Ps. 89, 92
There are so many things in the Bible that have a double meaning or that we can read two ways. As I was reading through Psalm 89 this morning, one such alternative interpretation jumped out at me. There is a section of the Psalm that talks about God’s covenant with David; His promise to establish his throne and his offspring forever. We know, of course, that Jesus is the fulfillment of this promise.. So I saw something a little different when I read verse 32, which speaks of the consequences when David’s offspring inevitably forsake God. In the ESV, it reads, “then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes.”
We have recently read how God sent His people into captivity by Assyria and Babylon for their faithlessness to Him. This is one fulfillment of God’s promise in this verse. But notice that the text does not say that “they” will be punished. Instead, it says that their transgressions will be punished. In other words, there will be some kind of consequence – a payment required for their sins. Well, guess what? Jesus is the fulfillment of this part of God’s promise as well! It is He who bore the rod and took the stripes to pay the penalty for the transgressions of God’s people. That includes us.
God’s covenant is indeed a one-sided covenant. Though it seems conditional with the “if his children” clauses, God knew that His people would not be able to keep their side of it. So He made a way to cover for them so that He could remain true to His promise to them. It is because of Christ that God is able to say in verses 33-34 that He will not remove His steadfast love, be false to His faithfulness, or violate His covenant. Amazing!
I just want to note one thing from Psalm 92, because it seems so relevant right now. Verse 7 says, “…though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever”. Those who are wise – those who fear the LORD – will know and understand this and will remain true to God, holding Him as their eternal hope.
Phil. 3
“For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh” (Phil 3:3). Circumcision was the sign, or the seal, of God’s original covenant with Abraham. It was a mark of the flesh that designated Abraham’s descendants as people of the Covenant. But as we have just noted, Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s covenant. Thus, Jesus is God’s new covenant with all of His people.
Therefore, it is no longer a mark in the flesh that designates us as God’s people. Instead, we ourselves are the circumcision – the sign and seal of God’s covenant with us – because the Spirit of God resides in us through faith in Jesus Christ. In typical fashion, God put forth a physical image of His Spiritual plan for us. How awesome is that? This is why Paul states with such assertion here that our righteousness is not in the flesh or the works of the flesh but comes only through faith in Christ.