THEOSISAugustine of Hippo
He recognized that following His suffering and subsequent resurrection, people from all nations would place their faith in Him. As the apostle notes, "a partial blinding had taken place in Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles should come in" (cf. Rom. 11:25). In light of the Gentiles who longed to encounter Him, He declares the impending arrival of this fullness and assures that the hour of His glory is near. After this moment, in heaven, the Gentiles would come to believe. Thus, it was prophesied, "Thou shalt be exalted above the heavens, O God; above all the earth shall be Thy glory" (Psalm 107:6). This signifies the fullness of the Gentiles, which the apostle mentions when stating, "Partly blindness has taken place in Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles shall come in" (cf. Rom. 11:25).
I never believed that Psalm 108:1 needed clarification, as I have already discussed it in my explanations of Psalm 57:1 and Psalm 60, from which this psalm is derived. The closing section of Psalm 57 serves as the beginning of this psalm, particularly the line: “Thy glory is above all the earth.” The continuation through to the end corresponds to the concluding portion of Psalm 60, just as the conclusion of Psalm 135 parallels that of Psalm 115, with the phrase: “The idols of the nations are merely silver and gold.” Similarly, Psalms 14 and 53 maintain the same structure from start to finish, with only minor alterations. Thus, any small variations observed in Psalm 108 compared to the two preceding parts can be easily acknowledged.
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For instance, in Psalm 57:7, it states: “I will sing and praise; awake, my glory,” while here it reads: “I will sing and praise my glory.” In the former, it instructs to “Awake,” so that the individual may sing and praise. Likewise, Psalm 57 mentions that "thy mercy is great (or, as some translate, exalted) unto heaven,” while in this context, it states, “thy mercy is great above the heavens.” This reflects the idea that it is elevated to the heavens, emphasizing its greatness in that realm, which is conveyed by the phrase "above the heavens." Moreover, Psalm 60 includes, “I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem,” whereas this psalm states, “I will exalt, and divide Shechem.” This reveals what is meant by the division of Shechem, which was prophesied to occur after the Lord’s exaltation; hence, this rejoicing pertains to that exaltation, indicating that He rejoices because He has been raised. Consequently, we find in another passage: “Thou hast turned my heaviness into joy; Thou hast taken off my sackcloth and girded me with joy.” In this context, Ephraim is described as both “the strength of my head” here and “the lifting up of my head” there. Strength arises from acceptance—He empowers people through His acceptance and enables them to bear fruit; the interpretation of Ephraim signifies "bearing fruit." Acceptance can be perceived as what occurs when we receive Christ, or conversely, as Christ lifting us up, as He is the Head of the Church. The phrases that challenge us in the previous psalm find a parallel here in the reference to “our enemies.”
This psalm illustrates that those titles which might appear to pertain to historical events are more accurately understood in a prophetic light, aligning with the intention behind the psalms’ composition. Yet, this psalm comprises the concluding portions of two distinct psalms, each designated by a different title. It conveys that both converge on a singular purpose, which is not merely historical but deeply prophetic, with both aiming toward one title: the Song or Psalm of David, aligning with none of the previous titles save for the mention of David. For, as expressed in numerous instances and through various means, God previously communicated with the forefathers through the prophets, as noted in Hebrews 1:1, heralding the fulfillment of the prophets' words concerning the one He sent later, affirming that all the promises of God find their yes in Him, as stated in 2 Corinthians 1:20.