My confusion is continually before me ,.... Meaning that which is the occasion of it; and the shame of my face hath covered me ; not by reason of sin, which is often the cause of confusion and shame in God's people; see Jeremiah 3:25 ; but on account of what follows. read more
For the voice, of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth ,.... That is, antichrist, to whom a mouth speaking blasphemies has been given, and which he has opened in blasphemy against God, attributing that to himself which belongs to God; blaspheming his name, his tabernacle, and them that well in heaven; see Revelation 13:5 ; by reason of the enemy and avenger ; which are very proper characters of antichrist, who is the enemy of Christ and of his people, and breathes out vengeance against... read more
All this is come upon us ,.... Not by chance, but according to the purpose and counsel of God; not for sin, and as a punishment of it, but for Christ's sake and his Gospel; for a profession of faith in him, and for the trial of it; yet have we not forgotten thee ; not the being and perfections of God, on which they often meditated, especially as displayed in the affair of salvation by Jesus Christ; nor the works of God, which were remembered to encourage faith and hope in their present... read more
Our heart is not turned back ,.... To its original hardness, blindness, and bondage, to its former sin and folly, to cherish, gratify, and fulfil its lusts and desires; not from God, from love to him, faith in him, and desires after him; nor from his worship and service; their trials had no such influence upon them as to cause them to apostatize from God, neither in heart, nor in action; neither have our steps declined from thy way ; from the way of his commandments, from the paths of... read more
Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons ,.... Where men, comparable to dragons or their poison and cruelty, dwell; particularly in Rome, and the Roman jurisdiction, both Pagan and Papal, the seat of Satan the great red dragon, and of his wretched brood and offspring, the beast, to whom he has given his power; here the saints and followers of Christ have been sorely afflicted and persecuted, and yet have held fast the name of Christ, and not denied his faith; see Revelation... read more
If we have forgotten the name of our God ,.... As antichrist, and the antichristian party did in those times, Daniel 11:36 ; or stretched out our hands to a strange god ; as not to any of the Heathen deities under the Pagan persecutions, so not to any images of gold, silver, brass, and wood, under the Papal tyranny; not to the Virgin Mary, nor to angels and saints departed; nor to the breaden God in the mass, never heard of before; see Daniel 11:38 . read more
Shall not God search this out ?.... Undoubtedly he would, was it so, and expose it, and punish for it; as he will the Balaamites and children of Jezebel, Revelation 2:18 ; this seems to be an appeal to God for the truth of all that the church had said concerning her steadfastness and integrity under the most trying exercises; for he knoweth the secrets of the heart ; whether the heart is turned back, or there is any inclination to apostatize from God, or his name is forgotten in it; as... read more
Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long ,.... These words are cited by the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:36 ; and are applied to his times, showing the then close attachment of the saints to Christ, and their strong love and affection for him; and they have the same sense here, being an instance and proof of the church's integrity and faithfulness in the cause of God, amidst the sorest afflictions and persecutions; for the truth of which she appeals to the searcher of hearts; and had... read more
Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord ?.... Not that sleep properly falls upon God: the Keeper of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps; his eyes are always upon his people; he never withdraws them from them, and he watches over them night and day: but sometimes he seems and is thought to be asleep; as when wicked men flourish and triumph over the righteous, and go on in sin with impunity; when their judgment seems to linger, and their damnation to slumber, though it does not; and when the saints... read more
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John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 44:14
Thou makest us a byword among the Heathen ,.... Among the Papists, as the Jews were among the Gentiles, Deuteronomy 28:37 ; calling them schismatics, heretics, fanatics, and what not? a shaking of the head among the people ; by way of indignation, scorn, and contempt; see Psalm 22:7 . read more