PSALM XXVII.
Vers. 1. THe Lord is my light, &c.] That is, He it is that doth teach me and guide me, and preserve my life, and deliver me out of troubles; he is my comforter, and the authour of all my happinesse. See the Notes 2 Sam. 22.29. and Job 29.3. And to the same purpose is that which he adds, the Lord is the strength of my life; that is, the supporter and preserver of my life.
Vers. 2. When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, &c.] That is, as it were to devour me. See the Notes Job 19.22, and 31.31, and Psal. 14.4.
Vers. 3. Though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.] That is, that the Lord is my light and my salvation, as he had said before vers. 1. Yet some re∣ferre it to the word war; in this, that is, in this war, will I be confident.
Vers. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord, &c] Either this is added as a rea∣son why he was so confident of Gods protection, to wit, because his only desire was to enjoy communion with God in the place of his worship; or else as a rea∣son why he desired that God would still plead his cause against his enemies, name∣ly, because his great aim was, that he might be settled in such a peaceable condi∣tion, that he might freely and constantly resort to the house of God: One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, &c. as if he should have said, Though I be spoiled of my estate, bereaved of the society of friends, and driven from house and home, yet it is not the recovery of these things, no nor the obtaining of the kingdome which God hath promised me, that I desire, so much as that I may dwell for ever in the house of the Lord; concerning which see the Note Psal. 23.6. As for the following words, to behold the beauty of the Lord, thereby may be meant, 1. the attaining of the knowledge, or the meditation of all the glorious ex∣cellencies and perfections of God in his attributes, his holinesse, justice, good∣nesse and truth, &c. which by his word he manifesteth to his Church: 2. the con∣sideration of Gods wonderfull works, and his bounteous gifts to the sons of men, which make him glorious in their eyes: 3. the mysteries of our redempti∣on by Christ, and the benefits that redound to us thereby, which were shadowed forth in the sacrifices and other ceremoniall rites of the Tabernacle: and 4. the glory of heaven. And doubtlesse in this expression he alludes to the externall beauty and magnificence of the Tabernacle, or rather the glory of the Temple he intended and foresaw, which were typicall representations of these things. But in the last clause, and to enquire in his Temple, it is the Tabernacle which he intends by the Temple: of which see the Note 1 Sam. 1.9.
Vers. 5. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion; in the secret of his Tabernacle, &c.] That is, God will be graciously present with me, to shroud me and protect me from mine enemies: even as a shepheard should shelter his sheep in a tent or tabernacle from the heat of the Sun; or as if a king should under∣take to protect one in his pavilion, whence none dare venture to take him; or as Page 388 men use to hide some precious thing in some secret place of their dwelling; or as when men are hid in Gods Tabernacle or Temple, whether they used to fly for shelter to the horns of the altar; yea as if a man were hid in the most holy place, whether none might enter, but only the High priest once a year, which is there∣fore called Gods secret place Ezek. 7.22. they shall pollute my secret place; for the rob∣bers shall enter into it, and defile it. To all these there may be an allusion: yet because of the dependance of this upon that said in the foregoing verse, concer∣ning his longing after Gods Tabernacle, many think the last is rather intended, and so conceive the drift of the words to be this; that seeing he so earnestly desi∣red to be present with God, God would be alwaies present with him to defend him.
Vers. 6. And now also shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about, &c.] That is, I shall be out of the reach of mine enemies; it shall not be in their power to hurt me: it is the same with that in the foregoing verse, he shall set me up upon a rock. See farther also in the Note Psal. 3.3. Therefore will I offer in his Tabernacle sacrifices of joy; that is, sacrifices of praise, which were offered with great joy, with sounding of trumpets, Numb. 10.10. and other musicall instru∣ments, 1 Chron. 16.41, 42. And thus we see he trusted to come to Gods Taber∣nacle, and that he meant to expresse his joy in a holy manner, and not in that pro∣fane jollity wherewith carnall men are wont to triumph.
Vers. 8. When thou saidest, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.] As if he had said, Against all temptations concerning mine own un∣worthinesse, the weaknesse of my faith, and the delay of help, I oppose this, that thou hast commanded us to seek thy face, which imports thy readinesse to help, and gives me encouragement to seek and pray unto thee. For this phrase of seek∣ing Gods face, see the Note 1 Chron. 16.11.
Vers. 10. When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.] That Davids father and mother did never forsake him, is evident, 1 Sam. 22.1. The meaning therefore is, that though those on whom he might most justly rely, even his father and mother, should forsake him, yet he knew God would never forsake him.
Vers. 11. Teach me thy way, O Lord, &c.] See the Notes Psal. 25.4, and 5.8.
Vers. 12. For false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breath out cruelty.] That is, such as in all their talk discover the bloudy intentions they have against me: yet this phrase of breathing out cruelty may have reference to that vehe∣ment blowing and breathing, which may be observed in men when they are furi∣ously enraged.
Vers. 13. I had fainted, unlesse I had believed to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the living.] That is, to enjoy the good things that God hath promised me here in this world: see the Notes Job 7.7, and 28.13. For though heaven may be tear∣med in a speciall manner the land of the living, (the grave is the land of the dead, the earth the land of the dying, and heaven is only properly the land of the li∣ving) and though, as many learned men hold, the land of Canaan, which was a type of heaven, is sometimes peculiarly called the land of the living, as in Ezek. Page 389 26.20. I shall set glory in the land of the living; yet usually in the Scriptures by the land of the living is meant this present world, as Esa. 38.11. I said, I shall not see the Lord, even the Lord in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world; and so also Esa. 53.8, Psal. 52.5, and in many other places.
Vers. 14. Wait on the Lord, &c.] David, as being conscious to himself of his own weaknesse, and expecting farther tryalls, speaks this to himself: yet it may be also taken as spoken to others, out of a desire that others by his example would learn to wait upon God.
