“Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and then to enter His glory?” (Lk 24:26, BSB).
Sauntering through an antique store, something catches your eye. It’s exquisite, the craftsmanship unmatched. Slowly you turn over the price tag. Gulp! That much? As we move from the glorious triumph of Psalm 68 to Psalm 69, we realize we’re doing just that. Here is the price to be paid for the treasure. Then we discover this item had once been the possession of the One determined to buy it back! As the KJV renders it, “Then I restored that which I took not away” (Ps 69:4). Clearly sentences like verse 5 are David’s, not Christ’s. But many portions of the psalm are Messianic, quoted in the New Testament as belonging to Him. Here are some signposts for our trek through the psalm. Stanza 1 (vv 1-4) describes The Circumstances, and the overwhelmingness of His sorrow. Stanza 2 (vv 5-12) shows The Cause, contrasting his zeal for God and the resulting reproach of men. Reproach is used six times in the psalm (vv 7, 9 twice, 10, 19, 20). Stanza 3 (vv 13-18) expresses The Cry, His longing for deliverance. Stanza 4 (vv 19-21) gives The Catalog of his troubles: “my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor; my adversaries,” and so on (v 19). But what he did not have was “someone to take pity” or any “comforters” (v 20). This clearly is a scene from the Cross, for he adds, “They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink” (v 21). Stanza 5 (vv 22-28) is The Call for God to act on the Sufferer’s behalf. Stanza 6 (vv 29- 36) provides The Conclusion, with “praise,” “thanksgiving” (vv 30-31), and sacrifices offered to God. He will save the sorrowful (v 29), elevate the humble (v 32), and hear the poor (v 33). He will restore Zion (v 35), and its inhabitants will be “those who love His name” (v 36).