessors have gone.
ANALYSIS OF THE EIGHTEENTH PSALM
David’s or song of triumph after his conquest of ail his enemies.
This Psalm may be divided into four parts: –
I. David shows what God is to his servants, and the effect it wrought upon him, Ps 18:1-3.
II. The great danger in which he was from the power and multitude of his enemies, Ps 18:4-28.
III. His glorious victories, and their consequences, Ps 18:29-45.
IV. His thanksgiving for those victories, Ps 18:46-50.
I. What God is to his servants, and to him especially. 1. Strength. 2. Rock. 3. Fortress. 4. Deliverer. 5. Tower. 6. Buckler. 7. Horn of salvation. 8. High tower, Ps 18:1; Ps 18:2. (See the notes.)
The effect it wrought in him. It produced, 1. Love: “I will love the Lord.” 2. Confidence: “In him will I trust.” 3. The spirit of prayer: “I will call on the Lord.” The fruit of all which was his safety: “So shall I be saved from mine enemies,” Ps 18:3.
II. The great dangers in which he was, and of his escape.
1. His danger was great; for, 1. He was encompassed with the sorrows of death. 2. Was terrified with the floods of ungodly men. 3. Surrounded by the sorrows of hell. And, 4. Prevented by the snares of death, Ps 18:4-5.
2. He shows how he behaved in these dangers, and from whom he sought for help: 1. “He called upon the Lord.” 2. “He cried unto his God.”
3. He shows the goodness of God to him, and his readiness to help him: 1. “He heard me out of his holy temple.” 2. “My cry came into his ears.”
4. The cause of his escape was the immediate hand of God, who testified his presence by many supernatural signs. 1. EARTHQUAKES: “The earth shook and trembled.” 2. HILLS and mountains were moved from their places: “The hills moved,” c., Ps 18:7. 3. SMOKE came out of his nostrils. 4. A consuming FIRE came out of his mouth and became permanent, for coals were kindled by it, Ps 18:8. 5. A THICK DARKNESS announced his presence; and the atmosphere was greatly confused: “He bowed the heavens; darkness was under his feet,” Ps 18:9. 6. There were mighty winds and tempests: “He flew on the wings of the wind,” Ps 18:10. 7. There were violent inundations, with blackness of the atmosphere, dark waters, thick clouds of the sky, Ps 18:11. 8. Great THUNDERS: “The Lord thundered; the Highest gave his voice.” 9. There was great HAIL, and FIERY METEORS: “Hailstones and coals of fire,” Ps 18:12; Ps 18:13. 10. Tremendous LIGHTNINGS, and fearful CHASMS opened in the earth: “He sent out,” c., Ps 18:14; Ps 18:15.
5. He reckons up his deliverances, with the manner and causes: –
1. “He took, he drew me out of many waters,” Ps 18:16.
2. He did this in a supernatural way: “He sent from above,” ib.
6. He describes his enemies from whom God delivered him. 1. They were very numerous, compared to many waters, Ps 18:16: “He drew me out of many waters.” 2. They were very strong. 3. Full of malice. 4. Too strong for him. 5. INSIDIOUS and CRUEL: ‘They prevented me in the day of my calamity,” Ps 18:17-18.
7. But God was his STAY: and the causes which moved God to help him were, 1. His own good will: “Because he delighted in me.” 2. David’s innocence which he declares, Ps 18:20-25.
8. And then, ab hypothesi, from his own particular case, he takes occasion to discourse in thesi, that this is not only true in David’s person, but shall be verified in all that are upright as he was: which he proves from the nature and usual manner of God’s proceedings with good and bad men, Ps 18:25-28.
III. David’s glorious VICTORIES, and their CONSEQUENCES, Ps 18:28-46.
1. His victory he expresses and amplifies many ways:-
1. From the opposition which he conquered. Nor troops nor walls hindered, Ps 18:29.
2. From God’s singular protection. He was his Buckler, his Rock.
3. From his armour. He was made fleet; and had military knowledge, strength, and defence, from God, Ps 18:33.
4. From his safety. He was not wounded in the battle.
5. From his success. He routed his enemies; they fled, and he pursued, Ps 18:37.
6. From the greatness of the victory. It was a complete conquest; for his enemies were taken, or consumed, or wounded, so as to be unable to rally. They fell under his feet; their necks were brought down, Ps 18:38-42.
