He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.
The psalm is a prophecy of Jesus Christ and of his kingdom, declaring his work in humiliation and in glory from the agonies of his death to the triumph of his kingdom over its enemies. Drinking of the brook in the way points to where his life was poured out in blood, showing that he drank the full measure of human sorrow and received in himself the sentence of death that stood in the way of eternal salvation. After his enemies are given into his hands for judgment, he drinks from the brook along the way and lifts up his head in triumph, ruling in the midst of his enemies, striking through kings in the day of his wrath, and judging among the nations. His lifting up is his coronation for the execution of judgment, in the dominion given him as Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek, whose ministry is performed in the heavenly sanctuary. Through that drinking he is refreshment on the journey, a river flowing along the way, and he will lift up his people's heads with the joys of salvation forever.
Messianic Identity and Context
The psalm is a prophecy of Jesus Christ and of his kingdom. It is a Messianic psalm that yields profit when read together with the promise to David that the seed after him would have an established kingdom, with his house and his throne established forever. It declares Christ's work in humiliation and in glory, including the agonies of his death, the glorious results of his resurrection, and the triumph of his kingdom over its enemies. It shows that the Son of God possessed a bodily form before he came to this earth.
Drinking of the brook in the way points to where the cross of anguish stood and where his life was poured out in blood. It shows that Christ drank the full measure of human sorrow and received in himself the sentence of death that stood in the way of humanity's eternal salvation. The psalm makes prominent his priestly office upon his Father's throne, in contrast with and distinct from his kingly office and work upon his own throne. That kingly office and work upon his own throne is described in Psalm 45 as preparatory to his second advent.
The psalm is an incorruptible key composed to open the rest of Scripture, turning only according to the lock of the great mystery of God manifest in the flesh but justified by the Spirit. It reveals out of fall and resurrection, sin and righteousness, ascension and descension, height and depth, first and last, beginning and ending, flesh and spirit, wisdom and foolishness, strength and weakness, mortality and immortality. It reveals out of Jew and Gentile, light and darkness, unity and multiplication, fruitfulness and barrenness, curse and blessing, man and woman, kingdom and priesthood, heaven and earth, all-sufficiency and deficiency, and God and man. Out of every unity made of two it opens the great two-leafed gate that is the sole entry into the City of God of New Jerusalem, into which none but the King of Glory can enter, as the Porter opens the door of the sheepfold by which whoever enters is the Shepherd of the Sheep. It stands as the pattern for using Genesis and the Apocalypse as keys that cannot be interpreted from a material standpoint.
Victory and Coming Judgment
The psalm is a prophecy of the coronation of Christ for the execution of judgment. After his enemies are given into his hands for judgment and destruction, he drinks of the brook in the way and lifts up his head in triumph. His foes are then quelled and his dreadful sword is sheathed.
The drinking and lifting up of the head show Christ lifted up in victory in the dominion given him by Jehovah. He is the Lord seated at Jehovah's right hand and Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek, who rules in the midst of his enemies, strikes through kings in the day of his wrath, judges among the nations, fills the places with the slain, and wounds rulers. As the promised Seed he defeats Satan through his church, which bears his name and continues his work on earth.
That exaltation of Christ is joined to his people sharing his kingly dignity and participating with him in the judgment. Together with the other closing verses of the psalm, the drinking of the brook and lifting up of the head confirm that the promise of a willing people in the day of power belongs to the close of the gospel day.
Priesthood and Spiritual Refreshment
The psalm establishes that Christ's priesthood belongs to the order of Melchizedek, and in doing so provides the scriptural basis for His ministry as High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary. That ministration in the heavenly sanctuary is performed in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, as Priest after the Melchizedek order.
The change from the Levitical priesthood to the priesthood of the order of Melchisedec took place at the close of the seventy weeks. That was the very point where the shadow of good things to come ceased, where the offering of bulls and goats gave place to the great sacrifice, where the example and shadow of heavenly things was terminated by the more excellent ministry, and where the holy places which were the figures of the true were succeeded by the true holy places in heaven. It marked the transfer from the tabernacle made with hands to the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man.
Drinking of the brook in the way pictures Christ as refreshment on the journey. He is not a source of water visited only occasionally, but a river flowing along the way and a spring within the soul, giving life that lasts forever and accompanying His people throughout their journey. The verse describes what happens to the one who answers Christ's call to come and drink when thirsty. Christ is the Rock smitten once for the sins of the world, the hiding-place from the wind, the covert from the tempest, the rivers of water in a dry place, and the shadow of a great rock in a weary land, and all who speak to Him confessing sins and claiming pardon receive the healing waters of salvation from Him, are refreshed along the path, and therefore hold the head high.
Through His drinking He drank the full measure of human sorrow and received in Himself the sentence of death that stood in the way of humanity's eternal salvation, and through this He will lift up His people's heads with the joys of salvation forever. Even a brief word from Scripture can bring grace to a weary Christian in the midst of labor and renew the spirit, lifting the head.
