each manifestation of Christ in the realm of human life (John 1:9; comp. Heb. 6:14; 11:27). The entrance of the divinely chosen King upon His earthly Kingdom corresponds with the entrance of the Son of man upon the inheritance of the world.
The words, it will be observed, assume the preexistence of the Christ. It is worthy of notice that Philo especially affirms of the Logos that he came not in visible form:
de prof.
§ 19 (1.561 M.); comp.
Quis rer. div. haer.
§ 9
(1.479 M.). On the thought of Christ entering into the world Primasius says: Quando, qui ubique praesens erat sed tamen invisibilis, factus postea homo visibilis mundo apparuit, quodammodo ubi erat illuc ingressus.
levgei
] The words of the Psalmist are ideally the words of the Christ; and they are not past only but present. Compare Heb. 1:6 f.; 3:7; 5:6; 8:8. No person is named. The thought of the true speaker is present to the mind of every reader.
qus. kai; prosf.
...
oJlok. kai; peri; aJm.
] The two pairs of words give a
complete view of the Jewish sacrifices. The first pair describe them according
to their material, the animal-offering ( jb'z< , H2285) and the meal-offering (
hj;nmi , H4966). The second pair give in the burnt-offering ( hl;[o , H6592) and
the sin-offering ( ha;f;j} , H2631), representative types of the two great classes
of offerings, eucharistic offerings, which belonged to the life of the Covenant, and expiatory offerings, which were provided for the restoration of the life of the Covenant.
In themselves, this is laid down generally, the sacrifices gave no pleasure to God. Their value was in what they represented. Under this aspect that which corresponds to the first pair is distinctly stated ( sw'ma kathrtivsw moi ). The aspirations and wants expressed by the second pair find their complete satisfaction in the fulfilment of the will of God by the Son of man through suffering and death (Heb. 10:7).
Several passages in the O. T. recognise the powerlessness of sacrifices in themselves: 1 Sam. 15:22; Ps. 50:8 ff.; 51:16 ff.; Hos. 6:6; Is. 1:10 ff.; Jer. 7:21 f. But these words of Ps. 40 go further: they point to a perfect service, and perhaps to the sacrifice (death) of one who has served perfectly.
sw'ma kathrtivsw moi
]
a body didst thou prepare for me
, Vulg.
corpus aptasti mihi.
The King, the representative of men, recognises in the manifold organs of His personal power His bodythe one fitting means for rendering service to God. Through this, in its fulness, He can do God's will. Not by anything outside Himself, not by animals in
sacrifices
, not by the fruits of the earth in
offerings
, but by the use of His own endowments, as He is enabled to use them, He will accomplish that which God designed for Him to do.
It will be seen that the idea in this clause is that of a perfect life irrespective of any thought of sin. Man as created had for his end this perfect exercise and perfect development of every human faculty that so he might bring all to God, fulfilling in this way the conception of sacrifice. And sin has not altered the obligation: Rom. 12:1 f.
Some ancient thinkers regarded the humanity of Christ as the final cause of all created things (comp. Epp. of St John , pp. 291 f.). The thought throws light upon the gradual progress of the world throughout the ages, the