Oxygen from Psalm 22:27-31 (This the Day Our Christ Descends)

Psalm 22 is messianic from start to finish.  Most interpreters see the crucifixion quite plainly in the first half, but don't see the prophecy of Christ's preaching to the souls in "prison" (vs.19-26, I Peter 3:19).  Psalm 22 ends with David's prophecy of  Messiah's return in glory at the end of the age.

27 All the ends of the world

   Shall remember and turn to the Lord,

   And all the families of the nations

   Shall worship before You.

28 For the kingdom is the Lord’s,

   And He rules over the nations.

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.

30 A posterity shall serve Him.

   It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation,

31 They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born,

   That He has done this.

Heavenly Father:

This, the day our Christ descends!

He returns all wars to end!

He will split the skies, come near,

rip the earth's stratosphere.

No longer only saints in prison,

now all the world beholds Him risen,  (v.27)

all the wealthy and the poor,

all hear the Lion of Judah roar.

Hear him declare the joyous news

the last elect whom God did chose

has heard the Gospel call in Christ

and trusted in His sacrifice.

Then shall we know what it means

to be saved as human beings;

no more self help or therapy

but rescue from catastrophe.

Pulled from off a skinking ship

just before it sinking slips

beneath the waves, all civilization

struggles with anniliation.

But some survive the halocaust,

these, the saved; gone, the lost.

The end is here and all shall bow

before the only Kingdom now.

Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Seiks

mercy and forgiveness seek,

and even here among the nations

Jesus receives all his predestined.

And so shall all the world be one

in praise and worship of the Son

without rancor or debate;

all prejudice and all hate

Is gone at last from all men's hearts,

renewed, transformed, a new world starts

and those who hate Messiah's cross

vanish from sight into the dust.

Deliverance and justice be proclaimed!

Not utopian, but all in Jesus name,

the Seventh Day of Creation Rest

begins today for all the Blessed.

This the day, when history stops,

when there is no more need of clocks,

no need for churches or of priests,

as Jesus leads the great and least.

No more Bibles or printed Word,

Jesus speaks, God's word is heard

and onward march his people, singing,

Alleluia, Christ's is King.

Amen.

Oxygen from Psalm 22:19-26 (You Answered Me!)

The focus of Psalm 22 suddenly turns from abject suffering to wondrous praise.  The scene shifts from crucifixion to a great assembly who suddenly become aware of God's great mercy. The literal Hebrew turns on the phrase at the end of verse 21 -- You have answered me.  I see in these words what happened immediately after Jesus died, affirmed in 1 Peter: Christ freely justifies all the Elect of the Old Testament, the whole clan of Jacob.  

19 But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me;

    O My Strength, hasten to help Me!

20 Deliver Me from the sword,

    My precious life from the power of the dog.

21 Save Me from the lion’s mouth

    And from the horns of the wild oxen!

You have answered Me.   (Note: if this does not appear in your Bible, pencil it in.)

22 I will declare Your name to My brethren;

    In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.

23 You who fear the Lord, praise Him!

     All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,

     And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!

24 For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;

    Nor has He hidden His face from Him;

    But when He cried to Him, He heard.

25 My praise shall be of You in the great assembly;

     I will pay My vows before those who fear Him.

26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied;

    Those who seek Him will praise the Lord.

    Let your heart live forever!

(Psalm 22:19-26 New King James Version) 

Precious Savior:

The perspective of this crucifixion psalm

pivots from a cry for divine help

to utter praise and joy. So what has changed?

Father God heard Your call and answered.  (v.21b)

On the cross you breathed your final Word,

Your commended Spirit did release.  (Luke 23:46)

Those who watched Your lifeless body hanging

could not see Your work had just begun.

You declared to ancient souls in prison

Gospel freedom, full atonement made.  (1 Peter 3:19)

You were in their midst, the great assembly

of Elect from Israel since Abraham.

You shone upon that vast host gathered,  (v.25)

shades no longer in Sheol's dusty chains.

Calling them each by name, and hearing, 

they ran to You, and open-armed proclaim,

"Now we see Thee, Lord.  We know Thee!

You were and are and shall forever be

Praised for earth's myriad generations

of Adam's race you have redeemed!"

Your all sufficient merit do bequeth

to all who did in times before your cross

humbly wait and by simple faith declare

that one day their Redeemer they would see.  (Job 19:25)

Father God has paid his vow to You,  (v.25)

Holy Keeper of His perfect Law;

You create a people for God's glory  (Psalm 2:8-9)

to live with You forever in Your joy.

Let Your loving heart live on forever,

bearing still the rebel's deathly gash.

