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I Almost Died
Verse 3:
The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.
The 3 key words are (1) entangled; (2) came upon; and (3) overcome. The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.
The Psalmist is now making a statement as to why he was so desperately in need of help. Jesus sang this song knowing that tomorrow was the day. Judas had already gone to betray Him.
The words of the Psalmist sound similar to the prayers of Jonah in the belly of the fish. Jonah 2:5: The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head (NIV).
Many of the psalms are messianic in nature and this is certainly a messianic picture of Christ upon the cross.
Ron Allen said: What must have been going through the mind of our Lord as he said these words that night!...The words of this psalm emboldened him for the raw reality of death ahead and encouraged him with the sweet wonder of victory over the enemy of us all. Was it not in part because of the teaching of this psalm in his life that he, 'for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame?' (Hebrews 12:2).
Verse 4:
Then I called on the name of the Lord: 'O Lord, save me!'
The Psalmist is saying: When these 3 things happened in my life, it was then that I responded by calling on the name of the Lord. My prayer was very brief, 'O Lord save me!'
It reminds me of the experience of Peter walking on the water toward the Lord in Matthew 14: But seeing the wind, he became afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, 'Lord, save me!' (14:30 NASB)
If we just stay focused on the Lord, everything is going to be just fine.
Isaiah 26:3: Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee (KJV)
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