A Study by Scott Sperling   Psalm 78:9-72 - Lessons from History (pt. 2) Vss. 9-32 - Forgetting God, and His Works 9  The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle; 10  they did not keep God’s covenant and refused to live by his law. 11  They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them. 12  He did miracles in the sight of their ancestors in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan. 13  He divided the sea and led them through; he made the water stand up like a wall. 14  He guided them with the cloud by day and with light from the fire all night. 15  He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them water as abundant as the seas; 16  he brought streams out of a rocky crag and made water flow down like rivers. 17  But they continued to sin against him, rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High. 18  They willfully put God to the test by demanding the food they craved. 19  They spoke against God; they said, “Can God really spread a table in the wilderness? 20  True, he struck the rock, and water gushed out, streams flowed abundantly, but can he also give us bread? Can he supply meat for his people?” 21  When the Lord heard them, he was furious; his fire broke out against Jacob, and his wrath rose against Israel, 22  for they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance. 23  Yet he gave a command to the skies above and opened the doors of the heavens; 24  he rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven. 25  Human beings ate the bread of angels; he sent them all the food they could eat. 26  He let loose the east wind from the heavens and by his power made the south wind blow. 27  He rained meat down on them like dust, birds like sand on the seashore. 28  He made them come down inside their camp, all around their tents. 29  They ate till they were gorged— he had given them what they craved. 30  But before they turned from what they craved, even while the food was still in their mouths, 31  God’s anger rose against them; he put to death the sturdiest among them, cutting down the young men of Israel. In the first eight verses of this psalm, Asaph (the author) introduced it as a “parable”: “I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old” (vs. 2). The “parable” that Asaph is to relate, is the parable of the history of the children of Israel. By calling this history a “parable”, we learn that we should meditate on this history, and consider what we can learn from the actions, words and behavior of the children of Israel. We should apply to our own lives, the lessons taught by this history, just as we seek to apply to our lives the lessons that Jesus taught through parables. Starting in verse 9, the parable of the history of Israel begins: “The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle; they did not keep God’s covenant and refused to live by his law. They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them” (vss. 9-11). Ephraim, during the time of the judges, before there was a king in Israel, was considered to be the leading tribe. For this reason, the tabernacle was set up inside the territory of Ephraim, in Shiloh (see Josh. 18:1). In these verses, we learn that the Ephraimites ultimately were defeated, because of their disobedience, and lack of faith. They “did not keep God’s covenant”, and they “forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them” (vs. 10, 11). This led to them “turning back on the day of battle”, even though they were well-equipped, even though they were “armed with bows” (vs. 9). And so, this being a parable, we can learn about the effects of disobedience, and a lack of faith due to not remembering the goodness and power of God. “Forgetfulness of God is a sin of all nations and ages. It is the source of innumerable iniquities. It attends all depravity. It is a universal sin.” [Plumer, 758].  We must not forget God’s work in the past, both in the history of his people, and in our own lives. Such forgetfulness leads to disobedience, and weakens our faith. And then, disobedience and lack of faith directly lead to defeat in spiritual battles. We are overcome by the enemy, and fall into sin, even though we are well-equipped to resist, for we are promised: “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (I Cor. 10:13). Presumably, the battle referred to in verse 9, is the battle in which Ephraim lost the Ark of the Covenant to invading forces. Asaph speaks more on this later in the psalm, in verses 56 through 64. Here, starting in verse 12, Asaph goes on to speak in detail about the “wonders” God had shown his people, those wonders that had been forgotten by them: “He did miracles in the sight of their ancestors” (vs. 12). He parted the Red Sea to deliver them from the Egyptians (vs. 13). He miraculously guided them through the wilderness (vs. 14). He miraculously provided for them in the wilderness (vs. 15-16). “God did great things for his people Israel, when he first incorporated them and