In Psalm 102, we have been talking about how everything is
in a state of change. The writer is an anonymous man who was going through a
time of affliction a time of suffering as he was dealing with a lot of issues
and he was despondent, discouraged, and maybe depressed. But after he took his
eyes off of himself and his problems, and lifted up his eyes to Jehovah,
everything changed. As we said in verses 12 through 22, he mentions Jehovah 7
times, Yahweh the covenant name of God with his nation Israel.
We mentioned how in Leviticus chapter 26, God made a
covenant with Israel and basically said, “When you do what I ask you to do,
and you keep my commandments, I will bless you. I'll send rain, you'll be
prosperous, you'll be protected, I'll take care of you and your enemies will
flee before you.” But then after this, He says in verse 18 of Leviticus 26,
“If you do not obey me then I'll punish you seven times more for your sins,
I will break the pride of your power, I'll make your heavens like iron and your
earth like bronze, and your strength shall be spent in vain, for your land will
not yield its produce nor shall the trees of the land yield their fruit.” Basically,
God says if you walk contrary to Me and disobey Me, I will have to punish you, but
you'll still be in My heart.
Then in Deuteronomy 29:1, where Moses repeats the law of
God just before the new generation goes into the land, God says, “These are
the words of the covenant which the Lord commanded Moses to make with the
children of Israel…” And He goes on to remind them how the Lord delivered
them out of the land of Egypt, and how God did all these great wonders when He
brought you out, and how He provided for and took care of them. Then He goes on
to say and if you obey me, I will bless you but if you disobey me, I'll punish
you.
Now in Psalm 102, the writer is no doubt is remembering
these words and he is confident that God is going to restore the nation after
they've been in captivity and it's a wonderful testimony to all the nations
around him. That's why he says in verses 15-16, “So the nations shall fear
the name of the LORD, And all the kings of the earth Your glory. For the LORD
shall build up Zion; He shall appear in His glory.”
This is a messianic Psalm. It's looking forward to the day
Jesus Christ comes back and sits on the throne of David, and rules from His
throne in Jerusalem for 1000 years. That is when in verse 17, “He shall
regard the prayer of the destitute, And shall not despise their prayer.”
What makes us destitute is when God has to punish us for our
sins, and we get knocked down and He breaks our pride down so that we have to
look up. I've always said when you're lying on your back in a hospital bed and
you're going through a time of affliction, guess what direction you are looking? You are looking up! Yes my friend, the bed of affliction causes
us to look up to God, and in our pain, and in our hurt and our sorrow we cry
out and say, “Oh God help me!” And that's what this psalmist did and the Lord
heard him. And not only that God heard Him, but in verse 18, this is “written
for the generation to come”. God is
a covenant God with the nation of Israel.
Israel has been around for 4000 years and they're going to
continue to be around till Jesus comes and sets up his Kingdom and they will rule
and reign with Him in from the city of Jerusalem. You can trust the Lord to
keep his covenant. Jesus is keeping his covenant with you and me today! He
saved us, and He says, “I give you eternal life and you will never perish
neither shall any man pluck you out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to
me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s
hand” (John 10:28-29). Jesus said, “He that comes to me I will in no
wise cast out” (John 6:37).
God will not forget you! You can trust Him today!
God bless!
