Psalms

The Psalmist here is anonymous.  The affliction and descriptions might aptly describe the feelings of a one looking at Jerusalem at the end of the exilic period. 

Regardless of the setting in which it was written, we have been afflicted.  We can find comfort in the Psalm and learn from it.  We can pray this Psalm when we are in that dark place and time in our life.

A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the LORD.

¹ Hear my prayer, O LORD,
And let my cry come to You.
² Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my trouble;
Incline Your ear to me;
In the day that I call, answer me speedily.
The Psalmist is pleading with God to hear his prayer.  It is the cry of affliction.  It is the call to God when all seems lost, when there is no where else to turn and all hope is lost.  Many times these prayers seem as if they bounce off the ceiling.  Where is God?  Why is He allowing this?  God, don't hide your face, listen to me and give me an answer.  Although the language might seem demanding and irreverent, this is a desperate pleading for the attention of God.

³ For my days are consumed like smoke,
And my bones are burned like a hearth.

Smoke is there and then it's gone; you can't grasp it or contain it.  The harder you try to hold it the faster it vanishes.  The days are ticking off; yesterday looks like today, tomorrow like yesterday, all of them like last week.  There is no change, no improvement and no relief in sight.  This is weariness.  The Psalmist grows weary of this ongoing affliction.  Will it ever end?  The constant affliction affects the psalmist all the way to the bone.  His bones are burned, dark and scarred like the hearth.

 
⁴ My heart is stricken and withered like grass,
So that I forget to eat my bread.

⁵ Because of the sound of my groaning
My bones cling to my skin.
When a person's bones are weary the heart becomes stricken.  The burden seems physical as if weighing you down.  You lose your willpower to move and function.  Withered grass is barely alive, it can't stand up.  This describes the feelings of the psalmist.  He is so afflicted he forgets to eat and is losing weight to where he is skin and bones.  It's as if the groaning of affliction causes his skin to cling to his bones.

⁶ I am like a pelican of the wilderness;
I am like an owl of the desert.
⁷ I lie awake,
And am like a sparrow alone on the housetop.
Have you ever felt like a pelican in the wilderness?  I think that's like being a fish out of water.  The owl in the desert is a lonely bird in a desolate land.  The psalmist can't even escape this by sleeping and finding rest in dreams.  Like a sparrow, he sits for hours by himself contemplating his situation like a sparrow on the housetop, feeling out of place in a desolate land.

We might picture Job at this point.  I think about the devastation after a tornado and seeing the people come out their shelter to see all they own destroyed and scattered across the countryside.  It's like they are froze in time, not knowing which way to turn or what to do.  Their whole life is turned upside down.

⁸ My enemies reproach me all day long;
Those who deride me swear an oath against me.

The attacks are endless and determined.

⁹ For I have eaten ashes like bread,
And mingled my drink with weeping,

Here we see the breakfast of the bereft and the drink of the downtrodden.

¹⁰ Because of Your indignation and Your wrath;
For You have lifted me up and cast me away.
¹¹ My days are like a shadow that lengthens,
And I wither away like grass.
The shadows lengthen at the end of the day.  The writer believes his life is drawing to a close.  God has dealt severely with in him indignation and wrath.  God allowed these events in the life of the author.  He may never understand why and God doesn't owe him or us an explanation.  Are we okay with that?  Does it matter if you aren't? 

These first 11 verses are all focused inward.  They are about feelings and emotions, physical ailments and weaknesses.  The Psalmist refers to himself 28 times (i.e. me, my, I) in these first 11 verses.  We might even see these verses reflect depression.  He seems to be dealing with endless waves of despair with no hope in sight.  That would bring at least some sort of depression on most people.

¹² But You, O LORD, shall endure forever,
And the remembrance of Your name to all generations.
¹³ You will arise and have mercy on Zion;
For the time to favor her,
Yes, the set time, has come.

The 'but' in verse 12 is a major step change.  The psalmist is longer looking inward but now looking outside his physical existence and outside his own life circumstances.  He looks for something bigger, some meaning in the miseries of this life.  Don't ' we all have the same questions deep in our soul?  Who am I?  Where did I come from?  Where am I going?  And what am I to do while I am here?

The Westminster shorter catechism says........

What is the chief end of man?
Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

The Psalmist looks beyond himself to find hope.  It is an eternal hope available to all generations.  It will find a day of fulfillment.  God will arise and have mercy on Zion.  We can imagine the desolation and isolation of the Jerusalem during the exile.  But God in his sovereignty has a bigger plan.  He will arise.  The 70 years are over and God is faithful to His promise and covenant to His people. 

¹⁴ For Your servants take pleasure in her stones,
And show favor to her dust.
¹⁵ So the nations shall fear the name of the LORD,
And all the kings of the earth Your glory.
¹⁶ For the LORD shall build up Zion;
He shall appear in His glory.
¹⁷ He shall regard the prayer of the destitute,
And shall not despise their prayer.
The psalmist looks beyond his life and knows that the Lord is eternal and He will rule from Zion.  This is the messianic kingdom.  All nations will fear the name of the Lord.  All those who are destitute and afflicted will have a king.  He will hear them and minister to them.  They will no longer feel as though God had left them alone and afflicted.

¹⁸ This will be written for the generation to come,
That a people yet to be created may praise the LORD.

This is speaking of the coming generations that would populate a restored kingdom when the exile had ended.  I also feel like its talking about you and I.......Praise the Lord!

¹⁹ For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary;
From heaven the LORD viewed the earth,
²⁰ To hear the groaning of the prisoner,
To release those appointed to death,
²¹ To declare the name of the LORD in Zion,
And His praise in Jerusalem,
²² When the peoples are gathered together,
And the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.
The writer finds his hope in God restoring the land even though he knows it is likely after his death.  He sees the omniscient Lord looking down from heaven and seeing all that is going on, missing no detail.  God will hear the groan of the prisoner and the come to the aid of the those who have a death sentence.  His name will be declared again in Zion.  The city of David, the center of God's universe, Jerusalem would once again thrive and serve the Lord.

Beyond what the writer sees as a greater hope, we can look far beyond and see the messianic kingdom when all these things find their ultimate fulfillment.

²³ He weakened my strength in the way;
He shortened my days.
²⁴ I said, "O my God,
Do not take me away in the midst of my days;
Your years are throughout all generations.
The Psalmist states the fact of his obvious mortality.  He wants to live longer and see these days come and see the Lord revive the land.  He acknowledges the days of man are short while the Lord is eternal, beyond time.

²⁵ Of old You laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
²⁶ They will perish, but You will endure;
Yes, they will all grow old like a garment;
Like a cloak You will change them,
And they will be changed.
²⁷ But You are the same,
And Your years will have no end.
This passage is quoted in Hebrews 1:10.  The writer of Hebrews is making the case that Jesus is greater than the angels.  In that lesson, the writer gives an Old Testament bible study, quotes this verse as an indication of the eternality of Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the creator and sustainer of the universe.  All the heavens and earth are the work of His hand.  Even when they are gone, He will still be.  We seem to see them growing old before our eyes.  One of these days He will change them, and they will be changed.

²⁸ The children of Your servants will continue,
And their descendants will be established before You."

Though he may never see the day, the psalmists hope extended to his descendents, wanting a better life for them.  He wanted them to abide in the Lord forever and never feel the desolation and affliction that come from the affects of sin.  We all want our children and children's children to seek the Lord and be in a right relationship with Him.