Psa 94:15-17 | TDavid | STEP | EXPOSITION Verse 15 . But judgment shall return unto righteousness. The great Judge will come, the reign of righteousness will commence, the course of affairs will yet be turned into the right channel, and then all the godly will rejoice. The chariot of right will be drawn in triumph through our streets, and all the upright in heart shall follow it, as in happy procession. A delightful hope is here expressed in poetic imagery of much beauty. The government of the world has been for a while in the hands of those who have used it for the basest and most vicious ends; but the cry of prayer will bring back righteousness to the throne, and then every upright heart will have its portion of joy. EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS Verse 15. My text contains two parts; the providence of God to his people, and the prosperity of the providence among them. The providence of God to his people lies much in after games: God seems to go away from his, and then the wicked have the better: anon he returns, and then his people carry the day. Judgment shall return unto righteousness; or justice shall return unto judgment; a phrase of speech frequent in the Old Testament to note retaliation, quid for quo, like for like. The term is distinct as well as the phrase, and helps to give the sense of the Spirit of God here; qrc from qrc, se asseruit, justice shall assert herself; Christ shall assert his people, his promises, his threatenings. "Shall return," retro-agi: what evil men do to good shall be redone to them, done back again upon them by God. Or this root, here rendered "return," may be rendered to abide and rest. In Psalms 23:6 , it is so rendered: "I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." Justice doth, as it were, go from home sometimes, when it visits the saints; but it returns to its home and dwelling, i.e., the wicked. Justice is, as it were, from home, till it returns to the wicked, there it abides and dwells. "Justice shall dwell and rest in judgment," i.e., in the execution of punishments upon wicked men. jpfm, from jpf, judicium exercuit, notes the exercise and execution of justice: a thing rests in its end; justice dwells and rests in judgment, i.e., in its execution, in its end for which, and unto which and whom it is appointed. Nicholas Lockyer, 1612-1684-5. Verse 15 . Shall follow it . The right reading is in the margin, -- shall be after it, or after that; that is, shall observe it. "He poureth contempt upon princes; he setteth the poor on high from affliction; whose is wise shall observe these things," etc., Ps 107:43: this Scripture, I think, in part explains the text. "Shall be after it," that is, shall confess and acknowledge it. It is not a small thing to bring men to confess the justice of God in his dealings. "Shall be after it," that is, shall triumph in it, and so to be compared with and opened by Psalms 58:10-11 . "Shall be after it;" that is, the works of God shall be of effectual operation, to bring such as are upright in heart more to love and obey God, and so it is to be compared with Psalms 31:23 . Nicholas Lockyer. HINTS FOR PASTORS AND LAYPERSONS Verse 15 . Judgment suspended. Judgment returned. Judgment acknowledged. G. R.

Psalms 94:15-17

EXPOSITION Verse 15 . But judgment shall return unto righteousness. The great Judge will come, the reign of righteousness will commence, the course of affairs will yet be turned into the right channel, and then all the godly will rejoice. The chariot of right will be drawn in triumph through our streets, and all the upright in heart shall follow it, as in happy procession. A delightful hope is here expressed in poetic imagery of much beauty. The government of the world has been for a while in the hands of those who have used it for the basest and most vicious ends; but the cry of prayer will bring back righteousness to the throne, and then every upright heart will have its portion of joy. EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS Verse 15. My text contains two parts; the providence of God to his people, and the prosperity of the providence among them. The providence of God to his people lies much in after games: God seems to go away from his, and then the wicked have the better: anon he returns, and then his people carry the day. Judgment shall return unto righteousness; or justice shall return unto judgment; a phrase of speech frequent in the Old Testament to note retaliation, quid for quo, like for like. The term is distinct as well as the phrase, and helps to give the sense of the Spirit of God here; qrc from qrc, se asseruit, justice shall assert herself; Christ shall assert his people, his promises, his threatenings. "Shall return," retro-agi: what evil men do to good shall be redone to them, done back again upon them by God. Or this root, here rendered "return," may be rendered to abide and rest. In Psalms 23:6 , it is so rendered: "I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." Justice doth, as it were, go from home sometimes, when it visits the saints; but it returns to its home and dwelling, i.e., the wicked. Justice is, as it were, from home, till it returns to the wicked, there it abides and dwells. "Justice shall dwell and rest in judgment," i.e., in the execution of punishments upon wicked men. jpfm, from jpf, judicium exercuit, notes the exercise and execution of justice: a thing rests in its end; justice dwells and rests in judgment, i.e., in its execution, in its end for which, and unto which and whom it is appointed. Nicholas Lockyer, 1612-1684-5. Verse 15 . Shall follow it . The right reading is in the margin, -- shall be after it, or after that; that is, shall observe it. "He poureth contempt upon princes; he setteth the poor on high from affliction; whose is wise shall observe these things," etc., Ps 107:43: this Scripture, I think, in part explains the text. "Shall be after it," that is, shall confess and acknowledge it. It is not a small thing to bring men to confess the justice of God in his dealings. "Shall be after it," that is, shall triumph in it, and so to be compared with and opened by Psalms 58:10-11 . "Shall be after it;" that is, the works of God shall be of effectual operation, to bring such as are upright in heart more to love and obey God, and so it is to be compared with Psalms 31:23 . Nicholas Lockyer. HINTS FOR PASTORS AND LAYPERSONS Verse 15 . Judgment suspended. Judgment returned. Judgment acknowledged. G. R.

