As the preceding Psalm had given us the path of the Lord Jesus (and of any saint in company, in spirit, with Him) home to the house of the Lord, so this now gives us His path up to the throne of glory. For there were in His prospect, as there are in ours, the two objects—the Father’s house, and the throne of the kingdom; and these Psalms severally trace the two paths up to those happy, brilliant scenes.
In the opening of this Psalm, the Lord’s title to the earth is acknowledged: it is His by creation. So in the Jubilee, the type of this same coming kingdom, the Lord asserted His title to the land (Lev. 25:2323The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me. (Leviticus 25:23)). And after His title to the earth is announced the inquiry arises, who shall retake Adam’s forfeited dominion over it? in other terms, “who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord?” for “hill” is the symbol of dominion (Isa. 2): and the Lord’s future or millennial dominion will be from Zion, that holy hill where God’s King is to hold His scepter of universal rule. (See Psa. 2.)
This inquiry is then answered in such terms as at once point to Jesus; and His saints or generation are joined with Him; and His title to take His throne of glory and dominion in Zion being thus established, He comes as at the second advent to take possession.
He offered to take this throne when He was here (Matt. 21). And it is to be observed, that before our Lord entered the gates of Zion on that occasion, He exercised His rights as Lord of the earth and its fullness (according to the course of this Psalm), by claiming the ass from its owner upon this plea, “The Lord hath need of him” (Mark 11:33And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither. (Mark 11:3)).)
But, as we know, the citizens would not then have Him to reign over them; and now at His second advent, He will make good His title in the judgment of those who thus once refused Him. (See Luke 19:2727But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me. (Luke 19:27).)