Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb19980222.htm

PSALMS: DIARIES OF GODLY OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS
Psalm One Hundred And Two - Sustenance When Lacking The Resources For Life's Demands On Us
(Psalm 102:1-28)
  1. Introduction
    1. There are times in the believer's experience when the demands of life upon him cannot be met by anything in himself. There is nothing left by way of personal goodness or strength for him to give to address the need. However, there may be critical matters left to address in the midst of this lack, and the thought of having to address what we no longer are able to handle is a fearful, depressing state to experience!
    2. Psalm 102 speaks to what one must do when he is destitute of strength or goodness within himself, and yet he must responsibly see that certain matters around him are addressed!
  2. Sustenance When Lacking Strength For Life's Demands On Us, Psalm 102:1-28.
    1. Psalm 102:1-11 pictures the psalmist in critical need where he lacks resources to address those needs:
      1. The psalm's introduction signifies the psalm is a prayer of an afflicted man without strength.
      2. In this situation, he is in comprehensively great personal need as detailed in verses 3-11 as follows:
        1. The psalmist pictured himself as nearing death with poor health and depression, and that in part due to the oppression he felt from enemy persecution, Ps. 102:3-8:
        2. Additionally, he was under God's wrath for apparent personal sin, adding to his problems, v. 9-11.
      3. Accordingly, he prayed for deliverance from the Lord, Ps. 102:1-2.
    2. In this very destitute but dire situation, the Psalmist found his solution in the Person and Character of God:
      1. In contrast to the vulnerable, helpless, sinful psalmist, God sits enthroned eternally, Ps. 102:12a.
      2. In contrast to the vulnerable, helpless, sinful psalmist, God's renown endures for each generation, 12b.
      3. In contrast to the helpless, sinful psalmist, God will arise and show compassion on the nation, including the troubled Jewish psalmist, for God's unconditional Abrahamic Covenant (implied) must endure, 13.
      4. Parenthetically, the psalmist here reveals how priceless is this Covenant to Israel, for it addresses the ongoing welfare of the nation that is deeply important to every Jew, Ps. 102:14.
      5. As a result of God's deliverance, the Gentile nations would come to respect God's attributes and glory when He rebuilds Zion and appears in His coming Messianic glory, Ps. 102:15-16.
      6. God will answer the prayer of the destitute like the psalmist, producing all of this deliverance, v. 17.
      7. So moved is the psalmist by this anticipated deliverance, for the welfare of the faith of coming generations of God's people, he anticipates how his testimony of this current deliverance will encourage coming generations to rely upon t he Lord, Ps. 102:18-28 as follows:
        1. The psalmist wants his current deliverance be written down as a witness to future generations that they might praise the Lord for what He had done for this psalmist, Ps. 102:18.
        2. He then reports the testimony, stating that God marvelously looked down on the afflicted and heard their prayer and cry for help, delivering them, Ps. 102:19-20.
        3. The psalmist then anticipates the resulting praise and worship given to God by future generations when they read of this fact, Ps. 102:21-22.
        4. He continues, displaying the intensity of his plight before the Lord's deliverance, and of the Lord's help based upon His greatness and eternal immunity to failure as compared to the debilitating defeats of the afflicted, Ps. 102:23-27.
        5. Accordingly, the psalmist closed by anticipating the future peace and blessing that would come to the descendants of those who sought the Lord as their Helper, Ps. 102:28.
Lesson: (1) God's IMMUTABILITY, or incapacity to be afflicted by the debilitating challenges of low personal resources or difficult opponents is the SOURCE of strength the believer needs to handle life's debilitating challenges. (2) God's FAITHFULN ESS to preserve His promises concerning the believer is the HOPE one has that God will RESPOND to his prayer. (3) God's loyal love, or GRACE is the SALVATION the believer can trust will come through even when he has sinned, and (4) God's COMPASSION supp lies the confidence the believer has that God will WANT to help him out!

Application: When we come to the end of our resources of strength or goodness, our Lord's capacity to help only BEGINS! This simple but profound truth is worth repeating with our children!