Poured Out

What was the overwhelming reaction of the United States to the attack by Japanese fighter planes on the naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941, which took the lives of some 2, 400 United States personnel, and the destruction of its Pacific fleet of naval ships? It could be described as an outpouring of anger and it caused the United States government to declare war on Japan shortly afterward. Contrast this phrase ‘poured-out’, meaning ‘gushed forth’, with others such as ‘dribbled out’ or ‘trickled forth’. The focus of this article is on the frequent scriptural references to ‘poured out’ as attributed to the Godhead.

Initially, consider its use as describing the pouring out of something physical. Amos states, ‘Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The Lord is his name’, 5. 8. Early in the Lord’s public ministry, it says, ‘And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables’, John 2. 15.

Sometimes this couplet occurs when we read that God got angry with the sins of mankind to the point of manifesting His wrath. As an example, Jeremiah chapter 42 verse 18 reads, ‘For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; As mine anger and my fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem; so shall my fury be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt: and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more’.

Yet at other times, the ‘pouring-out’ relates to the Godhead manifesting mercy and graciously bestowing divine favour on certain humans. It is related to God giving the Holy Spirit to a person or group of people when they repent and seek after Him. Ezekiel chapter 39 verse 29 states, ‘Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God’.

Last, there are two references found in the Old Testament which relate to our Lord Jesus being ‘poured out’ during His time on earth. The first is found in Psalm 22 verse 14 which reads, ‘I am poured out like water’. This verse suggests that someone was acting upon our Lord, in contrast to He Himself taking the initiative. This pouring-out seems to be done to, not by Him. Gill suggests ‘This may refer to Christ’s sweat in the garden, when through his agony or conflict with Satan, and his vehemency in prayer, and the pressure on his mind, in view of his people’s sins, and the wrath of God for them, and the accursed death he was about to undergo on that account, sweat in great abundance came from all parts of his body, and not only stood in large drops, but fell to the ground like great drops of blood’.¹ Hebrews chapter 5 verse 7 seems to confirm Gill’s conclusion.

The second Old Testament verse that mentions our Lord being ‘poured out’ is found in Isaiah chapter 53 verse 12, with God the Father speaking, ‘Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil [plunder] with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death’. This verse reads as though Christ Himself is initiating this action/response. Although our Saviour’s ‘pouring out unto death’ was the predetermined plan of the Father, Acts 2. 23; 4. 28, the Saviour submitted Himself willingly and entirely voluntarily. It is interesting to note that in the Hebrew language, the verbs used in verse 12, ‘poured out’, ‘numbered’, and ‘bore’ are all in the perfect tense, expressing completed action. However, the fourth verb ‘interceded’ is in the imperfect tense, indicating on-going activity.

Guzik writes that, ‘This speaks of the totality of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. “Poured out” means that it was all gone. There was nothing left, nothing more He could give’.²Spurgeon states that ‘you see how complete it was. Jesus gave poor sinners everything. His every faculty was laid out for them. To his last rag he was stripped upon the cross. No part of his body or of his soul was kept back from being made a sacrifice. The last drop, as I said before, was poured out until the cup was drained. He made no reserve: he kept not back even his innermost self: “He hath poured out his soul unto death”’.³