Psa 69:19 | KingComments | STEP | The psalmist appeals to God’s omniscience, “You know” and “are before You” ( ; cf. ). As a result, God is also familiar with the evil deeds of his enemies. His enemies persecute him, oppress him, and cause all this reproach, shame and disgrace to him. Again, this applies to the Lord Jesus in particular. God knows that His standing up for the honor of God is what causes all this suffering. God also knows exactly who it is that is distressing Him by falsely accusing and mocking Him. This gives Him peace in His relationship with God. He can entrust it to Him Who judges righteously ( ). Nevertheless, all that people have done to Him has broken His heart and made Him so sick ( ). He is not insensitive to what men do to Him. Nor is He insensitive to what people fail to give Him. Thus, He has looked “for sympathy” and “for comforters”. His conclusion is moving: sympathy “there was none” and comforters He “found none”. There is no sympathy with His enemies, but neither is there is with His disciples. When He speaks of His impending suffering at the institution of Supper, they dispute among them as to which one of them is regarded to be greatest ( ). In Gethsemane, His soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death because of the work that lies ahead of Him. He has asked the three disciples who are with Him to watch with Him. But they fall asleep ( ). What a deep disappointment to Him! When the Shepherd was smitten, the sheep were scattered ( ; ). His enemies gave Him something else: gall ( ; ). To give bitter gall – Hebrew: poison – as food to someone is a very mean way to satisfy someone’s hunger. The same goes for giving vinegar to someone who suffers from thirst. Thus, instead of offering sympathy and compassion, they offered a kind of food and drink that added to His suffering. This is what we call sadism: taking pleasure in intentionally hurting or humiliating another. The Lord was spared nothing.

‏ Psalms 69:19

Broken and Sick

The psalmist appeals to God’s omniscience, “You know” and “are before You” (Psa 69:19; cf. Heb 4:13). As a result, God is also familiar with the evil deeds of his enemies. His enemies persecute him, oppress him, and cause all this reproach, shame and disgrace to him. Again, this applies to the Lord Jesus in particular.

God knows that His standing up for the honor of God is what causes all this suffering. God also knows exactly who it is that is distressing Him by falsely accusing and mocking Him. This gives Him peace in His relationship with God. He can entrust it to Him Who judges righteously (1Pet 2:23).

Nevertheless, all that people have done to Him has broken His heart and made Him so sick (Psa 69:20). He is not insensitive to what men do to Him. Nor is He insensitive to what people fail to give Him. Thus, He has looked “for sympathy” and “for comforters”. His conclusion is moving: sympathy “there was none” and comforters He “found none”.

There is no sympathy with His enemies, but neither is there is with His disciples. When He speaks of His impending suffering at the institution of Supper, they dispute among them as to which one of them is regarded to be greatest (Lk 22:19-24). In Gethsemane, His soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death because of the work that lies ahead of Him. He has asked the three disciples who are with Him to watch with Him. But they fall asleep (Mt 26:37-40). What a deep disappointment to Him! When the Shepherd was smitten, the sheep were scattered (Zec 13:7; Mt 26:31).

His enemies gave Him something else: gall (Psa 69:21; Mt 27:34 ; 48). To give bitter gall – Hebrew: poison – as food to someone is a very mean way to satisfy someone’s hunger. The same goes for giving vinegar to someone who suffers from thirst. Thus, instead of offering sympathy and compassion, they offered a kind of food and drink that added to His suffering. This is what we call sadism: taking pleasure in intentionally hurting or humiliating another. The Lord was spared nothing.