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Topic:
The Book Of
Psalms -- A Brief Overview, Part 7 Of 7
Moral characteristics of the Psalms.-- Foremost among these meets us,
undoubtedly, the universal recourse to communion with God. Connected
with this is the faith by which the psalmist everywhere lives in God
rather than in himself. It is of the essence of such faith that his view
of the perfections of God should be true and vivid. The Psalter
describes God as he is: it glows with testimonies to his power and
providence, his love and faithfulness, his holiness and righteousness.
The Psalms not only set forth the perfections of God; they proclaim also
the duty of worshipping him by the acknowledgment and adoration of his
perfections. They encourage all outward rites and means of worship.
Among these they recognize the ordinance of sacrifice as in expression
of the worshipper's consecration of himself to God's service. But not
the less do they repudiate the outward rite when separated from that
which it was designed to express. Similar depth is observable in the
view taken by the psalmists of human sin. In regard to the law, the
psalmist, while warmly acknowledging its excellence, feels yet that it
cannot so effectually guide his own unassisted exertions as to preserve
him from error Psalm 19. The Psalms bear repeated testimony to the duty
of instructing other in the ways of holiness. Psalm 32,34, 51 This
brings us to notice, lastly, the faith of the psalmists in righteous
recompense to all men according to their deeds. Psalm 37, etc.
Prophetical character of the Psalms.--The moral struggle between
godliness and ungodliness, so vividly depicted in the Psalms, culminates
in Holy Scripture, in the life of the Incarnate Son of God upon earth.
It only remains to show that the Psalms themselves definitely
anticipated this culmination. Now there are in the Psalter at least
three psalms of which the interest evidently centers in a person
distinct from the speaker, and which, since they cannot without violence
to the language be interpreted of any but the Messiah, may be termed
directly and exclusively Messianic. We refer to Psalm 2,45,110, to which
may perhaps be added, Psalm 72. It would be strange if these few psalms
stood, in their prophetical significance absolutely alone among the
rest. And hence the impossibility of viewing the psalms generally,
notwithstanding the drapery in which they are outwardly clothed, as
simply the past devotions of the historical David or the historical
Israel. The national hymns of Israel are indeed also prospective; but in
general they anticipate rather the struggles and the triumphs of the
Christian Church than those of Christ himself.
From: Smith's Bible Dictionary. Fair Use. Presented for educational
purposes only.
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