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All the day my enemies taunt me; those who deride me use my name for a curse. Psalm 102:8

Mr. Spurgeon calls this “the Patriot’s Plaint” in his famous The Treasury of David. It surely is the afflicted cry of one who loves Israel and desires God’s pity upon Zion. It is also a most prophetic psalm of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Afflicted One and Man of Sorrows of Isaiah’s 53rd chapter. The Father’s face was hidden from the forsaken Son when Jesus hung upon the tree in the day of His distress (v2). Crucifixion caused Christ’s bones to burn like a furnace (v3). His heart burned within Him and hunger departed from Him (v4) as His bones did cling to His flesh (v5). In the midst of His physical sufferings, Jesus was jeered by the very people He came to save. The gospel accounts include this detail as they wagged their heads in mocking derision, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself” (Matt 27:42). In this statement they ridiculed Christ’s name— Jesus. The Lord’s name, Y’shua in Hebrew, means “will save,” as told Joseph in a dream by the angel of the Lord, “She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matt 1:21). Because of the meaning of His name, the people used it as a curse to heckle the Lord Jesus as He hung upon the tree as a curse for you and me— “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us— for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’” (Gal 3:13). Today, the name “Jesus” is still used as a curse by the enemies of the cross. While the unbelieving world deride the name of Jesus, we delight in His name with joy unspeakable; and when we look at the cross through the eyes of faith, to see what extent God had gone to save us through His one and only Son, we may be sure that in our sufferings, there is no sorrow or affliction we have experienced that the Lord Jesus has not gone far beyond. He paid a debt He did not owe for a debt we owe and could not possibly pay.

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Today's M'Cheyne Reading Schedule: 6/10 - Deut 15; Psa 102; Isa 42; Rev 12

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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