Title. A Psalm of David. From the title we
learn nothing but the authorship: but this is interesting and
leads us to observe the wondrous operations of the Spirit upon
the mind of Israel's sweet singer, enabling him to touch the
mournful string in Psalm twenty-two, to pour forth gentle notes
of peace in Psalm twenty-three, and here to utter majestic and
triumphant strains. We can do or sing all things when the Lord
strengtheneth us.
This
sacred hymn was probably written to be sung when the ark of the
covenant was taken up from the house of Obed-edom, to remain
within curtains upon the hill of Zion. The words are not
unsuitable for the sacred dance of joy in which David led the
way upon that joyful occasion. The eye of the psalmist looked,
however, beyond the typical upgoing of the ark to the sublime
ascension of the King of glory. We will call it The Song of
the Ascension.
Division. The Psalm makes a pair with the fifteenth Psalm.
It consists of three parts. The first glorifies the true
God, and sings of his universal dominion; the second
describes the true Israel, who are able to commune with
him; and the third pictures the ascent of the true Redeemer,
who has opened heaven's gates for the entrance of his elect.
EXPOSITION
Verse 1. How very different is this from the ignorant Jewish
notion of God which prevailed in our Saviour's day? The Jews
said, "The holy land is God's, and the seed of Abraham are
his only people;" but their great Monarch had long before
instructed them,—"The earth is the Lord's, and the
fulness thereof." The whole round world is claimed for
Jehovah, "and they that dwell therein" are
declared to be his subjects. When we consider the bigotry of the
Jewish people at the time of Christ, and how angry they were
with our Lord for saying that many widows were in Israel, but
unto none of them was the prophet sent, save only to the widow
of Sarepta, and that there were many lepers in Israel, but none
of them was healed except Naaman the Syrian,—when we
recollect, too, how angry they were at the mention of Paul's
being sent to the Gentiles, we are amazed that they should have
remained in such blindness, and yet have sung this psalm, which
shows so clearly that God is not the God of the Jews only, but
of the Gentiles also. What a rebuke is this to those wiseacres
who speak of the negro and other despised races as though they
were not cared for by the God of heaven! If a man be but a man
the Lord claims him, and who dares to brand him as a mere piece
of merchandise! The meanest of men is a dweller in the world,
and therefore belongs to Jehovah. Jesus Christ had made an end
of the exclusiveness of nationalities. There is neither
barbarian, Scythian, bond not free; but we all are one in Christ
Jesus.
Man
lives upon "the earth," and parcels out its
soil among his mimic kings and autocrats; but the earth is not
man's. He is but a tenant at will, a leaseholder upon the most
precarious tenure, liable to instantaneous ejectment. The great
Landowner and true Proprietor holds his court above the clouds,
and laughs at the title-deeds of worms of the dust. The
fee-simple is not with the lord of the manor nor the freeholder,
but with the Creator. The "fulness" of the
earth may mean its harvests, its wealth, its life, or its
worship; in all these senses the Most High God is Possessor of
all. The earth is full of God; he made it full and he keeps it
full, notwithstanding all the demands which living creatures
make upon its stores. The sea is full, despite all the clouds
which rise from it; the air is full, notwithstanding all the
lives which breathe it; the soil is full, though millions of
plants derive their nourishment from it. Under man's tutored
hand the world is coming to a greater fulness than ever, but it
is all the Lord's; the field and the fruit, the earth and all
earth's wonders are Jehovah's. We look also for a sublimer
fulness when the true ideal of a world for God shall have been
reached in millennial glories, and then most clearly the earth
will be be the Lord's and the fulness thereof. These words are
now upon London's Royal Exchange, they shall one day be written
in letters of light across the sky.
The
term "world" indicates the habitable regions,
wherein Jehovah is especially to be acknowledged as Sovereign.
He who rules the fish of the sea and the fowl of the air should
not be disobeyed by man, his noblest creature. Jehovah is the
Universal King, all nations are beneath his sway: true Autocrat
of all the nations, emperors and czars are but his slaves. Men
are not their own, nor may they call their lips, their hearts,
or their substance their own; they are Jehovah's rightful
servants. This claim especially applies to us who are born from
heaven. We do not belong to the world or to Satan, but by
creation and redemption we are the peculiar portion of the Lord.
Paul
uses this verse twice, to show that no food is unclean, and that
nothing is really the property of false gods. All things are
God's; no ban is on the face of nature, nothing is common or
unclean. The world is all God's world, and the food which is
sold in the shambles is sanctified by being my Father's, and I
need not scruple to eat thereof.
Verse 2. In the second verse we have the reason why the world
belongs to God, namely, because he has created it, which is a
title beyond all dispute. "For he hath founded it upon
the seas." It is God who lifts up the earth from out of
the sea, so that the dry land, which otherwise might in a moment
be submerged, as in the days of Noah, is kept from the floods.
The hungry jaws of ocean would devour the dry land if a constant
fiat of Omnipotence did not protect it. "He hath
established it upon the floods." The world is
Jehovah's, because from generation to generation he preserves
and upholds it, having settled its foundations. Providence and
Creation are the two legal seals upon the title-deeds of the
great Owner of all things. He who built the house and bears up
its foundations has surely a first claim upon it. Let it be
noted, however, upon what insecure foundations all terrestrial
things are founded. Founded on the seas! Established on the
floods! Blessed be God the Christian has another world to look
forward to, and rests his hopes upon a more stable foundation
than this poor world affords. They who trust in worldly things
build upon the sea; but we have laid our hopes, by God's grace,
upon the Rock of Ages; we are resting upon the promise of an
immutable God, we are depending upon the constancy of a faithful
Redeemer. Oh! ye worldlings, who have built your castles of
confidence, your palaces of wealth, and your bowers of pleasure
upon the seas, and established them upon the floods; how soon
will your baseless fabrics melt, like foam upon the waters! Sand
is treacherous enough, but what shall be said of the yet more
unstable sea?
Verses 3-6. Here we have the true Israel described. The men
who shall stand as courtiers in the palace of the living God are
not distinguished by race, but by character; they are not Jews
only, nor Gentiles only, nor any one branch of mankind
peculiarly, but a people purified and made meet to dwell in the
holy hill of the Lord.
Verse 3. "Who shall ascend into the hill of the
Lord?" It is uphill work for the creature to reach the
Creator. Where is the mighty climber who can scale the towering
heights? Nor is it height alone; it is glory too. Whose eye
shall see the King in his beauty and dwell in his palace? In
heaven he reigns most gloriously, who shall be permitted to
enter into his royal presence? God has made all, but he will not
save all; there is a chosen company who shall have the singular
honour of dwelling with him in his high abode. These choice
spirits desire to commune with God, and their wish shall be
granted them. The solemn enquiry of the text is repeated in
another form. Who shall be able to "stand" or
continue there? He casteth away the wicked, who then can abide
in his house? Who is he that can gaze upon the Holy One, and can
abide in the blaze of his glory? Certainly none may venture to
commune with God upon the footing of the law, but grace can make
us meet to behold the vision of the divine presence. The
question before us is one which all should ask for themselves,
and none should be at ease till they have received an answer of
peace. With careful self-examination let us enquire, "Lord,
is it I."
Verse 4. "He that hath clean hands."
