Thursday, August 2, 2018

Psalm 92: For the Sabbath Day

[[A Psalm or Song for the Sabbath day.]]

Psalm 92:
"The Sabbath was set apart for adoring the Lord in his finished work of creation, hence the suitableness of this Psalm;
Christians may take even a higher flight, for they celebrate complete redemption.
The introduction is a call to praise the Lord, both morning and evening (verses 1-3).

Verses 1-15: This psalm expresses the exuberance of the psalmist as he recognizes that God is
merciful in salvation, great in His works of creation, just in His dealings with the wicked, and faithful in prospering His children.
I.          An Expression of Theistic Optimism (92:1-5).
O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep. vs.5
II.         An Observation Concerning Righteous Sovereignty (92:6-9).
But thou, LORD, art most high for evermore. vs.8
III.       A Testimony to God’s Goodness (92:10-15).
To shew that the LORD is upright:  vs.15
Title: “For the Sabbath day”:
In the post-Exilic community, some psalms were 
-- sung throughout the week in connection with the morning and evening sacrifice; 
-- others were designated especially for Sabbath worship.
 
Verse 2. To shew forth thy loving kindness in the morning. The day should begin with praise: no hour is too early for holy song. Loving kindness is a most appropriate theme for those dewy hours when morn is sowing all the earth with orient pearl.
Verse 6. A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this. In this and the following verses the effect of the psalm is heightened by contrast; the shadows are thrown in to bring out the lights more prominently.....*A brutish man knoweth not - בער איש ish baar, the human hog - the stupid bear - the boor; the man who is all flesh; in whom spirit or intellect neither seems to work nor exist. The brutish man, who never attempts to see God in his works.
*Neither doth a fool understand this - כסיל kesil, the fool, is different from בער baar, the brutish man; the latter has mind, but it is buried in flesh; the former has no mind, and his stupidity is unavoidable.
Verse 13. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.  Fellowship with the stem begets fertility in the branches. If a man abide in Christ he brings forth much fruit. Those professors who are rooted to the world do not flourish; those who send forth their roots into the marshes of frivolous pleasure cannot be in a vigorous condition;
Verse 14. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age. Nature decays but grace thrives.

 
 This the psalmist triumphs in:
He is my rock and there is no unrighteousness in him."
BooksOfTheBible/Charles Spurgeon/ Matthew Henry/ Adam Clarke