It seems that David wrote this psalm in reference to the deliverance that God's power and mercy had given him from some great and oppressive trouble which was becoming dangerous and threatening to overwhelm him. Perhaps it was a restlessness that gripped his mind due to a sense of sin and God's displeasure. But whatever it was, at the same time there was in the psalmist the same Spirit which composed his hymns for this deliverance—the Spirit of prophecy, testifying to the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. Or, before he knew it, he was moved to speak of his debt, of being freed from his debt, in words that could only be applied to Christ. We must therefore consider whether we can rightly and profitably regard him as speaking of David, when we consider the praise which precedes this wonderful prophecy, and the prayers which follow it. In this psalm (I) David remembers God's favor to him in delivering him from deep despair, adding thanksgiving to his praise (vv. 2-6).
II. He takes this opportunity to speak of the atoning sacrifice of Christ (v. 7-11).
III. This encourages him to pray to God for mercy and grace for himself and his friends (v. 12-18). If, in singing this psalm, we add faith to the prophecy about Christ, and add sincerity to the prayers and praises offered in it, then we allow the melody of our hearts to fly to the Lord.
To the head of the choir. Psalm of David.
Verses 2-6. In these verses we are presented with:
I. The great despair and distress in which the psalmist found himself. He found himself plunged into a terrible ditch and muddy swamp (v. 3), from which he himself could not get out and into which he continued to sink. Here he says nothing about physical illness or the attacks of his enemies, so we have reason to assume that it was some kind of inner restlessness and languor of spirit that gave rise to the greatest sorrow. The oppression of the spirit resulting from the feeling of being forsaken by God, the doubts and fears of the relative eternal state, are certainly a terrible ditch and miry mire for many of God's beloved children.
II. His humble appeal to God and the accompanying trust of faith when he was in these troubles: “I firmly trusted in the Lord ... (v. 2). While I waited, I hoped.” He expected help only from God; For the hand that wounds heals, and the hand that smites binds (Hosea 6:1);
There can be no other way. David expected help from the Lord, his hopes were great, he had no doubt that deliverance would come in time. God has power enough to help the weakest, and grace enough to help the least worthy of all His people who trust in Him. David waited patiently, which implies that relief did not come quickly; he had no doubt that it would come, and he resolved to continue to believe, hope and pray until it came. Those who place their hope in God can wait with confidence, but also with patience. All this is quite applicable to Christ. His mortal torments both in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross had the same continuation; His situation resembled a terrible ditch and a muddy swamp. His soul was troubled and mortally sorrowful, but praying: “Father! glorify your name; Father! deliver Me from this hour!” He held tightly to His kinship and said: “My God, my God!”, patiently waiting for Him.
III. A pleasing sense of the mercy of God shown to him in his hour of despair, which he remembers for the glory of God, for his own encouragement and for others.
1. God answered his prayer: “He leaned down to me and heard my cry.” One who waits patiently on the Lord, even if he has to wait for a long time, does not waste his time. Our Lord Jesus was heard because of His reverence (Heb. 5:7). Moreover, He was confident that the Father always heard Him.
2. He calmed his fears, calmed the agitation of his spirits, and gave peace to his conscience (v. 3): “He brought me out of the terrible pit of oppression and despair, scattered the clouds, and shone brightly upon my soul, giving proofs of his favor. He also set my feet on a rock and established my steps.” He who has been under the pressure of religious oppression, but through the grace of God has been restored to life, can apply this to himself with great feeling: he has been rescued from a terrible ditch.
(1.) The mercy of God was added to the fact that his feet were placed on the rock, where they found a firm foundation, and he himself was as much raised up to heaven in hopes as he had been before cast down by the fears of hell. Christ is the rock on which the poor soul can stand firmly, and by meditating on which we can build all kinds of sure hopes and have satisfaction.
(2) This grace continued in the establishment of his feet. From him to whom God has given a sure hope, He expects an unalterable adherence to godly principles; and if this be of blessed fruit, we shall have occasion to acknowledge with abundant thanksgiving the power and riches of His grace.
3. He filled him with joy and peace in faith, and David says: “Thou hast put a new song in my mouth; You have given me a reason to rejoice and a heart that rejoices.” It was as if David had entered a new world, and his lips were filled with a new song - praise to our God, for our songs should give Him praise and glory. New mercies, which we have not received before, call us to sing new songs. This situation fits well with our Lord Jesus, when He was received into heaven, rose from the dead, exalted to joy and glory - then He was taken out of the terrible pit, set on a stone and a new song was put into His mouth.