Claim us by Your Holy Spirit's graces,

Risen Savior, champion of God's new Israel.

Help us lately born who still must fight,

who have not yet Your final rest attained,

may our watchword and our lifted banner

be: in all our prayers, You answered me.

So many prayers You've answered in Your Word,

spoken before time began and since;

as You spoke, Your Spirit brings to being

Truth by which we claim Your gracious mercy.

You have answered me and all who long

to know the benediction of your peace;

in each act of sacrificial love is shown

Your Presence answering a sin-sick world.

You have answered me! So, like the song,

let my life turn like a flower bends,

opens sunward, and with all the meadow

blaze in praise and deeply drink Your love.

Amen.

Oxygen from Psalm 22:6,11-13,16 (Golgotha's Menagerie)

But I am a worm and not a man,  

a reproach to humanity (lit. Adam) and despised by people.

...

Do not be far from me for trouble is near

and there is no help.

Many bulls encircle me;

strong Bashan bulls surround me.

Like a roaring lion ready to tear limb from limb,

they bare their teeth.

...

Dogs encircle me,

the wicked gathering surrounds;

piercing my hands and feet.

(Psalm 22:6, 11-13, 16)

Lord Jesus:

Prophet King David inscribes the scene

six hundred years before any one dies

nailed to a tree by hands and by feet,

one whole millenium before Jesus is killed.

Was David sick? Was this his grieving

over the death of his rebellious son,

Absalom's snagged by his hair in a tree,

left there to hang for all to see?

It matters not this side of Easter.

Psalms is the time capsule hid in plain view,

meant for Messiah, God's Word for his flesh:

Mementos of pre-incarnate delight.

Oh the vast Providence on Golgotha's hill,

None there to help but God in His Word.

Satan believed You would curse God and die,

damned and alone with the world now all death.

You saw it play out in front of your eyes,

bleary with pain, but conscious of all,

each with a part David foretold.

Did his menangerie cause you to smile? 

Circles in circles of circling men;,

Dogs are the Romans, the Gentile quaternion,

walking their beat around the three crosses,

gambling for the dying men's clothes.

Thick-necked soldiers, strong and sinister,

holding spear and the fleshing-eating whip,

snaps without warning on each prisoner's thighs,

leaves a wound like a lion's claw.   (Psalm 57:4)

Bulls are the elders, dressed in their finery,

circling at a somewhat safe distance,

pacing and waiting for this to conclude.

Bashan bulls are the most dangerous.

Exodus law required a fine

if bulls gored a person. The penalty?

Thirty peices of silver, (Exodus 21:32)

Paid for a Gentile cemetery in Jerusalem. (Mt.27:5,7)

And you, Lord, the worm! The cochineal,  (see picture above)

an insect that attaches to a tree,

lays its eggs and dies, secreting a blood-like gel

upon which the hatchlings feed and live.

Prized the cochineal red,

colors priestly vestal garments,

used to make the scarlet robe

in which the mocking soldiers dressed you.

Dress me in your blood-dyed garment,

clothe me with Your righteousness.

Let me find your Word such comfort

in the time of my suffering.

Jesus, You are no longer hanging

on the cross of our neglect.

Risen are you, forever blessed,

Feeding us yourself in wine and bread.

Amen.

Oxygen from Psalm 22:14-18 (Salutamus!)

 14 My life is poured out like water,   

      and all my bones are out of joint. 

     My heart is like wax, 

      melting within my bowels. 

 15 My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay. 

      My tongue sticks to my jaws. 

      You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead. 

 16 My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs; 

      an evil gang closes in on me. 

      They have pierced my hands and feet. 

 17 I can count all my bones. 

      My enemies stare at me and gloat. 

 18 They divide my garments among themselves 

      and throw dice for my clothing.

(Psalm 22:14-18) 

Precious Lord:

We who are about to die salute You!

said the gladiators in the pit,

knowing that their squandered life was done,

now was forfeit to a greater power.

So, those of us who feel the drain of health

surrender to Your pleasure all in time.

Though all are dying, healthy rarely feel

ebbing strength in death's fierce undertow.

On the cross you suffered brutal agony,

a suffocation such as I may know

over months and years of dying slow,

carrying the cross of my fibrosis.

Crucifixion was not really bloody;

its victims perished for lack of strength to breathe.

More exquisite torture was ne'er invented;

let the victim's breathing drive his agony.  

My disease is nothing when compared

to Your passion's sacrificial death.

You are ever faithful to Your promise:

Nothing separates us from your love. 

So, no lamenting cry I make to You, 

no self-pity, only thankfulness.

