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P S A L M S
PSALM CI.
David was certainly the penman of this psalm, and it has in it the
genuine spirit of the man after God’s own heart; it is a solemn vow
which he made to God when he took upon him the charge of a family and
of the kingdom. Whether it was penned when he entered upon the
government, immediately after the death of Saul (as some think), or
when he began to reign over all Israel, and brought up the ark to the
city of David (as others think), is not material; it is an excellent
plan or model for the good government of a court, or the keeping up of
virtue and piety, and, by that means, good order, in it: but it is
applicable to private families; it is the householder’s psalm. It
instructs all that are in any sphere of power, whether larger or
narrower, to use their power so as to make it a terror to evil-doers,
but a praise to those that do well. Here is,
I. The general scope of David’s vow,
II. The particulars of it, that he would detest and discountenance all
manner of wickedness
and that he would favour and encourage such as were virtuous,
Some think this may fitly be accommodated to Christ, the Son of David,
who governs his church, the city of the Lord, by these rules, and who
loves righteousness and hates wickedness. In singing this psalm
families, both governors and governed, should teach, and admonish, and
engage themselves and one another to walk by the rule of it, that peace
may be upon them and God’s presence with them.
| Mercy and Judgment; David’s Pious Resolution. | |
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A psalm of David.
1 I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto
thee, O LORD, will I sing.
2 I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt
thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect
heart.
3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work
of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.
4 A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a
wicked person.
5 Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off:
him that hath a high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.
6 Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they
may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall
serve me.
7 He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he
that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.
8 I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may
cut off all wicked doers from the city of the LORD.
David here cuts out to himself and others a pattern both of a good
magistrate and a good master of a family; and, if these were careful to
discharge the duty of their place, it would contribute very much to a
universal reformation. Observe,
I. The chosen subject of the psalm
(v. 1):
I will sing of mercy and judgment, that is,
1. Of God’s mercy and judgment, and then it looks back upon the
dispensations of Providence concerning David since he was first
anointed to be king, during which time he had met with many a rebuke
and much hardship on the one hand, and yet, on the other hand, had had
many wonderful deliverances wrought for him and favours bestowed upon
him; of these he will sing unto God. Note,
(1.) God’s providences concerning his people are commonly
mixed–mercy and judgment; God has set the one over-against the
other, and appointed them April-days, showers and sunshine. It was so
with David and his family; when there was mercy in the return of the
ark there was judgment in the death of Uzza.
(2.) When God in his providence exercises us with a mixture of mercy
and judgment it is our duty to sing, and sing unto him, both of the one
and of the other; we must be suitably affected with both, and make
suitable acknowledgments to God for both. The Chaldee-paraphrase of
this is observable: If thou bestowest mercy upon me, or If
thou bring any judgment upon me, before thee, O Lord! will I sing my
hymns for all. Whatever our outward condition is, whether joyful or
sorrowful, still we must give glory to God, and sing praises to him;
neither the laughter of a prosperous condition nor the tears of an
afflicted condition must put us out of tune for sacred songs. Or,
2. It may be understood of David’s mercy and judgment; he would, in
this psalm, promise to be merciful, and just, or wise, for judgment is
often put for discretion. To do justly and love mercy is the sum of our
duty; these he would covenant to make conscience of in that place and
relation to which God had called him and this in consideration of the
various providences of God that had occurred to him. Family-mercies and
family-afflictions are both of them calls to family-religion. David put
his vow into a song or psalm, that he might the better keep it in his
own mind and frequently repeat it, and that it might the better be
communicated to others and preserved in his family, for a pattern to
his sons and successors.
II. The general resolution David took up to conduct himself carefully
and conscientiously in his court,
v. 2.