7. From the cause. All was of God; he takes nothing to himself. THOU hast girded me. THOU hast subdued. THOU hast given me, c.
2. The consequences of these victories were the propagation and enlargement of David’s kingdom:-
1. Before these victories there were murmurings and insurrections among his people: but now, being conqueror, they are all quiet: “Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people,” Ps 18:43.
2. He was exalted to be head of the heathen: Moabites, Ammonites, c., served him, Ps 18:44.
3. People whom he had not known became tributary to him: “Aliens shall serve me,” Ps 18:44.
4. This, it is true, they did out of fear, not affection. They dissembled in their fidelity and several fell off: but still they were obliged to submit, Ps 18:45.
IV. David’s THANKSGIVING. This is the main scope of the Psalm to celebrate and extol the name and mercy of God for his victories. This has two parts: 1. His present thanksgiving. 2. His profession for the future.
1. He magnifies God: “The Lord liveth; and blessed be my Rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted;” Ps 18:46. And to this end, in the two next verses, he makes mention again of his victories, and attributes the whole success to God, Ps 18:47-48.
2. He professes still to do it; he will not cease even among the heathen: “Therefore will I give thanks,” Ps 18:49.
3. And he shows how much reason he had to do so: because, 1. He had great deliverances. 2. He was the man of God’s choice; his king – his anointed. 3. This goodness was to survive him, and go to his posterity: “To David, and to his seed.” 4. It was to have no end: it was to be for evermore, Ps 18:50.
Here the true David and the spiritual seed are referred to; and for this the reader is requested to examine the notes, and the remark before this analysis.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
To his king; to the king whom God himself chose, and anointed, or constituted.
To his seed; to all his posterity, and especially to the Messias, who is called Davids Seed, Act 13:23; Rom 1:3; and his Son, Psa 89:27; 90:1, compared with Mat 22:42; and the Seed by way of eminency, Gal 3:16; and Gods Anointed and King, Psa 2:2.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Great deliverance giveth he to his king,…. Not that is king over him; for he is King of kings and Lord of lords; but that is made king by him, as David was; who did not usurp the throne, but was anointed king by the appointment of God, and was placed by him upon the throne; to whom he gave great deliverance from his enemies, or “magnified salvations” to him; which were great in kind, and many in number; and as Christ is, whom God has set as his King on his holy hill of Sion, against whom the Heathen raged, and kings and princes set themselves; but he is delivered from them all, and saved from the power of death and the grave, and ever lives to reign over, protect, and defend his people; in 2Sa 22:51, it is, he is “the tower of salvation for his king”, with which compare Pr 18:10;
and showeth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore; which may be understood either of David literally, who was the Lord’s anointed, and to whom God showed mercy in various instances; and then by his seed is meant the Messiah, who was of his seed according to the flesh; or of the Messiah, whose name signifies Anointed; and who is often called David, Eze 34:23 Ho 3:5; and so some of the Jewish doctors u from this verse prove that the name of the Messiah is David: and by his seed are meant his spiritual seed; all the elect of God, who are given him as his children, to whom he stands in the relation of the everlasting Father: and as mercy is kept with him for evermore, Ps 89:28; so it is shown to them in regeneration, in the forgiveness of their sins, and in their everlasting salvation.