formed them into a people;… not only in their sight, but in their cause, and for their benefit; so strange, so kind, that one would think they should never be forgotten” [Henry, 822]. “The great work of bodily redemption of God’s people out of Egypt, and the spiritual redemption of his people from the bondage of sin and misery, by Christ represented thereby, should be as inducements unto, and props of faith in God, to all who seek life in him, and an efficient motive unto love and obedience unto him, to the world’s end” [Dickson, 203]. “They neglected what they had covenanted to do, because they forgot in their self-will and perverseness the things which had been done for them” [Plain, 41]. Despite the work of God in their lives, despite his miraculous protection and providence, the children of Israel not only “continued to sin” and “rebelled” (vs. 17), but they went further, and “willfully put God to the test” (vs. 18). They weren’t content with the manna that God provided for food, and demanded what they considered to be better food: “They spoke against God; they said, ‘Can God really spread a table in the wilderness? True, he struck the rock, and water gushed out, streams flowed abundantly, but can he also give us bread? Can he supply meat for his people?’” (vss. 19-20). “Evidently the more God gives, the less we appreciate it. This grudging response to a string of miracles is not unlike the sequel to the feeding of the five thousand: a demand for a further and better sign (John 6:26ff)” [Kidner, 312]. “The very means which should have made them more obedient made them more rebellious” [Alexander, 329]. “Unrenewed nature is strongly inclined to meet the Lord’s goodness with more and more ingratitude, and to sin over and over again the same sins, when new benefits and old faults being well considered, might teach more wisdom and thankfulness” [Dickson, 205]. To “put God to the test” is always represented as sinful in the Bible. A common method of putting God to the test, is to pray a prayer of the form: “God, if you do such-and-such for me, then I will do so-and-so for you.” For example, “God if you get me that new job, then I will consistently tithe to the church.” Or, “God, if you give me that girlfriend, then I will worship you forever.” Such prayers are unequivocally sinful. They make God out to be a mercenary, as if he needs our tithes, or our service, or our worship. Prayers such as these attempt to turn man into God (giving man the control), and God into man (making God subservient to our needs). In verses 19 and 20, the children of Israel were, in effect, doing this. They, in effect said, “God, you are not powerful enough to deserve our obedience and worship, unless you provide the food that we want.” God was understandably angry at their attempts to test  him: “When the Lord heard them, he was furious; his fire broke out against Jacob, and his wrath rose against Israel, for they did not believe in God or trust in his deliverance” (vss. 21-22). Ironically, God punished them by giving them the very thing that they asked for, in great abundance: “He rained meat down on them like dust, birds like sand on the seashore. He made them come down inside their camp, all around their tents. They ate till they were gorged—he had given them what they craved” (vss. 27-29). – “As the Lord doth grant lawful desires in mercy, so also doth he grant sinful desires in wrath” [Dickson, 208]. “The blessings chosen for us by God are blessings indeed, and, like the manna, bring no sorrow with them: but when we choose for ourselves, and are so unhappy as to be gratified in that choice, our portion too often proves a curse; and, while the much-loved morsel is yet between our teeth, ‘the wrath of God comes upon us,’ for making a wrong choice. This will always be the case in the end, whenever earth is preferred to heaven, and sense to faith” [Horne, 280]. “The judgment of God subsequent to the gratification of their insatiable lust presents a warning example. God in his anger will sometimes hear the foolish prayers of men, while the real and merciful granting of our petitions often consists in this, that Providence supplies something different from what we had prayed for” [Tholuck, 332-333]. God gave them enough meat, so that they “gorged” on it; they ate enough, that it “came out of their nostrils and they loathed it” (see Num. 11:20). In the end, the very meat they craved, became a “severe plague” to them (see Num. 11:34). In this way, God “put to death the sturdiest among them, cutting down the young men of Israel” (vs. 31). “He showed them that when lust wins its desire, it is disappointed, and by the way of satiety arrives at distate. First the food satiates, then it nauseates… O my God, deny me my most urgent prayers sooner than answer them in displeasure. Better hunger and thirst after righteousness than to be well- filled with sin’s dainties” [Spurgeon, 337]. “Satiated they were, but not satisfied. It is as easy to quench the fire of Etna, as the thoughts set on fire by lust… Many eat that on earth which they must digest in hell; these here were murdering morsels” [Trapp]. “My soul, see here the danger of gratified passions; they are the janitors of hell” [Spurgeon, 337]. Vss. 32-39 – God’s Mercy 32  In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of his wonders, they did not believe. 