We have here,
1. A good purpose concerning his conversation–concerning his
conversation in general (how he would behave himself in every thing; he
would live by rule, and not at large, not walk at all adventures; he
would, though a king, by a solemn covenant bind himself to his good
behaviour), and concerning his conversation in his family particularly,
not only how he would walk when he appeared in public, when he sat in
the throne, but how he would walk within his house, where he was
more out of the eye of the world, but where he still saw himself under
the eye of God. It is not enough to put on our religion when we go
abroad and appear before men; but we must govern ourselves by it in our
families. Those that are in public stations are not thereby excused
from care in governing their families; nay, rather, they are more
concerned to set a good example of ruling their own houses well,
1 Tim. iii. 4.
When David had his hands full of public affairs, yet he returned to
bless his house,
He resolves,
(1.) To act conscientiously and with integrity, to walk in a perfect
way, in the way of God’s commandments; that is a perfect
way, for the law of the Lord is perfect. This he will walk
in with a perfect heart, with all sincerity, not dissembling
either with God or men. When we make the word of God our rule, and are
ruled by it, the glory of God our end, and aim at it, then we walk
in a perfect way with a perfect heart.
(2.) To act considerately and with discretion: I will behave myself
wisely; I will understand or instruct myself in a perfect
way, so some. I will walk circumspectly. Note, We must all resolve to
walk by the rules of Christian prudence in the ways of Christian piety.
We must never turn aside out of the perfect way, under pretence of
behaving ourselves wisely; but, while we keep to the good way,
we must be wise as serpents.
2. A good prayer: O when wilt thou come unto me? Note, It is a
desirable thing, when a man has a house of his own, to have God come to
him and dwell with him in it; and those may expect God’s presence that
walk with a perfect heart in a perfect way. If we compare
the account which the historian gives of David
we shall find how exactly it answers his purpose and prayer, and that
neither was in vain. David, as he purposed, behaved himself wisely
in all his ways; and, as he prayed, the Lord was with
him.
III. His particular resolution to practise no evil himself
(v. 3):
“I will set no wicked thing before my eyes; I will not design
nor aim at any thing but what is for the glory of God and the public
welfare.” He will never have it in his eye to enrich himself by
impoverishing his subjects, or enlarge his own prerogative by
encroaching on their property. In all our worldly business we must see
that what we set our eyes upon be right and good and not any forbidden
fruit, and that we never seek that which we cannot have without sin. It
is the character of a good man that he shuts his eyes from seeing evil,
“Nay, I hate the work of those that turn aside from the paths of
equity
(Job xxxi. 7),
not only I avoid it, but I abhor it; it shall not cleave to me.
If any blot of injustice should come on my hands, it shall be washed
off quickly.”
IV. His further resolution not to keep bad servants, nor to employ
those about him that were vicious. He will not countenance them, nor
show them any favour, lest thereby he should harden them in their
wickedness, and encourage others to do like them. He will not converse
with them himself, nor admit them into the company of his other
servants, lest they should spread the infection of sin in his family.
He will not confide in them, nor put them in power under him; for those
who hated to be reformed would certainly hinder every thing that is
good. When he comes to mention particulars he does not mention
drunkards, adulterers, murderers or blasphemers; such gross sinners as
these he was in no danger of admitting into his house, nor did he need
to covenant particularly against having fellowship with them; but he
mentions those whose sins were less scandalous, but no less dangerous,
and in reference to whom he needed to stand upon his guard with caution
and to behave himself wisely. He will have nothing to do,
1. With spiteful malicious people, who are ill-natured, and will bear a
grudge a great while, and care not what mischief they do to those they
have a pique against
(v. 4):
“A froward heart (one that delights to be cross and perverse)
shall depart from me, as not fit for society, the bond of which
is love. I will not know,” that is, “I will have no acquaintance
or conversation, if I can help it, with such a wicked person;
for a little of the leaven of malice and wickedness will leaven the
whole lump.”
