Psa 92

(Note On The Ninety-Second Psalm.)

[Note. A psalm of Sabbath musings. Not known whether it expresses the religious feelings of Israel generally after the restoration, or whether it owes its origin to any special event. The Talmud says that this psalm was sung on the morning of the Sabbath, at the drink-offering which followed the sacrifice of the first lamb ( Num 28:9 ). It is a disputed question, even in the Talmud, whether this psalm relates to the Sabbath or the creation, or to the final Sabbath of the world’s history, namely, the day that is altogether Sabbath. Delitzsch thinks that the latter is relatively more correct He says only the Sabbath psalm repeats the most sacred name seven times.]

A Morning Meditation

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High!” ( Psa 92:1 ).

It is a good thing to go out of oneself to think high thoughts to feel how small we are in the midst of all the worlds, and yet how great we are in the love and care of God. This is how we can get rid of all that would thrust us down and make us feel the weight and shame of sin, in such a way as to quench the light of hope. Sweet Christ of God, I would think of thee in the hour when day dawns, and have thee think of me whilst all the hours call men to work and care, to stoop down to earth for bread, and meet all the stress of life’s hard fight. Dawn upon me, O Light of the soul; then I will sing to thee as one who has no fear, but is rich in joy. Think of others also of the sick and the poor, the blind and those who have lost their way; and if I can help any poor soul this day, let me do it, for thy sake. The earth is very cold and sad and lonesome for many who dare not tell all their grief.

‘To show forth thy lovingkindness in the morning” ( Psa 92:2 ).

It begins the day well, and what is “well begun is half done.” The new day is as white paper, on which nothing is yet written. It is a new chance. The morning is like a gate which opens upon a fresh field, where we may find work and bread and health. Ere the dew has gone up to the sun, I would send my best thoughts of love to the throne of grace, the very spring and fount of life, and thus get firm hold of the whole day, and rule it by faith and hope. What then can harm me? What foe can smite me? What evil voice can tempt me? Will God in very deed let me put my hand in his before I take one step into the rough, cold world, where there is so much to chill the heart and throw a dark cloud over the face of truth and purity and love? If he will, then I will lift my hand to his, and say, “Father, spurn not thy poor weak child, but take hold of me, love me, guide me.” “Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe.” Fill my heart with morning light.

“… and thy faithfulness every night” ( Psa 92:2 ).

Then we know what God has done. The tale of love is fully told. Night is the judgment hour of the day. Here is a work to be done, not in fits and starts, but steadily and regularly “every night.” Nor is the work to be done secretly: we are to “show forth” God’s faithfulness, to make it known, to speak aloud concerning it, and to glorify God in the presence of men. We may speak a good deal about God without speaking much for him. We are not only to talk of God’s faithfulness to other people, but to ourselves. He did this to me, is to be the definite and cordial testimony of each believer. When the first star glitters in the twilight we may begin the grateful testimony, and when all the host burns in silent glory we may challenge every planet to share with us the holy duty of praising God. “Every night” in summer, when it is easy to sing; in winter, when the cold wind might stifle music; in spring, when we sow in faith; and in autumn, even when the fields are thinly grown. “Every night”: in youth, and age, and in the last dread night when there is no awaking for us on earth. Night has its own religion solemn, reflective, penitential, grateful; let us be faithful to the genius of night, and be ever found at its sombre altar with a new and tender testimony on behalf of God’s faithfulness.

“Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work” ( Psa 92:4 ).

I look back upon all the way in which God has made me walk, and truly I must praise him for finding such a way for me. I did not see the way. I did not choose it. At first I thought it could not be God’s way, the hills were so high, the rocks were so large, the path was so rough, and there was so much to make me afraid. Now I see much that God meant, and I am glad glad with great joy. All God’s work that I can see is good the sky, the sea, the earth, all things great and small; but his work to me to my own life and soul seems best of all. The work that lies before me this day is hard, and how to do it I know not This is as the day of death to me. Yet this very night I shall come home with a new song in my mouth, and praise God with a loud voice, neither ashamed nor afraid that men should hear my giving of thanks. “Keep me this day without sin.” Let my feet be kept on the right road, and my eyes fixed on the right end; then shall I do good to many, and the work of day shall be followed by sleep “like infants’ slumbers, pure and light.”

“Thy thoughts are very deep” ( Psa 92:5 ).

The Lord himself says: “My thoughts are not as your thoughts; … for, as the heaven is high above the earth, so are my thoughts than your thoughts.” So the thoughts of God are both “deep” and “high.” Man calls them “deep;” God calls them “high.” If they are both deep and high, how can we expect to see all their meaning without thinking long and earnestly about them? Nor is this all. We may have to wait a long time before deep thoughts show just what is meant by them. They do not spring up in a night and die at the going down of the sun. The higher the star is, the longer is the light in coming down to us. But what star is so high as the thought of him who made it? How good a thing it is to be able quietly to wait! The thoughts of God come up from eternity, and to eternity they stretch! It may be that not until I enter the world of light shall I know all that God is doing to me and for me now. Then he will tell me why the way was so long and hard; why I had to part with much I loved, with all my love; why other men were rich and I was poor; why some seed never came to blade, or ear, or full corn in the ear. His thoughts are very deep, but his love is most: tender; in thought I cannot follow him, but his love shines and sings and comforts on every hand. I will cling to the love where I cannot understand the thought.

“When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever” ( Psa 92:7 ).

The Psalmist did not know this until he went into the sanctuary. What do we really know until we study in the holy place and under the very light of heaven? Nothing! Nothing! The outside is full of deception, every colour is false, every attitude is a lie, every rose conceals a thorn, every garden hides a tomb. To be in sympathy with God is to be wise; without that sympathy we may be clever, shrewd, temporarily successful, but we put money into bags with holes, and scatter our seed in stony places. Even if this life were all, the impious man has not the best of it. He has no high thoughts, no spiritual visions, no sense of a larger identity; if these be dreams they are dreams that bless the dreamer and inspire him to do other people good. Let the grass typify the wicked; let the stars typify the good and wise. I will not fret myself because of evil doers; they are living on their capital, they are digging their own graves, they are slaying their souls. Lord, help me to live on thy truth, to follow the light of thy law, and to rejoice in the tranquillity of thine own peace. Yet I must not despise the wicked, nor leave them to perish; I was once as they are. I will tell them what I know of God, and who can say whether they will repent, believe, and live?

Prayer

Almighty God, thou art our rest, and our peace is for evermore in thee. There is no peace to the wicked, and there is no unrest unto them that put their trust in the living God. Our heart’s desire, our most vehement and perpetual yearning, is towards thyself, thou only Complete One, who hast immortality: out of thee all is ruin, without explanation, a growing and bewildering perplexity, a riddle without an answer, and a dream filled with terror but in God all is centred and at rest. Thou movest all things, for thou art behind them and above them and round about them. Thy throne is on the circle of eternity, and all our little time is far below thy feet Thou dost make time our infirmity and our continual temptation; it lives to die, it throbs to expire, there is no immortality in its frail pulse; but when we remember the years of the Most High, an incalculable total, an immeasurable horizon, a store that hath no bound, then is our little time anchored in thine eternity, and we feel in our hearts a deep rest, a quiet Sabbatic calm. Save us from the temptations of time, deliver us from the snares of the things that can be seen, the continual illusions, the things that tempt us, and then reward us with scorn and mockery, and help us to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves cannot break through and steal. Teach us that he builds too low who builds beneath the sky; save us from thinking that we can lay up years as well as lay up much goods; teach us that we know not what a day may bring forth to-morrow may be our eternity, today may be our sharp and sudden end. Thou art teaching: us by circumstances around our lives and very near them indeed, that life is held on uncertain terms, that our breath is in our nostrils, that we die doing our duty, we fall suddenly in the great waters, the fire doth seize us in the deep pit, so that we are alway living in the shadow of death and by the margin of the grave. Help us, therefore, considering all this, to know the years of the Most High, and to draw our breath from God’s eternity, so that there shall no longer be any death in us it shall be a translation into the wide life, the ampler liberty, the new and mother city, the grand Jerusalem. Thou dost shorten our life day by day, yea, pulse by pulse dost thou rob us of our brief heritage of time. Thou surely dost mean us to think much of this, for we know that this life cannot be all, else whence these desires and instincts and hopes and dreams and yearnings that rise into ardent passions that would assail the gates of the invisible city? Behold, these things are thy testimony within us, yea, a witness from heaven, that thou art the God of our souls and the Redeemer of our lives. Help us therefore, to believe this, and to put our souls into thy keeping, as into the bands of a merciful Creator. We have come in the name of Christ to give thee praise for all thy tender care, thy minuteness in watching all the circumstances of our lives. Thou knowest our downsitting and our uprising, our going out, and our coming in, there is not a word upon our tongue, there is not a thought in our heart, but lo! O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Thou dost watch each of us as if each were an only child; thou dost lavish thy store of love upon every poor life as though it were thine only care; great and manifold are thy mercies, yea, tender is thy loving-kindness, thy patience is long continued, and thy longsuffering seems to be a root out of which doth grow thy joys. O wondrous Father, patient Father, loving God, redeeming Christ, speak peace to us from the heavens, and the earth shall no more remind us of death it shall be the stepping-stone of our higher life. Regard us as gathered from many quarters, meeting for an hour in one centre, and that, our Father’s house. May a filial spirit pervade the assembly, may we be like children at home gathered around the parental table, asking God our Father to give us the bread of life. Remind us of our sin only that thou mayest remind us of thy greater mercy; point out to us all our guilt, black and deep, unpardonable by ourselves even then show us the Cross, the tree of life, where the Man is who is thy fellow, equal with God, but habited like a dying slave, and whilst we look upon his blood may it be unto us the blood of sacrifice and propitiation and atonement no common blood, shed by murderous hands, but freely given from the fount of the heart to redeem the world and cleanse the sin of man. We are stained through and through we are evil in our action and in our thought, and there is not a motive that rules our heart that dare show itself in the sunlight. God be merciful unto us sinners, and wash us in the all-holy and all-cleansing blood. Help us to think soberly and justly about life, about the present and the future, here and hereafter, this side and that the grave: let a spirit of joy sing in us every day, and as we are no longer slaves but free men, redeemed not with corruptible things as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, may we therefore rejoice in God our salvation and be glad with great rapture. Thou wilt not forget our dear ones who are sick, the old man, panting for the youthfulness of heaven; the young maiden to whom life is denied, who goes up like the morning dew at the bidding of the sun; the impenitent and hard-hearted, on whom all prayers are lost, as the rains are lost on the burning sand; the prodigal on the sea, or in the faraway place, or hidden from the social eye God be merciful unto all, for whom we ought thus to pray let thy Gospel be heard by them today, may they arise because the Master calls. Lord, hear us; sanctify to us our sorrows, many and keen; let the bitterness itself be the beginning of sweetness in our life, mocked and disappointed and wounded where we ought to have had the most and best and purest love. May we look away from the broken columns that mark the graves of blighted hopes, away to the everlasting hills of light and the city all beautiful with gold, fine and never to be dim. Good Lord, we bless thee amidst it all: even our tears help us, even our sorrows enrich the life which they make gloomy oftentimes, and our joys are poor and mean that do not come out of the deep rootage of much grief and sorrow, like unto his who was acquainted with grief. Amen.

Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker

PSALMS

XI

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF PSALMS

According to my usual custom, when taking up the study of a book of the Bible I give at the beginning a list of books as helps to the study of that book. The following books I heartily commend on the Psalms:

1. Sampey’s Syllabus for Old Testament Study . This is especially good on the grouping and outlining of some selected psalms. There are also some valuable suggestions on other features of the book.

2. Kirkpatrick’g commentary, in “Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges,” is an excellent aid in the study of the Psalter.

3. Perowne’s Book of Psalms is a good, scholarly treatise on the Psalms. A special feature of this commentary is the author’s “New Translation” and his notes are very helpful.

