Reading The Psalms Daily

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Ps 106:1 ¶ Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

Ps 106:2 Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? Who can declare all His praise?

Ps 106:3 Blessed are those who keep justice, And he who does righteousness at all times!

Ps 106:4 Remember me, O LORD, with the favor You have toward Your people; Oh, visit me with Your salvation,

Ps 106:5 That I may see the benefit of Your chosen ones, That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, That I may glory with Your inheritance.

Ps 106:6 ¶ We have sinned with our fathers, We have committed iniquity, We have done wickedly.

Ps 106:7 Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; They did not remember the multitude of Your mercies, But rebelled by the sea-the Red Sea.

Ps 106:8 Nevertheless He saved them for His name's sake, That He might make His mighty power known.

Ps 106:9 He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it dried up; So He led them through the depths, As through the wilderness.

Ps 106:10 He saved them from the hand of him who hated them, And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.

Ps 106:11 The waters covered their enemies; There was not one of them left.

Ps 106:12 Then they believed His words; They sang His praise.

Ps 106:13 ¶ They soon forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel,

Ps 106:14 But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, And tested God in the desert.

Ps 106:15 And He gave them their request, But sent leanness into their soul.

Ps 106:16 When they envied Moses in the camp, And Aaron the saint of the LORD,

Ps 106:17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan, And covered the faction of Abiram.

Ps 106:18 A fire was kindled in their company; The flame burned up the wicked.

Ps 106:19 They made a calf in Horeb, And worshiped the molded image.

Ps 106:20 Thus they changed their glory Into the image of an ox that eats grass.

Ps 106:21 They forgot God their Savior, Who had done great things in Egypt,

Ps 106:22 Wondrous works in the land of Ham, Awesome things by the Red Sea.

Ps 106:23 Therefore He said that He would destroy them, Had not Moses His chosen one stood before Him in the breach, To turn away His wrath, lest He destroy them.

Ps 106:24 Then they despised the pleasant land; They did not believe His word,

Ps 106:25 But complained in their tents, And did not heed the voice of the LORD.

Ps 106:26 Therefore He raised up His hand in an oath against them, To overthrow them in the wilderness,

Ps 106:27 To overthrow their descendants among the nations, And to scatter them in the lands.

Ps 106:28 They joined themselves also to Baal of Peor, And ate sacrifices made to the dead.

Ps 106:29 Thus they provoked Him to anger with their deeds, And the plague broke out among them.

Ps 106:30 Then Phinehas stood up and intervened, And the plague was stopped.

Ps 106:31 And that was accounted to him for righteousness To all generations forevermore.

Ps 106:32 They angered Him also at the waters of strife, So that it went ill with Moses on account of them;

Ps 106:33 Because they rebelled against His Spirit, So that he spoke rashly with his lips.

cont'd

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Ps 106:34 ¶ They did not destroy the peoples, Concerning whom the LORD had commanded them,

Ps 106:35 But they mingled with the Gentiles And learned their works;

Ps 106:36 They served their idols, Which became a snare to them.

Ps 106:37 They even sacrificed their sons And their daughters to demons,

Ps 106:38 And shed innocent blood, The blood of their sons and daughters, Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; And the land was polluted with blood.

Ps 106:39 Thus they were defiled by their own works, And played the harlot by their own deeds.

Ps 106:40 Therefore the wrath of the LORD was kindled against His people, So that He abhorred His own inheritance.

Ps 106:41 And He gave them into the hand of the Gentiles, And those who hated them ruled over them.

Ps 106:42 Their enemies also oppressed them, And they were brought into subjection under their hand.

Ps 106:43 Many times He delivered them; But they rebelled in their counsel, And were brought low for their iniquity.

Ps 106:44 Nevertheless He regarded their affliction, When He heard their cry;

Ps 106:45 And for their sake He remembered His covenant, And relented according to the multitude of His mercies.

Ps 106:46 He also made them to be pitied By all those who carried them away captive.

Ps 106:47 Save us, O LORD our God, And gather us from among the Gentiles, To give thanks to Your holy name, To triumph in Your praise.

Ps 106:48 Blessed be the LORD God of Israel From everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, "Amen!" Praise the LORD!

