PRAYER OF THE AFFLICTED (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. The speculation of authorship includes Nehemiah. Unlike other penitential psalms this pslam is not attributed to individuals or titled a psalm, but a prayer.
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)
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¡¨ occurs 32 times in Psalms, more than any book in the Bible - nine times as the title or in the first verse, and 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 one who is poor (Ex 22:25) and lowly (Zech 9:9) in KJV. The reason for the depressed state is because his or her ¡§weakened¡¨ condition. Half of the 16 times the word ¡§weak¡¨ 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¡¨ 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 noun ¡§lament¡¨ 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, spitted out 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). The clause ¡§HEAR (my prayer)¡¨ 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 in verse 1 and croaking or groaning in verse 5. While the Psalms recorded the most ¡§cry¡¨ in the Bible (Ps 18:6, 34:15, 39:12, 40:1, 145:19), the first cry in the Bible was from the Israelites in Egypt, when their ¡§cry¡¨ came up unto God by reason of the bondage (Ex 2:23). A cry is only good when it is vocalized, vertical and volunteered to God.
The next imperative ¡§turn¡¨ (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¡¨ is not about result, reasons, and remedy, but reply, respond and remember, just as ¡§quickly¡¨ does not mean instantly, immediately, but speedily (KJV), soon and sure.
Hear Turn Answer
Attitude Affection Attention
Cry Contact Communication
Trouble Tenderness
Distance (incline) Time (quickly)
Verse 3 reveals the first reason (¡§for¡¨) behind the Psalmist cry. ¡§Consume¡¨ as to do with consumed fire ¡V smoke, burn and growing embers. Smoke is singular noun, burn is the verb, and embers is plural noun. The second reason in verse 4 says that he forgot to eat, with the result is that he is reduced to skin and bone, or ¡§my bones CLEAVE to my skin¡¨ in KJV. The three verbs contrast bones (v 3), belly (v 4, eat) and body (v 5, bones and skin), or skeleton or structure (v 3, bones), stomach (v 4) and skin (v 5).
Verse 3-5 in KJV refer to ¡§my bones¡¨ (v 3), ¡§my heart¡¨ (v 4) and ¡§my skin¡¨ and ¡§my bones¡¨ again (v 5). One is emotional, the next is physical and social (v 8).
From physical pain to personal pain. Verse 6-8 has three words ¡Vdesert, ruins and alone, or wilderness, waste and housetop in KJV. The root word for ¡§desert owl¡¨ (vulture in RSV) is ¡§vomit¡¨ or spit out. The desert is lifeless, lack, torture, harshness, the housetop is loneliness. Desert is desolation, destruction, doom, despair and disregard.
The phrase ¡§mine enemies¡¨ appear more than twice as many times in Psalms than the rest of the Bible combined together. The favorite role of the enemy in Psalms is to ¡§taunt/reproach¡¨ (Ps 42:10, 55:12, 74:18, 89:51, 102:8). Taunt (v 8) means upbraid (Judg 8:15), defy (1 Sam 17:10), reproach (2 Kings 19:4), rail (2 Chron 32:17). While taunt is scorn, curse (KJV¡¦s swear) is sworn, one with venom and one by vowing, the words versus will, ugly and ultimatum. Previously the psalmist forgot to eat his food (v4), this time he ate ashes instead of food (bread in KJV) and mingled his drink with tears. Ashes and weeping are different in that ash is for mourning. The former (ashes) is the occasion and the latter (weeping) is outward.
Great wrath is ¡§indignation and wrath¡¨ in KJV, of which the word ¡§indignation¡¨ 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.
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.¡¨ 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)
Verse 12 is a contrast of previous verses to differentiate man¡¦s limitations from God¡¦s longevity. The stark and surprising focus is on God alone as there is no mention of ¡§my¡¨ (10x KJV), ¡§I¡¨ (8x KJV), ¡§me¡¨ (7x), or ¡§mine¡¨ (1x). The verb ¡§endure¡¨ (v 12, But you, Lord, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations) is basically ¡§dwell¡¨ (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.
