"The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek Him: your heart shall live forever."
Psalm 22:26
Speaking of Psalm 22, Martin Luther said,
“This is a kind of gem among the Psalms and is peculiarly excellent and remarkable. It contains those deep, sublime, and heavy sufferings of Christ, when agonizing in the midst of the terrors and pangs of divine wrath and death, which surpass all human thought and comprehension…. this Psalm ought to be most highly prized by all who have any acquaintance with temptations of faith and spiritual conflicts”[1] (Martin Luther).
In this Psalm of David, he describes the passion of Christ. In verses 1-21, he records the agonies of Christ as forsaken by God. Finally, in verses 22-31, he gives God’s answer to His forsaken Son.
Our verse for today comes from that answer.
“The meek shall eat and be satisfied.”
It seems there are at least three possibilities for any individual when it comes to food.
The first option is to not eat.
The second prospect is to eat but without any satisfaction.
The third possibility applies to the meek. It is eating with satisfaction.
To understand this, we need to have some insight into this Psalm and the Sacrifice on the Old Testament altar. David is here, pointing to spiritual nourishment.
The priest, the one offering the sacrifice, consumed a part of it. The meat was eaten on the same day that it was offered in sacrifice (Leviticus 7:16; Numbers 15:3). At the Cross, Jesus, the Messiah, was both the One offering the sacrifice (the “Offerer”), and He was the sacrifice (the “Offering”).[2] As He was teaching the crowds one day, He said this to them,
“…I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).
“I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:51).
The meek, humble, and poor in spirit, have all found their sustenance in Jesus Christ, and in Him alone. They will never hunger again!
“In the true only Sacrifice, there shall be such a provision for all believers that they shall have a fullness of joy. Those who offered the sacrifice, fed on what they offered. Jesus, the true Sacrifice, is the bread that came down from heaven; they who eat of this bread shall never die”[3] (Clarke)
“They shall praise the LORD that seek him.”
The meek always have praises for their LORD and King! Who has rescued them from the clutches of the evil one? And who has fed them with the bread and blood that will satisfy the hungry soul? Only the LORD.
“Your heart shall live forever.”
It is the meek who will inherit God’s Kingdom. Their life is eternal for they live with, and worship, the eternal King!
Quote: “Humility is the proper estimate of oneself”[4] (C. H. Spurgeon).
[1] Martin Luther, as quoted by C.H. Spurgeon. Downloaded Friday, June 26, 2020.
From: https://www.christianity.com/bible/commentary.php?com=spur&b=19&c=22#2.
[2] Read Hebrews 10.
[3] Adam Clarke, Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword.
[4] Charles Spurgeon quoted by Andrew Murray in The Journey Toward Holiness. Downloaded: Thursday, June 25, 2020. From: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7207572-humility-is-the-proper-estimate-of-oneself-charles-spurgeon.