Bible Readings:
Psalm 102
Psalm 22
Hebrews 1
Sermon Outline:
Psalm 102:27 (NKJV)
27But You are the same, And Your years will have no end.
I The original context of Psalm 102
Psalm 102:1–2 (NKJV)
1Hear my prayer, O Lord, And let my cry come to You.
2Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my trouble; Incline Your ear to me; In the day that I call, answer me speedily.
Psalm 102:6–8 (NKJV)
6I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl of the desert.
7I lie awake, And am like a sparrow alone on the housetop.
8My enemies reproach me all day long; Those who deride me swear an oath against me.
Psalm 102:10–11 (NKJV)
10Because of Your indignation and Your wrath; For You have lifted me up and cast me away.
11My days are like a shadow that lengthens, And I wither away like grass.
Psalm 102:23–24 (NKJV)
23He weakened my strength in the way; He shortened my days.
24I said, “O my God, Do not take me away in the midst of my days; Your years are throughout all generations.
Psalm 102:13 (NKJV)
13You will arise and have mercy on Zion; For the time to favor her, Yes, the set time, has come.
Psalm 102:15 (NKJV)
15So the nations shall fear the name of the Lord, And all the kings of the earth Your glory.
Psalm 102:22 (NKJV)
22When the peoples are gathered together, And the kingdoms, to serve the Lord.
Psalm 102:11–13 (NKJV)
11My days are like a shadow that lengthens, And I wither away like grass.
12But You, O Lord, shall endure forever, And the remembrance of Your name to all generations.
13You will arise and have mercy on Zion; For the time to favor her, Yes, the set time, has come.
Psalm 102:24–27 (NKJV)
24I said, “O my God, Do not take me away in the midst of my days; Your years are throughout all generations.
25Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
26They will perish, but You will endure; Yes, they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will change them, And they will be changed.
27But You are the same, And Your years will have no end.
II Psalm 102 compared with Psalm 22
III Psalm 102 compared with Hebrews 1
From Richard Phillips’ Commentaries on the Psalms
When scholars identify messianic psalms, Psalm 102 is frequently overlooked. The famous examples include Psalm 22, which Jesus quoted on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Ps. 22:1). Psalm 118:22 says of Jesus, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” Peter explained Jesus’ resurrection as fulfilling Psalm 16: “For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption” (Acts 2:27). Psalm 102 belongs in company with these psalms that explicitly point to Christ. We know this because its final stanza is quoted of Jesus in Hebrews 1:10–12: “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain.”
In Hebrews 1, the message of Psalm 102 has a theological emphasis in the writer’s proving the supremacy of Christ over the angels. In the original setting, the psalmist grasped these truths as a source of hope in the midst of a desperate plight. His confidence in God enabled him to overcome his terrible distress and turn his prayer into a model of intercession.
Phillips, R. D. (2020). Psalms 73–106 (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & I. M. Duguid, Eds.; p. 366). P&R Publishing.
A MESSIANIC REPRISE
In the final stanza, the psalmist makes a reprise of his initial lament. He grieves that his health has been broken in midlife and he will not reach a normal lifespan: “He has broken my strength in midcourse; he has shortened my days” (Ps. 102:23). His response is like that of King Hezekiah, who learned from the prophet Isaiah that his life would soon end and began begging for the Lord to grant him an extension (Isa. 38:1–3). Likewise, the psalmist cries: “ ‘O my God,’ I say, ‘take me not away in the midst of my days’ ” (Ps. 102:24).
Again, he responds to his anxiety by recalling the eternal nature of God: “you whose years endure throughout all generations!” (Ps. 102:24). In some of the most inspirational poetic lines of the Bible, the psalmist explains his logic. We imagine him rising from his bed of affliction to walk outside and gaze upward at the night sky. As he realizes that God is greater and more enduring than the brightest star, the thought of God’s eternity revives his hope. God existed before creation, using his own hands to form the vast universe: “Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands” (v. 25). The universe, enduring as it is, has nonetheless a finite lifespan, so the day will come when the stars burn out and when God rolls up the cosmos like cast-off clothing: “They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end” (vv. 26–27). The offshoot of God’s eternal nature is his attribute of immutability, so that God’s purpose and promises neither can nor will ever fail: “but you are the same, and your years have no end” (v. 27).
The conclusion on which the psalm ends is that God’s people enjoy security and peace in the eternal and unchanging Lord: “The children of your servants shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before you” (Ps. 102:28). In times of distress, believers worry about what will happen to their children. But the church of all ages dwells securely in the eternal God. Long after the distant galaxies have expired, all of God’s promises will still be standing firm. H. C. Leupold writes that “the race of the godly goes on and on. It is not exterminated nor overcome but is rather endlessly established before the Lord.”7 Since God is unchangeable in his nature and purpose, so that even the collapse of the universe cannot alter his person or his plans, the psalmist may rest his heart in peace and with praise to the Lord.
The Christian turns to the New Testament and finds these truths applied not merely to God the Father but particularly to his Son, Jesus Christ. This reminds us that the gospel is neither an afterthought in the plan of God nor a temporary provision that may someday fail. Hebrews 13:8 declares: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 7:25 reminds us that because Jesus lives and reigns forever, “he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”
What is the need of your soul in time or eternity that cannot be met in Christ? Do you need pardon for your sins? See him exalted, bearing the glorified wounds of his dying sacrifice on your behalf. Do you need reconciliation to God? There he is at God’s right hand, interceding with mercy for you. Do you need newness of life, with strength to follow him? From the heavenly throne Jesus sends mighty resources, even angels, to your aid. Better yet, he sends the Holy Spirit to work in you with his own power. Do you, like the psalmist, lie on a sickbed, fearing death? Look upward to heaven, where Jesus is reigning, having already conquered the grave in his glorious resurrection. Because his years will have no end, death will have no hold on you. There will never be a moment in all eternity when your all-sufficient Savior will not be reigning to secure for you both life and glory.
The writer of Hebrews applied this truth by urging us never, at any cost, to let go of the gospel: “how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” (Heb. 2:3). Jesus gave a similar application, reminding us that through faith in his Word we will, like the psalmist, prevail over the worst that life can bring: “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock” (Matt. 7:24–25).
7 H. C. Leupold, Exposition of the Psalms (Columbus, OH: Wartburg Press, 1959), 714.
Phillips, R. D. (2020). Psalms 73–106 (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & I. M. Duguid, Eds.; pp. 373–375). P&R Publishing.