Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/3_600_e.lzh/3_612.TXT

Text File | 1995-01-30 | 8KB | 167 lines

\\INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 21\\

\*\\<<To the chief Musician, a Psalm of David>>\\.
This psalm was either written by David; and therefore
called a %psalm of David%; or it was written, as it
may be rendered, %for David%, by some other person,
on account of his victories and triumphs; or rather
%concerning David% {s}; that is, concerning the Messiah,
the son of David, as Kimchi says some expound it;
or concerning the Messiah, who is called David,
\\#Eze 37:24,25\\; and Jarchi observes, that their
Rabbins interpret it of the Messiah; but, says he, it
is right to explain it, moreover, of David himself, for
an answer to the heretics (Christians} who err in it;
and various passages in this psalm are by the Jewish
writers understood of the Messiah; as %the King%, in
\\#Ps 20:1,7\\ is in the Targum called the King Messiah;
\\#Ps 21:4\\ is in the Talmud applied {t} to him;
\\#Ps 21:3,5\\ are in Zohar {u},
and in the Midrashes {w}, interpreted of
him; and many Christian writers understand the
whole of him; which is right: though Theodoret
thinks it was penned on the account of the health of
King Hezekiah, and his restoration from his disease;
which is not likely.

\*Ver. 1. \\The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord\\,
&c.] Either in that strength which is in Jehovah himself,
in whom is everlasting strength; and which is
seen in the works of creation and providence, and is
the same in Christ himself, as he is the mighty God;
or else in the strength which Jehovah communicated
to Christ as man, whereby he was strengthened in his
human nature to go through and complete the work
of man's redemption; or in the strength which the
Lord puts forth, and the power which he exerts towards
and upon his people, in conversion; which is
the produce of the exceeding greatness of his power;
and in strengthening them, from time to time, to exercise
grace, discharge duty, and withstand temptations
and sin; and in keeping them safe to the end; in
supporting them under all their trials, and in carrying
on and finishing the work of faith upon their souls;
all which is matter of joy to Christ;
\*\\and in thy] salvation how greatly shall he rejoice\\?
meaning either his
own salvation by the Lord, from all his sorrows and
troubles, and out of the hands of all enemies, being in
the presence of God, where is fulness of joy, \\#Ps 16:9-11\\;
or else the salvation of his people by him,
which Jehovah appointed them to, secured for them
in the covenant of grace, sent Christ to work out for
them, applies by his Spirit, and at last puts into the
full possession of: Christ rejoices at the effectual vocation
and conversion of his people, when salvation is
brought near unto them; and especially at their glorification,
when they shall be in the full enjoyment of
it; then will they be his joy, and crown of rejoicing:
this is the joy that was set before him, which made
him go so cheerfully through his sufferings and death
for them, \\#Heb 12:2\\; the reasons of this joy are, because
of the great love he bears to them; the interest
and property he has in them; his undertakings for
them, as their surety, to bring them safe to glory; his
purchase of them by his blood; his intercession for
them, that they might be with him to behold his
glory; and, last of all, because of his Father's glory, his
own glory, and the glory of the blessed Spirit, which
are concerned in the salvation of these persons.

\*Ver. 2. \\Thou hast given him his heart's desire\\, &c.]
Which the church had prayed for in \\#Ps 20:4\\; whatever
Christ's heart desired, or his lips requested, has
been given him;
\*\\and hast not withholden the request
of his lips\\. Whatever he asked in the council
and covenant of peace was granted; he asked for all
the elect, as his spouse and bride; these were the desire
of his heart and eyes, and they were given him;
he asked for all the blessings of grace for them, and all
grace was given to them in him; he asked for glory,
for eternal life, and it was promised him; and not only
the promise of it was put into his hand, but the thing
itself; see \\#Ps 2:8 2Ti 1:1,9 1Jo 5:11\\; and
\\#Ps 20:4\\; whatever he requested of his father, when
here on earth, was granted; he always heard him;
that memorable prayer of his in \\#Joh 17:1-26\\ is heard and
answered, both in what respects himself, his own glorification,
and the conversion, sanctification, union,
preservation, and glorification of his people; whatever
he now desires and requests in heaven, as the advocate
and intercessor for his saints, is ever fulfilled; which
is an instance of the great regard Jehovah has unto
him, and may be considered as a reason of his joy
in him.