33  So he ended their days in futility and their years in terror. 34  Whenever God slew them, they would seek him; they eagerly turned to him again. 35  They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer. 36  But then they would flatter him with their mouths, lying to him with their tongues; 37  their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant. 38  Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath. 39  He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.   Asaph continues: “In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of his wonders, they did not believe” (vs. 32). God did wonders of grace, which led them out of Egypt, protected them from their enemies, and miraculously provided for them, yet “in spite of all this, they kept on sinning.” God did wonders which led to their punishment, sending them quails so that they could eat the meat they so desired, until they gorged on them and died, yet “in spite of all this, they kept on sinning.” “Those hearts are hard indeed, which will neither be melted by the mercies of God, nor broken by His judgments” [Henry, in Lange’s, 442]. The cycle continues, over and over. “Mercies are followed by provocations; provocations are punished with judgments; to judgments succeed repeated provocations, which call down fresh judgments” [Horne, in Plumer, 758]. Man is hopelessly a sinner. And as Asaph wrote these things as a parable, then yes, this is us. Reflect and learn about your own tendency to return to sin, and to forsake the True and Living God. “They did not believe.”  “Notwithstanding all these favours and extraordinary interpositions, the generation that came out of Egypt still persisted in their evil courses. The phrase, ‘they did not believe,’ does not charge them with denying the reality of the wonders which they witnessed, but with refusing to trust God on the strength of them” [Alexander, 331].  “They did believe the history of his works, namely, that such things as are there recorded were done; they could not but believe that God had wrought wonders for them in Egypt, that he had drowned Pharaoh in, and brought them safe through, the Red Sea: they saw these things, their senses were witnesses, but yet ‘they did not believe’ the prophecy or promise which was virtually in those works, namely, that God would do more wonders for them till he had finished and accomplished their deliverance” [Caryl, in Spurgeon, 358]. “Their persistent unbelief despite of the presence of perpetual miracles, and the somewhat frequent recurrence of those which were new and fresh, are the strong points made in this Psalm. Similar depravity is a fearful fact in the human life of every age. It stands here a suggestive rebuke to the men of all time that in the very presence of most impressive testimonies of God’s love and power they are still so slow of heart to believe in his love and to trust his power to save” [Cowles, 326]. Their punishment for their unbelief was that they were not able to enter the promised land: “So he ended their days in futility and their years in terror” (vs. 33). They continued, “in futility”, their seemingly endless wanderings in the wilderness. “Sin—rebellion against God—leads to a course of life, and a death, of which these gloomy, sad, and cheerless wanderings in the desert were a striking emblem” [Barnes, 299]. “The Hebrew nation doomed to wander forty years up and down, back and forth, in that waste, dreary wilderness, consuming their days in vanity and their years in trouble, are God’s witnesses to the guilt of such sin, suggesting how the unbelief of professed Christians dooms them to barrenness and desolation during the many years of their earthly pilgrimage; while in their Father’s house is bread enough and to spare and their earthly life might just as well be spent in the land of promise, flowing with milk and honey.” [Cowles, 326]. God’s punishments on them, for their sins, produced a positive effect, at times: “Whenever God slew them, they would seek him; they eagerly turned to him again.” It seemed that the repentance was real: “They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer” (vs. 34-35). “Sharp strokes awoke their sleepy memories. Reflection followed infliction. They were led to see that all their dependence must be placed upon their God; for he alone had been their shelter, their foundation, their fountain of supply, and their unchangeable friend. What could have made them forget this?” [Spurgeon, 338]. But the effect was temporary, and they fell back into sin: “But then they would flatter him with their mouths, lying to him with their tongues; their hearts were not loyal to