Commentary on following page

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MHCC

The happiness of God's people. (1-5)

 1-5 None of our sins or sufferings should prevent our ascribing glory and praise to the Lord. The more unworthy we are, the more is his kindness to be admired. And those who depend on the Redeemer's righteousness will endeavour to copy his example, and by word and deed to show forth his praise. God's people have reason to be cheerful people; and need not envy the children of men their pleasure or pride.


Israel's sins. (6-12)

 
6-12 Here begins a confession of sin; for we must acknowledge that the Lord has done right, and we have done wickedly. We are encouraged to hope that though justly corrected, yet we shall not be utterly forsaken. God's afflicted people own themselves guilty before him. God is distrusted because his favours are not remembered. If he did not save us for his own name's sake, and to the praise of his power and grace, we should all perish.


Their provocations. (13-33)

 
13-33 Those that will not wait for God's counsel, shall justly be given up to their own hearts' lusts, to walk in their own counsels. An undue desire, even for lawful things, becomes sinful. God showed his displeasure for this. He filled them with uneasiness of mind, terror of conscience, and self-reproach. Many that fare deliciously every day, and whose bodies are healthful, have leanness in their souls: no love to God, no thankfulness, no appetite for the Bread of life, and then the soul must be lean. Those wretchedly forget themselves, that feast their bodies and starve their souls. Even the true believer will see abundant cause to say, It is of the Lord's mercies that I am not consumed. Often have we set up idols in our hearts, cleaved to some forbidden object; so that if a greater than Moses had not stood to turn away the anger of the Lord, we should have been destroyed. If God dealt severely with Moses for unadvised words, what do those deserve who speak many proud and wicked words? It is just in God to remove those relations that are blessings to us, when we are peevish and provoking to them, and grieve their spirits.


Their rebellions in Canaan. (34-46)

 
34-48 The conduct of the Israelites in Canaan, and God's dealings with them, show that the way of sin is down-hill; omissions make way for commissions: when they neglected to destroy the heathen, they learned their works. One sin led to many more, and brought the judgments of God on them. Their sin was, in part, their own punishment. Sinners often see themselves ruined by those who led them into evil. Satan, who is a tempter, will be a tormentor. At length, God showed pity to his people for his covenant's sake. The unchangeableness of God's merciful nature and love to his people, makes him change the course of justice into mercy; and no other change is meant by God's repentance. Our case is awful when the outward church is considered. When nations professing Christianity, are so guilty as we are, no wonder if the Lord brings them low for their sins. Unless there is general and deep repentance, there can be no prospect but of increasing calamities. The psalm concludes with prayer for completing the deliverance of God's people, and praise for the beginning and progress of it. May all the people of the earth, ere long, add their Amen.


Prayer for more complete deliverance. (47,48)

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Ps 107:1 ¶ Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

Ps 107:2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,

Ps 107:3 And gathered out of the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south.

Ps 107:4 They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way; They found no city to dwell in.

Ps 107:5 Hungry and thirsty, Their soul fainted in them.

Ps 107:6 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He delivered them out of their distresses.

Ps 107:7 And He led them forth by the right way, That they might go to a city for a dwelling place.

Ps 107:8 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

Ps 107:9 For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

Ps 107:10 ¶ Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, Bound in affliction and irons-

Ps 107:11 Because they rebelled against the words of God, And despised the counsel of the Most High,

Ps 107:12 Therefore He brought down their heart with labor; They fell down, and there was none to help.

Ps 107:13 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses.

Ps 107:14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, And broke their chains in pieces.

Ps 107:15 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

Ps 107:16 For He has broken the gates of bronze, And cut the bars of iron in two.

Ps 107:17 ¶ Fools, because of their transgression, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.

Ps 107:18 Their soul abhorred all manner of food, And they drew near to the gates of death.

Ps 107:19 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses.

Ps 107:20 He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.

Ps 107:21 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

Ps 107:22 Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, And declare His works with rejoicing.

Ps 107:23 ¶ Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters,

Ps 107:24 They see the works of the LORD, And His wonders in the deep.

Ps 107:25 For He commands and raises the stormy wind, Which lifts up the waves of the sea.

Ps 107:26 They mount up to the heavens, They go down again to the depths; Their soul melts because of trouble.

