“How Secure is Your Levee?”
Sept.7, 2008 Psalm 69[1-18] Play
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Overwhelmed by Stormy Waters
● hurricane force wears at city defences
● Psalmist threatened by flood waters / enemies (Ps
69:1ff, 14f)
● Messianic Psalms - meet Jesus in unexpected places
Subjected to Shame and Scorn
● Psalmist not simply victim: acknowledges guilt,
folly (5f)
● enemies hate without reason, seek to destroy, force
him to restore what he didn’t steal (4; 1Kings 21)
● endures scorn, made fun of, mocked (7,10-12)
● even attacked by poisoned food (21)
● left completely alone and helpless (20)
Jesus Enters Into Our Pain in a Saving Way
● Psalm’s inscription hints of Easter (lilies),
trust in God (Mt 6:28-34)
● Jesus was estranged from own family (8; Jn 1:11,
7:5)
● Jesus zealous for God’s house when cleared Temple
(9; Jn 2:17)
● Jesus bore the insults intended for others (9; Rom
15:3; Mt 27:27ff; Heb 4:15)
● soldiers gave Jesus vinegar/gall mixture on cross
(21; Jn 19:28f; Mt 27:34)
God’s Character Our Assurance
● system crashes when rely on own strength rather
than God’s word (Mt 7:24ff)
● God’s favour, love, salvation anchor our hope (13)
● goodness, tender affection even through times of
testing (16)
● doesn’t despise us but hears the cry of the needy
(33)
Faith’s Foothold through Painful Difficulty on the Farm
● farmer and wife persevering through severe physical
disability: thankful and accountable