him, they were not faithful to his covenant” (vs. 36-37). “Their calamities had the effect of producing temporary reformation. They became professedly penitent; they manifested a wish to know God, and expressed a purpose to serve him. It was, however, a temporary and hollow, not a deep and real, reformation. This often occurs. In times of affliction, in sickness, in bereavement, in the loss of property, men become serious, and express a purpose to repent and turn to God. A deep impression seems to be produced on their minds, to last, alas! only as long as the hand of God rests upon them… Resolutions of repentance are formed only to be forgotten when the affliction is removed, and when the days of prosperity again return” [Barnes, 299]. “There was no depth in their repentance, it was not heart work. They were fickle as a weathercock, every wind turned them, their mind was not settled upon God… Variable as the hues of the dolphin, they changed from reverence to rebellion, from thankfulness to murmuring. One day they gave their gold to build a tabernacle for Jehovah, and the next they plucked off their ear-rings to make a golden calf” [Spurgeon, 339]. The next statement in the psalm is among the most precious in all of the Scriptures. Dear reader, take it in, and meditate on how it demonstrates God’s undying love, even for his rebellious creatures: “Yet he was merciful” (vs. 38).  Selah. Pause and reflect. “Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return” (vss. 38-39). “From the midst of this sad narrative of faithlessness, springs up, like a fountain in a weary land, or a flower among half- cooled lava blocks, the lovely description of God’s forbearance” [Maclaren, 392]. “The passage from verse 32, to the end of verse 39, is a most striking and affecting picture of man’s heart, and God’s gracious forbearance, in all ages:—man’s sin calling for chastisement, the chastisement producing only temporary amendment, God’s goodness forgotten, and yet God’s great love never wearied, and God’s infinite compassion ever moved afresh by man’s weakness and misery” [Perowne, 373]. In the original Hebrew, the start of verse 38, “Yet he was merciful”, does not actually contain a verb. It is a clause leading to the next statement. It would better be translated: “Yet, being merciful, he forgave their iniquities…” Or, as the King James Version renders it: “But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not…” I point this out to emphasize that there actually is no past tense in the original statement, “Yet he was merciful.” The original Hebrew says, “But he, being merciful,…”, or in the KJV, “But he, being full of compassion…” In other words, it was not a one-time act of mercy. But instead, the passage is saying that it is part of God’s character to be merciful, to be full of compassion. “The psalmist does not say ‘He was full of compassion,’ though that would be much, in the circumstances; but he is declaring God’s eternal character. His compassions are unfailing. It is always His wont to cover sin and to spare the sinner” [Maclaren, 392]. This is God’s great love for us. God in his great mercy understands and forgives us for our weaknesses: “He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return” (vs. 39). “The frailty of man’s life moves the merciful God to abate some of the strict severity which our sins deserve” [JFB, 269]. “It is for an unspeakable joy that God employs his infinite knowledge in tenderly considering our frailty, our liability to err, our natural weakness, and the shortness and uncertainty of our lives. He pities us, not because we deserve pity, but because he loves to show mercy to such as need and seek it” [Plumer, 760]. Vss. 40-55 – Out of Egypt 40  How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the wasteland! 41  Again and again they put God to the test; they vexed the Holy One of Israel. 42  They did not remember his power— the day he redeemed them from the oppressor, 43  the day he displayed his signs in Egypt, his wonders in the region of Zoan. 44  He turned their river into blood; they could not drink from their streams. 45  He sent swarms of flies that devoured them, and frogs that devastated them. 46  He gave their crops to the grasshopper, their produce to the locust. 47  He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamore-figs with sleet. 48  He gave over their cattle to the hail, their livestock to bolts of lightning. 49  He unleashed against them his hot anger, his wrath, indignation and hostility— a band of destroying angels. 50  He prepared a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death but gave them over to the plague. 51  He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham. 52  But he brought his people out like a flock; he led them like sheep through the wilderness. 53  He guided them safely, so they were unafraid; but the sea engulfed their enemies. 54  And so he brought them to the border of his holy land, to the hill country his right hand had taken. 