Volume II
The Book of Psalms.
With John Brown’s marginal references, notes and reflections · Vol. II, p. 986
The Book of Psalms is one of the most extensive and useful in Holy Scripture, as it is everywhere suited to the case of the saints. It is at first much mixed with complaints and supplications, and at last issues in pure and lasting praise. That Heman composed Ps. lxxxviii., Ethan the lxxxixth, and Moses the xcth is certain. But whether those under the name of Asaph were mostly penned by him, or only assigned to be sung by him as a master of the temple music, as others were to Jeduthun, or to the sons of Korah, or other chief musicians, we cannot determine. Some, as Ps. lxxiv. lxxix. cxxvi. cxxxvii., appear to have been composed after the captivity to Babylon was begun; but by whom we know not. The rest, including those two marked with the name of Solomon, might be composed by David, the sweet Psalmist of Israel. Twenty-five of the psalms have no title at all; and whether the titles of the rest are of divine authority is not altogether agreed. But when it is considered that these titles everywhere appear in the Hebrew originals, and how often they serve as a key to the psalm, and are sometimes connected with it by the accentuating points, there is no real ground to suspect their authenticity. Nor are interpreters agreed with respect to the signification of some of the Hebrew words standing in these titles. We think that Maschil always signifies that the psalm is designed for instruction, Ps. xxxii. xlii. xliii. xlv. lii. liii. liv. lv. lxxiv. lxxviii. lxxxviii. lxxxix. Michtam denotes the precious or golden nature of the psalm; as Ps. xvi. lvi.-lx. Altaschith, that the scope of the psalm is to deprecate destruction, Ps. lvii. lviii. lix. Muthlabben, that the psalm was composed on the occasion of the death of his son, or of Goliath the duellist, Ps. ix. Aijeleth Shahar, that its subject is Jesus Christ, the hind of the morning, Ps. xxii. Jonath-elem-rehokim, that David is therein represented as a mute dove among foreigners, Ps. lvi. Shoshannim, Shoshannim-eduth, or Shushan-eduth, may either signify that Christ and his people, who are lilies, or lilies of the congregation or testimony, are the subject of it; or that it was sung on an instrument of six strings, Ps. xlv. lx. lxix. lxxx., as Sheminith denotes an instrument of eight strings, Ps. vi. xii. Mahalath may either signify the disease, and Mahalath-leanoth the afflicting disease; or Mahaloth may signify a wind-instrument of music, Ps. liii. lxxxviii. Neginath and Neginoth denote stringed instruments of music, Ps. lxi. iv. vi. liv. lv. lxvii. lxxvi. Nehiloth, wind ones, Ps. v. Gittith, a musical instrument, or tune invented at Gath, Ps. viii. lxxxi. lxxxiv. Alamoth, the virginals, or a song to be sung by the virgins, Ps. xlvi. Shiggaion, or Shigionoth, may denote the diversified matter or tune of the psalm, Ps. vii. The cxxth and fourteen next following are called Songs of Degrees; perhaps because they were sung on the different steps of the temple-stairs; or were sung at certain halts made by David and the Israelites when they brought up the ark of God from Kirjath-jearim to Jerusalem, 2 Sa. vi.; or were sung by the Hebrews at their different rests when they came up from the country to their three solemn feasts; or were partly sung by the Jews at their different resting-places in their return from Babylon, Le. xxiii.; Ezr. ii. The Hebrews divided this book into five, ending with Ps. xli. lxxii. lxxxix. cvi. and cl.; the first four of which are concluded with amen. Interpreters have attempted to arrange or class the Psalms into a variety of different forms. To me it appears not improper to distinguish them into, I. Instructive; which are either (1) Historical, relating what God had done for the psalmist or for the Jewish nation, &c., as Ps. xviii. lxviii. lxxiii. civ. cv. cvi. cxiv. cxxxv. cxxxvi. (most of which are also Eucharistic); or (2) Doctrinal, declaring and explaining the principles and duties of religion; as Ps. i. xiv. xv. xix. xxxvi. xxxvii. xlix. l. liii. lxiv. lxxvi. lxxvii. lxxviii. lxxxi. lxxxii. xc. ci. cxii. cxix. cxxvii. cxxxi. cxxxiii. cxxxix.—II. Prophetic; foretelling events relative to Christ or his church; as Ps. ii. viii. xvi. xxi. xxii. xxiv. xxix. xl. xlv. xlvii. xlviii. lxvii. lxviii. lxix. lxxii. lxxxvii. lxxxix. xciii. xcv. xcvi. xcvii. xcviii. c. cx. cxvii. cxxxii. cxlix.; not a few of which are also Eucharistic. III. Consolatory; in which the psalmist comforts himself and others in the promises, perfections, or works of God; as Ps. iv. xi. xxiii. xxvii.
