May 23, 2006
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Psalms are NOT David’s experiences
All sects — from Roman Catholics to Presbyterians — assume that the Psalms are David’s/Heman’s/Asaph’s private experiences.
But where does the Scripture say this??
Nowhere.
The Apostles never say that the Psalms describe David’s private experiences. In fact, the Apostles apply and identify about 1/3 of the Psalms as speaking of Christ. The other 2/3rds are essentially the same in content, and must also be Messianic.
Yet, every Sunday “Pastors” around the world PRIVATELY interpret the Psalms . By “private interpretation” I mean the practice of taking passages from the Psalms and interpreting them as ya-feel-like-it.
For instance, it is often assumed that Psalm 69 is descriptive of David’s own experience. People think that these verses describe David doubting his salvation….
Psalm 69:17,20,21: “And do not hide Your face from Your servant; for it is distressing to Me; answer Me quickly. draw near My soul; redeem it; ransom Me because of My enemies. Reproach has broken My heart, and I am faint; and I waited for one to show pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none. They also gave Me gall in My food; and in My thirst they gave Me vinegar to drink.”
Now, there’s a problem with saying this is David’s own experience. A big problem.
It’s actually Christ speaking in this Psalm! Not David. In John 19:29, the Holy Spirit records the fact that Christ was offered vinegar to drink.
“Then a vessel full of vinegar was set, and having filled a sponge with vinegar, and putting hyssop around, they brought it to His mouth.”
The Apostles never say that the Psalms are descriptive of David’s private experiences. They limit David to the role of a mere secretary and prophet concerning Christ. “David being a prophet says…”, “David in the Spirit says…”, “God says in David…”, “Christ says in David…”, “The Holy Spirit spoke by the mouth of David…”.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. (Psalm 51:1-5 ESV Emphasis mine)
Do enlighten me as to how this applies to our Savior who “in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15 ESV).
G’day Whit !
The authors of the Westminster Confession twisted many of the Psalms, trying desperately to find a Biblical example of a believer doubting their salvation.
For example, see Chapter 18 Part III of the Confession. Here the “Divines” wrote that, “… infallible assurance does not so belong to the essence of faith, but that a true believer may wait long, and conflict with many difficulties, before he be partaker of it.”
If you check the footnote on this page of the Confession you’ll see that as “proof texts” Psalm 88 and 77 are used. In other words, the Westminster “Divines” thought that in Psalm 88 Heman is doubting his salvation and in Psalm 77 Asaph is doubting his salvation. They thought this proved believers could doubt their salvation.
But weren’t Heman and Asaph prophets? And do prophets speak of their own experiences? Peter says, the prophets were “testifying beforehand of the sufferings belonging to CHRIST,” (1 Peter 1:12). Hmmm….
In fact, Psalm 88 contains the lament: “why do You hide Your face from me?”. This lament is commonly used by Christ throughout the Psalms. Psalm 69, for example, contains this lament. And the New Testament says that Psalm 69 is about Christ. Paul in Romans 15:3 applies Psalm 69 to Christ. And Christ applies this Psalm to himself in John 2:17, John 15:25, John 19:29 etc etc.
So, you should realise that Christ himself claimed the prophecy was speaking about Himself. But you say the Psalms are about David. You are not better than a blaspheming Jew, Whit! Maybe you apply less of the Psalms to David than they do. But, at the end of the day, you are not looking at what the Apostles have to say. You are privately interpreting the Psalms according to your own fancies. But Peter said that, “NO PROPHECY OF SCRIPTURE IS OF ANY PRIVATE INTERPRETATION.” Look to the New Testament, and find that the Psalms speak of Christ, and the Church. Not David, who was a prophet.
Hey… and remember that there is NOT a single New Testament passage saying the Psalms are about David.
Andrew Bain
Hey Jeremy, are you wiser than God? I’m not kidding. This is a question all you doubting Calvinists out there should consider. God says over and over again that the Psalms are about Christ. And He also says David was merely “a prophet” and that the “Holy Spirit spoke by David”. Yet, you doubting Calvinists think your interpretation of the Psalms is better than God’s. You apply them to David. Something God never does, and he continually warns us that it was the “Holy spirit speaking by the mouth of David.”
Indeed, there is no way around it — God says that Psalm 51 is about Christ. Read Hebrews 10:5-6.
“5 For this reason, coming into the world, He [Jesus Christ] says, “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but You prepared a body for Me. 6 You did not delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices concerning sins.”
Here we see that it is JESUS CHRIST who says: “YOU DO NOT DELIGHT IN BURNT OFFERINGS”
These are the words of the God-man Jesus Christ. Will you steal the words of His mouth and give them to David?
