Series:
Psalm
Title:
He Has Dealt Bountifully with Me
Text:
Psalm 13: 1-6
Date:
February 3, 2013
Place:
SGBC, New Jersey
Psalm 13: 1: «To the chief Musician, A Psalm
of David.»
Many
look upon this Psalm as strictly a Psalm of King David. Therefore they charge David with complaining
against God, for thinking God could forget one of his children.
Indeed,
King David was used of the Spirit of God to write this Psalm, but a greater
than David is here.
This
Psalm is the heart-supplication of Christ the King as he suffered on the cursed
tree. There is nothing irreverent or
unfaithful in what is said here, just the opposite.
Proposition: In this Psalm, we see the holy obedience of Christ
toward his God and Father even as he endured justice for his people.
Psalm 13: 1: How long wilt thou forget me, O
LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me? 2: How long shall I
take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall
mine enemy be exalted over me? 3: Consider and hear me, O LORD my God:
lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; 4: Lest mine enemy
say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice
when I am moved. 5: But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in
thy salvation. 6: I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully
with me.
Title: He
Has Dealt Bountifully with Me
Divisions:
1) We will go through the Psalm seeing Christ’s faithfulness to the Father; 2)
We will go through the Psalm seeing Christ’s faithfulness to his redeemed child.
I. FIRST WE SEE CHRIST’S FAITHFULNESS TO THE
FATHER ON THE CROSS
Psalm 13: 1: How long wilt thou forget me, O
LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?
Cut Off
When
the LORD made Christ sin for his people, in divine justice, the LORD hid his
face from Christ.
Matthew 27: 45: Now from the sixth hour there was
darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. 46: And about the ninth hour
Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to
say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Try to
imagine those three agonizing hours—three of the longest hours in history; try
to imagine the agony of his heart when he said, “How long wilt thou hide thy
face from me?” The hiding of the
face—means the hiding of his presence, of his countenance.
Before
the foundation of the world, God gave an
elect people to Christ and Christ our Surety entered into covenant with the
Father to become the Scapegoat of God’s people. The type was in Leviticus 16.
Leviticus 16: 21: And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon
the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the
children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting
them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit
man into the wilderness: 22: And the goat shall bear upon him all their
iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the
wilderness.
The
prophet said, “after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not
for himself:” (Daniel 9: 26). Christ knew
no sin. But in obedience to the Father
he willingly submitted to bear the sins of his people his own body on the tree.
And in justice, “he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the
transgression of my people was he stricken.” (Is 53: 6, 8) So there on the
cross, God justly hid his face from our Substitute.
While
he walked this earth, Christ had known the delight of his Father’s countenance. Peter described it this way, “he received
from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from
the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (2 Pet
1: 17) Now, he is made a curse for all
his people over all time. And for three
hours God turned his face from him.
Forever
The
question asked is, “How long…forever?” Yes, forever—for all eternity. Because to be forgotten forever for all
eternity is what justice demanded holy God do to his people for our sin.
1 Corinthians 6: 9: Know ye not that the unrighteous
shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor
idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with
mankind, 10: Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such WERE some of you: but
ye ARE washed, but ye ARE sanctified, but ye ARE justified in the name of the
Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”
How
so? Because since “the unrighteous shall
not inherit the kingdom of God” it meant when Christ took the sin of the
unrighteous from all his elect from every age, he had to be cut off into that
separation we owed to justice.
I do
not know what is more amazing—1) That eternity could be swallowed up in three
hours because the one suffering is the eternal Son of God—or—2) That Christ
bore that shame and separation for sinners so undeserving as we are.
Alone
Psalm 13: 2: How long shall I take counsel in
my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily?
On the
cross, Christ was alone. God did not
remove his strengthening presence, but he removed his comforting presence. He had no one to comfort him while he hung on
the cross. There was none to help. All his disciple forsook him and fled (Mt 26:
56) His heart was filled with sorrow.
Living Death
Psalm 13: 2…how long shall mine enemy be
exalted over me?
This
must have been agonizing. Satan and the fallen angels were raging against him:
powers and principalities and spiritual wickedness in high places, wicked hands
and wicked tongues of wicked men
Psalm 22: 7: All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they
shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8: He trusted on the LORD that
he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
Psalm 13: 3: Consider and hear me, O
LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; 4: Lest
mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me
rejoice when I am moved.
