Messiah's Complaint & Comfort In the Days of His Humiliation

a brief study of Psalm 102, adapted from PCC PrayerMeeting Exhortation on 9 April 2010

Psalm 102 is a psalm for theafflicted. We don’t exactly know who wrote it. It could have been David thesweet psalmist of Israel.But the content of the psalm gives us a hint that it might be written towardsthe end of the period of Babylonian exile. So commentators suggest that itmight have been written by Daniel or Jeremiah as they look towards therestoration of Jerusalem.

But whatever might have beenthe personal intention of the writer, God the Spirit who inspired him had ahigher purpose. It is just like: Psalm 45 was very probably written for theoccasion of the wedding or enthronement of Solomon. But God the Spirit intendedit rather to be a hymn of praise unto Christ for the Church through all ages.

So here is a song that wasperhaps intended by the writer to reflect on the anticipated restoration of Jerusalem, but theintention of the Spirit, it appears, was to express the suffering andmeditations of our Lord as He headed to the Cross.

Indeed, I can’t think of abetter, or more biblical way to understand this psalm. For this is the onlyway, it appears to me, to be consistent with the way that the Holy Spiritinterprets this Psalm in the New Testament. Turn to Hebrews 1. In verse 8, weread—

But unto the Son he saith, Thythrone, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptreof thy kingdom.

This is a quotation from Psalm45:6-7. It is taken as the words of the Father unto the Son. And likewise,verse 10-12 are quoted as the words of the Father unto the Son—

 ¹⁰ And, Thou, Lord, in thebeginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the worksof thine hands: ¹¹ They shall perish; but thou remainest; and theyall shall wax old as doth a garment; ¹² And as a vesture shalt thoufold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy yearsshall not fail.

Where are these words taken from?They are taken from verses 25-27 of Psalm 102!

Now,it can’t be that this whole Psalm contains the word of the Father to the Son,for the Father does not pray to the Son as in verse 1 of the Psalm! It appearsto me that the most meaningful way to think of this Psalm is that it is largelyan expression of the prayer of the Son unto the Father, and the last few versesquoted by the writer of Hebrews are really the Father’s reply to the Son!

Indeed,does not verse 24 echo the sentiments expressed in the recorded prayer of theLord in the Garden of Gethsemane: Father, ifit be possible, take this cup from me. The Gospel account does not give us areply, but here in Psalm 102, we are given an expression of how the Lord wouldhave replied.

Thus Andrew Bonar entitles thisPsalm as “Messiah’s complaint and comforts in the days of his humiliation.”“For,” he says, “here we see the Righteous One, the Lord Jesus, laying thefoundation of his kingdom of redeemed ones, by fully satisfying the demands ofjustice in their room.”

This is how we may sing thisPsalm. Indeed, it is with this in mind that we can sing this Psalm with fullassurance that the Father will hear our cries, as we are singing essentiallythe words of the only begotten.

ThisPsalm has essentially 3 parts. In the first part, verses 1-10, we have a humbleplea to the Father for His comfort in affliction. In the second part, verse11-22, we have a comforting affirmation of the Father’s Care for His people. Inthe third part, verse 23-28, we have an urgent Plea to the Father forDeliverance and the Father’s Assurance of blessings.

1. A Humble Plea in Affliction (vv. 1-10)

¹  Hear my prayer, O LORD, and letmy cry come unto thee.  ² Hidenot thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear untome: in the day when I call answer me speedily.

Butour Lord would express the desires of His heart, and so he cries: “Abba,Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me:nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt” (Mk 14:36).

Likewise,as our Lord was pouring out His heart to His Father, He would not havehesitated to use the words in verse 3-9 to express His sorrow of heart. Or toput it in another way, these same words which He inspired the Psalmist by HisSpirit to write, expresses prophetically and spiritually His own anguish ofheart as He headed to the Cross.

OurLord’s earthly days were drawing to a close. His days were vanishing like smoke(v. 3a). His bones were aching (v. 3b); His heart filled with sorrows (v. 4).He feels a sense of loneliness—like the pelican in the wilderness, like the owlin the desert, or a lone sparrow looking down from the housetop (v.  6). His closest friends, His disciples wouldnot even stay awake to pray with Him; and shortly they would abandon Him. He isnot even able to enjoy the basic delights of life such as food and water. Hisbread, as it were, tasted like ashes to Him, and His drink was mingled withteardrops (v. 9).

Hisenemies derided Him. Many were clamouring for His blood (v. 8).

Why?Why was our Lord suffering so deeply? Our Lord was suffering so deeply becauseHe was experiencing the wrath of the Father on our behalf (v. 10).

