INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 78 MASCHIL OF ASAPH. Or for "Asaph" f; a doctrinal and "instructive" psalm, as the word "Maschil" signifies; see Psalms 32:1, which was delivered to Asaph to be sung; the Targum is, "the understanding of the Holy Spirit by the hands of Asaph.'' Some think David was the penma... [ Continue Reading ]
GIVE EAR, O MY PEOPLE,.... The Jews were Christ's people, he descending from their fathers according to the flesh; they were his own, to whom he came, though rejected by them; they were his nation and people that delivered him up into the hands of the Romans; see Romans 9:4 thus it is usual with per... [ Continue Reading ]
I WILL OPEN MY MOUTH,.... Speak freely, boldly, and without reserve, Ephesians 6:19, so Christ opened his mouth, Matthew 5:2, IN A PARABLE; not that what follows in this psalm was such, but what were delivered by our Lord in the days of his flesh, who spake many parables; as of the sower, and of ta... [ Continue Reading ]
WHICH WE HAVE HEARD AND KNOWN,.... The change of number from "I" to "we" have made some think that the disciples of Christ are here introduced speaking; but there is no need to suppose that, since our Lord uses the same form of speech, John 3:11, AND OUR FATHERS HAVE TOLD US; this may not only rega... [ Continue Reading ]
WE WILL NOT HIDE THEM FROM THEIR CHILDREN,.... The children of the Jewish fathers, but faithfully publish and declare them, as Christ and his apostles did; or the children of God and Christ, their spiritual seed and offspring: SHOWING TO THE GENERATION TO COME; and so in all successive ages, by the... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR HE ESTABLISHED A TESTIMONY IN JACOB,.... So the law is called, being a testification of the divine will, Exodus 25:16 and the Scriptures, the writings of the Old Testament, which testify of Christ, his person, office, sufferings, and death, Isaiah 8:20 and particularly the Gospel, which is the t... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT THE GENERATION TO COME MIGHT KNOW THEM,.... Not only notionally, but spiritually and experimentally; which is the case, when human teachings are attended with the spirit of wisdom and revertion in the knowledge of divine truths; for the truths of the Gospel are unknown to men; the Gospel is hid... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT THEY MIGHT SET THEIR HOPE IN GOD,.... And not in the creature, nor in any creature enjoyment; see Job 31:24, the Lord is the only proper object of hope and confidence; Christ, who is truly God, is the hope of his people, and in him they place it, as they have great reason to do; since with him... [ Continue Reading ]
AND MIGHT NOT BE AS THEIR FATHERS,.... This chiefly respects the Jews in Christ's time: though it also is an admonition to them in succeeding ages, and especially in the latter day, when they shall be instructed, called, and converted; and even to us, to whom the Gospel is preached, on whom the ends... [ Continue Reading ]
THE CHILDREN OF EPHRAIM BEING ARMED, AND CARRYING BOWS,.... Or "casting" arrows out of the "bow" a; they went out well armed to meet the enemy, and they trusted in their armour, and not in the Lord; and being skilful in throwing darts, or shooting arrows, promised themselves victory: BUT TURNED BAC... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY KEPT NOT THE COVENANT OF GOD,.... Either the covenant of circumcision, which was neglected during their travels through the wilderness, Joshua 5:5 or the covenant made with the people of Israel at Mount Sinai, Exodus 24:7 and this is to be understood not of the children of Ephraim only, but of... [ Continue Reading ]
AND FORGAT HIS WORKS, AND HIS WONDERS,.... That is, his wonderful works, the miracles he wrought in their favour, and for their deliverance, afterwards particularly mentioned; these were not only forgotten in the next generation, Judges 15:10, but in a few years, yea, in a few months, nay, in a few... [ Continue Reading ]
MARVELLOUS THINGS DID HE IN THE SIGHT OF THEIR FATHERS,.... The Targum is, "before Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes of their fathers, he did marvellous things;'' but these were dead before this time; the Jews have a fancy, that these were brought to the sea, and placed upon it; and the Lo... [ Continue Reading ]
HE DIVIDED THE SEA,.... The Targum adds, "by the rod of Moses their master;'' which he was ordered to lift up, and to stretch out his hand over the sea; which he did, and at the same time a strong east wind was raised, which caused the sea to go back, and divided the waters of it; see Exodus 14:1... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE DAYTIME ALSO HE LED THEM WITH A CLOUD,.... Which was in the form of a pillar, and went before them, and the Lord in it, and directed their way, and protected them from heat; see Exodus 13:21 Ne 9:12 this was typical of Christ, who is a shadow and security from the heat of a fiery law, the fla... [ Continue Reading ]
