Ok, so since I wrote out those whole two passages in the previous blog, I decided to look a little further into the message. I found a commentary on the two passages and reluctantly I realized that I was wrong about a few things but was on the right track on others...I know right, go figure!? I found Matthew Henry's words to have a profound yet factual influence on my perspective of these two passages. I think it's WELL worth looking into and basically is like a sermon in writing. So here's what it said: oh, p.s.-I wouldn't start reading this unless you have some time on your hands.
On Psalm 55:
I. David praying. Prayer is a salve for every sore and a relief to the spirit under every burden:
Give ear to my prayer, O God! v. 1.
Hide not thyself from my supplication. If we, in our prayers, sincerely lay open ourselves, our case, our hearts to God, we have reason to hope that he will not hide himself, his favours, his comforts, from us.
II. David weeping; for in this he was a type of Christ that he was a man of sorrows and often in tears (v.2): "
I mourn in my complaint" (or in my meditation, my melancholy musings), "and I make a noise; I cannot forbear such sighs and groans, and other expressions of grief, as discover it to those about me." It is
because of the voice of the enemy, the menaces and insults of Absalom's party, that swelled, and hectored, and stirred up the people to cry out against David, and shout him out of his palace and capital city, as afterwards the chief priests stirred up the mob to cry out against the Son of David,
Away with him-Crucify him. They cast iniquity upon me. They hated him themselves, and therefore they studied to make him odious, that others also might hate him. This made him mourn, and the more because he could remember the time when he was the darling of the people, and answered to his name,
David-a beloved one.III. David trembling, and in great consternation. We may well suppose him to be so upon the breaking out of Absalom's conspiracy and the genereal defection of the people. David was a man of great boldness, and in some very eminent instances had signalized his courage, and yet, when the danger was surprising and immanent, his heart failed him. Now David's
heart is sorely pained within him; the terrors of death have fallen upon him, vs. 4. Fearfulness of mind and trembling of body came upon him, and horror covered and overwhelmed him, vs.5. Sometimes David's faith made him, in a manner, fearless, and he could boldly say, when surrounded with enemies,
I will not be afraid what man dan do unto me. But at other times his fears prevail and tyrannize; for the best men are not always alike strong in faith. How desirous he was, in this fright, to retire into a desert, anywhere to be far enough from hearing the voice of the enemy and seeing their oppressions. He said (v.6), to God in complaint,
O that I had wings like a dove! He was so surrounded with enemies that he saw not how he could escape but upon the wing, and therefore he wishes
, O that I had wings! not like a hawk that flies strongly, but like
a dove that flies swiftly; he wishes for wings, not to fly upon the prey, but to fly from the birds of prey, for such his enemies were. The dove flies low, and takes shelter as soon as she can, and thus would David fly. He would make his escape
-from the wind, storm, and tempest, the tumult and ferment that the city was now in, and the danger to which he was exposed
. "I would fly away and be at rest, v.6."
I would fly anywhere, if it were to a barren frightful wilderness, ever so far off, so I might be quiet," vs. 7
Verses 9-15:
David here complains of his enemies, whose wicked plots had brought him, though not his faith's end, yet to his wits' end.
I. The character he gives of the enemies. THey were of the worst sort of men, and his description of them agrees very well with Absalom and fell off from David:
How has that faithful city become a harlot! David did himself see nothing but violence and strife in the city. (vs. 9). He saw that violence and strife went about it day and night, and mounted its guards, vs. 10.
Wickedness, all manner of wickedness,
is in the midst thereof. Deceit and guile, and all manner of treacherous dealing,
departed not from her streets,vs. 11. Is Jerusalem, the headquarters of God's priests, so ill taught? Can Jerusalem be ungrateful to David himself, its own illustrious founder, and be made too hot for him, so that he cannot reside in it? He complains of one of the ringleaders of the conspiracy, that had been very industrious to foment jealousies, to misrepresent him and his government, and to incense the city against him. Who was most active in it? "Not a sworn enemy, not Shimei, nor any of the nonjurors; then I could have borne it, for I should not have espected better from them."
But it was thou, a man my equal vs. 13. The Chaldee-paraphrase names Ahithophel as the person here meant.
