Come To The Feast - The One Year Book of Psalms
Come To The Feast
Psalm 22:22-31
22Then I will declare the wonder of your name to my brothers and sisters.
I will praise you among all your people.
23Praise the LORD, all you who fear him!
Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob!
Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel!
24For he has not ignored the suffering of the needy.
He has not turned and walked away.
He has listened to their cries for help.
25I will praise you among all the people;
I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you.
26The poor will eat and be satisfied.
All who seek the LORD will praise him.
Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy.
27The whole earth will acknowledge the LORD and return to him.
People from every nation will bow down before him.
28For the LORD is king!
He rules all the nations.
29Let the rich of the earth feast and worship.
Let all mortals—those born to die—bow down in his presence.
30Future generations will also serve him.
Our children will hear about the wonders of the Lord.
31His righteous acts will be told to those yet unborn.
They will hear about everything he has done.
Something wonderful must have happened between the desperation of verse 21 and the exaltation of verse 22 in this psalm. In yesterday’s reading the psalmist was facing a “violent death” (verse 20) at the hands of his enemies. In fact, all of Psalm 22 to this point has been a cry for help and a graphic description of suffering. But suddenly the psalmist is praising the Lord and inviting everyone to do the same. There are other psalms that start out in the pits and end with praise, but none of them catapult from such deep suffering into such lofty joy.
We have already seen how the description of suffering in Psalm 22 is uncannily appropriate to Jesus’ crucifixion. Well, today’s passage can’t help but remind us of the book of Acts, as people “declare the wonder” (verse 22) of God’s name throughout the whole world.
Contributing to the joyous theme of the second half of Psalm 22 is a description of a feast (verses 25-29), perhaps alluding to the peace offering in Leviticus 7. As far as the New Testament goes, it may refer to the feast Jesus spoke of where the poor, crippled, lame, and blind will be invited (Luke 14:15-24). The book of Revelation describes the feast to end all feasts—the wedding supper of the Lamb (19:9).
Let us praise God that we can feast like the last half of Psalm 22, since Jesus has endured the agony of the first half of Psalm 22.
From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl stream in the countless host,
Singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
WILLIAM W. HOW
Bible Networking
How is the celebration of the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23-26) like this invitation to “eat and be satisfied” (verse 26)?
Notable Quotable
“It is possible to die of starvation at the door of a granary. By the act of faith in Jesus Christ, partake of the food. See that it becomes yours by your own taking of it into the very depths of your heart.”
ALEXANDER MACLAREN
