Let's turn our attention once again to Psalm 22, to the Song of the Sufferer. And we come this morning to, or this afternoon, to verses 25 to 26. But let's pick up the reading at verse 19. This is where the psalmist begins to pour out his heart in prayer. This is at the end of verse 21, the real turning point of the psalm, and then the praise section that begins from there. So verse 19 of Psalm 22. But you, O Lord, do not be far off. O you, my help, come quickly to my aid. Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog. Save me from the mouth of the lion and from the horns of the wild oxen. You have answered me. I will tell of your name to my brothers. In the midst of the congregation, I will praise you. You who fear the Lord, praise Him. All you offspring of Jacob, glorify Him and stand in awe of Him. All you offspring of Israel. For He has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted. And He has not hidden His face from Him, but has heard when He cried to Him. From you comes my praise in the great congregation. My vows I will perform before those who fear Him. The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied. Those who seek Him shall praise the Lord. May your hearts live forever. Let's pray. Our Father, once again, we implore Your help and the help of Your Spirit as we look into Your words. Father, help us to mark here our Savior. to learn more of Him, to rejoice more in what He has done for us and in the great deliverance that He has both experienced and shared with us. Help us now we pray in His name. Amen. Psalm 22 is the song of the sufferer. It gives words to express really the deepest sufferings that man can ever face. In it, we see the sufferers, as we've been looking through these stanzas, we see his desertion by God, his disorientation as what he experiences doesn't match up with what he believes to be true about God, his derision by his enemies, his utter dependence upon God, his defenselessness before the face of his enemies, his depletion of all energy and vitality in the midst of his suffering, and even his defeat at the hands of his enemies. But suffering is not the only, nor is it the last word in this psalm. Deep as the suffering may be, even from this suffering that's described here in Psalm 22, the psalmist is delivered, or at least he is assured by God that he will be delivered from this suffering. As we saw there at the end of verse 21, you have answered me and asked that question, had God actually acted to deliver him or has he just answered him and given him assurance that he will deliver him. And I think that in the context of the psalm, that latter is the more likely scenario, that the psalmist has been assured of God's deliverance. He knows that God has answered him, will answer him, but that full deliverance is yet future. He's still anticipating that deliverance. And so we saw, again, this sufferer's final desperate prayer and assurance of deliverance there in verses 19 to 21. And there, again, the whole psalm turns as on a single hinge. Every word before this has been words of lamentation and suffering. Every word that precedes it. This one word in Hebrew, you have answered me, is praise. We saw, as we begin this praise section, the devotion of the sufferer in verses 22 to 24, as the psalmist not only praises God himself, but also commands his brothers, commands others in the assembly, the worshiping assembly of Israel, to join him in praising God for this deliverance. And we come this week to verses 25 to 26, and so what I've entitled The dedication of the sufferer the dedication of the sufferer we have been using as most of you are familiar verse 26 as our closing benediction throughout this study in Psalm 22 and I've hinted before at how appropriate I think this benediction is especially in closing out a service in which we celebrate the Lord's supper In fact, it was actually this verse, verse 26, that brought me to Psalm 22 in the first place. Originally, I was just going to preach a single sermon before Lord's Supper on this stanza, verses 25 to 26, but then I found myself wanting to back up and back up and back up and realized, I might as well preach the whole psalm. So we've been working our way through stanza by stanza ever since. But let's give our attention for a few moments this afternoon to this stanza. See this this dedication of the sufferer and see this dedication again on these three horizons that we have been using as we've been interpreting the psalm along the way the horizon of the suffering psalmist the horizon of the suffering Savior and the horizon of the suffering Saints our own horizon so beginning with this the the dedication of the suffering psalmist and The psalmist, of course, is David. We've been looking at that for a while now. And the focus in these verses, verses 25 and 26, is on the fulfillment of David's vows. That's really the central idea here, and we have to understand this. It's important to understand what these vows are, because really, I think everything in these verses hinges on that feature and on that idea. The setting that we see here at the beginning of verse 25 from you comes my praise or sort of from you flows My my praise, you know from God. He has this reason to praise God But from you comes my praise in the great congregation Now we saw that word congregation the last time there in verse 22, and remember that was a technical term in the Old Testament for the sort of gathered assembly of Israel as they worshipped at the house of God, whether that was at the tabernacle or the temple. In David's time, of course, this would have been the tabernacle, the temple was yet to be built. But it's that technical term, and especially when it's characterized by that word great, the great congregation. That means it's not only just the assembly of the Israelites in worship, but especially that assembly on one of the three great annual feasts, when not only those who just happen to be in Jerusalem are worshipping at the temple, but when the entire nation of Israel gathers together, at least all of the men of Israel gather together three times a year in what