--- title: "John Wesley's Notes on the Whole Bible" author: "John Wesley" languages: [en] shelf: "Commentaries" section: 152 of 398 url: https://scriptura.si/works/john-wesley-notes-on-the-whole-bible/152/ cite: "John Wesley, John Wesley's Notes on the Whole Bible, section 152. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/john-wesley-notes-on-the-whole-bible/152/" --- # John Wesley's Notes on the Whole Bible *John Wesley* Wesley's short, plain notes on the Old and New Testaments, verse by verse. ## 152. Psalms · 19 of 29 Source: https://scriptura.si/works/john-wesley-notes-on-the-whole-bible/152/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/john-wesley-notes-on-the-whole-bible/152/#p-N [¶0] Holy - Sincerely devoted to thy service. [¶1] Truth - In the way of thy precepts, which are true and right in all things. My heart - Knit my whole heart to thyself. [¶2] Hell - From extreme dangers and miseries. [¶3] Its foundation - The foundation of the temple of God. [¶4] Zion - That is, Zion itself, or Jerusalem, which was built upon and near mount Zion. He saith Zion rather than Jerusalem, to intimate that he loved Jerusalem for Zion's sake, or for the temple, which he chose for his peculiar dwelling place. [¶5] Rahab - Egypt, so called, either from its pride or natural strength. Babylon - Under these two and Philistia, the constant enemies of Israel, he seems to understand all the enemies of the church of God, who shall now be not only reconciled but united to them. Arabia - The nations on every side of them, for Tyre was on the north, Arabia on the South; those nearest to them, and those more remote from them. [¶6] Zion - Of Jerusalem, or the church of God. Said - It shall be acknowledged. Man - Heb. Man and man, all sorts of men without difference of nations. Establish - And this shall not be a transient, but a lasting work; Zion shall continue in its strength and fertility because the Almighty God is her founder and protector. [¶7] When - When God, the maker and governor of this city shall take a survey of all his citizens. It is an allusion to princes or governors of cities that use to write and keep a register of all their people. [¶8] Singers - There shall be great rejoicing and praising God, both with vocal and instrumental musick, for this glorious work of the conversion of the Gentiles. He describe's evangelical worship, by legal phrases and customs, as the prophets frequently do. In thee - In Zion or the church. These words may be here added as the burden of the song, which these singers are supposed to have sung, in the name of all the people of God. All our desires and delights are in thee, all the springs of mercy, grace, and glory, flow to us only in and thro' thee. [¶9] Counted - l am given up by my friends for a lost man. [¶10] Free - Well nigh discharged from the warfare of the present life, and entered as a member into the society of the dead. Whom - Thou seemest to neglect and bury in oblivion. [¶11] Waves - With they judgments, breaking in furiously upon me like the waves of the sea. [¶12] Wonders - In raising them to life. To praise thee - In this world? [¶13] Forgetfulness - In the grave, where men are forgotten by their nearest relations. [¶14] Prevent - Come to thee before the dawning of the day, or the rising of the sun. [¶15] Water - As the waters of the sea encompass him who is in the midst of it. [¶16] Sing - He prefaces this, lest the following complainers of present miseries should argue ingratitude for former mercies. Faithfulness - Whatsoever hath befallen us, it proceeded not from thy unfaithfulness. [¶17] Establish - As firmly and durably as the heavens themselves. [¶18] Chosen - With David; whom I have chosen to the kingdom. [¶19] Build up - I will perpetuate the kingdom to thy posterity; which was promised upon condition, and was literally accomplished in Christ. [¶20] Heavens - The inhabitants of heaven. Faithfulness - Understand, shall be praised; which supplements are usual in scripture. [¶21] Among - The highest angels. [¶22] Feared - With a fear of reverence. Saints - The whole society of angels. All that - That encompass his throne. [¶23] Round thee - Like a girdle encompassing thee. It appears in all thy words and works. [¶24] Rhahab - Egypt. [¶25] Tabor - The several parts of the land of Canaan, both within Jordan, where mount Tabor is; and without it, where Hermon lies. Rejoice - Shall be fruitful and prosperous, and so give their inhabitants cause to rejoice. In - By thy favour. [¶26] Justice and judgment - Justice in judging. [¶27] Know - Who enjoy the