1Yahweh is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? Yahweh is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid?
2When evildoers came at me to eat up my flesh, even my adversaries and my foes, they stumbled and fell.
3Though an army should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear. Though war should rise against me, even then I will be confident.
4One thing I have asked of Yahweh, that I will seek after: that I may dwell in Yahweh’s house all the days of my life, to see Yahweh’s beauty, and to inquire in his temple.
5For in the day of trouble, he will keep me secretly in his pavilion. In the secret place of his tabernacle, he will hide me. He will lift me up on a rock.
6Now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me. I will offer sacrifices of joy in his tent. I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to Yahweh.
1 Yahweh is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? Yahweh is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers came at me to eat up my flesh, even my adversaries and my foes, they stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear. Though war should rise against me, even then I will be confident.
4 One thing I have asked of Yahweh, that I will seek after: that I may dwell in Yahweh’s house all the days of my life, to see Yahweh’s beauty, and to inquire in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble, he will keep me secretly in his pavilion. In the secret place of his tabernacle, he will hide me. He will lift me up on a rock.
6 Now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me. I will offer sacrifices of joy in his tent. I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to Yahweh.
KJVKing James Version
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.
5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.
Show all 3 translations
JPSJPS Tanakh (1917)
1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evil-doers came upon me to eat up my flesh, even mine adversaries and my foes, they stumbled and fell.
3 Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war should rise up against me, even then will I be confident.
4 One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the graciousness of the LORD, and to visit early in His temple.
5 For He concealeth me in His pavilion in the day of evil; He hideth me in the covert of His tent; He lifteth me up upon a rock.
6 And now shall my head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me; and I will offer in His tabernacle sacrifices with trumpet-sound; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.
Hebrews 13:6(v1)So that with good courage we say, “The Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
Psalms 118:6(v1)Yahweh is on my side. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
Exodus 15:2(v1)Yah is my strength and song. He has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise him; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
2 Corinthians 12:9(v1)He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in…
Psalms 84:11(v1)For Yahweh God is a sun and a shield. Yahweh will give grace and glory. He withholds no good thing from those who walk blamelessly.
Show all 100 cross-references
Psalms 26:8(v4)Yahweh, I love the habitation of your house, the place where your glory dwells.
Romans 8:31(v1)What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
John 8:12(v1)Again, therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have…
Micah 7:7-8(v1)But as for me, I will look to Yahweh. I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. Don’t rejoice against me, my enemy.…
Psalms 23:6(v4)Surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in Yahweh’s house forever.
Isaiah 60:19-20(v1)The sun will be no more your light by day; nor will the brightness of the moon give light to you, but Yahweh will be your everlasting…
Psalms 65:4(v4)Blessed is the one whom you choose and cause to come near, that he may live in your courts. We will be filled with the goodness of your…
Isaiah 12:2(v1)Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust, and will not be afraid; for Yah, Yahweh, is my strength and song; and he has become my…
Psalms 84:4(v4)Blessed are those who dwell in your house. They are always praising you.
Psalms 84:10(v4)For a day in your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of…
Psalms 18:28(v1)For you will light my lamp, Yahweh. My God will light up my darkness.
Isaiah 61:10(v1)I will greatly rejoice in Yahweh! My soul will be joyful in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation. He has covered me…
Psalms 62:6(v1)He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress. I will not be shaken.
Luke 10:42(v4)but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Proverbs 18:10(v5)Yahweh’s name is a strong tower: the righteous run to him, and are safe.
Psalms 63:2-5(v4)So I have seen you in the sanctuary, watching your power and your glory. Because your loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall…
Psalms 27:8(v4)When you said, “Seek my face,” my heart said to you, “I will seek your face, Yahweh.”
Jeremiah 29:13(v4)You shall seek me, and find me, when you search for me with all your heart.
Job 29:3(v1)when his lamp shone on my head, and by his light I walked through darkness,
Psalms 31:20(v5)In the shelter of your presence you will hide them from the plotting of man. You will keep them secretly in a dwelling away from the strife…
Psalms 118:21(v1)I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me, and have become my salvation.
Matthew 6:33(v4)But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.
John 1:1-5(v1)In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were…
Psalms 19:14(v1)Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, Yahweh, my rock, and my redeemer.
Philippians 4:13(v1)I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.
Psalms 138:7(v5)Though I walk in the middle of trouble, you will revive me. You will stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies. Your right hand…
Revelation 21:23(v1)The city has no need for the sun or moon to shine, for the very glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
Psalms 91:1(v5)He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalms 18:1-2(v1)I love you, Yahweh, my strength. Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield, and…
Psalms 46:1-2(v1)God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we won’t be afraid, though the earth changes, though the…
Psalms 50:15(v5)Call on me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
Psalms 68:19-20(v1)Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burdens, even the God who is our salvation. God is to us a God of deliverance. To Yahweh, the…
Psalms 119:114(v5)You are my hiding place and my shield. I hope in your word.
Isaiah 60:1-3(v1)“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and Yahweh’s glory has risen on you. For, behold, darkness will cover the earth, and thick darkness…
Psalms 40:2(v5)He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay. He set my feet on a rock, and gave me a firm place to stand.
Isaiah 2:5(v1)House of Jacob, come, and let’s walk in the light of Yahweh.
Malachi 4:2(v1)But to you who fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings. You will go out, and leap like calves of the…
John 1:9(v1)The true light that enlightens everyone was coming into the world.
Philippians 3:13(v4)Brothers, I don’t regard myself as yet having taken hold, but one thing I do: forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching…
Hebrews 11:6(v4)Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder…
Psalms 56:2-4(v1)My enemies want to swallow me up all day long, for they are many who fight proudly against me. When I am afraid, I will put my trust in…
Psalms 3:6(v3)I will not be afraid of tens of thousands of people who have set themselves against me on every side.
Psalms 62:2(v1)He alone is my rock, my salvation, and my fortress. I will never be greatly shaken.
Colossians 3:3(v5)For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Psalms 11:1(v1)In Yahweh, I take refuge. How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain”?
Psalms 18:46(v1)Yahweh lives! Blessed be my rock. Exalted be the God of my salvation,
Isaiah 51:6-8(v1)Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish away like smoke, and the earth will wear out…
Luke 2:30(v1)for my eyes have seen your salvation,
Psalms 28:7-8(v1)Yahweh is my strength and my shield. My heart has trusted in him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart greatly rejoices. With my song I will…
Psalms 90:17(v4)Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us. Establish the work of our hands for us. Yes, establish the work of our hands.
Isaiah 45:24(v1)They will say of me, ‘There is righteousness and strength only in Yahweh.’ ” Even to him will men come. All those who raged against him…
Revelation 7:10(v1)They cried with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation be to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
Psalms 17:8(v5)Keep me as the apple of your eye. Hide me under the shadow of your wings,
Matthew 8:26(v1)He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then he got up, rebuked the wind and the sea, and there was a great calm.
Psalms 3:3(v6)But you, Yahweh, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.
Psalms 3:8(v1)Salvation belongs to Yahweh. May your blessing be on your people.
Psalms 43:2(v1)For you are the God of my strength. Why have you rejected me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
Psalms 118:14-15(v1)Yah is my strength and song. He has become my salvation. The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous. “The right…
Luke 2:37(v4)and she had been a widow for about eighty-four years), who didn’t depart from the temple, worshiping with fastings and petitions night and…
Luke 3:6(v1)All flesh will see God’s salvation.’ ”
2 Corinthians 3:18(v4)But we all, with unveiled face seeing the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even…
Revelation 22:5(v1)There will be no night, and they need no lamp light or sun light; for the Lord God will illuminate them. They will reign forever and ever.
1 Peter 3:14(v3)But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “Don’t fear what they fear, neither be troubled.”
Matthew 7:7-8(v4)“Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks…
Matthew 7:24-25(v5)“Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock. The rain…
Psalms 46:1(v5)God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Psalms 50:2(v4)Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines out.
Psalms 91:15(v5)He will call on me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him, and honor him.
Daniel 9:3(v4)I set my face to the Lord God, to seek by prayer and petitions, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.
Hebrews 13:15(v6)Through him, then, let’s offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which proclaim allegiance to his…
Isaiah 26:20(v5)Come, my people, enter into your rooms, and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourself for a little moment, until the indignation is past.
Romans 8:35-37(v3)Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Could oppression, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?…
Psalms 57:1(v5)Be merciful to me, God, be merciful to me, for my soul takes refuge in you. Yes, in the shadow of your wings, I will take refuge, until…
Isaiah 32:2(v5)A man shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the storm, as streams of water in a dry place, as the shade of a large…
Luke 18:1(v4)He also spoke a parable to them that they must always pray, and not give up,
Psalms 61:2(v5)From the end of the earth, I will call to you when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
Luke 11:9-10(v4)“I tell you, keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and it will be opened to you. For…
Luke 13:24(v4)“Strive to enter in by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter in and will not be able.
2 Corinthians 4:6(v4)seeing it is God who said, “Light will shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory…
Philippians 1:28(v3)and in nothing frightened by the adversaries, which is for them a proof of destruction, but to you of salvation, and that from God.
2 Samuel 22:49(v6)who brings me away from my enemies. Yes, you lift me up above those who rise up against me. You deliver me from the violent man.
Psalms 32:6-7(v5)For this, let everyone who is godly pray to you in a time when you may be found. Surely when the great waters overflow, they shall not…
Psalms 107:22(v6)Let them offer the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his deeds with singing.
Proverbs 1:24-28(v5)Because I have called, and you have refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no one has paid attention; but you have ignored all my…
Zechariah 9:9(vv4, 6)Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation;…
Psalms 18:33(v5)He makes my feet like deer’s feet, and sets me on my high places.
Isaiah 4:5-6(v5)Yahweh will create over the whole habitation of Mount Zion and over her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming…
Isaiah 12:6(v6)Cry aloud and shout, you inhabitant of Zion; for the Holy One of Israel is great among you!”
2 Corinthians 5:6-8(v3)Therefore we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord; for we walk by faith, not by…
1 Chronicles 10:13-14(v4)So Saul died for his trespass which he committed against Yahweh, because of Yahweh’s word, which he didn’t keep; and also because he asked…
Ephesians 5:19-20(v6)speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always…
Revelation 5:9(v6)They sang a new song, saying, “You are worthy to take the book and to open its seals: for you were killed, and bought us for God with your…
Nehemiah 6:10-11(v5)I went to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home; and he said, “Let us meet together in…
Psalms 77:2(v5)In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord. My hand was stretched out in the night, and didn’t get tired. My soul refused to be comforted.
Psalms 83:3(v5)They conspire with cunning against your people. They plot against your cherished ones.
100 distinct cross-references across this passage (162 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (28 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
John Calvin1540 · Public DomainOn vv1–61. Jehovah is my light. This commencement may be…
1. Jehovah is my light. This commencement may be understood as meaning that David, having already experienced God’s mercy, publishes a testimony of his gratitude. But I rather incline to another meaning, namely, that, perceiving the conflict he had to wage with the sharpest temptations, he fortifies himself beforehand, and as it were brings together matter for confidence: for it is necessary that the saints earnestly wrestle with themselves to repel or subdue the doubts which the flesh is so prone to cherish, that they may cheerfully and speedily betake themselves to prayer. David, accordingly, having been tossed with various tempests, at length recovers himself, and shouts triumphantly over the troubles with which he had been harassed, rejoicing that whenever God displays his mercy and favor, there is nothing to be feared. This is farther intimated by the accumulation of terms which he employs, when he calls God not only his light, but his salvation, and the rock or strength of his life His object was, to put a threefold shield, as it were, against his various fears, as sufficient to ward them off. The term light, as is well known, is used in Scripture to denote joy, or the perfection of happiness. Farther, to explain his meaning, he adds that God was his salvation and the strength of his life, as it was by his help that he felt himself safe, and free from the terrors of death. Certainly we find that all our fears arise from this source, that we are too anxious about our life, while we acknowledge not that God is its preserver. We can have no tranquillity, therefore, until we attain the persuasion that our life is sufficiently guarded, because it is protected by his omnipotent power. The interrogation, too, shows how highly David esteemed the Divine protection, as he thus boldly exults against all his enemies and dangers. Nor assuredly do we ascribe due homage to God, unless, trusting to his promised aid, we dare to boast of the certainty of our safety. Weighing, as it were, in scales the whole power of earth and hell, David accounts it all lighter than a feather, and considers God alone as far outweighing the whole.
Let us learn, therefore, to put such a value on God’s power to protect us as to put to flight all our fears. Not that the minds of the faithful can, by reason of the infirmity of the flesh, be at all times entirely devoid of fear; but immediately recovering courage, let us, from the high tower of our confidence, look down upon all our dangers with contempt. Those who have never tasted the grace of God tremble because they refuse to rely on him, and imagine that he is often incensed against them, or at least far removed from them. But with the promises of God before our eyes, and the grace which they offer, our unbelief does him grievous wrong, if we do not with unshrinking courage boldly set him against all our enemies. When God, therefore, kindly allures us to himself, and assures us that he will take care of our safety, since we have embraced his promises, or because we believe him to be faithful, it is meet that we highly extol his power, that it may ravish our hearts with admiration of himself. We must mark well this comparison, What are all creatures to God? Moreover, we must extend this confidence still farther, in order to banish all fears from our consciences, like Paul, who, when speaking of his eternal salvation, boldly exclaims,
Read full note →
“If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:34.)
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators1599 · Public DomainOn vv1, 3, 4, 6Because he was assured of good success in all…
Because he was assured of good success in all his dangers, and that his salvation was surely laid up in God, he feared not the tyranny of his enemies.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp1656 · Public DomainOn vv1–6Psa 27:1 « [A Psalm] of David. » The…
Psa 27:1 « [A Psalm] of David. » The LORD [is] my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD [is] the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Ver. 1. The Lord is my light] That is, my comfort and direction, he that dissolveth all my clouds of terrors within and troubles without. To these all he opposeth God’s all sufficiency, as making for him, and as being all in all unto him, light, salvation, strength of life, what not? and therehence his full assurance; and such a masculine magnanimity as feareth not the power of men and devils, be they who they will, and do what they can. Animo magno nihil est magnum. When a man can out of this consideration, God is my light (in things of the mind) and my salvation (in things of the body, as Aben Ezra expoundeth it), contemn and reckon all things else as matters of small moment, it shows he hath in truth apprehended God; and this is true holy magnanimity.
Read full note →
The Lord is the strength of my life,] He that keeps life and soul together, saith Aben Ezra, as the spirits do soul and body; and therefore, Quis potest me interimere, saith Kimchi, who can do me to death?
Of whom shall I be afraid] Faith fortifieth the heart against distrustful fears, which it quelleth and killeth. In a fright it runneth to the heart, as the blood doth, and relieveth it, setting it εξω βελων και φοβου, out of the gunshot of creature annoyances. Expertus loquor; for
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole1685 · Public DomainOn vv1–6My light, i.e. my counsellor in all my difficulties,…
My light, i.e. my counsellor in all my difficulties, and my comforter and deliverer in all my distresses.
The strength of my life, i.e. the supporter and preserver of my life.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry1710 · Public DomainOn v1We may observe here,
We may observe here,
I. With what a lively faith David triumphs in God, glories in his holy name, and in the interest he had in him. 1. The Lord is my light. David's subjects called him the light of Israel, Sa2 21:17. And he was indeed a burning and a shining light: but he owns that he shone, as the moon does, with a borrows light; what light God darted upon him reflected upon them: The Lord is my light. God is a light to his people, to show them the way when they are in doubt, to comfort and rejoice their hearts when they are in sorrow. It is in his light that they now walk on in their way, and in his light they hope to see light for ever. 2. "He is my salvation, in whom I am safe and by whom I shall be saved." 3. "He is the strength of my life, not only the protector of my exposed life, who keeps me from being slain, but the strength of my frail weak life, who keeps me from fainting, sinking, and dying away." God, who is a believer's light, is the strength of his life, not only by whom, but in whom, he lives and moves. In God therefore let us strengthen ourselves.
Read full note →
II. With what an undaunted courage he triumphs over his enemies; no fortitude like that of faith. If God be for him, who can be against him? Whom shall I fear? Of whom shall I be afraid? If Omnipotence be his guard, he has no cause to fear; if he knows it to be so, he has no disposition to fear. If God be his light, he fears no shades; if God be his salvation, he fears no colours. He triumphs over his enemies that were already routed, Psa 27:2. His enemies came upon him, to eat up his flesh, aiming at no less and assured of that, but they fell; not, "He smote them and they fell," but, "They stumbled and fell;" they were so confounded and weakened that they could not go on with their enterprise. Thus those that came to take Christ with a word's speaking were made to stagger and fall to the ground, Joh 18:6. The ruin of some of the enemies of God's people is an earnest of the complete conquest of them all. And therefore, these having fallen, he is fearless of the rest: "Though they be numerous, a host of them, - though they be daring and their attempts threatening, - though they encamp against me, an army against one man, - though they wage war upon me, yet my heart shall not fear." Hosts cannot hurt us if the Lord of hosts protect us. Nay, in this assurance that God is for me "I will be confident." Two things he will be confident of: - 1. That he shall be safe. "If God is my salvation, in the time of trouble he shall hide me; he shall set me out of danger and above the fear of it." God will not only find out a shelter for his people in distress (as he did Jer 36:26), but he will himself be their hiding-place, Psa 32:7. His providence will, it may be, keep them safe; at least his grace will make them easy. His name is the strong tower into which by faith they run, Pro 18:10. "He shall hide me, not in the strongholds of En-gedi (Sa1 23:29), but in the secret of his tabernacle." The gracious presence of God, his power, his promise, his readiness to hear prayer, the witness of his Spirit in the hearts of his people - these are the secret of his tabernacle, and in these the saints find cause for that holy security and serenity of mind in which they dwell at ease. This sets them upon a rock which will not sink under them, but on which they find firm footing for their hopes; nay, it sets them up upon a rock on high, where the raging threatening billows of a stormy sea cannot touch them; it is a rock that is higher than we, Psa 61:2. 2. That he shall be victorious (Psa 27:6): "Now shall my head be lifted up above my enemies, not only so as that they cannot reach it with their darts, but so as that I shall be exalted to bear rule over them." David here, by faith in the promise of God, triumphs before the victory, and is as sure, not only of the laurel, but of the crown, as if it were already upon his head.
III. With what a gracious earnestness he prays for a constant communion with God in holy ordinances, Psa 27:4. It greatly encouraged his confidence in God that he was conscious to himself of an entire affection to God and to his ordinances, and that he was in his element when in the way of his duty and in the way of increasing his acquaintance with him. If our hearts can witness for us that we delight in God above any creature, that may encourage us to depend upon him; for it is a sign we are of those whom he protects as his own. Or it may be taken thus: He desired to dwell in the house of the Lord that there he might be safe from the enemies that surrounded him. Finding himself surrounded by threatening hosts, he does not say, "One thing have I desired, in order to my safety, that I may have my army augmented to such a number," or that I may be master of such a city or such a castle, but "that I may dwell in the house of the Lord, and then I am well." Observe,
1. What it is he desires - to dwell in the house of the Lord. In the courts of God's house the priests had their lodgings, and David wished he had been one of them. Disdainfully as some look upon God's ministers, one of the greatest and best of kings that ever was would gladly have taken his lot, have taken his lodging, among them. Or, rather, he desires that he might duly and constantly attend on the public service of God, with other faithful Israelites, according as the duty of every day required. He longed to see an end of the wars in which he was now engaged, not that he might live at ease in his own palace, but that he might have leisure and liberty for a constant attendance in God's courts. Thus Hezekiah, a genuine son of David, wished for the recovery of his health, not that he might go up to the thrones of judgment, but that he might go up to the house of the Lord, Isa 38:22. Note, All God's children desire to dwell in God's house; where should they dwell else? Not to sojourn there as a wayfaring man, that turns aside to tarry but for a night, nor to dwell there for a time only, as the servant that abides not in the house for ever, but to dwell there all the days of their life; for there the Son abides ever. Do we hope that praising God will be the blessedness of our eternity? Surely them we ought to make it the business of our time.
2. How earnestly he covets this: "This is the one thing I have desired of the Lord and which I will seek after." If he were to ask but one thing of God, this should be it; for this he had at heart more than any thing. He desired it as a good thing; he desired it of the Lord as his gift and a token of his favour. And, having fixed his desire upon this as the one thing needful, he sought after it; he continued to pray for it, and contrived his affairs so as that he might have this liberty and opportunity. Note, Those that truly desire communion with God will set themselves with all diligence to seek after it, Pro 18:1.
3. What he had in his eye in it. He would dwell in God's house, not for the plenty of good entertainment that was there, in the feasts upon the sacrifices, nor for the music and good singing that were there, but to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his temple. He desired to attend in God's courts, (1.) That he might have the pleasure of meditating upon God. He knew something of the beauty of the Lord, the infinite and transcendent amiableness of the divine being and perfections; his holiness is his beauty (Psa 110:3), his goodness is his beauty, Zac 9:17. The harmony of all his attributes is the beauty of his nature. With an eye of faith and holy love we with pleasure behold this beauty, and observe more and more in it that is amiable, that is admirable. When with fixedness of thought, and a holy flame of devout affections, we contemplate God's glorious excellencies, and entertain ourselves with the tokens of his peculiar favour to us, this is that view of the beauty of the Lord which David here covets, and it is to be had in his ordinances, for there he manifests himself. (2.) That he might have the satisfaction of being instructed in his duty; for concerning this he would enquire in God's temple. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? For the sake of these two things he desired that one thing, to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life; for blessed are those that do so; they will be still praising him (Psa 84:4), both in speaking to him and in hearing from him. Mary's sitting at Christ's feet to hear his word Christ calls the one thing needful, and the good part.
4. What advantage he promised himself by it. Could he but have a place in God's house, (1.) There he should be quiet and easy: there troubles would not find him, for he should be hid in secret; there troubles would not reach him, for he should be set on high, Psa 27:5. Joash, one of David's seed, was hidden in the house of the Lord six years, and there not only preserved from the sword, but reserved to the crown, Kg2 11:3. The temple was thought a safe place for Nehemiah to abscond in, Neh 6:10. The safety of believers however is not in the walls of the temple, but in the God of the temple and their comfort in communion with him. (2.) There he should be pleasant and cheerful: there he would offer sacrifices of joy, Psa 27:6. For God's work is its own wages. There he would sing, yea, he would sing praises to the Lord. Note, Whatever is the matter of our joy ought to be the matter of our praise; and, when we attend upon God in holy ordinances, we ought to be much in joy and praise. It is for the glory of our God that we should sing in his ways; and, whenever God lifts us up above our enemies, we ought to exalt him in our praises. Thanks be to God, who always causeth us to triumph, Co2 2:14.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill1763 · Public DomainOn vv1–6The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom…
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?.... The Targum in the king of Spain's Bible explains it, "the Word of the Lord is my light"; and so Ainsworth cites it; that is, Christ the eternal Word, in whom "was life, and that life was the light of men", Joh 1:4; and the psalmist is not to be understood of the light of nature and reason, with which the Logos, or Word, enlightens every man that comes into the world; nor merely in a temporal sense, of giving him the light of prosperity, and delivering him from the darkness of adversity; but of the light of grace communicated to him by him who is the sun of righteousness, and the light of the world; and by whom such who are darkness itself, while in an unregenerate state, are made light, and see light; all the light which is given to men at first conversion is from Christ; and all the after communications and increase of it are from him; as well as all that spiritual joy, peace, and comfort they partake of, which light sometimes signifies, Psa 97:11; and which the psalmist now had an experience of; enjoying the light of God's countenance, and having discoveries of his love, which made him fearless of danger and enemies: and such who are made light in the Lord have no reason to be afraid of the prince of darkness; nor of the rulers of the darkness of this world; nor of all the darkness, distress, and persecutions they are the authors of; nor of the blackness of darkness reserved for ungodly men; for their light is an everlasting one, and they are made meet to be partakers of the inheritance with the saints in light: and the more light they have, the less fear; and what made the psalmist still more fearless was, that Christ was his "salvation"; by the light which the Lord was to him, he saw his need of salvation, he knew that his own righteousness would not save him; he was made acquainted with the design and appointment of the Lord, that Christ should be salvation to the ends of the earth; he had knowledge of the covenant of grace, and faith in it, which was all his salvation, Sa2 23:5. Salvation was revealed to the Old Testament saints, in the promises, sacrifices, types, and figures of that dispensation; and they looked through them to him for it, and were saved by him, as New Testament believers are; and they had faith of interest in Christ, and knew him to be their Saviour and Redeemer, as did Job, and here the psalmist David: and such who know Christ to be their salvation need not be afraid of any person or thing; not of sin, for though they fear, and should fear to commit it, they need not fear the damning power of it, for they are saved from it; nor of Satan, out of whose hands they are ransomed; nor of the world, which is overcome by Christ; nor of the last enemy, death, which is abolished by him; nor of hell, and wrath to come, for he has delivered them from it;
the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? meaning not of his natural life, though he was the God of his life, who had given it to him, and had preserved it, and upheld his soul in it; but of his spiritual life: Christ is the author of spiritual life, he implants the principle of it in the hearts of his people, yea, he himself is that life; he lives in them, and is the support of their life; he is the tree of life, and the bread of life, by which it is maintained; and he is the security of it, it is bound up in the bundle of life with him, it is hid with Christ in God; and because he lives they live also; and he gives unto them eternal life, so that they have no reason to be afraid that they shall come short of heaven and happiness; nor need they fear them that kill the body and can do no more; nor any enemy whatever, who cannot reach their spiritual life, nor hurt that, nor hinder them of the enjoyment of eternal life.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley1765 · Public DomainOn vv1–5David declares his confidence in God, ver. 1-3. His…
David declares his confidence in God, ver. 1-3. His desire to be in the house of God, ver. 4-6. He prays for light and salvation, ver. 7-12. And exhorts others to wait upon God, ver. 13, 14. A psalm of David.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke1810 · Public DomainOn vv1–6The righteous man's confidence in God, 1-3;
PSALM XXVII
The righteous man's confidence in God, 1-3;
Read full note →
his ardent desire to have the spiritual privilege of worshipping
God in his temple, because of the spiritual blessings which he
expects to enjoy there, 4-6;
his prayer to God for continual light and salvation, 7-9;
has confidence that, though even has own parents might forsake
him, yet God would not, 10.
Therefore he begs to be taught the right way to be delivered
from all his enemies, and to see the goodness of the Lord in
the land of the living, 11-13;
he exhorts others to trust in God; to be of good courage; and
to expect strength for their hearts, 14.
NOTES ON PSALM XXVII
In the Hebrew and Chaldee this Psalm has no other title than simply לדוד ledavid: To or For David. In the Syriac: "For David; on account of an infirmity which fell upon him." In the Vulgate, Septuagint, Arabic, and AEthiopic, it has this title: "A Psalm of David, before he was anointed." The Anglo-Saxon omits all the titles. For this title there is no authority in fact. However, it may be just necessary to state that David appears to have received the royal unction three times:
1. In Bethlehem from the hand of Samuel, in the house of his father Jesse; 1Sa 16:13.
2. At Hebron after the death of Saul, by the men of Judah; 2Sa 2:4.
3. By the elders of Israel, at Hebron, after the death of Ishbosheth, when he was acknowledged king over all the tribes; 2Sa 5:3.
At which of these anointings the Psalm was written, or whether before any of them, we know not; nor is the question to be decided. Some commentators say that it is a Psalm belonging to the captivity, and upon that system it may be well interpreted. And lastly, it has been contended that it was written by David after he had been in danger of losing his life by the hand of a gigantic Philistine, and must have perished had he not been succoured by Abishai; see the account 2Sa 21:17; and was counselled by his subjects not to go out to battle any more, lest he should extinguish the light of Israel. To these advisers he is supposed to make the following reply: -
Verse 1. The Lord is my light and my salvation] This light can never be extinguished by man; the Lord is my salvation, my safeguard, my shield, and my defence; of whom then should I be afraid?
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson1811 · Public DomainOn vv1, 2, 4, 5Psa 27:1. The Lord is my light — My…
Psa 27:1. The Lord is my light — My counsellor in my difficulties, and my comforter and deliverer in all my distresses. David’s subjects called him the light of Israel; but he owns he shone, as the moon doth, with a borrowed light: the light which God communicated to him reflected upon them. God is our light, as he shows us the state we are in by nature and practice, and that into which we may and must be brought by grace, in order to our salvation. As our light, he shows us the way in which we must walk, and gives us comfort in walking therein: shows us the hinderances that are in our way, the difficulties, and enemies, and oppositions, we have to encounter, and how we may be enabled to overcome them. It is only in his light that we now proceed on in our Christian course, and it is in his light that we hope to see light for ever. And my salvation — In whom I am safe, and by whom I am and shall be saved. The Lord is the strength of my life — The protector of my exposed life, who keeps me from being slain, and the supporter of my weak and frail life, by whom I am upheld and preserved in being. God, who is a believer’s life, is the strength of his life: not only the person by whom, but in whom he lives.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes1834 · Public DomainOn vv1–6The Lord is my light - He is to…
The Lord is my light - He is to me the source of light. That is, He guides and leads me. Darkness is the emblem of distress, trouble, perplexity, and sorrow; light is the emblem of the opposite of these. God furnished him such light that these troubles disappeared, and his way was bright and happy.
And my salvation - That is, He saves or delivers me.
Read full note →
Whom shall I fear? - Compare Rom 8:31. If God is on our side, or is for us, we can have no apprehension of danger. He is abundantly able to protect us, and we may confidently trust in Him. No one needs any better security against the objects of fear or dread than the conviction that God is his friend.
The Lord is the strength of my life - The support of my life. Or, in other words, He keeps me alive. In itself life is feeble, and is easily crushed out by trouble and sorrow; but as long as God is its strength, there is nothing to fear.
Of whom shall I be afraid? - No one has power to take life away while He defends me. God is to those who put their trust in Him a stronghold or fortress, and they are safe.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures1864 · Public DomainOn v1Psalms 27
Psalms 27
A Psalm of David
Read full note →
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked,
Even mine enemies and my foes,
Came upon me to eat up my flesh,
They stumbled and fell.
3 Though a host should encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear:
Though war should rise against me,
In this will I be confident.
4 One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after;
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord,
And to inquire in his temple.
5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion:
In the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me;
He shall set me up upon a rock.
6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me:
Therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy;
I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice:
Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee,
Thy face, Lord, will I seek.
9 Hide not thy face far from me;
Put not thy servant away in anger:
Thou hast been my help;
Leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
10 When my father and my mother forsake me,
Then the Lord will take me up.
11 Teach me thy way, O Lord,
And lead me in a plain path,
Because of mine enemies.
12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies:
For false witnesses are risen up against me,
And such as breathe out cruelty.
13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.
14 Wait on the Lord:
Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart:
Wait, I say, on the Lord.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
Its Contents and Composition.—The Vulgate has in the Title the additional words: before he was anointed. According to Theodoret this addition was not in the Hexapla of Origen, and is only found in the Codd. Vatic, of the Sept., yet it came into consideration in connection with the question as to the time of composition, for three anointings of David are mentioned, at first 1 Samuel 16, then when acknowledged by the tribe of Judah, 2Sa_2:4, finally in connection with the homage of all Israel, 2Sa_5:3. No one can think of the first anointing with any propriety, and the historical statements of this Psalm being indefinite, there is no sufficient reason for the second (Grotius), or the third, (Rosenm.) Thus even at the present day those interpreters who maintain the Davidic authorship, without regard to this uncertain title, either think of the period of the persecution by Saul, or the rebellion of Absalom. The latter supposition is supported by many resemblances with Psalms 3, (J. H. Mich., Stier, Delitzsch). There is nothing in favor of the peril of death (Rabbins) mentioned 2Sa_21:16, from which David happily escaped; yet we cannot regard Psa_27:10, as being against this supposition. For the text does not demand that it should be interpreted literally, (Geier) and it has given ancient interpreters unnecessary trouble. Since the dwelling of God is successively called house, palace, tent, we cannot infer any particular period of time, with any certainty; and we need not descend to Jeremiah, who was rejected by his family, and found a refuge in the temple (Hitzig); or indeed to the Maccabean times (Olsh., who at the same time finds here two different Psalms united); or regard it as a general Psalm of lamentation of some Hebrew in later times, (De Wette,) on account of the remarkably high estimation of the splendor of the temple and its forms of worship, in connection with the absence, in other respects, of individual references. It is true the tone and rhythm are very much changed in Psa_27:7, and subsequently, yet only in accordance with the change of subject as in Psalms 19, and elsewhere, (Hupf.). From the certainty of communion with God springs the fresh and joyous expression of confidence in God’s protection, fearlessness in danger, certainty of victory over strong and numerous enemies (Psa_27:1-3), connected with the hope of faith in the fulfillment of his dearest and constant wish to be able to offer thank-offerings, as one delivered by God and protected in the shelter of the dwelling of God (Psa_27:4-6). On this foundation rises the prayer that he may be heard (Psa_27:7). This is based on the call of God (Psa_27:8) with reference to the position of the Psalmist as a servant of God in need of help (Psa_27:9), who trusts in the God of his salvation, even in his greatest abandonment (Psa_27:10), and hopes in accordance with God’s instruction and under God’s guidance (Psa_27:11) to escape from violent and lying enemies (Psa_27:12). He would be lost without such trust (Psa_27:13); hence he exhorts himself to persevere in it (Psa_27:14). Comp. P. Gerhardt’s hymn “Gott ist mein Licht, der Herr mein Heil,” and “Ist Gott für mich, so trete, etc.”
Str. I., Psa_27:1. Jehovah is my Light.—The supposition, that this address to God, my Light! which occurs only here, is a figurative expression, to be explained through the two following expressions: my salvation and defence of my life! which are not to be regarded as figurative, but as literal (Calv. Hengst. Hupf.), is entirely without foundation. They are three appellatives parallel, yet expressing different relations to God and founded in essential attributes of God. God is just as essentially Light (Isa_60:7) as He is salvation and strength, and the one word is no more nor no less figurative than the other, when applied to God.3—Defence of my life.—This is literally the stronghold, the bulwark. For מָעוֹז is to be derived from עזז= to be strong, firm; not from עוּז= to flee, according to which etymology (J. D. Mich.) some translate, refuge.
[Str. II. Psa_27:2. When the evil doers drew near to me, To eat up my flesh; My adversaries and my enemies, They stumbled and fell.—The A. V. gives the sense but is not literal, and disorders the members of the strophe. Evil doers are compared to wild beasts approaching their prey, comp. Psa_14:4; Psalms 35, 1. The third clause is much disputed. Some refer לִי to the verb, and regard it as parallel with עָלִי of the first clause. So, Hitzig, Hengst. Delitzsch, Perowne, Alexander. They therefore render: my adversaries and my enemies to me (draw near, being understood or some other verb supplied). But De Wette, Hupfeld, Moll refer it to the enemies as I have rendered it. The they of the final clause is emphatic, they stumbled and fell.—C. A. B.]
[Str. III., Ver 3. A host.—Perowne: “Literally ‘though a camp should encamp against me,’ but the English idiom would hardly admit of such a rendering.”—For all this, do I trust.—Perowne: “So the same expression is rightly rendered in the A. V. of Lev_26:27. The fuller form occurs Psa_78:32; Job_1:22. Cocc, rightly, hoc non obstante, ‘in spite of this,’ and Mendelsohn, ‘Auch dann bleib’ ich getrost’. The Rabbinical commentators, as Aben Ezra and Rashi, explain, ‘In this,’ viz.: that the Lord is my light, etc., Psa_27:1, ‘do I trust.’ Rosenm. refers the pronoun ‘this’ to the war mentioned just before, ‘even in the battle itself,’ in ipsa pugna. But the first rendering is more forcible.’ ”—C. A. B.]
Str. IV. Psa_27:4. That I may dwell in the house of Jehovah all the days of my life.—This is not to be taken literally, or to be explained of the daily visiting the house of God, (most interpreters) especially as even the Levitical priests did not dwell in the temple. It is a figurative expression of the relation to God described above (Hengst., Hupf.). But it did not originate from a mingling of the figure of a hospitable tent with the usual idea of the house of God or temple (Hupf.), but from a prophetical view and longing (vid. Psa_15:1; Psa_23:6) which is to take its figurative expression from the sphere of the Levitical worship of God, and yet at the same time is justified in breaking through this sphere and lifting itself above it, the more as attendance upon the house of God (Psa_5:8), and walking in the ordinances of Divine worship are the means ordained of God for communion with Him.——To behold the favor of Jehovah.—Since חזה is not construed with the accusative here, as Psa_53:2, but with בְּ it denotes a beholding which tarries with the thing, is well pleased with it and feeds upon it, which is an enjoyment in which the loveliness (Psa_90:17) and the sweetness (Pro_16:24) of God are perceived in the experience of His gracious presence. There is no reference to the splendor of the Lord, and it is not allowable to understand by this the splendor of the sanctuary (Luther: the beautiful worship of God), or the heavenly temple, and its arrangements, as its archetype (Kimchi, Aben Ezra, Calv., Geier). The reference is to the favor of God which those are enabled to taste and experience, who have become members of His family, and enjoy as His guests the right of protection within His house. To this the Psalmist’s wish is directed, which he has already previously expressed in prayer (the perfect) and the fulfilment of which he continually seeks (the imperfect), and thus he describes it as anxious, pious and constant.——To meditate in His palace.—[A. V. to inquire in his temple].—Since בִּקֵּר denotes looking closely in order to discriminate, and is elsewhere never construed with בְּ, it is more natural to regard this preposition here as a designation of place (Venema), than either to lift the temple with its symbolical forms into an object of pleasing contemplation (De Wette), or to regard the whole manner of expression as entirely parallel with the preceding (Hupf.). It is unnecessary to supply an object (Hengst.); the verb may be absolute = to make reflections, to meditate. Some of the Rabbins regard it as a denominative of בקֶר in the signification of appearing in the morning (Psa_5:3), which then is extended to every morning. Delitzsch does not regard this as too bold. The translation, visit (most interpreters) essentially weakens the sense and is without grounds.
Str. V. Psa_27:5. For He conceals me in a tabernacle in the days of evil, He shelters me with the shelter of His tent.—[A. V. In the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me.]—Our translation of the former verse is favored by this, for the same place which is called the house of Jehovah Psa_27:4, b, and His palace Psa_27:4, d, with reference to His royal character is in Psa_27:5, b, called His tent, with reference to the present or original (comp. Eze_41:1) real character of the ritual dwelling-place of Jehovah in the midst of His people. This sanctuary is now characterized as a place of safety for those who seek refuge, who find there shelter and protection against the pursuit of their enemies, and indeed not because David really once had concealed himself there (Knapp after the Rabbins), but because the places of worship had the general meaning of asylum. From this point of view the same house of Jehovah is in Psa_27:5, a, named with an expression which designates a covered place for dwelling and lodging, as fitted to give shelter, a tabernacle, a bower.4 As a matter of course this is figurative, as then in Psa_27:5, c, the safety which has been gained is described as being set up upon a rock. But it does not follow from this that the reference to the sanctuary is here to be abandoned (Hupf.), and that the figure is derived from a shepherd (Geier), or of a hospitable householder (De Wette), or protector (Ruding.), and would give the sense, God is the protector of the pious everywhere, and even outside of His sanctuary (Calvin). The reference here is rather to this very thing, that the house of Jehovah, which appears without doubt in Psa_27:6, and which is referred to in various forms in accordance with the various references contained in the idea, is here as an asylum, (Geier) and not as the tabernacle (Hengst.). Moreover, it would not change the sense of the passage, but only the color of the thought, and this but slightly, if we should translate according to the reading and accentuation of the Hebrew word, either: in a tabernacle, as Psa_31:20, comp. Isa_4:6; or, in His tabernacle. For the סֻכָּה of Jehovah (Job_36:29) is called in Psa_75:2; Jer_25:38; Lam_2:6, likewise, His סֹךְ, although this word is used particularly of the couching-place of lions in thickets (Psa_10:7), and with definite reference to this is likewise used in the above-mentioned passage, Jer_25:38.
Str. VI., Psa_27:6. Sacrifices of rejoicing.—This means particularly the thank-offerings, because they were brought with songs of rejoicing and praise. The mention of singing and playing which immediately follow, shows that the reference is to them. This, most interpreters now admit with Syr., Kimchi, Luther. Moreover, according to Hupf., comm. de primitiva festorum Heb. ratione ii. 20, not. 40, the use of the word זבח was appropriate for these offerings. A reference to the sacrifices accompanied with the sound of the trumpet, (Gesen., De Wette), is contrary to the text, since only public thanksgivings at the time of festivals (Num_10:10) were distinguished with this music of the priests.
Str. VII. [Psa_27:7. Perowne: “The triumphant strain of confidence now gives way to one of sad and earnest entreaty.”—C. A. B.]5
Psa_27:8. To Thee my heart says—(at Thy call): seek Thy face!—Thy face Jehovah will I seek.—The heart answers the Divine call, consenting thereto as an echo of it (Calv.). It is better to regard this obscure construction as a bold combination of two clauses (Hupf.), which we can make intelligible in English only by supplying some appropriate words (Delitzsch). [Thus A. V., When thou saidst seek ye my face, etc.] This is much simpler than the supposition of a לauctoris (Dathe, Olsh.): Thine is, speaks my heart, namely the word, etc.; not to say anything of the artificial and strained explanations of many ancient interpreters. Hitzig follows the Vulgate; of Thee speaks my heart, seek Him, my face! The Sept. has: To Thee, etc., but then: diligently have I sought Thy face and Thy face will I seek. The true sense is given by the paraphrase of Luther: my heart holds Thy word before Thee. So Hengstenberg. Similarly Geier, J. H. Mich., Rosenm.6 Seeking the face of Jehovah is not with reference to Exo_23:17, another expression for visiting the temple (De Wette), but it denotes the desire to enter into the vicinity and presence of God, in order to gain comfort, assistance, certainty of being heard, testimonies of grace, and the like. Comp. Psa_24:6; Psa_105:4; 1Sa_21:1; used of earthly rulers, Pro_29:26. This is accomplished by acts of Divine service, especially in the house of God, but it is not to be regarded as the same thing as those acts. It is uncertain whether there is a direct reference here to the passage Deu_4:29, which is re-echoed in Hos_5:15.
Str. VIII. [Psa_27:9. Hide not Thy face from me.—The inserted “far” of the A. V. does not help the sense of the passage, but mars it. The Psalmist is seeking Jehovah’s face, and the prayer is that the face of Jehovah may not be veiled from him so that he cannot see it. Vid.Psa_4:6.—Put not away in wrath = Thrust not aside as one unworthy to be in Thy presence, and behold Thy face. The Psalmist does not wish to be removed or banished from the place of Jehovah’s presence, and from the light of His countenance.—Reject me not, and forsake me not.—The reiteration of the positive and negative form of the idea of depriving Him of the presence and the face of God.—C. A. B.]
Psa_27:10. For my father and my mother have forsaken me.—This statement cannot refer to 1Sa_22:3 sq., for then David separated himself from his parents in order to leave them under the protection of the king of Moab. But it is not at all necessary to think of some historical fact unknown to us (G. Baur). This statement is certainly neither to be taken as a proverbial manner of expression (De Wette),7 nor as a hypothetical antecedent (Calvin, Stier, Thol., Hupf.)8 It is positive, and expresses what has happened, but it states in an individualizing form, (Hengst., Delitzsch) the fact that the nearest relatives of the afflicted man have forsaken him in his time of trouble; and he on this very account turns to Jehovah in prayer, trusting in the love of God which transcends parental love (Isa_49:15; Isa_63:16).—[But Jehovah will take me up.—Perowne: “The verb is here used in the same sense as in Deu_22:2; Jos_20:4, ‘receive me under His care and protection,’ or as Stier suggests, ‘adopts me as His child,’ vid.Psa_22:10.”—C. A. B.]
[Psa_27:11. Lead me in an even path because of my adversaries.—[A. V., plain—enemies]. This is an even, level path as opposed to rough and rugged paths of adversity. Delitzsch: “Crafty spies pursue all his steps, and would gladly see their devices and evil wishes realized against him. If he should turn into the ways of sin unto destruction, it would bring dishonor upon God, as it is a matter of honor with God not to allow His servant to fall. Therefore he implores guidance in the ways of God, for the union of his own will with God’s will makes him unapproachable.”
Psa_27:12. And they that breathe out violence.—Alexander: “A strong but natural expression for a person, all whose thoughts and feelings are engrossed by a favorite purpose or employment, so that he cannot live or breathe without it. Comp. the description of Saul’s persecuting zeal in Act_9:1, and the Latin phrases, spirare minas, anhelare scelus.”—C. A. B.]
Psa_27:13. If I did not trust to behold the excellence of Jehovah in the land of the living—!—The consequent is lacking (as Gen_31:42) after לוּלֵא, which is unnecessarily marked by the Masora with puncta extraordinaria, as suspicious. In accordance with such an aposiopesis “unless,” and “if” not unfrequently are lacking, and this increases the emphasis.9 The land of the living is contrasted with Sheol, but it refers here not beyond this life to eternal life (Rabbins, Clauss, Stier) but back to life in this world.
Psa_27:14. In the closing verse the Psalmist exhorts himself and not others in a similar condition with himself (most ancient interpreters).—Be firm, and let thy heart show itself strong.—This does not express a comforting promise “He will strengthen” (most interpreters [and A. V.]) nor indeed with a correct interpretation of the clause as optative, the wish that Jehovah would strengthen the heart (Calv., Cleric, Rosenm., Hupf. [Alexander]) but it is a continuation of the Psalmist’s exhortation of himself.—[Wait on Jehovah.—Alexander: The repetition, wait for the Lord, and wait for the Lord, implies that this is all he has to enjoin upon himself or others; and is more impressive in its native simplicity, than the correct but paraphrastic version of the last clause in the English Bible, wait, I say, on the Lord.—C. A. B.]
