Psalms 142:7

Verse Psalms 142:7. Bring my soul out of prison] Bring נפשי naphshi, my life, out of this cave in which it is now imprisoned; Saul and his men being in possession of the entrance.

The righteous shall compass me about] יכתרו yachtiru, they shall crown me; perhaps meaning that the pious Jews, on the death of Saul, would cheerfully join together to make him king, being convinced that God, by his bountiful dealings with him, intended that it should be so. The old Psalter, which is imperfect from the twenty-first verse of Psalm cxix. (Psalms 119:21) to the end of Psalm cxli. (Psalms 141:10), concludes this Psalm thus: "Lede my saule oute of corruption of my body; that corrupcion is bodely pyne, in whilk my saule is anguyst; after that in Godes house, sal al be louyng (praising) of the."

ANALYSIS OF THE HUNDRED AND FORTY-SECOND PSALM

The substance of this Psalm is the earnest prayer of the psalmist that he might be delivered from the danger he was in.

The parts are,

I. An exordium, in which he

1. Shows what he did in his trouble; took himself to prayer, Psalms 142:1.

2. Then his consternation and anxiety of mind, which arose from the malice and craft of his enemies, and want of help from his friends, Psalms 142:3.

II. His address and petition to God, Psalms 142:5. 1. The two first verses show the psalmist's intention. "I cried unto the Lord," c. 2. "I poured out my supplication," c.

This he amplifies, -

1. From his vehemence: "I cried, I supplicated."

2. From the object: "Unto the Lord." I invoked him, and no other.

3. From the instrument: "With my voice."

4. From his humility in prayer. It was a supplication.

5. From his free and full confession: "I poured out," c.

6. From his sincerity and confidence in God.

The reason was: -

1. This I did "when my spirit was overwhelmed," c. There being no sufficiency in me, I betook myself to the all-sufficient God.

2. "For thou knowest my path," c. My actions and intentions.

The craft and subtlety of his enemies, especially Saul.

1. "In the way wherein I walked," c. My vocation.

2. "Have they privily laid," c. Saul gave him his daughter Michal to be a snare to him and a dowry he must have of a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, that David might fall by their hands.

His destitution in the time of trouble.

1. "I looked on my right hand," c. But no friend was near: "There was no man," c. The miserable have few friends.

2. "Refuge failed me," c. I had no place of safety.

3. "No man cared," c. Regarded my life, or cared if I perished.

II. The psalmist, having no human help, calls upon God.

1. "Thou art my refuge," c. My hiding-place.

2. "Thou art my portion," c. While I live in this world.

Then he sends up his prayer, fortified by a double argument.

1. From the lamentable condition he was brought into: "I was brought low," c.

2. From the malice and power of his enemies: "Deliver me," c.

Again he renews his prayer, and presses it from the final cause: "Bring my soul," c.

Upon which follow two effects: -

1. His gratitude: "That I may praise thy name."

2. That of others: "The righteous shall compass me," c. Come unto me.

3. The reason for this: "For thou shalt deal bountifully with me." Bestow favours upon me, having delivered me from my former miseries which men seeing, who are commonly the friends of prosperity, will magnify and resort to me.