IV. The improvement that should follow from this example of God's mercy shown to David.
1. This experience of David would be an encouragement to many to trust in God, and therefore the psalmist writes these words: "Many shall see and fear, and trust in the Lord." They will fear the Lord and His justice, which brought David and the Son of David into this terrible pit, and they will say: “... if they do this to a green tree, what will happen to a dry tree?” They will fear the Lord and His mercy, seeing that He has put new songs of joy and praise into the mouth of David and the Son of David. There is a holy reverence in the fear of God, which is not only consistent with our trust in God, but is the basis for it. They will be afraid, but as a result they will not run away from Him, but will trust in Him in difficult circumstances, without doubting that He is able and ready to help, as He did with David, who found himself in distress. God's attitude towards the Lord Jesus is a great encouragement for us to trust in God. When the Lord was pleased to trample Him, He laid our sins on Him and demanded payment from Him for them; when He raised Him from the dead and placed Him at His right hand, He thereby made it clear that He accepted the payment and was satisfied with it. So is this not a great encouragement for us to fear, worship and trust in the Lord (see Rom 4:25; vv. 2,3)? The psalmist invites others to make God their trust, as he himself has done, declaring happy those who do so (v. 5): “Blessed is the man who puts his trust in the Lord, and in no one else (who thinks well and reverently of Him and completely devoted to Him);
who does not appeal to the proud and does not act like those who trust in themselves and depend on those who proudly encourage others to trust in him. For everything that leads us away from God turns out to be a lie.” In particular, this can also be applied to our faith in Christ. Blessed are those who trust in Him and His righteousness, who do not turn to the proud Pharisees and establish their righteousness on their righteousness. Blessed are those whose righteousness is not subject to their dictates and does not turn into lies, they are not like the unbelieving Jews who did not submit to the righteousness of God (Rom. 10:3). Blessed are those who escape this temptation.
2. The joyful sense of this favor caused David to remember with gratitude the many other occasions in which God had shown him favor (v. 6). When God puts new songs in our mouths, we should not forget the old ones, but repeat them: “You have done many wonderful things, O Lord my God, for me and for others; this is just one of Your many miracles.” Every day we receive many benefits from the Lord, brought about by His providence and grace.
(1.) His works are manifested not only in the gifts of his bounty, but also in the manifestations of his power. He works for us and in us and thereby gives us reason not only for thanksgiving, but also for praise.
(2.) His works are wonderful, and the manner in which they were accomplished, and the condescension of Him to do them for us, is admirable. We can admire them endlessly.
(3) All His works are the result of His thoughts about us. God works all things according to the counsel of His will (Eph 1:11), according to the eternal purpose which He fulfilled in Christ Jesus (Eph 3:11). These are the plans of His infinite wisdom, eternal love (1 Cor. 2:7; Jer. 31:3), intentions for good and not for evil (Jer. 29:11). And since His gifts and callings are not a sudden decision, but the result of His many thoughts about us, there will be no need to repent of them.
(4) There are a lot of them, they cannot be counted, brought into a system or ordered. There is a certain order in all the works of God, but there are many that are revealed to us in such a way that we do not know where it began and what to call the next one. We do not know their order, natural connections and dependencies, how the links of the golden chain are connected. All this is a mystery to us, and we cannot understand it until the veil is lifted and the mystery of God is revealed. We cannot count the works of God and categorize them. When we speak with admiration of the wonders of God's love for us, we should end with the words "et cetera" - and so on; we should admire its depth without trying to find its bottom.
