Jesus throughout the Scriptures: Psalms 2 (5)
Pray Psalm 22.23-25.
You who fear the LORD, praise Him!
All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,
And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!
For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;
Nor has He hidden His face from Him;
But when He cried to Him, He heard.
My praise shall be of You in the great assembly;
I will pay My vows before those who fear Him.
Sing Psalm 22.23-25.
(Darwall: Rejoice, the Lord Is King)
All you who fear the LORD, now praise His holy Name!
You children of His glorious Word, declare His fame!
We stand in awe of our eternal God, and on His mercy call.
For He has not despised the anguish of our King,
nor from Him hid His eyes, Who knew such suffering.
Let praise arise from all who love and serve the Ruler of the skies!
Read Psalm 22.21-31; meditate on verses 30, 31.
Preparation
1. Where do these verses describe?
2. Who is the speaker in these verses?
Meditation
We mentioned that we do not know the historical circumstances that provoked this psalm. We know it is by David and that he was facing some opposition and struggle. In the second part of the psalm, David declared that God had heard his prayer, and he was back on track seeking the fuller realization of his kingdom. And, in the larger context, we can hear Jesus, agonizing on the cross, but rejoicing in the Father’s answer to His prayers and in what He saw as a result (vv. 21, 24).
We mentioned previously that Jesus, from the cross, was able to see great joy set down before Him. Verses 21-31 describe the sources of that joy. In short, what Jesus could see from the cross was the coming of the Kingdom promised to Him from before the foundation of the world. He could see a people gathered with Him to praise the heavenly Father (vv. 22-25).
Further, He could see the blessings of grace and truth spreading to the neediest of the earth, who, in turn, would give thanks and praise to God (v. 26; cf. 2 Cor. 4.15). Jesus could see the good news of His saving work reaching to and converting people all over the earth (v. 27), the result of His Kingdom coming and His gracious rule being extended everywhere (v. 28).
From the cross Jesus saw all peoples, here represented by the rich and poor as a merism (v. 29), worshiping and rejoicing in God. Finally, the coming of this Kingdom would be no mere moment in time; rather, it would extend for generations to come, declaring the works of God for salvation (vv. 30, 31). The coming of the Kingdom was the result of Jesus’ work and the promised fruit for all who believe in Him.
No wonder He insisted that seeking this Kingdom is the first and defining priority of our lives (Matt. 6.33).
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162.
“Your Kingdom come.
Your will be done on earth
as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6.10).
And Your Kingdom keeps on coming, with each generation
of those who seek it first and foremost in their lives (Matt. 6.33).
And when they do Revival comes into their Personal Mission Field:
“All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations shall worship before You.
For the Kingdom is the LORD’s, and He rules over the nations” (Ps. 22.27, 28).
And then moves on to the next generation:
“This will be written for the generation to come,
that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD” (Ps. 102.18).
“One generation passes away, and another generation comes…” (Eccl. 1.4).
“Instead of Your fathers shall be Your sons, whom You shall make princes in all the earth.
I will make Your Name to be remembered in all generations;
therefore the people shall praise You forever and ever” (Ps. 45.16, 17).
“The children of Your servants will continue,
and their descendants will be established before You” (Ps. 102.28).
“The coming of this Kingdom would be no mere moment in time; rather, it would extend for generations to come, declaring the works of God for salvation.”
When we at last Your palace gain,
and others take our place,
then let our children with You reign,
a legacy of grace!
(Psalm 45.16,17 The Ailbe Psalter)
See Jesus’ Kingdom.
Watch it grow from generation to generation,
as eyes are opened, and hearts are revived.
“The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
This was the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps. 118.22-24; Lk. 20.17).
Reflection
1. How is the Kingdom Jesus glimpsed coming in your life these days? How are you experiencing more of what Jesus saw in Psalm 22?
2. In what ways is the Kingdom coming through you into your Personal Mission Field?
3. When you pray, “Thy Kingdom come…”, what specifically are you seeking?
The Savior now speaks as risen from the dead. The first words of the complaint were used by Christ himself upon the cross; the first words of the triumph are expressly applied to him, Hebrews 2:12. All our praises must refer to the work of redemption. The suffering of the Redeemer was graciously accepted as a full satisfaction for sin. Though it was offered for sinful men, the Father did not despise or abhor it for our sakes. This ought to be the matter of our thanksgiving. All humble, gracious souls should have a full satisfaction and happiness in him. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on the Psalm 22.21-31
Pray Psalm 22.29-31.
Rejoice in the Lord and in His victory! Thank Him for conveying you into His Kingdom and making you an ambassador of that glorious Good News realm. Commit your day to advancing His rule on earth as it is in heaven.
Sing Psalm 22.29-31.
(Dix: For the Beauty of the Earth)
All the prosp’rous of the earth shall before His mercy fall;
bending low before His worth, hear them humbly on Him call.
Even those low in the grave He will by His mercy save.
Let the generations all witness to His saving grace;
let them to all nations call, “Bow before His holy face!”
Let the children of the earth hear of Jesus’ saving worth!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
For more teaching about the subject of this series, “Jesus throughout the Scriptures”, download our free ReVision study, “We Would See Jesus”, by clicking here.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