2. With slanderers, and those who take a pleasure in wounding their
neighbour’s reputation secretly
(v. 5):
“Whoso privily slanders his neighbour, either raises or spreads
false stories, to the prejudice of his good name, him will I cut
off from my family and court.” Many endeavour to raise themselves
into the favour of princes by unjust representations of persons and
things, which they think will please their prince. If a ruler
hearken to lies, all his servants are wicked,
Prov. xxix. 12.
But David will not only not hearken to them, but will prevent the
preferment of those that hope thus to curry favour with him: he will
punish not only him that falsely accuses another in open court, but him
that privily slanders another. I wish David had remembered this vow in
the case of Mephibosheth and Ziba.
3. With haughty, conceited, ambitious people; none do more mischief in
a family, in a court, in a church, for only by pride comes
contention: “Therefore him that has a high look and a proud
heart will I not suffer; I will have no patience with those that
are still grasping at all preferments, for it is certain that they do
not aim at doing good, but only at aggrandizing themselves and their
families.” God resists the proud, and so will David.
4. With false deceitful people, that scruple not to tell lies, or
commit frauds
(v. 7):
“He that worketh deceit, though he may insinuate himself into my
family, yet, as soon as he is discovered, shall not dwell within my
house.” Some great men know how to serve their own purposes by such
as are skilful to deceive, and they are fit tools for them to work by;
but David will make use of no such persons as agents for him: He
that tells lies shall not tarry in my sight, but shall be expelled
the house with indignation. Herein David was a man after God’s own
heart, for a proud look and a lying tongue are things which God
hates; and he was also a type of Christ, who will, in the great day,
banish from his presence all that love and make a lie,
Rev. xxii. 15.
V. His resolution to put those in trust under him that were honest and
good
(v. 6):
My eyes shall be upon the faithful in the land. In choosing his
servants and ministers of state he kept to the land of Israel and would
not employ foreigners; none shall be preferred but true-born
Israelites, and those such as were Israelites indeed, the faithful
in the land; for even in that land there were those that were
unfaithful. These faithful ones his eyes shall be upon, to discover
them and find them out; for they were modest, did not crowd into the
city to court preferment, but lived retired in the land, in the
country, out of the way of it. Those are commonly most fit for places
of honour and trust that are least fond of them; and therefore wise
princes will spy out such in their recesses and privacies, and take
them to dwell with them and act under them. He that walks in a
perfect way, that makes conscience of what he says and does,
shall serve me. The kingdom must be searched for honest men to
make courtiers of; and, if any man is better than another, he must be
preferred. This was a good resolution of David’s; but either he did not
keep to it or else his judgment was imposed upon when he made
Ahithophel his right hand. It should be the care and endeavour of all
masters of families, for their own sakes and their children’s, to take
such servants into their families as they have reason to hope fear God.
The Son of David has his eyes upon the faithful in the land; his
secret is with them, and they shall dwell with him. Saul chose
servants for their goodliness
but David for their goodness.
VI. His resolution to extend his zeal to the reformation of the city
and country, as well as of the court
(v. 8):
“I will early destroy all the wicked of the land, all that are
discovered and convicted; the law shall have its course against them.”
He would do his utmost to destroy all the wicked, so that there
might be none left that were notoriously wicked. He would do it early;
he would lose no time and spare no pains; he would be forward and
zealous in promoting the reformation of manners and suppression of
vice; and those must rise betimes that will do anything to purpose in
the work. That which he aimed at was not only the securing of his own
government and the peace of the country, but the honour of God in the
purity of his church, That I may cut off all wicked doers from the
city of the Lord. Not Jerusalem only, but the whole land, was the
city of the Lord; so is the gospel-church. It is the interest of
the city of the Lord to be purged from wicked doers, who
both blemish it and weaken it; and it is therefore the duty of all to
do what they can, in their places, towards so good a work, and to be
zealously affected in it. The day is coming when the Son of David shall
cut off all wicked doers from the new Jerusalem, for there shall not
enter into it any that do iniquity.
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