Put not your trust in princes
Not in foreign princes, in alliances and confederacies with them;
nor in any at home. David did not desire his people to put their
trust in him, nor in his nobles and courtiers; but in the Lord
Christ, who, as he is the object of praise, is also the proper
object of trust. Princes, though ever so liberal and bountiful,
as their name signifies, and therefore called benefactors, (
Luke 22:25 ) or
ever so mighty and powerful, wise and prudent, yet are not to be
depended upon; they are changeable, fickle, and inconstant; and
oftentimes not faithful to their word, but fallacious and
deceitful; "men of high degree are a lie", ( Psalms 62:9 ) ;
wherefore it is better to trust in the Lord Jehovah, in whom is
everlasting strength; who gives all things richly to enjoy; who
is unchangeable, and ever abides faithful; see ( Psalms 118:8
Psalms
118:9 ) ; [nor] in the son of man, in whom [there is]
no help;
or "salvation" {m}: not in any mere man born of a woman; not in
Abraham, the father of the faithful, of whom the Jews boasted, as
the Midrash; nor in Moses, as Arama; nor in Cyrus, as R. Obadiah;
no, nor in David himself, nor in any of the princes; for how
great soever they look, or in whatsoever honour and esteem they
may be, they are but sons of men; are frail mortal men, and die
like men, though they may be called gods, as they are by office:
but no man or son of man, let him be what he will, is to be
trusted in; there is a curse on him that does it, ( Jeremiah
17:5 ) . There is indeed a Son of man that is to be trusted
in, the Lord Jesus Christ; but then he is God as well as man, the
true God, the great God, God over all, blessed for ever; were he
not, he would not be the proper object of trust, for there is no
"help" or "salvation" in a mere creature; even kings and princes
cannot help and save themselves oftentimes, and much less their
people; their salvation is of God, and not from themselves, or
from their armies, ( Psalms 33:16
) ( 144:10 ) ( Proverbs
21:31 ) . There is help in Christ, on whom it is laid, and
where it is found; there is salvation in him, but in no other; he
is the author and giver of it, and therefore he, and not another,
is to be trusted in.