TUESDAY, APRIL 24
Psalm 22:25-31
A turning to the Lord foretold with future generations proclaiming His righteousness
25 From You comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear You I will fulfill my vows.
25 A vow to the Lord might be made at a time of particular distress or need as part of public worship.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise Him – may your hearts live forever!
When a prayer was answered the vow might be fulfilled in a feast to which everyone was invited.
27-28 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before Him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and He rules over the nations.
When God’s love and grace is seen by people of other nations, they will be moved to turn to Him. He rules over all the nations, whether they recognise it or not – the basis on which we pray for world issues today.
29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before Him – those who cannot keep themselves alive.
30 Posterity will serve Him; future generations will be told about the Lord.
31 They will proclaim His righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!
29 Having received the homage of the Gentiles, v.27-28, now the Lord also sees the proud (literally ‘the fat ones of the earth’) come to Him in worship, v.29. Those who are arrogant and well-supplied choose to join in worship with “all who go down to the dust”, those who are faint-hearted, struggling and not self-sufficient.
30-31 “Future generations” – the vision extends to those as yet unborn down the generational line, surely anticipating the Cross being preached and God’s righteousness (or deliverance, secondary meaning) shared from generation to generation.
31 “He has done it” – Perhaps a prophetic glimpse forward to Jesus’ last words on the Cross: “It is finished!”
Application
The psalmist praises God for His intentions which we now understand as the establishment of His kingdom under the Lordship of Jesus.
Remarkably, this psalm paints a picture of a general revival, touching Gentile nations. It also touches those normally most resistant to the God’s appeal to a change of heart in response to His love, the self-sufficient and proud.
This reminds us that God’s plan of redemption is so much bigger than our mindset which usually centres on us and our likes and dislikes, and how we like to worship in our familiar way with other folk like us. It challenged the people of the time, and it challenges us, to see man-made barriers as the barriers to God’s kingdom purpose that they are – and make changes.
For reflection and discussion
This psalm highlights God’s desire for a revival of people turning to Him – but they might not be the people we would like or expect. How do we feel about that?
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