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Psalms 110:3
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J. Edwin Orr
Carter ConlonCarter Conlon
From the Pulpit & Classic Sermons
Robert Traill
James Webster
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Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary
In order that he may rule thus victoriously, it is necessary that there should be a people and an army. In accordance with this union of the thoughts which Psa 110:3 anticipates, בּיום חילך signifies in the day of thy arriere ban, i.e., when thou callest up thy "power of an army" (Ch2 26:13) to muster and go forth to battle. In this day are the people of the king willingnesses (נדבת), i.e., entirely cheerful readiness; ready for any sacrifices, they bring themselves with all that they are and have to meet him. There is no need of any compulsory, lengthy proclamation calling them out: it is no army of mercenaries, but willingly and quickly they present themselves from inward impulse (מתנדּב, Jdg 5:2, Jdg 5:9). The punctuation, which makes the principal caesura at חילך with Olewejored, makes the parallelism of חילך and ילדוּתך distinctly prominent. Just as the former does not signify roboris tui, so now too the latter does not, according to Ecc 11:9, signify παιδιότητός σου (Aquila), and not, as Hofmann interprets, the dew-like freshness of youthful vigour, which the morning of the great day sheds over the king. Just as גּלוּת signifies both exile and the exiled ones, so ילדוּת, like νεότης, juventus, juventa, signifies both the time and age of youth, youthfulness, and youthful, young men (the youth). Moreover one does not, after Psa 110:3, look for any further declaration concerning the nature of the king, but of his people who place themselves at his service. The young men are likened to dew which gently descends upon the king out of the womb (uterus) of the morning-red. (Note: The lxx renders it: ἐν ταῖς λαμπρότησι τῶν ἁγίων σου (belonging to the preceding clause), ἐκ γαστρὸς πρὸ ἑωσφόρου ἐγέννησά σε (Psalt. Veron. exegennesa se; Bamberg. gegennica se). The Vulgate, following the Italic closely: in splendoribus sanctorum; ex utero ante luciferum genui te. The Fathers in some cases interpret it of the birth of the Lord at Christmas, but most of them of His antemundane birth, and accordingly Apollinaris paraphrases: γαστρὸς καρπὸς ἐμῆς πρὸ ἑωσφόρου αὐτὸς ἐτύχθης. In his own independent translation Jerome reads בהררי (as in Psa 87:1), in montibus sanctis quasi de vulva orietur tibi ros adolescentiae tuae, as Symmachus ἐν ὄρεσιν ἁγίοις, - elsewhere, however, ἐν δόξῃ ἁγίων. The substitution is not unmeaning, since the ideas of dew and of mountains (Psa 133:3) are easily united; but it was more important to give prominence to the holiness of the equipment than to that of the place of meeting.) משׁחר is related to שׁחר just as מחשׁך is to חשׁך; the notion of שׁחר and חשׁך appears to be more sharply defined, and as it were apprehended more massively, in משׁחר and מחשׁך. The host of young men is likened to the dew both on account of its vigorousness and its multitude, which are like the freshness of the mountain dew and the immense number of its drops, Sa2 17:12 (cf. Num 23:10), and on account of the silent concealment out of which it wondrously and suddenly comes to light, Mic 5:7. After not having understood "thy youth" of the youthfulness of the king, we shall now also not, with Hofmann, refer בּהדרי־קדשׁ to the king, the holy attire of his armour. הדרת קדשׁ is the vestment of the priest for performing divine service: the Levite singers went forth before the army in "holy attire" in Ch2 20:21; here, however, the people without distinction wear holy festive garments. Thus they surround the divine king as dew that is born out of the womb of the morning-red. It is a priestly people which he leads forth to holy battle, just as in Rev 19:14 heavenly armies follow the Logos of God upon white horses, ἐνδεδυμένοι βύσσινον λευκὸν καθαρόν - a new generation, wonderful as if born out of heavenly light, numerous, fresh, and vigorous like the dew-drops, the offspring of the dawn. The thought that it is a priestly people leads over to Psa 110:4. The king who leads this priestly people is, as we hear in Psa 110:4, himself a priest (cohen). As has been shown by Hupfeld and Fleischer, the priest is so called as one who stands (from כּחן = כּוּן in an intransitive signification), viz., before God (Deu 10:8, cf. Psa 134:1; Heb 10:11), like נביא the spokesman, viz., of God. (Note: The Arabic lexicographers explain Arab. kâhin by mn yqûm b-'mr 'l-rjl w-ys‛â fı̂ ḥâjth, "he who stands and does any one's business and managest his affair." That Arab. qâm, קום, and Arab. mṯl, משׁל, side by side with עמד are synonyms of בהן in this sense of standing ready for service and in an official capacity.) To stand before God is the same as to serve Him, viz., as priest. The ruler whom the Psalm celebrates is a priest who intervenes in the reciprocal dealings between God and His people within the province of divine worship the priestly character of the people who suffer themselves to be led forth to battle and victory by him, stands in causal connection with the priestly character of this their king. He is a priest by virtue of the promise of God confirmed by an oath. The oath is not merely a pledge of the fulfilment of the promise, but also a seal of the high significance of its purport. God the absolutely truthful One (Num 13:19) swears - this is the highest enhancement of the נאם ה of which prophecy is capable (Amo 6:8). He appoints the person addressed as a priest for ever "after the manner of Melchizedek" in this most solemn manner. The i of דברתי is the same ancient connecting vowel as in the מלכי of the name Melchizedek; and it has the tone, which it loses when, as in Lam 1:1, a tone-syllable follows. The wide-meaning על־דּברת, "in respect to, on account of," Ecc 3:18; Ecc 7:14; Ecc 8:2, is here specialized to the signification "after the manner, measure of," lxx κατὰ τὴν τάξιν. The priesthood is to be united with the kingship in him who rules out of Zion, just as it was in Melchizedek, king