Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 102:1

A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee.

1, 2. The Psalmist’s prayer is not the less real because it is expressed in familiar phrases from older Psalms. Hear my prayer, Jehovah, is from Psa 39:12; and let my cry for help come unto thee is suggested by Psa 18:6. Hide not thy face from me is taken from Psa 27:9, in the day of my distress from Psa 59:16; incline thine ear unto me from Psa 31:2; in the day when I call from Psa 56:9, answer me speedily from Psa 69:17.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

1 11. The Psalmist supplicates for a speedy hearing, pleading the extremity of his distress.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Hear my prayer, O Lord – The prayer which I offer in view of my personal trials; the prayer which I offer as one of an afflicted people. Compare Psa 4:1; Psa 17:1; Psa 18:6.

And let my cry come unto thee – My prayer, accompanied with an outward expression of my earnestness. It was not a silent, or a mental prayer; it was a loud and earnest cry. Psa 5:2; Psa 18:6, Psa 18:41; Psa 30:2; Psa 72:12; Job 35:9; Job 36:13.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Psa 102:1-28

Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come unto Thee.

Thoughts of comfort and complaint

I. Thoughts of complaint (Psa 102:1-11).

1. Concerning bodily sufferings.

(1) The physical anguish of life (verse 3).

(2) The terrible brevity of life (verse 11).

2. Concerning mental sufferings. I am in trouble. My heart is smitten, etc. His mental anguish destroyed his appetite for food, made his bones cleave to his skin, and to mingle his drink with tears. Such is the connection between the mind and the body that a suffering mind will soon bring the body to decay and death. One dark thought has often struck down a stalwart frame.

3. Concerning social sufferings (verse 8). The coldness, the calumny, the envy and jealousy of our fellow-men cannot fail to strike anguish into the heart.

4. Concerning religious sufferings (verse 10). Moral suffering is the soul of all suffering. A wounded spirit who can bear?

II. Thoughts of comfort (Psa 102:12-28). These thoughts refer to God.

1. His existence amidst all the changes of earth (verse 12).

2. His anticipated interposition on behalf of mankind (Psa 102:13-18).

(1) It is fixed–a set time.

(2) It is conditional (verse 14). Seek, and ye shall find, etc.

(3) It is glorious (verse 15).

(4) It is prayer-answering (verse 19).

(5) It is always rememberable (verse 18).

3. His past kindness towards the suffering (Psa 102:19-22).

4. His unchangeableness amidst all the mutations of the universe.

(1) Men change, but He remains the same (verses23, 24).

(2) The universe changes, but He remains the same (Psa 102:25-27).

The universe had an origin and is destined to have a dissolution. It had an origin. Of old hast Thou laid, etc. This account of the origin of the universe contradicts atheistic eternalists and sceptical evolutionists. It will have a dissolution. It shall perish. Dissolution, in fact, is a law of the organized universe. Both the origin and dissolution of the universe are attributable to One Personality. Of old hast Thou laid. The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews applies this to Christ, therefore to him Christ was Eternal God. One Being created all, one Being will dissolve all. This One Personality remains unalterable from the origin to the dissolution of the universe. (Homilist.)

The conditions of acceptable prayer

1. There must be a holy respect for the character and ways of God. We must come looking at all His attributes. They must fill all the eye, and ravish all the heart.

2. As we are social beings, the mode of our approach must show that we are not praying alone, that we belong to a praying family; and we should wish to get near to His presence, and not pray at a distance. The child would choose to come where the father was, if he could speak to him, and not stand at a distance, as if he were praying by proxy to an absent father.

3. Our prayers must go up with sincerity before him, and with that open frankness that love is accustomed to generate. And we should really desire the blessing we need, and not some other that we are afraid to ask for, as if we were held in the attitude of foreigners, who were supplicating mercies which we not only did not deserve, but had no reason to expect.

4. We must have our eyes filled with the precious Mediator: He must be to us the chief among ten thousands, and altogether lovely.

5. We must approach Him with a spirit of submission. This, however, will not imply indifference. There can be no resignation, unless the heart desires earnestly the blessing it supplicates.

6. We must come with a spirit of humility and penitence. The suppliant who can for one single moment forget that he is a suppliant will deserve to be repulsed in the very prayer he makes.

7. It would be natural and indispensable that we remember that we have received blessings from the same hand before, and there is no part of our plea that is more efficacious than where we tell of the mercies received in days gone by. (D. A. Clark.)

Earnest prayer alone succeeds

Not very long ago I was staying at Matlock, and some one in Manchester wanted to call me up on the telephone. Speaking through the telephone is a thing to which I am unaccustomed. I could hear the voice at the other end asking me if I were there. I shouted that I was, I bellowed that I was, but still I heard the question, Are you there? In despair I put the instrument-down and went to the porter. With a pitying smile be took the instrument, and spoke through it as quietly as possible. He was heard. I said, Why cant I make him hear? Because, he said, you forget one very simple thing. You do not take hold of the receiver firmly. Oh, how often in our appeals to high Heaven we ask and receive not because we forget to take a firm hold. (R. J. Campbell, M. A.)

God will hear my prayer

There is Christ, as most of us, I suppose, believe, Lord of all creatures, administering the affairs of the universe; the steps of His throne and the precincts of His court are thronged with dependents whose eyes wait upon Him, who are fed from His stores; and yet my poor voice may steal through that chorus-shout of petition and praise, and His ear will detect its lowest note, and will separate the thin stream of my prayer from the great sea of supplication which rolls to His seat, and will answer me. (A. Maclaren, D.D.)

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

PSALM CII

The complaint and miserable state of the poor captives, 1-11;

the expectation of deliverance, 12-14;

the conversion of the heathen, 15-18;

the termination of the captivity, 19-22;

the great frailty of man, 23, 24;

the unchangeableness of God, 25-27;

the permanence of the Church, 28.

NOTES ON PSALM CII

The Hebrew, and nearly all the Versions, give the following title to this Psalm: A prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and pours out his sighing before the Lord. There seems to be little doubt that this is the prayer of the captives in Babylon, when, towards the end of the captivity, they were almost worn out with oppression, cruelty, and distress. The Psalm has been attributed to Daniel, to Jeremiah, to Nehemiah, or to some of the other prophets who flourished during the time of the captivity. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews has applied the twenty-fifth, twenty sixth, and twenty-seventh verses to our Lord, and the perpetuity of his kingdom.

Verse 1. Hear my prayer] The chief parts of the Psalm answer well to the title: it is the language of the deepest distress, and well directed to Him from whom alone help can come.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

1-3. The terms used occur inPsa 4:1; Psa 17:1;Psa 17:6; Psa 18:6;Psa 31:2; Psa 31:10;Psa 37:20.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Hear my prayer, O Lord,…. The prayer of a poor, destitute, and afflicted one; his own, and not another’s; not what was composed for him, but composed by him; which came out of his own heart, and out of unfeigned lips, and expressed under a feeling sense of his own wants and troubles; and though dictated and inwrought in his heart by the Spirit of God, yet, being put up by him in faith and fervency, it is called his own, and which he desires might be heard:

and let my cry come unto thee; he calls his prayer cry, because it was uttered in distress, and with great vehemency and importunity; and he prays that it might come unto God, even into his ears, and be regarded by him, and not shut out: prayer comes aright to God, when it comes through Christ, and out of his hands, perfumed with the incense of his mediation.

e “pauperis”, V. L. Pagninus, Vatablus, Amama; “inopis”, Cocceius. f “convolveretur”, Munster; “obtegitur”, Gejerus, so Michaelis. g “meditationem suam”, Junius & Tremellius, Gejerus, so Ainsworth.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

The Psalm opens with familiar expressions of prayer, such as rise in the heart and mouth of the praying one without his feeling that they are of foreign origin; cf. more especially Psa 39:13; Psa 18:7; Psa 88:3; and on Psa 102:3: Psa 27:9 ( Hide not Thy face from me); Psa 59:17 ( ); Psa 31:3 and frequently ( Incline Thine ear unto me); Psa 56:10 ( ); Psa 69:8; Psa 143:7 ( ).

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

Complaints in Affliction.

A prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed,

and poureth out his complaint before the Lord.

      1 Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee.   2 Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily.   3 For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as a hearth.   4 My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread.   5 By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin.   6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert.   7 I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.   8 Mine enemies reproach me all the day; and they that are mad against me are sworn against me.   9 For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping,   10 Because of thine indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down.   11 My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.

      The title of this psalm is very observable; it is a prayer of the afflicted. It was composed by one that was himself afflicted, afflicted with the church and for it; and on those that are of a public spirit afflictions of that kind lie heavier than any other. It is calculated for an afflicted state, and is intended for the use of others that may be in the like distress; for whatsoever things were written aforetime were written designedly for our use. The whole word of God is of use to direct us in prayer; but here, as often elsewhere, the Holy Ghost has drawn up our petition for us, has put words into our mouths. Hos. xiv. 2, Take with you words. Here is a prayer put into the hands of the afflicted: let them set, not their hands, but their hearts to it, and present it to God. Note, 1. It is often the lot of the best saints in this world to be sorely affected. 2. Even good men may be almost overwhelmed with their afflictions, and may be ready to faint under them. 3. When our state is afflicted, and our spirits are overwhelmed, it is our duty and interest to pray, and by prayer to pour out our complaints before the Lord, which intimates the leave God gives us to be free with him and the liberty of speech we have before him, as well as liberty of access to him; it intimates also what an ease it is to an afflicted spirit to unburden itself by a humble representation of its grievances and griefs. Such a representation we have here, in which,

      I. The psalmist humbly begs of God to take notice of his affliction, and of his prayer in his affliction, Psa 102:1; Psa 102:2. When we pray in our affliction, 1. It should be our care that God would graciously hear us; for, if our prayers be not pleasing to God, they will be to no purpose to ourselves. Let this therefore be in our eye that our prayer may come unto God, even to his ears (Ps. xviii. 6); and, in order to that, let us lift up the prayer, and our souls with it. 2. It may be our hope that God will graciously hear us, because he has appointed us to seek him and has promised we shall not seek him in vain. If we put up a prayer in faith, we may in faith say, Hear my prayer, O Lord! “Hear me,” that is, (1.) “Manifest thyself to me, hide not thy face from me in displeasure, when I am in trouble. If thou dost not quickly free me, yet let me know that thou favourest me; if I see not the operations of thy hand for me, yet let me see the smiles of thy face upon me.” God’s hiding his face is trouble enough to a good man even in his prosperity (Ps. xxx. 7, Thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled); but if, when we are in trouble, God hides his face, the case is sad indeed. (2.) “Manifest thyself for me; not only hear me, but answer me; grant me the deliverance I am in want of and in pursuit of; answer me speedily, even in the day when I call.” When troubles press hard upon us, God gives us leave to be thus pressing in prayer, yet with humility and patience.

      II. He makes a lamentable complaint of the low condition to which he was reduced by his afflictions. 1. His body was macerated and emaciated, and he had become a perfect skeleton, nothing but skin and bones. As prosperity and joy are represented by making fat the bones, and the bones flourishing like a herb, so great trouble and grief are here represented by the contrary: My bones are burnt as a hearth (v. 3); they cleave to my skin (v. 5); nay, my heart is smitten, and withered like grass (v. 4); it touches the vitals, and there is a sensible decay there. I am withered like grass (v. 11), scorched with the burning heat of my troubles. If we be thus brought low by bodily distempers, let us not think it strange; the body is like grass, weak and of the earth, no wonder then that it withers. 2. He was very melancholy and of a sorrowful spirit. He was so taken up with the thoughts of his troubles that he forgot to eat his bread (v. 4); he had no appetite to his necessary food nor could he relish it. When God hides his face from a soul the delights of sense will be sapless things. He was always sighing and groaning, as one pressed above measure (v. 5), and this wasted him and exhausted his spirits. He affected solitude, as melancholy people do. His friends deserted him and were shy of him, and he cared as little for their company (Psa 102:6; Psa 102:7): “I am like a pelican of the wilderness, or a bittern (so some) that make a doleful noise; I am like an owl, that affects to lodge in deserted ruined buildings; I watch, and am as a sparrow upon the house-top. I live in a garret, and there spend my hours in poring on my troubles and bemoaning myself.” Those who do thus, when they are in sorrow, humour themselves indeed; but they prejudice themselves, and know not what they do, nor what advantage they hereby give to the tempter. In affliction we should sit alone to consider our ways (Lam. iii. 28), but not sit alone to indulge an inordinate grief. 3. He was evil-spoken of by his enemies, and all manner of evil was said against him. When his friends went off from him his foes set themselves against him (v. 8): My enemies reproach me all the day, designing thereby both to create vexation to him (for an ingenuous mind regrets reproach) and to bring an odium upon him before men. When they could not otherwise reach him they shot these arrows at him, even bitter words. In this they were unwearied; they did it all the day; it was a continual dropping. His enemies were very outrageous: They are mad against me, and very obstinate and implacable. They are sworn against me; as the Jews that bound themselves with an oath that they would kill Paul; or, They have sworn against me as accusers, to take away my life. 4. He fasted and wept under the tokens of God’s displeasure (Psa 102:9; Psa 102:10): “I have eaten ashes like bread; instead of eating my bread, I have lain down in dust and ashes, and I have mingled my drink with weeping; when I should have refreshed myself with drinking I have only eased myself with weeping.” And what is the matter? He tells us (v. 10): Because of thy wrath. It was not so much the trouble itself that troubled him as the wrath of God which he was under the apprehensions of as the cause of the trouble. This, this was the wormwood and the gall in the affliction and the misery: Thou hast lifted me up and cast me down, as that which we cast to the ground with a design to dash it to pieces; we lift up first, that we may throw it down with the more violence; or, “Thou hast formerly lifted me up in honour, and joy, and uncommon prosperity; but the remembrance of that aggravates the present grief and makes it the more grievous.” We must eye the hand of God both in lifting us up and casting us down, and say, “Blessed be the name of the Lord, who both gives and takes away.” 5. He looked upon himself as a dying man: My days are consumed like smoke (v. 3), which vanishes away quickly. Or, They are consumed in smoke, of which nothing remains; they are like a shadow that declines (v. 11), like the evening-shadow, or a forerunner of approaching night. Now all this, though it seems to speak the psalmist’s personal calamities, and therefore is properly a prayer for a particular person afflicted, yet is supposed to be a description of the afflictions of the church of God, with which the psalmist sympathizes, making public grievances his own. The mystical body of Christ is sometimes, like the psalmist’s body here, withered and parched, nay, like dead and dry bones. The church sometimes is forced into the wilderness, seems lost, and gives up herself for gone, under the tokens of God’s displeasure.

Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary

Psalms 102

Lonely and Afflicted

This psalm was written by David in an hour of national distress. He offers complaints with mourning against God. It seems to refer not only to David’s sufferings and afflictions but also to those of Jesus Christ.

Scripture v. 1-28:

Verses 1, 2 appeal to the Lord to “hurry up,” and hear his distress cry, and came and rescue him from his trouble, answering him, “speedily,” turning not away when he cried to Him, Psa 27:9; Psa 69:17. He had heard Israel’s cry, come to her rescue in Egypt, Exo 2:23. David desired the same for himself; and so did Jesus on Calvary, Psa 18:6; Psa 101:2; Psa 1:2.

Verses 3-5 describe David’s affliction as “consumed into smoke,” like the lot of the wicked, Jas 4:14; Psa 37:20; Psa 68:2; He adds, “my bones are burned as an hearth,” with raging pain, within the frame of his body and soul, Lev 6:9; Jer 20:9; La 1:13; 3:4. Verse 4 laments that his heart (seat of affections) was “smitten and withered like grass,” under the blast of a desert sun, so that he forgot to eat his food, Psa 104:15; Psa 107:18; 1Sa 1:7; 1Sa 20:34.
Verse 5 declares that so severe was his pain and groaning that his bones did “cleave to his skin,” or flesh; weakened and emaciated, Psa 22:17.

Verses 6, 7 add that he had become like: a) a “pelican of the wilderness,” in misery of loneliness, Isa 34:11; b) an “owl of the desert,’ lonely, surrounded by enemies without a friend to save him and though he watched, waited, longed for an helping hand, he was like, c) a “sparrow alone upon the house top,” having lost its mate, its young, or its flock, sitting plaintive on the top of the roof, Psa 38:11.

Verses 8, 9 lament that David’s enemies against his person and his throne reproached him, were mad against him, and were sworn persecutors and adversaries all the day, Psa 42:10; Act 26:11; Luk 6:11. In this state, he was , a foreshadow of the Messiah, who would be hated, “without a cause.” He added that he had eaten ashes like bread and mingled his drink with running tears of remorse, as he lay in ashes of mourning, a poetic expression, Job 2:8; 2Sa 13:19; Psa 42:3; Psa 70:5.

Verse 10 attributes this state of affliction and mourning to the indignation of God’s wrath against David, as he asserted “thou hast lifted me up (exalted me) and cast me down,” in humiliation, much as a storm lifts an object and crashes it to the ground, Job 27:21; Isa 22:17-18; Psa 30:7; Psa 73:18. As also declared of God, Dan 5:18-30; 2Co 4:9.

Verse 11 adds “my days (of life) are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass,” both of which soon pass away, Psa 109:23; Psa 144:4. Both David’s life and kingdom seemed about to be destroyed, Jas 1:10.

Verses 12-14 prophesy with hope, “but thou, O Lord, shalt endure forever, and thy remembrance to all generations. Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion,” because the “set time is come,” to preserve her, 1Ti 6:16; Psa 135:13; See also Psa 40:2; Dan 9:2; Dan 12:9; Gal 4:4.
Verse 14 reasons “for thy servants take pleasure in her stones (of Zion) and favor the dust thereof,” Psa 40:2; Psa 79:1. Israel yearns for Zion, even in her dispersion, Neh 4:2; Isa 66:10; Dan 9:2.

Verse 15 declares that the heathen shall come to “fear the name (honor) of the Lord (Jehovah),” and all the kings of the earth shall fear His glory, as they behold His judgments upon the wicked, 1Ki 8; 43; and as he restores His people in Zion, Psa 78:29-32; Isa 59:19-20.

Verses 16, 17 add that “when the Lord shall build up (restore) Zion, He shall appear in His glory,” in His personal, physical, bodily manifestation, Act 1:10-11; Gen 48:3; Exo 3:16; Lev 9:4; Tit 2:13; Isa 60:1.
Verse 17 continues “He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise (take lightly) their prayer,” even as shown Neh 1:6; Neh 1:11; Neh 2:8; Jer 29:11-14; Dan 9:3-21; Psa 22:5; Psa 69:33.

Verse 18 prophesies that “this shall be written (recorded) for the generation to come. And the people which shall be created (regenerated) shall praise the Lord,” in the day of Israel’s regeneration, as further set forth Rom 15:4; 1Co 10:11; Psa 22:31; Isa 43:21. See also Exo 17:14; Deu 31:10; Deu 31:21; Ezekiel the 37th. ch.

Verses 19-21 assert that the Lord has “looked down” from the height of His sanctuary, in heaven, and beheld the earth: “to hear (heed) the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death, to declare the name (honor) of the Lord in Zion, and His praise in Jerusalem.” This He did in Christ, at His first advent, bringing personal redemption, Luk 4:16-21, and will effect for all Israel, when He comes again, to fulfill His unconditional covenant with her, in David, Psa 14:2; Psa 79:11; Deu 26:15; Isa 63:15; Zec 2:13; Psa 18:16; Psa 33:13; Exo 12:23-25; Exo 26:7.

Verse 22 declares such will be when the people and the kingdoms are assembled in affinity, to serve the Lord, as “King of kings and Lord of lords,” Hos 1:11; Hos 3:5; Rev 11:15; Rev 19:11-16; Luk 1:32-33; 1Co 15:24-26.

Verses 23, 24 witness that the Lord afflicted (weakened) David and shortened his days. Yet he prayed to God to spare him, take him not away in the midst of his days, like smoke when his life expectancy was half spent, in contrast with God’s existence Through all generations, Psa 90:2; Hab 1:12; Rev 1:1; Rev 1:8; See also Gen 19:28; Jer 48:15.

Verse 25 declares that “of old”, God who laid the foundation of the earth, existed; and that “the heavens are (exist as) the work of thy hands,” as products of His will and actions, Gen 1:1; Joh 1:1-3; See too Gen 2:1; Jer 32:17; Heb 1:10. Things made or created had an antecedent maker or creator. That one is the living God, Act 17:28.

Verse 26 asserts that “they,” the heavens and the earth, “shall perish,” but God shall endure or stand, continue. It is added that all of the things of the earth, like decaying garments, “shall wax old,” and like a vesture they shall be changed, replaced by the Lord, with something new, something better, even the new heaven and new earth, Isa 66:22; Rom 8:20; Mal 1:11; Rev 21:6; Isa 34:4; Isa 51:6; Isa 65:17; Isa 66:22.

Verse 27 certifies that, in contrast with brevity of man’s life, and the passing of all earthly things, God is eternal, endures to restore, redeem, and sustain all things according to the purpose of His will, in Christ, the Messiah, Mal 3:6; Heb 13:8; Jas 1:17. See too Heb 1:12; Deu 32:39. His years (time) has no end, no cessation, Isa 43:10. He is imperishable, undying.

Verse 28 concludes that the children (redeemed) of his servants shall continue (forever) in national Israel and the church, and their seed shall be established forever. Such is certified concerning only; 1) Covenant Israel, Luk 1:32-33; Luke , 2) the church, as institutions of Divine service and worship, into the ages of the ages, Mat 16:18; Eph 3:21.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

1 O Jehovah! hear my prayer This earnestness shows, again, that these words were not dictated to be pronounced by the careless and light-hearted, which could not have been done without grossly insulting God. In speaking thus, the captive Jews bear testimony to the severe and excruciating distress which they endured, and to the ardent desire to obtain some alleviation with which they were inflamed. No person could utter these words with the mouth without profaning the name of God, unless he were, at the same time, actuated by a sincere and earnest affection of heart. We ought particularly to attend to the circumstance already adverted to, that we are thus stirred up by the Holy Spirit to the duty of prayer in behalf of the common welfare of the Church. Whilst each man takes sufficient care of his own individual interests, there is scarcely one in a hundred affected as he ought to be with the calamities of the Church. We have, therefore, the more need of incitements, even as we see the prophet here endeavoring, by an accumulation of words, to correct our coldness and sloth. I admit that the heart ought to move and direct the tongue to prayer; but, as it often flags or performs its duty in a slow and sluggish manner, it requires to be aided by the tongue. There is here a reciprocal influence. As the heart, on the one hand, ought to go before the words, and frame them, so the tongue, on the other, aids and remedies the coldness and torpor of the heart. True believers may indeed often pray not only earnestly but also fervently, while yet not a single word proceeds from the mouth. There is, however, no doubt that by crying the prophet means the vehemence into which grief constrains us to break forth.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

INTRODUCTION

It is impossible to determine on what occasion and by whom this Psalm was composed. Prof. Alexander and Hengstenberg regard it as a composition of David. But from internal evidence, especially in Psa. 102:13-22, we should conclude that it was written during the Babylonian exile, and probably near its close, when the faithful were animated by hopes of returning shortly to their own land. It has been attributed to Nehemiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and others of the prophets of the period of the captivity. But attempts to determine the authorship of the Psalm are vain. Perowne points out that the Psalm is clearly individual, not national, and must have been intended for private rather than liturgical use, as the inscription seems designed to inform us. This inscription is peculiar; it stands quite alone among the titles prefixed to the Psalms, and marks the circumstances under which it should be used. In all other instances the inscriptions are either musical or historical. In the Epistle to the Hebrews, Psa. 102:25-27 of this Psalm are quoted as addressed to the Messiah.

THE AFFLICTIONS OF LIFE AND THE RESOURCE OF THE GODLY

The Superscription

The superscription to this Psalm suggests the following observations,

I. Human life is characterised by great afflictions. The text speaks of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed. We are sometimes sorely distressed

1. In ourselves, by reason of physical disease and suffering, mental depression and conflict, &c.

2. In our families, by the sinful lives of some of its members, e.g., the prodigal son; by sorely straitened circumstances, by the bereavements of death, &c.

3. In our social circle, by the unfaithfulness of professed friends, &c.

4. In the Church, when its vitality and power seem to decline, &c.

5. In the nation, by reason of national sins, or calamities, or judgments, e.g., the Jews in Babylon.

We do not speak of ordinary or trifling afflictions, but of exceptional and severe ones. The Psalmist speaks of himself as overwhelmed. He was, as it were, covered with darkness, affliction, grief. His soul was enshrouded in gloom and sorrow. From such sufferings the true and good are not exempt. Job, David, Paul, et al., are examples.

II. Great afflictions are characterised by great needs. The Psalmist in his sufferings felt a great need of utterance of his trouble. He indicates this by the words: poureth out his complaint. His soul was full of affliction, like vessel overcharged with new wine or strong liquor, that bursts for vent. Great sorrows must find expression, or the brain would reel into madness, and the heart would break or sink into despair. The prayer of the Poet was the cry of a bursting heart. In great affliction we have need of patience, of trust in God, of sustaining grace, &c. We obtain these by prayer.

My ending is despair,

Unless I be relieved by prayer;
Which pierces so, that it assaults
Mercy itself, and frees all faults.

Shakespeare.

III. In great afflictions the godly man has a great resource. He pours out his complaint before the Lord in prayer.

1. The Lord hears the complaint of His people (Psa. 4:3; Psa. 34:4).

2. The Lord hears the complaint of His people sympathetically. The Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy.

3. The Lord graciously responds to the complaint of His people. Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, &c. His ear is ever open; His heart always sympathetic; His grace always all-sufficient. Therefore, Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him God is a refuge for us.

THE LAMENT OF A DISTRESSED PATRIOT

(Psa. 102:1-11)

In these verses we have the wail of a sadly troubled soul. Let us consider the miseries of the Poet as they are expressed in this bitter cry to the Lord.

I. His distress was very great. This appears throughout the whole of the lamentation. Every feature of the distress makes manifest its intensity. The more prominent of these features we shall call attention to. In the superscription he speaks of himself as overwhelmed with trouble, and in Psa. 102:9, he says, I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping. He is smitten down to the ground by the greatness of his grief, or, like Job in his sore afflictions, he prostrates himself in dust and ashes by reason of his great distress, and as an expression of that distress. Persons in great grief are frequently represented as seated or prostrate on the ground.

My griefs so great,

That no supporter but the huge firm earth
Can hold it up: here I and sorrow sit.

Shakespeare.

He uses another figure to express the intensity of his misery. So full was his heart of sorrow that his tears fell copiously and constantly, so that they were mingled with his drink. By his posture and his tears he expresses the depth of his distress.

II. His distress was absorbing. I forget to eat my bread. Many are the recorded instances of persons in great grief being altogether oblivious of mealtime or of hunger. Grief takes away the appetite for food. But that is not the meaning of the Psalmist here. He was so absorbed in grief, his distress so completely engrossed his attention, that everything else was forgotten (1Sa. 1:7-8; 1Sa. 20:34; Job. 33:20; Psa. 107:18; Dan. 6:18). His sorrow is so intentive to that it sorrows for, that it cannot intend to think anything else. Great sorrows are so absorbing as to cause those who are experiencing them to be forgetful even of the needs of life.

III. His distress was consuming. The Psalmist expresses this by several figures. My days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth. Hengstenberg and Perowne: As a firebrand. The point of comparison with the smoke is the fleeing past, the disappearing. The bones are mentioned as the most substantial part of the body, and they were being consumed as the brand is when placed on the fire. My heart is smitten and withered like grass. Adam Clarke: The metaphor here is taken from grass cut down in the meadow. It is first smitten with the scythe, and then withered by the sun. Thus the Jews were smitten with the judgments of God; and they are now withered under the fire of the Chaldeans. By reason of the voice of my groaning, my bones cleave to my skin. Hengstenberg and Perowne, literally: My bone cleaveth to my flesh. The expression describes a state of weakness and relaxation of the bones, brought on by severe pain, in which they lose their force and power of vigorous motion (Job. 19:20). The Psalmist uses one other expression to set forth the consuming nature of his distress. My days are like a shadow that declineth. His time of life seemed to him like the lengthening shades of evening, which show the near approach of night. The figure beautifully and pathetically suggests the nearness of advancing death. To the Poet it seemed that life was fast passing away under his heavy afflictions.

IV. His distress was isolating. I am like a pelican of the wilderness, I am like an owl of the desert, &c. (Psa. 102:6-7). The pelican is a bird which dwells in solitude far from the habitations of men; it is most sombre and austere in disposition, and is a most expressive illustration of solitude and melancholy. The owl of the ruins is also a striking emblem of desolation.

From yonder ivy-mantled tower,

The moping owl does to the moon complain
Of such as, wandring near her secret bower,
Molest her ancient solitary reign.Gray.

Sparrow is not in this place a good rendering of . The sparrow is not a solitary melancholy bird. Naturalists state that the Blue Thrush is the particular , which sits alone on the house-top. This bird is of a dark blue colour. More than a pair of them are scarcely ever seen together. It is fond of sitting alone upon the house-top, uttering its note, which to a human ear is monotonous and melancholy. Thus the Poet represents the isolating power of his miseries. Deep-rooted sorrow is naturally reserved. A small grievance makes us beside ourselves; a great sorrow makes us retire within ourselves.Richter.

V. His distress occasioned reproaches from his enemies. Mine enemies reproach me all the day, &c. On the reproaches of the enemies, see remarks on Psa. 42:3. Perowne: Made their oaths by me, i.e., when they curse, choose me as an example of misery, and imprecate upon themselves or others my misfortunessay, God do to me, to thee, as He has done to this man. And Hengstenberg: They swear by me, inasmuch as they say, May God let it go with you as it does with that miserable man (comp. Num. 5:21-27; Jer. 29:22; Isa. 65:15; Psa. 44:14). The distresses of the godly are greatly aggravated when they are made the occasion of revilings from their foes.

VI. His distress was regarded as an expression of the Divine anger. Because of Thine indignation and Thy wrath; for Thou hast lifted me up and cast me down. The figure of the second clause is taken from a storm of wind, which seizes and carries upward its object, and then hurls it to the ground. So God in wrath seemed to have seized the Psalmist, borne him aloft, and then dashed him down. In the opinion of the Psalmist, it is sin which has thus provoked the Lord to anger. It is noteworthy, as Delitzsch points out, that the two nouns indignation and wrath are in the Hebrew the strongest which the language possesses. It is true that the Chaldean captivity was permitted by God, because His people by their heinous and oft-repeated sins had provoked Him to anger. The Chaldeans were unconsciously the instruments by which He effected His purpose to chastise His faithless people. But we are not to suppose that in individual cases the measure of suffering indicates the measure of sin and ill-desert. The bitterest ingredient in the miseries of the Poet arose from his impression that those miseries were the expression of the Divine anger.

VII. His distress was not hopeless. He lifted his troubled soul to God in prayer (Psa. 102:1-2). He prays for,

1. Divine audience. Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come unto Thee. Incline Thine ear unto me. (See remarks on Psa. 88:2).

2. Divine acceptance. Hide not Thy face from me. (See remarks on Psa. 27:9; Psa. 69:17.) It is a request that God would look favourably upon him, and regard his supplications.

3. Divine and speedy answer. In the day when I call answer me speedily. The Psalmist believed in answers to prayer, and immediate ones too. Such urgency of prayer, when united with humility and patience, is well pleasing to God.

The patriotic Poet was sore troubled and distressed; but he was neither destroyed nor despairing. The night was dark, but the stars were not all quenched.

VIII. His distress was patriotic. If we understand the Psalm aright, the Psalmist does not lament his own woes merely, but the woes of his people, the desolation of his country, and the ruins of their temple.

Fallen is thy throne, O Israel!

Silence is oer thy plains;

Thy dwellings all lie desolate,

Thy children weep in chains!

Where are the dews that fed thee

On Ethams barren shore!

That fire from heaven which led thee

Now lights thy path no more.

Lord! Thou didst love Jerusalem

Once she was all Thy own;

Her love Thy fairest heritage

Her power Thy glorys throne,

Till evil came and blighted

Thy long-loved olive-tree;

And Salems shrines were lighted

For other gods than Thee.Moore.

These were the woes which distressed the Psalmist. His was no selfish grief; but the sorrow of a patriotic, philanthropic, and godly soul.
CONCLUSION.While God continues to hear and answer prayer, we may hope for deliverance even from the deepest distresses.

THE HOPE OF A DISTRESSED PATRIOT

(Psa. 102:12-22)

Consider

I. The object of his hope. What is it that the troubled and patriotic Poet hopes for?

1. For the rebuilding of the Temple. Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion. When the Lord shall build up Zion, He shall appear in His glory. The Temple which had stood upon Zion was now in ruins. To the pious and patriotic Jew, of all places in his Fatherland, Jerusalem was the most highly esteemed, and of all places in Jerusalem the Temple upon Zion was the holiest and dearest. Hence the great longing for the rebuilding of the Temple and the restoration of its services.

2. For the emancipation of the captives. To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed unto death. By the prisoner we understand the whole nation, whose captivity is looked upon as an imprisonment. Those that are appointed unto death, or the sons of death, may mean either those who were sentenced to death; those who were sick and ready to die; or those who, in their captivity, were in such a state of privation and suffering that death appeared inevitable.Barnes. The verse clearly points out the emancipation of the captives as one of the great objects desired and hoped for.

3. The restoration of the people to their own land and worship. They longed to declare the name of the Lord in Zion, and His praise in Jerusalem, and to gather together to serve the Lord. The pious Jews longed to assemble again in the city of their fathers, and there celebrate the worship of the Lord their God as in former days.

To the truly religious man the loss of national independence is great, subjection to foreign rule is a galling yoke; but the loss of religious privileges is felt to be far greater, and the desire for their recovery will be more intense than for the recovery of national independence.

II. The ground of his hope. In whom does the troubled and patriotic Poet hope? Has he a good reason for his hope?

1. It is directed to God. Psa. 102:12-13; Psa. 102:16; Psa. 102:19. He hopes that God will interpose on behalf of His captive and afflicted people. For a long time it had seemed as though God regarded them not, but the Psalmist is confident that He is now interested in their welfare. From His holy height He was intently viewing them; and speedily He would arise and have mercy upon them. When our hope in all others fail, we may yet hope in God.

2. It rests in His character and perfections.

(1) In His eternal and unchangeable sovereignty. Thou, O Lord, shalt endure for ever; and Thy remembrance unto all generations. Hengstenberg: Thou, O Lord, art enthroned for ever, and Thy memorial from generation to generation. The sitting, he says, is no empty remaining, but a sitting as king, a sitting on a throne (comp. Psa. 9:7; Psa. 29:10). And Perowne: Thou, O Jehovah, sittest throned for ever, and Thy memorial is to all generations. In this thought the Psalmist found his great consolation. His own life might pass away, generations of men might pass away; but the Lord would never pass away. Man and his fortunes may change, and all earthly things may appear unstable; but the Lord changes not, and His throne is stable and permanent. He is eternally and unchangeably supreme, and the covenanted God and helper of His people.

