Psalms 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28, and 31

David saw many direct actions of Yahweh in his life that served to strengthen and deepen the confident trust (“faith”) he placed in Elohim Shaddai, the Almighty God. Even when things seemed to be at the bottom, David’s laments in his poetry reveal an earnest belief that God is in control and will prevail. Likewise, these psalms reveal his understanding of final judgment in righteousness that will result in salvation for some and damnation for others. Whether it was concerns over his circumstances and persecutors or the end of time, David’s faith was entrenched in God. Still, this inspired man writing inspired scripture leaves some gaps in understanding exactly “how” this will take place.

What we can see with the clarity of 20/20 hindsight is a poetic expression of the gospel of Jesus (Messiah, the Anointed One, the Christ) before the events securing salvation occurred. Like other prophets involved in foretelling the future (remember some simply “forthtold” a message), they did not comprehend in part or in whole how these things would come to pass. Even the angels wondered how Yahweh would accomplish His great masterpiece of redeeming fallen people and restoring the spiritual fellowship we are created to experience with God.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

1 Peter 1:3-12

Did you catch that part? Peter (by inspiration of the Holy Spirit) teaches us that the prophets really wanted to understand the things God told them to say. The reassurance they received was that they were serving US … Wow! Now we know the full story that David believed would come to pass, but did not understand how it would unfold.

In these lament psalms, David expresses poetically the fundamental human condition and the greatest need we have. We are fallen. Every one of us. God is righteous and people are flawed. The righteous turn to Him, but the wicked turn away. Even the most upright of people still cannot save himself from judgment. How will our just God atone for sin that demands death as payment? How will our righteous God reconcile fallen people who seek Him and love Him when our own goodness and merit is insufficient? David does not know the answer beyond his foundational faith that God WILL accomplish this.

Tucked away in the midst of these psalms, the Holy Spirit gave partial answers that we can see now because the Holy Spirit has enlightened us in subsequent Scripture. The answer was that this would all be accomplished by a suffering, sinless Messiah who could die for sin and make atonement because He had no sin.

In Psalm 22, David pens the words that Jesus would quote on the cross, “My God, My God, what have you forsaken me?” Although David did not understand these words beyond his own circumstances, we now know that Jesus became sin so that the wages of sin would be paid.

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:21

Yahweh made the shedding of blood clear from the very beginning in the sacrifices of Adam and Eve and the blood shed so that their sin could be “covered”. The Law of Moses furthered this concept and understanding. Then, after the death and resurrection of Jesus, we learn,

Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you.” And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Hebrews 9:18-28

Elsewhere in Psalm 22, David write hauntingly about a suffering death (22:14-18) involving pierced hands and feet. In David’s day, crucifixion had not been invented, yet, he describes it very specifically. His specificity goes even to the point of the Roman soldiers casting lots for the clothing of Jesus. As a prophet, David foretold the necessary substitutionary death of sinless Messiah to atone for the sins of mankind. Was that all?

In Psalm 16, David speaks prophetically about Messiah (“Your Holy One”) dying a physical death and going to the grave (Sheol – the place of the dead for the righteous and unrighteous). Astoundingly, something would transpire whereby the Messiah’s corpse would not return to dust like everyone else. David does not come out and say “You will raise Messiah from the dead”. But, that is precisely what Peter states the meaning of these prophetic words meant when his inspired sermon on Pentecost in Acts 2 points all to the resurrection of Jesus as the plan of God all along. It was not merely a death that was necessary, but a new life.

If needed, re-read these laments of David. Notice the hopeless human condition and the fate of the grave that awaits all. Now notice the divine hope injected into hopelessness by Almighty God. He brings victory out of defeat. He rescues the perishing and oppressed. Yahweh will accomplish all of this by becoming a man Himself and giving His life as a ransom. He will pay the very price He righteousness demands for forgiveness – the shedding of blood and the taking of a life. Death, however, would not be the end. Messiah would rise again!

His sacrifice was once for all. As He was not abandoned to the grave, none will be. The souls of people will rise again on the last day and be judged. The righteous into the eternal presence of God, and the unrighteous into the outer darkness and eternal separation from God. David did not need to understand all of this; he simply needed to believe God was in control. He did not need to understand fully how God was going to accomplish this deliverance and salvation, he simply needed to walk in humble obedience according to the Law set before him. His psalms express that deep faith.

For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Ephesians 3:1-6

How blessed we are to know the great mystery revealed. There are things we do not know, such as the time of the end. Like David, we don’t even know how God will deal with our circumstances or our own persecutors. We don’t have to know. We simply must trust that God know and He is in control. God has got this!

Consider His nature. Consider His ways. Strive to love Him more!