would be Jerusalem, at the house of God to offer sacrifices and to worship Him. So this is the setting. He's in, again, the great congregation. He's worshipping with the rest of Israel at the house of God. And here, David says, in the presence of this worshipping assembly, before those who fear him, he says he will perform his vows. We'll perform his vows. What were David's vows? Well, in the psalm, this is the first we're hearing of them. He doesn't talk about his vows before this point. You read quite a bit about vows, as I mentioned before, in the psalms and the rest of the Old Testament. And a vow was basically a promise to give something to God if and when God answered one's prayer. So you're coming, you have this need, normally a need of deliverance of some kind, and you say to God, deliver me, and if you deliver me, then I will offer you something, I will give you a sacrifice. Think of, this is kind of a negative example of a vow, but the vow of Jessa. Remember Jessa in the book of Judges? He was going out to battle against the enemies of Israel, and he told God, prayed to God, and said, you know, grant me victory over these enemies. And he said, if you grant me victory, then when I come home from the battle, I will sacrifice to you whatever first comes out of my gate. Now, sadly for Jephthah, again that was a very foolish and rash vow, and the first thing that came out of his gates when he returned home in victory was not a goat or a cow, it was his daughter. But that's basically what a vow is. It's almost always some kind of sacrifice that a person would promise to offer to God in thanksgiving for an answered prayer. Now, you have to be careful in this. You don't need to understand a vow. wasn't some kind of crass bargain with God. It wasn't just kind of saying to God, alright, do this for me and then I'll do this for you as though God needed you to do anything for Him and would kind of enter into this bargain relationship with you. Rather, the keynote, the heart of a vow was the idea of thanksgiving. It was really ultimately a way to ensure thanksgiving on the part of the one whose prayer was answered by God. This comes out clearly in the Psalms. Turn, just for instance, we could go to any number of places, but turn to Psalm 50. Psalm 50, there's a, I think this is a really good sort of contrast it with what you might think vows are, these sacrifices that are offered as vows, and what they actually are. Psalm 50, I love this passage, but look at verses 12 to 15. It says, If I were hungry, this is God speaking, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon Me in the day of trouble, I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me." I think here we see that, the sort of genius behind vows. He's saying, yeah, call upon Me, ask Me to deliver you, vow something to Me, But vow because you're going to express thanksgiving. You're going to glorify me after I perform, after I answer your prayer. He's saying, don't vow to me because you think that I need the flesh of bulls and goats to sustain my life. This is a very pagan idea of God. That's what the idolatrous nations around Israel, kind of how they viewed sacrifices. This was food being offered to the God and the God kind of needed these sacrifices in order to sustain his life. God starts off saying, no, I'm not that kind of a God. What do I care if you offer these sacrifices to me? It's not benefiting me in any way. So it's not like if you're vowing to give God a sacrifice, if he answers your prayer, that somehow God's more likely to answer your prayer because he really wants your sacrifice because he needs the flesh of bulls and goats. No, it's not that kind of crass bargaining. Instead, it's a way to ensure that the one whose prayer is answered will acknowledge God as the one who granted him that deliverance, and will do so by offering a sacrifice of some kind. The whole psalm finishes up that way as well, verses 22 to 23. Mark this then, you who forget God, lest I tear you apart and there be none to deliver. The one who offers thanksgivings as his sacrifice glorifies me. to one who orders his way rightly, I will show the salvation of God." And that ultimately is what God desired out of these vows. It was thanksgiving. It was the glory to himself after he acted in answer to a person's prayer. Vows weren't bargains. They were ways to ensure and express thanksgiving, which is what God was truly concerned about and what he truly desired. And you get that, especially here from Psalm 50. So in the case of David, apparently when he was in the midst of his sufferings, he made some kind of vow to God. He promised to offer some kind of sacrifice to God if God would indeed deliver him. And now that God had promised to deliver David, David now looks forward to that next great assembly of the nation of Israel when he will be able to perform his vows, offer his sacrifices, and demonstrate his thanksgiving to God by offering these vow sacrifices. This, then, is really where all of the imagery of eating comes in verse 26. Now, the first time you read verse 26, you're wondering, what is he talking about? All of a sudden, you know, the afflicted shall eat and be satisfied, and they'll give thanks to God, and then he ends with this sort of enigmatic blessing, you know, may your hearts live forever. And verse 26, I don't think makes any sense unless you recognize that it's part of this whole offering of a vow sacrifice. that David is going to give at the great assembly there in the house of God. Vow offerings fell under the broader category of what were known as peace offerings or thanksgiving offerings. You know, as if you've ever read through the book of Leviticus, there's all different kinds and categories of sacrifices. Well, one category were these peace offerings, and a sub-category underneath that were vow offerings. They were these offerings, again, primarily characterized by thanksgiving. It wasn't to atone for sin, it wasn't to remove guilt, it was to express thanksgiving to God. And instructions for these types of sacrifices were given in places like Leviticus 7. And there, if you read