This
gives some understanding of how crushing the bruising weight truly was upon our
Substitute. He said, “No man takes my
life from me, I have power to lay it down.” But his prayer here was for
strength—“lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.” The italicized words are added by the translators
to make it read more smoothly. But remove
the italicized words and read it again. “Ligten
mine eyes, lest I sleep the death.”
In that
separation on the cross, Christ was bearing “the second death.” Separation of
final judgment will be the death that never dies—a living death. But in order for justice to be satisfied,
Christ had to bear that death alive. He could not sleep—could not give up the
ghost—until he make “the death” die. Otherwise,
the enemy prevailed. So he cries, “Consider,
hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep…the death. Lest mine
enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me
rejoice when I am moved.”
Faith Looks Outside of Self
Psalm 13: 5: But I have trusted in THY MERCY
mercy; my heart shall rejoice in THY SALVATION.
Here is
Christ our Wisdom! Christ our Mercy-Seat, whose own blood was being shed that
God might be just in showing us mercy, trusted in the Father’s mercy as he did
so. Our great Savior who put away our
sin and saved us from the pit of death—as he did so looked steadfastly to his
God and Father for his salvation.
This is
the amazing God we serve. Christ is manifesting
righteousness of God—here Christ was made sin to declare God just and the
Justifier. Christ was made sin so that God was just in pouring out justice on
Christ in our stead and God was doing so that he might be just in justifying
his people from our sins.
But at
the same time Christ is manifesting how not only has he put away our sin, but
how he is himself our righteousness and our sanctification. While he is made sin and justly bearing
separation to satisfy justice, Christ remains holy and faithful within, depending
entirely upon his God. Have you noticed throughout the Psalm, he keeps saying, “O
LORD, My God, I have trusted in THY MERCY; my heart shall rejoice in THY
SALVATION.” This is his holy heart, his holy faith—the faith of Christ by which
his people are saved.
Obedience and Death
The work of declaring the righteousness of God and of
making his people the righteousness of God required Christ to be obedient, “even
unto the death of the cross”—obedience and death.
On that
cross, Christ was bearing that living death. He did not give up the Ghost and
enter physical death until he said, “It is finished.” Physical death was the
final trumpet blast that the eternal living death—the wages of sin—had been
paid. It was obedience to go to the cross and be made a curse and bear that
living death.
But
even as he bore that death on the cross—Christ had to remain the obedient
servant. He had to never waver from
holy, faithful heart obedience, trusting the word of his God and his Father,
even in separation.
And he
WAS obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. One of the most
remarkable scriptures is John 19.
John 19:28: After this, Jesus knowing that all things
were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.
Even under that supreme suffering, and shame and
separation, his thoughts were on fulfilling the will of his Father. It was not his own “will”, his own “wants”,
his own “need” for which he cried, “I thirst”; it does not say “because he was
thirsty” he said, “I thirst.” But it
tells us the obedience of his heart, he said it,—“that the scripture might be
fulfilled.”
Not even his last request was because of his will—he
said, “I came not to do mine own will but the will of him that sent me.” Even
his last request was to do the will of his Father. Remember, when he was tempted in the
wilderness he said, man does not live by bread alone but “by every word of God.”
He said, “My meat is to do his will.” So now when he says, “I thirst.” It was
not that he might be ministered to; it was not for that physical water, that
bread alone; but his meat, his life, his eternal joy was that not one jot or
tittle of God’s word remain unfulfilled, but that all the law of God be
magnified and honored—so “that the scripture might be fulfilled, he said, “I
thirst.”
And even in this, we see his faith in the Father. The
scripture where it was written reads, Ps 69:21: They gave me also gall for my
meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." He is not giving himself the vinegar, but he trusted
his Father to unleash those wicked hands, that they would give him vinegar to
drink. So in faith, that the scripture might be fulfilled, he
said, “I thirst.”
John 19: 29: Now there was set a
vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon
hyssop, and put it to his mouth. 30: When Jesus therefore had received the
vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
He Was Heard
Now go back to Psalm 13.
This morning I preached to you on the subject of “Learning Obedience”
from Hebrews 4 and 5. We read in Hebrews
5:
Hebrews 5:7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had
offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that
was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared.
Christ was heard for his piety, his holy obedience. Now back in our text, the
song changes in the next verse—“all things having been accomplished, now that
he cried, “It is finished…and gave up the Ghost”—we turn to a note of victory
and triumphant and delight!
Psalm 13: 6: I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt
bountifully with me.
He WAS heard. The smile of God his Father’s countenance
shined forth as the dawn of a new day.