Outward, practical holiness is a very precious mark of grace. To
wash in water with Pilate is nothing, but to wash in innocency
is all-important. It is to be feared that many professors have
perverted the doctrine of justification by faith in such a way
as to treat good works with contempt; if so, they will receive
everlasting contempt at the last great day. It is vain to prate
of inward experience unless the daily life is free from
impurity, dishonesty, violence, and oppression. Those who draw
near to God must have "clean hands." What
monarch would have servants with filthy hands to wait at his
table? They who were ceremonially unclean could not enter into
the Lord's house which was made with hands, much less shall the
morally defiled be allowed to enjoy spiritual fellowship with a
holy God. If our hands are now unclean, let us wash them in
Jesu's precious blood, and so let us pray unto God, lifting up
pure hands. But "clean hands" would not
suffice, unless they were connected with "a pure
heart." True religion is heart-work. We may wash the
outside of the cup and the platter as long as we please; but if
the inward parts be filthy, we are filthy altogether in the
sight of God, for our hearts are more truly ourselves than our
hands are. We may lose our hands and yet live, but we could not
lose our heart and still live; the very life of our being lies
in the inner nature, and hence the imperative need of purity
within. There must be a work of grace in the core of the heart
as well as in the palm of the hand, or our religion is a
delusion. May God grant that our inward powers may be cleansed
by the sanctifying Spirit, so that we may love holiness and
abhor all sin. The pure in heart shall see God, all others are
but blind bats; stone-blindness in the eyes arises from stone in
the heart. Dirt in the heart throws dust in the eyes.
The
soul must be delivered from delighting in the grovelling toys of
earth; the man who is born for heaven "hath not lifted
up his soul unto vanity." All men have their joys, by
which their souls are lifted up; the worldling lifts up his soul
in carnal delights, which are mere empty vanities; but the saint
loves more substantial things; like Jehoshaphat, he is lifted up
in the ways of the Lord. He who is content with the husks will
be reckoned with the swine. If we suck our consolation from the
breasts of the world, we prove ourselves to be its home-born
children. Does the world satisfy thee? Then thou hast thy reward
and thy portion in this life; make much of it, for thou shalt
know no other joy.
"Nor
sworn deceitfully." The saints are men of honour still.
The Christian man's word is his only oath; but that is as good
as twenty oaths of other men. False speaking will shut any man
out of heaven, for a liar shall not enter into God's house,
whatever may be his professions or doings. God will have nothing
to do with liars, except to cast them into the lake of fire.
Every liar is a child of the devil, and will be sent home to his
father. A false declaration, a fraudulent statement, a cooked
account, a slander, a lie—all these may suit the assembly of
the ungodly, but are detested among true saints: how could they
have fellowship with the God of truth, if they did not hate
every false way?
Verse 5. It must not be supposed that the persons who are
thus described by their inward and outward holiness are saved by
the merits of their works; but their works are the evidences by
which they are known. The present verse shows that in the saints
grace reigns and grace alone. Such men wear the holy livery of
the Great King because he has of his own free love clothed them
therewith. The true saint wears the wedding garment, but he owns
that the Lord of the feast provided it for him, without money
and without price. "He shall receive the blessing from
the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation."
So that the saints need salvation; they receive righteousness,
and "the blessing" is a boon from God their
Saviour. They do not ascend the hill of the Lord as givers but
as receivers, and they do not wear their own merits, but a
righteousness which they have received. Holy living ensures a
blessing as its reward from the thrice Holy God, but it is
itself a blessing of the New Covenant and a delightful fruit of
the Spirit. God first gives us good works, and then rewards us
for them. Grace is not obscured by God's demand for holiness,
but is highly exalted as we see it decking the saint with
jewels, and clothing him in fair white linen; all this sumptuous
array being a free gift of mercy.
Verse 6. "This is the generation of them that seek
him, that seek thy face, O Jacob." These are the
regeneration, these are in the line of grace; these are the
legitimate seed. Yet they are only seekers; hence learn that
true seekers are very dear in God's esteem, and are entered upon
his register. Even seeking has a sanctifying influence;
what a consecrating power must lie in finding and enjoying the
Lord's face and favour! To desire communion with God is a
purifying thing. Oh to hunger and thirst more and more after a
clear vision of the face of God; this will lead us to purge
ourselves from all filthiness, and to walk with heavenly
circumspection. He who longs to see his friend when he passes
takes care to clear the mist from the window, lest by any means
his friend should go by unobserved. Really awakened souls seek
the Lord above everything, and as this is not the usual desire
of mankind, they constitute a generation by themselves; a people
despised of men but beloved of God. The expression "O
Jacob" is a very difficult one, unless it be indeed
true that the God of Jacob here condescendeth to be called
Jacob, and takes upon himself the name of his chosen people.
The
preceding verses correct the inordinate boastings of those Jews
who vaunted themselves as the favourites of heaven; they are
told that their God is the God of all the earth, and that he is
holy, and will admit none but holy ones into his presence. Let
the mere professor as he reads these verses listen to the voice
which saith, "without holiness no man shall see the
Lord."
"Selah."
Lift up the harp and voice, for a nobler song is coming; a song
of our Well-beloved.
Verse 7. These last verses reveal to us the great
representative man, who answered to the full character laid
down, and therefore by his own right ascended the holy hill of
Zion. Our Lord Jesus Christ could ascend into the hill of the
Lord because his hands were clean and his heart was pure, and if
we by faith in him are conformed to his image we shall enter
too. We have here a picture of our Lord's glorious ascent. We
see him rising from amidst the little group upon Olivet, and as
the cloud receives him, angels reverently escort him to the
gates of heaven.
The
ancient gates of the eternal temple are personified and
addressed in song by the attending cohorts of rejoicing spirits.
"Lo his triumphal chariot waits,
And angels chant the solemn lay.
'Lift up your heads, ye heavenly gates;
Ye everlasting doors, give way."
They are called upon "to lift up their heads,"
as though with all their glory they were not great enough for
the Allglorious King. Let all things do their utmost to honour
so great a Prince; let the highest heaven put on unusual
loftiness in honour of "the King of Glory." He
who, fresh from the cross and the tomb, now rides through the
gates of the New Jerusalem is higher than the heavens; great and
everlasting as they are, those gates of pearl are all unworthy
of him before whom the heavens are not pure, and who chargeth
his angels with folly. "Lift up your heads, O ye
gates."
Verse 8. The watchers at the gate hearing the song look over
the battlements and ask, "Who is this King of
glory?" A question full of meaning and worthy of the
meditations of eternity. Who is he in person, nature, character,
office and work? What is his pedigree? What his rank and what
his race? The answer given in a mighty wave of music is, "The
Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle." We
know the might of Jesus by the battles which he has fought, the
victories which he has won over sin, and death, and hell, and we
clap our hands as we see him leading captivity captive in the
majesty of his strength. Oh for a heart to sing his praises!
Mighty hero, be thou crowned for ever King of kings and Lord of
lords.
Verse 9. "Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift
them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come
in." The words are repeated with a pleasing variation.
There are times of deep earnest feeling when repetitions are not
vain but full of force. Doors were often taken from their hinges
when Easterns would show welcome to a guest, and some doors were
drawn up and down like a portcullis, and may possibly have
protruded from the top; thus literally lifting up their heads.
The picture is highly poetical, and shows how wide heaven's gate
is set by the ascension of our Lord. Blessed be God, the gates
have never been shut since. The opened gates of heaven invite
the weakest believer to enter.
Dear
reader, it is possible that you are saying, "I shall never
enter into the heaven of God, for I have neither clean hands nor
a pure heart." Look then to Christ, who has already climbed
the holy hill. He has entered as the forerunner of those who
trust him. Follow in his footsteps, and repose upon his merit.
He rides triumphantly into heaven, and you shall ride there too
if you trust him. "But how can I get the character
described?" say you. The Spirit of God will give you that.
He will create in you a new heart and a right spirit. Faith in
Jesus is the work of the Holy Spirit, and has all virtues
wrapped up in it. Faith stands by the fountain filled with
blood, and as she washes therein, clean hands and a pure heart,
a holy soul and a truthful tongue are given to her.
