Psalms 102

Psalms 102:1

Psalm 102: The Trinity at CalvaryThe key to understanding this Psalm lies in detecting the change in speakers. Vv. 1-11 The Lord Jesus, hanging on the cross, is speaking to God. Vv. 12-15 The Father replies to His beloved Son; we know this by comparing verse 12 with Heb_1:8. Vv. 16-22 The speaker is unidentified, but we are safe in assuming that it is the Holy Spirit, describing the future restoration of Israel under the Messiah. Vv. 23, 24a The Savior is heard once more as He suffers at the hands of God for our sins. Vv. 24b-28 Again by comparing this section with Heb_1:10-12, we know that the Father is speaking to His Son. Here as nowhere else in the Bible we are enabled to listen in on a conversation that took place between the three Persons of the Trinity when the Lord Jesus was making expiation for the sins of the world. 102:1, 2 As we read the prayer of the afflicted one in verses 1 and 2, we should never lose a sense of wonder that the eternal Son of God would ever humble Himself so low that He would become obedient to death, even death on a cross. Jesus, the Helper, the Healer, the Friend; Why, tell me why was He there? We hear Him imploring the LORD to hear His prayer, to be near Him in distress, and to answer Him speedily. 102:3-7 Then He describes some of the sufferings which He was called upon to endure as the Man of Sorrows. He was conscious that life was ebbing; His days were vanishing like smoke. His body was burning with fever. It was as if His vital organs were dried up and withered, so much so that appetite had vanished. His torture had been so prolonged that He was now reduced to skin and bones. Like a bird in the wilderness or an owl in deserted ruins, He was a picture of desolation and melancholia. Sleep was, of course, impossible. Forsaken by God and by man, He was alone, like a sparrow on a rooftop. 102:8-11 His enemies were unremitting in their insults. They used His name for a curse. (Even today the Hebrew name for Jesus, Yeshua, is shortened by His foes to Yeshu, a curse word meaning “May His name be banished from the earth.”) The ashes of sorrow were His bread, and His drink was diluted by tears of grief. In it all, He realized that He was suffering because of God’s indignation and wrath. Not that God was angry with Him personally, but with our sins which the Lamb of God was bearing in His body on the tree. Forsaken by God, He felt as if He had been picked up and thrown away. His days were declining like the evening shadows, and His life was withered like grass. 102:12-15 God now replies to the Lord Jesus in words of reassurance and encouragement. Addressing the Son as LORD, He reminds Him that He would endure forever, and His name to all generations. Though He would die, it is true, yet He would arise and ascend to heaven. Then He would return to earth as Lion of the tribe of Judah and have pity on Zion. This would be the time when the nation, now set aside, would be brought back into favor again. While waiting for this restoration, the people of Israel hold the stones of Zion dear and show favor to her dust.

This is seen, for example, in the deep regard they have for the Western Wall, formerly called the Wailing Wall, and their tremendous sentimental attachment for the old city of Jerusalem. When Zion welcomes back her King, the Gentile nations shall fear the name of the LORD, and all earth’s rulers shall pay homage to Him. 102:16-22 In verses 16-22, the first and second personal pronouns are dropped; only the third person is used. And so, as we have suggested, it may be the voice of the Holy Spirit describing the future restoration of Israel under the reign of Christ. The Messiah will return in power and great glory and will rebuild Zion. The prayers of His scattered people will be answered in that day. It will then be seen that their supplications were not in vain. Future generations will be able to read the wonderful saga of how the LORD looked down from heaven, how He heard the cries of His persecuted, scattered people, and how He brought them back to the land of Israel. When the nations gather in Jerusalem to worship the LORD, they will rehearse the way in which He freed the prisoner and the condemned, and they will praise the Lord for His gracious dealings with Israel. 102:23-28 Now the Psalm switches back to the Lord as He expires on the cross. He was a young man at the timein His early thirties. But already His strength was broken in the prime of life. His life was about to end prematurely. And so He prays, “O my God, do not take me away in the midst of my days.“The answer comes back from God immediately (v. 24b), “Lord, you live forever” (TEV). We know it is God speaking here, because the words that follow are attributed to God the Father in Heb_1:10-12. Notice what God testifies concerning His Son: He was the Active Agent in creation: He laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of His hands. Creation will perish, but He will endure. Creation will wear out and, like a garment, be exchanged for something better. But Christ is unchanging and eternal. And not only is His eternity secure, but also that of His people and of their posterity. The children of His servants will dwell safely, and their descendants in turn will live under His protection.