PRAISE UNTO HOLY SUBMISSION

Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. Psalm 22:3

Of this psalm, Mr. Spurgeon says, “This is beyond all others the Psalm of the Cross.” And truly, it is— from the utterance of the Lord Jesus while hanging upon the cross (v1), to the prophesy of the mocking and hatred against Christ (vv6-8), to the graphic description of the Lord’s sufferings while nailed to the tree (vv14-17), there can be no mistake what this psalm is all about.

Yet, as David pens this psalm, he most certainly experiences suffering and cries out to God because of his circumstance. Surely, he could not know sufferings the Lord Jesus experienced. No man can. Jesus suffered the eternal, unrestrained wrath of God for sins He did not commit. There is, however, an underlying truth of our sufferings as His redeemed. Jesus was perfect in humanity, whereas we are but weak, pitiful and fallen flesh. Our light affliction (2 Cor 4:17) is still an affliction nonetheless. Even Paul was not some super-apostle. He thrice cried out in anguish over his thorn in the flesh (2 Cor 12:8). As Christ’s disciples, we are commanded to take up our cross, to be crucified with Christ as we live this mortal life by faith in the Son of God (Gal 2:20). Though our sufferings do not come close to Christ’s, they are still monumental to us. So, as both perspectives of this psalm are true— the prophetic of Christ and the experience of His redeemed saints— it is in the two truths we find both comfort and celebration. When we suffer affliction, we look to Christ’s cross and recognize He has set us free from sin and death; that there is a resurrection coming; and that God, in Christ, will be glorified in His Son, and also in those whom He has redeemed. We, therefore, praise God for His amazing grace; and thus our praises enthrone the Holy One of Israel, seated at the right hand of the Father. As Jesus sits (Heb. ישב yashav) upon our praises, our praise prompts us to submit to His sovereign rule and reign, a reign which comforts us, protects us, and provides for us until He returns.

King Jesus sits upon our praises,
In heaven, lifted high;
We, equipped with His good graces,
Submit so self can die.

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Today's M'Cheyne Reading Schedule: 4/14 - Lev 18; Psa 22; Ecc 1; 1 Tim 3

If you don’t have one, get a free PDF copy of Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s “Daily Bread” Bible Reading Calendar by Clicking Here.

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