of Salem, and that for ever. According to De Wette, Ewald, and Hofmann, it is not any special priesthood that is meant here, but that which was bestowed directly with the kingship, consisting in the fact that the king of Israel, by reason of his office, commended his people in prayer to God and blessed them in the name of God, and also had the ordering of Jahve's sanctuary and service. Now it is true all Israel is a "kingdom of priests" (Exo 19:6, cf. Num 16:3; Isa 61:6), and the kingly vocation in Israel must therefore also be regarded as in its way a priestly vocation. Btu this spiritual priesthood, and, if one will, this princely oversight of sacred things, needed not to come to David first of all by solemn promise; and that of Melchizedek, after which the relationship is here defined, is incongruous to him; for the king of Salem was, according to Canaanitish custom, which admitted of the union of the kingship and priesthood, really a high priest, and therefore, regarded from an Israelitish point of view, united in his own person the offices of David and of Aaron. How could David be called a priest after the manner of Melchizedek, he who had no claim upon the tithes of priests like Melchizedek, and to whom was denied the authority to offer sacrifice (Note: G. Enjedin the Socinian (died 1597) accordingly, in referring this Psalm to David, started from the assumption that priestly functions have been granted exceptionally by God to this king as to no other, vid., the literature of the controversy to which this gave rise in Serpilius, Personalia Davidis, S. 268-274.) inseparable from the idea of the priesthood in the Old Testament? (cf. Ch2 26:20). If David were the person addressed, the declaration would stand in antagonism with the right of Melchizedek as priest recorded in Gen. 14, which, according to the indisputable representation of the Epistle to the Hebrews, was equal in compass to the Levitico-Aaronic right, and, since "after the manner of" requires a coincident reciprocal relation, in antagonism to itself also. (Note: Just so Kurtz, Zur Theologie der Psalmen, loc. cit. S. 523.) One might get on more easily with Psa 110:4 by referring the Psalm to one of the Maccabaean priest-princes (Hitzig, von Lengerke, and Olshausen); and we should then prefer to the reference to Jonathan who put on the holy stola, 1 Macc. 10:21 (so Hitzig formerly), or Alexander Jannaeus who actually bore the title king (so Hitzig now), the reference to Simon, whom the people appointed to "be their governor and high priest for ever, until there should arise a faithful prophet" (1 Macc. 14:41), after the death of Jonathan his brother - a union of the two offices which, although an irregularity, was not one, however, that was absolutely illegal. But he priesthood, which the Maccabaeans, however, possessed originally as being priests born, is promised to the person addressed here in Psa 110:4; and even supposing that in Psa 110:4 the emphasis lay not on a union of the priesthood with the kingship, but of the kingship with the priesthood, then the retrospective reference to it in Zechariah forbids our removing the Psalm to a so much later period. Why should we not rather be guided in our understanding of this divine utterance, which is unique in the Old Testament, by this prophet, whose prophecy in Zac 6:12. is the key to it? Zechariah removes the fulfilment of the Psalm out of the Old Testament present, with its blunt separation between the monarchical and hierarchical dignity, into the domain of the future, and refers it to Jahve's Branch (צמח) that is to come. He, who will build the true temple of God, satisfactorily unites in his one person the priestly with the kingly office, which were at that time assigned to Joshua the high priest and Zerubbabel the prince. Thus this Psalm was understood by the later prophecy; and in what other sense could the post-Davidic church have appropriated it as a prayer and hymn, than in the eschatological Messianic sense? but this sense is also verified as the original. David here hears that the king of the future exalted at the right hand of God, and whom he calls his Lord, is at the same time an eternal priest. And because he is both these his battle itself is a priestly royal work, and just on this account his people fighting with him also wear priestly garments.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Thy people . . . willing--literally, "Thy people (are) free will offerings"; for such is the proper rendering of the word "willing," which is a plural noun, and not an adjective (compare Exo 25:2; Psa 54:6), also a similar form (Jdg 5:2-9). in the day of thy power--Thy people freely offer themselves (Rom 12:1) in Thy service, enlisting under Thy banner. in the beauties of holiness--either as in Psa 29:2, the loveliness of a spiritual worship, of which the temple service, in all its material splendors, was but a type; or more probably, the appearance of the worshippers, who, in this spiritual kingdom, are a nation of kings and priests (Pe1 2:9; Rev 1:5), attending this Priest and King, clothed in those eminent graces which the beautiful vestments of the Aaronic priests (Lev 16:4) typified. The last very obscure clause-- from the womb . . . youth--may, according to this view, be thus explained: The word "youth" denotes a period of life distinguished for strength and activity (compare Ecc 11:9) --the "dew" is a constant emblem of whatever is refreshing and strengthening (Pro 19:12; Hos 14:5). The Messiah, then, as leading His people, is represented as continually in the vigor of youth, refreshed and strengthened by the early dew of God's grace and Spirit. Thus the phrase corresponds as a member of a parallelism with "the day of thy power" in the first clause. "In the beauties of holiness" belongs to this latter clause, corresponding to "Thy people" in the first, and the colon after "morning" is omitted. Others prefer: Thy youth, or youthful vigor, or body, shall be constantly refreshed by successive accessions of people as dew from the early morning; and this accords with the New Testament idea that the Church is Christ's body (compare Mic 5:7).