\*\\Selah\\; on this word, \\see Gill on "Ps 3:2"\\.

\*Ver. 3. \\For thou preventest him with the blessings of
goodness\\, &c.] Not temporal, but spiritual blessings,
which spring from the grace and goodness of God, and
consist of it; and relate to the spiritual and eternal welfare
of those for whose sake he receives them, and who
are blessed with them in him: his being %prevented% with
them denotes the freeness of the donation of them; that
before he could well ask for them, or before he had done
requesting them, they were given him; and also the
earliness of the gift of them, they were put into his hands
before his incarnation, before he was manifest in the
flesh, even from the foundation of the world, and before
the world began, \\#Eph 1:3,4 2Ti 1:9\\, and
likewise the order in which they were given; first to
Christ, and then to his people in him, as the passages referred to show;
\*\\thou settest a crown of pure
gold on his head\\; which is expressive of his victory
over all enemies, sin, Satan, and the world, death
and hell; and of his being possessed of his throne and
kingdom; and has respect to his exaltation at the
right hand of God, where he is crowned with glory
and honour: and this crown being of %pure gold% denotes
the purity, glory, solidity, and perpetuity of his
kingdom; this is a crown, not which believers put
upon him by believing in him, and ascribing the glory
of their salvation to him, or what the church, called
his mother, has crowned him with, \\#So 3:11\\,
but which his father put upon him, who has set him
King over his holy hill of Zion, \\#Ps 2:6 8:5\\;
compare with this \\#Re 14:14\\. The Septuagint
and Vulgate Latin versions read %a crown of a precious
stone%; and so Apollinarius; and seem to refer to the
crown set on David's head, which had precious stones
in it, \\#2Sa 12:30\\; Josephus {x} says it had a sardonyx.
Fortunatus Scacchus {y} fancies the topaz is meant, and
that the Hebrew text should be read %a crown of topaz%;
mistaking the sense of the word %phaz%, which never
signifies a topaz, but the best gold, pure solid gold.

\*Ver. 4. \\He asked life of thee, and thou gavest [it] him\\,
&c.] Both for himself, as man, when he was about
to die, that he might be raised to life again, which
was granted him; and for his people, that they might
live spiritually and eternally, and accordingly life is
given to him for them; and he has power to give it
to as many as the father has given him, \\#Joh 17:2\\;
\*\\[even] length of days for ever and ever\\; the life he has
for himself as man is what will ever continue; he will
die no more, death will have no more dominion over
him; he will live for evermore, and that to make intercession
for his members, \\#Ro 6:9,16 Re 1:18
Heb 7:25\\; and the life which is granted them at his
request is an everlasting one, both as to body and
soul; for though they die as other men, they shall
live again in the resurrection of the just, and never
die more, but shall be like the angels in heaven; and
as for the second death, that shall not hurt them, nor
have any power over them; they will live and reign
with Christ for ever.

{s} \^dwdl\^ %pro Davide, vel de Davide%, Vatablus.
{t} T. Bab. Succah, fol. 52. 1. Vid. Nachman. disput. %cum fratre Paulo%,
p. 36. Ed. Wagenseil.
{u} In Numb. fol. 68. 3. 4.
{w} Midrash Tillim apud Viccars. in loc. & in Galatin. l. 3. c. 9.
Bemidbar Rabba, fol. 212. 4. & 218. 1.
{x} Antiqu. l. 7. c. 7. s. 5.
{y} Elaeochrism. Sacr. l. 3. c. 40. p. 1003.