Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Psalms
Book: Psalms
Chapter: 47
Overview:
The people exhorted to praise
God.
1-4 The
God with whom we have to do, is a
God of awful majesty.
The universal and absolute
Sovereignty of a holy
God would be
too terrible for us even to think of, were it not exercised
By
his Son from a
Mercy-seat; but now it is only terrible to the
workers of iniquity. While his people express confidence and
joy, and animate each other in serving him, let sinners submit
to his authority, and accept his
Salvation.
Jesus Christ shall
subdue the
Gentiles; he shall bring them as
Sheep into the
Fold,
not for slaughter, but for preservation. He shall subdue their
affections, and make them a willing people in the
Day of his
power. Also it speaks of his giving them
Rest and settlement.
Apply this spiritually; the
Lord himself has undertaken to be
the inheritance of his people. It shows the
Faith and submission
of the saints. This is the language of every gracious soul, The
Lord shall choose my inheritance for me; he knows what is good
for me better than I do.
5-9 Praise is a duty in which we ought to be frequent and
abundant. But here is a needful rule; Sing ye praises with
understanding. As those that understand why and for what reasons
they praise
God, and what is the meaning of the service. It is
not an acceptable service, if it is not a reasonable service. We
are never to forget the
End of
Messiah's exaltation,
So
continually do the prophets
Dwell upon the
Conversion of the
nations to the
Gospel of
Christ. Why do we vainly fancy that we
belong to him, unless the
Spirit reign in our hearts
By Faith?
Lord, is it not thy
Glory and delight to give
Repentance to
Israel and remission of sins, now that thou art exalted as a
Prince and a
Saviour? Set up thy kingdom in our hearts. Bring
into
Captivity every thought to the obedience of
Christ. And
So
sweetly constrain all the powers and faculties of the souls of
thy redeemed, into holy
Love, fear, and delight in thee, that
praise with the understanding may rise from every
Heart, both
here and for ever, to Thee, our
God.