4. Spurgeon’s Treasury of David. This is just what the title implies. It is a voluminous, devotional interpretation of the Psalms and helpful to those who have the time for such extensive study of the Psalter.

5. Hengstenburg on the Psalms. This is a fine, scholarly work by one of the greatest of the conservative German scholars.

6. Maclaren on the Psalms, in “The Expositor’s Bible,” is the work of the world’s safest, sanest, and best of all works that have ever been written on the Psalms.

7. Thirtle on the Titles of the Psalms. This is the best on the subject and well worth a careful study.

At this point some definitions are in order. The Hebrew word for psalm means praise. The word in English comes from psalmos , a song of lyrical character, or a song to be sung and accompanied with a lyre. The Psalter is a collection of sacred and inspired songs, composed at different times and by different authors.

The range of time in composition was more than 1,000 years, or from the time of Moses to the time of Ezra. The collection in its present form was arranged probably by Ezra in the fifth century, B.C.

The Jewish classification of Old Testament books was The Law, the Prophets, and the Holy Writings. The Psalms was given the first place in the last group.

They had several names, or titles, of the Psalms. In Hebrew they are called “The Book of Prayers,” or “The Book of Praises.” The Hebrew word thus used means praises. The title of the first two books is found in Psa 72:20 : “The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.” The title of the whole collection of Psalms in the Septuagint is Biblos Psalman which means the “Book of Psalms.” The title in the Alexandrian Codex is Psalterion which is the name of a stringed instrument, and means “The Psalter.”

The derivation of our English words, “psalms,” “psalter,” and “psaltery,” respectively, is as follows:

1. “Psalms” comes from the Greek word, psalmoi, which is also from psallein , which means to play upon a stringed instrument. Therefore the Psalms are songs played upon stringed instruments, and the word here is used to apply to the whole collection.

2. “Psalter” is of the same origin and means the Book of Psalms and refers also to the whole collection.

3. “Psaltery” is from the word psalterion, which means “a harp,” an instrument, supposed to be in the shape of a triangle or like the delta of the Greek alphabet. See Psa 33:2 ; Psa 71:22 ; Psa 81:2 ; Psa 144:9 .

In our collection there are 150 psalms. In the Septuagint there is one extra. It is regarded as being outside the sacred collection and not inspired. The subject of this extra psalm is “David’s victory over Goliath.” The following is a copy of it: I was small among my brethren, And youngest in my father’s house, I used to feed my father’s sheep. My hands made a harp, My fingers fashioned a Psaltery. And who will declare unto my Lord? He is Lord, he it is who heareth. He it was who sent his angel And took me from my father’s sheep, And anointed me with the oil of his anointing. My brethren were goodly and tall, But the Lord took no pleasure in them. I went forth to meet the Philistine. And he cursed me by his idols But I drew the sword from beside him; I beheaded him and removed reproach from the children of Israel.

It will be noted that this psalm does not have the earmarks of an inspired production. There is not found in it the modesty so characteristic of David, but there is here an evident spirit of boasting and self-praise which is foreign to the Spirit of inspiration.

There is a difference in the numbering of the psalms in our version which follows the Hebrew, and the numbering in the Septuagint. Omitting the extra one in the Septuagint, there is no difference as to the total number. Both have 150 and the same subject matter, but they are not divided alike.

The following scheme shows the division according to our version and also the Septuagint: Psalms 1-8 in the Hebrew equal 1-8 in the Septuagint; 9-10 in the Hebrew combine into 9 in the Septuagint; 11-113 in the Hebrew equal 10-112 in the Septuagint; 114-115 in the Hebrew combine into 113 in the Septuagint; 116 in the Hebrew divides into 114-115 in the Septuagint; 117-146 in the Hebrew equal 116-145 in the Septuagint; 147 in the Hebrew divides into 146-147 in the Septuagint; 148-150 in the Hebrew equal 148-150 in the Septuagint.

The arrangement in the Vulgate is the same as the Septuagint. Also some of the older English versions have this arangement. Another difficulty in numbering perplexes an inexperienced student in turning from one version to another, viz: In the Hebrew often the title is verse I, and sometimes the title embraces verses 1-2.

The book divisions of the Psalter are five books, as follows:

Book I, Psalms 1-41 (41 chapters)

Book II, Psalms 42-72 (31 chapters)

Book III, Psalms 73-89 (17 chapters)

Book IV, Psalms 90-106 (17 chapters)

Book V, Psalms 107-150 (44 chapters)

They are marked by an introduction and a doxology. Psalm I forms an introduction to the whole book; Psa 150 is the doxology for the whole book. The introduction and doxology of each book are the first and last psalms of each division, respectively.

There were smaller collections before the final one, as follows:

Books I and II were by David; Book III, by Hezekiah, and Books IV and V, by Ezra.

Certain principles determined the arrangement of the several psalms in the present collection:

1. David is honored with first place, Book I and II, including Psalms 1-72.

2. They are grouped according to the use of the name of God:

(1) Psalms 1-41 are Jehovah psalms;

(2) Psalms 42-83 are Elohim-psalms;

(3) Psalms 84-150 are Jehovah psalms.

3. Book IV is introduced by the psalm of Moses, which is the first psalm written.

4. Some are arranged as companion psalms, for instance, sometimes two, sometimes three, and sometimes more. Examples: Psa 2 and 3; 22, 23, and 24; 113-118.

5. They were arranged for liturgical purposes, which furnished the psalms for special occasions, such as feasts, etc. We may be sure this arrangement was not accidental. An intelligent study of each case is convincing that it was determined upon rational grounds.

All the psalms have titles but thirty-three, as follows:

In Book I, Psa 1 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 10 ; Psa 33 , (4 are without titles).

In Book II, Psa 43 ; Psa 71 , (2 are without titles).

In Book IV, Psa 91 ; Psa 93 ; Psa 94 ; Psa 95 ; Psa 96 ; Psa 97 ; Psa 104 ; Psa 105 ; Psa 106 , (9 are without titles).

In Book V, Psa 107 ; III; 112; 113; 114; 115; 116; 117; 118; 119; 135; 136; 137; 146; 147; 148; 149; 150, (18 are without titles).

The Talmud calls these psalms that have no title, “Orphan Psalms.” The later Jews supply these titles by taking the nearest preceding author. The lack of titles in Psa 1 ; Psa 2 ; and 10 may be accounted for as follows: Psa 1 is a general introduction to the whole collection and Psa 2 was, perhaps, a part of Psa 1 . Psalms 9-10 were formerly combined into one, therefore Psa 10 has the same title as Psa 9 .

QUESTIONS

1. What books are commended on the Psalms?

2. What is a psalm?

3. What is the Psalter?

4. What is the range of time in composition?

5. When and by whom was the collection in its present form arranged?

6. What the Jewish classification of Old Testament books, and what the position of the Psalter in this classification?

7. What is the Hebrew title of the Psalms?

8. Find the title of the first two books from the books themselves.

9. What is the title of the whole collection of psalms in the Septuagint?

10. What is the title in the Alexandrian Codex?

11. What is the derivation of our English word, “Psalms”, “Psalter”, and “Psaltery,” respectively?

12. How many psalms in our collection?

13. How many psalms in the Septuagint?

14. What about the extra one in the Septuagint?

15. What is the subject of this extra psalm?

16. How does it compare with the Canonical Psalms?

17. What is the difference in the numbering of the psalms in our version which follows the Hebrew, and the numbering in the Septuagint?

18. What is the arrangement in the Vulgate?

19. What other difficulty in numbering which perplexes an inexperienced student in turning from one version to another?

20. What are the book divisions of the Psalter and how are these divisions marked?

21. Were there smaller collections before the final one? If so, what were they?

22. What principles determined the arrangement of the several psalms in the present collection?

23. In what conclusion may we rest concerning this arrangement?

24. How many of the psalms have no titles?

25. What does the Talmud call these psalms that have no titles?

26. How do later Jews supply these titles?

27. How do you account for the lack of titles in Psa 1 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 10 ?

XII

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF PSALMS (CONTINUED)

The following is a list of the items of information gathered from the titles of the psalms:

1. The author: “A Psalm of David” (Psa 37 ).

2. The occasion: “When he fled from Absalom, his son” (Psa 3 ).

3. The nature, or character, of the poem:

(1) Maschil, meaning “instruction,” a didactic poem (Psa 42 ).

(2) Michtam, meaning “gold,” “A Golden Psalm”; this means excellence or mystery (Psa 16 ; 56-60).

4. The occasion of its use: “A Psalm of David for the dedication of the house” (Psa 30 ).

5. Its purpose: “A Psalm of David to bring remembrance” (Psa 38 ; Psa 70 ).

6. Direction for its use: “A Psalm of David for the chief musician” (Psa 4 ).

7. The kind of musical instrument:

(1) Neginoth, meaning to strike a chord, as on stringed instruments (Psa 4 ; Psa 61 ).

(2) Nehiloth, meaning to perforate, as a pipe or flute (Psa 5 ).

(3) Shoshannim, Lilies, which refers probably to cymbals (Psa 45 ; Psa 69 ).

8. A special choir:

(1) Sheminith, the “eighth,” or octave below, as a male choir (Psa 6 ; Psa 12 ).

(2) Alamoth, female choir (Psa 46 ).

(3) Muth-labben, music with virgin voice, to be sung by a choir of boys in the treble (Psa 9 ).

9. The keynote, or tune:

(1) Aijeleth-sharar, “Hind of the morning,” a song to the melody of which this is sung (Psa 22 ).

(2) Al-tashheth, “Destroy thou not,” the beginning of a song the tune of which is sung (Psa 57 ; Psa 58 ; Psa 59 ; Psa 75 ).

(3) Gittith, set to the tune of Gath, perhaps a tune which David brought from Gath (Psa 8 ; Psa 81 ; Psa 84 ).

(4) Jonath-elim-rehokim, “The dove of the distant terebinths,” the commencement of an ode to the air of which this song was to be sung (Psa 56 ).

(5) Leannoth, the name of a tune (Psa 88 ).

(6) Mahalath, an instrument (Psa 53 ); Leonnoth-Mahaloth, to chant to a tune called Mahaloth.

(7) Shiggaion, a song or a hymn.

(8) Shushan-Eduth, “Lily of testimony,” a tune (Psa 60 ). Note some examples: (1) “America,” “Shiloh,” “Auld Lang Syne.” These are the names of songs such as we are familiar with; (2) “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” and “There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood,” are examples of sacred hymns.

10. The liturgical use, those noted for the feasts, e.g., the Hallels and Hallelujah Psalms (Psalms 146-150).

11. The destination, as “Song of Ascents” (Psalms 120-134)

12. The direction for the music, such as Selah, which means “Singers, pause”; Higgaion-Selah, to strike a symphony with selah, which means an instrumental interlude (Psa 9:16 ).

The longest and fullest title to any of the psalms is the title to Psa 60 . The items of information from this title are as follows: (1) the author; (2) the chief musician; (3) the historical occasion; (4) the use, or design; (5) the style of poetry; (6) the instrument or style of music.

The parts of these superscriptions which most concern us now are those indicating author, occasion, and date. As to the historic value or trustworthiness of these titles most modern scholars deny that they are a part of the Hebrew text, but the oldest Hebrew text of which we know anything had all of them. This is the text from which the Septuagint was translated. It is much more probable that the author affixed them than later writers. There is no internal evidence in any of the psalms that disproves the correctness of them, but much to confirm. The critics disagree among themselves altogether as to these titles. Hence their testimony cannot consistently be received. Nor can it ever be received until they have at least agreed upon a common ground of opposition.

