Psalm 54:6 Komentář

The key of this psalm hangs at the door, for the title tells us upon what occasion it was penned - when the inhabitants of Ziph, men of Judah (types of Judas the traitor), betrayed David to Saul, by informing him where he was and putting him in a way how to seize him. This they did twice (Sa1 23:19; Sa1 26:1), and it is upon record to their everlasting infamy. The psalm is sweet; the former part of it, perhaps, was meditated when he was in his distress and put into writing when the danger was over, with the addition of the last two verses, which express his thankfulness for the deliverance, which yet might be written in faith, even when he was in the midst of his fright. Here, I. He complains to God of the malice of his enemies, and prays for help against them (Psa 54:1-3). II. He comforts himself with an assurance of the divine favour and protection, and that, in due time, his enemies should be confounded and be delivered (Psa 54:4-7). What time we are in distress we may comfortable sing this psalm. To the chief musician on Neginoth, Maschil. A psalm of David, when the Ziphim came and said to Saul, Doth not David hide himself with us?

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 54 To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil, A Psalm of David, when the Ziphims came and said to Saul, Doth not David hide himself with us? Of the word "neginoth", See Gill on Psa 4:1, title; and of "maschil", See Gill on Psa 32:1, title. The occasion of writing this psalm were the discoveries the Ziphims or Ziphites made to Saul of David being in their neighbourhood; which they did twice, as appears from Sa1 23:14. Which of these gave occasion to the psalm is not certain; it is very likely that it was composed after both had been made. These Ziphims were the inhabitants of a city called Ziph, which was in the tribe of Judah, Jos 15:55, near to which was a wilderness, which had its name from the city in which David was when they came to Saul with this news of him.

I will freely sacrifice unto thee,.... Not legal sacrifices; no, nor freewill offerings the law gives directions about, though the allusion is to them; but the freewill offerings of his mouth, Psa 119:108; the sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving, on account of help, salvation, and deliverance, as appears from the following clause; which he determines to offer, not by constraint, but willingly; not by force, but of a ready mind; freely, and with all his heart. The sacrifice of his antitype is himself, his soul and body, as in union with his divine Person; and this was offered up to God, against whom man has sinned, and whose justice must be satisfied; and this was done freely and voluntarily; he gave himself an offering; he laid down his life of himself, and that for sinners. The sacrifices of his people are their prayers and praises, their acts of beneficence, and the presentation of their souls and bodies in divine service; all which they do freely, under the influence of divine grace; I will praise thy name, O Lord; which explains what is meant by sacrificing: this is what is due to the Lord, and comely in his people; for it is good; either the name of God; and therefore to be praised. He himself is good, as, he is, both in a way of providence and of grace; and it is good, both pleasantly and profitably good, to sing praises to him, Psa 147:1.

For next there follows: I will sacrifice unto You freely. The sacrifices of the Law, which consisted of whole burnt-offerings and oblations of goats and of bulls, did not involve an expression of free will, because the sentence of a curse was pronounced on all who broke the Law. Whoever failed to sacrifice laid himself open to the curse. And it was always necessary to go through the whole sacrificial action because the addition of a curse to the commandment forbad any trifling with the obligation of offering. It was from this curse that our Lord Jesus Christ redeemed us, when, as the Apostle says: Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made curse for us, for it is written: cursed is every one that hangs on a tree. Galatians 3:13 Thus He offered Himself to the death of the accursed that He might break the curse of the Law, offering Himself voluntarily a victim to God the Father, in order that by means of a voluntary victim the curse which attended the discontinuance of the regular victim might be removed. Now of this sacrifice mention is made in another passage of the Psalms: Sacrifice and offering you would not, but a body have you prepared for Me ; that is, by offering to God the Father, Who refused the legal sacrifices, the acceptable offering of the body which He received. Of which offering the holy Apostle thus speaks: For this He did once for all when He offered Himself up Hebrews 7:27, securing complete salvation for the human race by the offering of this holy, perfect victim.