through that section, you learn that whatever animal was being sacrificed as a vow offering, only a portion of that animal's meat would actually be consumed on the altar. Another small portion would go to the priests, it was kind of their pay, their due from the sacrifices, but the rest, the bulk of the meat from that sacrifice, would actually be returned to the offerer, to the person who was offering it in the first place, And then all of that meat had to be eaten in a special sacrificial meal. And with the case of vow offerings, the entire animal, everything, had to be eaten within two days from the original offering of the sacrifice. If anything was left over onto the third day, then it had to be burnt, consumed the rest of the way on the altar. It was holy. It was a sacrifice. It was something given to God. But, then the offerer himself would get that part of this meat and be able to feast. He would be able to celebrate. Again, this is a sacrifice of peace and thanksgiving for deliverance from God. And so it's a time of joy. It's a time of feasting. And that's really where this imagery then comes from. In verse 26, the afflicted shall eat and be satisfied. Here David had vowed, he promised God to give these sacrifices, and David as a king probably vowed that he would give not just one animal, but probably many, many animals in sacrifice to God for this, and maybe even whole flocks. And so if he's going to have any chance of eating all of that meat within two days, he's going to have to invite other people to eat it with him. And that's really what we see here. That's what he's talking about, the afflicted. He goes to others who are suffering, others who are humble and who are dependent upon God, others who had experienced the kinds of things that he had been experiencing, and he invites them to join him in this thanksgiving feast, this vow-offering feast, as he expresses his gratitude to God. The purpose of inviting these others wasn't simply to meet their physical needs, although these probably were more of the poor and the needy in the land that David would feast in this way. But the purpose was primarily so that others would join with the worshipper, join with David in giving God thanks for his deliverance. In other words, the psalmist's sufferings would actually turn out to be a blessing to others. because they would then be able to benefit from the sacrificial meal that would accompany his vow offerings. So even his sufferings and the deliverance that God has given have turned out to benefit and bless others as well who can join him in this feast. The closing words of verse 26 then in this context are best understood as And the host, David, blessing the guests at this sacrificial meal of thanksgiving to God. He turns to them and says, may your hearts live forever. Again, showing that his purpose was beyond just their physical nourishment, but spiritual as well. That they would join with him in giving God thanks for the deliverance that he had granted. I hope that makes sense, and I think that that's key to understanding the imagery and everything that's going on here in verse 26 in the context of a sacrificial meal that is given as the fulfillment of David's vows to God in thanksgiving for his deliverance. To sum up then, this is all evidence of the suffering psalmist's dedication to God. Right? He made this vow. He dedicated himself to fulfill this vow before God. He had vowed to offer sacrifices of thanksgiving to God, and now he would perform those vows in the presence of the whole gathered assembly, and he would invite other sufferers, other afflicted ones, to join him in his sacrificial meal. And that's what these verses are about. His performance of these vows, then, would serve two purposes. It would express gratitude to God, and it would extend blessing to others. That's what this would be. The performance of his vows would serve these two purposes. To express gratitude to God, and to extend blessing to others. Remember this. Alright, so that's the dedication of the suffering psalmist here. Let's turn now to consider the dedication of the suffering savior. From everything that we've said about these verses, now think of them in relation to Christ. Christ, in whom this psalm finds its ultimate fulfillment, as we've seen over and over again, in both of its parts, both in the suffering and in the deliverance and praise that follows it. In whom could we see any greater example of one who suffered who had been delivered from that suffering and then through his suffering and deliverance becomes a blessing to others. I mean, this whole idea of a sacrificial meal is an oft-neglected background to help us to understand the significance of the Lord's Supper. Right? We normally don't think of that. Probably many people in churches today are completely unaware that there were some sacrifices in which the offerer would actually participate and partake of the meat of that sacrifice. And I think this is a helpful background for understanding of the Lord's Supper. Christ offered himself to God as the great sacrifice. And he now bids us be afflicted, the poor and needy, to feast upon Him in joyful thanksgiving to God. Because Christ's sacrifice was indeed the fulfillment of every Old Testament sacrifice. Now we normally think of Christ's sacrifice in terms of a sin offering, a guilt offering, but really Christ's sacrifice was the fulfillment of all of the different kinds of offerings. Sin offering, guilt offering, but also thanksgiving offerings and even these vow offerings. Christ fulfills every part of the picture that's here. Every part of the picture here that we see, especially in verse 26, Christ was the sufferer who was delivered And He is also the host, inviting others to His thanksgiving meal as well. But He's also the sacrifice, and He's the sacrificial feast itself. And Christ is every part of this here. Now, understand very clearly, I'm not saying that every time we celebrate the Lord's Supper we are sacrificing Christ again. Be very clear about that. That is a Roman Catholic doctrine and it's an idolatrous doctrine. Christ offered his sacrifice