Psalm 18:25 Komentář

This psalm we met with before, in the history of David's life, 2 Sa. 22. That was the first edition of it; here we have it revived, altered a little, and fitted for the service of the church. It is David's thanksgiving for the many deliverances God had wrought for him; these he desired always to preserve fresh in his own memory and to diffuse and entail the knowledge of them. It is an admirable composition. The poetry is very fine, the images are bold, the expressions lofty, and every word is proper and significant; but the piety far exceeds the poetry. Holy faith, and love, and joy, and praise, and hope, are here lively, active, and upon the wing. I. He triumphs in God (Psa 18:1-3). II. He magnifies the deliverances God had wrought for him (v. 4-19). III. He takes the comfort of his integrity, which God had thereby cleared up (Psa 18:20-28). IV. He gives to God the glory of all his achievements (Psa 18:29-42). V. He encourages himself with the expectation of what God would further do for him and his (Psa 18:43-50). To the chief musician, A psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who spake unto the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies.

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 18 To the chief Musician, a Psalm of David. This is the same with that in Sa2 22:1, with some variations, omissions, and alterations: the servant of the Lord; not only by creation, nor merely by regeneration, but by office, as king of Israel, being put into it by the Lord, and acting in it in submission and obedience to him; just as the apostles under the New Testament, on account of their office, so style themselves in their epistles: who spake unto the Lord the words of this song; that is, who delivered and sung this song in so many express words, in public, before all the congregation of Israel, to the honour and glory of God: in the day [that] the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul, Not that this psalm was composed and sung the selfsame day that David was delivered from Saul, and set upon the throne; for it seems to have been written in his old age, at the close of his days; for immediately after it, in the second book of Samuel, it follows, "now these be the last words of David", Sa2 23:1, but the sense is, that whereas David had many enemies, and particularly Saul, who was his greatest enemy, the Lord delivered him from them all, and especially from him, from him first, and then from all the rest; which when he reflected upon in his last days, he sat down and wrote this psalm, and then sung it in public, having delivered it into the hands of the chief musician for that purpose. There are two passages cited out of it in the New Testament, and applied to Christ; Psa 18:2, in Heb 2:13, and Psa 18:49 in Rom 15:9; and there are many things in it that very well agree with him; he is eminently the "servant" of the Lord as Mediator; he was encompassed with the snares and sorrows of death and hell, and with the floods of ungodly men, when in the garden and on the cross God was his helper and deliverer, as man; and he was victorious over all enemies, sin, Satan, the world, death and hell; as the subject of this psalm is all along represented: and to Christ it does most properly belong to be the head of the Heathen, whose voluntary subjects the Gentiles are said to be, Psa 18:43; and which is expressed in much the same language as the like things are in Isa 55:4; which is a clear and undoubted prophecy of the Messiah; to which may be added, that the Lord's Anointed, the King Messiah, and who is also called David, is expressly mentioned in Psa 18:50; and which is applied to the Messiah by the Jews (q) as Psa 18:32 is paraphrased of him by the Targum on it; and he said; the following words: (q) Echa Rabbati, fol. 50. 2. & Midrash Tillim in Tzeror Hammor, fol. 47. 3.

With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure,.... None of Adam's posterity are pure by nature; they are all defiled with sin; and though some are pure in their own eyes, they are far from being cleansed from their filthiness; such only are pure who are sanctified by the Spirit of God, have clean hearts created in them, and whose hearts are purified by faith in the blood of Christ; who are justified by Christ's righteousness, and are washed from their sins in his blood; and who, in consequence of such grace, love, pureness of heart, speak a pure language, hold the mystery of faith in a pure conscience, and with a pure conversation, and live soberly, righteously, and godly: and whereas God is a pure and holy Being, his perfections, works, and word, are pure; he shows himself to be so to such persons, by providing for the honour of his purity and holiness in their redemption, sanctification, and salvation; by making all things to be pure to them; by granting them his presence, and blessing them with the vision of himself here and hereafter; see Mat 5:8; this may likewise be understood of Christ, who, in his human nature, is pure from all sin, both original and actual: he indeed took upon him the sins of his people, and bore them, and made satisfaction for them, and brought in everlasting righteousness; which being done, God has showed himself pure to him, by justifying, acquitting, and discharging him from all such sins; by accepting his righteousness, and imputing it to those for whom he wrought it; and with the froward thou wilt show thyself froward; or "thou wrestlest" (b), or wilt contend with them until they are destroyed: the same word is here used which Naphtali has his name from, Gen 30:8. The froward are such as are of perverse dispositions, and of stubborn and obstinate tempers, and whose ways are crooked and distorted; and such were the people of the Jews in the times of Moses, and of Christ, Deu 32:5; and who seem here to be designed; even the Jews in Christ's time, who were just the reverse of the above characters, were cruel and unmerciful, faithless and hypocritical, filthy and pure, disbelieved the Messiah, rejected and crucified him, were contrary to God, and to all men; and therefore God walked contrary to them, as he threatened, Lev 26:27; the same as showing himself froward to them; for God is not froward and perverse in himself, nor in his ways, which are all equal, just, and pure: and though there is one and the same word used in our version, yet there are two different words in the Hebrew text; the same word that is used of the froward is not used of God; that which is used of God, as before observed, signifies wrestling, and designs God's contending with the people of the Jews, in a way of wrath and fury, which came upon them to the uttermost, and issued in their entire ruin as a people and nation; the words here had their fulfilment in the destruction of Jerusalem. (b) "eluctaris", Junius & Tremellius; "colluctaris", Aben Ezra; "reluctaris", Gejerus; "certas", Schmidt.

