Broad meadows

In part 3, we were able to understand from the text in Psalm 16 that it was prophesying a Split View of the cup. On the one hand, you have a cup that is secure. On the other, a libation of blood and what it equated to, idolatry. (It is of note that in the first sentence above when I typed ”split view” it auto corrected to capitalize). What I mean is just that there are two basic views as it pertains to the substance of the Lord’s Supper, nothing else. I find it to be an amazing prophecy because it is made even a thousand years before Christ and was fulfilled after biblical times.

The next place the cup lands is in a familiar place for many, Psalm 23, the cup that “overflows.” I feel that the most efficient way through the next couple of writings is to deal with the “secure cup” of Psalm 16 to its conclusion and then deal with the other prophetic line.

Psalm 23
A psalm of David.
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

In Psalm 16 we saw the secure cup. In this Psalm, we see one that overflows. Psalm 116:13 states it this way, “I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the LORD.” 

What this points to is what I wrote about back in example 1, that the Messiah would be the bringer of the bread and wine and that from the time of Abraham to the time of Jesus, no other world religion other than Christianity has at it sole ceremonial meal as the bread and the wine. Anyone who might come afterwards to claim those symbols could only be looked upon as a usurper. The only thing that could be done with these powerful symbols was to try to corrupt their meanings.

The other thing I would like to point to is the reason for all of what God is doing is to restore our soul, as he states in verse 3. That same restoration is spoken of in Psalm 116:7 and and like Psalm 23 clearly points to resurrection. This also agrees with my analysis in example 3, the story of Joseph, the baker and the cupbearer. In that, we able to see that he bringer of the bread and wine would be hung on a tree, the baker, to restore men to God (Pharoah) in the person of the cupbearer. These are incredible prophesies made long in advance of the coming of our Lord and the church he began. In the next installment I will look at the words of institution for the Lord’s Supper and what I believe it both prophesies and means.