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1.
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Lord, remember David, and all his afflictions. There
are two Hebrew words which are almost identical: “affliction” and
“meekness”. Here the LXX reads the second of these, which is much
more appropriate. (On this detail see also H.A. Whittaker, Israel in the
Wilderness, pp. 106,108.)
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2.
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How he sware unto the Lord. This is certainly implied
in 2 Sam. 7:2. But is it mentioned specifically anywhere in the
history?
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And vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob. A highly
appropriate quotation from Gen. 49:24, where stone refers to the great
rock (sela) upon which the altar of burnt offering was built, on
the threshing floor of Araunah.
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2,5.
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The mighty God of Jacob sustains the RV reading of Psa.
24:6 as an ellipsis for “the God of Jacob”.
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3-5.
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Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor
go up into my bed; I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine
eyelids, until I find out a place for the Lord, an habitation for the mighty God
of Jacob. This is surely to be read as the hyperbole of enthusiasm. How
could he rest, how could he comfortably close his eyes in sleep, knowing that
the ark of God dwelt in a tent? Would that all God’s servants suffered
from insomnia for such noble reasons! David, whose humility was so manifest in
the preceding psalm, was sincerely and passionately distressed at the astounding
contradiction — he dwelt in a luxurious house of cedar, but God in a
curtained tent (2 Sam. 7:2). Such a sentiment is found on the lips of Haggai
also:
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“Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled
houses, and this house lie waste? Now therefore... consider your ways”
(1:4,5).
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5.
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Place is the Hebrew maqom, a word which
commonly means a holy place, an altar, or a sanctuary (Gen. 22:3,4,9,14;
28:11-19; Deut. 12:11-21; Psa. 24:3; 26:8; Isa. 60:13; 66:1).
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6.
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Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields
of the wood. The ark of God was the center of David’s hopes. Even as a
young boy, growing up in Bethlehem-Ephratah (Gen. 35:19; 48:7; Ruth 4:11; Mic.
5:2), he had heard of it at Shiloh (1 Sam. 1:3). He had earnestly followed its
fortunes, emblematic of the fortunes of Israel during the turbulent days of his
youth, when the priesthood of Shiloh had been rejected (Psa. 78:60,61), and the
ark carried into captivity by the Philistines (1 Sam. 4:17). During this period
it “wandered in the wilderness”, successively to Ashdod, Gath,
Ekron, then to Bethshemesh, and coming at last to Kirjath-jearim, the
“city of the woods”, where it abode twenty years (1 Sam. 7:1,2).
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Ephratah was Bethlehem, David’s home, probably
named originally after Caleb’s wife (1 Chron. 2:19,50,51; 4:4).
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The fields of the wood. Kirjath-jearim (1 Sam. 6:21)
means “the walled place in the forest”. From there the ark was moved
only a short distance to Gibeah, “the hill” (1 Sam. 7:1), to the
house of Abinadab; and from there (2 Sam. 6:1,10) to the house of Obed-edom; and
three months later to Zion (6:2). The beginning of David’s enthusiasm,
planted and nurtured by Samuel, to find a worthy resting-place for the Ark,
doubtless dates back to his first anointing, in 1 Sam. 16.
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We found it suggests that, after the death of Samuel,
Saul allowed the Tabernacle to remain in obscurity and neglect. Now in
David’s reign, it had to be sought out and found. The versions use
the same word as in Luke 2:16 — the shepherds finding the baby
Jesus (cp. v. 7 here).
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7.
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We will go into his tabernacles. This is an intensive
plural, meaning ‘His holy or special tabernacle’. This
verse expresses the resolution to bring the ark to Zion.
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We will worship at his footstool.
“Footstool” is parallel to “ark” in v. 8 (cp. Psa.
99:5; Lam. 2:1; 1 Chron. 28:2; Isa. 60:13; 66:1)
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8.
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Arise, O Lord, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy
strength. These words are the ancient battle-cry of Israel, uttered by Moses
in the wilderness:
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“And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that
Moses said, Rise up, Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that
hate thee flee before thee. And when it rested, he said, Return, O Lord, unto
the many thousands of Israel” (Num. 10:35,36).
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Here was the beginning, the wilderness of Sinai, whence God
set forth, His people in His train, to seek a dwelling place. Psalm 68
commemorates the final step, save one, when king David accompanied the same ark
to Zion (2 Sam. 6), singing these words: “Let God arise, let his enemies
be scattered” (v. 1).
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The final step in this allegorical pilgrimage was the erection
of God’s temple by his son Solomon, who at its dedication echoed what were
by then familiar words:
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“Now therefore arise, O Lord God, into thy resting
place, thou, and the ark of thy strength: let thy priests, O Lord God, be
clothed with salvation, and let thy saints rejoice in goodness. O Lord God, turn
not away the face of thine anointed: remember the mercies of David thy
servant” (2 Chron. 6:41,42).
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10.
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For thy servant David’s sake turn not away the face
of thine anointed. Here is a prayer for all time, expressing the aspirations
of all of God’s elect. It was a prayer which appealed to Hezekiah the
Lord’s anointed, especially in the last part. “For David’s
sake” God had before spared the kings of Judah and the nation itself (1
Kings 11:12,13; 15:4; 2 Kings 8:19,24-26), and Hezekiah was firmly convinced he
would do it again. His prayer, like all prayer should be, was founded upon a
knowledge of God’s past actions; what he asked for was in conformity
therewith, and consequently far more likely to receive a favorable
answer.
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11,12.
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This plea, “For David’s sake”, gives rise to
a recounting of the great Davidic promise, which was Hezekiah’s hope also:
The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it... [add
‘saying’]... Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.
