Psalms 127

Psalms 127:2

Introduction

While three disciples on the mountain of transfiguration (Luke 9:29-30) were eyewitnesses to the majesty of the Lord Jesus during the realm of peace (2 Peter 1:16), Moses and Elijah spoke to the Lord of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem (Luke 9:31), that is, about His suffering and death. We see the same thing here in Psalms. While in Psalms 93-101 we admire the majesty of the LORD, that is the Lord Jesus, adoringly, in Psalms 102 He speaks of His suffering (cf. Luke 24:26). In this psalm we find prophetic what is later mentioned in Hebrews 5: “In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety” (Hebrews 5:7).

This psalm is called a penitential psalm. The origin of this designation lies in its use in the liturgy of the church, in which the seven penitential psalms are sung on Ash Wednesday. Psalms 102 is the fifth of the seven so named (Psalms 6; 32; 38; 51; 102; 130; 143). In this psalm, the psalmist does not speak of his sins, but of the great misery in which he finds himself. The psalmist is depicted as the epitome of misery in every possible area of life. Physically, spiritually, emotionally and socially, he has reached a low point.

It is a Messianic psalm. The Messiah is speaking here. This is evident from the quotation of Psa 102:26-28 in Hebrews 1 where the quotation refers to Christ (Hebrews 1:10-12). This psalm is not so much about Christ’s atoning suffering, but about His suffering in connection with the judgment that God had to bring on Israel and Jerusalem. Christ identifies Himself with His people, the faithful remnant, who suffer from that judgment. The New Testament clearly distinguishes between the atoning suffering of the Lord Jesus – then suffering is mentioned in the singular – and suffering as God’s Witness – then suffering is mentioned in the plural. The latter is a suffering that must also be endured by believers.

The suffering described in this psalm is not only His suffering in Gethsemane or before Pilate and Herod and at His crucifixion. His whole life from His birth has been suffering. This does not mean that He has been under the anger of God all His life. That is an absolutely reprehensible teaching. Only during the three hours of darkness did He bear the anger of God for sins. All His life God was well pleased in Him. He has had no part in sin and, precisely because of that, has had a perfect sense of it. This has caused Him to suffer in a way that we cannot comprehend. That suffering has weighed Him down.

What the believing remnant acknowledges as a just suffering, He voluntarily experienced by becoming Man. It is a suffering in His soul caused by seeing the consequences of sin. For example, the Lord wept at the grave of Lazarus (John 11:35). He has thus shown His sympathy in the sorrow of Mary and Martha. Yet His sorrow is much deeper than that of the sisters, for He perfectly knows the cause of death, which is sin. He did not weep so much over the loss. He knew that a few moments later He would raise Lazarus from the dead to life. He wept for the cause of it.

Cry For Help

Psalms 102:1a is the title of the psalm. As a title, it is exceptionally long. Everything in the title draws extra attention to the suffering of Christ. In this psalm we hear Christ as Man speaking of the feelings of His heart in the midst of circumstances that press Him down. We must always bear this in mind when we read this psalm. At the same time, we must never forget that He is God Himself. We are reminded of this impressively in the final verses of the psalm.

Christ here calls Himself “the Afflicted” (cf. Psalms 86:1), an expression that also applies to the remnant. He is afflicted because God’s people have been severely punished by God for their unfaithfulness. The cause of that judgment, the realization of its necessity, weighs so heavily on Him that He “is faint”. All He can do is complain. It is one great “complaint”. He pours out His complaint “before the LORD”.

He personally, of course, has no part in the unfaithfulness of God’s people, but He shares in its consequences. He sympathizes with the faithful remnant who will be particularly strengthened by His sympathy. Thus He helps them bear the consequences of their unfaithfulness. It is one of the many occasions during His life that shows that in all their affliction He was afflicted (Isaiah 63:9). We see something similar when the Lord Jesus is baptized by John the baptist. He does this for the sake of righteousness, for in this way He makes Himself one with the believing remnant of Israel.

He does not lay His complaint down before God, but pours it out. ‘Pouring out’ indicates the power with which He prays. That He does it “before the LORD” shows on Whom He has placed His hope, with Whom He seeks help. This is an example for us when we are in great need.