Ps 107:27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, And are at their wits' end.

Ps 107:28 Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble, And He brings them out of their distresses.

Ps 107:29 He calms the storm, So that its waves are still.

Ps 107:30 Then they are glad because they are quiet; So He guides them to their desired haven.

Ps 107:31 Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

Ps 107:32 Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, And praise Him in the company of the elders.

Ps 107:33 ¶ He turns rivers into a wilderness, And the watersprings into dry ground;

Ps 107:34 A fruitful land into barrenness, For the wickedness of those who dwell in it.

Ps 107:35 He turns a wilderness into pools of water, And dry land into watersprings.

Ps 107:36 There He makes the hungry dwell, That they may establish a city for a dwelling place,

Ps 107:37 And sow fields and plant vineyards, That they may yield a fruitful harvest.

Ps 107:38 He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly; And He does not let their cattle decrease.

Ps 107:39 When they are diminished and brought low Through oppression, affliction and sorrow,

Ps 107:40 He pours contempt on princes, And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way;

Ps 107:41 Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction, And makes their families like a flock.

Ps 107:42 The righteous see it and rejoice, And all iniquity stops its mouth.

Ps 107:43 Whoever is wise will observe these things, And they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.

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MHCC

God's providential care of the children of men in distresses, in banishment, and dispersion. (1-9)

1-9 In these verses there is reference to the deliverance from Egypt, and perhaps that from Babylon: but the circumstances of travellers in those countries are also noted. It is scarcely possible to conceive the horrors suffered by the hapless traveller, when crossing the trackless sands, exposed to the burning rays of the sum. The words describe their case whom the Lord has redeemed from the bondage of Satan; who pass through the world as a dangerous and dreary wilderness, often ready to faint through troubles, fears, and temptations. Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, after God, and communion with him, shall be filled with the goodness of his house, both in grace and glory.


In captivity. (10-16)

10-16 This description of prisoners and captives intimates that they are desolate and sorrowful. In the eastern prisons the captives were and are treated with much severity. Afflicting providences must be improved as humbling providences; and we lose the benefit, if our hearts are unhumbled and unbroken under them. This is a shadow of the sinner's deliverance from a far worse confinement. The awakened sinner discovers his guilt and misery. Having struggled in vain for deliverance, he finds there is no help for him but in the mercy and grace of God. His sin is forgiven by a merciful God, and his pardon is accompanied by deliverance from the power of sin and Satan, and by the sanctifying and comforting influences of God the Holy Spirit.

In sickness. (17-22)

 
17-22 If we knew no sin, we should know no sickness. Sinners are fools. They hurt their bodily health by intemperance, and endanger their lives by indulging their appetites. This their way is their folly. The weakness of the body is the effect of sickness. It is by the power and mercy of God that we are recovered from sickness, and it is our duty to be thankful. All Christ's miraculous cures were emblems of his healing diseases of the soul. It is also to be applied to the spiritual cures which the Spirit of grace works. He sends his word, and heals souls; convinces, converts them, makes them holy, and all by the word. Even in common cases of recovery from sickness, God in his providence speaks, and it is done; by his word and Spirit the soul is restored to health and holiness.


Danger at sea.(23-32)


23-32 Let those who go to sea, consider and adore the Lord. Mariners have their business upon the tempestuous ocean, and there witness deliverances of which others cannot form an idea. How seasonable it is at such a time to pray! This may remind us of the terrors and distress of conscience many experience, and of those deep scenes of trouble which many pass through, in their Christian course. Yet, in answer to their cries, the Lord turns their storm into a calm, and causes their trials to end in gladness.


 God's hand is to be seen by his own people. (33-43)

33-43 What surprising changes are often made in the affairs of men! Let the present desolate state of Judea, and of other countries, explain this. If we look abroad in the world, we see many greatly increase, whose beginning was small. We see many who have thus suddenly risen, as suddenly brought to nothing. Worldly wealth is uncertain; often those who are filled with it, ere they are aware, lose it again. God has many ways of making men poor. The righteous shall rejoice. It shall fully convince all those who deny the Divine Providence. When sinners see how justly God takes away the gifts they have abused, they will not have a word to say. It is of great use to us to be fully assured of God's goodness, and duly affected with it. It is our wisdom to mind our duty, and to refer our comfort to him. A truly wise person will treasure in his heart this delightful psalm. From it, he will fully understand the weakness and wretchedness of man, and the power and loving-kindness of God, not for our merit, but for his mercy's sake.

