TITLE. This Psalm is headed "To the Chief Musician upon
Sheminith, a Psalm of David," which title is identical with that
of the sixth Psalm, except that Neginoth is here omitted. We have
nothing new to add, and therefore refer the reader to our remarks on
the dedication of Psalm VI. As Sheminith signifies the eighth, the
Arabic version says it is concerning the end of the world, which
shall be the eighth day, and refers it to the coming of the Messiah:
without accepting so fanciful an interpretation, we may read this
song of complaining faith in the light of His coming who shall break
in pieces the oppressor. The subject will be the better before the
mind's eye if we entitle this Psalm: "GOOD THOUGHTS IN BAD
TIMES." It is supposed to have been written while Saul was
persecuting David, and those who favoured his cause.
DIVISION. In the first and second verses David spreads his plaint
before the Lord concerning the treachery of his age; verses 3 and 4
denounce judgments upon proud traitors; in verse 5, Jehovah himself
thunders out his wrath against oppressors; hearing this, the Chief
Musician sings sweetly of the faithfulness of God and his care of his
people, in verses 6 and 7; but closes on the old key of lament in
verse 8, as he observes the abounding wickedness of his times. Those
holy souls who dwell in Mesech, and sojourn in the tents of Kedar,
may read and sing these sacred stanzas with hearts in full accord
with their mingled melody of lowly mourning and lofty
confidence.
Verse 1. "Help, Lord." A short but sweet, suggestive,
seasonable, and serviceable prayer; a kind of angel's sword, to be
turned every way, and to be used on all occasions. Ainsworth says the
word rendered "help," is largely used for all manner of saving,
helping, delivering, preserving, etc. Thus it seems that the prayer
is very full and instructive. The Psalmist sees the extreme danger of
his position, for a man had better be among lions than among liars;
he feels his own inability to deal with such sons of Belial, for "he
who shall touch them must be fenced with iron;" he therefore turns
himself to his all-sufficient Helper, the Lord, whose help is never
denied to his servants, and whose aid is enough for all their needs.
"Help, Lord," is a very useful ejaculation which we may dart
up to heaven on occasions of emergency, whether in labour, learning,
suffering, fighting, living, or dying. As small ships can sail into
harbours which larger vessels, drawing more water, cannot enter, so
our brief cries and short petitions may trade with heaven when our
soul is wind-bound, and business-bound, as to longer exercises of
devotion, and when the stream of grace seems at too low an ebb to
float a more laborious supplication. "For the godly man
ceaseth;" the death, departure, or decline of godly men should be
a trumpet-call for more prayer. They say that fish smell first at the
head, and when godly men decay, the whole commonwealth will soon go
rotten. We must not, however, be rash in our judgment on this point,
for Elijah erred in counting himself the only servant of God alive,
when there were thousands whom the Lord held in reserve. The present
times always appear to be peculiarly dangerous, because they are
nearest to our anxious gaze, and whatever evils are rife are sure to
be observed, while the faults of past ages are further off, and are
more easily overlooked. Yet we expect that in the latter days,
"because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold," and
then we must the more thoroughly turn from man, and address ourselves
to the Churches' Lord, by whose help the gates of hell shall be kept
from prevailing against us. "The faithful fail from among the
children of men;" when godliness goes, faithfulness inevitably
follows; without fear of God, men have no love of truth. Common
honesty is no longer common, when common irreligion leads to
universal godlessness. David had his eye on Doeg, and the men of Ziph
and Keilah, and perhaps remembered the murdered priests of Nob, and
the many banished ones who consorted with him in the cave of Adullam,
and wondered where the state would drift without the anchors of its
godly and faithful men. David, amid the general misrule, did not
betake himself to seditious plottings, but to solemn petitionings;
nor did he join with the multitude to do evil, but took up the arms
of prayer to withstand their attacks upon virtue.
Verse 2. "They speak vanity every one with his
neighbour." They utter that which is vain to hear, because
of its frivolous, foolish, want of worth; vain to believe,
because it was false and lying; vain to trust to, since it was
deceitful and flattering; vain to regard, for it lifted up the
hearer, filling him with proud conceit of himself. It is a sad thing
when it is the fashion to talk vanity. "Ca'me, and I'll ca'thee." is
the old Scotch proverb; give me a high sounding character, and I will
give you one. Compliments and fawning congratulations are hateful to
honest men; they know that if they take they must give them, and they
scorn to do either. These accommodation-bills are most admired by
those who are bankrupt in character. Bad are the times when every man
thus cajoles and cozens his neighbour. "With flattering lips and
with a double heart do they speak." He who puffs up another's
heart, has nothing better than wind in his own. If a man extols me to
my face, he only shows me one side of his heart, and the other is
black with contempt for me, or foul with intent to cheat me. Flattery
is the sign of the tavern where duplicity is the host. The Chinese
consider a man of two hearts to be a very base man, and we shall be
safe in reckoning all flatteries to be such.
