Here, as necessarily consequent upon the second advent which had, as we saw, just been celebrated or anticipated, the complaint of the remnant is turned into praise and gladness. God has now become their refuge. By His arm the enemy is stilled. Peace flows like a river, and the spear is turned into a pruning-hook. The mountain, according to Matthew 21:2121Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. (Matthew 21:21), had been cast into the sea, while the elect were in their closets, and now they rehearse all this. Nothing of terror touches them. They can talk of the waters gladdening, instead of overwhelming, them. They can triumph in the desolations, instead of perishing by them; for none less than God Himself has been their refuge. “Where is thy God?” has been the reproach of the enemy, and the answer is returned to him in the triumph of this Psalm.
The judgments on the ungodly precede the kingdom, as this Psalm and all the scripture teach us; for by and by, righteousness will link itself with power, and then evil will be judged; and afterward the whole earth will be governed in peace. Righteousness will take the sword first, and then the scepter.