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Ps 108:1 ¶ <<A Song. A Psalm of David.>> O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.

Ps 108:2 Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn.

Ps 108:3 I will praise You, O LORD, among the peoples, And I will sing praises to You among the nations.

Ps 108:4 For Your mercy is great above the heavens, And Your truth reaches to the clouds.

Ps 108:5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, And Your glory above all the earth

Ps 108:6 ¶ That Your beloved may be delivered, Save with Your right hand, and hear me.

Ps 108:7 God has spoken in His holiness: "I will rejoice; I will divide Shechem And measure out the Valley of Succoth.

Ps 108:8 Gilead is Mine; Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim also is the helmet for My head; Judah is My lawgiver.

Ps 108:9 Moab is My washpot; Over Edom I will cast My shoe; Over Philistia I will triumph."

Ps 108:10 Who will bring me into the strong city? Who will lead me to Edom?

Ps 108:11 Is it not You, O God, who cast us off? And You, O God, who did not go out with our armies?

Ps 108:12 Give us help from trouble, For the help of man is useless.

Ps 108:13 Through God we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall tread down our enemies.

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MHCC


- We may usefully select passages from different psalms, as here, Ps 57:1-11; 60:1-12, to help our devotions, and enliven our gratitude. When the heart is firm in faith and love, the tongue, being employed in grateful praises, is our glory. Every gift of the Lord honours and profits the possessor, as it is employed in God's service and to his glory. Believers may pray with assured faith and hope, for all the blessings of salvation; which are secured to them by the faithful promise and covenant of God. Then let them expect from him help in every trouble, and victory in every conflict. Whatever we do, whatever we gain, God must have all the glory. Lord, visit all our souls with this salvation, with this favour which thou bearest to thy chosen people.


MHC

 
 INTRODUCTION TO PSALM CHAPTER 108
 
This psalm begins with praise and concludes with prayer, and faith is at work in both.
 
  I. David here gives thanks to God for mercies to himself, Ps 108:1-5.
 
  II. He prays to God for mercies for the land, pleading the promises of God and putting them in suit, Ps 108:6-13.  The former part it taken out of Ps 57:7, &c., the latter out of Ps 60:5, &c., and both with very little variation, to teach us that we may in prayer use the same words that we have formerly used, provided it be with new affections. It intimates likewise that it is not only allowable, but sometimes convenient, to gather some verses out of one psalm and some out of another, and to put them together, to be sung to the glory of God. In singing this psalm we must give glory to God and take comfort to ourselves.
 
Ver. 1. thru Ver. 5.
 
We may here learn how to praise God from the example of one who was master of the art.
 
1. We must praise God with fixedness of heart. Our heart must be employed in the duty (else we make nothing of it) and engaged to the duty (Ps 108:1): O God! my heart is fixed, and then I will sing and give praise. Wandering straggling thoughts must be gathered in, and kept close to the business; for they must be told that here is work enough for them all.
 
2. We must praise God with freeness of expression: I will praise him with my glory, that is, with my tongue.  Our tongue is our glory, and never more so than when it is employed in praising God. When the heart is inditing this good matter our tongue must be as the pen of a ready writer, Ps 45:1. David's skill in music was his glory, it made him famous, and this should be consecrated to the praise of God; and therefore it follows, Awake my psaltery and harp.  Whatever gift we excel in we must praise God with.
 
3. We must praise God with fervency of affection, and must stir up ourselves to do it, that it may be done in a lively manner and not carelessly (Ps 108:2): Awake, psaltery and harp; let it not be done with a dull and sleepy tune, but let the airs be all lively. I myself will awake early to do it, with all that is within me, and all little enough. Warm devotions honour God.
 
