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I do not envy this their felicity, but my hopes and happiness are of another nature. I do not place my portion in earthly and temporal treasures, as they do, but in beholding God’s face, i.e. in the enjoyment of God’s presence and favour; which is indeed enjoyed in part in this life, but not fully and to satisfaction, or which David here speaks, as appears from the last clause of this verse; the sight of God and of his face being frequently spoken of, both the Old and New Testament, as a privilege denied even to the saints in this life, and peculiar to the next life, as is manifest from Exo_33:20 Jud_13:22 Mat_5:8 1Co_13:12 2Co_3:18 1Jo_3:2.
In righteousness; with the comfort of a good conscience, bearing me witness that, notwithstanding all the calumnies and censures of mine enemies, I have been and am upright and righteous in the course of my life, both towards thee and towards all men; which testimony will enable me to look God in the face with boldness, when mine enemies, being conscious to themselves of gross and manifold unrighteousness towards thee, and me, and others, will be afraid to appear in thy presence.
I shall be satisfied: I am now greatly distressed and dissatisfied, and mine enemies are filled and satisfied with good things; but my turn will come, the time is coming wherein I shall be abundantly satisfied, to wit, with beholding thy face, which is to me more comfortable and satisfactory than all the possessions of this world.
When I awake; either,
1. When I shall be delivered from my present distresses and calamities. But these never are in Scripture, nor indeed can fitly be, called by the name of sleep, which is every where spoken of as a state of rest and quietness; as Psa_127:2 Joh_11:12,13; and consequently deliverance from them cannot be compared to awaking. Or rather,
2. When I shall arise from the dead; for death is very frequently called sleep, both in Scripture, as 1Ki_1:21 Isa_26:19 Jer_51:39,57 Da 12:2 Joh_11:11,13, and in other authors; and consequently resurrection from the dead is justly and fitly called an awaking, as it is Job_14:12 Dan_12:2 Joh_11:11. And since the doctrine of the resurrection of the just to a blessed and endless life was not unknown to the holy men of God in the Old Testament, as it were very easy to prove, nor to David in particular, as appears from Psa_16:10,11, and from divers other passages, it cannot be imagined but David would support and comfort himself in his greatest agonies with the consideration thereof, this being incomparably the most weighty and effectual argument and ground of comfort which he could possibly use. And this also bests suits with the context; for David is here opposing his hopes and portion to that of his enemies; and having noted, not without a secret reflection and reproach upon them for it, that their portion was in this life, Psa_17:14, it was most consonant to the place and to the thing itself, that he should seek and have his happiness in the future life.
With thy likeness, or image; by which may be understood either,
1. Christ, the Son of God, who was known to David and other prophets, as is evident, and that under the name of the Son of God, Psa_2:7,12 Pr 30:4 Hos_11:1, compared with Mat_2:15, who being exactly like to his Father, might most fitly be called his likeness or image, as he is, Heb_1:3. Or,
2. The image of God stamped upon his glorified soul; which must needs afford him infinite delight and satisfaction. Or,
3. God himself, or the face of God mentioned in the former clause, and explained, here by another phrase, as is very usual in these writings. And this interpretation may receive strength from Num_12:8, where beholding the similitude of the Lord is evidently the same thing which is elsewhere called seeing his face; and from Heb_10:1, where the image doth not note the likeness or representation, but the truth and existence of the thing.