Book 21 Psalms (continued 1)
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
Psalms Chapter 71
Deus, judicium tuum.
A prophecy of the coming of Christ, and of his kingdom: prefigured by Solomon and his happy reign.
71:1. A psalm on Solomon.
71:2. Give to the king thy judgment, O God, and to the king's son thy justice: To judge thy people with justice, and thy poor with judgment.
71:3. Let the mountains receive peace for the people: and the hills justice.
71:4. He shall judge the poor of the people, and he shall save the children of the poor: and he shall humble the oppressor.
71:5. And he shall continue with the sun and before the moon, throughout all generations.
71:6. He shall come down like rain upon the fleece; and as showers falling gently upon the earth.
71:7. In his days shall justice spring up, and abundance of peace, till the moon be taken away.
71:8. And he shall rule from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.
71:9. Before him the Ethiopians shall fall down: and his enemies shall lick the ground.
71:10. The kings of Tharsis and the islands shall offer presents: the kings of the Arabians and of Saba shall bring gifts:
71:11. And all kings of the earth shall adore him: all nations shall serve him.
71:12. For he shall deliver the poor from the mighty: and the needy that had no helper.
71:13. He shall spare the poor and needy: and he shall save the souls of the poor.
71:14. He shall redeem their souls from usuries and iniquity: and their names shall be honourable in his sight.
71:15. And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Arabia, for him they shall always adore: they shall bless him all the day.
71:16. And there shall be a firmament on the earth on the tops of mountains, above Libanus shall the fruit thereof be exalted: and they of the city shall flourish like the grass of the earth.
A firmament on the earth, etc... This may be understood of the church of Christ, ever firm and visible: and of the flourishing condition of its congregation.
71:17. Let his name be blessed for evermore: his name continueth before the sun. And in him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed: all nations shall magnify him.
71:18. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone doth wonderful things.
71:19. And blessed be the name of his majesty for ever: and the whole earth shall be filled with his majesty. So be it. So be it.
71:20. The praises of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.
Are ended... By this it appears that this psalm, though placed here, was in order of time the last of those which David composed.
Psalms Chapter 72
Quam bonus Israel Deus.
The temptation of the weak, upon seeing the prosperity of the wicked, is overcome by the consideration of the justice of God, who will quickly render to every one according to his works.
72:1. A psalm for Asaph. How good is God to Israel, to them that are of a right heart!
72:2. But my feet were almost moved; my steps had well nigh slipped.
72:3. Because I had a zeal on occasion of the wicked, seeing the prosperity of sinners.
72:4. For there is no regard to their death, nor is there strength in their stripes.
72:5. They are not in the labour of men: neither shall they be scourged like other men.
72:6. Therefore pride hath held them fast: they are covered with their iniquity and their wickedness.
72:7. Their iniquity hath come forth, as it were from fatness: they have passed into the affection of the heart.
Fatness... Abundance and temporal prosperity, which hath encouraged them in their iniquity: and made them give themselves up to their irregular affections.
72:8. They have thought and spoken wickedness: they have spoken iniquity on high.
72:9. They have set their mouth against heaven: and their tongue hath passed through the earth.
72:10. Therefore will my people return here and full days shall be found in them.
Return here... or hither. The weak among the servants of God, will be apt often to return to this thought, and will be shocked when they consider the full days, that is, the long and prosperous life of the wicked; and will be tempted to make the reflections against providence which are set down in the following verses.