Verses 7-11. Amazed at the wonderful works that God has done for His people, the psalmist is strangely moved to foretell the greatest miracle, which surpasses all others and is the foundation of all foundations - our redemption wrought by the Lord Jesus Christ. Most of all we should admire God's plans for our redemption, for they are most wonderful, extensive, and merciful. The same words are quoted by the apostle (Heb. 10:5, etc.), and they refer to Christ and His commitment to us. Both during the establishment and during the performance of religious rites, the saints Old Testament knew about it; therefore the apostle, wishing to show us that our Redeemer voluntarily took upon himself this task, refers not to the book of the secret counsels of God, which does not belong to us, but to what has been revealed to us. Note:
I. To have peace with God and find bliss in Him, it is absolutely not enough to offer the sacrifices established by the law for the atonement of sin: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; You did not want the Redeemer to make sacrifices.” But He had to bring something (Heb. 8:3), although He could not come from the house of Aaron (Heb. 7:14). Or, in the days of the Messiah, burnt offerings and sin offerings will no longer be required, and all ceremonial regulations will be abolished. But that is not all; even while the law decreeing them was in full force, it could be said that God did not desire them and did not accept the sacrifice made for its own sake. The sacrifices could not remove the guilt of sin from people, satisfying the justice of God. It is impossible to pretend that the life of a sheep, which is much less valuable than human life (Matt. 12:12), can be its equivalent or fit to uphold the honor of God's government, the law, and to repay the offense of man's sin. They cannot free one from the horror caused by the sin committed and pacify the conscience, just as they cannot free one from the power of sin and sanctify human nature. This is impossible (Heb 9:9,10:1-4). The whole value of the sacrifice lay in its reference to Jesus Christ, of whom it was a type - a dim shadow, but at the same time a hint of the good things that lay ahead, the tests of faith and obedience of the children of God, their obedience to the law and their faith in the Gospel. But Christ had to come - the essence of the sacrifice, called to bring glory to God and grace to man, which sacrifices could not do.
II. The appointment of our Lord Jesus to do the work and ministry of Mediator: “Thou hast opened my ears.” God disposed Him to do the work (Isa. 50:5,6), and then obliged Him to go through it. You covered my ear. This passage is supposed to be a reference to the law or custom of having servants' ears pierced at the doorposts as a sign that they were to serve their master forever (see Exodus 21:6). Our Lord Jesus so loved His work that He would not voluntarily give it up, and therefore He dedicated Himself to it forever and can always save those who come. He dedicated Himself forever to the service of the Father, who sustained Him in this (Isa. 42:1).
III. His voluntary submission to do this deed: “Then I said, Behold, I come. When there is no benefit from sacrifices and offerings, the work must be done. Then I said, “Behold, I come to challenge the powers of darkness and advance the interests of the kingdom of the glory of God.” This means three things:
(1.) That He voluntarily offered Himself a sacrifice which He was under no obligation to offer at all, but which was His own voluntary decision. This offer came to Him only after He gladly agreed to take on the task, and it was wonderfully pleasing to Him. If His decision were not absolutely voluntary, then He could not be the Surety and the sacrifice, for by this will (animus offerentis - the will of the sacrifice) we are sanctified (Heb. 10:10).
(2.) That He firmly committed himself to fulfill it: “I go; I promise to come when the fullness of time comes.” And therefore the apostle says: “He came into the world to fulfill His promise, thanks to which He ventured to approach God.” He voluntarily put on these bonds, not only to show the greatness of His love, but also because He had to receive honor before He actually accomplished His task. Although the price has not yet been paid, it will surely be paid, and thus the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world.
(3.) That Christ openly took upon Himself these obligations. He said, “Behold, I come” to all the saints of the Old Testament who knew Him by His title “ho erchomenos—he who comes.” This word was the foundation on which they built their faith and hope, to which they looked and expected the fulfillment.
IV. He came to do His work based on what was written about Him in the book scroll.
(1.) In the book of divine decrees and counsels it was written that His ear was opened, and He said, “Behold, I come.” Thus the covenant of redemption was written down, the purpose of redemption was written down, and the counsel of peace between the Father and the Son was written down. Christ looked at all this, fulfilling the command received from the Father.
(2) In the open letters of the Old Testament. Moses and all the prophets testified about Him. Every book of the Bible has something written about Him that Christ looked to to accomplish His work (John 19:28).
V. The pleasure of fulfilling one's obligation. Having voluntarily devoted himself to this task, He did not become exhausted, did not become upset, but accomplished it with all possible satisfaction for Himself (vv. 9, 10): “I desire to do Your will, my God!” The fulfillment of the work entrusted to Him was to Christ His food and drink (John 4:34). And the reason for this is stated further: “... Your law is in my heart; there he is written and there he rules.” Here is meant the law of the office of Mediator which He was to perform; to this law he had to obey; this law was dear to Him and influenced Him throughout His ministry. Please note: if the law of God is written in our hearts, then we will gladly fulfill it.
