The following is an extract taken from a series of as yet unpublished meditations on the Messianic Psalms by Dr William McBride (presented here by the author's kind permission)

Psalm 69 is about David and in particular his pivotal role as part of the Messianic promise. He (David) was in the Royal line of the Messiah.

David had many failings- he felt these very keenly especially as he knew by divine promise that he was in the Messianic line.

Psalm 69:5. “ O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from Thee.”

He was concerned lest his own failings should cause to stumble genuine Old Testament believers who were longing for the coming of the Messiah and looked to David as a key link in the Divine promise regarding the coming One. So David says, as he regretfully speaks of his own failings in verse 6, "Let not them that wait on Thee, O Lord of Hosts be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek Thee be confounded for my sake , O God of Israel".

Now there were those in ancient Israel who hated the whole story of David as in the Messianic line. They looked on David with hatred, magnifying his failings and rejoicing if he even had an illness (Psalm 41). David outlines his feelings regarding such people. These were not individuals of faith - ie they knew nothing of the "circumcision of the heart" spoken of by Moses (Deut 10:16) and Jeremiah (Jer 4:4). These enemies of David hurled at him reproach (v 10)- and David became the song of the drunkards:

Psalm 69:10-12 “ When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach. I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them. They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards.”

However, it is important to see that although David was primarily the object of the derision of these sons of Belial, the concept behind their hatred of David was against the very Messiah of which David' s very existence, bore testimony to the divine promise that the Messiah, the Son of David would eventually be revealed. David recognises that the "reproaches" that were hurled at him were not just because of his own failings- these reproaches were primarily at God Himself ie the promised Messiah himself- so he says "the reproaches of them that reproached Thee are fallen upon me" (verse 9). It is almost as if, when David failed, the unbelievers would clench their fist to heaven and say defiantly - "Look at David, the failure ! Now then, where is this Messianic promise idea? " This sort of thing absolutely broke the heart of this dear servant of God.

So then, the key verse in our Psalm (verse 9) is that the reproaches referred to in the Psalm, are primarily aimed at the Messiah even before He was revealed, by individuals who hated the Messianic promise and vented their unbelieving venom on king David himself, highlighting every little mistake that this godly man made.

Once we recognise that the Psalm is an analysis of the anti-Messianic movement in the time of David, we begin to see how that the same "anti-Messianic movement" (if I may be allowed to use such language) existed no less actively at the time of the Lord Jesus Himself. David in his longing for the coming Messiah, doubtless recognised that the temple which he was planning to build would one day be graced by the promise of this coming one. Truly in David’s case it could be said “ the zeal of thine house has eaten me up”. This was a genuine hallmark of one of Israel’s greatest kings and yet for this he clearly suffered reproach by those who did not know the God of Israel. When, in the New Testament, the true Messiah the Son of David arrived and in the temple at Jerusalem proceeded to purge out from it the defilement therein, it is no surprise that the disciples were vividly reminded of Psalm 69 being once again relived in the experience of David’s greater son, the Messiah Himself:

John 2: 13-17 “ And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.”

Note that it does not say, “then was fulfilled that which was written, “the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up”, but rather “and his disciples remembered…” They saw in the Lord’s actions in the temple the true character of the promised Messiah the son of David who unlike David could never fail.

Since John 2 shows us that the Lord was moving in all the character of the son of David, it is clear that the anti-messianic sentiments which David attracted would not be long in being directed at Christ Himself. However, when this did happen it was not new- because while David was alive, and many years before the Messiah was born in the city of David, we discover that the reproaches directed at David, were in fact being directed at the promised and as yet awaited Messiah still in heaven.

The proof of this argument lies in the statement " the reproaches of them that reproached Thee fell on me". The reproaches in David's time were primarily against the Messiah even though He was not yet revealed and David bore this reproach secondarily, because of his links by divine promise with the coming Messiah. It is therefore appropriate that when those very same reproaches were hurled at the Messiah after He was revealed that the New Testament scripture should remind us that the hatred that was hurled at the pre-incarnate Messiah in Psalm 69 should be just as vehement to the incarnate Messiah Himself. Which statements in Psalm 69 refer to the coming Messiah and which statements refer to David? The statements in Psalm 69 relating to reproach and hatred directly aimed at the coming Messiah in David’s day referred to hatred of the preincarnate Christ by the anti-Messianic activists who hated David. Moreover, these statements were prophetic of the anti-Messianic hatred which would be played out once more during the public ministry of the incarnate Messiah described in the Gospel account of the New Testament. In contrast the statements regarding sin and foolishness in Psalm 69 refer to David’s own humble confessions of his own failings.