EXPOSITION

Verse 16. Notwithstanding the psalmist's persuasion that all would be well eventually, he could not at the time perceive any one who would stand side by side with him in opposing evil; no champion of the right was forthcoming, the faithful failed from among men. This also is a bitter trial, and a sore evil under the sun; yet it has its purpose, for it drives the heart still more completely to the Lord, compelling it to rest alone in him. If we could find friends elsewhere, it may be our God would not be so dear to us; but when, after calling upon heaven and earth to help, we meet with no succour but such as comes from the eternal arm, we are led to prize our God, and rest upon him with undivided trust. Never is the soul safer or more at rest than when, all other helpers failing, she leans upon the Lord alone. The verse before us is an appropriate cry, now that the church sees error invading her on all sides, while faithful ministers are few, and fewer still are bold enough to "stand up" and defy the enemies of truth. Where are our Luthers and our Calvins? A false charity has enfeebled the most of the valiant men of Israel. Our John Knox would be worth a mint at this hour, but where is he? Our grand consolation is that the God of Knox and Luther is yet with us, and in due time will call out his chosen champions.

EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS

Verse 16. Who will rise up, etc. I think we ought to look upon David here in a public capacity, as a prince or magistrate; and then as such he deplores the increase and confidence of the wicked; and having fortified himself in God by prayer, he resolves, in the words of the text, to do the duty of his station, to employ all the power God had given him for the extirpation of wickedness, and the reformation of an impious people; and earnestly invites and calls in to his assistance all that had either heart or ability for such a work, as being well aware of the great difficulty of it. This is the sense I prefer, because it best becomes the zeal and faith of David, best suits the spirit and genius of several other parallel psalms, and seems plainly to me, to have the countenance of the Targum and the Septuagint.

In the words thus explained we have these three things:

Verse 16. Who will rise up for me against the wicked? In all ages, men who neither feared God nor regarded man have combined together and formed confederacies, to carry on the works of darkness. And herein they have shown themselves wise in their generation, for by this means they more effectually promoted the kingdom of their father the devil, than otherwise they could have done. On the other hand, men who did fear God, and desire the happiness of their fellow creatures, have in every age found it needful to join together in order to oppose the works of darkness, to spread the knowledge of God their Saviour, and to promote his kingdom upon earth. Indeed he himself instructed them so to do. From the time that men were upon the earth, he hath taught them to join together in his service, and has united them in one body by one Spirit. And for this very end he has joined them together, "that he might destroy the works of the devil;" first in them that are already united, and by them that are round about them. John Wesley, in a Sermon on these words, preached before the Society for Reformation of Manners, Jan. 30, 1763.

HINTS FOR PASTORS AND LAYPERSONS

Verse 16.

Verse 16-17. The sole source of succour.

EXPOSITION

Verse 17. Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. Without Jehovah's help, the psalmist declares that he should have died outright, and gone into the silent land, where no more testimonies can be borne for the living God. Or he may mean that he would not have had a word to speak against his enemies, but would have been wrapped in speechless shame. Blessed be God, we are not left to that condition yet, for the Almighty Lord is still the helper of all those who look to him. Our inmost soul is bowed down when we see the victories of the Lord's enemies -- we cannot brook it, we cover our mouths in confusion; but he will yet arise and avenge his own cause, therefore have we hope.

EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS

Verse 17. Had been my help. The word signifieth not only help, but summum et plenum auxilium, an helpfulness, or full help: the Hebrew hath a letter more than ordinary, to increase the signification, as learned Mr. Leigh observeth: there is the sufficiency of help. Nathaniel Whiting, in "The Saints' Dangers, Deliverances, and Duties," 1659.

Verse 19. In the multitude of my thoughts, etc. That is, just when they were come to their height and extremity in me. The comforts of God are seasonable, and observe the proper time for their coming, neither too soon, nor too late but, "in," that is, just in the very point and nick of time. There is another thing here spoken of. In the "thoughts," and in the "multitude" of the "thoughts;" not in the indifference of thoughts, but in the perplexity; not in the paucity of thoughts, but in the plurality: our extremity is God's opportunity. "In the mount will the Lord be seen," when we have thought and thought and thought all we could, and know not what to think more, then does God delight to tender and exhibit his comforts to us...

In the words "within me" we have, next, the intimacy or closeness, of this grief. The Hebrew word is ykzrk, in medio mei. The Arabic be- kalbi, in corde meo. And so likewise the Septuagint, en th kardia mou, in my very heart. This is added by way of further intention and aggravation of the present evil and distress. First, To show the secrecy of this grief. Those evils which are external, and in the body, every one is ready to bemoan them, and to bewail them, and to take notice of them, and to shew a great deal of bowels towards those which are afflicted with them; but these griefs which are inward, and in the mind, they are such as are known but to God himself. "The heart knoweth his own bitterness," saith Solomon, Proverbs 14:10.

Secondly, Here is hereby denoted the settledness and radication of this evil: it was within him and it was within his heart, that is, it was deeply rooted and fastened, and such as had a strong groundwork and foundation in him, such were these troublesome "thoughts," they were got into his very inwards and bowels, and so were not easily got out again. Thirdly, Here is hereby also signified the impression which they had upon him, and the sense which he himself had of them. They were such as did grievously afflict him, and pierce him, and went near unto him, they went to his very heart, and touched him, as it were, to the quick, through the grievousness of them, as he speaks in another place concerning the reproaches of his enemies, Psalms 42:10: "As with a sword (or killing) in my bones mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?"

Now what are these "comforts" of God which the psalmist does more especially intend here in this place? In a word, they are the comforts which do flow from our communion with him. The comforts of his attributes, and the comforts of his promises, and the comforts of his gracious presence drawing near unto our souls, when it pleases him to shine upon us, and to express his