(136) April 14/2014 – The Aftermath

Monday Meditation

April 14, 2014

From the desk of Dr. A.J. Higgins

The Aftermath

Psalm 22

To our loss, verses 22-31 are often neglected in our meditating on this Psalm. Yet in these verses, we have delightful pictures of the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice Him as:

The Song Leader: “I will declare Thy Name . In the midst of the assembly will I praise Thee” (v 22). The writer to the Hebrews will add to the word “praise” the word “sing” in His quoting of this passage citing the Septuagint. (Heb 2:12) Luke 22 tells us that the Lord Jesus led His disciples in singing a Psalm (possibly Psalm 118), in the upper room. He sang before the cross and He sang after the cross. The sufferings of Calvary did not lessen His praise and delight in God. In John 4 we are reminded that He came to make men and women worshipers of the Father. He will lead that praise and join in the worship of the One Who arranged every circumstance of verse 1-21 of the Psalm.

The Sovereign of the Land: But the Song Leader will also be the Sovereign of the Land. “The Kingdom is the Lord’s” (v 28). Heaven will one day echo with the grand and glorious announcement that the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our God and His Christ! The One Who was cast out of the vineyard, the One Who came to His own “land” and was refused, the One who was lifted up as though unworthy of being on earth, will in that day be Sovereign over all the earth. Psalm 24 details in thrilling language the entrance of the King of Glory into His city and His moral, creatorial, and redemptive rights to the whole earth!

The Satisfier of all Living: “The meek shall eat and be satisfied” (v 26). “All that be fat upon the earth shall eat and worship” (v 28). He will satisfy the desire of all His own. As pictured in John 21:13, the risen glorified Lord will make it His personal responsibility to see that each and every believer is as satisfied as divine provision can make a redeemed heart. The result will be that we shall “eat and worship.” His ministry to us, unfolding the beauty and character of the Father, will result in fresh worship from our hearts. And since there is no limit to the glory of the Father, we shall have fresh cause to worship throughout eternity. Our worship will never grow stale or routine!

The Subduer of all the Lawless: “All that go down to the dust shall bow before Him” (v 29). In that Millennial kingdom which will soon dawn on this dark and groaning world, all will have to own His supremacy and authority. All the lawless will know immediate reprisal for open rebellion. Every foe will be subdued beneath His feet. God has promised that every enemy will bow before Him and every foe subjugated. There will be no rebellion tolerated, no rival arise, and no realm compete with His. His praise and dominion will be universal, unchallenged (until the very end), unparalleled, and unending. What a day awaits Him!

Consider

Notice the four times the word “praise” occurs in these verses and also the word “all.”

Notice the word “for” as a hinge word suggesting reasons for certain results (vv 24, 28, 31).

Look at the spheres in which the praise will be sung.

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