Because in Psalm 51 these EXACT words are found!! Read verse 16. “For you do not desire sacrifice, or I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering.”
Clearly, it is Christ who says “YOU DO NOT DELIGHT IN BURNT OFFERING”. Psalm 51 are the words of Jesus Christ to His Father. It is was Christ “says”, according to Hebrews 10:6.
Jeremy, next you write, === I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. (Psalm 51:1-5) …. Do enlighten me as to how this applies to our Savior who “in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin”===
Jeremy, do you really believe the sins of the elect were imputed to Christ on the cross? The New Testament says, “HE WAS MADE A CURSE” and “He who knew no sin WAS MADE SIN FOR US”. Yes, Christ was a lamb without blemish. He was perfect. He never sinned. He was never stained within.
But when the sins of the elect were imputed, Christ TOOK THE DEBT upon himself. Let me explain. Suppose you owe your parents $50. Kindly, a friend of yours takes the debt from you, so that your friend is now in debt to your parents for $50. Of course, your friend never accumulated the debt himself.
In the same way, Christ never sinned. But He did take the debt/sins of the elect to be his own. In other words, He “owned” their sins, so to speak, whilst on the cross. Thus, he can refer to them as “my iniquities”. After all, the sins were in His account.
Again, I challenge you to NOT be Jew. Stop reading the Psalms like the Jews. Maybe you apply more Psalms to Christ than they do. But essentially, you both say the Psalms are David’s. Something the Apostles never say.
Read the Pslams only through the eyes of the Apostles. Paul acknowledges that the prophets did not know what they were writing — “eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered the heart of man.” God revealed the meaning of prophecy only to the Apostles, “But God revealed them TO US by His Spirit” (1 Cor 2:10). Christians listen to the Apostles! Only they know the meaning of prophecy! They alone can reveal to you the meaning of the Psalms! These Divine Ambassadors say, “We are of God; the one knowing God hears us. Whoever is not of God does not hear us. FROM THIS WE KNOW THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH AND THE SPIRIT OF ERROR.”
Andrew Bain
I say again, that we conservative Presbyterians believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is in the Psalms and therefore that the Psalms are about Jesus Christ. Indeed, I don’t want to believe something posted by an “arrogant narrow-minded tittle who talks down to everyone”!
Mr. Bain writes, “So, you should realise that Christ himself claimed the prophecy was speaking about Himself. But you say the Psalms are about David. You are not better than a blaspheming Jew, Whit! “
How misrepresenting of what I said! I said and say again, “Presbyterians recognize the Christ is in the Psalms and that the Psalms point to Christ and His Gospel. That is one reason why we sing the Psalms and categorise some of them as Messianic….” Therefore, by the Psalms being Messianic and containing the Gospel of Christ, we Presbyterians believe that they are about Christ.
In the WCF does not uphold the lie of doubting one’s salvation unless the reader of it takes it out of context for the WCF also says, ” They whom God hath accepted in his Beloved, effectually called and sanctified by his Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace; but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved.
II. This perseverance of the saints depends, not upon their own free-will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father; upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ; the abiding of the Spirit and of the seed of God within them; and the nature of the covenant of grace; from all which ariseth also the certainty and infallibility thereof”
The Westminster Large Catechism also says, “yet they are never left without such a presence and support of the Spirit of God as keeps them from sinking into utter despair.“ AND “Such as truly believe in Christ, and endeavour to walk in all good conscience before him, may, without extraordinary revelation, by faith grounded upon the truth of God’s promises, and by the Spirit enabling them to discern in themselves those graces to which the promises of life are made, and bearing witness with their spirits that they are the children of God, be infallibly assured that they are in the estate of grace, and shall persevere therein unto salvation”
Consider the whole picture before drawing your false conclusions about us Presbyterians!
Indeed, I am just as much a sinner as a blaspheming Jew, and from Paul, I know that I am the chief of sinners. Yet I am a sinner saved by Grace through Faith (Eph. 2:8) and NOT doubting because of God’s Promises in Rom. 8, John 3:16, and other wonderous passages!
BTW, I apply ALL the Psalms to Christ as the conservative Reformed (Presbyterian, Baptist, Dutch, &c.) do. We understand and believe that Psalms of Heman and Asaph you cited (and all of the other Psalms) are about God’s Justice and prophesying His salvation of men through Christ. We believe that all Scripture including the Psalms point to Christ and thus are about Christ.
Repent and believe ye in the Gospel (Eph. 2:1-9)!
Ummm, what about Psalm 32? It speaks explicitly about a man confronted with sin. Clearly this can’t be referring to the sinless Christ.
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