Psa 111:1, Rom 13:5 | JFB | STEP | 1. Praise ye the Lord-- or, Hallelujah ( ). This seems to serve as a title to those of the later Psalms, which, like this, set forth God's gracious government and its blessed fruits. This praise claims the whole heart-- ( ), and is rendered publicly. upright-- a title of the true Israel ( ).

‏ Psalms 111:1

PSALM 111

Psa 111:1-10. The Psalmist celebrates God's gracious dealings with His people, of which a summary statement is given.

1. Praise ye the Lord--or, Hallelujah (Psa 104:35). This seems to serve as a title to those of the later Psalms, which, like this, set forth God's gracious government and its blessed fruits. This praise claims the

whole heart--(Psa 86:12), and is rendered publicly.

upright--a title of the true Israel (Psa 32:11).

‏ Romans 13:5

5. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath--for fear of the magistrate's vengeance.

but also for conscience' sake--from reverence for God's authority. It is of Magistracy in general, considered as a divine ordinance, that this is spoken: and the statement applies equally to all forms of government, from an unchecked despotism--such as flourished when this was written, under the Emperor Nero--to a pure democracy. The inalienable right of all subjects to endeavor to alter or improve the form of government under which they live is left untouched here. But since Christians were constantly charged with turning the world upside down, and since there certainly were elements enough in Christianity of moral and social revolution to give plausibility to the charge, and tempt noble spirits, crushed under misgovernment, to take redress into their own hands, it was of special importance that the pacific, submissive, loyal spirit of those Christians who resided at the great seat of political power, should furnish a visible refutation of this charge.