I see foreshadowings of Christ in today’s readings.
As I am reading through the Psalms and the life of David, I am gaining a new perspective on him. I always assumed that David was beloved by most and feared by his enemies. It didn’t occur to me that such resentment toward him could come from within his kingdom. On the other hand, David had conquered many kingdoms, and was a man of great violence…you can hear his rage against those he deems “wicked” as he writes. I suspect that in battle David was a crazy man, and his 30 mighty men just like him. They are the sort of people that you want on your side in a fight, but in peaceful times they never seem to fit in. I wonder if that was David? His kingdom was almost always at war…I wonder if he was better at fighting than he was at politics? Maybe his missteps in politics combined with his ruthlessness against others combined to create a group of people who intensely disliked him.
At the same time, David says he is praying for them! I wonder….are there people that I am praying for that dislike me so intensely that they actually wish I were dead? I can’t imagine that. Just knowing that there is someone who doesn’t like you stirs up all sorts of emotions within you. It makes me feel both defensive and self conscious, among other things. What would it be like to know there are people who want you dead? I guess there are people in Iran who probably hate what I stand for without reason; they may want me dead, but they don’t know me.
This is where I see Christ foreshadowed. Christ is praying for all of us, and yet there are some who hate him so intensely that they not only want Him dead, they want His name dragged through the mud, and all of His followers discredited. As I read Psalm 109 again I am taken aback by the level of hatred that is being expressed here. It’s one thing to dislike a person based on political views, etc. but it’s quite another thing to wish them dead. What could David, or Christ have done to provoke such hatred? And if this level of animosity is what is directed toward Christ, can we expect anything less? Are there people for whom I am praying that will hate me to this degree? Sadlly, the curses they hope for will never happen, and the very same curses they are pronouncing on Christ and His followers will only come back to rest on their own heads. “with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you”. Psalm 109:6 is exactly what they did to Christ. Did that happen to David as well? Did it happen at the time Absalom tried to steal the kingdom? And, if it happened to David, and to Christ, then what is the likelihood that satan has used it several times since?
I caution myself this morning not to listen to a bad report too quickly. It’s possible that a person who is very godly could appear to me to be divisive and argumentative, even violent. I don’t want to become a person who is “critical of David”.
“Lord, help me to see others through your eyes. Help me to be encouraging and helpful and optimistic about our prospects of spiritual growth. Protect me from negativity and unhealthy thoughts, especially those thoughts that diminish those who belong to You. May I always be found on Your side of every decision, may my path always follow close behind Yours, and may Your thoughts be my thoughts.”
Psalm 110 also foreshadows Christ. Being a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek means to be appointed and never removed. Melchizedek was the priest of Salem who met Abraham returning from battle and received a tenth of the plunder from him. Nothing further is known about him…only that he was a priest, and without any lineage recorded, he remains a “priest forever”.
Christ is our great High Priest, who intercedes for us before the throne of God, atoning for our sins with his own blood. He has created the pathway to heaven for all of us, and it is His essence that keeps the path open. No further priests are necessary, Christ remains forever.
As I listen to the birds singing this morning I am reminded that it isn’t only David who sang to “wake the dawn”. All creation sings out to God! And we can participate in that heaven bound chorus!
Faithfully,
PR