Shīpiān 18

1 Yēhéhuá wǒde lìliang a , wǒ aì nǐ .

2 Yēhéhuá shì wǒde yán shí , wǒde shān zhaì , wǒde jiù zhǔ , wǒde shén , wǒde pánshí , wǒ suǒ tóukào de . tā shì wǒde dùnpái , shì zhĕngjiù wǒde jiǎo , shì wǒde gāo tāi .

3 Wǒ yào qiúgào dāng ànmĕi de Yēhéhuá . zhèyàng wǒ bì cóng chóudí shǒu zhōng beì jiù chūlai .

4 Céng yǒu sǐwáng de shéng suǒ chán rǎo wǒ . fĕi leì de jí liú shǐ wǒ jīng jù .

5 Yīnjiān de shéng suǒ chán rǎo wǒ . sǐwáng de wǎngluó líndào wǒ .

6 Wǒ zaì jí nán zhōng qiúgào Yēhéhuá , xiàng wǒde shén hū qiú . tā cóng diàn zhōng tīng le wǒde shēngyīn , wǒ zaì tā miànqián de hū qiú rù le tāde ĕr zhōng.

7 Nàshí yīn tā fānù , dì jiù yáohàn zhàn dǒu , shān de gēnjī yĕ zhèndòng yáohàn .

8 Cóng tā bíkǒng mò yān shang téng , cóng tā kǒu zhōng fā huǒ fùnshāo . lián tàn yĕ zhe le .

9 Tā yòu shǐ tiān xiàchuī , qīnzì jiànglín . yǒu hēi yún zaì tā jiǎo xià .

10 Tā zuò zhe Jīlùbǎi fēi xíng . tā jiè zhe fēng de chìbǎng kuaì fēi .

11 Tā yǐ hēiàn wéi cáng shēn zhī chù , yǐ shuǐ de hēiàn , tiānkōng de hòu yún , wéi tā sìwéi de xíng gōng .

12 Yīn tā miànqián de guāng huī , tāde hòu yún xíng guo . biàn yǒu bīngbaó huǒ tàn .

13 Yēhéhuá yĕ zaì tiān shang dǎ léi . zhìgāo zhĕ fāchū shēngyīn , biàn yǒu bīngbaó huǒ tàn .

14 Tā shè chū jiàn lái , shǐ chóudí sì sǎn . duō duō fāchū shǎndiàn , shǐ tāmen rǎoluàn .

15 Yēhéhuá a , nǐde chìzé yī fā, nǐ bíkǒng de qì yī chū , hǎi dǐ jiù chūxiàn , dàdì de gēnjī yĕ xiǎnlù .

16 Tā cóng gāo tiān shēnshǒu zhuāzhù wǒ . bǎ wǒ cóng dà shuǐ zhōng lā shang lái .

17 Tā jiù wǒ tuōlí wǒde jìng dí , hé nàxiē hèn wǒde rén . yīnwei tāmen bǐ wǒ qiángshèng .

18 Wǒ zāoyù zāinàn de rìzi , tāmen lái gōngjī wǒ . dàn Yēhéhuá shì wǒde yǐkào .

19 Tā yòu lǐng wǒ dào kuānkuò zhī chù . tā jiù bá wǒ , yīn tā xǐyuè wǒ .

20 Yēhéhuá àn zhe wǒde gōngyì bàodá wǒ , àn zhe wǒ shǒu zhōng de qīngjié shǎngcì wǒ .

21 Yīnwei wǒ zūnshǒu le Yēhéhuá de dào , wèicéng zuò è líkāi wǒde shén .

22 Tāde yīqiè diǎnzhāng cháng zaì wǒ miànqián . tāde lǜ lì wǒ yĕ wèicéng diūqì .

23 Wǒ zaì tā miànqián zuò le wánquán rén . wǒ yĕ bǎoshǒu zìjǐ yuǎn lí wǒde zuìniè .

24 Suǒyǐ Yēhéhuá àn wǒde gōngyì , àn wǒ zaì tā yǎnqián shǒu zhōng de qīngjié , chánghuán wǒ .

25 Cíaì de rén , nǐ yǐ cíaì dāi tā . wánquán de rén , nǐ yǐ wánquán dāi tā .

26 Qīngjié de rén , nǐ yǐ qīngjié dāi tā . guāi pì de rén , nǐ yǐ wānqū dāi tā .

27 Kùnkǔ de bǎixìng , nǐ bì zhĕngjiù . gāo ào de yǎnmù , nǐ bì shǐ tā jiàng bēi .

28 Nǐ bì diǎn zhe wǒde dēng . Yēhéhuá wǒde shén bì zhào míng wǒde hēiàn .

29 Wǒ jiè zhe nǐ chōng rù dí jūn , jiè zhe wǒde shén tiào guo qiáng yuán .

30 Zhìyú shén , tāde dào shì wánquán de . Yēhéhuá de huà shì liàn jìng de . fán tóukào tāde , tā biàn zuò tāmende dùnpái .

