Psalm 61:6-8, “Prolong the life of the king; may his years endure to all generations! May he be enthroned forever before God…So will I ever sing praises to your name…”
Notice that God’s prolonging of the king’s life and His enthronement of the king in His presence *results in* or *forms the ground of* the Psalmist’s everlasting praise to God’s name. We might rephrase the Psalm this way: *Because* you prolong the life of the King, *Because* his years endure forever, *because* he is enthroned forever before God, *therefore* I will praise the name of God forever.
Now, in one sense this is because the Psalmist IS the King (David), and so, as his life is protected and prolonged, he will praise YHWH. But that does not exhaust the meaning of this passage. There is also a sense in which David is looking to another King besides himself, to a King who will be enthroned not merely for a long time, but forever…and it is because of THIS KING’S everlasting enthronement that David—and all God’s people—will sing the praises of YHWH’s Name.
Yes, ultimately, the King whose life is prolonged is the King who is raised up to indestructible life (Heb.7:16), and the King who is enthroned forever before God is the King who emptied Himself to become obedient even to death on the cross, swallowing His Bride’s death (Phil.2:6-11, Heb.2:9). This King, of course, is Jesus Christ. Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus’ enthronement, Jesus’ enduring life IS the ground and basis and assurance of His people’s everlasting joy in the Name of God (Heb.7:25)—the Name which they know supremely in Himself as the slain, risen, and everlastingly enthroned Lord (John 8:28, 17:3-5; Phil.2:9-11).
Christian, our joyful praise of God is not grounded in how we are feeling today…it is not grounded in the circumstances swirling around us…it is not grounded in the rising and falling EKG of our experienced sense of faith…it is grounded in the risen and reigning Jesus Christ. “I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God”(Ps.42:5)—those words are absolutely sure no matter what the present circumstance, Christian, because our future praise is anchored in Christ’s eternal reign.