"Voluntarily I will sacrifice to You" [Psalm 54:6]. Who can even understand this good thing of the heart, at another's speaking thereof, unless in himself he has tasted it? What is, "Voluntarily I will sacrifice to You"?... For what sacrifice here shall I take, brethren? Or what worthily shall I offer to the Lord for His mercy? Victims shall I seek from flock of sheep, ram shall I select, for any bull in the herds shall I look out, frankincense indeed from the land of the Sabæans shall I bring? What shall I do? What offer; except that whereof He speaks, "Sacrifice of praise shall honour Me"? Wherefore then "voluntarily"? Because truly I love that which I praise. I praise God, and in the self-same praise I rejoice: in the praise of Himself I rejoice, at whom being praised, I blush not. For He is not praised in the same manner as by those who love the theatrical follies is praised either by a charioteer, or a hunter, or actor of any kind, and by their praisers, other praisers are invited, are exhorted, to shout together: and when all have shouted, ofttimes, if their favourite is overcome, they are all put to the blush. Not so is our God: be He praised with the will, loved with charity: let it be gratuitous (or voluntary) that He is loved and that He is praised. What is "gratuitous"? Himself for the sake of Himself, not for the sake of something else. For if you praise God in order that He may give you something else, no longer freely do you love God. You would blush, if your wife for the sake of riches were to love you, and perchance if poverty should befall you, should begin to think of adultery. Seeing that therefore you would be loved by your partner freely, will you for anything else love God? What reward are you to receive of God, O covetous man? Not earth for you, but Himself He keeps, who made heaven and earth. "Voluntarily I will sacrifice to You:" do it not of necessity. For if for the sake of anything else you praise God, out of necessity you praise. These things also which He has given, because of the Giver are good things. For He gives entirely, He gives these temporal things: and to certain men to their good, to certain men to their harm, after the height and depth of His judgments...."Voluntarily I will sacrifice to You." Wherefore "voluntarily"? Because gratis. What is gratis? "And I will confess to Your name, O Lord, for it is a good thing:" for nothing else, but because a "good thing" it is. Does he say, "I will confess to Your name, O Lord," because You give me fruitful manors, because You give me gold and silver, because You give me extended riches, abundant money, most exalted dignity? Nay. But what? "For it is a good thing." Nothing I find better than Your name.

For among them (the Egyptians) these offices, which we are taught to render to the Lord at separate hours and at intervals of time with a reminder from the convener, are celebrated freely and continuously throughout the whole day in conjunction with their work. For manual labor is continuously practiced by them in their cells in such a way that meditation on the Psalms and the rest of the Scriptures is always before them. To this at every moment they mingle short petitions and prayers, spending the whole day in those offices which we celebrate at fixed times. Thus, except for vespers and nocturns, there are no public services among them in the day except on Saturday and Sunday, when they meet together at the third hour for the purpose of Holy Communion. For what is continuously offered is greater than what is rendered at intervals of time. And a free gift is more acceptable than the duties which are performed by the compulsion of a rule. For such as this, David rejoices somewhat exultingly when he says, “Freely will I sacrifice to you;” and, “Let the free will offerings of my mouth be pleasing to you, O Lord.”

Listen to the prophet’s voice: “I will freely sacrifice to you, O Lord.” Learn how different an imposed servitude is from a voluntary one. A person who finds his own negligence accusing himself of suffering self-imposed servitude can never pass a day without regret. A person who obeys his Lord because of some solemn promise and thus reluctantly gains grace has stored up an injury for himself, since the prophet says, “Cursed is he who does the works of the Lord negligently.” If each one of you reflects on the wonderful gift of the acquired liberty that our Christ has granted to his faithful people through the regeneration of the life-giving bath [baptism] and through the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, he understands that God should not be served halfheartedly. Even though we daily give God whatever honor or gift we can, we never pay him all we owe.

"I will sacrifice willingly to you." Here he sets forth the recompense. And first the recompense is set forth. Second, the reason for the recompense. He intends to offer as recompense two things: sacrifice and confession. With regard to the first he says, "I will sacrifice willingly to you." Against this, above he said: "if you had desired sacrifice, I would have given it." And it must be said that here he speaks of the sacrifice that is acceptable to God, which is the sacrifice of a contrite spirit and the chastisement of the body. 1 Cor. 9: "I chastise my body," etc. Rom. 12: "Present your bodies as a living sacrifice," etc. The third sacrifice is from one's best possessions. Heb. 13: "Do not forget to do good and to share, for by such sacrifices God is won over," that is, God is pleased. With this threefold sacrifice, therefore, "I will sacrifice to you willingly," that is, with joy. 1 Ezra 3: "In all things wherein a sacrifice was voluntarily offered." 2 Cor. 9: "God loves a cheerful giver." With regard to the second he says, "I will give praise to your name, O Lord, because" -- namely, through thanksgiving. Tob. 12: "Bless the God of heaven," that is, give thanks. And why? Not on account of temporal goods, as sinners do, of whom it is said: "he will give you thanks when you do well for him." But on account of the goodness and kindness of God, and on account of benefits received, because he has been heard in his petitions. Hence he says he was heard with regard to himself, when he says, "because you have delivered me from every tribulation." And with regard to his enemies: "because my eye has looked down upon my enemies," because they were unable to harm him. Or "has looked down," etc., because he despised their felicity and prosperity: "the malicious one is brought to nothing," etc.

See on Psa 4:1, title; Psa 32:1, title; for the history, see Sa1 23:19, Sa1 23:29; 1Sa. 26:1-25. After an earnest cry for help, the Psalmist promises praise in the assurance of a hearing. (Psa 54:1-7) by thy name-- (Psa 5:11), specially, power. judge me--as in Psa 7:8; Psa 26:1.

I will freely, &c.--or, present a freewill offering (Lev 7:16; Num 15:3).