u Echa Rabbati, fol. 50. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
50. He worketh great deliverances, etc This concluding verse clearly shows why God had exercised such goodness and liberality towards David, namely, because he had anointed him to be king. By calling himself God’s king, David testifies that he had not rashly rushed into that office, nor was thrust into it by conspiracies and wicked intrigues, but, on the contrary, reigned by lawful right, inasmuch as it was the will of God that he should be king. This he proves by the ceremony of anointing; for God, in anointing him by the hand of Samuel, had asserted his right to reign not less than if he had visibly stretched forth his hand from heaven to place and establish him on the royal throne. This election, he says, was confirmed by a continued series of great deliverances; and from this it follows, that all who enter on any course without having the call of God, are chargeable with avowedly making war against him. At the same time, he attributes these deliverances to the goodness of God as their cause, to teach us, that that kingdom was founded purely and simply upon the good pleasure of God. Farther, from the concluding sentence of the psalm, it appears, as I have said before, that David does not here so much recount by way of history the singular and varied instances of the grace of God which he had personally experienced, as predict the everlasting duration of his kingdom. And it is to be observed, that by the word seed we are not to understand all his descendants indiscriminately; but we are to consider it as particularly referring to that successor of David of whom God had spoken in 2Sa 7:12, promising that he would be a father to him. As it had been predicted that his kingdom would continue as long as the sun and the moon should shine in the heavens, the prophecy must necessarily be viewed as descending to him who was to be king not for a time, but for ever. David, therefore, commends his seed to us, as honored by that remarkable promise, which fully applies neither to Solomon nor to any other of his successors, but to the only begotten Son of God; as the apostle, in his Epistle to the Hebrews, (Heb 1:4,) teaches us, that this is a dignity in which he excels the angels. In conclusion, we shall then only duly profit in the study of this psalm, when we are led by the contemplation of the shadow and type to him who is the substance.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(50) This verse is by many treated as a late liturgical addition to the hymn. The change to the third person is certainly somewhat suggestive of this, but by no means conclusive.
The question of the relation of the two copies of this hymn to each other is far too complicated and difficult for discussion here. Each has been again and again claimed as the original. The best explanation of the variations is that the compositions were independent copies of some original, and that the psalm, like many others, was altered in preparation for the choir use.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
50. Great deliverance giveth he to his king Hebrew, magnifying the salvations of his king. In the parallel place (2Sa 22:51) the Keri, or Hebrew margin, reads, “tower of salvations,” and this is the sense here. God had been to him a tower of salvations, or deliverances.
Anointed Same as his king in the previous line, and David in the following, but pre-eminently belonging to Christ, who also is called David. Eze 34:23-24.
His seed That is, Jesus. Act 13:23.
For evermore Hebrew, To eternity, eternity, two of the strongest Hebrew words denoting endless duration, and applicable, in its true sense, only to Christ.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 18:50. Great deliverance giveth he, &c. Literally, He magnifies the salvations of his king; they are such as are great and wonderful in themselves, and as they add a dignity and lustre to the king, on whom they are bestowed; there being nothing which can tend more to advance the honour, and heighten the reverence due to a prince, than to consider him as the favourite of Providence, highly distinguished by the divine protection and care, and delivered by it out of numerous dangers which threatened his prosperity and life; except we had that prince’s thorough sense of the greatness of his obligations, and his piety in the grateful acknowledgment of them. David was eminent for both. Chandler. I would just observe, in conclusion, that though the passages, Psa 18:42, &c. in which David speaks of himself as being made head of the nations, allude primarily to his victories; yet, in the secondary sense, they allude to his Divine Son, and to the conversion of the Gentiles to his faith; in which sense they are applied by the apostles themselves. To his seed for evermore, in this verse, must also be applied to the Messiah, whose kingdom shall never have an end.
REFLECTIONS.David may here be called the servant of the Lord, as representing him who took upon himself the form of a servant when he was made in the likeness of men; and his dangers were greater, and his deliverances far more glorious, than those which the king of Israel experienced.
1. The Psalmist, in the person of the Redeemer, expresses his confidence in God, his love to him, and constant dependance upon his salvation in every time of trouble.
