Christ in the Psalms - Psalm 69

seyiodus (61)in #psalm • 6 years ago

Christ in the Psalms - Psalm 69

Here we look again at a psalm about the suffering of Christ. But first something about its origin. Although Psalm 69 is attributed in the beginning to David, it seems unlikely that he really is of his hand. Words like "because the zeal for your house has consumed me", coupled with libel from its surroundings, do not describe a phase in David's life that corresponds with the theme of this psalm. Moreover, there are psalms where the opening seems to be a conclusion of the preceding psalm.

Many are therefore inclined to attribute this psalm to Jeremiah. Some facets are indeed reminiscent of the life of Jeremiah, such as his imprisonment, or the mud in which he is imprisoned (Psalm 69: 2, 14). The redemption of Judah and Zion (verse 36) also fits in Jeremiah's time, but not in David's. Moreover, some verses from the Psalm correspond to words spoken by Jeremiah. On the other hand, Paul does mention David when he quotes from this Psalm (Romans 11: 9). Yet the writer of this article is inclined to view it primarily as a description from the life of Jeremiah; or someone in similar circumstances.

This series is called "Christ in Psalms", and after Psalm 22 (which we viewed last time), this is the Psalm most cited in the New Testament and applied to Christ. Yet not all verses can refer to Christ here, and in that sense, he is not purely prophetic. For example, vs 6: "God, you know my frivolous life, you have not escaped my guilt." Also, the prayer to God that He removes the enemies from the book of life does not seem to apply to Jesus. How should we reconcile this? Some think that in the Bible verses are sometimes completely quoted from their context to show something, but in reality, it does not occur (even though it is not always clear at first sight what the connection is with the context of a quote).

Jeremiah and Christ

In itself, Jeremiah is an image of certain facets of Christ. He grew up in a village north of Jerusalem, and his fellow villagers also became so angry about his words that they wanted to kill him. Jeremiah was not accepted by the leaders in Jerusalem and mistreated by them. Jeremiah also had to prophesy how Jerusalem would be taken and the people led into captivity. He was also told that he should be put to death because he had prophesied that the temple would be destroyed (Jeremiah 26: 8-9). So we see how both the backgrounds of Jeremiah's prophecy and his message of criticism of the Jewish leaders are very similar to those of the Lord Jesus. This, therefore, seems to be the key to the use of the quotations of this Psalm 69 in the New Testament.

Jeremiah prophesied to a people that God only served in externals. Their desire for wealth kept them from taking care of the socially weak, as the law actually prescribes. They trusted God's temple as a sort of 'talisman' that would protect them from other nations. His message, therefore, is that God will cause Jerusalem and the temple to be destroyed by Judah's enemies and that He will have the people put into captivity. Jesus preached under similar circumstances and warned of similar consequences:

"When Jesus saw Jerusalem before him, he began to weep over the fate of the city ... For there will come a time when your enemies will set up siege works against you, surround you and you embed from all sides. They will level you with the ground and annihilate your children, and they will not leave a stone on the other. He went to the temple, where he began to chase away the merchants, while he added them: It is written: "My house must be a house of prayer, but you have turned it into a den of robbers!" (Luke 19: 41-46) ).

These last words come from Jeremiah 7:11, where the prophet warns of the destruction of Jerusalem. It is just like saying that the priests and leaders of the people also wanted to kill Jesus.

The theme of the Psalm

Psalm 69 is a prayer to God, and more especially a call for help in danger of death. That danger comes from persecution by people, his enemies (v. 5), but he is also abandoned by his family (v. 9). The love that the psalmist has for God and His temple, and the life according to His commandments, makes him the target of the criticism and ridicule of his environment (v 10-13). The psalmist is well aware of his own shortcomings (v. 6), but prays for God's guidance that he will not perish in all this. In addition to the call for help and the question of whether God will listen to him (vv. 14-19), we also find the prayer that God will give him justice, and that he will also attack his enemies and destroy them (vv. 29). In this connection, the psalmist begs them to "close them out of your grace, delete their names from the book of life,
The following verses see beyond the present misery, to the redemption that God will bring. The psalmist knows that the people will have to pay, but looks forward to their salvation:

"For God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. There will be lived and inherited, the people who serve him will possess the land, whoever loves his name may live there "(vv 36-37).

This does not mean that the cities are already in ruins, but that God foretold and that it will soon happen. After that, the people will return to His commandments, and then it is the humble and those who seek God who lives there with joy.

Applied to Christ

As has been said, verses from this psalm are cited here and there in the New Testament and applied to Christ. The Greek translation of verse 4 is found in John 15:25: "Thus was fulfilled what is written in their law: They hated me without cause." "Law" here refers to the Scriptures. Jeremiah was hated by his contemporaries, especially the leaders because his message was not well disposed towards them. He warned them that their lifestyle was wrong in God's eyes, and that the judgment was coming. Similarly, Jesus' message to the Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes was certainly not received with open arms. They too have never accepted Him as a prophet.

But it was not only the leaders who rejected him. Even his (half) brothers did not take him seriously. John notes: "His brothers did not believe in him" (John 7: 5). That was also the experience of the psalmist (v.9): "I became a stranger to my brothers, a stranger to my mother's sons". Immediately after this the words "the passion for your house has consumed me, the reproach of whom you reproach, has come upon me" (v. 10). His disciples apparently already recognize a fulfillment of the first part of this sentence in the temple cleansing (John 2:17), while the second part is mentioned by Paul in his letter to the Romans: "Christ also did not seek his own interest; on the contrary, it is written: "The reproach of those who reproach you has come upon me" (Romans 15: 3).
This quote may seem a bit strange until we realize that Jeremiah has indeed spoken about the way the people approached God: they blindly trusted His temple, but did not live according to His commandments. It was not about the provisions of the law, but about their disposition, as other prophets have made clear. "I want mercy, no sacrifices" were the words that Jesus spoke to the people. He did not like this, as did Jeremiah before him, but the zeal for God and His house made them both speak so as to save the people, if possible, from an impending doom. Christ, like Jeremiah, brought an unpopular message that was only understood by some of his people afterward. He did not seek his own interest. He also suffered from the realization that they did not want to listen (eg Matthew 23: 37), as did Paul later (Romans 9: 3). Paul (and Jesus) expect us to have the same attitude towards our neighbor, even if the reaction is the same as that which came to Jesus and Jeremiah.

Poison and vinegar

Finally, we have to look at verse 22: "No, they mixed poison with my food and quenched my thirst with vinegar". This translation of the NBV reads as if the intention was to poison the psalmist. However, that can not be deduced from the text itself. The word translated here as poison means 'bitter'. The Greek version of the Old Testament uses the same word here as Matthew, where it is translated "gal" (Matthew 27:34). What the psalmist meant figuratively, became reality on the cross for Jesus. Although none of them refers to the psalm, we see in all evangelists how something is offered twice. It is John who states: "Then Jesus knew that all was accomplished, and to fulfill the Scripture fully he said: I am thirsty" (John 19: 28).

Conclusion

Jesus had the best with his people but was rejected. Psalm 69 shows us a sad image of people who resented His zeal for God. Paul quotes this psalm when he talks about those who have planned this death on the cross (Romans 11: 9-10). In the pardon of the psalmist, Paul reads a prophecy about the consequences for that part of the people who hardened. Just like in the time of Jeremiah, the city would be taken and the people expelled. Jesus' prophecy about that would not be fulfilled until 40 years after his death and resurrection.

Thanks for reading.

You can read: