Psalm 22:25-28 - March 6, 2009

Ps 22:25-28 "From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows. 26 The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the LORD will praise him — may your hearts live forever! 27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, 28 for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations." NIV

The opening phrase of this passage is an introduction into the listening heart. The principle presented in verse 25 is that God is speaking into the worshipping heart, imparting the themes that we are then inspired to lift up to the Lord in praise. There is a powerful implication to this point. The Lord desires to awaken praise of a specific nature from our lives. I am certain that he is pleased with a general or generic offering of praise, but it is apparent from this verse that God’s desire is to impart the themes that stir within us as we lift our heart and voice to him. I believe that the second purpose in the heart of the Father as he leads our hearts in one direction or another is that even as he awakens the theme of our praise that is pleasing to him, it seems that he is also communicating in these same themes his desire for these themes to capture our heart and mind so that our thoughts are increasingly focused on the greatness of God.
The second theme of this passage is focused on our public life. David has determined to live righteously in the midst of the people of God. His statement, “before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows,” communicates the decision that David has made to demonstrate to the people of God the power of a life of faithfulness. He has recognized the power of his example to encourage the people of God. It is apparent that he knows both that his faithfulness will encourage their faithfulness and also that their hearts will be encouraged by the knowledge that they have a leader over their lives who is truly seeking after the heart of God.
Additionally David communicates through this verse the impact that our testimony has on the lives of those in the world who are watching. It is very significant that David was known internationally for his extravagant life both as a warrior and as a worshipper. His renown had built for him a platform of visibility that God used to advance his (God’s) testimony in the earth. After conquering Goliath and fighting the Lord’s battles under Saul’s leadership, David is widely known for the quality of his life. It is within this context, as he speaks about his life of worship, that David declares that as truly God fearing people praise the Lord, the Lord himself will generate an audience to see the fruit of our sacrifice of praise and that many will be drawn to him through this. “The earth will remember and turn… the nations will bow.” As God’s people live in holy fear and this reverence is expressed through a life of praise, it is God who will direct the attention of those around us to see the quality of our lives and the power of our relationship to the Lord and turn to the living God in praise.