HE CLAVE THE ROCKS IN THE WILDERNESS,.... The one at Rephidim, Exodus 17:1, and the other at Kadesh, Numbers 20:1 both to be seen at this day; Exodus 17:1, Exodus 17:2, Exodus 17:3, Exodus 17:4, Exodus 17:5, Exodus 17:6,... [ Continue Reading ]
HE BROUGHT STREAMS ALSO OUT OF THE ROCK,.... Which is expressed in the singular number, as also in Psalms 78:20, because the children of Israel were not come to Kadesh, and the second rock was not smitten when they lusted after flesh, and murmured against God, and tempted him, as is after related:... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY SINNED YET MORE AGAINST HIM,.... Or, "and they added yet to sin against him" c; which was great ingratitude; they had sinned before, and it might have been hoped that the goodness of God to them would have engaged them to have sinned no more, at least at such a rate, and in such a manner, a... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY TEMPTED GOD IN THEIR HEART,.... Which is desperately wicked, and from whence all impiety flows; they entertained hard thoughts of God; they inwardly fretted at their present circumstances, and secretly repined and murmured against God, and wished for things they should not; not being conten... [ Continue Reading ]
YEA, THEY SPOKE AGAINST GOD,.... Not only thought ill of him, and tempted him in their hearts, but they expressed with their mouths what was in their hearts, and spoke against him, his power, and his providence, in plain words, though he had been so good and gracious to them, and had done such wonde... [ Continue Reading ]
BEHOLD, HE SMOTE THE ROCK, THAT THE WATERS GUSHED OUT, AND THE STREAMS OVERFLOWED,.... This they allow was done by him, for these are their words continued; suggesting, that though the waters did gush out upon smiting the rock, yet they might have been in the caverns of it before, and had remained t... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE THE LORD HEARD THIS,.... What they said in their hearts, and what they expressed with their mouths, all their murmurings against him, their distrust of his power and providence, and disbelief of his promises; see Numbers 11:1, and was wroth; exceeding wroth; he was highly displeased; there... [ Continue Reading ]
BECAUSE THEY BELIEVED NOT IN GOD,.... That he was able to give them bread, and provide flesh for them, or bring them through the wilderness to Canaan's land, as he had promised. God, and he only, is the object of faith, and he is to be believed in at all times, and for all things temporal and spirit... [ Continue Reading ]
THOUGH HE HAD COMMANDED THE CLOUDS FROM ABOVE,.... Which were round about him, his chariots, and the dust of his feet; and which were at his command to go here and there, and carry and let down provisions for his people, as they did: AND OPENED THE DOORS OF HEAVEN; as a large granary, from whence t... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HAD RAINED DOWN MANNA UPON THEM TO EAT,.... So called, either from מנה, "manah", which signifies to prepare, appoint, and distribute, because this was food prepared of God for the Israelites without them, and was their provision, their appointed portion, and which was daily distributed to them i... [ Continue Reading ]
MAN DID EAT ANGELS' FOOD,.... Or, "the bread of the mighty" d; such as Moses and Elijah ate of; so Arama; but Aben Ezra and Kimchi interpret it of the clouds, or skies, said to be strong, Job 37:18 in which the manna was prepared, and let down: but rather the words may be read, "every man did eat t... [ Continue Reading ]
HE CAUSED AN EAST WIND TO BLOW IN THE HEAVENS,.... In the airy heaven: or "he caused it to go" f; to go forth out of its place, out of the repositories and treasures of it, from whence he brings the wind, Psalms 130:7 the winds are under the power and government of God, they are his servants that ob... [ Continue Reading ]
HE RAINED FLESH ALSO UPON THEM AS DUST,.... By "flesh" is meant fowl, as the following clause shows; for there is flesh of birds, as well as of other creatures, see 1 Corinthians 15:39 and the quails which are here meant may be very fitly called flesh, since they are, for their size, a very plump, f... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE LET IT FALL IN THE MIDST OF THEIR CAMP,.... Or, "his camps" l; the four camps of Israel; for so many there were, Numbers 2:1 or the camp of God, where he dwelt, and before which he went as the General, Leader, and Commander of them; in the midst of this, or by it, by the side of it, Numbers 1... [ Continue Reading ]
