Christ's Glory in Salvation

JESUS WAS GIVEN HONOR AND MAJESTY
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Psalm21:5 5Through the victoriesyou gave, his glory
is great; you have bestowed on him splendorand
majesty.
CHRIST’S CROWNING GLORYNO. 2876
A SERMON PUBLISHED ON THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 1904.
DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON,AT THE METROPOLITAN
TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON, ON LORD’S-DAYEVENING, MARCH 5,
1876.
“His glory is greatin Your salvation:honor and majestyhave You laid upon
Him.” Psalm21:5.
I FEELquite sure that David here sings first concerning himself, and then
concerning the far greaterKing, “greatDavid’s greaterSon,” the Lord Jesus
Christ; but I shall apply the text entirely to our blessedRedeemer;and,
surely, the psalmist’s language is most appropriate to Him. Some of us are
going to meet, presently, around the table of our Lord to commemorate His
death for us; and, of course, there must be some sorrowfulreflections
connectedwith that ordinance. How canwe remember His death without

sorrowing over the sin which made that death necessary? How can we
remember “that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which He was betrayed,
took bread, and broke it,” without feeling that there is a somberness ofspirit
which becomes us as we surround His table? Yet we must not indulge the
mournful strain too much, for we must never forgetthat it is a joyous feast,
not a funeral repast, to which our Lord invites us; it is a feastwhich reminds
us of His triumph as wellas of His conflictand agony. “After supper,” we are
told, in the record of its institution, “they sang a hymn;” and our Lord Jesus
Christ would have us come to His table in the spirit of hymn-singing, making
melody in our hearts unto the Lord. No funeral dirge is appropriate here, no
muffled drums nor wailing pipes; but let the daughters of song sound the loud
timbre, as Miriam and the womenof Israeldid at the Red Sea. Let it not be
forgotten, too, that the lasttime this supper will ever be celebratedon earth, it
will not die out amid groans and lamentations, but it will cease to be observed
any longerbecause He will have come, whose coming will have been welcomed
by the acclamationofall His saints, both those that are alive and remain, and
those who come with the King and all His holy angels. This ordinance is full of
joy, for eachtime it closeswith a hymn when it is properly celebrated;and, at
the last, like all external symbols, it shall pass awayamidst the hallelujahs of
eternity. Come, then, beloved, let us not be in a dolorous mood as we come to
the table of our Lord; but let us take all our harps down from the willows, and
wake their glad strings to exultant music. He, whom we remember in this
ordinance, is not here, for He is risen. He is not there, on yonder crucifix. His
wounds bleed no longer;no thorns surround His brow, no nails pierce His feet
and hands, no spear tears open His side, for He has gone back into the glory
which was His before the worlds were made, and it is thus that we are now to
think of Him: “His glory is greatin Your salvation: honor and majesty have
You laid upon Him.” In meditating upon this text, we shall notice, first, that it
reminds us of a divine salvation; secondly, it sets forth the glory of Jesus in
that salvation;and, thirdly, it reveals to us the reward which Jesus has
obtained for that salvation:“Honor and majesty have You laid upon Him.” I.
First, then, THE TEXT REMINDS US OF A DIVINE SALVATION. It
speaks of“Your salvation,” that is to say, the salvationof God, by which is
intended, according to the Hebrew idiom, not merely the grandestof all
salvations, and the chief of all deliverances;but, actually, that the salvationof

which we speak is God’s. O brethren, though the truth is very simple, and the
observations I shall make upon it may be very trite, yet is it a truth never to
be put in the backgroundthat “salvationis of the Lord”! Remember that the
salvationof man is God’s, in the conceptionof it. He first conceivedthe idea of
redeeming the rebellious sons of Adam. It must be so, for the sons of Adam
were not born when the Lord first planned the way of their salvation. From
old eternity, before yet the sun had opened its eye of fire, God, in far-reaching
foresighthad beheld the sons of Adam ruined by the fall; and He resolved
that, out of them He would choose a people who should be redeemed, and
who, to all eternity, should show forth His praise. From the august mind of the
infinite God, the first thought of salvationsprang; and it was He
2 Christ’s Crowning Glory Sermon #2876
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who sketchedand mapped it all out, electing unto eternal life as many as it
pleasedHim, settling the way by which they would be redeemed, the method
by which they would be called, arranging the place, the day, the hour, the
means by which they would be converted, fixing it all, according to His eternal
purpose, in infinite wisdom and prudence, for in every part it was to be of
Him, and through Him, and to Him. Even as in the old tabernacle in the
wilderness, every board, and curtain, and hook, and silver socket, every
badger skin, and every vesselof the sanctuary, was ordained by God, and man
was only left to carry out God’s plan, even so is it in the salvationof God. In
its minutest details, as well as in its grand outline, the provisions of eternal
love are of the Lord, so it is in His salvation. But you know, dear brethren,
that it was not only His in the arranging, but it was also carriedout by God.
Who is He that has redeemed us by His blood, but He who is over all God,
blessedforever? Who trod the winepress side by side with Him? Did He not
stand there alone, and, singlehanded, win the victory? And from where comes
every blessing of salvation? Who provided it? Has man any share in the
provision of any of the mercies by which sinners are takenout of sin into
righteousness, andraisedfrom the ruins of the fall to all the glories of heaven?
No, from first to last, all the provisions of eternal love are of the Lord, so it is
in His salvation. No, more than that, God has not only planned and provided

everything relating to it, but it is He who applies the salvationwhich He has
thus provided. No one believes that Jesus is the Christ but by the teaching of
the Holy Spirit. “No man comes unto the Father but by Me,” says Christ.
Much is said by some people about free will, but free will has never done
anything in this world yet—unless moved by free grace—exceptto ruin
mankind. Leave men to themselves and they are sure to choose thatwhich is
evil. As naturally as the river runs downwards to the sea, so does the heart of
man turn towards that which is unclean. If the heart ever ascends towards
holiness, Christ and God, it is because it is drawn upward by grace, andthe
Lord is working in us to will and to do of His own goodpleasure. From the
first sigh of repentance to the lasthymn of thanksgiving, everything in us that
is goodis His workmanship; and so, in that respect, our salvationis of the
Lord. And, beloved, when it is all finished—when every one, who ever shall be
called, has been called—wheneveryone of the Lord’s electhas been
regenerated, justified, sanctified, and glorified—when the whole of the blood-
washedfamily of Godshall surround His throne above, all the glory shall be
given unto the Lord alone. There will be no jarring note in heaven, no whisper
of human merit, no claim of a rewardfor goodintentions; but every crown
shall be castat Jesus’feet, and every voice shall join in the ascription, “Not
unto us, not unto us, but unto Your name be all the glory of the salvation
which You have workedout for us from first to last.” Let me pause, just a
minute, to put this question to eachone here—Do you, dear friend, know
anything about this salvation which is all of God? I fear that there are many
who have no more religion than they have made themselves. Their religion is
the result of their own efforts to improve themselves. Ah, sirs! Our Savior’s
words are still true, “You must be born-again;” And, as it was in our first
birth, so must it be in our secondbirth—not our ownact. Depend upon it, if
all the goodyou have has been fetched out of yourself as the spider draws its
web out of its own bowels, it will all have to be brushed away. All that nature
spins will have to be unraveled, and all that nature builds will have to be
pulled down. God must save you, or you will be lost forever. The Holy Spirit,
the third Personof the blessedTrinity in Unity, must come upon you, and
quicken you into newness oflife, and renew you in the spirit of your mind, or
else you will fall short of that which is requisite for admission into the
kingdom of God. “Thatwhich is born of the flesh is flesh.” The best flesh is

only flesh; and only “that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Consequently,
the Spirit of God must operate upon us, or else we shall remain unspiritual,
not able to understand spiritual things, and not possessing that spiritual life
without which we cannotenter, at the last, into the enjoyment of those
spiritual pleasures which are at God’s right hand forevermore. One thing I
can saywithout any doubt. I, personally, know that it is God’s salvationthat
has savedme; and I think I speak the mind of many here when I say that they
feel that if the Holy Spirit does not work in them from the first to the last,
their salvationwill never be accomplished. I do not know any doctrine which
my experience more fully confirms than that to which Jonah gave utterance
when he was in the whale’s belly, “Salvationis of the Lord.” It is, as our text
reminds us, a divine salvation. II. Now, secondly, I come to the subject which
I desire to impress most deeply upon your memory, that is, THE GLORY OF
CHRIST IN THE SALVATION OF GOD: “His glory is greatin Your
salvation.”
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Volume 50 Tell someone todayhow much you love Jesus Christ. 3
Ah, brethren! The tongues of men and angels cannever fully tell the glory of
Christ in salvation. It is a subject to be thought over by the loftiest intellects;a
theme for men, who lie awake atnights, to meditate upon; a topic worthy of
the thoughts of those who linger on the verge of heaven. Dr. John Owen’s pen
was somewhatheavy in its style, but it never glowedand burned as much as
when he wrote upon the glory of Christ. This is a theme which the glorified
spirits before the throne perpetually contemplate;and the more fit we are to
be among them, the more delightful will this subject be to us. As to that glory,
oh, if I had the allotting and the measuring of it, what glory I would give to my
dear Lord and Master!I read, the other day—I cannotexactly quote the
words, though I give the sense—a sentence by Samuel Rutherford, in which he
said that he would like to pile up ten thousand million heavens upon the top of
the third heavento which Paul was caughtup, and put Christ in that high
place;and then He would not be as high as He deservedto be put; and, truly,
no honors seemsufficient for Him who stripped Himself of all He had that He
might become the Saviorof sinners. And, first, it is His glory that He has