once and for all. It's never repeated. When we bring the elements out, we are not somehow sacrificing Christ afresh. But, there is this connection that we must draw between this meal, this joyous Thanksgiving feast, and the once and for all sacrifice of Christ, of His body and blood. Each time we celebrate the Lord's Supper, we are partaking of that ongoing sacrificial meal from Christ's once and for all sacrifice. And all of this is ultimately but a foretaste of that great eternal feast in the New Jerusalem, where we will rejoice with Him in God's deliverance forever. And as our great host at this joyous feast, Christ then truly extends to us His richest blessing. He says to us, those who partake of Him by faith, May your hearts live forever. And in the voice of Christ, we are truly blessed. That's why we need to understand those. That's why we've been using those words as our closing benediction throughout this study. Those are Christ's words to us, particularly as we gather around this sacrificial meal. May your hearts live forever. The dedication of the suffering psalmist, the dedication of the suffering savior. Finally, the dedication of the suffering saint. What do these verses have to teach us as we are in the midst of our sufferings or as we look forward especially to our ultimate deliverance from suffering? Well, two things, two closing applications to our lives. When we too experience God's deliverance, and here All of us who are in Christ have experienced God's deliverance in its truest, fullest sense. Within our own lives often we experience suffering that God delivers us from. And then ultimately we anticipate that final and perfect deliverance at the return of our Savior and the resurrection of our bodies. But when we too experience or even just anticipate God's deliverance, We should do the same two things that David demonstrates for us here in verses 25 and 26. First, we should express our gratitude to God. We should express our gratitude to God. And how do we do this? Well, again, we no longer really bring vow offerings. Please don't. If you're in suffering, don't vow to God that you'll sacrifice a goat to Him and then bring it with you to church the next Sunday. I'm not going to know what to do with that. We don't offer these vow offerings, so what? How do we then express our gratitude to God for His deliverance? Well, think of such passages as Romans chapter 12 verses 1 to 2, where we offer not just a goat or a sheep, but we offer our own bodies, we offer our very selves to God as living sacrifices to do His will. Our vow offerings are lives of obedience and service to God. Or such passages as Hebrews 13, 15. Hebrews 13, 15 would speak of the fruit of our lips, the sacrifice of praise, the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Lives of obedience, but also lives of worship. How do we express our gratitude to God? by praising Him, by worshiping Him, by singing His praises, especially as we gather together with the great congregation in corporate worship. And so the first thing we must do when we experience or anticipate God's deliverance is express our gratitude to God. Offer Him the offerings that we are to offer in the New Testament. Ourselves, our lives, His living sacrifices, our praise, our thanksgiving. But secondly, and show our dedication to God by extending blessing to others. Not just expressing our gratitude to God, but also extending blessing to others. As God grants us deliverance, and we invite others to share in our joy and in our praise, just like David, inviting all of these to his feast of thanksgiving. We could bring to each other words of encouragement as others go through their suffering. Tell how God delivered you how God can deliver them as well I think especially here of 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 verses 3 to 4 blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ the father of mercies and God of all comforts who comforts us in all our affliction and so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. Extend that blessing. Share that comfort that you have found in Christ with others. Bring them into this feast of thanksgiving and sacrifice with you. In these two ways, expressing our gratitude to God through lives of service and worship, And then through extending blessing to others when we have been blessed in our deliverance by God. In these ways we can truly show our dedication to the God who in Christ has delivered us. Let's pray. Our Father, we thank You for this psalm. We thank You for the way it portrays our Savior to us, but we thank You also the way that it gives us instruction and encouragement and help, even in the midst of our sufferings. And we do pray, Father, that every one of us here would truly be looking to Jesus Christ, to that great sacrifice that He has made once and for all, that can truly and only affect our deliverance. And we pray, Father, that as we rejoice in that deliverance, we would do so not selfishly, not squandering that joy on our own selves, but that we would turn it outward. We'd turn it back to You. That we would truly express our gratitude to You in lives of service and of worship. That we would be living sacrifices of thanksgiving. And that we would also use the comfort that You have given to us in Christ to comfort others who are in affliction. Our Father, thank you for these truths. Write them upon our hearts. Now, fill our minds and our hearts with Christ. Help us to remember Him as we come to celebrate His supper. I pray all these things in His name. Amen. Well, we do come now to the celebration of the Lord's Table. And I hope that our hearts are at least prepared somewhat by the Word and by the Gospel that we have just heard. That we will think on Christ that our faith will be strengthened in Christ as our only hope Let's take a few moments just of silent prayer as we perhaps Examine our own hearts to see whether we're truly discerning the body and blood of Christ in these elements confessing our sin, but especially Praising God as this is a feast of thanksgiving For his deliverance that he has given in Christ. Let's pray