The Book of Psalms
Psalm 147
Psalm CXLVII · Vol. II, p. 1078
1 The prophet exhorteth to praise God for his care of the church, 4 his power, 6 and his mercy: 7 to praise him for his providence: 12 to praise him for his blessings upon the kingdom, 15 for his power over the elements, 19 and for his ordinances in the church.
1 Praise ye the LORD: afor it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.
2 Theb LORD doth build up Jerusalem: che gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.
7 Singj unto the LORD with thanksgiving; ksing praise upon the harp unto our God:
j ver.1,12; Ps.107.1,8,15. Ep.5.20.
8 Whol covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.
10 Heo delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.
o Ps.33.16,17;20.8. Ho.1.7. Is.31.1,3. Pr.21.31. Je.9.23,24.
17 Hev casteth forth his ice like 5morsels: who can stand before his cold?6
v Ex.9.23-25. Jos.10.11. Job 37.8,10;38.22,29,30. Is.30.30.
5 Probably hail is here meant. It is a kind of ice, and God scatters it, as one would scatter morsels of broken bread, over the surface of the earth.—P.
6 'Who can bear the force of his hail?'—it is the same word which in the previous clause is rendered 'ice.' Hail sometimes falls in tremendous showers in Palestine. It is generally accompanied with a strong piercing wind, so that it is almost impossible to resist its fury.—P.
Notes
Ver. 1. The grammar of the psalm, as seen in the phrase 'our God,' ver. 1, 5, 7, discovers the speaker to be the church in her collective and corporate capacity, calling upon her several members to the delightful work of praise—a work pleasant to the heart of those engaged in it, and comely in the eyes of saints and angels. C.
Ver. 2. The Lord doth build up Jerusalem. All the works ascribed to the Lord, throughout the psalm, are works that he is always doing. Accordingly, after every siege and demolition God, by his providence, immediately proceeded to build up Jerusalem again, his architectural witness to all nations: and 'the outcasts of Israel' he has always continued to gather, temporally, into separate and cohesive communities; and spiritually, into one body and temple in Christ Jesus, Ep. 4. 11-16; 1 Pe. 2. 5. C.
Ver. 13. Bars of thy gates. The principal gates of the spiritual Jerusalem are profession and baptism, Ac. 8. 37, 38: and the principal bars—'trying the spirits,' 1 Jn. 4. 1-3; condemnation of error, 1 Ti. 4. 7; 2 Ti. 2. 16; Tit. 1. 10, 11; avoidance of the abettors of false doctrine and schism, Ro. 16. 17; 1 Th. 3. 6; 1 Ti. 6. 3-5; and excluding from church membership the erroneous and profane, 1 Co. 5. 4-13; Tit. 3. 10. C.
Ver. 16. Snow like wool. Not only is water when changed into snow rendered in appearance 'like wool,' but by a wonderful provision in its structure it acts as wool in protecting plants, and even living bodies, from the destructive influence of the cold. C.
Reflections.—How good and great must God be in himself, when his greatness, wisdom, power, and goodness are so manifested in all his works. And when he so observes and provides for all his creatures, how impossible is it that his ransomed children should be overlooked or starved! Much of God is to be seen in all around us—in luminaries, in animals, in crops, in seasons, in human persons or societies; but, above all, in his church and in his word. If these be abused by us, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for us.