redeemedHis people from stupendous evils. When a statesmanor a warrior
rescues a country from a cruel despotism, and brings to it the blessings of
liberty, he deserves greatpraise. But, my brethren, the tyranny of sin, from
which Christ has delivered His people, was a thousand times worse than the
rule of the worsthuman despot. Consider, for a moment, the position in which
His people were in the sight of God. They had sinned, and they had therefore
become exposedto the wrath of God. Unless some power, greaterthan their
own, should intervene, they must be castinto hell forever. God Himself could
not lay aside His justice, for God would ceaseto be if He ceasedto be just, and
an unjust God is a contradiction in terms, an impossible combination. How,
then, were these, who had sinned againstGod, to be delivered from the peril
which hung overthem? Moreover, they were held in bondage by sin, so that,
even if the punishment of their past sin could be removed, they were still
members of an enslavedrace. Satanhad casthis iron chains about them, and
they were led captive by him at his will. Ah, sirs, it is from this bondage that
Christ has set us free, for He has takenawayour guilt, bearing it in His own
body up to the tree; and then hurling it awayfrom the tree into His grave, to
be remembered againstus no more forever. By bearing the punishment that
was due to us, Christ has delivered us from the yoke of Satan and of sin; and,
by the wondrous redemption which He has workedout, and brought in, He
has made His people “free indeed.” No curse now hangs above their heads; no
sin now has dominion over them, for they are not under the law, but under
grace. Therefore,soundaloud your Deliverer’s praises, allyou who have been
thus delivered! Think of what stupendous evils these were from which Christ
setus free. To overthrow an oppressive empire, is a greatachievement. To
rout the vast hordes that are led into the battlefield by greattyrants is no
slight victory. The conqueror’s statue is set up on high, and his name is
emblazoned upon the scrollof earthly fame; then, what honor shall be given
to Christ, who has setus free from mightier foes than ever trampled upon a
nation’s liberties? Recollect, too, that He has not only delivered us from
stupendous evils; but, in the process, He has crushed the mightiest powers. It
did seem, at one time, as if evil would get the mastery in God’s universe. God
had permitted the strange experiment, as it seemed, ofmaking creatures,
gifted with free agency, with whose free agencyHe would not interfere. These
creatures broke His law. How was the evil to be prevented from spreading?

They would multiply and increase;as, indeed, they have done; and,
multiplying and increasing, there would be so many millions of spirits in the
universe, all rebellious againstGod; and, consequently, all suffering. There
would be countless myriads, born into God’s world, all bearing hearts of sin
within their bosoms, and all, therefore, subject to the wrath of God. How
Satanexulted at the prospectof evil increasing!But when Jesus came into this
world, He put His foot upon the head of the old dragon, and so effectually
crushed him to the earth so that he has never been able to rise again. Satan
saw Christ hanging upon the cross, and thought that was his opportunity for
gaining a decisive victory, yet it proved to be the hour of his greatestdefeat.
Deathdrove his sting right through the heart of Christ, but it so fixed itself in
His cross that it could never be drawn out again;and, now, that sting of death,
which is sin, is gone as far as all believers in Christ are concerned. He has
vanquished all the powers of evil—sin, death, and hell—and shatteredtheir
forces forever. Listen to this greatshout of victory; oh, that I had a voice loud
enough to make it ring round the globe: “You have ascendedon high, You
have led captivity captive: You have receivedgifts for men; yes, for the
rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them.”
Perhaps the main point of Christ’s glory in the salvationof His people is that
He has achievedthis by means which reflect unbounded honor upon His holy
name. I have often read the story of Cromwell’s Ironsides;and, sympathizing
deeply with them in the objective of their fight, I have greatlyadmired their
stern courage and consecratedardor;but, still, I cannot think of battles and of
fighting for the best of objectives without something of a shudder; so I cannot
approve of the means which they employed. Doubtless, our country owes her
present liberties to those brave men; yet, for all that, I grieve overthe awful
price of blood at which those liberties were purchased. Our blessedLord and
Masterconqueredall our foes, but what were the weapons He used to secure
so glorious a victory? Do you look up to Him, and inquire, “Where is Your
battle-axe, O Lord Jesus? Where are Your spear, Your sword, Your quiver,
and Your arrows?” He bids you look at His hands, His feet, His side, His

heart. These are the weapons with which He overcame all the powers of
darkness. There was much suffering in that awful conflict, but the suffering
was all His own. There was a terrible gory sweat, but it came from His own
body. There were wounds, and there was death, but the wounds were in His
precious body, the death was all His own. This is how evil was conquered—by
love which denied itself, even to the death, for the sake of others. This is how
human stubbornness was vanquished—by an almighty patience that could
suffer at the hands of rebellious sinners till it bled to death. This is your death,
O death—this is your hell, O hell—this is your destruction, O destruction—
that God Himself bore the consequencesofHis creatures’sin! No, start not
back at that expression, I pray you; do not think of Christ as being separated
from God. God did not find somebodyelse to be the Substitute for sinners, but
He gave His only-begotten and well-beloved Son, Jesus Christ, who is the
equal and in all respects one with the Father. It was God Himself, in the
person of the man Christ Jesus, who bore the penalty that was due to human
sin; it was God, in the person of His Son, suffering, agonizing, groaning,
dying, to put our sin awayforever. I cannotconceive, nor do I think that
cherubim and seraphim could conceive ofanything more noble and more
glorious than this self-sacrificeofthe Son of God. He conquers, not by making
others suffer, but by sufferings all His own. A kindred thought to that is this.
Christ’s glory is greatin the divine salvation, because it developedand
revealedthe most wonderful attributes. Suppose England, were to win a great
victory at sea. We should probably ascribe it to her superior men-of-war.
Generally, battles are decided, as Napoleonsaid, by the big battalions, or by
the excellenceofthe weapons that are used by the soldiers. If one man has an
old BrownBess, and another a modern rifle, we can pretty well guess on
which side the victory will be. We callit “glory” when one fellow, who is twice
as big as another, knocks the little one down; at least, we call it “glory” when
the nation, which has the better ships, and the biggerarmy, wins the victory. I
saw a huge Newfoundland dog pick up a poodle, and shake him, there was
about as much “glory” in that as when greatnations war againstlittle ones,
and overpowerthem. It is the same kind of “glory” as being a biggerbully,
and having a harder fist and stronger muscles than anybody else. Thatmay be
the sortof glory for a bull, or a lion, or an ass;but it is not the glory that is
suited to men, and especiallyto Christian men. But when Christ came, and

redeemedus, there was, onHis part, no display of physical power, mere brute
power. There was a display of power, but it was the power of goodness,the
powerto suffer, the power to be patient, the power to love; as if God said to
men, “Sinners and rebels as you are, I love you more than you hate Me; and
greatas your badness is, My goodnessshalloverwhelm your badness, My
pardoning mercy shall overpoweryour powerto transgress.” As the result of
His death upon the cross, ourLord Jesus has saveda multitude that no man
can number; and a part of His glory consists in the fact that there are so many
whom He has saved. The salvation of God is not for just a little privileged
company. I know that certain “sound” brethren imagine that the blessings of
salvationare confined to just a few favored individuals in Little Zoar, or
Rehoboth; they delight in the idea that there are only a few that will be saved.
I trust that we have no sympathy with such narrow views;for my own part, I
rejoice to know that, in heaven, there will be “a greatmultitude, which no
man can number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues,” who
shall cry, “Salvationto our God which sits upon the throne, and unto the
Lamb.” So our Lord Jesus Christhas greatglory from the fact that He saves
so many sinners. There is this peculiarity about all which He saves, that they
are attachedto Him forever. His glory is greatin their salvationbecause every
one of them is, from that day forth, Christ’s man, Christ’s woman, forever
and for evermore. In travelling through France, lately, I have been greatly
amused at seeing, in various public squares, pedestals thatwere evidently
intended for equestrianstatues, but there are no stat
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Volume 50 Tell someone todayhow much you love Jesus Christ. 5
ues upon them; and there are escutcheons upon town halls, which look as if
there should have been medallions upon them, but there are no portraits
where the medallions should have been. On making inquiries, you will find
that a statue of Napoleonthe Third used to stand on that pedestal, and a
medallion of him used to be on that town hall. That must be a fine country for
stone-masons, becausethey so frequently have fresh governments, and need
also to have fresh statues. I have heard of a man, living in Paris, who used to
ask, every morning, whether he was under a republic, or a monarchy, or an

empire; and when he was told which it was, he was not at all sure that it
would last till the evening. No matter how goodthe ruler has been, nor how
many times they have painted his likeness, orsetup his image, the moment he
has ill fortune, away go all the representations ofhim. You would have
thought that many rulers would have obtained a permanent place in the
hearts of their people;yet we know, from the history of various countries, that
very few have done so. Those who are idolized today are despisedtomorrow.
But our Lord Jesus has a glory which is greatin our salvation, because His
image is foreverenshrined in our hearts. The greatNapoleonhit the nail on
the head when, at St. Helena, musing upon his ownposition, he said to one
who walkedwith him, “Jesus Christis the most wonderful of men. I founded
an empire, which has passedaway;but His never will, and I see the reasonfor
that. Mine was founded upon force, but Christ’s is founded upon love.” Ah,
that is the reasonfor our devotion to Him! He has loved us so much that He
has won us to Himself forever. These hands of mine are manacled with
blessed, invisible, but unbreakable bands of love; never was I truly free until I
felt those fetters binding me to my Lord. This heart of mine is fast riveted to
Christ. It never was really my own till it became His; but now it is His forever
and ever. “I bear in my body,” saidPaul, “the marks of the Lord Jesus.” He
felt it to be an unspeakable honorto be the branded slave of Jesus Christ, with
the cross burnt into his very flesh by the suffering which he had endured for
the sake ofhis dear Lord and Master. Truly, brethren, to rule over other men
is a greatthing; to have moral power over men, is no mean matter; but to get
men so to love you that they would willingly die for you—to get them so to
love you that they would soonerceaseto live than cease to love you—this is to
occupy a glorious high throne; and such is the throne upon which Christ sits
in the hearts of all His people, such is the dominion which He wields over all
the hosts that He has purchasedwith His precious blood. Well says the
prophet in our text—for the psalmist was a true prophet—“His glory is great
in Your salvation.” III. Now, thirdly, our text REVEALS THE REWARD
WHICH JESUS HAS OBTAINED FOR THIS GREAT SALVATION:
“Honor and majesty have You laid upon Him.” I do not intend to preach upon
this lastpoint, but only to give you a few sentences by way of an outline of the
honor and majesty which God the Father has laid upon Christ. First, our
Lord Jesus Christ has been exalted, as man, to reign over the angels. As God,