2. He magnifies the glorious interposition that he had experienced under the most dangerous and threatening circumstances, when his soul was exceeding sorrowful even unto death; when ungodly men, mighty as the stormy waves, Jews and Heathens, conspired to destroy him, when pains of hell tormented his spirit, and death in its most horrid shapes seized on his body; in that hour when the powers of darkness summoned their collected force to shake the confidence of the great Mediator, then, with strong crying and tears, he made supplication and was heard. The trembling earth, and rending rocks, bespoke the wrath of God against the murderers of his Son, and swift vengeance soon awaked to overtake them. Judgments, sudden as the lightning, terrible as thunder, and consuming as fire, fell upon the devoted city and people where he was crucified; the very foundations of their commonwealth were razed, and desolations spread on every side. Note; More terrible judgments await the sinner in the day of God; when all who have rejected, like those Jews, his great salvation, and by their sins have crucified the Son of God afresh, will see him bow the heavens and come down to take final and eternal vengeance on his enemies.
3. He speaks with exultation of his deliverance, and the glory to which he was advanced. God drew him from the hands of his enemy, delivered him from the power of Satan, and loosed the bands of death, raising him from the grave triumphant, and causing him to ascend to his right hand in glory, because he delighted in him. Note; God delights in his Son, and all who are members of his body mystical are interested in the same divine regard; and, however deep the afflictions with which they are now exercised, the faithful shall shortly be exalted with their triumphant Lord and Saviour.
4. Though David’s cause was righteous, and his heart simple before God, yet is our most righteous Saviour more particularly adverted to here. His exaltation and glory is the reward of a righteousness absolutely perfect; for in him was no sin, nor guile found in his mouth. Note; They who have an interest in Christ, have a right to his merits: but while his afflicted and faithful people are saved, and they who suffer with Jesus are glorified together with him, the froward and perverse, the proud, self-righteous, and unhumbled, shall be brought low, and feel the wrath of an offended God.
5. David had experienced many dark providences, many dark nights of spiritual affliction, and many foes without, as well as fears within; but all vanished when God, his help and strength, lightened his darkness, and gave him victory over all his enemies. The Son of David found deeper distress, and greater foes; yet, though his eyes were sealed in death, and his burning light gone out in obscurity, he awaked, and, like the sun, shone brighter in glory, when the dark cloud had passed over him. God helped him, (for, as man, he needed divine support,) and none of his enemies could stand before him. He ascended up on high, and led captivity captive, having spoiled principalities and powers; and now he reigns in glory everlasting, exalted in the most eminent sense to be head of the heathen, all power being given him in heaven and in earth; and in a peculiar manner he is the head of his church, gathered out of all the nations of the world.
In the view of these mercies the Psalmist exalts the Divine Majesty, blessing and praising him for such exertions of his power and faithfulness. And Jesus thus thanked his Father, for hearing and helping him; and in his church unceasing praise will be for ever given for this great salvation, both of the head and of the several members.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
DISCOURSE: 519
THANKSGIVING FOR ANY GREAT DELIVERANCE
Psa 18:50. Great deliverance giveth he to his King; and sheweth mercy to his Anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.
THE Psalm before us is also recorded in the Second Book of Samuel [Note: Chap. 22:.]. There it stands, as it was drawn up at first by David for his own immediate use: but here it is inserted, with some slight alterations and improvements, for the use of the Church in all ages. The title informs us on what occasion it was written, namely, on Davids deliverance from the hand of all his enemies, and especially from the hand of Saul. But, as in most of his psalms, so in this, David speaks, not in his own person only, but in the person of the Messiah, whose type he was. It is a composition of very peculiar beauty: the figures are extremely bold, and the poetry is sublime. Of course the expressions are not to be so literally taken, as if they were an unadorned relation of facts: some of them are altogether figurative; and were verified, not at all in the letter, but only in the Spirit: some are more applicable to David himself, and others to Christ: but altogether it is a poem highly wrought, and exquisitely finished. It is our intention to set before you,
I.
The diversified import of this psalm
The psalm admits of a threefold interpretation;
1.
Historical, as it relates to David
[David from his youth experienced many troubles.From the moment that Sauls envy and jealousy were awakened by the fame of Davids exploits, this youth became the object of his incessant persecution; insomuch, that he was forced to flee for his life, and for several years was kept in constant fear of falling a sacrifice to the rage of Saul The sorrows of death and hell compassed him, as it were, continually [Note: ver. 4, 5.].
