A Song of Praise With Confidence
September 12, 2021
Commentary
The first half of this psalm examined the terrible shame and suffering of Jesus hanging on the cross. Those verses let us know something of what Jesus thought, of how He suffered, and of how He prayed when He was on the cross. However, in today’s passage the scene shifts from a song of lament to a song of praise with a confidence that God the Father is nearby. Instead of a scene of sorrow it is a scene of happiness. Five times in these ten verses Jesus says:
1. “You who fear the Lord, praise Him” – (v. 23).
2. “Those who seek Him (Jesus) will praise the Lord” – (v. 26).
3. “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord” – (v. 27).
4. “For the kingdom is the Lord’s” – (v. 28).
5. “It will be told of the Lord to the coming generation” – (v. 30).
Our text in this psalm includes all peoples, all families, all races, and all cultures. It calls for all to come to the resurrected, exalted, glorified Lord whom the Father has delivered from death. The spread of the gospel to all the nations has always been an essential part of the plan of God. Unborn generations are depending on our faithfulness today. As we teach our children about the Lord, they will teach their children and in turn their children’s children. World missions has not been an innovation of modern times but a biblical priority from the beginning. The question is, do we want to be a part of it and enter that exciting process by being contagious.
Application
It is my desire that my life might become contagious for the Lord and spread to others. If that is going to happen in my life I must be filled with compassion, love, and boldness. It also means that I must have JOY (Jesus, others, and myself - in that order). It means that I maintain the right priorities in my life (Matt. 6:33).
Psalms 22:22– 31 (NET)
22 I will declare your name to my countrymen. In the middle of the assembly I will praise you.
23 You loyal followers of the Lord, praise him. All you descendants of Jacob, honor him. All you descendants of Israel, stand in awe of him.
24 For he did not despise or detest the suffering of the oppressed. He did not ignore him; when he cried out to him, he responded.
25 You are the reason I offer praise in the great assembly; I will fulfill my promises before the Lord’s loyal followers.
26 Let the oppressed eat and be filled. Let those who seek his help praise the Lord. May you live forever!
27 Let all the people of the earth acknowledge the Lord and turn to him. Let all the nations worship you.
28 For the Lord is king and rules over the nations.
29 All the thriving people of the earth will join the celebration and worship; all those who are descending into the grave will bow before him, including those who cannot preserve their lives.
30 A whole generation will serve him; they will tell the next generation about the Lord.
31 They will come and tell about his saving deeds; they will tell a future generation what he has accomplished.