Matthew Poole's Commentary David's Psalm of praise. I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. THE ARGUMENT This Psalm and the rest which follow to the end are wholly laudatory, setting forth the praises of God. The excellency of this Psalm appears not only from the opinion of the Hebrew writers, but also from the care which the psalmist took to digest it into such accurate and alphabetical order, that it might be more easily fixed in the mind and memory of the reader. David magnifieth God for his greatness and terrible acts, Psalm 145:1-7; for his goodness and everlasting kingdom, Psalm 145:8-13; for his care and providence over all, Psalm 145:14-16; and for his saving mercies to them that fear him, Psalm 145:17-21. O King; or, the King, by way of eminency; the King of kings, the God by whom kings reign, and to whom I and all other kings owe subjection and obedience. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. No text from Poole on this verse. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. His greatness, in his being, majesty, and glory, and all perfections. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. The people that live in one age shall relate them to their posterity, and so successively in all ages. I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. The glorious honour of thy majesty: here are divers words heaped together, to intimate that no words were sufficient to express it. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness. No text from Poole on this verse. They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness. The memory of thy great goodness; the memorials of thy kindness to thy people, thy never to be forgotten blessings. The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. No text from Poole on this verse. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. Is good to all; not to Israel only, but to all mankind, whose hearts he fills with food and gladness, as it is said, Acts 14:17; yea, to all his creatures, as it is in the next clause, to beasts as well as men. See Psalm 136:25 147:9. All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee. All thy works shall praise thee; objectively, they give men and angels just occasion to praise thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; No text from Poole on this verse. To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. No text from Poole on this verse. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. No text from Poole on this verse. The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. Upholdeth all; either, 1. All that look up to him for help: or, 2. All that are upheld; whose support is not from themselves, nor from other men, but only from God’s’ powerful and good providence. The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. The eyes of all living creatures wait upon thee; expect and receive their supplies wholly from thy bounty. Expectation is here figuratively ascribed to brute creatures, as Psalm 104:27 Romans 8:22. In due season; when they need it. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. Or, as divers render it, and which is more agreeable to the order of the words in the Hebrew text, thou satisfiest every living thing with thy favour or good-will, i.e. with the fruits of thy bounty; the pronoun thy being easily and fitly understood out of the foregoing clause. The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. Holy; or rather, merciful, as this word most commonly signifies. There is a mixture of mercy in the most severe and terrible works of God in this life, judgment without mercy being reserved for the next life, Jam 2:13 Revelation 14:10. The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. Is nigh unto all them, to answer their prayers for relief, that call upon him in truth; sincerely, or with an upright heart, trusting to him, and waiting upon him in his way. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. Fulfil the desire, so far as it is agreeable to his own will, and convenient for their good; not inordinate desires, which God commonly denies to his people in mercy, and granteth to his enemies in anger. The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy. Frequently in this world, but infallibly in the next. My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever. No text from Poole on this verse. |
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