"We took counsel together, spent many an hour together, with a great deal of pleasure, in religious discourse," or as Dr. Hammond reads it, "
We joined ourselves together to the assembly"; I gave him the right hand of fellowship in holy ordinances, and then
we walked to the house of God in company, to attendd the public service." There always has been, and always will be, a good mixture of good and bad, sound and unsound, in the visible church. We must not wonder if we be sadly deceived in some that have made great pretensions to those two sacred things, religion and friendship; David himself, though a very wise man, was thus imposed upon, which may make similar disappointments the more tolerable. to us.
II. His prayers against them. He prays, 1. that God would disperse them, as he did the Babel-builders. (v.9):
"Destroy, O Lord! and divide their tongues; by making them to disagree among themselves, and clash with one another." God often destroys the church's enemies by dividing them; nor is there a surer way to the destruction of any people than their division. 2. That God would destroy them, as hw did Dathan and Abiram, (Num. xvi. 30).
"Let death seize upon them by divine warrant, and
let them go down quickly into hell; let them be dead, and buried, and so utterly destroyed, in a moment; for wickedness is wherever they are; it is in the midst of them."
Verses 16-23:In these verses,
I. David perseveres in his resolution to call upon God, being well assured that he should seek him in vain (v. 16):
"As for me, let them take what course they please to secure themselves, let violence and strife be their guides, prayer shall be mine; this I have found comfort in, and thereforethis will I abide by:
I will call upon God, and commit myself to him, and
the Lord shall save me." "
I will pray and cry aloud. I will meditate" (so former word signifies). He will pray frequently, every day, and three times a day-(evening, and morning, and noon.) Thos that think three meals a day little enough for the body ought much more to think three solemn prayers a day little enough for the soul, and to count it a pleasure, not a task. It was Daniel's practice to pray three times a day (Dan. vi. 10), and noon was one of Peter's hours of prayer, Acts x.9.
II. He assures himself that God would in due time give an answer of peace to his prayers. 1. That he himself should be delivered and his fears prevented. He begins to rejoice in hope (v.18):
God has delivered my soul in peace, that is, he will deliver it; David is as sure of the deliverance as if it were already wrought. With an eye of faith he now sees himself surrounded, as Elisha was, with chariots of fire and horses of fire, and therefore triumphs thus,
There are many with me, more
with me than against me, 2 kings vi.16,17. 2. That his enemies should be reckoned with, and brought down.
(1) David here gives their character as the reason why he expected God would bring them down. They stand in no awe of God (v. 19):
"Because they have no changes (no afflictions, no interruption to the constant course of their prosperity, no crosses to empty them from vessel to vessel)
therefore they fear not God." THey are treacherous and false, and will not be held by the most sacred and solemn engagements (v.20). They are base and hypocritical, pretending friendship whil they design mischief (v.21):
"The words of his mouth" (Probably, he means Ahithophel particularly)
"Were smoother than butter and softer than oil, yet, at the same time,
war was in his heart, and those very words had such a mischevious design in them that they were as
drawn swords designed to stab."
(2) David here foretells their ruin.
God shall hear and afflict them. God shall
bring them down. They were bloody men, and cut others off, and therefore God will justly cut them off: they were deceitful men, and defrauded others of the one-half perhaps of what was their due, and now God will cut them short.
III. He encourages himself and all good people to commit themselves to God, with confidence in him.
"I will trust thee, in thy providence, and power, and mercy, and not in my own prudence, strength, or merit; when bloody and deceitful men are cut off in the midst of their days I shall still live by faith in thee." And this he will have others to do (v.22):
"Cast thy burden upon the Lord, whoever thou art that art burdened, and whatever the burden is."
Cast thy care upon the Lord, so the LXX, to which the apostle refers, 1 Pet. v.7. Care is a burden; it makes the heart stoop (Prov.xii.25). To cast our burden upon God is to stay ourselves on his providence and promise. If we do so, it is promised, 1. That he will sustain us. He has not promised to free us immediately from that trouble which gives rise to our cares and fears; but he will provide that we be not tempted above what we are able. 2. That he will never suffer the righteous to be moved, to be so shaken by any troubles as to quit either their duty to God, or their comfort in him.
That's all for the first passage, I'll give you the background history from the commentary next time on the other passage. It's just as good! :)