(2) In His mercy. Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion; for it is time to favour her. The hope of deliverance is built upon the grace of God. The misery of their condition would move the mercy of His disposition.

(3) In His regard for prayer He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer. Perowne: He hath turned to the prayer of the poor-destitute. He adopts the rendering of the P. B. V., poor-destitute, because the word expresses utter nakedness and destitution. The Psalmist represents himself and others as entirely destitute of all human means of help, and expresses his confidence that God would graciously attend to the prayer of such suppliants. Whomsoever God neglects, He will listen to the cry of those who are forsaken and destitute. He will not only not despise their prayer, He will favourably receive and answer it. In all these respects the confident hope of the Psalmist was certainly well founded. He who thus trusts in the Lord shall never be put to shame.

III. The strength of his hope. He speaks of the interposition of the Lord on their behalf in accents of steady confidence. The strength of his hope is manifest in

1. His assured declarations of Divine favour toward them. Thou shalt arise and have mercy, &c. He utters no perchance or peradventure.

2. His declaration of the nearness of that favour. The time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come. There may be a reference here to the seventy years of captivity prophesied by Jeremiah. The Psalmist himself states one reason upon which his conclusion, that the set time for the manifestation of the Divine favour had come, was based, viz., the deep interest manifested by the people in the state of Zion. Thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof. Even the ruins of the Temple were dear to them, and its very dust was sacred. This affectionate interest the Psalmist regarded as a token that the time of deliverance and restoration was at hand. There are usually some previous intimations or indications of what God is about to do. Coming events cast their shadows before. Even the Divine purposes are accomplished usually in connection with human agency, and in the regular course of events; and it is frequently possible to anticipate that God is about to appear for the fulfilment of His promises. So it was in the coming of the Saviour. So it was in the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans.Barnes.

(3.) His declaration of it as even then present. Psa. 102:16-17. Shall build, shall appear, will regard, and will not despise. These futures, in the original, are all present; buildeth, appeareth, regardeth, and despiseth not. The Psalmist, in his confidence of the event, speaks of it as doing.Horsley. His confidence is so great as to annihilate time and make the future present to him, and coming events accomplished realities.

IV. The results anticipated from the fulfilment of his. hope.

1. Grateful joy to His people. Their reverence and love for the holy city and Temple, manifested by their interest even in its ruins, would be gratified, and they would declare the name of the Lord in Zion, and His praise in Jerusalem. When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing The Lord hath done great things for us; we are glad.

2. Fear to the nations. So the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth Thy glory. When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them.

3. Instruction and encouragement to posterity. This shall be written for the generation to come; and the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord. The Divine deliverance and blessing should be recorded, and future ages should derive instruction therefrom. The manifestations of the faithfulness and mercy of God in one age are helpful to the faith of all succeeding ages. As the evidence to His truth and grace grows more voluminous and irresistibly conclusive, His praise also should grow in fulness and resonance and heartiness.

4. Glory to God. In the restoration of His people His glory would be manifest to all,both to His people and to all the nations,observed by all, respected by all, and celebrated by His people. The restoration of His people and the rebuilding of His Temple would be the glorifying of His name.

CONCLUSION.

1. When the Church is in the lowest condition, it may be revived by the Lord.

2. When the Church is in a low condition, the faithful should care for her the more solicitously, and pray for her the more earnestly. Psa. 102:14 to Psa. 17:3. When the faithful are thus solicitous and prayerful, the Lord will speedily arise for the revival of His Church. Psa. 102:13; Psa. 14:4. The revival of the Church will be followed by the most blessed results.

A REVIVAL OF THE CHURCH, AND SYMPTOMS WHICH PRECEDE IT

(Psa. 102:13-14)

By unanimous consent, Zion is considered a type of the Christian Church, which is a body of Christly men; and if we take these words as the Psalmists statement with regard to the revival of the Christian Church, we propose to make two statements.

I. There is a favourable time to promote the revival of the Church. The revival of religion, important at all times, is especially so at this period.

1. The source to which the Church must look for a revival. Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion. At a suitable time, and in a wonderful manner, God did arise and deliver His people. The Lord, said they, hath done great things for us. The teachings of the Bible, which relate to this theme, are regular and uninterrupted in setting forth this grand principle, that the Lord alone can revive the Church, and add to her such as shall be saved. (Psa. 80:1-3; Psa. 85:6; Isa. 51:3; Hab. 3:2; Zec. 4:6).

2. The nature of that revival which the Church may expect. The words mercy and favour suggest

(1) Deliverance. Though the character of the Church is of such transcendent excellence that it ought to win the admiration of every beholder, yet, alas! such is the depravity of the heart, that opposition, violence, and blood, have marked her progress; but to the present the Almighty hath been her helper.

(2) Union. There may be unity of effors with a great variety of name, method, and form. The union of which God is the Author is frequently spoken of in the Bible (Psalms 133; Joh. 13:34-35; Joh. 17:21).

(3) Prosperity. The conversion of sinners. That Church is happy which is favoured with deliverance, union, and prosperity.

3. The time when the revival of the Church may be expected. The text speaks of a set or appointed season for the salvation of Zion. The time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come. The deliverance of the Jews from their captivity was foretold (Isa. 14:1-2; Jer. 25:11-12; Jer. 32:36-39). How wonderfully Jehovah brought about the deliverance of His people from Babylon at the set time! He influenced Cyrus and Darius, heathen princes, to forward it. He raised up Ezra and Nehemiah, &c.

II. That the revival of the Church is always preceded by certain infallible signs. For Thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof.

1. Solemn humiliation before God. Before the Jews were delivered from the Babylonish captivity, they were humbled before God on account of their transgressions. The nation was ashamed and cured of its idolatry, and never since then has it bent its knees at an idols shrine (Ezr. 9:6-7; Ezr. 10:1; Dan. 9:7-11). Is there this spirit of humiliation before God in modern churches?

2. Special, importunate, believing prayer. What beautiful instructions and examples we have in the Bible of the value of such prayer (Isa. 62:1; Eze. 36:37; Luk. 11:5-10).

3. Affection for the ordinances of Gods House. The principal evidence we have that the Almighty was about to visit His people in Babylon was the deep interest they had in Zion. They loved the very stones, and even the dust of their beloved, though dilapidated Zion (Psa. 137:5-6). So it is in a revival of religion. When God is about to visit His people in mercy, everything in regard to the Church is loved.

4. Activity and self-denying efforts in Gods cause. The Jews showed their love to Jerusalem in a practical manner. (Neh. 4:6.) They work despite the scorn of their foes.

Let these signs exist in any church, and the fruit will soon appear. She shall increase in purity and influence. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, &c. (Isa. 55:13).J. Wileman, in The Study.

A SUNDAY SCHOOL SERMONOUR RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS THE YOUNG

(Psa. 102:18)

This shall be written for the generations to come.
The antecedent to the word this are the truths contained in the verses from 1 to 13.

1. That the Lord will have mercy upon Zion.
2. That the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord.
3. That He will build up Zion.
4. That He will regard the prayer of the destitute.

These were the promises that were to be written for the generations to come. Why written? That they might be preserved and handed down.
Tradition is uncertain, imperfect, &c. The New Testament declares that these things were written for our instruction.
We have the fulfilment of this text to-day. Nearly nine hundred years before the coming of Christ an Assyrian monarch conceived the idea of a national library of books or tablets of burnt clay. Hundreds of years afterward the library was destroyed. Recently a London newspaper, three thousand years after the establishment of the library, and many centuries after its destruction, has explorations made, and many tablets, and fragments of tablets, are recovered and translated, and in them the Book of Genesis has corroboration. That which is written is permanent. Had those past ages known of our paper and ink, what a wonderful preservation of knowledge we would have had!

I. What has been written?

1. Observe the nature of this knowledge of God which was written. It concerns Gods faithfulness and ability in the performance of all He has promised. We cannot bear testimony to faithfulness until we have tested it. When we have tested God, we can bear testimony. Faithfulness implies obligation. He who makes a promise comes under obligation. In this God differs from man. He was under no obligation to come under obligation; but having promised, He has come under obligation, and Christians everywhere bear testimony to His faithfulness and His ability to perform fully all He has freely promised.

2. What God has promised. The great thing is the salvation worked out through atonement; the establishment of a Church; that this salvation should be made known unto the ends of the world; that the heathen people should come to know Him. Salvation can be wrought out only through this atonement. It is loose thinking that makes men imagine that education, culture, political economy, can lift up the world. The fear of the Lord lifts up man. Christ made little or nothing of the culture of the Pharisee, but much of righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. He builds up His Zion even as He has promised.

II. Our duty.

What shall we, who have received so much, do for the generations to comefor the generation now coming? Fathers, members of Churches, what record are you making for the generation coming? The special work of the Sunday-school is to take care of the children of the nation.

1. Let us be faithful to our own children. They are the jewels of the Church. We draw the children into Sabbath-school, not to render needless the home instruction, but to supplement this instruction, by bringing the weight of the personal influence of others upon your children.

2. We want to take care of the children grown up into youth. The most critical period in the life of man is when he is breaking away from home. How many of the children at this age become vagrants among the churches, wandering here and there, receiving but little benefit and giving none. The class most largely reached are the children of believing parents.

3. We have a great work to do among the children near us, those who are to be our fellow-citizens. There is enough of ignorance and criminality around us. These evils must be restrained by knowledge, by virtue, or social ruin is inevitable.

4. We must do all possible for the children of the entire country. If we would have the nation Christian, we must work and bear the burdens. We have the opportunity.

One practical additional word. How many of you who are giving your money, year by year, to the cause of Christ, are giving yourselves, your love, your time? You who are young, I beseech you dedicate the energies of your youth to this service. When you are passing from earth, what then will be of value save what Christ is to you?John Hall, D.D.

A GREAT CONTRAST AND CONSOLATION

(Psa. 102:23-28)

We have in this section of the Psalm

I. A great contrast. On the one hand, we have the weakness and shortness of human life upon earth, and the changefulness and transitoriness of nature itself; and on the other, we have the eternity and immutability of God.

First: Let us look at man and nature. And

1. At mans life upon earth. It is here represented as

(1) Weak. He weakened my strength in the way. In the journey of life the strength even of the most robust in course of time is diminished until it is superseded by weakness. While others by reason of afflictions are speedily brought low. Probably the Psalmist speaks here in the name of the chosen people. God had weakened their strength, had reduced them by afflictions, &c. How frail is human life upon earth!

(2) Brief. He shortened my days. It seemed to the Poet that God was about to cut off his life speedily. (On the brevity of human life upon earth, see Homily on Psa. 90:1-6.)

2. Let us look at nature.

(1) It is changeful. Thou shalt change them, and they shall be changed. The heavens and the earth seem unchangeable and permanent. Sometimes they are so represented in Scripture. He hath also stablished them for ever. The everlasting mountains and the perpetual hills. Yet from the testimony of geology and astronomy we know that they change. And as compared with the Lord, the most unchangeable and abiding things are changeable and transient. In the future a stupendous change awaits the entire material creation.

(2) It is transitory. They shall perish. (Comp. 2Pe. 3:10.)

Melted into air, into thin air:

And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-cappd towers, the gorgeous palacess.
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve;
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind.Shakespeare.

Second: Let us look at the Divine Being,

1. He existed before the world. This is clearly implied in Psa. 102:25.

2. He created the world. Of old hast Thou laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Thy hands.

3. He is eternal. Thou shalt endure. This (says Stuart, on Heb. 1:12) would be true, if it was spoken merely with reference to the future, and should be construed as having respect only to eternity a parte post, as it is technically called, i.e., eternity to come. But as it stands here, in connection with having created the heavens and the earth , it can hardly be understood to mean less than absolute eternity, or eternity a parte ante et a parte post. (On each of these points concerning the Divine Being, see Homily on Psa. 90:1-6.)

4. He is unchangeable. Thou art the same. From everlasting to everlasting there is no variation in God. His vesture, that in which He manifests Himself, may be changed by Him, but He changes not. Thou art the same in essence and nature, the same in will and purpose, Thou dost change all other things as Thou pleasest: but Thou art immutable in every respect, and receivest no shadow of change, though never so light and small.Charnock. Here, then, is a tremendous contrast

Great God, how infinite art Thou!
What worthless worms are we!

II. A great consolation

1. As regards himself. O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days; Thy years are throughout all generations. It is the lot of the wicked to be cut off in the midst of their days. Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days. With such men the Poet desired to have no part either living or dying. He seems also to long to be spared to witness the restoration of his people. And he finds consolation in the eternity of God, which he pleads. That eternity is introduced here for two reasons:

(1) As a ground of consolation, that God was ever the same; that whatever might happen to men, to the Psalmist himself, or to any other man, God was unchanged, and that His great plans would be carried forward and accomplished.

(2) As a reason for the prayer. God was eternal. He could not die. He knew in its perfection the blessedness of lifelife as such; life continued; life unending. The Psalmist appeals to what God Himself enjoyed as a reason why lifeso great a blessingshould be granted to him a little longer. By all that there was of blessedness in the life of God, the Psalmist prays that that which was in itselfeven in the case of Godso valuable, might yet a little longer be continued to him.Barnes.

2. As regards the Church. The children of Thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before Thee. Because God is unchangeable and eternal His purposes cannot be frustrated, and His Church shall abide, the witness and the monument of His love. From the eternity of the Head we may infer the perpetuity of the body. The stability and welfare of the Church are guaranteed by the eternity and immutability of the Lord. So the Poet finds strength in his weakness; he rests in the Everlasting Arms.

CONCLUSION.

1. To us personally let the greatness of God be both awe-inspiring and trust-inspiring. Let us not only fear, but hope in Him.

2. Let us rejoice in the security of the Church of Christ. Because I live ye shall live also.

GOD IN NATURE

(Psa. 102:25-27)

This passage directly opposes two popular errors:
First: That matter is self-originated, Thou,all material forms are traced to a spiritual creative agency.

Second: That matter is eternal They shall perish. The destruction of the material universe is placed as the antithesis of the Divine durationbut Thou remainest; as surely, therefore, as God shall continue to remain, the heavens and the earth shall perish.

This passage I regard as presenting the Divine Being in four sublime and impressive aspects

I. The Divine Being as intimately acquainted with all portions of the universe. I take the words foundation and heavens as representative terms. The lowest depth and the loftiest height are signified. There is not a shadow in the caverns of solitude which He has not projected, nor is there a curve in the heavens which owes not its gracefulness to His touch. Not only is God acquainted with places, but with the most subtle laws which operate in the minutest fibres of the stupendous fabric.

Gods perfect acquaintance with the universe supplies:
First: A guarantee of the perfect safety of the good. They can never pass beyond the sweep of His beneficent influence. He knows how every change will affect them, and they know that all agencies will be controlled with a view to their final security and happiness. (Psa. 91:5-7.)

Second: An unutterable terror to the evil. They can never pass beyond the scrutiny of Gods blazing eye.

The great practical deduction of the argument is this, viz.:The supreme importance of being RIGHT with this dread Spirit. You cannot escape Him. If you are to spend eternity with any being, mutual sympathy is essential to enjoyment. You must spend eternity under the eye of God, &c.

II. The Divine Being as the sovereign Proprietor of the universe. He who created has a right to the possession. Four deductions are obvious:

First: That our possession is a mere stewardship. Yours is a representative ownership.

Second: That our possession involves corresponding responsibility. Our five talents are bestowed that they may be self-multiplied.

Third: That our possession forms no ground of arrogance. What hast thou that thou hast not received?

Fourth: That our possession should awaken earnest solicitude. Why hast God trusted me with so much? should be the rich mans anxious inquiry.

Seeing, therefore, that God is the one Proprietor of all things, we should remember two great facts:
First: That we are only tenants-at-will. We have no lease of life or property.

Second: That God may justly remind man of the Divine claim. Can you wonder that the true Proprietor should occasionally assert His right by sending the hail-storm or the lightning to smite the earth? Were the Divine Being never to assert His claim, man might indulge the thought that he was the terminating centre of all things.

III. God as the all-transforming Spirit of the universe. As a vesture shalt Thou change them, and they shall be changed. You have marked the spring as it has unfolded its mantle, and hung it gracefully on the shoulders of the hills, and spread its gift of flowers on the lap of the grateful earth; that is a manifestation of Gods all-transforming power! You have marked the blustering winter, as it has torn off that verdant robe, and blown out the floral lights; that, too, is a display of Gods all-changing power. This same Spirit is also the heart-transforming agent. He who garnishes the heavens beautifies the soul. As no human skill could beautify the earth with the treasures of spring, so no mortal power could have provided the robe of righteousness with which every soul must be clad ere it enter heaven.

IV. The Divine Being as the all-surviving Spirit of the universe. They shall perish, but Thou shalt endure; Thou art the same, and Thy years shall have no end.

From this assurance we may draw two lessons
First: That matter is not a necessary condition of spiritual existence. All we know of spirit now is associated with matter. If we speak of the divinity stirring within us, it stirs within a tenement of clay. If we speak of God, it is in connection with the material forms of the outer universe; but the plain meaning of our text is that spirit may exist independent of such expression. Matter is dependent on spirit, but spirit may survive the total annihilation of the heavens and the earth.

Second: That the Divine existence is incapable of change. Thou art the same. Simple words these, and yet there is only one Being in the universe to whom they are applicable. To GOD alone can we truthfully say, THOU ART THE SAME! Other beings are not the same in knowledge; you are continually increasing your information, but to the Divine knowledge no contribution can be added. Other beings are not the same in affection; your affection deepens or withdraws according to the current of circumstances, but the Divine love knows no mutation. Other beings are not the same in enjoyment; your joys are fickle as an April day, but the ever-blessed God can know neither increase nor diminution of felicity.

He who made the atonement for human guilt is the Being of whom our text speaks: CHRIST is the all-renewing and all-surviving Spirit!
Have I those before me who profess to worship God in nature? Let me assure you that admiration of nature will not atone for the neglect of Christ. God knows those only who have a living faith in the merits of the Saviours sacrificeJoseph Parker, D.D. Abridged from the Cavendish Pulpit.

Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell

Psalms 102

DESCRIPTIVE TITLE

The Prayer of a Humbled One brings a Threefold Answer of Peace.

ANALYSIS

Stanza I., Psa. 102:1-11, A Humbled Ones Complaint. Stanza II., Psa. 102:12-17, The FIRST CONCLUSION, Adapting the psalm to the Close of the Captivity in Babylon. Stanza III., Psa. 102:18-22, The SECOND CONCLUSION, Adapting the psalm to a Future Generation. Stanza IV., Psa. 102:23-28, The Original Conclusion now placed at the Close of the Composite Psalm.

(Lm.) PrayerBy the Humbled One when he fainteth and before Jehovah poureth out his Soliloquy.[364]

[364] Or: murmuring, complaint.

1

Jehovah! oh hear my prayer,

and let my cry for help unto thee come in.

2

Do not hide thy face from me,

in the day of my distress incline thine ear unto me;
in the day I keep calling haste thee answer me;

3

For vanished in[365] smoke are my days,

[365] Some cod. (w. Aram., Sep., Vul.): likeGn.

and my bones like a hearth are burned through.[366]

[366] So Dr., Del.

4

Smitten like herbage and withered is my heart,

for I have forgotten to eat my bread.

5

By reason of the noise of my groaning

cleaveth my bone to my flesh.

6

I am like a pelican of the desert,

I am become like an owl of the ruins:

7

I have watched and moaned[367] like a solitary bird on a roof.

[367] So Gt. Cp. Psa. 55:17Gn.

8

All the day have mine enemies reproached me,

they who are mad against me by me have sworn.[368]

[368] Cp. Isa. 65:15, Jer. 29:22, He who swears by one in misfortune says May I bear the like if I break my faith.T.G. 802.

9

For ashes like bread have I eaten,

and my drink with my tears have I mingled,

10

Because of thine indignation and thy wrath;

for thou hast lifted me up and flung me away.

11

My days are like a shadow that is stretehed-out,

and I myself like herbage shall dry up.

12

But thou Jehovah to the ages sittest (enthroned),

and thy memorial[369] is to generation after generation.

[369] Cp. Exo. 3:15. Some cod. thy throneGn.

13

Thou wilt arise and have compassion upon Zion.

for it is time to shew her favour[370] for the set time hath come:

[370] Or: to be gracious unto her.

14

For thy servants take pleasure in her stones,

and on her dust look with favour.

15

So will the nations revere the name of Jehovah,

and all the kings of the earth thy glory:

16

Because Jehovah hath built up Zion

hath appeared in his glory,

17

Hath turned unto the prayer of the destitute

and hath not despised their prayer.

18

Let this be written for a generation to come,

and let a people to be created offer praise unto Yah:

19

That he hath looked forth from his holy height,[371]

[371] Cp. Isa. 63:15.

Jehovah from the heavens unto the earth hath directed his gaze:

20

To hear the groaning of the prisoner,[372]

[372] Isa. 42:7; Isa. 61:1, Psa. 79:11.

to loose such as are appointed to die:[373]

[373] Ml.: the sons of death.

21

That they may tell in Zion of the name of Jehovah,

and his praise in Jerusalem:

22

When the peoples are gathered together,[374]

[374] Isa. 60:4.

and the kingdoms to serve Jehovah.

23

He hath humbled[375] in the way my[376] strength,[377]

[375] The Heb. word here may be either humbled or answered.
[376] Ancient authorities are divided between my and his.
[377] For the effect of these variations see Exposition.

he hath shortened my days.

24

I sayMy GOD! do not take me away in the midst of my days,

through the generation of generations are thy years:

25

Of old the earth thou didst found,

and the work of thy hands are in the heavens:[378]

[378] Cp. Isa. 48:13; Isa. 44:24.

26

They shall perish but thou shalt endure,

and they all like a garment shall wear out,

as a vesture shalt thou change them and they shall vanish;

27

But thou art the Same,[379]

[379] Ml.: he That is He who is (as opposed to the transistory fabric of the world)Dr. Cp. Deu. 32:39, Isa. 41:4; Isa. 43:10; Isa. 46:4; Isa. 48:12.

and thy years shall have no end:

28

The sons of thy servants shall abide,

and their seed before thee shall be established.

(Nm.)

PARAPHRASE

Psalms 102

A prayer when overwhelmed with trouble.

Lord, hear my prayer! Listen to my plea!
2 Dont turn away from me in this time of my distress. Bend down Your ear and give me speedy answers,
3, 4 For my days disappear like smoke. My health is broken and my heart is sick; it is trampled like grass and is withered. My food is tasteless, and I have lost my appetite.
5 I am reduced to skin and bones because of all my groaning and despair.
6 I am like a vulture in a far-off wilderness, or like an owl alone in the desert.
7 I lie awake, lonely as a solitary sparrow on the roof.
8 My enemies taunt me day after day and curse at me.
9, 10 I eat ashes instead of bread. My tears run down into my drink because of Your anger against me, because of Your wrath. For You have rejected me and thrown me out.
11 My life is passing swiftly as the evening shadows. I am withering like grass.
12 While you, Lord, are a famous King forever. Your face will endure to every generation.
13 I know that You will come and have mercy on Jerusalemand now is the time to pity herthe time You promised help.
14 For Your people love every stone in her walls and feel sympathy for every grain of dust in her streets.
15 Now let the nations and their rulers tremble before the Lord, before His glory.
16 For Jehovah will rebuild Jerusalem! He will appear in His glory!
17 He will listen to the prayers of the destitute, for He is never too busy to heed there requests.
18 I am recording this so that future generations will also praise the Lord for all that He has done. And a people that shall be created shall praise the Lord.
19 Tell them that God looked down from His Temple in heaven,
20 And heard the groans of His people in slaverythey were children of deathand released them,
21, 22 So that multitudes would stream to the Temple to praise Him, and His praises were sung throughout the city of Jerusalem; and many rulers throughout the earth came to worship Him.

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23 He has cut me down in middle life, shortening my days.
24 But I cried to Him, O God, You live forever and forever! Dont let me die half through my years!
25 In ages past You laid the foundations of the earth, and made the heavens with Your hands!
26 They shall perish, but You go on forever. They will grow old, like worn-out clothing, and You will change them as a man putting on a new shirt and throwing away the old one!
27 But You Yourself never grow old. You are forever, and Your years never end.

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28 But our families will continue; generation after generation will be preserved by Your protection.

EXPOSITION

The marked structural peculiarities of this psalm are probably best explained by the supposition that it was at first the soliloquy of an individual, and was afterwards adapted for national use on two successive occasions. The first and last stanzas (Psa. 102:1-11; Psa. 102:23-28) in all likelihood constituted the original psalm. The former of these is mainly a prolonged complaint, which may well have been written by or for King Hezekiah, since it strikingly meets his case, and runs closely parallel with his prayer as preserved in Isaiah 38. Throughout this stanza the personal note predominatesit is I and me all the way through; and the observable thing is, that there is no return to this personal note until Psa. 102:23 is reached, on the recurrence of which, however, we are again reminded of Hezekiah,for. who so likely as he to have saidTake me not away in the midst of my days! and although, even then, the psalm does not close exactly as we might have expected Hezekiah to close it, yet nothing inconsistent comes in: the personal note still prevails, though only in the lofty strain which sets the abiding personality of Jehovah over against the frail and fleeting personality of the suppliant. Precisely how this contrast could have seemed to be a pertinent Divine response to the long drawn-out wail of the personal sufferer, it may be that a sacrificed line or phrase would have clearly shewn. As a working hypothesis, however, we can easily assume that these two personally dominated stanzas formed the original Hezekian psalm.

Time rolls on. The great exile to Babylon for seventy years takes place. Towards the close of this period, some gifted scribe observes the striking parallel between the afflicted king and the afflicted nation; and, to adapt the old psalm to new conditions, especially to hearten and prepare his people for a return to the Fatherland to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, he introduces the present Second Stanza (Psa. 102:12-17). It would seem to be prejudiced and arbitrary not to suppose some such occasion for the touching allusions to Jerusalems stones and dust, and especially the inspiriting belief that the set time to compassionate Zion had now arrived, which this stanza includes. Looking again through this second stanza with these thoughts in mind, we are, on the one hand, no longer surprised to find in it no further reference to the original suppliant King; but, on the other hand, we easily realise how perfectly in keeping it is with the national intention suggested that the psalmist should indulge in a purely national outlook; a sort of glorified forecast of the grand things now to be expected by the redeemed and renewed Chosen People. The poet rises to a prophetic anticipation of those coming good things, when not only should Zion have been re-built, but Jehovah have appeared in his glory, and in every way have signally turned to and not despised the prayer of the as yet destitute nation.

But as time passes, it is realised that the Return itself is only feebly and by instalments accomplished; and especially that, as yet, there are no signs of the friendly gathering of nations to witness Jehovahs glory and to serve him which the prophetsespecially Isaiahhad led them to expect. Hence a further addition is made to this now national psalm, by a significant intimation that the main fulfilment of it awaits a coming generation: even if a new Israel has to be created to witness its complete accomplishment, the promises of Jehovah shall be ultimately fulfilled. Jehovah, meanwhile, is not indifferent; but wherever, under the whole heavens, there are prisoners belonging to Israel crying to him in their misery, there his eye rests, thence the cry comes into his ears. The prisoners are to be releasedto come to Zionto rehearse in Jerusalem Jehovahs praise under circumstances most auspicious: When the peoples are gathered together, And the kingdoms to serve Jehovah. No doubt the picture is an ideal one: only to be made real after unforeseen delays. For, as Kirkpatrick well says, in abatement of our surprise that, As a matter of fact the return was an insignificant event, and no startling results immediately followed it:Prophecy constantly combines in one view the nearer and the remoter future, depicting the eventual result, without indicating the steps by which it is to be reached.

Another easy movement, and the structure of the whole psalm is accounted for. After the two additions contained in Stanzas II. and III. had been made, it may then have been observed by a final editor that the original close of the personal psalm still held good, furnishing a most fitting conclusion for the whole composite psalm; which was therefore added,quite possibly by Ezra, with or without a finishing touch to complete the unification of the whole as one of the Songs of Zion.
Probably there are but few present-day readers of the psalms who cannot find assistance in some such modest theory of origin of this psalm as the foregoing. Better far so to apprehend how the psalm may have assumed its present form, than to be driven to the unwelcome conclusion that it is radically and irremediably incoherent; seeing especially that such a conclusion is likely to foster the deplorable habit of regarding Holy Scripture as a mere fetish, whose chief value lies in a meaningless repetition of sounds in which sense is at a discount.

The reasons for regarding Psa. 102:23 as originally continuous with Psa. 102:11 will become more and more evident on examination. Not only does the personal element then reappear after being so long in abeyance, but it reappears with the same theme uppermost: Psa. 102:11 is speaking of my days, and it is to my days that Psa. 102:23 returns.

It is no doubt a little disconcerting to observe that, just where this junction reveals itself, there some difficulty should appear as to both rendering and reading. As to rendering, attention may be called to the undoubted fact that the very first word in Psa. 102:23 (anah) may be rendered either humbled, as in this translation, or answered, as in the ancient Greek version, the Septuagint. As to reading, it is not to be denied that on the length of a single down-stroke it depends whether the affixed pronoun to the noun strength be my or hismy strength or his strength. If the latter were clearly ruled out by the context, we might serenely disregard it; and, as a fact, it is declined in this translation on the ground of a smaller amount of probability in its favour. Yet by no means so decisively declined as to make it unworthy of further notice. Not only is there the circumstance to be reckoned with that in some Hebrew copies and in the Sep. and Vul. versions the pronoun his is preferred; but there is the further stubborn fact to be admitted that the Septuagint has woven out of the two doubtful elements an entirely different result from that which appears above and in our public versions (A.V., R.V., and P.B.V.); the Septuagint rendering being as follows: He answered him in the way of his strength: tell me the shortness of my days. Do not take me away, &c. It is perhaps impossible to be quite sure that there is nothing of importance in this ancient result; although, of course, it may be merely an ancient mistake in construing the original Hebrew text: hence it is here passed on for the respectful consideration of candid critics; and the more readily, because of a slight misgiving that something further than now appears originally stood here-something possibly tending to set forth Hezekiah as a type of the Messiah in respect of the shortening of his days. Suffice it to have called attention to this remarkable variation; in order now to resume a working assurance, sincerely felt, that in the rendering and reading followed in the text of this translation, as near an approach to absolute truth is made as our present means admit. It may be reassuring to observe that nothing further is here at stake than simply the precise terms in which Psa. 102:23 should appear as the original continuation of Psa. 102:11. Even the Septuagint rendering could still be said to resume the personal strain of the psalm in respect of the days of the individual sufferer. These nice points being thus disposed of, we are fairly entitled to review the psalm as a whole in regard to its larger outstanding features.

The one thing which nothing can hide is the grandeur of the psalm: the way in which it sets over against the afflictions of the man and the afflictions of the nation, the eternity and elevation of Jehovah. Because of the stability of his throne and the inexhaustible resources of his being, there is hope for the nation; and because of the eternity of his years, there is solace for the individualthough this is implied rather than expressed in the present psalm. It seems to be implied in the sudden transition made by the suppliant (in Psa. 102:24) from his own days to the eternal years: as much as to sayWhy needest thou, whose years run on from generation to generation, cut down by one half my allotted days, few as they are at most? That, after all, the hope of the individual should be left thus, rather implied than expressed, may be attributed to the fact that as yet life and incorruption have not been illumined by the Gospel.

No such feebleness of expression can be affirmed of this psalm as regards the national hope. It is marvellous how strongly these holy men of old assert and reassert this. Zion is to be so favoured as to cause the nations to revere the name of Jehovah, and all the kings of the earth his glory. Not only will Jehovah build up Zion, but he himself will appear in his glory. When the imprisoned Israelites are released, they will come to Zion and rehearse their story. Concurrently with thisso the psalmist intimatesthere will be a gathering of peoples of kingdomsto serve Jehovah. The significance of these assurances ought on the face of them to be beyond dispute or doubt; especially when viewed in the light of Isaiahs predictions and of the Theocratic psalms (9299) which we have lately studied. To allege that these foretellings are now being fulfilled in the Church, is not only to rob Israel, but it is to degrade the Church from her heavenly calling and to throw all scripture into confusion. It is respectfully submitted that Christian theologians ought to know the Pauline Epistles better than thus to teach.

The above allusion to the Theocratic Psalms suffices to remind us that, here as well as there, what is affirmed of Jehovah in the psalm is in the Epistle to the Hebrews alleged to have been spoken of the Son. Some expositors of the Psalms have shewn solicitude to discover this reference to the Son in this psalm as clearly as by the statement in the Epistle it might seem it ought to be discoverable; and it was partly from sympathy with that expectation, that care was taken to admit that all doubt could not at present be said to have been conclusively set at rest as to the exact terms of the original resumption of Hezekiahs psalm at Psa. 102:23. One able critic, at any rate, sees in the circumstance that the Divine name in Psa. 102:24 is El rather than Elohim, a probable note of transition to the Son. However this may be, it will probably be a relief to plain Christians to rest in the apparently well-warranted conclusion, that the radical significance of the Memorial name Jehovahas Yahweh, the Becoming One, renders the transition easy, when context and circumstance require it, to Him who in the fulness of time became flesh and tabernacled among us. As already suggested when expounding the Theocratic psalms, whenever visible Divine Manifestation is implied, then some veiling of Absolute Deity must also be understood; and this veil Christians already possess in Jesus on whom our Apostle Paul explicitly teaches was graciously bestowed The Name which is above every name (Php. 2:9).

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1.

Please try to appreciate the historical circumstances of this psalm. Discuss possibilities.

2.

Evidently at least three persons had a part in writing this psalm and three periods in the history of Israel are contemplated. Discuss.

3.

One thing which nothing can hide is the grandeur of the psalm: . . . just what is involved in this grandeur and how is it expressed?

4.

Just what is (or was) the national hope of Israel? Discuss Rotherhams view point and others.

5.

What is said of God here is said of the Son in Hebrews, What is the significance of this?

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

(1) Prayer.Like love and all emotion, prayer has its own language, and this assumes here the forms of expression that meet us in other psalms. (See, e.g., in addition to the reference in margin, Psa. 31:2; Psa. 39:12; Psa. 56:9; Psa. 59:16; Psa. 143:7.)

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

1. Hear my prayer The invocation of Psa 102:1-2 is replete with those familiar forms which appear often in the Davidic psalms, and which are common, also, to all earnest, agonizing prayers. See Psa 18:6; Psa 27:9; Psa 39:12; Psa 143:7

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Psalms 102

Psa 102:3  For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth.

Psa 102:3 “and my bones are burned as an hearth” Scripture Reference – Note:

Job 30:30, “My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat.”

Psa 102:18  This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD.

Psa 102:18 “This shall be written for the generation to come” Comments – Psa 102:18 says that the Old Testament was written for the New Testament believers (Rom 15:4, 1Co 10:11, Heb 8:5).

