E. W. Bullinger

Philologos Religious Online Books
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August, 1897 | Vol. IV July 1897 - June 1898 | Main Index

Things to Come

The 130th Psalm is one of the psalms of "degrees," or psalms of ascendings. They have been called the little Psalter. There is a tradition that between the outer and inner court of the temple there were fifteen steps, and that on each of the steps the people used to repeat one of these psalms. We do not know whether this was so, but we see steps not to a literal Jerusalem, but the steps by which Israel will ascend to communion with God.

Psalm 130 begins, "Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord." That is the first step of ascent to the mount of communion. We must descend first. Pride is the great hindrance with Israel, but they will be humbled. The previous psalm tells of outward deliverance in spite of their enemies. They cry: "Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth," but the outward trouble is one of the things God will use to bring them down. The 130th Psalm speaks of inward deliverance.

Whenever a man or a nation is brought down he is very much in earnest and wants to be quite sure that he has God's ear. This is what we have in the second verse: "Lord, hear my voice: let Thine ear be attentive to the voice of my supplications." Throughout the psalm there is a frequent repetition of the name of God, eight times over they use one of His titles, and this is always a mark of earnestness, as though they could say nothing but "O Jehovah, covenant Lord, O Adonai, sovereign Lord, O Jah, eternal God."

"If Thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?" There has been only One who could stand before God on the ground of His righteousness. "Iniquity" is sin in the radical sense, not what we do, but what we are, yet this is the word used in Psalm 32: "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity." Israel tries to stand before God on their own merits, or on the ground of the merits of their ancestors, on anything but on the ground of His grace.

"There is forgiveness with Thee." The definite article is here used: "There is the forgiveness," as if when God opens their eyes to see Messiah's pierced side they see the one redemption. We learn to read forgiveness written over Calvary's cross for as many as will put their trust in Him, "in whom we have the redemption through His blood."

"I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait." There is similar language in Isaiah 25:9, and 26:8. The 24th chapter and onwards deal with the events of the last day. In the midst of the depths of darkness and trouble during the great tribulation they will wait for the Lord, and the psalm goes on to say what is the ground of their hope. "In His word do I hope." We must take care ourselves that for whatever we wait, we too have God's word.

"My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning." I believe that this has reference to the custom well known in connection with the temple ritual. The morning sacrifice had to be offered between the first indication of dawn and the actual rising of the sun. A party of Levites used to be stationed on one of the highest parts of the temple, and when they saw the first streak of dawn they called to the priests standing by the altar. The words of their cry have come down to us, "The sky is lit as far as to Hebron," and when this cry arose the morning sacrifice was slain, and the daily ritual of the temple began. We too are watchers, we also are looking, hoping: "looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." Titus in this passage speaks of the two advents, the first marked by grace, and glory characterising the second. I wonder if we are like these "watchers for the morning," straining our eyes to see those indications that morning is approaching.

"Let Israel hope in the Lord." This shows that the previous speaker is Israel. "For with the Lord there is the mercy," again the definite article is used. It is all concentrated in the person of Jesus Christ. "And with Him is plenteous redemption." The promises were not exhausted when they were brought out of Egypt and Babylon.

"And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities." There is no if. It is a wonderful prophecy and promise combined.

At the end of the 25th Psalm, David looking on Israel sends up a prayer, "Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles." That is how we pray. There seems no end to the trouble, and we pray "send deliverance." The answer is here. God puts it in the right way. "He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities." The underlying cause of Israel's trouble is his iniquity, and so God begins at the right end. He always puts first, first. In the 130rd Psalm there is a catalogue of blessings and that which heads the list is forgiveness. The greatest need of Israel is to know the forgiveness of God.

August, 1897 | Vol. IV July 1897 - June 1898 | Main Index  

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