xxxi. xxxvii. xlvi. lviii. lxxiii. xci. cxxi. cxxv. cxxviii. cxxix. IV. Petitionary; in which he bewails his own or the church's condition, and supplicates deliverance; as Ps. iii. v. vi. vii. x. xii. xiii. xvii. xx. xxv. xxvi. xxvii. xxviii. xxxv. xxxviii. xli. xlii. xliii. xliv. li. liv. lv. lvii. lix. lx. lxi. lxiii. lxiv. lxx. lxxi. lxxiv. lxxix. lxxx. lxxxiii. lxxxv. lxxxvi. lxxxviii. cii. cxix. cxx. cxxiii. cxxx. cxxxii. cxxxvii. cxl. cxli. cxlii. xviii. Seven of these, in which the psalmist makes confession of his sin, viz. Ps. vi. xxii. xxxviii. li. cii. cxxx. cxliii., are called Penitential. V. Eucharistic; in which he stirs up himself and others to praise and thank the Lord for his favours; as Ps. ix. xviii. xxx. xxxiii. xxxiv. lx. lxv.-lxviii. xcv.-c. ciii.-cviii. cxi. cxiii. cxv.-cxviii. cxxii. cxxiv. cxxvi. cxxxiv.-cxxxvi. cxxxviii. cxliv.-cxlviii. cxlix. cl. But indeed historical narratives, doctrinal instructions, prophecies, consolations, supplications, praises, and thanksgivings, are often so pleasantly and profitably connected in the same psalm that it is difficult to assign it to one class rather than to another. And what is Historical, as it relates to David and the Jewish church, is often Typical and so Prophetic, as it relates to Jesus Christ and the gospel church or heavenly state. Many, too, of the supplications respecting deliverances from or the destruction of enemies, are to be considered as real predictions of the events, they being dictated by the inspiration of Him who can declare the end from the beginning. [The Book of Psalms presents itself before the Editor united to all the music of the ear, the voice, and the heart. It has occupied much of his study, not as a mere subject of criticism, but as a light to Jesus in all his offices of Prophet, Priest, and King—and specially as a key to his inmost heart—a spiritual revelation and record of those 'prayers and supplications, with strong crying and tears,' which he offered up 'in the days of his flesh,' He. 5. 7, as well as a descriptive history of his kingdom of providence, grace, judgment, and glory, in all its periods, past, present, or to come. To this conclusion the Editor was conducted by a process nearly as follows:— 1. From the confident reference to the Psalms made by our Lord himself. 2. From the equally confident reference of the apostles to the same authority; as, for example, amongst many others, Ac. 13. 33, where a psalm not unfrequently represented as descriptive of the instalment of David on his throne in Israel, is distinctly affirmed by the Holy Spirit to be descriptive of the sitting down of the glorified Saviour upon his throne in heaven. 3. By the evident insufficiency of every other principle of interpretation. Throughout the entire series of Psalms, he found so frequently and so constantly the character of some one so righteous, that to apply it to David would outrage all his history; and which, to apply to any mere man, would gainsay all observation and experience. But this righteous character, in all its various forms of exhibition, he found most exactly to correspond to the evangelical history of Christ: the conclusion was therefore inevitable—this character was that of Christ. It was in contemplating the first psalm that this conclusion first forced itself upon his mind. He had often heard that psalm, by what is called the principle of 'accommodation,' expounded as descriptive of the 'happiness of the godly,' contrasted with 'the misery of the ungodly;' and in this interpretation all ordinary authority induced him to acquiesce. Yet still did he feel himself unable to account for the fact—that the description so far exceeded the reality. 'Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful: but his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season: his leaf also shall not wither: and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.' In real life he had never seen such a man; he had never read of such a one amongst the most eminent Scripture saints. Why then did the Spirit of God, in full command of all the words of truth, proceed to draw a moral picture so far surpassing the alleged original? This was a question to which no satisfactory answer was ever presented to his mind. Yet this was the very question that never ceased to recur demanding a solution. True he had found some excellent commentators, amongst whom may be recorded the honoured names of Gill, Romaine, and Horne, who had taught that the opening of this psalm was descriptive of Christ; but whereas for this opinion they assigned no obvious principle of interpretation, he found in it no positive satisfaction, because it appeared as much depending upon the principle of accommodation as that from which he was anxious to retreat. It was while thus puzzled between these two forms of authority, in neither of which he could discover any principle of interpretation, that his mind was earnestly turned to inquire whether any such principle actually existed. In human science he readily and clearly perceived its existence. He saw that if a book contained the names and descriptions of a thousand plants, the accomplished botanist might have some search, but no difficulty, in discovering, amidst the thousand, any plant whatsoever, and declaring its name, provided merely that the description were truly and fully drawn. To the inexperienced eye, many of the plants might appear not merely similar but the same; but the distinctive characteristics would, to the eye of the botanist, be as obvious as the sun at noonday. And were there, in the Scriptures, any such simple principle of interpretation as this, how easily might it be applied in directing our inquiries and settling our conclusions. And was there not such a principle, and was not this the very principle—the mere, but exact correspondence of the recorded description with the object described, and its obvious want of such exact correspondence with any other object? Of the existence and application of this principle the Editor soon found numerous examples in the New Testament; for instance, Ac. 2. 