May 25, 2006

• I challenge you NOT to be a 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.

  For centuries Jews have read the Psalms. But almost all of them have died seeing only David in the Psalms. It’s sad isn’t it? As with all prophecy, the meaning of the passages MUST BE REVEALED. You can’t just open a passage of the Psalms and go, “oh that’s talking about David.” Anymore, than you can open up Isaiah 53 (the chapter about the Suffering Servant) and say, “oh that’s talking about the nation Israel”. Prophecy — by the Apostle Peter’s definition — cannot be privately interpreted. “No prophecy is of any private interpretation.”

  We can learn something from Christ’s parables in the New Testament. The disciples simply couldn’t work out what Christ was on about in his parables. They were flabbergasted. ”And His disciples came to Him, saying, Explain to us the parable of the darnel of the field.” (Mt 13:36). The Lord had to sit ‘em down and explain the EXACT meaning of the parable of darnel of the field. It’s the same with prophecy. You’ve got to sit down with the Apostles and they’ll tell you the meaning. Otherwise, you’ll be in the dark just like the disciples were before Christ interpreted the prophecy.

  Sadly, most Presbyterians and Reformed Baptists privately interprete the Psalms. By that, I mean they interprete the Psalms according to their own fancies. This is incredible. Are they  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 before THROUGH DAVID’S MOUTH” (Acts 1:15) and that “David himself said BY THE HOLY SPIRIT” (Mk 12:36). 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.”

  David was merely God’s secretary. As Peter says, “…the patriarch David … BEING A PROPHET, … spoke about the resurrection of the Christ.” (Acts 2:29-31). And what do prophets write about? Do they write about their own personal experiences? No. Peter says, the prophets were “testifying beforehand of the sufferings belonging to Christ” (1 Pet 1:11).

  Paul says, — “eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered the heart of man.” Indeed, God revealed the meaning of prophecy only to the Apostles, “But God revealed them TO US by His Spirit” (1 Cor 2:10).

  Two facts need to be understood:

  1) David was a prophet.

  and

  2) Prophets do not write about their own experiences.

  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.”

  Don’t be like the authors of the Westminster Confession, who twisted many of the Psalms. Boy, they tried 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.

  OBJECTION: WHAT ABOUT PSALM 51

  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.

  Regarding this Psalm, Jeremy wrote me, === “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”===

  In response: 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” because the sins were in His account.

  A FINAL CHALLENGE

  I challenge you NOT to be a 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.

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