Rom 15:4, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”

1Co 10:11, “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”

Heb 8:5, “Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.”

Psa 102:20  To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;

Psa 102:20 Scripture Reference – Note:

Isa 61:1-3, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.”

Psa 102:25-27 Old Testament Quotes in the New Testament Psa 102:25-27 is quoted in Heb 1:10-12.

Heb 1:10-12, “And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.”

Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures

Complaint of One in Great Trouble.

A prayer of the afflicted, one in great misery and distress, when he is overwhelmed, Psa 61:2, and poureth out his complaint, as from an inverted vessel, in a full stream, before the Lord.

v. 1. Hear my prayer, O Lord, the Jehovah here named being the second person of the Godhead, as He was known and worshiped in the Old Testament also, Heb 1:10-12, and let my cry come unto Thee, by removing all obstructions which would hinder its free course.

v. 2. Hide not Thy face from me, in aversion or even indifference, in the day when I am in trouble; incline Thine ear unto me, in the attitude of favorable attention; in the day when I call, answer me speedily, a quick relief being required on account of the greatness of the need.

v. 3. For my days are consumed like smoke, which passes upward and disappears, and my bones are burned as an hearth, the heat of fever glowing in his members and consuming him as the fuel on the hearth is consumed by the fire.

v. 4. My heart is smitten, dried up, the supply of blood being insufficient, and withered like grass, on account of the heat of the inner affliction, so that I forget to eat my bread, the consequence of deep grief.

v. 5. By reason of the voice of my groaning, on account of the effort attending his continual moaning and lamenting, my bones cleave to my skin, his extreme emaciation due to his agony.

v. 6. I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl of the desert, of ruined places, both of these being unclean birds according to the Levitical law.

v. 7. I watch, passing the night in sleeplessness, and am as a sparrow, a small and despised bird, alone upon the housetop, the figures expressing extreme loneliness.

v. 8. Mine enemies reproach me all the day, mocking him as one forsaken of God; and they that are mad against me, being filled with rage and fury, are sworn against me, making his name a byword, accompanying their most malignant curses against anyone with a reference to the sufferer’s condition.

v. 9. For I have eaten ashes like bread, sitting in them as a sign of great mourning and strewing them upon his head and garments, and mingled my drink with weeping, Cf Psa 42:3,

v. 10. because of Thine indignation and Thy wrath, Jehovah having given him proof of His anger over his trespasses; for Thou hast lifted me up, withdrawing the solid ground from beneath his feet, and cast me down, the figure being taken from a tempestuous wind which overthrows a person.

v. 11. My days are like a shadow that declineth, lengthening as the sun draws near the western horizon, showing that the night of death is imminent; and I am withered like grass, like an uprooted plant which is bound to become dry.

v. 12. But Thou, O Lord, shalt endure forever, whence the psalmist in the midst of his misery, addresses his confident prayer to Him, and Thy remembrance unto all generations, the eternal and unchangeable Ruler of the universe, whose promises stand secure forever.

v. 13. Thou shalt arise, as one throwing off apparent indifference and lethargy, and have mercy upon Zion, upon His Church; for the time to favor her, to show her grace and kindness, yea, the set time, that is, that point of time to which the promise of Jehovah looked forward, is come. When affliction reaches its climax, then the help of the Lord is always nearest.

v. 14. For Thy servants, the believers of all times, take pleasure in her stones, all of them being filled with fervent love for the Church, and favor the dust thereof, their loving desire clinging to the very ruins of the Church. This verse shows that the psalm was composed during the Babylonian exile, when the sympathetic attachment of the captive Jews turned with eagerness to the ruins of Jerusalem, the sanctuary of Jehovah. At the same time the situation is typical of many periods of affliction and ruin in the spiritual congregation of Christ, when the believers lament the troubled situation in the Church.

v. 15. So the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord, men from all countries of the world learning to know Jehovah as He has revealed Himself, and worshiping Him in holy awe and reverence, and all the kings of the earth, even the rulers of Gentile nations, Thy glory. It is a picture of Messianic conditions which the prophet here draws.

v. 16. When the Lord shall build up Zion, establishing His Church, He shall appear in His glory, in the glory of the Gospel as proclaimed throughout the world.

v. 17. He will regard the prayer of the destitute, of the homeless exiles, and not despise their prayer, not reject their supplication for mercy.

v. 18. This shall be written for the generation to come, making known the Gospel of Jehovah’s salvation in future ages; and the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord, in the worship of true faith.

v. 19. For He hath looked down, in an act of wonderful condescension, from the height of His Sanctuary; from heaven did the Lord behold the earth, observing closely the difficulties of His people,

v. 20. to hear the groaning of the prisoner, the exiles of Judah serving to typify the spiritually afflicted in the Church at all times; to loose those that are appointed to death, by reason of bonds and captivity;

v. 21. to declare the name of the Lord in Zion, in proclaiming the Gospel of His mercy, and His praise in Jerusalem, in the midst of His holy congregation,

v. 22. when the people are gathered together and the kingdoms to serve the Lord, in that wonderful organization now known as the Christian Church. The psalmist now pictures the situation of the individual believer once more.

v. 23. He weakened my strength in the way, Jehovah reduced his vitality by having him removed into exile; He shortened my days, and with him the entire people of the exile seemed doomed to death.

v. 24. I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days, death before the fulfillment of the average allotted life being considered a particularly severe punishment of the Lord; Thy years are throughout all generations, Jehovah’s eternity standing out over against the weakness and vanity of man’s life.

v. 25. Of old hast Thou laid the foundation of the earth, His creative power therefore being able to work deliverance also in this extremity; and the heavens are the work of Thy hands, a product of His act of creation.

v. 26. They shall perish, namely, in connection with the great change which would take place on the Last Day, but Thou shalt endure, being established and changeless in the midst of the overthrow of the universe; yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment, Isa 51:6; 2Pe 3:10; as a vesture shalt Thou change them, and they shall be changed. Rev 21:1.

v. 27. But Thou art the same, the eternal and changeless “I am,” and Thy years shall have no end. Because Jehovah is the eternal Lord, therefore the psalmist concludes with a confident statement,

v. 28. The children of Thy servants shall continue, the Christian Church continuing from one generation to the next, and their seed shall be established before Thee, as the community of believers reserved to eternal life. With this thought to sustain them, the Christians may cheerfully lift up their hearts to Jehovah, the God of their salvation. and trust in His deliverance.

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann

EXPOSITION

THE “title” of this psalm is altogether peculiar, being “a Prayer for the afflicted, when he faints, and pours out his complaint before Jehovah.” This is clearly a general direction for the use of the psalm by afflicted persons, either universally, or, at any rate, when in circumstances resembling those of the writer. The writer appears to have belonged to the period of the Captivity, and probably to the later portion of it (Psa 102:13). It has been conjectured that he is Daniel; but there are no sufficient grounds for assigning the composition to any special individual. It is the voice of a representative sufferer in Babylon, mourning over his own afflictions and those of his nation.

The psalm consists of three main portions: first, a complaint, prefaced by an appeal to God for aid (verses 1-11); secondly, a confident expression of an assured hope and trust in a speedy deliverance (verses 12-22); and thirdly, a contrast between human weakness and God’s strength and unchangeableness, resulting in a conviction that, whatever becomes of the writer, the seed of Israel will be preserved and established before God forever (verses 23-28).

Psa 102:1

Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come unto thee (comp. Psa 27:7; Psa 39:12; Psa 54:2; Psa 55:1, etc.). “Stereotyped expressions,” but the fittest to express a sufferer’s urgent need.

Psa 102:2

Hide not thy face from me (so in Psa 27:9; Psa 69:17; Psa 143:7). As the “light of God’s countenance” is the greatest of all goods (Psa 4:6), so its withdrawal is the worst of evils. In the day when I am in trouble; literally, in the day of my trouble, or of my straits. Incline thine ear unto me (comp. Psa 17:6; Psa 71:2; Psa 88:2, etc.). In the day when I call, answer me speedily. Compare the versicles of our Prayer book, “O God, make speed to save us; O Lord, make haste to help us.”

Psa 102:3

For my days are consumed like smoke; or, according to another reading (, instead of ), “are consumed into smoke,” i.e. “disappear, pass away into nothingness.” And my bones are burned as an hearth. Dr. Kay translates, “My bones smoulder like a firebrand,“ which is better (compare the Prayer book Version, and see Le Psa 6:2 and Isa 33:14). (For the sentiment, see Psa 31:10; Psa 32:3; Psa 42:10.)

Psa 102:4

My heart is smitten. As with a stroke from the sun (see Psa 121:6; Hos 9:16). And withered like grass. As grass upon the house tops (Psa 129:6), or, indeed, in any exposed place under an Eastern sun. So that I forget to eat my bread; literally, for I forget, etc. The fact is adduced as a proof of the heart’s condition (comp. Job 33:20; 1Sa 1:7; 1Sa 20:34, etc.).

Psa 102:5

By reason of the voice of my groaning; i.e. “by reason of the affliction which causes my groaning.” My bones cleave to my skin; literally, to my flesh, but the Authorized Version rightly expresses the meaning (comp. Job 19:20; Lam 4:8).

Psa 102:6

I am like a pelican in the wilderness. The Hebrew word here rendered “pelican” is elsewhere in our version translated by “cormorant” (Le Psa 11:7; Deu 14:17; Isa 34:11; Zep 2:14); but it is now generally believed that the pelican is intended. The pelican is a bird which haunts marshy and desolate places. It abounds in the Lake Huleh in Northern Galilee. I am like an owl of the desert; or, “of the ruins.” The owl haunts ruins in the East no less than in our own country.

Psa 102:7

I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top. Sparrows are very common in Palestine. Dr. Thomson says that he has often heard a sparrow which had lost its mate, uttering “by the hour” its sad lament, seated upon a housetop.

Psa 102:8

Mine enemies reproach me all the day. The reproach of their enemies was always felt by the Israelites as a bitter aggravation of their afflictions (see Psa 42:10; Psa 44:13-16; Psa 79:4; Psa 80:6, etc.). They that are mad against me are sworn against me; rather, use me as their curse (comp. Jer 29:22). It was a common form of cursing among the Israelites to wish a man the same fate as had befallen some one whose unhappiness was notorious.

Psa 102:9

For I have eaten ashes like bread; i.e. “the ‘ashes’ of humiliation have been my food. I have, as it were, fed on them.” A literal mingling of ashes with his food is not to be thought of. And mingled my drink with weeping (comp. Psa 42:3; Psa 80:5).

Psa 102:10

Because of thine indignation and thy wrath. “The bitterest ingredient of our cup of sorrow,” says Dean Johnson, “is to know that it is owing to Jehovah’s wrath and fierce anger for sin.” For thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down. “Elevated me,” i.e. “only to cast me down, and so make my affliction the greater.” The allusion is probably to the former prosperity of the speaker, and of Israel generally, in their own land, and their present misery in Babylon (compare, however, Job 27:21; Job 30:22).

Psa 102:11

My days are like a shadow that declineth; literally, that lengthens, as shadows do when the day declines (comp. Psa 102:24). The psalmist, like his nation, is old before his time; the shades of evening have come upon him, when he should have been in his midday brightness. And I am withered like grass (comp. Psa 102:4). The “I” here is emphatic ()not only is the psalmist’s heart withered, but he himself is altogether scorched and dried up.

Psa 102:12

The second part of the psalm here begins. Against the complaint is to be set the confident hope and consolation. But thou, O Lord, shalt endure forever. God does not “wither” or decayGod and God’s purposes “endure forever.” It matters not that Israel is brought so low, and seems at the last gasp; God can raise up his people, and will do so in his own good time (Psa 102:13-17). And thy remembrance unto all generations; or, thy memorial (Revised Version); see Exo 3:15. God’s “remembrance,” or “memorial,” consists in the recollection, that his faithful ones have, of his historically manifested attributes. If this recollection is never to pass away, his faithful ones must remain also, to keep it up.

Psa 102:13

Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion (comp. Psa 3:7; Psa 12:5; Psa 68:1). God is said to “arise,” when he bestirs himself to take vengeance on his enemies, and deliver his saints out of their hands. The “Zion,” on which he would “have mercy,” was not the city only, but the people belonging to it. For the time to favour her (or, pity her), yea, the set time, is come. By “the set time” is probably meant the time fixed by Jeremiah for the termination of the Captivity and the restoration of Jerusalem (Jer 25:11, Jer 25:12; Jer 29:10), and alluded to by Daniel in Dan 9:2. This time, the psalmist says, approaches.

Psa 102:14

For thy servants take pleasure in her stones (comp. Isa 64:10, Isa 64:11; Lam 4:1; Neh 2:13; Neh 4:2). To this day the same affection is shown by Israelite pilgrims at the “Jews’ Wailing Place.” And favour (rather, pity) the dust thereof. The rubbish in which the stones lay (Neh 4:2) seems to be intended.

Psa 102:15

So the heathen shall fear the Name of the Lord (comp. Isa 59:19). The restoration of Jerusalem could not but impress great numbers of the heathen, and tend to the enlargement of Jehovah’s kingdom. And all the kings of the earth thy glory. Oriental hyperbole, if confined to the immediate effects of the rebuilding of the earthly Jerusalem; but simple truth, if extended to the establishment on earth of the new and heavenly Jerusalem (Isa 65:17-25; Rev 21:1-24).

Psa 102:16

When the Lord shall build up Zion; rather, because the Lord hath built up Zion. The psalmist, in prophetic ecstasy, sees the future as past. The verbs in this and the next verse are all preterite. He shall appear in his glory; rather, hath appeared in his glory (see Isa 40:5).

Psa 102:17

He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer; rather, he hath regarded and hath not despised (see the Revised Version). The word translated “destitute” is elsewhere (Jer 17:6) only used as the name of a shrubprobably the dwarf juniper, still so called by the Arabs. The dwarf juniper has “a gloomy stunted appearance” (Tristram), and well symbolizes the Israel of the Captivity period, dry and withered, like a wretched desert shrub.

Psa 102:18

This shall be written for the generation to come; or, let it be written; , LXX. The mercy of God in restoring his people to their own land and city must be recorded in writing, as his past mercies have been (Exo 17:14; Deu 31:19), for the edification of future generations. The record was made by Ezra and Nehemiah. And the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord. Restored Israel is spoken of as a new creation (comp. Psa 22:31; Isa 43:7, Isa 43:21). It was, indeed, a sort of resurrection from the dead (see Eze 37:1-10). (For the “praise” immediately rendered, see Ezr 3:10, Ezr 3:11; Ezr 6:16-22; Neh 12:27-43.)

Psa 102:19

For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary. God’s true sanctuary is the heaven of heavens wherein he dwells. Earthly sanctuaries are but shadows of this. From heaven did the Lord behold the earth (comp. Exo 2:23-25). As God in the days of old had looked down on the affliction of his people in Egypt, so did he now “look down” and “behold” their sufferings in Babylon.

Psa 102:20

To hear the groaning of the prisoner (see Exo 2:24, “God heard their groaning;” and comp. Exo 3:7; Exo 6:5). To loose those that are appointed to death; literally, the sons of death (comp. Psa 79:11). Captive Israel regarded its life in Babylon as little better than death (see Eze 37:11).

Psa 102:21

To declare the Name of the Lord in Zion; rather, as in the Revised Version, that men may declare. The great object of Israel’s restoration was the glory of Godthat Jew and heathen, joined together in one, might unitedly bless God, and praise his glorious Name. The complete fulfilment was, of course, only after the coming of Christ. And his praise in Jerusalem. Especially in the “new Jerusalem” (see the comment on Psa 102:15).

Psa 102:22

When the people (rather, the peoples) are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the Lord (comp. Psa 22:27; Psa 68:29-32; Isa 49:6, Isa 49:7, Isa 49:18, etc).

Psa 102:23-28

The third strophe begins with an acknowledgment of weaknessa sort of “renewed complaint” (Hengstenberg). But from this there is an ascent to a higher confidence than any displayed previouslya confidence that God, who is everlasting (Psa 102:24-27), will perpetually protect his people, and, whatever becomes of the existing generation, will establish their seed before him forever (Psa 102:28).

Psa 102:23

He weakened my strength in the way. The reading “my strength” () is greatly to be preferred to that of “his strength” (), which cannot be made to yield a tolerable meaning. It is judiciously adopted by Professor Cheyne, who translates, “He has brought down my strength in the way,” and explains “the way” as “the journey of life.” So also Rosenmuller and Hengstenberg. He shortened my days; i.e. “made me grow old prematurely” (comp. Psa 102:11).

Psa 102:24

I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days. Compare the complaint of Hezekiah (Isa 38:10). A pious Israelite regarded himself as entitled to a fairly long life, which was promised him directly (Exo 20:12) and by implication, since it was only the wicked that were “not to live out half their days” (Psa 55:23). Thy years are throughout all generations. Dathe and Professor Cheyne translate, “O thou, whose years are eternal.” But the Hebrew will scarcely admit of this rendering.

Psa 102:25

Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth (comp. Isa 48:13). And the heavens are the work of thy hands (see Gen 1:1, Gen 1:7; Gen 2:4; Psa 89:11; Heb 1:10).

Psa 102:26

They shall perish. The coming destruction of the world that now is, is very frequently declared in Holy Scripture. But thou shalt endure. With the perishable nature of the whole material creation, the psalmist contrasts the absolute eternity of God (comp. Psa 102:12; also Psa 9:7; Heb 1:11). Yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment (comp. Isa 51:6). As a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed. Compare the prophecies of “a new heaven and a new earth” (Isa 55:1-13 :17; Isa 66:22; 2Pe 3:13; Rev 21:1).

Psa 102:27

But thou art the same; literally, but thou art HE (comp. Isa 44:4; Isa 46:4); i.e. “thou art the one eternal and unchangeable existencethe one reality.” And thy years shall have no end. It is by an accommodation to human modes of thought that God’s “years” are spoken of. An eternal existence is a unitynot made up of years and days.

Psa 102:28

The children of thy servants shall continue. “The nation descended from those who served thee of old shall continue,” or, “abide”i.e. not only continue to exist, but have a permanent abid-ing-place (comp. Psa 37:39; Psa 69:36). And their seed shall be established before thee (comp. Jer 30:20).

HOMILETICS

Psa 102:1-11

Affliction.

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous”even of the righteous, and sometimes these are almost, if not altogether, overwhelming. We expect to find suffering and sorrow among the guilty, but experience teaches us that it is

I. THE OCCASIONAL PORTION OF THE GODLY. Seldom, indeed, is the good man reduced to such distress as that described in the text; yet it does occur; troubles do sometimes accumulate where they seem least deserved or least necessary. But if not found in this degree, yet they are found in company with:

1. Bodily pain (Psa 102:3), or weakness, or lingering disease, or some form of physical privation. There may be associated:

2. Depression of spirit; so that food is distasteful (Psa 102:4), and the simple comforts of life bring no enjoyment; fair scenes give no pleasure to the eye, sweet sounds have no charm for the ear. There may be added:

3. Loneliness; either because

(1) friends have lost faith, and have deserted; or

(2) because the dejected spirit declines all human fellowship, and retires to a disconsolate obscurity (Psa 102:6, Psa 102:7).

4. Added to these may be positive enmity and opposition (Psa 102:8). Perhaps the evil which is hardest to be borne is the accusation or the insinuation of misconduct made by former friends, who are now the most cruel of enemies, and who use the language of reproach or innuendo. Beside all this is:

5. A painful sense of departure (Psa 102:3, Psa 102:11). The mind is oppressed by the thought that, like the lessening shadow, life is going; the opportunity for clearing reputation, for doing good work, for taking a good position, for reaping any of the fruits of toil, is rapidly being consumed; it will soon be gone, and then the best of life will have been lost. It is the servant of God who is sometimes called upon to “eat ashes like bread,” and to “mingle his drink with his tears ‘ (Psa 102:9). But even in the midst of his distress and of his perplexity there will be

II. A DEVOUT REFERENCE TO THE WILL OF GOD. The sufferer is a man who has mens conscia recti; he is the victim of injustice; he wonders why he is thus assailed, thus brought low; but he does not question the presence or the ordering of Divine providence. God has allowed it all: “Thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down.” The Christian man in similar distress has learnt of Christ that calamity is not always a sign of Divine displeasure (Luk 13:1-5); he does not therefore speak about “thy wrath and anger.” Moreover, he has learnt of his Master that persecution is often the highest honour (Mat 5:10-12); and from his apostle that affliction is often not punitive at all, but curative; the evidence, not of Divine anger, but of Fatherly love and wisdom (Heb 12:3-11). He therefore accepts what he suffers as the will of God concerning him, assured that it has a gracious purpose, and will work a spiritual and eternal good that will more than outweigh the physical and temporal distress.

III. THE APPEAL TO GOD. (Psa 102:1, Psa 102:2.)

1. It is a real relief to utter his thought in the conscious presence of God; the very recital of his griefs in God’s ear brings some comfort. To tell all our troubles to a sympathetic friend, even when we do not expect him to be able to help us, is a relief to us; how much mere to breathe them into the ear of him who has the most perfect sympathy with every one of his people (Mat 8:17; Heb 4:15)!

2. We may confidently count on our heavenly Father’s’ help. It is the natural, and therefore the right, thing for us, in our moment of spiritual agitation, to use the language of earnest, if not agonizing entreaty, and to let earnestness pass into importunity (“hear me speedily”); it is altogether wise and right to continue in prayer for Divine succour when that seems to be delayed; but it is needful, for true sonship and perfect service, to rest calmly assured that God does always hear our prayer, and that he will help us, either by delivering us from our evil condition, sooner or later, here or hereafter, or by so multiplying his sustaining grace that we shall positively triumph in our endurance (2Co 2:14; 2Co 9:10, 2Co 9:11).

Psa 102:13-22

God’s care for his people (Christ’s care for his Church).

The psalm passes from the individual to the nation or the society, and we have an earnest, effectual appeal for Divine pity and restoration. Primarily applicable to the ancient people of God, it applies as well to the recurring necessities of the Christian Church. We have

I. THE COMMUNITY (THE CHURCH) IN SORE DISTRESS. It is in a position to receive the mercythe pity and the redemption of the Lord (Psa 102:13). Its state is one of destitution (Psa 102:17); it is brought very low, is naked, is helpless.

II. ITS APPEAL TO THE DIVINE SAVIOUR. We are weak and powerless, “but thou, O Lord, shalt endure forever” (Psa 102:12); thou art the Eternal and the Almighty One; “thou canst save, and thou canst heal.” When the captain and the crew have done their utmost, and shipwreck seems inevitable, they can and they do “cry unto the Lord” (Psa 107:1-43.). Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity. When from every human point of view the case is hopeless, then all hearts turn their thought to heaven, thou every voice is raised in earnest supplication. Nothing is too hard for the Lord.

III. THE GROUNDS OF ITS APPEAL.

1. The duration of its distress. Has not the time fully come for God’s favour (Psa 102:13)? Zion must have endured her appointed time of tribulation (see Psa 90:13-17).

2. The disinterested attachment of its friends (the disciples of the Lord) (Psa 102:14). Its very ruins are dear to them; they cleave to it in its extremity.

3. The spiritual well being of those outside its borders (Psa 102:15). Let Zion be exalted, and then those who are now either indifferent or hostile will be gained; in their hearts will be planted the fear of the Lord, the love of Jesus Christ.

4. The glory of God, the hallowing of his Name, the exaltation of the Redeemer (Psa 102:16, Psa 102:21, Psa 102:22).

5. The character of the pitiful Father. To regard the destitute, to hear the groaning of the prisoner, to save from death,is that not just what his people may rightly ask of the benignant and compassionate Saviour? Our heavenly Father is never nearer to us, or likelier to hear and help us, than when our hour is darkest and our hearts are saddest.

IV. ITS LASTING ISSUE. (Psa 102:18.) The interposition of God, and his redeeming grace, will not only command the wondering attention of the living; it will go down to the generations yet unborn, and those who “will be created” in distant days will believe and praise.

Psa 102:23-28

The mortality of man and the eternity of God.

The psalmist returns to his own personal condition; he considers himself as one who has but a narrow span of life, and even that small span is likely to be shortened; his heart is troubled at the thought of

I. THE BREVITY AND UNCERTAINTY OF OUR MORTAL LIFE.

1. The length of our life is regarded by us very differently, according to the portion of it which we have spent. In youth it seems long, and we are eager to get on further, we anticipate the coming years; but in age it seems short indeed, and we wish we were younger than we are. Many, immersed in cares or pleasures, have no time to measure the life they are fast expending; but to the thoughtful (as well as to the merely imaginative) human life seems a painfully short time in which to sustain its pure and holy relationships, in which to gather its fruits of learning and wisdom, in which to do its work and achieve some solid and enduring task. All too soon does that shadow decline, all too quickly do the flowers wither (see Psa 102:11).

2. And this pensiveness is deepened by the thought of the uncertainty of life. Sudden sickness comes, and the strong man in his prime is laid on the bed of death. The fatal accident occurs, and men and women are removed in an hour from the scenes of their activity, the homes of their affection. The land mourns its prince, its statesman, its scholar; the Church deplores its ruler, its minister, its counsellor; the home laments its head, its mistress, its ornament,that one that should long have stayed and been its strength and joy. But in sharp and striking contrast with this is

II. THE ETERNITY OF GOD.

1. He is from everlasting. Our finite mind cannot possibly comprehend the idea of the infinite. We cannot take into our imagination the absolutely boundless past. But we can think of that which was indefinitely and immeasurably remote, and consider that God was long before that. We think of the ages behind us, when the first foundations of the earth were laid, and we reflect that all that vast and unknown period counts not even one degree of the time that God has been.

2. He is to everlasting. Similarly, we look on to that distant hour, inconceivably far away, when our planet itself will be consumed or be congealed, or even to the time when the whole sidereal system will be dissolved, and we think that that immense tract of time will not count one unit of “the years of the right hand of the Most High.”

3. He is the Unchangeable One. Not that the idea of boundless temporal duration includes that of moral and spiritual constancy; but it suggests it, and it may be said to imply it; for surely it is only the Unchangeable that could be and would be the Eternal. So that while we are placing our mortality in contrast with the immortality of God, we may also place our fickleness and unreliableness in contrast with his immutability, and give the fullest meaning to the words, “thou art the same” (see Jas 1:17; Heb 13:8).

III. THE REDEEMING THOUGHT. The psalmist seems to feel that God, out of the exceeding riches of his eternity, might well bestow upon him a few more years of life (Psa 102:24). But he closes with the relieving thought that the children of God’s servants will dwell in the land, that they will find a home there from which they will not be driven, and that their children will still be found in happy occupation, through coming generations (Psa 102:28). We have, in this Christian dispensation, a far more precious consolation. That is twofold. It consists of:

1. The fact that the briefest human life, spent in the service of God and of man, holds a worth which no arithmetic can compute, no wealth can weigh.

2. The truth that a holy life on earth conducts to a blessed and glorious immortality beyond. “They shall perish, but thou shalt endure.” So also shall we, and our years shall have no end; for “he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.”

HOMILIES BY S. CONWAY

Psa 102:1-28

Light arising in darkness.

The authorship and therefore the date of this psalm cannot be certainly fixed, or whether it be a national or an individual utterance; probably it is the latter. The alternations of thought and feeling are very noteworthy. We have

I. EARNEST PRAYER. (Psa 102:1, Psa 102:2.) There is an ascending scale, reaching to a climax.

1. That the Lord would hear. “Hear, O Lord.”

2. For close access. “Let my cry come unto thee.” Do not hear me from afar, but come near to me.

3. For gracious hearing. “Hide not thy face,” etc.; when I see thee, let not thy face be averted, but graciously turned to me.

4. For attentive hearing. “Incline thine ear;” as one anxious to hear bends down his ear, that he may more easily hear what is said.

5. For prompt reply. “Answer me speedily;” let there be no long delay. It is a blessed thing when our troubles and distresses lead us to God in prayer, and in prayer thus earnest and believing.

II. SAD COMPLAINT. There are nine verses of this (Psa 102:3-11). They tell of:

1. The swift approach of death. (Psa 102:3.) As fuel in fierce heat and flame is swiftly consumed, so is it with his life.

2. Of his bitter sorrow. (Psa 102:4.) All its strength and joy smitten, as is the grass with the sun-stroke, so that he cares not to live, forgets to eat bread.

3. His wasted form. He is worn as a skeleton, his bones cleave to his flesh.

4. His utter loneliness. (Psa 102:6.) As the cormorant of the wilderness (Zep 2:14; Isa 34:11), and as the owl. The owl is called in Arabic, “mother of the ruins.”

5. His cruel enemies. (Psa 102:8.) These, when they curse, point to him as an example of misery; when they would imprecate vengeance on any, they ask that those whom they curse may be wretched as the psalmist.

6. His abiding and unrelieved sorrow. (Psa 102:9.) It mingles with all his food.

7. The cause of it. The Divine displeasure. “God’s wrath has seized and hurled him aloft, only to cast him, as worthless, away” (cf. Isa 22:18).

8. The result of it all. Death is close at hand. Not improbably some exile dying far away in Babylon poured forth this bitter complaint. As the groans of a sick man are a relief, so is the outpouring of our trouble to God a relief to the burdened heart. It is ever well so to do. But now, out of these depths comes

III. DIVINE COMFORT. There are eleven verses of this (Psa 102:12-22). And this comfort is drawn:

1. From the remembrance of the eternal God. (Psa 102:12.) God does not die, though man does; God lives to carry on his work when men pass away.

2. The conviction that Zion‘s redemption is at hand. (Psa 102:13.) He gathers this from the fact that the minds of the people of God were turned to the fallen Jerusalem (of. Nehemiah 1-2:3). There were probably many conferences and much interest and prayer in regard to Zion (Psa 102:14); and the psalmist recognizes in all this one of the evidences that God’s set time to be gracious to Zion has come.

3. The anticipation of the blessed results that shall follow on Zion‘s restoration. (Psa 102:15, Psa 102:16.) This is ever the harbinger of the world’s conversion.

4. His grateful sense of the exceeding goodness of God which is to be made manifest (Psa 102:17-22). He thinks of the destitute, of the prisoner groaning in his misery, of those appointed unto death, and of the blessed help and deliverance that shall come to them all, and his heart leaps up in praise. But next we see

IV. SADNESS SEEKING TO COME BACK AGAIN. (Psa 102:23.) As is the way of sadness, it haunts the soul, and, though banished awhile, it will return. It was so with the psalmist. The remembrance of his own sore trouble comes over him again, and he bursts out in this piteous lament, “He weakened my strength in the way,” etc; and he cries, “O my God, take me not away,” etc. But God does not leave him; such holy troubled souls never are left. We next see

V. SADNESS AGAIN DRIVEN AWAY. (Psa 102:25-28.) His trust is restored; for:

1. He remembers the eternal God. This had been his comfort before (Psa 102:1, Psa 102:2); and now it comes to his help once more. “Thou art the same, and thy years,” etc. (Psa 102:27). And then he thinks of:

2. His children. They shall be established before God (Psa 102:28). And so the light again ariseth in the darkness.S.C.

Psa 102:7

As a sparrow alone.

A sad, a not unseldom, and often a salutary, condition this. For the soul, when thus left alone of men, retreats into the sure sweet shelter of the love of God. We are apt to think we can do very well without that; when the smiles and favour of our fellow men rest upon us. But unquestionably it is a sad and painful condition, however it may be caused.

I. SO, OFTEN, THE SOUL SEEMS TO BE. The world says it: “God hath forsaken him; persecute him and take him.” And the soul itself says the same: “Why art thou so far from me, O God?” It is a frequent complaint. Even our Lord knew this distress. “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” But he was then, and all God’s children were and are wrong; for God never forsakes his people (Joh 16:31, Joh 16:32). They may think he does.

II. SO, AT TIMES, IT WILL BE. But this is in regard to the world. The soul must “come out, and be separate”.

III. SO EVER IT MUST BE IN REGARD TO GOD IN THE WORLD. There can be no compromise.S.C.

Psa 102:16

When the Lord shall build up Zion.

I. WHAT IS THIS WORK HERE SPOKEN OF? The building up of Zion.

1. By the conversion of individual souls. The true Church can be built up in no other way.

2. By the public confession of their faith on the part of these converted ones. If they refuse this, how can the Church be built up?

3. By their union in the fellowship of the Church. They must openly range themselves on the Lord’s side in this his appointed way.

4. By the full sanctification of these converts. This is a further gift of grace, and it is the privilege of all who will fully consecrate themselves to the Lord, and then trust him to accomplish his own will in themeven their sanctification (1Th 4:3). Thus are they qualified to become coworkers with God in the further upbuilding of his Church.

5. By their becoming builders for Godgoing forth to make converts and win others. Such is this blessed work.

II. WHAT IS HERE SAID OF IT?

1. It is the Lord‘s work. Many may cooperate, but apart from God he can do nothing.

2. It will be a gradual work. The very idea, of building implies this.

3. That from various causes it may be at a standstill, or almost so. Who does not know this? Oh, these miserable lulls in the work, these ebb tides in the flow of holy zeal, faith, and love! It is so in the Church and in the individual soul.

4. There are special times for this upbuilding. (Cf. Psa 102:13, Psa 102:14.) A hallowed excitement on the matter is felt, a sacred and deep sorrow because of Zion’s desolation (cf. Nehemiah). A faithful ministry is raised up. Such are some of the indications of the set time to favour Zion having come.

5. Great glory accrues to God. The building of his Church is God’s greatest glory, that for which he put forth his greatest power, that on which he lavished his greatest love, even the gift of Christ. That glory appears in the poorness of the instruments he employs (1Co 1:26-30); in the setting aside of man’s chief agencies, their great churches, hierarchies, and priesthoods; in the discomfiture of the innumerable and mighty adversaries which stand in the way of this work. All this is taught here.

III. THE MOMENTOUS CONCLUSIONS THAT FOLLOW.

1. The work shall surely be done. “I will build my Church,” said Christ. It is not a mere possibility, but a fixed will.

2. As to our duty. To be patient. To inquire what is our relation to this work. Are we helping or hindering? Are we ourselves forming part of this glorious building, or are we wilfully refusing, as we can do, to have part or lot therein? If we are of the Lord’s Zion ourselves, are we striving to win others? Many fail here. Let us be found workers together with God.S.C.

Psa 102:17

The prayer of the destitute.

I. A TRUE DESCRIPTION OF MAN‘S SPIRITUAL CONDITION. He is destitute, not merely badly off; and he is without expectation, and without power of his own to better his condition.

II. A WISE COUNSEL THAT WE ALL SHOULD FOLLOW. That we should wait upon God in fervent prayer and earnest cry. There is nothing else that we can do. There is nothing better that we could do. There is nothing that has ever succeeded so well. There is no fear that, notwithstanding the Lord’s greatness and majesty, he will disregard us.