If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them,
their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore. Relevant
passages here are 2 Sam. 7:8-17 and 1 Chron. 17:7-17 — the two parallel
accounts of the Messianic promise to David. In 1 Kings 8:25 and 2 Chron. 6:16
are the words of Solomon, reciting this same promise and making the initial
application to himself. But the “if” is an ever-present reminder of
the conditional nature of this promise (see Psalms Studies, Psa. 72, Par.
3).
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That God hath sworn with an oath by Himself, because He could
swear by no greater, is the sure hope of Hezekiah, and indeed of all the
faithful (Psa. 89:3,4,35,36; 110:4; Heb. 6:17,18). But this promise to David had
a special meaning to his heir, who at the time of his fatal illness had no seed
(2 Kings 20:18; Isa. 39:7). How Hezekiah would cling to these words:
“If thy children (Hezekiah himself!) will keep my covenant...
their children (Hezekiah’s own son!) shall also sit upon thy
throne... ”
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15-18.
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Here are six allusions to the Sanctuary: the shewbread (v.
15), the priests (v. 16), the choir (v. 16), the horn of the altar (v. 17), the
lampstand (v. 17), and the high-priestly crown (v. 18).
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15.
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I will abundantly bless her provision. A reference to
Hezekiah’s “great store” (2 Chron. 31:10), by which the
embattled city was sustained during the Assyrian siege (cp. Isa.
33:16,20).
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I will satisfy her poor with bread. Hezekiah’s
jubilee? Isa. 37:30,31.
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16.
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I will also clothe her priests with salvation, while
God’s enemies are clothed with shame (v. 18; Isa.
37:36,37)!
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Her saints shall shout aloud for joy, as in 1 Chron.
16:7-43. And so also according to Hezekiah: Isa. 38:20.
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17.
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There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained
a lamp for mine anointed. The horn is a symbol of strength (Psa. 18:2;
75:4,5,10; 89:17,24; 92:10; 112:9), and the strength of a man is revealed in his
children (Gen. 49:3; Judg. 8:21). These were two promises which looked as though
they would come to nought in Hezekiah’s time; but that good man’s
faith saved the situation.
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3-9.
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The meekness of Christ’s self-dedication to his
Father’s redeeming purpose. This section ends with Arise, the word
for resurrection (s.w. Mark 5:41), and a new priesthood.
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4.
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I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine
eyelids. As the God of Jacob neither slumbers nor sleeps (121:4), so also
His Son (in Gethsemane) did not sleep until the redeeming work was
done.
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5.
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Habitation is really “tabernacles”. Is this
an intensive plural (see Acts 7:46, which quotes vv. 2,5 here), or does it
anticipate John 14:2?
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9.
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Thy priests... thy saints. The saints are to be kings
and priests also — Rev. 5:10; cp. Rev. 19:8.
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11.
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The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David. God’s
oath! Yet he did turn from it in the time of Zedekiah and thereafter. But note
the if in v. 12. So there is no essential disharmony. Even regarding the
most extreme case (Jer. 33:21), it has still remained true that there has always
been, for the past 1,900 years, an heir to both kingly and priestly office... in
heaven!
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Of the fruit of thy body. The Hebrew is
“belly” (as AV mg.), or more precisely “womb” (s.w. 2
Sam. 7:12). In all other places, the standard promise is “out of thy
loins” — emphasizing the male element in procreation. But
here, although spoken to a man, the emphasis is upon the female — hence
the Virgin Birth! The Messiah was not only to be Son of David, but especially he
was to be, in the most literal sense, the Son of God (see references, Psalms
Studies, Psa. 22, Par. 5). This phrase is quoted by Elizabeth to Mary in
Luke 1:42:
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“Blessed is the fruit of thy
womb.”
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12.
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Thy children and their children are
Christ’s converts and their converts in turn, who will also be kings and
priests for evermore.
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13,14.
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For the Lord hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his
habitation (Psa. 78:67,68)... (insert ‘saying’): This is my
rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it. In these verses the
promise to David and God’s choice of Zion, the city of David,
are closely associated, as they are elsewhere in the Bible. Jesus called
Jerusalem, or Zion, the city of the great king (Matt. 5:35), meaning
David. The choice of Zion (Psa. 48:1,2; 68:16) — above all other
possible sites for God’s glory to dwell (cp. v. 6 here) — is not
solely an Old Testament doctrine: we are on firm ground in our belief that God
will yet choose Jerusalem/Zion again, and manifest that choice for all the world
to see. Zion will yet become the scene of the most glorious events (Heb. 12:22;
Rev. 14:1-3).
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15.
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I will satisfy her poor with bread. The Breaking of
Bread in the age to come: Luke 22:16,18.
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16.
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Her saints shall shout aloud for joy. The song of the
redeemed (Rev. 19).
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17.
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There will I make the horn of David to bud. The RSV has
“a horn to sprout (tzemach) for David”, calling
attention to the great “Branch” prophecies (Jer. 23:5,6; Zech. 3:8;
6:12), which are applied to Christ (Luke 1:69).
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I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed. The lamp, or
candle, tells of dignity, joy, and prosperity (Psa. 18:28; 2 Sam. 21:17). It
further represents the continuation of the Davidic dynasty, as in 1 Kings 15:4:
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“Nevertheless [i.e., despite the sins of Abijam] for
David’s sake did the Lord his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem,
to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem” (cp. 2 Chron.
21:7; Isa. 62:1).
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In Jesus the line of David will never be extinguished. He is
the “Light of the World”, not just of Israel (John 8:12). One day he
will become, with his saints, the candle which is like a city set upon a hill
(the holy hill of Zion), which cannot be hid by any bushel, but gives light and
joy to all the world (Matt. 5:14-16): His enemies will I clothe with shame;
but upon himself shall his crown flourish (or ‘shed its luster’)
(v. 18).
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