Psalm 102:18-28
I’m seldom certain of Biblical interpretation, but today I see verses 18-22 in the context of the Israelites in exile in Babylon. The psalmist first says that he is writing down some details (v. 18) so that future generations (a people yet to be created) can praise the Lord for His deliverance. That deliverance is God’s setting the exiles free to return to Jerusalem (vv. 19-20). There they and nearby peoples will praise the Lord for His deliverance (vv. 21-22). And because the psalmist wrote about it, we can read about it. Nice.
In verse 23 the psalmist returns to his own pain and suffering, the topic he began in yesterday’s reading, asking the Lord not to shorten his life (v. 24), especially as He sees the Lord’s existence for all eternity (v. 24). He then closes this psalm, amplifying that sentiment, that this God who pre-existed all creation will also continue in His existence after all His creation is gone (vv. 25-26): You are the same, and Your years have no end. (v. 27) Finally, he reminds his readers of the deliverance of which he wrote back in verse 18: The children of Your servant shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before You. If we look far enough down the road, maybe the psalmist is writing this line to us, about us. Whaddya think?