by Rev. Alex. McPherson
Psalm One Hundred and Two
Verse 9. “For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping.”
From these sad words we may gauge to what extent this poor man had mourned. Following the custom of his age, he had repeatedly thrown ashes so that they fell upon his head, and from thence they dropped onto the food which he strove to eat as a matter of duty. Verse four, you may remember states that he had no real appetite. Relieving his thirst gave him no more enjoyment than eating did, for what he drank was made brackish by the copiousness of his tears.
Verse 10. “Because of thine indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down.”
Here he tells of the source of his sorrow, and we can see that it springs from a view of the plight of his sinful nation more than anything else. The whole nation has suffered for its apostasy; godly and ungodly alike. The psalmist completely associates himself with his people and regards his personal condition and prospects as a type of theirs. Caught in a gale of divine wrath, he and they have been tossed up and down.
Verse 11. “My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.”
Regarding himself, he had no hope of survival. He knew his end to be fast approaching; his sun had gone down so far that it scarcely cast any shadow. He was like withered, dying grass.
Surely this is a sad complaint, a man summing up his own condition of body as quite hopeless! Yet, in what follows we see that his prayer was given a large answer in that the Spirit of God directed his mind away altogether from the hopeless appearance of things on earth to Himself in heaven.
Verse 12. “But thou, O Lord, shalt endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations.”
How often do we find the saints of God making mention of his eternity in their addresses to Him! Yet, simply to consider that God is eternal in contrast to man’s mortality and few years would scarcely serve to revive drooping spirits and build new hope. It is when his eternity is linked with his covenant faithfulness, as it is in his name Jehovah, that a believing soul can rise above the depression of spirits consequent upon great affliction. The name “Lord” in this verse means “Jehovah” — “I am that I am”, and it is this view of the divine character that leads the psalmist on to his next words which strike a different note from all that has gone before.
Verse 13. “Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her is come, yea, the set time, is come.”
The city of Zion was brought to a very low state when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed it, and thus it remained for seventy years. What was needed to restore it was divine mercy, for divine judgment had laid it low. As her people were captives in a distant land, Zion could not be rebuilt unless they were released and brought back, and given a mind to rebuild city and temple. Who could do that but God? The psalmist, knowing the character of Israel’s God, and moved also by the Spirit of prophecy, forecasts that He will indeed have mercy.
The judgment had been disciplinary, not destructive. Through Jeremiah (Jer. 25, v. 11, 12) the Lord had set a limit to Israel’s bondage. From the second verse of the ninth chapter of Daniel we see that that godly man clearly recognised this fact. Years and decades had dragged past, but this poor, dying exile knows that the set time for deliverance is at hand, therefore mercy would be shown to Zion.
Now it is no worse with the New Testament Church than it was with that of the Old. The Church is to last as long as the world because its King must reign until He hath put all enemies under his feet. While on earth He declared that His Church would be like a grain of mustard seed which would grow into a mighty tree. “Upon this rock will I build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” It is a kingdom which cannot be moved.
Yet the Church can decline through unfaithfulness and other sins as it has done throughout the past century. Has it not come to a condition so ruinous as to deserve comparison with the Zion of the Psalm? But can we, like the psalmist, aver that the set time for rebuilding has come, by referring to prophecies in the Word of God? Some think that the time has almost come; others believe that no-one can be certain, yet hope that the time may be near. What is certain is that God will revive his work, and when the set time known to Him does come, the building up of Zion will not be prevented by any power on earth or in hell.
Verse 14. “For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof.”
This was another sign by which the psalmist knew that the Lord would soon show mercy. It is still a favourable sign. When God’s people become very concerned about the low state of the Church universal and bear its concerns often and urgently to the throne of grace, this may well be a precursor of revival. How dear the Church of God ought to be to its members! It is the company of the called and saved with whom alone they can have true fellowship on earth. It is the agency by which the blessings of redemption will come to others. It is the light of the world, the preserving salt of the earth. It is the dwelling place of God on earth, and even when in a depleted and weak condition, it is dear to all the people of God. When this delight becomes very evident in prayers and longings and strivings for the building of the spiritual Zion, it is a good sign. Have we pleasure in the stones and dust of the Zion of our time?
Verse 15. “So the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth thy glory.”
It was a great wonder to the nations when God recalled Zion’s bondage. Nations and their rulers will never fail to be impressed when the Lord revives his Church. Notable effects will follow. The Scriptures will again be received as God’s revealed will, fully inspired and inerrant. The Church will regain influence and again become a power for good in the world. God will be glorified. “God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.”