My genetics have so blessed my life

this is such a smallish price to pay.

I confess with generations blessed,

I can do all things through Christ, my Strength. (Phil. 4:13)

I do not walk this dead-end trail alone;

You my suffering shared and render joyful.

Savior, let me find such solace in Your Word

as You found upon that Roman tree of death.

When tongue cannot recite, let my mind so feed

upon a greater bread sufficient to the day.

I a transplant hope my pain to end;

You had no hope or help but Father's grace.

Oh Lord -- somewhere, someone known to You

will have to die my prayers to answer.

Sanctify my quest for body healing;

Make my drive to live an offering,

laid upon the the altar of Your love,

that not my will, O Lord,  but Thine be done.

Should Your gracious will extend my life,

may I never live again for self,

freed to be a trophy of your mercy.

Let me ne'er forget: two people died for me.

We about to die salute You, Lord,

hold You dear, more dear than fragile breath.

Claim me from your cross like John and Mary,

while stronger cynics gamble Pascal's wager. 

Amen.

Oxygen from Psalm 22:1-8 (Ram of Abraham)

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?  

This is my outcry.

O God, I call by day and you do not answer;

and by night I have no quiet,

and you, Holy One, recline on Israel's praises.

Our ancesters trusted in You;

they trusted and You delivered them.

To You they cried out and escaped.

In You they trusted and were not disappointed.

But I am a worm and not a man,

a reproach to humanity (lit. Adam) and despised by people.

All who see me scorn;

they make a grotesque face

and shake their heads,

mocking, "Trust (lit. roll onto) Yahweh to deliver You!

He will rescue you because you delight in Him!"

(Psalm 22:1-8 -- DKB Interplation)

Lord Jesus:

That awful day, that cruel Friday,

and You, no sleep and beaten,

flayed raw by soldier's cat o' nine tails,

victim of Sandhedrin stitch-up,

and yet not a victim,

but silent Lamb to slaughter led.

From Fortress Antonia

through the streets,

heavy crossbar lashed to your shoulders,

splinters gouge,

thorns dig deep,

the sea of people parts

as you stumble to Golgotha.

With Roman efficiency

soldiers push you down,

strap the crossbar to the pole,

anchor wrists and feet

with iron spikes

and hoist you to the gibbet.

The final cruelty:

a man behind shinies up a ladder,

cuts the cords,

and all Your weight

drops on those nails

as gravity joins the torture.

You knew,

you knew what this meant.

You quote the Psalm;

you are no longer man,

but offering on whom falls

the sins of all.

Your Father negates the curse,  (Psalm 2:6-7)
derides this jeering crowd, (Psalm 2:4)

paid to mock

by priests and lawyers,

making faces,

joking at Your nakedness.

And as you roil,

lift your back,

to gulp a breath,

try to find some purchase,

louder mocking,

"Roll on, Yahweh, roll!"

Father Son did not abandon;
Jesus changed King David's song,
"Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani,"  (Mark 15:34)

ensnared, not forsaken;
ram of Abraham  (Gen 22:13)
here on Moriah's tree.

Thank you. What else can I say,

but thank you for Your love

that held You there alone,

where I should be,

nailed for all my sin and brokenness.

Amen.

Oxygen from Psalm 1 (Scoffer's Seat)

http://artbylauren.blogspot.com

Oh, the multiplied joy of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked,

or stand around with those who miss God's mark,

or teach others to scoff,

but who delight in the Law of the Lord,

who ruminate on it day and night.

They become like a tree transplanted by an irrigation channel,

giving fruit at the right time,

its leaves never decay and fall;

everything they do thrives.

Not so the wicked, they are like trash

the wind whisks away.

The ungodly shall not stand in the Judgement,

nor the mark-missers in the gathering of (those God declares) righteous.

The Lord knows the way of the righteous (leads to joy and fulfillment),

but the way of the wicked shall be destruction.

(Psalm 1 DKB Interplation)

Covenant-keeping Lord:

I am surrounded by sinner's advice,

tweeted and face-booked and all of prime time,

watching the sycophants by the blue hearth-fire

espouse their opinions and offer for sale

just what I need to be glamorous and happy.

But the believers who live in your Word

are scoffed at and made out as bigoted villains,

homo-phobics and crazies possessed by illogic!

But what could be stranger than people who say

owning a Chevy helps cheat the Apocalypse,

or grandmas sling babies to grab some Doritos,

or freedom is some kid who pees in a pool,

or politicians proposing to get us back solvent

by spending more money we haven't got?

Insanity!  Vulgarity!  Hypocrisy!

