19 Among all my troubled thoughts, your comforts are the delight of my soul.
In the day of my trouble, my heart was turned to the Lord: my hand was stretched out in the night without resting; my soul would not be comforted. I will keep God in memory, with sounds of grief; my thoughts are troubled, and my spirit is overcome. (Selah.) You keep my eyes from sleep; I am so troubled that no words come. My thoughts go back to the days of the past, to the years which are gone. The memory of my song comes back to me in the night; my thoughts are moving in my heart; my spirit is searching with care. Will the Lord put me away for ever? will he be kind no longer? Is his mercy quite gone for ever? has his word come to nothing? Has God put away the memory of his pity? are his mercies shut up by his wrath? (Selah.) And I said, It is a weight on my spirit; but I will keep in mind the years of the right hand of the Most High.
Hearing it, my inner parts were moved, and my lips were shaking at the sound; my bones became feeble, and my steps were uncertain under me: I gave sounds of grief in the day of trouble, when his forces came up against the people in bands. For though the fig-tree has no flowers, and there is no fruit on the vine, and work on the olive comes to nothing, and the fields give no food; and the flock is cut off from its resting-place, and there is no herd in the cattle-house: Still, I will be glad in the Lord, my joy will be in the God of my salvation.
You are the God of my strength; why have you put me from you? why do I go in sorrow because of the attacks of my haters? O send out your light and your true word; let them be my guide: let them take me to your holy hill, and to your tents. Then I will go up to the altar of God, to the God of my joy; I will be glad and give praise to you on an instrument of music, O God, my God. Why are you crushed down, O my soul? and why are you troubled in me? put your hope in God, for I will again give him praise who is my help and my God.
My soul will be comforted, as with good food; and my mouth will give you praise with songs of joy; When the memory of you comes to me on my bed, and when I give thought to you in the night-time.
Truly, such are the sinners; they do well at all times, and their wealth is increased. As for me, I have made my heart clean to no purpose, washing my hands in righteousness; For I have been troubled all the day; every morning have I undergone punishment. If I would make clear what it is like, I would say, You are false to the generation of your children. When my thoughts were turned to see the reason of this, it was a weariness in my eyes;
O Lord, you have been false to me, and I was tricked; you are stronger than I, and have overcome me: I have become a thing to be laughed at all the day, everyone makes sport of me. For every word I say is a cry for help; I say with a loud voice, Violent behaviour and wasting: because the word of the Lord is made a shame to me and a cause of laughing all the day. And if I say, I will not keep him in mind, I will not say another word in his name; then it is in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am tired of keeping myself in, I am not able to do it. For numbers of them say evil secretly in my hearing (there is fear on every side): they say, Come, let us give witness against him; all my nearest friends, who are watching for my fall, say, It may be that he will be taken by deceit, and we will get the better of him and give him punishment. But the Lord is with me as a great one, greatly to be feared: so my attackers will have a fall, and they will not overcome me: they will be greatly shamed, because they have not done wisely, even with an unending shame, kept in memory for ever.
Through whom, in the same way, we have been able by faith to come to this grace in which we now are; and let us have joy in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but let us have joy in our troubles: in the knowledge that trouble gives us the power of waiting; And waiting gives experience; and experience, hope: And hope does not put to shame; because our hearts are full of the love of God through the Holy Spirit which is given to us.
Who gives us comfort in all our troubles, so that we may be able to give comfort to others who are in trouble, through the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we undergo more of the pain which Christ underwent, so through Christ does our comfort become greater.
So that the true metal of your faith, being of much greater value than gold (which, though it comes to an end, is tested by fire), may come to light in praise and glory and honour, at the revelation of Jesus Christ: To whom your love is given, though you have not seen him; and the faith which you have in him, though you do not see him now, gives you joy greater than words and full of glory:
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Psalms 94
Commentary on Psalms 94 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
PSALM 94
Ps 94:1-23. The writer, appealing to God in view of the oppression of enemies, rebukes them for their wickedness and folly, and encourages himself, in the confidence that God will punish evildoers, and favor His people.
1, 2. God's revenge is His judicial infliction of righteous punishment.
show thyself—(Compare Margin).
2. Lift up thyself—or, "Arise," both figures representing God as heretofore indifferent (compare Ps 3:7; 22:16, 20).
3, 4. In an earnest expostulation he expresses his desire that the insolent triumph of the wicked may be ended.
5, 6. thy people [and] thine heritage—are synonymous, the people being often called God's heritage. As justice to the weak is a sign of the best government, their oppression is a sign of the worst (De 10:18; Isa 10:2).
7. Their cruelty is only exceeded by their wicked and absurd presumption (Ps 10:11; 59:7).
8. ye brutish—(Compare Ps 73:22; 92:6).
9-11. The evidence of God's providential government is found in His creative power and omniscience, which also assure us that He can punish the wicked in regard to all their vain purposes.
12, 13. On the other hand He favors though He chastens, the pious, and will teach and preserve them till the prosperous wicked are overthrown.
14, 15. This results from His abiding love (De 32:15), which is further evinced by His restoring order in His government, whose right administration will be approved by the good.
16. These questions imply that none other than God will help (Ps 60:9),
17-19. a fact fully confirmed by his past experience.
dwelt in silence—as in the grave (Ps 31:17).
19. my thoughts—or, anxious cares.
20. throne—power, rulers.
iniquity [and] mischief—both denote evils done to others, as Ps 94:21 explains.
22, 23. Yet he is safe in God's care.
defence—(Ps 59:9).
rock of … refuge—(Ps 9:9; 18:2).
23. bring … iniquity—(Compare Ps 5:10; 7:16).
in their … wickedness—while they are engaged in evil doing.