This Psalm seems the introduction of Jehovah into the great scene of Christ's sufferings, trial, and humiliation. It is a transition Psalm—His manifestation as, and to be, Jehovah. The title of the Psalm, if correct, is remarkable; it would rather seem that something was left out, or that it was elliptical. It is not "a Psalm of, or on, David," but "On David, a Psalm on, or of Jehovah," though "Jehovah" seems also to join itself to the following words -L' David miz'mor l' Jehovah haaretz (of David, a Psalm on Jehovah, the earth is Jehovah's).
The Septuagint has the singular addition of tes mias sabbatou (on the first day of the week) which is indeed he kuriake hemera (the Lord's day). But this Psalm specially includes His dominion over the Gentiles, i.e., Christ's supreme glory" The earth," etc., “For he hath founded it." But, being the Lord—Who shall ascend into His presence? He that walks in righteousness; that is therefore Gentile saints as well as Jews. Still, Jacob having the pre-eminence, they seek Jacob's face, or Him as the God of Jacob, for there His name is. The latter part of the Psalm is too plain to need comment. Christ here enters the gates of glory as the victorious Deliverer—Himself Jehovah of hosts.
This Psalm embraces, as the state things, that “the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." Yet His house and the seat of His present glory is in Jacob—who are those who shall ascend there? And though those, more immediately concerned, may be of the fountain of Israel, still the door is open to every one coming up with clean hands and a pure heart. Hence it is not principles on which the crowd of ungodly is avoided, but the personal state of the person who comes—not the character descriptively but the state.
We have in this Psalm the universality of power, and the character of Jehovah, and those, who have this character, will then have the blessing of Jehovah, Israel's Shepherd. He is this then to the world, by virtue of what He is necessarily in power and character. Yet herein Jacob is still held in his place, see verse 6, and compare John 6:20, 24, which, so compared with verse 23, and verse 20 compared with verse 22, much open the relative position of Christians with Jews under Jehovah, through the revelation of the Father's name.
The recognition of Christ as Jehovah closes it—His exaltation to the full glory of universal dominion as Jehovah, after His identification with them in sorrow, and leading them, and being over them in battle. "The Lord...shall fight, as when he fought in the day of battle"—it is consequent upon these battles, for and with Israel, that He sits upon the throne of the kingdom. The saints are with Him previously; but He is united as David with the Jews, and takes with them David's humiliation, as well as, intermediately, Aaron's place and David's victories moreover, but this is not sitting on the throne of the kingdom as King of Glory, as thereon and after He shall do. He will have come in His glory, as regards us indeed, "When he shall come in his glory... then shall he sit on the throne of his glory."