55  He drove out nations before them and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance; he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes. Having recited the greatness of God’s mercy, Asaph reminds them of the great wonders God performed in freeing them from the bonds of the Egyptians, how he “redeemed them from the oppressor” (vs. 42). In reciting this history, Asaph is following his own exhortation to the people: “We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done” (Psalms 78:4). Asaph speaks of the miraculous signs performed before Pharaoh, to soften his heart and let them go (vss. 43-51). Asaph speaks of God’s guidance, and miraculous works in leading them out of Egypt, even through the Red Sea (vss. 52-53). And he speaks of God’s providence and protection as they took possession of the land promised to them (vss. 54-55). Asaph recites this history to remind the people of God’s past works, of God’s unwavering love, of God’s perfect guidance, of God’s unfailing protection, of God’s infinite mercy. Vss. 56-72 – On to Zion 56  But they put God to the test and rebelled against the Most High; they did not keep his statutes. 57  Like their ancestors they were disloyal and faithless, as unreliable as a faulty bow. 58  They angered him with their high places; they aroused his jealousy with their idols. 59  When God heard them, he was furious; he rejected Israel completely. 60  He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent he had set up among humans. 61  He sent the ark of his might into captivity, his splendor into the hands of the enemy. 62  He gave his people over to the sword; he was furious with his inheritance. 63  Fire consumed their young men, and their young women had no wedding songs; 64  their priests were put to the sword, and their widows could not weep. 65  Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, as a warrior wakes from the stupor of wine. 66  He beat back his enemies; he put them to everlasting shame. 67  Then he rejected the tents of Joseph, he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim; 68  but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved. 69  He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth that he established forever. 70  He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; 71  from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. 72  And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them. Despite the unending goodness of God, the people “rebelled” and “did not keep his statutes” (vs. 56); they were “disloyal and faithless” (vs. 57); and worse still, “they aroused his jealousy with their idols” (vs. 58). God responded to this severely: “When God heard them, he was furious; he rejected Israel completely” (vs. 59). “The characteristic sin is no longer discontent, but idolatry” [Kidner, 315]. “These verses cover the period from the entrance on Canaan to the fall of the sanctuary of Shiloh, during which there was a continual tendency to relapse into idolatry” [Maclaren, 394]. After the wanderings in the wilderness, during the time of Judges, the tabernacle was set up in Shiloh, which was in Ephraim (see Josh. 18:1). In the absence of a temple, this was the dwelling place of God among the people. It was the place about which the people could say, “The True and Living God dwells among us.” But despite having the True and Living God dwell among them, the people turned to idolatry. God’s response was to allow Shiloh to be attacked, and the tabernacle to be dismantled (see I Sam. 4). Asaph relates that event here: “He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent he had set up among humans. He sent the ark of his might into captivity, his splendor into the hands of the enemy. He gave his people over to the sword; he was furious with his inheritance. Fire consumed their young men, and their young women had no wedding songs; their priests were put to the sword, and their widows could not weep” (vss. 60-64). “The mournful chapter of punishment comes ever after the mournful chapter of sin” [Plain, 53]. “He forsook the only place which He had selected on earth as peculiarly His dwelling place. The tabernacle was at Shiloh during the whole period of the Judges. The removal of the ark by the Philistines was a demonstration in act that God had forsaken the place. The ark was never restored to Shiloh” [JFB, 271]. But God, in his grace, did not abandon his chosen people: “Then the Lord awoke as from sleep” (vs. 65). But Ephraim was no longer to be the place where God dwelled. He chose Judah: “Then he rejected the tents of Joseph, he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim; but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved. He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth that he established forever” (vss. 67-69). “The punishment of Ephraim, not as the sole offender, but as the unfaithful leader of the chosen people, consisted in the transfer of the sanctuary, and the manifested presence of