The psalm is a prophecy of Jesus Christ and of his kingdom, declaring his work in humiliation and in glory from the agonies of his death to the triumph of his kingdom over its enemies. Drinking of the brook in the way points to where his life was poured out in blood, showing that he drank the full measure of human sorrow and received in himself the sentence of death that stood in the way of eternal salvation. After his enemies are given into his hands for judgment, he drinks from the brook along the way and lifts up his head in triumph, ruling in the midst of his enemies, striking through kings in the day of his wrath, and judging among the nations. His lifting up is his coronation for the execution of judgment, in the dominion given him as Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek, whose ministry is performed in the heavenly sanctuary. Through that drinking he is refreshment on the journey, a river flowing along the way, and he will lift up his people's heads with the joys of salvation forever.
Messianic Identity and Context
The psalm is a prophecy of Jesus Christ and of his kingdom. It is a Messianic psalm that yields profit when read together with the promise to David that the seed after him would have an established kingdom, with his house and his throne established forever. It declares Christ's work in humiliation and in glory, including the agonies of his death, the glorious results of his resurrection, and the triumph of his kingdom over its enemies. It shows that the Son of God possessed a bodily form before he came to this earth.
Drinking of the brook in the way points to where the cross of anguish stood and where his life was poured out in blood. It shows that Christ drank the full measure of human sorrow and received in himself the sentence of death that stood in the way of humanity's eternal salvation. The psalm makes prominent his priestly office upon his Father's throne, in contrast with and distinct from his kingly office and work upon his own throne. That kingly office and work upon his own throne is described in Psalm 45 as preparatory to his second advent.
The psalm is an incorruptible key composed to open the rest of Scripture, turning only according to the lock of the great mystery of God manifest in the flesh but justified by the Spirit. It reveals out of fall and resurrection, sin and righteousness, ascension and descension, height and depth, first and last, beginning and ending, flesh and spirit, wisdom and foolishness, strength and weakness, mortality and immortality. It reveals out of Jew and Gentile, light and darkness, unity and multiplication, fruitfulness and barrenness, curse and blessing, man and woman, kingdom and priesthood, heaven and earth, all-sufficiency and deficiency, and God and man. Out of every unity made of two it opens the great two-leafed gate that is the sole entry into the City of God of New Jerusalem, into which none but the King of Glory can enter, as the Porter opens the door of the sheepfold by which whoever enters is the Shepherd of the Sheep. It stands as the pattern for using Genesis and the Apocalypse as keys that cannot be interpreted from a material standpoint.
Victory and Coming Judgment
The psalm is a prophecy of the coronation of Christ for the execution of judgment. After his enemies are given into his hands for judgment and destruction, he drinks of the brook in the way and lifts up his head in triumph. His foes are then quelled and his dreadful sword is sheathed.
The drinking and lifting up of the head show Christ lifted up in victory in the dominion given him by Jehovah. He is the Lord seated at Jehovah's right hand and Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek, who rules in the midst of his enemies, strikes through kings in the day of his wrath, judges among the nations, fills the places with the slain, and wounds rulers. As the promised Seed he defeats Satan through his church, which bears his name and continues his work on earth.
That exaltation of Christ is joined to his people sharing his kingly dignity and participating with him in the judgment. Together with the other closing verses of the psalm, the drinking of the brook and lifting up of the head confirm that the promise of a willing people in the day of power belongs to the close of the gospel day.
Priesthood and Spiritual Refreshment
The psalm establishes that Christ's priesthood belongs to the order of Melchizedek, and in doing so provides the scriptural basis for His ministry as High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary. That ministration in the heavenly sanctuary is performed in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, as Priest after the Melchizedek order.
The change from the Levitical priesthood to the priesthood of the order of Melchisedec took place at the close of the seventy weeks. That was the very point where the shadow of good things to come ceased, where the offering of bulls and goats gave place to the great sacrifice, where the example and shadow of heavenly things was terminated by the more excellent ministry, and where the holy places which were the figures of the true were succeeded by the true holy places in heaven. It marked the transfer from the tabernacle made with hands to the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man.
Drinking of the brook in the way pictures Christ as refreshment on the journey. He is not a source of water visited only occasionally, but a river flowing along the way and a spring within the soul, giving life that lasts forever and accompanying His people throughout their journey. The verse describes what happens to the one who answers Christ's call to come and drink when thirsty. Christ is the Rock smitten once for the sins of the world, the hiding-place from the wind, the covert from the tempest, the rivers of water in a dry place, and the shadow of a great rock in a weary land, and all who speak to Him confessing sins and claiming pardon receive the healing waters of salvation from Him, are refreshed along the path, and therefore hold the head high.
Through His drinking He drank the full measure of human sorrow and received in Himself the sentence of death that stood in the way of humanity's eternal salvation, and through this He will lift up His people's heads with the joys of salvation forever. Even a brief word from Scripture can bring grace to a weary Christian in the midst of labor and renew the spirit, lifting the head.