Psalms 21:2

Jesus is a Royal Personage. The question, "Art thou a King then?" received a full answer from the Saviour's lips: "Thou sayest that I am a King. To this end was I born, and for this purpose came I into the world, that I might bear witness unto the truth." He is not merely a King, but the King; King over minds and hearts, reigning with a dominion of love, before which all other rule is but mere brute force. He was proclaimed King even on the cross, for there, indeed, to the eye of faith, he reigned as on a throne, blessing with more than imperial munificence the needy sons of earth. Jesus has wrought out the salvation of his people, but as a man he found his strength in Jehovah his God, to whom he addressed himself in prayer upon the lonely mountain's side, and in the garden's solitary gloom. That strength so abundantly given is here gratefully acknowledged, and made the subject of joy. The Man of Sorrows is now anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows. Returned in triumph from the overthrow of all his foes, he offers his own rapturous Te Deum in the temple above, and joys in the power of the Lord. Herein let every subject of King Jesus imitate the King; let us lean upon Jehovah's strength, let us joy in it by unstaggering faith, let us exult in it in our thankful songs. Jesus not only has thus rejoiced, but he shall do so as he sees the power of divine grace bringing out from their sinful hiding-places the purchase of his soul's travail; we also shall rejoice more and more as we learn by experience more and more fully the strength of the arm of our covenant God. Our weakness unstrings our harps, but his strength tunes them anew. If we cannot sing a note in honour of our own strength, we can at any rate rejoice in our omnipotent God. "And in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!" Everything is ascribed to God; the source is thy strength and the stream is thy salvation. Jehovah planned and ordained it, works it and crowns it, and therefore it is his salvation. The joy here spoken of is described by a note of exclamation and a word of wonder: "how greatly!" The rejoicing of our risen Lord must, like his agony, be unutterable. If the mountains of his joy rise in proportion to the depth of the valleys of his grief, then his sacred bliss is high as the seventh heaven. For the joy which was set before him as he endured the cross, despising the shame, and now that joy daily grows, for he rests in his love and rejoices over his redeemed with singing, as in due order they are brought to find their salvation in his blood. Let us with our Lord rejoice in salvation, as coming from God, as coming to us, as extending itself to others, and as soon to encompass all lands. We need not be afraid of too much rejoicing in this respect; this solid foundation will well sustain the loftiest edifice of joy. The shoutings of the early methodists in the excitement of the joy were far more pardonable than our own lukewarmness. Our joy should have some sort of inexpressibleness in it. Explanatory Notes and Quaint Sayings So you have two words, "virtus and salus," strength and salvation. Note them well; for not virtus without salus, not salus without virtus, neither without the other is full, nor both without Tua Domine. In virtute is well, so it have in salute after it. For not in strength alone is there matter of joy, every way considered. No, not in God's strength, if it have not salvation behind it. Strength, not to smite us down, but strength to deliver; this is the joyful side. Now turn it the other way. As strength, if it end in salvation, is just cause for joy, so salvation, if it go with strength, makes joy yet more joyful; for it becomes a strong salvation, a mighty deliverance. —Launcelot Andrews (Bishop), 1555-1626, Oh, it is good rejoicing in the strength of that arm which shall never wither, and in the shadow of those wings which shall never cast their feathers! In him that is not there yesterday and here to-day, but the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever! For as he is, so shall the joy be. — Hints to the Village Preacher The joy of Jesus and of his people in the strength and salvation of God. The doctrine of the resurrection of Jesus Christ contained in the text, may be considered under three heads: I. As an answer to prayer. II. His joy therein —even in the resurrection. III. As a necessary appendage to this —our own individual concern in his glory and in his joy. Hamilton Verschoyle.

