서론
无标题
英文原文
This psalm begins with praise and concludes with prayer, and faith is at work in both. I. David here gives thanks to God for mercies to himself, Ps 108:1-5. II. He prays to God for mercies for the land, pleading the promises of God and putting them in suit, Ps 108:6-13. The former part it taken out of Ps 57:7-11,108:1-5, etc., the latter out of Ps 60:5-12,108:6-13, etc., and both with very little variation, to teach us that we may in prayer use the same words that we have formerly used, provided it be with new affections. It intimates likewise that it is not only allowable, but sometimes convenient, to gather some verses out of one psalm and some out of another, and to put them together, to be sung to the glory of God. In singing this psalm we must give glory to God and take comfort to ourselves.
1-5
Directions for Praising God
赞美神的指引
大卫的诗歌。
¹ 神啊，我心坚定；我要唱诗，我要用我的荣耀歌颂你。
² 琴瑟啊，你们当醒起；我自己要极早醒起。
³ 耶和华啊，我要在万民中称谢你；我要在列邦中歌颂你。
⁴ 因为你的慈爱大过诸天；你的诚实达到云霄。
⁵ 神啊，愿你崇高过于诸天；愿你的荣耀高过全地。
我们在此可从一位精通此道者的榜样，学习如何赞美神。1. 我们当以心的坚定赞美神。我们的心必须参与此工（否则便算不得什么），又必须受约束于此工（诗108:1）：「神啊！我心坚定」，然后「我要唱诗，我要歌颂」。漂泊闲荡的思想必须收回，紧贴这事；因为当告诉它们：这里有为它们大家够作的工。2. 我们当以表达的自由赞美神：我要用「我的荣耀」歌颂他，即用我的舌头。我们的舌头是我们的荣耀，再没有比它用来赞美神时更荣耀的了。当「心」「题诗」这「美事」之时，我们的「舌」当如「快笔的笔」（诗45:1）。大卫的音乐技巧是他的荣耀，使他声名远播，这当奉献为赞美神之用；所以下文说：「我的琴瑟啊，醒起」。无论我们在何种恩赐上出类拔萃，都当用以赞美神。3. 我们当以情感的火热赞美神，并要激发自己如此行，使这事活泼地成就，而非草率（诗108:2）：「琴瑟啊，醒起」；不要以沉闷困倦的调子作成，要让一切曲调都活泼。「我自己要极早醒起」去行，用我里面的一切，而这一切还嫌太少。火热的灵修荣耀神。4. 我们当公开地赞美神，如同不以承认我们对他的本分、与我们对他恩惠的感恩知觉为耻的人，倒愿他人也同样因神的良善受感（诗108:3）：「我要在万民中称谢你」——在犹太人中；不，「我要在列邦中歌颂你」——在地上列国中。无论我们在何团体中，都当把握一切机会说神的好话；我们也不当羞于唱诗篇，纵然邻舍听见，因为那看来像以我们的主为耻。5. 我们当在赞美中特别高举神的怜悯与诚实（诗108:4），怜悯在于应许，诚实在于成全。诸天广阔，但神的怜悯更广阔；云天高远辉煌，但神的诚实更显赫、更显明。我们不能看见比诸天与云更远之处；无论我们对神的怜悯与诚实看见多少，仍有所未见，在另一个世界里更有保留给我们可见的。6. 我们既发觉自己荣耀神如此不足，便当求他自己荣耀自己——成就一切、安排一切都为他的荣耀，使自己得尊荣、得名号（诗108:5）：「神啊，愿你被高举，『过于诸天』」——比天使本身借赞美所能高举的更高；愿你的荣耀遍布「全地」。「父啊，愿你荣耀你的名。你已经荣耀了，再荣耀。」这当是我们的首求：「愿人都尊你的名为圣」。
英文原文
Directions for Praising God
A song or psalm of David.
¹ O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.
² Awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.
³ I will praise thee, O LORD, among the people: and I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.
⁴ For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds.
