Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
back to:
Psalms
Book: Psalms
Chapter: 78
Overview:
Attention called for.
(1-8) The history of
Israel.
(9-39)
Their settlement in
Canaan.
(40-55) The mercies of
God to
Israel
contrasted with their ingratitude.
(56-72)
1-8 These are called dark and
Deep sayings, because they are
carefully to be looked into. The
Law of
God was given with a
particular charge to teach it diligently to their children, that
the
Church may abide for ever. Also, that the providences of
God, both in
Mercy and in
Judgment, might encourage them to
conform to the will of
God. The
Works of
God much strengthen our
resolution to keep his
Commandments. Hypocrisy is the high
Road
to apostasy; those that do not set their hearts right, will not
be stedfast with
God. Many parents,
By negligence and
wickedness, become murderers of their children. But young
persons, though they are bound to submit in all things lawful,
must not obey sinful orders, or copy sinful examples.
9-39. Sin dispirits men, and takes away the
Heart.
Forgetfulness of
God's
Works is the cause of disobedience to his
laws. This narrative relates a struggle between
God's
Goodness
and
Man's badness. The
Lord hears all our murmurings and
distrusts, and is much displeased. Those that will not believe
the power of
God's
Mercy, shall feel the
Fire of his
indignation. Those cannot be said to trust in
God's
Salvation as
their happiness at last, who can not trust his
Providence in the
way to it. To all that
By Faith and
Prayer, ask, seek, and
Knock, these
Doors of
Heaven shall at any time be opened; and
our distrust of
God is a great aggravation of our sins. He
expressed his resentment of their provocation; not in denying
what they sinfully lusted after, but in granting it to them.
Lust is contented with nothing. Those that indulge their
Lust,
will never be estranged from it. Those hearts are hard indeed,
that will neither be melted
By the mercies of the
Lord, nor
broken
By his judgments. Those that
Sin still, must expect to be
in trouble still. And the reason why we live with
So little
comfort, and to
So little purpose, is, because we do not live
By
Faith. Under these rebukes they professed
Repentance, but they
were not sincere, for they were not constant. In
Israel's
history we have a picture of our own hearts and lives.
God's
patience, and warnings, and mercies, embolden them to harden
their hearts against his
Word. And the history of kingdoms is
much the same. Judgments and mercies have been little attended
to, until the
Measure of their sins has been full. And higher
advantages have not kept churches from declining from the
Commandments of
God. Even true believers recollect, that for
many a
Year they abused the kindness of
Providence. When they
come to
Heaven, how will they admire the
Lord's patience and
Mercy in bringing them to his kingdom!
40-55. Let not those that receive
Mercy from
God, be thereby
made bold to
Sin, for the mercies they receive will hasten its
Punishment; yet let not those who are under Divine rebukes for
Sin, be discouraged from
Repentance. The Holy One of
Israel will
do what is most for his own
Glory, and what is most for their
good. Their forgetting former favours, led them to limit
God for
the future.
God made his own people to go forth like
Sheep; and
guided them in the
Wilderness, as a
Shepherd his flock, with all
care and tenderness. Thus the true
Joshua, even
Jesus, brings
his
Church out of the
Wilderness; but
No earthly
Canaan,
No
worldly advantages, should make us forget that the
Church is in
the
Wilderness while in this world, and that there remaineth a
far more glorious
Rest for the people of
God.
56-72 After the Israelites were settled in
Canaan, the children
were like their fathers.
God gave them his testimonies, but they
turned back. Presumptuous sins render even Israelites hateful to
God's
Holiness, and exposed to his
Justice. Those whom the
Lord
forsakes become an easy prey to the
Destroyer. And sooner or
later,
God will disgrace his enemies. He set a good government
over his people; a monarch after his own
Heart. With good reason
does the psalmist make this finishing, crowning instance of
God's favour to
Israel; for
David was a
Type of
Christ, the
great and good
Shepherd, who was humbled first, and then
exalted; and of whom it was foretold, that he should be filled
with the
Spirit of
Wisdom and understanding.
On the uprightness
of his
Heart, and the skilfulness of his hands, all his subjects
may rely; and of the increase of his government and peace there
shall be
No End. Every trial of human nature hitherto, confirms
the
Testimony of
Scripture, that the
Heart is deceitful above
all things, and desperately wicked, and nothing but being
created anew
By the
Holy Ghost can cure the ungodliness of any.