Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

PSALM 102: YOU REMAIN FOREVER The Eternal Son and His Church

The writer of this psalm is experiencing tremendous suffering from a life-threatening disease yet they take their eyes off of themselves to contemplate God’s eternal purpose in building his holy city as a place of worship for the nations. The psalm moves from what is personal to what is national. It is a prophetic psalm of the coming of the church, God’s new nation that will fill the earth with his glory. He- brews chapter 1 tells us that verses 25-27 are the words of God the Father declaring his Son Jesus to be the everlasting creator of the universe. The entire psalm is flavored in prophetic overtones. This is the first time the word ‘Hallel’ (praise) and the divine name ‘Jah’ meet together in the psalms. (v 18) The familiar ‘Hallelujah’ is a defining mark of the songs written after the return from Babylon. It is outlined in four sections, the first and the last being personal prayers and the two middle sections being prophetic of God’s work among his people and the nations:

I YOU HAVE THROWN ME OUT- 1-11 Personal Suffering II YOU WILL ARISE- 12-17 Present Favor on Jerusalem III YET TO BE CREATED- 18-22 Future Glory of His Church III YOU REMAIN FOREVER- 23-28 Eternal Purpose in Christ

INTRODUCTION:

“A prayer of one overwhelmed with trouble, pouring out problems before the Lord.”

Most commentators assign this to an unknown author at the end of the Babylonian captivity who was anticipating the coming restoration of Jerusalem. The writer tied their personal suffering together with the pain of the exiled nation. Although no one can say for certain who actually wrote the psalm, some indications point to the possibility of King Hezekiah of Judah. Hezekiah was gravely ill and Isaiah prophesied that he was going to die. Hezekiah prayed earnestly to the Lord and his life was extended by 15 years. He then wrote a ‘psalm-like’ song in gratitude: “Think of it–the Lord has healed me! I will sing his praises with instruments every day of my life in the Temple of the Lord.” (Isa. 38:20) The writing style between this psalm and Hezekiah is very similar as they both used ‘similes’ (comparisons). “…I moaned like a mourning dove.” (Isa. 38:14) Hezekiah had a heart for the condition of the entire nation and ‘built up’ Jerusalem by cleaning the temple and re-establishing the worship. Whoever penned this great song was moved at a high level of prophetic inspiration. The most common literary devise of Hebrew poetry is repetition and here the psalmist emphasizes the deep distress they are facing by 4 different ways of saying the same thing. This is a desperate call for help: • “Lord, hear my prayer! • Listen to my plea! • Don’t turn away from me in my time of distress. • Bend down your ear and answer me quickly when I call to you,…” (1,2) In the midst of his anguish, the psalmist begins to paint a picture of prayer for his readers. God bends down and places his ear next to our lips to hear us when we cry out showing his willingness to get in- volved with our problems. Next comes an amazing series of similes (one thing that is likened to an- other) and hyperboles (exaggeration in order to emphasize) to describe the psalmist’s situation. • “for my days disappear like smoke”(3) • “my bones burn like red-hot coals” (3) “…as a hearth with smoldering fire that is in it 1 .’ • “my heart is sick, withered like grass, (4) • “…I have lost my appetite. Because of my groaning, I am reduced to skin and bones.”(5) Hezekiah was wasting away with an unknown disease. • “I am like an owl in the desert”(6) This has been translated as ‘pelican’, a bird which haunts marshy and desolate places. Pelicans do not belong in the desert. I YOU HAVE THROWN ME OUT - 1-11- Personal Suffering

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