and the naughtiness of thy heart, for thou art come down, that thou mightest see the battle" (1 Sam. xvii. 28). Others see in it an echo of David's answer to the taunts of Michael, who said, "I will become of still less account than this, and I will be lowly in my own eyes" (2 Sam. vi. 22). ANNOTATIONS:-Ver. 1. "Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty," &c. Pride has its seat in the heart, is seen in the countenance, and expresses itself in outward actions; in every form and kind, the Psalmist repudiates it. It is said of Uzziah (2 Chron. xxvi. 6) that his heart was high (Heb. ii. 4), "Nor mine eyes lofty." The same expression occurs in a Davidic Psalm (xviii. 27). Compare Prov. xxx. 13-" Neither do I exercise myself." Lit., I do not walk, my course of life does not lie in them; I have nothing to do with them. "Great matters," See Jer. xlv. 5. "Too high," Lit., too wonderful, the same word is used in Gen. xviii. 14; Deut. xvii. 8, xxx. 11.—Dr. Young. Ver. 2" Surely I have behaved." Some render it levelled. Delitzsch renders it, "I have smoothed down and calmed my soul." "And quieted myself as a child that is weaned of his mother," &c. "As the child that is fully weaned rests quietly on its mother's bosom, without yearning any longer for the breast, so the Psalmist's soul, weaned from passionate longing aquiesces in the dispensation of God." ARGUMENT: This Psalm con sists of two parts, a profession of a true humility (ver. 1, 2), and an exhortation to others to hope in God (ver. 3). What "O, HOMILETICS :-This Psalm reveals in a striking way the negative and positive excellencies of true religion. I. The NEGATIVE excellencies of true religion. are they? First: Freedom from superciliousness. Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty, Neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me." The man who utters these words from self-deception, or what is worse from Pharasaic pride (and, alas! such language has not been unfrequently used from such impulses), is in a state of spiritual blindness and unreality. But he to whose inner experience the words. are a faithful expression, is freed from pride one of the greatest evils that afflict the soul. "My heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty." The seat of pride, is the heart, and has its expression in the eyes, the supercilious look. True humility is not sycophancy nor self-depreciation. Secondly: Freedom from restlessness. "Neither do I exercise myself," &c. Ambition is ever restless, it has no inner quiet, it is always struggling for something it has not. Thirdly: Freedom from worldliness. "I have behaved." The word, as I have intimated, means levelled. "As a child that is weaned," &c. I have come down from the lofty heights of ambition and pride, all my ambitious impulses are smoothed down, the soul is calm. The world, with all its wealth and pomp is nothing to me, I am crucified unto the world. As the "weaned child" lies on the breast of its mother without fretting, satisfied with the fact that it has its mother, so I feel in relation to the world. I have no earthly cravings, I am satisfied with the presence and fellowship of God. Here is humility. It is beautifully described by Dr. Pusey thus, The tree falls with any gust of wind when the root is near the surface, the house which has a shallow foundation is soon shaken. High and wide as the noblest trees spread, so deep and wide their roots are sunk below the more majestic and noble a pile of buildings the deeper its foundation; their height is seen, their lowliness is hidden; the use of sinking them deep is not plain to sight, yet were they not thus lowly they could not be thus lofty. Dig deep, then, the founda 66 с tion of humility, so only mayest thou hope to reach the height of charity, for by humility alone canst thou reach that Rock which shall not be shaken, that is Christ. Founded by humility on that Rock, the storms of the world shall not shake thee, the torrent of evil custom shall not bear thee away, the empty winds of vanity shall not cast thee down. Founded deep on that Rock, thou mayest build day by day that tower whose top shall reach unto heaven, to the very presence of God, the sight of God, and shalt be able to finish it; for He shall raise thee thither, Who for thy sake abased Himself to us." The Psalm reveals II. The POSITIVE excellence of true religion. What is that? Eternal hope in God. "Let Israel hope in the Lord from henceforth and for ever." What is it to hope in the Lord for ever? First: It is to have the soul fixed on the supremely desirable for ever. What is the supremely desirable? The Lord Himself. Love is never satisfied with the gifts of its object, however valuable, or with its passing visits. It craves for the object itself. You are never satisfied until you feel you can say that he whom you love is yours, he is mine. Hence the heart and flesh-the soul "cry out for the living God." To possess Him is to possess everything. "Whom have I in heaven but thee?" Secondly: It is to have the soul fixed on the attainable for ever. You may desire a thing, and yet not hope for it; before you can hope you must believe in its attainability. Is the Lord desirable? Aye, supremely so. Is He attainable? Undoubtedly. He comes within the reach of all that hunger and thirst after Him. Here then is excellence, eternal hope in the Lord. The soul in this state is secure and blessed now, and secure and blessed for ever. And who may not have this hope? "From the lowest depth," says Carlyle, "there is a path to the loftiest height." HISTORY:-Because verses 8 to 10 of this Psalm correspond exactly with the words which Solomon employed in his dedication. service in the Temple (2 Chron. vi. 41, 42), it is not unreasonable to suppose that he is its author. And that it was composed by him on the occasion of the conveyance of the ark from the tabernacle, in which it was placed by David, to the newly-built Temple (2 Chron. v. 2). There is no certainty, however, as to the author or the occasion. Hence the diversity of opinion of Biblical scholars on the subject; nor does it much matter. It is the contents of a composition that give it importance. If it contains great practical truths and the mighty God of Jocob," &c. The second verse and the three succeeding which must be taken together-are expressive of the author's opinion concerning David's anxious concern for the ark of the Lord. Ver. 6:"Lo, we have heard of it at Ephratah, we found it in the fields of the wood," &c. "The words it may be of the people. Ephratah, or Ephrath, is a well-known title of Bethlehem, but we have no authority for saying that the ark was at Bethlehem. Some imagine the words to be a continuation of the words of David; Lo! we heard of the ark in our tender infancy at Ephratah or Bethlehem, and found it in the field of the wood, i.e., at Kirjath-Jearim. No interpretation of the place is altogether satisfactory; the allusion may be to an incident not recorded." Canon Cooke. It should be noted that these words are not supposed to be spoken by David, or Solomon, or any other individual; but by the people. "Lo, we heard of it," "We found it," "We will worship." Ver. 8, 9, 10:"Arise, O Lord, into Thy rest, Thou, and the ark of Thy strength," &c. These three verses are a repetition of 2 Chron. vi. 41, 42. But a similar cry was also raised in the wilderness when the ark was moved each morning for its rest at night (Numbers x. 35, 36). Ver. 11, 12 — "The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David; He will not turn from it; of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne," &c. "More, lit., 'The Lord hath sworn to David, it is truth; He will not swerve,' &c. In the prayer at the dedication of the temple (1 Kings viii. 25) Jehovah is similarly reminded of his promise to David's line. The intense earnestness and solemnity of the words suggest the opinion that they were written whilst the line of David was still upon the throne, and not at a later time."-The Students' Commentary. Ver.13:-"The Lord hath chosen Zion; He hath desired it for His habitation.' Zion is here used for the City of Jerusalem, and the verses following describe the blessings that would fall on it on account of its being made the permanent resting place of the ark. Ver. 14:-"This is my rest for ever, here will I dwell, for I |