PSALM II. (MESSIAH.) Yet as for me, I am anointed king This day have I begotten thee; The Gentiles thine inheritance, And thy firm possession, the utmost limits of the Thou shalt rigorously rule them with a rod of iron, pieces. PSALMIST. Now, therefore, O ye kings, be wise, And ye perish [from] the way; For within a little shall his wrath blaze forth. O, the happiness of all that trust in him! 66 Interpretation of Why did the Gentiles tumultuously See Acts iv. 27. rage? &c." we know, had its fulfilment in Herod and Pontius Pilate; "The kings of Ps. ii. the land," with the Gentiles (i. e. the Romans), gathering together against Christ; "the Peoples," in the following clause of the Psalm, answers to "the peoples of Israel," in Acts. Here," says Ainsworth, ،، the Ainswoth. Hebrew changeth the time, will meditate,' 66 PSALM II. 1 Thess. i. 7, 8. 66 noting by such a phrase, a continuance of the action." This may imply the continued unbelief of the Jews. "The Rulers" are the Sanhedrim. "He sitting in the heavens," I apprehend to be Messiah, ascended on high, and this sitting embraces the whole. period (Ps. cx.), until his enemies are made his footstool. Then," as the Psalmist records," he shall terrify them in his burning wrath;" "he shall be revealed in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them, that know not God," &c. At which appearing to judgment, he will also enter upon his kingdom, (2 Tim. iv. 1.) saying, "Yet I," although you thus oppose me, "I am anointed king over Zion, the hill of my holiness." Messiah, then, as I apprehend, 'declares' his right to his "inheritance," in consequence of the donation in decree (but not the introduction into actual possession) made at his resurrection; for the decree" appears to be of Messiah's Sonship, his decreed Sonship, which seems to have been announced by Jehovah to Messiah at the resurrection, Heb. v. Acts xiii.; the declaration by Messiah is subsequent, for the one is in the past tense, the other is in the future, "I will declare concerning a decree, Jehovah said unto me;" and though "Thou art my Son," is applied Heb. v. Acts xii. to his resurrection, yet "Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel," appears, by Rev. ii. 27, to run down to the time of the Second Advent, and thus to fix Rev. ii. 27. the period, when Messiah shall declare the decree to the Gentiles; so the Psalmist, in applying his exhortation, v. 10, opposes the "Now" of the day of grace, to the "Then," v. 5. of the day of judgment. "And again, I will be to him for a Father, and " he shall be to me for a Son." CHAP. I. 5. Heb. i. 5. Second confirma The second confirmation of the same truth appears to extend to that period, when this decreed Sonship shall be in full and open manifestation; or when the Son shall enter into his inheritance; or when He, the Seed of David, shall be established in his kingdom; for the proposition to be proved is, that " God spake in a Son, whom he hath appointed heir;" so that these two testimonies are to the exaltation of humanity, in the Person of the Son, into that relation to God, of Son to Father, which raises him Testimonies to the above the most exalted creature. The former quotation touched upon his dignity, as reigning co-ordinately with God the Father: this refers rather to his own peculiar glory. It is taken from 2 Sam. vii. 11, &c. 2 Sam. VII. 11, &c. God-man. And this agrees with the Midrash Tillim, ut supra. &c. "The Lord telleth thee, that he will make thee a 2 Sam. vii. 11, "house." That is, raise up posterity; and David having sons at that time, the fulness of the promise must be, in the house being established for ever; as v. 13, latter clause. CHAP. I. 5. Ver. 12. And when thy days be fulfilled, and "thou shall sleep with thy Fathers :" Comp. 1 Chron. xvii. 11. Christ's offices on a resurrection basis. Acts ii. 30. Acts ii. 30. Ps. xvi. This points out, that it must be some one raised after David's death; but, as if purup posely to exclude Solomon, he was crowned during David's life-time. "I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall "proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish "his kingdom." These expressions appear to me clearly to convey the idea of Messiah as the Son of David; and if (as I, in common with others, suppose,) Peter refers to this passage in his sermon, Acts ii. 30, we learn, that the expression" set up," or "raise up," denotes the resurrection of Messiah. The Apostle, explaining, that David, in consequence of God's promise, prophetically announced in Ps. xvi., that Messiah, after his resurrection, should sit upon his throne; "therefore being a Prophet, and knowing, that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne: he, seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither did his flesh see corruption;" then, in v. 32, he asserts, that Jesus, having been "raised up," it was evident, that he was the one, whom God had made Messiah. Now it is important to observe, that the whole stress of Peter's argument to the Jews lies in the word "raise up," denoting the "resur rection:' v. 30, he, seeing before, that God "would raise up the Messiah," " spake of the resurrection," or raising up of the Messiah; and of that "raising up," in v. 32, he affirms, that they were the witnesses. CHAP. I. 5. Acts ii. 30, 32. Peter, in his next sermon, interprets the Acts iii. 22. same Hebrew word in a similar manner, with 66 unto and 18. Word, relation to Messiah's prophetical office.* “For Moses truly said unto the Fathers, a Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren;" this refers to Deut. Deut. xviii. 15 xviii. 15 and 18, where the same Hebrew word is used. Now compare Acts iii. 26, See the same where we have Peter's interpretation, you first God (having raised up his Son Who shall Jesus,) sent him to bless you," &c. St. Paul argues in the same manner, with respect to Messiah's priestly office, Acts xiii. 23: 66 Of this man's (David's) seed hath God, according to promise, raised unto Israel Lastly, * Stephen also, when brought before the Sanhedrim, (Acts vi. 12,) does not deny having said, that Jesus should destroy the temple and change the rites, but proceeds to justify it, according to the promise, that the Lord should raise up a Prophet, whom they were to hear, although he did change the rites; because all the Lord's Prophets were to be heard, if they had the proof by fulfilment of prophecy, Deut. xviii. 22. But if the thing came to pass, and that was urged for a change of worship, Deut. xiii. 1-5, the prophet was to be stoned; the only sign to be given for that purpose, was one raised from the dead." So when Jesus displayed the resurrection power, they said, (Luke vii. 16,) "That a great Prophet had been raised up," i. e. from the dead, upon which John Baptist, who had testified to Christ being the Lamb of God, (John i.) sent to ask him, whether he was "the coming one," v. 19. stand;" My dead body (Christ mystical.) shall they arise," Isa. li. 17. |