Verse 10. The closing note is inexpressibly grand. Jehovah of
hosts, Lord of men and angels, Lord of the universe, Lord of the
worlds, is the King of glory. All true glory is concentrated
upon the true God, for all other glory is but a passing pageant,
the painted pomp of an hour. The ascended Saviour is here
declared to be the Head and Crown of the universe, the King of
Glory. Our Immanuel is hymned in sublimest strains. Jesus of
Nazareth is Jehovah Sabaoth.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Whole Psalm. It will be seen that this Psalm was
written to be chanted in responsive parts, with two choruses. To
comprehend it fully, it should be understood that Jerusalem, as
the city of God, was by the Jews regarded as a type of heaven.
It so occurs in the Apocalypse, whence we have adopted it in our
poetical and devotional aspirations. The court of the tabernacle
was the scene of the Lord's more immediate residence—the
tabernacle his palace, and the ark his throne. With this leading
idea in his mind, the most cursory reader—if there be cursory
readers of the Bible—cannot fail to be struck with the beauty
and sublimity of this composition, and its exquisite
suitableness to the occasion. The chief musician, who was
probably in this case the king himself, appears to have begun
the sacred lay with a solemn and sonorous recital of these
sentences:—
"The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof;
The world, and they that dwell therein.
For he hath founded it upon the seas,
And established it upon the floods."
The
chorus of vocal music appears to have then taken up the song,
and sung the same words in a more tuneful and elaborate harmony;
and the instruments and the whole chorus of the people fell in
with them, raising the mighty declaration to heaven. There is
much reason to think that the people, or a large body of them,
were qualified or instructed to take their part in this great
ceremonial. The historical text says, "David, and all
the house of Israel played before the Lord, upon all manner
of instruments," etc. We may presume that the chorus then
divided, each singing in their turns, and both joining at the
close—
"For he hath founded it upon the seas,
And established it upon the floods."
This part of the music may be supposed to have lasted until the
procession reached the foot of Zion, or came in view of it,
which from the nature of the enclosed site, cannot be till one
comes quite near to it. Then the king must be supposed to have
stepped forth, and begun again, in a solemn and earnest tone—
"Who shall ascend into the holy hill of the Lord?
Or who shall stand in his holy place?"
To which the first chorus responds—
"He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart;
Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn
deceitfully."
And then the second chorus—
"He shall receive the blessing from the Lord,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation."
This
part of the sacred song may, in like manner, be supposed to have
lasted till they reached the gate of the city, when the king
began again in this grand and exalted strain:—
"Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors,
And the King of glory shall come in."
repeated then, in the same way as before, by the general chorus.
The
persons having charge of the gates on this high occasion ask—
"Who is the King of glory?"
To which the first chorus answers—
"It is Jehovah, strong and mighty—
Jehovah mighty in battle."
which the second chorus then repeats in like manner as before,
closing it with the grand universal chorus,
"He is the King of glory! He is the King of glory!"
We
must now suppose the instruments to take up the same notes, and
continue them to the entrance to the court of the tabernacle.
There the king again begins—
"Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors;
And the King of glory shall come in."
This is followed and answered as before—all closing, the
instruments sounding, the chorus singing, the people shouting—
"He is the King of glory."
John Kitto's "Daily Bible Illustrations."
Whole Psalm. The coming of the Lord of glory, the high
demands upon his people proceeding from this, the absolute
necessity to prepare worthily for his arrival, form the
subject-matter of this Psalm. E. W. Hengstenberg.
Whole Psalm. We learn from the rabbins, that this was
one of certain Psalms which were sung in the performance of
Jewish worship on each day in the week:—
The 24th Psalm on the 1st, the Lord's-day, our Sunday.
48th " 2nd "
82nd " 3rd "
94th " 4th "
81st " 5th "
93rd " 6th "
92nd " 7th, the Jewish Sabbath.
This Psalm, then, appropriated to the Lord's-day, our Sunday,
was intended to celebrate the resurrection of Messiah, and his
ascension into heaven, there to sit as priest upon God's throne,
and from thence to come down bringing blessings and mercies to
his people. R. H. Ryland.
Whole Psalm. Anthem of praise, performed when the
heads of the gates of Jerusalem were lifted up to receive the
ark; and those of the Israelites who were ceremoniously clean,
were alone permitted to accompany it into the court of the
tabernacle. A Psalm of David. Verses 1, 2, chorus. 3. First
voice. 4, 5. Second voice. 6. Chorus. 7. Semi-chorus
accompanying the ark. 8. Voice from within the gates. 8. Chorus
of priests accompanying the ark. 9. Chorus of priests and people
with the ark. 10. Voice within the gates. 10. Grand chorus. From
"The Psalms, with Prefatory Titles, etc., from the Port
Royal Authors," by Mary Anne Schimmelpenninck, 1825.
Whole Psalm. How others may think upon this point, I
cannot say, nor pretend to describe, but for my own part, I have
no notion of hearing, or of any man's ever having seen or heard,
anything so great, so solemn, so celestial, on this side the
gates of heaven. Patrick Delany, D.D., 1686-1768.
Verse 1. "The earth is the Lord's,"
that is, Christ's, who is the "Lord of lords"
(Revelation 19:16); for the whole world and all the things
therein are his by a twofold title. First, by donation of God
his Father, having "all power given unto him in heaven and
in earth" (Matthew 28:18), even whatsoever things the
Father hath are his (John 16:15); and so consequently "made
heir of all things." Hebrews 1:2. Secondly, the earth is
Christ's and all that therein is, by right of creation, for "he
founded it," saith our prophet, and that after a
wonderful manner, "upon the seas and floods." .
. . All things then are Christ's, in respect of creation,
by whom all things were made" (John 1:3); in respect of sustentation,
as upholding all things by his mighty word (Hebrews 1:3); in
respect of administration, as reaching from one end to
another, and ordering all things sweetly (Wisdom 8:1): in one
word—"Of him, and through him, and to him, are all
things." Romans 11:36. From hence we may learn (1), That
Christ is "the King of glory," "Lord of
Hosts," even Almighty God. For he that made all, is
"Lord over all;" he that is the Creator of heaven and
earth is Almighty (saith our Creed); able to do whatsoever he
will, and more than he will too—more by his absolute power,
than he will by his actual—"able to raise up children
unto Abraham" out of the very stones of the street, though
he doth not actually produce such a generation. His almightiness
evidently proves him to be God, and his founding of the world
his almightiness; for "The gods that have not made the
heaven and earth shall perish from the earth, and from under
these heavens." Jeremiah 10:11. (2.) Seeing the compass of
the world and all they that dwell therein are the Lord's, it is
plain that the church is not confined within the limits of one
region, or glued, as it were, to one seat only. The Donatists in
old time, would tie the church only to Cartenna in Africa, the
Papists in our time to Rome in Italy; but the Scriptures plainly
affirm that the golden candlesticks are removed from one place
to another, and that the kingdom of God is taken away from one
nation and given unto another country that brings forth the
fruit thereof; in every region he that feareth God and worketh
righteousness is accepted of him. Acts 10:35. John Boys.
Verse 1. "The earth is Jehovah's."
The object of the beginning of the Psalm is to show that the
Jews had nothing of themselves which could entitle them to
approach nearer or more familiarly to God than the Gentiles. As
God by his providence preserves the world, the power of his
government is alike extended to all, so that he ought to be
worshipped by all, even as he also shows to all men, without
exception, the fatherly care he has about them. J. Calvin.
Verse 1. "The earth is the Lord's."
