Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

• Iniquity disciplined- “But if his sons forsake my law and fail to walk in my ways, if they do not obey my decrees and fail to keep my commands, then I will punish their sin with the rod, and their dis- obedience with beating.” (30-32) Each of the kings of Judah was measured by whether they followed the ways of David or not. God will graciously discipline us if we walk contrary to his Son; “but God’s dis- cipline is always right and good for us because it means we will share in his holiness.” (Heb. 12:9) • Everlasting love- “But I will never stop loving him,…” (33) • Faithful promises- “…nor let my promise to him fail.” (33) Delitzsch says: ‘the value of the prom- ise is measured by the character of the person who promises.’ • Covenant sign: “No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back a single word I said. I have sworn an oath to David, and in my holiness I cannot lie: His dynasty will go on forever; his throne is as secure as the sun, as eternal as the moon, my faithful witness in the sky!” Interlude (34-37) It is impos- sible for God to lie and violate his essential attribute of holiness. The sun is a constant reminder of the security of the Son of David’s reign. With each cycle of the moon we can be assured that Christ is rul- ing from his throne. Ethan is faced with a contradiction, all the promises and oaths are seemingly void and the King- dom of David is plundered. Ten times the pronoun ‘You’ is used in reference to God directing the cir- cumstances that has led to this situation. Again the prophetic shadows of the cross can be sensed in the anguish of these statements: • Rejected King- “But now you have rejected him.” (38) • Recipient of Anger- “Why are you so angry with the one you chose as king?” (38) • Renounced Covenant- “You have renounced your covenant with him, (39) • Rejected crown- “…for you have thrown his crown in the dust.” (39) Christ wore the crown of thorns to restore the fallen crown of David. • Ruined defenses- “You have broken down the walls protecting him and laid in ruins every fort defending him.”(40) • Robbed- “Everyone who comes along has robbed him while his neighbors mock.” (41) Shishak of Egypt came to Jerusalem: “He ransacked the Temple of the Lord and royal palace and stole every- thing, including all the gold shields Solomon had made.” (1 Kgs. 14:26) • Rejoicing enemies- You have strengthened his enemies against him and made them all re- joice.” (42) • Refused help- “You have made his sword useless and have refused to help him in battle.” (43) • Rejected throne “You have ended his splendor and overturned his throne.” (44) • Reproached life- “You have made him old before his time and publicly disgraced him.” Inter- lude (45) Defeat and disgrace leads to stress and shortens the length and quality of ones life. “O Lord, how long will this go on? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your anger burn like fire? Remember how short my life is, how empty and futile this human existence! None can live forever; all will die. No one can escape the power of the grave. Interlude” (46-48) Ethan sees the stark contradiction between God’s irrevocable oath to David and begins to stand in the gap with intercessory prayer. How long will this contradiction continue? Will his life end before the promise is reconciled and the kingdom restored? Whenever God’s promises and the circumstances of life are not in harmony it should awaken deep prayer and concern in the heart of his people. “Lord, where is your unfailing love? You promised it to David with a faithful pledge. Consider, Lord, how your servants are disgraced! I carry in my heart the insults of so many people. Your enemies have mocked me, O Lord; they mock the one you anointed as king.“ (49-51) At this point prayer becomes violent and impassioned as Ethan proclaims: “You promised…” . Our prayer becomes a spiritual enforcement of the unclaimed promises of God; we can recite them and call for their appearance in our lives. This is a kingly prayer, possibly uttered by Rehoboam the one who was anointed to lead God’s people. Though he abandoned God and was disciplined by Shishak’s invasion of Judah, he submitted himself under the correction; “Because Rehoboam humbled himself, the Lord’s VI HIS CROWN IN THE DUST - 38-45 Problem of Contradiction VI CONSIDER LORD - 46-52- Prayer of Concern

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