He was ever Ruler, Governor, and Lord of all; but the man Christ Jesus died,
was buried, and rose again, and then ascendedinto glory; and now He is Head
over all principalities and powers, and all the holy angels, that have never
fallen, delight to do His bidding. My brother, in that very sweetprayerbefore
the sermon, to which I assentedwith all my heart, pleaded that we might get a
view of Jesus Christ within the veil in His glory. That is how I want you to
think of Him—that very man, who hung upon the tree; that very man, who
was the butt of all the reproaches and scornof His enemies, now sits upon the
throne of God, and around Him all the cherubim and seraphim are gathered,
all worshipping and adoring Him, and praising and magnifying His holy
name. Then, my brethren, God has given to the Lord Jesus to be the Head of
His Church. Over all the redeemed, on earth and in heaven, Christ presides
and rules. While He is the Lord of the angels, He is also the Lord of all elect
men. His Father gave them to Him from eternity, and made Him to be the
Head and made them to be the members of His mystical body. Christ is the
one and only Head and supreme Ruler of His Church. It is true that there are
men who setthemselves up as governors ofChrist’s Church; and there is an
antichrist, at Rome, who calls himself the head of the church; but that is only
a wickedfiction, a manifest lie. There is but one Head of the Church, and that
is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only supreme Ruler, and before Him all His
loyal subjects bow. “Honorand majesty have You laid upon Him.” Being
Head of His Church, He is also Head over all things, outside of His Church, in
which His Church is concerned. Josephruled Egypt for the goodof Israel;
and, in like manner does Christ rule the whole world for the goodof His
people. All the arrangements of providence are under His control; nothing is
done in the entire universe without His command or His permission. Does that
statementstartle you? It is, nevertheless, true. He, who was made Lord of the
angels, has had all things put under His feet, and He
is, at this moment, Lord of all; and, brethren, we shall see this demonstrated
soon, for He is coming. As surely as He went up to heaven, literally and
personally, so surely will He comes again, literally and personally; and when

He does come, it will be as Ruler and Lord over all, for He will come to judge
the quick and the dead according to His gospel. Thenwill all created
intelligences behold the honor and majestywhich God has put upon Him.
There will have to appear, before the judgment seatof the Nazarene, the
spirits that fell ages upon ages ago. Satanshall come, and receive his final
sentence, and be banished forever to hell. Then shall come the unbelieving
world, to hear from Christ’s lips the terrible message,“Depart, youcursed!”
The earth shall reel beneath His presence—thatearth which could scarcely
lend Him a sepulcher; and heaven and earth shall flee awayfrom that face
which earth once seemedto scornand heavento forget. Ah, it will be seenwho
the Christ is in that day! A trumpet blast, more terrible than that which
startled the echoes ofSinai, shall ring over land and sea. A cloud shall come,
and on it shall stand the greatwhite throne, and upon it shall be seatedthe
“man of sorrows andacquainted with grief.” But, oh, how changed!— “With
rainbow wreath and robes of storm,” He shall come—witha face shining
above the brightness of the sun, and with eyes like flames of fire, He shall
come in all the glory of His Father, with all His holy angels to attend Him, and
to swellthe triumph of His appearing. O brothers and sisters, let us anticipate
that glorious appearing, and begin to clap our hands with exultation over our
Lord’s triumphal advent! But are we all His people? Do not desire that day if
you are not His, for the Day of the Lord will be darkness, and not light, to all
who are His enemies. The more glorious Christ is to His own people, the more
dreadful will His appearance be to you if you live as unbelievers, and if you
die without trusting in Him. O Christians, I bid you be glad in your Lord, and
I also bid you pray for the unsaved, that they may trust, and love, and serve
Jesus, too, and rejoice with you in recollecting that He is coming againto
receive unto Himself all to whom He is both Lord and Savior! Amen.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES

Prayer
Psalm21:4
W. Forsyth
What is true of Christ is true, in a sense, ofhis people. Here we learn -
I. THE TRUE NATURE OF PRAYER. It is the desire of the heart (ver. 2).
This is frequently taught by doctrine and factin Holy Scripture. Words are of
the mouth, thoughts are of the heart. "Words without thoughts never to
heaven go." It is asking of God for things agreeable to his will. While there is
real "asking,"there is also loving trust and acquiescence.God''s will is aye the
best will.
II. SOME LIGHT AS TO THE MANNER IN WHICH GoD ANSWERS
PRAYER.
1. By giving what is good. "Life."
2. In a higher sense than we thought of. "Forever."
3. In such a way as shall be for the greatestbenefitto others as well as to
ourselves. "Blessings"(cf. Paul, "more needful for you," Philippians 1:24).
Hence faith is confirmed. Our hopes as to the future are sustained. Our hearts
are soothedamidst the disappointments and trials of life, by the assurance
that all is well. We ask "life" for ourselves;and God gives what he sees best.
We ask "life" for our friends. Some child or loved one is in peril of death. We
plead for him. We entreat that he may be spared. We continue with "strong
crying and tears" to pray that his life, so precious and so dear, may be
prolonged. But in vain. He dies. We are troubled. We mourn in bitterness of
soul, as if God had forgottento be gracious. But when we look at things
aright, we find comfort. God has answeredus in his own way. He knows what
is best. Your little one has gone quickly to heaven. Your darling boy has been
takento a nobler field of service than earth. The "desire ofyour eyes" has
been caught up into the glory of God. There they awaitus. Love never faileth.
The fellowshipin Christ endures for ever. - W.F.

Biblical Illustrator
His glory is greatin Thy salvation.
Psalm21:5
The glory of God
JosephParker, D. D.
In this Psalmthe poet is giving thanks for victory. The soldiers are returning
from war, and are met by a chorus of maidens shouting praise to the
delivering God. The poetry is not equal to the moral enthusiasm of the
occasion. We are calledupon to contemplate God's glory as being greatin
human salvation. We thus enjoy the basis and the application of the thought.
It would seemto be beneath Almighty God to care for a world so small and
foolish as ours. It is not for us to estimate even our own worth. It does not
become us to say that the world is insignificant, mean, or worthless;it is the
work of God. What God has thought it worth His while to make, He may well
think it worth His while to redeem. We do not see the whole world, nor do we
comprehend all the issues of its discipline and nurture. When Jesus sees the
travail of His soul He shall be satisfied. To save one soul is glory enough for

any mortal man. What must it be to save the souls of all men, the souls of the
ages and centuries incomputable? It is the delight of God to save, to redeem,
to construct; the function of the enemy is to overthrow, to weaken, to debase,
and to bring all life into dishonour. The course which the enemy has takenis
the easier, since it is always easierto destroy than to construct. We glorify
God by our goodness.Goddoes not exist to be glorified in any sense ofbeing
merely hailed and saluted by songs and rapturous applause. When we are
most quiet we are most really glorifying God. By meekness, by pureness, by
gentleness, by quiet spiritual wisdom, by accepting the lot of life in a spirit of
self-sacrifice,we may be bringing true glory to God. Do not think of the glory
of God in any merely magnificent sense. We must change our definition of
magnificence. In the sight of heaven it may be magnificent to be poor in spirit,
gentle, and meek;and it may be mean and contemptible to own estates and
crowns and sceptres.It is upon moral emotion, aspiration, and service that
God sets His sealof blessing.
(JosephParker, D. D.)
COMMENTARIES
BensonCommentary
Psalm21:5. His glory — His fame or renown, is greatin thy salvation — By
reasonof those greatand glorious deliverances which thou hastwrought both
for him and by him. Honour and majesty hastthou laid upon him — Or,
fitted to him, or upon him, or made adequate to him, as the word ‫,הוׁשת‬
teshav-veh, signifies. Thou hast given him honour and powersuitable to his
glorious person and high endowments. “What tongue,” says Dr. Horne, “can
express the ‘glory, honour, and majesty,’with which the King of
righteousness andpeace was investedupon his ascension, whenhe took
possessionofthe throne prepared for him, and receivedthe homage of heaven
and earth! The sacredimagery in St. John’s Revelationsets them before our
eyes in such a manner, that no one canread the description whose heartwill

not burn within him, through impatient desire to behold them.” See
Revelation, chapters 4., 7., 19., 21., 22.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
21:1-6 Happy the people whose king makes God's strength his confidence, and
God's salvation his joy; who is pleasedwith 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 ofgoodness,and are owing, not to any merit of
ours, but only to God's goodness. Butwhen 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
prosecutionof it. The Spirit of prophecy rises from what related to the king,
to that which is peculiar to Christ; none other is blessedfor ever, much less a
blessing for ever.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
His glory is greatin thy salvation - Not in himself; not in anything that he has
done, but in what thou hast done. The fact that thou hast savedhim, and the
manner in which it has been done, has put upon him greathonor. He felt
indeed that his condition as king, and as to the prospects before him, was one
of great"glory" or honor; but he felt at the same time that it was not in
"himself," or for anything that he had done: it was only in the ""salvation""
which "God" had conferredupon him. Every child of God, in like manner,
has great"glory" conferredupon him, and his "glory" will be greatforever;
but it is not in himself, or in virtue of anything that he has done. It is "great"
in the "salvation" ofGod:
(a) in the "fact" that Godhas interposed to save him; and

(b) in the "manner" in which it has been done.
The highest honor that canbe put upon man is in the factthat God will save
him.
Honour and majesty hastthou laid upon him -
(a) In making him a king;
(b) in the victories and triumphs which thou hast now given him, placing on
his head, as it were, a brighter crown;
(c) in the promised perpetuity of his reign.
So we may sayof the ransomed sinner - the child of God - now. Honour and
majesty have been laid on him:
(a) in the fact that God has redeemed him;
(b) in the manner in which this has been accomplished;
(c) in his adoption into the family of God;
(d) in the rank and dignity which he occupies as a child of God;
(e) in the hope of immortal blessednessbeyond the grave.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
4-6. (Compare 2Sa 7:13-16). The glory and blessednessofthe king as head of
his line, including Christ, as well as in being God's speciallyselectedservant,
exceededthat of all others.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
His glory; his fame or renown in the world. In thy salvation;by reasonof
those greatand glorious deliverances which thou hast wrought both for him
and by him.

