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Psalms 44

1 The faithful remember the great mercie of God toward his people 9 After, they complain, because they feel it no more. 17 Also they alledge the covenant made with Abrahám, for the keeping whereof they shewe what grievous things they suffered 23 Finally they pray unto God not to contemne their affliction, seing the same redoundeth to the contempt of his honour.
¶To him that excelleth. A Psalme to give instruction, committed to the sons of Kórah.
1.We have heard with our aears, ô God: our fathers have told us the works, that thou hast done in their daies, in the olde time:
2.How thou hast driven out the bheathen with thine hand, and planted cthem: how thou hast destroyed the dpeople, and caused ethem to grow.
3.For they inherited not the land by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm and the light of thy countenance, because thou didest ffavour them.
4.Thou art my King, ô God: send help unto gJaakób.
5.hThrough thee have we thrust back our adversaries: by thy Name have we troaden down them that rose up against us.
6.For I do not trust in my bow, neither can my sword save me.
7.But thou hast saved us from our adversaries, and hast put them to confusion that hate us.
8.Therefore wil we praise God continually, and wil confess thy Name for ever. Sélah.
9.But now thou art far off, and puttest us to iconfusion, and goest not forth with our armies.
10.Thou makest us to turn back from the adversarie, and they, which hate us, spoil ^for them selves.
11.*Thou givest us kas sheep to be eaten, and doest scatter us among the nations.
12.Thou selleth thy people lwithout gain, and doest not increase their price.
13.Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a jest and a laughing stock to them that are round about us.
14.Thou makest us a proverb among the nations, and a nodding of the head among the people.
15.My mconfusioin is daily before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me,
16.For the voice of the slanderer and rebuker, for the enemy and navenger.
17.All this is come upon us, yet do we not oforget thee, neither deal we falsely concerning thy covenant.
18.Our heart is not turned back: neither our steps gone out of thy paths,
19.Albeit thou hast smitten us down into the place of ^dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death.
20.If we have forgotten the Name of our God, and holden up our hands to a pstrange god,
21.Shal not God qsearch this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
22.Surely for thy sake rare we slain continually, and are counted as sheep for the slaughter.
23.Up, why slepest thou, ô Lord? awake, be not far off for ever.
24.Wherefore hidest thou thy face? and forgettest our misery and our affliction?
25.For our soul is sbeaten down unto the dust: our belly cleveth unto the ground.
26.Rise up for our succour, and redeem us for thy tmercie’s sake.

Notes

1-a.
This psalm seems to have been made by some excellent Prophet for the use of the people, when the Church was in extreme misery, either at their return from Babylon, or under Antiochus, or in such like affliction.
2-b.
That is, the Canaanites.
2-c.
To wit, our fathers.
2-d.
Of Canaan.
2-e.
That is, our fathers.
3-f.
God's free mercy and love is the only fountain and beginning of the Church, Deut. 4.37.
4-g.
Because you are our King, therefore deliver your people from their misery.
5-h.
Because they and their forefathers made both one Church they apply that to themselves, which before they did attribute to their fathers.
9-i.
As they confessed before, that their strength came of God, so now they acknowledge that this affliction came by his just judgement.
10-^.
Or, at their pleasure.
11-*.
Rom. 8.36.
11-k.
Knowing God to be author of this calamity, they murmur not, but seek remedy at his hands, who wounded them.
12-l.
As slaves which are sold for a low price, neither look you for him that offers most, but takes the first chapman.
15-m.
I dare not lift up my head for shame.
16-n.
Meaning, the proud and cruel tyrant.
17-o.
They boast not of their virtues, but declare that they rest upon God in the middes of their afflictions: who punished not now their sins, but by hard afflictions called them to consideration of the heavenly joys.
19-^.
Or, whales: meaning the bottomless seas of tentations here we see the power of faith, which can be overcome by no peril.
20-p.
They show that they honoured God aright because they trusted in him alone.
21-q.
They take God to witness that they were upright to himward.
22-r.
The faithful make this their comfort, that the wicked punish them not for their sins, but for God's cause, Mat. 5.10, 1 Pet. 4.14.
25-s.
There is no hope of recovery, except you put to your hand and raise us up.
26-t.
Which is the only and sufficient ransom to deliver both body and soul from all kind of slavery and misery.