The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted.
Ver. 24. The fear of the wicked shall come upon him.] "A sound of fear is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him." Job 15:21 Pessimus in dubiis Augur Timor. a Thus it befell Cain, Saul, Belshazzar, Pilate (who, for fear of Caesar, delivered up Christ to be crucified, and was afterwards by the same Caesar kicked off the bench - yea, off the stage of the world), those wicked Jews that feared that the Romans would come and take away both their place and nation, Joh 11:48 which accordingly befell them some forty years after, at which time some of them also killed themselves, lest they should be taken by the enemy. b The like may be said of our Richard III, See Trapp on " Pro 10:22 " and Henry IV of France, after his revolt to Popery. He, being persuaded by the Duke of Sully not to re-admit the Jesuits, which had been banished by the parliament of Paris, answered suddenly, Give me, then, security for my life, and afterwards admitted them into his bosom, making Father Cotton his confessor, and using them ever with marvellous respect, yet was stabbed to the heart by Ravilliac, through their instigation. c Excellent is that of Solomon, Pro 29:25 "The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord" - as Hezekiah did, 2Ki 18:4-5 and our King Edward VI, and that peerless Queen Elizabeth - "shall be safe."
But the desire of the righteous shall be granted.] Provided that these be the lawful desires of honest hearts. If such ask and miss, it is "because they ask amiss"; Jam 4:3 either they fail in the matter, as Moses in his desire to enter into the promised land, or in the manner, as the Church in the Canticles, Song of Solomon 5:3. Virtutem exoptant, intabescuntque relicta - they would, and they would not. There is a kind of wambling willingness, and velleity, but it boils not up to the full height of resolution for God, and utmost endeavour after the thing desired. Now affection without endeavour is like Rachel - beautiful but barren. Or, lastly, they fail in the end, either of intention, Jam 4:3 or of duration. Luk 18:1 They draw not near with that "true heart" Heb 10:22 that is content either to wait or to want the thing desired, being heartily willing that God should be glorified, though themselves be not gratified. Let them but bring this "true heart," and they may have any thing. See Trapp on " Mat 5:6 "
a Statius in Theibad.
b Hic rogo, non furor est, ne moriare, mori!
c Camden's Elisab., pref.