4. We must praise God publicly, as those that are not ashamed to own our obligations to him and our thankful sense of his favours, but desire that others also may be in like manner affected with the divine goodness (Ps 108:3): I will praise thee among the people of the Jews; nay, I will sing to thee among the nations of the earth. Whatever company we are in we must take all occasions to speak well of God; and we must not be shy of singing psalms, though our neighbours hear us, for it looks like being ashamed of our Master.
 
5. We must, in our praises, magnify the mercy and truth of God in a special manner (Ps 108:4), mercy in promising, truth in performing.  The heavens are vast, but the mercy of God is more capacious; the skies are high and bright, but the truth of God is more eminent, more illustrious. We cannot see further than the heavens and clouds; whatever we see of God's mercy and truth there is still more to be seen, more reserved to be seen, in the other world.
 
6. Since we find ourselves so, defective in glorifying God, we must beg of him to glorify himself, to do all, to dispose all, to his own glory, to get himself honour and make himself a name (Ps 108:5): Be thou exalted, O God! above the heavens, higher than the angels themselves can exalt thee with their praises, and let thy glory be spread over all the earth. Father, glorify thy own name. Thou hast glorified it; glorify it again. It is to be our first petition, Hallowed be thy name.

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Ps 109:1 ¶ <<To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.>> Do not keep silent, O God of my praise!

Ps 109:2 For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful Have opened against me; They have spoken against me with a lying tongue.

Ps 109:3 They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, And fought against me without a cause.

Ps 109:4 In return for my love they are my accusers, But I give myself to prayer.

Ps 109:5 Thus they have rewarded me evil for good, And hatred for my love.

Ps 109:6 ¶ Set a wicked man over him, And let an accuser stand at his right hand.

Ps 109:7 When he is judged, let him be found guilty, And let his prayer become sin.

Ps 109:8 Let his days be few, And let another take his office.

Ps 109:9 Let his children be fatherless, And his wife a widow.

Ps 109:10 Let his children continually be vagabonds, and beg; Let them seek their bread also from their desolate places.

Ps 109:11 Let the creditor seize all that he has, And let strangers plunder his labor.

Ps 109:12 Let there be none to extend mercy to him, Nor let there be any to favor his fatherless children.

Ps 109:13 Let his posterity be cut off, And in the generation following let their name be blotted out.

Ps 109:14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.

Ps 109:15 Let them be continually before the LORD, That He may cut off the memory of them from the earth;

Ps 109:16 Because he did not remember to show mercy, But persecuted the poor and needy man, That he might even slay the broken in heart.

Ps 109:17 As he loved cursing, so let it come to him; As he did not delight in blessing, so let it be far from him.

Ps 109:18 As he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment, So let it enter his body like water, And like oil into his bones.

Ps 109:19 Let it be to him like the garment which covers him, And for a belt with which he girds himself continually.

Ps 109:20 Let this be the LORD'S reward to my accusers, And to those who speak evil against my person.

Ps 109:21 ¶ But You, O GOD the Lord, Deal with me for Your name's sake; Because Your mercy is good, deliver me.

Ps 109:22 For I am poor and needy, And my heart is wounded within me.

Ps 109:23 I am gone like a shadow when it lengthens; I am shaken off like a locust.

Ps 109:24 My knees are weak through fasting, And my flesh is feeble from lack of fatness.

Ps 109:25 I also have become a reproach to them; When they look at me, they shake their heads.

Ps 109:26 Help me, O LORD my God! Oh, save me according to Your mercy,

Ps 109:27 That they may know that this is Your hand-That You, LORD, have done it!

Ps 109:28 Let them curse, but You bless; When they arise, let them be ashamed, But let Your servant rejoice.

Ps 109:29 Let my accusers be clothed with shame, And let them cover themselves with their own disgrace as with a mantle.

Ps 109:30 I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; Yes, I will praise Him among the multitude.

Ps 109:31 For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor, To save him from those who condemn him.

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MHCC

David complains of his enemies. (1-5)

 1-5 It is the unspeakable comfort of all believers, that whoever is against them, God is for them; and to him they may apply as to one pleased to concern himself for them. David's enemies laughed at him for his devotion, but they could not laugh him out of it.


