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Psalm Twenty-four
Psalm 24
Chapter Contents
Concerning the kingdom of Christ, and the subjects of
that kingdom. (1-6) Concerning the King of that kingdom. (7-10)
Commentary on Psalm 24:1-6
(Read Psalm 24:1-6)
We ourselves are not our own; our bodies, our souls, are
not. Even those of the children of men are God's, who know him not, nor own
their relation to him. A soul that knows and considers its own nature, and that
it must live for ever, when it has viewed the earth and the fulness thereof,
will sit down unsatisfied. It will think of ascending toward God, and will ask,
What shall I do, that I may abide in that happy, holy place, where he makes his
people holy and happy? We make nothing of religion, if we do not make
heart-work of it. We can only be cleansed from our sins, and renewed unto
holiness, by the blood of Christ and the washing of the Holy Ghost. Thus we
become his people; thus we receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness
from the God of our salvation. God's peculiar people shall be made truly and
for ever happy. Where God gives righteousness, he designs salvation. Those that
are made meet for heaven, shall be brought safe to heaven, and will find what
they have been seeking.
Commentary on Psalm 24:7-10
(Read Psalm 24:7-10)
The splendid entry here described, refers to the solemn
bringing in of the ark into the tent David pitched for it, or the temple
Solomon built for it. We may also apply it to the ascension of Christ into
heaven, and the welcome given to him there. Our Redeemer found the gates of
heaven shut, but having by his blood made atonement for sin, as one having
authority, he demanded entrance. The angels were to worship him, Hebrews 1:6: they ask with wonder, Who is he? It
is answered, that he is strong and mighty; mighty in battle to save his people,
and to subdue his and their enemies. We may apply it to Christ's entrance into
the souls of men by his word and Spirit, that they may be his temples. Behold,
he stands at the door, and knocks, Revelation 3:20. The gates and doors of the
heart are to be opened to him, as possession is delivered to the rightful
owner. We may apply it to his second coming with glorious power. Lord, open the
everlasting door of our souls by thy grace, that we may now receive thee, and
be wholly thine; and that, at length, we may be numbered with thy saints in
glory.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Psalms》
Psalm 24
Verse 2
[2] For
he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.
Seas —
The whole collection of waters, as well as the sea and the rivers running into
it, as that great abyss of waters which is contained in the bowels of the
earth.
Verse 3
[3] Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy
place?
The hill —
Zion or Moriah, the place of God's sanctuary and special presence. Having
asserted God's dominion over all mankind, he now proposes an important
question, by whom God will be served, and his blessing enjoyed? Stand - To
minister before him. Standing is the posture of ministers or servants. Who
shall serve God, with God's acceptation.
Holy place — In
the place which he hath sanctified for his service.
Verse 4
[4] He
that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto
vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
He — Whose actions and
conversation are holy and unblameable.
Pure heart —
Careful to approve itself to God, as well as to men; ordering a man's very
thoughts and affections according to God's word.
Vanity —
Who doth not value or desire the vain things of this life, such as honours,
riches, pleasures; but makes God his portion.
Verse 5
[5] He
shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his
salvation.
The blessing —
Grace and glory, and all other good things.
Verse 6
[6] This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob.
/*Selah*/.
The generation —
The true progeny which God regards.
Face —
His grace and favour, which is often called God's face.
Verse 7
[7] Lift
up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the
King of glory shall come in.
Lift up — He
speaks here of the gates and doors of the temple, which by faith and the spirit
of prophecy, he beheld as already built, whose doors he calls Everlasting, not
so much because they were made of strong and durable materials, as in
opposition to those of the tabernacle, which were removed from place to place.
These gates he bids lift up their heads, or tops, by allusion to those gates
which have a portcullis, which may be let down or taken up. And as the temple
was a type of Christ, and of his church, and of heaven itself; so this place
may also contain a representation, either of Christ's entrance into his church,
or into the hearts of his faithful people, who are here commanded to set open
their hearts and souls for his reception: or of his ascension into heaven,
where the saints or angels are poetically introduced as preparing the way, and
opening the heavenly gates to receive their Lord and king, returning to his
royal habitation with triumph and glory.
The king —
The Messiah, the king of Israel, and of his church, called the King, or Lord of
glory, 1 Corinthians 2:8; James 2:1, both for that glory which is inherent
in him, and that which is purchased by him for his members.
Verse 8
[8] Who
is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
The Lord — He
is no ordinary person, no other than Jehovah, who hath given so many proofs of
his almightiness, who hath subdued all his enemies, and is now returned in
triumph.
Verse 9
[9] Lift
up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the
King of glory shall come in.
Lift up —
The same verse is repeated again, to awaken the dulness of mankind, who are so
hardly brought to a serious preparation for such solemnities; and to signify
the great importance of the matter, contained under these expressions.
Verse 10
[10] Who
is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. /*Selah*/.
Of hosts — Under
whose command are all the hosts of heaven and earth, angels and men, and all
other creatures.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Psalms》
Psalm 24
Exposition
Explanatory Notes and Quaint Sayings
Hints to the Village Preacher
Other Work
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.
── C.H. Spurgeon《The Treasury of David》