It is Christ's, by creation (verse 2; John 1:1, 2), and it is
his by resurrection (Matthew 28:18), and by his glorious
ascension into heaven, where he is enthroned King of the world
in his human nature. This Psalm takes up the language of the
first Ascension Psalm (Psalm 8.) Christopher Wordsworth, D.D.,
in loc.
Verse 1. St. Chrysostom, suffering under the Empress
Eudoxia, tells his friend Cyriacus how he armed himself before
hand: ei me ' bouletai n basilissa e xorisai me, etc.
"I thought, will she banish me? 'The earth is the Lord's
and the fulness thereof.' Take away my goods? 'Naked came
I into the world, and naked must I return.' Will she stone
me? I remembered Stephen. Behead me? John Baptist came into my
mind," etc. Thus it should be with every one that intends
to live and die comfortably: they must, as we say, lay up
something for a rainy day; they must stock themselves with
graces, store up promises, and furnish themselves with
experiences of God's lovingkindness to others and themselves
too, that so when the evil day comes, they may have much good
coming thereby. John Spencer.
Verse 1. "The earth is the Lord's."
As David, in his youthful days, was tending his flocks on
Bethlehem's fertile plains, the spirit of the Lord descended
upon him, and his senses were opened, and his understanding
enlightened, so that he could understand the songs of the night.
The heavens proclaimed the glory of God, and glittering stars
formed the general chorus, their harmonious melody resounded
upon earth, and the sweet fulness of their voices vibrated to it
utmost bounds.
Light
is the countenance of the Eternal," sung the setting sun:
"I am the hem of his garment," responded the soft and
rosy twilight. The clouds gathered themselves together and said,
"We are his nocturnal tent." And the waters in the
clouds, and the hollow voices of the thunders, joined in the
lofty chorus, "The voice of the Eternal is upon the waters,
the God of glory thundereth in the heavens, the Lord is upon
many waters."
"He
flieth upon my wings," whispered the winds, and the gentle
air added, "I am the breath of God, the aspirations of his
benign presence." "We hear the songs of praise,"
said the parched earth; "all around is praise; I alone am
sad and silent." Then the falling dew replied, "I will
nourish thee, so that thou shalt be refreshed and rejoice, and
thy infants shall bloom like the young rose."
"Joyfully we bloom," sang the refreshed meads; the
full ears of corn waved as they sang, "We are the blessing
of God, the hosts of God against famine."
"We
bless thee from above," said the gentle moon; "We,
too, bless thee," responded the stars; and the lightsome
grasshopper chirped, "Me, too, he blesses in the pearly
dew-drop." "He quenched my thirst," said the roe;
"And refreshed me," continued the stag; "And
grants us our food," said the beasts of the forest;
"And clothes my lambs," gratefully added the sheep.
"He
heard me," croaked the raven, "when I was forsaken and
alone;" "He heard me," said the wild goat of the
rocks, "when my time came, and I brought forth." And
the turtle-dove cooed, and the swallow and other birds joined
the song, "We have found our nests, our houses, we dwell
upon the altar of the Lord, and sleep under the shadow of his
wing in tranquillity and peace." "And peace,"
replied the night, and echo prolonged the sound, when
chanticleer awoke the dawn, and crowed with joy, "Open the
portals, set wide the gates of the world! The King of glory
approaches. Awake! Arise, ye sons of men, give praises and
thanks unto the Lord, for the King of glory approaches."
The
sun arose, and David awoke from his melodious rapture. But as
long as he lived the strains of creation's harmony remained in
his soul, and daily he recalled them from the strings of his
harp. From the "Legend of the Songs of the Night,"
in the Talmud, quoted in "Biblical Antiquities." By F.
A. Cox, D.D., LL.D., 1852.
Verse 1. The pious mind views all things in God,, and
God in all things. Ingram Cobbin, 1839.
Verse 2. "He hath founded it upon the seas,
and established it upon the floods." This founding
the land upon the seas, and preparing it upon the floods,
is so wonderfully wonderful, that Almighty God asked his servant
Job, "Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened?"
Job 38:6. Xerxes commanded his soldiers to fetter the waters of
Hellispontus; and so God bindeth, as it were, the floods in
fetters, at St. Basil plainly, Ligatum est mare præcepto
Creatoris quasi compedibus; he saith unto the sea,
"Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further, there shall it
stay thy proud waves." "He gathereth the waters of the
sea together as an heap; he layeth up the depth in
storehouses" (Job 38:11; Psalm 33:7); so that without his
leave not so much as one drop can overflow the land. John
Boys.
Verse 2. (New translation.) "For he hath
founded it upon the seas, and upon streams doth he make it
fast." The reference is no doubt to the account of the
Creation, in Genesis, the dry land having emerged from the
water, and seeming to rest upon it. (Comp. 136:6; Proverbs
8:29.) It would, however, be quite out of place to suppose that
in such language we have the expression of any theory, whether
popular or scientific, as to the structure of the earth's
surface: Job says (26:7), "He hangeth the earth upon
nothing." Such expressions are manifestly poetical. See Job
38:6. J. J. Stewart Perowne.
Verse 2. "Upon the seas:" that is,
upon the great abyss of water which is under the earth, enclosed
in great hollow places, whence the heads of rivers do spring,
and other waters bubble out upon the earth. John Diodati.
Verse 2. "Above the floods he hath established
it." Both the words (Heb.) (Al) in the two clauses of
this verse mean either "above" as we have rendered it,
and refer to Genesis 1:9, 10, denoting that Jehovah hath called
forth dry land from the midst of the seas, and established it
above the floods, and hath set a boundary to the latter never to
turn and overflow it (see Job 38:8; Psalm 104. chronologically
Psalm 7:9); or "by, or at," as they often denote, and
refer to the same subject of the omnipotence of God in relation
to the same quoted passages, i.e., that though our globe
is situated at or by the floods—is surrounded with mighty
waters whose single wave could bury it for ever, still the Lord
has so established it that this never can happen. This is a
mighty reason why the earth and all its fulness and inhabitants
belong to Jehovah. Benjamin Weiss.
Verse 2. Hereby is mystically meant, that he hath set
his church above the waters of adversities, so that how high
soever they arise, it is kept still above them in safety, and so
shall be for evermore; or it may agree thus—he will take in
all nations to be in his grace, because all be his creatures; he
made them so admirable an habitation at the first, and upholds
it still, showing hereby how much he regards them; therefore he
will now extend his favour further towards them, by taking them
in to be his people. Augustine, quoted by Mayer.
Verse 3. "Who shall ascend?" Indeed,
if none must ascend but he that is clean and pure, and without
vanity and deceit, the question is quickly answered, None shall,
for there is none so: dust is our matter, so not clean;
defiled is our nature, so not pure; lighter, the heaviest of us,
than vanity, and deceitful upon the balance the best of us; so
no ascending so high for any of us. Yet there is One we hear of,
or might have heard of to-day, that rose and ascended up on
high, was thus qualified as the psalmist speaks of, all clean
and pure, no chaff at all, no guile found in his mouth. 1 Peter
2:22. Yes, but it was but One that was so; what's that to all
the rest? Yes, somewhat 'tis. He was our Head, and
if the Head be once risen and ascended, the members will all
follow after in their time. Mark Frank.
