IN reading through what are called the historical books of the Bible we have learned something of the history of the children of Israel from their first entrance into the land under Joshua. Then under the Judges we saw their sad conduct, how they seemed to forget all the mighty works of the Lord when He brought them out of Egypt and established them in the land of promise. After this, in the books of Samuel, the Kings and Chronicles, we saw the glorious reigns of David and Solomon, followed by the decline under the succeeding kings, the Lord sending them prophets until, as He said, “there was no remedy” (2 Chron. 36:1616But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy. (2 Chronicles 36:16)). It ended in their being overcome by Assyria and Babylon and exiled to a strange land. In Ezra and Nehemiah we read of those who were allowed to return to their own land and of their failure and departure in heart from the Lord. In Esther we get a glimpse of those who remained in the land of their captivity and of God’s care over them even though He could not own them publicly as in relationship with Himself.
The Psalms give us in poetical style a prophecy concerning the future of His earthly people, but all woven around the coming of their Messiah. In them we get His presentation to them, His rejection and His sufferings, yet He does not give them up but leads them through trials and tribulations so as to bring them to the acknowledgement of Himself, to the end that they might be restored in their souls and re-established in the land. The book closes with the accomplishment of all this and they become true worshippers of Him.
The book of Psalms is not properly Christian in character as it is concerned with an earthly people and the present interval of God’s grace is completely passed over. They are no exception to; what the Lord said of the Old Testament Scriptures, “Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory? And beginning at Muses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” (Luke 24: 26, 27. See also 1 Peter 1:942.)
We see in the prayers included in the Psalms that of an earthly people with an earthly inheritance, calling for vengeance upon their enemies, which is an altogether different spirit from that of God’s people now as brought before us in the revelation of the New Testament. In the New Testament we have, brought before us the people of God with a heavenly calling and heavenly blessings, not founded on the truth as revealed in God’s law, but upon grace and truth “which came by Jesus Christ.” John 1:1717For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. (John 1:17).
The Book of the Psalms is in the original Hebrew text divided into five books. It has been discerned that each book has a distinct subject, each giving the position of the Messiah in His being offered to the nation, and the position of the faithful consequent upon His rejection by the nation. Some of these exercises no doubt were in part gone through with the faithful of the people when the Lord was here in Person, but will have to be gone through again by those whose hearts the Lord will stir up in the time yet to come. However, the Lord’s presentation to them in Person as the meek and lowly One, His rejection and sufferings cannot be repeated again. That was done once for all. (Heb. 9:24, 2524For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 25Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; (Hebrews 9:24‑25).)
ML-10/16/1960