A manual of the book of Psalms · Martin Luther
PSALM CVIII.
_David encourageth himself to praise God.—He prayeth for God’s assistance according to his promise.—His confidence in God’s help._ A Song or Psalm of David. O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory. Awake, psaltery and harp; I _myself_ will awake early. I will praise thee, O LORD, among the people; and I will sing praises unto thee among the nations. For thy mercy is great above the heavens, and thy truth _reacheth_ unto the clouds. Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; and thy glory above all the earth: That thy beloved may be delivered, save _with_ thy right hand, and answer me. God hath spoken in his holiness, I will rejoice; I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth. Gilead _is_ mine; Manasseh _is_ mine; Ephraim also _is_ the strength of mine head; Judah _is_ my law-giver; Moab _is_ my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe; over Philistia will I triumph. Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom? _Wilt_ not _thou_, O God, _who_ hast cast us off? and wilt not thou, O God, go forth with our hosts? Give us help from trouble: for vain _is_ the help of man. Through God we shall do valiantly: for he _it is that_ shall tread down our enemies.
This is a Psalm of thanksgiving of the same substance, and almost in the same words as Psalm lx.; wherein the Psalmist gives thanks for the happy state of his kingdom, for the establishment of the true religion and good government, and for the increase of his dominions. The first verses of the Psalm, however, refer to the kingdom of Christ. David prays that God would be pleased to set up this kingdom of Christ in all nations; that thus the kingdom and dominion of David may be extended far and wide throughout all nations, according to the promise. For this temporal kingdom of David was confined within very narrow limits in comparison with the whole world, and was a kingdom not likely to be extended over all the nations and people of the earth; and yet this kingdom God promised to enlarge and extend, as in Isaiah, “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people,” Isa. xi. 10. And again, chapter ix. 7, “Upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it and to establish it for ever.”
Text from Project Gutenberg, public domain in the United States.