Psalm 78:72

Psalm 78:72

Our "David" is Jesus

This verse surely has present implications but prophetic ones too! David the Bethlehemite, the son of Jesse, was undoubtedly a wonderful King of his people. Yes, he had integrity and yes, he was a man with extraordinary skills. He had a heart for his people and a heart for God but, as we know from his Psalms, he wrestled with himself, with doubt and lust and fear and every human weakness. A man for us all to emulate but he was only a man, his greatness came from the Holy Spirit being upon him.

The prophets foretell of another David who will reign over Israel. Ezekiel writes, “I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken.” Ezekiel 34:23-24.

Micah also writes of a promised ruler from Bethlehem, “He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.” Micah 5:4.

 

We began this Psalm by noting that it is a series of parables, defined as: - “A parable is an earthly story that conceals a spiritual truth that can only be understood by revelation!” At the beginning of the Psalm and throughout, the writer describes events when God led Israel and performed amazing deeds on their behalf whilst removing the threats of their enemies. These events must be recounted to succeeding generations so that they do not forget the lessons that have to be learned. The Psalm ends by telling us that we do not need to just look to the past for spiritual revelation, we can look to the future also. King David was a progenitor of One who will reign over Israel and whose greatness will reach the ends of the earth. Messiah! The Psalm is a parable about the future! Everything about Israel’s history is a revelation of who God is and how He works amongst men. In their story we see our own journey and we also see the future revealed. Which brings us neatly to the next Psalm.

“Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Hallelujah!

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