Psalms 21:5

His glory is great in thy salvation,....

I FEEL quite sure that David here sings first concerning himself and then concerning the far greater King, "great David's greater Son," the Lord Jesus Christ. But I shall apply the text entirely to our blessed Redeemer 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 sorrowful processes connected with that ordinance. How can we remember His death without sorrowing over the sin which made that death necessary?

The glory and blessedness of the king as head of his line, including Christ, as well as in being God's specially selected servant, exceeded that of all others.

"His glory is great in thy salvation." Immanuel bears the palm; he once bore the cross. The Father has glorified the Son, so that there is no glory like unto that which surroundeth him. See his person as it is described by John in the Revelation; see his dominion as it stretches from sea to sea; see his splendour as he is revealed in flaming fire. Lord, who is like unto thee? Solomon in all his glory could not be compared with thee, thou once despised Man of Nazareth! Mark, reader: salvation is ascribed to God; and thus the Son, as our Saviour, magnifies his Father; but the Son's glory is also greatly seen, for the Father glorifies his Son. "Honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him." Parkhurst reads, "splendour and beauty." These are put upon Jesus as chains of gold, and stars and tokens of honour are placed upon princes and great men. As the wood of the tabernacle was overlaid with pure gold, so is Jesus covered with glory and honour. If there be a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory for his humble followers, what must there be for our Lord himself? The whole weight of sin was laid upon him; it is but meet that the full measure of the glory of bearing it away should be laid upon the same beloved person. A glory commensurate with his shame he must and will receive, for well has he earned it. It is not possible for us to honour Jesus too much; what our God delights to do, we may certainly do to our utmost. Oh for new crowns for the lofty brow which once was marred with thorns! Let him be crowned with majesty Who bowed his head to death, And be his honours sounded high By all things that have breath."

I FEEL quite sure that David here sings first concerning himself and then concerning the far greater King, "great David's greater Son," the Lord Jesus Christ. But I shall apply the text entirely to our blessed Redeemer 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 sorrowful processes connected with that ordinance. How can we 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 of spirit which becomes us as we surround His Table? Yet we must not indulge the mournful strain too much, for we must never forget that it is a joyous feast, not a funeral repast, to which our Lord invites us! It is a feast which reminds us of His triumph as well as of His conflict and 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.

His glory is great - But great as 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 salvation of God.

His glory is great in thy salvation - Not in himself; not in anything that he has done, but in what thou hast done. The fact that thou hast saved him, and the manner in which it has been done, has put upon him great honor. 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 conferred upon him. Every child of God, in like manner, has great “glory” conferred upon him, and his “glory” will be great forever; but it is not in himself, or in virtue of anything that he has done. It is “great” in the “salvation” of God: (a) in the “fact” that God has interposed to save him; and (b) in the “manner” in which it has been done. The highest honor that can be put upon man is in the fact that God will save him. Honour and majesty hast thou 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 say of 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 blessedness beyond the grave.