31 Chúle Yēhéhuá , shuí shì shén ne . chúle wǒmen de shén , shuí shì pánshí ne .

32 Wéiyǒu nà Yǐlì liáng shù wǒde yào , shǐ wǒde xíngwéi wánquán de , tā shì shén .

33 Tā shǐ wǒde jiǎo kuaì rú mǔ lù de tí , yòu shǐ wǒ zaì gāo chù ānwĕn .

34 Tā jiàodǎo wǒde shǒu néng yǐ zhēng zhàn , shènzhì wǒde bǎngbì néng kāi tóng gōng .

35 Nǐ bǎ nǐde jiùēn gĕi wǒ zuò dùnpái . nǐde yòushǒu fú chí wǒ . nǐde wēnhé shǐ wǒ wéi dà .

36 Nǐ shǐ wǒ jiǎo xià de dìbù kuānkuò . wǒde jiǎo wèicéng huá diē .

37 Wǒ yào zhuīgǎn wǒde chóudí , bìyào zhuī shang tāmen . bù jiāng tāmen mièjué , wǒ zǒng bù guī huí .

38 Wǒ yào dǎ shāng tāmen , shǐ tāmen bùnéng qǐlai . tāmen bì dǎo zaì wǒde jiǎo xià .

39 Yīnwei nǐ céng Yǐlì liáng shù wǒde yào , shǐ wǒ néng zhēng zhàn . nǐ yĕ shǐ nà qǐlai gōngjī wǒde , dōu fù zaì wǒ yǐxià .

40 Nǐ yòu shǐ wǒde chóudí zaì wǒ miànqián zhuǎn bēi taópǎo , jiào wǒ néng yǐ jiǎnchú nà hèn wǒde rén .

41 Tāmen hū qiú , què wú rén zhĕngjiù , jiù shì hū qiú Yēhéhuá , tā yĕ bù yīngyún .

42 Wǒ dǎo suì tāmen , rútóng fēng qián de huī chén , dǎo chū tāmen , rútóng jiē shang de ní tǔ .

43 Nǐ jiù wǒ tuōlí bǎixìng de zhēngjing , lì wǒ zuò liè guó de yuánshǒu . wǒ sù bú rènshi de mín bì shìfèng wǒ .

44 Tāmen yī tīngjian wǒde míngsheng , jiù bì shùncóng wǒ . waìbāngrén yào tóu jiàng wǒ .

45 Waìbāngrén yào cuī cán , zhàn zhàn jīng jīng de chū tāmende yíng zhaì .

46 Yēhéhuá shì huó shén . yuàn wǒde pánshí beì rén chēngsòng . yuàn jiù wǒde shén beì rén zūnchóng .

47 Zhè wèi shén , jiù shì nà wèi wǒ shēnyuān , shǐ zhòng mín fù zaì wǒ yǐxià de .

48 Nǐ jiù wǒ tuōlí chóudí . yòu bǎwǒ jǔqǐ , gāo guo nàxiē qǐlai gōngjī wǒde . nǐ jiù wǒ tuōlí qiángbào de rén .

49 Yēhéhuá a , yīncǐ wǒ yào zaì waì bāng zhōng chēngxiè nǐ , gēsòng nǐde míng .

50 Yēhéhuá cì jí dà de jiùēn gĕi tā suǒ lì de wáng , shī cíaì gĕi tāde shòu gāo zhĕ , jiù shì gĕi Dàwèi hé tāde hòuyì , zhídào yǒngyuǎn .

Shīpiān 18 Commentary

Chapter 18

David rejoices in the deliverances God wrought for him. (1-19) He takes the comfort of his integrity, which God had cleared up. (20-28) He gives to God the glory of all his mighty deeds. (29-50)

Verses 1-19 The first words, "I will love thee, O Lord, my strength," are the scope and contents of the psalm. Those that truly love God, may triumph in him as their Rock and Refuge, and may with confidence call upon him. It is good for us to observe all the circumstances of a mercy which magnify the power of God and his goodness to us in it. David was a praying man, and God was found a prayer-hearing God. If we pray as he did, we shall speed as he did. God's manifestation of his presence is very fully described, ver. ( 7-15 ) . Little appeared of man, but much of God, in these deliverances. It is not possible to apply to the history of the son of Jesse those awful, majestic, and stupendous words which are used through this description of the Divine manifestation. Every part of so solemn a scene of terrors tells us, a greater than David is here. God will not only deliver his people out of their troubles in due time, but he will bear them up under their troubles in the mean time. Can we meditate on ver. 18, without directing one thought to Gethsemane and Calvary? Can we forget that it was in the hour of Christ's deepest calamity, when Judas betrayed, when his friends forsook, when the multitude derided him, and the smiles of his Father's love were withheld, that the powers of darkness prevented him? The sorrows of death surrounded him, in his distress he prayed, ( Hebrews 5:7 ) . God made the earth to shake and tremble, and the rocks to cleave, and brought him out, in his resurrection, because he delighted in him and in his undertaking.