O God. Our Saviour repeated these words as they are in Hebrew, though the vulgar tongue was Syriac, (Calmet) or Greek mixed with the Abamean. (Paulus) — Eli (or Eloi, St. Mark) lamma sabacthani. So he pronounced what the Jews would now read, Eli….lama (or lamach.; Tirinus) hazabtani; (Calmet) and in our method, ali….lome ázbocthoni. But it must be admitted (Haydock) that the true pronunciation is irretrievably lost. The Masorets vary from the ancient versions, (Masclef.; Capel; Houbigant; Mr. C. Butler, Hor. Bib. 4 edit. p. 69.) and from one another; so that after being at the immense labour of learning their rules, we shall be no more secure of attaining the truth. (Haydock) — It were, therefore, greatly to be wished that the learned would agree about some characters to express uniformly the Hebrew in modern languages, as it would greatly facilitate the knowledge of the sacred writings. (Kennicott, Diss. i. p. 243.) — We have only attempted to use such as might inform the reader what letters were in the original; and yet we are sorry to find that z, or the long a and e are often printed without the mark above; which shews the inconvenience of so many points, introduced by the Masorets. (Haydock) — Look upon me, are words admitted by Christ, “because (says Eusebius) they are not in Hebrew.” But this reason is not conclusive, as he might have left them out, though they were in the original. The Septuagint may have rendered one ali, in this sense, “to me,” as they have not added my to the first mention of God: or, they may have anticipated from ver. 20 (Berthier) this explication. Christ speaks with reference to his sacred humanity, as his divinity suspended its beatific influence, that he might drink the bitter chalice. (Theodoret; St. Jerome) — He also speaks the language of his afflicted members, who think they are abandoned. (St. Augustine) Calmet) — Sins. That is, the sins of the world, which I have taken upon myself, cry out against me, and are the cause of all my sufferings. (Challoner) — An ancient psalm of St. Germ. reads “lips,” instead of sins. Hebrew, “roaring.” (St. Jerome) (Calmet) — “Prayer,” Sixtine Edition. “Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?” (Protestants) (Haydock) — The Septuagint seem to have read shagathi, whereas the Hebrew places the g after the a, or they have substituted the cause for the effect; as sin was certainly the cause of Christ’s affliction, and of his Father’s not granting present relief. Indeed our Saviour did not ask for it, but only expressed the sentiments of suffering nature, which he corrected by the most perfect submission, to teach us how to behave. (Berthier) — God is the God of all creatures, but more particularly of Christ, by personal union. (Worthington) — The latter tenderly expostulates, (Haydock) that he is not comforted like other saints, (Matthew xxvii. 46.) since he had undertaken to die for the sins of the world, and reputed them as his own. (Worthington) — Delicta nostra sua delicta fecit, ut justitiam suam nostram justitiam faceret. (St. Augustine) — He speaks in the name of his members. (St. Thomas Aquinas, 3. p. q. 15. a 1.) — Christ could commit no sin: (1 Peter ii. 21., and 2 Corinthians v. 21.) but as long as he had taken our iniquities upon himself, to expiate with his own blood, he could not be at ease till he had perfected the work. David was convinced that his own sins were punished by the rebellion of Absalom, as Nathan had declared, 2 Kings xii. 10. (Calmet)

To the chief musician. A psalm of David.

Verses 1-6 Happy the people whose king makes God's strength his confidence, and God's salvation his joy; who is pleased with all the advancements of God kingdom, and trusts God to support him in all he does for the service of it. All our blessings are blessings of goodness, and are owing, not to any merit of ours, but only to God's goodness. But when God's blessings come sooner, and prove richer than we imagine; when they are given before we prayed for them, before we were ready for them, nay, when we feared the contrary; then it may be truly said that he prevented, or went before us, with them. Nothing indeed prevented, or went before Christ, but to mankind never was any favour more preventing than our redemption by Christ. Thou hast made him to be a universal, everlasting blessing to the world, in whom the families of the earth are, and shall be blessed; and so thou hast made him exceeding glad with the countenance thou hast given to his undertaking, and to him in the prosecution of it. The Spirit of prophecy rises from what related to the king, to that which is peculiar to Christ; none other is blessed for ever, much less a blessing for ever.