God Near
Psalm 68 gives us the majestic glory of God in full array. The theme of that Psalm is simply God exalted, God elevated, Awesome God of Heaven.
Psalm 69 is the cry of a broken man before this God. It is the most quoted Psalm of the New Testament writers. Jesus quoted from this Psalm most of all in the Gospels. And Jesus was God in the flesh with us. God near.
Put these two Psalms together and we have a God who is not only transcendent in Psalm 68. He is immanent in Psalm 69.
This is our God.
He is exalted. He is above all and majestic over all. But He is the God who hears and comes near.
Psalm 69:13 (ESV) But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.
Theologians believe David was preparing to build the Temple when he wrote this. He had large sums of money stored up and perhaps was getting vilified by his people for spending so extravagantly on the temple while people's material needs were not being met. Perhaps they didn't understand why he had place Solomon in succession who was from Bathsheba and resented him for it. Regardless the issue, David was attacked. And so will those who seek to honor the Lord and obey His voice.
So we must remember. Our God is above it. Whatever noise that surrounds us... He is above it and in sovereign control of it. But He is available to be with us and answer us in our cry. The great and mighty God who lives in heaven has come down in Christ and entered us by His Spirit.
We are not alone.
Isaiah 57:15 (NLT) The Holy One, says this: “I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.
Psalm 69 is the cry of a broken man before this God. It is the most quoted Psalm of the New Testament writers. Jesus quoted from this Psalm most of all in the Gospels. And Jesus was God in the flesh with us. God near.
Put these two Psalms together and we have a God who is not only transcendent in Psalm 68. He is immanent in Psalm 69.
This is our God.
He is exalted. He is above all and majestic over all. But He is the God who hears and comes near.
Psalm 69:13 (ESV) But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.
Theologians believe David was preparing to build the Temple when he wrote this. He had large sums of money stored up and perhaps was getting vilified by his people for spending so extravagantly on the temple while people's material needs were not being met. Perhaps they didn't understand why he had place Solomon in succession who was from Bathsheba and resented him for it. Regardless the issue, David was attacked. And so will those who seek to honor the Lord and obey His voice.
So we must remember. Our God is above it. Whatever noise that surrounds us... He is above it and in sovereign control of it. But He is available to be with us and answer us in our cry. The great and mighty God who lives in heaven has come down in Christ and entered us by His Spirit.
We are not alone.
Isaiah 57:15 (NLT) The Holy One, says this: “I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.
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