John Gill Bible Commentary
Thy people shall be willing in the day of that power..... Or, in the day of thine army (s). When thou musterest thy forces, sendest forth thy generals, the apostles and ministers of the word, in the first times of the Gospel; when Christ went forth working with them, and their ministry was attended with signs, and miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost; and which was a day of great power indeed, when wonderful things were wrought; the god of this world was cast out, the Heathen oracles ceased, their idols were abolished, and their temples desolate; and Christianity prevailed everywhere. Or this may respect the whole Gospel dispensation, the day of salvation, which now is and will be as long as the world is; and the doctrine of it is daily the power and wisdom of God to them that are saved. Or rather this signifies the set time of love and life to every particular soul at conversion; which is a day for light, and a day of power; when the exceeding greatness of the power of God is put forth in the regeneration of them: and the people that were given to Christ by his Father, in the covenant of grace, and who, while in a state of nature, are rebellious and unwilling, are made willing to be saved by Christ, and him only; to serve him in every religious duty and ordinance; to part with their sins and sinful companions, and with their own righteousness; to suffer the loss of all things for him; to deny themselves, and take up the cross and follow him: and when they become freewill offerings to him, as the word (t) signifies; not only willingly offer up their spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise, but themselves, souls and bodies, to him; as well as enter volunteers (u) into his service, and cheerfully fight his battles, under him, the Captain of their salvation; being assured of victory, and certain of the crown of life and glory, when they have fought the good fight, and finished their course. The allusion seems to be to an army of volunteers, such as described by Cicero (w), who willingly offered themselves through their ardour for liberty. In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning: this does not design the place where these willing subjects of Christ should appear; either in Zion, beautiful for situation; or in Jerusalem, the holy city, compact together; or in the temple, the sanctuary, in which strength and beauty are said to be; or in the church, the perfection of beauty: but the habit or dress in which they should appear, even in the beautiful garment of Christ's righteousness and holiness; the robe of righteousness, and garments of salvation; the best robe, the wedding garment; gold of Ophir, raiment of needlework; and which is upon all them that believe: as also the several beautiful graces of the Spirit; the beauty of internal holiness, by which saints are all glorious within; and holiness is the beauty and glory of God himself, of angels and glorified saints. This, though imperfect now, is the new man put on as a garment; and is true holiness, and very ornamental. The phrase, "from the womb of the morning", either stands in connection with "the beauties of holiness"; and the sense is, that as soon as the morning of the Gospel dispensation dawns, these people should be born again, be illuminated, and appear holy and righteous: or, "from the womb, from the morning (x)", shall they be "in the beauties of holiness"; that is, as soon as they are born again, and as soon as the morning of spiritual light and grace breaks in upon them, and they are made light in the Lord, they shall be clad with these beautiful garments of holiness and righteousness; so, "from the womb", signifies literally as soon as men are born; see Psa 58:3 Hos 9:11 or else with the latter clause, "thou hast the dew of thy youth": and so are rendered, "more than the womb of the morning", i.e. than the dew that is from the womb of the morning, is to thee the dew of thy youth; that is, more than the dew of the morning are thy converts; the morning is the parent of the dew, Job 38:28, but the former sense is best; for this last clause is a remember or proposition of itself, thou hast the dew of that youth; which expresses the open property Christ has in his people, when made willing; and when they appear in the beauty of holiness, as soon as they are born of the Spirit, and the true light of grace shines in them; then those who were secretly his, even while unwilling, manifestly appear to belong unto him: so young lambs, just weaned, are in Homer (y) called "dews"; and it is remarkable that the Hebrew words for "dew" and "a lamb" are near in sound. Young converts are Christ's lambs; they are Christ's youth, and the dew of it; they are regenerated by the grace of God, comparable to dew, of which they are begotten to a lively hope of heaven; and which, distilling upon them, makes them fruitful in good works; and who for their numbers, and which I take to be the thing chiefly designed by this figure, are like to the drops of the dew; which in great profusion is spread over trees, herbs, and plants, where it hangs in drops innumerable: and such a multitude of converts is here promised to Christ, and which he had in the first times of the Gospel, both in Judea, when three thousand persons were converted under one sermon; and especially in the Gentile world, where the savour of his knowledge was diffused in every place; and as will be in the latter day, when a nation shall be born at once, and the fulness of the Gentiles be brought in. The sense given of these words, as formed upon the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions, respecting the generation of Christ's human or divine nature, is without any foundation in the original text. (s) "in die exercitus tui", Munster, Vatablus, Piscator, Gejerus; so Ainsworth; "quum educes tuas copias", Tigurine version; "die copiarum tuarum", Junius & Tremellius. (t) "oblationes voluntariae", Junius & Tremellius; "spontanea oblatio", Cocceius, Gejerus. (u) "Milites voluntarii", Bootius. (w) Epist. l. 11. Ep. 8. (x) "a vulya, ab aurora", Montanus. (y) Odyss. ix. v. 222.
Psalms 110:3
God’s Faithful Messiah
2The LORD extends Your mighty scepter from Zion: “Rule in the midst of Your enemies.” 3Your people shall be willing on Your day of battle. Arrayed in holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn, to You belongs the dew of Your youth.
