A PRAYER OF THE AFFLICTED (PSALM 102)
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When I was reading through the Psalms preparing a series of my favorite psalms for the Putonghua worship last year, I came across two psalms with the word ¡¡±prayer¡ÆØ headlining the chapter caught my attention because my wife was a prayer warrior, so I hope to catch up, Psalms 90 and 102. The former, A Prayer of Moses, I preached here a few months ago (Jan 2, 2016). The second one appealed to me because of my wife¡¦s bout with cancer. As you know she departed to be with the Lord on May 22, 2016. I should not have taken up the date today because it is too early emotionally for me to preach on such a sensitive psalm, but this was thought up months in advance. Also today is a special date because remarkably it is our anniversary and the Psalm 102.
As early as the fifth or sixth century Psalm 102 was named one of the seven penitential Psalms or Psalms of Confession in the Bible, along with Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143. Unlike other penitential psalms this psalm is not attributed to individuals or titled a psalm, but highlighted as a prayer, of which there are only five in the Bible (Ps 17, 86, 142, 90, 102 ) , the last three by David. The speculation of authorship includes Nehemiah.
Ps 102:1 begins with a headline: A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the Lord (KJV), or
A Prayer of the Afflicted when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the Lord (NASB).
Have you ever been weak, worried, weary, wounded, wronged and worthless? Who or what do you turn to? How do we deal with pain, suffering, grief, loss, and sadness, things I deal with for more than two months now? Why is it a good idea to bring it to God and even share it to others rather than bottle up your feelings?
Admit your Failings and Ask for Forbearance
A prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a lament before the Lord.
1 Hear my prayer, Lord; let my cry for help come to you. 2 Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress. Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly. 3 For my days vanish like smoke; my bones burn like glowing embers. 4 My heart is blighted and withered like grass; I forget to eat my food. 5 In my distress I groan aloud and am reduced to skin and bones. 6 I am like a desert owl, like an owl among the ruins. 7 I lie awake; I have become like a bird alone on a roof. 8 All day long my enemies taunt me; those who rail against me use my name as a curse. 9 For I eat ashes as my food and mingle my drink with tears 10 because of your great wrath, for you have taken me up and thrown me aside. 11 My days are like the evening shadow; I wither away like grass. (Psalm 102:1-11)
Today (Juy 31, 2016) is our wedding anniversary, as well as a turning point in memorizing the Bible for me. This morning I decided to recite a verse from the Psalms per day, and started with Psalm 1:1, ¡¡±Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.¡ÆØ The purpose is not to forget my grief but to focus on God.
KJVFirst, begin with prayer. The prayer side of the Psalms is often overlooked. Not every psalm gets to be a poem, a psalm and a prayer technically. The word ¡¡±prayer¡ÆØ occurs 32 times in Psalms, more than any book in the Bible - nine times as the title or in the first verse, and the noun ¡¡±prayer¡ÆØ occurs more times in this psalm than any other (vv 1 twice, 17 twice - KJV).
Who is the afflicted person in the title? An afflicted person is translated as one who is poor (Ex 22:25) and lowly (Zech 9:9) in KJV. The reason for the depressed state in the introduction is because his or her ¡¡±weakened¡ÆØ condition. Half of the 16 times the word ¡¡±weak¡ÆØ from the Bible is found in the Psalms and it is translated as hideth (Job 23:9), overwhelmed (Ps 61:2), fainted (Ps 107:5), fail (Isa 57:16) and swoon (Lam 2:11). Another word for the verb ¡¡±pour out¡ÆØ in the title is shed (Gen 9:6), gush out (1 Kings 18:28), cast (2 Kings 19:32) and slip (Ps 73:2), and for the headlined ¡¡±lament¡ÆØ is complaint (1 Sam 1:16), talking (1 Kings 18:27), communication (2 Kings 9:11), prayer (Ps 64:1), meditation (Ps 104:34) and babbling (Prov 23:29). The verb pour pout implies that our discontent must be shared and not stored, surrendered and not saved, shed and not stuck, stopped or silenced.
The first two verses, rightly so, must be address God ¡V Lord, you (v 1), your twice (v 2). There are three imperatives in the chapter, all from verses 1 and 2. The imperative clause ¡¡±HEAR (my prayer)¡ÆØ is unique to Psalms (Ps 4:1, 39:12, 54:2, 84:8, 102:1, 143:1), all in the determined, demanding and desperate imperative mood. The complaint in the title quickly turned into a ¡¡±cry¡ÆØ in verse 1. Unlike a complaint, a cry is vocalized, vertical and volunteered to God.
The next imperative ¡¡±turn/incline¡ÆØ (v 2) is also translated as spread (Gen 33:19), stretch (Ex 6:6), bowing down (Ps 17:11), extend (Ezra 9:9), incline (Josh 24:23) and prolong (Job 15:29). It means closeness, contact, and connection.
The third imperative ¡¡±answer¡ÆØ is not about result, reasons, and remedy, but reply, respond and remember, just as ¡¡±quickly¡ÆØ (v 2) does not mean instantly, immediately, but speedily (KJV), soon and sure.