Hast thou laid upon him; or, fitted to him, or upon him, as the Hebrew verb
signifies;or, made it adequate to him. Thou hast given him a large and noble
soul, very capable of and fit for that high and honourable estate to which thou
hast advancedhim, and thou hastgiven him honour and powersuitable to so
excellenta person, and to such rich endowments.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
His glory is greatin thy salvation,.... Thatis, the glory of the King Messiahis
greatin the Lord's salvationof him; delivering him from all his troubles and
sorrows, andout of the hands of all his enemies, when he was raisedfrom the
dead, and was setat the right hand of God, and crowned with glory and
honour: or the sense is, that his glory is great in the salvation of his people by
him; it was his glory as Mediatorto be appointed to be the Lord's salvationto
them; and it being effectedby him declares the glory and greatness ofhis
person; and the nature of it is such as cannot fast of bringing glory to him;
and such is the sense his people have of it, that it obliges them to ascribe the
glory of it alone to him;
honour and majestyhast thou laid upon him; which is to be understood not of
the honour and majesty of his divine nature, which are essentialto him, and
not laid upon him by any; nor of the glory which the saints attribute to him on
accountof their salvationby him; but of that which his Fatherhas put upon
him, and lies in the introduction of him into his glory after his sufferings and
death, and resurrectionfrom the dead; in exalting him at his right hand above
all creatures and things; in giving him all power in heavenand in earth; in
putting all the gifts of the Spirit into his hands, which he receiving gave to
men, and in ordaining him Judge of quick and dead.
Geneva Study Bible
His glory is greatin thy salvation:honour and majesty hast thou laid upon
him.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges

5. Glory, honour, majesty, are Divine attributes (Psalm 8:1; Psalm8:5; Psalm
104:1); and the victorious king shines with a reflectionof them.
hast thou laid] Rather as R.V., dost thou lay. Cp. Psalm89:19 for the same
word used of Divine endowment.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 5. - His glory is greatin thy salvation. David' s glory exceeds that of all
other living men, through the "salvation" whichGod vouchsafes him. That
salvationis partly temporal, consisting in deliverance from his foes;partly of
an unearthly and spiritual character, arising out of his relationship to the
coming Messiah. It is from the latter point of view, rather than the former,
that it is said, Honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him.
Keil and DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament
(Heb.: 20:7-9) While Psalm20:2 were being sung the offering of the sacrifice
was probably going on. Now, after a lengthened pause, there ascends a voice,
probably the voice of one of the Levites, expressing the cheering assurance of
the gracious acceptance ofthe offering that has been presentedby the priest.
With ‫הּתת‬ or ‫,ׁשהּתת‬ the usual word to indicate the turning-point, the
instantaneous entrance of the result of some previous process ofprolonged
duration, whether hidden or manifest (e.g., 1 Kings 17:24;Isaiah 29:22), is
introduced. howshiya` is the perfectof faith, which, in the certainty of being
answered, realisesthe fulfilment in anticipation. The exuberance of the
language in Psalm20:7 corresponds to the exuberance of feeling which thus
finds expression.
In Psalm 20:3 the answeris expectedout of Zion, in the presentinstance it is
lookedfor from God's holy heavens; for the God who sits enthroned in Zion is
enthroned for ever in the heavens. His throne on earth is as it were the
vestibule of His heavenly throne; His presence in the sanctuaryof Israel is no
limitation of His omnipresence;His help out of Zion is the help of the Celestial
One and Him who is exaltedabove the heaven of heavens. ‫תורּוׁשה‬ does not here
mean the fulness of might (cf. Psalm 90:10), but the displays of power (Psalm

106:2;Psalm 145:4;Psalm 150:2;Psalm 63:1-11 :15), by which His right hand
procures salvation, i.e., victory, for the combatant. The glory of Israel is
totally different from that of the heathen, which manifests itself in boastful
talk. In Psalm20:8 ‫תריּכּור‬ or ‫ּכריּכּור‬ must be supplied from the ‫רריּכּו‬ in Psalm
20:8 (lxx μεγαλυνθησόμεθαequals ‫,ריוּכּו‬ Psalm12:5); ‫ה‬ ‫,תריּכּו‬ to make
laudatory mention of any matter, to extol, and indirectly therefore to take
credit to one's selffor it, to boastof it (cf. ‫ה‬ ‫ל‬ ‫,ת‬ Psalm44:9). According to the
Law Israelwas forbidden to have any standing army; and the law touching
the king (Deuteronomy17:16) speaks stronglyagainsthis keeping many
horses. It was also the same under the judges, and at this time under David;
but under Solomon, who acquired for himself horses and chariots in great
number (1 Kings 10:26-29), it was very different. It is therefore a confession
that must belong to the time of David which is here made in Psalm20:8, viz.,
that Israel's glory in opposition to their enemies, especiallythe Syrians, is the
sure defence and protection of the Name of their Godalone. The language of
David to Goliathis very similar, 1 Samuel 17:45. The preterites in Psalm20:9
are praet. confidentiae. It is, as Luther says, "a song of triumph before the
victory, a shout of joy before succour." Since ‫םרק‬ does not mean to stand, but
to rise, ‫םנרר‬ assumes the present superiority of the enemy. But the position of
affairs changes:those who stand fall, and those who are lying down rise up;
the former remain lying, the latter keep the field. The Hithpa. ‫דדׁשההת‬ signifies
to show one's selffirm, strong, courageous;like ‫,הׁשדד‬ Psalm146:9;Psalm
147:6, to strengthen, confirm, recover, from ‫הרד‬ to be compact, firm, cogn.
Arab. âd f. i., inf. aid, strength; as, e.g., the Koran (Sur. xxxviii. 16)calls
David dhâ-l-aidi, possessorofstrength, II ajjada, to strengthen, support, and
Arab. 'dd, inf. add, strength superiority, V tāddada, to show one's selfstrong,
brave, courageous.
STUDYLIGHTRESOURCES

Adam Clarke Commentary
His glory is great - But greatas his glory was, it had its greatness from God's
salvation. There is no true nobility but of the soul, and the soul has none but
what it receives from the grace and salvationof God.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.
Bibliography
Clarke, Adam. "Commentary on Psalms 21:5". "The Adam Clarke
Commentary". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/acc/psalms-
21.html. 1832.
return to 'Jump List'
Albert Barnes'Notes onthe Whole Bible
of great“glory” or honor; but he felt at the same time that it was not in
“himself,” or for anything that he had done: it was only in the ““salvation””
which “God” had conferredupon him. Every child of God, in like manner,
has great“glory” conferredupon him, and his “glory” will be greatforever;
but it is not in himself, or in virtue of anything that he has done. It is “great”
in the “salvation” ofGod:
(a) in the “fact” that God has interposed to save him; and
(b) in the “manner” in which it has been done.

him.
(e) in the hope of immortal blessednessbeyond the grave.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Barnes, Albert. "Commentaryon Psalms 21:5". "Barnes'Notesonthe Whole
Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bnb/psalms-21.html.
1870.
The Biblical Illustrator

Psalms 21:5
His glory is greatin Thy salvation.
The glory of God
In this Psalmthe poet is giving thanks for victory. The soldiers are returning
from war, and are met by a chorus of maidens shouting praise to the
delivering God. The poetry is not equal to the moral enthusiasm of the
occasion. We are calledupon to contemplate God’s glory as being greatin
human salvation. We thus enjoy the basis and the application of the thought.
It would seemto be beneath Almighty God to care for a world so small and
foolish as ours. It is not for us to estimate even our own worth. It does not
become us to say that the world is insignificant, mean, or worthless;it is the
work of God. What God has thought it worth His while to make, He may well
think it worth His while to redeem. We do not see the whole world, nor do we
comprehend all the issues of its discipline and nurture. When Jesus sees the
travail of His soul He shall be satisfied. To save one soul is glory enough for
any mortal man. What must it be to save the souls of all men, the souls of the
ages and centuries incomputable? It is the delight of God to save, to redeem,
to construct; the function of the enemy is to overthrow, to weaken, to debase,
and to bring all life into dishonour. The course which the enemy has takenis
the easier, since it is always easierto destroy than to construct. We glorify
God by our goodness.Goddoes not exist to be glorified in any sense ofbeing
merely hailed and saluted by songs and rapturous applause. When we are
most quiet we are most really glorifying God. By meekness, by pureness, by
gentleness, by quiet spiritual wisdom, by accepting the lot of life in a spirit of
self-sacrifice,we may be bringing true glory to God. Do not think of the glory
of God in any merely magnificent sense. We must change our definition of
magnificence. In the sight of heaven it may be magnificent to be poor in spirit,
gentle, and meek;and it may be mean and contemptible to own estates and
crowns and sceptres.It is upon moral emotion, aspiration, and service that
God sets His sealof blessing. (JosephParker, D. D.)

