This Psalm takes up mercy as enduring forever, not merely the sense of the present greatness of it—but when they saw how God's truth had abided in spite of their sin, they see the incomparable patience of God—His own character celebrated in them, as of "mercy forever." Israel, Aaron, and all may now say, "Indeed, his mercy endures forever."
As the Lord going before, or amongst the people, had been announced to the earth in Psa. 115, so here we have the fellowship of Christ with the national, special sorrows of Israel in that day, and thus bringing Jehovah to be with them (vv. 4, 5-7, et seq.).
All the nations had gathered together against Jerusalem, but Christ was there with them in His heart in the trouble. With Him Jehovah could be, for He trusted in Him, and in His Name He destroys them. The adversary thrust sore to make him fall, but Jehovah was with him. Lastly Jehovah had chastened him sore, but He had not given him over to death. There were three points (and so known in an individual soul); the nations around compassing him the adversary thrusting sore; and lastly, the real secret, deepest in sorrow, yet the key to all deliverance in it—Jehovah had chastened him sore.
14-17. This is the triumph against the adversary, because the Lord must be exalted; trusting in Jehovah's name, of which this is still the celebration, Jehovah's name must be exalted above all these things.
17. This verse is Jewish confidence clearly. The Psalm is a remarkable summary of the identification of Jesus and all the circumstances of the Jews in the latter day.
19. In this verse Christ's victory through trust in Jehovah in all circumstances opens to Him the gates of righteousness (v. 20). Now this more deeply true even in the resurrection, for heavenly righteousness for the Church but here, as speaking for the Jews not given over to death, it is Jehovah's gate for the righteous.
This is the praise of Christ as heard (in Israel).
This is the assertion of the great fact, to wit, by the Spirit of Christ about Himself as Man.
23. Here it is recognized by the Jews as Jehovah's doings.
24. They make their celebration, owning the rejected One; and then, verse 27, the song recognizing Elohim here, and returning, verse 29, to the known Israelitish song. I question whether in verse 27 it should not be "Jehovah is El"—the mighty God.
Thus the division of this closing Psalm, closing i.e., as to this subject, is this:
1. First the celebration of the truth for Israel; compare 1 Chron. 16:3434O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. (1 Chronicles 16:34), and the structure of that Psalm very particularly; 2 Chron. 5:1313It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord; (2 Chronicles 5:13), and chap. 7: 3; Ezra 3:11And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem. (Ezra 3:1); and Psa. 106, 107 and 136. The Psalm in 1 Chron. 16 is a summary of the heads of what Jews are interested in, as the ground, exhibition, and resting-place of confidence in the latter day, but there only the blessings and prayer, for it supposes the first step of blessing in accomplishment, and therefore can rehearse together the statements of "Mercy endureth forever," and omit the intermediate miseries.
2, 3, 4. Then the summons to each sort of person to use the song;
5. Messiah, for Israel's trust in Jehovah, and that answered-this goes on to verse 9.
10-12. These are the circumstances of Israel, in the latter day, as to the nations.
13, is the adversary's part-this, Satan and by Antichrist, but the adversary.
18, is the Lord's hand in it-chastening, but preserving. Verses 10-18 therefore are, in a measure, a common subject.
19. Messiah takes the advance, being in this now living, accepted position, and then it is the Lord's relation with Israel in connection with Messiah, not Messiah's connection with Israel in respect of the evil that was over them. Messiah's grace in subjecting Himself to their sorrows in this, though they esteemed Him stricken, is the way by which He can take them, now again at the last recognizing Him, with Him into the blessedness into which as their Head, as the righteous Jew, He is going. The Lord's own use of it makes its force and application manifest.
This Psalm is one of great importance, it need scarcely be said so indeed, looking at verses 22, 26. But it embraces the whole identification of the Lord with the Jews, and yet it is Him as the objective Object of their trust; the same is true of the Church. It is the celebration of the answer to Psa. 115. It is still thanks to Jehovah in the certainty of His mercy to Israel; compare 1 Chron. 16:4141And with them Heman and Jeduthun, and the rest that were chosen, who were expressed by name, to give thanks to the Lord, because his mercy endureth for ever; (1 Chronicles 16:41), so as to the whole chapter-there is first the portion of Israel not taking in their failure in it intermediately, then the blessing of the earth as in Psa. 96, and then the beginning verse of those Psalms which may be called Jewish Psalms, the certainty of Jewish endurance and preservation in mercy.
Now this Psalm is the taking up of this forever in the Person of Jesus, and after the celebration of the great Jewish thesis in the first four verses answering to verses 9, 10 and 11 of Psa. 115, from verse 5 to verse 22 is the Lord absorbing into His Person the whole necessity of the Jewish people as one whole thing, wherein and whereby comes out the result of Jehovah's truth and mercy. It is our Lord speaking, in the voice, as Leader of the Jews, of Jewish necessities and deliverance in His own Person, centering the nation in Himself. Verse 5 is in His own Person, thus bringing it in, and then the difficulties are national difficulties and questions; thus verse 10 brings in the latter day difficulties of the Jews. And you may observe "the Lord" mentioned in every verse—"Jehovah" is the theme in every verse; compare Hab. 2:44Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. (Habakkuk 2:4), particularly as to verse 17. When I say “Jehovah” is the theme, it needs correction—verses 5, 14, 17, 18, 19 use the expression “Jah." Jah seems the objective Name of God, as simply God, I Am—the great Name of God as such, not a covenant or dispensation name, but He is known in works and in covenant as Jehovah. This covenant or faithfulness of God, the righteous Man relies on, and is righteous in Himself, being perfect for and as Israel with Jehovah, Israel's God; compare 1 Chron. 16:1616Even of the covenant which he made with Abraham, and of his oath unto Isaac; (1 Chronicles 16:16), where it is prescribed• as a covenant of Jehovah to Israel, with Psa. 105:88He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations. (Psalm 105:8), where the fact of God's remembrance of it is celebrated. Thereupon the righteous Man claims for Israel, for He is going to praise Jah, the Immutable, whose revealed covenant in attributes He has proved Himself faithful to vindicating in His acting on them all—the Jehovah (as all) attributes revealed in Jah or from Jah—but claims for Israel, with whom in covenant fulfillment He had identified Himself—righteous in Him, mercy to them—but now claiming on this righteousness shown acting under Jehovah, He so righteous says, "Open me the gates," He can go in and praise Jah, God, the only One, in Himself, but praise Him for the proof of what He is in Jehovah, so He states, " This gate of Jehovah," for Jehovah and Jah are One. "The righteous ones shall go in there," and so praise Jah. This is, I take it, the admission, not merely in principle, of the children—Remnant in the Lord's time, i.e., on resurrection, but the introduction of all Israel, i.e., the righteous, preserved Remnant, the righteous ones preserved in Him in the latter day—for He was "bruised for our iniquities" places it in the mouth of the Israel Remnant in that day.
The application of the verses from verse 21 is too certain to need much comment. It discovers the secret of all that was done in the rest—the meaning of their previous rejection—the hidden, faithful One in whom they were sustained, in whom Jehovah was faithful—in the midst of all their unbelief,
Jehovah's doing is manifest. It was from Jehovah that was, and it was mercy, their sustainment in the rejected Stone, and it now the Head of the corner. They own Jehovah now in Jesus (we, the Father). Well and worthily did He come, be shem Jehovah (in the Name of Jehovah), for where else did we learn it really, however due to learn? But they have but, it appears to me withal, the blessing in the Father's Name; compare the opening of Ephesians and Colossians.