Articles
Meditations Of The Heart (Ps. 69:9)
Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me. (Ps 69:9)
David expresses his intense devotion to God. Because of his zeal, many of his fellow Israelites have turned against him: “Because for Your sake I have borne reproach … I have become a stranger to my brothers” (69:7-8).
The first part of Psalm 69:9 comes to the disciples’ minds when Jesus cleanses the temple (John 2:17). Jesus is angry for God’s sake when He sees the temple turned into a “house of merchandise” (2:16). Would others say that our zeal for God is the consuming passion of our lives?
The second part of the psalm is applied to Jesus in Romans 15. Paul cites Jesus as an example of selflessness: “Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. For even Christ did not please Himself” (15:2-3a). Jesus was so deeply committed to God that those who opposed God opposed Him as well. We are not to be spiritual chameleons. Let us boldly stand with God and accept whatever fallout such devotion may bring.
