Suffering seems to be an important part of Jesus’ coming to earth. Just as Jesus told his disciples in Luke 9:22, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
Oddly enough, His suffering would be part of the proof that He was the Messiah, although people didn’t grasp that as they studied the prophecies prior to Jesus’ resurrection and the establishment of the church. For instance, in Isaiah 53:3-5, “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces He was despised, and we held Him in low esteem. Surely, He took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”
This was the very scripture that the Ethiopian Eunuch was studying when Philip came alongside of him to share Christ with him. The man asked Philip, “Is he talking about Himself or someone else?” And we read in Acts 8:35, “Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.”
David also “suffered” a lot after his anointing but before he took the throne. (He would suffer after he inherited the kingdom, but that was primarily due to consequences he brought upon himself.) Before David reigned, King Saul sought to kill him.
It was during this dark time in his life that we read many of his Psalms written to express his fears and his frustrations. Psalms 28:1-2, “I pray to you, O Lord, my rock. Do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you are silent, I might as well give up and die. Listen to my prayer for mercy as I cry out to you for help, as I lift my hands toward your holy sanctuary.”
Similarly, we read in Hebrews 5:7-9, “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission. Son though He was, He learned obedience from what He suffered and, once made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him….”
David, too, would express what he learned from the situations that forced him to rely on God. Psalms 27:11-13, “Teach me how to live, O Lord. Lead me along the right path, for my enemies are waiting for me. Do not let me fall into their hands. For they accuse me of things I’ve never done; with every breath they threaten me with violence. Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living.”
The nation of Israel was surely thankful for David’s commitment to God during that time, because through his reign would be the new standard of a Godly king. In the same way, that we are glad for the Word becoming flesh and dwelling among us (John 1).
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