(1) Ps. 69th, a Psalm of humiliation, the Cross and rejection (Isa. 539For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. 10For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. 11O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. 12And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. 13And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. 14In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee. 15Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake. 16Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. (Isaiah 54:9‑16)) The four gospels tell how the lilies of his graces in deep shades of the valley of humiliation grew and gave forth their lowly testimony to the altogether lovely One, the man Christ Jesus—perfect in all things, His beauty matchless, when He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (1 Peter 2:21-2521For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: 24Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 25For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. (1 Peter 2:21‑25)). " Consider the lilies how they grow! Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." " Consider Him who endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself." Also Phil. 221For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's. 22But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel. 23Him therefore I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me. 24But I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly. 25Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labor, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants. 26For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that ye had heard that he had been sick. 27For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. 28I sent him therefore the more carefully, that, when ye see him again, ye may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful. (Philippians 2:21‑28), Heb. 23For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honor than the house. 4For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God. 5And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; 6But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. 7Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, 8Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. 10Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. (Hebrews 3:3‑10); 1 Peter 2:21-28. The whole of the four gospels tell out the lily graces of the Lowly One. Perfect loveliness and perfect purity in the lowest place! There is only Shoshannim—the lilies, attached to Psa. 6921They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. 22Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap. 23Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake. 24Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them. 25Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents. 26For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; and they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded. 27Add iniquity unto their iniquity: and let them not come into thy righteousness. 28Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous. (Psalm 69:21‑28) For " Himself " was the testimony to what and who he was: so "eduth" is not added: for He says, " I am the light," and He needs no testimony to Him—the lily grew in stature and in favor with God and men. His lowly presence in all the relations of life—His hiding Himself—His quiet, lonely course, " foxes have holes," &c.—"the Son of man hath nowhere to lay His head "—His perfectness with Satan in the wilderness, taking the lowly place of a dependent man living by every word of God. Perfect in His dealing with men—the suffering—the sorrowing, the bereaved—friends—enemies—reasoners—accusers—perfect in lowliness, in life—in Gethsemane—at Calvary—and in death "crucified through weakness." He " humbled Himself and became obedient to death, even the death of the Cross." All that Paul says of " Charity " in 1 Cor. 138For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? 9So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air. 10There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification. 11Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me. 12Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church. 13Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret. 14For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. 15What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. (1 Corinthians 14:8‑15) was true of Him: and a thousand times more. " Yea, He is altogether lovely! "
There is no Psalm so often quoted as Psa. 69 The Spirit in the New Testament refers to Him specially in His humiliation. For there His deepest glories shine in all their lowly lily beauty and perfection. It is quoted seven times in the New Testament, as the utterance of the Lord. There is seven-fold perfection in Christ in His life on earth; the one perfect, spotless Son of man is seen in His seven-fold loveliness of character. When our one life is detailed into seven foldness, the imperfections are seen at once, but every detail of our blessed Lord's life was perfect as the lily! God delighted in Him (Matt. 3 and 17.; see also Acts 2) The perfection of Christ in His humiliation and rejection, when all in Him was tried, was that of the divine and heavenly lily in all its purity in the most unfavorable circumstances. I have gone on so far with Psa. 69 (though the half hath not been told), that I must merely mention what is in the other three Psalms.
(2) Psa. 45 is a Psalm of the kingdom, and the glory both of the Bridegroom and the earthly Bride. It is Shoshannim only, " The Lamb is all the glory of Immanuel's land!"
In Psa. 69 we had the sufferings of Christ: here in Psa. 45, His glories. But we know the hidden glories—glories in the heavens—the things of purpose and counsel—" things above; " but where Christ sitteth in all His personal and official glories. The Epistles open the heavens to see the lilies there since He ascended, for " We see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels crowned with GLORY and Honor "... "Consider the lilies!"... CONSIDER the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus! “Think of His glories as Head of all creation -Head of His body, the Church—Head of all principality and power; the glory in the Father's house as Son of the Father, and His many sons—glory in the golden city, glory in Israel and the nations. " The glory of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.'
(3) Psa. 60 is a Psalm of warfare. Here we have " Shushan-eduth,"—the lily of testimony. Here we have the Lord as a man of war, and through Him His people doing valiantly. " We triumph in Thy triumphs, Lord," &c. The testimony is of the Lord's triumphant conquest, and dividing the lands as the spoils of conquest. There is a banner to be displayed because of the truth. The truth is He has triumphed, not we. To us it is " be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might " &c. (see and read Eph. 6:10-2010Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; 19And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. (Ephesians 6:10‑20)). Then, as the Psalm is of Israel, the banner of the Lord will yet float over Mount Zion and Jerusalem, when He treads down all their enemies, and reigns before His ancients gloriously, &c. He subdues all through the millennium, and delivers up a peaceful kingdom to Him who is God and Father. " And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all." This speaks of His lowly character when all His warfare shall be over for all his subjugation of the world will have been accomplished as servant of His God and Father, and not that he might retain the kingdom, but deliver it up to Him. Moreover, as Son He retains the place of subjection that this new kind of obedience—the Father commanding and the Son obeying-might have in Him its model and manifestation before the universe forever and ever.
(4) Psa. 805Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure. (Psalm 80:5) is a Psalm of failure; and the Shoshannim-eduth—the lilies of testimony to what God had done at the first grow in a very low valley. Only read this Psalm! It is a plaintive wail. It recounts Joseph-days, tabernacle-days, wilderness-days, when their camp was guided, guarded, and gladdened by His presence, " Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh," seeing the pillar cloud of the glory rise before them to lead them on their way (Num. 10:22-2422And the standard of the camp of the children of Ephraim set forward according to their armies: and over his host was Elishama the son of Ammihud. 23And over the host of the tribe of the children of Manasseh was Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 24And over the host of the tribe of the children of Benjamin was Abidan the son of Gideoni. (Numbers 10:22‑24)). " Shine forth! " Everything was freshly established then, and the testimony of the Psalm is to that—God's past doing in view of man's failure; and this leads to dependence for the present, and hope for the future. " Let Thy hand be upon the Man of Thy right hand, upon the Son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself," &c. Thus the very Psalm of failure is a Psalm of the Man of God's right hand And where such failure as in the Church? And where does this lead us? To the Man in the glory—the Man of God's right hand—strong by Himself, and back to that which was from the beginning! Blessed be His Name! Let us think of His lowliness and long-suffering that He still goes round the wilderness with us in all our failure, and waits patiently for the Father's time to arise and hare His name vindicated! HALLELUJAH! (Matt. 11:25-3025At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. 26Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. 27All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. 28Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:25‑30); 2 Thess. 3:5; 25And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ. (2 Thessalonians 3:5)
5Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? (2 Thessalonians 2:5) Peter 3:18).
SON of the Father hail! Son of God eternal!
Jesus, the Sinners' Friend, whose favor knows no end;
Love made thee condescend, with man to make abode,
And thro' Thy precious blood, we're now brought nigh to God.
Thee, Savior-Lord we bless—our Lord Jesus!
Full of truth and power; Highly-blessed,
Blessed, evermore!