29-36. Now in many copies of the Scriptures lying before him he found this psalm distinctly interpreted as primarily descriptive of David, and only in some secondary or derivative and typical sense applicable to Christ. It is remarkable, however, that the apostle makes no such distinction, but directly affirms that it is a prophecy concerning our Lord. Now from what principle of interpretation does he draw this conclusion? From the simple and obvious principle that it is not true concerning David, 'for David (when he speaks) is not ascended into the heavens;' but is literally true concerning Christ, whom God hath 'raised up,' of which fact the apostles 'all are witnesses.' This principle perceived—and perceived it irresistibly commends itself to adoption—the meaning of the first psalm became most obvious. It did not describe any of the mere children of men from Adam, their head, downward. But the moment Christ is discovered, it is found exactly to correspond to the evangelical history of 'the days of his flesh.' It is, therefore, not a prophecy but a description of Christ—a moral, a spiritual picture of his character drawn by the Holy Ghost, by whom the holy men of old being moved did speak; and by which, before he appeared, the church knew what to expect; and by which, when he did appear, she should have instantly recognized her Lord. The following are accordingly the principal rules of interpretation by which the Editor has been guided, and to which, however unimportant they may appear, he ventures to solicit the earnest attention of the disciples of the Bible. 1. The Old Testament is interpreted by the Spirit speaking in the New Testament; even as the 'perfect day' more clearly exhibits, but does not change, what is dimly seen at the dawn. 2. When one part of a psalm is thus, by the Holy Ghost, applied to Christ, every other part of the psalm must be applied to him in a way consistent with the analogy of faith in the other Scriptures. 3. When one psalm is found, by quotation in the New Testament, to apply to Christ, every parallel psalm must likewise apply to him. 4. When a description in the whole or part of a psalm is found absolutely inapplicable to any of the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, or other saints, but, at the same time, perfectly applicable to Christ, then, according to the principle above developed, that psalm is not to be interpreted of such patriarch, prophet, apostle, or saint, but of Christ in his person, qualifications, trials, warfare, victories, or kingdom. 5. A large amount of interpretation must, as in the other Scriptures, be referred to the grammatical construction, especially in the bearing of the words 'I, thou, he,' and their plurals, taken in conjunction with the attributes or acts ascribed to them respectively. C.] [The Book of Psalms is a connecting link between the Old Testament and the New. In them the great purposes and lessons of the Mosaic law are set forth. In them is expressed the very essence of the symbolical institutions and manifold transactions of Providence, through which the members of the old covenant were instructed in the knowledge and trained to the service of the true God. In them the Jew was taught that the form without the spirit was vain—that a spiritual God required spiritual worship. In them the mind of the worshipper was concentrated upon the Messiah—the Shepherd, the Saviour, the King of his people. While the Psalms were thus wondrously adapted for the expression of praise under the old economy, they were no less adapted, from the fulness and clearness of their typical bearings, to give expression to the devout praise, and to give right direction to the spiritual thoughts, of the Christian. There is not a feature in the divine character now developed in the gospel—there is not an aspiration in the heart of the enlightened disciple of Jesus—there is not a matter of vital experience in the divine life—of which the record is not to be found in the Psalms of David. To say that they are wholly Jewish in their cast and character, is totally to mistake their object and to misapprehend their meaning. The poetry, even the Christian poetry of the world, is as far behind the inspired Psalms in lofty Christian sentiment, and in depth and fulness of Christian doctrine, as it is in sublimity of thought and beauty of expression. I would refer in proof to Ps. xxiii. xlvi. li. lxvii. c. ciii.
cxlv. The old and the new meet and blend gloriously in the Psalms;—the old, with its gorgeous but instructive ritual, and its sublime but suggestive imagery; and the new, with its simple but glorious and cheering truths. Thus the Book of Psalms, standing midway between both covenants, and serving equally to the members of each as the handmaid of a living piety, is a witness of the essential identity of their primary and fundamental ideas. The Psalms can never be superseded in the service of the sanctuary. Alike in seasons of deepest sorrow and holiest rapture, the Christian will instinctively turn to them. P.]