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1.
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Meditation. Same root word as in 1:2; 2:1. Not silent
thoughts, but whispers, directed — in this case — toward
God.
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2.
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My cry: 3:4; 22:24.
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My King. To rule, direct: “Lead me....” (v.
8). The king on earth seeks help from the King in heaven.
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My God (Elohim). To save, defend: “Defend
me....” (vv. 11,12).
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3.
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My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord. This
is the fittest time for communion with God. An hour in the morning is worth two
in the evening. When the dew is on the grass, let grace drop upon the soul. Give
God the morning of your days, and the “morning” of your life (Eccl.
12:1). Then, surely, the “evening” will take care of
itself.
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Direct is the Hebrew garak: to
prepare, set in order, as a sacrifice. (“My prayer” is in italics;
“my offering” is probably better. “I set out my morning
sacrifice”: NEB.) Used of preparing wood on the altar in Gen. 22:9; Exod.
40:4,23. Used of priests in arranging the sacrifices in Lev. 1:8,12; 6:12. A
term perfectly suitable also for those called to be spiritual
“priests” (1 Pet. 2:9).
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Look up, with hands uplifted: Psa. 28:2; 134:2. See
141:2 for the connection with the daily sacrifices. This may mean also to watch
or look up expectantly (the Hebrew is from a root that forms Mizpeh
: “watchtower”), waiting for an answer from the Lord (cp.
85:8; Isa. 21:6,8; Mic. 7:7; Hab. 2:1).
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4.
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RSV: Evil may not sojourn with thee; “Wrong shall
be no guest of thine” (Rotherham). Compare 15:1-5; Hab. 1:13; Isa.
57:15.
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5.
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Stand. Literally, “station themselves”, as
priests in an official capacity.
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Thou hatest all workers of iniquity: those who plan and
practice the vilest sins as though it were all in a day’s work! See Deut.
7:25; Psa. 45:7; Prov. 6:16-19; Luke 13:27; Rev. 2:6,15.
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6.
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Leasing, or lying, as in Psa. 4:2. The habitual liar
will be excluded from the kingdom of God (Rev. 21:8).
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7.
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But as for me. The same phrase appears in Psa. 73:2.
For the same general thought, see 73:2,3,17: we may be distressed by the wicked,
but only until we enter God’s sanctuary and understand what their
final end shall be.
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I will come into thy house. In contrast to the
“evil”, which God will not allow to dwell with Him (v. 4)! The
righteous will not stand at a distance, but will come with confidence into the
very sanctuary of God, just as a child comes without fear or hesitation into his
father’s house (Luke 2:49).
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Worship: “Bow down, prostrate
myself”.
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Temple: Hebrew heykal = palace
(cp. 45:8,15; 144:12). The Lord’s dwelling place: either heaven itself
(11:4) or the most holy place (18:6; 1 Sam. 1:9; 3:3). “Temple” and
“tabernacle” are convertible terms (cp. Psa. 27:4 with 27:6).
“Temple” was applied to the Mosaic tabernacle in 1 Sam. 1:9 and 3:3.
“Only he who will not allow for any freedom of expression in poetry would
draw conclusions against Davidic authorship from the fact that words such as
beth (house) and heykal (palace) are here used, and
emphasize that in David’s day the sanctuary was still an ohel
(tent)” (Kessler).
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8.
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Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness, as a little
child is led by its father, or as a blind man is guided by a friend. It is safe
and pleasant walking when the Lord leads the way!
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Make thy way straight before my face. Compare the sense
of Isa. 40:3. David’s walk was watched, and marked, by his enemies (as was
Daniel’s in Dan. 6:4). So he prays that God will direct him in a careful,
consistent walk — not leading him into temptation, but delivering him from
evil.
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9.
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Inward part is the fat covering the kidneys (Lev.
3:14-16), the portion offered to God. It is the symbol of inner thoughts, either
for good or evil.
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Wickedness. “An engulfing ruin”
(Rotherham), an “abyss”.
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Their throat is an open sepulchre: Continually gaping;
loathsome, abominable, dangerous, and never satisfied (Prov. 30:15,16). As the
odor of death emanates from open tombs, so also from the lips of wicked men. The
words of flatterers (cp. Prov. 28:23) may at first “smell”
sweet, like the spices of embalmers, but they scarcely conceal the putrefying
corruption underneath! This verse is cited in Rom. 3:13 to prove that all men,
both Jews and Gentiles, are under sin — are in fact the “seed of the
serpent” — whose tongue brought original sin and
death.
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They flatter with their tongue. “A smooth tongue
is a great evil; many have been bewitched by it....When the wolf licks the lamb,
he is preparing to wet his teeth in its blood” (C.H. Spurgeon).
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10.
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Destroy = “make (i.e. declare) them guilty”
(AV mg.). Condemn and punish them, O Lord!
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Let them fall by their own counsels. Possibly the
counsels of Ahithophel (2 Sam. 15:31; 17:14,23; see Psalms 3 and 4).
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11,12.
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The five steps to blessing for the righteous: (1) Trust, (2)
Joy, (3) Security, (4) Love, and (5) Blessing.
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12.
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With favour wilt thou compass him, as with a shield.
“Shield” = zinnah, a large shield
that protected the entire body. Rendered “buckler” in
35:2.
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