"With the holy You shall be holy" [Psalm 18:25]. There is a hidden depth also, wherein You are known to be holy with the holy, for that You make holy. "And with the harmless You shall be harmless." For Thou harmest no man, but each one is bound by the bands of his own sins. [Proverbs 5:22]

Therefore, O bishop, together with your subordinate clergy, endeavor rightly to divide the Word of truth. For the Lord says, “If you walk cross-grained to me, I will walk cross-grained to you.” … Walk therefore in holiness, that you may rather appear worthy of praise from the Lord than of complaint from the adversary.

We agree with common opinion, “He will be like the one with whom he is joined.” Indeed, this statement is very true, but it does not apply to the interpretation of the present verse. In this verse, if you wish to make the plain sense of the hymn, you will remember what the Lord said through the prophet to the people: If you walk upright in my sight, I will walk upright with you; if you walk turned from my ways, I will be turned from you. The psalmist speaks to this statement: With the holy, you will be holy; with the innocent, innocent, and et cetera.

Next the reason for retribution is set forth; therefore there follows, "With the holy one." Regarding this he does two things. First he sets forth the reason for retribution. Second, he expounds it, at "for you will save the humble people." The first two verses can be understood in two ways. In one way, as speaking to God; and thus the literal sense is, as if to say: You, O Lord, "with the holy one will be holy." And thus he says two things: namely that God is the rewarder and approver of the good. Second, how he is the reprover of the wicked; hence there follows, "and with the innocent," etc. "And with the perverse you will be perverse." Now it should be known that he names the holy, the innocent, and the elect. "Elect" can be understood in two ways. In one way, by God; and this is common to all the saints: Eph. 1: "God chose us before the foundation of the world," etc. In another way, one is called elect who has an excellence of innocence and holiness: Song 5: "My beloved is white and ruddy, chosen out of thousands." If "elect" is taken in the first way, then the second is set forth on our part, and the third on God's part. If in the second way, then he proposes two things that are on our part. The first is the doing of good, which is done for God's sake; and this properly has the character of holiness, because all things that are ordered to God are called holy; and this is what he says: Lord, "you will be holy with the holy one," causing holiness in him: Lev. 21: "I am the God who sanctifies you." Or thus: "You will be holy" effectively, that is, showing that you love and approve holiness. For he does not show himself except through works; for we do not see his substance. Nor is he holy with the holy one in any other way than by showing holiness; for he is not now visible to us, so that we might say he conforms himself to the holy one in outward motions, as a person conforms himself in various ways to various people, especially friends, because every animal loves its like; and what one loves, one rewards. Hence, showing yourself holy, when will you reward, he asks, the works of holiness? "And with the innocent man you will be innocent," effectively and by rewarding. "And with the elect," whom you love, "you will be elect," because you will cause him to choose you: Jn. 15: "You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you" originally. Deut. 4: "He loved your fathers and chose their seed after them." And Deut. 26: "You have chosen the Lord today, that he may be your God, and that you may obey his command; and the Lord has chosen you today, that you may be his special people, and he will make you higher than all the nations, that you may be a holy people." Or "elect," that is, excellently set apart. "And with the perverse you will be perverse," that is, you will permit him to be perverse. Or the perverse are those who do not follow those whom they ought to follow. Therefore he who does not follow the will of God seems perverse. Therefore you act against the will of God, and God acts against your will; as if to say: you want to have blessedness, and God will give misery: Lev. 26: "If you walk contrary to me, I also will walk against you, and I will strike you seven times for your sins." And therefore he says, "with the perverse you will be perverse," that is, acting against the will of the perverse. In another way it can be read as referring the discourse to some person: and thus a person "with a holy person," or with Christ, "will be holy," because you will hear nothing from God except holiness. Sir. 37: "With a religious man, discuss holiness." "And with the innocent you will be innocent," because morals are formed according to one's company: 1 Cor. 15: "Evil conversations corrupt good morals." "And with the perverse you will be perverted." Sir. 13: "He who touches pitch shall be defiled by it, and he who associates with the proud," etc. Next he expounds the foregoing according to the first reading. Why will you, O Lord, be holy with the holy one? Because "you will save the humble people," that is, in this -- that you will save the humble -- you show yourself to be holy with the holy one: Jas. 4: "To the humble he gives grace." Mt. 19: "Let the little children come to me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven." Ps. 137: "The Lord is exalted, and he looks upon the lowly." Why will you be perverse with the perverse? Because "you will humble the eyes of the proud": Lk. 14: "Everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled." Is. 2: "The lofty eyes shall be brought low, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down." And he says "eyes," because pride consists in this: that a person raises his gaze to things greater than his capacity: Is. 16: "His pride and his arrogance are greater than his strength." And therefore Ps. 130: "Lord, my heart is not exalted, nor are my eyes lifted up."

"The servant of the LORD," which in the Hebrew precedes "David," is a significant part of the title (and not a mere epithet of David), denoting the inspired character of the song, as the production of one entrusted with the execution of God's will. He was not favored by God because he served Him, but served Him because selected and appointed by God in His sovereign mercy. After a general expression of praise and confidence in God for the future, David gives a sublimely poetical description of God's deliverance, which he characterizes as an illustration of God's justice to the innocent and His righteous government. His own prowess and success are celebrated as the results of divine aid, and, confident of its continuance, he closes in terms of triumphant praise. 2Sa. 22:1-51 is a copy of this Psalm, with a few unimportant variations recorded there as a part of the history, and repeated here as part of a collection designed for permanent use. (Psa. 18:1-50) I will love thee--with most tender affection.

God renders to men according to their deeds in a penal, not vindictive, sense (Lev 26:23-24). merciful--or, "kind" (Psa 4:3).