Psalm 22 is full of jewels, as Pastor Joe made clear in his preaching to us last week. While you can’t say everything in one sermon, two more jewels from this Psalm deserve a second look.

First are verses 9–10, (chiastic arrangement: womb>trust>>cast on you>womb) which make clear that God is your covenantal God right from conception, birth, and early childhood. Parents can rejoice that their God is the God of their children, long before they understand that reality. Long before they exhibit visible faith, they are trusting in their God right from the womb! That’s great encouragement in our training: these are God’s children because when he called the parents to faith, he was calling the children to be his as well in compliance with the Abrahamic promise: I will be God to you and to your children. So teach and nurture and love them confident in God’s great love and attachment to HIS children!

Secondly, these two verses, 9 and 10, are coupled with verse 11, which brings the reader back to David’s present distress: “trouble is near and there is none to help.” David shifts from children to their parents; from the younger generation to the older generation. His point? God is with you as well; in fact, he’s been with you since the womb. Meaning he won’t abandon you now in the hour of your need! And be encouraged: God has been with you your whole covenantal life! David begins to seriously press this home in verse 19: “But you, O Yahweh, be not far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid!” Verse 26 wraps it up: “The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied.”

From young to old, from safe to afflicted, God is your God! Rely on him, trust in him, as he taught you from the womb. For there is no other!

I hope that you listened intently to Pastor Joe’s sermon last week on Psalm 23.

In my own ministry I find it more and more one of those “beast of burden” Psalms: it readily carries a heavy load in counseling or wisdom situations.

But Pastor Joe pointed out why it is such a great Psalm: because it is about JESUS, not some distant and unknown Lord. The modern translations supply LORD for “Yahweh,” and so we think of someone named LORD as a person of office—a King, Knight, ruler, feudal superior, etc. Like “Lord Vader,” “Lord Farquaad,” “Lord Sauron,” etc. But “Yahweh” is God’s personal name, like Bob or Tom or Peter. Someone you know or can get to know. Someone you are to know deeply, like Jesus, your brother, your savior, your advocate.

So it’s Jesus, the God-man, and not a distant LORD, who gives you what you need, who makes you rest in peace places, who is beside you in difficult times, who does surgery on your soul, who leads you in righteous and protects you in situations of death, (“I died, and behold I am alive forevermore” Revelation 1:18). He’s the one who gives you all kinds of glorious meals, whether in worship or at a broken home. He’ll pursue you to death so that you dwell with him forever. “Further up and further in!”

The second great thing Pastor Joe did is forever remove this Psalm as just a picture with little lamb-like children all around Jesus. That’s a true picture in the Gospel’s, but this is a warrior Jesus, a fighting man, a God and savior who does all these things not only for children, but also for adults. Primarily for adults. Even really old adults

We often discuss the event of salvation, and maybe our own salvation, in a gnostic manner; we talk about “salvation” separated from history, as in the ordo salutis: calling, regeneration, repentance, faith, obedience, etc., all wrapped up in God’s electing decree (we hope!). All these things happen as points on a line hanging in space. So our discussions about salvation tend to be timeless, ethereal, otherworldly.

But that is not how the Scriptures speak about salvation. Salvation of God’s people is always in the context of a story, not philosophy. It’s always personal, not just gnostic spiritualizing. Salvation, our salvation, your salvation, is deeply rooted in history: the stories of your forebears, your experiences in life, your local home and church scene, your prayers and bible reading, your friends and enemies, the books and movies and social stuff you use for entertainment and conspiracies, etc.

Which brings us back to Eastertide and the Ascension of Jesus, recorded in the Gospels and Acts. It’s another historical example, THE example, of a King who comes and takes his place upon his throne to rule, protect, provide, and instruct his people in the way of living in the true kingdom of God. By his ascension and rule in history we are caught up into the divine Trinity, made members of a community rich in history and story and fellowship. How glorious is the Ascension of Jesus!

And you were ushered into that story and fellowship of the Ascension of Jesus and the Trinitarian fellowship by your baptism!

Which, of course, is part of your story in Jesus.