He prophesies their destruction. (6-20)

 
6-20 The Lord Jesus may speak here as a Judge, denouncing sentence on some of his enemies, to warn others. When men reject the salvation of Christ, even their prayers are numbered among their sins. See what hurries some to shameful deaths, and brings the families and estates of others to ruin; makes them and theirs despicable and hateful, and brings poverty, shame, and misery upon their posterity: it is sin, that mischievous, destructive thing. And what will be the effect of the sentence, "Go, ye cursed," upon the bodies and souls of the wicked! How it will affect the senses of the body, and the powers of the soul, with pain, anguish, horror, and despair! Think on these things, sinners, tremble and repent.


Prayers and praises. (21-31)

 
21-31 The psalmist takes God's comforts to himself, but in a very humble manner. He was troubled in mind. His body was wasted, and almost worn away. But it is better to have leanness in the body, while the soul prospers and is in health, than to have leanness in the soul, while the body is feasted. He was ridiculed and reproached by his enemies. But if God bless us, we need not care who curses us; for how can they curse whom God has not cursed; nay, whom he has blessed? He pleads God's glory, and the honour of his name. Save me, not according to my merit, for I pretend to none, but according to thy mercy. He concludes with the joy of faith, in assurance that his present conflicts would end in triumphs. Let all that suffer according to the will of God, commit the keeping of their souls to him. Jesus, unjustly put to death, and now risen again, is an Advocate and Intercessor for his people, ever ready to appear on their behalf against a corrupt world, and the great accuser.

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Ps 110:1 ¶ <<A Psalm of David.>> The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool."

Ps 110:2 The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies!

Ps 110:3 Your people shall be volunteers In the day of Your power; In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning, You have the dew of Your youth.

Ps 110:4 The LORD has sworn And will not relent, "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek."

Ps 110:5 ¶ The Lord is at Your right hand; He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath.

Ps 110:6 He shall judge among the nations, He shall fill the places with dead bodies, He shall execute the heads of many countries.

Ps 110:7 He shall drink of the brook by the wayside; Therefore He shall lift up the head.

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MHCC

Christ's kingdom.
 
- Glorious things are here spoken of Christ. Not only he should be superior to all the kings of the earth, but he then existed in glory as the eternal Son of God. Sitting is a resting posture: after services and sufferings, to give law, to give judgment. It is a remaining posture: he sits like a king for ever. All his enemies are now in a chain, but not yet made his footstool. And his kingdom, being set up, shall be kept up in the world, in despite of all the powers of darkness. Christ's people are a willing people. The power of the Spirit, going with the power of the world, to the people of Christs, is effectual to make them willing. They shall attend him in the beautiful attire of holiness; which becomes his house for ever. And he shall have many devoted to him. The dew of our youth, even in the morning of our days, ought to be consecrated to our Lord Jesus. Christ shall not only be a King, but a Priest. He is God's Minister to us, and our Advocate with the Father, and so is the Mediator between God and man. He is a Priest of the order of Melchizedek, which was before that of Aaron, and on many accounts superior to it, and a more lively representation of Christ's priesthood. Christ's sitting at the right hand of God, speaks as much terror to his enemies as happiness to his people. The effect of this victory shall be the utter ruin of his enemies. We have here the Redeemer saving his friends, and comforting them. He shall be humbled; he shall drink of the brook in the way. The wrath of God, running in the curse of the law, may be considered as the brook in the way of his undertaking. Christ drank of the waters of affliction in his way to the throne of glory. But he shall be exalted. What then are we? Has the gospel of Christ been to us the power of God unto salvation? Has his kingdom been set up in our hearts? Are we his willing subjects? Once we knew not our need of his salvation, and we were not willing that he should reign over us. Are we willing to give up every sin, to turn from a wicked, ensnaring world, and rely only on his merits and mercy, to have him for our Prophet, Priest, and King? and do we desire to be holy? To those who are thus changed, the Saviour's sacrifice, intercession, and blessing belong.

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Ps 111:1 ¶ Praise the LORD! I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.

Ps 111:2 The works of the LORD are great, Studied by all who have pleasure in them.

Ps 111:3 His work is honorable and glorious, And His righteousness endures forever.

Ps 111:4 He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; The LORD is gracious and full of compassion.

Ps 111:5 He has given food to those who fear Him; He will ever be mindful of His covenant.

