Day 44

A grand Messianic trilogy:

Psalms 22,23 & 24 taken together give us an amazing gospel picture. In Ps 22 Christ is Saviour, 23 shepherd, and 24 Sovereign. In 22 we see grace, 23 guidance, 24 Glory. In 22 we have the cross, 23 the crook, 24 the crown. Ps 22 deals with the past, 23 the present, 24 the future. This is Justification (22), Sanctification (23) and Glorification (24). The past (the penalty of sin) the present (power of sin) and the future (the presence of sin) are the three tenses of salvation that are also presented in the NT. Titus 3:5 – we have been saved(penalty).1Cor1:18 – we are being saved(power). Acts15:11 – we shall be saved (presence).

We tend to anguish about three things: (1)our past, with its flaws and failures; (2)our present, with its difficulties and danger; and (3)our future, with its uncertainties about life and certainties about death

Psalm 22 (The Cross- our Past)  is one of the three most intense Messianic chapters in the OT (c.f.Genesis 22 and Isaiah 53).  In this passage, 1000 years before Calvary, the Lord gives us the very words Jesus would speak from the cross, the very words that people would speak at the scene, and the very things that would happen to Christ including His stripping, piercing, thirst, exposure, insults, humiliation, and death.  All our sins are covered by the blood of Calvary.

The Shepherd’s Crook- Our Present.  Almost all verbs in Psalm 23 are in the present tense.  This is a Psalm for today:  He makes me, He leads me, He restores, He guides, He is with me, He comforts me, He prepares a table for me, He anoints; my cup overflows.  His shepherding ministries are for today.

The Sovereign’s Crown- our Future.  Psalm 24 is a glorious three-part poem that focuses on the greatness of the creator (v. 1-2); the privilege of coming into God’s presence to worship (v. 3-6), and the nearing day when the King will come to claim His Kingdom (v. 7-10).  All our apprehensions will be lost in celebration, and all our sorrows will be drowned out by song when the King of Glory claims His throne.