The Lord Jesus is the Praying One (Psalms 102:1b; Psalms 109:4b). As mentioned, we see Him in this psalm as a true Man. He asks the LORD to listen to His prayer and let His cries for help come to Him. The Lord Himself knows that the Father always hears Him (John 11:42), but here He is the mouth of the remnant. He is in great need and cries out to God, but has the feeling that God is not listening to His cries for help. That is why He addresses Him so insistently. The Lord Jesus wept when He saw Jerusalem (Luke 19:41). He wished that the city might have known the things which make for peace (Luke 19:42).

He also asks God not to hide His face from Him because He has the impression that God does (Psalms 102:2). Humbly pleading, He asks if God will incline His ear to Him. It is a plea for His attention. He longs fervently for the listening ear of God.

It is for Him “the day of my distress”. Therefore, it is the day that He calls and looks forward to a quick answer. Days of distress are days of special trial and great need. God allows such days to test the hearts of His own and see where they seek their help. For the Lord Jesus, God has always been His refuge, He was cast upon Him from the womb (Psalms 22:10).

Psalms 127:3

Introduction

While three disciples on the mountain of transfiguration (Luke 9:29-30) were eyewitnesses to the majesty of the Lord Jesus during the realm of peace (2 Peter 1:16), Moses and Elijah spoke to the Lord of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem (Luke 9:31), that is, about His suffering and death. We see the same thing here in Psalms. While in Psalms 93-101 we admire the majesty of the LORD, that is the Lord Jesus, adoringly, in Psalms 102 He speaks of His suffering (cf. Luke 24:26). In this psalm we find prophetic what is later mentioned in Hebrews 5: “In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety” (Hebrews 5:7).

This psalm is called a penitential psalm. The origin of this designation lies in its use in the liturgy of the church, in which the seven penitential psalms are sung on Ash Wednesday. Psalms 102 is the fifth of the seven so named (Psalms 6; 32; 38; 51; 102; 130; 143). In this psalm, the psalmist does not speak of his sins, but of the great misery in which he finds himself. The psalmist is depicted as the epitome of misery in every possible area of life. Physically, spiritually, emotionally and socially, he has reached a low point.

It is a Messianic psalm. The Messiah is speaking here. This is evident from the quotation of Psa 102:26-28 in Hebrews 1 where the quotation refers to Christ (Hebrews 1:10-12). This psalm is not so much about Christ’s atoning suffering, but about His suffering in connection with the judgment that God had to bring on Israel and Jerusalem. Christ identifies Himself with His people, the faithful remnant, who suffer from that judgment. The New Testament clearly distinguishes between the atoning suffering of the Lord Jesus – then suffering is mentioned in the singular – and suffering as God’s Witness – then suffering is mentioned in the plural. The latter is a suffering that must also be endured by believers.

The suffering described in this psalm is not only His suffering in Gethsemane or before Pilate and Herod and at His crucifixion. His whole life from His birth has been suffering. This does not mean that He has been under the anger of God all His life. That is an absolutely reprehensible teaching. Only during the three hours of darkness did He bear the anger of God for sins. All His life God was well pleased in Him. He has had no part in sin and, precisely because of that, has had a perfect sense of it. This has caused Him to suffer in a way that we cannot comprehend. That suffering has weighed Him down.

What the believing remnant acknowledges as a just suffering, He voluntarily experienced by becoming Man. It is a suffering in His soul caused by seeing the consequences of sin. For example, the Lord wept at the grave of Lazarus (John 11:35). He has thus shown His sympathy in the sorrow of Mary and Martha. Yet His sorrow is much deeper than that of the sisters, for He perfectly knows the cause of death, which is sin. He did not weep so much over the loss. He knew that a few moments later He would raise Lazarus from the dead to life. He wept for the cause of it.

Cry For Help

Psalms 102:1a is the title of the psalm. As a title, it is exceptionally long. Everything in the title draws extra attention to the suffering of Christ. In this psalm we hear Christ as Man speaking of the feelings of His heart in the midst of circumstances that press Him down. We must always bear this in mind when we read this psalm. At the same time, we must never forget that He is God Himself. We are reminded of this impressively in the final verses of the psalm.

Christ here calls Himself “the Afflicted” (cf. Psalms 86:1), an expression that also applies to the remnant. He is afflicted because God’s people have been severely punished by God for their unfaithfulness. The cause of that judgment, the realization of its necessity, weighs so heavily on Him that He “is faint”. All He can do is complain. It is one great “complaint”. He pours out His complaint “before the LORD”.