⁵ Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth;
We may here learn how to praise God from the example of one who was master of the art. 1. We must praise God with fixedness of heart. Our heart must be employed in the duty (else we make nothing of it) and engaged to the duty (Ps 108:1): O God! my heart is fixed, and then I will sing and give praise. Wandering straggling thoughts must be gathered in, and kept close to the business; for they must be told that here is work enough for them all. 2. We must praise God with freeness of expression: I will praise him with my glory, that is, with my tongue. Our tongue is our glory, and never more so than when it is employed in praising God. When the heart is inditing this good matter our tongue must be as the pen of a ready writer, Ps 45:1. David's skill in music was his glory, it made him famous, and this should be consecrated to the praise of God; and therefore it follows, Awake my psaltery and harp. Whatever gift we excel in we must praise God with. 3. We must praise God with fervency of affection, and must stir up ourselves to do it, that it may be done in a lively manner and not carelessly (Ps 108:2): Awake, psaltery and harp; let it not be done with a dull and sleepy tune, but let the airs be all lively. I myself will awake early to do it, with all that is within me, and all little enough. Warm devotions honour God. 4. We must praise God publicly, as those that are not ashamed to own our obligations to him and our thankful sense of his favours, but desire that others also may be in like manner affected with the divine goodness (Ps 108:3): I will praise thee among the people of the Jews; nay, I will sing to thee among the nations of the earth. Whatever company we are in we must take all occasions to speak well of God; and we must not be shy of singing psalms, though our neighbours hear us, for it looks like being ashamed of our Master. 5. We must, in our praises, magnify the mercy and truth of God in a special manner (Ps 108:4), mercy in promising, truth in performing. The heavens are vast, but the mercy of God is more capacious; the skies are high and bright, but the truth of God is more eminent, more illustrious. We cannot see further than the heavens and clouds; whatever we see of God's mercy and truth there is still more to be seen, more reserved to be seen, in the other world. 6. Since we find ourselves so, defective in glorifying God, we must beg of him to glorify himself, to do all, to dispose all, to his own glory, to get himself honour and make himself a name (Ps 108:5): Be thou exalted, O God! above the heavens, higher than the angels themselves can exalt thee with their praises, and let thy glory be spread over all the earth. Father, glorify thy own name. Thou hast glorified it; glorify it again. It is to be our first petition, Hallowed be thy name.