Verse 3. "The hill of the Lord," can
be no other than a hill of glory. His holy place is no less than
the very place and seat of glory. And being such, you cannot
imagine it but hard to come by, the very petty glories of
the world are so. This is a hill of glory, hard to climb,
difficult to ascend, craggy to pass up, steep to clamber, no
plain campagnia to it, the broad easy way leads some whither
else (Matthew 7:13); the way to this is narrow (verse 14); 'tis
rough and troublesome. To be of the number of Christ's true
faithful servants is no slight work; 'tis a fight, 'tis a race,
'tis a continual warfare; fastings and watchings, and cold and
nakedness, and hunger and thirst, bonds, imprisonments, dangers
and distresses, ignominy and reproach, afflictions and
persecutions, the world's hatred and our friend's neglect, all
that we call hard or difficult is to be found in the way we are
to go. A man cannot leave a lust, shake off bad company, quit a
course of sin, enter upon a way of virtue, profess his religion,
or stand to it, cannot ascend the spiritual hill, but he
will meet some or other of these to contest and strive with. But
not only to ascend, but to stand there, as the word
signifies; to continue at so high a pitch, to be constant in
truth and piety, that will be hard indeed, and bring more
difficulties to contest with. Mark Frank.
Verses 3, 4. The Psalm begins with a solicitous
enquiry, subjoins a satisfactory answer, and closes with a most
pertinent but rapturous apostrophe. This is the enquiry, "Who
shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in
his holy place?" This is the answer, "He that
hath clean hands, and a pure heart;" "he shall receive
the blessing" of plenary remission "from the
Lord, and righteousness also from the God of his
salvation:" even that perfect righteousness which is
not acquired by man, but bestowed by Jehovah; which is not
performed by the saint, but received by the sinner; which is the
only solid basis to support our hopes of happiness, the only
valid plea for an admission into the mansions of joy. Then
follows the apostrophe: the prophet foresees the ascension of
Christ and his saints into the kingdom of heaven. He sees his
Lord marching at the head of the redeemed world, and conducting
them into regions of honour and joy. Suitably to such a view,
and in a most beautiful strain of poetry, he addresses himself
to the heavenly portals. "Lift up your heads, O ye
gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of
glory," with all the heirs of his grace and
righteousness, shall make their triumphant entry; "shall
enter in," and go out no more. James Hervey.
Verses 3, 4. It is not he who sings so well or so many
Psalms, nor he who fasts or watches so many days, nor he who
divides his own among the poor, nor he who preaches to others,
nor he who lives quietly, kindly, and friendly; nor, in fine, is
it he who knows all sciences and languages, nor he who works all
virtuous and all good works that ever any man spoke or read of,
but it is he alone, who is pure within and without. Martin
Luther.
Verse 4. "He that hath clean hands, and a pure
heart." Shall I tell you, then, who is a moral man in
the sight of God? It is he that bows to the divine law as the
supreme rule of right; he that is influenced by a governing
regard to God in all his actions; he that obeys other commands
spontaneously, because he has obeyed the first and great
command, "Give me thy heart." His conduct is
not conformed to custom or expediency, but to one consistent,
immutable standard of duty. Take this man into a court of
justice, and call on him to testify, and he will not bear false
witness. Give him the charge of untold treasures, he will not
steal. Trust him with the dearest interests of yourself or
family, you are safe, because he has a living principle of truth
and integrity in his bosom. He is as worthy of confidence in the
dark as at noonday; for he is a moral man, not because
reputation or interest demands it, not because the eye of public
observation is fixed upon him, but because the love and fear of
God have predominant ascendency in his heart. Ebenezer
Porter, D.D., 1834.
Verse 4. Conditions that suit none but Christ. (Bellarmine.)
"He that hath clean hands;" "the clean of
hands," Margin:—those hands from which went forth virtue
and healing; hands ever lifted up in prayer to God, or in
blessing to man; hands stretched forth on the cross for the
cleansing of the whole world. Isaac Williams, in loc.
Verse 4. "Who hath not lifted up his soul unto
vanity," is read by Arius Montanus, "He that hath
not received his soul in vain." Oh! how many receive their
souls in vain, making no more use of them than the swine, of
whom the philosopher observes, cujus anima pro sale,
their souls are only for salt to keep their bodies from
stinking. Who would not grieve to think that so choice a piece
should be employed about so vain a use! George Swinnock.
Verse 4. "Nor sworn deceitfully;" or
inured his tongue to any other kind of language of hell's rotten
communication, to the dishonouring of God, or deceiving of
others. Perjury is here instanced for the rest, as one of the
most heinous. But Peraldus reckoneth up four-and-twenty several
sins of the tongue, all which every burgess of the New Jerusalem
is careful to avoid, as the devil's drivel, no way becoming his
pure lip. John Trapp.
Verse 4. Now we come to the four conditions requisite
to render such an ascent possible. 1. Abstinence from evil
doing: "He that hath clean hands." 2.
Abstinence from evil thought: "and a pure heart."
3. Who does that duty which he is sent into the world to do: "That
hath not lifted up his mind unto vanity;" or, as it is
in the Vulgate, "Who hath no received his soul in
vain." And, 4. Remembers the vows by which he is bound
to God: "nor sworn to deceive." And in the
fullest sense, there was but One in whom all these things were
fulfilled; so that in reply to the question, "Who shall
ascend into the hill of the Lord?" He might well answer,
"No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down
from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven." John
3:13. "Therefore it is well-written," says St.
Bernard, "that such an High Priest became us, because he
knows the difficulty of that ascent to the celestial mountain,
he knows the weakness of us that have to ascend." Lorinus
and Bernard, quoted by J. M. Neale.
Verse 4. Heaven is not won with good words and a fair
profession. The doing Christian is the man that shall stand,
when the empty boaster of his faith shall fall. The great
talkers of religion are often the least doers. His religion is
in vain whose profession brings not letters testimonial from a
holy life. William Gurnall.
Verse 5. "He shall receive the blessing;"
as before, "Thou shalt set him to be a blessing."
Psalm 21:6. His name is never without blessing. In him shall all
the nations of the earth be blessed. On the mount of his
beatitudes, on the heavenly Mount Sion, crowned as "the Son
of the Blessed." "From the Lord;" even
"the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Ephesians 1:3. Isaac Williams.
Verse 5. "He shall receive . . .
righteousness." As for our own righteousness which we
have without him, Esay telleth us, "it is a defiled
cloth;" and St. Paul, that it is but "dung." Two
very homely comparisons, but they be the Holy Ghost's own; yet
nothing so homely as in the original, where they be so odious,
as what manner of defiled cloth, or what kind of dung, we have
not dared to translate. Our own then being no better, we are
driven to seek for it elsewhere. "He shall receive his
righteousness," saith the prophet; and "the
gift of righteousness," saith the apostle. Philippians
3:8, 9; Romans 5:17. It is then another, to be given us,
and to be received by us, which we must seek for. And
whither shall we go for it? Job alone dispatcheth this point
(chapter 15:15; 4:18; 25:5.) Not to the heavens or stars,
they are unclean in his sight. Not to the saints,
for in them he found folly. Not to the angels, for
neither in them found he steadfastness. Now, if none of
these will serve, we see a necessary reason why Jehovah must be
a part of this name, "the LORD our righteousness."
Jeremiah 23:6. Lancelot Andrewes.
Verse 6. "This is the generation of them that
seek him, that seek thy face." Christians must be
seekers. This is the generation of seekers. All mankind,
if ever they will come to heaven, they must be a generation of
seekers. Heaven is a generation of finders, of possessors, of
enjoyers, seekers of God. But here we are a generation of
seekers. We want somewhat that we must seek. When we are at
best, we want the accomplishment of our happiness. It is a state
of seeking here, because it is a state of want; we want
something alway. But to come more particularly to this seeking
the face of God, or the presence of God. . . . The presence
of God meant here is, that presence that he shows in the time
of need, and in his ordinances. He shows a presence in need
and necessity, that is, a gracious presence to his children, a
gracious face. As in want of direction, he shows his presence of
light to direct them; in weakness he shows his strength; in
trouble and perplexity he will show his gracious and comfortable
presence to comfort them. In perplexity he shows his presence to
set the heart at large, answerable to the necessity. So in need
God is present with his children, to direct them, to comfort
them, to strengthen them, if they need that. Richard Sibbes.
