Bible Commentaries

A Psalm of the Happiness of the Believers.

v. 1. Praise ye the Lord, another hallelujah psalm, properly regarded as an exposition and application of the last verse of the preceding psalm, the object being to present the inner happiness of those who fear and obey God, as contrasted with the fate of the unbelievers. Blessed, living in true happiness, is the man that feareth the Lord, in the awe and reverence flowing from true faith, that delighteth greatly in His commandments, taking great pleasure, finding the highest happiness, in proper obedience to them.

v. 2. His seed, his children or posterity, shall be mighty upon earth, literally, "a hero or champion," having authority and influence even in the temporal affairs of the state; the generation of the upright, his family, in so far as its members follow him in his godliness, shall be blessed, just as the Lord states in the summary of the Ten Commandments.

v. 3. Wealth and riches, everything needed for a long and happy life, shall be in his house, even if the filthy lucre is not stacked up in heaps; and his righteousness endureth forever, his entire conduct is always in agreement with the divine requirements, because he has, by faith, accepted the righteousness imputed to him by virtue of the Messiah's work.

v. 4. Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness, in the very midst of the valley of the shadow of death the sun of God's mercy shines upon them and guides them in the right way; he is gracious and full of compassion and righteous, every believer reflecting, in this respect, the virtues of His heavenly Father.

v. 5. A good man showeth favor and lendeth, that is, happy is the man, it is well with him, who is benevolent and generous; he will guide his affairs with discretion, literally, "he will maintain his cause in judgment," his character will be so well established in the community that he will be safe against the schemes of enemies seeking to discredit him.

v. 6. Surely he shall not be moved forever, his position being such that evil designs cannot harm him; the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance, remembered with approval by all who were acquainted with him.

v. 7. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings, not dread reports which threaten misfortune to himself and his house; his heart is fixed, set in firm confidence, trusting in the Lord, who will not permit any real evil to strike him.

v. 8. His heart is established, firm in faith and trust, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies, his oppressors laid low by the punishment of God.

v. 9. He hath dispersed, showed proper generosity, he hath given to the poor, those really in need; his righteousness endureth forever, his righteous conduct, as grounded in, and flowing from, his faith in Jehovah; his horn, emblem of authority and might, shall be exalted with honor, lifted up high before all the world, with open appreciation of his moral worth.

v. 10. The wicked shall see it and be grieved, on account of being disappointed in his evil designs; he shall gnash with his teeth, in impotent rage, and melt away, his final portion being everlasting destruction. The desire of the wicked shall perish, all his wicked scheming against the righteous will come to naught, be of no avail to him. This serves to cheer and encourage all believers in the midst of the world's hatred.