This Psalm seems to me to show the Lord in the two great parts of His glory in the heavens, far above all principality, while the present estate shows indeed the glory of the Son, though not the sun, and withal the wisdom of God the Ordainer, and His actual righteousness (as under the law) or Judaical righteousness and glory. All the world were guilty of the great offense-Christ, in the same act, was not; He was born under the law, and fulfilled, and did not come short of the glory of God in it. But He speaks of them in His state of liability-excellent in themselves—His delight is in them. But also, as in the world, Thy Servant is warned (v. 11), see also Psa. 17:44Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer. (Psalm 17:4). Observe further, for there is much depth in this Psalm, the heavens do not declare the glory of Jehovah—that is His covenant name—but of God. The law of Jehovah converteth the soul—it is perfect; compare Psa. 1 and 40, so also John 8:2929And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. (John 8:29). The Gentiles are His natural glory, for it is as risen to be the "Sun of righteousness," He is Head of them, they being let in, receiving life, through His rising—the Jews, His legal glory, for it is only as fulfilling that He came the Head of the Jews, having the promises as the Seed, and as in and by them He reigns in the world, where righteousness has its sphere of fulfillment. But this is too large a subject to do more than notice in this heading of this bright and shining Psalm.
But I note a word in passing on Psa. 19-21. In the first we have the Creation for Gentiles, leaving them without excuse-the perfection of the law for the Jew. In Psa. 20 the godly Jew—the Spirit of Christ views Christ on earth—desires deliverance in and of Zion; in verse 6 the deliverance comes not thence, but from the heavens—His resurrection. Then these godly Jews see Him already glorified (where we are one with Him), persecuted before He returns to take the glory and fulfill then His good designs for Israel. But He is now, to Israel, King—they see thus the witness and consequence of resurrection. In the end He is King against His enemies. Thus all His history is brought out with a Jewish eye, i.e., the Spirit of Christ in the Jews.
We have then the testimony of Creation and the Law.
The workmanship of God and the law of Jehovah are very manifestly, I will not say contrasted but distinguished-a tacit testimony by which we may say “Have they not heard?” The declaration of God's glory, not the law, declaring His righteousness. The Spirit only may recognize, but they declare the glory without any reference to the character and condition of those to whom they are displayed. Thus they are referred to in Rom. 10 They become emblems of grace in Matt. 5:4545That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:45) to the end, and Christ as the Sun of it as set in the heavens, for grace is from the heavens. The law looks for righteousness from the earth, therefore even in reference to “He maketh his sun to rise upon the evil and upon the good, and sendeth rain upon the just and unjust “when grace is the subject, loving those who do not love us, loving our enemies, the very character of grace. This, i.e., the natural testimony of benevolent goodness to sinners was among the Gentiles (He left not Himself without witness) as the law was amongst the Jews, and so pleaded in Romans, that every mouth might be stopped, and so grace from heaven from the Sun of righteousness, and the rain of His Spirit was on Gentile as well as Jew- here however it is only the sun, not the rain, because of universality. The heavens spread over all, and the sun going about from one end to the other. Now this symbolically shows the character of grace, its scope and working in light, and fulfilledly when the Sun of righteousness arises indeed in Person. The spiritual estimate of the law in godly acknowledgment is then beautifully stated, but not, it appears to me, in connection with heavenly hopes or heavenly righteousness-grace has established that in the heavens. It is rather a godly Jew on the coming in of the millennium, the other symbolically stating what was (to him) "in the heavens," Jehovah being owned as the Rock and God of the Spirit-taught Remnant It seems to me that there is a certain connection between this Psalm and those following, up to Psa. 24 inclusive. Having Creation and the Law, we have then Israel considering the suffering Messiah-an enigma, no doubt, but here explained, Psa. 20 and 21. In Psa. 22, we have His own blessed expression of this suffering, as abandoned of God in it, which He alone could feel and express; and in this He identifies Himself with Israel, and therein with the Remnant, for it is remarkable, while the basis of all its hopes, how the Church is excluded from all these Psalms. In Psa. 23 and 24 we have the dealings and leadings of the Lord on the earth, as an Object of care, until He be fully recognized as the Lord Himself " mighty in battle," in the great scene (in Israel) which is in view in all these Psalms, and must be, in speaking of earthly judgments. It is not His moral trial, as put to the test, as identified with others—with Israel—but how actually He was led, as faith recognized it, till He took His place in His due glory. Psa. 11 and 18 also have their connection, though Psa. 18 and 19 have a substantial, special place, each of its own. To the end of Psa. 17, the resurrection is the answer to the difficulties in which the righteous man finds himself, and the folly of iniquity; Psa. 18 is the intervention in judgment and against.
We clearly get, in Psa. 19, Creation a testimony, and the Law a testimony-just an epitome of this ground of the Romans; only there it is in conviction of sin. But Psa. 20 brings in the godly Jew understanding another point-Messiah in the day of trouble-Jehovah's help looked for for Him. To see Messiah in trouble, crying, was exceeding much, and to see it, as such, in faith. He had said "Strengthen thee out of Zion," but He hears Him from His holy heaven. But this is thoroughly Jewish. “Now" (v. 6) seems faith, but founded on some deliverance (v. 8), deliverance to themselves. Psalm 21 goes farther, entering into the answer, or rather the counsels of God concerning Him, before He gets the Jewish blessings; it rather exercises judgment on His enemies then. He is prevented with the blessings of goodness, crowned, and length of days forever, glory, honor, majesty, blessing forever, Jehovah's countenance. Then He finds His enemies, who had imagined mischief against Him. In a word, Psa. 20 sees Him in, or rather out of, Jewish sorrows, still knows He deliverance and faith; Psa. 21 sees Him the other side of resurrection, and in glory, explaining the conduct and result of unbelief. Then He finds His enemies who had imagined mischief against Him.
