PREFACE. THE HE work which is now introduced to the public is the fruit of the Author's laborious and prayerful researches in Holy Scripture for many years. His aim has been to bring out from vague generality into their vivid distinctness the personal and national allusions occurring in the several Psalms, by comparison of these with the Scripture histories which synchronise with them. The incidental and unobtrusive correspondences of phrase and fact between the Psalms and the independent histories prove that the coincidence is the result of truth, not of design. Thus a powerful confirmation is afforded of the genuineness, and therefore of the inspired authority, of those Old Testament Scriptures which modern. rationalism has assailed. The following Table of Contents will serve as a copious index of the particulars discussed. An Index of the Psalms noticed in this work will be given at the end, and will include the whole CL. of the Psalter, with references to the Lectures which severally treat of and illustrate them. So the student of any particular Psalm will know in what Lecture to find the illustration of the Psalm he desires. May God overrule this work to His own glory, and to the edification of His people! If we would "taste the honey of God," we must "have the palate of faith." ST. CUTHBERT'S RECTORY, YORK, January 24th, 1876. A. R. F. SUMMARY OF CONTENTS. Principle of the argument from undesigned coincidences. Paley's Hora Paulina. Blunt. David's spirit in the Psalms compared with the history: Ps. xlii. 5, lvi. 3; I Sain. xxx. 6, xviii. 5, 14, 15, 30, with ci. 2. Title of Ps. vii. : Genuine- ness of the titles proved from (1) LXX., (2) MSS., (3) Aquila, Symmachus, Theodotion, (4) their obscurity, (5) Oriental usage: Hab. iii. 1, Isa. xxxviii. 9; (6) Enigmatical style, as 2 Sam. i. 18, 22; poetical character; (7) wanting in fourth and fifth books, where conjecture could most easily have had place. Shiggaion, aberrations of Saul. David's rewarding good for evil: Ps. vii. 4, xli. 9, with 1 Sam. xxiv. 19. Saul's blessing the Ziphites for betraying David (1 Sam. xxiii. 21), contrasted with David's blessing the Jabesh Gileadites for rescuing Saul's remains (2 Sam. ii. 5), which accords with Ps. xxxv. 12, 13. Ps. vii. 1, 2, 3, 5, compared with 1 Sam. xxiv. 9, 11, 14, xxvi. 18, 19. Calumnies of Saul's courtiers: LXX. title of Ps. vii., "Cush the Benjamite," Saul: 1 Sam. ix. 21, Jer. xiii. 23. Reason of David's enig- matical titles, Ps. vii. 8, 11, with 1 Sam. xxiv. 12: xxvi. 23, David casting his righteous cause on Jehovah's judgment. Retribution in kind: Saul slain by the arrows and sword of the Philistines, by whom he tried to slay David : "fallen into the ditch he made": Ps. vii. 12, 13, 15, 16, 1 Sam. xviii. 17, 21. xxxi. 3, 4, David saved by the Philistines: i Sam. xxvii. 1-3. Shiggaion, David's wisdom: 1 Sam. xviii. 5, 14, 15, 30, compared with Ps. ci.; also I Chr. xxviii. 9, xxix. 19. His "playing skilfully": Ps. xxxiii. 3 with 1 Sam. xvi. 17. pared with 1 Sam. xix. II, etc. Altaschith (drawn from Deut ix. 26): lvii., lviii., lix., lxxv. Compare I Sam. xxvi. 9-11: David had not destroyed his foe, so could pray, "Destroy not": "Miktam.' Coincidence of title Ps. lix. with I Sam. xix. II, 'watch' him. Ps. vii. 