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. No night of sorrow can be so dark, no evil so fearful, no enemy so dreadful as to cause those to tremble, despair, and perish, who have God for their Light, for their salvation, for the stronghold of their life. Such a man overcomes in all his troubles, so much so that even in his days of suffering, at times, in the confidence of Divine assistance, a triumphant tone may be heard in his prayers, whence arise his fearlessness, his heroism, his certainty of victory in the midst of all his dangers, struggles, and calamities.
2. But he who puts his confidence truly and alone in God, and firmly trusts in the faithfulness and goodness of the Almighty, not to leave him or neglect him in his troubles, is very far from that proud self-sufficiency, and that half proud, half lazy carelessness, which on the one side impels to foolhardy and presumptuous ventures, on the other side restrains from seeking and using the means provided to increase his strength, and bring about and secure him success. He who truly has his confidence and strength in God, likewise seeks constantly and earnestly to be near to God, and uses conscientiously the means afforded him in the forms of worship to strengthen his communion with God, and to secure as well as gain the blessings of the presence of God.
3. Hence it is, that those who have attained the most and the best on earth, the noblest and most glorious of our race, and the most exalted rulers among them, the boldest heroes, the most celebrated warriors and masters of every department of life, have shown themselves to be at the same time pious and humble men, who lay all their exaltation, glory, and honor, at the feet of God, and publicly recognize that they have to thank the Lord their God not only for their endowments and powers, but likewise for what they have done, and for their success, and that they must seek, like all other men, forgiveness of their sins in the grace of God, and that they would rather be at all times with God. Hence they gladly visit His house and His table, and besides study diligently God’s word, in which they gain good advice, and are reminded at the right time to assent to it and respond to it with heart and mouth.
4. It is at once a duty and a joy to seek the countenance of the Lord, that is, to desire and strive to be personally near to the grace of God and to be sure of it. God Himself calls us to this, and gives those who seek Him the blessed experience that God’s love is not mere human favor, but transcends even parental love, as nothing can be compared with God’s assistance, power, and protection, or take their place. So likewise those who do not withdraw from intercourse with God will not be deprived of them. They will much rather be lifted up to a height which is inaccessible to all their adversaries, and will be placed in safety against all hurtful assaults.
5. Accordingly all depends upon whether we allow ourselves to be directed to the way of the Lord and guided therein. On this depends our walking the path of life in the good pleasure of God (in the light of His countenance), and our attaining the end of that path in the protection of God’s salvation by means of that which God imparts in all dangers, sufferings, and struggles, and in spite of all envy, slander, and opposition. The trust in God, which is indispensable for this, is often severely tried, especially when we are in danger of losing our rights, our honor, and our life by enemies who are as wicked and unjust as they are strong and crafty, and when we are forsaken by our nearest relatives, and given up by all the world. Then not only the flesh trembles, but the heart likewise quakes, and is in danger of losing patience and hope. We would be lost indeed, if our eyes and our hearts should lose sight of God. But this is impossible if we maintain our faith; then we will not despair. And because God continues faithful we will not perish. In order now that faith may be able to impart the necessary consolation and encouragement to wait on God, and the patience, resolution, and strength necessary thereto, it needs that it should have unfailing nourishment, support, discipline, and strengthening.—However little this Psalm may have of a Messianic character, yet some particular features may be readily and devoutly referred, in accordance with Augustine’s example, to the sufferings of Christ and His behaviour in them, which is a model for all. The Roman Catholic Church has assigned this Psalm to the offices of Char-Saturday.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
When danger is near and great we are taught to properly estimate and value, being near to God and the power of faith.—We can lose everything and yet lose nothing if only we retain God.—Our hearts need daily strengthening in confidence in God; whence comes it? and how may it be?—We cannot be lifted up in any better way than with God; therefore it is of the utmost importance that we should come to God and remain with God.—Our worst enemies are not those who envy us and afflict us, but our little faith, our spiritual sluggishness and laziness, our impatience.—Many would gladly dwell in safely if only it were not to remain near to God.—Whoever has God has all things in One; and yet only a few make anything of God.—It is enough that God should let His light shine, His salvation come, His power work; yet we must let ourselves be instructed and ruled, and delivered thereby.—It is well with us if we not only trust in God’s power, wisdom, and goodness, but value above all communion with God, and are diligent to seek His face, and for this conscientiously use the institutions and means of salvation.—There are in a pious heart not only thoughts of God, but likewise echoes of His word.—When men forsake us it may give us pain, but we will be comforted above all when God takes us up.—At first many care more for God’s protection than for His presence, but if they give heed to the word and ways of God, they likewise learn not only to know the strength of being near to God, but likewise to value the blessings of intercourse with Him, and prize the good things of His house.
Starke: Care for souls, longing to walk with God, to be sanctified in the communion of saints, these are the chief desires and only necessary things to the Christian.—It is well for those who seek safety with God; that is better than the highest rock.—If we pray as God has commanded, we are heard as He has promised.—God plants in the hearts of believers a sure confidence of gaining eternal life, by which they are uncommonly strengthened in their battle of faith.—No time will seem so long to us as the time of cross-bearing; therefore it is that we are exhorted with so many words to hope and patience.—It is the constancy of hope which makes our walk and life happy.—The Lord is not only the truest, but is likewise the mightiest and most reliable Father and Friend.—You may know the right way and walk in the right path, yet you very much need Divine enlightenment and gracious guidance on account of the craft and wickedness of your enemies.—What can give a believer’s heart more pleasure and joy than to be heard by the God of grace?
Frisch: David testifies 1) his joyous faith, 2) his heartfelt pleasure, 3) his longing desire, 4) his comforted hope.—David uses only one armor against the crowd of his enemies and their power, and that is faith; by this he appropriates God’s light, strength, and salvation. Arm yourself in time, you will never lack enemies; the closer you come to friendship with God the more will the enmity of the world increase against you.—Herberger: In whose hands is our life? Not in our power, not in the will of our enemies, but in the power of God.—The strength of armies and of hosts cannot go further than God will allow.—Christians have many observers, therefore it is said: take care.—Stier: O! that I might never yield! This one thing troubles me, not the defiance of enemies; for he who remains with God is safe.—Tholuck: In hours of internal anguish the word of God should resound in the breast as the echo in the mountain, in order to increase our confidence by its repeated exhortations.—Stiller: David at first declares his trust, then says, how he strengthens his trust, and why he relies on God, and finally adds, when true trust shows itself.—God is so gracious that He not only allows His children to find Him, but likewise encourages them by His word to seek Him.—Umbreit: It is significant with respect to the piety which pervaded the entire life of David, that all the favor and grace of God are united to him in this chief thing, that he may abide in His house forever.—Taube: David—a hero in the courage of faith and a master in prayer.—The surest handle of prayer by which we may lay hold of God is His own word, which calls us to seek His gracious countenance. That is a strong command and a comforting promise in one.
[Matth. Henry: All God’s children desire to dwell in God’s house; where should they dwell else? not to sojourn there as a wayfaring man that turns aside to tarry but a night, or to dwell there for a time only, as the servant that abideth not in the house forever, but to dwell there all the days of their life; for there the Son abideth ever.—A gracious heart readily echoes to the call of a gracious God, being made willing in the day of His power.—Even the best saints are subject to faint when their troubles become grievous and tedious. Their spirits are overwhelmed, and their flesh and heart fail; but their faith is a sovereign cordial.—Nothing like the believing hope of eternal life, the foresights of that glory, and foretastes of those pleasures, to keep us from fainting under all the calamities of this present time.—Barnes: The Christian sanctuary—the place of public worship—is the place where, if anywhere on earth, we may hope to have our minds enlightened, our perplexities removed, our hearts comforted and sanctified, by right views of God.—Spurgeon: Salvation finds us in the dark, but it does not leave us there; it gives light to those who sit in the valley of the shadow of death. After conversion our God is our joy, comfort, guide, teacher, and in every sense our light; He is light within, light around, light reflected from us, and light to be revealed to us.—It is a hopeful sign for us when the wicked hate us; if our foes were godly men, it would be a sore sorrow, but as for the wicked their hatred is better than their love.—Holy desires must lead to resolute action. The old proverb says, “Wishers and woulders are never good housekeepers;” and “wishing never fills a sack.” Desires are seeds which must be sown in the good soil of activity, or they will yield no harvest.—The pendulum of spirituality swings from prayer to praise.—Mercy is the hope of sinners and the refuge of saints. All acceptable petitioners dwell much upon this attribute.—A smile from the Lord is the greatest of comforts, His frown the worst of ills.—Slander is an old-fashioned weapon out of the armory of hell, and it is still in plentiful use; and no matter how holy a man may be, there may be some who will defame him.—Wait at His door with prayer; wait at His foot with humility; wait at His table with service; wait at His window with expectancy. Suitors often win nothing but the cold shoulder from earthly patrons after long and obsequious waiting; he speeds best whose patron is in the skies.—C. A. B.]
Footnotes:
[3][Hupfeld: “Light is here that which issues from God as a beam of His light-giving countenance (Psa_4:6), that, as the light of the sun is the source of all life and growth in nature, so it is the source of all life and well-being in the human heart, comp. Psa_36:9. Hence it is the usual figure of life, success, joy, and all good, negatively of deliverance, freedom, help, etc., in contrast to darkness, which is the figure of death, misfortune, danger, captivity, sorrow, etc. Comp. Psa_43:3; Psa_84:11; Psa_97:11; Psa_112:4; Pro_4:18 sq.; Job_11:17; Job_18:18; Job_30:26; Isa_5:30; Isa_9:1; Isa_58:8; Isa_58:10; Mic_7:8, etc.”—C. A. B.]
[4][Alexander translates covert, which “means a booth or shelter made of leaves and branches, such as the Jews used at the feast of tabernacles (Lev_23:42). It is here used as a figure for secure protection in the day of evil, i.e., of suffering or danger.”—C. A. B.]
[5][Perowne: “Is it (as Calv.) that the Psalmist sought in the former part of the Psalm to comfort himself with the review of God’s unfailing strength and protection, that he might with the more reason utter his prayer for help? Or is it not rather that even whilst he is thus strengthening himself in his God, a sudden blast of temptation sweeps over his soul, freezing the current of life,—some fear lest he should be forsaken, some thought of the craft and malice of his enemies,—till now the danger which threatens him is as prominent an object as the salvation and defence were before?”—C. A. B.]
[6][Perowne: “The words seek ye My face are the words of God, which the servant of God here, as it were, takes from His mouth, that so laying them before God, he may make his appeal the more irresistible. Thou hast said, ‘Seek ye My face;’ my heart makes these words its own, and builds upon them its resolve. It takes them up and repeats them ‘Seek ye My face.’ It first claims thus Thine own gracious words, O Lord, and there its echo to those words is, “Thy face, Lord, will I seek.’ Such is the soul’s dialogue with itself when it would comfort itself in God. We are reminded of that touching scene in the Gospel history where another, a woman, overcomes the Saviour with His own words: ‘Yea Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs,’ etc.”—C. A. B.]
[7][Perowne: “ ‘(Though) my father and my mother may have forsaken me,’ i. e., though my condition be helpless and friendless as that of a child deserted of his parents, there is One who watches over me, and will take me to His bosom. Vid. Isa_63:16; Isa_49:15. The phrase has, as De Wette says, somewhat of a proverbial character.”—C. A. B.]
[8][Hupfeld; “It serves to illustrate the greatness of the grace and love of God by comparing it with the highest form of human love, parental love, which it transcends, just as in the passage already adduced by Calvin, Isa_49:15, and in a similar construction with this, Isa_63:16 : ‘For Abraham has not known us, and Israel recognized us not: Thou, Jehovah, art our Father, our Redeemer,’ etc.” This is the preferable interpretation.—C. A. B.]
[9][Perowne: “The holy singer feels now, at this moment, when the false and violent men are before his mind, how helpless he would be did he not trust and hope in his God: ‘There were an end of me—or what would become of me, did I not believe, etc.’ ”—C. A. B.]
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures (Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical), ed. John Peter Lange, English translation edited by Philip Schaff (1864–1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown1871 · Public DomainOn vv2, 3, 4, 6eat . . . my flesh-- (Job 19:22; Psa…
eat . . . my flesh-- (Job 19:22; Psa 14:4). The allusion to wild beasts illustrates their rapacity.
they stumbled--"they" is emphatic; not I, but they were destroyed.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon1874 · Public DomainOn vv1–61. Light… salvation… strength— “The triple shield against sundry…
1. Light… salvation… strength— “The triple shield against sundry terrors, as sufficient to ward them off.”—Calvin.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges1878 · Public DomainOn vv1–61. my light] Illuminating the darkness of trouble, anxiety,…
1. my light] Illuminating the darkness of trouble, anxiety, and danger; giving life and joy. Cp. Psa_4:6; Psa_18:28; Psa_36:9; Psa_43:3; Psa_84:11; Isa_10:17; Mic_7:8. Again the N.T. interprets the words for us in a larger spiritual sense. Joh_1:4; Joh_1:9; Joh_8:12; 1Jn_1:5.
my salvation] Cp. Psa_27:9; Exo_15:2.
Read full note →
strength] Or, stronghold, a defence against all assaults. Cp. Psa_18:2; Psa_31:2-3.
1–3. With Jehovah on his side, he knows no fear. This faith, the constant theme of prophet and psalmist, finds its N.T. extension in Rom_8:31.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers1878 · Public DomainOn vv1–6(1) The Lord is my light.—This noble thought appears…
(1) The Lord is my light.—This noble thought appears nowhere else so grandly, though we may compare Isa_60:1. The Latin of the Vulgate, “Dominus illuminatio mea,” is the motto of the University of Oxford, and expands in a new but true direction the thought of the ancient bard. To him, Jehovah was the guiding and cheering beacon-fire, proclaiming his victory and pointing him the happy homeward way. From this to the belief in God as the source both of moral and intellectual light, is a long but glorious stage, along which the world has been guided by such words as Isa_60:1, still more by the recognition of the incarnate Son as the Light of men (Joh_1:5; Joh_3:19; Joh_12:46, &c).
Strength.—Better, defence or bulwark; Heb., maôz, rendered “rock,” Jdg_6:26 (margin, strong place); used in Isa_17:9 of fortified cities; as here, Psa_37:39; Psa_43:2; LXX., “shields;” Vulg., “protector.”
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary1880 · Public DomainOn vv1–6THIS psalm is one of those which have been…
THIS psalm is one of those which have been called "composite" ("The Psalms," by Four Friends, p. 67); and certainly it falls into two parts which offer the strongest possible contrast the one to the other. Part 1 (vers. 1-6) is altogether joyous and jubilant. It records, as has been said, "the triumph of a warrior"s faith." Part 2 (vers. 7-14) is sad and plaintive. It pleads for mercy and forgiveness (vers. 8-10). It complains of desertion (ver. 10), calumny (ver. 12), and imminent danger (vers. 11, 12), It still, indeed, maintains hope, but the hope has only just been saved from sinking into despair by an effort of faith (ver. 13), and a determination to "wait" and see what the end will be (ver. 14). It is thought to "express the sorrows of a martyr to the religious persecutions at the close of the monarchy" (Four Friends, p. 68).
For these reasons the psalm has been supposed to be "composite;" but the question arises If the two parts, being so entirely unlike, were originally distinct and unconnected, what should have led any arranger or editor to unite them? To this question there seems to be no possible answer; and thus the very diversity of the two parts would seem to show an original union.
Read full note →
According to the statement of the title, the psalm was written by David. It has many characteristics of his style, the sudden transition and change in the tone of thought being one. It is quite conceivable that during the rebellion under Absalom, having obtained some important success, he may have considered it an occasion for thanksgiving; and that, after his thanks were paid, his thoughts may have reverted to the still-continuing difficulties of the situation, the danger which impended (vers. 11, 12), the calumnies to which he was exposed (ver. 12), the desertion of those near and dear to him (ver. 10), the fact that the chastisement had been provoked by his own sin (ver. 9); and so the strain, which began in jubilation, may not unnaturally have ended in a plea for mercy.
The psalm consists of a strophe (vers. 1-6), an antistrophe (vers. 7-12), and a brief epode (vers. 13, 14).
The Lord is my Light. (comp. Joh_1:7-9 Joh_12:35, Joh_12:36, 46 1Jn_1:5) The statement does not occur in any other place in the Old Testament, though the idea may be found in Isa_60:1, 20 Mic_7:8; and elsewhere. Light has been well called "this profoundly beautiful name of God" (Delitzsch). And my Salvation. (comp. Psa_18:2 Psa_62:2, Psa_62:6) Whom shall I fear? "If God be for us, who can be against us?". (Rom_8:31) Who can be to be feared? (see Psa_118:6) Not man certainly; for" what can man do unto us?" Not other gods; for they are nonentities. Not devils; for they can do nothing but by God"s permission. The Lord is the Strength of my life; literally, the stronghold. (comp. Psa_28:8 Psa_31:4 Psa_71:2 Psa_144:2) Of whom shall I be afraid? The question is superfluous, but is repeated to complete the balance of the clauses.
HOMILIES BY C. CLEMANCE Vers. 1-16. Jehovah"s self-revelation, and faith"s response thereto.
There is no known character and career in Scripture that would correspond to this psalm as well as those of David. And it seems difficult to resist the conclusion that the words in ver. 10 were written about the same time that those in 1Sa_22:3 were spoken. The objection of Delitzsch, that David left his father and mother, not they him, is of no weight; for either way his peril and exposure were such that he was left without them; and we are left to wonder why they consented to be sundered from him. But these chequered experiences in life serve to bring out to him more and more fully the wealth of care and love that his God makes over to him. If we were asked whether this psalm is one of those which come directly from God, and so contain a revelation from him, we should reply, "It is one of those records of the experience of an Old Testament saint who could triumph in God as the revealed God of his salvation." What God was to the saints of old, he is to his people still. Therefore the psalm discloses God"s revelation of himself to his people of the olden time, and it is one in which believers now may rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. And the expositor will have here a rich mine for exploration, as in the light of this psalm he studies God"s self-revelation to his saints, and faiths response thereto. Let us study these in order.
I WE HAVE HERE INDICATED THE FULNESS OF GOD"S SELFREVELATION TO HIS SAINTS. The revelation of God which is implied in this psalm is one of exceeding tenderness, richness, and glory.
1. God himself had led the way in inviting souls to seek him. (Ver. 8, "When thou saidst, Seek ye my face.") The heart of God desires the friendship and fellowship of man. Our hearts are so made they can rest only in God; God"s heart is such that he seeks a rest in us. The fact of his giving an invitation to us to seek him is proof of this. (cf. Isa_45:19 Isa_54:6) So also is the complaint of God when men do not seek him. (Isa_43:23-26) And still more the declared joy of God when souls are at rest in him. (Zep_3:17) See this taken over to the New Testament. (Joh_4:23) But the grandest illustration of all is in the fact (Luk_19:10) of which the whole of Luke"s fifteenth chapter is the fullest declaration. still further, see Rev_3:20) In fact, had it not been for this self-manifestation of God"s heart, we must all have been agnostics for ever!
2. Wheresoever men open the heart to Gods invitation, he proves himself worthy of himself. The student may well luxuriate in the various names which the psalmist delights to apply to God as his God. Note:
(1) The terms themselves.
(a) Light (ver. 1). "There shines on him the psalmist a sun that sets not and knows no eclipse. This sublime, infinitely profound name for God, yriwa, is found only in this passage" (Delitzsch, in loc. ).
(b) Salvation (ver. 1). Spiritually as well as temporally.
(c) The Fortress of his life (ver. 1), in which he was perpetually hidden.
(d) Guardian (ver. 10). One who would manifest a tenderer care and love than even parents feel, and who, when they are removed from us, will be our Guardian still.
(e) Helper (ver. 9). Coming with timely aid in every emergency. Note:
(2) The individualizing care of God. The word my" should be emphasized in each case: "my Light;" "my Salvation," etc. The experience of those who fling themselves on God"s care and love is that he manages as beautifully and precisely for them as if he had no one else for whom to care. Hence the prophet"s rebuke of the unbelieving suggestion to the contrary. (Isa_40:27) If God were less than infinite, doubts might creep in. As Faber sings"That greatness which is infinite has room For all things in its lap to lie: We should be crushed by a magnificence Short of infinity!
II THE RESPONSES OF BELIEVING HEARTS TO GOD"S SELFMANIFESTATION ARE VARIED AS THE EXPERIENCES OF LIFE. The whole psalm is one of responsive faith; though that response may be sometimes a plea, or a sigh, yea, even a groan, and at other times a shout of song as with trumpet-power. We have all these stages in this very psalm. Listen to the varied phases of the psalmist"s words. Here is:
1. Faith seeking. (Ver. 8) It is an infinite mercy to hear the sweet whisper of God to the heart, "Seek me." It is so wonderful that there should be any such sound from God to the sinful heart any sound so tender and sweet. And what should the response be but this, "Thy face, Lord, will I seek"? We may well seek the acquaintance of God as our God, to be our Leader, Guide, and Sovereign Lord, even unto death. Note: Let the coming sinner never forget that, if he is seeking God, God has sought him first. We may never lose sight of the Divine order, "We love him, because he first loved us". (1Jn_4:19)
2. Faith rejoicing in Divine companionship. (Ver. 4) In the Lord"s house, his presence was specially manifested; and those who know the Lord know well that there is no home like being by their Saviour"s side, in his house. There they see the "beauty" of the Lord; i.e. his grace, his love, his mercy. There their eyes see "the King in his beauty." They "inquire" in his temple for directions for daily life; or they muse on the glories of the temple as the seat of Jehovah"s presence. Yea, God"s love and care make them so happy that they must give vent to their joy as with trumpet-song. We often long for greater physical power to praise God in shouting; and the use of trumpet and organ gratifies this longing. We praise God, but the organ gives the voice-power (see ver. 6, Hebrew).
3. Faith watching. (Ver. 2; cf. Psa_92:11, Authorized Version, but leave out the words in italics; Ps 37) It should be no joy to the righteous to see any one in trouble; yet they cannot but praise God when infamous plots are discovered, and the saints of God are delivered.
4. Faith sheltering. (Vers. 1, 5 Ps 91) No one in earth or hell can ever forge the dart or weapon that can pierce the saints" stronghold. When the Lord is the Fortress of their life, they are in a citadel that can never be invaded.
5. Faith dreading. (Ver. 9) The thing most to be dreaded is the hiding of God"s face, and being cast off by him. And can faith ever dread this? Yes, indeed; for there are moments when the sins of the past do rise up so terribly into the memory, that for a while they seem to eclipse all besides; and then faith heaves a sigh and drops a tear. There may be as clinging a faith when uttering the wail of the first verse of the twenty-second, as when singing the peaceful song of the twenty-third psalm; for even in the darkest hour, faith says, My God!
6. Faith hoping. (Ver. 13; literally, "Had I not believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living...") The sentence is unfinished. The translators have well supplied the blank. The thought is," What would have become of me?" The trials of life are often so repeated and so keen, that were it not for God, his love sustaining the spirit under the weight of the present, and inspiring the heart with hope for the future, reason would give way, and the man be hopelessly crushed. It is God"s love which makes life worth living.
7. Faith triumphing. (Ver. 1) When we realize the glory of him whom we believe, there is no bound to our delight and exultation; and at such times we can laugh in defiance at our foes; yea, "smile at Satan"s rage, and face a frowning world." We can, if need be, cherish something of Luther"s daring, and "go to Worms, though there were as many devils as there are tiles on the roofs of the houses;" or, better still, we can say with Paul, "I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me." We know that God will not call us to confront an enemy that we cannot lay low, nor to bear a cross which we cannot carry, nor to endure a trial we cannot sustain, nor to do a work which we cannot perform. His grace is sufficient for us. His strength is made perfect in weakness. Hence, in closing the psalm:
8. Faith soliloquizes. (Ver. 14) It may be supposed to be addressed first to himself, and so, indirectly, to the people of God generally. The words, "He shall strengthen thine heart," are, rather, "Let thine heart be strong;" as if the psalmist would chide himself that he should ever have a moment"s misgiving, when he has such a God in whom to trust, and such a stronghold in which to abide. (Nah_1:7) Be it ours to wait upon our God continually! This is the secret of a steady, upward, peaceful, and strong life. What may be before any of us, no human eye can discern, nor where our lot may be cast. But God is all-sufficient.
Note:
1. How sinful and, foolish to incur the risks of life ourselves! To each and all of us God says, "Seek ye my face." Let our answer be, "Thy face, Lord, will we seek." And all that God has been to our fathers, he will be to us our Light, our Salvation, our Helper, our Strength, our All!
2. None need quail before the risks of life, whatever they may be, who put their whole trust in God, and follow him everywhere! "Who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
3. Never think to gain anything by paltering with duty. If a plain duty is before you, however difficult, go forward in the strength of the Lord, and fear nothing. He hath said, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Wherefore we may boldly say, "The Lord is my Helper, I will not fear; what can man do unto me?" Only trust in the Lord, and do right, and one by one you will see your foes stumble and fall, and you will be left in possession of the field, more than conqueror, through him that loveth you." "Stand but your ground, your ghostly foes will fly, Hell trembles at a heaven-directed eye; Choose rather to defend than to assail, Self-confidence will in the conflict fail. When you are challenged, you may dangers meet, True courage is a fixed, not sudden heat; Is always humble, lives in self-distrust, And will itself into no danger thrust. Devote yourself to God, and you will find God fights the battles of a will resigned. Love Jesus! love will no base fear endure; Love Jesus! and of conquest rest secure. (Bishop Ken) C.
HOMILIES BY W. FORSYTH Vers. 1-13. True religion.
True religion begins with God. It is a call on his part; it is a response on ours (ver. 8). With some religion is a chance, as settled by birth. With others it is a custom something received by tradition from the fathers. With others it is a convenience, the result of education, a matter of prudence and self-interest, something necessary to respectability and comfort in the world. In all such cases there may be the form, but there cannot be the power, of godliness; there may be certain earthly advantages, but there is no real profit, neither the promise of the life that now is, nor of that which is to come. But with all who are taught of God, religion is a choice the free, settled, rejoicing choice of the heart. It is God manifesting himself to the soul, and the soul in love and trust uniting and binding itself to God to be his and his only for evermore. True religion is characterized by
I PERSONAL TRUST IN GOD, AS THE LORD OUR GOD AND OUR REDEEMER. "When I sit in darkness," says Micah, "the Lord shall be a Light unto me". (Mic_7:8) So says David here (ver. 1). We need "light," from the beginning to the end of our life. God is our Light. All real illumination to the mind, the conscience, and the heart, is from him. Light is revealing. As we draw near to God, the mists and clouds of passion and self-love are driven away, and all things stand out clear and distinct as they really are. There is not only the revelation of ourselves, but the revelation of God. We see ourselves as sinners, guilty and vile; we see God as a Saviour, and we trust him utterly. (Joh_1:5 Joh_8:12 1Jn_1:5 2Co_4:6)
II FEARLESS DEVOTION TO THE SERVICE OF GOD, AS THE FREEST, THE RIGHT-FULLEST, AND THE MOST BLESSED OF ALL SERVICES. Religion is more than knowledge, or feeling, or obedience to the moral law. It is a life. It not only implies trust, but love and service. There are difficulties and trials. We look back and remember times of danger (ver. 2). When we were in straits and fears. But God brought us help. As it was with David, (1Sa_17:37 1Sa_30:6) so it was with us. In thought of what God has done for us, we strengthen our hearts. Confidence comes from experience. Whom we have tried we trust. The friend we have found faithful, we cleave to. The physician, whose remedies we have proved good, we confide in. The commander under whom we have conquered, we follow bravely to other fields. So do we trust in God. Looking to the future, we may imagine greater trials and distresses than we have yet encountered (ver. 3). The psalmist conjures up a terrible scene. As in a picture, we see the mustering of the forces, the proud array of the enemy with tents and banners, the shock and terror of the battle, when host met host in furious strife. But, like the psalmist, let us not flinch or fear. God is with us. "In this will I be confident". (1Ki_22:19 2Ki_6:15 Act_20:24)
III INCREASING DELIGHT IN GOD, AS THE SATISFACTION AND JOY OF THE HEART. Religion establishes right relations between the soul and God. Every barrier is removed, and free access and friendly communion have been secured. This is beautifully brought out in the words, "One thing have I desired of the Lord" (ver. 4). One thought has the mastery. One desire gives unity and concentration to all effort. One affection binds the heart and the life into a holy fellowship. God is All and in all. The singleness of purpose branches into two main streams. One is meditation: "To behold the beauty of the Lord;" the other is like unto it, practice: "To inquire in his temple" (ver. 4). This shows the bent of the renewed soul. There is an inward relish for what is good. There is a delight in all that is true and beautiful. Every living soul is an inquirer. Truth is not born with us, nor can it be obtained without our own efforts. It must be sought for its own sake. It must be wooed and won from love, that it may be a possession and a joy for ever. All right inquiry is practical. "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." Thus coming to the light, and walking in the light, "we have fellowship with God, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." We have safety and peace (vers. 5, 6).
IV ABSOLUTE SURRENDER TO GOD, FOR TIME AND FOR ETERNITY. True religion hinds us to God, not only for life, but for ever. This is impressed in the prayer, which implies:
1. Deep humility.
2. Help aspirations.
3. Complete submission.
4. Victorious faith.
Three things are deprecated, rising one above the other in fearfulness. Displeasure (ver. 9); rejection, "Leave me not;" abandonment (ver. 10). But instead of these, we see, by faith, a glorious victory, and we hail its coming with renewed courage and praise (vers. 13, 14). W.F.
HOMILIES BY C. SHORT Vers. 1-6. Fearless, courage.
I THE SECRET OF A FEARLESS COURAGE.
1. His experience of what God had been to Aim. "Light" in the darkest periods of his life. Light is a revealing power for guidance. Salvation from his greatest dangers, temporal and spiritual "Strength," the power that had upheld his life when falling into weakness and despair. Experience confirmed and rewarded the faith which he had in God. When experience coincides with our faith, then we are at our strongest. But faith must always live above experience.
2. His experience of his enemies. Their most furious and savage onsets had been baffled. This also was of God. And the explanation was they were wicked, and he was righteous. This thought was fundamental to his faith that God would not permit the evil to triumph over the good. His experience of this in the past gave him confidence for the future (vers. 2, 3). Our past victories should inspire us for the future.
II HOW A FEARLESS COURAGE MAY BE FURTHER STRENGTHENED.
1. By fellowship with God. Beholding his beauty or goodness, and meditating upon it. The heart and mind must be fed and strengthened by constant converse with God in worship and holy thought.
2. Frequent seclusion is the best way to strengthen ourselves for conflict. (Ver. 5) "In time of trouble, he shall hide me, and set me up upon a rock;" i.e. shut out from man, and shut in with God, is the way to conquer trouble and prepare for danger.
3. Thankful worship is another help. (Ver. 6) "Sacrifices of joy," or "shouting," "singing praises, all mean grateful exercises of the heart towards God, recounting to ourselves what he has done for us in his wonderful goodness. Courage, hopefulness, must be fed with joy, and not with sadness and sorrow. S.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Charles H. Spurgeon1885 · Public DomainOn vv1–6Greatly encouraged by the generous reception awarded to my…
Greatly encouraged by the generous reception awarded to my first volume, I have laboured on with diligence, and am now able to present the reader with the second instalment of my work. Whether life and health shall be given me to complete my task, which will probably extend to six volumes, remains with the gracious Preserver of men; but with his aid and allowance, my face is set towards that design, and I pray that my purpose may be achieved, if it be for the divine glory, and for the good of his church.
In this volume, which like the former, contains twenty-six sacred odes, we have several of the more memorable and precious of Zion's songs. In commenting upon some of them, I have been overwhelmed with awe, and said with Jacob, "How dreadful is this place, it is none other than the house of God." Especially was this the case with the fifty-first; I postponed expounding it week after week, feeling more and more my inability for the work. Often I sat down to it, and rose up again without having penned a line. It is a bush burning with fire yet not consumed, and out of it a voice seemed to cry to me, "Draw not nigh hither, put off thy shoes from off thy feet." The Psalm is very human, its cries and sobs are of one born of woman; but it is freighted with an inspiration all divine, as if the Great Father were putting words into his child's mouth. Such a Psalm may be wept over, absorbed into the soul, and exhaled again in devotion; but commented onah! where is he who having attempted it can do other than blush at his defeat?
Read full note →
I have followed the same plan as in the former volume, not only because I am committed to it by the law of uniformity, but also because it is on the whole advantageous. Some have suggested alternatives, but many more have commended the very features which would have been improved away, and therefore I have continued in the selfsame method.
Greater use has, in this volume, been made of the Latin writers. Extracts have been made not only from those which are condensed in Poole's Synopsis; but from many others. These works are a mine of exposition far too little known. If the index shall serve to introduce fresh expositions to my ministerial readers, I shall not have laboured in vain.
The acknowledgments of obligation made in Volume 1 might very justly be repeated as concerning Volume 2; the reader will consider them as again recorded. It may also be needful to repeat the statement that as I give the name of each Author quoted, each authority is personally responsible for his own sentiments; and I do not wish it to be supposed that I endorse all that is inserted. It is often useful to us to know what has been said by authors whose views we could by no means accept.
More and more is the conviction forced upon my heart that every man must traverse the territory of the Psalms himself if he would know what a goodly land they are. They flow with milk and honey, but not to strangers; they are only fertile to lovers of their hills and vales. None but the Holy Spirit can give a man the key to the Treasury of David; and even he gives it rather to experience than to study. Happy is he who for himself knows the secret of the Psalms.
If permitted by the Great Master whom I serve, I shall now proceed with another portion of this TREASURY OF DAVID; but the labour and research are exceedingly great, and my other occupations are very pressing, and therefore I must crave the patience of the Christian public.
C. H. Spurgeon Clapham, November, 1870.
Title and Subject. Nothing whatever can be drawn from the title as to the time when this Psalm was written, for the heading, "A Psalm of David, "is common to so many of the Psalms; but if one may judge from the matter of the song, the writer was pursued by enemies, Ps 27:2-3, was shut out from the house of the Lord, Ps 27:4, was just parting from father and mother, Ps 27:10, and was subject to slander, Ps 27:12; do not all these meet in the time when Doeg, the Edomite, spake against him to Saul? It is a song of cheerful hope, well fitted for those in trial who have learned to lean upon the Almighty arm. The Psalm may with profit be read in a threefold way, as the language of David, of the Church, and of the Lord Jesus. The plenitude of Scripture will thus appear the more wonderful.
Division. The poet first sounds forth his sure confidence in his God, Ps 27:1-3, and his love of communion with him, Ps 27:4-6. He then betakes himself to prayer, Ps 27:7-12, and concludes with an acknowledgment of the sustaining power of faith in his own case, and an exhortation to others to follow his example.
Ver. 1. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Here is personal interest, "my light, ""my salvation; "the soul is assured of it, and therefore, declaring it boldly. "My light; " into the soul at the new birth divine light is poured as the precursor of salvation; where there is not enough light to see our own darkness and to long for the Lord Jesus, there is no evidence of salvation. Salvation finds us in the dark, but it does not leave us there; it gives light to those who sit in the valley of the shadow of death. After conversion our God is our joy, comfort, guide, teacher, and in every sense our light; he is light within, light around, light reflected from us, and light to be revealed to us. Note, it is not said merely that the Lord gives light, but that he "is" light; nor that he gives salvation, but that he is salvation; he, then, who by faith has laid hold upon God has all covenant blessings in his possession. Every light is not the sun, but the sun is the father of all lights. This being made sure as a fact, the argument drawn from it is put in the form of a question, Whom shall I fear? A question which is its own answer. The powers of darkness are not to be feared, for the Lord, our light, destroys them; and the damnation of hell is not to be dreaded by us, for the Lord is our salvation. This is a very different challenge from that of boastful Goliath, for it is based upon a very different foundation; it rests not upon the conceited vigour of an arm of flesh, but upon the real power of the omnipotent I AM. The Lord is the strength of my life. Here is a third glowing epithet, to show that the writer's hope was fastened with a threefold cord which could not be broken. We may well accumulate terms of praise where the Lord lavishes deeds of grace. Our life derives all its strength from him who is the author if it; and if he deigns to make us strong we cannot be weakened by all the machinations of the adversary. Of whom shall I be afraid? The bold question looks into the future as well as the present. "If God be for us, "who can be against us, either now or in time to come?
Ver. 1. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Alice Driver, martyr, at her examination, put all the doctors to silence, so that they had not a word to say, but one looked upon another; then she said, "Have you no more to say? God be honoured, you be not able to resist the Spirit of God, in me, a poor woman. I was an honest poor man's daughter, never brought up at the University as you have seen; but I have driven the plough many a time before my father, I thank God; yet, notwithstanding, in the defence of God's truth, and in the cause of my Master, Christ, by his grace I will set my foot against the foot of any of you all, in the maintenance and defence of the same; and if I had a thousand lives they should go for the payment thereof." So the Chancellor condemned her, and she returned to the prison joyful. Charles Bradbury.
Ver. 1. The Lord is my light, etc. St. John tells us, that "in Christ was life; and the life was the light of men; "but he adds that, "the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." Joh 1:4-5. There is a great difference between the light, and the eye that sees it. A blind man may know a great deal about the shining of the sun, but it does not shine for him it gives him no light. So, to know that "God is light, "is one thing 1Jo 1:5, and to be able to say, "The Lord is my light, "is quite another thing. The Lord must be the light by which the way of life is made plain to usthe light by which we may see to walk in that waythe light that exposes the darkness of sinthe light by which we can discover the hidden sins of our own hearts. When he is thus our light, then he is our salvation also. He is pledged to guide us right; not only to show us sin, but to save us from it. Not only to make us see God's hatred of sin, and his curse upon it, but also to draw us unto God's love, and to take away the curse. With the Lord lighting us along the road of salvation, who, or what need we fear? Our life is hid with Christ in God. Col 3:3. We are weak, very weak, but his "strength is made perfect in weakness." 2Co 12:2. With the Lord himself pledged to be the strength of our life, of whom need we be afraid? From Sacramental Meditations on the Twenty-seventh Psalm, 1843.
Ver. 1. The Lord is my light. "Light" which makes all things visible, was the first made of all visible things; and whether God did it for our example, or no, I know not; but ever since, in imitation of this manner of God's proceeding, the first thing we do when we intend to do anything, is to get us "light." Sir Richard Baker.
Ver. 1. The Lord is my light. Adorable Sun, cried St. Bernard, I cannot walk without thee: enlighten my steps, and furnish this barren and ignorant mind with thoughts worthy of thee. Adorable fulness of light and heat, be thou the true noonday of my soul; exterminate its darkness, disperse its clouds; burn, dry up, and consume all its filth and impurities. Divine Sun, rise upon my mind, and never set. Jean Baptiste Elias Avrillon, 1652-1729.
Ver. 1. Whom shall I fear? Neither spiritual nor military heroes do exploits through cowardice, Courage is a necessary virtue. In Jehovah is the best possible foundation for unflinching intrepidity. William S. Plumer.
Ver. 1. Of whom shall I be afraid? I have no notion of a timid, disingenuous profession of Christ. Such preachers and professors are like a rat playing at hide and seek behind a wainscot, who puts his head through a hole to see if the coast is clear, and ventures out if nobody is in the way; but slinks back again if danger appears. We cannot be honest to Christ except we are bold for him. He is either worth all we can lose for him, or he is worth nothing. H. G. Salter, A.M., in "The Book of Illustrations, "1840.
Ver. 1. (first clause). The relation of illumination to salvation, or the need of light if men would be saved.
Ver. 1. The Christian hero, and the secret springs of his courage.
Ver. 1. The believer's fearless challenge.
Excellent Encouragements against Afflictions, containing David's Triumph over Distress; or an Exposition of Psalm 27. By THOMAS PIERSON, M.A. (Reprinted in Nichol's Series of Puritan Commentaries.)
Meditations upon the 27th Psalm of David. By SIR RICHARD BAKER. (See "Works, "pg 10.)
Psalms 27:2*
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Biblical Illustrator1887 · Public DomainOn vv1–5The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Psa_27:1-14
The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Read full note →
Implicit trust
This psalm was written by a man who was at the moment far down in the depths of spiritual conflict, and yet was holding a steady front against his troubles, after all. He prays so passionately, that we should deem him weak even to cowardice, if it were not for the fact that he praises so jubilantly, and lifts his head with a most unsubdued ring in his voice. The psalm is like a summer cloud just before a storm, in that it reserves an overcharge of power to be driven on by a sort of induction into the very verge of the final verse, from which it explodes with a glorious flash of lightning, which clears the air instantly. What are the conditions of implicit trust in the Lord of our salvation, such trust as will ensure peace and comfort? It is likely that most of Gods children, sooner or later, are permitted to journey on wearily over what seemed a highway, only to find, at the last, the sign inscribed, No thoroughfare here. A grim kind of consolation enters ones heart as he murmurs, Some one has been here before to put up the guideboard, at any rate!
1. The main condition of resting in the Lord is found in looking outside of ones self. There is a habit of morbid self-examination which needs to be shunned. Some experiences there are which are too delicate to bear this rude analysis. A womans love for her husband, a childs confidence in his father, could be disturbed fatally and for ever, if only half as much violence were brought to bear upon it as some Christians are accustomed to exert upon their religious feelings. One can tear himself all to pieces, to no sort of profit, and to every sort of harm. The Lord is the one to look at, not ourselves.
2. The next condition of spiritual repose is found in the avoiding of unwise counsellors. We must learn to trust our trust, and not keep rooting it up. No plant grows which is continually being rooted up.
3. Another condition of rest in God is found in drawing a clear distinction between historic faith and saving faith. What secures to us a perfect salvation is spiritual trust in the Saviour, and this is the gift of the Holy Ghost. It is easy to receive facts, perhaps, but not so easy to understand experiences which lie deeper than any mere outward acts. Historic faith is not necessarily saving faith.
4. We are to cultivate confidence in the slowly reached answers to our prayers for Divine grace.
5. We must distinguish between emotions and religious states. The one may vary, the other is fixed. Faith is a very different thing from the result of faith; and confidence of faith is even a different thing from faith itself; and yet the safety of the soul depends on faith, and on nothing else. We are justified by faith; not by joy or peace or love or hope or zeal. These last are the results of faith, generally, and will depend largely upon temperament and education.
6. This unbroken courage is a condition of rest. David said that he came near to fainting, and should have done it, only be kept on believing to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. We must not think everything is lost when we happen to have become beclouded. (C. S. Robinson, D. D.)
Confidence in God
This psalm is an instance of what an old divine has called confidence in God the best succour in the worst seasons.
I. the occasion of this confidence. In Davids case we find this confidence--
1. In times of peril. The true children of God are oft in peril, and at such times nothing can stand them in such stead as this assured confidence. Luther felt it at Worms. Armed with it, the Christian may ever look even death calmly in the face. Man without it is in time of peril like a ship without anchor in the fury of the storm.
2. In times of privation. Apparently David was (Psa_27:4) in exile, and deprived of the privileges of worship in the house of God. But he found his great support in his confidence in God.
3. In times of desertion. When he needed friends most, the ranks were thinnest, his standard most deserted. But he had a Friend who would never forsake him. Happy the man who, amidst general unfaithfulness, has found the great treasure of a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
4. In times of calumny. A bitter element in Davids cup were false witnesses and slanderers.
II. some of the grounds on which this confidence rests.
1. The nature of God Himself in His personal relation to us: My Light, my Salvation . . . the Strength of my life. It is not what we are, but what God is, that affords a solid ground of confidence in time of trouble. There is an emphasis on that pronoun my which speaks of an eternal covenant, an appropriating faith, a mystical union.
2. Previous interpositions of God for our help. Verse 2 evidently refers to a period in the psalmists past history when he was delivered from great danger. As the child of God looks back on the way by which the Lord has led him, and sees how Divine strength has been made manifest in his weakness, confident is he that the grace which has brought him thus far will lead him safely home.
3. The religious experiences he has enjoyed (Psa_27:8).
4. The promises of God received and rested on by faith.
III. the fruits of this confidence.
1. Complete deliverance from all fear (Psa_27:1). Fear is unworthy one to whom Jehovah stands in such relations.
2. A positive sense of security from all harm. Jehovah, the Captain of our salvation, takes the timid soul into His own royal tent.
3. A well-spring of happiness. The Christian life has its hosannahs as well as its misereres--its notes of joyous triumph as well as its plaintive songs in the night. (T. H. Witherspoon, D. D.)
A psalm for lifes storms
I. courage in lifes storms.
1. This courage is founded on confidence in God. When the soul feels God with it, it becomes invincible.
2. It is heightened by memories of past deliverance. Recollection of past mercies strengthens our faith in future supplies.
3. It defies all future enemies, and faces the mysterious future with a jubilant soul.
II. shelter in lifes storms.
1. The scene where the shelter is sought. The house of the Lord: the place where He specially manifests Himself to His people.
2. The means by which the shelter is to be secured. Dwelling with God; delighting in God; inquiring after God.
3. The source from which it is to be derived. God Himself.
4. The spirit in which it is accepted. Confidence and praise.
III. prayer in lifes storms. The prayer is--
1. An earnest appeal to mercy for relief.
2. It expresses ready compliance with the Divine request. God requires us to seek His favour, not because we can induce Him to be more merciful; nor because our prayer can merit His favours; but because earnest prayer qualifies the suppliant to rightly receive, appreciate, and use the blessing sought.
