13th August 2026

When the gospel writers settled down to pen their accounts of a unique life, they took on board Jesus’ comments to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus – that all Old Testament scripture was about him. He is everywhere in it; reflected in it; his voice, his suffering and the fulfilment of his purpose is there. It is in the histories, the prophecies – and the psalms. They searched the scriptures they thought they knew, and found Jesus in so many of them. 

Psalm 69 has clear references to events that would happen in the life of Christ. It tells his story from his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, through to the disciples’ desertion and looking ahead to his death, burial and resurrection and the opening of the tomb.

David’s desperation fleeing from those seeking his life, can be heard when he cries to his God, ‘Save me, O God…do not hide Your face from Your servant, For I am in trouble…’ (Psalm 69:1,17). He pleads for his life: ‘…let not the pit shut its mouth on me.’ (v.15). Here is Jesus’ own suffering laid bare when he was on his knees in the Garden of Gethsemane, pleading with the Father, ‘ “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me…” And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly…’ (Luke 22:42, 44 NIV). Jesus was anticipating his arrest and the events that would follow. For a while ‘the pit’ did ‘shut its mouth’ on him. The tomb was sealed – his body inside. But then the resurrection happened, the stone was rolled away, the mouth no longer shut. As David was delivered from his enemies so Jesus triumphed over that last enemy, death  (1 Corinthians 15:26).

As events moved to this climax, Jesus was left alone. He  ‘…looked for someone to take pity, but there was none.’ (Psalm 69:20 NKJV). These are David’s words, experiencing the same isolation. He goes on to say, ‘And for comforters, but I found none.’ Mark 14:50 records that the disciples, ‘…all forsook him [Jesus] and fled.’ 

The disciples made the connection with Psalm 69 after witnessing their master’s dramatic response to the use of His Father’s house as a “…house of merchandise!” (John 2:14-16). Here was the Passover being used as an excuse for making money and the man whose future it was to be that Passover Lamb cleansing the temple by driving out corruption. They remembered the words, ‘Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up…’ (Psalm 69:9).

So what had all this suffering contained in Psalm 69 achieved? For David it was a finite release: peace across his finite kingdom; defeat of his enemies. That is how the psalm ends.  For us it is the knowledge that the suffering of Jesus has released us from the weight of sin – sin that has pursued us, tripped us up, maybe even hunted us down – and that has left us with hope for the future:

¹  Psalm 69:30, 34

Local congregation:
GCI Market Harborough
9 The Point
Rockingham Road
Market Harborough 
LE16 7QU

Meeting time:
Sunday 4.00 pm

Local congregational contact:
Sinead Henderson 
Email: sinead.henderson@gracecom.church

Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church