avid prays for God's acceptance and assistance. (1-4) That
God would appear for his rescue. (5-10)
Verses 1-4: Make haste unto me. Those that know how to value God's
gracious presence, will be the more fervent in their prayers.
When presented through the sacrifice and intercession of the
Saviour, they will be as acceptable to God as the daily
sacrifices and burnings of incense were of old. Prayer is a
spiritual sacrifice, it is the offering up the soul and its best
affections. Good men know the evil of tongue sins. When enemies
are provoking, we are in danger of speaking unadvisedly. While
we live in an evil world, and have such evil hearts, we have
need to pray that we may neither be drawn nor driven to do any
thing sinful. Sinners pretend to find dainties in sin; but those
that consider how soon sin will turn into bitterness, will dread
such dainties, and pray to God to take them out of their sight,
and by his grace to turn their hearts against them. Good men
pray against the sweets of sin.
Verses 5-10: We should be ready to welcome the rebuke of our heavenly
Father, and also the reproof of our brethren. It shall not break
my head, if it may but help to break my heart: we must show that
we take it kindly. Those who slighted the word of God before,
will be glad of it when in affliction, for that opens the ear to
instruction. When the world is bitter, the word is sweet. Let us
lift our prayer unto God. Let us entreat him to rescue us from
the snares of Satan, and of all the workers of iniquity. In
language like this psalm, O Lord, would we entreat that our poor
prayers should set forth our only hope, our only dependence on
thee. Grant us thy grace, that we may be prepared for this
employment, being clothed with thy righteousness, and having all
the gifts of thy Spirit planted in our hearts.