The Psalms of Christ - The Messiah Chapter 7

Transcription

1 The Psalms of Christ - The Messiah Chapter 7 We have finished the study of the Messianic Psalms which are in the voice of Christ, and and are so designated by the New Testament. Today we will start the study of those Messianic Psalms which are about the Messiah, but written by a third party. These are Psalms that are clearly marked as Messianic either by citation as such in the New Testament, or by subject matter. These can be about Him in any aspect of either His First or Second Advent. Today we will study three such Psalms; Psalm 8, Psalm 9, and Psalm 34. Psalm 8 The Messianic nature of this Psalm is marked by three of its verses. Verse 2 is quoted by Christ during His last days in Jerusalem. In the Gospel of Matthew He says it was prophetic of Him. Matthew 21:15-16 "But when the high priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, Hosanna to the Son of David,' they were indignant. Do you hear what these children are saying?' they asked him. Yes,' replied Jesus, have you never read, From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise?'" You may also remember from our study of Psalm 118, that the Hosannas on this last Passover gathering had been ordained by God. Besides that, verse 5 of this Psalm is quoted in Hebrews as speaking of Christ. Hebrews 2:6-9 (in corrected translation) "But there is a place where someone has testified: What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than God, you crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet.' In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was for a short time lower than God, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone." Also verse 6 is quoted in 1 Corinthians 15:27 as speaking of Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:27 "For he has put everything under his feet.'" 1 / 10

2 Psalm 8 For the director of music. According to gittith. [a] A psalm of David. 8:1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 8:2 From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise [b] because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. [c] 8:3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, [d] the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, [e] 8:4 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man [f] that you care for him? [g] 8:5 You made him [h] a little for a little while [i] lower than the heavenly beings God [j] [k] and crowned him with glory and honor. [l] 8:6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: 8:7 all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, 8:8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. [m] 8:9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! 2 / 10

3 [n] Psalm 9 Although this Psalm is not quoted in the New Testament, there can be no doubt that verses 5 through 9 are speaking of Christ, the Messiah. It is only He who will to reign forever after the wicked have been destroyed and their name (power) on the earth is blotted out. Although the author is David, the events described are clearly prophetic of a time long past David's time. The intriguing title of the tune of the Psalm, "The Death of the Son" also directs us to consider what will make this possible. The death on the Cross of Jesus Christ. There are certain similarities between the end of the Great Tribulation for believers, and the cross for Jesus Christ. Because of those, it would be easy to see the voice of this Psalm as the voice of Christ. There are similarities to those Psalms of Christ on the cross which we have already studied. However, I believe that the voice is that of Trubulational believers who are waiting for His return at the end of the Tribulation. Psalm 9 For the director of music. To the tune of "The Death of the Son." [o] 3 / 10

4 A psalm of David. 9:1 I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. 9:2 I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. [p] 9:3 My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you. 9:4 For you have upheld my right and my cause; you have sat on your throne, judging righteously. 9:5 You have rebuked the nations [q] and destroyed the wicked; [r] you have blotted out their name for ever and ever. 9:6 Endless ruin has overtaken the enemy, you have uprooted their cities; even the memory of them has perished. [s] 9:7 The LORD reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. 9:8 He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice. [t] 9:9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. [u] 9:10 Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken [v] those who seek you. 9:11 Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion; [w] proclaim among the nations what he has done. 9:12 For he who avenges blood [x] remembers; he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted. [y] 9:13 O LORD, see how my enemies persecute me! [z] Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death, 4 / 10

5 9:14 that I may declare your praises in the gates of the Daughter of Zion [aa] and there rejoice in your salvation. 9:15 The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden. [bb] 9:16 The LORD is known by his justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands. Higgaion. [cc] Selah 9:17 The wicked return to the grave, all the nations that forget God. [dd] 9:18 But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish. [ee] 9:19 Arise, O LORD, let not man triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence. 9:20 Strike them with terror, [ff] O LORD; let the nations know they are but men. [gg] Selah. [a] Gittith a stringed instrument of music. Evidently a type of harp David brought from Gath. [b] Matthew 11:25 "At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children." Matthew 18:2-4 "He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.'" 5 / 10