David is the author of more than half the entire collection, the arrangement of which is as follows:

1. Seventy-three are ascribed to him in the superscriptions.

2. Some of these are but continuations of the preceding ones of a pair, trio, or larger group.

3. Some of the Korahite Psalms are manifestly Davidic.

4. Some not ascribed to him in the titles are attributed to him expressly by New Testament writers.

5. It is not possible to account for some parts of the Psalter without David. The history of his early life as found in Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1and 2 Chronicles, not only shows his remarkable genius for patriotic and sacred songs and music, but also shows his cultivation of that gift in the schools of the prophets. Some of these psalms of the history appear in the Psalter itself. It is plain to all who read these that they are founded on experience, and the experience of no other Hebrew fits the case. These experiences are found in Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles.

As to the attempt of the destructive critics to rob David of his glory in relation to the Psalter by assigning the Maccabean era as the date of composition, I have this to say:

1. This theory has no historical support whatever, and therefore is not to be accepted at all.

2. It has no support in tradition, which weakens the contention of the critics greatly.

3. It has no support from finding any one with the necessary experience for their basis.

4. They can give no reasonable account as to how the titles ever got there.

5. It is psychologically impossible for anyone to have written these 150 psalms in the Maccabean times.

6. Their position is expressly contrary to the testimony of Christ and the apostles. Some of the psalms which they ascribe to the Maccabean Age are attributed to David by Christ himself, who said that David wrote them in the Spirit.

The obvious aim of this criticism and the necessary result if it be Just, is a positive denial of the inspiration of both Testaments.

Other authors are named in the titles, as follows: (1) Asaph, to whom twelve psalms have been assigned: (2) Mosee, Psa 90 ; (3) Solomon, Psa 72 ; Psa 127 ; (4) Heman, Psa 80 ; (5) Ethem, Psa 89 ; (6) A number of the psalms are ascribed to the sons of Korah.

Not all the psalms ascribed to Asaph were composed by one person. History indicates that Asaph’s family presided over the song service for several generations. Some of them were composed by his descendants by the game name. The five general outlines of the whole collection are as follows:

I. By books

1. Psalms 1-41 (41)

2. Psalms 42-72 (31)

3. Psalms 73-89 (17)

4. Psalms 90-106 (17)

5. Psalms 107-150 (44)

II. According to date and authorship

1. The psalm of Moses (Psa 90 )

2. Psalms of David:

(1) The shepherd boy (Psa 8 ; Psa 19 ; Psa 29 ; Psa 23 ).

(2) David when persecuted by Saul (Psa 59 ; Psa 56 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 52 ; Psa 54 ; Psa 57 ; Psa 142 ).

(3) David the King (Psa 101 ; Psa 18 ; Psa 24 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 110 ; Psa 20 ; Psa 20 ; Psa 21 ; Psa 60 ; Psa 51 ; Psa 32 ; Psa 41 ; Psa 55 ; Psa 3:4 ; Psa 64 ; Psa 62 ; Psa 61 ; Psa 27 ).

3. The Asaph Psalms (Psa 50 ; Psa 73 ; Psa 83 ).

4. The Korahite Psalms (Psa 42 ; Psa 43 ; Psa 84 ).

5. The psalms of Solomon (Psa 72 ; Psa 127 ).

6. The psalms of the era of Hezekiah and Isaiah (Psa 46 ; Psa 47 ; Psa 48 )

7. The psalms of the Exile (Psa 74 ; Psa 79 ; Psa 137 ; Psa 102 )

8. The psalms of the Restoration (Psa 85 ; Psa 126 ; Psa 118 ; 146-150)

III. By groups

1. The Jehovistic and Elohistic Psalms:

(1) Psalms 1-41 are Jehovistic;

(2) Psalms 42-83 are Elohistic Psalms;

(3) Psalms 84-150 are Jehovistic.

2. The Penitential Psalms (Psa 6 ; Psa 32 ; Psa 38 ; Psa 51 ; Psa 102 ; Psa 130 ; Psa 143 )

3. The Pilgrim Psalms (Psalms 120-134)

4. The Alphabetical Psalms (Psa 9 ; Psa 10 ; Psa 25 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 37 ; 111:112; Psa 119 ; Psa 145 )

5. The Hallelujah Psalms (Psalms 11-113; 115-117; 146-150; to which may be added Psa 135 ) Psalms 113-118 are called “the Egyptian Hallel”

IV. Doctrines of the Psalms

1. The throne of grace and how to approach it by sacrifice, prayer, and praise.

2. The covenant, the basis of worship.

3. The paradoxical assertions of both innocence & guilt.

4. The pardon of sin and justification.

5. The Messiah.

6. The future life, pro and con.

7. The imprecations.

8. Other doctrines.

V. The New Testament use of the Psalms

1. Direct references and quotations in the New Testament.

2. The allusions to the psalms in the New Testament. Certain experiences of David’s life made very deep impressions on his heart, such as: (1) his peaceful early life; (2) his persecution by Saul; (3) his being crowned king of the people; (4) the bringing up of the ark; (5) his first great sin; (6) Absalom’s rebellion; (7) his second great sin; (8) the great promise made to him in 2Sa 7 ; (9) the feelings of his old age.

We may classify the Davidic Psalms according to these experiences following the order of time, thus:

1. His peaceful early life (Psa 8 ; Psa 19 ; Psa 29 ; Psa 23 )

2. His persecution by Saul (Psa 59 ; Psa 56 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 7 ; Psa 52 ; Psa 120 ; Psa 140 ; Psa 54 ; Psa 57 ; Psa 142 ; Psa 17 ; Psa 18 )

3. Making David King (Psa 27 ; Psa 133 ; Psa 101 )

4. Bringing up the ark (Psa 68 ; Psa 24 ; Psa 132 ; Psa 15 ; Psa 78 ; Psa 96 )

5. His first great sin (Psa 51 ; Psa 32 )

6. Absalom’s rebellion (Psa 41 ; Psa 6 ; Psa 55 ; Psa 109 ; Psa 38 ; Psa 39 ; Psa 3 ; Psa 4 ; Psa 63 ; Psa 42 ; Psa 43 ; Psa 5 ; Psa 62 ; Psa 61 ; Psa 27 )

7. His second great sin (Psa 69 ; Psa 71 ; Psa 102 ; Psa 103 )

8. The great promise made to him in 2Sa 7 (Psa 2 )

9. Feelings of old age (Psa 37 )

The great doctrines of the psalms may be noted as follows: (1) the being and attributes of God; (3) sin, both original and individual; (3) both covenants; (4) the doctrine of justification; (5) concerning the Messiah.

There is a striking analogy between the Pentateuch and the Psalms. The Pentateuch contains five books of law; the Psalms contain five books of heart responses to the law.

It is interesting to note the historic controversies concerning the singing of psalms. These were controversies about singing uninspired songs, in the Middle Ages. The church would not allow anything to be used but psalms.

The history in Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles, and in Ezra and Nehemiah is very valuable toward a proper interpretation of the psalms. These books furnish the historical setting for a great many of the psalms which is very indispensable to their proper interpretation.

Professor James Robertson, in the Poetry and Religion of the Psalms constructs a broad and strong argument in favor of the Davidic Psalms, as follows:

1. The age of David furnished promising soil for the growth of poetry.

2. David’s qualifications for composing the psalms make it highly probable that David is the author of the psalms ascribed to him.

3. The arguments against the possibility of ascribing to David any of the hymns in the Hebrew Psalter rests upon assumptions that are thoroughly antibiblical.

The New Testament makes large use of the psalms and we learn much as to their importance in teaching. There are seventy direct quotations in the New Testament from this book, from which we learn that the Scriptures were used extensively in accord with 2Ti 3:16-17 . There are also eleven references to the psalms in the New Testament from which we learn that the New Testament writers were thoroughly imbued with the spirit and teaching of the psalms. Then there are eight allusions ‘to this book in the New Testament from which we gather that the Psalms was one of the divisions of the Old Testament and that they were used in the early church.

QUESTIONS

1. Give a list of the items of information gathered from the titles of the psalms.

2. What is the longest title to any of the psalms and what the items of this title?

3. What parts of these superscriptions most concern us now?

4. What is the historic value, or trustworthiness of these titles?

5. State the argument showing David’s relation to the psalms.

6. What have you to say of the attempt of the destructive critics to rob David of his glory in relation to the Psalter by assigning the Maccabean era as the date of composition?

7. What the obvious aim of this criticism and the necessary result, if it be just?

8. What other authors are named in the titles?

9. Were all the psalms ascribed to Asaph composed by one person?

10. Give the five general outlines of the whole collection, as follows: I. The outline by books II. The outline according to date and authorship III. The outline by groups IV. The outline of doctrines V. The outline by New Testament quotations or allusions.

11. What experiences of David’s life made very deep impressions on his heart?

12. Classify the Davidic Psalms according to these experiences following the order of time.

13. What the great doctrines of the psalms?

14. What analogy between the Pentateuch and the Psalms?

15. What historic controversies concerning the singing of psalms?

16. Of what value is the history in Samuel, 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles, and in Ezra and Nehemiah toward a proper interpretation of the psalms?

17. Give Professor James Robertson’s argument in favor of the Davidic authorship of the psalms.

18. What can you say of the New Testament use of the psalms and what do we learn as to their importance in teaching?

19. What can you say of the New Testament references to the psalms, and from the New Testament references what the impression on the New Testament writers?

20. What can you say of the allusions to the psalms in the New Testament?

XVII

THE MESSIAH IN THE PSALMS

A fine text for this chapter is as follows: “All things must be fulfilled which were written in the Psalms concerning me,” Luk 24:44 . I know of no better way to close my brief treatise on the Psalms than to discuss the subject of the Messiah as revealed in this book.

Attention has been called to the threefold division of the Old Testament cited by our Lord, namely, the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms (Luk 24:44 ), in all of which were the prophecies relating to himself that “must be fulfilled.” It has been shown just what Old Testament books belong to each of these several divisions. The division called the Psalms included many books, styled Holy Writings, and because the Psalms proper was the first book of the division it gave the name to the whole division.

The object of this discussion is to sketch the psalmist’s outline of the Messiah, or rather, to show how nearly a complete picture of our Lord is foredrawn in this one book. Let us understand however with Paul, that all prophecy is but in part (1Co 13:9 ), and that when we fill in on one canvas all the prophecies concerning the Messiah of all the Old Testament divisions, we are far from having a perfect portrait of our Lord. The present purpose is limited to three things:

1. What the book of the Psalms teaches concerning the Messiah.

2. That the New Testament shall authoritatively specify and expound this teaching.

3. That the many messianic predictions scattered over the book and the specifications thereof over the New Testament may be grouped into an orderly analysis, so that by the adjustment of the scattered parts we may have before us a picture of our Lord as foreseen by the psalmists.

In allowing the New Testament to authoritatively specify and expound the predictive features of the book, I am not unmindful of what the so-called “higher critics” urge against the New Testament quotations from the Old Testament and the use made of them. In this discussion, however, these objections are not considered, for sufficient reasons. There is not space for it. Even at the risk of being misjudged I must just now summarily pass all these objections, dismissing them with a single statement upon which the reader may place his own estimate of value. That statement is that in the days of my own infidelity, before this old method of criticism had its new name, I was quite familiar with the most and certainly the strongest of the objections now classified as higher criticism, and have since patiently re-examined them in their widely conflicting restatements under their modern name, and find my faith in the New Testament method of dealing with the Old Testament in no way shattered, but in every way confirmed. God is his own interpreter. The Old Testament as we now have it was in the hands of our Lord. I understand his apostle to declare, substantially, that “every one of these sacred scriptures is God-inspired and is profitable for teaching us what is right to believe and to do, for convincing us what is wrong in faith or practice, for rectifying the wrong when done, that we may be ready at every point, furnished completely, to do every good work, at the right time, in the right manner, and from the proper motive” (2Ti 3:16-17 ).

This New Testament declares that David was a prophet (Act 2:30 ), that he spake by the Holy Spirit (Act 1:16 ), that when the book speaks the Holy Spirit speaks (Heb 3:7 ), and that all its predictive utterances, as sacred Scripture, “must be fulfilled” (Joh 13:18 ; Act 1:16 ). It is not claimed that David wrote all the psalms, but that all are inspired, and that as he was the chief author, the book goes by his name.