presence of God and his ordinances, to which they are called by the sound of trumpets. Walk - Under the comfortable influences of thy favour. [¶28] Name - In the knowledge and remembrance of thy name, of thy infinite power and goodness. [¶29] The glory - To thee alone belongs the glory of all their valiant achievements. [¶30] Vision - Which then was the usual way by which God spake to the prophets. Holy one - To thy holy prophets; the singular number being put for the plural; especially to Samuel and Nathan. Laid help - I have provided help for my people. Upon - Upon a person of singular courage and wisdom. [¶31] Exact - Not conquer him or make him tributary. [¶32] Set - Establish his power and dominion. The sea - The mid - land sea. The rivers - Euphrates, called rivers, in regard of divers branches of it, and rivers which flow into it. So here is a description of the uttermost bounds of the promised land. [¶33] My first - born - As he calls me father, ver.26, so I will make him my son, yea my first - born; who had divers privileges above other sons. This and the following passage in some sort agree to David, but are properly accomplished in Christ. Higher - This also was in some sort accomplished in David, but more fully in the Messiah. [¶34] For ever - To sit upon the throne for ever, as the next words explain it. This was accomplished only in Christ. [¶35] A witness - The rainbow, which is God's faithful witness, a token of God's everlasting covenant between God and every living creature for perpetual generations, Gen 9:12,16. [¶36] But - Having hitherto declared the certainty of God's promises, he now humbly expostulates with God about it. [¶37] Youth - The youthful and flourishing estate of David's kingdom was very short, and reached not beyond his next successor. [¶38] Short - Our time, the time of our king and kingdom, in whose name the psalmist puts up this petition. Wherefore - Wherefore hast thou made us and our king (and consequently all other men, whose condition is nothing better than ours) in vain, or to so little purpose? Didst thou raise us and him, settle the crown upon David's head by a solemn covenant, and vouchsafe so many and great promises and privileges, and all this but for a few years, that our crown and glory should be taken from us, within a little time after it was put upon our heads? [¶39] What man - All men at their best estate are mortal and miserable; kings and people must unavoidably die by the conditions of their natures; and therefore, Lord, do not increase our affliction. [¶40] How I - We thy servants; our king and his people; of whom he speaks as of one person. [¶41] Anointed - By whom he seems to understand either first the kings of Judah, the singular number being put for the plural; and by their footsteps may be meant either their ways or actions, or the memorials of their ancient splendor; or secondly the Messiah, whom the Jews continually expected for a long time, which being well known to many of the Heathens, they reproached the Jews, with the vanity of this expectation. And by the footsteps of the Messiah, he may understand his coming. [¶42] Blessed - Let thine enemies reproach thee and thy promises concerning the sending of the Messiah, I will heartily bless and praise thee for them, and encourage myself with them. Chapter XC Probably Moses wrote this psalm, on occasion of the sentence passed on the Israelites, that their carcases should fall in the wilderness. Herein he considers the eternity of God, ver. 1 - 3. And the frailty of man, ver, 4 - 6. He submits to the righteous sentence of God, ver. 7 - 11. And prays for the return of his favour, ver. 12 - 17. A prayer of Moses the Man of God. Title of the psalm. A prayer of Moses - Who considering that terrible sentence of God, concerning the cutting off all that sinful generation in the wilderness, takes occasion to publish these meditations concerning man's mortality and misery. V. 1. Dwelling place - Although we and our fathers, for some generations, have had no fixed habitation, yet thou hast been instead of a dwelling - place to us, by thy watchful and gracious providence. And this intimates that all the following miseries were not to be imputed to God but themselves. [¶43] Thou - Thou hadst thy power, and all thy perfections, from all eternity. [¶44] Turnedst - But as for man, his case is far otherwise, though he was made by thee happy. and immortal, yet for his sin thou didst make him mortal and miserable. Saidst - Didst pronounce that sad sentence, return, O men, to the dust out of which ye were taken, Gen 3:19.