8th Decade of Psalms Archives

Psalm 88: The Black Psalm

Ben Zornes on March 14, 2017

INTRODUCTION:

In a certain sense, all the psalms are Messianic, all of them point to Jesus. Because this psalm is
particularly dark, some might want to argue that perhaps it is less the case here. But I think we
should go the other way. This psalm is dark, but consider the darkness Jesus went through for us.
There may be lesser applications for us—wherever the Head is, the body is not far away—but we
will consider this psalm as preeminently fulfilled in the moment when Christ was abandoned for
our sake.
THE TEXT:
“O Lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee: Let my prayer come before
thee: Incline thine ear unto my cry; For my soul is full of troubles: And my life draweth nigh unto
the grave . . .” (Ps. 88:1–18).
SUMMARY OF THE TEXT:
This dark psalm begins with the cry of faith—“God of my salvation” (v. 1). He is in great anguish,
crying out day and night (v. 1). He wants his cry to come before the Lord because his soul is full
of trouble and he is on the brink of death (v. 2). He is reckoned among those who descend to
Sheol, or the pit (v. 3). He is counted among the dead (vv. 4-5). He is in the pit because God has
put him there (v. 6). The wrath of God rests upon him, and all the waves of God wash over him
(v. 7). His friends and acquaintances have scattered (v. 8). He has called out to God daily, but to
no effect (v. 9). Will the dead praise God (v. 10)? Will God’s lovingkindness and faithfulness be
declared in the grave and underworld (v. 11-12)? He continues to cry out to God (v. 13). Lord,
why do you cast me off? Why have you forsaken me (v. 14)? He has been ready to die from his
youth on (v. 15). The fierce wrath of God overwhelms him (v. 16). God’s terrors envelop him like
water (v. 17). God has ripped away from him those who are dear to him (v. 18).
THE CENTRAL DARKNESS:
At the creation of the world, darkness was on the face of the deep and the Spirit moved on the
face of the waters (Gen. 1:2). At the dying of Jesus, darkness covered all the land for three hours
(Matt. 27:45), and at the death of Jesus the veil in the Temple was ripped in two (Matt. 27:51). Jesus
cried out in utter abandonment, “My God, my God . . .” (Matt. 27:46). In this moment, there was
nothing attractive about Him (Is. 53:2). “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin;
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). This is the mystery
of propitiation, where the wrath of God is fully poured out—and anticipated here in this psalm.
LORD GOD OF MY SALVATION
The only words of hope in this psalm are in the very beginning of it. There is this expression of
hope at the start, and it is all downhill from there. The psalm ends by driving into the brick wall
of black despair. The first verse is Jesus setting His face to do what must be down. He sets His
face like flint to go to Jerusalem (Is. 50:7). Lord God of my salvation. He prays that the will of
the Father be done, and not His own (Matt. 26:39). Lord God of my salvation. He, for the joy
that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame (Heb. 12:2). Lord God of my
salvation. What the Lord Jesus knew in the light, He held onto in the darkness.
DOWN TO THE PIT:
A number of words are used to describe the realm of shadows, the realm of the dead. One He-
brew word for it is Sheol (v. 3), with the Greek equivalent as Hades. Another word is bor, or pit (v.
4). Then there is qeber, or burial chamber (v. 5). And the deeps (v. 6), also associated with Sheol.
Another word is destruction, or Abaddon (v. 11). The cry here is one of rhetorical despair, with the
implied answer of “no one will hear in the land of forgetfulness.”
But even here, God answered prayer. Jesus descended to the lower parts of the earth (Eph. 4:9).
He preached to the spirits who had been disobedient at the time of Noah (1 Pet. 3:18-19). God
did not abandon His soul to Hades (Ps. 16:10; Acts 2:27, and so when He came back from the
dead, the righteous dead came with Him (Matt. 27:51-53). He then led captivity captive and gave
gifts to me (Eph. 4:8).
TRUE PROPITIATION:
Jesus experienced the full wrath of God (Rom. 3:25; 1 John 4:10). It was all poured out upon
Him. And as we see from the expressions of this psalm, He did not experience it as a “theologi-
cal truth.” Jesus cried out in actual despair, and in that cry of despair He reconciled the world to
God. “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their
trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:19). “Thy
wrath lieth hard on me” (v. 7). “suffer thy terrors” (v. 15). “Thy fierce wrath goeth over me” (v. 16).
And why? All for you.
TRUE FRIENDS:
Jesus calls us His friends ( John 15:15), and He felt the abandonment by his disciples acutely (Luke
22:61). It is a significant part of this lament as well. God as put away His acquaintance far from
Him (v. 8). God has made Him an abomination to them (v. 8). Lover, and friend, and acquaintance
have been removed (v. 18). They have gone into blackness.
And what was it all for? Why did this psalm have to end in this way? So that we would not end
in this way. “I will declare thy name unto my brethren: In the midst of the congregation will I
praise thee” (Ps. 22:22).
He died in shame so that He might receive eternal glory. He died without a people so that He
might have a people. Jesus died friendless so that He might have friends forever.