Copyright Statement
Text Courtesyof BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography
Exell, JosephS. "Commentary on "Psalms 21:5". The Biblical Illustrator.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tbi/psalms-21.html. 1905-
1909. New York.
Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible
"His glory is greatin thy salvation;
Honor and majesty dost thou lay upon him.
For thou makesthim most blessedforever:
Thou makesthim glad with joy in thy presence."
These verses abundantly confirm the interpretation of "eternallife" which we
understand to be the meaning of Psalms 21:4, above.
"Honor and majesty dostthou lay upon him" (Psalms 21:5). What is indicated
here according to Dahood(in The Anchor Bible) is, "A characteristic
attribute of the (pagan) gods, consisting ofa dazzling aureole or nimbus which
surrounds divinity."[9]
This connotationof the terminology here fully confirms the view that the
person spokenof here must be identified with divinity.
"It is from the salvation arising out of David's relationship to the coming
Messiahthat it is said here that, `Honor and majesty dost thou lay upon
him.'"[10]

"Forthou makesthim most blessedforever" (Psalms 21:6). The literal
meaning of the Hebrew text here is, "Forthou settesthim to be blessings
forever."[11]This means exactly what God meant when he promised
Abraham that in him and in his seedall the families of men would be blessed
(Genesis 12:3;18:18; 22:18). "Justas all mankind were blessedin Abraham,
so were they all blessedin David's seed."[12]This thought is fully confirmed
in Matthew 1:1. Note especiallythat "forever" here has no reference whatever
to "long live the king," but means perpetually and eternally. This reiteration
of the thought in Psalms 21:4 makes it mandatory to view "forever" in that
passageas also having the meaning of "eternallife."
"Thou makesthim glad with joy in thy presence" (Psalms 21:5). The weakest
comment we have encounteredon this is that of Addis who thought that the
king mentioned here was enjoying the presence ofGod in the sense that, "The
king lived hard by the temple,"[13]where God's presence was manifested.
Such a notion is impossible of acceptance, becauseGod's presence was not
"hard by the temple" at some locationseparatedfrom the temple, but within
the very "Holy of Holies" inside the temple. If this passagemeantno more
than living near the Jerusalemtemple, it would have been equally applicable
to every person living in Jerusalem.
Kidner has a much more discerning comment, indicating that, "The true
meaning of `in thy presence'is explained by Hebrews 12:2."[14]Thatpassage
states that, "Jesus,who for the joy setbefore Him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and has satdown at the right hand of the throne of
God." There indeed is the realpresence of God, which in fact is not actually
anywhere else.
Copyright Statement
James Burton Coffman Commentaries reproduced by permission of Abilene
Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. All other rights reserved.
Bibliography

Coffman, James Burton. "Commentary on Psalms 21:5". "Coffman
Commentaries on the Old and New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bcc/psalms-21.html. Abilene
Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. 1983-1999.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
His glory is greatin thy salvation,.... Thatis, the glory of the King Messiahis
greatin the Lord's salvationof him; delivering him from all his troubles and
sorrows, andout of the hands of all his enemies, when he was raisedfrom the
dead, and was set at the right hand of God, and crowned with glory and
honour: or the sense is, that his glory is great in the salvation of his people by
him; it was his glory as Mediatorto be appointed to be the Lord's salvationto
them; and it being effectedby him declares the glory and greatness ofhis
person; and the nature of it is such as cannot fast of bringing glory to him;
and such is the sense his people have of it, that it obliges them to ascribe the
glory of it alone to him;
honour and majestyhast thou laid upon him; which is to be understood not of
the honour and majesty of his divine nature, which are essentialto him, and
not laid upon him by any; nor of the glory which the saints attribute to him on
accountof their salvationby him; but of that which his Fatherhas put upon
him, and lies in the introduction of him into his glory after his sufferings and
death, and resurrectionfrom the dead; in exalting him at his right hand above
all creatures and things; in giving him all power in heavenand in earth; in
putting all the gifts of the Spirit into his hands, which he receiving gave to
men, and in ordaining him Judge of quick and dead.
Copyright Statement
The New John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible Modernisedand adapted
for the computer by Larry Pierce of Online Bible. All Rightes Reserved,
Larry Pierce, Winterbourne, Ontario.

A printed copy of this work can be ordered from: The Baptist Standard
Bearer, 1 Iron Oaks Dr, Paris, AR, 72855
Bibliography
Gill, John. "Commentary on Psalms 21:5". "The New John Gill Exposition of
the Entire Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/psalms-
21.html. 1999.
Wesley's ExplanatoryNotes
him.
Glory — His fame or renown.
Salvation— By reasonof those greatand glorious deliverances which thou
hast wrought both for him, and by him.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain and are a derivative of an electronic edition that
is available on the Christian ClassicsEtherealLibrary Website.
Bibliography
Wesley, John. "Commentary on Psalms 21:5". "John Wesley's Explanatory
Notes on the Whole Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/wen/psalms-21.html. 1765.
Calvin's Commentary on the Bible
5.His glory is great. By these words the people intimate that their king,
through the protectionwhich God afforded him, and the deliverances which

he wrought for him, would become more renownedthan if he had reignedin
peace with the applause of all men, or had been defended by human wealth
and human strength, or, finally, had continued invincible by his own power
and policy; for thereby it appearedthe more clearly that he had only attained
to the royal dignity by the favor, conduct, and commandment of God. The
believing Israelites, therefore, leave it to heathen kings to ennoble themselves
by their own achievements, and to acquire fame by their own valor; and they
setmore value upon this, that God graciouslyshowedhimself favorable
towards their king, (483)than upon all the triumphs of the world. At the same
time, they promise themselves such assistancefrom God as will suffice for
adorning the king with majesty and honor.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Calvin, John. "Commentary on Psalms 21:5". "Calvin's Commentary on the
Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/cal/psalms-21.html.
1840-57.
John Trapp Complete Commentary
Psalms 21:5 His glory [is] greatin thy salvation:honour and majesty hast
thou laid upon him.
Ver. 5. His glory is greatin thy salvation] He was at first slighted, even by his
own, as a petty prince; and the Philistines came up to seek him, that they
might suppress him before he grew too strong for them; insomuch as he, for
fear of them, went down to the hold, 2 Samuel5:17, but soonafter he became
formidable to them and the restof the neigbbouring nations, whom he
subdued and reigned over. The like hereunto befell our Queen Elizabeth, who,

how low soeveratfirst, became at length, as her enemies confessed, the most
glorious woman that everswayedsceptre, because posuitDeum adiutorem
suum.
Honour and majesty hastthou laid upon him] A growing weightof glory, a
load of it, even before man. The saints, when they come to heaven, shall have
an exceeding, excessive, eternalweightof glory, 2 Corinthians 4:17, such as if
the body were not upheld by the mighty powerof God it were impossible it
should everbear it.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Trapp, John. "Commentary on Psalms 21:5". John Trapp Complete
Commentary. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jtc/psalms-
21.html. 1865-1868.
Matthew Poole's EnglishAnnotations on the Holy Bible
His glory; his fame or renown in the world. In thy salvation;by reasonof
those greatand glorious deliverances which thou hast wrought both for him
and by him.
Hast thou laid upon him; or, fitted to him, or upon him, as the Hebrew verb
signifies;or, made it adequate to him. Thou hast given him a large and noble
soul, very capable of and fit for that high and honourable estate to which thou
hast advancedhim, and thou hastgiven him honour and powersuitable to so
excellenta person, and to such rich endowments.

Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Poole, Matthew, "Commentaryon Psalms 21:5". Matthew Poole's English
Annotations on the Holy Bible.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/mpc/psalms-21.html. 1685.
JosephBenson's Commentaryof the Old and New Testaments
Psalms 21:5. His glory — His fame or renown, is greatin thy salvation — By
reasonof those greatand glorious deliverances which thou hastwrought both
for him and by him. Honour and majesty hastthou laid upon him — Or,
fitted to him, or upon him, or made adequate to him, as the word ‫,הוׁשת‬
teshav-veh, signifies. Thou hast given him honour and powersuitable to his
glorious person and high endowments. “What tongue,” says Dr. Horne, “can
express the ‘glory, honour, and majesty,’with which the King of
righteousness andpeace was investedupon his ascension, whenhe took
possessionofthe throne prepared for him, and receivedthe homage of heaven
and earth! The sacredimagery in St. John’s Revelationsets them before our
eyes in such a manner, that no one canread the description whose heartwill
not burn within him, through impatient desire to behold them.” See
Revelation, chapters 4., 7., 19., 21., 22.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography

Benson, Joseph. "Commentaryon Psalms 21:5". JosephBenson's
Commentary. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/rbc/psalms-
21.html. 1857.
E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes
Honour, &c. Compare Revelation5:13.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Bullinger, Ethelbert William. "Commentary on Psalms 21:5". "E.W.
Bullinger's Companion bible Notes".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bul/psalms-21.html. 1909-
1922.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged
him.
His glory - i:e., through the saving deliverance which thou dost vouchsafe to
him. "Thy salvation" is the element IN which His glory is great.
His glory ... honour. The very terms used in Hebrews 2:9 respecting Christ's
ascensionand sitting at the Father's right hand.
Copyright Statement

Bibliography
Jamieson, Robert, D.D.;Fausset,A. R.; Brown, David. "Commentary on
Psalms 21:5". "CommentaryCritical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -
Unabridged". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jfu/psalms-
21.html. 1871-8.
Treasuryof Scripture Knowledge
him.
glory
3:3; 62:7; 2 Samuel 7:8,9,19;Isaiah49:5-7; 63:1; John 13:31,32;17:1,5,22;
Philippians 2:9-11; Hebrews 8:1; Revelation5:8-13
honour
110:1;1 Chronicles 17:11-15,27;Matthew 28:18; Ephesians 1:20-22;1 Peter
3:22
Copyright Statement
Bibliography

