The Appointed Time

Have you ever experienced an unexpected jolt of adrenaline, as you suddenly remembered an important appointment? Perhaps your mind had been elsewhere, engaged with the issues of life, when your awareness was invaded by the memory of a previous commitment, the time for which was rapidly approaching. I was reading in Psalm 102 recently, and my attention was similarly arrested when I read the following words in verse 13:

Thou wilt arise and have compassion on Zion;

For it is time to be gracious to her,

For the appointed time has come.

I came away with the distinct impression that it was as though God had reached a particular item on His to-do list, and He wanted to me to participate. Or, to put it in other words, a moment previously designated for some purpose – the extension of grace and compassion to Zion – had arrived, and I was invited to cooperate.

Although most commentators believe this passage to be a reference to the 70-year Babylonian captivity at the time of Daniel, I thought of the beginning words of Isaiah 40: “Comfort, O Comfort My people…speak kindly to Jerusalem.” The passage goes on to prophesy the arrival of John the Baptist, foretell the ministry of Jesus, and explore the immeasurable greatness of God. Notably, though, is the compassionate nature of this description of Jesus’ objective: “Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, in His arms He will gather the lambs.” It is interesting to note that only 13 chapters later, Isaiah describes the ministry of Jesus in similar themes, but with strikingly different roles. How immense Jesus’ compassion must have been, to lovingly shelter the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and then become as vulnerable as a defenseless lamb when they turned against Him.

We all know that, by and large, the lost sheep of the house of Israel rejected their Shepherd’s ministry. However, Zechariah prophesies that a remnant will be preserved and will – at the appointed time – be in a position to receive the compassionate Spirit of grace, look upon Him whom they’d pierced, and repentantly mourn for Him (Zech 12:10). Paul affirms this end-time revival in his analogy of the olive tree, noting that “God is able to graft them in again” (Rom 11). He adds, later in the same chapter, that, after the fullness of the Gentiles has been grafted in – at the appointed time, all Israel will thus be saved.

Two other aspects of Psalm 102 are worthy of note. The 15th verse indicates there are some pretty significant consequences to the gracious extension of compassion on Zion: “So the nations will fear the name of Jehovah, and all the kings of the earth Thy glory.” This juxtaposition of Divine attention on Israel, followed by a global movement towards repentance, is reminiscent of the 7th chapter of Revelation. In this account, John observes twelve thousand from each tribe set apart for some purpose, and a short while later, he witnesses an innumerable host, including members from every nation, tribe, and tongue – indeed, every ethne – standing before the Lamb and worshipping with a loud voice. Could it be that the gracious compassion extended to Zion in Psalm 102 represents the first of the final steps in completing the Great Commission? Is it possible that the latter-day revival foreseen by Zechariah is the key that unlocks repentance from every people group, resulting in the production of an inheritance truly worthy of our Savior’s glory?

If indeed the appointed time is upon us, look no further than Psalm 102:17 for some practical advice: “He has regarded the prayer of the destitute, and has not despised their prayer.” When Daniel determined that the days allotted for his people’s exile were about to elapse, he “gave his attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes” (Dan 9:3). Daniel was no spectator; he saw the promises of God from afar, mixed them with his faith, and somehow, in some mysterious way, cooperated with God in returning His people to the Promised Land.

This is the call for us today. The appointed time has come for God to be gracious to Zion; the time has come for the nations to fear the name of God, and all the kings of the earth to see His glory. Let us bestir ourselves to give our attention to the Lord God, to seek Him as Daniel did, using every expression of faith at our disposal. May we then cooperate with the Creator of the Universe and see Him as the Savior of all mankind.