3. It deprecates the disfavour of God as a terrible evil.
4. It recognizes the transcendent character of Divine friendship. Though all forsake, He remains faithful.
4. It indicates the true method of safety. Obedience to Divine law; interposition for Divine help.
IV. self-exhortation in lifes storms. I had fainted unless, etc. An admonishment to himself to be strong.
1. Faith in Divine goodness. The vision of Divine goodness is the only moral tonic for the soul.
2. Consecration to the Divine service. To wait upon the Lord is to serve Him lovingly, thoroughly, faithfully, practically; and such service is moral strength. (Homilist.)
Confidence in God
The Psalms are the outbreathings of the universal heart, a voice for man at all times. We are here reminded of--
I. A profound sense of need and danger This psalm is the cry of a soul in distress. Davids throne, honour, wealth, did not exempt him from suffering; rather they became occasions of distress. To all, the sky of life is often overcast, its path lies along a toilsome way, with burdens too heavy to be borne. Where find rest and safety?
II. the security of trusting in God. God was his Light, and in the consciousness of that light he could see that all things worked together for good to them that love God. The Lord was his Salvation: his safety was assured. Cast into a fiery furnace, One appears with the Christian whose form is like the Son of God. God was the Strength of his life, awakening holy impulses, irradiating his whole spiritual being.
III. the necessity of appointed means in communing with God. In the sanctuary, in the place and in the way of Divine appointment, the psalmist was filled with a sense of the Divine presence. There Gods light, salvation, strength, appeared in a reality and beauty nowhere else displayed. There God appeared not in nature, but in grace; not as a power, but as a Person; not as Creator, but as Redeemer. The psalmist therefore longed for the sanctuary.
IV. obedience to God is indispensable to confiding intercourse with him. At once he would seek, and actively seek, the Lords face. There is no real confidence in God without loyalty: obedience is the only atmosphere on which the wing of faith can rise. (Monday Club Sermons.)
The Christians boast
David was a boaster, but it was in God; hence it was lawful: My soul shall make her boast in the Lord. In any other source of confidence it is unlawful and dangerous.
I. the one thing of which David here speaks. The abiding sense of the Divine presence. The temple, or house of the Lord, was the place of Gods special manifestations. Abiding in this presence will give--
1. Light--the light of His countenance. It is one thing to abide in our own or in other light--as the Pharisee and Zaccheus; a different thing to be in the light of Gods face or presence. This light does two things: it reveals to us God, and shows us what sin is; it reveals God to us, and shows us what salvation is--making the Lord to be our salvation.
2. Satan may accuse, but, if God acquits, whom shall we fear? If the Law has been satisfied, the debt paid, we need fear neither penalties nor imprisonment. There is a second sense in which the Lord is light and salvation. No longer afraid of the condemning power of sin, we are warranted in standing in fear of its ruling power in our hearts. Therefore we are exhorted to work out our salvation. To do this we need the light to guide us into all truth, the salvation to deliver us from all evil.
3. Strength. If God be for us strength is on our side.
4. The beauty of the Lord. The beauty of His attributes, as they meet and harmonize for our blessing. The beauty, too, reflected in us; for in His light and salvation and strength we are changed into the same image.
5. Joy and singing. When our joy is dependent on the consciousness of what we are or ought to be to God, it is a very uncertain joy, and will rarely produce singing, but rather sighing. But when it is dependent on the sense of what God is to us, then we can say, I will offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy. To have this joy we must be taken out of self.
II. the condition of attaining this one thing. We must seek after it. We must wait on the Lord. To navigate the sea of life we must keep the eye fixed on this one thing, on the one magnet--Christ. Paul did this, which made his bark press toward the haven with such grace and nobility. (The Study.)
The Christians triumph
A beautiful affirmation; important possession; glorious triumph.
I. the affirmation.
1. The Lord is light in nature. All things were made by Him. All light in nature comes from Gods Son, who is emphatically the Light of the world.
2. In the sphere of reason. God made man with a mind to know, a will to obey, a heart to love--elevated far above the rest of creation. By sin the mind is darkened, the will perverse, the heart depraved. Hence--
3. God is light in the sphere of grace. Man, by the Fall, deprived himself and the race of those divine gifts; hence the need of a Redeemer. This we have: the Lord is salvation. Light shows us where and what we are--lost, ruined, dead. Christ, our salvation, brings us from the depths of the Fall, recreates us, imparts to us His Spirit, righteousness and life.
II. A most important possession. My light, my salvation. The beauty of the Psalms is in the pronouns. Light must be in us, or we walk in darkness; bread be eaten, or we starve; so an unapplied Saviour is no Saviour to man. This possession is ours only as we stand in living union with Christ Jesus our Lord.
III. the glorious triumph. Whom shall I fear? etc. In possession of Christs light and life, the Christian need fear neither sickness, death, grave, nor hell. Over all these lie has complete victory (Rom_8:34-39). (J. Hassler, D. D.)
Davids confidence in God
I. what God was to David.
1. The fountain of gladness to his heart.
2. The author of safety to his person.
3. The giver of strength and might, for the preservation of his life.
Uses--
1. For instruction.
(1) Gods all-sufficiency in Himself, for all His children.
(2) The happy estate of those who are in covenant with God.
2. For admonition.
(1) Search and try whether God be that to us which He was to David.
(2) If we find defect we must give all diligence thereunto (2Pe_1:5).
(3) In the fruition of any of these blessings, see whither to return the honour and praise, viz. to God.
3. For comfort.
II. what benefit David reaped thereby. Having the Lord for his God, he is armed against all fear of men or other creatures (Psa_118:6; Psa_23:1-4; Psa_3:3-6). Uses--
1. For instruction.
(1) There is great gain in true godliness, and much fruit in religion, to those who attain to true righteousness (1Ti_6:6; Psa_58:11).
(2) See here the true ground of the difference between the wicked and the godly, about slavish fear and godly boldness (Pro_28:1). The godly have the Lord with them and for them, and that makes them bold; but the wicked have the Lord against them, and that strikes their hearts with fear and dread.
2. For admonition.
(1) Unless God be for us, the heart will fail when evils come. And none have the Lord for them but those that stand rightly in covenant with God; repenting of their sins, believing in the Lord Jesus, and walking in new obedience.
(2) Those who have true courage and comfort in evil times must learn hence to give God all the glory (Psa_18:29). (T. Pierson.)
The pathway of power
Light--salvation--strength: three great waves of the sea, telling that the tide can rise no higher. The tide is full. Even so it is with the heart that can say--
I. The Lord is my light.
1. In the natural world God gives us a night between every two days, and in the life beyond we hear of a bow of emerald that breaks the dazzle of the great white throne. Light means truth, and, as it advances in precision and purity, the steps of discovered truth become the songs of degrees with which the tribes go up to the great temple of God.
2. In the spiritual life, both as regards salvation and service, much depends on clearness of vision, and knowledge of how and where to look and what to look for.
II. the Lord is my salvation. The words Christ for us have now a clear and exact meaning, setting forth the condition and character of Salvation. And before Christ was crucified for sinners, the main feature of salvation was the same; it was from the Lord, a gift from His hand. Blessed is the man whose sin is covered. Sin was then also a transgression, a taint, and a tyranny, and from all the Lord delivered. It was His to deliver the soul from death, the eyes from tears, and the feet from falling. This fact at once humbled and upheld him; it was the Lords gift, and yet it was his own possession. And so he could say--Whom shall I fear? The Lord is my salvation.
III. the Lord is my strength. Light for the understanding and its judgment; salvation for the heart, its hardness and anxiety; and strength for action and usefulness. How often we come to the Lord, like James and John, and say we are able; but the Lord makes a thorough work of the first and second, the light and salvation, before lie entrusts us with the third, the strength on which He puts His own almighty name. We often bring misery upon ourselves, and darkness upon others, by trying to come into the Lords service before coming to the Lord Himself. Let us seek the power in the pathway of power:--light, salvation, strength. (G. M. Mackie, M. A.)
The Divine Light
I. David says this. He is in exile, engaged in some struggle on the frontiers of his kingdom: his foes have received a check: he is closely watched, but is, nevertheless, confident of victory. This is the only occasion in which David speaks of the Lord as his Light: the expression occurs only twice in the Old Testament. Micah says, the Lord shall be a light unto me. In other places light is spoken of as Gods gift--the light of revelation and of conscience. But here David says, the Lord is my light. Davids life was one of great vicissitude, and his temperament was very changeable. Hence he was liable to great depression, especially through the recollection of his awful sins--adulterer and murderer that he was. And yet he was a man after Gods own heart, because a mans life is to be judged not by its exceptional acts, but by its governing principles. Nevertheless, David was damaged deeply and permanently by his sins. But they did not destroy, though they did deface his real character, his profound religious sense of Gods presence and claims. The leading acts of a mans life may look one way, the governing principles of his life another. Philip II. of Spain encouraged and paid for the publication of the second great polyglot Bible that was ever printed. But how wrong it would be to infer from that one action what manner of man he was. And so with David: his exceptional acts do not reveal him in his real character and mind. Saul had no depth of character: moral levity and indifference to the claims of God are constantly chargeable against him. But Davids sins, though terrible, were but temporary, and never became the habit of his life, and they did not extinguish in him his deep love of God. Hence, still he could say, The Lord is my light.
II. Apply the words to our Lord jesus christ. In their deepest sense they can apply to none else. He whom Jesus said was greatest of woman-born--John the Baptist--was yet not that light, but came to bear witness of that light. Christ alone could say, I am the light of the world. Some of us may remember that great work of Christian genius, called the Notre: it is by Correggio, and is reckoned amongst the chief of the art treasures of the Dresden Gallery. In it the Divine infant is represented as with a body almost transparent with light, and from Him all around are illuminated, and in proportion to their nearness to Him. It is a representation on canvas of a great moral and spiritual truth. For Christ is the one light of men.
III. To the church. Was it not so in the days of persecution? Road the history of the martyrdom of Stephen.
IV. To Christian education. Our text is the motto of the University of Oxford, and expresses the truth that education apart from Him is vain.
V. To the individual conscience. Then refer to Him all teaching, all content. Lead, kindly Light . . . lead Thou me on. (Canon Liddon.)
Facts and arguments
I. The facts.
1. The Lord is my light and my salvation. The soul is assured of it, and therefore declares it boldly. Into the soul at the new birth Divine light is poured as the precursor of salvation. Where there is not enough light to reveal our own darkness, and to make us long for the Lord Jesus, there is no evidence of salvation. After conversion our God is our Joy, Comfort, Guide, Teacher, and, in every sense, our Light: He is light within, light around, light reflected from us, and light to be revealed to us. Not merely does He give light or salvation; He is light, He is salvation; he, then, who has laid hold upon God has all covenant blessings in his possession.
2. The Lord is the strength of my life. Here is a third epithet to show the writers hope was fastened with a threefold cord which could not be broken. We may well accumulate terms of praise where the Lord lavishes deeds of grace.
II. the arguments. 1 Whom shall I fear? A question which is its own answer. The powers of darkness are not to be feared; for the Lord, our light, destroys them. The damnation of hell is not to be dreaded; for the Lord is our salvation. This is a very different challenge from that of boastful Goliath: that rested on the conceited vigour of an arm of flesh; this on the real power of the omnipotent I am.
2. Of whom shall I be afraid? Our life derives all its strength from God: we cannot be weakened by all the machinations of the enemy. This bold question looks into the future as well as the present. If God be for us, who can be against us, either now or in time to come? (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Christ the True Light
In the New Testament, the idea which is hinted at in the language of David is expressly revealed as a truth. God does not merely give us His light. He is light, just as He is love in His own uncreated nature. God is light, says St. John, and in Him is no darkness at all. When St. John would teach us our Lords Godhead as clearly and sharply as possible, he calls Him the light, moaning to teach us that as such He shares the essential nature of the Deity. He is light, because lie is what He is--absolute perfection in respect of intellectual truth, absolute perfection in respect of moral beauty. And hence those momentous words, I am the light of the world; and hence that confession of the Christian creed, God of God, Light of Light. Thus the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ was to the spiritual world what the rising of the sun is in the world of nature. It had effects even upon the orders of the heavenly intelligences, of which St. Paul hints in his Epistle to the Ephesians. But, for the human soul, it meant a passing from darkness to light, from warmth to sunshine. And thus a prophet had bidden Zion arise and shine since her Lord was come, and the glory of the Lord had risen upon her; for He was announced as the Sun of Righteousness who should arise with healing in His wings, so that although darkness had covered the earth, and gross darkness the people, yet the Lord should arise upon Zion, and His glory be seen upon her. And, in the Benedictus, Zechariah salutes Him as the day-star from on high, who hath visited us to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. And Simeon, holding the Divine Saviour in his arms, says that He is a Light to lighten the Gentiles; and himself felt that the word of prophecy was fulfilled, when the people who walked in darkness had seen a great light; and they that were in the region and shadow of death, on them hath the Gospel light shined. Some of us may remember that great work of Christian genius, the picture of the Nativity--the Notre, as it is called, of Correggio, which is among the treasures of the Dresden Gallery. In it the Divine Infant is represented as with a body almost transparent with light; and from Him all around are illuminated. His mother, His foster-father, the angels who bend in adoration, they are illuminated in the ratio of their nearness to Him. And this is but a representation on canvas of spiritual and eternal truth. He is the one Light of the intellectual and moral world; and we are in the light just so far, and only so far, as we are near to Him. (Canon Liddon.)
Light and salvation
The combination of the two ideas, light and salvation, is very suggestive. Light is essential to life, health, and growth. What wonderful medicinal efficacy it possesses! There is no tonic like it. It imparts that green hue by means of which the plant changes inorganic into organic matter, creates and conserves what everything else consumes and destroys, and acts as the mediator between the world of death and the world of life. Take away the light from man, and immediately he becomes a prey to the dead, inert forces of nature. The tissues of his body degenerate, and the powers of his mind decay. It affects the stature, the blood, the hair, the liver, the whole body inwardly and outwardly. Under solar radiation, sickness is more speedily cured, wounds heal more rapidly, and the healthy acquire fresh vigour and elevated vitality. It is difficult even to express the full enjoyment of all the senses, except by metaphors drawn from light. Owing to this healing, life-giving power of natural light, we see how it becomes the salvation of the natural man. And in regard to our souls, the Lord is our salvation because He is our light. The plant instinctively and inevitably turns to the sunlight, wherever it is, because the sunlight is its salvation, its very life. Shut out from the light, it can neither live nor grow. A plant growing in a cellar, where but a feeble ray of light penetrates, is a dwarfed and forced growth, exhausting all there is in its seed or bulb mechanically, but adding no new material of growth, without any sign of inward vitality or promise of perennial production. It is a weak, blanched ghost of a plant, without any sap in its veins, or colour in its leaves, without any power to produce blossoms or fruit. But bring the miserable shadow of life out into the open sunshine, and it recovers itself; its white, brittle stem becomes green and full of sap; its leaves assume their natural vivid hue, and open out their blades in the golden air. The whole plant revives as if by magic, and speedily puts forth its beautiful blossom and fruit. What the sunlight is to the plant, God is to the soul. (H. Macmillan, D. D.)
Mans True Light
When we were at New York, Professor Simpson and I went one night to the observatory. We found the astronomer by the light of a small candle, groping about for his instruments, and arranging the telescope. But when he had got the star full in view he blew out his little candle. He had now got the light of the world, and the candle served only to obscure his view. The dim light of your reason is of use only if it brings you to the Great Light. (Henry Drummond.)
Whom shall I fear?--
The believers freedom from fear
This is not the language of vain presumption, or the boastful utterance of affected boldness, but the confident, yet humble, utterance of Christian assurance.
I. shall we be afraid of God?
1. Is He not revealed as a sin-hating God? And are not all men sinners? How comes it, then, that the Christian man, though sensible of many infirmities, shortcomings, and aggravated sins--sins of thought, of word, and of deed--can say that he has no cause to be afraid of God? It is because of the new relation into which he is brought to God by virtue of his union to Christ, and of what Christ has done for him. The work of Christ was to satisfy Divine justice and reconcile us to God. Nor is this all. Every believer in Christ becomes a partaker of the Divine nature, sustaining a relation to him near and dear as that which His own Son sustained.
2. Is not the Christian exposed to temptation? May he not be stripped of the safeguard which Divine grace has thrown around him, and be exposed again to the dread vengeance of an insulted God? No; though he may fall, yet shall he rise again. So long as he is Christs he has nothing to fear from God, but everything to hope. The love of God dwelling in him, there is no place for fear, for perfect love casteth out fear.
II. shall we fear the law? Cursed is every one that continueth not, etc. He that offendeth in one point, etc. If a mans life is to be brought to the test of the law, if he is to stand on the footing of his own merits in the eye of the law, then, indeed, is his condition hopeless, for there is not a just man upon the earth that doeth good and sinneth not. By the deeds of the law shall no flesh living be justified. Now though all this be true, it is no less true that even of the law the Christian has no need to be afraid. To him it is invested with no terrors, on him it never flashes its lightning, against him it never peals its thunders, and why? Why, just because the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made him free from the law of sin and of death. Why? Because there is no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
III. shall we fear Satan? When we think of the life he has led us, the misery in which he has involved us, the grinding nature of that servitude be exacts from every one who is led captive by him at his will, we may well tremble at the thought of such an enemy, for unless we are ransomed from his hands by a mightier power than our own, well may we say that he is indeed a power to be feared. But it is only when under his power that this can truly be said of him. It cannot be so said of the believer, for his position is altered to Satan, and Satans is altered to him. Christ has taken the prey from the mighty, and spoiled the captive of the terrible one.
IV. shall we fear affliction? To fear it would be to mistrust the promises, and to doubt the faithfulness of Him by whom these promises are made. Fear not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, etc.
V. shall we fear death? Death, which the world calls the king of terrors, and which wicked men feel to be such! Death, which for six thousand years has lorded it over the human race, and to whose sceptre countless myriads are yet destined to bowl Shall we not be afraid of death? No! To the Christian there is nothing in death to make him afraid. To the Christian all his power is over the material, not over the spiritual; over the body, not over the soul; and even ever the body not long. To the Christian he comes as an angel of mercy, as a messenger of peace. (H. Hyslop.)
The fearlessness of the good
I. springs from personal faith in God.
1. Intelligent.
2. Appropriating.
3. Soul-saving.
II. strengthened by the remembrance of past deliverances. Confidence comes of experience. The remedy we have proved we readily try again. The friend we have found faithful we trust to death. The commander under whom we have conquered we follow bravely to other fields. So should we act as to God.
III. sufficient for the greatest emergencies. What terror had Ahab for Micaiah, the man who had seen God? (1Ki_22:19). What cared Elisha for the horses and chariots at Dothan, whose eyes beheld the angels of God ranged in his defence? (2Ki_6:15). If God be for us, who can be against us? (Rom_8:31). (W. Forsyth, M. A.)
Davids preventive of fear
The heroic man shows us the secret of his heroism.
I. the Lord was the psalmists light. Few things man recoils more from than darkness, whether physical, or of ignorance or of sin. This fear was no longer possible to David. He even anticipates Johns grand utterance, In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. What light was and ever had been to the world, the Lord was to David.
II. the lord was his salvation. As man dreads darkness, so he dreads captivity and oppression. David rejoices in God as his salvation. This conception of God first found expression in the song of Moses (Exo_15:4), when God led the children of Israel through the Red Sea into the light and calm of day. The word salvation is Jeshua--Joshua--Jesus. So near does David come to the parallel Gospel phrase: He shall be called Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins. Thus the psalmist gripped in advance two of the central truths of the Gospel--God as light and as salvation. In face of these assurances he asks, Whom shall I fear? This is the question of every reformer, who, in the strength of a mighty conviction, in the inspiration of high aims, goes to the help of the Lord against the mighty.
III. the Lord was the strength--the stronghold--of his life. The word has a more subtle meaning still. David looks upon God as the Life of his life, the Father of his spirit. He thus falls back upon a third Gospel truth: God is a Spirit. Davids life was in possession of a power which needed not to fear any foe. By a mighty faith he drew upon Gods omnipotence: be had not only enough obedience to be active, he had enough to be restful; and that power is greater than all other. Many a man, like John the Baptist, has courage and enthusiasm enough for the rush and battle of life, but falters when withdrawn into the hush of it, to await the oncoming of the foe. The strength of the psalmist enabled him to pass from Whom shall I fear? to Of whom, then, shall I be afraid? Therefore the second verse followed naturally: When the wicked . . . they stumbled and fell. (D. Davies.)
Fear banished
Having God as his light and salvation, the psalmist might well say, Whom shall I fear? Having his heart at rest in God, and having his times in Gods hands, what cause for fear remained? With peace within, and light without, he was raised above all earthly fears. His eyes were opened; and while he was compassed about with foes innumerable and most formidable, he saw himself at the same time surrounded with horses and chariots of fire, and realized that greater was He that was with him than all that could be against him; that the hostile things and persons of life could have no power at all against him, were it not given them for wise and gracious purposes by his heavenly Father. And so, if we fear God, we need know no other fear. That divine fear, like the space which the American settler burns around him as a defence against the prairie fire, clears a circle, within which we are absolutely safe. The old necromancists believed that if a man was master of himself, he enjoyed complete immunity from all danger; if his will was firmly set, the powers of evil could not harm him; he could defy a host of devils raging around. Against the malice of human and infernal power, the citadel of a mans heart that is set upon God is impregnable. It is sin alone that is adverse to us; it is sin that makes cowards of us all. The soul infected with this radical evil is weak, and open to all adversities. Everything is adverse to it. It is out of harmony with Gods universe. But let this primary adversity of sin be removed, and all secondary adversities vanish; all things work together for good to them that fear the Lord. All providence becomes to us special providence; all things are eager and tender ministers to us. More important interests are involved in our salvation than in the fate of the whole natural creation; and sooner than a hair of our head shall be injured, God would bury the whole physical world in ruin. God is our refuge and strength. Perfect trust in God is perfect peace. (H. Macmillan, D. D.)
The Lord is the strength of my life.--
Davids strength
The keynote of Davids character is not the assertion of his own strength, but the confession of his own weakness. Nevertheless, he had strength, and that of no common order: he was an eminently powerful, able, and successful man. But he says it was from God. Even his physical prowess he ascribes to God. It is by Gods help he slays the lion and the bear, and has nerve to kill Goliath. It is God who makes his feet like harts feet, and enables him to leap over the walls of the mountain fortresses. And no doubt this was so: it is not mere metaphor. David was not likely to have been a man of gigantic strength. So delicate a-brain was probably coupled to a delicate body. But it is as the fount of light and goodness in his own soul that he chiefly thinks of God. In a word, David is a man of faith and prayer. And it is this which sustains him in every trouble, and gives enthusiasm and fire, life and reality, to his triumphant psalms. He had the firm conviction that God was the deliverer of all who trust in Him. And the same faith it is which gives to his penitence its manly tone, free from all cowardly cries of terror. He sees no angry, but a forgiving God, though he knows he is to be punished for the rest of his life. But he utterly trusts God, and is sure that God will restore him to goodness that He may thereby restore him to usefulness. Hence it is God demands not torturing penance or sacrifice, but the heart, the broken and contrite heart. It is such utterances as these which have given their priceless value to the little book of the psalms of David. Every form of human sorrow, doubt, struggle, error, sin; the nun agonizing in the cloister; the settler struggling for life in Transatlantic forests; the pauper shivering over the embers in his hovel, and waiting for kind death; the man of business striving to keep his honour pure amid the temptations of commerce; the prodigal son starving in the far country, and recollecting the words which he learnt long ago at his mothers knee; the peasant boy trudging a-field in the chill dawn, and remembering that the Lord is his Shepherd, therefore he will not want--all shapes of humanity have found, and will find to the end of time, a word said to their inmost hearts, and for them, to the living God of heaven by the vast humanity of David, the man after Gods own heart; the most thoroughly human figure which had appeared upon the earth before the coming of that perfect Son of man, who is over all, God blessed for ever. (C. Kingsley, M. A.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Expositor's Bible1887 · Public DomainOn v1Psalms 27
Psalms 27
THE hypothesis that two originally distinct psalms or fragments are here blended has much in its favour. The rhythm and style of the latter half (Psa_27:7-14) are strikingly unlike those of the former part, and the contrast of feeling is equally marked, and is in the opposite direction from that which is usual, since it drops from exultant faith to at least plaintive, if not anxious petition. But while the phenomena are plain and remarkable, they do not seem to demand the separation suggested. Form and rhythm are elastic in the poets hands, and change in correspondence with his change of mood. The flowing melody of the earlier part is the natural expression of its sunny confidence, and the harsher strains of the later verses fit no less well their contents. Why may not the key change to a minor, and yet the voice be the same? The fall from jubilant to suppliant faith is not unexampled in other psalms (cf. Psalms 9 and Psalms 25), nor in itself unnatural. Dangers, which for a moment cease to press, do recur, however real the victory over fear has been, and in this recrudescence of the consciousness of peril, which yet does not loosen, but tighten, the grasp of faith, this ancient singer speaks the universal experience; and his song becomes more precious and more fitted for all lips than if it had been unmingled triumph. One can better understand the original author passing in swift transition from the one to the other tone, than a later editor deliberately appending to a pure burst of joyous faith and aspiration a tag which flattened it. The more unlike the two halves are, the less probable is it that their union is owing to any but the author of both. The fire of the original inspiration could fuse them into homogeneousness; it is scarcely possible that a mechanical patcher should have done so. If, then, we take the psalm as a whole, it gives a picture of the transitions of a trustful soul surrounded by dangers, in which all such souls may recognise their own likeness.
Read full note →
The first half (Psa_27:1-6) is the exultant song of soaring faith. But even in it there sounds an undertone. The very refusal to be afraid glances sideways at outstanding causes for fear. The very names of Jehovah as "Light, Salvation," "the Stronghold of my life," imply darkness, danger, and besetting foes. The resolve to keep alight the fire of courage and confidence in the face of encamping foes and rising wars is much too energetic to be mere hypothetical courage. The hopes of safety in Jehovahs tent, of a firm standing on a rock, and of the head being lifted above surrounding foes are not the hopes of a man at ease, but of one threatened on all sides, and triumphant only because he clasps Jehovahs hand. The first words of the psalm carry it all in germ. By a noble dead lift of confidence, the singer turns from foes and fears to stay himself on Jehovah, his light and salvation, and then, in the strength of that assurance, bids back his rising fears to their dens. "I will trust, and not be afraid," confesses the presence of fear, and, like our psalm, unveils the only reasonable counteraction of it in the contemplation of what God is. There is much to fear unless He is our light, and they who will not begin with the psalmists confidence have no right to repeat his courage.
To a devout man the past is eloquent with reasons for confidence, and in Psa_27:2 the psalm points to a past fact. The stumbling and falling of former foes, who came open mouthed at him, is not a hypothetical case, but a bit of autobiography, which lives to nourish present confidence. It is worth notice that the language employed has remarkable correspondence with that used in the story of Davids fight with Goliath. There the same word as here is twice employed to describe the Philistines advance. {1Sa_17:41; 1Sa_17:48} Goliaths vaunt, "I will give thy flesh to the fowls of the air and to the beasts of the field," may have supplied the mould for the expression here, and the fall of the giant, with his face to the earth and the smooth stone in his brain, is narrated with the same word as occurs in the psalm. It might well be that when David was a fugitive before Saul the remembrance of his victory over Goliath should have cheered him, just as that of his earlier prowess against bear and lion heartened him to face the Philistine bully; and such recollections would be all the more natural since jealousy of the fame that came to him from that feat had set the first light to Sauls hatred. Psa_27:3 is not to be left swinging in vacuo, a cheap vow of courage in hypothetical danger. The supposed case is actual fact, and the expressions of trust are not only assertions for the future, but statements of the present temper of the psalmist: "I do not fear; I am confident."
The confidence of Psa_27:3 is rested not only on Jehovahs past acts, but on the psalmists past and present set of soul towards Him. That seems to be the connecting link between Psa_27:1-3 and Psa_27:4-6. Such desire, the psalmist is sure, cannot but be answered, and in the answer all safety is included. The purest longing after God as the deepest, most fixed yearning of a heart, was never more nobly expressed. Clearly the terms forbid the limitation of meaning to mere external presence in a material sanctuary. "All the days of my life" points to a continuance inward and capable of accomplishment, wherever the body may be. The exclusiveness and continuity of the longing, as well as the gaze on God which is its true object, are incapable of the lower meaning, while, no doubt, the externals of worship supply the mould into which these longings are poured. But what the psalmist wants is what the devout soul in all ages and stages has wanted: the abiding consciousness of the Divine presence; and the prime good which makes that presence so infinitely and exclusively desirable to him is the good which draws all such souls in yearning, namely the vision of God. The lifelong perststence and exclusiveness of the desire are such as all must cherish if they are to receive its fruition. Blessed are they who are delivered from the misery of multiplied and transient aims which break life into fragments by steadfastly and continually following one great desire, which binds all the days each to each, and in its single simplicity encloses and hallows and unifies the else distracting manifoldness! That life is filled with light, however it may be ringed round with darkness, which has the perpetual vision of God, who is its light. Very beautifully does the psalm describe the occupation of Gods guest as "gazing upon the pleasantness of Jehovah." In that expression the construction of the verb with a preposition implies a steadfast and penetrating contemplation, and the word rendered "beauty" or "pleasantness" may mean "friendliness," but is perhaps better taken in a more general meaning, as equivalent to the whole gathered delightsomeness of the Divine character, the supremely fair and sweet. "To inquire" may be rendered "to consider"; but the rendering "meditate [or contemplate] in" is better, as the palace would scarcely be a worthy object of consideration; and it is natural that the gaze on the goodness of Jehovah should be followed by loving meditation on what that earnest look had seen. The two acts complete the joyful employment of a soul communing with God: first perceiving and then reflecting upon His uncreated beauty of goodness.
Such intimacy of communion brings security from external dangers. The guest has a claim for protection. And that is a subsidiary reason for the psalmists desire as well as a ground of his confidence. Therefore the assurance of Psa_27:5 follows the longing of Psa_27:4. "A pavilion," as the Hebrew text reads, has been needlessly corrected in the margin into "His pavilion" (A.V.). "It is not Gods dwelling, as the following tent is, but a boothas an image of protection from heat and inclemency of weather" {Isa_4:6} (Hupfeld). Gods dwelling is a "tent," where he will shelter His guests. The privilege of asylum is theirs. Then, with a swift change of figure, the psalmist expresses the same idea of security by elevation on a rock, possibly conceiving the tent as pitched there. The reality of all is that communion with God secures from perils and enemies, an eternal truth, if the true meaning of security is grasped. Borne up by such thoughts, the singer feels himself lifted clear above the reach of surrounding foes and with the triumphant "now" of Psa_27:6, stretches out his hand to bring future deliverance into the midst of present distress. Faith can blend the seasons, and transport June and its roses into Decembers snows. Deliverance suggests thankfulness to a true heart, and its anticipation calls out prophetic "songs in the night."
But the very brightness of the prospect recalls the stern reality of present need, and the firmest faith cannot keep on the wing continually. In the first part of the psalm it sings and soars; in the second the note is less jubilant, and it sings and sinks; but in both it is faith. Prayer for deliverance is as really the voice of faith as triumph in the assurance of deliverance is, and he who sees his foes and yet "believes to see the goodness of Jehovah" is not far below him who gazes only on the beauty of the Lord. There is a parallelism between the two halves of the psalm worth nothing. In the former part the psalmists confidence reposed on the two facts of past deliverance and of his past and continuous "seeking after" the one good; in the second his prayers repose on the same two grounds, which occur in inverted order. "That will I seek after" (Psa_27:4), is echoed by "Thy face will I seek" (Psa_27:8). To seek the face is the same substantially as to desire to, gaze on the pleasantness of Jehovah." The past experience of the fall of foes (Psa_27:2) is repeated in "Thou hast been my help." On these two pleas the prayer in which faith speaks itself founds. The former is urged in Psa_27:8-9 with some harshness of construction, which is smoothed over, rightly as regards meaning, in the A.V. and R.V. But the very brokenness of the sentence adds to the earnestness of the prayer: "To Thee my heart has said, Seek ye my face; Thy face, Jehovah, will I seek." The answering heart repeats the invitation which gave it courage to seek before it responds with its resolve. The insertion of some such phrase as "in answer to Thy word" before "seek ye" helps the sense in a translation, but mars the vigour of the original. The invitation is not quoted from any Scripture, but is the summary of the meaning of all Gods self-revelation. He is ever saying, "Seek ye my face." Therefore He cannot but show it to a man who takes Him at His word and pleads that word as I have never said the warrant for his petition "to the seed of Jacob, Seek ye my face in vain." the consistency of the Divine character ensures His satisfying the desires which He has implanted. He will neither stultify Himself nor tantalise men by setting them on quests which end in disappointment. In a similar manner, the psalm urges the familiar argument from Gods past, which reposes on the confidence of unalterable grace and inexhaustible resources. The psalmist bad no cold abstract doctrine of immutability as a Divine attribute. His conception was intensely practical. Since God has helped in the past, He will help in the future, because He is God, and because He is "the God of my salvation." He cannot reverse His action nor stay His hand until His dealings with His servants have vindicated that name by completing the process to which it binds Him.
The prayer "Forsake me not" is based upon a remarkable ground in Psa_27:10: "For my father and my mother have forsaken me." That seems singular plea for a mature man, who has a considerably varied experience of life behind him, to urge. It is generally explained as a proverbial expression, meaning no more than the frequent complaints in the Psalter of desertion by friends and lovers. Cheyne (Commentary in loc.) sees in it a clear indication that the speaker is the afflicted nation, comparing itself to a sobbing child deserted by its parents. But it is at least noteworthy that, when David was hard pressed at Adullam, he bestowed his father and mother for safety with the king of Moab. {1Sa_21:3-4} It is objected that this was not their "forsaking" him, but it was, at least, their "leaving" him and might well add an imaginative pang as well as a real loss to the fugitive. So specific a statement as that of the psalm can scarcely be weakened down into proverb or metaphor. The allusion may be undiscoverable, but the words sound uncommonly like the assertion of a fact, and the fact referred to is the only known one which in any degree fits them.
The general petitions of Psa_27:7-10 become more specific as the song nears its close. As in Psalms 25, guidance and protection are the psalmists needs now. The analogy of other psalms suggests an ethical meaning for "the plain path" of Psa_27:11; and that signification, rather than that safe road, is to be preferred, for the sake of preserving a difference between this and the following prayer for deliverance. The figures of his enemies stand out more threateningly than before (Psa_27:12). Is that all his gain from his prayer? Is it not a faint-hearted descent from Psa_27:6, where, from the height of his Divine security, he looked down on them far below, and unable to reach him? Now they have "risen up," and he has dropped down among them. But such changes of mood are not inconsistent with unchanged faith, if only the gaze which discerns the precipice at either side is not turned away from the goal ahead and above, nor from Him who holds up His servant. The effect of that clearer sight of the enemies is very beautifully given in the abrupt half-sentence of Psa_27:13 : "If I had not believed to see the goodness of Jehovah in the land of the living!" As he thinks of his foes he breaks into an exclamation, which he leaves unfinished. The omission is easy to supply. He would have been their victim but for his faith. The broken words tell of his recoil from the terrible possibility forced on him by the sight of the formidable enemies. Well for us if we are but driven the closer to God, in conscious helplessness, by the sight of dangers and antagonisms! Faith does not falter, though it is keenly conscious of difficulties. It is not preserved by ignoring facts, but should be by them impelled to clasp God more firmly as its only safety.
So the psalm goes back to the major key at last, and in the closing verse prayer passes into self-encouragement. The heart that spoke to God now speaks to itself. Faith exhorts sense and soul to "wait on Jehovah." The self-communing of the psalmist, beginning with exultant confidence and merging into prayer thrilled with consciousness of need and of weakness, closes with bracing him up to courage, which is not presumption, because it is the fruit of waiting on the Lord. He who thus keeps his heart in touch with God will be able to obey the ancient command, which had rung so long before in the ears of Joshua in the plains of Jericho and is never out of date, "Be strong and of a good courage"; and none but those who wait on the Lord will be at once conscious of weakness and filled with strength, aware of the foes and bold to meet them.
William Robertson Nicoll, ed., The Expositor's Bible (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1887–1910) — public domain. 65 of 66 books (1 Corinthians is not separately keyed, as that volume carries no machine-parseable verse references); section-level commentary keyed to the opening verse. Introductory and overview sections not keyed to a specific passage are excluded.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary1892 · Public DomainOn v1This psalm has been referred by some to the…
INTRODUCTION
This psalm has been referred by some to the period of David’s waiting for the kingdom; by others, to the time of Absalom’s rebellion. Hengstenberg says: “All attempts to find out any occasion to which the psalm especially referred have failed, and from this failure; we may infer either that David originally uttered the psalm from the soul of the oppressed righteous man, or that, if he wrote it in reference to a particular occasion, he generalised his own experience.”
Read full note →
THE FEARLESSNESS OF THE GOOD
(Psa_27:1-3.)
I. Springs from personal faith in God. “The Lord.” This name inspires hope. Six times it is recited in the first, and seven times in the second part of the psalm. Jehovah is ever the object of true faith.
1. Intelligent. The cry of the earnest soul is, “Light.” To this God responds. He reveals Himself in Christ. He gives His word to quicken and enlighten the soul, and to illumine its pathway up to the gates of heaven (2Co_4:6; Joh_8:12; Psa_18:28; Psa_36:9; Psa_84:11). David was called the “Light of Israel” (2Sa_21:17), but he himself gives God the glory: “The Lord is my light.” In this word he anticipates the great saying of the New Testament, “God is light” (1Jn_1:5).
2. Appropriating. “My” is a little word, but of great significance. Only a person can say, “My.” “My home,” “My wife,” “My child.” Faith is personal. It implies recognition of the glory and preciousness of Jesus, and the receiving and resting upon Him alone for salvation. This faith is contrasted with the faith of devils (Jas_2:19; 1Jn_5:10-12). So also it differs vitally from mere belief in historical Christianity. It is one thing to say, “God is light,” and another to say, “God is my light” It is one thing to cry, “The Lord He is God” (1Ki_18:39), and an altogether different thing to take hold of Christ for ourselves, saying, “My Lord and my God” (Joh_20:28). Luther says the marrow of the Gospels is in the pronouns “my” and “our.” Let us not be content till we can say, “The Lord is my light.” Such faith fills the heart with courage and joy (Psa_18:1-2; Psa_118:28; Son_6:3).
3. Soul-saving. “Salvation” implies all that we need for our safety and good. God not merely gives salvation, but He is salvation. He that by faith has laid hold of God has all covenant blessings made sure to him. “The strength of my life:” God is the stronghold in which the believer’s life is safe (Pro_18:10; 2Co_12:2). “My light,” “My salvation,” “The strength of my life.” Here is combined all that the soul requires,—here, as from behind a triple shield, she can “fight the good fight,”—here, as in an impregnable fortress, she can hoist the banner of the cross and bid defiance to every foe.
II. Strengthened by the remembrance of past deliverances.
Memory can recall and re-live the past. When rightly used, it is a helper to faith. (Psa_27:2) Here is danger recalled. David in imagination goes back to some time of great peril. His enemies pressed him sore. Strong and fierce as wild beasts, they thirsted for his blood (Job_19:22; Zep_3:3). So believers can recall times when they were in straits. God’s enemies are our enemies. “It is a hopeful sign for us when the wicked hate us: if our foes were godly men, it would be a sore sorrow; but as for the wicked, their hatred is better than their love.”—Spurgeon.
Here is deliverance recorded. David’s enemies came up with haughty confidence. They counted him their sure prey; but discomfiture, strange and unexpected, befell them. “They stumbled and fell.’ These things rise up before him with the freshness of yesterday. It was the doing of the Lord, and the thought strengthens his heart.—So it was in the encounter with Goliath (1Sa_17:37). So it was at Ziklag and at other times (1Sa_30:6; Psa_77:10-11). Here is a lesson for us. Confidence comes of experience. The remedy we have proved we readily try again. The friend we have found faithful we trust to death. The commander under whom we have conquered we follow bravely to other fields. So should we act as to God. “The Christian is rich in experiences, which he wears as bracelets and keeps as his richest jewels. He calls one Ebenezer, ‘Hitherto God hath helped;’ another, Naphtali, ‘I have wrestled with God and prevailed;’ another, Gershom, ‘I was a stranger;’ another, Joseph, ‘God will yet add more;’ another, Peniel, ‘I have seen the face of God’s (1Sa_7:12; Gen_30:8; Exo_2:22; Gen_30:24; Gen_32:30). I have been delivered from the lion, therefore from the bear,—from the lion and the bear, therefore from the Philistine,—from the Philistine, therefore from Saul,—from Saul, therefore God will deliver me from every evil work, and preserve me blameless to His heavenly kingdom.”—J. Sheffield.
III. Sufficient for the greatest emergencies. Imagination is a great painter. Here David conjures up a terrible scene (Psa_27:3). We see the mustering of the forces, we see the proud array of the army with tents and banners, we see the shock and terrors of the battle, and the strife, as if for a kingdom. And all this pictures the danger of his soul. Yet, in such extremity, his eye flinches not and his heart knows no fear. What sustains him? Faith in God. “In this will I be confident” (cf. Psa_3:6-7). So with the saints. If enemies oppose, they can say with Peter, “We must obey God” (cf. Luther at Worms). If dangers thicken, they can cry with Paul, “None of these things move me.” What terror had Ahab for Micaiah, the man who had seen God? (1Ki_22:19). What cared Elisha for “the horses and chariots” at Dothan, whose eyes beheld the angels of God ranged in his defence? (2Ki_6:15). So, what are the hosts of darkness and all the powers of the enemy to the Christian who can say, “The Lord is my light and my salvation?” “Whom shall I fear?” The law? It is satisfied. Satan? He is conquered. Afflictions? They are sanctified. Death? It is overcome. “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Rom_8:31).
THE SAINT’S REFUGE
(Psa_27:4-6.)
“In time of trouble.” It may be a storm of conscience or of providence. It may be perils from temptation or from the malice of evil men. The soul flies to God and finds shelter.
I. Earnestly sought (Psa_27:4). What? “That I may dwell in the house of the Lord.” Like the priests, he wished to be wholly devoted to God. Like the children of the family, he desired to dwell constantly in his Father’s house. Communion with God was the life of his heart. Such free, affectionate, confiding intercourse with God is greatly to be coveted, and should be sought not as the privilege of special seasons, but as a daily blessing; not as the pleasure of an hour, but as a joy for ever.
2. Why? “To behold the beauty of the Lord.” Luther interprets this of the services of the sanctuary. But it cannot be thus limited. “Beauty” is loveliness. “Beauty of the Lord” is the loveliness of the Lord, all that makes Him an object of admiration and delight. To sinners, the “Beauty of the Lord” is “His glory as it shines in the face of Jesus Christ” “To inquire in His temple.” The deepest instincts of the soul prompt to inquiry. Truth is not born with us, nor can it be obtained irrespective of our own efforts. It must be sought for its own sake. It must be wooed and won, from love, before it can be enjoyed. All right investigation, whether of God’s works or God’s Word, should be conducted as under the eye of God. His temple is wide as the universe.
3. How? With concentration of heart. “One thing.” With constancy of endeavour. “That will I seek after.” When David fled from Absalom, he left behind him his house, his treasures, and all the glory of his crown; but these things were as nothing compared with the worship of God (Psalms 63; 2Sa_15:25). It is only when we make God our Alpha and Omega, the supreme object of our delight and study, that we can hope that He will reveal Himself to us. In our day, there are manifold objects to distract our attention. The claims of the world are constant and oppressive. There is the more need, therefore, for watchfulness and prayer. “Unite my heart to fear Thy name.”
II. Graciously enjoyed (Psa_27:5). Here there is the best shelter in the worst danger. “Pavilion,” “tent,” “rock,” (Lev_23:42; 2Sa_6:17; Psa_60:12). This may express sovereign love. It is all of God’s grace. Righteous defence. The sinner does not hide furtively, but is led by the hand of the Prince. The deliverance is not the mere act of power, but is wrought in righteousness. God is a just God, and a Saviour. The sinner flees to Christ, not to hide from God, but to hide with God (Gen_3:10; Psa_143:9). Inviolable security. “Immutability, eternity, and infinite power here come to the aid of sovereignty and sacrifice. How blessed is the standing of the man whom God Himself sets on high above his foes upon an impregnable rock, which never can be stormed!”—Spurgeon. “He shall set me up upon a rock.” There may be a reminiscence here of the hour when, from the top of the rock, David reproached Abner for his remissness in guarding Saul (1Sa_26:5-16). Rock Rimmon was but a poor retreat. The fugitive may take hold of the horns of the altar, and yet perish (1Ki_2:29). The manslayer might reach the city of refuge, and after all be condemned. But he that trusts in the Lord shall never be moved. The attributes of God, that were once arrayed against the sinner, are now converted into a canopy for his defence.
III. Exultingly acknowledged (Psa_27:6). Here is a burst of delight, like the trumpets of jubilee (Num_10:10; Num_29:1). “Sacrifices of shouting,” a stronger form of expression than the usual “sacrifices of thanksgiving,” and equivalent to “sacrifices accompanied with the loud and glad expression of thankfulness.”—Perowne.
Implies:
1. Manly confidence. “And now shall my head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me.” “Two things make the head hang down—fear and shame. Hope easeth the Christian’s heart of both these, and so forbids him to give any sign of a desponding mind by a dejected countenance.”—W. Gurnall (cf. Psa_110:7; Luk_21:28).
2. Devout gratitude. “Therefore will I offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy.” This indicates the peace-offering, which was expressive of fellowship with God (Leviticus 3; Leviticus 7). Since the peril was past, since the joy of salvation was restored, he would praise God.