It would be a fine thing to make out two lists, as follows:

1. All of the 150 psalms in order from which the New Testament quotes with messianic application.

2. The New Testament quotations, book by book, i.e., Matthew so many, and then the other books in their order.

We would find in neither of these any order as to time, that is, Psa 1 which forecasts an incident in the coming Messiah’s life does not forecast the first incident of his life. And even the New Testament citations are not in exact order as to time and incident of his life. To get the messianic picture before us, therefore, we must put the scattered parts together in their due relation and order, and so construct our own analysis. That is the prime object of this discussion. It is not claimed that the analysis now presented is perfect. It is too much the result of hasty, offhand work by an exceedingly busy man. It will serve, however, as a temporary working model, which any one may subsequently improve. We come at once to the psalmist’s outline of the Messiah.

1. The necessity for a Saviour. This foreseen necessity is a background of the psalmists’ portrait of the Messiah. The necessity consists in (1) man’s sinfulness; (2) his sin; (3) his inability of wisdom and power to recover himself; (4) the insufficiency of legal, typical sacrifices in securing atonement.

The predicate of Paul’s great argument on justification by faith is the universal depravity and guilt of man. He is everywhere corrupt in nature; everywhere an actual transgressor; everywhere under condemnation. But the scriptural proofs of this depravity and sin the apostle draws mainly from the book of the Psalms. In one paragraph of the letter to the Romans (Rom 3:4-18 ), he cites and groups six passages from six divisions of the Psalms (Psa 5:9 ; Psa 10:7 ; Psa 14:1-3 ; Psa 36:1 ; Psa 51:4-6 ; Psa 140:3 ). These passages abundantly prove man’s sinfulness, or natural depravity, and his universal practice of sin.

The predicate also of the same apostle’s great argument for revelation and salvation by a Redeemer is man’s inability of wisdom and power to re-establish communion with God. In one of his letters to the Corinthians he thus commences his argument: “For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? -For after that in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preach-ing to save them that believe.” He closes this discussion with the broad proposition: “The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God,” and proves it by a citation from Psa 94:11 : “The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.”

In like manner our Lord himself pours scorn on human wisdom and strength by twice citing Psa 8 : “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight” (Mat 11:25-26 ). “And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children that were crying in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased, and said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?” (Mat 21:15-16 ).

But the necessity for a Saviour as foreseen by the psalmist did not stop at man’s depravity, sin, and helplessness. The Jews were trusting in the sacrifices of their law offered on the smoking altar. The inherent weakness of these offerings, their lack of intrinsic merit, their ultimate abolition, their complete fulfilment and supercession by a glorious antitype were foreseen and foreshown in this wonderful prophetic book: I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices; And thy burnt offerings are continually before me. I will take no bullock out of thy house, Nor he-goat out of thy folds. For every beast of the forest is mine, And the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all of the birds of the mountains; And the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee; For the world is mine, and the fulness thereof. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, Or drink the blood of goats? Psa 50:8-13 .

Yet again it speaks in that more striking passage cited in the letter to the Hebrews: “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, not the very image of the things, can never with the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshipers, once purged should have no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance made of sins year by year. For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not, But a body didst thou prepare for me; In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hadst no pleasure: Then said I, Lo, I am come (In the roll of the book it is written of me) To do thy will, O God. Saying above, Sacrifice and offering and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou wouldst not, neither hadst pleasure therein, (the which are offered according to the law), then hath he said, Lo, I am come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second” (Heb 10:1-9 ).

This keen foresight of the temporary character and intrinsic worthlessness of animal sacrifices anticipated similar utterances by the later prophets (Isa 1:10-17 ; Jer 6:20 ; Jer 7:21-23 ; Hos 6:6 ; Amo 5:21 ; Mic 6:6-8 ). Indeed, I may as well state in passing that when the apostle declares, “It is impossible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins,” he lays down a broad principle, just as applicable to baptism and the Lord’s Supper. With reverence I state the principle: Not even God himself by mere appointment can vest in any ordinance, itself lacking intrinsic merit, the power to take away sin. There can be, therefore, in the nature of the case, no sacramental salvation. This would destroy the justice of God in order to exalt his mercy. Clearly the psalmist foresaw that “truth and mercy must meet together” before “righteousness and peace could kiss each other” (Psa 85:10 ). Thus we find as the dark background of the psalmists’ luminous portrait of the Messiah, the necessity for a Saviour.

2. The nature, extent, and blessedness of the salvation to be wrought by the coming Messiah. In no other prophetic book are the nature, fullness, and blessedness of salvation so clearly seen and so vividly portrayed. Besides others not now enumerated, certainly the psalmists clearly forecast four great elements of salvation:

(1) An atoning sacrifice of intrinsic merit offered once for all (Psa 40:6-8 ; Heb 10:4-10 ).

(2) Regeneration itself consisting of cleansing, renewal, and justification. We hear his impassioned statement of the necessity of regeneration: “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts,” followed by his earnest prayer: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me,” and his equally fervent petition: “Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psa 51 ). And we hear him again as Paul describes the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputes righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, And whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not reckon sin Psa 32:1 ; Rom 4:6-8 .

(3) Introduction into the heavenly rest (Psa 95:7-11 ; Heb 3:7-19 ; Heb 4:1-11 ). Here is the antitypical Joshua leading spiritual Israel across the Jordan of death into the heavenly Canaan, the eternal rest that remaineth for the people of God. Here we find creation’s original sabbath eclipsed by redemption’s greater sabbath when the Redeemer “entered his rest, ceasing from his own works as God did from his.”

(4) The recovery of all the universal dominion lost by the first Adam and the securement of all possible dominion which the first Adam never attained (Psa 8:5-6 ; Eph 1:20-22 ; Heb 2:7-9 ; 1Co 15:24-28 ).

What vast extent then and what blessedness in the salvation foreseen by the psalmists, and to be wrought by the Messiah. Atoning sacrifice of intrinsic merit; regeneration by the Holy Spirit; heavenly rest as an eternal inheritance; and universal dominion shared with Christ!

3. The wondrous person of the Messiah in his dual nature, divine and human.

(1) His divinity,

(a) as God: “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever” (Psa 45:6 and Heb 1:8 ) ;

(b) as creator of the heavens and earth, immutable and eternal: Of old didst thou lay the foundation of the earth; And the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure; Yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; As a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed. But thou art the same, And thy years shall have no end Psa 102:25-27 quoted with slight changes in Heb 1:10-12 .

(c) As owner of the earth: The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein, Psa 24:1 quoted in 1Co 10:26 .

(d) As the Son of God: “Thou art my Son; This day have I begotten thee” Psa 2:7 ; Heb 1:5 .

(e) As David’s Lord: The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, Until I make thine enemies thy footstool, Psa 110:1 ; Mat 22:41-46 .

(f) As the object of angelic worship: “And let all the angels of God worship him” Psa 97:7 ; Heb 1:6 .

(g) As the Bread of life: And he rained down manna upon them to eat, And gave them food from heaven Psa 78:24 ; interpreted in Joh 6:31-58 . These are but samples which ascribe deity to the Messiah of the psalmists.

(2) His humanity, (a) As the Son of man, or Son of Adam: Psa 8:4-6 , cited in 1Co 15:24-28 ; Eph 1:20-22 ; Heb 2:7-9 . Compare Luke’s genealogy, Luk 3:23-38 . This is the ideal man, or Second Adam, who regains Paradise Lost, who recovers race dominion, in whose image all his spiritual lineage is begotten. 1Co 15:45-49 . (b) As the Son of David: Psa 18:50 ; Psa 89:4 ; Psa 89:29 ; Psa 89:36 ; Psa 132:11 , cited in Luk 1:32 ; Act 13:22-23 ; Rom 1:3 ; 2Ti 2:8 . Perhaps a better statement of the psalmists’ vision of the wonderful person of the Messiah would be: He saw the uncreated Son, the second person of the trinity, in counsel and compact with the Father, arranging in eternity for the salvation of men: Psa 40:6-8 ; Heb 10:5-7 . Then he saw this Holy One stoop to be the Son of man: Psa 8:4-6 ; Heb 2:7-9 . Then he was the son of David, and then he saw him rise again to be the Son of God: Psa 2:7 ; Rom 1:3-4 .

4. His offices.

(1) As the one atoning sacrifice (Psa 40:6-8 ; Heb 10:5-7 ).

(2) As the great Prophet, or Preacher (Psa 40:9-10 ; Psa 22:22 ; Heb 2:12 ). Even the method of his teaching by parable was foreseen (Psa 78:2 ; Mat 13:35 ). Equally also the grace, wisdom, and power of his teaching. When the psalmist declares that “Grace is poured into thy lips” (Psa 45:2 ), we need not be startled when we read that all the doctors in the Temple who heard him when only a boy “were astonished at his understanding and answers” (Luk 2:47 ); nor that his home people at Nazareth “all bear him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth” (Luk 4:22 ); nor that those of his own country were astonished, and said, “Whence hath this man this wisdom?” (Mat 13:54 ); nor that the Jews in the Temple marveled, saying, “How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?” (Joh 7:15 ) ; nor that the stern officers of the law found their justification in failure to arrest him in the declaration, “Never man spake like this man” (Joh 7:46 ).

(3) As the king (Psa 2:6 ; Psa 24:7-10 ; Psa 45:1-17 ; Psa 110:1 ; Mat 22:42-46 ; Act 2:33-36 ; 1Co 15:25 ; Eph 1:20 ; Heb 1:13 ).

(4) As the priest (Psa 110:4 ; Heb 5:5-10 ; Heb 7:1-21 ; Heb 10:12-14 ).

(5) As the final judge. The very sentence of expulsion pronounced upon the finally impenitent by the great judge (Mat 25:41 ) is borrowed from the psalmist’s prophetic words (Psa 6:8 ).

5. Incidents of life. The psalmists not only foresaw the necessity for a Saviour; the nature, extent, and blessedness of the salvation; the wonderful human-divine person of the Saviour; the offices to be filled by him in the work of salvation, but also many thrilling details of his work in life, death, resurrection, and exaltation. It is not assumed to cite all these details, but some of the most important are enumerated in order, thus:

(1) The visit, adoration, and gifts of the Magi recorded in Mat 2 are but partial fulfilment of Psa 72:9-10 .

(2) The scripture employed by Satan in the temptation of our Lord (Luk 4:10-11 ) was cited from Psa 91:11-12 and its pertinency not denied.

(3) In accounting for his intense earnestness and the apparently extreme measures adopted by our Lord in his first purification of the Temple (Joh 2:17 ), he cites the messianic zeal predicted in Psa 69:9 .

(4) Alienation from his own family was one of the saddest trials of our Lord’s earthly life. They are slow to understand his mission and to enter into sympathy with him. His self-abnegation and exhaustive toil were regarded by them as evidences of mental aberration, and it seems at one time they were ready to resort to forcible restraint of his freedom) virtually what in our time would be called arrest under a writ of lunacy. While at the last his half-brothers became distinguished preachers of his gospel, for a long while they do not believe on him. And the evidence forces us to the conclusion that his own mother shared with her other sons, in kind though not in degree, the misunderstanding of the supremacy of his mission over family relations. The New Testament record speaks for itself:

Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them. How is it that ye sought me? Knew ye not that I must be in my Father’s house? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them Luk 2:48-51 (R.V.).

And when the wine failed, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. And Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come. Joh 2:3-5 (R.V.).

And there come his mother and his brethren; and standing without; they sent unto him, calling him. And a multitude was sitting about him; and they say unto him. Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. And he answereth them, and saith, Who is my mother and my brethren? And looking round on them that sat round about him, he saith, Behold, my mother and my brethren) For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother Mar 3:31-35 (R.V.).