III. A GLORIOUS ENCOURAGEMENT TO FOLLOW THIS COUNSEL. The text is a plain declaration of what the Lord will do, not merely of what we may desire he should do. Our Lord was surrounded by destitute people, who begged of him, and he never sent one away unblessed. And when he comes in his power he will do the same. Only let us remember that we must come as destitute.S.C.

Psa 102:24

Lives taken away in the midst.

I. WHAT LIVES ARE THESE?

1. They are not those of little children. They have not yet come to the midst of their days. And the sadness that overwhelms us when they die is, after a while, lit up with the conviction that they rest in the love of God, and can never know the sins and sorrows which men and women cannot but know.

2. But they are lives mature, but not agedlives in the full meridian of their strength. Of such the psalmist is here speaking.

3. And there are others, and yet more sad. For old age has been denied to many of God’s beloved onesto the well beloved Son himself, for he was one of those who seemed to be taken away in the midst of their days, in the very prime of his manhood and his service. We may desire length of days; many and worthy motives prompt such desire; but it is often refused. God may have some better thing for us and for our beloved ones, and so we have to go. But the real sadness is not in such shortened lives, but in those which end, it may be, not literally in the midst of their days, but with the real purpose of life unachieved. God’s forgiveness not gained because never sought after. The regenerate nature, indispensable for entrance into the kingdom of God, never desired, and therefore never striven for in faith and prayer, and therefore never given. The good works by which God should be glorified, and his fellow men cheered and blessed, never wrought, his day’s work all undone. The bright hope of eternal life with God never valued, never cherished, and now never to be realized; death coming on the man with all its sting, and the grave exulting in its victory. These are the real incompleted lives by side of which the sorrow over mere brevity of earthly life is but small indeed. God grant our lives may not be thus really cut off in the midst!

II. WHEREFORE ARE THEY SO DEPRECATED? See how piteous is the psalmist’s supplication. Wherefore this? Because for him, like Moses, who

“On the very verge did stand,
Of the blessed promised land,”

but yet was never permitted to enter; so the psalmist feared that in the restoration of his own people to Zion he should not live to share. But for all, life is such a blessing when the purpose for which it was given is attained; that for men to die without that purpose being attained is sad indeed. Think of life’s capacities: what glory it may bring to God! what blessing to one’s fellow men! what peace, purity, and joy to one’s own self! And all this which might be, not attained!

III. BUT THIS NEED NOT BEFALL ANY ONE. He who will commit his way unto the Lord shall find that the Lord will bring it to pass. He shall not be one who goes about askingIs life worth living? and voting it all a failure. God did not bring us into existence for nothing, or without gracious purposes of good in regard to us. He sets before us life and death, and we are free to choose. Alas! many sin blinded ones mistake the one for the other, but “whosoever will may take of the water of life freely.”S.C.

HOMILIES BY R. TUCK

Psa 102:1

The prayer of the afflicted.

It is uncertain whether in this psalm we have an expression of personal feeling in a time of personal suffering, or an idealizing of the afflicted nation. If we take the former view, personal and national views must be regarded as blended. If we take the latter view, we may give heed to Bishop Wordsworth’s suggestion, that the psalm was composed by Nehemiah when he went by night to examine the walls of Jerusalem, and was so deeply affected by the ruinous condition which he found. Bible writers prefer to associate the psalm with the later days of the Exile, when the sufferings of the Lord’s people had become almost unendurable, and the time prophesied for the length of the Exile was nearly completed. It is the prayer of a patient sufferer for himself, and for the Jerusalem that lies in ruins. The sorrow of the psalmist has in it no touch of doubt or repining. But he does feel the difficulty and mystery of the Divine delays. That is, indeed, one of our gravest sources of anxiety. If God is acting, we are well assured and comforted. He is manifestly present; we feel his presencethat is enough. But when he delays, we easily get the impression that he is holding aloof; that he is indifferent; that he is not heeding our prayer. Then, with the psalmist, we begin prayer by praying to be heard and heeded.

I. THE PRAYER OF THE AFFLICTED SHOULD BE A CONFIDENTIAL UNFOLDING, NOT A COMPLAINT. Complaint of God must always be wrong and unworthy. No pious man can ever be placed in any circumstances of distress in which he gains the right to complain of God. No pious man keeps his piety and ever wishes to complain. Submission to the infinitely wise, strong love is absolutely essential to piety. “Thy will be done,” and borne. But the pious soul is invited to the fullest confidences with God. He may speak out his feelings fully and freely. Great relief comes in times of trouble by giving our confidence to a trustworthy friend; and God permits us freely to complain to him.

II. THE PRAYER OF THE AFFLICTED SHOULD BE A SIGN OF FAITH, NOT OF FEAR. The faith should assure

(1) of God’s attention;

(2) of God’s sympathy;

(3) of God’s ability to help;

(4) of God’s wisdom in delaying his intervention.

1. Fear would be a dishonour to our past of Divine deliverances.

2. Fear would tell of our circumstances mastering our souls.

3. Fear would show suspicion of the Divine power and promise.

We ask God to “hear our prayer,” because we know that is just what he is doing.R.T.

Psa 102:3-5

The depression attending bodily pain.

The point of this pathetic complaint on which we just now dwell is given in Psa 102:4. “My heart is smitten, and withered like grass.” There may be pain of body, and sorrow of circumstance, but these only become seriously distressing when they affect our minds, our spirits. “As the smitten flower no longer drinks in the dew, or draws up nutriment from the soil, so a heart parched with intense grief often refuses consolation for itself, and nourishment for the bodily frame, and descends at a doubly rapid rate into weakness, despondency, and dismay.”

I. SOME FORMS OF DISEASE INVOLVE DEPRESSION OF SPIRITS. Certain types of stomach and kidney disease have depression as a necessary symptom. So certain brain and nerve diseases. Then depression is not to be dealt with as a moral, but as a physical, evil. This feature of disease is specially trying to the Christian, who longs to keep ever alive his joy in God. And it makes extremely painful the duties of those who watch and tend the sick. Such may often gain patience for bearing work by treating depression as but a symptom of disease.

II. DEPRESSION OF SPIRITS IS OFTENTIMES MISCONCEIVED.

1. By the good man. Often leads him to think he has been deceiving himself, and has never known the grace of God. As well say, when there are clouds in the sky, that they prove we were mistaken when we believed the sunshine warmed us. Varying moods of feeling do not affect spiritual facts. Depressions belong to the sphere of the feelings, the emotions; they do not belong, necessarily, to the sphere of the will. If the will were set against God, we should never be depressed about it.

2. By those who are in relations with the good man. They are easily carried away by his despondencies, and they are filled with fear concerning him. The low spirited will often say and write bitter things against themselves; and we are always wise to make no decisions about them, and form no opinions concerning them, while they walk in darkness. “At eventide it shall be light.”

III. DEPRESSION OF SPIRITS CALLS FOR ALL–TRIUMPHING PATIENCE. On those who have to deal with such persons, patience has its perfect work.

(1) We think how much patience the depressed require from their fellows; but

(2) can we conceive aright of the infinite patience God has with them? For at such times they not only say bitter things against themselves, they say bitter things against God.R.T.

Psa 102:6, Psa 102:7

The loneliness of the afflicted.

Removed from the interests and activities of life, the bed ridden sufferer feels as if left alone; his very weakness and helplessness make him feel lonely; there must be long hours of the day when he is actually alone, and long, sleepless hours of the night when he seems all alone; and he must go altogether alone down into the “valley of the shadow.” Here the psalmist uses as figures three birds which were regarded, in his day, as types of loneliness. The pelican is the bird of the swamp; the owl is the night bird of the desolate ruin; the sparrow is melancholy when it loses its mate. Tristram describes the pelican as sitting motionless for hours after it has gorged itself with food, its head sunk on its shoulders, and its bill resting on its breast. There is a bird in Western Asia, sometimes called a sparrow, which has a custom of sitting solitary upon the habitation of man. It never associates with any other, and only at one season with its own mate; and even then it is often seen quite alone upon the house top, where it warbles its sweet and plaintive strains, and continues its song, moving from roof to roof.

I. LONELINESS AS AN ELEMENT OF TROUBLE. There is a forced loneliness, and there is a sought loneliness. That sought loneliness may be right, worthy, useful; but it may also be wrong, trying to others, and making needlessly difficult the work of the nurse. Those who would cheer us by their presence are too often frowned away. Sick people fail sometimes in due self-restraint; they become self-centred, and inconsiderate of the feelings of others. The wish to be alone may be quite wrong.

II. LONELINESS AS A CALL TO CHRISTIAN SYMPATHY. Waiting times of pain seem very long; waiting times of mere necessary resting without pain may even seem longer. The visit of mere good cheer is Christian service. The sight of another face, the sound of another voice, the touch of another hand, are full of truest relief and comfort. Ease the lonely hours of every sick friend within your reach.

III. LONELINESS AS AN APPEAL FOR DIVINE MANIFESTATION. That is the point we have in the psalm. God is the Supreme Friend of the lonely heart. Compare “Alone, yet not alone, because the Father is with me.” Jesus on the cross is the sublime model of loneliness; yet he could say, “My God, my God!”R.T.

Psa 102:10

The real bitterness of human affliction.

“And that because of thine indignation and wrath.” The conscience of sin makes men regard affliction as Divine judgment. For man, God’s favour is life, God’s frown is deathdeath of peace, pleasure, hope. Man can lose everything and be rich if he can keep the sense of gracious relations with God. Man can keep everything, and be poor and miserable, if he has lost the sense of God’s favour. While this is true of every man, it is in an especial manner true of the man who has once known the joy of God’s smile and favour. It is such a man who feels the bitterness of human affliction when it is seen as Divine judgment. The Book of Job represents the struggle of good men to get right views of human affliction. And what comes out so clearly from its discussions is, that no one explanation will suffice. It may be Divine judgment; but Job’s friends are wrong when they say that it must be. It may be Divine chastisement for correction; but it would be a mistake to say that it is always chastisement. It may be pure testing, simple culture, God’s way of nourishing the good, and not involving the removal of any bad. When a sufferer can see suffering to be Divine culture, or even Divine chastisement, his trials lose their bitterness. But it is always hard to be compelled to call suffering Divine judgment.

I. THIS MAY BE THE VIEW OF OUR TROUBLES THAT OTHERS TAKE. it is the view Job’s friends took at once, and they would hear nothing else. Job had at least secretly sinned, and his suffering was his judgment. Of Messiah it is said, “We did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.” It is what we first think of others, and what others first think of us. But it had better never be spoken, for it may not be true, and it will certainly add to the sufferer’s burden. What a mistake to think of the suffering Jesus as a malefactor!

II. THIS MAY BE THE VIEW OF OUR TROUBLES THAT WE OURSELVES TAKE RIGHTLY. It may be the explanation. And some heart searching is proper at the beginning of all times of affliction. Perhaps we have been going astray, or becoming wilful or negligent. There are “secret faults,” “presumptuous sins,” “leavings of first love,” which must be dealt thus with. God’s people have to come into judgments which will mark the character of their sins, and into chastisements which will deliver them from their power.

III. THIS MAY BE THE VIEW OF OUR TROUBLES THAT WE OURSELVES TAKE WRONGLY. Many good Christians are too ready to think evil of themselves, and write bitter things against themselves. Absolute sincerity and truthfulness should be sought, even in dealing with our own faults and failings. We may even confess too much.R.T.

Psa 102:12, Psa 102:25-27

Changing self; changing world; unchanging God.

A very favourite contrast with psalmists and poets.

I. A CONTRAST BASED ON A FACT. The fact is that man’s life is changeable and brief. This is true of a man’s bodily life, intellectual life, and life of relations. It is impressed on a man in his times of sickness, especially when sickness comes breaking into and breaking up his plans, as in the case of king Hezekiah. Here the psalmist puts the fact into two figuresthe passing shadow, the quickly withered grass. Precisely the metaphor is taken from the lengthening, that is, the evening shadow, which Rashi thus explains: “When it is the time of evening the shadows lengthen, but when it is dark they are no longer discernible, but come to an end and go.” The figure of the short-lived grass is one of the most familiar in the Bible. It is more striking in the hot Eastern countries, where blasting winds come, than with us. The contrast is the Divine continuity and persistency. The cedars outlive the storms of many winters, but die at last. They endure through some generations, but fall at last. God survives all kinds of winters, and lasts through all generations. The successions of the afflicted have always the Divine Healthy One to whom they can look. They may comfort themselves with the assurance that what he was, he is, and ever will be.

II. A CONTRAST BASED ON AN IMAGINATION. Nobody really knows anything about the earth perishing, and the heavens being folded up, though scientific men venture now to calculate the actual number of years that the earth may be expected to last. Psa 102:25 is poetry, and based on Eastern knowledge and ideas of the form of earth and heaven. We can imagine all material things changing and passing. We know that nothing created retains its form long. And yet certain things of creation seem permanent and immovable. We speak of the “everlasting mountains,” the “solid earth,” the “infinite heavens.” But think of the mountains shaken down, the earth shifted from its place, and the heavens folded up, and then God is the same, unaffected; nay, he is the supreme force that crumbles the mountains, refashions the earth, and rolls up the heavens that he “spread abroad.”

God stands in absolute contrast with

(1) all our experiences, and

(2) with all our imaginations.

The flux and reflux characteristic of material things never affect him “whose years are throughout all generations.”R.T.

Psa 102:16

God glorified in fulfilling his promises.

The psalmist has evidently in mind the anticipated return of the exiles, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem, and the re-establishment of the Jehovah worship. By his servants the prophets God had made distinct promises to his people of a return from the Captivity. He had even fixed a precise time, though the date from which the seventy years were to be reckoned was not clearly defined. But seventy years of humiliation is a long time in which to keep up faith and hope. Many were likely to fail under the strain, and to say, “Our way is hid from the Lord, and our judgment is passed over from our God; . God hath forgotten to be gracious.” Better souls, like this psalmist, kept faith in God, sung in their hope, and were filled with confidence that God would keep his time, that he did not really tarry, and that he would surely be glorified, before all men, as the “Faithful Promiser.”

I. GOD GLORIFIED IN KEEPING HIS WORD. “Hath he said, and shall he not do it? hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” Men sometimes are neither right nor wise in keeping their word, because they had promised unadvisedly, had spoken impulsively; there had been no sufficient thought behind their promise. That fear can never be applied to God. We may always be sure that efficient knowledge and adequate thought lie behind all his promises. And these come fully to view when the blessings promised are realized. God is glorified to our view when his word is kept, because we read him through the blessing his fulfilled promise becomes to us.

II. GOD GLORIFIED IN THE WAYS IN WHICH HE FULFILS HIS PROMISES. For he fulfils them through the orderings of his providence, and these are often full of surprises, which excite our admiration of the Wonder worker. Illustrate from the providential order that brought about the return of the exiles. Who could have expected Cyrus to appear on the scene?

III. GOD GLORIFIED IN THE TIMES HE ARRANGES FOR THE FULFILMENT OF HIS PROMISES. He promised restoration from Babylon, and we can see that the time chosen was the only time when, in any sense, an independent Jewish national life could be resumed. The shiftings of authority in the great Eastern nations made that possible just then. So the coming of Messiah is declared to have been just at the “fulness of times”the precise time of the world’s peace, and of the universal sway of Rome, when he could be the “Saviour of the world.”R.T.

Psa 102:23, Psa 102:24

Prayer for renewal of imperilled life.

All love life, and desire to have it prolonged. But the psalmist does not ask for its renewal on merely personal grounds. He pleads that he is so sure God’s restoring mercies are just at hand; and, if he could see them realized, he could die in peace. Compare Simeon’s song as he held the Babe-Saviour. Death coming when a man is in the very midst of life’s work is the most trying of human experiences. We always feel intensely sorry for Moses, though he was so aged, because he must leave his life work incomplete. See the intense distress of Hezekiah, because his “purposes were broken off.” This was the special bitterness of his grief: “I said, I shall not see the Lord, even the Lord, in the land of the living.” So with this psalmist of the Exile. He shrank from dying just at the time when he was expecting that manifestation of the Divine power for which he had been so long hoping and waiting. To die on this side of our promised land is always hard work. Death is dreaded in the midst of

(1) manhood;

(2) prosperity;

(3) responsibility;

(4) spiritual growth;

(5) Christian work, etc.

I. THE MISSION OF DEATH IN THE MIDST OF LIFE TO HIM WHO DIES. Show how supreme a moral test it may be. It tries a man’s submission. It reveals incompleteness of culture. It shows what an undue hold the world may have gained on a man. It puts him on proving the power of prayer. It humbles him by showing that he is not so essential to the well being of humanity as he had thought. Sickness, imperilling life, coming to a man in the midst of his days, often proves to be a most humbling and sanctifying experience.

II. THE MISSION OF DEATH IN THE MIDST OF LIFE TO THOSE WHO HAVE TO LIVE ON. Nothing so effectively convinces of the uncertainty of life. Nothing better pleads for the faithful doing of the duty of every hour. Nothing more effectively convinces that no man is necessary to God’s work in the world. It teaches us that as our life-work may be “rounded off” at any moment, it should always be ready for “rounding off.” The imperilled may pray for renewed life and lengthened days, but not in any unconditional way, since length of life is no supreme and necessary good. Such prayer must wait on the holy will.R.T.

Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary

Psalms 102.

The Prophet in his prayer maketh a grievous complaint: he taketh comfort in the eternity and mercy of God. The mercies of God are to be recorded: he sustaineth his weakness by the unchangeableness of God.

A prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD.

Title. tehillah leaani.] This prayer of the afflicted was probably written by Nehemiah in the time of the captivity (see Neh 1:3; Neh 1:11.) for the use of himself and other pious persons, who lamented the desolation of Jerusalem, and the ruin of the temple: though at the same time they had comfortable hopes that the nations round about should shortly see their wonderful restoration, and thereby be invited to embrace their religion, which was a lively emblem of the coming of the Gentiles into the church of Christ, the eternity of whose kingdom is foretold in the conclusion of this psalm. Mudge is of opinion, from the 13th verse, that it was composed about the time that God had promised a restoration to his people; i.e. after a term of 70 years; and that this was a form of prayer directed to be used by every particular person in the captivity.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

Psalms 102

A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the Lord

2Hear my prayer, O Lord,

And let my cry come unto thee.

3Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble;

Incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call

Answer me speedily.

4For my days are consumed like smoke,

And my bones are burned as a hearth.

5My heart is smitten, and withered like grass;

So that I forget to eat my bread.

6By reason of the voice of my groaning

My bones cleave to my skin.

7I am like a pelican of the wilderness:

I am like an owl of the desert.

8I watch,

And am as a sparrow alone upon the housetop.

9Mine enemies reproach me all the day;

And they that are mad against me are sworn against me.

10For I have eaten ashes like bread,

And mingled my drink with weeping,

11Because of thine indignation and thy wrath:

For thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down.

12My days are like a shadow that declineth;

And I am withered like grass.

13But thou, O Lord, shalt endure for ever;

And thy remembrance unto all generations.

14Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion:

For the time to favor her,
Yea, the set time, is come.

15For thy servants take pleasure in her stones,

And favor the dust thereof.

16So the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord,

And all the kings of the earth thy glory.

17When the Lord shall build up Zion,

He shall appear in his glory.

18He will regard the prayer of the destitute,

And not despise their prayer.

19This shall be written for the generation to come:

And the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord.

20For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary;

From heaven did the Lord behold the earth;

21To hear the groaning of the prisoner;

To loose those that are appointed to death;

22To declare the name of the Lord in Zion,

And his praise in Jerusalem;

23When the people are gathered together,

And the kingdoms, to serve the Lord.

24He weakened my strength in the way;

He shortened my days.

25I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days:

Thy years are throughout all generations.

26Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth:

And the heavens are the work of thy hands.

27They shall perish, but thou shalt endure

Yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment;
As a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed.

28But thou art the same,

And thy years shall have no end.

29The children of thy servants shall continue,

And their seed shall be established before thee.

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

Contents and Superscription. In this superscription there are given, contrary to the usual custom, not the historical cirumstances by which the contents might be explained, and which occasioned the utterance of the Psalm, but the circumstances under which it might be employed. Accordingly, the superscription may have been affixed at a later time, when the collection of Psalms had come to be employed, not merely as a book of devotion for liturgical purposes, but also for private use, like other books of hymns (Hupfeld). This, however, is not decisive; for the contents and tone of this prayer, which is throughout of a subjective character, are pervaded by historical and personal allusions. These exclude the supposition that a poet, perhaps David, had composed it for his descendants (Hengst.), or that a prophet, having in view the future misery of the people (Calvin), had written it for the use of the class of sufferers which it describes, when their sufferings should begin, by transferring himself to their mental position, or drew up a model of prayer or formulary for employment in such circumstances. The suppliant speaks from personal experience of distress actually pressing upon him. But this distress has not an individual character, but is of that general kind which is felt under national calamities and misfortunes. He prays for himself, but at the same time affords help in prayer to those who not only are in like circumstances with himself, who also are in a like frame of soul. The time shortly before the end of the Exile may be recognized as indicated in Psa 102:14-15. With this also agree the many points of coincidence with the prophecies of the second part of Isaiah, with which, also, passages from other Psalms, e.g.,Psalms 22, 69, 79, and from Job, are united. Yet the Psalm is not without individuality, and is marked some times by a lofty poetic strain and by expressions which are as beautiful in language as they are sublime in conception. The strophical structure is rather irregular, so that only smaller and larger groups are distinguishable. After a request to be heard, expressed in general terms (vers.2, 3), there follows, first, a description of the distressed situation of the suppliant in three sections (Psa 102:4-13). To this there is attached an expression of the confident assurance that Jehovah, the eternal Sovereign and gracious Hearer of prayer, would soon fulfil His deecree of mercy to Zion (vers.1315), for the manifestation of His glory, in the presence of which the heathen would be affrighted (vers.1618), while the redeemed would praise the Lord, recount His deeds for succeeding ages, and so proclaim His glory, that even heathen nations, converted to Jehovah, should worship in Zion (Psa 102:19-23). Then follows the confession, that humiliation has come from the hand of the Lord. This passes over into an entreaty, that the supplicant may not be snatched a way before his time. Finally, God is praised as the Eternal, who remains ever the same, and who will also grant perpetuity to the generation of His servants (vers.2429).

Psa 102:4-7. Hearth.This signification is established by the Arabic (Delitzsch, Hitzig), so that we need not translate: brand = fire (most), or = twigs (Sept. and others). The hearth, however, may be regarded as embracing what lies upon it (Isa 33:14; Num 4:2).Persons in deep grief ate nothing (1Sa 1:7; 1Sa 20:34; 2Sa 12:16; 2Ki 21:4). The pelican (Psa 102:7) is mentioned as an inhabitant of moors and desert places (Num 11:18; Deu 14:17; Isa 24:17; Zep 2:14. Comp. Oedmann, Vermischte Sammlungen, Part 3, Chap. 6). Along with this in Num 11:17, is also mentioned as an unclean bird, which in its etymology is connected with a bottle or cup, and therefore might signify the pelican (Bochart); but it has always been explained as the night-owl or nightraven.

Psa 102:9-12. Swearing by one (Psa 102:9), means: to make his name a by-word of execration, or an example of cursing (Isa 65:15; Jer 29:22; Jer 42:18). The ashes (Psa 102:10), allude to the custom of those in deep sorrow, of sitting in ashes and dust, and strewing them upon their heads and garments. We are not to suppose that the bread of the Psalmist was actually defiled. It is a figurative expression, like: dust is their bread (Isa 65:25; comp. Gen 3:14; Psa 72:9). The lifting up and casting down [Psa 102:11] is a figure borrowed from a tempestuous wind (Job 32:21; Job 30:22; Isa 64:5; Eze 3:14), vividly representing how the people first lost their fatherland, and were then cast among strangers. In Psa 102:12 life is compared to a shadow, not as passing, or quickly vanishing (Psa 145:4; comp Psa 39:7), but as growing towards its end (Psa 109:23), lengthening in the evening (Jer 4:4), after a figure taken from the declining of the day (Jdg 19:9). There is nothing to indicate an allusion to a leaning wall which threatens to fall, Psa 62:4 (Hengstenberg).

Psa 102:13-18. Thy remembrance.Instead of several codices, known already to Aben Ezra, read , thy throne, evidently a correction after Lam 5:19 (Kimchi), but made unnecessarily, for the passage before us rests upon Exo 3:15, and corresponds with the references just made to Gods sitting upon His throne, that is, reigning (Psa 9:8; Psa 29:10.)The time (Psa 102:14) determined in Gods counsels (Psa 75:3; Isa 40:2) is often understood too definitely of the seventy years exile (Jer 25:11 f.; Jer 29:10).The stones [Psa 102:15] are not those intended for rebuilding (Isa 54:11), but, as being parallel to dust = debris. (Neh 4:4), are the stones of Zion in ruins (Jer 4:1; Neh. 3:34). The loving devotion here described is, therefore, not that of longing after the future, but, as the parallelism also demands, that of sympathetic attachment, unaffected by the destruction of the city.The restoration of Jerusalem and the appearing of Jehovahs glory [Psa 102:17] go together (Isa 40:1-5), and are to be the means of the conversion of the world. The people of the Exile are called in Psa 102:18 destitute and homeless, powerless, unhonored, and despised by men (Del.).

[Psa 102:22. Alexander: This, according to the laws of Hebrew syntax, does not necessarily denote an act of God Himself, as the similar construction in the preceding verse does, but may have a vague sense, equivalent to saying, that his name may be declared in Zion. To recount Gods name is to recount the mighty deeds which constitute it, and the celebration of which constitutes His praise. Zion is still represented as the great scene of Jehovahs triumphs, not, however, as the capital of Israel or Judah merely, but as the radiating centre of religious light and influence to all the earth.J. F. M.]

Psa 102:24-28. My strength.It is evidently in accordance with the parallel expression: my days, to read the suffix of the first person (Syr., Chald. and many codices) instead of the usual third person = is strength (Sept. and most). But it is doubtful whether we should translate: on the way (Psa 110:7), or: by reason of the way (Psa 105:18). The Sept. gives a complete subversion of the sense: it was said to me on the way of his strength: show me the shortness of my days.-Although the heavens and the mountains are termed everlasting with reference to the lasting duration of the order of things (Gen 8:20; Gen 9:9; Psa 72:6; Psa 148:6), preserved from decay (Isa 48:13), yet, when contrasted with God, they are not merely transitory and mutable (Psa 72:7; Job 14:12), but will undergo a change by the power of God (Isa 34:4; Isa 1:9; Isa 51:6; Isa 65:17; Isa 66:22). In view of the contrast to this change to which the world will be subjected, (Psa 102:28) is not to be understood as referring, according to the analogy of (Deu 32:39; Isa 43:10; Isa 43:13; comp. 11; Psa 48:12; Psa 52:6), to the fact that God is the only Being who can lay claim to the Divine name, but, as in Job 3:19; Isa 41:4; Isa 46:4, to the immutability in which God ever manifests Himself as the same. The Messianic application of this passage in Heb 1:10 ff. has its justification in the context, which points to the time of fulfilment. The concluding sentence asserts that the generation of Gods servants will not perish, but will ever have a seed, and thereby be preserved until the period of consummation. [Perowne: It is by no means easy to understand why the words of this Psalm should have been quoted, as it does not seem at first sight to be a Messianic Psalm. It may be observed, however, (1) that it is in this sense Messianic, that it looks forward to Israels redemption from captivity, and the future glory of Zion; (2) that …. there are two great lines of Messianic hope running through the Psalms, the one human, the other Divine; in the one of which the reign of the Son of David, in the other of which the advent of Jehovah is the great end and object. Here the Psalmist is occupied with the latter, the appearing of Jehovah in His glory. (3) This identification of the Jesus of the New Testament with the Jehovah of the Old is what we find elsewhere. Comp. Joh 12:41 with Isaiah 6. (Isaiah sees the glory of Jehovah, John says it was the glory of Christ), and Joh 19:37, which in Zec 12:10 is language used directly of Jehovah. … (4) Not only the revelation, the appearing of Jehovah in Zion, but also the creation of the world, Psa 102:26, would point to the great Mediator, the Eternal Word, as the Person here spoken of, and on this last ground especially, the quotation in the Epistle to the Hebrews seems to rest.J. F. M.]

DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL

1. In great sorrow of heart even the body declines. One in deep affliction loses his relish even for food and drink. He who is inwardly tempted feels himself also outwardly weakened, and passing away like a shadow to his end. Then it is necessary above every thing else to be firmly fixed in God, the Eternal, the Abiding, the Immutable, to gain and maintain that immovable ground, into which faith strikes root, and from which the expectation of answer to prayer grows up with life and vigor. Then the earthly sources of happiness may be lost, its outward supports be resigned, the temporal means of its preservation and restoration be dispensed with, yes, everything which otherwise would be precious to men may be stripped away, and the sufferer may wander a homeless stranger over the earth, and yet he will not be lost. He, who in his distress makes God his refuge, remains shielded in Him, though forsaken by the whole world.
2. But to make God our refuge in such circumstances is not so easy as some suppose it to be. For, in the first place, faith is not the gift of every one. We have besides this to take into special account the pressure which distress exerts upon the soul, and which thus overcasts the mind, weakens the love of prayer, paralyzes the powers generally, and obstructs the upward looking and rising of the soul to God. To this feeling of weariness, feebleness, and exhaustion there is then added the experience of loneliness, when we are not only forsaken but shunned, and be come the object not of sympathy but of abhorrence, contempt, and execration. But worst of all is the burden of the Divine wrath, whose awful severity we have to bear in those fearful judgments. The turning point of deliverance is indeed gained, when the chastened one remembers that his sufferings are the merited chastisement of his sins. But he, who is sincere in such confession, is also conscious that he cannot with all his sufferings remove his guilt or atone for his sins, and thus falls into a deep gloom, which would consume him if he were to long for God in vain.
3. But the longing for God already contains in itself germs of faith, both in Gods power, and in His willingness to pardon, comfort, and deliver. Moreover, in order that these seeds may not be blighted, but gain vigor and develop, God permits His people to behold manifestations of His power, goodness, and faithfulness, and provides that the events by which they are made known be proclaimed in the Church from generation to generation, and through the Church come to the knowledge of the heathen, and that thus all the world be called to conversion, and the means of salvation be afforded it. The preservation, therefore, of Gods Church in the world, and the means of grace within the Church, form an object on the one hand, of the cares, prayers, and hopes of believers, and on the other of the providential care, the love, and the effectual working of God, as the unchangeable Creator, Preserver, and Governor of the Church, as well as the world, who will cause His glory to appear, when the time is fulfilled, and will preserve the seed of His servants, while the world is passing away.

HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL

He who would not pine away in distress must seek revival from Gods countenance, and, therefore, not merely pour out his complaint before Him, but also cast his cares upon Him and hope for the consolation of Israel.The more strongly we feel our frailty and helplessness, and the more clearly we recognize the perishableness and impotence of the world, the more firmly fixed must we be in God, the more implicitly must we hope in Him, and the more cheerfully take what comes from His hand.We care best for our own welfare, when we are concerned for Gods honor, the salvation of the world, and the prosperity of the Church.The security for the preservation of the Church does not lie (1) in the impotence of the hostile world, but in the indestructible dominion of the Almighty; nor (2) in the virtues of its members, but in His unchangeable faithfulness; nor (3) in the strength of temporal institutions, but in the invincible power of the means of grace.The glory of the world sets with the rising of the glory of God: well for him who can resign the one and hope in the other!Suffering and love are not counterparts, but they are quite compatible with one another. Let us recognize, feel, and testify to this in the afflictions of the Church as well as in personal trials.God has fixed in the Church the remembrance of His name for His own glory, for the building of the Church, and for the conversion of the heathen.God has not resigned His power over the world, even if He permits it to last for a time, and restrains His judgments: let us then trust in His power, and, that we may not need to dread His judgments, let us serve Him faithfully as our King.

Luther: A Psalm of devotion, wherein the dear saints of old, weary of the law, of sin, and of dying, yearn thus fervently after God, and call for the kingdom of grace promised in Christ.Calvin: The more lamentable the desolation of the Church, the less should we allow ourselves to become alienated from love to her.Starke: True penitence does not soon cease; it is not exercised with laughter on the lips.It does not so much grieve the pious that they are chastened by God, as that they have offended Him, and have thereby brought upon themselves His anger and chastisement.A penitent heart distrusts its own strength, and knows that it has as little strength as a shadow, and as little sap as the withered grass.It is the beginning of true repentance, when the stony heart, smitten by the rod of the law, overflows in a flood of tears; from this sowing in tears there grows the stately and fruitful harvest of joy.In the world, every one turns his eyes away from him who is forsaken and despised; but God does the opposite. He turns to listen to the entreaties of those who are forsaken by the world and its comfort.There are few among men who have part in Gods mercy, because they do not groan as prisoners, or know that they are children of death.Beware lest thou shorten thy days by an intemperate and unchaste life, needless anxiety, anger, and other evils; abide rather in Gods fear, for that will lengthen thy days.We shall have lived long enough, when we shall have gained a true knowledge of Christ, and have been well confirmed therein; if we have this, we cannot after that die at an inconvenient time.The world must always leave a little room for the citizens of Christs kingdom, and if they do not find it on earth, they have an eternal abiding place in heaven.Selnecker: That is a beautiful and comforting promise, that God will hear all those who believe and fear Him, and that the Church of Christ will ever endure, and extol and praise the great blessings of its Redeemer.Menzel: For what end are the people created? To praise the Lord.Arndt: Though God the Lord knows all thy troubles, yet He will have thee lament them to Him; (1) that in thy spirit there should be no guile; (2) and that from the heart thou shouldst know thy sin; (3) that thou shouldst show the Lord thy wound which pains thee, that He may heal it.Rieger: We indeed have proofs that we are not in heaven, but that we are suspended all alone, by our faith, between the life of theworld and the life eternal. But it will yet be the lot of the world to utter a more bitter cry than the pelicans. Ah, how much better would it be to weep here with and over Zion!Guenther: Though it may seem sometimes as if death must be near, and the night of hell must conquer and triumph over the few righteous in a city or in a nation, yet it must remain true of them, what the Lord Himself has said, that none should snatch them out of His hand, and that the gates of hell should not prevail against them.Diedrich: If all thy desire is really after the living God, He will speedily vouchsafe His presence to thee most richly; but worldlings and hypocrites desire not God, but always the world, even when they pray.Taube: While believers under the Old Covenant sought and gained Christ in God, the God of salvation in the God of creation, the children of the New Covenant proclaim God in Christ, who became flesh, of whom, by whom, and to whom are all things, blessed to eternity.

[Matth. Henry: If God by His providence declare His name, we must by our acknowledgment of it declare His praise, which ought to be to us an echo of His name.Barnes: An indication of a coming revival of religion is often manifestedby tenderness, pity, and compassion in view of abounding desolations, the coldness of the Church, and the prevalence of iniquityby a conscious returning love in their hearts for all that pertains to religion, however unimportant it may be in the eyes of the world, or however it may be despised.J. F. M.]

Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange

CONTENTS

The Psalmist is here engaged in prayer. We find much that clearly refers to the person of Christ. The sorrows expressed, considered with reference to him, are very striking: and the refuge taken in the eternal strength of Jehovah, as the strength of the redeemed, forms a most interesting part in this divine Psalm.

A prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the Lord.

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

From the authority of the Holy Ghost, in having caused his servant, the apostle Paul, to quote a portion of this psalm, in his first chapter of his Epistle to the Hebrews, in direct reference to the person of Christ, it is plain, that the church now, as the Apostle did then, ought to be always upon the look-out for Jesus in every part of Scripture. For my own part, when I consider Christ as our Head and Surety, who in all our affliction was afflicted; and when I hear the strong cries of Jesus in the days of his flesh, and connect with it the cause, I find it profitable to consider him going before, in all the tribulated path of sorrow, and to behold him, who endured such a contradiction of sinners against himself; as the best method to avoid being wearied, and faint in my mind. As such, I read this psalm, first, with reference to the person of Jesus; and then, as, in Him, forming a suitable form of words to approach God in Christ, at a mercy-seat, in seasons of soul exercises and trouble. Heb 12:3 .

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

An Unfinished Life

Psa 102:24

I. The inscription of this Psalm is unique. It describes the inner subject of the Psalm and makes a very beautiful heading. A prayer of the afflicted when he is overwhelmed and poureth out his complaint before the Lord. The afflictions are those of the nation and of the Psalmist himself, who added to his own sorrows the sorrow of his people. The elegy moves with mournful strain as he describes the bitterness of his pain. He has eaten ashes like bread, and mingled his drink with weeping. His days are shortened, his strength wasted, and death has crept up close to him, so that he is withered like grass. It seems to him so untimely, so premature that he should be taken, for he is assured that God is about to remember Zion and to have mercy upon her. To have gone through all the pain and tribulation without tasting the ultimate joy, to have borne all the toil and the burden without sharing in the harvest and in the joy of the harvest-home, to have taken part in the long weary strife and to fall in the hour of victory, that eyes which had seen all the desolation and been salt with tears through many a sorrow should be closed in death as the new era breaks that is the dreadful pathos of the situation.

II. We, too, have often a similar feeling about what we call unfinished lives and untimely deaths; we have this sense of pathos not for the victor of a hundred fights, but for the soldier who falls in his first campaign, not for the statesman who passes away laden with years and honours, but for the promising novice who was just earning his first laurels, not for the man who could say after a long and strenuous life, ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished the course’. Pity to him is an insult. He has lived out his life and done his work, and entered into his rest. We are oppressed with the thought of the irony of human life and of the vanity of human wishes at the sight of all unfinished work. The manuscript with the sentence broken off where the pen fell from the fingers, the picture with here and there a figure only sketched in charcoal, the statue with only suggestions of the beauty that was designed by it. But unfinished work can never be half so sad as unfinished lives. We pass by the unfinished work to consider the work actually accomplished. But an unfinished life has no such other reference to offer. It is a crop blighted before the harvest.

III. In all this natural train of thought we are liable to fall into a great and grievous error. We may have a wrong standard of judgment as to what is a finished life. We mostly think of it as length of days, the telling of a long tale. A long life may be an unfinished life, though it has run out to the last sand undisturbed. It may never have grasped for one moment the real purpose of living so that to all intents it is cut off in the midst of its days though the days were as the days of Methuselah. Human life cannot be judged by its years nor even by its work, but must be judged by its spirit, not the palpable and outside, such as the years passed or the deeds accomplished, but what is attained through the time and through the deeds, the true set of the character, the bent of life the discipline of the heart, the culture of the soul. Early or late, young or old, that is a finished life when the true end of life is apprehended. If a man has learned to love God and obey Him, if he has submitted his will to the will of God, if he has linked his life to the Eternal life and his love to the Eternal love, his life is not unfinished, though it seems taken away in the midst of his days. There can be nothing untimely when his times are in God’s hands. Nothing can happen too early or too late.

Hugh Black, University Sermons, p. 131.

References. CII. 24. Expositor (3rd Series), vol. iv. p. 377. CII. 25-27. J. J. Blunt, Plain Sermons (2nd Series), p. 114.

The Permanence of Spirit in the Fleetingness of Nature

Psa 102:26-27

I. The sentiment of this passage is to my mind unique in literature. The common sentiment of men in looking on the face of nature is the contrary. You gaze upon a field which you trod in childhood: and almost with bitterness the thought comes over you. Why is matter so much more enduring than spirit? You think of the multitude who are dead since first you trod this field this field which seems to stand as fresh and green as of yore. It is such a sentiment as this which Tennyson expresses when he makes the brook sing ‘Men may come and men may go, but I go on for ever’. It is such a sentiment as this which Byron expresses when he surveys the sea and cries, ‘Time writes no wrinkle on thine azure brow’. It is such a sentiment as this which we all express when we speak of ‘the everlasting hills’; we are contrasting the permanence of nature with the transitoriness of spirit.

II. In this outpouring of the Psalmist we have exactly the opposite idea; here, nature is the perishable and spirit the permanent. He looks at the field, at the sea, at the hills, and cries, ‘They perish but the great Spirit remaineth’. It is the inversion of Tennyson’s song ‘Brooks may come and brooks may go, but soul goes on for ever’. And there is no doubt, even from a literary point of view, that the Psalmist is right. Even in this world the most abiding thing is a soul. The brook could never say ‘I,’ because it does not remain the same brook for two minutes. So far from going on for ever, it needs to be renewed every instant. The drops are new each moment. They only seem the same because my spirit is the same. It is my spirit which says ‘I’ not the brook. The Psalmist saw this. He saw that the permanence attributed to each natural form is an illusion cast by the shadow of the soul’s own immortality. The bloom of the flower is not a single bloom; it is a momentarily repeated colour. The water of a stream is not a single water; it is an ever renewed liquid. The strength of the mountain is not a single strength; it is a constantly replenished force coming from the play of atoms. The spirit alone abides; the spirit alone says ‘I’.

G. Matheson, Messages of Hope, p. 65.

References. CII. 26. H. J. Wilmot-Buxton, Waterside Mission Sermons (1st Series), p. 44. CII. 27. W. Baird, The Hallowing of Our Common Life, p. 1. CII. International Critical Commentary, vol. ii. p. 316.

Fuente: Expositor’s Dictionary of Text by Robertson

XV

PSALM AFTER DAVID PRIOR TO THE BABYLONIAN EXILE

The superscriptions ascribed to Asaph twelve palms (Psa 50 ; 73-83) Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun presided over the Levitical singers in the time of David. Their sons also directed the various bands of musicians (1Ch 25 ). It seems that the family of Asaph for many generations continued to preside over the service of song (Cf. Ezr 3:10 ).

The theme of Psa 50 is “Obedience is better than sacrifice,” or the language of Samuel to Saul when he had committed the awful sin in respect to the Amalekites. This teaching is paralleled in many Old Testament scriptures, for instance, Psa 51:16-17 . For thou delightest not in sacrifice; else would I give it: Thou hast no pleasure in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

The problem of Psa 73 is the problem of why the wicked prosper (Psa 73:1-14 ), and its solution is found in the attitude of God toward the wicked (Psa 73:15-28 ). [For a fine exposition of the other psalms of this section see Kirkpatrick or Maclaren on the Psalms.]

The psalms attributed to the sons of Korah are Psa 42 ; Psa 44 ; Psa 45 ; Psa 47 ; Psa 48 ; Psa 49 ; Psa 84 ; Psa 85 ; Psa 87 . The evidence that Psalms 42-43 were one poem is internal. There are three stanzas, each closing with a refrain. The similarity of structure and thought indicates that they were formerly one psalm. A parallel to these two psalms we find in the escape of Christian from the Castle of Giant Despair in Pilgrim’s Progress .

Only two psalms were ascribed to Solomon, viz: Psa 72 and 127. However, the author believes that there is good reason to attribute Psa 72 to David. If he wrote it, then only one was written by Solomon.

The theme of Psa 72 is the reign of the righteous king, and the outline according to DeWitt, which shows the kingdom as desired and foretold, is as follows: (1) righteous (Psa 72:1-4 ) ; (2) perpetual (Psa 72:5-7 ); (3) universal (Psa 72:8-11 ); (4) benign (Psa 72:12-14 ); (5) prosperous (Psa 72:15-17 ).

Psa 127 was written when Solomon built the Temple. It is the central psalm of the psalms of the Ascents, which refer to the Temple. It seems fitting that this psalm should occupy the central position in the group, because of the occasion which inspired it and its relation to the other psalms of the group. A brief interpretation of it is as follows: The house here means household. It is a brief lyric, setting forth the lessons of faith and trust. This together with Psa 128 is justly called “A Song of Home.” Once in speaking to Baylor Female College I used this psalm, illustrating the function of a school as a parent sending forth her children into the world as mighty arrows. Again I used this psalm in one of my addresses in our own Seminary in which I made the household to refer to the Seminary sending forth the preachers as her children.

The psalms assigned to the era of Hezekiah and Isaiah are Psa 46 ; Psa 47 ; Psa 48 . The historical setting is found in the history of the reign of Hezekiel. Their application to Judah at this time is found in the historical connection, in which we have God’s great deliverances from the foreign powers, especially the deliverance from Sennacherib. We find in poetry a description of the destruction and desolation of Jerusalem in the Lamentations of Jeremiah and in Psa 74 ; Psa 79 .

The radical critics ascribe Psa 74 ; Psa 79 to the Maccabean period, and their argument is based upon the use of the word “synagogues,” in Psa 74:8 . The answer to their contention is found in the marginal rendering which gives “places of assembly” instead of “synagogues.” The word “synagogue” is a Greek word translated from the Hebrew, which has several meanings, and in this place means the “place of assembly” where God met his people.

The silence of the exile period is shown in Psa 137 , in which they respond that they cannot sing a song of Zion in a strange land. Their brightening of hope is seen in Psa 102 . In this we have the brightening of their hope on the eve of their return. In Psa 85:10 we have a great text:

Mercy and truth are met together;

Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

The truth here is God’s law demanding justice; mercy is God’s grace meeting justice. This was gloriously fulfilled in Christ on the cross. He met the demands of the law and offers mercy and grace to all who accept them on the terms of repentance and faith.

Three characteristics of Psa 119 are, first, it is an alphabetical psalm; second, it is the longest chapter in the Bible, and third, it is an expansion of the latter part of Psa 19 . Psalms 146-150 were used for worship in the second temple. The expressions of innocence in the psalms do not refer to original sin, but to a course of conduct in contrast with wicked lives. The psalmists do not claim absolute, but relative sinlessness.

The imprecations in the psalms are real prayers, and are directed against real men who were enemies of David and the Jewish nation, but they are not expressions of personal resentment. They are vigorous expressions of righteous indignation against incorrigible enemies of God and his people and are to be interpreted in the light of progressive revelation. The New Testament contains many exultant expressions of the overthrow of the wicked. (Cf. 1Co 16:22 ; 2Ti 4:14 ; Gal 5:12 ; Rev 16:5-6 ; Rev 18:20 .) These imprecations do not teach that we, even in the worst circumstances, should bear personal malice, nor take vengeance on the enemies of righteousness, but that we should live so close to God that we may acquiesce in the destruction of the wicked and leave the matter of vengeance in the hands of a just God, to whom vengeance belongs (Rom 12:19-21 ).

The clearest teachings on the future life as found in the psalms, both pro and con, are found in these passages, as follows: Psa 16:10-11 ; Psa 17:15 ; Psa 23:6 ; Psa 49:15 ; Psa 73:23-26 . The passages that are construed to the contrary are found in Psa 6:5 ; Psa 30:9 ; Psa 39:13 ; Psa 88:10-12 ; Psa 115:17 . The student will compare these passages and note carefully their teachings. The first group speaks of the triumph over Sheol (the resurrection) ; about awaking in the likeness of God; about dwelling in the house of the Lord forever; about redemption from the power of Sheol; and God’s guiding counsel and final reception into glory, all of which is very clear and unmistakable teaching as to the future life.

The second group speaks of DO remembrance in death; about no profit to the one when he goes down to the pit; of going hence and being no more; about the dead not being able to praise God and about the grave as being the land of forgetfulness ; and about the dead not praising Jehovah, all of which are spoken from the standpoint of the grave and temporal death.

There is positively no contradiction nor discrepancy in the teaching of these scriptures. One group takes the spirit of man as the viewpoint and teaches the continuity of life, the immortality of the soul; the other group takes the physical being of man as the viewpoint and teaches the dissolution of the body and its absolute unconsciousness in the grave.

QUESTIONS

1. How many and what psalms were ascribed to Asaph?

2. Who presided over the Levitical singers in the time of David?

3. What is the theme of Psa 50 , and where do we find the same teaching in the Old Testament?

4. What is the problem of Psa 73 , and what its solution?

5. What psalms are attributed to the sons of Korah?

6. What is the evidence that Psalms 42-43 were one poem and what the characteristic of these two taken together?

7. What parallel to these two psalms do we find in modern literature?

8. What psalms were ascribed to Solomon?

9. What is the theme of Psa 72 ?

10. What is the outline according to DeWitt, which shows the kingdom as desired and foretold?

11. When was Psa 127 written and what the application as a part of the Pilgrim group?

12. Give a brief interpretation of it and the uses made of it by the author on two different occasions.

13. What psalms are assigned to the era of Hezekiah and Isaiah, and what their historical setting?

14. What is their application to Judah at this time?

15. Where may we find in poetry a description of the destruction and desolation of Jerusalem?

16. To what period do radical critics ascribe Psalms 74-79; what is their argument, and what is your answer?

17. Which psalm shows the silence of the exile period and why?

18. Which one shows their brightening of hope?

19. Explain Psa 85:10 .

20. Give three characteristics of Psa 119 .

21. What use was made of Psalms 146-150?

22. Explain the expression of innocence in the psalms in harmony with their teaching of sin.

23. Explain the imprecations in the psalms and show their harmony with New Testament teachings.

24. Cite the clearest teachings on the future life as found in the psalms, both pro and con.

Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible

XVI

THE MESSIANIC PSALMS AND OTHERS

We commence this chapter by giving a classified list of the Messianic Psalms, as follows:

The Royal Psalms are:

Psa 110 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 72 ; Psa 45 ; Psa 89 ;

The Passion Psalms are:

Psa 22 ; Psa 41 ; Psa 69 ;

The Psalms of the Ideal Man are Psa 8 ; Psa 16 ; Psa 40 ;

The Missionary Psalms are:

Psa 47 ; Psa 65 ; Psa 68 ; Psa 96 ; Psa 100 ; Psa 117 .

The predictions before David of the coming Messiah are, (1) the seed of the woman; (2) the seed of Abraham; (3) the seed of Judah; (4) the seed of David.

The prophecies of history concerning the Messiah are, (1) a prophet like unto Moses; (2) a priest after the order of Melchizedek; (3) a sacrifice which embraces all the sacrificial offerings of the Old Testament; (4) direct references to him as King, as in 2Sa 7:8 ff.

The messianic offices as taught in the psalms are four, viz: (1) The Messiah is presented as Prophet, or Teacher (Psa 40:8 ); (2) as Sacrifice, or an Offering for sin (Psa 40:6 ff.; Heb 10:5 ff.) ; (3) he is presented as Priest (Psa 110:4 ); (4) he is presented as King (Psa 45 ).

The psalms most clearly presenting the Messiah in his various phases and functions are as follows: (1) as the ideal man, or Second Adam (8); (2) as Prophet (Psa 40 ); (3) as Sacrifice (Psa 22 ) ; (4) as King (Psa 45 ) ; (5) as Priest (Psa 110 ) ; (6) in his universal reign (Psa 72 ).

It will be noted that other psalms teach these facts also, but these most clearly set forth the offices as they relate to the Messiah.

The Messiah as a sacrifice is presented in general in Psa 40:6 . His sufferings as such are given in a specific and general way in Psa 22 ; Psa 41 ; Psa 69 . The events of his sufferings in particular are described, beginning with the betrayal of Judas, as follows:

1. Judas betrayed him (Mat 26:14 ) in fulfilment of Psa 41:9 .

2. At the Supper (Mat 26:24 ) Christ said, “The Son of man goeth as it is written of him,” referring to Psa 22 .

3. They sang after the Supper in fulfilment of Psa 22:22 .

4. Piercing his hands and feet, Psa 22:16 .

5. They cast lots for his vesture in fulfilment of Psa 22:18 .

6. Just before the ninth hour the chief priests reviled him (Mat 27:43 ) in fulfilment of Psa 22:8 .

7. At the ninth hour (Mat 27:46 ) he quoted Psa 22:1 .

8. Near his death (Joh 19:28 ) he said, in fulfilment of Psa 69:21 , “I thirst.”

9. At that time they gave him vinegar (Mat 27:48 ) in fulfilment of Psa 69:21 .

10. When he was found dead they did not break his bones (Joh 19:36 ) in fulfilment of Psa 34:20 .

11. He is represented as dead, buried, and raised in Psa 16:10 .

12. His suffering as a substitute is described in Psa 69:9 .

13. The result of his crucifixion to them who crucified him is given in Psa 69:22-23 . Compare Rom 11:9-10 .

The Penitential Psalms are Psa 6 ; Psa 32 ; Psa 38 ; Psa 51 ; Psa 102 ; Psa 130 ; Psa 143 . The occasion of Psa 6 was the grief and penitence of David over Absalom; of Psa 32 was the blessedness of forgiveness after his sin with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah; Psa 38 , David’s reference to his sin with Bathsheba; Psa 51 , David’s penitence and prayer for forgiveness for this sin; Psa 102 , the penitence of the children of Israel on the eve of their return from captivity; Psalm 130, a general penitential psalm; Psa 143 , David’s penitence and prayer when pursued by Absalom.

The Pilgrim Psalms are Psalms 120-134. This section of the psalter is called the “Little Psalter.” These Psalms were collected in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, in troublous times. The author of the central psalm of this collection is Solomon, and he wrote it when he built his Temple. The Davidic Psalms in this collection are Psa 120 ; Psa 122 ; Psa 124 ; Psa 131 ; Psa 132 ; Psa 133 . The others were written during the building of the second Temple. They are called in the Septuagint “Songs of the Steps.”

There are four theories as to the meaning of the titles, “Songs of the Steps,” “Songs of Degrees,” or “Songs of Ascents,” viz:

1. The first theory is that the “Songs of the Steps” means the songs of the fifteen steps from the court of the women to the court of Israel, there being a song for each step.

2. The second theory is that advanced by Luther, which says that they were songs of a higher choir, elevated above, or in an elevated voice.

3. The third theory is that the thought in these psalms advances by degrees.

4. The fourth theory is that they are Pilgrim Psalms, or the songs that they sang while going up to the great feasts.

Certain scriptures give the true idea of these titles, viz: Exo 23:14-17 ; Exo 34:23-24 ; 1Sa 1:3 ; 1Ki 12:27-28 : Psa 122:1-4 ; and the proof of their singing as they went is found in Psa_42:4; 100; and Isa 30:29 . They went, singing these psalms, to the Feasts of the Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. Psa 121 was sung when just in sight of Jerusalem and Psa 122 was sung at the gate. Psa 128 is the description of a good man’s home and a parallel to this psalm in modern literature is Burns’s “Cotter’s Saturday Night.” The pious home makes the nation great.

Psa 133 is a psalm of fellowship. It is one of the finest expressions of the blessings that issue when God’s people dwell together in unity. The reference here is to the anointing of Aaron as high priest and the fragrance of the anointing oil which was used in these anointings. The dew of Hermon represents the blessing of God upon his people when they dwell together in such unity.

Now let us look at the Alphabetical Psalms. An alphabetical psalm is one in which the letters of the Hebrew alphabet are used alphabetically to commence each division. In Psalms 111-112, each clause so begins; in Psa 25 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 145 ; each verse so begins; in Psa 37 each stanza of two verses so begins; in 119 each stanza of eight verses so begins, and each of the eight lines begins with the same letter. In Psa 25 ; 34 37 the order is not so strict; in Psa 9 and Psa 10 there are some traces of this alphabetical order.

David originated these alphabetical psalms and the most complete specimen is Psa 119 , which is an expansion of the latter part of Psa 19 .

A certain group of psalms is called the Hallelujah Psalms. They are so called because the word “Hallelujah” is used at the beginning, or at the ending, and sometimes at both the beginning and the ending. The Hallelujah Psalms are Psalm 111-113; 115-117; 146-150. Psa 117 is a doxology; and Psalms 146-150 were used as anthems. Psa 148 calls on all creation to praise God. Francis of Assisi wrote a hymn based on this psalm in which he called the sun his honorable brother and the cricket his sister. Psa 150 calls for all varieties of instruments. Psalms 113-118 are called the Egyptian Hallel. They were used at the Passover (Psalm 113-114), before the Supper and Psalm 115-118 were sung after the Supper. According to this, Jesus and his disciples sang Psalms 115-118 at the last Passover Supper. These psalms were sung also at the Feasts of Pentecost, Tabernacles, Dedication, and New Moon.

The name of God is delayed long in Psa 114 . Addison said, “That the surprise might be complete.” Then there are some special characteristics of Psa 115 , viz: (1) It was written against idols. Cf. Isa 44:9-20 ; (2) It is antiphonal, the congregation singing Psa 115:1-8 , the choir Psa 115:9-12 , the priests Psa 115:13-15 and the congregation again Psa 115:16-18 . The theme of Psa 116 is love, based on gratitude for a great deliverance, expressed in service. It is appropriate to read at the celebration of the Lord’s Supper and Psa 116:15 is especially appropriate for funeral services.

On some special historical occasions certain psalms were sung. Psa 46 was sung by the army of Gustavus Adolphus before the decisive battle of Leipzig, on September 17, 1631.Psa 68 was sung by Cromwell’s army on the occasion of the battle of Dunbar in Scotland.

Certain passages in the Psalms show that the psalm writers approved the offering of Mosaic animal sacrifices. For instance, Psa 118:27 ; Psa 141:2 seem to teach very clearly that they approved the Mosaic sacrifice. But other passages show that these inspired writers estimated spiritual sacrifices as more important and foresaw the abolition of the animal sacrifices. Such passages are Psa 50:7-15 ; Psa 4:5 ; Psa 27:6 ; Psa 40:6 ; Psa 51:16-17 . These scriptures show conclusively that the writers estimated spiritual sacrifices as more important than the Mosaic sacrifices.

QUESTIONS

1. What are the Royal Psalms?

2. What are the Passion Psalms?

3. What are the Psalms of the Ideal Man?

4. What are the Missionary Psalms?

5. What are the predictions before David of the coming Messiah?

6. What are the prophecies of history concerning the Messiah?

7. Give a regular order of thought concerning the messianic offices as taught in the psalms.

8. Which psalms most clearly present the Messiah as (1) the ideal man, or Second Adam, (2) which as Prophet, or Teacher, (3) which as the Sacrifice, (4) which as King, (5) which as Priest, (6) which his universal reign?

9. Concerning the suffering Messiah, or the Messiah as a sacrifice, state the words or facts, verified in the New Testament as fulfilment of prophecy in the psalms. Let the order of the citations follow the order of facts in Christ’s life.

10. Name the Penitential Psalms and show their occasion.

11. What are the Pilgrim Psalms?

12. What is this section of the Psalter called?

13. When and under what conditions were these psalms collected?

14. Who is the author of the central psalm of this collection?

15. What Davidic Psalms are in this collection?

16. When were the others written?

17. What are they called in the Septuagint?

18. What four theories as to the meaning of the titles, “Songs of the Steps,” “Songs of Degrees,” or “Songs of Ascents”?

19. What scriptures give the true idea of these titles?

20. Give proof of their singing as they went.

21. To what feasts did they go singing these Psalms?

22. What was the special use made of Psa 121 and Psa 122 ?

23. Which of these psalms is the description of a good man’s home and what parallel in modern literature?

24. Expound Psa 133 .

25. What is an alphabetical psalm, and what are the several kinds?

26. Who originated these Alphabetical Psalms?

27. What are the most complete specimen?

28. Of what is it an expansion?

29. Why is a certain group of psalms called the Hallelujah Psalms?

30. What are the Hallelujah Psalms?

31. Which of the Hallelujah Psalms was a doxology?

32. Which of these were used as anthems?

33. Which psalm calls on all creation to praise God?

34. Who wrote a hymn based on Psa 148 in which he called the sun his honorable brother and the cricket his sister?

35. Which of these psalms calls for all varieties of instruments?

36. What is the Egyptian Hallel?

37. What is their special use and how were they sung?

38. Then what hymns did Jesus and his disciples sing?

39. At what other feasts was this sung?

40. Why was the name of God delayed so long in Psa 114 ?

41. What are the characteristics of Psa 115 ?

42. What is the theme and special use of Psa 116 ?

43. State some special historical occasions on which certain psalms were sung. Give the psalm for each occasion.

44. Cite passages in the psalms showing that the psalm writers approved the offering of Mosaic animal sacrifices.

45. Cite other passages showing that these inspired writers estimated spiritual sacrifices as more important than the Mosaic sacrifices.

Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible

PSALMS

XI

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF PSALMS

According to my usual custom, when taking up the study of a book of the Bible I give at the beginning a list of books as helps to the study of that book. The following books I heartily commend on the Psalms:

1. Sampey’s Syllabus for Old Testament Study . This is especially good on the grouping and outlining of some selected psalms. There are also some valuable suggestions on other features of the book.

2. Kirkpatrick’g commentary, in “Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges,” is an excellent aid in the study of the Psalter.

3. Perowne’s Book of Psalms is a good, scholarly treatise on the Psalms. A special feature of this commentary is the author’s “New Translation” and his notes are very helpful.

4. Spurgeon’s Treasury of David. This is just what the title implies. It is a voluminous, devotional interpretation of the Psalms and helpful to those who have the time for such extensive study of the Psalter.

5. Hengstenburg on the Psalms. This is a fine, scholarly work by one of the greatest of the conservative German scholars.

6. Maclaren on the Psalms, in “The Expositor’s Bible,” is the work of the world’s safest, sanest, and best of all works that have ever been written on the Psalms.

7. Thirtle on the Titles of the Psalms. This is the best on the subject and well worth a careful study.

At this point some definitions are in order. The Hebrew word for psalm means praise. The word in English comes from psalmos , a song of lyrical character, or a song to be sung and accompanied with a lyre. The Psalter is a collection of sacred and inspired songs, composed at different times and by different authors.

The range of time in composition was more than 1,000 years, or from the time of Moses to the time of Ezra. The collection in its present form was arranged probably by Ezra in the fifth century, B.C.

The Jewish classification of Old Testament books was The Law, the Prophets, and the Holy Writings. The Psalms was given the first place in the last group.

They had several names, or titles, of the Psalms. In Hebrew they are called “The Book of Prayers,” or “The Book of Praises.” The Hebrew word thus used means praises. The title of the first two books is found in Psa 72:20 : “The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.” The title of the whole collection of Psalms in the Septuagint is Biblos Psalman which means the “Book of Psalms.” The title in the Alexandrian Codex is Psalterion which is the name of a stringed instrument, and means “The Psalter.”

The derivation of our English words, “psalms,” “psalter,” and “psaltery,” respectively, is as follows:

1. “Psalms” comes from the Greek word, psalmoi, which is also from psallein , which means to play upon a stringed instrument. Therefore the Psalms are songs played upon stringed instruments, and the word here is used to apply to the whole collection.

2. “Psalter” is of the same origin and means the Book of Psalms and refers also to the whole collection.

3. “Psaltery” is from the word psalterion, which means “a harp,” an instrument, supposed to be in the shape of a triangle or like the delta of the Greek alphabet. See Psa 33:2 ; Psa 71:22 ; Psa 81:2 ; Psa 144:9 .

In our collection there are 150 psalms. In the Septuagint there is one extra. It is regarded as being outside the sacred collection and not inspired. The subject of this extra psalm is “David’s victory over Goliath.” The following is a copy of it: I was small among my brethren, And youngest in my father’s house, I used to feed my father’s sheep. My hands made a harp, My fingers fashioned a Psaltery. And who will declare unto my Lord? He is Lord, he it is who heareth. He it was who sent his angel And took me from my father’s sheep, And anointed me with the oil of his anointing. My brethren were goodly and tall, But the Lord took no pleasure in them. I went forth to meet the Philistine. And he cursed me by his idols But I drew the sword from beside him; I beheaded him and removed reproach from the children of Israel.

It will be noted that this psalm does not have the earmarks of an inspired production. There is not found in it the modesty so characteristic of David, but there is here an evident spirit of boasting and self-praise which is foreign to the Spirit of inspiration.

There is a difference in the numbering of the psalms in our version which follows the Hebrew, and the numbering in the Septuagint. Omitting the extra one in the Septuagint, there is no difference as to the total number. Both have 150 and the same subject matter, but they are not divided alike.

The following scheme shows the division according to our version and also the Septuagint: Psalms 1-8 in the Hebrew equal 1-8 in the Septuagint; 9-10 in the Hebrew combine into 9 in the Septuagint; 11-113 in the Hebrew equal 10-112 in the Septuagint; 114-115 in the Hebrew combine into 113 in the Septuagint; 116 in the Hebrew divides into 114-115 in the Septuagint; 117-146 in the Hebrew equal 116-145 in the Septuagint; 147 in the Hebrew divides into 146-147 in the Septuagint; 148-150 in the Hebrew equal 148-150 in the Septuagint.

The arrangement in the Vulgate is the same as the Septuagint. Also some of the older English versions have this arangement. Another difficulty in numbering perplexes an inexperienced student in turning from one version to another, viz: In the Hebrew often the title is verse I, and sometimes the title embraces verses 1-2.

The book divisions of the Psalter are five books, as follows:

Book I, Psalms 1-41 (41 chapters)

Book II, Psalms 42-72 (31 chapters)

Book III, Psalms 73-89 (17 chapters)

Book IV, Psalms 90-106 (17 chapters)

Book V, Psalms 107-150 (44 chapters)

They are marked by an introduction and a doxology. Psalm I forms an introduction to the whole book; Psa 150 is the doxology for the whole book. The introduction and doxology of each book are the first and last psalms of each division, respectively.

There were smaller collections before the final one, as follows:

Books I and II were by David; Book III, by Hezekiah, and Books IV and V, by Ezra.

Certain principles determined the arrangement of the several psalms in the present collection:

1. David is honored with first place, Book I and II, including Psalms 1-72.

2. They are grouped according to the use of the name of God:

(1) Psalms 1-41 are Jehovah psalms;

(2) Psalms 42-83 are Elohim-psalms;

(3) Psalms 84-150 are Jehovah psalms.

3. Book IV is introduced by the psalm of Moses, which is the first psalm written.

4. Some are arranged as companion psalms, for instance, sometimes two, sometimes three, and sometimes more. Examples: Psa 2 and 3; 22, 23, and 24; 113-118.

5. They were arranged for liturgical purposes, which furnished the psalms for special occasions, such as feasts, etc. We may be sure this arrangement was not accidental. An intelligent study of each case is convincing that it was determined upon rational grounds.

All the psalms have titles but thirty-three, as follows:

In Book I, Psa 1 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 10 ; Psa 33 , (4 are without titles).

In Book II, Psa 43 ; Psa 71 , (2 are without titles).

In Book IV, Psa 91 ; Psa 93 ; Psa 94 ; Psa 95 ; Psa 96 ; Psa 97 ; Psa 104 ; Psa 105 ; Psa 106 , (9 are without titles).

In Book V, Psa 107 ; III; 112; 113; 114; 115; 116; 117; 118; 119; 135; 136; 137; 146; 147; 148; 149; 150, (18 are without titles).

The Talmud calls these psalms that have no title, “Orphan Psalms.” The later Jews supply these titles by taking the nearest preceding author. The lack of titles in Psa 1 ; Psa 2 ; and 10 may be accounted for as follows: Psa 1 is a general introduction to the whole collection and Psa 2 was, perhaps, a part of Psa 1 . Psalms 9-10 were formerly combined into one, therefore Psa 10 has the same title as Psa 9 .

QUESTIONS

1. What books are commended on the Psalms?

2. What is a psalm?

3. What is the Psalter?

4. What is the range of time in composition?

5. When and by whom was the collection in its present form arranged?

6. What the Jewish classification of Old Testament books, and what the position of the Psalter in this classification?

7. What is the Hebrew title of the Psalms?

8. Find the title of the first two books from the books themselves.

9. What is the title of the whole collection of psalms in the Septuagint?

10. What is the title in the Alexandrian Codex?

11. What is the derivation of our English word, “Psalms”, “Psalter”, and “Psaltery,” respectively?

12. How many psalms in our collection?

13. How many psalms in the Septuagint?

14. What about the extra one in the Septuagint?

15. What is the subject of this extra psalm?

16. How does it compare with the Canonical Psalms?

17. What is the difference in the numbering of the psalms in our version which follows the Hebrew, and the numbering in the Septuagint?

18. What is the arrangement in the Vulgate?

19. What other difficulty in numbering which perplexes an inexperienced student in turning from one version to another?

20. What are the book divisions of the Psalter and how are these divisions marked?

21. Were there smaller collections before the final one? If so, what were they?

22. What principles determined the arrangement of the several psalms in the present collection?

23. In what conclusion may we rest concerning this arrangement?

24. How many of the psalms have no titles?

25. What does the Talmud call these psalms that have no titles?

26. How do later Jews supply these titles?

27. How do you account for the lack of titles in Psa 1 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 10 ?

XII

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF PSALMS (CONTINUED)

The following is a list of the items of information gathered from the titles of the psalms:

1. The author: “A Psalm of David” (Psa 37 ).

2. The occasion: “When he fled from Absalom, his son” (Psa 3 ).

3. The nature, or character, of the poem:

(1) Maschil, meaning “instruction,” a didactic poem (Psa 42 ).

(2) Michtam, meaning “gold,” “A Golden Psalm”; this means excellence or mystery (Psa 16 ; 56-60).

4. The occasion of its use: “A Psalm of David for the dedication of the house” (Psa 30 ).

5. Its purpose: “A Psalm of David to bring remembrance” (Psa 38 ; Psa 70 ).

6. Direction for its use: “A Psalm of David for the chief musician” (Psa 4 ).

7. The kind of musical instrument:

(1) Neginoth, meaning to strike a chord, as on stringed instruments (Psa 4 ; Psa 61 ).

(2) Nehiloth, meaning to perforate, as a pipe or flute (Psa 5 ).

(3) Shoshannim, Lilies, which refers probably to cymbals (Psa 45 ; Psa 69 ).

8. A special choir:

(1) Sheminith, the “eighth,” or octave below, as a male choir (Psa 6 ; Psa 12 ).

(2) Alamoth, female choir (Psa 46 ).

(3) Muth-labben, music with virgin voice, to be sung by a choir of boys in the treble (Psa 9 ).

9. The keynote, or tune:

(1) Aijeleth-sharar, “Hind of the morning,” a song to the melody of which this is sung (Psa 22 ).

