Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.
David is at the end of his life, and he has gathered gold, silver, bronze and stone for a temple he will never build. The leaders of Israel gave with him, and now the old king turns from that pile of treasure and blesses God in front of the whole assembly.
Praise Drawn Out by Grace
This praise is not routine. It comes from a king, and what moves him is not his own success.
William KellySo we see how grace draws out grace, and how much deeper David's joy was over God's glory than over anything of his own. We never hear anything like this expression of joy over what happened to him personally. "Then David blessed the LORD in the presence of all the assembly." It is the king now, not the priest.
Glory Belongs to One Only
David names five things: greatness, power, glory, victory and majesty. He hands every one of them back to God. That is not modesty. It matches the way God works.
F. A. HughesIt is a moment of great joy and importance for believers. It comes when we see that everything God does aims to secure His own glory. This right belongs to no one else. He is the "Father of glory" — every ray of true glory has its source in Himself. He is the "God of glory" — in His sovereignty He has the undisputed right to administer it.
Heaven and Earth Are Already His
Everything in heaven and earth is God's. So the huge offering David has just made was never his own. He only hands back what he first received.
A. J. PollockAbram paid him tithes. That was the homage a subject owes a king. Tithes mean the person who receives them has a right to the whole. In the same way, God has the right to all that we have. Yet He graciously accepts what we give Him. With a thankful heart King David exclaimed, "For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you" (1 Chron. 29:14). One hundred per cent comes from Him, even if we give Him a tenth.
What "Head Above All" Holds
The verse ends by calling God "head above all." That title gathers up everything the song has just named.
An Outline of Sound WordsThis remarkable song of praise shows what the Spirit of God links with the position of headship. The list is greatness, glory, majesty, riches, might, power and splendour. These things belong to God as Head above all. They show us what God is — supremely and infinitely above everything He has created. But these same things also wonderfully describe what belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ in the headship God has given Him.
The list here says "splendour." Older translations use that word where the ESV has "victory."
The Head Christians Confess
Commentators carry that title forward. In the New Testament it belongs to Christ, who holds first place.
Dr. Daniel W. PatersonHe is pre-eminent! He both made and sustains all… An earthly, visible head is much more to man's taste, but Christ is Head of the Church. In Ephesians He is Head over all things to the Church… Headship is a wonderful theme. He is head of every man, head of the nations, cornerstone, head of all rule and authority, head over all things. He is the head. Gladly we say, "and you are exalted as head above all." He is pre-eminent.
A Kingdom Not Yet Publicly Owned
David says the kingdom is God's while standing in a kingdom of his own. Faith says it now; the world will say it later.
A. PridhamTo Him alone belong the kingdom, and the glory, and the power (Dan. 2:44; 1 Chron. 29:11). For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. Faith delights to own this truth. Now and then humbled human pride has even been forced to admit it (Dan. 4:37). Soon it will be the homage of all the kingdoms of this world (Rev. 11:15).
Summary
- Grace starts it. David's praise is grace answering grace — his joy over God's glory runs deeper than any joy over his own reign.
- Glory returns. David names greatness, power, glory, victory and majesty only to hand them all back. God alone holds the right to His own glory.
- Giving is returning. Heaven and earth are already His. Every gift is one hundred per cent His before it is ours, and He graciously accepts what we hand back.
- Headship gathers all. "Head above all" gathers the whole list: greatness, glory, majesty, riches, might, power, splendour. The same list describes the headship God has given Christ.
- The world will follow. What faith owns today, the kingdoms of this world will own out loud one day.