Now the feast of the Jews, the feast of tabernacles, was at hand. His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may behold thy works which thou doest. For no man doeth anything in secret, and himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou doest these things, manifest thyself to the world. For even his brethren did not believe on him. Jesus therefore saith unto them, My time is not yet come; but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that its works are evil. Go ye up unto the feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; because my time is not fulfilled. Joh 7:2-9 (R.V.).

These citations from the Revised Version tell their own story. But all that sad story is foreshown in the prophetic psalms. For example: I am become a stranger unto my brethren, And an alien unto my mother’s children. Psa 69:8 .

(5) The triumphal entry into Jerusalem was welcomed by a joyous people shouting a benediction from Psa 118:26 : “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Mat 21:9 ); and the Lord’s lamentation over Jerusalem predicts continued desolation and banishment from his sight until the Jews are ready to repeat that benediction (Mat 23:39 ).

(6) The children’s hosanna in the Temple after its second purgation is declared by our Lord to be a fulfilment of that perfect praise forecast in Psa 8:2 .

(7) The final rejection of our Lord by his own people was also clear in the psalmist’s vision (Psa 118:22 ; Mat 21:42-44 ).

(8) Gethsemane’s baptism of suffering, with its strong crying and tears and prayers was as clear to the psalmist’s prophetic vision as to the evangelist and apostle after it became history (Psa 69:1-4 ; Psa 69:13-20 ; and Mat 26:36-44 ; Heb 5:7 ).

(9) In life-size also before the psalmist was the betrayer of Christ and his doom (Psa 41:9 ; Psa 69:25 ; Psa 109:6-8 ; Joh 13:18 ; Act 1:20 ).

(10) The rage of the people, Jew and Gentile, and the conspiracy of Pilate and Herod are clearly outlined (Psa 2:1-3 ; Act 4:25-27 ).

(11) All the farce of his trial the false accusation, his own marvelous silence; and the inhuman maltreatment to which he was subjected, is foreshown in the prophecy as dramatically as in the history (Mat 26:57-68 ; Mat 27:26-31 ; Psa 27:12 ; Psa 35:15-16 ; Psa 38:3 ; Psa 69:19 ).

The circumstances of his death, many and clear, are distinctly foreseen. He died in the prime of life (Psa 89:45 ; Psa 102:23-24 ). He died by crucifixion (Psa 22:14-17 ; Luk 23 ; 33; Joh 19:23-37 ; Joh 20:27 ). But yet not a bone of his body was broken (Psa 34:20 ; Joh 19:36 ).

The persecution, hatred without a cause, the mockery and insults, are all vividly and dramatically foretold (Psa 22:6-13 ; Psa 35:7 ; Psa 35:12 ; Psa 35:15 ; Psa 35:21 ; Psa 109:25 ).

The parting of his garments and the gambling for his vesture (Psa 22:18 ; Mat 27:35 ).

His intense thirst and the gall and vinegar offered for his drink (Psa 69:21 ; Mat 27:34 ).

In the psalms, too, we hear his prayers for his enemies so remarkably fulfilled in fact (Psa 109:4 ; Luk 23:34 ).

His spiritual death was also before the eye of the psalmist, and the very words which expressed it the psalmist heard. Separation from the Father is spiritual death. The sinner’s substitute must die the sinner’s death, death physical, i.e., separation of soul from body; death spiritual, i.e., separation of the soul from God. The latter is the real death and must precede the former. This death the substitute died when he cried out: “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me.” (Psa 22:1 ; Mat 27:46 ).

Emerging from the darkness of that death, which was the hour of the prince of darkness, the psalmist heard him commend his spirit to the Father (Psa_31:35; Luk 23:46 ) showing that while he died the spiritual death, his soul was not permanently abandoned unto hell (Psa 16:8-10 ; Act 2:25 ) so that while he “tasted death” for every man it was not permanent death (Heb 2:9 ).

With equal clearness the psalmist foresaw his resurrection, his triumph over death and hell, his glorious ascension into heaven, and his exaltation at the right hand of God as King of kings and Lord of lords, as a high Driest forever, as invested with universal sovereignty (Psa 16:8-11 ; Psa 24:7-10 ; Psa 68:18 ; Psa 2:6 ; Psa 111:1-4 ; Psa 8:4-6 ; Act 2:25-36 ; Eph 1:19-23 ; Eph 4:8-10 ).

We see, therefore, brethren, when the scattered parts are put together and adjusted, how nearly complete a portrait of our Lord is put upon the prophetic canvas by this inspired limner, the sweet singer of Israel.

QUESTIONS

1. What is a good text for this chapter?

2. What is the threefold division of the Old Testament as cited by our Lord?

3. What is the last division called and why?

4. What is the object of the discussion in this chapter?

5. To what three things is the purpose limited?

6. What especially qualifies the author to meet the objections of the higher critics to allowing the New Testament usage of the Old Testament to determine its meaning and application?

7. What is the author’s conviction relative to the Scriptures?

8. What is the New Testament testimony on the question of inspiration?

9. What is the author’s suggested plan of approach to the study of the Messiah in the Psalms?

10. What the background of the Psalmist’s portrait of the Messiah and of what does it consist?

11. Give the substance of Paul’s discussion of man’s sinfulness.

12. What is the teaching of Jesus on this point?

13. What is the teaching relative to sacrifices?

14. What the nature, extent, and blessedness of the salvation to be wrought by the coming Messiah and what the four great elements of it as forecast by the psalmist?

15. What is the teaching of the psalms relative to the wondrous person of the Messiah? Discuss.

16. What are the offices of the Messiah according to psalms? Discuss each.

17. Cite the more important events of the Messiah’s life according to the vision of the psalmist.

18. What the circumstances of the Messiah’s death and resurrection as foreseen by the psalmist?

Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible

Psa 92:1 A Psalm [or] Song for the sabbath day. [It is a] good [thing] to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:

A Psalm or Song for the sabbath day ] The sabbath in the Hebrew hath its name from resting ( ), and is near allied to two other words, the first whereof signifieth to sit still ( ), and the second to worship and give praise ( ). On this day they met for works of piety (as sacrificing, reading and expounding the Scriptures, praying, singing, as here, &c.) and of mercy, Mat 12:2-8 ; Mat 12:11-12 . And this psalm, treating of God’s great works, was purposely set for a canon of sanctifying that day called by the Jews the queen of days; in praise whereof, before and after meat, they daily say certain verses.

Ver. 1.

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord ] And the sabbath day is a good time to do it in; for then (as Kimchi here noteth) men are at leisure and liberty to do it most solemnly; the better day the better deed.

And to sing praises unto thy name ] The psalmist commends it, and presently sets upon the doing of it. So Psa 122:6-7 , he no sooner bids pray for the peace of Jerusalem, but himself prays, “Peace be within thy walls,” &c.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

This is “A psalm, a song, for the sabbath day.” Here the true Sabbath, the rest of God, is anticipated when man’s restless toils are over. How suitable this song will then be needs no comment here. Blessing on earth follows judgment. Such is O.T. order. Those that follow to Psa 100 hang on this title.

Fuente: William Kelly Major Works (New Testament)

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 92:1-4

1It is good to give thanks to the Lord

And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;

2To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning

And Your faithfulness by night,

3With the ten-stringed lute and with the harp,

With resounding music upon the lyre.

4For You, O Lord, have made me glad by what You have done,

I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands.

Psa 92:1-4 This strophe emphasizes praise. Notice the recurrent references to music.

1. verbs

a. give thanks, Psa 92:1 – BDB 392, KB 389, Hiphil infinitive construct

b. sing praises, Psa 92:1 – BDB 274, KB 273, Piel infinitive construct

c. make glad, Psa 92:4 – BDB 970, KB 1333, Piel perfect

d. sing for joy, Psa 92:4 – BDB 943, KB 1247, Piel imperfect

2. musical instruments (a. may define b. and, therefore, refer to only two instruments, cf. Psa 33:2; Psa 144:9)

a. ten-stringed lute, Psa 92:3 – BDB 797

b. harp, Psa 92:3 – BDB 614 II

c. lyre, Psa 92:3 – BDB 490 (b. and c. are both mentioned in Psa 57:8)

Psa 92:1 Most High See note at Psa 91:1.

Psa 92:2 This Psalm begins with three infinitive constructs.

1. give thanks

2. sing praises

3. declare – BDB 616, KB 665, Hiphil

Notice that number 3, declare, also closes (inclusio) the Psalm at Psa 92:15. The declaration involves

1. YHWH’s lovingkindness, Psa 92:2 (see Special Topic: Lovingkindness [hesed] )

2. YHWH’s faithfulness, Psa 92:2 (cf. Psa 33:4; Psa 143:1, see Special Topic: Believe, Trust, Faith and Faithfulness in the OT )

3. YHWH’s uprightness, Psa 92:15 (see Special Topic: Righteousness )

4. YHWH’s stability and strength (lit. He is my rock), Psa 92:15

5. YHWH’s perfect character (lit. there is no unrighteousness in Him, cf. Rom 9:11; Jas 1:17), Psa 92:15

morning. . .night These are parallel and are idiomatic for always. The other option is that they reflect the times of the daily sacrifice (i.e., 9 a.m., 3 p.m. in the temple and, therefore, have a liturgical emphasis.

Psa 92:4 what You have done The two poetic lines of Psa 92:4 repeat this thought (i.e., Psalms 1, i.e., The Two Ways, cf. Deu 30:15; Deu 30:19). YHWH’s work is

1. the destruction of the wicked, Psa 92:5-9 (esp. Psa 92:5 a)

2. the blessing of the righteous, Psa 92:10-15

Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley

Title. A Psalm. Hebrew. mizmor. App-65.

Song. Hebrew. shir. App-65.

the sabbath day. Looking forward to the Day and Rest of Messiah’s reign. May it not also have reference to the wilderness time, the cause being recorded in Num 15:32-41?

the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4.

name. See note on Psa 20:1.

MOST HIGH. Hebrew ‘Elyon. App-4. Showing that it relates to His doings in the earth. See notes on p. 809.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

Psa 92:1-15 is a psalm for the Sabbath day.

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High: To show forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night ( Psa 92:1-2 ),

It’s just a good thing to praise the Lord in song, to just show forth the lovingkindness of God. Every morning, start the day with a song. Every evening, end the day with a song. For the faithfulness of God. Lord, You’ve watched over me. You’ve kept me all through the day.

Upon an instrument of ten strings, upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound. For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands. O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep. A brutish man does not know; neither doth a fool understand this. But when the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever ( Psa 92:3-7 ):

My father for years was a sales engineer for the southern county’s gas company when we were growing up in Ventura. And life in the home of a salesman during the Depression years was feast or famine. If Dad had a lot of sales, good commissions, we had… we feasted. When the sales weren’t so good, then it was tight around the house. But fortunately, my dad was a super salesman and the Lord really blessed him in his sales. And he was a super salesman for the gas company, but also for the Lord. He was a super witness for Jesus Christ. Always witnessing wherever he’d go to sell a refrigerator, stove, or whatever; he’d always leave a witness for the Lord.

He was coming towards the end of the month and he hadn’t had any sales that month. He’d been up in Ojai trying to close a deal and it didn’t close. And he was riding home in the car and not knowing really what to do. Because, where are we going to get the money for the month’s bills? and so forth. Because there will be no commission, just the salary this month, and he couldn’t live on the salary. And my father was a very emotional type person. He was capable of great highs and great lows. And he was very low at this point, very depressed. And he was looking out in the field and he saw the cows out there just eating the grass. And he said, “They look so contented like they didn’t have a worry in the world.” They must have been Carnation cows. But he said to the Lord, “Lord, it isn’t fair. Here I am, your child, I’m your servant. And I’m so worried and so upset because I don’t know how I’m going to be paying my bills, and look at those dumb cows out there. So peaceful, so contented eating the grass and the whole field is full of green grass. They’ve got all that they could ever want and yet here I am; I don’t know how I’m going to pay my bills. Lord, it isn’t fair that I should have to worry when I’m Your child and those cows can have it so good. They don’t have a worry in the world.” And the Lord spoke to him and said, “Yes, but they don’t have any future. And you have a future with Me.”

