With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright; Jump to: Barnes • Benson • BI • Calvin • Cambridge • Clarke • Darby • Ellicott • Expositor's • Exp Dct • Gaebelein • GSB • Gill • Gray • Guzik • Haydock • Hastings • Homiletics • JFB • KD • Kelly • King • Lange • MacLaren • MHC • MHCW • Parker • Poole • Pulpit • Sermon • SCO • TTB • TOD • WES • TSK EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE) (25-27) It is better to change all the futures into our present. We cannot explain this description of God’s attitude to man, as if the poet were merely dealing with the conception of the Divine formed in the breast. No doubt his words are amply true in this sense. The human heart makes its God like itself, and to the pure and just He will be a pure and just God, to the cruel and unjust, cruel and unjust. But the definite mention of recompense in Psalm 18:24, and the reference to active interposition in behalf of the just in Psalm 18:27, leave us no option but to understand by “shew thyself” in Psalm 18:25-26, not an inward conception, but an external manifestation. It is, in fact, nothing more than a re-statement of the truth of which the history of Pharaoh is the most signal historic declaration, and which we maintain whenever we speak of the natural consequences of sin as retributive justice, the truth which is summed up in the text, “whatsoever a mau soweth that shall he also reap.” We must at the same time remember that the form of the statement in the psalm is due to the view current in Israel before the development of the conception of Satanic agency, that all suggestions, evil as well as good, came from the mind of the Supreme Disposer of events.(25) Man.—The text of Samuel has “hero” (gebôr instead of gebar).Psalm 18:25-27. In these verses David lays down the general method of the procedure of God’s providence and moral government, which, in the issue, will be according to the moral character and conduct of men themselves. With the merciful, &c. — A declaration similar to that of our Lord, Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. With an upright man thou wilt show thyself upright — An invariable friend to his integrity; just to reward it, and faithful in all thy promises to encourage it. With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure — That is, the lover of purity, righteousness, and truth, and ever acting toward those whose character this is, according to the perfect rectitude and unspotted purity of thy own nature. With the froward thou wilt show thyself froward — Hebrew, עם עקשׁ תתפתל, gnim gnickesh Tithpattal, cum perverso eluctaris, Buxtorff. With the perverse thou strugglest, or, rather, wilt struggle or wrestle; that is, says Ab. Ezra, donec deviceris, until thou shalt conquer him. The word rendered froward signifies one of a perverse disposition, who twists and twines himself, just as his humour, passions, and interest lead him; or, a crafty, wily person, who accustoms himself to all the wiles of deceit. With one of this character, the psalmist says, God will wrestle. The meaning is, that he will deal with perverse, designing, and crafty men, according to their deserts; will oppose them in their designs, struggle against, and walk contrary to them, Leviticus 26:23-24; that he will disappoint them in all their subtlest devices, and cause them to fall by those very wiles by which they endeavour to deceive and ruin others. See Chandler and Dodd. For thou wilt save the afflicted people — Thou art wont to deliver those who are poor and distressed when they humbly wait upon thee; but wilt bring down high looks — Wilt lay those low who, proud of their power, insolently oppress them; or, those proud persons who discover the pride of their hearts by their haughty looks and overbearing conduct. Thou wilt show thyself merciful - Thou wilt evince toward him the same character which he shows to others. It is in accordance with this that the Saviour teaches us to pray, "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors," Matthew 6:12. And in accordance also with this he said, "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses," Matthew 6:14-15. With an upright man - literally, a perfect man. See Job 1:1, where the same word is used in the original, and rendered perfect. The idea is that of a man who is consistent, or whose character is complete in all its parts. See the note at Job 1:1. Thou wilt show thyself upright - Thou wilt deal with him according to his character. As he is faithful and just, so will he find that he has to do with a God who is faithful and just. merciful—or, "kind" (Ps 4:3). with an upright man thou wilt show thyself upright; an upright man, as the word (a) used signifies, is a perfect man, not absolutely, but comparatively; not in himself, but in Christ; perfect with a perfection of parts, but not of degrees; he is one that is upright in heart, sincere and without hypocrisy; an Israelite indeed, whose faith, hope, and love, are