Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

community 3 .’ As the psalm progresses it begins to show more and more Messianic overtones. This ‘de- livered person’ becomes the very focal point of the whole celebration of praise and is later identified as

Jesus, the rejected stone of Israel. Verse 5 is borrowed directly from Psalm 18:6 that is also a prophetic song of the Messiah. “The Lord is for me…” passage becomes the inspiration for one of the most en- couraging sections of Paul’s writings: “If God is for us, who can ever be against us! Since God did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t God, who gave us Christ, also give us every- thing else?”(Rom. 8:31, 32) Verse 7 is also translated: “The Lord is on the side of my helpers…” it is an- other way to say that God is working on our behalf.

“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in people. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.” (8, 9)

The Jews had started rebuilding Jerusalem and the temple under the direct orders of Cyrus, King of Persia and experienced opposition from people in the land; “Then the local residents tried to dis- courage and frighten the people of Judah to keep them from their work. They bribed agents to work against them and to frustrate their aims.” (Ez. 4:3,4) Artaxerxes, a later ruler of Persia, wrote a letter forc- ing them to stop the work: Therefore, issue orders to have these people stop their work. That city must not be rebuilt except at my express command.” (Ez. 4:12) The Jews learned that God’s work would go on even if people and princes opposed them. “Though hostile nations surrounded me, I destroyed them all in the name of the Lord. Yes, they sur- rounded and attacked me, but I destroyed them all in the name of the Lord. They swarmed around me like bees; they blazed against me like a roaring flame. But I destroyed them all in the name of the Lord.” (10-12) This passage has been understood in two different dimensions; first as a poetic history of the na- tion of Israel as they experienced the hostility of their surrounding neighbors. The nations were like angry bees attacking them: But the Amorites who lived there came out against you like a swarm of bees. They chased and battered you all the way from Seir to Hormah.” (Deut. 1:44) Secondly the church has interpreted it as the suffering of Messiah at the hands of Romans, Jews and participants at the Passover from all the nations. The crucifixion was an international event: “As they led Jesus away, Simon of Cyrene, (a city in northern Africa) who was coming in from the country just then, was forced to follow Jesus and carry his cross. Great crowds trailed along behind…”(Lk. 23:26, 27) He destroyed the enemy ‘death’ on the cross. “You did your best to kill me, O my enemy, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my victory. Songs of joy and victory are sung in the camp of the godly. The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things! The strong right arm of the Lord is raised in tri- umph. The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things!” (13-16) The deliverance of the ‘one’ becomes the deliverance of ‘all.’ The song of victory given to the indi- vidual becomes the song of victory for all the dwellings of the Israelites. Verse 13 is a direct quote from the Song of Moses at the Red Sea that became the song of the whole nation: “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; he has thrown both horse and rider into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my victory.” (Ex. 15:1,2) The ‘strong right arm’ is an Old Testament image of superiority in war and is pointing ultimately to Jesus who sits in triumph at God’s right hand: “Then God put him in the place of honor at his right hand as Prince and Savior.” (Acts 5:31) III TRIUMPH v.10-18 Saved from Death

“I will not die, but I will live to tell what the Lord has done. The Lord has punished me severely, but he has not handed me over to death.” (17, 18)

The life that has been rescued from death has great purpose; telling others what the Lord has done for them. The individual speaks on behalf of the entire nation; both his and Israel’s trouble was seen as a chastisement sent directly from God to accomplish his purposes.

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