VI. Proclamation of the Gospel to the sons of men in a great congregation (vv. 10,11). He proclaims to us the same thing that, as a priest, he accomplished for our redemption, which, as a prophet, first by His preaching, then through the apostles, and until now through the Word and His Spirit, He proclaims to us: about the great salvation that was first preached Lord (Hebrews 2:3). The gospel of Jesus Christ was preached to all nations. Note:
(1.) What was preached was the righteousness of God (vv. 10, 11), the eternal righteousness which Christ brought (cf. Dan 9:24; Rom 1:16,17). About God's faithfulness to this promise and the salvation that was so long awaited. About God's mercy and His truth; of mercy consistent with His Word. Note that when we consider the atonement, we should notice how brightly all the divine attributes shine and give praise to each of them.
(2.) To whom it was preached—to the great assembly (v. 10, 11). When Christ was on earth, He preached to thousands of people at the same time. The gospel was preached to huge congregations of both Jews and pagans. Solemn religious meetings are a divine decree; at them, in the face of Christ, glory should be given to God and edification sounded to people.
(3) As it was preached - openly and clearly: “...I did not rebuke my mouth; I did not hide or conceal.” These words imply that whoever undertakes to preach the Gospel of Christ will be greatly tempted to conceal and conceal it, as it must give rise to great controversy in the face of serious opposition. But Christ and those whom He called to this service set their face like flint (Isa. 50:7), and bear it miraculously. And it is good for us if they are, for thanks to this our eyes begin to see a joyful light, and our ears begin to hear a joyful sound; otherwise we might perish forever in ignorance.
Verses 12-18. The psalmist, having thought about the atonement and spoken of it in the person of the Messiah, now decides to use his doctrine of the relationship between us and God and further speaks for himself. Now that Christ has fulfilled the will of His Father and completed His task in commanding us to preach the gospel to every creature, we are encouraged to come boldly to the throne of grace, asking for mercy and grace.
I. This may encourage us to pray to God for mercy, and to place ourselves under the protection of that mercy (v. 12): “Lord, thou hast not spared thy Son, neither restrained him. Do not, O Lord, withhold from me Your tender mercies, which You store up for us in Him, for do you not with Him also freely give us all things (Rom. 8:32)? May Thy mercy and Thy truth protect me unceasingly.” The best saints are constantly in danger and realize that they would perish if they were not constantly protected by the grace of God. We must rely on the eternal mercy and truth of God to preserve us for the kingdom of heaven (Ps. 60:8).
II. This can encourage us and free us from the guilt of sin, since Jesus suffered to free us from it and did what sacrifices and offerings could not do. Observe here, 1. How detestable sin is in his sight (v. 13). It was precisely because of this that his discovery of the existence of the Redeemer was so desirable. He saw that his crimes were evil, the worst of all evils. He saw that they surrounded him. Reviewing his life and remembering his every step, he understands: something was always done wrong. The menacing consequences of his sin surrounded him. Everywhere he looked, some kind of evil awaited him as punishment for his own sins. He saw that they surrounded him and arrested him, like a bailiff of a poor debtor. He saw that there were a huge number of them, that there were more of them than the hairs on your head. A convicted and awakened conscience realizes the danger of a huge number of sins, which seem small as a hair, but become very dangerous when there are many of them. Who will see his own mistakes? God numbers our hairs (Matthew 10:30), which we cannot number; in the same way He counts our sins, which we cannot count. The sight of his own sins depressed David so much that he could not raise his head: “...so that I cannot see.” Moreover, he could not elevate his heart - “my heart has left me.” Note that the sight of our own sins in all their colors leads us to despair, unless at the same time we see the Savior.
(2.) How cautiously, aware of his sin, David asks God for help (v. 14). Seeing that because of his sins he was on the verge of destruction, eternal destruction, the psalmist cries out with holy passion: “Grant, O Lord, to deliver me! (v. 14). Oh, save me from the coming wrath and the present horrors that have seized me because of the awareness of this wrath! I am perishing and will die if help does not come soon. When it concerns the bliss of the immortal soul, postponing is very dangerous. Therefore, Lord! hasten to help me."
III. This encourages us to hope for victory over our spiritual enemies who are trying to destroy our souls (v. 15) and are like a roaring lion that goes around looking for someone to devour. If Christ has gained victory over them, then through Him we will be more than conquerors. Believing this, we can pray with humble boldness: “Let them all be ashamed and put to shame... Let them all be turned back (v. 15);
let them be troubled by their shame (v. 16).” Both the conversion of a sinner and the glorification of a saint greatly grieve Satan, who does everything possible with all his power and cunning to prevent it. And since our Lord Jesus has accomplished His purpose and brought salvation to all His elect, we can pray in faith that in both these things our great adversary will fail. When a child of God falls into such a terrible ditch and muddy swamp, then Satan shouts: “Okay! Good!”, thinking that he had achieved his goal. But he will be enraged when he sees that the brand has been snatched from the fire, and will be dismayed at his shame. The Lord rebuke you, Satan; The slanderer of our brothers has been overthrown.