Torrey, R. A. "Commentary on Psalms 21:5". "The Treasuryof Scripture
Knowledge". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tsk/psalms-
21.html.
The People's Bible by JosephParker
"Handfuls of Purpose"
For All Gleaners
"His glory is greatin thy salvation."— Psalm21:5
In this psalm the poet is giving thanks for victory. The twentieth and twenty-
first Psalmmay refer to the same event. Both these compositions are part-
songs. Theyare also choral. The soldiers are returning from war, and are met
by a chorus of maidens shouting praise to the delivering God. The poetry is
not equal to the moral enthusiasm of the occasion. We are calledupon to
contemplate God"s glory as being great in human salvation. We thus enjoy
the basis and the application of the thought. It would seemto be beneath
Almighty God to care for a world so small and foolishas ours. It is not for us
to estimate even our own worth. It does not become us to say that the world is
insignificant, mean, or worthless;it is the work of God; what God has thought
it worth his while to make, he may wellthink it worth his while to redeem. We
do not see the whole world, nor do we comprehend all the issues of its
discipline and nurture. When Jesus sees the travail of his soul he shall be
satisfied. To save one soul is glory enough for any mortal man. What must it
be to save the souls of all men, the souls of the ages andcenturies
incomputable? It is the delight of God to save, to redeem, to construct; the
function of the enemy is to overthrow, to weaken, to debase, and to bring all
life into dishonour. The course which the enemy has takenis the easier, since
it is always easierto destroy than to construct. There is joy in the presence of
the angels ofGod over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and
nine just persons, which need no repentance. What joy shall there be when the
whole world is brought to Christ as his prey taken in the fight, takenat the
spear-point! We glorify God by our goodness. Goddoes not exist to be

glorified in any sense ofbeing merely hailed and salutedby songs and
rapturous applause. When we are most quiet we may be most really glorifying
God. By meekness,by pureness, by gentleness,by quiet spiritual Wisdom of
Solomon, by accepting the lot of life in a spirit of self-sacrifice, we may be
bringing true glory to God. Do not think of the glory of Godin any merely
magnificent sense. We must change our definition of magnificence. In the
sight of heaven it may be magnificent to be poor in spirit, gentle, and meek;
and it may be mean and contemptible to own estates andcrowns and sceptres.
It is upon moral emotion, aspiration and service that God sets the sealofhis
blessing.
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
ALBERT BARNES
Verse 5
of great“glory” or honor; but he felt at the same time that it was not in
“himself,” or for anything that he had done: it was only in the ““salvation””
which “God” had conferredupon him. Every child of God, in like manner,
has great“glory” conferredupon him, and his “glory” will be greatforever;
but it is not in himself, or in virtue of anything that he has done. It is “great”
in the “salvation” ofGod:
(a) in the “fact” that God has interposed to save him; and

(b) in the “manner” in which it has been done.
him.
(e) in the hope of immortal blessedness beyond the grave.
Thanks for the Victories
By Franklin L. Kirksey
Bible Book:Psalms 21 : 1-13
Subject: Victory; Gratitude; BlessingsofGod
Introduction

Dr. Arthur G. Clarke (1877-?)writes, “This seems originally to have been
written as a coronationhymn or national anthem, and later used as a
thanksgiving for victories granted in answerto prayer. . . .The recentvictory a
pledge of future victories; of David see 2 Sam 8; 1 Chron 18. . .”[1]Dr. Bill
Barrick explains, “Psalm21 is the prayer of thanksgiving for the victory
granted by God in answerto the prayer in Psalm20 for the king’s victory in
battle. . . . Psalm21 is sometimes referred to as one of the ‘royal psalms’
because its subject matter involves the king of Israel and his military
activities.”[2]
Here we see a truly dependent leader. Rev. Charles Simeon (1759-1836),
Senior Fellow ofKing’s College, Cambridge, explains, “Davidhad long been
habituated to trust in the Lord. When he was yet a youth, he withstood a lion
and a bear in dependence upon God [1 Sam. 17:36-37];nor feared to
encounter him, who filled all the host of Israelwith terror [1 Sam. 17:45, 47].
During the persecutions of Saul he still held fasthis confidence;and, under
the most imminent danger and accumulatedtrouble, encouragedhimself in
God [1 Sam. 30:6]. Sometimes, indeed, his faith for a moment began to fail
him [1 Sam. 27:1]; but, on the whole, he was ‘strong in faith, giving glory to
God.’ Nor was he less sensible of his own insufficiency when he was king: he
still made the MostHigh his only and continual refuge [Ps. 91:2 and 56:2-4]:
and God approved himself faithful to his believing servant. There were indeed
some occasions whereinDavid was greatly‘moved’ [2 Sam. 15:30]; but these
only servedmore fully to evince the powerand faithfulness of his God [2 Sam.
23:5].”[3]
Dr. J. J. (John James)StewartPerowne (1823-1904)explains, “EachJewish
monarch was but a feeble type of Israel’s true King: and all the hopes and
aspirations of pious hearts, however they might have for their immediate
objectthe then reigning monarch, whether David himself or one of David’s
children still lookedbeyond these to Him who should be David’s Lord as well
as his son.”[4]
In his book titled, The Madness ofKing Nebuchadnezzar: The Ancient New
EasternOrigins of Early History of Interpretation of Daniel 4, Dr. Matthias
H. Henze explains, “The comparisonis played out in a colorful array, and a

certain ‘rivalry’ betweentwo kings is created. On the simple level,
Nebuchadnezzarand David come to representpolar opposites onthe scale of
human virtues, with Nebuchadnezzaras a prototype of the wicked, and King
David as the righteous.”[5]Daniel4:28-37 reads, “All this came upon King
Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the
royal palace of Babylon. The king spoke, saying, ‘Is not this great Babylon,
that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of
my majesty?’While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from
heaven: ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken:the kingdom has departed
from you! And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with
the beasts ofthe field. They shall make you eatgrass like oxen; and seven
times shall pass over you, until you know that the MostHigh rules in the
kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.’Thatvery hour the
word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar;he was driven from men and
ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had
grown like eagles’feathers and his nails like birds’ claws. And at the end of
the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding
returned to me; and I blessed the MostHigh and praised and honored Him
who lives forever: ForHis dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His
kingdom is from generationto generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are
reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And
among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to
Him, ‘What have You done?’ At the same time my reasonreturned to me, and
for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My
counselors andnobles resortedto me, I was restoredto my kingdom, and
excellentmajesty was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol
and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways
justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.’”
Unlike King Nebuchadnezzar, King David understood his victories came from
God. This man after God’s own heart was filled with gratitude for God’s
goodness andmercy. Another example of David’s gratitude is Psalm34:2-8,
15-22, “Mysoul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it
and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name
together. I soughtthe Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my

fears. They lookedto Him and were radiant, And their faces were not
ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, And saved him
out of all his troubles. The angelof the Lord encamps all around those who
fear Him, And delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good. . . . The
eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry. The
face of the Lord is againstthose who do evil, To cut off the remembrance of
them from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers
them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to those who have a broken
heart, And saves suchas have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the
righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all. He guards all his bones;
Not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked, And those who hate the
righteous shall be condemned. The Lord redeems the soul of His servants,
And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.”
2 Corinthians 10:17 reads, “But ‘he who glories, lethim glory in the Lord.’”
Paul echoes Jeremiah9:23-24, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man
glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the
rich man glory in his riches;But let him who glories glory in this, That he
understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness,
judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,’ says the
Lord.”
Allow me to point out three things from our text.
I. Note the acceptanceofGod’s privilege.
Psalm21:1-7 reads, “The king shall have joy in Your strength, O Lord; And
in Your salvation how greatlyshall he rejoice!You have given him his heart’s
desire, And have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah ForYou meet him
with the blessings ofgoodness;
You seta crown of pure gold upon his head. He askedlife from You, and You
gave it to him—
Length of days forever and ever. His glory is greatin Your salvation;Honor
and majesty You have placedupon him. ForYou have made him most blessed
forever; You have made him exceedinglyglad with Your presence. Forthe

king trusts in the Lord, And through the mercy of the MostHigh he shall not
be moved.”
In The Pulpit Commentary, C. Short shares the following comment on Psalm
21:3 and 5, “This highestearthly honour was to representGod. He was God’s
vicegerentto the nation. The Lord’s anointed, who stoodon earth for God in
heaven; the image of the invisible King. This ought to be the idea still of all the
highest earthly offices - king, statesman, teacher.”
Romans 5:17 reads, “Forif by the one man’s offense death reigned through
the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of
righteousness willreign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”
Revelation1:4-6 reads, “John, to the sevenchurches which are in Asia: Grace
to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from
the sevenSpirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the
faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of
the earth. To Him who loved us and washedus from our sins in His own
blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be
glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
The phrase “heart’s desire” (v. 2) records the answerto the prayer of Psalm
20:4, “MayHe grant you according to your heart’s desire, And fulfill all your
purpose.” Psalm37:4 reads, “Delightyourself also in the Lord, And He shall
give you the desires of your heart.”
Dr. William Forsyth, shares the following thoughts on the true nature of
prayer: “It is the desire of the heart (Psalms 21:2). This is frequently taught
by doctrine and fact in Holy Scripture. Words are of the mouth, thoughts are
of the heart. ‘Words without thoughts never to heaven go.’It is asking of God
for things agreeable to his will. While there is real ‘asking,’there is also loving
trust and acquiescence.God’s will is aye the best will.”
Dr. Forsyth further shares, “some lightas to the manner in which God
answers prayer:

1. By giving what is good. ‘Life.’ 2. In a higher sense than we thought of. ‘For
ever.’ 3. In such a way as shall be for the greatestbenefit to others as well as
to ourselves. ‘Blessings’
(cf. Paul, ‘more needful for you,’ Philippians 1:24). Hence faith is confirmed.
Our hopes as to the future are sustained. Our hearts are soothedamidst the
disappointments and trials of life, by the assurance thatall is well. We ask
‘life’ for ourselves;and God gives what he sees best. We ask ‘life’ for our
friends. Some child or loved one is in peril of death. We plead for him. We
entreat that he may be spared. We continue with ‘strong crying and tears’to
pray that his life, so precious and so dear, may be prolonged. But in vain. He
dies. We are troubled. We mourn in bitterness of soul, as if God had forgotten
to be gracious. Butwhen we look at things aright, we find comfort. God has
answeredus in his own way. He knows what is best. Your little one has gone
quickly to heaven. Your darling boy has been takento a nobler field of service
than earth. The ‘desire of your eyes’has been caught up into the glory of God.
There they await us. Love never faileth. The fellowshipin Christ endures for
ever.”[6]
Rev. Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)is credited with the following
statement: “Godis too good to be unkind, too wise to be mistaken;and when
you cannottrace His hand you can trust His heart.” James 1:5 reads, “Every
goodgift and every perfectgift is from above, and comes down from the
Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” Our
Father is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent.
II. Note the assurance ofGod’s protection.
Psalm21:8-12 reads, “Your hand will find all Your enemies;Your right hand
will find those who hate You. You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time
of Your anger; The Lord shall swallow them up in His wrath, And the fire
shall devour them. Their offspring You shall destroy from the earth, And
their descendants from among the sons of men. For they intended evil against
You; They devised a plot which they are not able to perform. Therefore You
will make them turn their back;You will make ready Your arrows on Your
string toward their faces.”