Hear Turn Answer
Attitude Affection Attention
Cry Contact Communication
Trouble Tenderness Time (quickly)
Verse 3 reveals the first reason (¡¡±for¡ÆØ) behind the Psalmist cry. ¡¡±Consume¡ÆØ as to do with consumed fire ¡V smoke, burn and growing embers. The three verbs contrast bones (v 3), belly (v 4, eat) and body (v 5, bones and skin) for skeleton or structure (v 3, bones), stomach (v 4) and skin (v 5).
The psalmist faces troubles ¡¡±in the day¡ÆØ (v 2), all ¡¡±my days¡ÆØ (v 3, 11) and enemies¡¦ reproach ¡¡±all the day¡ÆØ (v 8). The personal pronoun ¡¡±my¡ÆØ occurs a lot - 15 times in the chapter. It not only affected his prayer - my prayer, my cry (v 1), my groaning (v 5), my strength (v 23) ¡V all ¡¡±my days¡ÆØ (v 23), it affected him as a person - in ¡¡±my bones¡ÆØ (v 3, 5), ¡¡±my heart¡ÆØ (v 4) and ¡¡±my skin¡ÆØ (v 5). Bones is external or structural, heart is internal or emotional, and skin is physical or cosmetic.
From physical pain to psychological pain to private pain. Verse 6-8 has three words for being alone, afflicted and abandoned¡Vdesert, ruins and alone, or wilderness, waste and housetop in KJV. The root word for ¡¡±desert owl¡ÆØ (vulture in RSV) is ¡¡±vomit¡ÆØ or spit out. Desert is desolation, destruction, doom, despair and disregard.
Ps 102:3
For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth.
Ps 102:4
so that (for) I forget to eat my bread.
Ps 102:9
For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping,
Ps 102:10
for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down.
KJV
Destroyed Deprived Despondent Debate
Moments Memory Meals Mystery
Infliction Indigestion Interruption Interrogation
Great wrath (v 10) is ¡¡±indignation and wrath¡ÆØ in KJV, of which the word ¡¡±indignation¡ÆØ makes a late Scriptural debut, in Psalms, and is translated as anger (Ps 38:3), indignation (Ps 69:24) and rage (Hos 7:16). Indignation combines well with pour out (Ps 69:24, Ezek 21:31, 22:31, Zeph 3:8) while wrath is burst out. Lifted up and cast me down (v 10) is not the same as lifted up to throw me down. Here the psalmist is expressing his confusion, comparison and conflict at why the Lord became unfriendly, unsympathetic and unfavorable to him. The idea is, ¡¡±Why be good to me previously if you are not good to me presently? You helped me then but not help me today?¡ÆØ My wife left a book in her collection I am still reading titled Living Beyond Loss, (Walsh). In it the three words inescapable from grieving are blame, shame and guilt.
Abandon Your Folly and Appeal His Favor
12 But you, Lord, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations. 13 You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come. 14 For her stones are dear to your servants; her very dust moves them to pity. 15 The nations will fear the name of the Lord, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory. 16 For the Lord will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory. 17 He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea. 18 Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord: 19 ¡¡±The Lord looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth, 20 to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death.¡ÆØ 21 So the name of the Lord will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem 22 when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the Lord. (Psalm 102:12-22)
One of my worst things someone said to me was at the fifth week of Doris¡¦ departure: ¡¡±Move on.¡ÆØ My coworkers are the best. They say, ¡Óˤ£¡Óoand ÆØ¡ÂW¤F. One offered to shave the head when I said I might shave my head next year.
Verse 12 is a contrast of previous verses to differentiate man¡¦s limitations from God¡¦s longevity. The stark and surprising focus in the next section is on God alone as there is no mention of ¡¡±my¡ÆØ (10x KJV), ¡¡±I¡ÆØ (8x KJV), ¡¡±me¡ÆØ (7x), or ¡¡±mine¡ÆØ (1x), but none from the ten verses of 12-22. The attributes and actions of God are next described. The verb ¡¡±endure¡ÆØ (v 12, But you, Lord, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations) is basically ¡¡±dwell¡ÆØ (Ps 4:8), inhabit (Ps 22:3) and abide (Ps 55:19). It is about dwelling, not durability which will come later. It is about residence, relationship and rule.
There are three groups of people, the elect, the excluded and the embattled ¡V the destitute. Verse 13 tells of His mercy to Israel ¡V the godly, verse 15 and 16 his majesty (glory) to Gentiles ¡V the godless, and His mission (v 19) to the generations, complete with four infinitives. The ¡¡±favor¡ÆØ of verse 13 and the ¡¡±pity¡ÆØ of verse 14 are the same word. Glory is repeated in verse 16 and 17.
The highlight of the passage are the four outcomes (infinitives) ¡Vfirst two from God, next two from others: to hear (v 20) the groans of the prisoners and (to) release (v 20) those condemned to death, (3) to declare God¡¦s name (4) to worship the Lord. Three groups of people stand to benefit from the Lord¡¦s favor to Zion: the infidels (nations, kings of the earth), the impoverished (destitute) and the imprisoned (prisoners).