The psalmist here declares, “The brutish man doesn’t know, nor does a fool consider or understand this. But when the wicked spring forth as the grass, when those workers of iniquity flourish, they’re going to be destroyed forever.” Don’t be envious of them. Foolish to be envious of them, because they’re going to get wiped out. And so it is great folly to envy the wicked. So many times we, I think, are guilty of that. We look at the wicked and we think, “Lord, they seem to have everything they want, and here I am trying to serve You and I’ve got all these problems and all.” We don’t take into consideration the end results, what the future holds. “But they shall be destroyed forever.”

But thou, LORD, art most high for evermore. For, lo, your enemies, O LORD, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered. But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of unicorn: and be anointed with fresh oil ( Psa 92:8-10 ).

The enemies of the Lord, they’re going to perish. The workers of iniquity, they’ll be scattered. But Lord, You’ll exalt me.

My eye shall see my desire upon my enemies, and my ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me. The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon ( Psa 92:11-12 ).

When my dad got back to the office in Ventura, there were some people there looking at a stove. He went up to them and he said, you know, began to point out the features they said, “We want it.” He signed them up for the stove. Pretty soon some people came in, bought a refrigerator, and before the day was over, he had enough sales to provide great commissions for that month, and God just really took care of us in a very beautiful way. My father won the award several years running of the most outstanding salesman in the United States for the Servel Corporation. Won many awards for that. In fact, he had a very interesting experience. He was out in the Miners Oak area, had just signed up a customer for a new stove, refrigerator, furnace, and then started witnessing to the guy. And the guy was real antagonistic to the Christian witness and got so mad he began to curse my dad. He said, “Let me have the contract back,” and he ripped up the contract. And he said, “I don’t know how the gas company can afford to hire fools, men that talk to people about Jesus Christ and all,” and just really berated him.

And so my dad came home and was discouraged coming home, because you don’t like… it’s hard to suffer reproach for Christ. When my dad got home, there was a letter there. He opened it up and it was, “Congratulations, you’ve won first place in the United States again for Servel for the fifth year in a row, and this year we’re going to send you to San Diego to the World’s Fair in San Diego, and all expenses.” And there is a check in there and everything else. In fact, there was a picture and it was a hundred-dollar bill. “Let me be the first to congratulate you for what you’ve done.” All these prizes.

Well, there was a football game going that night and my dad said, “Come on, son, let’s go to the football game.” So we headed for the football game and we were playing that night against a team and the stadium was just packed. We got there a little late. And way up towards the top there were a couple of seats, so Dad and I made our way up there and we sat down. But as we were getting in, Dad looked, and right behind us was the guy that that afternoon had just cursed him and said, “I don’t know how the gas company can afford to hire fools,” and all. Dad had the letter still in his pocket, and so he just handed the letter back to the guy. And the guy let out a few oh’s, and says, “Come on back tomorrow, Mr. Smith, I really do need that refrigerator and stove.”

Oh, “my eye shall see my desire upon my enemies, my ears shall hear my desire the wicked that rise up against me. The righteous shall flourish.”

Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age ( Psa 92:13-14 );

So some encouragement here. The next part I don’t know though.

they shall be fat ( Psa 92:14 )

Just fulfilling the Word, how can you help it, you know?

fat and flourishing; To show that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him ( Psa 92:14-15 ). “

Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary

Psa 92:1. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:

It is good in itself; it is good for those who hear it; but it is especially good for our own hearts to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto the name of the Most High. Sometimes, when we are very heavy in spirit, if we would take care not to defraud the Lord of the revenue of praise that is due unto him, we should find that the readiest way to bring comfort to ourselves is to sing praises unto his holy name. Brother and sisters in Christ, it is not very notable work to praise God when all things go well with us; it is far grander work to praise him when everything seems to be against us. It is because the nightingale doth sing by night that he hath such excellence among the birds, and if you and I can praise God in the dark, then we shall find that it is a good thing for ourselves to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto the name of the Most High.

Psa 92:2. To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithful every night,

Begin the day by setting forth the Lords lovingkindness. It was his lovingkindness that watched over you when you lay unconscious and defenseless, and could not therefore protect yourself; it was his lovingkindness that drew wide the curtain of the night, that touched your eyelids, and awoke you out of that sleep which was the image of death, and bade you look out upon the rising sun. Therefore take the key of the morning to open the day, and let it be the golden key of praise; show forth the Lords lovingkindness in the morning.

And when night comes again, let us then sing of Gods faithfulness. We have experienced it through another day, let us praise him for it. Now we see how he has borne with us, pardoned us, preserved us, supplied our needs, and continued to educate us throughout another day; let us therefore praise and bless his holy name, and so close the day, and commit ourselves to sleep again under his divine protection.

Psa 92:3. Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.

Under the old dispensation, instrumental music seemed more congruous than it does now with the spiritual worship into which we have been introduced. If we must ever have instrumental music in our worship, let it be the same the very same as David had; and then I for one, though I should still think it be going back to the old dispensation long since superseded, would put up with it. I could never get much further than that, I think, for what instrument is there that is equal to the human voice, what music can be compared with it? All other sound is but the poor attempt of man to rival the creation of his God; but the human voice is full of charming melodies and harmonies, and if it be controlled by a true heart, there is nothing like it even to our ears, while it seems to me that it must be far more acceptable to God than the product of mere mechanism.

Psa 92:4. For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.

There is a blessed verse to come from the heart and mind of a happy man who is praising God, and who looks on all the works of the Lord, in creation, providence, and redemption, and makes them all the subject of his joyous doing.

Psa 92:5. O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.

There is little that we know of the thoughts of God except as we gather them from his works or learn them from his Word, for what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him ? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. It is by divine revelation that we must know the thoughts of God, and the more we know of them, the more shall we realize that they are very deep.

Psa 92:6. A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.

He looks at nature, and as he sees its varied operations, he observes certain eternal law as he calls them, but he does not see the power at the back of those laws which makes the laws potent for the government of the world. Nay, he lives and walks where God has displayed his power to the full, yet he fails to see him. It would be a strange proceeding for anyone to go into an artists house, and look at his picture and his sculpture, and yet never to think of him, but this is what the brutish man does with regard to the works of God, and with regard to God himself.

Psa 92:7. When the wicked spring as the grass,

Numerous, fresh, vigorous,

Psa 92:7. And when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:

That is the end to which they will surely come, no matter how much they boast, nor how they grow and flourish till they seem, like the grass in the meadow, to cover everything, that you can go nowhere without seeing them. Yet they shall be destroyed for ever.

Psa 92:8. But thou, LORD, art most high for evermore.

The psalmist began by calling the Lord most high, and now he says that he is most high for evermore. Yes, this is our joy that God never passes away; he abides for ever. Myriads of the ungodly have come and gone, empires of wickedness have risen to great power, and in due time have passed away like dreams, but we can still say, with the psalmist Thou, Lord, art most high for evermore.

Psa 92:9-10. For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered. But my horn halt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil.

The believer, though he is very weak in his own consciousness, and utterly insignificant in his own esteem, shall receive fresh power from God; and when the wicked melt away, he shall grow stronger and stronger.

Psa 92:11. Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ear shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise by against me.

The translators put in the words my desire in both cases they are printed in italics to show that they are not in the original. No doubt the psalmist means that his eye should see the end of his enemies, and his ears should hear of their total overthrow.

Psa 92:12. The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

The palm tree flourishes amidst the desert sunshine, growing straight upright towards heaven without a branch that deviates to the right or the left, and bearing its great masses of fruit as near heaven as ever it can. It is a fine type of Christian life and growth and fruitfulness A Christian should also be like a cedar in Lebanon, firmly rooted in his appointed place, and defying the winters snows which threaten to bury him out of sight.

Psa 92:13. Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our Lord.

Like trees planted in the courtyard, screened and protected, such are true believer; God is their defense, and they are screened within the court of the Lords house.

Psa 92:14. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;

When worldings decay, they shall still be fruitful. They shall not feel, as so many others do, that their age is a curse; it shall be to them a blessing, ripening them for eternity, and it shall be a blessing to all by whom they are surrounded.

Psa 92:15. To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock,

Can each one of you say that concerning the Lord, He is my rock, my foundation, my refuge, my shelter ?

Psa 92:15. And there is no unrightousness in him.

Say that when you have lost the dearest one you ever knew. Say that when your property has melted like the hoar frost in the morning. Say that when every bone in your body is aching, and some fell disease is hastening you to an early grave. . There is no unrighteousness in him. How long have you known him? If it be seventy years or more than that, he has never been unfaithful to you, nor suffered a single promise of his to fail. Write this down as the testimony of the experience of all Gods people, There is no unrighteousness is him.

Fuente: Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible

Psa 92:1-3

PRAISING THE GREATNESS OF GOD

The superscription refers to this psalm as, “A song for the sabbath day,” meaning, no doubt, that it was used by the Jews as part of their worship on each sabbath day.

In this connection, we were intrigued by a comment of Albert Barnes. “The Chaldee Paraphrase has this for the title, `A song which the first man spoke for the sabbath day.’… We have no proof of what would be so interesting a fact of our having a genuine poetic composition of Adam. Such a thing is an absolute impossibility, because God did not reveal the sabbath day to Adam, there being no evidence whatever that Adam ever heard of it. God revealed the sabbath day to Moses, not Adam. Furthermore, it was never given to “all mankind” but only to the Jews. The first mention of a sabbath day is not in Genesis, but in Exo 16:23; and the words, `Remember the sabbath day’ in the Decalogue are not a reference to Genesis, but to Exo 16:23.

Regarding the paragraphing of Psalms 92, there are nearly as many opinions as there are scholars. The psalm has 15 verses, and a convenient way of dividing is the method adopted by Delitzsch and Maclaren, in five divisions of three verses each.

The Rabbinical tradition that Moses wrote the psalm is declared to be “untenable” by most modern writers, despite the fact of there being absolutely nothing in the psalm that supports such a dogmatic view. Of course, we cannot know who wrote it, or upon what occasion he did so. An exception is the mention of instruments of music, which, if authentic, would mean that Moses did not write this, but the liturgical use of the psalm during the period of later Judaism might well have led to the addition of this feature.

The same human conceit that added mechanical musical instruments to the temple services would not have hesitated to add them to a psalm. See comment on Psa 92:3, below.

Psa 92:1-3

INTRODUCTION

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto Jehovah,

And to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High;

To show forth thy lovingkindness in the morning,

And thy faithfulness every night.

With an instrument of ten strings, and with the psaltery;

With a solemn sound upon the harp.”

These three verses are generally recognized as an introduction to the whole psalm.

It is of interest that “Most High” is here used as a synonym for Jehovah. The extensive use of this title in Psalms has not received the attention from scholars that it deserves. The Hebrew people never allowed this title to any pagan deity, although it was sometimes so applied by pagans.

“In the morning … every night” (Psa 92:2). The most appropriate times for worshipping God are morning and evening. Every morning, when men arise from sleep, refreshed and strengthened from a night of rest, the blessing of God in the gift of a new day and a new beginning for human activity should inspire every man to `thank God’ and worship the Most High. Likewise in the evenings, as one remembers the achievements of the day and God’s protection from danger and failure, it is also appropriate to worship God.

Under the Law of Moses, the principle of morning and evening worship were established in the institution of “the morning and evening sacrifices” (Exo 29:38-42). In the Christian faith, through the tradition of offering thanks for meals, the Lord is actually worshipped “three times daily.”

“Instrument of ten strings … solemn sound upon the harp” (Psa 92:3). If this is an authentic rendition of the sacred text, it is impossible to suppose that Moses is the author, because such instruments of music were never used in God’s worship till the times of David and subsequently. We are not sure, however that the translation here is accurate. Adam Clarke, a very able scholar, objected to it strenuously, declaring that it should be translated: “`Upon the [~’asur], upon the [~nebel], upon the [~higgayon],’ with the [~kinnor]. Thus it stands in the Hebrew. None of these words is a reference to any kind of a musical instrument. They appear to be instructions to the singers. Of course, there is no doubt that David did indeed introduce the extensive use of mechanical instruments of music into God’s worship; and the only question here is whether or not this psalm mentions it.