3. Exulting joy. “I will sing; yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.” “Sing and celebrate.” The latter verb intimates the accompaniment of instrumental music in the worship of God. David does not speak of jubilations in his palace or feastings in his banqueting-hall, but of songs of praise in the house of God.
PRAYER FOR A TIME OF NEED
(Psa_27:7-12.)
There are lights and shadows in the Christian life. We see this here. “The triumphant strain of confidence now gives way to one of sad and earnest entreaty. Is it (as Calvin) that the Psalmist sought in the former part of the psalm to comfort himself with the review of God’s unfailing strength and protection, that he might with the more reason utter his prayer for help? Or is it not rather, that even while he is thus strengthening himself in his God, a sudden blast of temptation sweeps over his soul, freezing the current of his life,—some fear lest he should be forsaken, some thought of the craft and malice of his enemies,—till now the danger which threatens him is as prominent an object as the salvation and defence were before?”—Perowne. This prayer is characterised by—
I. Deep humility and earnestness (Psa_27:7). Here there is utter self-abandonment. The Psalmist casts himself, sinner as he is, upon the mercy of God. His “cry” finds vent by the “voice.” This gives the more reality and force to the prayer. The craving to be heard is intense. How eagerly do we wait for the reply from a friend to an important letter! So should we watch for God’s answer to our prayers. “Mercy” is the hope of sinners and the joy of saints.
II. Christ-like trust in God’s word (Psa_27:8). “The words, SEEK YE MY FACE, are the words of God, which the servant of God here, as it were, takes from His mouth, that so laying them before God, he may make his appeal the more irresistible. Thou hast said, Seek ye My face. My heart makes these words its own, and builds upon them its resolve. It takes them up and repeats them, ‘Seek ye my face.’ It first claims thus thine own gracious words, O Lord, and then its echo to those words is, ‘Thy face, Lord, I will seek.’ Such is the soul’s dialogue with itself when it would comfort itself in God.”—Perowne. True obedience is prompt, hearty, and unreserved. Not truer is the answer of chord to chord, not readier is the response of the echo to the voice, than the reply of the heart to the call of God.
III. Grateful recognition of God’s favour (Psa_27:9). The face of God means His favour (Psa_31:16; Psa_119:58). To hide the face indicates disapproval and estrangement (Psa_55:1; Isa_53:3; Isa_54:2; Jer_33:5). To put away a servant in wrath expresses the highest dissatisfaction and displeasure. David felt that to be thus treated by God would be the most terrible calamity. Hence his earnest prayer. He was God’s servant, and he could not live without the sunshine of His love. The remembrance of past joys and favours made him the more bold. “Thou hast been my help.” One act of mercy engages God to do another. Urgent pleading rises to full confidence. “Leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.” God’s people may learn here to deprecate desertion, plead experience, expect deliverance.
IV. Steadfast reliance upon God’s faithfulness amidst the failure of earthly comforts (Psa_27:10). During the persecution of Saul, David committed his parents to the care of the king of Moab (1Sa_22:3-4). We do not hear of them again. Sooner or later, children and parents must be separated. As there is no greater earthly comfort than the love of father and mother, so there is no greater earthly calamity than their loss. (Moses, Exo_2:6-9; Ishmael, Genesis 21; Ps. 88:8, 19.) But in such a crisis, God will not fail (Isa_49:15). We may rely upon God in the greatest extremities (Psa_143:12; 1Ti_4:10). Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, “I will not leave you orphans” (Joh_14:18).
V. Practical submission to God’s will is the truest safety (Psa_27:11-12). From weakness within and trials without, we are in constant danger of going astray (Jer_10:23). In dealing with Absalom, David felt that he might err on the side of mildness or of severity. So at other times. God’s way is always the best way. Here it is described, commanded, and sought after. It is right. “Thy way.” It is pleasant. “Plain path.” It is safe. Here it is not the will of the ungodly, but the holy, loving will of God that is regnant (Psa_27:12).
VI. Encouraging self admonition to hope in God for ever (Psa_27:13-14) The psalmist communes with himself. The words are the broken utterance of deep feeling (cf. Gen_31:42; Exo_32:32). Here we see the weakness of the soul. “I had fainted.” Whenever we lose sight of “the goodness of the Lord,” we grow weak. Faith, hope, and love, are ready to fail. The strength of the soul. “Unless I had believed,”—”a cordial made up of three sovereign ingredients—a hope to see, and to see the goodness of God; and the goodness of God in the land of the living.”—Sir R. Baker. “Look unto me and be ye saved.” Inspired with new courage, the believer consecrates himself afresh to God. “There is no more dignified species of worship to be found than that of exemplifying our faith in the omnipotence and wisdom of God, by humble and joyous perseverance under the greatest difficulties.”—Tholuck The great lesson of the psalm comes out at the close, “Wait, I say, on the Lord.”
“Devote yourself to God, and you will find
God fights the battles of a will resigned;
Love Jesus! love will no base fear endure,
Love Jesus! and of conquest rest secure.”
—BISHOP KEER.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Sermon Bible1900 · Public DomainOn v1These words claim a close relation to God. They…
Psa 27:1
These words claim a close relation to God. They profess an entire allegiance to God. They involve the corresponding fealty to God that, howsoever His light may come to the soul, it will admit that light, and joy in it, and be faithful to it.
Read full note →
I. These words are the keynote of a belief the direct contradictory of that system of "non-intervention" which, in order not to be atheistic, admits a First Cause of all created things, but would have it that, having once made this our beautiful world and our own intelligences, He keeps Himself apart from all lives, like the gods of Epicurus, in an eternal repose, and leaves His creation to the regular development of unchanging laws, Himself no more concerned with it than that He pressed those laws upon it.
II. Human nature, even apart from God’s word, still bears witness to the fact that human as well as Divine wisdom comes to us continually supplied by God. The wonderful instincts of genius look like inspirations of the Creator revealing to His creatures the mysteries of His creation.
III. Nor is it only chiefly in intellect that the agency of God shows itself. Who, of all the many millions of mankind, ever succeeded in finding rest out of God? God evidences His working alike in that universal drawing, that varied restlessness, until the heart have found that as universal rest when it has found God.
IV. It is part of the peculiar attractiveness of the Old Testament that God lifts the veil and shows His continued relation to His creatures. Apart from His supernatural workings, it exhibits God in His manifold ways, of acting to us, collectively or independently, in the ordinary doings of His providence.
With God to be is to act. In all eternity He beheld unchangeably all that He would do. In all eternity then He beheld thee. In all eternity He willed to create thee, the object of His boundless love. Now, in this life, is the time of growth in the capacity of receiving that love of God.
E. B. Pusey, Sermons Preached before the University of Oxford, p. 32.
"The Lord is my light." Here only does David, in all his psalms, so speak of the Lord; and, indeed, this exact expression occurs only twice in the Old Testament. "When I sit in darkness," says the prophet Micah, "the Lord shall be a light unto me."
I. "The Lord is my light." David’s was a life of great vicissitudes. His temperament, too, was of a kind which alternates between periods of great exhilaration and great depression. The Lord was his light, the light by which he saw things as they really were when the mists of passion and of self-love would fain have hidden them.
II. Jesus Christ was "the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." He is light because He is what He is: absolute perfection in respect of intellectual truth; absolute perfection in respect of moral beauty. Hence those momentous words, "I am the Light of the world," and hence that confession of the Christian creed, "God of God, Light of Light."
III. "The Lord is my light." Here is a motto for the Church of Christ. In the darkest times of the Church the darkness has never been universal, the sap never dried up; the tradition of light and warmth has been handed on to happier times, when her members could again say with something like truthful accord, "The Lord is my light."
IV. Here, too, is a motto for Christian education. One kind of education only is safe, one only deserves the name, and its governing principle is from age to age, "The Lord is my light."
V. This is the motto of individual Christians. In precisely the sense in which we can truthfully say these words, we are loyal to our Lord Jesus Christ.
H. P. Liddon, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xxiii., p. 24.
References: Psa 27:1.—J. Baldwin Brown, The Higher Life, p. 114; Spurgeon, Evening by Evening, p. 168.
Psa 27:4
Moral effects of communion with God.
I. What is prayer? It is conversing with God. We converse with our fellow-men, and then we use familiar language, because they are our fellows. We converse with God, and then we use the lowliest, awfullest, calmest, concisest language we can, because He is God. Prayer then is Divine converse, differing from human as God differs from man. Prayers and praises are the mode of the Christian’s intercourse with the next world, as the conduct of business or recreation is the mode in which this world is carried on in all its separate courses. He who does not pray does not claim his citizenship with heaven, but lives, though an heir of the kingdom, as if he were a child of earth.
II. Now it is not surprising if that duty or privilege which is the characteristic token of our heavenly inheritance should also have a special influence upon our fitness for claiming it. He who does not pray not only suspends the enjoyment, but is in a way to lose the possession, of his Divine citizenship. The case is like that of a language or style of speaking of this world; we know well a foreigner from a native. Prayer has a natural effect in spiritualising and elevating the soul. A man is no longer what he was before: gradually, imperceptibly to himself, he has imbibed a new set of ideas, and become imbued with fresh principles. He is as one coming from the King’s courts, with a grace, a delicacy, a dignity, a propriety, a freshness of thought and taste, a clearness and firmness of principle, all his own. As speech is the organ of human society and the means of human civilisation, so is prayer the instrument of Divine fellowship and Divine training.
III. We know how men feel and act when they come to die; they discharge their worldly affairs from their mind, and try to realise the unseen state. They are leaving their goods, their deeds, their sayings, their writings, their names, behind them; and they care not for them, for they wait for Christ. To one thing alone they are alive: His coming; they watch against it, if so be they may then be found without shame. Such is the conduct of dying men. And what all but the very hardened do at the last, if the senses fail not and their powers hold, that does the true Christian all his life long; and therefore day by day he unlearns the love of this world and the desire of its praise: he can bear to belong to the nameless family of God, and to seem to the world strange in it and out of place, for so he is.
J. H. Newman, Selection from the "Parochial and Plain Sermons" 1878, p. 349 (see also vol. iv., p. 226).
I. The believer’s confidence is simple and sincere. "One thing have I desired of the Lord." One thought has the mastery in his soul over all other thoughts; one aim gives unity and concentration to all his efforts; one affection draws all other impulses and desires into its swift current. The double-minded man is unstable in all his ways, but this singleness of heart gives the life a clear and steadfast aim, binds all its parts into harmonious consistency, inspires it with continuous hope, braces and invigorates it with celestial strength.
II. This confidence is essentially of a spiritual character. The "one thing" which the Psalmist desired was that he "might dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life." Well David knew that a very different lot was appointed him than in the peaceful and cloistered retirement of the Temple; that it would be his one day to sit on the throne of Israel, to go forth as their leader to battle, to do judgment and justice, as the father of his people, in the gate. Set there and thus, he might be as closely encircled by the sense of the Divine presence, and as consciously drawing strength, and happiness, and peace from inward communion with his God, as if he had been keeping perpetual vigil before the altar.
III. This confidence in God was calm and joyous. It enabled him to say that in the time of trouble God would hide him in His pavilion, and set his feet upon a rock. When things are at the darkest, the believer has a bright outlook into the future, and may be assured that nothing can reach or affect the sources of his confidence. Within the circle of the Divine protection, his life is unassailable. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee."
J. D. Burns, Family Treasury, April, 1863
I. Beauty at first was conceived of as physical. Probably the earliest admiration of it as a moral quality was in the conception of courage. Then men learned, at a later stage, not only that courage is beautiful, but that suffering and self-sacrifice are beautiful. Everybody understands that love is beautiful. And so, step by step, moral qualities come to be considered beautiful. In general, as beauty rises, it rises from the material towards the spiritual, and in the spiritual it is appreciated in the proportion in which men are themselves developed so as to recognise, to love, to revere, that which is spiritual.
II. The Old Testament was, in the first place, full of a rapturous admiration of God as presented in nature. Then comes the long period of the development of physical ideas of beauty into spiritual ideas; and this the whole New Testament borrows clear down to the last book. Then comes Revelation and again lifts up the old standard, and fills its mighty chambers with the glory and beauty borrowed from the heaven, from the earth, from time, and from imagined eternity. When at last we are purged from sense and flesh, and rise to behold God as He is, then the beautifulness of God, as well as His graciousness, love, and tender mercy, will fill the soul with admiration for ever and for ever.
H. W. Beecher, Sermons, 1882-3, p. 221.
I. Notice David’s singleness of purpose in worship. The idea of worship was a ruling thought that kept every other thought of his mind in subjection to itself; it was a central thought around which every other object revolved. (1) Mark the intensity of David’s desire: "That will I seek after." Genuinely earnest desires are living seeds that germinate and bring forth precious fruit in good works. The earnest soul should not rest until it realises its spiritual aspirations. (2) Observe the source from whence the Psalmist hoped to obtain his object: "One thing have I desired of the Lord."
II. Notice the particular place where he desired to worship: "That I may dwell in the house of the Lord." He desired, above all things, that his life should be spiritual—decidedly and supremely spiritual. (1) Observe that David had a particular object in view in going into the house of the Lord. He entered it "to behold the beauty of the Lord." The beauty of the Lord is His holiness. David desired to behold it that he might be changed into the same image. (2) Observe the inquisitiveness of the Psalmist’s spirit in the house of God: "To inquire in His temple" He entered the house of the Lord to learn.
III. Notice David’s determination to persevere in the worship of the true God: "That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life." If the soul is to be carefully nourished, it must have assiduous and constant attention all the days of our life. The Psalmist desired to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life (1) because it gave him a sense of safety; (2) because it gave him a sweet sense of rest.
D. Rhys Jenkins, The Eternal Life, p. 88.
References: Psa 27:4.—Christian World Pulpit, vol. xi., p. 113, and vol. xxiv., p. 163; G. Matheson, Moments on the Mount, p. 106; G. Brooks, Outlines of Sermons, p. 251; A. Watson, Sermons for Sundays, Festivals, and Fasts, 3rd series, p. 304; S. Cox, The Bird’s Nest, p. 328; J. M. Neale, Sermons on Passages of the Psalms, p. 28. Psa 27:5.—Ibid., pp. 39, 46.
Psa 27:8
The text divides itself into two parts. We have (1) God’s address to man; (2) man’s reply to God.
I. God’s address to man: "Thou saidst, Seek ye My face." (1) Here we have the origin of all true religion. It begins with God. All who know anything about quarrels among men know that, as a rule, the offended party is generally the first to seek a reconciliation. This is gloriously true of the great quarrel between God and man. Man had sinned, and God was angry with man. Did He wait for man to come and Confess his ingratitude and sinfulness? We know He did not. "Because He delighteth in mercy," He spoke first. The first day of man’s sin was the first day of God’s revelation of mercy. (2) God also speaks first to each individual. He is ever ready to receive us, and the moment the sinner draws back the bars and bolts which have kept the door shut in His face "the King of glory will come in." (3) The text also shows us the nature of religion: "Seek ye My face." This means "Come to Me." When God says this, do not the words imply that (a) we are at a distance from Him, (b) that there is a possibility of coming to Him? Sin is put away as the legal obstacle to man’s salvation. This then is religion, the heart coming back to God.
II. We have man’s reply to God: "Thy face, Lord, will I seek." (1) The answer was personal. There is great danger in this age of companies of our losing ourselves in the form of humanity. Our spiritual affairs must all be done individually. (2) The answer was prompt: "When Thou saidst." (3) It was decided: "Thy face, Lord, will I seek." (4) It was explicit. David means just what God means. (5) The answer came from the right place: "My heart said unto Thee." What the heart says God always hears.
C. Garrett, Catholic Sermons, vol. ii., p. 37.
Everything which is really good in this world is the reflection of a great, original, perfect good, which lies far away out of sight: our happiness of its happiness, our holiness of its holiness, our love of its love. All the beautiful objects in nature are only visible transcripts of some beautiful ideas which lay from all eternity in the mind of God. So that when God called creation forth into existence, it was only His own thoughts taking form and coming back again to Himself. Our acceptances are only the echo of God’s invitations.
I. If you would make a call effectual, you must receive it into the innermost recesses of your soul and recognise and feel the nature of the claim which He who speaks has upon the things He calls. Remember that it is the right of an absolute Sovereign. Even according to earthly rules a royal invitation is an invitation indeed, but it is also a command, and it may not be refused. But it is not in sovereignty only, it is in love, He has called you. All you have to do is to let yourselves be placed within those majestic influences of His powerful affection, that you may be drawn in and towards the centre.
II. Another most important part of the right reception of the call lies in the quickness, the instantaneousness, of the obedience: "When Thou saidst." The appeal and the reply are coeval. There is a "Now or never" in God’s calls. God’s calls and invitations are not always such things as we should have expected. They often fall strangely. Upon our faithfulness to each one in succession depend the vividness and the power with which the other will fall.
III. There is one thing which appears to characterise every call; i.e., a call to action. There is always something to be done, and to do the act is to accept the call.
J. Vaughan, Fifty Sermons, 1874, p. 93.
The law of creation and the law of salvation are one law, one thing. The sun says to the planets, "Children, seek ye my face." The planets reply, "We will; thy face will we seek. We are cold, dreary, bloomless, and barren; we are fruitless and hopeless; we will seek thy face." And forthwith the planets climb and climb, a six months’ climb, from January to June, to the zenith, to the meeting face to face. What then? All that summer and harvest mean follows: light, heat, blossom, love, song; the whole earth is quickened and filled with beauty and good fruits. Infinitely greater is the summer which results from the direct relationship of the spirit-face of God and the spirit-face of man, the all-giving face of our infinite Creator, Lover, Father, Saviour, and the receiving faces of His sons and daughters.
I. The light of God’s face, called also the light of His glory, is not what we mean by substance, and yet it works in all substance, and all the beauty in the universe comes from it. It is marvellous because it transcends natural life; it is marvellous because it is God in the soul; it is marvellous because there is an endlessness of life and joy in it: it is life unspeakable, purer and nobler than nature knows anything about.
II. Think of Christ then as the light of God’s face, not as a name, not as a historical Person simply, but as the light of God’s face for ever and ever, and therefore the light of the soul as the Opener of heaven’s boundlessness in the soul. The illuminating, the regenerating, transcendent, transfiguring element of every human spirit—that is what we mean by Christ.
III. In the light of the world you never know yourselves, you never can value yourselves. You will value yourselves ten thousandfold more than you ever did when you see yourselves in the light of God’s face. Your hope will rise then, and set no more for ever.
IV. When does God say, "Seek ye My face"? He says it especially in the way and at the time that our heart is most disposed to hear it. In your first real trouble His heart begins to touch your heart in a secret way, and His living presence is pleading, "Seek ye My face." The world cannot help you and comfort you. The deeper instincts of your heart spring up in the day of trouble towards God, and God sees it, for you are palpitating within yourself to meet His face.
J. Pulsford, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xxii., p. 193.
References: Psa 27:8.—J. P. Chown, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xiv., p. 1; H. Melvill, Penny Pulpit, No. 2213; C. Garrett, Loving Counsels, p. 81; Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xiii., No. 767; G. Forbes, The Voice of God in the Psalms, p. 198. Psa 27:8, Psa 27:9.—A. Maclaren, Old Testament Outlines, p. 105; see also Sunday Magazine, 1881, p. 458; Preacher’s Monthly, vol. iv., p. 7. Psa 27:9.—Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xix., No. 1144.
Psa 27:11
The map of life is a network of roads; and the broadest and those that present themselves most readily to the eye are not generally the best, and the narrow ones are very hard to find, while every heart is naturally bent to its own way—wayward.
I. Notice, first, the Teacher. And here we find at once the Three Persons in the Trinity, all uniting to make the one office of Teacher. David, addressing the Father, says, "Teach me to do Thy will;" of Christ Nicodemus bare witness, "We know that Thou art a Teacher come from God;" and of the Holy Ghost Christ Himself foretold it as His blessed office, "He shall teach you all things." So the teaching enshrines itself in Trinity.
II. The expression is not "Show me Thy way," but "Teach me Thy way." Showing may be an instantaneous act, but teaching is a process. We learn gradually; we learn by study; we learn by effort; we learn by discipline. It is no little thing you ask, and it is no little submission and work and faith that you commit yourself to, when you say to God, "Teach me Thy way."
III. One of the most difficult things in life, and a difficulty often repeating itself, is a distinction between a leading providence and a temptation. Never accept anything as a providence till you have asked God to throw light upon it, to show whether it be indeed of Him. You may, through the not seeing or through the not using all the answers which God will assuredly give you, make mistakes in life; but if you are diligent in the use of this little prayer, you may say, with David, "I shall not greatly err."
J. Vaughan, Sermons, 11th series, p. 5.
Psa 27:13
The text puts before us:—
I. A future experience embraced or anticipated by faith. It indicates the sustaining power of such anticipation. (1) The goodness of God is His kindness. Of the kindness of God we may remark: (a) it is natural; (b) it is infinite; (c) it is eternal; (d) it is perfect in quality; (e) it is the goodness which creates goodness. (2) The knowledge David had of the goodness of God was derived from three sources: (a) the history of its manifestation to man from his creation; (b) the story of its expression to David’s own people and nation; (c) his own experience of it from his childhood. (3) David’s faith rested (a) on the promises of God; (b) on the character of God; (c) on the uniform conduct of God as requiring that which is past; (d) his past and present experience.
II. See how David’s faith wrought. (1) It occupied his thoughts pleasantly and profitably. (2) It saved him from the misery of despondency and despair. (3) It gave him courage in danger. (4) It made him patient. (5) It was his shield against many fiery darts and heavy thrusts. (6) It kept him from accounting life a burden and death an object of eager desire. (7) It checked any tendency to yield himself to his circumstances and to do "evil that good might come."
S. Martin, Comfort in Trouble, p. 20.
References: Psa 27:13.—Spurgeon, vol. xiii., No. 766; W. G. Horder, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xxviii., p. 82.
Psa 27:14
I. How we are to wait on God. (1) We are to wait on God in His ordinances. (2) We are to wait on God in His ordinances with faith and perseverance.
II. They that wait on the Lord shall receive strength. God shall make good His promise, "As thy days are, so shall thy strength be."
T. Guthrie, The Way to Life, p. 282.
References: Psa 27:14.—Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxiii., No. 1371; Ibid., Morning by Morning, p. 243.
Psa 27:14
No state is more dreary than that of the repentant sinner when first he understands where he is and begins to turn his thoughts towards the Great Master whom He has offended. A man finds that he has a great work to do, and does not know how to do it, or even what it is; and his impatience and restlessness are as great as his conscious ignorance; indeed, he is restless because he is ignorant. There is great danger of his taking wrong steps, inasmuch as he is anxious to move and does not know whither.
I. Repentant sinners are often impatient to put themselves upon some new line of action or to adopt some particular rule of life. It commonly happens that God does not disclose His will to them at once, and for that will they ought to wait, whereas they are impatient; and when God’s will does not clearly appear, they try to persuade themselves that they have ascertained it when they have not. St. Paul should be the pattern of the true penitent here.
II. Next, I would say to such persons as I have described, Be on your guard, not only against becoming committed to some certain mode of life or object of exertion, but guard against excess in such penitential observances as have an immediate claim upon you and are private in their exercise. All things are done by degrees. All things, through God’s grace, may come in time, but not at once. As well might a child think to grow at once into a man as the incipient penitent become suddenly like St. Paul the aged.
III. When persons are in acute distress about their sins, they are sometimes tempted to make rash promises and to take on them professions without counting the cost. Perhaps they have even been imprudent enough to make their engagement in the shape of a vow, and this greatly increases their difficulty. This shows how very wrong it is to make private vows. It is safer and more expedient to make it a point ever to pray God for that gift or that state which they covet.
IV. When men are in the first fervour of penitence, they should be careful not to act on their own private judgment and without proper advice. Not only in forming lasting engagements, but in all that they do, they need a calmer guidance than their own. As no one would ever dream of being his own lawyer or his own physician, so we must take it for granted, if we would serve God comfortably, that we cannot be our own divines and our own casuists.
J. H. Newman, Sermons on Subjects of the Day, p. 41.
The Sermon Bible, ed. William Robertson Nicoll (1888–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
F. W. Grant1903 · Public DomainOn v1The heart’s desire after Jehovah’s house and face.
The heart’s desire after Jehovah’s house and face.
[A psalm] of David.
Read full note →
The third psalm of this series emphasizes the positive side of the separation, from evil, that which makes it true sanctification, the longing desire after Jehovah Himself. This has been already expressed in the previous psalm, but here it is the theme. And this being the fruit of Jehovah’s own work in the soul, -the response to His own invitation and command to seek His face, -how could the faithful and unchangeable One possibly deny or draw back from him who now drew near to Him? He had said, "Seek ye My face!" could He have said that in vain? Here then is a third ground of confidence for the heart; and it is a sure one at all times. He who has said, "Come unto Me, and I will give you rest," has added to this no limiting word, to be a means of doubt and self-torture to him who would gladly obey His invitation. Nay, He has taken care rather to give special assurance to the laboring and heavy-laden, to those consciously sinners, to the "lost," that His salvation is for them. And to all that come, without exception, He has declared: "Him that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out." Well may this then be a perfect ground of confidence for the soul that turns to Him for refuge from sin and self, from the judgment to come, from the uncontrollable evil within. Here is the one Haven of refuge, the Shelter from the storm, the Rock of defence: and "blessed are all they that put their trust in Him."
1. The psalm begins with a joyous strain of confidence, in which all fear is dismissed as unworthy and impossible. "Jehovah is my light and my salvation: of whom shall I be afraid? Jehovah is the stronghold of my life: of whom shall I be in dread?" The argument is short and complete; all the more complete that it does not look round or take account of any special evils, but looks up, and only needs to look up, into Jehovah’s face. The "light" not merely manifests what is around me: it is God Himself who is manifested in it; and thus His own character becomes the conscious security of the soul. What an assurance -what a joy and blessing the light is! Beauty, warmth, the vigor of life itself, are all found in it; and thus salvation is closely connected with this primary thought. The light of the first day meant salvation out of its ruin for that world which it disclosed yet buried under the waters; the first pulsation of its rays was the throb of a new life which had come in for it. And with God known the light apprehended is the dawn of an endless day, the power of an eternal life begun, which is but the inner process accomplishing of His salvation.
2. Now we have the testimony of deliverance experienced and the argument from that experience. But the argument transcends the experience: the enemies that he has seen defeated swell into a host, the single battle lengthens into a war, and the sounds of strife which he imagines awaking around have no power to disturb his perfect tranquility. Experience has only called forth the intuition of faith which is not to be measured by it: to which indeed all experience must and does conform, because the law which underlies it has no exception. How grandly is Jehovah, the Unchangeable, realized in these abiding laws of His, which pervade the spiritual realm as they do the natural!
3. Thus the heart reposes in God its strength; and God becomes its one desire and sufficiency. "One thing have I asked of Jehovah; this do I seek after: that I may dwell in Jehovah’s house all the days of my life, to behold the graciousness of Jehovah, and to inquire in His temple." One can imagine the attraction for a true Israelite of that place where Jehovah dwelt in the midst of the people, even though the inner sanctuary could not be penetrated. Faith would still, as it were, penetrate it, and God not withhold Himself from the heart thus longing after Him. These longings the Psalms exhibit to us, and they constitute largely the charm of this precious book. To us the "graciousness of Jehovah" has been displayed in a way which makes all that was known before to be only rudimentary knowledge. He has unveiled His glory. He has come out to walk amongst men. He has given us boldness to enter into the holiest, and an abiding place in His presence as priests and worshipers. And yet how little are we beyond the admonition of these yearnings of the men of an elder time! This "one thing" which some of them could speak of, -this burning, seraphic longing after One to sense the Invisible, -have we no need of self-questioning whether to us it is the passion that these psalms express? Ah, have we not need of it? Think of the complete revelation of God now made to us; think of the open volume of Scripture in our hand; think of how of necessity the soul thirsting after God must turn to these stores of heavenly treasures, infinite yet accessible, and exult in the search, with the Spirit given to us, of the "deep things of God" (1Co 2:10); think of the intercourse, the communion, enjoyed by those who will come together to compare their individual gains in this way, sharing with others that which in being divided increases the more we divide it. There is no need to ask the extent to which all this is realized; and there can be only deepest humiliation in thinking of how little beyond the surface of Scripture we are or care to be. "To inquire in His temple," when its roof is the whole arch of heaven, -when its length stretches from the beginnings of history to the end of prophecy, -when His word and work unite in Christ as the Life-Centre and glory of all! -ah, how is it possible to imagine how little in eighteen centuries of a completed Bible and the indwelling Spirit has been attained!
The security of the sanctuary the psalmist dwells on next. "He shall lay me up in His pavilion in the day of evil; in the secret of His tent will He secrete me: He will lift me high upon a rock."
The immediate application here is to human adversaries, though the literal sanctuary furnishes, as is evident, only the figure of spiritual truths of much wider range. For us how surely it is true that the way of escape from spiritual foes is just what is here indicated! God has indeed lifted us high upon the rock-foundation of Christ’s blessed work; and in Him entered into the heavenly sanctuary, we are securely hidden from the enemy. "Because I live," He says, "ye shall live also" (Joh 14:19). He there too is our sanctification; and "we all, beholding the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory" (2Co 3:18). Thus the sanctuary is our safe retreat at all times: it is the place where the world takes its true shape for us, where the entanglement with it is loosed, the darkness and mists disappear, sin is rebuked and banished, the holiness of truth is found. The peace of that serene Presence encloses us as with the glory of an eternal summer, unvexed by even the threatening of a storm. Here the head is lifted up over all enemies therefore, and the sacrifice of praise becomes the necessary relief of a full and grateful heart.
4. From all this blessing and joy we drop into a state of trial, in which the voice of supplication is heard instead of praise, and that in tones of distress and uncertainty. Such alternations are common enough and rapid enough in the Psalms, and in the experience of those whose utterance the Psalms are. But the depths that the soul is plumbing are not bottomless. In the place of testing, the ground of his confidence is tested and found firm; and the language of faith becomes thus the language of experience also.
The cry is still to the Unchangeable (Jehovah), and this is the bottom in which faith’s anchor alone can hold. The cry is for grace and needed answer, and then what gives confidence is declared and pleaded. This is Jehovah’s own invitation and command to seek His face; to which faith has answered earnestly and gladly. The suppliant could say, "I do seek Thy face, Jehovah." And would He now hide that glorious face, and repel with anger him that sought Him? nay, would He, as it were, deny the help that He had given, and though the God looked to for salvation, cast off and forsake? No, assuredly; this could not be: the ground is firm, and the anchor holds; experience will confirm and not put the soul’s confidence to shame: father and mother might forsake, but not He from whom came these relationships, with all their tender affection. They might forsake; not He: and if they did, all the more would Jehovah’s pitifulness be shown out. Such an outcast would be the object of His special care.
5. Thus relieved and quieted, even though the circumstances remain unchanged, these can be made all the more an argument with the Lord to manifest His care. First of all, to make known His way: for there no pitfall is, and there He, the Wise and Strong, is. The real sense of weakness will not suffer us to seek our own will, but the contrary. What wisdom of our own can be like His? what tenderness like His? And under the eyes of those watching for one’s halting, the path with Him will be found really the smooth one, for before Him the mountains are leveled to a plain.
Oppressors are still there, false witnesses, those whose panting eagerness breathes out violence: these the suppliant points out to the Guide and Guard with whom He goes. But he walks firmly, if humbly, counting on deliverance. And the pressure felt in the soul is only made known in the outburst which at the same time reveals the confidence which supports it, -"If I had not believed" -but then I do! -"to see Jehovah’s goodness in the land of the living!"
And now a lesson of experience fitly closes the fifth section of this psalm. It is a very brief and a very simple one; yet it is a lesson of perfection, declared in the Word to be that: for "let patience have her perfect work," and we shall be "perfect and entire, wanting nothing." (Jas 1:4.) What a glorious result of so simple a matter! "Wait on Jehovah!" wait, and not weakly and timidly, for the call to patience is no cause for fear: "be strong, and let thy heart take courage!" Such, thank God, is the wisdom derived from an "experience" that "worketh hope." (Rom 5:4.) This harvest is assured to him that quietly will sleep and rise, and let it grow. Test it, prove it, whoever will! who is there that may not prove it for himself? there is none! Let the glad, sure hope cheer the darkest hours with its comfort:
"Wait -wait -on Jehovah."
F. W. Grant, The Numerical Bible (4th ed., 1903) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Alexander MacLaren1905 · Public DomainOn v4
Psalms
GOD’S GUESTS
Read full note →
Psa 27:4.
We shall do great injustice to this mystical aspiration of the Psalmist, if we degrade it to be the mere expression of a desire for unbroken residence in a material Temple. He was no sickly, sentimental seeker after cloistered seclusion. He knew the necessities and duties of life far better than in a cowardly way to wish to shirk them, in order that he might loiter in the temple, idle under the pretence of worship. Nor would the saying fit into the facts of the case if we gave it that low meaning, for no person had his residence in the temple. And what follows in the next verse would, on that hypothesis, be entirely inappropriate. ‘In the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me.’ No one went into the secret place of the Most High, in the visible, material structure, except the high priest once a year. But this singer expects that his abode will be there always; and that, in the time of trouble, he can find refuge there.
Apart altogether from any wider considerations as to the relation between form and spirit under the Old Covenant, I think that such observations compel us to see in these words a desire a great deal nobler and deeper than any such wish.
I. Let us, then, note the true meaning of this aspiration of the Psalmist.
Its fulfilment depends not on where we are, but on what we think and feel; for every place is God’s house, and what the Psalmist desires is that he should be able to keep up unbroken consciousness of being in God’s presence and should be always in touch with Him.
That seems hard, and people say, ‘Impossible! how can I get above my daily work, and be perpetually thinking of God and His will, and consciously realising communion with Him?’ But there is such a thing as having an undercurrent of consciousness running all through a man’s life and mind; such a thing as having a melody sounding in our ears perpetually, ‘so sweet we know not we are listening to it’ until it stops, and then, by the poverty of the naked and silent atmosphere, we know how musical were the sounds that we scarcely knew that we heard, and yet did hear so well high above all the din of earth’s noises.
Every man that has ever cherished such an aspiration as this knows the difficulties all too well. And yet, without entering upon thorny and unprofitable questions as to whether the absolute, unbroken continuity of consciousness of being in God’s presence is possible for men here below, let us look at the question, which has a great deal more bearing upon our present condition-viz. whether a greater continuity of that consciousness is not possible than we attain to to-day. It does seem to me to be a foolish and miserable waste of time and temper and energy for good people to be quarrelling about whether they can come to the absolute realisation of this desire in this world, when there is not one of them who is not leagues below the possible realisation of it, and knows that he is. At all events, whether or not the line can be drawn without a break at all, the breaks might be a great deal shorter and a great deal less frequent than they are. An unbroken line of conscious communion with God is the ideal; and that is what this singer desired and worked for. How many of my feelings and thoughts to-day, or of the things that I have said or done since I woke this morning, would have been done and said and felt exactly the same, if there were not a God at all, or if it did not matter in the least whether I ever came into touch with Him or not? Oh, dear friends! it is no vain effort to bring our lives a little nearer that unbroken continuity of communion with Him of which this text speaks. And God knows, and we each for ourselves know, how much and how sore our need is of such a union. ‘One thing have I desired, that will I seek after; that I, in my study; I, in my shop; I, in my parlour, kitchen, or nursery; I, in my studio; I, in my lecture-hall-’may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.’ In our ‘Father’s house are many mansions.’ The room that we spend most of our lives in, each of us, at our tasks or our work-tables may be in our Father’s house, too; and it is only we that can secure that it shall be.
The inmost meaning of this Psalmist’s desire is that the consciousness of God shall be diffused throughout the whole of a man’s days, instead of being coagulated here and there at points. The Australian rivers in a drought present a picture of the Christian life of far too many of us-a stagnant, stinking pool here, a stretch of blinding gravel there; another little drop of water a mile away, then a long line of foul-smelling mud, and then another shallow pond. Why! it ought to run in a clear stream that has a scour in it and that will take all filth off the surface.
The Psalmist longed to break down the distinction between sacred and secular; to consecrate work, of whatsoever sort it was. He had learned what so many of us need to learn far more thoroughly, that if our religion does not drive the wheels of our daily business, it is of little use; and that if the field in which our religion has power to control and impel is not that of the trivialities and secularities of our ordinary life, there is no field for it at all.
‘All the days of my life.’ Not only on Wednesday nights, while Tuesday and Thursday are given to the world and self; not only on Sundays; not for five minutes in the morning, when I am eager to get to my daily work, and less than five minutes at night, when I am half asleep, but through the long day, doing this, that, and the other thing for God and by God and with God, and making Him the motive and the power of my course, and my Companion to heaven. And if we have, in our lives, things over which we cannot make the sign of the cross, the sooner we get rid of them the better; and if there is anything in our daily work, or in our characters, about which we are doubtful, here is a good test: does it seem to check our continual communion with God, as a ligature round the wrist might do the continual flow of the blood, or does it help us to realise His presence? If the former, let us have no more to do with it; if the latter, let us seek to increase it.
II. And now let me say a word about the Psalmist’s reason for this aspiration.
The word which he employs carries with it a picture which is even more vividly given us by a synonymous word employed in the same connection in some of the other psalms. ‘That I may dwell in the house of the Lord’-now, that is an allusion, not only, as I think, to the Temple, but also to the Oriental habit of giving a man who took refuge in the tent of the sheikh, guest-rites of protection and provision and friendship. The habit exists to this day, and travellers among the Bedouins tell us lovely stories of how even an enemy with the blood of the closest relative of the owner of the tent on his hands, if he can once get in there and partake of the salt of the host, is safe, and the first obligation of the owner of the tent is to watch over the life of the fugitive as over his own. So the Psalmist says, ‘I desire to have guest-rites in Thy tent; to lift up its fold, and shelter there from the heat of the desert. And although I be dark and stained with many evils and transgressions against Thee, yet I come to claim the hospitality and provision and protection and friendship which the laws of the house do bestow upon a guest.’ Carrying out substantially the same idea, Paul tells the Ephesians, as if it were the very highest privilege that the Gospel brought to the Gentiles: ‘Ye are no more strangers, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God’; incorporated into His family, and dwelling safely in His pavilion as their home.
That is to say, the blessedness of keeping up such a continual consciousness of touch with God is, first and foremost, the certainty of infallible protection. Oh! how it minimises all trouble and brightens all joys, and calms amidst all distractions, and steadies and sobers in all circumstances, to feel ever the hand of God upon us! He who goes through life, finding that, when he has trouble to meet, it throws him back on God, and that when bright mornings of joy drive away nights of weeping, these wake morning songs of praise, and are brightest because they shine with the light of a Father’s love, will never be unduly moved by any vicissitudes of fortune. Like some inland and sheltered valley, with great mountains shutting it in, that ‘heareth not the loud winds when they call’ beyond the barriers that enclose it, our lives may be tranquilly free from distraction, and may be full of peace, of nobleness, and of strength, on condition of our keeping in God’s house all the days of our lives.
There is another blessing that will come to the dweller in God’s house, and that not a small one. It is that, by the power of this one satisfied longing, driven like an iron rod through all the tortuosities of my life, there will come into it a unity which otherwise few lives are ever able to attain, and the want of which is no small cause of the misery that is great upon men. Most of us seem, to our own consciousness, to live amidst endless distractions all our days, and our lives to be a heap of links parted from each other rather than a chain. But if we have that one constant thought with us, and if we are, through all the variety of occupations, true to the one purpose of serving and keeping near God, then we have a charm against the frittering away of our lives in distractions, and the misery of multiplicity; and we enter into the blessedness of unity and singleness of purpose; and our lives become, like the starry heavens in all the variety of their motions, obedient to one impulse. For unity in a life does not depend upon the monotony of its tasks, but upon the simplicity of the motive which impels to all varieties of work. So it is possible for a man harassed by multitudinous avocations, and drawn hither and thither by sometimes apparently conflicting and always bewildering, rapidly-following duties, to say, ‘This one thing I do,’ if all his doings are equally acts of obedience to God.
III. So, lastly, note the method by which this desire is realised.
‘One thing have I desired, . . . that will I seek after’ There are two points to be kept in view to that end. A great many people say, ‘One thing have I desired,’ and fail in persistent continuousness of the desire. No man gets rights of residence in God’s house for a longer time than he continues to seek for them. The most advanced of us, and those that have longest been like Anna, who ‘departed not from the Temple,’ day nor night, will certainly eject ourselves unless, like the Psalmist, we use the verbs in both tenses, and say, ‘One thing have I desired . . . that will I seek after.’ John Bunyan saw that there was a back door to the lower regions close by the gates of the Celestial City. There may be men who have long lived beneath the shadow of the sanctuary, and at the last will be found outside the gates.
But the words of the text not only suggest, by the two tenses of the verbs, the continuity of the desire which is destined to be granted, but also by the two verbs themselves-desire and seek after-the necessity of uniting prayer and work. Many desires are unsatisfied because conduct does not correspond to desires. Many a prayer remains unanswered because its pray-ers never do anything to fulfil their prayers. I do not say they are hypocrites; certainly they are not consciously so, but I do say that there is a large measure of conventionality that means nothing, in the prayers of average Christian people for more holiness and likeness to Jesus Christ.
Dear friends! if we truly wish this desire of dwelling in the house of the Lord to be fulfilled, the day’s work must run in the same direction as the morning’s petition, and we must, like the Psalmist, say, ‘I have desired it of the Lord, so I, for my part, will seek after it.’ Then, whether or not we reach absolutely to the standard, which is none the less to be aimed at, though it seems beyond reach, we shall arrive nearer and nearer to it; and, God helping our weakness and increasing our strength, quickening us to ‘desire,’ and upholding us to ‘seek after,’ we may hope that, when the days of our life are past, we shall but remove into an upper chamber, more open to the sunrise and flooded with light; and shall go no more out, but ‘dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.’
Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (1904–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. R. Dummelow1909 · Public DomainOn v1This Ps. falls naturally into two parts, Psa_27:1-6 and…
This Ps. falls naturally into two parts, Psa_27:1-6 and Psa_27:7-14, which are in such marked contrast as to make it probable that here, as in Psalms 19, two independent poems have been combined. The one breathes a spirit of fearless and triumphant confidence in the face of hostile armies, while the other, though trustful, is the prayer of one in deep distress, orphaned and beset by false accusers. The warlike tone of Psa_27:1-6 is in favour of ascribing them to David, and Psa_27:5-6 do not necessarily imply a reference to the Temple, which would be inconsistent with this view.
1. Strength] in the sense of 'stronghold': see Psa_18:2.
Read full note →
2. To eat up my flesh] like wild beasts of prey. They stumbled and fell] Past victories inspire present confidence: cp. David's words to Saul (1Sa_17:34-36).
3. In this] RV 'even then.'
4. Dwell in the house of the lord] as the guest of Jehovah: see Psa_23:6. The figure suggests constant fellowship with God.
Beauty] RM 'pleasantness,' the gracious aspect of the divine Host. To enquire in his temple (or palace)] to find out all that such intercourse with God can teach.
5. The abode of Jehovah, like the tent of a desert chieftain, affords protection as well as hospitality. The figure of Psa_27:4-5 may have been based on the visible dwelling-place of Jehovah at Jerusalem, and if so the words used need imply nothing more than the temporary structure erected by David.
8. The original is condensed, but the words in italics express the thought. This v. gives the essence of all divine revelation and of all human response to it. Seek ye my face] as a visitor seeks access to the presence of an Oriental king. The figure is continued in Psa_27:9.
10. RV 'For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but,' etc.
11. A plain path] not a path clearly marked, but one that is level and safe.
13. I had fainted] is a phrase supplied to complete the sense of the abbreviated original. The land of the living] as opposed to Sheol, the state of the dead—an illustration of the value of the present life for OT. faith.
J. R. Dummelow, A Commentary on the Holy Bible (Macmillan, 1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Arno C. Gaebelein1922 · Public DomainOn v1Psalm 27
Psalm 27
Holy Longings and Anticipations
Read full note →
1. Confidence in the Lord (Psa 27:1-3)
2. Longings and anticipations (Psa 27:4-6)
3. Earnest prayer in trial and trust in the Lord (Psa 27:7-14)
Psa 27:1-3. This Psalm leads us deeper. We repeat that primarily it is a rehearsal of David’s experience, perhaps at the time of Absalom’s rebellion. Here faith breaks through in triumph, with deep longings for the house of the Lord and for His presence, which is followed by a description of the trials through which the godly Israelites will pass in the future. He is light, salvation and the strength of life; thus faith lays hold on the Lord and in view all fear and terror must vanish. “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” It belongs to us all. Yet greater is the shout of faith uttered on the pinnacle of our great Salvation Epistle, Rom 8:1-39 --”If God be for us, who can be against us?”
Psa 27:4-6. Heart longings and blessed anticipations follow. They long for the earthly sanctuary, we for our heavenly abode. Their desire is to dwell in the house of the Lord--to behold the beauty of the Lord--to inquire in His temple. And we too desire to be with Him, to behold Him face to face, and what it will mean then to inquire in His holy temple! What it will be when up yonder we shall no longer look into a glass darkly! Then follows praise. Their heads will be lifted up--”therefore will I offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto Jehovah.” And while Israel will sing on earth when their earthly hope and deliverance has come, the praises of His church will fill the heavens above.
Psa 27:7-14. Once more we hear the cry in distress. The present trouble which is upon them comes into view. They plead, “leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation”--a prayer which no true Christian believer needs to pray.
Arno C. Gaebelein, The Annotated Bible (1913–1922) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann1924 · Public DomainOn v1The Believer’s Trust in God and His Word.
