The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. – Psalm 34:19-20

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 10, 2019): Psalm 34

It sometimes seems that a significant portion of the prophecy of the Bible is accidental. We often think of prophecy as involving a prophet who stands before the people or writes a document that is intended to be read by the people and espouses some of the events that are going to happen in the short-term, mid-term, and/or long-term future. And sometimes that is the way that prophecy is presented. But sometimes, prophecy is entirely accidental.

And the idea of the accidental prophecy describes the words that David writes here. David is still a young man as he pens these words. But David has not led a protected life. The son of a rancher, as a child David took care of the sheep in the countryside with no one to run to for help. Defeating the bear and the lion that happened onto the sheep were his responsibility. He walked alone in the valley to fight the giant Goliath. King Saul had placed a price on his head, and the seriousness of David’s situation was demonstrated by the massacre of the priests at Nob. There is no doubt that even as a young man David had suffered “many troubles.” But there is also no doubt that God has protected him. In the midst of danger, God has delivered him. David could even pat himself down and realize that even his bones have been protected.     

As David writes these words, there can be no doubt that David is talking about himself. His words describe his experiences. And he wants to encourage those around him that they can experience this kind of a relationship with God as well. They may be suffering trouble, but God is still in charge. He has not relinquished his throne.

But the prophecy does not end with the current situation of David. David had no intention of speaking words that would apply to the Messiah that was to come, but he accidentally did just that. John gives us this description of the end of the crucifixion. Because the Sabbath was about to begin, the religious elite wanted the three men who were hanging on the crosses just outside Jerusalem removed. The problem was that the men were not dead yet, so the Roman soldiers were ordered to hasten their deaths. The soldiers then proceeded to break the legs of the thieves, an act that would make it harder for them to breathe. But when they came to Jesus, they found that he had already died. And so, instead of breaking his legs, they stabbed their spears into his side. John makes this observation; “These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken” (John 19:36). The Scripture in question is Psalm 34:20, David’s accidental prophecy about the Messiah who was still a thousand years in the future.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 56