Friday, April 25, 2014
Psalm 22:29 All the prosperous of the earth shall eat and worship; all those who go down to the dust shall bow before Him, even he who cannot keep himself alive.
FROM GRAVE TO GLORY -- ETERNAL PRAISE
Verse 27 described the objective and universal nature of God's justification through Christ. Jesus indeed paid for the sins of the entire world (John 1:29, 1 John 2:1-2) and that declaration stands as truth. Through the Spirit, David teaches the same in this verse, but from a different perspective. David says that both the rich and poor are covered by Christ's atonement. But he adds an even more interesting twist. He includes those who are no longer alive, who have gone "down to the dust."
Here we see the power of the resurrection shine through. This echoes Paul's famous application of Christ's resurrection to the lives of believers in 1 Corinthians 15: "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive" (1 Corinthians 15:20-22). This powerful message of salvation does not just apply to our lives today; it has eternal implications and gives us true hope when confronted with death.
David pictures the praise of God in response to the resurrection as eating and worshiping. This is indeed a fitting picture to remind us of the joys that await us in heaven. We will be raised and perfected by the work of Jesus and united with God. This is the goal we look forward to, and it should ever remain our focus while here on earth. In fact, we see yet another example of the Bible's consistency as John used this same imagery to remind his readers of heaven. In Revelation 19, one of his final messages to Christians, John writes: "Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb! These are the true sayings of God. ... Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy ..." (Revelation 19:9-10).
Jesus, the Crucified One, the Risen One, is indeed the substance of this prophecy. What hope and joy is ours by faith; He has won the victory over death! May His Kingdom and the eternal feast of glory that awaits come quickly!