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Friday #1 Dr. Orr's Personal Testimony
By J. Edwin Orr4.3K1:12:26TestimonyPSA 110:3ISA 40:31JOL 2:28MAT 6:33MRK 1:17ACT 16:31ROM 10:9In this sermon, the speaker shares a personal testimony of his conversion and his journey into preaching. He recounts how he and a friend decided to go out and preach, despite having no experience. They gathered a crowd by inviting each other to preach and using an interpreter. The speaker then shares an experience of seeing revival and the power of God's work in people's lives. He concludes by expressing his desire to pray for the conversion of 240 young men.
Willing in the Day of Power
By Carter Conlon81447:36EXO 3:7JDG 6:34NEH 2:18EST 9:2PSA 110:3ISA 61:1MAT 5:14LUK 4:18ACT 1:8This sermon emphasizes the importance of being willing in the day of God's power, calling for a readiness to step out in faith and experience freedom, healing, and vision from God. It highlights the need for believers to be vessels of God's power, bringing hope and deliverance to a world in need. The message encourages a willingness to fight for those who are captive, to speak boldly for God, and to believe that this is a pivotal moment in history for the church of Jesus Christ.
In the Day of God's Power
By Carter Conlon50540:40PSA 110:1PSA 110:3ISA 6:8JHN 1:11ROM 11:15This sermon from Psalms 110 titled 'In the Day of God's Power' emphasizes the willingness to embrace God's calling and power, recognizing divine intervention in times of weakness and the importance of being volunteers in God's work. The message highlights the prophetic nature of Psalms 110, pointing to Christ's ultimate victory and the need for believers to respond to God's call with faith and obedience.
The Great Need of the Hour - Rolfe Barnard
By From the Pulpit & Classic Sermons38433:04RadioPSA 74:9PSA 102:13PSA 110:3ACT 16:16ACT 16:25In this sermon, Rolf Bernard emphasizes the need for God's intervention in the current state of the world. He references the 16th chapter of Acts, where he finds inspiration in the psalmist's plea for God to work in a time of moral decline. Bernard highlights the importance of getting involved in the issues of the day, even if one disagrees with the methods used by others. He calls for men and women to be willing to proclaim the message of salvation and to seek God's power to bring about revival and transformation.
Do Not Seek Righteousness by the Law
By Robert Traill0PSA 110:3ACT 26:9ROM 11:6GAL 2:21EPH 2:8Robert Traill preaches on the importance of not frustrating the grace of God by seeking righteousness through the law, emphasizing that true righteousness for justification is found only in Christ. He highlights the two grand absurdities of this doctrine: that it frustrates God's grace and renders Christ's death in vain. Traill explains that seeking righteousness through the law is a great and horrible sin, as it opposes the gospel's message of salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone. He delves into the consequences of frustrating God's grace, cautioning against the dangers of self-righteousness and legalism.
If Any Man Thirst: Part Ii
By James Webster0PSA 39:5PSA 110:3MAT 5:6LUK 19:14JHN 4:10JHN 7:37James Webster preaches about the unwillingness of sinners to come to Christ, highlighting the black picture painted by Scripture of sinners in their natural state, devoid of strength and filled with a rooted hatred and rebellion against Christ. Despite the most advantageous circumstances, sinners remain unwilling to come to Christ, resisting His offers and defending their sin. However, those who thirst for Christ are allowed to come and drink from the fountain of living waters, with God the Father taking all glory for making them willing to come.
True Faith-Moral Inability
By John Newton0PSA 110:3JHN 3:14JHN 6:44ROM 5:1ROM 9:15GAL 5:19EPH 2:8PHP 3:7HEB 11:1John Newton preaches about the importance of faith, grace, and the Holy Spirit in the process of salvation, emphasizing the need for a deep spiritual conviction of sin and a total reliance on Jesus for redemption. He discusses the distinction between faith and rational assent, highlighting that true faith is a gift from God and is always efficacious, leading to a transformed life and a personal relationship with Christ. Newton shares a powerful testimony of a clergyman who experienced a radical change in his views and preaching when he encountered the unsearchable mysteries of Christ's love and grace. He addresses the questions of predestination, election, and the role of God's providence in salvation, underscoring the sovereignty of God and the necessity of His invincible grace in the conversion of sinners.
The Sower, the Seed, and the Fruit
By P. Schubert0PSA 110:3MAL 3:16MAT 13:181CO 15:10EPH 1:41TI 4:102TI 4:71PE 4:121PE 5:7P. Schubert preaches on the parable of the sower from Matthew 13:18-23, emphasizing the importance of understanding and valuing the word of God to bear fruit. The sower represents God spreading His word abundantly, but the response of the hearers determines the outcome. Those who receive the word with understanding and allow it to take root in good soil bear much fruit, while those hindered by worldly cares, persecution, or hardness of heart fail to produce fruit. The sermon highlights the need for willingness to listen, understand, and apply God's word, striving for a fruitful life that glorifies Him.
Irresistible Grace
By Ronald Hanko0PSA 110:3JHN 6:44ACT 16:14ROM 8:29ROM 9:16EPH 2:8PHP 2:13Ronald Hanko delves into the theological debate on whether salvation depends on God's grace or the sinner's free will, emphasizing the doctrine of irresistible grace. Irresistible grace asserts that when God determines to save a person, nothing can hinder that salvation, highlighting the sovereignty of God in the process. The sermon explores key Bible passages supporting salvation by grace alone, the denial of free will, and the practical importance of understanding irresistible grace for assurance of salvation and intercessory prayer.
