This Psalm calls on all the Gentile people to follow Israel into the holy house of God with praise. The sureness of His testimonies, His truth, and His mercy, are declared. And thus the mountain of the Lord’s house is established, and nations are flocking to it. Many people and strong nations, according to the prophet, seek the Lord of hosts at Jerusalem. His house there is a house of prayer for all nations; and while its walls are salvation, its gates will be praise.
And here, at the close of these songs of Israel, we may again observe that Scripture teaches us that Israel will, in the day of their discipline, know these joys (See Psalm 99.) It is true they will mourn like doves; they will confess the nation’s sin, like Daniel or Nehemiah; they will say “my leanness, my leanness;” but they will have their joys and anticipated songs also. The Apocalypse shows us the same in principle. (See Rev. 11:16-18.) For there the joy in heaven is anticipatory in the day of divine wrath and earth’s destruction. And I may say, as Isaiah 60 appears to be the Spirit of Truth teaching the Remnant what the results of the Redeemer coming to Zion (see Isa. 59:20) are to be, surely when they learn that lesson they will have abundant occasion to sing songs in prospect of the kingdom. For the same Spirit is leading their hearts, the same Spirit is weaving sorrows and joys together, the thought of their own iniquity with the thought of the Lord’s salvation and kingdom, that their souls may be led into various and profitable affections.