Verse 6. "This is the generation." By
the demonstrative pronoun "this," the psalmist
erases from the catalogue of the servants of God all counterfeit
Israelites, who, trusting only to their circumcision and the
sacrifice of beasts, have no concern about offering themselves
to God; and yet, at the same time, they rashly thrust themselves
into the church. John Calvin.
Verse 6. "That seek thy face, O Jacob."
In Proverbs 7:15, and 29:26, we have "seeking the face
of" in the sense of seeking the favour of, or showing
delight in. Their delight is not in Esau, who got "the
fatness of earth" (Genesis 27:39) as his portion. And those
writers may be right, who consider Jacob as a name for Messiah,
to whom belong the true birthright and blessing. Andrew A.
Bonar.
Verse 6. "That seek thy face, O Jacob."
He is "the seed of Jacob;" he is "the Holy One of
Israel;" "the face of thine Anointed" is the face
of him who is both God and man; for "we shall see him as he
is." Isaac Williams.
Verse 6. "O Jacob," or O God of
Jacob. As the church is called Christ (1 Corinthians
12:12), so God is here called "Jacob;" such a
near union there is betwixt him and his people. Or, this is
Jacob. So the true seekers are fitly called, first
because Israelites indeed (John 1:47; Romans 9:6); secondly,
because they see God face to face, as Jacob did at Peniel
(Genesis 32:24-30); thirdly, because they also, as he, do bear
away a blessing (Hosea 12:4), even "righteousness from the
God of their salvation," as in the verse aforegoing. John
Trapp.
Verse 7. "Lift up your heads, O ye
gates." The gates of the temple were indeed as
described, very lofty and magnificent, in proportion to the
gigantic dimensions of that extraordinary edifice. But the
phrase, "Lift up your heads," refers not so
much to their loftiness, as to the upper part being formed so as
to be lifted up; while the under portion opened in folding
doors. Robert Jamieson, in "Paxton's Illustrations of
Scriptures."
Verse 7. "Lift up your heads, O ye
gates." At the castle of Banias, in Syria, are the
remains of an ancient gate which was drawn up, like a blind, the
gate fitting in grooves. This will fully explain the term. John
Gadsby.
Verse 7. "Lift up." A phrase or term
taken from triumphal arches, or great porticoes, set up, or
beautified and adorned for the coming in of great, victorious,
and triumphant captains. John Diodati.
Verse 7. "Be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors;
and the King of glory shall come in." Some interpret
this of the doors of our heart, according to that (Revelation
3:20), "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man
hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him,"
etc. In the gospel history, we find that Christ had a fourfold
entertainment among men. Some received him into house, not into
heart, as Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7:44), who gave him no kiss
nor water to his feet; some into heart, but not into house, as
the faithful centurion (Matthew 8:8), esteeming himself unworthy
that Christ should come under his roof; some neither into house
nor heart, as the graceless Gergesites (Matthew 8:34); some both
into house and heart, as Lazarus, Mary, Martha. John 3:15; Luke
10:38. Now that Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith, and
that our bodies may be temples of his Holy Spirit, we must as
our prophet exhorts here, lift up our souls, that is, in
the words of St. Paul (Colossians 3:2), our affections must be
set on things which are above, and not on things which are on
earth: if we desire to lift up our hearts unto Christ's verity,
we may not lift them up unto the world's vanity; that is, we
must not fasten our love too much upon the things of this life,
but on those pleasures at God's right hand which are evermore;
that as we have borne the image of the first Adam, who was
earthly, so we should bear the image of the second Adam, which
is heavenly. 1 Corinthians 15:49. The prophane worldling sings a
Nunc dimittis unto Christ, and saith as the devils,
"Ah! what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of
Nazareth?" (Mark 1:24); and as Job reports his words,
"Depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of thy
ways." Job 21:14. On the contrary, the religious soul,
enjoying the possession of the Saviour, chanteth a merry Magnificat,
and a pleasant Te Deum: she saith unto Christ, as Ruth
unto Naomi (Ruth 1:16), "Intreat me not to leave thee, or
to return from following after thee." Nay, death itself
shall not part us, for when I am loosed out of my body's prison,
I hope to be with Christ; as Ittai then unto David, I say unto
Jesus, "As the Lord liveth, and as my lord the king liveth,
surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in
death, or life, even there also will thy servant be." 2
Samuel 15:21. O Lord, which art the God of my salvation, I lift
my heart to thee, desirous to seek thee, both in the right ubi—where
thou mayest be found, and in the right quando—while
thou mayest be found. Psalm 18:47; 25:1. Open my dull ears and
hard heart, that thy Son my Saviour may come in and dwell with
me. Grant me grace that I may still hear while he calleth, open
while he knocketh, and hold him also when I have him; that I may
both ascend thine hill, and stand in thy holy place;
that I may not only sojourn in thy tabernacle, but also rest and
dwell upon the mountain of thine holiness. John Boys.
Verse 7. "Everlasting doors."
Heaven's gates are called "everlasting,"
because they shall endure for ever, or because they be the doors
unto the life which is everlasting. John Boys.
Verse 7. Whatever we may think of these things, David
thought it high time for him to bid such a messenger welcome,
and to open his heart for the receiving of his God. Hear what he
saith to his own heart and others: "Lift up your heads,
O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the
King of glory shall come in." And because the door of
men's hearts is locked, and barred, and bolted, and men are in a
deep sleep, and will not hear the knocking that is at the gate,
though it be loud, though it be a king; therefore David knocks
again, "Lift up, ye everlasting doors." Why,
what haste, saith the sinner? What haste? Why, here's the King
at your gates; and that not an ordinary king neither; he is a
glorious King, that will honour you so far, if you open quickly,
as to lodge within, to take up his abode in your house, to dwell
with you. But the soul for all this doth not yet open, but
stands still questioning, as if it were an enemy rather than a
friend that stood there, and asks, "Who is this King of
glory?" Who? He answers again, "It is the Lord
of Hosts;" he, that if you will not open quickly and
thankfully too, can easily pull your house down about your ears;
he is the Lord of hosts, that King who hath a mighty army always
at his command, who stand ready to their commission, and then
you should know who it is you might have had for your friend;
"Lift up, therefore, your heads, O ye gates." Open
quickly, ye that had rather have God for your friend, than for
your enemy. Oh, why should not the soul of every sinner cry out,
Lord, the door is locked, and thou hast the key; I have been
trying what I can do, but the wards are so rusty that I cannot
possibly turn the key? But, Lord, throw the door off the hinges,
anything in the world, so thou wilt but come in and dwell here.
Come, O mighty God, break through doors of iron, and bars of
brass, and make way for thyself by thy love and power. Come,
Lord, and make thyself welcome; all that I have is at thy
service; O fit my soul to entertain thee! James Janeway.
Verse 7. He hath left with us the earnest if the
Spirit, and taken from us the earnest of our flesh, which he
hath carried into heaven as a pledge that the whole shall follow
after. Tertullian.
Verse 7. Christ is gone to heaven as a victor; leading
sin, Satan, death, hell, and all his enemies, in triumph at his
chariot wheels. He has not only overcome his enemies for
himself, but for all his people, whom he will make conquerors,
yea, "more than conquerors." As he has overcome, so
shall they also overcome; and as he has gone to heaven a victor,
they shall follow in triumph. He is in heaven as a Saviour. When
he came from heaven it was in the character of a Saviour; when
on earth he obtained eternal salvation; in heaven he lives as a
Saviour; when he comes again from heaven he will come as a
Saviour; and when he will return, he will return as a Saviour.