Psalm 87: Glorious Things Are Spoken of Thee

Ben Zornes on March 5, 2017

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Introduction:

In this psalm we are encouraged to exult in the corporate realities of God’s salvation. God saves individuals one by one, but He never saves them to be alone. Just as we are not saved by good works, but rather to good works (Eph. 2:8-10), so also we are not saved by a crowd or a congregation, but we most assuredly are saved to a crowd and a congregation.

The Text:
“His foundation is in the holy mountains. The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob . . .” (Psalm 87:1–7).

Summary of the Text:
The physical city of God was in the holy mountains (v. 1). His heavenly Jerusalem is in the holy mountains of His everlasting wisdom. The Lord Jehovah loves the individual dwellings of Jacob, but He loves the public assembly of His people more (v. 2). The city of God is glorious, and it is right to ascribe glory to her (v. 3). The psalmist then mentions a series of pagan powers which will be brought to worship the Lord, which will be “born” in Zion (v. 4). And of Zion itself, it will be said that men of eminence were born in her (v. 5). When the Lord Jehovah conducts His great census, He will be the one who marks that this one was born (again) there (v. 6). The musicians will be there, and all our springs will be in the Lord (v. 7).

His Foundation in the Holy Mountains:
The Temple that Solomon built was on Mt. Moriah. The Tabernacle of David, in which the sacrifices were largely musical, was on Mt. Zion. The tabernacle from the wilderness was on Mt. Gibeon (2 Chron. 1:3), about 6 miles northwest of Jerusalem. In a way, all of them merged into the Temple, and began to be known as Zion.
God’s intention was always to rebuild the Tabernacle of David (Amos 9:11-12). James cites this prophecy as the basis for including the Gentiles as Gentiles in the Christian church (Acts 15:16). And that lines with what this psalm teaches us about God’s purposes. And the thing that enabled the Gentiles to come in—the blood sacrifice of Christ—was also that which enabled us to substitute musical sacrifice for blood sacrifices.
So the eternal counsels of God are the holy mountains in which we dwell.
Rahab and Babylon . . .
Rahab is a poetic name for Egypt, and signifies her insolence and pride. Who will be brought into Zion, and reckoned among her children when the Lord conducts His census? The proud of Egypt will be there (Acts 2:10). The worldly of Babylon will be (Acts 2:9). The fiercely angry from Philistia will come (Acts 2:9). The covetous of Tyre were no doubt in the mix. The strangers of Ethiopia will be strangers no more (Acts 8:27).
It is striking that when the foreigners are itemized in Acts on the day of Pentecost, the only ones who are not indicated in this psalm in some way are the Greeks—Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia.

He Loves the Gates of Zion:
God does love the individual dwellings of Jacob. He loves it when children are brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. He loves it when the things of God are discussed with affection around the dinner table. He loves it when a family prays and sings together. He loves familial piety.
But He loves the public assembly more. God loves the public gates of Zion more than the private dwellings of Jacob. The two need not be adversarial, of course, but we need to know how God prioritizes things. “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Heb. 10:25).

Pride in His People:
From the context we can tell that “this and that man” were born in her, and it is referring to men of some eminence. This is how we tell stories, is it not? When I was a child in Annapolis, the public library was a former tavern/inn from the 1700’s, and when you went down into the kids’ section in the basement, there was a plaque that informed you that “George Washington slept here.”

This expression is literally “a man and a man,” which may be a peculiar form of the superlative. The Israel of God has produced some of the most amazing warriors, inventors, workers, heroes, scholars, and adventurers who have ever lived. From David to Augustine, from Livingstone to Cranmer, and from Edwards to Antipas, the kingdom of God is the place of which we may say, “This one was born in her.”

Of course, the one who boasts must boast in the Lord. We know that unless the Lord had accomplished it, none of it would have been accomplished at all.

The Lord Himself Shall Count:
When Elijah despaired of everything, the apostle Paul reminds us that God had reserved for Himself 7,000 who had not bowed the knee to Baal (1 Kings 19:18; Rom. 11:4). God is the one who maintains the number of the elect firmly in the palm of His hand (John 10:29).
When the Lord counts His people, you can be assured that He will not have to count twice.

