Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Psalms
Book: Psalms
Chapter: 42
Overview:
The conflict in the soul of a believer.
1-5 The psalmist looked to the
Lord as his chief good, and set
his
Heart upon him accordingly; casting
Anchor thus at first, he
rides out the storm. A gracious soul can take little
satisfaction in
God's courts, if it do not meet with
God himself
there. Living souls never can take up their
Rest any where short
of a living
God. To appear before the
Lord is the desire of the
upright, as it is the dread of the
Hypocrite. Nothing is more
grievous to a gracious soul, than what is intended to shake its
confidence in the
Lord. It was not the remembrance of the
pleasures of his
Court that afflicted
David; but the remembrance
of the free access he formerly had to
God's
House, and his
pleasure in attending there. Those that commune much with their
own hearts, will often have to chide them. See the cure of
sorrow. When the soul rests
On itself, it sinks; if it catches
Hold On the power and promise of
God, the head is kept above the
billows. And what is our support under present woes but this,
that we shall have comfort in Him. We have great cause to
Mourn
for
Sin; but being cast down springs from unbelief and a
rebellious will; we should therefore strive and pray against it.
6-11 The way to forget our miseries, is to remember the
God of
our mercies.
David saw troubles coming from
God's wrath, and
that discouraged him. But if one trouble follow hard after
another, if all seem to combine for our ruin, let us remember
they are all appointed and overruled
By the
Lord.
David regards
the Divine favour as the
Fountain of all the good he looked for.
In the
Saviour's name let us
Hope and pray. One
Word from him
will calm every storm, and turn midnight
Darkness into the
Light
of noon, the bitterest complaints into joyful praises. Our
believing expectation of
Mercy must quicken our prayers for it.
At length, is
Faith came off conqueror,
By encouraging him to
trust in the name of the
Lord, and to stay himself upon his
God.
He adds, And my
God; this thought enabled him to triumph over
all his griefs and fears. Let us never think that the
God of our
Life, and the
Rock of our
Salvation, has forgotten us, if we
have made his
Mercy,
Truth, and power, our
Refuge. Thus the
psalmist strove against his despondency: at last his
Faith and
Hope obtained the victory. Let us learn to check all unbelieving
doubts and fears. Apply the promise first to ourselves, and then
plead it to
God.