God in it, to the tribe which was intended from the first to have that honour (see Gen. 49:10), but whose rights had been held in abeyance during the experimental chieftainship of Ephraim” [Alexander, 336]. “Thus may the candlestick be removed, though the candle is not quenched. Erring churches become apostate, but a true church still remains; if Shiloh be profaned Zion is consecrated. Yet is it ever a solemn caution to all the assemblies of the saints, admonishing them to walk humbly with their God” [Spurgeon, 345]. God chose the tribe of Judah, and God chose a leader from the tribe of Judah, to lead the people into godliness, to shepherd them back into God’s grace: “He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them” (vss. 70-72). “A shepherd of sheep he had been, and this was a fit school for a shepherd of men. Lowliness of occupation will debar no man from such honours as the Lord’s election confers; the Lord seeth not as man seeth. He delights to bless those who are of low estate… Exercising the care and art of those who watch for the young lambs, David followed the ewes in their wanderings; the tenderness and patience thus acquired would tend to the development of characteristics most becoming in a king. To the man thus prepared, the office and dignity which God had appointed for him, came in due season, and he was enabled worthily to wear them. It is wonderful how often divine wisdom so arranges the early and obscure portion of a choice life, so as to make it a preparatory school for a more active and noble future” [Spurgeon, 347].  Bibliography and Suggested Reading  Alexander, Joseph Addison. The Psalms Translated and Explained.  Edinburgh: Andrew Elliot, 1864.  Anonymous.  A Plain Commentary on the Book of Psalms. Philadelphia:  Henry Hooker and Co., 1857. Barnes, Albert.  Notes on the Book of Psalms.  New York:  Harper & Brothers Publishing, 1871. Bonar, Andrew. Christ and His Church in the Book of Psalms.  New York:  Robert Carter & Brothers, 1860. Calvin, John.  A Commentary on the Book of Psalms.  3 Vols.  Oxford: D. A. Talboys, 1840. (Originally published in Latin in 1557).  Clarke, Adam. The Holy Bible with a Commentary and Critical Notes.  Vol. III.  London:  William Tegg & Co., 1854.  (Originally published in 1831).  Cowles, Henry.  The Psalms with Notes, Critical, Explanatory and Practical.  New York:  D. Appleton & Co., 1872. Darby, John Nelson.  Practical Reflections on the Psalms.  London:  Robert L. Allan, 1870. Delitzsch, Franz.  Biblical Commentary on the Psalms. Edinburgh:  T & T Clark, 1892. (Originally published in 1860). Dickson, David. An Explication of the Other Fifty Psalms, from Ps. 50 to Ps. 100. Cornhill, U.K.:  Ralph Smith, 1653.  Exell, Joseph S. and Henry Donald Spence-Jones, eds. The Pulpit Commentary. Vols. 17, 18, & 19. New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1884.  Hengstenberg, F. W.  Commentary on the Psalms.  Edinburgh:  T & T Clark, 1864. Henry, Matthew.  An Exposition of All the Books of the Old and New Testament.  Vol. II.  London: W. Baynes, 1806. (Originally published in 1710). Horne, George. A Commentary on the Book of Psalms.  New York:  Robert Carter & Brothers, 1854. Jamieson, Robert; Fausset, A. R.; Brown, David.  A Commentary: Critical, Experimental, and Practical on the Old and New Testaments.  Glasgow:  William Collins, Queen’s Printer, 1863. Kidner, Derek. Psalms (in 2 Vols.). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2008 (first published in 1975). Kirkpatrick, A. F. The Book of Psalms with Introduction and Notes – Books II and III (from The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges). Cambridge, UK: University Press, 1895. Lange, John Peter, ed. and Philip Schaff, trans.  A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical.  New York:  Charles Scribner & Co., 1865.  Maclaren, Alexander. The Psalms (in 3 Vols., from The Expositor’s Bible, ed. by W. R. Nicoll). New York: A. C. Armstrong and Son, 1901. Perowne, J. J. Stewart.  The Book of Psalms:  A New Translation with Explanatory Notes.  London:  George Bell & Sons, 1880. Plumer, William S.  Studies in the Book of Psalms.  Philadelphia:  J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1872. Scott, Thomas. Commentary on the Holy Bible, Vol. III. London: James Nisbet, 1866. Spurgeon, Charles.  The Treasury of David.  6 Vols.  London: Marshall Brothers, Ltd., 1885. Tholuck, Augustus.  A Translation and Commentary of the Book of Psalms.  Philadelphia:  Martien, 1858. Trapp, John.  A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments. Vol. II (Ezra to Psalms).  Edmonton, Canada: Still Waters Revival Books (www.PuritanDownloads.com). (Originally published c. 1660). VanGemeren, Willem A., (Gaebelein, Frank E., ed).  Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 5 – Psalms to Song of Songs.  Grand Rapids, MI:  Zondervan, 1991. -------- Many of these books (those in public domain) can be downloaded free of charge from:  http://www.ClassicChristianLibrary.com