All My Springs Are In You:
There are two ways to take this cryptic statement. All my springs are in the Lord could mean that all my life, all my resources, all my strength, come from Him. I draw on Him, my limitless source of living water. My springs are in Him. This takes it as that which flows to me.

The second way can take it as that which flows from me, as in, a man’s posterity (Prov. 5:16). All my posterity, all my descendants, all the children of my children’s children, are in the Lord.

And of course, if Christ is everything to us, it is possible to take it in both senses.

Psalm 86: A Token for Good

Ben Zornes on February 26, 2017

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Introduction:

In this world, it is not possible to be a friend of God and not be in trouble with the world. Friendship with the world is enmity with God, James tells us (Jas. 4:4). It goes the other way also. Friendship with God means that you will be constantly and regularly at odds with the world. This provides you with material to pray about.

The Text:

“Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: For I am poor and needy. Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee . . .” (Psalm 86:1–17).

Summary of the Text:

The text divides into three sections, with an expression of confidence or gratitude at the conclusion of each (vv. 7, 13, 17). This psalm is a prayer of David, with God being addressed directly with petitions throughout.
The petitioner is poor and needy, and asks God to bow down to hear (v. 1). He prays that God would deliver him with his innocence and trust in view (v. 2). God, be merciful, because the prayer is offered every day (v. 3). The soul is lifted up to God so that God might pour joy into it (v. 4). God is good and ready to forgive, and full of mercy to those who call upon Him (v. 5). God, please listen (v. 6). When the psalmist is in trouble, he will call upon God and God will answer (v. 7).
None of the other gods are like God at all, and their works are not like His (v. 8). The nations will all stream to Him, and will glorify His name (v. 9). God is great, and does wonderful things (v. 10). Teach me to obey; integrate my heart (v. 11). I will praise God with everything I have (v. 12). God’s mercy is great, and He has delivered me from the very worst place, the lowest hell (v. 13).
Here is my trouble—proud and violent men are after me (v. 14). By contrast, God is full and overflowing with compassion, grace, patience, and abundant mercy and truth (v. 15). God, give me strength—I was born in your house, the son of your handmaid (v. 16). Show me a token for good, so that those proud men who come after me might see that You are with me and be ashamed (v. 17).

The God Who Reveals Himself:

In this psalm, David echoes in several places what Jehovah had declared to Moses when He passed by him at the second inscription of the Ten Commandments. “And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth” (Ex. 34:6).
All prayer carries within it an assumption of what God is like. Faithful prayer is that which echoes God’s self-revelation of what He is like.
All Nations Bow Down:

David is praying for his own deliverance. He looks forward to his rescue by God. But at the same time, he marks his deliverance in the context of a much larger deliverance. All nations that God made will come before Him and will acknowledge it (v. 9). The coming salvation will gather up much more than David, much more than Israel. The coming salvation encompasses all nations.

Charles Spurgeon commented on this verse this way: “Earth’s sun is to go down amid tenfold night if some of our prophetic brethren are to be believed. Not so do we expect, but we look for a day when the dwellers in all lands shall learn righteousness, shall trust in the Saviour, shall worship thee alone, O God, ‘and shall glorify thy name.’ The modern notion has greatly damped the zeal of the church for missions, and the sooner it is shown to be unscriptural the better for the cause of God.”

Proud Men Gather:

Proud men are wolves and they hunt in packs. It looks as though it will all go their way. Violent men gather in their assemblies. They assume it will all be theirs because they do not take God into account. This is because proud men serve false gods, and yet among the gods there is none like our God. Their works of accusation and persecution are not like God’s works of triumph and deliverance.

A Token for Good:

The prayer is not just for deliverance. The prayer is for a very public deliverance. David does not just want to be delivered from his enemies; he wants his enemies to see him being delivered. He wants them to see him getting away.
The token for good might be the deliverance itself. On the other hand, it might be a down payment on the deliverance, placed there in the middle of the troubles, in such a way as to make his enemies think uh oh to themselves. It could be either or both, and one commentator suggests that the token for good might be found earlier in v. 4. When the psalmist lifts up his soul to God, and God pours out His joy into it, that joy in the midst of the trial may be the token for good. A peace that passes all understanding, given in the midst of great trial, is something that can only be explained in terms of the presence of God.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6–7).

A Savior Who Loves:
So come back to what God revealed of Himself to Moses (and to David). Jehovah God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, loves you and loves to deliver you. Assuming you are in Christ at all, God could not love you more than He does. He could not desire your well-being with greater intensity than He has. He could not have done more for you than He has done. Remember the cross, and remember the resurrection. Remember your forgiveness, your salvation, and your justification.