IV. This can encourage all who seek God and love His salvation to rejoice in Him and praise Him (v. 17). Observe here, 1. The character of godly men. According to the laws of natural religiosity, they seek God, desire His favor, and in all difficult situations turn to Him as their God. And in accordance with the laws of revealed religion, they love His salvation - this great salvation about which the prophets asked and diligently sought - that salvation which the Redeemer undertook to accomplish when he said: “Behold, I come.” All who are saved love salvation not only as salvation from hell, but also as salvation from sin.
(2) For the pious, happiness is preserved according to the prophetic prayer: “Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You”; and there is a good reason for this, for they will not only find Him, but will also receive a generous reward from Him. Those who love His salvation will be filled with the joy of salvation and will continually say: “Great is the Lord!” - and thus they will gain heaven above the earth. Blessed are those who glorify God in this way.
V. This will encourage the saints who are in affliction and despair to trust in God and be comforted in Him (v. 18). One of these was David, who said: “I am poor and needy,” although perhaps at that time he was a king and sat on the throne, but he was sad in spirit and called himself poor and needy, needy and desperate, perishing without a Savior. At the same time, the Lord cares for me through a Mediator, thanks to whom we can all be accepted. People forget about the poor and needy and rarely remember them, but God thinks about them (as stated in v. 6), supports and comforts. They can be sure that He is their help in trouble, that in right time will save you from troubles and will not make you wait long, for the vision still belongs to a certain time, and therefore, even if it has slowed down, wait for it, for it will certainly come true, it will not be canceled.
I firmly trusted in the Lord, and He bowed down to me and heard my cry; He brought me out of the terrible pit, out of the muddy swamp, and set my feet on a rock and established my steps; and he put a new song in my mouth - praise to our God. Many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man who places his hope in the Lord and does not turn to the proud or to those who turn to lies. You have done much, O Lord, my God: about Your miracles and Your thoughts about us - whoever will be like You! - I would like to preach and speak, but they exceed the number. You did not want sacrifices and offerings; You have opened my ears; You did not require burnt offerings or sin sacrifices. Then I said: here I come; in the scroll of the book it is written about me: I desire to do Thy will, O my God, and Thy law is in my heart. I have proclaimed Your righteousness in the great assembly; I did not forbid my mouth: You, Lord, know. I did not hide Your righteousness in my heart, I proclaimed Your faithfulness and Your salvation, I did not hide Your mercy and Your truth before the great assembly. Do not withhold, O Lord, Your compassions from me; May Thy mercy and Thy truth protect me unceasingly, for innumerable troubles have surrounded me; My iniquities have come upon me, so that I cannot see them: they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart has left me. Deign, O Lord, to deliver me; God! hurry to help me. May all who seek the destruction of my soul be ashamed and disgraced! May those who wish me harm be turned back and consigned to ridicule! Let those who say to me, “Good!” be dismayed by their shame. Fine! Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You, and let those who love Your salvation continually say: Great is the Lord! I am poor and needy, but the Lord cares for me. You are my help and my deliverer, my God! don't slow down.
Psalm 49
God of Gods, the Lord has spoken and called upon the earth, from the rising of the sun to the west. From Zion, which is the height of beauty, God appears, our God comes, and not in silence: before Him is a consuming fire, and around Him is a strong storm. He calls heaven and earth from above to judge His people: Gather to Me My saints, who entered into a covenant with Me through sacrifice. And the heavens will proclaim His righteousness, for this judge is God. Listen, My people, I will speak; Israel! I will testify against you: I am God, your God. It is not for your sacrifices that I will rebuke you; Your burnt offerings are always before Me; I will not accept the bull out of your house, nor the goats out of your folds, for all the wild beasts of the forest, and the cattle of a thousand mountains, are Mine, and I know all the birds of the mountains, and the animals of the fields, before Me. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the universe and everything that fills it are Mine. Do I eat the flesh of oxen and drink the blood of goats? Sacrifice praise to God and render your vows to the Most High, and call on Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you and you will glorify Me. But God says to the sinner: Why do you preach My statutes and take My covenant in your mouth, but you yourself hate My instruction and throw My words away for yourself? when you see a thief, you associate with him, and associate with adulterers; you open your mouth to slander, and your tongue weaves deceit; you sit and speak against your brother, you slander your mother’s son; you did this, and I was silent; you thought that I was the same as you. I will expose you and bring your sins before your eyes. Understand this, you who forget God, lest I take away, and there will be no deliverer. Whoever sacrifices praise honors Me, and whoever watches his path, I will show God’s salvation to him.
