"The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!" — Psalm 21:1
Our text for today refers to "the King." There are, in my judgment, three ways to understand this. First, by interpretation it applies to David, king of Israel and author of the Psalm. Second, and most profoundly, by type it applies to the King of kings, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the psalm could be studied from this perspective with great profit. Thirdly, it may be applied to every believer, because twice in the book of Revelation it is declared that Christ has made us "kings and priests" before God. His redemption has catapulted the least among the redeemed into a position of spiritual royalty.
It is in the nature of earthly kings (and their counterparts in other political venues) to glory in their own might and majesty. Here, in contrast, the position of honor is assigned to God. The reason is not hard to determine. The wellspring of our joy is not our majesty, but His.
The strength of salvation and the glory of it are derived from God, and from God alone. Paul writes to the Romans, "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly [Rom. 5:6]." The unconverted sinner is utterly impotent, totally helpless to save himself, let alone to establish himself in a position of power and honor before God. His condition is described as "dead in trespasses and sins [Eph. 2:1b]." Whatever it takes to revive the spiritual corpse must come from another Source, and that source is God.
Not only is it God's strength that initiates our salvation, but it is in His strength that it must be maintained. When the apostle sought deliverance from his "thorn in the flesh" that tried his faith, he said, "For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me… for when I am weak, then am I strong [II Cor. 12:8-10]." That is the principle of spiritual kingship: "When I am weak, then am I strong." It is diametrically opposite the perspective of this world.
Then the king continues, "and in Thy salvation how greatly [I] rejoice!" It is quite common to hear testimonies declaring, "I thank God for my salvation." It interests me that David does not say that; he looks away from himself as the beneficiary, and glorifies God as the fountainhead of this blessing which is not "mine" anymore than it is anyone else's. I do not "own" it; by grace I have been drawn into it to enjoy its wealth, which is never mine, but ever His. The difference may be subtle, but it is, in my judgment, significant. Individually we are participants, not possessors.
In any event, the king's joy overflows by reason of that salvation of which God is both the source and the sustainer, and the king is one among many invited to share its wealth. Spurgeon comments, "Everything is ascribed to God; the source is [His] strength and the stream is [His] salvation."
This salvation is rooted in God's incredible grace, His unmerited love toward sinners. It is realized by way of the cross where the Son of His love "…once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened [made alive] by the Spirit [I Pet. 3:18]." And, it is rendered effective by faith alone, for "The just shall live by faith ." (See Hab. 2:4; Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38!!)
The strength is His, the salvation is His; we enter into it simply by faith. How appropriate, then, is the king's rejoicing and his praise! "Praise is comely for the upright."
When our children were little, we used to read them the story, "The Little Engine that Could." It is a cute story for children, and it is, perhaps, a good thing to encourage perseverance in a young heart. But when it comes to salvation, it is all wrong. You and I could not attain it, try as we might. God could, and did make it available as a free gift, and "all our springs are in [Him.]." Believe it, joy and rejoice!
To the praise of the glory of His grace,
"Pastor" Frasier
Our text for today refers to "the King." There are, in my judgment, three ways to understand this. First, by interpretation it applies to David, king of Israel and author of the Psalm. Second, and most profoundly, by type it applies to the King of kings, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the psalm could be studied from this perspective with great profit. Thirdly, it may be applied to every believer, because twice in the book of Revelation it is declared that Christ has made us "kings and priests" before God. His redemption has catapulted the least among the redeemed into a position of spiritual royalty.
It is in the nature of earthly kings (and their counterparts in other political venues) to glory in their own might and majesty. Here, in contrast, the position of honor is assigned to God. The reason is not hard to determine. The wellspring of our joy is not our majesty, but His.
The strength of salvation and the glory of it are derived from God, and from God alone. Paul writes to the Romans, "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly [Rom. 5:6]." The unconverted sinner is utterly impotent, totally helpless to save himself, let alone to establish himself in a position of power and honor before God. His condition is described as "dead in trespasses and sins [Eph. 2:1b]." Whatever it takes to revive the spiritual corpse must come from another Source, and that source is God.
Not only is it God's strength that initiates our salvation, but it is in His strength that it must be maintained. When the apostle sought deliverance from his "thorn in the flesh" that tried his faith, he said, "For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me… for when I am weak, then am I strong [II Cor. 12:8-10]." That is the principle of spiritual kingship: "When I am weak, then am I strong." It is diametrically opposite the perspective of this world.
Then the king continues, "and in Thy salvation how greatly [I] rejoice!" It is quite common to hear testimonies declaring, "I thank God for my salvation." It interests me that David does not say that; he looks away from himself as the beneficiary, and glorifies God as the fountainhead of this blessing which is not "mine" anymore than it is anyone else's. I do not "own" it; by grace I have been drawn into it to enjoy its wealth, which is never mine, but ever His. The difference may be subtle, but it is, in my judgment, significant. Individually we are participants, not possessors.
In any event, the king's joy overflows by reason of that salvation of which God is both the source and the sustainer, and the king is one among many invited to share its wealth. Spurgeon comments, "Everything is ascribed to God; the source is [His] strength and the stream is [His] salvation."
This salvation is rooted in God's incredible grace, His unmerited love toward sinners. It is realized by way of the cross where the Son of His love "…once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened [made alive] by the Spirit [I Pet. 3:18]." And, it is rendered effective by faith alone, for "The just shall live by faith ." (See Hab. 2:4; Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38!!)
The strength is His, the salvation is His; we enter into it simply by faith. How appropriate, then, is the king's rejoicing and his praise! "Praise is comely for the upright."
When our children were little, we used to read them the story, "The Little Engine that Could." It is a cute story for children, and it is, perhaps, a good thing to encourage perseverance in a young heart. But when it comes to salvation, it is all wrong. You and I could not attain it, try as we might. God could, and did make it available as a free gift, and "all our springs are in [Him.]." Believe it, joy and rejoice!
To the praise of the glory of His grace,
"Pastor" Frasier
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