This Psalm seems to be the address of the Messiah, Christ, to the Father, as rejected and expelled by the Jews, of whom He was anointed King, that from the end of the earth driven (in this Enos character) among the Gentiles, He would still look unto Him to be led, to the Rock that was higher than He, as He said, "For my Father is greater than I"; see Psa. 16 In this, as the persecuted Christ, He would abide forever, for "He put his trust in him." This was His mind in His humiliation.
Then we have, with the exception of verse 7, which seems the interlocution of the Jewish Remnant, His thoughts as under His deliverance, i.e., having brought the Remnant upon Himself, He would now act as became Him, in consequence of the responsibilities so acquired—He would daily perform His vows. Here then we have the Messiah as the exalted Man, occupied with rendering His vows for the salvation of the Remnant felt in Himself (as Heb. 5) to Him who had been the power of its deliverance, hearing Him so crying. This, with verse 7, is a subject of very deep interest; compare here Psa. 56:1212Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee. (Psalm 56:12) with verse 8 of this Psalm, and also Psa. 65:11<<To the chief Musician, A Psalm and Song of David.>> Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed. (Psalm 65:1), where the form of the blessing is entered into. I do not here state the inquiry, whether this paying of vows by the Lord Christ is only as the Head of His people in the millennial glory, or in the ages of eternity; of the former we have evidence as to the Jews here, for it is in this character, and as connected with them, He specially pays the vows, as with the saints He is in glory reigning. I have omitted to refer to Psa. 22, where the subject and the result of Christ's vows are fully entered into.
The latter part of verse 5 here is worthy of our attention.
I also find Psa. 61-68 are a Book together. Instead of being Christ, or the Spirit of Christ in the presence of His enemies and the people's (or Remnant's), it is in the presence of God in their circumstances. The calm appeal and judgment of circumstances in His presence—His Spirit conducts Him as a Man, and so the Remnant, to a Rock higher than He, qua man or themselves. Shut out from His holy presence, in His temple He God is His tabernacle—God who has heard His vows; He has the heritage of those that fear God's name—His confidence is in Him. It is always among the Jews; this is Christ among the Jews, not properly Israel. Verses 6, 7 and 8 (Psa. 61) are the expression of the character of this confidence. "Generation and generation" (margin) it shall be, yea, forever; and says "Prepare mercy and truth," which then shall meet together—a time of praise!
I think from this Psalm, the tone of the Book changes. Already indeed He had thought of God's rights temporally, and promise and aid, but this Psalm takes another ground, or is in another state. He looks not at the enemies and God as His help, but directly to God Himself; as between Himself and God. From this moment there is progress up to full confidence as to the way of blessing. Psa. 62 rests in God peacefully, though seeing the evil, verses 1, 5-7, and indeed throughout.
Psa. 63, though no deliverance be yet come, so enjoys God that He looks back at first covenant enjoyment, and, because His favor is better than life, can praise fully during a life of trial. God is His delight and His security. Psa. 64 applies this to the malice of the enemy, and prophetically celebrates the effect of divine intervention. Psa. 65 so reckons on God, that it declares they only wait for deliverance, to praise in Zion, to draw near in the Temple—counts on God's terrible intervention, and the full blessing of all the earth. Psa. 66 celebrates, in calling all the earth to rejoice, the deliverance itself, and explains the sorrows of the Remnant, and God having heard them. Psa. 67 explains that on their full blessing all the peoples will celebrate God in blessing, under His ways. This is the effect of looking directly and simply to God. Doubtless the cry to God in distress in the sense of circumstances, leads on to looking to and resting in God Himself, but the progress is instructive and interesting. Psa. 68 and 69 show how Christ takes part in deliverance, and how the body of Israel come to be judged and tried.
Remark, also, how these systems of Psalms, when they have brought in the prospect and power of deliverance, return to the condition of personal humiliation, whether in view of Christ's rejection and low estate, or the wretchedness of, so to speak, an aged and justly smitten Israel, Psa. 70 and 71; the latter probably occasioned by Adonijah making way for Solomon or the millennial glory.