6-13
Directions for Praising God
赞美神的指引
⁶ 求你拯救你所亲爱的，用右手应允我。 ⁷ 神已经指着他的圣洁说欢乐；我要分开示剑，丈量疏割谷。 ⁸ 基列是我的；玛拿西是我的；以法莲是护卫我头的；犹大是我的立法者。 ⁹ 摩押是我的沐浴盆；我要向以东抛鞋；非利士啊，我要因你欢呼。 ¹⁰ 谁能领我进坚固城？谁能引我到以东地？ ¹¹ 神啊，你不是丢弃了我们吗？神啊，你不和我们的军兵同去吗？ ¹² 求你帮助我们脱离敌人，因为人的帮助是枉然的。 ¹³ 我们倚靠神施展能力；因为践踏我们敌人的就是他。
我们在此不仅可学得如何赞美，也可学得如何祷告。1. 我们在祷告中必须心怀公众，在施恩宝座前把神教会的事挂在心上，诗108:6。教会是神「所亲爱的」，所以也当是我们的；所以我们当为它的拯救祷告，并算定只要神赐下我们为他教会所求的，便已应允我们，纵然他迟延赐我们为自己所求的。「拯救」你的教会，「你就应允了我」；我已经得着我所要的。「愿全地充满神的荣耀」，大卫的祷告就以此为足（诗72:19-20）；他别无所求。2. 我们在祷告中当以信心运用神的大能和应许——运用他的大能（「用右手」，即那大能施行拯救的右手拯救），并运用他的应许：「神已经指着他的圣洁说」，就是他在他的圣言中、并以其圣洁起誓所说的话，所以「我要欢乐」，诗108:7。他所应许的，他必成就，因为这既是他的真理之语，也是他的大能之语。活泼的信心能在神所说过的事尚未成就之时因之喜乐；因为在他「说」与「作」并非两件事，无论在我们是如何。3. 我们在祷告中当享受神所已经赐给我们、定意归于我们的，纵然我们尚未得着占有。神已应许大卫赐他：（1）他臣民的心；所以他巡视国中各处如同已经属他：「示剑、疏割、基列、玛拿西、以法莲、犹大都是我的」，诗108:8。我们也可以用这样的确据，论到神向大卫之子所应许之事的成全；他必无疑地把外邦赐他为「产业」，把地极赐他为「田产」，因为他已经「指着他的圣洁说」；不，凡赐给他的人，他「不失丧一个」；他也如大卫一样，必得着他臣民的心，约6:37。（2）他仇敌的颈项。这些既已应许，所以大卫视「摩押」、「以东」、「非利士」如同已经属他（诗108:9）：「我要向非利士欢呼」，这话解释了诗60:8：「非利士啊，你要因我欢呼」，有人认为当读作：「我的魂啊，你要因非利士欢呼」。这样，被高举的救赎主坐在神的右边，满心确信他一切仇敌到了时候必「作了他的脚凳」，虽然「万物还尚未服在他脚下」，来2:8。4. 我们当从怜悯的开端得着鼓励，祷告并盼望其成全（诗108:10-11）：「谁能领我进」尚未攻取的「坚固城」？谁能使我作尚未征服的「以东」地之主？这问题大概是要在他的机要会议或军事会议上讨论的，论他们当采取何种方法制伏以东人、攻取那地；但他把这事带入祷告，留在神手中：「神啊，你不吗？」你必定会的。他之所以对征服以东的事说得如此确信，大概是因为关乎雅各和以扫的古老神谕——「大的要服侍小的」，以及雅各因之被立为以扫之主的祝福，创27:37。5. 我们在祷告中不可因护理在某些事上向我们皱眉而沮丧、而放手不紧紧抓住神：「虽『你已经丢弃了我们』，你如今却必『和我们的军兵同去』，诗108:11。你必在我们『先前受苦之后』，再『安慰我们』。」逆境有时是为试炼我们信心和祷告的恒忍而设的；我们无论遇见何等艰难都当持守恒忍，不可「丧志」。6. 我们当向神寻求帮助，弃绝对受造物的一切信靠（诗108:12）：「主啊，求你帮助我们脱离敌人，使我们计谋亨通，使仇敌反对我们的计谋失败。」在我们谈论得胜的同时谈论患难，并非不合时宜，尤其当这是为激发向天上求助的祷告之时；这也是一个好的恳求：「人的帮助是枉然的」。「这实在如此，所以我们若不得你的帮助便完了；我们也明白如此，所以倚靠你而得帮助，便更有理由期待它。」7. 我们当完全倚靠神的恩惠与恩典，无论是为着我们工作和争战中的力量，还是为着成功，诗108:13。（1）我们当尽自己的本分，但我们凭自己不能做什么；唯独「倚靠神，我们才能施展能力」。蒙福的保罗承认，连他自己也「靠着基督加给我力量的，凡事都能作」，腓4:13。（2）我们无论表现得多么好，仍不能凭自己的功劳或力量得着通达；践踏我们仇敌的乃是神自己，否则我们凭一切勇力也无法做到。无论我们做什么、得着什么，神必得着一切荣耀。
英文原文
Directions for Praising God
⁶ That thy beloved may be delivered: save with thy right hand, and answer me.
⁷ God hath spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth.
⁸ Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver;
⁹ Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe; over Philistia will I triumph.
¹⁰ Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom?
¹¹ Wilt not thou, O God, who hast cast us off? and wilt not thou, O God, go forth with our hosts?
¹² Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.
¹³ Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.