undisguised; he is a man of integrity, a faithful man, faithful to God, his cause and interest, his word and ordinances, and is faithful with the saints; he walks, uprightly according to the rule of God's word, and by faith in Christ; and to such upright men God shows himself upright, or faithful, by keeping his covenant with them, fulfilling his promises to them, and not suffering one good thing to fail he has given them reason to expect from him. This may also be interpreted of Christ, who is in the highest and fullest sense perfect, upright, and sincere, and faithful to him that appointed him; and as he has been faithful in all his covenant engagements with his Father, so his Father has been faithful to him in making good all he promised him; both with respect to his own glory, and the happiness of his people; see Isaiah 53:10. (z) "benigno", Vatablus, Junius & Tremellius; "bono", Gejerus, some in Vatablus; "qui bonitati studet", Tigurine version; "pio", Munster, Cocceius, Michaelis; "gracious saint", Ainsworth. (a) "perfecto", Pagninus, Montanus; so Ainsworth. (t) Here he speaks of God according to our capacity, who shows mercy to his and punishes the wicked, as is also said in Le 26:21,24. EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES) 25. With the merciful &c.] The man whose conduct in life is governed by the spirit of lovingkindness will himself experience the lovingkindness of Jehovah. Cp. Matthew 5:7; Matthew 6:12; Matthew 6:14-15; and for the meaning of merciful see notes on Psalm 4:3, Psalm 12:1, and Appendix, Note I.with an upright man &c.] Rather as R.V., with the perfect man thou wilt shew thyself perfect. Singlehearted devotion will find a response of unswerving faithfulness. The text in 2 Sam. has “the perfect hero,” the man who is valiant in maintaining his own integrity. But the reading is questionable. Verses 25-28. - A short didactic digression is here interposed, extending the principles on which God has dealt with David and his enemies, to mankind generally (vers. 25-27); after which a return is made to Go&'s special dealings with David (ver. 28). Verse 25. - With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful. The main principle is that God will act towards men as they act towards him. If they are kindly, gracious, loving towards him - for this is what the word chasid means - he will be kindly, gracious, loving towards them, and vice versa, as explained in vers. 26, 27. With an upright man thou wilt show thyself upright; or, a perfect man (Revised Version). The word is the same as that used in Psalm 4:3; Psalm 12:1; Psalm 31:23; Psalm 34:6; Psalm 37:28, etc., and generally translated "godly," or, in the plural, "saints." Psalm 18:25(Heb.: 18:25-28) What was said in Psalm 18:21 is again expressed here as a result of the foregoing, and substantiated in Psalm 18:26, Psalm 18:27. חסיד is a friend of God and man, just as pius is used of behaviour to men as well as towards God. גּבר תמים the man (construct of גּבר) of moral and religious completeness (integri equals integritatis, cf. Psalm 15:2), i.e., of undivided devotion to God. נבר (instead of which we find בּר לבב elsewhere, Psalm 24:4; Psalm 73:1) not one who is purified, but, in accordance with the reflexive primary meaning of Niph., one who is purifying himself, ἁγνίζων ἑαυτόν, 1 John 3:3. עקּשׁ (the opposite of ישׂר) one who is morally distorted, perverse. Freely formed Hithpaels are used with these attributive words to give expression to the corresponding self-manifestation: התחסּד, התּמּם (Ges. 54, 2, b), התבּרר, and התפּתּל (to show one's self נפתּל or פּתלתּל). The fervent love of the godly man God requites with confiding love, the entire submission of the upright with a full measure of grace, the endeavour after purity by an unbeclouded charity (cf. Psalm 73:1), moral perverseness by paradoxical judgments, giving the perverse over to his perverseness (Romans 1:28) and leading him by strange ways to final condemnation (Isaiah 29:14, cf. Leviticus 26:23.). The truth, which is here enunciated, is not that the conception which man forms of God is the reflected image of his own mind and heart, but that God's conduct to man is the reflection of the relation in which man has placed himself to God; cf. 1 Samuel 2:30; 1 Samuel 15:23. This universal truth is illustrated and substantiated in Psalm 18:28. The people who are bowed down by affliction experience God's condescension, to their salvation; and their haughty oppressors, god's exaltation, to their humiliation. Lofty, proud eyes are among the seven things that Jahve hateth, according to Proverbs 6:17. The judgment of God compels them to humble themselves with shame, Isaiah 2:11. Links Psalm 18:25 InterlinearPsalm 18:25 Parallel Texts Psalm 18:25 NIV Psalm 18:25 NLT Psalm 18:25 ESV Psalm 18:25 NASB Psalm 18:25 KJV Psalm 18:25 Bible Apps Psalm 18:25 Parallel Psalm 18:25 Biblia Paralela Psalm 18:25 Chinese Bible Psalm 18:25 French Bible Psalm 18:25 German Bible Bible Hub |