PSALM 98
This psalm has a great resemblance to the ninety-sixth, not only in matter, but language. The great scope of it is to show that the glory of God would be illustriously displayed in the spread of the knowledge of his name throughout the world, both from the more ample fulfillment which would be given upon the manifestation of the Savior, to the promises made to the posterity of Abraham, and from the sudden extension of salvation to all parts of the earth. He calls upon men to magnify the name of God on this account.
Psalm 98:1-3 |
1. Sing unto Jehovah a new song, for he hath done marvelous things: his own right hand, and the arm of his holiness, hath gotten him the victory. 12. Jehovah hath made known his salvation: his righteousness he hath revealed in the sight of the heathen. 3. He hath remembered his goodness and truth towards the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.2 |
1.
"The Lord looked if there were any to help, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his own arm brought salvation, and his righteousness sustained him," (Isaiah 59:16)
In both passages the arm of God stands opposed to ordinary means, which although when employed they derogate nothing from the glory of God, yet prevent us from so fully discovering his presence as we might otherwise do. The language of the Psalmist amounts to a declaration that God would not save the world by means of an ordinary kind, but would come forth himself and show that he was the author of a salvation in every respect so singular. He reasonably infers that mercy of such a wonderful, and, to us, incomprehensible kind, should be celebrated by no ordinary measures of praise. This is brought out still more clearly in the verse which follows, where it is said that
3.
1 The last clause is "literally, have wrought deliverance for him, i.e., not deliverance of him, as if God had been himself in danger or distress; but that is done for any one, which is done agreeably to his wishes and intentions, and at his instigation. The original, therefore, expresses, that the deliverance wrought was originally designed and decreed by God, and that his immediate power effected the thing intended without any other aid." -- Horsley. Street translates, "hath wrought salvation for us." He thinks that instead of
2 The last part of this verse is in the same words with Isaiah 52:10.
3 "Car apres avoir parle des miracles, il les restreint specialement a une somme, ascavoir, que Dieu s'est acquis salut par sa propre vertu." -- Fr.
4 "Afin qu'ils fussent comme les aisnez." -- Fr.
5 "Qu'il n'a point este induit par autre raison, sinon afin que fidelement il accomplist ce qu'il avoit promis." -- Fr.