Continued Psalm 69


In the sacrificial system of the Old Testament offerings were made for sins done unwittingly; but for those that were done with a high hand and presumptuously, there was no offering provided. This fact indicates that, when men deliberately and willfully reject truth and light and pit their wills against God, there is no provision for them. An examination of the various imprecatory psalms, as they are called, will reveal the fact that those servants of God who thus prayed avenging wrath upon certain ones saw that these people had gone beyond all redemption, had sinned against light, and were enemies against the truth of God. Thus seeing and realizing these facts, they were lead by the Spirit of God to pray that God would avenge, bring punishment upon such. Moreover, they looked at things from the standpoint of law--more than from the standpoint of grace, since they lived during the Law Dispensation. From the standpoint of law, no flesh can be justified in God's sight. Only when people stand upon the basis of grace and put their trust in God can there be any such thing as forgiveness and mercy.

In verse 22 we read: "Let their table before them become a snare; And when they are in peace, let it become a trap." The antecedent of the pronouns, their, them and they, can be none other than the enemies and adversaries mentioned in verses 18 and 19. These enemies are the ones who hate Him (vs. 14), without a cause. When we look at the fulfillment of the passage, we know that this is true. When the leaders of Israel aroused the multitude to demand the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, Pilate realized that it was through jealously that they had delivered Him up to be executed. They had had every opportunity in the world to learn the truth and to know who He was and the purpose for which He had come. To them He said, "Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." They could have come to Him, but they willed not to do so. When they took that attitude toward Him -- sinning with a high hand and a determined will --there was no hope for them.

The psalmist, by inspiration of God, seeing that the enemies would thus assume that attitude toward Messiah, prayed that their table might become a snare to them and a trap. In this language the psalmist prays that the table of good things might be overruled by God and become, figuratively speaking, a snare and a trap to these men who have rejected the light and who have thus executed this Servant of God without a cause.

Sin always has a hardening effect upon the heart. Likewise it blinds the eyes. Thus we see in verse 23 this language: "Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see; And make their loins continually to shake." When anyone rejects light, God withdraws the truth from them, which is indeed the light. The result will be that such a one will walk around in darkness. It is a fearful thing to reject light. Isaiah told Israel that, because they had chosen their own ways and delighted in their own ambitions, the Lord would choose their delusions and bring their fears upon them (Isa. 66:3,4). When certain of the elders of Israel came and sat before Ezekiel, asking him for further light on some important matters, the Lord spoke to the prophet and told him to say to them: "Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Every man of the house of Israel that taketh his idols into his heart, and putteth the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I Jehovah will answer therein according to the multitude of his idols; that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols" (Ezek. 14:4,5). Thus those who reject Messiah, according to this psalm, have their eyes blinded; fear and uncertainty grip their souls. This is indicated by the last clause of verse 23: "And make their loins continually to shake."

In verse 24 the prophet goes farther than he has in verses 22 and 23. Not only does he want God to overrule the things that take place and to make everything contribute to their condemnation since they have rejected the truth; but he actually prays that God might pour out His indignation upon the ones who reject the truth and His Messiah. This verse was fulfilled in the Lord's overruling the political situation in Israel after the rejection of the Messiah. Finally, in the sixties of the first century, the Jews came into a clash with the Romans who sent their armies and for four years ravished the country. This invasion was brought to a dramatic conclusion in the downfall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, when the nation collapsed and hundreds of thousands of Jews were slaughtered and many thousands were taken into the slave markets of the world and sold into bondage. Thus the wrath of God was poured out upon those who had rejected the light and their longed for Messiah. As a result of the pouring out of the wrath of God in the fulfillment of this passage and the one in Luke 21:20-24, the country, that had flowed with milk and honey and that had been given to the fathers of Israel, became a desolation and a waste. Thus the prophecies of 69:24, 25 where literally fulfilled in the overthrow of the Jewish nation and the consequent chaotic condition that resulted from the war.

From verse 26 we see that the psalmist asked this judgment upon the nations because the people have persecuted "him whom thou hast smitten; And they tell of the sorrow of those whom thou hast wounded." Thus it is clear from this passage that the judgment which comes upon the people of Israel is punishment for what they do against Him who God smites and the flippant way of their talking about those whom God has wounded.

The one mentioned in the first part of verse 26 is none other than the Messiah. It is God who has put Him to death for the sins of the world. We see this from Isaiah 53:10: "Yet it pleased Jehovah to bruise him [Messiah]; he hath put him to grief: when thou shall make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper in his hand." It is not enough for these wicked ones who reject all light and who rush forth with determined wills, following their carnal natures, to look unsympathetically upon Him as He suffers the agonies of the most cruel and excruciating pain in death. They therefore, out of the hatred of their souls, attempt to persecute Him with mental agony. Even this does not satisfy the cravings of their depraved natures. They therefore "tell of the sorrow of those whom thou hast wounded." They are certain ones who are associated with the Messiah, and who are wounded and crushed by the recent developments. They therefore talk of this sorrow and seem to gloat over the fact. This attitude of heart and soul God cannot brook. In justice and righteousness He therefore must deal with them upon the basis of their case.

"Add iniquity unto their iniquity;
And let them not come into thy righteousness" (vs. 27).

Here the psalmist pleads with the Almighty to add their already increased wickedness the iniquity of their taking this viscous attitude toward this innocent sufferer. He sees them in the grip of their own iniquitous acts and asks the Lord to chalk down this additional sin against them. Moreover, He prays that God will not allow them to enter into His righteousness. It is to be noted that righteousness belongs to God. They are not to share in this righteousness. The prophet, speaking of God's righteousness, seems to set it over against man's righteousness or man's unrighteousness. This righteousness must be that which is imputed. As an illustration of this, we read in Genesis 15:6 that Abraham believed God and his faith was counted unto him for righteousness. The righteousness of God was imputed unto Abraham upon the basis of his simply believing God. From the New Testament we understand more clearly the righteousness of God. The Apostle Paul declared that "apart from the law a righteousness of God hath been manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets ....(Rom. 3:21). This righteousness is a righteousness of divine origin, which is revealed to man apart from all law and all ceremonies. It is given to man when he simply believes God. God is eager to let every soul have this type of righteousness, which, expressed in commercial terms, is "made in heaven."