Zion (v 13) and your servants (v 14) are contrasted with nations and kings of the earth (v 15). 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 of verse 13 and the pity of verse 14 are the same word. Glory is repeated in verse 16 and 17. The Lord will respond to three things: prayer (v 17), praise (v 18) and roclamation (v 22). psalmist life is fleeting, elongated and dry (v 11), but the Lord is everlasting, forever. Declining versus drying.
The highlight of the passage are the four outcomes (infinitves): 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 (4) To worship the Lord
Compassion Conversion Confession Consecration
Supplication Salvation Support Service
Listen Liberation Loyalty Lordship
Pity Pardon Proclamation Praise
Remembrance Relief Rescue Report Reserved
Address Your Futility Fragility and Appraise His Future 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.¡¨ (Psalm 102:23-28)
The psalmist has two contrasts, his weakness and God¡¦s strength (v 23), his limitations versus God¡¦s longevity, fragility of the earth and the faithfulness of the Lord. One is people, the other is creation. The example is clothes and garments, and how often we change them. When I grew up in Malaysia all clothes are the same. When I was in the States we change clothes four seasons. In Hong Kong I change clothes because of the quality. Some change clothes due to season, some for fashion, and some for wear and tear, and some for sports and other occasions.
The phrase ¡§your years¡¨ are repeated - your years go on through all generations (v 24) and your years will never end (v 27). The contrast is with ¡§my days¡¨ - my days vanish like smoke (v 3), my days are like the evening shadow (v 11) and he cut short my days (v 23) and Do not take me away, my God, in the midst of my days (v 24). My days are contrasted with your years and to all generations (vv 12 twice, 18, 24 twice). No psalm repeats the word ¡§generation¡¨ as many times as in Psalm 102. ¡§All generations¡¨ is ¡§generation, generation¡¨ in Hebrew. First he talked about ¡§my days¡¨ (vv 23, 24), then ¡§your years¡¨ (vv 24, 27), followed by ¡§all generations¡¨ as exemplified by the children and their descendants/seed (v 28). The progress is for days to years and to all generations (v 24).
The verb ¡§take away¡¨ (Ps 104:8 go up, Ps 107:26 mount up, Ps 24:3 ascend) most probably refers to death. The clause ¡§lay the foundation of the earth¡¨ (Job 38:4, Ps 102:25, Prov 3:19, Isa 51:16, 48:13, Zech 12:1) points to God¡¦s creation, power and handiwork. Death is not as scary but for those who you leave behind. In verse 28 the psalmist worries about the children, servants (plural) and the descendants/seed.
The verb ¡§broke/weakened¡¨ (v 23) is translated as afflict (Gen 15:13), dealt hardly (Gen 16:6), humble (Ex 10:3), chasten (Dan 10:12), troubled (Zech 10:2). Life is weak, worrisome, wanting and worsening; we are not altogether wise, worthy or wonderful. Broke/weakened and short are different; one is quality and the other is quantity, living versus longevity, energy versus extension.
The last two ¡§you/thou¡¨ are double ¡§you¡¨ because of the personal pronoun ¡§you¡¨ preceding the verb ¡V you remain in NIV but ¡§thou shalt endure¡¨ (v 26) and ¡§thou art the same¡¨ (v 27) in KJV. Overall there are three stand alone ¡§you/thou¡¨ to describe God¡¦s attributes (vv 12, 26, 27). The first (v 12) in Hebrew is ¡§You, Lord, dwell forever¡¨ (v 12), the second is ¡§You stand¡¨ (v 26) and the last is ¡§You the same and your years have no end.¡¨ The verb int h elast line is is ¡§end.¡¨ Translated as failed (Gen 47:15), spent (Gen 47:18), wasted (Num 14:33), consumed (Num 14:35), finished (1 Kings 6:22), cease (Isa 33:1). 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.
