Psalm 69:23-24

Psalm 69:23-24

Backs bent forever?

As David penned his Psalms it’s clear that there was a definite delineation in his mind between the righteous and the wicked. Time and again he seeks respite and victory for righteous men but invokes curses over the wicked. The underlying principle was rooted in the Jewish faith, God Himself had instructed the people that if they obeyed Him and honoured Him it would go well with them, and they would be blessed. If they disobeyed and ignored Him, the land would suffer, and they would be cursed. Small wonder that the Israelites were always able to make a distinction between the ways of the righteous and the wicked. Thus, the Psalmists were able to call down God’s anger and curses upon the wicked nations that surrounded them, and the writers also expected blessing upon Israel. 

We tend to be more gracious towards the wicked because we hope that they will be saved. In truth, nothing has changed. If wicked people do not turn to the Lord God and obey Him, and that defines wickedness, then they will be cursed. 

The men who mocked, persecuted and abused the Lord Jesus throughout His suffering were standing on very dodgy ground. Few, if any, would ever recover from this experience. We do not know their names or their fate, but we can be sure that the curses in this verse were fulfilled, and they suffered the consequences of their actions. Darkened eyes are associated with failing strength, by grief with affliction and hopes deferred. Those who suffered bent backs, would know weakness and pain. It’s not something I have ever thought about but now I see that these words must be fulfilled and that the perpetrators of Christ’s sufferings, and the jeerers and the mockers and the schemers, would particularly suffer for their part in the most terrible crime in human history. God’s Word must be implemented, and these men would know the wrath and the anger of a Holy God. Yes, what they did was to carry out His will, but not through obedience. Lord help us to keep on the right side of you!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Psalm 4:1 Smear campaigns

Psalm 4:1    Smear campaigns   The background to this Psalm is so familiar; David is being slandered and maligned by his detractors.  It seems that some calamity has befallen the nation and the king is getting the blame! Lies are being told, a smear campaign has begun, and the reputation of the Sovereign is under threat.  As usual, if something goes wrong, culpability is laid at the feet of the one in charge.  David, quite rightly, turns to the Lord his God and prays for relief and for mercy. The Satan is a master of such campaigns and his emissaries gleefully turn on Christians in leadership positions although the whispering campaign can affect all of us. The whispering starts in our own heads, but it can also come from the lips of our detractors. It goes something like this: - You’re the reason it went wrong You messed up again You should have seen it coming Surely you know better You are not worthy You don’t know what you’re doing Someone else ought to be in c
Read more

Psalm 74:16

Psalm 74:16 God established the sun and the moon “ In  the beginning   God created   the heavens   and the earth.   2  Now the earth was formless   and empty,   darkness was over the surface of the deep,   and the Spirit of God   was hovering over the waters. 3  And God said,   “Let there be light,” and there was light.   4  God saw that the light was good,   and he separated the light from the darkness.   5  God called   the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.”   And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.” These, so familiar, words from Genesis 1 remind us of who is in charge! There would be no light without God. There would be no day or night without God. There would be no earth without God. And there would have been no living things unless God had created order out of chaos. The sun, moon and stars would not be fixed in their orbits without God and you and I would not exist unless He ordered our conception. It is because we see God as glorious, righteous
Read more
Psalm4:8        I will lie down and sleep                Th ere are times, in the life of all believers, when we no longer have control of situations. We can do nothing more. We have given our all, we have tried every possible solution and now it is out of our hands. As someone has wisely said, “It is time to let go and let God.” If we truly trust Him, if our faith will allow us, we can turn our backs on our enemies. We can block our ears to the threats. We can ignore the lies and the deceit and say,  “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone Lord, make me dwell in safety.” I should imagine that the devil, having sent a hurricane our way is not amused, when we settle in our beds in the midst of it all and drift off into a peaceful sleep! But that is our right and privilege once we let the Lord God Almighty take control. These spiritual attacks are like whirlwinds, they blow with terrifying intensity and threaten to turn us upside down; the disciples witnessed one of thes
Read more