We may here learn how to pray as well as praise. 1. We must be public-spirited in prayer, and bear upon our hearts, at the throne of grace, the concerns of the church of God, Ps 108:6. It is God's beloved, and therefore must be ours; and therefore we must pray for its deliverance, and reckon that we are answered if God grant what we ask for his church, though he delay to give us what we ask for ourselves. "Save thy church, and thou answerest me; I have what I would have." Let the earth be filled with God's glory, and the prayers of David are ended (Ps 72:19,20); he desires no more. 2. We must, in prayer, act faith upon the power and promise of God—upon his power (Save with thy right hand, which is mighty to save), and upon his promise: God has spoken in his holiness, in his holy word, to which he has sworn by his holiness, and therefore I will rejoice, Ps 108:7. What he has promised he will perform, for it is the word both of his truth and of his power. An active faith can rejoice in what God has said, though it be not yet done; for with him saying and doing are not two things, whatever they are with us. 3. We must, in prayer, take the comfort of what God has secured to us and settled upon us, though we are not yet put in possession of it. God had promised David to give him, (1.) The hearts of his subjects; and therefore he surveys the several parts of the country as his own already: "Shechem and Succoth, Gilead and Manasseh, Ephraim and Judah, are all my own," Ps 108:8. With such assurance as this we may speak of the performance of what God has promised to the Son of David; he will, without fail, give him the heathen for his inheritance and the utmost parts of the earth for his possession, for so has he spoken in his holiness; nay, of all the particular persons that were given him he will lose none; he also, as David, shall have the hearts of his subjects, Joh 6:37. And, (2.) The necks of his enemies. These are promised, and therefore David looks upon Moab, and Edom, and Philistia, as his own already (Ps 108:9): Over Philistia will I triumph, which explains Ps 60:8, Philistia, triumph thou because of me, which some think should be read, O my soul! triumph thou over Philistia. Thus the exalted Redeemer is set down at God's right hand, in a full assurance that all his enemies shall in due time be made his footstool, though all things are not yet put under him, Heb 2:8. 4. We must take encouragement from the beginnings of mercy to pray and hope for the perfecting of it (Ps 108:10,11): "Who will bring me into the strong cities that are yet unconquered? Who will make me master of the country of Edom, which is yet unsubdued?" The question was probably to be debated in his privy council, or a council of war, what methods they should take to subdue the Edomites and to reduce that country; but he brings it into his prayers, and leaves it in God's hands: Wilt not thou, O God? Certainly thou wilt. It is probable that he spoke with the more assurance concerning the conquest of Edom because of the ancient oracle concerning Jacob and Esau, that the elder should serve the younger, and the blessing of Jacob, by which he was made Esau's lord, Ge 27:37. 5. We must not be discouraged in prayer, nor beaten off from our hold of God, though Providence has in some instances frowned upon us: "Though thou hast cast us off, yet thou wilt now go forth with our hosts, Ps 108:11. Thou wilt comfort us again after the time that thou hast afflicted us." Adverse events are sometimes intended for the trial of the constancy of our faith and prayer, which we ought to persevere in whatever difficulties we meet with, and not to faint. 6. We must seek help from God, renouncing all confidence in the creature (Ps 108:12): "Lord, give us help from trouble, prosper our designs, and defeat the designs of our enemies against us." It is not unseasonable to talk of trouble at the same time that we talk of triumphs, especially when it is to quicken prayer for help from heaven; and it is a good plea, Vain is the help of man. "It is really so, and therefore we are undone if thou do not help us; we apprehend it to be so, and therefore depend upon thee for help and have the more reason to expect it." 7. We must depend entirely upon the favour and grace of God, both for strength and success in our work and warfare, Ps 108:13. (1.) We must do our part, but we can do nothing of ourselves; it is only through God that we shall do valiantly. Blessed Paul will own that even he can do nothing, nothing to purpose, but through Christ strengthening him, Php 4:13. (2.) When we have acquitted ourselves ever so well, yet we cannot speed by any merit or might of our own; it is God himself that treads down our enemies, else we with all our valour cannot do it. Whatever we do, whatever we gain, God must have all the glory.
本篇以赞美开始、以祷告结束,二者之中信心都在运行。本篇结构如下:一、大卫在此为自己所受的怜悯向神感恩(诗108:1-5);二、他为本国求怜悯,恳求神的应许、将其付诸祈求(诗108:6-13)。前半部取自诗57:7-11等,后半部取自诗60:5-12等,二者变动甚微,为要教导我们:在祷告中可使用从前已用过的话,只要是用新的情感;这也暗示,从一篇诗中摘出几句、又从另一篇摘出几句,合而为一以颂赞神,不仅可行,有时也很便当。我们唱这首诗时,当将荣耀归给神,并使自己得安慰。