Psalms 25

This Psalm seems to have been Composed, when David was under some straights and pressures, when his outward afflictions were accompanied with inward... horrors of Conscience for his sins, by which he had forfeited God's favour, and procured these Calamities to himself.

UNto thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul (i. e.) I direct my Desires and Prayers, (which are expressed by this Phrase, Psal. 24. 4. Ier. 22. 27. Lam. 3. 41.) with hope or Expectation of a gracious Answer, which also it implies, Deut. 24. 15..

O my God, I trust in thee, let me not be ashamed (i. e.) Disappointed of my Hope, which will be reproachful to me, not without Reflection upon thee, of whose Power and Faithfulness I have made my boast.: let not mine enemies triumph over me.

Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed With me and for me: For, if I be frustrated, all that trust in thee will be discouraged, and upbraided with my Example., let them be ashamed Blast their wicked Designs and Hopes. which transgress Or, Prevaricate, or deal Persidiously with me, violating their Faith given to me without a cause Without any Provocation of mine, or without any sufficient Reason..

Show me thy ways (i. e.) The way of thy Precepts, what I ought to do in my Circumstances and Difficulties, by what Methods I may obtain thy Favour and Help. Whatsoever thou dost with me as to other things, grant me this Favour, teach me my Duty, and cause me to keep close to it, notwithstanding all Temptations to the contrary., O LORD, teach me thy paths.

Lead me in thy truth (i. e.) In the true and right way prescribed in thy Word, which is oft called Truth, as Psal. 119. 30. Ioh. 8. 45, 46. and 16. 13. &c. Or, by or because of thy Truth, (i. e.) Because thou art Faithful, do thou lead or guide me as thou hast promised to do., and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation (i. e.) Who hast saved me formerly, and hast engaged to save me, and from whom alone I expect Salvation., on thee do I wait all the day.

Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies, and thy loving kindnesses O consider thy own merciful Nature, and thy former manifold Favours vouchsafed to me, and to other miserable Sinners, and do like thy self. for they have been ever of old Thou hast been gracious to such as I am, from the beginning of the World to this day, and to me in particular from my very Infancy, as he oft acknowledgeth in this Book, yea, from all Eternity thou hast had a good Will to me, and therefore, do not now desist and desert me..

Remember not So as to lay them to my Charge. the sins of my youth The sins committed in my young and tender years, Eccles. 11. 9, 10. which God frequently punisheth in riper Age, Iob. 13 26. Ier. 3. 25: and therefore he now prays that God would not deal so with him., nor my transgressions Nor any of my succeeding or other sins, which either have been Acted by me, or may be imputed to me. according to thy mercy remember thou me, for thy goodness sake Being a sinner I have nothing to plead for my self, but thy free Mercy and Goodness, which I now implore., O LORD.

Good (i. e.) Bountiful and gracious to sinners, ready to good, and delighting in it. and upright Or, Right, (i. e.) Holy and True, sincere in making Promises, and in all his Declarations and Offers of Mercy to sinners, and faithful in fulfilling them. is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way Being such an one, he will not be wanting to such poor sinners as I am, but will guide them by his Word and Spirit, and gracious Providence, into the way of Life and Peace. By sinners, he does not understand all that are so, not such... s are obstinate and Proud, and scornful, whom God has declared, that he will not teach nor direct, but will leave them to the Errors and Lusts of their own Hearts, and will blind and harden them to their Ruine, as is often expressed in Scripture, but only such as being truly sensible of their sins, do humbly and earnestly seek God for his Grace and Mercy, or such as are Meek, as the next Verse explains it; for these he will not fail to assist and Relieve..

The meek (i. e.) The humble and lowly, such as meekly submit themselves to Gods hand and word, and are willing and desirous to be directed and governed by him. will he guide in judgment (i. e) In the Paths of judgment, or in the right way wherein they should walk, as the next Clause explains this, or by the Rule of his word, which is oft called his Iudgment, or Iudgments. Or, with Iudgment, (i. e.) With a wise and provident Care, and a due regard to all their Circumstances. See Ier. 10. 24. 1 Cor. 10. 13.: and the meek will he teach his way Either Gods way, which God prescribes: Or, his own way, in which he ought to walk..

All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth All the dealings of God with them, yea even those that are afflictive, and grievous to the flesh, are done in kindness and faithfulness to them, as being very necessary for them, and tending to their great advantage., unto such as keep his covenant (i. e) The Laws or Conditions required of them by his Covenant, Or, as it followes, his Testimonies, (i. e.) His Precepts, which are the Testimonies or Witnesses of God's Will, and of mans Duty. and his testimonies.

For thy names sake (i. e.) For the Honour of thy Goodness, and Truth, which is concerned herein., O LORD, pardon mine iniquity: for it is great And therefore none but such a God can pardon it, and nothing but thy own Name can move thee to do it; and the pardoning of it, will well become so great and good a God, and will tend much to the Illustration of thy Glory, as the greatness and desperateness of the Disease advanceth the Honour and Praise of the Physician. Or this may be urged, not as an Argument to move God, but as the Reason that moved him to pray so earnestly, and that for God's Names sake: Or, though (as this Particle is oft rendred, as Exod. 34. 9. Psal. 41. 4. and elsewhere) it be great. Possibly he speaks of his sin against uriah and Bathsheba. Or, for or though it be much or manifold: For the Hebrew word signifies both great and much..