Psalm 53
When the Ziphites came and said to Saul, Is not David hiding among us? God! Save me in Your name, and judge me in Your power. God! Hear my prayer, give ear to the words of my mouth, for strangers have risen up against me, and the mighty are seeking my soul; they do not have God before them. Behold, God is my helper; The Lord strengthens my soul. He will repay the evil of my enemies; By Your truth I will destroy them. I will diligently offer a sacrifice to You, I will glorify Your name, Lord, for it is good, for You delivered me from all troubles, and my eye looked on my enemies.
Psalm 58
Deliver me from my enemies, my God! protect me from those who rise up against me; deliver me from the workers of iniquity; save me from the bloodthirsty, for behold, they lie in wait for my soul; The mighty are gathered against me, not because of my transgression and not because of my sin, O Lord; without my fault they come running and arm themselves; move to help me and look. Thou, O Lord, God of hosts, God of Israel, arise to visit all nations, spare not one of the wicked wicked: in the evening they return, howl like dogs, and walk around the city; behold, they spew out blasphemy with their tongues; swords are in their mouths: they think, who hears? But You, Lord, will laugh at them; You will put all nations to shame. They have the power, but I resort to You, for God is my intercessor. My God, who has mercy on me, will go before me; God will allow me to look at my enemies. Do not kill them, lest my people forget; Scatter them with Thy power and overthrow them, O Lord our protector. The word of their tongue is the sin of their lips, so that they may be caught in their pride for the oath and lies that they utter. Waste them in anger, waste them so that they do not exist; and let them know that God rules over Jacob to the ends of the earth. Let them return in the evening, howl like dogs, and walk around the city; let them wander to find food, and let the unfed pass the night. And I will sing Your power and proclaim Your mercy from early morning, for You were my protection and refuge in the day of my distress. My strength! I will sing praises to you, for God is my intercessor, my God who has mercy on me.
Psalm 139
Deliver me, Lord, from the evil man; save me from the oppressor: they think evil in their hearts, every day they take up arms in battle, they sharpen their tongue like a snake; the poison of the asp is under their lips. Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked, keep me from the oppressors who are planning to make my steps slip. The proud hid snares and snares for me, they spread a net along the road, they laid out snares for me. I said to the Lord: You are my God; Hear, O Lord, the voice of my prayers! Lord, Lord, the power of my salvation! You covered my head on the day of battle. Do not, Lord, give what the wicked wants; do not give success to his evil plan: they will become proud. May the evil of their own lips cover the heads of those around me. Let burning coals fall on them; let them be thrown into the fire, into the abyss, so that they will not rise. A man of evil tongue will not be established on earth; evil will drag the oppressor to destruction. I know that the Lord will bring justice to the oppressed and justice to the poor. So! The righteous will praise Your name; the blameless will dwell before You. Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man; save me from the oppressor: they think evil in their hearts, every day they take up arms in battle, they sharpen their tongue like a snake; the poison of the asp is under their lips. Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked, keep me from the oppressors who are planning to make my steps slip. The proud hid snares and snares for me, they spread a net along the road, they laid out snares for me. I said to the Lord: You are my God; Hear, O Lord, the voice of my prayers! Lord, Lord, the power of my salvation! You covered my head on the day of battle. Do not, Lord, give what the wicked wants; do not give success to his evil plan: they will become proud. May the evil of their own lips cover the heads of those around me. Let burning coals fall on them; let them be thrown into the fire, into the abyss, so that they will not rise. A man of evil tongue will not be established on earth; evil will drag the oppressor to destruction. I know that the Lord will bring justice to the oppressed and justice to the poor. So! The righteous will praise Your name; the blameless will dwell before You.
Ps. 39 (the inscription preceding it corresponds to verse 1) is visibly divided into two parts: the offering of thanksgiving praise to the Lord for the help provided (verses 2-11) and a plea for new help in new disasters (verses 12-18).
A. Devotion to God (39:2-11)
Ps. 39:2-5. The psalm begins joyfully - with a solemn announcement to the people about David's deliverance from disasters - in response to his cry and trust in the Lord.