He personally, of course, has no part in the unfaithfulness of God’s people, but He shares in its consequences. He sympathizes with the faithful remnant who will be particularly strengthened by His sympathy. Thus He helps them bear the consequences of their unfaithfulness. It is one of the many occasions during His life that shows that in all their affliction He was afflicted (Isaiah 63:9). We see something similar when the Lord Jesus is baptized by John the baptist. He does this for the sake of righteousness, for in this way He makes Himself one with the believing remnant of Israel.

He does not lay His complaint down before God, but pours it out. ‘Pouring out’ indicates the power with which He prays. That He does it “before the LORD” shows on Whom He has placed His hope, with Whom He seeks help. This is an example for us when we are in great need.

The Lord Jesus is the Praying One (Psalms 102:1b; Psalms 109:4b). As mentioned, we see Him in this psalm as a true Man. He asks the LORD to listen to His prayer and let His cries for help come to Him. The Lord Himself knows that the Father always hears Him (John 11:42), but here He is the mouth of the remnant. He is in great need and cries out to God, but has the feeling that God is not listening to His cries for help. That is why He addresses Him so insistently. The Lord Jesus wept when He saw Jerusalem (Luke 19:41). He wished that the city might have known the things which make for peace (Luke 19:42).

He also asks God not to hide His face from Him because He has the impression that God does (Psalms 102:2). Humbly pleading, He asks if God will incline His ear to Him. It is a plea for His attention. He longs fervently for the listening ear of God.

It is for Him “the day of my distress”. Therefore, it is the day that He calls and looks forward to a quick answer. Days of distress are days of special trial and great need. God allows such days to test the hearts of His own and see where they seek their help. For the Lord Jesus, God has always been His refuge, He was cast upon Him from the womb (Psalms 22:10).

Psalms 127:4

Lifted Up and Cast Away

The sufferings of the Messiah during His life on earth were deep. We find in Psalms 102:3-5 His physical suffering, in Psalms 102:6-7 the suffering of His soul, in Psalms 102:8 the suffering from the side of men, and in Psalms 102:9-10 the suffering from the side of God.

To be able to somewhat empathize with the reality of His feelings that He shares with us in these verses, we need the help of God’s Spirit. Often it is with us as with Peter, James and John. The Lord Jesus asks them to watch with Him, while He is very distressed and troubled because of the work He is going to accomplish on the cross. But they fall asleep, while the Lord Jesus is in severe battle, and He has asked them to watch with Him (Matthew 26:36-43; Mark 14:32-40).

He complains that His days “have been consumed in smoke” (Psalms 102:3). So quickly and volatile He sees His days passing, while no result is visible. The effort of His life in the service of His God has cost Him everything, but it all seems to have been in vain (cf. Isaiah 49:4a). It is the suffering of the deathbed, facing death. His “bones have been scorched like a hearth”. The bones glow with a high fever, which makes the strength disappear.

His heart has been smitten with the affliction in which He is (Psalms 102:4). It is “smitten like grass and has withered away”. The life has gone out of it through dehydration. He is so engrossed in affliction that He has forgotten to “eat” His “bread”. The affliction of Zion, which He feels to be His affliction, has completely seized Him, He cannot think of anything else. All appetite has disappeared.

His suffering is visible. He suffers intense pains. Because of “the loudness of” His “groaning”, His bones cling to His flesh (Psalms 102:5; cf. Job 19:20). The loud groaning takes all His energy. His bones become visible through His skin.

Added to this is His great loneliness! He felt Himself to be “a pelican of the wilderness” and “like an owl of the waste places” (Psalms 102:6). It is not certain which bird, of which the name is translated here as “pelican”, it was. What we do know for sure is that this bird is lonely. A wilderness is an exemplar of loneliness.

The owl is a bird that lives in solitude and has waste places as its natural habitat. The emphasis is on the fact that the environment has become a mess. This has become the Lord’s habitat. No one understood Him, neither His family nor His disciples. He has been alone in His perfect apprehension of the real spiritual situation of Jerusalem and Zion, which have become a mess. Under this He has suffered.

His suffering is not just present during the day. He complains that He lies awake (Psalms 102:7). The affliction is so great that it keeps Him awake, restless. He cannot sleep because of it. Loneliness is often felt even more deeply at night than during the day. The Lord says that He has “become like a lonely bird [or: sparrow] on a housetop”. The sparrow mostly lives with others. A lonely sparrow on the roof is an exemplar of solitude, which at the same time makes him vulnerable to birds of prey, his natural enemies.