Epistle 265
By George Fox0PSA 110:3PSA 121:4MAT 25:1JHN 4:241CO 3:162CO 6:2EPH 4:302TH 2:31PE 1:5REV 19:7George Fox preaches about the importance of believers in the light of Christ being kept by the power of God until the day of salvation, emphasizing the need to stay pure and blameless through the power of God. He uses the parable of the virgins in Matthew 25 to illustrate the concept of being preserved in virginity by the power of God. Fox urges believers to have faith in the power of God as their keeper, guiding them through temptations and leading them to the day of God's power and salvation.
Desperately Needed: Men of God
By Eli Brayley0PSA 110:3PRO 6:10PRO 24:33ROM 1:20HEB 11:32HEB 11:38Eli Brayley passionately calls the Church to awaken from spiritual slumber and heed the warnings of Solomon, emphasizing the urgent need for repentance and revival. Drawing from Hebrews 11, he highlights the faith of biblical heroes like Gideon, David, and Samuel, challenging modern Christians to embrace the greater promises of the new covenant. Brayley exposes the spiritual poverty and complacency within the Church, urging believers to die to self, be filled with the Holy Spirit, and confront the darkness of the world with courage and character.
The Justice of God in the Damnation of Sinners
By Jonathan Edwards0PSA 51:4PSA 110:3ISA 2:22ISA 16:9ROM 3:19ROM 9:20Jonathan Edwards preaches on the doctrine of justification by faith alone, emphasizing the inability of mankind to be justified by the deeds of the law. He highlights the universal sinfulness of both Gentiles and Jews, showing that all are corrupt and guilty before God. Edwards explains that every mouth may be stopped by the law, preventing boasting of righteousness and excuses for sin. He delves into the infinite evil of sin and the heinousness of crimes against an infinitely lovely and honourable God, illustrating the justice of eternal damnation for sinners based on their sinfulness and God's sovereignty.
On Through the Darkness
By Mary Wilder Tileston0JOB 24:13PSA 110:3JHN 16:13JAS 1:221JN 4:4Mary Wilder Tileston preaches about the importance of trusting in the Lord and waiting patiently for Him, even when the way seems dark. She emphasizes the need to bring our unwillingness and disobedience to God in faith, knowing that He will give us the power to overcome. By keeping close to Him and following the leadings of the Holy Spirit, we can experience victory and peace, as disobedience brings darkness.
They Are Founded on the Loveliness of the Moral Excellency of Divine Things.
By Jonathan Edwards0PSA 29:2PSA 96:9PSA 110:3DAN 4:13MAT 25:31MRK 8:38ACT 3:14ACT 4:27ACT 10:22REV 3:7REV 14:10Jonathan Edwards preaches about the foundation of holy affections, emphasizing that true holiness is primarily based on the moral excellency of divine things. He explains that moral excellency is not merely outward conformity to moral laws but the intrinsic beauty and sweetness of holiness. Edwards highlights that the beauty of all intelligent beings, including angels and humans, lies in their moral excellency or holiness, which is the essence of their loveliness. He concludes by stating that a genuine love for God and all divine things begins with a delight in their holiness, as it is the fundamental and essential aspect that leads to a true appreciation of all other attributes and perfections of God.
God's Gracious Response
By Robert S. Candlish0PSA 110:3ISA 6:8ROM 12:12CO 8:12PHP 2:13Robert S. Candlish preaches on the willingness and privilege of volunteering for God's service, highlighting the grace and consideration of the Lord in allowing His servants to offer themselves willingly. Rather than issuing a command, God graciously invites His servants to respond voluntarily, understanding the brokenness and repentance in their hearts. This act of volunteering is a profound expression of love and gratitude towards the Lord who willingly sacrificed Himself for His people.
The Sin Sick Soul and the Great Physician
By J.C. Philpot01SA 2:6JOB 5:18PSA 73:5PSA 103:3PSA 110:3JER 33:6EZK 8:15MAT 9:12MAT 22:16JHN 8:3J.C. Philpot preaches about the need for a great Physician for those who are spiritually sick, drawing parallels from how Jesus dealt with cavilers and critics in the Bible. He emphasizes the importance of feeling the malady of sin, the deep depravity of the fallen nature, and the backsliding and idolatrous tendencies of the heart to truly recognize the need for the healing touch of Jesus. Philpot highlights that the Lord's Hospital is only for the incurables, those who have come to the end of themselves and realize their desperate need for the healing remedies of the great Physician. He encourages believers to seek the balm of Jesus' blood, the only remedy for a guilty conscience, and to trust in His power and willingness to heal all who come to Him in their sickness.
January 28. 1678. the Womb of the Morning, and the Dew of Youth.
By Jane Lead0PSA 110:3PSA 139:16EPH 6:12JAS 5:16Jane Lead preaches about the transformative power of the eternal Morning Light breaking through the darkness of our minds, conceiving pure life within us. She shares a personal revelation about invoking the celestial dew to renew and restore youth and strength, overcoming fears and concerns through earnest faith and prayer. Jane encourages the congregation to strive together in prayer to stir up divine power, gaining dominion over adversities and conspiracies.