The Believer’s Trust in God and His Word.
A psalm of David, written probably about the same time as the preceding one, picturing the state of mind of one who is persecuted ’Without cause and longs for the blessings of the worship in the midst of the congregation.
Read full note →
v. 1. The Lord is my Light, the only Source of all spiritual light, and my Salvation, He who saves him from the darkness of oppression and persecution; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the Strength of my life, his Stronghold, his Bulwark, his sure Defense, keeping his life from destruction; of whom shall I be afraid? The entire song has the ring of Paul’s mighty hymn of triumph, Rom 8:31-39.
v. 2. When the wicked, the doers of evil and mischief, even mine enemies and my foes, those who oppose and oppress him on all sides, came upon me, approaching him with marked hostility, to eat up my flesh, as wild beasts eager to tear and devour their prey, they stumbled and fell, unable to carry out their object because of the protection afforded David by Jehovah.
v. 3. Though an host, a whole army or camp of adversaries, should encamp against me, besieging him on all sides, my heart shall not fear; though war should rise against me, in this, even in such a great extremity, will I be confldent, in spite of all that he would calmly trust in Jehovah, his Stronghold. Both the words and the tone of the psalm denote the holy and calm defiance with which all believers may await the attack of the enemies.
v. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord, in the midst of all these threatening dangers, that will I seek after, with a great desire: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord, the Tabernacle of His presence, all the days of my life, in the delight of intimate fellowship with Jehovah, to behold the beauty of the Lord, His favor and kindness as revealed in the Word of His grace, and to inquire in His Temple, meditating upon the wonderful blessings of His mercy in the message of the Gospel.
v. 5. For, because of the believer’s close communion with God, in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion, in the Tabernacle, where His almighty hand protects; in the secret of His Tabernacle shall He hide me, sheltering the believer in the safety of His tent; He shall set me upon a rock, the house of Jehovah being a refuge and stronghold beyond the reach of puny men.
v. 6. And now shall mine head be lifted up, in the triumph of a certain victory, above mine enemies round about me, the fact of whose defeat places the believer beyond their reach; therefore will I offer in His Tabernacle sacrifices of joy, thank-offerings always being occasions of great rejoicing. I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord, which the faithful Israelites were wont to do at the festival meal connected with their thank-offerings. At the same time David does not, even in the remotest way, rely upon his own strength, and for this reason the triumphant strain of confidence now gives way to an earnest appeal.
v. 7. Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice, calling loudly and emphatically; have mercy also upon me, that being the one safe reliance of the believer, and answer me, with a favorable reply.
v. 8. When Thou saidst, Seek ye My face, at Jehovah’s call to seek His face, my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek; the heart of the believer being attuned to the fellowship with Jehovah, it gladly answers His call, assenting thereto as an echo of it, happy in the knowledge that it pleases Jehovah if His children enter into the presence of God, in order to gain comfort, assistance, and blessings of every kind.
v. 9. Hide not thy face (far) from me, veiling it from the prayer of the believer; put not Thy servant away in anger, thrusting him aside as unworthy; Thou hast been my Help, and the former mercy and love emboldens David to plead against rejection. Leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. It is the cry of Jacob: "I will not let Thee go except Thou bless me," Gen 32:26, a call which holds the Lord to the promise of His salvation.
v. 10. When my father and my mother forsake me, the very nearest earthly relatives abandoning him who seems doomed to destruction, Mat 10:35-36, then the Lord will take me up, receiving the believer into His care and protection, adopting him as His own child.
v. 11. Teach me Thy way, the road according with Jehovah’s will, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, even, level, without pitfalls, because of mine enemies, since they dog his every footstep and are trying to lead him into sin, his fall at the same time heaping dishonor upon God.
v. 12. Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies, to the destruction which they had planned against him; for false witnesses are risen up against me, such being the methods employed by the enemies in their persecution of the believer, and such as breathe out cruelty, their every breath being charged with violence.
v. 13. I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, literally, "If I did not trust to behold the excellence of Jehovah!" He leaves the sentence unfinished. for it is too hard to picture and imagine life without the sustaining mercy of Jehovah. And so David encourages himself and all believers in conclusion,
v. 14. Wait on the Lord, firmly trusting in the revelation of His mercy; be of good courage, strong of heart, and He shall strengthen thine heart, rather, let thy heart show itself mighty. Wait, I say, on the Lord. With this confident expectation the prayer of every believer must be concluded; for the Lord will, at His own time, bring salvation in rich measure upon His children, here in time and hereafter in eternity.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Tyndale Open Study Notes2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0On vv1–6Ps 27 This psalm mixes two genres—a psalm of…
Ps 27 This psalm mixes two genres—a psalm of confidence (27:1-6) and an individual lament (27:7-14)—held together by the theme of longing for the Lord’s presence. The psalmist focuses on the Lord; his circumstances are secondary. The strength of the psalmist’s faith is expressed in his openness to the Lord’s instruction, timing, and priorities.
27:1-3 The psalmist acknowledges the Lord at the center of his life (27:1). Because of God’s presence, he engages his adversaries with confidence. They cannot intimidate him or penetrate his inner security.
Read full note →
27:1 Light expresses the Lord’s goodness (27:13; see 4:6; 23:6; 31:19; 38:10; 43:3; 56:13).
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv1–6 1. Jehovah is my light. This commencement may be…
1. Jehovah is my light. This commencement may be understood as meaning that David, having already experienced God’s mercy, publishes a testimony of his gratitude. But I rather incline to another meaning, namely, that, perceiving the conflict he had to wage with the sharpest temptations, he fortifies himself beforehand, and as it were brings together matter for confidence: for it is necessary that the saints earnestly wrestle with themselves to repel or subdue the doubts which the flesh is so prone to cherish, that they may cheerfully and speedily betake themselves to prayer. David, accordingly, having been tossed with various tempests, at length recovers himself, and shouts triumphantly over the troubles with which he had been harassed, rejoicing that whenever God displays his mercy and favor, there is nothing to be feared. This is farther intimated by the accumulation of terms which he employs, when he calls God not only his light, but his salvation, and the rock or strength of his life His object was, to put a threefold shield, as it were, against his various fears, as sufficient to ward them off. The term light, as is well known, is used in Scripture to denote joy, or the perfection of happiness. Farther, to explain his meaning, he adds that God was his salvation and the strength of his life, as it was by his help that he felt himself safe, and free from the terrors of death. Certainly we find that all our fears arise from this source, that we are too anxious about our life, while we acknowledge not that God is its preserver. We can have no tranquillity, therefore, until we attain the persuasion that our life is sufficiently guarded, because it is protected by his omnipotent power. The interrogation, too, shows how highly David esteemed the Divine protection, as he thus boldly exults against all his enemies and dangers. Nor assuredly do we ascribe due homage to God, unless, trusting to his promised aid, we dare to boast of the certainty of our safety. Weighing, as it were, in scales the whole power of earth and hell, David accounts it all lighter than a feather, and considers God alone as far outweighing the whole.
Let us learn, therefore, to put such a value on God’s power to protect us as to put to flight all our fears. Not that the minds of the faithful can, by reason of the infirmity of the flesh, be at all times entirely devoid of fear; but immediately recovering courage, let us, from the high tower of our confidence, look down upon all our dangers with contempt. Those who have never tasted the grace of God tremble because they refuse to rely on him, and imagine that he is often incensed against them, or at least far removed from them. But with the promises of God before our eyes, and the grace which they offer, our unbelief does him grievous wrong, if we do not with unshrinking courage boldly set him against all our enemies. When God, therefore, kindly allures us to himself, and assures us that he will take care of our safety, since we have embraced his promises, or because we believe him to be faithful, it is meet that we highly extol his power, that it may ravish our hearts with admiration of himself. We must mark well this comparison, What are all creatures to God? Moreover, we must extend this confidence still farther, in order to banish all fears from our consciences, like Paul, who, when speaking of his eternal salvation, boldly exclaims,
Read full note →
“If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:34.)
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv1, 3, 4, 6 Because he was assured of good success in all…
Because he was assured of good success in all his dangers, and that his salvation was surely laid up in God, he feared not the tyranny of his enemies.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv1–6 Psa 27:1 « [A Psalm] of David. » The…
Psa 27:1 « [A Psalm] of David. » The LORD [is] my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD [is] the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Ver. 1. The Lord is my light] That is, my comfort and direction, he that dissolveth all my clouds of terrors within and troubles without. To these all he opposeth God’s all sufficiency, as making for him, and as being all in all unto him, light, salvation, strength of life, what not? and therehence his full assurance; and such a masculine magnanimity as feareth not the power of men and devils, be they who they will, and do what they can. Animo magno nihil est magnum. When a man can out of this consideration, God is my light (in things of the mind) and my salvation (in things of the body, as Aben Ezra expoundeth it), contemn and reckon all things else as matters of small moment, it shows he hath in truth apprehended God; and this is true holy magnanimity.
Read full note →
The Lord is the strength of my life,] He that keeps life and soul together, saith Aben Ezra, as the spirits do soul and body; and therefore, Quis potest me interimere, saith Kimchi, who can do me to death?
Of whom shall I be afraid] Faith fortifieth the heart against distrustful fears, which it quelleth and killeth. In a fright it runneth to the heart, as the blood doth, and relieveth it, setting it εξω βελων και φοβου, out of the gunshot of creature annoyances. Expertus loquor; for
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv1–6 My light, i.e. my counsellor in all my difficulties,…
My light, i.e. my counsellor in all my difficulties, and my comforter and deliverer in all my distresses.
The strength of my life, i.e. the supporter and preserver of my life.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On v1 We may observe here,
We may observe here,
I. With what a lively faith David triumphs in God, glories in his holy name, and in the interest he had in him. 1. The Lord is my light. David's subjects called him the light of Israel, Sa2 21:17. And he was indeed a burning and a shining light: but he owns that he shone, as the moon does, with a borrows light; what light God darted upon him reflected upon them: The Lord is my light. God is a light to his people, to show them the way when they are in doubt, to comfort and rejoice their hearts when they are in sorrow. It is in his light that they now walk on in their way, and in his light they hope to see light for ever. 2. "He is my salvation, in whom I am safe and by whom I shall be saved." 3. "He is the strength of my life, not only the protector of my exposed life, who keeps me from being slain, but the strength of my frail weak life, who keeps me from fainting, sinking, and dying away." God, who is a believer's light, is the strength of his life, not only by whom, but in whom, he lives and moves. In God therefore let us strengthen ourselves.
Read full note →
II. With what an undaunted courage he triumphs over his enemies; no fortitude like that of faith. If God be for him, who can be against him? Whom shall I fear? Of whom shall I be afraid? If Omnipotence be his guard, he has no cause to fear; if he knows it to be so, he has no disposition to fear. If God be his light, he fears no shades; if God be his salvation, he fears no colours. He triumphs over his enemies that were already routed, Psa 27:2. His enemies came upon him, to eat up his flesh, aiming at no less and assured of that, but they fell; not, "He smote them and they fell," but, "They stumbled and fell;" they were so confounded and weakened that they could not go on with their enterprise. Thus those that came to take Christ with a word's speaking were made to stagger and fall to the ground, Joh 18:6. The ruin of some of the enemies of God's people is an earnest of the complete conquest of them all. And therefore, these having fallen, he is fearless of the rest: "Though they be numerous, a host of them, - though they be daring and their attempts threatening, - though they encamp against me, an army against one man, - though they wage war upon me, yet my heart shall not fear." Hosts cannot hurt us if the Lord of hosts protect us. Nay, in this assurance that God is for me "I will be confident." Two things he will be confident of: - 1. That he shall be safe. "If God is my salvation, in the time of trouble he shall hide me; he shall set me out of danger and above the fear of it." God will not only find out a shelter for his people in distress (as he did Jer 36:26), but he will himself be their hiding-place, Psa 32:7. His providence will, it may be, keep them safe; at least his grace will make them easy. His name is the strong tower into which by faith they run, Pro 18:10. "He shall hide me, not in the strongholds of En-gedi (Sa1 23:29), but in the secret of his tabernacle." The gracious presence of God, his power, his promise, his readiness to hear prayer, the witness of his Spirit in the hearts of his people - these are the secret of his tabernacle, and in these the saints find cause for that holy security and serenity of mind in which they dwell at ease. This sets them upon a rock which will not sink under them, but on which they find firm footing for their hopes; nay, it sets them up upon a rock on high, where the raging threatening billows of a stormy sea cannot touch them; it is a rock that is higher than we, Psa 61:2. 2. That he shall be victorious (Psa 27:6): "Now shall my head be lifted up above my enemies, not only so as that they cannot reach it with their darts, but so as that I shall be exalted to bear rule over them." David here, by faith in the promise of God, triumphs before the victory, and is as sure, not only of the laurel, but of the crown, as if it were already upon his head.
III. With what a gracious earnestness he prays for a constant communion with God in holy ordinances, Psa 27:4. It greatly encouraged his confidence in God that he was conscious to himself of an entire affection to God and to his ordinances, and that he was in his element when in the way of his duty and in the way of increasing his acquaintance with him. If our hearts can witness for us that we delight in God above any creature, that may encourage us to depend upon him; for it is a sign we are of those whom he protects as his own. Or it may be taken thus: He desired to dwell in the house of the Lord that there he might be safe from the enemies that surrounded him. Finding himself surrounded by threatening hosts, he does not say, "One thing have I desired, in order to my safety, that I may have my army augmented to such a number," or that I may be master of such a city or such a castle, but "that I may dwell in the house of the Lord, and then I am well." Observe,
1. What it is he desires - to dwell in the house of the Lord. In the courts of God's house the priests had their lodgings, and David wished he had been one of them. Disdainfully as some look upon God's ministers, one of the greatest and best of kings that ever was would gladly have taken his lot, have taken his lodging, among them. Or, rather, he desires that he might duly and constantly attend on the public service of God, with other faithful Israelites, according as the duty of every day required. He longed to see an end of the wars in which he was now engaged, not that he might live at ease in his own palace, but that he might have leisure and liberty for a constant attendance in God's courts. Thus Hezekiah, a genuine son of David, wished for the recovery of his health, not that he might go up to the thrones of judgment, but that he might go up to the house of the Lord, Isa 38:22. Note, All God's children desire to dwell in God's house; where should they dwell else? Not to sojourn there as a wayfaring man, that turns aside to tarry but for a night, nor to dwell there for a time only, as the servant that abides not in the house for ever, but to dwell there all the days of their life; for there the Son abides ever. Do we hope that praising God will be the blessedness of our eternity? Surely them we ought to make it the business of our time.
2. How earnestly he covets this: "This is the one thing I have desired of the Lord and which I will seek after." If he were to ask but one thing of God, this should be it; for this he had at heart more than any thing. He desired it as a good thing; he desired it of the Lord as his gift and a token of his favour. And, having fixed his desire upon this as the one thing needful, he sought after it; he continued to pray for it, and contrived his affairs so as that he might have this liberty and opportunity. Note, Those that truly desire communion with God will set themselves with all diligence to seek after it, Pro 18:1.
3. What he had in his eye in it. He would dwell in God's house, not for the plenty of good entertainment that was there, in the feasts upon the sacrifices, nor for the music and good singing that were there, but to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his temple. He desired to attend in God's courts, (1.) That he might have the pleasure of meditating upon God. He knew something of the beauty of the Lord, the infinite and transcendent amiableness of the divine being and perfections; his holiness is his beauty (Psa 110:3), his goodness is his beauty, Zac 9:17. The harmony of all his attributes is the beauty of his nature. With an eye of faith and holy love we with pleasure behold this beauty, and observe more and more in it that is amiable, that is admirable. When with fixedness of thought, and a holy flame of devout affections, we contemplate God's glorious excellencies, and entertain ourselves with the tokens of his peculiar favour to us, this is that view of the beauty of the Lord which David here covets, and it is to be had in his ordinances, for there he manifests himself. (2.) That he might have the satisfaction of being instructed in his duty; for concerning this he would enquire in God's temple. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? For the sake of these two things he desired that one thing, to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life; for blessed are those that do so; they will be still praising him (Psa 84:4), both in speaking to him and in hearing from him. Mary's sitting at Christ's feet to hear his word Christ calls the one thing needful, and the good part.
4. What advantage he promised himself by it. Could he but have a place in God's house, (1.) There he should be quiet and easy: there troubles would not find him, for he should be hid in secret; there troubles would not reach him, for he should be set on high, Psa 27:5. Joash, one of David's seed, was hidden in the house of the Lord six years, and there not only preserved from the sword, but reserved to the crown, Kg2 11:3. The temple was thought a safe place for Nehemiah to abscond in, Neh 6:10. The safety of believers however is not in the walls of the temple, but in the God of the temple and their comfort in communion with him. (2.) There he should be pleasant and cheerful: there he would offer sacrifices of joy, Psa 27:6. For God's work is its own wages. There he would sing, yea, he would sing praises to the Lord. Note, Whatever is the matter of our joy ought to be the matter of our praise; and, when we attend upon God in holy ordinances, we ought to be much in joy and praise. It is for the glory of our God that we should sing in his ways; and, whenever God lifts us up above our enemies, we ought to exalt him in our praises. Thanks be to God, who always causeth us to triumph, Co2 2:14.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv1–6 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom…
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?.... The Targum in the king of Spain's Bible explains it, "the Word of the Lord is my light"; and so Ainsworth cites it; that is, Christ the eternal Word, in whom "was life, and that life was the light of men", Joh 1:4; and the psalmist is not to be understood of the light of nature and reason, with which the Logos, or Word, enlightens every man that comes into the world; nor merely in a temporal sense, of giving him the light of prosperity, and delivering him from the darkness of adversity; but of the light of grace communicated to him by him who is the sun of righteousness, and the light of the world; and by whom such who are darkness itself, while in an unregenerate state, are made light, and see light; all the light which is given to men at first conversion is from Christ; and all the after communications and increase of it are from him; as well as all that spiritual joy, peace, and comfort they partake of, which light sometimes signifies, Psa 97:11; and which the psalmist now had an experience of; enjoying the light of God's countenance, and having discoveries of his love, which made him fearless of danger and enemies: and such who are made light in the Lord have no reason to be afraid of the prince of darkness; nor of the rulers of the darkness of this world; nor of all the darkness, distress, and persecutions they are the authors of; nor of the blackness of darkness reserved for ungodly men; for their light is an everlasting one, and they are made meet to be partakers of the inheritance with the saints in light: and the more light they have, the less fear; and what made the psalmist still more fearless was, that Christ was his "salvation"; by the light which the Lord was to him, he saw his need of salvation, he knew that his own righteousness would not save him; he was made acquainted with the design and appointment of the Lord, that Christ should be salvation to the ends of the earth; he had knowledge of the covenant of grace, and faith in it, which was all his salvation, Sa2 23:5. Salvation was revealed to the Old Testament saints, in the promises, sacrifices, types, and figures of that dispensation; and they looked through them to him for it, and were saved by him, as New Testament believers are; and they had faith of interest in Christ, and knew him to be their Saviour and Redeemer, as did Job, and here the psalmist David: and such who know Christ to be their salvation need not be afraid of any person or thing; not of sin, for though they fear, and should fear to commit it, they need not fear the damning power of it, for they are saved from it; nor of Satan, out of whose hands they are ransomed; nor of the world, which is overcome by Christ; nor of the last enemy, death, which is abolished by him; nor of hell, and wrath to come, for he has delivered them from it;
the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? meaning not of his natural life, though he was the God of his life, who had given it to him, and had preserved it, and upheld his soul in it; but of his spiritual life: Christ is the author of spiritual life, he implants the principle of it in the hearts of his people, yea, he himself is that life; he lives in them, and is the support of their life; he is the tree of life, and the bread of life, by which it is maintained; and he is the security of it, it is bound up in the bundle of life with him, it is hid with Christ in God; and because he lives they live also; and he gives unto them eternal life, so that they have no reason to be afraid that they shall come short of heaven and happiness; nor need they fear them that kill the body and can do no more; nor any enemy whatever, who cannot reach their spiritual life, nor hurt that, nor hinder them of the enjoyment of eternal life.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv1–5 David declares his confidence in God, ver. 1-3. His…
David declares his confidence in God, ver. 1-3. His desire to be in the house of God, ver. 4-6. He prays for light and salvation, ver. 7-12. And exhorts others to wait upon God, ver. 13, 14. A psalm of David.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv1–6 The righteous man's confidence in God, 1-3;
PSALM XXVII
The righteous man's confidence in God, 1-3;
Read full note →
his ardent desire to have the spiritual privilege of worshipping
God in his temple, because of the spiritual blessings which he
expects to enjoy there, 4-6;
his prayer to God for continual light and salvation, 7-9;
has confidence that, though even has own parents might forsake
him, yet God would not, 10.
Therefore he begs to be taught the right way to be delivered
from all his enemies, and to see the goodness of the Lord in
the land of the living, 11-13;
he exhorts others to trust in God; to be of good courage; and
to expect strength for their hearts, 14.
NOTES ON PSALM XXVII
In the Hebrew and Chaldee this Psalm has no other title than simply לדוד ledavid: To or For David. In the Syriac: "For David; on account of an infirmity which fell upon him." In the Vulgate, Septuagint, Arabic, and AEthiopic, it has this title: "A Psalm of David, before he was anointed." The Anglo-Saxon omits all the titles. For this title there is no authority in fact. However, it may be just necessary to state that David appears to have received the royal unction three times:
1. In Bethlehem from the hand of Samuel, in the house of his father Jesse; 1Sa 16:13.
2. At Hebron after the death of Saul, by the men of Judah; 2Sa 2:4.
3. By the elders of Israel, at Hebron, after the death of Ishbosheth, when he was acknowledged king over all the tribes; 2Sa 5:3.
At which of these anointings the Psalm was written, or whether before any of them, we know not; nor is the question to be decided. Some commentators say that it is a Psalm belonging to the captivity, and upon that system it may be well interpreted. And lastly, it has been contended that it was written by David after he had been in danger of losing his life by the hand of a gigantic Philistine, and must have perished had he not been succoured by Abishai; see the account 2Sa 21:17; and was counselled by his subjects not to go out to battle any more, lest he should extinguish the light of Israel. To these advisers he is supposed to make the following reply: -
Verse 1. The Lord is my light and my salvation] This light can never be extinguished by man; the Lord is my salvation, my safeguard, my shield, and my defence; of whom then should I be afraid?
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 4, 5 Psa 27:1. The Lord is my light — My…
Psa 27:1. The Lord is my light — My counsellor in my difficulties, and my comforter and deliverer in all my distresses. David’s subjects called him the light of Israel; but he owns he shone, as the moon doth, with a borrowed light: the light which God communicated to him reflected upon them. God is our light, as he shows us the state we are in by nature and practice, and that into which we may and must be brought by grace, in order to our salvation. As our light, he shows us the way in which we must walk, and gives us comfort in walking therein: shows us the hinderances that are in our way, the difficulties, and enemies, and oppositions, we have to encounter, and how we may be enabled to overcome them. It is only in his light that we now proceed on in our Christian course, and it is in his light that we hope to see light for ever. And my salvation — In whom I am safe, and by whom I am and shall be saved. The Lord is the strength of my life — The protector of my exposed life, who keeps me from being slain, and the supporter of my weak and frail life, by whom I am upheld and preserved in being. God, who is a believer’s life, is the strength of his life: not only the person by whom, but in whom he lives.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv1–6 The Lord is my light - He is to…
The Lord is my light - He is to me the source of light. That is, He guides and leads me. Darkness is the emblem of distress, trouble, perplexity, and sorrow; light is the emblem of the opposite of these. God furnished him such light that these troubles disappeared, and his way was bright and happy.
And my salvation - That is, He saves or delivers me.
Read full note →
Whom shall I fear? - Compare Rom 8:31. If God is on our side, or is for us, we can have no apprehension of danger. He is abundantly able to protect us, and we may confidently trust in Him. No one needs any better security against the objects of fear or dread than the conviction that God is his friend.
The Lord is the strength of my life - The support of my life. Or, in other words, He keeps me alive. In itself life is feeble, and is easily crushed out by trouble and sorrow; but as long as God is its strength, there is nothing to fear.
Of whom shall I be afraid? - No one has power to take life away while He defends me. God is to those who put their trust in Him a stronghold or fortress, and they are safe.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures 1864 · Public Domain On v1 Psalms 27
Psalms 27
A Psalm of David
Read full note →
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked,
Even mine enemies and my foes,
Came upon me to eat up my flesh,
They stumbled and fell.
3 Though a host should encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear:
Though war should rise against me,
In this will I be confident.
4 One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after;
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord,
And to inquire in his temple.
5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion:
In the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me;
He shall set me up upon a rock.
6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me:
Therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy;
I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice:
Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee,
Thy face, Lord, will I seek.
9 Hide not thy face far from me;
Put not thy servant away in anger:
Thou hast been my help;
Leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
10 When my father and my mother forsake me,
Then the Lord will take me up.
11 Teach me thy way, O Lord,
And lead me in a plain path,
Because of mine enemies.
12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies:
For false witnesses are risen up against me,
And such as breathe out cruelty.
13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.
14 Wait on the Lord:
Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart:
Wait, I say, on the Lord.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
Its Contents and Composition.—The Vulgate has in the Title the additional words: before he was anointed. According to Theodoret this addition was not in the Hexapla of Origen, and is only found in the Codd. Vatic, of the Sept., yet it came into consideration in connection with the question as to the time of composition, for three anointings of David are mentioned, at first 1 Samuel 16, then when acknowledged by the tribe of Judah, 2Sa_2:4, finally in connection with the homage of all Israel, 2Sa_5:3. No one can think of the first anointing with any propriety, and the historical statements of this Psalm being indefinite, there is no sufficient reason for the second (Grotius), or the third, (Rosenm.) Thus even at the present day those interpreters who maintain the Davidic authorship, without regard to this uncertain title, either think of the period of the persecution by Saul, or the rebellion of Absalom. The latter supposition is supported by many resemblances with Psalms 3, (J. H. Mich., Stier, Delitzsch). There is nothing in favor of the peril of death (Rabbins) mentioned 2Sa_21:16, from which David happily escaped; yet we cannot regard Psa_27:10, as being against this supposition. For the text does not demand that it should be interpreted literally, (Geier) and it has given ancient interpreters unnecessary trouble. Since the dwelling of God is successively called house, palace, tent, we cannot infer any particular period of time, with any certainty; and we need not descend to Jeremiah, who was rejected by his family, and found a refuge in the temple (Hitzig); or indeed to the Maccabean times (Olsh., who at the same time finds here two different Psalms united); or regard it as a general Psalm of lamentation of some Hebrew in later times, (De Wette,) on account of the remarkably high estimation of the splendor of the temple and its forms of worship, in connection with the absence, in other respects, of individual references. It is true the tone and rhythm are very much changed in Psa_27:7, and subsequently, yet only in accordance with the change of subject as in Psalms 19, and elsewhere, (Hupf.). From the certainty of communion with God springs the fresh and joyous expression of confidence in God’s protection, fearlessness in danger, certainty of victory over strong and numerous enemies (Psa_27:1-3), connected with the hope of faith in the fulfillment of his dearest and constant wish to be able to offer thank-offerings, as one delivered by God and protected in the shelter of the dwelling of God (Psa_27:4-6). On this foundation rises the prayer that he may be heard (Psa_27:7). This is based on the call of God (Psa_27:8) with reference to the position of the Psalmist as a servant of God in need of help (Psa_27:9), who trusts in the God of his salvation, even in his greatest abandonment (Psa_27:10), and hopes in accordance with God’s instruction and under God’s guidance (Psa_27:11) to escape from violent and lying enemies (Psa_27:12). He would be lost without such trust (Psa_27:13); hence he exhorts himself to persevere in it (Psa_27:14). Comp. P. Gerhardt’s hymn “Gott ist mein Licht, der Herr mein Heil,” and “Ist Gott für mich, so trete, etc.”
Str. I., Psa_27:1. Jehovah is my Light.—The supposition, that this address to God, my Light! which occurs only here, is a figurative expression, to be explained through the two following expressions: my salvation and defence of my life! which are not to be regarded as figurative, but as literal (Calv. Hengst. Hupf.), is entirely without foundation. They are three appellatives parallel, yet expressing different relations to God and founded in essential attributes of God. God is just as essentially Light (Isa_60:7) as He is salvation and strength, and the one word is no more nor no less figurative than the other, when applied to God.3—Defence of my life.—This is literally the stronghold, the bulwark. For מָעוֹז is to be derived from עזז= to be strong, firm; not from עוּז= to flee, according to which etymology (J. D. Mich.) some translate, refuge.
[Str. II. Psa_27:2. When the evil doers drew near to me, To eat up my flesh; My adversaries and my enemies, They stumbled and fell.—The A. V. gives the sense but is not literal, and disorders the members of the strophe. Evil doers are compared to wild beasts approaching their prey, comp. Psa_14:4; Psalms 35, 1. The third clause is much disputed. Some refer לִי to the verb, and regard it as parallel with עָלִי of the first clause. So, Hitzig, Hengst. Delitzsch, Perowne, Alexander. They therefore render: my adversaries and my enemies to me (draw near, being understood or some other verb supplied). But De Wette, Hupfeld, Moll refer it to the enemies as I have rendered it. The they of the final clause is emphatic, they stumbled and fell.—C. A. B.]
[Str. III., Ver 3. A host.—Perowne: “Literally ‘though a camp should encamp against me,’ but the English idiom would hardly admit of such a rendering.”—For all this, do I trust.—Perowne: “So the same expression is rightly rendered in the A. V. of Lev_26:27. The fuller form occurs Psa_78:32; Job_1:22. Cocc, rightly, hoc non obstante, ‘in spite of this,’ and Mendelsohn, ‘Auch dann bleib’ ich getrost’. The Rabbinical commentators, as Aben Ezra and Rashi, explain, ‘In this,’ viz.: that the Lord is my light, etc., Psa_27:1, ‘do I trust.’ Rosenm. refers the pronoun ‘this’ to the war mentioned just before, ‘even in the battle itself,’ in ipsa pugna. But the first rendering is more forcible.’ ”—C. A. B.]
Str. IV. Psa_27:4. That I may dwell in the house of Jehovah all the days of my life.—This is not to be taken literally, or to be explained of the daily visiting the house of God, (most interpreters) especially as even the Levitical priests did not dwell in the temple. It is a figurative expression of the relation to God described above (Hengst., Hupf.). But it did not originate from a mingling of the figure of a hospitable tent with the usual idea of the house of God or temple (Hupf.), but from a prophetical view and longing (vid. Psa_15:1; Psa_23:6) which is to take its figurative expression from the sphere of the Levitical worship of God, and yet at the same time is justified in breaking through this sphere and lifting itself above it, the more as attendance upon the house of God (Psa_5:8), and walking in the ordinances of Divine worship are the means ordained of God for communion with Him.——To behold the favor of Jehovah.—Since חזה is not construed with the accusative here, as Psa_53:2, but with בְּ it denotes a beholding which tarries with the thing, is well pleased with it and feeds upon it, which is an enjoyment in which the loveliness (Psa_90:17) and the sweetness (Pro_16:24) of God are perceived in the experience of His gracious presence. There is no reference to the splendor of the Lord, and it is not allowable to understand by this the splendor of the sanctuary (Luther: the beautiful worship of God), or the heavenly temple, and its arrangements, as its archetype (Kimchi, Aben Ezra, Calv., Geier). The reference is to the favor of God which those are enabled to taste and experience, who have become members of His family, and enjoy as His guests the right of protection within His house. To this the Psalmist’s wish is directed, which he has already previously expressed in prayer (the perfect) and the fulfilment of which he continually seeks (the imperfect), and thus he describes it as anxious, pious and constant.——To meditate in His palace.—[A. V. to inquire in his temple].—Since בִּקֵּר denotes looking closely in order to discriminate, and is elsewhere never construed with בְּ, it is more natural to regard this preposition here as a designation of place (Venema), than either to lift the temple with its symbolical forms into an object of pleasing contemplation (De Wette), or to regard the whole manner of expression as entirely parallel with the preceding (Hupf.). It is unnecessary to supply an object (Hengst.); the verb may be absolute = to make reflections, to meditate. Some of the Rabbins regard it as a denominative of בקֶר in the signification of appearing in the morning (Psa_5:3), which then is extended to every morning. Delitzsch does not regard this as too bold. The translation, visit (most interpreters) essentially weakens the sense and is without grounds.
Str. V. Psa_27:5. For He conceals me in a tabernacle in the days of evil, He shelters me with the shelter of His tent.—[A. V. In the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me.]—Our translation of the former verse is favored by this, for the same place which is called the house of Jehovah Psa_27:4, b, and His palace Psa_27:4, d, with reference to His royal character is in Psa_27:5, b, called His tent, with reference to the present or original (comp. Eze_41:1) real character of the ritual dwelling-place of Jehovah in the midst of His people. This sanctuary is now characterized as a place of safety for those who seek refuge, who find there shelter and protection against the pursuit of their enemies, and indeed not because David really once had concealed himself there (Knapp after the Rabbins), but because the places of worship had the general meaning of asylum. From this point of view the same house of Jehovah is in Psa_27:5, a, named with an expression which designates a covered place for dwelling and lodging, as fitted to give shelter, a tabernacle, a bower.4 As a matter of course this is figurative, as then in Psa_27:5, c, the safety which has been gained is described as being set up upon a rock. But it does not follow from this that the reference to the sanctuary is here to be abandoned (Hupf.), and that the figure is derived from a shepherd (Geier), or of a hospitable householder (De Wette), or protector (Ruding.), and would give the sense, God is the protector of the pious everywhere, and even outside of His sanctuary (Calvin). The reference here is rather to this very thing, that the house of Jehovah, which appears without doubt in Psa_27:6, and which is referred to in various forms in accordance with the various references contained in the idea, is here as an asylum, (Geier) and not as the tabernacle (Hengst.). Moreover, it would not change the sense of the passage, but only the color of the thought, and this but slightly, if we should translate according to the reading and accentuation of the Hebrew word, either: in a tabernacle, as Psa_31:20, comp. Isa_4:6; or, in His tabernacle. For the סֻכָּה of Jehovah (Job_36:29) is called in Psa_75:2; Jer_25:38; Lam_2:6, likewise, His סֹךְ, although this word is used particularly of the couching-place of lions in thickets (Psa_10:7), and with definite reference to this is likewise used in the above-mentioned passage, Jer_25:38.
Str. VI., Psa_27:6. Sacrifices of rejoicing.—This means particularly the thank-offerings, because they were brought with songs of rejoicing and praise. The mention of singing and playing which immediately follow, shows that the reference is to them. This, most interpreters now admit with Syr., Kimchi, Luther. Moreover, according to Hupf., comm. de primitiva festorum Heb. ratione ii. 20, not. 40, the use of the word זבח was appropriate for these offerings. A reference to the sacrifices accompanied with the sound of the trumpet, (Gesen., De Wette), is contrary to the text, since only public thanksgivings at the time of festivals (Num_10:10) were distinguished with this music of the priests.
Str. VII. [Psa_27:7. Perowne: “The triumphant strain of confidence now gives way to one of sad and earnest entreaty.”—C. A. B.]5
Psa_27:8. To Thee my heart says—(at Thy call): seek Thy face!—Thy face Jehovah will I seek.—The heart answers the Divine call, consenting thereto as an echo of it (Calv.). It is better to regard this obscure construction as a bold combination of two clauses (Hupf.), which we can make intelligible in English only by supplying some appropriate words (Delitzsch). [Thus A. V., When thou saidst seek ye my face, etc.] This is much simpler than the supposition of a לauctoris (Dathe, Olsh.): Thine is, speaks my heart, namely the word, etc.; not to say anything of the artificial and strained explanations of many ancient interpreters. Hitzig follows the Vulgate; of Thee speaks my heart, seek Him, my face! The Sept. has: To Thee, etc., but then: diligently have I sought Thy face and Thy face will I seek. The true sense is given by the paraphrase of Luther: my heart holds Thy word before Thee. So Hengstenberg. Similarly Geier, J. H. Mich., Rosenm.6 Seeking the face of Jehovah is not with reference to Exo_23:17, another expression for visiting the temple (De Wette), but it denotes the desire to enter into the vicinity and presence of God, in order to gain comfort, assistance, certainty of being heard, testimonies of grace, and the like. Comp. Psa_24:6; Psa_105:4; 1Sa_21:1; used of earthly rulers, Pro_29:26. This is accomplished by acts of Divine service, especially in the house of God, but it is not to be regarded as the same thing as those acts. It is uncertain whether there is a direct reference here to the passage Deu_4:29, which is re-echoed in Hos_5:15.
Str. VIII. [Psa_27:9. Hide not Thy face from me.—The inserted “far” of the A. V. does not help the sense of the passage, but mars it. The Psalmist is seeking Jehovah’s face, and the prayer is that the face of Jehovah may not be veiled from him so that he cannot see it. Vid.Psa_4:6.—Put not away in wrath = Thrust not aside as one unworthy to be in Thy presence, and behold Thy face. The Psalmist does not wish to be removed or banished from the place of Jehovah’s presence, and from the light of His countenance.—Reject me not, and forsake me not.—The reiteration of the positive and negative form of the idea of depriving Him of the presence and the face of God.—C. A. B.]
Psa_27:10. For my father and my mother have forsaken me.—This statement cannot refer to 1Sa_22:3 sq., for then David separated himself from his parents in order to leave them under the protection of the king of Moab. But it is not at all necessary to think of some historical fact unknown to us (G. Baur). This statement is certainly neither to be taken as a proverbial manner of expression (De Wette),7 nor as a hypothetical antecedent (Calvin, Stier, Thol., Hupf.)8 It is positive, and expresses what has happened, but it states in an individualizing form, (Hengst., Delitzsch) the fact that the nearest relatives of the afflicted man have forsaken him in his time of trouble; and he on this very account turns to Jehovah in prayer, trusting in the love of God which transcends parental love (Isa_49:15; Isa_63:16).—[But Jehovah will take me up.—Perowne: “The verb is here used in the same sense as in Deu_22:2; Jos_20:4, ‘receive me under His care and protection,’ or as Stier suggests, ‘adopts me as His child,’ vid.Psa_22:10.”—C. A. B.]
[Psa_27:11. Lead me in an even path because of my adversaries.—[A. V., plain—enemies]. This is an even, level path as opposed to rough and rugged paths of adversity. Delitzsch: “Crafty spies pursue all his steps, and would gladly see their devices and evil wishes realized against him. If he should turn into the ways of sin unto destruction, it would bring dishonor upon God, as it is a matter of honor with God not to allow His servant to fall. Therefore he implores guidance in the ways of God, for the union of his own will with God’s will makes him unapproachable.”
Psa_27:12. And they that breathe out violence.—Alexander: “A strong but natural expression for a person, all whose thoughts and feelings are engrossed by a favorite purpose or employment, so that he cannot live or breathe without it. Comp. the description of Saul’s persecuting zeal in Act_9:1, and the Latin phrases, spirare minas, anhelare scelus.”—C. A. B.]
Psa_27:13. If I did not trust to behold the excellence of Jehovah in the land of the living—!—The consequent is lacking (as Gen_31:42) after לוּלֵא, which is unnecessarily marked by the Masora with puncta extraordinaria, as suspicious. In accordance with such an aposiopesis “unless,” and “if” not unfrequently are lacking, and this increases the emphasis.9 The land of the living is contrasted with Sheol, but it refers here not beyond this life to eternal life (Rabbins, Clauss, Stier) but back to life in this world.
Psa_27:14. In the closing verse the Psalmist exhorts himself and not others in a similar condition with himself (most ancient interpreters).—Be firm, and let thy heart show itself strong.—This does not express a comforting promise “He will strengthen” (most interpreters [and A. V.]) nor indeed with a correct interpretation of the clause as optative, the wish that Jehovah would strengthen the heart (Calv., Cleric, Rosenm., Hupf. [Alexander]) but it is a continuation of the Psalmist’s exhortation of himself.—[Wait on Jehovah.—Alexander: The repetition, wait for the Lord, and wait for the Lord, implies that this is all he has to enjoin upon himself or others; and is more impressive in its native simplicity, than the correct but paraphrastic version of the last clause in the English Bible, wait, I say, on the Lord.—C. A. B.]
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. No night of sorrow can be so dark, no evil so fearful, no enemy so dreadful as to cause those to tremble, despair, and perish, who have God for their Light, for their salvation, for the stronghold of their life. Such a man overcomes in all his troubles, so much so that even in his days of suffering, at times, in the confidence of Divine assistance, a triumphant tone may be heard in his prayers, whence arise his fearlessness, his heroism, his certainty of victory in the midst of all his dangers, struggles, and calamities.
2. But he who puts his confidence truly and alone in God, and firmly trusts in the faithfulness and goodness of the Almighty, not to leave him or neglect him in his troubles, is very far from that proud self-sufficiency, and that half proud, half lazy carelessness, which on the one side impels to foolhardy and presumptuous ventures, on the other side restrains from seeking and using the means provided to increase his strength, and bring about and secure him success. He who truly has his confidence and strength in God, likewise seeks constantly and earnestly to be near to God, and uses conscientiously the means afforded him in the forms of worship to strengthen his communion with God, and to secure as well as gain the blessings of the presence of God.
3. Hence it is, that those who have attained the most and the best on earth, the noblest and most glorious of our race, and the most exalted rulers among them, the boldest heroes, the most celebrated warriors and masters of every department of life, have shown themselves to be at the same time pious and humble men, who lay all their exaltation, glory, and honor, at the feet of God, and publicly recognize that they have to thank the Lord their God not only for their endowments and powers, but likewise for what they have done, and for their success, and that they must seek, like all other men, forgiveness of their sins in the grace of God, and that they would rather be at all times with God. Hence they gladly visit His house and His table, and besides study diligently God’s word, in which they gain good advice, and are reminded at the right time to assent to it and respond to it with heart and mouth.
4. It is at once a duty and a joy to seek the countenance of the Lord, that is, to desire and strive to be personally near to the grace of God and to be sure of it. God Himself calls us to this, and gives those who seek Him the blessed experience that God’s love is not mere human favor, but transcends even parental love, as nothing can be compared with God’s assistance, power, and protection, or take their place. So likewise those who do not withdraw from intercourse with God will not be deprived of them. They will much rather be lifted up to a height which is inaccessible to all their adversaries, and will be placed in safety against all hurtful assaults.
5. Accordingly all depends upon whether we allow ourselves to be directed to the way of the Lord and guided therein. On this depends our walking the path of life in the good pleasure of God (in the light of His countenance), and our attaining the end of that path in the protection of God’s salvation by means of that which God imparts in all dangers, sufferings, and struggles, and in spite of all envy, slander, and opposition. The trust in God, which is indispensable for this, is often severely tried, especially when we are in danger of losing our rights, our honor, and our life by enemies who are as wicked and unjust as they are strong and crafty, and when we are forsaken by our nearest relatives, and given up by all the world. Then not only the flesh trembles, but the heart likewise quakes, and is in danger of losing patience and hope. We would be lost indeed, if our eyes and our hearts should lose sight of God. But this is impossible if we maintain our faith; then we will not despair. And because God continues faithful we will not perish. In order now that faith may be able to impart the necessary consolation and encouragement to wait on God, and the patience, resolution, and strength necessary thereto, it needs that it should have unfailing nourishment, support, discipline, and strengthening.—However little this Psalm may have of a Messianic character, yet some particular features may be readily and devoutly referred, in accordance with Augustine’s example, to the sufferings of Christ and His behaviour in them, which is a model for all. The Roman Catholic Church has assigned this Psalm to the offices of Char-Saturday.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
When danger is near and great we are taught to properly estimate and value, being near to God and the power of faith.—We can lose everything and yet lose nothing if only we retain God.—Our hearts need daily strengthening in confidence in God; whence comes it? and how may it be?—We cannot be lifted up in any better way than with God; therefore it is of the utmost importance that we should come to God and remain with God.—Our worst enemies are not those who envy us and afflict us, but our little faith, our spiritual sluggishness and laziness, our impatience.—Many would gladly dwell in safely if only it were not to remain near to God.—Whoever has God has all things in One; and yet only a few make anything of God.—It is enough that God should let His light shine, His salvation come, His power work; yet we must let ourselves be instructed and ruled, and delivered thereby.—It is well with us if we not only trust in God’s power, wisdom, and goodness, but value above all communion with God, and are diligent to seek His face, and for this conscientiously use the institutions and means of salvation.—There are in a pious heart not only thoughts of God, but likewise echoes of His word.—When men forsake us it may give us pain, but we will be comforted above all when God takes us up.—At first many care more for God’s protection than for His presence, but if they give heed to the word and ways of God, they likewise learn not only to know the strength of being near to God, but likewise to value the blessings of intercourse with Him, and prize the good things of His house.
Starke: Care for souls, longing to walk with God, to be sanctified in the communion of saints, these are the chief desires and only necessary things to the Christian.—It is well for those who seek safety with God; that is better than the highest rock.—If we pray as God has commanded, we are heard as He has promised.—God plants in the hearts of believers a sure confidence of gaining eternal life, by which they are uncommonly strengthened in their battle of faith.—No time will seem so long to us as the time of cross-bearing; therefore it is that we are exhorted with so many words to hope and patience.—It is the constancy of hope which makes our walk and life happy.—The Lord is not only the truest, but is likewise the mightiest and most reliable Father and Friend.—You may know the right way and walk in the right path, yet you very much need Divine enlightenment and gracious guidance on account of the craft and wickedness of your enemies.—What can give a believer’s heart more pleasure and joy than to be heard by the God of grace?
