Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Psalms
Book: Psalms
Chapter: 131
Overview:
David's care for the
Ark.
(1-10) The promises of
God.
(11-18)
1-10 David bound himself to find a place for the
Lord, for the
Ark, the token of
God's presence. When work is to be done for
the
Lord, it is good to tie ourselves to a time. It is good in
the morning to fix upon work for the
Day, with submission to
Providence, for we know not what a
Day may bring forth. And we
should first, and without delay, seek to have our own hearts
made a
Habitation of
God through the
Spirit. He prays that
God
would take up his dwelling in the
Habitation he had built; that
he would give
Grace to the ministers of the
Sanctuary to do
their duty.
David pleads that he was the anointed of the
Lord,
and this he pleads as a
Type of
Christ, the great Anointed. We
have
No merit of our own to plead; but, for His sake, in whom
there is a
Fulness of merit, let us find favour. And every true
believer in
Christ, is an anointed one, and has received from
the Holy One the
Oil of true
Grace. The request is, that
God
would not turn away, but hear and answer their petitions for his
Son's sake.
11-18 The
Lord never turns from us when we plead the
Covenant
with his anointed
Prophet,
Priest, and
King. How vast is the
Love of
God to
Man, that he should speak thus concerning his
Church! It is his desire to
Dwell with us; yet how little do we
desire to
Dwell with him! He abode in Zion till the sins of
Israel caused him to give them up to the spoilers. Forsake us
not, O
God, and deliver us not in like manner, sinful though we
are.
God's people have a special blessing
On common enjoyments,
and that blessing puts
Peculiar sweetness into them. Zion's
Poor
have reason to be content with a little of this world, because
they have better things prepared for them.
God will abundantly
Bless the nourishment of the new
Man, and satisfy the
Poor in
Spirit with the
Bread of
Life. He gives more than we ask, and
when he gives
Salvation, he will give abundant joy.
God would
bring to nothing every design formed to destroy the
House of
David, until
King Messiah should arise out of it, to sit upon
the
Throne of his
Father. In him all the promises centre. His
enemies, who will not have him to reign over them, shall at the
last
Day be clothed with shame and confusion for ever.