The Hebrew word is actually the general term for “bird”, which is often translated as “sparrow”. A solitary bird on the roof at night is an exemplar of restlessness, but also of vulnerability.

That the Lord Jesus is lonely does not mean that He is left alone. Added to the pain of solitude is the scorn of His enemies which they pour out on Him all day long (Psalms 102:8; cf. Isaiah 53:3). It is as rubbing salt in someone’s wounds. There is no one who feels sorry for Him. On the contrary, His enemies exploit His vulnerability to rage against Him.

Thereby they use His Name “as a curse”. They swear by His Name that they will do Him harm. We can compare it to names like those of Zedekiah and Ahab, which were used as a curse during the time of exile (Jeremiah 29:22). Thus the name of the psalmist is used as a curse by saying to someone: ‘May happen to you what happened to the psalmist!’ It is a curse. It is also not just a few who want to harm Him, but a whole group.

Daily food consists of bread and drink. For the Lord, it was not so. In Psalms 102:4 He says that He forgot to eat His bread. Now He says that He has “eaten ashes like bread” (Psalms 102:9). Bread serves to strengthen (Psalms 104:14). From ashes all life is gone and speaks of death and the sorrow that accompanies it (Jeremiah 6:26).

What He drank, He “mingled … with weeping” (cf. Psalms 42:3). Drinking serves to refresh, but tears are caused by sorrow. To drink tears means to drink sorrow. This does not refresh, but depresses. These are mourning rituals (Jeremiah 6:26; Esther 4:1). That ashes are eaten instead of sprinkled on the head and tears are drunk instead of shed means extreme mourning.

Twice in the Gospels it is mentioned that the Lord Jesus wept (John 11:35; Luke 19:41). One time it is silently shedding tears, and the other time it is crying aloud. Here we read that His whole life was marked by tears and sorrow. Here we get a deep glimpse into the soul, the emotional life of the Lord. If we can get an eye and a heart for this as we walk with Him, how much more precious He becomes to us!

In Psalms 102:1b-2, Christ is speaking to God. We see this in the use of the words “You” and “Your”. Then in Psalms 102:3-9 we hear the reasons for His cry for help. In Psalms 102:10, Christ speaks to God again. He says to God that He accepts suffering from His hand. He speaks of what God has done to Him. He tells the LORD, His God, that He has “lifted” Him “up”, or exalted Him, to be the Messiah of His people. But instead of being able to take possession of the kingdom, He has “cast” Him “away”, or humiliated Him (cf. Psalms 30:7).

Instead of living a long life in the favor of God as Messiah to His people, His days are “like a lengthened shadow” (Psalms 102:11; Psalms 109:23). When shadows lengthen, it indicates that the sun will soon set and it will be night. The Messiah does not see it getting light, but He sees that soon night will fall over His life. He foresees His death. He experiences that He withers away “like grass” (cf. Psalms 102:5). All prosperity disappears from His life, all life flows from His body.

Psalms 127:5

Lifted Up and Cast Away

The sufferings of the Messiah during His life on earth were deep. We find in Psalms 102:3-5 His physical suffering, in Psalms 102:6-7 the suffering of His soul, in Psalms 102:8 the suffering from the side of men, and in Psalms 102:9-10 the suffering from the side of God.

To be able to somewhat empathize with the reality of His feelings that He shares with us in these verses, we need the help of God’s Spirit. Often it is with us as with Peter, James and John. The Lord Jesus asks them to watch with Him, while He is very distressed and troubled because of the work He is going to accomplish on the cross. But they fall asleep, while the Lord Jesus is in severe battle, and He has asked them to watch with Him (Matthew 26:36-43; Mark 14:32-40).

He complains that His days “have been consumed in smoke” (Psalms 102:3). So quickly and volatile He sees His days passing, while no result is visible. The effort of His life in the service of His God has cost Him everything, but it all seems to have been in vain (cf. Isaiah 49:4a). It is the suffering of the deathbed, facing death. His “bones have been scorched like a hearth”. The bones glow with a high fever, which makes the strength disappear.

His heart has been smitten with the affliction in which He is (Psalms 102:4). It is “smitten like grass and has withered away”. The life has gone out of it through dehydration. He is so engrossed in affliction that He has forgotten to “eat” His “bread”. The affliction of Zion, which He feels to be His affliction, has completely seized Him, He cannot think of anything else. All appetite has disappeared.

