Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Psalms
Book: Psalms
Chapter: 19
Overview:
The
Glory of
God's
Works.
(1-6) His
Holiness and
Grace as
shown in his
Word.
(7-10) Prayer for the benefit of them.
(11-14)
1-6 The heavens
So declare the
Glory of
God, and proclaim his
Wisdom, power, and
Goodness, that all ungodly men are left
without excuse. They speak themselves to be
Works of
God's
hands; for they must have a Creator who is eternal, infinitely
Wise, powerful, and good. The counter-changing of
Day and night
is a great proof of the power of
God, and calls us to observe,
that, as in the kingdom of nature,
So in that of
Providence, he
forms the
Light, and creates the
Darkness, Isa 45:7, and sets
the one against the other. The
Sun in the
Firmament is an emblem
of the
Sun of
Righteousness, the Bridegroom of the
Church, and
the
Light of the world, diffusing Divine
Light and
Salvation By
his
Gospel to the nations of the
Earth. He delights to
Bless his
Church, which he has espoused to himself; and his course will be
unwearied as that of the
Sun, till the whole
Earth is filled
with his
Light and
Salvation. Let us pray for the time when he
shall enlighten, cheer, and make fruitful every nation
On Earth,
with the blessed
Salvation. They have
No speech or language,
So
some read it, and yet their voice is heard. All people may hear
these preachers speak in their own tongue the wonderful
Works of
God. Let us give
God the
Glory of all the comfort and benefit we
have
By the lights of
Heaven, still looking above and
Beyond
them to the
Sun of
Righteousness.
7-10 The Holy
Scripture is of much greater benefit to us than
Day or night, than the
Air we breathe, or the
Light of the
Sun.
To recover
Man out of his fallen state, there is need of the
Word of God. The
Word translated "
Law," may be rendered
doctrine, and be understood as meaning all that teaches us true
religion. The whole is perfect; its tendency is to convert or
turn the soul from
Sin and the world, to
God and
Holiness. It
shows our sinfulness and misery in departing from
God, and the
necessity of our return to him. This
Testimony is sure, to be
fully depended
On: the ignorant and unlearned believing what
God
saith, become
Wise unto
Salvation. It is a sure direction in the
way of duty. It is a sure
Fountain of living comforts, and a
sure foundation of lasting hopes. The statues of the
Lord are
right, just as they should be; and, because they are right, they
rejoice the
Heart. The
Commandments of the
Lord are pure, holy,
just, and good.
By them we discover our need of a
Saviour; and
then learn how to adorn his
Gospel. They are the means which the
Holy
Spirit uses in enlightening the eyes; they bring us to a
sight and sense of our
Sin and misery, and direct us in the way
of duty. The fear of the
Lord, that is, true religion and
Godliness, is
Clean, it will cleanse our way; and it endureth
for ever. The ceremonial
Law is long since done away, but the
Law concerning the fear of
God is ever the same. The judgments
of the
Lord, his precepts, are true; they are righteous, and
they are
So altogether; there is
No unrighteousness in any of
them.
Gold is only for the body, and the concerns of time; but
Grace is for the soul, and the concerns of eternity. The
Word of
God, received
By Faith, is more precious than
Gold; it is sweet
to the soul, sweeter than
Honey. The pleasure of sense soon
surfeit, yet never satisfy; but those of religion are
substantial and satisfying; there is
No danger of excess.
11-14 God's
Word warns the wicked not to go
On in his wicked
way, and warns the righteous not to turn from his good way.
There is a reward, not only after keeping, but in keeping
God's
Commandments. Religion makes our comforts sweet, and our crosses
easy,
Life truly valuable, and
Death itself truly desirable.
David not only desired to be pardoned and cleansed from the sins
he had discovered and confessed, but from those he had forgotten
or overlooked. All discoveries of
Sin made to us
By the
Law,
should drive us to the
Throne of
Grace, there to pray. His
dependence was the same with that of every
Christian who says,
Surely in the
Lord Jesus have I
Righteousness and strength.
No
Prayer can be acceptable before
God which is not offered in the
strength of our
Redeemer or Divine
Kinsman, through Him who took
our nature upon him, that he might redeem us unto
God, and
restore the long-lost inheritance. May our hearts be much
affected with the excellence of the
Word of God; and much
affected with the evil of
Sin, and the danger we are in of it,
and the danger we are in
By it.