The last petition of this prayer is found in verse 28:

"Let them be blotted out of the book of life,
And not be written with the righteous."

Evidently these concerning whom the petition is offered have their names written in the book of life. The psalmist sees the inappropriateness of their names being there on the register of life. He therefore prays to the Lord that their names might be blotted out of this book and that they might not be written among the righteous. What is the significance of this petition? When we study in the light of the New Testament revelation, we come to the conclusion: Through one man, Adam, sin entered the world and death through sin. Death passed unto all men, because all sinned. By the one act of disobedience of Adam, the many (the human family) were made sinners; but through the one act of righteousness by the one man Christ Jesus, the many (humanity) were made righteous. In Romans 5:12-21 the Apostle draws a parallel between Adam on the one hand and Christ on the other. Adam, as Paul tells us, was a type of Christ. Hence there are similarities between them and their ministries. At the same time, as Paul shows us, there is a contrast between Adam and Christ. In the case of Adam his unrighteousness--his pitting his will against God--was imputed to the entire human family; by the one act of righteousness on the part of Christ, His righteousness was imputed to the entire human family. Hence every individual's name was put in the book of life. Christ, as we are told in Hebrews, chapter 2, tasted death for every man. Since every persons name was put in the book of life because of what Christ did, they are all saved, being robed with the righteousness of Christ, including all infants (who died before reaching the age of accountability) and idiots. But when a child reaches the age that he can pit his will against God's and when he determines to disobey the Lord, by the act of unbelief and of refusing God's will, he throws off the righteousness with which he, as a babe, was clothed and stands guilty before God. After one has thus reached the age of accountability, he must accept Christ by faith in full surrender of his will to God. Whenever one thus accepts the grace of God through faith as manifested in Christ, he is clothed with the righteousness of Christ. The past is blotted out. Never will God impute unrighteousness to such a one after that. He is safe for time and for eternity. But of course God punishes all sin and transgression in everyone His children. This is taught in Hebrews chapter 12. Everyone, therefore, who accepts Christ has his name written down in the Lambs book of life. Let it be remembered that the Lamb's book of life is one thing; the book of life is an entirely different matter. The name of every individual is in the book of life because of what Christ did for humanity; a persons name is in the Lamb's book of life because he, by faith, accepts the grace of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, is regenerated, and is saved. The psalmist understood these matters. Seeing the venom of the souls of those who reject the light and who persecute and heap ignominy and shame upon the innocent Son of God, the Savior of the world, the psalmist prayed that God would blot their names out of the book of life, and that He would not transfer and write them with the righteous in the Lamb's book of life. There are therefore erasures from the book of life. But there is no erasure from the Lamb's book of life. Let everyone who has accepted the atoning blood of the Lord Jesus Christ rejoice in the fact that his name is not only in the original book of life, but also written in the Lamb's book of life and that he will, upon leaving this life go into the immediate presence of God and enjoy the blessings of the Lord with all the redeemed forever and ever.

"But I am poor and sorrowful: Let thy salvation, O God, set me up on high.
I will praise the name of God with a psalm, And will magnify him with thanksgiving.
And it will please Jehovah better than an ox, Or a bullock that hath horns and hoofs.
The meek have seen it, and are glad: Ye that seek after God, let your heart live.
For Jehovah heareth the needy, And despiseth not his prisoners.
Let heaven and earth praise him, The seas, and everything that moveth therein.
For God will save Zion, and build the cities of Judah;
And they shall abide there, and have it in possession.
The seed also of his servants shall inherit it;
And they that love his name shall dwell therein (vs. 29-36).

Throughout the psalms we read of the poor and needy. Here we see them in this quotation. They are called poor in verse 29 and needy in verse 33. The penitent remnant of Israel in the end time is thus designated, as we can see from numbers of passages in the Psalms.

When we read these verses in the light of other passages, we come to this conclusion: The truth of God will be given to the nation Israel. The honest hearts who are longing for God and the satisfaction of their souls will embrace the truth when it is given to them. Seeing and recognizing their helpless and hopeless condition and having learned that the Messiah has suffered and died for them, they immediately look to God and plead for deliverance. Thus they cry out, "let thy salvation O God, set me up on high." Then they assure the Almighty that they will praise His name in song and magnify Him with thanksgiving and praise. Moreover, they will realize that ceremonialism and the observance of rights, though they have a purpose of the unfolding of God's truth to man, are not an end within themselves, but are a means to an end. Furthermore, they will realize that God is not looking at these externals, but at the real spirit of the one who thus turns to Him.

To the meek, as we see in verse 32, this vision of the truth of God and His grace becomes very apparent. They therefore delight in the newly-discovered truth concerning God's grace, His marvelous grace and forgiving power.

This faithful remnant of Israel who turns to Him in the very end will by faith look forward to the end of the Tribulation and will call on the intelligent beings in the heavens and those upon the earth to render praise and thanksgiving to God for what He has done and for what He will do yet for Israel. Thus, in verses 35 and 36, the penitent remnant will express its faith in God's fulfilling His promise in restoring Israel to the land of the fathers and blessing them and making them the channel of world-blessing:

"For God will save Zion, and build the cities of Judah;
And they shall abide there, and have it in possession.
And they that love his name shall dwell therein.