E.M. Zerr:

Psa 92:1. Good deeds do not always consist in outward actions that make a show. The Psalmist classes the giving of thanks unto the Lord among good deeds; also the singing of His praises is included in good deeds. After all, if a person is sincerely disposed to remember the goodness of God he is likely to serve him in practical matters.

Psa 92:2. Another good deed is to display the lovingkindness of God. Morning and night represents the beginning and ending of a day. The force of the verse is to promise a continual devotion to the Lord for his goodness.

Psa 92:3. An instrument of ten strings. All of these words are from ASOR which Strong defines, “ten; by abbreviation ten strings, and so a dec-achord.” The phrase means to make a chord of ten sounds. The psaltery was a stringed instrument especially designed for use in accompaniment with the human voice. The harp was an instrument of ten strings and ,the expression evidently was intended as a repetition of the beginning of the verse for the sake of emphasis. All of this is easily understood when we recall that David was a specialist in the making and using of musical instruments.

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary

THIS is a song of praise. The seemliness of praise is first declared (vv. Psa 92:1-3); and then reasons for it are given (vv. Psa 92:4-15). Praise is good as the first exercise of the day and also as the last. Lovingkindness in the morning, the sense of all the provision made for us as we face the responsibilities and conflicts of the day. Faithfulness at night, the conviction that Jehovah has been true to His covenant, through all the hours of need.

The song proceeds to rejoice first in that general and wholly beneficent government of God, whereby the wicked are dealt with in judgement. That is a weak and perilous tenderness which permits evil to continue its work of destruction. That is a strong and tender pity which without relenting, smites evil, and destroys it.

The song ends with a gracious description of the growth and perennial freshness of the righteous. Such, planted in the courts of God will flourish and grow, and yet know no senility – age with all its wealth of experience and fruitage, but with no failing or weakness.

Fuente: An Exposition on the Whole Bible

Gladness and Growth

Psa 92:1-15

The inscription alludes to the suitability of this psalm for the Sabbath day. Psa 92:1-3 contain the general statement of the desirability of praise and thanksgiving. Psa 92:4-5 suggest that Gods work in creation, providence, and grace should elicit perpetual thanksgiving; but that the thoughts and purposes which underlie them are too deep for our fathoming.

Two classes of men are here mentioned: the brutish and wicked, Psa 92:6-9; the servants of God, Psa 92:10-15. The former are like grass, which soon grows to maturity and is then cut down; the latter are as the palm and cedar. There is no part of the palm which is not utilized in some way. The cedar is one of the largest of living trees. A thousand years is no uncommon duration, and its fiber is practically incorruptible.

The witness of an aged saint to the faithfulness of God is very delightful. When Charles H. Spurgeon was a young man, he was preaching upon this subject in his grandfathers pulpit. Halfway through the sermon, the veteran man of God advanced to the front and said, My grandson is preaching what he has read and heard about; but I have proved for eighty-four years that God is faithful to His servants and true to His Word.

Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary

Psalm 92

A Psalm of Praise

1. Praise for His works (Psa 92:1-5)

2. The enemies who perish (Psa 92:6-9)

3. The happy lot of the righteous (Psa 92:10-15)

The inscription tells us it is a Psalm for the Sabbath day. The rest for His people comes when the Lord arises, delivers them, and the enemies perish. This Psalm looks forward to that rest, the coming great Lords day. The praise is on account of the work Jehovah has done, His redemption work in behalf of His people. Thou hast made me glad through Thy work–I will triumph in the work of Thy hands. Then the wicked shall perish, and all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered, while the saints of God shall flourish like the palm tree.

Fuente: Gaebelein’s Annotated Bible (Commentary)

for: Isa 58:13, Isa 58:14, Heb 4:9, *marg. Rev 4:8-11

good: Psa 33:1, Psa 50:23, Psa 52:9, Psa 54:6, Psa 73:28, Psa 107:1, Psa 107:8, Psa 107:15, Psa 107:21, Psa 107:22, Psa 135:3, Psa 147:1, Eph 5:19, Heb 13:15

most: Psa 92:8, Psa 82:6, Isa 57:15, Dan 4:34-37, Dan 5:18, Act 7:48, Act 7:49

Reciprocal: Num 28:9 – General 1Ki 10:12 – harps 1Ch 15:16 – lifting up 1Ch 23:30 – every morning 1Ch 25:1 – harps 1Ch 25:3 – to give thanks 2Ch 9:11 – harps Neh 12:27 – thanksgivings Psa 7:17 – most Psa 46:4 – most Psa 56:2 – most Psa 71:22 – psaltery Psa 108:2 – Awake Psa 145:6 – I will declare thy greatness Psa 147:7 – General Isa 40:31 – they that Lam 3:26 – good Dan 3:10 – the cornet Dan 4:2 – I thought it good 2Co 9:15 – Thanks Eph 5:4 – but

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Sanctuary-praise.

A psalm-song for the Sabbath-day.

We have now an outburst of praise consequent upon this. It is not yet the full praise which we shall have before the book closes, and this for a very evident reason. Redemption and the work needed to accomplish this have not yet been seen with any sufficiency. The personal perfection of the Second Man could not of itself lift up the fallen creature. His own words in reference to this are plain, that “except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit” (Joh 12:24). Union with Him is not in incarnation; but as risen from the dead; and only thus can God become the Sanctuary-refuge of fallen men.

Yet we have already had “Jehovah my refuge” from the lips of faith in the preceding psalm; and the present one is clearly sanctuary-praise. The means of accomplishment have not yet been brought out; but the One who accomplishes it has been before us: and as the poor man in Israel might bring his meat-offering for atonement, though “the blood that maketh atonement” was not found in it (Lev 5:11-13), so we are permitted already to rejoice in the fruit of what has not itself become our possession. By and bye we shall be taken out of the ranks of the poor, and enriched with the wealth which has been already secured to us, and able to bring to God the full sin-offering and burnt-offering too. Meanwhile God’s delight is in His Son; and as the Sabbath followed the manna in the wilderness (Exo 16:1-36), so now already have we here a song. He is worthy; although the fullness of His glory has not yet been seen.

1. “Jehovah, the Most High,” are titles which connect the present psalm with the last; and the latter we know as God’s millennial name, when He shall be manifestly supreme over all the earth. The time is now in view, and in the next psalm comes: Jehovah reigns, and the earth is subject. Here already the soul celebrates Him in this way, and sees how “good” (or “right”) it is to celebrate Him: His loving-kindness in the morning, His faithfulness in the nights. In opposite circumstances He is the same still; in darkness as in light His love works and declares itself.

The various instruments of praise are set in motion therefore: all that is responsive to man’s hand is made to praise Him. We can discriminate little between them; for nothing but an antiquarian interest seems to attach to them in men’s account. The experience of Jehovah’s work has loosed also the tongue in praise; while His works as the expression of the deep thoughts of God, give abundant exercise to all man’s faculties.

2. But there is conflict and opposition; as we well know: there are enemies to God among the creatures He has made. There are brutish men leveled with the animals below, who have shut themselves off from what none but themselves could deprive them of. They understand not even the lot of the wicked which is before their eyes, who spring up as the grass, but to be destroyed; while Jehovah remains the “high place” of His people for ever. To faith it is simple that Jehovah’s enemies must perish; and the workers of vanity incur the doom of vanity. “But my horn,” says the psalmist, “shalt Thou exalt like the horn of an aurochs:” the power conferred being not merely what men count that, but the power of the Spirit: “I shall be anointed with fresh oil.”

3. Finally, the portion of the saint is given in the last five verses. First, as to his enemies, he will see surely that which comes for them. It is not needful to say what, it is so evident. The common principles of right secure it: if God is, that which is right shall be.

On the other hand. the righteous shall flourish like the palm and grow as the cedar of Lebanon. The soil of their planting is the best surely for this: planted in the house of Jehovah, they flourish in the courts of God Himself. And here we are made to remember that “in Him we live and move and have our being”; for their vigor abides in old age; they have sap and are green. All this is to declare, blessed be God, that Jah, to whom they have been brought back, is upright: -we see how He has pledged Himself to His people; “He is my Rock, and there is no perversity with Him.”

Fuente: Grant’s Numerical Bible Notes and Commentary

Psa 92:1-2. It is a good thing to give thanks, &c. It is a good work, and a just debt, which is due from us to God; to show forth thy loving- kindness, &c. To adore and celebrate thy goodness and truth continually, and especially at those two solemn times of morning and evening, which, on every day, and particularly upon the sabbath day, were devoted to the worship and service of God.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Psa 92:3. Ten strings. Stringed instruments, as in Psa 150:4. These are four, the asur, the nebal, the higgaion, and the kinnor or harp: a full band for singing in the courts of the Lord. This is a psalm of David; and it would seem from the language, that the enemies were his enemies: Psa 92:9-11. The horn of the unicorn, Psa 92:10, designates regal power. Seeing his desire on his enemies, is equivalent to confidence of victory; and flourishing in the courts of the Lord, Psa 92:13, gives assurance that the psalm was composed, not in Babylon, as Arian critics would suggest, but while religion was under the splendour of a devout king.

Psa 92:10. An unicorn. Designating strength, as described on Num 23:22.

Psa 92:12. The palmtree, now called the date tree, described in Exo 15:27.

REFLECTIONS.

This psalm, as denoted in the title, is very proper for a sabbath morning, being calculated to raise the soul to heaven by the study of the works of nature, and the wonders of providence and grace. These are contemplations which cause the heart to burn and the tongue to sing.

Happy ourselves, we pity the brutish man who has no relish for spiritual delights; for when the wicked spring up and flourish as the grass, and elsewhere, as grass on the house top, they presently engage in sedition, mischief and war, and perish for ever.

The righteous, on the contrary, are like the palmtree and like the cedar, which retain their beauty and verdure throughout the whole year. The date was the favourite tree to surround villas and synagogues, the most pleasing ornament of inviting abodes for its shadow and beauty. Lev 23:40. Son 7:7. Jdg 4:5. Its fruits were salubrious. Son 7:8. Its branches were emblems of joy, and were carved on the doors of the temple, to designate the ever-flourishing state of the church. 1Ki 6:29. Ezekiel 40. Rev 7:9. It never had a barren year. Lam 4:20. The cedar was tall and spiral, the ornament of the hills, as the palm adorned the vales. Amo 2:9. It was fragrant and durable, in allusion to which it is added, that those who are planted in the house of the Lord, as the palm trees which surrounded it, should grow and not wither, and bring forth fruit in old age.

We should next remark, that as the harvest crowns the year with the golden fruits of autumn, so religion is the glory of hoary age. We often see the wicked, when infirmities come, sit in their chair, and doze away the evening of life, while the righteous have their minds stored with celestial knowledge, and their hearts enriched with consummate piety. We see a Moses reciting his Deuteronomy, a Samuel going his circuit to teach and to judge, a Paul going as a missionary to Rome, and a Polycarp facing the lion. The grace and glory conferred on the hoary head of saints, demonstrates that the Lord is upright, keeping covenant and promise with his people.

Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

XCII. In Praise of Providence.Gods counsels are too deep for the stupid man. But in fact the prosperity of the wicked is superficial.

Psa 92:10 b. Read, Thou hast sprinkled me with fresh oil.

Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible

PSALM 92

Praise to Jehovah in anticipation of the millennial rest.

The 90th Psalm presents the eternal God in contrast with mortal man. The 91st Psalm presents Christ as the dependent Man, come into the circumstances of the mortal man. The 92nd sets forth the results of Christ having come into the circumstances of the mortal man. The psalm is described, in the heading, as A Song for the Sabbath day. In keeping with this heading we find in the psalm an anticipation of the gladness of the future millennial day of which the Sabbath is the type.