The clouds rolled back, the veil rent in twain in the temple, the rocks
rent and the graves opened. Our
triumphant Savior came forth three days later singing in the midst of the
congregation, “he hath dealt bountifully with me!”
Hebrews 9: 11: But Christ being come an high priest of
good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with
hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12: Neither by the blood of goats
and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having
obtained eternal redemption for us
Hebrews 10: 12: But this man, after he had offered one
sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be
made his footstool. 14 For by one
offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
II. NOW BRETHREN, HE CALLS US TO TAKE UP OUR
CROSS AND FOLLOW HIM AND HE SHOWED US HERE HOW TO DO IT. NOW, LET’S SEE CHRIST’S FAITHFULNESS TO US
FROM THE CROSS.
God the
Father called his Son to suffer the cross for us and as he did AND he did so
believing on God and his Father. Now,
the work of redemption is finished. He
has become the Author of eternal salvation to all them that obey Christ. Our
Redeemer calls us to trust him—to believe that his cross work is finished—that
he has purged our sins, that all for whom Christ died are reconciled to God and
none shall be lost.
Now the
cross we bear shall come from believing on Christ. This world hates God and his Christ. The suffering we are called on to endure is
the cross of suffering for his name’s sake.
·
We will suffer when our enemies become those
within our own household: when father or mother, husband or wife, son or
daughter reject Christ and despise our gospel.
·
We will suffer when your best friend betrays
you, goes away, rejecting you because of your Redeemer.
·
We will suffer when you are unjustly charged
and punished at school, or at work, because of the gospel you believe.
·
We will suffer when brethren give you their
word contrary to scripture and you must suffer their frowns when you reject
their word for God’s word.
·
We will suffer when you are tempted to save
your life, to just given in and do that which would make it easy on you and
ease your suffering.
But
like as the Father called Christ to suffer his cross trusting the Father, our
Redeemer calls us to bear our suffering, believing on him.
We Are Never Forgotten
Psalm 13: 1: When suffering and it seems like he has forgotten
you—instead of asking how long—remember that because he bore separation and
purged our sins, he says, “I will not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee
upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. (Is 49: 15-16)
The Throne of the Counselor is Always Open
Psalm 13: 2: When you begin to “take counsel in your own soul, finding
sorrow in your heart”—Remember, that because he suffered with none to help, you
always have One to help! Instead of taking counsel in our own soul flee to THE
Counselor, the Mighty God, our Everlasting Father—to find mercy and grace to
help in time of need.
We Are More Than Conquerors Through Christ
Psalm 13: 2: When the enemy seems to be exalted over you…go to his
throne pleading, “Lord, lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and
those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved. Lighten mine eyes, lest I
perish.”
While
the old lion is roaring, doing all he can to frighten us into rebellion, the Spirit
and Presence of Christ shall draw near..his voice answers, “Who is he that
condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is
even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us…Nay, in all
these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” (Rom 8:
34, 36)
Look to Christ Not Self
Psalm 13: 5: When your eyes cannot see for the darkness, still trust
in the Lord Jesus. Look away from self
and suffering and remember Christ’s
heart rejoiced in GOD’S Mercy and God’s Salvation, and remember God’s Salvation
and Mercy for all the elect of God IS THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.
And let
patience have her perfect work—wait on his time. Christ shall prove that the suffering was the
best thing that could have ever happened to us—but wait and trust him and you
will see.
Believer,
there is no trial, distress or anguish of spirit which our gracious Redeemer
calls us to, in which he has not walked and felt.
The
thing that sustained our Savior on the cross was looking to his God and Father.
He trusted that though for now the cross must be born, in the end his Mercy and
Salvation would be great. So when we suffer, look to Christ, believe Christ,
obey Christ as Christ obeyed the Father.
Christ
purged away our sin making us the righteousness of God in him. By obeying his Father, perfected obedience,
“He became the Author of eternal salvation until all them that OBEY HIM.” We obey him by simply believing on
Christ.
It is
not our feelings that are the cause of true joy. It is the object of faith. His omnipotent hand guides, consoles and gives
us paths to follow in all our suffering—and those paths always lead straight to
him.
We Are Complete in Him
When
you eat that broken bread and drink the wine remember the unrighteous shall
never inherit the kingdom of God, but because he suffered in our place, his
words to those who trust him is:
“And such WERE some of you: but ye ARE washed, but ye ARE
sanctified, but ye ARE justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the
Spirit of our God.”
What a price he paid to do it!
Psalm 13: 6: I will
sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.
Amen!