In Psalm 102:4-5 we hear the Psalmist say: My heart is struck down like grass and has withered' I forget to eat my bread. Because of my loud moaning my bones cling to my flesh.
What in the world does this mean, that his bones cling to his flesh? Perhaps a better way to think about it is that his flesh clings to his bones, draped over his skeleton like a soft blanket that reveals the jagged frame beneath it. In this case, the writer is describing a situation in which he is so distressed that his physical is paying the price. There are two possibilities:
1. The Psalmist has chosen to stop eating his bread because he is too distressed to eat
2. He has fasted for God's favor to be shown again and his physical condition reveals the desperation he feels in his heart for God
I suppose a third option is possible and that is that God is angry with his people and his physical condition is a result of this. Consider Isaiah 10:16
Therefore the Lord God of hosts will send wasting sickness among his stout warriors, and under his glory a burning will be kindled, like the burning of fire.
Perhaps the third option is most plausible. Consider verses 8-11
All the day my enemies taunt me;
those who deride me use my name for a curse.
For I eat ashes like bread
and mingle tears with my drink,
because of your indignation and anger;
for you have taken me up and thrown me down.
My days are like an evening shadow;
I wither away like grass.
Despite the fact that it seems to be an individual who is writing this and applying it to himself it is almost certain that this individual represents the entirety of Israel. In verse 18-22 we are given a purpose for this recording:
Let this be recorded for a generation to come,
so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD:
that he looked down from his holy height;
from heaven the LORD looked at the earth,
to hear the groans of the prisoners,
to set free those who were doomed to die,
that they may declare in Zion the name of the LORD,
and in Jerusalem his praise,
when peoples gather together,
and kingdoms, to worship the LORD.
In other words, God wants the coming generation to come and see that God heard the prayers of his people and that he delivered them in mercy. By seeing this, the next generation of Israel would praise God and by so doing a legacy of worship would be passed on. So much is to be learned from this entire episode about the character of God:
-God punishes sin in justice
-God is holy
-God is to be feared
-God is patient
-God is merciful
-God hears prayers
-God delivers his people
-God demonstrates his power over the nations
-God never changes (he is always good)
There is so much corporate language in this Psalm is is easy to believe that this excruciating experience of God's anger is collective and characteristic of all Israel, not just one individual. In light of this, the occasion is most likely the exile in which Israel is cast out of their land.
God is good all the time and all the time, God is good. Yet, God's goodness also includes his harsh opposition against sin. This is a tough pill to swallow for a generation who equates goodness to unconditional acceptance. If God did not punish sin, he would cease to be good and all humanity would lose their grip on what is good and what is evil. Yet he does punish sin and no man has suffered the anger of God more than God's son, Jesus Christ, who went to the cross to pay their penalty.
Interestingly, this mysterious man of Psalm 102 seems to represent the whole of Israel, he is the singular mouthpiece for the collective experience of exile. In a similar way, Jesus was in exile on the cross, bearing the anger of God and his immense hatred of sin, no one suffered a greater sentence. Jesus did so on behalf of his people, all those who believe in him. The really great news is, and this is why the Gospel means good news, is that Jesus represents all those who believe in him so that they don't have to experience the level of exile that Jesus did (the cross) but they do get to benefit from all of the reward that he earns, namely, the security of having a future dwelling with the living God forever and ever!
In that In the end, this Psalm highlights the fact that God's people are marked by repentance and if that is the case, they enjoy his security and blessing in a heart of worship. Forever.
Psalm 102:28 The children of your servants shall dwell secure;
their offspring shall be established before you.
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