(vv. 1-4). The opening verses express the joy of the kingdom day when the loving-kindness and faithfulness of Jehovah will be declared. All the gladness of that scene will flow from Jehovah’s works.

(v. 5) The millennial rest will not only be the outcome of what God has wrought, but will also be the witness of the greatness of God’s works, and the depth of His thoughts (Rom 11:33-36). In the full light of Christianity we can see that the greatness of the works of God are the outcome of the depth of His thoughts. His thoughts carry us back before the foundation of the world, there to find all was purposed in the deep eternal counsel of God. His works find their greatest expression at the Cross whereby all the counsel of God is righteously fulfilled.

(vv. 6-7) The brutish man – pursuing the dull round of life without reference to God; and the fool – living only for the gratification of his lusts without fear of God – cannot know God’s thoughts, nor understand His works. Such do not realize that if they spring up suddenly, like the grass, and flourish for a time, it is only the prelude to their destruction.

(v. 8) In contrast to the wicked, who are exalted for a brief moment and then pass away, Jehovah is on high for evermore.

(vv. 9-11) The absolute supremacy, and eternal stability of Jehovah’s throne must lead to the ultimate judgment of the wicked. All the enemies of Jehovah shall perish; all the workers of iniquity be scattered. Moreover the judgment of the wicked will lead to the earthly exaltation of Christ. Thus we are permitted to hear Christ saying, mine horn shalt thou exalt, and again, I shall be anointed with fresh oil.

The horn speaks of exaltation and power. Zacharias, anticipating the birth of Christ, speaks of Him as an horn of salvation (Luk 1:69; see also Psa 18:2; Psa 75:10; Psa 148:14). The anointed is the title of one appointed to rule. Christ, in His day, was anointed by the Holy Spirit of whom the oil is a type. In the day of His exaltation He will see the righteous judgment upon all His enemies.

(vv. 12-14) As the result of the exaltation of Christ, not only will the wicked be judged, but the righteous will be blessed. They shall flourish, not like the grass, that flourishes only for a day, as in the case of the wicked (v. 7), but, as a palm tree that brings forth fruit in abundance, and as a cedar in Lebanon, whose enduring age is measured by centuries. The godly will have their roots in the house of the Lord, and they will adorn the courts of our God. Age will not diminish their fruitfulness, nor lessen their vitality.

(v. 15) If, however, the righteous have their place in the courts of the Lord it will be for the glory of the Lord – to show that the Lord is upright; that He is the firm rock on which all blessing is founded, and One in whom there is no unrighteousness.

How blessed are the results, as set forth in this psalm, of the coming of Christ into the circumstances of mortal man. It will inevitably lead to the exaltation of Christ, the judgment of the wicked, the blessing of the righteous, and the glory of God.

Fuente: Smith’s Writings on 24 Books of the Bible

92:1 [A Psalm [or] Song for the {a} sabbath day.] [It is a] good [thing] to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:

(a) Which teaches that the use of the Sabbath stands in praising God, and not only in ceasing from work.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

Psalms 92

In this psalm, the unknown writer praised God for the goodness of His acts and the righteousness of His character.

"Psalms 90-92 are united by the development of concepts and the repetition of vocabulary. These psalms lead the worshiper from a meditation on the transiency of life (Psalms 90), a call for wisdom (Psalms 91), to a climactic celebration of divine deliverance and protection (Psalms 92)." [Note: Ibid., p. 602.]

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

1. Praise for God’s goodness 92:1-7

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

It is appropriate to praise God because of the good things He has done for His people. He is faithful to His word and lovingly loyal to His people. Musical instruments contribute to the joy and rejoicing that characterize His people’s praise.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

Psa 92:1-15

AUTHORITIES differ in their arrangement of this psalm. Clearly, the first three verses are a prelude; and if these are left out of account, the remainder of the psalm consists of twelve verses, which fall into two groups of six each, the former of which mainly deals with the brief prosperity and final overthrow of the wicked, while the latter paints the converse truth of the security and blessedness of the righteous. Both illustrate the depth of Gods works and purposes, which is the psalmists theme. A further division of each of these six verses into groups of three is adopted by Delitzsch, and may be accepted. There will then be five strophes of three verses each, of which the first is introductory; the second and third, a pair setting forth the aspect of Providence towards the wicked; and the fourth and fifth, another pair. magnifying its dealings with the righteous. Perowne takes the eighth verse, which is distinguished by containing only one clause. as the kernel of the psalm, which is preceded by seven verses, constituting the first division, and followed by seven, making the second. But this arrangement, though tempting, wrenches Psa 92:9 from its kindred Psa 92:7.

Psa 92:1-3 are in any case introductory. In form they are addressed to Jehovah, in thankful acknowledgment of the privilege and joy of praise. In reality they are a summons to men to taste its gladness, and to fill each day and brighten every night by music of thanksgiving. The devout heart feels that worship is “good,” not only as being acceptable to God and conformable to mans highest duty, but as being the source of delight to the worshipper. Nothing is more characteristic of the Psalter than the joy which often dances and sings through its strains. Nothing affords a surer test of the reality of worship than the worshippers joy in it. With much significance and beauty, “Thy lovingkindness” is to be the theme of each morning, as we rise to a new day and find His mercy, radiant as the fresh sunshine, waiting to bless our eyes, and “Thy faithfulness” is to he sung in the night seasons, as we part from another day which has witnessed to His fulfilment of all His promises.

The second strophe contains the reason for praise-namely, the greatness and depth of the Divine works and purposes. The works meant are as is obvious from the whole strain of the psalm, those of Gods government of the world. The theme which exercised earlier psalmists reappears here, but the struggles of faith with unbelief, which are so profoundly and pathetically recorded in Psa 73:1-28, are ended for this singer. He bows in trustful adoration before the greatness of the works and the unsearchable depth of the purpose of God which directs the works. The sequence of Psa 92:4-6 is noteworthy. The central place is occupied by Psa 92:5 -a wondering and reverent exclamation, evoked by the very mysteries of Providence. On either side of it stand verses describing the contrasted impression made by these on devout and on gross minds. The psalmist and his fellows are “gladdened,” though he cannot see to the utmost verge or deepest abyss of Works or Plans. What he does see is good; and if sight does not go down to the depths, it is because eyes are weak, not because these are less pellucid than the sunlit shallows. What gladdens the trustful soul, which is in sympathy with God, only bewilders the “brutish man”-i.e., the man who by immersing his faculties in sense, has descended to the animal level; and it is too grave and weighty for the “fool,” the man of incurable levity and self-conceit, to trouble himself to ponder. The eye sees what it is capable of seeing. A mans judgment of Gods dealings depends on his relation to God and on the dispositions of his soul.

The sterner aspect of Providence is dealt with in the next strophe (Psa 92:7-9). Some recent signal destruction of evil-doers seems to be referred to. It exemplifies once more the old truth which another psalmist has sung, {Psa 37:2} that the prosperity of evil-doers is short-lived, like the blossoming herbage, and not only short-lived, but itself the occasion of their destruction. The apparent success of the wicked is as a pleasant slope that leads downward. The quicker the blossoming, the sooner the petals fall. “The prosperity of fools shall destroy them.” As in the previous strophe the middle verse was central in idea as well as in place, so in this one. Psa 92:8 states the great fact from which the overthrow of the wicked, which is declared in the verses before and after results. Gods eternal elevation above the Transitory and the Evil is not merely contrasted with these, but is assigned as the reason why what is evil is transitory. We might render “Thou, Jehovah, art high (lit. a height) for evermore,” as, in effect, the LXX and other old versions do; but the application of such an epithet to God is unexampled, and the rendering above is preferable. Gods eternal exaltation “is the great pillar of the universe and of our faith” (Perowne). From it must one day result that all Gods enemies shall perish, as the psalmist reiterates, with triumphant reduplication of the designation of the foes, as if he would make plain that the very name “Gods enemies” contained a prophecy of their destruction. However closely banded, they “shall be scattered.” Evil may make conspiracies for a time, for common hatred of good brings discordant elements into strange fellowship, but in its real nature it is divisive, and, sooner or later, allies in wickedness become foes, and no two of them are left together. The only lasting human association is that which binds men to one another, because all are bound to God.

From the scattered fugitives the psalmist turns first to joyful contemplation of his own blessedness, and then to wider thoughts of the general wellbeing of all Gods friends. The more personal references are comprised in the fourth strophe (Psa 92:10-12). The metaphor of the exalted horn expresses, as in Psa 75:10; Psa 89:17, triumph or the vindication of the psalmist by his deliverance. Psa 92:10 b is very doubtful. The word usually rendered “I am anointed” is peculiar. Another view of the word takes it for an infinitive used as a noun, with the meaning “growing old,” or, as Cheyne renders, “wasting strength.” This. translation (“my wasting strength with rich oil”) is that of the LXX and other ancient versions, and of Cheyne and Baethgen among moderns. If adopted, the verb must be understood as repeated from the preceding clause, and the slight incongruity thence arising can be lessened by giving a somewhat wider meaning to “exalted” such as “strengthen” or the like. The psalmist would then represent his deliverance as being like refreshing a failing old age, by anointing with fresh oil.

Thus triumphant and quickened, he expects to gaze on the downfall of his foes. He uses the same expression as is found in Psa 91:8, with a similar connotation of calm security, and possibly of satisfaction. There is no need for heightening his feelings into “desire,” as in the Authorised and Revised Versions. The next clause (Psa 92:11 b) “seems to have been expressly framed to correspond with the other; it occurs nowhere else in this sense” (Perowne). A less personal verse (Psa 92:12) forms the transition to the last strophe, which is concerned with the community of the righteous. Here the singular number is retained. By “the righteous” the psalmist does not exactly mean himself, but he blends his own individuality with that of the ideal character, so that he is both speaking of his own future and declaring a general truth. The wicked “spring like herbage” (Psa 92:7), but the righteous “spring like the palm.” The point of comparison is apparently the gracefulness of the tree, which lifts its slender but upright stem, and is ever verdant and fruitful. The cedar in its massive strength, its undecaying vigour, and the broad shelves of its foliage, green among the snows of Lebanon, stands in strong contrast to the palm. Gracefulness is wedded to strength, and both are perennial in lives devoted to God and Right. Evil blooms quickly, and quickly dies. What is good lasts. One cedar outlives a hundred generations of the grass and flowers that encircle its steadfast feet.

The last part extends the thoughts of Psa 92:12 to all the righteous. It does not name them, for it is needless to do so. Imagery and reality are fused together in this strophe. It is questionable whether there are trees planted in the courts of the Temple; but the psalmists thought is that the righteous will surely be found there, and that it is their native soil, in which rooted, they are permanent. The facts underlying the somewhat violent metaphor are that true righteousness is found only in the dwellers with God, that they who anchor themselves in Him as a tree in the earth, are both stayed on, and fed from Him. The law of physical decay does not enfeeble all the powers of devout men, even while they are subject to it. As aged palm trees bear the heaviest clusters, so lives which are planted in and nourished from God know no term of their fruitfulness, and are full of sap and verdant, when lives that have shut themselves off from Him are like an old stump, gaunt and dry, fit only for firewood. Such lives are prolonged and made fruitful, as standing proofs that Jehovah is upright, rewarding all cleaving to Him and doing of His will, With conservation of strength, and ever-growing power to do His will.

Psa 92:15 is a reminiscence of Deu 32:4. The last clause is probably to be taken in connection with the preceding, as by Cheyne (“And that in my Rock there is no unrighteousness”). But it may also be regarded as a final avowal of the psalmists faith, the last result of his contemplations of the mysteries of Providence. These but drive him to cling close to Jehovah, as his sole refuge and his sure shelter, and to ring out this as the end which shall one day be manifest as the net result of Providence-that there is no least trace of unrighteousness in Him.

Fuente: Expositors Bible Commentary