Frisch: David testifies 1) his joyous faith, 2) his heartfelt pleasure, 3) his longing desire, 4) his comforted hope.—David uses only one armor against the crowd of his enemies and their power, and that is faith; by this he appropriates God’s light, strength, and salvation. Arm yourself in time, you will never lack enemies; the closer you come to friendship with God the more will the enmity of the world increase against you.—Herberger: In whose hands is our life? Not in our power, not in the will of our enemies, but in the power of God.—The strength of armies and of hosts cannot go further than God will allow.—Christians have many observers, therefore it is said: take care.—Stier: O! that I might never yield! This one thing troubles me, not the defiance of enemies; for he who remains with God is safe.—Tholuck: In hours of internal anguish the word of God should resound in the breast as the echo in the mountain, in order to increase our confidence by its repeated exhortations.—Stiller: David at first declares his trust, then says, how he strengthens his trust, and why he relies on God, and finally adds, when true trust shows itself.—God is so gracious that He not only allows His children to find Him, but likewise encourages them by His word to seek Him.—Umbreit: It is significant with respect to the piety which pervaded the entire life of David, that all the favor and grace of God are united to him in this chief thing, that he may abide in His house forever.—Taube: David—a hero in the courage of faith and a master in prayer.—The surest handle of prayer by which we may lay hold of God is His own word, which calls us to seek His gracious countenance. That is a strong command and a comforting promise in one.
[Matth. Henry: All God’s children desire to dwell in God’s house; where should they dwell else? not to sojourn there as a wayfaring man that turns aside to tarry but a night, or to dwell there for a time only, as the servant that abideth not in the house forever, but to dwell there all the days of their life; for there the Son abideth ever.—A gracious heart readily echoes to the call of a gracious God, being made willing in the day of His power.—Even the best saints are subject to faint when their troubles become grievous and tedious. Their spirits are overwhelmed, and their flesh and heart fail; but their faith is a sovereign cordial.—Nothing like the believing hope of eternal life, the foresights of that glory, and foretastes of those pleasures, to keep us from fainting under all the calamities of this present time.—Barnes: The Christian sanctuary—the place of public worship—is the place where, if anywhere on earth, we may hope to have our minds enlightened, our perplexities removed, our hearts comforted and sanctified, by right views of God.—Spurgeon: Salvation finds us in the dark, but it does not leave us there; it gives light to those who sit in the valley of the shadow of death. After conversion our God is our joy, comfort, guide, teacher, and in every sense our light; He is light within, light around, light reflected from us, and light to be revealed to us.—It is a hopeful sign for us when the wicked hate us; if our foes were godly men, it would be a sore sorrow, but as for the wicked their hatred is better than their love.—Holy desires must lead to resolute action. The old proverb says, “Wishers and woulders are never good housekeepers;” and “wishing never fills a sack.” Desires are seeds which must be sown in the good soil of activity, or they will yield no harvest.—The pendulum of spirituality swings from prayer to praise.—Mercy is the hope of sinners and the refuge of saints. All acceptable petitioners dwell much upon this attribute.—A smile from the Lord is the greatest of comforts, His frown the worst of ills.—Slander is an old-fashioned weapon out of the armory of hell, and it is still in plentiful use; and no matter how holy a man may be, there may be some who will defame him.—Wait at His door with prayer; wait at His foot with humility; wait at His table with service; wait at His window with expectancy. Suitors often win nothing but the cold shoulder from earthly patrons after long and obsequious waiting; he speeds best whose patron is in the skies.—C. A. B.]
Footnotes:
[3][Hupfeld: “Light is here that which issues from God as a beam of His light-giving countenance (Psa_4:6), that, as the light of the sun is the source of all life and growth in nature, so it is the source of all life and well-being in the human heart, comp. Psa_36:9. Hence it is the usual figure of life, success, joy, and all good, negatively of deliverance, freedom, help, etc., in contrast to darkness, which is the figure of death, misfortune, danger, captivity, sorrow, etc. Comp. Psa_43:3; Psa_84:11; Psa_97:11; Psa_112:4; Pro_4:18 sq.; Job_11:17; Job_18:18; Job_30:26; Isa_5:30; Isa_9:1; Isa_58:8; Isa_58:10; Mic_7:8, etc.”—C. A. B.]
[4][Alexander translates covert, which “means a booth or shelter made of leaves and branches, such as the Jews used at the feast of tabernacles (Lev_23:42). It is here used as a figure for secure protection in the day of evil, i.e., of suffering or danger.”—C. A. B.]
[5][Perowne: “Is it (as Calv.) that the Psalmist sought in the former part of the Psalm to comfort himself with the review of God’s unfailing strength and protection, that he might with the more reason utter his prayer for help? Or is it not rather that even whilst he is thus strengthening himself in his God, a sudden blast of temptation sweeps over his soul, freezing the current of life,—some fear lest he should be forsaken, some thought of the craft and malice of his enemies,—till now the danger which threatens him is as prominent an object as the salvation and defence were before?”—C. A. B.]
[6][Perowne: “The words seek ye My face are the words of God, which the servant of God here, as it were, takes from His mouth, that so laying them before God, he may make his appeal the more irresistible. Thou hast said, ‘Seek ye My face;’ my heart makes these words its own, and builds upon them its resolve. It takes them up and repeats them ‘Seek ye My face.’ It first claims thus Thine own gracious words, O Lord, and there its echo to those words is, “Thy face, Lord, will I seek.’ Such is the soul’s dialogue with itself when it would comfort itself in God. We are reminded of that touching scene in the Gospel history where another, a woman, overcomes the Saviour with His own words: ‘Yea Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs,’ etc.”—C. A. B.]
[7][Perowne: “ ‘(Though) my father and my mother may have forsaken me,’ i. e., though my condition be helpless and friendless as that of a child deserted of his parents, there is One who watches over me, and will take me to His bosom. Vid. Isa_63:16; Isa_49:15. The phrase has, as De Wette says, somewhat of a proverbial character.”—C. A. B.]
[8][Hupfeld; “It serves to illustrate the greatness of the grace and love of God by comparing it with the highest form of human love, parental love, which it transcends, just as in the passage already adduced by Calvin, Isa_49:15, and in a similar construction with this, Isa_63:16 : ‘For Abraham has not known us, and Israel recognized us not: Thou, Jehovah, art our Father, our Redeemer,’ etc.” This is the preferable interpretation.—C. A. B.]
[9][Perowne: “The holy singer feels now, at this moment, when the false and violent men are before his mind, how helpless he would be did he not trust and hope in his God: ‘There were an end of me—or what would become of me, did I not believe, etc.’ ”—C. A. B.]
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures (Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical), ed. John Peter Lange, English translation edited by Philip Schaff (1864–1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv2, 3, 4, 6 eat . . . my flesh-- (Job 19:22; Psa…
eat . . . my flesh-- (Job 19:22; Psa 14:4). The allusion to wild beasts illustrates their rapacity.
they stumbled--"they" is emphatic; not I, but they were destroyed.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv1–6 1. Light… salvation… strength— “The triple shield against sundry…
1. Light… salvation… strength— “The triple shield against sundry terrors, as sufficient to ward them off.”—Calvin.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv1–6 1. my light] Illuminating the darkness of trouble, anxiety,…
1. my light] Illuminating the darkness of trouble, anxiety, and danger; giving life and joy. Cp. Psa_4:6; Psa_18:28; Psa_36:9; Psa_43:3; Psa_84:11; Isa_10:17; Mic_7:8. Again the N.T. interprets the words for us in a larger spiritual sense. Joh_1:4; Joh_1:9; Joh_8:12; 1Jn_1:5.
my salvation] Cp. Psa_27:9; Exo_15:2.
Read full note →
strength] Or, stronghold, a defence against all assaults. Cp. Psa_18:2; Psa_31:2-3.
1–3. With Jehovah on his side, he knows no fear. This faith, the constant theme of prophet and psalmist, finds its N.T. extension in Rom_8:31.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv1–6 (1) The Lord is my light.—This noble thought appears…
(1) The Lord is my light.—This noble thought appears nowhere else so grandly, though we may compare Isa_60:1. The Latin of the Vulgate, “Dominus illuminatio mea,” is the motto of the University of Oxford, and expands in a new but true direction the thought of the ancient bard. To him, Jehovah was the guiding and cheering beacon-fire, proclaiming his victory and pointing him the happy homeward way. From this to the belief in God as the source both of moral and intellectual light, is a long but glorious stage, along which the world has been guided by such words as Isa_60:1, still more by the recognition of the incarnate Son as the Light of men (Joh_1:5; Joh_3:19; Joh_12:46, &c).
Strength.—Better, defence or bulwark; Heb., maôz, rendered “rock,” Jdg_6:26 (margin, strong place); used in Isa_17:9 of fortified cities; as here, Psa_37:39; Psa_43:2; LXX., “shields;” Vulg., “protector.”
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv1–6 THIS psalm is one of those which have been…
THIS psalm is one of those which have been called "composite" ("The Psalms," by Four Friends, p. 67); and certainly it falls into two parts which offer the strongest possible contrast the one to the other. Part 1 (vers. 1-6) is altogether joyous and jubilant. It records, as has been said, "the triumph of a warrior"s faith." Part 2 (vers. 7-14) is sad and plaintive. It pleads for mercy and forgiveness (vers. 8-10). It complains of desertion (ver. 10), calumny (ver. 12), and imminent danger (vers. 11, 12), It still, indeed, maintains hope, but the hope has only just been saved from sinking into despair by an effort of faith (ver. 13), and a determination to "wait" and see what the end will be (ver. 14). It is thought to "express the sorrows of a martyr to the religious persecutions at the close of the monarchy" (Four Friends, p. 68).
For these reasons the psalm has been supposed to be "composite;" but the question arises If the two parts, being so entirely unlike, were originally distinct and unconnected, what should have led any arranger or editor to unite them? To this question there seems to be no possible answer; and thus the very diversity of the two parts would seem to show an original union.
Read full note →
According to the statement of the title, the psalm was written by David. It has many characteristics of his style, the sudden transition and change in the tone of thought being one. It is quite conceivable that during the rebellion under Absalom, having obtained some important success, he may have considered it an occasion for thanksgiving; and that, after his thanks were paid, his thoughts may have reverted to the still-continuing difficulties of the situation, the danger which impended (vers. 11, 12), the calumnies to which he was exposed (ver. 12), the desertion of those near and dear to him (ver. 10), the fact that the chastisement had been provoked by his own sin (ver. 9); and so the strain, which began in jubilation, may not unnaturally have ended in a plea for mercy.
The psalm consists of a strophe (vers. 1-6), an antistrophe (vers. 7-12), and a brief epode (vers. 13, 14).
The Lord is my Light. (comp. Joh_1:7-9 Joh_12:35, Joh_12:36, 46 1Jn_1:5) The statement does not occur in any other place in the Old Testament, though the idea may be found in Isa_60:1, 20 Mic_7:8; and elsewhere. Light has been well called "this profoundly beautiful name of God" (Delitzsch). And my Salvation. (comp. Psa_18:2 Psa_62:2, Psa_62:6) Whom shall I fear? "If God be for us, who can be against us?". (Rom_8:31) Who can be to be feared? (see Psa_118:6) Not man certainly; for" what can man do unto us?" Not other gods; for they are nonentities. Not devils; for they can do nothing but by God"s permission. The Lord is the Strength of my life; literally, the stronghold. (comp. Psa_28:8 Psa_31:4 Psa_71:2 Psa_144:2) Of whom shall I be afraid? The question is superfluous, but is repeated to complete the balance of the clauses.
HOMILIES BY C. CLEMANCE Vers. 1-16. Jehovah"s self-revelation, and faith"s response thereto.
There is no known character and career in Scripture that would correspond to this psalm as well as those of David. And it seems difficult to resist the conclusion that the words in ver. 10 were written about the same time that those in 1Sa_22:3 were spoken. The objection of Delitzsch, that David left his father and mother, not they him, is of no weight; for either way his peril and exposure were such that he was left without them; and we are left to wonder why they consented to be sundered from him. But these chequered experiences in life serve to bring out to him more and more fully the wealth of care and love that his God makes over to him. If we were asked whether this psalm is one of those which come directly from God, and so contain a revelation from him, we should reply, "It is one of those records of the experience of an Old Testament saint who could triumph in God as the revealed God of his salvation." What God was to the saints of old, he is to his people still. Therefore the psalm discloses God"s revelation of himself to his people of the olden time, and it is one in which believers now may rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. And the expositor will have here a rich mine for exploration, as in the light of this psalm he studies God"s self-revelation to his saints, and faiths response thereto. Let us study these in order.
I WE HAVE HERE INDICATED THE FULNESS OF GOD"S SELFREVELATION TO HIS SAINTS. The revelation of God which is implied in this psalm is one of exceeding tenderness, richness, and glory.
1. God himself had led the way in inviting souls to seek him. (Ver. 8, "When thou saidst, Seek ye my face.") The heart of God desires the friendship and fellowship of man. Our hearts are so made they can rest only in God; God"s heart is such that he seeks a rest in us. The fact of his giving an invitation to us to seek him is proof of this. (cf. Isa_45:19 Isa_54:6) So also is the complaint of God when men do not seek him. (Isa_43:23-26) And still more the declared joy of God when souls are at rest in him. (Zep_3:17) See this taken over to the New Testament. (Joh_4:23) But the grandest illustration of all is in the fact (Luk_19:10) of which the whole of Luke"s fifteenth chapter is the fullest declaration. still further, see Rev_3:20) In fact, had it not been for this self-manifestation of God"s heart, we must all have been agnostics for ever!
2. Wheresoever men open the heart to Gods invitation, he proves himself worthy of himself. The student may well luxuriate in the various names which the psalmist delights to apply to God as his God. Note:
(1) The terms themselves.
(a) Light (ver. 1). "There shines on him the psalmist a sun that sets not and knows no eclipse. This sublime, infinitely profound name for God, yriwa, is found only in this passage" (Delitzsch, in loc. ).
(b) Salvation (ver. 1). Spiritually as well as temporally.
(c) The Fortress of his life (ver. 1), in which he was perpetually hidden.
(d) Guardian (ver. 10). One who would manifest a tenderer care and love than even parents feel, and who, when they are removed from us, will be our Guardian still.
(e) Helper (ver. 9). Coming with timely aid in every emergency. Note:
(2) The individualizing care of God. The word my" should be emphasized in each case: "my Light;" "my Salvation," etc. The experience of those who fling themselves on God"s care and love is that he manages as beautifully and precisely for them as if he had no one else for whom to care. Hence the prophet"s rebuke of the unbelieving suggestion to the contrary. (Isa_40:27) If God were less than infinite, doubts might creep in. As Faber sings"That greatness which is infinite has room For all things in its lap to lie: We should be crushed by a magnificence Short of infinity!
II THE RESPONSES OF BELIEVING HEARTS TO GOD"S SELFMANIFESTATION ARE VARIED AS THE EXPERIENCES OF LIFE. The whole psalm is one of responsive faith; though that response may be sometimes a plea, or a sigh, yea, even a groan, and at other times a shout of song as with trumpet-power. We have all these stages in this very psalm. Listen to the varied phases of the psalmist"s words. Here is:
1. Faith seeking. (Ver. 8) It is an infinite mercy to hear the sweet whisper of God to the heart, "Seek me." It is so wonderful that there should be any such sound from God to the sinful heart any sound so tender and sweet. And what should the response be but this, "Thy face, Lord, will I seek"? We may well seek the acquaintance of God as our God, to be our Leader, Guide, and Sovereign Lord, even unto death. Note: Let the coming sinner never forget that, if he is seeking God, God has sought him first. We may never lose sight of the Divine order, "We love him, because he first loved us". (1Jn_4:19)
2. Faith rejoicing in Divine companionship. (Ver. 4) In the Lord"s house, his presence was specially manifested; and those who know the Lord know well that there is no home like being by their Saviour"s side, in his house. There they see the "beauty" of the Lord; i.e. his grace, his love, his mercy. There their eyes see "the King in his beauty." They "inquire" in his temple for directions for daily life; or they muse on the glories of the temple as the seat of Jehovah"s presence. Yea, God"s love and care make them so happy that they must give vent to their joy as with trumpet-song. We often long for greater physical power to praise God in shouting; and the use of trumpet and organ gratifies this longing. We praise God, but the organ gives the voice-power (see ver. 6, Hebrew).
3. Faith watching. (Ver. 2; cf. Psa_92:11, Authorized Version, but leave out the words in italics; Ps 37) It should be no joy to the righteous to see any one in trouble; yet they cannot but praise God when infamous plots are discovered, and the saints of God are delivered.
4. Faith sheltering. (Vers. 1, 5 Ps 91) No one in earth or hell can ever forge the dart or weapon that can pierce the saints" stronghold. When the Lord is the Fortress of their life, they are in a citadel that can never be invaded.
5. Faith dreading. (Ver. 9) The thing most to be dreaded is the hiding of God"s face, and being cast off by him. And can faith ever dread this? Yes, indeed; for there are moments when the sins of the past do rise up so terribly into the memory, that for a while they seem to eclipse all besides; and then faith heaves a sigh and drops a tear. There may be as clinging a faith when uttering the wail of the first verse of the twenty-second, as when singing the peaceful song of the twenty-third psalm; for even in the darkest hour, faith says, My God!
6. Faith hoping. (Ver. 13; literally, "Had I not believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living...") The sentence is unfinished. The translators have well supplied the blank. The thought is," What would have become of me?" The trials of life are often so repeated and so keen, that were it not for God, his love sustaining the spirit under the weight of the present, and inspiring the heart with hope for the future, reason would give way, and the man be hopelessly crushed. It is God"s love which makes life worth living.
7. Faith triumphing. (Ver. 1) When we realize the glory of him whom we believe, there is no bound to our delight and exultation; and at such times we can laugh in defiance at our foes; yea, "smile at Satan"s rage, and face a frowning world." We can, if need be, cherish something of Luther"s daring, and "go to Worms, though there were as many devils as there are tiles on the roofs of the houses;" or, better still, we can say with Paul, "I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me." We know that God will not call us to confront an enemy that we cannot lay low, nor to bear a cross which we cannot carry, nor to endure a trial we cannot sustain, nor to do a work which we cannot perform. His grace is sufficient for us. His strength is made perfect in weakness. Hence, in closing the psalm:
8. Faith soliloquizes. (Ver. 14) It may be supposed to be addressed first to himself, and so, indirectly, to the people of God generally. The words, "He shall strengthen thine heart," are, rather, "Let thine heart be strong;" as if the psalmist would chide himself that he should ever have a moment"s misgiving, when he has such a God in whom to trust, and such a stronghold in which to abide. (Nah_1:7) Be it ours to wait upon our God continually! This is the secret of a steady, upward, peaceful, and strong life. What may be before any of us, no human eye can discern, nor where our lot may be cast. But God is all-sufficient.
Note:
1. How sinful and, foolish to incur the risks of life ourselves! To each and all of us God says, "Seek ye my face." Let our answer be, "Thy face, Lord, will we seek." And all that God has been to our fathers, he will be to us our Light, our Salvation, our Helper, our Strength, our All!
2. None need quail before the risks of life, whatever they may be, who put their whole trust in God, and follow him everywhere! "Who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
3. Never think to gain anything by paltering with duty. If a plain duty is before you, however difficult, go forward in the strength of the Lord, and fear nothing. He hath said, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Wherefore we may boldly say, "The Lord is my Helper, I will not fear; what can man do unto me?" Only trust in the Lord, and do right, and one by one you will see your foes stumble and fall, and you will be left in possession of the field, more than conqueror, through him that loveth you." "Stand but your ground, your ghostly foes will fly, Hell trembles at a heaven-directed eye; Choose rather to defend than to assail, Self-confidence will in the conflict fail. When you are challenged, you may dangers meet, True courage is a fixed, not sudden heat; Is always humble, lives in self-distrust, And will itself into no danger thrust. Devote yourself to God, and you will find God fights the battles of a will resigned. Love Jesus! love will no base fear endure; Love Jesus! and of conquest rest secure. (Bishop Ken) C.
HOMILIES BY W. FORSYTH Vers. 1-13. True religion.
True religion begins with God. It is a call on his part; it is a response on ours (ver. 8). With some religion is a chance, as settled by birth. With others it is a custom something received by tradition from the fathers. With others it is a convenience, the result of education, a matter of prudence and self-interest, something necessary to respectability and comfort in the world. In all such cases there may be the form, but there cannot be the power, of godliness; there may be certain earthly advantages, but there is no real profit, neither the promise of the life that now is, nor of that which is to come. But with all who are taught of God, religion is a choice the free, settled, rejoicing choice of the heart. It is God manifesting himself to the soul, and the soul in love and trust uniting and binding itself to God to be his and his only for evermore. True religion is characterized by
I PERSONAL TRUST IN GOD, AS THE LORD OUR GOD AND OUR REDEEMER. "When I sit in darkness," says Micah, "the Lord shall be a Light unto me". (Mic_7:8) So says David here (ver. 1). We need "light," from the beginning to the end of our life. God is our Light. All real illumination to the mind, the conscience, and the heart, is from him. Light is revealing. As we draw near to God, the mists and clouds of passion and self-love are driven away, and all things stand out clear and distinct as they really are. There is not only the revelation of ourselves, but the revelation of God. We see ourselves as sinners, guilty and vile; we see God as a Saviour, and we trust him utterly. (Joh_1:5 Joh_8:12 1Jn_1:5 2Co_4:6)
II FEARLESS DEVOTION TO THE SERVICE OF GOD, AS THE FREEST, THE RIGHT-FULLEST, AND THE MOST BLESSED OF ALL SERVICES. Religion is more than knowledge, or feeling, or obedience to the moral law. It is a life. It not only implies trust, but love and service. There are difficulties and trials. We look back and remember times of danger (ver. 2). When we were in straits and fears. But God brought us help. As it was with David, (1Sa_17:37 1Sa_30:6) so it was with us. In thought of what God has done for us, we strengthen our hearts. Confidence comes from experience. Whom we have tried we trust. The friend we have found faithful, we cleave to. The physician, whose remedies we have proved good, we confide in. The commander under whom we have conquered, we follow bravely to other fields. So do we trust in God. Looking to the future, we may imagine greater trials and distresses than we have yet encountered (ver. 3). The psalmist conjures up a terrible scene. As in a picture, we see the mustering of the forces, the proud array of the enemy with tents and banners, the shock and terror of the battle, when host met host in furious strife. But, like the psalmist, let us not flinch or fear. God is with us. "In this will I be confident". (1Ki_22:19 2Ki_6:15 Act_20:24)
III INCREASING DELIGHT IN GOD, AS THE SATISFACTION AND JOY OF THE HEART. Religion establishes right relations between the soul and God. Every barrier is removed, and free access and friendly communion have been secured. This is beautifully brought out in the words, "One thing have I desired of the Lord" (ver. 4). One thought has the mastery. One desire gives unity and concentration to all effort. One affection binds the heart and the life into a holy fellowship. God is All and in all. The singleness of purpose branches into two main streams. One is meditation: "To behold the beauty of the Lord;" the other is like unto it, practice: "To inquire in his temple" (ver. 4). This shows the bent of the renewed soul. There is an inward relish for what is good. There is a delight in all that is true and beautiful. Every living soul is an inquirer. Truth is not born with us, nor can it be obtained without our own efforts. It must be sought for its own sake. It must be wooed and won from love, that it may be a possession and a joy for ever. All right inquiry is practical. "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." Thus coming to the light, and walking in the light, "we have fellowship with God, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." We have safety and peace (vers. 5, 6).
IV ABSOLUTE SURRENDER TO GOD, FOR TIME AND FOR ETERNITY. True religion hinds us to God, not only for life, but for ever. This is impressed in the prayer, which implies:
1. Deep humility.
2. Help aspirations.
3. Complete submission.
4. Victorious faith.
Three things are deprecated, rising one above the other in fearfulness. Displeasure (ver. 9); rejection, "Leave me not;" abandonment (ver. 10). But instead of these, we see, by faith, a glorious victory, and we hail its coming with renewed courage and praise (vers. 13, 14). W.F.
HOMILIES BY C. SHORT Vers. 1-6. Fearless, courage.
I THE SECRET OF A FEARLESS COURAGE.
1. His experience of what God had been to Aim. "Light" in the darkest periods of his life. Light is a revealing power for guidance. Salvation from his greatest dangers, temporal and spiritual "Strength," the power that had upheld his life when falling into weakness and despair. Experience confirmed and rewarded the faith which he had in God. When experience coincides with our faith, then we are at our strongest. But faith must always live above experience.
2. His experience of his enemies. Their most furious and savage onsets had been baffled. This also was of God. And the explanation was they were wicked, and he was righteous. This thought was fundamental to his faith that God would not permit the evil to triumph over the good. His experience of this in the past gave him confidence for the future (vers. 2, 3). Our past victories should inspire us for the future.
II HOW A FEARLESS COURAGE MAY BE FURTHER STRENGTHENED.
1. By fellowship with God. Beholding his beauty or goodness, and meditating upon it. The heart and mind must be fed and strengthened by constant converse with God in worship and holy thought.
2. Frequent seclusion is the best way to strengthen ourselves for conflict. (Ver. 5) "In time of trouble, he shall hide me, and set me up upon a rock;" i.e. shut out from man, and shut in with God, is the way to conquer trouble and prepare for danger.
3. Thankful worship is another help. (Ver. 6) "Sacrifices of joy," or "shouting," "singing praises, all mean grateful exercises of the heart towards God, recounting to ourselves what he has done for us in his wonderful goodness. Courage, hopefulness, must be fed with joy, and not with sadness and sorrow. S.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Charles H. Spurgeon 1885 · Public Domain On vv1–6 Greatly encouraged by the generous reception awarded to my…
Greatly encouraged by the generous reception awarded to my first volume, I have laboured on with diligence, and am now able to present the reader with the second instalment of my work. Whether life and health shall be given me to complete my task, which will probably extend to six volumes, remains with the gracious Preserver of men; but with his aid and allowance, my face is set towards that design, and I pray that my purpose may be achieved, if it be for the divine glory, and for the good of his church.
In this volume, which like the former, contains twenty-six sacred odes, we have several of the more memorable and precious of Zion's songs. In commenting upon some of them, I have been overwhelmed with awe, and said with Jacob, "How dreadful is this place, it is none other than the house of God." Especially was this the case with the fifty-first; I postponed expounding it week after week, feeling more and more my inability for the work. Often I sat down to it, and rose up again without having penned a line. It is a bush burning with fire yet not consumed, and out of it a voice seemed to cry to me, "Draw not nigh hither, put off thy shoes from off thy feet." The Psalm is very human, its cries and sobs are of one born of woman; but it is freighted with an inspiration all divine, as if the Great Father were putting words into his child's mouth. Such a Psalm may be wept over, absorbed into the soul, and exhaled again in devotion; but commented onah! where is he who having attempted it can do other than blush at his defeat?
Read full note →
I have followed the same plan as in the former volume, not only because I am committed to it by the law of uniformity, but also because it is on the whole advantageous. Some have suggested alternatives, but many more have commended the very features which would have been improved away, and therefore I have continued in the selfsame method.
Greater use has, in this volume, been made of the Latin writers. Extracts have been made not only from those which are condensed in Poole's Synopsis; but from many others. These works are a mine of exposition far too little known. If the index shall serve to introduce fresh expositions to my ministerial readers, I shall not have laboured in vain.
The acknowledgments of obligation made in Volume 1 might very justly be repeated as concerning Volume 2; the reader will consider them as again recorded. It may also be needful to repeat the statement that as I give the name of each Author quoted, each authority is personally responsible for his own sentiments; and I do not wish it to be supposed that I endorse all that is inserted. It is often useful to us to know what has been said by authors whose views we could by no means accept.
More and more is the conviction forced upon my heart that every man must traverse the territory of the Psalms himself if he would know what a goodly land they are. They flow with milk and honey, but not to strangers; they are only fertile to lovers of their hills and vales. None but the Holy Spirit can give a man the key to the Treasury of David; and even he gives it rather to experience than to study. Happy is he who for himself knows the secret of the Psalms.
If permitted by the Great Master whom I serve, I shall now proceed with another portion of this TREASURY OF DAVID; but the labour and research are exceedingly great, and my other occupations are very pressing, and therefore I must crave the patience of the Christian public.
C. H. Spurgeon Clapham, November, 1870.
Title and Subject. Nothing whatever can be drawn from the title as to the time when this Psalm was written, for the heading, "A Psalm of David, "is common to so many of the Psalms; but if one may judge from the matter of the song, the writer was pursued by enemies, Ps 27:2-3, was shut out from the house of the Lord, Ps 27:4, was just parting from father and mother, Ps 27:10, and was subject to slander, Ps 27:12; do not all these meet in the time when Doeg, the Edomite, spake against him to Saul? It is a song of cheerful hope, well fitted for those in trial who have learned to lean upon the Almighty arm. The Psalm may with profit be read in a threefold way, as the language of David, of the Church, and of the Lord Jesus. The plenitude of Scripture will thus appear the more wonderful.
Division. The poet first sounds forth his sure confidence in his God, Ps 27:1-3, and his love of communion with him, Ps 27:4-6. He then betakes himself to prayer, Ps 27:7-12, and concludes with an acknowledgment of the sustaining power of faith in his own case, and an exhortation to others to follow his example.
Ver. 1. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Here is personal interest, "my light, ""my salvation; "the soul is assured of it, and therefore, declaring it boldly. "My light; " into the soul at the new birth divine light is poured as the precursor of salvation; where there is not enough light to see our own darkness and to long for the Lord Jesus, there is no evidence of salvation. Salvation finds us in the dark, but it does not leave us there; it gives light to those who sit in the valley of the shadow of death. After conversion our God is our joy, comfort, guide, teacher, and in every sense our light; he is light within, light around, light reflected from us, and light to be revealed to us. Note, it is not said merely that the Lord gives light, but that he "is" light; nor that he gives salvation, but that he is salvation; he, then, who by faith has laid hold upon God has all covenant blessings in his possession. Every light is not the sun, but the sun is the father of all lights. This being made sure as a fact, the argument drawn from it is put in the form of a question, Whom shall I fear? A question which is its own answer. The powers of darkness are not to be feared, for the Lord, our light, destroys them; and the damnation of hell is not to be dreaded by us, for the Lord is our salvation. This is a very different challenge from that of boastful Goliath, for it is based upon a very different foundation; it rests not upon the conceited vigour of an arm of flesh, but upon the real power of the omnipotent I AM. The Lord is the strength of my life. Here is a third glowing epithet, to show that the writer's hope was fastened with a threefold cord which could not be broken. We may well accumulate terms of praise where the Lord lavishes deeds of grace. Our life derives all its strength from him who is the author if it; and if he deigns to make us strong we cannot be weakened by all the machinations of the adversary. Of whom shall I be afraid? The bold question looks into the future as well as the present. "If God be for us, "who can be against us, either now or in time to come?
Ver. 1. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Alice Driver, martyr, at her examination, put all the doctors to silence, so that they had not a word to say, but one looked upon another; then she said, "Have you no more to say? God be honoured, you be not able to resist the Spirit of God, in me, a poor woman. I was an honest poor man's daughter, never brought up at the University as you have seen; but I have driven the plough many a time before my father, I thank God; yet, notwithstanding, in the defence of God's truth, and in the cause of my Master, Christ, by his grace I will set my foot against the foot of any of you all, in the maintenance and defence of the same; and if I had a thousand lives they should go for the payment thereof." So the Chancellor condemned her, and she returned to the prison joyful. Charles Bradbury.
Ver. 1. The Lord is my light, etc. St. John tells us, that "in Christ was life; and the life was the light of men; "but he adds that, "the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." Joh 1:4-5. There is a great difference between the light, and the eye that sees it. A blind man may know a great deal about the shining of the sun, but it does not shine for him it gives him no light. So, to know that "God is light, "is one thing 1Jo 1:5, and to be able to say, "The Lord is my light, "is quite another thing. The Lord must be the light by which the way of life is made plain to usthe light by which we may see to walk in that waythe light that exposes the darkness of sinthe light by which we can discover the hidden sins of our own hearts. When he is thus our light, then he is our salvation also. He is pledged to guide us right; not only to show us sin, but to save us from it. Not only to make us see God's hatred of sin, and his curse upon it, but also to draw us unto God's love, and to take away the curse. With the Lord lighting us along the road of salvation, who, or what need we fear? Our life is hid with Christ in God. Col 3:3. We are weak, very weak, but his "strength is made perfect in weakness." 2Co 12:2. With the Lord himself pledged to be the strength of our life, of whom need we be afraid? From Sacramental Meditations on the Twenty-seventh Psalm, 1843.
Ver. 1. The Lord is my light. "Light" which makes all things visible, was the first made of all visible things; and whether God did it for our example, or no, I know not; but ever since, in imitation of this manner of God's proceeding, the first thing we do when we intend to do anything, is to get us "light." Sir Richard Baker.
Ver. 1. The Lord is my light. Adorable Sun, cried St. Bernard, I cannot walk without thee: enlighten my steps, and furnish this barren and ignorant mind with thoughts worthy of thee. Adorable fulness of light and heat, be thou the true noonday of my soul; exterminate its darkness, disperse its clouds; burn, dry up, and consume all its filth and impurities. Divine Sun, rise upon my mind, and never set. Jean Baptiste Elias Avrillon, 1652-1729.
Ver. 1. Whom shall I fear? Neither spiritual nor military heroes do exploits through cowardice, Courage is a necessary virtue. In Jehovah is the best possible foundation for unflinching intrepidity. William S. Plumer.
Ver. 1. Of whom shall I be afraid? I have no notion of a timid, disingenuous profession of Christ. Such preachers and professors are like a rat playing at hide and seek behind a wainscot, who puts his head through a hole to see if the coast is clear, and ventures out if nobody is in the way; but slinks back again if danger appears. We cannot be honest to Christ except we are bold for him. He is either worth all we can lose for him, or he is worth nothing. H. G. Salter, A.M., in "The Book of Illustrations, "1840.
Ver. 1. (first clause). The relation of illumination to salvation, or the need of light if men would be saved.
Ver. 1. The Christian hero, and the secret springs of his courage.
Ver. 1. The believer's fearless challenge.
Excellent Encouragements against Afflictions, containing David's Triumph over Distress; or an Exposition of Psalm 27. By THOMAS PIERSON, M.A. (Reprinted in Nichol's Series of Puritan Commentaries.)
Meditations upon the 27th Psalm of David. By SIR RICHARD BAKER. (See "Works, "pg 10.)
Psalms 27:2*
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv1–5 The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Psa_27:1-14
The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Read full note →
Implicit trust
This psalm was written by a man who was at the moment far down in the depths of spiritual conflict, and yet was holding a steady front against his troubles, after all. He prays so passionately, that we should deem him weak even to cowardice, if it were not for the fact that he praises so jubilantly, and lifts his head with a most unsubdued ring in his voice. The psalm is like a summer cloud just before a storm, in that it reserves an overcharge of power to be driven on by a sort of induction into the very verge of the final verse, from which it explodes with a glorious flash of lightning, which clears the air instantly. What are the conditions of implicit trust in the Lord of our salvation, such trust as will ensure peace and comfort? It is likely that most of Gods children, sooner or later, are permitted to journey on wearily over what seemed a highway, only to find, at the last, the sign inscribed, No thoroughfare here. A grim kind of consolation enters ones heart as he murmurs, Some one has been here before to put up the guideboard, at any rate!
1. The main condition of resting in the Lord is found in looking outside of ones self. There is a habit of morbid self-examination which needs to be shunned. Some experiences there are which are too delicate to bear this rude analysis. A womans love for her husband, a childs confidence in his father, could be disturbed fatally and for ever, if only half as much violence were brought to bear upon it as some Christians are accustomed to exert upon their religious feelings. One can tear himself all to pieces, to no sort of profit, and to every sort of harm. The Lord is the one to look at, not ourselves.
2. The next condition of spiritual repose is found in the avoiding of unwise counsellors. We must learn to trust our trust, and not keep rooting it up. No plant grows which is continually being rooted up.
3. Another condition of rest in God is found in drawing a clear distinction between historic faith and saving faith. What secures to us a perfect salvation is spiritual trust in the Saviour, and this is the gift of the Holy Ghost. It is easy to receive facts, perhaps, but not so easy to understand experiences which lie deeper than any mere outward acts. Historic faith is not necessarily saving faith.
4. We are to cultivate confidence in the slowly reached answers to our prayers for Divine grace.
5. We must distinguish between emotions and religious states. The one may vary, the other is fixed. Faith is a very different thing from the result of faith; and confidence of faith is even a different thing from faith itself; and yet the safety of the soul depends on faith, and on nothing else. We are justified by faith; not by joy or peace or love or hope or zeal. These last are the results of faith, generally, and will depend largely upon temperament and education.
6. This unbroken courage is a condition of rest. David said that he came near to fainting, and should have done it, only be kept on believing to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. We must not think everything is lost when we happen to have become beclouded. (C. S. Robinson, D. D.)
Confidence in God
This psalm is an instance of what an old divine has called confidence in God the best succour in the worst seasons.
I. the occasion of this confidence. In Davids case we find this confidence--
1. In times of peril. The true children of God are oft in peril, and at such times nothing can stand them in such stead as this assured confidence. Luther felt it at Worms. Armed with it, the Christian may ever look even death calmly in the face. Man without it is in time of peril like a ship without anchor in the fury of the storm.
2. In times of privation. Apparently David was (Psa_27:4) in exile, and deprived of the privileges of worship in the house of God. But he found his great support in his confidence in God.
3. In times of desertion. When he needed friends most, the ranks were thinnest, his standard most deserted. But he had a Friend who would never forsake him. Happy the man who, amidst general unfaithfulness, has found the great treasure of a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
4. In times of calumny. A bitter element in Davids cup were false witnesses and slanderers.
II. some of the grounds on which this confidence rests.
1. The nature of God Himself in His personal relation to us: My Light, my Salvation . . . the Strength of my life. It is not what we are, but what God is, that affords a solid ground of confidence in time of trouble. There is an emphasis on that pronoun my which speaks of an eternal covenant, an appropriating faith, a mystical union.
2. Previous interpositions of God for our help. Verse 2 evidently refers to a period in the psalmists past history when he was delivered from great danger. As the child of God looks back on the way by which the Lord has led him, and sees how Divine strength has been made manifest in his weakness, confident is he that the grace which has brought him thus far will lead him safely home.
3. The religious experiences he has enjoyed (Psa_27:8).
4. The promises of God received and rested on by faith.
III. the fruits of this confidence.
1. Complete deliverance from all fear (Psa_27:1). Fear is unworthy one to whom Jehovah stands in such relations.
2. A positive sense of security from all harm. Jehovah, the Captain of our salvation, takes the timid soul into His own royal tent.
3. A well-spring of happiness. The Christian life has its hosannahs as well as its misereres--its notes of joyous triumph as well as its plaintive songs in the night. (T. H. Witherspoon, D. D.)
A psalm for lifes storms
I. courage in lifes storms.
1. This courage is founded on confidence in God. When the soul feels God with it, it becomes invincible.
2. It is heightened by memories of past deliverance. Recollection of past mercies strengthens our faith in future supplies.
3. It defies all future enemies, and faces the mysterious future with a jubilant soul.
II. shelter in lifes storms.
1. The scene where the shelter is sought. The house of the Lord: the place where He specially manifests Himself to His people.
2. The means by which the shelter is to be secured. Dwelling with God; delighting in God; inquiring after God.
3. The source from which it is to be derived. God Himself.
4. The spirit in which it is accepted. Confidence and praise.
III. prayer in lifes storms. The prayer is--
1. An earnest appeal to mercy for relief.
2. It expresses ready compliance with the Divine request. God requires us to seek His favour, not because we can induce Him to be more merciful; nor because our prayer can merit His favours; but because earnest prayer qualifies the suppliant to rightly receive, appreciate, and use the blessing sought.
3. It deprecates the disfavour of God as a terrible evil.
4. It recognizes the transcendent character of Divine friendship. Though all forsake, He remains faithful.
4. It indicates the true method of safety. Obedience to Divine law; interposition for Divine help.
IV. self-exhortation in lifes storms. I had fainted unless, etc. An admonishment to himself to be strong.
1. Faith in Divine goodness. The vision of Divine goodness is the only moral tonic for the soul.
2. Consecration to the Divine service. To wait upon the Lord is to serve Him lovingly, thoroughly, faithfully, practically; and such service is moral strength. (Homilist.)
Confidence in God
The Psalms are the outbreathings of the universal heart, a voice for man at all times. We are here reminded of--
I. A profound sense of need and danger This psalm is the cry of a soul in distress. Davids throne, honour, wealth, did not exempt him from suffering; rather they became occasions of distress. To all, the sky of life is often overcast, its path lies along a toilsome way, with burdens too heavy to be borne. Where find rest and safety?
II. the security of trusting in God. God was his Light, and in the consciousness of that light he could see that all things worked together for good to them that love God. The Lord was his Salvation: his safety was assured. Cast into a fiery furnace, One appears with the Christian whose form is like the Son of God. God was the Strength of his life, awakening holy impulses, irradiating his whole spiritual being.
III. the necessity of appointed means in communing with God. In the sanctuary, in the place and in the way of Divine appointment, the psalmist was filled with a sense of the Divine presence. There Gods light, salvation, strength, appeared in a reality and beauty nowhere else displayed. There God appeared not in nature, but in grace; not as a power, but as a Person; not as Creator, but as Redeemer. The psalmist therefore longed for the sanctuary.
IV. obedience to God is indispensable to confiding intercourse with him. At once he would seek, and actively seek, the Lords face. There is no real confidence in God without loyalty: obedience is the only atmosphere on which the wing of faith can rise. (Monday Club Sermons.)
The Christians boast
David was a boaster, but it was in God; hence it was lawful: My soul shall make her boast in the Lord. In any other source of confidence it is unlawful and dangerous.
I. the one thing of which David here speaks. The abiding sense of the Divine presence. The temple, or house of the Lord, was the place of Gods special manifestations. Abiding in this presence will give--
1. Light--the light of His countenance. It is one thing to abide in our own or in other light--as the Pharisee and Zaccheus; a different thing to be in the light of Gods face or presence. This light does two things: it reveals to us God, and shows us what sin is; it reveals God to us, and shows us what salvation is--making the Lord to be our salvation.
2. Satan may accuse, but, if God acquits, whom shall we fear? If the Law has been satisfied, the debt paid, we need fear neither penalties nor imprisonment. There is a second sense in which the Lord is light and salvation. No longer afraid of the condemning power of sin, we are warranted in standing in fear of its ruling power in our hearts. Therefore we are exhorted to work out our salvation. To do this we need the light to guide us into all truth, the salvation to deliver us from all evil.
3. Strength. If God be for us strength is on our side.
4. The beauty of the Lord. The beauty of His attributes, as they meet and harmonize for our blessing. The beauty, too, reflected in us; for in His light and salvation and strength we are changed into the same image.
5. Joy and singing. When our joy is dependent on the consciousness of what we are or ought to be to God, it is a very uncertain joy, and will rarely produce singing, but rather sighing. But when it is dependent on the sense of what God is to us, then we can say, I will offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy. To have this joy we must be taken out of self.
II. the condition of attaining this one thing. We must seek after it. We must wait on the Lord. To navigate the sea of life we must keep the eye fixed on this one thing, on the one magnet--Christ. Paul did this, which made his bark press toward the haven with such grace and nobility. (The Study.)
The Christians triumph
A beautiful affirmation; important possession; glorious triumph.
I. the affirmation.
1. The Lord is light in nature. All things were made by Him. All light in nature comes from Gods Son, who is emphatically the Light of the world.
2. In the sphere of reason. God made man with a mind to know, a will to obey, a heart to love--elevated far above the rest of creation. By sin the mind is darkened, the will perverse, the heart depraved. Hence--
3. God is light in the sphere of grace. Man, by the Fall, deprived himself and the race of those divine gifts; hence the need of a Redeemer. This we have: the Lord is salvation. Light shows us where and what we are--lost, ruined, dead. Christ, our salvation, brings us from the depths of the Fall, recreates us, imparts to us His Spirit, righteousness and life.
II. A most important possession. My light, my salvation. The beauty of the Psalms is in the pronouns. Light must be in us, or we walk in darkness; bread be eaten, or we starve; so an unapplied Saviour is no Saviour to man. This possession is ours only as we stand in living union with Christ Jesus our Lord.
III. the glorious triumph. Whom shall I fear? etc. In possession of Christs light and life, the Christian need fear neither sickness, death, grave, nor hell. Over all these lie has complete victory (Rom_8:34-39). (J. Hassler, D. D.)
Davids confidence in God
I. what God was to David.
1. The fountain of gladness to his heart.
2. The author of safety to his person.
3. The giver of strength and might, for the preservation of his life.
Uses--
1. For instruction.
(1) Gods all-sufficiency in Himself, for all His children.
(2) The happy estate of those who are in covenant with God.
2. For admonition.
(1) Search and try whether God be that to us which He was to David.
(2) If we find defect we must give all diligence thereunto (2Pe_1:5).
(3) In the fruition of any of these blessings, see whither to return the honour and praise, viz. to God.
3. For comfort.
II. what benefit David reaped thereby. Having the Lord for his God, he is armed against all fear of men or other creatures (Psa_118:6; Psa_23:1-4; Psa_3:3-6). Uses--
1. For instruction.
(1) There is great gain in true godliness, and much fruit in religion, to those who attain to true righteousness (1Ti_6:6; Psa_58:11).
(2) See here the true ground of the difference between the wicked and the godly, about slavish fear and godly boldness (Pro_28:1). The godly have the Lord with them and for them, and that makes them bold; but the wicked have the Lord against them, and that strikes their hearts with fear and dread.