After David's long prayers and patient waiting, God made amazing changes in his life. The psalmist figuratively describes his previous state as a “terrible ditch”, like a “muddy (sucking) swamp”; Having snatched him out of them, the Lord set... David's feet on solid stone. Then he sang sad songs, full of prayer, but, radically changing his circumstances, the Lord gave him a reason to sing a new song - praise to God (verse 4; compare Ps. 33:3; 96:1; 97:1) - for the edification of all Whoever saw what the Lord did for David, and who now hears his new hymn, let them fear and trust in the Lord. From what he said, the psalmist concludes that blessed is the man who... does not turn to proud and deceitful people who have power and authority, but puts his hope in the Lord (verse 5).
Ps. 39:6 The wonderful deeds and plans (“thoughts”) of the Lord aimed at the good of mankind are so numerous that David is not able, no matter how much he would like to, to sing of them all.
Ps. 39:7-9. These verses have messianic overtones; they clearly do not refer only to David. You did not desire sacrifices and offerings, says the psalmist, and clarifies: you did not demand. In relation to David, this may mean that by the disasters from which the Lord delivered him, he meant the entire period of his persecution by King Saul. It was then that David, forced to constantly “leave” Saul, was deprived of the opportunity to offer sacrifices in the tabernacle, as required by the law of Moses.
However, God did not blame him for this, but charged David to devote himself entirely to serving Him. Noteworthy in this regard is the phrase You opened (according to other translations - “pierced”) my ears. According to ancient Hebrew custom, the ear was pierced for a Jewish slave who, at the end of his term of service, wished to remain in his master’s house (Ex. 21:6).
Here this “pierced - opened” means both David’s voluntary desire to always be a servant of the Lord, to devote himself to Him, and the recognition of the fact that the Lord “opened his ears” so that he would hear His word and obey Him. The Septuagint translates this phrase as “(Thou hast) prepared a body for Me”; The translator used here the so-called “synedoche” - a literary device based on the fact that a part serves to perceive the whole (that is, “ear,” as here, expresses the concept of “body”). At the same time, the thought expressed in the psalm - about David’s serving God with his whole being (“whole body”) was conveyed quite adequately.
In accordance with what is written in the book of the law (in the book scroll; verse 8), i.e. in the word of God, about the need to obey the Lord, David expresses his heartfelt readiness to do His will (Then I said: behold, I come... Your law is in me heart; verses 8-9).
The messianic implications of these verses were discussed above. He reveals himself when quoting what is said here by the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews (Heb. 10:5-7) in relation to Jesus Christ (em. comments on Heb. 10:5-7). In the New Testament context, Ps. 39:7-9 becomes much more significant, and in some ways more specific.
Thus, David says that “in the scroll of the book” it is said about him; Meanwhile, there is no such (as implied here) prophecy about David in the Holy Scriptures of the Jews, but there are (and repeated) about the great Descendant of David, to whom the words (in particular) about the law of God in the heart refer literally. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews was precisely contrasting the perfect obedience of Christ with the inadequacy of the Old Testament sacrifices. The words “You... have prepared a body for Me” in relation to the Messiah speak of His incarnation for the sake of the complete fulfillment of God’s plan - as it is “written... in the scroll of the book.” So David speaks in Ps. 39 as a type of Christ.
Ps. 39:10-11. Submitting to the will of the Lord, David eagerly and joyfully proclaimed His righteousness in the assembly of the Jewish people. He “did not restrain his lips”—he did not forbid them, as evidenced by this and other psalms of David.
B. Plea for deliverance from new troubles (39:12-18)
Ps. 39:12-13. Beginning with these verses, the tone of the psalm changes dramatically. New whites befell the king (perhaps the plot of Absalom and his supporters was meant), and he prays to the Lord not to take away His mercy and bounty from him (Do not withhold them, Lord, may they continually inspire me; verse 12). David’s words in verse 13, where he says that the “iniquities” he committed were more than a hair on his head, should not be taken literally: after all, David always remained God’s chosen one. Rather, aware of his sinfulness and, probably, especially acutely experiencing the three that were associated with Bathsheba, David expressed - in such an emotional form - his experiences.
Ps. 39:14-16. There follows a prayer for deliverance from a new disaster (Lord! hasten to help me), for the shame of those who thirst for the death of David and, without hiding, gloat, saying to his face: “Good! Fine!"
