2 Praise the LORD with harp; sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.
3 Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.
4 For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth.
5 He loveth righteousness and judgment; the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.
6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap; he layeth up the depth in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
9 For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.
10 The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought; he maketh the devices of the people to none effect.
11 The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
13 The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.
14 From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.
15 He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.
16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an host; a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.
17 An horse is a vain thing for safety; neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.
18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;
19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waiteth for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.
22 Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.
JW: The Psalmist exhorts the righteous to praise God for his truth, justice and goodness, ver. 1-5; for creating the world, ver. 6-9; for his providence in governing it, ver. 10-17; for his peculiar favour to his people, encouraging them to trust in him, ver. 18-22.
3: 'A new song' - Renewed or continued from day to day.
5: 'Goodness' - He not only doth no man wrong, but he is kind and merciful to all men.
11: 'The counsel' - All his purposes and designs are always successful.
13: 'All men' - Although he hath a relation to Israel, yet he hath a general care over all mankind, all whose hearts and ways he observes.
15: 'Fashioneth' - Having said that God sees and observes all men, he now adds that he rules and governs them; yea, even the hearts which are most unmanageable he disposes and inclines according to the counsel of his will. 'Alike' - Or, equally, one as well as another: whether they be Jews or Gentiles, princes or peasants; all are alike subject to his jurisdiction. 'Their works' - Both outward and inward, all the workings of their minds and actions, and all their endeavours and actions.
16: 'No king' - He instances in these, as the most uncontrollable persons in the world, and most confident in themselves. By which he strongly proves his general disposition of God's powerful providence over all men. 'By an host' - But only by God's providence, who disposes of victory and success as he pleases and that frequently to the weakest side.
17: 'An horse' - Though he be strong and fit for battle, or for flight, if need requires. And so this is put for all warlike provisions. 'Vain thing' - Heb. a lie; because it promises that help and safety which it cannot give.
18: 'The eye' - Whosoever therefore would have safety must expect it only from the watchful eye and almighty hand of God. 'That fear' - These are the chief objects of his care and favour. 'Hope' - That place their hope and trust and happiness not in any creature, but only in God, and in his mercy and blessings.
I'm frozen at the statement of verse 5: The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD. Everything within me wants to shout, "Amen!" Yet everything within me wants to shout, "WHAT?! Have you seen this place? Japan? Haiti? Libya? Iraq? Any funeral home? Any morgue? (And on and on)..." It's one thing to say that all things will be put to right...that in the end "Love Wins" or "Goodness wins"...but now? Shall I see that God's goodness fills the earth in that earth is not utterly destroyed? Perhaps. And maybe wherever there is hope there is goodness.
There's also goodness in that God is, as Wesley says above, kind and merciful to all [people]. I wrote in a post during the Nativity series that goodness is an underused and undervalued biblical word. God's goodness is God's tender regard for ALL fallen humanity and his desire to rescue us or at least to keep us alive in famine.
A 'vain thing' is something that promises that help and safety which it cannot give. How much of my hope or security is in a stealth bomber? In the stock market? Or maybe in a consumeristic age we can add that a vain thing is something that promises that...comfort, ease, satisfaction, fulfillment, security...that it cannot give. The NIV has a great way of rendering Jonah 2.8 - Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. What are we clinging to?
We must cling to hope in a God who beholds us and plead, 'Kyrie Eleison' (Lord, have mercy).
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