I have to admit as I read the Psalms in time past that I
totally missed the beauty and brutal honesty of the Psalms. Yes, I was one of
those guys who read, preached, taught, illustrated, encouraged, and edified the
saints with the most popular Psalms. Translated, I ran to the shout material of
the Psalms. I won’t say it was a bad thing to do at the time. It was just
something I knew at the time.
However, over time, as I grow in God so does my ability to
see Scripture in a more mature fashion. The Hebrew writer says; “Therefore let us move beyond the elementary
teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the
foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God,
instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of
the dead, and eternal judgment. And God
permitting, we will do so” – (Hebrews 6:1-3). Translation, Grow Up and Move
on!
I believe that’s why I can read Psalms now with a more mature
set of eyes, I GREW UP A LIL!
As we read Psalms, we read the writers truth and honesty.
The sixteenth century Reformer John Calvin says of the
Psalms; “There is not an emotion of which any one can be conscious that is not
here represented as in a mirror. Or rather, the Holy Spirit has here drawn . .
. all the griefs, sorrows, fears, doubts, hopes, cares, perplexities, in short,
all the distracting emotions with which the minds of men are wont to be
agitated. Or, as someone else noted, while the rest of the Scripture speaks to
us, the Psalms speak for us.
Some biblical scholars have observed three cycles in the
psalms: the cycles of orientation, disorientation, and reorientation.
· Psalms of
orientation point us to the kind of relationship with God we were created for,
a relationship marked by confidence and trust; delight and obedience; worship,
joy, and satisfaction.
· The psalms of
disorientation show us human beings in their fallen state. Anxiety, fear,
shame, guilt, depression, anger, doubt, despair – the whole kaleidoscope of
toxic human emotions find a place in the Psalms.
· But the
psalms of reorientation portray reconciliation and redemption in prayers of
repentance (the famous penitential psalms), songs of thanksgiving, and hymns of
praise that exalt God for his saving deeds, sometimes pointing forward to
Jesus, the Messianic Lord and Davidic King who will fulfill God’s promises,
establish God’s kingdom, and make all things new.
The above cycles point us to the story of the Christian life:
creation, fall, and redemption. Our lives, more often than not, are fraught
with anxiety, shame, guilt, and fear. But when we encounter our redeeming God
in the midst of those distressing situations and emotions, we respond with
renewed penitence, worship, thanksgiving, hope, and praise.
Within the honesty of the writers of Psalms there is still
confident trust in God that is not independent of life’s realities but right if
midst of it. Honestly, that’s what living the Christian life is all about, living
strong in the midst of hardships. But my question is how do we live strong without
some much emphasis being placed praise your through it? I love praise and
worship. But good is it without knowing the One to whom we praise and worship.
Liking it to 1 Corinthians 13, we’re sounding brass and tinkling cymbals. Translated,
Making noise with no purpose.
One of most important things we can learn in walking with God
is how to use Scripture as he intended. All Scripture is inspired by God, but
not all Scripture is suited to every state of heart. There is a God-given
variety in the Spirit-breathed word – a variety that befits the complexities of
the human condition. Sometimes we need comfort, sometimes instruction, while at
other times we need prayers of confession and the assurance of God’s grace and
pardon.
For example, when we’re struggling with anxious thoughts, we
are strengthened by psalms that point to God as our rock, our refuge, our
shepherd, our sovereign king (e.g. Psalms 23:1, Psalms 27:1, Psalms 34:1,
Psalms 44:1, Psalms 62:1, Psalms 142:1). When we’re beset with temptations, we
need the wisdom of psalms that direct our steps in the ways of God’s righteous
statues (e.g. Psalms 1:1, Psalms 19:1, Psalms 25:1, Psalms 37:1, Psalms 119:1).
But when we’ve blown it and feel overwhelmed with guilt, we need psalms that help
us hope in God’s mercy and unfailing love (e.g. Psalms 32:1, Psalms 51:1,
Psalms 103:1, Psalms 130:1). And at other times, we just need to tell God how
desperately we desire him, or how much we love him, or how we long to praise
him (e.g. Psalms 63:1, Psalms 84:1, Psalms 116:1, Psalms 146:1).
Don’t wait to get started, see God now in the Psalms and it
will help you get through the bad times.
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