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1.
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Saith within my heart. This word saith is the
normal word for a divine inspiration. It comes, for example, at least 150 times
in “saith the Lord” and is used of the inspired utterances of David
(2 Sam. 23:1,2) and Balaam (Num. 24:3,15). Here then is a difficulty: Why should
there be a special oracle (vv. 1-4) to declare what is plain and obvious —
i.e. the wickedness of the wicked? Perhaps this should read, as RSV and NEB,
“within his heart” (a common confusion between two very
similar Hebrew letters). Read thus, the authoritative “inspiration”
conceived in the heart (mind) of the wicked is: ‘There is no need to fear
God; He will not call me to account’ (as 14:1/53:1). “Transgression
is personified, and an oracular utterance is attributed to him”
(Delitzsch). The sin-principle of the flesh speaks directly to the wicked man,
as a guide and inspiration.
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There is no fear of God before his eyes. This is cited
by Paul in Rom. 3:18 as part of his proof that Jews (Saul) and Gentiles (Doeg?)
are alike under sin.
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2.
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He flattereth himself, in the spirit of 10:4,11,13; cp.
Isa. 28:15.
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3.
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He hath left off to be wise. Is there anyone worse than
the man who has known the way of wisdom and has chosen to forsake it (2 Pet.
3:21,22; Prov. 26:11)? Contrast Rom. 16:19b.
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4.
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He deviseth mischief upon his bed, constantly and
without tiring, desiring it above even his own sleep (Psa. 38:12; Prov. 4:16).
Contrast Psa. 1:2; 16:7; 42:8; 63:6.
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5,6.
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How eloquently David now reaches out to the most impressive
features of God’s creation for adequate similes of the mercy and goodness
of God: the heavens....the clouds....the mountains....the ocean (a
great deep).
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5.
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Thy mercy. A frequent word for God’s promises,
the true oracle for the man of faith, in sharp contrast with v. 1.
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5b.
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By parallelism with v. 5a, thy faithfulness is in the
clouds. The clouds symbolically illustrate the promised mercy of God.
“The clouds of the millennial expanse are the sparkling dew drops of
Yahweh exalted by His energy to place and power” (John Thomas). Christ as
the “Sun” (Mal. 4:1) draws forth moisture as dew from the earth and
condensation from the seas, which form at last the “clouds” of the
resurrected and glorified saints. An elaborate but beautiful allegory is worked
out in some detail by J. Thomas in Eureka, vol. 1, pp.
140-142.
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6.
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Thy judgments are a great deep. Compare Rom. 11:33;
God’s wisdom is the “great deep” which is truly
“unsearchable” by man.
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O Lord, thou preservest man and beast. This detail
suggests that vv. 5,6 be read as allusions to the Deluge; note the emphatic
covenant language of Gen. 9:9-13.
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7-10.
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Verses 5 and 6 notwithstanding, the surpassing
greatness of God is in His Covenants of grace: lovingkindness,
righteousness. The Creation figure of the previous two verses continues here
as well: i.e. the shadow of thy wings (Gen. 1:2, the
“brooding” Spirit); the river of thy pleasures (s.w.
“Eden”!); life; and light.
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But, fittingly, phrase after phrase here also alludes to
the sanctuary of the Lord: the shadow of thy wings again (the cherubim in
the Holy of Holies: 17:8; 57:1; 61:4; 63:7; Matt. 23:37); in thy light
(of the menorah, or lampstand) shall we see (typified) (a
Greater) Light (i.e. the Shekinah Glory: 1 Pet. 2:9).
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One is tempted to see here the later influence of godly
Hezekiah and Isaiah, for in their time not only these phrases were specially
meaningful, but also the river of thy pleasures....the fountain of life
suggest the conduit of Hezekiah (Psa. 46:4) which became the lifeline of
Jerusalem when the Assyrian was at the gate. (Alternatively again, Ezek. 47:1-12
and Rev. 22:1,2?)
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8.
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Fatness metaphorically signifies prosperity or richness
or fruitfulness (63:5; 92:14; cp. Isa. 25:6-8).
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9.
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Life and light are eloquently joined in John
1:4: “In him was life, and the life was the light of men” (cp. John
8:12). The “(New) Creation” symbolism of the entire prologue of
John’s gospel draws heavily upon this Psalm 36. The life that was first
with the Father then became the property of the Son (John 5:26,27), to dispense
as he sees fit (cp. Rev. 21:22,23).
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10.
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Does this verse supply a definition? The upright in heart
= those who (truly) know thee (i.e. God).
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11.
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The foot of pride = the tramping of the tyrant’s
(Sennacherib’s) army, soon to be reduced to a vast field of corpses (v.
12; Isa. 37:36).
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12.
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There are the workers of iniquity fallen recalls
14:5/53:5.
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