But his deliverances were great and manifold.Repeatedly did he, almost by miracle, escape the stroke of the javelin that was cast at him; and frequently did God in a visible manner interpose to keep him from falling into the hands of Saul. Once he was in the midst of Saids army, and in the very same cave with Saul: and yet was preserved by God, so that neither Saul nor any of his soldiers could find it in their hearts to touch him. David in his distress called upon the Lord; and God heard him out of his holy temple, and delivered him [Note: ver. 6.].
These deliverances he acknowledges with devoutest gratitude.Here the Psalmist, borne as it were on eagles wings, soars into the highest region of poetic imagery: he calls to mind the wonders which God had wrought for Israel of old, and represents them as renewed in his own experience. The glorious manifestations of Jehovah on Mount Sinai were not more bright in his eyes [Note: ver. 714.], nor the passage of Israel through the Red Sea more wonderful [Note: ver. 15.], than were the displays of almighty power and love which he had seen in his behalf [Note: ver. 1619.]. In these deliverances he further acknowledges the equity of God in having so vindicated his character from the undeserved calumnies by which his enemies had sought to justify their cruelty towards him [Note: ver. 2127.].
From the experiences of past mercies, he expresses his confidence in God under whatever trials might yet await him.It is delightful to see how careful he is to ascribe all the glory of his preservation to that God who had delivered him [Note: ver. 2842.]; and the full persuasion that his victory would in due time be complete [Note: ver. 4345.]. Then with profoundest gratitude he blesses and adores his heavenly Benefactor for all the mercies he has received; recapitulating as it were, and giving us the substance of the whole, in the words of our text [Note: ver. 4650.].
Were we to view the psalm only as an historical record, it would be very instructive: but it has a far higher sense: it is,]
2.
Prophetical, as it relates to Christ
[That it is a prophecy respecting Christ and his Gospel, we are assured by one whose testimony is decisive on the point. St. Paul, maintaining that Christ, though himself a minister of the circumcision, was to have his Gospel preached to the Gentiles, and to establish his kingdom over the heathen world, expressly quotes the words immediately preceding our text, as prophetic of that event [Note: Rom 15:9.]. Here therefore we see it proved, that David spake as a type of Christ; and a clew is given us for a fuller understanding of the whole psalm.
Behold then in this psalm our adorable Redeemer: behold his conflicts! He was indeed a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; nor was ever sorrow like unto his sorrow; his visage was marred more than any mans, and his form more than the sons of men. How justly it might be said of him, that the sorrows of hell encompassed him, we learn from his history: Now, says he, is my soul sorrowful even unto death. In the garden he was in such an agony, that he sweat great drops of blood from every pore. And on the cross he uttered the heart-rending cry, My God, my God! why hast thou forsaken me? In that hour all the powers of darkness were let loose upon him: and God himself also, even the Father, combined to bruise him, till he fell a victim to the broken law, a sacrifice, a curse [Note: Gal 3:13.].
But speedily we behold his deliverances. Like David, he cried to the Lord in his distress: he offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears; and was heard, in that he feared [Note: ver. 6. with Heb 5:7.]. In him the elevated language of the Psalmist obtained a more literal accomplishment: for at his resurrection the earth quaked, the rocks rent; and together with him, as monuments and witnesses of his triumph, many of the dead came forth from their graves, and went into the city, and appeared unto many. O, what a deliverance was here! The cords of death were loosed (it was not possible that he should any longer be held by them): and he rose triumphant from the grave: yea, he ascended, too, to heaven, and was there seated on the right hand of the Majesty on high, all the angels and principalities and powers of heaven, earth, and hell, being made subject unto him. In comparison of this display of the Divine glory, the images referred to in this psalm were faint, even as a taper before the sun.
Then commenced his victories. Then was literally fulfilled that prediction of the Psalmist, a people whom I have not known shall serve me; as soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me [Note: ver. 43, 44.]. No less than three thousand of his murderers were converted in the very first sermon: and soon his kingdom was established throughout the whole Roman Empire. This prediction is yet daily receiving a more enlarged accomplishment: thousands in every quarter of the globe are submitting themselves to him; and in due season, all the kingdoms of the world will acknowledge him their universal Lord. The triumphs of David over the neighbouring nations, though signal, were nothing in comparison of those which Christ is gaining over the face of the whole earth: and he will go on conquering and to conquer, till all his enemies are put under his feet. O blessed and glorious day! May the Lord hasten it in his time!