(2) Al-tashheth, “Destroy thou not,” the beginning of a song the tune of which is sung (Psa 57 ; Psa 58 ; Psa 59 ; Psa 75 ).

(3) Gittith, set to the tune of Gath, perhaps a tune which David brought from Gath (Psa 8 ; Psa 81 ; Psa 84 ).

(4) Jonath-elim-rehokim, “The dove of the distant terebinths,” the commencement of an ode to the air of which this song was to be sung (Psa 56 ).

(5) Leannoth, the name of a tune (Psa 88 ).

(6) Mahalath, an instrument (Psa 53 ); Leonnoth-Mahaloth, to chant to a tune called Mahaloth.

(7) Shiggaion, a song or a hymn.

(8) Shushan-Eduth, “Lily of testimony,” a tune (Psa 60 ). Note some examples: (1) “America,” “Shiloh,” “Auld Lang Syne.” These are the names of songs such as we are familiar with; (2) “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” and “There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood,” are examples of sacred hymns.

10. The liturgical use, those noted for the feasts, e.g., the Hallels and Hallelujah Psalms (Psalms 146-150).

11. The destination, as “Song of Ascents” (Psalms 120-134)

12. The direction for the music, such as Selah, which means “Singers, pause”; Higgaion-Selah, to strike a symphony with selah, which means an instrumental interlude (Psa 9:16 ).

The longest and fullest title to any of the psalms is the title to Psa 60 . The items of information from this title are as follows: (1) the author; (2) the chief musician; (3) the historical occasion; (4) the use, or design; (5) the style of poetry; (6) the instrument or style of music.

The parts of these superscriptions which most concern us now are those indicating author, occasion, and date. As to the historic value or trustworthiness of these titles most modern scholars deny that they are a part of the Hebrew text, but the oldest Hebrew text of which we know anything had all of them. This is the text from which the Septuagint was translated. It is much more probable that the author affixed them than later writers. There is no internal evidence in any of the psalms that disproves the correctness of them, but much to confirm. The critics disagree among themselves altogether as to these titles. Hence their testimony cannot consistently be received. Nor can it ever be received until they have at least agreed upon a common ground of opposition.

David is the author of more than half the entire collection, the arrangement of which is as follows:

1. Seventy-three are ascribed to him in the superscriptions.

2. Some of these are but continuations of the preceding ones of a pair, trio, or larger group.

3. Some of the Korahite Psalms are manifestly Davidic.

4. Some not ascribed to him in the titles are attributed to him expressly by New Testament writers.

5. It is not possible to account for some parts of the Psalter without David. The history of his early life as found in Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1and 2 Chronicles, not only shows his remarkable genius for patriotic and sacred songs and music, but also shows his cultivation of that gift in the schools of the prophets. Some of these psalms of the history appear in the Psalter itself. It is plain to all who read these that they are founded on experience, and the experience of no other Hebrew fits the case. These experiences are found in Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles.

As to the attempt of the destructive critics to rob David of his glory in relation to the Psalter by assigning the Maccabean era as the date of composition, I have this to say:

1. This theory has no historical support whatever, and therefore is not to be accepted at all.

2. It has no support in tradition, which weakens the contention of the critics greatly.

3. It has no support from finding any one with the necessary experience for their basis.

4. They can give no reasonable account as to how the titles ever got there.

5. It is psychologically impossible for anyone to have written these 150 psalms in the Maccabean times.

6. Their position is expressly contrary to the testimony of Christ and the apostles. Some of the psalms which they ascribe to the Maccabean Age are attributed to David by Christ himself, who said that David wrote them in the Spirit.

The obvious aim of this criticism and the necessary result if it be Just, is a positive denial of the inspiration of both Testaments.

Other authors are named in the titles, as follows: (1) Asaph, to whom twelve psalms have been assigned: (2) Mosee, Psa 90 ; (3) Solomon, Psa 72 ; Psa 127 ; (4) Heman, Psa 80 ; (5) Ethem, Psa 89 ; (6) A number of the psalms are ascribed to the sons of Korah.

Not all the psalms ascribed to Asaph were composed by one person. History indicates that Asaph’s family presided over the song service for several generations. Some of them were composed by his descendants by the game name. The five general outlines of the whole collection are as follows:

I. By books

1. Psalms 1-41 (41)

2. Psalms 42-72 (31)

3. Psalms 73-89 (17)

4. Psalms 90-106 (17)

5. Psalms 107-150 (44)

II. According to date and authorship

1. The psalm of Moses (Psa 90 )

2. Psalms of David:

(1) The shepherd boy (Psa 8 ; Psa 19 ; Psa 29 ; Psa 23 ).

(2) David when persecuted by Saul (Psa 59 ; Psa 56 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 52 ; Psa 54 ; Psa 57 ; Psa 142 ).

(3) David the King (Psa 101 ; Psa 18 ; Psa 24 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 110 ; Psa 20 ; Psa 20 ; Psa 21 ; Psa 60 ; Psa 51 ; Psa 32 ; Psa 41 ; Psa 55 ; Psa 3:4 ; Psa 64 ; Psa 62 ; Psa 61 ; Psa 27 ).

3. The Asaph Psalms (Psa 50 ; Psa 73 ; Psa 83 ).

4. The Korahite Psalms (Psa 42 ; Psa 43 ; Psa 84 ).

5. The psalms of Solomon (Psa 72 ; Psa 127 ).

6. The psalms of the era of Hezekiah and Isaiah (Psa 46 ; Psa 47 ; Psa 48 )

7. The psalms of the Exile (Psa 74 ; Psa 79 ; Psa 137 ; Psa 102 )

8. The psalms of the Restoration (Psa 85 ; Psa 126 ; Psa 118 ; 146-150)

III. By groups

1. The Jehovistic and Elohistic Psalms:

(1) Psalms 1-41 are Jehovistic;

(2) Psalms 42-83 are Elohistic Psalms;

(3) Psalms 84-150 are Jehovistic.

2. The Penitential Psalms (Psa 6 ; Psa 32 ; Psa 38 ; Psa 51 ; Psa 102 ; Psa 130 ; Psa 143 )

3. The Pilgrim Psalms (Psalms 120-134)

4. The Alphabetical Psalms (Psa 9 ; Psa 10 ; Psa 25 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 37 ; 111:112; Psa 119 ; Psa 145 )

5. The Hallelujah Psalms (Psalms 11-113; 115-117; 146-150; to which may be added Psa 135 ) Psalms 113-118 are called “the Egyptian Hallel”

IV. Doctrines of the Psalms

1. The throne of grace and how to approach it by sacrifice, prayer, and praise.

2. The covenant, the basis of worship.

3. The paradoxical assertions of both innocence & guilt.

4. The pardon of sin and justification.

5. The Messiah.

6. The future life, pro and con.

7. The imprecations.

8. Other doctrines.

V. The New Testament use of the Psalms

1. Direct references and quotations in the New Testament.

2. The allusions to the psalms in the New Testament. Certain experiences of David’s life made very deep impressions on his heart, such as: (1) his peaceful early life; (2) his persecution by Saul; (3) his being crowned king of the people; (4) the bringing up of the ark; (5) his first great sin; (6) Absalom’s rebellion; (7) his second great sin; (8) the great promise made to him in 2Sa 7 ; (9) the feelings of his old age.

We may classify the Davidic Psalms according to these experiences following the order of time, thus:

1. His peaceful early life (Psa 8 ; Psa 19 ; Psa 29 ; Psa 23 )

2. His persecution by Saul (Psa 59 ; Psa 56 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 7 ; Psa 52 ; Psa 120 ; Psa 140 ; Psa 54 ; Psa 57 ; Psa 142 ; Psa 17 ; Psa 18 )

3. Making David King (Psa 27 ; Psa 133 ; Psa 101 )

4. Bringing up the ark (Psa 68 ; Psa 24 ; Psa 132 ; Psa 15 ; Psa 78 ; Psa 96 )

5. His first great sin (Psa 51 ; Psa 32 )

6. Absalom’s rebellion (Psa 41 ; Psa 6 ; Psa 55 ; Psa 109 ; Psa 38 ; Psa 39 ; Psa 3 ; Psa 4 ; Psa 63 ; Psa 42 ; Psa 43 ; Psa 5 ; Psa 62 ; Psa 61 ; Psa 27 )

7. His second great sin (Psa 69 ; Psa 71 ; Psa 102 ; Psa 103 )

8. The great promise made to him in 2Sa 7 (Psa 2 )

9. Feelings of old age (Psa 37 )

The great doctrines of the psalms may be noted as follows: (1) the being and attributes of God; (3) sin, both original and individual; (3) both covenants; (4) the doctrine of justification; (5) concerning the Messiah.

There is a striking analogy between the Pentateuch and the Psalms. The Pentateuch contains five books of law; the Psalms contain five books of heart responses to the law.

It is interesting to note the historic controversies concerning the singing of psalms. These were controversies about singing uninspired songs, in the Middle Ages. The church would not allow anything to be used but psalms.

The history in Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles, and in Ezra and Nehemiah is very valuable toward a proper interpretation of the psalms. These books furnish the historical setting for a great many of the psalms which is very indispensable to their proper interpretation.

Professor James Robertson, in the Poetry and Religion of the Psalms constructs a broad and strong argument in favor of the Davidic Psalms, as follows:

1. The age of David furnished promising soil for the growth of poetry.

2. David’s qualifications for composing the psalms make it highly probable that David is the author of the psalms ascribed to him.

3. The arguments against the possibility of ascribing to David any of the hymns in the Hebrew Psalter rests upon assumptions that are thoroughly antibiblical.

The New Testament makes large use of the psalms and we learn much as to their importance in teaching. There are seventy direct quotations in the New Testament from this book, from which we learn that the Scriptures were used extensively in accord with 2Ti 3:16-17 . There are also eleven references to the psalms in the New Testament from which we learn that the New Testament writers were thoroughly imbued with the spirit and teaching of the psalms. Then there are eight allusions ‘to this book in the New Testament from which we gather that the Psalms was one of the divisions of the Old Testament and that they were used in the early church.

QUESTIONS

1. Give a list of the items of information gathered from the titles of the psalms.

2. What is the longest title to any of the psalms and what the items of this title?

3. What parts of these superscriptions most concern us now?

4. What is the historic value, or trustworthiness of these titles?

5. State the argument showing David’s relation to the psalms.

6. What have you to say of the attempt of the destructive critics to rob David of his glory in relation to the Psalter by assigning the Maccabean era as the date of composition?

7. What the obvious aim of this criticism and the necessary result, if it be just?

8. What other authors are named in the titles?

9. Were all the psalms ascribed to Asaph composed by one person?

10. Give the five general outlines of the whole collection, as follows: I. The outline by books II. The outline according to date and authorship III. The outline by groups IV. The outline of doctrines V. The outline by New Testament quotations or allusions.

11. What experiences of David’s life made very deep impressions on his heart?

12. Classify the Davidic Psalms according to these experiences following the order of time.

13. What the great doctrines of the psalms?

14. What analogy between the Pentateuch and the Psalms?

15. What historic controversies concerning the singing of psalms?

16. Of what value is the history in Samuel, 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles, and in Ezra and Nehemiah toward a proper interpretation of the psalms?

17. Give Professor James Robertson’s argument in favor of the Davidic authorship of the psalms.

18. What can you say of the New Testament use of the psalms and what do we learn as to their importance in teaching?

19. What can you say of the New Testament references to the psalms, and from the New Testament references what the impression on the New Testament writers?

20. What can you say of the allusions to the psalms in the New Testament?

XVII

THE MESSIAH IN THE PSALMS

A fine text for this chapter is as follows: “All things must be fulfilled which were written in the Psalms concerning me,” Luk 24:44 . I know of no better way to close my brief treatise on the Psalms than to discuss the subject of the Messiah as revealed in this book.

Attention has been called to the threefold division of the Old Testament cited by our Lord, namely, the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms (Luk 24:44 ), in all of which were the prophecies relating to himself that “must be fulfilled.” It has been shown just what Old Testament books belong to each of these several divisions. The division called the Psalms included many books, styled Holy Writings, and because the Psalms proper was the first book of the division it gave the name to the whole division.

The object of this discussion is to sketch the psalmist’s outline of the Messiah, or rather, to show how nearly a complete picture of our Lord is foredrawn in this one book. Let us understand however with Paul, that all prophecy is but in part (1Co 13:9 ), and that when we fill in on one canvas all the prophecies concerning the Messiah of all the Old Testament divisions, we are far from having a perfect portrait of our Lord. The present purpose is limited to three things:

1. What the book of the Psalms teaches concerning the Messiah.

2. That the New Testament shall authoritatively specify and expound this teaching.

3. That the many messianic predictions scattered over the book and the specifications thereof over the New Testament may be grouped into an orderly analysis, so that by the adjustment of the scattered parts we may have before us a picture of our Lord as foreseen by the psalmists.

In allowing the New Testament to authoritatively specify and expound the predictive features of the book, I am not unmindful of what the so-called “higher critics” urge against the New Testament quotations from the Old Testament and the use made of them. In this discussion, however, these objections are not considered, for sufficient reasons. There is not space for it. Even at the risk of being misjudged I must just now summarily pass all these objections, dismissing them with a single statement upon which the reader may place his own estimate of value. That statement is that in the days of my own infidelity, before this old method of criticism had its new name, I was quite familiar with the most and certainly the strongest of the objections now classified as higher criticism, and have since patiently re-examined them in their widely conflicting restatements under their modern name, and find my faith in the New Testament method of dealing with the Old Testament in no way shattered, but in every way confirmed. God is his own interpreter. The Old Testament as we now have it was in the hands of our Lord. I understand his apostle to declare, substantially, that “every one of these sacred scriptures is God-inspired and is profitable for teaching us what is right to believe and to do, for convincing us what is wrong in faith or practice, for rectifying the wrong when done, that we may be ready at every point, furnished completely, to do every good work, at the right time, in the right manner, and from the proper motive” (2Ti 3:16-17 ).

This New Testament declares that David was a prophet (Act 2:30 ), that he spake by the Holy Spirit (Act 1:16 ), that when the book speaks the Holy Spirit speaks (Heb 3:7 ), and that all its predictive utterances, as sacred Scripture, “must be fulfilled” (Joh 13:18 ; Act 1:16 ). It is not claimed that David wrote all the psalms, but that all are inspired, and that as he was the chief author, the book goes by his name.

It would be a fine thing to make out two lists, as follows:

1. All of the 150 psalms in order from which the New Testament quotes with messianic application.

2. The New Testament quotations, book by book, i.e., Matthew so many, and then the other books in their order.

We would find in neither of these any order as to time, that is, Psa 1 which forecasts an incident in the coming Messiah’s life does not forecast the first incident of his life. And even the New Testament citations are not in exact order as to time and incident of his life. To get the messianic picture before us, therefore, we must put the scattered parts together in their due relation and order, and so construct our own analysis. That is the prime object of this discussion. It is not claimed that the analysis now presented is perfect. It is too much the result of hasty, offhand work by an exceedingly busy man. It will serve, however, as a temporary working model, which any one may subsequently improve. We come at once to the psalmist’s outline of the Messiah.

1. The necessity for a Saviour. This foreseen necessity is a background of the psalmists’ portrait of the Messiah. The necessity consists in (1) man’s sinfulness; (2) his sin; (3) his inability of wisdom and power to recover himself; (4) the insufficiency of legal, typical sacrifices in securing atonement.

The predicate of Paul’s great argument on justification by faith is the universal depravity and guilt of man. He is everywhere corrupt in nature; everywhere an actual transgressor; everywhere under condemnation. But the scriptural proofs of this depravity and sin the apostle draws mainly from the book of the Psalms. In one paragraph of the letter to the Romans (Rom 3:4-18 ), he cites and groups six passages from six divisions of the Psalms (Psa 5:9 ; Psa 10:7 ; Psa 14:1-3 ; Psa 36:1 ; Psa 51:4-6 ; Psa 140:3 ). These passages abundantly prove man’s sinfulness, or natural depravity, and his universal practice of sin.

The predicate also of the same apostle’s great argument for revelation and salvation by a Redeemer is man’s inability of wisdom and power to re-establish communion with God. In one of his letters to the Corinthians he thus commences his argument: “For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? -For after that in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preach-ing to save them that believe.” He closes this discussion with the broad proposition: “The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God,” and proves it by a citation from Psa 94:11 : “The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.”

In like manner our Lord himself pours scorn on human wisdom and strength by twice citing Psa 8 : “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight” (Mat 11:25-26 ). “And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children that were crying in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased, and said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?” (Mat 21:15-16 ).

But the necessity for a Saviour as foreseen by the psalmist did not stop at man’s depravity, sin, and helplessness. The Jews were trusting in the sacrifices of their law offered on the smoking altar. The inherent weakness of these offerings, their lack of intrinsic merit, their ultimate abolition, their complete fulfilment and supercession by a glorious antitype were foreseen and foreshown in this wonderful prophetic book: I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices; And thy burnt offerings are continually before me. I will take no bullock out of thy house, Nor he-goat out of thy folds. For every beast of the forest is mine, And the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all of the birds of the mountains; And the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee; For the world is mine, and the fulness thereof. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, Or drink the blood of goats? Psa 50:8-13 .

Yet again it speaks in that more striking passage cited in the letter to the Hebrews: “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, not the very image of the things, can never with the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshipers, once purged should have no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance made of sins year by year. For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not, But a body didst thou prepare for me; In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hadst no pleasure: Then said I, Lo, I am come (In the roll of the book it is written of me) To do thy will, O God. Saying above, Sacrifice and offering and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou wouldst not, neither hadst pleasure therein, (the which are offered according to the law), then hath he said, Lo, I am come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second” (Heb 10:1-9 ).

This keen foresight of the temporary character and intrinsic worthlessness of animal sacrifices anticipated similar utterances by the later prophets (Isa 1:10-17 ; Jer 6:20 ; Jer 7:21-23 ; Hos 6:6 ; Amo 5:21 ; Mic 6:6-8 ). Indeed, I may as well state in passing that when the apostle declares, “It is impossible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins,” he lays down a broad principle, just as applicable to baptism and the Lord’s Supper. With reverence I state the principle: Not even God himself by mere appointment can vest in any ordinance, itself lacking intrinsic merit, the power to take away sin. There can be, therefore, in the nature of the case, no sacramental salvation. This would destroy the justice of God in order to exalt his mercy. Clearly the psalmist foresaw that “truth and mercy must meet together” before “righteousness and peace could kiss each other” (Psa 85:10 ). Thus we find as the dark background of the psalmists’ luminous portrait of the Messiah, the necessity for a Saviour.

2. The nature, extent, and blessedness of the salvation to be wrought by the coming Messiah. In no other prophetic book are the nature, fullness, and blessedness of salvation so clearly seen and so vividly portrayed. Besides others not now enumerated, certainly the psalmists clearly forecast four great elements of salvation:

(1) An atoning sacrifice of intrinsic merit offered once for all (Psa 40:6-8 ; Heb 10:4-10 ).

(2) Regeneration itself consisting of cleansing, renewal, and justification. We hear his impassioned statement of the necessity of regeneration: “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts,” followed by his earnest prayer: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me,” and his equally fervent petition: “Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psa 51 ). And we hear him again as Paul describes the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputes righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, And whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not reckon sin Psa 32:1 ; Rom 4:6-8 .

(3) Introduction into the heavenly rest (Psa 95:7-11 ; Heb 3:7-19 ; Heb 4:1-11 ). Here is the antitypical Joshua leading spiritual Israel across the Jordan of death into the heavenly Canaan, the eternal rest that remaineth for the people of God. Here we find creation’s original sabbath eclipsed by redemption’s greater sabbath when the Redeemer “entered his rest, ceasing from his own works as God did from his.”

(4) The recovery of all the universal dominion lost by the first Adam and the securement of all possible dominion which the first Adam never attained (Psa 8:5-6 ; Eph 1:20-22 ; Heb 2:7-9 ; 1Co 15:24-28 ).

What vast extent then and what blessedness in the salvation foreseen by the psalmists, and to be wrought by the Messiah. Atoning sacrifice of intrinsic merit; regeneration by the Holy Spirit; heavenly rest as an eternal inheritance; and universal dominion shared with Christ!

3. The wondrous person of the Messiah in his dual nature, divine and human.

(1) His divinity,

(a) as God: “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever” (Psa 45:6 and Heb 1:8 ) ;

(b) as creator of the heavens and earth, immutable and eternal: Of old didst thou lay the foundation of the earth; And the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure; Yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; As a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed. But thou art the same, And thy years shall have no end Psa 102:25-27 quoted with slight changes in Heb 1:10-12 .

(c) As owner of the earth: The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein, Psa 24:1 quoted in 1Co 10:26 .

(d) As the Son of God: “Thou art my Son; This day have I begotten thee” Psa 2:7 ; Heb 1:5 .

(e) As David’s Lord: The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, Until I make thine enemies thy footstool, Psa 110:1 ; Mat 22:41-46 .

(f) As the object of angelic worship: “And let all the angels of God worship him” Psa 97:7 ; Heb 1:6 .

(g) As the Bread of life: And he rained down manna upon them to eat, And gave them food from heaven Psa 78:24 ; interpreted in Joh 6:31-58 . These are but samples which ascribe deity to the Messiah of the psalmists.

(2) His humanity, (a) As the Son of man, or Son of Adam: Psa 8:4-6 , cited in 1Co 15:24-28 ; Eph 1:20-22 ; Heb 2:7-9 . Compare Luke’s genealogy, Luk 3:23-38 . This is the ideal man, or Second Adam, who regains Paradise Lost, who recovers race dominion, in whose image all his spiritual lineage is begotten. 1Co 15:45-49 . (b) As the Son of David: Psa 18:50 ; Psa 89:4 ; Psa 89:29 ; Psa 89:36 ; Psa 132:11 , cited in Luk 1:32 ; Act 13:22-23 ; Rom 1:3 ; 2Ti 2:8 . Perhaps a better statement of the psalmists’ vision of the wonderful person of the Messiah would be: He saw the uncreated Son, the second person of the trinity, in counsel and compact with the Father, arranging in eternity for the salvation of men: Psa 40:6-8 ; Heb 10:5-7 . Then he saw this Holy One stoop to be the Son of man: Psa 8:4-6 ; Heb 2:7-9 . Then he was the son of David, and then he saw him rise again to be the Son of God: Psa 2:7 ; Rom 1:3-4 .

4. His offices.

(1) As the one atoning sacrifice (Psa 40:6-8 ; Heb 10:5-7 ).

(2) As the great Prophet, or Preacher (Psa 40:9-10 ; Psa 22:22 ; Heb 2:12 ). Even the method of his teaching by parable was foreseen (Psa 78:2 ; Mat 13:35 ). Equally also the grace, wisdom, and power of his teaching. When the psalmist declares that “Grace is poured into thy lips” (Psa 45:2 ), we need not be startled when we read that all the doctors in the Temple who heard him when only a boy “were astonished at his understanding and answers” (Luk 2:47 ); nor that his home people at Nazareth “all bear him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth” (Luk 4:22 ); nor that those of his own country were astonished, and said, “Whence hath this man this wisdom?” (Mat 13:54 ); nor that the Jews in the Temple marveled, saying, “How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?” (Joh 7:15 ) ; nor that the stern officers of the law found their justification in failure to arrest him in the declaration, “Never man spake like this man” (Joh 7:46 ).

(3) As the king (Psa 2:6 ; Psa 24:7-10 ; Psa 45:1-17 ; Psa 110:1 ; Mat 22:42-46 ; Act 2:33-36 ; 1Co 15:25 ; Eph 1:20 ; Heb 1:13 ).

(4) As the priest (Psa 110:4 ; Heb 5:5-10 ; Heb 7:1-21 ; Heb 10:12-14 ).

(5) As the final judge. The very sentence of expulsion pronounced upon the finally impenitent by the great judge (Mat 25:41 ) is borrowed from the psalmist’s prophetic words (Psa 6:8 ).

5. Incidents of life. The psalmists not only foresaw the necessity for a Saviour; the nature, extent, and blessedness of the salvation; the wonderful human-divine person of the Saviour; the offices to be filled by him in the work of salvation, but also many thrilling details of his work in life, death, resurrection, and exaltation. It is not assumed to cite all these details, but some of the most important are enumerated in order, thus:

(1) The visit, adoration, and gifts of the Magi recorded in Mat 2 are but partial fulfilment of Psa 72:9-10 .

(2) The scripture employed by Satan in the temptation of our Lord (Luk 4:10-11 ) was cited from Psa 91:11-12 and its pertinency not denied.

(3) In accounting for his intense earnestness and the apparently extreme measures adopted by our Lord in his first purification of the Temple (Joh 2:17 ), he cites the messianic zeal predicted in Psa 69:9 .

(4) Alienation from his own family was one of the saddest trials of our Lord’s earthly life. They are slow to understand his mission and to enter into sympathy with him. His self-abnegation and exhaustive toil were regarded by them as evidences of mental aberration, and it seems at one time they were ready to resort to forcible restraint of his freedom) virtually what in our time would be called arrest under a writ of lunacy. While at the last his half-brothers became distinguished preachers of his gospel, for a long while they do not believe on him. And the evidence forces us to the conclusion that his own mother shared with her other sons, in kind though not in degree, the misunderstanding of the supremacy of his mission over family relations. The New Testament record speaks for itself:

Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them. How is it that ye sought me? Knew ye not that I must be in my Father’s house? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them Luk 2:48-51 (R.V.).

And when the wine failed, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. And Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come. Joh 2:3-5 (R.V.).

And there come his mother and his brethren; and standing without; they sent unto him, calling him. And a multitude was sitting about him; and they say unto him. Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. And he answereth them, and saith, Who is my mother and my brethren? And looking round on them that sat round about him, he saith, Behold, my mother and my brethren) For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother Mar 3:31-35 (R.V.).

Now the feast of the Jews, the feast of tabernacles, was at hand. His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may behold thy works which thou doest. For no man doeth anything in secret, and himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou doest these things, manifest thyself to the world. For even his brethren did not believe on him. Jesus therefore saith unto them, My time is not yet come; but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that its works are evil. Go ye up unto the feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; because my time is not fulfilled. Joh 7:2-9 (R.V.).

These citations from the Revised Version tell their own story. But all that sad story is foreshown in the prophetic psalms. For example: I am become a stranger unto my brethren, And an alien unto my mother’s children. Psa 69:8 .

(5) The triumphal entry into Jerusalem was welcomed by a joyous people shouting a benediction from Psa 118:26 : “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Mat 21:9 ); and the Lord’s lamentation over Jerusalem predicts continued desolation and banishment from his sight until the Jews are ready to repeat that benediction (Mat 23:39 ).

(6) The children’s hosanna in the Temple after its second purgation is declared by our Lord to be a fulfilment of that perfect praise forecast in Psa 8:2 .

(7) The final rejection of our Lord by his own people was also clear in the psalmist’s vision (Psa 118:22 ; Mat 21:42-44 ).

(8) Gethsemane’s baptism of suffering, with its strong crying and tears and prayers was as clear to the psalmist’s prophetic vision as to the evangelist and apostle after it became history (Psa 69:1-4 ; Psa 69:13-20 ; and Mat 26:36-44 ; Heb 5:7 ).

(9) In life-size also before the psalmist was the betrayer of Christ and his doom (Psa 41:9 ; Psa 69:25 ; Psa 109:6-8 ; Joh 13:18 ; Act 1:20 ).

(10) The rage of the people, Jew and Gentile, and the conspiracy of Pilate and Herod are clearly outlined (Psa 2:1-3 ; Act 4:25-27 ).

(11) All the farce of his trial the false accusation, his own marvelous silence; and the inhuman maltreatment to which he was subjected, is foreshown in the prophecy as dramatically as in the history (Mat 26:57-68 ; Mat 27:26-31 ; Psa 27:12 ; Psa 35:15-16 ; Psa 38:3 ; Psa 69:19 ).

The circumstances of his death, many and clear, are distinctly foreseen. He died in the prime of life (Psa 89:45 ; Psa 102:23-24 ). He died by crucifixion (Psa 22:14-17 ; Luk 23 ; 33; Joh 19:23-37 ; Joh 20:27 ). But yet not a bone of his body was broken (Psa 34:20 ; Joh 19:36 ).

The persecution, hatred without a cause, the mockery and insults, are all vividly and dramatically foretold (Psa 22:6-13 ; Psa 35:7 ; Psa 35:12 ; Psa 35:15 ; Psa 35:21 ; Psa 109:25 ).

The parting of his garments and the gambling for his vesture (Psa 22:18 ; Mat 27:35 ).

His intense thirst and the gall and vinegar offered for his drink (Psa 69:21 ; Mat 27:34 ).

In the psalms, too, we hear his prayers for his enemies so remarkably fulfilled in fact (Psa 109:4 ; Luk 23:34 ).

His spiritual death was also before the eye of the psalmist, and the very words which expressed it the psalmist heard. Separation from the Father is spiritual death. The sinner’s substitute must die the sinner’s death, death physical, i.e., separation of soul from body; death spiritual, i.e., separation of the soul from God. The latter is the real death and must precede the former. This death the substitute died when he cried out: “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me.” (Psa 22:1 ; Mat 27:46 ).

Emerging from the darkness of that death, which was the hour of the prince of darkness, the psalmist heard him commend his spirit to the Father (Psa_31:35; Luk 23:46 ) showing that while he died the spiritual death, his soul was not permanently abandoned unto hell (Psa 16:8-10 ; Act 2:25 ) so that while he “tasted death” for every man it was not permanent death (Heb 2:9 ).

With equal clearness the psalmist foresaw his resurrection, his triumph over death and hell, his glorious ascension into heaven, and his exaltation at the right hand of God as King of kings and Lord of lords, as a high Driest forever, as invested with universal sovereignty (Psa 16:8-11 ; Psa 24:7-10 ; Psa 68:18 ; Psa 2:6 ; Psa 111:1-4 ; Psa 8:4-6 ; Act 2:25-36 ; Eph 1:19-23 ; Eph 4:8-10 ).

We see, therefore, brethren, when the scattered parts are put together and adjusted, how nearly complete a portrait of our Lord is put upon the prophetic canvas by this inspired limner, the sweet singer of Israel.

QUESTIONS

1. What is a good text for this chapter?

2. What is the threefold division of the Old Testament as cited by our Lord?

3. What is the last division called and why?

4. What is the object of the discussion in this chapter?

5. To what three things is the purpose limited?

6. What especially qualifies the author to meet the objections of the higher critics to allowing the New Testament usage of the Old Testament to determine its meaning and application?

7. What is the author’s conviction relative to the Scriptures?

8. What is the New Testament testimony on the question of inspiration?

9. What is the author’s suggested plan of approach to the study of the Messiah in the Psalms?

10. What the background of the Psalmist’s portrait of the Messiah and of what does it consist?

11. Give the substance of Paul’s discussion of man’s sinfulness.

12. What is the teaching of Jesus on this point?

13. What is the teaching relative to sacrifices?

14. What the nature, extent, and blessedness of the salvation to be wrought by the coming Messiah and what the four great elements of it as forecast by the psalmist?

15. What is the teaching of the psalms relative to the wondrous person of the Messiah? Discuss.

16. What are the offices of the Messiah according to psalms? Discuss each.

17. Cite the more important events of the Messiah’s life according to the vision of the psalmist.

18. What the circumstances of the Messiah’s death and resurrection as foreseen by the psalmist?

Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible

Psa 102:1 A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee.

A Prayer of the afflicted ] Or, for the afflicted, made by Daniel, or some other prophet, not long before the return out of Babylon, where they suffered much but prayed little, as Daniel confesseth, Dan 9:13 . Here, therefore, they are taught to take unto them words, and say, “Hear my prayer, O Lord,” &c. In greatest afflictions there is place left for prayer, Psa 130:1 , and something God will yield to it, when most bitterly bent against a people, Mat 24:20-21 .

When he is overwhelmed ] Pressed out of measure above strength, 2Co 1:8 , ad deliquium animae, till heart faint and faith seem to fail, bowing down through weight of grief, ac si pars una corporis alia esset operta; for so the word here used signifieth, saith Kimchi, as if one part of the body were overcovered with another. Estque pulchra collatio in verbis gnataph et shaphac, quae naturam fidei depingunt, saith Mollerus; faith may be under a cloud for a season, but it will recover, and pour out its complaint before the Lord.

Ver. 1. Hear my prayer, O Lord ] O Lord Christ, for so this psalm is to be understood, as the apostle showeth, Heb 1:6

And let my cry ] Which is, that thou wouldest be pleased to bring us poor exiles back to our own country; and so this prayer is answerable to that of Dan 9:1-27

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

This psalm is “A prayer of the afflicted one when he is overwhelmed, and before Jehovah poureth out his complaint.” It is as full of interest, as of moment incalculable. The Epistle to the Hebrews (Heb 1:10-12 ) quotes it to prove that the O.T. regards Christ the Son of God as Jehovah, Psa 45 having just been alleged in proof of His Godhead, and in both psalms by the God of Israel Himself. Yet it is Messiah’s depth of humiliation which gives occasion to this expression of His divine glory. Out of that depth the Son contrasts His own wasting away in trouble with the permanence of Jehovah, with the certainty of Zion’s rise from ruin, and the fulfilment of hope in the glorious morrow, when the peoples shall be no longer rebellious but gathered together to serve Jehovah. But when Messiah renews His cry of borrow, the Father declares that the holy Sufferer is no less than Himself, Jehovah the Creator, Who will change the creature as of old He made it, and is destined yet to have the sons of His servants abiding, and their seed established before Him. The comment of inspiration is as wondrous as the Psalm: none but the Holy Spirit could have given either; and both are worthy of Him to whom they testify.

Fuente: William Kelly Major Works (New Testament)

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 102:1-7

1Hear my prayer, O Lord!

And let my cry for help come to You.

2Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my distress;

Incline Your ear to me;

In the day when I call answer me quickly.

3For my days have been consumed in smoke,

And my bones have been scorched like a hearth.

4My heart has been smitten like grass and has withered away,

Indeed, I forget to eat my bread.

5Because of the loudness of my groaning

My bones cling to my flesh.

6I resemble a pelican of the wilderness;

I have become like an owl of the waste places.

7I lie awake,

I have become like a lonely bird on a housetop.

Psa 102:1-7 This strophe describes the psalmist’s situation (i.e., the day of my distress, Psa 102:2; Psa 102:23-26).

1. feels YHWH has hidden His face (i.e., no sense of His presence)

2. his days are consumed in smoke, Psa 102:3

3. his bones have been scorched, Psa 102:3

4. his heart has been smitten, Psa 102:4

5. he has forgotten to eat because of his loud groaning, Psa 102:4-5 a

6. his bones cling to his flesh, Psa 103:5 b

7. he looks like a bird of the wilderness, Psa 102:6-7 b

8. he cannot sleep, Psa 102:7 a

It is possible that what looks like physical illness is really a person grieving over exile and the loss of the temple (cf. Psa 102:14; Psa 102:18-28).