Hence in Psa. 22 we find Him in the trouble which takes Him out of the regular answer to Jewish faith—God does not hear, whereas it had been said "The Lord hear thee "; but in verse 21 we have the hearing of Psa. 21, only He does not rise up here, at all, to the heavenly glory. But we have an elect Remnant gathered, so that it is distinguished from Judaism and becomes the Church, i.e., an assembly owned apart; then all Israel as the great congregation, and the blessing of the meek, and the Lord's dominion. Before Psa. 19 they were the general dealings with Messiah, or the Remnant in the midst of Israel, wickedness prevailing; Psa. 18 taking the whole account from Moses. But in Psa. 20 they look on at Him in suffering as before Jehovah. The matter between Him and Jehovah, in the day of His distress, begins another subject, Psa. 22
This series of Psalms is exceedingly remarkable, as referred to here. It is evident that in Psa. 19, 20 and 21 we may see the Spirit as working in a godly Jew—Creation a testimony—the Law, or testimony of God, delighted in. Psa. 20 sees Messiah entering into their trouble, when the name of the God of Jacob was to avail Him. So Simeon owns Him as the salvation, but sees Him too, a sign to be spoken against, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed, but His heart is looked at as the full vessel of divine desires—the Object which creates the affections of the godly Jew. The Anointed is saved—a wonderful thing to say!
Psa. 21 goes further, and sees that His heart's desire has been met, but views Him as the heavenly Man, I take it—still as the answer, but more than expected answer to Psa. 20 He is "made most blessed forever," and "glad with Jehovah's countenance," honor and great majesty being set before Him, the crown of pure gold being put upon His head. Afterward, those enemies, who would not that He should reign over them, who imagined a device they were not able to perform, to cast Him down whom God would exalt, who would not say "Let the king hear when we call," " Jehovah fulfill all thy petitions," are brought before Him. Here then we have the heavenly associations of the Jewish people, godly ones-the Church position not being entered into. Messiah, who entered into Jacob's trouble, is known as the heavenly Man whom God has exalted—the King. This we get, I take it, in Dan. 7—the saints of the heavenlies; not yet the Church, though the Church were that. And, note, this is the first Book, where we have seen resurrection-hope much more full. Perhaps those who do not die, nor are cut off, are therefore able to learn the song sung in heaven, and go with the Lamb “whithersoever he goeth," being redeemed from the earth.
Then in Psa. 22 we have not the looking on of the godly man, but what Christ alone can express—His not being heard of God Himself; and what He suffered in that time itself; the forsaking of God not being in Israel's, His sheep's, trouble, and they identifying themselves with Him, and waiting His deliverance—but what He felt while He was not heard, as between Him and God only, the vessel now of wrath, and who, when men closed Him in, looked to God and found Him not. Then the answer of God is into that depth-He was on the horns of the unicorns to be heard, and this name which met Him there, that love of God which, satisfied and glorified in Jesus, the Lord being brought (" Thou hast brought me "), and brought by His righteous judgment into " the dust of death"-awful word!-reaches down there into that place, and takes up the vicarious, yet personal, sufferer out of it, and becomes redemption—God's love going down there, He raised by the glory of the Father! This name of God His Father, so known there, He makes known to His brethren, and so forms, of the Remnant of Israel, the Church; though the ingrafting of the Gentiles, so as to be one Body, is not of course touched on here. Here however the Gentiles can come in, the middle wall is down, as the Apostle argues at large, into which we need not enter. He has destroyed, in His flesh, the enmity. Here however it is pursued on from the Remnant congregation, as in Romans t i (which introduces, besides, the provoking to jealousy of the Gentiles), to the great congregation of Israel. The whole nation in that day, and all the ends of the earth remember themselves, and turn to the Lord.
A few more words on Psa. 19-24 In general the order is given rightly previously, i.e., Psa. 3-6, great general principles connected with the rejection of Messiah in Psa. 2, as regards the state of the Remnant-Psa. 8 being the result as to Christ. Then, founded on Psa. 9 and to, the actual latter day history in the land-the experience of the Remnant, looking to Jehovah in that state when all is evil, ripening to judgment-this goes on to Psa. 15 Psa. 16 and 17 are trust and integrity in its effect in the slain One, Psa. 18, Messiah suffering the pains of death—the Center of the whole history from Egypt to the Millennium. Psa. 19 then takes up the testimonies of God—Creation—the Law—Christ or His Spirit were the glories of the heavens (for the earth is corrupt) and is subject to the law and discerns its perfectness. Then He is a suffering Messiah (the Faithful Witness) where the faithful see Him in the spirit of prophecy; the result being His endless life and, glory from Jehovah as Man, and the judgment of His enemies—His hand shall find them all out. But then as Center, and necessary Center of all, and alone, embraced in all the rest and so itself bringing it forward, stands by itself in His own lips the prophecy of atonement and the Cross-the forsaking of His God—with its effect in gathering the Remnant, and, in the world, both the great congregation (of Israel) and to the ends of the earth,; and the seed that is to follow. Then comes the sure confidence and future result of this in Israel, and for the present faith confidence of the individual, Jehovah is the trusted Shepherd, and all passed through in security, and so security, as to all before one, reckoned on. Jehovah takes care of the saint—that for the time of weakness, death, and enemies. Then finally the earth is the Lord's and its fullness, the godly Remnant will abide in His holy hill, and the glory—the glory of Jehovah—takes its abode in the house—Jehovah of hosts is there. Then follows the various experiences of the trusting and exercised soul, as usual, to the end of Psa. 39.