The Psalms are the word of Christ

[OBW]

Originally Posted by aron

Let me put it to you this way: do you get any sense from Paul's writings that Psalms 2, 8, 16 alone are "revelation" Psalms, while all the rest (1 through 21)are "natural concept" Psalms? And so on, through the rest of the book?

Or some other writer or expositor besides Paul, for that matter; New Testament or otherwise. If the Psalms were full of "stubble", don't you think someone would have pointed this out?

I would say that there is little doubt that Paul thought very highly of all of the psalms. It is clear that different psalms reveal different things about God. That is because some are written more from the perspective of man in his fallen state looking for God's help (among other perspectives). (I can hear Lee complaining about those by mocking "His mercy endureth forever, and ever, and ever, and ever. . . ."

And the blatant fact is that his mercy absolutely does endure forever, and ever, and ever. And we need to hear it more. Not less.

[aron]

Originally Posted by OBW

It is clear that different psalms reveal different things about God. That is because some are written more from the perspective of man in his fallen state looking for God's help (among other perspectives).

True. And my point was that even though some psalms are written from the perspective of man in his fallen state looking for God's help, or trying to be righteous and thus secure God's promised blessing, in these pictures is the framework for God's chosen and anointed Christ to come in to our aid.

God arranged for His Son to temporarily become the "Son of David". This Son of Man suffered and was even cut off, taking the sinner's place. So the fallen man looking for help was redeemed by the "paraclete" in human form, Jesus the Nazarene. This One came alongside and opened His mouth and said, "Yes, Father, save us from our sins", and the Father heard Him. Through the Father hearing and saving Jesus from the pangs of death, we all vicariously may partake in God's victory over sin and death.

Without Jesus coming alongside and breathing life into these psalms, they would indeed have been vain. But with Jesus they become the framework for God's salvation of all humankind. The word is now living, and operating.

When Jesus inhabited the types, the forms, the pictures, so vividly portrayed in the Psalms (among other scriptures, such as "the law" and "the prophets", of course), then these writings became much more than a fallen man declaring vain things in his natural concepts. They became the Word made flesh, and tabernacling among us, full of grace and reality.

Originally Posted by OBW

I can hear Lee complaining about those by mocking "His mercy endureth forever, and ever, and ever, and ever. . . ."

Yes, this (perhaps among others) was the incident I was referring to. I'm pretty sure I saw it on video tape, as well as had it relayed to me by several others. An enthusiasm for singing the Psalms was moving through the local churches, and Lee shut it down.

Even if they had been approaching God's word in a shallow way, chanting "His mercy endureth forever" ad nauseum, the Holy Spirit could still come alongside and take them somewhere deep. While Mr. Lee may have thought he was shepherding them to the deep end of the pool, by diverting their attention to Ephesians and Colossians, I strongly sense that he merely quenched the Spirit (notwithstanding that Ephesians and Colossians recommend singing the Psalms).

The Spirit can take you deeper than you ever imagined, and you'd be surprised what route it may take, if you let go of your concepts.

And the blatant fact is that his mercy absolutely does endure forever, and ever, and ever. And we need to hear it more. Not less.[/QUOTE]

Yes. My burden in this thread was to say that the blatant facts of the Bible were over-ridden by the "natural concepts" of Lee. The more we push into these plain words, in the light of the New Testament revelation, the more we will in fact "see Jesus", as Hebrews 2:9 states. Jesus is right there in front of us, in plain words, crying, struggling, calling on the Father, praying, praising, singing, hoping, waiting on the Lord, full of faith, undaunted by sin and death crowding around Him and constantly threatening Him, declaring His Father's victory over the wicked spirits, freeing the prisoners, shining into the valley of the shadow of death.

Should not we come alongside Him, He who has come alongside us, and say "amen" to His speaking? To dismiss these writings as the merely the fallen concepts of a natural man dependent upon his own strength, enthusiasm, and righteousness is to sell ourselves far short of our birthright.

[OBW]

Originally Posted by aron

While Mr. Lee may have thought he was shepherding them to the deep end of the pool, by diverting their attention to Ephesians and Colossians, I strongly sense that he merely quenched the Spirit

I like the way you put these two thoughts together. We liked to speak of drinking of or from the Spirit, yet the Spirit is more often likened to something burning. How fitting that the LRC is being lead to the deep end of a pool when the goal is the burning Spirit.