He is also gone to heaven as the rightful heir. He is not gone
to heaven as a sojourner, but as "the heir of all
things." He is the heir of heavenly glory and happiness,
and believers are "heirs of God, and joint heirs with
Christ." Henry Pendlebury, 1626-1695.
Verse 7. O clap your hands together, all ye people;
sing unto God with the voice of melody. God is gone up with a
merry noise, and the Lord with the sound of the trump."
Psalm 47: 1, 5. This Ark, which has saved the world from
destruction, after floating on a deluge of blood, rests at
length on the mountain. This innocent Joseph, whose virtue has
been oppressed by the synagogue, is brought out of the dungeon
to receive a crown. This invincible Samson has carried away the
gates of hell, and goes in triumph to the everlasting hills.
This victorious Joshua has passed over Jordan with the ark of
the covenant, and taken possession of the land of the living.
This Sun of righteousness, which had gone down ten degrees,
returns backward to the place which it had left. He who was
"a worm" at his birth, a Lamb in his passion, and a
Lion in his resurrection, now ascends as an Eagle to heaven, and
encourages us to follow him thither. This day heaven learns to
endure man's presence, and men to walk above the stars; the
heavenly Jerusalem receives its rightful King, the church its
High Priest, the house of God its Heritor, the whole world its
Ruler. "O sing praises, sing praises unto our God: O sing
praises, sing praises unto our King." Psalm 47:6-8.
"God reigneth over the heathen, God sitteth upon his holy
seat." "The princes of the people are joined
unto" him; "he is very highly exalted" above
them. From "The Life of Jesus Christ in Glory,"
translated from the French of James Nouet.
Verses 7, 8. Christ being now arrived at heaven's
doors, those heavenly spirits that accompanied him began to say,
"Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye
everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in!"
to whom some of the angels that were within, not ignorant of his
person, but admiring his majesty and glory, said again, "Who
is the King of glory?" and then they answered "The
Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle," and
thereupon those twelve gates of the holy city, of New Jerusalem,
opened of their own accord, and Jesus Christ with all his
ministering spirits entered in. O my soul, how should this
heighten thy joy and enlarge thy comforts, in that Christ is now
received up into glory? Every sight of Christ is glorious, and
in every sight thou shouldst wait on the Lord Jesus Christ for
some glorious manifestations of himself. Come, live up to the
rate of this great mystery; view Christ as entering into glory,
and thou wilt find the same sparkle of glory on thy heart. O!
this sight is a transforming sight: "We all, with open face
beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into
the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the
Lord." 2 Corinthians 3:18. Isaac Ambrose.
Verses 7, 8. Ye that are thus the living temples of
the Lord, and have already entertained his sanctifying Spirit
into you, do you lift up your hearts in the use of holy
ordinances through faith, in joyful desires and assured
expectation of him; yea, be you abundantly lift up by faith in
the use of holy means who are the everlasting habitation of an
everlasting God, with a joyful and assured welcome of him; for
so shall you invite and undoubtedly entertain the high and
mighty Potentate the Lord Christ into your souls, with the
glorious manifestation and ravishing operation of his love,
benefits, and graces. And know, O all ye faithful and obedient
ones, for your courage and comfort, who, and of what quality
this glorious King, the Lord Jesus is, whom the world despises
but you honour. Why, he is the Almighty God, of power
all-sufficient to preserve and defend his people and church,
that in trust of him do love and serve him, against all the
strength and power of men and devils that do or shall malign or
oppose themselves against them, and to put them to the foil, as
we his Israel in the letter have found by experience for your
instruction and corroboration that are his people in spirit. George
Abbot, in "Brief notes upon the whole Book of Psalms,"
1651.
Verses 7-10. Oh, what tongue of the highest archangel
of heaven can express the welcome of thee, the King of glory,
into these blessed regions of immortality? Surely the empyreal
heaven never resounded with so much joy: God ascended with
jubilation and the Lord with the sound of the trumpet. It is not
for us, weak and finite creatures, to wish to conceive those
incomprehensible, spiritual, divine gratulations, that the
glorious Trinity gave to the victorious and now glorified human
nature. Certainly if, when he brought his only-begotten Son into
the world, he said, "Let all the angels worship him;"
much more now that he, "ascendeth on high, and hath led
captivity captive, hath he given him a name above all names,
that at the name of Jesus all knees should bow." And if the
holy angels did so carol at his birth, in the very entrance into
that state of humiliation and infirmity, with what triumph did
they receive him now returning from the perfect achievement of
man's redemption? and if, when his type had vanquished Goliath,
and carried his head into Jerusalem, the damsels came forth to
meet him with dances and timbrels, how shall we think those
angelic spirits triumphed, in meeting of the great Conqueror of
hell and death? How did they sing, "Lift up your heads,
ye gates! and be lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the King
of glory shall come in." Surely, as he shall come, so
he went; and, "Behold, he shall come with thousands of his
holy ones; thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten
thousand thousands stood before him;" from all whom,
methinks I hear that blessed applause, "Worthy is the Lamb
that was killed, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and
strength, and honour, and glory, and praise: praise and honour,
and glory, and power, be to him that sitteth upon the throne,
and to the Lamb for evermore." And why dost not thou, O my
soul, help to bear thy part with that happy choir of heaven? Why
art not thou rapt out of my bosom, with an ecstasy of joy, to
see this human nature of ours exalted above all the powers of
heaven, adored of angels, archangels, cherubim, seraphim, and
all those mighty and glorious spirits, and sitting there crowned
with infinite glory and majesty? Joseph Hall.
Verses 7-10. In the twenty-fourth Psalm, we have an
account of the actual entrance of Christ into heaven. When the
King of England wishes to enter the city of London through
Temple Bar, the gate being closed against him, the herald
demands entrance. "Open the gate." From within a voice
is heard, "Who is there?" The herald answers,
"The King of England!" The gate is at once opened, and
the king passes, amidst the joyful acclamations of his people.
This is an ancient custom, and the allusion is to it in this
Psalm. "The Lord ascended with a shout;" he approached
the heavenly portal —the herald in his escort demanded an
entrance, "Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye
lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come
in." The celestial watchers within ask, "Who is
the King of glory?" The heralds answer, "The
Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle." The
question and answer being repeated once more, the gates lift up
their heads, and the everlasting doors are lifted up. The Prince
enters his Father's palace, greeted with the acclamations of
heaven, all whose inhabitants unite in one shout of joy
ineffable: "The Lord of Hosts, he is the King of
glory!" Christmas Evans.
Verses 7-10. If we follow our Redeemer in his
ascension and session at the right hand of God, where he is
constituted Lord of all, angels, principalities, and powers
being made subject to him, and where he sits till his enemies
are made his footstool, we shall observe the tide of celestial
blessedness rise higher and higher still. The return of a great
and beloved prince, who should by only hazarding his life, have
saved his country, would fill a nation with ecstasy. Their
conversation in every company would turn upon him, and all their
thoughts and joys concentrate in him. See then the King of
kings, after having by death abolished death, and brought life
and immortality to light; after spoiling the powers of darkness,
and ruining all their schemes; see him return in triumph! There
was something like triumph when he entered into Jerusalem. All
the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?" And the
multitude answered, It is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth; and
the very children sung, Hosannah to the Son of David: blessed be
he that cometh in the name of the Lord; hosannah in the highest!
How much greater then must be the triumph of his entry into the
heavenly Jerusalem! Would not all the city be "moved"
in this case, saying, "Who is this?" See
thousands of angels attending him, and ten thousand times ten
thousand come forth to meet him! The entrance of the ark into
the city of David was but a shadow of this, and the responsive
strains which were sung on that occasion would on this be much
more applicable. Andrew Fuller.