'Deliver,' with I Sam. xvii. 37, 'Defend,' with Ps. xx. 1, 2 Sam. xxii. 3. Ps. lix. 2, 3, 9, 16, 17: Saul's watching for David caused David to watch or wait upon Jehovah. Saul's strength caused David to pray, and so to sing of Jehovah's strength in his behalf. Saul charged David with "lying in wait," the very 'sin' of himself; Ps. lix. 3 with 1 Sam. xxii, 8, 13. The 'transgression' and 'sin' alleged David disproves in both Psalm (lix. 3) and history (1 Sam. xxiv. 9-12): Ps vii. 3, 4, xxv. 3. As dogs prowling about for prey at evening, Saul's men sought David (Ps. lix. 6), coinciding with 1 Sam. xix. II. Such also should be their punishment: Ps. lix. 14. The morning of their expected triumph proved that of his thanksgiving for deliverance: Ps. lix. 16, xxii. 16, 20. Saul himself wandered at last at night, seeking counsel in vain from God, and only through a witch learning from Samuel his doom: 1 Sam. xxviii. Saul's doom (Ps. lix. 3, 11, 13) that of apostate Israel: 1 Sam. xxxi., 2 Sam. iv., xxi., Rom. xi., Ps. cix. 10, 15. The end designed is that all "may know God rules in Jacob unto the ends of the earth": Ps. lix. 13 with 1 Sam. xvii. 46. Reversal of Saul's and David's positions: 1 Sam. xxiv. 14 with 2 Sam. ix. 8, xix. 28, Ps. cix. 10. David's escape from being "shut up." in the "strong city," Keilah: Ps. xxxi. 5, 6, 7, 8, 21, with 1 Sam. xxiii. 3. 4, 6, 7, II. 12. Baalites in Keilah 2 Sam. iv. 9, 1 Sam. xxiv. 18, xxvi. 8 (margin), Ps. lv. 3. LECTURE III. Pages 8-16 Oldest Scriptures more historical, and less poetical, than the later. No scope for myths. Hebrew poetry scant before David. David's Psalms 80 out of the 150. Affliction his training school. The Psalms liturgical rather than lyrical. Ps. lii. "to the chief musician." Maschil. "Doeg the Edomite." "Told and said": 1 Sam. xxii. 9-11, 22. Ps. lii. 1, "Mighty man"; "boastest in mischief," with 1 Sam. xxi. 7. 2 Sam. i. 19: True hero might belongs to the godly alone: Ps. xviii. 25. 'Lying'—“devouring words" : Ps. lii. 3 with 1 Sam. xxii. and xxiv. 9. Ps. xvii. 3, 4, Selah : peculiar to David: Hab. iii. 9, 13. Hallelujah. Elohim' characterizes David's Psalms: Ps. cviii., cxliv., with 2 Sam. vii., I Chr. xxviii. 20, xxix. 1. Reason: Ps. xviii. 31, lxxii. 18. Saul's trust in riches to compass his murderous end lii. 7 with 1 Sam. xxii. 7-9, viii. 11, 12, 15. His doom: Ps. lii. 5 with 1 Sam. xxii. 18-20, xxxi. 6, 2 Sam. xxi. 1-14 Pages 17-23 LECTURE IV. Connection of Psalms with religious awakenings. David's tone and style: relation to Pentateuch. Pss. xvi., xvii., a pair: the Psalmist's danger and threefold consolation. Michtam Pss. xvi., lvi., lvii., xxv. 14. The Septuagint title of Ps. xvi. Hezekiah's Miktab (Isa. xxxviii. 9-20) restored David's Psalms to liturgical use: 2 Chr. xxix. 30. Coincidence between Hezekiah's writing and the Psalms of David and his singers, Pss. vi. 5, xxx. 9, xxvii. 13, xlix. 1, cii. 24. David's 'preservation' among the Philistines, I Sam. xxvii. 1, xxi. 10, compared with Ps. xvi., lvi. His renouncing their sorrow-multiplying idolatries to take Jehovah for his 'inheritance,' xvi. 4-6, coinciding with I Sam. xxvi. 19. Ps. xi. I, "Flee as a bird," with 1 Sam. xxvi. 20, xiii. 6: his flight not ultimately inconsistent with Ps. xi. 1: 1 Sam. xix. 18, Neh. vi. II. Triumph of his faith over fear, 1 Sam. xxvii., xxviii., xxix. xxx. 6, Jer. iii. 23. Jehovah counselled David by Abiathar: Ps. xvi. 7 with 1 Sam. xxii. 20, xxiii. 2, 4, 6, 9, xxx. 7, 8. Contrast Saul's retributive doom for shuffling transgression: I Chr. x. 13, 1 Sam. xxviii. 6, 7, Isa. iii. 9, 11. |