What man is he (i. e.) Whosoever he be, whether Iew or Gentile, whether more innocent, or a greater Sinner, which is my Case. that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose (i. e.) Which God appointeth, or approveth. Or, which he, (i. e.) such Person, should choose; for the future Tense is oft put Potentially, and so as to express a Man's Duty, as Gen. 20. 9. Mal. 1. 6. and 2. 7..

His soul shall dwell Heb. shall Lodge, (i. e.) Continue, as this word signifies, Iob 17. 2. Pr... v. 19. 23. It notes the Constancy and Stability of his Happiness, both whilst he Lives and when he is Dead; which the next Clause seems to suppose. at ease Heb. in Good, (i. e.) In the Pos... ession and Enjoyment of the true Good.; and his see... shall inherit the earth Or, the Land, to wit, Canaan; Which was promised and given, as an earnest of the whole Covenant of Grace, and all its Promises, and therefore is Syne... doehically put for all of them. The Sense is, his seed shall be Blessed..

The secret of the LORD Either, 1. His Word and Counsel, to direct and guide them in the right way, which he oft mentions here as a singular Blessing, v. 8, 9. 12. to show them their Duty in all Conditions, and the way to their eternal Salvation. And so this may seem to be explained by the following Words, He will show them his Covenant. And this though it was revealed, yet might be called a secret, because of the many and deep Mysteries in it, and because it is said to be hid from many of them, to whom it was revealed, Mat. 11. 25. 2. Cor. 3. 13, 14, 15. and 4. 3. and it is not to be understood to any purpose, without the Illumination of their Minds, by Gods Spirit, as is manifest from Psal. 119. 18, 19. and many other places of Scripture. Or rather, 2. His Love and Favour, which is called his secret, Iob. 29. 4. Prov. 3. 32. and that very fitly, because it is known to none but him, that enjoyeth it, Prov. 14. 10. Revel. 2. 17. Or his gracious and fatherly Providence: Which is here said to be with them. Or, as it is in the Hebrew, towards them, taking Care of them, and working for them; even then when God seems to frown upon them: is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant Or, and he will make them to know (for the Infinitive is here thought to be put for the future Tense of the Indicative, as it is Eccles. 3. 14, 15, 18. Hosea 9. 13. and 12. 3.) his Covenant, (i. e.) He will make them clearly to understand it, both its Duties or Conditions, and its Blessings or Priviledges; neither of which ungodly Men rightly understand: Or, he will make them to know it by Experience, Or, by God's making it good to them; as on the contrary God threatens to make ungodly Men to know his Breach of Promise, Numb. 14. 34. Or, as it is in the Margent of our Bibles, and his Covenant (is (i. e.) He has ingaged himself by his Promise or Covenant) to make them know it, to wit, his secret, (i. e.) That he will manifest either his Word or his Favour to them..

Mine eyes are ever towards the LORD (i. e.) My trust is in him, and my Expectation of Relief is from him only.: for he shall pluck my feet out of the net He will deliver me out of all my Temptations and Tribulations..

Turn thee unto me Turn thy Face and Favour to me, O thou who now hast turned thy Back upon me, and forsaken me., and have mercy upon me: for I am desolate Destitute of all other Hopes and Succours, persec... ted by mine Enemies. and forsaken by the most of my Friends, as he was in Absalom's Rebellion. and afflicted.

The troubles of my heart My outward Troubles are accompanied with grievous Torments, of my Mind and Heart for my sins, which have procured them, and thy great Displeasure manifested in them. are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses.

Look upon With Compassion, as Exod. 3. 7, 8. Psal. 31: 7: and 106. 44. mine affliction, and my pain, and forgive all my sins The procuring and continuing Causes of my Trouble..

Consider Heb. Look upon, as v. 18. to wit, with a Revengeful Eye, as Exod. 14. 24. 1 Chron. 12. 17. Psal. 104. 32. For this general Expression of looking upon, is taken several wayes in Scripture, and is to be determined by the Context. mine enemies, for they are many, and they hate me with cruel Heb. Violent or Injurious, Either without any Cause given by me: Or without any bounds, or in an implacable manner. hatred.

O keep my soul (i. e.) My self or my Life, as is that word commonly taken: For his Soul was out of his Enemi... reach, who... ould only kill his Body, L... k. 12. 4. and deliver me: let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in thee.

Let integrity preserve me Though I have greatly offen... ed thee,... et remember that I have dealt honestly and with mine Enemies, whilst the... have dealt falsly and injuriously with me, and therefore judge between them and me, and deal with me according to the Righteousness of my Cause, and Carriage towards them.: for I wait o... thee.

Redeem Israel If thou wilst not pity and help me, yet spare thy people who suffer for my sake, and in my sufferings., O God out of all his troubles.