Ps 111:6 ¶ He has declared to His people the power of His works, In giving them the heritage of the nations.

Ps 111:7 The works of His hands are verity and justice; All His precepts are sure.

Ps 111:8 They stand fast forever and ever, And are done in truth and uprightness.

Ps 111:9 He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever: Holy and awesome is His name.

Ps 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.

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[airIam2worship]

The Lord is to be praised for his works.
 
- The psalmist resolves to praise God himself. Our exhortations and our examples should agree together. He recommends the works of the Lord, as the proper subject, when we are praising him; and the dealings of his providence toward the world, the church, and particular persons. All the works of the Lord are spoken of as one, it is his work; so admirably do all the dispensations of his providence centre in one design. The works of God, humbly and diligently sought into, shall all be found just and holy. God's pardoning sin is the most wonderful of all his works, and ought to be remembered to his glory. He will ever be mindful of his covenant; he has ever been so, and he ever will be so. His works of providence were done according to the truth of the Divine promises and prophecies, and so were verity, or truth; and by him who has a right to dispose of the earth as he pleases, and so are judgment, or righteous: and this holds good of the work of grace upon the heart of man, ver. 7,8. All| God's commandments are sure; all have been fulfilled by Christ, and remain with him for a rule of walk and conversation to us. He sent redemption unto his people, out of Egypt at first, and often afterwards; and these were typical of the great redemption, which in the fulness of time was to be wrought out by the Lord Jesus. Here his everlasting righteousness shines forth in union with his boundless mercy. No man is wise who does not fear the Lord; no man acts wisely except as influenced by that fear. This fear will lead to repentance, to faith in Christ, to watchfulness and obedience. Such persons are of a good understanding, however poor, unlearned, or despised.

[airIam2worship]

Ps 112:1 ¶ Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who delights greatly in His commandments.

Ps 112:2 His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed.

Ps 112:3 Wealth and riches will be in his house, And his righteousness endures forever.

Ps 112:4 Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.

Ps 112:5 A good man deals graciously and lends; He will guide his affairs with discretion.

Ps 112:6 ¶ Surely he will never be shaken; The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance.

Ps 112:7 He will not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

Ps 112:8 His heart is established; He will not be afraid, Until he sees his desire upon his enemies.

Ps 112:9 He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever; His horn will be exalted with honor.

Ps 112:10 The wicked will see it and be grieved; He will gnash his teeth and melt away; The desire of the wicked shall perish.


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[airIam2worship]

MHCC

 The blessedness of the righteous.
 
- We have to praise the Lord that there are a people in the world, who fear him and serve him, and that they are a happy people; which is owing entirely to his grace. Their fear is not that which love casts out, but that which love brings in. It follows and flows from love. It is a fear to offend. This is both fear and trust. The heart touched by the Spirit of God, as the needle touched with the loadstone, turns direct and speedily to God, yet still with trembling, being filled with this holy fear. Blessings are laid up for the faithful and their children's children; and true riches are bestowed on them, with as much of this world's possessions as is profitable for them. In the darkest hours of affliction and trial, the light of hope and peace will spring up within them, and seasonable relief shall turn mourning into joy. From their Lord's example they learn to be kind and full of compassion, as well as just in all their dealings; they use discretion, that they may be liberal in that manner which appears most likely to do good. Envy and slander may for a time hide their true characters here, but they shall be had in everlasting remembrance. They need not fear evil tidings. A good man shall have a settled spirit. And it is the endeavour of true believers to keep their minds stayed upon God, and so to keep them calm and undisturbed; and God has promised them both cause to do so, and grace to do so. Trusting in the Lord is the best and surest way of establishing the heart. The heart of man cannot fix any where with satisfaction, but in the truth of God, and there it finds firm footing. And those whose hearts are established by faith, will patiently wait till they gain their point. Compare all this with the vexation of sinners. The happiness of the saints is the envy of the wicked. The desire of the wicked shall perish; their desire was wholly to the world and the flesh, therefore when these perish, their joy is gone. But the blessings of the gospel are spiritual and eternal, and are conferred upon the members of the Christian church, through Christ their Head, who is the Pattern of all righteousness, and the Giver of all grace.