... in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Amen. Through the prayers of our
holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen. Glory
to You, our God, Glory to You.
O Heavenly King,
the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things,
Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us
from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy
Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).
Glory be to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the
beginning, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
To the Chief Musician on Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David.
My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? [Why are
You so] far from helping Me, [and
from] the words of My roaring? O My
God, I cry in the day time, but You hear not; and in the night season, and am
not silent.
But You [are] holy, Who inhabits the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in You. They trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to You, and were delivered. They trusted in You, and were not confounded.
But I [am]
a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All those who see Me laugh Me to scorn. They shoot out the lip, They shake the head, [saying], “He trusted on the Lord [that] He would deliver
him. Let Him deliver him, seeing he
delighted in Him.”
But You [are] He Who took Me from the womb. You made Me hope on My mother’s breasts. I was cast on You from the womb. You [are]
My God from My mother’s belly.
Be not far from Me: for trouble [is] near, for [there is] no one to help. Many
bulls have circled Me. Strong [bulls] of Bashan have surrounded Me. They gaped at Me [with] their mouths, [as]
a ravening and a roaring lion.
I am poured out like water, All My bones
are out of joint. My heart is like
wax. It is melted in the heart of My
bowels. My strength is dried up like a
potsherd. My tongue clings to My jaws. You have brought Me to the dust of death.
Dogs circled Me. The assembly of the wicked enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I may count
all My bones. They[2] look [and] stare at Me. They part My garments among them, and cast
lots for My vesture.
But be not far from Me, Lord. My Strength, hasten to help
Me. Deliver My soul from the sword; My
darling from the power of the dog. Save Me
from the lion’s mouth. You have heard Me
from the horns of the monarchs.[3]
I will declare Your name to My brothers. In the middle of the congregation I will praise
You. You who fear the Lord, praise Him. All you the
seed of Jacob, glorify Him. Fear Him,
all you the seed of Israel: for He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction
of the afflicted. Nor has He hid His
face from him. But when he cried to Him,
He heard.
My praise [shall be] of You in the great congregation. I will pay my vows before those who fear Him. The meek shall eat and be satisfied. They shall praise the Lord that seek Him. Your heart
shall live forever. All the ends of the
world shall remember and turn to the Lord. All the tribes of the nations shall worship
before You: for the kingdom [is] the Lord’s. He [is] the governor among the nations.
All [those
who are] fat on earth shall eat and worship. All those who go down to the dust shall bow
before Him. No one can keep alive his
own soul. A seed shall serve Him. It shall be accounted to the Lord for a
generation. They shall come, and shall
declare His righteousness to a people that shall be born, that He has done [this].
__________________
If you have been
blessed or helped by any of these meditations in Psalms, please repost or share
any of them as you wish.
[1] The
Psalm of the Crucifixion, a Victory Hymn
Matthew 27:46, the cry of the ninth hour, around three pm.
God is holy, He casts down all idolatry and sin, for which Jesus
is being crucified. Jesus looks to, and
trusts in, this deliverance.
Jesus describes His appearance in the eyes of the people. These are Israelites and Jews behaving like
pagans. They reproach, despise, laugh,
and mock. Nevertheless, Yahweh, the
Father will deliver Him.
He considers God’s parental care for Him since His
incarnation.
He prays for God to be near because he is surrounded by a
frenzied and insane mob, so wild in their behavior that they act like wild raging
bulls and hungry roaring lions.
He considers His physical condition as death approaches. There is nothing left: life is poured out,
melted, dried up, on the brink of returning to dust.
They are like a dog pack.
They close Him in. They howl over
the nails that have ruptured His hands and feet; his bones stick out. They stare and gloat; they tear and gamble to
share His clothing.
He prays again for God to be near, and for deliverance: from
the sword (soldiers), dogs, lion, rulers.
I approaching death, He proclaims victory. The cross is not the defeat of Christ; it is
His conquest over Satan. God delivers
from death, “trampling down death by death.”
He proclaims that this Gospel will rule the world and bring
the kingdom to all people, everywhere.
He proclaims that “every knee shall bow” before Him
(Philippians 2:9-11).
[2] The
antecedents are not His bones, which look and stare. “The assembly of the wicked enclosed,
pierced, look and stare, part, and cast lots.”
It is an absurdity to suggest that His bones part and cast lots. Both sentences have the same antecedent.
[3]
Literally, unicorns. There is no animal,
a unicorn. In the Bible, unicorn
indicates a monocratic kingdom. Here
Herod and Pilate are indicated, and possibly Caesar.
