Psalms 102:12

HOPE IS BASED UPON GOD'S ETERNITY AND CHANGELESSNESS

"But thou, O Jehovah, wilt abide forever;

And thy memorial name unto all generations.

Thou wilt arise and have mercy upon Zion;

For it is time to have pity upon her,

Yea, the set time is come.

For thy servants take pleasure in her stones,

And have pity upon her dust.

So the nations shall fear the name of Jehovah,

And all the kings of the earth thy glory.

For Jehovah hath built up Zion;

He hath appeared in his glory.

He hath regarded the prayer of the destitute,

And hath not despised their prayer.

This shall be written for the generation to come;

And a people which shall be created shall praise Jehovah.

For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary;

From heaven did Jehovah behold the earth;

To hear the sighing of the prisoner;

To loose those that are appointed for death;

That men may declare the name of Jehovah in Zion,

And his praise in Jerusalem;

When the peoples are gathered together,

And the kingdoms to serve Jehovah."

Psalms 102:12-14 here speak of the times when the Babylonian captivity was drawing to a close.

"The set time is come" (Psalms 102:13). Apparently, the psalmist remembered the promise of Jeremiah that the captivity would last 70 years; and as that time approached, the faithful looked forward to the restoration of Israel to Zion.

"Thy servants take pleasure in her stones and have pity upon her dust" (Psalms 102:14). Some have applied this to the times of Nehemiah; but the more likely view is that the captives, through their knowledge of Jerusalem's ruins, were sentimentally attached to them. It is true that this ruined condition of Jerusalem continued till the times of Nehemiah.

"So the nations shall fear the name of Jehovah, and all the kings of the earth thy glory" (Psalms 102:15). The tone of this psalm drastically changes right here; and this marked change should be considered the beginning of a new subject. What is it? It is the Kingdom of the Messiah. Only in that era would "the nations," namely, the Gentiles, fear the name of Jehovah; and only then would the kings of the earth behold the glory of the Lord.

"Jehovah hath built up Zion; he hath appeared in his glory" (Psalms 102:16). The building of Zion here prophesied is a reference to the establishment of Christ's Church (Acts 15:16); and the appearance of God in glory can be nothing other than the First Advent of Jesus Christ.

"He hath regarded the prayer of the destitute ... and he has heard the sigh of the prisoners" (Psalms 102:17,20). The true application of these words is not to the Babylonian captives but to the ministry of Jesus Christ (Luke 4:18); the `prisoners' here are the "captives in sin." The death to which they are appointed is eternal death.

"This shall be written for the generation to come; and a people which shall be created shall praise Jehovah" (Psalms 102:19). The mighty thing which God will do and which will be written down for future generations is nothing other than the First Advent of Christ, the visit from on High of the Dayspring to mankind.

It is important to note that the birth of each new generation is a "creation," that is, having never existed before, they are an entirely new entity. The foolish notion of reincarnation perishes in the understanding of a passage like this.

"From heaven did Jehovah behold the earth" (Psalms 102:19). This and Psalms 102:21-22 describe God "looking upon the earth" in compassion, hearing the sighs of those dying in sin, and earnestly desiring that men may sing God's praises in Jerusalem (that is, the New Jerusalem which is above).

"WHEN the peoples are gathered together, and the kingdoms to serve Jehovah" (Psalms 102:22). This verse declares in tones of thunder "when" the Lord will appear in glory (Psalms 102:15) and "when" all the other wonderful things of this passage shall happen. That time shall be when the peoples (the Gentiles) are gathered together unto the Lord; and the kingdoms of the earth, not Israel alone, shall serve Jehovah. Only the current dispensation of the Grace of God in Christ qualifies as "that time."