Psa 102:1-2 The Psalm opens with a series of prayer requests.

1. hear my prayer – BDB 1033, KB 1570, Qal imperative, cf. Psa 17:6; Psa 39:12; Psa 54:2; Psa 55:1; Psa 61:1; Psa 64:1; Psa 143:1

2. let my cry for help come to You – BDB 9, KB 112, Qal imperfect used in a jussive sense

3. do not hide Your face from me – BDB 711, KB 771, Hiphil jussive, cf. Psa 27:9; Psa 69:17; Psa 143:7

4. incline Your ear to me – BDB 639, KB 692, Hiphil imperative, cf. Psa 17:6; Psa 31:2; Psa 71:2; Psa 86:1; Psa 88:2

5. quickly – BDB 554, KB 553, Piel imperative (lit. be quick, see NJB, most English translations translate it as an adverb [BDB 555])

6. answer me – BDB 772, KB 851, Qal imperative

Psa 102:2 Your face This is a Hebrew idiom for the personal presence of YHWH (cf. Psa 10:11; Psa 13:1; Psa 27:9; Psa 30:7; Psa 44:24; Psa 51:9; Psa 69:17; Psa 80:3; Psa 80:7; Psa 80:19; Psa 88:14; Psa 143:7).

day This imagery (BDB 398) is repeated three times.

1. in the day of my distress, Psa 102:2 a

2. in the day when I call, Psa 102:2 c

3. my days, Psa 102:3 a

4. all day long, Psa 102:8 a

5. my days, Psa 102:11

SPECIAL TOPIC: DAY (yom)

Your ear This is anthropomorphic imagery. See SPECIAL TOPIC: GOD DESCRIBED AS HUMAN (ANTHROPOMORPHISM) .

Psa 102:6 pelican. . .owl Often in the OT, birds and wild animals are used to denote not only abandoned places, but the presence of the demonic (i.e., Isa 13:19-22; Isa 34:11-15; Zep 2:14). Here the focus is on the element of abandonment or aloneness.

Also note the birds mentioned are Levitically unclean (cf. Lev 11:13-19), which is another way to assert the sense of rejection!

Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley

Title. A Prayer, &c. This refers to Messiah’s humiliation.

before. See note on “presence” (Psa 95:2).

LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4.

face. See note on “presence” (Psa 95:2).

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

Psa 102:1-28

In Psa 102:1-28 , David begins with a prayer asking God to hear his prayer.

Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee. Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline your ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily ( Psa 102:1-2 ).

How impatient we are with God, and yet, how important it is to us that God is patient with us. Yet it seems that whenever I pray I want speedy answers from God. I, again, I can identify with David. I want judgment on my enemies and I want speedy answers when I cry unto the Lord. I don’t like to wait on the Lord. I don’t like to wait for His answers to come. When I snap my fingers I want action, you know. I want God to move now in this case. And I don’t want to have to wait for God to answer my prayers. I guess, again, it is something that is just very natural. And yet, turn the thing around, and when God is desiring something from me, I like Him to just be patient with me and give me a chance to work it out, and I’ll get there when I have opportunity, you know. And it something that I want God to extend His patience towards me in a very liberal sense. But yet, I want speedy answers to my prayers.

For my days are consumed as smoke, and my bones are burned as a hearth. My heart is smitten and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread ( Psa 102:3-4 ).

That’s pretty bad, when you get so smitten that you don’t eat any more.

By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin. I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert. I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the housetop. Mine enemies reproach me all the day; and they that are mad against me are sworn against me. For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with tears, Because of your indignation and your wrath: for you have lifted me up, and cast me down. My days are like a shadow that declineth ( Psa 102:5-11 );

Now he is referring actually to the sundial. The method by which they kept time in those days. And the declining shadow on a sundial, the day is about over. “My days are about over. My day is like the shadow that declineth.”

and I am withered like grass. But ( Psa 102:11 )

In contrast,

Thou, O LORD, shall endure forever; and thy remembrance to all generations ( Psa 102:12 ).

I am about ready to pass off from the scene. I am withered like grass; my days are like a declining shadow, but God, You go on forever and ever.

Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favor her, yea, the set time, is come ( Psa 102:13 ).

So he looks forward now, prophetically, to that time when God is going to work again in Israel among the people. Before they came into the land, while still in the wilderness, Moses gave to them God’s covenant whereby they would inherit the land. The covenant of God’s blessings that would rest upon them if they would walk with God, and if they would serve the Lord. “Then,” God said, “I will bless your crops. I will bless your children. I’ll bless your families.” And all of the blessings that God had promised if they would walk with Him. “But if you turn,” God said, “and walk after other gods, and bow down, and worship them and sacrifice your children unto them, then,” God said, “I will turn against thee, and I will bring plagues upon the land. I will bring thee enemies in upon the land, and finally,” God said, “and I will give you over to captivity and you will be scattered throughout all of the earth and you’ll become a curse and a byword among the nations upon the earth.”

And so God promised even before they came into the land, the dispersion that would take place if they turned against God. They would be scattered throughout all the world. We only have to look at their history to see the confirmation of God’s Word to them. As long as they sought the Lord, God made them to prosper. When they turned from the Lord, the curses that God declared came upon them. Their land was smitten with drought and with famine. And the enemies came in and they were taken captive, and ultimately they were dispersed and scattered throughout the whole world.

But even in Deuteronomy, before they came into the land, God promised that the day would come when He would gather them together again, from all the parts of the earth, wherever they had been scattered, and He would bring them back and establish them in the land once again. Now this is the thread that runs through the prophecies of the Old Testament. God’s faithfulness to His covenant to Abraham that the land would belong to him and to his seed.

And it is wrong to make that a spiritual analogy to the church and say, “Well, God has rejected now Israel forever and the church is spiritual Israel, and thus, the promises apply now to the church in a spiritual sense.” It is true that we are all the children of Abraham by faith in Jesus Christ and that we all now can partake of God’s covenant to Abraham. That is, that God will impute righteousness to us by faith. And yet, God is still going to deal with the nation Israel.

The Lord said to Daniel, “There are seventy sevens that are determined upon the nation Israel. Sixty-nine of those sevens would transpire between the time the commandment went forth to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, to the coming of the Messiah the Prince. But,” he said, “The Messiah will be cut off, with nothing for Himself. And the people will be dispersed.” But then God speaks of the prince of the people that will come who will make a covenant with the nation Israel and in the midst of the final seven-year cycle will break the covenant as he establishes the abomination which causes desolation. The sixty-nine sevens that God had appointed upon the nation Israel were fulfilled from the time that Artaxerxes gave the commandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, to the coming of Jesus Christ was 483 years in the Babylonian calendar.

There is a final seven-year period that is yet to take place. It is yet future. Jesus, making reference to the abomination of desolation as was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, refers it to yet a future event, an event that will precede His second coming. Jesus, in referring to the abomination of desolation, said, “When you see the abomination of desolation that was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, let him who reads, understand. Then flee to the wilderness.” So the seventieth seven-year cycle of Daniel according to Jesus is still a future event. Which event will be marked in the middle of it by the European leader that shall arise, coming to Jerusalem, and standing in the holy of holies of the rebuilt temple and declaring that he is God, and demanding that he be worshipped as God. Now, the appointed time of God upon the nation Israel, when God will once again pour out His Spirit upon her. And as is declared, “The heathen shall reverence the name of the Lord and all of the kings of the earth, thy glory.”

It would seem that this is a reference to that time, I feel, in the very near future, when Russia invades Israel and is destroyed by the power of God. In the thirty-eighth chapter of Ezekiel where the Lord records this momentous event, in verse Psa 102:23 , God said, “Thus will I magnify Myself, and sanctify Myself. And I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am Jehovah.” So if you put that together with the fifteenth verse, “So the heathen shall reverence the name of Jehovah, and the kings of the earth, thy glory.”

Now that is referred to as a relationship to God’s set time to show favor upon Israel. And so if you will then go over to the thirty-ninth chapter of Ezekiel, verse Psa 102:27 , “When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations.” Now put that together with verse Psa 102:23 of chapter 38, “I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself and be known in the eyes of many nations. When I’ve gathered them out of their enemies’ lands and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations, then shall they know that I am Jehovah their God, which cause them to be led into captivity among the heathen. But I have gathered them into their own land and have left none of them anymore there, neither will I hide my face anymore from them, for I have poured out My Spirit upon the house of Israel, saith Jehovah God.” So the Lord has promised… or, “saith the Lord God,” not Jehovah God there.

So God has promised that in the day in which He is sanctified before in them in the eyes of the heathen, or the nations of the world, that in that day, He is going to remove the blindness. “I will no longer be hid.” Now Paul tells us that blindness has happened to Israel during this period of the Gentiles. Blindness has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. But this national blindness that is taken, that God has placed upon Israel, will be removed. He’ll no longer be hid from them. He will pour out His Spirit upon them. Which means that God will then have taken His church out of the earth’s scene. So we are talking about God’s set time for the nation of Israel. The time to favor her.

For [the psalm says,] Thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favor the dust thereof ( Psa 102:14 ).

We received a letter from our guide in Israel who was planning to come over and visit us this summer. And he said, “Dear Chuck and Kay, I write to you and trust that everything is well with you, and all. I want you to know that I won’t be coming over this summer because the Lord has given to us the blessed privilege of buying property in this beautiful, holy city. The city that God has set His eye upon. The city that is blessed of the Lord. And we are going to build a home in this beautiful city of God.” And, oh, he goes on, raving about the dust and the stones of the city of Jerusalem. He is so excited that he is going to have a house of his own right in Jerusalem. “Surely the people do favor the stones and even the dust thereof. For thy servants take pleasure in the stones.”

For the heathen shall reverence the name of the LORD [or Jehovah], and all the kings of the earth thy glory. When the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory ( Psa 102:15-16 ).

Now, God is going to work for another seven-year cycle with the nation Israel. It will be God’s primary work upon the earth during this final seven-year cycle. It will be a time in the scripture that is known as the time of Jacob’s trouble, Jacob travailing. It will be a time of religious confusion. For at the beginning, the antichrist will make a covenant with the nation Israel. Many of their leaders will declare that he is the Messiah, and he will be acclaimed generally as their Messiah. However, there will be a couple of witnesses of God that will be telling them the truth and warning them against him. There will be those that are sealed of God, and they also will be bearing witness against him. But the religious leaders will be acclaiming him. The religious leaders who crucified our Lord and are still holding the people in blindness will be deceived and will be acclaiming this man as Messiah.

But after three and a half years, when the temple is rebuilt, and they are again worshipping, when he comes and stands in the temple, in the holy of holies, and declares that he is God and demands to be worshipped as God, then they will all realize their error. They will flee to the wilderness, a place that God has prepared for them. During the final 1,290-day period, which 1,290 days will be a time of great trouble, the Great Tribulation. A time of God’s wrath, a time of greater bloodshed and horror than the world has ever seen at any time in its history. People are saying, “Good days are ahead, you know. We’ve got a new administration.” Don’t believe it. The worst is yet to come. Evil days, the scripture says, are going to wax worse and worse.

I would like to think that a change of administration is going to change the whole complexion of our society, but I cannot believe that from a scriptural standpoint. Like the nation Israel, there may be moments of sort of a national revival and a turning to God and a forestalling, but we are generally going downhill so rapidly that there is nothing that can stop our decline short of a miracle of God, which I do not anticipate. Because I believe we are out at the end of the line, and I think that we are plunging into that abyss of which God spoke. As far as world history is concerned.

But immediately after the tribulation of those days, shall they see the sign of the Son of man coming with clouds and great glory. Even as we read, “When the Lord shall build up Zion, He shall appear in His glory.” He appeared the first time in shame and humiliation to take upon Himself the sins of mankind and to die an ignominious death upon the cross. To be despised and rejected, smitten, pierced, scourged, bruised, crucified. But He is coming again, in power and in glory, to reign over the earth in righteousness, in peace, from henceforth, even forever.

And so God has set the time and when the Lord shall build up Zion. We know that the time is coming for Him to appear in His glory. The nation Israel has been restored. God kept His promise. He gathered the people that were scattered throughout all the world and He placed them again in the land, and they have their government, they have the possession of Jerusalem. And now we are just waiting for the final sequence of events. At this moment, we are waiting for Russia to attack the Middle East and Israel, which is going to be the key event triggering the final sequence of events. That will lead the church out of this mess.

God will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer. For this shall be written for the generation to come ( Psa 102:17 , Psa 102:18 ):

In other words, the psalmist says, “I am not writing this for you people; I am writing this for a generation that is going to come.” Our generation. The generation that sees the Lord building up Zion. It is just like when Daniel was writing of the same events, this final seven-year period when God was working again in Israel having removed the blindness, and now working again. Daniel said, “How long, O Lord, until the end of these things?” And the Lord said, “Seal up all of these things up in a book, Daniel. And in the last days, knowledge will be increased.” In other words, Daniel, you don’t understand it. Daniel was crying for understanding, and the Lord said, “You aren’t going to understand it, Daniel. Just seal it up in a book. But in the last days knowledge will be increased.” And God will give the understanding of these things. And as we read the book of Daniel now, we see how God has opened up the book of Daniel, and how clear it is now as we have the advantage of history. We can see now, and understand now the things of which Daniel was writing, things that he didn’t understand himself. And so this is written for the generation to come. It’s for their benefit, for our benefit. We are that generation.

and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD ( Psa 102:18 ).

So that’s declared of us, and thus we need to keep the Word of God by praising the Lord.

For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth; To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death; To declare the name of Jehovah in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem; When the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD. He weakened my strength in the way; he shortened my days. I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations. Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old, like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed ( Psa 102:19-26 ):

Now this is interesting, as he speaks of the earth and the heavens. God laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of His hands. And they are going to perish, the psalmist said. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away. My word,” He said, “shall never pass away” ( Mat 24:35 ). Peter describes how they are going to pass away. As the elements are dissolved and melt with a fervent heat. And there comes forth the new heaven and a new earth. There will be change, the new heaven and the new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. So they shall perish.

It is interesting that the psalmist here actually recognizes the first and second law of thermodynamics, which the evolutionists try to almost deny in propounding a theory that requires just the opposite affect of the laws of entropy as we know them to exist. The psalmist recognizes that the earth is growing old. “They shall wax old like a garment.” As Sir Herschel Gene said, “The universe is like a giant clock that was wound up and is slowly running down.” Again, describing the affects of the first and second laws of thermodynamics. The slow winding down. Waxing old like a garment. As a vesture, as a coat, you’re gonna change. And like a man changes his coat. God is going to change the earth, and the heavens. And they shall be changed. But, in contrast to the universe, which is waxing old, which is winding down, in contrast to that,

But thou art the same and thy years have no end. The children of thy servants shall continue and their seed shall be established before thee ( Psa 102:27-28 ).

And so, though the earth is waxing old, the universe is growing old, yet God never changes. Though the universe will be changed like a garment, the Lord is the same. We remember in Hebrews, and no doubt a reference to this, “Jesus Christ the same, yesterday, today and forever, Thou art the same.” God said, “Behold, I am the Lord God. I change not.” The immutability of God. “

Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary

Kindly notice the title of this Psalm: Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD. I call your attention to it in order to remind you what charges there are in the life of a believer. Here, in the 102nd Psalm, the afflicted saint is pouring out his complaint; and then, in the 103rd, the rejoicing believer is blessing the Lord in a jubilant song of grateful praise. Such are a true Christians ups and downs, nights and days, and I can see how the 103rd Psalm blossoms out of the 102nd. When the afflicted believer can pour out his complaint before the Lord, it will not be long before he will be able to cry, Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name. If you carry your complaint in your own bosom, or tell it to some earthly friend, you will probably continue to have cause to complain; but if you pour out your heart before God, it will not be long before he will give you ease and relief.

Psa 102:1-2. Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee. Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble;

For that would make my trouble to be unbearable.

That were a grief I could not bear

Didst thou not hear and answer prayer.

Psa 102:2. Incline thine ear unto me:

Stoop down to me; bend over me; listen to the moanings of my darkness, the whispers of my weakness.

Psa 102:2. In the day when I call answer me speedily.

For I am brought so low that, if a delay be not a denial, it will be tantamount to it, for I shall be dead before the answer comes unless it reaches me speedily.

Psa 102:3-4. For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth. My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread.

That is a very pitiful state for anyone to be brought into, in which the sorrow of the mind begins to weaken the strength of the body; the soul itself is so inflamed that a fever is generated within the bodily frame, which seems burned as a hearth.

Psa 102:5. By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin.

By grief, he had brought himself down to such an emaciated state that his bones pierced through his skin.

Psa 102:6-7. I am like the pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert.

I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top. He had got into such a melancholy state of mind that he shunned human company, sought solitude, and became as mournful a creature as an owl of the desert.

Psa 102:8-10. Mine enemies reproach me all the day; and they that are mad against me are sworn against me. For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping, because of thine indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down.

Observe that all Davids enemies could not make him weep. Mad as they were against him, they could not extort a tear from his eyes, but Gods indignation and wrath touched him to the quick, and made him mingle his drink with weeping. He felt that God was treating him as wrestlers treat one another, when a man deliberately lifts up his opponent in order that he may give him the worse fall: Thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down. All the joys that he had ever known seemed to make his sorrow the more bitter; the light of Gods countenance, in which he had formerly walked, made the darkness, in which he was enshrouded, to seem all the blacker.

Psa 102:11-12. My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass. But thou, O LORD, shalt endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations.

That was Davids usual way, to comfort himself in his God when he could find no comfort in himself or in his surroundings. You remember that he did so on that memorable occasion when Ziklag was burned, and the people spake of stoning him: David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. We shall be wise if we follow his example; for, when every other source of joy is dried up, when all earthly wells are stopped up by the Philistines, the stream of Gods mercy flows on as freely as ever.

Psa 102:13-14. Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come. For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof.

God is sure to bless his Church when the members of it take a deep interest in even the least things that appertain to Gods cause: Thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favor the dust thereof. I fear that, in many churches, the set time to favor Zion has been postponed by the apathy, the lethargy, or the carelessness of many of those who profess to be the servants of God.

Psa 102:15-16. So the heathen shall fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth thy glory. When the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.

It was to Gods glory for him to build up the ancient Jewish kingdom, and it is equally to his glory to build up his Church at the present time, quarrying the stones of nature, changing them by his almighty power, polishing them, by his grace, after the similitude of a palace, building them up upon the one foundation, that is, Jesus Christ, laying course upon course until the whole structure shall be finished.

Psa 102:17. He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.

There is a gracious promise for all destitute souls who cry unto God.

Psa 102:18. This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD.

This is written for our comfort, dear friends; there it stands permanently, in this blessed Book, that, as long as there is a destitute and tried people of God, he will not despise their prayer.

Psa 102:19. For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth;

As if God was looking down from the battlements of heaven, observing, watching for something; and what is it that God is looking for?

Psa 102:20. To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;

Is not that a delightful view of God? Watching, not for the music of sweet singers, nor for the noise of victorious warriors, but for the groaning of the prisoner, the sight of those shut up in the condemned cell, appointed to death.

Psa 102:21-23. To declare the name of the LORD in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem; when the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD. He weakened my strength in the way; he shortened my days.

It is most instructive to notice how the psalmist ascribes all to God, not only his strength, but his weakness; not merely his extended life, but even the shortening of his days. It takes away the sting from our sorrow when we know that it comes from God. It helps us to bear any apparent calamity when we feel that it is our Heavenly Fathers hand that has wrought it all, or his will that has permitted it to happen.

Psa 102:24-27. I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations. Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment, as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.

The ever-living God is our constant comfort amidst the ever-changing scenes of this mortal life. Ay, and when we come even to the border of the land of death-shade, this is still our joy, The Lord liveth, for, from the midst of the throne, we hear our Saviour say, Because I live, ye shall live also,

Psa 102:28. The children of thy servants, shall continue,

We pass away, but our children take our place. As Wesley said, God buries his workmen, but his work goes on. One generation passes away, but another comes in its stead.

Psa 102:28. And their seed shall be established before thee.

Blessed be the name of the ever-living God!

Fuente: Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible

Psa 102:1-11

AN AFFLICTED ONE PRAYS FOR HIMSELF AND FOR ZION

The Superscription here has this very interesting little paragraph:

A PRAYER OF AN AFFLICTED ONE; WHEN HE IS OVERWHELMED; AND POURETH OUT HIS COMPLAINT BEFORE JEHOVAH.

As Kidner noted, “This psalm has been miscalled a Penitential Psalm for ages, but there is no confession of sin anywhere in it. Kidner was also willing to label the whole psalm Messianic; and, without any doubt whatever, Psa 102:23-28 certainly fall into that classification.

Some have supposed that David might have written it, but the depiction of Jerusalem in ruins (Psa 102:13) points rather to the times of the Captivity.

On the basis of Psa 102:13-21, the date seems to have been in the time of the captivity … Beyond all question, the language used would express the feelings of many pious Hebrews in the times of the exile, such as the sorrow, the sadness, the cherished hopes, and prayers of many a one in that prolonged and painful captivity.

There are three divisions of the psalm: (1) Psa 102:1-11 describes the terrible sufferings of the afflicted one. (2) Psa 102:12-22 dwells upon the hopes for relief. (3) And Psa 102:23-28 speaks of the unchanging God as contrasted with the changing world.

Psa 102:1-11

SUFFERINGS OF THE AFFLICTED

“Hear my prayer, O Jehovah,

And let my cry come unto thee.

Hide not thy face from me;

In the day when I call answer me speedily.

For my days consume away like smoke,

And my bones are burned as a firebrand.

My heart is smitten like grass, and withered;

For I forget to eat my bread.

By reason of the voice of my groaning

My bones cleave to my flesh.

I am like a pelican of the wilderness;

I am become as an owl of the waste places.

I watch and am become like a sparrow

That is alone upon the housetop.

Mine enemies reproach me all the day;

They that are mad against me do curse by me.

For I have eaten ashes like bread,

And mingled my drink with weeping.

Because of thine indignation and thy wrath:

For thou hast taken me up and cast me away.

My days are like a shadow that declineth;

And I am withered like grass.”

The only hint of sin on the part of the sufferer is in Psa 102:10 where the indignation of God is mentioned; but if the passage speaks of the distress of Israel in captivity, the application might be to the sins of the nation, rather than those of the sufferer.

The passage carries a graphic picture of an individual suffering from some unnamed malady. He is in distress; his days are consumed like smoke; his bones burn; his heart is broken; he has lost his appetite; his appearance has become as “skin and bones”; he has become like the pelican, the owl, and the lonely sparrow; his enemies cast reproaches upon him and curse by him; he sits in sackcloth and ashes, where sometimes his food gets ashes in it; his life’s sun is sinking rapidly; the shadow on the dial is declining and the night of death is impending.

It is impossible to associate all of these “symptoms” with any disease described either by ancient or modern doctors; and there remains the possibility of the whole passage being figurative. This would certainly be the case if Kidner’s assignment of the passage to the sufferings of Messiah should be allowed.

“The pelican … the owl … the sparrow” (Psa 102:6-7). A certain Dr. Thompson, quoted by Albert Barnes, stated that “The pelican is the most somber and austere bird I ever saw; it gave one the blues merely to look at it; and no more expressive type of solitude and melancholy could have been selected. “The owl of the rains is also a striking emblem of desolation. “The sparrow alone on the housetop” was described by Barnes as a grieving sparrow. “When one has lost its mate, he will sit on the housetop alone for hours at a time in his sad bereavement.”[5]

Later in the psalm, it becomes clear that the sufferer’s hope of deliverance is tied to his hope of the rescue of Zion; and from this, Dummelow concluded that, “The personal distress of the psalmist has been caused by the captivity and humiliation of his people.”[6]

Psa 102:10-11

“Thou, Lord in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth,

And the heavens are the works of thy hands:

They shall perish, but thou continuest:

And they all shall wax old as doth a garment;

And as a mantle shalt thou roll them up,

As a garment, and they shall be changed:

But thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.”

The great significance of this Hebrews quotation is that words which were originally spoken of God Himself are unhesitatingly applied to Jesus Christ. Brooks Foss Westcott, as quoted by Thomas Hewitt, declared that, “Here we have the application to the Incarnate Son of the words addressed to Jehovah. F. F. Bruce’s comment on this was:

“It was through the Son that the worlds were made; (and that) person to whom these words were spoken is addressed explicitly as, “The Lord,” and it is God who thus addresses him.

It is upon this undeniable meaning of the last paragraph of this psalm that Kidner applied the whole psalm to the Messiah. He stated his conclusion thus:

“The passage in Heb 1:10-12 opens our eyes to what would otherwise have been brought out only by the Septuagint (LXX) rendition of Psa 102:23 f, namely that the Father is here replying to the Son, and this implies that the sufferer throughout the psalm is also the Son Incarnate.

We receive as an invariable rule that one line from the New Testament regarding any Old Testament passage is worth more than a whole library of critical allegations to the contrary. On this account, we have omitted any allegations to the contrary regarding the application of this passage to Christ. We believe that it was the Spirit of God which illuminated the mind of the author of Hebrews, and that we may place absolute trust in what is here declared concerning Christ our Savior.

E.M. Zerr:

Psa 102:1. This verse is an example of the supplication form of prayer. The simple word “prayer” means merely an address or request offered to God. A supplication is a request in more urgent and earnest terms.

Psa 102:2. This verse is similar to the preceding one except that it specifies the subject of the supplication. The Psalmist is worried over the trouble that his enemies were causing him. He appeals to the Lord in earnest tones to assist him.

Psa 102:3. Of course we will understand this verse to be figurative. David used the strong language to illustrate the great distress his enemies had forced upon him.

Psa 102:4. This means that he did not have the heart to face the situation without the help of the Lord. It had even taken his appetite which is what he meant by the words forget to eat my bread in the close of the verse.

Psa 102:5. This is another highly figurative passage, referring to David’s miserable experiences. But the thought will be grasped more readily by transposing the two clauses of the verse. The idea is that on account of the condition of his skin and bones, his voice gave way to groaning.

Verses 6, 7. These fowls are somewhat “on their own” and isolated. They are liable to meet up with some hostile creatures, so that their hours have to be taken up in being constantly and nervously on the alert.

Psa 102:8. To reproach means to speak evil with the intent to slander one. To be mad is to rave about another. David’s enemies were so determined to slander him that they gave way to rage, and declared with an oath that they would oppose him.

Psa 102:9. Ashes were used in ancient times to indicate distress or great humiliation. David uses the word figuratively by saying he had to eat them. Partaking of drink was a desirable act in itself, but the opposition of his enemies caused the Psalmist to weep while partaking of the blessing.

Psa 102:10. David attributed his unpleasant experiences to the Lord; that is, he believed the Lord suffered the enemies to oppose him as a test of his faith. He never found fault with the Lord for such treatment, but frequently lamented over it and entreated that the afflictions might be lifted or lessened.

Psa 102:11. This verse is a figurative description of David’s trials. Declineth is from NATAH and Strong defines it, “to stretch or spread out.” The idea is that as the lengthening of a shadow indicates the approach of the day’s end, so David compared it to his own declining day of life under the oppression of his enemies. He made a like comparison to the withering grass that yielded to the depressing effect of heat.

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary

This is a song of faith triumphing over affliction. Beginning with a prayer for deliverance, and a statement of the circumstances of suffering in which he then was, together with a recognition of those sufferings as the chastisements of Jehovah (vv. Psa 102:1-11), it rises to a great song of hope in the consciousness of the eternity of God, and the consequent conviction of the restoration of His own people to favour and blessing (vv. Psa 102:12-22). Finally it returns to his own suffering, yet recognises that suffering again, as part of the Divine process, and gains confidence in setting that also in the light of the eternity of God (vv. Psa 102:23-28).

While there are great beauties in the details of the song, it is this general atmosphere which creates its greatest value for us. There is nothing more calculated to strengthen the heart in suffering, or inspire the spirit with the courage in days of danger and difficulty, than the sense of the eternity of God. In it is to be found the certainty that the purpose defeated today will yet be the continuity of humanity, and a great sense of the solidarity of the race is created. Let us set our limitations always in the light of His limitlessness.

Fuente: An Exposition on the Whole Bible

the Cry of the Afflicted

Psa 102:1-11

This is the fifth of the Penitential Psalms. Some hold that it is one of the later psalms, asking for deliverance from captivity; others, emphasizing certain Davidic characteristics, ascribe it to the hand of the royal psalmist. Its actual authorship, however, is of comparatively small consequence; the main thing is to notice what adequate expression it gives to the sorrow of an almost broken heart.

The psalmist bases his cry for a speedy answer on the swiftness with which his days are passing away, like smoke escaping, from a chimney. His bones are calcined; his heart withers like Jonahs gourd; he is worn to a skeleton by his long and passionate lamentations. He finds his likeness in solitude-loving creatures, such as the pelican and the owl. Still another element in his suffering is the mockery of his foes. He cannot get away from it; it haunts him. Ashes, the token of his mourning, are his food, and tears fill his cup. But the bitterest element of all is the consciousness of Gods displeasure. It seems as if Gods hand is against him, and in the accumulated weight of grief, he deems that the day of his life must expire. However, in the concluding portion of the psalm his hope is renewed.

Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary

Psa 102:24

The text is an earnest, impassioned prayer, a prayer against death; and the fact which gives it its earnestness and impassioned energy is that he who offers it is in “the midst of his days.” Men in middle life are very apt to look upon death as an improbable event so far as they are concerned, and to make their calculations and shape their course accordingly.

I. The reasons for this fact. (1) The man in middle life has reasons taken from his circumstances and relations which render life to him very important. The ties which bind him to the world are now the strongest. He has taken his place in society, and is now sustaining his most important earthly responsibilities. (2) The spirit of enterprise is now most active. Man is forming plans which will require years to develop; and those plans constitute the objects of his existence, the centre of his heart’s warmest feelings. (3) It is a fact that fewer men die at the meridian than at any other point in human life. This fact forms the ground of men’s calculations in reference to life.

II. The effects of this state of mind. (1) Of all men, those who are in the “midst of their days” are least prepared to die. (2) The legitimate effects of the Gospel are very rarely seen for the first time in persons who are passing through the meridian of life. This seems to be a period in human existence when the Spirit of God seldom achieves any signal victories. Such thoughts should arouse to feeling, awaken to anxiety, and prompt to inquiry all to whom they have reference.

E. Mason, A Pastor’s Legacy, p. 1.

References: Psa 102:24.-Expositor, 3rd series, vol. iv., p. 377; J. Ker, Old Testament Outlines, p. 135. Psa 102:26.-H. J. Wilmot-Buxton, Waterside Mission Sermons, 1st series, p. 44. Psa 102:27.-W. Baird, The Hallowing of our Common Life, p. 1. Psa 102:28.-J. Irons, Thursday Penny Pulpit, vol. x., p. 137. Psa 103:1.-Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xviii., No. 1078. Psa 103:1-5.-G. W. McCree, Christian World Pulpit, vol. ix., p. 8.

Fuente: The Sermon Bible

Psalm 102

Christ the King in His Humiliation

1. In the place of humiliation and dependence (Psa 102:1-7)

2. His enemies (Psa 102:8-11)

3. The set time for Zion (Psa 102:12-16)

4. The blessings which follow (Psa 102:17-22)

5. The God-man in His work (Psa 102:23-28)

That this Psalm is a prophecy concerning the sufferings of Christ, His humiliation and death, and the gracious results which flow from it, is confirmed by the quotation in the first chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews. In that chapter His work and His glory are unfolded. Here we have both. First we have a prophetic picture of the lonely One, like a pelican, an owl in the desert and as a sparrow alone upon the house top. What a deep humiliation for Him who created all things (Psa 102:23-28) to take the lowest place, even like a sparrow. Then we read how His enemies reproach Him. He eats His bread like ashes and mingles His drink with weeping. He suffers more than that, in making atonement–Gods indignation and wrath is upon Him.

Next we read something of the joy which was set before Him on account of which He endured the cross, despising the shame. Here is part of the travail of His soul. God will through Him, have mercy upon Zion when the set time to favour her has come. All nations will then fear His Name, and all the kings behold His glory. And Zion shall assuredly be built when the Lord appears in glory, His second coming. Then the glorious results when the people are gathered together (in the kingdom) and the kingdoms serve the Lord. The closing verses tell us of His glory as the God-Man. The Man who suffered thus is the Lord of all, Jehovah the Creator. The Spirit of God alone could teach the true application of these words and He has done so in Heb 1:10-12.

Fuente: Gaebelein’s Annotated Bible (Commentary)

Hear my prayer, O Lord

The references of Psa 102:25-27 to Christ Heb 1:10-12 assures us that in the preceding verses of Psalms 102 we have, prophetically, the exercises of His holy soul in the days of His humiliation and rejection.

See Psalms 110, next in order of the Messianic Psalms.

Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes

of: or, for

overwhelmed: Psa 12:5, Psa 61:2, Psa 69:1, Psa 69:2, Psa 142:2, Psa 142:3, Psa 143:4, Lam 3:18-20, Mar 14:33, Mar 14:34, Luk 22:44, Heb 5:7

poureth: Psa 42:4, Psa 62:8, Psa 77:3, Psa 142:2, 1Sa 1:15, 1Sa 1:16

Hear: Psa 5:2, Psa 55:1-5, Psa 57:1-3, Psa 130:1, Psa 130:2, Psa 41:1, Psa 41:2, Psa 143:7, Psa 145:19

let my: Psa 18:6, Exo 2:23, Jdg 10:16, 1Sa 9:16, 2Ch 30:27, Lam 3:8, Lam 3:44

Reciprocal: 1Ki 8:59 – nigh Job 21:4 – is my complaint Psa 77:2 – In the Psa 119:145 – cried

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Christ in His humiliation; uniting God and man.

A prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before Jehovah.

Here then is a King after Jehovah’s heart: such an one as the need of man craves but has not found. Yet has He long since come, and in the way marked out for Him from the beginning, all prophetic voices testifying to Him. They had testified also to His rejection at the hands of those long and carefully prepared for His reception; but who knew Him not. The crown they gave Him was a crown of thorns; they wrote His title in derision over a cross; little supposing that He would show His royalty by making that cross itself henceforth the very symbol of a power mightier than that of all the kings of the earth, and to outlast them all.

But in fact to be King after the fashion that alone He sought, He had to wear another title, and take another office, as we have seen; and this involved the very place to which in ignorance and unbelief they destined Him, but to which He freely -constrained only by His own love -stooped. As Priest He must have somewhat to offer and, there being nothing that could avail beside, He offered up HIMSELF. And thus too He became the Prophet of a new dispensation; and, lifting all this into a new sphere of glory, in Him Messiah’s three-fold qualification was at last completed -Prophet, Priest, and King.