Ps. 39:17-18. The psalm ends with a prayer for the triumph of “all who seek the Lord and love His salvation” - may they praise Him unceasingly, convinced by the example of David that the only source of protection and help is the Lord. The last humble chord sounds in verse 18 - David admits his “poverty and misery” before the Lord and rejoices that He cares about him. My God! do not delay, the psalmist asks.
Ps. 39 This psalm cannot be classified into any one category. In the first part, the psalmist praises God for answering his request. Further, starting from Art. 12, the king prays to God to save him from new disasters. It would be wrong to believe that in Ps. 39 mistakenly combines two independent psalms, for its meaning is precisely that, although the psalmist’s previous prayer was heard by God, he, nevertheless, continues to be overcome by other burdens, for deliverance from which he again asks the Lord. Verses 10 and 11 form the transition from one part of the psalm to the next. Verses 15-18 are completely identical to the verses of Ps. 69 and are discussed in the corresponding note.
39:3 He brought me out of the terrible pit...he set my feet on a rock. In answer to the psalmist’s prayer, the Lord pulled him out of the abyss of despair and established him on a solid foundation. It is noteworthy that the “ditch” or “chasm” in the Hebrew text often refers to Sheol, the kingdom of the dead.
39:5 Blessed. See com. to Ps. 1.1.
to the proud. In Ps. 86.4 the rare Hebrew word "Rahav" is used in relation to Egypt. IN in this case it apparently refers to the false deities of neighboring peoples.
39:7 You did not desire sacrifices and offerings. The meaning of these words is that sacrifice must be made, keeping loyalty to God in your heart.
opened my ears. Idiomatic expression meaning "allowed to be heard." This passage is significant because it is quoted in Heb. 10.5-7. However, in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the OT), which the author of Hebrews quotes, it is translated as “he has prepared a body for me.” Absolute obedience to God, to which the psalmist is called, was demonstrated by Jesus Christ, who offered His body as a sacrifice, once and for all abolishing the Old Testament sacrifices.
39:8 In the scroll of the book it is written about me. It is assumed that the subject here is the obedience required of the king according to Deut. ch. 17. These words can also be understood as a prophetic foreknowledge of Christ.
39:9 I desire to do Your will. This verse reflects the essence of worship: the psalmist brings to God what He desires most—obedience that comes from the depths of the heart, and not just an external ritual.
39:10 I have proclaimed. As a rule, those who are confident that they will be saved by God promise to bring solemn praises to God (Ps. 21:23&N).
in the great assembly. These words apply both to the congregation of believers and to the entire people.
39:12 mercy. See com. to Ps. 6.5.
39:13 Troubles have surrounded me...my iniquities have overtaken me. The psalmist states that his troubles stem from both external (the desire of his enemies to harm him) and internal (his own sins) causes.
39:15-18 See com. to Ps. 69.
Having endured, I endured the Lord, and listened to me, and heard my prayer. And bring me up from the pit of passions, and from the clay of the mire, and set me on the stones of my feet, and straighten my steps, and put into my mouth a new song, singing to our God. Many people will see and fear, and trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man for whom the name of the Lord is his hope, and he will not despise false vanity and confusion. Thou hast done many, O Lord, my God, Thy wonders, and by Thy thought there is no one like Thee: I have declared and spoken, multiplying more than in number. Thou didst not desire sacrifices and offerings, but thou didst fulfill the body, burnt offerings, and thou didst not require sin. Then he said: “Behold, I have come; in the chapter of the book it is written about me: I have willed to do Thy will, O my God, and Thy law is in the midst of my womb.” I will not withhold the gospel of the truth in the great church; behold, I will not withhold from my lips: Lord, you have understood. I have not hidden Your righteousness in my heart, I have not hidden Your truth and Your salvation, I have not hidden Your mercy and Your truth from the multitude. But You, Lord, do not remove Your compassions from me: I will take Your mercy and Your truth away, intercede for me. For the wickedness, which has no number, has taken possession of me, and has overtaken me with my iniquities, and I was not able to see, multiplying more than the hair of my head, and forsake my heart. Deign, O Lord, to deliver me: O Lord, come to my aid. Let those who seek to take my soul be ashamed and put to shame, and let those who wish me evil turn back and be ashamed. May those who say: better, better, accept their bitterness. Let all who seek You, O Lord, rejoice and rejoice in You, and let them say: May the Lord be magnified in those who love Your salvation. But I am poor and wretched, the Lord will take care of me. Thou art my Helper and my Protector, O my God, do not become stubborn.