SO THEY DID EAT, AND WERE WELL FILLED,..... Or "exceedingly filled" m, or too much, as some versions render it; they eat to excess, not merely to satisfy nature, but to gratify their sensual appetite: gluttony is a sin; it is an abuse of the creatures; it hurts the body by filling it with gross humo... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY WERE NOT ESTRANGED FROM THEIR LUST,.... By the goodness and liberality of God unto them, they were not brought to repentance for their sin of lusting; nor did they abstain from their fleshly lusts, or deny themselves of them, which the grace of God teaches to do; or else the sense is, what they... [ Continue Reading ]
THE WRATH OF GOD CAME UPON THEM,.... Either by causing fire to come down from heaven, or by suffering them to be surfeited by excessive eating, or by sending a plague among them; see Numbers 11:33, AND SLEW THE FATTEST OF THEM; such perhaps who had been most guilty of the sin of gluttony, and had f... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR ALL THIS THEY SINNED STILL,.... Those that survived, not being brought to repentance by mercies, nor by judgments; not by mercies, such as before mentioned, though they were great and many, and some of them continued, and of which they were very unworthy; the goodness of God should, but it does... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE THEIR DAYS DID HE CONSUME IN VANITY,.... They were not immediately cut off by the hand of God, though some were; but the greatest part spent their time, for about eight and thirty years together, in fruitless marches to and fro in the wilderness, and never entered into the land of Canaan,... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN HE SLEW THEM,.... Some of them, the spies particularly; or when he threatened to slay them, or was about to do it: THEN THEY SOUGHT HIM; that is, those who either survived the slain, or were threatened with destruction; these sought the Lord by prayer and supplication, that he would not destro... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY REMEMBERED THAT GOD WAS THEIR ROCK,.... Who had delivered them out of the hands of their enemies, had strengthened them against them, and supported and protected them, as well as supplied them with all good things, of whom they had been greatly unmindful; but affliction was a means of refre... [ Continue Reading ]
NEVERTHELESS, THEY DID FLATTER HIM WITH THEIR MOUTH,.... In prayer to him, they only drew nigh to him with their mouths, and honoured him with their lips; they showed much love to him and his ways and ordinances hereby; but their hearts were not with him, but after their lusts; they made fine speech... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THEIR HEART WAS NOT RIGHT WITH HIM,.... Neither prepared and ready to any good work, but reprobate thereunto; nor steady, fixed, and established, as a good man's heart is, trusting in the Lord; but wavering, fickle, and inconstant; nor true, faithful, and upright; but turning aside like a deceit... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT HE, BEING FULL OF COMPASSION,.... Or merciful; having bowels of mercy, as a tender mother to the son of her womb; a word from the same root as this signifies the womb: the mercies of God are tender and abundant; there is a multitude of them; he is rich and plenteous in mercy, and so ready to for... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR HE REMEMBERED THAT THEY [WERE BUT] FLESH,.... Or "children of flesh", as the Targum; poor, frail, weak, mortal creatures, unable to bear the weight of his displeasure, the stroke of his hand, and the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his wrath; that they must be crushed before hi... [ Continue Reading ]
HOW OFT DID THEY PROVOKE HIM IN THE WILDERNESS,.... Where they were not only at his mercy, having nothing to help themselves with, but had many singular mercies bestowed upon them; and yet were continually committing such sins against God as provoked the eyes of his glory; ten times they tempted him... [ Continue Reading ]
YEA, THEY TURNED BACK, AND TEMPTED GOD,.... They talked of going back to Egypt, and of choosing a captain to lead them back thither, Numbers 14:3, and they turned back from the Lord, and from his good ways, and chose their own ways, and followed after idols; or the sense is, they again tempted God,... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY REMEMBERED NOT HIS HAND,.... Which brought them out of Egypt, and dashed their enemies in pieces, and which had been so often opened to supply their wants in the wilderness; the Targum renders it, the miracles of his hand: NOR THE DAY WHEN HE DELIVERED THEM FROM THE ENEMY; Pharaoh king of Egyp... [ Continue Reading ]