But who could be sufficient for these things? Man He must be to take man’s penalty; man; to go in for man to God. We have seen One able to go in thereto whom the sanctuary was accessible; who knew “the secret place of the Most High,” and could “abide under the shadow of the Almighty;” a Second Man; not involved in the ruin of the first, and for whom all the resources of divine power are available. But who then is this Second Man? This is the question which is answered by God Himself in the psalm before us, and answered to Him the rejected King of Israel, but under a heavier burden than this by far, and stricken by the hand of Him who owns Him now. But let us take up the psalm.

1. The first seven verses state in general terms the cause of the Sufferer’s prayer. His plea is His distress. There is no confession of sin; as in the psalms of atonement generally, while on the other hand there is no profession of integrity: it is as the prayer of one with whom there is no need. Yet He pleads that God’s face should not be hidden from Him; and in the third verse seems already to intimate that which afterwards finds Plainer expression -the wrath of God like a fire in His bones and His days consumed like smoke. In the sixth similarly the figures, as well as the number, would seem to speak of God’s hand upon His circumstances, making Him like a bird of the deserts or of ruined places; while the desolation is yet heightened by the picture of the sparrow with its social instincts, in the place where these would naturally find gratification; yet watching alone.

2. The evil comes into clearer detail, however, in the second section; where we find pictured a woe so extreme that His enemies use it as a typical imprecation; as if God and they were in agreement -they could wish no one worse than God had done to Him! He had eaten ashes for food, and mixed His drink with tears. And now He speaks openly of God’s indignation and wrath: if He had lifted Him up, it was but to cast Him away. Yet still there is no account given of this, no question of sin raised in any way. Reason there must be of course, but none is presented. Atonement is not intimated, and yet it is only in atonement that wrath could be upon the sinless One as here. But the fact alone is brought before us -Christ (as it surely is) in the depth of His humiliation, in the sorrow that had no equal, brought down now till the lengthening shadow of evening is the symbol of His days, and the withered grass His emblem.

3. But now the vision of the future passes before the eyes of the dying Man. He sees Jehovah, the unchanged, unchanging God, incapable of forgetfulness, and thinks of the promises which must surely be fulfilled, according to which not only Zion must be raised out of her ruin; but Jehovah Himself be manifested in His glory and the nations brought to fear His Name. He anticipates that mercy pledged to her, the set time come, as shown by the hearts of those in sympathy with His heart turned towards her stones and to the very dust of her degradation. Already thus the streaks of dawn are visible for the earth; and soon “the nations shall fear Jehovah’s Name, and all the kings of the earth Thy glory.” For when He builds up Zion; then His glory shall appear.

4. This leads on to the consideration of those ways of His with the weak and failing, the self-ruined sons of men; exemplified so signally in His mercy to Israel. Man has fallen through pride and independence of heart. Therefore the need of his being humbled and brought into that state of destitution in which alone he will seek God. But then “He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.” And this is not merely true in an isolated and exceptional instance: it is His way of grace, broad-written now in Israel’s restoration; for a memorial to after-generations, that a people “created” for Himself may praise the Eternal. The strong word “created” is no doubt used here with a moral force which anticipates the doctrine of the New Testament. Nor are there any that really fill their place as the creation of God except as they are recipients, and so heralds of His grace.

God then has looked down from the height of His sanctuary; from the heavens Jehovah has beheld the earth: never with indifference, never with hostility, while abiding in the holiness of His nature, which separates Him; not from His creatures, but only from their sin: “to hear the groaning of the prisoner; to set loose the children of death” -those under its sentence. And in this misery was Zion; in which therefore His Name is now declared, and His praise in Jerusalem. And so the rebellion of the earth is ended: “the peoples are gathered together, and the kingdoms to serve Jehovah.”

5. Is HE, then, an example of these ways of Jehovah -of His showing mercy to the poor? Nay, “He weakened my strength in the way: He shortened my days.” Himself the King of Zion, “Messiah the Prince,” He is “cut off, and has nothing” (Dan 9:26 margin). The sinless One, He is left to die, He upon whom depend all the promises is left to cry out to the Eternal Might, as one in the midst of his days taken away -smitten, and not supported!

From Him who delighteth in mercy, for Him no mercy? And are these the equal ways of the Unchangeable? Why then no mercy? And if this is no exception to Jehovah’s ways, can it be that HE is the exception? does He in fact not belong to the class of those to whom mercy could be shown? does He not violate the rule, because He does not come under it? That is what the answer of God declares: “Of old hast Thou founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of Thy hands. They shall perish, but Thou shalt continue; and they all shall grow old as doth a garment: as a vesture shalt Thou change them and they shall be changed; but Thou art the same, and Thy years shall have no end.”

The statement of the apostle (Heb 1:10-12) is the direct authority for applying these words to Christ. Apart from this we might indeed imagine that they were but the pursuing of that affecting contrast between the transience of man and the immutability of God which we find in the earlier part of the psalm, and which seems to begin again in the preceding verse. But we have not for the first time here to realize the mystery-form in which some of the most glorious intimations in the Psalms are clothed. This is characteristic, moreover, of the whole of the Old Testament. And then the cry of the Speaker finds no response, and the perplexity in the psalm finds no unravelment. Yet one can see, if we merely take this for what it is not, a detached and isolated composition; that the Sufferer is One who, meeting the wrath of God with the profoundest faith in God, contrasts the fulfillment of the promises to Zion with His own brief days. Yet God “regards the prayer of the destitute, and does not despise their prayer.” He could not mean to give the case of the Sufferer as an exception to this, or a problem without solution. His own condition has to do evidently with these promises to Zion with which it is interwoven; and the psalm ends in no hopeless spirit but with confidence and happiness.

The inspired application of these verses is at once an illumination of the whole psalm. They become at once the key to the whole, and throw their light beyond the psalm itself upon all that surrounds it in the book. We see the connection with the voice of the King which we have heard in the psalm preceding: we understand the connection with the fulfillment of the promises to Zion: for here too is the King! We look back, and without difficulty connect this again with the subject of the ninety-first, with Him whom in contrast with the failed and death-stricken sons of men in the psalm of Moses (Psa 90:1-17) we may well call the Second Man. We find here One who has never lost His title to the earth as Adam did. Nature greets and smiles on Him; angels wait on Him; and in the next two psalms we have a “sabbath” and the world immovably established. Then Jehovah comes to take possession of the earth, and it is blessed indeed; but we miss the Head of blessing: where is the Second Man? The third section of the book opens with His voice. He is now the King of Israel, but His kingdom scarcely seems thus as world-wide as before. We pass on; and we find -what? The glorious King Himself and the Man whom earth and heaven join to honor, -the Deathless death-stricken; “numbering His days”! but where is the “wisdom” here? Then the answer bursts on us. It is a problem of which God Himself may well give us the solution. The death-stricken is yet the Deathless One; the King of Israel is a divine King; the Second Man; the Sabbath-maker for the world, is Jehovah who comes back to it: and creature and Creator are in Him for ever united; everlasting, Human arms hold us fast to God!

Of atonement itself we do indeed hear, directly, nothing; but we may well be trusted to discern (after all that has been before us) in this Death what has effected it. It is the necessary and only explanation of “indignation and wrath” met by this self-humbled, glorious One. And suited it is, after all, to what we know Him now to be. God, who is love, would be Himself our Redeemer. He has redeemed us to Himself. Blessed be His Name, it is Immanuel, for He has saved His people from their sins.

Thus we can understand the note of triumph with which the psalm ends: “the children of Thy servants shall abide, and their seed shall be established before Thee.”

Fuente: Grant’s Numerical Bible Notes and Commentary

Title. A prayer of the afflicted, &c. It was composed by one who was himself afflicted, afflicted with the church of God, and for it; and it is calculated for an afflicted state, and intended for the use of others that maybe in similar distress. It is the fifth of those Psalms styled Penitential.

Psa 102:3. My days are consumed like smoke Which passeth away in obscurity, and swiftly, and irrecoverably. Hebrew, , into, or, in smoke. As wood, or any combustible matter put into the fire, wasteth away in smoke and ashes, so are my days wasted away. Or, as some interpret the words, My afflictions have had the same effect on me as smoke has on things which are hung up in it, that is, have dried me up, and deformed me. And my bones The most strong and solid parts of my body, which seemed least likely to suffer any injury by my trouble; are burned as a hearth Either as a hearth is heated, or burned up by the coals which are laid upon it; or, as the hearth, being so heated, burns up that Which is put upon it. But , here translated, as a hearth, may be rendered, (as it is by many,) as a fire-brand, or, as dry wood, which seems most applicable to the subject here spoken of. For, as Dr. Horne observes, The effects of extreme grief on the human frame are here compared to those which fire produces upon fuel. It exhausts the radical moisture, and by so doing consumes the substance. A mans time and his strength evaporate in melancholy, and his bones, those pillars and supports of his body, become like wood, on which the fire hath done its work, and left it without sap, and without cohesion.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

It appears from Psa 102:13-16, that this psalm was written in Babylon, and near the time of the Jewish emancipation. It is highly prophetic of the greater deliverance by the Messiah, whose law should be published out of Zion, and the gentiles be converted to the Lord. It was probably written by Daniel, or Nehemiah. The title seems to have been prefixed by the author of the psalm, for it is copied by the Versions as it stands in the Hebrew. A prayer of the afflicted when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the Lord.

Psa 102:6. I am like a pelican, wandering alone in the desert, or an owl that utters her notes in the night. The pelican belongs to the genus of anseres [geese.] The head is naked, the feet palmated, the bill straight, but crooked at the end. Thirty species of this genus have been counted, as the cormorant, the graculus, vulgarly called the shag, the sulla or booby, the aquilus, &c. This bird is provided with a bag to carry flesh to feed her young; and pulling the bloody prey from her bag gave rise to the vulgar error, that she feeds them with her own blood. A gross mistake in heraldry.

Psa 102:14. Thy servants take pleasure in her stones. This prayer refers to the promise, Lev 26:41, that when the Hebrews were led captive for their sins, and should be humbled and cry to the Lordhe answers: Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and remember the land. To this may be associated all the promises of the Hebrew restoration, and their conversion to Christ.

Psa 102:25. Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth. The Elohim, or Godhead, created the heavens and the earth. Gen 1:1. Psa 33:6. The rabbins admit that the Messiah, the Eternal Wisdom and Word, was in the bosom of the Father, when he laid the foundation of the heavens and the earth. Pro 8:22. Sirach 24. St. Paul therefore knew they could not rebut the application of this text to Christ. Heb 1:10.

REFLECTIONS.

The psalmist here, as in parallel passages of grief and anguish, solicits audience of a compassionate God; and when men are deaf, or unable to save, where can the oppressed go but to the throne of mercy and compassion. To move the Lord to pity his misery, he utters his anguish in all the eloquence peculiar to grief: and paints it in lively colours, because he felt the pungent smart. Fever, pining, and sickness preyed upon his body, occasioned solely by the anguish of his mind. His soul feasting on its grief, forgot to nourish the body. He mourned like birds of plaintive note, or as the sparrow which has lost its mate.

The chief cause of all his grief was the slander, rage, and sworn enmity of his foes. And God having permitted all this, he connected the rage of his enemies with the displeasure of God, who brought him down to such a condition. The best of men we see may be reduced to very great distress, but in all their troubles they have confidence and hope, while the wicked are driven to despair.

This good mans affliction was very much occasioned by the affliction of Zion. She had lain in ruins for a long time; but the rubbish and the stones were regarded with veneration. Hence God is solicited to have compassion because of his servants. There is no truer mark of grace than to weep and mourn when religion is neglected, and lies like a temple in ruins. Such were the sentiments of good men during the Babylonian captivity; and the Lord had compassion on his people.

He prays for the restoration of Zion, that the heathen, hearing of Gods judgments, might glorify and fear his name. This therefore was written for the instruction of future generations, that the gentiles who were not yet a people, might share the privileges of the christian Israel, being created anew in Christ Jesus.

While the prophet was wasting with sickness in the midst of his days, and grieving for Zion, he comforted himself with the idea of the eternity of our JEHOVAH Jesus. Rejoice then, oh my soul, and again I say, rejoice in the Lord. The vicissitudes of life, the revolutions of empire, the shaking of heaven and earth, while they crush the wicked, safely roll the saints upon the firm rock of Gods eternal rest.

Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

CII. The title, which is unique in the Psalter, describes the contents of Psa 102:1-11 very well. So far the Ps. is the prayer of a man in extreme affliction. The same may be said of Psa 102:23 and Psa 102:24 a. But the theme which occupies the rest of the Ps. is quite different and indeed contrary. The poet turns to the eternal life of Yahweh. He has already built up Zion: His glory has appeared: not only the Jews but other peoples and kingdoms are to serve Yahweh. We may try to evade this difficulty by treating the perfect verbs as futures of prophetic certainty. Thus in Psa 102:16 the translation would be Yahweh shall build up Zion: and so in other cases. This explanation may be right. It is, however, more probable that Psa 102:1-11 is the prayer of an individual sufferer; that a later poet misunderstood the meaning and took the sufferer to be Israel personified, and then appended new verses to the older poem, predicting Israels glory and the advent of the Messianic age. Thus the Ps. was adapted to Temple use. It bears no mark of date except that Psa 102:2 agrees almost verbally with Psa 69:17. Now Psalms 69 is certainly Maccabean, and as the Ps. before us is full of thoughts which are reminiscences of other Pss., of Job and Is., and has little or no originality, it is probably later than Psalms 69.

Psa 102:5. Emend, My flesh cleaves to my bones. An emaciated man does look as if his flesh was drawn tight to his bones. In the case of every man the bones cleave to the flesh.

Psa 102:6. pelican: what bird is meant is not known.

Psa 102:8. do curse by me (see Jer 29:22).

Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible

PSALM 102

Christ, as Man, identified in spirit with the sufferings of His people; as God, identified with the glory of Jehovah.

The psalm presents experiences of the Lord which may have been anticipated in spirit during His life, but were entered into in all their fullness in the garden of Gethsemane only.

The sufferings of this psalm are not those felt by the Lord by reason of His treatment at the hands of men, though this is present to His soul; nor is it suffering in view of His expiatory work – bearing wrath and indignation from the hand of God – though this, too, is before Him. The psalm presents His own personal sufferings as identified with His suffering people.

(vv. 1-11) These verses present the identification of Messiah in spirit with the suffering remnant of His people Israel. It is the cry of the Man of sorrows in the day of distress. The great desire of the godly soul in distress is for his cry to be heard by the Lord. In spirit the Lord enters into this trouble, and gives expression of the desire (vv. 1-3).

Under the chastening of the Lord the days of His people are shortened and fade like smoke; their glory withers like grass. Into this trial the Lord enters (vv. 3-5). His people are lonely and desolate like a bird of the desert or a sparrow alone upon the housetop. The Lord enters into this desolation (vv. 6-7). They suffer continual reproach and opposition from men, and the Lord personally bears this reproach (vv. 8-9). Moreover the nation had been lifted up above all nations, and yet, because of God’s wrath and indignation, had been cast down: the Lord enters into this trial, for He, who was anointed to be the Messiah was cast down, and His days cut off. He does not say, indeed, Thy indignation and wrath is upon Me, for He is not speaking as bearing judgment upon the cross, but rather as entering in spirit into the indignation and wrath that was upon the nation (vv. 9-10).

(vv. 12-22) In contrast with Messiah identified with His suffering people, these verses present the glory of Jehovah and His intervention in grace and power on behalf of His people. The One who in lowly grace has given expression to the sorrows of His people is the One who can equally give expression to the glories of Jehovah. He is the Apostle and High Priest of our confession. He can bear up the sorrows of His people before Jehovah in priestly service: He can present the glories of Jehovah to His people as the Prophet.

Israel may fade and wither, but Jehovah endures for ever. At His set time Jehovah will intervene in grace on behalf of Zion. Thus all blessing for Israel rests on the glory and work of Jehovah (vv. 12-14).

When Jehovah thus intervenes on behalf of Israel – when He builds up Zion, and appears in His glory – then the heathen will fear His name and all the kings of the earth acknowledge His glory (vv. 15-16).

Then the prayers of the godly will have their answer, and prayer will be turned to praise (vv. 17-18). The Lord having looked upon His suffering people and heard their groans, and intervened to set them free, the days of persecution will for ever cease (vv. 19-20).

In result there will be a people who will declare the name of the Lord in Zion, and His praise in Jerusalem. All the peoples will gather to Jerusalem as a centre, and all kingdoms serve the Lord (vv. 21-22).

(vv. 23-27) In these closing verses Christ is presented as a divine Person – God – identified with Jehovah. The question arises, How can Jehovah intervene in blessing for His people if the Messiah is cut off? For the Messiah can say, He weakened my strength in the way: he shortened my days. How can the kingdom be established if the anointed King is cut off? There cannot be a restored kingdom without the King. The answer is disclosed in the great mystery of His Person. The Messiah who identified Himself with His suffering people and was cut off, is none less than Jehovah Himself. Thus in these verses we find that the Messiah is identified in Person with Jehovah, as before He was identified in suffering with His people.

He is addressed as Jehovah, whose years are throughout all generations. He is the Creator who laid the foundations of the earth; and the heavens are the work of His hands. All created things may perish, but He will endure; all else may change, but He is the same, and His years shall not fail (vv. 23-27).

The Spirit of God uses this passage in the Epistle to the Hebrews to prove the Godhead glory of the Son, who, though He became a Man, is addressed as God (Heb 1:8-12).

Thus it is that the Messiah secures the blessing of His people. The One who is Jehovah having become Man and identified Himself with His suffering people, at last brings His suffering people to be identified with Himself in His glory. If He endures they will endure; if He is the Same, they will be established before him (v. 28).

Fuente: Smith’s Writings on 24 Books of the Bible

102:1 [A Prayer {a} of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD.] Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my {b} cry come unto thee.

(a) By which is signified, that even though we are in great misery, yet there is always room for prayer.

(b) He declares that in our prayer we must lively feel that which we desire, and steadfastly believe to obtain.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

Psalms 102

Another anonymous writer poured out his personal lament to Yahweh (cf. Psalms 22, 69, 79). He felt overwhelmed due to an enemy’s reproach. He called out for help from the God he knew would not forsake him. This is another penitential psalm as well as a personal lament (cf. Psalms 6; Psalms 32; Psalms 38; Psalms 51; Psalms 103; Psalms 143).

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

1. Request for a quick answer 102:1-2

The writer felt a desperate need for the Lord’s immediate intervention in his painful situation. His words reveal the intensity of his pain.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

Psa 102:1-28

Psa 102:13-14 show that the psalm was written when Zion was in ruins and the time of her restoration at hand. Sadness shot with hope, as a cloud with sunlight, is the singers mood. The pressure of present sorrows points to the time of the Exile; the lightening of these, by the expectation that the hour for their cessation has all but struck, points to the close of that period. There is a general consensus of opinion on this, though Baethgen is hesitatingly inclined to adopt the Maccabean date, and Cheyne prefers the time of Nehemiah, mainly because the references to the “stones” and “dust” recall to him “Nehemiahs lonely ride round the burned walls,” and “Sanballats mocking at the Jews for attempting to revive the stones out of heaps of rubbish” (“Orig. of Psalt.,” p. 70). These references would equally suit any period of desolation; but the point of time indicated by Psa 102:13 is more probably the eve of restoration than the completion of the begun and interrupted reestablishment of Israel in its land. Like many of the later psalms, this is largely coloured by earlier ones, as well as by Deuteronomy, Job, and the second half of Isaiah, while it has also reminiscences of Jeremiah. Some commentators have, indeed, supposed it to be his work.

The turns of thought are simple. While there is no clear strophical arrangement, there are four broadly distinguished parts: a prelude, invoking God to hearken (Psa 102:1-2); a plaintive bemoaning of the psalmists condition (Psa 102:3-11); a triumphant rising above his sorrows, and rejoicing in the fair vision of a restored Jerusalem, whose Temple courts the nations tread (Psa 102:12-22); and a momentary glance at his sorrows and brief life, which but spurs him to lay hold the more joyously on Gods eternity, wherein he finds the pledge of the fulfilment of his hopes and of Gods promises (Psa 102:23-28).

The opening invocations in Psa 102:1-2 are mostly found in other psalms. “Let my cry come unto Thee” recalls Psa 18:6. “Hide not Thy face” is like Psa 27:9. “In the day of my straits” recurs in Psa 59:16. “Bend to me Thy ear” is in Psa 31:2. “In the day when I call “is as in Psa 56:9. “Answer me speedily” is found in Psa 69:17. But the psalmist is not a cold-blooded compiler, weaving a web from old threads, but a suffering man, fain to give his desires voice, in words which sufferers before him had hallowed, and securing a certain solace by reiterating familiar petitions. They are none the less his own, because they have been the cry of others. Some aroma of the answers that they drew down in the past clings to them still, and makes them fragrant to him.

Sorrow and pain are sometimes dumb, but, in Eastern natures, more often eloquent; finding ease in recounting their pangs. The psalmists first words of self-lamentation echo familiar strains, as he bases his cry for speedy answer on the swiftness with which his days are being whirled away, and melting like smoke as it escapes from a chimney. The image suggests another. The fire that makes the smoke is that in which his very bones are smouldering like a brand. The word for bones is in the singular, the bony framework being thought of as articulated into a whole. “Brand” is a doubtful rendering of a word which the Authorised Version, following some ancient Jewish authorities, renders hearth, as do Delitzsch and Cheyne. It is used in Isa 33:14 as =” burning,” but “brand” is required to make out the metaphor. The same theme of physical decay is continued in Psa 102:4 with a new image struck out by the ingenuity of pain. His heart is “smitten” as by sunstroke (compare Psa 121:6, Isa 49:10, and for still closer parallels Hos 9:16, Jon 4:7, in both of which the same effect of fierce sunshine is described as the sufferer here bewails). His heart withers like Jonahs gourd. The “For” in Psa 102:4 b can scarcely be taken as giving the reason for this withering. It must rather be taken as giving the proof that it was so withered as might be concluded by beholders from the fact that he refused his food (Baethgen). The psalmist apparently intends in Psa 102:5 to describe himself as worn to a skeleton by long-continued and passionate lamentations. But his phrase is singular. One can understand that emaciation should be described by saying that the bones adhered to the skin, the flesh having wasted away, but that they stick to the flesh can only describe it, by giving a wide meaning to “flesh,” as including the whole outward part of the frame in contrast with the internal framework. Lam 4:8 gives the more natural expression. The psalmist has groaned himself into emaciation. Sadness and solitude go well together. We plunge into lonely places when we would give voice to our grief. The poets imagination sees his own likeness in solitude-loving creatures. The pelican is never now seen in Palestine but on Lake Huleh. Thomson (“Land and Book,” p. 260: London, 1861) speaks of having found it there only, and describes it as “the most sombre, austere bird I ever saw.” “The owl of the ruins” is identified by Tristram (“Land of Israel,” p. 67) with the small owl Athene meridionalis, the emblem of Minerva, which “is very characteristic of all the hilly and rocky portions of Syria.” The sparrow may be here a generic term for any small song bird, but there is no need for departing from the narrower meaning. Thomson (p. 43) says: “When one of them has lost his mate-an everyday occurrence-he will sit on the housetop alone and lament by the hour.”

The division of Psa 102:7 is singular, as the main pause in it falls on “am become,” to the disruption of the logical continuity. The difficulty is removed by Wickes (“Accentuation of the Poetical Books,” p. 29), who gives several instances which seem to establish the law that, in “the musical accentuation, there is “an apparent reluctance to place the main dividing accent after the first, or before the last, word of the verse.” The division is not logical, and we may venture to neglect it, and arrange as above, restoring the dividing accent to its place after the first word. Others turn the flank of the difficulty by altering the text to read, “I” am sleepless and must moan aloud” (so Cheyne, following Olshausen).

Yet another drop of bitterness in the psalmists cup is the frantic hatred which pours itself out in voluble mockery all day long, making a running accompaniment to his wail. Solitary as he is, he cannot get beyond hearing of shrill insults. So miserable does he seem, that enemies take him and his distresses for a formula of imprecation, and can find no blacker curse to launch at other foes than to wish that they may be like him. So ashes, the token of mourning, are his food, instead of the bread which he had forgotten to eat, and there are more tears than wine in the cup he drinks.

But all this only tells how sad he is. A deeper depth opens when he remembers why he is sad. The bitterest thought to a sufferer is that his sufferings indicate Gods displeasure; but it may be wholesome bitterness, which, leading to the recognition of the sin which evokes the wrath, may change into a solemn thankfulness for sorrows which are discerned to be chastisements, inflicted by that Love of which indignation is one form. The psalmist confesses sin in the act of bewailing sorrow, and sees behind all his pains the working of that hand whose interposition for him he ventures to implore. The tremendous metaphor of Psa 102:10 b pictures it as thrust forth from heaven to grasp the feeble sufferer, as an eagle stoops to plunge its talons into a lamb. It lifts him high, only to give more destructive impetus to the force with which it flings him down, to the place where he lies, a huddled heap of broken bones and wounds. His plaint returns to its beginning, lamenting the brief life which is being wasted away by sore distress. Lengthening shadows tell of approaching night. His day is nearing sunset. It will be dark soon, and, as he has said (Psa 102:4), his very self is withering and becoming like dried-up herbage.

One can scarcely miss the tone of individual sorrow in the preceding verses; but national restoration, not personal deliverance, is the theme o/the triumphant central part of the psalm. That is no reason for flattening the previous verses into the voice of the personified Israel, but rather for hearing in them the sighing of one exile, on whom the general burden weighed sorely. He lifts his tear-laden eyes to heaven, and catches a vision there which changes, as by magic, the key of his song-Jehovah sitting in royal state {compare Psa 9:7; Psa 29:10} forever. That silences complaints, breathes courage into the feeble and hope into the despairing. In another mood the thought of the eternal rule of God might make mans mortality more bitter, but Faith grasps it, as enfolding assurances which turn groaning into ringing praise. For the vision is not only of an everlasting Some One who works a sovereign will, but of the age-long dominion of Him whose name is Jehovah; and since that name is the revelation of His nature, it, too, endures forever. It is the name of Israels covenant making and keeping God. Therefore, ancient promises have not gone to water, though Israel is an exile, and all the old comfort and confidence are still welling up from the Name. Zion cannot die while Zions God lives. Lam 5:19 is probably the original of this verse, but the psalmist has changed “throne” into “memorial,” i.e. name, and thereby deepened the thought. The assurance that God will restore Zion rests not only on His faithfulness, but on signs which show that the sky is reddening towards the day of redemption. The singer sees the indication that the hour fixed in Gods eternal counsels is at hand, because he sees how Gods servants, who have a claim on Him and are in sympathy with His purposes, yearn lovingly after the sad ruins and dust of the forlorn city. Some new access of such feelings must have been stirring among the devouter part of the exiles. Many large truths are wrapped in the psalmists words. The desolations of Zion knit true hearts to her more closely. The more the Church or any good cause is depressed, the more need for its friends to cling to it. Gods servants should see that their sympathies go toward the same objects as Gods do. They are proved to be His servants, because they favour what He favours. Their regards, turned to existing evils, are the precursors of Divine intervention for the remedy of these. When good men begin to lay the Churchs or the worlds miseries to heart, it is a sign that God is beginning to heal them. The cry of Gods servants can “hasten the day of the Lord,” and preludes His appearance like the keen morning air stirring the sleeping flowers before sunrise.

The psalmist anticipates that a rebuilt Zion will ensure a worshipping world. He expresses that confidence, which he shares with Isa 40:1-31; Isa 41:1-29; Isa 42:1-25; Isa 43:1-28; Isa 44:1-28; Isa 45:1-25; Isa 46:1-13, in Psa 102:15-18. The name and glory of Jehovah will become objects of reverence to all the earth, because of the manifestation of them by the rebuilding of Zion, which is a witness to all men of His power and tender regard to His peoples cry. The past tenses of Psa 102:16-17 do not indicate that the psalm is later than the Restoration. It is contemplated as already accomplished because it is the occasion of the “fear” prophesied in Psa 102:15, and consequently prior in time to it. “Destitute,” in Psa 102:17 is literally naked or stript. It is used in Jer 17:6 as the name of a desert plant, probably a dwarf juniper, stunted and dry, but seems to be employed here as simply designating utter destitution. Israel had been stripped of every beauty and made naked before her enemies. Despised, she had cried to God, and now is clothed again with the garments of salvation, “as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”

A wondering world will adore her delivering God. The glowing hopes of psalmist and prophet seem to be dreams, since the restored Israel attracted no such observance and wrought no such convictions. But the singer was not wrong in believing that the coming of Jehovah in His glory for the rebuilding of Zion would sway the world to homage. His facts were right, but he did not know their perspective, nor could he understand how many weary years lay, like a deep gorge hidden from the eye of one who looks over a wide prospect, between the rebuilding of which he was thinking, and that truer establishment of the city of God, which is again parted from the period of universal recognition of Jehovahs glory by so many sad and stormy generations. But the vision is true. The coming of Jehovah in His glory will be followed by a worlds recognition of its light.

That praise accruing to Jehovah shall Be not only universal, but shall go on sounding, with increasing volume in its tone, through coming generations. This expectation is set forth in Psa 102:18-22 which substantially reiterate the thought of the preceding, with the addition that there is to be a new Israel, a people yet to be created. {Psa 22:31} The psalmist did not know “the deep things he spoke.” He did know that Israel was immortal, and that the seed of life was in the tree that had cast its leaves and stood bare and apparently dead. But he did not know the process by which that new Israel was to be created, nor the new elements of which it was to consist. His confidence teaches us never to despair of the future of Gods Church, however low its present state, but to look down the ages, in calm certainty that, however externals may change, the succession of Gods children will never fail, nor the voice of their praise ever fall silent.

The course of Gods intervention for Israel is described in Psa 102:19-20. His looking down from heaven is equivalent to His observance, as the all-seeing Witness and Judge, {compare Psa 14:2; Psa 33:13-14, etc.} and is preparatory to His hearing the sighing of the captive Israel, doomed to death. The language of Psa 102:20 is apparently drawn from Psa 79:11. The thought corresponds to that of Psa 102:17. The purpose of His intervention is set forth in Psa 102:21-22 as being the declaration of Jehovahs name and praise in Jerusalem before a gathered world. The aim of Jehovahs dealings is that all men, through all generations, may know and praise Him. That is but another way of saying that He infinitely desires, and perpetually works for, mens highest good. For our sakes, He desires so much that we should know Him, since the knowledge is life eternal. He is not greedy of adulation nor dependent on recognition, but He loves men too well not to rejoice in being understood and loved by them, since Love ever hungers for return. The psalmist saw what shall one day be, when, far down the ages, he beheld the world gathered in the temple courts, and heard the shout of their praise borne to him up the stream of time. He penetrated to the inmost meaning of the Divine acts, when he proclaimed that they were all done for the manifestation of the Name, which cannot but be praised when it is known. If the poet was one of the exiles, on whom the burden of the general calamity weighed as a personal sorrow, it is very natural that his glowing anticipations of national restoration should be, as in. this psalm, enclosed in a setting of more individual complaint and petition. The transition from these to the purely impersonal centre Of the psalm, and the recurrence to them in Psa 102:23-28, are inexplicable, if the “I” of the first and last parts is Israel, but perfectly intelligible if it is one Israelite. For a moment the tone of sadness is heard in Psa 102:23; but the thought of his own afflicted and brief life is but a stimulus to the psalmist to lay hold of Gods immutability and to find rest there. The Hebrew text reads “His strength,” and is followed (by, the LXX, Vulgate, Hengstenberg, and Kay He afflicted on the “way with His power”); but the reading of the Hebrew margin, adopted above and by most commentators, is preferable, as supplying an object for the verb, which is lacking in the former reading, and as corresponding to “my days” in b.

The psalmist has felt the exhaustion of long sorrow and the shortness of his term. Will God do all these glorious things of which he has been singing, and he, the singer, not be there to see? That would mingle bitterness in his triumphant anticipations; for it would be little to him, lying in his grave, that Zion should be built again. The hopes with which some would console us for the loss of the Christian assurance of immortality, that the race shall march on to new power and nobleness, are poor substitutes for continuance of our own lives and for our own participation in the glories of the future. The psalmists prayer, which takes Gods eternity as its reason for deprecating his own premature death, echoes the inextinguishable confidence of the devout heart, that somehow even its fleeting being has a claim to be assimilated in duration to its Eternal Object of trust and aspiration. The contrast between Gods years and mans days may be brooded on in bitterness or in hope. They who are driven by thinking of their own mortality to clutch, with prayerful faith, Gods eternity, use the one aright, and will not be deprived of the other.

The solemn grandeur of Psa 102:25-26 needs little commentary, but it may be noted that a reminiscence of Isa 11:1-16 runs through them both in the description of the act of creation of heaven and earth, {Isa 48:13; Isa 44:24} and in that of their decaying like a garment. {Isa 51:6; Isa 54:10} That which has been created can be removed. The creatural is necessarily the transient. Possibly, too, the remarkable expression “changed,” as applied to the visible creation, may imply the thought which had already been expressed in Isaiah, and was destined to receive such deepening by the Christian truth of the new heavens and new earth-a truth the contents of which are dim to us until it is fulfilled. But whatever may be the fate of creatures, He who receives no accession to His stable being by originating suffers no, diminution by extinguishing them. Mans days, the earths ages, and the aeons of the heavens pass, and still “Thou art He,” the same Unchanging Author of change. Measures of time fail when applied to His being, whose years have not that which all divisions of time have-an end. An unending year is a paradox, which, in relation to God, is a truth.

It is remarkable that the psalmist does not draw the conclusion that he himself shall receive an answer to his prayer, but that “the children of Thy servants shall dwell” i.e., in the land, and that there will always be an Israel “established before Thee.” He contemplates successive generations as in turn dwelling in the promised land (and perhaps in the ancient “dwelling place to all generations,” even in God); but of his own continuance he is silent. Was he not assured of that? or was he so certain of the answer to his prayer that he had forgotten himself in the vision of the eternal God and the abiding Israel? Having regard to the late date of the psalm, it is hard to believe that silence meant ignorance, while it may well be that it means a less vivid and assured hope of immortality, and a smaller space occupied by that hope than with us. But the other explanation is not to be left out of view, and the psalmists oblivion of self in rapt gazing on Gods eternal being-the pledge of His servants perpetuity-may teach us that we reach the summit of Faith when we lose ourselves in God.

The Epistle to the Hebrews quotes Psa 102:25-27 as spoken of “the Son.” Such an application of the words rests on the fact that the psalm speaks of the coming of Jehovah for redemption, who is none other than Jehovah manifested fully in the Messiah. But Jehovah whose coming brings redemption and His recognition by the world is also Creator. Since, then, the Incarnation is, in truth, the coming of Jehovah, which the psalmist, like all the prophets, looked for as the consummation, He in whom the redeeming Jehovah was manifested is He in whom Jehovah the Creator “made the worlds.” The writer of the Epistle is not asserting that the psalmist consciously spoke of the Messiah, but he is declaring that his words, read in the light of history, point to Jesus as the crowning manifestation of the redeeming, and therefore necessarily of the creating, God.

Fuente: Expositors Bible Commentary