The Clean Water Sprinkled and the New Heart Given
By J.C. Philpot0PSA 51:7PSA 55:22PSA 110:3PRO 4:18ISA 1:18EZK 36:25JHN 3:19JHN 7:37ACT 9:6TIT 3:5HEB 9:11J.C. Philpot preaches about the cleansing power of God's clean water, symbolizing the Holy Spirit, to wash away filthiness and idols from the hearts of believers. He highlights the deep-rooted sins of unbelief and idolatry using examples from the children of Israel's history. Philpot emphasizes the need for the clean water to be sprinkled on the understanding, will, conscience, affections, and idols of individuals to bring about regeneration, sanctification, and a new heart and spirit. The sermon focuses on the transformative effects of God's clean water in cleansing, renewing, and purifying the innermost being of believers.
- Keil-Delitzsch
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary
In order that he may rule thus victoriously, it is necessary that there should be a people and an army. In accordance with this union of the thoughts which Psa 110:3 anticipates, בּיום חילך signifies in the day of thy arriere ban, i.e., when thou callest up thy "power of an army" (Ch2 26:13) to muster and go forth to battle. In this day are the people of the king willingnesses (נדבת), i.e., entirely cheerful readiness; ready for any sacrifices, they bring themselves with all that they are and have to meet him. There is no need of any compulsory, lengthy proclamation calling them out: it is no army of mercenaries, but willingly and quickly they present themselves from inward impulse (מתנדּב, Jdg 5:2, Jdg 5:9). The punctuation, which makes the principal caesura at חילך with Olewejored, makes the parallelism of חילך and ילדוּתך distinctly prominent. Just as the former does not signify roboris tui, so now too the latter does not, according to Ecc 11:9, signify παιδιότητός σου (Aquila), and not, as Hofmann interprets, the dew-like freshness of youthful vigour, which the morning of the great day sheds over the king. Just as גּלוּת signifies both exile and the exiled ones, so ילדוּת, like νεότης, juventus, juventa, signifies both the time and age of youth, youthfulness, and youthful, young men (the youth). Moreover one does not, after Psa 110:3, look for any further declaration concerning the nature of the king, but of his people who place themselves at his service. The young men are likened to dew which gently descends upon the king out of the womb (uterus) of the morning-red. (Note: The lxx renders it: ἐν ταῖς λαμπρότησι τῶν ἁγίων σου (belonging to the preceding clause), ἐκ γαστρὸς πρὸ ἑωσφόρου ἐγέννησά σε (Psalt. Veron. exegennesa se; Bamberg. gegennica se). The Vulgate, following the Italic closely: in splendoribus sanctorum; ex utero ante luciferum genui te. The Fathers in some cases interpret it of the birth of the Lord at Christmas, but most of them of His antemundane birth, and accordingly Apollinaris paraphrases: γαστρὸς καρπὸς ἐμῆς πρὸ ἑωσφόρου αὐτὸς ἐτύχθης. In his own independent translation Jerome reads בהררי (as in Psa 87:1), in montibus sanctis quasi de vulva orietur tibi ros adolescentiae tuae, as Symmachus ἐν ὄρεσιν ἁγίοις, - elsewhere, however, ἐν δόξῃ ἁγίων. The substitution is not unmeaning, since the ideas of dew and of mountains (Psa 133:3) are easily united; but it was more important to give prominence to the holiness of the equipment than to that of the place of meeting.) משׁחר is related to שׁחר just as מחשׁך is to חשׁך; the notion of שׁחר and חשׁך appears to be more sharply defined, and as it were apprehended more massively, in משׁחר and מחשׁך. The host of young men is likened to the dew both on account of its vigorousness and its multitude, which are like the freshness of the mountain dew and the immense number of its drops, Sa2 17:12 (cf. Num 23:10), and on account of the silent concealment out of which it wondrously and suddenly comes to light, Mic 5:7. After not having understood "thy youth" of the youthfulness of the king, we shall now also not, with Hofmann, refer בּהדרי־קדשׁ to the king, the holy attire of his armour. הדרת קדשׁ is the vestment of the priest for performing divine service: the Levite singers went forth before the army in "holy attire" in Ch2 20:21; here, however, the people without distinction wear holy festive garments. Thus they surround the divine king as dew that is born out of the womb of the morning-red. It is a priestly people which he leads forth to holy battle, just as in Rev 19:14 heavenly armies follow the Logos of God upon white horses, ἐνδεδυμένοι βύσσινον λευκὸν καθαρόν - a new generation, wonderful as if born out of heavenly light, numerous, fresh, and vigorous like the dew-drops, the offspring of the dawn. The thought that it is a priestly people leads over to Psa 110:4. The king who leads this priestly people is, as we hear in Psa 110:4, himself a priest (cohen). As has been shown by Hupfeld and Fleischer, the priest is so called as one who stands (from כּחן = כּוּן in an intransitive signification), viz., before God (Deu 10:8, cf. Psa 134:1; Heb 10:11), like נביא the spokesman, viz., of God. (Note: The Arabic lexicographers explain Arab. kâhin by mn yqûm b-'mr 'l-rjl w-ys‛â fı̂ ḥâjth, "he who stands and does any one's business and managest his affair." That Arab. qâm, קום, and Arab. mṯl, משׁל, side by side with עמד are synonyms of בהן in this sense of standing ready for service and in an official capacity.) To stand before God is the same as to serve Him, viz., as priest. The ruler whom the Psalm celebrates is a priest who intervenes in the reciprocal dealings between God and His people within the province of divine worship the priestly character of the people who suffer themselves to be led forth to battle and victory by him, stands in causal connection with the priestly character of this their king. He is a priest by virtue of the promise of God confirmed by an oath. The oath is not merely a pledge of the fulfilment of the promise, but also a seal of the high significance of its purport. God the absolutely truthful One (Num 13:19) swears - this is the highest enhancement of the נאם ה of which prophecy is capable (Amo 6:8). He appoints the person addressed as a priest for ever "after the manner of Melchizedek" in this most solemn manner. The i of דברתי is the same ancient connecting vowel as in the מלכי of the name Melchizedek; and it has the tone, which it loses when, as in Lam 1:1, a tone-syllable follows. The wide-meaning