But like many other passages of Scripture, the psalm admits also of an interpretation, which is,]
3.
Spiritual, as it relates to the people of God in all ages
[The circumstance of its having been altered, and set apart for the use of the Church. shews, that, in substance, it exhibits the dealings of God with his people in all ages. They, like David, and like their blessed Lord and Master, have their trials, their deliverances, their triumphs; in all of which God is greatly glorified, and for which he ought ever to be adored. Who amongst us that has ever been oppressed with a sense of guilt, and with a fear of Gods wrath; who that has felt the tranquillizing influence of the Redeemers blood sprinkled on his conscience, and speaking peace to his soul; who that has been enabled to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil, and to serve his God in newness of heart and life; who, I say, that has experienced these things, does not find, that the language of this psalm, figuratively indeed, but justly, depiets the gracious dealings of God towards him? Methinks, the sentiment that is uppermost in the mind of every such person is, Who is God, save the Lord? or who is a rock, save our God [Note: ver. 31.]?]
But this part of our subject will receive fuller illustration whilst we notice the psalm in reference to,
II.
The use we should make of it
The practical use of Scripture is that to which we should more particularly apply ourselves; and especially should we keep this in view in reading the Psalnis, which, beyond any other part of the sacred volume, are calculated to elevate our souls to heaven, and to fill us with delight in God. From this psalm in particular we should learn,
1.
To glorify God for the mercies he has vouchsafed unto us
[We should never forget what we were, whilst dead in trespasses and sins, and what we are made by the effectual working of Gods grace in our souls. The change is nothing less than passing from death unto life, and from the power of Satan unto God: and when we contemplate it, we should be filled with wonder and with love on account of the stupendous mercies we have received. We should ever remember, Who it is that has made us to differ from those who are yet in darkness and the shadow of death: and the constant frame of our souls should be, Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name be the praise! We may, indeed, without impropriety on some occasions say, as the Psalmist, I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them; I have wounded them, that they were not able to rise; but we must soon check ourselves, like St. Paul, and say, Yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me: He that hath wrought me to the self-same thing, is God. It is worthy of particular observation, how anxious David is to give to God all the glory of those exploits which he commemorates; By Thee I have run through a troop; and by my God I have leaped over a wall [Note: ver. 29. See also ver. 3236, 4749.] Let us imitate him in this respect, and give unto our God the glory due unto his name: yea, let our mouths be filled with his praise all the day long.]
2.
To confide in God under all future difficulties
[In what exalted terms David speaks of God at the commencement of this psalm [Note: ver. 2.]!. Verily, he had profited well from his past experience. And ought not we to profit in like manner? Ought not we to remember what God is to all his believing people? If we have God for our God, what have we to fear? Can any enemy prevail against us, when he is on our side? Remember how God reproved those of old, who, when danger threatened them, gave way to terror, instead of trusting confidently in their God: Say ye not, A confederacy, a confederacy! &c. but sanctify the Lord of Hosts himself, and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread: and he shall be to you for a sanctuary [Note: Isa 8:12-14.]. Whatever be your want, know that He is able to supply it whatever be your difficulty, He can make you triumphant over it His way is perfect: his word is tried: he is a buckler to all those who trust in him [Note: ver. 30.].]
3.