HOW HE HAD WROUGHT HIS SIGNS IN EGYPT,.... The plagues which he brought upon the Egyptians, for refusing to let Israel go: AND HIS WONDERS IN THE FIELD OF ZOAN, or in the country of Zoan, that is, Tanis, as the Targum renders it; so the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions; see Psalms 78:12, an en... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HAD TURNED THEIR RIVERS INTO BLOOD,.... The river Nile and its seven streams; this was the first of the plagues of Egypt, Exodus 7:20, and was a just retaliation for drowning the infants of the Israelites in their river, Exodus 1:22, a like plague will be inflicted on spiritual Egypt, and with e... [ Continue Reading ]
HE SENT DIVERS SORTS OF FLIES AMONG THEM,.... This was the fourth plague; see Exodus 8:24, the word signifies a "mixture" f, and the Targum renders it "a mixture of wild beasts;'' so Josephus g understood this plague of various sorts of beasts of different forms, and such as had never been seen be... [ Continue Reading ]
HE GAVE ALSO THEIR INCREASE UNTO THE CATERPILLAR,.... A kind of locust, and the same with the locust in the next clause; for we read but of the locust only in Exodus 10:13 AND THEIR LABOUR UNTO THE LOCUST; which devoured the increase of the field, all green grass and trees, all sorts of corn, wheat... [ Continue Reading ]
HE DESTROYED THEIR VINES WITH HAIL,.... Or "killed" k them; for there is a vegetative life in plants: this was the seventh plague of Egypt, attended with thunder and lightning, and was very terrible to Pharaoh, Exodus 9:23, with this compare Revelation 16:21, AND THEIR SYCAMORE TREES WITH FROST: sy... [ Continue Reading ]
HE GAVE UP THEIR CATTLE ALSO TO THE HAIL,.... For the hail fell upon man and beast, as well as upon herbs and trees, Exodus 9:22, AND THEIR FLOCKS TO HOT THUNDERBOLTS: which were killed by them: this is to be understood of the fire that was mingled with the hail, and ran upon the ground, and destro... [ Continue Reading ]
HE CAST UPON THEM THE FIERCENESS OF HIS ANGER,.... This with the following words, WRATH, AND INDIGNATION, AND TROUBLE, are thought by some to intend the other plagues, which are not particularly mentioned; or rather they express the manner in which they were all inflicted, in great wrath and hot di... [ Continue Reading ]
HE MADE A WAY TO HIS ANGER,.... Or, "for" it, so that nothing could obstruct it, or hinder the execution of it; or "he weighed a path for his anger" m; he weighed it in the balance of justice, and proportioned his anger to their crimes, and punished them according to their just deserts: HE SPARED N... [ Continue Reading ]
AND SMOTE ALL THE FIRSTBORN IN EGYPT,.... From the prince to the peasant; and not only the firstborn of men, but of beasts also, Exodus 12:29, THE CHIEF OF THEIR STRENGTH; or first of it, as the firstborn is called, Genesis 49:3, IN THE TABERNACLES OF HAM; in the several cities, towns, villages,... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT MADE HIS OWN PEOPLE TO GO FORTH LIKE SHEEP,.... The people of Israel, whom the Lord chose to be his peculiar people above all others; these he caused to go forth out of Egypt, with a mighty hand and stretched out arm; like sheep, weak, timorous, unarmed, harmless, and inoffensive, not a dog dari... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE LED THEM ON SAFELY,.... Through the sea, where the waters were on each side; and through the wilderness, in which were serpents and scorpions, and where they were attacked by many powerful enemies: SO THAT THEY FEARED NOT; for though they feared for a while at the Red sea, yet their fears we... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE BROUGHT THEM TO THE BORDER OF HIS SANCTUARY,.... Of the land of Canaan, which the Lord had sanctified, and set apart for them; and of Jerusalem, the holy city, the city of the great God, and of the temple where his residence was to be; so the Targum, "to the border of the place of the house... [ Continue Reading ]
HE CAST OUT THE HEATHEN ALSO BEFORE THEM,.... The seven nations, the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, Deuteronomy 7:1 AND DIVIDED THEM AN INHERITANCE BY LINE: the land of Canaan was divided among the nine tribes and a half by Joshua, the other two and... [ Continue Reading ]
YET THEY TEMPTED AND PROVOKED THE MOST HIGH GOD,.... After the death of Joshua, and in the times of the judges, by worshipping and serving the gods of the nations, and forsaking the Lord their God, who had done such great things for them, Judges 2:11, AND KEPT NOT HIS TESTIMONIES; the laws of God,... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT TURNED BACK,.... From God and his worship, apostatized from the true religion, and turned to idols: AND DEALT UNFAITHFULLY, LIKE THEIR FATHERS; in the wilderness; see Psalms 78:8, THEY WERE TURNED ASIDE LIKE A DECEITFUL BOW; that promises well to carry the arrow right, but drops it at the fee... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THEY PROVOKED HIM TO ANGER WITH THEIR HIGH PLACES,.... Which they built to Baal, and other Heathen dieties: AND MOVED HIM TO JEALOUSY WITH THEIR GRAVEN IMAGES; which they worshipped, see Judges 10:6, which idolatry was spiritual adultery, and so made the Lord jealous of them, who stood in the r... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN GOD HEARD THIS,.... Their building high places, and sacrificing on them, their making and worshipping graven images, and the language which such actions spoke; who also heard what they said to their idols, when they paid their devotion to them, acknowledging them to be their gods; he took notic... [ Continue Reading ]