Dr. Albert Barnes (1798-1870)writes, “The generaltruth that ‘all’ the foes of
God would thus be overcome, andthat the cause oftruth would be finally
triumphant, Psa 21:8-12. This was ‘suggested’by the victory which had been
achieved. As God had granted that victory, as he had so easilysubdued the
enemies of himself and of his people - as he had gone so far beyond the
expectations and the hopes of those who had gone forth to the conflict, the
idea is naturally suggestedthat it would be thus with all his foes, and that
there would be ultimately a complete victory over them.”[7]
Rev. Charles H. Spurgeon explains, “We pity the lostfor they are men, but we
cannot pity them as enemies of Christ. None can escape from the wrath of the
victorious King, nor is it desirable that they should.”[8]
Psalm37:9-15 reads, “Forevildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the
Lord, They shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while and the wickedshall
be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no
more. But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the
abundance of peace. The wickedplots againstthe just, And gnashes athim
with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, For He sees thathis day is coming.
The wickedhave drawn the swordAnd have bent their bow, To castdown the
poor and needy, To slay those who are of upright conduct. Their swordshall
enter their own heart, And their bows shall be broken.”
2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 reads, “since it is a righteous thing with God to repay
with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest
with us when the Lord Jesus is revealedfrom heavenwith His mighty angels,
in flaming fire taking vengeance onthose who do not know God, and on those
who do not obey the gospelof our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished
with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory
of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to
be admired among all those who believe, because ourtestimony among you
was believed.”
2 Thessalonians 2:3-8 reads, “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that
Day will not come unless the falling awaycomes first, and the man of sin is
revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is

calledGod or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God,
showing himself that he is God. Do you not remember that when I was still
with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that
he may be revealedin his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already
at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is takenout of the way.
And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with
the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.”
III. Note the allegiance ofGod’s people.
Psalm21:13 reads, “Be exalted, O Lord, in Your own strength! We will sing
and praise Your power.” The lastverse of our text refers to corporate worship
as in Psalm34:3, “Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name
together.” However, there are to be times of personalworship. Psalm 18:46
reads, “The Lord lives! Blessedbe my Rock!Let the God of my salvation be
exalted.” Psalm46:10 reads, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be
exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
In the words of William Kethe (1561)recastby Robert Grant (1833):
“Oh, worship the King, all glorious above,
Oh, gratefully sing His pow’r and His love;
Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.”
Conclusion
Rev. Charles H. Spurgeon writes, “A holy confidence in Jehovahis the true
mother of all victories.”[9]In The Pulpit Commentary, C. Short explains,
“former victories show us that we can, if we will, conquer in all future
conflicts.” Remember, we march from victory to victory as believers in Jesus
Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57 reads, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the
victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 2:14 reads, “Now
thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us
diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” There have been
former victories and there will be future victories, in the words of George

Duffield (1818-1888), “Tillevery foe is vanquished / And Christ is Lord
indeed.”[10]Eachtime we experience an answerto prayer for deliverance, we
must lift our voices and say to the Lord, “Thanks forthe victories!”
[1]A. G. Clarke, Analytical Studies in the Psalms (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel
Publications, 1979), 74-75.
[2]Bill Barrick, Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs:The MasterMusician’s
Melodies, Placerita BaptistChurch, 2003, Accessed:06/16/14,
http://drbarrick.org/files/studynotes/Psalms/Ps_021.pdf.
[3]Charles Simeon, Horae Homileticae, Vol. V, Psalms I-LXXII, “Trust in
God Recommended,” Psalm21:7, (London: Holdsworth and Ball,
MDCCCXXXII), 124-135.
[4]J. J. StewartPerowne, The Book ofPsalms:A New Translation,
Introduction and Notes Explanatory and Critical, (London: Warren F.
Draper, 1876), 207.
[5]M. H. Henze, The Madness ofKing Nebuchadnezzar: The Ancient New
EasternOrigins of Early History of Interpretation of Daniel 4, (Boston:Brill,
1999), 115.
[6]JosephS. Exell, Spence-Jones, Henry DonaldMaurice. "Commentary on
Psalms 21:1". The Pulpit Commentary.
"http://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tpc/view.cgi?bk=18&ch=21 . 1897.
[7]Albert Barnes, Barnes’Notes onthe Old Testament(1834)WORDsearch
Corp.
[8]Charles H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 1, (London: Passmore
and Alabaster, 1870), 355.
[9]Charles H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 1, Psalm I To XXVI,
(New York, NY: I. K. Funk & Co., 1882), 354.
[10]GeorgeDuffield (1818-1888), “Standup! Stand up for Jesus” (1858).
By Dr. Franklin L. Kirksey, pastor First Baptist Church of Spanish Fort
30775 JayDrive Spanish Fort, Alabama 36527

Author of Don’t Miss the Revival! Messages forRevival and Spiritual
Awakening from Isaiahand
Sound BiblicalPreaching:Giving the Bible a Voice [Both available on
Amazon.com in hardcover, paperback and eBook]
http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Miss-Revival-Spiritual-
Awakening/dp/1462735428 & http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Biblical-
Preaching-Giving-Bible/dp/1594577684/ fkirksey@bellsouth.net/ (251)626-
6210
© June 29, 2014 All Rights Reserved
The Splendor of the SovereignPsalm21:1-7
Many scholars agree thatPsalm 21 was written as a sequelto Psalm20. In the
previous Psalm, the people prayed for their king, David, as he prepared for
battle. Psalm21 appears to be a psalm of praise for the Lord’s faithfulness to
His people. Many think David likely led them in this psalm of praise following
victory in battle. (My how we need that type of leadership today!)
As I studied this passage, Iwas touched by what I discovered. Davidis now
elevatedas king over all Israel. He enjoys a place of prominence and power.
He is surrounded by those who take care of his every need and provide
security againstthose who would do him harm. Often such position and power
generates pride and arrogance. Davidenjoyed the highest seatin the land, and
yet he stoodin awe of the Sovereignof the Ages. The king of Israelwas
compelled to praise the King of glory.

While we do not possessa position of such prominence within society, every
believer can rejoice in their position with Christ. We too should stand in awe
of our King. I want to examine the observations ofDavid as we consider: The
Splendor of the Sovereign.
I. The Worship of the King (1-2) – The opening verses revealthe worship
David offered unto the God he served. He was mindful of:
A. God’s Strength (1a) – The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD. David
had enjoyed greatvictory in battle. He was a man of greatwisdom and
courage whenfacedwith the enemy’s attack. He had a valiant fighting force,
made up of many courageousmen. The armies of Israel were a force to be
reckonedwith, and yet David praisedthe Lord for the strength He had
provided. David knew they had been victorious in battle because ofthe
strength provided by the Lord. He would not be guilty of keeping the praise
for himself. He praised the Lord because He had given the victory.
 We face a formidable foe, and yet the Lord provides victory for us. Many
times I have facedsituations spiritually when it seemeddefeatwas inevitable,
and yet the Lord brought victory. We too should praise Him for the strength
He provides in our times of need.
B. God’s Salvation (1b) – The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD;and in
thy salvationhow greatlyshall he rejoice!While David expressedjoy in the
strength of the Lord, he greatly rejoicedin the salvation of the Lord. When
facedwith the enemy, God had delivered them from death and

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destruction. In their moment of need, God had given greatdeliverance. This
createdan attitude of worship and greatrejoicing in the heart of David.
 It appears that David rejoicedfor their physical salvation, being delivered
from the hand of the enemy. That is certainly worthy of praise unto the Lord.
I am certainHe has spared and protectedus from death more times than we
know. I am thankful for His hand of protection and deliverance in this life,
but I greatlyrejoice in the salvationI have receivedthrough the sacrifice of
Christ my Lord. I was dead in trespasses andsin, with no hope of life.
Through His marvelous grace I was offeredsalvationand delivered from the
death and destruction of sin! What a Savior! He is worthy of our worship and
praise!
C. God’s Supply (2) – Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hastnot
withholden the request of his lips. Selah. The Lord had given David the desire
of his heart and had not withheld the requests he had made. God had been
faithful to supply the desires and needs in David’s life.
 Surely eachof us can rejoice in the Lord’s abundant supply in our lives as
well. Has He not been goodto us? Are we not blessedbeyond measure? Has