Psalm 85: The Kiss of Salvation

Ben Zornes on February 5, 2017

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Introduction:
God puts sinners back together, and God in His mercy puts backsliders back together again. How He does this is truly remarkable, and as we enter into the spirit of this psalm we find ourselves right at the heart of the gospel.
The Text:
“Lord, thou hast been Favourable unto thy land: Thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, Thou hast covered all their sin. Selah . . .” (Ps. 85:1–13)

Summary of the Text:
The text divides this way. The first three verses recall the Lord’s mercies to Israel in time past (vv. 1-3). In the next section, the psalmist pleads with God concerning Israel’s current afflictions (vv. 4-7). He pauses in the next verse to resolve that he will hear what the Lord says (v. 8). And then, in the conclusion of the psalm, he rejoices in the salvation that is coming (vv. 9-13).
Lord, in the past You have released Jacob from her troubles (v. 1). At the center of this deliverance, You have forgiven them (v. 2). Because forgiveness was granted, then wrath was turned away (v. 3). The past faithfulness of God provides one of the very best present arguments with God. God, turn Your people away from their sin (v. 4). Why extend Your anger (v. 5)? We have had enough. If You revive Your people, then they will be able to rejoice in You (v. 6). Show us mercy, Lord. Grant us salvation (v. 7). The petition is submitted, and then the petitioner submits himself (v. 8). Fear God, and salvation is right at hand (v. 9). So is glory. Mercy and truth have met (v. 10), and righteousness and peace have kissed (v. 10). Truth grows out of the ground, and righteousness smiles down on us (v. 11). The Lord gives what is good, and the land will bear much increase (v. 12). Righteousness will then lead the way (v. 13).

The Deliverance Argument:
Considering how many times God inspired this argument to show up in Scripture, it must be an argument He really loves. The argument goes this way. God, why do You love delivering Your people in the way back history books? We believe those history books, but why do You seem so reluctant to deliver us in the same way?
The Marker of Joy:
When God revives His people, the indicator that this has happened is joy. Revive us again so that we may rejoice in you (v. 6). When David is forgiven, he looks forward to being restored to the joy of his salvation (Ps. 51:12). When we really love Jesus, not having seen Him, and when we have not seen Him but yet believe in Him, what happens? The result is that we rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory (1 Pet. 1:8). When we pray for reformation and revival, we are not asking to be brought into a state of mild contentment. We are not seeking tepid complacency.

How Is This Possible?
An unrighteous man once came to the Prince of Peace, and identified Him to the soldiers by kissing Him. Unrighteousness kissed peace, and this led to the chain of events that culminated in righteousness and peace kissing each other.
We have four great attributes of God mentioned here, and the trick—in a sinful world—is how to get them all together. Mercy and peace appear to go well together. Righteousness and truth seem like natural companions. But how is it that mercy and truth have met together? How can righteousness and peace greet one another with a holy kiss? This is only possible in one place, and that place is the cross of wood upon which Jesus died.
Where do mercy and truth meet? They meet in the paths of the Lord, and the paths of the Lord are always related to the hill of Golgotha. “All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies” (Ps. 25:10). We see the two as natural companions, but only because of the gospel. “Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name” (Rom. 15:8–9).

This is a welding job that could not be accomplished by any other means than the vicarious, substitutionary death of Christ on the cross for sinners. When we look at that cross, we see the most incongruous elements fused together in a white hot deliverance. We see the love of God and the hatred of God, together as one. We see the mercy of God and the truth of God with joined hands. We see the righteousness of God and the peace of God embracing each other.

We see the unrighteousness of man and the righteousness of Christ. And then, in a glorious exchange, we see the unrighteousness of Christ on our behalf and the righteousness of wretches because of the purity of His life. It is all there. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor. 5:21).

Truth as a Thick Lawn:
When the Spirit of God has done His work, and the people of God are restored as they ought to be, what is the result? Truth grows out of the ground like it was grass (v. 11). Righteousness looks down from heaven on us and smiles. Think of the truth of God growing like the thickest of lawns, and all your little kids running barefoot on it. Think of God’s pleasure resting on you—but it is His righteousness pleasure resting on you.
The reason we tend to walk in trepidation and fear is that we want righteousness and peace to be friends somewhere other than in the vicarious death of Jesus. We want mercy and truth to get along somewhere other than in the blood of the covenant. But that is in no way possible.

Psalm 89: Turreted in Mercies