2. For admonition.
(1) Unless God be for us, the heart will fail when evils come. And none have the Lord for them but those that stand rightly in covenant with God; repenting of their sins, believing in the Lord Jesus, and walking in new obedience.
(2) Those who have true courage and comfort in evil times must learn hence to give God all the glory (Psa_18:29). (T. Pierson.)
The pathway of power
Light--salvation--strength: three great waves of the sea, telling that the tide can rise no higher. The tide is full. Even so it is with the heart that can say--
I. The Lord is my light.
1. In the natural world God gives us a night between every two days, and in the life beyond we hear of a bow of emerald that breaks the dazzle of the great white throne. Light means truth, and, as it advances in precision and purity, the steps of discovered truth become the songs of degrees with which the tribes go up to the great temple of God.
2. In the spiritual life, both as regards salvation and service, much depends on clearness of vision, and knowledge of how and where to look and what to look for.
II. the Lord is my salvation. The words Christ for us have now a clear and exact meaning, setting forth the condition and character of Salvation. And before Christ was crucified for sinners, the main feature of salvation was the same; it was from the Lord, a gift from His hand. Blessed is the man whose sin is covered. Sin was then also a transgression, a taint, and a tyranny, and from all the Lord delivered. It was His to deliver the soul from death, the eyes from tears, and the feet from falling. This fact at once humbled and upheld him; it was the Lords gift, and yet it was his own possession. And so he could say--Whom shall I fear? The Lord is my salvation.
III. the Lord is my strength. Light for the understanding and its judgment; salvation for the heart, its hardness and anxiety; and strength for action and usefulness. How often we come to the Lord, like James and John, and say we are able; but the Lord makes a thorough work of the first and second, the light and salvation, before lie entrusts us with the third, the strength on which He puts His own almighty name. We often bring misery upon ourselves, and darkness upon others, by trying to come into the Lords service before coming to the Lord Himself. Let us seek the power in the pathway of power:--light, salvation, strength. (G. M. Mackie, M. A.)
The Divine Light
I. David says this. He is in exile, engaged in some struggle on the frontiers of his kingdom: his foes have received a check: he is closely watched, but is, nevertheless, confident of victory. This is the only occasion in which David speaks of the Lord as his Light: the expression occurs only twice in the Old Testament. Micah says, the Lord shall be a light unto me. In other places light is spoken of as Gods gift--the light of revelation and of conscience. But here David says, the Lord is my light. Davids life was one of great vicissitude, and his temperament was very changeable. Hence he was liable to great depression, especially through the recollection of his awful sins--adulterer and murderer that he was. And yet he was a man after Gods own heart, because a mans life is to be judged not by its exceptional acts, but by its governing principles. Nevertheless, David was damaged deeply and permanently by his sins. But they did not destroy, though they did deface his real character, his profound religious sense of Gods presence and claims. The leading acts of a mans life may look one way, the governing principles of his life another. Philip II. of Spain encouraged and paid for the publication of the second great polyglot Bible that was ever printed. But how wrong it would be to infer from that one action what manner of man he was. And so with David: his exceptional acts do not reveal him in his real character and mind. Saul had no depth of character: moral levity and indifference to the claims of God are constantly chargeable against him. But Davids sins, though terrible, were but temporary, and never became the habit of his life, and they did not extinguish in him his deep love of God. Hence, still he could say, The Lord is my light.
II. Apply the words to our Lord jesus christ. In their deepest sense they can apply to none else. He whom Jesus said was greatest of woman-born--John the Baptist--was yet not that light, but came to bear witness of that light. Christ alone could say, I am the light of the world. Some of us may remember that great work of Christian genius, called the Notre: it is by Correggio, and is reckoned amongst the chief of the art treasures of the Dresden Gallery. In it the Divine infant is represented as with a body almost transparent with light, and from Him all around are illuminated, and in proportion to their nearness to Him. It is a representation on canvas of a great moral and spiritual truth. For Christ is the one light of men.
III. To the church. Was it not so in the days of persecution? Road the history of the martyrdom of Stephen.
IV. To Christian education. Our text is the motto of the University of Oxford, and expresses the truth that education apart from Him is vain.
V. To the individual conscience. Then refer to Him all teaching, all content. Lead, kindly Light . . . lead Thou me on. (Canon Liddon.)
Facts and arguments
I. The facts.
1. The Lord is my light and my salvation. The soul is assured of it, and therefore declares it boldly. Into the soul at the new birth Divine light is poured as the precursor of salvation. Where there is not enough light to reveal our own darkness, and to make us long for the Lord Jesus, there is no evidence of salvation. After conversion our God is our Joy, Comfort, Guide, Teacher, and, in every sense, our Light: He is light within, light around, light reflected from us, and light to be revealed to us. Not merely does He give light or salvation; He is light, He is salvation; he, then, who has laid hold upon God has all covenant blessings in his possession.
2. The Lord is the strength of my life. Here is a third epithet to show the writers hope was fastened with a threefold cord which could not be broken. We may well accumulate terms of praise where the Lord lavishes deeds of grace.
II. the arguments. 1 Whom shall I fear? A question which is its own answer. The powers of darkness are not to be feared; for the Lord, our light, destroys them. The damnation of hell is not to be dreaded; for the Lord is our salvation. This is a very different challenge from that of boastful Goliath: that rested on the conceited vigour of an arm of flesh; this on the real power of the omnipotent I am.
2. Of whom shall I be afraid? Our life derives all its strength from God: we cannot be weakened by all the machinations of the enemy. This bold question looks into the future as well as the present. If God be for us, who can be against us, either now or in time to come? (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Christ the True Light
In the New Testament, the idea which is hinted at in the language of David is expressly revealed as a truth. God does not merely give us His light. He is light, just as He is love in His own uncreated nature. God is light, says St. John, and in Him is no darkness at all. When St. John would teach us our Lords Godhead as clearly and sharply as possible, he calls Him the light, moaning to teach us that as such He shares the essential nature of the Deity. He is light, because lie is what He is--absolute perfection in respect of intellectual truth, absolute perfection in respect of moral beauty. And hence those momentous words, I am the light of the world; and hence that confession of the Christian creed, God of God, Light of Light. Thus the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ was to the spiritual world what the rising of the sun is in the world of nature. It had effects even upon the orders of the heavenly intelligences, of which St. Paul hints in his Epistle to the Ephesians. But, for the human soul, it meant a passing from darkness to light, from warmth to sunshine. And thus a prophet had bidden Zion arise and shine since her Lord was come, and the glory of the Lord had risen upon her; for He was announced as the Sun of Righteousness who should arise with healing in His wings, so that although darkness had covered the earth, and gross darkness the people, yet the Lord should arise upon Zion, and His glory be seen upon her. And, in the Benedictus, Zechariah salutes Him as the day-star from on high, who hath visited us to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. And Simeon, holding the Divine Saviour in his arms, says that He is a Light to lighten the Gentiles; and himself felt that the word of prophecy was fulfilled, when the people who walked in darkness had seen a great light; and they that were in the region and shadow of death, on them hath the Gospel light shined. Some of us may remember that great work of Christian genius, the picture of the Nativity--the Notre, as it is called, of Correggio, which is among the treasures of the Dresden Gallery. In it the Divine Infant is represented as with a body almost transparent with light; and from Him all around are illuminated. His mother, His foster-father, the angels who bend in adoration, they are illuminated in the ratio of their nearness to Him. And this is but a representation on canvas of spiritual and eternal truth. He is the one Light of the intellectual and moral world; and we are in the light just so far, and only so far, as we are near to Him. (Canon Liddon.)
Light and salvation
The combination of the two ideas, light and salvation, is very suggestive. Light is essential to life, health, and growth. What wonderful medicinal efficacy it possesses! There is no tonic like it. It imparts that green hue by means of which the plant changes inorganic into organic matter, creates and conserves what everything else consumes and destroys, and acts as the mediator between the world of death and the world of life. Take away the light from man, and immediately he becomes a prey to the dead, inert forces of nature. The tissues of his body degenerate, and the powers of his mind decay. It affects the stature, the blood, the hair, the liver, the whole body inwardly and outwardly. Under solar radiation, sickness is more speedily cured, wounds heal more rapidly, and the healthy acquire fresh vigour and elevated vitality. It is difficult even to express the full enjoyment of all the senses, except by metaphors drawn from light. Owing to this healing, life-giving power of natural light, we see how it becomes the salvation of the natural man. And in regard to our souls, the Lord is our salvation because He is our light. The plant instinctively and inevitably turns to the sunlight, wherever it is, because the sunlight is its salvation, its very life. Shut out from the light, it can neither live nor grow. A plant growing in a cellar, where but a feeble ray of light penetrates, is a dwarfed and forced growth, exhausting all there is in its seed or bulb mechanically, but adding no new material of growth, without any sign of inward vitality or promise of perennial production. It is a weak, blanched ghost of a plant, without any sap in its veins, or colour in its leaves, without any power to produce blossoms or fruit. But bring the miserable shadow of life out into the open sunshine, and it recovers itself; its white, brittle stem becomes green and full of sap; its leaves assume their natural vivid hue, and open out their blades in the golden air. The whole plant revives as if by magic, and speedily puts forth its beautiful blossom and fruit. What the sunlight is to the plant, God is to the soul. (H. Macmillan, D. D.)
Mans True Light
When we were at New York, Professor Simpson and I went one night to the observatory. We found the astronomer by the light of a small candle, groping about for his instruments, and arranging the telescope. But when he had got the star full in view he blew out his little candle. He had now got the light of the world, and the candle served only to obscure his view. The dim light of your reason is of use only if it brings you to the Great Light. (Henry Drummond.)
Whom shall I fear?--
The believers freedom from fear
This is not the language of vain presumption, or the boastful utterance of affected boldness, but the confident, yet humble, utterance of Christian assurance.
I. shall we be afraid of God?
1. Is He not revealed as a sin-hating God? And are not all men sinners? How comes it, then, that the Christian man, though sensible of many infirmities, shortcomings, and aggravated sins--sins of thought, of word, and of deed--can say that he has no cause to be afraid of God? It is because of the new relation into which he is brought to God by virtue of his union to Christ, and of what Christ has done for him. The work of Christ was to satisfy Divine justice and reconcile us to God. Nor is this all. Every believer in Christ becomes a partaker of the Divine nature, sustaining a relation to him near and dear as that which His own Son sustained.
2. Is not the Christian exposed to temptation? May he not be stripped of the safeguard which Divine grace has thrown around him, and be exposed again to the dread vengeance of an insulted God? No; though he may fall, yet shall he rise again. So long as he is Christs he has nothing to fear from God, but everything to hope. The love of God dwelling in him, there is no place for fear, for perfect love casteth out fear.
II. shall we fear the law? Cursed is every one that continueth not, etc. He that offendeth in one point, etc. If a mans life is to be brought to the test of the law, if he is to stand on the footing of his own merits in the eye of the law, then, indeed, is his condition hopeless, for there is not a just man upon the earth that doeth good and sinneth not. By the deeds of the law shall no flesh living be justified. Now though all this be true, it is no less true that even of the law the Christian has no need to be afraid. To him it is invested with no terrors, on him it never flashes its lightning, against him it never peals its thunders, and why? Why, just because the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made him free from the law of sin and of death. Why? Because there is no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
III. shall we fear Satan? When we think of the life he has led us, the misery in which he has involved us, the grinding nature of that servitude be exacts from every one who is led captive by him at his will, we may well tremble at the thought of such an enemy, for unless we are ransomed from his hands by a mightier power than our own, well may we say that he is indeed a power to be feared. But it is only when under his power that this can truly be said of him. It cannot be so said of the believer, for his position is altered to Satan, and Satans is altered to him. Christ has taken the prey from the mighty, and spoiled the captive of the terrible one.
IV. shall we fear affliction? To fear it would be to mistrust the promises, and to doubt the faithfulness of Him by whom these promises are made. Fear not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, etc.
V. shall we fear death? Death, which the world calls the king of terrors, and which wicked men feel to be such! Death, which for six thousand years has lorded it over the human race, and to whose sceptre countless myriads are yet destined to bowl Shall we not be afraid of death? No! To the Christian there is nothing in death to make him afraid. To the Christian all his power is over the material, not over the spiritual; over the body, not over the soul; and even ever the body not long. To the Christian he comes as an angel of mercy, as a messenger of peace. (H. Hyslop.)
The fearlessness of the good
I. springs from personal faith in God.
1. Intelligent.
2. Appropriating.
3. Soul-saving.
II. strengthened by the remembrance of past deliverances. Confidence comes of experience. The remedy we have proved we readily try again. The friend we have found faithful we trust to death. The commander under whom we have conquered we follow bravely to other fields. So should we act as to God.
III. sufficient for the greatest emergencies. What terror had Ahab for Micaiah, the man who had seen God? (1Ki_22:19). What cared Elisha for the horses and chariots at Dothan, whose eyes beheld the angels of God ranged in his defence? (2Ki_6:15). If God be for us, who can be against us? (Rom_8:31). (W. Forsyth, M. A.)
Davids preventive of fear
The heroic man shows us the secret of his heroism.
I. the Lord was the psalmists light. Few things man recoils more from than darkness, whether physical, or of ignorance or of sin. This fear was no longer possible to David. He even anticipates Johns grand utterance, In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. What light was and ever had been to the world, the Lord was to David.
II. the lord was his salvation. As man dreads darkness, so he dreads captivity and oppression. David rejoices in God as his salvation. This conception of God first found expression in the song of Moses (Exo_15:4), when God led the children of Israel through the Red Sea into the light and calm of day. The word salvation is Jeshua--Joshua--Jesus. So near does David come to the parallel Gospel phrase: He shall be called Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins. Thus the psalmist gripped in advance two of the central truths of the Gospel--God as light and as salvation. In face of these assurances he asks, Whom shall I fear? This is the question of every reformer, who, in the strength of a mighty conviction, in the inspiration of high aims, goes to the help of the Lord against the mighty.
III. the Lord was the strength--the stronghold--of his life. The word has a more subtle meaning still. David looks upon God as the Life of his life, the Father of his spirit. He thus falls back upon a third Gospel truth: God is a Spirit. Davids life was in possession of a power which needed not to fear any foe. By a mighty faith he drew upon Gods omnipotence: be had not only enough obedience to be active, he had enough to be restful; and that power is greater than all other. Many a man, like John the Baptist, has courage and enthusiasm enough for the rush and battle of life, but falters when withdrawn into the hush of it, to await the oncoming of the foe. The strength of the psalmist enabled him to pass from Whom shall I fear? to Of whom, then, shall I be afraid? Therefore the second verse followed naturally: When the wicked . . . they stumbled and fell. (D. Davies.)
Fear banished
Having God as his light and salvation, the psalmist might well say, Whom shall I fear? Having his heart at rest in God, and having his times in Gods hands, what cause for fear remained? With peace within, and light without, he was raised above all earthly fears. His eyes were opened; and while he was compassed about with foes innumerable and most formidable, he saw himself at the same time surrounded with horses and chariots of fire, and realized that greater was He that was with him than all that could be against him; that the hostile things and persons of life could have no power at all against him, were it not given them for wise and gracious purposes by his heavenly Father. And so, if we fear God, we need know no other fear. That divine fear, like the space which the American settler burns around him as a defence against the prairie fire, clears a circle, within which we are absolutely safe. The old necromancists believed that if a man was master of himself, he enjoyed complete immunity from all danger; if his will was firmly set, the powers of evil could not harm him; he could defy a host of devils raging around. Against the malice of human and infernal power, the citadel of a mans heart that is set upon God is impregnable. It is sin alone that is adverse to us; it is sin that makes cowards of us all. The soul infected with this radical evil is weak, and open to all adversities. Everything is adverse to it. It is out of harmony with Gods universe. But let this primary adversity of sin be removed, and all secondary adversities vanish; all things work together for good to them that fear the Lord. All providence becomes to us special providence; all things are eager and tender ministers to us. More important interests are involved in our salvation than in the fate of the whole natural creation; and sooner than a hair of our head shall be injured, God would bury the whole physical world in ruin. God is our refuge and strength. Perfect trust in God is perfect peace. (H. Macmillan, D. D.)
The Lord is the strength of my life.--
Davids strength
The keynote of Davids character is not the assertion of his own strength, but the confession of his own weakness. Nevertheless, he had strength, and that of no common order: he was an eminently powerful, able, and successful man. But he says it was from God. Even his physical prowess he ascribes to God. It is by Gods help he slays the lion and the bear, and has nerve to kill Goliath. It is God who makes his feet like harts feet, and enables him to leap over the walls of the mountain fortresses. And no doubt this was so: it is not mere metaphor. David was not likely to have been a man of gigantic strength. So delicate a-brain was probably coupled to a delicate body. But it is as the fount of light and goodness in his own soul that he chiefly thinks of God. In a word, David is a man of faith and prayer. And it is this which sustains him in every trouble, and gives enthusiasm and fire, life and reality, to his triumphant psalms. He had the firm conviction that God was the deliverer of all who trust in Him. And the same faith it is which gives to his penitence its manly tone, free from all cowardly cries of terror. He sees no angry, but a forgiving God, though he knows he is to be punished for the rest of his life. But he utterly trusts God, and is sure that God will restore him to goodness that He may thereby restore him to usefulness. Hence it is God demands not torturing penance or sacrifice, but the heart, the broken and contrite heart. It is such utterances as these which have given their priceless value to the little book of the psalms of David. Every form of human sorrow, doubt, struggle, error, sin; the nun agonizing in the cloister; the settler struggling for life in Transatlantic forests; the pauper shivering over the embers in his hovel, and waiting for kind death; the man of business striving to keep his honour pure amid the temptations of commerce; the prodigal son starving in the far country, and recollecting the words which he learnt long ago at his mothers knee; the peasant boy trudging a-field in the chill dawn, and remembering that the Lord is his Shepherd, therefore he will not want--all shapes of humanity have found, and will find to the end of time, a word said to their inmost hearts, and for them, to the living God of heaven by the vast humanity of David, the man after Gods own heart; the most thoroughly human figure which had appeared upon the earth before the coming of that perfect Son of man, who is over all, God blessed for ever. (C. Kingsley, M. A.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Expositor's Bible 1887 · Public Domain On v1 Psalms 27
Psalms 27
THE hypothesis that two originally distinct psalms or fragments are here blended has much in its favour. The rhythm and style of the latter half (Psa_27:7-14) are strikingly unlike those of the former part, and the contrast of feeling is equally marked, and is in the opposite direction from that which is usual, since it drops from exultant faith to at least plaintive, if not anxious petition. But while the phenomena are plain and remarkable, they do not seem to demand the separation suggested. Form and rhythm are elastic in the poets hands, and change in correspondence with his change of mood. The flowing melody of the earlier part is the natural expression of its sunny confidence, and the harsher strains of the later verses fit no less well their contents. Why may not the key change to a minor, and yet the voice be the same? The fall from jubilant to suppliant faith is not unexampled in other psalms (cf. Psalms 9 and Psalms 25), nor in itself unnatural. Dangers, which for a moment cease to press, do recur, however real the victory over fear has been, and in this recrudescence of the consciousness of peril, which yet does not loosen, but tighten, the grasp of faith, this ancient singer speaks the universal experience; and his song becomes more precious and more fitted for all lips than if it had been unmingled triumph. One can better understand the original author passing in swift transition from the one to the other tone, than a later editor deliberately appending to a pure burst of joyous faith and aspiration a tag which flattened it. The more unlike the two halves are, the less probable is it that their union is owing to any but the author of both. The fire of the original inspiration could fuse them into homogeneousness; it is scarcely possible that a mechanical patcher should have done so. If, then, we take the psalm as a whole, it gives a picture of the transitions of a trustful soul surrounded by dangers, in which all such souls may recognise their own likeness.
Read full note →
The first half (Psa_27:1-6) is the exultant song of soaring faith. But even in it there sounds an undertone. The very refusal to be afraid glances sideways at outstanding causes for fear. The very names of Jehovah as "Light, Salvation," "the Stronghold of my life," imply darkness, danger, and besetting foes. The resolve to keep alight the fire of courage and confidence in the face of encamping foes and rising wars is much too energetic to be mere hypothetical courage. The hopes of safety in Jehovahs tent, of a firm standing on a rock, and of the head being lifted above surrounding foes are not the hopes of a man at ease, but of one threatened on all sides, and triumphant only because he clasps Jehovahs hand. The first words of the psalm carry it all in germ. By a noble dead lift of confidence, the singer turns from foes and fears to stay himself on Jehovah, his light and salvation, and then, in the strength of that assurance, bids back his rising fears to their dens. "I will trust, and not be afraid," confesses the presence of fear, and, like our psalm, unveils the only reasonable counteraction of it in the contemplation of what God is. There is much to fear unless He is our light, and they who will not begin with the psalmists confidence have no right to repeat his courage.
To a devout man the past is eloquent with reasons for confidence, and in Psa_27:2 the psalm points to a past fact. The stumbling and falling of former foes, who came open mouthed at him, is not a hypothetical case, but a bit of autobiography, which lives to nourish present confidence. It is worth notice that the language employed has remarkable correspondence with that used in the story of Davids fight with Goliath. There the same word as here is twice employed to describe the Philistines advance. {1Sa_17:41; 1Sa_17:48} Goliaths vaunt, "I will give thy flesh to the fowls of the air and to the beasts of the field," may have supplied the mould for the expression here, and the fall of the giant, with his face to the earth and the smooth stone in his brain, is narrated with the same word as occurs in the psalm. It might well be that when David was a fugitive before Saul the remembrance of his victory over Goliath should have cheered him, just as that of his earlier prowess against bear and lion heartened him to face the Philistine bully; and such recollections would be all the more natural since jealousy of the fame that came to him from that feat had set the first light to Sauls hatred. Psa_27:3 is not to be left swinging in vacuo, a cheap vow of courage in hypothetical danger. The supposed case is actual fact, and the expressions of trust are not only assertions for the future, but statements of the present temper of the psalmist: "I do not fear; I am confident."
The confidence of Psa_27:3 is rested not only on Jehovahs past acts, but on the psalmists past and present set of soul towards Him. That seems to be the connecting link between Psa_27:1-3 and Psa_27:4-6. Such desire, the psalmist is sure, cannot but be answered, and in the answer all safety is included. The purest longing after God as the deepest, most fixed yearning of a heart, was never more nobly expressed. Clearly the terms forbid the limitation of meaning to mere external presence in a material sanctuary. "All the days of my life" points to a continuance inward and capable of accomplishment, wherever the body may be. The exclusiveness and continuity of the longing, as well as the gaze on God which is its true object, are incapable of the lower meaning, while, no doubt, the externals of worship supply the mould into which these longings are poured. But what the psalmist wants is what the devout soul in all ages and stages has wanted: the abiding consciousness of the Divine presence; and the prime good which makes that presence so infinitely and exclusively desirable to him is the good which draws all such souls in yearning, namely the vision of God. The lifelong perststence and exclusiveness of the desire are such as all must cherish if they are to receive its fruition. Blessed are they who are delivered from the misery of multiplied and transient aims which break life into fragments by steadfastly and continually following one great desire, which binds all the days each to each, and in its single simplicity encloses and hallows and unifies the else distracting manifoldness! That life is filled with light, however it may be ringed round with darkness, which has the perpetual vision of God, who is its light. Very beautifully does the psalm describe the occupation of Gods guest as "gazing upon the pleasantness of Jehovah." In that expression the construction of the verb with a preposition implies a steadfast and penetrating contemplation, and the word rendered "beauty" or "pleasantness" may mean "friendliness," but is perhaps better taken in a more general meaning, as equivalent to the whole gathered delightsomeness of the Divine character, the supremely fair and sweet. "To inquire" may be rendered "to consider"; but the rendering "meditate [or contemplate] in" is better, as the palace would scarcely be a worthy object of consideration; and it is natural that the gaze on the goodness of Jehovah should be followed by loving meditation on what that earnest look had seen. The two acts complete the joyful employment of a soul communing with God: first perceiving and then reflecting upon His uncreated beauty of goodness.
Such intimacy of communion brings security from external dangers. The guest has a claim for protection. And that is a subsidiary reason for the psalmists desire as well as a ground of his confidence. Therefore the assurance of Psa_27:5 follows the longing of Psa_27:4. "A pavilion," as the Hebrew text reads, has been needlessly corrected in the margin into "His pavilion" (A.V.). "It is not Gods dwelling, as the following tent is, but a boothas an image of protection from heat and inclemency of weather" {Isa_4:6} (Hupfeld). Gods dwelling is a "tent," where he will shelter His guests. The privilege of asylum is theirs. Then, with a swift change of figure, the psalmist expresses the same idea of security by elevation on a rock, possibly conceiving the tent as pitched there. The reality of all is that communion with God secures from perils and enemies, an eternal truth, if the true meaning of security is grasped. Borne up by such thoughts, the singer feels himself lifted clear above the reach of surrounding foes and with the triumphant "now" of Psa_27:6, stretches out his hand to bring future deliverance into the midst of present distress. Faith can blend the seasons, and transport June and its roses into Decembers snows. Deliverance suggests thankfulness to a true heart, and its anticipation calls out prophetic "songs in the night."
But the very brightness of the prospect recalls the stern reality of present need, and the firmest faith cannot keep on the wing continually. In the first part of the psalm it sings and soars; in the second the note is less jubilant, and it sings and sinks; but in both it is faith. Prayer for deliverance is as really the voice of faith as triumph in the assurance of deliverance is, and he who sees his foes and yet "believes to see the goodness of Jehovah" is not far below him who gazes only on the beauty of the Lord. There is a parallelism between the two halves of the psalm worth nothing. In the former part the psalmists confidence reposed on the two facts of past deliverance and of his past and continuous "seeking after" the one good; in the second his prayers repose on the same two grounds, which occur in inverted order. "That will I seek after" (Psa_27:4), is echoed by "Thy face will I seek" (Psa_27:8). To seek the face is the same substantially as to desire to, gaze on the pleasantness of Jehovah." The past experience of the fall of foes (Psa_27:2) is repeated in "Thou hast been my help." On these two pleas the prayer in which faith speaks itself founds. The former is urged in Psa_27:8-9 with some harshness of construction, which is smoothed over, rightly as regards meaning, in the A.V. and R.V. But the very brokenness of the sentence adds to the earnestness of the prayer: "To Thee my heart has said, Seek ye my face; Thy face, Jehovah, will I seek." The answering heart repeats the invitation which gave it courage to seek before it responds with its resolve. The insertion of some such phrase as "in answer to Thy word" before "seek ye" helps the sense in a translation, but mars the vigour of the original. The invitation is not quoted from any Scripture, but is the summary of the meaning of all Gods self-revelation. He is ever saying, "Seek ye my face." Therefore He cannot but show it to a man who takes Him at His word and pleads that word as I have never said the warrant for his petition "to the seed of Jacob, Seek ye my face in vain." the consistency of the Divine character ensures His satisfying the desires which He has implanted. He will neither stultify Himself nor tantalise men by setting them on quests which end in disappointment. In a similar manner, the psalm urges the familiar argument from Gods past, which reposes on the confidence of unalterable grace and inexhaustible resources. The psalmist bad no cold abstract doctrine of immutability as a Divine attribute. His conception was intensely practical. Since God has helped in the past, He will help in the future, because He is God, and because He is "the God of my salvation." He cannot reverse His action nor stay His hand until His dealings with His servants have vindicated that name by completing the process to which it binds Him.
The prayer "Forsake me not" is based upon a remarkable ground in Psa_27:10: "For my father and my mother have forsaken me." That seems singular plea for a mature man, who has a considerably varied experience of life behind him, to urge. It is generally explained as a proverbial expression, meaning no more than the frequent complaints in the Psalter of desertion by friends and lovers. Cheyne (Commentary in loc.) sees in it a clear indication that the speaker is the afflicted nation, comparing itself to a sobbing child deserted by its parents. But it is at least noteworthy that, when David was hard pressed at Adullam, he bestowed his father and mother for safety with the king of Moab. {1Sa_21:3-4} It is objected that this was not their "forsaking" him, but it was, at least, their "leaving" him and might well add an imaginative pang as well as a real loss to the fugitive. So specific a statement as that of the psalm can scarcely be weakened down into proverb or metaphor. The allusion may be undiscoverable, but the words sound uncommonly like the assertion of a fact, and the fact referred to is the only known one which in any degree fits them.
The general petitions of Psa_27:7-10 become more specific as the song nears its close. As in Psalms 25, guidance and protection are the psalmists needs now. The analogy of other psalms suggests an ethical meaning for "the plain path" of Psa_27:11; and that signification, rather than that safe road, is to be preferred, for the sake of preserving a difference between this and the following prayer for deliverance. The figures of his enemies stand out more threateningly than before (Psa_27:12). Is that all his gain from his prayer? Is it not a faint-hearted descent from Psa_27:6, where, from the height of his Divine security, he looked down on them far below, and unable to reach him? Now they have "risen up," and he has dropped down among them. But such changes of mood are not inconsistent with unchanged faith, if only the gaze which discerns the precipice at either side is not turned away from the goal ahead and above, nor from Him who holds up His servant. The effect of that clearer sight of the enemies is very beautifully given in the abrupt half-sentence of Psa_27:13 : "If I had not believed to see the goodness of Jehovah in the land of the living!" As he thinks of his foes he breaks into an exclamation, which he leaves unfinished. The omission is easy to supply. He would have been their victim but for his faith. The broken words tell of his recoil from the terrible possibility forced on him by the sight of the formidable enemies. Well for us if we are but driven the closer to God, in conscious helplessness, by the sight of dangers and antagonisms! Faith does not falter, though it is keenly conscious of difficulties. It is not preserved by ignoring facts, but should be by them impelled to clasp God more firmly as its only safety.
So the psalm goes back to the major key at last, and in the closing verse prayer passes into self-encouragement. The heart that spoke to God now speaks to itself. Faith exhorts sense and soul to "wait on Jehovah." The self-communing of the psalmist, beginning with exultant confidence and merging into prayer thrilled with consciousness of need and of weakness, closes with bracing him up to courage, which is not presumption, because it is the fruit of waiting on the Lord. He who thus keeps his heart in touch with God will be able to obey the ancient command, which had rung so long before in the ears of Joshua in the plains of Jericho and is never out of date, "Be strong and of a good courage"; and none but those who wait on the Lord will be at once conscious of weakness and filled with strength, aware of the foes and bold to meet them.
William Robertson Nicoll, ed., The Expositor's Bible (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1887–1910) — public domain. 65 of 66 books (1 Corinthians is not separately keyed, as that volume carries no machine-parseable verse references); section-level commentary keyed to the opening verse. Introductory and overview sections not keyed to a specific passage are excluded.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v1 This psalm has been referred by some to the…
INTRODUCTION
This psalm has been referred by some to the period of David’s waiting for the kingdom; by others, to the time of Absalom’s rebellion. Hengstenberg says: “All attempts to find out any occasion to which the psalm especially referred have failed, and from this failure; we may infer either that David originally uttered the psalm from the soul of the oppressed righteous man, or that, if he wrote it in reference to a particular occasion, he generalised his own experience.”
Read full note →
THE FEARLESSNESS OF THE GOOD
(Psa_27:1-3.)
I. Springs from personal faith in God. “The Lord.” This name inspires hope. Six times it is recited in the first, and seven times in the second part of the psalm. Jehovah is ever the object of true faith.
1. Intelligent. The cry of the earnest soul is, “Light.” To this God responds. He reveals Himself in Christ. He gives His word to quicken and enlighten the soul, and to illumine its pathway up to the gates of heaven (2Co_4:6; Joh_8:12; Psa_18:28; Psa_36:9; Psa_84:11). David was called the “Light of Israel” (2Sa_21:17), but he himself gives God the glory: “The Lord is my light.” In this word he anticipates the great saying of the New Testament, “God is light” (1Jn_1:5).
2. Appropriating. “My” is a little word, but of great significance. Only a person can say, “My.” “My home,” “My wife,” “My child.” Faith is personal. It implies recognition of the glory and preciousness of Jesus, and the receiving and resting upon Him alone for salvation. This faith is contrasted with the faith of devils (Jas_2:19; 1Jn_5:10-12). So also it differs vitally from mere belief in historical Christianity. It is one thing to say, “God is light,” and another to say, “God is my light” It is one thing to cry, “The Lord He is God” (1Ki_18:39), and an altogether different thing to take hold of Christ for ourselves, saying, “My Lord and my God” (Joh_20:28). Luther says the marrow of the Gospels is in the pronouns “my” and “our.” Let us not be content till we can say, “The Lord is my light.” Such faith fills the heart with courage and joy (Psa_18:1-2; Psa_118:28; Son_6:3).
3. Soul-saving. “Salvation” implies all that we need for our safety and good. God not merely gives salvation, but He is salvation. He that by faith has laid hold of God has all covenant blessings made sure to him. “The strength of my life:” God is the stronghold in which the believer’s life is safe (Pro_18:10; 2Co_12:2). “My light,” “My salvation,” “The strength of my life.” Here is combined all that the soul requires,—here, as from behind a triple shield, she can “fight the good fight,”—here, as in an impregnable fortress, she can hoist the banner of the cross and bid defiance to every foe.
II. Strengthened by the remembrance of past deliverances.
Memory can recall and re-live the past. When rightly used, it is a helper to faith. (Psa_27:2) Here is danger recalled. David in imagination goes back to some time of great peril. His enemies pressed him sore. Strong and fierce as wild beasts, they thirsted for his blood (Job_19:22; Zep_3:3). So believers can recall times when they were in straits. God’s enemies are our enemies. “It is a hopeful sign for us when the wicked hate us: if our foes were godly men, it would be a sore sorrow; but as for the wicked, their hatred is better than their love.”—Spurgeon.
Here is deliverance recorded. David’s enemies came up with haughty confidence. They counted him their sure prey; but discomfiture, strange and unexpected, befell them. “They stumbled and fell.’ These things rise up before him with the freshness of yesterday. It was the doing of the Lord, and the thought strengthens his heart.—So it was in the encounter with Goliath (1Sa_17:37). So it was at Ziklag and at other times (1Sa_30:6; Psa_77:10-11). Here is a lesson for us. Confidence comes of experience. The remedy we have proved we readily try again. The friend we have found faithful we trust to death. The commander under whom we have conquered we follow bravely to other fields. So should we act as to God. “The Christian is rich in experiences, which he wears as bracelets and keeps as his richest jewels. He calls one Ebenezer, ‘Hitherto God hath helped;’ another, Naphtali, ‘I have wrestled with God and prevailed;’ another, Gershom, ‘I was a stranger;’ another, Joseph, ‘God will yet add more;’ another, Peniel, ‘I have seen the face of God’s (1Sa_7:12; Gen_30:8; Exo_2:22; Gen_30:24; Gen_32:30). I have been delivered from the lion, therefore from the bear,—from the lion and the bear, therefore from the Philistine,—from the Philistine, therefore from Saul,—from Saul, therefore God will deliver me from every evil work, and preserve me blameless to His heavenly kingdom.”—J. Sheffield.
III. Sufficient for the greatest emergencies. Imagination is a great painter. Here David conjures up a terrible scene (Psa_27:3). We see the mustering of the forces, we see the proud array of the army with tents and banners, we see the shock and terrors of the battle, and the strife, as if for a kingdom. And all this pictures the danger of his soul. Yet, in such extremity, his eye flinches not and his heart knows no fear. What sustains him? Faith in God. “In this will I be confident” (cf. Psa_3:6-7). So with the saints. If enemies oppose, they can say with Peter, “We must obey God” (cf. Luther at Worms). If dangers thicken, they can cry with Paul, “None of these things move me.” What terror had Ahab for Micaiah, the man who had seen God? (1Ki_22:19). What cared Elisha for “the horses and chariots” at Dothan, whose eyes beheld the angels of God ranged in his defence? (2Ki_6:15). So, what are the hosts of darkness and all the powers of the enemy to the Christian who can say, “The Lord is my light and my salvation?” “Whom shall I fear?” The law? It is satisfied. Satan? He is conquered. Afflictions? They are sanctified. Death? It is overcome. “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Rom_8:31).
THE SAINT’S REFUGE
(Psa_27:4-6.)
“In time of trouble.” It may be a storm of conscience or of providence. It may be perils from temptation or from the malice of evil men. The soul flies to God and finds shelter.
I. Earnestly sought (Psa_27:4). What? “That I may dwell in the house of the Lord.” Like the priests, he wished to be wholly devoted to God. Like the children of the family, he desired to dwell constantly in his Father’s house. Communion with God was the life of his heart. Such free, affectionate, confiding intercourse with God is greatly to be coveted, and should be sought not as the privilege of special seasons, but as a daily blessing; not as the pleasure of an hour, but as a joy for ever.
2. Why? “To behold the beauty of the Lord.” Luther interprets this of the services of the sanctuary. But it cannot be thus limited. “Beauty” is loveliness. “Beauty of the Lord” is the loveliness of the Lord, all that makes Him an object of admiration and delight. To sinners, the “Beauty of the Lord” is “His glory as it shines in the face of Jesus Christ” “To inquire in His temple.” The deepest instincts of the soul prompt to inquiry. Truth is not born with us, nor can it be obtained irrespective of our own efforts. It must be sought for its own sake. It must be wooed and won, from love, before it can be enjoyed. All right investigation, whether of God’s works or God’s Word, should be conducted as under the eye of God. His temple is wide as the universe.
3. How? With concentration of heart. “One thing.” With constancy of endeavour. “That will I seek after.” When David fled from Absalom, he left behind him his house, his treasures, and all the glory of his crown; but these things were as nothing compared with the worship of God (Psalms 63; 2Sa_15:25). It is only when we make God our Alpha and Omega, the supreme object of our delight and study, that we can hope that He will reveal Himself to us. In our day, there are manifold objects to distract our attention. The claims of the world are constant and oppressive. There is the more need, therefore, for watchfulness and prayer. “Unite my heart to fear Thy name.”
II. Graciously enjoyed (Psa_27:5). Here there is the best shelter in the worst danger. “Pavilion,” “tent,” “rock,” (Lev_23:42; 2Sa_6:17; Psa_60:12). This may express sovereign love. It is all of God’s grace. Righteous defence. The sinner does not hide furtively, but is led by the hand of the Prince. The deliverance is not the mere act of power, but is wrought in righteousness. God is a just God, and a Saviour. The sinner flees to Christ, not to hide from God, but to hide with God (Gen_3:10; Psa_143:9). Inviolable security. “Immutability, eternity, and infinite power here come to the aid of sovereignty and sacrifice. How blessed is the standing of the man whom God Himself sets on high above his foes upon an impregnable rock, which never can be stormed!”—Spurgeon. “He shall set me up upon a rock.” There may be a reminiscence here of the hour when, from the top of the rock, David reproached Abner for his remissness in guarding Saul (1Sa_26:5-16). Rock Rimmon was but a poor retreat. The fugitive may take hold of the horns of the altar, and yet perish (1Ki_2:29). The manslayer might reach the city of refuge, and after all be condemned. But he that trusts in the Lord shall never be moved. The attributes of God, that were once arrayed against the sinner, are now converted into a canopy for his defence.
III. Exultingly acknowledged (Psa_27:6). Here is a burst of delight, like the trumpets of jubilee (Num_10:10; Num_29:1). “Sacrifices of shouting,” a stronger form of expression than the usual “sacrifices of thanksgiving,” and equivalent to “sacrifices accompanied with the loud and glad expression of thankfulness.”—Perowne.
Implies:
1. Manly confidence. “And now shall my head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me.” “Two things make the head hang down—fear and shame. Hope easeth the Christian’s heart of both these, and so forbids him to give any sign of a desponding mind by a dejected countenance.”—W. Gurnall (cf. Psa_110:7; Luk_21:28).
2. Devout gratitude. “Therefore will I offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy.” This indicates the peace-offering, which was expressive of fellowship with God (Leviticus 3; Leviticus 7). Since the peril was past, since the joy of salvation was restored, he would praise God.
3. Exulting joy. “I will sing; yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.” “Sing and celebrate.” The latter verb intimates the accompaniment of instrumental music in the worship of God. David does not speak of jubilations in his palace or feastings in his banqueting-hall, but of songs of praise in the house of God.
PRAYER FOR A TIME OF NEED
(Psa_27:7-12.)
There are lights and shadows in the Christian life. We see this here. “The triumphant strain of confidence now gives way to one of sad and earnest entreaty. Is it (as Calvin) that the Psalmist sought in the former part of the psalm to comfort himself with the review of God’s unfailing strength and protection, that he might with the more reason utter his prayer for help? Or is it not rather, that even while he is thus strengthening himself in his God, a sudden blast of temptation sweeps over his soul, freezing the current of his life,—some fear lest he should be forsaken, some thought of the craft and malice of his enemies,—till now the danger which threatens him is as prominent an object as the salvation and defence were before?”—Perowne. This prayer is characterised by—
I. Deep humility and earnestness (Psa_27:7). Here there is utter self-abandonment. The Psalmist casts himself, sinner as he is, upon the mercy of God. His “cry” finds vent by the “voice.” This gives the more reality and force to the prayer. The craving to be heard is intense. How eagerly do we wait for the reply from a friend to an important letter! So should we watch for God’s answer to our prayers. “Mercy” is the hope of sinners and the joy of saints.
II. Christ-like trust in God’s word (Psa_27:8). “The words, SEEK YE MY FACE, are the words of God, which the servant of God here, as it were, takes from His mouth, that so laying them before God, he may make his appeal the more irresistible. Thou hast said, Seek ye My face. My heart makes these words its own, and builds upon them its resolve. It takes them up and repeats them, ‘Seek ye my face.’ It first claims thus thine own gracious words, O Lord, and then its echo to those words is, ‘Thy face, Lord, I will seek.’ Such is the soul’s dialogue with itself when it would comfort itself in God.”—Perowne. True obedience is prompt, hearty, and unreserved. Not truer is the answer of chord to chord, not readier is the response of the echo to the voice, than the reply of the heart to the call of God.
III. Grateful recognition of God’s favour (Psa_27:9). The face of God means His favour (Psa_31:16; Psa_119:58). To hide the face indicates disapproval and estrangement (Psa_55:1; Isa_53:3; Isa_54:2; Jer_33:5). To put away a servant in wrath expresses the highest dissatisfaction and displeasure. David felt that to be thus treated by God would be the most terrible calamity. Hence his earnest prayer. He was God’s servant, and he could not live without the sunshine of His love. The remembrance of past joys and favours made him the more bold. “Thou hast been my help.” One act of mercy engages God to do another. Urgent pleading rises to full confidence. “Leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.” God’s people may learn here to deprecate desertion, plead experience, expect deliverance.
IV. Steadfast reliance upon God’s faithfulness amidst the failure of earthly comforts (Psa_27:10). During the persecution of Saul, David committed his parents to the care of the king of Moab (1Sa_22:3-4). We do not hear of them again. Sooner or later, children and parents must be separated. As there is no greater earthly comfort than the love of father and mother, so there is no greater earthly calamity than their loss. (Moses, Exo_2:6-9; Ishmael, Genesis 21; Ps. 88:8, 19.) But in such a crisis, God will not fail (Isa_49:15). We may rely upon God in the greatest extremities (Psa_143:12; 1Ti_4:10). Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, “I will not leave you orphans” (Joh_14:18).
V. Practical submission to God’s will is the truest safety (Psa_27:11-12). From weakness within and trials without, we are in constant danger of going astray (Jer_10:23). In dealing with Absalom, David felt that he might err on the side of mildness or of severity. So at other times. God’s way is always the best way. Here it is described, commanded, and sought after. It is right. “Thy way.” It is pleasant. “Plain path.” It is safe. Here it is not the will of the ungodly, but the holy, loving will of God that is regnant (Psa_27:12).
VI. Encouraging self admonition to hope in God for ever (Psa_27:13-14) The psalmist communes with himself. The words are the broken utterance of deep feeling (cf. Gen_31:42; Exo_32:32). Here we see the weakness of the soul. “I had fainted.” Whenever we lose sight of “the goodness of the Lord,” we grow weak. Faith, hope, and love, are ready to fail. The strength of the soul. “Unless I had believed,”—”a cordial made up of three sovereign ingredients—a hope to see, and to see the goodness of God; and the goodness of God in the land of the living.”—Sir R. Baker. “Look unto me and be ye saved.” Inspired with new courage, the believer consecrates himself afresh to God. “There is no more dignified species of worship to be found than that of exemplifying our faith in the omnipotence and wisdom of God, by humble and joyous perseverance under the greatest difficulties.”—Tholuck The great lesson of the psalm comes out at the close, “Wait, I say, on the Lord.”
“Devote yourself to God, and you will find
God fights the battles of a will resigned;
Love Jesus! love will no base fear endure,
Love Jesus! and of conquest rest secure.”
—BISHOP KEER.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Sermon Bible 1900 · Public Domain On v1 These words claim a close relation to God. They…
Psa 27:1
These words claim a close relation to God. They profess an entire allegiance to God. They involve the corresponding fealty to God that, howsoever His light may come to the soul, it will admit that light, and joy in it, and be faithful to it.
Read full note →
I. These words are the keynote of a belief the direct contradictory of that system of "non-intervention" which, in order not to be atheistic, admits a First Cause of all created things, but would have it that, having once made this our beautiful world and our own intelligences, He keeps Himself apart from all lives, like the gods of Epicurus, in an eternal repose, and leaves His creation to the regular development of unchanging laws, Himself no more concerned with it than that He pressed those laws upon it.
II. Human nature, even apart from God’s word, still bears witness to the fact that human as well as Divine wisdom comes to us continually supplied by God. The wonderful instincts of genius look like inspirations of the Creator revealing to His creatures the mysteries of His creation.
III. Nor is it only chiefly in intellect that the agency of God shows itself. Who, of all the many millions of mankind, ever succeeded in finding rest out of God? God evidences His working alike in that universal drawing, that varied restlessness, until the heart have found that as universal rest when it has found God.