על־דּברת, "in respect to, on account of," Ecc 3:18; Ecc 7:14; Ecc 8:2, is here specialized to the signification "after the manner, measure of," lxx κατὰ τὴν τάξιν. The priesthood is to be united with the kingship in him who rules out of Zion, just as it was in Melchizedek, king of Salem, and that for ever. According to De Wette, Ewald, and Hofmann, it is not any special priesthood that is meant here, but that which was bestowed directly with the kingship, consisting in the fact that the king of Israel, by reason of his office, commended his people in prayer to God and blessed them in the name of God, and also had the ordering of Jahve's sanctuary and service. Now it is true all Israel is a "kingdom of priests" (Exo 19:6, cf. Num 16:3; Isa 61:6), and the kingly vocation in Israel must therefore also be regarded as in its way a priestly vocation. Btu this spiritual priesthood, and, if one will, this princely oversight of sacred things, needed not to come to David first of all by solemn promise; and that of Melchizedek, after which the relationship is here defined, is incongruous to him; for the king of Salem was, according to Canaanitish custom, which admitted of the union of the kingship and priesthood, really a high priest, and therefore, regarded from an Israelitish point of view, united in his own person the offices of David and of Aaron. How could David be called a priest after the manner of Melchizedek, he who had no claim upon the tithes of priests like Melchizedek, and to whom was denied the authority to offer sacrifice (Note: G. Enjedin the Socinian (died 1597) accordingly, in referring this Psalm to David, started from the assumption that priestly functions have been granted exceptionally by God to this king as to no other, vid., the literature of the controversy to which this gave rise in Serpilius, Personalia Davidis, S. 268-274.) inseparable from the idea of the priesthood in the Old Testament? (cf. Ch2 26:20). If David were the person addressed, the declaration would stand in antagonism with the right of Melchizedek as priest recorded in Gen. 14, which, according to the indisputable representation of the Epistle to the Hebrews, was equal in compass to the Levitico-Aaronic right, and, since "after the manner of" requires a coincident reciprocal relation, in antagonism to itself also. (Note: Just so Kurtz, Zur Theologie der Psalmen, loc. cit. S. 523.) One might get on more easily with Psa 110:4 by referring the Psalm to one of the Maccabaean priest-princes (Hitzig, von Lengerke, and Olshausen); and we should then prefer to the reference to Jonathan who put on the holy stola, 1 Macc. 10:21 (so Hitzig formerly), or Alexander Jannaeus who actually bore the title king (so Hitzig now), the reference to Simon, whom the people appointed to "be their governor and high priest for ever, until there should arise a faithful prophet" (1 Macc. 14:41), after the death of Jonathan his brother - a union of the two offices which, although an irregularity, was not one, however, that was absolutely illegal. But he priesthood, which the Maccabaeans, however, possessed originally as being priests born, is promised to the person addressed here in Psa 110:4; and even supposing that in Psa 110:4 the emphasis lay not on a union of the priesthood with the kingship, but of the kingship with the priesthood, then the retrospective reference to it in Zechariah forbids our removing the Psalm to a so much later period. Why should we not rather be guided in our understanding of this divine utterance, which is unique in the Old Testament, by this prophet, whose prophecy in Zac 6:12. is the key to it? Zechariah removes the fulfilment of the Psalm out of the Old Testament present, with its blunt separation between the monarchical and hierarchical dignity, into the domain of the future, and refers it to Jahve's Branch (צמח) that is to come. He, who will build the true temple of God, satisfactorily unites in his one person the priestly with the kingly office, which were at that time assigned to Joshua the high priest and Zerubbabel the prince. Thus this Psalm was understood by the later prophecy; and in what other sense could the post-Davidic church have appropriated it as a prayer and hymn, than in the eschatological Messianic sense? but this sense is also verified as the original. David here hears that the king of the future exalted at the right hand of God, and whom he calls his Lord, is at the same time an eternal priest. And because he is both these his battle itself is a priestly royal work, and just on this account his people fighting with him also wear priestly garments.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Thy people . . . willing--literally, "Thy people (are) free will offerings"; for such is the proper rendering of the word "willing," which is a plural noun, and not an adjective (compare Exo 25:2; Psa 54:6), also a similar form (Jdg 5:2-9). in the day of thy power--Thy people freely offer themselves (Rom 12:1) in Thy service, enlisting under Thy banner. in the beauties of holiness--either as in Psa 29:2, the loveliness of a spiritual worship, of which the temple service, in all its material splendors, was but a type; or more probably, the appearance of the worshippers, who, in this spiritual kingdom, are a nation of kings and priests (Pe1 2:9; Rev 1:5), attending this Priest and King, clothed in those eminent graces which the beautiful vestments of the Aaronic priests (Lev 16:4) typified. The last very obscure clause-- from the womb . . . youth--may, according to this view, be thus explained: The word "youth" denotes a period of life distinguished for strength and activity (compare Ecc 11:9) --the "dew" is a constant emblem of whatever is refreshing and strengthening (Pro 19:12; Hos 14:5). The Messiah, then, as leading His people, is represented as continually in the vigor of youth, refreshed and strengthened by the early dew of God's grace and Spirit. Thus the phrase corresponds as a member of a parallelism with "the day of thy power" in the first clause. "In the beauties of holiness" belongs to this latter clause, corresponding to "Thy people" in the first, and the colon after "morning" is omitted. Others prefer: Thy youth, or youthful vigor, or body, shall be constantly refreshed by successive accessions of people as dew from the early morning; and this accords with the New Testament idea that the Church is Christ's body (compare Mic 5:7).
