This Psalm is an important one, and embraces a broad general truth-true in power in Christ either way, and in truth in the Church. And by "Church" I mean here not the Church properly so-called, but the whole portion brought under Christ in the day in which He comes, whose right it is, and all things are gathered together in one in Him. The House was, in one sense, dedicated therefore when the Lord rose again and ascended, but it was properly fully so when the fruits of His resurrection, even the Jews, and of His ascension, even the glorified saints, are brought in—ever the saints in either case. Now the portion of all was with Him—was, to be brought into unity with Him, in that which was manifested in Him on their part, which thing, as we have said, not in full power but in truth, is love in Him and in us, as He says.
It is the assurance of triumph, then, in all, after death, whether the Jews as a body (or the Body of Christ properly) as in Isa. 26-the necessity of passing through death, but death overcome-that His holiness now secures them-that their previous glory cannot stand, however they may have seemed to have had it in God's strength, for it was not their glory. But the resurrection glory is that which can be properly only called " Glory "; we may compare, for the expressions,
Isa. 65:1414Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit. (Isaiah 65:14), et seq. Indeed, I am inclined to think the Psalm more properly applies to the Jews standing, as themselves raised out of the death of the former generation, in the strength of Christ's resurrection. However some expressions seem to include the Church, but more especially Christ, the congregation, and the great congregation-the false confidence contrasted with the real confidence of the Jewish Remnant.
The Psalm shows the value of the resurrection to the believing Remnant; verses 6 and 7 are confidence in Jehovah, and His favor, short of death, as establishing anything short of death. This could not be, because there was no stability in creature blessing. There was still the liability, and in fact the need, seeing Jehovah was holy and the people sinners by nature, if the matter were fully probed, that Jehovah should hide His face from them—yea! though they were externally righteous. This case Christ, the Son, alone could undertake standing in the righteousness of God, responsible (in both before Him for the evil), and this He undertook, and therefore expresses the endurance, undertaking the creature liability that they might enjoy, in and under Him, the stability and immutability of resurrection blessing, which was beyond all questions, because the result of favor which took up and passed beyond all liabilities of sin, and was of purpose to bring them beyond all which regarded Him, short of this question-the exercise of power, on the results of sin viewed in their worst form, in grace. "Thou hast lifted me up," "Thou hast brought up my soul "-true personally in Christ—"Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down into the pit"—true of those of the Jews for whom He had undertaken it. Again we see the difference of our condition, for we are "quickened together with him," although the power of the victory is shown in those who are changed and die not at all; so in John 11.
The holiness of God, thus known, becomes security. His anger—how well we know it!—as under the law, endures but for a moment, the sentence indeed of death is passed—it must be, but then it is past and gone; " weeping may endure for a night, but joy," blessed truth! with every shadow gone, and all of God, " cometh in the morning." What an Interpreter is Jesus, as on the Cross, and risen from the Cross and death of, all the thoughts, and ways, and principles of God, as to and in man's estate! "Sing unto the Lord" He says, and may well say, thus knowing it. " Sing unto the Lord, 0 ye saints of his"—His glory shall sing, and not be silent, for Jehovah has not been silent. His glory is the tongue of redeeming praise, and how loud it speaks! Glory now is redemption witnessed, and His word is "Magnify the Lord with me, let us exalt his Name together!" Always together!
12 (13). Glory (ka-vod) seems to be rather the Man Himself in the image which He presents to Himself of Himself, as the object of hope, or the expression of the attainment of hope, and this is a man's glory; only here it is more abstract. We shall find that the heart of man always surrounds itself with something in which it delights, and in which it stands before others—this is its glory (ka-vod). So it is with Jehovah; He surrounds Himself, in manifestation to men or angels, with glory-whatever that may be, He expresses what He is. In the Son, He is glorified in the Son. The presence of Jehovah in favor, is the glory and the hope of Israel-Messiah is its expression. They would not then own Him to be this, because, for a deeper glory, He had laid aside the expression of it, such as mere nature and sense could take. This however is always glory, and this it is to understand glory-the glory in the Cross. We expect to be glorified with Him—this is the thing we shall be clothed with—the expression of it. Messiah takes this, not only in the expression of it from Himself, but in the reception of it from Jehovah—the Father—in testimony of the perfect acceptableness of all He has done. Resurrection is the point of this personally, as in Psa. 16, and here to us “glorified together with," because of ascension, and return, and union. Hence we see how far we can speak of glory. As to the Spirit, He glorifies Christ, because the expression of it is in Christ. Though the Spirit, as ministering in the servants, may clothe Itself with glory, yet the glory of the Spirit shall be shown in that day when its fruits shall be turned into glory—blessedly glorified. Now He is content to be, in a certain sense, a Servant, i.e., to minister in the servants, in their sorrows, trials, difficulties, their joys too in Christ. Blessed mystery, and blessed love! Man's glory is, in the energy of the Spirit, to embrace the glory of Christ. “I will extol thee, 0 Lord," for so He is, according to the mind of God in the Spirit. He, incarnate, glorified the Father—we, in Him and with Him, are in the mystery of God, fellowship (koinonia) of the Father, and of His Son Jesus Christ, by the Spirit (as the power) in John 17. The Spirit takes His place amongst the brethren now, and to suffer is our portion, that the glory may be the pure glory of God—our hope, our ka-vod, and that forever. To His name be all the praise forever and ever!