This Psalm is the special portion of Christ in the Remnant.
In this and the two next Psalms, Messiah, and His Spirit in the residue, does not merely, as up to Psa. 16, judge the character of the wicked, contemplating it in spirit, and God's judgments, but, mixed up with the wicked in His life outwardly, He insists on His separation from them and their judgment. We have here the perfectness of Christ, in the midst of haughty Israel, by virtue of which He will accept this intercession.
Note.-In Psa. 25 and 26 we have the spirit of the converted man in Israel in that day; in Psa. 27 and 28 we have his appeal to Jehovah, as taught to seek His face, and separation from the ungodly.
Psalm 27
This Psalm is the word of Christ as in the tried Remnant of the latter day, as identifying Himself with their feelings, founded on His expressed experience of the Lord's faithfulness when He stood alone.
Observe, the time of trouble is the time of God's deliverance; compare Psa. 32. Mercy acted on is the foundation of fuller prayer. It is needless to observe the moral principle which gives confidence.
Here the Lord's pavilion, from all that surrounds His life outwardly here, is specially in His mind.
Christ here takes up the question, in their conflict, consequent upon the intercession and integrity uniting itself to them, so that, with His foot in an even place in the congregations, He should bless the Lord. The result is plain-His enemies and foes stumbled and fell. “Jehovah is my light and my salvation” is its thesis; “enemies" and "foes" are the words. Love of the temple for delight in His beauty, and inquiry, makes a pavilion in trouble; and meeting enemies is only to lift His head above them. The character, in such a place, is “Hear when I cry "-next is the answer of Jehovah, I conceive, " My heart said unto thee " (Messiah) " seek ye " (His people) " My face." Then the answer of Messiah for them, or on their behalf; as their given representative of Jehovah; if He said to Him " Seek ye "-wait on Jehovah is the result from Messiah to the body. Such is the position of Israel in Him.
1. I-ra (shall I fear) and pa-khad (he feared) are nearly the same, but it seems to me that pa-khad is more " terror," even if used of Jehovah; ya-re (he feared) more "fear" in a godly sense, as in Prov. 1:77The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7). Still, as in verse 3 here, it means simply " fear."
8. Query, is amar libbi (my heart said) something like amar b'libbo (he said in his heart) and lil'vavam (in their hearts) employed in the sense of "as to," "about"? So that the sense would be "I recalled" or "thought upon," "in my heart that thou saidst—seek ye my face."
12. " Enemies." Oppressing enemies within are worse than without—not open; nor is integrity of avail here in the same way.