IV. It is part of the peculiar attractiveness of the Old Testament that God lifts the veil and shows His continued relation to His creatures. Apart from His supernatural workings, it exhibits God in His manifold ways, of acting to us, collectively or independently, in the ordinary doings of His providence.
With God to be is to act. In all eternity He beheld unchangeably all that He would do. In all eternity then He beheld thee. In all eternity He willed to create thee, the object of His boundless love. Now, in this life, is the time of growth in the capacity of receiving that love of God.
E. B. Pusey, Sermons Preached before the University of Oxford, p. 32.
"The Lord is my light." Here only does David, in all his psalms, so speak of the Lord; and, indeed, this exact expression occurs only twice in the Old Testament. "When I sit in darkness," says the prophet Micah, "the Lord shall be a light unto me."
I. "The Lord is my light." David’s was a life of great vicissitudes. His temperament, too, was of a kind which alternates between periods of great exhilaration and great depression. The Lord was his light, the light by which he saw things as they really were when the mists of passion and of self-love would fain have hidden them.
II. Jesus Christ was "the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." He is light because He is what He is: absolute perfection in respect of intellectual truth; absolute perfection in respect of moral beauty. Hence those momentous words, "I am the Light of the world," and hence that confession of the Christian creed, "God of God, Light of Light."
III. "The Lord is my light." Here is a motto for the Church of Christ. In the darkest times of the Church the darkness has never been universal, the sap never dried up; the tradition of light and warmth has been handed on to happier times, when her members could again say with something like truthful accord, "The Lord is my light."
IV. Here, too, is a motto for Christian education. One kind of education only is safe, one only deserves the name, and its governing principle is from age to age, "The Lord is my light."
V. This is the motto of individual Christians. In precisely the sense in which we can truthfully say these words, we are loyal to our Lord Jesus Christ.
H. P. Liddon, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xxiii., p. 24.
References: Psa 27:1.—J. Baldwin Brown, The Higher Life, p. 114; Spurgeon, Evening by Evening, p. 168.
Psa 27:4
Moral effects of communion with God.
I. What is prayer? It is conversing with God. We converse with our fellow-men, and then we use familiar language, because they are our fellows. We converse with God, and then we use the lowliest, awfullest, calmest, concisest language we can, because He is God. Prayer then is Divine converse, differing from human as God differs from man. Prayers and praises are the mode of the Christian’s intercourse with the next world, as the conduct of business or recreation is the mode in which this world is carried on in all its separate courses. He who does not pray does not claim his citizenship with heaven, but lives, though an heir of the kingdom, as if he were a child of earth.
II. Now it is not surprising if that duty or privilege which is the characteristic token of our heavenly inheritance should also have a special influence upon our fitness for claiming it. He who does not pray not only suspends the enjoyment, but is in a way to lose the possession, of his Divine citizenship. The case is like that of a language or style of speaking of this world; we know well a foreigner from a native. Prayer has a natural effect in spiritualising and elevating the soul. A man is no longer what he was before: gradually, imperceptibly to himself, he has imbibed a new set of ideas, and become imbued with fresh principles. He is as one coming from the King’s courts, with a grace, a delicacy, a dignity, a propriety, a freshness of thought and taste, a clearness and firmness of principle, all his own. As speech is the organ of human society and the means of human civilisation, so is prayer the instrument of Divine fellowship and Divine training.
III. We know how men feel and act when they come to die; they discharge their worldly affairs from their mind, and try to realise the unseen state. They are leaving their goods, their deeds, their sayings, their writings, their names, behind them; and they care not for them, for they wait for Christ. To one thing alone they are alive: His coming; they watch against it, if so be they may then be found without shame. Such is the conduct of dying men. And what all but the very hardened do at the last, if the senses fail not and their powers hold, that does the true Christian all his life long; and therefore day by day he unlearns the love of this world and the desire of its praise: he can bear to belong to the nameless family of God, and to seem to the world strange in it and out of place, for so he is.
J. H. Newman, Selection from the "Parochial and Plain Sermons" 1878, p. 349 (see also vol. iv., p. 226).
I. The believer’s confidence is simple and sincere. "One thing have I desired of the Lord." One thought has the mastery in his soul over all other thoughts; one aim gives unity and concentration to all his efforts; one affection draws all other impulses and desires into its swift current. The double-minded man is unstable in all his ways, but this singleness of heart gives the life a clear and steadfast aim, binds all its parts into harmonious consistency, inspires it with continuous hope, braces and invigorates it with celestial strength.
II. This confidence is essentially of a spiritual character. The "one thing" which the Psalmist desired was that he "might dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life." Well David knew that a very different lot was appointed him than in the peaceful and cloistered retirement of the Temple; that it would be his one day to sit on the throne of Israel, to go forth as their leader to battle, to do judgment and justice, as the father of his people, in the gate. Set there and thus, he might be as closely encircled by the sense of the Divine presence, and as consciously drawing strength, and happiness, and peace from inward communion with his God, as if he had been keeping perpetual vigil before the altar.
III. This confidence in God was calm and joyous. It enabled him to say that in the time of trouble God would hide him in His pavilion, and set his feet upon a rock. When things are at the darkest, the believer has a bright outlook into the future, and may be assured that nothing can reach or affect the sources of his confidence. Within the circle of the Divine protection, his life is unassailable. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee."
J. D. Burns, Family Treasury, April, 1863
I. Beauty at first was conceived of as physical. Probably the earliest admiration of it as a moral quality was in the conception of courage. Then men learned, at a later stage, not only that courage is beautiful, but that suffering and self-sacrifice are beautiful. Everybody understands that love is beautiful. And so, step by step, moral qualities come to be considered beautiful. In general, as beauty rises, it rises from the material towards the spiritual, and in the spiritual it is appreciated in the proportion in which men are themselves developed so as to recognise, to love, to revere, that which is spiritual.
II. The Old Testament was, in the first place, full of a rapturous admiration of God as presented in nature. Then comes the long period of the development of physical ideas of beauty into spiritual ideas; and this the whole New Testament borrows clear down to the last book. Then comes Revelation and again lifts up the old standard, and fills its mighty chambers with the glory and beauty borrowed from the heaven, from the earth, from time, and from imagined eternity. When at last we are purged from sense and flesh, and rise to behold God as He is, then the beautifulness of God, as well as His graciousness, love, and tender mercy, will fill the soul with admiration for ever and for ever.
H. W. Beecher, Sermons, 1882-3, p. 221.
I. Notice David’s singleness of purpose in worship. The idea of worship was a ruling thought that kept every other thought of his mind in subjection to itself; it was a central thought around which every other object revolved. (1) Mark the intensity of David’s desire: "That will I seek after." Genuinely earnest desires are living seeds that germinate and bring forth precious fruit in good works. The earnest soul should not rest until it realises its spiritual aspirations. (2) Observe the source from whence the Psalmist hoped to obtain his object: "One thing have I desired of the Lord."
II. Notice the particular place where he desired to worship: "That I may dwell in the house of the Lord." He desired, above all things, that his life should be spiritual—decidedly and supremely spiritual. (1) Observe that David had a particular object in view in going into the house of the Lord. He entered it "to behold the beauty of the Lord." The beauty of the Lord is His holiness. David desired to behold it that he might be changed into the same image. (2) Observe the inquisitiveness of the Psalmist’s spirit in the house of God: "To inquire in His temple" He entered the house of the Lord to learn.
III. Notice David’s determination to persevere in the worship of the true God: "That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life." If the soul is to be carefully nourished, it must have assiduous and constant attention all the days of our life. The Psalmist desired to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life (1) because it gave him a sense of safety; (2) because it gave him a sweet sense of rest.
D. Rhys Jenkins, The Eternal Life, p. 88.
References: Psa 27:4.—Christian World Pulpit, vol. xi., p. 113, and vol. xxiv., p. 163; G. Matheson, Moments on the Mount, p. 106; G. Brooks, Outlines of Sermons, p. 251; A. Watson, Sermons for Sundays, Festivals, and Fasts, 3rd series, p. 304; S. Cox, The Bird’s Nest, p. 328; J. M. Neale, Sermons on Passages of the Psalms, p. 28. Psa 27:5.—Ibid., pp. 39, 46.
Psa 27:8
The text divides itself into two parts. We have (1) God’s address to man; (2) man’s reply to God.
I. God’s address to man: "Thou saidst, Seek ye My face." (1) Here we have the origin of all true religion. It begins with God. All who know anything about quarrels among men know that, as a rule, the offended party is generally the first to seek a reconciliation. This is gloriously true of the great quarrel between God and man. Man had sinned, and God was angry with man. Did He wait for man to come and Confess his ingratitude and sinfulness? We know He did not. "Because He delighteth in mercy," He spoke first. The first day of man’s sin was the first day of God’s revelation of mercy. (2) God also speaks first to each individual. He is ever ready to receive us, and the moment the sinner draws back the bars and bolts which have kept the door shut in His face "the King of glory will come in." (3) The text also shows us the nature of religion: "Seek ye My face." This means "Come to Me." When God says this, do not the words imply that (a) we are at a distance from Him, (b) that there is a possibility of coming to Him? Sin is put away as the legal obstacle to man’s salvation. This then is religion, the heart coming back to God.
II. We have man’s reply to God: "Thy face, Lord, will I seek." (1) The answer was personal. There is great danger in this age of companies of our losing ourselves in the form of humanity. Our spiritual affairs must all be done individually. (2) The answer was prompt: "When Thou saidst." (3) It was decided: "Thy face, Lord, will I seek." (4) It was explicit. David means just what God means. (5) The answer came from the right place: "My heart said unto Thee." What the heart says God always hears.
C. Garrett, Catholic Sermons, vol. ii., p. 37.
Everything which is really good in this world is the reflection of a great, original, perfect good, which lies far away out of sight: our happiness of its happiness, our holiness of its holiness, our love of its love. All the beautiful objects in nature are only visible transcripts of some beautiful ideas which lay from all eternity in the mind of God. So that when God called creation forth into existence, it was only His own thoughts taking form and coming back again to Himself. Our acceptances are only the echo of God’s invitations.
I. If you would make a call effectual, you must receive it into the innermost recesses of your soul and recognise and feel the nature of the claim which He who speaks has upon the things He calls. Remember that it is the right of an absolute Sovereign. Even according to earthly rules a royal invitation is an invitation indeed, but it is also a command, and it may not be refused. But it is not in sovereignty only, it is in love, He has called you. All you have to do is to let yourselves be placed within those majestic influences of His powerful affection, that you may be drawn in and towards the centre.
II. Another most important part of the right reception of the call lies in the quickness, the instantaneousness, of the obedience: "When Thou saidst." The appeal and the reply are coeval. There is a "Now or never" in God’s calls. God’s calls and invitations are not always such things as we should have expected. They often fall strangely. Upon our faithfulness to each one in succession depend the vividness and the power with which the other will fall.
III. There is one thing which appears to characterise every call; i.e., a call to action. There is always something to be done, and to do the act is to accept the call.
J. Vaughan, Fifty Sermons, 1874, p. 93.
The law of creation and the law of salvation are one law, one thing. The sun says to the planets, "Children, seek ye my face." The planets reply, "We will; thy face will we seek. We are cold, dreary, bloomless, and barren; we are fruitless and hopeless; we will seek thy face." And forthwith the planets climb and climb, a six months’ climb, from January to June, to the zenith, to the meeting face to face. What then? All that summer and harvest mean follows: light, heat, blossom, love, song; the whole earth is quickened and filled with beauty and good fruits. Infinitely greater is the summer which results from the direct relationship of the spirit-face of God and the spirit-face of man, the all-giving face of our infinite Creator, Lover, Father, Saviour, and the receiving faces of His sons and daughters.
I. The light of God’s face, called also the light of His glory, is not what we mean by substance, and yet it works in all substance, and all the beauty in the universe comes from it. It is marvellous because it transcends natural life; it is marvellous because it is God in the soul; it is marvellous because there is an endlessness of life and joy in it: it is life unspeakable, purer and nobler than nature knows anything about.
II. Think of Christ then as the light of God’s face, not as a name, not as a historical Person simply, but as the light of God’s face for ever and ever, and therefore the light of the soul as the Opener of heaven’s boundlessness in the soul. The illuminating, the regenerating, transcendent, transfiguring element of every human spirit—that is what we mean by Christ.
III. In the light of the world you never know yourselves, you never can value yourselves. You will value yourselves ten thousandfold more than you ever did when you see yourselves in the light of God’s face. Your hope will rise then, and set no more for ever.
IV. When does God say, "Seek ye My face"? He says it especially in the way and at the time that our heart is most disposed to hear it. In your first real trouble His heart begins to touch your heart in a secret way, and His living presence is pleading, "Seek ye My face." The world cannot help you and comfort you. The deeper instincts of your heart spring up in the day of trouble towards God, and God sees it, for you are palpitating within yourself to meet His face.
J. Pulsford, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xxii., p. 193.
References: Psa 27:8.—J. P. Chown, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xiv., p. 1; H. Melvill, Penny Pulpit, No. 2213; C. Garrett, Loving Counsels, p. 81; Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xiii., No. 767; G. Forbes, The Voice of God in the Psalms, p. 198. Psa 27:8, Psa 27:9.—A. Maclaren, Old Testament Outlines, p. 105; see also Sunday Magazine, 1881, p. 458; Preacher’s Monthly, vol. iv., p. 7. Psa 27:9.—Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xix., No. 1144.
Psa 27:11
The map of life is a network of roads; and the broadest and those that present themselves most readily to the eye are not generally the best, and the narrow ones are very hard to find, while every heart is naturally bent to its own way—wayward.
I. Notice, first, the Teacher. And here we find at once the Three Persons in the Trinity, all uniting to make the one office of Teacher. David, addressing the Father, says, "Teach me to do Thy will;" of Christ Nicodemus bare witness, "We know that Thou art a Teacher come from God;" and of the Holy Ghost Christ Himself foretold it as His blessed office, "He shall teach you all things." So the teaching enshrines itself in Trinity.
II. The expression is not "Show me Thy way," but "Teach me Thy way." Showing may be an instantaneous act, but teaching is a process. We learn gradually; we learn by study; we learn by effort; we learn by discipline. It is no little thing you ask, and it is no little submission and work and faith that you commit yourself to, when you say to God, "Teach me Thy way."
III. One of the most difficult things in life, and a difficulty often repeating itself, is a distinction between a leading providence and a temptation. Never accept anything as a providence till you have asked God to throw light upon it, to show whether it be indeed of Him. You may, through the not seeing or through the not using all the answers which God will assuredly give you, make mistakes in life; but if you are diligent in the use of this little prayer, you may say, with David, "I shall not greatly err."
J. Vaughan, Sermons, 11th series, p. 5.
Psa 27:13
The text puts before us:—
I. A future experience embraced or anticipated by faith. It indicates the sustaining power of such anticipation. (1) The goodness of God is His kindness. Of the kindness of God we may remark: (a) it is natural; (b) it is infinite; (c) it is eternal; (d) it is perfect in quality; (e) it is the goodness which creates goodness. (2) The knowledge David had of the goodness of God was derived from three sources: (a) the history of its manifestation to man from his creation; (b) the story of its expression to David’s own people and nation; (c) his own experience of it from his childhood. (3) David’s faith rested (a) on the promises of God; (b) on the character of God; (c) on the uniform conduct of God as requiring that which is past; (d) his past and present experience.
II. See how David’s faith wrought. (1) It occupied his thoughts pleasantly and profitably. (2) It saved him from the misery of despondency and despair. (3) It gave him courage in danger. (4) It made him patient. (5) It was his shield against many fiery darts and heavy thrusts. (6) It kept him from accounting life a burden and death an object of eager desire. (7) It checked any tendency to yield himself to his circumstances and to do "evil that good might come."
S. Martin, Comfort in Trouble, p. 20.
References: Psa 27:13.—Spurgeon, vol. xiii., No. 766; W. G. Horder, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xxviii., p. 82.
Psa 27:14
I. How we are to wait on God. (1) We are to wait on God in His ordinances. (2) We are to wait on God in His ordinances with faith and perseverance.
II. They that wait on the Lord shall receive strength. God shall make good His promise, "As thy days are, so shall thy strength be."
T. Guthrie, The Way to Life, p. 282.
References: Psa 27:14.—Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxiii., No. 1371; Ibid., Morning by Morning, p. 243.
Psa 27:14
No state is more dreary than that of the repentant sinner when first he understands where he is and begins to turn his thoughts towards the Great Master whom He has offended. A man finds that he has a great work to do, and does not know how to do it, or even what it is; and his impatience and restlessness are as great as his conscious ignorance; indeed, he is restless because he is ignorant. There is great danger of his taking wrong steps, inasmuch as he is anxious to move and does not know whither.
I. Repentant sinners are often impatient to put themselves upon some new line of action or to adopt some particular rule of life. It commonly happens that God does not disclose His will to them at once, and for that will they ought to wait, whereas they are impatient; and when God’s will does not clearly appear, they try to persuade themselves that they have ascertained it when they have not. St. Paul should be the pattern of the true penitent here.
II. Next, I would say to such persons as I have described, Be on your guard, not only against becoming committed to some certain mode of life or object of exertion, but guard against excess in such penitential observances as have an immediate claim upon you and are private in their exercise. All things are done by degrees. All things, through God’s grace, may come in time, but not at once. As well might a child think to grow at once into a man as the incipient penitent become suddenly like St. Paul the aged.
III. When persons are in acute distress about their sins, they are sometimes tempted to make rash promises and to take on them professions without counting the cost. Perhaps they have even been imprudent enough to make their engagement in the shape of a vow, and this greatly increases their difficulty. This shows how very wrong it is to make private vows. It is safer and more expedient to make it a point ever to pray God for that gift or that state which they covet.
IV. When men are in the first fervour of penitence, they should be careful not to act on their own private judgment and without proper advice. Not only in forming lasting engagements, but in all that they do, they need a calmer guidance than their own. As no one would ever dream of being his own lawyer or his own physician, so we must take it for granted, if we would serve God comfortably, that we cannot be our own divines and our own casuists.
J. H. Newman, Sermons on Subjects of the Day, p. 41.
The Sermon Bible, ed. William Robertson Nicoll (1888–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
F. W. Grant 1903 · Public Domain On v1 The heart’s desire after Jehovah’s house and face.
The heart’s desire after Jehovah’s house and face.
[A psalm] of David.
Read full note →
The third psalm of this series emphasizes the positive side of the separation, from evil, that which makes it true sanctification, the longing desire after Jehovah Himself. This has been already expressed in the previous psalm, but here it is the theme. And this being the fruit of Jehovah’s own work in the soul, -the response to His own invitation and command to seek His face, -how could the faithful and unchangeable One possibly deny or draw back from him who now drew near to Him? He had said, "Seek ye My face!" could He have said that in vain? Here then is a third ground of confidence for the heart; and it is a sure one at all times. He who has said, "Come unto Me, and I will give you rest," has added to this no limiting word, to be a means of doubt and self-torture to him who would gladly obey His invitation. Nay, He has taken care rather to give special assurance to the laboring and heavy-laden, to those consciously sinners, to the "lost," that His salvation is for them. And to all that come, without exception, He has declared: "Him that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out." Well may this then be a perfect ground of confidence for the soul that turns to Him for refuge from sin and self, from the judgment to come, from the uncontrollable evil within. Here is the one Haven of refuge, the Shelter from the storm, the Rock of defence: and "blessed are all they that put their trust in Him."
1. The psalm begins with a joyous strain of confidence, in which all fear is dismissed as unworthy and impossible. "Jehovah is my light and my salvation: of whom shall I be afraid? Jehovah is the stronghold of my life: of whom shall I be in dread?" The argument is short and complete; all the more complete that it does not look round or take account of any special evils, but looks up, and only needs to look up, into Jehovah’s face. The "light" not merely manifests what is around me: it is God Himself who is manifested in it; and thus His own character becomes the conscious security of the soul. What an assurance -what a joy and blessing the light is! Beauty, warmth, the vigor of life itself, are all found in it; and thus salvation is closely connected with this primary thought. The light of the first day meant salvation out of its ruin for that world which it disclosed yet buried under the waters; the first pulsation of its rays was the throb of a new life which had come in for it. And with God known the light apprehended is the dawn of an endless day, the power of an eternal life begun, which is but the inner process accomplishing of His salvation.
2. Now we have the testimony of deliverance experienced and the argument from that experience. But the argument transcends the experience: the enemies that he has seen defeated swell into a host, the single battle lengthens into a war, and the sounds of strife which he imagines awaking around have no power to disturb his perfect tranquility. Experience has only called forth the intuition of faith which is not to be measured by it: to which indeed all experience must and does conform, because the law which underlies it has no exception. How grandly is Jehovah, the Unchangeable, realized in these abiding laws of His, which pervade the spiritual realm as they do the natural!
3. Thus the heart reposes in God its strength; and God becomes its one desire and sufficiency. "One thing have I asked of Jehovah; this do I seek after: that I may dwell in Jehovah’s house all the days of my life, to behold the graciousness of Jehovah, and to inquire in His temple." One can imagine the attraction for a true Israelite of that place where Jehovah dwelt in the midst of the people, even though the inner sanctuary could not be penetrated. Faith would still, as it were, penetrate it, and God not withhold Himself from the heart thus longing after Him. These longings the Psalms exhibit to us, and they constitute largely the charm of this precious book. To us the "graciousness of Jehovah" has been displayed in a way which makes all that was known before to be only rudimentary knowledge. He has unveiled His glory. He has come out to walk amongst men. He has given us boldness to enter into the holiest, and an abiding place in His presence as priests and worshipers. And yet how little are we beyond the admonition of these yearnings of the men of an elder time! This "one thing" which some of them could speak of, -this burning, seraphic longing after One to sense the Invisible, -have we no need of self-questioning whether to us it is the passion that these psalms express? Ah, have we not need of it? Think of the complete revelation of God now made to us; think of the open volume of Scripture in our hand; think of how of necessity the soul thirsting after God must turn to these stores of heavenly treasures, infinite yet accessible, and exult in the search, with the Spirit given to us, of the "deep things of God" (1Co 2:10); think of the intercourse, the communion, enjoyed by those who will come together to compare their individual gains in this way, sharing with others that which in being divided increases the more we divide it. There is no need to ask the extent to which all this is realized; and there can be only deepest humiliation in thinking of how little beyond the surface of Scripture we are or care to be. "To inquire in His temple," when its roof is the whole arch of heaven, -when its length stretches from the beginnings of history to the end of prophecy, -when His word and work unite in Christ as the Life-Centre and glory of all! -ah, how is it possible to imagine how little in eighteen centuries of a completed Bible and the indwelling Spirit has been attained!
The security of the sanctuary the psalmist dwells on next. "He shall lay me up in His pavilion in the day of evil; in the secret of His tent will He secrete me: He will lift me high upon a rock."
The immediate application here is to human adversaries, though the literal sanctuary furnishes, as is evident, only the figure of spiritual truths of much wider range. For us how surely it is true that the way of escape from spiritual foes is just what is here indicated! God has indeed lifted us high upon the rock-foundation of Christ’s blessed work; and in Him entered into the heavenly sanctuary, we are securely hidden from the enemy. "Because I live," He says, "ye shall live also" (Joh 14:19). He there too is our sanctification; and "we all, beholding the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory" (2Co 3:18). Thus the sanctuary is our safe retreat at all times: it is the place where the world takes its true shape for us, where the entanglement with it is loosed, the darkness and mists disappear, sin is rebuked and banished, the holiness of truth is found. The peace of that serene Presence encloses us as with the glory of an eternal summer, unvexed by even the threatening of a storm. Here the head is lifted up over all enemies therefore, and the sacrifice of praise becomes the necessary relief of a full and grateful heart.
4. From all this blessing and joy we drop into a state of trial, in which the voice of supplication is heard instead of praise, and that in tones of distress and uncertainty. Such alternations are common enough and rapid enough in the Psalms, and in the experience of those whose utterance the Psalms are. But the depths that the soul is plumbing are not bottomless. In the place of testing, the ground of his confidence is tested and found firm; and the language of faith becomes thus the language of experience also.
The cry is still to the Unchangeable (Jehovah), and this is the bottom in which faith’s anchor alone can hold. The cry is for grace and needed answer, and then what gives confidence is declared and pleaded. This is Jehovah’s own invitation and command to seek His face; to which faith has answered earnestly and gladly. The suppliant could say, "I do seek Thy face, Jehovah." And would He now hide that glorious face, and repel with anger him that sought Him? nay, would He, as it were, deny the help that He had given, and though the God looked to for salvation, cast off and forsake? No, assuredly; this could not be: the ground is firm, and the anchor holds; experience will confirm and not put the soul’s confidence to shame: father and mother might forsake, but not He from whom came these relationships, with all their tender affection. They might forsake; not He: and if they did, all the more would Jehovah’s pitifulness be shown out. Such an outcast would be the object of His special care.
5. Thus relieved and quieted, even though the circumstances remain unchanged, these can be made all the more an argument with the Lord to manifest His care. First of all, to make known His way: for there no pitfall is, and there He, the Wise and Strong, is. The real sense of weakness will not suffer us to seek our own will, but the contrary. What wisdom of our own can be like His? what tenderness like His? And under the eyes of those watching for one’s halting, the path with Him will be found really the smooth one, for before Him the mountains are leveled to a plain.
Oppressors are still there, false witnesses, those whose panting eagerness breathes out violence: these the suppliant points out to the Guide and Guard with whom He goes. But he walks firmly, if humbly, counting on deliverance. And the pressure felt in the soul is only made known in the outburst which at the same time reveals the confidence which supports it, -"If I had not believed" -but then I do! -"to see Jehovah’s goodness in the land of the living!"
And now a lesson of experience fitly closes the fifth section of this psalm. It is a very brief and a very simple one; yet it is a lesson of perfection, declared in the Word to be that: for "let patience have her perfect work," and we shall be "perfect and entire, wanting nothing." (Jas 1:4.) What a glorious result of so simple a matter! "Wait on Jehovah!" wait, and not weakly and timidly, for the call to patience is no cause for fear: "be strong, and let thy heart take courage!" Such, thank God, is the wisdom derived from an "experience" that "worketh hope." (Rom 5:4.) This harvest is assured to him that quietly will sleep and rise, and let it grow. Test it, prove it, whoever will! who is there that may not prove it for himself? there is none! Let the glad, sure hope cheer the darkest hours with its comfort:
"Wait -wait -on Jehovah."
F. W. Grant, The Numerical Bible (4th ed., 1903) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Alexander MacLaren 1905 · Public Domain On v4
Psalms
GOD’S GUESTS
Read full note →
Psa 27:4.
We shall do great injustice to this mystical aspiration of the Psalmist, if we degrade it to be the mere expression of a desire for unbroken residence in a material Temple. He was no sickly, sentimental seeker after cloistered seclusion. He knew the necessities and duties of life far better than in a cowardly way to wish to shirk them, in order that he might loiter in the temple, idle under the pretence of worship. Nor would the saying fit into the facts of the case if we gave it that low meaning, for no person had his residence in the temple. And what follows in the next verse would, on that hypothesis, be entirely inappropriate. ‘In the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me.’ No one went into the secret place of the Most High, in the visible, material structure, except the high priest once a year. But this singer expects that his abode will be there always; and that, in the time of trouble, he can find refuge there.
Apart altogether from any wider considerations as to the relation between form and spirit under the Old Covenant, I think that such observations compel us to see in these words a desire a great deal nobler and deeper than any such wish.
I. Let us, then, note the true meaning of this aspiration of the Psalmist.
Its fulfilment depends not on where we are, but on what we think and feel; for every place is God’s house, and what the Psalmist desires is that he should be able to keep up unbroken consciousness of being in God’s presence and should be always in touch with Him.
That seems hard, and people say, ‘Impossible! how can I get above my daily work, and be perpetually thinking of God and His will, and consciously realising communion with Him?’ But there is such a thing as having an undercurrent of consciousness running all through a man’s life and mind; such a thing as having a melody sounding in our ears perpetually, ‘so sweet we know not we are listening to it’ until it stops, and then, by the poverty of the naked and silent atmosphere, we know how musical were the sounds that we scarcely knew that we heard, and yet did hear so well high above all the din of earth’s noises.
Every man that has ever cherished such an aspiration as this knows the difficulties all too well. And yet, without entering upon thorny and unprofitable questions as to whether the absolute, unbroken continuity of consciousness of being in God’s presence is possible for men here below, let us look at the question, which has a great deal more bearing upon our present condition-viz. whether a greater continuity of that consciousness is not possible than we attain to to-day. It does seem to me to be a foolish and miserable waste of time and temper and energy for good people to be quarrelling about whether they can come to the absolute realisation of this desire in this world, when there is not one of them who is not leagues below the possible realisation of it, and knows that he is. At all events, whether or not the line can be drawn without a break at all, the breaks might be a great deal shorter and a great deal less frequent than they are. An unbroken line of conscious communion with God is the ideal; and that is what this singer desired and worked for. How many of my feelings and thoughts to-day, or of the things that I have said or done since I woke this morning, would have been done and said and felt exactly the same, if there were not a God at all, or if it did not matter in the least whether I ever came into touch with Him or not? Oh, dear friends! it is no vain effort to bring our lives a little nearer that unbroken continuity of communion with Him of which this text speaks. And God knows, and we each for ourselves know, how much and how sore our need is of such a union. ‘One thing have I desired, that will I seek after; that I, in my study; I, in my shop; I, in my parlour, kitchen, or nursery; I, in my studio; I, in my lecture-hall-’may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.’ In our ‘Father’s house are many mansions.’ The room that we spend most of our lives in, each of us, at our tasks or our work-tables may be in our Father’s house, too; and it is only we that can secure that it shall be.
The inmost meaning of this Psalmist’s desire is that the consciousness of God shall be diffused throughout the whole of a man’s days, instead of being coagulated here and there at points. The Australian rivers in a drought present a picture of the Christian life of far too many of us-a stagnant, stinking pool here, a stretch of blinding gravel there; another little drop of water a mile away, then a long line of foul-smelling mud, and then another shallow pond. Why! it ought to run in a clear stream that has a scour in it and that will take all filth off the surface.
The Psalmist longed to break down the distinction between sacred and secular; to consecrate work, of whatsoever sort it was. He had learned what so many of us need to learn far more thoroughly, that if our religion does not drive the wheels of our daily business, it is of little use; and that if the field in which our religion has power to control and impel is not that of the trivialities and secularities of our ordinary life, there is no field for it at all.
‘All the days of my life.’ Not only on Wednesday nights, while Tuesday and Thursday are given to the world and self; not only on Sundays; not for five minutes in the morning, when I am eager to get to my daily work, and less than five minutes at night, when I am half asleep, but through the long day, doing this, that, and the other thing for God and by God and with God, and making Him the motive and the power of my course, and my Companion to heaven. And if we have, in our lives, things over which we cannot make the sign of the cross, the sooner we get rid of them the better; and if there is anything in our daily work, or in our characters, about which we are doubtful, here is a good test: does it seem to check our continual communion with God, as a ligature round the wrist might do the continual flow of the blood, or does it help us to realise His presence? If the former, let us have no more to do with it; if the latter, let us seek to increase it.
II. And now let me say a word about the Psalmist’s reason for this aspiration.
The word which he employs carries with it a picture which is even more vividly given us by a synonymous word employed in the same connection in some of the other psalms. ‘That I may dwell in the house of the Lord’-now, that is an allusion, not only, as I think, to the Temple, but also to the Oriental habit of giving a man who took refuge in the tent of the sheikh, guest-rites of protection and provision and friendship. The habit exists to this day, and travellers among the Bedouins tell us lovely stories of how even an enemy with the blood of the closest relative of the owner of the tent on his hands, if he can once get in there and partake of the salt of the host, is safe, and the first obligation of the owner of the tent is to watch over the life of the fugitive as over his own. So the Psalmist says, ‘I desire to have guest-rites in Thy tent; to lift up its fold, and shelter there from the heat of the desert. And although I be dark and stained with many evils and transgressions against Thee, yet I come to claim the hospitality and provision and protection and friendship which the laws of the house do bestow upon a guest.’ Carrying out substantially the same idea, Paul tells the Ephesians, as if it were the very highest privilege that the Gospel brought to the Gentiles: ‘Ye are no more strangers, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God’; incorporated into His family, and dwelling safely in His pavilion as their home.
That is to say, the blessedness of keeping up such a continual consciousness of touch with God is, first and foremost, the certainty of infallible protection. Oh! how it minimises all trouble and brightens all joys, and calms amidst all distractions, and steadies and sobers in all circumstances, to feel ever the hand of God upon us! He who goes through life, finding that, when he has trouble to meet, it throws him back on God, and that when bright mornings of joy drive away nights of weeping, these wake morning songs of praise, and are brightest because they shine with the light of a Father’s love, will never be unduly moved by any vicissitudes of fortune. Like some inland and sheltered valley, with great mountains shutting it in, that ‘heareth not the loud winds when they call’ beyond the barriers that enclose it, our lives may be tranquilly free from distraction, and may be full of peace, of nobleness, and of strength, on condition of our keeping in God’s house all the days of our lives.
There is another blessing that will come to the dweller in God’s house, and that not a small one. It is that, by the power of this one satisfied longing, driven like an iron rod through all the tortuosities of my life, there will come into it a unity which otherwise few lives are ever able to attain, and the want of which is no small cause of the misery that is great upon men. Most of us seem, to our own consciousness, to live amidst endless distractions all our days, and our lives to be a heap of links parted from each other rather than a chain. But if we have that one constant thought with us, and if we are, through all the variety of occupations, true to the one purpose of serving and keeping near God, then we have a charm against the frittering away of our lives in distractions, and the misery of multiplicity; and we enter into the blessedness of unity and singleness of purpose; and our lives become, like the starry heavens in all the variety of their motions, obedient to one impulse. For unity in a life does not depend upon the monotony of its tasks, but upon the simplicity of the motive which impels to all varieties of work. So it is possible for a man harassed by multitudinous avocations, and drawn hither and thither by sometimes apparently conflicting and always bewildering, rapidly-following duties, to say, ‘This one thing I do,’ if all his doings are equally acts of obedience to God.
III. So, lastly, note the method by which this desire is realised.
‘One thing have I desired, . . . that will I seek after’ There are two points to be kept in view to that end. A great many people say, ‘One thing have I desired,’ and fail in persistent continuousness of the desire. No man gets rights of residence in God’s house for a longer time than he continues to seek for them. The most advanced of us, and those that have longest been like Anna, who ‘departed not from the Temple,’ day nor night, will certainly eject ourselves unless, like the Psalmist, we use the verbs in both tenses, and say, ‘One thing have I desired . . . that will I seek after.’ John Bunyan saw that there was a back door to the lower regions close by the gates of the Celestial City. There may be men who have long lived beneath the shadow of the sanctuary, and at the last will be found outside the gates.
But the words of the text not only suggest, by the two tenses of the verbs, the continuity of the desire which is destined to be granted, but also by the two verbs themselves-desire and seek after-the necessity of uniting prayer and work. Many desires are unsatisfied because conduct does not correspond to desires. Many a prayer remains unanswered because its pray-ers never do anything to fulfil their prayers. I do not say they are hypocrites; certainly they are not consciously so, but I do say that there is a large measure of conventionality that means nothing, in the prayers of average Christian people for more holiness and likeness to Jesus Christ.
Dear friends! if we truly wish this desire of dwelling in the house of the Lord to be fulfilled, the day’s work must run in the same direction as the morning’s petition, and we must, like the Psalmist, say, ‘I have desired it of the Lord, so I, for my part, will seek after it.’ Then, whether or not we reach absolutely to the standard, which is none the less to be aimed at, though it seems beyond reach, we shall arrive nearer and nearer to it; and, God helping our weakness and increasing our strength, quickening us to ‘desire,’ and upholding us to ‘seek after,’ we may hope that, when the days of our life are past, we shall but remove into an upper chamber, more open to the sunrise and flooded with light; and shall go no more out, but ‘dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.’
Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (1904–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. R. Dummelow 1909 · Public Domain On v1 This Ps. falls naturally into two parts, Psa_27:1-6 and…
This Ps. falls naturally into two parts, Psa_27:1-6 and Psa_27:7-14, which are in such marked contrast as to make it probable that here, as in Psalms 19, two independent poems have been combined. The one breathes a spirit of fearless and triumphant confidence in the face of hostile armies, while the other, though trustful, is the prayer of one in deep distress, orphaned and beset by false accusers. The warlike tone of Psa_27:1-6 is in favour of ascribing them to David, and Psa_27:5-6 do not necessarily imply a reference to the Temple, which would be inconsistent with this view.
1. Strength] in the sense of 'stronghold': see Psa_18:2.
Read full note →
2. To eat up my flesh] like wild beasts of prey. They stumbled and fell] Past victories inspire present confidence: cp. David's words to Saul (1Sa_17:34-36).
3. In this] RV 'even then.'
4. Dwell in the house of the lord] as the guest of Jehovah: see Psa_23:6. The figure suggests constant fellowship with God.
Beauty] RM 'pleasantness,' the gracious aspect of the divine Host. To enquire in his temple (or palace)] to find out all that such intercourse with God can teach.
5. The abode of Jehovah, like the tent of a desert chieftain, affords protection as well as hospitality. The figure of Psa_27:4-5 may have been based on the visible dwelling-place of Jehovah at Jerusalem, and if so the words used need imply nothing more than the temporary structure erected by David.
8. The original is condensed, but the words in italics express the thought. This v. gives the essence of all divine revelation and of all human response to it. Seek ye my face] as a visitor seeks access to the presence of an Oriental king. The figure is continued in Psa_27:9.
10. RV 'For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but,' etc.
11. A plain path] not a path clearly marked, but one that is level and safe.
13. I had fainted] is a phrase supplied to complete the sense of the abbreviated original. The land of the living] as opposed to Sheol, the state of the dead—an illustration of the value of the present life for OT. faith.
J. R. Dummelow, A Commentary on the Holy Bible (Macmillan, 1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Arno C. Gaebelein 1922 · Public Domain On v1 Psalm 27
Psalm 27
Holy Longings and Anticipations
Read full note →
1. Confidence in the Lord (Psa 27:1-3)
2. Longings and anticipations (Psa 27:4-6)
3. Earnest prayer in trial and trust in the Lord (Psa 27:7-14)
Psa 27:1-3. This Psalm leads us deeper. We repeat that primarily it is a rehearsal of David’s experience, perhaps at the time of Absalom’s rebellion. Here faith breaks through in triumph, with deep longings for the house of the Lord and for His presence, which is followed by a description of the trials through which the godly Israelites will pass in the future. He is light, salvation and the strength of life; thus faith lays hold on the Lord and in view all fear and terror must vanish. “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” It belongs to us all. Yet greater is the shout of faith uttered on the pinnacle of our great Salvation Epistle, Rom 8:1-39 --”If God be for us, who can be against us?”
Psa 27:4-6. Heart longings and blessed anticipations follow. They long for the earthly sanctuary, we for our heavenly abode. Their desire is to dwell in the house of the Lord--to behold the beauty of the Lord--to inquire in His temple. And we too desire to be with Him, to behold Him face to face, and what it will mean then to inquire in His holy temple! What it will be when up yonder we shall no longer look into a glass darkly! Then follows praise. Their heads will be lifted up--”therefore will I offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto Jehovah.” And while Israel will sing on earth when their earthly hope and deliverance has come, the praises of His church will fill the heavens above.
Psa 27:7-14. Once more we hear the cry in distress. The present trouble which is upon them comes into view. They plead, “leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation”--a prayer which no true Christian believer needs to pray.
Arno C. Gaebelein, The Annotated Bible (1913–1922) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v1 The Believer’s Trust in God and His Word.
The Believer’s Trust in God and His Word.
A psalm of David, written probably about the same time as the preceding one, picturing the state of mind of one who is persecuted ’Without cause and longs for the blessings of the worship in the midst of the congregation.
Read full note →
v. 1. The Lord is my Light, the only Source of all spiritual light, and my Salvation, He who saves him from the darkness of oppression and persecution; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the Strength of my life, his Stronghold, his Bulwark, his sure Defense, keeping his life from destruction; of whom shall I be afraid? The entire song has the ring of Paul’s mighty hymn of triumph, Rom 8:31-39.
v. 2. When the wicked, the doers of evil and mischief, even mine enemies and my foes, those who oppose and oppress him on all sides, came upon me, approaching him with marked hostility, to eat up my flesh, as wild beasts eager to tear and devour their prey, they stumbled and fell, unable to carry out their object because of the protection afforded David by Jehovah.
v. 3. Though an host, a whole army or camp of adversaries, should encamp against me, besieging him on all sides, my heart shall not fear; though war should rise against me, in this, even in such a great extremity, will I be confldent, in spite of all that he would calmly trust in Jehovah, his Stronghold. Both the words and the tone of the psalm denote the holy and calm defiance with which all believers may await the attack of the enemies.
v. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord, in the midst of all these threatening dangers, that will I seek after, with a great desire: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord, the Tabernacle of His presence, all the days of my life, in the delight of intimate fellowship with Jehovah, to behold the beauty of the Lord, His favor and kindness as revealed in the Word of His grace, and to inquire in His Temple, meditating upon the wonderful blessings of His mercy in the message of the Gospel.
v. 5. For, because of the believer’s close communion with God, in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion, in the Tabernacle, where His almighty hand protects; in the secret of His Tabernacle shall He hide me, sheltering the believer in the safety of His tent; He shall set me upon a rock, the house of Jehovah being a refuge and stronghold beyond the reach of puny men.
v. 6. And now shall mine head be lifted up, in the triumph of a certain victory, above mine enemies round about me, the fact of whose defeat places the believer beyond their reach; therefore will I offer in His Tabernacle sacrifices of joy, thank-offerings always being occasions of great rejoicing. I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord, which the faithful Israelites were wont to do at the festival meal connected with their thank-offerings. At the same time David does not, even in the remotest way, rely upon his own strength, and for this reason the triumphant strain of confidence now gives way to an earnest appeal.
v. 7. Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice, calling loudly and emphatically; have mercy also upon me, that being the one safe reliance of the believer, and answer me, with a favorable reply.
v. 8. When Thou saidst, Seek ye My face, at Jehovah’s call to seek His face, my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek; the heart of the believer being attuned to the fellowship with Jehovah, it gladly answers His call, assenting thereto as an echo of it, happy in the knowledge that it pleases Jehovah if His children enter into the presence of God, in order to gain comfort, assistance, and blessings of every kind.
v. 9. Hide not thy face (far) from me, veiling it from the prayer of the believer; put not Thy servant away in anger, thrusting him aside as unworthy; Thou hast been my Help, and the former mercy and love emboldens David to plead against rejection. Leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. It is the cry of Jacob: "I will not let Thee go except Thou bless me," Gen 32:26, a call which holds the Lord to the promise of His salvation.
v. 10. When my father and my mother forsake me, the very nearest earthly relatives abandoning him who seems doomed to destruction, Mat 10:35-36, then the Lord will take me up, receiving the believer into His care and protection, adopting him as His own child.
v. 11. Teach me Thy way, the road according with Jehovah’s will, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, even, level, without pitfalls, because of mine enemies, since they dog his every footstep and are trying to lead him into sin, his fall at the same time heaping dishonor upon God.
v. 12. Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies, to the destruction which they had planned against him; for false witnesses are risen up against me, such being the methods employed by the enemies in their persecution of the believer, and such as breathe out cruelty, their every breath being charged with violence.
v. 13. I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, literally, "If I did not trust to behold the excellence of Jehovah!" He leaves the sentence unfinished. for it is too hard to picture and imagine life without the sustaining mercy of Jehovah. And so David encourages himself and all believers in conclusion,
v. 14. Wait on the Lord, firmly trusting in the revelation of His mercy; be of good courage, strong of heart, and He shall strengthen thine heart, rather, let thy heart show itself mighty. Wait, I say, on the Lord. With this confident expectation the prayer of every believer must be concluded; for the Lord will, at His own time, bring salvation in rich measure upon His children, here in time and hereafter in eternity.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv1, 2, 4, 5 General Information:
General Information:
Parallelism is common in Hebrew poetry. (See: Poetry and Parallelism)
Read full note →
A psalm of David
Possible meanings are 1) David wrote the psalm or 2) the psalm is about David or 3) the psalm is in the style of David's psalms.
Yahweh is my light
Here "light" represents life. AT: "Yahweh is the source of my life" (See: Metonymy)
whom should I fear?
This question emphasizes that there is no one that David should fear. AT: "I will not be afraid of anyone" (See: Rhetorical Question)
Yahweh is my life's refuge
This speaks about Yahweh as if he were a place where people can go for safety. AT: "Yahweh is the one who keeps me safe" (See: Metaphor)
whom should I dread?
This question emphasizes that there is no one that David should be afraid of. AT: "I will not dread anyone" (See: Rhetorical Question)
translationWords
psalm
David
Yahweh
light
save
fear
life
refuge
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv1–6 Ps 27 This psalm mixes two genres—a psalm of…
Ps 27 This psalm mixes two genres—a psalm of confidence (27:1-6) and an individual lament (27:7-14)—held together by the theme of longing for the Lord’s presence. The psalmist focuses on the Lord; his circumstances are secondary. The strength of the psalmist’s faith is expressed in his openness to the Lord’s instruction, timing, and priorities.
27:1-3 The psalmist acknowledges the Lord at the center of his life (27:1). Because of God’s presence, he engages his adversaries with confidence. They cannot intimidate him or penetrate his inner security.
Read full note →
27:1 Light expresses the Lord’s goodness (27:13; see 4:6; 23:6; 31:19; 38:10; 43:3; 56:13).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.