Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Psalms
Book: Psalms
Chapter: 63
Overview:
David's desire toward
God.
(1,2) His satisfaction in
God.
(3-6) His dependence upon
God, and
Assurance of safety.
(7-11)
1,2 Early will I seek thee. The true
Christian devotes to
God
the morning
Hour. He opens the eyes of his understanding with
those of his body, and awakes each morning to
Righteousness. He
arises with a thirst after those comforts which the world cannot
give, and has immediate recourse
By Prayer to the
Fountain of
the water of
Life. The true believer is convinced, that nothing
in this sinful world can satisfy the wants and desires of his
immortal soul; he expects his happiness from
God, as his
portion. When
Faith and
Hope are most in
Exercise, the world
appears a weary
Desert, and the believer longs for the joys of
Heaven, of which he has some foretastes in the ordinances of
God
upon
Earth.
3-6 Even in affliction we need not want matter for praise. When
this is the regular frame of a believer's mind, he values the
loving-kindness of
God more than
Life.
God's loving-kindness is
our spiritual
Life, and that is better than temporal
Life. We
must praise
God with joyful lips; we must address ourselves to
the duties of religion with cheerfulness, and speak forth the
praises of
God from a principle of holy joy. Praising lips must
be joyful lips.
David was in continual danger; care and fear
held his eyes waking, and gave him wearisome nights; but he
comforted himself with thoughts of
God. The mercies of
God, when
called to mind in the night
Watches, support the soul, making
Darkness cheerful. How happy will be that last morning, when the
believer, awaking up after the Divine likeness, shall be
satisfied with all the
Fulness of
God, and praise him with
joyful lips, where there is
No night, and where sorrow and
sighing flee away!
7-11 True Christians can, in some
Measure, and at some times,
make use of the strong language of
David, but too commonly our
souls cleave to the
Dust. Having committed ourselves to
God, we
must be easy and pleased, and quiet from the fear of evil. Those
that follow hard after
God, would soon fail, if
God's right
Hand
did not uphold them. It is he that strengthens us and comforts
us. The psalmist doubts not but that though now sowing in tears,
he should reap in joy.
Messiah the
Prince shall rejoice in
God;
he is already entered into the joy set before him, and his
Glory
will be completed at his second coming. Blessed
Lord, let our
desire towards thee increase every
Hour; let our
Love be always
upon thee; let all our enjoyment be in thee, and all our
satisfaction from thee. Be thou all in all to us while we remain
in the present
Wilderness state, and bring us home to the
Everlasting enjoyment of thee for ever.