(Continued from p. 167)

"A prayer of the afflicted when he is overwhelmed and poureth out his complaint before the Lord."

This title of psalm 102 strikingly indicates the subject matter of the psalm and presents the sorrows of the Holy Sufferer in a unique way; for there is nothing we can compare with it in the remainder of the book, though we have not here, of course, Christ's substitutionary sufferings. The faithful One, utterly rejected by Israel, feels His aloneness and is overwhelmed by His afflictions; the anguish of His spirit causing Him to pour out His complaint before Jehovah.

The psalm is Messianic in character and shows the Righteous One taken out of the nation, chosen as Messiah, utterly cast out and cut off in the midst of His days.

His cry of distress is to Jehovah in verse one. In the following verse, He is not forsaken (as in psalm 22), but in trouble He pleads for the light of Jehovah's countenance, that His prayer may be heard and answered. What figures of speech are here! Messiah to whom and in whom all the promises were, on account of His identification with the nation has to say, "My days are consumed like smoke, my bones are burned as an hearth, my heart is smitten and withered like grass, so that I forget to eat my bread! By reason of the voice of my groanings my bones cleave to my skin" (vers. 3-5).

What a solitary and lonely way is depicted in the verses which follow! "Like an owl of the desert" and as a "sparrow alone upon the housetop," standing apart, feeling the dreariness and friendlessness of His position. What a path the Son of God has trodden through this world! What unutterable love led Him to take this place in complete identification with the sons of men! Enemies reproached Him all the day, saying in spirit, "God hath forsaken Him:persecute and take Him; for there is none to deliver" (Psa. 71:11), and again, "Where is thy God?" making it appear that God and they were in agreement. The sorrowing One had eaten ashes like bread and mingled His drink with weeping. His bitter sorrow was borne alone, there was none to help. "Because of Thine indignation and Thy wrath; for Thou hast lifted me up and cast me down" (ver. 10). What exquisite sorrow we have here! Jehovah who lifted Him up, had cast Him down, yet of course there is no atonement as yet, but, brought into humiliation and sorrows that must ever be unparalleled, the Holy One-as the result of His identification with the remnant-is made to feel the bitterness of Jehovah's displeasure. His days were like a shadow that declineth, (the waning of the day), and like withered grass that fadeth and falleth. "All flesh is as grass and the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. The grass withereth and the flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand for ever" (Isa. 40:7, 8). The intervening verses, down to the close of the twenty-second, show His supplication for the nation and the sure answer to His cry. He bears them up, though they reject Him, their very rejection and evil occasioning His intercession and suffering. He fully identifies Jehovah with Jerusalem, though the latter be but dust. "Thou shalt arise and have mercy on Zion; for the time to favor her, yea the set time is come." Utterly desolate she may be and none to help, but Je-Zion, then shall He appear in His glory," and "Then comes a prophetic word, "When the Lord shall build up Zion, then shall He appear in His glory," and then heathen shall fear the name of the Lord and all the kings of the earth thy glory." The prayer of the destitute is regarded; Zion shall be built again, the glory of God shall be displayed and the nations are gathered together to serve the Lord.

All this is a sort of summing up of all that follows the second psalm, and instead of Israel being blessed in the land, the Holy One is seen in their midst in intercession, His complete identification with them ensuring their future blessing, for Jehovah is unchanging, He cannot deny Himself.

It was predicted of Israel's Messiah in the prophecy of Daniel (chap. 9:26) that "After three score and two weeks [from the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem was to be seven weeks and three score and two weeks] shall Messiah be cut off, but NOT FOR HIMSELF." It is interesting, in this connection, to recall the words of the High Priest Caiaphas in John 11:49-52, and the Holy Spirit's application of His words.

In this last section of the Psalm (vers. 23-28), we have the spirit of Christ personally, speaking through the psalmist. In Isaiah 49:4, Jehovah's servant speaks, "I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for naught and in vain!" In our psalm, we hear the same voice, "He weakened my strength in the way, he shortened my days, I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days." King of Zion, Israel's Messiah, the Holy One cut off in the midst of His days!* *God here is singular,"El," viz.:the strong and mighty, standing by His own power, so to speak.* Looking for mercy and finding no relief, yet Himself the One in Whom all the promises of God were to be made good. Here, in our psalm, we lose by the punctuation of ver. 22. The first part gives the cry of the blessed afflicted One, but we learn from Hebrews 1 that the remainder (which is there quoted) is the voice of God, "Thy years are throughout all generations." This makes the psalm peculiarly blessed and interesting-in a way unique, for it shows His deity to be the full answer to His sufferings and being cut off. It is a wonderful revelation of His person and position. Messiah, was the Creator of old, from everlasting to everlasting. "Of old hast Thou laid the foundation of the earth and the heavens are the work of Thy hands." Thus, though His days be shortened, He must eternally endure, the unchanging, unchangeable One. Every created thing might perish, the heavens and the earth folded up like a vesture, as a thing done with, but the blessed One was "THE SAME." All else may change, and as man His days be shortened, but His years shall have no end, "THOU REMAINEST."

Here may I add a remark from another regarding the words, "Thou art the same." "The words translated 'Thou art the same' (Atta Hu) are by many learned Hebraists taken-at least Hu-as a name of God. At any rate, as unchangeably the same it amounts to it" (J. N. D., Synopsis, Heb. 1).

"Thy years shall have no end," and He, having associated others with Him, would communicate to them the same abidingness. "The children of thy servants shall continue and their seed shall be established before thee."

It will readily be seen that in this psalm, the twofold nature of our blessed Lord is strikingly brought in (note vers. 24, 25 and 26-28). In the Numerical Bible, Heb. 1, notes, p. 18, F. W. G. says, "This distinguishes in the plainest manner all mere creatures, from this Son of God."

May we ever, in deepest adoration, bow before Him with Thomas saying:"My Lord and my God."

"O Lord and Saviour we recline
On that eternal love of Thine,
Thou art THE SAME and Thou alone
Remainest when all else is gone.

Yes "Thou remainest," sea and land,
Even heaven shall pass but Thou shall stand,
Undimmed Thy radiancy appears,
Changeless through all the changing years."

J. W. H. N.

(To be continued, D. V.)