What does the science that scoffers adore

say about faith and those possessed of it?

Don't we live longer, aren't we more happy,

don't we heal faster and tolerate stress?

Ask the scientists who study neurotheology. 

Jesus, I know sin starts out as envy:

why can't I have that or be like this here.

I tune in and watch them, read in my mags,

stars and celebrities and all that they have.

Sin rides piggyback on my desires.

So I give it a try, take that first step,

my conscience is shouting, "You idiot, stop!"

And then I discover my conscience is wrong.

This is exciting.  This is eye-opening.

Whoever said sin was bad for you, baby?

Sin is delightful.  Sin is appealing.

Sin has such side effects of its possession,

one of which is, I can control this.

But the facts of addiction soon make themselves real.

That same high takes more and more of my substance.

And it's not just cocaine or heroine,

it's anything man-made I try to inject

into the God-shaped vacuum within.

Stuff that I wanted now bores me to tears,

stuff that I need seems to elude my grasp. 

It's hard to live with wicked who prosper;

it's terrible watching the godless admired.

Now wonder Americans easily consume

more anti-depressants than anyone else,

surrounded by plenty, and yet so unhappy.

Who can be saved in a world such as this?

Who can be rescued from sin's harsh addiction?

Who can raise children untouched by the filth

of sexual predation and manipulation?

Who can be righteous in times such as these?

Nothing we do will rid ourselves of it,

no moral decision, no twelve step program.

Our only Savior in this cruel world,

is Jesus, Yeshua, Risen from death,

conquering every ungodly possession.

O Holy Spirit, let your wind blow

all of the trash attached to my soul,

blow it away in your whirlwind of love.

Sweep over my spirit as You did in creation,

dividing my darkness from Your righteousness.

Amen.

Oxygen from Psalm 20:1-5 (Intercessory)

 1 In times of trouble, may the LORD answer
    your cry.  

     May the name of Jacob's God be your high
     fortress (lit.). 

 2 May he send you help from his sanctuary 

      and strengthen you from Zion. 

 3 May he remember all your gifts 

      and look favorably on your burnt offerings. 

                         Interlude

 4 May he grant your heart’s desires 

      and make all your plans succeed. 

 5 May we shout for joy when we hear of
   Jeshua (Jesus)

     and raise a victory banner in the name of
    our God. 

   May the LORD answer all your prayers.

(Psalm 20:1-5)

Holy Lord God:

What blessed assurance that You hear our prayers,

that You attend to the cries of Your people.

We confess we stand so much in need

of Your forgiveness, power, and light,

that we hardly know how to pray for ourselves,

creatures of dust, frail and world-bound.

So we pray for others and in intercession

discover Your presence, touch Heaven's Rock.

Forgetting ourselves as we come before You

reveals Your character and sufficient grace

to care for our needs while we care for others;

by giving we gain such strength for our souls.

Before Jesus came, the measure of rightness

were gifts that were brought in accord with the Law.              (v.3)

So David expects God to remember 

offerings made, the whole holocaust,                                    (Lev. 1)

signifying his recognition 

that he deserved death like the animal slain.

But we who are living in this time between times,                 (Heb. 9:28)

when grace has made plain the Law's true intention,            (Rom. 7:5-8)

look only to Christ and his perfect atonement, 

slain Lamb of God, the fulfillment of Law.                            (Mt. 5:17)

We shout for joy to praise Yeshua, Jesus,

his victory banner emblazened with love.                             (v.5)

Answer our prayers for Your dear Son's sake,

and show Yourself greater than our mere requests.

Show Yourself Sovereign in all our affairs;

show Yourself merciful to all in need;

show Yourself Holy, awesome and mighty,

teach us to pray and praise without ceasing.                       (I Thess. 5:17)

This week You touched a young man who o.d.'d.

Who knows how people can get so confused?

The doctors had given up all hope of life,

gathered the family for their last goodbyes;

and just when the light of all human effort

extinguished all hope, You opened his eyes.

You saved him, You gave him back to his friends,

like Lazarus, he has returned from dark Sheol.

So may we gain from this one example

the confidence robbed by the doubts of the flesh

to bring to You all of our hurt, pain, and suff'ring,

knowing Your will is to glorify Christ.                                       (Eph.1:10)


(Insert your petitions here knowing God hears ...)

Oh praise to the Father, and praise to the Son,

Praise to the Spirit, Three and yet one!

Praise to the God who hears all our prayers.

Praise to Christ Jesus who dries all our tears.

Praise and thanksgiving that we are united!

Joy, hallelujah, forever our song!

Amen.