John Gill Bible Commentary
Thy people shall be willing in the day of that power..... Or, in the day of thine army (s). When thou musterest thy forces, sendest forth thy generals, the apostles and ministers of the word, in the first times of the Gospel; when Christ went forth working with them, and their ministry was attended with signs, and miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost; and which was a day of great power indeed, when wonderful things were wrought; the god of this world was cast out, the Heathen oracles ceased, their idols were abolished, and their temples desolate; and Christianity prevailed everywhere. Or this may respect the whole Gospel dispensation, the day of salvation, which now is and will be as long as the world is; and the doctrine of it is daily the power and wisdom of God to them that are saved. Or rather this signifies the set time of love and life to every particular soul at conversion; which is a day for light, and a day of power; when the exceeding greatness of the power of God is put forth in the regeneration of them: and the people that were given to Christ by his Father, in the covenant of grace, and who, while in a state of nature, are rebellious and unwilling, are made willing to be saved by Christ, and him only; to serve him in every religious duty and ordinance; to part with their sins and sinful companions, and with their own righteousness; to suffer the loss of all things for him; to deny themselves, and take up the cross and follow him: and when they become freewill offerings to him, as the word (t) signifies; not only willingly offer up their spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise, but themselves, souls and bodies, to him; as well as enter volunteers (u) into his service, and cheerfully fight his battles, under him, the Captain of their salvation; being assured of victory, and certain of the crown of life and glory, when they have fought the good fight, and finished their course. The allusion seems to be to an army of volunteers, such as described by Cicero (w), who willingly offered themselves through their ardour for liberty. In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning: this does not design the place where these willing subjects of Christ should appear; either in Zion, beautiful for situation; or in Jerusalem, the holy city, compact together; or in the temple, the sanctuary, in which strength and beauty are said to be; or in the church, the perfection of beauty: but the habit or dress in which they should appear, even in the beautiful garment of Christ's righteousness and holiness; the robe of righteousness, and garments of salvation; the best robe, the wedding garment; gold of Ophir, raiment of needlework; and which is upon all them that believe: as also the several beautiful graces of the Spirit; the beauty of internal holiness, by which saints are all glorious within; and holiness is the beauty and glory of God himself, of angels and glorified saints. This, though imperfect now, is the new man put on as a garment; and is true holiness, and very ornamental. The phrase, "from the womb of the morning", either stands in connection with "the beauties of holiness"; and the sense is, that as soon as the morning of the Gospel dispensation dawns, these people should be born again, be illuminated, and appear holy and righteous: or, "from the womb, from the morning (x)", shall they be "in the beauties of holiness"; that is, as soon as they are born again, and as soon as the morning of spiritual light and grace breaks in upon them, and they are made light in the Lord, they shall be clad with these beautiful garments of holiness and righteousness; so, "from the womb", signifies literally as soon as men are born; see Psa 58:3 Hos 9:11 or else with the latter clause, "thou hast the dew of thy youth": and so are rendered, "more than the womb of the morning", i.e. than the dew that is from the womb of the morning, is to thee the dew of thy youth; that is, more than the dew of the morning are thy converts; the morning is the parent of the dew, Job 38:28, but the former sense is best; for this last clause is a remember or proposition of itself, thou hast the dew of that youth; which expresses the open property Christ has in his people, when made willing; and when they appear in the beauty of holiness, as soon as they are born of the Spirit, and the true light of grace shines in them; then those who were secretly his, even while unwilling, manifestly appear to belong unto him: so young lambs, just weaned, are in Homer (y) called "dews"; and it is remarkable that the Hebrew words for "dew" and "a lamb" are near in sound. Young converts are Christ's lambs; they are Christ's youth, and the dew of it; they are regenerated by the grace of God, comparable to dew, of which they are begotten to a lively hope of heaven; and which, distilling upon them, makes them fruitful in good works; and who for their numbers, and which I take to be the thing chiefly designed by this figure, are like to the drops of the dew; which in great profusion is spread over trees, herbs, and plants, where it hangs in drops innumerable: and such a multitude of converts is here promised to Christ, and which he had in the first times of the Gospel, both in Judea, when three thousand persons were converted under one sermon; and especially in the Gentile world, where the savour of his knowledge was diffused in every place; and as will be in the latter day, when a nation shall be born at once, and the fulness of the Gentiles be brought in. The sense given of these words, as formed upon the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions, respecting the generation of Christ's human or divine nature, is without any foundation in the original text. (s) "in die exercitus tui", Munster, Vatablus, Piscator, Gejerus; so Ainsworth; "quum educes tuas copias", Tigurine version; "die copiarum tuarum", Junius & Tremellius. (t) "oblationes voluntariae", Junius & Tremellius; "spontanea oblatio", Cocceius, Gejerus. (u) "Milites voluntarii", Bootius. (w) Epist. l. 11. Ep. 8. (x) "a vulya, ab aurora", Montanus. (y) Odyss. ix. v. 222.