Psalm 25:6 Komentář

This psalm is full of devout affection to God, the out-goings of holy desires towards his favour and grace and the lively actings of faith in his promises. We may learn out of it, I. What it is to pray (Psa 25:1, Psa 25:15). II. What we must pray for, the pardon of sin (Psa 25:6, Psa 25:7, Psa 25:18), direction in the way of duty (Psa 25:4, Psa 25:5), the favour of God (Psa 25:16), deliverance out of our troubles (Psa 25:17, Psa 25:18), preservation from our enemies (Psa 25:20, Psa 25:21), and the salvation of the church of God (Psa 25:22). III. What we may plead in prayer, our confidence in God (Psa 25:2, Psa 25:3, Psa 25:5, Psa 25:20, Psa 25:21), our distress and the malice of our enemies (Psa 25:17, Psa 25:19), our sincerity (Psa 25:21). IV. What precious promises we have to encourage us in prayer, of guidance and instruction (Psa 25:8, Psa 25:9, Psa 25:12), the benefit of the covenant (Psa 25:10), and the pleasure of communion with God (Psa 25:13, Psa 25:14). It is easy to apply the several passages of this psalm to ourselves in the singing of it; for we have often troubles, and always sins, to complain of at the throne of grace. A psalm of David.

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 25 A Psalm of David. This is the first of the psalms which is written in an alphabetical order, or in which the first word of every verse begins with the letters of the Hebrew alphabet in order, though it is not strictly and regularly observed; the reason of this manner of writing is not very obvious; the (r) Jews confess their ignorance of it; it may be to engage the attention to what is said, or to assist the memory in laying it up, and retaining it there. The occasion of the psalm seems to be the troubles David was in on account of an unnatural rebellion raised against him by some of his subjects, at the head of which was his own son Absalom; he speaks of himself as in a net, and in great affliction, distress, and trouble, by reason of his enemies, Psa 25:15; and as being brought to a sense of his former sins, for which he desires pardon, Psa 25:7. (r) Kimchi in loc.

Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy loving kindnesses,.... Not the providential mercy and kindness of God, in the care of him in his mother's womb, at the time of his birth, in his nurture and education, and in the preservation of him to the present time; but the special mercy, grace, and love of God in Christ: the sense of the petition is the same with that of Psa 106:4; which are expressed in the plural number, because of the largeness and abundance of it, and because of the various acts and instances of it; the Lord is rich and plenteous in mercy, abundant in goodness; his love is exceeding great, and numerous are the ways and methods in which it is declared, both in eternity and in time; and though he can never forget his love, nor the people whom he loves, for they are engraven on his hand, and set as a seal on his heart; yet he sometimes seems, by the conduct of his providence, as if he did not remember it, and had no tender affection for them; and their unbelief is ready to say, the Lord has forgotten to be gracious; and the design of such a petition as this is to entreat a fresh discovery and application of the grace, mercy, and loving kindness of God, and which he allows his people to put him in remembrance of; for they have been ever of old: meaning not only from the time of his birth, and in after appearances of God for him, nor the favours shown to the people of Israel in former times at the Red sea, and in the wilderness and elsewhere, and to the patriarchs from the beginning of the world; but the love of God from everlasting, which appears in the choice of his people in Christ, before the foundation of the world, in the everlasting covenant of grace made with him, and in the setting of him up as the Mediator of it, and in putting his people into his hands, with all grace and spiritual blessings for them before the world began; and which love as it is from everlasting it is to everlasting, and remains invariably the same.

"Remember Your compassions, O Lord" [Psalm 25:6]. Remember the works of Your mercy, O Lord; for men deem of You as though You had forgotten. "And that Your mercies are from eternity." And remember this, that Your mercies are from eternity. For Thou never wast without them, who hast subjected even sinful man to vanity indeed, but in hope; [Romans 8:20] and not deprived him of so many and great consolations of Your creation.

When people remember, they stir up within themselves the thoughts of things they had known before. But God, when he is mindful of the rational nature, is in that very nature. It is said that he is mindful of him into whom he comes.

In these words, a very glorious and orthodox statement seems to shine upon us, that no one attains to God’s grace by his own merits. For in speaking of God’s mercies “which are from the beginning of the world,” the church continuously praises the Lord as the dispenser of mercies who does not receive human good works as an earlier step, but first grants his own gifts. Certainly all heresies have been devised by a detestable notion. On this basis, we are given insight into how destructive the Pelagian evil is, because it is recognized how persistently it is refuted.

"Remember." Here he asks for the forgiveness of sins, etc. Here he does two things. First, he presents the petition in general. Second, he explains it in detail, at "The sins." In general, however, he asks for mercy. This properly regards misery. The greatest misery is guilt. Now misery is opposed to happiness, which consists principally in the act of perfect virtue. Secondly, in external goods. Therefore misery consists principally in the act of sin. Secondly, in losses and external things: Prov. 14: "Sin makes peoples miserable." And therefore he asks for mercy against sins. In this mercy, therefore, there are two things: namely the use or effect of mercy, which is called commiseration. The second is mercy itself, which is called mercy insofar as it is a virtue. When therefore God has mercy in act, then he is called merciful; but he seems to forget when he does not have mercy in act; hence he says, "Remember your compassions": Ps. 76: "Will God forget to have mercy?" Yet the very fact that he delays having mercy, he does for our good, although in the opinion of men he seems to have forgotten when he does not have mercy in act; as if to say, remember, lest among the wicked you seem to have forgotten. "And your mercies." He says this on account of the many effects of divine mercy toward human nature: "which are from eternity," that is, from the beginning of creation: Lk. 1: "His mercy is from generation," etc.

The general tone of this Psalm is that of prayer for help from enemies. Distress, however, exciting a sense of sin, humble confession, supplication for pardon, preservation from sin, and divine guidance, are prominent topics. (Psa. 25:1-22) lift up my soul-- (Psa 24:4; Psa 86:4), set my affections (compare Col 3:2).

Confessing past and present sins, he pleads for mercy, not on palliations of sin, but on God's well-known benevolence.

The supplicatory reminiscere means, may God never forget to exercise His pity and grace towards him, which are (as the plurals imply) so rich and superabundant. The ground on which the prayer is based is introduced with כּי (nam, or even quoniam). God's compassion and grace are as old in their operation and efficacy as man's feebleness and sin; in their counsels they are eternal, and therefore have also in themselves the pledge of eternal duration (Psa 100:5; Psa 103:17).