Let me re-emphasise: only those verses in Psalm 69 which refer to anti-Messianic slogans in David' s time apply to the Lord, since these were the very same slogans which were once more on the lips of the anti-Messianic movement during the life of Messiah Himself the Son of David. Quite clearly the verses in Psalm 69 referring to the sins and failure in the life of David do not apply to the Lord Jesus. However, in as far as David sustained reproach for being in the line of the Messiah, this is found to be prophetic of the reproach sustained by the Messiah Himself.

When David tells us that he was given gall and vinegar (v 21) we are not told of any incident in 1 or 2 Samuel where this happened. Nevertheless, it is possible that this refers to an incident in his life when the "anti-Messiah" movement sought to mock David in this way- possibly pointing to his failures. When we come to Luke 23:36 we discover that it was specifically in mockery that the Lord Jesus was offered vinegar at the cross. I wonder why the gospel writer Luke adds in the additional detail that it was in mockery the Lord was offered the vinegar. The reasoning is as follows:

King David who by his own confession was marked by failure, found himself offered vinegar and gall, Those around the cross, looking at the King of the Jews hanging on the tree decided that they would offer Him vinegar and gall to indicate that the Lord was no different from David - a man marked by failures.

If this indeed was their intent, the mockery described by Luke in this act of offering the vinegar was particularly anti-Messianic in its motive and marked complete failure to understand the wonderful truth that the One upon the cross was the Unfailing One who was there not for His own sins, but there as the long promised sacrificial victim to bear the sin of the world “when Thou shalt make His soul a trespass offering (Heb asham) for sin" (Isaiah 53:10).

Now David is careful to point out there is no alternative but severe judgment upon all who finally refused the Messianic promise and reproached the Messiah Himself (v 9)- although it is worth noting that being unable to get their hands on the as yet unborn Messiah, they vented their insults at David instead!

The fate of those who refuse the Messiah is clearly given in verses 22-25. “Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap. Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake. Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them. Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents.”

If this applied to those who rejected the Messiah, prior to Him being born in the city of David, how much more do these verses not apply to those who say no to the Messiah after He was revealed! It is thus with tremendous accuracy and correct contextual usage that Paul, by the spirit of God quotes Psalm 69 verses 22-25 in Romans 11 verses 9-10. “And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them: Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.”

Judas Iscariot also, by his rejection of Christ is an example of an individual who falls into this category (Acts 1:20).

However, while it is true that there was a national “stumbling” 2000 years ago when the nation first encountered her Messiah, the scripture is clear that this national “stumbling” is not permanent. Paul goes on in Romans 11:11-12

“ I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?”

The future “fullness” of Israel is seen in the scenes of unparalleled future blessing which will befall that nation as described for us beautifully at the end of the Psalm in verses 30-36. If the stumbling of Israel over the truth of Her Messiah 2000 years ago has, in God’s matchless wisdom brought unparalleled blessing to gentiles today, how much more shall not the future restoration of Israel to Jehovah bring unparalleled blessing to this world. That will in fact be the millennial reign of our Lord Jesus Christ.

While we await this joyful day, in the meantime we know all too well that there is often a reproach to be borne by those who love the as yet rejected Messiah of Israel. When we come to Romans 15:3 we discover that there is still reproach- even now that the Messiah is exalted in heaven!

Romans 15:1-5 “ We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:”

Some believers in Rome were "weak". Their weakness lay in their rather limited ability to bear the reproach of the absent and rejected Messiah. These believers had "infirmity" and needed help to bear that reproach. The key to bearing the reproach is to recognise that the "anti-Messianic" movement and the reproach which it hurls at the Messiah was aimed

1. at David before the Messiah came
2. at the Messiah while He was on earth (Luke 23:36) (John 2)
3. is aimed now at the followers of the Messiah long after He has been exalted- hence the quotation "the reproaches of them that reproached Thee etc..." in Romans 15:1-5.

This "reproach" will be yet borne in a very special way by the faithful Jewish remnant during the tribulation Psalm 69:33. "The Lord heareth the poor and despiseth not His prisoners".

However, in millenial glory, the reproach will have all been worth while when God "… will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah: that they may dwell there, and have it in possession. The seed also of his servants shall inherit it: and they that love his name shall dwell therein." (Psalm 69:35-36)

---

Read Dr. William Thomas McBride's book "Modern Trends in Morality", also available from the Gospel Folio Press.