Morning By Morning #102

I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.

Psalm 22:14

From the pen of Charles Spurgeon:

Did earth or heaven ever behold a spectacle of suffering, grief, and woe more sad than that of the cross! In His soul and His body our Lord felt as weak as though He were “poured out like water” upon the ground. When His cross was lifted and then suddenly dropped into its hole in the ground, He was violently shaken. Every ligament in His body was strained, every nerve felt pain, “and all [His] bones [were] out of joint.” Being pulled by His own weight, the majestic Sufferer felt the increasing strain each second of those six long hours. A sense of faintness and overall weakness was overpowering to Him, yet at the same time He was constantly aware of massive misery and pain.

When Daniel saw his “great vision,” he described his sensations in this way: “I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless” (Dan. 10:8). How much more weak and faint the greater Prophet must have been when He saw the dreadful vision of the wrath of God and then felt it being poured out on His own soul!

The excruciating pain and suffering our Lord experienced would have overcome each of us, and the blessing of unconsciousness would have come to our rescue. But in His case, “he was pierced” (Isa. 53:5) and felt the pain of the sword, and He drained the “cup” (Matt. 26:39), tasting every drop.

O King of Grief! (A title strange, yet true

To Thee of all kings only due)

O King of Wounds! How shall I grieve for Thee,

Who in grief gave Thyself for me!

George Herbert, 1593 – 1633

As we kneel before our now ascended Savior’s throne, may we well remember the way in which He prepared His throne as a throne of grace for us. May we spiritually drink of His cup so we will be strengthened for our times of trial whenever they come. Every part of His physical body suffered, and it must be the same spiritually. Just as His body emerged uninjured from such great grief and suffering to unspeakable glory and power, His spiritual body will emerge from the fiery furnace with “no smell of fire” (Dan. 3:27) upon it.

From the pen of Jim Reimann:

Our text today speaks of being “poured out like water,” an Old Testament prophecy of the coming Messiah’s death. And Jesus, at the Last Supper, lifted His cup, saying, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt. 26:28). Then after His death on the cross “one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water” (John 19:34). What an amazingly accurate and detailed fulfillment!

Paul later used similar language in describing his approaching death: “I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:6 – 7).

Father, may my life too be poured out to You as a blessed drink offering.