there ever been a time when God has failed you or ignored your pleas for help
and grace? He has blessedme more than I ever could have imagined. I have
been savedby His grace, filled with His Spirit, enjoy a constantCompanion
and Guide, and I am promised eternity in heavenwith Him! Yes, I have been
blessed!Psalm37:4-5 – Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give
thee the desires of thine heart. [5] Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also
in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
II. The Wonder of the King (3-5) – Following a time of worship, David now
stands in awe and wonder of the Sovereign. This is the natural progressionas
we worship and considerHim. David stood in awe of:
A. God’s Provision (3) – For thou preventesthim with the blessings of
goodness:thou settesta crownof pure gold on his head. God had met David
with greatblessings and goodness;He had placeda crown of pure gold upon
his head, as ruler and king of Israel. David was moved by the greatprovision
he had receivedof the Lord. It is possible he reminisced of earlier times as a
shepherd boy tending sheep, or the many nights he spent in hiding, on the run
from Saul, and now he enjoyed the abundant provision of the Lord.
 I do not rule over a kingdom and I never will, but that doesn’t mean I have
not receivedthe Lord’s provision. As I look back over my life, I am amazed at
the abundance God has provided for me. I enjoy His goodnesseachday that I
live. I have a wonderful family that serves the Lord
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alongside me. I am blessedto pastor a greatcongregationofbelievers. I have
the privilege of proclaiming the Gospelmessage forHis glory! I enjoy much
from the goodhand of my Lord. Eph.1:3 – Blessedbe the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessedus with all spiritual blessings in
heavenly places in Christ.
B. God’s Prosperity (4) – He askedlife of thee, and thou gavestit him, even
length of days for ever and ever. David rejoicedthat the provision and
blessing of God was not limited to that particular seasonin life. God had been
faithful and He would continue His faithfulness to David. God had given life
abundant, even in seasons ofdifficulty and despair, and He would continue to
offer abundant life. It is interesting to note that David speaks oflength of days
forever. Although he lived hundreds of years prior to the Lord’s sacrifice on
Calvary, yet David understood the promise of eternal life for those who were
in Christ. He rejoicedfor his prosperous life at that time, and for the eternal
life he enjoyed in the Lord.
 God has graciouslyprovided life for us today and all the blessings associated
with it. We can rest knowing He will be there with us, providing for us, as long
as we live. Every day we have comes from the goodhand of God. We too have
the blessedassuranceofeternal life through salvation in Christ our Lord. He
rose triumphant over death, and all who are His in salvation will experience
resurrectionlife in Him!

C. God’s Providence (5) – His glory is great in thy salvation: honour and
majesty hast thou laid upon him. David rejoicedin the providential hand of
God. He had provided salvationin times of battle and also guaranteedlife
beyond the grave. Of all the people within the kingdom of Israel, God had
chosento place David on the throne as king. David was well aware that this
was not based on his merit or worth, but the providence and grace ofGod
alone. He had been chosenof the Lord to serve in that capacity.
 I am thankful for the providential hand of God in my life! I am what I am
because ofHis grace. He provided for my salvationand has chosento use me
according to His divine plan. Of all the people in the world that He could have
chosento use, He chose to offer grace and use me within the kingdom work!
What a gracious Saviorwe serve!
III. The Witness of the King (6-7) – As David pondered all he had received, he
was aware that his life stoodas a testimony to the God he served. Consider:
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A. The Duration (6a) – Forthou hast made him most blessedfor ever. God’s
blessing on David was not seasonalor sporadic. Godprovided abundant
blessing eachday and David knew the blessings ofGod would endure forever.
 We too enjoy God’s blessing eachday and we can restknowing His gracious
blessing and abundance will endure for eternity. We are promised great
abundance as we enter His eternal presence in heaven!
B. The Distinction(6b) – thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy
countenance. Davidnot only enjoyed physical and material blessings in life –
he also enjoyed the presence ofGod with him eachday. The gracious
countenance ofGod shined upon his life, revealing God’s goodpleasure upon
him.
 The world doesn’t understand such blessing, and they never will apart from
a personalrelationship with Christ. Of all that we possess,nothing is of
greatervalue than the presence of our Lord through His Spirit. We have the
Spirit dwelling within eachmoment we live. We experience His awesome
presence in times of worship and praise. I rejoice for the countenance of the
Lord shining upon the lives of His people.
C. The Devotion(7) – For the king trusteth in the LORD, and through the
mercy of the most High he shall not be moved. God had been faithful to
David, and this was evident for all to see. David placedhis faith and trust in
the Lord. He devoted his life unto the Lord, looking to Him eachday for
continued guidance and provision. He knew as long as he walkedwith the
Lord, depending upon Him, his life would be secure and prosperous.

 This challengedme greatly as I pondered the depth of David’s words. He
had receivedmuch from the Lord, and I realized that I too have been given
much. The Lord loved humanity so much that He was willing to die for our
sin to provide for our salvation. His devotion to sinful men was proven on
Calvary. All that I enjoy in life comes from His goodhand. Such love and
devotion creates a compelling desire to serve Him faithfully in return. He is
my life, my hope, my strength, my peace, my joy – my everything!
Conclusion:David stoodin awe of the Sovereignofthe Ages. He was aware of
his greatneed for the Lord and all the Lord had provided in his life. Such
awarenessprompted heart-felt worship. Clearly the Lord has been gracious in
our lives as well. We have receivedmuch. I pray that will prompt us to
worship Him in a way that brings honor to Him. If you are unsaved, I urge
you to considerthe provision available in Christ and receive Him by faith in
salvation!
The Song of Hope —Ps xxi ,
Bible / Our Library / Classics/ The Golden Diary of Heart Converse with
Jesus in the Book ofPsalms / The Song of Hope —Ps xxi ,
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The Exclusiveness ofFaith —Ps xx The Agony —Ps xxii 1-11,
XXX.
THE SONG OF HOPE.
1 The King shall joy in thy strength, O Lord;
And in thy salvationhow greatly shall he rejoice!
2 Thou hast given him his heart's desire,
And hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.
3 For thou preventesthim with the blessings ofgoodness:Thou settesta
crownof pure gold on his head.
4 He askedlife of thee, and thou gavestit him, even length of days for ever
and ever.
5 His glory is greatin thy salvation:honour and majesty hast thou laid upon
him.
6 For thou hast made him most blessedfor ever:
Thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.
7 For the King trusteth in the Lord,
And through the mercy of the MostHigh he shall not be moved.
8 Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies;
Thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.
9 Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger:
The Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.
10 Their fruit shalt thou destroyfrom the earth, And their seedfrom among
the children of men.

11 For they intended evil againstthee:
They imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform.
12 Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back,
When thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings againstthe face of
them.
13 Be thou exalted, Lord, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise
thy power.—PsalmXx1.
The nearerwe approachthe view of Calvary (Ps. xxii.), the more distinctively
Messianic do the prophetic utterances of the Psalms become. There is less of
the type and more of the Antitype, till David seems lostin 'the Son of David.'
Our Psalmis an application of the promise originally given 'for a greatwhile
to come :' 'Thine house and thy kingdom shall be establishedfor ever before
thee; thy throne shall be establishedfor ever.' This was alike the glory of
David and of Israel, and 'the desire of all nations.' Indeed, so distinct is the
reference here to 'the King,' that the JewishTargumparaphrases the
expressionby 'the King Messiah,'and even later Jewishcommentators apply
it to Him. Here then we have a song of Christ; the establishment, exaltedness,
and triumph of whose reign was faintly prefigured in, but distinctly promised
to, David.
Miserable indeed would the anticipations of the ancient Church have been,
had her hopes of the promise centredin the successorsofDavid. As miserable
as our hopes, were we to externalize His precious assurancesconcerning the
Church, and to apply them to any outward or visible community. For the
Church ' of the first-born' is, in this dispensation, invisible, and has not yet
appeared, even as under the former dispensationher Lord had been yet
unseen, and the objectof hope. And all that is now said of the one and
indivisible Church of Christ, must be viewed as only applying to the present
and visible Church, in the same sense in which the Old Testamentpromises of
Christ applied to the house of David. Nay, it almost seems as if the Lord had
allowedthe outward estate ofDavid's line thus purposely to run low, lest the
hope of Israel should rest on such earthly stays, even as He has allowedthe

imperfections and divisions in the present Church, in order the more fully to
fix our minds and hearts upon the hope of His coming.
Yet, in a most important, and in the only true sense, are we as a Church one
and perfectin Christ Jesus our Lord. 'The whole family in heaven and earth,'
owns 'one Lord,' even as we cherishone faith, and have professedin one
baptism. The longing anticipations of the Church in our days formed the hope
of that under the old dispensation, and her songs ofexpectant triumph are
ours also. This is speciallyapparent in our Psalm, which differs from others
notably in that it is a song of the Church; not the prayer of David, but the
praise of Israel. What in Ps. xx. was matter of faith is here subject of hope,
and gladsome bursts it from the lips of those who already see its initial typical
fulfilment, and in it, afar off, 'the day of Christ.' It is a singular privilege, and
one of the characteristics ofthe Church, that she is allowedto act as God's
remembrancer (Isa. xliii. 26;lxii. 7). The promises which belong to Christ we
may plead, so that, wondrous to think, we may pray for Him who prays for us.
This indeed is the highest glory of our identification with Christ—that we
have share with Him who took share with us, and that, as He associates
Himself with us in our low estate, He also associatesus with Him in His
exaltedness. 'This honour have all His saints,'—to place themselves by His side
as 'sons of God' and 'heirs of glory.' Thus, every time we pray for the coming
of the kingdom, we in reality put on our kingly robes. And the highestposition
which believers canhere attain, is to take up the word of the Lord, and to
embody it in a song of hope.
The abruptness with which the Psalmopens well befits the point of view which
our faith occupies:'Jehovah, in Thy strength the King shall rejoice;and in
Thy salvationhow shall he jubilee greatly!' The idea of strength here
conveyedis not that of inherent but of manifested strength, and not merely for
defence but for attack, as in the analogous prayer(Isa. xli. 9): 'Awake, awake,
put on strength, O arm of Jehovah.'The term also occurs in connexion with
the result of such manifested strength or praise. The precious truth contained
in the assurance that' there is joy in the presence ofthe angels ofGod over
one sinner that repenteth,' is, as it were, infinitely multiplied in its application
to Christ and His kingdom. 'He shall see of the travail of His soul, and be
satisfied.'Mostblessedly, because mostpointedly, are our narrow views of the

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