SO THAT HE FORSOOK THE TABERNACLE OF SHILOH.... The tabernacle which Moses built in the wilderness by the command of the Lord, and according to the pattern showed him; and which, when the Israelites were settled in the land of Canaan, was set up in Shiloh; see Joshua 18:1, and here it was in the tim... [ Continue Reading ]
AND DELIVERED HIS STRENGTH INTO CAPTIVITY,.... That is, the ark, called his strength, and the ark of his strength, Psalms 105:4, because it was a token of his strength, and by means of which he displayed it, as when the Israelites passed through Jordan into Canaan's land, and encompassed the city of... [ Continue Reading ]
HE GAVE HIS PEOPLE OVER ALSO TO THE SWORD,.... To those that kill with the sword, as the Targum; that is, to the Philistines, when there fell of them thirty thousand men at once, 1 Samuel 4:10 AND WAS WROTH WITH HIS INHERITANCE; and the above showed that he was, though they were his inheritance, hi... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FIRE CONSUMED THEIR YOUNG MEN,.... Not Nadab and Abihu, as some of the Jewish Rabbins interpret it, of which Jarchi makes mention; but the young men, the choice, the flower, of the Israelitish army, which engaged with the Philistines in the times of Eli; and the fire that consumed them is not to... [ Continue Reading ]
THEIR PRIESTS FELL BY THE SWORD,.... Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, and other priests; which shows the cruelty of the enemy, not to spare men unarmed, as the priests were; and the justice of God, which pursued these men, who were very wicked, and whose character and office could not secure th... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN THE LORD AWAKED AS ONE OUT OF SLEEP,.... He seemed to be asleep, while he suffered the ark to be taken, and the Israelites to be slain; and he may be said to awake when he exerted his power in smiting the Philistines, and causing their idol to fall before his ark; see Psalms 7:6, AND LIKE A MI... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SMOTE HIS ENEMIES IN THE HINDER PARTS,.... Not the Israelites, as Kimchi interprets it, but the Philistines, who in another battle were put to flight, and turned their backs, and so were smitten in their hinder parts; or rather this has reference to the Philistines being smitten with haemorrh... [ Continue Reading ]
MOREOVER, HE REFUSED THE TABERNACLE OF JOSEPH,.... That is, the tabernacle of Moses, which had been for a long time at Shiloh, a city in the tribe of Ephraim, the son of Joseph; when the ark was brought back by the Philistines, it was not returned to Shiloh, but carried to Kirjathjearim, where it re... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT CHOSE THE TRIBE OF JUDAH,.... Both to be the seat of kingly power and government, and of religious worship; the latter is chiefly designed. Jerusalem was, at least part of it, in the tribe of Judah: here David, who was of that tribe, dwelt, and Solomon his son, and all the kings of Judah afterwa... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE BUILT HIS SANCTUARY LIKE HIGH PALACES,.... The temple at Jerusalem, called a sanctuary, or holy place, because separated and dedicated to holy use and service; where the holy God had his residence, and was worshipped, and was a figure of the holy place not made with hands: this is said to be... [ Continue Reading ]
HE CHOSE DAVID ALSO HIS SERVANT,.... To be king of Israel, the youngest of his father's family, when he rejected all the rest; see 1 Samuel 16:6, an eminent type of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is called by his name, Psalms 89:3 and the signification of his name "Beloved" agrees with him, who is belo... [ Continue Reading ]
FROM FOLLOWING THE EWES GREAT WITH YOUNG,.... Or, "from after" them a; it was usual with the shepherd to put them before him, and to follow them, and gently drive them, which is expressive of his care and tenderness of them; see Genesis 33:13, the same is observed of David's antitype, the great and... [ Continue Reading ]
SO HE FED THEM ACCORDING TO THE INTEGRITY OF HIS HEART,.... Or, "reigned over them", as the Targum; that is, over the people of Israel, and which he did in such manner as showed uprightness of heart, and that he was, as his character is, a man after God's own heart: it appeared, by his administratio... [ Continue Reading ]