To conduct ourselves so that we may reasonably expect his blessing
[Though God is found of them that sought him not, and dispenses his blessings altogether sovereignly and according to his own good pleasure towards the ungodly world, he proceeds, for the most part, in a way of equity towards his own peculiar people. The declaration that was made to king Asa is found true in every age: The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you: but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you [Note: 2Ch 15:2.]. Precisely to the same effect are those expressions of the Psalmist, With the upright, the merciful, the pure, thou wilt shew thyself upright, and merciful, and pure; but with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward, or, as it is in the margin, thou wilt wrestle. Thou wilt save the afflicted people (i. e. the humble); but thou wilt bring down high looks [Note: ver. 2527.]. If we walk uprightly and circumspectly before him, and in a humble dependence on his grace, there is not any thing which he will not do for us: but, if we regard iniquity in our hearts, he will not hear us. Inquire, then, whether you are really keeping the ways of the Lord, and are keeping yourselves from your iniquity, that is, from the peculiar sin to which, by constitution, by habit, or by your situation in life, you are most exposed [Note: ver. 2123.]. I charge you, before God, that you all make this a matter of serious inquiry. The besetting sin, ah! it is that which separates between God and our souls; it is that which keeps good things from us. How many are there, who, whilst they make a profession of religion, are yet, by their unmortified lusts, or worldly desires, or slothful habits, or by some habitual evil, provoking God to depart from them! Beware lest it be so with you; and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. You may grieve him, till you altogether quench his sacred motions. We entreat you to be upon your guard against this so fatal an evil. Keep your hearts with all diligence: yea, give all diligence to make your calling and election sure. Then shall God delight himself in you, and be not only your present portion, but your everlasting great reward.]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
REFLECTIONS
Now, Lord, having beheld thy victories and the triumphs of thy redemption-work, let my soul pause over the same, and look up to thee in all those endearing characters, in which thou hast manifested thy grace and glory, when thou camest forth for the salvation of thy people. Do I not behold, in all that is here so sweetly expressed of thee and thy great undertaking, how graciously the Father’s hand was with thee, in and through the whole of the work the Father gave thee to do? And shall I not by faith, while remembering thy victories this day, follow thee in the praises of Jehovah, and call God my Father in thee, my Rock, and my strong Salvation? Oh! precious, precious Jesus, how inexpressibly sweet and refreshing to my soul is it to see that, from the intimate connection in which all thy redeemed stand to thee, what thou rejoicest in, we also rejoice, thy triumphs are our triumphs, and thy victories our victories. Thou art our glorious Head, and thy church is thy body; thou art the fulness of all fulness, to fill all in all.
And now, Lord, lead all thy redeemed forth to the same victory, in the casting down all the strong holds of sin and Satan. Subdue in us, blessed Jesus, as thou hast subdued for us, every remaining lust within or foe without, and hasten the glorious hour, when all that would now oppose our everlasting enjoyment of thee shall be destroyed; and, like Israel on the shore of the Red Sea, beholding their foes destroyed before their eyes, may we see their faces no more again forever. Oh! for grace to begin the song of redeeming love, and to chant every verse of it daily, as we travel home to our Father’s house: Salvation to God and the Lamb! And oh! for glory to break in upon our souls, when the pilgrimage is ended, and when we shall sing aloud that glorious song: Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ, and he shall reign forever. Amen.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 18:50 Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.
Ver. 50. Great deliverance giveth he to his king ] In Samuel it is, He is the tower of salvation for his king. This tower is Messias, say the Jewish doctors, Qui est turris salutis. Oh that those poor creatures would once run to that strong tower and be safe.
To David and to his seed for evermore
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Anointed = Messiah. Looking beyond David, to David’s Son and David’s Lord.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Great: Psa 2:6, Psa 78:71, Psa 78:72, Psa 89:3, Psa 89:4, Psa 144:10, 1Sa 2:10, 1Sa 16:1, Act 2:34-36, Phi 2:9-11
to his: Psa 89:20-38, Psa 132:10, 2Sa 7:13, 1Ch 17:11-14, 1Ch 17:27, Isa 9:6, Isa 9:7, Luk 1:31-33, Luk 1:69, Rom 1:3, Rom 11:29, Gal 3:16
Reciprocal: Gen 45:7 – to preserve you a posterity 1Sa 2:35 – mine 2Sa 22:51 – his anointed 1Ch 11:14 – and the Lord 2Ch 32:21 – angel Psa 20:6 – Now Psa 126:3 – General Dan 6:27 – delivereth
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
18:50 Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his {n} seed for evermore.
(n) This did not properly belong to Solomon, but to Jesus Christ.