His suffering is visible. He suffers intense pains. Because of “the loudness of” His “groaning”, His bones cling to His flesh (Psalms 102:5; cf. Job 19:20). The loud groaning takes all His energy. His bones become visible through His skin.

Added to this is His great loneliness! He felt Himself to be “a pelican of the wilderness” and “like an owl of the waste places” (Psalms 102:6). It is not certain which bird, of which the name is translated here as “pelican”, it was. What we do know for sure is that this bird is lonely. A wilderness is an exemplar of loneliness.

The owl is a bird that lives in solitude and has waste places as its natural habitat. The emphasis is on the fact that the environment has become a mess. This has become the Lord’s habitat. No one understood Him, neither His family nor His disciples. He has been alone in His perfect apprehension of the real spiritual situation of Jerusalem and Zion, which have become a mess. Under this He has suffered.

His suffering is not just present during the day. He complains that He lies awake (Psalms 102:7). The affliction is so great that it keeps Him awake, restless. He cannot sleep because of it. Loneliness is often felt even more deeply at night than during the day. The Lord says that He has “become like a lonely bird [or: sparrow] on a housetop”. The sparrow mostly lives with others. A lonely sparrow on the roof is an exemplar of solitude, which at the same time makes him vulnerable to birds of prey, his natural enemies.

The Hebrew word is actually the general term for “bird”, which is often translated as “sparrow”. A solitary bird on the roof at night is an exemplar of restlessness, but also of vulnerability.

That the Lord Jesus is lonely does not mean that He is left alone. Added to the pain of solitude is the scorn of His enemies which they pour out on Him all day long (Psalms 102:8; cf. Isaiah 53:3). It is as rubbing salt in someone’s wounds. There is no one who feels sorry for Him. On the contrary, His enemies exploit His vulnerability to rage against Him.

Thereby they use His Name “as a curse”. They swear by His Name that they will do Him harm. We can compare it to names like those of Zedekiah and Ahab, which were used as a curse during the time of exile (Jeremiah 29:22). Thus the name of the psalmist is used as a curse by saying to someone: ‘May happen to you what happened to the psalmist!’ It is a curse. It is also not just a few who want to harm Him, but a whole group.

Daily food consists of bread and drink. For the Lord, it was not so. In Psalms 102:4 He says that He forgot to eat His bread. Now He says that He has “eaten ashes like bread” (Psalms 102:9). Bread serves to strengthen (Psalms 104:14). From ashes all life is gone and speaks of death and the sorrow that accompanies it (Jeremiah 6:26).

What He drank, He “mingled … with weeping” (cf. Psalms 42:3). Drinking serves to refresh, but tears are caused by sorrow. To drink tears means to drink sorrow. This does not refresh, but depresses. These are mourning rituals (Jeremiah 6:26; Esther 4:1). That ashes are eaten instead of sprinkled on the head and tears are drunk instead of shed means extreme mourning.

Twice in the Gospels it is mentioned that the Lord Jesus wept (John 11:35; Luke 19:41). One time it is silently shedding tears, and the other time it is crying aloud. Here we read that His whole life was marked by tears and sorrow. Here we get a deep glimpse into the soul, the emotional life of the Lord. If we can get an eye and a heart for this as we walk with Him, how much more precious He becomes to us!

In Psalms 102:1b-2, Christ is speaking to God. We see this in the use of the words “You” and “Your”. Then in Psalms 102:3-9 we hear the reasons for His cry for help. In Psalms 102:10, Christ speaks to God again. He says to God that He accepts suffering from His hand. He speaks of what God has done to Him. He tells the LORD, His God, that He has “lifted” Him “up”, or exalted Him, to be the Messiah of His people. But instead of being able to take possession of the kingdom, He has “cast” Him “away”, or humiliated Him (cf. Psalms 30:7).

Instead of living a long life in the favor of God as Messiah to His people, His days are “like a lengthened shadow” (Psalms 102:11; Psalms 109:23). When shadows lengthen, it indicates that the sun will soon set and it will be night. The Messiah does not see it getting light, but He sees that soon night will fall over His life. He foresees His death. He experiences that He withers away “like grass” (cf. Psalms 102:5). All prosperity disappears from His life, all life flows from His body.