To hear (v 20) the groans of the prisoners (To) release (v 20) those condemned to death (3) To declare God¡¦s name (21) To worship the Lord (22)
Compassion Conversion Confession Consecration
Supplication Salvation Speak Service
Listen Liberation Loyalty Love
Pity Pardon Proclamation Presentation
Address Your Fragility and Appraise His Faithfulness
23 In the course of my life he broke my strength; he cut short my days. 24 So I said: ¡¡±Do not take me away, my God, in the midst of my days; your years go on through all generations. 25 In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 26 They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. 27 But you remain the same, and your years will never end. 28 The children of your servants will live in your presence; their descendants will be established before you.¡ÆØ (Psalm 102:23-28)
Last week (March 11, 2016) was a down day for Doris. The night before she was lethargic, cried and despaired of life. She said, ¡¡±I feel abandoned.¡ÆØ I knew what would warm her heart, so the next morning I prayed in vain for the sun when the temperature was below 12 degrees Celsius. The sun still hid behind the clouds. At 2:46 she texted me: ¡¡±How about we eat out tonight?¡ÆØ Going out might motivate her, but she could not motivate herself to go out. I asked her where she wanted to eat. She replied, ¡¡±I think about it.¡ÆØ I asked if her sister doing home care for us that day would join us.
An hour after our conversation a good friend from the States called me about my book to be released soon. I spoke briefly with him and said, ¡¡±Talk to you more when you are in Hong Kong.¡ÆØ He said, ¡¡±I am in Hong Kong and for one night only.¡ÆØ We had a good conversation over dinner, including her sister, and she playfully bullied the businessman friend to pay for dinner, which he was more than happy to just to cheer her up. She asked about his kids, he talked about his church, and she asked when he would come again to Hong Kong, and he said, Six months later.¡ÆØ That night I thanked God that when I asked for sunshine, He sent support.
How do we deal with our pain? Are you okay is not the solution.
The psalmist has two contrasts, his weakness and God¡¦s strength (v 23), his supplication versus God¡¦s sovereignty, fragility of the earth and the faithfulness of the Lord. Rightly he began with ¡¡±my¡ÆØ (v 23, my life/strength, my days) and end with ¡¡±thy¡ÆØ (your years, your hands, your servants).
24 your years 25 your hands 28 your servants
Sovereignty Strength Steadfastness
He also progressed and shifted from ¡¡±my days¡ÆØ (v 23) with ¡¡±your years¡ÆØ and to ¡¡±all generations¡ÆØ (vv 12 twice, 18, 24 twice). The phrase ¡¡±my days¡ÆØ and ¡¡±your years¡ÆØ are repeated and contrasted ¡V ¡¡±my days¡ÆØ are shortened (v 23) and shaky and slipping (v 24) versus ¡¡±your years¡ÆØ go on through all generations (people) (v 24) and ¡¡±your years¡ÆØ will never end (period) (v 27). ¡¡±All generations¡ÆØ is ¡¡±generation, generation¡ÆØ in Hebrew. No psalm repeats the word ¡¡±generation¡ÆØ as many as the five times in Psalm 102 (vv 12 twice, 18, 24 twice).
In a sense, we must not see God¡¦s faithfulness in one incident, one person, or in one day. Life is weak, worrisome, wanting and worsening; we are not altogether wise, worthy or wonderful. ¡¡±Broke/weakened¡ÆØ and ¡¡±shortened¡ÆØ are different; one is strength and the other is length..
The last two ¡¡±you/thou¡ÆØ (vv 26, 27) are double ¡¡±you¡ÆØ because of the personal pronoun ¡¡±you¡ÆØ preceding the verb ¡V you remain in NIV but ¡¡±thou, thou shalt endure¡ÆØ (v 26) and ¡¡±thou art the same¡ÆØ (v 27) in KJV. Overall there are three stand alone ¡¡±you/thou¡ÆØ to describe God¡¦s attributes (vv 12, 26, 27). The first (v 12) in Hebrew is ¡¡±You, Lord, dwell forever¡ÆØ (v 12), the second is ¡¡±You stand¡ÆØ (v 26) and the last is ¡¡±You the same and your years have no end.¡ÆØ
The four verbs of God are: laid the foundation (v 25) of the earth, endure/stand (v 26) and change (v 26). One is downward, upright (stand),
and last is overpowering. It is to know your inadequacy, your insufficiency and your insignificance, ignorance, imperfect, inferior, only God is immortal, infinite, immutable and. God alone is our salvation, strength and solace.
Conclusion:
Here are things for our practice:
Adoration ¡V His permanence, power, possession
Confession ¡V Our weariness, weakness, worthlessness
Thanksgiving - For His sufficiency, strength, support
Supplication - Trust, Turnaround, Testimony
Thy years Thy hands Thy servants
Adoration Permanence Power Possession
Confession Weariness Weakness Worthlessness
Thanksgiving Sufficiency Strength Support
Supplication Trust Turnaround Testimony
