Put not your trust in princes.
Dependence on man forbidden
I. Mankind are naturally disposed to do this. The young depend upon the old, and the old upon the young. The poor depend upon the rich, and the rich upon the poor. The servant depends upon his master, and the master upon the servant. The subject depends upon the ruler, and the ruler upon the subject. The child depends upon its parents, and the parent on the child. Is it strange, therefore, that such creatures as we are, in our present state, should depend too much upon each other? We early form this habit, which is constantly strengthening through all the changes and periods of life, and which God originally intended we should form and cultivate. But He never meant that our dependence upon each other should be a just ground of our renouncing our supreme dependence upon Himself.
II. God has forbidden them to do this.
1. He has required them to place their own supreme dependence upon Himself.
2. He has forbidden them to trust in themselves.
III. Why He has forbidden it.
1. Because mankind are so very unfit objects upon which to place supreme dependence.
(1) Mortal.
(2) Frail;
(3) Fickle.
(4) Absolutely dependent on God.
2. To preserve them from the numerous dangers and disappointments to which such undue confidence exposes them.
3. Because it tends to alienate them from Himself, and fix them down in ease and security, upon a false and fallible foundation.
4. To prevent their ruining themselves for ever. (N. Emmons, D. D.)
The forbidding of carnal confidence
1. What a man doth most trust in, that he esteemeth most of, and praiseth in his heart most; therefore doth the psalmist set us upon God, as on the right object of trust, and diverteth us from the wrong, that he may teach us to make God the only object of praise.
2. Because the main object of our carnal confidence naturally is man in power, who seemeth able to do for us, able to promote us to dignity and riches, and to keep us up in some state in the world; therefore must we throw down this idol in particular, that we may place our confidence in God the better.
3. To cut off carnal confidence in man, that neither mean men may trust in great men, nor great men may trust in the multitude of mean men, we must remember that no man is naturally better than his progenitors, but such as his fathers were, such is he--that is, a sinful, weak, and unconstant creature.
4. The reason why we should not put trust in man is because he can neither help himself nor the man that trusteth in him when there is most need.
5. He that cannot deliver himself from death is not to be trusted in, because it is uncertain how soon death shall seize upon him.
6. Whatsoever the good will, or purpose, or promise of any man can give assurance of, all doth vanish when the man dieth. (D. Dickson.)
Man too frail for our support
We may lean on the creature without falling for a time, even as one doth against a crazy fence; but eventually the prop giveth way, and injury if not death ensues. God alone is safely to be trusted. (Anon.)