6 [c] The "foe and the avenger" is in the singular case. Christ applied this to (Matthew 21:16) the time the children praised Him in the Temple silencing the Priests and Pharisees who were attacking Him. Who is the "foe and avenger." At that time Jesus was interpreting the Psalm to individuals who were all His foes and plotting to wreak personal revenge on Jesus for damage he had done to their "dignity." Of course they were all doing the work of the greater "foe," Satan himself. [d] Here "the son of Man" is "him," and the "fingers" which created the heavens belong to "you." Yet we know that both are the same person, Jesus Christ. When this was written about 1000 years before the virgin birth of Jesus, there was as yet no "son of Man." Prophetically speaking He did not yet exist. However, at that time He did exist as the second person of the Trinity who created the universe. This is one of a number of places in the Bible where this sort of thing occurs. [e] It was Jesus (in His preincarnate person) who created the Heavens and the Earth. Colossians 1:15-16 "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him." [f] Jesus refers to Himself as the "son of man" in Matthew alone 31 times. [g] This phrase also occurs in Psalm 144:3. [h] This is one of a number of places in the Bible where "the son of Man" is "him," and the fingers belong to "you" and yet are the same person. That is because until Jesus was born of a virgin, there was no "son of Man" although His essence existed in the form of the second person of the Trinity. [i] The Hebrew word here is f['m] {meh at'} which can mean "shortly" or "for a little while." 6 / 10

7 [j] The Hebrew word translated "heavenly beings" here is.*%-! {el-o-heem'} which is usually translated "God" (2306 of 2606 in NKJV) or "gods" (244 of 2606 in NKJV). It is only translated angels this once. About half of the other translations I found used the translation "God." In Hebrews 2:7 this was translated from the original Aramaic (which is lost to us) into Greek using the word "((g8@l which literally means "messenger," but is most often understood to mean "messengers of God." The Greek Septuagint translated the word.*%-! in this Psalm using "((g8@l which probably accounts for the Hebrews translation. [k] If we translate the previous phrase as "You made him a little lower than God" that reminds us of Philippians 2:5-7 "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." [l] Hebrews 2:6-9 [m] It is worth noting that the dominion of the earth that the first Adam lost, is regained for us by the second Adam, Jesus Christ. [n] It has been made even more majestic by the life of Jesus Christ. The heavens (verse 3) show His power. Jesus shows His love. [o] "The Death of the Son" can only refer to the death of God's son on whom all blessings and protection in time and eternity are based. [p] The voice of the Psalm seems to be that of Israel in the Tribulation. 7 / 10

8 [q] The word for "nations" here is the Hebrew word *&# {go'-ee} which is the word which refers to those who are Gentiles. It also appears in verses 15,17,19,and 20. [r] The word for wicked here is in the singular and might be translated the wicked one (Satan). [s] The time point of view here is clearly after the destruction of Satan and the enemies of Israel at the end of the Tribulation (verse 5-7): Isaiah 34:2-5a "The LORD is angry with all nations; his wrath is upon all their armies. H e will totally destroy them, he will give them over to slaughter. Their slain will be thrown out, their dead bodies will send up a stench; the mountains will be soaked with their blood. All the stars of the heavens will be dissolved and the sky rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs from the fig tree. My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens." It is before Jesus returns to rule the world in the Millenium (verses 8-9): Isaiah 9:7 "Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever." [t] The voice of this Psalm seems to be located at the time between the end of the tribulation and the last judgment. 8 / 10

9 [u] As the LORD will finally give Israel the final victory, He will also give it to anyone who waits on Him. [v] The definitions given of the Qal of this Hebrew word bz"[; {ä zab'} are "to leave, abandon, reject, desert, to depart from, leave behind, leave, let alone." [w] It is fitting that the LORD's throne will be on Zion, because that is where He won the victory. [x] Deuteronomy 32:35 "It is mine to avenge; I will repay." [y] This seems to be in answer to the cry of the Tribulational Saints in Revelation 6:9-10 ""How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?". [z] Revelation 13:10 "If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints." [aa] This refers to Jerusalem: Isaiah 10:32 "This day they will halt at Nob; they will shake their fist at the mount of the Daughter of Zion, at the hill of Jerusalem." [bb] At the cross in Jerusalem in 30 AD, Satan tried to destroy Christ. At Jerusalem at the end of the Tribulation, the nations will gather in the Holy Land to destroy Israel (all believers). In both cases, the LORD uses the occasion to destroy them instead. 9 / 10

10 [cc] Higgaion is a musical sign, denoting probably a pause in the instrumental interlude. [dd] Revelation 19:21 The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh. 20:5b (They) -- did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. [ee] Revelation 20:4b "And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years." [ff] This is the point of the Great Tribulation, that terror might drive some to face reality. Like the old saying, "There are no Atheists in foxholes [gg] The only hope of mankind is that they do not fall into the error of Satan and believe they can be God. 10 / 10