The more that we read of the Psalms,
the more we are convinced that they are prophetic, descriptive,
and indicative of Christ. His glory, His life, and His
redemptive work in the behalf of that people which He came
to save are all on display there. When we see a promise, we know
that it is first made to him as that perfect man and that
all of the benefits which are included in that promise are
laid to the account of those for whom he is a glorious substitute. When we see a prayer, we know
that every complaint which is made and every desire which is
expressed has come forth from the heart and soul of him as
the great mediator of his people. Every word of rejoicing is the
fruit of his soul, whose delight is in the Lord his God. Every
hymn of praise found there is but the testimony of his heart
desiring to magnify the Lord. Every description of a righteous
man is a description of Christ's perfections and soul ability
to dwell in the presence of God. He is that one who has not lifted
up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He is that
one who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth
in the way of sinners. He is that one who cried unto
the Lord with his voice, and was heard from his holy hill.
He is that one who has offered the sacrifices of the righteous,
trusting in the Lord. The prophecies found in the Psalms
have their entire fulfillment in him as the Lord declares the
glory of his redemptive work in the establishment of his kingdom.
The earth and all its fullness is his. Every blessing of the
saints is due to him and his purpose to establish his kingdom
in the earth for the benefit of his elect. As he said, fear
not, little flock, for it is your father's good pleasure to
give you the kingdom. He is pleased to call each one
by name, granting them eternal life and giving them an entrance
there. He said, I am the door of the sheep. So when we read
in the Psalms, he shall drink of the brook in the way. We are
desirous of contemplating this brook and the occasion whereby
he drank of it. The first brook mentioned in
the scriptures is Jabbok. When Jacob met with his estranged
brother Esau, he sent his family, flocks, and herds over this brook
as a means of declaring peace to Esau. Jacob remained alone
on one side of this brook as his family crossed over. We are
reminded of our Lord's lonely struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane
when we read about Jacob wrestling with an angel there. For it was
in the soul suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ poured out
in Gethsemane that blessings were secured for all which the
Father had given him. David chose five smooth stones
from a brook with which to slay Goliath. David went over the
brook Besor when he pursued the Amalekites. We see our David
fighting his enemies in the behalf of his people and giving riches
to those who had no power. The brook Cherith was where the
Lord was pleased to make provision for his prophet Elijah in great
famine as he sent ravens with food until such time as he was
pleased to dry that brook up. Our Lord drank of the brook of
man's poverty and received no benefit from it, but richly blessed
those for whom he came. David crossed over the brook
Kidron as he fled from Absalom who was pursuing his own father
unto death. It was here by the brook Kidron
that Asa destroyed the idols of the wicked Miaka, his grandmother,
and removed her from being queen. So too has our king cast down
all idols and destroyed any claims upon his throne. It is this brook
which the Lord crossed as he went to the garden of Gethsemane,
where he poured out his soul before his father, and where
he was betrayed by one whom he called friend, and was there
abandoned by those he loved. This brook was basically an open
sewer into which the blood and offal from the temple sacrifices
was cast. Its dark and putrid waters represent
the filth and degradation which is in man by nature and the filthiness
of his supposed acts of righteousness and sacrifice. The Lord Jesus,
untainted in His character and person, became sin for His people,
drinking in their guilt and sin and becoming an outcast in their
behalf. He did not merely dam up this
brook or attempt to divert its flow, but by His own power drained
every last drop of its filth and condemnation, destroying
even the fountainhead from which it flowed.