Butthough He suffered greatly, He never did doubt the His Father or His ownmission. We see that in His comforting affirmation from verse 11-22.

2. A Comforting Affirmation (vv. 11-22)

¹¹ My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.¹² But thou, O LORD, shalt endure for ever; and thy remembrance untoall generations.…

ThoughHe was very God, our Lord took the nature of a servant as the God-Man. As theGod-Man, whose human nature was not yet glorified, our Lord would have toexperience death. He would experience death that He might remove the sting ofdeath from His elect.

Butthe LORD, the Father, would never die. He endures forever; and He has appointedthat his remembrance will endure from generation to generation. That is to say,it please the Father that His people should remember Him from generation togeneration.

Indeed,it was for this reason that Christ took on human flesh. He took on human fleshthat the spiritual Zion,the church might experience God’s mercy and love from generation to generation.

Asthe Son would die for the justification of His people, the Father would ariseto have mercy upon Zion.The time of the death and resurrection of the Lord is the fullness of timeappointed by the LORD to show mercy unto His people (v. 13). These are thepeople who loves the Lord and His Church and all that is in Her as representedby stones and dust of Jerusalem(v. 14).

Asthe LORD arises for His people, so the heathen or gentiles are brought to fearHis name. And one day when the fullness of the Church is fully gathered, thenshall the LORD appear in His glory.

Remember howthe apostle Paul speaks of the day when every knee will bow and every tonguewill confess that Jesus is Lord (Phil 2:10-11). Paul is speaking of the daywhen Jesus would be known as LORD, and as the LORD would appear with Hispeople. In that day, the kings and the powerful people of the earth who wouldnot bow down to Him when there is the opportunity will fear Him and cry untothe mountains and the rocks to cover them for the Day of the Lamb is come (Lk23:30; Rev 6:16-17).

Butthe poor in spirit, and those who humble themselves before the Lord in thislife, they will know the blessing and protection of the Lord. He will heartheir prayers. He will preserve them unto all eternity that they praise andworship Him forever and ever (v. 18).

Howis this accomplished? This is accomplished through the propitiatory sacrificeof Christ. Because of his sacrifice; the enmity between God and His people isremoved. Because of Him, the Father would look down upon His people and heartheir cries. He would have pity on them. He would free them from bondage to sinand death (v. 20). He would gather them together and put His name on them (v.21). He would enable them to serve and worship Him forever and ever (v. 22).

Now,remember that our Lord would have been meditating on these things as He wassuffering for His people. But those glorious thought while giving hope did notremove the reality of the suffering that our Lord had to endure.

Sowe see in the final part of this Psalm...

3. A Urgent Appeal & AnAssuring Reply (v. 23-28)

OurLord’s suffering was real. His desire to have the cup taken away was real.

²³ He weakened my strength in the way; he shortened my days.  ²⁴ I said, O my God, take me notaway in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations.

Onceagain, does this not sound very similar to the prayer recorded of our Lord inthe Garden of Gethsemane. “O my Father, if it bepossible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thouwilt” (Mt 26:39).

Whatwas the Father’s reply?

²⁵ Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens arethe work of thy hands. ²⁶ They shall perish, but thou shalt endure:yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou changethem, and they shall be changed:  ²⁷But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end. ²⁸ Thechildren of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be establishedbefore thee.

Whatwas the Father telling the Son? The Father is reminding the Son of His eternalglory. He will never perish. Though He has a human nature, He has also a divinenature. He is in His divine nature, the Creator. He Created the Word togetherwith the Father and the Spirit.

Assuch he will never perish. Creation may change. Creatures may die. But He isfrom everlasting to everlasting. He will never die even though for a season Hemust experience death for the sake of His Church.

Indeed,not only would He as divine endure forever, but as a human, He would be raisedfrom the dead. He would become the head stone of the corner. He would the firstborn amongst many brethren. The children of His servants, i.e. His discipleswould be established before Him. His Church would endure forever and ever.

Conclusion

Psalm102 is one of my favourite Psalms, and I wish I could expound on it more fullyand capture more heartily the emotions and the hopes expressed in it. But I trustthat this brief introduction will give you a taste of it and bring you to abetter understanding of the conflicts and comfort in the soul of our Lord evenas He headed to the Cross to pay for the penalty of our sin.

ThankGod for this Psalm. Thank God that the time for God’s favor upon the church hascome, for Christ our Lord is risen from the dead and is seated at the righthand of the Father upholding all things by the Word of His power, bringing allthings to pass for the blessing of His Church. Amen.  Ω