Psalms 118:26

Blessed be He that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Christ received with great joy

The words are an acclamation of the people, declaring and setting forth the welcome of Christ to all believing souls; their joy and rejoicing conceived upon the coming of Christ among them; their gratulation and thanksgiving for Christ’s appropinquation and coming nigh unto them; their vote and exoptation of all prosperity., blessed and happy success to Christ in His kingdom. Christ’s coming proves most joyful to them that lovingly receive and entertain Him. In the words we have in the general two things considerable--

1. A gratulation uttered by the people, Blessed be He that cometh in the name of the Lord.

2. A benediction pronounced by the ministers of the Lord, We have blessed you out of the house of the Lord. In the gratulation there is--

(1) The agent, the people, they bless, they rejoice, they are thankful for Christ’s coming. Man hath greatest cause of all creatures to rejoice in and for the coming of Christ Jesus.

(2) There is the act, Blessed, praised, exalted, magnified be Christ. Christ, is worthy to be celebrated with all praises for His coming to us.

(3) There is the manner of their gratulation, blessed, expressed--

(i.) By way of thanksgiving and rejoicing, and--
(ii.) By way of exoptation and wishing. Whosoever truly rejoiceth in Christ doth also wish well to the cause and kingdom of Christ.

(4) There is the party coming, He who is the Son of God by eternal generation, and by grace of hvpostatical union, the Prince of the kings of the earth by authority and dominion; He who is the Head of the Church by spiritual jurisdiction; He who is the Redeemer of man by the merit of His obedience and passion; He who is the Conqueror over hell, death, sin, and Satan by His resurrection; He who by His office is the Prophet instructing us, the King commanding and defending us, and the Priest offering Himself a sacrifice for us; He who is the Mediator between God and us by His intercession, the fountain of all mercy, grace, and peace unto us by Divine ordination. Blessed be He, welcome be He, in Him let our souls rejoice, His coming let us entertain with the chiefest and strength of our rejoicing. The Lord Jesus ought to be the prime and complete object of man’s joyfulness.

(5) Here is His motion, cometh. Christ as God is everywhere, and neither goes nor comes, but fills all places; yet He cometh by His laws and ordinances, as a Prince by His proclamations; He cometh by His ministers, as a King by His ambassadors; He cometh by His incarnation, as a brother taking our nature upon Him; He cometh by His gifts and graces bestowed on us, as a friend cometh by his love-tokens; He cometh by His Word and Gospel, as the sun cometh by his light, enlightening us, as a king cometh by his sceptre binding, bowing, and inclining our hearts unto obedience. (A. Grosse.)

The coming deliverer

During the dark days of the struggle for Italian liberty the people generally looked upon Garibaldi as their invincible deliverer. Prisoners, hurried away to loathsome dungeons, would be cheered as they passed along the streets by friends whispering in their ears, “Courage, Garibaldi is coming!” Men would steal out at night and chalk on the wails and pavements, “Garibaldi is coming!” And when the news of his approach near to a city was announced the people broke out into the rapturous shout, “Garibaldi is coming!” He came, and Italy broke her political and religious fetters never to be so enslaved again. A greater than Garibaldi is coming to God’s people. The Desire of all nations is on the way. Jesus is coming, coming to reign, and His kingdom is of icy, peace, blessing eternal. (H. O. Mackey.)

We have blessed you out of the house of the Lord.

A benediction uttered by the ministers of the Lord

1. The parties blessing, the ministers of the Lord; we, who are called of God to this sacred function, who are appointed to make prayer and supplication for you, to pronounce a blessing upon you. Holy and faithful ministers are the instrumental causes of great blessings to God’s Church and servants.

2. Here is their act, an act of blessing, We have blessed. Ministers bless the people sometime by way of vote and exoptation, prayer and supplication; sometime by way of vocal pronunciation, pronouncing good things in the name of God upon them; sometime by way of prophecy and prediction, foretelling great blessings to come; sometime by way of doctrine and instruction. They declare and open the blessings which God hath prepared for them, and the Lord by them, as by His ministerial instruments, communicates His grace and blessing to the people. It must be the care of ministers so to demean themselves in their function that they prove a blessing to the people.

3. Here is the object or parties blessed, you; you to whom Christ’s coming is acceptable, you who wish well to Christ’s kingdom, you who readily endeavour the exaltation of Christ’s name and Gospel, we have blessed you. The labours of God’s ministers prove a blessing only to such people as rejoice in, and endeavour the advancement of, the Gospel.

4. Here is the place from whence they blessed the people, out of the house of theLord, the place of God’s public worship, where His saints are assembled, His ordinances sincerely handled, His name invocated, His Word preached, and religious duties celebrated. God useth to dispense His spiritual blessings in the public and sacred assemblies. (A. Grosse.)