Verses 7-10. Why is the song repeated? Why are the
everlasting gates invited to lift up their heads a second time?
We may not pretend here, or in any place, to know all the
meaning of the divine Psalms. But what if the repetition of the
verse was meant to put us in mind that our Saviour's ascension
will be repeated also? He will not indeed die any more; death
can no more have any dominion over him; "there remaineth no
more sacrifice for sin." Neither of course can he rise
again any more. But as he will come again at the end of the
world, to judge the quick and the dead, so after that descent he
will have to ascend again. And I say, this second ascension may
be signified by the psalmist, calling on the everlasting doors
to lift up their heads a second time, and make way for the King
of glory. Now observe the answer made this second time, "Who
is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord
mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them
up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of
glory." Before it was, "the Lord strong and
mighty, the Lord mighty in battle;" now it is "The
Lord of hosts." Christ ascending the first time, to
intercede for us at his Father's right hand, is called "The
Lord mighty in battle." But Christ, ascending the
second time, after the world hath been judged, and the good and
bad separated for ever, is called "the Lord of
hosts." Why this difference in his divine titles? We
may reverently take it, that it signifies to us the difference
between his first and second coming down to earth, his first and
second ascension into heaven. As in other respects his first
coming was with great humility, so in this, that he came, in all
appearance, alone. The angels were indeed waiting round him, but
not visibly, not in glory. "He trode the winepress alone,
and of the people there was none with him." He wrestled
with death, hell, and Satan, alone. Alone he rose from the dead:
alone, as far as man could see, he went up to heaven. Thus he
showed himself "the Lord mighty in battle," mighty in
that single combat which he, as our champion, our David,
victoriously maintained against our great enemy. But when he
shall come down and go up the second time, he will show himself
"the Lord of hosts." Instead of coming down alone in
mysterious silence, as in his wonderful incarnation, he will be
followed by all the armies of heaven. "The Lord my God will
come, and all his saints with him." "The Lord cometh
with ten thousand of his saints." "The Son of Man will
come in the glory of his Father, and all the holy angels with
him." "Thousand thousands will stand around him, and
ten thousand times ten thousand will minister unto him."
Instead of the silence of that quiet chamber at Nazareth, and of
the holy Virgin's womb, there will be the voice of the
archangel, and the trump of God accompanying him. Thus he will
come down as the Lord of hosts, and as the Lord of hosts, he
will ascend again to his Father. After the judgment, he will
pass again through the everlasting doors, with a greater company
than before; for he will lead along with him, into the heavenly
habitation, all those who shall have been raised from their
graves and found worthy. Hear how the awful sight is described
by one who will doubtless have a high place in that day near the
Judge. The great apostle and prophet St. Paul, says, "The
Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout; and the
dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and
remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to
meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the
Lord." John Keble, M.A.
Verses 7-10.—
In this blessed life
I see the path, and in his death the price,
And in his great ascent the proof supreme
Of immortality. And did he rise?
Hear, O ye nations! hear it, O ye dead!
He rose! He rose! He burst the bars of death.
Lift up your heads, ye everlasting gates!
And give the King of glory to come in.
Who is the King of glory? He who left
His throne of glory for the pangs of death.
Lift up your heads, ye everlasting gates!
And give the King of glory to come in.
Who is the King of glory? He who slew
The ravenous foe that gorged all human race.
The King of glory, he whose glory filled
Heaven with amazement at his love to man,
And with divine complacency beheld
Powers most illumined 'wildered in the theme.
Edward Young.
Verses 7-10.—
Lift up your heads, ye gates, and, O prepare,
Ye living orbs, your everlasting doors,
The King of glory comes!
What King of glory? He whose puissant might
Subdued Abaddon, and the infernal powers
Of darkness bound in adamantine chains:
Who, wrapp'd in glory, with the Father reigns,
Omnipotent, immortal, infinite!
James Scott.
Verse 8. "Who is the King of glory?"
Christ in two respects is "the King of glory."
1. For that all honour and glory belongs properly to him —his
is "the kingdom, the power, and the glory" (Matthew
6:13), called in this regard, "The Lord of glory." 1
Corinthians 2:8. 2. For that Christ maketh us partakers of his
glory, termed in this respect our glorious Lord Jesus. James
2:1. If the Lord of hosts, strong and mighty in battle, be the
King of glory, then Christ (having conquered all his enemies,
and made them his footstool, triumphing over death, and the
devil which is the founder of death, and sin which is the sting
of death, and the grave which is the prison of death, and hell
itself which is the proper dominion of the devil and death) is
doubtless in himself, "the King of glory." And
for as much as he died for our sins, and is risen again for our
justification, and is ascended on high to give gifts unto
men—in this life grace, in the next glory—what is he less
than a "King of glory" towards us, of whom and
through whom alone we find that fight his battles are delivered
from the hands of all that hate us, and so made victors (1
Corinthians 15:57), yea, "more than conquerors."
Romans 8:37. John Boys.
Verse 8. "The Lord strong and mighty."
"Strong and mighty" in subduing all adversaries;
and overcoming death and the devil who had the power of death. Ludolphus,
quoted by Isaac Williams.
Verse 10. "Jehovah of hosts," or, as
the Hebrew is, Jehovah Tsebaoth, for so the word is used
by the apostles, untranslated in the Greek, Sabaoth.
Romans 9:29. It signifieth hosts or armies
standing ready in martial order, and in battle array, and
comprehendeth all creatures in heaven and in earth, which are
pressed to do the will of God. Henry Ainsworth.
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER
Verse 1. The great Proprietor, his estates and his
servants, his rights and wrongs.
Verse 1. "The earth is the Lord's."
I.
Mention other claimants—idols: pope, man, devil, etc.,
II.
Try the suit.
III.
Carry out the verdict. Use our substance, preach
everywhere, claim all things for God.
IV.
See how glorious the earth looks when she bears her Master's
name.
Verse 1 (last clause). All men belong to God.
His sons or his subjects, his servants or his serfs, his sheep
or his goats, etc.
Verse 2. Divine purposes accomplished by singular
means.
Verse 2. Founded on the seas. Instability of
terrestrial things.
Verse 3. The all-important question.
Verse 4 (first clause). Connection between
outward morality and inward purity.
Verse 4 (second clause). Men judged by their
delights.
Verse 4. "Clean hands."
I.
How to get them clean.
II.
How to keep them clean.
III.
How to defile them
IV.
How to get them clean again.
Verses 4, 5. Character manifested and favour received.
Verse 5 (second clause). The good man receiving
righteousness and needing salvation, or the evangelical meaning
of apparently legal passages.
Verse 6. Those who truly seek fellowship with God. Verse
7. Accommodate the text to the entrance of Jesus Christ into our
hearts.
I.
There are obstacles, "gates," "doors."
II.
We must will to remove them: "lift up."
III.
Grace must enable us: "be ye lift up."
IV.
Our Lord will enter.
V.
He enters as "King," and "King of
glory."
Verse 7. The ascension and its teachings. Verses
7-10.—
I.
His title—the Lord of hosts.
II.
His victories, implied in the expression. The Lord strong and
mighty in battle.
III.
His mediatorial title, The King of glory.
IV.
His authoritative entrance into the holy place.
John Newton's "Messiah."
Verse 8. The mighty Hero. His pedigree, his power, his
battles, his victories.
Verse 10. The sovereignty and glory of God in Christ.
WORK UPON THE TWENTY-FOURTH PSALM
In the "Works" of John Boys, 1626, folio, pp.
908-913, there is an Exposition of this Psalm.