Verses 20-28 Those that forsake the ways of the Lord, depart from their God. But though conscious to ourselves of many a false step, let there not be a wicked departure from our God. David kept his eye upon the rule of God's commands. Constant care to keep from that sin, whatever it be, which most easily besets us, proves that we are upright before God. Those who show mercy to others, even they need mercy. Those who are faithful to God, shall find him all that to them which he has promised to be. The words of the Lord are pure words, very sure to be depended on, and very sweet to be delighted in. Those who resist God, and walk contrary to him, shall find that he will walk contrary to them, ( Leviticus 26:21-24 ) . The gracious recompence of which David spoke, may generally be expected by those who act from right motives. Hence he speaks comfort to the humble, and terror to the proud; "Thou wilt bring down high looks." And he speaks encouragement to himself; "Thou wilt light my candle:" thou wilt revive and comfort my sorrowful spirit; thou wilt guide my way, that I may avoid the snares laid for me. Thou wilt light my candle to work by, and give me an opportunity of serving thee. Let those that walk in darkness, and labour under discouragements, take courage; God himself will be a Light to them.

Verses 29-50 When we praise for one mercy, we must observe the many more, with which we have been compassed all our days. Many things had contributed to David's advancement, and he owns the hand of God in them all, to teach us to do likewise. In verse Verse 32 , and the following verses, are the gifts of God to the spiritual warrior, whereby he is prepared for the contest, after the example of his victorious Leader. Learn that we must seek release being made through Christ, shall be rejected. In David the type, we behold out of trouble through Christ. The prayer put up, without reconciliation Jesus our Redeemer, conflicting with enemies, compassed with sorrows and with floods of ungodly men, enduring not only the pains of death, but the wrath of God for us; yet calling upon the Father with strong cries and tears; rescued from the grave; proceeding to reconcile, or to put under his feet all other enemies, till death, the last enemy, shall be destroyed. We should love the Lord, our Strength, and our Salvation; we should call on him in every trouble, and praise him for every deliverance; we should aim to walk with him in all righteousness and true holiness, keeping from sin. If we belong to him, he conquers and reigns for us, and we shall conquer and reign through him, and partake of the mercy of our anointed King, which is promised to all his seed for evermore. Amen.

Chapter Summary

To the chief Musician, [a Psalm] of David. This is the same with that in 2 Samuel 22:1, with some variations, omissions, and alterations:

the servant of the Lord; not only by creation, nor merely by regeneration, but by office, as king of Israel, being put into it by the Lord, and acting in it in submission and obedience to him; just as the apostles under the New Testament, on account of their office, so style themselves in their epistles:

who spake unto the Lord the words of this song; that is, who delivered and sung this song in so many express words, in public, before all the congregation of Israel, to the honour and glory of God:

in the day [that] the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul, Not that this psalm was composed and sung the selfsame day that David was delivered from Saul, and set upon the throne; for it seems to have been written in his old age, at the close of his days; for immediately after it, in the second book of Samuel, it follows, "now these be the last words of David," 2 Samuel 23:1: but the sense is, that whereas David had many enemies, and particularly Saul, who was his greatest enemy, the Lord delivered him from them all, and especially from him, from him first, and then from all the rest; which when he reflected upon in his last days, he sat down and wrote this psalm, and then sung it in public, having delivered it into the hands of the chief musician for that purpose. There are two passages cited out of it in the New Testament, and applied to Christ; Psalm 18:2, in Hebrews 2:13, and Psalm 18:49 in Romans 15:9; and there are many things in it that very well agree with him; he is eminently the "servant" of the Lord as Mediator; he was encompassed with the snares and sorrows of death and hell, and with the floods of ungodly men, when in the garden and on the cross God was his helper and deliverer, as man; and he was victorious over all enemies, sin, Satan, the world, death and hell; as the subject of this psalm is all along represented: and to Christ it does most properly belong to be the head of the Heathen, whose voluntary subjects the Gentiles are said to be, Psalm 18:43; and which is expressed in much the same language as the like things are in Isaiah 55:4; which is a clear and undoubted prophecy of the Messiah; to which may be added, that the Lord's Anointed, the King Messiah, and who is also called David, is expressly mentioned in Psalm 18:50; and which is applied to the Messiah by the Jews {q} as Psalm 18:32 is paraphrased of him by the Targum on it;

and he said; the following words:

{q} Echa Rabbati, fol. 50. 2. & Midrash Tillim in Tzeror Hammor, fol. 47. 3.