Christian History Illustrated In The Book of Psalms
Psalm 13 is a short six verses that mirror the trials in the life of Queen Elizabeth 1. Reading from theMiles Coverdale translation of 1535, published during her early life: “How longe wilt thou forget me, O LORDE? for ever? how longe wilt thou hyde thy face from me? …how longe shall I be so vexed in my herte? how longe shal myne enemie triumphe ouer me? Considre, and heare me, O LORDE my God: lighten myne eyes, that I slepe not in death. Lest myne enemie saye: I haue preuayled agaynst him for if I be cast downe, they that trouble me will reioyse. But my trust is in thy mercy, and my hert is ioyfull in thy sauynge health. I wil synge of the LORDE, that dealeth so louyngly with me. (Yee I wil prayse the name of the LORDE the most hyest).”
The life and travails of this noble queen can be clearly seen in this psalm. It meant so much to her that she wrote an opera based on it, which has not survived. To give you some background, “Bloody Mary” Tudor, Elizabeth’s half-sister, a staunch Roman Catholic, planned to put Elizabeth to death, but her Spanish-born Catholic husband, Philip, talked her into imprisoning Elizabeth instead. Mary was slowly dying of ovarian cancer, and Philip had his eye on Elizabeth, who was said to be quite beautiful in her youth. Elizabeth, however, spurned him when she became queen. Psalms 17 and 49
The New Testament teaching on resurrection and future life is anticipated in Psalm 17. We read in verses 14 and 15, “O Lord, by your hand save me from such men, from men of this world whose reward is in this life…And I—in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.” Similarly, we read in Psalm 49:16-19, “Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases; for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him. Though while he lived he counted himself blessed—and men praise you when you prosper—he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of life.” This is paralleled in Daniel 12:2, “many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”
Dr. Lorenzo Burge, in “Origin & Formation of the Hebrew Scriptures,” p.53, says that Psalms 17 and 49 demonstrate “A distinct recognition of future life.” You might think that the New Testament simply follows rabbinic teaching, but in fact Judaism and its Talmud has no clear belief concerning a resurrection or future punishment. The Talmudic Jewish Neofite Targim says, “Cain answered and said to Abel, There is no judgment, there is no judge, there is no other world, there is no gift of good reward for the just and no punishment for the wicked.” (From: “The Descent of Ishtar and Jewish Roots of Gnosticism,” by Edwin M. Yamauchi, Tyndale Bulletin 29/1978, p.167).
Rabbi Rubenstein, in his book, “After Auschwitz” (Bobbs-Merrill Pub., Indianapolis, 1966, p.68) mirrors this. “In the face of overwhelming Jewish suffering during the Hadrianic War [115-117 A.D., also known as Kito’s War after Roman commander Lucius Quietus], he [Rabbi Elisha ben Abuyah] exclaimed, Leth din v’leth dyan = There is neither judgment nor judge.” Despite the popularity of the term, “Judeo-Christian,” there are some stark differences between the teachings of Christianity and Judaism.
Psalm 22, Prophecies Fulfilled at Calvary
Dr. J.H. Townsend, in “The Returning King,” says, “Verses 1 to 18 have seven predictions literally fulfilled at Calvary.” In fact, there are ten! Verses 1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 of Psalm 22 are quoted as fulfilled in the New Testament in Matt. 27:30, 33, 35, 43, 46; Mark 15:29-31; Luke 23:35; and John 19:28, 33, 34; 37.
For example, Psalm 22:1, “O God, my God, attend to me: why hast thou forsaken me?” This is quoted in Matthew 27:46, “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
Psalm 22:4 states, “Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.” This is fulfilled in Matthew 27:43, “He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.”
Psalm 22:7 reads, “All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head…” Mark 15:29 refers to this: “And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads…”
Psalm 22:8 says, “He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.” This is mirrored in Mark 15:30-31, “Save thyself, and come down from the cross.also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save.”
Psalm 41:9-12, A Judas Prophecy
Quoting from the English translation of the third-century, B.C., Septuagint Version used by Christ and His Apostles: “For even the man of my peace, in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, lifted up his heel against me. But thou, O Lord, have compassion upon me, and raise me up, and I shall requite them… But thou didst help me because of mine innocence, and hast established me before thee for ever.”
Psalm 101, British Coronation Service
This is a psalm of King David that as author he subtitled, “I will walk with integrity.” We read, “I will behave myself wisely and give heed to the blameless way–O when will You come to me? I will walk within my house in integrity and with a blameless heart. I will set no base or wicked thing before my eyes. I hate the work of them who turn aside [from the right path]; it shall not grasp hold of me. A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will know no evil person or thing. Whoso privily slanders his neighbor, him will I cut off [from me]; he who has a haughty look and a proud and arrogant heart I cannot and I will not tolerate. My eyes shall [look with favor] upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks blamelessly, he shall minister to me. He who works deceit shall not dwell in my house; he who tells lies shall not continue in my presence. Morning after morning I will root up all the wicked in the land, that I may eliminate all the evildoers from the city of the Lord.” [Amplified Version] This psalm was featured in past British coronations, and perhaps used again by King Charles III as well. We can only hope and pray that the new king of Great Britain will heed his forefather David’s advice!
Many other psalms have figured in the lives and events of the Lord’s New Covenant people. These include Psalm 2 (the Messiah and His enemies), Psalm 19 (seventeenth-century English poet and theologian, John Milton), Psalm 20 (South African Boer War of 1900-1902), Psalm 24 (favorite psalm of the Colonial American Pilgrims), Psalm 35:23 (motto of the Spanish Armada; opposed by English motto Isaiah 40:24); Psalm 95 (the Crusader’s psalm); Psalm 107 (the early British-Israel Association psalm); Psalm 121 (David Livingstone’s favorite psalm); and Psalm 127:1 (inscribed on the Ripon Town Hall, Yorkshire UK). These additional psalms and more were covered in a recent lecture, “Christian History Is Illustrated in the Book of Psalms,”
